RifleShooter

commence fire

Wonderful Winchester After reading Mr. Miller’s article on the Winchester 67A (pictured above, May/June), I had to dig out my father’s rifle. I customized it for my daughter when she started smallbore by committing sacrilege—installing aperture sights and a trigger stop. After adding an offset extended cocking knob, which as a young lady she still had trouble pulling, I added a leather lanyard, which worked great. It is a great shooter, serving her well until she upgraded to a Walther. John Payton Taylor, Jr. Bedding Matters I love your magazine but would like to make a suggestion. Whenever you do a rifle review, I want to know what type of action bedding it utilizes. Pillar bed, glass bed, aluminum block, V-block or no bedding at all. I’d like to see at least one picture…

controlled-round feed

While it didn’t rise to the level of the old “.30-06 versus .270” debate, the question of whether controlled-round feed is a must-have feature stirred some discussions on our Facebook page. In 62 years of gunsmithing I have only replaced one claw extractor. I have replaced dozens of Remington spring extractors and replaced a few with the Sako type. For reliability, claw beats them all!—George It’s a feature I like, and I would probably want one if I were chasing dangerous game. That said, it isn’t a “must-have” feature. The Remington 700 proves that.—Jeff Owned both, it’s overrated. Honestly, my biggest problem isn’t the claw itself, it’s the bolt-mounted safety that most true CRF actions come with. I haven’t had pleasant experiences with that design.—Coltin It’s a must-have.—Erland It is like inertia or mechanical triggers…

an ar conversion

There was a time when I hated ARs. Well, hate is probably too strong a word; I just didn’t have any interest in them. I thought they were great guns for military/law enforcement and NRA service rifle competitions, but I was a hunter and couldn’t see their application in hunting. Do keep in mind, however, it was in 1964 that Colt started selling AR-15s to the civilian market, and then only in .223 Rem., which was considered a varmint cartridge and loaded as such by all the big ammunition manufacturers. The sudden availability of Colt’s AR-15 created nary a ripple with hunters, whom I suspect felt pretty much as I did. Once Colt’s patents ran out in the mid-1970s, other manufacturers started producing ARs, and wildcatters came up with all sorts of…

.280 ackley vs .28 nosler

P.O. Ackley was a prolific wildcatter, but only one of his many cartridge creations ever made it big among mainstream hunters: the .280 Ackley Improved. The cartridge is based on the .280 Rem. with a steeper 40-degree shoulder and less body taper. Accurate and efficient, the .280 AI offers virtually everything the 7mm Rem. Mag. can do with less powder burn, muzzle blast and recoil. Because it’s manageable to shoot even in light guns, it has been popular among mountain hunters for years, and since the cartridge received SAAMI’s blessing in 2008, a number of rifle manufacturers have adopted the cartridge. Kimber, Browning and Savage are among the companies that offer factory .280 AI bolt guns, and Ruger is offering a limited run of its Hawkeye African rifles chambered for it.…

new gear

Ruger Precision 6mm Creedmoor Ruger’s Precision rifle gets the custom shop treatment with a TriggerTech trigger, heavy-contour stainless steel barrel and APA muzzle brake. The front of the magazine well has a barrier stop, and the Magpul MOE-K2+ grip has a more vertical angle. The fore-end has M-Lok slots and a target-style flat bottom. The magazine well now sports a flare for faster, surer reloading. There’s a 20-m.o.a. optics rail up top, and an oversize bolt handle makes for fast bolt work. Comes with two 10-round PMags and a Sorbothane cheek pad. >> $2,399, RUGER.COM Leupold VX-3HD I’m a big fan of Leupold VX-3 scopes because they offer terrific performance while remaining trim, light and relatively inexpensive. The new VX-3HD line includes 1.5-5x20mm, 2.5-8x36, 3.5-10x40, 3.5-10x50 and 4.5-15x50 models. They feature the company’s Elite…

turning pro

Reloading dies are not all created equal. Basic dies are of adequate quality and offer simple, serviceable capability at an affordable price. Premium dies provide higher quality and advanced features such as interchangeable neck bushings and micrometer-adjustable seating depth. And then there are Lyman’s new Pro reloading dies. A cut above, they are designed to provide handloaders the ability to load match-quality ammo in high volume, with a minimum of maintenance. While the Pro reloading dies are suitable for use with all single-stage and turret-type reloading presses, the first characteristic that sets them apart is that they are also optimized for use with high-volume progressive reloading presses. Plus, several advanced features are isolated and given task-specific dies should the reloader wish to apply, for example, a very precise crimp in a…