POWER PAIR: FN 509C & 503

September 2020

The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority

Official Journal of the National Rifle Association
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 OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
134th Year of Publication

The NRA, the foremost guardian of the traditional

American right to “keep and bear arms,” believes
every law-abiding citizen is entitled to the ownership
and legal use of firearms, and that every reputable
gun owner should be an NRA Member.

Photo by Forrest MacCormack

features The Choice Is Clear .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18
Jason Ouimet President Trump’s Second Amendment record has earned him the gun vote in 2020.
CONTENTS

One Bullet To Rule Them All? Federal’s Terminal Ascent .. .. .. .. .. 40

Mark A. Keefe, IV Federal Premium has leveraged its vast technological know-how to create a
remarkable new hunting bullet with a wide performance envelope.
Benelli Lupo: A Lone-Wolf Approach To A High-Tech Bolt Gun .. .. 50
John Zent Best known for shotguns, Benelli now has a bolt-action hunting rifle that possesses a
style all its own—and shoots remarkably well.
Power Pair: FN 509C And 503 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56
Justin Dyal The FN 509C is a full-featured compact that borders on subcompact territory, and
its stablemate 503 is a capable, single-stack micro, and both are great shooters.
The Guns Of A Dead Revolutionary . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 62
James Stejskal Marxist “Ché” Guevara pushed Castro’s Cuba toward communism, then tried to start
revolutions in Congo and Bolivia.
Exploded Views: High Power Pistol .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 68
Daniel McElrath The Browning High Power pistol is one of the most ubiquitous handguns ever
made. Here's how to take it apart and put it back together.

SEPTEMBER 2020
VOLUME 168
NO. 8

50 56 62
U.S. Marine Corps photo

National Archives photo

Photo by Justin Dyal
Photo by author

26
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 NRA PUBLICATIONS
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Executive Director
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Evelyn Q. Kessler
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Wayne R. LaPierre, Executive Vice President Marshall J. Flemion
Managing Director, Integrated Marketing
Terri A. Wolfe
Senior Executive Assistant
official journal The Armed Citizen . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10
Rachel Carr
Publications Operations Coordinator
Larry Quandahl
Special Reports Senior Firearms Inventory Manager
Standing Guard .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 12
EDITORIAL
President’s Column .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 John R. Zent
Editorial Director
Political Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 Mark A. Keefe, IV
ILA Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 74 Editor In Chief
Brian C. Sheetz
Regional Report/Member Info & Benefits .. .. 76 Senior Executive Editor
Kelly Young
Featured Program .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 77 Managing Editor
Evan Brune
Programs & Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 78 Managing Editor,
AmericanRifleman.org
Christopher Olsen
Associate Editor
correspondence The Keefe Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 Maureen A. Denfeld
Editorial Assistant
Readers Write .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 Bruce N. Canfield, Wiley Clapp,
Justin Dyal, Rick Hacker, John Haviland,
Favorite Firearms .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 B. Gil Horman, Jeff Johnston,
A Winchester For Pigeons Jeremiah Knupp, Jim Wilson
Field Editors

ART
reports News & Notes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 26 Mark S. Weaver
Creative Director
Products & Projects .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 29 David J. Labrozzi
Senior Art Director
Peter Fountain
Photography Director
technical Handloads .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 Forrest MacCormack
Senior Photographer
.25-35 Winchester
Questions & Answers . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 36 American Rifleman (ISSN 0003-083X) is
published monthly (except June/July) by
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POWER PAIR: FN 509C & 503
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THE COVER: Federal Premium has taken features designed Sept mber 2020
420648, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0648.
to improve long-range accuracy and applied TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS or
to report a damaged or undelivered
them to a bonded hunting bullet designed
The Wo ld s O dest And La gest F re rm Au hor ty

magazine, write: American Rifleman,

for deep in-line penetration. Named Terminal
Ascent—shown is the 175-gr. .30-’06 Sprg.
loading—the new line is covered in a story
by Editor In Chief Mark Keefe starting on
p. 40. Also shown is Benelli’s new Lupo bolt-
action rifle, which is reviewed by Editorial
Director John Zent on p. 50. Photo by Forrest
MacCormack. Design by David J. Labrozzi.
c/o National Rifle Association, P.O. Box
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B eloved by his fans, he stands as an everlasting symbol of America’s legendary days of the Old West a fascinating,
fascinatin , uniquely
uniq ely American era that was the
inspiration for so many classic Western films, like Stagecoach, The Searchers, Big Jake, Rio Bravo, and True Grit. He was a man who defined his code, and
lived by it on screen and off. The man affectionately known as Duke is as American as it gets.
Now, America Remembers, with authorization from John Wayne Enterprises, proudly announces the John Wayne American Legend Tribute Rifle, a
handsomely decorated firearm issued in remembrance and tribute to this distinguished American and legendary Western film star. Each John Wayne
American Legend Tribute in caliber .45 Colt is issued on a working Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy Carbine. Henry’s motto is “Made in America,
or Not Made At All”, and I can’t think of any motto John Wayne would appreciate more.
MADE IN AMERICA: TWO ICONS COME TOGETHER
For the first time, two symbols of American values come together to create a classic piece of firearms history. Craftsmen commissioned
specifically for this project by America Remembers decorate each John Wayne American Legend Tribute ribute Rifle in 24 karat gold and
gleaming nickel with elegant scrollwork and blackened patinaed highlights to accentuate the details of the artwork. Each Tribute
features a 16.5” rifled octagonal barrel with an American walnut shoulder stock and forend, and a large loop lever.
As proud Americans, we love our country, and it means even more when our heroes feel the same way. On screen, John
Wayne was the quintessential American cowboy. He was the lawman who tamed wild towns. He was a man who stood up
for the mistreated. He was the iron willed Westerner who wouldn’t back down. He is, and always will be, America’s
undisputed Western film icon.
Off screen, he was steadfast, unflinching. John Wayne never missed the opportunity to share his love for
America. He was a patriot who wasn’t afraid to speak up and show his unwavering support for our great nation.
If you asked him about freedom, he’d say it was our most valuable national treasure.
“I am an old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness, flag waving patriot.” – John Wayne Q Both sides of the gold decorated
In his Western roles, John Wayne often carried a lever action rifle. He certainly liked firearms with
receiver feature detailed portraits of
power and authority, and the Big Boy Carbine would have fit the bill perfectly, especially with it John Wayne as the classic American
being a completely American made firearm. cowboy. Featured prominently in gold is a
“I love my country with all her faults. I’m not ashamed of that, faithful recreation of John Wayne’s signature.
never have been, never will be.” – John Wayne
John Wayne went on to appear in over 150 films. Even today, more than 35 years
Q The right side of the receiver features John
after his death, his name continues to rank among the 10 most popular movie stars in Wayne with one of his favorite horses, reminiscent of
the annual Harris Poll. In 2015, he was ranked Number 2. It’s refreshing that in this bac ground.
his Western films, with a fence and natural background.
new era of internet streaming, cable and satellite TV, John Wayne’s legacy of
traditional values only grows more popular. His personal convictions were
as timeless as his best performances: this is his eternal appeal.
AN EXCLUSIVE EDITION
The John Wayne American Legend Tribute Rifle is issued in
a limited edition of only 1,000 Tributes, available exclusively
through America Remembers. We will arrange delivery of
your working Tribute through the licensed firearms dealer
of your choice. As always, you will receive your Tribute
with our 30 day guarantee of satisfaction. If you are
not completely satisfied, you may return your Tribute
to us in original, unfired condition for a complete and
courteous refund.
ORDER TODAY! Q On the left side of the receiver, our artist has placed Duke on horseback,
America is a place for heroes a place for men guiding a group of longhorns across the American prairie. John Wayne
who forged their own paths. John Wayne endures
as a legendary figure in American
Americ n history
his ry for played a rancher in films like Chisum, Red River, and The Cowboys.
this reason. John Wayne brought the greatest
stories of the American West back to life, and
he continues to remind us what it means to
be a proud American. Add this Tribute to
your collection, and this handsome Tribute
is certain to bring back some of your
favorite memories of John Wayne
and Western films. For many
Americans, his films take
us back to earlier days
when we enjoyed
Westerns on the big
screen, and later on
television.
JOHN WAYNE®, , DUKE & THE DUKE® are the exclusive trademarks of, and the John Wayne name, image, likeness and
voice, and all other related indicia are intellectual property of John Wayne Enterprises, LLC. ©2019 All rights reserved. www.johnwayne.com

I wish to reserve of the John Wayne American Legend TributeTri ute Name
Rifle, a working rifle,
ifle, at the introductory issue price of $2,495.* My
deposit of $195 per Tribute is enclosed. I wish to pay the balance at the Address
rate of $100 per month, no interest or carrying charges. Certificate of
Authenticity included. Thirty-day return privilege. City/State/Zip
*All orders are subject to acceptance and credit verification prior to shipment. Sales tax is required in certain states
and will be added. Shipping and handling will be added to each order. Virginia residents please add sales tax.
Daytime Telephone No. ( )
T Check enclosed for $_____________ .
T Charge deposit & monthly payments to:
T VISA T MasterCard T AMEX T Discover
America Remembers®
10226 Timber Ridge Drive • Ashland, Virginia 23005
www.americaremembers.com
©AHL, Inc No. Exp. c ll 1-800-682-2291
To place your reservation toll-free call
 NRA PUBLICATIONS
PUBLISHING OPERATIONS
Michael J. Sanford
Managing Director, Publishing Operations
Michelle E. Kuntz
Director, Production
The .357 Mag.: Most Versatile Handgun Round Ever? James C. Handlon
There are many contenders for the title of “versatile Director, Marketing/Advertising
Debra Oliveri
handgun round,” but according to Field Editor Wiley Senior Production Coordinator
Clapp, there’s only one winner—the .357 Mag. Read Adam Wilson
Production Coordinator
along as he makes the case for this venerable magnum Cheryl Doden
at americanrifleman.org/versatilemagnum. Accounts Receivable Staff Accountant
Sarah Cote
Advertising Operations Assistant
Finding The Best-Sellers: An Industry Challenge Director, Eastern Sales
Gun sales in 2020 have reached new heights, but what Tony Morrison
(860) 767-9801
guns are the most popular? As we found out, the Southeast Sales Executive
answer isn’t as easy to find as many would like. Stan Yates
(850) 619-8148
americanrifleman.org/industrychallenge Eastern Sales Executive
Rachelle Trout
Review: ZRODelta Modulus (910) 262-0913
Northeast Sales Executive
The ZRODelta Modulus takes pistol customization to J. P. Carter
new heights, allowing for an unprecedented number of (980) 229-3493
Detroit Advertising Sales
configurations in an all-metal format. Ken Glowacki
americanrifleman.org/modulusreview (703) 267-1300
Director, Western Sales
Courtney Olson
(303) 520-4025
Western Sales Executive
James O’Neill
(530) 401-8607
Midwest Sales Executive
Tim Hamill
(231) 360-6434
Tune in Wednesday nights to the Outdoor Channel for Western Direct Sales Executive
Debbie O’Connell
the best firearm show on television. Now in its 18th (805) 501-9138
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Feature, a “Rifleman Review” and an “I Have This Old DIGITAL OPERATIONS
Gun” segment in each show. To preview upcoming epi- Michael Pedersen
sodes, visit americanrifleman.org/artv. Managing Director, Digital Operations
Joe Kurtenbach

Heavy Metal: M14 & M1A

Digital Operations Manager
Troy Kelly
Art Director, Digital Operations
Tom Rickwalder
August 26 Senior Digital Producer
Smith & Wesson Military & Police; Heritage Mfg. Steve Dulco
Digital Producer
Rough Rider Rancher In .22 Long Rifle; British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket
MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES: (877) 672-2000
September 2
WARNING: All technical data in this publication,
The U.S. M14 & Springfield M1A; Crossbreed Modular Holsters; especially for handloading, reflect the limited
U.S. Springfield Armory Model Of 1911 U.S. Army Pistols experience of individuals using specific tools,
products, equipment and components under
September 9 specific conditions and circumstances not nec-
Colt Commander Pistols At Gunsite; Rock River RUK Pistol In 9 mm Luger; Steyr AUG essarily reported in the article and over which
the National Rifle Association (NRA) has no
September 16 control. The data have not otherwise been test-
ed or verified by the NRA. The NRA, its agents,
The U.S. Cal. .30 M1 Carbine; Springfield Armory XD-M Elite Pistol In 9 mm Luger; officers and employees accept no responsibility
The U.S. Model 1917 S&W Revolver for the results obtained by persons using such
data and disclaim all liability for any consequen-
tial injuries or damages. See asterisked (*).
* NO ADVERTISED ITEM IS INTENDED FOR
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TESTED OR APPROVED BY THE NRA.
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ONLY IN STATEMENTS BYLINED BY NRA OF-
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THE EDITORS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS OR
PHOTOGRAPHS.

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FOLLOW YOUR T/C ®
COM PA S S ®

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 ® THE KEEFE REPORT
UpLULA
9mm - .45ACP universal
W
pistol magazine loader
hen a crowd broke down
& unloader the gate next to his home,
a St. Louis man, who had
been having dinner with his wife,
emerged from his house bearing a
rifle, and it made the national head-
lines. After scrutiny of the many news
reports, it appeared to be an AR-15,
likely a Colt made in the 1990s judging
by its furniture. A product of that era,
it was in the A2 configuration, with a
20" barrel, glacier handguards, a fixed
carry handle and no bayonet lug.
At a time when firearm sales are at a
record high, month after month, there
are guns being sold that some manufac-
turing executives thought would still be
UP60B in the warehouse when they retired. It
is a level of sustained demand no one
Available colors anticipated. And guns sold years ago are
emerging from closets and gun safes—
one maker had a distributor request for
.45 GAP magazines for one of its pistols
- Fits single & double-stack mags that hadn’t been manufactured in more
- Painless loading & unloading than a decade, and even then, never
- Highly reliable, lightweight in large numbers. And there are more
- Works like a champ, for years ! requests coming into our offices about
AR-style rifles, both new and old, than
ever before.
In addition to being the top-selling
rifle today, there are estimated to be
at least 13 million modern sporting
rifles in civilian hands in the United
States. And they run the gamut
from the latest version of Springfield
Armory’s Saint to early original SP1s
sold by Colt in the 1960s. More and
more Americans have realized that,
when it comes to defense of oneself,
a carbine might be the best solution.
That means guns with seemingly “out-
moded” features, such as fixed carry
handles and iron sights, are being
re-evaluated for defensive use.
Over 16,000 five-star reviews online I received a call from an NRA
member who recently bought his first
AR—the only one he could find—and
World’s best selling he needed to know how to zero it and
magazine loaders ! what options he had for mounting an
optic. The gun was a Colt AR-15 Military
Over thirty professional pistol & rifle Classic series rifle, a dead ringer for the
mag loaders - Made in Israel guns made by Colt in the late 1960s. It
maglula.com
is a new-made, semi-automatic-only
Ask your local dealer rendition of one of the first ARs, and
it had a premium price tag—as well
maglula Ltd. Since 2001
it should—because Colt and Curtis
DeBord made sure it was perfect in
8 SEPTEMBER 2020
every way. Although those guns, in my
experience, shoot very well and have a
handling dynamic lost on heavier, later
guns, the only easy way to mount an
optic is on top of the carry handle. For
new AR owners looking to zero their
iron sights, we have a helpful video at
americanrifleman.org/arzero.
For new AR owners looking for
information and training, NRA has the
right programs already established.
The best place to start is with the NRA
Basic Rifle Shooting Course, which you
can find at nrainstructors.org. If you
are interested in going beyond the
basic class, there is another NRA pro-
gram for you. “The AR family of rifles
and pistols continues to rise in popu-
larity with millions of gun owners. The
AR in all variations is in extremely
common use, with shooters employing
them for both recreational and defen-
sive purposes. It truly has become an
excellent manifestation of the Second
Amendment. Recognizing this, the NRA
has developed America’s Rifle Challenge
(ARC), a venue for shooters to test and
grow their shooting skill in the proving
ground of competition.”
This is a relevant and use-
ful program developed by the NRA
Competitive Shooting Division with
two different levels of matches, and
“ARC is both for those looking to learn
measured shooting standards and
knowledge for the first time, and for
those seeking to push their perfor-
mance to the limits.” You can learn
more about it at arc.nra.org.
Sincerely,
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
THE ARMED CITIZEN
®

A
27-year-old man approached three men attempting to get into their
car in a Nashville, Tenn., mall parking lot June 18 and demanded their
belongings at gunpoint. The car’s driver then drew his handgun in self-
defense and exchanged gunfire with the would-be robber, striking him in the
knee and causing him to flee the scene on foot. The assailant was located a short
time later by local law enforcement and transported to a nearby medical center
for non-life-threatening injuries before being released into police custody. The
suspect was booked on an outstanding felony probation violation warrant and
faces charges of aggravated robbery. Neither the armed citizen, nor those with
him, were injured in the exchange. (wkrn.com, Nashville, Tenn., 6/18/20)

IF YOU HAVE
A FIRSTHAND
“ARMED CITIZEN”
EXPERIENCE,
EMAIL NRA PUBLIC
AFFAIRS TEAM AT
MEDIA@NRAHQ.ORG.
Studies indicate that firearms
are used more than 2 million
times a year for personal
protection, and that the
presence of a firearm, without
a shot being fired, prevents
crime in many instances.
Shooting usually can be
justified only where crime
constitutes an immediate,
 Philadelphia, Pa., firearm store was
broken into by four armed men who,
according to investigators, arrived in multiple
cars at around 4 a.m. on June 2. They
reportedly gained entry by using bolt cutters
and then proceeded up to a second floor,
where they were met by the store’s owner,
who was also armed. The armed citizen fired
three shots, fatally striking one 29-year-old
intruder and striking another in the shoulder.
The accomplices fled the building, with
the one who was injured seeking medical
attention at a nearby hospital. Police say he
falsely reported his wound and they soon
connected him to the attempted robbery.
The district attorney stated the store
owner’s actions were justified and that the
perpetrator in custody was charged with
robbery, burglary, conspiracy and other
related charges. (fox29.com, Philadelphia,
the floor. The armed citizen loaded another
round into his shotgun and fired at the
attacker, who was approaching again, striking
him in the leg and causing him to flee. The
homeowner’s wife called 911 to report a
burglary in progress, and the home invader
was found by deputies shortly thereafter
with an injury to his leg. After treatment by
medical personnel at the scene, the man was
hospitalized. The alleged intruder reportedly
told local law enforcement that he thought
he was at a friend’s house, but additional
questioning revealed that the friend being
discussed was currently in prison. Detectives
said the homeowners would face no charges,
and the 26-year-old would be facing charges
of first-degree burglary upon his release from
the hospital. (kxly.com; khq.com, Spokane,
Wash., 4/5/20)

T
imminent threat to life, limb,
or, in some cases, property.
Pa., 6/5/18) wo men reportedly broke into a Pumpkin
Hollow, Okla., residence April 24 when

Anyone is free to quote or
reproduce these accounts.
Send clippings via email to
armedcitizen@nrahq.org,
or by mail to “The Armed
Citizen,” 11250 Waples Mill
Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-
9400. For bonus features,
visit “The Armed Citizen Blog”
at americanrifleman.org.
Share this column online at
nrapublications.org.
I
n Delta Township, Mich., nearly a dozen
callers contacted 911 on June 15 to report
a 26-year-old man walking on a highway with
a firearm drawn and reportedly firing it at
vehicles driving by. Investigators said that
another man had to stop when the gunman
stepped in front of his vehicle and pointed his
handgun at him. It was then that the driver
drew his own handgun, which he is legally
licensed to carry concealed, and fired at the
gunman, fatally striking him. The man was
pronounced deceased at the scene by an
emergency medical crew. (wlns.com, Lansing,
Mich., 6/17/20)
they were confronted by the homeowner, who
was armed with a shotgun. The armed citizen
fired at the two men, who immediately fled
the premises. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s
Office said that deputies found a vehicle
parked in the residence’s yard that belonged
to one of the two would-be robbers and was
filled with items stolen from outbuildings on
the property. Deputies, with assistance from
K-9s, were able to track down the two to a
dirt road where it appeared the suspects met
another vehicle. They later found one man
matching a description given by the armed
citizen, and he admitted to his role in the
attempted burglary. Subsequently, the other

U pon hearing a noise in his downstairs

kitchen late in the evening of April 5, a
Spokane, Wash., homeowner grabbed his
shotgun and headed down to investigate.
What he found was an unknown 26-year-old
man whom he immediately told to leave.
The alleged intruder reportedly approached
the homeowner on the stairs and a struggle
ensued, resulting in one shot being fired into
suspect was located and arrested by local
law enforcement. Both were taken to a local
detention center and booked for the felony
crimes of first-degree burglary and knowingly
concealing stolen items. The homeowners were
not injured during the attempted burglary,
and reportedly were going to have their stolen
possessions returned. (tahlequahdailypress.com,
Tahlequah, Okla., 4/24/20)

