Enter To WWIILLSSOONN CCOOMMBBAATT CCQQBB ..4455 AACCPP WIN AND GALCO HOLSTER $$44..9955 OOUUTTSSIIDDEE UU..SS.. $$77..9955 XJUXLXYX 22001100 PM9 9MM DDEEEEPP CCOOVVEERR MMAAGGNNUUMM NNAAAA ..2222 WWMMRR && LLaasseerrLLyyttee LLaasseerr AAMMEERRIICCAANN TTAACCTTIICCAALL AAtt 9922 1155++11 99MMMM AACCCCUURRAACCYY DDEEFFIINNEEDD 75 YEARS YOUNG NNiigghhtthhaawwkk TTaaccttiiccaall ..330088 WWiinncchheesstteerr .357 S&W Magnum HUNTING STEEL Choose The Perfect Knife TWIN BARREL MYTHS SxS or O/U? I am the DD M4 Carbine. I must defend you. I must always shoot straight. I must always function flawlessly. I must always be ready. You can depend on me. 101 Warfighter Way Black Creek, GA 31308 USA | DanielDefense.com | 866-554-4867 | CAGE Code: 3E3E2 T M A G C S W ! HE OST DVANCED UN ARE YSTEMS IN THE ORLD ® O T TIS ECHNOLOGY TRS!-T M A R HE OST CCURATE AIL S E M YSTEM VER ADE I am the DD M4 Carbine. I must defend you. Inthisageofmodernwarfarewiththead- vancesinlasers,illuminatorsandnightvision,theneedfor theretentionofabsolutepointofaimonrailsystemshasnever I must always shoot straight. beengreater.Otishasdevelopedtheworld'smostaccurateAR- •Machinedonasingleaxesfor100% 15/M4carbinePicatinnyrailsystem.Itachievesthislevelofac- concentricityandalignmentofaimingsurfaces. curacy by a manufacturing system so unique a patent is I must always function flawlessly. pendingonit.TRSTMstandsforTurnedRailSystem.Allofthe •TRSholdsthePicatinnymil-specstandardwhichmeansgreater repeatabilityinyourmountedaccessories. criticalalignmentsurfacesforaimingaremachinedonasingle •TheWorld'smostaccurateraildesign;interchangelasers&illuminatorson rotatingaxissoallfourmountingsurfacesholdtheirrequired all4quadrants. tolerance.Conventionalmillingrequiresadjustmentsforre-fix- I must always be ready. turing,toolwear,andtolerancebuild-up.Otis'sTRSeliminates •FreeFloatingDesign-Convertconventionaltwopointhandguardstofree theseandholdstothemil-spectolerancewhereothersfail. float! Consequently,nomatterwhereanaimingdeviceisaffixed,it •TRSunifieddesignprovidesamorestableplatformthan2piecesystems. You can depend on me. willbeaccuratelyalignedonanyofthefourrailsurfaces.Com- •Concentricrotationallockattachmentreduceschanceitcanvibrateloose pareitwithanysystemyouknowandseeforyourself! orchangezero. •100%Machined,notextrudedonallmountingsurfaces. MADEINTHE •HighqualityT6061aluminum,carriesaLifetimeWarranty! USA •FitsallAR-15carbinemodernsportingrifleswitharemovablefrontsight, includingtheM4. •Largeventilationportsallowforgreaterheatdissipation. •MilspecHardCoatTypeIIIanodized. •Integrateswithvirtuallyeveryrailaffixedattachmentonthemarkettoday! •AcceptsPicatinny/Weavercompatibleaccessories. OtisTechnology 6987LauraSt. LyonsFalls,NY13368 (800)OTIS-GUN WWW.OTISTEC.COM 101 Warfighter Way Black Creek, GA 31308 USA | DanielDefense.com | 866-554-4867 | CAGE Code: 3E3E2 ©PyramontGMC2010 Untitled-1 1 4/15/10 1:29:59 PM JULY 2010 Vol. 56, Number 7, 656th Issue 6 CROSSFIRE 14 Letters to the Editor 8 RIMFIRES MaSSad aYOOb ON THE COVER 14 RANGING SHOTS™ POCKET PISTOL PERFECTION CLINT SMITH Kahr PM9 & 16 MONTANA MUSINGS Crimson Trace MIKE “duKE” VENTuRINO Laserguard. 20 RIFLEMAN STORY: daVE aNdERSON John Taffin 22 HANDLOADING PHOTOS: S Volkmann adds value. JOHN baRSNESS Joseph R. Novelozo N 24 HANDGUNS 8 M HOLT bOdINSON U 26 UP ON ARs GLEN ZEdIKER L 64 VIEWS, NEWS & REVIEWS GUNS Magazine (ISSN O 1044-6257) is published month- RIGHTS WATCH: daVId COdREa ly by Publishers’ Development C Corporation, 12345 World Trade 78 ODD ANGRY SHOT Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. Periodicals Postage Paid at JOHN CONNOR San Diego, CA and at additional 82 CAMPFIRE TALES mailing offices. SUBSCRIP- TIONS: One year (12) issues JOHN TaFFIN $24.95. Single monthly copies, $4.95. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Eight weeks notice required on The .22s of appleseed. all changes. Send old address 28 SURPLUS LOCKER™ as well as new. SUBSCRIPTION HOLT bOdINSON PROBLEMS: For immediate ac- 24 tion write GUNS Magazine, At- 30 OUT OF THE BOX™ tention: Circulation Dept., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA • AT 92 9mm pg 30 92128 or call (858) 605-0250. CONTRIBUTORS submitting • NIGHTHAWK manuscripts, photographs or CUSTOM .308 pg 32 drawings do so at their own risk. Material cannot be returned un- 35 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS less accompanied by sufficient postage. PAYMENT will be made S JEFF JOHN at rates current at time of publi- cation and will cover reproduc- T 71 QUARTERMASTER teidointi oinn asn. yA oDrV aEllR GTUISNISN GM aRgAazTiEnSe N FeATUrING GUNS AllSTArS! deep cover magnums. furnished on request. Reproduc- tion or use of any portion of this E THIS MONTH: 28 mwraigttaezni npee rinm aisnsyi omna insn perro, whiibthitoeudt. M • MIKE CuMPSTON • CLINT SMITH All rights reserved. Title to this publication passes to subscriber T 72 GUNS CLASSIFIEDS only on delivery to his address. The opinions and recommenda- R 72 CUSTOM CORNER tions expressed by individual authors within this magazine are A 74 NEW PRODUCTS not necessarily those of Publish- ers’ Development Corporation. P 76 GUN OF THE MONTH POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GUNS Magazine®, E WIlSON COMBAT 1911 CQB & ATTN: Circulation Dept., 12345 D World Trade Drive, San Diego, CUSTOM GALCO HOLSTER CA 92128. Copyright © 2010 by Publishers’ Development 80 ADVERTISER INDEX Corporation. The “Patchett” 9mm SMG. 44 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • JULY 2010 76 PHOTO: JOSEPH R. NOVELOZO GUNS MaGaziNe GUN OF THe MONTH Wilson Combat .45 aCP 1911 CQb & Custom Galco alligator-Hide Holster. 36 HUNTING STEEL 40 How to choose the perfect knife for the hunt. PAT COVERT 40 POCKET PISTOL PERFECTION Kahr PM9 & Crimson Trace Laserguard. JOHN TAFFIN 48 OLDIES REBORN Clones, Copies & Reproductions. MIKE “DUKE” VENTURINO 52 75 YEARS YOUNG Happy Diamond Jubilee .357 Magnum. JOHN TAFFIN 58 58 TWIN BARREL MYTHS Side-by-side vs. over-under. JOHN BARSNESS NeW ONlINe eXTrAS ONlY AT WWW.GUNSMAGAZINe.COM! FEATURE: USFA SIXGUNS BY MIKE “DUKE” VENTURINO Go to: www.gunsmagazine.com/productindex for complete product info and manufacturer’s links for products featured in FMG magazines! WARNING: Firearms are dangerous and iF used improperly may cause serious injury or death. due to the inherent variables in the reloading oF ammunition, be sure to veriFy any published loads with manuFacturer’s data. products mentioned or advertised may not be legal in all states or jurisdictions. obey all Firearms laws. always consult a proFessional gunsmith when modiFying any Firearm. be a saFe shooter! WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM 5 THE FINEST IN THE FIREARMS FIELD SINCE 1955 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Thomas von Rosen, CEO; CROSSFIRE Thomas Hollander, Randy Moldé, Marjorie Young PUBLISHER Roy Huntington Editor Jeff John Managing Editorial Assistant Stephanie Jarrell LETTERS TO GUNS Editorial Assistant Amberly Dressler Art Director/Staff Photographer GUNS Magazine® welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit all published letters Joseph R. Novelozo for clarity and length. Due to the volume of mail, we are unable to individually answer your letters Art Assistant Jennifer Lewis or e-mail. In sending a letter to GUNS Magazine, you agree to provide Publisher’s Development Advertising Sales Director Anita Carson Corp. such copyright as is required for publishing and redistributing the contents of your letter in Advertising Sales Assistant Dana Hatfield GUNS MAGAZINE MAY 2010 any format. Send your letters to Crossfire, GUNS Magazine, 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, Production Manager Linda Peterson CA 92128; www.gunsmagazine.com; e-mail: [email protected] Web Site Manager Lorinda Massey Promotions Coordinator Elizabeth O’Neill CONTRIBUTING EDITORS No Loonies Here sounds like the very people that would John Taffin, Holt Bodinson, Dave Anderson, take away our 2nd Amendment rights. Clint