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 90+ New Guns for 2022
Attendance at the annual SHOT Show
may have been down this year due to

34
COVID-19 concerns, but that hasn’t
stopped the gun manufacturers from
offering up a bevy of new handguns,
JUNE 2022 VOLUME 63, ISSUE 5 rifles, and shotguns. Here are more than
90 of the most exciting.
Staff Report

Mission Specific
Originally designed for law enforcement
and government agency use, Rock
River Arms’s new 5.56 NATO Assurance

62 Carbine is built for rough duty, and it

comes with a newly redesigned Quad
Rail handguard, the company’s well-
thought-out Operator CAR buttstock,
and other great features.
By Jake Edmondson

Quick Shot
TriStar Viper 16 gauge
The Turkish-made 16-gauge semi-
automatic Viper G2’s receiver is

70
appropriately scaled to its gauge, so
everything looks and feels right and
provides what TriStar calls “optimum
balance.” The author says it hits exactly
where it is pointed, and it points as
quick as a “wink.”
By Steve Gash

Quick Shot
Aimpoint Duty RDS
Aimpoint’s new Duty RDS red-dot sight
is built to meet the rigorous demands

72
of law enforcement duty. It has a bright,
crisp 2-MOA red dot, flush-mounted
waterproof windage and elevation
adjustment turrets, a new digital keypad
brightness-intensity switch, and a pres-
sure-forged aluminum-alloy housing.
By Jake Edmondson

26
Quick Shot
Bushnell Vault Bino Harness System
The versatile and adaptable Vault Bino
Harness System’s compact modu-

74
Tide Bucker
Beretta’s striker-fired 9mm
APX A1 goes full size.
By Joel J. Hutchcroft
lar design and quiet magnetic closure
allow fast, one-handed access to a
binocular, and the front-opening top
closure protects the binocular from
dust and moisture and doesn’t get in
the way when retrieving the binocular.
By Sam Wolfenberger

2 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 COVER PHOTO BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ

NEW S&W CSX PISTOL ® ™

The New CSX Micro-9 Pistol Brings the Feel of All Metal
and 12+1 capacity. Our flat faced trigger ensures consistent
finger placement for accuracy and repeatability. CSX – the
ultimate in everyday carry.

smith-wesson.com ©2022 Smith & Wesson, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CONTENTS JUNE 2022 VOLUME 63, ISSUE 5

An Outdoor Sportsman Group® Publication

VICE PRESIDENT,
SHOOTER’S UPDATE SHOOTING GROUP PUBLISHER
Chris Agnes
8 Readers Speak Out EDITORIAL
D-I-Y Trigger Job, Best-Kept Secret in EDITOR IN CHIEF
.22s, Browning Gun Designs Clarification, Joel J. Hutchcroft
and more
COPY EDITOR
Michael Brecklin
10 New Guns & Gear
CONTRIBUTORS
Streamlight TLR-7 for Hellcat, SIG SAUER Craig Boddington
ROMEOZero Elite, 1791 Gunleather Ultra Jake Edmondson
Steve Gash
Custom Light Bearing Holster, Lyman Allan Jones
Power Trim Xpress Case Trimmer Payton Miller
Lane Pearce
Layne Simpson
12 Ask the Experts Joseph von Benedikt
Terry Wieland
Small Rifle Primers and the 6.5 Creedmoor
and IMR 4451 Load Data? ART
ART DIRECTOR
Stephan D. Ledeboer

SHOOTER’S GALLERY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Anschuetz

14 The Shootist PRODUCTION

Springfield Model 1898 Krag-Jørgensen PRODUCTION MANAGER
Terry Boyer
Joseph von Benedikt
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
18 The Ballistician Jenny Kaeb

Bullet Crimping Guidelines ENDEMIC AD SALES

Allan Jones VP, ENDEMIC SALES
Michael Savino — mike.savino@outdoorsg.com

22 The Reloader NATIONAL ENDEMIC SALES

Small Rifle Primer Misfire Jim McConville (440) 791-7017

Lane Pearce WESTERN REGION

Hutch Looney — hutch@hlooney.com

SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE MIDWEST REGION

Mark Thiffault (720) 630-9863

76 Gunsmoke EAST REGION

Pat Bentzel (717) 695-8095
A Mysterious Stranger
Terry Wieland NATIONAL AD SALES
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR—DETROIT OFFICE
Kevin Donley (248) 798-4458
80 Hipshots
A Courageous Cowgirl NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE—CHICAGO OFFICE
Carl Benson (312) 955-0496
Joel J. Hutchcroft
DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING/NON-ENDEMIC
Anthony Smyth (914) 409-4202
LESSONS FROM OBSOLETE CARTRIDGESPAGE 8)

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6 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

of subcompact, polymer handguns. As another first, the P15 features
a unique, patent pending, 15 round extended magazine.
Innovation. Performance. KelTec. See more at KelTecWeapons.com.
©2022 Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Inc
 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS

Ruger .327 SP101 Disassembled

circa 1940 scope, one has the proper Lyman

aperture rear and globe front target sights,
one that an unknown master gunsmith used
as a vehicle to show off his wonderful talents,
my original Model 341, and one that is in nice
shape that I actually shoot (out to 150 yards).
Each is extraordinarily accurate, light-
weight, and comes naturally to the hand
and shoulder. This model was way ahead of
its time and is now the best-kept secret of
the .22 world.
W.A. Rogers, LTC, AUS (Retired)
Via email

Browning Gun Designs Clarification

I enjoy reading Shooting Times magazine
and very seldom spot errors or inconsisten-
cies in the articles, but I would like to point out

D-I-Y Ruger
that there are a couple of questionable state-
ments in “Hipshots” in the March issue. While

SP101 Trigger Job

I have been in awe of John M. Browning’s
abilities in the gun-design field for decades,
I believe giving him credit for designing the
Winchester Model 12 and the Ithaca Model
WHEN I SAW THE TITLE OF THE RECENT D-I-Y RUGER SP101 TRIGGER JOB 37 shotguns does a disservice to the men
article in Shooting Times, I was excited. When I saw the revolver highlighted was who specifically created these two guns:
chambered for the .327 Federal, I was ecstatic. Having discovered M*CARBO T.C. Johnson (Model 12) and Henry How-
and reviewed its videos, I decided to take on the SP101 trigger job. I followed land (Model 37). Did they rely on the work
the videos step-by-step and completely disassembled my .327 SP101 to the of Browning with his 1893 and 1897 pump
smallest part. The video is spot-on in that the gun’s machined parts are not shotguns to create their designs? Absolutely.
smooth. I found a spur in the trigger return spring tunnel that was binding But the Model 12 and Model 37 were new
each pull of the trigger. After polishing every part, I managed a sub-5-pound guns designed by Johnson and Howland,
double-action trigger pull. It was the most fun I had in 2021. not Browning, and the 37 wasn’t designed
Tim Edwards until 1933, years after Browning died in 1926.
Via email John Browning was a genius firearms
inventor, and he influenced the design of
Best-Kept Secret in .22s most, if not all, modern firearms. His influ-
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Joseph von Benedikt for his ence still lives on today, but he did not invent
entertaining and informative column about the Remington Model 34 in the or design all modern shotguns.
Dec. 2021/Jan. 2022 issue. My first rifle was a Remington Model 341 Sports- Richard F. McCormick, PhD, PE, PS
master that replaced the Model 34 and retained C.C. Loomis’s famous cartridge Huntington, WV
lifter. After a 32-year career with the U.S. Army, I was ready to pick up my You are correct, Dr. McCormick, and I
Model 341 from my parents and take it with me. apologize for the inaccuracy. I should have
Pops cleaned and oiled it and took good care of it. It was in the same place clarified that Browning influenced the design
that I had left it; and it shot to the same point that I remembered (upper left of the Model 12 and Model 37 rather than
corner of a beverage can at 100 yards). crediting their designs entirely to him. Thank
Now, thanks to the magic of gunbroker.com, I have seven Model 341 Sports- you for bringing the error to my attention.
masters. Two of them look like they just came from the factory, one has a Joel J. Hutchcroft

8 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 EMAIL LETTERS TO SHOOTINGTIMES@OUTDOORSG.COM

A Comment About Tooling Marks The only complaint I had with these rifles was their hard
The “The Ballistician” column in the Dec. 2021/Jan. 2022 trigger pulls, but I have remedied that. I can’t wait to get
issue about forensic firearms identification was rather inter- a .44 Magnum.
esting; however, I have a comment regarding barrel rifling. It Doran Archuleta
seems to me that it would be possible for successive barrels Via email
that come off the rifling operation to have
the same tooling marks until either the
reamer wears or an errant chip creates a
change. I’m sure some defense attorney
has explored this possibility.
Ed Huck
Franklinville, NJ

Turkish Mauser
I truly enjoyed the column by Joseph
von Benedikt in the March issue about
the K. Kale M1938 Mauser. Thanks for
the wealth of information about my
80-year-old rifle. I have read and reread
this column several times.
D. Williams
Via email

A True Fan
I have been a fan of Shooting Times
since I graduated from college in 1974.
Bob Milek and Skeeter Skelton were my
favorite writers. Bob got me interested
in T/C Contenders, of which I own sev-
eral. Skeeter had a flair for prose that I
think has never been equaled. His arti-
cles were extremely entertaining as well
as informative. I own two of his compi-
lation books, which I still read.
And I really enjoyed the recent article
on the Marlin rebirth written by Layne
Simpson. I have three 1894s in .32-20, The NEW Ultra Custom Light Bearing Holster
.45 Colt, and .218 Bee (rechambered
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 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS

SIG SAUER
ROMEOZero Elite
SIG SAUER’s new ROMEO-
Zero ELITE micro-open reflex
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10 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 Sacred Stone of the
Southwest is on the
Brink of Extinction
Tibetans
C
enturies ago,
Persians,
and “With depleting mines,
Mayans considered turquoise, the most
turquoise a sacred stone to the
gemstone of the Navajo, has become
heavens, believing increasingly rare.”
the striking blue B. –– Smithsonian.com
stones were sacred
pieces of sky.
Today, the rarest
and most valuable
turquoise is found
in the American
Southwest–– but
the future of
the blue beauty
is unclear. A.
On a recent trip to Tucson, we spoke with
fourth generation turquoise traders who
explained that less than five percent of
turquoise mined worldwide can be set into
jewelry and only about twenty mines in the
Southwest supply gem-quality turquoise.
Once a thriving industry, many Southwest
mines have run dry and are now closed.
We found a limited supply of turquoise from
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mer from Lyman works on most pro- showcase the exceptional blue stone, each Necklace
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toughest commercial trimming jobs yet
metalwork. You could drop over $1,200 on
a turquoise pendant, or you could secure 26
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 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS
Small Rifle Primers
and the 6.5 Creedmoor?
Q: I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT PRIMERS. I HANDLOAD FOR 6.5 CREED-
moor, and after I bought some Federal ammo, I was surprised to see
the cases have small primer pockets. The trouble is all load data I can find is
for Large Rifle primers. (I see this in some Lapua cases in other calibers as
well.) I can find no load data for Small Rifle primers in the 6.5 Creedmoor.
I contacted a major bullet company tech line, but they couldn’t offer any
help. I just finished reading Lane’s column titled “Little Differences Make a
Difference” and figured more folks out there may have similar questions.
I began with the starting load for my 6.5 Creedmoor and worked up, and
that worked out well, but I would be interested in Lane’s insights. What
does he say?
Greg Kissinger
Via email
A: Well, I used to load the 6.5 Creedmoor with primer pockets of both
sizes, but, of course, I segregated them by large or small. I believe
Starline was the first to offer 6.5 Creedmoor cases with both sizes of primer
pockets, and I’ve used them. While I have never experienced a misfire or a
hangfire with handloads using small primer pocket cases, many ballisticians
recommend using 6.5 Creedmoor cases with large primer pockets. I covered
this topic in a Shooting Times column about five years ago, but here’s a recap.
According to one veteran ballistician, “Many propellants are sensitive to
temperature variations. If the ammo gets too cold, it’s harder to ignite. Small
primers contain less energetic material, so the risk of experiencing a ‘dud’
round or hangfire increases in cold conditions. And the 6.5 Creedmoor can
achieve excellent ballistic performance loaded with a double-base propel-
lant containing nitroglycerine. Such propellants are more difficult to ignite
than single-base, nitrocellulose powder, and that exacerbates the critical
ignition process.”
12 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 EMAIL QUESTIONS TO SHOOTINGTIMES@OUTDOORSG.COM
The 6.5 Creedmoor is factory-loaded with both Large
Rifle primers (right) and Small Rifle primers (left),
but handloaders should use extreme caution when
handloading with Small Rifle primers. (Photo by
Steve Gash)
Another ballistician said, “Typical 6.5
Creedmoor powder charges are simply too
large to reliably ignite with Small Rifle prim-
ers under all conditions. The result could be
a hangfire, in which the bullet plugs the bore,
and the reigniting propellant will likely fully
burn before the bullet can began moving
again, resulting in skyrocketing pressures that
could damage the rifle and possibly injure
the shooter.”
A third ballistician said he agreed that
excellent performance could be achieved
with Small Rifle primers in the 6.5 Creed-
moor under just the right conditions, but the
potential reward didn’t warrant the real risk.
Since then, I caution reloaders to charge
6.5 Creedmoor brass with small primer pock-
ets only with single-base propellants and to
fire those handloads only when ambient tem-
peratures require a rag to mop the sweat out
of their eyes between each shot.
Lane Pearce
IMR 4451 Load Data?
Q: In the February issue Lane Pearce
answered a reader’s question regard-
ing case weight variation and velocity in
which he uses 43 grains of IMR 4451 powder
in the .308 Winchester with a Hornady 165-
grain JSP bullet. I have been looking for loads
using IMR 4451 for my .308 for months and
can find none at Hodgdon’s reloading data
website or anywhere else. Where did Lane
get that load data?
Bob Presley
Via email
A: Well, you caught an error on my part.
I noted the wrong Enduron powder.
It should have been 43 grains of IMR 4166.
You can load IMR 4451, but it would be 10
percent to 15 percent more charge weight,
and you may not be able to get that much
in the case.
Lane Pearce
 W

