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7 25274 01240 4

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$5.99

Marlins RevivedLeverguns!

July 2014 No. 275

$5.99 U.S./Canada

MOSSBERG4x4 RifleSeries

Editors Choice: Remington 700 CDL Semicustom7mm Magnum

FIELDTESTED:

Colts M-2012Bolt-Action Rifle

Ballistic CoefficientsFuzzy Math?

Display until 8/9/14 Printed in USA

SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnalal

July 2014Volume 46, Number 4

ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 275

4 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 275Background Photo: 2014 Vic Schendel

8 Semicustom Rifles Spotting Scope - Dave Scovill

12 Photo Props Down Range - Mike Venturino

16 Stock Wood Light Gunsmithing - Gil Sengel

20 The .17 HMR Mostly Long Guns - Brian Pearce

22 7.62x39mm Russian Classic Cartridges - John Haviland

Page 8 . . .

26 Mossbergs 4x4 Rifle Series Shooting a New .270 Winchester Stan Trzoniec

32 New Era for Marlin Production is underway in Ilion, New York. Brian Pearce

38 Colt M-2012 Iconic brand taps Cooper for a new bolt-action repeater. John Haviland

44 Ballistic Coefficient Why Those Magic Numbers Dont Always Add Up John Barsness

50 Steyrs Foundation Stone Austrias Werndl was short-lived but influential. Terry Wieland

Page 32 . . .

Page 38 . . .

Background Photo: 2014 Vic Schendel Rifle 275www.riflemagazine.com6

Issue No. 275 July 2014

SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnalal

Publisher/President Don PolacekPublishing Consultant Mark Harris

Editor in Chief Dave ScovillAssociate Editor Lee J. Hoots

Managing Editor Roberta ScovillSenior Art Director Gerald HudsonProduction Director Becky Pinkley

Contributing Editors

AdvertisingAdvertising Director - Tammy Rossi

[email protected]

Advertising Representative - Tom [email protected]

Advertising Representative - James [email protected]

Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810

CirculationCirculation Manager Kendra Newell

[email protected]

Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810www.riflemagazine.com

Rifle (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly withone annual special edition by Polacek Publishing Corpo-ration, dba Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek,President), 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona86301. (Also publisher of Handloader magazine.) Tele-phone (928) 445-7810. Periodical Postage paid atPrescott, Arizona, and additional mailing offices. Sub-scription prices: U.S. possessions single issue, $5.99; 6issues, $19.97; 12 issues, $36. Foreign and Canada singleissue, $5.99; 6 issues $26; 12 issues, $48. Please allow 8-10 weeks for first issue. Advertising rates furnished onrequest. All rights reserved.

Change of address: Please give six weeks notice. Send both the old and new address, plus mailing label ifpossible, to Circulation Department, Rifle Magazine,2180 Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle, 2180Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.

Canadian returns: PM #40612608. Pitney Bowes, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

Wolfe Publishing Co.2180 Gulfstream, Ste. APrescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124 Polacek Publishing Corporation

John Haviland Ron Spomer Brian Pearce Stan TrzoniecClair Rees Mike VenturinoGil Sengel Ken Waters

Terry Wieland

Publisher of Rifle is not responsible for mishaps ofany nature that might occur from use of publishedloading data or from recommendations by any memberof The Staff. No part of this publication may be repro-duced without written permission from the publisher.All authors are contracted under work for hire. Pub-lisher retains all copyrights upon payment for all man-uscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, thepublisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or mu-tilated manuscripts.

On the cover . . .Mossbergs 4x4 rifle is a blend of high-tech looksand traditional craftsmanship and can be hadwith or without a scope. Photo by Stan Trzoniec.Remington inset photo by Chris Downs.

66 Whats New in the Marketplace Inside Product News - Clair Rees

78 Arming Thine Enemy Walnut Hill - Terry Wieland

Page 78 . . .

58 The 03 in World War II Putting Some of the Puzzling Pieces Together Mike Venturino

Page 50 . . .

While the .280 Remington is prob-ably not the ideal choice for nil-gai about the size of a cow elkbut a bit tougher it was more

SPOTTING SCOPE by Dave Scovill

SEMICUSTOM RIFLES

The Bell & Carlson stock includes an aluminum bedding block for the Model 700action. Bedding extends from the rear receiver screw to about 5 inches past therecoil lug.

less Model 700 Mountain Riflewith a synthetic (plastic?) stockfor the .280 Remington. The bill offare for the hunt on the KennedyRanch in Texas included feralhogs, ja velina, nilgai and whitetail.

than adequate for the rest. All inall, the Mountain Rifle was wellbalanced with a good trigger pull,and the not-so-ugly synthetic stockmade the whole package userfriendly, although the forend wasa bit bouncy when shooting froma benchrest.

The Remington Model 700 barreled action is chambered for the

7mm Remington Magnum. Features include a 26-inch Remington barrel, Timney trigger, Swarovski

3-9x scope and Bell & Carlson synthetic stock.

Rifle 2758 www.riflemagazine.com

I m not exactly sure what thedefinition of a custom rifle is,but in general terms, it means arifle that, for whatever reason, isnot a standard item from themanufacturer. Thatis, we cantbuy it offthe shelf.This brings us to aRemington Model 700CDL that was purchased fromRemington about 312 years ago.The motive for choosing a CDLstarted 21 years ago on a safari inZimbabwe, where the Model 700APR (African Plains Rifle) was un-veiled.

The most striking feature aboutthe APR was the laminated woodstock with cut checkering that, ow -ing the amount of glue requiredfor most laminated stocks, was abit heavy but extremely well donein typical Remington tradition.Overall, with the matte black metalfinish and reasonably generousbuttpad, the APR was, in my opin-ion, quite close to being one of thefinest sporting rifles Remingtonever made.

The APR rifles on thathunt were chambered forthe 7mm Remington Mag-num and .300 and .338Winchester Magnums. Iopted to use the 7mm and.300 for plains game, in-cluding kudu. There wasalso a Model 700 6.5x55on hand, which was a de-light to work with. Cur-rently, the APR is a customshop item, and the 6.5x55is long gone from the com-mercial Model 700 lineup.

Jumping forward sev-eral years from the Zim-babwe hunt, Remingtonwas chambering the stain-

Nowadays, the Remington 2014catalog lists a bewildering collec-tion of Model 700s for the usualcalibers, but nearly four years

ago, the CDL had a woodstock, and the MountainRifle featured a stainlessbarreled action bed ded ina synthetic handle. Oddlyenough, the 7mm Rem -ington Magnum and .300Winchester Magnum areapparently the only beltedcartridges available witha 26-inch barrel, which ifI remember correctly, wasthe barrel length on the7mm and .300 APRs weused in Zimbabwe, andthe .338 Winchester Mag-num is still relegated to24-inch barrels.

The next chapter in thisstory is a Winchester Model70 stainless/synthetic 7mm

Handloads for the 7mm RemingtonMagnum include Berger 168-grainVLD Hunting bullets seated over62.5 grains of Reloder 22 in Winchester brass.


Remington Magnum that was out-fitted with a BOSS (Ballistic Opti-mizing Shooting System), andwhile the rifle was a pleasure tohunt with, it was the devils ownwork to find the most accurate set-ting on the BOSS. It drove me nuts,to say nothing of wasting ammuni-tion while working through themyriad of possi ble settings. Even-tually, after a few snits, the riflewas tuned to produce excellentaccuracy, but I couldnt conceiveof the average owner going throughall the frustrating hoops with thatBOSS.

While working with the Model70, the barreled action was re-moved from the synthetic stock tofind an aluminum bedding block which later proved to be made byBell & Carlson. So while the BOSSwas difficult to deal with, both interms of time and ammunition, itwas reasonable to believe the ex-ceptional accuracy was also due,in part at least, to the B&C stock.I vowed to have nothing else to dowith the BOSS, but the B&C stockcertainly figured in future plansfor a custom rifle.

All the above explains how theRemington CDL 7mm RemingtonMagnum with a 26-inch barrelended up in our safe, and remem-bering the bouncy stock on theModel 700 Mountain Rifle, a B&Csynthetic stock with a PachmayrDecelerator buttpad from Brown -ells was added to the inventorywhen, as luck would have it, I waspreoccupied with another project.

When my friend Dave May hap-pened to show up in Prescott, andknowing he was a fan of Model700 rifles, I asked if he might liketo play around with the CDL.Whether or not he wanted to foolwith the B&C stock was his choice,depending on how the rifle per-formed out of the box. To sweetenthe deal, I threw in a supply of bullets for his .300 Weatherby Mag-num. Back in the day, Dave was(and still is) a skilled long-rangeshooter, courtesy of the U.S. NavySeals, and some of the motivationfor dumping the CDL on him wasin knowing he would not rest until

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July-August 2014 11www.riflemagazine.com

a variation in case weight, for ex-ample, had a measurable effect onaccuracy at 600 yards. In time, de-burring flash holes on the insideappeared to be the only step thathad a noticeable effect on accu-racy, adding that it is not unusualto find burrs that are quite irregu-lar on whatever brands of brass.

