Taurus 454 Raging Bull

AMERICAN buying habits show wewant bigger, more-powerful, fastereverything. This insatiable hunger

for power is recognized by many includingthe automobile and computer industries,shopping malls and fast food restaurantchains. Bigger is better, right?

Since its debut in 1955, the .44 Magnumhas been the most powerful factory cartridgechambered in a double-action revolver froma major manufacturer. That lofty andlengthy status was shaken in January 1997when Taurus announced it would be pro-ducing a double-action revolver chamberedin .454 Casull. Many were doubtful thisannouncement would ever come to fruition,but the .44 Magnum’s status officially top-pled this past November when the TaurusModel 454 Raging Bull in .454 Casullbecame available.

Taurus’ Model 44 frame would seem alogical starting point for building a new,more-powerful revolver. However, simplystrengthening it’s stress areas was insuffi-cient to contain the extremely powerful .454cartridge. An entirely new frame had to bedesigned for the Raging Bull that’s not onlylarger, but incorporates several obviousdesign-strengthening features.

Most noticeable of the strengtheningfeatures is the multiple cylinder lock-up sys-tem. Taurus and S&W users will find thecylinder pin latch at the rear of the cylinderfamiliar, while Dan Wesson fans will rec-ognize the yoke latch at the front. Both locksmust be operated independently, but at thesame time to release the cylinder. This oper-ation becomes quite natural after a few triesas the latches are well-positioned for right-

handers. Left-handed staff members foundit necessary to switch hands and open thecylinder as if they were right-handed.

Like with Taurus’ Model 445 (August1997, p. 45), the Model 454 Raging Bullhas a fluted, five-shot cylinder with .08"-

deep locking bolt cuts arranged betweenthe chambers. This arrangement maintainsthe integrity of the chamber walls that are.105" thick at their thinnest point.

Taurus’ engineers didn’t stop afterdesigning a gun that could handle the .454Casull cartridge—they went on to design agun in which the average shooter could han-dle the .454 as well. To that end, the Model

454 has a massive barrel, available ineither 61⁄2" or 83⁄8" lengths, with a full-

length ventilated rib and solid underlug. The barrel has Taurus’ built-incompensator system that uses eightround holes arranged in pairs on

either side of the front sight. Gas isdirected up through the holes and

against an angled undercut on the top rib ina fashion first seen by us on the Rossi Model971 VRC (Jan. 1996, p. 50). An expansionchamber is part of the compensator, thusplacing the origin of the rifling about 11⁄4"back from the muzzle.

Attention was paid to felt recoil reduc-tion on the Raging Bull’s stock as well. Theblack, stippled, mono-grip is made of a soft,recoil-absorbing, rubber-like syntheticmaterial and has a round butt and fingergrooves. The front extends up to the trigger

®

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “DopeBag” at least since 1921, when Col.Townsend Whelenfirst titled his column with it. Even then, it had been inuse for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot-ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firingline.“Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s termfor sight adjustment information, while judging windspeed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

CAUTION: Technical data and information con-tained herein are intended to provide information basedon the limited experience of individuals under specificconditions and circumstances. They do not detail thecomprehensive training procedures, techniques andsafety precautions absolutely necessary to properlycarry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimeron the contents page. Always consult comprehensivereference manuals and bulletins for details of propertraining requirements, procedures, techniques andsafety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

Recoil from the Model 454 was rather anti-climactic.Those anticipating vicious, bone-crunching recoil were happily disappointed.

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1998

Since 1955, the .44 Mag. has been the most power-ful factory cartridge chambered in a mass-produced dou-ble-action revolver. Taurus toppled the .44 Mag’s statuswith its Model 454 Raging Bull in the awesome .454 Casull.

TAURUS 454 RAGING BULL

MANUFACTURER: Taurus S.A. Forjas,Avenida Do Forte 511, Porto Alegre,RS Brasil 91360

IMPORTER: Taurus InternationalFirearms, Inc., (Dept. AR), 16175 NW49th Ave., Miami, FL 33014

MECHANISM TYPE: double-actionrevolver

CALIBER: .454 CasullOVERALL LENGTH: 123⁄8"BARREL LENGTH: 61⁄2" (tested), 83⁄8"WEIGHT: 55 ozs.WIDTH: 13⁄4"HEIGHT: 65⁄8"CYLINDER CAPACITY: fiveRIFLING: six-groove, RH twistTRIGGER: 13 lbs. double-action pull, 51⁄2

lbs. single-action pullSIGHTS: Patridge front, fully-adjustable

square notch blade rearACCESSORIES: Taurus Security

System keyPRICE: $699 (blued), $767 (stainless)

TAURUS 454

guard, and covers the rear of it to protect theknuckle of the middle finger that usuallytakes quite a beating when shooting a hard-kicking revolver. Further, a red insert rises.07" along the back of the grip to act as a“shock-absorber.”The insert is distinct, can-not be easily compressed with finger pres-sure, but is functional in reducing the feltrecoil. The stock is completed with brassescutcheons having the Taurus logo.

