Defense Articles

A little controversy around the campfire isn’t a bad thing. A lively debate helps liven up the evening, exercises the mind and gets the blood flowing.

One debate I avoid is the controversy over push-feed versus controlled-round feed actions. I find it boring because most often the debate is framed in the wrong way. People want to believe reliability is a function of a particular design. Their arguments are supported by anecdotal evidence, sometimes I suspect, made up on the spot.

The weak link in the reliability chain is seldom the rifle. Most often, the weak link is the operator. I’ve seen rifles fail in the field and on the range. In my callow youth I had a couple of failures myself. I haven’t had a failure in the field for nearly 30 years, and the reason has nothing to do with the type of feeding.

Rifles fail mostly for the following reasons: poor handloads; incorrect (or non-existent) rifle maintenance; operator error in handling and failing to prepare the rifle for the environmental conditions. Almost always these problems can be easily detected and prevented by testing, practice and maintenance.

Don’t Load Your Own Problems

Modern factory ammunition is so accurate and reliable it can hardly be improved. Maybe I’m kidding myself but I still feel better with handloads. At least I know there really is a flash hole in the case, priming compound in the primer cup, and a powder charge beneath the bullet.

This isn’t intended to be a treatise on reloading. Charlie Petty has that department covered very well. My point is that in preparing hunting handloads my first priority is reliability. Yes, I want accuracy as well, but I won’t sacrifice reliability for minor accuracy increments.

My guidelines for hunting handloads are: once-fired brass, trimmed to consistent length, chamfered, beveled and full-length resized; primers untouched by contaminants or human hands; primers seated straight and to correct depth; powder charges weighed and cases inspected for powder charge before bullet seating. Each and every round will be loaded into the magazine and run through the action.

Gunk Is The Enemy

Proper rifle maintenance includes more than bore cleaning. Rust in the chamber, even seemingly insignificant amounts, greatly increases the load on the extractor during primary extraction. Carefully clean the chamber (and the locking lug recesses), and remember to dry it before using the rifle again.

Clean the bolt face to remove bits of brass, burnt powder and corruption from beneath the extractor. Check to ensure the ejector, whether plunger-type or fixed, is clean and functional. If possible dismantle the bolt and clean the firing pin channel. Using the correct screwdrivers check action and scope mount screws. Clean the magazine box, follower and follower spring, feed rails and feed ramp.

Proper maintenance also means not fixing what isn’t broken. When triggers have little screws the temptation is to start twisting them. Don’t do it. Use some spray solvent to keep the mechanism clean and let a qualified gunsmith turn the little screws.

AMERICAN RIFLE: A TREATISE, A TEXT BOOK, AND A BOOK OF PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE USE OF THE RIFLE represents twenty-five years of study and work from a soldier, hunter and naturalist who by the 1920s was a renowned expert on military and hunting rifles. It’s written for riflemen and any with such must have this, which covers everything from maintenance and care to shooting tactics and common mistakes. A ‘foundation’ title any weapons library must have.

David Towler, 24, of Woolsingham, Co Durham, was spending Christmas Day in hospital after accidentally shooting himself while cleaning his .22 rifle.

The Model 6046 rifle scabbard is made from heavy-oiled saddle leather and features a non-absorbent fleece lining. A zippered integral hood keeps out the elements. The scabbard fits all scoped rifles up to 46 inches.

Two new tactical rifles are now available from companies which were once known as handgun manufacturers. The first, bearing the innovative name “Tactical Rifle,” is available from Magnum Research makers of the famous Desert Eagle pistol.

The Tactical Rifle, designed by gunsmith John Roundsley, and is an off-the-shelf precision rifle that rivals many of the custom bolt-action sniper rifles currently available. Built on a Remington 700 action with an H-S Precision stock, the Tactical Rifle features a 26″ carbon fiber barrel capable of maintaining 1/2 MOA accuracy. The Tactical Rifle is available in .223, .22-250, .308 and .300 Win Magnum.

This classic custom gun is graceful, strong and proud — much like the magnificent cat it was made to hunt.

Africa’s greatest predator is the lion, so it is only appropriate that a hunting rifle dedicated to the king of beasts should reflect its attributes - strong, graceful and proud. And just as the Lion is at the top of the food chain, so too are the craftsmen who built this magnificent custom rifle. Gunmaker Sterling Davenport, a stockmaker and metalsmith, is at the pinnacle of his profession, while engraver Jere Davidson is at the apex of his art.

