Subtle Improvement

 

 

 

 

Published in “Shooting Illustrated” August 2009

 

Bill Wilson is no stranger to the shooting world. His CQB pistol graced the cover of Shooting Illustrated’s November 2005 issue and was the subject of a full length feature entitled “The Perfect IDPA Pistol.”

Given IDPA’s emphasis on designing match scenarios that might duplicate potential real life street encounters, it was not surprising that much of my evaluation focused on CCW requirements in addition to match rules. Upon completion of the article, I purchased the CQB from Wilson, and it became the number one gun on my CCW permit. Until now, I did not expect to find an all-steel 1911 that I would prefer for street carry.

 Wilson Combat recently created the Bill Wilson Carry Gun, and as you might expect when one is introducing the next generation of a great handgun, the new carry pistol is not vastly different from the successful CQB. That said the minor changes are truly worthwhile and quickly appreciated. Overall dimensions remain the same; a slide shortened from a standard 1911 to accommodate a 4.1 inch barrel, and a frame reduced in height to 5.25 inches overall (with the 7 shot magazine installed.) Like the CQB, the new model handles both the 7-round magazine (recommended for concealed carry) and slightly extended 8-round magazines that are easily concealed in spare carriers without revealing any unusual lumps or bulges. Internal configuration, cuts and polishing is essentially the same on both guns which accounts for the superb accuracy and reliability of a Wilson 1911.

The first 15 rounds through the Wilson were a mix of bullet styles and weights. Functioning was perfect and, at the group at 15 yards offhand, indicate that whatever ammo is fed to the new gun, it will reliably handle any threats to its owners life and well being.

 Most noticeable and having the greatest impact on my shooting the new gun is the modified Ed Brown bobtail on the shorter grip frame. Normally this rounding of the base is only done on full-size 1911. On the smaller frame, the curvature is not as severe, but the change is dramatic in terms of comfort during firing, and the more magazines fired in a range session, the more you’ll appreciate the increased comfort. Because of the bobtail treatment, the base had to be modified slightly making the gun feel a bit smaller, but shot-to-shot recovery didn’t seem to be compromised. The rounded edge of the back strap is fully checkered just as it is on the CQB, but there is no longer a distinct edge to create abrasions on your palm. A couple of years ago when I first acquired the CQB, I spent some time at Thunder Ranch and ended up applying bandages on the second day and changing guns on the third day. In a recent trip to Gunsite with the Carry Gun I was able to comfortably complete the week long class without having to apply any patches to my palm. For me, the bobtail is much more important on a downsized 1911 because the sharp edge of the backstrap doesn’t extend below the palm swell, but rather is driven into the meaty part of the hand by the recoil of each round. Given that steel is harder than flesh, can you say “Ouch!”

 The other “comfort” revision is the G10 grips. These feature radial lines instead of checkering with the edges of each line slightly rounded. Tactile control is still excellent, but long term abrasion in an extended class is reduced. Call me a sissy if you like, but I like those grips. The single thumb safety lever, set up for right handed shooters, is smaller on the new carry gun. I think it’s a good idea if you can reduce the size of a component on a CCW weapon without compromising performance, and over the 5 day-class, I did not notice any difficulties in operation when presenting the gun from concealed carry. The slide stop pin has also been shortened with the frame countersunk on the right side. This change does two things. One, it will allow the use of Crimson Trace grips with no interference from a protruding pin. Second, you may need to modify your disassembly technique slightly when you clean the gun. There are also serrations on top of the new gun’s slide for the purpose of reducing glare. Firing both the old CQB and the new pistol in the bright Arizona sunlight I did not notice any difference in glare from either gun, but most of our outdoor shooting was during morning hours with the sun behind us. Still, I would rate this as a worth while addition on a carry gun.

 The new gun has several relief cuts that strike me as being well thought out and useful. The front half inch or so of the slide has been reduced in width. It may not save much weight, but depending on how you execute a press check, you might find the new configuration helpful in grasping the slide with the support hand. There’s also a relief cut in the front strap just behind the trigger guard. Perhaps it let’s you get your hand in higher and tighter into the grip, but it’s so small that I really couldn’t notice a functional difference between the two guns either when holding or firing. The final relief cut is in the left grip panel behind the mag release button, and this did have some tangible benefits. I’ve never been able to drop a magazine on a 1911 without shifting my shooting hand grip simply because I don’t have particularly long fingers/thumbs. With Wilson’s new carry gun, I still have to rotate a bit, but it’s noticeably less movement than is required on the CQB, much more comfortable to execute, and much quicker to recover. This is the kind of change whose value will depend on your individual dimensions and operating technique for an evaluation, but even with only a partial improvement, I like the change.

 The last change noticed was the “U” shaped notch in the fixed rear sight. I believe the purpose of this is to make sight acquisition a bit faster in a life-threatening situation. Perhaps it did, but I couldn’t tell. In fact, the entire time on the line I didn’t notice the difference. Sight pictures on both guns are extremely similar simply because you don’t see the bottom of the notch where it’s rounded. Neither could I detect any difference in the amount of light visible on both sides of the front blade, even when shooting slowly. The only thing that struck me as slightly different was that the first 15 shots fired offhand with three different Black Hills loadings at 15 yards seemed to have more of a lateral spread than usual. I know Wilson pistols shoot one-hole groups in the hands of testers at the factory shooting from a rest, and while I didn’t expect exactly the same results, I felt the vertical spread (about 1 ½ inches) was more representative than the horizontal spread of something like 2 ½ inches. As stated, when I got into the class, both worked superbly. For the record, I was wearing corrective lenses and I’m quite new to “U” notch rear sights.