Fit between the barrel and cylinder onour sample was very tight. Fit between thesideplate and frame was also good exceptfor a slightly gapped section that was cov-ered by the stocks.

Our stainless steel sample was polishedto the mirror-bright finish we have come toexpect from Taurus. The top rib, however,is matte-finished to reduce glare.

For a front sight, the Taurus Model 454uses a generous Patridge-style bladepinned into a ramp. The rear is a striking-ly plain, flat black blade with square notch.It is very sturdy, provides a well-definedsight picture and is screw-adjustable forwindage and elevation.

The hammer has a checkered spur and the“Taurus Security System.”The system incor-porates a small “deactivation pin” in the backof the hammer that is raised and loweredusing the supplied key. Raising the pin withthe key blocks the backward movement ofthe hammer and theoretically disables thegun. The instructions make it very clear that

the Security System “...is NOT a substitute forcautious gun handling.”And correctly reminds usthat “... there is no suchthing as a safety which is‘childproof’ or whichcan completely preventaccidental discharge ... .”

The Taurus 454Raging Bull was firedfor accuracy at 25 yds.using Winchester,CorBon and Black Hillsammunition with theresults shown in theaccompanying table.Shooting a .454 Casullat 25 yds. is like fishingfor minnows with ashark hook, so additional function firingwas done at bowling pins placed at rangesto 100-yds. Function firing also included anumber of .45 Colt loads from variousammunition makers. Shooting .45 Colt in a.454 Casull is akin to shooting .44 Specialsin a gun chambered for .44 Magnum.

Both the Winchester and CorBon ammu-nition performed without failure when firedsingle-action. There were a few failures tofire Black Hills 300-gr. JHP cartridges thatwere attributed to light firing pin strikes.Firing double-action, the gun almost alwaysmisfired regardless of ammunition. Thesefailures were also attributed to light firingpin strikes. There were no failures to fire .45Colt, single-or double-action, with theTaurus Raging Bull.

A second Taurus 454 Raging Bull wassent to us and it fired all ammunition typesin both double- and single-action though thetrigger did not always return and needed tobe encouraged forward with a slight pushfrom the trigger finger. This malfunctionwent away after a thorough cleaning andabout 100 shots.

Freedom Arms was the first to offer the.454 Casull in its well-known single-actionrevolver, as well as ammunition. Though theTechnical Staff had a supply of Freedom’sammunition, it specifically states that it isfor use in its single-action revolvers only

and was therefore notused in the Taurus. Acall to Freedom Armsconfirmed that thiswarning is still ineffect. Furthermore,Freedom Arms is nolonger producing .454Casull ammunition,but will continue tomake and offer com-ponent bullets forhandloaders.

Note that the .454Casull uses small rifleprimers, and not justany .451"-.452" bullet

will hold up to its power. Bullets with hard-er cores and heavier jackets are required.

Recoil from the Taurus 454, thoughstout, is rather anti-climactic. Shootersanticipating a vicious muzzle flip and bone-crunching kick will be happily disappoint-ed. The gas vented upward from the com-pensator nearly eliminates muzzle rise, andthe sharp, straight-back kick is amplyabsorbed by the rubber stock. The stock,however, is large, and may cause a problemfor small-handed shooters.The double-action trigger pull was on the heavy side. Thesingle-action pull will probably see more use,and it broke crisply at 51⁄2 lbs.

The Taurus Model 454 Raging Bull is abig step forward in the double-actionrevolver market. It offers advanced designfeatures that not only accommodate a verypowerful cartridge, but ones that allow own-ers to enjoy shooting as well.

A user-friendly gundespite its impressivecaliber, the TaurusModel 454 Raging Bullhas a massive barrelwith solid under lugand full-length ventilat-ed rib. The muzzle(below) has Taurus’built-in compensatorsystem. The stock (l.)has a built-in “recoilpad” and extends for-ward to pad the back ofthe 454’s trigger guard.

In addition to punching holes in paper at25 yds.with .454 and .45 Colt loads,we alsotried the 454 out on bowling pins at 100 yds.

The 454 has a five-shot cylinder with lock-ing bolt cuts arranged between the cham-bers. The capacity and the arrangementhelp maintain the chamber wall integrity.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1998 47

.454 Casull Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Black Hills 300-gr. JHP 1362 Avg. 1.45 1.97 1.6928 Sd

Winchester X454C2 1592 Avg. 1.08 1.87 1.54300-gr. JFP 21 Sd

CorBon 335-gr. WFPL 1418 Avg. 1.76 2.75 2.208 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 1.81

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 25 yds., fired from Outer’sPistol Perch. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), JFP (jacketedflat-point), JHP (jacketed hollow-point), WFPL (wide flat-point lead)

ACCURACY RESULTS

IN recent years there has been increasedinterest in lightweight, bolt-action rifles,often dubbed “mountain rifles” as the

result of their popularity with westernhunters who pursue goats, sheep and otherhigh-elevation game. In 1997, Weatherbyintroduced its own series of LightweightMark V rifles, not only to cater to those inter-ested in a “mountain rifle,” but also to appealto deer hunters who favor “standard”calibers.