Shooting competitively as a civil-ian, Dave used Sierra MatchKingsand found bullets sold in bulk weremore consistent than those sold in 100-count boxes. He also notedthat an overall loaded length of3.30 inches prevented seating the168-grain Bergers near the lands,but considering how well theyshot, he didnt think that fussingwith the seating depth would beworth the expense associatedwith shooting more bullets, pow-der and primers on what may be afruitless mission to get three shotsinto the .2s or .3s, when the riflemight do that with an after-marketTimney trigger that was recentlyinstalled anyway.

and 62.5 grains of Reloder 22 inWinchester brass capped with Fed-eral 215 primers printed threeBerger 168-grain VLD Hunting bul-lets in .4 inch at 100 yards.

According to the 2014 catalog,the Remington Custom Shop canbuild a Model 700 with a B&C stockin whatever caliber that might beof interest. Currently, the Model700 trigger is adjustable, which mayhelp accuracy. For folks who maynot feel qualified to fit a stock to a barreled action, the Model 700was a drop-in snug fit for the B&Cstock.

When Dave handed over 50 roundsof the loads mentioned above, Iasked if he went through any spe-cial preparation: weighing casesand bullets, trimming or whatever.He acknowledged that he wentthrough all the usual match-prepminutia while serving with theSeals, but over the years, some ofthe steps were eliminated, one ata time, in an effort to determine if

he made it shoot as well as pos -sible.

Since Dave has a business nearthe Arizona/New Mexico borderand is also a big game guide,mostly for bighorn sheep, bearsand Sonoran Coues deer, and mytime was also tied up in littleknots, the rifle remained in east-ern Arizona for the better part oftwo and a half years, until Davehad the opportunity to drive toPrescott to score a Shiras moosefor Boone & Crockett and broughtthe Model 700 with him.

As it turned out, when Dave re-turned home and saw the beddingblock in the B&C stock, the CDLwalnut was set aside, and the scopeI provided was replaced with a12x. The rifles trigger proved tobe a bit stiff but suitable for ahunting rifle.

After firing 175 rounds or so ofvarious handloads, the barrel waseffectively broken in, the non-ad-justable trigger loosened up a bit, R


All too often when handinga rifle or handgun over toYvonne for photography to appearwith my articles, she says, Whatgoes with it? If I say, Thats allthere is, her face puckers like shesucked a lemon and she comesback with, You know I dont liketo photograph a gun alone. Theylook so much better with someprops to go with them.

I never argue the point. It wouldbe stupid to argue with someonewho has taken over an obnoxiouschore, and then does it very well.Besides, it gives me license to buysome neat stuff for her. Neatstuff can be defined as accouter-ments and accessories that per-tain to those firearms or theirhistorical era.

In the beginning, what I lookedfor, mostly on the Internet, wereoriginal items. Since my primaryfocus beginning about the turn ofthe century has been on building a shooting collection of World WarII military firearms, such origi -nal items would include helmets,bayonets, cartridge belts, holsters,rifle slings, etc. The problem withthat path is so many original itemsare in sad disrepair, especiallyleather items. Therefore, they are

less than photogenic.Even more, they canbe amazingly expen-sive. For instance, Ipaid $200 for an orig-inal German M1942helmet that appearsto have sat outdoorsduring a winter. Ithas none of the col-orful markings theGermans liked toput on helmets, andoverall it looks dingy.Move up to a goodcondition vintage Fallschirmjager(paratrooper) helmet, and the pricegets into the thousands. Remem-ber, Im not buying this stuff forcollecting purposes but solely forphoto props.

Luckily, Ive discovered a smallbut significant cottage industry

marketing high-quality reproduc-tion accouterments and acces-sories for virtually every firearmof the World War II period. Not onlyare the prices very reasonable, butalso these new items sure dress upa photo spread better than crackedleather and rusted or corrodedoriginal items.

Michigan-based World War Supply(www.worldwarsupply.com) hasbecome my main resource. Its ba -sic German M1942 helmet costsabout $53. Gussy it up with selectedcamouflage patterns from the bat-tle fronts of Stalingrad or Normandy,and the price still only climbs toabout $140. Its Fallschirmjagerhelmets are priced accordingly. Ihave one with the Normandy cam-ouflage complete with chicken-wirecover for sticking in vegetation.

Original German helmets abound,even if high priced. Authentic Jap -

DOWN RANGE by Mike Venturino

PHOTO PROPS

Which makes a betterphotograph: the 1903(left) all alone on a rock or the K98k(below) shown withmany of the acces-sories a German soldier would havecarried? All but thesniper scopes leathercase are modern reproductions.


anese helmets are nearly impossi-ble to find, because they wereused on such distant battle sitesand in horrid climatic conditions.Besides, there never seemed to bean American fascination with othernations helmets as there has beenwith German ones. So I acquired acouple of Japanese reproductionsfrom World War Supply, includinga standard Japanese ImperialArmy helmet and another with theanchor emblem of the ImperialJapanese Navys Special LandingForces.

World War Supply also has agreat many leather accoutermentsof good quality and modest prices.Holsters for Luger, Nambu andModel 1911 pistols are listed on itswebsite, along with revolver hol-sters for Model 1917s and canvasdesigns for British revolvers. Thereare slings, sight covers, scope cov-ers and more. An accessory thatmany German K98k rifles lack is acleaning rod. Ive gotten them in10- and 12-inch lengths from WorldWar Supply.

Reproduction accouterments andaccessories, however, need notcome from established businesses.Last year a friend loaned me hisfamilys heirloom World War I vin-tage Artillery P08 Luger. These8-inch barreled pistols were is-sued to German sturmtruppen(storm troops) and came with aleather holster onto the back ofwhich was strapped a detachablewood shoulder stock. At first theywere issued with several standardnine-round, 9mm magazines, butlater they came with a 32-roundsnail drum magazine. By all ac-

counts, they were very effective intrench fighting. After shooting myfriends, I was smitten.

So, being snow-bound much oflast winter, I decided that if Icouldnt be shooting, I would spendmoney instead. First came a 1917-vintage Artillery Luger from an In-ternet firearms auction site. Afterpricing the cost of original hol-sters, shoulder stocks and snaildrum magazines, I despaired ofever having such accessories formy new P08. The collective cost ofthose items would have totaledabout twice what was paid for thepistol. As I searched, though, it be-came evident that those itemswere available in reproductionform. I bought a quality replica ofthe leather holster for a mere $65.From a small Texas gun store, Igot a replica shoulder stock com-plete with metal fixtures for $155.It attaches to the 9mm perfectly.Numrich Arms lists a reproduc-tion snail drum magazine for abit over $400. I havent orderedone yet but will eventually.

At a local gun show, I found anoriginal German M1916 helmetwithout its liner. Impetuously, Ibought it. I should have waited. Itshould have been no surprise thatWorld War Supply has reproduc-tion liners, or that I could havesaved $100 by buying one of itsM1916 reproductions.

Yvonne says the photo setupsshe can do with all that stuff willlook great, but for some reasonshe refuses to watch TV with mein the evening if I insist on wear-ing one of those helmets.

Which makes abetter photograph:

the dull brownoriginal holster for

Model 1917 .45revolvers (left)

or the new reproduction

from World WarSupply (right)?

R


There is much to separate old western civilization fromtodays new western descendant.The dividing line is generally con-sidered as the late eighteenth cen-tury, when introduction of power-driven machinery, first in Englandthen in the U.S., created what wehave come to know as the indus-trial revolution.Where old westernman had crafted beautiful objectsfor everyday use, machines madeplain items that were all the same.Style and beauty were sacrificedfor efficiency.

By the mid-twentieth century,old western civilization was but amemory, and so was its citizens.Those who had made beautiful ob-jects were gone. Nowhere is thismore obvious than in architecture.To day we nail sticks together, tackon Styrofoam, wrap with chickenwire, spray on stucco and call itdone. Windows have become merelyglass-filled holes in walls. Goodheavens! There is more beauty inthe footings of ancient cathedrals

than most anything built aboveground today and few seem tonotice.

The point is the new western civ-ilization has lost not only the appreciation of beautiful things,but also the ability to even recog-nize them. The modern concept of beauty and desirability rests

totally upon num-bers printed on aprice tag.

Perhaps all is notlost, however, aspeople interestedin firearms seemto be far more sen-sitive to ugly than

the rest of the population. Manu-facturers produce ugly bolt guns,semiauto shotguns and especiallyinline muzzleloaders, then only sella few and wonder why.

The same applies to custom guns.There is a lot of godawful worksold under the title of custom.Good work, however, always at-

LIGHT GUNSMITHING by Gil Sengel

STOCK WOOD

Raw African Padaukis orange with darkerstripes, but it darkenswith age. A bit heav-ier than walnut, it finishes and checkersbeautifully.

Below, the Winchester Model 60 stock (top) is birch from an old tabletop found at a yard sale. The Ruger 10/22 factory birch stock (below) isstained dark and is plain with no grain. Right, Claro walnut can show

straight grain, as seen on the Ruger above, or darkly striped with fiddle-back as in the blank below. In high-dollar blanks, anything is possible!


tracts gun people. At gun showsfolks notice the style, then quicklylook over details like flawless metalwork or engraving, then go directlyto the wood. Natures handiworkis also admired.

Given gun folks natural affinityfor wood, it should come as nosurprise that many search out cus-tom rifles having unusually fig-ured stocks. Others do the samefor stock blanks to be used in re-stocking or gun building projects.Its part of the fun. This does notautomatically mean finding $500wood for custom rifles that will costwell up in four figures. It appliesjust as well to $40 wood for a Ruger10/22 or Remington Model 700.