 I can’t fault the Wilson’s reliability. By being abusive, I was able to cause malfunctions, but it was only by breaking all the rules. After firing 2 to 3 boxes of ammo (without first cleaning the gun,) I put the gun away dirty and un-oiled for two weeks before going to Gunsite. Again without cleaning or lubricating, I shot the gun for two days of class. When the gun failed to go into battery, some oil cured the problem until late in the third day when the same failures reoccurred. Additional lubrication continued to cure the problem but for shorter periods of time. As the instructions state, clean the gun and it will (and did) work flawlessly. The only “failure” not attributed to my atrocious behavior was on the third day when the “Wilson” escutcheon in the left grip panel fell off. A call to John May in Arkansas revealed that this was one of those occasions where the least expensive adhesive worked the best and the expensive glue failed. Problem fixed forever.

 I’ve succumbed to the Siren calls again. No, I’m not buying a new carry gun because my existing CQB is tied to my CCW permit by serial number, and changing things like this is California would be a nightmare. But I am having my CQB remodeled to the new Wilson Carry Gun. It’s that good.

 

The Bodacious .454

Published in “Shooting Illustrated” February 2007

W hen the .454 Casull was intro­duced in 1983, it instantly won the title for most powerful revolver cartridge. With operating pres­sures a good 50 percent higher than the magnums on the market, it generated energy levels not previously seen in wheel-guns and became the caliber for hunting really big game with handguns.

Above: Polishing and jeweling dress up the Ruger Super Redhawk customized by Mog-na-port's Ken Kelly, but "Bodacious" is still a serious hunting handgun. A tuned action and trigger, along with a Mag-na-brake and Weigand scope base, are modifications that complement the power of the revolver's .454 Casull chambering.

The cartridge was housed in the new, sin­gle-action Freedom Arms Model 83 revolver that had been specially designed and built with a five-shot cylinder and extremely close manufacturing tolerances to contain the 60,000-plus pounds per square inch pressure. I recall some early articles on Dick Casull, the .454’s inventor, stating he was trying to achieve a muzzle velocity of 2,000 feet per second with .45-caliber bul­lets fired from a 77;-inch barrel.

The Ruger Super Redhawk's cylinder can hold six rounds ot .454 Casull, and a transfer bar lets hunters safely carry a round beneath the double-action's hammer. To make practice sessions a little easier on the hand, the revolver will also fire .45 Colt ammunition.

Using some exotic triplex loads—three different powders carefully stacked in the case—Mr. Casull did achieve his tar­get velocity, but the hazards and liabili­ties associated with triplex loads far out­weighed the extra feet per second gained, and commercial ammo makers went to more conventional loads featuring heavy doses of slow-burning powders. Even with the less-exotic loads, the cartridge still pro­duced some sizzling velocities with lighter-weight bullets, making it not only suitable for big game, but a prime candidate for long-range handgun hunting of medium-sized game. This is a long-winded way of explaining my selection of the .454 for an antelope hunt.

The hunt was scheduled with Hunter Ross of Desert Safaris and held on several ranches located near Fort Davis, TX. I had just received a Ruger .454 Super Redhawk customized by Ken Kelly, of Mag-na-port fame, and knowing that Hornady makes a high-velocity .454 round with a 240-grain jacketed hollow point, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to test the gun and lightweight bullets on a long-range, medium-game hunt. Given the lack of preparation time with the gun and ammo, my definition of long range for this hunt was 100 yards or less.

The Super Redhawk originally arrived with a standard 7’7/-inch barrel and integral scallops in the topstrap for mounting the factory-furnished rings. For those who may not know it, the .454 Casull generates lots of energy on both ends of the gun. It kicks big-time. Most of my other big-bore handguns wear muzzle brakes or feature porting systems installed by Mag-na-port to help manage the recoil. As I get older and heal more slowly, I see no reason to discontinue this policy. Besides, last year at the White Oak Plantation Handgun Hunt in Alabama, I got a look Kelly’s latest Super Redhawk creation, and fell in love with both the gun and the name he had given it—”Boda­cious.” Like earlier Mag-na-port handgun names, “Predator” and “Stalker,” it was a perfect choice.

Kelly shortened the Super Red Hawk’s barrel to 5 3/4  inches, gave the muzzle an inverted crown and installed an oversized muzzle brake he calls a Mag-na-brake.  Compared to some of the slender brakes he uses on single-action revolvers, this one seemed quite bulky, but somehow it was right for this rather massive handgun. He also added two custom pinstripe bands on the Mag-na-brake and another two bands on the cylinder. I rarely give Kelly instruc­tions regarding the decorative touches on his guns, rather letting him express himself and surprise me. You, of course, can decide what goes on your gun. Other barrel-related work included removing the lengthy Ruger liability warning, something many Ruger buyers would like to see done at the factory.

Ports In the Mag-no-brake direct gases away from the shooter while alleviating the .454 Casull's Infamous recoil. The ports ore angled forward so gases travel to the front, and they form a twist pattern opposite to the Mag-na-brake s threading to ensure It stays tight on the muzzle.

Rather than use the factory rings, Kelly installed a Weigand scope base, mount­ing it into the existing scallop cuts in the topstrap. This Weaver-style base does two things: First it raises the height of the scope, providing more room for the thumb when cocking the revolver, and second, it allows more flexibility in mounting the scope either closer to the muzzle or more toward the shooter.

To say Kelly performed a trigger job would be inadequate. He completely tuned the action, polished and jeweled the hammer and trigger, and applied his glass-bead, velvet-hone finish. The result was a super-slick, double-action magnum revolver. Finally, he added his standard Mag-na-port custom logo and the brand new title, “Bodacious.”

I debated changing the factory Ruger grips since they are rather thin and can focus the .454’s punishing recoil into the web of the hand on a non-ported gun. But the factory stocks with rubber around the edges fit me pretty well, permitting an easier reach to, and good control of, the trigger with my rather short fingers.  Combined with Kelly’s Mag-na-brake, the grips did their part in softening the .454’s felt recoil. The last touch was installing scope rings and a 2X Nikon handgun scope. Much as I like iron-sighted handguns, antelope and wide-open spaces were on my agenda, and I wanted an optic to take full advantage of the .454’s flat trajectory.

