Hornady, Kel-Tec, Sturm, Ruger Offer Really New ’07 Products
Photos & Story
by Larry S. Sterett
Contributing Editor
Held a month earlier than the 2006 Show in Las Vegas, the 2007 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, Jan. 11-14, was a huge success. Although some attendees thought the Show seemed less well attended than last year’s Show in Vegas, overall attendance was actually 42,216, or nearly 1,500 more than the 40,300+ who attended last year.
The Orange County Convention Center is a half-mile long, with several entrances, compared to the Vegas Convention Center which is more compact, with one main entrance. This may have resulted in attendees not being as bunched, and thinking there aren’t as many persons present. This writer averaged 5.57 miles/day covering the Show, although some of this was due to backtracking to reach a specific area. The Show will be back at the Las Vegas in February 2008, and at an enlarged Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas in 2009. As with every such show, since the first one in St. Louis in 1979, there were more new products on display than it was possible to really examine in detail, or even see. What follows represents only a few of the many.
If asked to pick one or two really outstanding new products that would be of interest to most shooters, it would be a difficult choice. Nearly everything seen was of interest, but the nod would, in this reviewer’s opinion, go to Kel-Tec and Hornady in cooperation with Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Hornady Manufacturing Company (PO Box 1848, Dept. GWK, Grand Island, NE 68802; phone: 308-382-1390; on-line: hornady.com) has been in the ammunition business for nearly two score years, beginning with the time-tested .30-06, .then 308, etc.
However, in recent years the firm has been expanding their line considerably, with the introduction of loads for some of the more popular obsolete cartridges, plus new calibers. For 2007, Hornady has six new cartridges, plus new loads for some of the previously available cartridges. Not necessarily the first, but one of the smallest new cartridges is the .30 T/C (Thompson/Center), a rimless, bottleneck design resembling the .300 Savage, and designed for Thompson/Center’s new Icon bolt action rifle. Two loads, one with a 150-grain SST Interlock bullet and the other with a 165-grain SST Interlock are available.
(The .30 C/T will no doubt be chambered in the T/C Encore pistol and rifle, later.) At 100 yards the .30 T/C 150-grain bullet load has a velocity exceeding that of the .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield with the same bullet weight and type. (The bolt action Icon rifle features a button-rifled barrel, receiver with integral Weaver-style scope mount bases on the ring and bridge, a three-round single-stack, detachable box magazine, a three-lug bolt head with 60 degree unlocking, a butter-knife bolt handle with optional handle switch, fully adjustable trigger, bolt-lock safety, cocking indicator, jeweled bolt, and figured walnut classic stock with Interlock Bedding block. In addition to the .30 T/C, the Icon will be available chambered for the .22-250 Remington and .243 and .308 Winchester cartridges.
Hornady’s second new cartridge was the .308 Marlin Express for use in a version of the Marlin M336 rifle. This cartridge resembles the .220 Swift in not being rimless, but having a slight rim, making it semi-rimmed. Currently available loaded with a 160-grain Evolution bullet, it is intended to duplicate 7.62mm or .308 Winchester ballistics in a lever-action rifle.
Developed in Germany a century ago, the 9.3mmX74R cartridge has never been overly popular in the US, probably because ammunition was not readily available and only imported rifles or custom models could be obtained so chambered. Now Ruger has chambered the No. 1 rifle for this excellent cartridge and Hornady is turning out the ammunition with a 286-grain softpoint, round nose bullet loaded to original factory specifications, designed to regulate in doubles and drillings, for those lucky owners. Ammunition in this caliber is also available through dealers stocking Norma, Sellier & Belliot, RWS, and possibly a few other brands of ammunition.
While Sturm, Ruger has not yet chambered the No. 1 for the .470 Nitro Express cartridge, the firm has introduced the No. 1 chambered for the .450/400 cartridge. Hornady has two loads available for this 3-inch, bottle-necked, rimmed gem, which was developed in 1902. Both are loaded with 400-grain round nose bullets, one a full metal jacket, and the other a softpoint. Muzzle velocity is 2,050 feet-per-second (fps), providing 3,732 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. Similarly, Hornady has two loads for the .416 Rigby cartridge, both with 400-grain bullets.
Another new cartridge is the .375 Ruger, for which Hornady produces three loads. This rimless, bottle-necked cartridge is available with a 270-grain spire point, softpoint loaded to 2,840 fps, with a 300-grain round nose, softpoint, or full metal jacket bullet loaded to 2,660 fps. Muzzle energy is 4,835 and 4,713 foot-pounds, respectively.
