SPR08/B/a

Special Firearms Guide

Contents
6 Straight pull AR15s 38 Rimres &
Southern Gun Co conversions
Low Mill Ranges SGC V22
(6.5 Grendel) Tactical Solutions AR22
Cactus Arms Ceiner & Aitcheson kits
Bradley Arms Black Dog magazines
Olympic Arms Cactus Arms CA22
Sabre Defence Industries Walther G22
German Sport guns GSG5
16 More straight-pulls
Steyr AUG 43 LBRs & Carbines
Saiga M3 & M4 Uberti Buntlines
Dragunov SVD Browning Buckmark
Ruger Mini 14 Ruger Super Redhawk
Imbal FALs Westlake Engineering

27 PR & Gallery options 46 Other considerations

Armalon Remy 700 PR Browning T-Bolt
PC Rie Browning BLR
AL 42 Henry US Survival rie
BLR Riecraft Piginator
AIA M10s FAVs Stradivari
SGC LA 30 Blaser LRS
Steyr SSG 04 Blaser rimre conversion
Steyr Tactical Elite
Tikka T3 Tactical 49 Contacts
Schmidt Rubin K31

32 Practical shotguns
Benelli M2 Practical
Benelli SuperNova
Franchi SPAS 12 & SPAS 15
Saiga 12 series
Norinco 1887 & 1897

Publisher: Advertisement Ofce:

Tony Phelps MS Publications, 2nd Floor,
Ewer House, 44 - 46 Crouch Street,
Advertisement Manager:
Colchester, Essex. CO3 3HH
Vanessa Green Design:
Tel: 01206 506247 Emma Hazelton, Lee Francis
& Donna Blowers

3
Special Firearms Guide

The gun that

sums up
specialist
rearms best
is undoubtedly
the mann-opp,
hybrid AR15,
here we see
the authors
Southern Gun
Co custom
Speedmaster

Special Firearms Guide

Welcome to the Special Firearms Guide, which takes a different
direction to the other books from this stable. Whereas before
the subjects were specic hunting, optics, reloading, bolt-
actions etc, it occurred to me that there are a fair number
of gun types that are; shall we say slightly left of the middle!
Often treated with prejudice or distain by the more uptight
members of the shooting community; something I and many
other owners of this sort of equipment have experienced rst
hand. They are none the less legal, Section 1 rearms and used
and admired by more British shooters than you might imagine.
This sort of gear has always interested me and over the
years I have collected, shot and owned most self-loading
practical ries, carbines and shotguns and used and have
rst hand experience of most designs we can own today.
In this book I will be looking at pretty much everything
that is not shall we say mainstream from hybrid straight-
pulls to Practical shotguns with a lot of weird and
wonderful stuff in-between. I hope you will enjoy it and
maybe if you have not sampled the delights of this sort
of equipment give it a try, or at least look with more
tolerance on we who enjoy being left of the middle!

Cheers
Peter Moore (Editor)

4
 Special Firearms Guide

Prejudice a lesson from history

Just a word of warning before we go any further about the
effects of prejudice. As I said some, so called, responsible
shooters feel that some of the equipment contained within this
book should not be allowed; for the simple fact they personally
disapprove of it. This attitude also extends to some shooting
organisations and even importers. Who of my generation can
forget the; then NRAs comment to the Government after the
1988 Hungerford shootings. In essence it said they could see
no reason why civilian shooters needed self-loading centrere
ries and that as we know sealed the fate of this sort of
equipment. Plus placed more restrictive laws on others and
gave the government the idea that it could do what it liked
to shooters as no one ofcial was prepared to stand in their
corner. Many more remember the handgun ban, which could
probably have been less catastrophic if more ofcial bodies
and non-affected gun owners had given their full support.
This attitude still lives today and there have been moves
afoot over the last 10-years by some members of our
community to try and get items like lever-actions, straight-
pulls and military-looking 22 rimres banned. I am proud
to say that I have done my little bit to help out in this area,
though the real credit must go to the late Pete Bloom (BEM),
who made me aware of one highly devious plot and stopped
it in its tracks, which was exposed in Shooting Sports.
It is also up to the users of this sort of kit to act responsibly,
but by the same token not back down when challenged over
it. Ideally we should all be pulling in the same direction for
the good of shooting as a whole. However, the sad truth is
we are not and as long as petty-minded, self-seeking bigots
are tolerated within the shooting community; at all levels,
we will see more gun types disappear and more restrictions
placed on the shooting sports in the coming years.

5
Special Firearms Guide
Good example
of a pre-side- Straight-pulls
cocking AR,
this rie is The ries that perhaps sum
probably
an Olympic up this book the best are
Arms; note
the extended
the hybrid straight-pull M16/
T-handle, which AR15s - a design born out of a
helps operation
a bit (Pic Mike need to continue a discipline.
Dunstan) They should not be confused
with the true, sporting
straight-pull designs like the
exceptional Blaser R93 and
similar guns. To understand
this type we must go back
in history to the post-1988
world of Practical Rie (PR).
Pre 1988 most PR
shooters used military-
type self-loaders (SLRs) for
PR AR15, FN FAL/L1A1
SLR, M14/M1A, H&K 91
& 93 etc, primarily in 223
Remington/5.56x45mm and
308 Winchster/7.62 Nato.
Guns like the excellent Ruger
Mini 14, M1 Carbine and AK47
did not get much of a look in
as they are by nature short
range performers that did not
t in well with the 100 to 600
metre ethos of PR. Though
at club level they were far
more popular, due to shorter
ranges usually encountered.
6
Over night this whole
infrastructure was destroyed
and to continue we had
to go back to bolt-actions.
Suddenly the Lee Eneld No
4 and derivatives; in fact any
rie that had a detachable
magazine became the
hot item; if you liked that
sort of thing! One highly
favoured design was the
Steyr Mannlicher SSG, which
had been popular even in
the self-loading/gas-gun
days. Though a few forward
thinking individuals were
already ahead of the curve.
Pete Sarony (Practisport,
now Armalon) was already
producing modied (PR-ready)
Remington 700s with hi-
capacity box magazines in
223 and 308. Great guns no
doubt, as they gave us back
a high-capacity repeater;
albeit a manual one.
Its interesting to note
that Pete had at this stage
already tried the feasibility
of hybrid straight-pulls with
a Colt AR15 and Springeld
Special Firearms Guide
Cactus Arms
Different strokes
AR, just a
bit different, Theres little doubt these
as it only
offers a left modern AR15 derivatives are
side, integral
cocking handle
a far cry from the original Colt
rie with its triangular forend,
lightweight, 1-12 twist barrel
that red the 55-grain M193
ball cartridge. Heavy barrels,
fast riing twists, bigger and
more ballistically efcient
bullets have turned what was
in truth a 300/400 metre
gun into an easy 600 meter
machine and even something
that can reach out to 1000
meters; I kid you not!
Though chambered in
223 Remington, the basic
AR15 chassis is capable of
supporting other calibres of
a similar cartridge overall
length (COL). Over its 40-
year + service history the
5.56x45mm (military/223
Rem designation) has
undergone a few changes. The
55-grain M193 load has now
been superseded by the 62-
grain, SS109, which is better
for the faster riing twists
military ries currently employ.
12
This, in theory gives the calibre
more ability; though the truth
is the 5.56x45mm is probably
coming to the end of its
military life. However, 223 Rem
is still top choice for the sports
shooter and hunter the latter
where fox, muntjac and roe (in
Scotland) are concerned
Already the US military is
considering other calibres,
with both the 6.5mm Grendel
from Alexander Arms and
the Remington 6.8mm SPC
(Special Purpose Cartridge)
in contention. Though it looks
like the 6.8 SPC is going to
get the nod, if anything does!
The idea is to give a heavier
and more effective calibre/
projectile of around the 100-
120-grain area, but still work
within the 223 Remington
COL and AR15 platform.
So all that is required is a
new, calibre-specic upper/
barrel and magazine, on the
existing AR15/M16 lower.
This naturally has ltered
through to the civilian market
with Alexander Arms offering
6.5mm Grendel-chambered
AR15 derivatives. Likewise
both 6.5 and 6.8 barrels
and chamber reamers are
available to the gunsmith,
meaning its quite easy to
re-barrel a 223 version and
get a new bolt head and
mag to suit. Some more,
technical-thinking, British PR
shooters are seeing these two
calibres as the way forward.
Since these two have
appeared I have tested an SGC

