Archive for the 'Firearms' Category

American Rifleman: Rifles.

Shooting Illustrated: Shotguns.

Honestly, I take a fairly simple approach. I have never seen much that good ole’ Hoppes #9 can’t get clean. I do follow Ernest Langdon’s procedure and use mineral spirits on shotguns (except for walnut, of course).

I think much of this has to do with what works for you.

Source.

Shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE:RGR) climbed about 5% on Wednesday after Beretta Holding S.A. revealed plans to launch a tender offer for up to 20.05% of the company’s shares at $44.80 per share. Ruger stock had closed Tuesday at $40.74.

The Italian firearms manufacturer said the proposal is part of a broader effort to obtain beneficial ownership of as much as 30% of Ruger’s outstanding shares through the tender offer. The offer price represents roughly a 20% premium to the stock’s 60-day average price.

Beretta has asked Ruger’s board to grant an exemption from the shareholder rights plan, or poison pill, that the company adopted on October 14, 2025. The tender offer would only move forward if the exemption is approved by March 31, 2026.

“We are not seeking control of Ruger,” Beretta General Manager Robert Eckert wrote in a letter addressed to Ruger’s board. “Our strong desire and hope was, and remains, to enter into a strategic collaboration with the Company.”

Beretta described itself as a potential strategic partner rather than a direct competitor, noting that its U.S. business is largely concentrated in shotguns, ammunition, and optics. The company said it currently employs nearly 700 people across nine U.S. entities.

The proposed tender offer follows what Beretta said were unsuccessful discussions with Ruger’s management concerning board composition and executive compensation. The company had previously put forward a minority slate of director nominees.

According to Beretta, Ruger’s board halted negotiations on March 16, prompting the decision to proceed with the tender offer. The firm emphasized that even if it reaches a 30% ownership stake, it would not amount to control or grant veto authority over corporate decisions.

Okay. Then I don’t understand the point of any of this. Perhaps someone with a finance degree can explain why any of this is beneficial to Beretta.

I don’t think Beretta trash-talking Ruger is the way to win friends and influence people, regardless of how corporations do it in Europe.

I like Ruger. I also like Beretta. I hope this passes away without harm to either company, branding, financial or otherwise.

And I’m not sure why any gun manufacturer would believe that you don’t need a slide release.

Outdoor Life.

The 7mm PRC made quite a splash when it was introduced by Hornady just four years ago, with some calling it the “modern magnum” of 7mm cartridges. That’s because it embodies the same modern cartridge design principles used in rounds like the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, and 300 PRC. In some ways, it outshines all of these, and delivers more efficient performance than the 7mm Rem. Mag. It does so from a standard-length action without using a belted case.

Based on a shortened .375 Ruger parent case, the 7mm PRC uses long, heavy-for-caliber bullets in rifles with fast rates of twist (most often 1:8). As a result, it shoots flat, bucks the wind, retains velocity downrange and is inherently accurate. Using Hornady’s 175-gr. ELD-X bullet, the round stays supersonic past 1,800 yards, and energy doesn’t drop below 1,000 foot-pounds until nearly 1,200 yards. That’s overkill for the whitetail woods, but it makes the cartridge a great choice for Western hunters pursuing mule deer and elk at longer ranges. It is also very much at home on the African plains.

Rifles chambered in 7mm PRC generally produce great accuracy — especially when compared to some of the traditional magnum cartridges. PRC stands for Precision Rifle Cartridge, and the entire family of PRC cartridges was designed from the beginning to produce superior accuracy at distance.

The 7mm Rem Mag was not. It was designed to perform well on game at a time when 1.5-MOA accuracy was considered very good for factory rifles using factory ammunition. This isn’t to say that the 7mm Rem Mag is an inaccurate cartridge. Over the years, my average 3-shot groups with most 7mm Rem Mag rifles were fairly close to one MOA, or a little better with loads those rifles preferred — a few guns occasionally did better. This, of course, is just my anecdotal experiences shooting the cartridge, not the end-all-be-all commentary on its accuracy.

