You probably know all about Hydra-Shok, Hydra-Shok Deep and HST, Federal’s popular lines of handgun bullets, but those aren’t the company’s only pistol offerings. Phil Massaro shares their wide range of new, interesting and often overlooked bullets for self-defense, target practice and hunting.
45 TACTICAL TRAINING: THE MINDSET TRIAD
What is the mindset triad? For Ash Hess, the three legs are preparedness, awareness and willingness to act. But most importantly, it’s the ability to put all three together when the decisive moment arrives. He goes over the thought process and practices that ensure he is ready – and you can be too.
FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE BROADCAST BOOTH
Meet Tim Harmsen, firearms world influencer and Second Amendment advocate. Paul Pawela sketches the life and times of the Military Arms Channel host, Indiana state director for Gun Owners of America, and co-creator and host of Wild Shots, a new firearms- and marksmanship-focused TV series.
54 ROAD HUNTER: THE THRILLS AND CHALLENGES OF HUNTING ROOSEVELT ELK
Steep mountains, jungle-like forests, monsoonal rains. Nothing about Roosevelt elk hunting is easy, and that makes success all the more sweet. Scott Haugen’s been chasing these giant West Coast bulls for decades and offers a glimpse into what he rates as one of North America’s most challenging hunts.
75 BL ACK POWDER: LEVER-GUN SIGHTING TECHNIQUES OK, so it wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but Mike Nesbitt believes he’s figured out a way to make accurate shots at targets from 25 to 75 yards with his .44-40 without needing to adjust elevation between distances. He details the sighting techniques that helped him win a club match.
(TIM HARMSEN)
(TIM HARMSEN)
22
RUGER WRANGLER – THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Looking for a single-action six-gun in .22 LR with Old West aura that’s also useful for cowboy action, small game hunting and training new shooters – and won’t break the bank? Trampas Swanson details the Ruger Wrangler, introduced in 2019, and now available in multiple barrel lengths and grips.
67 MILITARY SPOTLIGHT: RISING THROUGH THE CURRENTS
Winsome Earle-Sears has paved a unique path in her lifetime –born in Jamaica, raised in New York City, service in the Marine Corps, careers in business and now politics. Paul Pawela traces a journey that this fall included a campaign to become the state of Virginia’s next governor.
73
L AW ENFORCEMENT SPOTLIGHT: A LOOK AT I.C.E. BEYOND THE HEADLINES
Maybe don’t bring up Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Thanksgiving dinner if it’s served in mixed company, Nick Perna advises, but what is the federal agency and its branches tasked with anyway? Nick talks shop about ICE.
48
GUN MAINTENANCE MADE EASIER
Take it from self-defense trainer Jason Brooks, cleaning guns after a day at the range sucks. Fortunately, there’s True Blue Gun Lubricants for making sure your firearm works smoothly. And new to the lineup, check out their cleaning products for suppressors as well as a refillable grease syringe.
63 RIB-MOUNT THAT RED DOT
What happens when you combine a love for hunting gobblers with engineering degrees? Shotgun sight mounts that don’t require drilling and tapping! Greg Maher of Meadow Creek Mounts shares how his Universal Rib Mount and a red dot sight turn “a good shooting gun into a turkey hunting machine.”
National Training Center Shooting Club Rocky Mountain Regional PTO Colorado Springs, Colo.
United States Practical Shooting Association uspsa.org
November 5-9
Area 2 Championship Mesa, Ariz.
November 7-8
Oklahoma Section Championship Arcadia, Okla.
November 17-21
2025 Shotgun Fall SelectionMatch Program (Skeet) Tucson, Ariz.
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South Florida Section Championship Okeechobee, Fla.
November 13-16
The Louisiana Gator Classic Princeton, La.
November 18-22
2025 Shotgun Fall SelectionMatch Program (Trap) Tucson, Ariz.
December 5-7
North Florida Section
Championship New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
December 12-13
Mid Mississippi Christmas Classic Raymond, Miss.
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November 8-9
Palo Alto Glock Showdown Donaldsonville, La.
November 15-16
Glocks in the Pines Pollok, Texas
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November 8-9 4th Annual Landmark Shootout Mesquite, N.M.
November 15-16
The Route 66 Glock Challenge San Bernardino, Calif.
November 22-23
Southern Alabama Regional Classic Midland City, Ala.
December 6-7
“Remember the Alamo” Ballistic Challenge Atascosa, Texas
November 8-9
Space Coast Challenge Palm Bay, Fla.
November 8-9
South Texas Gunslingers 4th Annual Showdown Angleton, Texas
November 13-15
South Carolina State Championship Ridgeville, S.C.
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Helldorado Better Late than Never Tombstone, Ariz.
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Arizona State IDPA Championship Catalina, Ariz.
FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE BROADCAST BOOTH
Meet Tim Harmsen, firearms world influencer and Second Amendment advocate.
Tim Harmsen’s journey from military service member to media influencer is a testament to dedication, innovation and unwavering commitment to the Second Amendment. From the battlefield to the broadcast booth, Harmsen has carved out a unique space as a veteran, educator and advocate for firearm rights.
When Harmsen was 10 years old, he got his first .22 rifle and his passion for firearms started. At 13 years old, he went to a place in Kansas City called Worlds of Fun. It was on Armed Forces Day. He recalls that a reservist was manning a station with an old Willys Jeep that had an M14 and M16 laying on the hood. He remembers picking up the M16 and being simply amazed by it. That experience pushed him to get his first AR-15 when he was 16 years old. It was a birthday present from his mom.
Later, Harmsen served in the military for four years, primarily at a US Navy submarine base where he underwent specialized training. His role in the military was multifaceted, involving both combat operations and technical expertise, which laid the foundation for his deep understanding of firearms and tactical systems. Harmsen’s service earned him commendations for excellence,
STORY BY PAUL PAWELA
Tim Harmsen hosts the Military Arms Channel on YouTube, is the Indiana state director for Gun Owners of America, and co-created and hosts Wild Shots, a new firearms- and marksmanship-focused TV series. (TIM HARMSEN)
and his time in uniform profoundly shaped his post-military career. His military experience not only instilled discipline and resilience but also sparked a lifelong passion for firearms and constitutional rights. Harmsen has often credited his time in the military as the catalyst for his later work in the firearms industry and in media.
IN 2008, HARMSEN launched the Military Arms Channel, a YouTube platform that quickly gained traction for its in-depth reviews, historical insights and technical breakdowns of firearms. Now with over 1.5 million subscribers, the channel has become a trusted source for gun enthusiasts, collectors and professionals.
Before becoming one of YouTube’s best known firearms commentators, Harmsen studied administration of justice at Johnson County Community College in Kansas. That foundation gave him both a practical and legalistic view of America’s Second Amendment
culture – something that would later infuse his videos with a rare mix of technical insight and political conviction.
Harmsen’s content stands out for its blend of educational rigor and entertainment, often featuring rare and exotic weapons, field tests and interviews with industry experts. He was also the first YouTuber to tour the Israel Weapon Industries small arms manufacturing facility, a milestone that underscores his pioneering role in firearms media.
In 2014, he expanded beyond content creation and cofounded Copper Custom Armament, a gun shop and custom firearms business in Valparaiso, Indiana. The store became a physical extension of the Military Arms Channel online ethos: handson craftsmanship, gear tested in the real world, and a dedication to the principle that gun ownership is both a right and a responsibility.
Like many firearm content creators, Harmsen has battled the growing
Wild Shots premiered on the Pursuit Channel on September 22, 2025. (AMERICAN STORIES ENTERTAINMENT)
On Wild Shots, Harmsen interviews a variety of personalities in the gun industry and politicians involved with preserving the Second Amendment. (AMERICAN STORIES ENTERTAINMENT)
restrictions on gun-related content across digital platforms. YouTube demonetization, video takedowns and shadow banning have all tested his ability to sustain a business model. Still, Harmsen has persisted, adapting to shifting policies while maintaining a loyal following that values authenticity over algorithmic approval. In 2022, Harmsen took his advocacy to the next level by joining Gun Owners of America, or GOA, as the organization’s Indiana state director. In this role, he works to protect gun rights, challenge antiSecond Amendment legislation and mobilize grassroots support across the state. His leadership is marked by a no-compromise stance and a deep connection to the veteran and firearms communities.
He’s also been a vocal critic of what he sees as complacency among large gun-rights groups. While Harmsen remains an NRA
Life Member, he’s unafraid to call out leadership decisions he considers out of touch with grassroots gun owners. That independence politically and personally has become part of his brand.
In an age when “influencer” has become a hollow buzzword, Harmsen represents something different: a
bridge between the old guard of gun culture and a new generation seeking substance over slogans. His audience includes veterans, collectors and firsttime buyers alike, many drawn to his blend of candor and expertise.
EVEN AS THE digital landscape grows more hostile to his kind of content, Harmsen continues to find ways to connect through alternative platforms, collaborations and his thriving business ventures.
Most recently, Harmsen co-created and is the host of Wild Shots, a new firearms- and marksmanshipfocused TV series from American Stories Entertainment network and broadcast on the Pursuit Channel’s Freedom Friday lineup. On the show, Harmsen takes a 30-day journey across the Eastern US, visiting historic battlefields and legendary ranges, all while pairing historic firearms with modern gear.
For Harmsen, Wild Shots represents a shift from strictly YouTube/online content into a broader broadcast-platform environment, bringing his brand into mainstream niche television. The show blends precision marksmanship, historical storytelling and modern shooting platforms, taking viewers on a thrilling journey through America’s firearms heritage. Each episode features Harmsen teaming up with top marksmen at legendary locations, attempting jaw-dropping shots that push the limits of skill and technology.
Wild Shots also features top firearms influencers, who bring their unique styles and massive social reach to the show. Here, 22Plinkster sets up for a trick shot where he attempts to split a bullet with the blade of a knife to pop two balloons. (AMERICAN STORIES ENTERTAINMENT)
Author Paul Pawela (left) with Harmsen on the set of Wild Shots. (PAUL PAWELA)
HARMSEN’S LIFE IS a masterclass in transformation from marine to storyteller, from protector to provocateur. His work continues to inspire, educate and empower a new generation of Americans who value freedom, responsibility and the right to bear arms.
Whether behind the camera or on the front lines of advocacy, Harmsen remains a steadfast voice for liberty and a living example of how military service can evolve into a lifelong mission of public service.
For me, interacting with many firearms influencers as a journalist with American Shooting Journal, it is amazing to meet a stand-up role model who does so much for the community. It is also refreshing to find someone like Harmsen’s personality to be devoid of ego, as the man is as down-to-earth as one can possibly get. It was a pleasure and honor to work with him.