The Mark V Lightweight Sporter fea-tures a blued finish and a walnut stock; theLightweight Stainless combines an injec-tion-molded composite stock with stainlesssteel barrel and action; and the LightweightSynthetic offers a composite stock andblued steel. All feature 24" barrels, a six-lugaction with 54º bolt lift, and chamberingsranging from .22-250 Rem. up to .30-’06.The Mark V Lightweights also offer lowerprices than we’ve been accustomed to see-ing on Mark V rifles.

The action of the new Lightweightsresembles that of the now-discontinuedWeatherby Varmintmaster. Instead of the

traditional nine-lug array of the classicMark V action, the Lightweight action fea-tures six lugs arranged in two circles of threeevenly-spaced lugs, yet retaining the short54o bolt lift that Weatherbys are known for.

The Lightweight action is propor-tioned for standard cartridges the size ofthe .22-250 Rem., .243 Win. and .30-’06.The bolt is slightly smaller in diameterthan the bolt used in the much larger,heavier and longer magnum-size action.The round receiver is also narrower indiameter and 1⁄4" shorter in length thanthe full-size Mark V. There is a semicir-cular relief cut in the forward ejectionport edge to facilitate the ejection of liverounds that also slightly reduces weight.

The Lightweight’s bolt retains all thesignature features of the magnum Mark Vbolt, such as the three gas vent holes in thebolt body, the machinedgroove in the body thataccepts the trigger-actuatedbolt stop and the signaturebolt shroud profile. Alsoretained is the shroud-mounted, two-position man-ual safety with a groovedthumbpiece that is rotatedrearward to block the firingpin and forward to allow therifle to fire. In the forward“fire” position a red dot isvisible on the shroud. When

in the “safe” position, the bolt is locked.The Lightweight’s trigger is also of con-

ventional Weatherby design. Contained inan aluminum housing attached to the under-side of the receiver, the trigger also controlsthe bolt stop, a cylindrical pin that projectsupward from the trigger housing through thefloor of the receiver to engage a groove inthe underside of the bolt body. The bolt’srearward travel is arrested when the bolt stopstrikes the end of this track. Pulling the trig-ger all the way to the rear lowers the boltstop out of this track, allowing the bolt to bewithdrawn from the receiver. When rein-serting the bolt, the trigger must be pulled.

Contributing to lighter weight is theslender barrel, which measures 1.1" just for-ward of the receiver ring and tapers to .55"at the muzzle. The bore is button rifled in afour-groove, right-hand twist pattern.

Lightweight stocks feature high MonteCarlo cheekpieces, 3/4" thick ventilatedrubber recoil pads and sling swivel studs atthe toe and fore-end. A well just to the rearof the barrel channel in each stock acceptsthe receiver’s integral recoil lug. Weatherbyutilizes glass bedding in the recoil lug mor-tise of its wood-stocked Sporter and Carbinemodels; no bedding compound is used in thesynthetic-stocked versions. The barrelchannel contacts the barrel at the fore-endtip to help damp out excessive vibration.

Weatherby Lightweight rifles feature aninternal, non-detachable box magazineloaded through the top of the receiver. Thebottom of the magazine is a hinged floor-


MANUFACTURER: Acrometal Cos., Inc.,Brainerd, MN

SOLD BY: Weatherby, Inc. (Dept. AR),3100 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA93422

MECHANISM TYPE: magazine-fed, cen-terfire, bolt-action rifle

CALIBERS: .22-250 Rem., .240 Wby.Mag., .243 Win., .25-’06 Rem., .270Win., 7 mm-08 Rem., .280 Rem., .308Win. and .30-’06 (tested)

LENGTH: 441⁄8"WEIGHT: 63⁄4 lbs.BARREL LENGTH: 2315⁄16"RIFLING: four-groove; RH twistMAGAZINE CAPACITY: fiveTRIGGER: single stage, 33⁄4 lbs. pull SIGHTS: none supplied; receiver drilled

and tapped for scope mountsSTOCK: Claro walnut; length of pull,

133⁄4"; drop at heel, 15⁄8"; drop at MonteCarlo, 3/4"; drop at comb, 13⁄16"

PRICE: Lightweight Sporter, $849

MK V LIGHTWEIGHT

WEATHERBY MK V LIGHTWEIGHT

The Mark V Lightweight series offers traditional Weatherby styling and features in a packageconsiderably lighter than its Mark V Magnum siblings. The Sporter (above) is fitted with a 6-18X Redfield Five-Star.This gun will be of interest to deer hunters who favor standard calibers.

Safety features include an indicator tab thatprotrudes rearward when the firing pin iscocked and a shroud-mounted safety thatis moved rearward to the “safe” position.

The Lightweight employs six lugs, in con-trast to the nine-lug action of the Mark V inmagnum calibers,and it is also shorter andsmaller in diameter than its big brother.

