In this issue

On the cover: The Bergara 7mm-08 (top) has a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10x 42mm scope while the Gunwerks rifle (bottom) has a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x 50mm G7 scope. This issue features Bergara Custom Rifles, The First .308 Winchester, Choosing the Ideal Scope, Steyr Zephyr II .22 Long Rifle, Savage B.Mag Beavertail, and much more.

Lock, Stock & Barrel

Scoped bolt-action sporters weighing less than 8 pounds are often referred to as being light in weight, possibly because many older (and some not so old) hunters prefer their hunting rifles to weigh roughly 8 pounds. However, when a scope is mounted to many rifles – particularly aged models – they weigh more than people think.

6 mins

Mostly Long Guns

In 1978 Browning Arms Company began importing a series of Winchester pattern lever-action rifles and carbines that were produced in Japan by Miroku. Each model variation was based on the designs of John M.

5 mins

Down Range

Set triggers are an anachronism; a holdover from a bygone era. Immensely popular in their heyday, my bet would be that the vast majority of today’s riflemen and hunters are not familiar with them at all. In simple terms, a “set trigger” is a mechanism by which a rifle is fired with a trigger pull weight measured in ounces instead of pounds. It is meant for precise shooting and not for fast shooting – or what some hunters might call “snap” shooting.

3 mins

Light Gunsmithing

One of the things gunsmiths who do general repair work have noticed since the advent of plastic/synthetic/fiberglass stocks is the lack of repair work on damaged or broken gun handles.

5 mins

A Rifleman's Optics

Today it’s quite possible to buy a scope that costs three times or more than the price of the rifle it will be mounted on.

5 mins

Bergara Custom Rifles

Testing a Lightweight 7mm-08 Remington.

7 mins

Steyr Zephyr II .22 Long Rifle

Every rifleman’s gun rack should hold at least one serious, high-quality .22. That’s not an exact quote, but it’s as close as possible, drawing on memory going back 50 years. Colonel Townsend Whelen wrote those words, and they have stuck with me despite the ravages of time.

7 mins

Savage B.Mag Beavertail

Shooting a Heavy-Barreled .17 WSM

7 mins

Custom Corner

As a kid running around the farm during the summer, I always had my uncle’s little Winchester single shot to ply the fields for small game. At that time it seemed every manufacturer had a rimfire rifle of some kind, so it was not uncommon for Remington to also have one of its own on the market. One of the more popular rifles was the Model 12 pump, or slide action, introduced in 1909, and for this installment of “Custom Corner,” we have one reworked and decorated to the highest degree.

1 min

Walnut Hill

There was a time – not that long ago – that if you neglected to clean a rifle regularly, you could pick it up one day and find the barrel rusted, the bore pitted, accuracy nonexistent and the action turned to scrap metal.

5 mins

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Rifle Magazine Description:

Rifle the sporting firearms journal is the only magazine in the world dedicated solely to rifles. Published for over 45 years Rifle covers all aspects of the rifle including gunsmithing, shooting, reloading, accuracy, and much more. Some of the topics covered include; bolt action rifles, leveraction rifles and their evolution of the years. Rifle covers classic cartridges, factory ammunition, custom gunmakers and much more. Rifle is the premiere sporting magazine dedicated to rifles.