By Holt Bodinson

Precise measurement of group size is a snap with Sinclair International’s Group Measuring Caliper Attachment.

Ever wonder how we measure and report group sizes out to three decimals? The answer’s really simple and straightforward. The benchrest crowd has been doing it for decades and finally there’s an affordable accessory putting the capability into the hands of every shooter.

Sinclair International was formed years ago by Fred Sinclair and quickly became the Mecca for innovative, benchrest-level reloading equipment and accessories. Acquired recently by Brownells, Sinclair Int. continues to operate as a distinct company with a separate catalog focused on precision reloading tooling and high-quality shooting accessories of every type.

One of the innovative tools they’ve designed is a group measuring attachment that slips on the blades of a dial or digital vernier caliper. Actually, Sinclair offers two attachments. Each one measures three different caliber groups. One measures .22 caliber, 6mm and .30 caliber groups and the other, .25 caliber, 6.5mm and 7mm groups. Pictured is the .22 caliber, 6mm and .30 caliber model measuring a .22 caliber group.

In use, the attachment is in two parts, one fitting each blade of the caliper and secured with 5/62 hex bolts. Once the attachment is adjusted and properly zeroed, you find the two bullet holes farthest from each other and bracket the outside edges of the holes with the proper caliber half circles of the attachment.

With a digital caliper (recommended), you first zero the caliper with the attachment installed and closed. Then read the actual group size directly in the readout window. With a dial caliper, you need to subtract 1.00 inch from the readout on the dial for the correct group size.
The process is simple, fast and accurate. The only downside, if you could call it that, is you’ll probably end up dedicating one caliper to group measurements only, but with stainless steel digital calipers selling for less than $40, it’s a worthwhile investment in tooling.

The best part of the story is the “Group Measuring Caliper Attachment” costs only $25.95 and Sinclair Int. also offers the “6-inch Digital Caliper” for $39.99.

Sinclair Int.
200 South Front St., Montezuma, IA 50171
(800) 717-8211
www.sinclairintl.com

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Purchase A PDF Download Of The February 2018 Issue Now!

Vintage Scopes Can Still Serve In The
Field If You Accept Their Limitations

By John Barsness

While new and more astonishing riflescopes appear every day, many shooters prefer much older ones. Sometimes they have an older rifle, maybe an all-original pre-’64 Model 70 Winchester looking a little too weird with a 21st-century super-scope’s 30mm tube, big adjustment knobs and matte finish. Others just prefer older scopes, often because they prefer hunting with “primitive” technology, such as a sporterized 1903 Springfield and a 2-1/2X Lyman Alaskan.

However, older technology does have downsides. When I started hunting, way back in the Paleolithic Era, steel-tube Weavers were considered very reliable even on the hardest-kicking rifles, but they occasionally fogged inside due to moist air in the scope. Most scopes did back then, because unlike modern scopes, their adjustment turrets weren’t sealed with O-rings, or “purged” of moisture with nitrogen or argon. Most American scopes (or scopes made elsewhere for the American market) were sealed by the 1960s, including Weavers. Oddly enough, some very expensive European scopes weren’t sealed until the 1990s.

This is exactly why one old piece of hunting advice was to keep scoped rifles at hunting temperature. Bringing a cold scope inside a heated cabin or tent could cause condensation inside the scope where it couldn’t be wiped off. Interior fogging is essentially unknown today, and younger hunters think a “fogged” scope means dew or rain on the outside surfaces of the lenses—also becoming less common due to hydrophobic lens coatings.

Still, some hunters like old scopes, especially Lyman Alaskans and steel-tube Weavers, because aside from fogging they’re pretty recoil-resistant, and their bluing matches the finish of older rifles. However, be aware. Though later Alaskans were called “All Weather,” the name only referred to the steel caps on their adjustment turrets, not internal waterproofing. Earlier Alaskans, like many older scopes, including many Weavers, didn’t have anything covering their adjustments. (Come to think of it, many modern “dialing” scopes don’t either, but their turrets are sealed.)

Many hunters also like the older Redfields, made in the factory in Colorado, or old Zeisses, or several other brands. Aside from simplicity, one attraction of most old scopes is price: Today they can often be purchased pretty cheaply, and many still have years of service left.

A vintage (circa 1960) Mannlicher-Schoenauer .30-06 cries out for a period correct scope like this Lyman.
After all, for serious rifle guys, sometimes aesthetics trumps technology. Photo: Roy Huntington

However, one potential problem is mounting the things. Today almost all scopes have either 1-inch or 30mm tubes, but older scopes often had 3/4-inch, 7/8-inch, 26mm or 26.5mm tubes—and the metric sizes appeared on some scopes made in America. For a while I owned a Kollmorgan 4X Bear Cub, made in Massachusetts. Kollmorgan originally made scopes for the Stith scope-mount company of Texas in the early 1950s, then for a few years in the late ’50s made them under their own name before selling the company to Redfield in 1959. All the Kollmorgan-brand scopes were excellent, but had 26mm (1.023-inch) tubes, so wouldn’t quite fit in 1-inch rings—and various European companies made both 26mm and 26.5mm (1.045-inch) scopes. Some European factories even made scopes with 22mm (0.866-inch) tubes.

Weaver used to offer both 3/4- and 7/8-inch rings, but lately doesn’t list them, though they can often be found at gun shows or on internet sites. Luckily, Talley makes their excellent, elegant steel rings in 7/8 inch, and Brownells offers Delrin inserts for 1-inch rings to mount 3/4- and 7/8-inch scopes, along with 26mm inserts for 30mm rings. A few European companies offer actual 26mm and 26.5mm rings (I have a set of 26mm CZ rings on hand, just in case), but both tubes also usually fit in the polymer inserts of Burris Signature rings, since the plastic’s flexible enough to spread around the slightly larger tubes. In fact, the last German-made Nickel Supra scope I owned, a 4-10X with a 26mm tube, came on top of a custom 98 Mauser purchased at a local gun show—with the scope mounted inside Burris Signature rings.

The other big problem is fixing old scopes. Here I must confess to sometimes working on ’em myself, back when old Weaver scopes were more common. Newer scopes can’t be taken apart without special tools, partly because scope companies grew weary of receiving boxes of parts from customers, with a note saying, “I took my scope apart because it fogged, and couldn’t figure out how to put it together again.” Preventing easy disassembly prevents scope owners from totally unscrewing the eyepiece, allowing moist air inside the scope in the first place.

Back when Weavers could be easily taken apart, many parts were interchangeable between various models. I once ended up with a steel-tube K3 I planned to put on my first .338 Winchester Magnum, but didn’t like the fine crosshair reticle (standard in many older scopes) for hunting dark timber. I had another old “parts” Weaver with an early plex-type reticle, so took the K3 apart and installed the reticle-cell from the parts scope, a relatively easy job involving loosening a few short screws, then tightening them again with Loctite to make sure they stayed put.

Some shooters like hunting with old scopes, partly because they’re lower-tech than today’s models, and partly because they look good on traditional rifles. These may include foreign oddities such as (top) a 4X Hensoldt on a SAUER drilling, a steel-tube K4 Weaver on a pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight (middle), and a 2-1/2X Lyman Alaskan on a custom 1903 Springfield built by Frank Pachmayr.

The K3 worked fine on the .338 for several years, until early one November morning its optics refused to reveal the antlers on a whitetail buck. He was about 225-yards away, harassing a small herd of does, along with a smaller buck. The antlers on both bucks were invisible through the old Weaver, and all the milling deer looked pretty much the same. It took some fast binocular work to decide which whitetail to shoot, and I did get the bigger buck—but afterward mounted the K3 on a .22 rimfire for rabbit hunting, putting a newer, brighter scope on the .338.

Back then I knew a guy who had a small optics-repair shop in Missoula, Montana. He dried out fogged Weavers (and other old scopes) by removing the eyepieces, then warming the scopes in his kitchen oven before putting them back together again. This seemed to keep them from fogging, at least in the relatively dry West. He long ago went to the big repair shop in the sky, but several companies repair old scopes, and sometimes other optics.

Of course, some older scopes are still under warranty, due to lifetime guarantees. Leupold is well known for their absolute guarantee, but if they can’t fix one of their older scopes they replace it instead. More optics companies offer this sort of deal these days, but not many have made scopes as long as Leupold & Stevens.

However, some shooters still prefer to have an old scope fixed, whether because they simply like old scopes, or because it’s on a Savage 99 they inherited from their grandfather. Luckily, many old scopes can be fixed by somebody, somewhere, and will keep going for many more years.

John Barsness’s book Modern Hunting Optics was published in 2014, and can be ordered through www.riflesandrecipes.com, P.O. Box 579, Townsend, MT 59644, (406) 521-0273.

The book Old Rifle Scopes by Nick Stroebel, now out-of-print, contains a wealth of knowledge, including tube diameters and other essential stuff. The latest version is available in PDF and e-book formats only from www.gundigeststore.com, and combines both of Stroebel’s original books on scopes and old gun sights.

Iron Sight (repairing Leatherwood, made-in-USA Redfield and Weaver scopes)
4814 S. Elwood Ave., Tulsa, OK 74107
(918) 445-2001
www.ironsightinc.com

Leupold & Stevens
14400 Northwest Greenbriar Parkway, Beaverton, OR 97006
(503) 646-9171
www.leupold.com

L & K Scope Repair
P.O. Box 32, Eldridge, MO 65463
(417) 426-5041 (no calls after 6 p.m. Missouri time please)
www.lkscoperepair.com

Parsons Scope Service (almost all vintage and antique scopes)
1563 Compton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 867-0820
www.parsonsscopeservice.com

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Re-Rasslin’ The Auto Vs. Revolver Issue Doesn’t Get Much
Easier When caliber—And Gun Size—Are Scaled Down

By Payton Miller

The revolver vs. auto argument is as old as dirt. Well, older maybe. No, older most definitely. So why revisit it you may ask? Well, OK. Here’s my excuse, but it’s a good one.

Even after decades of such luminaries as Keith, Askins, and Cooper weighing in on the subject, I have a hard time recalling when it ever reached down to the rimfire levels. And that’s where I’d like to bring it.

What brought this whole thing about sprung from a problem my buddy Thomas Mackie had. And it shouldn’t be all that shocking to any gun guy who has ever attempted to get his better half hooked up with a manageable piece of hand-held hardware.

Thomas’ wife, Yuen Lam, is the personification of “petite,” a bit light in the hand-strength department and not overly crazy about recoil. His previous attempts to get her comfortable with a variety of .380 pocket autos had been somewhat less than successful. Ditto a wadcutter-loaded .38 J-Frame Smith snubbie.

The problem was fairly simple from a physics standpoint. Small guns don’t usually do a very good job of lessening the felt recoil of cartridges normally considered to be on the light side. A .380 in a polymer, striker-fired micro is gonna try to climb out of your hand. Big hand, small hand, recoil is a factor.

So a .22 seemed to be in order. We elected to try two—Browning’s scaled-down 1911-22A1 and S&W’s Model 63 3-inch barreled J-Frame.

Ergonomically, the Browning was pretty much perfect out of the box. Much has been written—justifiably—about the “fits anybody” virtues of the 1911 grip configuration. And when you scale the whole thing down as Browning did, it is ideal for small-handed shooters. The slide was easy to rack, the thumb safety easy to reach and the 15-ounce weight about ideal.

Within three magazines through the Browning, Thomas’ wife was staying in an 8-inch circle at 21 feet offhand. Which was very encouraging considering her previous efforts. What problems she had were primarily due to trigger control rather than sight picture.

Two “rimfired down” classic platforms are the S&W’s Model 63 J-Frame (left)
and Browning’s 1911-22 A1 (right).

The M63 Smith needed a little help in the shootability department. We added a lighter mainspring and trigger return spring from Wolff and Brownells respectively. This made the gun easier to cock in SA mode and easier to fire in DA mode. Then we added a set of Altamont’s Altai Silverblack laminate stocks. These helped out with the trigger reach and double-action control (plus they looked far sexier than the issue synthetic boot grip, a not-inconsiderable factor when tailoring a piece to anyone who can spend an hour or so judging the appeal of shoes).

Although a .22 handgun is not an optimum self-defense choice, it’s better than nothing (in fact, it’s probably better than a whole lot of other things such as kitchen utensils, pocketknives or loud whistles). And both the Smith and the Browning would be about equally well suited in an emergency role. It’s simply a question of an 8- vs. 10-round capacity. And if you want to throw in the reloading speed of the Browning auto, this would certainly factor in.

As far as sheer utility, the Smith should have the advantage of being able to digest a wider range of ammo, but truth be told, both guns were 100 percent on the reliability factor with the loads we used—which included hyper-velocity 31-grain Federal Spitfire, bulk pack high velocity Winchester “555” 36-grain hollowpoints, Federal Gold Medal Match 40-grain standard velocity and Aguila’s 60-grain Sniper Subsonic.

Accuracy? Well, without putting too fine a point on it, both guns preferred the Winchester “555” bulk-pack stuff, and the overweight 60-grain Aguila subsonic (God knows why we keep getting great results out of standard-twist .22’s with this load). Both the Federal Spitfire and Gold Medal Match were a bit disappointing in both guns. But all were in spec should you ever want to ventilate tin cans at 50 feet or so—and it’s worth noting the Federal Spitfire hyper-screamer was the only load to approach the supersonic levels with either gun (average: 1,070 fps from the Browning)—even though we’re talking a 1-1/4 inch difference in barrel length. In short, the Golden Rule of rimfires still applies. Find out what your piece likes and use it.

The Smith showed a preference for Aguila’s Subsonic Sniper 60-grain heavyweights (below).

The Browning cycled everything it was fed. But what it grouped best at 50 feet with were plain-Jane Winchester
36-grain bulk-pack HV hollowpoints (below).

For me the Smith has undeniable advantages as an outdoorsman’s sidearm. Ammo versatility (you can shoot Shorts as well as LR’s) and adjustable sights are the main ones as far as I’m concerned. This really isn’t a huge deal, the fixed sights on the Browning were just as easy to acquire, the trigger pull was as good—if not better—than the SA pull on the Smith, and overall 5-shot groups were tighter at 50 feet, which could have been attributable to the fact the Smith has 8 separate charge holes.

As far as actual trigger pull weight, the SA pull on the Smith broke at a hair under 2 pounds. That of the Browning 1911-22, a nice 3-1/2. But there’s another revolver advantage beyond mere nuts and bolts, particularly in any situation where deliberate firing is out of the question. Once you’ve fired, you don’t have a live round in the chamber anymore—which simplifies reholstering in a small-game (or emergency) situation. To put it simply, once you light off a round in a revolver, the action stops. Once you do it in an auto, the action starts.

The revolver/auto argument does exist on a rimfire scale, I suppose. But probably not on the scale of the old .357 revolver/1911 squabble that enlivened the 1960s and ’70s. We’re talking rimfires here. And as long as self-defense is a secondary consideration, it’s pretty much a matter of personal preference. And if it’s someone else’s preference instead of your own, you need to butt out because this pretty much seals the deal (that’s what I learned).

Oh, my buddy Thomas’ wife, who kinda instigated the whole thing? She’s sold on the Browning 1911-22. Me, I like the Smith. Thomas? He suffers the curse of being both a J-Frame fanatic and a 1911 traditionalist. He’ll go either way.

Aguila Ammunition
(888) 452-4019
www.aguilaammo.com

Altamont Grips
901 Church St.
Thomasboro, IL 61878
(800) 626-5774
www.altamontco.com

Brownells
300 Brownells Pkwy.
Grinnel, IA, 50112
(800) 741-0015
www.brownells.com

Federal Premium Ammunition
900 Ehlen
Anoka, MN 55303
(800) 379-1732
www.federalpremium.com

Winchester Ammunition
600 Powder Mill Rd.
East Alton, IL 62024-1273
(800) 945-5237
www.winchester.com

W.C. Wolf Co.
P.O. Box 458
Newton Square, PA
(800) 545-0077
www.gunsprings.com

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The Edge Resets The Performance
Bar For MID-Priced ARs

By Holt Bodinson

Given their extreme modularity, ARs are the chameleon of the firearms world. They can be configured in scores of different ways to fulfill a variety of missions. I don’t imagine Eugene Stoner had any idea he was creating a completely new industry whose products would be endless variations of the pieces and parts making up an AR—an industry so large the first 94 pages of the current Brownells catalog is devoted exclusively to them.

So when Springfield Armory decided to add quality ARs to the highly successful M1A, 1911 and XD lines, they focused on using the finest components possible while keeping their newest AR, the Saint Edge, affordable.

There are so many interesting features in the new Saint Edge, it’s hard to know where to start, so let’s look at the name first. According to Springfield’s Steve Kramer, “The name ‘Saint’ was chosen to denote how Saints are classically regarded as guardians/protectors over one’s life, like a rifle can be.”

Upper/Lower

The lower receiver is machined rather than forged, giving Springfield the flexibility to make cuts and create contours not seen in a typical AR receiver. Without sacrificing receiver strength, Springfield has milled out a series of lightening panels most visible around the ambidextrous safety selector switch and just above the trigger well. The triggerguard itself is pierced with two lightening cuts.

A larger cut-out panel and horizontal lightening cuts can be seen on the sides and front of the magazine well while the flared magazine well itself has been completely recontoured with a visually pleasing upward sweep. An additional feature of the Edge lower is it sports two QD mounting points visible below the forward assist and just aft of the takedown pin.

Springfield’s “cheesecaked” lower lends some real character to the Edge and, just as importantly, reduces the overall weight while accentuating its slim lines. The Saint Edge is a light rifle. With a set of Springfield’s low profile, fold-down sights, the Edge tips my Sunbeam scale at 6 pounds 3 ounces. But in my hands, it feels lighter—due, I think in part to its ultra-slim hand guard.

An important adjustment built into the lower is a nylon-tipped tension screw bearing against the upper to eliminate any play between upper and lower. Springfield calls it their “Accu-Tite System.” The tension screw is adjustable by the owner and the procedure is fully detailed in the owner’s manual.

The Edge upper is a flattop with its integral Picatinny rail mating seamlessly with the 12.5-inch rail of the handguard. The free-floating aluminum M-Lok-compatible handguard is a proprietary design and it is slim! Your hand easily wraps around it. And it’s comfortable as well—having been given the “melted” treatment without any sharp edges.

The Saint Edge is light in weight and has excellent ergonomics. Holt mounted a Mark 4
Leupold 2.5-8X on his test rifle to take full advantage of its accuracy potential.

Barrel, Trigger, Furniture

Riding inside the handguard is a light profile, 16-inch chrome-moly barrel given a tough Melonite finish inside and out. It has a 1:8 twist, which proved optimal on the range, generating sub-MOA 3-shot groups with a smorgasbord of bullets weighing 55 to 77 grains.

The barrel is fitted with a mid-length, multi/mode adjustable gas block. Springfield supplies 3 different gas metering screws and a T-handle wrench along with each rifle, enabling the owner to fine-tune the gas system to specific ammunition—a process clearly explained in the owner’s manual. Finishing off the muzzle is Springfield’s artillery-looking, SA-Lite muzzle-brake. Those big baffles may look out of place on a .223, but are they ever effective! You can spot your shots through the scope with this brake.

The bolt carrier group is finished with super-hard Melonite as well, and carries a premium grade bolt. Operating the bolt carrier is Springfield’s generous-sized charging handle.

The pièce de résistance in the fire-control system is a Melonite-finished trigger averaging 4 pounds, 3 ounces, for 10 pulls on a Lyman electronic scale. It’s a short-reset, single-stage, match-quality trigger made in heaven. I would say it’s the finest out-of-the-box trigger on a modestly priced AR available today.

The Edge sports some upgraded furniture, featuring Bravo Company’s rock-solid 6-position buttstock and their Mod 3 pistol grip with its internal storage compartment.

Delivering 6 sub-MOA groups (above) with 6 brands of ammunition and 4 bullet weights, the Saint Edge is a stunningly accurate AR.
It looks like it belongs on an artillery piece (below), but the muzzle-brake works so well you can spot your shots.

Shots Downrange

The Edge comes with Springfield’s proprietary 1/2 MOA windage-adjustable, dual aperture rear sight and 1/2 MOA adjustable front sight. Both are low profile, facilitating the mounting of large-tubed optics. For testing purposes I mounted a Mark 4 Leupold 2.5-8x36mm on the Picatinny rail and headed for the range.

At 100 yards the Edge placed 6 brands of ammunition and 4 different bullet weights into 6 sub-MOA groups. The smallest 3-shot group measured 0.38 inch with Federal’s Premium Gold Medal Match loaded with Sierra’s 69-grain MatchKing. The largest—measuring 0.86—was delivered with CorBon’s 55-grain FMJ. The Edge simply proved to be a remarkably accurate rifle and a testimony to the components Springfield selected in making it, as well as the skilled artisans who put them together.

To recap, the Saint is a direct-gas impingement in 5.56 NATO with a barrel length of 16 inches and a 30-round magazine. The overall length is 35.75-32.5 inches and the weight is 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The sights are half-MOA adjustable. The stock is Bravo Company’s 6-position collapsible. The price? $1,229.

Probably the best summary comes from Springfield’s Dennis Reese. “The Saint Edge is a tight, light, fast-handling machine that operators can count on—the most advanced AR-15 we’ve ever built. It’s a high quality, performance-based rifle with premium options built in. You don’t have to swap out features to upgrade it. We believe that, shot for shot, dollar for dollar, it’s the best you can get.”

Springfield Armory, (800) 680-6866

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Purchase A PDF Download Of The April 2018 Issue Now!

