LR. Wallack ae, WINCHESTER PRESS An imprint of New Century Publishers, Inc.‘coq © atm A. Salon Allright wenn ‘Aimerveatt RHKE Begin and Defiance 077 hi LAR. Wallach Drivin thse Cited States AnerINTRODUCTION “There have fecu seme fanpantanit changes since the three books: in this vwlame were originally ited sepasrately, First. ama rome important, the ‘Oty Gorporarines sold ity Whchester eiperation at New Haven, Cons, winch inchaded all he rlley asd shogun made ier thut plan. The sew «mners call themwelves U.S. Repcatitig Arms fr atid are Koorstt inthe ugideas USRAC (rivers with “use-rack™) They. Jane contuning the rasnfaczune of Winclericy beara ‘ible ai stoxguans tinder Ficense from Cin. Winslet ES Oe wane te oad rene Wench aurhaeeeeh pattie ak stat dome rifles mule ty their fapunese ere (Glin-Kocemha, There i, jd tere wall be, some confwsion about two Winchsater branded prarducis fran the tos succes, Ite she sear of mtrnrnnittony the’: taser scum tes cartradges ammmanced. Among these are the Frnt Remit, a cartel sete ly webs te S08 Winchester 66. Trim, And tke Trum. Fupress Remington which és a new namie for the older 240 Remington aleeongty 1 sderstane tus may fevert to the 280 mame, New tom ix ue 557 Reningtan Maxima a revobeer cartridge an feieicedl iy OSS Tut bs anppnerneately eve thie inchs longer shan the 07 Magnum. Along with the ear: tide tea tcholly new tevalues fran Ray ‘Winchesier als aamentoedl the 373 Winchester feetdeearealyneweclingrie oh BES becmnhl cctably thane potent, Ht fais at been a An eary Winchester. at annem the S07 Grong of Olin, rife Wy USRAC) Winchester asa fnninsnced a new load for the 257 Roberts dexigmavod ++ Pesrwanintg that it is more powerful than olcler Inacks: CCH Divisran of Oorark is tmakinye 2 line sf revelveytimer) unitienn that empoloys alutiinnuen: cases. sebleds sire rot relaailale, atid ae hy NA fig thu resson, ‘They use Bevalan geciemer if ll size se eases con't be reloaded; waa bs ioterestin about thie arurio isthat i's one-third cheaper shar conventional brass cates ‘Horna Frontier divinbon ctinies 16 ex aminonition oflesinigs and there isa seatsbanes a5 PMG four ayaitable. PMG stands for Patios Morgan ‘Corp, the umm is leaded in Korea using Serva hulle ane ie very clepeaddudle. There aly are mew stig ange Ina Featuring seems ane of shot; First ithroduced ty Winchester ari Kallewedt by Federal and Remingwon.these loads rratice tren ane ost. tbe lanier by 16 per cont. One the atber hard there is a continned rend toncard tighter and tiger terms throggt the are of plated stat wel buferedt [peda This wend br ige ouehe demand a he ical resus thal nnost pottersie are tyghter than esos hunterscam ait, Eronaaliout [960m che numbers of gan wean hie~ tomer! has beer astronomical. Uhere are sevtral rei sas for the stinger sale sch a iter: wets which lays stimulate gun takes, new promis and ew cenimunitions It Be interesting to rum dows anne ef ‘he natobers. Fir example, Rewingiog tas procliserd ture than 2 ruilians Model 700 rifles since 1962 when the model was imtwetuced. Remingien also ta. pan duned mote than 3 tition Mendel 870 sbyongiuns:sitce 1953 and § million 1100s since THA. Rerningsea ala "more tha a milion Nyfur 65.22 rifles sie 196 and more thao enillian Model 72 sue high power rifles since 1961. Marlia has pruduieed moce than 4 milling Mode! 00 2 aute rifles since 1960 ana that company’s total of Mode 365 rifles {stew ayer ‘0% million, want ther since IRA Ruger bits produced aver Ile malin Mel LO/ Fithes sone AIS. ever oc millers Standard 2 at plitols nad 15 million Sérgle Sis wevilvers. Mossberg rivire than enilboit Model 35 sbwaysirs shoe 162, Winchester ewer 2 million: 22 aus tafles, [8 snilion ‘Model 12000 and miion, Model 1400 sbotgures, Smith Ke Wesson fas made approximately & million pistols land-tevnlvers since 1973. Add te rbur several million Harrington 8 Richardson single barrel sola wack 4 have wis unary mumnber of Freres avery fee recent years. And L've only touched the hits apm The subject maner of this book is intended wo tbe timeless. 1 explains thow and why surdoas guns work. tt has teen found invaluable for traning salesmen, students and mnutiy thet, ax well: 6. sportsmen, (Contacte may charge, new carvrialges wil he orm bat the ums thericlves will Continue tes operate the Wy they ane: dencs#hed here: Guns sare exciting. shocicing them ix exciting une luteresthnyg whether your bas yet is pape csc game “Their legiiqnate mar bs.ulses expanding with thre recett exphonion nif silhoncite shooting for rifles and pistols 11966) the US. Fishing & Bunting Survey eauductee! ty the Department of tnsterkor showed thit LI milion pcre imaged in Inaning will 2 pistol ue revulver ‘Anal there are aleaysnew thingy in the ward ol few model iew calibers, new Tous, Thal serves ts Krepamesinterest whetted....amd wondering what will comme next. 1 var anewt impressed at a reverat wenticuir Fick! by Rewingtow Aems Co. 1082 was a poor year fur gun ‘sles duc to cconomic conditions, bus Remingtas anncaineed several major new prociets just the same Chief among bese wax be Mosel Seven aight. handy bboft-action high-parmer ifle. shiomes! tbe Site tte tn ren cet ts in the inchastry they alse have GivaaiebugeanayeBOOKI:Part |The Rifle ONE Basie Small Anns: 3 TWO — Manually Operated Brovel Aetiomy 7 THREE ‘Semiautomatic Breech Actions sr) FOUR — Breech-Action Locking Systems 87 FIVE — Feeding Sywems 5 SIX Extraction and Ejection Systems St SEVEN Triggers aT EIGHT Firing Systems 6 NINE — The Rifle Barrel " TEN — ‘The Gun Stock a. ELEVEN — Sights and Seopes 109 ‘Part U1 Amemunitior and Ballistics 125 TWELVE Ammunition 125 THIRTEEN — Calibers 1m FOURTEEN Cases and Primers 139 FIFTEEN — Propellans HT SIXTEEN Bullet Design and Performance 158 SEVENTEEN — The Bullet’s Flight 1a EIGHTEEN — Whimis, Engraving, Crafumanship 188 NINETEEN — Accuracy 198 TWENTY — Hitsund Misses 199 Index 209 Lith aleelbtalerodearn a ean a page epuenice ian inher a ivePART ONE THE RIFLE CHAPTER ONE [pee se ee es naraaieny There are “guns” that squirt yrease, ose caulking, and bleed glue, But we're not talking about them; were talking about: basic firearms, more specifically about rifles — the kind that shoot abullet propelled by a charge of gunpewdler. Ever since gunx-werr invented several hundred, ‘years ago, man has consistently tried to improve ‘them by increasing accuracy or velocity. rapidity of fite, size of projecule, and the effect thst projectile has upon its arrival at the target ‘There have been dramatic developments in some of these areas In others there has been no significant advance what ever in the past fow hundlfed years simply because small-arms: ee cone meant cetocier ‘agrees thy iia aN Bo pear to have reached the point where smilitary developments int small ares will Be afte Value to sporting gundam. For ckample, World War Il saw the basic infantryman of all major ar inies employ seimiaytamatic rifles almost excl: ively, While sparting nike af similar eifes and shot gunz has expanded greatly since then, recent muilitary develapment of seraiautorattic gens hat generally not heen af a type that has much sporting: tne. On the other hand, the American Civil War produced a tremendous breakthrough because it hogan with muzzle losdery and ended with breech loading rifles. That statement is somewhat ever. simplified, as Civil War bulls will underiand, bar ix basically trueAMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ‘The end of World War I sent American nolcticrs home with awe and respect for the Springfiell 30106, a bolt-action rifle. Up witil txt tine, meat unten. the older leveraction types; afier 1918 there came a gradual, and grudging, ap- preval of the “knob” action and, at the sume time, 4 vast improvernent im bolt-action sporting rifice ax they evolved over the succeeding twenty to twenty five yeu. A rifle, ni matter what fis action, may be defined sw.a shoulder arm sith spiral grooves in its here to force the sidgle projectile to rotate in fight. Oukier firearms have rifled bres, however, a few examples being: pistols and revolvers, machine guns, ub- machine guns, and artillery, A badeship's 1G-4nch guns are relly rifles, just ne is the Springfield 50/06. “There isoften some fast and loose employment of words and definitions in the gun game. It's com- man — and Iegitimare outside the U.S. Marine Corpn — to eal) a rifle gun. The word ix generic five all (rears, even thavwh the serious shooter prefers to be mite specific, This book will ccmfine invelf primarily tc nporting rifles, although an occa: sional cxample sill be used vo explain some potas that will involve machine guns and even artillery. Several other words will sceasionalty nocury one is carbine, which is. short-barreled rifle, Fhe word cornrs from old hene-cavalry days when shorter barrels, which could ft ie. a scabbard, were re- quired for mounted oops The precise barrel Jerigth at which a rifle becomes a carbinc, or the other way arotind, depends on whe is rendering the definition. Since Winchester (and Marlin) offer: 20nch barrels in theie traditional 00/30 lever-ae- tion carbines: we may ax well adopt that. The exact measirement is of (no: imperance. tediiy’ anyway. ‘Technically, a carbine is a rifle because it has a silled bore Armusket it not anodeen gun at all, bor ith he ‘current internat in blackpowider dhooting, the tit ket b once again being produced. It describes a fire- arm of rifle size and outward resernblance brut witls wamouth, that te pot nified, bore. ft abonge a round hal} or sormetimes an elongated thug. Muskete wece held ia high esteem by carly Ewropean armies, ee pecially thone af England and France. Their advan: tage: was that they, were far castor to’ bead during: battle than & rifle. Black leaves an awl messof divin the bore after fring a shor, and when yiati're mutate loading, vou have to drive the new projectile down the barrel with a ramrod. {1's masch easier 10 do if the bare is smoath instead of riled, Muskets were ated’ by the American colonists chiefly in Mew England, which was largely settled by the English The rifle came to carly America with German and Swiss emigrants, most of whoo arrived in Pennsylvania while a few. settled ia nupstate New Vouk. ‘Arnacting yon i a piilitary weapon that contin ve Firing until its amimanition is exhawded or the rigger is released. Put another way, the machine gun by (ruby automatic in that every step of its oper ation is provided by the energy generated by the gun itself in the act of firing. A submachine gut ie the same thing except that it's smaller and can be hand held. We will mot be