Smith, Massad Ayoob, I will admit that .300 Win Mag ammo Now, to me, that just doesn’t make Mike “Duke” Venturino is available everywhere, but it seems Mr. sense. FIELD EDITORS Sam Fadala, David Codrea, John Morrison, Barness should do a little more research Keep the magazine just as it is, and I Glen Zediker, John Sheehan, Jacob before he calls a .308 Norma owner a just love the “Odd Angry Shot” by John Gottfredson, Mike Cumpston, John Barsness, loonie as he did in his May column. I Conner and the military coverage. Dave Douglas will take my .308 Norma Mag or my Jim Howe .30-338 and duplicate or exceed the .300 Owego, New York Win Mag with approximately 8 or 9 FMG PUBLICATIONS percent less powder. In fact I can almost duplicate .300 Weatherby ballistics in shootingindustry.com Likes Connor either being only 100 fps slower with Publisher & Editor: Russ Thurman the heavy bullets and use 12 percent less I have been a subscriber to your Advertising: Delano Amaguin, 888.732.6461 powder. Hotrodding either round is not magazine for some time now. I look email: [email protected] necessary because of the efficiency of forward to all the articles and all the americancopmagazine.com the Norma and the .30-338. To duplicate columns each month. However, I Editor: Suzi Huntington their ballistics with a .300 Win Mag you especially look forward to Mr. Conner’s Advertising: Denny Fallon, 800.426.4470 have to hotrod the rifle and even then column. email: [email protected] you end up short. I know he likes to portray himself americanhandgunner.com Winchester was still sitting when as a knuckle-dragging troglodyte on Publisher & Editor: Roy Huntington Norma brought out the .308 Norma occasion. I don’t buy it. So many of his Advertising: Steve Evatt, 800.533.7988 email: [email protected] Mag. The .300 Win Mag is a great articles in the past are so well thought cartridge, but will never be as good as out, erudite and so well written I believe gunsmagazine.com the .308 Norma Mag or the .30-338. I you might have a warrior scholar on Editor: Jeff John Advertising: Andrew Oram, 866.903.1199 personally use 7mm necked up to .30 your hands. “Pause And Remember” in email: [email protected] in my .30-338, so I guess it should be April’s issue is another excellent article Special called a .30-7mm Mag. I don’t have the that causes me to wonder if he is not a Editions fmgpublications.com neck thickness problem associated with direct descendant of Thomas Payne. Mr. Editor: Sammy Reese Advertising: Scott McGregor, 800.553.7780 the necked down .338, but the brass is Payne once wrote America was going email: [email protected] basically identical. Winchester should through a “time to try men’s souls.” ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER: Tracy Moore, have adopted the .30-338 cartridge I believe we are again entering TEL: 888.651.7566, FAX 858.605.0205 instead of the .300 Win Mag. Mr. such times in this country. Thanks to [email protected] Barness, you owe us .308 Norma and Americans like Mr. Conner, we have NATIONAL ADVERTISING: 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128, TEL: 866.972.4545, FAX 858.605.0211, .30-338 owners an apology. a shining light to continue pointing [email protected] Phil Beckwith toward a continuation of our American CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Lori Robbins, TEL: 800.633.8001, FAX 858.605.0247, Riverton, Wyoming Heritage and away from those in our [email protected] midst who would forget our past and FMG EAST COAST SALES: Sig Buchmayr, Buchmayr & Associates, 28 Great Hill Rd., Darien CT 06820, push toward mediocrity lack of self TEL: 203.662.9740, [email protected] dependence, and a total disregard for Codrea Defended personal responsibility. I just have to comment on Mr. I thank God for John Conner and all CUSTOMER SERVICE Houser’s letter in the May issue men and women like him. In my book www.gunsmagazine.com concerning David Codrea’s “Right’s he, and those like him, are true American SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES ............858.605.0252 Watch” column. He suggest the column patriots. God bless America. Express Service ....www.gunsmagazine.com and click “contacts” EDITORIAL.........................858.605.0243 should be written by a constitutional Scott Puckett Email: [email protected] scholar rather than a political activist. I via e-mail PRODUCTION.......................858.605.0216 Email: [email protected] certainly hope he doesn’t mean one like BOOKS/MERCHANDISE...............888.732.2299 Correction our current President, Barack Obama. Email: [email protected] General Counsel/Legal Affairs: Steele N. Gillaspey I’ll just keep reading all different In the Optics column by Jacob Email: [email protected] opinions then decide for myself who Gottfredson in the June issue, the makes the most sense. When Mr. Houser “Minimum Agreed Price” for the Konus states Mr. Codrea “shouldn’t be allowed M30 8.5-32x52mm should be $500. We to write for your fine magazine,” he apologize for any confusion.—Editor PRODUCED IN THE U.S.A. 6 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • JULY 2010 THE COMPACT SR9 c ™ “The SR9c obstinately refused Ruger® SR9c™ Pistol to malfunction.” 9mm Luger Patrick Sweeney, Guns & Ammo LTHE ULTRACLIGHT ANDP COMPACT ™ Ruger® LCP™ Pistol .380 Auto “The LCP seems right on target for today’s personal protection needs.” Dennis Adler, 2008 Handgun Combat Handguns Magazine of the Year THE REVOLUTIONARY LCR Ruger® LCR™ ™ .38 SPL+P “Rewrites the small-frame 2009 Handgun revolver book.” of the Year Roy Huntington, American Handgunner Magazine WWW.RUGER.COM/COMPACTS ©2010 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. VISIT WWW.RUGER.COM/SAFETY FOR LCP™ RECALL INFORMATION 022610 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM 7 THE .22 LONG RIFLES OF APPLESEED Based on military rifle qualification, the entry-level event is dominated by the Ruger 10/22. I had been hearing a lot about the Appleseed Project, which runs weekend courses around the country providing history lectures and rifle marksmanship training, and finally got the chance to take one. This particular shoot was at the Hernando Sportsman’s Club in central Florida. Inclement weather cut attendance to a couple dozen, about half of the usual turnout. The course of fire focuses on a 40- Appleseed lore is the record score shot Army Qualification Test (AQT), on the course, which was set by a done at 25 meters with reduced-size septuagenarian Master competitor in targets intended to duplicate Army NRA Smallbore using an iron sight, bobbers at 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards. bolt-action .22, the simple fact is the Rifles on the line included the AR- semiautomatic gives the shooter more 15, M1 Garand, M1A, Kalashnikov, time to concentrate on trigger squeeze. The rifleman’s Patch is the grail of Appleseed Simonov and even Mosin-Nagant—but, When you have less than a minute to shooters, earned on the Army Qualification Test. by far, the most common choice was the drop from standing into the designated humble .22 Long Rifle. shooting position, load, fire two and inherent accuracy are perfectly sufficient. Appleseed wants to bring its message reload eight (an homage to the honored It is generally encountered though, with a to all of American society, including M1 Garand and its 8-round en bloc tubular magazine much slower to reload kids, new shooters and the physically clip), and do it all in less than a minute, under time constraints than the 10-round challenged. For all those demographics, a “time and motion study” favors the rotary box magazine of the 10/22. This the mild recoil and report of the .22 autoloader. Starting with action open, is why at Appleseeds, the most popular Long Rifle make the experience less and no great rush to eject the last casing, Marlin, is actually the Model 795, due intimidating, and allow the student to the bolt gunner will have to perform to its box magazine. However, the good focus on the