Speedmaster in 6.8 SPC and a
Dave Green AR in 6.5 Grendel.
There is however a problem
with both these calibres and
its our old friend primary
extraction! Fine in a gas
gun, but to ensure reliability
in a mann-opp you do need
to ensure its loaded to the
correct pressures. I found this
as there was the occasional
hard extractions in both cases;
even with selected handloads.
Personally I think the 6.5
Grendel is the better design,
if nothing else down to the
more ballistically efcient
bullet it uses. However, if
you are having to down-load
your ammunition to achieve
reliable operation, then some
of the advantages offered
will be negated by the fact
the bullet is launched at less
than optimum speed. Liking
the Grendel as I do I had a
custom CZ527 bolt-gun built
in this calibre and its 22
barrel tends to get the best
out of the calibre. But being
a little cynical both the 6.5
and 6.8 are no more than
clever/improved intermediate
Special Firearms Guide
calibres so in effective on
the same line as the Russian
7.62x39mm. Plus with the
obvious popularity of carbine-
type ARs with 14.5 and 16
barrels the Grendel and
SPC would be at a further
disadvantage due to the
lower velocities produced in
these abbreviated tubes.
A slight aside with these
two is muzzle energy, which
is really the realm of the
deer hunter, though serves
to illustrate the general
problems with intermediate
calibres/cartridges. I tested
both calibres - the 6.5 in
my CZ custom and 6.8 in a
bolt-action, 20 Remington
LTR (Light Tactical Rie).
In terms of accuracy the
Grendel out shot the SPC
by 20%, but and even with
reloads I could not get it to
make the magic 1700 ft/lbs.
Best bullet weights for the CZ
were between 85 and 100- Its not all about
PR either, this
grains the heavier turning in Speedmaster is
around 1600 ft/lbs; so no chambered in
17 Remington,
cigar! The 6.8 just scraped in note the long
barrel and free-
at 1703 ft/lbs with a 110- oat forend
grain Hornady V-MAX reload. (Pic M Jones)
13
Special Firearms Guide
Another option is the
Armalite AR10, which is just
a larger AR15 chambered in
308 Winchester. They are
big and heavy with all the
handling abilities of a lead-
lled dustbin, though SGC also
offers a lighter option, which
is marginally better. In truth
and with most types of ammo
primary extraction is awful and
the gun too big and physical to
be considered a truly Practical
option. Given they use a 308
Winchester bolt head you
could in theory get one built in
something like 260 Remington
or 7mm-08, which might be
better. I have shot an SGC
Speedmaster AR10 that was chambered in
Mk III upper 243 Win, which struck me as
showing the new
angled/dogleg a reasonable compromise
cocking handle,
which solved
As I said you do have to
earlier problems consider if non-223 calibres
14
ARs are worth the effort,
given their potential, primary
extraction problems? However,
Pete Sarony (Armalon Ltd) has
come up with a solution in the
form of his EasyCam. Designed
to t the SGC-style Mk III
receiver the unit consists of
a compound leverage system
that uses the front face of the
ejection port as a hard point
to work off. The unit bolts to
the standard rear carrier hole
that accepts the original, dog
leg handle, which it replaces.
In use it really works and
solves those tight chamber
problems caused by high-
pressure ammo. The EasyCam
was made with the 6.5, 6.8
and 308 guns in mind, but in
my opinion is equally viable
on a 223, as it allows the
use of almost any ammo.

Its also worth it for the hot
weather where pressures will
rise any way due to the higher
temperatures the ammunition
can reach if left out in the
sun. Armalon also offers a
version for the standard build
(light receiver) too, though
this is slightly different.
Calibres for AR15s have
also gone the other way,
as many cartridges use
the generic 223 Remington
case head. I have seen guns
chambered for 17 Remington
and 204 Ruger, as both COLs
are within the limits of the
223 magazine. These have
mainly been made for both
accuracy and probably foxing
or long range rabbiting etc.
Quite the most unusual is
Mark Bradleys .30 Whisper,
which is an out and out
sub-sonic sniper round. The
223 case is cut back so the
shoulder is removed leaving
a straight-walled build. The
neck is reamed out to accept a
.30 cal bullet, which in heavy
format can be launched at
sub-sonic velocities that gives
a near silent discharge. Marks
gun was built in the 14.5
M4 format and came with a
moderator and is ridiculously
quite He also offers a
wide range of 223 guns too!
As we have seen the
generic AR15 is
a true movable
feast with more
options on barrel
type/length/twist, forend,
butt, pistol grip, bullet weights,
Special Firearms Guide
optics receivers etc than you
can shake a stick at. One of
the real beauties of the build
is that you can use one lower
assembly (butt, grip and lower
receiver) with any number of
barrelled actions, as they all
t. For example you could have
a 24, heavy, uted in a 1-6.5
twist purely for the heavy
Sierra 90-grain Match Kings for
long range. Then swap it out
for a 14.5, military-style M4
with an ACOG on top, or go iron
sights with the classic, 20
M16 A2 look. Plus and as we
shall see there are a number
of 22 rimre conversion that
will allow you the pleasure of
a semi-auto rie; albeit in 22
long Rie. In truth most 223
These days
ARs are semi custom and built AR15s come
to the customers needs. in a number of
calibres from
No other modern rie the original
223 Rem to 6.5
system is quite so versatile, Grendel, 6.8 SPC
but we have not nished with and 308 Win and
its derivates,
hybrid straight-pulls yet, as we though here the
are moving on from what I and rie is based
on the larger
many others consider - the Armalite AR10
best to the rest!
15
 Special Firearms Guide

