weatherby's vanguard! weatherby's vanguard! browning blr

July 2006 No. 226

$4.99 U.S./$5.99 CanadaPrinted in USA

0 74808 01240 4

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$4.99US $5.99CAN

What’s NEW withWeatherby’sVanguard!

What’s NEW withWeatherby’sVanguard!

Browning BLRLightweightBrowning BLRLightweight

A Rare Breed:GermanHaenelCarbine

A Rare Breed:GermanHaenelCarbine

.22-250Ackley Improved.22-250Ackley Improved

HOW TO:Field Repair a Broken “Wrist”HOW TO:Field Repair a Broken “Wrist”

Rifle 226

Sportiting FiFirearearms JoururnalalRIF

LEFLE

July-August 2006Volume 38, Number 4

ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 226

www.riflemagazine.com4

Page 34. . .

44 .22-250 AckleyImprovedHolland CustomModel 700Ron Spomer

50 True.44-CaliberRifles andCartridgesStandards of aForgotten EraMike Venturino

60 Browning BLRLightweightA GreatHunting RifleAl Miller

70 A Very UnusualHaenel CarbineRare GermanSporting RifleLudwig Olson andFred Reigle

76 Varmintingwith the.204 RugerField Tests ofa Little .20Brian Pearce

Page 32. . .

Background Photo: © 2006 D. Robert & Lorri Franz

Page 50. . .

8 WinchesterModel 94Spotting Scope -Dave Scovill

24 .357 MagnumRevisitedMostly Long Guns -Brian Pearce

32 What’s Ina Name?Straight Talk -Ron Spomer

34 The Modern.300 WeatherbyProven Aroundthe WorldJohn Barsness

16 Dim-Light Aimingwithout BatteriesOptics -John Barsness

18 Slings andCarrying StrapsDown Range -Mike Venturino

22 Field Repair ofa Broken “Wrist”Light Gunsmithing -

4. . .

Page 22. . .

On the cover . . .John Barsness used this .300 WeatherbyVanguard topped off with a Leupold VX-II2-7x with Tally mounts on a Colorado hunt. Below, the .257 WeatherbyVanguard features a Leupold Vari-X III3.5-10x. Rifle photos by John Barsnessand Stan Trzoniec. Mule deer photoby Donald M. Jones.

84 New for 2006Remington andWeatherby struttheir stuff!Stan Trzoniec

92 Siamese MauserConversion to.45-70Queries & Comments -

98 Daisy PowerLine 901Product Tests

04 Roger’s GunWorks –Roger FerrellCustom Corner -Stan Trzoniec

12 What’s New in theMarketplaceInside Product News -Clair Rees

22 .300s and .338sRifles & Woodsmoke -John Barsness

Page 76

Page 60

4

Issue No. 226 July-August 2006

Sportiting FiFirearearms Joururnalal

Publisher/President – Mark Harris

Associate Publisher – Don Polacek

Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill

Managing Editor – Roberta Montgomery

Art Director – Gerald Hudson

Production Director – Becky Pinkley

Contributing Editors

Associate Editor – Al Miller

Advertising

Don Polacek: [email protected]

Mark Webb: [email protected]

Tom Bowman: [email protected]

Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810

Circulation

Circulation Manager – Michele Morgan

[email protected]

Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810

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Rifle® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly byMark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc., dba WolfePublishing Company (Mark Harris, President), 2625Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Alsopublisher of Handloader® magazine.) Telephone (928)445-7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona,and additional mailing offices. Subscription prices:U.S. possessions – single issue, $4.99; 6 issues, $19.97;12 issues, $36; 18 issues, $48. Foreign and Canada –single issue, $5.99; 6 issues $26; 12 issues, $48; 18issues, $69. Please allow 6-8 weeks for first issue.Advertising rates furnished on request. All rightsreserved.

Change of address: Please give six weeks notice. Send both the old and new address, plus mailing labelif possible, to Circulation Dept., Rifle® Magazine,2625 Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle®, 2625Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.

Wolfe PublishingCompany

2625 Stearman Rd.Suite A

Prescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124© Mark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc.