Check out Harmsen’s YouTube channel and make sure to watch Wild Shots on the Pursuit Channel. ★
Harmsen is also an avid hunter. (TIM HARMSEN)
Originally introduced in 2019, the Ruger Wrangler is now available in several different barrel lengths and grips.
Six-gun evokes Old West aura while also being useful for cowboy action, small game hunting and training new shooters.
In our country, few firearms have captured the American spirit quite like Samuel Colt’s Single Action Army, well known today as the Peacemaker. Beyond its late 1800s introduction, the beloved single-action revolver won the hearts of historians and fantasy daydreamers alike through the tales of Wild West heroes and the silver screen. From the 1950s through the late ’70s, Americans experienced a boom in interest about cowboys, outlaws and all things Western frontier days. Over 200 television shows and movies focused on daring cowboys facing off against bandits with blazing six-guns being drawn from low-slung holsters at high noon.
Ironically enough, Colt had not produced a Single Action Army since 1941, the beginning of World War II for America, to concentrate on the war effort. As a true sign of the tail wagging the dog, Colt scrambled to launch their second generation production from 1956 to 1974, only to come up short on meeting customer demand. This caused a large void in the market and only drove Colt Single Action values higher
RUGER WRANGLER:
LONG AND SHORT OF IT
STORY AND PHOTOS BY TRAMPAS SWANSON
gun review
and higher. Even today, it is common that a gun seen on Saturday night on the movie screen is the gun purchased at the local shop on Monday morning (think John Wick and Glock).
One company decided to fill that void and even take it one step further to help the single-action revolver appeal to a wider fan base. This is the foundation for how Ruger became such a strong force in not only the singleaction revolver market but also helped grow their other product lines as well to become a mega power in the firearms industry. Ruger’s Wrangler series of single-action .22 revolvers is now set to continue their success in the market. Let’s start at the beginning.
RUGER SINGLE SIX
In 1953, Bill Ruger Sr., cofounder of Sturm, Ruger & Company, introduced a handy single-action pistol in the style
of America’s beloved Colt Peacemaker, aptly dubbed the Single Six. This three-screw revolver was chambered in 22 LR, much to the delight of a wider range of shooters who either couldn’t afford to shoot a gun chambered in traditional .45 Long Colt or just did not like the recoil one provided. While roughly seven-eighths the size of a Colt, the Single Six featured the same Colt-inspired half-cock hammer and side loading gate that shooters had come to expect in the guns represented on television and movie screens.
As with most single-action sixshooters of the time, the revolvers were commonly carried with only five chambers loaded and the hammer down on the empty sixth chamber for safety purposes. With the nation in a love affair with all things Wild West and cowboy, the Single Six was a huge hit with shooters of all ages. When Colt returned to production on their Single Action Army in 1956, Ruger had already acquired a huge fan base by then with their Single Six sales. With the addition of the original semiauto pistol, the Mark I, Ruger was at the
forefront of the gun industry and was determined to keep it that way.
Never content with success, Ruger redesigned the internal action of the Single Six revolver in 1973 to include a transfer safety bar in what would come to be known as the New Model. This new design blocked the firing pin from accidently firing if the gun was dropped on its hammer. The transfer bar allowed for safe carry of all six chambers to be loaded. The half-cock notch on the trigger was also eliminated during this redesign, now allowing hammer-down reloading and free spinning of the cylinder. The Single Six was now unique in design while retaining its famous exterior.
One variation of the Single Six was titled the Super Single Six. This model was produced with a standard .22 LR cylinder and a second in .22 Mag to allow the revolver the option of shooting both. Combined with the optional 6½-inch barrel, small game hunters took to the woods with a delightful new tool that could handle the job perfectly.
By 2007, Ruger’s catalog featured at least 17 different variations of the Single Six revolver in calibers ranging from the traditional .22 LR, .22 Short and .22 Mag, to the new .17 HMR, .17 HM2 and even the .32 H&R Mag. Sadly, while the quality and number of options
You can see the differences and similarities between Ruger’s Single Six (top), which was initially released in 1953, and the Wrangler (below).
gun review
increased, so did the price tag. With an MSRP of around $799, Ruger ended up without a quality entry-level .22 pistol under $300 in their catalog.
WRANGLING A NEW PATH TO SUCCESS
The budget single-action .22 revolver was an important asset to have in an inventory, and not only for those looking for a cheap way to plink and relive their favorite cowboy action moments. For the most part, “playing cowboy” is a lost joy in our modern society. I believe my generation of fortysomethings was the last of a dying breed that grew up playing outdoors with gun-shaped sticks and wrangling the bad guys before riding off into the sunset on our Huffy bicycles.
These days, the sub-$300 singleaction marks the common point at which a new shooter would comfortably enter the world of gun ownership and be able to do so with a firearm from a reputable company such as Ruger. With the gun being single-action, new
shooters could focus on safety and having to cock the hammer before each trigger pull to decrease chances of a negligent discharge. Even if a shooter goes on to be extremely proficient with handguns and later purchases much more extravagant and higher-priced firearms, they will never forget the gun that got them into shooting. This is the key time for any manufacturer to make a customer for life through their product’s performance, quality and customer service.
In early 2019, Ruger decided to explore this void by going back to the drawing board and taking advantage of modern machining and production techniques to figure out how to give shooters the most “bang” for their buck. Already known for their great customer service, focus was placed on proper materials used for stress points, heavy wear areas, and ensuring the quality and performance of their legendary Single Six reputation carried over to the new budget-friendly model,
the Wrangler.
Rather than going with all-steel construction like that of the Single Six, Ruger only kept steel in the places most needed for the added strength, all while keeping the same external dimensions and grip size. This allows for the use of a wide range of holsters and custom grips currently on the market for the Wrangler’s wellestablished predecessor. The key to the durability and accuracy of the Wrangler is the use of cold hammerforged barrels that are still constructed of carbon steel alloy for the barrel and cylinder. To further trim cost, Ruger left the cylinder unfluted to help retain overall weight and cut production time. Internally, the Wrangler shares the same pins, base pin, ejector rod, screws and other tiny parts that ensure the clockwork precision Ruger revolvers are known for.
FIRST LOOK
Through the years, I have been
Ruger only kept steel in places on the Wrangler where added strength was most needed, all while keeping the Single Six’s same external dimensions and grip size. The cylinder was left unfluted to help retain overall weight and cut production time.
fortunate enough to try out several models of the Ruger Single Six and Super Single Six, both on the range and in the field with great results. The weight and balance of these revolvers have always been very comfortable in my hand when firing. Immediately after its release, I acquired a test sample of the Ruger Wrangler to compare head to head with my personally owned Single Six. Both guns have 4.62-inch barrels.
Admittedly, I was excited to get back on the range to shoot another Ruger single-action revolver due to their smooth actions and great
accuracy. The fact that the Wrangler was purposefully designed to be a barebones shooter with less frills than a Single Six made me skeptical at first. Overall, I was still excited to find out if it would live up to its lineage. Out of the box, the flat black Cerakote and black plastic grips made a decent presentation upon first sight, but later paled in comparison with the beautiful deep blue finish and rosewood grips of my Single Six. The 4⅝-inch barrel made for a 10¼-inch overall length to accompany its 30-ounce heft. Thankfully, I was not disappointed in my expectations while handling
the revolver. Its balance in my hand was perfect as I shifted it back and forth from thumb-cocking the hammer to firing position and, yes, even for a complete spin or two into a full cocking position and back again (unloaded and safely) before holstering cowboy-style. For over a week, the Wrangler sat in my office as I fiddled with it, working the loading gate and rotating the free-spinning cylinder as I counted down the days until my schedule opened to go shoot. After six long days, it was time to grab the pistol and my gear to mosey on down to the range for some fun!
At the range with 40-grain CCI Velocitor .22 LR rounds, author Trampas Swanson found that the Wrangler’s slight recoil helped shift the revolver upward enough for his shooting hand’s thumb to cock the gun. In rapid shooting, he used his support hand’s thumb to speed up cocking. His groupings at 35 feet were very tight, and while they opened up some in rapid fire, his hits stayed within a 4-inch target. After 60 shots, Swanson could tell the Wrangler was built to live up to Ruger’s reputation for great revolvers.
RANGE TIME
Upon arrival at the private range belonging to the Baldwin Pistol School, I began to set up targets and snapped a few close-up photos of the pistols. I then loaded up the Wrangler with some .22 LR ammunition from CCI to start the fun. The loading gate was a bit stiff to open at first but eventually loosened up as the day went on. As a safety feature to go along with the hammer transfer bar, the hammer itself will not cock when the loading gate is open. This helps prevent a negligent discharge when loading or unloading. Once I began to load rounds into
the gun, I noticed the free-spinning cylinder. With the original design found in the Single Six, the cylinder only rotated in one direction, locking out from reversing direction. The free indexing makes for a faster load and reload in case of over-rotating the cylinder. I did, however, miss hearing the melodic “zing” of giving the cylinder a whirl before closing the loading gate.
I started with CCI’s 40-grain Velocitor .22 LR rounds. At around 1,435 feet per second, this load is approximately 200 fps faster than the standard CCI Mini-Mag rounds. While point of aim and point of impact (POA, POI) struck about an inch high of center, it provided more than enough power to take small game within short to medium ranges. The slight recoil aided in shifting the pistol upward enough for the thumb of my shooting hand to cock the pistol. In rapid shooting, I use the thumb of my support hand to really speed up the cocking motion and dump rounds quickly down range. During slow fire, groups at 35 feet were very tight and impressive. Rapid fire obviously opened up the groups some but still kept them within the 4-inch target. Sixty rounds into testing, I could already tell this little gun was built to live up to Ruger’s reputation for great revolvers.
Next, I loaded up CCI Mini-Mag ammo. The POA/POI came closer to true at 15 yards and playing cards were easy targets within 21 feet with rapid fire. Working from the right hand supported and unsupported, I was able to put rounds into tight groups with ease. The action remained tight throughout the day as the crisp trigger really allowed for a consistently precise break.
Finally, I tested the Wrangler with rounds I commonly use with younger shooters and timid beginning adult shooters, that being CCI’s CB Long ammunition. These cartridges are loaded lighter to only produce approximately 710 fps. They’re designed to be subsonic to be less intimidating than standard loads to this demographic of students. But
make no mistake, these rounds can be accurate and deadly. Some hunters love using these rounds to take small game in the field. I’ve seen many squirrels fall victim to these rounds shot by my father and grandfather over my lifetime of hunting. At the test distance of 15 yards, these rounds consistently struck approximately 2 inches low of center, as we figured, but held respectable groups.
ADDITIONAL MODELS
For over a period of just short of a year, I enjoyed working with the Ruger Wrangler .22 revolver both on the range and in the field, carrying it to dispatch snakes and other pests during hikes and other outdoor activities. Prior to completing my notes and final thoughts on the initial release model for the series, Ruger announced two new models, which I was able to see and shoot while attending SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range this past year.