Part 1: Turn Your S&W J-frame Into A “J-Plus.”

By Payton Miller

After a lifetime of shooting medium and large-frame revolvers, developing a crush on S&W J-Frames late in life brings with it a steep learning curve. A J-Frame is a beautiful thing, but is less forgiving of shooter error than, say, a 6-inch Model 14 K-Frame. Tons of practice can overcome it, but some alterations and/or additions to the revered Snubbie Platform can help. So without further adieu, let’s examine a few.

Springs and Sight Radius

The sight radius on a 2-inch J-Frame means you really should do everything you can to “cheat.” Replacing the trigger return spring can really improve the double-action pull, but if you go too low on the poundage it can cause trigger return issues. As far as mainspring replacement, well, as Elmer Fudd might say, “be vewy, vewy careful” about going too light there as well. Your CCW snubbie is not the gun you want to have primer poppin’ issues with.

We got a set of trigger return springs from Brownells as well as some replacement mainsprings from Wolff. On one M49 we left things alone, but for another we lapped the trigger return spring block and swapped out the stock 15-pound spring for a 13 pounder. It made the trigger a lot smoother and ignition was still 100 percent. Another “customy” touch? We replaced the original narrow, grooved trigger with a slightly broader smooth-faced one, which my shooting buddy Thomas Mackie just happened to have floating around in a spare parts bag. This made things even sweeter.

S&W’s J-Frame model numbers and options come and go, but the 3 main types are typified by (left to right) the: M60 exposed hammer (although the spur has been bobbed here), M340PD “hammerless” Centennial-style, and the M49 Bodyguard with a shrouded-but-thumb-cockable hammer. The 340PD sports factory synthetic stocks. The M49 has Crimson Trace LaserGrips. The M60? Eagle Grip’s Secret Service-pattern polymer “mother-of-pearl.”

Thomas Mackie’s mini-workshop for swapping out trigger return springs from Brownells, mainsprings from Wolff, a stone for lapping the trigger return block and assorted tools, lubes and potions. But don’t go too light on the trigger return spring, let alone the mainspring!

An Extra Inch

Another way to cut down the difficulty of shooting a 2-inch gun is to simply find a model variant with a 3-inch barrel. That extra inch of sight radius helps a lot, not to mention the velocity enhancement (with select loads) a 3-inch has over a 2. Want an example? We found Black Hills 125-grain +P JHP to average 867 fps from a 2-inch Model 60 and 953 fps from a 3-inch Model 36. But be that as it may, most serious J-Frame packers go for the 2 inch.

One thing we learned: Learning to shoot a 2-inch well requires practice. It’s kinda funny how guys will shoot the living hell out of their nice adjustable-sighted, 4- or 6-inch K- or L-Frames when those will likely not be the Smith they’ll have on them in an emergency. And that may be one reason I finally decided to start seriously fooling with J-Frames.

Unless you’re contemplating using a snubbie in Slowfire Bull’s-eye Competition, any J-Frame is—for all practical purposes—“double-action-only” despite the mechanical specifics of action type. Of course, lacking the courage of my convictions I simply can’t jettison the single-action option totally with one of the Centennial-type “hammerless” variants, which may explain my fondness for Smith’s humpbacked Bodyguard style with its shrouded—but still thumb-able—hammer.

But recently I’ve had the opportunity to shoot S&W’s Scandium 340PD, a very cool Centennial-type variant which—even though billed as a .357—does not mean you’re required by law to use the darn things in it. Unless of course that’s all you can find (or you’re as tough as a 2 dollar steak). But the 340PD is feathery light at 11 ounces unloaded. One other thing, the trigger pull on the one we shot was just about 9 pounds, smooth, and shorter than the one on our doctored M49. So maybe I came to this “hammerless” concept a bit late as well.

A 3-inch J-Frame like this M49 has undeniable dimensional disadvantages over a 2-inch gun, but the added sight
radius can pay off, as this slow-fired 50-foot DA group shows. The ammo? Black Hills .38 Sp. 125-grain +P JHP.

Editor Jeff, a fan of the Centennial style, put it this way: “The whole geometry of the trigger stroke just feels different.” Using Buffalo Bore’s Tactical Low-Flash, Low Recoil 158-grain .357 load, the 340PD proved plenty accurate at 50 feet. Still slammed me a bit, but Thomas didn’t seem to mind at all. It clocked at 1,070 fps and might be the top choice if you simply gotta take advantage of the .357 option (we’ll cover this snubbie in-depth in an issue or two).

Since you’re dealing with fixed sights, it’s best to find a serious “carry load” hitting at point of aim at snubbie yardages. With my 3-inch M49 this turned out to be Black Hills 125-grain +P JHP. It groups very well, but more importantly hits POA. Since this is stout stuff from a J-Frame, I searched for a relatively inexpensive practice load which shoots to the same (or reasonably close) POA and is a bit kinder and gentler on me and the gun. I still feel (based on some long-ago advice) if you’re going to shoot a J a whole lot, you want a non-alloy item. But although I do love pinned barrels and carbon steel, the 340PD is awful nice…

But back to my semi-cheapo practice load, which turned out to be Winchester USA 130-grain FMJ, a very easy to shoot number generally available in bulk pack format at Walmart. In lieu of that, Aguila’s near-identical item worked just as well. Standard Black Hills 148-grain Match wadcutters shoot amazingly tight, but too much “low right” for my M49 at 50 feet. But from our 2-inch M60 they were money in the bank. Handloaders, of course, have more load-tailoring latitude.

With most of our 2-inch guns, Federal Premium’s 130-grain HST JHP +P load shot pretty much to POA, and from Thomas’s 2-inch M49 delivered spot-on 3-inch 50-foot groups. Which leads me to believe the guys at Federal—who concocted this stuff specifically for snubbies—knew what they were doing. (To be continued next issue).

It’s All In The Break

In the course of tormenting myself with an all J-Frame diet, I asked our resident snubbie guru Roy Huntington for some real-world practice tips. He’s packed, cursed, loved, and shot them for many years as a copper. Here’s what he had to say:

“Sight picture ain’t as important as trigger control—which is paramount. I like to stage those J-Frame triggers. Like any Smith, they have that subtle “two clicks” as you press. Press to that first click, then at the second one—as the bolt clicks home into the cylinder—press it like a single-action trigger. Eventually, the two clicks will become one smooth press. But you “feel” them to know when the final let-off is due. What works for me is to shoot a 6-inch DA revolver first. Then move to a 4-inch, then a 3-inch J- or K-Frame if you have one. Then—and only then—go to that finicky 2-incher. Practice this regimen—in the same order—in one session. And keep the trigger press the same for each gun.”

You’ve heard the word. Let us all grab a bucketful of wadcutters and hit the 15-yard-and-under range.

Aguila Ammunition
(888) 452-4019
www.aguilaammo.com

Black Hills Ammunition
(605) 348-5150
www.black-hills.com

Buffalo Bore Ammunition
(208) 756-3434
www.buffalobore.com

Brownells
(800) 741-0015
www.brownells.com

Federal Premium Ammunition
(800) 379-1732
www.federalpremium.com

Smith & Wesson
(800) 331-0852
www.smith-wesson.com

Winchester Ammunition
(800) 945-5237
www.winchester.com

W.C. Wolf Co.
(800) 545-0077
www.gunsprings.com

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By Jeff John

Jeff has used Bore-Stores for more than 20+ years now, and they still serve well protecting the
guns from rust and each other in the safe. New ones (top) now have a label to record the gun.

The old gun store I worked in was an early dealer for Big Spring’s Bore-Stores, and I’ve long put high-value or highly finished guns in them. After all these years, my original Bore Stores still do yeoman duty protecting my guns, and Big Spring is still a mom-and-pop operation now employing 6 people making soft gun-storage cases individually cut, sewn and treated with silicone and a specially formulated rust inhibitor. Bore Stores come in sizes to fit almost any size and type firearm, as well as barrels, magazines and even knives. These days I’ve been slowing adding them for all my arms. They are available at better gun stores, and I always add a few when I order from Brownells, since they add little weight to the order. The material is thick and provides a decent cushion when packed together in the safe.

Although I’ve long used the Braille system to locate guns in the safe the new ones come with a sewn-on tag for you to write the make and model on the outside. Some of the hook-and-loop closures have begun to lose their power in the last 20+ years of use, but I don’t mind, since I never count on simple closure methods to hold anyway. They still serve well and protect my nicest guns from harm. Prices run from $7.97 for a Derringer-size one to $24.97 for a 52-inch scoped shotgun model.

Big Spring Ent., via Brownells
(800) 741-0015
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/

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“Gussy-Up” your Old West Cimarron Single Actions

By Jeff John

The Cimarron 1872 Open Top .44 Colt, 1849 Wells Fargo (with Howell .32 S&W cylinder), and 1851 Navy
.38 Special all look better with heat blue and silver plate as often done to originals.

My growing collection of Old West guns from Cimarron have proven accurate and fun to shoot. Cimarron-imported arms have long been known for their higher level of fit and finish, so only a little more effort was required to make these sixguns visually stunning as well with the addition of a noble metal and exotic-looking blue. Such beautification doesn’t require super expensive tools and only moderate skill.

Small parts finished in the intense “peacock” blue beautifully accent modern hot-salt black finishes as they did on the old 19th century Colts. To compliment the electric blue, Flitz darkened and brightened the factory blue, too, to look more like the old time finishes.

I used to achieve this bright blue on a cast iron lid over a gas stove, since the temperature isn’t all that high (580 degrees F). It’s very time consuming and the color is difficult to control. A better way is dipping in hot salts heated to the correct temp.

For Christmas I bought a Lee 20-pound Magnum Lead Melter on sale at Grafs, plus a 10-pound tub of Brownells’ Nitre Blue Salts, all for about $120. This model Lee pot is for ladle pouring and uncluttered with bottom-pour apparatus. It takes about 20 minutes to come up to heat, and the pot holds about 2 pounds of salts. The salts are hygroscopic, and I put the unused salts in a gallon freezer bag before closing the tub.

A very fun gun (above) is this Cimarron 1849 Wells Fargo with a Howell .32 S&W cylinder. Once gussied up (below),
the nitre-blue small parts bring out the Cimarron case colors. And those silver plated straps really set off the grips.

Part Prep

Polishing the parts isn’t hard. The screws, wedges, ejector heads and triggers were polished successively with 320, 600 and 2,000-grit paper for a quick high polish (I skipped grits in between on the screws). The wedge—with its large surface area—required the in-between steps of 400 and 1,200 grit. Back coarse grits up with a small file if any deep scratches are present (wood otherwise), and back up the finer grits with a hard felt pad (Brownells has them in the stock refinishing section).

After the polish, they’re ready to go. No fingerprints allowed! Use Gun Scrubber, mineral spirits or Dawn dish detergent if needed—just make sure the parts are dry before immersion!

Brownells’ cheap iron wire is soft, easily bent around the parts. Set a small can of water off to the side for a quench. The pot can heat the salts much hotter than necessary, so a lead thermometer will allow you to control the temp. Slightly hotter (around 650 degrees F) than the color you want speeds things up. My pot reached 650 turned just under “5” on the dial. At the right temp, you can air cool the parts, but the quench is important to stop the color otherwise.

Once the nitre salts are dissolved, scoop off the pink scum and discard it in an old coffee can. Dip the part (the solution will be mostly transparent), pull it out and look at it (having a work light near the pot helps). You’ll see the part progress as it comes to temperature from yellow to light purple to peacock blue. If the color isn’t right, polish it off and do it again.

Small parts come up to color in just a few seconds. The wedge took about 20 seconds. I often just hold small parts with needlenose pliers. The pliers also act as a heat sink so small screws come up a little more slowly. Just be sure to dry the pliers well each time! Dry and oil the parts with good ol’ 3-in-1. Brownells recommends letting them sit for a day or so, and if they were large parts I probably would, but I’m a little impatient. I found no downside to turning in the screws. Each gun took just a few hours from start to finish. Handy tip: Have a small magnet you can lower into the pot if you drop a screw.

I wear the same safety gear I do when I’m bullet casting: leather work gloves, safety glasses (minimum) or full face shield (preferred), gloves, apron, longsleeve shirt and long pants. Remember: You have quench water near the part, and really high temps+water create an extreme splatter hazard. Do not put wet parts or tools in the salts! Keep a towel nearby.

One thing about the polish. If you want an electrifying look, polish to the high grits, but the blue is very fragile and wears easily. If you want the blue to be more durable, stop at 600 grit and polish to blend the scratches. The blue will last longer since it will be deeper in the metal. Some spin the screws in a drill, but I prefer the look when polished fore and aft with the grain.

Nitre blue and silver plating provide striking contrast.

The Cimarron 1872 has had the blue polished, the small parts fire blued, the triggerguard
and backstrapsplated and the frame case colored (more on this new method in the future).
All but the case coloring can be done at home easily.

Silver Plating

Caswell Plug and Plate kits come in a variety of metals. Nickel, copper, silver and gold are among the ones most useful to gunnies, and all are quite easy to use. But they do have limitations. Up front I’ll say you’ll likely not be happy trying to plate an entire gun in this fashion. I wasn’t, but I’m living with it for now.

I did the Cimarron 1851 Cartridge Conversion in silver plate. Some areas came out well, others came out streaky or thin, and I wound up doing the gun twice. The steel parts have to be copper plated before the silver will stick. Try to brush in long even strokes, building up the plate as evenly as you can. Even then the finish is very thin, can be streaky and wears quickly. Maybe I’ll try to make the ’51 look a little older, as if the plating wore. While I think about “how,” I’ll let it tarnish.

Where the plating shined (if you’ll pardon the pun) is on the brass triggerguard and backstraps. There, the silver plate went on thick and sure on all three guns, and has held up to regular handling, while it is already wearing at the edges of the frame and barrel of the ’51. The brass plates quickly and I was finished with the blued revolvers in about 30 minutes from setup to cleanup.Plating over the Uberti polish, it came out great. The silver plate really shows off the grips and changes the look of the orange-ish Uberti grip color dramatically for the better.

Here’s how the 1872 and 1860 appeared from the factory. The 1860’s grips have been given an oil
finish. The oil-finished grips are warm to the touch, better than Uberti’s slick factory finish.

Tips & Techniques

The plating looks best under a high polish, so plan on going to 1,200 grit or better. Since I made a few mistakes on the initial go-around, I polished the ’51 only to 600 so the scratches show. My initial thought was the plating would have some texture to hold on to. Instead, it just looks like there are scratches under the plate. Polish it well! The gun must be thoroughly clean, and Dawn detergent does a great job.

The plating electrode only sends electricity along about 4 inches of metal so it was impossible for the “brush” or “wand” to plate the 7-1/2-inch barrel without changing the location of the electrode. If you stop and change the electrode loaction, you’ll see a seam where you stopped. To plate the length of the barrel, I used a piece of 14-gauge solid copper wire bent several times to make contact all the way down.

If the plating brush stays in one spot too long, it turns the finish black. Instead of the recommended 0000 steel wool (which seemed to remove the silver as well as tarnish), a piece of cotton salvaged from a vitamin bottle polished the tarnish off. Then gentle use of steel wool brightens it further.
Finishing an entire gun is not this system’s strong suit, but for smaller jobs it excels. I feel it was worthwhile at $60.49. On a budget? The nickel plate kit is cheaper at $43.99, and works on both brass and steel. Get both nickel and the copper in one kit for $60.49, but you’ll still need the separate silver kit, since it uses a different transformer than the nickel/copper.

Caswell Brush Plating Kits beautify triggerguards and backstraps easily (above), but it’s a stretch to
finish an entire gun. The copper wire attached to the black alligator clip helped plate the length of
the barrel, since otherwise the barrel is too long for the electroplate brush. Note the 1851’s finish
is starting to tarnish after only a couple of months. A Lee Magnum Lead Pot (below), a tub of the salts
and an optional lead thermometer are all you need to fire blue the parts on myriad guns.

Warm Wood

The 1860’s and 1851’s grips were stripped, reshaped and the wood given an oil finish. The natural linseed oil always feels sure in hand and cool/warm to the touch, unlike the finish Uberti uses. Theirs is always slick and cold/hot in the hand, getting more slippery in hot weather.

The cartridge conversions like the 1851 and 1860 are difficult to refinish completely because of the way the breechplate and loading gate attach to the frame. Uberti’s system works well, since these guns are made for smokeless powder. The big cylinder pin threads into the frame and a boss tightly traps the breechplate. A steel pin is then inserted into a hole drilled to bisect the frame and cylinder pin to ensure the pin never loosens. Advanced gunsmithing skills are required. Many of these guns have nice case colors and just the Flitz/nitre blue treatment boosts their looks dramatically.

It’s hard in a photo (left) to convey the night and day difference between the slightly milky factory
finish and the new jet black enhanced by Flitz. The guns now more sharply reflect light than before and
the quality of the Cimarron’s polish underneath is the key. Note the brown color on the pad. Bluing is
essentially rust, so don’t be surprised at what the polish reveals!

The Flitz Enhancement

While I was surfing Brownells’ catalog I stumbled on Flitz Liquid Polish and a user’s comment about it enhancing hot salt blue. The blue on these Cimarrons is very good, but a gentle buffing with the Flitz on a soft felt pad really darkened and brightened it up. The finish on the 1872 and 1860 now look more like the “charcoal blue” of the originals. I doubt you’ll be able to see the difference in the photos, but it changed the look of the pistols dramatically. Well worth $9.99, and the half hour it took to do.

Curved surfaces come out easily with little fuss, but use on sharp angles like the flats of an octagon barrel’s can remove the blue on the edges. Should you do so, try G96 Blue Créme and apply it using a Q-tip, toothpick or patch. It matches the color well.

Be sure you get all the Flitz off before reassembly. It’s an abrasive, and you don’t want it in screw holes or sharp corners. A toothbrush, toothpick and small bristle brushes help. When it’s dry, it comes off easily, but sometimes needs a little encouragement.

Brownells
(800) 741-0015
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/

Caswell Plating
(855) 227-9355

Cimarron Arms
(830) 997-9090
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/cimarron-firearms-company/

G96
(973) 684-4050
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/g96-products-inc/

Graf & Sons
(573) 581-2266
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/graf-sons-inc/

Howell Old West
(608) 676-2518

Lee Precision
(262) 673-3075
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/lee-precision-inc/

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The 7.62×51 FAL Served With 90 Countries. Now, DS Arms Offers Both
20th And 21st Century Versions Of This Cold War Veteran

By Jeff John

No other battle rifle better blends the warm Old World feel of wood with the cold, businesslike look of
the modern black rifle as well as Fabrique Nationale’s Fusil Automatique Léger. The graceful lines give
the rifle a look as beautiful as it is lethal. The storied legacy of the FAL continues to thrive at DS Arms.

A Bit of Backstory

As originally envisioned after World War II, the FAL was a lithe select-fire rifle chambered in a to-be-determined intermediate-power cartridge along the lines of Nazi Germany’s 7.92×33 Kurz. But the United States insisted on the full-power 7.62×51 (.308) and the FAL was scaled up to handle the bigger round. As the 1960’s ground on, the accepted doctrine favoring the full-power battle rifle changed.
Inevitably, long after the US insisted on adoption of the 7.62×51 and then embraced a centerfire .22, — our NATO allies began similarly rearming with the new NATO-standard 5.56×45.

Soon large quantities of surplus FAL’ s (just bits and pieces since they were select-fire) began wending their way to the US along with a treasure trove of new spare parts. DS Arms bought up the Austrian StG58 parts (and tooling) and my particular FAL is old enough to have some of those in it. Today DS Arms fabricates the parts (all metric based) in house. The FAL has 120 parts or more depending on model, so this is no mean feat.

DS Arms cataloged a wood-stocked FAL billed as a “US T48” (the FAL we tested before adoption of our M14). I had one on order for a year or so when DS Arms discontinued the model when the wood stock supply became iffy (wood stocks were one of the few things they didn’t do in house), but offered me their show gun which I snapped up. Frankly, except for the square triggerguard, the rifle wasn’t very close to the T48. No matter, for it led me down the path to remodeling it into the FAL shown here.

Most of NATO shouldered the “Right Arm of the Free World” — Fabrique Nationale’s Fusil
Automatique Léger, with an assist from John Browning’s last pistol, the Hi-Power.

Operating controls include (clockwise from left): a non-reciprocating charging handle,
a takedown latch under the rear sight and a safety over the pistol grip. Just behind
the magazine is the bolt hold-open.

The carry handle folds down against the right side of the receiver. The mag release is
visible just behind the magazine. Although it is on the right side, it’s easier to manipulate
with your left hand.

Handling Qualities

Ergonomically the FAL is quite friendly. Beyond the matter of good looks, the value of oil-finished wood furniture over plastic is it warms to the touch, even in cold weather, and never gets too hot to the touch in hot weather. The safety is handy, intuitive and easy to operate with the shooting hand (as long as you’re right handed). It’s soft-shooting for a .308 since the bore line is low and muzzle lift during recoil is slight. Other key features are an adjustable gas system and a sturdy set of aperture sights fully adjustable for windage and elevation.

Although the mag release is on the right side just ahead of the triggerguard, it favors operation with the left hand leaving your firing hand in position. Press the release forward and the magazine pivots forward, down and out. To insert a magazine, push the front of the mag up and in so a tab on the front of the mag engages its locking recess, and rock the mag back and up until it clicks into place.
Alternatively, the magazine can be topped off with 5- or 10-round stripper clips, and a charger guide allows clip loading of the magazine when it’s out of the rifle.

