Data & Comment Dan Wesson Model 7414 SuperMag 00.pdf · Dan Wesson Model 7414 SuperMag ... “Stevens Favorite” rifles were issued in 1971 as a tribute to the ... parts—three

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” at least since1921, when Col. Townsend Whelen first titled his column with it. Eventhen, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot-ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firing line. “Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s term for sight adjustment information,while judging wind speed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide informationbased on the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances.They donot detail the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely nec-essary to properly carry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page.Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training require-ments, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

In 1968, Daniel B. Wesson founded a newfirearms company called Dan WessonArms. As a perfectionist, Wesson’s goal

was to build the finest revolvers the shoot-ing world had ever seen. To achieve that,Wesson followed a philosophy of “You cannever be fully satisfied. You can alwaysmake something better.” In 1991, DanWesson Arms was purchased and reorga-nized as the Wesson Firearms Co., Inc. bythe fifth generation of Wessons, Seth K.and Carol S. They continued the familytradition of quality, service and inventive-ness that had built a dedicated followingof handgun hunters and silhouette shoot-ers. Another change in company owner-

ship occurred in 1996when the company waspurchased by Dan Wessonrevolver enthusiast RobertW. Serva, who moved theoperation from Palmer,

Mass., to upstate New York. Rather thanretain the old Wesson manufacturingmachinery and processes, Serva invested ina battery of new CNC equipment and sup-

port machinery. After building new toolingand developing new processes for the hor-izontal machining centers, the first new-generation Dan Wesson revolvers wereshipped in December 1997. Now, there areseveral models of the guns. We recentlyreceived an example of the Model 7414SuperMag for test and evaluation.

Several prominent Dan Wesson featuresare retained on the new generation ofrevolvers. Most noticeable is the inter-changeable barrel system that allows theshooter to quickly and easily install a 4",6", 8" or 10" barrel. Heavy barrels with ven-tilated ribs or integral compensators areoffered, and barrel assemblies made at anypoint in Dan Wesson revolver history willfit the new-generation guns. Unlike earlyDan Wesson revolvers of the 1960s that hada large, exposed nut at the muzzle to securethe barrel, new-generation guns have a hid-den nut that seats flush with the end of thebarrel shroud. Consistent cylinder-to-barrel gap is ensured by using the provid-ed feeler gauge when changing barrels.Complete instructions and tools are includ-ed with each revolver.

Also carried over is the forward-mounted cylinder latch that is presseddownward to release the cylinder. Thisarrangement locks the cylinder at its front,which is claimed to improve shot-to-shotcylinder/barrel alignment. Additionallocking is provided by a spring-loadeddetent ball in the breech face that engagesa circular recess in the center of the starextractor.

Data & Comment

The Dan Wesson company is back under newownership. We recently received a sample of itsModel 7414-VH8 SuperMag, a .414 SuperMag,double-action revolver featuring interchange-able, heavy barrels with ventilated ribs.

Consistent cylinder-to-barrel gap isensured by using the provided feelergauge when switching barrels. Completeinstructions and tools for changing bar-rels are included with each revolver.

Dan Wesson Model 7414 SuperMag

MANUFACTURER: Dan Wesson NewYork Int’l Corp. (Dept. AR),119 Kemper Lane, Norwich, NY13815; (607) 336-1174

CALIBER: .414 SuperMagACTION TYPE: double-action revolver

with front locking latchCONSTRUCTION: stainless steelFINISH: polished, natural stainless steelOVERALL LENGTH: 137⁄8"BARREL: 4", 6", 8" (tested), 10" heavy,

ventilated, interchangeable by shooterRIFLING: six-groove, RH twistWIDTH: 17⁄8"HEIGHT: 61⁄4"WEIGHT EMPTY: 74 ozs (with 6" com-

pensated barrel)SIGHTS: square-notch rear with white

outline, click-adjustable for windage andelevation; serrated, ramped front withinterchangeable, colored plastic inserts

TRIGGER: non-adjustable: single-action5-lb. pull; double-action 14-lb. pull

GRIPS: black, rubber monostock with fin-ger grooves

ACCESSORIES: barrel wrench,barrel/cylinder gap gauge,Allen wrenches

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $929

MODEL 7414-VH8

Another retained feature is the methodof grip attachment to a cylindrical framestud. The one-piece, rubber Hogue stockwith finger grooves is removed quickly bysimply turning out a single Allen screw inthe base of the grip.