There was time for one trip to the range before the hunt, so I did some homework and “hit the books” as we used to say in school. Specifically, I dug out Volume 2 of Hornady’s Handbook of Cartridge Reloading and opened it to the handgun bullet bal­listics tables that give distances in yards. Since the chronograph showed the 240-grain Hornady .454’s produced a muzzle velocity of 1,709 feet per second, I looked at the tables for the 240-grain XTP bullet traveling at 1,700 feet per second. With a 100-yard zero, the bullet would strike 1 1/2 inches high at 50 yards, 1.3 inches high at 75 yards, and 6 1/2 inches low at 150 yards. This seemed perfect given my self-imposed limit of 100 yards with the 2X scope. My concern was that on previous antelope hunts, some of my range estimations had been grossly inaccurate. Admittedly, I would have a Nikon rangefinder, but there was no assurance I would have access to it or time to use it when the time came to shoot.

Given the kill zone on an antelope is about 8 inches in diameter, I wanted to be less than 4 inches high at mid-range and less than 4 inches low out past 100 yards. Checking the tables for the performance of my load, a zero of 150 yards showed the bullet would be a bit less than 4 inches high at 50 yards and about 4 1/2 inches high at 75 and 100 yards. Since these numbers could result in a hit above my arbitrary 8-inch circle, I compromised and sighted in Bodacious roughly 3 inches high at 100 yards. I thought this should keep me in the kill zone all the way out to 150 yards, just in case I really screwed up range esti­mation. Shooting off a sandbag, the load produced 3-shot groups that measured 2 1/2 to3 1/2 inches at 100 yards. I was ready.

On the hunt though, I made a mistake. I was riding in the Yamaha Rhino with another outdoor writer who had taken a nice buck earlier and was now prepared to do the range-finding honors for me. When our guide, Troy Calaway, spotted another nice buck and the other writer announced quietly the Nikon showed we were within 87 yards of the animal, it was time to shoot. The buck was slightly quartering away from me, and thinking the shot would be no more than 3 inches high, I held the crosshair slightly low in the body and fired. The buck dropped in its tracks, an unusual event for an animal like antelope, which can cover many miles of prairie even when severely wounded. We learned shortly the shot was several inches high and, luckily for me, broke the buck’s back. The cross­hair had been exactly where I wanted it when the hammer fell, and I didn’t imme­diately realize why the impact point had been so high. Thinking back to the range, I realized the problem. On the range, I had been shooting with Bodacious buried solidly into a sandbag, while my shot at the antelope, like most hunting scenarios, involved nothing more than my forearms resting across an available surface. Even with the Mag-na-brake’s taming influence, the .454’s recoil caused the barrel to rise more than it had when resting solidly on a sandbag and range bench.

One might say that given my rookie mis­take. Bodacious and the Hornady ammo performed above and beyond the call of duty. Certainly the results were more than I deserved, but then I’ve become accustomed to outstanding performance from Ken Kel­ly’s Rugers and Hornady’s handgun hunting ammunition loaded with XTP bullets.

The Green Effect

As published in “Shooting Illustrated“  December 2008

Hunting in California’s condor recovery range is limited to lead-free bullets. Fortunately, handgun hunters have “green” alternatives readily available.

 

No one said it signaled the end of the world; they said it would be worse. Since I’m not much of a duck hunter, I didn’t get emotionally involved, but my recollection is that both hunters and non-hunters had the same ultimate objective; they wanted a healthy population of ducks. Despite the controversy, duck populations are as healthy as ever and duck hunting continues to thrive.

 

Today in California, some similar legislation has been passed, and emotional arguments much like those heard during the lead shot ban are raging across the state. Simply stated, in the California condor corridor, all ammunition used for hunting must be lead free. For those who aren’t familiar with the California condor, the bird feeds on the carcasses of dead animals, and many of the birds are allegedly dying of lead poisoning caused by ingesting lead bullets or cores located in the gut piles of animals killed by hunters. Since central California has many wild pigs that are hunted year round, the cause of these deaths has been blamed on the bullets contained in their remains. This same section of California is also highly populated with ground squirrels, and these little creatures draw a great deal of attention each year from citizens wielding rimfire rifles and pistols. Since shooting ground squirrels requires a California hunting license, the ban of ammunition containing lead also applies to the pursuit of these rodents. I have no wish to get into a debate on the merits of this ban, but having spent some wonderful days hunting various ranches in this area, I was curious to see if this signaled the “end of the world” in terms of hunting central California. Besides, it doesn’t take much of an excuse for me to schedule a visit to Don Geivet, vice president of Operations at the incredible Tejon Ranch—a haven for big-game animals of all kinds that’s located at the south end of the Condor corridor. The ranch is also the first location where the lead ban was put into effect. I was also interested in the impact this legislation would have on handgun hunting.

Some of my handgun-hunting buddies believe there is no substitute for a heavy, hard-cast, big-bore, lead bullet when hunting tough and potentially dangerous big game. While you might not think of pigs being dangerous or big, the really large boars can grow to a few hundred pounds and carry an extremely thick layer of gristle plate around their shoulders and rib cage. Fragile, fast-expanding, smaller-bore handgun ammunition is not the right medicine for these guys. And while most pigs will try to run away, there’s the occasional animal that will come at you, particularly if it’s wounded. I’ve only had it happen once, and unfortunately for the boar, the two of us were carrying Freedom Arms .454s with full-house loads. It slid to its death a mere 6 to 10 feet in front of us—a breathtaking sight! But at something less than 200 pounds of body weight, it, like most pigs taken by hunters, did not require a heavy, solid slug to put it down. On the other hand, anything with minimal authority probably would have resulted in some cuts and slashes on either me or my partner. Something tough and lead-free is required. The answer is not only simple, it’s been around for quite some time.