10 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

STANDING GUARD
By Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President
Like us on Facebook at the
National Rifle Association.
For related articles, go to
nrapublications.org.
Photo by NRA
12
Our Fight To Save American Freedom
A
merica is at a tipping point.
Almost everywhere we look
today, the principles, values and
fundamental rights that guarantee our
freedom are under attack.
You can see it all across the nation,
where anti-gun governors and legislators
are attempting to strip the gun rights of
law-abiding citizens at a torrid pace. You can
see it on your television screen, online and in
your newspaper where gun owners like you
and me are pilloried, mocked and shamed for
exercising our Second Amendment rights.
Too many in the political class thumb their
noses at their responsibility to enforce the
law. You can see it in cities and towns from
coast to coast, where many of those same
gun-hating politicians are now refusing to
arrest, prosecute and incarcerate criminals—
completely abdicating their responsibility to
keep the peace and keep us safe.
Most of all, you can see it in this year’s
national election campaign, where Joe
Biden, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are
promising to lay waste to our right to keep
and bear arms if they take control of the
White House and Congress this November.
The battle lines are drawn, and they
couldn’t be clearer.
Where we see America as a beacon of
freedom for all, regardless of income, status,
race or creed … they see our great nation
as an object of scorn to be disparaged
and ridiculed.
Where we see a U.S. Bill of Rights that
embodies the grandest and most successful
experiment in individual liberty the world has
ever known … they see mistakes that need
to be obliterated.
As NRA members, you and I value our
freedom like few others. We know that our
freedoms came at a heavy price—secured not
only by the courage of revolutionary men and
Rescheduling Of The Annual Meeting Of Members
T
he National Rifle Association of
America’s 2020 Annual Meeting of
Members is being rescheduled due
to ongoing health and safety concerns. The
meeting was slated to occur in September
in Springfield, Missouri, but as this magazine
goes to press, the NRA Executive Committee
has voted to seek a new date and location.
When the meeting ultimately takes
place, we hope you will be able to join
SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
women 244 years ago, but by their sacrifice
then and on countless battlefields thereafter.
Throughout our history, patriots—ordinary
men and women with bills to pay, loved ones
to care for, families to feed and futures to
build—put it all aside and risked everything
for only one thing: American liberty.
The same American liberty lives and
breathes in the Second Amendment.
The same liberty that will either live or die
in this single national election just months
from now.
It’s that stark. There’s no other way to put
it. We are at a dangerous point in our nation’s
history—the likes of which you and I have
never seen.
So today, as NRA members and sworn
defenders of American freedom, you and I
must decide that our freedom will live.
Let’s decide to keep our Second
Amendment and every fundamental freedom
guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and send Joe
Biden to the ash heap of history. Let’s elect
a strong pro-gun majority to the U.S. Senate
and House of Representatives, and put Chuck
Schumer and Nancy Pelosi in the minority
where they belong.
Let’s stand and fight every day—from
now until Election Day—harder than the
day before.
And never forget that you, and millions
of patriots like you, are the source of NRA’s
persistent strength. You are the reason
NRA continues to be the most successful,
pro-freedom, civil rights organization in
America. You are the power behind every
one of our victories.
And if we fight with all our might, I know
we’ll win on Election Day and we will save
American freedom!
the NRA in the business of your
Association and in voting for the
76th Director. In addition, the results
of the 2020 mail ballot election for
the NRA Board of Directors will be
formally announced.
We are grateful for your continued
support of the NRA, and for your
patience as we navigate these
unprecedented times.
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
By Carolyn D. Meadows
President
NRA OFFICERS
Carolyn D. Meadows
President
Charles L. Cotton
First Vice President
Willes K. Lee
Second Vice President
Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President
John Frazer
Secretary
Craig Spray
Treasurer
Jason Ouimet
Executive Director,
NRA-ILA
Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr.
Executive Director,
General Operations
For news about your NRA,
visit: nra.org and nraila.org.
Share this column online at
nrapublications.org.
14
NRA And Its Members Mean Business
A
s an active wife, mother and
grandmother, I am often asked
what inspired me to serve our great
organization as NRA President. In a word,
that answer is you—the over 5-million-strong
NRA family of members—my fellow patriots.
We come from all walks of life, but remain
united in our mission to protect freedom and
the Second Amendment. We believe in God
and in our country, and we take pride in NRA’s
history of fighting for that freedom.
This is why I so looked forward to our
149th NRA Annual Meeting of Members this
month in Springfield, Missouri. However, due
to the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic,
the NRA Executive Committee has voted
to reschedule the membership meeting
to a date later this fall. This decision was
made after considering the health, safety,
and well-being of our membership during
this uncertain time. The simple fact that
the business of the NRA goes on despite
the challenges brought on by COVID-19
underscores how our strength and political
firepower truly lies with you members. We
know that the resilience of the NRA—and our
country—comes from the Constitutionally-
protected rights of each individual. These
cherished rights are currently under fire from
radical gun-control advocates and we NRA
members are needed more than ever. Please
visit the NRA Annual Meetings website for
updated event details at nraam.org.
Though the 2020 gathering may not reach
the record-breaking attendance of recent
years, leading the NRA Annual Meeting of
Members is still the most personally rewarding
task I perform as NRA President. It will be an
honor to stand before you, as faithful NRA
members gather under one roof to strike a
resounding chord in freedom’s name.
Our officers will share their vision for the
future and will engage attending members
as we have for 148 consecutive years and
counting. And much to the chagrin of the
mainstream media and political elite, you can
bet that the NRA will emerge re-energized.
We believe in who we are and in who we are
meant to be as Americans. To the dismay
of liberal extremists who seek to destroy
us and destroy so much of what makes our
nation great, we take the high road and
never turn from family-oriented values and
patriotism. On that unyielding foundation, we
will take our case to the voters and prevail in
November’s critical elections.
Growing up in rural Georgia, I learned
about those family values and patriotism at
a young age. I learned that the NRA is the
SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
foremost authority in training Americans how
to be safe and responsible with firearms.
I was so proud the day I took possession of a
family rifle—a prized .22-caliber Remington.
It has peep sights, and I could strike a match
shooting it. It is not worth much money, but
in my vast gun collection, I tend to cherish
it more than others due to its sentimental
value. I was proud, along with my husband,
who is also an avid hunter and shooter, to
pass on that rifle to my three sons, their
wives and my seven grandchildren. Like all of
you, the Meadows family is the NRA.
This year’s election though will decide if
those values can continue to be passed on to
future generations. Understand that the NRA
is working non-stop for candidates who will
never yield our God-given right to defend
ourselves and our loved ones. We must cast
our votes to elect them, and defeat any who
regard us with contempt simply because
we cling to our faith and our freedoms.
Be assured NRA will again champion the will
of America’s gun owners, but without you
and your unwavering support, our voice and
our firearms freedoms could be in peril.
UNDERSTAND THAT THE
NRA IS WORKING NON-STOP
FOR CANDIDATES WHO
WILL NEVER YIELD OUR
GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO
DEFEND OURSELVES AND
OUR LOVED ONES.
Indeed, our way of life and our liberty will
be on the line November 3. Our opponents
continue their relentless push to turn America
away from its core values and the rule of
law. But I know we will prevail. The NRA is
strong and resilient because of you. With
moral clarity, we will preserve our country,
our Constitution and the Second Amendment
freedoms upon which America was founded.
Please know that I am praying for you—
our NRA family—every day. And I pray for
strength and wisdom for President Donald
J. Trump and our elected leaders, that they
are guided by faith, duty to country, and the
pillars of liberty that make this country great.
Together, we NRA members will further
strengthen freedom’s cause.
POLITICAL REPORT
By Jason Ouimet
Executive Director,
NRA-ILA
YOUR MEMBERSHIP
DUES ARE NOT
ENOUGH.
If you want to DEFEND your
right to own and carry a
firearm …
If your FREEDOM to hunt and
shoot is important to you …
Then you need to SUPPORT
the NRA Institute for
Legislative Action.
We are the only arm of
NRA specifically charged
with defending your
Second Amendment
freedoms on Capitol Hill,
and in state legislatures and
courtrooms across America.
Visit nraila.org to support
NRA-ILA today!
NRA-ILA: (800) 392-8683
NRA-ILA website: nraila.org
For related articles, go to
nrapublications.org.
16
Restoring Our Rights: President Trump’s Work
On The Federal Judiciary Is Far From Over
T
he 2016 elections seem like an eternity
ago, to me, considering all that has
happened since Donald Trump was
elected president. And while much has
changed, some constants remain as the final
stages of the 2020 elections loom ahead.
As was the case in 2016, one of the critical
considerations for voting gun owners is the
federal judiciary.
Four years ago, candidate Trump broke
new campaign ground when he released
his short list of potential nominees for the
Supreme Court of the United States. It
was that list of reasoned, accomplished
jurists—ones who had shown they
respected the original intent of the authors
of our Constitution and Bill of Rights—that
solidified the support for Trump among
countless voters.
That support has paid tangible dividends.
In June, President Trump hit an amazing
milestone, when his 200th judicial nominee
was confirmed. He not only filled every
federal circuit court vacancy, but set a new
mark for the number of appellate court
appointments for any president at the same
stage of his presidency.
To give you a better perspective of the
rate at which President Trump is working to
reshape the federal judiciary, as I write this,
he is approaching the number of circuit court
appointments made by President Obama over
his TWO terms.
That’s truly impressive, but in reality, it’s
merely a good start. It is unrealistic to expect a
complete overhaul of the federal courts in one
four-year term, even with Trump—aided by the
Mitch McConnell-led U.S. Senate—working at a
record-setting pace.
And make no mistake, an overhaul is
long overdue.
Activist judges, who reject the true meaning
of our nation’s founding documents, have
been working for decades to re-interpret
the Constitution and Bill of Rights to fit their
worldview. That problem has manifested in
countless court rulings that reject the Second
Amendment and the individual rights it was
intended to protect.
Even after the Supreme Court held
that the Second Amendment protects an
individual right more than a decade ago in the
landmark D.C. v. Heller case, then ruled those
protections applied throughout the country in
McDonald v. City of Chicago, re-interpreting
the Second Amendment remains a problem.
Lower court judges who don’t accept the
individual right to arms jurisprudence seem to
simply ignore those rulings.
SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has still
yet to intervene to correct these lower court
errors. This year, there were 11 cases before
the nation’s highest court that could have
helped to better define what, exactly, the
court deems is protected under the Second
Amendment. Eleven opportunities to refine
and strengthen the Heller ruling, and 11
opportunities squandered when the court
chose to not take up any of the cases.
President Trump’s appointments to the
court appear to be as frustrated by this inaction
as most Second Amendment supporters. Both
Justices Neal Gorsuch and Bret Kavanaugh
have signed on to dissents over the Court’s
rejection of firearm-related cases.
When the Court determined a case
challenging New York City’s restrictive
handgun-licensing scheme was moot
because the city had made some changes
to it, Gorsuch signed on to a dissent with
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas
that, among other things, stated the city had
merely manipulated the process by making
those changes. “By incorrectly dismissing this
case as moot, the Court permits our docket
to be manipulated in a way that should not be
countenanced,” they wrote.
After rejecting a case challenging the
New Jersey carry permit law—a permit
that is rarely issued because most law-
abiding gun owners simply cannot satisfy its
“justifiable need” standard to the satisfaction
of the issuing authority—Justices Thomas
and Kavanaugh dissented, lamenting the
Supreme Court’s “decade-long failure to
protect the Second Amendment.”
Reversing the tide of bad gun-rights
jurisprudence takes time. Federal courts didn’t
become hostile to the Second Amendment
overnight, and we aren’t going to be able
to correct their direction in a single term.
Fortunately, we once again have an opportunity
to ensure that the course of our federal courts
move in the direction of freedom.
President Trump has made great strides
in improving the federal judiciary, but his
work is far from done. Another four years
of judicial appointments would likely ensure
the majority of federal courts, including the
Supreme Court, will return to making rulings
that afford the right to keep and bear arms
the respect it deserves.
All voters, regardless of party, need to
keep this in mind as they head
to the polls this November.
There is only one choice. The
fate of our Second Amendment
hangs in the balance.
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ILA STORY
THE CHOICE
IS CLEAR:
President Trump’s
Second Amendment Record Has
Earned Him the Gun Vote in 2020
W
e are living in extraordinary times,
and it will take an extraordinary
effort by freedom-loving Americans
during this year’s presidential election to
emerge with our liberties intact. The candidates
could not be further apart in how they view
your fundamental right to protect yourself
and your loved ones. Regardless of party
affiliation, if you value the right to keep and
bear arms and wish to preserve it for this and
future generations, you must vote to re-elect
President Donald J. Trump in November.
I explained last month why the election of
Joe Biden would be a disaster for gun owners
and would cripple the Second Amendment as
we know it. That alone makes the choice easy.
But for his part, President Trump has earned
the gun vote by keeping his promises to
America’s firearm owners and by proving time
after time that he is a stalwart and trusted ally
to Second Amendment supporters.
Gun owners will remember that 2016’s
presidential election was largely a referendum
on who would choose the successor to U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, author
of the landmark 2008 opinion in District of
Columbia v. Heller. Scalia used text, history
and tradition to establish as a matter of law
what was already common knowledge to
most Americans: the Second Amendment
protects an individual right to keep and bear
arms, independent of service in an organized
militia. Justice Scalia’s decision led to the end
18 SEPTEMBER 2020
By Jason Ouimet
Executive Director,
NRA-ILA
of handgun bans in the District of Columbia
and Chicago. It also signaled that the Second
Amendment must be afforded the same
respect as other individual liberties protected
by the Bill of Rights.
Gun prohibitionists reacted with fury and
have been trying to undermine and reverse
Heller’s individual-rights holding ever since.
They may well have succeeded, had the Senate
confirmed Barack Obama’s choice to fill Scalia’s
vacant seat on the court. That nominee, Judge
Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the D.C. Circuit, had voted to rehear the
lower court decision that would eventually
become the Heller case before the Supreme
Court. Garland manifestly believed the full D.C.
Circuit needed another crack at interpreting the
Second Amendment, after a three-judge panel
issued an opinion holding that D.C.’s handgun
ban violated the Second Amendment’s
individual right to keep and bear arms.
Donald Trump made appointing a worthier
successor to Scalia’s legacy a keystone of
his presidential platform. He even published
a list of potential Supreme Court nominees
during his campaign, so voters could see for
themselves what sorts of judges Trump would
appoint to the nation’s highest court. The
Photo by NRA Staff
common denominator among these judges
(besides impeccable professional credentials)
was a demonstrated respect for America’s
constitutional order, legal traditions and
Second Amendment.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 19
 Most had also adopted Scalia’s
signature “originalist” style of
constitutional interpretation, which
limits judicial policy-making by deferring
to the meaning of constitutional
language as it was understood at
the time of its adoption. This ensures
permanence and stability for the
nation’s founding principles, unlike the
contrary practice of simply declaring
constitutional precepts out of thin air to
suit the judge’s preferred politics and to
keep up with the elite trends of the day,
whatever they happen to be.
Gun owners understood the stakes
in 2016 and voted for Donald Trump
in droves. After his election, President
Trump kept his most important promise
by nominating Judge Neil M. Gorsuch,
then of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Tenth Circuit, to ascend to Scalia’s
vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gorsuch, in contrast to Garland, had
demonstrated his respect for the
Second Amendment, writing in one case
that the “Second Amendment protects
an individual’s right to own firearms and
may not be infringed lightly.” Like Scalia,
Gorsuch also emphasized textualism
and originalism in his approach to
constitutional interpretation.
President Trump had another
opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court
justice with the retirement of Justice
Anthony Kennedy in 2018. Kennedy
was widely recognized as the critical
swing vote in Heller and the follow-up
case of McDonald v. City of Chicago.
Yet he was also typically characterized
as a centrist, and it wasn’t clear how far
his support for the Second Amendment
extended. Many believe the reason the
Supreme Court remained silent on the
Second Amendment in the years after
Heller and McDonald was that neither
the evenly divided pro- and anti-gun
wings of the court had confidence that
Kennedy would vote their way.
Trump’s choice to succeed Kennedy
was Brett M. Kavanaugh, then of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Kavanaugh had one of the strongest
records on the Second Amendment of
any potential nominee, having penned a
lengthy and well-reasoned dissent from a
case that upheld various aspects of D.C.’s
onerous post-Heller gun control regime.
It was clear he would take the Second
Amendment seriously if elevated to the
high court.
Since their appointments to the
Supreme Court, both Gorsuch and
Kavanaugh have been even clearer
about their concern over the lower
courts’ dismissive treatment of the
Second Amendment and their desire
20
for the court to rectify that situation.
Both have joined or written opinions
expressing this sentiment in cases in
which the court ultimately declined to
revisit the right to keep and bear arms.
No one knows when the Supreme
Court will take up another Second
Amendment case, but when they do,
few doubt that Gorsuch and Kavanaugh
will be among the strongest defenders
of that essential liberty.
Speaking of the lower courts,
President Trump has been busy there
as well, in June reaching the milestone
of 200 judicial appointments. Only a
tiny fraction of cases ever reach the
U.S. Supreme Court. The decisions that
affect Americans’ lives and liberties—
including the right to keep and bear
arms—will mostly be rendered by
judges at the district and circuit court
levels. President Trump recognizes
this and has made an investment in
the judiciary that will pay dividends for
gun owners for decades to come. Even
Trump’s detractors recognize that his
reshaping of the federal judiciary will be
his most important and lasting legacy.
IN JUDICIAL
APPOINTMENTS AND
MANY OTHER WAYS,
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
UNAPOLOGETICALLY
SUPPORTED THE SECOND
AMENDMENT.
Yet President Trump’s support for
the Second Amendment goes well
beyond his judicial appointments.
Shortly after taking office, he wasted no
time repealing an Obama-era scheme
that forced Social Security recipients to
choose between their benefits and their
Second Amendment right to possess a
firearm. President Trump made sure that
Americans’ rights should never be the
subject of such a false choice.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump
promised to abolish so-called “gun-free
zones” that empower criminals and
disarm the law-abiding. He did exactly
that in April, initiating a rulemaking
to end a ban on the possession of
firearms in water resource development
projects administered by the Army
Corps of Engineers (ACE). These areas
comprise one of the largest networks
of outdoor recreation sites in America,
encompassing more than 400 lake and
river projects in 43 states. Visitors use
these sites for hiking, boating, fishing,
SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
camping, hunting and geo-caching.
Yet carrying firearms for self-defense in
these areas is prohibited.
The proposed rule would abolish an
existing “gun-free zone” on 12 million
acres of public lands and waters nation-
wide, including 55,390 miles of shoreline,
7,856 miles of trails, 92,588 campsites
and 3,754 boat ramps. It is set to be one
of the single largest expansions of the
right to carry in the nation’s history.
The Trump administration also
reformed America’s antiquated system
for regulating exports of firearms and
ammunition in a way that benefited
both individual gun owners and the
lawful industries that support them.
Among other things, this move reversed
Obama-era polices that wreaked
havoc with gunsmiths and gunsmithing
schools, as well as with hunters traveling
abroad with personally owned firearms
and ammunition.
During the early stages of the
COVID-19 pandemic, when many state
governments were poised to use the
novel virus as a means to restrict Second
Amendment rights, President Trump’s
administration identified the firearms
industry as “critical infrastructure,”
forcing all but a few states to keep gun
stores and other firearm businesses
open. In doing so, President Trump
made clear that the self-defense rights
of law-abiding Americans are and
forever will be “essential.”
And, who could forget the historic
moment when President Trump
“unsigned” the Arms Trade Treaty on
stage at our 2018 Annual Meeting.
His leadership freed the U.S. from a
terrible treaty that could have imposed
restrictive international gun control on
American gun owners.
The president additionally used his
authority to increase access to public
lands for the use of hunters and sport
shooters, both through executive orders
and by signing federal legislation to
that helps states provide more shooting
ranges on public lands.
More so than any of his
predecessors, President Trump has
unapologetically supported the Second
Amendment, even when “elite” opinion
has railed against it.
President Trump understands that
despite what these so-called “elites”
claim, nothing is more important than
the fundamental freedoms we enjoy
as Americans. That’s why I’ve whole-
heartedly endorsed him in my role as
Chairman of NRA-PVF, and why I look
forward to casting my ballot to help
re-elect him on November 3. I invite you
to join me by doing the same.
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OFFICIAL MEMBER BENEFITS
Don’t Miss This Chance to Win
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I
t’s during tough times that you find out
who the tough people are. On behalf of
everyone here at the NRA, thank you again
for standing strong for freedom during the
national upheavals we’ve faced these past
few months.
And today, as an extra way of recognizing
your rock solid commitment to the NRA and
the Second Amendment, it’s my privilege to
invite you to enter our new NRA Banned Guns
Giveaway. That’s right. While gun hating
politicians like Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and
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NRA is giving guns away instead!
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You know as well as I do that, if we lose the
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Sponsor: National Rifle Association of America.
BANS on semi auto rifles. Even large scale
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There’s only one organization in America
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WHILE GUN-HATING
POLITICIANS LIKE JOE
BIDEN, NANCY PELOSI
AND CHARLES SCHUMER
ARE FIGHTING TO BAN
OUR GUNS, NRA IS GIVING
GUNS AWAY INSTEAD!
Election Day and that’s the NRA. But
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 READERS WRITE
Dillon
PRECISION A Combat Photographer And The M60
With regard to Tom Laemlein’s article “When Pigs Fly:

XL750
The M60 Machine Gun Goes Heliborne In Vietnam”
(June/July 2020, p. 72), I served with the 1st Marine
Division for six months as an infantry rifleman and for a
year as a combat photographer. When contact was made with
the enemy, the first thing you heard was a lot of rifle fire, the
pop of an M79 round and the call for “guns up” to summon
the M60 machine gun team. I photographed them in action
many times, both on the ground and in the air, and they
saved us many times. I was wounded, along with an M60 gun
team I was photographing, when the VC got our range and
dropped some 60 mm mortars on us. I have attached several
photos of the guns in action during the 1967-68 timeframe,
including the photograph I was taking when we were hit.
DENNIS FISHER, 1ST MARINE DIVISION, VIETNAM 1966-1968 (1.)

(2.) (3.)

Photos courtesy of Dennis Fisher

(4.) (5.)

(1.) Sergeant Dennis Fisher, combat photographer with the 1st Marine Division on
Operation Rock with Lima Co., 3rd Btn., 7th Marines, in March 1968. (2.) Corporal Fred
Angrehen with Kilo Co., 3rd Btn., 7th Marines, on Operation Zippo, Sept. 29, 1967,
takes the fight to the enemy with his M60 machine gun as the company was under
heavy sniper fire. Angrehen, his assistant gunner and Fisher were all wounded by 60 mm
mortar fire. (3.) Lance Corporal Geoffrey Rowson with Delta Co., 1st Btn., 27th Marines
on Operation No Name II, just east of Hue city on April 13, 1968, firing on the enemy in
support of Alpha Co. Twenty-six Marines were lost in heavy fighting on that day. Rowson

YOUR OWN and his assistant gunner were killed on Operation Allen Brook a few months later south-
west of Da Nang. (4.) A Huey door gunner fires on the enemy after an aborted attempt
to land. The mission was to drop Fisher off with elements of the 5th Marines. Ground fire

AMMUNITION proved to be too heavy, and the landing was aborted and the mission quickly transformed
into fire support for the ground troops. (5.) An M60 gun team with Delta Co., 1st Btn.,
5th Marines, opens fire on the enemy during a tank/infantry sweep south of Phu Bai in

FACTORY the summer of 1968.

“Readers Write” affords members an opportunity to comment on material published in

American Rifleman. Single-topic letters are preferred and may be edited for brevity. Send letters to:
dillonprecision.com Readers Write, NRA Publications, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400 or email us at
publications@nrahq.org.