The trigger is wide and smooth forcomfortable shoot-ing, while the longhammer spur is heav-ily checkered for im-proved thumb pur-chase should therevolver be fired sin-gle action. An adjust-able trigger stop in the rear of the triggerguard regulates overtravel. The firing pinis frame-mounted and separated from con-tact with the hammer by a transfer bar thatallows the revolver to fire only when thetrigger is pulled.

Our sample Dan Wesson 414 was specif-ically a Model 7414-VH8 chambered for the.414 SuperMag cartridge. The prefix “7”indicates that the gun is stainless steel insteadof blued, “VH” designates ventilated heavybarrel, while the last digit, “8,” is the barrel

length in inches. Barrels for the Model 414can be had in lengths ranging from 4" to 10",and all are heavy contour with a ventilatedrib. The rib on our 8" barrel came drilled andtapped for a scope mount. The drill and tapis a $35 factory option. We also received a 6"compensated barrel—a $239 option. Ascompensated Dan Wesson barrels have anexpansion chamber between the end of thebarrel proper and the muzzle, an extendedspanner long enough to reach deep inside theshroud to remove the barrel locking nut isprovided with each compensated barrel.

For accuracy testing, we equipped theDan Wesson Model 7414 with the 8"heavy barrel and a Tasco 4x28 mm hand-gun scope. Later, the 6", compensated,heavy barrel was installed so that we couldcompare velocity difference between bar-

rels. Accuracy andvelocity results areshown in the accompa-nying tables. Clearly,barrel length affectedvelocity, though in thecase of the light bul-lets, velocity increasedslightly as barrel lengthdecreased. Functionfiring was with thecompensated barreland included both.414 SuperMag loadsoffered by DanWesson as well asstandard .41 Mag. loads. Shooters can use.41 Mag. loads in a revolver chamberedfor .414 SuperMag much as .38 Spl. car-tridges can be used in a gun chamberedfor .357 Mag. There were no malfunctionsof any kind and, as with all previous DanWesson revolvers tested here, accuracywas good, which is indicative of why thisbrand has a following among handgun sil-houette shooters.

A few words about the .414 SuperMagcartridge are in order as it is probablyunknown to most readers. Essentially, the.414 SuperMag is a slightly lengthened .41Mag., much like the .357 Maximum is alengthened .357 Mag. The lengthened caseprovides more space forlarger powder charges forhigher velocities. Currently,Dan Wesson is the onlysource for loaded .414SuperMag ammunition, andtwo loads are offered. Thefirst load uses a 170-gr. jack-eted hollow-point bullet atan advertised velocity of1600 f.p.s., which is consid-erably faster than Win-chester’s 175-gr. Silvertip.41 Mag. factory load at1250 f.p.s. Dan Wesson’sother .414 SuperMag loadfires a 220-gr. flat-pointjacketed bullet at a claimed1300 f.p.s. The only .41Mag. factory load closeenough for comparison is

Federal’s 250-gr. CastCore load at 1250f.p.s. Clearly, the lengthened case offerspotential for higher velocities, though atpresent, the increase with heavy bulletswould appear marginal.

Will the new Dan Wesson company con-tinue the tradition of quality, service andinventiveness? Our sample revolver clearlyshows a commitment to quality. Withincreased production capability afforded bythe new tooling, service should be good, too.As for inventiveness, the new Dan Wessonalready has working prototypes of anM1911-style semi-auto pistol called the“Point Man” and the company is consider-ing producing a Dan Wesson rifle.

.414 SuperMag Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs) (ft.-lbs) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Dan Wesson 1310 Avg. 838 9.3 1.61 2.15 1.92220-gr. JFP 36 Sd

Dan Wesson 1497 Avg. 845 7.7 1.27 2.30 1.67170-gr. JHP 35 Sd

Winchester 175-gr. ST 1226 Avg. 584 5.6 1.87 2.67 2.23.41 Mag. 12 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 1.94

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from an 8" barrel. Range tem-perature: 66° F. Humidity: 34%. Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shotgroups at 25 yds. from a sandbag. Abbreviations: JFP (jacketed flat-point), JHP (jacketed hollow-point), Sd (standard deviation), ST (Silvertip)

SHOOTING RESULTS

Dan Wesson 220-gr. JFP 1238 Avg.Dan Wesson 170-gr. JHP 1518 Avg.Winchester 175-gr. ST (.41 Mag.) 1232 Avg.