John Barsness

Brian Pearce

Clair Rees

Gil Sengel

Ron Spomer

Stan Trzoniec

Mike Venturino

Ken Waters

Publisher of Rifle® is not responsible for mishaps of any nature which might occur from use of published loadingdata or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced withoutwritten permission from the publisher Publisher assumes all North American Rights upon acceptance and paymentfor all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost ormutilated manuscripts.

Page 104. . .

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VarmintingVarminting.204 Ruger.204 Ruger

with the

Sometimes, however, new cartridges are just a“flash in the pan,” as a few yearslater they are quietly dropped

from production and remainingstock lingers on dealers’ shelves. The .204 certainlyappears to be different, as the folks at Sturm, Ruger& Co. and Hornady (ammunition) have beenpleased with its steady sales. Recognizing justhow well it has sold, several rifle companies are

now offering guns, and Winchester andRemington have joined Hornady in

producing ammunition. All of which addsup to signs of success.

For those who might not be familiar with the .204Ruger, a brief look seems appropriate. After work-ing together on the .480 Ruger, Hornady Manufac-turing and Sturm, Ruger & Co. again teamed up,this time creating a rifle cartridge. The case is basi-cally a .222 Remington Magnum necked to accept.204-inch bullets, with factory loads driving 32- and

40-grain bullets 4,225 and 3,900

fps, respectively. The 32-grain bullet has a ballisticcoefficiency (BC) of .210 and with a 200-yard zerodrops 4.1 inches at 300 yards or 13.1 inches at 400yards. The 40-grain V-MAX has a BC of .275 anddrops 4.3 inches and 13.2 inches at 300 and 400yards, respectively (with the same zero). At 500yards the 40 grainer offers a slightly flatter trajec-tory than the lighter bullet and, due to its higherBC, bucks the wind noticeably better.

Hornady ammunition produced after June 2004 isloaded with Primex SMP746, a non-canister gradepropellant featuring a “de-coppering” agent thathelps prevent bullet fouling from developing to anyimportant degree. (This is state-of-the-art technol-ogy developed for our military.)

Rapid throat erosion has generally been a concernwith cartridges that achieve the above velocities. Inthe case of the .204, however, powder charges arerather small, and SAAMI maximum average pres-sures are 57,500 psi, noticeably less than the .22-250Remington or .220 Swift. According to Hornadyengineers, throat erosion should be similar to the.223 Remington; in other words barrel life shouldbe long. (Hornady ammunition is loaded at orbelow 55,000 psi.)

77www.riflemagazine.com

Field Tests of aLittle .20

Field Tests of aLittle .20

The .204 Ruger (left) is shown with the .223 Rem-ington and .22-250 Remington.

Brian Pearce

Ayear or so ago, when report-ing on the new .204 Rugercartridge in Rifle magazine,

I stuck my neck out indi-cating it was one of the more signifi-cant cartridge developments andwould probably have a bright fu-ture. New cartridges usually sellwell, at least initially, as dealersstock their shelves with guns andammunition for the retail shooter.And there are those who must havethe latest gun/cartridge, just toshow their shooting buddies.

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the time you read this it will bestandard equipment.) Dakota of-fers three stock options in-cluding synthetic (All-WeatherPredator), smooth AAA Clarowalnut (Serious Predator) andcheckered select Claro walnutwith shadow-line cheekpiece(Classic Predator). In short, thebarreled action is identical foreach model, just the stocks aredifferent. Suggested retail pricesare $1,995, $2,495 and $2,695, re-spectively. Each stock is pillarand glass bedded, and barrelsare free floated.

The Dakota Serious Predatorrifles were topped with Swar-ovski 6-24x PH-Series (Profes-sional Hunter) scopes, featuring30mm tubes and Plex reticle(with a couple featuring theTDS reticle). Swarovski Optik isworld renowned for its ultra-clear optics, and these scopesproved no exception in the field.This is a serious predator outfit!

When my turn came to sightin the Dakota rifle, I settled on asandbag rest at Ramshot/WesternPowders’ 100-yard range andbegan firing, while Mike Jordan

first Dakota production guns.This is a top-rate outfit featur-ing a Lilja barrel, a maker re-nowned for accuracy, and atrigger that can be adjusted downto 2 ounces, but comes factoryset at one pound. (The rifle I wasusing was not fitted with thisnew trigger mechanism, but by

IN THE FIELD

During the past summer months,I had an opportunity to use thelatest factory loads and guns in“heated” shooting sessions onoverpopulated prairie dog towns,so it seems prudent to shareobservations.