particularly concerned, swith machine gure in this book except te souch hbriefly on their method of operation, The Gatling gus iv sot «machine gum in the sivict sense of the definition, Invented by a Chicago dentist, Dr, Richard Gatling, the gun mom clvely resembles an artillery picce, in that it contains ax many a ten banels mounted on a Large breech mechanism that, is tuen, is supported by a big pair of wheels, The Gatling is gravity fed by mearn of a hopper on tep of the beeceh; the gun ia then oper ated by turming « crank that rotates the entire chee ter of barrels much like huge tevalver cylinder, Each Barrel is fired aa it comes into firing position. ‘The famer the crank ix tured, the faster the Gahirag will shoot, A few Gatlings saw limited service in the Civil War, and many were wed in Indian wars Later; then the Gatling went into oblivion until a few years ago, when the principle wns again abopted for the Vulenn, a S0-caliber, imdiibarreled airceah caisnan, Hydewilic pawer hat replaced the saldier ‘with the crank; otherwise, it aperates on the same principle, ‘Two additional term that are often confised are automatic atid semiautomatic. Au dutoratie gue is amaching gun. A semiautomatic, also called eno Inading, gun requires a scparate, deliberate pull of the trigger for cach shen fired, but every other step in the operational sequence is peeformedt by the energy ‘by the gun in-firing. An example will belp explain haw the use of fire sarmix dicuates their design This iy an old example, but the same principle ts true yoday, The Gernsanand Palatine Swiss gunsmiths of Colonial days sets ted in Ovo-areas, One was Pennsylvania, near Lan icf, andl the Other was New York, near Palatine Bridge, ‘These gunamithy brought their tradi Jaeger nifles tw the colenies, but the Jaeger si heavy rifle, two cumbersome for uve aes the American frontier. Over a period of time, the Jaeger under went drastic changes, doubtlew as frontier Gime back from such places ax Kentucky andl co plainod about such drawbacks as eaness weight, What eventually emenged was the lore, small-cali- bere, sliin, atid handsome Kentucky rife, Same peuple still think it should be called the Penney! vyanla rifle, because ft was made there. But it’s called the Kentucky because that’s where it was ised sand the vise dictated the design ~and the mare Some years Inver, when the fromticr moved wear tof the Misissippi and St Louis was the jurnpir all place, other gunsmiths moved there. Game the West was different from the Bast. Instead of ddrer, black hear, an occasional panther, amd sore Indians, the Wester explorer had. to contend sith bulfalo, grizaly bears, ell, ane — sone said! — more hewtile Todians, Moceuter, the Western hunter or mountain man wed a hone The Kentucky rifle wasn't the gun forthe West and mgain the gradnal rctated bry use began. The rifle te would be handier on horseback ‘The scnck beeare thicker, wo it wouldn't break inv a Fall ith a hare. And the caliber became heavier, hiocame the game was meaner, bigger, and tougher. AASTO SMALL ARMS A fist 1 ftir ¢ Pribebly the stom ing This developed the Plains Rifle. Some think iv wig lier than the Kentucky, but Pe always felt it was just as handsome. 1¢ was developed to-do a jobs ancl ic Billed an important niche in our Western history from the carly 1800 until the breechkonders replacest it after the Civil War. THE SEVEN STEPS OF OPERATION Every gum, ne matter ins type or method of oper addon, gors thmugh seven steps of operation far every shot that it fires, This & true with everything froin a ningle-shot rifle to the most modern machine gun, And a thorough undemtanding of these basics iy exsential toon understanding of how and. why any gun works... ordocsn'r work. “The steps do nat necessarily work in the sime sometimes two them occur at the sate ey all viet he perforrsed, every gun, shor rifle, forexample, these steps wiork oler given, ane each step is performed by hand, oF ually. In a lever: or pump-action repeater some of the steps occur si cously ane! they don’t al- ways correspond with the arder given here. tran iGloaditiy system, every one of the steps ix p Formed by the gun's energy except pulling the trig- er. And in a machine gun even that is.austomatie The int thing to temember ix that every ic one of the Following steps must be performed for sry alt fixed setth sty firearm, 1. Firings Pi ling the trigger releases a mechAMERICAN RIPEE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE: ris, ether a hammer o firing pin under spring tention, that strikes the primer of the cartridge in the barre!’s chamber. The primer is activated lay the blow and ignines the powder change whieh, In tum, geterntes propellant gas to drive the bul- Jet down the barrel. 2. Unlocking: “The breech premure required to drive a bullet must be contained wati! that bullet has left the bore. It bs obyiows that dhe magni- tude of gas presute we're talking about mast aly move the bullet, and i¢ should, be equally ebviows that 10 open the breoch pecmaturely ‘wonild allow gay under enormous prosure tn flow into the action, Consequently, the breech rust lhe locked seeurely ugainss.chis high pressure, Be fore any of the following steps can take place, the action must be unlocked. Unlocking i always performed by the very fit part of the moversent of operating lever, pump handle, bolt, or td. fing uslocking, anotlie? completely sue forees the brass-carvidge ease tightly agaist the chamber walls. The precise amouat of loosening ‘upon several factors, incheding ‘the asnount of pressire, xmoathness of chamber walls, and brittleness of the bess cartridge care among other. Before this empiy cave can be ‘withdrawn, it must be Yoosenedl fran: the cham ‘ber. This is always accomplished by mechanical leverage curingr the fir part of unlocking. Pris mary extraction is vital ina hos. modern car- itkdye — sueh at the 30) Winchester Magnum — sand far less impoetant in rifles developing much ower chamber pressures, suck aw the 30/90. 3% Extraction: The sithdraval of the Fired, or ‘empty, eariridge vate from the chamber. Extrace tion i uaially performed by a hook on the Ipreeehbolt thar pull the wmpty outs the bot is seithdrinen from Ube barrel. 4 Bjeetion: The remaval of the empty ease from the gun, Nose the difference between extractian and ejection; the words are often canfosnd but the distinction js important to an undertanding of operating nystems Ejection it generally per~ formed at the end of the rearwart! stroke of the ae when the empty is flipped out of the 3: Coin Steg en he raga aint spring, Tt is accomplished by drawing and holding back either hammer ar firing pin with a Nee eacc as Ua Tha gg ar bythe ‘rigger tect. 6, Feeding: Maing the fresh, wsiired: Cartridge gee gsr lag ipmiprraraeoet rel, teady for firing. In a singleslot firearm, forcing is manually performed by simply placing ‘the new cartniclge directly into the chamber with the fingers 7. Locking: The revere of unlocking, Locking: hholds the breechblock securely againet the gaa presume goncrated during firing: Asa safety fra ‘um, met guns wil not fire until they are fully andl securely Icke. ‘That's what every firearm must da to shoot and shoot again. A successful gun must perform every ‘one of these steps logically, simply, and with ax few parts ax powible, an! it must have the capability to perform chem thousands of timen witht failure. Wee cain now break dowat the guns we're main to ‘alk about inta two groupe: those that are manually: seperated and these of semiautomatic (or autoload- Ing} type ‘The principal manually operated re- ‘arms in) comin wie today ire bet, ever, pump, singte shot, double barrel, ane revolver. Thane of semiautomatic action mee either by gaa, shoet reeoll, Jong reel, blowback.MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS CHAPTER TWO THE BOLT ACTION ‘Extn though the boll action fas bees popellar in, America only since World War I, it is ane of the oldest of our current operating eysteinis The: firs ‘bolt aetien is credited toa Prussian named Johan ‘Nikolaus van Dreyse, who patented the Prusian ede wan in Use early 1800s, Long before the days cof metallic cartridges, the necdle gun used a paper: serapped load with the primer ahead of the powder charge — between it and the bullet. The tert needle caine from the abnormally lang firing pin, Jong enough to penetrate che powsler charge eom= pletely and reach the primer. Hasically, although It's a hit oversimplified, the principle of @ boltaction i the same as that of a slictine-bott daoe lack, whe kine yun raive 90° aanch draw back 10 allow the door to open. Therc'xanly ‘one real difference: the thmist again the locked door is sideways; the thrust axgainst a rfde bolt isin a wraight line with the belt iteclf, Most 22 cimfire: ritlex indeed have @ bolt slmeat xactly like the doarlock type. The stface used far Locking the 22 ‘bolt is the hiandle, where it turns down into the re eeiver, A highepower rifle bol, however, hus atout locking hugs thas engage rrcemes in che receiver (The reeeiver, a common word it ay gun, is that port that houses the action. I's alg ketown as the: “ajo item" and that’s why it inthe part thar bears the serial umber.) There are departures from the original, but all turming-bolt locking systems are essentially nimi, ‘One of the must lnniportam bult-action devel 70 AMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PRAFORAMANCE ‘openente to fotlow the needle gun was Peter: Paul ‘Mauser's 1872 rifle, which hard a bolt that fare~ shadowed thase-of today's rifles 1t was a single-shot rifle, but was youu fallowed by the repeating Model 71/4, a rnilitary arm that war med by Turkey, Germany, Serbia, and 1 ehimber of other eauntries, |At abou the same time, Remington Arms i the U.S. was experimenting with a-couple af bolt de- rigae and! actually marketed two of them. Neither uained appreciable fame or follwing, however, lind they wete svon dropped. “The first really moderns bolt action war the Ma set Model 1093, sebich awaxe bailt in Germuatiy Foe Spain nd bas ever alnce heen called the Spanish Miser. The mapotne was an especially important development; it replaced “under-the-barvel” and inside-estock” wibulaymagaziner with the ches style that placed all Ave cartridges dicey wader the belt and: siaggered teen, eather than having one directly stop another. This jve thie action a slimines, shallower profile. The maize azine ale pormitied the ine of ttiore efficient sharp pontod) bullets, known alter she German ax xpit- zeny, which couldn't be used ia tubulartype endo anes became of the danger of a bullet