Special Firearms Guide Exclusive to Gun Mart

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Special Firearm’s Guide

6 Straight pull AR15sSouthern Gun Co

Low Mill Ranges

(6.5 Grendel)Cactus Arms

Bradley Arms

Olympic Arms

Sabre Defence Industries

16 More straight-pullsSteyr AUG

Saiga M3 & M4

Dragunov SVDRuger Mini 14

Imbal FALs

27 PR & Gallery optionsArmalon Remy 700 PR

PC Rifle

AL 42

BLR

AIA M10s

SGC LA 30

Steyr SSG 04

Steyr Tactical Elite

Tikka T3 Tactical

Schmidt Rubin K31

32 Practical shotgunsBenelli M2 Practical

Benelli SuperNova

Franchi SPAS 12 & SPAS 15

Saiga 12 series

Norinco 1887 & 1897

Publisher:

Tony Phelps

Advertisement Manager:

Vanessa Green

Tel: 01206 506247

Contents

38 Rimfires &

conversionsSGC V22

Tactical Solutions AR22Ceiner & Aitcheson kits

Black Dog magazines

Cactus Arms CA22

Walther G22

German Sport guns GSG5

43 LBRs & CarbinesUberti Buntlines

Browning BuckmarkRuger Super Redhawk

Westlake Engineering

46 Other considerationsBrowning T-Bolt

Browning BLR

Henry US Survival rifle

Riflecraft Piginator

FAVs StradivariBlaser LRS

Blaser rimfire conversion

49 Contacts

Advertisement Office:

MS Publications, 2nd Floor,

Ewer House, 44 - 46 Crouch Street,

Colchester, Essex. CO3 3HH

Design:Emma Hazelton, Lee Francis

& Donna Blowers




4


Welcome to the Special Firearms Guide, which takes a different

direction to the other books from this stable. Whereas before

the subjects were specifi c – hunting, optics, reloading, bolt-actions etc, it occurred to me that there are a fair number

of gun types that are; shall we say slightly left of the middle!

Often treated with prejudice or distain by the more uptight

members of the shooting community; something I and many

other owners of this sort of equipment have experienced fi rst

hand. They are none the less legal, Section 1 fi rearms and used

and admired by more British shooters than you might imagine.

This sort of gear has always interested me and over the

years I have collected, shot and owned most self-loadingpractical rifl es, carbines and shotguns and used and have

fi rst hand experience of most designs we can own today.

In this book I will be looking at pretty much everything

that is not shall we say mainstream from hybrid straight-

pulls to Practical shotguns with a lot of weird and

wonderful stuff in-between. I hope you will enjoy it and

maybe if you have not sampled the delights of this sort

of equipment give it a try, or at least look with more

tolerance on we who enjoy being left of the middle!

Cheers

Peter Moore (Editor)

The gun that

sums up

specialist

firearms best

is undoubtedly

the mann-opp,

hybrid AR15,

here we see

the authors’’Southern Gun

Co custom

Speedmaster




Prejudice – a lesson from history

Just a word of warning before we go any further about the

effects of prejudice. As I said some, so called, responsible

shooters feel that some of the equipment contained within this

book should not be allowed; for the simple fact they personallydisapprove of it. This attitude also extends to some shooting

organisations and even importers. Who of my generation can

forget the; then NRA’s comment to the Government after the

1988 Hungerford shootings. In essence it said they could see

no reason why civilian shooters needed self-loading centrefi re

rifl es and that as we know sealed the fate of this sort of

equipment. Plus placed more restrictive laws on others and

gave the government the idea that it could do what it liked

to shooters as no one offi cial was prepared to stand in theircorner. Many more remember the handgun ban, which could

probably have been less catastrophic if more offi cial bodies

and non-affected gun owners had given their full support.

This attitude still lives today and there have been moves

afoot over the last 10-years by some members of our

community to try and get items like lever-actions, straight-

pulls and military-looking 22 rimfi res banned. I am proud

to say that I have done my little bit to help out in this area,

though the real credit must go to the late Pete Bloom (BEM),who made me aware of one highly devious plot and stopped

it in its tracks, which was exposed in Shooting Sports.

It is also up to the users of this sort of kit to act responsibly,

but by the same token not back down when challenged over

it. Ideally we should all be pulling in the same direction for

the good of shooting as a whole. However, the sad truth is

we are not and as long as petty-minded, self-seeking bigots

are tolerated within the shooting community; at all levels,

we will see more gun types disappear and more restrictionsplaced on the shooting sports in the coming years.




6

Straight-pullsGood example

of a pre-side-

cocking AR,

this rifle isprobably

an Olympic

Arms; note

the extended

T-handle, which

helps operation

a bit (Pic Mike

Dunstan)

The rifl es that perhaps sumup this book the best are

the hybrid straight-pull M16/

AR15s - a design born out of a

need to continue a discipline.

They should not be confused

with the true, sporting

straight-pull designs like the

exceptional Blaser R93 and

similar guns. To understandthis type we must go back

in history to the post-1988

world of Practical Rifl e (PR).

Pre 1988 most PR

shooters used military-

type self-loaders (SLRs) for

PR – AR15, FN FAL/L1A1

SLR, M14/M1A, H&K 91

& 93 etc, primarily in 223Remington/5.56x45mm and

308 Winchster/7.62 Nato.

Guns like the excellent Ruger

Mini 14, M1 Carbine and AK47

did not get much of a look in

as they are by nature short

range performers that did not

fi t in well with the 100 to 600

metre ethos of PR. Though

at club level they were far

more popular, due to shorter

ranges usually encountered.

Over night this wholeinfrastructure was destroyed

and to continue we had

to go back to bolt-actions.

Suddenly the Lee Enfi eld No

4 and derivatives; in fact any

rifl e that had a detachable

magazine became the

hot item; if you liked that

sort of thing! One highlyfavoured design was the

Steyr Mannlicher SSG, which

had been popular even in

the self-loading/gas-gun

days. Though a few forward

thinking individuals were

already ahead of the curve.

Pete Sarony (Practisport,

now Armalon) was already

producing modifi ed (PR-ready)

Remington 700s with hi-

capacity box magazines in

223 and 308. Great guns no

doubt, as they gave us back

a high-capacity repeater;

albeit a manual one.

It’s interesting to note

that Pete had at this stage

already tried the feasibility

of hybrid straight-pulls with

a Colt AR15 and Springfi eld














12

Different strokes

There’s little doubt these

modern AR15 derivatives are

a far cry from the original Colt

rifl e with its triangular forend,

lightweight, 1-12” twist barrel

that fi red the 55-grain M193

ball cartridge. Heavy barrels,

fast rifl ing twists, bigger and

more ballistically effi cientbullets have turned what was

in truth a 300/400 metre

gun into an easy 600 meter

machine and even something

that can reach out to 1000

meters; I kid you not!