fundamental marksmanship some 36 movements of the bolt, where little 795 is still a distant second to the principles emphasized at Appleseed. In the auto shooter requires only two. 10/22 in popularity. a time when ammunition is both hard to Counting the reload, the auto shooter Sights find and more expensive than ever, the needs to remove his finger from the 400-round requirement for an Appleseed trigger only twice, while the bolt action One reason for the 10/22’s weekend is easier and more affordable user will need 10 separate acquisitions dominance is its famous reliability to meet with a brick of .22 LR. of the trigger. reduces distracting, time-devouring The Ruger 10/22 dominates this type malfunctions. Another is the 10/22 lends Why 10/22? of shooting, and not just because it’s so itself to modular reconfiguration: more Though the AQT has its roots in a hugely popular. The Marlin Model 60 accessories are available for it than for time when the bolt-action Springfield actually has been produced in millions any other .22 rifle. This includes various ’03 was still in common use, and more than the 10/22, and its trigger and shorter stocks for smaller shooters and A coach-and-pupil, ball-and-dummy drill at Appleseed. rifle is ruger 10/22. The event took place at the Hernando Sportsman’s Club in Florida last February. 8 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • JULY 2010 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM 9 higher comb stocks particularly useful shooting stock from Brownells and in offhand and prone applications. (Half mounting an inexpensive Tasco 3-9X of an AQT is fired from prone.) The rear scope set at 8X magnification, it gave leaf sight standard on most 10/22s is not me all the performance I could ask for, S optimal. You’re welcome to go optical, and won for me the coveted Appleseed E or replace the irons with the high post Rifleman’s Patch. That said, though, the R I front and drum-like rear aperture from Patch has been won many times over F Tech-Sight. with bone-stock 10/22s. M A Tech-Sight, plus a cheap cotton GI My personal look at the Appleseed I R Holding 10 Mini-Mags in one hole smaller than loop sling, equals an LTR, or Liberty experience can be found in my blog, at a dime at 25 meters (above), Mas was happy Training Rifle, the quasi-official .22 of the entries from 2/1/10 through 2/6/10, with the accuracy of the Clark Custom 10/22 at Appleseed. I shot the event with my at www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/ Appleseed. Mas used this Clark Custom 10/22 Clark Custom 10/22 Squirrel Rifle, with massadayoob. It’s more important, with Douglas barrel, Brownells stock, Tasco a great trigger job by Kay Clark-Miculek though, to get an overview of the scope. Shooting mat by BlACKHAWK! (below) and fitted by her with a 16.25" heavy, organization from the Appleseed Web doubles as rifle carry bag. fluted Douglas barrel. Set in an action site. Pay particular attention to the “what to bring” section. A lawn chair for the lectures, a cooler full of water, a Blackhawk combination gun bag and a shooting mat all proved hugely useful, as did an ample supply of spare magazines. Be sure you’re sighted in precisely at 25 meters before you get there. Some of the targets are tiny. If you get involved in Appleseed, you can find yourself shooting high-power rifles at 500 yards and more, but the two- day intro program is, no pun intended, the core of Appleseed. Bring kids. They attend for free, as do females and serving members of the military. I enjoyed the heck out of it. Frankly, I appreciated the passionate, “human detail focused” lectures on the events of April 19, 1775, TOO MUCH TO SHOW HERE. We can’t begin to show all of our cool knives and tools here, so just log on to our expanded web site to browse and get a free 92-page catalog. www.crkt.com Columbia River Knife & Tool 10 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • JULY 2010 Web 1/6 page Vertical Ad, 2.125 x 4.625” CMYK Version D Revised 4/2/10