GunDigest 2015

1942 Pages·2014·105.87 MB·English

by  Lee

GunDigest
2015
Edited by
JERRY LEE
33RD ANNUAL
It is our pleasure to announce that Paul Scarlata is the recipient of the 33rd
Annual John T. Amber Literary Award. The award is presented in recognition of
his excellent story, “The Remarkable Ross,” which was published in last year’s
68th Edition of Gun Digest. Paul presented a very thorough and well-researched
story on the confusing and complicated history of the straight-pull, bolt-action
Ross rifle in the early decades of the 20th century. The infamous Canadian rifle
was plagued with controversy and problems during its years of service in many
different variations from 1903 to about 1940. Several soldiers were seriously
injured due to failures of the rifle’s pull-bolt design, but the gun’s creator, Sir
Charles Ross, blamed the incidents on faulty maintenance procedures. Politics
and favoritism also played a role in the interesting tale of the Ross rifle.
We asked Paul to tell us a bit about his life and his interest in firearms.
“I guess my ending up as a member of the firearms media was a foregone
conclusion. My father, an avid hunter and fisherman, taught my two brothers and
myself a respect for the outdoors, wildlife and firearms at an early age. Many of
my happiest memories are of those days the four of us spent afield pursuing
small and large game and deep-sea fishing. I often tell people that my childhood
resembled a Hemingway novel.
“In my teens I developed a fascination for the, then inexpensive, military
surplus firearms flooding the market. Over the years I accumulated – and sold
off – several collections until I began specializing in Krag-Jorgensens. A
fascinating, if expensive, hobby.
“I graduated college with an MA in Russian and Middle Eastern history and a
minor in journalism, and over the years I worked as a teacher, medical office
manager and business owner. After a life-changing event in my 40s, a divorce,
the opportunity presented itself for me to pursue a career that involved two
things that I loved – firearms and history.
“With the urging of my daughter and the help of my brothers, one an engineer
for a major firearms/ammunition company and the other a photographer, I began
submitting articles to various firearms publications – and almost starved to death
for three years! But my perseverance paid off and my work has been published
by gun and military history magazines in the U.S., Switzerland, Finland, Russia,
the Netherlands, Great Britain, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. I have
also had three books on classic bolt-action military rifles published, all of which
have proven successful.
Paul and one of his beloved Krag-Jorgensen rifles. Photo by Becky Leavitt
Paul Searlata
“Today I continue to contribute to publications in the U.S. and around the
world and am about to begin my fourth book. In my leisure time I am an active
Action Pistol shooter, a sport that I share with my fiancée and photographer –
Becky, and continue to pursue the Holy Grail of Kragdom – an all original U.S.
M1892 rifle!”
The John T. Amber Award is presented each year to a Gun Digest contributor
whose work demonstrates significant knowledge of the subject matter through
experience and research, and also for the ability to express it in a way to inform,
inspire and entertain the reader. Each recipient receives a handsome plaque and a
$1,000 honorarium. The award is named for the late John Amber, who served as
the editor of Gun Digest from 1951 to 1979 and is fondly remembered by many
readers and industry people for his knowledge and love of fine firearms. Amber
died in 1986 on his Creedmoor farm in Illinois at the age of 82.
Congratulations Paul. We look forward to seeing your stories in future
editions of Gun Digest.
Jerry Lee
Editor
INTRODUCTION
It’s hard to believe another year has gone by and that this edition of “The
World’s Greatest Gun Book” is in bookstores and gunshops all over the country.
Or, these days, on a truck or plane headed to someone’s front door from
gundigeststore.com, Amazon or some other online retailer.
From its early years, Gun Digest has set the standard for firearms-related
journals and as editor, it is my goal to continue that tradition. We have put
together a mix of stories, field reports, gun tests and reference sections that cover
a wide range of the shooting sports from some of the top writers in the field.
This edition has stories on everything from investing in machine guns to a
women’s-only African safari; from historical articles on Webleys, Rolling
Blocks and Enfields, to tests on a modern-day sniper rifle and the latest Glock;
and from holsters of the Hollywood Westerns to the handgun that’s number one
in battlefield fatalities. (It’s not a 1911.)
We are very proud to add Dick Williams’ byline to our ever-expanding list of