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 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN THE RELOADER

Springfield
Model 1898 Krag-Jørgensen
Although its service life was short, the “Krag” is one of our
more interesting vintage military rifles. BY JOSEPH VON BENEDIKT

“KRAG” RIFLES HOLD SEVERAL HISTORIC DISTINC- resulting in the M1896, M1898, and M1899 in sev-
tions. They were chambered for the first smokeless- eral guises, including rifle, carbine, cadet rifle, and
powder cartridge adopted by the U.S. military. They constable carbine.
Chambered for were not of domestic design, so adoption was hotly They were quickly decommissioned and sold as
.30 Army
(a.k.a. .30-40
contested by American engineers—who even sued surplus after the Springfield 1903 was adopted, so
Krag), the the U.S. government in outrage. And although her- Krags were plentiful and cheap during the early part
Krag-Jørgensen alded as the ideal balance of assault-stopping repeater of the last century. Many, even most, were “sporter-
bolt-action
battle rifle
and accuracy-promoting single shot (with the maga- ized.” Stocks were shortened, and barrels were often
was the first zine cutoff engaged), the Krag was proven inferior in shortened as well. The Model 1898 rifle showcased
U.S. military combat. It also was the shortest-lived military long- here is one such sporterized Krag.
standard-issue
repeating rifle.
arm in U.S. history. For many decades, sporterized Krags were pop-
The one shown Not quite 750,000 were made, in all variations, ular and useful hunting tools. Peruse the used-gun
here is a non- worldwide. About 500,000 were manufactured at market, and you’ll find that these modified-for-hunt-
original M1898
variant.
Springfield Armory. First variants were the M1892 ing Krags are still relatively inexpensive. You can find
rifle and carbine. Regular updates were implemented, decent examples for $300 to $450. As with all vintage

14 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

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 Springfield Model 1898 Krag-Jørgensen // Continued From Page 14

military arms, originals in correct configuration now bring a premium.

KRAG-JØRGENSEN MODEL 1898
A rifle in nice condition will top $1,000, and carbines are even costlier.
MANUFACTURER Springfield Armory
Mechanicals TYPE Bolt-action repeater

Krag-Jørgensen rifles load via a magazine gate attached to the right CALIBER .30 Army (a.k.a. .30-40 Krag)
side of the receiver. Thumb it open, drop in up to five rounds, and slap MAGAZINE CAPACITY 5 rounds
it shut. It will align the cartridges for proper feeding. BARREL 30 in.
The Krag did not initially use any fast-loading devices, but it did have OVERALL LENGTH 49.5 in.
a magazine cutoff, enabling the full five-round magazine to be held in WEIGHT, EMPTY 6.4 lbs.
reserve against a potential charge or other fast-and-furious call to action STOCK Walnut
while being fed and fired as a single shot in the meantime. LENGTH OF PULL
13.5 in. (increased to 14.7 in. with
One feature that most soldiers liked was the ability to top off the vintage slip-on recoil pad)
magazine with a round in the chamber and the bolt closed. No other FINISH
Blued barrel and action, oil-fin-
ished stock
bolt-action military rifle of the era that I’m aware of offered this feature
until the advent of detachable box magazines. SIGHTS Ladder-type rear, bead front
Cartridges are fed in a rotary path around the underside of the action SAFETY Wing type on cocking piece
TRIGGER 3.06-lb. pull (as tested)
and up through an orifice in the left lower side of the receiver. The bolt-
face picks up the rim of fresh cartridges and pushes them forward into
the chamber. A massive cocking piece drives the firing pin home with Krags, and according to historic records, some 324,283
gusto when the trigger is squeezed. If a primer proves stubborn, the cock- were made.
ing piece can be manually retracted for a second try without having to It was purchased by the grandfather of the friend
open the action. The safety is a classic wing type. Rotate it right to lock I borrowed it from. A brand and his initials are
up the bolt and the firing pin. Flick it left to disengage. burned into the left side of the stock. From what
A long, robust, non-rotating claw extractor rides atop the bolt, recip- I can tell, only the stock was “sporterized.” The barrel
rocating in a slot milled into the top of the rear receiver ring. It draws remains the original 30 inches long. (Original carbines
fired cases rearward and flings them skyward when the bolt is worked. had 22-inch barrels.) The heat shield was removed
Interestingly, Krag bolts have just one locking lug up front. There’s a from the fore-end, and the steel fore-end cap, bayonet
backup lug that rotates in against the right front of the rear receiver ring, lug, and stacking swivel are gone. The owner hunted
and the bolt handle itself serves as a backup to the backup. However, the deer with it, and at least one of his grandsons even-
solitary front lug bears the brunt of the pressure and was a primary reason tually did as well.
the Krag was deemed unsuitable for use with the higher-performance car- One unique thing about this particular rifle is the
tridge the Army realized was called for after the Spanish-American War. slip-on rubber recoil pad. These were issued with
The rear sight on later variations (like the one shown here) is impres- M1 grenade launchers, from around 1931 until after
sive. Of ladder-type design, it’s capable of relatively accurate volley fire World War II.
at extreme distance. It features a small notch and a spring-steel aperture
that can be rotated up into place to provide a very fine sight picture. It’s Rangetime
adjustable for windage via a small knurled knob on the left side. Ammo is hard to source currently, but I was lucky
to find a partial box of Hornady .30-40 Krag car-
Provenance tridges loaded with 180-grain bullets. I also test-fired
The Krag-Jørgensen Model 1898 rifle shown was manufactured in a few rounds of vintage Winchester Western Super-
1900. This configuration was by far the most common of the U.S.-made X ammo topped with 180-grain Power-Point bullets.
The 9.5-pound weight of the rifle and the modest car-
tridge pressure and muzzle velocity made the Krag a
KRAG-JØRGENSEN M1898 ACCURACY & VELOCITY real sweetheart to shoot.
100-YD.
Accuracy was good with Hornady’s new factory
VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC. ammunition, and this ammo was superbly consistent,
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.) with a single-digit standard deviation. The vintage
.30-40 Krag, 30-in. Barrel, 1:10 Twist Winchester ammo shot quite well too, but velocity
Hornady 180-gr. InterLock 2398 14 5 1.86 was less consistent.
Winchester 180-gr. Power-Point SP 2439 85 32 2.62 Even with the limited amount of ammo I test-fired,
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of two, three-shot groups fired from a sandbag bench- I quickly became enamored with the classic Krag.
rest. Velocity is the average of six rounds measured 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle.
I think I need one of my own.

16 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

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 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN
Bullet Crimping Guidelines
Some of the guidelines for when to crimp centerfire rifle
ammo are persistent, but some may need a little updating.
BY ALLAN JONES
A BULLET CRIMP MAINTAINS UNIFORMITY—UNI-
formity of dimensions under firing and recoil forces and
uniformity of ballistic performance. There has been a
persistent set of guidelines for when to crimp centerfire
rifle ammo. Let’s look at each one and its contribution
to uniformity, then see if anything needs updating.
1. When assembling ammo for magazine rifles pro-
ducing heavy recoil, such as dangerous-game rifles.
No change. Massive recoil can cause inertia to unseat
an uncrimped bullet from its case in the magazine. This
makes the cartridge longer, setting the stage for a jammed
magazine or a failure to feed.
Whether you
are crimping 2. When assembling ammo that will be used in a tubu-
service-
equivalent or
lar magazine rifle.
dangerous- No change. Recoil makes cartridges dance nose-to-tail
game ammo, in the magazine, suspended between a solid shell stop
the key to a
consistent crimp
at the breech end and a floppy coil spring at the muzzle
is to separate end. The crimp helps preserve the original overall length
the seating (COL) of the cartridges and minimizes bullets pressing
and crimping
operations.
into their cases. A shortened cartridge may fail to feed
or, worse, fire at excessive pressure.
18 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
THE RELOADER
3. When assembling ammo that use a straight- or nearly
straight-wall case.
No change. Crimp improves ballistic uniformity,
which is most beneficial during the first milliseconds
of firing, but the results can often be picked up on a
time-pressure curve or sometimes even a chronograph.
When a small-caliber bullet first moves in a bottle-
neck case with an inside diameter of about a half-inch,
the working volume increases initially but not by much.
When a .45-caliber bullet starts moving in a case that is
also 0.45 inch on the inside, the initial volume change is
significant. The crimp gives a tiny delay, reducing abnor-
mal pressure/velocity variations.
This benefits even small cases. Speer tested .38 Spe-
cial lead wadcutter loads and found a medium crimp
gave the lowest extreme variation of velocity compared
to no crimp or a light crimp.
4. When assembling ammo for semiautomatic rifles,
especially military-style rifles.
Here we may revisit the issue. Most military orga-
nizations specify nearly an overkill degree of sealing
and crimping of service ammo. However, not all that
arsenal redundancy addresses recoil and feeding damage. Many of these charge fill your case? Most of the newer cartridges for
protect against environmental and handling abuse during storage and MSRs—and even some of the more traditional ones—
transport. work best with a full case of appropriate propellant.
When I wrote my Speer manual in 2007, “military-style semiautomatic That generates the proper gas volume for the rifle’s gas
rifle” still meant a rifle in either .22, .30, or .31 caliber. There were plenty of can- system design.
nelured bullets for those diameters. A generous propellant column acts like a pedestal
Then a three-letter acronym joined our lexicon: MSR (modern sport- to support the bullet from behind. You will need to
ing rifle). The MSR is a semiautomatic civilian rifle based on the U.S. sense the beginning of compression as the bullet reaches
M16 platform that, like other U.S. service rifle designs, became popular COL. A bit of resistance is good, but the “crunchies”
with civilians. They are now available for many non-military cartridges are too much.
with bore diameters from under 0.22 to 0.50 inch. In addition to the firing test for setback, there are two
This could affect the handloader. Although some bulletmakers, such simple shop tests to see if you’ve created the right support.
as Hornady, sell many bullets with a cannelure, other bullet compa- Shake a loaded cartridge close to your ear. If you hear
nies do not. Those firms offering cannelured bullets sold them decades no sound—or feel no propellant moving—that’s good.
before MSR was a thing. This raises the following questions. Is there a Then load another, immediately measure its COL to
need to always crimp in the MSR platform? Are there alternatives for three decimal points, and record the length. Leave the
non-cannelured bullets? cartridge at room temperature overnight and measure
The erudite Lane Pearce, who authors the Shooting Times “The Reloader” it again in the morning. If the morning’s measurement
column, and I went into “full hunker” over this. We know that many of shows any “growth,” either reduce the charge or use
those rifles nicely handle handloads with non-cannelured bullets. We another propellant that is slightly less bulky.
found that neither of us was aware of a rash of reports of no-crimp issues If there is no growth, you, like Goldilocks, have found
leading to problems. that the charge is “just right.”
So what to do?
Some crimp basics are in order.
First, if you doubt your ability or that of your MSR to handle
non-cannelured bullets, just buy the cannelured ones. There
are plenty of options.
Second, I don’t try to roll crimp bullets lacking a crimp can-
nelure. Case necks can bulge, causing non-uniform bullet pulls
and/or hard chambering.
Third, if you plan to roll crimp, trim all cases to the same
length before starting the reloading process.
There are ways to help support a non-cannelured bullet.
Proper case neck tension can overcome a lot of abuse and is
often touted as the cure-all. I’ll add this: It works well if done
right. Neck wall hardness and thickness can vary with case
make, including between production lots. Even the number
of firings can affect a case’s neck tension. Getting case lube
on the bullet negates any benefit.
A friend asked me over a year ago if insert neck sizers are
worth the extra work. I believe in this case they are.
You should do a little test to see if non-cannelured bullets
are being set back in your rifle. Measure a handload’s COL
and put it in the bottom of the magazine. Top off the mag
and when safely at an approved range, fire off all but the mea-
sured cartridge. Make sure it chambers but do not fire it. Then
measure it again. A very rough rule of thumb is not to have its
post-firing COL be less than the published minimum COL.
Realistically, the change should be small if any. I’d be happy
with less than 0.040-inch change.
Probably the easiest handloading step is to let charge den-
sity work for you. How full does a published safe propellant