Sturm, Ruger is chambering their M77 bolt action rifle in two Hawkeye versions, “African” H77RS, in blued steel with walnut stock, and “Alaskan” H77RSPHAB, with diamondback finish and a Hogue synthetic black stock, for the new .375 Ruger cartridge. Barrel length is 23 inches with windage adjustable shallow “V” rear sight and white bead front. Scope rings are included. Magazine capacity is three rounds, and empty weight of the rifle is under eight pounds.
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450 Bushmaster
Another new cartridge, the .450 Bushmaster, should appeal to AR15/AR10 fans. Bushmaster Firearms International (P0 Box 1479, Dept. GWK, Windham, ME 04062: phone: 800-998-7928; online: bushmaster.com) is producing the autoloading rifle, and Hornady is producing the ammunition. Currently only one load, with a 250-grain SST-FFT bullet is available, but possibly another load later. (Big-bore conversions of the AR15/AR10 rifle have been around for nearly two decades, and possibly longer, but factory-loaded ammunition has often been a problem. Except for those rifles chambered for the .50 Action Express, and possibly the .50 Beowulf and one or two others, these rifles have required custom loaded or handloaded cartridges. Now, with Hornady producing factory loads, it should be much easier to locate cartridges, at least for the .450 Bushmaster.) The gas-operated Bushmaster .450 Rifle features a 20-inch barrel, an overall length of just over 38 inches, a weight without a magazine of approximately 8˚ pounds, and magazine capacity of nine rounds.
Slated for introduction later this year from Hornady will come a load for the .338 Lapua. This cartridge, which started out as a sniper round nearly two decades ago, has proven an excellent choice for use on big game. The new load features a 250-grain hollowpoint, boattail bullet.
Hornady currently produces ammunition for 20 different handgun cartridges, and more than 40 rifle cartridges, plus two shotgun slug loads. Some of the cartridges are available in only one load, but for others there are more, such as the .30-06 Springfield, which is available in 16 loads. For 2007, Hornady has added one more load each to the .458 Winchester and .458 Lott listings. In addition, the firm loads eight obsolete military calibers for distribution through the Mexico, MO, firm of Graf & Sons. Available through your regular dealer, the calibers include: 6.5x50mm Japanese; 6.5x52 Carcano; 7.5x55mm Swiss (three different bullet weights); 7.65x53 Argentine; 7.7x58mm Japanese; 8x56Rmm; 9m Steyr, and .455 Webley MKII.
Charter Undercover
Forty years ago the original Charter Arms firm introduced the handy 16-ounce, 5-shot steel framed “Undercover” revolver chambered for the .38 Special cartridge. Designed by a young engineer, Douglas McClennahan, whose background included prior experience at Colt, High Standard and Sturm, Ruger, the Undercover had no sideplate, a crane fully supported by the frame, and a unique hammer block system. (This writer can recall those pre-SHOT Show days, when he, Doug, and Dave Ecker, sat in a booth at the Playboy Club in Chicago, following a day at the National Sporting Goods Show, and discussed the finer points of the new revolver. Now available in stainless in addition to the blued finish, it was then, and is now, an excellent lightweight 5-shot revolver. Later, came the Tracker, Undercoverette, and the ideal revolver for the .44 S&W Special cartridge—the Bulldog, weighing 21 ounces.
For 2007 the Charter Arms marketer, MKS Supply Inc. (8611-A North Dixie Dr., Dept. GWK, Dayton, OH 45414; phone: 877-425-4867; online: charterfirearms.com) has introduced a new Southpaw revolver, designed for use by left-handed shooters. Think about that a moment. Whether solid frame with a loading gate on the right side, or a swing-out design with the cylinder release on the left side, to be operated by the right thumb, revolvers are designed for the right-hand shooter. The new Southpaw, in stainless steel, is a mirror image of the Undercover, with the cylinder release on the right side of the frame, and the cylinder swings out to the right for loading. (The current Charter line includes eight revolver models in 16 versions, including a 12.5-ounce aluminum frame Off Duty DOA model in .38 Special, and two 5-shot Dixie Derringers weighing 5 and 6 ounces, and chambered for the rimfire .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum cartridges, respectively.
Hastings Ammunition Division (PO Box 175, Dept. GWK, Alum Bank, PA 15521), of the shotgun barrel—rifled slug and smoothbore—people have a new 3˚-inch 20-gauge Sabot Slug load for use on deer and other big game. This new load drives a 410-grain projectile (60-grain impact-discarding sabot and 350-grain soft lead slug) out the muzzle at 2,000 fps, and is said to be accurate out to 150 yards or more, in the right barrel. Hastings barrels designed for use with this new load will be available, and possibly there may be a new Hastings rifle in the works for this new 20-gauge cartridge.