IN the past, exposed-hammer side-by-side shotguns were marketed primari-ly to the well-to-do upland bird hunter.

More recently though, Cowboy Actionshooters have created a market for double-

barreled shotguns with a plain finish. Andwhile this sport does not require exposedhammers on double-barreled shotguns,they definitely add to the period look ofthe firearm. In an effort to appeal to that

nostalgia, EAA is importing theBounty Hunter side-by-side, double bar-rel shotgun.

Made by Spain’s Astra for EAA, theBounty Hunter shotgun is an exposed-ham-

plate that is released by a lever whose headis located inside the front face of the triggerguard. Pushing the lever forward releasesthe rear of the floorplate and dumps out allremaining rounds in the magazine.

The magazine features a steel followertensioned by a flat Z-shaped spring. Thebody of the magazine on both the blued andstainless steel Lightweights is aluminum.

Our test Lightweight was the blued-steel, wood-stocked Sporter model in .30-’06 Springfield. The rifle’s pistol-grip stockwas of Claro walnut with 18 lines-per-inchmachine-cut checkering on the fore-end andwrist. Both the metalwork and the walnutstock had an even, non-glare satin finish. Weequipped the Weatherby Sporter with aRedfield Five-Star 6-18X scope and fired itfor accuracy at 100 yds., with the results list-ed in the accompanying table, and function-fired the rifle with Federal, Hornady,Remington and Winchester ammunition.No malfunctions were experienced.

Accuracy was not spectacular, averaginga little more than two m.o.a. (minute of angle)with all ammunition tested. It should be noted,however, that these results were obtained witha 3-9X scope at maximum magnification—much as would be used afield—rather thanthe 16X to 32X target scopes often used inour testing. At 63⁄4 lbs. without scope, ourrifle offered both easy carrying and snappyhandling. It balanced right at the floorplate,and was judged to have rather neutral han-

dling on offhand shots,being neither muzzle-heavynor muzzle-light.

There were a few com-plaints, however. The rifle’slong 133⁄4" length of pullmade many short-eye-reliefscopes difficult to use, par-ticularly with the thickclothing typically worn bythose hunting in coolerregions. This is not a fatalflaw, as such scopes are sel-dom used on light, sharp-recoiling guns. Thoughnominal magazine capacityis five rounds, we found thatsmoother feeding occurred

when only four cartridges were loaded. Also, care had to be taken when loading

our Lightweight. When the bolt was in therearmost position, the rear edge of the mag-azine box protruded just far enough to catchthe rim of cartridges being loaded into themagazine. A round so caught would thenenter the magazine at an angle and had to beremoved and reinserted. When we posi-tioned the cartridge about 1/4" further for-ward in an attempt to avoid the rear edge ofthe magazine, the bullet tip would contactthe feed ramp. The cartridge had to be start-ed in the magazine just so for problem-freeloading—a situation that could be prob-lematic for gloved fingers on a cold day.

We suspect that the new WeatherbyLightweights will appeal most to those whoalready own full-sized Mark Vs and whowant a trimmer, lighter rifle of the samedesign. The rifles should also appeal towhitetail deer hunters who crave classicWeatherby styling in a rifle tailored to theirneeds and in calibers they desire.Nonetheless, shooters who value a crisptrigger, low weight, excellent balance and ashort bolt lift will likely find the new MarkVs worthy of consideration—whetherthey’re Weatherby fans or not.


.30-’06 Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Hdy. No. 8115 2652 Avg. 1.56 2.03 1.78165-gr. BTSP 11 Sd

Rem. No. ER3006C 2611 Avg. 1.79 2.64 2.12178-gr ER 15 Sd

Win. No. X30061 2684 Avg. 1.09 2.37 1.87150-gr. PP 12 Sd


Five consecutive five-shot groups at 100 yds. fired from asandbag rest. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), BTSP(boattail soft-point), ER (Extended Range), PP (Power-Point),Rem. (Remington), Win. (Winchester)

ACCURACY RESULTS

The new Mark V Lightweight’s bolt stillbears unmistakable Weatherby touches,such as its claw extractor,fluted body,threegas vent holes and distinctive bolt shroud.

The Lightweight Sporter features a non-detachable top-loading box magazine with afive-round capacity and a hinged floorplate.

EAA BOUNTY HUNTER SHOTGUN

New exposed hammer guns have been few and far between recently,despite heavy demand. EAA’s Bounty Hunter combines traditional“Old West” styling and an innovative hammer-blocking safety system.

mer, double-barrel shotgun utilizing aPurdey double under-lug design. Its actionbars are placed forward, underneath the bar-rels. Our 12-ga. test sample featured blued20" barrels attached to a smooth solid ribwith a single brass bead front sight. Barrelsare available in 24" and 26" lengths as well.

The barrels are finished to a deep, pol-ished blue, as are the side plates and top latchlever. The breech, triggers, steel pistol gripcap and butt-plate have a satin nickel finish.The hammers and tang safety are finishedin a contrasting dark grey. The side-platesand action are embellished with roll-pressedscrollwork that add to the period look of anotherwise plain side-by side. EAA plans tooffer models with case-colored or nickeledside-plates and receivers as well.

