If you’ve got a moment, please tell us why in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your reasoning to support our poll.

Shooting Times Editor-in-Chief Joseph Von Benedikt proudly displays his mini-shrine to Clint Eastwood, along with a beautiful 1886 Winchester, customized by Turnbull Mfg. and chambered to .475 Turnbull caliber.

Though we can’t validate the following Clint Eastwood story, we hope every word of it is true.

During the Rodney King riots, a Hollywood gun shop (no longer in existence) received a knock on its back door early one morning. I was told the following tale by the gun-counter clerk that opened the door—thinking it was another employee. To the clerk’s shock Clint Eastwood stood there, alone. The shop wasn’t open, but who leaves Eastwood standing in the morning dawn on the back door-stoop?

The clerk invited Eastwood in. By store policy ammunition was not sold by the case. Eastwood asked for two cases of 12-gauge buckshot. My acquaintance rung up two cases of buckshot. Curious, he mustered the courage to inquire, “May I ask what you’re planning to shoot with this?”

In classic style, Eastwood replied, “Just want it on hand in case I have to clear off my lawn.”

To you fans of Eastwood’s outstanding film Gran Torino, the words will have a ring of authenticity. Again, we can’t verify whether this story is truth or fiction, but if anyone can, we’d be very grateful.

For those holed up in a snow cave somewhere who missed the Super Bowl, here’s a look at the half-time commercial that has everybody buzzing about Clint Eastwood.

Now, the same system is incorporated into a stock for the AK-47. To use, pull the Slide Fire SSAK-47 XRS buttstock firmly into your shoulder, reach your trigger finger through the trigger guard and put the fingertip firmly on the stock’s support pad. Then, gripping the fore-end with your off hand, slide the rifle forward in the stock’s track. The trigger will contact your trigger finger, firing the rifle, and recoil will pull the rifle back and allow the trigger to reset as a fresh cartridge is chambered. Since you are maintaining forward pressure on the handguard, the rifle will again slide forward in the stock, and—bang bang b-b-b-b-b-b-bang!

Don’t believe it? Watch the video. Legal? Sure. Every stock comes with a copy of the BATF approval letter. The stocks are built here in the USA of glass-filled nylon, and are tough enough to pound railroad spikes.

Price is $300, and the stock may be ordered direct at Slidefire.com.

Colt's first double-action revolver, the Model 1877, was an intricate yet delicate design. Often referred to as the "gunsmith's best friend," it allegedly was favored by some of the most infamous Old West characters.

It was Mike Laney’s fault. I definitely blame him. I pretty much grew up on the Laney Ranch, located on the southwest end of the mighty Gila National Forest. Mike and I hunted, shot, and got into mischief on his family ranch starting when we were pretty much tykes. He started collecting antique guns at an early age, and over the years he has put together what I consider a fine, definitive gathering of Colts and Winchesters. My constant association with him resulted in his affliction for old, expensive firearms rubbing off on me.

One of his favorite collectibles that I, too, became fond of was the Colt Model 1877. There were several things that attracted us to this model, not the least of which was the fact that it was the first double-action revolver made by Colt. Admittedly, I hadn’t handled an 1877 until Laney began collecting them, probably because my dad never had one around. He wasn’t too keen on the 1877 since they weren’t the most durable handguns ever made by Colt.

Colt manufactured its first double-action model from 1877 through 1909, turning out over 166,000 of them. The 1877 is a handsome firearm and looks very much like the Colt Single Action Army. The design was actually based on the SAA; however, it was much smaller in frame, and it incorporated the infamous birdshead grip, a style often copied by modern manufacturers of replica firearms. The revolver’s double-action mechanism was quite intricate and very delicate. Designed by Colt employee William Mason, the 1877 was notorious for breaking down, rendering it useless or, at best, a single action. The 1877 was often referred to as the “gunsmith’s best friend.”