Having enjoyed the Wrangler so much, I just had to acquire the two new offerings to add to the review. The first new offering was a shorter-barreled version with a length of 3 75 inches. More impressive was that this little gun featured a curved birdshead grip. This special feature seemed to nestle nicely into the palm of my hand. This gun appeared to be a perfect complement to the original Wrangler as a secondary gun, possibly carried in a cross-draw position like that of Doc Holliday.
Though I had a shorter time to work with this pistol, I can say it shot straight and matched perfectly with the CCI CB Long ammunition at 15 feet. The gun felt like the majority of its weight balanced between my thumb and trigger finger, which is a bit “handheavy,” but it looked damn good while shooting. If we were looking for function over form, this would realistically make a good kit gun to keep in your fishing or hiking gear. More than once we’ve had to kill a snake in an overhanging tree limb while trying to recover a hung-up bait or fish.
The second version harkened back to the likes of Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke
gun review
or Paladin from Have Gun – Will Travel with its 7 5-inch barrel. While this model featured the standard grip of the original model, the longer barrel brought back fond memories of my favorite black-and-white television heroes dispatching Western justice. Since this version of the Wrangler was considerably longer, I needed a new holster for it to properly fit.
I chose a black leather Westernstyle on-the-belt holster from Triple K (retail price: $41.95). Despite a tight fit early on, it began to break in after a few weeks of carrying in the Florida heat and humidity. I liked the stiff mouth of the holster for easy reholstering and the security strap that wrapped over the grip to ensure the gun stayed in place safely. This would also be a great option for riding horses, ATVs or other outdoor adventures.
As for the 7.5-inch-barreled Wrangler, it shot best with the CCI Mini-Mag ammunition and performed like a small carbine rifle. When loaded, the gun handled surprisingly well for a slightly “barrel heavy” revolver. While
the rudimentary sights worked fine, the gun’s 34-ounce weight and balance lend itself to point shoot better than my other two Wrangler samples. This would also be my top choice for taking small game, especially with the top-quality leather holster built for true outdoorsmen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The single-action revolver in general is a simple yet elegant design meant to be shot hard and maintained easily. Pulling the cylinder pin and removing the cylinder from the frame makes cleanup a breeze. With just a toothbrush, a handy bore snake from Hoppe’s and a little Rem Oil, anyone can keep the Ruger Wrangler
running for years to come.
After shooting all these revolvers, I was very pleased with their performance during the test period. Overall, they held up well and provided solid groups with a wide range of .22 LR ammunition. With an MSRP of $269 to $279, Ruger has managed to put a $600 gun into the hands of a $300-budget shooter’s price range. I have happily welcomed all the test samples into my growing collection of firearms with zero regrets and tons of fun to come.
Are you a firearms instructor interested in a solid pistol for teaching someone how to shoot for the first time?
The Ruger Wrangler series would be a perfect place to introduce newcomers to the world of shooting sports. With the Wrangler’s crisp trigger, fixed sights and low recoil, the new shooter
Wrangler models with 7.5-, 4.62- and 3.75-inch barrels, the last with a birdshead grip. The six-gun is also available with a 6.5-inch barrel.
gun review
can quickly gain confidence and see progress on day one. As safety is always the primary concern, an overly excited shooter using a single-action pistol would be in a safe situation if they left their finger on the trigger after shooting or carelessly flagged someone with the muzzle.
For experienced shooters looking for more of a challenge, try the Single Action Shooters Society. This is a worldwide organization that competes using single-action firearms as part of their competitions. There is even a .22-caliber division custom-tailored for the Wrangler! If competition isn’t for you, the Wrangler would make a suitable small game firearm for close range, as well as a great way to sharpen your shooting fundamentals. Load it up with shotshells or rat shot and it’s a great snake and rodent gun as well.
If you don’t like the flat black Cerakote color of the Ruger Wrangler, fear not, the revolver is also offered in
silver and burnt bronze finishes as well. For those of you who enjoy longer-barrel .22 pistols but 7.5 inches is a bit too extreme, Ruger now offers the same great pistol in a 6 5-inch offering as well. If .22 Magnum is more your style, check out Ruger’s latest release, the Super Wrangler .22 LR/.22 Mag convertible.
Whatever your taste, give one of these revolvers a try and you will gladly find a place in your pack for one. For more information, give Sturm, Ruger & Company a visit at ruger.com. Until next time, folks –train hard and continue the fight! ★
Editor’s note: Retiring early from law enforcement, where he worked as a deputy sheriff, primarily serving as a SWAT sniper, Trampas Swanson now travels the US as an NRA and USCCA training counselor and instructor in his 23rd year as a professional firearms trainer. He has also worked for 24-plus US and international publications, ranging from recreational shooting to private military contracting.
With its considerably longer barrel, Swanson needed a new holster for the 7.5-inch Wrangler and decided on this on-the-belt model from Triple K.
FEDERAL’S UNSUNG HANDGUN BULLETS
Sometimes the less popular choice might actually work best for self-defense, target practice or hunting.
STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
ention Federal Premium to the handgun community, and you’ll assuredly hear about the Hydra-Shok, Hydra-Shok Deep and the excellent HST, but there are also other choices, depending on your application and desired uses. Quite obviously,
the three bullets I’ve just mentioned give excellent performance, especially in a defensive role, but Federal has not chosen to sit back on its laurels and ride on the trio’s reputation. Instead, it continues to develop new and interesting designs. Some are applicable for a defensive scenario, others for target work and still more serve best in the hunting fields. Most are developed by Federal, but some are
great designs that Federal has chosen to load in their various ammunition lines.
So, in no particular order, let’s examine some of Federal Premium’s unsung handgun bullets.
PUNCH
Where the Hydra-Shok clan was designed with law enforcement in mind – that trio had to demonstrate proper penetration through a number
Federal Premium has a wide range of handgun projectiles, some of which are too often overlooked.
BULLET BULLETIN
of barriers – Federal’s Punch is designed for the defensive shooter on a budget. That’s not to say there is a blessed thing wrong with the Punch design: The projectile is a jacketed hollowpoint, with a skived jacket and bullet weight unique to each cartridge. This optimizes terminal performance, giving the proper blend of weight retention, bullet expansion and deep penetration. Punch handles those barriers most common to a defensive handgun situation, where thick clothing might be the toughest obstacle, and it does that well.
Quite interestingly, Federal has extended the Punch line to include the timeless .22 Long Rifle cartridge. While perhaps not considered a powerhouse cartridge in a defensive situation, I know more than a few
folks who carry a diminutive rimfire as a concealed carry choice, and don’t think that it can’t get the job done and get you out of trouble. Federal loads a 29-grain lead-core bullet with a bona fide nickel jacket – not merely a plated projectile – to deliver the terminal ballistics needed in a .22 LR designed for defensive purposes. In the centerfire cartridges, Federal includes the usual suspects – 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and .38 Special in the +P guise – but also offers .25 ACP, 10mm Auto, .380 Auto, .30 Super Carry and .44 S&W Special, with the latter making for an excellent low-recoil option for the .44 Rem Mag shooters. The .25 Auto load uses a jacketed 45-grain solid to deliver the goods, with the rest of the loads utilizing a jacketed hollowpoint bullet.
The checkout counter might be the place where the Punch line grabs your attention most: Boxes run at about twothirds the price of the premium stuff, and that equates to more shooting and training for your dollar. Having taken the .22 LR, .38 Special and .45 ACP to the range, I can confidently tell you that I had excellent results in the accuracy department, and no function issues in the 1911, nor extraction issues with either of the revolvers in .22 LR and .38 Special.
SYNTECH
Lead bullets are wonderful, especially at handgun velocities, but lead bullets can be messy. Scrubbing lead fouling out of a barrel is among my least favorite shooting chores, and despite the affordability and availability of lead
While the Hydra-Shok and HST get all the glory, Punch is a great bullet, giving the shooter on a budget a quality option.
The Punch ammunition line extends to the .22 LR, giving a sound option for those who use the low-recoiling rimfire for a defensive choice.
Who says a snubnose can’t be accurate? Author Phil Massaro’s S&W .38 Special loves the Federal Punch 120-grain load.
projectiles, I often shy away due to the mess. In addition, many indoor ranges prohibit the use of lead projectiles due to the potential of lead vapors and particles after impact. Federal has come up with an excellent solution: They simply coated the classic lead bullet with a proprietary polymer, reducing many of the risks associated with lead bullets, and assuredly cutting down on the cleaning chores.
Syntech is offered in three variants. Syntech Range, designed for target work, is a flat-nose lead bullet encapsulated in a red polymer coating that makes a perfect training aid, giving an affordable and clean option for the high-volume shooter. Syntech Range is offered in 9mm Luger (124 grains), .40 S&W (165 grains), 10mm Auto (205 grains) and .45 ACP (230
the
grains), with a 50-count box ranging in price between $25.99 for the 9mm and $46 99 for the 10mm Auto. These are loaded in Federal’s excellent brass cases, with their lead-free primer for
reliable and consistent ignition.
The Syntech Training Match uses a purple polymer coating for immediate visual identification, but there is much more to the product line. Engineered for training purposes, Federal Premium has loaded the Syntech Training Match to deliver the same velocity, trajectory and point of impact as their flagship HST defensive ammunition. The line takes advantage of the Catalyst lead-free primer – making it a perfect option for indoor ranges where lead fumes must be mitigated – and is offered in 9mm Luger with 124- and 147-grain bullets, .40 S&W with 180-grain bullets and .45 ACP with the classic 230-grain slugs. Prices for a box of 50 range from $25.99 for the 9mm stuff to $37 99 for the .45 ACP.
Lastly, the Syntech Defense ammo line uses a dark blue polymer coating, and is designed to give proper terminal ballistics for common defensive situations. The lead hollowpoint is segmented to see the walls of the hollowpoint break into three parts for individual wound channels (generally not exceeding 6 inches in depth), while the base remains intact to give deeper, straight-line penetration associated with traditional projectiles. The Syntech Defense line comes in 9mm Luger (138 grains), .40 S&W (175 grains) and .45 ACP (205 grains). They are available in both 20- and 50-count boxes.
SOLID CORE
The Solid Core line from Federal uses
Federal took
simple yet effective lead bullet and encapsulated it in a proprietary polymer coating to reduce lead vapors and fouling.
Federal’s Syntech Training Match offers an affordable lead bullet that prints to the same point of impact as Federal’s premium defensive bullets, providing a cheap means of training.