24 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

 REPORTS | OPENING SHOT
Marines & Model 70s In Vietnam
T
he rifle used by the young Marine in this photo
from 1966—and by Sgt. Carlos Hathcock to win the
Wimbledon Cup at Camp Perry in 1965 and later in
Vietnam—was a heavy-barreled Winchester Model 70 topped
with an Unertl 8X scope with external adjustments. You can
read about them in “The Military Model 70s” by Field Editor
Bruce N. Canfield at americanrifleman.org/military70.
The original 1967 article from which this image was first
used in the pages of The American Rifleman can be found
at americanrifleman.org/vietnamsniper.
26 SEPTEMBER 2020
The man who commanded Gy/Sgt. Hathcock in Vietnam
was Captain—later Major—Edward J. “Jim“ Land, Jr.
You may know him better as the now-retired NRA sec-
retary. Major Land, in addition to being a Distinguished
Rifleman, knows the rifles used by Marine snipers like
few others. He allowed young Marines at Quantico the
opportunity to go to the firing line with rifles used by
their predecessors as far back as World War I—including
the Model 70. You can read that story by the late James
O.E. Norell at americarifleman.org/handson.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN U.S. Marine Corps photo
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REPORTS | NEWS & NOTES SIG Closes Struggling
German Operation
Winchester Ammunition
L
&O Holding announced in early June that
it will shutter SIG Sauer GmbH, its plant
Wins DoD 9 mm Luger Contract in Eckernförde, Germany, later in the year.
To be clear, U.S.-based SIG Sauer Inc., and its

T
he U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Winchester
Ammunition with a $38 million contract to provide frangible 9 mm
Luger ammunition for use in close-quarters combat and training.
Winchester was already the military’s largest commercial supplier of
mil-spec, small-caliber ammunition, and will be assuming operational
control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant by the end of the
year. “This is another opportunity for Winchester to demonstrate its
leadership in support of the U.S. warfighter,” said Brett Flaugher,
president of Winchester Ammunition. winchester.com
nine facilities across the country, will be largely
unaffected by the closing. While all SIG pistols
were once made in Eckernförde, the company
shifted virtually all handgun manufacturing to
the United States long ago. Germany’s restric-
tive firearm laws and a lack of demand within
the German military and law enforcement
markets are believed to have prompted the
announcement. sigsauer.com

Colt’s Resumes Shipment Of Carbines

L
ast fall, Colt’s Mfg. stopped supplying its LE6920 carbines
to the commercial market, mostly because it couldn’t
compete with lower-priced makers—and the company
was pretty busy with government contracts, both foreign and and we were able to re-enter the market, we did.” That month,
domestic. In June, Paul Spitale, Colt’s senior vice president for more than 2,000 Colt LE6920s were shipped to commercial
commercial business announced, “When conditions changed, customers, and more will follow. colt.com

The Shooter’s Guide To The Browning Hi Power, Revised Edition

O
riginally developed by Fabrique
Nationale—and based on a design
by American John Browning that
was completed by his Belgian protégé,
Dieudonné Saive, in 1935—the High
Power pistol eventually gained wide
recognition and respect around the
world and enjoyed a production run at
FN of more than 80 years. Produced and
sold under a variety of names, the High
Power soldiers on even today in the form
of commercial clones, and many experi-
enced shooters still view it as one of the
most handsome pistols ever designed and
certainly one of the best feeling in the
hand (See “Exploded Views” on p. 68).
The late Stephen A. Camp was
one such fan who became so enam-
ored of the gun that he distilled his
thoughts and experiences—primarily
on the Hi Power, but including other
handguns and related topics—into
a website and several books. He
published the first print edition of
The Shooter’s Guide To The Browning
Hi Power in 2003, calling it “a treatise
on my favorite all-around semi-
automatic pistol.” Always careful to
qualify his statements, Camp later
wrote that he believed the book
could be improved. True to his word,
the 188-p. Revised Edition contains
nearly twice the information. Its
8½"x11" format features spiral-bound
pages, 142 black-and-white photo-
graphs, and 12 tables, and draws on
his lifetime of experience developing
practical data and comment about
the gun’s use, maintenance, perfor-
mance and appeal.
The author himself described it best:
“This book does not focus on production
dates or material primarily of interest to
Hi Power collectors. As with the original,
its target audience is users and aficiona-
dos intending to actually use the pistol
for protection, recreation or both. To
this end, updated ballistic information
for newer 9 mm loads is presented as
well as discussions on both the 40-
caliber Hi Powers and those converted
to .357 SIG … . Ammunition reports,
accuracy, reliability, springs, spare parts,
troubleshooting and just sharing what
has ‘worked’ for me over the years are all
included along with a Frequently Asked
Questions chapter.”
Camp also compares the Hi Power to
several modern designs and discusses its
relevance, “with neither overenthusiastic
whitewashing nor unwarranted bash-
ing.” He added, “Many shooters consider
the Hi Power to be one of the best
semiautomatics to ever see the battlefield
or back alley and a worthy companion
if anywhere remotely near the Valley
of Death. This book is an attempt to
provide a high-quality ‘user’s manual’ and
respectful tribute to the gun.”
In that mission, Camp succeeded
splendidly, uncovering for others a host
of practical reasons why the High Power
can satisfy any serious handgunner’s
yearning for reliability, accuracy, quality
and style in a way that few other pistols
can. His book is an homage for a classic
to which many experienced shooters find
themselves drawn—and everyone should
be thankful that Camp was as well.
The Shooter’s Guide To The
Browning Hi Power, Revised Edition
is available for $30.95, shipping
included, within the continental
United States; (940) 367-1303;
hipowersandhandguns.com.
—BRIAN C. SHEETZ, SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR

28 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

PRODUCTS & PROJECTS
LIFE, LIBERTY
Rossi Rio Bravo & PURSUIT
A OF the
s an economical rimfire, the
Rossi Rio Bravo augments
the company’s R92 series of
center-fire, hammer-fired lever guns.
Chambered in .22 Long Rifle, the Rio
CMP M1
Bravo’s tubular magazine holds 15
rounds. The rifle measures 36" long
with an 18" barrel, and weighs in at
5 lbs., 8 ozs., empty. Two ver-
sions are available, both with a
polished black finish on their
receivers: a German beechwood-
stocked model with buckhorn
sights and a variant with black
polymer furniture and fiber-optic
sights. Price: $347. Contact:
Rossi USA; (800) 948-8029;
rossiusa.com.
TM

Ameristep Pro Series TO DO LIST:

Thermal Blind 1. Purchase CMP M1 Rifle
F
eaturing insulated fabric on its
walls, roof and windows, the 2. Practice Safety
Ameristep Pro Series Thermal
Blind offers comfort rarely encoun- 3. Practice Marksmanship
tered while hunting out in the field.
A five-sided design with a total of 12 4. Compete
windows and a four-person capac-
ity, the blind’s exterior is made of a
quilted 300-denier polyester fin-
ished in Mossy Oak’s Elements Terra
W W W. T H E C M P. O RG
camouflage pattern for effective
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concealment in a variety of terrains.
Ameristep’s black ShadowGuard interior
coating helps keep the hunter hidden
from his or her quarry by eliminating
shadows and silhouettes, and the blind’s
silent-slide windows and mesh can be
opened and closed without spooking
game. Price: $350. Contact: Ameristep;
(800) 847-8269; ameristep.com.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 29

 PRODUCTS & PROJECTS

TandemKross Sentinel
O
nce fieldstripped, reassem-
bly of the original P22 was
such a pain that Walther
would eventually address it by
releasing the re-designed P22 Q,
a model that features a much
simpler takedown procedure. But
owners of the older guns still
need to be able to clean their
pistols, and the TandemKross
Sentinel makes putting the .22
rimfire back together a breeze.
A stainless steel guide rod with
a captured spring, the Sentinel
replaces the overly long factory
action spring, and the rigidity it
provides results in more consis-
Uberti 1885 “Courteney” tent alignment of the slide and
.303 British Stalking Rifle the barrel from shot to shot. Price: $20.
Included quarter-rib comes
open-sighted and ready to Contact: TandemKross; (603) 369-7060;
accept Weaver-style rings. tandemkross.com.
Optional plain quarter-rib

Long Shot Precision

(for sight only) available as
accessory. 24" barrel, 7.1 lbs.

Adjustable Bag Rider

One of the most handsome production rifles
available today, the Uberti 1885 Courteney takes
you back to the golden age of African hunting.
It follows the graceful lines of premium London
single shots while giving you affordability with the

R
added convenience of a readily available British
classic caliber.
eplacing the lower Picatinny rail
support on the Ruger Precision
Rifle’s factory buttstock, the
Uberti-USA.com
Adjustable Bag Rider (ABR) from Long
Shot Precision is a vertical adjustment
tool that provides a high degree of
elevation control, while not requir-
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30 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Wilson Combat
10-Round, 9 mm ETM Compact Magazine
W
ilson Combat has been a pioneer in the realm of compact M1911 variants,
especially those chambered for 9 mm Luger. The firm is also known for manu-
facturing excellent M1911 magazines. Its 10-round 1911 Elite Tactical Magazine
(ETM) for compact (Officer’s model) frames is the result of that expertise. The single-
stack tubes are designed to be tough, and numbered witness holes and windows make
it easy to determine remaining capacity. As well, the followers have been engineered
to reliably feed a wide range of ammunition types, especially hollow points—no mean
feat for 9 mm 1911s—and a steel basepad both protects the tube when dropped
and also prevents over-insertion of the magazine during a reload. The magazines are
intended for personal, duty or competition use, and offer a bit of extra capacity com-
pared to the eight- or nine-round flush-fit options that are typically included with
compact guns. Price: $45. Contact: Wilson Combat; (800) 955-4856; wilsoncombat.com.

Darkeagle Custom Savage Extended Magazine

O
ffering patterns compatible with either Savage’s Model 110 or Axis families of center-
fire rifles, and in both short- and long-action variants, the Savage Extended Magazine
from Darkeagle Custom is an elongated detachable box that boosts the capacity of
non-magnum-chambered guns to 10 rounds. Utilizing the upper housing of a factory Savage
double-stack, center-feed magazine affixed to an extended 6061 aluminum baseplate, the
Darkeagle magazine features a black anodized finish, a machined aluminum follower and a
rear-facing witness slot. Our short-action sample magazine—compatible with the .308 Win.
family of cartridges—fed perfectly, extended less than 2" below the bottom of the stock and
required no modifications to the host Model 110’s bottom metal. Price: $95.
Contact: Darkeagle Custom Inc.; (607) 535-7858; darkeaglecustom.com.

9mm
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REPORTS | PRODUCTS & PROJECTS
One Take On A “General-Purpose” Handgun
W
hile thinking about the topic of the “general-
purpose” rifle, I began to consider what a corollary
handgun setup might look like—something useful for
everything from target shooting to self-defense to game hunt-
ing, along with protection in black bear or big-cat country.
It didn’t take long to realize that, for such a versatile role,
the revolver still has a lot to recommend it. A good example
will typically address the aforementioned requirements with an
excellent single-action trigger, good mechanical reliability, vast
ammunition options and greater power than semi-automatics
of comparable size. Granted, that’s not to suggest that a semi-
automatic couldn’t fill the general-purpose handgun role, but
that, for some, a revolver could be preferable.
Specifically, the project I envisioned involved starting with a
tough, easy-to-maintain, medium-frame revolver chambered in
.357 Mag. and featuring a fully adjustable rear sight, a “compro-
mise” barrel length of about 4" and, preferably, stainless steel
construction—all carried in one of two practical belt holsters
depending on the circumstances. As I thought about those pref-
erences, I settled on a platform with which I was quite familiar:
Ruger’s long-discontinued Security-Six. I had owned several
through the years, but eventually traded them in for sleeker,
more capacious semi-automatics. Still, the Six series (including
the fixed-sight Service and round-butt Speed) remains highly
regarded even today for several reasons: durability, even with
THE RIFLEMAN’S RIFLE.
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2.
1.
3.
the steady use of heavy loads;
maintainability, by way of a solid frame that can be
fieldstripped without tools; and shootability, thanks to
a smooth trigger of moderate weight.
4.
As good as the Security-Six is, though, I still felt it
could benefit from some carefully chosen enhancements.
The first was a DXW tritium Standard Dot front sight (1.)
and V-style, white stripe rear sight (2.) ($110) from XS Sights
(xssights.com). They make it easier to get the gun on target
quickly and still allow for fairly precise shooting at longer
ranges. There is a bit of handwork required to file the front
sight base to fit into the factory recess and then drill it through
to fit the factory roll pin, but the result is well worth the effort.
I also decided that a textured rubber Monogrip (3.) ($30)
from Hogue (hogueinc.com) would be more hand-filling
than the factory stocks and allow for a much more secure
purchase on the gun. Its rubberized exterior also mitigates
the recoil of heavy magnum loads and minimizes movement
of the gun in the hand as the trigger is pulled through its
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 5.

8.

6.

7.
9.

long double-action arc. I secured the Monogrip to the frame
with a Ruger/Hogue Lanyard Ring (4.) ($50) from custom
revolver icon Hamilton Bowen (bowenclassicarms.com).
Its stud threaded directly into the grip’s factory mount-
ing stirrup threads. Why a lanyard ring? On that I have
to agree with Bowen’s website, which states, “Gun reten-
tion is a vital concern for hand gunners in risky environ-
ments. Lanyards and lanyard rings are still the best way to
keep control of your sidearm when on horseback, around
water or in hostile circumstances.” The lanyard itself came
from a box of military surplus gear at a gunshow, and its
free-spinning snap clips directly onto the silver-soldered,
stainless steel ring.
After thinking about holsters for the Ruger, I settled on
two options—one for concealed carry and one for field use.
The first is a Thumb Break Scabbard (5.) ($79) from Desantis
(desantisholster.com), along with two of the company’s
Second Six Speedloader pouches (6.) ($52 each). Made of vege-
table-tanned cowhide with detailed boning, the set carries the
revolver and two MK3A polymer and aluminum speedloaders
hksspeedloaders.com) in a secure, low-
(7.) ($11) by HKS (hksspeedloaders.com)
profile manner on a good-quality 1½" gun belt. The second
rig was a flea market find UM84R military-style ballistic nylon
flap holster (8.) by Bianchi (safariland.com) that I paired
with a nylon HKS double speedloader holder (9.) ($15). It
complements the gun and speedloaders’ weather-resistant
qualities, keeping them protected and accessible on a nylon
belt, even if worn outside a parka in the foulest weather.
Swapping out ammunition types—or even alternating
them within the same cylinder—makes this a versatile rig
that can address a wide range of scenarios using everything
from personal defense loads to hunting types, such as shot
and hardcast. And while the entire outfit may not be as
compact or offer as many rounds onboard as one based on a
semi-automatic, it nonetheless serves quite well for “general-
purpose” use and is a fine-shooting, dependable, versatile
and powerful workhorse that has never let me down.
—BRIAN C. SHEETZ, SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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N A T I O N A L R I F L E A S S O C I A T I O N of A M E R I C A

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 33

 SU
W P
HANDLOADS

ER
W
RECIPE

.25-35 Winchester

25

IN
BULLET: HORNADY 117-GR. -3
INTERLOCK ROUND NOSE 5 W
PROPELLANT: H4895

M
ost every used-gun rack contains at least several Winchester Model 94s. CHARGE WEIGHT (GRAINS): 26.0
Most are chambered in .30-30 Win., but a surprising number are cham- PRIMER: WINCHESTER LARGE RIFLE
CASE: WINCHESTER
bered in .25-35 Win. Actually, quite a few rifles have been made to fire CASE TRIM-TO LENGTH: 2.033"
.25-35. Every so often a Savage 1899 or Winchester Model 1885 pops up. CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH: 2.550"
European drillings and single-shots also appear now and again, although usu- VELOCITY @ 10 FT. (F.P.S.): 2280*
ally under the 6.5x52 mm R designation. Winchester Repeating Arms made a MUZZLE ENERGY (FT.-LBS.): 1,350
ACCURACY: 1.87"**
limited-run Model 94 in .25-35 in 2005. All those rifles deserve to be shot, if for USES: DEER AND SMALL-GAME HUNTING
nothing else than to keep history alive. NOTES: LOADS FIRED THROUGH A
Bullets are limited for handloading .25-35 rifles with tubular magazines. WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 WITH A
That’s okay, because Hornady 117-gr. Round Nose bullets shoot accurately 20" BARREL AND OPEN SIGHTS.
and carry enough energy to accomplish everything expected of this little * AVERAGE OF NINE SHOTS.
** AVERAGE OF FIVE, THREE-SHOT
cartridge now celebrating its 125th anniversary. As far as I know, that bullet GROUPS AT 50 YDS.
weight is the only one that has ever been offered in .25-35 factory loads. TEMPERATURE: 7° F.
Seating the bullet so that its crimping cannelure is even with the case WARNING: Technical data and informa-
mouth provides a perfect overall cartridge length. The .25-35’s recoil is light, so tion contained herein are intended to
provide information based upon the
only a slight crimp of the case mouth is required. Light 60- and 75-gr. bullets limited experience of individuals under
can be used, but, because of their much higher velocities, rear iron sights often specific conditions and circumstances.
They do not detail the comprehensive
cannot be lowered enough to compensate for their elevated impacts. training, procedures, techniques and
Through the years, I’ve handloaded the Hornady bullets with seven safety precautions that are absolutely
propellants—from IMR 3031 on the fast-burning side to IMR 4320 necessary to properly carry on similar
activity. READ THE NOTICE AND DIS-
on the slow end. Hodgdon’s H4895 has provided the highest velocity CLAIMER ON THE CONTENTS PAGE OF
and best accuracy. A Winchester Model 94 carbine made in 2005 shot THIS MAGAZINE. ALWAYS CONSULT
Hornady bullets an average of 2295 f.p.s. using the recipe listed here. COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE
MANUALS AND BULLETINS OF PROPER
The figures for the recipe were gathered from shooting a Winchester TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, PROCE-
Model 1894 carbine made in 1909 that my grandmother kept close at DURES, TECHNIQUES AND SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS BEFORE ATTEMPTING
hand on her homestead—shooting it allows me to honor the old days. ANY SIMILAR ACTIVITIES.
—JOHN HAVILAND, FIELD EDITOR
Bad to the Bone
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 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

SILENCE . Clips, Chargers & Magazines

Q
What is the difference between a

DELIVERED. clip, a stripper clip and a maga-

zine? These terms seem to often
be used to describe the same thing.

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A
In order to properly answer
your question, a bit of back-
ground is necessary. A maga-
zine holds the cartridges for the
firearm. Basically, there are two types
of magazines: fixed (internal) and
detachable. Internal/fixed maga-
zines are commonly found in most
bolt-action military rifles, as well as
in a few semi-automatics, such as
the M1 Garand rifle. Detachable box
magazines are generally used in semi-
automatic pistols and rifles, automatic
rifles and most submachine guns and
selective-fire rifles.
The cartridges can be loaded
into the magazine individually or,
to speed up reloading, by means of
a clip. Again, there are two types
of clips. One is a “stripper clip,”
which is technically a “charger” or
“magazine charger.” One end of the
stripper clip/charger is typically
inserted into a slot in the top of the
receiver or attached to the top of
the detachable magazine, and the
cartridges are pushed down by hand
into the magazine and the empty
clip discarded. The other type of clip,
generally referred to as an “en bloc,”
is designed for the cartridges and the
clip to be inserted into the magazine,
and the empty clip ejected after the
rounds are fired. The most common
example of this type of clip is the
eight-round one used with the M1
Garand rifle, but there are others,
including the five-round clip used
with the M1895 6 mm Lee Navy rifle.
The empty M1 rifle clip is ejected
from the top of the receiver when the
last round is fired, while the empty
M1895 Lee Navy clip drops from a
slot in the bottom of the receiver.
Today, the terms “clip” and “maga-
zine” are often incorrectly used inter-
changeably, but, as can be seen, there
are distinct differences between the two.
—BRUCE N. CANFIELD, FIELD EDITOR

36 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

 DETACHABLE MAGAZINES

M1911 M1 CARBINE BAR

STRIPPER CLIPS/CHARGERS

M1903

THE FRANCHI MOMENTUM BOLT-ACTION RIFLE

FLUTED BOLT BODY, 3 LOCKING LUGS Feels right: like no other
rifle before, the Franchi
Momentum was created
M1, M2 CARBINE from the ground up on
ergonomics, fit and feel.
“EN BLOC” CLIPS With its 150-year tradition of
crafting fine Italian firearms,
MOMENTUM

Franchi knows that when

the gun feels right, the day,
the camaraderie and the
whole outdoor experience
will also feel right.

HAMMER-FORGED PRECISION BARREL, THREADED MUZZLE Features: Contoured stock

giving perfect hold in five
common shooting positions;
M1 GARAND M1895 LEE NAVY glass smooth action; one piece
bolt body; adjustable trigger
Examples of ammunition feed devices for (2 4 lbs.); recoil soaking TSA
pad; free floating, hammer
past U.S. military service arms include forged barrel; threaded muzzle.
FRANCHIUSA.COM

(top to bottom): detachable box maga-

zines used in semi-automatic pistols and
rifles, automatic rifles, and most subma- The Franchi Momentum is offered with a flat dark
earth or black synthetic stock. Available in the
chine guns and selective-fire rifles; stripper following calibers: .243 Win, .270 Win, .30-06,
NDUSTRY LEADING
7 YEAR WARRANTY

.308 Win, .300 Win Mag and 6.5 Creedmoor.

clips or “chargers,” which fall away upon
loading the arm; and “en bloc” clips that
typically eject from the gun once empty.
From the thousands of questions and letters on
guns, ammunition and their use that American
Rifleman receives every year, it publishes the
most interesting here. Receiving answers to
technical and historical questions is a privilege
reserved to NRA members. I AM A VETERAN
AND THIS
Jim Sursely
Questions must be in the form of letters addressed

IS MY VICTORY.
to: Dope Bag, NRA Publications, 11250 Waples
Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400; must contain the
member’s code line from an American Rifleman or
American Hunter mailing label or membership card; “My victory is proving that a disability is not a
must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed, limitation.” After losing an arm and both legs to
legal-size envelope; and must be limited to one a land mine, DAV helped Jim put life back together.
specific question per letter. Non-members may sub- Every year, DAV helps more than one million veterans
mit a question with a membership application. We of all generations in life-changing ways—connecting
cannot answer technical or historical questions by them to the health, disability, and financial benefits
telephone, email or fax, and we cannot place even they’ve earned. Help support more victories for
an approximate value on guns or other equipment. veterans. Go to DAV.org.
Please allow eight to 10 weeks for replies.
“Questions & Answers” is compiled by staff
and Contributing Editors: Bruce N. Canfield,
Michael Carrick, Garry James, Charles E. Petty,
John M. Taylor and John Treakle.

