Double Set Triggers

Silhouette Knockdown: Fact & Fantasy Page 2 5 . . . 22 Momentum versus energy.

.375 H&H 25 New bullets and powders.

28

32

36

40

Jay Turner

G. Sitton

Volquartsen Custom Ruger 10/22 & Mark I1 Match-grade performance.

Layne Simpson

Double Set Triggers Use and effectiveness.

Fine Longrifle Kit First-class, do-it-yourself rifle.

Test Your Rifle Scope What to look for in rifle optics.

AI Miller

Steven Dodd Hughes

Norman E. Johnson

Page 2 8 . . . DEPARTMENTS

4 . . . . . . . Spotting Scope

6 . . Custom Corner

10 . . The Armsmakers

16 . . . . . . Dear Editor

18 . . . . . . Rimfires

20 . . . . . . Reader Research

. . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . Air Rifles 56 ProducTests Page 3 2 .

14 . . . . . . . Capitol Watch 70 . . . . . . Tales from French Creek

COPYRIGHT WOLFE PUBLISHING CO. 1992

On the cover ... This David Miller .375 H&H Winchester Model 70 Super Grade is outfitted with a 24-inch barrel and Leupold Vari-X-III 1.5-5x scope in custom one-piece mount and rings. Differential blueing - satin and bright - and gold and stainless steel inlays are matched with the full fiddleback English walnut stock that was finished by Curt Crum. Contact David Miller Company, 3131 E. Greenlee, Tucson AZ 85716. Photo by Ron Dehn.

F

January-February 1992 3

Wolfe Publishing Com,dn:,

Phone (602) 445-7810 Fax (602) 778-5124 6471 Airpark Drive - Prescott, Arizona E

WOLFE PUBLISHING I s PLEASED To INTRODUCE A N E W MAGAZINE CONCEIVED F O R GREAT

SPORTSMEN L l K E O U R HAh'DLOADER AND RIFLE READERS.

WOLFE PUBLISHING HAS SET THE ~ T A N D A R ~ C IN FIREARMS MAGAZINES FOR YEARS.

Back in 1969 WOLFE PUBLISHING introduced Handloader

magazine, the first technical journal specifically about handloading

ammunition, and it has become the foremost publication on the subject the world over.

Rifle magazine _ _ -

-+ne Qet apart from

Now, WOLFE continues in that tradition by establishing a landmark

journal on hunting excellence. Hunting Horizons is different and a step up

o be better, mo

with Hunting Horizons.

CUSTOM CORNER

Simillion’s Complete .375 In gunmaker’s lingo, a “complete job”

means that one man did both the stockmaking and metalsmithing. Gene Simillion (220 Wisconsin, Gunnison CO 81230) accomplished all of the work of this .375 H&H hunting rifle.

The pre-64 Winchester Model 70 action was ground and polished inside and out before several functional

changes were made. To prevent solids from deforming it, the magazine box has a ‘/,-inch reinforcing plate added. To improve feeding and function, a new follower was milled from 4140 bar stock. It is quite different than factory specs and was heat treated for slick- ness and durability. A straight bolt handle was welded in place and checkered a t the knob.

Prior to barrel fitting the front of the receiver and bolt face were squared and the bolt lugs lapped. Gene fitted the generously dimensioned barrel using the “dialed in” techniques developed for benchrest rifles. Its profile was ground to Gene’s specifications and the 25 inch length was chosen with balance in mind. A secondary recoil lug was sweated and screwed to the barrel 5 inches forward of the receiver.

Custom made scope bases, hardened 4140, are attached to the action with 8-40 screws and Burgess lever scope rings fitted high enough to accom- modate European scopes. With just a

quarter turn of the levers, the scope tips off to the side without sliding on the dovetails.

Gene’s iron sights are mini sculp- tures mounted high near the scope’s line of sight. The shallow “V” rear

6

Steven Dodd Hughes

blade has an inverted ivory “V” on its face to aid alignment with the ivory bead front sights. Warthog ivory was used in both cases as it will not yellow. The rear sight is dovetailed to its base and secured by an allen head set screw to facilitate adjustment. It is engraved 50 yds., the range i t was regulated for.

The front sights, .125 and ,090-inch beads, are found in a small leather pouch inside the grip cap trap along with a plunger tool. The front sight base is fitted with a cover plate when the sights are not needed; they can be easily interchanged with the tool and the cover will fit in the trap cavity when the sights are in use. The bases for both sights are sweated and screwed to the barrel.

