Review: Barnett Wildcat C5 Crossbow

The Barnett Wildcat C5 delivers an optimum blend of speed, accuracy and price from a name you trust. This new crossbow from Barnett pushes out bolts at 320 fps and hits home with 114 ft.-lbs. of energy. It's powered by Veloci- Speed high-energy wheels and vented quad limbs.

The streamlined composite stock and thumbhole grip make it easy to carry, comfortable to shoot and stable to aim. At a crisp 4-1/2 lbs., the trigger pull is one of the finest you'll feel on a crossbow in this price range. Rugged, lightweight magnesium riser. Synthetic string and cable system. Draw weight: 150 lbs. Includes Red dot scope, quiver, and 4 bolts. Safety sets automatically when cocked. Limited one year warranty. Extra Strings and Bolts are available.

Review: Benelli SuperNova

Benelli SuperNova

From the manufacturer's website:

The Benelli SuperNova is a completely new modular design concept in pump action shotguns. With the optional SteadyGrip™ stock, the SuperNova can be transformed into a high-performance turkey gun or tack driving, fully-rifled slug gun for deer. There’s even a barrel with rifle sights for home defense, and a SuperNova Tactical fitted with a ghost-ring rear sight and pistol grip.

At the heart of this new pump gun is a lightweight steel skeleton framework over-molded with a high-tech polymer, making the new SuperNova super light, super strong and almost completely impervious to any weather condition.

But the SuperNova isn’t just tough on the outside; with its dual-action bars and two-lug rotary bolt head that locks up steel-to-steel inside the barrel, the SuperNova is rock solid to the core. Because the new SuperNova is built tough, it makes no compromises. Chambered for 2¾" and 3" shells and 3½" magnum turkey loads, this pump gun can do it all.

Manufacturer's Website:
Benelli USA

Review: H&R Pardner, Youth

H&R Pardner, Youth

From the manufacturer's website:
The H&R Pardner® carries on an honored tradition in American shotguns. For generations, just about every farmhouse in America kept a shotgun handy behind the kitchen door. It was strong medicine for pests and predators, protection when needed, and a useful tool for harvesting Nature's bounty when the larder ran low. Usually, that shotgun was a single shot break-open, and for very good reason. Such guns were rugged, reliable and inexpensive. And the single shot action encouraged careful shooting and ammo conservation.

We are proud of our history of making single shot shotguns that earn their keep without breaking the bank. We offer the Pardner® shotguns in 12, 20 and 28 gauges, and .410 bore, and a variety of chokes and stocks.

On every H&R shotgun, our rugged single shot action has proven its worth in the field. It opens smoothly when you press the lever, and locks up tight as a bank vault door. Our Transfer Bar System prevents accidental discharge, and each gun comes complete with its own special locking device for added safety in storage or in transport.

Specs

Ammo
12 Gauge, 20 Gauge, 28 Gauge, 410 bore

Barrel
32" (SB1-932)
28" (SB1-010)
26" (20 Gauge, 28 Gauge, .410 Bore)
28" (SB1-010)
26" (20 Gauge, 28 Gauge, .410 Bore)

Stock
American hardwood, walnut finish, pistol grip.

Chamber
Up to 3" (12 Gauge, 20 Gauge, .410 Bore)
2 3/4" (28 Gauge)

Sights Bead front

Choke
Modified or Full (12 Gauge, 20 Gauge)
Modified (28 Gauge)
Full (12 Gauge, .410 Bore)

Length
47" (SB1-932)
43" (SB1-010)
41" (20 Gauge, 28 Gauge, .410 Bore)

Length of Pull
14"

Drop at Comb
1-1/2"

Drop at Heel
2"

Weight
5-6 lbs.

Review: H&R Ultra Slug Hunter Deluxe

H&R Ultra Slug Hunter Deluxe

From the manufacturer's website:
Thanks to new projectile technology and a new breed of slug guns, today's shotgun hunter can reach way out with impressive accuracy and striking power.

At Harrington & Richardson, we offer a range of tack-driving single shot slug guns that can cost less than an accessory slug barrel for your repeater. At the top of the list is our heavy 24" barrel, fully-rifled H&R Ultra Slug Hunter, in 12- or 20- gauge. We've shot extremely tight groups at 100 yards, using sabot slugs. Ultra Slug Hunter comes complete with a Monte Carlo stock, recoil pad, scope rail, and optional 3-9x32 factory-installed scope (12 Ga. model only). Also comes with sling swivels and a nylon sling. A walnut-finished American hardwood stock is standard, and the Deluxe model comes with a checkered laminate stock and fore-end. A Youth Model is available with a rifled 20-gauge 22" barrel.

Specs

Model
Ultra Slug Hunter Deluxe

Ammo
12 Gauge, 20 Gauge

Stock
Laminated American hardwood Monte Carlo pistol grip stock with checkering, sling swivels, nylon sling, ventilated recoil pad.

Barrel
24" heavy rifled barrel

Chamber
Up to 3"

Sights
No sights included, but scope mount is provided.

Length
40"

Length of Pull
14-1/4"

Drop at Comb
1-1/4"

Drop at Heel
1-1/8"

Weight
8-9 lbs.

Manufacturer's Site:
Harrington and Richardson (H&R)

Review: Remington Gamemaster 760

Remington Gamemaster 760

The Model 760
In 1952, Remington introduced the Model 760 GameMaster, a rifle that was to give the company a virtual monopoly on the pump-action, centerfire rifle market. Designed by L.R. Crittendon and William Gail Jr., it used a machined-steel receiver, removable box magazine, and rotating bolt with fourteen interrupted thread-type lugs that locked into an extension of the barrel. The latter feature made for a much stronger lockup while allowing the receiver to be lighter. It was a feature common to a number of Big Green's pump and semiauto rifles and shotguns.