The Lion Rifle is chambered for the legendary .375 H&H Mag., a classic hunting round. The gun is based on a new Winchester Model 70 action, the so-called “pre’64 style” featuring a claw extractor and controlled round feeding.

The barrel is from master barrelmaker John Krieger, asingle cut-rifled blank originally 2.25″ in diameter. The stock blank came from Ed Preslik, the salty old dog of California walnut dealers who provides eye-popping claro and English walnut to many of the top stockmakers, including Davenport.

The engraving, done by Davidson, is fine English scroll style highlighted with 18k gold bands and accents with a centerpiece on the floorplate of a fully maned African lion. Davidson is one of a handful of American master engravers, a profession that requires immense dedication. Davidson is well known for his exquisite game scenes in the Bolino style on fine shotguns, but his gold relief work on the Lion Rifle gives a glimpse of his other talents.

The Lion Rifle is a collaborative effort of craftsmen in the Old World tradition of the guilds in which specific gun-making tasks are handled by specific masters. Davenport was to be the stockmaker while Idaho metalsmith Rick Stickley was to mate the barrel and action. However, due to personal circumstances, Stickley was unable to complete the project. Davenport completed the finishing and other details on the metalwork.

Fine Points

The overall impression of the Lion Rifle as a magnificent example of a classic American custom rifle belies several of the more intricate details. Perhaps the most understated yet remarkable features of this fine gun are the “false” square bridges, making the action appear to be a Magnum Mauser.

Stickley welded up the bridges on the action and machined them to serve as an integral base for his own detachable scope rings. When the scope is not in use, it can be removed and tastefully engraved caps are slid onto dovetail rails, giving the double square bridge appearance.

Another striking feature is the rear sight which Davenport custom fit onto the integral quarter rib. The rear sight, calibrated for 50 yards — the maximum distance at which dangerous game should properly be shot — is accented with a triangle of elephant ivory for visibility in low light.

The front sight features a removable hood and the front sight ramp is machined integrally from the Kreiger barrel blank. The barrel-mounted front sling swivel stud is also integrally machined.

The stock features a skeleton grip cap and hand checkered panel, both exquisitely fit by Davenport. Typical of Davenport’s classic styling, the rifle features a beaded cheekpiece and contrasting ebony forend tip. The grip is somewhat open, facilitating a comfortable yet firm hold on the big Holland & Holland magnum.

A bout 3,000 rifles sold under the Sako and Tikka labels have been recalled following catastrophic failures, but a small number of guns sold in the American market remain in the hands of owners who apparently have not heard about the recall. A weakness in the stainless steel used to manufacture rifles last year has led to ruptured barrels.

THE AMERICAN RIFLE: A TREATISE, A TEXT BOOK, AND A BOOK OF PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE USE OF THE RIFLE represents twenty-five years of study and work from a soldier, hunter and naturalist who by the 1920s was a renowned expert on military and hunting rifles. It’s written for riflemen and any with such must have this, which covers everything from maintenance and care to shooting tactics and common mistakes. A ‘foundation’ title any weapons library must have.

Two new tactical rifles are now available from companies which were once known as handgun manufacturers. The first, bearing the innovative name “Tactical Rifle,” is available from Magnum Research makers of the famous Desert Eagle pistol.

The Tactical Rifle, designed by gunsmith John Roundsley, and is an off-the-shelf precision rifle that rivals many of the custom bolt-action sniper rifles currently available. Built on a Remington 700 action with an H-S Precision stock, the Tactical Rifle features a 26″ carbon fiber barrel capable of maintaining 1/2 MOA accuracy. The Tactical Rifle is available in .223, .22-250, .308 and .300 Win Magnum.

Combat now offers the UT-15 Urban Tactical Carbine. This versatile AR-style rifle has a free-floated, fluted barrel and a 3 lb. trigger. A unique sighting system allows the shooter to choose instantly between an optical sight or the gun’s integral iron sights.

