GUNS/BARMS

[Colt1861Navy]

News from the firearms industry's SHOT Show

This year's Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show will be held February 13-16.

Friday, February 7, 2003

By JIM MATTHEWS
The Outdoor News Service

This year's Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show will be held February 13-16 in Orlando, Florida, but news of most of the major product innovations has already been distributed to the press, and there are some dazzling new developments for 2003.

The most significant of those involve more new "short" cartridges from Winchester and super short action bolt rifles from Winchester and Browning to shoot them, a trio of new premium bullets from three different companies, and a reasonably-priced binocular-rangefinder from Bushnell. Here are some of the highlights.

RIFLES: In a joint effort between Winchester Ammunition, Browning, and Winchester firearms, big game and varmint hunters will have two dazzling new "Super Short" magnum cartridges from Winchester. The .223 WSSM (for Winchester Super Short Magnum) and the .243 WSSM feature cartridges cases that are about a 1/2-inch shorter than the standard line of short magnums. They still have the fat profile, giving them powder capacities about equal to the .308 Winchester or a little more. The .223 WSSM is the fastest factory .22 since the .220 Swift, while the .243 WSSM will slightly surpass the .243 Winchester and does it in a case 1/2-inch shorter. The advantage? Both Winchester and Browning are making their bolt-action rifles with shorter actions to fit the new cases, making them lighter, stiffer, and more accurate.

Winchester is also taking this year to introduce a whole new generation of Model 70s. There will now be three models in the line -- the classic controlled round feed version (often called the "new pre-64" version), the push feed version, and the new controlled round push feed model that has a positive feed mechanism but allows rounds to feed both from the magazine or singly.

Hunters who spend time in sour weather will want to look at the Model 70 Ultimate Shadow line that feature a synthetic stock with overmolded rubber grips and a new high, flat comb for better eye alignment with scopes.

The new WSSM cartridges will be available in everything from Model 70 Featherweights to the heavy-barreled Coyote.

Winchester will also be chambering the hot .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge (the most innovative and hottest selling product from last year's SHOT) in its Model 1885 Low Wall and its rimfire Model 94 line, called the Model 9417.

Browning will make the nearly 1/5th of hunters who shoot left-handed very happy with its A-Bolt left hand version in all three of the standard Winchester short magnums -- the .270, 7mm and .300 WSMs. The .223 and .243 WSSMs will be available in most of the line of A-Bolts featuring a new super short action. The Composite Stalker A-Bolt in either of the WSSMs is just an ounce over six pounds -- and that's with a 21-inch barrel.

Hunters who like semi-autos will also delight in the news that Browning's popular BAR will be available in .270 and 7mm WSMs this year in the Lightweight Stalker and Classic Safari BAR. Wild hog hunters in California will be pleased to hear that Browning is also bringing out its BLR (Browning Lever Rifle) in a whole series of short action cartridges, most notably .358 Winchester and .450 Marlin. The BLR has also been redesigned for this year with an 1881-style straight-grip stock.

Benelli will offer a new semi-automatic rifle called the Pioneer, a sleek-looking gas-operated rifle in either .30-06 or .300 Win. Mag. in barrel lengths from 20 to 24 inches.

Remington's most notable entry for 2003 is the Model 673 guide gun, which is sort of a revamped Model 600 with a 22-inch steel ribbed-barrel, that will be offered in the .350 Rem. Mag., a cartridge that was too good to die, and the .300 RSAUM (Remington Short Action Ultra Mag).

A mid-year Remington introduction that many hunters missed with the announcement of the .17 HMR in the Model 597 semi-auto.

Legacy Sports, the importers of the increasingly popular Howa line from Japan, will have the Model 1500 available in the .300 WSM early this year, and the .270 WSM and 7mm WSM should follow later in the year. The Brazilian Puma line of Model 92 lever rifles will be offered in .480 Ruger this year. The new .480 along with last year's popular .454 Casull introduction will both feature HiViz optic sights.