Like the SAA, the 1877 featured a three-position hammer, cylinder pin, and loading gate, all scaled down from the larger single-action design. It was made in three calibers: .32 Colt (dubbed the “Rainmaker”), .38 Colt (“Lightning”), and .41 Colt (the “Thunderer”). Very few .32 Colts were made, and they’re quite scarce today. Colt offered a variety of barrel lengths, ranging from 2 to 6 inches long; however, longer barrels were available on special order. The 1877 was also available in a Sheriff’s Model, which was ejector-less. The cylinder pin doubled as the empty case ejector. Early 1877s were available with one-piece, checkered rosewood stocks, another rare item today. Later guns left the factory with hard rubber, and pearl and ivory were also available.

Many folks associate Old West characters with the Colt Single Action Army almost exclusively—likely due, at least partially, to the fact that almost all western movies arm the players with single actions. While the SAA was probably the finest handgun available starting in 1873, western figures actually used a large variety of handguns, one of them being the 1877.

It’s fascinating to me to look back to the old days and study some of the favored carry guns of notorious characters. One of the most notorious gunfighters was John Wesley Hardin, who has been rumored to have put an end to around 40 men. After committing a long string of murders in the 1870s, including the killing of a deputy sheriff, Hardin was caught, prosecuted, and convicted. He was sentenced to 25 years in the penitentiary, but was pardoned after serving about 16 years. During his time in the slammer, Hardin studied law, and after his release he was admitted to the Texas bar. He moved to El Paso, Texas, to set up his new practice.

Hardin’s handgun of choice was the Colt 1877 revolver. He was reported to have carried at least two, a .38 Colt and a .41 Colt. He allegedly practiced drawing the pair and firing them every day. Over the years he’d become lightning fast with them, but in the end, his shooting experience didn’t help. John Selman shot Hardin in the back of the head in the Acme Saloon in El Paso.

Yet another famous gunman allegedly fancied the Colt 1877—William H. Bonney, the notorious Billy the Kid. Unfortunately, there’s a good deal of speculation regarding Bonney, and I’m not sure anyone knows exactly what guns he favored. I’m guessing it was probably anything he could get his hands on. It’s been said that he carried a double-action Webley revolver, which could have been mistaken for the Colt 1877, or possibly the other way around. Bonney’s alleged killer, Pat Garrett, was the owner of an engraved Colt 1877 revolver, but it was not the gun he used to do in the Kid.

The 1877 was also utilized to a great extent by the infamous John Henry “Doc” Holliday. While it’s known that Holliday also carried a variety of handguns, it’s clear through historical accounts that the 1877 was one of his favorites.

In his book, Sixguns, famous handgunner Elmer Keith makes mention of the Colt 1877, stating that during his younger cowboying days, he carried a Colt Lightning .38 in the pocket of his chaps. Keith contended that the Lightning was small and fast.

My own interest in the 1877 has continued, though I didn’t own one until a few years back when the firearms of the late Charlie

Schreiner III went to auction at Little John’s. Schreiner was the owner of the YO Ranch in Texas, and he was a huge collector of firearms and Texas Ranger memorabilia. I was fortunate enough to place a winning bid on one of his Thunderers. The gun is a 6-inch .41 Colt with nickel finish and pearl stocks. It bears a great deal of the original nickel and, surprisingly, is in good mechanical repair.

I ordered a box of .41 Colt 200-grain RNFP ammunition from Ultramax a while back with the intention of trying out the Schreiner gun. Alas, I’m unable to bring myself to shoot the old gal. The thought of having to track down a gunsmith who will work on an 1877 isn’t appealing.

But I still love to handle the old .41. Reliable or not, it’s a great piece of history.

Want more shooting gift ideas? Check out more Holidays Gift Guides for the handgunner, rifle shooter, collector, and hardcore gun guy on your list.

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Winchester’s unique Model 71 was essentially an upgrade of the veteran 1886. It’s a handsome rifle and earns praise whenever it’s pulled out of its case.

In the mid-1880s, Winchester started working with a promising young designer, John M. Browning. Existing 1873 and 1876

Winchester rifles were excellent designs, but couldn’t handle the larger rifle cartridges of the day. Browning addressed the project and soon came up with a massive, locking-block action capable of handling express loads, what we’d call magnums today.

