Shooting Times

THE ARTICLE ON THE NEXUS RIFLE IN THE NOVEMBER 2022 ISSUE ASSERTS that the headspace is set by the barrel extension and the bolthead. Headspace is measured from the front of the locked bolt to a datum point on the steep taper to the neck of the cartridge. This requires the entire chamber, at least up to the neck, to be formed in the barrel extension. I assume the barrel extension is the copper-colored part at the left end of the barrels in the top picture on page 44. This is an interesting design concept that I do not recall seeing in any other design. James Beasom Melbourne Village, FL Hats Off to Ruger! I recently purchased two Ruger Single-Six revolvers in .22 LR/.22 WMR. One shot perfectly. The other was significantly off at…

HORNADY ENGINEERED THE SINGLE-STAGE LOCK-N-LOAD IRON PRESS TO be the heaviest, most rigid reloading press in its class. It features a spring-assisted 1.125-inch solid steel ram; the patented Lock-N-Load (L-N-L) Bushing System; and a patented shellholder platform that lets the operator deprime a case, remove the case to chamfer or deburr, and then replace and prime. The 28-pound Iron Press can be upgraded to include a gravity-fed automatic priming system, large and small primer tubes, large and small primer pickup tubes, primer housing tubes, primer catch trays, and a small parts bag. The Iron Press is also offered as a kit (shown) that includes the press, the automatic priming system, a die caddy, a component feed bin and bracket, L-N-L die bushings (3), an L-N-L bench scale, a powder measure, a…

Q. IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT ARTICLE ON THE ADVANTAGES OF A convertible single-action revolver with interchangeable cylinders, didn’t Ruger once make a special convertible Blackhawk single-action revolver chambered for .38-40? What more can you tell me about that special revolver? John Heinz Via email A. Your timing couldn’t be better because I just bought the very revolver you are asking about from Shooting Times writer Lane Pearce. Lane wrote a full-length article on that gun when it was introduced in 1990. Here are the particulars. The New Model Blackhawk Convertible with one cylinder chambered for .38-40 and one chambered for 10mm Auto was a limited-production gun produced for Buckeye Sports Supply in Ohio. Approximately 5,000 were made. The revolvers had 6.5-inch-long barrels with a twist rate of one turn in 16 inches, adjustable…

DESIGNED AND REFINED IN THE EARLY 1860S, Remington’s Rolling Block action had a significant presence in the Indian Wars, including Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It was favored by Buffalo hunters, likely second only to the Sharps Model 1874. It helped the United States long-range team win the international championships at Creedmoor (the match hung in the balance, and Col. John Bodine’s final 1,000-yard shot from his Rolling Block rifle scored a bullseye and a championship win for America). And the Rolling Block served in armies from South America to Scandinavia to Egypt, taking part in many conflicts. The Rolling Block was designed early in the self-contained-cartridge era, yet it would successfully make the transition to smokeless powder and would soldier on for decades. It’s a…

WHILE THE QUARTET OF WINCHESTER MAG- nums introduced between 1956 and 1963—.458, .338, .264, and .300 Win. Mags.—were expertly promoted, and three found lasting acceptance, the .264 Winchester Magnum struggled when it should have thrived. Introduced in 1958, the .264 Win. Mag. made a stir with its promise of a flat trajectory for long, open-country shots possible in the American West. Winchester even named its bolt-action Model 70 rifle in .264 the “Westerner.” Model 70 Westerners had longer 26-inch barrels to help with the theme of high velocity. Most published stories about the .264 Win. Mag. attribute the 7mm Remington Magnum as the source of struggle; I’ve seen the word “eclipsed” used so much in those articles that I thought I was in astronomy class! Although I certainly agree the 7mm Rem.…

YOU’LL FIND MY QUICK SHOT ON RUGER’S NEW Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle (SFAR) on page 56, and it illustrates how the 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester carbine is only a little larger than a typical AR-15. Having a 20-inch barrel, the SFAR weighs about 8.5 pounds with a scope installed and a fully loaded, 20-round magazine onboard. It’s at least a pound lighter than a similarly configured, full-size .308 AR-10. The SFAR isn’t Ruger’s first .308 autoloading rifle. It isn’t even the company’s second one. You see, Ruger developed and announced the XGI rifle in 1985. It was configured to be similar in appearance to the M1/M14 military rifles, but at the last moment, it was dropped without any public explanation. However, I had borrowed one from Shooting Times rifle/reloading writer Rick Jamison at…