Barnes manufactures solid-copper bullets for pistol calibers from .357 Mag. up through the mighty .500 S&W Mag., and while I would not personally use a .357 Mag. to hunt wild boar, I’d be happy with any of the other magnum calibers, beginning with the .41 Mag., stoked with Barnes X bullets. Each X bullet is made with some slots cut in the nose of the bullet. Upon impacting an animal, the nose of the bullet peels back in six petals along these cuts. Each bullet is designed to peel back at specific velocities, depending on the caliber. Most of my handgun hunting with Barnes bullets has been with the .44 Mag., and the two bullets available in this caliber are designed to open at a minimum velocity of 1,050 fps. Final expanded diameter of the bullet depends on how fast it is traveling when it enters the animal. The petals on either the 200- or 225-grain .44 Mag. bullet entering an animal at 1,300 fps will peel back nearly parallel to the bullet’s body, resulting in greater penetration than the same bullet would have at 1,050 fps. At either velocity, the wound cavity is larger (sometimes quite massive) near the bullet’s entry point than further along the path of penetration. It takes a tough, extremely well made bullet to perform with this kind of consistency.

Non-handloaders fear not! Barnes bullets are available in loaded ammunition from both Cor-Bon and Federal. Federal handgun-hunting ammo with Barnes bullets range from the .357 Mag. to .500 S&W Mag., with one load offered in each caliber. Cor-Bon’s smallest caliber is the .44 Mag., but there are multiple loads in several of the calibers including a +P hunting load for the .45 Colt. Cor-Bon’s ammo generates 1,200 fps muzzle velocity with the .45 Colt +P and ranges up to 1,825 fps with the .460 S&W Mag. Federal’s trajectory tables show that when all calibers are sighted in for 25 yards, the smallest bullet drop at 100 yards is 2 inches for the .460 while the 225-grain .44 Mag. round drops just under 7 inches. Last year in Australia, I shot four pigs (three boars and one sovi) using the 225-grain .44 Mag. load in a Smith & Wesson Model 629 with an 8V»-inch barrel. All pigs were inside 60 yards, and all but one dropped in its tracks. As you would expect, the one failure was the result of poor shot placement. A follow-up shot did finish the job. Big-bore, big-boar handgun hunters need have no concerns complying with the new regulations while hunting the Condor corridor.

I was really more concerned with having acceptable ammo for the corridor’s squirrel population. As it turned out, this problem has been half solved in a sense because CCI is making .22 Mag. lead-free (or Green) ammunition. I have two revolvers chambered for .22 Mag. and took both up to Tejon. They did an admirable job nailing several ground squirrels, even though it was late in

the season and the critters were quite spooky. In my experience, the .22 Mag. seems to be a more decisive killer than the .22 LR, and that’s the good news. The bad news is .22 Mag. ammo is more expensive than .22 LR, but then the cost of ammunition has increased dramatically in the last year. As the deep-thinking philosophers say, “It is what it is,” and it’s still a cheaper solution than centerfire ammo.

As of now, I know of no plans to make green .22 LR ammunition. It doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but it’s not in the works yet. I think .22 Mag. has always been a bit of a specialty niche product, just as hunting in those areas within the Condor corridor is a specialty niche market.

I’ve avoided getting into the condor issue, but there are a couple of things that puzzle me. First, did the studies show lead bullets in the carcasses of small rodents contributed to any condor deaths? If not, why is lead-free rimfire ammo being mandated? Secondly, if the issue is lead in gut piles resulting from hunting, why is there a ban on lead ammo for target shooting on the various ranches affected? On Tejon, no lead ammo is allowed on the ranch, period. The only rationale I can think of is a total ban is easier to enforce than a partial ban. I suspect the government bodies involved have dictated this policy, and I heard from more than one source that the implementation of the lead-free policies were handled more like a Mafia-style offer than a civilized dialog between two parties interested in wildlife conservation. The good news is big-game and small-game hunting are alive and well at the Tejon and other ranches throughout California. You might have to buy a new pistol, but you have legally compliant choices available in both factory and hand-loaded ammunition. And getting to buy a new handgun is always good news.

Special thanks to friend and fellow handgun hunter Brian Pearce for his introduction to the Handgun Section of the new “Barnes Reloading Manual Number 4.” If you plan to reload with Barnes bullets, get the Barnes manual and read the entire handgun section including Pearce’s introduction. Load data cannot be interchanged between all-copper Barnes bullets and traditional jacketed lead-core bullets of the same weight.’!?

The XL Elk Hunter

Have you noticed how casually gun writers use the word “ultimate” in our description of new or modified prod­ucts? Do you really believe we have the ability to work briefly with an item and somehow determine that no further improvements are possible? It took me years to real­ize that the only two truly “ultimate” things I’ve encountered in my life are my venison burritos and Irish coffees, and even these are suspect because some people will say any­thing to avoid cooking or mixing a drink in a hunting camp! What does excite me is a truly worthwhile product improvement, particularly in an item that had already been judged by many to be the “ultimate.” I’ve done a lot of hunt­ing with (and some writing about) the XL (formerly Merrill) single shot pistols over the last few years, and I’ve been impressed enough that I now own several XL guns in a vari­ety of calibers and barrel lengths.

So when Jim Rock of RPM offered me his new Hunter Model XL in .356 Win. for a fall elk hunt, I didn’t hesitate even though there wasn’t much time until my departure date. I didn’t worry about familiarization with the gun since the ergonomics hadn’t changed enough to cause my hand any recogni­tion problems. I only needed one trip to the range to sight in.

Mounting Bausch & Lomb’s newest variable pistol scope, the 2-6x Elite Model 3000, I was printing 2″ groups about 3″ above point of aim at 100 meters with Winchester’s 200 grain rounds only a few minutes after arriv­ing at the Lake Elsinore Sportsmen’s Association range.