The resulting production rifle was designated the Model 1886, and it remained in production chambered for both “buffalo” blackpowder cartridges, such as the .45-90 and .50-110, and later smokeless rounds, such as .33 WCF and .405 WCF.

In 1935 Winchester upgraded the 1886, calling it the Model 71, and chambered it solely in the new “one-size-fits-all” .348 WCF. This powerful smokeless round was created by necking down and slightly shortening the .50-110 case, creating a cartridge that, with different bullet weights, could arguably replace everything from .33 to .405.

The Model 71 was a high-end rifle introduced at the nadir of the Depression, using bullets for which no one had molds and requiring a new casing. It goes against reason that this unusual rifle and cartridge survived at all, but it remained in production from 1935 to 1957, with just over 47,000 being built. The 71 was most popular in Canada and Alaska, where the .348 could take a moose—and then the brown bear that showed up to help with the field dressing.

A carbine version was offered with a 20-inch barrel, and an extremely small number of 71s were sold in .33 WCF.

Today, few Model 71 owners take these extremely collectable rifles to the field, and most live on in fine collections.

The massive locking block bars are seen here. The peep sight was a frequent accessory, although the rifle and .348 cartridge were never considered inherently accurate.

Provenance
According to the serial number, the subject rifle was made in 1937. It now belongs to my friend and neighbor, Danny Cifers, who bought the rifle in the early 1990s. Cifers was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the Army’s recruiting command, and a friend had owned and hunted with the rifle for many years. Apparently this was not hard hunting, as the rifle has much case wear but none of the dings and scratches associated with bashing about in the bush. The rifle came with ammunition as well as reloading gear, including a set of RCBS dies.

When he purchased the rifle it was still wearing the original buckhorn sight mounted on the barrel. Cifers swapped it out for a Williams peep sight mounted on the receiver. The rifle is factory cut for a bolt-mounted peep, but this feature appears to have never been used. The rifle already had an aftermarket rubber buttpad when he bought it.

This 71 hasn’t been shot very much in the last 20 years because, well, the .348 is not a pleasant chambering to shoot, especially off the bench. It kicks, and I mean hard.

This proud rifle remains one of the flagships of Cifers’s collection, occupying an honored corner of the gun safe.

Mechanicals
Browning’s locking-block action is extremely simple. Pulling down on the lever draws down two bars. These bars travel in vertical slots cut into the walls of the receiver. When the bolt is fully forward, slots cut into the rear of the bolt correspond to those in the receiver. The two bars fill the slots on both bolt and receiver, securely locking the bolt. When they are lowered, the bolt is unlocked. A nose on the front of the lever engages the underside of the bolt, withdrawing it, and with it the spent casing from the chamber. A fixed ejector kicks the casing out of the rifle. The bolt rides over the hammer, cocking it during its rearward travel. Near the end of the bolt’s travel, a fresh round is released from the four-round tubular magazine. The feedramp is cammed up and presents the cartridge to the chamber.

Returning the lever pushes the bolt forward, leaving the hammer at the ready. As the bolt locks on a loaded chamber, the extractor snaps over the case rim. The Model 71 is now ready to fire and your rotator cuff is in for a real treat.

Winchester’s .348 was designed to be a “one-size-fits-all” cartridge for everything in North America. A factory Winchester Silvertip loading is shown here between the popular .30-30 and the powerful .405 WCF.

Ballistics
Winchester’s .348 has had firearms enthusiasts scratching their heads since its introduction. The wide, .610-inch rim prohibits it from being chambered in other rifles, such as the Marlin Guide Gun, and it really isn’t practical for whitetails. It’s way too stout for almost every game animal in the Lower 48, and most African countries don’t allow lever actions. It’s like having a 500-horsepower Cat diesel in your half-ton pickup.