Though chambered in

223 Remington, the basic

AR15 chassis is capable of

supporting other calibres of

a similar cartridge overall

length (COL). Over its 40-

year + service history the

5.56x45mm (military/223

Rem designation) has

undergone a few changes. The

55-grain M193 load has now

been superseded by the 62-

grain, SS109, which is betterfor the faster rifl ing twists

military rifl es currently employ.

This, in theory gives the calibre

more ability; though the truth

is the 5.56x45mm is probably

coming to the end of its

military life. However, 223 Rem

is still top choice for the sportsshooter and hunter the latter

where fox, muntjac and roe (in

Scotland) are concerned…

Already the US military is

considering other calibres,

with both the 6.5mm Grendel

from Alexander Arms and

the Remington 6.8mm SPC

(Special Purpose Cartridge)in contention. Though it looks

like the 6.8 SPC is going to

get the nod, if anything does!

The idea is to give a heavier

and more effective calibre/

projectile of around the 100-

120-grain area, but still work

within the 223 Remington

COL and AR15 platform.So all that is required is a

new, calibre-specifi c upper/

barrel and magazine, on the

existing AR15/M16 lower.

This naturally has fi ltered

through to the civilian market

with Alexander Arms offering

6.5mm Grendel-chambered

AR15 derivatives. Likewise

both 6.5 and 6.8 barrels

and chamber reamers are

available to the gunsmith,

meaning it’s quite easy to

re-barrel a 223 version and

get a new bolt head and

mag to suit. Some more,

technical-thinking, British PR

shooters are seeing these two

calibres as the way forward.Since these two have

appeared I have tested an SGC

Cactus Arms

AR, just abit different,

as it only

offers a left

side, integral

cocking handle




Speedmaster in 6.8 SPC and a

Dave Green AR in 6.5 Grendel.

There is however a problem

with both these calibres and

it’s our old friend ‘primary

extraction! Fine in a gasgun, but to ensure reliability

in a mann-opp you do need

to ensure it’s loaded to the

correct pressures. I found this

as there was the occasional

hard extractions in both cases;

even with selected handloads.

Personally I think the 6.5

Grendel is the better design,if nothing else down to the

more ballistically effi cient

bullet it uses. However, if

you are having to down-load

your ammunition to achieve

reliable operation, then some

of the advantages offered

will be negated by the fact

the bullet is launched at lessthan optimum speed. Liking

the Grendel as I do I had a

custom CZ527 bolt-gun built

in this calibre and its 22”

barrel tends to get the best

out of the calibre. But being

a little cynical both the 6.5

and 6.8 are no more than

clever/improved intermediate

calibres so in effective on

the same line as the Russian

7.62x39mm. Plus with the

obvious popularity of carbine-

type ARs with 14.5 and 16”

barrels the Grendel andSPC would be at a further

disadvantage due to the

lower velocities produced in

these abbreviated tubes.

A slight aside with these

two is muzzle energy, which

is really the realm of the

deer hunter, though serves

to illustrate the generalproblems with intermediate

calibres/cartridges. I tested

both calibres - the 6.5 in

my CZ custom and 6.8 in a

bolt-action, 20” Remington

LTR (Light Tactical Rifl e).

In terms of accuracy the

Grendel out shot the SPC

by 20%, but and even withreloads I could not get it to

make the magic 1700 ft/lbs.

Best bullet weights for the CZ

were between 85 and 100-

grains the heavier turning in

around 1600 ft/lbs; so no

cigar! The 6.8 just scraped in

at 1703 ft/lbs with a 110-

grain Hornady V-MAX reload.

It’s not all about

PR either, this

Speedmaster is

chambered in

17 Remington,

note the long

barrel and free-

float forend

(Pic M Jones)




14

Another option is the

Armalite AR10, which is just

a larger AR15 chambered in

308 Winchester. They are

big and heavy with all the

handling abilities of a lead-fi lled dustbin, though SGC also

offers a lighter option, which

is marginally better. In truth

and with most types of ammo

primary extraction is awful and

the gun too big and physical to

be considered a truly Practical

option. Given they use a 308

Winchester bolt head youcould in theory get one built in

something like 260 Remington

or 7mm-08, which might be

better. I have shot an SGC

AR10 that was chambered in

243 Win, which struck me as

a reasonable compromise…

As I said you do have to

consider if non-223 calibres

ARs are worth the effort,

given their potential, primary

extraction problems? However,

Pete Sarony (Armalon Ltd) has

come up with a solution in the

form of his EasyCam. Designedto fi t the SGC-style Mk III

receiver the unit consists of

a compound leverage system

that uses the front face of the

ejection port as a hard point

to work off. The unit bolts to

the standard rear carrier hole

that accepts the original, dog

leg handle, which it replaces.In use it really works and

solves those tight chamber

problems caused by high-

pressure ammo. The EasyCam

was made with the 6.5, 6.8

and 308 guns in mind, but in

my opinion is equally viable

on a 223, as it allows the

use of almost any ammo.

Speedmaster

Mk III upper

showing the new

angled/dogleg

cocking handle,

which solved

earlier problems




It’s also worth it for the hot

weather where pressures will

rise any way due to the higher

temperatures the ammunition

can reach if left out in the

sun. Armalon also offers aversion for the standard build

(light receiver) too, though

this is slightly different.

Calibres for AR15s have

also gone the other way,

as many cartridges use

the generic 223 Remington

case head. I have seen guns

chambered for 17 Remingtonand 204 Ruger, as both COLs

are within the limits of the

223 magazine. These have

mainly been made for both

accuracy and probably foxing

or long range rabbiting etc.

Quite the most unusual is

Mark Bradley’s .30 Whisper,

which is an out and outsub-sonic sniper round. The

223 case is cut back so the

shoulder is removed leaving

a straight-walled build. The

neck is reamed out to accept a

.30” cal bullet, which in heavy

format can be launched at

sub-sonic velocities that gives

a near silent discharge. Mark’s

gun was built in the 14.5”

M4 format and came with a

moderator and is ridiculously

quite… He also offers a

wide range of 223 guns too!

As we have seen the

generic AR15 is

a true movable

feast with more

options on barreltype/length/twist, forend,

butt, pistol grip, bullet weights,

optics receivers etc than you

can shake a stick at. One of

the real beauties of the build

is that you can use one lower

assembly (butt, grip and lower

receiver) with any number of barrelled actions, as they all

fi t. For example you could have

a 24”, heavy, fl uted in a 1-6.5”

twist purely for the heavy

Sierra 90-grain Match Kings for

long range. Then swap it out

for a 14.5”, military-style M4

with an ACOG on top, or go iron

sights with the classic, 20”M16 A2 look. Plus and as we

shall see there are a number

of 22 rimfi re conversion that

will allow you the pleasure of

a semi-auto rifl e; albeit in 22

long Rifl e. In truth most 223

ARs are semi custom and built

to the customer’s needs.

No other modern rifl esystem is quite so versatile,

but we have not fi nished with

hybrid straight-pulls yet, as we

are moving on from what I and

many others consider - the

best to the rest!