Gun Digest contributors. Dick has been published in many gun magazines for
years and is recognized as a leading expert in the field of handgun hunting. He
has taken a number of big-game animals in Alaska, Africa and Australia, as well
as all over the United States. Dick’s story in this edition is about the very first
.44 Magnums from Smith & Wesson and Ruger.
It’s great to welcome back two writers whose names haven’t been seen on our
table of contents page for many years: Garry James and Nick Sisley. Garry has
been associated with Guns & Ammo magazine for decades, having served as
editor in the past and now as senior editor and contributor. He frequently appears
as a host or guest on various gun-related television shows and is a regular
contributor to the NRA’s American Rifleman magazine. Garry’s contribution to
this edition is about the early .303 British rifles that were made for black-powder
cartridges. No one, and I mean, no one, knows more about early English and
French military rifles than Garry James.
Nick Sisley is Mr. Shotgun to many readers of gun books and magazines over
the last 40-plus years. He has written thousands of magazine articles, eight
books, is an NSCA, NSSA and NRA shotgun instructor, and a private pilot with
many ratings. In this edition of Gun Digest, Nick covers the fine products of the
Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company, and reviews the Caesar Guerini
Invictus over/under. You can find a lot of Nick’s thoughts and opinions at
www.shotgunlife.com/author/Nick-Sisley.html.
Highlights of This Edition
For many years Wayne van Zwoll has hosted safaris to Africa for women
hunters. In his “Safari Sisters” story, he says he discovered long ago that neither
machismo nor magnums are required for a successful hunt. He tells us that
women tend to be more careful in shooting big game, partly because they are
inexperienced, but also because they aren’t reluctant to acknowledge their
inexperience, unlike many male hunters. To quote Wayne, “Circumstantial
evidence suggests many men think they were born shooting bull’s-eyes.” And
“…such fellows commonly attempt shots beyond their ability.” That sounds like
good advice for some of us.
Many of us recall the golden age of Western movies and television shows in
the middle of the last century. Those formative years are when I’m sure many of
the readers of Gun Digest developed an interest in guns. Most of us will recall
that along with the sixguns of the Hollywood cowboys were all those wonderful
leather rigs in which they were carried. My friend Rick Hacker is a walking,
talking encyclopedia of the guns and gear of Western films and TV programs.
His story on Arvo Ojala takes us back to “those thrilling days of yesteryear”
(sorry, I couldn’t resist it), and tells us how a champion fast-draw shooter
became an artist in leather whose holsters appeared in virtually every TV
Western. Rick also reveals which famous TV scene you have probably seen
many times that features Arvo Ojala.
Values of many types of machine guns have skyrocketed in recent years and
Frank James provides a fascinating look at the subject in this edition. Frank is a
recognized expert on the subject and has owned and fired many full-auto
weapons. In addition to his fine book on the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine
gun (published by Gun Digest Books/Krause in 2003), he has written hundreds
of articles on machine guns for many gun magazines in the U.S. and Europe. By
the way, Frank suffered a severe stroke in early 2013 but as we go to press in
June, he is recovering quite well and hopes to be back at the keyboard soon.
Many gun books and magazines have articles about the different shooting
schools around the country that teach the skills needed for personal defense and
the various competitive disciplines. But the FTW Ranch in Texas has a training
program that is different, one that is designed specifically for hunters. Buck Pope
took one of the courses and reports on what he and other students learned in
“Shooting School for Hunters.” The 12,000-acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country
also offers hunting opportunities.
Terry Wieland’s “Shooting Stars” story is on the history and development of
the 7mm Sharpe & Hart cartridge and the Schultz & Larsen rifles chambered for
it in the years following World War II. The 7x61 S&H was the only alternative to
the 7mm Weatherby Magnum during the 1950s and developed quite a following.
Then the 7mm Remington Mag. came along in 1962 and soon became America’s
favorite big seven. Terry tells a good story about Philip Sharpe’s dream and
clarifies some confusing claims and statements that have been published in the
past.
Other highlights of this edition include Jon Sundra and his favorite cartridge.
He quotes Jack O’Connor telling him one time that no one wanted him to ever