Originally, Winchester sold 150-, 200-, and 250-grain rounds, with the heaviest being preferred by Alaskan hunters as bear repellant. At present Winchester sells a 200-grain load in its Silvertip line. Recently, a new company, Buffalo Bore, has offered a 250-grain load.

For handloaders, bullet selection is limited. Fortunately, due to Winchester’s continued small factory runs, brass is readily available. I had Winchester factory loads and burned some reloads cooked up by Cifers when he first got the 71. These use Winchester brass with 65 grains of Hodgdon H4831 backing up a Hornady 200-grain InterLock flatnose softpoint. Due to the severe cold and damp of Alaskan hunting, Cifers chose to use Large Rifle Magnum primers. According to handloading guru Bob Forker, this makes good sense with charges of slow powders over 60 to 65 grains.

All of this was loaded using RCBS dies on a dependable Rock Chucker press. Powder was loaded using a trickler from Brownells.

Rangetime
Cifers and I both live just a few miles from the Mohave Sportsman’s Club’s Seven Mile Hill shooting range. But Cifers is a crotchety curmudgeon, and I couldn’t talk him into joining me for the shoot.

The 71 is a class act, and it draws much praise and admiration from all who see it. It’s beautifully built with nearly flawless fit and finish. I was careful to keep the rifle on its case or on my Shooter’s Ridge bags the whole time.

Initially, I fired through my Oehler 35P chronograph. This was an early morning session, and the Oehler’s “glint” sensor allows for shooting early and late in the day, unlike a lot of less expensive chronos that work well only between 9 and 3 o’clock.

With the chronograph’s summary tape in my wallet, I put out a Birchwood-Casey Shoot-N-C target at 100 yards and settled in for some group shooting. Cifers’s work on the trigger was noticeable, but the 71 has never been noted for tight accuracy.

Winchester’s factory ammo yielded a 3.75-inch group at 2,562 fps. His handloads went 4.5 inches at 2,441 fps.

I was particularly glad to finish this range session because the 71 is no fun on the range. However, if I was to go into the Alaskan wilderness and could only take one rifle, Winchester’s last big-bore lever gun would be high on my list—very high, indeed.

Revolver cartridges in long guns tend to see increases in velocity when fired from the longer barrels of rifles or carbines. A classic .44 Magnum combo is Ruger’s original Deerstalker carbine and an Old Model Super Blackhawk.

The idea of having a handgun and a rifle or carbine that shoot the same cartridge is an old one, dating nearly to the infancy of cartridge firearms. However, the success of these pairings today depends on some educated choices, whether you shoot factory ammo or handloads.

How you proceed depends on whether the handgun cartridge is for a revolver or a semiauto pistol. We’ll consider them separately.

Revolver Cartridges in Long Guns
This is the pairing that started the trend. With modern components, many revolver cartridges can show significant increases in velocity when used in a rifle or carbine.

Among modern revolver cartridges, the best choices for a combo are .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum. Differences between a revolver with a 6- to 7.5-inch barrel and a carbine with a 16.5- to 18-inch barrel can be impressive. Still, getting good terminal performance within safe practices means considering the bullet weight and style and, if you are a handloader, the choice of propellant.

Bullets have to be up to the task.

Hollowpoint bullets that give good penetration and expansion in a revolver at 1,200 to 1,300 fps can become fragile, varmint-class bullets at rifle velocities. That’s bad for deer hunting. Softpoints are best in rifles. One way to maintain parity of terminal performance between the rifle and the revolver is to use “full-weight” bullets. That usually means the bullet weight loaded when the cartridge was first developed.

For full-power loads, jacketed bullets generally do better in rifles than cast lead bullets. At 1,800+ fps, barrel leading can be miserable. For best lead-bullet results, select a bullet with a generous capacity for holding lubricant that’s cast from linotype. Older .44 Mag. carbines may have shallow, multi-groove rifling. This style of rifling definitely prefers a jacketed bullet.

Most factory ammo features bullets profiled to feed in repeating rifles. Semiwadcutters or other shapes intended for revolvers may snag in feeding. Handloaders must also respect cartridge overall length (COAL). Failure to do so can result in a badly jammed lever gun.