(FEDERAL PREMIUM)
the same Syntech polymer coating, but this time the bullet construction is designed for use against four-legged foes. With a higher antimony content in the bullet’s lead core, the Solid Core is a harder bullet than the rest of the Syntech line, and is engineered to save you from conflicts with nature’s nasties. Bullet weights tend to be on the heavier side, with the 9mm +P seeing a 147-grain bullet, the .357 Magnum a 180-grain bullet, the .40 S&W and 10mm Auto a 200-grain bullet, the .44 Remington Magnum a beefy 300-grain bullet and the .45 ACP a 240-grain bullet. If you’re looking for a simple yet effective choice for a sidearm in the backcountry, Federal’s Solid Core is a great option.
HAMMERDOWN
Optimized for performance in leveraction rifles with tubular magazines, the HammerDown line features a jacketed hollowpoint with a bonded core, giving excellent terminal performance on game animals big and small. I used this ammunition a few years back in a Heym over/under .4570 Government rifle, but Federal offers a handful of cartridges that see double duty between rifles and handguns. For those handgun hunters who wish to take advantage of the bonded-core
A day at the backyard range would normally require some vigorous cleaning; Syntech definitely ran much cleaner than any lead projectile.
The Syntech Defense line sees a hollowpoint lead bullet with the Syntech coating, giving the expansion needed in a defensive bullet.
(FEDERAL PREMIUM)
design, Federal loads the .327 Federal with a 127-grain bullet, the .357 Remington Magnum with a 170-grain bullet, the .44 Remington Magnum with a 270-grain bonded-core slug and the .45 Colt with a 250-grain bullet.
While the revolvers won’t generate the velocities that their longer-barreled rifle counterparts will, the bondedcore design will engender a good bit of confidence when trying to punch through the thick shoulder bones of
a bear or an elk with your hunting handgun. I like the HammerDown series, as it has proven to be more than adequate in the accuracy department, and my experience with the terminal ballistics left me very impressed.
FUSION
If there is an overlooked, underrated hunting bullet on the market, it is Federal’s Fusion. I love the rifle bullets, but there are no flies on the handgun bullets either. Like HammerDown, this is a bonded-core jacketed hollowpoint, and is offered in some of the heavyweight cartridges. The line starts with the . Remington Magnum with a bullet, moving to a 200 the 10mm Auto and a for the .44 Remington Magnum. We
For backcountry defense, Federal has increased the antimony level in their Solid Core bullets, resulting in a harder projectile to penetrate thick hide and strong bones. (FEDERAL PREMIUM)
Federal’s Solid Core uses a flat-nose bullet of high antimony content to serve as a defensive round in the wilds. It will also make a good choice for the handgun hunter. (FEDERAL PREMIUM)
Federal’s HammerDown line is built for proper functioning in tubular-magazine lever-action guns, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t perform very well in revolvers. (FEDERAL PREMIUM)
Massaro’s Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt likes the 250-grain bonded HammerDown load and the combo will see some time in the deer woods this fall.
In the rifle world, Federal’s Fusion bondedcore bullet is an oft-overlooked option, yet it performs very well in the hunting handguns as well. (FEDERAL PREMIUM)
BULLET BULLETIN
then see the Fusion line move to the hard-hitting .454 Casull and .460 S&W Magnum loaded with a 260-grain bullet, the .50 AE with a 300-grain bullet and the mighty .500 S&W with a 325-grain Fusion bullet. Twenty-count boxes run from $35.99 to $71.99.
SWIFT A-FRAME
In the tradition of loading premium bullets of other brands, the Swift A-Frame has long been loaded by Federal Premium, and now they are included in their handgun line. Using a bonded front core, a thick jacket and partition of gilding metal and a separated rear core that guarantees that the bullet will not prematurely come apart, Federal offers many of the same cartridge options as in the Fusion line. If you want one of the toughest bullets on the market for your handgun hunting adventures, look no further than the Federal ammo with the Swift A-Frame handgun bullets. ★
For the handgun hunter, the Swift A-Frame bullet can handle almost any species hunted with a handgun. The dual cores (the front core is bonded to the jacket) result in deep penetration and a devastating wound channel. (FEDERAL PREMIUM)
THE MINDSET TRIAD
Focusing on preparedness, awareness and willingness to act.
STORY AND PHOTO BY ASH HESS
ver the past many years, one of the big things that instructors have talked about is mindset. But like many things, the more people who tried to capitalize on it, the worse it got. We watched as the talks, articles and videos went from something designed to help others to people adding words from the dictionary out of context and all sorts of other things that came with it. Over the years, I have talked about mindset with some of the best. One thought stuck with me, though, and I want to share that with you this month because it sums up the concept very well.
It came from my friend Kyle Defoor, but he points directly to Sayoc Kali, a Filipino martial art system, for its roots. I have also spoken with Thomas Kier, a Sayoc Kali Tuhon, or master, and both Tom and Kyle live this mindset. Once I get through this, I want you to go back and read it a second time. Then I want you to go to your thinking spot and really chew on it. But before we get into it, I want you to think about your “why,” as that will guide a lot of decisions and
THE MINDSET TRIAD: PREPAREDNESS, AWARENESS, WILLINGNESS
Preparedness is multifaceted and where many people spend a great deal of time. If you think about your body and equipment as a system, there is a lot that needs to be worked on. You must have the strength and cardio to
accomplish the task at hand, you must have the proper equipment and you must have the skills needed to employ that equipment. In our context, it could take years of dedicated effort just to get beyond base levels. Many times, it will require doing things we don’t like to do just to have options available.
In this modern world, the odds are high that you won’t have direct access to the tools you would want to have, so you need to be proficient with what you do have. Paul Howe, a retired US Army master sergeant who served 10 years in special operations, spoke about having a “layered offense,” which means working outward. You always have your body, then blades and pistols, then items such as rifles.
You must train with each layer enough to be able to use it in the offense. (For those of you who shy from the word “offense” because of court perceptions, let me tell you that anytime you are attacking, even counterattacking, that is working in the offense.) That means your hands, elbows and legs are your tools and you must be prepared to fight with them. You may have a blade, and you need to prepare to fight with that. We all know that the first rule of a gun fight is to have a gun, so I won’t beat that to death.
Preparedness is having the tools and the skills to use them. Having a bunch of tools with no skills and having skills with no tools are both equally useless. The difference is that a person with
Kyle Defoor (left) of Defoor Proformance Shooting and Tom Kier, a master of the blade-based martial art known as Sayoc Kali, at a training event. Both are author Ash Hess’s mentors.
TACTICAL TRAINING
skills can earn tools from someone with tools but no skills.
Awareness is another subject that has been beaten on over the years. Jeff Cooper talked about it using color codes decades ago and Colonel John Boyd’s OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop has been kicked around for nearly 40 years. Awareness is simply being in the moment. It requires that you not only be cognizant of people and things moving around you, but also able to perceive and predict their actions.
I look for the presence of abnormal and the absence of normal. To be able to detect that, you need to set a baseline of what normal looks like in every situation. For instance, Who is your waitress? What is their demeanor? Is the room full? Is everyone paying attention to something? Are they chatting or nervous? These are all questions that you should be answering immediately and continuously reevaluating.
I will also take the opportunity to tell you this. If you are in the role of protector, you need to be prepared to act. If you are drunk or buried in your phone so deep you don’t hear people, you are not in the protector role. You are not prepared or aware.
Willingness is a much harder topic
and one that goes beyond the bravado most people initially put up. You must answer beyond any doubt that you are willing to go the distance at that moment. It’s easy to say you are, but are you willing to sacrifice your life,
liberty and treasure? That also means putting in daily effort to get prepared and maintaining that awareness even if you never have your moment. It is literally a life-altering decision.
Most will say that they are willing to die for a family member or maybe even for innocents in a situation, but no battle was won by dying for something. Are you willing to kill for them? Are you willing to face a legal system that may not initially see it your way? Are you willing to fight the court battles, the media and – the longest battle of them all – relive that moment for the rest of your life in vivid detail and not at times of your choosing?
You must be willing to get prepared physically to earn the skills needed. Let’s be honest: If you aren’t willing to get up in the morning and sacrifice 30 minutes in the gym, you aren’t mentally prepared for the rest of this.
CONCLUSION
Kyle Defoor always closes his mindset class with the age-old question attributed
Continued on page 74
Acting in the role of protector means you must be in control of your attention and focus. (US ARMY)
Jeff Cooper’s color codes as presented by The CP Journal. The CP Journal is one of the premier sources for awareness training. (THE CP JOURNAL)
The True Blue Gun Lubricants lineup continues to expand with suppressor-specific products and more.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
GUN MAINTENANCE MADE EASIER
True Blue Gun Lubricants adds cleaning products for suppressors, refillable grease syringe to lineup.
STORY BY JASON
un maintenance is one of those tasks that you either love or hate. Unfortunately for my guns, I fall into the latter category.
G
Spending a day at the range or afield and burning through ammo is not only a lot of fun, but is also necessary for the hunter and competitive shooter, and especially the military and police whose lives depend on a proper working firearm. Once the day of shooting is over, the guns are often stowed until the shooter arrives home. As the guns sit in their cases, the carbon and other debris cool off and bond with the metal and moving parts. This often happens because the previous gun lubricant that was left on the firearm carbonizes from repetitive high heat and burnt gunpowder.
Cleaning a firearm involves three basic steps: take the gun apart; scrub it; lube it. Then the gun is reassembled and safely and securely stored. It is the scrubbing and lubing part that is not only tedious but stinky. Some companies try to sell the shooter a product that does both to cut down on time and shortcut the process. The problem is that these cleaners or solvents that also act as a lubricant break down easily, leaving the shooter to ask, How is it that a solvent can also be a lubricant if the solvent breaks down the lubricant to clean the firearm?
THIS IS WHERE Dumonde Tech Racing Oil focused its research when the
company decided to give gun solvents and lubricants a try. After a lot of success in the motorsports world, where their oils – which use Micro Resistant Complex Compounds, or MRCC –proved to be some of the best lubricants on the market, Dumonde Tech figured the lubricants would work well for bicycles and the company soon became a leader in the biking industry as well.
In 2016, Andy DeVol, who has worked with Dumonde Tech for 35 years as a distributor of their products and to develop specific lubricants for the cycling industry, had them develop firearms-specific lubricants. After having experienced shooters – some of whom rely on their firearms to perform in any condition – test Gun Oil, Gun Grease and Gun Cleaner, the reviews that came back were very good, as expected, and the testers were pleased that it was not another CLP-type product. Then, in early 2017, True Blue Gun Lubricants brand was introduced to the market.
True Blue Gun Cleaner is just that, a cleaner that removes all soil, carbon and other residues and leaves nothing behind. It also does not smell, is nearly odorless and is 100-percent biodegradable. The cleaner is watersoluble; this helps in the cleaning process because once the firearm is dry, it is clean down to the bare metal, plastic, wood and polymer, which won’t be harmed by the cleaner.