The bolt assembly rode inside a carrier that was attached to twin action bars mounted to the forearm. Lugs on the inside of the bolt carrier matched up with helical grooves on the bolt itself. So when the forearm and carrier moved rearward, they caused the bolt to rotate, unlock, and move rearward with the carrier, extracting and ejecting the spent case and recocking the hammer. Pulling the forearm forward chambered the next round and rotated and locked the bolt. The forearm moved on a separate tube attached to the front of the receiver and did not bear on the barrel.

Gamemaster Action: The Remington Model 760’s bolt locks into an extension of the barrel by means of fourteen interrupted thread-type lugs.

The action proved capable of using cartridges whose length and working pressures had before now limited them to bolt-action rifles. Over its production life, the Model 760 was chambered for such popular cartridges as .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts, .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .300 Savage, .308 Winchester, .30-06 (the most popular), .35 Remington, and .35 Whelan.

Early-production rifles were fitted with a ribbed, aluminum buttplate that was replaced with plastic in 1968. As was the standard practice at the time, Remington offered various deluxe versions of the rifle: the Model 760B Special Grade, D Peerless Grade, and F Premier Grade. In 1954, Remington introduced a Model 760 ADL and a Model 760 BDL that featured cut and basketweave checkering, respectively.

In 1960, a carbine version with an 18.5-inch barrel, the Model 760C, was introduced in .270, .280, .308, and .30-06, again in both standard and deluxe grades. The carbine introduced the Williams ramp rear sight, which replaced the earlier spring-leaf pattern. To address the increasing popularity of telescopic sights, later Model 760s came from the factory drilled and tapped for scope mounts.

The Model 760 proved very popular with American hunters and, to a limited degree, law enforcement agencies. Beginning in 1965, the FBI purchased Model 760s in .30-06 and .308 to equip its agents. The multi-lug, rotating bolt and free-floating barrel allowed bolt-action-like accuracy. The 760 proved especially popular in those states that did not allow semiauto rifles for big-game hunting, as it gave the speed of a lever-action with the advantage of more powerful cartridges. The 760 remained a steady seller in the Remington line, often being promoted as the natural companion rifle for the Model 870 pump-action shotgun shooter, but times and technology changed, and by the late 1970s, Remington thought the Model 760 design was in need of being updated. Production ended in 1980 after an impressive 971,712 rifles and 67,726 carbines had left the factory.

The Model 760 line was replaced by a pair of new pump-action rifles: the Model Six and the Model 7600 (a plain, economy version of the Model Six). At first glance, there appeared to be little to differentiate them from the earlier Model 760s because most of the changes were internal.

The fourteen interrupted thread-type locking lugs on the bolt were replaced by four more substantial lugs. The bolt carrier and operating bars became a one-piece unit that provided more rigidity and smoothness to the manually operated action. In the late 1980s, the Model Six designation was dropped, and all rifles were thereafter referred to as the Model 7600. Today, it is available chambered for .243, .270, .280 Rem., .308, .30-06, and .35 Whelen.

Review: Ruger GP100

Ruger GP100

Ruger GP100® blued finish, medium-framed double action revolvers offer strength, simplicity and ease of maintenance and provide the following features:

** Patented frame extension, housing mainspring seat and trigger guard latch.

** Sidewalls are solid, integral sections of the frame.

** Frame widths are increased in critical areas that support the barrel.

** Triple-locking cylinder is locked into the frame at the front, rear, and bottom for more positive alignment.

** Grip frame easily accommodates custom grips.

Specs:
Caliber: .357 Magnum
Capacity: 6 Rounds
Finish: Blued
Grip: Hogue® Monogrip®
Barrel Length: 4"
Groove: 5
Twist: 1:18 3/4" RH
Overall Length: 9 5/8"
Weight: 40 oz
California Approved: Yes
Massachusetts Approved: Yes
Front Sight(s): Fixed
Rear Sight(s): Adjustable
Other Features: Transfer Bar Operating Mechanism with Cylinder Interlock
Suggested Retail Price: $ 598.00 (2008)
Miscellaneous: Full Shroud Barrel, Adjustable Sights

GP100 Exploded View

Review: Smith & Wesson 629 Classic

Smith & Wesson - Model 629 Classic

Smith & Wesson's large frame revolvers are the first choice for handgun hunters and competitive shooters. These stainless steel revolvers are available in a variety of chamberings - .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, and .45 ACP - as well as several barrel lengths, depending upon your need. Among the large frames is the Model 625, Jerry Miculek's choice when setting his record of shooting twelve rounds, two 6 round loads with a reload in between, in under three seconds.

Specs
SKU: 163640
Model: 629 Classic
Caliber: .44MAG/.44SP
Capacity: 6 Rounds
Barrel Length: 8 3/8"
Front Sight: Red Ramp
Rear Sight: White Outline Adjustable Rear
Grip: Rubber Grips
Frame: Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 13 7/8"
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 53.5

Close Range Scopes and Sights

Close Range: Red Dot scopes and scopes rated 1X, 2X or variable power such as 1-5X and 2-7X are for short range use like hunting in dense brush or hunting wild boar and other dangerous game. Many handgun scopes as well as shotgun, slug gun, black powder rifle, and 22 caliber rimfire scopes are in this power range. The lower power scopes will usually be lighter in weight and have a wider field of view than higher power scopes.

Transitional Scopes and Sights

Transitional Scopes: Variable power rifle scopes rated 4-12X, 4.5-14X, 4-16X and 5-15X are a good choice for those that will be shooting medium to long range targets. The lowest power is in the medium range and the highest power allows for long range shots.