These days

AR15s come

in a number of

calibres from

the original223 Rem to 6.5

Grendel, 6.8 SPC

and 308 Win and

it’s derivates,

though here the

rifle is based

on the larger

Armalite AR10




16

AUG and beyond

In terms of 223 hybrids the

AR15 did not have any serious

competition that could push

the range out from 100 to600 metres for PR shooting.

OK as we shall see there are

the Saiga AK74 and Dragunov

derivatives, the Ruger Mini 14

and even versions of the FN

FAL. However, this year saw the

long awaited introduction of the

mann-opp, Steyr Mannlicher

AUG (Armee Universal Gun)Z SP. This is the second

bullpup design to hit

the PR scene

and by far the

best; as the ill-favoured

Bushmaster version from

Empire Gunsight Company was

a real dog; that should havebeen put down at birth…

The term bullpup describes

a rifl e that has the magazine

behind the pistol grip and uses

the receiver as the butt. The

advantage is a considerably

shorter overall length when

compared to the conventional

butt/receiver/barrel layout of the AR15. It also means no

loss of barrel length; often it

can be longer with no handling

penalties. So a good design

The latest mann-

opp hybrid the

Steyr SSG Z SP,

a rifle with a deal

of potential;,

but let down by

the rather short

sighted lack of

understanding

for what a

straight-pull

needs to offer

in terms of

shootability




for the military and those

sports shooters who want

compact. The real downside is

the fact that the trigger has to

be connected to the hammer

mechanism by a long linkage,which does little for the pull.

This is one concern for a

hybrid mann-opp; the other of

course is primary extraction.

The AUG Z SP is a well

presented rifl e with a black

polymer stock and 20”, 1-9”

twist medium weight barrel.

Cocking is forward and onthe left so pretty good for

both right and left handers.

The UK version comes with

a raised Picatinny rail as

standard and a fold-down

front grip, as there is no

forend to get hold of, or even

fi t a bipod! Feed is from 10,

30 or 42-round magazines.Also useful is the fact the

AUG can be easily converted

for left hand use, as all you

need to do is replace the

bolt with a mirror image

component that has the

extractor on the left of the

face and the ejector on the

right. Then swap the ejection

port cover over from left to

right and you’re done. Priced

at around the £1100 mark

it’s no more expensive than

a decent AR15, though and

as we shall see it does

have some problems which

are not insurmountable.

Unlike the evolved and

near perfected, straight-

pull AR15s the AUG is a

good example of lack of

vision at point of design and

manufacture, as little thought

has been given to the end

user. The cocking handle is

too small for repetitive hand

operation, which combined withits heavy return spring system

makes for some serious effort

in cycling the action. Add

to this the potential of hard

extraction and you feel like

you have been lifting weights

after a couple of 30-round

mags through the gun. The

military-weight trigger is heavyand does little for precision

shooting either. Which is

annoying as the rifl e shows a

high accuracy potential. With

my standard AR15 reload - 69-

grain Sierra Match King (SMK)

over 24.5-grains of Hodgdon

Varget and a Remington #7

½ BR primer, the AUG whenfi red from a rest with much

effort on sight picture and

trigger control was turning in

½” groups at 100 yards.

There’s not a lot you can

do to fettle the all-plastic

trigger mechanism, which

was purpose-built to be heavy

as befi ts a military rifl e.

However a company in the

USA makes an item called

the Trigger Tamer, which

is a drop-in, replacement

component for the mech that

reduces the weight from its

abysmal 12 lbs+ to around

6 to 7 lbs. Far from amazing,

but a real improvement

from how it comes out-

of-the-box and a defi nite

increase in shootability.




18

Speaking to Mark Bradley

(Bradley Arms) he told me thathe is already making extended

cocking handles for the AUG

and is considering a right hand

conversion too and maybe

some sort of forend or bipod

mount. Despite my comments

on the more negative aspects of

the design, I really like the rifl e

and feel it has potential, as its

accuracy is not in question and

with a bit of experimentation

and innovation it will evolve into

a far more user-friendly gun.

It is however regrettable that

Steyr Mannlicher aren’t offering

this from the factory, which

they could well do, with a bit of

consultation with experienced,

British PR shooters…

It’s plain to see that pre

and post 1988 PR has been

dominated by the AR15 in

one form or another. Today

the harsh truth is; there’s

currently no hybrid straight-pull

out there to touch it! Though

and with some development/

improvements as I havedetailed I reckon the AUG could

be a contender. The Armalon

hi-cap/DM bolt-guns are the

conventional solution andthey do have their following,

as they are accurate, do not

suffer from primary extraction

problems and work very well.

However, there are other

options, which we must

consider, as not everyone

wants to pay £1200+ for the

pleasure of a PR-type rifl e.

Sub culture

In terms of both calibre and

action PR is dominated by the

suitability of the equipment

design. So let’s now turn our

attention to perhaps one of

the most sadly disappointing

modern rifl es - the Ruger

Mini 14 BAO (Bolt Action

Only). I say this as a pre

and post Mini 14 owner.

The original Mini 14 was

Ruger’s answer to the current

need for a viable, self-loading,

223-type rifl e for commercial

and law enforcement/military

sales. Typically the designborrowed from the old US M1

Carbine, M1 Garand and M 14

Top left:

AUG – detail of

cocking handle

(too short) and

scope rail

Top right:

The Ruger

Mini 14 BAO

(bolt action

only), unlike

the original

self-loaders

the mann-

opp version

proved very

disappointingwhen it came

to accuracy




service rifl es, as is Ruger’s

way. Sporting rifl es showed a

plain wooden stock, whereas

military guns had fl ash hiders,

bayonet lugs, iron sights,

side folding stocks, carbineoptions and even a selective

fi re variant (AC556). With its

1-12” twist rifl ing the Mini was

set up for the then standard

M 193 ball-type cartridge

and proved amazingly

popular with all users.

In the UK they represented

a highly cost-effective PR-type rifl e for the club level

shooter. In my old club just

about everyone who wanted

a self-loader had a Mini,

as did I, plus a Colt AR15

amongst other examples, but

I just love automatic rifl es…

They were however and

like the original, 1-12” twistrate AR15s not that good

for much over 300 meters.

But back then there where

so many more rifl e ranges

available and the long

distance aspirations of the

average club shooter usually

did not extend past 200

yards if not less. In that

they were probably more

successful than the AR15,

as they were cheaper, maybe

more reliable and gave us

a neat little 223 self-loader

that was accurate enough for

fun/PR-orientated shooting

at sensible ranges. They

also had a small following

amongst some fox shooters,

where a fast back-up shot

is a nice facility. Ruger even

made 222 Remington versions

for countries like France

that did not allow civilian

shooters to own military

calibres, some of these

even ended up in the UK.With the SLR ban the Mini

14 disappeared from the UK,

though with the advent of the

hybrid mann-opps it occurred to

me that a straight-pull version

might have some potential for

our market. I wrote to Ruger

on numerous occasions on the

subject and when I becamefriends with Edward Horton of

Viking Arms (Ruger importers)

urged him to push the case.

After much rejection he fi nally

succeeded and it was agreed

that a man-opp, UK-legal

version would be produced.