tip hitsing the primer of a cartridge abcad of it. This model alo introduced the smmkelest-pewtter-louded Tam Mauser curteidge. ‘American railitary experts andl arms maenafae- ‘turer were aware af the Mauser efforts, for Mauser had visited the United States and seen ite major arms makers. But the American public war in- wedueed to the Spanish Manse int brutal fash: ion, ‘The Spanish-American War found the U.S, Army goimarily armed with the obd single-sex Springhicld, chamberod for the equally ancient 48/7) black-powder cartridge Every time an American fired, a huge cloud af puyeder obscured hhis vision and diclused: hix position to the enceny. Morover, the old Springfield was given to sticky extraction problems thar usually had w be solved lay prying tbe stack eimpty out with a hrsife. Meanwhile the Sporlh soldiers were: shooting the 7mm arsall-hore, high-velocity cartridge sith smokeless powder that did not obscure their targeis and did not give away their pesitions. In the bathe of Sen Juan Hill in 1098, 700 Spaniards inflicted 1400 casualties cn the Americans. (That, in scidentally, is an exoeticnt example af hoew war ati slates the development of firearms.) Peter Paul Mantser hid another emaple of refine: mente in mind and they resulted in the Mauser Model 18918, which remains tn thie day onc of the world’s outstanding bolt actions, Like the earlier 8% ection, it retained the twe stout hugs at the front end of the bolt body, tnt aided a ‘safety lug near the hack of the bolt, which sus: naeaan. to werk if the forward luge should shear off ‘The 98 als included cocking cam designed 10 cock the firing pin on the opening strvke af the bal handle, sind thereby smooth out the operation, (A camis a surface whose purpote is to change the di- rection of a force; it can be a projection of an an- surface.) This cocking carn is cut into the rear ‘surface of the bolt and eomnects with a mating sar face on: the Fring pin. As the bolt handle in retaued o, this cam forces the firing pia back into oes Bee “by eipeessing the firingepin spring, The benefit of cock-on-opening bolt is beter mechanical advantage. Cocking be- comes easier, and it alsy mudkes chambering « dirty Gor aticky cartridge easier becauie this heavy spring nes tot als have to be cocked. av the samme tine, twas required iny the Medet 93 rifle “Ady tirning-bolt syste isa direct descendant af Mauser's basic design. That ever applies to may of today's gun that are operated by ums, fevers, pump handles, and recoil When the lreechbolt var thle locked position and ite lugs engage re cesses in corresponding riotches tin uhe receiver, the suction is purtly Maser. Let's follow a typieal bolt action, using the Maier as an example, theoagh the seven meps of ‘operation: 1, Firings Pulling the wigger reteasen the fring maingpriny, This pin drives abead smartly. anil its point enuihes the primer of the chambered cartridge, casing it ta fire, 2. Unlocking: Simply eaisingg the bolt handle 90° or less i some actions) turns the locking: igs ‘out af engagement with their receserim the fron ring of the receiver. This initial movestent alsa idvives the bolt backwards a fraction. off an inch, Extraction: Withdrawing Fired cansidge from the chamber by hotding it against the bolt face with the extractor hook.tn arly 19003 Springhiodifle a determial fy srl mower wih 4 der gtr i MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS Tse rifles yr nil Sprit aad Ht Edin series siring paver ta, nd by Ream ard Stith-Camona cru Wid War Ad Tie P9119 Sprang sa the fest madam traction rfl made 4 Efetion: Whest the bolt reachin ita rearmost and just befire ft is mopped by the bolt stop, the left side of the eartridge is contacted by the ejector. With the extractor honk ani the right side pulling, and the ejector om the left stopping further rearward movement, the cartridge ts simply flipped clear of the action, 4. Cooking: Thin was accomplished during the ‘tial lift of the bott handle by means-af the cocks ing-cam forcing the firing pin back. 6, Feeding: The bolt forward and the bottom edge af itn face will engage the next tidge lying in the magezine. The fresh can tridge is forced beau, its scike is raised by a feed ing ramp and it is guided into the chamber. Meanwhile, the bame of this new cartridge i forced upward against the bolt face: and tracting groove engages the extractie hook %. Locking: Turning the handle back down ‘caused the seking ings to cupage their reeesnes ir the réceiver ring and the cartridge to becoime fully seated in the chamber and ready to th and the final cocking ix accomplished. (Whi moving back and forth ia the belt, rhe firing pin is resting against the rear of the holt body.) Disr- lng the final closing in-the locking step, in the firing pin contacts the sea is connected to the trigger): wt holes the firing fin in cocked po ‘bolt rotates closed and locked, ready to te now teas etch FARTATIONS There are numerous variations in the locking eye tems of teciny's bolt actions. Same of them really mera ame i Pll erin af te fren are imp the basic Mauser, whi others are simply akerations and aré not necessarily better. Others are for convenience and/or appearance, Whin Germany adopted the 100 Mausér, the Unitedt Statcs! service arm was the Krag-Jorgensen. Firing & Mbcatitier rimmeéd cartridge with a 220 jrrain bullet, the Krag action was a turning bolt but with. single locking lug. The old Krag was a serv leeable rifle, the chief advantage of which was that is boasted the smoothest bolt sseoeim maa. But the single locking ber-presure capability and ite magazine way at abomination, (The Kray had a taagazine latch, nearly an inch square, of the right side of the wee tion. Te load, you flipped this down, ieserted five cartridges individually and chised! the latch, ‘Carrs teidyes were usthed seress, under the bult, and fed from the left side. Very awkward, ‘wary slow, ariel very ugly.) Faldng-a good lank wt the Mauser, and vemem- bering the Spanish-American War, American Ore. nance developed ihe 190.8 Springfield rifle for a 200-grain load that was originally called the 30/08 (the devignaticn: indicates it vas a 30-caliber rifle the cartride dated 1903}, But this heavy bullet had neither cough range nor flat enough trajec tory and war chinged in 1906 19 a [5t-grain Printed {spitzer) bullet. “All the 30/09 rifles were recalled amd rechambered for the new 30/06 cartridge ‘The revairiped 1005 Springfield was one great fife, make na mistake about that sally acclairned by carly gun write What i It owas univers 3s the greatest often discused abet che Sprinetield ixwo AMERICAS RIFLE DESIGN ANE PERFORMANCE that it x0 closely resembled the Mauser that the US. paid Germany a royally of iL for years, In few minor respects the Springfield was better thas ithe Mauser; in a few others, it was inferiar, Sut fal lowing World War I, befare the American giants, Winchester and Reshingion, woke up 19 the bolt. action: market, (1 yas better than anything alfered commercially for many years HOLT-ACTION SPORTERS The development of the bolt-setian sporting rite ax we know it today began through the efforts of a President of the United States, 1 writer with de cided opinions and a leyl follwing, andl several American custom gunsmiths, The President was Theodore Riwievell, the writer Stewart Edward The White, and the guniaiiehs, first Louis Windhaie then Hab Ohven, Jim Howe, and m very few others. ln 1903, IR. asked! the Springfield Armory to reimodel vac of the newly oued Springgveld mill: ies for sporting purposes This wns accom: plished by changing and shoriesing the rtock and equipping the arm with » Lyman sporting tight “This war ist all probability the first sportinye bolt-acs fion riffle produced. White, wlth the assistance of Wundhammer, adapted another Sprinyteld, which hae: tsk tn Afra swith nb, Ly the 1920s, Springfield Armory made a rite called the NEA Springlicld Sporter, which wax available to civilian members of the National Rifle ‘Association. Its distinguishing features included « sporter stock, Lyman 48 receiver sight, and a mu- perb metal finish, Kcwaa a bigh-chas rifle, and waa rated above any commercial offering by eontempa- ary gums writers, In fact, the writers of today have never quarreled with that judgment ‘The ties commercial boltaction rifley that ear be called “modern” were the Model 30 Remingtan anal (ts alick counterpury, the 10S Expres. ‘These ‘were fint marketed in 1921 and they were excellent rifles for their times. Remington's problem was that they were kept inthe line until 1949, bye which thine they Svere well aut of date. Remingron’s Moxtel 30 wa a remodeled, sporterized 1917 Enfield, Which brings a back vo military history: st erty tion lle nr the Remington fet 30 ¢uhtne) wntarcedin 2922) ama (heb) tir Mle 08; 2 fia ae mgr ear ha wana vt w Eman #8 eet ag Diucinye Wioeld War 1, Resminigtom had vast con: tmets to manufacture a rifle for England. ft was a new Enfeld rifle, never before munesfactured in quantity, chambered for the 305 Britiels military cartridge. These rifles were to. be produced both in the company’s mai plant in Uidn, New York, and in a plant leascel from the Baldiein Loromative ‘Works in Eddystone, Periniy! varia. By tbe time the U.Ssentered the war im 1917, production had been underway foe about two year. It was imperative that America have rilles — there was: a deficit of 3,000,000 rifler that hod te ‘be filled seithin two yeam For such compares ax Winchester and fem-ington to tool up for the Springfield (which was dif- ‘Soult to manufacture) would have been impossible, so the inare easily made Enfield was altered tac comimodate the U.S, 91/06 cartridge and was made in ‘art quantities by both eompasies (Cae ‘million of these old rifles were said ts have: bees stored im gowerrment armenals and then sent to ‘England for the home guard during the early days of Woeld War IL} In any event, at the war's-end, Remliygton found ‘vel with. parts, tating, and.» market for a high- powered bol-action rifle. ‘The carly Motel ‘want't a bas rifle, but it retained the 1917 Eniield's cockdiclosing motion, which won't very pleasant fora porter, and it was vtdeked badly, The Model 30S war stocked much better. Theve rifles had two. great features, however: ‘The bol: handle win pitched at such an angle that you could mount a scope without alteration (which you had 10 co with ‘Mauer and Springfield rifles) and ir had one of the stocks always had too much drop: that ix, the stack angled down to abruptly behind the action, which ‘had the nasty habit of lewering tthe bet ee far that the comb slapped you in