AUG and beyond

In terms of 223 hybrids the best; as the ill-favoured
AR15 did not have any serious Bushmaster version from
competition that could push Empire Gunsight Company was
the range out from 100 to a real dog; that should have
600 metres for PR shooting. been put down at birth
OK as we shall see there are The term bullpup describes
the Saiga AK74 and Dragunov a rie that has the magazine
derivatives, the Ruger Mini 14 behind the pistol grip and uses
and even versions of the FN the receiver as the butt. The
FAL. However, this year saw the advantage is a considerably
The latest mann- shorter overall length when
opp hybrid the
long awaited introduction of the
Steyr SSG Z SP, mann-opp, Steyr Mannlicher compared to the conventional
a rie with a deal
of potential;, AUG (Armee Universal Gun) butt/receiver/barrel layout of
but let down by Z SP. This is the second the AR15. It also means no
the rather short
sighted lack of bullpup design to hit loss of barrel length; often it
understanding the PR scene can be longer with no handling
for what a
straight-pull and by far the penalties. So a good design
needs to offer
in terms of
shootability

16

for the military and those
sports shooters who want
compact. The real downside is
the fact that the trigger has to
be connected to the hammer
mechanism by a long linkage,
which does little for the pull.
This is one concern for a
hybrid mann-opp; the other of
course is primary extraction.
The AUG Z SP is a well
presented rie with a black
polymer stock and 20, 1-9
twist medium weight barrel.
Cocking is forward and on
the left so pretty good for
both right and left handers.
The UK version comes with
a raised Picatinny rail as
standard and a fold-down
front grip, as there is no
forend to get hold of, or even
t a bipod! Feed is from 10,
30 or 42-round magazines.
Also useful is the fact the
AUG can be easily converted
for left hand use, as all you
need to do is replace the
bolt with a mirror image
component that has the
extractor on the left of the
face and the ejector on the
right. Then swap the ejection
port cover over from left to
right and youre done. Priced
at around the 1100 mark
its no more expensive than
a decent AR15, though and
as we shall see it does
have some problems which
are not insurmountable.
Unlike the evolved and
near perfected, straight-
pull AR15s the AUG is a
good example of lack of
Special Firearms Guide
vision at point of design and
manufacture, as little thought
has been given to the end
user. The cocking handle is
too small for repetitive hand
operation, which combined with
its heavy return spring system
makes for some serious effort
in cycling the action. Add
to this the potential of hard
extraction and you feel like
you have been lifting weights
after a couple of 30-round
mags through the gun. The
military-weight trigger is heavy
and does little for precision
shooting either. Which is
annoying as the rie shows a
high accuracy potential. With
my standard AR15 reload - 69-
grain Sierra Match King (SMK)
over 24.5-grains of Hodgdon
Varget and a Remington #7
BR primer, the AUG when
red from a rest with much
effort on sight picture and
trigger control was turning in
groups at 100 yards.
Theres not a lot you can
do to fettle the all-plastic
trigger mechanism, which
was purpose-built to be heavy
as bets a military rie.
However a company in the
USA makes an item called
the Trigger Tamer, which
is a drop-in, replacement
component for the mech that
reduces the weight from its
abysmal 12 lbs+ to around
6 to 7 lbs. Far from amazing,
but a real improvement
from how it comes out-
of-the-box and a denite
increase in shootability.
17
 Special Firearms Guide
Top left:
AUG detail of Speaking to Mark Bradley
cocking handle (Bradley Arms) he told me that
(too short) and
scope rail he is already making extended
cocking handles for the AUG
Top right: and is considering a right hand
The Ruger conversion too and maybe
Mini 14 BAO
(bolt action some sort of forend or bipod
only), unlike
the original
mount. Despite my comments
self-loaders on the more negative aspects of
the mann-
opp version the design, I really like the rie
proved very and feel it has potential, as its
disappointing
when it came accuracy is not in question and
to accuracy
with a bit of experimentation
and innovation it will evolve into
a far more user-friendly gun.
It is however regrettable that
Steyr Mannlicher arent offering
this from the factory, which
they could well do, with a bit of
consultation with experienced,
British PR shooters
Its plain to see that pre
and post 1988 PR has been
dominated by the AR15 in
one form or another. Today
the harsh truth is; theres
currently no hybrid straight-pull
out there to touch it! Though
and with some development/
improvements as I have
detailed I reckon the AUG could
be a contender. The Armalon
18
hi-cap/DM bolt-guns are the
conventional solution and
they do have their following,
as they are accurate, do not
suffer from primary extraction
problems and work very well.
However, there are other
options, which we must
consider, as not everyone
wants to pay 1200+ for the
pleasure of a PR-type rie.
Sub culture
In terms of both calibre and
action PR is dominated by the
suitability of the equipment
design. So lets now turn our
attention to perhaps one of
the most sadly disappointing
modern ries - the Ruger
Mini 14 BAO (Bolt Action
Only). I say this as a pre
and post Mini 14 owner.
The original Mini 14 was
Rugers answer to the current
need for a viable, self-loading,
223-type rie for commercial
and law enforcement/military
sales. Typically the design
borrowed from the old US M1
Carbine, M1 Garand and M 14
 Special Firearms Guide

service ries, as is Rugers made 222 Remington versions

way. Sporting ries showed a
plain wooden stock, whereas
military guns had ash hiders,
bayonet lugs, iron sights,
side folding stocks, carbine
options and even a selective
re variant (AC556). With its
1-12 twist riing the Mini was
set up for the then standard
M 193 ball-type cartridge
and proved amazingly
popular with all users.
In the UK they represented
a highly cost-effective PR-
type rie for the club level
shooter. In my old club just
about everyone who wanted
a self-loader had a Mini,
as did I, plus a Colt AR15
amongst other examples, but
I just love automatic ries
for countries like France
that did not allow civilian
shooters to own military
calibres, some of these
even ended up in the UK.
With the SLR ban the Mini
14 disappeared from the UK,
though with the advent of the
hybrid mann-opps it occurred to
me that a straight-pull version Top: Saiga M3,
might have some potential for this straight-
pull AK is
our market. I wrote to Ruger chambered
in 223 Rem
on numerous occasions on the
subject and when I became Bottom: In
terms of build
friends with Edward Horton of the Mini offers
Viking Arms (Ruger importers) a well placed
and easy to
urged him to push the case. operate right
After much rejection he nally side cocking
handle and is
succeeded and it was agreed very reliable
in terms
that a man-opp, UK-legal of primary
version would be produced. extraction