JUNE 2022 • SHOOTING TIMES 19

 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN
Small Rifle Primer Misfire
With help from CCI-Speer, Lane got to the bottom of why his
friend’s 6mm Creedmoor handload misfired. BY LANE PEARCE
READER GREG KISSINGER RECENTLY ASKED IF
Small Rifle primers could be used when handloading
the 6.5 Creedmoor (see my answer in this month’s
“Ask the Experts” on page 12). He had done so and
achieved results that were quite satisfactory. How-
ever, after reading my “Little Differences Make a
Difference” column in the Dec. 2021/Jan. 2022
issue, he thought other handloaders might have a
similar concern.
Coincidentally, I received a call from a member
of my gun club that led to an investigation into a
primer-related problem with his 6mm Creedmoor
handloads. He had experienced a misfire with a hand-
After a load capped with CCI BR-4 primers in a custom
thorough inves-
tigation, the
match rifle. He fired four rounds into a 0.25-MOA,
misfire (right) 200-yard group before the fifth round went “click.”
can be attrib- He waited a moment before opening the bolt (in case
uted to a light
primer strike
of a hangfire) and extracting an intact round with a
due to the clear primer strike. He fired another five-shot group
primer not of the same handloads with no further misfires.
being seated
properly.
When we met a couple of days later, he brought a
fired case along with the unfired round. I weighed
22 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
THE RELOADER
the suspect round and verified it likely contained
the correct charge. The primer strike appeared to be
a bit light, but without a fully comprehensive fail-
ure investigation, we’d just be guessing at the cause.
So I called Justin Mortensen in CCI-Speer’s qual-
ity-control department and requested his assistance.
He listened to my description of the problem and
asked me to send the rounds to him, requesting that I
be sure to record the primer lot number. He surmised
there were only a few possibilities and thought he’d
be able to determine quickly what had happened.
Sure enough, a few days later, I received a full
description of the investigation and the conclusion.
Here’s the outcome.
The noticeable dimensional differences between
the two strikes were as follows. The fired primer
strike depth was 0.0148 inch with a diameter of
0.0617 inch. The misfire primer strike depth was
0.0098 inch, and the diameter was 0.0489 inch. Both
primers were set essentially flush with the case head.
The flush primer position is readily explained for
the case that fired. The primer first backs out of the
pocket and then is reset when the round ignites and
the case expands in the chamber, causing the case head
to thrust back against the boltface.
For the unfired round, the bullet was removed
and the powder charge was examined. The granules
were of normal color with no foreign debris. Then
the primer was removed and inspected. The priming
mix, foil paper, and anvil were all present and in their
proper places; however, the three anvil legs were still
protruding above the primer cup mouth.
When measured, the primer was still within spec-
ification for primer height (the anvil had not been
pushed into the cup enough to properly consolidate
and sensitize the priming mix). The cartridge case
primer pocket was inspected, and the flash hole was
open and correctly sized. Primer pocket depth was
0.117 inch, and diameter was 0.174 inch. Both were
within specifications.
The suspect primer was apparently not seated deep
enough and was reset flush with the case head by
the firing pin strike. The cushioned blow caused a
light firing pin strike. The report indicated primer
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lot #L02Y12 was made in the fourth quarter of 2017, and there were
approximately a million primers in that lot. Of most importance, there
have been no other reported issues with this lot.
Mortensen related that CCI BR-4 match primers have a thick cup
that can be more difficult to properly set in new, high-quality cases
like the Peterson brass my friend used. This is especially true if the
dimensional tolerances for the primers and primer pockets stack
against each other—tall primers and shallow pockets—but are still
within spec.
This is how CCI recommends setting a primer. Slowly press it in place
until you “feel” it stop and then slowly add more pressure until you can
“feel” a slight movement. That will be the anvil being pressed into the
priming mix. The desired seating depth is at least 0.005 inch below flush;
however, too much pressure can cause the anvil to fracture the priming
mix and can cause a misfire or a hangfire.
According to Mortensen, this condition and chemical contamination
account for about 99 percent of misfires. He mentioned that many off-
press hand-priming tools do not have adequate leverage to ensure the
handloader will set each primer properly.
This exercise demonstrates once again that little differences can make
a difference. It also provides an opportunity to learn about safe and reli-
able handloading practices.
SIGSAUER.COM/P322
26 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ
 TIDE
BUCKER BERETTA’S STRIKER-FIRED
9MM APX A1 PISTOL GOES FULL SIZE.
I
N THIS DAY AND AGE, THE TREND IN
9mm semiautomatic pistols seems to be
going in the direction of smaller, thin-
ner, more compact guns. Well, Beretta is
bucking the tide by taking the APX A1
pistol in the opposite direction. That’s
right, the APX A1, which started out
about a year ago as a compact pistol, is
going full size for 2022. Just between you and
me, because I’ve been shooting a lot of sub-
compact and micro-sized pistols lately, I found
it quite refreshing to shoot a new pistol that I
didn’t have to squeeze all of my fingers together
in order to get a full-hand grip on. Here’s a close
look at the new APX A1 Full Size.
Design Details
The APX A1 is a modular
polymer-frame, striker-
fired autoloader. It uses
a removable serial-num-
bered steel chassis, so
frames of different
One of the improvements to
Beretta’s APX A1 series of pis-
tols is the trigger mechanism. It
provides a shorter and lighter pull
than the previous APX pistols.
BY JOEL J. HUTCHCROFT
colors and sizes can be swapped. The frame
also incorporates interchangeable backstraps,
and our sample came with three of them. The
sizes are small, medium, and large. I should
mention that the APX A1 Carry that was
introduced in 2021 was different from previ-
ous APX pistols in that it offered improved
modularity, a shorter and lighter trigger pull,
and an optic-ready slide. The APX A1 Full
Size embodies those improvements.
Now might be the best time to tell you that
the APX A1 Full Size pistol is 5.38 inches
tall from the base of the inserted flush-fitting
magazine to the top of the rear sight, per my
measurements. It’s also 7.5 inches long over-
all and 1.34 inches thick at its widest
point, which is at the ambidex-
trous slide lock. The slide
proper is 1.14 inches thick.
The grip circumference
is 5.13 inches straight
across from the bottom
of the trigger guard. The
pistol weighs 29 ounces
unloaded. With a fully
loaded magazine of 147-
grain ammo inserted, the
pistol weighs 37 ounces,
according to my digital scale.
JUNE 2022 • SHOOTING TIMES 27
TIDE BUCKER

APX A1 FULL SIZE

MANUFACTURER
Beretta
beretta.com
TYPE Striker-fired autoloader
CALIBER 9mm Luger
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 17 rounds
BARREL 4.25 in.
OVERALL LENGTH 7.5 in.
WIDTH 1.34 in.
HEIGHT 5.38 in.
The APX A1 Full Size pistol has a 4.25- WEIGHT, EMPTY 29 oz.
inch barrel, is 5.38 inches tall from FINISH Matte black
the base of the flush-fitting 17-round
SIGHTS All-black rear, tritium-dot front
magazine to the top of the rear sight,
measures 7.5 inches long overall, and is TRIGGER 6.6-lb. pull (as tested)
1.34 inches thick. It weighs 29 ounces. SAFETY Trigger safety/firing pin block
MSRP $529

Continuing with more details of the polymer frame, the
trigger guard is aggressively undercut, and the rear of the grip
features a high, generous beavertail, resulting in a frame that
sits low in the hand.
The polymer-frame striker-fired 9mm APX A1 Full Size pistol comes with three interchange-
able backstraps in small, medium, and large sizes.
In addition, several different grip textures are present. The
frontstrap and backstrap have what I would call semi-coarse
checkering-like texturing. The grip frame’s side panels have a
stippling-like texture. And the front of the square trigger guard
has horizontal grooves—eight, to be exact.
The frame’s dustcover forward of the trig-
ger guard has a molded-in integral accessory
rail with three cross-slots. And the APX A1
Full Size has an ambidextrous slide lock and
a reversible magazine release.
As is the standard these days, the trigger
has a hinged safety lever. I’ve found a lot of
striker-fired pistols don’t have what I would
call match-grade trigger pulls. And while I
wouldn’t call the APX A1 Full Size’s trigger
match-grade, I can say that its pull was very
good, as this type of trigger goes. The pull
averaged 6 pounds, 10 ounces, with a variance
of only 4 ounces over a series of 10 measure-
ments. I don’t have to tell serious handgunners
that’s pretty darn consistent. There was a slight
amount of take-up, but the break was clean and

28 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

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TIDE BUCKER
fairly crisp. Unlike some striker-fired designs,
the APX A1 Full Size will not fire with the
magazine out.
The slide features wide, sculpted grasping
grooves at the rear and at the front. As you
can see from the accompanying photos, there
are five grooves on the right-hand side at the
rear and six on the left-hand side. The exter-
nal extractor is located on the right side where
the sixth grasping groove would go. There are
four grooves on each side at the front.
The top edges of the slide are radiused—or
dehorned, if you prefer that term—to allow
snag-free operation and make the pistol more The front sight has a tritium dot, which glows
nice and bright in low light, and the sight is
comfortable to carry and shoot. dovetailed into the slide.
The sights consist of an all-black, square-
notch rear and a tritium-dot front. The rear
sight’s face has fine horizontal striations, and I really like that it
does not have the pesky two white dots that so many pistol rear
sights have. As I’ve said many times before, I find a three-dot
sight setup distracting and not quick for me to acquire. (That
may be just one example of how I don’t fit the mainstream,
but I am always pleased when a new defensive handgun has a
Disassembly of the APX A1 Full Size is simple, and by virtue of its striker deactivation pin,
the trigger does not have to be squeezed to complete the procedure, although the pistol
can be decocked by squeezing the trigger if the user prefers that method.
30 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
The rear sight is dovetailed into the slide,
and it features an all-black face with a square
notch and fine horizontal striations.
sighting system that is not composed of three white dots.) The
rear sight’s notch is 0.158 inch wide, and the sight is dovetailed
into the slide. The front sight is also dovetailed into the slide,
and it is 0.145 inch thick and 0.148 inch tall. The tritium dot
glows nice and bright in low light.
At the rear of the slide, just in front of the rear sight, the slide
is cut for an optic mounting plate. A filler plate
with two screws resides there. Up front, just
behind the front sight, “APX” is stamped into
the top of the slide. APX is also molded into
both sides of the frame at the front.
The cold hammer-forged barrel is 4.25
inches long, and it protrudes from the front
of the slide slightly, about 0.1 inch. The muzzle
has a recessed crown.
Our sample came with two metal magazines.
Both hold 17 rounds of 9mm Luger ammo,
and as I alluded to before, they are flush fit-
ting with the bottom of the grip frame. The
magazines have numbered witness holes on
the back and removable polymer baseplates.
The pistol also came with a hard plastic,
foam-lined case; a polymer magazine loader;
a cleaning brush; and a cable-style padlock.
Fieldstripping is simple, and there is no need
to squeeze the trigger to get the slide off. How-
ever, I found rotating the takedown lever down
to be difficult to accomplish. Either I’m losing
my muscle tone in my old age, or the lever is
just hard to push down. Time will tell if it
becomes easier with more practice. That said,
here’s how to disassemble the pistol for rou-
tine maintenance.
After removing the magazine and ensur-
ing that the chamber is clear, retract the slide
slightly with one hand and depress the striker
deactivation pin, located at the right rear of
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TIDE BUCKER

The APX A1’s modern modular construction

utilizes a removable internal steel chassis
that makes it a versatile platform. The pistol
comes with an ambidextrous slide lock,
and the magazine release can be reversed,
adding to its versatility.