Photos by author AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 37

FAVORITE FIREARMS
A Winchester For Pigeons
I
got my first job as a pit boy
setting up clay pigeons for the
Wyoming State Trap Shoot. From
dawn to dusk, we opened the cases
of pigeons and loaded the traps. I
never thought I could ever get tired
of smelling spent shotgun shells, but I
was wrong; however, I earned $96 for
three days of work, which was a lot of
money for a skinny kid growing up in
Jackson, Wyo., in 1965.
One evening, as I exited the trap
house, I spied an unfired shotgun shell
among the piles of empty hulls. I asked
the boss if I could shoot it at a clay
pigeon, and he replied yes. Having no
gun of my own, he let me borrow one
NRA member photo
off the rack. I loaded the gun, called I cut my teeth on that little
for the bird and broke it! Nobody was shotgun, shooting ducks, geese,
more surprised than I was. That did pheasants, chukars, sage chickens and
it—I was definitely hooked. even clay pigeons. It was my constant
A day or two later, I proceeded to companion whenever I went afield.
a local gun shop with my parents in Nowadays, since I finally grew older
search of a shotgun. Hanging on the and got bigger, I did move up to a
wall were two that caught my eye. 12 gauge for most of my shotgun-
The shop owner didn’t recommend the ning activities, but nothing will ever
12-ga., 3" magnum, but he encouraged replace that little 20-ga. Model 12 as
me to check out a used Winchester my favorite firearm. It resides in my
Model 12 in 20 gauge. Priced at $110, vault now, long since retired and waiting
I was a little short, but mom and dad to be passed on to the grandchildren—
gladly chipped in, and the purchase but occasionally still fired and always
was made. I owned my very first shot- remembered fondly.
gun, and boy it was really something! SCOTT GANTENBEIN, WYOMING
Nearly every shooter has a favorite firearm. If you would like to share the experience of owning yours with
other American Rifleman readers, or on americanrifleman.org, send a sharp color photograph of the gun,
accompanied by its story in fewer than 400 words, with your name, address and daytime telephone number
to: Favorite Firearms, American Rifleman, National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-
9400, or email it to americanrifleman@nrahq.org. Photos and submissions cannot be returned and may be
edited for clarity and brevity.
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 Federal’s
Terminal Ascent
One Bullet To Rule Them All?
Federal Premium has taken the lessons learned from developing other projectiles and put them
into one hunting bullet—one intended to have a high ballistic coefficient, penetrate deep and
have a wide performance envelope. The company calls it Terminal Ascent.
BY MARK A. KEEFE, IV, Editor In Chief

40 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Photos courtesy of Federal and Jason Nash
 COVER STORY

o, Keefe, explain this to me. This new Terminal Ascent Building Federal’s Ultimate Hunting Bullet
stuff is supposed to be better, but I looked at the Federal uses the largest range of bul-
ballistic coefficient compared to Federal’s Edge TLR, lets in its factory-loaded ammunition
and it looks like it has a lower BC. What’s going on here?“ Those of any maker, including those from
words came from my friend and colleague Jon Draper, who is Barnes, Berger, Hornady, Nosler, Sierra,
the executive editor of American Hunter. He was about to head Swift and Woodleigh, depending on
out to the range with the then-just-released Federal Terminal the application. Federal, of course,
Ascent, and he had asked a very legitimate question. also makes quite a few of its own.
“Well Jon, what happens when a deer steps out at a Trophy Bonded bullets go back to
mere 25 yards? At that range you are asking TLR to do Jack Carter’s search for a projectile that
something it simply wasn’t designed to do,” I replied. would both penetrate and perform
“BC matters a lot, but it isn’t everything.” Looking at the under tough circumstances. Carter’s
.30-cal., 175-gr. bullets used in .30-’06 Sprg., the Trophy company was eventually acquired by
Bonded Long Range (TLR)—which is a superlative long-range Federal. In addition to the original
bullet—has a G1 (we’ll get to that in a minute) BC of 0.536, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, there
while Terminal Ascent’s is 0.520. Better right? Not necessarily. are the Trophy Bonded Tip, Trophy
It depends what you want from a hunting bullet. Copper, Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer
Today’s ballistic engineers and bullet designers are and Edge TLR. It’s kind of an in-house
very good, indeed. They can construct a bullet that can premium brand within a company
do pretty much anything—not necessarily everything, that already has “Premium” as the
though. Do you want it to expand at muzzle velocity? No back half of its name. And it is with
problem, we got you. Do you want it to expand when the the Trophy Bonded family that
bullet is down below 800 f.p.s. at 1,000 yds? Yep, we can Terminal Ascent began.
do that. But the design of hunting bullets is about limita-
tions and windows. Some performance windows—namely
penetration and expansion—are bigger than others.
Bullets, generally, have fallen into two categories. They
can be accurate or they can be tough. The line between
those two performance characteristics has been blurring,
and those, at times contrary, goals converge with Terminal
Ascent. Starting with an already tough bullet, a series of
features that improve external ballistic performance have
been added up to an impressive whole.
Ballistic coefficient (BC) is a measure of the bullet’s
ability to overcome air resistance while in flight. For many
years there was really just one BC, which is referred to
as G1 these days, based on bullet profiles of a previous
generation, often with flat bases. Today, there’s a different
model, the G7, based on more ballistically efficient boattail
bullets, and they behave differently in modeling than G1s,
but it is typically a numerically lower value.
The fact that Federal provides both G1 and G7 num-
bers for Terminal Ascent lets you know that these bullets
are, indeed, designed for long-range use. But, as we
shall see, they can do the job in up-close, high-velocity
impacts as well.
Terminal Ascent’s bonded lead core atop a copper shank is designed
to deliver deep penetration. A secant ogive, long boattail, SlipStream
polymer tip and AccuChannel grooves enhance exterior ballistics.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 41

FEDERAL TERMINAL ASCENT
FEDERAL TERMINAL ASCENT
.30-CAL. EXPANSION

“We have put all of the best features of any bullet all
into one bullet,” Federal’s President Jason Vanderbrink told
me. Like the Trophy Bonded bullets, Terminal Ascents have
a lead core chemically bonded to a solid copper shank,
and then the jacket is formed over the core. It’s a tough
bullet designed for deep, in-line penetration, but it was
not always the winner when it came to BC. That was bet-
tered with the Trophy Bonded Tip, which, you guessed it,
included a polymer tip. Then came the Edge TLR, which
was designed to be accurate but to perform penetration-
175-GR. AT 100 YDS. 200-GR. AT 100 YDS.
wise as a hunting bullet at long range.
With the Edge TLR, Federal put its proprietary ranges from near its muzzle velocity of 2750 f.p.s. down
SlipStream grooves on the shank, and such grooves are to 1350 f.p.s., which allows for expansion of the bullet
intended to decrease barrel wear and reduce fouling. from close range out to beyond 600 yds. It’s not magic,
Another thing they do is allow rifles that may not prefer just solid engineering.
monolithic bullets to be more accurate. Such grooves are As to weight retention, it is said to be in the 90 per-
not new, but Federal improved them by putting a radius cent range, with part of the loss being the SlipStream tip
on the rear edge, allowing the bullet to move through the itself. In the field, as recounted a little further down in
air more efficiently, reducing drag. It also allowed Federal the story, no one I know has recovered one of the bullets
to take the number of grooves from three to two—which in game. They are designed to expand and penetrate, and
improves the BC by about 5 percent. that is what they do, in spades. Determined to test the
Another feature is the AccuChannel tip, which we first available Terminal Ascent loads at realistic hunting ranges
saw on the Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR. Obviously, with a variety of rifles, I enlisted the aid of several col-
plastic tips on bullets have been around since the pio- leagues (more on that later). During that shoot we recov-
neering Sierra Ballistic Tip, but AccuChannel is different ered a few examples from the earthen backstop at both
because it actually has a tubular, hollow cavity within the 100 and 300 yds. And while dirt is not a good ballistic
tip itself. The nose is closed off to raise the bullet’s BC, but test medium—it can be quite destructive—it managed to
it breaks off and then helps initiate expansion at velocities preserve some bullets that exhibited pronounced and uni-
as low as 1400 f.p.s. The polymer material of the Slipstream form expansion, with petals remaining peeled fully back.
does not deform in flight, and it doesn’t start softening
until it reaches 434° F, which is higher in temperature
than the bullet will reach in flight.
Terminal Ascent bullets have a small-for-diameter
meplat and a secant ogive to increase the BC, but a closer
look at the ogive reveals skives put in during the manufac-
turing process that control expansion of the petals under
impact. The number of petals varies from bullet to bullet.
Catching rifle bullets in ballistic gelatin isn’t some-
thing we are set up to do, but in looking at Federal’s
high-speed photography it’s clear that, despite their
accuracy-enhancing features, these bullets indeed pro-
duce that straight, deep penetration that Jack Carter was
looking for in the first place. The 175-gr., .30-’06 Sprg.
Terminal Ascent load’s window for reliable expansion

Bullets include (l. to r.):

0.264", 130-gr.; 0.277",
136-gr.; 0.284", 155-gr.;
and 0.308", 175-gr.
Initial factory loadings
consist of (l. to r.):
6.5 mm Creedmoor,
.30-’06 Sprg.,
.300 WSM and
.300 Win. Mag.

42 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Photo by Forrest MacCormack

 Other premium features built into Terminal Ascent
include nickel-plated cases, which are not only shiny and
pretty, but provide increased lubricity in a rifle’s action
compared to standard brass and are more resistant to the
elements. And then there is nickel-plating on the bullet
itself, which helps give the loaded cartridge its distinctive
appearance. After looking into the barrels of the rifles we
tested to determine if the bullets’ nickel plating reduced
fouling, it appeared as though there was some present but
that it was a different color than typical—as in copper
and nickel. I had to ask Federal what the nickel added
to a bullet’s internal, external and terminal ballistics. It
turns out it’s … cosmetic. Indeed, it makes the all-nickel
bullet and case with its distinctive blue tip stand out
from the crowd—especially when contrasted with the
bright blue of the AccuChannel tip. Federal also uses its
Gold Medal primers and then uses a primer sealant to
make sure no moisture gets into the case.
Propellants are optimized for each chambering, and
velocities tend to run on the higher side for bullet
weights, which tend to be heavy-for-caliber. There were
signs that the loadings are stout—although we expe-
rienced no sticky bolts whatsoever, we did note slight
flattening of primers in their pockets with all loads tested
save the 6.5 mm Creedmoor.
Photo by Inigo Falache
“We Have A Nice Horse For You To Ride”
I was invited by my longtime friend Jason Nash,
Federal’s senior marketing director for ammunition, to hunt
with him and Vanderbrink for the Spanish ibex grand slam
in December of last year with Francisco Rosich’s Hunt Trip
Spain (hunttripspain.com). My schedule didn’t permit
me to do the entire grand slam, but I was able to hunt the
Gredos and Southeastern—two of the four.
I will pretty much go anywhere with Nash, whom I
have known for about two decades, but I had not really
gotten to know Vanderbrink yet and wasn’t sure what to
expect. But I soon found that anyone who spends a week
or two with him will likely get to know him very well. He’s
not the typical company president and is one of the most
energetic guys you’ll ever meet. There’s no middle ground
 TERMINAL ASCENT TERMINAL ASCENT FACTORY LOADINGS
CHAMBERING BULLET WEIGHT G1 BC G7 BC
(GRAINS)
6.5 MM CREEDMOOR 120 0.532 0.263
6.5 MM PRC 130 0.532 0.263
.270 WIN. 136 0.493 0.247
.270 WSM 136 0.493 0.247
28 NOSLER 155 0.586 0.300
.280 ACKLEY IMPROVED 155 0.586 0.300
7 MM REM. MAG. 155 0.586 0.300
.308 WIN. 175 0.520 0.258
.30-’06 SPRG. 175 0.520 0.258
.300 WIN. MAG. 200 0.608 0.304
.300 WSM 200 0.608 0.304

TERMINAL ASCENT COMPONENT BULLETS

BULLET DIAMETER BULLET WEIGHT G1 BC G7 BC
(GRAINS)
0.264 130 0.532 0.263
0.277 136 0.493 0.247
with Vanderbrink—you’re either all in or you’re out—and
0.284 155 0.586 0.300
that is how he tasked his engineers to design Terminal
Ascent. Although he heads one of the big three ammuni- 0.308 175 0.520 0.258
tion makers, when workers in Anoka called in sick or were 0.308 200 0.608 0.304
quarantined with COVID-19, Vanderbrink could be found
with his sleeves rolled-up, packing ammunition in the a Southeastern at 240 yds. and a Gredos at 330 yds.
plant alongside his workers. He is a gun guy, and a hunter Upon arriving in Spain, it took a day to get the jet lag out of
through and through. He just happens to be really good at us, but as we were sitting down after dinner Inigo Falache—one
sales and running an ammunition company, too. of the finest guides with whom I have ever hunted—turned
Vanderbrink put his money where his mouth is on to me and said, “We have a nice horse for you to ride.” Well,
Terminal Ascent last hunting season. Using a Weatherby I’m sure the horse—by the way, its name is Monaco—is very
Mk V in 6.5 mm-284 Norma with a 130-gr. Terminal Ascent nice, but what neither Falache or Monaco knew was that the
load from Federal’s Custom Shop (federalpremium.com), last time I was on one was at a third-grade birthday party. And
he took a desert big horn sheep at 116 yds., a Yukon moose if there’s anything more terrifying than climbing a moun-
at 360 yds., a Utah mule deer at 156 yds. and a Texas tain, it’s getting on a horse to climb a mountain, then letting
whitetail at 140 yds. In Spain, he took the Spanish ibex the horse climb it for you when you have a fundamental igno-
grand slam with a Beceite at 100 yds., a Ronda at 100 yds., rance of the ways of both horses and mountains.

Federal’s Jason Vanderbrink

has used Terminal Ascent from
the Yukon on moose to Spain
for Gredos ibex (above, l.).
Thirteen factory loads and five
component bullets are offered.

44 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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 We started out hunting in the Encinoso hunting area for
Gredos ibex. To be forthright, thanks to the altitude, lack of
oxygen, terrain, dehydration and my admitted lack of condi-
tioning, it was the hardest day of hunting I have ever experi-
enced. As the sun was already behind an adjoining mountain,
it took three shots to anchor a nice Gredos, the first of which
was a little far back at 346 yds. Not the rifle or bullet’s fault,
it was totally mine that it didn’t drop on the first shot. The
third was just to make sure it went no further up or down the
mountain. All were pass-throughs with no bullets recov-
ered. This was followed by a moonlight trip back down the
mountain—if it weren’t for Inigo and Monaco, I’d probably
still be up there. A few days later in the Sierra Nevada on my
Southeastern ibex, thanks to Falache and Alfonso Cabrera, it
was a much easier one-shot 185-yd. chip shot from the prone.
Best of all, no horses were involved.
the 300 WSM; a Benelli Lupo and a Ruger American Rifle in
.30-’06 Sprg; and a Bergara B14 and the same Weatherby
Mark V Ti I took to Spain, both in 6.5 mm Creedmoor. All
the guns were fired with the scopes listed on the next
page—24X target scopes on each would have made the job
a little easier, but would not have been as practical. We had
the guns bagged both front and rear for the accuracy por-
tion, and at times bullets were in the same hole or tightly
clustered for three shots, but our five-shot group protocol is
tough—especially for guns with feathery barrels.

Tennis Balls Should Be Very Afraid

Back home, and some months later, I organized a trip
to Peacemaker National Training Center in West Virginia
(peacemakernational.com) to see how Terminal Ascent
factory loads would perform out of six hunting rifles in three
different chamberings. The guns ranged from lightweight
mountain rifles to heavy-barrel guns and were shot by four
NRA staffers—Editorial Director John Zent, Senior Executive
Editor Brian Sheetz, Associate Editor Christopher Olsen and
myself. As Sheetz noted, the group had more than 100 years
of combined experience testing rifles and ammunition. We
fired five of the six rifles at 100 yds.—Zent had already done
the accuracy work on the Benelli Lupo for his story on p. 50
of this issue—recording the results of five consecutive, five-
shot groups with each rifle. There were no ringers thrown
in, as these guns were scoped up and then chronographed
and rough zeroed before we departed. We selected: a Kimber
Mountain Ascent and a Savage Model 110 High Country for

46 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

 TRAVELER’S
BERGARA B14, 6.5 MM CREEDMOOR
GUIDE TO THE
FIREARM LAWS
OF THE
WEATHERBY MARK V BACKCOUNTRY TI, 6.5 MM CREEDMOOR FIFTY STATES
PLUS Canada and Mexico

BENELLI LUPO, .30-’06 SPRG.

A state-by-state guide to the gun

laws most useful to the traveler
RUGER AMERICAN RIFLE, .30-’06 SPRG. WRITTEN BY AN ATTORNEY

KIMBER MOUNTAIN ASCENT, .300 WSM

2020 researched and written by

J Scott Kappas Esq

SAVAGE 110 HIGH COUNTRY, .300 WSM

• Concealed carry reciprocity
• Vehicle carry (loaded gun O.K.?)
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BARREL/RIFLESCOPE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE • Prohibited areas- gun-free zones
6.5 MM CREEDMOOR/BERGARA B14/22" BUTTON-RIFLED, 1:8" RH TWIST/ • Open carry on your person
MEOPTA OPTIKA6 3-18X 50 MM • Self-defense rules for travelers
• How to handle a traffic stop
130-GR. TERMINAL 2836 AVG. 2,321 1.02 1.97 1.60 • RV and motorcycle carry
ASCENT BTT 10 SD
6.5 MM CREEDMOOR/WEATHERBY MARK V BACKCOUNTRY TI/22" BUTTON-RIFLED,
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130-GR. TERMINAL 2848 AVG. 2,341 1.05 2.69 1.84
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.30-’06 SPRG./*BENELLI LUPO/22" COLD-HAMMER-FORGED, 1:11" TWIST/ Includes online updates!
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2709 AVG.
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2,851 0.60 1.09 0.94 ONLY $14.95
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.30-’06 SPRG./RUGER AMERICAN RIFLE/22" COLD-HAMMER-FORGED, 1:8" RH TWIST/ Add $4 for 1st class mail
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175-GR. TERMINAL 2721 AVG. 2,877 1.42 2.38 2.08 Traveler’s Guide
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P.O. Box 2156
.300 WSM/KIMBER MOUNTAIN ASCENT/24" BUTTON-RIFLED, 1:10" RH TWIST/ Covington, KY 41012
TRACT RESPONSE 2.5-10X 42 MM
200-GR. TERMINAL 2867 AVG. 3,650 1.39 2.57 2.10
ASCENT BTT 10 SD
.300 WSM/SAVAGE 110 HIGH COUNTRY/24" BUTTON-RIFLED, 1:10" RH TWIST/
BUSHNELL FORGE 3-18X 50 MM
200-GR. TERMINAL 2850 AVG. 3,607 0.95 1.62 1.30
ASCENT BTT 12 SD
NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER AN OEHLER 36 CHRONOGRAPH
AT 15 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 100 YDS. FROM
A SANDBAG REST. TEMPERATURE: 100° F. HUMIDITY: 41%. ABBREVIATIONS: BTT (BOATTAIL Exp. date
TIPPED), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION).* LUPO ACCURACY RESULTS FIRED SEPARATELY, SEE P. 53.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 47

 FEDERAL TERMINAL ASCENT
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• USMC leather sheath
• Stainless steel blade
Item #17 UC3092
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But that was only part of what
we are there to accomplish. We then
began shooting steel plates, some
as a small as 6", at 300 yds. It was
at this longer range that Terminal
Ascent really shined. With the
Weatherby I was able to ring the 6"
gong with near-monotonous regu-
larity. I went nine for 10. We then
moved to the tennis balls suspended
on strings from the target frames.
Olsen went four out of five with the
Lupo, and the other rifles were not
far behind. Just in case you’re won-
dering, a tennis ball by regulation
only measures 2.575" across. Each of
the rifles was capable of making that
shot, time after time.
Conditions, to be frank, were far
from ideal. Wind wasn’t a factor,
until the thunderstorms rolled in
toward the end of the day, but we
had another issue to face. As we
went to have a look at the steel
during a break, we hopped in my
truck and its thermometer indicated
100° F. By the time we got down to
the target frames, it cooled to a far
more palatable 99° F with only 42
percent humidity.
That heat meant that it was
difficult to get the barrels to really
cool down, but given the conditions
I was pleased with the groups and
even more so with the performance
of the ammunition. There were no

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 Trim and Mow the EASY Way with a
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malfunctions of any sort. Of the 620 on Wheels!
LASTING cord (up to • Rated #1 in vacuum power!
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total rounds brought to the range, to change! • Huge capacity.
we returned with only one box of 10 MODELS • Stores flat in minutes.
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overlooked. Propelled, Tow-
Behind (for ATV) Walk-Behind
From non-bench positions, we also and PTO!
worked the steel. Olsen rang the 24" • Easy on/off collector bags

1B391A © 2020
1B391B © 2020
hold up to 8 bushels!
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• Perfect for landscaped
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There are bullets with higher
BCs in Federal‘s catalog, as well as
bullets that will penetrate deeper,
but it is the blending of those two
things that makes Terminal Ascent
likely the most broadly applicable
big-game hunting bullet developed
to date. It has nearly the ballistic
performance of a match bullet with-
out the fragility.
And that box of .300 WSM? Well,
let’s just say it won’t make it past RATON, NEW MEXICO
this season as it shoots sub-minute
of angle through my Melvin Forbes
Ultra Light Arms.
America’s Greatest
For more information, contact
Shooting Destination
Federal Premium at (800) 379-1732 or
go to federalpremium.com.