In firing, spent cases eject forward and to the right, arcing into a tidy area for easy retrieval. On the last shot the bolt locks open. Remove the magazine, insert a fresh one, pull back the left-side charging handle and release. Going forward with the bolt, the non-reciprocating charging handle locks into a detent. Being non-reciprocating, it can’t be bumped to seat a cartridge not fully chambered. In such an event, just pull the handle back slightly and let the springs do the job.

You can also release or lock open the bolt by manipulating the small tab located on the left side opposite the magazine release. It is awkward but not difficult to lock open the rifle without an empty magazine in place. Place the butt under your right arm or on your hip and you can reach under the receiver with your right forefinger and push up the bolt catch while holding the bolt open with your left hand.

Bayonets with round-tube handles are difficult to control in the hand for fighting and, in this case,
the smooth metal shaft and odd part-round blade shape doesn’t lend itself to any purpose off the rifle,
unlike conventional bayonets. The black scabbard is plastic and riveted to the webbing frog.

The bayonet slips over the flash hider and clicks in place in a detent atop the hider. The
muzzlebrake/hider can be oriented up or down for the bayonet to be on top or bottom. The
bayonet body is vented so the flash hider/brake still functions normally. There’s little
play between bayonet and hider body. Lift up the latch and slide the bayonet off. Simple.

The FAL’s straight-line recoil makes for fast recovery for repeat shots. The ejection pattern is
forward and to the right, leaving spent shells in a wide “brass puddle.”

Pluses And Minuses

A big drawback is the factory trigger system, designed for a select-fire rifle. From the factory, the pull was a long, gritty 8.5 lbs. Jard makes a replacement trigger and DS Arms has a way to tune and lighten the trigger. I went the gunsmith route and had a trigger job and Falcon Arms springs installed. It is now a manageable 5.5 lbs.

A small drawback is the sight radius is a short 22″, but the front sight is well protected and less prone to snag than if it were at the end of the barrel. The rear sight is sturdy but unprotected. The rifle can’t be scoped easily due to the stamped sheetmetal top cover, an original flaw not easily remedied in the day, but one DS Arms solved with a machined top cover.

Another plus is the sling swivel arrangement. The front swivel revolves around the barrel and the bottom swivel spins giving both 360-degree travel. A minor downside is if the sling is used to lock the rifle tightly to the support arm, enough pressure can be applied to the barrel to affect accuracy. It was one of the US Army’s criticisms, but one relevant mostly for target shooting.

In the field the sights are only elevation-adjustable at preset 100-meter intervals from 200m to 600m. Calibration is pegged to 7.62 NATO 147-grain ball. To fine-tune the sights you need a screwdriver for the windage at the rear and a special spanner for elevation at the front.

At one time, FAL accuracy was sniffed at, but a select-fire battle rifle is built differently from a target rifle. The M14 excelled as a target rifle (albeit with considerable tuning). DS Arms puts together a tight, very accurate version of the FAL dispensing all notions the FAL is “inherently inaccurate.” You won’t be competitive with the “semi adjustable” sights at Camp Perry, but sighted in with Federal American Eagle ammo, you’d be well prepared for business.

For the shooting test, I had American Eagle, Prvi Partisan (both NATO 147-grain FMJ), along with Federal Match and assorted Black Hills Match. Of the inexpensive loads the Prvi Partisan shot extremely well. Well enough, in fact, to allow me to smoke out a problem lurking in the sights.

Few arms blend the modern with the traditional as well as the FAL. Although not as durable or
as strong as synthetic furniture, wood is warm in winter and never too hot in summer.
It’s also quieter afield.

The protected front sight is adjustable for elevation. There are four post heights, and they’re easy to
replace with the T-handle spanner. The gas valve is marked 1 to 7. To adjust, put a single round in the
magazine and fire. On “7” the gun should short recoil and fail to hold open the bolt. With an empty mag in
place, keep firing single shots and turning the valve down until the bolt cycles far enough to lock open.
Test with several more rounds and open the valve one or two more turns for insurance.

The rear sight slide adjusts in 100-meter increments. All the way back and the zero is 200m, so the
sights should be adjusted to shoot 2.5″ high for NATO ball. Windage is adjusted by tightening one of
two opposing screws while loosening the opposite one to move the base left or right.

A “Sight Problem”

My rifle came with the highest front sight — a “4-dot” post — and it shot extremely low. Getting onto the bull required moving the rear sight to the 500m notch. The resulting 5-shot group was in the 3″ range at 100 yards. Moving the sight down to the 400m setting moved the group 6″ lower and the group was now 2″ center-to-center. These results were repeatable, thus the problem. With the FAL’s reputation for so-so accuracy, I wondered how much the rear sights are the culprit? They were built for combat where ease of adjustment instead of precision was a logical trade-off.

In the 500m range notch my sight seemed to wobble more than in the 400m setting. DS Arms confirmed the irregular groups were likely caused by a too-loose rear sight slide. The new slide was $10 and a new coil spring for the button $5. A dial micrometer showed the new slide to be measurably tighter. Changing the sight slide required use of a light hammer, non-marring punch of Delrin or brass, a good fitting screwdriver and a pin punch. An exploded parts diagram helps. Gun Parts has them if you don’t have the DS Arms owner’s manual.

Installing the front sight is a piece of cake if you have the correct spanner. FAL lore says the point of a bullet can be used. This is probably true — if you have all day. With the spanner, simply unscrew the old one and screw in the new one. DS Arms offers all four front sights originally provided to armorers. The math indicated I needed the “2-dot” front sight. The DS Arms rep verified my front sight height choice and sent me the new one ($30).

After sighting in with American Eagle, Jeff tested Federal 168-grain Gold Medal Match (on white target)
for a 0.875″ group. After a trigger job, he got another very tight group with that ammo — with one errant
flyer. The Eagle ammo delivered reliable 2-1/2 MOA groups (top).

Federal’s new match load featuring the Berger 185-grain BTHP arrived too late for chronographing,
but not for the final accuracy testing. This 100-yard group is 1.5″.

With Prvi Partisan ammo, the FAL delivered this 3″ group (top) with the
rear sight set at 500m and the bottom group set at 400m.

The FAL top cover has stripper clip guides for 5- or 10-round clips. A charger guide.

Is used to load magazines from clips away from the gun. Not all clips are alike.
Stripper clips for the FAL.

Have the stop in the center of both sides (loaded clip) so the clip drops low enough for
the cartridges to go straight into the magazine. Many clips accept the common 7.62×51 but
are designed for other rifles, so if you’re shopping at a gun show, the FAL clip’s telltale
is the stop in the center of the clip rather than the two different ones above. Those clips
ride too high above the magazine. These others work fine with the charger guide though.

Rounds Downrange

DS Arms builds these rifles to shoot using a high-quality barrel and .308 chamber. You can forget about the FAL’s reputation for poor accuracy if you select decent ammo. Selecting a good load was fun since so many shot well. Either American Eagle or Prvi Partisan FMJ ammo would be just the ticket, since both shoot well and are reasonably priced. American Eagle was a reliable 2-1/2 or 3 MOA, and warmed my heart when I hit the 14″x14″ 300-yard gong 14 out of 20 times testing full mags, then hit the similarly sized 400-yard gong 5 times out of 10.

Of the match loads, all gave reliable 1.5 MOA 4-shot groups with the 5-shot group running things to about 2 or 2-1/4 MOA on average. I shot one spectacular 5-shot group of 0.875″ with Federal Gold Medal Match and 168-grain Sierra bullets. That one I’ll frame.

In shooting, the only malfunctions occurred while setting the gas valve, from lack of lubrication and from using a defective surplus magazine. In the last case, the offending mag appeared new, but after a couple of odd malfunctions, an examination showed brass shavings on the follower. I could feel burrs under the feed lips by running my finger under them. An easy fix? Yes. But not at the range.

After swapping mags the gun ran fine. After polishing the feed lips, the offending mag ran fine later on. But now somewhat chastened, I bought two new DS Arms magazines which have synthetic followers and a high-quality external finish. Full payload testing has been limited to three full mags in each. Both ran without a problem. I plan on replacing all the springs in the used ones with Wolff magazine springs.
The lack of lube glitch was due to my ignorance. The bolt wouldn’t cycle reliably for the first 5 or 6 rounds of a full mag, although it would cycle the last 15 fine. I was telling John Connor about lubing it as I would an M1 Garand, causing it to run sluggishly. He laughed. “Son, the gun works best drowning in oil.”

I used Synthetic CLP gun lube from G96 liberally applied to the bolt and bolt carrier. Problem solved. I always wondered why the Israeli “sand cuts” in the bolt carrier were such an important modification (the DS Arms bolt doesn’t have them). It’s obvious considering how much oil the gun requires.

This brings up a concern for today’s shooter. You don’t want to stand up a wood-stocked rifle dripping with oil as it will soak into the end of the wood, eventually weakening it fatally. Store it muzzle down or dry. And don’t forget to wear shooting glasses. A little too much lube and you’ll get “oiled” too!

Many countries employ one full-power rifle per squad to provide an extended-range capability. While the
original FAL would have problems being outfitted for the role, DS Arms solves the many issues with their
Designated Marksman Rifle. A 20-shot 7.62×51, it features a 16.25″ barrel, short gas piston system,
machined top cover with scope rail, iron sights, and fully adjustable synthetic stock and accessory
friendly fore-end. Photo: DS Arms

You wouldn’t think a muzzlebrake could be so complicated, but add internal threading and muzzle
machining to lock in a blank adapter and you have a recipe for complexity.

(Above): The FAL takes down quickly for routine cleaning without tools. Push the latch forward under
the rear sight and break open the rifle. The top cover slides off to the rear and the bolt and carrier
pulls straight out the back, allowing the barrel to be cleaned from the breech. Jeff found G96 Synthetic
CLP provided trouble-free operation even after 140-plus rounds. (Below): Hold down the gas valve lever,
rotate the gas valve 180 degrees, and pluck out the gas valve, piston and spring. Turning the gas valve
45 degrees shuts off flow to the piston. You can now shoot the rifle as a straight pull — a real advantage
when working up a handload.

Requiem For A Battle Rifle

Sandy environments proved deadly to the FAL while the Kalashnikov generally thrived in them. With the Free World’s move to smaller munitions such as the 5.56×45, the end was near for the hard-hitting 7.62 FAL, and by the early 1990’s it was mostly replaced with myriad “mouse guns.”

The intermediate caliber concept pioneered by the German 7.92×33 and Soviet 7.62×39 never covered all the bases, however. Infantry so armed were impotent against enemies at extended battlefield ranges easily covered by the FAL and US M14 — a factor the US once considered vital.

The Soviets early on realized the flaw and deployed the optic-sighted self-loading 7.62x54R Dragunov at the squad level to engage enemies beyond AK range. This doctrine in place, it was a logical transition to the even smaller 5.45×39 AK-74 round replacing the 7.62×39.
The US relearned the utility of the “battle rifle” in Afghanistan, leading to a hodgepodge of arms dragooned into service. These days a variety of 7.62 arms are in the inventory and include the FN SCAR, HK417, an accurized M14 and others based on the AR-10.

DS Arms now offers a 21st century FAL with all the modernization needed to fulfill this new mission. The FAL shoots great (as we’ve seen), so putting on a more solid top cover, scope, adjustable stock and fore-end allows it to perform far beyond its original mission.

My DS Arms FAL in early Cold War trim was a jewel in the rough. It required little effort to shoot far beyond its critics’ expectations as befits a rifle once known as “The Right Arm of the Free World.” 

The FAL was born as a select-fire rifle shooting intermediate class cartridges. But at Uncle Sam’s
insistence, FN beefed it up to chamber the 7.62×51.

Had the US adopted the .276 Pederson for the original M1 (far left), it’s possible we’d still be using it,
since its 126-grain bullet at 2,550 fps presages the “intermediate power” concept. However, we kept with
the full power pre-WWI .30-06 (middle left). After WWII we insisted all allies adopt the similar 7.62×51
(near left). Our allies, initially enthused by the 7.92×33 Kurz (near right), grudgingly acquiesced. The
intermediate-range, rapid-fire concept was seized on by the Soviet Union as they adopted the 7.62×39
(middle right) for the AK-47. Ultimately the US abandoned the “battle rifle” concept by adopting the
even lighter 5.56x45mm (far right).

Cold Warrior

World War II didn’t end in 1945. The Soviet Union had enslaved half of Europe, and eyed more. Mao’s China grew quickly into another murderous regime, spreading its tentacles where it could. The result? Almost all Western powers chose a single rifle to confront the rising Red Menace in Fabrique Nationale’s FAL.

The unique history of the rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and Ernest Vervier of FN fills a large coffee table book from Collector’s Publications. The Right Arm of the Free World is the right title and defines a rifle used by 90 countries confronting invaders, rebels and outlaws armed primarily with Mikhail Kalashnikov’s Avtomat Kalashnikova Model of 1947.

FN’s ascendant rifle, the FN49, was on the drawing boards before WWII. When Germany invaded Belgium the plans were hidden and smuggled out under the noses of the Nazis, along with those of the P35 Hi-Power pistol (already in production, the Nazis quickly seized on the 9mm Hi-Power). With the plans sewn into his coat, Saive left occupied Belgium, made his way to Portugal and caught one of the last Lufthansa flights to Britain in the early 1940’s. The immediate benefit to the Allies was the Hi-Power, which Britain quickly adopted.

At war’s end, FN recovered and the new 10-shot self-loading FN49 (chambered in full-power cartridges) gave its many end users an efficient upgrade from their current bolt action. Meanwhile, development of the FN/FAL centered on the intermediate 7.92×33 cartridge designed for Nazi Germany’s StG44, an arms concept electrifying European and Soviet designers.

The intermediate-powered weapon recoiled lightly, shot better than an SMG at longer ranges and was as fast and more lethal close in. The British meanwhile worked on a .280 cartridge of slightly greater power for the new FN rifle. Then along came the United States with an unequivocal demand for the full-power .30 T65 rifle cartridge to arm the fledgling NATO alliance.

Yankee Power Play

After trampling every other idea in our path, we Americans shoved the T65 7.62×51 cartridge down everyone’s throat, eschewed the FAL for our own M14, and within a few years dropped the once-holy “full-power battle rifle” concept for Stoner’s .22-caliber “Mouse Gun.” Our bewildered allies may have finally stopped spinning. Maybe…

Thus the FN/FAL grew from a lightweight select-fire rifle into a much larger, more powerful rifle than nature originally intended. For the most part it excelled, if lugging around a 9-lb. plus rifle that was wildly uncontrollable in full auto was “excelling.” But in all fairness, the M14 proved even worse in this regard.

Looking back is frustrating since both the Johnson M1941 LMG and German FG42 were blueprints for a successful full-power, full-auto battle rifle, a path followed by Eugene Stoner’s equally ignored yet successful AR-10 (used by several countries).

Still, the 7.62 was a capable cartridge and white pawns in the Cold War chess game kept red pawns at bay with an FAL subtly different — but fundamentally the same — from country to country. In a weird twist, the rifle was made in metric and inch patterns looking alike yet not interchangeable partswise.

With the FAL in use by so many countries, a clash between equally armed opponents was unavoidable. Probably the most famous was the Falklands War in 1982, where the “Inch Pattern” L1A1 FAL in British hands traded fire with the “Metric Pattern” FAL in Argentine hands — both in 7.62mm. Perhaps equally odd, both England and Argentina also issued Hi-Power 9mm pistols, both also respectively in inch and metric patterns! Both combatants built their own arms under license. I believe the Falklands War might be the first time two sides battled with nearly identical primary models of small arms, chambered in identical, interchangeable cartridges. 

The Ironwood Design stock has the grain running straight and true. It took little time to fit and is the
early pattern Jeff prefers. The Canadian surplus buttplate has the trap, and the stock has the cavity for
the oiler and wrench (above). Three tools make life with the FAL much easier. They include the stock
wrench (which also traps and guides the action spring), plus a front sight adjusting tool and gas nut
wrench. A good set of screwdrivers is a must. Note the square “T48” triggerguard (right).

Tuning and Tweaking Particulars

Although DS Arms billed this model as a reproduction of the US T48 (the FAL tested before adopting the M14), enough details were off that I couldn’t quite see a way to make it an exact T48 replica without some major fabrication of key parts, which proved too expensive.
However, remodeling to another country’s FAL would require minimal expense using Ironwood Designs early-style wood, and a Belgian muzzle-brake/flash hider. The fore-end and pistol grip were very beautiful and would stay.

While plotting my remodel, ObamaScare arose and all parts, tools and ammo became scarce. Eventually Brownells had the FAL tools and Ironwood Design accepted new orders for FAL wood. Ironwood’s stock is well crafted, has enough wood everywhere and not too much anywhere. The grain layout was excellent and no surprises occurred on installation.

At Apex Gun Parts I found a reasonably priced wooden carry handle which was high on my list. It was well used, but cleaned up well enough. Apex also had some other miscellaneous parts to fill in gaps. The buttplate with a trap, oiler and thong cleaner were gunshow finds. And thankfully, Ironwood’s stock had the requisite cavity….

With sight issues settled and the rifle shooting accurately, it was all I could do to shoot well squeezing the gritty, creepy 8.5-lb. factory trigger. John Connor suggested I send it to his buddy in Montana, the reclusive “Dr. K.” He rarely accepts new clients, so I felt honored.

His tune-up consisted of squaring up the contact surfaces on the sear and polishing the hammer, trigger spring plunger, sear spring plunger and the inside of the hammer spring plunger and tip. Reassembly included a new Falcon Arms FAL Trigger Pull Reduction spring kit reducing the trigger pull weight to 5.5 lbs. The stock trigger system will never be match grade, and there is some travel after the first stage take-up with a pause before it lets go, but it is now light and the grittiness gone. I don’t believe Dr. K did anything another gunsmith couldn’t do, he just does it with a “touch.” He has a lot of repeat business and, sadly for us, has chosen to retire as I write this.

In addition, he also polished the inside of the recoil spring tube, which provided another nice touch. I replaced the recoil spring with a Falcon Arms Recoil Spring kit (although there was little time on the one in the gun). Falcon Arms also had an inexpensive round triggerguard to replace the squared T48 one. Lastly, a DS Arms nickel/teflon recoil spring rod went in, too. The bolt operation is now markedly smoother. There is a glassy “feel” when you draw the bolt. 

If you think in survival mode, having a “stand of arms” for your grab-and-go rifle is good insurance.
If you collect, it’s one of the fun sides of our hobby. Here we have an early FAL, Browning Hi-Power,
Belgian cartridge belt, holster and bayonet. If you don’t mind mixing gear, the WWII German paratrooper
neck bandolier (foreground) from World War Supply is great for keeping 100 rounds of ammo in stripper clips.

Geared To Go

In the old days, a “stand of arms” was all the equipment a soldier needed to go to war. Musket, cartridge box, bayonet with crossbelts — just the essentials for a battle, and they were usually maintained and stored in the armory. During our Revolution the “Minute Men” kept theirs at the ready. The concept is valid on a survival/prepper basis with high-tech gear and accentuates arms collecting with period gear. Once my Belgian model FAL took shape, corresponding gear proved easy and much less expensive than comparable US GI gear for the T48.

Numrich Gun Parts had Belgian gear, which seems to borrow the best of American and British designs. The 4-pocket belt (each pocket holding 2 magazines) has shoulder straps to aid load bearing and is a style similar to our BAR belt. The OD green sling is a nylon version of the standard WWII British sling and is comfortable and quiet in use. Lastly, I added a Browning Hi-Power holster (from Liberty Tree Collectors, who also had FAL stripper clips and charger guides). An unmarked US canteen would round out the belt, but the holes for the wire attachment are too close. I’ll have to sacrifice the pistol holster, or get a Belgian canteen on a strap (a US-style canteen combined with a shoulder strap like the British used).

While I like the look of the long US-style flash hider installed by DS Arms, it had been “Feinstein-ized” and the bayonet lug ground off so it wouldn’t scare liberals (I bought this rifle originally when the ’94 Assault Gun Act was just ending). The Belgians used a short flash hider/muzzlebrake/bayonet mount and DS Arms had them. A proper bayonet was an eBay find (misidentified and half the going rate) and Liberty Tree also had a good selection of the various models at presstime.

Fortunately, the new/surplus Belgian-style flash hider went on without a hitch. The weird-looking tube bayonet fits perfectly. These flash hiders can be installed with the bayonet catch over or under the hider. Mine is over, so the bayonet doubles as another flash hider.

Game changers: Germany’s FG42 (top) was a select-fire rifle chambered in 7.92×57. It was capable
of controllable full-auto fire from an open bolt and semi-auto fire from a closed bolt. The .30-06
US M1 Garand (bottom) gave the soldier semi-auto firepower, even though it was limited by its 8-shot
capacity. It served as the springboard for the M14 — a fine rifle but nonetheless obsolete before it
left the drawing board.

Germany’s StG44 (left) was an intermediate-range rifle capable of select fire. The US stumbled upon the
concept with the semi-auto M1 Carbine (below), but it never achieved its full potential the way the
StG44 did. Photos: Yvonne Venturino

Although it excelled as a rifle, it was uncontrollable in full-auto and did not accept an optic readily.
The AR-10 was a controllable full-auto 7.62×51 and excelled where it was adopted, like
this one employed by Portugal.

The Captains of the West acquiesced to the 7.62x51mm with the understanding the US would adopt the FN/FAL.
We instead adopted the M14 (represented by a current Springfield Armory M1A).