6" COMPENSATEDBARREL VELOCITY

Though the current-generation Dan Wesson revolvers aremade on entirely new CNC machinery, interchangeable bar-rels made at any point in the company’s history will fit.

Wesson’s proprietary .414 SuperMagcartridge may be new to many readers.Essentially, the cartridge is a lengthened.41 Mag., much like the .357 Maximumis a lengthened .357 Mag.

The Dan Wesson’s front-mounted cylinder latch isclaimed to improve cylinder/barrel alignment from shotto shot. Its release is pressed downward to open.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000 51

Savage Arms has broughtback a favorite—literal-ly—with the Stevens

Favorite Model 30G, a single-shot, .22 rimfire rifle. Productionestimates range from approxi-mately 500,000 to 1 millionFavorite rifles made during its pro-duction heyday from the early1890s to the late 1930s. An addi-tional 10,000 Savage Model 71“Stevens Favorite” rifles were

issued in 1971 as a tribute to theguns’ inventor, Joshua Stevens.Over the course of that pro-duction period, many and var-ied versions of the Favoritewere made.

The new Model 30G doesnot copy exactly any of theearlier versions, but rathercombines the Favorite’s pro-gression of improvementsinto a trim little rifle simplerthan any Favorite previouslymade. Take for example thatoriginal Favorites were madeas take-down rifles while the

new Model 30G is not, and that thenew gun has a total of 22 action

parts—three fewer than theoriginal—while incorporat-ing safety improvementssuch as an inertial firing pinand firing pin spring.

Borrowing heavilyfrom Frank DeHaas’SingleShot Rifles and Actions,

let’s look at the Favorite’sprogression of improve-ments as they pertain to thenew Model 30G. Like theearliest Favorites, theModel 30G has a half-round half-octagon bar-rel. While originals hadflats only on the tophalf, the Model 30Gis octagonal the fullcircumference of its21" blued steelbarrel.

V a r i o u sforms of extrac-tors have beenused onFavorite rifles

ranging from the earliest, located in the leftside of the frame, to a post-1904 centrallylocated,automatic extractor. The Model 30Guses an extractor arrangement that appearedoriginally in the Favorite about 1901. It iscentrally located and extracts the case about1/4" from the chamber.

In 1915, the Favorite rifle experienced amajor revision in its action. Changes con-sisted of making the action heavier, flatten-

ing the top of the breech blockand using a coil mainspring instead of abreakage-prone flat one. Our sample’saction is visibly larger than that of an earlyFavorite on display in the National FirearmsMuseum, but retains the scalloped breechblock of the pre-1915 rifle.

The new Model 30G also has a much-simplified version of the post-1915 coilmainspring. Original post-1915 coil main-spring assemblies were an over-engi-neered collection of six parts pinned to theunderside of the hammer at one end, andwedged against a screw turned into thelower tang at the other. Only two partsmake up the current mainspring assem-bly—a coil spring and a strut. A ball headon one end of the strut rests against thebottom of the hammer, while the rear ofthe coil spring seats in a circular recess inthe bottom of the action body. This circu-lar recess has a small hole in its centergoing all the way through the action bodyout of which the strut protrudes slightlywhen the hammer is cocked.

The 1971 special edition Favoriteincorporated several design changes in itsown right. A stock throughbolt replacedtang screws; the pressed-in barrel was fur-ther secured by a cross-pin; the fore-endhad a schnabel tip; a safety pin-styled ham-

Stevens Favorite Model 30G

Savage’s new Stevens Favorite is much simplerthan any previous version of the Favorite. Take, forexample, that the new gun has a total of 22 actionparts—three fewer than the original—while incor-porating safety improvements such as an inertialfiring pin with firing pin spring.