The Beta Company (2137B Flintstone Dr., Dept. GWK, Tucker, GA 30084; phone: 800-669-2382; online: betaco.com), known for their C-Mag high capacity magazines for AR-15/M16, Mini-14, and H&K MP5 arms, introduced a new 7.62mm (.308) model for use on M14, M1A, and similar rifles. Constructed of non-corrosive steel, thermoplastics, and alloys, and holding up to 100 rounds, the new twin-drum C-Mag weighs five pounds empty. It should be available by late Spring.
Keeping a rifle or handgun clean and lubricated can be a problem, especially in some terrains and climates, such as Iraq, or similar dusty areas. Oil lubricants attract sand and dust particles. Based on extensive in-the-field interviews with a variety of troops, from airborne to armored, clerks and medical, in Iraq, Militec, Inc. (11828 Pika Dr., Dept. GWK, Waldorf, MD 20602; phone: 877-222-5512; online: militec-1. com) developed a new metal conditioner. This conditioner, known as Militec-1, was tested by the University of Florida’s Materials Science Laboratory using Atomic Force Microscopy with a Topometrix Model TMX 2000. The test results stated the conditioned surface had a surface stiffness at its lowest, 16.8 times that of a standard unconditioned metal surface, and would provide constant lubrication even when the surface was wiped dry. Field trials in the powdery terrain of Iraq indicated the Militec-1 was a better choice for small arms lubrication than the usual CLP. It should be also great under cold norms where lubricants tend to congeal.
Hunter’s Specialties, Inc. (HS) (600 Huntington Court N.E., Dept. GWK, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402; phone: 800-728-0321; online: hunterspec.com) was showing a handy new field dressing tool for deer hunters. Tabbed the “Butt Out,” the one-piece device is constructed of rigid orange-colored plastic, with a T-handle and four prongs. Inserted in the anal canal, twisted until it catches the membrane, and pulled out about a foot, it makes this portion of the field dressing a three-second job.
Other new products from HS include 18 new ported Undertaker shotgun choke tubes for turkey hunters, a layout blind for waterfowl hunters, feed supplements for deer, clothing, calls, instructional aids such as DVDs, and camo materials for blinds. Among them are eight new glove patterns and ten new face masks/head net patterns.
New from Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. (11 Lacey Pl, Dept. GWK, Southport, CT 06890; phone: 203-259-7843; online: ruger-firearms.com) can always be counted on to have some new products, including the introduction of new cartridges. For 2007, the emphasis is more on rifles than handguns, but there is a new 4-inch barreled version of the double-action Redhawk .44 Magnum available. Fans of the 6.8mm SPC cartridge will appreciate knowing the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle is now so chambered. It’s stainless steel with a synthetic stock, and comes with the standard 5-round magazine. The regular stainless steel Ranch Rifle with laminate stock in .223 is now available with an adjustable harmonic-dampener.
Some new variations have been added to some versions of the M77MKII line of bolt-action rifles, and the previously mentioned big bores to the No. 1. The new .375 Ruger cartridge, loaded by Hornady, is chambered by Ruger in two Hawkeye M77 bolt action rifles, the African with a walnut stock, and the Alaskan with a Hogue synthetic stock. They feature 23-inch barrels with open sights; the rear is a shallow “V” designed for a quick first shot, just in case.
Hunters, campers, construction workers, and others who spend much time outdoors, are apt to get caught in a rain shower or worse from time to time. If there’s a need to write a note or more while being rained on, it’s difficult. Regular paper doesn’t hold up well. The J. L. Darling Corporation (2614 Pacific Hwy E, Dept. GWK, Tacoma, WA 95424; online: RiteitheRain.com) has the answer. The firm’s motto is “Rite in the Rain,” with “outdoor writing products ... for outdoor writing people,” as a slogan. For over 75 years they have been producing all-weather paper products on which you can write with a pencil or all-weather pen. Available in various sizes, memo books, notebooks, bound books, loose-leaf for ring binders, and even copier paper, it’s handy for all outdoorsmen and women.
At the 2007 Show there were probably more AR-15 variants being shown—military, police, target, varmint hunting, etc.—than any other type of firearm. Accessories and parts for the same were even more numerous. One such item being exhibited was the MK-16 ComboTool by CJ Weapons Accessories Inc. (317 Danielle Ct., Dept. GWK, Jefferson City, MO 65109; phone: 800-510-5919; online: CJweapons.com). The steel constructed MK-16 is lightweight and folds into a compact form. It is capable of performing 11 functions, including pin punch, bore-cleaning pull through, sight tool, bolt face and carrier carbon scraper, M4 nut wrench, broken shell extractor, and screw driver. (The firm also has a variety of accessories for the M14/M1A, M1 Garand, and the SKS, including magazines and clips. One item for the SKS is a bipod that has eight height adjustments and bolts onto the bayonet lug.