Unfortunately, many people thinkonly American or English walnutare acceptable for stock wood.Such is just not the case. Thereare many readily available woodsthat add interest and beauty to rifles at very reasonable cost. Thereis even a real sleeper stock wood

available in the U.S.that, with careful se-lection, can produceoutstanding stocks.

English Walnut The botanical name isJuglans regia. Every-one interested in riflesknows the wood bythis or one of its dozenother common names.Only the best wood isimported, but the treealso grows in Califor-nia, where its ediblenuts are used in thecandy industry.

The fancy grades of either im-ported or California wood are tooexpensive for any but the bestguns. Blanks of lower grade (veryfaint or no striping) having pro-nounced growth rings make at-tractive stocks. If color is too light,the wood is easily stained a bit.Cost is about twice that of Ameri-can walnut, but strength and hard-

ness superiority more than com-pensate.

American Walnut This is every-bodys favorite in the U.S., but gun-stock grade wood is getting harderto find. Fortunately, its sold just

Purpleheart (top) adds weight to anH&R .45-70. A myrtlewood blank(bottom) was given to Gil by a non-shooting family member.


American walnut can run fromstraight grain quarter-sawed (top)to feather figure (bottom).

English walnut can run from nearly straight grain, as on this.450 Ackley Magnum (top), to swirling black stripes, as onthe Winchester Model 21 (bottom).

Bastogne walnut (top) is usually dark and can look like Eng-lish or Claro walnut, but it is often heavier. The Americanwalnut stock (bottom) has the seldom-seen, irregular fiddle-back graining.

Both the top-grade Es 350 single-shot target rifle (top) andthe low-grade Es 340B rifle (below) have European walnutstocks from Mauser Werke.

These blanks are good-grade, American black cherry. Therifle blank (top) is darker and redder than the two-piece(bottom). This is usually desired. Completed stocks alsodarken with age.

Other possibilities include (clockwise from top): figuredbirch, osage-orange, scrap from a Turkish walnut blank andfiddleback mahogany.


under two inches thick in 8-footlong boards of varying widths byhobby woodworking shops allacross the country. Most placeswill cut enough for a rifle stock offa board for $1.00 or so over thecost of the wood. Light figure, es-pecially fiddleback, is rather com-mon if you look at enough boards.All the medium-grade American Ihave used in the past 20 years hasbeen found this way.

One big question now arises: Isany such wood dry? The answeris: No! Commercial stock blanksusually arent dry either. Paint the ends of the board to preventcracking, weigh it on a kitchenscale to the nearest half-ounce,write the weight and date on theblank and lay it flat in the back ofa closet. Weigh it again every threemonths. When weight remains un-changed for two cycles, the blankis dry.

Hard Maple I hate hard maple!My first two stocks were dislikedby their owners because the woodwas too light colored and theyhad provided the blanks! It takesstain poorly or not at all. Maple belongs on flintlock rifles andfowlers.

Black Cherry A real sleepergunstock wood, its sold as lum-ber (like walnut) in most woodshops. Characteristics are basi-cally the same as American wal-nut, but pores are microscopicand require no filling. Cherry isgenerally a cream color with redtint. Select pieces, however, runmuch darker with very pronouncedgrowth rings. Ten-foot boards canbe found that are quarter-sawedon one end and slab-sawed on theother. Every stick I have ever usedcheckered cleanly too. The wooddarkens with age and just keepslooking better. I regret having noold stocks for photos. The rifleblank shown is for my rimfire sil-houette rifle. I will keep this oneand may even be able to shoot it if the preppers and others quithoarding .22s.

Claro and Bastogne Two Cal-ifornia walnuts, both of which

have been used for gunstocks foryears. Both are becoming harderto find, more expensive, and I havenever seen plain grades of thewoods for sale.

Yellow Birch Available in mostwood shops, birch is harder andstronger than black walnut. It isalso a dirty white to dark yellowcolor when finished without stain.Only rarely does the wood havefigure, usually fiddleback. The Win-chester Model 60 shown in thephotos has its stock made fromthe top of a broken table my dadbought at a yard sale for $1.00. Ittook 22 lpi checkering perfectlybut was yellow before staining.Birch can make an excellent stockif carefully selected.

Mahogany There are dozensof woods sold as mahogany thatreally arent. All are just dark toreddish brown in color. Any thatare hard enough and have propergrain flow can be gunstocks afterthe wood is dry.

Exotics These are all woodhobby shop offerings in boards ofrandom widths and lengths. My favorite is African Padauk. Rawwood is almost light orange, butwhen finished it gradually darkensto a pleasing, deep red-orange. Itcheckers and finishes easily. Thereare dozens of other woods as well.

With millions of .22 rimfires andbreak-open single-shot rifles andshotguns available with broken or oil-soaked stocks, as well aslimitless revolvers that need newstocks to better fit their owners,there is no end of projects for the shooter interested in wood-work. Some have the skills to makestocks from blanks. Others cantake advantage of stock duplicatorservices offered on the Internetfor those who supply their ownwood.

Searching for the right wood fora project is great fun, but there is more. In the next column I willdiscuss the rest of the story, mini-mum wood hardness and grainflow then show what happens ifthese arent correct. R


In 2001 I was invited to fieldtest a new rimfire cartridgeknown as the .17 Hornady MagnumRimfire (.17 HMR), today affec-tionately known as the .17 Hum-mer. Prototype Marlin and Rugerrifles, along with 3,000 rounds of

rels as far out as 200 yards were inreal trouble. The cartridge was es-pecially fun to shoot, as guns pro-duced a mild report, very slightrecoil and accuracy was outstand-ing. Demand for such a round con-tinues to grow steadily.

preproduction ammunition, wereput to work on California groundsquirrels and other pests. Condi-tions ranged from calm to breezy.During calm periods, ground squir-

The .17 HMR originally dated backto the early 1990s and was basedon the .22 WMR case necked downto accept .172-inch bullets, but withpowders available at that time

portant for its success for severalreasons, mostly that it could behoused in any action (including re-volvers) suitable for the .22 WMRcartridge. Using a 100-yard zero,the bullet drops around 8.5 inchesat 200 yards, and a 10-mph cross-wind will drift the bullet around3.3 inches at 100 yards both verysimilar numbers as the .22 Hornet.

Most major rifle manufacturersnow offer guns, while various loadsranging from 15.5 to 20.0 grains are available from CCI, Federal,Remington and Winchester. CCIand Hornady also offer lead-freeammunition for those who live orshoot in affected zones. CCI alsooffers a 20-grain FMJ load that has gained acceptance among furhunters and trappers who desireminimal pelt damage.

One of the above sample Marlinprototype rifles, which was fittedwith a Bill Wiseman custom bar-rel, was eventually obtained. Ad-ditional testing at home provedthe rifle was capable of .5- to .75-

it could not produce enough ve-locity. When Hodgdon introducedLilGun powder, the .17 HMRs out-look changed significantly, as Hor-nadys Dave Emary discovered itcould reach 2,550 fps without ex-ceeding 26,000 psi. This was im-

MOSTLY LONG GUNS by Brian Pearce

THE .17 HMR

Left, a recently manufacturedMarlin Model XT-17 with aWeaver 3-9x scope was usedto evaluate .17 HMR loads. AHoppes BoreSnake is a favoritemethod to quickly clean borefouling in the field. Right, Hornady developed the .17HMR cartridge. Other manu-facturers offer factory loadswith a variety of bullet styles.

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inch, five-shot groups at 100 yardsor around 1.25-inch groups at 200yards. That rifle was ultimately re-turned, but in the years since, Ihave used additional productionrifles from Marlin, Ruger, Savage,Browning, Henry and others thathave generally shot well.

Recently my son purchased anew Marlin Model XT-17, the com-panys latest upgraded bolt-actionrimfire rifle with adjustable Pro-Fire trigger that broke cleanly outof the box at 2.75 pounds. It alsofeatures improved function andsmoother cycling, a black syntheticstock, standard weight 22-inch bar-rel (.625 inch at the muzzle) and isfitted with iron sights.

After zeroing it with factory sights,a Weaver 3-9x40 Kaspa Huntingseries scope with a Ballistic-X reticle was mounted. No barrelbreak-in was performed. Nonethe-less, several four-shot, 100-yardgroups were fired that hoveredaround .5 to .75 inch using CCI 17-grain Polymer Tip V-MAX am -munition. Next he took a shortwalk and dispatched about a dozenpests, including muskrats, rock -chucks, etc. He soon drove backto the gun store to purchase $100worth of ammunition.

I was somewhat amazed; he paidthe local dealer $229 for the Mar-lin, $60 for the Weaver scope,found the Weaver rings and basesin my parts room and paid lessthan $11 for 50 rounds of ammuni-tion. For around $300, he had arimfire rifle that was shooting sub-MOA right out of the box andcould dispatch pests at 200 yards.That is a lot of fun for $300.

Thumbing through shooting andchronograph notes revealed thevelocity of the original 2001 loads,as well as their recorded groupsizes. The accuracy difference be-tween the custom barreled rifleand the new production XT-17 washardly measurable in fact, theywere effectively identical.