All of the trigger pins are reamed and fit like a national match trigger. The trigger bow was heli-arced, re- shaped and canted to the right. The

right side of the trigger guard bow has a neatly raised and beaded edge.

Other metalwork includes a three- screw bottom metal, a drop box mag- azine with a hinged floorplate and a guard bow release lever that has a spring loaded detent to secure it. All of the metal is rust blued with nitre blued highlights.

The French walnut classic-style stock looks like it was stretched slightly at the wrist. The open pistol grip, gently rising comb nose and angle of the grip cap each add to this sleaker look. Cast- off and toe out, %, and % inch, respec- tively, are hard to see but comfortable to hold. Sharp contour lines at the magazine, rear of the action and comb fluting enhance the overall look of the rifle. The cheekpiece is subtly and agreeably shaped.

The stock was bedded with slight up- ward pressure near, but not at, the ebony tip. It is bedded tightly to the receiver and barrel lug. The recoil pad is covered with pigskin.

Point pattern checkering, 26 lines per inch, covers the oil-finished stock at the grip and forearm. Mullered checkering borders and a 14kt gold monogram plate are strictly for show.

Mitch Mochetti (PO Box 27065, Denver CO 80210) engraved the rifle. The caliber designation, sight regula- tion and maker’s name are noted. Rosettes decorate the bolt knob, cross bolts and screw heads.

This ,375 is a fine example of a “corn- plete job.”

I

January-February 1992 7

I

BOY'S SINGLE-SHOT RIFLES by James J . Grunt

I nis facsimile edition is the bible for the single-shot collector in reference to those guns that became the prized posses- sions of boys growing up in the early part $36.00

-s the century.

uy 1 1 C l C I l L U I W l l l

The true story of a man who spent his life flying the bush and hunting in the "great land." Don Johnson respectfully put away his medals from World War I I and initiated polar bear hunting in the Arctic. The book contains his pilot/guide accounts of hunts of all major animals found in Alaska. Those who hunt and love the land will find his story fascinat- ing. $12.95

One of the rarest catalog/handbooks from the turn of the :entury, it is an information treasure for handloaders with line drawings and extensive text. $10.50

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-899-7810

WOLFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 6471 Airpark Drive

Prescott, Arizona 86301 Phone (602) 445-7810

Fax (602) 778-5124 Expires: -*I

- Signature

January-February 1992 15

The 775 H&H Winchester Model 70 Custom Super Grade I \ topped off with a Leupold Vari-X-Ill 15-5x variable with Butler Creek caps Right, the Kemington hctory load5 feature (left) 270 and (right) 300-grain I)ullet\ at 2,687 and 2,402 tps, re5pectrvely

G. Sitton

AM A SWORN enemy of the so- I called “compromise cartridges.” It is a matter of high principle with me. You may call them “dual-purpose” or “combination” or “all-around,” but the result is the same in the end. If you buy the concept, you can wind up with one rifle, instead of two or three. When that happens, you’ve no one to blame but yourself. Furthermore, compromise always comes with a price tag attached. You pay it, one way or another, in performance.

The ,243 Winchester, for example, is a fine cartridge. In a good rifle, it delivers more than sufficient accuracy for any spoiting purpose. Trajectories are quite flat. I admire it greatly for its performance on coyotes and prairie dogs. It is not, however, a trustworthy deerslayer under any and all condi- tions. In the hands of a calm and disciplined rifleman, the .243 will deliver on medium game. Yet like the 30-30 WCF, it is usually prescribed for those who are most fearful of recoil and muzzle blast; to wit, the excitable, the inexperienced, the beginners - the very hunters who can least afford its inherent limitations as a round for deer and such.

It is ironic, then, that one of my all- time favorites is arguably the ultimate in compromise cartridges: the ,375 Holland & Holland Belted Rimless Nitro-Express. Doubly ironic is the fact that this multi-purpose round is not

January-February 1992

a 375 meant to span the modest require- ments of taking both woodchucks and whitetail deer. No, indeed, the ,375 H&H (as we know it in the U.S.) is generally admired for its versatility in dispatching game of every description, up to and including elephants.

Those who are annoyed by this incon- sistency might consider the words of Oscar Wilde: “Consistency is the last refuge ofthe unimaginative.”Certainly, this is a cartridge to fire the hunter’s imagination. The mere mention of its name conjures visions of distant lands and far horizons. It is by a wide margin the single most popular cartridge for wandering in places where hunting op- portunities are both abundant and diverse. Properly loaded, the ,375 H&H will reach out to grazing herbivores a t 300 yards and morel With the same bullets, it will stop charging carnivores a t muzzle-touching range. Though not

necessarily ideal for either task, it is entirely adequate for both.