Top: Saiga M3,

this straight-

pull AK is

chambered

in 223 Rem

Bottom: Interms of build

the Mini offers

a well placed

and easy to

operate right

side cocking

handle and is

very reliable

in terms

of primary

extraction








22

front improves performanceastronomically, but that’s

hardly a viable option.

Stubborn to the end I have

got another Mini and am in

the process of experimenting

with practical ways of

strengthening the barrel.

You could of course re-

barrel with a heavier tube,but that would be expensive

and you might just as well

buy an AR15. In its favour

the Mini offers a reliable

action, with side cocking as

standard, so no real dramas

on hard extraction. I got

mine fi tted with a ‘big knob’

bolt handle just to give me

something better to hang

on to. You can also get a

22 rimfi re conversion kit,

to make is a semi-auto, but

it’s a pain to fi t and set up.

Mr Kalashnikov

As you have probably

guessed by now I am a bit of fan of military, self-loading

and automatic rifl es and if

any mann-opp hybrid really

felt like forbidden fruit in

the mid-1990s; it was the

Russian Saiga series. We

have Guy Savage (Sabre

Defence Industries) tothank for getting straight-

pull AK74s into the UK.

I love the AK and still

consider it the fi nest assault

rifl e ever made and also

the best looking. Not that

accurate, nor with the

longest effective range, what

it looses here it makes upfor in sheer toughness and

reliability. I used to own

the classic, folding butt,

airborne version pre the 88

ban and though aware of its

limitations really liked it!

Made by Izhmash the

Saiga series uses the

generic AKM/AK74 designwith the AK 103 and 104

models or M3 and M4, the

latter showing a manual

bolt hold open not found

on the former. Conversion

to straight-pull operation

is simple as the barrels

have no gas port and the

piston is made without the

all-important nose piece.

Like the Mini 14 the

Saiga series is very much

a case of what you see is

what you get – right side

only cocking handle, big

and clunky safety catch,

very short, low-combed

butt, skinny pistol grip, 16”

barrel and military iron

sights. Feed is from 10 or

30-round magazines and

All AKs and

SVDs come withan integral, NV

mount, which

will also accept

dedicated

scopes, which

is useful




in the original calibre of

7.62x39mm fi ring a 123-

grain FMJ bullet at around

2300 fps performance was

not amazing, with the rifl e

struggling much past 200yards to hold even a half-

decent group together.

Saiga also offered a 223

Remington version, which

I have never managed to

get my hands on, however,

speaking to those that have

indicates this calibre is a

considerable improvement.The problem here is trying

to get hi-capacity magazines

for it, as it appears 10-

rounders are all that’s

currently available.

All Saiga M3 and M4

rifl es show the integral,

military, night vision mount

on the left of the actionand there are a number of

dedicated optics available to

fi t it. The fi xed power x4 and

x6 POSP sniper scopes for

the Dragunov SVD sniper rifl e

are two examples and there

are even a couple of red dots

too. However, the short butt

with its low comb gives a

very bad eye/scope position,

which does little to improve

performance in an already

mediocre accuracy design.

Another variant is the

12 ½” carbine, here the

barrel stops just in front of

the gas tube and shows a

cone-type fl ash hider/muzzle

brake. It looks and feels

very cool, but as you can

doubtless imagine accuracy

and ability problems are

exacerbated by the shorter

tube! However, given you

keep the ranges sensible and

are aware of the accuracy

limitations the price andgood availability of cheap

ammunition makes the Saiga

M3/M4 interesting options.

Sadly effective range is the

real problem, as there’s no way

that one of these rifl es could

hope to hold its own in a 100

to 600 metre PR competition.

The 223 version might bebetter but forget 7.62x39mm

for anything much over 200m!

What the Saiga needs is a

course of fi re that it can cope

with and it’s a pity no one out

there has done such a thing,

as it could also include the

Mini 14. Make the maximum

distance 200 yards/metersand play to the rifl es strengths

and not its weaknesses. I

recall Guy Savage talking to

me about such a project a few

years ago and I have been

speaking to Oleg from FSU

Connections, who also imports

Saigas about a similar idea.

Despite my comments

on the Saiga’s abilities, I

genuinely like the rifl e and

own an M4 in 7.62x39mm,

which I use more as a fun

gun for 50/100 yards. As

I said you get what you

get in terms of accuracy/

performance, however and

thanks to FSU Connections

and Bradley Arms the rifl e

can be improved considerably

in terms of shootability.






Much in the manner of the

British Light Support Weapon

(LSW) which is a derivative

of the standard L85 bullpup.

I have used RPKs and they

are good, offering as they dobetter accuracy and down

range ability. I recall Decade

Arms advertising something

similar from a company called

Arsenal in either Hungary

or Bulgaria, though and

despite many promises guns

never appeared… Pity!

For those who want morefrom the generic AK design

you can also get a mann-

opp version of the Dragunov

SVD. In truth the SVD is not

a true sniper rifl e and more

a designated marksman’s

gun, as it cannot offer the

accuracy/range potential

of say a comparable M21,which is a sniper version

of the old 7.62 US M14

Service rifl e, which was

superseded by the M16.

The build is just a bigger/

longer AK47 complete with iron

sights and using the standard,

side mount for POSP scopes,

though it does offer a last

round hold open facility. The

butt is the familiar skeleton

design that now gives its name

to that build – the Dragunov-

style. Notable is the rolling

comb that offers an adjustable

head position, though as ever

the butt length is far too short.

FSU Connections bring

in two versions both military– the fi xed stock and the

side-folding airborne version.

Feed is from a 10-shot

magazine and the rifl e is

available in both the original

Russian 7.62x54mm R

(rimmed) cartridge and I

have also seen a slightlymore sporting version called

the Tigre that offers this

and also 308 Winchester.

Accuracy is not up to

that of a decent bolt gun,

but far superior to any AK

I have shot. The Dragunov

is quite light and recoil is

reasonably hefty. I have tosay that I have never seen

one of these at a PR match,

which does surprise me a

little, as it offers the only,

readily available, mid-capacity,

detachable magazine, .30

calibre straight-pulls for the

PR shooter. It’s probably down

to price and perception asthe guns are not cheap and

for the money you could buy

a good AR15 that will do the

job as well if not better…

This brings me nicely

on to the other .30” calibre

hybrids, which is where the

PR hardware really ends.

The Belgium FN FAL is one

of the best known 7.62 Nato

battle rifl es of the late 20th

century, we British used our

own, imperial version in the

L1A SLR and both this and

the FN were popular as iron

sight rifl es in the pre-88

PR scene. I used to shoot

the G1, which was made by

FN for the Germans beforethey adopted the H&K G3

as their service rifl e.




26

Sabre Defence brought

in the Brazilian Imbal FAL in

three versions – standard

20” barrel, the 16” Congo

carbine and the 12 ½” Wasp

a sort of uber-carbine. Typicalof a 7.62x51mm the action

is quite strong and the left

side mounted cocking handle

a bit short for easy and long

term operation. As I said

earlier for the sorts of high

round count courses of fi re

PR generally offers these

full power calibres and rifl escan be a bit much. As ever

primary extraction problems

will fl uctuate with the quality

of the ammunition you use.