The lubricants come in two different forms, and can work independently
BROOKS • PHOTOS BY TRUE BLUE GUN LUBRICANTS
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
or together. For the frequent shooter, the True Blue Gun Oil has a very low coefficient of friction. Through polymerization, Dumonde Tech’s MRCC technology, its wetting and migrating ability, and molecular plating of all surfaces, contact points and moving parts through movement, heat and pressure, True Blue Gun Oil will reduce attrition in high-wear areas. It has eight times higher lubricity than Teflon and comes in a bottle with a needle applicator that won’t break off and is protected by the cap. Their motto for this unique bottle is “Cap it and pack it!” – reinforcing its ease
of use and transportability. The Gun Oil is waterproof in both fresh- and saltwater, making it a great lube for any shooter who lives near water or highhumidity environments.
True Blue Gun Grease is a grease product used for long-term storage or on any high-usage firearm. For the shooting enthusiast who shoots a lot, True Blue Gun Grease will help protect those often tricky areas, such as shotgun choke tubes or muzzleloader breech plugs. It is also a great product for when you decide to put your firearm in long-term storage where humidity might be problematic.
NEW TO THE lineup is True Blue Suppressor Syrup, a one-of-a-kind product that has the ability to reduce carbon bonding to suppressor internals for easier cleaning, as well as reduce surface attrition and
Pictured are suppressor baffles from two brand-new Silencerco suppressors after 150 rounds were run through them. The baffle at right had Suppressor Syrup applied, while the one on the left did not.
True Blue Suppressor Syrup.
The True Blue Gun Grease syringe is the only refillable grease syringe on the market.
The perfect gift for the hunter in your life! perfect
Give them everything they need to turn their harvest into something truly unforgettable. Our charcuterie and salumi kits are perfect for hunters who want to level up their skills this winter.
Whether they’re crafting their first traditional dry, fermented duck sausage or curing a mouth-watering elk bresaola for the holidays—this is a hobby that’s as tasty as it is satisfying.
Learn how in just minutes and get started with your next wild game — just in time to make this season extra merry!
SALUMI PRO TIPS
BUNDLE GIFT GUIDE WITH
CHARCUTERIE PRO TIPS
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
eliminate carbon lock. The purpose of the product is to keep carbon from bonding to the internal surfaces of suppressors, especially starting on a new suppressor. The wetting action and polymerizing plating ability of Suppressor Syrup will leave a coating that survives the heat.
Many suppressor/silencer companies recommend Suppressor Syrup and even include a pillow pack of the product with each unit sent out. These companies include Shadow Silencers, Stealth Additive, Axis Mfg., MMG Silencers, Lantac, Silent AF, Shaw Armament (Thunder Cans) and Tuna Cans.
True Blue Cleaner Concentrate is also designed with suppressors in mind. It is biodegradable, water soluble and nontoxic with no harsh smell. Used diluted or undiluted, depending on one’s needs, the product breaks down and removes carbon buildup within suppressors. It is safe on all surfaces, materials, metals, coating and finishes
used for firearms.
Finally, the True Blue Gun Grease syringe is designed to be used in conjunction with Gun Grease. It is the only refillable grease syringe in the firearms industry. All others are disposable. Included is a needle and brush applicator, tip cap and tip to refill the syringe for the Gun Grease tubs.
FROM EVERYDAY PLINKING
to keeping your firearm ready for personal safety, you can trust the True Blue Gun Care product line to make sure everything operates smoothly. Do not shortcut gun cleaning or maintenance, even if you hate it as much as I do. Instead, make sure they are clean and properly lubricated so the next time you head to the range, or wake up to a prowler in your home, your firearm will work properly when you need it most. ★
Editor’s note: For more information, visit truebluegunlube.com.
True Blue Cleaner Concentrate is also designed with suppressors in mind.
Rarely do rifle hunters get a full-body glimpse of a Roosevelt bull amid the heavily forested habitats of western Oregon, western Washington, northwest California and southwest British Columbia that these largest of North America’s elk call home.
ROAD HUNTER THE THRILLS AND CHALLENGES OF HUNTING ROOSEVELT ELK
Nothing about bagging one of these bulls is easy, and that is what makes success all the more sweet.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
The higher up the mountain I crawled, the steeper it got and the deeper the snow became. Soaked from rain and sweat, I kept climbing.
“Once you cut tracks and they head uphill, follow them. You will catch up to the herd.” The words from an old-timer in camp before I took off on foot that morning replayed in my mind.
Nearly two hours into a tracking job, I sat atop a little knob, surrounded by young cedar trees. I drank water and began to shiver. The elk tracks were fresh but spreading out.
No sooner had I taken a step than movement beneath the cedar boughs caught my eye. I paused, figuring it was snow falling. Then I saw the back leg of an elk. Slowly I crouched, trying to get a better look beneath the sagging limbs. Visibility was less than 15 yards. Over the course of the next few minutes, more than a dozen elk walked by. I could hear their heavy chests working for air as they labored up the steep mountain in a foot of snow. When they caught my scent, the mountain erupted.
I never saw so much as a belly, only feet, as that grove of trees surrounding me was too thick. I sat, shaking like a kid. The year was 1978 and I was in the Cascades Range. I was 14 years old and it was my first elk hunt.
I RANK CONSISTENTLY killing a mature Roosevelt elk to be the second most challenging hunt in North America, only behind Columbian blacktail deer, which live in the same habitat. Sheep and goats are a matter of being in shape. Rocky Mountain elk live in more open habitat and are easier to locate. Hunting big moose and coastal brown bears comes down to getting to where they live. But with Roosevelt elk, the odds are
ROAD HUNTER
almost always stacked against you. Twenty-five years ago I took a buddy on his first Roosevelt elk hunt. As daylight slowly crept in, the vision of what he’d be up against became clear. “There’s no way in hell I can get down in that stuff, and if I did, how would I even find an elk in that, let alone get it out of there?” That’s Roosevelt elk hunting in the Coast Range. It can be every bit as daunting as the Rocky Mountains, maybe even more so. Elevation drops and gains can eclipse 2,000 feet in a day. Visibility is often measured in feet not yards due to thick vegetation and towering forests. There will be no shortage of fresh sign. If you see an elk, it’s a good day.
“Not until folks actually see how rugged and dense Rosie habitat is do
they realize how difficult the task of simply finding elk is, let alone killing one,” shares noted guide Jody Smith of Elkton, Oregon. Smith’s family settled in Elkton in 1846. He’s been guiding (jodysmithguideservice.com) elk hunters for nearly 40 years. “A lot of clients have said this habitat is more challenging to hunt, and more physically demanding, than any Rocky Mountain elk they’d chased. That puts it into perspective.”
I spend a lot of time in the Roosevelt woods with Smith. These elk are a passion for us. We run dozens of trail cameras year-round for the jungledwellers. What we learn never ceases to amaze and humble us.
“I know there are big bulls that are born, live and die without ever being
seen by a human,” notes Smith. “Even on the private timberlands we hunt, big bulls often pass in the night, then disappear into the thickest habitat. We never see them, but they’re there.”
There is one big bull Smith and I have caught on trail camera twice in three years. The big ones are elusive.
IF THE STEEP, rugged terrain and curtains of rainforest aren’t enough, toss in several inches of rain per storm and thick fog, and the reality of Roosevelt elk hunting sets in.
“We had 6 inches of rain one day last season,” Smith smirks. “Overnight the creeks turned into rivers and water ran off the mountains like waterfalls.”
Usually it’s only a couple inches of rainfall in a day. Many seasoned Rosie
One look at Roosevelt elk country and you see why hunting them is so challenging, both physically and mentally.
ROAD HUNTER
hunters I know don’t wear rain gear. Growing up hunting these elk, no one I knew wore it.
“You’re soaking wet from sweat minutes after leaving camp, and in a heavy rainstorm, no rain gear will keep water out,” shared one of the best Roosevelt elk hunters I know. He asked to remain anonymous. He’s killed big bulls 26 years in a row on public land.
“Tracking is a lost art when it comes to hunting Roosevelt elk,” continues Smith. “I don’t know if hunters are just getting lazy or if they’re overwhelmed with the amount of work it really takes to kill one of these elk.”
General rifle season hunts typically occur in late fall after rains have drenched the forest floor. Knowing that big bulls are solitary or hanging out in groups of two or three makes identifying their tracks easier, but still a challenge compared to locating tracks from a big herd that likely has some young bulls in it. When you find the track of a big bull, there’s no doubt what you’re looking at, as they dwarf those of other bulls and cows.
If heading into wooded draws to cut tracks and follow them for the day, a big-bore rifle with open sights – or
a 1-4x scope with flip caps – is ideal. Any of the .300 calibers are good, with the standby .45-70 and .375 not being overkills. Roosevelt elk are big and can absorb lead. A big bull can weigh over 1,100 pounds. I’ve shot a number of big Rocky bulls, along with moose and brown bear. Nothing in North America takes a punch like a mature Rosie bull.
During the archery season, when a testosterone-filled bull comes charging in, it’s looking for a fight. Anticipating the shot, then making it happen during the moment of truth, is crucial. Setting up in heavy shadows with cover behind you, not in front of you, is important.
LATE ONE SEPTEMBER, I was doing the calling for a buddy from back East. He’d never hunted Roosevelt elk. In the closing minutes of daylight, I got a herd bull fired up with hyper cow calls. A satellite bull came to the calls and when the herd bull saw it, it charged in for battle. The satellite bull took off. The herd bull chased it well over a mile, across a meadow, up a steep logged hillside and into big timber.
While the big bull was gone, I kept hammering the cows with pleading cow and calf sounds to get the cows
closer. This time of year, cows and calves spread out when feeding in the evening and can be very vocal to keep track of one another.
“When the bull comes back, I’m going to call super aggressively,” I told my buddy and his camera man. “You guys go set up in front of that fir tree; I’m going to move over there and the bull should come in between us.”
Locate a big Roosevelt bull that’s fired up during archery season, and things get exciting real fast.
Guide Jody Smith (right) with another happy client. Any Roosevelt bull taken with a bow is a major accomplishment. Smith called this bull in to 9 yards.
Excessively loud cow calls and pleading calf sounds simulated that the herd was spreading out. The bull didn’t like that and couldn’t get to us fast enough. The big bull busted out of the brush and came charging downhill right for me. Its dark, massive antlers were even bigger than I thought. Its mane was black, body glistening from sweat. At 18 yards, the bull stopped
and bugled, staring right at me. It stood broadside to my buddy for three minutes and bugled multiple times. I’d already filled my tag.