This series demonstrates the expansion of

Terminal Ascent’s 200-gr., .300 Win. Mag.
loading. At left is the result of a simulated
1,250-yd. impact at 1480 f.p.s. Below is
the result of a 50-yd. impact at 2750 f.p.s.
www.nrawc.org
800-494-4853
NRA Whittington Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
operating solely on donations and range and program fees.
See our website to become a Whittington visitor and supporter.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 49

COVER STORY

BENELLI LUPO
A Lone-Wolf Approach To A High-Tech Bolt Gun
You read that right, the Italian firm best known for shotguns now has a bolt-action rifle, and its
engineers have applied all their hard-earned lessons on recoil control and gun fit to produce an
innovative platform that shoots remarkably well.
BY JOHN ZENT, Editorial Director

50 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Photo by Forrest MacCormack

 hen it comes to dominant hunting-rifle forms,
we’re in a transitional period from classic
to tactical—from a piece of furniture to a
machine. Long-range mania has spawned a
wave of bull-barreled, heavy-stocked turnbolts, but the
classic form isn’t going away easily, having grabbed a
lifeline from a plain, but wonderfully affordable, new
breed built by efficient lean manufacturing. Both styles
function perfectly well, and while each has its pros and
cons, there’s enough performance overlap to ensure the
ultimate goal—hits on game.
Just don’t tell Benelli these are the only ways to
build an excellent rifle, because its new bolt-action
Lupo is neither, and based on everything we’ve seen at
the range and in the field, it too is a hitter.
The renowned shotgun maker is among several
firearm brands venturing into categories outside their
acknowledged expertise, a move that puts Benelli into
direct competition with other notables taking their
first swings at making bolt rifles, plus dozens that have
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG
been in this space long-term. I don’t have the numbers
to back it up, but I do believe the bolt-action market
has never offered so many choices as right now—which
makes it a great time to be a buyer.
While nearly all shooters know Benelli for its
extensive shotgun offerings, led by the influen-
tial inertia-driven Super Black Eagles, not even all
Benelli diehards will know the Lupo isn’t the Italian
maker’s first or only hunting rifle. That would be
the semi-automatic R1 introduced in 2002, a design
clearly related to the category-winning smoothbores.
A bulging waistline (the magazine/trigger area)
gives the otherwise trim R1 an ungainly look that
belies what a smooth shooter and slick handler it
is, key traits for its original objective as a rapid-fire
interceptor of Old World driven boar. After using
it the fall after its introduction to take a couple
stateside deer, I was duly impressed, but American
riflemen interested in a self-loader largely looked
elsewhere, namely to AR-15s.
The Lupo (wolf in Italian) falls farther from the tree,
but still leverages the family DNA to excel in its own
bright way. Unlike many newcomers that have focused on
heavy-barreled, tactical-stocked, 1,000-yd. tack-drivers,
Benelli decided to do more than put its stamp on an
established template. Instead, it has gone all-in on a
well-balanced 7-lb. sporter that emphasizes handling
ergonomics, complemented by fresh, modern styling.
Right off the bat you’ll notice the two-piece stock, fea-
turing a buttstock squarely attached behind the trigger
guard, plus a separate fore-end that neatly joins angled
metalwork in the front. Nearly all shotguns have such
stocks, and so do many straight-pull, single-shot and
semi-automatic rifles, but, for a turnbolt, it’s rare.
SEPTEMBER 2020 51
 BENELLI LUPO

The Lupo’s most striking innovation, and a key to maximiz-
ing accuracy, is a two-piece receiver, which bears resemblance
to the upper/lower structure found in AR-type rifles in that
it provides greater stability—and thus greater shot-to-shot
consistency—than mating a barreled action directly to stock
material. Benelli calls the alloy lower part a “chassis,” and
indeed it’s a bridge between the mini-chassis or bedding
blocks found in some rifle stocks and popular full-on chassis
Photo by author
models, but makes for a sleeker profile and helps keep weight
in check. Free up two action screws, and the upper receiver,
bolt, trigger unit and barrel lift right out, revealing a trans-
verse steel recoil lug trapped in the forestock to mate with a
corresponding slot near the front of the receiver.
The hardened-steel upper receiver contains a fat-bodied,
smooth-gliding bolt bearing three locking lugs, which yield
the quick-cycling stroke now in favor. After hammer-forging

Benelli's Fusion Of Art And Technology

B
enelli’s hometown of Urbino,
Italy, dates from Roman times
and is known as a center of art
and culture, a history that hit a high
point during the Renaissance when
the painter Raffaello lived there. The
town’s old hilltop quarter is a virtual
portal to an earlier time, but that
surely isn’t the case at Benelli, where
digitized engineering and machining
centers, material-handling robotics,
laser scanners and touch probes and
highly skilled technicians work seam-
lessly to build product. The consensus
of American Rifleman editors who’ve
visited is that it is the world’s most
technologically advanced commercial
gun factory.
With Benelli playing a key role, yet
another renaissance is taking place,
but like so much of present-day Italian
art, it’s neither ornamental nor rooted
in the past, but instead is manifested
through industrial design, where the
goal is to create works of functional
beauty, ranging from architecture and
furniture, to Ferraris and firearms. The
genius occurs when stylistic elements
directly contribute to enhanced perfor-
mance. Here are three more examples
worth highlighting.
a section at the rear is sculpted into
four flat faces. While it looks sexy, it’s
not just eye candy. Creating additional
clearance for the loaded magazine to
protrude deeper into the receiver cavity
allows the Lupo to carry a five-round
magazine rather than a four-rounder,
and yet from the outside, the fit is flush.
The resulting detachable box also loads
and unloads without a struggle, and
feeding from it was faultless.
2. As noted above, the trigger guard,
integral to the alloy chassis, is canted in
relation to the rifle’s general horizontal
orientation. It’s one of several unorthodox
lines that give the Lupo a racy look, but
it also accommodates trigger placement
that is higher and further to the rear than
normal. The center of the blade is 2.20"
below the bore axis, closer than with any
of my similarly sized bolt guns, and proved
to be very comfortable and controllable.
Trigger reach is one of the dimensions
shooters can adjust to personal preference.
3. This is speculative, but we can’t
help but note the Lupo’s potential
for modularity. Along with numer-
ous ways to custom-fit the stock,
the barreled action lifts right out of
the lower receiver or chassis, mak-
ing for easy, if costly, barrel and/
or cartridge change. More practical
would be swapping out the stock
sections, though given the original’s
super-adjustability, one would have
to desire a substantial change, like a
thumbhole model or one made from a
different material such as wood. It’s
a good bet that as Benelli expands
model variants, existing owners will
be interested in retrofitting.
1.

1. While half the chrome-finished bolt

stem matches the round receiver’s inside
diameter to ensure smooth running, 2. 3.

52 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

BENELLI LUPO

IMPORTER: BENELLI USA (DEPT. AR), 17603 INDIAN HEAD HIGHWAY, ACCOKEEK, MD 20607; (301) 283-6981; BENELLIUSA.COM
42.38"
1.50" 1.50"
22"
13.63"
MAGAZINE: FIVE-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX
TRIGGER: SINGLE-STAGE, ADJUSTABLE;
RECEIVER: STEEL; MATTE BLUED 3-LB., 8-OZ. PULL WEIGHT
STOCK: SYNTHETIC W/MODULAR COMBTECH SIGHTS: NONE; TWO-PIECE PICATINNY RAIL
MANUFACTURER: BENELLI ARMI, CHEEK PAD, AIRTOUCH GRIP SURFACES, WEIGHT: 7 LBS.
S.P.A. (ITALY) PROGRESSIVE COMFORT RECOIL SYSTEM ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, SHIM KIT,
ACTION TYPE: BOLT-ACTION, CENTER-FIRE BARREL: STEEL; CRIO-TREATED, STOCK SPACERS, COMBTECH CHEEK PAD,
REPEATING RIFLE 5/8X24 TPI THREADED MUZZLE LOCK
CHAMBERING: .30-‘06 SPRG. RIFLING: FOUR-GROOVE; 1:11" RH TWIST MSRP: $1,699

and polishing, Lupo barrels are sub- SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.)
jected to Benelli’s proprietary CRIO .30-’06 SPRG. VEL. @ 15' ENERGY GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
deep-freeze treatment that makes the CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
steel’s surface structure more uniform. FEDERAL PREMIUM 2709 AVG. 2,851 0.60 1.09 0.94
The barrel-receiver union relies on 175-GR. TA 15 SD
a prominent barrel extension whose FEDERAL PREMIUM 2709 AVG. 2,688 0.56 1.12 0.98
full diameter is 1.205" where it screws 165-GR. TBT 10 SD
into the receiver body, a feature that,
HORNADY PH 2656 AVG. 2,788 0.63 1.18 0.92
Benelli says, “creates an unaltered 178-GR. ELD-X 15 SD
chamber and perfect alignment.”
AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 0.95
The barrel tapers down to 0.655" at a
muzzle cap, which protects factory-cut N OTES : MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER AN OEHLER 36 CHRONOGRAPH AT

5/8x24 TPI threads and forms a tidy 15 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 100 YDS. FROM A
SANDBAG REST. TEMPERATURE: 70° F. HUMIDITY: 31%. ABBREVIATIONS: ELD-X (EXTREMELY
recessed crown. The resulting barrel LOW DRAG-EXPANDING), PH (PRECISION HUNTER),SD (STANDARD DEVIATION), TA (TERMINAL
contour approximates the Remington ASCENT), TBT (TROPHY BONDED TIP).
No. 2 sporter and is as heavy as you’ll
find on production guns in the Lupo’s weight class. website already lists .270 Win. and .300 Win. Mag. chamber-
Though drilled and tapped for no less than six No. 8-40 ings, and more are sure to follow.
screws that will ensure secure scope mounting, the Lupo Range sessions with heavy .30-’06 hunting loads produced
ships with two short, pre-installed Picatinny rails to make more sub-minute-of-angle groups than not, a handful that
that chore even easier. The rifle’s centrally located safety is were closer to a half-minute, and only four of 75 total shots
a rounded slider that sits where the tang would be if there could have been considered fliers, and likely the shooter’s
was one, conveniently placed for thumb operation. Just fault (see accompanying table). It appears to us that from
above it is a bright red-dot cocking indicator that protrudes sandbags, the Lupo can hold its own with any mid-to-light-
from the rearmost curve of a stippled bolt shroud. Also weight hunting rifle, even custom jobs costing twice as much.
installed is the proprietary Perfect Shot Trigger, which can be But it was also clear that this is a rifle meant for real time
set by the owner to break between 2 lbs., 4 ozs. and 4 lbs., afield, to be counted on when matters are fluid and exciting.
7 ozs. Our loaner, chambered for .30-’06 Sprg., came with For now, the Lupo comes only in black synthetic livery that
a trigger that broke neatly at 3 lbs., 8 ozs., with minimal matches the metalwork’s black matte finish and is sculpted
overtravel, a delight to all who
fired it. By the way, the company

The Lupo benefits from its shotgun stablemates’ use of shims

to effect drop and cast changes (top), along with a CombTech
cheek pad and Progressive Comfort recoil pad fittings that help to
mitigate the kick of even magnum rifle cartridges.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 53

BENELLI LUPO
so that the shooter’s hands wrap comfortably around gripping
areas dressed in the maker’s AirTouch stippling, including a
minimalist, flared fore-end reminiscent of a double gun. The
stock provides three sling attachment points. Sure to grab
attention, the trigger sits high in a uniquely canted guard, a
distinctive look that minimizes strain on the shooter’s wrist.
Fitted inside the buttstock is a rifle version of Benelli’s
Progressive Comfort onboard recoil-reduction system that
uses interlocking buffers to absorb rearward thrust. It adds
little if any weight and is noticeable only via a slim window
through the rubber buttpad. Another nod to shooter com-
fort is the crushable, interchangeable CombTech cheekpad
that ensures natural sight alignment and is available in two
sizes. Both features were co-opted from Benelli shotguns,
and effectively tamed the kick from a .30-’06 round just
as they do from a 12-ga. shotshell. We don’t have a way to
measure it, but are convinced the recoil-arrestors helped
our shooting consistency, especially at the range.
Buyers also get a variety of shims and spacers that allow
owners to personalize length of pull, drop and hand angle
to their stature and preferences, what the company calls
Perfect Fitting, and with 36 possible configurations, the
superlative does fit. Top-rated chassis stocks also facilitate
shooter comfort with numerous ergonomic adjustments, but
strive to provide interface with a platform optimized for
purposeful shooting from rested positions. Benelli’s answer
is an adaptable glove-like fit for all situations, including a
natural balance for when the rifle must come up fast, settle
instantly in improvised field positions, and practically
point like a shotgun.
54 SEPTEMBER 2020
The Lupo’s cylindrical receiver is
anchored to its synthetic stock by
two action screws that pass through
imbedded steel pillars and by a
steel recoil lug at the receiver ring
(arrow). A modular trigger assem-
bly with a sliding safety is pinned
to the receiver (top).
Striking A Balance
So why would big-game hunters want a rifle that handles
like a shotgun? Is that about shooting running game? Possibly,
but there’s more to it than that. Spot-and-stalk hunting in big,
wild country typically requires many tough miles hiking and
carrying one’s rifle before encountering game. Sometimes those
encounters result in deliberate shots from supported positions,
but often as not, in my experience, the hunter must react at
once. The lightweight Lupo won’t slow you down, either on the
march or when you have to climb and hustle to reach a distant
quarry, and will shoulder quickly and intuitively when your
only option is to shoot right away.
Rifle-handling dynamics have been a sore subject since
a missed opportunity at a whopper moose a few years
ago. My 8-lb., 12-oz. long-range rifle, topped by two more
pounds of glass, was lights-out at the range, but when an
approaching bull suddenly changed course and forced me
to hop up and side-step for a clear lane and an offhand
shot, it was nothing but awkward. When I finally got the
bull in the scope, he looked like a runaway train, and there
went my chance. Blown stalks happen, but in that case, I
took a risk using a rifle that, as our outfitter remarked at
the sight-in bench, was “unsuitable.”
Contrast that to my introductory hunt with the Lupo last
fall. Mostly I posted in a tree stand bordering a Nebraska
cornfield in hopes a husky whitetail would happen by. Though
unprepared to shoot the entire 500-plus yds. out to the center
pivot, I was confident for much of that distance. By the last
day, however, I was ready to gamble, so the guide and I hiked
out to the pivot before sunup, only to discover the two deer
spotted in the moonlight were youngsters. When we turned to
leave opportunity knocked—a heavyweight buck hustling a
doe at top speed, nearly on us. Up came the rifle, and I swung
as they passed. The hit—low in the chest—rocked the buck,
and I kept tracking and fired again to drop him in the stubble.
The dilemma for all big-game hunters at a time when
so many fine rifles are available is finding one that best
fits the opportunities we work hard to achieve. Long-shot
scenarios aren’t unusual, but neither are close-up, fast-
unfolding encounters where rifle-handling prowess makes
the difference. And then many hunters seek a dependable,
manageable tool for the short- to medium-range pokes
presented from their deer and bear stands. So how about a
rifle that does it all? Based on what I’ve seen, the Lupo is
both a shooter and a hunter that will help lots of us come
home with the game we want.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
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POWER PAIR
FN 509C AND 503

The 509C and 503 are both worthy entries

in the concealed carry market—the first
as a full-featured compact that borders on
subcompact territory, and the second as a
capable, single-stack micro.
BY JUSTIN DYAL, Field Editor

abrique Nationale (FN) was once synonymous with
small, high-quality concealable pistols. At the dawn
of the 20th century, FN was a major player in the
formative semi-automatic carry pistol market and was the
European benefactor of John M. Browning’s design genius. The
FN 1900 was the debut vehicle for the .32 ACP cartridge and
Browning’s patent for the enclosed slide. The little .32 was an
immediate hit, and an ornate Model 1900 was associated with
none other than Theodore Roosevelt as his bedside gun. The
Browning-designed Model 1910 was a refined and concealable
.380 ACP, which was even more popular, particularly across
Europe, and introduced a number of features that were copied
on numerous pistols afterward. So, from a long view of the
brand, it has been an anomaly for FN to have been largely
absent from the contemporary concealed carry market. The
509 Midsize introduced last year began to rectify that, and,
now, the introduction of two new models targets two of the
most popular segments within the carry market: the full-
featured compact and the single-stack micro-compact.
The 509C miniaturizes the proven 509 platform while
retaining all its features in a 12-round-capacity carry pis-
tol chambered in 9 mm Luger. The 503 is a new entry that
borrows cues and the bloodline of the 509s to compete in
the slimline 9 mm category.

56 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Photo by author

 HANDGUN

The author found that,

despite its small size,
the single-stack 503
(bottom, l.) shot quite
well. Taking advantage
of FN’s robust and well-
thought-out mounting
plate system, he fitted
the 509C (top, l.) with
an Aimpoint Acro P-1.
The gun’s dustcover rail
also allows the mount-
ing of a light, such as
the Streamlight TLR-7A
shown here.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 57

FN 509C & 503
FN 509C
Looking at the 509C it is pretty easy to imagine the
design parameters that the brass gave to the engineering
team: “Reduce the 509 as much as possible while keeping
it shootable and compatible with all of the major white
lights and red-dot optics.” The little pistol flirts at the
margins of what’s considered “compact” and “subcompact,”
as the terms are commonly used. The 509 Compact is just big
enough to retain rail space for the predominant Surefire and
Streamlight weapon lights. This is somewhat uncommon across
platforms in this size class, with many requiring smaller and
less capable lights to adapt to shorter accessory rail space.
The compact uses the same optic-mounting system that
made its debut on the 509 Tactical, incorporating several
plates that allow the majority of common optics to thread
through the polymer riser cover and fasten directly from
the optic into the slide itself. The bulk of the recoil is
absorbed onto a common “puzzle piece” plate separate from
the riser that is tensioned by a small O-ring and has its own
recoil lug. It is a slick arrangement that keeps the optics
snug and protected. There is a cover plate for those shooters
who simply want to use the robust, suppressor-height iron
sights in the traditional manner, but the FN is one of the few
factory-optics-ready platforms in its size bracket.
The now-common slide-mounted-optic concept was
an FN innovation that launched with the FNP 45 for the
defunct military Joint Combat Pistol program trials. FN feels
like it had the advantage with the optic mounting and has
moved into more or less the third generation of solutions,
wherein the bulk of the market is still on “first generation”-
style adapter plates. FN has patents covering the mounting
system, and it is well-designed and robust.
During the course of a media launch event for the
58 SEPTEMBER 2020
pistols, a dozen or so compacts were outfitted with
Trijicon RMRs and SROs, Holosuns, and the new Aimpoint
Acro P-1. Each mounted simply and made it through
a heavy shooting day with no loosening of screws or
mount-related issues. Loosening screws and mounting
issues are one of the primary drawbacks to pistol-mounted
miniature red-dot sights (MRDS in military parlance), and
FN has a standout arrangement.
FN arranged a day and night shoot for a group of writers
centered on application of the pistol-mounted optic so we
could experience the 509C as a purpose-built compact optic
platform. The optic offsets the short sight radius of the
3.7" barrel and allows the compact to hit out of propor-
tion to its size. I’ve previously seen some of the shooters
at the launch event on other pistol platforms and, across
the board, the firing line performed a little beyond what I
might have expected from such a small pistol.
The optics were certainly a big part of the magic in
the quality of shooting I saw, but there is more at play.
The compact is just big enough to get all three fingers on
the frontstrap, both with the baseplate extension of the
12-round magazine and with the grip extension on the
included 15-round magazine. With the 12-rounder in place,
the grip feels like a well-executed “roundbutt” that allows
more control than most of the competition. The feel with
the extended 15-round magazine is quite similar to that of
the 509 Midsize. I found the combination of shape and tex-
ture of the 509C’s grip to be both comfortable and secure,
leaving my XL-glove-size hands absolutely no extra room
while being “just enough” in every respect.
The “system weight” of the 509C with ACRO and affixed
Streamlight TLR7A with 12-plus-one rounds of 147-gr.
9 mm is a very manageable 35 ozs. This is just light
The 509C is a hybrid between
the compact and subcompact
formats and possesses a full
suite of features. Note the cap-
tive, dual recoil springs and that
the sights are tall enough to
AMERICAN R co-witness with a reflex optic.
 FN 509C
MANUFACTURER: FN AMERICA (DEPT. AR), P.O. BOX 9424, MCLEAN, VA 22102;
(703) 288-3500; FNAMERICA.COM
6.75"

enough to be carry-friendly but

heavy enough to steady the pistol
against difficult shots and assist in
dampening recoil. Compare that to
the iconic Browning High Power,
which is 38 ozs. with its 13-plus-one
payload onboard. 5.25"
FN seems to have made progress 3.7"
with the triggers on the 509 Compacts.
The test pistol had the best 509-series
trigger I’ve handled to date, with a total
weight of 5 lbs., 10 ozs., split between
some weighted take-up and a distinct ACTION TYPE: SIGHTS:
break at the midpoint of 3 lbs., 12 ozs. RECOIL-OPERATED, SUPPRESSOR-HEIGHT,
The trigger shoe has a flat face hinged SEMI-AUTOMATIC, STEEL; THREE-DOT,
CENTER-FIRE PISTOL DRIFT-ADJUSTABLE
at the middle as a safety. TRIGGER: STRIKER-FIRED;
CHAMBERING:
The 509C handles recoil well, being 9 MM LUGER 6-LB., 12-OZ. PULL
just slightly more brisk than the full- SLIDE: FNC-TREATED WIDTH: 1.35"
size 509 Tactical. The well-designed, STAINLESS STEEL WEIGHT: 25.5 OZS.
abbreviated grip seemed to resist some FRAME: FIBERGLASS- ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S
REINFORCED POLYMER MANUAL, SOFT
of the twisting and shifting in recoil BARREL: STEEL; CASE, OPTICS KIT,
that can affect some smaller designs. SIX-GROOVE, 1:10" LOCK, 15-ROUND
Between this, the sharp, clear dot on RH TWIST MAGAZINE
the Aimpoint and the better trigger, MAGAZINE: 12-ROUND MSRP: $799
DETACHABLE BOX
and the compact was “punching above
its weight class” in a wide variety of
defensive and skill-building shoot-
SHOOTING RESULTS: FN 509C (25 YDS.)
ing drills. Up close at several paces, it
was too easy to rattle off shots into a 9 MM LUGER VEL. @ 10' ENERGY GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
credit-card-size group as fast as the CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
trigger could be worked and with- BLACK HILLS 1222 AVG. 411 1.49 4.20 2.51
out letting the pistol ever come to a 124-GR. +P JHP 27 SD
stop. From a ready position at 10 yds. HORNADY 973 AVG. 309 1.89 5.50 3.41
against an MGM Targets plate rack, the 147-GR. XTP 9 SD
compact dominoed all six plates at just SELLIER & BELLIOT 915 AVG. 279 2.02 3.51 2.84
a flicker over 2 seconds—faster than 150-GR. FMJ 10 SD
my average for stock, fullsize, iron- AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 2.92
sighted striker-fired pistols.
NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER A CALDWELL CHRONOGRAPH AT 10 FT.
I stretched out the compact in a ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS FIRED AT 25 YDS. FROM A SANDBAG
couple of different ways to see what it REST. TEMPERATURE: 48° F. HUMIDITY: 30%. ABBREVIATIONS: FMJ (FULL METAL JACKET), JHP
could do. Shooting on a Wilson Combat (JACKETED HOLLOW POINT), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION), XTP (EXTREME TERMINAL PERFORMANCE).
scoreable reduced steel silhouette, I
recorded the time to draw and fire a single hit into the 5.5" fullsize service pistol known to be easy to shoot well.
square head box from 25 yds. The little pistol drew easily, and First, I ran the plate rack at 10 yds., and the 509C
the rectangular tube of the ACRO helped guide the dot right was consistently faster by nearly a quarter second over
where I needed it, allowing hits that ranged from 1.9 seconds to the Browning, confirming my sense of how well the little
an average of 2.25. I later backed off to a full 70 yds. and was compact was handling recoil. Afterward, I set the Wilson
able to hold a respectable group on the 12"x21" silhouette. Combat steel silhouette up at 40 yds. and fired pairs
Prior to the 509, the classic High Power was the pistol from the ready for time. Forty yards at speed is a some-
most shooters associated with FN. I have a Belgian-made what difficult shot, so I thought it would highlight both
Browning Mk III that my wife gave me as a gift on my first the quality of the trigger break and the recoil recovery
Father’s Day after our oldest daughter was born: a special characteristics. The modern compact again beat the iconic
gun from some very special ladies. It has had some light single-action automatic, the ACRO allowing me to clearly
customizing but is a pretty representative sample. As I place the dot and see the quality of my trigger press in the
was shooting the 509C I thought it would be interesting dot’s movement. The 509C ranged from 1.60 to an average
to put it head-to-head with the High Power to see if the of 1.75 seconds for the pair of shots while the High Power
Aimpoint-equipped compact could hold its own against a was a reaction time behind at 2.08 on average.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 59