Scope mounting can be a

problem as you only have the

thin, sheet steel top cover to

fi t an optic, which is hardly

a stable base to work from.However, B-Square does make

a heavy, alloy replacement

with a Picatinny rail that

clamps to the upper receiver.

I have seen some Imbal FALs

modifi ed with an SGC Mk III

cocking handle, which does

make operation a bit easier.

Imbal did make a 223

mann-opp FAL in the folding

stock, paratrooper version,

which was very nice, but to

my knowledge Guy did not

bring them in apart from a

prototype as they were very

expensive. Like the Dragunov

the FAL is a rare sight at a PRmatch or even on the range.

Probably rarer though a

real shooter in every sense

of the word is the civilian

version of the US M14 – the

M1A as made by the old

Springfi eld Armoury. I have

only seen one of these, which

was owned by Mark Bradleyand made I believe by Guy

Savage (Sabre Defence).

The right, side-cocking action

proved smooth and easy

with full power 308 loads,

with recoil being reasonably

mild and controllable, as

with the original self-loading

version. With a 168-grain,Match-type load accuracy

was superb. However, not

a cheap rifl e, though my

choice should I have wanted

a 308 straight-pull.

Though no longer imported

and never in quantity you

might come across examples

of the old, clip-loading, US M1

Garand in 30-06 Springfi eld

and also the American, DS

Tigre –

a shorter

barrelled

version of

the SVD




Arms FALs, which I believe

were built with parts sourced

from Austria, as they too

made the gun under licence,

before adopting the AUG.I have also seen a straight-

pull M1 Carbine (.30” Carbine

calibre) and even an H&K MP5.

These rifl es are rare and also of

potentially dubious parentage,

as back then some people did

not quite interpret the dictates

of the law as well as others!

You must bear in mind that tobe UK-legal any hybrid straight-

pull must be made as such

and not from converted

Section 5 components, or

even from a modifi ed self-

loader. For example youcould not buy a standard

AR15 in the USA and simply

remove the gas tube and

block off the transfer port to

make it manually-operated.

As it has the potential to

be converted back. Yes the

law is an ass, but it’s still

the law and we need tokeep the right side of it…

Imbal FAL,

here we seethe 16” Congo

version, this is

a nice rifle, but

in 7.62x51mm

it’s a bit lumpy

to shoot

From the box the Imbal FAL offers a

short cocking handle, which is not ideal

for repetitive, manual operation

PR, Classic and Gallery options

The problem in writing a

feature like this is knowing

where to stop, as there are

some bolt-guns and other

actions that fall squarely

into the realm of specialist

equipment. Sure any gun

can be modifi ed to accept a

hi-capacity magazine etc and

I have seen a few; the most

notable being a Schmidt

Rubin, K31 Swiss Service

bolt-action from the 1930s.

The builder modifi ed 20-round

SLR magazines to replacethe issue 6-round box of

the original; he also built a

scope mount too. However,

this was a one off so of

no real general use; even

though highly practical.

Today ex-Service K31s

are available and do

represent an interesting,

classic/veteran alternative

to the Lee Enfi eld No 4 etc.

The action is fast and easy,

the magazine change quick

and they are accurate,

however the availability of

spare magazines is almost

non-existent, which tendsto rule them out for any

sort of competitive use.














Given the pump-action

gave way to the semi-auto

as the action of choice for

PSG in a reasonably short

time, the revolutionary

SPAS 12 incorporated bothsystems in one gun. Totally

military looking (this gun

always put me in mind of the

American M60 GPMG). The

SPAS featured iron sights,

a pistol grip and folding

butt, up front was a long,

pump-like forend that by

means of selector buttonwould allow the switch from

semi-auto to pump-action

operation. The name of this

type of mechanism is a

combination. All it did was

by means of a cam path and

follower was to close off the

rotary gas valve and connect

the piston/action rods to theforend for manual operation.

The original idea was the

ultimate in reliability, which

it certainly was, however

and despite the gun’s huge

popularity back in the mid

1980s when it fi rst appeared

it was rather the solution to

a problem that did not exist.

Back then I was working at

Delta Firearms and we used

the SPAS 12 a lot and sold

tons of them too. I always

recall an owner who said to

me he could never work out

how I could shoot my gun

so fast, which I could not

understand. I asked him to

show me how he shot hisand he proceeded to pump

all 8-rounds through the

gun. I then asked him why

he did not use it in semi-

auto mode and he said

he did not know that was

possible! This guy had been

shooting his gun as a pumpfor six-months; go fi gure…

The SPAS 12 fell foul

of the 1988 fi rearm’s

amendment as it came with

a folding butt as standard,

also it was only made as

a 20”, but you could get

a choke tube permanently

fi tted to increase the lengthto 24”. Add to this there

were fi xed, pistol grip butts

available and the SPAS

still survives today, though

is no longer mentioned

on the company website

so I can only conclude it

has been discontinued.

However, Franchi wentone better and made the

box mag SPAS 15, which

was also a combination,

as we shall see…

Today if you favour a

combination mechanism

then it’s available in the

Benelli M3, which in

Franchi SPAS

12 – in the mid

1980s this was

seen as the

wonder PSG

gun, in truth

it was too big,

too heavy and

too complex




34

comparison to the old

SPAS 12 is a far better

design. On that point Benelli

are well known for their

exceptional semi-auto,

recoil/inertia shotguns and

they offer what they callthe M2 Practical model.

This shows a 26”, multi-

choke barrel, with recoil

ports, iron sights, scope

rail and a 10-shot tube

magazine as standard.

Quite the best thing about

the M2 is the fact it offers

their Comfort Tec stock

design, which by means of

rubber chevrons set into

the butt really does reduce

felt recoil. If you shoot 12-

bore slug as well as PSG

then the M2 Practical is an

excellent, out-of-the-box gun.

Radical but more basic

are their Nova and SuperNova

pump-actions. Nothing really

unusual apart from the fact

they use a polymer receiver

over a metal skeleton and

are probably the most

unusual pump design out

there. The SuperNova offers

a 3 1/2”, 12-bore chamber

and have a magazine

disconector built into theforend, typically they can

accept an extend magazine.

Boxing clever

Now on to the elusive

box magazine guns. The

fi rst commercial design

was Franchi’s SPAS 15.Confi gured similar to an M16

with a carry handle, iron

sights and a top-mounted

(under the carry handle)

vertical cocking handle,

the gun offered a similar,

selectable (pump/auto)

combination forend layout.

Feed came from a 6-roundbox magazine, which was a

bit low on capacity for PSG.

Though the potential

answer to our prayers the

SPAS 15 was not that well

laid out and very expensive

as I recall, with spare mags

being equally horrendous

on price, at around £90 a

hit even back in the late

1990s. Also availability

was never good, so as an

alterative it very much priced

itself out of the market.