While on a “dog” shoot in MilesCity, Montana, I had a chance towork with Winchester Ammuni-tion’s new 34-grain hollowpointadvertised to achieve 4,025 fps(but actually produced 4,116 fpsfrom a 26-inch barrel). The testvehicle was the new DakotaArms “Serious Predator,” a sin-gle-shot bolt action – one of the

78 www.riflemagazine.com

.204 Ruger.204 Ruger

Dakota offers threestock options.

A Ruger Model 77MKII Target .204Ruger with a 26-inch barrel was usedto check velocitiesof factory loads.

The Dakota Arms Serious Predator rifle is a single-shotbolt action, fitted with a Lilja barrel and AAA Clarowalnut stock It is topped with a Swarovski 6-24xPH-Series scope.

July-August 2006 79www.riflemagazine.com

(formerly of Winchester Ammu-nition) spotted. After getting thepoint of impact corrected, threeshots were fired consecutively(with a warm barrel) that weretouching. Obviously this load andrifle were working well together.

Spring had been wet in easternMontana with rainfall practicallyevery day for the previous twoweeks, so our hosts were con-cerned about getting stuck onthe prairie. We decided to let theclaylike soil dry one more day.This gave us a chance to fire theguns from the bench at a varietyof ranges on fun targets includ-ing eggs at around 200 yardsand “paper” prairie dogs at 100to 250 yards. The 34-grain Win-chester load made a goodshowing, but late in the after-noon, the wind gusts became areal challenge, and like any othercartridge, bullets drifted – some-times erratically.

The next day we spent all dayshooting prairie dogs, and to saythat they were plentiful would bean understatement! Most townshad six or eight dogs standing oneach mound, with perhaps hun-dreds of mounds. The wind wascalm, and with an accurate rifleand several cases of ammunition,it seemed I must have beendreaming. But within a few min-utes the barrel was smoking hotand the flea-bitten critters hadbeen thinned considerably. Theload was working well. The flattrajectory helped in making hitsfeasible at 500 yards, and bulletswere striking hard (if you know

what I mean). Examining termi-nated dogs, the 34-grain Winches-ter hollowpoint showed rapidexpansion even at these longerdistances.

On another recent varmintshoot in eastern Wyoming, I hadthe opportunity to try new .204loads and rifles from RemingtonArms Company. The rifle I chosewas the new Model XR-100 Range-master. The action is based on

the XP-100 target pistol with asingle-shot solid bottom receiver.The trigger is borrowed fromthe Model 40-XB target rifle withexternal pull adjustment thatranges from 11⁄2 to 31⁄2 pounds.The thumbhole stock is lami-nated with a ventilated beavertailforearm to help cool the barrel(a helpful feature on “heated”varmint shoots). The barrel is 26inches and contoured to give an

.204 Ruger Handloadsbullet powder charge velocity

(grains) (grains) (fps)

32 Hornady V-MAX W-748 29.6 4,025H-4895 28.4 4,248VV-N140 29.2 4,001

35 Berger hollowpoint H-4895 28.2 4,13440 Hornady V-MAX W-748 28.3 3,866

H-335 26.8 3,823Notes: A Ruger M77 MKII Target with a 26-inch barrel was used for de-veloping loads. Rate of twist is one turn in 12 inches. Remington 71⁄2Bench Rest primers and Hornady cases used throughout. Temperatureduring testing was 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

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

Table I .204 RugerFactory Load Performance

advertised actual extremeload velocity velocity spread

(grains) (fps) (fps) (fps)

32 Hornady V-MAX 4,225 4,253 4534 Winchester JHP 4,025 4,116 4240 Hornady V-MAX 3,900 3,892 3140 Remington AccuTip BT 3,900 3,968 46

Table II

The Dakota Serious Predator is aserious predator outfit!


the Vari-X III) and finger-click 1⁄4MOA adjustments. There is also afocus adjustment mounted on theleft side of the turret housing, areal convenience as the rifle can

feature all the upgrades appliedto this line a couple of years ago,including “Index Match” lenscoating (offering a 6 percent in-crease in light transmission over

be left at the shoulder and thefocus (or parallax) adjusted withthe left hand.