the frame until it clicks (this is so you don’t have to squeeze many factor y
the trigger to remove the slide). Allow the slide to return to loads as I could
battery. Now, holding the pistol with its left side up, use the get my hands on.
right-hand index finger to press firmly on the end of the take- Luckily, I was able
down lever pin that protrudes from the right side of the pistol to obtain 10 differ-
and at the same time push the takedown lever on the left side of ent loads, ranging in
the pistol firmly with the right-hand thumb, rotating it about bullet weight from 115
90 degrees. Draw the slide forward off the frame. Then remove grains to 150 grains.
the recoil spring and barrel. They are listed in the
To reassemble, simply replace the barrel and recoil spring in accompanying shoot-
the slide and glide the slide rearward on its rails. The takedown ing results chart.
lever automatically rotates up into place as the slide comes home. As you can see, all
10 loads averaged less
Shooting Performance than 4.0 inches. Overall average accuracy was 3.72 inches, and
I put the APX A1 Full Size through my standard protocol of at 3.38 inches, my best average came with HSM 115-grain XTP
firing five, five-shot groups from a benchrest at 25 yards with as ammo.
I also fired the APX A1 Full Size at a self-
defense distance of seven yards. At that short
BERETTA APX A1 FULL SIZE ACCURACY & VELOCITY range, firing a full magazine of each factory load
25-YD.
produced essentially one large ragged hole in the
VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC. man-sized B27 target.
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.) Function was 100 percent throughout my
9mm, 4.25-in. Barrel entire shooting session, both for accuracy at
Barnes 115-gr. TAC-XPD +P 1021 37 19 3.57 25 yards and rapid-fire at seven yards. Point of
HSM 115-gr. XTP 1120 30 13 3.38 impact was right on the money at seven yards,
Winchester 115-gr. Silvertip 1169 69 40 3.99 and muzzle jump and recoil were easy to manage.
Federal 124-gr. Hydra-Shok 1106 42 27 3.71 When empty, the pistol had a slight muzzle-
Nosler Match Grade 124-gr. JHP 1051 22 13 3.63 heavy feel, but with the loaded magazine in place,
Remington Golden Saber Black Belt 124-gr. JHP 1081 39 18 3.89 the balance was excellent.
SIG SAUER 124-gr. JHP 1122 49 28 3.69 A lot of situations call for a full-size pistol
Hornady Critical Duty 135-gr. FlexLock +P 968 23 12 3.77 with a high magazine capacity. The new Beretta
SIG SAUER 147-gr. FMJ 908 47 22 3.55 APX A1 Full Size meets that need. It’s accurate,
Federal Personal Defense Micro 150-gr. HST 811 20 11 3.98 reliable, and comfortable to shoot. Plus, it offers
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of five, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag benchrest. Veloc- modern modularity that makes it more of a fire-
ity is the average of 10 rounds measured 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle.
arms system than just a simple handgun.

32 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 ONE GUN, ONE GUNSMITH

Vice President

Delegate

BUILT TO LAST
Handbuilding the World’s Finest 1911s
The World’s Finest 877-268-4867
Custom 1911s WWW.NIGHTHAWKCUSTOM.COM
 +
In addition to the new Rock River Arms Assurance Carbine and the
Beretta APX A1 Full Size pistol reviewed starting on pages 26 and
62, here’s a quick look at a bevy of new guns, in no particular order.
STAFF REPORT

BROWNING
A Browning has a new ver-
sion of the popular X-Bolt.
This one is called the X-Bolt
Target Max, and its features
include a stiffer, heavier, full-
diameter receiver; a longer
bolt handle; the new Xtra
Capacity Magazine System;
and the all-new adjustable
Browning Target DLX Trig-
ger. The rifle’s 26-inch fluted
bull barrel is suppressor-
C ready, and the adjustable
MAX stock provides versa-
tility. Chamberings include
6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creed-
moor, and .308 Winchester.
MSRP: $1,669.99
B Also new for 2022 is the
A5 Wicked Wing Sweet Six-
teen semiautomatic shotgun
in 16 gauge and with Mossy
Oak Bottomland camo stock
and Burnt Bronze Cerakote
barrel and receiver. Barrel
lengths are 26 inches and
28 inches; magazine capac-
ity is four 2¾-inch shells;
and included choke tubes
are Full, Modified, and
Improved Cylinder. It comes
with a fiber-optic front sight,
an Inflex 2 recoil pad, sling-
swivel studs, and an alloy
trigger.
MSRP: $2,229.99
browning.com
C As for new .22 LR Buck
Mark pistols this year, the
Buck Mark Vision Black/
Gold Vortex version is sup-
pressor-ready and comes
with a Vortex Crossfire red-
dot reflex sight as well as
co-witness windage-adjust-
able rear sight and fiber-optic
front sight. The lightweight
barrel is 5.88 inches long; the
UFX grips are black compos-
ite with rubber overmolding;
and the magazine holds 10
rounds of ammo. The pistol
weighs 31 ounces, and the
finish is matte black.
MSRP: $979.99

34 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 B
FN AMERICA
A Inspired by FN’s patented low-profile
optics mounting system, the new optics-
A ready, suppressor-ready FN 502 Tactical
.22 LR semiautomatic pistol offers superior
ergonomics, proven balance, and ambi-
dextrous controls. The threaded barrel is
4.6 inches long, the weight is 23.7 ounces,
and finishes are FDE and matte black.
Magazine capacities are 10 rounds and
15 rounds. When a red-dot optic
is installed it co-witnesses with
the suppressor-height front
and rear sights.
MSRP: $499
AUTO-ORDNANCE auto-ordnance.com
Auto-Ordnance’s new full-size .45 ACP stainless-
steel Model 1911 features an adjustable trigger, a
skeletonized hammer, a full-length recoil guide rod,
an extended beavertail grip safety, an extended
magazine release, and combat-style sights (night
sights are optional). The forged stainless-steel
slide has decorative cuts and front cocking serra-
tions, the mainspring housing and the frontstrap
are machine-checkered, and the gun is finished in
Savage Stainless Cerakote.
MSRP: $1,324 (standard sights),
$1,408 (night sights)
fnamerica.com
B Also new for 2022 is an upgraded ver-
sion of the fast-handling and quick-shooting
5.56x45mm piston-driven FN SCAR 16S that
comes with non-reciprocating charging han-
dles, which enable any shooting position, grip
style, and optic choice for unimpeded braced
and barrier-contact shooting positions. The
carbine features a rugged monolithic upper
receiver with MIL-STD-1913 rail and a fold-
ing buttstock with adjustable length of pull
and cheekrest height. It’s offered in FDE and
black finishes with 10-round and 30-round
magazines.
MSRP: $3,569
ED BROWN edbrownproducts.com
The newest pistol from the craftsmen at Ed Brown
Products is the 9mm MP-F4. As part of the Fueled
Series, the MP-F4 is built on an S&W M&P 2.0, and it
has been thoroughly reworked and customized with
Ed Brown components, including a custom accu-
racy rail, a custom slide, a custom slide backplate,
a custom barrel, a custom trigger, a custom extrac-
tor, a custom magwell, custom pins, and custom
sights. It comes with one 17-round magazine and
one 19-round magazine with custom baseplates,
and it’s offered with and without an optic installed.
MSRP: $2,195 to $2,695
JUNE 2022 • SHOOTING TIMES 35
90+ NEW GUNS
SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
springfield-armory.com
Everybody already knows about the new SA-35
Hi-Power 9mm pistol from Springfield, and in addi-
tion to it, Springfield has the new .45 ACP Operator
full-size Model 1911 and the new EMP Ronin micro-
Model 1911s. Two other really cool new-for-2022
guns are the Hellcat Pro and the Hellion.
A Based on the Croatian VHS-2, the semiauto-
matic Hellion bullpup carbine is chambered for
5.56 NATO. It feeds from AR-style magazines, uti-
lizes an AR-pattern pistol grip, has a five-position
adjustable buttstock, and features M-LOK slots on
the handguard. It uses an adjustable gas system; a
reversible ejection system; and fully ambidextrous
controls, including the safety, the charging handle,
the magazine release, and the bolt release. It comes
with a Picatinny top rail, flip-up iron sights, and a
30-round magazine. The barrel is 16 inches long,
and the overall length is 28.25 to 29.75 inches.
MSRP: $1,999
B The new Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol has a longer
grip frame so that a 15-round magazine fits
flush. The barrel is 3.7 inches long, and the pistol
weighs 21 ounces. It comes with two 15-round
magazines, a Tactical Rack U-notch rear sight,
and a tritium/luminescent front sight. The poly-
mer frame has an integral accessory rail with
two cross-slots, and the slide is cut for mounting
a red-dot reflex-type optic.
MSRP: $634
36 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
TAURUS
taurususa.com
In addition to a new competition version of the
popular .22 rimfire TX22 called the TX22 Compe-
tition SCR with a 5.25-inch barrel, TANDEMKROSS
compensator, Picatinny rail, and fully adjustable
white-dot sights (MSRP: $589.32) and a new
chambering (.327 Federal) for the popular snub-
nosed Model 856 double-action revolver (MSRP:
$371.05 to $388.32), Taurus has announced the
new G3X polymer-frame striker-fired 9mm semi-
automatic pistol.
A The G3X has a 3.2-inch barrel, a white-dot fixed
front sight, a drift-adjustable rear sight, and the
same full-size grip frame as the longer-barreled
Taurus G3. The G3X is 5.2 inches tall with the
15-round magazine, 6.3 inches long overall, and
1.2 inches thick. It weighs 22.6 ounces, and it is
compatible with G3 and G3C T.O.R.O. slide kits.
MSRP: $342.98
B Also new is the Defender 605 .357 Magnum
double-action revolver. Based on the original
Model 605 revolver, the Defender features a 3.0-
inch barrel, an extended ejector rod, a tritium
front sight with orange outline, and a groove rear
sight. It’s offered in Tungsten Cerakote finish with
Altamont wood grips, matte black finish with
Hogue rubber grips, matte stainless finish with
VZ black/gray grips, and matte stainless finish
with Hogue rubber grips.
MSRP: $472.63 to $540.68
800 -338 -3220 | HOR ADY.COM

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• Custom trickle settings
• Backlit touch screen
• Large powder capacity
• Built-in bubble level
• Store up to four custom loads
or use the factory setting
• Small, compact footprint
90+ NEW GUNS

TRISTAR ARMS tristararms.com

The new 16-gauge Bristol SxS from TriStar Arms is offered in a case-color version with an English-style, Turkish
walnut stock and a gold-adorned, laser-engraved Silver version. The model features a true-to-gauge receiver, auto
ejectors, a brass front sight, a single selective trigger, 28-inch chrome-lined barrels, and five Beretta-style choke
tubes (Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified, and Full).
MSRP: $1,190 (Case-Color, English), $1,130 (Silver)

SAVAGE
A Savage’s Stance 9mm micro-
compact pistol is now available
with a Viridian red laser installed at
the factory. The Stance comes with
a 3.2-inch barrel; interchangeable
backstraps; a ported, black-finished,
stainless-steel slide; snag-free three-
dot sights; ambidextrous magazine
release and slide stop; and two mag-
azines (seven-, eight-, or 10-round
capacities). The Viridian E-Series red
laser attaches to the trigger guard
and has an ambidextrous on/off
button, five-minute auto shutoff,
25-yard range in daylight and 1 mile
at night, and windage and elevation
adjustments.
MSRP: $561
B The newest version of the inno-
vative and well-received Dual
Regulating Inline Valve semiauto-
matic Renegauge 12-gauge shotgun
is the Security. It features an 18.5-
inch fluted barrel, three flush-fitting
Beretta/Benelli-style choke tubes
(Improved Cylinder, Modified, and
Full), an extended six-shot maga-
zine tube, a matte gray synthetic
stock with raised comb and recoil
pad, and ghost-ring sights. Plus
the aluminum receiver is drilled
and tapped for scope mounts. The
handy Security Renegauge weighs
7.0 pounds and measures 40 inches
long.
MSRP: $1,499
savagearms.com
C Another cool new-for-2022
offering from Savage is the straight-
pull Impulse Precision bolt-action
rifle. Offered chambered for 6mm
Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5
PRC, .308 Winchester, .300 PRC,
.300 Winchester Magnum, and
.338 Lapua, the rifle features an
MDT ACC chassis, an ARCA rail
fore-end, a precision button-rifled
stainless-steel modified Palma con-
tour barrel with threaded muzzle, an
AICS magazine, a matte black alumi-
num receiver with integral 20-MOA
rail, ambidextrous bolt handle, and
adjustable AccuTrigger.
MSRP: $2,649 and $2,849
depending on chambering

38 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

KELTEC
keltecweapons.com
The new 9mm P15 from KelTec is 5 inches tall, 6.6
inches long, and 0.88 inch thick. The barrel length
is 4.0 inches, and the weight is 14 ounces. It is
KelTec’s first striker-fired pistol, and it comes with
an extended 15-round magazine, a flush-fitting
12-round magazine, a HIVIZ tritium and fiber-optic
front sight, and a fully adjustable tritium two-dot
rear sight. The polymer frame has an integral acces-
sory rail with one cross-slot. The firing mechanism
features a Model 1911-style grip safety.
MSRP: $425
SIG SAUER
sigsauer.com
New for 2022, the extremely popular SIG SAUER
P365 striker-fired micro-compact pistol is being
offered chambered for .380 ACP. The P365-380
pistol features a 3.1-inch barrel, a modular poly-
mer grip module, an optic-ready stainless-steel
slide with Nitron finish, a curved striker trigger,
and dovetailed SIGLITE night sights. It comes with
two 10-round magazines and weighs 15.7 ounces.
The P365-380 is 5.8 inches long, 4.2 inches tall,
and 1 inch thick.
MSRP: $499.99
90+ NEW GUNS