They were however and

like the original, 1-12 twist
rate AR15s not that good
for much over 300 meters.
But back then there where
so many more rie ranges
available and the long
distance aspirations of the
average club shooter usually
did not extend past 200
yards if not less. In that
they were probably more
successful than the AR15,
as they were cheaper, maybe
more reliable and gave us
a neat little 223 self-loader
that was accurate enough for
fun/PR-orientated shooting
at sensible ranges. They
also had a small following
amongst some fox shooters,
where a fast back-up shot
is a nice facility. Ruger even

19
 Special Firearms Guide
All AKs and
SVDs come with front improves performance
an integral, NV astronomically, but thats
mount, which
will also accept hardly a viable option.
dedicated
scopes, which
Stubborn to the end I have
is useful got another Mini and am in
the process of experimenting
with practical ways of
strengthening the barrel.
You could of course re-
barrel with a heavier tube,
but that would be expensive
and you might just as well
buy an AR15. In its favour
the Mini offers a reliable
action, with side cocking as
standard, so no real dramas
on hard extraction. I got
mine tted with a big knob have no gas port and the
bolt handle just to give me
something better to hang
on to. You can also get a
22 rimre conversion kit,
to make is a semi-auto, but
its a pain to t and set up.
Mr Kalashnikov
As you have probably
guessed by now I am a bit of
fan of military, self-loading
and automatic ries and if
22
any mann-opp hybrid really
felt like forbidden fruit in
the mid-1990s; it was the
Russian Saiga series. We
have Guy Savage (Sabre
Defence Industries) to
thank for getting straight-
pull AK74s into the UK.
I love the AK and still
consider it the nest assault
rie ever made and also
the best looking. Not that
accurate, nor with the
longest effective range, what
it looses here it makes up
for in sheer toughness and
reliability. I used to own
the classic, folding butt,
airborne version pre the 88
ban and though aware of its
limitations really liked it!
Made by Izhmash the
Saiga series uses the
generic AKM/AK74 design
with the AK 103 and 104
models or M3 and M4, the
latter showing a manual
bolt hold open not found
on the former. Conversion
to straight-pull operation
is simple as the barrels
piston is made without the
all-important nose piece.
Like the Mini 14 the
Saiga series is very much
a case of what you see is
what you get right side
only cocking handle, big
and clunky safety catch,
very short, low-combed
butt, skinny pistol grip, 16
barrel and military iron
sights. Feed is from 10 or
30-round magazines and

in the original calibre of
7.62x39mm ring a 123-
grain FMJ bullet at around
2300 fps performance was
not amazing, with the rie
struggling much past 200
yards to hold even a half-
decent group together.
Saiga also offered a 223
Remington version, which
I have never managed to
get my hands on, however,
speaking to those that have
indicates this calibre is a
considerable improvement.
The problem here is trying
to get hi-capacity magazines
for it, as it appears 10-
rounders are all thats
currently available.
All Saiga M3 and M4
ries show the integral,
military, night vision mount
on the left of the action
and there are a number of
dedicated optics available to
t it. The xed power x4 and
x6 POSP sniper scopes for
the Dragunov SVD sniper rie
are two examples and there
are even a couple of red dots
too. However, the short butt
with its low comb gives a
very bad eye/scope position,
which does little to improve
performance in an already
mediocre accuracy design.
Another variant is the
12 carbine, here the
barrel stops just in front of
the gas tube and shows a
cone-type ash hider/muzzle
brake. It looks and feels
very cool, but as you can
doubtless imagine accuracy
Special Firearms Guide
and ability problems are
exacerbated by the shorter
tube! However, given you
keep the ranges sensible and
are aware of the accuracy
limitations the price and
good availability of cheap
ammunition makes the Saiga
M3/M4 interesting options.
Sadly effective range is the
real problem, as theres no way
that one of these ries could
hope to hold its own in a 100
to 600 metre PR competition.
The 223 version might be
better but forget 7.62x39mm
for anything much over 200m!
What the Saiga needs is a
course of re that it can cope
with and its a pity no one out
there has done such a thing,
as it could also include the
Mini 14. Make the maximum
distance 200 yards/meters
and play to the ries strengths
and not its weaknesses. I
recall Guy Savage talking to
me about such a project a few
years ago and I have been
speaking to Oleg from FSU
Connections, who also imports
Saigas about a similar idea.
Despite my comments
on the Saigas abilities, I
genuinely like the rie and
own an M4 in 7.62x39mm,
which I use more as a fun
gun for 50/100 yards. As
I said you get what you
get in terms of accuracy/
performance, however and
thanks to FSU Connections
and Bradley Arms the rie
can be improved considerably
in terms of shootability.
23

Much in the manner of the
British Light Support Weapon
(LSW) which is a derivative
of the standard L85 bullpup.
I have used RPKs and they
are good, offering as they do
better accuracy and down
range ability. I recall Decade
Arms advertising something
similar from a company called
Arsenal in either Hungary
or Bulgaria, though and
despite many promises guns
never appeared Pity!
For those who want more
from the generic AK design
you can also get a mann-
opp version of the Dragunov
SVD. In truth the SVD is not
a true sniper rie and more
a designated marksmans
gun, as it cannot offer the
accuracy/range potential
of say a comparable M21,
which is a sniper version
of the old 7.62 US M14
Service rie, which was
superseded by the M16.
The build is just a bigger/
longer AK47 complete with iron
sights and using the standard,
side mount for POSP scopes,
though it does offer a last
round hold open facility. The
butt is the familiar skeleton
design that now gives its name
to that build the Dragunov-
style. Notable is the rolling
comb that offers an adjustable
head position, though as ever
the butt length is far too short.
FSU Connections bring
in two versions both military
the xed stock and the
side-folding airborne version.
Special Firearms Guide
Feed is from a 10-shot
magazine and the rie is
available in both the original
Russian 7.62x54mm R
(rimmed) cartridge and I
have also seen a slightly
more sporting version called
the Tigre that offers this
and also 308 Winchester.
Accuracy is not up to
that of a decent bolt gun,
but far superior to any AK
I have shot. The Dragunov
is quite light and recoil is
reasonably hefty. I have to
say that I have never seen
one of these at a PR match,
which does surprise me a
little, as it offers the only,
readily available, mid-capacity,
detachable magazine, .30
calibre straight-pulls for the
PR shooter. Its probably down
to price and perception as
the guns are not cheap and
for the money you could buy
a good AR15 that will do the
job as well if not better
This brings me nicely
on to the other .30 calibre
hybrids, which is where the
PR hardware really ends.
The Belgium FN FAL is one
of the best known 7.62 Nato
battle ries of the late 20th
century, we British used our
own, imperial version in the
L1A SLR and both this and
the FN were popular as iron
sight ries in the pre-88
PR scene. I used to shoot
the G1, which was made by
FN for the Germans before
they adopted the H&K G3
as their service rie.
25
Special Firearms Guide
Sabre Defence brought
in the Brazilian Imbal FAL in
three versions standard
20 barrel, the 16 Congo
carbine and the 12 Wasp
a sort of uber-carbine. Typical
of a 7.62x51mm the action
is quite strong and the left
side mounted cocking handle
a bit short for easy and long
term operation. As I said
earlier for the sorts of high
round count courses of re
PR generally offers these
full power calibres and ries
can be a bit much. As ever
primary extraction problems
will uctuate with the quality
of the ammunition you use.
Scope mounting can be a
problem as you only have the
thin, sheet steel top cover to
t an optic, which is hardly
a stable base to work from.
However, B-Square does make
a heavy, alloy replacement
with a Picatinny rail that
clamps to the upper receiver.
I have seen some Imbal FALs
modied with an SGC Mk III
cocking handle, which does
Tigre
make operation a bit easier.
a shorter Imbal did make a 223
barrelled
version of
mann-opp FAL in the folding
the SVD stock, paratrooper version,
26
which was very nice, but to
my knowledge Guy did not
bring them in apart from a
prototype as they were very
expensive. Like the Dragunov
the FAL is a rare sight at a PR
match or even on the range.
Probably rarer though a
real shooter in every sense
of the word is the civilian
version of the US M14 the
M1A as made by the old
Springeld Armoury. I have
only seen one of these, which
was owned by Mark Bradley
and made I believe by Guy
Savage (Sabre Defence).
The right, side-cocking action
proved smooth and easy
with full power 308 loads,
with recoil being reasonably
mild and controllable, as
with the original self-loading
version. With a 168-grain,
Match-type load accuracy
was superb. However, not
a cheap rie, though my
choice should I have wanted
a 308 straight-pull.
Though no longer imported
and never in quantity you
might come across examples
of the old, clip-loading, US M1
Garand in 30-06 Springeld
and also the American, DS