With muzzle velocities crowding 2,200 fps, I figured my point blank range was somewhere out past the 200 meter mark which was about as long a shot as I might realistically try. This had been the simplest preparation effort I’d ever experienced in getting ready for a big game hunt

 Pros & Cons

As many of you know, the XL is a break-open, single-shot handgun with superb balance and ergonomics along with easy access to the breach for load­ing and unloading. It is extremely thin (or flat) for a large-caliber single-shot, making it an extremely easy hunting handgun to holster and carry under an outer garment in inclement weather.

The old High Standard-style grip provides a great deal of tolerance in selecting different barrel lengths while maintaining balance for those difficult standing shots. With Weaver bases, scopes mount low on the barrel easing eye alignment and making the gun extremely compact for a full-power, optically equipped hunting handgun.

It is capable of great accuracy (1″ groups with preferred loads) which accounts for its tremendous popularity on the handgun silhouette circuit.

For hunting purposes, the XL has two flaws which have been reported to Jim Rock by serious handgun hunters. First is the gun’s tendency to “flex” with high-pressure rifle loads, jam­ming the top of the barrel against the release plate on the frame and making the action extremely difficult to open. This is due to the small size of the barrel bolt (or lug) and the angle at which it engages the recess slot in the frame. When the round fires, the bullet pushes forward against the barrel rifling and the case moves rearward against the breach face. These opposing thrust loads are transferred to the angled barrel bolt and the slot in the frame.

The only relief available to the metal parts is for them to slide apart thus trying to tip up the barrel and open the gun’s action.

The second flaw is the original extractor powered only by a small coil spring. Under field conditions with full-power hunting loads, it sometimes lacks sufficient force to push the rim, or head, of the cartridge case the ini­tial 1/4″ out of the chamber to permit removal of the case by hand.

Troubleshooting

Jim’s solution to the first problem is simpler than my explanation of it. He beefed up the barrel bolt to a thickness of .312″ to absorb the heavy recoil of the larger loads, widened the recess slot in the frame to mate with the big­ger barrel bolt, and made the engage­ment angle steeper to reduce the ten­dency of the mating parts to slide.

The second problem was a little trickier, but since Jim doesn’t work for the government, he decided it was bet­ter to borrow and utilize a good, proven concept rather than to invent and defend a stupid, unworkable idea.

Studying the old Marble Game Getter extractor, he mounted a slim, fixed plate on the frame at the front edge of the trigger guard, and a sliding plate above it on the barrel.

A piece of the frame plate extends upward and engages a notch in the sliding barrel plate. When the XL’s action is opened and cocked, the slid­ing barrel plate is pushed rearward.

You guessed it! At the breach end of the sliding plate is an extractor extend­ing into the chamber under the car­tridge rim, and as the plate/extractor moves rearward, the extractor pushes against the rim of the cartridge forcing the empty round out of the chamber. Reliability is much improved over the original coil spring-powered extractor.

It should be noted that this mechani­cal extractor system can only be used with rimmed cartridge cases; it won’t work with rimless brass due to the nec­essary rigid attachment of the extractor to the sliding plate. Considering the big bore factory rounds available — .356 Win., .375 Win., and .45-70 Gov’t, along with the JDJ series of cartridges on the .444 Marlin case — 1 don’t think giving up rimless cartridges imposes any limi­tations on the handgun hunter. And RPM already makes barrels in medium bore calibers based on the excellent .225 Win. rimmed case.

The only way to get all the new XL Hunter Model features — wide lug and mechanical extractor — is to buy a complete XL Hunter Model frame and barrel. You can later add other caliber barrels that also feature the matching lug and extractor.

There are some modifications pos­sible on older, wide-model frames, but you end up with limited capabilities and possible confusion in matching barrels to the proper frames. Talk to the folks at RPM about your options, but don’t think it’s just a sales pitch when their first recommendation is to start with a completely new gun; it really is the best solution.

 Barrel Options

Two other features on this gun war­rant comment. The 12″ barrel (you can order other lengths if you prefer) fea­tures RPM’s muzzle brake and slim­mer barrel diameter. All RPM model guns come with chrome moly Douglas barrels. The brake adds about 1″ to your selected barrel length and less than .2″ to the diameter. (The skinny, new barrels are .8″ diameter and the muzzle brake measures .985″ diameter at the muzzle end.)

You can macho-master the big cal­iber guns without a muzzle brake under ideal range conditions “when you’re just showing off,” but you’re going to wish you had that brake the first time you have to shoot under field conditions that are less than optimum.

In terms of barrel length and its effect on muzzle velocity and overall balance of the gun, run your own tradeoffs and make a choice. Bigger bores have less metal in the barrel thus allowing you to select a longer barrel without mov­ing the balance point toward the muzzle.

The gun I used also has the loading latch lever introduced by RPM a cou­ple of years ago. It’s a great assist in opening the gun, particularly with cold hands in a hunting situation where you may need a quick second shot. It’s simply a rotating lever on the right side of the frame that engages the latch plate, letting you cam the plate open with a push of the thumb. This is much better than the old sys­tem requiring a squeeze grip on both sides of the plate.

Jim Rock was initially a bit con­cerned that the latch lever and the new extractor would ruin the sleek outline of the XL. I think the latch lever’s func­tional value overrides any aesthetic concerns, and the new extraction sys­tem blends nicely into the lines of the gun. The new Hunter Model may not be quite as sleek as the old one. but it’s definitely better for handgun hunters.

Frankly, I’m delighted that Jim isn’t totally satisfied with the results to date. It means he’s going to keep on looking for ways to improve his product, which means that a terrific gun may just con­tinue to get better and better. So I’ll just call it the great, new XL Hunter Model rather than the “ultimate hunting handgun!”  

Published:  October 1995 – GUNS Magazine

 

The First IHMSA Field Pistol Internationals

If you have never been to southern Arizona in the late fall, you’ve never seen one of God’s chosen resorts. Of slightly less galactic importance, you’ve also never attended one of the his­toric handgun silhouette events at the Tucson Rifle Club. You missed a double opportunity this past fall when TRC host­ed the first ever Field Pistol International Championship sponsored by IHMSA.