Often called a “falling block” action, theFavorite is technically a “swinging block”in that the top of the block pivots downwhen the operating lever is lowered.

MANUFACTURER: Savage Arms/Savage Range Systems, Inc.(Dept. AR), 100 Springdale Road,Westfield, MA 01085; (413) 568-7001

CALIBER: .22 Long RifleACTION TYPE: swinging block, single-

shot rifleRECEIVER: carbon steelFINISH: blued steelOVERALL LENGTH: 363⁄4"BARREL: half-octagon/half-round 21"RIFLING: conventional, eight-groove

1:16" RH-twistWEIGHT: 41⁄4 lbs.SIGHTS: steel, round notch, blade rear

with stepped elevator; bead on post frontTRIGGER: single-stage, non-adjustable,

5-lb. pullSTOCK: oil-finished, American walnut

with straight grip and schnabel fore-end tip: length of pull, 13"; drop atheel, 23⁄4"; drop at comb, 1"

ACCESSORIES: lever hammer lockSUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $180

STEVENS FAVORITE

52 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000

Over the course of its production, many and varied versions of the Favoritewere made. The new Model 30G doesn’t exactly copy any of the earlier ver-sions, but combines their improvements with some of its own.

mer return spring was used in lieu of a flatone; an inertia-type, rebounding firing pinreplaced the solid, non-rebounding oneand a hammer block prevented the hammerfrom striking the firing pin unless the trig-ger was pulled. All those improvements arefound in the Model 30G, except for thehammer block, which has been omitted.Even without the hammer block, it appearsunlikely that the Model 30G can fire unlessthe hammer is at full cock and the triggeris pulled. “Safe” position is with the ham-mer down fully on the breech block. Evenin that position, the firing pin is not in con-tact with the cartridge so a blow to the ham-mer should not result in a discharge. Anintercept notch activates after the hammeris cocked about 1/4" to catch the hammershould it slip from your grasp during cock-ing. In the 1/4" of travel prior to activationof the hammer intercept notch, the main-spring is insufficiently compressed to firea cartridge. Indeed we attempted to inducea discharge by repeatedly letting the ham-

mer slip from our thumb prior to reachingthe intercept. We could not get a cartridgeto fire. With the hammer in the interceptnotch, a pull on the trigger will allow thehammer to fall with considerable force. Weagain attempted to induce a discharge byrepeatedly firing the Model 30G from theintercept notch position. Again, we couldnot cause the rifle to fire.

Often called a “falling block” action, theFavorite is technically a “swinging block”in that the top of the block pivots downwhen the lever is lowered. To load theModel 30G, first make sure the hammer isin the fully down position. Next, fully lowerthe operating lever to expose the chamber.Insert a cartridge until it contacts the extrac-tor, then raise the lever to close the action.With the rifle pointed downrange, fullycock the hammer. The Model 30G is nowcocked, and pulling the trigger will causethe gun to fire.

We test fired the Savage Stevens FavoriteModel 30G for accuracy at 50 yds. with

Federal and Winchester ammunition. Fornostalgia’s sake we also included an earlybox of Remington Hi-Speed Kleanboreammunition. Savage Arms is clear that theModel 30G is for .22 Long Rifle only, so wedid not test the gun with Longs or Shorts. Asexpected, there were no malfunctions of anykind and accuracy was as we’d expect froma .22 Long Rifle, open-sighted single-shot.

While we found the hammer on our testrifle rather difficult to cock, the trigger wasmuch easier to manipulate with a pullweight much lighter and smoother than weexpected. Fit and finish on our sample wasutilitarian. While the stock was an excellentpiece of straight-grained, satin-finishedwalnut, wood-to-metal fit was mediocre.Indeed, light was visible around the tangswhen the Model 30G was held up to a stronglight. Metal finish is not spectacular, either.Several casting seams and tool marks wereevident, though the sides of the action werenicely finished in satin blue.

At the time of its introduction, aStevens Favorite could be had for about$6, and a thousand rounds of .22 LongRifle ammunition cost $2.85. Today, thesame amount of ammunition is about $22,or 71⁄2 times greater, while the cost of thenew Favorite Model 30G is about 30 timesmore. While the little rifle is a good value,we would like to have seen more attentiongiven to fit and finish on the StevensFavorite Model 30G.