From the box the Imbal FAL offers a
short cocking handle, which is not ideal
for repetitive, manual operation
Arms FALs, which I believe
were built with parts sourced
from Austria, as they too
made the gun under licence,
before adopting the AUG.
I have also seen a straight-
pull M1 Carbine (.30 Carbine
calibre) and even an H&K MP5.
These ries are rare and also of
potentially dubious parentage,
as back then some people did
not quite interpret the dictates
of the law as well as others!
You must bear in mind that to
be UK-legal any hybrid straight-
PR, Classic and Gallery options
The problem in writing a
feature like this is knowing
where to stop, as there are
some bolt-guns and other
actions that fall squarely
into the realm of specialist
equipment. Sure any gun
can be modied to accept a
hi-capacity magazine etc and
I have seen a few; the most
notable being a Schmidt
Rubin, K31 Swiss Service
bolt-action from the 1930s.
The builder modied 20-round
SLR magazines to replace
the issue 6-round box of
the original; he also built a
Special Firearms Guide
Imbal FAL,
here we see
the 16 Congo
version, this is
a nice rie, but
in 7.62x51mm
its a bit lumpy
to shoot
pull must be made as such
and not from converted
Section 5 components, or
even from a modied self-
loader. For example you
could not buy a standard
AR15 in the USA and simply
remove the gas tube and
block off the transfer port to
make it manually-operated.
As it has the potential to
be converted back. Yes the
law is an ass, but its still
the law and we need to
keep the right side of it
scope mount too. However,
this was a one off so of
no real general use; even
though highly practical.
Today ex-Service K31s
are available and do
represent an interesting,
classic/veteran alternative
to the Lee Eneld No 4 etc.
The action is fast and easy,
the magazine change quick
and they are accurate,
however the availability of
spare magazines is almost
non-existent, which tends
to rule them out for any
sort of competitive use.
27

Given the pump-action
gave way to the semi-auto
as the action of choice for
PSG in a reasonably short
time, the revolutionary
SPAS 12 incorporated both
systems in one gun. Totally
military looking (this gun
always put me in mind of the
American M60 GPMG). The
SPAS featured iron sights,
a pistol grip and folding
butt, up front was a long,
pump-like forend that by
means of selector button
would allow the switch from
semi-auto to pump-action
operation. The name of this
type of mechanism is a
combination. All it did was
by means of a cam path and
follower was to close off the
rotary gas valve and connect
the piston/action rods to the
forend for manual operation.
The original idea was the
ultimate in reliability, which
it certainly was, however
and despite the guns huge
popularity back in the mid
1980s when it rst appeared
it was rather the solution to
a problem that did not exist.
Back then I was working at
Delta Firearms and we used
the SPAS 12 a lot and sold
tons of them too. I always
recall an owner who said to
me he could never work out
how I could shoot my gun
so fast, which I could not
understand. I asked him to
show me how he shot his
and he proceeded to pump
all 8-rounds through the
Special Firearms Guide
gun. I then asked him why
he did not use it in semi-
auto mode and he said
he did not know that was
possible! This guy had been
shooting his gun as a pump
for six-months; go gure
The SPAS 12 fell foul
of the 1988 rearms
amendment as it came with
a folding butt as standard,
also it was only made as
a 20, but you could get
a choke tube permanently
tted to increase the length
to 24. Add to this there
were xed, pistol grip butts
available and the SPAS
still survives today, though
is no longer mentioned
on the company website
so I can only conclude it
has been discontinued.
However, Franchi went
one better and made the
box mag SPAS 15, which
was also a combination, Franchi SPAS
12 in the mid
as we shall see 1980s this was
Today if you favour a seen as the
wonder PSG
combination mechanism gun, in truth
it was too big,
then its available in the too heavy and
Benelli M3, which in too complex
33
 Special Firearms Guide
Too little too comparison to the old
late the Franchi
SPAS 15 box SPAS 12 is a far better
mag shotgun design. On that point Benelli
are well known for their
exceptional semi-auto,
recoil/inertia shotguns and
they offer what they call
the M2 Practical model.
This shows a 26, multi-
choke barrel, with recoil
ports, iron sights, scope
rail and a 10-shot tube
magazine as standard.
Quite the best thing about
the M2 is the fact it offers
their Comfort Tec stock
design, which by means of
rubber chevrons set into
the butt really does reduce
felt recoil. If you shoot 12-
bore slug as well as PSG
then the M2 Practical is an
excellent, out-of-the-box gun.
Radical but more basic
are their Nova and SuperNova
pump-actions. Nothing really
unusual apart from the fact
they use a polymer receiver
over a metal skeleton and
are probably the most
unusual pump design out
there. The SuperNova offers
a 3 1/2, 12-bore chamber
and have a magazine
disconector built into the
forend, typically they can
accept an extend magazine.
34
Boxing clever
Now on to the elusive
box magazine guns. The
rst commercial design
was Franchis SPAS 15.
Congured similar to an M16
with a carry handle, iron
sights and a top-mounted
(under the carry handle)
vertical cocking handle,
the gun offered a similar,
selectable (pump/auto)
combination forend layout.
Feed came from a 6-round
box magazine, which was a
bit low on capacity for PSG.
Though the potential
answer to our prayers the
SPAS 15 was not that well
laid out and very expensive
as I recall, with spare mags
being equally horrendous
on price, at around 90 a
hit even back in the late
1990s. Also availability
was never good, so as an
alterative it very much priced
itself out of the market.
Commercially the only
practical box mag gun is the
Russian Saiga12. Typically
an AK47 derivative the
gun uses an adjustable,
two-position, gas/piston
mechanism and feeds from
a polymer, 8-round magazine.
The original 12C version
was not ideal with its short/
low butt and skinny pistol
grip and no automatic hold
open facility. It was however
reliable and when compared
to the SPAS 15 a far most
cost effective option.