The US adopted Stoner’s design as the full-auto 5.56 M16 early on. Our enemies, led by the Soviet
Union, embraced Germany’s StG44 intermediate-cartridge concept embodied in the AK-47 (bottom, left)
in 7.62×39. Photos: Springfield Armory and Will Dabbs, MD.

The Path To The FAL

On an open WWII battlefield, soldiers were best served by a rifle capable of reaching out to 600 or 700 yards, while fighting in close quarters required high-volume fire better done with a smaller cartridge, a job filled by the SMG. Most battle rifles were unwieldy in close and the sub-guns couldn’t deliver effective fire beyond 100 yards or so.

The Germans successfully solved the high volume/open battlefield conundrum in two ways, fielding (1) the select-fire FG42, a full-power rifle in 7.92×57, and (2) the intermediate select-fire StG44 in 7.92×33. The Americans came close with the M1 Carbine.

Aberdeen Proving Ground held a shoot-to-destruction test and wrote good things about the German FG42. Salient points included firing on full automatic from an open bolt and semi auto from a closed bolt; an effective muzzlebrake and a buffer in the buttstock; low bore center so recoil is directly inline with the shoulder; and provision for an optical sight. These recommendations were apparently ignored in the quest for a postwar full-power, select-fire rifle ultimately leading to our adoption of the M14 while the most of the Free World opted for the FN/FAL.

It’s no surprise the concept failed without the FG’s virtues intact. Two other points ignored were the side magazine to ensure the soldier was as low to the ground as possible, and the folding bipod. The FAL came close, but missed the mark, and the M14 missed almost every one. Designers then tried to shoehorn on the bits and pieces to make the select-fire concept work to no avail.

Today, many armies combine both concepts and use a full-power battle rifle usually in 7.62×51 NATO or Russian 7.62x54R alongside the general infantry rifle in an intermediate-class cartridge such as NATO’s 5.56×45 or Russia’s 5.45×39.

Factory Ammo Performance

FAL

Maker: DS Arms, P.O. Box 370, Lake Barrington, IL 60011, (847) 277-7258, www.dsarms.com
Action type: Gas-operated, semi auto
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Capacity: 20
Barrel length: 21″
Overall Length: 44.625″
Weight: 9 lbs., 7 oz. (unloaded with magazine)
Finish: Duracoat
Sights: Elevation adjustable front post, windage & elevation adjustable rear 200m-600m
Stock: Ironwood Designs, walnut, oil finished
Price: $1,700 (Original Series STG 58, synthetic stock)

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SP101 Match Champion

By Massad Ayoob
Photos: Gail Pepin

The SP101 Match Champion is a handsome, ruggedly built .357.

Built just like, yup … a tank, the Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum has made a lot of friends over the decades. Just a few years ago Ruger came out with their Match Champion version. It had most of the barrel lug removed to lighten the front and help it track faster between multiple targets and its action seemed honed. And, it seemed logical to give the same Match Champion treatment to their smaller 5-shot SP101.

The SP101 was introduced in 1988, initially in .38 Special. In the spirit of total disclosure, I have to admit it’s a personal favorite of mine, and I even have some ego invested in it. I was the one who convinced Bill Ruger to make it in .357 Magnum.

A police department with which I’m well acquainted adopted the SP101 .357 in spur-less hammer DAO form more than 20 years ago. They issued one to each officer for off-duty and backup use. Used in qualification multiple times a year with .357 Magnum or .38 Special +Ps, not one of those guns has yet had to be replaced or even repaired.

The 6-shot GP100 (top) paved the way for the SP101 version.

Although not the test gun, this SP101 shows the unique grip configuration and the
coil-spring driven technology Ruger favors.

SP101 Shootout

On this smaller .357, Ruger kept the full-length underbarrel lug, giving this little gun a good, steady “hang.” The company learned from its mistake with fixed sights on the first iteration of the GP100 MC. This one comes with an adjustable rear to take advantage of the wide .38/.357 range of ammo options and is combined with a green fiber-optic front sight. The Altamont hardwood stocks are handsomely cut and stained to resemble cocobolo. Capacity, of course, is still five rounds. Weight is a middle-of-the-road 30 oz.

We tested the SP101 MC with a half-dozen factory loads ranging from mild to wild. Protocol involved a Matrix rest on a concrete bench at 25 yards. We fired 5-shot groups measured to the nearest .05” — twice. Once for all five and again for the best three. The first measurement offers a good prediction of what a solid shooter can deliver when not under pressure. The second generally comes very close to what all five will do from a machine rest.

Black Hills’ .38 Special 148-gr. mid-range wadcutter is famous for its accuracy, and many believe it’s the best self-defense load for the recoil-sensitive. The little Match Champion put five of these 3.45″ apart, with the best three in a more promising 1.3″.

Two 158-gr. .38 Special +P loads were also tested. One was the lead semi-wadcutter HP famous for getting the .38 up off its knees in terms of “stopping power,” and was so widely adopted in its day it became known as the Chicago load in the Midwest, the Metro load in Florida and the FBI load everywhere else. Ours was the Remington brand, which — historically — has expanded the best.

While celebrated for its potency, this load was never famous for accuracy. We were reminded why when it delivered a horrible 8.7″ group with one round so far to the right I figured it had to be my fault, so I gave the gun a mulligan and fired a sixth shot, which went to the same distant spot. At least the best three were in 2.15″!

The other 158-gr. +P, however, was Speer’s Lawman FMJ training load, with which I won several state and regional IDPA Stock Service Revolver championships back when a high-power factor was required. The Lawman proved much more compatible with the SP101 and plunked five shots into 2.65″ with the best three into 1.85″.

The 125-gr. JHP is popular as a .38 Special self-defense load, and was represented here with Fiocchi’s standard-pressure offering, using the consistently accurate Hornady XTP bullet. Accuracy was the “Best of Test” in every respect, with a 5-shot group measuring 1.90″ and the best three going into an even 1″.

The “in” load for short-barreled revolvers these days is the 135-gr. Speer Gold Dot +P bonded JHP. ATK’s Ernest Durham designed it expressly for the 2″ backup guns of the NYPD. It has worked wonderfully from there to the West Coast ever since, and seems to work well in the dwindling numbers of 4″ revolvers old cops were still grandfathered to carry in the Big Apple. The 5-shot group went 3.35″ with the best three into 1.30″.

For a .357 Magnum round we used that fabled man-stopper, Federal’s 125-gr. semi-JHP, rated at 1,450 fps from a 4″ barrel. It grouped a bit lower than the .38 loads and delivered a 5-shot 3.55″ group running 3.55″ vertically by 1.80″ wide. The best three made a tidy 1.15″ group.

The SP101 MC (top) is a refined, adjustable-sighted take on the early ring-hammer,
snub-nose version from Mas’ collection.

From mild to wild: Mas tested the SP101 MC with loads, ranging from Black Hills’ sedate
.38 Special 148-gr. wadcutters to Federal’s hot 125-gr. .357 JHP.

Sights, Stocks & Function

There’s more to accuracy than precise grouping. There’s also how close the shot comes to the sight picture — the point of aim/point of impact. The SP101 MC came out of the box okay for elevation, but hitting some 7.5” inches right of the POA at 25 yards. Fortunately it comes with adjustable sights, and we gradually tracked the gun to center, though once it got there the rear-sight leaf had been moved far to the left.

The finger-grooved Altamont stocks are a bird’s head shape and are nicely checkered, with the Ruger logo in the wood instead of in a medallion. They’re a bit narrow toward the back, and while less than fun with magnum recoil, weren’t as uncomfortable as I thought they’d be. Their rakish angle seems to reduce muzzle rise.

Our test gun’s chambers were on the rough side and we had to pound spent casings out at first, even those of low-pressure .38 wadcutters. This eased up some once we had a few hundred rounds through the little beast. Alas, there was another problem on the other end of the ejection stroke. The left panel of the Altamont stocks blocked even relatively short .38 Special casings from clearing completely, making it a pain in the butt to open the path for the next reload. And the same too-thick grip panel blocked the HKS speedloader — tilting it far enough sideways to make it extremely difficult to get the loader to release its cartridges.

Having been spoiled by customized double-action revolvers, I found this one’s DA pull on the heavy, but consistent side at 11.5 lbs. as measured on a Lyman digital scale from Brownells. However, the DA stroke was very even and smooth. In single action the break was clean at 4.75 lbs. with little backlash.

Double-action groups at seven yards were tight and consistent.

The handsome stocks on Mas’ early prototype interfered with speedloader use. It turns
out early grips had this clearance problem but production models got it fixed. It’s still
a good reminder to double-check such things on your own gun!

The tightest 25-yard group was with Fiocchi .38 Special 125-gr. JHP ammo.

Searching for a Niche

This little revolver begs a big question: What kind of match is it likely to be champion of? It got a lot of ballyhoo at its introduction as the “Ultimate Back-Up Gun.” Unfortunately, its 4.2″ barrel is way too long for any BUG match I’ve ever heard of. Nor will it qualify for Service Revolver in either of those games because each requires a 6-shooter and the SP101’s cylinder is a round short. The 5-round sequences would be fine for a bull’s-eye match, but 6″ barrels are preferred for that. You want more sight radius for International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association or NRA Hunter Pistols as well.

The Ruger folks have become aware of this. Vice President Mark Gurney told me, “You’ve managed to hone in on the one possible flaw in the gun — the name. I believe in its size it would not likely be used in a match, as it would be up against 6-round capacity guns. However we chose to keep the name consistent with the very well-received GP100 Match Champion as the SP received the same treatment in a factory action job with centering shims, nice grip and visible sights.”

I agree with Mark. I see the SP101 Match Champion more as an outdoorsman’s SP101 “Kit”-type gun. A sturdy, relatively light revolver for the outdoorsman who’s using it as backup to a long gun and who wants more than .22 power.

This gun’s configuration would also be ideally suited to the new gun owner who wants a home-defense handgun that could be carried concealed if necessary.

Mas sees the SP101 Match Champion as more of an outdoorsman’s handgun for when something
more than a .22 rimfire is desired. A candidate for Taffin’s “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” quest.

The SP101 Match Champion might not be a “match” pistol. It’s nonetheless nearly
a perfect trail, camp, home defense and general use revolver — both bullet-proof
and powerful!

Bottom Line

I liked the SP101 Match Champion as a fun gun and outdoor companion revolver. I liked the fact once we got the sights dialed in, everyone who shot it stayed tight in the 10-ring at seven yards. At this distance I was able to double-action four into one ragged hole with the fifth shot just next to it.

As someone who has shot and owned Rugers since age 11, I was disappointed by the rough chambers and ejection problems. The grip situation? Mark Gurney had this to say:

“We modified the Altamonts to clear the speedloaders. Apparently the gun you have didn’t get the memo.” I believe that. Our test sample was one of the first to leave the factory. But the rough chambers and the sights being as far off of POA/POI as they were for a revolver with an $859 price tag just wasn’t right.

I also brought all this to Mark’s attention. Ruger zealously guards their company’s hard-earned reputation for being at the top of the heap in terms of responsiveness to customer complaints so he quickly sent another sample SP101 MC. This one shot to the sights out of the box. Extraction was smooth, easy and uneventful.

This gives me reason to expect that by the time you read this, the problems we encountered with our early-production test gun have been squared away. But we wanted to be honest, so we reported what we got. But then again, it’s often the case with very early “pre-production” guns. But our testing often influences changes to production guns. While on the one hand makers are anxious to get samples into our hands, they also stand by to make changes as needed based on what we discover. It’s a process that works fine.

The SP101 Match Champion concept, despite the identity crisis in its name, is a very desirable recreational revolver.

Ruger
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/sturm-ruger-co/
Ph: (336) 949-5200
onlinestore@nullruger.com

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CCW Duo — Direct From Kimber

By Massad Ayoob
Photos: Takashi Sato

A distinctive looking, full-size premium 9mm 1911 with a Vortex Venom optical sight. What’s not to like?

The ageless 1911 marches on, even managing to stay on top of newly emerging trends as it goes. Case in point: The Kimber Aegis Elite Pro, coming direct from the factory with a “carry optic” sight.

We shouldn’t be surprised: the 1911 was among the first pistols to get red dot optics, first in the bull’s eye competition world, and then in NRA Action Pistol and thereafter in USPSA. These, however, were the big bulky tubes of old, unsuitable for daily holster carry. Today’s smaller carry optics are becoming a trend in the CCW world. Though seen mostly on modern polymer pistols, our test gun is evidence the concept translates smoothly to the 1911 platform.

The Aegis Elite Pro — an eyecatching 9mm 1911.

First Look

Our test gun comprised an all-steel 5″ Government Model 9mm with the round butt common on many carry guns today. The 24 LPI checkering on the grip-frame combined with handsome gray G10 grips allow for an extremely solid hold. Some other Aegis models have slim grips for small hands, but this one is robust enough to fill your palm. A grasping groove motif looking like a cluster of little islands is found fore and aft, and turn out to work very well, providing good traction to the shooter’s hand. Fit and finish are nicely executed, with a smooth and easy-running slide, inside of which is a full-length recoil spring guide.

The key feature of this particular model is the Vortex Venom optical sight. The red dot is 6 MOA in size, and most of us who shot with it found it hit the sweet spot. The dot was small enough to allow precision 25-yard hits, not just in the head of the target but in the center head box. At the same time it was big enough anyone accustomed to shooting a red dot sight on a handgun could acquire it quickly.

An excellent set of “suppressor height” iron sights came with the package. Loved ’em. Came very quickly to the eye and were the kind of big “geezer sights” shooters in my age bracket appreciate. Out of the box, the irons co-witnessed perfectly with the red dot of the Vortex Venom. These things speak to careful attention paid at the factory.

The final argument: Takedown for the Kimber Aegis Elite Pro is old hat to 1911 guys.

Accuracy, Ammo

I was happy to find the Kimber Aegis came out of the box sighted in, both iron and glass. The high-riding suppressor-type sights had big white dot inserts, and with center hold using the traditional post-in-notch sight alignment instead of “driving the dot,” the big Kimber tended to shoot exactly where it looked. Whoever mounted the Vortex Venom optic at the factory had centered the red dot right over the front post, bringing the bullets where the shooter wanted them.

Speaking of bullets, 147-gr. subsonic 9mm rounds have been popular in the US and Canada for about 30 years. Remington-UMC’s FMJ 147 delivered a 5-shot group measuring 1.40″ center to center, with the best three in a mere 0.60″. For most of the 9mm’s existence, 124 grains was generally the heaviest available bullet weight. Today the 124 is considered a middleweight for the caliber.

Speer’s +P Gold Dot in that weight is one of the most street-proven loads around, and from the Kimber it planted 5 hits in 1.65″, the best three in 0.45″. The lighter 115 grain is still popular too. Mag-Tech’s top of the line Guardian Gold 115 +P provided a 1.55″ 5-shot group, with a best three in 0.85″. The “best three” measurement when shooting hand-held from a solid bench rest comes very close to what all five are likely to do from a machine rest setup — but a bench rest is a lot easier for most shooters to compare their own gun/ammo choices.

Factory spec’d for a 4- to 5-lb. pull weight, our test sample serial number KF51991 went a bit over this at 5 lbs., 6.7 oz. averaged on a Lyman digital gauge from Brownells. Re-set was short as is usual with 1911s, and the break was clean with little palpable movement after sear release. All in all, a good “street trigger” for a defensive 1911, and as the targets showed, the trigger was certainly no impediment to accurate shooting.

The Vortex Venom optical sight is the kicker boosting the Kimber into the “something special” zone.

Optical Sight CCW

Rising as it does from the slide, an optical sight significantly increases the height of a concealed carry pistol. The rounded butt compensates for this to some extent, but not completely. If you carry one of these on the hip, you’re probably going to want a cover garment with a bit more drape than usual.

Some of this is going to depend on body shape. A heavy-set person will find hip carry of a carry optic-equipped pistol a little easier than a slender person. That said, though, anyone carrying this type of setup is going to find it tougher to conceal discreetly.

This may be one reason why a disproportionate number of my friends and students who have carry optics on their everyday carry handguns have gone to appendix holsters. Most folks are wider side to side than they are front to back. Carrying inside the waistband at centerline — or a bit to the strong hand side of centerline — tends to make a handgun with carry optics simply more concealable.

Another thing you run into when you install carry optics is a lot of holsters aren’t cut for them. Fortunately, holsters having a partial cutaway in the upper front so the muzzle can clear faster for a draw, are more amenable to carry optics because of this cutaway factor.

I carried the Aegis with its Vortex Venom in an OWB hip holster by Dave Elderton at KyTac. It hid well enough under a 5.11 vest.

Middleweight: Speer Gold Dot 124-gr. +P, 25 yards. Photo: Gail Pepin

Doing The Dot

Carry optics are a relatively new thing, and what I’m about to say here applies to the breed in general, and not just the Kimber Aegis Elite Pro. I wrote about them in this column in the October 2016 issue:

“Karl Rehn, Grandmaster shooter and trainer has done the most thorough research I know of comparing carry optics with other defensive handgun sighting systems. His study encompassed 119 participants from 19- to 76-year-old males and females, skill levels from novice to Grandmaster/instructor. Smith & Wesson M&P CORE 9mm pistols were the test guns, and they were variously shot with iron sights (solid black rear, fiber optic front), Streamlight TLR-2G light/laser and Trijicon RMR with 6.5 MOA red dot — shooters tried the latter both with and without the iron sights.

“I would have thought us geezers who participated might do our best with the red dots, but I would have been wrong. Karl found, ‘Older shooters did worse with all sights other than iron sights.’ He also determined most shooters were faster with the red dot optics if iron sights were in place, probably because eyes habituated to finding front sights can use such a visual reference to ‘find the dot’ faster. I’d concur with that. The Rehn study found hits were faster with iron sights than carry optics at 5 or 10 yards. Still, a preponderance of red dot shooters seem to find themselves much more accurate with the optic at longer distances than with irons.”

When you try carry optics, commit to several hundred rounds to acclimate to the system. It takes a while to find the dot. The big high irons on our test Kimber facilitated getting the dot quickly to the eye, showing Rehn was right about this.

The distinctive gray G10 grips are attractive and hand-fillling.

Bottom Line

Function-wise, the Kimber performed 100 percent with its own nine-round magazine, and with 10-rounders from Wilson Combat and Mec-Gar. Another part of the equation, the Vortex Venom had a tendency for its dot to go out unpredictably during shooting, and then turn itself back on. Disconcerting, but a reason to appreciate the backup irons. This product is getting rave reviews from users in the field, so I have to presume the one we had trouble with was an aberration of the norm. The GUNS staff are following up and we’ll report back, since deadline arrived before we had it sorted.

It wasn’t long ago when a shooter who wanted to try carry optics had to spend money and waiting time to have their slide milled for one. With the Aegis Elite Pro, available in 9mm like our test gun or in .45 ACP, you sign a credit card slip and a 4473 and get the whole package ready to go right now. Its MSRP of $1,415 appears to represent a good value.

https://gunsmagazine.com/company/kimber/

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S&W’s .380 Shield EZ and Model 642 Carry Comp.

EZ Racking

I was very pleased to read Jeff John’s August review of S&W’s .380 Shield EZ. I racked one at my local gun shop and bought it the next day. It’s an absolute pleasure to shoot. It will replace my .40 S&W as my home defense gun as I’m having a lot of trouble racking the .40 with my arthritic hands. I’ve got the same laser (from my .40) and wasn’t sure which spacer to use; will try it without the spacer. Like Jeff, I like the green dot above my point of aim so I can see it, and the Crimson Trace is very easy to adjust for that. One added benefit was the grip safety forced me to improve my grip. Shooting freehand, I kept it to “minute of torso” all morning.
Mark Patton
Via email

Mystery Smith

Can somebody help me identify the S&W J-Frame hammerless pictured on page 51 in the August issue? It appears to be a limited edition as it has a ported 2 1/4″ barrel, white dot sight, black — possibly alloy — frame. Thank you.
Joel Wood
Taos, NM

According to Jeff John, who wrote the article and owns the gun, it’s a Model 642-2 Carry Comp — not currently in production. —Payton Miller

Going to Pot

In the Kroger stores in Woodlands, Texas, Kroger has ceased selling gun magazines. As an additional insult, they’re now selling marijuana-growing magazines on their former gun magazine shelves. The local stores have no input on these decisions. It appears Kroger is now managed by a bunch of pot-smoking anti-gun hippies. Apparently Kroger must think Texas has become a bunch of pot-smoking sissies too. Shame on you, Kroger. We hope the bankruptcy courts will soon become your best friend.
Charles White
Via email

That Python Squeeze

It must have been in the mid-’80s when — just newly married — my wife gave me $300 to go get a washing machine. I stopped by Davis and Company, my local gun shop in West Sacramento as I usually did when headed in that direction. The guys there knew me and as I walked in one of them said, “Bob, you’ve got to see this.” It was a used 6″ Colt Python with Pachmayr grips. The price was right, $300! He held it out for me and it just felt right. But I was going to get a washing machine. Oh the agony of it all. It felt so good in my hand, the balance, the weight and after all, it was a Python. My wife would understand, she likes to shoot and it would only take me a couple of months to save up for a washing machine, I thought. Done deal! Seems like I brought the snake home the same day, I really don’t remember. Well, she was not pleased at all and I had to hear about it for years. She would tell the story to any friends who would listen about the time I went out for a washing machine and came back with a Colt Python. I started to read her Payton Miller’s August “Guns Insider” bit about the skyrocketing prices of the Colt classic, but she said. “I don’t want to hear it, thanks.” I was smart enough not to press the issue.
Bob 
Via email

Reeder 2+2 Flattop Tool

HEY! HOLT…

Just got the August issue today. Tell Holt we could have saved him some time and effort on his little flat-nose tool he mentioned in his “Rimfire” column. Our Flattop Tool has been one of our best selling accessories for several years. We have it in a 3-round tool and also have a Flattop Tool for the .22 Short. They work very well. The soap bar picture shown was shot with a standard lead RN .22 LR. The large hole shot with a round out of the same box but with the nose cut off. We even have a combo tool that does .22 LR and .22 Short at the same time.
Gary Reeder
Gary Reeder Custom 
Via email

HAM’R Question

In Holt Bodinson’s August article on the .458 Ham’r, he states chamber pressures of 46,000 psi require a stronger action. The normal chamber pressure of the 5.56 M855 ball is 55,000 psi and the new M855A1 raises the chamber pressure to 62,000psi. What am I missing here? If a standard AR can handle 62,000 psi for a few thousand rounds, why did the HAM’R require a “stronger action”?
Dave Schmidt
Butler, Pa.

