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The .50 Cal AR-15 Muzzleloader From CMMG

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:02:44 -0500

by Phil Bourjaily

The AR 15 continues to prove its versatility in all kinds of ways – even ways that leave you scratching your head and asking “why?” For instance, I heard about the AR 15 muzzleloader upper at SHOT and looked in vain for it, finally concluding that it was a Mythical Creature and not a real AR accessory. Since then, I have found these two videos that prove its existence.

And, to give the people at CMMG Inc. credit, the .50 upper is cleverly designed. As you see in the video, the magazine holds extra pellets and bullets for handy reloading, and the gun will handle a three-pellet (150 gr.) load of pyrodex.

Besides the complete lack of traditionality, I don’t have any problem with this, except that you would have to explain why you were carrying an AR 15 during muzzleloader season to any game warden who happened to spot you.

The Best New Knives of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:04:49 -0500

There were a staggering number of companies, big and small, showing off their newest knives at SHOT Show this year. We waded through the crowds and pulled out these selections as the best new knives of 2012.

Randolph Engineering: How to Choose the Right Tint for Shooting Glasses

Online Editors — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:47:59 -0500

Randolph Engineering has a variety of tints for its shooting glasses. Learn how to choose the right lenses for your next hunt or shooting competition and check out the company's new HD lenses.

The Best Shotguns of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0500

Dimensions by Jeromy Holmes: One of a Kind Rifle Paint Jobs

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:45:04 -0500

So you have your rifle. There are many like it but this is your own. Now add a paint job by artist Jeromy Holmes and you can ensure no rifle will ever look the same as yours. And his work is not just for looks, it's functional beauty.

Olympic Medalist Kim Rhode on Prep for London Games

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:40:43 -0500

Kim Rhode will be competing in the Olympic Skeet event in 2012, where she hopes to break an Olympic record by winning five medals in five different Olympic Games. She talks with Phil Bourjaily about her practice routine and prep work leading up to the London games.

Connecticut Shotgun: Quality Firearms Made in the U.S.

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:22:54 -0500

Here are three of Connecticut Shotgun's latest models, including a sporting clays model, packed with custom features. Act fast because they're offering special introductory rates for certain shotguns.

The Best New Rifles of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:41:18 -0500

There were more exhibitors and more atendees at this year's SHOT Show than ever before. That means more guns than one could ever see, but we did our best to find the best. Here are David E. Petzal and John Snow's picks for the best rifles from the show floor.

Accuracy International AX: A Major Upgrade for Your Remington 700

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:09:01 -0500

The Accuracy International AX offers Remington 700 owners a stability boost with this chassis. There is nothing flimsy about the AX, and it has a lot of room for you to add on your favorite gear.

First Look: US Palm Takedown AK47

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:40:05 -0500

Here's a first look at a prototype of US Palm's Takedown AK47, a compact rifle that snaps together with a twist. AK fans, look for it to hit the market later this year.

Stag Arms 3G AR Rifle: Built for 3-Gun Competitions

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:24:46 -0500

The Stag Arms 3G was designed with 3-Gun competitors in mind. Stag Arms offers both right and left handed versions so everyone can join in this growing sport.

Troy Industries T22: An AR-Style Chassis For Your Ruger 10/22

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:07:24 -0500

Looking for a quick upgrade for your Ruger 10/22 that will add versatility and accessory options? This simple, railed, snap-on chassis set comes in two models.

Polymer Casings: The Future of Ammo?

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:52:23 -0500

These rounds might mark the end of the metal casing. The polymer casing significantly reduces ammunition weight while retaining its accuracy--meaning you can carry more ammo during your next hunt.

Forbes Model 24B: An Excellent Rifle That Doesn't Break the Bank

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:36:35 -0500

Looking for a great rifle that won't leave your wallet empty? Then consider this light, accurate rifle that was built to last. And with such an attractive price tag, you can splurge and get two.

Montana Rifle Company's New Dangerous Game Rifle

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:03:15 -0500

This rifle looks plain, is built to last, and hits hard. How hard? Well, it's chambered for the horrifying 505 Gibbs, the appalling .406 Weatherby and the serious 416 Rigby. What more could you ask for from a dangerous game rifle? Get all the details here.

Rocky L3 Gloves Let You Use a Touchscreen

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:37:32 -0500

Those long waits in the stand or the blind can be a little easier with these gloves that let you access your spartphones' features, like the Rut Reporter app...or, you know, Fruit Ninja.

SHOT Has Gone To The Zombies, and That May Not Be All Bad

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:42:51 -0500

by Phil Bourjaily

After two-and-a-half days of trudging the aisles of the Sands Convention and Visitor Center I’m still not sure what I have seen, other than lots and lots of people. Against all reasonable expectation, the show continues to be very well-attended. People are in a gun-buying mood and one vendor looked at the crowds in disbelief and said to me “I just wonder when it’s all going to end. I think people must give up their indulgences last.”

Whatever the case, I have seen some interesting shotguns, although not much new in shotgun ammunition. Hunting clothes keep getting better, lighter, thinner and warmer, which is a good thing. On the other hand, manufacturers are piling on the zombie bandwagon with zombie guns (Mossberg’s tactical Model 94, called the 464 SPX is the most egregious example); zombie ammunition and zombie targets.