For those of you who don’t shoot field pistol, it’s a standing silhouette match with half-scale targets shot at half the normal ranges with production guns and straight wall centerfire cartridges.

There is also a .22 caliber match called Smallbore Field Pistol. Both cen­terfire and .22 matches can be shot with iron sights or scopes and electronic dot sights.

Sound sim­ple? Remember, “half scale” means that each dimension is halved; the resulting target is one fourth the area of a full size silhouette target.

There were approximately 150 entries in both centerfire and rimfire events, with about a dozen more contes­tants in centerfire. Single shots dominated the match with half the competitors shooting Jim Rock’s XL and one-third (about 50 contestants) shooting T/Cs.

The XL’s popularity in Tucson is understandable: not only does Jim’s gun have the home court advantage, but also competitors get to see first hand how well his guns shoot in the hands of Bob Kelly, IHMSA’s current international big bore aggregate champion.

Moving to the repeaters, Ruger had nine guns go to the line, split pretty even­ly between centerfire and .22s, while Browning sent a total of seven guns to the line, all .22s. The choices in centerfire calibers surprised me a bit. One third of the competitors (25) were using XL’s chambered for the .270 REN, a very recently developed cartridge designed specifically for Field Pistol competition. It’s the .22 Hornet case “blown out” to .270 caliber to comply with the field pis­tol rule requiring straight wall cases.

Since its creation, the .22 Hornet has been legalized for FP competition, and I would expect its popularity to soar, par­ticularly since my experience with the cartridge in an older Merrill pistol showed it to be equally at home with cast and jacketed bullets in terms of accuracy.

A distant second in calibers was the .357 Magnum. Sixteen shooters ventured to the line with this reliable old per­former, but the vast majority of these (14) were used in the open sight event.

Close behind the .357 was the .32 H&R mag with 14 entries; then the .32-20 with nine shooters; and finally the .30 Carbine with 5 shooters.

Clearly, this is not a power-oriented shooting sport. The match went very smoothly with target setters doing an excellent job maintaining relay schedules. The only problem I noted was with the waist-high bench running the length of the shooting line.

While the bench was a very conve­nient place for gear, competitors tended to edge forward when firing and had to be reminded about not resting stomachs over the edge of the bench.

This is a natural tendency for us big guys who eat lots of burritos and drink beer. Or. as Jane Russell would call us, “We full-figured men.”

Speaking of eating, the entry fee included a bar-beque dinner at a local restaurant called El Musque-tal that looked like a con­verted barn and served some of the best beans I’ve ever had. I’m not sure how much those beans were enjoyed during the rest of their bio­logical cycle, but they were delicious going in!

The match director was John Rock, who has been doing yeoman service at the Tucson Rifle Club’s hand­gun metallic silhouette matches starting with the first one in 1975. For this match, like most at TRC, John and the crew ran spe­cial, fast-paced “Tres Banditos” matches that were fun for the shooters, financial­ly helpful to the sponsoring club, and filled in the inactive lull while match results were being tabulated.

In the finals of the Bandito match, both teams turned their last 100 meter tar­get sideways without knocking it off the stand. Ever tried hitting a 5″ tall, .375″ wide target at 100 meters?

In recognition of his efforts over the years, John was presented with an out-standing service award by IHMSA’s president. Frank Scotto.

IHMSA Status

I had a chance to chat with Frank about his three years as president and the progress made by IHMSA in that time. In a nutshell, IHMSA is now financially sound and growing again.

While maintaining a “low key pres­ence,” Frank makes an equivalent half dozen cross country trips a year promot­ing IHMSA and actively participating as a shooter.

Newcomers to the sport can’t imagine the depth and extent of the wounds that Frank and his staff have healed during his three years service.  And perhaps the most ironic measurement of success in the 20^th century is that his year IHMSA has achieved a status that both permits and requires the purchase of liability insurance!

Enough reading: con­tact IHMSA to participate in the match nearest you. There might even be a video available to facili­tate your silhouette educa­tion and whet your appetite since professional photographer Dan Fong was at this match exploring the prospects of a promo video for IHMSA. But no matter how you take that First step, you’re going to meet the friendliest bunch of shooters around and have more fun than the law usually allows.

For information on joining IHMSA, write to them at P.O. Box 36X. Burlington, IA 52601.

Published:  American Handgunner– May June 1993

Burris 3-9x Pistol Scope

Over the last several years, the Burris Company of Greeley, Colorado has achieved a dominant position in the production of high power pistol, scopes. In its efforts to service the handgun hunter, the Burris inventory has grown to include fixed power scopes of 7x and 10x persuasion, and a variable power 2-7x.

Not resting on past successes, Burris has introduced a new competitor to the arena of monster magnifiers. Weighing in at 15 oz. (without the very useful rubber: eye cap protectors) and measuring 10.75″ long, the 3-9x variable offers an increase performance over the 2-7x while reducing size and weight and maintaining field-of-view and eye relief.

According to the Burris folks, this is achieved through a complete new optic design. I didn’t take the scope apart; I took it to the range.

Grabbing an XL pistol with a 14 inch barrel in .270 MAX, 1 stripped off the iron sights, slapped on a Weaver base, mounted the scope in a pair of Burris rings and beat feet for the Escondido Fish and Game range.

Some observations after an hours shooting. First,  I thought the scope had excellent clarity.  With the power setting cranked up to 9X and shooting at 1″ black paster squares 100 yards away. I could see the cross hairs change location inside the square as the tar­get frame moved in the wind. This was under heavy cloud cover late in the afternoon.

Second, I was impressed with the useable range of eye relief for such a high power scope. It’s impossible to “fit” everyone with our different shapes, shooting positions, and firearm preferences.

In this particular scenario, I was using an XL with the scope mounted such that the eyepiece extended about 1″ past my wrist. I was shooting off a bench with arms extended and my chin touching my arm. I had full field of view with every power setting from 3x through 9x.