The Bounty Hunter’s hardwood pistolgrip stock and beavertail fore-end arestained to a dark walnut color and featurecoarse 16 lines-per-inch diamond-pattern,hand-cut checkering that is noticeably heav-ier in the center and lighter at the edges.Sling-swivels are standard on the BountyHunter. The forward swivel is screwed to thebottom of the rib and rear swivel is set intothe toe of the stock.

Wood to metal fit is typical of a side-by-side in this price range. Namely, there are

many noticeable gaps and the edges ofthe stock and fore-end were higher thantheir corresponding metal surfaces on theaction, trigger-guard and side-plates.

Like most double-triggered side-by-sides, the Bounty Hunter’s triggers arearranged with the right barrel’s trigger infront and the left barrel’s to the rear.

Chokes on our 12-ga. sample wereof the fixed type with full in the rightbarrel and modified in the left .However, EAA plans to offer modelswith adjustable screw-in chokes as wellas rifled barrels in .45-70 and .45 Colt.The Bounty Hunter will be also availablein a variety of gauges including 10-, 12,16-, 20-, 28-ga. and .410. The gun has noejectors and dual actuator rods lift theextractors as the action is opened.

The exposed hammers are fixed to theside-plates and powered by steel V-springs.An automatic safety mounted on the top tangis engaged when the top latch lever is pushedto the right. Pushing the safety button for-

ward to cover the “S” engraved in the tangreleases the safety so the gun may be fired.

Many traditional-ists claim that exposedhammer doubles havea safety advantageover their internalhammer counterpartsbecause the shootercan see that the ham-mers are cocked. Butthere is a danger in thatwhen cocking the gun,the firer may acciden-tally release the ham-mer short of full-cock,perhaps allowing thehammer to fall on thestriker and cause aninadvertent discharge.In his book ShotgunsBy Keith, no less anauthority than ElmerKeith warned shootersthat exposed doubleshad an annoying habit

of snagging on brush and saddlery causingan accidental discharge if the safety was off.

An EAA representative told us that Astrahas devised an interesting solution to theproblem by installing a stainless-steel blockbetween the hammer and striker that falls

out of the way only whenthe trigger is pulled. Afterfiring, the hammer blockrebounds back into place.

Disassembly of theunloaded Bounty Hunteris fairly straightforward.Depress the releaseplunger on the front of thefore-end and swing i tdown and away. Push thetop latch lever to the right

and tilt the barrels downward until theunderlugs are unhinged from the action.Reassemble in reverse order.

The Bounty Hunter was pattern tested at25-yds. with Winchester 31⁄4 dram equiva-lent No. 71⁄2 shot 1 oz. field loads, and theresults are shown in the accompanyingtable. During function-firing with Federal,

MANUFACTURER: ASTRA, Apartado 3,48300 Guernica, Spain

IMPORTER: EAA Corp (Dept. AR), P.O.Box 1299, Sharpes, FL 32959

MECHANISM TYPE: break-action, side-by-side shotgun

GAUGE: 12-ga., 23⁄4"OVERALL LENGTH: 37"BARREL LENGTH: 20"WEIGHT: 6 lbs., 11 oz.TRIGGER: double: front, 41⁄2-lb. pull; rear,

51⁄2-lb. pullSIGHTS: brass bead frontSTOCK: walnut stained hardwood: length

of pull 141⁄2"; drop at comb, 11⁄4"; drop atheel, 21⁄2"

ACCESSORIES: nonePRICE: $499

BOUNTY HUNTER

The Bounty Hunter has a stainless-steelhammer block (arrow) between the re-bounding hammer and striker that falls outof the way only when the trigger is pulled.

The Bounty Hunter has no ejectors; anddual actuator rods lift the extractors as theaction is opened. The automatic safety isactivated by moving the top latch lever.

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 25 YDS.

18 17 18 17

29 31 20 21

32 29 29 24

23 22 14 18

Full Choke Modified Choke

x=Point of HoldWinchester Xpert 31⁄4-1-71⁄2

Pellet count—350

Total Hits 201 (57%) Total Hits 161 (46%)21.2" Inner Circle 121 (35%) 21.2" Inner Circle 94 (27%)30" Outer Ring 80 (22%) 30" Outer Ring 67 (19%)

EAA BOUNTY HUNTER

The classically-styled Bounty Huntercame to shoulder quickly and pointedsteadily.We found the 20" barrels made thegun particularly lightweight and easy tohandle. Recoil, while stiff, wasn’t too bad.