.22 Long Rifle Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Federal 712 1206 Avg. 123 0.2 1.61 2.81 2.1438-gr. HP 27 Sd

Remington Hi-Speed 1176 Avg. 117 0.2 2.18 3.92 3.0438-gr. HP 24 Sd

Winchester X22LR 1126 Avg. 113 0.2 2.35 3.90 3.0940-gr. SP 6 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 2.76

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 21" barrel. Range temperature: 70° F. Humidity:84%. Accuracy for five consecutive, 10-shot groups at 50 yds. from a sandbag. Abbreviations: HP(hollow-point), Sd (standard deviation), SP (solid-point)

SHOOTING RESULTS

Verney-Carron’s Sagittaire shotgun (top) and Battue Express rifle (above)are top-quality arms made by the oldest gunmaker in France.

Verney-Carron Sagittaire N.T.Over-Under

A s the oldest gunmaker in France,Verney-Carron is no newcomer tothe firearms business. It prides

itself on craftsmanship and quality as wellas the fact that it makes the entire gunincluding barrel, receiver, operationalmechanism and stock. Although a smallcompany, it offers a full line of over-under,side-by-side, pump-action and semi-autoshotguns. We received an example of theSagittaire Nouvelle Technologie (N.T.)over-under two-barrel set for test and eval-uation. The shotgun barrels were 28"choked improved modified in the upper bar-

rel and improved cylinder in the lower bar-rel. A second set of barrels converts theSagittaire into an over-under DoubleExpress rifle with both barrels in 9.3x74Rmm (see sidebar).

While most over-unders employ ham-mers impacting on separate firing pins, theSagittaire is a hammerless design with twocoil-spring-powered strikers in line withthe bore axis much like the firing pins of

The Sagittaire’s barrels are closer togetherthan those of other over-under shotguns,which results in a more compact gun.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000 53

center-fire rifles. This significantlyreduces lock time, which in turn reducesthe required lead on moving game. Asinsufficient lead is the major cause ofmissed shots for most hunters, theSagittaire striker system offers a signifi-cant advantage. Verney-Carron alsoclaims its striker system eliminates anyrisk of misfires.

Locking is accomplished by tworetractable steel pins—one on each side ofthe standing breech at approximately themidpoint between the strikers. The pinslock into recesses cut into the sides of themonobloc. There are no under lugs on themonobloc and no top lock on the receiver.The bottom of the forged receiver is solidwith a tasteful curve on both inner andouter surfaces. A small notch on the bot-tom, outer edge of the under barrel andcutouts on both sides of the lowermonobloc provide a path of escape forhigh-pressure gases in the unlikely eventof a failed case head. The gas is thenexhausted through two circular holes in thebreech face into the receiver.

A hole parallel tothe bore axis in the bot-tom of the receiverholds a spring-loadedcocking pin that ispressed rearward whenthe barrels are brokenopen. This pin causes asteel cocking arm topivot rearward insidethe breech to recockthe strikers, which areheld by sears. Strikersand side locking pinsallow the inside heightof the Sagittaire’sstanding breech to besubstantially lowerthan many hammer-powered, under luglocking systems.

On the Sagittaire model we tested witha single, non-selective trigger (many otheroptions are offered), a pivoting weight heldforward by a spring-loaded sear discon-nected the upper barrel until the lower bar-

rel had been fired.When the lowerbarrel is fired, theweight pivots rear-ward under inertiaand the spring-loaded retainingsear drops out ofcontact, which al-lows the weight tofly fully forwardunder spring pres-sure. The upperbarrel is then en-abled by a cam sur-face on the bottomof the lever contact-ing the trigger.Pulling the triggeragain releases theupper sear and

striker firing the upper barrel. A pivotingsafety lever on the bottom of the receiverinside the trigger guard blocks the trigger.The whole system is impressively simple,robust and well-engineered.

