Spring '94 long gun review

Shooting Industry, May, 1994 by Dean Speir

For serious accuracy or for weekend fun, here's how the rifle and shotgun markets are shaping up.

Aside from the inherently "evil assault weapons" so broadly defined in last November's Feinstein Amendment to the Senate Crime Bill, the long-gun market seems relatively safe from immediate additional legislative efforts to further restrict law abiding citizens, your customers.

The passage of the Brady Bill foolishness into law ("...a reasonable first step," they all agreed) and the import of the assault weapons bill from California's not-so-Lady-like Di, touched off an unprecedented buying frenzy in the firearms industry across the country -- arms, ammo and, to a lesser extent, accessories -- which put an enormous strain on the manufacturers.

For 1994, manufacturers and importers seem to have a healthy array of "shootables" entering the distribution network. There's a modest number of innovations in their rifle and shotgun lines, but in a trend begun several years ago, the issuance of special (limited) editions, commemoratives, reproductions and classic recreations, has taken hold, and that is a strong attraction to the traditionalist in many of your potential gun buyers.

Then there's that virtually unspoken matter of no waiting period with long guns in most jurisdictions.

Rifles and shotguns will continue to be strong sellers, it is fearlessly forecast here, even after the current firearms buying frenzy abates. Here's what's new.

Accuracy International

New to America this year is the renowned AWP ("Arctic Warfare/Police") from Accuracy International of Great Britain. Imported into the USA through Gunsite Training Center of Paulden, Ariz., the AWP is a purpose-built sniper rifle chambered in .308 Winchester, designed and manufactured by famed British Olympics shooter Malcolm Cooper.

The author has had extensive experience with this extraordinary piece of ordnance. The AWP fires a sub-third of a minute-of-angle group at 600 yards using Federal's excellent 308M 168 gr. HP match round. The gun is on the "pricey" side at $3,000 (including Schmidt and Bender scope and metal transit case), but the AWP is of the highest quality imaginable.

Anschutz

Imported exclusively into the United States by Precision Sales International of Westfield, Mass., the celebrated Anschutz line of high quality rimfire target rifles should draw an increased interest factor this year due to the Winter Olympics. It certainly interested the staid Wall Street Journal, which in February declared that, "No self-respecting Olympic rifle shooter leaves home without (a Model 1827BT)" and that "Dieter Anschutz ... is the Mikhail T. Kalashnikov of accuracy."

Arlington Ordnance

Want a Garand? Tanker-style or traditional? Arsenal restored? Forged receiver? New barrels chambered in .30-'06 or .308 Win.?

Look no farther than Weston, Conn. where Arlington Ordnance refurbishes the popular M1 and T26 military rifles, rebuilds the gas system and offers the guns as "nearly new."

BROWNING A-BOLT II HUNTER WITH BOSS INSTALLED

Action Arms

The geopolitical scene has played a large part in this Philadelphia, Pa., importer's marketing plans of recent, but what was available at SHOT Show looked good, very good indeed. Most impressive is the Fiber-pro synthetic stock (American-style, thank you very much) BRNO Model 527 Mini-Mauser in popular short (thick-walled) actions .22 Hornet and those small-bore Reiningtons, the .222 and .223. These guns feature hammer-forged barrels, machined steel receivers, one-piece cold-forged bolt, controlled-feed claw extractors (of course!) plus five-round detachable magazines and integral dovetail scope mount.

If anyone is still interested in the Uzi, Action Arms has a 9mm Model B Sporter with a more politically-correct thumb-hole stock.

American Arms

Cataloging a wide variety of shotguns (many formerly imported by the now-defunct FIE), this Kansas City, Mo., company offers good quality Spanish and Italian double guns, including the respected Franchi line of smoothbores.

A-Square

Big bore hunting rifles? If your customers' blood stirs at the mention of chamberings such as .375 JRS, .375 H&H, .378 Weatherby, .416 Rigby, .450 Ackley, .458 Lott, .470 Capstick, or the mighty .500 A-Square, then send the call out to Bedford, Ky., for the company which promotes its custom grade rifles as "the bottom line in knock-down power."

Auto-Ordnance

One of the best things about A.O. is that it rarely ever has anything new in the realm of shoulder-fired firearms -- it does what it does within a very narrowly defined spectrum, and it does it better than anyone else in the business -- it makes Thompson-design guns in .45 ACP. The semiautomatic version of the "gun that made the '20s roar" is still a very popular item with many firearms enthusiasts with a sense of the historical.

Barrett

Hey! Want to reach out and "touch" something in a big way? Ron Barrett has the answer in his Model 82A1 semiauto and Model 90 bolt-action, both chambered in .50 BMG. It looks like a fair amount of people have taken this long-distance marksmanship discipline to heart from the number of reloading components (most recently Hornady's A-Max bullet) which have come on the market in the past several years.