Commercially the only

practical box mag gun is the

Russian Saiga12. Typically

an AK47 derivative the

gun uses an adjustable,

two-position, gas/piston

mechanism and feeds from

a polymer, 8-round magazine.

The original 12C version

was not ideal with its short/

low butt and skinny pistol

grip and no automatic hold

open facility. It was however

reliable and when comparedto the SPAS 15 a far most

cost effective option.

Too little too

late – the Franchi

SPAS 15 box

mag shotgun




In recent years the 12C

has been upgraded with the

introduction of SWAT 12K

version, which addresses most

of the problems - AK-style iron

sights are fi tted along witha full length Picatinny rail on

the top cover. The magazine

system has been improved

with a deeper well and easier

insertion/release, the pistol

grip is larger and gives more

control. The butt has been

replaced with a TDi, CAR

15-type unit, which is lengthand comb height adjustable,

a muzzle brake is also fi tted.

The price is a little more

than the old 12C but not that

much, however the magazines

are around £70 each, which

means as you need the

minimum of fi ve or six spares

that’s the real down side.Saiga also offers the

12C in both 20-bore and

also 410. The latter uses

a 10-shot magazine and

though not as powerful as

the 20 and 12-gauges is an

amazing little gun, though

far from ideal for PSG.

As can be seen and costs

aside; the box mag gun wouldseem like an ideal PSG tool,

but it does have is limitations.

However, in a discipline

built around the fi xed, tube

magazine the advantages

of their quick change feed

system are very much at odds

with the current ethos of the

sport. Many see the box magas an unfair advantage, due

to the speed of the reload.

Likewise on stages where

you start with an empty gun,

would a box mag be required

to be empty and fi lled by

hand as a tube system?

The other problem is

how many spare mags doyou need, as some of the

longer stages could take up

to 50-rounds? For example

that would need a minimum

The Saiga 12

offers a more

affordable and

accessible

box mag gun,

here we see

the later 12K

SWAT version,

which offersiron sights,

scope rail

and improved

furniture




36

of six mags, which and cost

aside; are big and heavy tocarry and you would not want

to lose them by accident

either… Saiga 12s aside, it

seems unlikely that we will

ever see PSG dominated

by this system, due to the

simple fact that this sort of

technology is not mainstream

and often developed formore serious needs only!

Golden guns

Now two blasts from the past,

which offers that rarest of

things; reproductions of two

classic repeating shotgun

designs. We are used to

Uberti’s exceptional copies

of the Henry and Winchester,

66, 73 and 76 rifl es and

Pedersoli’s Sharps, Springfi eld

and Remington Rolling block

repros. But in this case the

thrust comes from China as

Norinco make the Winchester

1887 lever-action and

1897 pump-action guns.

Both designed by the

great John Moses Browning;

the 1897 is your classic

pumper, though not the fi rst

mechanism of its type; is

probably the longest lived.

In terms of modern guns

the build is a little differentwith an external hammer

and short receiver with the

bolt sliding out of the back

when it cycles. Filling is easy

as there’s no shell lifter to

push past and the gun offers

a slam fi re facility. Here

and as long as the trigger

is held back every time theslide shuts the gun will fi re;

fast but far from accurate or

controllable. Also you can by

using buttons on the side of

the action dump the entire

magazine contents too.

The 97 was probably

the fi rst ever offi cial fi ghting

shotgun, as it was used bythe US Army from before

World War I up to and

including Vietnam. With its

short, 20” barrel, bayonet lug

and perforated metal hand

guard it will always be the

archetypical ‘trench gun’.

The 1887 is perhaps

more unusual, as it uses a

lever-action mechanism and

rotary, quadrant breech block

with external hammer. It is

said that Browning offered

Winchester a pump-action

mechanism, which was to

eventually become the 1893

then 1897, but they said

they wanted a lever gun

which would be in keeping

with their main product

- the lever-action rifl e.

The Saiga mag

holds 8-rounds

of 12-boreammo, big and

cumbersome to

carry they are

also expensive,

given you would

need at least

six or seven for

a PSG jungle run




The 87 loads through the

breech to its under-barrelmagazine and is a bit different,

but none the less is fast and

efficient to use. The fact that

both these classic designs have

been re-created is down to the

need and popularity of Western-

type shooting as practiced by

the American SASS (Single

Action Shooting Society), asboth guns historically fall

within the time parameters for

use. Norinco offer a number

of shorter barrelled guns,

including the 20”, 1897 trench

gun, which are not UK legal.

Over here guns are normally

26 or 28” and though of more

appeal to our own Western

shooters the BWSS (British

Western Shooting Society)

are equally as good if you

want a classic repeater for

field/game use. Also an

interesting PSG alternative if

you wanted to do it old-style

and frankly I do not think they

would be a disadvantage in

the right hands. Best of all

they are very well priced and

accept 12-gauge ammo.

One final item, which is

totally for the hunter are theSaddlery & Gun Room’s range

of moderated (Hushpower),

Mossberg pump-action

shotguns. The Mossy 500

is an excellent pump, well

priced, reliable and offered

in both 410 and 12-bore

options. Guns are modified

with barrel ports to transferthe gas to the silencer, which

as a unit is permanently fitted,

so does not require special

permission to own. So it will

go down on your ticket as a

Sect 2, or if you want high

capacity Sect 1 shotgun.

The downside is a very

long gun; normally around

50” +, but the moderation

effect is useful, given the deep

and rolling boom a shogun

makes normally. Saddlery &

gun Room also offer special

sub-sonic ammo to suit. They

also say they can pretty much

moderate any smoothbore

and that includes semi-autos,

though here more work is

potentially required to ensure

reliability of the action.

Western

Winchester from

the east – the

Norinco 1897

pump-action

copy from China




38

Rimfires

There’s little doubt of the

popularity of semi-automatic,

22 rimfi re rifl es; especially

those that look like militarybattle and assault riles –

M16, AK47 etc. This started

many years ago with a

company called Jaeger Arms

offering a rather nice copy

of the original AR15/M16.

Called the AP74 it featured

a fi xed, dummy mag housing

that took a single-columnmagazine of either 12 or

15-round capacity. The gun

was a lot of fun and you can

occasionally encounter them

today, though spare mags

are almost non existent.

This started the ball

rolling and soon AK47s, Galil

ARMs and even the FrenchFAMAS Bullpup appeared, all

based on the identical rimfi re

AK chassis. Not particularly

reliable they none the less

proved reasonably popular,

with some being converted

to a 24” shotgun format for

the tiny, 22 rimfi re shot shell

cartridges. In truth these

were about as much use

as a chocolate fi re guard,

but you now how it is?

Pieta of Italy even offered

a loose copy of the Russian

PPSH 41 SMG in rimfi re with

a drum magazine. Perhapsthe best of the military look-

a-likes was the Erma M1

Carbine, which was a very

good re-creation of the old

.30 calibre US M1 Carbine

from WW II. You can run

into all of the above guns

even today, as though no

longer produced they arearound. Some work others

don’t; the worst are the AK,

FAMAS and Galil, but all will

suffer from the lack of spare

magazines so be warned.