RUGER
A Ruger’s new .22 LR Birdshead Wrangler
single-action revolver features a rounded
A grip frame and birdshead-style synthetic
grips, a 3.75-inch barrel, a full-length ejec-
tor rod housing, a blade front sight, and an
integral notch rear sight. The cylinder holds
six rounds of ammunition. The revolver uses
a transfer-bar firing mechanism and load-
ing gate interlock. The barrel is steel, the
frame is aluminum alloy, and the finish is
Cerakote. All black, silver with black cyl-
inder, and burnt bronze with black cylinder
are offered. The revolver weighs 28 ounces.
MSRP: $279
ruger.com
B Also new is a left-hand version of the
Custom Shop 10/22 Competition rifle. Fea-
tures include left-side ejection, a left-handed
charging handle, and a left-handed push-
button crossbolt manual safety; a 16.13-inch,
fluted bull barrel with threaded muzzle; and
a painted and textured laminated stock with
fully adjustable cheekrest. The detachable
10-round rotary magazine has been specially
designed for this rifle, and the rifle comes
with a 30-MOA Picatinny rail, Ruger’s BX-
Trigger, and an ambidextrous magazine
release.
MSRP: $899

BENELLI
A New from Benelli are the BE.S.T. series Lupo bolt-action
rifles. BE.S.T. stands for Benelli Surface Treatment, and
it is a new hybrid finishing technology that incorporates
PVD (physical vapor deposition) and plasma-enhanced
chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) that is said to pro-
vide corrosion and abrasion resistance superior to all
other firearms finishes. The Lupo BE.S.T. rifles will be
offered in 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 Win. Mag. with pre-
mium AA-grade walnut stocks, the Progressive Comfort
recoil-reduction system, 24-inch Crio-treated barrels,
Picatinny top rails, and detachable box magazines.
MSRP: $2,199
benelliusa.com
B Also new for 2022 is the 28-gauge Benelli Super
Black Eagle III (SBE3) semiautomatic shotgun. Built on
a true-to-gauge receiver, the 28-gauge SBE3 has a Crio-
treated 28-inch or 26-inch barrel with a 3-inch chamber,
a carbon-fiber rib, and a red-bar fiber-optic front sight.
The shotgun weighs 5.5 pounds, and it comes in a hard
case along with three choke tubes (Cylinder, Improved
Modified, and Full). Eight configurations are offered in
matte black and GORE OPTIFADE, Mossy Oak Bottom-
land, Realtree Max-5, and Realtree Timber camoflauge
finishes.
MSRP: $1,799 (black), $1,899 (camo)

40 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

CUTS DECIBELS.
AND RED TAPE.

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90+ NEW GUNS
A

MOSSBERG
A One of Mossberg’s new high-per-
formance 940 Pro semiautomatic
shotguns is the 12-gauge Pro Water-
fowl, which features Patriot Brown
Cerakote metal surfaces; a chrome-
lined, 28-inch barrel; a HIVIZ TriComp
fiber-optic front sight; and True-
Timber camo-finished buttstock and
forearm. The gun also features a new
gas system that, according to the
company, will run up to 1,500 rounds
before cleaning and will reliably cycle
any type of quality commercial fac-
tory-manufactured 2¾- or 3-inch
12-gauge ammo.
MSRP: $1,050
B On the handgun side, Mossberg
has the new-for-2022 optic-ready
MC2sc. The polymer-frame striker-
fired 9mm micro-compact pistol
comes with a 3.4-inch barrel, three-
white-dot sights, and a flat-profile
trigger with integrated trigger blade
safety. The matte-black-finished
stainless-steel slide is machined to
accept popular red-dot reflex-type
optics, and the pistol weighs 19.5
ounces. A flush-fitting magazine
holds 11 rounds, and an extended
magazine holds 14 rounds of
ammunition.
MSRP: $556
mossberg.com
C And for rifles, there is a new ver-
sion of the bolt-action MVP Patrol
chambered for the .300 AAC Black-
out cartridge. The new carbine’s
barrel length is 16.25 inches, and it is
threaded and comes with an A2 flash
hider. The MVP Patrol carbine also
comes with a black synthetic stock
with a rubber recoil pad, a Picatinny
rail for easy optics installation, and
fiber-optic iron sights. The length of
pull is 13.25 inches, and the overall
length is 36.5 inches. The detachable
magazine holds 10 rounds.
MSRP: $638

HI-POINT FIREARMS
hi-pointfirearms.com
Hi-Point’s latest carbines are named “Grand Union”
and wear the red, white, and blue of “Old Glory,”
the American flag. They are chambered for 9mm
Luger and .45 ACP. The 9mm carbine has a 16.5-
inch barrel and a 10-round magazine capacity, and
the .45-caliber carbine has a 17.5-inch barrel and
a nine-round magazine capacity. Both guns come
with Picatinny top rails, fully adjustable sights, and
all-weather skeletonized polymer stocks, and their
muzzles are threaded.
MSRP: $422 (9mm), $453 (.45 ACP)
SAR USA
sarusa.com
SAR USA says the new polymer-frame striker-fired
SAR9 Compact is the perfect balance between a
micro-sized pistol and a full-size pistol. It is cham-
bered for 9mm Luger, has a 15-round magazine
capacity, and weighs 26.8 ounces. The barrel length
is 4.0 inches, and overall length is 7.2 inches. It
comes with interchangeable backstraps and side-
plates, a tabbed trigger safety, and black oxide or
stainless finish on the slide.
MSRP: $452 (black), $484 (stainless)

42 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 ™

RUGER MAX-9
®

The MAX-9™ is your next handgun.

Whether you’re new to firearms
ownership, or you’ve been an enthusiast
for years, the versatile MAX-9™ is sure
to meet your personal protection needs.
Comfortable enough to conceal in
an inside the waistband holster or
pocket holster, this micro-sized pistol
COLION NOIR, has it all - without compromising on
Firearms Enthusiast
capacity or features. Rugged, reliable,
affordable - the Ruger® MAX-9™.

The acquisition, ownership and use of firearms is heavily regulated.

Some models may not be legally available in your state or locale. Know the law and shoot safely. R U G E R . C O M / M A X- 9
90+ NEW GUNS

WALTHER ARMS waltherarms.com

Walther Arms’s new PDP PRO SD family
of 9mm semiautomatic pistols expands on
the success of the original PDP platform
with new ergonomics and a new trigger
system. Full Size, Full Size 10-Round, Com-
pact, and Compact 10-Round PDP PRO
SD optic-ready pistols feature the all-new
Dynamic Performance triggers, threaded
barrels, combat sights, and aluminum mag-
wells. The Full Size pistols have 4.5-inch
slides, 5.1-inch barrels, and either 18-round
or 10-round magazines. The Compact pis-
tols have 4-inch slides, 4.6-inch barrels, and
either 15-round or 10-round magazines.
MSRP: $829

B
A

SMITH & WESSON smith-wesson.com

C

A The all-new single-action
9mm CSX micro-com-
pact pistol from S&W has
an aluminum frame with
interchangeable poly-
mer backstraps (including
small and extra-small
sizes), a 3.1-inch barrel, a
12-round magazine capac-
ity, an ambidextrous slide
release and manual safety,
an 18-degree grip angle,
a flat-faced trigger with
integrated safety, three-
dot sights, and Armornite
finish.
MSRP: $609
B Federal’s newly created
.30 Super Carry cartridge
is being chambered by
S&W in the popular inter-
nal-hammer-fired Shield
EZ compact pistol. Devel-
oped for concealed carry,
the high-performance .30
SC delivers 9mm Luger ter-
minal performance from
a smaller cartridge case.
With its 3.7-inch barrel,
polymer frame, three-
dot sights, and distinctive
grip safety, the Shield EZ
weighs 21.6 ounces.
MSRP: $521
C Also new is Smith &
Wesson’s Volunteer Series
AR carbines and rifles.
Offered in 11 configura-
tions, some with sights and
some without sights; with
14.5-inch, 16-inch, or
20-inch barrel lengths;
and with components by
Bravo Company, B5 Sys-
tems, and Radian, these
5.56 NATO ARs are ready
for competition right out of
the box.
MSRP: $1,049 to $1,569
depending on the
configuration

44 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 NEW ELITE HUNTER
AMMUNITION

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• Heaviest-In-Class 156 Grain Elite Hunter • 205 Grain Elite Hunter Optimized for PRC
• Highest BC with Hybrid Ogive Profile • Superior Ballistics for Long Rang Precision
• Assembled with Premium Cartridge Cases • Extreme Hydrostatic Shock For Ethical Results
• Extremely Temp Insensitive Propellants • Results That Rival Precision Handloads

BERGERBULLETS.COM
90+ NEW GUNS

UBERTI ubertiusa.com
Uberti has added the 9mm Luger chambering to its 1873 Cattleman II
single-action sixguns. The 9mm El Patrón, Cattleman II Brass, and Cattle-
man II Brass Dual Cylinder 9mm/.357 Magnum revolvers headspace at the
cartridge mouths without the need for moon clips. Barrel lengths are 5.5
inches; grips are walnut; and finishes are blue barrels and cylinders, case-
hardened frames, and brass backstraps and trigger guards.
MSRP: $729 (El Patrón), $599 (Cattleman Brass),
and $749 (Cattleman Brass Dual Cylinder)

A 600 ALPHA

A 600 TRAIL

CZ-USA cz-usa.com
A CZ-USA’s new bolt-action Model 600 is offered B Two of CZ’s new shot- C The newest member of
in four sub-models, and two of the most interesting guns are the Bobwhite G2 CZ-USA’s match-ready,
are the 600 Alpha and the 600 Trail. The Alpha fea- Intermediate and the Bob- high-performance TS
tures an aluminum receiver and a black soft-touch white G2 Southpaw. Both 2 pistol family is the
synthetic stock. Built as a versatile hunter’s rifle, it’s are side-by-side double- single-action semiauto-
chambered for nine cartridges, ranging from .223 barreled guns, with the matic 9mm TS 2 Racing
Remington through 6.5 Creedmoor to .300 Winchester Southpaw being offered Green. This pistol comes
Magnum, and barrel lengths are 18, 20, 22, and 24 in 12 and 20 gauges and with flat green anodized
inches. the Intermediate being grips, magazine bases,
The 16-inch-barreled 600 Trail is a super-light- offered in 20 gauge. The and magazine release.
weight rifle that features an aluminum receiver, a Intermediate comes with The pistol features CZ’s
polymer chassis, and an aluminum fore-end. Cham- 26-inch barrels and weighs “sport” hammer and trig-
bered for .223 Remington and 7.62x39, it uses AR-15 6 pounds; the Southpaw ger, a 5.23-inch barrel,
or Bren 2 detachable magazines. has 28-inch barrels and a fiber-optic front sight,
All CZ Model 600 rifles have adjustable triggers, weighs 6.5 to 7.3 pounds an adjustable rear sight,
detachable magazines, Picatinny rails or Remington depending on the gauge. a flat slide stop, and an
Model 700 scope bases, two-position vertical safe- Its buttstock is cast on for ambidextrous manual
ties, and controlled-round feed. left-handed shooters. thumb safety.
MSRP: $749 (Alpha), $1,155 (Trail) MSRP: $709 MSRP: $2,049

46 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 ®
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90+ NEW GUNS

B
A

KIMBER
A Kimber has added two brand-new RAPIDE 1911
models to the company’s extensive line of Model 1911
pistols. They are the 1911 RAPIDE (Dawn) and the 1911
RAPIDE (Scorpius). Both pistols are chambered for 9mm
Luger; have 5.0-inch barrels; and feature the same styl-
ing touches, texturing, and lightening cuts as previous
RAPIDE 1911s. The 1911 RAPIDE (Dawn) has a Silver
KimPro II frame and slide, a Gold TiN-finished barrel,
and stylized gray/black G10 grips. The 1911 RAPIDE
(Scorpius) has a Black KimPro II frame and slide with
polished flats, a black DLC-finished barrel, and black
textured G10 grips. Both new-for-2022 1911 RAPIDE
pistols come with nine-round magazines and TRUGLO
TFX Pro sights.
MSRP: $1,729
kimberamerica.com
B In the 9mm Micro 9 line of pistols, there are new
RAPIDE (Dawn) and RAPIDE (Scorpius) versions that
have much of the same styling as the 1911 RAPIDE
(Dawn) and (Scorpius) pistols except scaled-down to
the smaller platform. In addition, there are new Micro
9 ESV Two-Tone (MC)(TP) and Micro 9 Stainless (MC)
(TP) pistols that feature mini compensators (MC) and
TRUGLO Tritium Pro sights (TP). The Micro 9 ESV Two-
Tone pistol has a Silver KimPro II slide and a black frame,
whereas the Stainless pistol is all silver. All Micro 9 pistols
have 3.15-inch barrels, and the (MC) pistols are 1 inch
longer overall than standard Micro 9 pistols.
MSRP: $899 [Stainless (MC)(TP)],
$975 [ESV Two-Tone (MC)(TP)],
$985 [RAPIDE (Dawn) and (Scorpius)]