the check in recoil. And that comb was almost raaue sharp in many easex ‘The Germans were by the worst atfenders and stubbornly would refute to change evet.on a custors oreer. Military boltsttion rifle mocks were not suited for sporting because they were triad fat wn sti 19 stand the:rigors. of rugggnd field tae; te additienal wood also made them heavier thun a sponter should! be. You can, with quite a bit of work if yeu have the skill, work w military stock down so chat it be: comes a marginally acceptable {though wely) spor- tee stock. This is loosely called ™ "We fy froee an lead solution and the result will de pend on the ski of the workman, Nevertheless many of these teweirked rifles are still in use anal giving satisfactory service, Winchester entered! the mariet in 1823 seth their Model 5, which wasn’t much of a rifle ir most re ‘apects bat it came out with a hot new cartridge, the 270 Winchester, that really expired the imagins ion of shooters and writers alte and berame quite MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS ssecomeful. Model S4's chief faults were that its bolt handle and safety res: too bigh for scope mounting without alteration, many parts were punch pressed, which wa ther considered inferior manufacture, fund the trigger also served aa a bolt stop. Wincheatcr did, however, have the good-senee to produce the great Model 70, which was introduced (a 1937 and which imtantly became recognized as one of the world’s great tiles: Meanwhile, Reming: ton stayed with that 1917 action weit Weetd Wa tf mopped civilian production wae sill ie that war that Reinington completely rede ana prod macro hew-ate bok-eaton ae, Meanwhile, during the 20s and 30s, the demand for sporting bolt-actiom rithe in America was devel- ‘opine lowly. Such as it win, it wan filled by a few custom, muikers, and by the rifles already, men- tioned. There alsa were some imports, and the phrase “made ins Germany” was lnecoming known allover the word, The Mauser plant at Obemdort, ‘Germany, produced excellent commercial actions for the wotld's gumemiths, ‘These were used by such great English gunmakers as Holland & Holland, Rigby,and Wenley Richards, among others. They were alto ued by a few of the top American custom makers as well ar some of the better shops in Ger many, Belgium, and elsewhere on the Continent With Obemdor! actions’ reputation 19 Sean a, many fewer German manufacturers, sometimes us ing battletielt pickups, abo began making sporting rifles fav export, Avast number of these guns were pare jonk Others were just barlly designed and ‘nearly all were stocked borsibly. “There are a few innovations in bolt-action rifles that'tock place in this era, Abontt 1910, m gunmaker named Charles Newton was far ahead of hiv the: Newton developed a mumber of high-velocity (fer the tite) cartridges, several oF which were sctopted hoy Savage, mont of which were Lailt inte Newion rifles Newwgo's major problem was thar be seas: an inventor, not a manufacturer, and his company too failed Ray We began his company by employ: ing commercial Mauser actiows macke in Belgium, bat later developed his own action Known at the Wearhertyy Mark V. This action has many original Features bert the two most important are a backing system consisting of inine fies and permitting shorter bolt lift (53* vs 90" in conventional rifles) The Mari V aiso has an oversiae bolt, which results ua AMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE Ths Wiherby Mik: F bo in. smacther bolt travel. ‘This is accomplished by: the larger diameter of the belt body allowing the ‘ourside diameter of the lugs to be amaller-than. the: bolt fell. On conventional bolis, the lockitg lugy are wider than the bolt body and so teduire two ota, or racewayn, in which to move back and forth, The net result ie that dhere is more to support tbe Weatherby bolt and working the action is easier, By comparison, ope can shake a Mower or ‘Springfield bolt when it's in the fully oper: pesition, much 29-1 dog shakes its head. While 1 appreciate the amouthnen of the Marke Vi. I ased to like the smoothies af the honorapte old Krag, i's not all that big a deal. Wiggting bales doa't bother me, and While there thes beet reeeat chamer shout making boku tightes, so they won't rock about like a subway ear on a bad track, He rive that amy bolt will bind. At least Ive never trad ‘one ant up, Another recent trend has heen to tighten the breeching by recesing bolt faces, In the older style rifles — Mauser, Springheld, Remington Model 30, wehaster's Madele 34 und early 70s for example — a wee: bit of the rear end of the careidgr cuse tex! to prottudte (room thie back of the barrel. (Yoo Ihave ti grab that rit, of extracting groove, (a withe dey the Fired case.) Ax a result, the saving went, the curtrisige was the weakest part of the rifle, rocaning that if the case blew under the chasnber premure, the:gas war dumped lito the action where it raced around looking for an exit. That exit often ‘eas found by blowin out the floor’ plate (the ber- tom of the: rmuguzine}, blowing the receiver apart, aed generally mexiag up the rile Although that happened very, very rarely. nevertheless the poten ial yas there so Jong as part of the cartridge hang cout in the open, Newadayn, led by the design of fom saat dole by te mol ckingsg951- on. Thee a wie sat 120" at i mac joe Rae he Be eR a “th fw felt to machine dbl gt vceoer otha al gh Aes cent. dn mack nltiplefok: rpstama, ovary find mate than ae toe ado al? figs ataly Remington's pest-Workd War 11 4X) weries, the bolt head ix countersunk x0 it encloses the: cari bane. The bolt's mosc slips into a recess im the: bar vel't beech to minimize the bras expoure. How ever, it's important (far acctiaey) that the balt not ‘nisiel the barrel itself, and such manulactesing tol- erances were probably: net powible in: production ‘until'tecently, Nonetheless, 1 regard this largely ax an iimpooverment that offers advertising ecpy mate- ial rather than siguifieart impenvement in action design: I would just ay moor have-oe of the earlier action. GAS ESCAPE While a. rptured cartridge ease (with its potential for destroying an action — and possibly parte af the shooter as well) happens so infrequently that it need not concen anyone, a pierced primer ix quite another matter. Its oceurrence: also ix extremely rare, but it ean happen, and does on occasiem. The umual reas ia either + badly shaped firsny.pen nose (the result of someone trifling with it — firing-pin nesex must be well rounded and very smooth) ora paint, a hice for instance, tharp enough penetrate the metal clip that is the top ofa primer. If this happens, jax escapes through thar fitte hole under enormots presure and into the firing-pin chamber inside the bolt body. From there it it allowed to escape through one or more gar escape holes. Cias leakage can alto qccur when somebody whi diesn't untler turd handioading gem the wrong powsier, too nisich, powder, oF anenething eqully sexless and the firing develops more pressare than the gun is desyord co handle. In. that event, the primer pocket ill expand and allow gas to leak out. AU soem bolt actions (fron the 1898 Mauser oo}have proviiion to'prbeeet the shooter's face: But it's sill stat 10 wear planes GUARD SCREWS “The function of the guard serews is to lasing the re eeiver to the stock. Some: nections: use two guard screws, some thtee, Frankly, wo long s-the rifle is manufactured eotrectly there's Hothing to. elkoowe from between them. Both require caveful bedding: anyway: a receiver can he bent out of shape by summing up the guard serews if the indetti tight and this. can happen with elther xymtem. Thus, other things beiny the satme, the number of guard screwnis of no consequence. We Haw been discuwing highppower rifles almoit ‘exclunlerly 20 far, but the .22 action fates same spe: ‘Gal anention. The pressure generated by a 22 ete ‘ridge in Far fess than that of « high power. 10 it does ‘nat require so-stnng a lockup, [t's afso-truc that 10 imfine cartridges mmorcaver, mare thin A wal of the young — ite a fun gun For everyone. Cheap te shoot, nat vere oad, i care ~ depending upon thie model — detiver ling accuracy, Bur hardly anybody wanes ro bry a bole 22. Generally speaking, in today's market the .22- caliber bolt-action rifle ix cheaply macle, eelurne~ produced: product, (The olwiocs exweptian in the (22 target Fife, ujac which boving care andl lnvish doting axe bestowed, the only other exception béing a single Remingtan offering, whieh may oe may not fast in the line.) Thie, in my opinion, is. dainned shame. I think shoatecs otight to fecognize si denen beer 22 sporting ind bay UF one ever ofeved again. There war a ime, hack inthe 1840. when Winchester made Model 52 Sporter. a distinguinied wersiem of tx Jostly Famed Model 52 target rifle, sens one wreat rifle and it was. as it Indl to be, priced at high level. Te waan’t botight in mufficient volume 06 keeps itaroued : ‘The gp welt 2d rifles Bus fee filled With the excellent Kimber #2, and the HER Model ‘S20 a spring, vata thot eomnpunye excellent target rifle, These'rusi rifles, with Remington) 5415, vlfer the sheetera fine choice in top> graste balt-aetion sporters. OF couse. some of the finest target batt Aetions ane 22. MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS. 13 Usually the oply lockup required in a balt-setion 22 in the root of the bolt handtc (where the handle meets the bolt body); this parr of the handle simply turns into a recem in the receiver: Some other spe- Salised target-ahooting masterpieces are obvious exceptions. SAFETIES Safotiex are desiuned vo block the niger aetian, the firing pin, or domie other part and prevent the gun from an unexpected dischiarge. In the: baltsactian fle, safety samally works on the fing pin iwelf —~ cor-akould do that if i doesn’t. P will securely lock the bring pin ward umil che saiety is placed in rERn position, {1 lo moves the firing pin slightly ww the rear, 10 completely disengage the pin fom the sear ‘Safetier usually Ihave throe positions On locks both firing pine amd bint, while the rnidldle position Jocks the firing pin but allows you wv operate the ‘bolt re-unlogd the aetion. There has been a recent rend toward the simpler’ two-position safety, jest ‘on (firing pinvand belt: both locked) and wry {ready 10 fire}, That's purely an economy move, and per> adequate; bit al timex iy nice to have that middle penition. Need | add that the operation ofa safety should be quiet? There's working lke thie sige uF a fond safety ter spake a dloer that you've ‘waited hours for, SHORT AND LONG