INTRODUCING kids to shooting throughNRA’s junior membership and youthprograms are great ways to get them

started on the path of safe, responsible, law-abiding firearms ownership. We, as parents,guardians and mentors, can augment theseNRA programs and spend more quality timewith our kids through continuous, safefirearms teaching of our own. As is the casewith adults, kids will achieve their bestshooting results and thus gain more confi-dence if they use a gun they can handle. Agun they can handle means that it is in a min-imally recoiling caliber, and that the gun be

appropriately sized to their smaller stature.Fort Worth Arms now has a gun that

meets these requirements called theWoodchucker that is available exclusivelyfrom RSR Wholesale Guns, Inc. This bolt-action, six-shot, .22-cal. repeater has theclassic lines of a full-size big game rifle andis made of quality materials.

The rifle we received for testing sporteda one-piece hardwood stock that was stainedto resemble dark, reddish walnut. There isno checkering and, as befits a rifle to be usedwith a scope, there is a Monte Carlo cheek-piece. A solid, black, plastic buttplate com-

pletes the stock.A conventional, tubular steel

receiver is used that has a 90º boltlift. Lock-up on .22 rimfire riflesis typically by the root of the bolthandle,and the Woodchucker is noexception. Dual, opposed extrac-tors are used, and the ejector is partof a steel piece screwed into thebottom of the receiver. This piecealso serves as the bolt guide, hav-ing a pair of rails corresponding toa pair of grooves in the undersideof the bolt. To facilitate scopemounting, the Woodchucker is

equipped with astandard dovetail rail on top ofthe receiver. A conventional trigger-blocking safety is on the right side of thereceiver behind the bolt handle. When in

Remington, Winchester and PMC shot-shells we experienced no difficulties withany of the ammunition tested.

Shooters found this classically-styled gun comes to shoulder withquickness and points steadily. The 20"barrels make the gun particularly light-weight and easy to handle. Recoil,while stiff, is not punishing, even dur-ing extended firing. While function-testing the Bounty Hunter, shooters hada great deal of fun shooting hand-thrown clays. The birds were brokenwith great regularity and more than afew were reduced to powder. Some feltthat a straight stock would make it easierto slide the firing hand back to find the sec-ond trigger, but others preferred the meati-er heft of the pistol grip stock.

The Bounty Hunter is a handy, utilitar-ian, side-by-side with a nostalgic look andfeel. It should appeal to Cowboy Action

shooters and others in search of a modern,exposed-hammer shotgun with enhancedsafety features like a hammer-drop safetyand automatic tang safety.


An automatic safety mounted on the toptang is engaged when the top latch leveris pushed to the right. Pushing the safetybutton forward disengages the gun’s safety.

The EAA Bounty Hunter shotgun’sexposed hammers are fixed to the detach-able side-plates and powered by V-springs.

FORT WORTH ARMS WOODCHUCKER

Fort Worth Arms now has a gun designed to fitkids in dimension and caliber called the Woodchucker. Thisbolt-action .22 has the classic lines of a full-size big game rifle.

Function firing was accomplished by supervising aseven-year-old we dutifully equipped with eye and earprotection, plenty of ammunition, and reactive targetslike clay pigeons placed in front of a suitable backstop.

MANUFACTURER: Fort Worth Arms(Dept. AR), 2006-B Martin Luther KingFreeway, Fort Worth, TX 76104-6303

DISTRIBUTER: RSR Wholesale Guns,Inc. (Dept. AR), 21 Trolley Circle, P.O.Box 60679, Rochester, NY 14606

MECHANISM TYPE: bolt-action, rimfire,repeater

CALIBER: .22 Long RifleOVERALL LENGTH: 32"BARREL LENGTH: 161⁄4"RIFLING: six-groove, RH twistWEIGHT: 3 lbs., 8 ozs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: sixTRIGGER: single-stage, 41⁄2 lbs. pullSIGHTS: hooded, beaded post front;

blade rear, drift-adjustable forwindage, step-adjustable for elevation

STOCK: walnut finished hardwood:length of pull, 12"; drop at heel, 21⁄4";drop at comb, 13⁄8"

PRICE: $169

WOODCHUCKER

WHEN Aimpoint introduced the non-magnifying optical sight with abattery-powered reflected red-dot

aiming reference in lieu of a traditional ret-icle, it created a whole new genre of sight-ing equipment. In America, bullseye com-petitors, despite their legendary conser-vatism, were quick to appreciate the bene-fits of eyeing a single, clearly seen red dotin the center of a clearly seen black bull—particularly for those with aging eyes.

The downside was that early Aimpointsand its imitators were relatively large, heavyand dim instruments. By the time actionshooters discovered that dot sights couldhelp feed their greed for speed, dot-sightdevelopment was being driven by criteriathat could be summed up in three words:smaller, lighter, brighter. To that wish listaction shooters added: strong. TheAimpoint Comp is the Swedish firm’sresponse to those demands.

The sight is available in several versionsthat differ in dot size and exterior finish. Ourtest sample has a three-minute dot (3" sub-tention at 100 yds.) and a black anodizedbody. Other options are seven-, 10- or 15-minute dots and stainless or blue anodizedaluminum body. All share the same size,weight and configuration. Overall length isjust under 41⁄2", with a 13⁄16"-long main tubesection 30 mm in diameter that serves as thecontact area for mount rings. A segmented

the “fire” position, a red dot is exposed.A massive, matte black, zinc casting

serves as the trigger housing and containsthe trigger group, magazine and magazinerelease. Bolts at either end of the housingpass through white metal spacers and securethe housing to the action at both ends. Theforward spacer extends back and up, into theaction to serve as the magazine feed ramp.