The .458 HAM’R is the .458 SOCOM case with the shoulder slightly pushed forward 0.030″. CMMG Product Engineer Von Davis explains that — being a larger diameter case — it generates considerably more bolt thrust than the 5.56. Bolt thrust is the internal area of a cartridge case times maximum pressure. The thrust of a standard 5.56mm round on the AR15 bolt head measures roughly 3,887 lbs. while the thrust of a .458 SOCOM round on a .458 SOCOM bolt head measures approximately 5,853 lbs. The thrust of a 5.56mm proof load measures approximately 5,183 lbs. while the .458 SOCOM proof load generates 7,804. That’s why a more robust action and bolt are necessary to provide a greater margin-of-safety. —Holt Bodinson 

Rimfired-Up!

I have an old High Standard Sport King semi-auto .22 rifle. It has what appear to be fins or vents on the left side of the receiver. When I shoot it, powder spits out of these vents onto my left forearm. It appears to me the bolt is releasing a little early, leading me to think there is a weak spring. I talked with a rep at Brownells and he said it sounded like the hammer assembly spring was weak. I have checked with Brownells, Numrich, Jack First and a few other dealers in an attempt to locate this part. Do you have any suggestions where I might be able to find this hammer assembly or spring? From what I’ve been able to find out, it appears they come as a unit. It’s a good rifle and hate to see it sit in my safe. Thank you for any help you can give me.
Jerry Goodwin
Via email

Our resident rimfire authority, Holt Bodinson, has this bit of advice: “My first recommendation would be to take the rifle to a professional gunsmith for diagnosis. It may not need a new part. If, in fact, the issue is a spring, a gunsmith could probably make one. Rimfires are dirty machines. Those “vents” were designed to keep semi-auto actions clear of unburned powder, lead shavings, lubricants and associated combustion products. In short, if working properly, those vents exhaust grit and grime out the left side of the receiver, and if your arm is in the way, you’re going to feel it. Again, let a gunsmith diagnose the problem before assuming it’s a replacement parts issue.”

Carbine” Taffin

Loved John Taffin’s article about the M1 Carbine in the August issue. I have several AR15s, and an arsenal of semi-auto rifles, but my most fun gun to shoot is my M1 Carbine. I’ve loaded a boatload of ammo for it — 14.5 grains of IMR4227 under a Speer 110-grain #1846. I have a Lyman manual from 1970, (yeah, I’m old) and it says “This cartridge headspaces on the mouth and the case length is, therefore, critical. Never trim cases shorter than the trim-to length shown and never crimp bullets.” I have never seen this warning in my newer manuals, and even though I have a Lee Crimp Die, I still don’t crimp. But John crimps his. Isn’t that dangerous?
Dave Schmidt
Butler, Pa

Dave I’m a lot older than you and I have manuals going back to 1936, but you should be using a manual much newer than 1970. Things change, including powders, primers, bullets and pressure data. I have not had any problems with crimping with the factory crimp die and that is why Lee calls it “factory.” Why do you think a crimp would be dangerous? If the crimp is too much the case will go forward and not fire. This happens in some sixguns chambered for .45 ACP, especially older ones, when a moon clip is not used. Most new Smiths are fine without the clips. Good shootin’ and God bless. —John Taffin

I would respectfully disagree with JT when he said the .30 Carbine is “certainly not the best choice for a self-defense rifle.” Actually, it’s probably a better choice than a politically incorrect AR or AK. It’s easy to handle and easy to shoot. And you’re not going to have to defend home and hearth at 25 yards or greater. The lawyers would have a field day if you did! A 110-gr. JSP at 2,000 fps beats the 9mm or .38/.357. I think the AR is overkill — and over-penetrative — for home defense. But then, I don’t consider it to be a “Modern Sporting Rifle.” It may be good for keeping feral hog populations down, but that’s about it.
Bill
Via email

Know Your Enemy

After reading Mr. Codrea’s September column, “Banking on Disarmament,” I felt compelled to contact some of the financial companies mentioned. I was moderately surprised to find it’s virtually impossible to email or otherwise contact these institutions. They have successfully walled themselves off from the rabble so they can pretend they are immune from our wrath.

They are not. I had a few credit cards with a couple of these companies so I paid them off and sent a letter explaining why I did so. I do not expect to hear from them because they aren’t concerned about the small interest they were earning off me. If, however, several hundreds, or thousands of gun owners make an effort to stop doing business with any of these companies (as they can afford to) then they will begin to notice; and hopefully suffer from their policies. I encourage GUNS to keep publishing articles helping gun owners learn who their enemies are. We know most Democrats hate us, but most don’t understand how deep their un-American tentacles reach in order to strip us of our rights.
Steve Bennett
Frankfort, IN

Arisaka ’mum and markings.

Model Yes, Type No

In regard to Holt Bodinson’s September article “Japan’s Imperial Triad,” here’s a trivia item. Nearly all Western collectors, like Mr. Bodinson, use the word “type” when referring to Japanese models. This is a linguistic error that has been propagated since at least WWII, and probably earlier. With Japanese firearms, it is more correct to say “model.” Using the Arisaka Model 38 as an example: The marking on the receiver is 3 kanji characters: San, Hachi and Shiki, an abbreviation of a phrase meaning “38th year model.” The issue is the Shiki character. If you look up the kanji in a typical Japanese-English dictionary, the listed equivalents include “style,” “form,” “type” and “model,” among others. There’s no single correct translation for every context. The point is in the context of a firearm, “model” is clearly the best word in English. Decades ago, someone likely chose “type” because it appeared first in their dictionary, and they didn’t know that in the firearms world, we say “model.” BTW, my brother is Duncan McCollum, whose book is mentioned in the “Further Reading” at the end of the article.
Peter McCollum
Via email

A Sweeter .17

I really liked Dave Anderson’s August column on rimfire “Farm Rifles” but I do feel the exclusion of the .17 Hornady Mach 2 is an unfortunate oversight. I know this round is not real popular, but it is extremely accurate and even more affordable than the .17 HMR. I converted a 10/22 to a 10/17M2 and absolutely love it — the local squirrels and prairie dogs, not so much!
Brian McKinstry
Via email

THANKS, J.B.

Twenty-five years ago I sent a “thank you” letter to J.B. Wood regarding a pistol recommendation he’d made. At the time he was the auto-pistol editor for Gun Digest annual, among a myriad of other ventures and pursuits. I was totally blown away when he answered my note, even enclosing an autographed copy of one of his still-unsurpassed manuals on small arms, known worldwide. As you know, Mr. Wood has been performing his craft flawlessly, longer than anyone else on any gun magazine staff, period. His articles are always unique and offer the reader a perspective they may not have considered prior to discovering his most recent effort. God bless J.B. Wood and thank you GUNS and American Handgunner for allowing us to enjoy this rare treasure.
Steve Bigelow
Billings, MT

Jump That Crimp!

In Payton Miller’s July piece on the Smith & Wesson 340 PD, he opines the main concern regarding light bullet use is because of possible crimp-jump. “Lightweight screamers” are less, not more, susceptible to it than are heavier projectiles. The concern is less powder will have burned before the bullet leaves the case, scorching the titanium cylinder.
Charlie Politi
Peoria, AZ

I checked with our revolver guru John Taffin on this issue and he is more inclined to go with reader Politi’s line of reasoning. John did refer to “flame cutting” on the topstrap instead of cylinder scorching, however. Regardless, I concede to higher authority in either case. Mea culpa. —Payton Miller

Vintage Staff

You folks produce a most wonderful magazine! I enjoy the fact you keep it varied and not full of black guns! Really enjoy coverage of the classics too!
Mark Taylor
Via email

Thanks Mark. The main reason we like to cover the classics is because we’re so old, we remember when most of them were new on the market. —Payton Miller

Brake the Habit!

Your magazine, as most others, often reviews new rifles striving for the utmost in technology and accuracy, and nowadays these rifles typically are fitted with muzzle brakes. These certainly are effective and enhance the user’s comfort, but I sincerely wish everyone would emphasize a little more the trade-off cost for this comfort. I run the High Power Match program at our local club, and we bend over backwards to try to get more people out shooting, but many shooters don’t seem to realize how horrendous it is to attend a match with muzzlebrake equipped rifles present. They’re just plain painful to everyone at the match except the shooter. We do what we can to minimize the effect but I find so many new owners aren’t aware of the extent of the problem, and I feel some of this is due to unbalanced reporting on the pros and cons of these devices. We have had guys with AR-15s in .223 show up with muzzlebrakes, and as a long time M-14 and M1-A shooter I have to even question the need of one on a .308. I would really appreciate it if gun magazines could more often remind their readers that there is a trade-off for the use of muzzle brakes.
David Dunkle
Via email

The Retro Joy Of ‘Going Scopeless’

By Wayne van Zwoll

This vintage .25-35 Winchester is quick to aim, with clean, simple open sights.
It has shot into 1 MOA.

The pronghorn doe slowed and cut a tight loop. The buck followed then paused at 90 yards. I crushed the trigger. At the whip-crack report he raced ahead. But his legs gave way before I closed the breech.

Five of us had met to hunt as hunters had before the Great War. Our lever rifles dated to the 19th Century. All wore iron sights. Like Nick’s and Brian’s 1894 Winchesters, the Savage 1899 I’d borrowed was a .25-35. Larry’s 1893 Marlin in .25-36 took the same ammo, in this case Hornady’s LeverEvolution load.

Mike and Dennis shared an 1886 Winchester in .38-56, firing handloaded 255-gr. Hawk jacketed flat-points. Dave carried a Uberti replica of Winchester’s 1876; the .40-60 gobbled handloads with 210-gr. Lyman lead flat-points.

By dusk, all of us would down pronghorn bucks, most between 80 and 140 yards out. Our reach was limited by our aim.

Clean, trim lines and wand-like handling are yours when you carry an early carbine with iron sights.

Old-School Evolution

These days, few hunters use iron sights. Scopes make hitting so much easier! Maybe that’s why I’m drifting back to irons. “Easy” isn’t where a hunt gets good. Long-range shooting now fuels a cottage industry in burly rifles bearing scopes heavy as rolling pins and a cult celebrating hits at multiple miles; but such has little to do with hunting. Until you’re within range of an animal’s senses, a kill only means you shot well. Nothing else.

By the time conical bullets were altering 19th-Century battlefields, V-notch rear sights had become adjustable. On Britain’s Lee-Metford of the 1870s they were calibrated to 2,800 yards. Vernier tang sights graced Sharps breechloaders on our frontier. Aperture sights on Scheutzen rifles by Stevens, Ballard, Maynard and others helped them drill tight 200-yard clusters.

Smokeless powder extended reach. The Krag-Jorgensen’s sight adjusted to 1,900, then 2,000 yards. The 1903 Springfield was marked to 2,850. Sights for hunting rifles followed suit. Spring-loaded aperture sights on lever-rifle tangs collapsed under the thrust of the bolt and flipped up when the bolt slid home.

The “bolt peep” on Winchester’s 71, like Lyman’s 1A cocking-piece sight for the Springfield, was close to the eye but didn’t clutter the grip. “Little Blue” folding peeps fit Redfield scope bases. Bolt sleeve apertures by Belding-Mull and Marble-Goss equipped G&H and Sedgely sporters.

Current iron-sight options are fewer and vintage apertures from yesteryear come dear. A Lyman 35 for my .458 set me back $100. The most expensive Lyman sight in 1956, the 48, listed for $12.50. In my youth a Williams alloy 5D cost $5. No longer!
What hasn’t changed is the superiority of a rear aperture over a barrel-mounted notch. A long sight radius affords surprising precision. You look through the aperture close to the eye — no need to focus on it. Result: greater accuracy and speedy target acquisition. A barrel-mounted open sight requires you to focus on its notch, the bead and the target at the same time, an optical impossibility even for young eyes.

A big aperture makes sense on hunting rifles. Lots of light. Big field.
Fast target acquisition and adequate precision.

Skinner Sights are used on rifles from Marlin’s Custom Shop.
They’re excellent irons — with brass.

Paper To Game

Wayne used a receiver-sighted Marlin 336 in .32 Special to down this elk at 130 yards.
One shot sealed the deal.

A well-worn Model 1899 in .303 Savage shot this eye-popping group with a tang-mounted aperture.

Target Tips

In using iron sights to zero or practice, many hunters employ too small a mark. You must see part of the target around the bead! A 100-yard target 20″ across isn’t too big! Gunmaker D’Arcy Echols developed and sells an inverted “T” target, black on white. It measures 15×22 ½”, with bars 7 ½” wide. You center the intersection, or take a six-o’clock hold.

With aperture sights, I prefer a big black bullseye or my standard scope target — a big white square on brown cardboard. I avoid fluorescent targets. Reflected light blurs the edges and “floods” the front sight picture. Fluorescence can also burn the target image into your eye, so if the rifle moves, you miss the sight picture shift. For much the same reason I favor manila over white as the background to black targets because there’s less “light bounce” at the black edge.

Wayne likes the shallow V of this express sight. But multiple leaves are
unnecessary — and can pop up or down at inopportune times.

Back in the day, all manner of irons were available for all manner of rifles —
here a Remington 81 auto.

NECG’s superb receiver sights include this adjustable aperture that
clamps to Ruger scope-ring cuts.

Williams offers practical, affordable alloy sights — open and aperture,
like this one on a re-stocked SMLE.

What’s Up Front?

My favorite front sight for hunting is a gold or (except in snow) ivory bead. A fluorescent blade or bead again bounces light, impairing precision. A black blade with clean edges and a reverse angle to block skylight is a good option, but for me it’s not as quick as a bead. I’m sweet on the Sourdough, with a square, colored inset angled 45 degrees, and with the blade’s full width for support

I favor a flat-faced bead slanted to catch light, or one with a concave face. Convex beads pick up light in the direction of the sun, so you see a false center. As to size, a 1/16″ bead on a 22″ barrel appears about as broad as a deer’s chest at 100 yards. Double rifles often had a fixed silver bead and a big ivory flip-up for shooting at night.

Of course, barrel length affects apparent bead size. In my view (which is getting dimmer!) a trifle big is better than a trifle small. When an angry beast is an eye-blink from putting hoofprints on your shirt, no bead is too big.
Shopping for iron sights? Look to Brownells.

For special needs, you can’t beat New England Custom Gun. Mark Cromwell there introduced me to beautifully machined sights that fit popular receivers — some without drilling. One aperture clamps to Ruger 77 and No. 1 receiver scallops, another to grooves on .22 rimfires. Another mates with Weaver’s Tip-Off scope base. Skinner Sights is young but innovative and offers excellent “Patridge” front sights. Skinner apertures grace handsome lever rifles from Marlin’s Custom Shop.

Nearly 50 autumns ago, a whitetail sped past me through Michigan aspens. I watched it tumble 90 yards off, over the Williams open sight on my surplus .303. Years later an Oregon thicket disgorged a blacktail buck which sped into the aperture of my Winchester 94 and collapsed to four fast shots. I bet my first Alaskan sheep hunt on irons, downing a ram and a bull moose with a Springfield and its Redfield receiver sight.

Iron sights are light and strong, quick to the eye and unaffected by moisture. They let you wrap your hand around your rifle like John Wayne and maintain a rifle’s lean profile. The right ones deliver all the precision you’ll need for most of the game you’ll shoot.

Brownells
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/
Ph: (800) 741-0015

D’Arcy Echols
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/d-arcy-echols-co/
Ph: (435) 755-6842

Lyman Products
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/lyman-products-corp/
Ph: (800) 225-9626

Marble’s Gunsights
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/marble-s-gunsights/
Ph: (906) 428-3710;

NECG
Ph: (603) 287-4836

Skinner Sights
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/skinner-sights/
Ph: (406) 745-4570

Williams Gun Sight Co.
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/williams-gun-sights/
Ph: (800) 530-9028

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Purchase A PDF Download Of The GUNS Magazine December 20118 Issue Now!

.50 Special Super Blackhawk Bowen’s Magic Power — Without Pain!

By Jeremy D. Clough

Bowen’s .50 Special Super Blackhawk provides power in an elegant package that’s still pleasant to shoot. The grips are by Rob Rowen; the Galco holster is black sharkskin.

When it comes to cartridge handguns, .50 caliber is as big as it gets. Sure, it’s possible to build a bigger gun, but anything with a bore larger than 1/2″ is classified as a Destructive Device, with all it entails: $200 tax stamp, a wait long enough to bear a child and restrictions on crossing state lines.

There’s no shortage of powerhouse options — .500 Linebaugh, .500 Smith, .50 AE and .50 Wyoming Express. But with the exception of the M1911-based .50 GI, what’s not as common is a .50 that’s pleasant to shoot.

The lanyard loop is a great way to keep from losing the gun.

The original hammer was replaced with a lower Bisley model that cocks easier when the gun is fired one-handed.

The Elmer Influence

My interest in the cartridge started with Bowen’s laugh-out-loud description of it in his book The Custom Revolver, including what must have been a spectacular failure of one to stop a ground squirrel. It didn’t take me long to make up my wish list from the rest of the modifications Bowen described, but it did take some years to save for the gun and an appropriate wait for it to be built.

After laying hands on a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum, I settled on Bowen’s Rough Country adjustable rear sight and a gold bead front, as well as a Bisley hammer and lightening cuts on the recoil shield and loading gate. Both the last modifications are connected to Elmer Keith’s legendary No. 5, which represented Keith’s view on how to keep the Colt SAA relevant as a fighting gun.

The Bisley hammer spur sits lower than the traditional SAA-style spur, permitting faster cocking. Cowboy Action shooters may disagree, but they typically use both hands to cock the gun, while those of us who carry a single action as bear medicine know one hand may be the best we can muster. So on went the lower hammer as well as perhaps the most distinctive feature of the No. 5 — the lever-style base pin latch.

SAA base pins are usually held in place with a spring-loaded cross-pin. The problem? Recoil can cause the base pin to jump the latch, moving forward enough to deactivate the transfer bar safety that makes Rugers go bang. Not good …

While Bowen uses a set screw and detent arrangement on his guns, Keith chose a complicated lever arrangement that pivots and turns — scissor-like — to latch the pin in place. The head of the pin itself has a large, distinctive hourglass shape so it can be easily removed, no matter how dirty the gun is.

Elegant and horribly expensive, installing the latch means the factory cross-pin hole has to be welded up, the frame re-machined and the latch parts fabricated and hand-fitted. It’s labor intensive, and because it involves so much cutting on the frame, it’s not suited to the big magnums. But with the .50 Special, no problem.

The stock rear sight was replaced with Bowen’s adjustable Rough Country. The rear blade is also interchangeable.

The Keith-style No. 5 basepin latch — along with the rest of the small parts — was finished in fire blue.

Coming To Grips

Building a Special also allows more flexibility in grip shape and material. There’s a reason most heavy caliber SA revolver grips use a Bisley shape. The original curved SAA grip tends to roll in recoil, and when you’re shooting something like a .475 Linebaugh, this looks a lot like going to the ER to get the hammer spur removed from the web of your hand!

The humpbacked Bisley, though, keeps the gun in place and the hammer safely away from your hand. Happily, the manageable recoil of the .50 Special lets you get away with the traditional SAA-style grip with its more graceful curve, and Bowen carefully fit a new Ron Power grip frame that allows the use of one-piece grips.

The carefully decked grip frame then went off to gripmaker Rob Rowen, a student of the legendary Roy Fishpaw. While everyone has their own tastes on such things, ivory is historically used on best-grade guns, and legally sourced ivory is all over 30 years old. While it’s not particularly fragile — think what the elephant used it for — I wouldn’t want to put it on a magnum-class big bore, but again, it’s fine on a .50 Special. Due to a government rule change that went into effect after this set was made, however, the interstate sale of ivory has been sharply restricted and Rowen no longer works in ivory.

Since it’s a shame to drill a hole through the middle of such a material, Rowen joined two blocks together to create the one-piece grips that are clamped in place by the front and rear grip straps. The end result is stunning: the creamy white panels with their distinctive crosshatched grain are mated seamlessly to the black frame, which is set off with fire blued small parts.

The tall front sight means you should pick a holster with a front sight track generous enough to clear it. The fire-blue screws add a classy touch of contrast.

The custom barrel has the correct 0.511″ groove diameter for the .50 Special. Note the careful craftsmanship.