The Remington factory load(used on this shoot) is of the“Premier” AccuTip-V line andrepresents the company’s bestvarmint ammunition. The 40-grain bullet features a polymertip that is designed to offer highballistic coefficiency and rapidexpansion. To further enhance itsBC, it’s a boat-tail. The result is abullet with greater BC than a.22-caliber spitzer weighing 60grains. The muzzle velocity is ad-vertised at 3,900 fps, a combina-tion that makes an excellentlong-range varmint load. (Thisload clocked 3,968 fps from a 26-inch barrel, so Remington’s ad-vertised numbers obtained from

overall rifle weight of 91⁄8 pounds.The XR-100 has all the right fea-tures to catch the attention ofprecision shooters and varminthunters. My compliments toRemington, as the XR-100 Range-master carries a suggested retailprice of just $905, a remarkablevalue.

The Remington rifles were top-ped with Leupold VX-III 6.5-20xand 8.5-25x variable scopes. Both

Rifle 22680 www.riflemagazine.com

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Below, Remington’s Eddie Steven-son gives the new XR-100 Range-master .204 Ruger a workout onprairie dogs. This rifle is toppedwith a Leupold VX-III 6.5-20xscope, a great combination. Right,the XR-100 Rangemaster featuresa laminated thumbhole stock,vented forearm and 40-XB ad-justable trigger.

The Remingtonrifles were toppedwith Leupold VX-III6.5-20x and 8.5-25x

variable scopes.


Rifle 226

make it back to the motel), so Iswitched to a rifle chambered in.22-250 Remington for the last 40or 50 rounds of the day. The first

thing I noticed was that the muz-zle blast was significantly greater(in spite of wearing both earplugs and muffs), and due to theextra muzzle lift, the “results”could not be seen through thescope after firing. The .22-250Remington ranks as one of myfavorite bottleneck rifle car-tridges, especially as a varmintnumber, but I was missing the.204! I did not comment to mycompanions regarding this ob-servation, but at the end of thesecond day, another writer,whom I have great respect forand is an excellent rifleman, alsoran low on .204 ammunition andswitched to the .22-250. Thatevening at dinner, he commentedto the effect that after using the.204, the .22-250 just seemed tobe “right in his face” and was bycomparison unpleasant.

In spite of the husky winds, onthe second day shooting wasgreat, and we stayed with it allday. Under such circumstances,the 40-grain bullet is definitely abetter choice than the lighterweights, as it was less affectedby drift. At the longer ranges, ithad plenty of wallop for humanekills. I am becoming more im-pressed with the .204 with eachouting.

a 24-inch barrel are close to themark.) Remington has also intro-duced a 32-grain AccuTip-V loadat 4,225 fps.

We had two days of steadyshooting. The wind was mild onthe first day, then became strongon the second. I did not have theopportunity to try the RemingtonModel XR-100 Rangemaster froma sandbag rest and on paper, butit quickly became clear that thiswas indeed an accurate rifle/am-munition combination. Manydogs were taken consecutively ina “string” of shots at some im-pressive distances – at least aslong as I could do my part.

After firing several hundredrounds of .204 ammunition onthat first day, we ran out of am-munition (at least until we could


Hornady, Winchester and Remington are offering loads for the .204Ruger.


Bullet impact of the .204 cangenerally be seen through thescope when using a typical varm-int rifle that weighs 91⁄2 to 93⁄4pounds plus scope. The conven-ience of this feature cannot beoverstated, especially when it iswindy. For example, let’s saythere is a dog at 300 yards with a20- to 22-mph crosswind (a very

more inches of wind drift willtake its toll on the bullet, assum-ing that the wind remains exactlythe same, which it never does.This is difficult shooting, butagain, seeing the bullet strike sothat corrections can be madehelp the hit ratio improve dra-matically. And when a solid con-nection is made, it is rewardingto see the spectacular results.

The .204 Ruger has been arounda couple of years, and consider-ing the new guns and ammuni-tion, with more on the way, itappears it’s going to be muchmore than just a flash in the pan.If you have considered purchas-ing one, I don’t believe you willbe disappointed. I just sent acheck ordering a second one.

real scenario). Knowing thatthe bullet will drift, we compen-sate by holding three or four dogwidths upwind and squeeze thetrigger. If we instantly see thebullet strike 3 inches to one sideof the dog, the shooter can cor-rect with the next shot and prob-ably connect. If the next dog isspotted at 350 yards, several

At the longer ranges,it had plenty

of wallop.