ACTIONS, ‘The firs of the modern bolt sctions were for eartridges that are wsunlty referred to today 2x “standard” length, the Frum asd Brom Mausers sand the 0:00 About 1912, the London. gun- making Bion of Holland & Holland, Lid ine troduced their famous Magnars cartridges, S00 und 375 HH: and Savage introduerdl the 250// 00 and JOH Savage ‘The two H&tH cartridges were quite a bit longer than the standard and would oot work through standard actionn The Sab aye cartridges verre shorter than wanclard and, while thew workel im stanelarellength weriows, they: did nee need an action that long ‘Halland & Holland,.of course, Wad devel their Magntnm cartvidlges, which were of the belied: ‘variety, primarily for deuble-bareled rifles Tbe: Jiove the fist major producer of bolt actions ot sreviag lms ever nemesis and ony cartridges was Mauser. U have, for example, 1940 Stocuer catalog listing tweney styles of MauserAMERICAN RIFLE BES INAND PEWFORMANCE ‘rer see: patty fe wth ram tere Jeunes, Nae hee raped tee cig age ste paced, fro F dae, by Charles (Newton on the wtp 19000. The Haha bes great cirmgth. Te porto fife tv 1106 ond re kill may Neck Arteria gue pect eh A Jia acsrmy mers, The ragga saad the i tate sore Hake and Gb Aad mae wt Met ana ove eur 6s by AU Peay ana of the comer this artcbor rfly se combomation. of Biesom anal Wath action, with the "Magnum Mauser" tabbed at S110, That's fr an action alone, whiely the etis- tomer had to have barreled and stocked before it became a ville, (Te-give a reference point, the Win- chester Model S4 fever-action 90/98 carbine lined for 8%) in this same book.) Needless to point out, there was net much volume in mich costly ac sand they we worth a fornune today Winchester was the firt to offer a stanctard Mag nuim-lengtl action in the U.S. when the Medel 70 Fille wis intriduced ins 1987. Ik war chambered for bot ive 300 and 375 HH Magnum esrtridgen Arabout the same perind, achap named Ren Com fort won the 1,000 yard Wimbledon mate ot Camp Perry, Ohio, with a Model 70-rifte chan bered for the 00 Magnus and sales were ofl" 10 merry- beginning Hr-has become fairly entruinon fir rifle makets to build (wo basic lengths of actions today, standard length and 4 short length — the latter for such car- ridges ax the 243 and 308, Since the arrival of such bot cartridges of standard bengils 39 the Faun Remington, 500, 338, and 458 Winchester Mag- sures, there ia ne Fea ribed for such extra-bobs tar tridhges as the old FISH Magan. Roy Weatherby however, who popubisized Magnutes in the ahoot- ing world, will user longer-than-standard car, tridyes. His populir J00 Weatherby is sill of 200 HUGH length, as is his 340, 469, and several o Custom gusstniths huve for years altered actignss to make them either linger or shorter. The winal procedtire for making a standard action handle loniger cattridiges i to remove ettough metal to al low freeing igs the big Magnum cartridges Aru the uuswal methine for making a skerter actin is po. cut small section out-of the middle of the action and weld the picers back together Suck werk, of rune, requires the services af an extrmordinarily com- petent gunsinith. And there wert nore actions hunchered than skillfully thone. The practice hss largely ceased today — which iva blesting, Thave always regarded the short actions ax nice but not neresary. Niet because they can be made into a reatlooking, somewhat diminutive rifle| MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS PW sty fee Call Seer 4 sanded om extvarny Wegee fi sear appeal be sme, had the hfvarance i fr fre the cla: uppraarh, asc salt fe spre rms aihere sguane enuies full an vane! ees hort wd shoal he. The stds testo appear 20 theo ft recone ring preteen eeu there ie saehadge dn the chair. Th (puvided the makers have the sense 10 scale es thing elec dowi-and keep their proportions... tu they waually desn't), a rifle that sill be a bit lighter in weight and so a bit faster to handle. This is not really necrmary, however, because the longer batt throw requiced for stanchard xctioua sam canily be shortened and ee car) the mayarine. An oxcellent race in polit is the Whichener Model 78 which, ratlier days, war made for a wide variety of ear- triciges fram the tiny 22 Homet all the way te the monatrous.375 H&H Magnum. All were amide on ‘the same basic action und {never heard anyene exftieize ft; In fact, when Remington firs: trough putt their 222 cartvidiy {in the Model 722 rifle) “knowing” shooters — by which {mean the solid run buff ~ eagerly bought Medel 70 Harnet riftes and had them ennverted to. .222 by custom gun- ninithe Ik was a tough conversinti vo muke and a pitty expensive ane, but these fatks cansiclered it seorth the trouble annd money. SOME INNOVATIONS Three actions that bear some idivietual attention aur those nf the Coli-Sauer riBe, mae many by the sofid old Sauce guémther, also made in West (Germany hy Woere: ‘which they spply an their lananded K-14 rifles ancl thie Charmplit, a rifle completely iad iin the U.S. All thede have slightly different locking arrange ments nnd. rather distinctive features thet bear coverage. Firat, the Coli-Sitiers This it one of the maint streamtined of wetiant. You may like (1 or not, bur ne offre hus born gpacee to roune every comer on 1. tre, bt yao fl li the ie ade the tetelver and swoop mut Luge chunks of metsl where posible to-effect the fiwing fines, The bok body moves straight back and forth; edocs mod i= ite. Locking ts accomplished at the rear end of the bolt by three tage that pop in and out af the bole body as the handle is tuned. A bit unos], the Fowkinie errangemicnt i» both positive and secure The bolt travel b abe emeoth utd fren of the Mauser Wobble” that’s alwnv aisociatéd Manser type uf bolt, Another distinctive: feature nf the Cott-Sauer is the ecmowable-eligy magazine, in Which the wenrrridges He in a vertical row, ut aguered ny in the Mauser xyat Despite the somewhat nmnoal xtrearlining. sehich extends wa the stock av well. his rifle fies quite well and ja. good shooting rear. 1 would have preferred & litte low depth through the action ~ nt the extperw of teis magazine capacity — fee w better appearance, bert that's a personal opinion. The Kicitguenther action is a sound, relatively ir made inv Germany for this Texas firm: One of the leading departures of thin action is that it has three locking lugs up front thas turn into a Sicilite inert. Stellite. i one of the strongest of all materials and olferr exceedingly du- rable wear resistance. div use, the Stellite inert fs placed inte the receiverand the barrel serewed into he receiver Rand against this The cam bination should peove a good one ‘A rather startling innewation of the Ki guenther in the swinging trigwer guard I rwase a toms, the Boor plate alone swings dawn; i this ene, he whale guard ix pivoted ta mwing eait of the way this permits acess tes the remiévithle magarine box aAMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE et poe lure seat be can carry a spaie'in your pocket), intrigue aadjusien hosed. | Bile 1 fers. neat andl firimbed look feawure very much, It uf that nerds adjunting it handy welded on, a practice that's perfectly acceptable rriust make inte The recoil lug anyanre with the Imm mewemnent of the Mauser 9. Thix ia an extaurdinary ignition system and helps give the rifle good accuracy. As a.matier of feet, Kihei Rucather guaruutecs: Winch (iQysrd -securacy which is. goce gurantee. From all Pye heard, the‘Fills five wp to it Thi ection: had a cucking-piece veaety which 1 find a bit awkward and hard to get at, but adhe from this it’s one of the better actions available and exe be highly recomended Tr would ve preny hard not 00 get exeited over the Champlin, The complete rifle is made in Enic, ‘Cklahoma The wikmanships ix practically Mave: ess, about at clase tothe top English gone ax you ean gets execpt shat the British can't take a bolt actions ay well we quake them here, This is a bet- rer boltaetioa sitle than any English bolt gun. Its wotkruaship is nearly on x par with a Wondward, Boss, or Holland & Hafland shongun, ‘The Champlin Walt hus thece.stouat locking figs sup front with theee very long safety: ays behind. ‘Wea ieatly desigocd and made actiow with excrl- ent fines that complement the fine clasic stock ines thie company sex. The evat of cone of these ‘fles is about the wuine ax that of Bue Medel 70 Winchester rifles ‘That means thar if you really want the ext and are willing and able v0 put that ‘kind of money inns « rifle that's:as fine as can be turned ont it Anverica, you Gin get it. Whether ene such rifle ix worth five otlicrs-is a question ony yas can ane. THE LEFT. HANDED SHOOTER There are a lot of lefhanded people, and jaresum- aly these whos the bolt-netion rile never even roneidered them. It wasn't really: all that bad ini the days when mote fron tights than scapes were ‘ised, because a lefty could dap his left hand oer the section, hea bis thumb under whe bolt hunele, and slain the action back and forth as fast ae ary one ele. It's a litle Irarder tr de that when you have to rexch dear up and aver w wcope. Axa renilt a number of custom gunamiths featured the art of rendering cournational actions inte a feft-haunded atyle. This wan usually accomplished by a gear ar Fanigement which, by raising the bolt on the left side, made the bolt body fxn the same way it ale ways did, Some “anitht revered the whote actian. “These alterations couldn't be taken Tightly. Like shorteaing an action, it called for really fine crafts manship, Axa result, many were very well donc, Sheer were something fest so, amd some werr downright dangerous It remained for Savage Arnis Corp. so da a hetle AUANEALLY OPERATED BREECH AGTIONS 17 These fo pres, aft Buyy Model 110) dl: acho sw fe stom rf aly ppurt ube ruven The ep ed sheet the per doc og: ag nur wuts x Khe! pion. Phe Rg. tee Ante holt agit gases the eof ape oi si, hile the al le une fl the eto aur {te oe he ring yor a fr). Tat [ks shaw cere ow he sb Nae hat re Belt seen tok her pte fu, a teal at the re tightly crewed in the ect tmagket research and come wp with the claim thal 10 grercent of all vhoorers were left-handed. Along with this, the company announced a standied vee sion of their then-new Model 110 bolbactian rife in lefishandéd style. tt yeas the firs ermine, Eae- tonyemade lefichanded rifle, Whether that 1 per een} figure wan Fight oF wronge it did serve to eall people's attention w the Swvage 110 aad sales of both versions have been steady ever since. The Saw age left-handed inmuvation ai caumed other rmrakecs tr Kolker sit STRUGHT PULL BOLTS