A Proper Rig

Such a pistol, of course, deserves good leather, and Galco supplied one of their exotic series holsters in black sharkskin sized for the big Blackhawk’s 4 5/8″ barrel. It comes with both a retention strap and tension screw as well as a sight track large enough to clear Bowen’s tall front sight without planing out strips of leather when you draw.

Available in other hides such as stingray, alligator and ostrich, it’s not just the leather that makes the exotic holsters special: the craftsmanship is impressive. From the double stitching holding the loops in place to the near-liquid edgework, the extra work that goes into them is obvious.

However, pretty is as pretty does, which brings us to shooting. My first time shooting the .50 Special from a modified Weaver, yielded a couple of inches at 25 yards or so, followed by an offhand group with three or four of the bullets about touching. The accuracy, however, should not be surprising; the five-shot cylinder is custom made and each of the chambers are line-bored through the front of the frame with the cylinder clamped in place, reducing the tolerances that occur when you make both parts separately and then put them together and hope for the best. It is, in fact, the same cylinder blank Bowen uses for the .500 Linebaugh, so it’s plenty capable of taking whatever you want to throw at it. Since there’s not a lot of vetted load data available for the .50 Special, I stuck with fairly conservative loads.

The big .50 proved quite accurate. This five-shot group was fired from prone at 25 yards using handloads with a 425-gr. Hunters Supply bullet over a charge of Trail Boss.

CH dies from Bowen Classic Arms: The shortened brass and 365-gr. LRN bullets came from Ben Forkin and the 425-gr. flat point bullets are from Hunters Supply.

The .50 Special is based on the ultra-potent .500 Linebaugh, with the case shortened to the same length as a .38 Special.

Gotta Roll Your Own

The .50 Special is a handload-only proposition, and a bit more involved than some. Based — like the Linebaugh — on a .348 Winchester rifle case, either .348 or Linebaugh brass can be cut to length or purchased from Ben Forkin. Bullets are 0.511″ and a bit harder to find than more common 0.500″ slugs, but 365-gr. cast lead round nose (LRN) bullets are available from Forkin and Hunters Supply offers a 425-gr. flat point bullet that’s better suited for hunting. For those who cast their own bullets (like my friend Steve Johnson who kindly sent me a bag of 450s) even more options appear.

Loading dies came from CH Tool & Die via Bowen Classic Arms. While I typically load on a Dillon 550, I wanted to take my time with the .50, and Brownells’ supplied a single-stage RCBS Rock Chucker as well as a Lee bullet sizing die, a critical piece of equipment that ensures your cast bullets aren’t too big for the bore. There are many suppliers online, but I’ve always had good luck with Brownells.

The Rock Chucker, of course, is a classic single stage that comes with a priming tool built into the press. Slide a Number 5 shellholder into place on the ram, screw in and adjust your dies, and you’re off to the races.

Bowen’s standard load is 10 grains of Unique and a CCI 300 primer under the 365-gr. LRN. Not wanting to get too far off the beaten path, I experimented a bit with Blue Dot and Trail Boss with 365-, 425- and 450-gr. bullets and wasn’t entirely content with the results. Blue Dot showed erratic velocities and blew clouds of unburned powder out the barrel, and Trail Boss, which is typically loaded to near capacity, showed excellent accuracy with the 425s but delivered velocities well below what I expected. I am also, however, a very cautious handloader. The best group was about 1½” at 25 yards, with three rounds through one hole.

The gun is a hoot to shoot. The hammer rolls back easily, with the cylinder locking solidly into place. The crisp trigger breaks at a hair over 3 lbs., the easily-visible .50 bullet hole appears where you wanted it in the target and the gun rolls back with just enough authority to let you know you’re shooting a .50.

But … I can still feel my hand when I’m done shooting.

Bowen Classic Arms
Ph: (865) 984-3583
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/bowen-classic-arms/

Brownells, Inc.
Ph: (800) 741-0015
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/

Forkin Custom Classics
Ph: (406) 547-2344

Galco International
Ph: (800) 874-2526
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/galco-gunleather/

Hunters Supply
Ph: (505) 716-4369
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/hunters-supply-inc/

Rowen Custom Grips
LLC, Ph: (703) 795-9894 
https://www.rowencustomgrips.com/

Starline Brass, Inc.
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/starline/
Ph: (800) 280-6660

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The Edge Resets The Performance
Bar For MID-Priced ARs

By Holt Bodinson

Given their extreme modularity, ARs are the chameleon of the firearms world. They can be configured in scores of different ways to fulfill a variety of missions. I don’t imagine Eugene Stoner had any idea he was creating a completely new industry whose products would be endless variations of the pieces and parts making up an AR—an industry so large the first 94 pages of the current Brownells catalog is devoted exclusively to them.

So when Springfield Armory decided to add quality ARs to the highly successful M1A, 1911 and XD lines, they focused on using the finest components possible while keeping their newest AR, the Saint Edge, affordable.

There are so many interesting features in the new Saint Edge, it’s hard to know where to start, so let’s look at the name first. According to Springfield’s Steve Kramer, “The name ‘Saint’ was chosen to denote how Saints are classically regarded as guardians/protectors over one’s life, like a rifle can be.”

Upper/Lower

The lower receiver is machined rather than forged, giving Springfield the flexibility to make cuts and create contours not seen in a typical AR receiver. Without sacrificing receiver strength, Springfield has milled out a series of lightening panels most visible around the ambidextrous safety selector switch and just above the trigger well. The triggerguard itself is pierced with two lightening cuts.

A larger cut-out panel and horizontal lightening cuts can be seen on the sides and front of the magazine well while the flared magazine well itself has been completely recontoured with a visually pleasing upward sweep. An additional feature of the Edge lower is it sports two QD mounting points visible below the forward assist and just aft of the takedown pin.

Springfield’s “cheesecaked” lower lends some real character to the Edge and, just as importantly, reduces the overall weight while accentuating its slim lines. The Saint Edge is a light rifle. With a set of Springfield’s low profile, fold-down sights, the Edge tips my Sunbeam scale at 6 pounds 3 ounces. But in my hands, it feels lighter—due, I think in part to its ultra-slim hand guard.

An important adjustment built into the lower is a nylon-tipped tension screw bearing against the upper to eliminate any play between upper and lower. Springfield calls it their “Accu-Tite System.” The tension screw is adjustable by the owner and the procedure is fully detailed in the owner’s manual.

The Edge upper is a flattop with its integral Picatinny rail mating seamlessly with the 12.5-inch rail of the handguard. The free-floating aluminum M-Lok-compatible handguard is a proprietary design and it is slim! Your hand easily wraps around it. And it’s comfortable as well—having been given the “melted” treatment without any sharp edges.

The Saint Edge is light in weight and has excellent ergonomics. Holt mounted a Mark 4
Leupold 2.5-8X on his test rifle to take full advantage of its accuracy potential.

Barrel, Trigger, Furniture

Riding inside the handguard is a light profile, 16-inch chrome-moly barrel given a tough Melonite finish inside and out. It has a 1:8 twist, which proved optimal on the range, generating sub-MOA 3-shot groups with a smorgasbord of bullets weighing 55 to 77 grains.

The barrel is fitted with a mid-length, multi/mode adjustable gas block. Springfield supplies 3 different gas metering screws and a T-handle wrench along with each rifle, enabling the owner to fine-tune the gas system to specific ammunition—a process clearly explained in the owner’s manual. Finishing off the muzzle is Springfield’s artillery-looking, SA-Lite muzzle-brake. Those big baffles may look out of place on a .223, but are they ever effective! You can spot your shots through the scope with this brake.

The bolt carrier group is finished with super-hard Melonite as well, and carries a premium grade bolt. Operating the bolt carrier is Springfield’s generous-sized charging handle.

The pièce de résistance in the fire-control system is a Melonite-finished trigger averaging 4 pounds, 3 ounces, for 10 pulls on a Lyman electronic scale. It’s a short-reset, single-stage, match-quality trigger made in heaven. I would say it’s the finest out-of-the-box trigger on a modestly priced AR available today.

The Edge sports some upgraded furniture, featuring Bravo Company’s rock-solid 6-position buttstock and their Mod 3 pistol grip with its internal storage compartment.

Delivering 6 sub-MOA groups (above) with 6 brands of ammunition and 4 bullet weights, the Saint Edge is a stunningly accurate AR.
It looks like it belongs on an artillery piece (below), but the muzzle-brake works so well you can spot your shots.

Shots Downrange

The Edge comes with Springfield’s proprietary 1/2 MOA windage-adjustable, dual aperture rear sight and 1/2 MOA adjustable front sight. Both are low profile, facilitating the mounting of large-tubed optics. For testing purposes I mounted a Mark 4 Leupold 2.5-8x36mm on the Picatinny rail and headed for the range.

At 100 yards the Edge placed 6 brands of ammunition and 4 different bullet weights into 6 sub-MOA groups. The smallest 3-shot group measured 0.38 inch with Federal’s Premium Gold Medal Match loaded with Sierra’s 69-grain MatchKing. The largest—measuring 0.86—was delivered with CorBon’s 55-grain FMJ. The Edge simply proved to be a remarkably accurate rifle and a testimony to the components Springfield selected in making it, as well as the skilled artisans who put them together.

To recap, the Saint is a direct-gas impingement in 5.56 NATO with a barrel length of 16 inches and a 30-round magazine. The overall length is 35.75-32.5 inches and the weight is 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The sights are half-MOA adjustable. The stock is Bravo Company’s 6-position collapsible. The price? $1,229.

Probably the best summary comes from Springfield’s Dennis Reese. “The Saint Edge is a tight, light, fast-handling machine that operators can count on—the most advanced AR-15 we’ve ever built. It’s a high quality, performance-based rifle with premium options built in. You don’t have to swap out features to upgrade it. We believe that, shot for shot, dollar for dollar, it’s the best you can get.”

Springfield Armory, (800) 680-6866

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By Jeff John

Jeff has used Bore-Stores for more than 20+ years now, and they still serve well protecting the
guns from rust and each other in the safe. New ones (top) now have a label to record the gun.

The old gun store I worked in was an early dealer for Big Spring’s Bore-Stores, and I’ve long put high-value or highly finished guns in them. After all these years, my original Bore Stores still do yeoman duty protecting my guns, and Big Spring is still a mom-and-pop operation now employing 6 people making soft gun-storage cases individually cut, sewn and treated with silicone and a specially formulated rust inhibitor. Bore Stores come in sizes to fit almost any size and type firearm, as well as barrels, magazines and even knives. These days I’ve been slowing adding them for all my arms. They are available at better gun stores, and I always add a few when I order from Brownells, since they add little weight to the order. The material is thick and provides a decent cushion when packed together in the safe.

Although I’ve long used the Braille system to locate guns in the safe the new ones come with a sewn-on tag for you to write the make and model on the outside. Some of the hook-and-loop closures have begun to lose their power in the last 20+ years of use, but I don’t mind, since I never count on simple closure methods to hold anyway. They still serve well and protect my nicest guns from harm. Prices run from $7.97 for a Derringer-size one to $24.97 for a 52-inch scoped shotgun model.

Big Spring Ent., via Brownells
(800) 741-0015
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/

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“Gussy-Up” your Old West Cimarron Single Actions

By Jeff John

The Cimarron 1872 Open Top .44 Colt, 1849 Wells Fargo (with Howell .32 S&W cylinder), and 1851 Navy
.38 Special all look better with heat blue and silver plate as often done to originals.

My growing collection of Old West guns from Cimarron have proven accurate and fun to shoot. Cimarron-imported arms have long been known for their higher level of fit and finish, so only a little more effort was required to make these sixguns visually stunning as well with the addition of a noble metal and exotic-looking blue. Such beautification doesn’t require super expensive tools and only moderate skill.

Small parts finished in the intense “peacock” blue beautifully accent modern hot-salt black finishes as they did on the old 19th century Colts. To compliment the electric blue, Flitz darkened and brightened the factory blue, too, to look more like the old time finishes.

I used to achieve this bright blue on a cast iron lid over a gas stove, since the temperature isn’t all that high (580 degrees F). It’s very time consuming and the color is difficult to control. A better way is dipping in hot salts heated to the correct temp.

For Christmas I bought a Lee 20-pound Magnum Lead Melter on sale at Grafs, plus a 10-pound tub of Brownells’ Nitre Blue Salts, all for about $120. This model Lee pot is for ladle pouring and uncluttered with bottom-pour apparatus. It takes about 20 minutes to come up to heat, and the pot holds about 2 pounds of salts. The salts are hygroscopic, and I put the unused salts in a gallon freezer bag before closing the tub.

A very fun gun (above) is this Cimarron 1849 Wells Fargo with a Howell .32 S&W cylinder. Once gussied up (below),
the nitre-blue small parts bring out the Cimarron case colors. And those silver plated straps really set off the grips.

Part Prep

Polishing the parts isn’t hard. The screws, wedges, ejector heads and triggers were polished successively with 320, 600 and 2,000-grit paper for a quick high polish (I skipped grits in between on the screws). The wedge—with its large surface area—required the in-between steps of 400 and 1,200 grit. Back coarse grits up with a small file if any deep scratches are present (wood otherwise), and back up the finer grits with a hard felt pad (Brownells has them in the stock refinishing section).

After the polish, they’re ready to go. No fingerprints allowed! Use Gun Scrubber, mineral spirits or Dawn dish detergent if needed—just make sure the parts are dry before immersion!

Brownells’ cheap iron wire is soft, easily bent around the parts. Set a small can of water off to the side for a quench. The pot can heat the salts much hotter than necessary, so a lead thermometer will allow you to control the temp. Slightly hotter (around 650 degrees F) than the color you want speeds things up. My pot reached 650 turned just under “5” on the dial. At the right temp, you can air cool the parts, but the quench is important to stop the color otherwise.

Once the nitre salts are dissolved, scoop off the pink scum and discard it in an old coffee can. Dip the part (the solution will be mostly transparent), pull it out and look at it (having a work light near the pot helps). You’ll see the part progress as it comes to temperature from yellow to light purple to peacock blue. If the color isn’t right, polish it off and do it again.

Small parts come up to color in just a few seconds. The wedge took about 20 seconds. I often just hold small parts with needlenose pliers. The pliers also act as a heat sink so small screws come up a little more slowly. Just be sure to dry the pliers well each time! Dry and oil the parts with good ol’ 3-in-1. Brownells recommends letting them sit for a day or so, and if they were large parts I probably would, but I’m a little impatient. I found no downside to turning in the screws. Each gun took just a few hours from start to finish. Handy tip: Have a small magnet you can lower into the pot if you drop a screw.

I wear the same safety gear I do when I’m bullet casting: leather work gloves, safety glasses (minimum) or full face shield (preferred), gloves, apron, longsleeve shirt and long pants. Remember: You have quench water near the part, and really high temps+water create an extreme splatter hazard. Do not put wet parts or tools in the salts! Keep a towel nearby.

One thing about the polish. If you want an electrifying look, polish to the high grits, but the blue is very fragile and wears easily. If you want the blue to be more durable, stop at 600 grit and polish to blend the scratches. The blue will last longer since it will be deeper in the metal. Some spin the screws in a drill, but I prefer the look when polished fore and aft with the grain.

Nitre blue and silver plating provide striking contrast.

The Cimarron 1872 has had the blue polished, the small parts fire blued, the triggerguard
and backstrapsplated and the frame case colored (more on this new method in the future).
All but the case coloring can be done at home easily.

Silver Plating

Caswell Plug and Plate kits come in a variety of metals. Nickel, copper, silver and gold are among the ones most useful to gunnies, and all are quite easy to use. But they do have limitations. Up front I’ll say you’ll likely not be happy trying to plate an entire gun in this fashion. I wasn’t, but I’m living with it for now.

I did the Cimarron 1851 Cartridge Conversion in silver plate. Some areas came out well, others came out streaky or thin, and I wound up doing the gun twice. The steel parts have to be copper plated before the silver will stick. Try to brush in long even strokes, building up the plate as evenly as you can. Even then the finish is very thin, can be streaky and wears quickly. Maybe I’ll try to make the ’51 look a little older, as if the plating wore. While I think about “how,” I’ll let it tarnish.

Where the plating shined (if you’ll pardon the pun) is on the brass triggerguard and backstraps. There, the silver plate went on thick and sure on all three guns, and has held up to regular handling, while it is already wearing at the edges of the frame and barrel of the ’51. The brass plates quickly and I was finished with the blued revolvers in about 30 minutes from setup to cleanup.Plating over the Uberti polish, it came out great. The silver plate really shows off the grips and changes the look of the orange-ish Uberti grip color dramatically for the better.

Here’s how the 1872 and 1860 appeared from the factory. The 1860’s grips have been given an oil
finish. The oil-finished grips are warm to the touch, better than Uberti’s slick factory finish.

Tips & Techniques

The plating looks best under a high polish, so plan on going to 1,200 grit or better. Since I made a few mistakes on the initial go-around, I polished the ’51 only to 600 so the scratches show. My initial thought was the plating would have some texture to hold on to. Instead, it just looks like there are scratches under the plate. Polish it well! The gun must be thoroughly clean, and Dawn detergent does a great job.

The plating electrode only sends electricity along about 4 inches of metal so it was impossible for the “brush” or “wand” to plate the 7-1/2-inch barrel without changing the location of the electrode. If you stop and change the electrode loaction, you’ll see a seam where you stopped. To plate the length of the barrel, I used a piece of 14-gauge solid copper wire bent several times to make contact all the way down.

If the plating brush stays in one spot too long, it turns the finish black. Instead of the recommended 0000 steel wool (which seemed to remove the silver as well as tarnish), a piece of cotton salvaged from a vitamin bottle polished the tarnish off. Then gentle use of steel wool brightens it further.
Finishing an entire gun is not this system’s strong suit, but for smaller jobs it excels. I feel it was worthwhile at $60.49. On a budget? The nickel plate kit is cheaper at $43.99, and works on both brass and steel. Get both nickel and the copper in one kit for $60.49, but you’ll still need the separate silver kit, since it uses a different transformer than the nickel/copper.

Caswell Brush Plating Kits beautify triggerguards and backstraps easily (above), but it’s a stretch to
finish an entire gun. The copper wire attached to the black alligator clip helped plate the length of
the barrel, since otherwise the barrel is too long for the electroplate brush. Note the 1851’s finish
is starting to tarnish after only a couple of months. A Lee Magnum Lead Pot (below), a tub of the salts
and an optional lead thermometer are all you need to fire blue the parts on myriad guns.

Warm Wood

The 1860’s and 1851’s grips were stripped, reshaped and the wood given an oil finish. The natural linseed oil always feels sure in hand and cool/warm to the touch, unlike the finish Uberti uses. Theirs is always slick and cold/hot in the hand, getting more slippery in hot weather.

The cartridge conversions like the 1851 and 1860 are difficult to refinish completely because of the way the breechplate and loading gate attach to the frame. Uberti’s system works well, since these guns are made for smokeless powder. The big cylinder pin threads into the frame and a boss tightly traps the breechplate. A steel pin is then inserted into a hole drilled to bisect the frame and cylinder pin to ensure the pin never loosens. Advanced gunsmithing skills are required. Many of these guns have nice case colors and just the Flitz/nitre blue treatment boosts their looks dramatically.

It’s hard in a photo (left) to convey the night and day difference between the slightly milky factory
finish and the new jet black enhanced by Flitz. The guns now more sharply reflect light than before and
the quality of the Cimarron’s polish underneath is the key. Note the brown color on the pad. Bluing is
essentially rust, so don’t be surprised at what the polish reveals!

The Flitz Enhancement

While I was surfing Brownells’ catalog I stumbled on Flitz Liquid Polish and a user’s comment about it enhancing hot salt blue. The blue on these Cimarrons is very good, but a gentle buffing with the Flitz on a soft felt pad really darkened and brightened it up. The finish on the 1872 and 1860 now look more like the “charcoal blue” of the originals. I doubt you’ll be able to see the difference in the photos, but it changed the look of the pistols dramatically. Well worth $9.99, and the half hour it took to do.

Curved surfaces come out easily with little fuss, but use on sharp angles like the flats of an octagon barrel’s can remove the blue on the edges. Should you do so, try G96 Blue Créme and apply it using a Q-tip, toothpick or patch. It matches the color well.

Be sure you get all the Flitz off before reassembly. It’s an abrasive, and you don’t want it in screw holes or sharp corners. A toothbrush, toothpick and small bristle brushes help. When it’s dry, it comes off easily, but sometimes needs a little encouragement.

Brownells
(800) 741-0015
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/brownells-inc/

Caswell Plating
(855) 227-9355

Cimarron Arms
(830) 997-9090
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/cimarron-firearms-company/

G96
(973) 684-4050
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/g96-products-inc/

Graf & Sons
(573) 581-2266
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/graf-sons-inc/

Howell Old West
(608) 676-2518

Lee Precision
(262) 673-3075
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/lee-precision-inc/

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The 7.62×51 FAL Served With 90 Countries. Now, DS Arms Offers Both
20th And 21st Century Versions Of This Cold War Veteran

By Jeff John

No other battle rifle better blends the warm Old World feel of wood with the cold, businesslike look of
the modern black rifle as well as Fabrique Nationale’s Fusil Automatique Léger. The graceful lines give
the rifle a look as beautiful as it is lethal. The storied legacy of the FAL continues to thrive at DS Arms.

A Bit of Backstory

As originally envisioned after World War II, the FAL was a lithe select-fire rifle chambered in a to-be-determined intermediate-power cartridge along the lines of Nazi Germany’s 7.92×33 Kurz. But the United States insisted on the full-power 7.62×51 (.308) and the FAL was scaled up to handle the bigger round. As the 1960’s ground on, the accepted doctrine favoring the full-power battle rifle changed.
Inevitably, long after the US insisted on adoption of the 7.62×51 and then embraced a centerfire .22, — our NATO allies began similarly rearming with the new NATO-standard 5.56×45.