Brian has found the .204 Ruger easy to handload.

R


Daisy’s newest entry into

the world of dual-ammuni-tion, multipump pneumatic riflesis another worthy addition tothe PowerLine series of airgunslaunched by that company over30 years ago. Dubbed the Power-Line 901, this relatively new airrifle features a molded compositereceiver, stock and forearm. Thisextensive use of synthetics ac-counts for a rather light weight ofjust 3.6 pounds.

pumping lever,are grooved for asecure hold.

Available in .177-inch (4.5mm) cal-iber only, the 901has a rifled steelbarrel measuring20.8 inches. As adual ammunitionair rifle, the 901can function as a50-shot repeaterwith BBs or as a single shot withlead pellets. Like most air riflesin its class, the 901 features abolt action. Opening the bolt allthe way and elevating the muzzlewhen there are BBs in the reser-voir will feed one BB by gravityto the magnetic bolt tip. Pelletsmust be loaded singly by hand.

Measuring just under 38 inchesoverall, however, the 901 is longenough to be handled comfort-ably by adults as well as youngshooters. In fact, as far as physi-cal size goes, the 901 feels a lotlike a modern synthetic-stocked.22 rimfire rifle and is therefore agood choice for training pur-poses. The molded stock and thereceiver sport a matte black fin-ish. The rather pronounced pistolgrip as well as the substantialforearm, which doubles as the

The 901 employs a multipumppneumatic power plant with arecommended maximum of 10pumps, which generate a muzzlevelocity of approximately 750 fpswith BBs and about 715 fps withpellets. The particular type ofpneumatic power plant used inthe 901 requires the bolt to becocked before pumping.

The single-stage trigger is notadjustable. In the test sample thelet-off pressure averaged a fairlysmooth 43⁄4 pounds. There is amanual cross-bolt trigger blocksafety located in the front sectionof the trigger guard. The 901comes with a red fiber-optic frontsight and a fully adjustable openrear sight. In addition, the top ofthe receiver has a molded dove-tail to allow adding a scope.

Shooting tests disclosed thatthe PowerLine 901 is a solid per-former. With standard matchstyle (flat head) pellets, the 901printed groups averaging 5⁄8 inch

S t a f f

DAISY POWERLINE 901DAISY POWERLINE 901P

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The Daisy 901 has the sleek looks of a modern .22 rimfire rifle.

The bolt must be cocked beforepumping.

Pumping the 901 is easy. Therecommended maximum is 10pumps.

Specifications

Caliber: .177 inch (4.5mm)Ammunition: BBs or lead pelletsPower plant: multipump pneumaticAction: bolt actionAmmo capacity: single-shot pellet;

50-shot BB repeaterLength overall: 37.8 inchesWeight: 3.6 poundsBarrel: 20.8 inches, rifled steelTrigger: single-stage, non-adjustableSafety: manual cross-bolt trigger blockSights: fiber-optic front,

adjustable open rearMSRP: $66.99Manufacturer: Daisy Outdoor Products

Rogers AR 727561-800-643-3458

Rifle 226

across at 10 yards, with the riflepumped five times for each shot.While certainly not match-levelaccuracy, the 901 would make anideal air rifle for informal targetshooting and pest control. Smallrodents and other pests of simi-lar size would be fair game forthis rifle at distances of up to 20yards or so.

With rugged good looks, greathandling characteristics and im-pressive performance, the Daisy901 is also affordably priced. –J.I. Galan

The Gamo

Carbine SportThe ever-growing Gamo stable

of general-purpose sporting airrifles is now home to a new ver-sion of an already popular model.Based upon the Shadow 640, thenew Carbine Sport still has mostof the features of the formermodel, such as the ergonomicallydesigned one-piece molded syn-thetic stock. The latter’s futur-istic style combined with anambidextrous cheekpiece anddual soft rubber panels in theforearm add up to a truly slick-looking sporting air rifle.

The stock’s gray hue contrastsnicely with the deeply bluedsteel of the receiver and barrelareas. Incidentally, the stockalso comes with a thick rubberbuttpad.