A 161⁄4" steel barrel with six-groove,right-hand twist rifling is threaded into thereceiver in typical fashion. The crown isstepped to protect the origin of the rifling.A matte black, zinc, beaded-post front sightis screwed to the barrel and has a removablesteel hood. Where many makers of youthrifles use plastic, the Woodchucker has aclassic, steel, drift-adjustable, open rearsight with stepped elevator.

Attachment of the barreled action to thestock is unusual. Most rifles use a screwthrough the bottom of the stock thatengages a threaded hole in the bottom ofthe receiver. On the Woodchucker, athreaded rod is screwed into the forwardend of the receiver in lieu of the threadedhole. The “bolt” that is inserted throughthe stock is actually a long, cylindrical nutwith a slotted head that screws down overthe threaded rod.

Users will find the magazine and mag-azine release located in front of the triggerguard. While most adults will find the mag-azine size and location adequate, children

may find it complicates car-rying the gun at its center ofbalance. We give highmarks to the magazinerelease, though, that is wellpositioned and thought outin its operation.

Take down of the FortWorth Arms’ Woodchuckeris a simple matter of firstensuring that the gun isunloaded and all ammuni-tion is removed from thearea. Next, open the bolt,inspect the chamber toensure it is empty and with-drawal the bolt from the rearof the receiver while pulling the trigger. Nofurther disassembly is necessary for routinecleaning and maintenance, and reassemblyis in the reverse order.

A Redfield 10X scope was mounted onthe Fort Worth Woodchucker, and the riflefired for accuracy at 50 yds. with CCI,Federal and Winchester ammunition. Therewere no malfunctions of any kind. Function

firing was accomplished by supervising aseven-year-old shooter we dutifullyequipped with eye and ear protection, plen-ty of inexpensive ammunition, and reactivetargets like clay pigeons placed in front ofa suitable backstop. There were no mal-functions of any kind and, needless to say,the youngster had a great time with the gun.We were able to observe that because the

gun fit properly, the young shooter tend-ed to have better shooting form, and shotbetter than he has previously with anadult-sized gun.

Accuracy was on par with most rimfiresporters, though the heavy trigger pullhandicapped our young shooter. The bar-rel channel was noticeably off-center to the

left, and the barrel boreheavily at the fore-endtip and on the left side ofthe fore-end. This wasthe only place wethought more attentionto quality was needed.

Overall, we foundthe Woodchucker agood representation ofa youth rifle It is ade-quately proportionedfor the young shooter,and accurate enough toinspire confidence inthese beginners.


AIMPOINT COMP DOT SIGHT

.22 Long Rifle Vel. @ 15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

CCI Mini Mag HP 1238 Avg. 2.60 3.23 2.88X0031 18 Sd

Fed. Hi-Power HP 1211 Avg. 1.04 1.94 1.631A8532 33 Sd

Win. Super-X RN 1240 Avg. 1.45 2.21 1.74X22LR1 21 Sd


Five consecutive 10-shot groups fired at 50 yds. from sand-bag rest. Abbreviations: HP (hollow-point), RN (round-nose),Sd (standard deviation)

ACCURACY RESULTS

A massive, matteblack, non-ferrousmetal casting servesas the Woodchucker’strigger housing. Theassembly also con-tains the trigger group,magazine and maga-zine release. One piece serves as both the ejector and boltguide. The steel part is screwed into the gun’s receiver andhas upward extensions that correspond to grooves in the bolt.

We gave high marks to the little rifle’s mag-azine release, as it is well positioned andthought out in its location and operation.

objective housing is 36 mm in diameter, andaft of the main tube is an adjustment saddlebearing elevation and windage dials and aslender octagonal nacelle holding three but-ton batteries.

The front of the battery module has awater-tight screw-on cap and the rear pre-sents the 10-setting, click-stopped rotarybrightness control switch. With the switchin the off position a whitedot near its ribbed rim at 12o’clock matches a whitedot on the edge of the bat-tery module. Turning theswitch one click counter-clockwise selects the ExtraHigh brightness setting thatensures dot visibility inintense daylight. Each suc-cessive clockwise clickreduces dot brightness tosuit a wide variety of ambi-ent light conditions. If youfavor certain settings forspecific venues, rememberhow many clicks you needto reach them as the switchis unmarked except for the“off” position. The eye-piece end of the sight bodyis finished with a soft, rub-bery rim.