Moving on in this direction

and much more up to date

are two German rifl es –

the Walther G22 and theGerman Sport Guns GSG 5.

The G22 appeared a few

years ago and was a defi nite

departure from Walther’s stern

and serious target ethos;

we have come to associate

them with. We probably have

Umarex to thank for this who

own Walther and are best

know for their rather fanciful

CO2-powered, rotary magazine

look-a-like air pistols.

The standard

V22 upper,

mounted on an

SGC lower, this

basic rimfire

conversion hascome a long

way since its

introduction

in the UK




The G22 was a Bullpup

design with a rather ugly

and angular synthetic stock.

Feed was from a 10-round

magazine that fi tted in the buttto the rear of the pistol grip,

behind this and built into the

thumbhole-style stock was

storage for a second mag.

With a separate release catch

this offered a clever onboard

capacity with a reasonably fast

and effi cient change over.

With high, M16-type iron

sights, with the rear acting

as a scope base the over all

scope/bore height was a bit

too tall. It was also possible

to change the G22 from right

to left hand operation, by

swapping bolts and ejection

ports etc. However, this was

not a fi ve minute job and one

best done by someone who

knows what they were doing.

In use the G22 suffered

from the usual, Bullpup, long

and mushy trigger system;

though like anything it proved

popular initially. The stock

which is available in black,

green or camo had rubber

inserts and was coveredwith sections of Picatinny

rail. This fact was not lost

on the designers as Walther

offered laser and torch

packages to suit along with

red dot sights and scopes

too. With both carbine andfull length rifl e variants and

threaded for a moderator

the G22 is an interesting

and unusual rifl e indeed.

Probably causing more

excitement was the GSG5.

Made by German Sport Guns

(GSG) who up until then had

only made hi-quality, soft

air guns, the new rifl e was

a near perfect copy of the

Heckler & Koch MP5 SMG

and it looked the business.

The only problem for the UK

market was the fact that

is had to come with a 16”

barrel, which they wisely fi tted

a dummy moderator to.

The reason being that

the GSG5 though coming

as standard with the fi xed

(A1) stock would also accept

the collapsing design too.

This when fi tted puts it

under the UK legal minimum

length requirement of 24”,

which would take it out of

the Section 1 large fi rearmcategory – hence the 16”

tube. The dummy moddy

Top right:

Current SGC

V22, this rifle

is their latest

M4 look-a-like

and as can

be seen

bears little

resemblance

to the original

product

Top left:

The rather

unusual Walther

G22 bullpup,

note the

classic high

sight line and

buttless layout






Bremmer Arms/Parker

Hale got in on the act with

their own, dedicated AR15

standard 20” rifle and CAR15

16” carbine variants, which

used a US military conversionkit not unlike the Ceiner.

The major difference here

was it only offered a 10-shot

mag that fitted inside the

standard 20 or 30-round 233

magazine. Like Bob Clark

they cut off the chamber

adaptor and re-barrelled with

a dedicated 22 LR tube.Ruger even got in on the act

with a dedicated Mini 14 rimfire

conversion kit, which I think

was made by Ceiner. It worked

to a degree like they all did,

but and unlike the AR15 took

about 20 minutes to fit and

was not that easy to do. Truth

is none of the pure conversionsreally work that well, with more

potential being shown by the

dedicated, 22 LR replacement

upper. So let’s move on?

Once again SGC lead the

way as Bob Clark announced

a few years ago he would be

bringing in the V22 conversion.

Made of all people by CZ of

the Czech Republic they were

produced for a company called

Victory Arms in the States.

The V22 was a top half only

and consisted of an AR15,

free-float type upper with a

dedicated, blow-back action,

which fed from a 10-round

block magazine that was

dimensioned for the existingAR mag well. Unusually the

gun featured a side-mounted

cocking handle and given it

was made for the AR15 did

not even try to offer a hold

open facility – automatic or

manual. That always struck

me as a weak point givenwhy it was designed.

The V22 was not the

prettiest thing but worked to a

degree, probably the biggest

fault on the one I tested was

the fact it would occasionally

fi re out of battery (bolt partially

open). This often as not bulges

and or splits the case, which isa little off putting from the firing

end, as smoke and blast leaks

out. This obvious drop in power

can seat the bullet halfway

down the barrel and if you are

not aware of this and don’t

remove it; the next one down

will knock it out but cause a

bulge in the process. This as

I have said happened to me

and also others too I have

spoken to on the subject…

Wisely the V22 uses the

same barrel/forend system

as the 223 gun, so it’s not

a problem to customise the

rifl e with all the AR goodies

– forend, iron sights etc.

Bob took this a stage further

as he soon started building

custom versions and in most

cases just used the action

and re-barrelled it. His latest

is the M4 Military gun, which

looks like the US M4 carbine.

His other contribution to the

design is a home-rolled, 25-

shot magazine, which is muchbetter than the original in

both capacity and reliability.




42

The V22 is popular and

as long as you remember

about the occasional firing

out of battery and check

the bore before shooting

again it represents a nice22 AR option. I have heard

from Mark Bradley (Bradley

Arms) he is in the process

of building a dedicated 22

LR, AR15 upper of his own.

Wayne Titterton (NW Custom

Parts) brings in an alternative

to the V22 in the form of the

Tactical Solutions AR22.The AR22, unlike the V22

is a dead copy of the AR15

upper even down to the

forward assist, case deflector

and ejection port. It uses what

appears to be a Ceiner-type

back end with a dedicated

22 LR barrel, you even get a

partial hold open facility, whichthough not ideal is better than

nothing. I thought where they

dipped out was the fact the

forward assist does not work,

which would be useful on a 22

rimfire, blow-back design. They

all come with two, Blackdog

magazines, which is nice! The

one thing I found on my test

was the fact the rifle was very

ammunition-sensitive and

would not tolerate any non-

US makes. This fussiness is

typical of any make of

22 rimfire self-loader

and my advice is to

buy a cross section of brands

and see what works best!

The AR22 is available in

a full-length, heavy barrelled,

free-floating version or an M4

Carbine type. Like the V22 my

tests showed the ability to fire

out of battery, this seems to

be endemic with any form of

AR15/22 rimfire conversion

as I have also found this onCeiner and Atchisson kits and

the Bremmer Arms rifles too!

One big break through in

this area are the Blackdog

magazines, which are

imported/distributed by

Bradley Arms. Looking like a

30-round AR15 clip they are

made of polymer and showa 27-round capacity, though

25 tends to work better.

They are configured for the

various makes of 22AR and

conversion kits and after a

short running-in period work

very well. They are also well

priced at around £30.

A final AR-like rimfire is thecactus Arms CA22. Run By

Ron Flint, he uses the bolt and

trigger mech from a standard

Ruger 10/22 and has specially

made actions with butt and

pistol grip, with a heavy barrel

and free-float AR forend. I

tested an example with a

CAR15 (collapsible) stock, but

like both the Ruger and the

AR; the world is your oyster in

terms of look and accessories.