One of the biggest developments that has been getting a lot of press in the gun magazines is the new Savage Accu Trigger that will come on all Savage Varmint, LE, and heavy-barrel bolt guns this year. The new trigger is completely adjustable from 1 1/2 to six pounds, but it is also one of the cleanest triggers on the market -- including all of the aftermarket versions that cost hundreds of dollars. A dazzling development.

SHOTGUNS: Some of us have been underwhelmed with the new shotgun developments, which mostly have been little line extensions and additions of camo-stocked models. Winchester is offering its Model 9410, its .410 lever shotgun, with choke tubes this year. Remington has added the 16 gauge back into its Model 1100 semi-auto line, and Beretta has expanded its less-expensive Onyx line. Winchester and Browning are both offering a new Dura-Touch coating for most of both company's synthetic-stocked shotgun models. This stuff has to be handled to be appreciated.

Perhaps the most interesting development is the expansion of the Legacy Sports shotgun imports. The semi-auto Escort will be offered this year with a Mossy Oak Break-Up camouflage finish and two barrels, one for turkey and one for waterfowl and upland birds. There will also be a new Escort pump at a low price that will fit right into economic downturn times.

AMMO: Three new bullets are the big news for hunters this year. The Nosler Accubond, Remington Premier AccuTip, and Hornady's Interbond are all bonded-core bullets that also will be extremely accurate. The Remington and Hornady will be loaded in factory ammo, besides being available to handloaders, while Nosler's new slug is a reloader's-only proposition, at least for the moment.

In the shotgun field, there have been a multitude of developments in the slug and buckshot categories -- of little interest to California hunters -- but Federal has kicked off a line of "Metro Sub-Sonic Field Loads" that are quieter for use in nearly suburban settings. The 12-gauge 2 3/4-inch load features a 1 1/8th ounce load of 7 1/2s at a mere 900 fps, and there's also a tungsten-iron three-inch BB load at 850 fps.

Rimfire shooters will have another .17 HMR option to pick from this year when Remington also starts loading for this round, but the load is identical to the Hornady ammo.

OPTICS: Cabela's has been offering Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest binocular-range finders since mid-2002, and the sales just from that one catalog was gobbling up everything Bushnell could import. The 8x36 binocular (with BaK-4 prisms and multicoated lenses) and a laser rangefinder that reads from 15 to 1,500 yards or so. The unit only weighs 34 ounces and intelligently uses very common nine-volt batteries available in corner convenience stores. Bushnell says the production line has been ramped up and the new Yardage Pro Quest will be available at most binocular outlets and without the long waits that often accompanied orders from Cabela's.

In the regular binocular line, Zeiss has a new 12x56 Victory binocular, and Sightron has new 8, 10, and 12x42 binoculars.

There are a batch of new 30mm scopes on the market from Nikon, Burris, and Leupold, but hunters and varminters will be interesting in the excellent Nikko-Stirling line of rifle scopes, the most popular scope in Australia. They will now be imported into this country by Legacy Sports and available in everything from compact hunting scopes up to 30mm target-varmint models.

But perhaps the most novel new product is a new reticle from Bushnell that will get hunter's attention. The FireFly reticle is a low-light reticle that you can charge with a flashlight that will "glow" and show up against nearly-black backgrounds in low light. I tinkered with one of these this fall and found that it holds its charge for about a half-hour or more, making it perfect for that first light, last light hunt when seeing the crosshairs against dark backgrounds is nearly impossible.

This year's SHOT Show was destined to be the largest in the history of the event with more booths and attendees than every before.


Quail Unlimited Gun Dog Showdown set for March 8

CHINO -- The 15th Annual Gun Dog Showdown will be held Saturday, March 8 at the Prado Dog Training Area at Prado Regional Park. The annual Quail Unlimited event is a bragging-rights competition between pointing and flushing dogs and their owners to determine the best upland bird dog.

Registration for the event is $50 for non-QU members or $45 for QU members. There is also a $10 park entrance fee and you can re-run your dog for $35.

For more information, contract Tim Bovard at [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=24465§ion=SPORTS&subsection=RECREATI...

Posted on iHub Outdoor Adventures Board also.