LEGACY SPORTS legacysports.com

New from Legacy Sports International is the bolt-action SUPERLITE. Built on a hybrid-length Howa Model 1500
action, the SUPERLITE has a 20-inch barrel, a Stocky’s carbon-fiber riflestock in Kryptek Altitude camo, a Pica-
tinny top rail, a two-stage Howa Activated Controlled Trigger, a detachable magazine, and a three-position safety.
Magazine capacity is three rounds. Weight is 4.7 pounds. Length of pull is 13.25 inches. It’s offered in 6.5 Creed-
moor and .308 Winchester.
MSRP: $1,399

48 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

EUROPEAN AMERICAN ARMORY
eaacorp.com
One of EAA’s new-for-2022 pistols is the Turkish-
made Girsan MC 1911 SC Ultimate. Chambered
for .45 ACP and 9mm, this is one of the most con-
cealable 1911s ever created. The pistol features a
3.4-inch barrel, G10 grips, and a snag-free adjust-
able rear sight. The grips and magazine have a
very unique visual capacity window, and the slide
is optics-ready. In fact, you can get the MC 1911 SC
Ultimate with or without a Far-Dot 4-MOA red-dot
optic already installed. The magazine capacities are
six rounds of .45 ACP and seven rounds of 9mm
Luger. Finishes are black and Dark Earth.
MSRP: $732 and $833 (with Far-Dot)
HERITAGE MANUFACTURING
heritagemanufacturing.com
In addition to the Rough Rider Tactical Cowboy
single-action revolver we reviewed last month, Her-
itage has a new Barkeep Boot revolver. The new
Barkeep Boot has a 1.0-inch barrel, a six-shot cyl-
inder, a grooved rear sight, a birdshead-style grip
frame, and a manual thumb safety. Grip options
include black wood, engraved wood, and gray pearl,
and the metal finish is black oxide.
MSRP: $196.80 (black wood),
$205.38 (engraved wood, gray pearl)
90+ NEW GUNS
TRADITIONS PERFORMANCE FIREARMS
A New for 2022, Traditions has upgraded its innova-
tive NitroFire muzzleloader with a 1:24 VAPR Twist. The
faster twist rate is said to provide better bullet stability,
improved accuracy, and increased options in bullet selec-
tion. Using Federal Premium’s FireStick encapsulated
powder charge system and 209 ignition, the .50-cali-
ber NitroFire comes with a 26-inch fluted chrome-moly
barrel, the Elite XT trigger system, and a composite stock
in various camo finishes.
MSRP: $549 to $699
depending on the configuration
UMAREX
A One of our favorite new guns for 2022 is Umarex’s
AirSaber Elite X2 side-by-side double-barreled arrow
rifle. It is fueled by a refillable 4,000-psi high-pressure
air tank and features an 8.0-pound side cocking lever
and a 3.0-pound single-stage trigger. It comes with
20-inch air tubes, a push-button barrel selector, three
arrows, and an air archery scope. It is 42.5 inches long
and weighs 8.7 pounds.
MSRP: $499.99
50 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
traditionsfirearms.com
B In addition, Traditions decided it was high time to
bring back .45-caliber options. Accordingly, the com-
pany now has .45-caliber Vortek StrikerFire and Pursuit
XT series muzzleloaders. The Vortek StrikerFire rifles
have 28-inch or 30-inch barrels with 1:20 rifling twist
rates, TAC2 trigger systems, and black or camo com-
posite stocks. The Pursuit XT .45-caliber rifle has a black
composite stock, a 26-inch fluted barrel with 1:20 twist,
and the Elite XT trigger system.
MSRP: $362 to $515
depending on the model and configuration
umarexusa.com
B Another cool new air rifle from Umarex is the .25-caliber
PCP Origin. This rifle features Umarex’s easy-to-fill Origin
air-filling system and an easy-to-read side-mounted air
pressure gauge. The .25-caliber PCP Origin air rifle also
comes with an eight-shot rotary magazine, an adjust-
able trigger, a fully shrouded silencing system, and a
lightweight polymer stock. It doesn’t have sights, but it
has a Picatinny top rail for optics installation.
MSRP: $329.99
 SELECT GRADE AMMUNITION
READY FOR COMPETITION, TRAINING

MATCH GRADE PRIMER

LOT CONTROLLED

© 2021 Olin Winchester.com

Winchester, LLC
90+ NEW GUNS

A New this year from RIA is the
striker-fired 9mm STK100 semiau-
tomatic pistol. The STK100 has an
aluminum frame with integral grip
texturing, a 4.5-inch barrel, a white-
dot front sight, an optic plate with
integral rear sight, and a 17-round
magazine capacity. The grip angle
is very similar to that of the classic
Model 1911. The slide is Parkerized,
and the frame is black anodized. The
pistol weighs 30 ounces.
MSRP: $499
B On the rifle side, RIA has the
all-metal (7075 aircraft-grade alu-
minum) new-age TM22 .22 LR
semiautomatic rifle. The TM22
features an AR-type pistol grip,
commercial buffer tube adapter,
top rail, and fore-end that accepts
most aftermarket accessories. All
controls can be switched for left-
handed shooters. The barrel is 20
inches long, and the rifle comes with
two 10-round aluminum magazines.
MSRP: $348
rockislandarmory.com
C Rock Island Armory says its new-
for-2022 12-gauge semiautomatic
VRF14 shotgun is the first of its kind.
This shotgun has a 14-inch barrel, a
pistol grip, an aluminum receiver, a
full-length top rail, a polymer full-
top fore-end with half-length side
rails, and a five-round detachable
magazine. It is compatible with RIA’s
VR Series nine- and 19-round mag-
azines, and it uses the trademarked
Bufferbolt system.
MSRP: $599

FRANCHI
A Franchi has added a new left-handed 20-gauge
member to its Affinity 3 family of semiautomatic shot-
guns. The inertia-driven left-hand Affinity 3 has the
ejection port and the safety button located on the left-
hand side of the receiver, and its features include a TSA
recoil pad; a 26-inch barrel with a 3-inch chamber; a red
fiber-optic front sight; and Improved Cylinder, Modified,
and Full choke tubes. It weighs 6.0 pounds.
MSRP: $899
franchi-usa.com
B Also new are different camo finishes for the Momen-
tum Elite bolt-action rifles in .350 Legend and 6.5 PRC.
The .350 Legend rifle is now offered in TrueTimber Strata
camo and Midnight Bronze Cerakote. The 6.5 PRC rifle
is now offered with OPTIFADE Elevation II camo and
Cobalt Cerakote as well as TrueTimber Strata and Mid-
night Bronze Cerakote and Realtree EXCAPE camo and
Burnt Bronze Cerakote.
MSRP: $899

52 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 Learn More

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manufactured for consistent, reliable, and rapid
expansion due to a 100% all-copper projectile.
Lighter than lead, the copper projectile produces
less muzzle flip allowing for faster follow-up Now it’s up
shots and devastating energy transfer. Norma, to you.
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90+ NEW GUNS
WINCHESTER
A The pump-action SXP 12-gauge and 20-gauge
Defender shotguns are now available with Woodland
FDE finishes. They sport 18-inch barrels with 3-inch
hard-chromed chambers, Invector-Plus Cylinder choke
tubes, and composite stocks with textured grip panels.
Magazine capacity is five 2¾-inch shotshells. The receiv-
ers and barrels have Flat Dark Earth Permacote finishes,
and these shotguns come with Inflex 1 recoil pads, brass
bead front sights with removable fiber-optic inserts, and
sling-swivel studs.
MSRP: $429.99
B
MP5 22 CARBINE
HK
A HK’s new VP9SK OR 9mm subcompact pistol is optics
ready. The VP9SK OR has a 3.39-inch barrel, ambidextrous
controls, standard sights or night sights, and 10-round and
13-round magazine capacities. Its slide is cut for optics-
mounting plates, and it uses the same mounting plates
as the full-size VP9. It comes with two extra backstraps
and two sets of lateral grip plates and slide cover plate.
MSRP: $899 to $999
54 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
winchester-guns.com
B Also new is the Model 70 Extreme TrueTimber VSX
MB. This rifle is offered in .243 Win., .25-06, 6.5 Creed-
moor, 6.5 PRC, .264 Win. Mag., .270 Win., .270 WSM,
6.8 Western, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag., .308 Win., .30-
06, .300 WSM, and .300 Win. Mag. and features a Bell
and Carlson synthetic stock with sculpted cheekpiece,
TrueTimber VSX finish, and Pachmayr Decelerator recoil
pad; a jeweled bolt body and knurled bolt handle; 22-,
24-, or 26-inch barrel (depending on the chambering);
and Tungsten Cerakote finish on the receiver and barrel.
MSRP: $1,679.99
A
B
MP5 22 PISTOL
hk-usa.com
B Also new this year are .22 LR semiautomatic pistol
and carbine versions of the famous MP5. Produced
in conjunction with Umarex, the .22 LR MP5 pistol
has an 8.5-inch barrel, diopter sights, and 10-round
and 25-round magazine capacities. The carbine ver-
sion features a 16.1-inch barrel and an adjustable
buttstock.
MSRP: $529
90+ NEW GUNS

A
B

STOEGER
A Stoeger has a number of new configurations joining
the 9mm STR-9 pistol lineup, and one is the STR-9C
Compact Optic-Ready. This compact pistol’s slide is
cut for a red-dot optic mounting plate (four plates are
included that fit the most popular optic footprints), and
the barrel is 3.8 inches long. It comes with three-dot
sights and either a 10-round magazine or a 13-round
magazine.
MSRP: $399
stoegerindustries.com
B Another cool new-for-2022 gun from Stoeger is
the XM1 Bullshark airgun. This pre-charged pneumatic
bullpup-style airgun has an integrated suppressor, an
interchangeable pistol grip, a front vertical grip, an
adjustable two-stage trigger, a Picatinny top rail, an inte-
grated rechargeable 2,900-psi air tank, and a removable
rotary magazine. It’s available in .177 caliber (nine-round
magazine) and .22 caliber (seven-round magazine).
MSRP: $479

ALLTERRA ARMS allterraarms.com

Responding to customer requests, AllTerra Arms has just announced new left-handed versions of the company’s
entire line of precision-made bolt-action rifles. These lefty rifles come with the innovative Carbon Hunter stock
that’s been re-engineered with negative cheek comb and tilted palmswell for left-handed shooters. The rifles are
guaranteed to shoot sub-0.5-inch three-shot groups with premium factory ammo and sub-0.25-inch three-shot
groups with custom AllTerra Arms ammunition.
MSRP: Starting at $5,605

MARLIN marlinfirearms.com
As we reported in the recent March issue, Ruger has purchased Marlin Firearms and has started shipping the first
made-by-Ruger .45-70 Model 1895 SBL lever actions. The Model 1895 features a stainless-steel 19-inch barrel with
threaded muzzle, a stainless-steel receiver, and a gray laminated wood stock. It also has an XS Lever Rail with a
built-in ghost-ring rear sight, a tritium/fiber-optic front sight, and a six-round tubular magazine.
MSRP: $1,399

56 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 A

AMERICAN TACTICAL americantactical.us

A American Tactical’s new budget-friendly Alpha-15
AR-15 carbine has a 16-inch pencil-contour barrel and
weighs 5.51 pounds. To achieve this light weight, the
upper and lower receivers, the buffer tube, the trig-
ger, and the 8-inch M-LOK handguard are infused with
carbon fiber. This made-in-the-USA carbine comes with
polymer flip-up sights, a six-position adjustable butt-
stock, and an American Tactical 30-round magazine.
MSRP: $499.95
B Also new to American Tactical is the polymer-frame
striker-fired FXS-9 9mm pistol. This Turkish-made
gun comes with a 4.1-inch barrel, a trigger safety, a
loaded chamber indicator, click-adjustable sights, inter-
changeable backstraps, an integral accessory rail on the
frame, an ambidextrous magazine release, and either a
17-round or a 10-round “easy glide” magazine. It weighs
26.5 ounces.
MSRP: $349.95