If I were a Model 1893/1895 Mauser and could talk, I think I would be mouthing the famous line, “Don’t get much respect around here.” Seen as weak actions compared to the Model 98, the cock-on-closing 93 and 95 Mausers have never been popular in the US, particularly for sporting conversions. Nonetheless, the nicest custom .257 Roberts I ever laid eyes on was built on a Model 95 Mauser small-ring action.

The truth is the Model 93 and 95 actions are very suitable for the cartridges for which they were chambered, notably the 7×57, 7.65×53 and 6.5×55. More importantly to collectors, many models exhibit some of the finest craftsmanship and finish ever lavished on a military firearm.
Spanish Debt

We owe the 1893 Spanish Mauser in 7×57 a debt one might not think of. At the battle of San Juan Hill, 15,000 US troops armed with .30-40 Krags and .45-70 Trapdoors attacked a garrison manned by 700 Spaniards armed with Model 1893 Mausers. With the rapidity of fire offered by the clip-fed Mausers combined with the excellent ranging qualities of the 7×57 cartridge, those 700 Spaniards inflicted 1,400 casualties on the attacking US forces.

It was the wake-up call for the US military, who were forced to conclude the future lay in clip-loaded Mausers and rimless, smokeless-powder cartridges. The battle of San Juan Hill may have done more to promote the development of the 1903 Springfield than any other single event in history, and to think we ended up paying Mauser a royalty for privilege of making the “Springfield Mausers.”
Boers

In some ways, history was to repeat itself in the Anglo-Boer War of 18991902 when Boer Commandos, armed with Model 1893/1895 Mausers, proved to be an exceedingly tough match for the Brits. One of the constant themes of the conflict was the accurate, long-range fire the Boers rained down on their adversaries. As the Boers would put it, “Vertroue in God en die Mauser” –”Faith in God and the Mauser.”

The Brits were so impressed by the Boers’ 7×57 Mausers, they went on to design their Mauser-based Pattern 1914 action and a high-velocity 7mm round (.276) to go with it. Had it not been for the advent of WWI and the crisis the conflict created in British small arms supply lines, that intriguing combination would have been the official replacement for the Lee Enfield and the .303 cartridge.

Sleeper

The last great batch of Model 1895 Mausers in 7×57 to come our way was from Chile. The Model 95 was also adopted by Mexico, Uruguay, Persia, China, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In fact, some of the Chilean Model 95s carry the code “O.V.S.”, standing fin the “‘Orange Free State.” Reportedly, because of the success of the British blockades, these rifles never reached South African shores, were returned to the factory where the Chilean crest was applied to the receiver ring, and sold to Chile as part of the contract. Keep you eyes out for them!

The small ring Chilean Model 95 rifle or carbine is a slight improvement over the Spanish Model 1893. The lower portion of the bolt head of the Chilean is round rather than being rectangular. The rear of the follower is milled at an angle so that one can close the bolt on an empty magazine. The Chilean model features a small shoulder behind the root of the bolt handle that serves as a safety lug and stabilizes the bolt in its fully retracted position. The Chilean also features a solid left receiver wall without the familiar Mauser thumb cut.

DWM

The Chilean was made by DWM, the company that owned Mauser. Owned Mauser? Yes, Ludwig Lowe & Company of Berlin bought all the Mauser stock in 1887. Paul Mauser remained as the technical genius of the Mauser Works in Oberndorf and firearms produced at Oberndorf continued to carry the Mauser name. Ludwig Lowe & Co., on the other hand, also fulfilled many of the military contracts including those for rifles, Luger pistols and Maxim machine guns under their own name. Through a series of acquisitions including metallic cartridge and powder companies, Lowe finally changed the Berlin factory name to “Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken” (DWM).

Like many of the 1891, 1893, 1895, 1896 model Mausers, the Chilean reflects the high level of German workmanship expended on making a firearm reflecting as favorably on the producing country as it did Mauser. Make no mistake about it, Germany’s prestige and political influence in foreign policy matters followed the Mauser contracts throughout the world. In Chile, for example, a German military mission was established in Chile, which served as instructors at the Chilean War College and general advisors until WWI.

The Chilean Model 95 simply glows. The metal surfaces are perfectly polished. The rust- and fire-blued finishes of the rifle rival those of any custom work. All essential parts, including the stock, are numbered to the gun and even the screw heads carry acceptance marks. It’s the type of milsurp you just enjoy looking at for the workmanship evidenced in each and every one of its individual parts.