In a conventional standing position, I could maintain full field of view up to 5x, which is about as high a power setting as I can use standing. In Creedmore, the field of view restricted even at the lowest 3x setting, but still useable if you can acquire the target.

Keep in mind, if you put this scope on an XP or TC, optimum positions will be different. One of my hunting partners in Colorado is using his 3-9x on a center-grip XP in .223, and when he shoots in the prone position, his arms have to get a couple of inches longer on the 9x setting.

Third, eye alignment with the axis of the scope is critical, but certainly manage­able in bench type shooting with the arm-to-chin contact providing a repeatable ref­erence point much like a rifleman’s chin on stock position.

I thought the alignment was less critical and demanding on this scope than on the lOx.  I tried several months ago, but I’m working from an old memory here, and we all know what happens to the memory when you pass 40.

Shooters who have not used pistol scopes much will have more trouble on eye alignment with this big variable than they would with one of the lower power rigs.

Overall, I’m impressed with the scope. I think it’s an excellent selection for the long-range varmint hunter who occasionally chases medium size game.

Mounted on your favorite, minute-of-angle, low recoiling handgun. I think the 3-9x is a guaranteed winner.  I have already planned a spring-summer varmint hunt with Burris’ latest offering, perhaps mounted on a super-accurate .223.

Published:  American Handgunner  July/August 1992

Handgunning Africa

Twenty yards away, the lioness dropped to her belly in the thick grass and examined us like appetizers on the lunch menu. There were a number of things that seemed inherently right about her position: the grass that matched her coloration perfectly and concealed everything except the top half of her face; the crouch that would enable her to launch like a sprinter from the starting blocks; the rock-steady position that allowed her to study us thoroughly without moving a muscle.

On the other hand, there didn’t seem to be anything good about my position, sitting in a open jeep with my hands fluttering between my .44 Magnum Classic Hunter and 35mm camera. Our professional hunter eased himself and his .375 H&H out of the jeep while murmuring reassuring words.

My indecision was based on the fact that while this was my first safari and there were no lions on my trophy list, I didn’t know what was on the lioness’ list.

I finally managed to click the shutter a few times which resulted in some of the worst focused pictures of the trip. After an incredibly long 14 or so seconds, the lioness turned and trotted off into the bush.

I knew I had just experienced one of the great hunting moments of my life without firing a shot, and it was the kind of incident that just can’t happen on an annual stateside deer or elk hunt.

My hunting partner for this trip was Phil Briggs. After a dozen years of handgun hunts together in Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona, we were pretty comfortable with each other’s habits, unusual camping noises, and various other behavior patterns not always acceptable in social, civilized circles.

Most importantly, we enjoyed each other’s company and didn’t get on each other’s nerves in remote, sometimes confined conditions.

Picking The Guns

 There was no question that this was a handgun safari.

If you’re a gun nut (excuse me, that’s firearms enthusiast) no element of the planning process is as much fun as the selection and preparation of the weapons and loads.

Like many handgun hunter, I wanted a scoped, single-shot pistol of serious persuasion as the primary hunting weapon. I also wanted a belt gun that was compact, delivered sufficient power for penetration of big game, and yet was suitable for other potential social situations.

The caliber decision was relatively easy – the .375 JDJ seems to be the choice of those who hunt big game with single-shot handguns. It’s not magic, but it’s balance of brute power, flat trajectory, bullet selection, and gun manageability is better than any other caliber I have handled.

A good recoil suppression system is essential to maintain control with the heavier bullet weights. Since my choice of weapon was the XL Pistol (formerly Merrill)made by Jim Rock of Rock Pistol Manufacturing in ucson, I selected his variation of the famous JDJ caliber called the .375 Rocket.

It’s the same .444 case necked down to .375 with a slightly different shoulder angle, but comparable performance. Topped by a 2X Leupold, the XL pistol handles and balances perfectly, particularly when shooting standing.

It groups under ¾ inch from the bench at 50 meters which might be improved with a higher power scope. However, 2X feels right for standing shots, and I can never find a bench when I’m hunting.

Just in case, I took another single-shot XL/Merrill, this one in .30-40 Krag with a 15-inch barrel and 4X Leupold that shoots 50 meter groups under ½ inch. I couldn’t handle it nearly as well off-hand, but for long range shots from any kind of rest, it looked good for medium-sized game.

.44 S&W Belt Gun

For the belt gun, I was looking at S&W four-inch configurations in .41 and .44 caliber when I stumbled on a .44 Hunter Classic with three-inch barrel at one of my favorite local gun stores. In my usual suave a debonair style, I slobbered and drooled and stammered until we came to terms.

I didn’t have much time for load development, but 18 grains of AA #7 with 220 gr. Sierra FPJ match bullets gave over 1,200 fps, excellent accuracy, good penetration and manageable gun control.

I was ready or as Ward Bond kept saying in the old western movie Hondo, “Hell, I was born ready!”

Roc Safaris

We were booked with Roc Safaris, owned and operated by Rocco Gioia, who has hosted a number of handgun hunters and understands the difference between us and the long gunners. We were met at the airport for the 200 mile drive to the ranch.

I had forgotten that South Africans drive on the left side of the road and work with kilometers, not miles. Doing 120 down the wrong side of the road had me ready for a pre-dinner shiskey by the time we reached the ranch!

Over dinner we began to get acquainted with our two professional hunters, both of whom carried .44 Magnums. When they discover that Phil has a pretty fair wine palate, the PH’s cheerfully took on the additional duty of wine stewards and presented us with an excellent selection of premium South African wines over the next two weeks. When the wine steward is packing a .44 Magnum, no one ever sends a bottle back!