Next, sample ammunition fromCCI, Federal, Remington and Win-chester was purchased, as well ascurrent loads from Hornady. As

can be seen in the accompanyingtable, all available loads obtainedwere checked for accuracy andvelocity, with other loads listed forcomparison purposes. Practicallyevery load more or less duplicatedor exceeded advertised velocities.While extreme spreads occasion-ally jumped to over 100 fps, theyusually hovered around 20 to 50fps, which certainly aided in pro-ducing tight groups.

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Telephone: 360-303-9077www.spec-tech-industries.com(Continued on page 74)


American pride is responsi-ble for new cartridges thathope to capitalize on the militaryssupposed dissatisfaction with its5.56 NATO small arms cartridge.The recent 6.8 Remington SPCand .300 AAC Blackout cartridgesare an effort to increase bul letweight and lethality over the 5.56NATO yet still fit in AR-type riflesand carbines. For 70 years, how-ever, there has already been a battle-proven cartridge that doesjust that. The cartridge is the7.62x39mm, but its Russian originis held in disdain, hence the questfor a cartridge of American origi-nation.

Over the decades the 7.62x39 be-

came the most popular militarycartridge on the planet. The Rus-sians used the cartridge towardthe end of World War II in theirSKS carbines. During the ColdWar that followed, the Soviets ex-panded their political and militaryinfluence across the globe, alongwith their SKSs and later AK-47sby the millions. An estimated 15million SKSs were manufacturedby the Soviets, Eastern Bloc na-tions and China. Perhaps as manyas 100 million AK-47s have beenproduced, if illicit manufacturingcould be calculated. The AK-47 issynonymous with Soviet imperial-ism, third-world revolts and, amongothers, the terrorist Hezbollah.American whole-hearted approvalis unlikely for a cartridge with tiesto such a vile organization.

But are Americans gaining any-thing by ignoring the 7.62x39 infavor of cartridges like the 6.8 SPC and .300 Blackout? All threecartridges fit in a standard AR, thecurrent rifle of choice for Ameri-

cans. All three cartridges also shootsignificantly heavier bullets thanthe 5.56/.223. The common rangeof bullets is 100 to 150 grains fromthe 7.62. The 6.8 Remington SPCis limited to bullet weights of 120

CLASSIC CARTRIDGES by John Haviland

7.62X39MM RUSSIAN

The 7.62x39mm Russian is loaded bymajor American ammunition companies,usually with a 123- or 125-grain bullet.This Federal cartridge is loaded with a123-grain bullet.

Some shooters think the .223/5.56 NATOcartridge (left) lacks bullet energy as abattle cartridge. The 7.62x39mm Russian(right) carries additional bullet weight and will fit in an AR action.

7.62x39mm Russian Factory Loads yards

load muzzle 100 200 300(grains)

123 Federal Power-Shok SP:

velocity (fps): 2,350 2,055 1,783 1,539energy (ft-lbs): 1,508 1,153 868 646trajectory (inches): 0 -6.7 -24.6

123 Hornady SST steel case:


123 Winchester USA FMJ:


125 Remington Pointed Soft Point:


Table I


grains for cartridges to remain ator under the maximum cartridgelength of 2.250 inches and cyclethrough an AR, while the .300 Black -out meets that cartridge lengthloaded with the entire range of .30-caliber bullet weights.

Data in the Hornady Handbookof Cartridge Reloading 9th Edi-tion can be used to compare the6.8 SPC and the 7.62x39mm Russ-ian. The 6.8 fires Hornady 120-grain SSTs at 2,400 fps, the samevelocity the 7.62x39 shoots 123-grain SST bullets. Both cartridgesburn 25 to 29 grains of powder toachieve that velocity. At 100 yards,the two bullets are tied for energy,while way out at 300 yards, the 6.8 bullet carries about 100 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) more energy. Withboth bullets hitting on at 100 yards,the 6.8 bullet drops .5 inch less at200 yards. At 300 yards both bul-lets are in steep decline, with the6.8 dropping 21 inches and the7.62 falling 24 inches. If some rel-evant difference exists betweenthe two cartridges, it is pure spec-ulation.

The .300 Blackout is a bit lesspowerful than the 7.62 Russian.The Blackouts claim to fame is itshoots heavy 180- to 200-grain bul-lets while keeping cartridge lengthsto fit in ARs. Well, so does the Russ-ian cartridge.

The 7.62x39mm has been la beledan inaccurate cartridge by some.The finger should instead bepointed at some surplus ammuni-tion and autoloading guns, not thecartridge itself. My CZ 527 Carbinebolt-action 7.62x39 Russian has agroove-to-groove diameter of .311inch. The first loads shot in the lit-tle rifle were two brands of Russ-ian-manufactured cartridges withsteel cases and full-metal-jacketand hollowpoint bullets. Three-shotgroups averaged about 2.0 inchesat 100 yards. I finally got my handson Federal Power-Shok loads with123-grain softpoint bullets, andthey shot under an inch at 100yards and right at 2.0 inches at 200yards. Using the Federal cases withhandloads, the rifle commonly shot

three-shot groups inside an inch,and once in awhile .5 inch, at 100yards with .308-, .310- and .311-inch bullets. Thats more than ad-equate accuracy and negates thebelief a bullet-to-groove differenceof .003 inch severely degrades ac-curacy for this cartridge. As anaside, Federal marks its cartridgeboxes 7.62x39 Soviet.

The Soviet cartridge has becomefairly popular in America because

Custom, odd, obsolete and specialtycartridge cases

Wildcat cartridge development Manufacturing OVER 450 calibers

Correct headstamped wildcat brass

www.qual-cart.comP.O. Box 445, Hollywood, MD 20636 (301) 373-3719

This group was shotat 100 yards withHornady 123-grainSpire Point, .310-inchbullets and Reloder 7 powder from a CZ 527 Carbine.


of the importation of surplus semi-automatic SKSs and AKs and box-cars full of 7.62x39 Russian am-munition. Ten years ago a well-usedSKS sold for about $90, and for-eign surplus ammunition sold forabout 10 per shot. Due to the cur-rent political climate, an SKS inany shape now goes for at leastfive times that amount, and itssource of surplus ammunition hasall but dried up. When shoppingfor 7.62x39 ammunition this pastspring, Russian commercial am-munition was all I found. Thesteel-cased TulAmmo and WOLFcartridges cost 46 per round.

All the major American ammuni-tion companies load the 7.62x39mmRussian. Bullet weights are usually123 or 125 grains, but brass casescan be reloaded. Hornady Manu-facturings Neal Emery said mostshooters dont reload the 7.62x39,but as the surplus ammo dries up,there will likely be an increase inreloading.

Several American rifles are cham-bered for the cartridge but with.308-inch groove-to-groove diame-ter instead of the .311-inch stan-dard. Emery said .310-inch diameterbullets are commonly fired in theRuger Mini-30, which has a .308-inch bore. Pressure limits can bereached faster, of course, but Ive

not heard of any issues with it. Toplay it safe, Federals Power-Shok123-grain softpoint bullets meas-ure .308 inch in diameter.

The 7.62x39mm Russian casebody taper is relatively steep at0.047 inch. Thats more than twiceas much taper as the 6.8 Reming-ton SPC cartridge. Internet chatterstates this is a detriment to cham-bering and extraction in an auto -loading rifle, but nobody has everaccused an SKS or AK-47 of failingto cycle. For the handloader, 7.62brass cases do not stretch on fir-ing and sizing any more than othercartridges, like the .30-06 or .243Winchester.

Ive been wondering what use the7.62x39mm Russian has on thehome front since purchasing theCZ 527. It has been an inexpensiveplinking cartridge. Ive also shot a couple of marmots with the rifleat distances out to 150 yards. Therifles light weight and 18.5-inchbarrel could also make it an easycarry for a mountain lion rifle, and with handloads the cartridgecarries enough bullet weight and velocity for big game at modestdistances. At the muzzle of the18.5-inch barrel, 150-grain bulletsare a bit short on energy com-pared to the same weight bulletsfired from a .30 WCF (aka .30-30Winchester) with a 20-inch barrel,but the 7.62s spitzer bullet quicklycatches up to the .30-30s flatpointbullet, and both arrive at 200 yardswith roughly the same trajectoryand velocity.

I take some pride in a compactcartridge that does it all, despite the7.62x39mm Russians origins.

7.62x39mm Russian Select Handloads

bullet powder charge velocity(grains) (grains) (fps)

110 Sierra hollowpoint (.308 inch) RL-7 29.0 2,511123 Hornady Spire Point (.310 inch) RL-7 26.5 2,313 H-322 28.5 2,283125 Speer spitzer softpoint (.311 inch) H-4198 26.0 2,309150 Sierra SPT (.308 inch) VV-N130 26.5 2,170 H-322 28.0 2,193

Be Alert Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.

Table II

R

MOSSBERGS4x4 Rifle Series


Stan Trzoniec

In 1886, Oscar Mossberg came tothis country from Sweden towork for another Nordic sonnamed Iver Johnson. Johnsonwas from Norway and had a bicycleplant. While Mossberg was interestedin the workings of the plant, his maininterest lay with the development of a revolver that later turned into theIver Johnson hammer the hammeraction and design.