Standard Height
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90+ NEW GUNS
DAVIDSON’S
galleryofguns.com
New-for-2022 guns from Davidson’s include a spe-
cial-edition engraved Pietta single-action revolver
and an exclusive AR-15 from Radical Arms.
A The Pietta 1873 Centennial single-action
revolver is chambered for .45 Colt and features
finely detailed engraving on the frame, cylinder,
topstrap, backstrap, hammer, trigger guard, ejec-
tor rod housing, and over half of the 12-inch-long
barrel. The two-piece black grips are checkered,
and the finish is a two-tone black and silver.
MSRP: $699.99
B Equipped with the 15-inch RDR (Radical David-
son’s Rail) M-LOK aluminum fore-end, the new
5.56 NATO RAD-15 RDR carbine comes with a
16-inch barrel, a full-length Picatinny rail, a B5
Bravo stock, a B5 Type 23 grip, a low-profile gas
block, a mid-length gas system, and one 30-round
metal magazine. It weighs 8 pounds.
MSRP: $709.99
58 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM
nighthawkcustom.com
A In addition to now offering its GRP Model 1911
chambered for the new .30 Super Carry cartridge,
Nighthawk Custom has just announced the new
Treasurer Model 1911. The fourth member of
Nighthawk’s “Boardroom” series, the 9mm Trea-
surer features a 3.8-inch bull barrel, a Heinie Black
Ledge rear sight, a 12k gold bead front sight, a one-
piece magwell, Railscales custom grips, and a matte
black DLC finish.
MSRP: $4,599
B New on the revolver front is the Nighthawk Korth
.44 Magnum Mongoose double action. This top-
drawer revolver is offered with 3-inch and 4-inch
barrels, DLC finish, a tuned and polished trigger,
a fully adjustable rear sight, and a gold-bead front
sight. The cylinder holds six rounds, and the revolver
weighs 43 ounces.
MSRP: $4,299
 SCCY sccy.com
SCCY’s new-for-2022 CPX-1RDR Gen 3 9mm pistol has a 3.1-inch
barrel, a polymer frame, three-dot sights, and a 10-round magazine
capacity. It features the Roebuck Quad-Lock system and an ambidex-
trous manual thumb safety, and its slide is cut for red-dot reflex-type
optics. With this generation of pistols, the safety lever is smaller and
has been reshaped, the frame now has an integral accessory rail, the
grip diameter is smaller, the finger grooves have been removed, and
the trigger pull has been improved. It’s offered in 10 color options.
MSRP: $359.95

SHADOW SYSTEMS shadowsystemscorp.com

The new Model CR920 from Shadow Systems is a polymer-frame
striker-fired subcompact 9mm pistol. It comes with a spiral-fluted
3.41-inch barrel, a steel slide (some with a patented multi-footprint
optic cut that permits direct-to-slide mounting of popular mini red-dot
sights), steel tritium sights, and a drop-safe single-stage trigger. The
CR920 comes with a flush-fitting 10-round magazine and an extended
13-round magazine. The weight is 17.8 ounces.
MSRP: Starting at $679
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 MISSION
SPECIFICROCK RIVER ARMS’S NEW ASSURANCE CARBINE
IS BUILT FOR ROUGH DUTY.
BY JAKE EDMONDSON

R
OCK RIVER ARMS (RRA) DESCRIBES THE NEW-FOR-2022
Assurance Carbine as follows: “Originally designed for mul-
tiple government agency programs and various top-level
law enforcement groups, the Assurance Carbine
is a mission-specific rifle with the precision
and dependability home defenders and
defense professionals demand.”
I say that it is a very good multi-
purpose carbine for daily use, too.

62 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ

JUNE 2022 • SHOOTING TIMES 63
MISSION SPECIFIC

ASSURANCE CARBINE

MANUFACTURER
Rock River Arms
rockriverarms.com
TYPE Direct gas impingement autoloader
CALIBER .223 Rem./5.56 NATO
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 30 rounds
BARREL 16 in.
OVERALL LENGTH 32.75 to 36.5 in.
WEIGHT, EMPTY 6.8 lbs.
RRA six-position Operator collapsible butt-
STOCK stock; Quad Rail handguard; Hogue pistol
grip
The new Assurance Carbine’s forged upper
receiver is a flattop A4 style, and it has a full- LENGTH OF PULL 11 to 14.75 in.
length top rail, a shell deflector, an ejection FINISH Hard-coat-anodized black
port door, and a forward assist. SIGHTS None
TRIGGER 4.75-lb. pull (as tested)
SAFETY Two position
MSRP $1,000

The Nitty-Gritty
Starting at the back end of the new Assurance Carbine, the
buttstock is RRA’s six-position Operator CAR stock. It is made
of a tough, high-strength composite material and features a ribbed
rubber buttplate and cheekrests on both sides. It has two sling
attachment points—one near the butt and the other at the front
end of the stock. The buttplate conceals a watertight internal bat-
tery storage with two O-ring-sealed tubes that can hold two
AA or three CR123 lithium batteries each. A sleek
push-button located on the left side near the top
allows the buttplate to be slid down, provid-
ing access. With the stock fully extended,
the length of pull is 14.75 inches. With
the buttstock completely retracted,
the length of pull is a very compact 11
inches.
The Assurance Carbine was originally
designed for law enforcement and govern-
ment agency duty, and one of its features is
the six-position RRA Operator CAR buttstock. It
has cheekrests on both sides and a ribbed rubber
buttplate that can be slid down to reveal an inter-
nal battery storage compartment.
The black, rubber overmolded, finger-groove-style pistol
grip is by Hogue, and it displays the RRA logo on both sides.
It also has a tacky, soft feel compliments of the pebble textur-
ing on each side.
The forged LAR-15 lower receiver features RRA’s straight
trigger guard and two-stage trigger. My sample’s trigger pull was
very crisp, and according to my RCBS trig-
ger pull scale, the trigger pull averaged
4 pounds, 12 ounces. The magazine
release, two-position safety, and bolt
release are situated in the usual posi-
tions. The magazine well accepts
typical AR-15 magazines, and the
Assurance Carbine comes with
one 30-round RRA-branded
polymer magazine.
The upper is also forged, and
it is an A4 flattop type. The integral
top rail has 13 Picatinny slots, with
every other one being numbered. On the
right-hand side there is a shell deflector,
a forward assist, and an ejection port door.
The chrome-moly barrel is chambered for

64 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

MISSION SPECIFIC

5.56 NATO (meaning it also

can safely fire .223 Reming-
ton ammunition), it is 16
inches long, and it has a 1:8-
inch rifling twist rate. The
muzzle is threaded 1/2-28,
and it comes with an A2 flash
hider installed.
The free-float, vented
handguard is RRA’s newly
developed Quad Rail model.
It is made of 6061-T6 anod-
ized aluminum, and it has a
full-length Picatinny rail with The carbine’s pistol grip is a rubber overmolded Hogue The forged lower’s magazine well accepts all standard
16 slots on top, 7.1-inch-long grip, and the “go switch” is RRA’s two-stage trigger. AR-15-type magazines of the appropriate caliber, and
Our sample’s pull averaged 4.75 pounds as measured the carbine comes with one RRA-branded polymer
rails with 16 slots on each with an RCBS trigger pull scale. 30-round magazine.
side, and a 4.5-inch-long rail
with nine slots underneath.
The carbine uses a CAR-length gas system, and the gas block The Assurance Carbine weighs 6 pounds, 13 ounces empty.
has a receiver-height rail with three slots. It also has a sling Because there aren’t any sights, I installed a new Aimpoint Duty
swivel. RDS red-dot optic for this report, which I thought was apro-
The carbine comes in a sturdy hard plastic case. It is covered pos since the carbine’s original mission as specified by RRA
by a lifetime warranty, but I highly doubt I will need to use it. is law enforcement duty. I think it was a perfect application,
RRA has a sterling reputation when it comes to the quality of and you can read more about the Duty RDS in my Quick Shot
its ARs and Model 1911s. report on it elsewhere in this issue.

RRA redesigned the handguard for the Assurance Carbine, and the new free-float Quad Rail unit is made of 6061-T6 aluminum and features Picatinny
rail sections on top, both sides, and underneath.

66 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

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MISSION SPECIFIC

At the Range Weighing 6.8 pounds, the 5.56 NATO Assurance Carbine
comes with a 16-inch chrome-moly barrel. The muzzle
With my cache of ammunition dwin- is threaded and is fitted with an A2 flash hider.
dling, I had only five factory loads on
hand with which to test the Assurance
Carbine. Four were .223 Reming-
ton, and one was 5.56 NATO. As a gun for law enforcement duty use,
you can see from the accompany- you know it’s going to be 100 per-
ing chart, I included Hornady, cent reliable. Granted, I only fired
HSM, Federal, and Win- 100 rounds, and that’s not as exten-
chester brands. All loads sive of a shooting test as I prefer
had 55-grain bullets. to conduct, but I think it’s suffi-
The Assurance Carbine cient in this case, especially when
shot quite well. Its over- you consider the fact that RRA has
all average was 1.28 inches for such a high reputation for reliability
three, five-shot groups with each load with all its ARs and its Model 1911s, too.
fired from a benchrest at 100 yards. I didn’t And just to seal the deal, the Assurance
get any averages under an inch, but two loads Carbine is covered by a lifetime warranty. I
averaged just a hair over an inch. doubt that it will ever be needed, but it’s reassur-
Top accuracy came with the .223 Rem. HSM 55-grain Blitz- ing to know it’s there. The Assurance Carbine comes with a
King JHP loading, and it averaged 1.01 inches. Averaging 1.13 hard plastic case, and the MSRP is $1,000.
inches, the .223 Rem. Federal 55-grain FMJ
loading came in second. Third place went
to the 5.56 NATO Hornady Frontier ammo
loaded with a 55-grain FMJ bullet; it aver-
aged 1.21 inches. In fourth place was the SIG
SAUER 55-grain FMJ factory load; it aver-
aged 1.45 inches. And fifth place went to the
Hornady Frontier 55-grain Spirepoint ammo,
with an average of 1.59 inches. In my opinion,
that’s good enough for “government work,” as
they used to say.
As for velocities, the load with the lowest
extreme spread (E.S.) and standard deviation
(S.D.) was the 5.56 NATO Hornady 55-grain
FMJ. The E.S. was just 29, and the S.D. was
15. Of the loads I tested, the highest E.S. was
62 and the highest S.D. was 29. They came
with the .223 Rem. Federal 55-grain FMJ
Featuring a CAR-length gas system, the Assurance Carbine uses a newly developed gas
ammunition. The load with the highest aver- block that has a receiver-height rail and a sling mount.
age velocity (2,879 fps) was the 5.56 NATO
Hornady 55-grain FMJ. The highest-velocity
.223 Rem. load was the SIG SAUER 55-grain RRA ASSURANCE CARBINE ACCURACY & VELOCITY
FMJ, and it averaged 2,812 fps. I used a Com- 100-YD.
petition Electronics Pro Digital chronograph VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC.
placed 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle to obtain AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.)

the velocity figures, and my figures are aver- .223 Remington, 16-in. Barrel
ages for five rounds of each loading. Federal 55-gr. FMJ 2742 62 29 1.13
As it turned out, the Assurance Carbine was Hornady Frontier 55-gr. Spirepoint 2653 42 25 1.59
a real delight to shoot. It is sleek, lightweight, HSM 55-gr. BlitzKing JHP 2561 33 12 1.01
and accurate. The built-in cheekrest on the SIG SAUER 55-gr. FMJ 2812 39 17 1.45
buttstock made shooting really comfortable. 5.56mm NATO, 16-in. Barrel
Most importantly, the carbine functioned per- Hornady Frontier 55-gr. FMJ 2879 29 15 1.21
fectly throughout my shooting session. That NOTES: Accuracy is the average of three, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag benchrest. Veloc-
ity is the average of five rounds measured 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle.
doesn’t surprise me because when RRA designs