When the bull bugled again, I shouted for my buddy to shoot. He didn’t. I couldn’t see him behind the brush that separated us. The bull eventually turned and went back to its cows. I ran up the hill and asked my
buddy what happened, figuring he had a bow malfunction. “We were behind the tree and I didn’t want to move because we’d spook the bull,” he said. That was the last time I took a TV crew on a Roosevelt hunt. Had they set up where I’d instructed, he would have had the Roosevelt bull of a lifetime; it was all of 340 inches.
“People get rattled when they see
ROAD HUNTER
a big bull so closely,” confirms Smith. “Every year I call in bulls that never get shot at. Sometimes the hunter is shaking so hard they can’t muster the strength to draw their bow. Other times they reach full draw then hit the release early, sending their arrow into the tree tops or the ground in front of them.”
Mastering the mental game of Roosevelt elk hunting is as vital as the physical game.
“The number one reason tags go unfilled is because hunters aren’t in good enough shape and can’t get to where the big bulls are,” says Smith. “That instantly eliminates 75 percent of the places we can hunt. So many hunters are mentally defeated before we even get out of the truck, it’s hard to motivate them to keep going day after day.”
Yes, Roosevelt elk are big. Yes, they live in some of the most challenging habitat to hunt in North America. But once you close the deal on a rainforest giant, you’ll gain a heightened level of respect for these elk and appreciate what’s required to find success. ★
Editor’s note: Want to learn how to break down and cape an elk? Visit scotthaugen.com for his instructional DVD, Field Dressing, Skinning & Caping Big Game. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
Author Scott Haugen arrowed this Rosie bull in the Coast Range. He ranks them the second most challenging big game animal to consistently attain in North America, behind Columbian blacktail deer.
RIB-MOUNT THAT RED DOT
No drilling and tapping needed with Meadow Creek sight mounts.
BY MEADOW CREEK MOUNTS
As any avid hunter knows, optics are a key part of any shotgun setup. Many hunters choose to upgrade their weapons with aftermarket sights and accessories to have even greater success in the field. The problem? This type of upgrade often requires a gunsmith to drill and tap the shotgun to mount the sights properly.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
PHOTOS
Proof of concept. Engineer Greg Maher of Meadow Creek Mounts knew there had to be a way to attach a red dot sight to a shotgun without modifying it, and that’s what he successfully designed and field tested – much to this Alabama public-land turkey’s dismay.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
That is, until Greg Maher and Meadow Creek Mounts launched the first direct rib mount for optics in 2020 at the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention. Maher says that Meadow Creek Mounts was born out of a need and a lack of a solution in the industry.
“As an engineer, I knew there had to be a way to attach (a red dot) without modification. By testing the rib mounts for two years (2018 and 2019) in the field and range prior to launching, I realized I had something truly special,” he explains. “I grew up mostly bowhunting but have shot guns all my life, but also got two engineering degrees from Clemson University. As an avid turkey hunter, I’m no stranger to shotguns and setting them up for efficiency in the turkey woods. A red dot is the final step in making a good shooting gun into a turkey hunting machine.”
If your shotgun has a rib, Meadow Creek Mounts’ Universal Rib Mount will fit without any modification. This solution offers optimal red dot
placement that hunters can appreciate.
“Getting the optic out away from your face broadens your natural field of view and makes shooting with both eyes open easier,” says Maher.
“As you can see around the red dot housing without having to move your head, you quickly realize how quickly targets can be acquired. The position also allows minimal movement from the hand holding the forend to turn the dot on or off, as well as to adjust brightness.”
The Universal Rib Mount comes with multiple rib width adapters and two different plates to go under the rib, the thinnest one being less than .050 inch to
accommodate the guns with very tight spacing there. The installation is easy and the hold is rock-solid.
While the Universal Rib Mount is Meadow Creek Mounts’ most popular product, the company also offers a new line of receiver mounts for guns that are already drilled and tapped. They truly offer something for every shotgun and every hunter.
But Maher encourages folks to try out the rib-mounted red dot, saying, “After using one on the rib, you won’t go back to a receiver-mounted option.” ★
Editor’s note: For more information, visit meadowcreekmounts.com.
“A red dot is the final step in making a good shooting gun into a turkey hunting machine,” says Maher, a self-described “avid” gobbler gunner.
The company’s Universal Rib Mount comes with different width adapters and plates for mounting a red dot to a shotgun’s rib. It’s available as a kit or a package deal with an optic, of which there are many to choose from.
MILITARY SPOTLIGHT
RISING THROUGH THE CURRENTS
Winsome Earle-Sears has paved a unique path from Jamaica to the Marine Corps to business to politics.
STORY BY PAUL PAWELA
insome Earle-Sears’s journey is as compelling as it is historic. Born on March 11, 1964, in Kingston, Jamaica, Earle-Sears immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 and grew up in the Bronx, New York. In January 1983, at 18 years old, she enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and reported to recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. Choosing the path of an electrician in the Marine Corps, Earle-Sears attended military occupational specialty, or MOS, training at the Engineer School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was one of very few women in that skilled-trade field. She was subsequently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, where she served from 1983 until her discharge in 1986
WDuring this time, she earned the rank of corporal. The Marine Corps was influential in shaping her discipline and outlook. Earle-Sears was interviewed for Leatherneck, a Marine Corps Association publication, in 2022, and had this to say: “I joined the Marine Corps, and I got several reasons to live and a lot of discipline. It was one of the best times of my life for sure.”
Earle-Sears’s service was distinct in several ways: she was an immigrant, a woman, and in a skilled-trade role within the Marines Corps at a time when women were not as common in those jobs. “Being a woman marine is one thing,” she noted in the Leatherneck interview, “and then being a woman marine in such a field just
Winsome Earle-Sears (then Earle) served in the US Marine Corps from 1983-86. (US MARINE CORPS)
MILITARY SPOTLIGHT
really makes you one of the very few.”
She became a US citizen while on active duty, another milestone in her path. Her move into public service and business after the Marine Corps owes much to what she learned there: discipline, skill training and perseverance. In 1986 she married Terence Sears, also a USMC veteran, and together they had three daughters. Also after her service as a marine,
she earned her associate’s degree from Virginia’s Tidewater Community College, then continued her education at Old Dominion University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in economics. She went on to receive a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University.
After earning her degrees, EarleSears went on to other endeavors.
She managed a women’s homeless shelter for the Salvation Army and led a men’s prison ministry. She cofounded a plumbing and electrical business with her husband, and also worked in roles as program manager for the Hampton Roads, Virginia, Chamber of Commerce.
EARLE-SEARS TRANSITIONED
INTO politics in the early 2000s. In 2002, she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 90th District. She served a single term from January 2002 to January 2004
Her election was significant: She was the first Republican elected in a majority-Black House of Delegates district in Virginia since the end of the Civil War era. After her delegate term, she ran for higher office (for Congress in 2004) but did not win.
Later, she served on the Virginia State Board of Education from 2011 to 2015, becoming its vice president in 2014-15. She was also appointed to federal advisory committees, including the United States Census Bureau’s African American Committee and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.
In 2021, Earle-Sears was elected as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia, taking office January 15, 2022. She is the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first woman of color (and first Black woman) elected to statewide office there.
As she serves as lieutenant governor and mounts a campaign for higher office, her Marine Corps chapter remains a foundational pillar of her biography, both a symbolic and practical anchor for her advocacy on veterans’ issues and her broader public service. It also gives her a platform when speaking about discipline, trade training, immigrant opportunity and women in non-traditional roles.
This year, Earle-Sears ran as the Republican nominee for governor of Virginia. While at press deadline it appeared her opponent had won, Earle-Sears’s career is more than a list of offices. It stands at the intersection
Earle-Sears isn’t afraid to show that she can handle a firearm. (WINSOME EARLE-SEARS)
MILITARY SPOTLIGHT
of several significant American currents: Born in Jamaica, her rise illustrates a “bootstrap” narrative of service and public leadership. Her Marine Corps tenure adds a layer of public service credibility; a narrative of “serving first.” She has broken many barriers. As a woman, a person of color and a former trades-workerturned-politician, her story challenges standard demographics of statewide elected officials.
Winsome Earle-Sears’s political career builds on her military chapter, extending it into public leadership with historic significance. Her trajectory from state delegate to lieutenant governor to gubernatorial nominee encapsulates themes of service, barrier-breaking and evolving conservative politics. Regardless of the outcome of her bid to be the state’s next governor, her story already reflects meaningful change in Virginia’s political landscape. ★
Since January 15, 2022, Earle-Sears has served as lieutenant governor of Virginia. She ran for governor of the state this year. (WIKIPEDIA)
A LOOK AT I.C.E. BEYOND THE HEADLINES
What the federal agency and its branches are tasked with.
Cops don’t make the laws; they are only responsible for enforcing them. Every officer, at some point in his or her career, has gotten an earful from an irate person regarding enforcement of those laws. Sometimes it takes the form of a diatribe about why something should be illegal that currently isn’t. More often than not, though, it is a “lecture” from an uneducated person as to why something shouldn’t be illegal, usually something they are being arrested for.
At the risk of stating the obvious, it is legislators who make the laws. State legislators make laws at – you guessed it – the state level. Federal legislators make the laws at the national level. Law enforcement officers are tasked with enforcing those laws and prosecutors take these cases to court, seeking convictions. I apologize for the civics lesson, but it leads me to the focus of this month’s Law Enforcement Spotlight column: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
IF YOU WANT to ruin Thanksgiving this year, bring up the topic of immigration with your family and other guests while everyone is enjoying their turkey dinner. There are few topics that bring up more polarized opinions than this one (except maybe gun control). Despite the polarization, the reality is, like most controversial topics, it isn’t a black-andwhite issue, but rather shades of gray. Regardless of opinions, if there are laws on the books, then someone is tasked with enforcing them. ICE is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. It was formed in 2002 in response to the 9/11 attacks. ICE has offices at home and abroad. They aren’t responsible for patrolling our nation’s borders – that’s the job of US Customs and Border Protection. ICE is responsible for enforcement of the 400 or so federal laws pertaining to immigration.
ICE has two main branches, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). HSI focuses on transnational crime, while ERO is charged with locating, arresting and deporting illegal aliens. HSI is the largest contributor to the FBIled Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF. They deal with all manners of crime, including human trafficking, illegal drug
smuggling, terrorism and other areas of criminal activity.
Although ERO has some assets near our borders with other nations, the majority of their work is in the interior of the country. ERO works with local and state law enforcement agencies to detain and deport illegal aliens whose only crime is illegal entry into the US. They spend the bulk of the time going after the really bad characters, those who came here illegally and then committed crimes within the US. It’s this category that results in some of ERO’s most important work – locating and arresting aliens who have murdered people, molested children, sold drugs and so on.