Quer the jars, there hurve teen’ a Rew Boalt wetions fon the market af a type: knowry ax “ytralijgh tpl," smicaninig thas the bolt haidle wii pulled straighr back and pushed straight furware, The up-and- slows movement war thos eliminated, This wax ace complished by various cams to make the action lock sod unlock sere oF less cxsventionally. ‘he ofthe earliest of these siraighi-poll riftes Was18 AMERICAN RIFLE DESION AND PERFORMANCE Jo 4 racing of Ops. Ca, sat the wild gratest jun im Fl at's woking urs, gud we) autlnuing td eco sande hy Cal and deaige sansa Hane ar av af the gu hep foe Wachee Tape, Broarang's at imei, whe Model {BAS single-shot fle saith Wncdeter fr oes machine gue soul machine fer ward jor pours bp many af the Satine: Tha Sat rude af Winchester fat Model 3, attr om 1604 wud peeve rare hy a "the that sc th Wt the Canadian Rots, # suilitary rifle of World War f vietage Chambered foe a 200 caliber cartridge, with an oversized cartridge case, this wax -very hat rifle Ts bg disadtvamiaige wats that it waa pete tos wecmble the bolt irea way thar the action wouldn't Jock but senuld still fire, This unhappy design fex- tuire resulted in the death uf a few Camadian sol ders unid the rifle sqm got a well-ceserved bad tuame. It dista't lust tong after that. The tad jute icity alu killed off a cartridge that was years ahead. of its time — the 280 Ross That cartridge waa a good mmber, The most recent straightpull belt rile was the tittle Browning ““T-bolt”, so named be~ cause of the shape af its bolt handle. "This warn caliber rife, a low one, but gene now. [t just wan't papular and diehn't set in enough wakurne to stay try the: fie Ws wolikely yeu'll sec ay more xtraight-pull bolts, at loam not in the foresceable future, They ftemutitca curiosity. THE DOUBLE BARREL Tmixpect meist poopie think a double gun ir one of the simpler types, pesstbly rivaling: the: simghe shen i this rexpect. IF you are among: thowe whe think double is pure simplicity, accept it usa tribute to the design geniuses who have packed su many in inicacies and subieties into what appears wo simple a gun. In trath, more time, thought, and ingenuity have gone into dewble-gun devign than any other And, significantly, all double-gun. inventiveness and volvement have becn directed toward the sporving market, That can be said about fe other suction system. I's doubsful that any gun evolved move alowly than the double The double: gun ie virnually critirely Engliah in catigin, and nearly every improvement made in doables han oie froin one ot aaenher of the great makers in London, Birminghas, or Edlusburgh: Even today, “best™ Engtish gus are ta the firearm world what Rolle Royce ty te aiimmobiles. “There is no competition, Some years back, in the late 19408 1 believe, 1 had» chance 10 buy: a pair of case double-barrel rifles made in 1921 by Holland & Holland of Lon- don, ‘They were Holland's Reyal Grade {which tant the finest) ond they had never been Ged. ‘The story was that they had! been ordered by a gen Ueman from Philadelphia who hit pamced away hefire defivery, and maw wer bein offered for sake by his estaue. ‘The price tng was $2,100. 1 waw short by $2095, Teday, Lwiah ['¢ gone inta hock to boy that matched pairs it would have been an excellent investinent. Doubles are made in both chotguns and rifles, very few of the laner and monly heeawse they ane tradisinnal, By shis Vraean that a deyutste rifle ix sll preferred by many whi-tackle the big, dangerous game of Aftica That’s part tradition, part sent nent, part youd sense, anal pant plain atubbernness. Those leary double rifles are made for common cartridges, the sort that can knock am elephant silly with a bead shot, even ifthe brain iemissed. And a double prowices the fastest two shots io-all gundom, which can be a blessing. Since the English havewed doubler in Africa since befine they can’ member, tradition and sentiment play a lange part ln this cheiee Englishrven just don't convider tnaazine sifles erring, ppasaibly botiig soene- what conditioned by the general unreliability of the rifles exported to Affica from Getmany durin the 1920s and 30s. Thit har all been changed since the ackeent of the 45H Winchester Magram i 1855 and, toa large extent, to the popularity given Mag fmm cartridges in Koltsetion riflés by Ray Weatberhy. ‘The 4S Winches chins “wp S40. feats 095 foot.prouncds. It hax heen proven wulficiently th eet eon a mare Is available if you int that extra maggin. ‘Now let's look at the muzle energy figures fue twos double rifles: The 475 Nov 2 war lang one of the ‘more pupular heavy bores feequently employed tiy the white hutiter who backed up his “sport.” [t de- ‘veloped 5,170 feer-pounds. And the whopper of all double: rifles, the .600 Nitro Express whtumped wp 71610 feb, $0 you can nee: thar: bolt-action maga ine rifles can deliver the goods on the world's ‘oughest game at-substantially lower east anc with more reserve firepower. Toray, the English firm make.a. few dauble rifles each year; there- are a few made in Ferlach, Austria; and postibly a fow by ‘other makers scattered here and there an the Conti- nent, However, the double rifle in, at this time at ‘east, very ele ta a thing nf the past, GAINS VS LOSSES: Iv has been an accepted fact thar bolt-xction rifles are the most accurate of all. Partly because they are fact, Ur pot at all sure that one could prone which Aetinti system is the meat nccurate and Tm not sist Soha it would mean if one could, Te te true that all the bemchrest records are held bby bob-artion rites and it's equally true that benchrest shooting has produced the best accuracy that’s ewer been peacuced. Hut there isn't much standard about the present day benchrest rifle. Mony shouters use custom-made actions that hap- pen tn have a bolt; athers use cuerventional actions ‘wut perinamendty fasten a sleeve outtide and all che MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS 15 ‘way around the action to stiffen it. These are really se far fram. the standard bolt action that any coinpairinon i difficult ‘The inytb of the one-pieve stock isa litile easier toahatter, Tn foci, vou cam eimily minke a case for the one-piece stock actually: being fess svenirate than a two-piece stock, Unless the picce of wood tied ix correctly sawn at the mill, properly ariel, Thave fired matty hundreds of boli-nétion ifs, wegrear many af hem in out-ofthe-tox condition, “Thin inewns that the condition ix the same as if you haat alae he i in your local store, taken it emma eet: oat bs oe ewe ie Bet Jost duc riffes have left something to be de Tn spite of those remarks, the rifle you buy: teeay Will shoot better than ine yent could buy 20 years sages Justa ie. corres out the: bene. THE SINGLE-SHOT ACTION Singleshor rittes — thar ts single-shot cartridge ries — are a development of the lattor part of the lat ceatury. They led directly to the lever action, which we'll eae to next. Bat many sbooters and hunters, torlay seek a relationship with the past or (prefer to (riest to that single aimed shot, sm that the ‘single-shot rite has comie hack. Whether this is a fad or a more or less permanent movement f can't Forecast but I think that these single-shot types will, be around a while, ‘Thew setions arc pretty simple to understand ‘and really don't reqquite much explanation. Their operation i afl manual and you can fotliw the2 AMERICAN RIPLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE seven dtepe exactly as they were Histed in Chapter ‘One: Probably the mont farieus of all the alder ations ‘were, not necessarily it: this order, Winchester, Bal- ard, Sharp, and the English Farquhacon. There were dornns of othiers but these ase the tes most fies talked about today, The Winchener single shor rifle was the first invention of John M. Brown ing at the age of 23, and was made by Winchester from 1089 untit 1920, Essentially the aaine rifle is the rine! Brinig ratte ati apate eect This uo an excellent design (as-were all Browning design) andl hax surely stood the tea of tire. ‘The Balfard wi another fine: action of the black: iroinidce peeled, Ie wan-bninvodd i) 1864, had sone linsined Civil War experience, atidl was aianuifae— tured by! meveral companies uniil takes over Uy Jobe Marlin in 1875. A foeier maker nf handginn, Marlin launched tis rifle business with the Ballard and mate the bert of the Ballands antil about 180, when the model was dropped. Althourh the Bal- lard was an exertleat blark-powder action, it coud siot maid! smokelers loads because: iis construction included a split hrecchbleck and tacked the strength the highey-presture’ amokeles leads demanded, ‘There were many models of Stuarps: most come mon are the older ounside-hammer medele char ered for the whopping big, biackepowder car- Tie ten deta of Bartana ning sar acti mae by Weitey Buckands of Lan, When Z gut this wats yeas gy ues epi ud aed Bare eit ut 6 thd ‘i brett bucied, wt eJirmgfon itind. The Fe iris ooas wade ster sips yu muier gf Finglish ee ridges used by tuuifalo huriters: Later, the Siuarpis Borchardt model wax perfected, hammerles. in style and modern for its tine, Unfortursately, the Borchardt never becarne popular andthe Sharps Rifle Company ‘emt out of biilixem, Meanwhile, English iiakers caleHng to their AF cn trade were using the great Farquharann ac- tot, which was miade im several srybes ancl sides Depencling on the maker, Farquharson actions vary a Rite in minor details But peiieentty have avery ximilar: appearance. T have, far exampte, Farquharson bwalht eriginally by Westley Richards which wax made for a takedown 203 British barre the English service cartridge). Somme years ayo, f Uheended the action, fitted Ht with: a barrel ina kat eanttidge made by necking the 20/40 Krag kartridgeease dawn te .25 caliber, It's fine. sitle in ded and the Farquharvon ia a reat wetian. Aneaher, much alder, single shot was the trap- door Springfield. Tht name cnties frivm the Fact that, after the Civil War, the army hid many thenesands of muzaletaaders in storage and Springfield Armory alcered there by milling away a section of the bar- rol's brooch and inmerting 2 breechblock hinged at the front so.that it opened up like a cellar door. ‘This fed tn further improvements, and in 187% the cartridge and the trapdoor actiuts, Tokay, av a Harrington. & Rictardyan ix manufacturing. trapdoor 04/70 rifles much the same ay the originals. Vxuspect many of these are being bought by collectors, bit surely many of them are beiag dhot 100 Quite likely: the mou modern aiid meat popular single-shot rille ix the Ruger No. 1, Bill, Rusger ix both genies and sentimemtaliny. His genius allaws hie to design ituns that ate practical, efficient, rived correctly, atid that well. Elis sentimental beat wally drives his inventivenem toward chats: thte= arms; often from another age: Fur example, he: fore: kaw the demand fur Sngleaation revalvers and be att making modere 8A revolvers before any other company could realize what had happened, Hix boliaction Model 77. departed thant the "Califor: nia sehoot"' that Roy Weatherby established — and others tried to emulate — by having a pure, classic design. Hit single-shot rifle is a blend of all thav’s fond in ame af the king-gone old-timer. However, itivmore Farquiarsan than anything. else — which is gor — yt itt pure Ruger. which is even better.