68 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

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TriStar
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BY STEVE GASH
TRISTAR’S NEW 16-GAUGE VIPER G2 SHOTGUN IS A CON- The Viper is a gas-operated repeater, and it functions
tinuation of a line of semiautomatics that come in all the usual reliably with everything from light to heavy loads with no
flavors. It’s also offered in 12, 20, and 28 gauges and the .410 adjustments required. The trigger group is easily removed
Bore. My wife has a petite Viper in .410 for informal clays for cleaning, and the crossbolt safety is located conveniently
shooting, and a shooting chum’s wife uses a 20-gauge Viper right behind the trigger. Speaking of the trigger, the trigger
to harvest Missouri spring gobblers. They are fine working pull on my Viper is a delightful 3 pounds, 2.2 ounces, and it’s
guns. Owning both over-under and side-by-side shotguns in as smooth and crisp as can be.
16 gauge, I consider myself The gloss-black aluminum
a card-carrying member of VIPER G2 receiver is grooved on top
the 16-gauge coterie, so as with what looks like the 0.38-
soon as I saw the announce- IMPORTER
TriStar Arms inch groove you see on a lot
tristararms.com
ment of the 16-gauge Viper of .22 rimfire rifles. I tried a
TYPE Gas-operated autoloader
G2, I ordered one. rimfire scope mount, and
GAUGE 16
Interestingly, each Viper it fit perfectly. Weaver and
CARTRIDGE CAPACITY 4 rounds
receiver is appropriately TRUGLO make a “grooved
BARREL 28 in.
scaled to its gauge, so every- to Weaver-style” adapter
OVERALL LENGTH 48.25 in.
thing looks and feels right that should make mounting
WEIGHT, EMPTY 6.38 lbs.
and provides what TriStar a red-dot sight a snap.
STOCK Turkish walnut
calls “optimum balance.” I The 16-gauge Viper’s
LENGTH OF PULL 14.5 in.
think the 16-gauge Viper barrel is 28 inches long, and
DROP AT HEEL 2.5 in.
is an excellent representa- the bore and chamber are
DROP AT COMB 1.5 in.
tion of the model. It’s made chrome-plated. This barrel
FINISH Gloss black metal, satin wood
by the well-respected firm length meshes closely with
SIGHTS Red fiber-optic front
Armsan in Istanbul, Turkey, Greener’s formula for the
TRIGGER 3.14-lb. pull (as tested)
and it is available in two fin- ideal barrel length, which
SAFETY Crossbolt
ishes. I chose the walnut and suggests that a shotgun’s
MSRP $740
blued steel version. barrel should be 40 times

70 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

its bore diameter. For the 16 gauge’s 0.662-inch bore, this The stock on the 16-gauge Viper is excellently pro-
calculates to 26.5 inches. Another Greenerism posits that portioned and highly functional. There is ample well-cut
the gun’s weight should be 96 times the weight of its shot checkering on the forearm and pistol grip, and the butt-
charge. For a 1-ounce charge, this is an even 6 pounds. For a stock has a nice, soft ventilated recoil pad.
11/8-ounce load, it is 6.75 pounds. My 16-gauge Viper checks The magazine capacity is four rounds, and a plug is pro-
in at 6.38 pounds, so it is right on the mark. vided to reduce that to two. And the Viper G2 has a “Manual
Three flush-fitting, screw-in Beretta-style choke tubes in E-Z Load Magazine Cut-Off” that allows the shooter to
Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full and a wrench are sup- remove a live round from the chamber without disturbing
plied with the gun, all secured in a plastic case. the rounds in the magazine.
The barrel is finished in a lustrous blue-black, and it has My shooting of the 16-gauge Viper (both in my north
an eight-post ventilated rib that is 0.276 inch wide through- pasture on clay pigeons and at the Flying Feathers Shoot-
out its length. The front sight is a highly visible 0.011-inch ing Preserve on live birds) revealed its gas action does an
red fiber optic. admirable job of redistributing the recoil impulse over a
longer time period, so the
overall recoil sensation
is reduced. In addition,
when I throw the Viper to
my shoulder, I’m looking
right down the rib, and
the gun hits exactly where
it’s pointed. (Sometimes I
didn’t “point” it right, but
that’s no fault of the gun.)
In the end, I ended up with
a nice mixed bag of bob-
white quail, chukars, and
ring-necked pheasants.
Overall, I was very
pleased with the per-
formance of the new
16-gauge Viper. It hit
where I pointed it, it
pointed quick as a wink,
and its light weight made
it a delight to carry over
the long distances I
walked. I am not exactly
short on scatterguns, but
this lissome semiauto per-
formed so well that I just
Steve found the 16-gauge Viper G2 would hit where he pointed it, and it pointed as quick as a wink.
have to keep it.

JUNE 2022 • SHOOTING TIMES 71

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BY SAM WOLFENBERGER
BUSHNELL’S NEW VAULT BINO HARNESS SYSTEM PROVIDES
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The Vault’s compact modular design and its quiet mag-
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The front-opening top closure protects the binocular from
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Inside, the caddy features a soft water-resistant lining that
cuts down on noise and protects the binocular’s objective
lenses. Binoculars as large as 12X50 roof prism binoculars
will fit, and the caddy is easily adapted to fit smaller binocu-
lars by virtue of an included riser. Mesh pockets on the sides
are great for holding mouth calls or wind-checker bottles,
and the zippered pocket on the back holds a smartphone
74 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
TRAIN
or hunting tags. MOLLE webbing on the bottom allows a
handgun holster or a bear spray holster to be attached.
The integrated, ultralight harness is comfortable and easy
to attach and detach with the built-in buckles. And it can
be used as a standalone harness, attaching directly to the
binocular if desired.
The Vault is designed to be low profile and compact so
that it doesn’t interfere with movement, and its modular
design makes it adaptable. For instance, an accessory laser
rangefinder pouch with integrated tether (sold separately
at an MSRP of $29.99) is offered. It’s made of the same
polyester/Spandex fabric as the bino caddy and has a sim-
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MSRP: $69.99
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 SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE
GUNSMOKE HIPSHOTS

A Mysterious Stranger
Determining the identity of this breathtaking Austrian hunt-
ing rifle took a bit of head-scratching and a lot of research.
BY TERRY WIELAND

SOMETIMES A RIFLE CROSSES YOUR PATH THAT IS
completely new to you, even if it’s very old. Sometimes
a cartridge comes along you’ve never heard of. And
sometimes—the most challenging of times—it’s a rifle
that’s a mystery, chambered for an enigma.
Terry’s myste- In the case of the rifle you see here, it was the rarest
rious stranger
turned out to
of the rare: a mystery rifle, but of a quality and condi-
be an early tion to take your breath away.
Austrian It’s an Austrian hunting rifle, built on a Werndl
Jagdstutzen
built on a
action, probably in the 1870s or ’80s; the only mark-
Werndl action ings are the name “Jos. Heinige in Wien” engraved on
and chambered the barrel. Nothing else: no caliber, no visible proof
for an obscure
but quite effec-
marks, no maker’s mark. The name “Heinige” is listed
tive European nowhere that I can find, so I assume he was a high-end
blackpow- retailer in Vienna, not a gunmaker.
der revolver
cartridge.
That was essentially the description as it appeared
in the Rock Island Auction catalog, and I made a
note to look at it in person. The minute I picked it
up, I knew it was something special. But what? The
bore was about a .44, the barrel only 21 inches long,
with a full-length (Mannlicher) stock and a schnabel
tip made of polished horn. The Werndl action had
all the original casecolors, and the walnut stock was
gorgeous. It was complete and original in every way
and in such fine shape it might never have been used.
But still, what was it? It’s simply too nice a rifle not
to shoot, but to do that I had to, first, find out the
cartridge and, second, figure out how to make some
ammunition.
I took the rifle to Lee Shaver to look over, slug the
bore, and do a chamber cast. The resulting cartridge
appeared to be a straight, rimmed case, but the dimen-
sions matched nothing we could find in any of our
research material.

76 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022

 The base dimensions, however, were remarkably
close to those of the .45-70, which might provide a
starting point. In fact, .40-65 Winchester brass was
a better fit, requiring no compressing of the base. All
I needed to do was cut off about three-quarters of an
inch and trim the rim diameter from 0.600 to 0.585.
With the case trimmed, honed, and beveled, it would
accept a cast bullet of 0.430 inch.
Meanwhile, I kept searching for information. The
Werndl is a single-shot action with a rotating block,
invented by Josef Werndl, founder of Steyr. It served
briefly as the Austro-Hungarian infantry rifle between
the muzzleloading Lorenz and the first Mannlicher
bolt action. An article in a long-defunct publication
mentioned that it was made in two (possibly three)
action sizes, chambered for three (possibly four) car-
tridges. Almost all, it stated, were made by Steyr, with
a few by “Fruwirth” (or “Früwirth” or “Fruhwirth”)
in Vienna.
Since the action was briefly used in a pistol, I won-
dered if that had a smaller action and shorter cartridge,
and maybe a custom gunmaker used that as the basis
for my rifle. That provided the key. A search through
Munhall & White unearthed a revolver cartridge
called the 11.3 Montenegrin (just one of its 15 aliases)
and a comment to the effect that it had been used for
the “Fruwirth Carbine, Model of 1870.”
There it was. The gunmaker was Ferdinand Fru-
wirth of Vienna, and the cartridge was the 11.2x36
Austrian Army Revolver (1870), as it was known in
Austria.
An interesting note about Fruwirth is that Josef
Werndl had apprenticed to him. He was a Viennese
gunmaker of substantial capacity and skill, made guns
for the Austrian Imperial Family and nobility, and can
best be compared to Joseph Manton or James Purdey.
When the Werndl rifle was adopted by the Aus-
trian army, Fruwirth seized upon it as the basis for
sporting rifles, both hunting and target.
With my homemade ammunition, I’m getting
1,188 fps with a 200-grain bullet, using 30 grains (by
weight) of Swiss FFFg. Those are initial results, and
I’m searching for a better bullet for accuracy testing.
But for now, the wonderful old rifle is shooting once
again and, to all appearances, enjoying it immensely.
All that’s old is new again.
 A Courageous Cowgirl // Continued From Page 80
stories, and together they would dive from the platform
into a pool of water. She performed such horseback
dives more than 625 times in those six years, usually
with no injuries. She almost drowned once, though,
when the horse was knocked unconscious and pinned
her under the water. She was rescued by some specta-
tors and continued on with the show. Audiences were
astounded by her daring, courage, and resilience.
Not all of Mamie Francis’s gunplay was in front of a
crowd. As she related to her grandson, she once used
her skills to save a man’s life, and that real-world event
took some mettle. Here’s what went down.
California Frank’s show traveled from town to town
usually by train, and some of the passenger trains
had cars with sleeping berths. During one otherwise
unmemorable trip, Mamie Francis was resting alone
in her upper berth when she was startled by the train
porter shouting, “No! No! Oh, please...no!” Then
she heard another voice growl, “I’m going to cut your
black heart out!”
Bravely, Mamie Francis grabbed the .38-caliber
revolver she had hidden under her pillow, yanked
back the curtain, and pointed the gun squarely at
78 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022
the assailant. She cocked the hammer, making a loud
click, and said with a commanding voice, “You’re not
going to cut anybody’s heart out!” Then she told the
porter to go get the train detective.
Mamie Francis had developed a very steady shoot-
ing grip over the many years of performing her
exhibitions, so the attacker, looking down the barrel
of a rock-steady revolver and seeing Mamie Francis’s
steely eyes focused on him, slowly folded his knife
and put it in his pocket. No doubt, he could tell that
this courageous young woman was totally capable of
shooting him right between the eyes. Her courage
and her steady aim saved the porter’s life.
Elba Mae “Mamie Francis” Hafley passed away from
cancer in 1950. In the 1930s the popularity of the
traveling Wild West shows had waned and motion
pictures had grabbed the public’s attention, but she
had continued to tour until her husband died in 1940.
After that, she lived in a small house in Fort Worth,
Texas, and then spent her last days at her daughter’s
ranch south of San Antonio. In 1981 she was made
an Honoree at the National Cowgirl Museum and
Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.

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 SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE
GUNSMOKE HIPSHOTS

A Courageous Cowgirl
It takes a lot of courage to do what this sharpshooting
Wild West traveling show star did during her exciting life.
BY JOEL J. HUTCHCROFT

BORN IN 1885 IN NORA, ILLINOIS, ELBA MAE GHENT,
a.k.a. Mamie Francis, grew up in Wisconsin, riding
horses and learning to shoot. By age 15, Elba Mae’s
parents had divorced, and she was living with her
Elba Mae
mother who worked as a housekeeper for a farmer
“Mamie Francis” near Janesville, Wisconsin. When Pawnee Bill’s His-
Hafley toured torical Wild West Indian Museum and Encampment
with two Wild
West shows
Show came to town in 1901, Elba Mae joined the show.
from 1901 until She would go on to have a career in performing that
1940, per- lasted nearly 40 years, and she became known for her
forming as a
sharpshooter,
beauty, skill, and courage.
a horse trainer, Mamie Francis toured with Pawnee Bill from 1901
and the rider to 1905 and with California Frank Hafley (whom
in a horse-
diving act.
she later married) from 1905 until 1940. During
that time, she was influenced by many popular Wild
West performers, including Lulu Bell Parr (an expert
marksman and bronco rider) and Lillian Smith (who
was, perhaps, Annie Oakley’s greatest rival). For a
few years, Lillian and Mamie Francis performed a
comedy sharpshooting routine together, part of which
involved Lillian shooting at targets on Mamie Fran-
cis’s hat or a target sticking out of her mouth. That
certainly required nerves of steel.
Mamie Francis also performed shooting feats while
riding horses in the style of Buffalo Bill and others.
And as entertaining as her shooting shows were,
perhaps her most thrilling act was diving while on
horseback. Beginning in 1908 and running through
1914, Mamie Francis would straddle her Arabian
horse, they would ascend a ramp to the height of five

80 SHOOTING TIMES • JUNE 2022 CONTINUED ON PAGE 78

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