Varmint Fall 2020

Shooters have never had it so good in that new handguns, rifles and cartridges seem to pop up on a regular basis these days. Not a year goes by without one, two or more cartridges being heralded as the “next best thing” since the previous “best thing,” even if it provides only a minor ballistic enhancement over its predecessors. This is all well and good, but it wasn’t always so easy. Few early rifles, or handguns for that matter, have come before the development of, or at least the inspiration for, a cartridge design. After all, what good is a gun without something to shoot from it? ...Read More >

The 22 Long Rifle (LR) is an old design of a self-contained cartridge with a bullet the same diameter as its case, a priming mixture in the rim and originally loaded with black powder. But over the decades since this rimfire cartridge was introduced in 1887, it has evolved into a highly developed sporting cartridge that is the foundation of shooting sports. It refines shooting skills in the field, teaches bullet trajectory and wind drift and is deadly on small game, all for pennies a shot. ...Read More >

Until I was into my early 30s, my gun rack held one centerfire rifle. As a kid in the 1960s, I remember that most of my uncles and my family’s hunting friends had just one rifle for big game. It was often pressed into service to shoot running jackrabbits and coyotes in the off-season. Some would cast and handload inexpensive lead bullets and use them to thin ground squirrel and rockchuck populations near their western homes. ...Read More >

John Amos Nosler certainly made an indelible mark on the shooting world. After all, he’s the godfather of premium projectiles as the creator of the Nosler Partition big-game bullet, but his name isn’t highly associated with varmints or predators. That’s sad, because it should be. ...Read More >

The 256 Winchester Magnum was created by necking a 357 Magnum case to .25 caliber and was originally envisioned as a high-velocity, revolver-based varmint round. It was likely conceived in response to the 22 Remington Jet, but like Smith & Wesson’s ill-fated Model 53 revolver housing that cartridge, it soon became apparent chambering high-pressure bottleneck cartridges in revolvers posed serious issues, namely case setback locking the cylinder. ...Read More >

A traditional lever-action cartridge is less than an ideal choice for coyote hunting or any shooting requiring an extended reach, with its relatively low chamber pressure and blunt-nose bullets required for its magazine. But it would be a shame to leave a lever-action home during an outing. Working the action is part of the enjoyment of shooting a rifle. A lever-action rifle amplifies that pleasure with a “click” as the locking lugs disengage and the bolt slides back to cock the hammer, a clack as a cartridge emerges from the magazine and lifts into alignment with the chamber and the slick bolt going forward to chamber the cartridge. ...Read More >

There is an old saying that comes to mind... “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!” The more I say it, the more I feel it relates to me. In all the years I’ve been chasing the elusive woodchuck, .22-caliber rifles have been the mainstay of my hunts. From rimfires to vintage wildcats to modern handloads and commercial entries, I don’t think I missed one. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not feeling like I’ve reached the end of the race, but it’s nice to try something different or to venture into uncharted territory. ...Read More >

A brochure published by the English firm, Birmingham Small Arms Company, in 1909 read in part: “The .310 Martini Miniature Rifle with long fore-end illustrated herein has been supplied in large numbers to the Australian Commonwealth Government for the use by cadets.” The military model being described along with a sporting version with a short forend was being offered for sale in two rimfire chamberings, 22 Short and 22 Long Rifle and three central fires, the 297/230 Morris Short, 297/230 Morris Long and the 310 Extra Long (310 Rook). The brochure went on to rather optimistically describe the .310-caliber rifle as effective out to 500 yards. The 32-20 Winchester chambering was added in 1912. ...Read More >

Not so long ago, it was common to encounter even decided shooters who believed suppressors were illegal. Today, more shooters are investing in suppressors and enjoying hearing-protection-free shooting. First-time buyers soon discover intentional hurdles have been tossed in their paths. Large among these is a $200 “tax stamp” added atop the retail price of an already expensive suppressor. ...Read More >

Buying a used rifle chambered for an extinct wildcat is probably not the wisest investment of money or time. Such cartridges are gone for a reason: perhaps case forming is too involved, throat erosion limits barrel life or simply because some other cartridge of equal performance and general availability has preempted it. So why bother reinventing the wheel? ...Read More >

It could easily be argued that the first “Creedmoor” cartridge distantly predates the current 6mm and 6.5mm versions that have become so wildly popular. The 250 Savage Ackley Improved (AI) might just as well be called the “6.35mm Creedmoor.” ...Read More >