Beyond romance and generality, every animal I have ever hit (or seen hit) fairly with the .375 H&H expired promptly. You can get into a disastrous bind with the cartridge, no doubt, but the same is true of any sporting round. For every tale of fabulous killing effect, there is probably a horror story. Still, I have seen the ,375 H&H at work from British Columbia to Zimbabwe to California. It will do.

So it was, with the possibility of another trip to Africa in my mind and a vacancy in my rifle rack, that I roamed the aisles of the SHOT Show in Dallas last January. Finally, after two days of more or less concentrated shopping, a decision was reached. I cornered Bruno Pardee in the U.S. Repeating Arms exhibit and explained

25

my need for a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade from the USRAC Custom Shop. Bruno said it nas my lucky day. They had had a cancellation, so instead of having to take a number and wait my turn, the rifle would be on its way by summer.

The new rifle arrived in July. I t was impressive to behold. The stock is an interesting, if not theatrical, piece of (Italian?) walnut with a rosewood forend tip. Grip cap, floorplate and trig- ger guard are steel. All metal is nicely polished, deeply blued, except for the traditional matte finish on the receiver. Double cross-bolts inspire confidence in the stock's integrity; more to the point, they are properly bedded. Fit, finish and checkering are nice.

There is a hooded front sight atop a graceful ramp. At the rear is the obligatory set of express sights, with one standing and two folding leaves, nominally for use a t 100,200 and 300 yards. The forward sling swivel stud is mounted out on the barrel.

This is all well and good, according to the conventions on dressing a dangerous game rifle. As a practical matter, the brass bead out front is too small by about half for hurried acquisi- tion in the shallow "V" of an express sight. Likewise, locating the swivel stud on the barrel makes sense when the forend is abbreviated in the classic British manner, recoil is truly heavy and shooting from a sling is not a wanted option. None of these condi- tions apply to this Model 70.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Bullets used in load development included the (1) Hawk 235-grain mftpoint, (2) Sierra 250-grain spitzrr boat-tail, (31 Hawk 270-grain softpoint, (4) Barnes 270-grain "X," (5) Speer 285-grain Grand Slam, (6) Nosler 300-grain Partition spitzer, (7) Sierra 300-grain spitzer boat-tail and (8) Speer 300-grain African Grand Slam

Enough of these petty complaints. This is a handsome, thoroughly busi- nesslike rifle. Rigged with a Leupold Vari-X-I11 1.5-5x scope in Fkdfield hard- ware, it weighs fully 9.75 pounds, magazine empty. That may be a burden when compared to most contemporary sporters, however, the weight is a com- fort when you start lighting up full charges of powder behind 300-grain bullets.

The rifle is, of course, built on the newlold, improved pre-'64, post-'89 Model 70 Super Grade action. What- ever you call it, it's a winner. For almost three decades, enthusiasts demanded the return of the original Model 70, controlled-round feeding, Mauser-type extractor, coned breech and all. With minor deviations, they got that very thing in the current Super Grade, plus an anti-bind feature to prevent over-rotating the bolt and better gas management in the event of case or primer failure.

Below, seven powders of more or less recent vintage were evaluated with varying degrees of success. Tests suggest Reloder 19 i s the most useful of the lot. Right, the print-out from the PACT Profes- sional Chronograph traces the trajectory of the Nosler 300-grain Partition spitzer pushed by a com- pressed charge of Reloder 19.

Despite the steady clamoring for the real Model 70, no one knew how it would do in the marketplace. After all, people who were too young to afford the original item in the early sixties are now grandparents and the rifles, whether in the production or Custom Shop versions, carry a premium price. Had the Super Grade fallen dead in gun shops all over America, it wouldn't have been the first time we cut a manufacturer for giving us what we said we wanted.

Turns out USRAC made a smart play. The demand for the Model 70 Super Grade has exceeded both their most optimistic predictions and their ability to build rifles around the new action. There are probably lots of gray- ing gents in the land who grew up on dreams of the old Model 70, never could

DlST PATH VEL

26 Rifle 139

see spending collector-inflated prices for clapped-out originals, but can’t resist the appeal of a bright and shiny, maybe better-than-ever edition of The Rifleman’s Rifle. I hope so because there are three of them in the rack right now. I would hate to be the only aging child of the sixties to go simple over the Super Grade.