Soon large quantities of surplus FAL’ s (just bits and pieces since they were select-fire) began wending their way to the US along with a treasure trove of new spare parts. DS Arms bought up the Austrian StG58 parts (and tooling) and my particular FAL is old enough to have some of those in it. Today DS Arms fabricates the parts (all metric based) in house. The FAL has 120 parts or more depending on model, so this is no mean feat.

DS Arms cataloged a wood-stocked FAL billed as a “US T48” (the FAL we tested before adoption of our M14). I had one on order for a year or so when DS Arms discontinued the model when the wood stock supply became iffy (wood stocks were one of the few things they didn’t do in house), but offered me their show gun which I snapped up. Frankly, except for the square triggerguard, the rifle wasn’t very close to the T48. No matter, for it led me down the path to remodeling it into the FAL shown here.

Most of NATO shouldered the “Right Arm of the Free World” — Fabrique Nationale’s Fusil
Automatique Léger, with an assist from John Browning’s last pistol, the Hi-Power.

Operating controls include (clockwise from left): a non-reciprocating charging handle,
a takedown latch under the rear sight and a safety over the pistol grip. Just behind
the magazine is the bolt hold-open.

The carry handle folds down against the right side of the receiver. The mag release is
visible just behind the magazine. Although it is on the right side, it’s easier to manipulate
with your left hand.

Handling Qualities

Ergonomically the FAL is quite friendly. Beyond the matter of good looks, the value of oil-finished wood furniture over plastic is it warms to the touch, even in cold weather, and never gets too hot to the touch in hot weather. The safety is handy, intuitive and easy to operate with the shooting hand (as long as you’re right handed). It’s soft-shooting for a .308 since the bore line is low and muzzle lift during recoil is slight. Other key features are an adjustable gas system and a sturdy set of aperture sights fully adjustable for windage and elevation.

Although the mag release is on the right side just ahead of the triggerguard, it favors operation with the left hand leaving your firing hand in position. Press the release forward and the magazine pivots forward, down and out. To insert a magazine, push the front of the mag up and in so a tab on the front of the mag engages its locking recess, and rock the mag back and up until it clicks into place.
Alternatively, the magazine can be topped off with 5- or 10-round stripper clips, and a charger guide allows clip loading of the magazine when it’s out of the rifle.

In firing, spent cases eject forward and to the right, arcing into a tidy area for easy retrieval. On the last shot the bolt locks open. Remove the magazine, insert a fresh one, pull back the left-side charging handle and release. Going forward with the bolt, the non-reciprocating charging handle locks into a detent. Being non-reciprocating, it can’t be bumped to seat a cartridge not fully chambered. In such an event, just pull the handle back slightly and let the springs do the job.

You can also release or lock open the bolt by manipulating the small tab located on the left side opposite the magazine release. It is awkward but not difficult to lock open the rifle without an empty magazine in place. Place the butt under your right arm or on your hip and you can reach under the receiver with your right forefinger and push up the bolt catch while holding the bolt open with your left hand.

Bayonets with round-tube handles are difficult to control in the hand for fighting and, in this case,
the smooth metal shaft and odd part-round blade shape doesn’t lend itself to any purpose off the rifle,
unlike conventional bayonets. The black scabbard is plastic and riveted to the webbing frog.

The bayonet slips over the flash hider and clicks in place in a detent atop the hider. The
muzzlebrake/hider can be oriented up or down for the bayonet to be on top or bottom. The
bayonet body is vented so the flash hider/brake still functions normally. There’s little
play between bayonet and hider body. Lift up the latch and slide the bayonet off. Simple.

The FAL’s straight-line recoil makes for fast recovery for repeat shots. The ejection pattern is
forward and to the right, leaving spent shells in a wide “brass puddle.”

Pluses And Minuses

A big drawback is the factory trigger system, designed for a select-fire rifle. From the factory, the pull was a long, gritty 8.5 lbs. Jard makes a replacement trigger and DS Arms has a way to tune and lighten the trigger. I went the gunsmith route and had a trigger job and Falcon Arms springs installed. It is now a manageable 5.5 lbs.

A small drawback is the sight radius is a short 22″, but the front sight is well protected and less prone to snag than if it were at the end of the barrel. The rear sight is sturdy but unprotected. The rifle can’t be scoped easily due to the stamped sheetmetal top cover, an original flaw not easily remedied in the day, but one DS Arms solved with a machined top cover.

Another plus is the sling swivel arrangement. The front swivel revolves around the barrel and the bottom swivel spins giving both 360-degree travel. A minor downside is if the sling is used to lock the rifle tightly to the support arm, enough pressure can be applied to the barrel to affect accuracy. It was one of the US Army’s criticisms, but one relevant mostly for target shooting.

In the field the sights are only elevation-adjustable at preset 100-meter intervals from 200m to 600m. Calibration is pegged to 7.62 NATO 147-grain ball. To fine-tune the sights you need a screwdriver for the windage at the rear and a special spanner for elevation at the front.

At one time, FAL accuracy was sniffed at, but a select-fire battle rifle is built differently from a target rifle. The M14 excelled as a target rifle (albeit with considerable tuning). DS Arms puts together a tight, very accurate version of the FAL dispensing all notions the FAL is “inherently inaccurate.” You won’t be competitive with the “semi adjustable” sights at Camp Perry, but sighted in with Federal American Eagle ammo, you’d be well prepared for business.

For the shooting test, I had American Eagle, Prvi Partisan (both NATO 147-grain FMJ), along with Federal Match and assorted Black Hills Match. Of the inexpensive loads the Prvi Partisan shot extremely well. Well enough, in fact, to allow me to smoke out a problem lurking in the sights.

Few arms blend the modern with the traditional as well as the FAL. Although not as durable or
as strong as synthetic furniture, wood is warm in winter and never too hot in summer.
It’s also quieter afield.

The protected front sight is adjustable for elevation. There are four post heights, and they’re easy to
replace with the T-handle spanner. The gas valve is marked 1 to 7. To adjust, put a single round in the
magazine and fire. On “7” the gun should short recoil and fail to hold open the bolt. With an empty mag in
place, keep firing single shots and turning the valve down until the bolt cycles far enough to lock open.
Test with several more rounds and open the valve one or two more turns for insurance.

The rear sight slide adjusts in 100-meter increments. All the way back and the zero is 200m, so the
sights should be adjusted to shoot 2.5″ high for NATO ball. Windage is adjusted by tightening one of
two opposing screws while loosening the opposite one to move the base left or right.

A “Sight Problem”

My rifle came with the highest front sight — a “4-dot” post — and it shot extremely low. Getting onto the bull required moving the rear sight to the 500m notch. The resulting 5-shot group was in the 3″ range at 100 yards. Moving the sight down to the 400m setting moved the group 6″ lower and the group was now 2″ center-to-center. These results were repeatable, thus the problem. With the FAL’s reputation for so-so accuracy, I wondered how much the rear sights are the culprit? They were built for combat where ease of adjustment instead of precision was a logical trade-off.

In the 500m range notch my sight seemed to wobble more than in the 400m setting. DS Arms confirmed the irregular groups were likely caused by a too-loose rear sight slide. The new slide was $10 and a new coil spring for the button $5. A dial micrometer showed the new slide to be measurably tighter. Changing the sight slide required use of a light hammer, non-marring punch of Delrin or brass, a good fitting screwdriver and a pin punch. An exploded parts diagram helps. Gun Parts has them if you don’t have the DS Arms owner’s manual.

Installing the front sight is a piece of cake if you have the correct spanner. FAL lore says the point of a bullet can be used. This is probably true — if you have all day. With the spanner, simply unscrew the old one and screw in the new one. DS Arms offers all four front sights originally provided to armorers. The math indicated I needed the “2-dot” front sight. The DS Arms rep verified my front sight height choice and sent me the new one ($30).

After sighting in with American Eagle, Jeff tested Federal 168-grain Gold Medal Match (on white target)
for a 0.875″ group. After a trigger job, he got another very tight group with that ammo — with one errant
flyer. The Eagle ammo delivered reliable 2-1/2 MOA groups (top).

Federal’s new match load featuring the Berger 185-grain BTHP arrived too late for chronographing,
but not for the final accuracy testing. This 100-yard group is 1.5″.

With Prvi Partisan ammo, the FAL delivered this 3″ group (top) with the
rear sight set at 500m and the bottom group set at 400m.

The FAL top cover has stripper clip guides for 5- or 10-round clips. A charger guide.

Is used to load magazines from clips away from the gun. Not all clips are alike.
Stripper clips for the FAL.

Have the stop in the center of both sides (loaded clip) so the clip drops low enough for
the cartridges to go straight into the magazine. Many clips accept the common 7.62×51 but
are designed for other rifles, so if you’re shopping at a gun show, the FAL clip’s telltale
is the stop in the center of the clip rather than the two different ones above. Those clips
ride too high above the magazine. These others work fine with the charger guide though.

Rounds Downrange

DS Arms builds these rifles to shoot using a high-quality barrel and .308 chamber. You can forget about the FAL’s reputation for poor accuracy if you select decent ammo. Selecting a good load was fun since so many shot well. Either American Eagle or Prvi Partisan FMJ ammo would be just the ticket, since both shoot well and are reasonably priced. American Eagle was a reliable 2-1/2 or 3 MOA, and warmed my heart when I hit the 14″x14″ 300-yard gong 14 out of 20 times testing full mags, then hit the similarly sized 400-yard gong 5 times out of 10.

Of the match loads, all gave reliable 1.5 MOA 4-shot groups with the 5-shot group running things to about 2 or 2-1/4 MOA on average. I shot one spectacular 5-shot group of 0.875″ with Federal Gold Medal Match and 168-grain Sierra bullets. That one I’ll frame.

In shooting, the only malfunctions occurred while setting the gas valve, from lack of lubrication and from using a defective surplus magazine. In the last case, the offending mag appeared new, but after a couple of odd malfunctions, an examination showed brass shavings on the follower. I could feel burrs under the feed lips by running my finger under them. An easy fix? Yes. But not at the range.

After swapping mags the gun ran fine. After polishing the feed lips, the offending mag ran fine later on. But now somewhat chastened, I bought two new DS Arms magazines which have synthetic followers and a high-quality external finish. Full payload testing has been limited to three full mags in each. Both ran without a problem. I plan on replacing all the springs in the used ones with Wolff magazine springs.
The lack of lube glitch was due to my ignorance. The bolt wouldn’t cycle reliably for the first 5 or 6 rounds of a full mag, although it would cycle the last 15 fine. I was telling John Connor about lubing it as I would an M1 Garand, causing it to run sluggishly. He laughed. “Son, the gun works best drowning in oil.”

I used Synthetic CLP gun lube from G96 liberally applied to the bolt and bolt carrier. Problem solved. I always wondered why the Israeli “sand cuts” in the bolt carrier were such an important modification (the DS Arms bolt doesn’t have them). It’s obvious considering how much oil the gun requires.

This brings up a concern for today’s shooter. You don’t want to stand up a wood-stocked rifle dripping with oil as it will soak into the end of the wood, eventually weakening it fatally. Store it muzzle down or dry. And don’t forget to wear shooting glasses. A little too much lube and you’ll get “oiled” too!

Many countries employ one full-power rifle per squad to provide an extended-range capability. While the
original FAL would have problems being outfitted for the role, DS Arms solves the many issues with their
Designated Marksman Rifle. A 20-shot 7.62×51, it features a 16.25″ barrel, short gas piston system,
machined top cover with scope rail, iron sights, and fully adjustable synthetic stock and accessory
friendly fore-end. Photo: DS Arms

You wouldn’t think a muzzlebrake could be so complicated, but add internal threading and muzzle
machining to lock in a blank adapter and you have a recipe for complexity.

(Above): The FAL takes down quickly for routine cleaning without tools. Push the latch forward under
the rear sight and break open the rifle. The top cover slides off to the rear and the bolt and carrier
pulls straight out the back, allowing the barrel to be cleaned from the breech. Jeff found G96 Synthetic
CLP provided trouble-free operation even after 140-plus rounds. (Below): Hold down the gas valve lever,
rotate the gas valve 180 degrees, and pluck out the gas valve, piston and spring. Turning the gas valve
45 degrees shuts off flow to the piston. You can now shoot the rifle as a straight pull — a real advantage
when working up a handload.

Requiem For A Battle Rifle

Sandy environments proved deadly to the FAL while the Kalashnikov generally thrived in them. With the Free World’s move to smaller munitions such as the 5.56×45, the end was near for the hard-hitting 7.62 FAL, and by the early 1990’s it was mostly replaced with myriad “mouse guns.”

The intermediate caliber concept pioneered by the German 7.92×33 and Soviet 7.62×39 never covered all the bases, however. Infantry so armed were impotent against enemies at extended battlefield ranges easily covered by the FAL and US M14 — a factor the US once considered vital.

The Soviets early on realized the flaw and deployed the optic-sighted self-loading 7.62x54R Dragunov at the squad level to engage enemies beyond AK range. This doctrine in place, it was a logical transition to the even smaller 5.45×39 AK-74 round replacing the 7.62×39.
The US relearned the utility of the “battle rifle” in Afghanistan, leading to a hodgepodge of arms dragooned into service. These days a variety of 7.62 arms are in the inventory and include the FN SCAR, HK417, an accurized M14 and others based on the AR-10.

DS Arms now offers a 21st century FAL with all the modernization needed to fulfill this new mission. The FAL shoots great (as we’ve seen), so putting on a more solid top cover, scope, adjustable stock and fore-end allows it to perform far beyond its original mission.

My DS Arms FAL in early Cold War trim was a jewel in the rough. It required little effort to shoot far beyond its critics’ expectations as befits a rifle once known as “The Right Arm of the Free World.” 

The FAL was born as a select-fire rifle shooting intermediate class cartridges. But at Uncle Sam’s
insistence, FN beefed it up to chamber the 7.62×51.

Had the US adopted the .276 Pederson for the original M1 (far left), it’s possible we’d still be using it,
since its 126-grain bullet at 2,550 fps presages the “intermediate power” concept. However, we kept with
the full power pre-WWI .30-06 (middle left). After WWII we insisted all allies adopt the similar 7.62×51
(near left). Our allies, initially enthused by the 7.92×33 Kurz (near right), grudgingly acquiesced. The
intermediate-range, rapid-fire concept was seized on by the Soviet Union as they adopted the 7.62×39
(middle right) for the AK-47. Ultimately the US abandoned the “battle rifle” concept by adopting the
even lighter 5.56x45mm (far right).

Cold Warrior

World War II didn’t end in 1945. The Soviet Union had enslaved half of Europe, and eyed more. Mao’s China grew quickly into another murderous regime, spreading its tentacles where it could. The result? Almost all Western powers chose a single rifle to confront the rising Red Menace in Fabrique Nationale’s FAL.

The unique history of the rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and Ernest Vervier of FN fills a large coffee table book from Collector’s Publications. The Right Arm of the Free World is the right title and defines a rifle used by 90 countries confronting invaders, rebels and outlaws armed primarily with Mikhail Kalashnikov’s Avtomat Kalashnikova Model of 1947.

FN’s ascendant rifle, the FN49, was on the drawing boards before WWII. When Germany invaded Belgium the plans were hidden and smuggled out under the noses of the Nazis, along with those of the P35 Hi-Power pistol (already in production, the Nazis quickly seized on the 9mm Hi-Power). With the plans sewn into his coat, Saive left occupied Belgium, made his way to Portugal and caught one of the last Lufthansa flights to Britain in the early 1940’s. The immediate benefit to the Allies was the Hi-Power, which Britain quickly adopted.

At war’s end, FN recovered and the new 10-shot self-loading FN49 (chambered in full-power cartridges) gave its many end users an efficient upgrade from their current bolt action. Meanwhile, development of the FN/FAL centered on the intermediate 7.92×33 cartridge designed for Nazi Germany’s StG44, an arms concept electrifying European and Soviet designers.

The intermediate-powered weapon recoiled lightly, shot better than an SMG at longer ranges and was as fast and more lethal close in. The British meanwhile worked on a .280 cartridge of slightly greater power for the new FN rifle. Then along came the United States with an unequivocal demand for the full-power .30 T65 rifle cartridge to arm the fledgling NATO alliance.

Yankee Power Play

After trampling every other idea in our path, we Americans shoved the T65 7.62×51 cartridge down everyone’s throat, eschewed the FAL for our own M14, and within a few years dropped the once-holy “full-power battle rifle” concept for Stoner’s .22-caliber “Mouse Gun.” Our bewildered allies may have finally stopped spinning. Maybe…

Thus the FN/FAL grew from a lightweight select-fire rifle into a much larger, more powerful rifle than nature originally intended. For the most part it excelled, if lugging around a 9-lb. plus rifle that was wildly uncontrollable in full auto was “excelling.” But in all fairness, the M14 proved even worse in this regard.

Looking back is frustrating since both the Johnson M1941 LMG and German FG42 were blueprints for a successful full-power, full-auto battle rifle, a path followed by Eugene Stoner’s equally ignored yet successful AR-10 (used by several countries).

Still, the 7.62 was a capable cartridge and white pawns in the Cold War chess game kept red pawns at bay with an FAL subtly different — but fundamentally the same — from country to country. In a weird twist, the rifle was made in metric and inch patterns looking alike yet not interchangeable partswise.

With the FAL in use by so many countries, a clash between equally armed opponents was unavoidable. Probably the most famous was the Falklands War in 1982, where the “Inch Pattern” L1A1 FAL in British hands traded fire with the “Metric Pattern” FAL in Argentine hands — both in 7.62mm. Perhaps equally odd, both England and Argentina also issued Hi-Power 9mm pistols, both also respectively in inch and metric patterns! Both combatants built their own arms under license. I believe the Falklands War might be the first time two sides battled with nearly identical primary models of small arms, chambered in identical, interchangeable cartridges. 

The Ironwood Design stock has the grain running straight and true. It took little time to fit and is the
early pattern Jeff prefers. The Canadian surplus buttplate has the trap, and the stock has the cavity for
the oiler and wrench (above). Three tools make life with the FAL much easier. They include the stock
wrench (which also traps and guides the action spring), plus a front sight adjusting tool and gas nut
wrench. A good set of screwdrivers is a must. Note the square “T48” triggerguard (right).

Tuning and Tweaking Particulars

Although DS Arms billed this model as a reproduction of the US T48 (the FAL tested before adopting the M14), enough details were off that I couldn’t quite see a way to make it an exact T48 replica without some major fabrication of key parts, which proved too expensive.
However, remodeling to another country’s FAL would require minimal expense using Ironwood Designs early-style wood, and a Belgian muzzle-brake/flash hider. The fore-end and pistol grip were very beautiful and would stay.

While plotting my remodel, ObamaScare arose and all parts, tools and ammo became scarce. Eventually Brownells had the FAL tools and Ironwood Design accepted new orders for FAL wood. Ironwood’s stock is well crafted, has enough wood everywhere and not too much anywhere. The grain layout was excellent and no surprises occurred on installation.

At Apex Gun Parts I found a reasonably priced wooden carry handle which was high on my list. It was well used, but cleaned up well enough. Apex also had some other miscellaneous parts to fill in gaps. The buttplate with a trap, oiler and thong cleaner were gunshow finds. And thankfully, Ironwood’s stock had the requisite cavity….

With sight issues settled and the rifle shooting accurately, it was all I could do to shoot well squeezing the gritty, creepy 8.5-lb. factory trigger. John Connor suggested I send it to his buddy in Montana, the reclusive “Dr. K.” He rarely accepts new clients, so I felt honored.

His tune-up consisted of squaring up the contact surfaces on the sear and polishing the hammer, trigger spring plunger, sear spring plunger and the inside of the hammer spring plunger and tip. Reassembly included a new Falcon Arms FAL Trigger Pull Reduction spring kit reducing the trigger pull weight to 5.5 lbs. The stock trigger system will never be match grade, and there is some travel after the first stage take-up with a pause before it lets go, but it is now light and the grittiness gone. I don’t believe Dr. K did anything another gunsmith couldn’t do, he just does it with a “touch.” He has a lot of repeat business and, sadly for us, has chosen to retire as I write this.

In addition, he also polished the inside of the recoil spring tube, which provided another nice touch. I replaced the recoil spring with a Falcon Arms Recoil Spring kit (although there was little time on the one in the gun). Falcon Arms also had an inexpensive round triggerguard to replace the squared T48 one. Lastly, a DS Arms nickel/teflon recoil spring rod went in, too. The bolt operation is now markedly smoother. There is a glassy “feel” when you draw the bolt. 

If you think in survival mode, having a “stand of arms” for your grab-and-go rifle is good insurance.
If you collect, it’s one of the fun sides of our hobby. Here we have an early FAL, Browning Hi-Power,
Belgian cartridge belt, holster and bayonet. If you don’t mind mixing gear, the WWII German paratrooper
neck bandolier (foreground) from World War Supply is great for keeping 100 rounds of ammo in stripper clips.

Geared To Go

In the old days, a “stand of arms” was all the equipment a soldier needed to go to war. Musket, cartridge box, bayonet with crossbelts — just the essentials for a battle, and they were usually maintained and stored in the armory. During our Revolution the “Minute Men” kept theirs at the ready. The concept is valid on a survival/prepper basis with high-tech gear and accentuates arms collecting with period gear. Once my Belgian model FAL took shape, corresponding gear proved easy and much less expensive than comparable US GI gear for the T48.