Not content to stay in one place, Mossberg moved tothe Shattuck Arms Company and later to the StevensArms Company, which apparently he enjoyed becausehe stayed on for the next 14 years. In 1914, he washired by Marlin-Rockwell to develop a light machinegun for the military. When the company went under,he decided to partner with his two sons Iver andHarold, and the newly founded O.F. Mossberg wasborn.

His motto was to put out a quality product at an af-fordable price for all to enjoy. Apparently, this was agood idea, because the company prospered. It seemsno matter where I go hunting around New England,there is a Mossberg shotgun or rifle hanging in a barn.Still to this day, Mossberg is known for its affordablefirearms, was the first to market an affordable spotting

July-August 2014

Shooting aNew .270Winchester

27www.riflemagazine.com

scope with a stand, and of all things,it was one of the first companies tooffer a rifle package complete witha scope.

This concept of a packaged prod-uct is still with the company today.Rifle packages offer a choice ofthree distinct versions. One is theMVP, a rugged rifle that proved tobe a real tack-driver complete withan AR-type magazine. Another isthe ATR bolt-action rifle in 34 vari-ations with wood, synthetic or camostocks. The 4x4 is a great rifle pricedcomplete with a scope and is avail-able in 49 different models.

Looking at the 4x4 series of rifles, there is a choiceof wood, synthetic or laminated stocks in a wide vari-ety of calibers. Originally interested in a laminatedmodel, the waiting list was long for the popular cal-ibers, but regular walnut-stocked models in .270 Win-chester were being assembled, so one was used for areview.

For under $700 with the scope, this is an interestingrifle, especially since cartridge choice runs the gamutfrom the .22-250 Remington up to .338 WinchesterMagnum with many options in between. The rifle canbe had with or without a scope, and fluted barrellengths run between 22 and 24 inches, depending oncaliber choice, and include either adjustable sights orWeaver-style bases.

Being based on the companys ATR rifle series, thereis a long line of tried-and-true features. For one, the

action is machined from bar stock nothing reallynew in the field of rifles but the cost savings it offerscan be passed on to the consumer. The receiver is 6.5inches long and like the rest of the rifle is finished inmatte blue. On the left side of the front bridge is a gas escape hole to protect the shooter in the event ofa faulty cartridge. The receiver is drilled and tappedfor commercial scope bases and comes equipped withWeaver-styled bases. Since my sample was a pack-age deal, a 3-9x 40mm scope of unknown origin wasincluded along with rings. Initial bore sighting showedit was near enough to get the shots on paper, at leastat a closer distance, and could be fine-tuned later.

A streamlined recoil lug is installed between receiverand barrel and mated into the rigid bottom metal and,forward of that, into partial glass bedding. Up front,

Above, a barrel nut is used to secure the barrel and recoil lug to the receiver.Right, the safety is a standard two-position design.


while at the same time incorporat-ing a case extractor. Within thebolt face is the ejector, a plungeraffair that is now typical on manybolt-action rifles. The bolt handlehas a moderate rake to the rearwith the knob checkered. Theshroud ends this assembly with a wing that seems to protect the bolt release from falling underyour thumb, and when the rifle iscocked, an indicator is flush withthe rear of the shroud. It also actsas a protective shield to preventgases from finding their way backand past the bolt in the off chancethat a case ruptures.

Premium rifles used to be the

only ones to offer adjustable trig-gers, but today shooters want it no matter the cost, and manufac-turers oblige with solidly made,fully adjustable triggers. Mossbergcalls its the Lightning Bolt Action(LBA) trigger, and it is easy to ad-just within sensible limits. My riflecame from North Haven with atrigger pull of just over 312 pounds;with the instructions provided, Iadjusted it down to 3 pounds withminimal creep. The instructionsheet is fully illustrated with in-formative text and line drawings.

The rifles safety lever is on theright side of the action in front ofthe bolt handle and is a two-posi-


Below, vents are cut into the forearm, which also includescut checkering. Right, due to the higher comb and cheek-piece, Mossberg engineered the stock so it does not interferewith the rearward bolt movement.

The pistol grip features both checker-ing and stippling.

the barrel is free-floated but restson a slight rise at the end of thebarrel channel.

A polymer magazine is furnishedthat is easily accessed from underthe stock. Pulling the release tothe rear allows the magazine todrop, and with the .270 Winches-ter, it holds five standard rounds(four for the magnum models).Cartridges can be loaded into themagazine with little or no effort,and I think if I could redesign therifle myself, I would have the boltclear the plastic follower in themagazine for a smoother, quieteroperation.

Spiral fluting on bolt shanksseems to be the rage these days,and Mossberg has followed thetrend. Instead of being highly pol-ished, however, the bolt is blued ingood taste like the rest of the ac-tion and finely finished for smoothoperation. The bolt body is one di-ameter from the locking lugs tothe bolt handle and shroud. Whilethe action is not a fat bolt design(i.e., Weatherby), looking at thebolt after many cycles shows thatit does contact the receiver as itmoves back and forth, keepingany bolt wobble to a minimum.

Twin locking lugs secure the ac-tion when a cartridge is inserted,with the right lug harboring a notchto guide it in and out of the receiver

A molded polymer magazine is releasedfrom a catch at the top and drops outwithout resistance.


tion design. Keeping it to the rearallows the bolt to be moved toload or unload ammunition whilelocking the sear. Moving it for-ward allows the rifle to fire.

In looking at the specificationsfor the 4x4 rifle, it is presentlyavailable in a classic-styled wal-

nut, laminate or black syntheticstock. For the most part, they allshare the same profile, one that iseasy on the shooter and pleasingto look at. The sample in walnutwas straight-grained with a slightupward tick in the grain as it rantoward the muzzle, as it should be.

The finish was ultrasmooth, lookedlike a polyurethane coating andwith care should last a lifetime.

From the tip of the stock at themuzzle, it has a gradual taper backto the magazine well. While it iscomfortable to hold and shoot, Iwould prefer some additional wood

Mossberg calls its adjustable trigger theLightning Bolt Action trigger, and Stanset the test rifle to three pounds.

The bolt on 4x4 series rifles is spiral fluted in design, has twin locking lugs up frontand is smooth in operation.


fps. Remingtons 130-grain Core-Lokt softpoint hit almost 2,900 fps,but the groups averaged out to 1.5inches.

For those who might have a ten-der shoulder due to injuries ormedical problems, reduced loadsare just the ticket for sighting inthe rifle, hunting smaller gamewith a larger cartridge, like the.270 Winchester, or just plinking. Icombined a Speer 130-grain spitzerwith 22.0 grains of IMR-4759 and a CCI 200 primer in Winchestercases. Since the powder chargeseems to leave a good deal of roomin the case, a small bit of cottonwas placed in the case and gentlytamped over the propellant. At 50yards, groups were about whatyou would see at 100 yards withfull-house loads, but what theheck, they are made for fun . . .and fun they are.

With or without a scope, theMossberg 4x4 is still a good, oleAmerican bargain.

at this part of the rifle. There areBuick slots up front for barrelventing during extended shootingsessions and an ample supply ofcut checkering complete with anoutline. From the end of the check-ering, the stock widens out to the


Mossberg 4x4 Rifle Range Resultsbullet/load powder charge velocity group(grains) (grains) (fps) (inches)

130 Hornady Spire Point 2,922 1.00130 Remington Core-Lokt Pointed Soft Point 2,899 1.50150 Hornady Spire Point 2,806 1.25130 Speer spitzer* IMR-4759 22.0 2,032 1.50* reduced load, used CCI 200 primersNotes: All three-shot groups fired from a benchrest at 100 yards, except for the reduced load, whichwas fired at 50 yards. Velocities recorded by an Oehler Model 35P chronograph. Ambient temperaturewas 52 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind.

Be Alert Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.

The pointer shows a pressure ridge onthe forend of the stock. Mossberg usesa three-point bedding system.

Hornady Spire Point factory loads shotwell at 100 yards.

R

magazine and trigger guard thentapers back inward to the pistolgrip.

While the pistol grip is on thenormal side for size, the checker-ing pattern turns into half-check-ering and half-stippling similar tothat seen on some German rifles.The pattern is rather modern andbends around the curves and an-gles of the pistol grip. There is aprotective grip cap nicely attachedto this part of the stock.

From there back, there are well-defined flares on each side of the stock. Instead of a full combfrom this point to the end of thebuttstock, Mossberg starts with a graduated area just behind thecheckering pattern that rises up-ward to accommodate a highercomb and full cheekpiece. Whilesome may find this a bit awk -ward looking, it actually is fine forshooting, as most of your facedoes rest on the rear of the stocknearest the rubber recoil pad. Tofinish off the rifle, a full .75-inchrubber pad accompanies a cus-tomary black spacer, but the padcould be softer.

The Mossberg 4x4, with its wide-ranging cartridge choices, is capa-ble of taking just about any game.Testing this rifle off the bench wasnever a disappointment, especiallywith its ability to punch smallgroups. Most of this goes to thefine trigger and let-off, a prerequi-site for accuracy at any distance,and premium factory ammunition.