The rifles I’ve shot in 7mm PRC have seldom failed to print 3/4-MOA-or-better average groups and half-inch-or-better best groups at 100 yards (these were 3-shot groups, again take this as anecdotal evidence).

I think this all depends on the weight of the gun and the ammunition you shoot. Frankly, I don’t really like the Hornady ammunition. In my 7mm PRC rifle I find that Nosler does better.

You will often hear that the 7mm Rem Mag produces more recoil than the 7mm PRC, but that’s not necessarily the case. Yes, the 7mm Rem Mag can produce a punishing level of recoil, especially out of lighter rifles with heavier loads. However, many hunters commonly shoot 7mm Rem Mag ammo loaded with lighter 140- to 160-gr. bullets, which can produce less recoil than shooting the 7mm PRC’s heavier standard bullets.

Those fast, light loads came in handy at a time when hunters were mostly using the holdover method for longer shots (before laser rangefinders were invented). Part of the 7mm Rem Mag’s appeal, especially with Western hunters, was that it shot relatively flat.

On average, the 7mm Rem Mag produces about 22-25 ft-lbs. of recoil energy, while the 7mm PRC produces average recoil energy of approximately 25-29 ft-lbs. However, those average numbers can be misleading because recoil energy varies greatly depending on factors like rifle weight, bullet weight, and powder charge.

With heavy rifles, recoil with both the 7mm Rem Mag and 7mm PRC is manageable for most shooters. Drop the rifle weight down, and recoil can become a problem for either cartridge.

You need a muzzle brake. At one time in my shooting career, I would have considered this amount of recoil to be punishing. That was true up until I shot the 444 Marlin, which honestly isn’t so punishing either when you’re hunting. It’s quite manageable — right up until you’ve shot 15 or so rounds bench rest. And then I begin to look for opportunities to rest and regroup between shots. There is no point to shooting that many rounds of 444 Marlin anyway. Sight it in and be done. It’s a hunting round.

As I’ve mentioned, I am profoundly impressed with the 7mm PRC.

Why does everyone always ignore me? I get that some of these rounds are higher pressure rounds, but Rossi is able to handle the design. Henry could too. Or S&W. Or Marlin.

Caliber? I don’t understand. I’ve harassed Henry for years to build us a 460 & 500 Magnum S&W rifle. Also 454 Casull. Finally had to just get a Rossi 454.@HenryRifles

— CaptainsJournal (@BrutusMaximus50) March 8, 2026

Jerry gets to have all the fun.

I didn’t know S&W had ever worked on a military shotgun. If this idea was floated today, I expect it would get stiff competition from the Beretta 1301 and Benelli M4.

I don’t really think this is all that difficult. Recall that I mentioned a few months ago I managed to put a 7mm PRC round on IPSC steel at 1000 yards, and was shooting with a friend who did the same thing four-rounds-for-four at 1000 yards with the 5.56mm? This isn’t magic.

And then, you can always use the same lowers and replace the M4 uppers with 6mm ARC uppers. That would make the job of engaging at 1000 yards even easier and more effective.

Longer term, if the US is going to have a professional military, it might make sense to (a) raise entrance ASVAB scores, (b) make enlistments 5 years instead of 4, (c) revamp the Scout Sniper program to ensure many more personnel could go through it, (d) add more schools for the infantryman such as high altitude shooting, cold weather combat and survival skills, etc., and in general make the American man a more effective, intelligent, well-training fighting machine.

To do that would require that they continue to dump DEI programs, limit combat to males and eject females from the infantryman MOS, and manage their money much more effectively.

But a change to 6mm ARC would be simple, cheap, and relatively painless. Or just teach infantrymen to shoot at 1000 yards with the use of Kestrels or some ballistic application.

This is an interesting, fairly short and well-done test. I was frankly a bit surprised that the 7mm PRC, which I shoot, has more recoil than the 30-06 (and more than every cartridge tested except 300 Win Mag and 300 PRC). But my rifle has a muzzle brake on it and makes it quite a pleasure to shoot.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a rollout pushed this hard. It looks like a very nice gun, but a bit pricey for me.

Also see here, here, here and here.