For field testing, weinstalled the 41⁄ 2-oz.Aimpoint Comp on a Colt .45 ACP GoldCup equipped with a California Grip mount.The sight comes with a 11⁄16"-wide vertical-ly split mount ring formed to engage aWeaver-style contoured rail. It mated withthe Cal Grip’s interchangeable top platedesigned to accommodate the AimpointComp. The sight may be mounted with thebattery module between one and twoo’clock or swung 90o to between 10 and 11o’clock. Adjustment dials are clearlymarked “UP-L” and “UP-R” so whicheverturret ends up wherever, useful prompts willbe visible. Aimpoint literature claims 8.5' ofadjustment at 100 yds. We don’t doubt it.Our heavily accurized Gold Cup shoots lowso we used considerable vertical adjustmentto zero the rig. Nonetheless we had ampleclicks remaining to shift the center of impactas desired.

Beneath the gasketed screw-on turretcaps, the elevation and windage dials offer50 clicks per full turn, each click visuallydenoted by a tiny white hashmark. Thescales are not numbered and neither sur-round has an index mark against which tojudge dial position. Click detents are easyto feel and hear. The dials are centrallygrooved to accept the edge of a small coinor a screwdriver. Specifications state thateach click represents 1/2" shift in center ofimpact at 100 yds. We found actual shiftvalue closer to 0.6".

Firing from sandbags on a sturdy shoot-

ing bench 25 yds. from the target, wechecked the adjustments by first firing agroup directly at the point of aim. Afteradding 18 clicks of elevation and 18 clicksof left windage, we fired a second groupwhile holding the dot on the original aim-ing point. Subsequent groups were firedafter 36-click adjustments down, right andup. A sixth and final group was fired after

adjustments of 18 clicks left and 18 down.The last group coincided indistinguishablywith the first, indicating precise return tozero. The second, third, fourth and fifthgroups punched out the corners of an imag-inary square surrounding the central groups.The corner groups were 51⁄2" apart ratherthan the expected 41⁄2", indicating greatershift per click than specified in the owner’sdata sheet. We considered this a trivialanomaly. Much more important was theconsistent separation and precise position-ing of the corner groups, proving that adjust-ments were uniform and repeatable.

After firing several hundred rounds of.45 ACP ammunition ranging from powder-puff wadcutters to energetic hollowpoints,we transferred the Aimpoint Comp to a .22LR High Standard Victor semi-automaticand repeated the adjustment test. Except forthe smaller holes, results were identical.

Optically, the Aimpoint Comp present-ed a bright, crisp view with only a faint coolcolor cast betraying its semi-silvered inter-nal reflective surface. We found no distor-tion. The anti-reflection lens coating effec-tively suppressed flare and ghosting evenwhen viewing backlighted targets, and weencountered no problems with internalreflections. The three-minute dot in our unitwas cleanly delineated and always easy topick up when the brightness control wasadjusted appropriately for the shooting con-ditions. The Extra High setting coped easi-

ly with intensely bright midday sun in thedesert Southwest. We detected a smallamount of parallax when we moved ourmaster eye drastically off center, but theviewing angle was so exaggerated and theaiming error so small that we feel the prac-tical significance borders on nil. In the realworld, a competitor’s aiming eye would notstray far enough from center to lose a point

with this sight.The Aimpoint Comp is

claimed to be waterproofand pressure-resistant, sowe subjected it to ourusual water test—10-minute immersion in a tubof 110oF water. A tinybubble emerged every 15seconds or so from thebase of one adjustmentturret throughout thedrowning. Despite this,subsequent inspectionrevealed no sign of mois-ture infiltration. Therewas no fogging, opticalclarity was as good asbefore, and the dot func-tioned flawlessly.

The Aimpoint Comp ispowered by three button-type batteries. Our unitcame with SP 675 mercurybatteries, which can light

the dot, according to factory literature, for7 to 15 hours at the Extra High setting or upto 500 hours at dimmer settings. We dis-covered that inexpensive mercury batteriesare virtually unobtainable in some parts ofthe country and lithium alternatives of use-ful size and output appear to exist in cata-logs but not in retail establishments. Zinc-air batteries cannot be used in the AimpointComp because of the unit’s air-tight batterycompartment.

The bottom line is that you’ll probablyhave to spring for silver-oxide Type 357replacements, as we did. We paid about $8plus sales tax for a set, and suddenly becamevery careful about turning off the powerswitch when not actually shooting. So itgoes when your sight consumes the batteryequivalent of Beluga caviar.

On balance, we found the AimpointComp an excellent all-around performer. Itis relatively light, compact and bright, andwas throughout our extended test periodutterly dependable. Our only gripe (a pettyone, admittedly) is that unlike earlier mod-els the Aimpoint Comp does not come withfront and rear lens covers. Even without lenscovers, though, the Comp impressed us asa top contender for anyone looking for acapable, high-quality red-dot sight.

Available from: Aimpoint USA (Dept.AR), 420 W. Main St., Geneseo, IL 61254.Price:(includes batteries, mount ring, hexwrench and cleaning cloth) $308.


The Aimpoint Comp, mounted here on a California Grip-equipped Colt GoldCup, is a compact, lightweight, bright red-dot sight designed to satisfy-competitive shooters’needs. A broad vertically split mount ring is supplied.

Taurus 454 Raging Bull

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