GSG5, this

H&K MP5

clone poses

a few design

problems due

in the main toour laws on

the dimensions

of a Section

1 firearm






44

SPR08/E/a

Browning made a rifle out of

it by fi tting a 16” barrel and

an integral grip frame that

mounted a wooden butt. With

a 10-shot mag, this 22 semi-

auto carbine, to a degreebridged the gap between

handguns and rifles. This was

not lost on some gunsmiths,

with Alan Westlake (Westlake

Engineering) making a rather

nice conversion, which he

describes as a “long pistol.”

He removes the butt and

permanently fits a stainlesssteel bar to maintain the 24”

legal minimum, then cuts the

barrel to 12 ¼”. The usual

re-crowning etc is done and

what you end up with is,

though not to my personal

liking, is non the less a highly

effective, compromise, 22

semi-auto ‘long pistol’, that

to a greater degree gives a

practical handgun for target

shooting. As the Buckmark

comes with a scope base youcan fit what you like, or even

get the irons put back on.

Truth is Alan has been

busy and also offers a range

of in-line, single-shot muzzle-

loading pistols, as well as a

38 Spl/long pistol conversion

of the Remington 1858 New

Model Army muzzle-loadingrevolver. He can also offer

nitro powder conversions

for BP revolvers too. These

use a new, two-part cylinder

and shotgun primers as

opposed to the old and

inefficient percussion caps.






46

Also worth a look

Rounding off this book we

come to the gear that though

not truly off the wall, none

the less deserves a mention.First up is the Browning

T-Bolt rifl e, re-created from

an older design it uses a

straight-pull action that feeds

from a double-drum, 10-shot

magazine. Initially chambered

in 22 Long Rifl e, the T-Bolt is

now available in Hornady’s

17MACH2 and 17HMR and itcomes up as a smooth, slick

and effi cient hunting rimfi re.

All you do is pull/push the

side-mounted handle and

the action cycles smooth

and fast, which is far more

practical than the accepted

lift-pull, push and lower of a

standard turn-bolt system.The 22 Long Rifl e is a great

rabbit buster, but the 17HM2

is perhaps not the best choice,

due to the fact this calibre has

never taken off in the UK. What

is going to make a serious

impact is the 17HMR version,

which we are still waiting for

over here. This hard-hitting,

rimfi re magnum in the T-Bolt’s

fast action is going to make

an awesome combination.

Still with Browning we havethe BLR (Browning Leveraction

Rifl e) though looking highly

traditional with its classic lines

and external hammer, the BLR

is in fact the modernist lever-

action out there, as it uses a

6-lug, carrier-mounted rotary

bolt; similar to the AR15s.

This is operated by a geared,rack & pinion mechanism and

is amazingly fast and slick,

add to this a detachable

box magazine and you have

something rather special. The

latest version of the BLR is a

take-down, where barrel and

receiver/butt can separate

for easy storage/travel.Another design that falls

into this category is the Marlin

1895 family. Chambered in big

bore calibres like 444 Marlin,

45-70 Government and the

new 450 Marlin they pack a

lot of fi re power. Rifl ecraft Ltd,

perhaps best known for their

Light Sporting Rifl e will convert

an 1895 into what they call

a Piginator – short barrel,

muzzle brake (very important)

and compact scope.

Another unusual re-make

of an older model is the Henry

Survival rifl e, near identical

to the old Charter Arms gun;

it’s a semi-auto, rimfi re design

with a hollow butt that will

accept the barrel, magazine

and action for storage. What

Though a

rimfire hunter,

the Browning

T-Bolt (top)

offers a fast,

straight-pull

action when

compared to a

standard, turn-

bolt design

like this Ruger

77/22 (below)




real use it is here in the UK

is debatable, but it works

Quite the oddest of all

is the Stradivari Bullpup!

This single shot hunter uses

a falling block mechanism

that is actuated by a hinged

butt section. With a forwardpistol grip, twin safety

system including a gripper

on the forend as well as a

manual lever in the trigger

guard, it also has a raised,

Picatinny sigh rail, 30mm

scope rings with 1” inserts

and as you can imagine

is totally ambidextrous.Chambered in numerous

calibres I have tested a 308

Winchester version and it’s

a bit of a kicker to put it

bluntly. So much so that the

manufacturers had to fi t a

muzzle blast reducer to stop

damage to the scope and

also shooter. In calibres like

243 Win or 223 Rem the

Stradivari is a useful rifl e, as

it’s truly compact and very

handy. I mention this more of

interest as currently there is

no UK importer, but it serves

to demonstrate what can be

done with a bit of imagination.

Now another straight-pull

- the Blaser R93 LRS (Long

Range Sporter). Generally

R93s are pure hunting rifl es,

which is attested to by their

non-detachable, top-loading,

low capacity, magazine

system and sporting stocks.

The LRS is a total re-think

as it has a proper, detachable,

5-shot box magazine in a

tactical stock, with the usualadjustments – comb height,

length of pull etc. To give

good long range ability it

uses a heavy, fl uted barrel

with the option of a muzzle

brake. The forend as such is

vestigial and more a place to

hang a bipod, as it’s just a

short extension that comesno where near the barrel.

Useful is the fact that

the R93 is available in left

or right hand operation, as

Blaser make a left handed

bolt carrier. Given this heavy

rifl e is intended for prone use

only; for the right hander a

left hand bolt makes a lot of

sense as you can maintain the

rifl e in the shoulder and use

the left hand to operate the

Despite its

classic lines the

Browning BLR is

a modern, lever-

action rifle, with

rotary bolt, a

fast rack and

pinion operating

system anddetachable

box mag

Riflecraft

Piginator, based

on the Marlin

1895S this gun

is cut down and

fitted with a

muzzle brake

and offers a fastand effective

driven boar

rifle in 45-70

Government







Tel: 0161 408 1155

or 07710 102887www.nwcustomparts.com

Strictly by appointment only

NEW WORKSHOP

& SHOW ROOM

General Information: Bolt is made out of 4/16 stainless (same bolt in every model). Comes with one black dog machine magazine - Trade and retail supplied. Fits on any standard AR-15 lower. Not designed for fully auto yet.Doesn’t matter what butt-stock you use - Our unit is self-contained. Our bolt is a blow-back bolt: When enough

pressure works up, it blows back the bolt. Designed to work with the Black Dog magazine.1911: Designed to fit on government and commander length. We can’t do the fitting for a different length.

Mills are to mill-spec dimensions.

S P R 0 8

/ D / a

AR-15 MC

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AR15 UPPERS FIRST SHIPMENT NOWSOLD, NEXT SHIPMENT 2/3 WEEKS.

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28 ROUND MAG £450OR THE COMPLETE RIFLE WITH

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AR15 .22RF UPPERS AND WHOLE RIFLES BUILTON SABER DEFENCE LOWERS

• .920 diameter barrel

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RECEIVERS £325



SPR08/C/a



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