FN 509C & 503
The 509 series has a number of strengths that translate
down to the compact. One of these is the well-laid-out
bilateral controls. The magazine and slide releases are
equally accessible to right- and left-handed shooters, and
most shooters will find the placement and function of the
controls to be convenient and thoughtful. There shouldn’t
be much of an aftermarket for replacement 509 control parts,
as those supplied are quite good. This is helpful, as reloading
any compact pistol where the grip doesn’t extend below the
bottom of the grasped firing hand can be somewhat awkward.
The 509C minimizes this through effective texturing.
Another strength of the 509 family is interchangeabil-
ity. Any 509 series frame is able to mate to any size slide
and barrel unit, allowing shooters to mix and match. For
example, I swapped the fullsize 509 Tactical frame onto the
Compact top end and the longer, threaded-barrel Tactical
top end onto the Compact, and function fired both. The
hybrids worked fine, and I actually rather liked the longer
tactical slide on the compact frame.
The gun exhibited no failures of any kind in just under
900 rounds of firing mixed brands, pressures, bullet weights
and profiles of ammunition. After testing was completed, the
pistol encountered a problem during dry-firing—the striker
would no longer reset. The gun went back to FN, and its engi-
neers determined it was due to excessive dry firing—which
I admittedly do—without a snap cap. While detailed in the
manual, potential buyers need to be aware of it.
60 SEPTEMBER 2020
FN 503
The 503 is FN’s entry into the single-stack micro-compact
market. It is a slim, striker-fired pistol that measures only
0.9" across the frame and carries six- or eight-plus-one
rounds of 9 mm Luger onboard depending on the choice of
magazine. It should appeal to shooters who want a small,
but still reasonably powerful, pistol for pocket, ankle or
unobtrusive belt carry.
The 503 has a distinct appearance with lines that take
some time to appreciate. This is perhaps due to the grip
shape, which is quite long front-to-back, while remarkably
thin side-to-side. But after shooting the 503, I believe that
function drove form on this point. Getting a solid grasp on
a pistol this thin can be a chore, and leads, in some models,
to the pistol twisting under recoil. The almost cartoonishly
“flattened” grip on the 503 gives solid front-to-back contact
that better locks the pistol in the hand, allowing it to track
consistently from shot to shot with very little twisting.
With the six-round magazine in place, medium-handed
shooters will find the 503 to require a “two-finger” firing
grip, with the little finger curled under the magazine base-
plate. The included eight-round magazine extends the grip
into a full, comfortable, three-finger firing grip.
The 503 trigger is a curved, thin blade with the trigger
safety projecting from the middle in the now-familiar manner.
The trigger moves along a long arc, minimally weighted take-up
yielding to a long rolling release over about 1/3" for a total
The 503’s lines are somewhat
unconventional in appearance
and belie its thinness—0.9"
across the frame. Note that,
unlike the 509C, the 503
employs a removable slide
stop pin (arrow) that is
pushed out for fieldstripping.
Also, its eight-round magazine
(l.) has a collar that effec-
tively extends the grip frame.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
 FN 503
MANUFACTURER: FN AMERICA (DEPT. AR), P.O. BOX 9424, MCLEAN, VA 22102;
(703) 288-3500; FNAMERICA.COM
5.94"

weight of just more than 5 lbs. The feel

is less typical “striker” and more very
light “double-action.” To many shooters,
particularly those coming from single-
action semi-automatics, the description
I just gave or the initial dry-fire of the
4.63"
system may be uninspiring, but I found 3.1"
the trigger to be rather easy to hit with RIFLING: SIX-GROOVE,
in actual use. 1:10" RH TWIST
The single-stack FN grouped well at MAGAZINE: SIX-ROUND
DETACHABLE BOX
25 yds., with Black Hills’ 115-gr. Tac XPs SIGHTS:
averaging an impressive 1.83" across five STEEL; THREE-DOT,
groups. The sights are drift-adjustable, ACTION TYPE: DRIFT-ADJUSTABLE
low-profile steel units with a three-dot RECOIL-OPERATED, TRIGGER: STRIKER-FIRED;
SEMI-AUTOMATIC, 5-LB., 3-OZ. PULL
arrangement, which were well-regulated CENTER-FIRE PISTOL WIDTH: 1.1"
and provided a usable sight picture. CHAMBERING: WEIGHT: 21 OZS.
When Jack Wilson stopped the killer 9 MM LUGER ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S
in the West Freeway, Texas, church SLIDE: FNC-TREATED MANUAL, LOCK, SOFT
with a single shot across the sanctuary, STAINLESS STEEL CASE, EIGHT-ROUND
FRAME: FIBERGLASS- MAGAZINE
it forced a new standard into the off- REINFORCED POLYMER MSRP: $549
duty and concealed carry world. With
a truly admirable display of skill under
pressure, Wilson drew his pistol and SHOOTING RESULTS: FN 503 (25 YDS.)
stopped the threat at about 15 yds. 9 MM LUGER VEL. @ 10' ENERGY GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
in fewer than five seconds from the CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
killer’s first shot. Many shooters saw
BLACK HILLS 1082 AVG. 299 0.86 2.36 1.83
that dramatic security camera footage 115-GR. +P TAC-XP 22 SD
and perhaps reflected with a degree of
FEDERAL SD 1004 AVG. 309 2.49 4.12 2.85
trepidation as to whether their little 138-GR. TSJ 11 SD
snubbie or pocket pistol would be up
to such a challenge. The 503 is a likely WILSON COMBAT 863 AVG. 223 2.15 3.08 2.66
135-GR. HBFN 23 SD
candidate for such a protective role,
so I set up the Wilson Combat sil- AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 2.45
houette at 15 yds. and drew from the NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER A CALDWELL CHRONOGRAPH AT
waistband to time hits to the 4" center 10 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS FIRED AT 25 YDS.
FROM A SANDBAG REST. TEMPERATURE: 48° F. HUMIDITY: 30%. ABBREVIATIONS: FMJ
circle. With the luxury of no stress and
(FULL METAL JACKET), HBFN (HOLLOW BASE FLAT NOSE), JHP (JACKETED HOLLOW POINT),
nothing but data riding on the results, SD (SYNTECH DEFENSE), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION), TSJ (TOTAL SYNTECH JACKET).
I was able to stack hits in as few as
two seconds and about 2.5 on average. difficult in some models in this size class. The high-
For a sense of how the 503 might compare in more quality, stainless-steel magazines, however, were a test of
typical close-range use, I shot it on the 5-yd. Roundup; my patience and resolve. I have never fired a pistol whose
four strings of fire each on a 2.5-second time limit includ- magazines were so difficult to fill—503 users will defi-
ing a draw, four shots from the ready, three from strong nitely benefit from some type of loading tool to assist in
hand only, and two shots fired support hand only. The 503 refilling magazines for any range sessions. The two on my
passed with time to spare and full points. test pistol could make a preacher cuss in short order.
To really stretch out the little single-stack, I backed off Both the 509C and 503 are worthy entries into their seg-
40 yds. from the plate rack and fired a series of five-shot ments of the concealed carry market. The 509 Compact with
strings. When I did my part, it was possible to ring the steel its “full feature and not a millimeter more” approach gives
with all five shots, with some four out of five attempts with the shooter a lot of capability in a very nearly subcompact
a single “airball” leaving silence in the air to confirm and package. And the 503’s thinness and overall shootability
shame my inattention to the shot release. There are a good commend it for consideration as a multi-role hideout for
many pistols and revolvers in the ankle-gun class, and even shooters who want a capable little pistol that can work on
some “combat-accurate” service pistols, that I wouldn’t the ankle, large pockets or in the waistband. Together, they
necessarily be able to expect four or five hits on an 8" plate prove that, in addition to building highly regarded service
that far out. The 503 is highly shootable. pistols, FN is also capable of competently addressing two
I found the slide on the 503 easy to manipulate, some- of the most highly competitive segments of the concealed
thing that can require attentive effort or be downright carry pistol market.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 61

 The Guns
Dead Revo
62 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
MAG DOWN LOAD.oRG

LATEST MAGAZINES
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 HISTORICAL

Marxist “Ché” Guevara pushed Castro’s

Cuba toward communism, then tried to
start revolutions in Congo and Bolivia.
BY JAMES STEJSKAL

n the end, he did not look like the “hero”

whose iconic image today adorns the T-shirts
of many clueless fashionistas.
In the last forlorn battle, the man known as
“Ché” was wounded, and his carbine put out of
action by a .30-’06 Sprg. bullet from a Bolivian
soldier’s M1 Garand. He was captured by Rangers
who had tracked his little band for days. Most
of his comrades—the vanguard of a revolution
with few followers—were dead. Soon he would
share their fate and be executed on the orders of
Bolivian President René Barrientos Ortuño.
The next day, he was as dead as his revolution-
ary theory. Its failure was on display as the pho-
tographers clicked away. His hair matted, his beard
disheveled, the moment captured for eternity. His
trusty .30-cal. M2 carbine had not helped him.
The day was Oct. 9, 1967.
Years before becoming “Ché,” he was Ernesto
Rafael Guevara de la Serna. Argentinian by
birth, he was raised by wealthy parents, studied
medicine and became a doctor. A motorcycle ride
along the spine of South America converted his
worldview and taught him the theology of armed
struggle and a hatred of the United States. His
view was reinforced when he saw the overthrow
of the Guatemalan socialist government by a U.S.-
backed rebel force in 1954. That prompted him to
become a mercenary for the communist movement.
From there, Ché fled to Mexico City where he
met Cuban rebel Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz and
joined his 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) in 1955.
The name originated from a failed rebel attack on
the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, on

Of A
July 26, 1953. Fidel was captured, served a short
stint in prison and was exiled to Mexico.

Guevara was fascinated with arms generally, but his

favored long gun was the M2 carbine. He is also
known to have used a .32-cal. pistol for executions
in the early years of the Cuban Revolution.

lutionary
National Archives Photos AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 63
“CHE” GUEVARA
This photo shows Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro with
his inner circle and their arms. At least one M1928A1 Thompson
is visible—shown held by Ché Guevara (second from l.)—
but most of the long guns appear to be scoped Mauser sporters.
Fidel planned a return to Cuba to overthrow its dictator,
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar, and, in late 1956, he took 82
men aboard the leaking pleasure cruiser Granma to jump-
start the revolution in eastern Cuba. From the beginning
they had problems. The Granma, short of fuel and taking
on water faster than its pumps could get rid of it, was
foundering. Short of their intended destination, the rebels
landed in the swamps of Playa Las Coloradas.
Landing in the wrong spot put the rebels on dangerous
ground. They could not bring most of their arms and equip-
ment ashore, and they missed the supporters who were
waiting at the correct landing point. Shortly thereafter,
Batista’s forces located and ambushed the rebels in a sugar
cane field. Of the 82 men, only 21 were able to flee into
the Sierra Maestra mountains. The rest were killed or cap-
tured. The mountains would be the home of the survivors
for the next two years.
Fighting the poorly led Cuban army was not difficult,
especially since the people overwhelmingly supported
the rebels. They believed Castro’s promises that he would
deliver to them a Cuba free of corruption and oppression,
and restore the multi-party, democratic government and
market economy that had existed before Batista.
64 SEPTEMBER 2020
Many Cuban exiles saw the uprising as a way back
to Cuba and, for some, a way back into power. Support
in the form of money, arms and recruits was plentiful.
Importantly, the revolution had another influential backer,
Carlos Prío Socarrás, the president Batista had deposed.
Socarrás funded the purchase of the Granma and arms. Few
realized what would happen when the revolution suc-
ceeded; Socarrás would not get what he paid for.
Although Batista’s army scored an initial victory with
the ambush in the cane field, the guerrillas survived
and succeeded—partly because of luck, mostly because
Batista and his generals were corrupt and incompetent.
Along the way, Ché learned enough to write a book on
guerrilla warfare.
There was no standard arm for the guerrillas. The rebels
acquired everything through raids on police stations and
army posts, and equipment was smuggled into Cuba by
boat. Contemporary images show rebels armed with every-
thing from shotguns and bolt-action rifles to Thompson
submachine guns and the rotary-magazine .30-’06 Sprg.
Model of 1941 Johnson rifles. Even a few M3 “grease guns”
are pictured with the rebels. Fidel is often pictured with a
scoped Mauser bolt-action rifle; Ché more often than not
carried an M2 carbine.
Throughout 1958, Batista’s army suffered reversals.
Although the official history of the Cuban Revolution
extols the abilities of Fidel’s guerrilla army, success was
due largely to the contributions of the rural people, the
campesiños who guarded the approaches to the moun-
tains, and provided intelligence, food and medicines to
keep the rebels alive. The important roles of the campesi-
ños and the Llano, the urban underground, which defied
Batista’s secret police, were diminished after the revolu-
tion to inflate the significance of Fidel’s guerrillas and its
two field leaders: Ché and Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos.
Cienfuegos died in a mysterious plane crash on Oct. 28,
1959, shortly after the rebel victory.
With Batista gone, Fidel’s promises quickly evaporated
and Cuba descended into a “dictatorship of the proletariat”
that violently suppressed any and all resistance to the
revolution. Those who disagreed were subjected to the
same penalties dispensed by the man the revolution had
replaced: Batista.
Ché was an enthusiastic participant in the “revolution-
ary justice” that followed. He was put in charge of the
prison at San Carlos de la Cabaña, the ancient fortress that
towers over Havana’s inner harbor. He had already shown
his willingness to carry out executions of deserters and
those who opposed the revolution. In the Sierra Maestras,
a single shot from his .32-cal. pistol summarily ended the
lives of a number of men. He instructed his lieutenants:
“When in doubt, execute.”
After taking power, he had even fewer reservations: “To
send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary.
The procedures are an archaic bourgeois detail. This is a
revolution. And a revolutionary must become a cold killing
machine motivated by pure hate.”
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
 As head of the Comisión Depuradora (Cleansing
Commission), Ché was responsible for confirming the
execution orders of the military tribunal; not one was over-
turned. Anyone determined to be a counter-revolutionary,
which included any form of “deviant” behavior, could
expect the same fate. So did those who had the audacity to
challenge Ché’s power, including William Alexander Morgan,
an American who had joined Castro. Estimates by witnesses
and scholars put the numbers of people executed at La
Cabaña at anywhere from 200 to 2,000.
Ché had access to a variety of exotic arms, including a Stechkin
machine pistol (above), and even devised an improvised grenade
launcher of his own design (below). The former doctor used his M2
carbine in Cuba during the revolution (below, r.) and later in Bolivia.
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG
Ché was fascinated with arms. At one point, he designed
an improvised grenade launcher, actually nothing more than
a shotgun that propelled a small explosive device or Molotov
cocktail on a wooden rod toward the enemy. He wrote that it
was “an ideal weapon for entrenchments when the enemy has
many wooden or inflammable material constructions—also
for firing against tanks in hilly country.” Improvisation, after
all, is the mother of invention.
After the revolution, improvisation was no longer
needed. It was Ché, a committed Marxist, and a few others
who moved Castro toward communism. It was also Ché who
engineered the close military relationship that Cuba had
with the Soviet Union. Soon after that, the guns of the
revolution became those of the Warsaw Pact—the AK-47,
RPK and the Makarov pistol.
SEPTEMBER 2020 65
“CHE” GUEVARA
A famous picture of Ché shows him firing a 9x18 mm
Russian Stechkin pistol (AvtomatiChéskiy Pistolet Stechkina).
The Stechkin, a select-fire pistol that made its debut
shortly after World War II, was intended for soldiers who
needed a small auxiliary arm. With a detachable stock and
a rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute, it quickly found
favor with the KGB and Spetsnaz. Ché liked it as well.
Castro gave Ché Cuban citizenship and put him to work
in other jobs—as head of the National Bank of Cuba and
the Minister of Industry—but he was out of his element.
He needed another revolution.
In a 1965 letter to Fidel, Ché renounced his positions and
association with Cuba in order to become an international-
ist. He would soon pop up in several locations looking to
foment revolution or assist anyone who opposed the “Yankee
Imperialists.” Which was just fine with Castro because Cuba’s
economy crashed during Ché’s tenure. So, while Castro and
his brother Raúl were content to remain in control of their
regime on the island, Ché disappeared. Some believe Fidel
pushed Ché out because he was too popular.
He first re-appeared in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo to assist “Marxist” rebel Laurent Kabila in a rebel-
lion against strongman Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in 1964.
The Congo Crisis became a proxy war between the United
States and the Soviet Union after Mobutu overthrew Patrice
Lumumba, a Pan-African leader the U.S. and Europe saw as
too close to the Soviets. However, fighting Mobutu’s merce-
nary forces proved difficult for Kabila, and Ché judged him
as “not the man of the hour.” Frustrated, he gave up on
Africa and charted a new course for South America.
He intended to bring his flawed theory of revolution
to Bolivia. French Marxist journalist Régis Debray called it
“foqisimo” or “foco”—its premise was that a vanguard of
revolutionaries could bring focus (foco) to inequalities and
lead the people in revolution—even if they weren’t aware
of the need to rebel.
Using the name “Adolfo Mena González,” Ché and 20
others infiltrated into Bolivia using counterfeit passports
in late 1966 and early 1967. Once there, they made contact
with dissidents and set up camp near Ñancahazú in the
south. With arms provided by a rebel support group in La
Paz, operations began.
Ché was again armed with his favorite—an M2 carbine.
The rebels numbered about 50, and their operations were
initially successful against the poorly trained Bolivian
army. But Ché realized almost immediately that the situa-
tion was wrong—the locals did not support the guerrillas.
Instead, they looked at them as foreigners and intruders.
Ché had made a mistake. He relied on bad assessments of
the situation in Bolivia, and he and the rebels would soon
pay the price.
The rebels had trouble getting supplies, and were short
of food. Moreover, the locals often reported their pres-
ence wherever they went. The biggest setback for Ché
came when Régis Debray, Roberto Bustos and George Roth
(a journalist), who were accompanying the guerrillas,
decided they’d had enough of the deprivations, and left the
66 SEPTEMBER 2020
In 1967, Guevara went to Bolivia to advance his Marxist theo-
ries with the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Bolivia (above,
opposite). American advisors from the 8th Special Forces Group
(above) trained Bolivian Rangers in counterinsurgency—the
Rangers eventually captured and killed him.
column. The army picked them up within days and began
interrogations. The result was a fountain of intelligence.
Bolivia asked for assistance from the United States, and
a Mobile Training Team from the 8th Special Forces Group
was sent to advise the Bolivian 2nd Ranger Battalion. From
April to September 1967, the Rangers underwent rigorous
counterinsurgency training. Experts in guerrilla warfare,
the American “Green Berets” taught the Rangers the skills
needed for the job ahead. But the training was extensive,
and the Rangers could not be deployed prematurely, so
the regular army was sent in to set up an exclusion zone
around the area where Ché was operating. They began to
aggressively search for the guerrillas.
In the meantime, Ché divided his forces into two groups.
He led one; the second was led by his deputy, Juan Vitalo
Acuña Nuñez—codename “Joaquin.” With no clear objec-
tive other than survival, the two groups’ wanderings were
not only purposeless, they lost contact with each other. In
July 1967, a local reported the presence of Joaquin’s group,
which the army ambushed and decimated. Only two of the
element survived.
Ché and his group were now alone and in bad shape.
Worse was to come when the Rangers graduated and
immediately deployed into the search zone. Alerted to the
presence of Ché’s column in the village of La Higuera, the
Bolivians ambushed the rebels on September 26 and forced
them to flee into the Rio Grande River gorge.
With the regular Bolivian army cordoning off the
area, the 2nd Rangers moved in and located the rebels
in a canyon. The guerrillas tried to break out, but the
Rangers trapped them. A sweep by one of the Ranger
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
platoons broke the rebels into small groups and led to
Ché’s capture. His words to Ranger Capt. Gary Prado
Salmon were revealing. “I am Ché Guevara. I’m more use
to you alive than dead.”
Questioning Ché after his capture, Prado wanted to
know why he had come to Bolivia and why he ignored his
own principles of guerrilla warfare. Ché could only respond,
“I don’t know, maybe it was a mistake to choose Bolivia.”
Ché was executed the next day on orders from the
president. Seven Rangers volunteered for the job; only one
entered the room and pulled the trigger.
Ché had misjudged Bolivia—there was no support for an
uprising. Foqisimo, like Ché, was dead.
A Visit To The Armeria
I visited Cuba in late 2017. The trip would reveal much
that was true and much that was false about what I knew
of the island. One thing in particular came to my notice.
I was walking down a narrow cobblestone street in La
Habana Vieja, the old city of Havana, when I noticed a
sign hanging out over the street. It said simply Armeria or
armory. A second sign hung along the wall announced it
was the Gunsmith Company of Cuba, a dealer in hunting
equipment and explosives. To be precise, the address was
Mercaderes No. 157.
It was the first and only gun store I had seen in Cuba.
I spoke to a lady at the entrance, and she told me that it
was no longer a shop but a museum. It was a memorial to
four rebels who were killed when they attacked the store to
obtain weapons for the revolución on April 9, 1958.
I asked her if there were any gun stores in Cuba. She
looked at me quizzically and said, “No, it is forbidden to
own guns.”
When Castro came to power, he ended all private firearm owner-
ship. Once a gun shop, now a museum, Havana’s Armeria houses
Castro’s impressive gun collection—and Ché’s M2 carbine.
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG
I learned later that one of Castro’s first decrees in 1959
ended all private ownership of guns when he announced:
“This is not a dictatorship. We are never going to use force,
because we belong to the people. Moreover, the day that
the people do not want us, we shall leave. As soon as pos-
sible I will take the rifles off the streets. There are no more
enemies, there is no longer anything to fight against.”
The Armeria is impressive. On display are modern as
well as antique arms, most acquired from the collections
of exiles who left the country or handed them over after
Castro issued his decree. Unfortunately, only a few signs
described the displays, and the employees knew little more.
The museum contained everything from old Spanish
flintlocks to modern Beretta and Browning semi-automatic
shotguns. There may even be one of Ernest Hemingway’s
shotguns among the many displayed. Castro’s very exten-
sive gun collection came to the museum in 1971—it is
always good to be above the law. Ché’s M2 carbine from his
time in the Sierra Maestras is there. It’s just a basic model
with no flash suppressor. It was displayed against a wall, so
the serial number and manufacturer could not be seen.
Other than on the hips of policemen or in the hands
of soldiers, guns are not typically seen in Cuba outside of
museums. It is a stark reminder that, as with most revolu-
tions, the people get what they ask for.
Photo by author
SEPTEMBER 2020 67
EXPLODED VIEWS
I
n 1922, when the French put
out the call for a new military
pistol chambered in 9 mm Luger,
Belgium’s Fabrique Nationale (FN)
answered with firearm legend John
Moses Browning and a lesser-known
Belgian designer named Dieudionné
Saive. The American-born Browning
had a long working relationship with
FN, and his firearm designs were
already the stuff of legend.
Browning started by creating a
staggered double-column magazine
that held 16 rounds, unheard of for
a flush-fitting unit. As development
progressed, Browning conceived of
the basic shape of the pistol and its
breech-locking system in which the
rear of the barrel cammed down to
disengage dorsal lugs from recesses in
the slide. Working with an FN design
team that included Saive, Browning
ultimately produced a pistol called
FIG. 1
Instructions
Safety glasses should be worn when
performing the assembly/disassembly
procedure. Be sure the pistol is unloaded
before beginning. Remove the magazine
(16) from the magazine well. Pull back
the slide (1) and push the safety catch
(37) into the second notch. Then push
out the slide stop (20) from right to
68
HIGH POWER PISTOL
BY DANIEL T. MCELRATH, Executive Editor, Shooting Illustrated
the Model 1927 Grande Rendement.
However, Browning passed away
in 1926—at FN in Herstal—still
awaiting the pistol’s patent, which
was not issued until the next year.
Despite Browning’s and FN’s efforts,
the Grande Rendement was found
wanting; it was considered to be
too large and heavy for its intended
purpose. It fell to Saive to re-work the
design and produce a gun that satisfied
the desires of the military.
Saive made numerous crucial
changes to the pistol, dispensing with
its complicated contours, removable
plate-mounted lockwork, interrupted
screw breechbolt and internal striker.
He also reduced the dimensions of the
gun and the capacity of the magazine.
The new magazine held a still consid-
erable, for then, 13 rounds. Dubbed
the M35 or Grand Puissance (High
Power), the final version of the pistol
was not finished until 1935, but it was
a design so sound that it has remained
virtually unchanged to this day—and
has been widely copied.
The French—the original catalysts
for the High Power’s creation—chose
not to buy the gun, adopting a lesser-
chambered pistol of French design.
Other nations, however, recognized the
numerous benefits of the High Power,
and a great many adopted it as their
FIG. 2
left, as shown (FIG. 1). Now release the
safety catch and permit the slide to go
forward and off the receiver (22).
Push the safety catch down to the
“fire” position, then push the sear pin
(36) out from right to left. Allow the ejec-
tor (32) to pivot down until it stops. With
the ejector in this position, the safety
SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
standard-issue service pistol. These
benefits include reliability, generous
magazine capacity, excellent ergonom-
ics and the fact that it is chambered for
the ubiquitous 9 mm Luger cartridge.
The FN plant was seized by the
Germans during World War II, and the
Nazis had High Powers produced for
their own troops. Meanwhile, Saive,
who had fled Belgium, eventually
settled in Toronto, Canada, and helped
the John Inglis Co. produce High
Powers there for Nationalist Chinese,
British and Canadian forces. Thus,
both sides made use of the P35 pistol
during the war.
Note the name “Hi Power” (as
opposed to High Power) is reserved for
the commercial guns sold by Browning
in North America. A well-known varia-
tion of the gun was the Capitan model
that incorporated tangent sights
graduated to 500 meters and a detach-
able wooden combination holster/
shoulder stock.
The High Power has been used by
military forces, police agencies and
citizenries around the world, but, due
to high cost and limited demand, it
was dropped from the Browning line
in 2017. While many may contend
that this venerable single-action gun
has been equaled, few will say that it
has ever been surpassed.
FIG. 3
catch can now be pushed out (FIG. 2).
Hold the gun in your left hand and
push in the magazine catch (9) until it is
flush with the frame. Using a 1/8"-wide
screwdriver, turn the magazine catch
spring guide (7) 1/4 of a turn (FIG. 3). This
will lock the spring guide to the magazine
catch. Then lift out the unit.
Parts Legend 1
2
1. SLIDE 3
2. SEAR LEVER RETAINER
3. REAR SIGHT
4. EXTRACTOR 23
5. FIRING PIN SPRING
6. FIRING PIN
7. MAGAZINE CATCH SPRING GUIDE 24
8. MAGAZINE CATCH SPRING 25
9. MAGAZINE CATCH 29 5 4
10 . HAMMER 26
11 . HAMMER PIN
28 30 6
12 . HAMMER STRUT 27 31
13 . HAMMER STRUT PIN
14 . HAMMER SPRING 7
15 . HAMMER SPRING SUPPORT 22 32 8
9
16 . MAGAZINE
17 . SEAR SPRING
18 . LEFT STOCK
19 . GRIP SCREW
20 . SLIDE STOP 21 10
21 . TRIGGER SPRING
22 . FRAME (RECEIVER) 20 11
23 . RECOIL SPRING 34 35
24 . SPRING RETAINER
25 . DETENT BALL SPRING 33 36
26 . DETENT BALL 40
12
27 . RECOIL SPRING GUIDE 41 39
28 . BARREL
29 . SEAR LEVER 38 37
30 . FIRING PIN RETAINER PLATE
31 . SEAR 13
32 . EJECTOR
33 . TRIGGER PIN
34 . TRIGGER SPRING PIN
35 . TRIGGER LEVER 14
36 . SEAR PIN 17
37 . SAFETY CATCH
38 . STUD RETAINER PIN 19
39 . STUD SPRING 15
40 . STUD
41 . TRIGGER 16
18