With 28" barrels, a 12-ga. Sagittaireshotgun weighs just over 6 lbs. with a bal-ance point under the center ofthe receiver. This light weightis made possible by using aforged aluminum alloyreceiver. For combinationguns, double rifles and “GrosGibier” 3" rifle-slug guns, aforged steel receiver weigh-ing about 10 ozs. more thanthe aluminum version isused. Barrels are hammer-forged from chrome-molysteel with bores and cham-bers chrome-lined. Both themid rib between the barrels

and the steel, ventilated top rib are silver-soldered in place. Because of the closeproximity of the barrels to each other,screw-in choke tubes are not offered in theSagittaire. Verney-Carron does, however,offer a wide variety of fixed choke combi-nations. A single, robust extractor betweenthe barrels lifts the cartridges from bothchambers simultaneously. Automatic ejec-tors are an extra-cost option, but were notpresent on our test gun.

The stock and fore-end of the Sagittaireare of high-grade, French walnut with asemi-gloss finish and diamond-pattern,cut checkering of 16 lines per inch. The

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.

12 14 13 9

22 26 11 11

17 15 19 9

11 11 10 8

Improved Cylinder Barrel Improved Modified Barrelx=Point of Hold

Federal P128 Premium Field Load–12-ga.23⁄4"—11⁄8 oz.—No. 6 lead

Average Pellet count—253Measured Velocity @3-ft.—1368 f.p.s.

Remaining Energy Per Pellet @40 yds.: 2 ft.-lbsRecoil: 33.1 ft.-lbs

Total Hits 128 (51%) Total Hits 81 (32%)21" Inner Circle 80 (32%) 21" Inner Circle 41 (16%)30" Outer Ring 48 (19%) 30" Outer Ring 40 (16%)

SHOOTING RESULTS

The Sagittaire’s forged aluminum receiver has a solidbottom and is lower than those of other over-undershotguns. The design results in an overall lighter,more compact gun—something hunters will appreci-ate after a long day in the field.

Unlike other over-under shotguns, theSagittaire firing system employs a ham-merless design with coil spring poweredstrikers much like a center fire rifle. Thedesign considerably reduces lock time,shortening leads on flying game.

We found thewood-to-metal andmetal-to-metal fitof the Sagittairewell above averagefor a gun in thisprice range.

54 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000

MANUFACTURER: Verney-Carron, 54Boulevard Thiers, 42002 St. EtienneCedex 1, France

IMPORTER: The Graystone Group(Dept. AR), 3627 North Wilton Ave.,Chicago, IL 60613-4312; (773) 525-2346

GAUGE: 12, 23⁄4" (tested); 12-ga., 3";20-ga., 3"

ACTION TYPE: break-open, hammer-less, over-under shotgun

RECEIVER: forged aluminum alloy orforged steel

FINISH: old silver with moderate engrav-ing on sides and bottom of receiverand on fore-end; old silver on top lever,trigger and trigger guard; blued barrelsand rib

OVERALL LENGTH: 447⁄8"BARRELS: hammer-forged, chrome-

lined, carbon steel, 26", 28" (tested)or 30"

CHOKE SYSTEM: fixed; improved cylin-der; improved modified

TRIGGER: single, non-selective (tested),41⁄2-lb. pull

WEIGHT: shotgun: 6 lbs. (aluminumreceiver); 6 lbs. 9 ozs.(steel receiver)

STOCK: French walnut with semi-glossvarnish finish: length of pull, 141⁄4";drop at heel, 23⁄8"; drop at comb, 13⁄8"

ACCESSORIES: optional at extra cost;automatic ejectors, left-hand stock,extra barrel sets, fitted luggage case

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: 12-ga.Premier with extractor, $1,275 (12-ga.).

VERNEY-CARRON

buttstock has a black composite buttpadand is secured to the receiver by a thread-ed rod that fits through a hole boredthrough the stock and pistol grip. In addi-tion, the trigger guard has a threaded screwon its front upper surface that threads intothe bottom of the receiver.

A careful examination of the Sagittaireimpressed everyone with the high order offit and finish. Of particular note, metal-to-metal and wood-to-metal fit were wellabove average for a shotgun in this pricerange. Also notable was checkering quali-ty, which was excellent with straight linesand very few overruns. While at 16 lines perinch the checkering was coarse, we foundit smooth and comfortable. The engravingon the fences of the semi-matte, old-silver-finished receiver shows game scenes withscroll borders. The bottom of the receiverand the fore-end latch plate have scrollengraving. We found the engraving tastefuland clean with the coverage just about right.