In recent years the 12C
has been upgraded with the
introduction of SWAT 12K
version, which addresses most
of the problems - AK-style iron
sights are tted along with
a full length Picatinny rail on
the top cover. The magazine
system has been improved
with a deeper well and easier
insertion/release, the pistol
grip is larger and gives more
control. The butt has been
replaced with a TDi, CAR
15-type unit, which is length
and comb height adjustable,
a muzzle brake is also tted.
The price is a little more
than the old 12C but not that
much, however the magazines
are around 70 each, which
means as you need the
minimum of ve or six spares
thats the real down side.
Saiga also offers the
12C in both 20-bore and
also 410. The latter uses
a 10-shot magazine and
Special Firearms Guide
though not as powerful as
the 20 and 12-gauges is an
amazing little gun, though
far from ideal for PSG.
As can be seen and costs
aside; the box mag gun would
seem like an ideal PSG tool,
but it does have is limitations.
However, in a discipline
built around the xed, tube
magazine the advantages
of their quick change feed
system are very much at odds
with the current ethos of the
sport. Many see the box mag
as an unfair advantage, due
to the speed of the reload.
Likewise on stages where
you start with an empty gun,
would a box mag be required
to be empty and lled by
hand as a tube system?
The other problem is
how many spare mags do
you need, as some of the
longer stages could take up
to 50-rounds? For example
that would need a minimum
The Saiga 12
offers a more
affordable and
accessible
box mag gun,
here we see
the later 12K
SWAT version,
which offers
iron sights,
scope rail
and improved
furniture
35
Special Firearms Guide
The Saiga mag
holds 8-rounds
of six mags, which and cost
of 12-bore aside; are big and heavy to
ammo, big and
cumbersome to carry and you would not want
carry they are to lose them by accident
also expensive,
given you would either Saiga 12s aside, it
need at least
six or seven for
seems unlikely that we will
a PSG jungle run ever see PSG dominated
by this system, due to the
simple fact that this sort of
technology is not mainstream
and often developed for
more serious needs only!
Golden guns
Now two blasts from the past,
which offers that rarest of
things; reproductions of two
classic repeating shotgun
designs. We are used to
Ubertis exceptional copies
of the Henry and Winchester,
66, 73 and 76 ries and
Pedersolis Sharps, Springeld
and Remington Rolling block
repros. But in this case the
thrust comes from China as
Norinco make the Winchester
1887 lever-action and
1897 pump-action guns.
Both designed by the
great John Moses Browning;
36
the 1897 is your classic
pumper, though not the rst
mechanism of its type; is
probably the longest lived.
In terms of modern guns
the build is a little different
with an external hammer
and short receiver with the
bolt sliding out of the back
when it cycles. Filling is easy
as theres no shell lifter to
push past and the gun offers
a slam re facility. Here
and as long as the trigger
is held back every time the
slide shuts the gun will re;
fast but far from accurate or
controllable. Also you can by
using buttons on the side of
the action dump the entire
magazine contents too.
The 97 was probably
the rst ever ofcial ghting
shotgun, as it was used by
the US Army from before
World War I up to and
including Vietnam. With its
short, 20 barrel, bayonet lug
and perforated metal hand
guard it will always be the
archetypical trench gun.
The 1887 is perhaps
more unusual, as it uses a
lever-action mechanism and
rotary, quadrant breech block
with external hammer. It is
said that Browning offered
Winchester a pump-action
mechanism, which was to
eventually become the 1893
then 1897, but they said
they wanted a lever gun
which would be in keeping
with their main product
- the lever-action rie.

The 87 loads through the
breech to its under-barrel
magazine and is a bit different,
but none the less is fast and
efcient to use. The fact that
both these classic designs have
been re-created is down to the
need and popularity of Western-
type shooting as practiced by
the American SASS (Single
Action Shooting Society), as
both guns historically fall
within the time parameters for
use. Norinco offer a number
of shorter barrelled guns,
including the 20, 1897 trench
gun, which are not UK legal.
Over here guns are normally
26 or 28 and though of more
appeal to our own Western
shooters the BWSS (British
Western Shooting Society)
are equally as good if you
want a classic repeater for
eld/game use. Also an
interesting PSG alternative if
you wanted to do it old-style
and frankly I do not think they
would be a disadvantage in
the right hands. Best of all
they are very well priced and
accept 12-gauge ammo.
Special Firearms Guide
Western
Winchester from
the east the
Norinco 1897
pump-action
copy from China
One nal item, which is
totally for the hunter are the
Saddlery & Gun Rooms range
of moderated (Hushpower),
Mossberg pump-action
shotguns. The Mossy 500
is an excellent pump, well
priced, reliable and offered
in both 410 and 12-bore
options. Guns are modied
with barrel ports to transfer
the gas to the silencer, which
as a unit is permanently tted,
so does not require special
permission to own. So it will
go down on your ticket as a
Sect 2, or if you want high
capacity Sect 1 shotgun.
The downside is a very
long gun; normally around
50 +, but the moderation
effect is useful, given the deep
and rolling boom a shogun
makes normally. Saddlery &
gun Room also offer special
sub-sonic ammo to suit. They
also say they can pretty much
moderate any smoothbore
and that includes semi-autos,
though here more work is
potentially required to ensure
reliability of the action.
37
 Special Firearms Guide
Rimres
Theres little doubt of the
popularity of semi-automatic,
22 rimre ries; especially
those that look like military
battle and assault riles
M16, AK47 etc. This started
many years ago with a
company called Jaeger Arms
offering a rather nice copy
of the original AR15/M16.
Called the AP74 it featured
a xed, dummy mag housing
that took a single-column
magazine of either 12 or
15-round capacity. The gun
was a lot of fun and you can
occasionally encounter them
today, though spare mags
are almost non existent.
This started the ball
rolling and soon AK47s, Galil
ARMs and even the French
FAMAS Bullpup appeared, all
based on the identical rimre
AK chassis. Not particularly
reliable they none the less
proved reasonably popular,
with some being converted
to a 24 shotgun format for
the tiny, 22 rimre shot shell
cartridges. In truth these
were about as much use
as a chocolate re guard,
but you now how it is?
The standard
V22 upper,
mounted on an
SGC lower, this
basic rimre
conversion has
come a long
way since its
introduction
in the UK
38
Pieta of Italy even offered
a loose copy of the Russian
PPSH 41 SMG in rimre with
a drum magazine. Perhaps
the best of the military look-
a-likes was the Erma M1
Carbine, which was a very
good re-creation of the old
.30 calibre US M1 Carbine
from WW II. You can run
into all of the above guns
even today, as though no
longer produced they are
around. Some work others
dont; the worst are the AK,
FAMAS and Galil, but all will
suffer from the lack of spare
magazines so be warned.
Moving on in this direction
and much more up to date
are two German ries
the Walther G22 and the
German Sport Guns GSG 5.
The G22 appeared a few
years ago and was a denite
departure from Walthers stern
and serious target ethos;
we have come to associate
them with. We probably have
Umarex to thank for this who
own Walther and are best
know for their rather fanciful
CO2-powered, rotary magazine
look-a-like air pistols.