‘Rages Nlunber Ce single het dof shave sly, bt lop ‘Nuger's lar for sep, efectce ea. Shawn a th area i ie forearm danger, nate tha fervor se fartnat tthe Iasger tl eee Ue asa! Berl ec prion i the fe se Pha 6 fe devia lo singleothat elle asiemay Te Ap spring fone 1 Uhr seating, hic) des the ave a aevligg im hr eng) ord te amar spring bx the jvton srrme Single-shert ax type generally called falling block” which means that the breechblock iumually a matsive, ety sare stocl block, inowen stevlght up and-dewn, The aetion ts aperated by a lever which, on the donenetrake, Inisene the car inidge, dips the breechluck, cocks the firing moch- anism, and extracts-amd cjects the fired! cae. One farther simgle.shot action should be mentivned: the old Remington Rolfing Block, Made originally: i 1867, rolling blocks were comtimaed suntil, 1853 by Remington, and at one time wore made is military style for many Esropern countries, including huge anders for Russia. Among the more famous clasts of the rolling,bloek rifle is that three of them were dared by tie stx-tiain U.S, tears that bewt the Wok MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS Creede Champion Tih rifle earn ins 174 oon Long Island. The remaining thre Americans ised Sharpa; while the whole Irish team used muzale~ loading rifles. The event was widely puliivieed at the time and was important in firrtbering the pop- larity of breech shaading ries Rolling-block actions are quite simple. “The Weechblock aperates much like an extra haeuner 0 front of the hammer, Closing the block exposes firing pie ane the hammer. When the hammer comes down to-drive the firing pin forward, it also Jocks the block clmed. C have included it bere! be se rolling-block single-shot rifles am again on the market. Hawevnt, wt feast inv my opimion, the k, 22 well ay the trapdoor Springfield, fare inferior etiony to the pieseat Ruger and Browning models Single shots, of the types we've been discuming. fle. Mercover, they were made in all 2 caliber up to, and including. auch reas were vised by the buifalo busters in. the layed by dhiys of LEVER-ACTION REPEATING RIFLES Mow of the single show just discussed: were, of course, lever actions, ‘The leveraction repeating. rifle quite another matter erstinely Phere are today several basic types of high-power Feveraaction rifles inv mutnufacture, three of ther very oll desigms but stil popular, Chronologically, these are the Marlin 396 (originally Morel 1803), A poset servi af the taper Sprig a mv tay ty Moergann & Mistadien in 450 70 eater. Te arigimal tape urar lemon a the Allg Corry the sor: elating tn he rceron of mezclestadig lr by Beer laces fier the Cand War flcsny sdb ere fy mn sind A at Sipsigeld Avot, Ae campy rile a wri of he nec drt i ih detec, th rd. To oo for flog. TB wt sr tad cin rn abot doer fey remain wu serge throng the Seni. Americ Pick Ue cr do rie he Cp Ao. Lawson the bee Inch he mecha read i nil dhe ddacton Kroger veep x 1802, Sil, ey 65) 20 toe a22 AMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE Winchester 94 {originally Model 1808), and Saxctge 99 originally Medel 1095, improved i 1899). The Winchester and Martin are what we mually call traditional invatyle, while the Savage is of modern design, despi mee. Ad thia writing, inc 1983 the Winchener 4 has mld around nix million, jhe Marlin more than three million and the Savage romething more than one million, No matter how you alier it, that's a lot of riflex Nine million traci. isaal Winchesters and Marlins, most off thers in 30/90 caliber! There are probaly ax many of these twa rifles among shonters and hunters as all other high-pawes.action types combined. ‘A newcomer to the levenaction field ix Brown: lng’s BLE rile, which employs a turming-bolt tock: ing system (i.e. Mauser) and a breechbotr that in moved back and forth by gearing. The Browning also employ’ a Femuvableelip magazine, the Sav- age a racary spool while the Winchester nd Marlin use tubular magaiines. Leveraction rifles are called that because theit operation ix performed ny a finger leves, stich ix noved dewn und up tm accomplish the sever step of operation. Each brand does things slightly differ- ently, but the tiva mam popitlor todels are simitar bok in looks and fimetian. Here's how the Wen chester Model 4 anid Marlin Moitel 188 work: 1. Firing: Pulling the trigger releases the outside warmer, which flies furvard under spring ten (wf the west sean fall toes he Main 86 sha ewe om enbaas rath pois mend orion ot fhe Leer is rid tne wid mack cd art Abe bol, a extsting thea fnrrige fem the src, Ate seme tc, the head sortie nal he cd Ohm ob the fn ic med chy ese erator all reser, The hun ir skis At ew ear ih i ke tanner, th al kena i ea pe sium te: strike the firing pin, vehiel, in tim, courbes the primer to accor plinh inition, 2 Unlocking: Dewenward mevement of the lever pullls a bocking black denen fram ita emgagement with the rear end of the breechhalt. Neither af these actions poses any mechanical advantage in pritaary extraction, consequently they ate not adaptable to any moder, high-intetsity car- tridge heeame they do not ester eriough’ exten tion power. AL Extraction: Gravped by the extractor, at the top af the Winchester and side of the Marlin bolt. the cartridge ix drawn out of the chamber as the bolt is moved back by the lever. 4, Bjeetions Inv the Winchester, the cartridge in ejected to the top as soon. as the empty clears the barrel, since the ejector is render spring, tension. In the Murfin, ejectica tv arccmptished wheo the stationary ejector in the receiver (left) side fs cone acted lay the empty caritidge, spinning about the exteacear Wonk, The emipty is Gast out the ‘ejeetion port ua the right side of the action 4. Cocking: As the bolt moves back. it punber the ‘ammer down inte: eneked position compressing the hammer spring. Feeding: The very ent af the Winchester's for- veaed lever tathon eaises the cartier, wich Lite a cartridge from the magaaine inno feeding pexi- tion. The Marlin accomplishes tbe sume thing as the very first part of the backward stroke af the lever. In both files, 0 mew cartridge ix allowed 10 move out of the magserine under Presure ‘ante the carster (alten called the lifer). Aw the bolt is thrust forwand bby: the lever, the bretton dye of the belt face peabes the new cartridge into the chaiwber. 2. Locking? ‘The final portion. of the lever strake Forces the hocking block back up inta its revesé at the rar of the Isteechbols, This final mervement ‘also pushewacerall pin fate place, which permits the trigger to release the hammer, Thissafery de- ‘vice prevens firing unless the action is fully locked. Both have a further safety (enture with twopiece firing pias. The lock must place the rear part of the fring pin into alignment with the frout of the pin or It cannot be driven into the primer ‘Both rifles ace chose in devin. “The Martin hue a round bolt, which is a superine featare in terms of99 Sosige ict sod tA ear The (Ast no sar rung paige Bhonsle of the ction ert af he lees as om eal mses the at back: onde. The frst Uf thou ales abd oe HAS ar Mee! 1H, the action eos agate altro 6 4899s Kas spiced ntl sn congot trength, and ix side ejection allows lew and cen tered seoping, Same af these points-are somewhat moet stare the lack of primary extraction, while m hecessaty for the low-prewure cartridges wed. pre vents either action from being acd for u hot, mod- cartridge like we 245 a 30. But that mcane line anyway. ‘The actigns ire ton short for these veariridges ‘That both MANUALLY OPERATED BARECH ACTIONS se many yrars, and that téday hey are selling bn linger solume than ever, ix adequate textimony 10 their excellence The Savage 99, even th nigh aval a the Winchester and Marlin designs is ntich more modem Arthur Savage, a strertcar superin- setelett in. Unica, NvY., wheat be: gut the: idea, de sgned well. Perhaper his tig advantage was that be had ne old madels sor habits to jer in hie way. In any event, Ire designed. a sunieque action that was able 10 handle hot cartridges when they’ came aloeng ws far back as 1919-12. Thowe were the 29073000 and 400 Savage. And! in the midhih, wheis nicki as the 308 and 243 came along, the Model 99) Savage was able co handle these hot carteidges. Model 99 in a hamanerles action, The word hammeriess can be misleadis is no exposed — Oe no visible — hav hammceless systems have hammers you can't sex th ig pin, like the: bo of that type using a firing pin tha sand our of sight One af the: Model 99's most distinguishing fea ‘mes: is that it use¥ a apool magazine that hax a number of interesting fearures. As far aa Venn, the thon rite, The Savage 99 is tucked inde she tt Afadel Sane 99 alte); the ae U's ail fey Sat a the rear ef he era Th wae postin sty bat aberption Te ge avo fT Aas ly rmfoson (be) sed Step tga, Note tht per pe tit the ‘riggre fae 9 long. fom! extrinsic 10. the Fete (ahi paras jut beh dr mayeasne) Pal ae he er oe the mar ce, desing he gfortran w other dig aint Home Sone fi mch Die bat sction. Nin tm the ary spout sng the ‘haha, eer fn ar, nage i ‘a thereover: ou easy carer Tai rainAMERICAN RISLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ie Maneiliches- sca in rifle, an old and excellent) well-anade fe from: Austria. The spel carries its ex cyline cartridges in whi dee with che wu wadine, you place a.cartridge i com and pres [Cin place. That expeses unather re- cess, ancl soon until cle spool fs filled, In the: Sav- mbetud, so you can peek in haw t might resemble a new Te baad the seed te the spout is also n a sinall hole in tbe left receiver wall and rea fe Heft In the fungarine Aside hue spool ne dors fine ng the remaining eartridues in the py cartridges magariie. There's nin powihitiiy af their getting battered Eliminating the hamrser, as Artur Savage did, faa both advantages and disadvantages, la conn. parison wit rand