Hornady 130-grain Spire Pointspunched one-inch holes, followedby the 150-grain Spire Point withdecent velocity of just over 2,800

Specifications:Mossberg 44 Rifle

Action: bolt actionStock: walnut, laminate and synthetic

availableCartridge tested: .270 WinchesterBarrel length: 24 inchesOverall length: 4612 inchesSights: none; supplied with Weaver-type

basesWeight: 7 pounds (with scope, bases,

no ammunition)Finish: matte blue/satin finish on stockMagazine: detachable; 5 standard,

4 magnum roundsOptions: various stocks, with or without

a scopePrice: $693.00

$643.00 without a scopeManufacturer: O.F. Mossberg & Sons

7 Grasso AvenueNorth Haven CT 06473www.mossberg.com

Productionis underway inIlion, New York.


Brian Pearce

During the fall of 2010, MarlinFirearms was moved fromNew Haven, Connecticut, toIlion, New York, with only

a handful of employees making thatmove. Production resumed, mostlyfrom existing inventory, but as it be-came depleted, many models weretemporarily discontinued. Without ex-perienced employees to oversee fitand function, quality fell off sharplywith a high percentage of guns failingto work reliably.With a new engineering staff, along with heavy in-vestments in new CNC tooling and blueprints, Marlinleverguns are on their way back, with the first fullyNew York-produced Model 336s rolling out in 2014.The Model 1894 .44 Magnum will begin shippingas early as April 2014, with additional calibers(.357 Magnum, .45 Colt and others) being

added throughout the yearas production is ramped up.

The Model 1895, variations of theCowboy and stainless steel guns, are

scheduled in the not-too-distant future.

New Era for Marlin

Productionis underway inIlion, New York.

33www.riflemagazine.com

The Marlin Model 336C Limited is manufactured inIlion, New York, and features an engraved receiverand B-grade walnut stock.

New Era for MarlinWith the above events, Marlins future has been aconcern. In 2011 I met with Marlin executives, whoposed the question, Would it be okay to discontinueforging receivers and major parts? A portion of myresponse was, Absolutely not! No way, unless majorforged parts are replaced with a better and strongermaterial. If forgings were dropped as a cost-cuttingmeasure only and replaced with an inferior material,it would certainly violate the trust of loyal Marlin cus-tomers and would be extremely damaging to the com-panys reputation and future. Before leaving the plant,I was told production and quality would return.

When the announcement came that new productionwas underway in New York, a sample Model 336C Lim-ited .30-30 Winchester and a Model 1894 .44 Magnumwere requested.

The Limited has a fancy B-grade walnut stock with aclassic nineteenth-century, cut-checkering pattern.The receiver is tastefully (machine) scroll engraved,while the left side features the Marlin horse and riderlogo in 24-karat gold. All this is nicely executed andresults in an attractive rifle. When I traveled to mylocal dealer to pick it up, the employees had alreadyunpacked it and logged it into the companys FFLbooks, and I darn near had to pry it out of their handsand sprint for the door to get it home. The 336C Lim-ited will only be produced during 2014, and there areno caps on production quantities. A different levergun(such as the Model 1894, 1895, etc.) will be chosen asthe Limited version in subsequent years, which will re-ceive similar embellishments but will likely have capson production quantities.

The Model 1894 is a standard version fitted with aplain-grain, checkered American black walnut stock.In an effort to include this rifle here, I was sent a transitional rifle. In essence, all metal parts are ma-chined with new CNC tooling in New York, but thestock is still of older manufacture. By April or May2014, the new CNC Model 1894 stocks should beready, which will feature a notably improved wood-to-metal fit and will be of similar quality as the Model336C test sample.

Both rifles were completely disassembled and exam-ined, with the metalwork appearing very good. The re-ceivers are machined flatly, uniformly and of qualityworkmanship throughout, as are major working parts,


much better than found on gunsfor the previous four years, butthere is an area or two that coulduse improvement, such as wherethe forearm butts up to the frontof the receiver. Speaking of fore-arms, both rifles have more woodthan necessary, and in my humbleopinion, trimming them downwould improve both feel and ap-pearance.

The actions on both guns were abit stiff to operate, while triggerpulls were heavy at 72 and 76ounces, respectively. As expected,once the shooting sessions wereunderway, the actions began tobreak in, loosen and smooth outbut are still good candidates for acustom action job for that butterysmooth feel Marlin leverguns arerecognized for.

To help with barrel break-in, forthe first 45 shots, it was com-pletely cleaned, with all copperfouling removed every three shots,followed with a light coat of oil inthe bore. The new 336C retains thesame Micro-Groove rifling with 12lands and grooves with a one-in-

10-inch twist found on previous rifles. Even though there was timeand effort made to perform theabove barrel break-in, the bore sur-face was carefully studied (withmagnification), and it was unusu-ally smooth.

In firing more than 350 rounds,there were no malfunctions. TheMarlin action is essentially a con-trol-feed system that cycled car-tridges and fired and ejected caseswithout a hitch.

Rather than using the factory-

change helps eliminate variablesassociated with forgings, and tol-erances can be held to a muchtighter specification. (Marlin lev-erguns manufactured prior to 1978also featured a machined carrier.)The new tolerances are kept to aminimum and are notably tighterthan any previous production.Furthermore, the company claimsdimensional variances from gunto gun are largely eliminated.

Wood-to-metal fit on the Model336C Limited is fair to good and

New Erafor Marlin

Specifications:Marlin Model336C Limited

Caliber: .30-30 WinchesterReceiver: forged, side ejection, engraved

with 24-karat gold horse and riderSafety: hammer block Sights: folding semi-buckhorn rear,

bead frontMagazine capacity: 6 roundsWeight: 7 poundsBarrel length: 20 inchesOverall length: 3814 inchesRifling: Micro-Groove 12 lands/groovesTwist rate: one turn in 10 inchesStock: B-grade walnut, pistol gripLength of pull: 1338 inchesTrigger pull: 72 ouncesMSRP: $849.00

These four Model 1894 .44 Magnums include (left to right): a 1975 era,

2001-era Cowboy Limited, 2011 SS and 2014-era manufacture.

including lever, bolt, trigger, ham-mer, etc., all of which were com-paratively smooth. The receiver,trigger plate, hammer, locking boltand lever are still (thankfully) madefrom forgings, but the carrier isnow machined from bar stock. This

Above, wood quality was outstandingon the 336C Limited. Left, the latestversion of the Model 1894 (bottom)features a wide forearm compared to Brians older example (top).


installed, folding semi -buckhornrear and bead front sights for ac-curacy testing, a Skinner Sights(www.skinnersights.com) Expressaperture rear sight was installedon both rifles. These sights arewell machined, handsome, fullyadjustable and are a great choicefor Marlin leverguns. When usedin conjunction with a correct tar-get, accuracy can be astounding.All accuracy work was checked at75 yards. In testing many lever-guns for accuracy at this distance,groups are often similar in size tothose fired at 100 yards.

More than a half-dozen factoryloads were tried, as well as hand-

loads, with bullet weights from125 to 170 grains, with most loadsproducing groups measuring be-tween .75 to 1.5 inches. The .30-30did show a preference for 150-grain Federal Fusion, RemingtonCore-Lokt and Winchester Silver-tip bullets with select four-shotgroups measuring under one inch.With that level of accuracy, deercan be taken reliably at 200 yardsand beyond. Recorded velocitieswere also rather high for the .30-30 Winchester, which werecross-referenced across anotherchronograph that recorded similarvelocities. It appears this barrel issimply a fast barrel.

With the Model 1894 .44 Magnum,a similar barrel break-in proce-dure was performed. This helpedremove tooling burrs and smoothedthe barrels surface, which gener-ally helped reduce fouling of bothcast and jacketed bullets.

More than 500 rounds were firedthrough this rifle, and function wasgenerally good. However, five timescartridges hung up as the bolt wasclosing when they were aroundone-fourth of the way into thechamber. This hang-up was minorenough that the bolt could still beclosed with modest effort and therifle fired. This is easy to correct,and Marlin is aware of the prob-lem. This was one of the first riflesbuilt on the new CNC tooling, andthis minor hitch is expected to beresolved on future production.

A variety of factory and hand-loads were fired from a sandbag

rest that ranged in bullet weightfrom 225 to 320 grains. The best75-yard, four-shot groups obtainedwith factory loads hovered justunder 2.5 inches using CCI Blazer240-grain JHP loads and Winches-ters 250-grain PTHPs. A hand-load containing Hornady 240-grainXTP-HPs, Starline brass, CCI 300primers and 22.0 grains of Alliant2400 (for 1,844 fps) grouped into 2inches.

Handloads with the 250-grainKeith, Speer 270-grain Gold Dot,

These Marlins include (left to right):Model 1893, Model 336RC, 336CB and the new 336C.

Open sights are standard with a hooded bead front (left) and semi-buckhorn rear(above). Right, a Skinner Sights Express rear aperture also worked well.

Marlin Model336C LimitedFactory Loadsload velocity group

(grains) (fps) (inches)

125 Federal Classic Hi-Shok HP 2,520 2.00150 Federal Classic Hi-Shok 2,198 1.70150 Federal Fusion 2,265 1.00150 Hornady InterLock RN 2,251 1.30150 Remington Core-Lokt 2,415 .75150 Winchester Silvertip 2,244 .90170 Federal Nosler Partition 2,001 1.60170 Remington Core-Lokt HP 2,026 2.15Notes: All loads were fired at 75 yards from the .30-30

Winchesters 20-inch barrel.