The G22 was a Bullpup
design with a rather ugly
and angular synthetic stock.
Feed was from a 10-round
magazine that tted in the butt
to the rear of the pistol grip,
behind this and built into the
thumbhole-style stock was
storage for a second mag.
With a separate release catch
this offered a clever onboard
capacity with a reasonably fast
and efcient change over.
With high, M16-type iron
sights, with the rear acting
as a scope base the over all
scope/bore height was a bit
too tall. It was also possible
to change the G22 from right
to left hand operation, by
swapping bolts and ejection
ports etc. However, this was
not a ve minute job and one
best done by someone who
knows what they were doing.
In use the G22 suffered
from the usual, Bullpup, long
and mushy trigger system;
though like anything it proved
popular initially. The stock
which is available in black,
green or camo had rubber
inserts and was covered
with sections of Picatinny
rail. This fact was not lost
Special Firearms Guide
Top left:
on the designers as Walther The rather
offered laser and torch unusual Walther
G22 bullpup,
packages to suit along with note the
red dot sights and scopes classic high
sight line and
too. With both carbine and buttless layout
full length rie variants and
threaded for a moderator Top right:
the G22 is an interesting Current SGC
V22, this rie
and unusual rie indeed. is their latest
Probably causing more M4 look-a-like
and as can
excitement was the GSG5. be seen
Made by German Sport Guns bears little
resemblance
(GSG) who up until then had to the original
product
only made hi-quality, soft
air guns, the new rie was
a near perfect copy of the
Heckler & Koch MP5 SMG
and it looked the business.
The only problem for the UK
market was the fact that
is had to come with a 16
barrel, which they wisely tted
a dummy moderator to.
The reason being that
the GSG5 though coming
as standard with the xed
(A1) stock would also accept
the collapsing design too.
This when tted puts it
under the UK legal minimum
length requirement of 24,
which would take it out of
the Section 1 large rearm
category hence the 16
tube. The dummy moddy
39