Ed & Deb StevensonP.O. Box 87-5149 • Wasilla, AK 99687

Ph/Fax (907) 745-0479E-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: sheepriver-hunting.com

Specializingin classic fairchase hunts for Alaskan brown/grizzly bear.We hunt a very primitive, mountainous areaby the spot and stalk method.

Hunting from April 1-June 15 &Aug 10-Nov 30 • 10 & 15 day hunts

MasterGuide

• Complete Made-to-Order Rifles• Custom Walnut Stocks • Precision Barrel Fitting

• Synthetic Stocks/Pillar Bedding • SASE For Information.416 Rigby

130 White Oak Ct., Fayetteville, GA 30214(770) 460-0533Roger Ferrell

S ometimes we receive a gun with so much“personality” that it’s actually hard to con-dense all the material in a short story. Such

is the case with this distinctive Winchester Model1885 sent to us by Roger Ferrell of Roger’s GunWorks.

According to Roger, the rifle started life as aModel 87 Winder Musket chambered for the .22Long Rifle. Built as training rifles for the army dur-ing World War I, the action, while being a low-wallconfiguration, is a coil spring high-wall action thathad its receiver walls cut down. Originally the riflehad a straight grip stock, and the right side of thereceiver had four threaded holes cut into it for theLyman No. 41 receiver sight.

Before all the Winchester aficionados start writingto Roger about destroying a collectible rifle, hefound it on a sale rack for only $250, which givesyou a good idea of its original condition. The borewas in terrible condition, its military stock hadbeen sporterized, and the metal had no original fin-ish. In all, the action was the only usable part, andfrom start to finish, the project went just over sevenyears.

During that time Roger converted the rifle fromrimfire to centerfire use. The action was annealed,the trigger guard was bent to its present position,and the unsightly holes on the receiver were filledin. In addition, a single set trigger was installed, theaction was polished and color casehardened, and

that rich color of blueing was obtained using theslow rust method.

The 28-inch, half-octagonal barrel follows the Win-chester No. 2 contour and started as a Wind Riveroctagonal blank that Roger recontoured to its pres-ent dimensions. The rifle itself is chambered for the.44 WCF – which was a caliber never chambered inthe Special Single Shot – but Roger admitted itmakes one heck of a plinker, and he intends to useit on some Georgia whitetail deer this year. Withhandloads, the rifle will group less than an inch at50 yards with iron sights.

The stock was styled to resemble the Special Sin-gle Shot version of the Model 1885 complete with acheekpiece and a small Swiss-styled buttplate. Itwas made from a blank of feathered crotch Ameri-can black walnut, and Roger admitted that “he lethis hair down” when it came to the final stockingand design work. He has always admired the Win-chester stocks for their graceful S pistol grip, theslight bulge in the belly and the somewhat volup-tuous cheekpiece, as opposed to the classic stocksthat American’s enjoy today.

Ferrell did all the metal and stock work. A newbreechblock, single set trigger and the Swissbuttplate came from Ballard rifles. For sightingequipment, the globe front and rear tang sightswere made by Montana Vintage Arms.

For more information on the rifle and the servicesthat Roger provides, please contact him at 130White Oak Court, Fayetteville GA 30214.

Rifle 226

ROGER’S GUN WORKS

ROGER FERRELL

ROGER’S GUN WORKS

ROGER FERRELL

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105www.riflemagazine.comJuly-August 2006


Both of my large gun safes

are designed to keep thievesat bay. They also have seriousfireproofing. To date, that’s beenthe norm. Gun safes have tradi-tionally been designed to protectagainst fire and theft.

What about floods? Consideringrecent events in New Orleansand other flood-stricken areas,protecting gun collections fromwater damage seems like aworthwhile goal.

I honestly hadn’t thought aboutthis until I ran across an eye-catching display at the recentSHOT Show in Las Vegas. When Ipassed the Sentry Safe booth,front and center sat a ProStaff™

gun safe immersed in a clearplexiglass tank half-filled withwater. A placard pointed out theneed to protect guns and othervaluables from possible flooding.