ERO works the streets, locating and arresting violators. They have a federal mandate to do so, regardless of state laws. This is similar to the Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, whose job it is to enforce federal drug laws, which are often in conflict with state laws. The Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution (yes, more civics …) basically states that when there is conflict between federal and state laws, federal laws take precedence.
States that don’t agree with federal immigration laws try to counter with sanctuary cities and states (California)
Continued on page 74
STORY BY NICK PERNA • PHOTO COURTESY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT
A social media banner for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
I.C.E., continued from page 73
The Mindset Triad, continued from page 46 and “ICE-free zones” (Illinois, specifically Chicago). They can pass all the local laws they want, but they still have to concede to federal law. That’s why laws like California’s recent ban on law enforcement wearing masks don’t apply to federal agents.
ICE AGENTS ARE just out there doing their jobs. There is a process in America for dealing with laws we don’t agree with. Petition your local member of Congress to introduce legislation to change those laws. They work for you, after all. If instead you choose to attack ICE agents and their loved ones, plan on spending large amounts of time in federal prison.
This Thanksgiving, be thankful for the important things – family and friends. Talk about the good times, football and so on. Out of respect for whoever put in all the work prepping the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and other culinary delights, leave your political opinions at the door. ★
Editor’s note: Nick Perna served for more than 24 years with the Redwood City Police Department in Northern California before his recent retirement. He previously served as a paratrooper in the US Army and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also has a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. He is a frequent contributor to multiple print and online forums on topics related to law enforcement, firearms, tactics and veterans issues.
to Hillel the Elder: “If not you, who? If not now, when?”
When that moment arrives, as it has so many times over the years, and you are there, you must answer that question. You may have less than one second to start acting, and there is no pause button. In that moment, you have what you have. There is no app to download and when is now!
Every detail of that moment will be etched into your brain until the day you die. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the decisions, the thoughts. You will be writing your legend in real time and adding detail on how you will be judged in the end. It doesn’t even matter if you live or die that day or if it worked or not. In that moment, were you prepared to act, were you aware of the situation and were you willing to go as far as it takes?
I will close with a simple statement. If the answer to any of the above is no, spend time with that and adjust accordingly.
Editor’s note: Ash Hess is a highly seasoned combat veteran of 22 years with four combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, totaling 52 months. His military training includes the US Army Master Marksman Trainer course, as well as rifle marksman instructor, urban combat leaders’, senior leaders’, army basic instructor, high-angle marksman and unit armor courses. He also wrote TC3-22.9, the Army’s marksmanship manual.
BLACK POWDER
LEVER-GUN SIGHTING TECHNIQUES
Learning different holds for 25- to 75-yard targets spares need to make elevation adjustments during match.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
When shooting in one of my club’s Lever-Gun Matches, where we shoot black powder loads with cast or swaged lead bullets, I have developed a technique for sighting at the targets that allows me to shoot the match without making sight adjustments. Such techniques are really no secret, but maybe they’re not being used as much today, when telescopic sights are actually more common than the old iron sights. In fact,
the sights I favor with my lever-guns are the tang-mounted peep sights that give me a much clearer sight picture than the standard open sights, although the technique I’ll be describing could work well with any iron sights.
The Lever-Gun Matches have been talked about here before, but just in case any readers missed my story in the April 2024 issue, I’ll briefly discuss them again. For our aggregate matches, where the scores for the whole year get added up, we shoot three targets with 10 shots each. These matches go fairly fast. The first target is usually the “turkey,”
which is posted at 25 yards and shot at offhand. The best points are the head, which is actually rather small. Even at 25 yards, that is a challenging target.
Next, we commonly shoot at the buffalo target, posted at 50 yards. This target can be shot at from the sitting position while resting the rifle’s barrel over cross-sticks. Some good scores get recorded on this target. The final target is a typical bull’s-eye posted at 75 yards, also shot at from the sitting position over cross-sticks.
That, more or less in a nutshell, is how the Lever-Gun Matches are shot.
In preparation for a club match, five shots at a 50-yard practice target from a benchrest with his .44-40 levergun told author Mike Nesbitt that his bullets would hit in the X at that distance if he held his sight halfway into the black. It served him well during the contest.
BLACK POWDER
Now we’ll talk about the most recent match, as well as my not-really-special techniques for sight holds at each distance so that elevation adjustments are not needed. While we were only shooting out to 75 yards, the black powder loads still certainly have a
trajectory in the flight of the bullets and, while that trajectory is not extreme, it does need to be recognized in order to obtain good scores on all of the targets.
PREPARING FOR THIS match, I posted a pistol-center target at 50 yards and fired
just five shots at it from a benchrest with my Cimarron Model 1873 “Long Range” rifle (with the 30-inch barrel) in .44-40 caliber. That target is seen on the previous page, and it holds a score of 50-X for those five shots. Of course, I was pleased. But the point in shooting that target was to see where the front sight should be held at that distance. For that target, the sight was held halfway into the black, so the bullets were hitting at the “top of the front sight” as seen by the shooter.
Once again, the loads I favor for my .44-40 use 35 grains of Swiss 3Fg powder under a 205-grain bullet, which was cast from Accurate Molds’ No. 43-205C (accuratemolds.com). Out of the 30-inch barrel of my ’73, that load develops about 1,350 feet per second, which is 50 fps faster than the old published velocity for black powder loads in the .44-40 with a 200-grain bullet when shot out of a standard 24-inch barrel. My loads do have a good “crack” to them and I certainly appreciate their performance.
Now to talk about this shooting
The “Lever-Gun Gang” poses at the match.
Ashley Ritter fires offhand at the 25-yard turkey target.
BLACK POWDER
match and, of course, my sighting techniques. The first target, again, was the turkey with its challenge of keeping all shots scoring. I say it that way because if we try for head shots, any shots that go high will be nonscoring misses. Those misses do not contribute well to your score. This is where a little technique might help.
While shooting offhand at the turkey, I do hold for a 6 o’clock sight picture but I also hold a bit lower than that. My thought is that if I aim for the head, I’ll probably miss with one shot or two. (Don’t ask me how I know.) So, I’ll hold for the area below the head, the 9-ring. If a shot goes a little high, it might score
a 10, or just a little low, maybe an 8. All of those shots will help in adding up to a good score.
On the turkey target, my score was an 83. All of my shots were 9s and 8s, along with one low 6. Where that 6 came from, I’m not sure. But the 6 would be duplicated again at 50 yards on the buffalo target. That score certainly pleased me. Yes, I have gotten higher scores while aiming for the head, but I’ve also ended up with lower scores because of missed shots.
Even better scores were turned in by three other shooters. Bob DeLisle was our top scorer with 87-3X, using his Model ’92 Winchester in .32-20. He
was followed by Tom Witt, our match director, shooting a ’73 copy in .44-40, scoring 86-5X. And taking third on the offhand target was Allen Cunniff, shooting a copy of the iron-framed Henry rifle in .44-40 and scoring a nice 85-3X.
NEXT WAS THE buffalo at 50 yards and the shooters took their sitting positions behind the cross-sticks. This is one of my favorite targets and I was ready to do my best. For my shooting at 50 yards, the front sight is held halfway into the 10-ring, so the bullets should impact the target at the “top of the front sight.”
In our Lever-Gun Matches, it is allowed, sometimes suggested, that we load our rifle’s magazines, although for these paper-target and untimed matches that is not required. What is required is that if we need to declare a ceasefire, then the rifles need to be unloaded, including what might be in their magazines. Because of that, I generally put only five cartridges in my rifle’s magazine at one time. This simply means I’ll fire the first five shots, then reload the magazine with another five shots before continuing to shoot at the target. No problems there and by shooting two magazines with five rounds each, it is easy to keep count of how many shots are fired.
My shots at this buffalo target went
Three ’73s were used in the match, from a 30-inch-barreled model (top) to one with a 16-inch tube.
Nesbitt’s 50-yard buffalo target. That high 6 can’t be explained, but it at least scored points that helped him win in the end.
BLACK POWDER
very well. My group was just a tiny bit high for nine of my hits plus one flier that went higher, the aforementioned other 6. Why that happened will remain a mystery. It is more than likely my fault. With the exception of that high shot scoring a 6, my main group of nine shots had a spread of under 2 inches. That target held a score of 86, which added nicely to my aggregate for the match.
But again, I was not the high scorer. Jerry Mayo outshot me by one point, getting a score of 87 with his copy of the Winchester ’66 in .44-40. But this time Bob trailed me by two points, shooting an 84 with his .32-20
OUR FINAL TARGET for this match was the bull’s-eye target at 75 yards. The target we used this time was a standard 50-yard pistol target with an 8-inch bull’s-eye. Sometimes other targets get selected and if a 6 o’clock hold was to be used, it would mean a different sight setting for every change in target size. But instead of changing my sight’s setting, I chose to hold a different sight picture once again.
This time, in order to get my shots to go just a little higher, I covered the middle of the target’s bull’s-eye with the center of the front sight’s shiny top. The front sight does not have a bead at the
top, just a short spot filed at an angle on the black sight so the shiny top could be seen in the dark woods while on a trailwalk or possibly on a hunt. So, the sight’s shiny top is actually a small square in shape. While aiming, that shiny square was put right over the X-ring.
And that’s exactly where a number of my shots hit. The center of those 10
shots was actually a tiny bit high, with several shots going into the 9- and 8-rings, but all shots were nicely in the black. My 75-yard target scored a 954X and I was delighted with some real “meat in the pot” type shooting.
Jerry was right behind me with a score of 92-3X and third on that target went to Mike Holeman, shooting another ’73 in .44-40, with 88 points.
My total score for the day was 2644X out of the possible 300 points. That gave me the highest score and my prize for taking first place was a case drier made by Mike. (There were two of those case driers on the prize table and Jerry, who took second place with a score of 262-5X, grabbed the other.)
Did my sighting techniques help me win the match? I think they did. As proof, let’s go back to the match I covered back in April 2024, where I didn’t use the different sight pictures and did not finish quite as high. My guess is that I’ll be using the different sight holds for the various distances with my .44-40 rifle from now on.
And, just in case it doesn’t show, I think that the 30-inch-barreled ’73 in .44-40 by Cimarron is some gun! ★
Participants shoot over cross-sticks, like those pictured here from an earlier match.
The author’s 75-yard target, holding a score of 95-4X for 10 shots.
Hi-Point Firearms
hi-pointfirearms.com
Hi-Point Firearms offers some of the best value-priced firearms, and the 995, 1095P and 4595P fit perfectly into that position. Built as pistols, these firearms are more compact than the carbine counterparts and add more versatility in a smaller size, while offering the same legendary reliability and accuracy. Multiple configurations are available – find yours today at the above website.