New from Kel-Tec
To this writer one of the most interesting new rifle models was the Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. (1475 Cox Rd., Dept. GWK, Cocoa, FL 32926; phone: 321-631-0068; online: kel-tec.com) RFG High Efficiency Bullpup chambered for the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. (RFB stands for Rifle Forward Ejecting Bullpup.) Available in three versions, Carbine (18-inch barrel), Sporter (24-inch barrel), and Target (32-inch barrel), this new design is a gem. (With 18-inch barrel, the RFB measures 26 inches overall, and weighs just over eight pounds.) The rifle uses metric FAL magazines, which are standard at 20 rounds.
Where most rifle designs, including autoloaders, eject fired cases to the right, left, upward, or down, the RFB ejects fired cases mouth first, or loaded cartridges, forward down a chute above the barrel. This is made possibly by symmetrical extractors mounted on the sides of the breech bolt. The extractors engage the case rim, rotate it upward and forward into the chute, which is curved slightly to the right at the forward end.
Gas-operated, the RFB uses an improved titling block breech bolt, and is fully ambidextrous. The operating handle can be switched to either side. The trigger mechanism has up to five individual adjustment parameters, and the dual-action safety disconnects the trigger and blocks the hammer.
No iron sights are provided on the RFB, which sells for up to three grand, but a Mil-Spec Picatinny rail is rigidly attached to the barrel, and a free floating four-sided Picatinny forend can be attached directly to the barrel.
H&R 1871 (60 Industrial Rowe, Dept. GWK, Gardner, MA 01440; online: hr1871.com) has a new 20-gauge Tamer to join the .410 model. The latest Tamer features a full choke 20-inch barrel chambered for 3-inch shells, plus the high-density polymer forearm and thumbhole stock with storage space for three shells. Measuring 34˚ inches overall, the 20-gauge Tamer weighs in at approximately six pounds.
Other new H&R products include scoped versions of some Handi-Rifle calibers, plus the Ultra Slug Hunter and a single-shot CR Carbine in .45 Colt. The CR features a 20-inch barrel with Marble open sights, and checkered walnut stock and forearm. Weighing in at just over six pounds, it joins the Buffalo Classic and Target model rifles, chambered for the .45-70 Gov’t. and .38-55 Winchester cartridges, respectively. For any shooter wanting an accurate, economical single shot rifle or shotgun, it’s tough to beat one of the H & R models.
Take it from this writer; shooters need to protect their hearing. Spent shell casings or tuffs of cotton, etc. won’t do the job. Soft foam earplugs can reduce the sound level as much as 32 decibels, and there are a variety on the market. McKeon Products Inc. (25460 Guenther, Dept. GWK, Warren, MI 48091; phone: 586-427-7560; online: macksearplugs.com) was exhibiting their new SafeSound Jr. earplugs designed for smaller ear canals, along with their Ultra SafeSound, Shooter’s Putty, and Ear Seals. The Putty forms an airtight seal that plugs can’t match, and is much less expensive than custom molded plugs. The Ear Seals reduce the sound level by 27 decibels and with their removable cord are handy for wearing around your neck when not shooting.
Fans of the Austrian AUG bullpup rifle will be glad to hear an American version will be available. A 1994 gun ban casualty, the original AUG design has three decades of proven history behind. The American STG-556, by Microtech Small Arms Research (300 Chestnut St. Ext., Dept. GWK, Bradford, PA 16701; phone: 814-363-9260; online: msarinc.com) will be available (early summer) in 5.56mm or optional 6.8mm SPC Remington conversion. The semi-automatic version, with 16- or 20-inch chrome-lined chrome-moly barrel, will measure 27 or 31 inches in overall length, and weigh just under six pounds, empty. Gas-operated, with short piston rotating bolt drive, the STG-556 will be available with black, tan, or olive drab high impact resistant synthetic stock. The receiver is an anodized CNC-machined aircraft alloy investment casting, with all hard points heat-treated stainless steel. The safety is a two-position ambidextrous design, and the sights consist of an integrated 3X optical design with COB reticle, and tritium open back up sights. Magazines are translucent polymer in 10, 20, 30, and 42-round capacities, and the STG-556 has a last round bolt hold-open device, plus a forward assist assembly.
The 2007 Show was extensive in the new products exhibited; the above represent a few. Additional coverage will appear in later issues, especially the May 1 New Product Parade special issue.
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