Bremmer Arms/Parker
Hale got in on the act with
their own, dedicated AR15
standard 20 rie and CAR15
16 carbine variants, which
used a US military conversion
kit not unlike the Ceiner.
The major difference here
was it only offered a 10-shot
mag that tted inside the
standard 20 or 30-round 233
magazine. Like Bob Clark
they cut off the chamber
adaptor and re-barrelled with
a dedicated 22 LR tube.
Ruger even got in on the act
with a dedicated Mini 14 rimre
conversion kit, which I think
was made by Ceiner. It worked
to a degree like they all did,
but and unlike the AR15 took
about 20 minutes to t and
was not that easy to do. Truth
is none of the pure conversions
really work that well, with more
potential being shown by the
dedicated, 22 LR replacement
upper. So lets move on?
Once again SGC lead the
way as Bob Clark announced
a few years ago he would be
bringing in the V22 conversion.
Made of all people by CZ of
the Czech Republic they were
produced for a company called
Victory Arms in the States.
The V22 was a top half only
and consisted of an AR15,
free-oat type upper with a
dedicated, blow-back action,
which fed from a 10-round
block magazine that was
dimensioned for the existing
AR mag well. Unusually the
gun featured a side-mounted
Special Firearms Guide
cocking handle and given it
was made for the AR15 did
not even try to offer a hold
open facility automatic or
manual. That always struck
me as a weak point given
why it was designed.
The V22 was not the
prettiest thing but worked to a
degree, probably the biggest
fault on the one I tested was
the fact it would occasionally
re out of battery (bolt partially
open). This often as not bulges
and or splits the case, which is
a little off putting from the ring
end, as smoke and blast leaks
out. This obvious drop in power
can seat the bullet halfway
down the barrel and if you are
not aware of this and dont
remove it; the next one down
will knock it out but cause a
bulge in the process. This as
I have said happened to me
and also others too I have
spoken to on the subject
Wisely the V22 uses the
same barrel/forend system
as the 223 gun, so its not
a problem to customise the
rie with all the AR goodies
forend, iron sights etc.
Bob took this a stage further
as he soon started building
custom versions and in most
cases just used the action
and re-barrelled it. His latest
is the M4 Military gun, which
looks like the US M4 carbine.
His other contribution to the
design is a home-rolled, 25-
shot magazine, which is much
better than the original in
both capacity and reliability.
41
Special Firearms Guide
The V22 is popular and
as long as you remember
about the occasional ring
out of battery and check
the bore before shooting
again it represents a nice
22 AR option. I have heard
from Mark Bradley (Bradley
Arms) he is in the process
of building a dedicated 22
LR, AR15 upper of his own.
Wayne Titterton (NW Custom
Parts) brings in an alternative
to the V22 in the form of the
Tactical Solutions AR22.
The AR22, unlike the V22
is a dead copy of the AR15
upper even down to the
forward assist, case deector
and ejection port. It uses what
appears to be a Ceiner-type
back end with a dedicated
22 LR barrel, you even get a
partial hold open facility, which
though not ideal is better than
nothing. I thought where they
dipped out was the fact the
forward assist does not work,
which would be useful on a 22
rimre, blow-back design. They
all come with two, Blackdog
magazines, which is nice! The
one thing I found on my test
was the fact the rie was very
ammunition-sensitive and
would not tolerate any non-
US makes. This fussiness is
typical of any make of
GSG5, this
22 rimre self-loader
H&K MP5 and my advice is to
clone poses
a few design buy a cross section of brands
problems due and see what works best!
in the main to
our laws on The AR22 is available in
the dimensions
of a Section
a full-length, heavy barrelled,
1 rearm free-oating version or an M4
42
Carbine type. Like the V22 my
tests showed the ability to re
out of battery, this seems to
be endemic with any form of
AR15/22 rimre conversion
as I have also found this on
Ceiner and Atchisson kits and
the Bremmer Arms ries too!
One big break through in
this area are the Blackdog
magazines, which are
imported/distributed by
Bradley Arms. Looking like a
30-round AR15 clip they are
made of polymer and show
a 27-round capacity, though
25 tends to work better.
They are congured for the
various makes of 22AR and
conversion kits and after a
short running-in period work
very well. They are also well
priced at around 30.
A nal AR-like rimre is the
cactus Arms CA22. Run By
Ron Flint, he uses the bolt and
trigger mech from a standard
Ruger 10/22 and has specially
made actions with butt and
pistol grip, with a heavy barrel
and free-oat AR forend. I
tested an example with a
CAR15 (collapsible) stock, but
like both the Ruger and the
AR; the world is your oyster in
terms of look and accessories.
Special Firearms Guide
Browning made a rie out of
it by tting a 16 barrel and
an integral grip frame that
mounted a wooden butt. With
a 10-shot mag, this 22 semi-
auto carbine, to a degree
bridged the gap between
handguns and ries. This was
not lost on some gunsmiths,
with Alan Westlake (Westlake
Engineering) making a rather
nice conversion, which he
describes as a long pistol.
He removes the butt and
permanently ts a stainless
steel bar to maintain the 24
legal minimum, then cuts the
barrel to 12 . The usual
re-crowning etc is done and
what you end up with is,
though not to my personal
liking, is non the less a highly
SPR08/E/a
44
effective, compromise, 22
semi-auto long pistol, that
to a greater degree gives a
practical handgun for target
shooting. As the Buckmark
comes with a scope base you
can t what you like, or even
get the irons put back on.
Truth is Alan has been
busy and also offers a range
of in-line, single-shot muzzle-
loading pistols, as well as a
38 Spl/long pistol conversion
of the Remington 1858 New
Model Army muzzle-loading
revolver. He can also offer
nitro powder conversions
for BP revolvers too. These
use a new, two-part cylinder
and shotgun primers as
opposed to the old and
inefcient percussion caps.
 Special Firearms Guide
Also worth a look
Rounding off this book we
come to the gear that though
not truly off the wall, none
the less deserves a mention.
First up is the Browning
T-Bolt rie, re-created from
an older design it uses a
straight-pull action that feeds
from a double-drum, 10-shot
magazine. Initially chambered
in 22 Long Rie, the T-Bolt is
now available in Hornadys
17MACH2 and 17HMR and it
comes up as a smooth, slick
and efcient hunting rimre.
All you do is pull/push the
side-mounted handle and
the action cycles smooth
and fast, which is far more
practical than the accepted
lift-pull, push and lower of a
standard turn-bolt system.
The 22 Long Rie is a great
Though a rabbit buster, but the 17HM2
rimre hunter,
the Browning is perhaps not the best choice,
T-Bolt (top) due to the fact this calibre has
offers a fast,
straight-pull never taken off in the UK. What
action when
compared to a
is going to make a serious
standard, turn- impact is the 17HMR version,
bolt design
like this Ruger which we are still waiting for
77/22 (below) over here. This hard-hitting,
46
rimre magnum in the T-Bolts
fast action is going to make
an awesome combination.
Still with Browning we have
the BLR (Browning Leveraction
Rie) though looking highly
traditional with its classic lines
and external hammer, the BLR
is in fact the modernist lever-
action out there, as it uses a
6-lug, carrier-mounted rotary
bolt; similar to the AR15s.
This is operated by a geared,
rack & pinion mechanism and
is amazingly fast and slick,
add to this a detachable
box magazine and you have
something rather special. The
latest version of the BLR is a
take-down, where barrel and
receiver/butt can separate
for easy storage/travel.
Another design that falls
into this category is the Marlin
1895 family. Chambered in big
bore calibres like 444 Marlin,
45-70 Government and the
new 450 Marlin they pack a
lot of re power. Riecraft Ltd,
perhaps best known for their
Light Sporting Rie will convert
an 1895 into what they call
a Piginator short barrel,
muzzle brake (very important)
and compact scope.
Another unusual re-make
of an older model is the Henry
Survival rie, near identical
to the old Charter Arms gun;
its a semi-auto, rimre design
with a hollow butt that will
accept the barrel, magazine
and action for storage. What

real use it is here in the UK
is debatable, but it works
Quite the oddest of all
is the Stradivari Bullpup!
This single shot hunter uses
a falling block mechanism
that is actuated by a hinged
butt section. With a forward
pistol grip, twin safety
system including a gripper
on the forend as well as a
manual lever in the trigger
guard, it also has a raised,
Picatinny sigh rail, 30mm
scope rings with 1 inserts
and as you can imagine
is totally ambidextrous.
Chambered in numerous
calibres I have tested a 308
Winchester version and its
a bit of a kicker to put it
bluntly. So much so that the
manufacturers had to t a
muzzle blast reducer to stop
damage to the scope and
also shooter. In calibres like
243 Win or 223 Rem the
Stradivari is a useful rie, as
its truly compact and very
handy. I mention this more of
interest as currently there is
no UK importer, but it serves
to demonstrate what can be
done with a bit of imagination.
Now another straight-pull
- the Blaser R93 LRS (Long
Range Sporter). Generally
R93s are pure hunting ries,
Special Firearms Guide
Despite its
classic lines the
Browning BLR is
a modern, lever-
action rie, with
rotary bolt, a
fast rack and
pinion operating
system and
detachable
box mag
which is attested to by their
non-detachable, top-loading,
low capacity, magazine
system and sporting stocks.
The LRS is a total re-think
as it has a proper, detachable,
5-shot box magazine in a
tactical stock, with the usual
adjustments comb height,
length of pull etc. To give
good long range ability it
uses a heavy, uted barrel
with the option of a muzzle
brake. The forend as such is
vestigial and more a place to
hang a bipod, as its just a
short extension that comes
no where near the barrel.
Useful is the fact that
the R93 is available in left
or right hand operation, as
Blaser make a left handed
bolt carrier. Given this heavy
rie is intended for prone use
only; for the right hander a
left hand bolt makes a lot of
sense as you can maintain the
rie in the shoulder and use
the left hand to operate the
Riecraft
Piginator, based
on the Marlin
1895S this gun
is cut down and
tted with a
muzzle brake
and offers a fast
and effective
driven boar
rie in 45-70
Government
47
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General Information: Bolt is made out of 4/16 stainless (same bolt in every model). Comes with one black dog
machine magazine - Trade and retail supplied. Fits on any standard AR-15 lower. Not designed for fully auto yet.
Doesnt matter what butt-stock you use - Our unit is self-contained. Our bolt is a blow-back bolt: When enough
pressure works up, it blows back the bolt. Designed to work with the Black Dog magazine.
1911: Designed to fit on government and commander length. We cant do the fitting for a different length.
SPR08/D/a

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