The Sagittaire was function-fired withFederal, Remington and Winchesterammunition at Sporting Clays and at hand-thrown targets and was patterned with theresults shown in the accompanying table.We found the Sagittaire placed its patternsabout 3" to 4" low at 40 yds., which is aboutright for a field gun. Overall handling and

balance qualities were judged verygood to excellent.

Verney-Carron’s Sagittaire is a top-quality over-under shotgun with a com-petitive price. For the upland-bird orsmall-game hunter seeking a lightweight shotgun, the Sagittaire seems aparticularly good choice. For the mixedgame hunter who seeks flexibility in ashotgun, combination gun or doublerifle set, the Sagittaire has much to offerat competitive prices. And for thehunter who just wants something dif-ferent, the Sagittaire combines a uniquedesign with reliability and quality.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000 55

Remington’s new Model 700 VS Composite features an ultra-lightweight, composite bullbarrel. The barrel is rigid, accurate and cools quickly to reduce the effects of barrel heating.

We also received an over-under doublerifle barrel set to go with our shotgun.

There are two versions of the Double Express rifle—theBattue with 22" barrels and the Traquer with 20" barrels.Either may be had in Classique (standard) or Extra Luxegrade. Our sample was the Battue, which measured 39"long and weighed 7 lbs., 12 ozs.

The rifling is conventional, with four lands and groovesand a RH twist, and the sights are one-third length, Battue-type, adjustable sights.The barrels or complete rifles areoffered in 7x65R mm, 8x57 JRS mm and 9.3x74R mm.The price for Classique Double Express rifle starts at$3,350, while a two-barrel set with case is $4,600 and up.

We test fired the Double Express rifle barrels withHirtenberger ammunition with a 270-gr. soft point bullet ata measured muzzle velocity of 2221 f.p.s. and 2,959 ft.-

lbs. of muzzle energy. A popularEuropean caliber, 9.3x74R mmremains almost unknown in theUnited States, but is an excellentchoice for large game—such asmoose and bear—at close ranges.Double rifles are not known for theirextreme accuracy, but they aredesigned for use at close ranges.The Verney-Carron DoubleExpress rifle proved to haveacceptable accuracy in this

respect. More importantly, however, both barrels printedwithin 1" of each other at 100 yds. showing that the bar-rels were properly regulated.

Remington Model 700 VSComposite Barrel

R emington’s newest feature for itsstandard Model 700 center-firerifle line is an ultra-lightweight,

heavy-contour, composite barrel. The bar-rel consists of a thin, stainless steel, rifledliner, around which epoxy-hardenedgraphite fiber is wound to form a bull-bar-rel contour. The result is an ultra lightweightbarrel for its size that is rigid and has anamazing ability to dissipate heat.

The sample we received for testing wasa .223 Rem.-cal. Model 700 VS Composite,the VS denoting Varmint Synthetic. Othercalibers offered in this version include.22-250 Rem. and .308 Win. Remington’sSendero Model 700 rifle is also availablewith a composite barrel, but is chamberedfor .25-’06 Rem., 7 mm STW and .300 Win.Mag. calibers. Both models weigh about apound less than their conventional, all-

steel, bull-barrel counterparts. Our testModel 700 VS Composite specificallyweighed 73⁄4 lbs.

We experienced some difficulty find-ing a suitable scope for mounting on oursample gun because of the 1.25" diameterof the bull barrel. The current rage in high-power scopes is toward high-magnification variables with 50 to 56 mmobjective lenses, and these can require

The properly regulated barrels onour Verney-Carron Battue O-U dou-ble rifle in 9.3x74R mm producedrespectable accuracy, printing within1" of each other at 100 yds.

9.3x74R mm Vel.@ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Hirtenberger 2221 2959 26.9 1.04 1.35 1.20270-gr. SP 50 Sd

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 22" barrel. Range temperature: 61° F. Humidity: 32%Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100-yds. from a sandbag. Abbreviations: Sd (standarddeviation), SP (soft point)

SHOOTING RESULTS

Shooting the Double Rifle

rings of unreasonable heights to keep theobjective bell from contacting the barrel.Often, rings that are too high require theshooter to lift his or her head from thestock to see through the scope, which isnot an acceptable situation. For that rea-son, we opted to use a 6-24X Bausch &Lomb 4000 Elite with a 40 mm objectivethat cleared the barrel handily andallowed a solid cheekweld.