Black Hills Ammunition black-hills.com
The M1200 cartridge chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor is the designated ammunition for the US military’s MRGG-S (Mid-Range Gas Gun-Sniper) weapon system.
The Black Hills M1200-C (Commercial) version features a 140-grain OTM projectile loaded to 2,750 feet per second from a 22-inch barrel. The match primers are staked securely in the primer pocket to ensure flawless performance during suppressed semiauto fire. The propellant is selected for temperature stability to ensure reliability and avoid velocity variation in extreme environments. When accuracy, reliability and long-range external ballistics are required, the M1200-C from Black Hills is the answer.
PursuitUp is a premium on-demand streaming app built for outdoor enthusiasts. Watch your favorite hunting, fishing and adventure shows anytime, anywhere. For just $4.99/month or $49.99/year, enjoy unlimited access to exclusive content from the Pursuit Channel and top outdoor producers. Start your one-month free trial today – cancel anytime. Stream on your phone, tablet or smart TV and take the outdoors with you wherever you go.
Camo Face Paint, Inc.
camofacepaint.com
Camo Face Paint, Inc. is the number one supplier of face paint to all branches of the US military. “Combat” is the newest tri-color compact in their line of face paint. They offer three-, four- and five-color compacts, as well as tubes in various camouflage colors including eye black. All face paint is made and packaged in the USA with quality ingredients that are hypoallergenic, odorless, nontoxic, wash off with soap and water, and have a five-year shelf life. Please visit the Camo Face Paint website to see their vast selection. They ship bulk or carded and blistered for store displays. They also offer private labeling.
exquisiteknives.com
Exquisiteknives.com is one of the leaders in high-end custom knives. Dave Ellis, owner and American Bladesmith Society mastersmith, is a lifelong collector and sells some of the rarest and most beautiful pieces of edged art known to man. With names like Bob Loveless, Bill Moran and Michael Walker, their carefully curated collection meets the needs of any top-end knife aficionado. With friendships with top artists worldwide, Dave is able to procure those difficult and rare knives.
Redding Reloading Equipment
redding-reloading.com
A Redding Premium Die Set (available for over 100 cartridges) featuring a free-floating carbide expander button (allowing for self-centering in the case neck) makes inside neck sizing smoother, easier, without lubrication and improves overall concentricity. The micrometer-equipped seating stem allows for precise bullet seating depth and is also available with metric scale micrometers. Offers handloaders the convenience of fast and accurate changes in bullet seating depth in their measuring scale of preference. Makes it easier than ever to fine-tune your favorite loads or take the guesswork out of loading multiple bullet types with the same seating die.
(RICARDO VELARDE)
PrOlix
prolixlubricant.com
PrOlix is a penetrating solvent/dry lube product that was lab-developed and tested by law enforcement, military and commercial shooters over many years. The citrus-based biodegradable cleaner, pioneered in 1995, is the first successful “all in one” gun care product, now deemed “Bio-Technology.” Their recyclable (strain and reuse) products are made of 89 percent or greater renewable resources, a true commitment to sustainable practices and caring for the environment. As such, the USDA has listed PrOlix as a BioPreferred Product since 2012.
The solvent “goes on wet, cleans, bonds, and the lube turns dry to the touch.” It removes carbon, copper, lead, shotgun plastic residues and black powder. PrOlix will not damage wood, freeze or flash off, and it can be used for commercial and industrial applications as well.
To complement the PrOlix Cleaner/Lubricant (Dry Tech) line, shooters can use the equally superior “gun-oil and grease replacer” PrOlix Xtra-T Lube for a total care product.
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
V-Line
vlineind.com
The Tactical Weapons Locker XD is designed for law enforcement, security and public safety. It is the ideal fit in most SUVs in the back trunk area between the wheel wells. The Tactical Weapons Locker XD is large enough to accommodate several firearms with accessories.
Specifications: 14-gauge steel door, 16-gauge steel body, weighs 55 pounds and measures 42.375 by 18.5 by 81.25 inches. Lock is a five-button Simplex lock with an internal lock cover.
Rocky Mountain Elk Ranch
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This season, give the gift of an experience and memories that last a lifetime with Rocky Mountain Elk Ranch. Choose a three-day private hunt for either elk or bison. With meals, lodging and guide service included and a guaranteed trophy, you can’t go wrong. Scheduling is easy, as they take care of all the details so you don’t have to. Each hunter can also bring a non-hunting guest for free. So check off that bucket list, get your trophy and fill the freezer. It’s the perfect gift for the hard-to-buy-for.
Triple K triplek.com
The #541 K-Max Chest holster features a dual over-theshoulders harness system that provides balance, comfort and maximum retention. Triple K’s innovative chest plate design allows for holster angle adjustment that best meets your style of carry. Adjustable holster angles allow for canted 45-degree, horizontal- or vertical-style carry. Rugged and reliable with easy-to-personalize adjustments for all torso sizes. Constructed of premium saddle-grade vegetable-tanned leather, solid brass rings and Chicago screws that are resistant to the most diverse elements. Havana brown color. MSRP: $310.
AlumaGrips
alumagrips.com
AlumaGrips’ Desert Eagle grips have undergone a redesign with improvements that are second to none. First, they removed almost 1/8 inch from the thickness of each grip, then they enlarged the radius on the back edge of the grip to reduce the overall circumference. Finally, they eliminated the need for two screws as well as the plastic insert that traditionally is needed for mounting the grips. Excellence in design and function, that is the goal of AlumaGrips.
Zermatt Arms
zermattarms.com
Zermatt Arms, based in Bennet, Nebraska, provides precision firearm components across multiple markets. They manufacture centerfire and rimfire bolt-action receivers as well as custom rifle chassis systems to provide users of many practices precisionmade components they can trust in a variety of environments. Check out their products on the above website for your next custom rifle for hunting, competition or general use.
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Easy Loader Kennels
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Easy Loader Kennels are the perfect solution for transporting multiple dogs in their two- and three-compartment kennels. They currently offer three different twocompartment kennels and one three-compartment kennel, each with available accessories. Easy Loader Kennels are made in the USA using USA-sourced materials, and are very durable, lightweight and versatile in many different vehicle configurations. Orders generally ship the same or next business day.
Meadow Creek Mounts
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Meadow Creek Mounts makes red dot mounts for shotguns that clamp to the rib so that you don’t have to drill and tap your shotgun. Their mounts get your optic placed at the ideal distance to deliver an excellent natural field of view. By using an optic out on the rib, you’ll acquire the target more quickly and can easily shoot with both eyes open. The ease of installation will have you at the range or in the field in minutes.
Northern Precision
npcustombullets.com
At Northern Precision, they’ve been crafting high-quality custom swaged bullets since 1989 – and this holiday season, they make the perfect gift for the shooter or hunter in your life. What started with lighter .416-caliber bullets for deer-size game has grown into a worldwide brand known for accuracy and craftsmanship. Northern Precision now offers precision bullets from .228 to .500 caliber, with custom weights and styles available. Each bullet is handmade one at a time in Corbin dies under high pressure, carefully inspected, and packaged with pride. Give the gift of precision and performance this Christmas – give Northern Precision.
OffGrid
offgrid.co
The Essentials Kit from OffGrid is a complete mobile privacy setup that includes the Extract Faraday Bag to block all wireless signals – cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth – keeping your device truly offline. The USB Data Blocker (made in USA) protects your device from data theft while charging. Completing the kit is the Backpack Pro: a rugged, weather-resistant backpack with hidden compartments and laptop protection. Built for those who value privacy, security and freedom of movement. Whether you’re commuting, traveling or going off-grid, this kit keeps your data protected and your gear ready for anything.
Freedom Meat Lockers freedommeatlockers.com
Freedom Meat Lockers is a full-service, family-owned and -operated butcher shop located in Freedom, California. The shop has been proudly serving the community for decades. At Freedom Meat Lockers, they embrace a traditional and old-school approach to butchery, but combine that mindset with modern tools and technology to ensure every product is perfect. Their commitment to excellence has earned them numerous state and national awards.
UMAi Dry
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True Blue truebluegunlube.com
True Blue has the most comprehensive line of firearms and suppressor care products in the industry. The smartest Gun Oil applicator caps. The only refillable Gun Grease syringe. Cleaner that is safe on all materials, metals, finishes and coatings used for firearms and suppressors. Tested. Proven. Trusted.
UMAi Dry brings together the best of old-world artisan meat tradition with sophisticated modern technology, making it easy for you to craft authentic dry-aged steak, charcuterie and salumi in the comfort of your own kitchen fridge. It’s “the ultimate dad gift.”
Gentry Custom, LLC gentrycustom.com
A family-owned business, Gentry Custom’s motto is “Where guns are not a hobby, but a way of life.” They believe in gun ownership and gun safety. Gentry Custom is known for the Quiet Muzzle Brake, which will make for a user-friendly rifle. The Quiet Muzzle Brake reduces recoil and muzzle jump so you can get that second shot off if needed, without the large increase of noise to the shooter. Many of the factory rifles have been threaded for a muzzle brake. Gentry Custom offers 5/8 x24 threads and many others. Call them today and they can provide the proper Quiet Muzzle Brake for your rifle. Gentry Custom also offers a threeposition safety for the Remington family of rifles and the Mauser 98.
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CDNN Sports
cdnnsports.com
Comfortable on the range, in the field or on the ride home, Leupold Switchback sunglasses will quickly become a favorite addition to your everyday kit. Their ANSI Z87.1+ ballistic protection, lightweight comfort and unquestionable clarity gives you everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Features: ANSI Z87.1+, infused polarization, decentered and shatterproof lens, Guard-ion, Daylight Max and DiamondCoat.
Luth-AR luth-ar.com
The AR Globe Charging Handle is Luth-AR’s latest innovation. It uses a sculpted, tactile globe interface that naturally fits your finger to ensure smooth, reliable interaction with the bolt carrier group. Made from 7075 aluminum handle with Teflon-impregnated hardcoat for increased lubricity. It’s the kind of ergonomic upgrade that changes the way you instinctively manipulate your rifle –faster, cleaner and with more confidence. Luth-AR’s new AR Globe Charging Handle makes charging the rifle feel instinctive for shooters of all experience levels.
October Country Muzzleloading
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Back in 1977 when the company was in its infancy, October Country Muzzleloading was a hunting bag. One product. Today, the northern Idaho-based outfit offers a complete and thorough line of muzzleloaders and muzzleloading accessories, including ramrods, Pushing Daisies patches, Blue Thunder solvent, Bumblin’ Bear Grease, quality leather shooting bags, powder horns and hand-forged shooting tools. All exceptional quality goods for the hunter, shooter, collector and history reenactor enthusiast. October Country products are made in the USA, and are designed and manufactured for muzzleloading, cowboy action and black powder cartridge shooters.