Table I


and 1894s. Some have shot okay,but most were rather mediocre.Some barrels have slugged large at.433 to .434 inch groove diameter(with .430/.431 being more normal),which may have been a reason forthe dismal accuracy, but testingand experience suggest it was pri-marily the slow 38-inch twist.

Marlin is not the only rifle com-pany hobbling the .44 Magnumcartridge with this slow twist rate;it is an industry standard for .44Magnum rifles. For example, Rugerused it on its .44 Magnum auto-

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NEI 290-grain cast Keith style, Speer300-grain PSP, Hornady XTP-HPand SSK 320-grain cast truncatedbullets were tried, but accuracywas generally dismal, ranging from2.5 to 4 inches. Additional testingat 200 and 300 yards with 300- and320-grain bullets indicated thatgreater stabilization, via a fastertwist, would probably be beneficial.

Beginning in 1965 with the intro-duction of the Model 336-44 .44Magnum (aka 336T), Marlin chose a rifling twist rate of one in 38inches, the same as was employedin 1964 with the introduction ofthe .444 Marlin. In 1969 Marlinreintroduced the Model 1894 butchambered for the modern .44Magnum cartridge, which retainedthe same 38-inch twist as the 336-44. Micro-Groove rifling was stan-dard, but with the introduction of

New Erafor Marlin

This four-shot group was firedat 75 yards with the SkinnerSights Express rear sight atopthe new Marlin Model 336CLimited .30-30 Winchester.

loading carbine, Remington on theModel 788 and Winchester theModel 94, none of which producedoutstanding accuracy. By contrast,the industry standard twist ratefor .44 Magnum revolvers is oneturn in 20 inches, which has provenaccurate with bullets ranging inweight from 180 to 340 grains, andmany sixguns have given sub-one-inch groups at 100 yards, a featthat few of the above rifles canboast.

Many years ago I tested a custom.44 Magnum rifle with a one-in-20-inch twist that proved accuratewith all bullet weights. More thana decade ago, I had Dave Clay ofDRC Guns build a special MarlinModel 1894 Stainless into a take-down with an MPI stock and an1814-inch octagonal Shilen barrelwith a one-in-16-inch twist. Thisgun has proven capable of MOAaccuracy with a variety of bullets,

the 1894CB (Cowboy) in 1997, Mar-lin began offering a six land andgroove, Ballard-style rifling that wasintended to perform better withcast bullets, but the twist rate re-mained the same.

Over the years I have had consid-erable experience with a variety of.44 Magnum rifles, including morethan a dozen Marlin Models 336-44s

By removing the finger lever screw,the lever and bolt are easily removed,

and the barrel can be cleaned from the breech.

Specifications:Marlin Model 1894

Caliber: .44 MagnumReceiver: forged, side ejectionSafety: hammer blockSights: folding semi-buckhorn rear,

bead frontMagazine capacity: 10 roundsWeight: 6 poundsBarrel length: 20 inchesOverall length: 3712 inchesRifling: deep-cut Ballard, 6 lands/groovesTwist rate: one turn in 38 inchesStock: American black walnut,

straight gripLength of pull: 1338 inchesTrigger pull: 76 ouncesMSRP: $729.00


will bump pressures, but it is sovery slight that it is not important.Incidentally, Ruger now uses a 20-inch twist on its Model 77/44 bolt-action rifles, which after properbarrel break-in has proven accu-rate using a variety of loads, veloc-ities and bullet weights.

The reason all the above is men-tioned is that I have been trying to get Marlin to change its twistrate for more than 20 years. Planswere made to change it to a 20-inch twist around 1998 or so, but

both cast and jacketed, in weightsranging from 210 to 340 grains.Long-range accuracy is likewiseoutstanding, and bullets fired intotest mediums and game provedthat penetration is arrow-straight,all of which indicates correct bul-let stabilization.

The 16- and 20-inch twist rates

that never got off the ground, andI have continued to provide harddata and accuracy results with my exper iments. The above Model1894 was supposed to be fittedwith this new twist rate, but com-pany representatives claim thatmore testing is needed and that a change may occur by year end.Perhaps your e-mails and phonecalls will be more influential thanmine. While you are at it, encour-age them to tighten the groove di-ameter to .430 inch maximum.(Marlin can be contacted at 1-800-544-8892; e-mail: [email protected] visit www.marlinfirearms.com.)

Although suggestions for im-provement have been made, myoverall impressions are favorable.Marlin has retained its traditionalforgings, quality and accuracy, andtolerances have tightened in theprocess. Thankfully there are noadditional safety items, such as arebounding hammer, that jeopard-ize function and reliability.

Marlin Model1894 Factory Loads

load velocity group(grains) (fps) (inches)

225 Barnes VOR-TX XPB-HP 1,510 2.95240 CCI Blazer JHP 1,362 2.30240 Remington SJHP 1,744 2.65240 Winchester HSP 1,731 3.10250 Winchester PTHP 1,813 2.45270 Buffalo Bore JFN 1,656 3.00Notes: All loads were fired at 75 yards from the .44

Magnums 20-inch barrel.

Table II

The Model 1894 .44 Magnum with its one-in-38-inch rifling producedmediocre accuracy, with this group at 75 yards obtained with CCI/SpeerBlazer 240-grain JHPs.

R


ColtM-2012Iconic brand

taps Cooper for a new bolt-action

repeater.

Eden Clark is shooting oneof the first Colt Model

2012s with the aluminumstock. Weighing about 15pounds with a scope, itneeds the support of abench to hold it steady.

John Haviland

Long-range rifle competitionscontinue to grow in popular-ity, and Colts Manufactur-ing has jumped on the band-

wagon with a bolt-action rifle thefirst to bear its name in over a decade.Colt initially partnered with CooperFirearms of Montana to build theModel 2012 rifle on a modified CooperModel 22 action but eventually turnedthe whole project over to Cooper. Nowall three M-2012 designs are made byCooper in its Stevensville, Montana,factory.


Of the three M-2012s, the first was designated theM2012SA308 with an aluminum stock and a tubularforearm that weighs about as much as a truck bumper,resulting in a rifle weight of 13.2 pounds. A secondmodel weighs 10.25 pounds due to a Manners compos-ite stock with an outer shell made with multiple layersof carbon fiber and fiberglass. Both rifles are matedwith a heavy-contour stainless steel, 22-inch barrelwith spiral flutes and chambered in .308 Winchester.The third model is quite a bit lighter at 8.5 pounds andis chambered in .308 and .260 Remington. It has amedium-heavy, tapered 22-inch chrome-moly barrelwith straight flutes and a laminated hardwood stockwith a comparatively slender profile. All three rifleshave a removable Cooper muzzle brake threaded ontothe muzzle.

Mike Hudgins of Coopers custom shop originally de-signed the laminated stock for a rifle to raise moneyfor an organization that helps military veterans. HugoVivero, who owns Cooper Firearms, saw the stock andshowed it to Colt in hopes of drumming up additionalbusiness. Colt liked it, and the laminated stock versionis now the most popular of the three M-2012 rifles. Thelaminated stock version is intended as a rifle for tacti-cal and target competitions with a crossover to biggame hunting. It is a bit heavy to pack up an elk moun-tain, but it would be fine on the antelope flats or whensitting in a stand waiting for a deer to wander past.

Hudgins said one distinct feature of Cooper rifles is they have always been hand-fitted by one personthroughout the manufacturing process. But we wantedthe M-2012s easier to build, Hudgins said, so the ac-tion for the rifles is derived from a Cooper Model 22 short action with a three-lug bolt and short bolt lift with some design changes to accomplish that. Itsrecoil lug is a plate between the front of the receiverand barrel and extends into a mortise in the stock. Thealuminum and the Manners composite stocks requireno handwork by Cooper to bed the lug. However, thelug is hand-bedded in the laminated stock and beddingcompound extends 1.5 inches forward in the bottomof the barrel channel. The barrel channel is relieved a

noticeable amount on the sides and bottomto fully free-float the barrel and providesome extra room, because even thestiffest stock bends some when a rifle is

fired with the stock on a hard surface or with a bipodattached to the forearm.

A Timney trigger is pinned into place on the bottomrear of the receiver, and the safety is a two-positionlever that allows the bolt to open in either position.The trigger is adjustable, but it was set at 3 pounds onthe rifle I shot so was never adjusted. The M-22s boltrelease extends into a long slot in the bolt body. To-gether with the left locking lug running in a raceway,the bolt is kept from binding and slides smoothly.

The M-2012 has a much smaller bolt release and onlyits left locking lug runs in a raceway to keep the boltfrom binding. The extractor is a spring-loaded leaf lo-cated along the upper right side of the bolt face thathooks over a cartridge rim. A plunger on the bolt facethrows fired cases and cartridges clear of the receiverejection port. The bottom of the M-2012s receiver hasalso been milled out to accept an Accurate-Mag triggerguard/floorplate with a long lever release for a 5-rounddetachable magazine. The floorplate frame has a slightgap between it and the bottom of the receiver, so theframe and magazine float and do not bind against thereceiver bottom. A 10-round magazine is optional. Ofcourse, the rifles feature barrels from Wilson Arms,Coopers sister company.