Numrich Gun Parts had Belgian gear, which seems to borrow the best of American and British designs. The 4-pocket belt (each pocket holding 2 magazines) has shoulder straps to aid load bearing and is a style similar to our BAR belt. The OD green sling is a nylon version of the standard WWII British sling and is comfortable and quiet in use. Lastly, I added a Browning Hi-Power holster (from Liberty Tree Collectors, who also had FAL stripper clips and charger guides). An unmarked US canteen would round out the belt, but the holes for the wire attachment are too close. I’ll have to sacrifice the pistol holster, or get a Belgian canteen on a strap (a US-style canteen combined with a shoulder strap like the British used).

While I like the look of the long US-style flash hider installed by DS Arms, it had been “Feinstein-ized” and the bayonet lug ground off so it wouldn’t scare liberals (I bought this rifle originally when the ’94 Assault Gun Act was just ending). The Belgians used a short flash hider/muzzlebrake/bayonet mount and DS Arms had them. A proper bayonet was an eBay find (misidentified and half the going rate) and Liberty Tree also had a good selection of the various models at presstime.

Fortunately, the new/surplus Belgian-style flash hider went on without a hitch. The weird-looking tube bayonet fits perfectly. These flash hiders can be installed with the bayonet catch over or under the hider. Mine is over, so the bayonet doubles as another flash hider.

Game changers: Germany’s FG42 (top) was a select-fire rifle chambered in 7.92×57. It was capable
of controllable full-auto fire from an open bolt and semi-auto fire from a closed bolt. The .30-06
US M1 Garand (bottom) gave the soldier semi-auto firepower, even though it was limited by its 8-shot
capacity. It served as the springboard for the M14 — a fine rifle but nonetheless obsolete before it
left the drawing board.

Germany’s StG44 (left) was an intermediate-range rifle capable of select fire. The US stumbled upon the
concept with the semi-auto M1 Carbine (below), but it never achieved its full potential the way the
StG44 did. Photos: Yvonne Venturino

Although it excelled as a rifle, it was uncontrollable in full-auto and did not accept an optic readily.
The AR-10 was a controllable full-auto 7.62×51 and excelled where it was adopted, like
this one employed by Portugal.

The Captains of the West acquiesced to the 7.62x51mm with the understanding the US would adopt the FN/FAL.
We instead adopted the M14 (represented by a current Springfield Armory M1A).

The US adopted Stoner’s design as the full-auto 5.56 M16 early on. Our enemies, led by the Soviet
Union, embraced Germany’s StG44 intermediate-cartridge concept embodied in the AK-47 (bottom, left)
in 7.62×39. Photos: Springfield Armory and Will Dabbs, MD.

The Path To The FAL

On an open WWII battlefield, soldiers were best served by a rifle capable of reaching out to 600 or 700 yards, while fighting in close quarters required high-volume fire better done with a smaller cartridge, a job filled by the SMG. Most battle rifles were unwieldy in close and the sub-guns couldn’t deliver effective fire beyond 100 yards or so.

The Germans successfully solved the high volume/open battlefield conundrum in two ways, fielding (1) the select-fire FG42, a full-power rifle in 7.92×57, and (2) the intermediate select-fire StG44 in 7.92×33. The Americans came close with the M1 Carbine.

Aberdeen Proving Ground held a shoot-to-destruction test and wrote good things about the German FG42. Salient points included firing on full automatic from an open bolt and semi auto from a closed bolt; an effective muzzlebrake and a buffer in the buttstock; low bore center so recoil is directly inline with the shoulder; and provision for an optical sight. These recommendations were apparently ignored in the quest for a postwar full-power, select-fire rifle ultimately leading to our adoption of the M14 while the most of the Free World opted for the FN/FAL.

It’s no surprise the concept failed without the FG’s virtues intact. Two other points ignored were the side magazine to ensure the soldier was as low to the ground as possible, and the folding bipod. The FAL came close, but missed the mark, and the M14 missed almost every one. Designers then tried to shoehorn on the bits and pieces to make the select-fire concept work to no avail.

Today, many armies combine both concepts and use a full-power battle rifle usually in 7.62×51 NATO or Russian 7.62x54R alongside the general infantry rifle in an intermediate-class cartridge such as NATO’s 5.56×45 or Russia’s 5.45×39.

Factory Ammo Performance

FAL

Maker: DS Arms, P.O. Box 370, Lake Barrington, IL 60011, (847) 277-7258, www.dsarms.com
Action type: Gas-operated, semi auto
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Capacity: 20
Barrel length: 21″
Overall Length: 44.625″
Weight: 9 lbs., 7 oz. (unloaded with magazine)
Finish: Duracoat
Sights: Elevation adjustable front post, windage & elevation adjustable rear 200m-600m
Stock: Ironwood Designs, walnut, oil finished
Price: $1,700 (Original Series STG 58, synthetic stock)

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The SP101 Match Champion is a handsome, ruggedly built .357.

Built just like, yup … a tank, the Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum has made a lot of friends over the decades. Just a few years ago Ruger came out with their Match Champion version. It had most of the barrel lug removed to lighten the front and help it track faster between multiple targets and its action seemed honed. And, it seemed logical to give the same Match Champion treatment to their smaller 5-shot SP101.

The SP101 was introduced in 1988, initially in .38 Special. In the spirit of total disclosure, I have to admit it’s a personal favorite of mine, and I even have some ego invested in it. I was the one who convinced Bill Ruger to make it in .357 Magnum.

A police department with which I’m well acquainted adopted the SP101 .357 in spur-less hammer DAO form more than 20 years ago. They issued one to each officer for off-duty and backup use. Used in qualification multiple times a year with .357 Magnum or .38 Special +Ps, not one of those guns has yet had to be replaced or even repaired.

The 6-shot GP100 (top) paved the way for the SP101 version.

Although not the test gun, this SP101 shows the unique grip configuration and the coil-spring driven technology Ruger favors.

SP101 Shootout

On this smaller .357, Ruger kept the full-length underbarrel lug, giving this little gun a good, steady “hang.” The company learned from its mistake with fixed sights on the first iteration of the GP100 MC. This one comes with an adjustable rear to take advantage of the wide .38/.357 range of ammo options and is combined with a green fiber-optic front sight. The Altamont hardwood stocks are handsomely cut and stained to resemble cocobolo. Capacity, of course, is still five rounds. Weight is a middle-of-the-road 30 oz.

We tested the SP101 MC with a half-dozen factory loads ranging from mild to wild. Protocol involved a Matrix rest on a concrete bench at 25 yards. We fired 5-shot groups measured to the nearest .05” — twice. Once for all five and again for the best three. The first measurement offers a good prediction of what a solid shooter can deliver when not under pressure. The second generally comes very close to what all five will do from a machine rest.

Black Hills’ .38 Special 148-gr. mid-range wadcutter is famous for its accuracy, and many believe it’s the best self-defense load for the recoil-sensitive. The little Match Champion put five of these 3.45″ apart, with the best three in a more promising 1.3″.

Two 158-gr. .38 Special +P loads were also tested. One was the lead semi-wadcutter HP famous for getting the .38 up off its knees in terms of “stopping power,” and was so widely adopted in its day it became known as the Chicago load in the Midwest, the Metro load in Florida and the FBI load everywhere else. Ours was the Remington brand, which — historically — has expanded the best.

While celebrated for its potency, this load was never famous for accuracy. We were reminded why when it delivered a horrible 8.7″ group with one round so far to the right I figured it had to be my fault, so I gave the gun a mulligan and fired a sixth shot, which went to the same distant spot. At least the best three were in 2.15″!

The other 158-gr. +P, however, was Speer’s Lawman FMJ training load, with which I won several state and regional IDPA Stock Service Revolver championships back when a high-power factor was required. The Lawman proved much more compatible with the SP101 and plunked five shots into 2.65″ with the best three into 1.85″.

The 125-gr. JHP is popular as a .38 Special self-defense load, and was represented here with Fiocchi’s standard-pressure offering, using the consistently accurate Hornady XTP bullet. Accuracy was the “Best of Test” in every respect, with a 5-shot group measuring 1.90″ and the best three going into an even 1″.

The “in” load for short-barreled revolvers these days is the 135-gr. Speer Gold Dot +P bonded JHP. ATK’s Ernest Durham designed it expressly for the 2″ backup guns of the NYPD. It has worked wonderfully from there to the West Coast ever since, and seems to work well in the dwindling numbers of 4″ revolvers old cops were still grandfathered to carry in the Big Apple. The 5-shot group went 3.35″ with the best three into 1.30″.

For a .357 Magnum round we used that fabled man-stopper, Federal’s 125-gr. semi-JHP, rated at 1,450 fps from a 4″ barrel. It grouped a bit lower than the .38 loads and delivered a 5-shot 3.55″ group running 3.55″ vertically by 1.80″ wide. The best three made a tidy 1.15″ group.

The SP101 MC (top) is a refined, adjustable-sighted take on the early ring-hammer, snub-nose version from Mas’ collection.

From mild to wild: Mas tested the SP101 MC with loads, ranging from Black Hills’ sedate .38 Special 148-gr. wadcutters to Federal’s hot 125-gr. .357 JHP.

Sights, Stocks & Function

There’s more to accuracy than precise grouping. There’s also how close the shot comes to the sight picture — the point of aim/point of impact. The SP101 MC came out of the box okay for elevation, but hitting some 7.5” inches right of the POA at 25 yards. Fortunately it comes with adjustable sights, and we gradually tracked the gun to center, though once it got there the rear-sight leaf had been moved far to the left.

The finger-grooved Altamont stocks are a bird’s head shape and are nicely checkered, with the Ruger logo in the wood instead of in a medallion. They’re a bit narrow toward the back, and while less than fun with magnum recoil, weren’t as uncomfortable as I thought they’d be. Their rakish angle seems to reduce muzzle rise.

Our test gun’s chambers were on the rough side and we had to pound spent casings out at first, even those of low-pressure .38 wadcutters. This eased up some once we had a few hundred rounds through the little beast. Alas, there was another problem on the other end of the ejection stroke. The left panel of the Altamont stocks blocked even relatively short .38 Special casings from clearing completely, making it a pain in the butt to open the path for the next reload. And the same too-thick grip panel blocked the HKS speedloader — tilting it far enough sideways to make it extremely difficult to get the loader to release its cartridges.

Having been spoiled by customized double-action revolvers, I found this one’s DA pull on the heavy, but consistent side at 11.5 lbs. as measured on a Lyman digital scale from Brownells. However, the DA stroke was very even and smooth. In single action the break was clean at 4.75 lbs. with little backlash.

Double-action groups at seven yards were tight and consistent.

The handsome stocks on Mas’ early prototype interfered with speedloader use. It turns out early grips had this clearance problem but production models got it fixed. It’s still a good reminder to double-check such things on your own gun!

The tightest 25-yard group was with Fiocchi .38 Special 125-gr. JHP ammo.

Searching for a Niche

This little revolver begs a big question: What kind of match is it likely to be champion of? It got a lot of ballyhoo at its introduction as the “Ultimate Back-Up Gun.” Unfortunately, its 4.2″ barrel is way too long for any BUG match I’ve ever heard of. Nor will it qualify for Service Revolver in either of those games because each requires a 6-shooter and the SP101’s cylinder is a round short. The 5-round sequences would be fine for a bull’s-eye match, but 6″ barrels are preferred for that. You want more sight radius for International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association or NRA Hunter Pistols as well.

The Ruger folks have become aware of this. Vice President Mark Gurney told me, “You’ve managed to hone in on the one possible flaw in the gun — the name. I believe in its size it would not likely be used in a match, as it would be up against 6-round capacity guns. However we chose to keep the name consistent with the very well-received GP100 Match Champion as the SP received the same treatment in a factory action job with centering shims, nice grip and visible sights.”

I agree with Mark. I see the SP101 Match Champion more as an outdoorsman’s SP101 “Kit”-type gun. A sturdy, relatively light revolver for the outdoorsman who’s using it as backup to a long gun and who wants more than .22 power.

This gun’s configuration would also be ideally suited to the new gun owner who wants a home-defense handgun that could be carried concealed if necessary.

Mas sees the SP101 Match Champion as more of an outdoorsman’s handgun for when something more than a .22 rimfire is desired. A candidate for Taffin’s “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” quest.

The SP101 Match Champion might not be a “match” pistol. It’s nonetheless nearly a perfect trail, camp, home defense and general use revolver — both bullet-proof and powerful!

Bottom Line

I liked the SP101 Match Champion as a fun gun and outdoor companion revolver. I liked the fact once we got the sights dialed in, everyone who shot it stayed tight in the 10-ring at seven yards. At this distance I was able to double-action four into one ragged hole with the fifth shot just next to it.

As someone who has shot and owned Rugers since age 11, I was disappointed by the rough chambers and ejection problems. The grip situation? Mark Gurney had this to say:

“We modified the Altamonts to clear the speedloaders. Apparently the gun you have didn’t get the memo.” I believe that. Our test sample was one of the first to leave the factory. But the rough chambers and the sights being as far off of POA/POI as they were for a revolver with an $859 price tag just wasn’t right.

I also brought all this to Mark’s attention. Ruger zealously guards their company’s hard-earned reputation for being at the top of the heap in terms of responsiveness to customer complaints so he quickly sent another sample SP101 MC. This one shot to the sights out of the box. Extraction was smooth, easy and uneventful.

This gives me reason to expect that by the time you read this, the problems we encountered with our early-production test gun have been squared away. But we wanted to be honest, so we reported what we got. But then again, it’s often the case with very early “pre-production” guns. But our testing often influences changes to production guns. While on the one hand makers are anxious to get samples into our hands, they also stand by to make changes as needed based on what we discover. It’s a process that works fine.

The SP101 Match Champion concept, despite the identity crisis in its name, is a very desirable recreational revolver.

Ruger
Ph: (336) 949-5200
onlinestore@ruger.com

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A distinctive looking, full-size premium 9mm 1911 with a Vortex Venom optical sight. What’s not to like?

The ageless 1911 marches on, even managing to stay on top of newly emerging trends as it goes. Case in point: The Kimber Aegis Elite Pro, coming direct from the factory with a “carry optic” sight.

We shouldn’t be surprised: the 1911 was among the first pistols to get red dot optics, first in the bull’s eye competition world, and then in NRA Action Pistol and thereafter in USPSA. These, however, were the big bulky tubes of old, unsuitable for daily holster carry. Today’s smaller carry optics are becoming a trend in the CCW world. Though seen mostly on modern polymer pistols, our test gun is evidence the concept translates smoothly to the 1911 platform.

The Aegis Elite Pro — an eyecatching 9mm 1911.

First Look

Our test gun comprised an all-steel 5″ Government Model 9mm with the round butt common on many carry guns today. The 24 LPI checkering on the grip-frame combined with handsome gray G10 grips allow for an extremely solid hold. Some other Aegis models have slim grips for small hands, but this one is robust enough to fill your palm. A grasping groove motif looking like a cluster of little islands is found fore and aft, and turn out to work very well, providing good traction to the shooter’s hand. Fit and finish are nicely executed, with a smooth and easy-running slide, inside of which is a full-length recoil spring guide.

The key feature of this particular model is the Vortex Venom optical sight. The red dot is 6 MOA in size, and most of us who shot with it found it hit the sweet spot. The dot was small enough to allow precision 25-yard hits, not just in the head of the target but in the center head box. At the same time it was big enough anyone accustomed to shooting a red dot sight on a handgun could acquire it quickly.

An excellent set of “suppressor height” iron sights came with the package. Loved ’em. Came very quickly to the eye and were the kind of big “geezer sights” shooters in my age bracket appreciate. Out of the box, the irons co-witnessed perfectly with the red dot of the Vortex Venom. These things speak to careful attention paid at the factory.

The final argument: Takedown for the Kimber Aegis Elite Pro is old hat to 1911 guys.

Accuracy, Ammo

I was happy to find the Kimber Aegis came out of the box sighted in, both iron and glass. The high-riding suppressor-type sights had big white dot inserts, and with center hold using the traditional post-in-notch sight alignment instead of “driving the dot,” the big Kimber tended to shoot exactly where it looked. Whoever mounted the Vortex Venom optic at the factory had centered the red dot right over the front post, bringing the bullets where the shooter wanted them.

Speaking of bullets, 147-gr. subsonic 9mm rounds have been popular in the US and Canada for about 30 years. Remington-UMC’s FMJ 147 delivered a 5-shot group measuring 1.40″ center to center, with the best three in a mere 0.60″. For most of the 9mm’s existence, 124 grains was generally the heaviest available bullet weight. Today the 124 is considered a middleweight for the caliber.

Speer’s +P Gold Dot in that weight is one of the most street-proven loads around, and from the Kimber it planted 5 hits in 1.65″, the best three in 0.45″. The lighter 115 grain is still popular too. Mag-Tech’s top of the line Guardian Gold 115 +P provided a 1.55″ 5-shot group, with a best three in 0.85″. The “best three” measurement when shooting hand-held from a solid bench rest comes very close to what all five are likely to do from a machine rest setup — but a bench rest is a lot easier for most shooters to compare their own gun/ammo choices.

Factory spec’d for a 4- to 5-lb. pull weight, our test sample serial number KF51991 went a bit over this at 5 lbs., 6.7 oz. averaged on a Lyman digital gauge from Brownells. Re-set was short as is usual with 1911s, and the break was clean with little palpable movement after sear release. All in all, a good “street trigger” for a defensive 1911, and as the targets showed, the trigger was certainly no impediment to accurate shooting.

The Vortex Venom optical sight is the kicker boosting the Kimber into the “something special” zone.

Optical Sight CCW

Rising as it does from the slide, an optical sight significantly increases the height of a concealed carry pistol. The rounded butt compensates for this to some extent, but not completely. If you carry one of these on the hip, you’re probably going to want a cover garment with a bit more drape than usual.

Some of this is going to depend on body shape. A heavy-set person will find hip carry of a carry optic-equipped pistol a little easier than a slender person. That said, though, anyone carrying this type of setup is going to find it tougher to conceal discreetly.

This may be one reason why a disproportionate number of my friends and students who have carry optics on their everyday carry handguns have gone to appendix holsters. Most folks are wider side to side than they are front to back. Carrying inside the waistband at centerline — or a bit to the strong hand side of centerline — tends to make a handgun with carry optics simply more concealable.

Another thing you run into when you install carry optics is a lot of holsters aren’t cut for them. Fortunately, holsters having a partial cutaway in the upper front so the muzzle can clear faster for a draw, are more amenable to carry optics because of this cutaway factor.

I carried the Aegis with its Vortex Venom in an OWB hip holster by Dave Elderton at KyTac. It hid well enough under a 5.11 vest.

Middleweight: Speer Gold Dot 124-gr. +P, 25 yards. Photo: Gail Pepin

Doing The Dot

Carry optics are a relatively new thing, and what I’m about to say here applies to the breed in general, and not just the Kimber Aegis Elite Pro. I wrote about them in this column in the October 2016 issue:

“Karl Rehn, Grandmaster shooter and trainer has done the most thorough research I know of comparing carry optics with other defensive handgun sighting systems. His study encompassed 119 participants from 19- to 76-year-old males and females, skill levels from novice to Grandmaster/instructor. Smith & Wesson M&P CORE 9mm pistols were the test guns, and they were variously shot with iron sights (solid black rear, fiber optic front), Streamlight TLR-2G light/laser and Trijicon RMR with 6.5 MOA red dot — shooters tried the latter both with and without the iron sights.

“I would have thought us geezers who participated might do our best with the red dots, but I would have been wrong. Karl found, ‘Older shooters did worse with all sights other than iron sights.’ He also determined most shooters were faster with the red dot optics if iron sights were in place, probably because eyes habituated to finding front sights can use such a visual reference to ‘find the dot’ faster. I’d concur with that. The Rehn study found hits were faster with iron sights than carry optics at 5 or 10 yards. Still, a preponderance of red dot shooters seem to find themselves much more accurate with the optic at longer distances than with irons.”

When you try carry optics, commit to several hundred rounds to acclimate to the system. It takes a while to find the dot. The big high irons on our test Kimber facilitated getting the dot quickly to the eye, showing Rehn was right about this.

The distinctive gray G10 grips are attractive and hand-fillling.

Bottom Line

Function-wise, the Kimber performed 100 percent with its own nine-round magazine, and with 10-rounders from Wilson Combat and Mec-Gar. Another part of the equation, the Vortex Venom had a tendency for its dot to go out unpredictably during shooting, and then turn itself back on. Disconcerting, but a reason to appreciate the backup irons. This product is getting rave reviews from users in the field, so I have to presume the one we had trouble with was an aberration of the norm. The GUNS staff are following up and we’ll report back, since deadline arrived before we had it sorted.

It wasn’t long ago when a shooter who wanted to try carry optics had to spend money and waiting time to have their slide milled for one. With the Aegis Elite Pro, available in 9mm like our test gun or in .45 ACP, you sign a credit card slip and a 4473 and get the whole package ready to go right now. Its MSRP of $1,415 appears to represent a good value.

https://gunsmagazine.com/company/kimber/

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I was very pleased to read Jeff John’s August review of S&W’s .380 Shield EZ. I racked one at my local gun shop and bought it the next day. It’s an absolute pleasure to shoot. It will replace my .40 S&W as my home defense gun as I’m having a lot of trouble racking the .40 with my arthritic hands.