Malin designs {ax with their its ade exprsed Savage haar rer by prcivil and rifle. Yuu eati tel the Savage W beeween xe ot a Feet if faite he Ml umole ig, (Fhe ult uw ty the Cit ymple Serf lat spl ani he de ane ncn 1881. Talay aa 3 ah ml git ily chard: The fut of he Tee (8) bck. fing in nei acin 3 fully lor AC Bhat oad he etek, (2), Anand aries life 3 Fesh tim #6 rugged amt aio when i's ened, On the eth ried either cocked and that a cartrinige bn the pits that sticks hand, the Savage: must b loaded and ai safe, or chamber. With the hammer them ont halficock, In whieh position they cannot tbe fired, yet they are easily cocked in a smooth tm sheulder the Some clair that it's dangerous to pat a funded hantmier rifle on half-enck becuse you hive 4a ball mer and fet it down gradually white you ‘us clee the action with. poll th je fri th but Ive te in biih-power 4 of ackded! millions cf .2 employing haramers stitl im cireulat bbe ame of thie wife Savage's 79 doex have pe ise it couldn’ hand the that cartridges Ruta wal side prc fhe Booirmang Cert:tiow hig forte rile sh ids gwar operat. Tike assem features suring: tol hea ul Phe Bl bate! bared i hy thi sacha ore Tih ai Huan! nf: fom th i $8004 operat sourBoe aetlon and one that has delivercet well for many yearn. The only fault | can point-cur ‘iv that the older models had a lenswy sorkety. Levey to opnrate that is. It was effective, just hard tc ure. Buc that's been itipmved in present production With a topetang safety. Browning has heen oa the market for a fairly short period with a high-power hover rifle that con tains few departines and beats same attention, Ta begin, the rifle is made in Japan, ax are 5 many these diye It is a rifle with « visible hammer, fol lowing the tradition af Winchester and Martian; its Joe are 243 and SOG The most din Vinguishing characterintic of the BLL és that it uses Rear arrangement to move the bolt via the lever. ‘Thar bs wally aiiccah Goan athe Winches Marlin, or Savage, all of which work directly againat the bolt with the lever. The object of the ‘gear is to move the beh farther than tht lever does, similar to the lever principle iuell except that gear ing can deliver mone force, If you think the appll- ‘cation of gears (oa lever action ly new, be inforracel thas there war a Bullard (fim Beidgeport, Conn, and not 10 be confused with the Ballard single shor) Fille miade about a hundred yeam ago that em ployed a lover and gear. ‘The principle has also been employed recently with some short-threw lever guins toow off the market ly both Marin weil Mosbeag. ‘The BLW rifle appears to be # tine product, fee action. works nicely, and the bott i of the turn-bole type with seven Japs engaging recewes at about 120° (as against the esoventional bolt action Sith LOO*, or opposite, hugs). A. removable box magazine iv used inthe BLE, hat why this was ever designee te: hang éown chore than a half inch fom he rille's bration line is beyond ene. Nort nity thoes this oceur right at the balance of the gure — that's here you carry it one-handed — making the carry awkward 3 noe tmpowibte, hue it alse Tooks like lel. Browning would be well advised tw reduce the capacity of this smayasine and rhe i Hush with the bottien of the ainck. Aside fram that objection, Hvis isa fine fle ane qyuite interesting. 22, RIMPIRE LEVER ACTIONS A funny thing happened duriag ve history of 2% caliber leveraction repeaters. Winchester made the {heat ony, the Mede! 1873, which was chambered for 22 Short ae 22 Long, but nat interchangeably, be MANUALLY OPERATED BREECH ACTIONS. 25 fore the 22 Long Rifle carmidge was in existence: Hut Winghiewer dropped the 2¢ chamberiag in thls rifle far scine reas ue ancber, Jeliny Marlin jen troduced his Model (W017, chainhered far.22 Short, again in 1897, as the famous Mexte} 97. During the 1940, the 97 was again updated. and redesignaeed Modcl 39. Despite the changes shade aver the years, the basic action is atill the same and Marlin's Moclel 3 rifle is the oldest shoulder-are design sill being manufactured. The strange part of wll vhis in that Matis back nt competition whatwever in lever 22% wuntil the 11508, when Martin itself beoxight out bes easily line. “They dlidde’t stay inthe line t00 long however, but maybe they did sive the idea to others, because pretty soo Browning, Winchester, and Ithaen were in the field, Winchester’ 942? is made in the image of fry famous Medel 4, 30/0, and the Browning BL-22 ie very mich long the same lines a8 je the Tthaca. None of thew guns iv cheap. ‘They all go far youghly Houbbe the prien of a 2 ‘boltsction repeater, bot all ace alsa of much higher quality than reneaf-the-mill bolt 26 ‘Winchester alone offery.a 22 Maxnuns version of this Hever rifle (.22 Wiochester Rimfire, known ag 29 WMR);-it is a longer ancl alighily largeriniamerer cartridge. fv is more powerful and is ho! imerehungeable with regular 22 rim- ‘res, nor cai rifles chambered for regular 228 he vechambered for the WME, Another strange, although wdmitedty not vey important, fact about the leveraction riffe is that Remington tntrodueed 22 lever-astion rille dur ‘ing the 1960s that was aborted almost immediately, “This was the only lever-action riife ever intmndnced ly Reraingion, the country’s oldest guermaker (in busied since 1416} Let's examine the Fianetioning of the grandad if them all, the Marti 39.44) examination of the present Model 39 and the sriginal Model 1894 plainly shows that there have been te vital ‘changes The-company aeill employs ive Forgings in the manufacture af this Viale ville (rw ofthese far ‘The function of this rifle fs much the samme as the Marlin 436 and Winchomter 94, The emeritial differ- ences are in the locking and unlocking steps. In the26 AMERICAN RIFLE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE Maclin, the front end of the operating lover oomce th rest under and again a lug on the forward end fof the brechbolt in such a fashion that the rifle ix locked securely. This calls for clase Acting in many- facture but thie ritle has been around ws bong, arid so many of them have been fired se many fundeedds of thousands of times, that the system ix pruwed Ibeyorie question, Takedown of the 39 ix alo an interesting fea tore. You simply foeer a big. eoin-latted nut on the right-hand side of the receivér and break the at ion inte two units trom side to side. Buttstock and partof the action stay in one unit, the remainder of the sctiéon and barrel are in the wther, That permits ary cleaning, simple removal of the brecehbolt for leaning from the breech end, and ie uherwy the rugs ‘ged sneptichty of tix fine old action. New 98s come ‘apiet a lide hard the First few times, since this is a very close it Asa matter of fact, the Marlin 30 ix ane af the ‘few remaining takedown rifles. ‘There ased to be a Jot of them, the purpese being ta allow you ta break the gun Into twe pisces for easier jrucking atte car rying. During the Latter part of the 1000, there verre a niuttber of takedown leveraction rifles made and at one time there were a few bottsction rifles made in take-dnwn style. Fake-sdowsr were given up inv lever style because the demand forthe feature war more imagined than real, and in boht actions became the cast was high. Tt was one thing a Bigtire out how to take-dewn a twerpicceasack eweraction rifle. Is wae ipaite anorttonr this te ab the same stunt With a bolt. A few Leitich saaker made an occasional takedown bole rifle and a few American custom: gunmakers did ted. Hut no ane evermade very many, ‘Take-downs have the unhappy habit of locecning up in their joint, seith realist fone af avcuiriey. It wate pretty: difficult to design a system that let you screw a high-power rifle barrel im or aut spel 9H] re fait ity tiuhiness Bt onde the wand. got out that ‘sich eilles wouldn't choot very straight after being takers dawn a few thnes, the marker ma funger appreciated the feature. ‘The lever-action seviers cas be properly called: our vldet madern repeating system, older even than the bolt.“That it has retained its popularity: so well over the yours is duc te a number uf factors, First it fast, fant, fant; Vou gar work a bever and fire aleved shes wih it at a aurprisinge rare after ‘you've become morusttined to yor rifles 11's abso tradicional, This may well be anc of the out standing rrasons for its longevity. Maybe that point should be meaninglom, but it'y« fet char guys buy guns because they are a symbol. And there's no gum going that says musculine like the ald “thutty- thusty" that won the West. Speaking of te 10/90, it's still perfectly adequate Far a goed 90 erent of today's ltunting. That statement may he argued but I'll stand by it There are ales some souly just ‘buying rifles forthe Best time who, having hiewrd 20/30 somewhere slang the road, probably on TY, think it's the hottest rifle going. Many are doubtless ought ia tice lls. I bat been claimed that the traditional lever ne tions are wenk, that they can’t stand anything hot- Aer than the tow 90/20 oor ecpaal. Thia is partly erup and partly falee. Winchester's 94 won't stand much more than the 30/%) but Mari: sine ‘it changed ta its round bolt design in 1547. will ‘stand a great veal of pressure. I've been told. it ‘could easily handle the 108 and 24% except for its Jeruth and absence of primary extraction. The Sav. age 99, of coune, ix node in every respect and dors handle these cartridges. It han also been said, that’ lever-action rifles: are not very atcurate because; (1) they locke at the telat of the brecehblock, which allaws the block to “give,” lit other wards to provide a sam of apongry support during Firing; aid (2) became they have a two-piece stock We'll come to the stock dhcuision in Chapter Ten. As mentioned. before, thore it m0 truth to the heepiece stack myth, Insofar as thr spouigy breach mpport is concerned, let me say that the Savane. eee and. Browning systems ince stout and well sopported (actually, Browniay’s BBLR locks ap fet anyway) the Winghester 9 ts more subject to springing, ‘Tochnicalities aaide, I have fired = great many Jever-action fifles in accuracy texts and can report that they are just as securate in. “our af the tex! eondition as bol wetions. The leyer-action high- power rifle, so long as you eau find it chambered for a cartridge you want, is ideally suited for fast action Inthe woods: It's the perfect bush rile where shots aire cloue and where fst repeat shoty may be neces sary. Ane! don’t sell tshort when i¢ comes to ect racy, Such guns as the Savage 0) and Renwninup EUR, chambered for modern, het. concidge, cam ‘run Fight along with any bolt gui