Right out of the box, the ,375’s action was slick, smooth, silky and all of those other words used to describe the way a bolt ought to function, but usually doesn’t without a gunsmith‘s help. The trigger broke at 3.5 pounds, with just the slightest hint of creep; it still does for reasons soon to be made manifest.

Being slothful by nature, I dislike loading ammunition for a rifle until it has shown some willingness to deliver a modicum of accuracy. Initial testing was done with factory ammo. Six groups of three shots were made with Remington’s 300-grain solid load and Federal’s Premium Safari load with the Sierra 250-grain spitzer boat-tail. The largest group measured ,875 inch, on centers and the smallest was about half that size. Thus begall my interesting, informative and frequently strange relationship with the Model 70 Custom Super Grade Express .375 H&H, here- after referred to as the Model 70.

A lifetime of obsessive tinkering with firearms has made me suspicious, ap- prehensive and more than a little superstitious when met with a rifle that so casually delivers excellent ac- curacy. Contrary to the experiences of some writers, MOA precision is not found in every long carton with my name on it. When an unaltered rifle delivers the goods with factory ammo, I immediately fear 3-inch groups with meticulously assembled handloads. I am also loath to change anything about t h e rifle, which includes touching the action screws with a driver. So the trigger remains as issued.

Preparing to begin load development, the distance from bolt face to lands was determined with a Precision Mic from RCBS. This tool gives very exact readings on maximum overall car- tridge length, as determined by the chamber’s throat. In the case of the Model 70, the throat is rather long. In- deed, since the magazine will not ac- commodate rounds measuring more than 3.60 inches ovqrall, mobt bullets must be seated to al depth which leaves

85.5 2,788 76.5 2,663 77.0 2.814 78 0 2,851 76.0 2,879

them with considerable travel to the leade. The 250-grain Sierra, for exam- ple, cannot be brought closer than ,150 inch, or thereabouts, if the finished car- tridge is to be chambered from the magazine. This is usually an unhappy characteristic in a factory rifle. Their throat diameters tend to be too generous if substantial free travel is imposed by magazine length. In this Model 70, accuracy does not seem to suffer unless competitive benchrest is the game. Presumably, it has an ap- propriately close throat diameter.

Working up loads for the Model 70 was meant to be an adventure of sorts. My loading to date has been almost en- tirely confined to unfamiliar powders

heavily compressed near maximum

maximum near maximum

and bullets previously unused in the ,375 H&H. Despite a certain amount of weirdness in the form of seemingly anomalous velocities, the program has been highly rewarding.

The number of relatively new .375-caliber bullets available suggests that the H&H enjoys excellent commer- cial health. In addition to the eight reported on in the data table, Trophy Bonded, A-Square, Swift and others offer an array of worthy projectiles. Further, Nosler has a 250-grain Parti- tion in the works.

Propellants were selected on the basis of data published by the im-

(Continued on page 54)

AAC-4350 80.0 2,660 I 83.0 2,743

BG-4351 83.0 2,815 BG-4065 75.0 2,769

.375 H&H Load Data

slight compression

compressed maximum

bullet powder (grains)

235 Hawk softpoint BG-4351 I

I

BG-4065 RL-15

AAC-2520 AAC-4350

270 Hawk softpoint RL-15 74.5 2,676 CCI 250 maximum RL-19 84.0 2,677 I compressed, accurate 86-4351 83.0 2,709 compressed AAC-2700 77.5 2,621 R9‘h moderate AAC-4350 83.0 2,661 CCI 250 compressed

279 Barnes RL-19 84.0 2,641 CCI 250 compressed X-Bullet BG-4351 82.0 2,708 I maximum

285 Speer Grand RL-19 84.0 2,625 CCI 250 good load Slam

300 Nosler Partition 86-4351 80.0 2,598 CCI 250 accurate, maximum RL-19 84.0 2,574 I excellent load AAC-2700 74.0 2,489 R9’/2

300 Sierra spitzer AAC-4350 80.0 2,584 CCI 250 accurate boat-tail RL-19 84.0 2,607 1 best long range load

300 Speer African RL-19 82.0 2,593 CCI 250 Grand Slam

Winchester-Western brass used in all loads, and overall loaded length of all cartridges was 3.60 inches. Velocities are instrumental as recorded 10 feet from the muzzle by Oehler M35P and PACT Professional chronographs. During all testing, the temperature of ammunition ranged from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Maximum loads may be excessive in some rifles. Reduce all loads 10 percent and work up only as pressure”signs permit.

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

January-February 1992 27

I r : 1

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