I shot an original M-2012 with the aluminum chassiswhen the rifle was introduced in 2012, but even froma bench, its weight made it wearisome to shoot. Thelaminated stock M-2012 is much more pleasant tothose of us of average strength. A long rail is screwedto the top of the receiver to mount a scope. Its thebest of what the tactical trend has transferred to reg-ular rifles, because it provides plenty of leeway tomount any length scope the correct distance from theeye. With a Meopta MeoPro 3.5-10x44RD scope clampedon the rail, the rifle weighed right at 10 pounds.

Ive shot the laminated M-2012 .308 Winchester quitea bit over several months. While hastily sighting in the

Three Model 2012 Colt rifles are made for Colt by CooperFirearms (left to right): the M2012SA308, M2012MT308Tand M2012LT308G.


The 2012 is a competition rifle that will be shot forlong strings at a time, so the loads listed in the tablewere shot one after another at 100 yards, starting withthe lightest bullets. Colt guarantees one-inch groupsfor the 2012, but Cooper promises .5-inch groups forits rifles. Colts promise was easily met with at leastone load with most of the bullets shot. A few loadscame close to Coopers pledge. The Hornady and

Target bullets with TAC powder, mainly because I hada lot of them.

Additional magnification above the 10x of the Meo-Pro scope would have provided a more precise aimfor target shooting at 300 yards, but the dot in the 4Creticle of the MeoPro covers 1.5 inches at 300 yardsand fit inside a 4.5-inch circle at that distance with ahalo of white remaining around the dot and seemed

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Above, the rail on top of the M2012LT308G rifle allows plentyof leeway to mount a scope, such as the Meopta MeoPro 3.5-10x44RD. Right, the rifle has a five-round detachablemagazine; a 10-round magazine is optional.

MeoPro scope at 100 yards, the first five Sierra 125-grain Pro-Hunter bullets grouped well inside an inch.A sign of good things to come is always welcome.

To develop a handload to take a measure of the rifle,five different bullets and 10 different powders wereloaded initially in Winchester .308 cases. I did notmess with seating bullets an exact distance from thebeginning of the rifling; cartridge lengths listed in var-ious reloading manuals were used.

Berger 168-grain and Hornady 178-grain bullets mayhave gotten the short end of the stick due to a hot bar-rel. To give the Hornady 168-grain A-MAX bullets aneven opportunity, I loaded them with TAC and Accu-rate 4064 and shot them another day. A group withTAC measured 1.06 inches, and Accurate 4064 loadsproduced a group of 1.44 inches.

As the load table shows, Berger and Sierra 150-grainbullets shot best. I settled on the Berger 150-grain FB

Both the Colt andCooper Firearmslogos appear on

Model 2012 rifles.


Colt/Cooper Model 2012 .308 WinchesterShooting Results

bullet powder charge velocity group(grains) (grains) (fps) (inches)

150 Berger FB Target IMR-4064 43.5 2,729 .61 RL-15 46.0 2,781 .70 TAC 45.0 2,843 .53150 Sierra GameKing SBT A-4064 46.0 2,735 .47 AR-Comp 43.2 2,761 1.00 IMR-3031 43.5 2,816 .68 Varget 45.0 2,811 .77168 Berger VLD Target A-4064 45.0 2,670 .75 IMR-4895 42.5 2,507 1.57 RL-15 43.5 2,625 1.41 TAC 42.5 2,628 1.33168 Hornady A-MAX A-2460 42.0 2,521 .88 A-4064 45.0 1.44 IMR-4007 SSC 47.0 2,511 1.06 Power Pro 2000 MR 49.0 2,721 1.80 TAC 43.5 1.06178 Hornady A-MAX Power Pro 2000-MR 44.0 2,535 1.31Notes: All loads were assembled with Winchester cases and Winchester Large Rifle primers and werefired at 100 yards. Velocities were recorded 10 feet in front of the Colt M-2012s 22-inch barrel. Tem-peratures varied between 20 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Be Alert Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.www.pmatool.com

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was stable from thesitting position. Four bulletslanded in .82 inch. I flipped out onebullet for a group size of 1.41 inches.There was that nervous twitch ofmine raising its ugly head again.

After shooting the M-2012 sev-eral hundred times over severalmonths, I have a few observationson the rifle and the Meopta scope:

The stock has a fairly slenderforearm bottom, and with it on a rest the rifle wobbled a slightamount. As an alternative, Cooper

nose of the comb was dished outwell down the side of the stockand cradled the whole of the baseof my thumb. All in all, the stockprovided a very relaxed hold andstable aim.

The first group measured 3.51inches, with four Berger bullets in2.74 inches. A second group meas-ured 3.99 inches, with four bulletsclustered in 1.95 inches. Thosegroups were only slightly largerthan others shot from the supporton a bench.

I brought targets back to 100yards to shoot offhand and sitting.The dot reticle wandered backand forth across the target whilestanding and aiming the rifle. Ipulled the trigger the last bit as thedot passed the target. Five bulletsin 3.90 inches was less than skill-ful, but not all that bad. The rifle

precise enough. With the rifle sup-ported on a benchrest and shoot-ing Berger 150-grain FB Targetbullets with TAC powder, three-shot groups measured 2.27 and3.30 inches at 300 yards.

Shooting from prone at 300 yards,groups were increased from threeto five shots. The rifle was steadywith the forearm cradled in a Har-ris bipod and the toe of the stock

The M2012LT308G bolt (top) is slightly differentthan the Cooper Model 22 bolt (bottom). One difference is the Model 22s bolt has a slot for the bolt release to ride in and keep the bolt from binding.

A Cooper muzzle brake is standard on

Model 2012 rifles. Muzzle blast is sharp, but the brake significantly reduced recoil.

propped up with my hunting pack.The comb was thick and plentyhigh enough to align my eye withthe scope, and the angle of thegrip was nearly vertical, whichkept my wrist straight. My hand fitcompletely around the slendergrip, even with a swell on the rightside of the grip that fills the palm.The flute on the right side of the


reticle barely jumped off the tar-get paper. With the brake removedfrom the muzzle, the scopes ocu-lar bell kept hitting the bill of my hat due to the additional re-coil, plus the entire view throughthe scope was lost. I screwed thebrake back on and left it on. Bulletimpact remained the same withthe brake on or off.

Cooper rifles have shown its

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The sharp report from the Coopermuzzle brake became bothersomewhile shooting 50 or more roundsduring a session, even while wear-ing foam plugs and earmuffs. How-ever, the brake did substantiallyreduce the rifles recoil to aboutthe level of a .22-250 Remington,muzzle lift was nil, and the scopes

ColtM-2012

three-locking lug action contrib -utes to a very accurate rifle. The60-degree lift of the three-lug bolt,however, requires quite a bit offorce on the bolt handle over itsrelatively shorter arc of movementto extract a fired case, draw backthe firing pin and compress themain spring. From prone, thewhole of my hand was required onthe bolt handle to gain enoughleverage to open the bolt.

The rifle never bobbled a singlecartridge. Cartridges easily strippedfrom the magazine and slid intothe chamber. Single cartridgesdropped on top of the followeralso fed smoothly into the cham-ber when the bolt was shovedclosed.

While shooting the rifle one day,I faced right into the low wintersun. The direct light and light re-flecting off a field of snow wasblinding. Adding to what shouldhave been a difficult view, the targets were in a dark shade. How-ever, there was no glare while look-ing through the Meopta scope, yetthere was a bright view of the dimtargets.

Id like to think the M-2012s goodshooting was all me, but CooperFirearms built the accuracy intothe rifle, and its engineering al-lowed me to take advantage of thataccuracy. R

Left, at 100 yards, the Colt M-2012 shotthis group with Sierra 150-grain bulletsand A-4064. Above, Berger 150-grainFB Target bullets and TAC powder fromthe Colt M-2012 grouped these fiveshots at 300 yards from prone.

A Timney trigger comes on all Model2012 rifles.

Ballistic Coefficient

44

John Barsness

Shooters of a certain age canremember when gun writersfirst started mentioning ballis-tic coefficient (BC), explain-

ing the number was a measure of howwell a bullet retained velocity. Thissudden appearance of BC occurredduring the postwar magnum era.Roy Weatherby started the trend, butby 1962 both Remington and Winches-ter jumped on board with severalbelted super-zappers. According toboth riflemakers and gun writers,high-BC bullets shot flatter, so it waseasier to hit distant game, and higherremaining velocity resulted in morekinetic energy (foot-pounds) whenthe bullet struck a deer or elk.

As a result, an entire generation of hunters andshooters came to believe in muzzle velocity as themajor factor in killing power, and many started com-paring the ballistic coefficients of various bullets,searching for flatter trajectories and a few more foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of energy. Half a century later, ballisticcoefficient remains a hot topic, but many shootershave residual misconceptions about BC, primarily be-cause most gun writers of the Weatherby era didnt un-derstand the technical details.

The most common is that BC is definable by a pre-cise, unchanging number. Believe it or not, my SpeerHandloaders Manual, Volume One (purchased for 50at a garage sale in Lewistown, Montana) only lists BCsto two decimal places, such as .49 for its .30-caliber,180-grain spitzer. This was obviously too vague evenfor the long-range shooters of 1954, and soon bulletcompanies started publishing BCs to three decimalplaces.

So many shooters became convinced a higher ballis-tic coefficient was the answer, they started choosingbullets almost entirely due to thei

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