Because the targets are flatter and thicker than standard clays in order to withstand rolling on the ground without shattering, the clays often require a little harder hit before shooters can prove they are masters of “rascally rabbits.”

All Mossberg autoloaders available are gas operated. Each bleeds a set amount of gas from the ignition of the shotshell, down through a port in the barrel to function the action. The oldest of these guns, the Model 5500, requires the shooter to change barrels when switching from non-Magnum to Magnum loads. Two updated 5500s—the new Model 6000 and the Maverick 60—will continue to do so. A totally new Mossberg, the Model 9200, allows free interchange of ammunition without changing barrels.

For the past five years, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has surveyed federally licensed firearms retailers across the country to find out what products are the biggest sellers and who is buying. NSSF has just issued the latest version of that report from an online survey conducted last month. The data shows which types of firearms and ammunition were most popular in 2012, and at the same time allows retailers to compare their businesses to that of other gun stores across the country.

Newly-released data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) proves that more guns in private hands do not lead to more murders, and a Pew Research study showing widespread ignorance of this fact suggests that the public has been misled, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says.

Gun Reports - News

Top, Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 Deluxe. Bottom, Weatherby’s Mark V Deluxe, both chambered for 257 Weatherby.

Gun Tests April 2013 Preview: Hunting Rifles from Weatherby, Howa, T/C

(GunReports.com) — Gun Tests’ Houston- and Idaho-based test teams take detailed looks at traditional bolt-action hunting rifles by Weatherby, Howa, and Thompson/Center in the April 2013 issue of the magazine.

Based in Idaho, Sr. Technical Editor Ray Ordorica and the magazine’s Western test team examined two Weatherby rifles chambered for the 257 Weatherby cartridge.

Ordorica said, “Weatherby makes quite a few versions of rifles in this caliber, and we chose to test the $2400 Mark V Deluxe against the Vanguard Series 2 Deluxe, which sells for $1149, to see what you might get for the extra money needed to buy the Mark V.”

He added, “No matter how you cut it, there’s no denying the aura of the Weatherby name, and we must admit we enjoyed using two fabulous 30mm Leupold scopes on these very precise and good-looking Weatherby rifles. Maybe that’s enough reason to buy one.”

Gun Tests Editor Todd Woodard said, “We should note that we had

Thompson Center Dimension Rifle

“This was an unusual test for us, comparing two Weatherby rifles,” Ordorica said. “But the price difference was substantial enough for us to consider whether we’d buy the Vanguard before the Mark V and come out a thousand dollars or more ahead.”

In Houston, Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine compared two unusual .243 Win. bolt actions: The $641 Howa Youth 2N1 rifle, which comes with two different Hogue stocks, and Thompson Center Arms’s $679 Dimension rifle, which offers the ability to switch barrels for different chamberings.

Eckstine said, “The Howa Youth 2N1 rifles come with two different stocks so that the same Howa M1500 action will accommodate more than one shooter. Both OverMolded stocks are manufactured by Hogue. The Thompson Center Arms Dimension rifle accepts different-caliber

Howa Hogue Youth 2N1 Combo

“The .243 Winchester is a sweetheart of a cartridge,” GT Editor Woodard said. “Though these might be marketed to youth, women, or smaller-frame hunters, I think any deer hunter would appreciate the soft-shooting characteristics of these rifles out to 300 yards.”

Gun Tests subscribers should receive their printed magazines in about 10 days. Subscribers with electronic access can check Gun-Tests.com to read these matchups in a couple of days, GT Publisher Tim Cole said.

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