We fired the Remington Model 700 VSComposite for accuracy at 100 yds. with theresults summarized in the accompanyingtable. The rifle preferred Remington ammu-nition with Federal coming in a not-to-dis-tant second. Several groups with Federaland Remington were sub-m.o.a., often withfour shots within 1/2" and the fifth shot

opening the group. For some reason, ourrifle did not care for Winchester’s excellentBallistic Silvertip. There were no malfunc-tions of any kind.

Perhaps the most remarkable observationduring the entire shooting session was inregard to barrel temperature. No matter howfast we fired the rifle, we could not heat thebarrel to the point of being too hot to touch.

That the outside of the barrel stays rela-tively cool is all well and good, but the ques-tion remains: what is happening inside thebarrel to the stainless steel liner?Independent of our test, American RiflemanContributing Editor Charles E. Petty alsotested a Remington Composite rifle. Pettymeasured actual barrel temperature andnoted that the rate of cooling of the com-

posite barrel was so fast that bythe time he got the temperatureprobe in the barrel and allowed itto stabilize, the inside tempera-ture was lower than the outside.He also pointed out that the pro-cedure took a few seconds, andthus he could not state that theinside of the barrel was coolerthan the outside. Petty measureda cooling rate of 15 degrees per30 seconds with the compositebarrel compared to 4 degrees per30 seconds with a steel barrel.That is 74 percent increase incooling rate.

Remington, then, has sub-stantially improved its alreadyexcellent Model 700 VS andSendero rifles. The composite

barrels are rigid and accurate, and theycool very quickly to reduce the adverseeffects of heating.

.223 Rem. Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Federal P223V1 3621 Avg. 1165 3.2 0.79 1.55 1.0350-gr. HP 39 Sd

Remington PRV223RA 3288 Avg. 1201 2.9 0.65 1.27 0.9150-gr. VMBT 59 Sd

Winchester SBST223 3494 Avg. 1355 3.1 1.02 2.10 1.5450-gr. BST 23 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 1.16

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 26" barrel. Range temperature: 72° F. Humidity:72%. Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yds. from a sandbag. Abbreviations:BST (Ballistic Silvertip), HP (hollow-point), Sd (standard deviation), VMBT (V-Max boattail)

SHOOTING RESULTS

This X-ray image shows that the barrel consists of a rifled, stainless steel liner aroundwhich epoxy-hardened graphite fiber is wound to form the bull-barrel contour.

We experienced particular difficulty find-ing a suitable scope for mounting on thesample gun because of its relativelylarge, 1.25"-diameter barrel. Scopes withlarge objective bells contacted the barrelunless overly high rings were used.

MANUFACTURER: Remington ArmsCo., Inc. (Dept. AR), 870 RemingtonDrive, P.O. Box 700, Madison, NC27025; (800) 243-9700

CALIBER: .223 Rem. (tested), .22-250Rem., .308 Win.

ACTION TYPE: bolt-action repeaterRECEIVER: carbon steelFINISH: satin blued receiver, black bar-

rel, gray spiderwebbed stockOVERALL LENGTH: 453⁄4"BARREL: 26" stainless steel liner with

epoxy-hardened, graphite shroudRIFLING: conventional, six-groove 1:12"

RH twistWEIGHT: 73⁄4 lbs.SIGHTS: none, drilled and tapped for

scope basesMAGAZINE: five-round staggered box

with hinged floor plate (four-rounds in.22-250 Rem. and .308 Win.)

TRIGGER: single-stage, 51⁄2-lb. pullSTOCK: fiberglass/Kevlar composite with

aluminum bedding block: length ofpull, 131⁄2"; drop at heel, 1"; drop atcomb, 1"

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $1,865

700 VS COMPOSITE

The Remington Model 700 VS Compositepreferred Remington ammunition—withFederal a not-to-distant second. Severalgroups were sub-m.o.a. with four shotsoften going within 1/2".

56 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • March 2000