“There’s a true need out thereno one else is serving,” saidWendy Preiser, vice president ofmarketing at the Sentry Group.“We’re the first to introduce awater-resistant gun safe. OurProStaff safe line offers third-party-verified water protectionthat distinguishes our safes fromthose of our competitors. In addi-tion to protecting guns fromwater damage, these safes offerthe physical security and fire-resistant technology expectedfrom the SentrySafe brand.”

How water-resistant are thesesafes? According to Sentry, thecompany’s GPW ProStaff serieshas been certified by an inde-pendent testing firm, ETL Semko,to keep guns dry when immersedin up to two feet of water, for upto three days.

Many shooters store gun safesin their basements, where a cer-

tain amount of flooding some-times occurs. Several years ago Ibuilt a three-story home with thelower floor partially under-ground. The next spring, meltingsnowpack in the nearby moun-tains raised ground water levels,and water poured through the

window wells. Muddy water rosea foot high, destroying a large,new carpet and damaging wood-paneled walls. I was grateful thelone gun safe I then owned washigh and dry in my office above.Another home I once rented hadsimilar problems when a watermain broke nearby. It’s not some-thing we like to think about, butsemi-flooded basements aren’tuncommon. You don’t need tolive in a disaster area to sufferwater damage.

According to the Insurance Ser-vices Office, Inc., water damagefrom flooded basements, burstpipes, malfunctioning clotheswashers or failing water heaterscause some of the most commoninsurance claims. “If you live ina high-risk flood zone, your homehas a 26 percent chance of be-ing damaged by a flood over thecourse of a 30-year mortgage,”says the Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency (FEMA).

Eight models comprise theProStaff lineup. Adjustable interi-ors, pull-out drawers, file caddiesand a removable ammunitionbox are among the available op-

C l a i r R e e s

SENTRY® FLOODPROOF

GUN SAFE

SENTRY® FLOODPROOF

GUN SAFE

INS

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OCTAGON BARRELS - Using Douglas premiumbarrels or your barrel. Straight-Tapered orContoured. Little or nopolishing needed.

544 Eaton RoadChico, CA 95973

Tel: 530-345-2928Fax: 530-345-8614

Toll Free: 800-345-4742www.cncbarrelworks.com

Turkish CircassianStock Blanks

Rifle & Two-Piece • All GradesGene Simillion

220 S. Wisconsin • Gunnison, CO 81230Tel/Fax 970-641-1126

tions. All these safes are ETL-certified to protect against a 1,400-degree fire for up to 30 minutes.

These water-resistant safes arepriced to retail from $960 to$1,400. The model I saw on dis-play (GPW1852H) stood 59 incheshigh, 223⁄4 inches wide and 261⁄2inches deep, giving it a totalcapacity of 12.9 cubic feet. The3mm thick steel door featuredfive steel locking bolts and threedead bolts, along with an elec-tronic lock. This safe weighs 510pounds, holds 14 rifles or shot-guns and sells for $1,189.

For more information, contactthe Sentry Group, Dept. R, 900Linden Avenue, Rochester NY14625; call toll-free: 1-800-828-1438; or you can visit the websiteat: www.sentrysafe.com.

Kimber Offers

Upgraded Wood

in Select Grade

84M, 8400I’ve been a fan of Kimber’s

Model 84M rifle ever since I car-ried one on a Saskatchewan deerhunt shortly after the rifle was in-troduced. In addition to punching5⁄8-inch, 100-yard groups withBarnes Triple-Shock handloads,the .308 rifle weighed just 51⁄2pounds – and that was with awood (not synthetic) stock.

I’ve used enough black-handledrifles I’m growing weary of them.Purely utilitarian, they lack thegood looks and class walnutstocks provide. The Kimber 84MClassic’s A-grade Claro walnuthandle was handsome, warm tothe touch and felt right in myhands. I still regret returning thatrifle instead of sending Kimber acheck.

That may happen yet, now thatKimber has turned things up anotch. The company recently in-troduced two different upgrades– the new Kimber Select Grade84M and Model 8400 rifles. Theyare identical to the Kimber Clas-


If you can’t quite make out a trophy animal becauseit’s a little too dark for an ordinary scope…or if youmiss a monster because your scope won’t holdzero…then all the time and money you’ve put intoyour hunt is for naught. Yes, Schmidt & Benderscopes are expensive. But after you’ve hunted withone, you’ll consider it quite a bargain indeed.

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