The basic daily schedule begins with a wake up visit around 5 a.m. followed by a light breakfast in the main lodge. You’re out on one of the ranches (each about 20,000 to 30,000 acres) at first light hunting until late morning when it’s back to the lodge for a big brunch

You’re free for a couple of hours to siesta, read, write letters or just enjoy the African camp until about 2 p.m. Then you’re off huntingagain until dark, about 6 p.m., when you head back for dinner.

Back at the lodge, everyone shares their hunting successes of the day, paying strict attention to the truth. It’s fun watching a PH trying to keep a straight face as he supports his hunter’s outlandish story.

Hunting yarns are followed by dinner, which frequently includes the better cuts of meat from game taken. About twice a week, the hunters and staff wandered over to the outdoor campfire area for a barbecue dinner. These were very pleasant evenings with the fire playing a nice role in the cool winter air.

I’ve enjoyed the coyote choirs of the western U.S. but it’s not the same as the grunts and coughs of lions and leopards hunting outside your boma. Depending on your mood after dinner, you can adjourn to the bar or return to your rondavaal (cottage). Yes, I gained weight on this trip!

First Impala

The first morning started after day-break with sight setting checks and a look at the ranch’s trophy preparation area. It was late in the afternoon, just before dusk, when we spotted a herd of impala leaving a waterhole. (I say “we,” but for the first couple of days, it was my PH, Johann Grove, who spotted everything we saw.)

The heard ram looked “pretty good” to Johann and absolutely fantastic to me! Johann suggested that since they were unaware of us, we might beat them to a nearby clearing and get a reasonable shot at the ram. Since I had no clever counter-suggestions, we were off for the clearing.

Apparently the hunting gods were pleased to see me in Africa because I was comfortably seated in the grass with the .375 braced over one knee when the herd emerged from the brush about 120 yards away. As all the does and non-voting herd members crossed the clearing at a fairly relaxed walk or trot, I seemed to be the only really nervous animal within miles.

And then the head dude appeared, carefully bringing up the rear of the parade. I watched in total fascination through the scope until I realized I had come halfway around the world for this guy.

The .375 roared just before the ram reached the far side of the clearing. From what I could tell, there was a part-jump, part-hunch and he was gone. We didn’t wait 15 minutes over a relaxed cigarette for the game to lie down and die. It was getting on toward dark, and Africa is known for its incredibly efficient dead protein removal teams that operate at night.

We were off to track and find my ram. You don’t stay out tooo long after dark either, because Africa has some different, but equally efficient, live protein removal teams.

Not to worry, “California Dundee,” we found the ram about 50 yards away.

You don’t think I was excited? I was like a virgin facing the sacrifice selection committee chairman! I immediately began trying to convince Johann that my 120 yard shot was more like 250 yards. He smile and applauded by conservatism.

Curse of the Kudu

With such an incredible start, I doubted that anything could go wrong. Unfortunately, as the poem says, “Let me count the ways.” We did several unsuccessful stalks on different kudu, one of whom had horns over 52 inches and would have probably put me in the handgun record book.

I didn’t see the world record grey duiker (greater than six-inch horns) that Johann put me on until he spooked. I blew a stalk on a really good warthog and missed a shot at another.

Warthogs are an exceptional animal in many ways; in addition to being so ugly even your daughters don’t object to you hunting them, God deliberately made them dimensionally incorrect (warthogs, not daughters.)

A warthog’s head is disproportionately long compared to its body which causes you to shoot low when it faces you. But what great hunting animals, prolific as rabbits and a sheer joy to watch in their natural habitat!

(Their entertainment value continues as I now argue with my wife about where we should display such ugly animals. But I digress.)

I finally did get a shot at a good kudu bull, and things went seriously wrong. We had seen a kudu cow cross a clearing about 100 yards away just before dark. We waited and saw another cow cross the same spot a few minutes later.

Shortly thereafter, a large bull appeared about 100 yards beyond the cows. Johann said, “Take him; he’s a good 52 inches.” I put the crosshairs high on the shoulder, and just before he left the clearing and reentered the bush, I squeezed one off.

Both Johann and I thought we heard the sound of bullet impact but did not see any animal reaction. No waiting with darkness coming on; we beat feet to the last visual contact spot and started looking for tracks and blood.

Nothing! Johann couldn’t sort out a trail before dark in the thick grass which extended for more than 100 yards into the bush along the kudu’s path. Talk about a long, miserable night.

Despite hours of intensive tracking effort the nex day with an additional PH, we only found a slight trace of blood at one of the kudu’s rest stops that apparently came from a superficial muscle would high in the shoulder.

Going back and checking distances showed that he had not been 200 yards away when I fired, but more like 150 yards, which was dead-on for the .375 Rocket. The slug had hit high in the shoulder beneath his hump, exactly under the crosshairs. This was absolutely the low point of the safari, but it didn’t last.

Luck Changes

A few days later, I got my kudu. Again, there were several hours of intensive tracking and worrying, but the final result was different. He won’t make the book with horns just under 50 inches, but I don’t even have to negotiate with my wife about where in the house this guy goes on display. Well, maybe there will be a little negotiating.

Phil and I spent a total of two weeks on Rocco’s ranch, and neither of us was ready to come home. There were highs and lows in terms of hunting successes and failures, but our enjoyment of the safari just increased the longer we stayed.

Rocco is right when he recommends no less that a 20 day safari with two weeks being better. Kruger National Park is quite close to the ranch, and with so many species of game within its boundaries, it represents an excellent opportunity to fill your photo album, but not your trophy room.

On the next trip, we’ll probably spend a day at Kruger, but our first safari was spent hunting.

From the time we are children, we hear incredible stories about the hunting lure of Africa. They’re all true! For diversity and quantity of game available to a hunter, Africa is unbelievable.

Even after your trophy fee budget has expired, there are unique “varmints” weighing hundreds of pounds still available for hunting at no additional cost that are unimaginable stateside.

Does it sound like I want to go back? Like a good friend said: Hunting Africa is like having peanuts; nobody can eat just one.” Hell yes, I’m going back!

Published: American Handgunner March/April 1992