By David E. Petzal

A gunsmith friend of mine told me that he is installing muzzle brakes on an assembly-line basis, three or four each week, mostly on rifles of .30 or upward, but some on smaller calibers as well. Kenny Jarrett and Mark Bansner, both rifle makers of the highest literary and moral worth, install muzzle brakes as standard equipment. Shades of Elmer Keith, what in the world is going on?

Several things. First, all rifles are far lighter than they used to be. I had the privilege of handling a .270 that was built in the late 1940s or early 1950s for Colonel Townsend Whelen, and with scope, it weighed over 10 pounds. This was a hunting rifle, not a target gun. Jack O’Connor’s beloved Al Biesen .270 was made in 1960, and it weighed 8 pounds, a lot less, but still quite heavy for a gun of that caliber by today’s standards. And of course, the less a rifle weighs, the more it kicks. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

This past week, having not done so for quite some time, I went to Wyoming to put down a possible prairie dog rebellion. It was some of the best shooting I’ve had, and I got to use some very good equipment as well.

My gun was a Browning X-Bolt Varmint Stalker in .223. The X-Bolt is the successor to the A-Bolt and is a highly refined rifle with a very low receiver, good, not great, trigger, very fast lock time, and a tang safety. It comes in several configurations and innumerable calibers, but the Varmint Stalker is all flat-black, has a composite stock, and what looks like a No. 3 contour 24-inch barrel. It’s heavy enough to hold steady even with a powerful scope, but is not weighty enough to qualify as a barbell.

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By David E. Petzal

I started shooting seriously (as opposed to spraying lead around the landscape) in 1958 at summer camp. We shot in an NRA-sanctioned program, and we did it with set of 10 or so .22 target rifles—good ones, as I recall. These guns were in use every day for two months, and were not cleaned until they were put away at the end of the season. As far as I can recall, they were just as accurate at the end of the summer as they were at the beginning.

This is why I asked John Blauvelt if my compulsive scrubbing of my own .22’s barrel was unnecessary. His opinion was yes. According to John, the best treatment of a rimfire bore is benign neglect. After you put lots and lots of ammo through it and find yourself overwhelmed with guilt because it’s full of grease and wax and burned powder, you can run a wet patch through it and then a dry one. But nothing more than that. Most .22s, said John, don’t really start to shoot accurately until you get them dirty, and as far as rust goes, when the bore is coated with lube from the bullets, the steel is sealed off from the air, so no rust. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

I don’t believe in having lots and lots of guns unless you’re an infantry battalion or a serious collector. You need someplace secure to store them; you have to insure them; and they represent money that’s tied up doing nothing. So periodically you must cull the herd. The question is, which guns go down the road? Here are some things I've learned the hard way. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

Right at the top of the list of people I wish were still among us is Finn Aagaard, who departed for happier hunting grounds 12 years ago. He was a neat guy, and one of the very few of our profession who is defying Jim Carmichel’s dictum that there’s nothing deader than a dead gun writer.

Finn’s writing is like that of Jack O’Connor—another exception to the rule. It contains a ton of experience, great common sense, strong opinions, and humor. This book, which is a compilation of his articles for The American Rifleman, is a 302-page jewel that covers cartridges, rifles, scopes, and hunting in general. It also contains an excellent and insightful foreword by John Barsness which is must reading for anyone who wants to truly appreciate Finn.

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By Phil Bourjaily

Our popular “We (Heart) Guns” target contest is back for the third year. The idea is simple: Shoot the special target insert in the July issue—or download a PDF of the target. First shoot it with a gun. Then shoot it with a camera. Submit the photo, and a panel of judges will pick the most creative shot as the winner.

Once again Smith & Wesson has donated a rifle as the first-place prize. For 2012, S&W have outdone themselves. This is not just any rifle, it is a Performance Center-tuned M&P15 5.56 hunting rifle (pictured here)  so nifty that my first thought on seeing it was: “Where’s mine?” 

Since the contest rules forbid me from entering, the rifle will never be mine but it can be yours. With it, you will be the terror of coyotes, zombies, and zombie-coyotes in your neighborhood. Ammunition isn’t cheap anymore, exactly, but on the other hand, digital "film" is free, so get to shooting and click here to enter your photos.

As always we will post a gallery of the best entries here on the site as we (and by “we” I mean our New York staff, not me and Dave) ponder the winner.
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