FIG. 4 FIG. 5 FIG. 6

Push the trigger pin (33) out from
right to left. Hold the gun with the
right side up. With your right hand, pull
the trigger (41) forward and upward;
this will allow the removal of it and
related parts (21), (34) and (35) as a
unit (FIG. 4). They must be replaced as
a unit when reassembling the gun.
To remove the firing pin (6) and
spring (5), hold the slide so that the
rear is facing you. With a 1/8" punch,
push in the end of the firing pin; at
the same time, push down on the firing
pin retainer plate (30) (FIG. 5). After
the firing pin and spring have been
removed, pry out the extractor (4).
To remove the sear lever (29), hold the
slide upside down in the right hand. Pry up
the end of the sear lever retainer (be sure
the extractor has been removed before
doing this) (FIG. 6). When the head of the
retainer is clear of the slide, pry it the rest
of the way from the outside of the slide.
Reassembly is in the reverse order.

Illustrations by David Labrozzi AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 69

DOPE BAG
Remington
Model 700 CP

R
emington introduced a shortened
pistol version of its renowned
Model 700 rifle in 2019. Called the
700 CP (chassis pistol), the new model
was chambered for the .223 Rem.,
.300 Blackout and .308 Win. cartridges,
and used a 10-round detachable maga-
zine and an aluminum chassis. The new
lightweight bolt-action featured rifle-like
accuracy in a compact platform, and
its popularity encouraged Remington
to grow the line in 2020 by introduc-
ing a version chambered for 6.5 mm
Creedmoor and outfitted with an SB
Tactical SBA3 arm brace.
Featuring Remington’s famous
“three rings of steel” in a standard
700 short-action receiver, no changes
have been made to the push-feed
action. That’s why Remington
went with a detachable, 10-round,
single-column magazine, as using an
AR-10 magazine would have required
changes to the gun’s bolt in order to
feed from both sides of the magazine.
Remington uses the same aluminum
chassis on the CP that it uses on the
Precision Chassis Rifle (PCR), and
there is a receptacle at the rear for
an AR-15-style receiver extension.
The arm brace provides the shooter
with an additional point of contact
with the pistol, which should make it
easier to shoot accurately.
The free-floating M-Lok-compatible
handguard attaches to the aluminum
chassis and has no accuracy-robbing
contact with the pistol’s 12.5" bar-
rel. Remington threads the muzzle
5/8x24 TPI for suppressor and muzzle
brake attachment, and the gun comes
with a machined thread protector.
The 6.5 mm Creedmoor CP is 5R-rifled
with a 1:8", right-hand twist.
Remington uses a paddle magazine
release at the rear of the magazine well
which the shooter can conveniently
activate while grasping the magazine
for removal. The bolt release is located
just in front of the trigger, inside the
trigger guard; depressing it while
pulling the bolt rearward allows it to
be removed from the pistol for easy
cleaning. The two-position safety is
located behind the bolt on the right,

A compact pistol version of the company’s Precision Chassis Rifle, the 700 CP comes from
Remington with an SB Tactical SBA3 arm brace (below), a user-adjustable X-Mark Pro
trigger (top, r.) and a 5/8x24 TPI threaded muzzle (bottom, r.).

70 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

REMINGTON 700 CP
MANUFACTURER: REMINGTON ARMS CO. (DEPT. AR), 870 REMINGTON DRIVE, P.O. BOX 700, MADISON, NC 27025; (800) 243-9700;
REMINGTON.COM
8.25"
ACTION TYPE: BOLT-ACTION, CENTER-FIRE
REPEATING PISTOL
CHAMBERING: 6.5 MM CREEDMOOR
rear of the receiver. Unfortunately,
there is no good way to maintain a
firing grip and disengage the safety,
but this is true of nearly every bolt-
action chassis gun.
On top of the receiver is an extended
zero-m.o.a. scope rail, machined with
the common Picatinny dimensions; it
attaches to the receiver top with four
screws. The inclusion of the extended
version makes sense, as some folks will
choose to use long-eye-relief optics with
the 700 CP.
Our test sample possessed a 4-lb.,
8-oz., trigger straight out of the box.
Adjustments can be made to the X-Mark
Pro trigger without removing the action
from the chassis. For the purposes of
our testing, we adjusted the engage-
ment screw for a crisp 3-lb., 12-oz., pull.
We also attached a piece of Picatinny
rail (not included) to the bottom of the
CP’s handguard and attached a Warne
Precision Bipod with adjustable leg
height. All firing was done from a seated
rest using a DOA Tactical portable shoot-
ing bench. Five, five-shot groups were
fired with each ammunition at 100 yds.,
with the results shown in the nearby
accuracy chart.
Measuring just 0.85", Federal’s
Premium Gold Medal Berger 130-gr.
OTM rounds produced the day’s best
five-shot group. The average group size
for the three ammunitions shot was
1.23", and all of our evaluators were
favorably impressed with the accuracy
of this bolt-action pistol. Looking back
through our notes we found that we
had fired the same loads through a
22"-barreled semi-automatic last year,
and determined that the Remington CP’s
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG
RECEIVER: CARBON STEEL;
BLACK CERAKOTE FINISH
FRAME: TEFLON-COATED, ANODIZED 6061
ALUMINUM; SB TACTICAL SBA3 (BRACE)
SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.)
6.5 MM CREEDMOOR VEL. @ 10'
CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.)
BLACK HILLS GOLD 2177 AVG.
143-GR. ELD-X 30 SD
BLACK HILLS GOLD 2233 AVG.
147-GR. ELD MATCH 28 SD
FEDERAL PREMIUM GMB 2480 AVG.
130-GR. OTM 17 SD
AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD
N OTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER A PACT PROFESSIONAL XP
CHRONOGRAPH AT 10 FT . A CCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE , FIVE - SHOT GROUPS
AT 100 YDS . FROM A BIPOD . T EMPERATURE : 57° F. H UMIDITY : 41%. A BBREVIATIONS :
ELD (E XTREMELY LOW DRAG), GMB (GOLD MEDAL BERGER), OTM (OPEN -TIP MATCH),
S D (STANDARD DEVIATION ).
12.5" barrel accounted for 20 percent
less velocity, which corresponds to 32
percent less energy. Understanding
the limitations of the shorter barrel is
important for the ethical hunter, and
limiting shot distances accordingly
would be prudent.
One negative each evaluator com-
mented on was that the SBA3 arm brace
made it difficult to maintain a proper
cheekweld. Despite this issue, shooters
were able to produce some tight groups.
Another frequent comment was that, as
the shot was fired, the scope filled with
a bright white flash—the result of the
fireball created by still-burning powder
as it left the barrel. All found the action
to run smoothly, and the oversize bolt
knob made it easy to rapidly cycle the
action. Rounds fed without a hitch from
the polymer magazine. The crisp trigger
made it possible to keep the optic’s
reticle centered on the bullseye while
adding the pressure necessary to break
the shot.
SEPTEMBER 2020
28" TO 30.75"
12.5"
BARREL: CARBON STEEL, BLACK CERAKOTE
FINISH; 5R RIFLING, 1:8" RH TWIST,
THREADED MUZZLE
MAGAZINE: 10-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX
SIGHTS: NONE; PICATINNY RAIL
TRIGGER: X-MARK PRO, ADJUSTABLE;
4-LB., 8-OZ. PULL
WEIGHT: 7 LBS.
ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL,
CARDBOARD BOX, LOCK
MSRP: $1,169
ENERGY GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
(FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
1,505 1.14 1.38 1.27
1,627 0.91 1.21 1.14
1,775 0.85 1.80 1.28
1.23
Given its somewhat neutered
ballistics, what kinds of shoot-
ers will find the Remington 700 CP
appealing? Quite a few, actually.
Youngsters who have not yet devel-
oped the strength to support the
weight of the forward portion of a
rifle and need a shorter trigger pull,
might find it ideal. Those who work
within the confines of a small deer
blind will also find that the reduced
dimensions make for a much more
comfortable fit. Folks with disabili-
ties, whether from disease or amputa-
tion, who find a fullsize rifle unwieldy,
might find the 700 CP to be great for
their needs. Additionally, ranchers and
conservation officers who spend much
of their day in a vehicle will likely find
the CP a great gun for taking a quick
and accurate shot. The new 700 CP,
chambered in 6.5 mm Creedmoor,
offers rifle-like accuracy and power in
a compact platform with legendary
Remington quality.
71
DOPE BAG

Desert Tech MDR

L
ocated in West Valley City, Utah,
Desert Tech launched its special-
ized lineup of bullpup bolt-action
rifles in 2007. In 2014, the company
shifted gears with proof-of-concept
models of the cartridge-convertible
semi-automatic Micro Dynamic Rifle
(MDR), but it would be another three
years before the system was ready to
ship. From 2017 to 2019, the com-
pany listened to customer feedback
and implemented free upgrades for
those guns that had already left the
factory. As of this writing, the MDR’s
extractor and gas-piston system were
re-designed to provide a high level
of reliability with a wide variety of
ammunition. The latest upgrades,
including a wider extractor claw and a
six-position adjustable gas valve, are
being installed as standard equipment
on all newly manufactured MDRs.
The MDR is a short-stroke, gas-
piston-driven semi-automatic. The
lower receiver and removable hand-
guard are constructed from polymer,
while the upper receiver is made of
hard-anodized, aircraft-grade alumi-
num. Like other bullpup rifles, the
MDR’s trigger and fixed pistol grip
are located forward of the magazine
well. This allows for the use of a 16.1"
barrel while keeping the rifle at a
compact overall length of just 26.2".
The .308 Win. configuration of the
MDR weighs in at 9 lbs. with an empty
20-round Magpul PMAG inserted in the
magazine well. Although this may sound
heavy compared to some semi-automatic
configurations, the majority of the rifle’s
weight is located between the pistol grip
and the textured rubber recoil pad. The
resulting rearward balance, along with
the rifle’s compact profile, gives the MDR
quick and easy handling characteristics.
Conversation kits that allow the MDR to
fire .223 Rem. and .300 Blackout ammu-
nition using standard AR-15 magazines
are offered by the company, and new for
2020, a 6.5 mm Creedmoor kit has also
been announced.
The 16.1" .308 Win. barrel has
a 1:10" rifling twist rate, with the
muzzle threaded at 5/8x24 TPI for
accessories. It ships with a steel,
three-prong flash hider installed.
The polymer handguard sports a
hand stop, textured gripping sur-
face, adjustable gas block ports and
M-Lok accessory slots at the 3-, 6-
and 9-o’clock positions. The top of
the handguard features a molded-in
10-slot Picatinny rail that aligns with
the single slot atop the gas block and
the 21 slots integral to the aluminum
upper receiver.
Controls are set up for both right-
and left-handed users, including
bilateral charging handles, forward
magazine release buttons and safety
selectors, as well as a bolt catch and
a secondary magazine release lever
located at the center rear and front of
the magazine well, respectively, allow-
ing for ambidextrous use. Even the
ejection port is reversible. The forward
square-button magazine release is
positioned to be operated with the tip
of the trigger finger.
The non-reciprocating charging
handles are spring-loaded to fold
down against the receiver when not
in use. They swing up to lock into
place in both the forward and rear
positions. When closing the bolt,
the handles can be slapped down,
much like the handle of the H&K
MP5 or the Steyr AUG. The metal-
lic, 45-degree safety selector is
operated by the shooting hand; it
swings down into the Fire position.
It’s smooth and well-placed for easy
operation, but it does not produce
a distinctive “click” when it reaches
either the Safe or Fire positions. The
bolt-release lever is located behind
the magazine well, and is pressed up
to close the bolt when it has been
locked back in the open position by
an empty magazine.
The shoulder stock features left- and
right-side ejection ports outfitted with
cleverly designed removable covers.
One cover is a filler plate that prevents

The MDR’s forward ejection pushes spent cases out the front of its ejection port, shown
here with its cover open (top). The bolt release lies behind the magazine well (bottom).