While it’s tempting to dismiss it all as silliness, the zombie trend at least means all these new gun owners are doing something with their new guns and that’s important. If people just buy guns because they are afraid they won’t be able to buy them in the future, then put them away and never shoot them at all, it doesn’t do the shooting sports any good at all.

My Dinner With Charlie Palmer and Remington at SHOT Show

Sarah Smith — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:07:25 -0500

by David Draper

On the first night of last week’s SHOT Show, the Field and Stream editorial staff gathered around the table for dinner at the Las Vegas outpost of Thomas Keller’s legendary Bouchon restaurant. Remembering the damage I did to his M&E budget the previous year, Field and Stream editor-in-chief, Anthony Licata didn’t invite me to join them until he was absolutely sure I already had reservations somewhere else. And after my meal at Aureole, I’m okay with that.

What you see in the photo was the final piece in what ranks among the finest meals I’ve eaten in quite some time. For those of you not in the know (which included me about a week ago), Aureole is one of about 13 restaurants owned by Charlie Palmer, chef of some note who you may have seen on the Today show. As I found out after meeting him for dinner, he’s also one of us--a regular guy who looks to combine his two loves--hunting and food.

The dinner guests included a select group of writers and two Remington PR flacks. Also along for the meal were a couple of suits from Cerberus Capital Management (owners of Freedom Group, parent company of Remington) that we stuck with the bill, or I think we stuck them with. I don’t know. I made a dash for the patio for a scotch and cigar before it showed up. I was eating well above my income bracket, as I’m wont to do when I find myself hungry in a big city with real dining options.

I might not have known what fork to use, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a menu that included duck prosciutto, pigeon (a.k.a. squab) over hand-cut fettuccini and a rack of venison doused in a divine huckleberry sauce. I also got to admire what Palmer claimed was the largest black truffle currently stateside that cost more than my monthly house, truck, student loan, gas, electricity, cable, etc. payments combined.

The guise for this epic dinner was a coming out party for Palmer and his partnership with Remington. In addition to authoring an upcoming cookbook for the gun company, Palmer is working on a number of products that will extend Big Green’s brand into the outdoor lifestyle category. While much of the relationship is still in the crush phase, there does look to be a few cool things coming out of the shotgun wedding, including a line of seasonings and home-curing kits. I’ll fill you in as details become available, but for now I’m still digesting.

Flippin' Out Slingshots for the Small Game Hunter

Online Editors — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:45:02 -0500

Nathan Masters, creater of Flippinoutslingshots.com builds hand-crafted slingshots for the small game hunter. From the common, to the exotic, any of Masters' slingshots pack enough punch to take out a squirrel or rabbit. With the double-banded slingshot you can catapult a .40-.50-caliber piece of lead at about 250 fps.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 3

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:48:52 -0500

Dave Petzal on SHOT Show 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:27:48 -0500

by David E. Petzal

In a wretched economic year, the pants-wetters, doomsayers, and purveyors of pessimism would be confounded by the life and vitality in the shooting industry. This year in Las Vegas, an estimated 60,000 people (all in the gun biz), many of whom look like Larry the Cable Guy, crowded into a maze of under-ventilated halls to ogle, grope and buy. Guns. What did you think I was talking about?

The most densely crowded venues were dedicated to the wonderful worlds of the paramilitary and law enforcement. Apparently there is an insatiable need for the equipment used in shooting, clubbing, and gassing people. There are suits of full body armor the like of which has not been seen since the Battle of Agincourt. There are all-black deathmobiles, equipped with lethal gear of all sorts. I’m told that Cop World constitutes fully one-third of the SHOT Show. How shooting and suppressing the citizenry ties into Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade is more than I can comprehend, but there it is.

There is also a very notable shortage of Booth Babes. In past years, you could hardly turn a corner without seeing some inadequately clothed young mammal who would cause you to stop dead in your tracks and give thanks to the forces of evolution. Damned if I know what happened to them.

And there are some very good new guns, and not only that, affordable new guns. There is the Ruger American Rifle, and a radical new rifle from Thompson Center, and a second-generation Weatherby Vanguard, and a semi-custom version of the New Ultra Light Arms guns (for less than half their price), a great lady’s rifle from Savage and on and on. You will be reading all about them in the posts and photo galleries to come.

Zeiss is coming out with new scopes and binoculars, plus what I believe is a unique no-questions-asked repair policy. Leupold has a powerful new Gold Ring Spotting Scope, and if you have not heard of an optics company called Meopta, trust me, you’re going to.

As life as we know it draws to a close, it’s perhaps fitting that this is one of the best SHOT Shows I’ve seen, but it sure would be nice, if we make it to 2013, to see the Booth Babes come back.

Pro Ears ReVO: Hearing Protection Designed For Young Shooters

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:11:49 -0500

This set of ears was designed for youth shooters from the ground up, rather than modifying an existing design. The ear pads are specially shaped to eliminate gaps in the seal around the ear near the jawline on smaller heads.

Thompson Center’s New Multi-Caliber Rifle Platform: The Dimension

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:03:38 -0500

This isn’t a standard bolt action rifle, it’s a whole new concept in terms of how to have a multi-caliber platform in one system.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Rifle Milestone: The Remington Model 700 Celebrates Its 50th Birthday

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:09:21 -0500

The Remington Model 700 is one of the finest sporting rifles ever made. It debuted 50 years ago chambered for the then new 7 Remington magnum. Check out the commemorative anniversary edition here.