72 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

DESERT TECH MDR
MANUFACTURER: DESERT TECH (DEPT. AR), P.O. BOX 65816, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84165; (801) 975-7272; DESERTTECH.COM
26.2"

1/2" 1/4"

16.1"

15"
CHAMBERING: .308 WIN.
ACTION TYPE: GAS-PISTON-OPERATED, RECEIVER: HARD-ANODIZED ALUMINUM UPPER,
SEMI-AUTOMATIC, CENTER-FIRE RIFLE POLYMER LOWER
BARREL: SIX-GROOVE; 1:10" RH TWIST
MAGAZINE: 20-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX;
MAGPUL PMAG
SIGHTS: NONE; PICATINNY RAIL
TRIGGER: SINGLE-STAGE; 5-LB., 7-OZ. PULL
WEIGHT: 9 LBS.
ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, HARD CASE,
TAKEDOWN TOOL, LOCK
MSRP: $2,524

spent cases from being ejected to the
side where it’s been installed. The other
has a 1.25"-wide, spring-loaded dust-
cover that drops open to allow spent
cases to be ejected forward toward the
muzzle of the rifle. This prevents brass
from striking the operator should he or
she fire from the weak-side shoulder as
well as other personnel to the side. It’s
noteworthy that the rifle’s firing mecha-
nism and port cover work in concert
to mechanically guide brass out of the
port. Also, switching the port covers is
a quick, no-tools procedure.
Perhaps one of the trickiest com-
ponents to do well in a bullpup rifle
is the trigger design. This is because
the forward-positioned trigger is
not directly connected to the firing
mechanism. Instead, it uses rela-
tively long linkages to drop the ham-
mer, and as a result, bullpups have a
reputation for heavy, gritty trigger
pulls. However, Desert Tech has
done a good job of addressing that
potential shortcoming by cleaning
up the MDR’s trigger. Our test sample
exhibited a smooth 5-lb., 7-oz., trig-
ger pull without any take-up.
The MDR doesn’t ship with sights,
so we mounted a 1-4X riflescope to
test accuracy at 100 yds. At the range,
the rifle ran flawlessly with all of the
selected ammunition. The gas system
can be adjusted to fit the circumstances,
with settings to reduce gas pressure
for sound suppressors or to increase
the pressure for adverse environmental
conditions. We did not find it necessary
to adjust the gas system.
Although the 2017 version of
the Desert Tech MDR still needed
SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.)
.308 WIN. VEL. @ MUZZLE ENERGY GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
DOUBLE TAP RD 2879 AVG. 2,300 1.78 2.05 1.91
125-GR. PBT 29 SD
FEDERAL GMSM 2457 AVG. 2,252 1.67 1.95 1.82
168-GR. BTHP 20 SD
SIG SAUER ECH 2660 AVG. 2,356 1.97 2.38 2.18
150-GR. JHP 16 SD
AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 1.97
NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS FIRED NEXT TO A LABRADAR
CHRONOGRAPH AT THE MUZZLE. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS
AT 100 YDS. FROM A BENCH REST. TEMPERATURE: 45° F. HUMIDITY: 27%. ABBREVIATIONS:
BTHP (BOAT-TAIL HOLLOW POINT), ECH (ELITE COPPER HUNTING), GMSM (GOLD MEDAL
SIERRA MATCHKING), JHP (JACKETED HOLLOW POINT), PBT (POLYMER BALLISTIC TIP),
RD (RIFLE DEFENSE), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION).
some improvements, the current
version tested for this review
demonstrated a level of reliabil-
ity and accuracy that shows this
platform has evolved past its earlier
growing pains into a fully devel-
oped platform. While this firearm
would likely not be considered
inexpensive by many consumers, it
does cost less than some compet-
ing models. Add to that its fully Bilateral controls include charging
ambidextrous configuration and its handles, safety levers and magazine-
compact profile, and the MDR is a release buttons, making the gun equally
rifle worthy of consideration. right- and left-hand-friendly.
The American Rifleman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” since at least 1921, when Col. Townsend
Whelen first titled his column with it. Even then, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used
by target shooters to hold ammunition and accessories on the firing line. “Sight dope” also was a
traditional marksman’s term for sight-adjustment information, while judging wind speed and direction
was called “doping the wind.”
WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based
on the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances. They do not detail
the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely necessary to
properly carry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page. Always consult
comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training requirements, procedures,
techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020 73

INSIDE NRA | ILA REPORT
New Study Raises Concern Over “Excess” Freedom
LATEST
T
he anti-gun activism machine is
getting desperate. Researchers at
LEGISLATIVE UC Davis allege in a new paper that
“excess” firearm purchases over the last
NEWS FROM few months may have led a significant
INSIDE THE NRA increase in “gun violence.”
The authors—with at least a baker’s
INSTITUTE FOR dozen advanced degrees and millions
LEGISLATIVE of dollars of funding from California
taxpayers—claim that an excess number
ACTION of firearms were purchased this spring.
They’re referring, of course, to the then-
record number of Americans who legally
purchased firearms to protect themselves
and their loved ones.
A natural right, affirmed by the
Constitution, cannot be exercised in
“excess.” The authors don’t claim a small
“excess,” either—they say 2.1 million
excess firearms were sold from March
through May.
The paper has not been peer-reviewed
or published in a journal. It is not designed
to identify causation. It cannot identify
causation. It does not identify causation.
It’s important to stress all three realities
there, as anti-gun activists are already
presenting this unreviewed fantasy as fact.
The data used in this study is from the
Gun Violence Archive, a shadowy web-
scraping operation that only shares its
data with certain parties. We have, in the
past, identified problems with its coding
and those same issues may be at work in
ILA Grassroots: this study. We have even identified cases
(800) 392-8683 in which the Gun Violence Archive has
included non-firearm-related injuries in its
NRA-ILA: (703) 267-1170 tally of injuries.
We cannot verify the data used because
NRA-ILA website: nraila.org the Gun Violence Archive will not grant
74 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
public access to its full data, but it readily
Getty Images photo by Joseph DeSantis / Contributor
authorizes its use by anti-gun pseudo-
scientists. What we can do is try to build
the same query the UC Davis team used
to measure the association between legal
“excess” gun purchases and gun violence,
and then examine the limited results. Those
limited results included incidents with
these characteristics:
Gang-involved. Drive-by shootings.
Targeting rival gang members. Drug deals.
Felon in possession of a firearm. Stolen
firearm. Motorcycle club fights. Airsoft and
pellet guns. Rubber bullets fired by police
officers (with no firearms involved).
Do any of those seem like the
perpetrators waited in line, filled out state
and federal paperwork, presented positive
identification, and paid any necessary taxes
to acquire their firearms?
Of course not. We know where criminals
get their guns because they’ve told
researchers in multiple studies. The vast
majority of firearms used in crime are stolen
or acquired through a straw purchase.
Again, we cannot verify if those
incidents were included in the data set or
what percentage of incidents in the data
set included any of those characteristics
because the Gun Violence Archive is not
public. We have requested access countless
times over several years and have yet to
receive a response.
The limited data we could review
included at least one incident in which a
concealed-carry permit holder in the District
of Columbia shot a man who threatened him
with an illegally carried firearm.
The basic premise of this study—that
firearm ownership and violence are
connected—is rooted in flawed,
disgraced and ridiculous studies,
including the very study that led to
the prohibition on the use of CDC
funding for anti-gun advocacy.
Ignore the fantastical premise. Look
past the skewed data and its misuse.
Put objections to the determination
of “excess” aside, for just a moment.
Let’s take the authors at their word and
review their findings.
The “excess” is measured in terms
of “excess” purchase rate, which they
created by predicting the rates based
on background check data from 2011
through February 2020—before the
pandemic raged across the country.
The two states with the most excess
purchases were New Hampshire and
Wyoming. Those just happen to be
two of the safest states in the Union.
But how did they determine what was
an “excess?”
The UC Davis researchers used
historical background check data to
predict sales in an unprecedented
time. Its historical data also does not
include Joe Biden, who has promised
to give Beto O’Rourke the authority
he craves to take your guns. Its
historical data cannot account for the
money anti-gun activists will spend to
saturate the airwaves and try to buy
their candidates’ way into office this
fall. Oh, and it also does not include
a pandemic.
Because this year is unprecedented.
So, no—there has been no
“excess.” There can be no “excess”
of Americans lawfully exercising their
Constitutional rights.
In reality, the number of firearms
sold has generally increased every
year; firearms are durable goods
that last for years, and yet crime
has generally decreased over the
same time period. That reality has
long been a thorn in the side of
anti-gunners. The millions of new
gun owners present a new obstacle
to anti-gun elitists, and so they
produced this desperate attempt to
smear law-abiding Americans.
IN MEMORY NRA-ILA
CONTRIBUTIONS
June 1 – 30, 2020
James H. Dobbins, Blountville, TN (from: Mrs. Selma
Dobbins); Curtis Branson, Owensville, MO (from:
Mrs. Jodie Branson); Robert “Bob” McDonald, Greeley,
CO (from: Mary MacKenzie); Allen Raver, Jackson, WY
(from: Jeffrey Raver)
Photo by NRA Staff
Charlie Daniels R.I.P.
T
  he world knew Charlie Daniels as a wizard
with a fiery fiddle, a legendary musician.
A true American icon. But, to his NRA family,
Charlie was all that and a lot more. We knew and
loved Charlie as an outspoken patriot whose
passion for freedom was unparalleled. Charlie
didn’t just preach about values—he lived them
every day. A proud NRA Life Member and lifelong
Second Amendment supporter who performed at
countless NRA events, and courageously spoke
out for freedom every chance he got. The world
lost one of its brightest stars. Our country grieves
for a true patriot. Our NRA family mourns the loss
of a brother. Rest in Peace, Charlie.“
–NRA Executive Vice President & CEO Wayne LaPierre
Charlie Daniels, famed American singer/songwriter and an outspoken supporter
of the National Rifle Association, passed away on July 6, 2020. He was 83.
Born in Wilmington, N.C., Daniels was exposed to gospel, bluegrass and
country music, and upon finishing high school in 1955, was already a skilled
player on the guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin and had formed a band.
By the 1970s, Daniels had recorded his first solo album and his first hit,
“Uneasy Rider,” in 1973. His most memorable song, “The Devil Went Down to
Georgia,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy
Award for Best Country Vocal Performance.
A vocal supporter of the Second Amendment and NRA, Daniels headlined
NRA Country concerts at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, and in a
recent conversation with NRA Country’s Vanessa Shahidi talked about his
passion for firearms.
“I have a lot of favorites,” said Daniels. “My favorite concealed carry
[gun] is a .357 revolver. I love the dependability of a wheelgun. I do quite a
bit of target shooting and have five Browning Buckmark .22 pistols, plus an
old Remington pump .22. Sometimes, I’ll fire several hundred rounds a day.”
He appeared in a series of ads for NRA, including one that aired in April
2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“...I’d fight to my last breath to defend my home and my family,” Daniels
stated. “And by the looks of the lines at the gun stores lately, it looks like an awful
lot of other people feel the same way—that they want to defend themselves—
which is the constitutional right we’re guaranteed in the Second Amendment.”
Daniels is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son, Charlie Daniels Jr.
75
 Online Regional Report
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RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264
H (877) 672-6282
(703) 267-1640
(703) 267-1342

GUN SHOWS TRAINING (703) 267-1600

u s o s. ra.or
Dates and locations of gun shows are subject
to change. Please contact the show before
traveling. Discounted NRA memberships
are sold through NRA recruiters. Some shows
may offer free admission to people who sign
up for new memberships or renewals.
To become an NRA Recruiter contact NRA
Recruiting Programs at re ru ter ra q.or .
H H
re use. ra.or | ra stru tors.or (877) 672-7632
(703) 267-1595
The NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program
HUNTER SERVICES (844) 672-6883
provides information on crime prevention
The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members,
and personal safety. To learn more about is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored
the program, visit re use. ra.or . The most events scheduled in your region for the current month.
Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.
up-to-date seminar and instructor training
schedule is available on the Internet by visiting
ra stru tors.or , or online training is available
at rao etra .or . Questions? Email to
re use ra q.or or by calling (800) 861-1166.

2021 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS

14 -16 • H
For hotel accommodations at the
NRA Annual Meetings, visit raa .or

AREA SHOOTS STATE ASSOCIATIONS

ssusa.or o -e e ts stateasso at o s. ra.or
For more information, send an email to Joining NRA-affiliated state associations
Shelly Kramer at ra er ra q.or supports NRA’s mission in your state.
or call (703) 267-1459. See u s. ra.or for more information.

76 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

INSIDE NRA | PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Hunters—
The Original Social Distancers
T
here is no denying that we are
experiencing a complicated time
in our country’s history. We are all
navigating through various states’ opening
and closing procedures that include
recommended social distancing measures.
One activity we should all be able to
participate in this fall is hunting! In this
month’s article I’d like to share what your
NRA has available to prepare you for the
upcoming hunting season. When I think
By Joseph P. about our rich history of marksmanship,
sport, firearms safety education, land
DeBergalis, Jr. conservation and NRA’s role in the
Executive Director, legislative protection of the guarantees
General Operations of our constitution, I’m reminded of the
self-reliant, frontier families who built this
nation. We’re indebted to that ancestral
bloodline that overcame the hardships
of living off the land with the “make it
happen” spirit that became the backbone
of our nation.
That spirit continues today through
NRA’s leadership and support of the
traditions that are so important to this
country. For example, did you know
that our Hunter Services Division, in
cooperation with the State of New York
in 1949, developed hunter safety training
as it is known today? Most states now
make hunter safety training mandatory
for persons who want to obtain a hunting
license. The objectives of the training are
broad, and include not only gun safety,
but wildlife conservation, first aid, basic
survival techniques and wildlife laws to
educate hunters and others who venture
into the forest for sport.
Were you aware that NRA Hunter
Services created the most comprehensive,
nrahe.org
free online hunter education program
nationwide? Recently, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) allowed state
wildlife agencies to claim a dollar value of
the NRA’s free Online Hunter Education
Course as an in-kind match for dollars to
access federal Pittman-Robertson (P-R)
grant funds. You read that right, if a state
yhec.nra.org
chooses to allow the use of NRA’s free
Hunters Education program, then that
state can then use the fair market value of
the course to receive federal grant money.
This marks a major win for hunters, NRA
members and state wildlife agencies that
rely on P-R dollars for their fish and wildlife
conservation programs. To learn more, visit
americanhunter.org nrahe.org.
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER 2020
The latest educational product from our
NRA Hunter Services Division is the NRA
Experienced Hunter Education Course.
This course was built for the hunter who
has stepped away from the field for a few
years or may be interested in refreshing
safety requirements prior to the new
season of hunting. NRA’s Experienced
Hunter Education Course is an online
review of everything an experienced
hunter should know, including a review of
firearm safety and safe hunting practices.
Though not a substitute for state-
mandated hunter-safety requirements,
it will provide a solid foundation of the
fundamentals. For more information please
visit nra.yourlearningportal.com/courses/
nra-experienced-hunter-education.
Always mindful of the next generation
of freedom fighters, NRA’s Youth Hunter
Education Challenge (YHEC) provides a
fun environment for kids 18 and under to
improve their hunting, marksmanship and
safety skills. Through its simulated hunting
situations, live-fire exercises and educational
and responsibility events, YHEC helps build
upon skills learned in basic hunter education
courses and encourages safer, lifelong
hunting habits. To get your youngsters
involved, contact (800) 492-4868 opt. 3,
or yhec@nrahq.org.
Lastly, we all know families that are
struggling through the COVID pandemic.
Hunters for the Hungry is another
initiative supported by the National Rifle
Association to give back to communities
by supplying thousands of meals to the
needy throughout the country. The NRA
works closely with state agencies to
put interested individuals in touch with
programs in their area and foster public
awareness through education, fundraising
and publicity.
To learn about all the programs offered
by our Hunter Services Division, log on
to: explore.nra.org/interests/hunting
and subscribe to the world’s largest
hunting magazine—
American Hunter, at:
americanhunter.org.
INSIDE NRA | PROGRAMS & SERVICES

NRA-Sanctioned Matches Resume

O
ver the past six months,
countless sporting events in
the U.S. have been canceled,
postponed or had a location change
due to measures intended to hinder
the spread of Covid-19. Indeed, the
coronavirus pandemic even forced the
cancellation of the historic National
Matches, as well as NRA-sanctioned
shooting tournaments across the country.

Photo by NRA Staff

For a time, it seemed as if there
would be no formal competitive shoot-
ing matches at all in the foreseeable
future. However, on Thursday, May 28
the NRA, encouraged by many state
and municipal governments declaring
their respective jurisdictions “open for
business,” lifted the suspension of all
sanctioned matches, beginning in July.
See the full statement below.
On June 15, the NRA Competitive
Shooting Division resumed accepting
tournament registrations for sanctioned
matches taking place on or after July 1,
2020. Clubs and match directors were
urged to comply with federal, state and
local guidelines regarding the Covid-19
pandemic. The NRA has continued to
monitor the Covid-19 situation as needed.
Please contact the NRA Competitive
Shooting Division at comphelp@nrahq.org,
visit the website at competitions.nra.org
or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/
nracompetitiveshooting.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has had an
unfortunate impact on competitive shoot-
ing,” said NRA Director of Competitive
Shooting Cole McCulloch. “The NRA
was delighted to begin the process of
sanctioning matches on July 1, 2020.”
McCulloch also highlighted one
important fact: This isn’t a complete
return to normal match operations.
However, the NRA’s resumption of
sanctioning local matches is an effort to
get shooters back on the firing line with
respect to local restrictions.
“One of the missions of the NRA
is to promote competitive shooting,
and although the 2020 NRA Nationals
at Camp Atterbury were canceled,
shooters have been able to compete
this summer at local matches across the
country,” added McCulloch.
As to be expected, competitive
shooters welcomed the news whole-
heartedly. When the announcement
first hit social media, the reaction
was generally positive. One elated
shooter shared the news from the
NRA Competitive Shooting Facebook
page with the caption, “Things are
picking up.”
Another shooter, Ted Carter, a
member of the NRA Board of Directors,
applauded the decision and said,
“Clubs and Match Directors have always
been, and will continue to be, the best
decision makers for their tournaments.”
While the sanctioning of local
matches indicates some return to
the normal competition schedule for
2020, large matches like the National
Championships at Camp Atterbury
(Precision Pistol, Smallbore Rifle and
High Power Rifle) and the NRA National
Silhouette Championships remain
shuttered until next year. New range
restrictions, particularly on indoor
ranges, may also be in place, including
social-distancing on firing lines and
elsewhere, wearing masks and use of
hand sanitizer.
The bottom line—when you step
on the firing line at an NRA-sanctioned
match, or any formal competition
for that matter, you are doing much
more than simply competing or
displaying your support for the Second
Amendment. You’re participating in
a tradition that’s well over a century
old, a real piece of Americana that has
been one of the major functions of the
National Rifle Association of America
since its founding in 1871—competition
and marksmanship. Pandemic or not,
participating in a local match, training or
even just dry-fire practice at home is an
excellent way to spend your time.

NRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joe M. Allbaugh, Oklahoma; Thomas P. Arvas, New Mexico; Paul D. Babaz, Georgia; Scott L. Bach, New Jersey; William A. Bachenberg, Pennsylvania; Bob Barr, Georgia;
Ronnie G. Barrett, Tennessee; Clel Baudler, Iowa; J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio; Matt Blunt, Virginia; Robert K. Brown, Colorado; Dave Butz, Illinois; Dean Cain, California;
Ted W. Carter, Florida; Patricia A. Clark, Connecticut; Anthony P. Colandro, New Jersey; Allan D. Cors, Florida; Charles L. Cotton, Texas; David G. Coy, Michigan; Larry E. Craig,
Idaho; Richard S. Figueroa, Texas; Edie P. Fleeman, North Carolina; Carol Frampton, South Carolina; Joel Friedman, Nevada; Sandra S. Froman, Arizona; Mark Geist, Colorado;
Marion P. Hammer, Florida; Maria Heil, Pennsylvania; Graham Hill, Virginia; Kevin Hogan, Illinois; Susan Howard, Texas; Curtis S. Jenkins, Georgia; David A. Keene, Maryland;
Tom King, New York; Herbert A. Lanford, Jr., South Carolina; Willes K. Lee, Virginia; Carrie Lightfoot, Arizona; Duane Liptak, Jr., Texas; Karl A. Malone, Louisiana;
Robert E. Mansell, Arizona; Carolyn D. Meadows, Georgia; Bill Miller, West Virginia; Owen Buz Mills, Arizona; Il Ling New, Idaho; Oliver L. North, Virginia; Robert A. Nosler, Oregon;
Johnny Nugent, Indiana; Ted Nugent, Texas; Lance Olson, Iowa; Melanie Pepper, Texas; James W. Porter II, Alabama; Jay Printz, Montana; Todd J. Rathner, Arizona;
Kim Rhode, California; Mark Robinson, North Carolina; Wayne Anthony Ross, Alaska; Carl T. Rowan, Jr., Washington, D.C.; Don Saba, Arizona; William H. Satterfield, Alabama;
Ronald L. Schmeits, New Mexico; Steven C. Schreiner, Colorado; John C. Sigler, Delaware; Leroy Sisco, Texas; Bart Skelton, New Mexico; Kristy Titus, Oregon; Dwight D. Van
Horn, Idaho; Mark E. Vaughan, Oklahoma; Blaine Wade, Tennessee; Linda L. Walker, Ohio; Howard J. Walter, North Carolina; Heidi E. Washington, Michigan; Allen B. West,
Texas; Donald E. Young, Alaska.

Communications intended for any member of the NRA Board of Directors should be addressed to:
(Name of Board member), NRA Office of the Secretary, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030; or nrabod@nrahq.org; or (703) 267-1021. Please include your name,
contact information and NRA membership I.D. number, as only communications from NRA members will be forwarded.

78 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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I HAVE THIS OLD GUN …

COLT SECOND GENERATION

NEW FRONTIER
GUN: COLT SECOND GENERATION NEW FRONTIER
CHAMBERING: .45 COLT
SERIAL NO.: XXX84NF
MANUFACTURED: 1967
BARREL: 7½"
CONDITION: EXCELLENT (MODERN GUN STANDARDS)
VALUE: $1,400 TO $1,500
NOTE: GUN IS MISSING ITS ORIGINAL BOX
(FOUR VERSIONS WERE USED FROM 1962-’75),
BROCHURE, TEST TARGET, FACTORY-SUPPLIED SCREWDRIVER

D
uring the early 20th century, to improve upon the rare
pre-war Colt Flattop Target Model P, the late Elmer
Keith spent a lot of time and money tricking out
Single Action Army (SAA) revolvers with adjustable sights.
One might think this was what ultimately inspired Colt to
come out with a Second Generation target version of its
famed Peacemaker years later, but such was not the case.
While Keith and others did, in fact, try to convince Colt
to make a target version of its famous Single Action Army,
or Peacemaker, after it was re-introduced in 1955, it is more
likely that the company was motivated by Ruger’s adjustable-
sighted .357 Mag. Blackhawk, which had been selling briskly
ever since it came out the same year Colt brought back its popular), .357 Mag., .44 Spl. and .45 Colt. Sporting two-
Model P. Still, it took seven years before Colt caught up to the piece walnut stocks, the guns were handsomely finished
Blackhawk with the New Frontier. Although it was announced in Colt Royal Blue with color-casehardened frames. A few
in December 1961, shipments didn’t begin until 1962. were nickel-plated, while engraved versions are rare. New
The New Frontier was mechanically and almost physically Frontier production—along with Colt’s Model P—was
the same single-action revolver as the Peacemaker, with the temporarily halted in 1975 to update the machinery. This
exception of a beefier topstrap, finely serrated ramp front marked the end of “Second Generation” guns, which were
sight and an Elliason adjustable rear sight—the same sight then superseded by “Third Generation” versions.
Colt had been putting on the Gold Cup National Match since Although only 4,200 Second Generation New Frontiers
1957. Of course, the familiar SAA hammer profile had to be were made during their 13-year production run, they never
trimmed a bit off the top to clear the protruding rear sight, approached the popularity of Second Generation Peacemakers.
but the gun was a noteworthy competitor to the Blackhawk. Interestingly, in 1981, this particular 99-percent gun was
The introductory price was $150, serial numbers had re-sold for $571.50. Recently, these Second Generation guns
an “NF” suffix, and barrel lengths were the same as the have been gaining in value; in 2020, the same gun, sans its
SAA, including 4¾" (discontinued in 1965), 5½", 7½" original gold box but still unfired, sold for $1,400.
and 12", while chamberings were .38 Spl. (the least —RICK HACKER, FIELD EDITOR
American Rifleman does NOT accept submissions for the I Have This Old Gun column. Topics are assigned to Field Editors in advance. Due to the volume of
mail received, our writers are not able to answer individual questions. Please consider instead sending your correspondence and questions through our Dope
Bag/Q&A service, which is available to all NRA members in good standing. Details appear in the Q&A section.

80 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN Photos by author

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