You can go with heavier bullets. The big .44-caliber 300-grain softpoints from Hornady and Speer have an extra crimp cannelure that sets the proper length for a rifle. However, the necessary deep seating required for a rifle can reduce propellant space and, therefore, velocities from a revolver. For the .44 Mag., a 270-grain softpoint is a great compromise that produces more than adequate performance in either short or long barrels. In .357 Mag., you can load softpoints in the 165- to 180-grain range.

Propellant choice becomes a factor for the handloader. A light propellant charge may not produce enough gas volume to keep a jacketed revolver bullet moving down a long barrel. You will see the best performance by sticking with the slowest burning revolver propellants that don’t overfill the case. Consider Hodgdon H110, Alliant 2400, Winchester 296, Ramshot Enforcer, VihtaVuori N110, and Accurate Arms No. 9.

If you wish to load practice/plinking ammo in the 1,100- to 1,300-fps range, hard-cast lead bullets work if properly loaded. With those, don’t use handgun propellants faster burning than propellants like AA No. 7, Alliant Power Pistol, Ramshot True Blue, and VV N350. Stay close to the maximum charge to keep pressures up.

However, loading “light” to reduce recoil is seldom necessary with carbines and rifles chambered for revolver cartridges; a magnum cartridge that delivers punishing recoil in a revolver is often a pussycat in a long gun. Dear Daughter #2 is rather petite, yet she had no problems when she first shot a centerfire rifle—my old Ruger semiauto carbine with full-power, 240-grain .44 Magnum loads.

There are long guns—either factory or custom—chambered for some of the “mega-magnum” revolver cartridges like the .454 Casull, .460 S&W Magnum, .475 Linebaugh, and .500 S&W Magnum. The same rules apply to these.

Capacity rules in long guns. The 9mm Luger (left) with 6.0 grains of a flake propellant registered a carbine velocity 13 percent higher than from a semiauto pistol. The .357 Magnum (right) had 15.5 grains of a dense ball propellant and posted a 38 percent increase over revolver velocities.

Semiauto Pistol Cartridges in Long Guns
You won’t get the same velocity increase from a 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP carbine that you experience with the magnum revolver cartridges. The reason is not pressure—the 9mm and the .40 have the same peak pressure as the .357 Mag.—but rather case capacity. A short, semiauto cartridge case simply cannot hold the volumes of slow-burning propellants that are so important to the velocity boost we see in a magnum revolver cartridge.

Velocity increases are seldom more than 100 to 200 fps in a 16.5-inch barrel. I worked with some 9mm Luger 124-grain ammo Speer developed for a “special” customer. It posted about 1,150 fps from a Browning Hi-Power and just under 1,300 fps from the 9.8-inch barrel of an H&K MP-5. Adding barrel length beyond that didn’t add much speed.

First and foremost, you have to consider bullet shape. Today’s factory-loaded bullets are shaped for reliable feeding in either a handgun or a carbine. Most of the modern hollowpoint offerings should feed fine, and, of course, FMJ bullets nearly always work. However, in the infancy of the expanding handgun bullet, there were some designs that loaded close to the 9mm Luger’s industry minimum COAL. Most were 90- to 100-grain bullets, and they should be avoided for carbine reliability.

Best overall performance comes with the “standard-weight” bullets: 115 to 124 grains in 9mm Luger; 180 grains in .40 S&W; and 230 grains in .45 ACP. Lighter bullets may work but can be factory-loaded with rather quick-burning propellants that can’t push very long in a 16.5-inch barrel. The 147-grain bullet used in 9mm ammo generates under 1,000 fps from a 4-inch pistol barrel; reliable function depends on the brand of ammo and rifle. Before settling on 147-grain ammo in a 9mm carbine, test thoroughly to ensure it works for you.

Handloaders should never go “off book” to get better velocities in carbines that shoot small-capacity, semiauto pistol cartridges. You’ll do best sticking with data for standard-weight bullets (see above) and choosing the slowest burning propellant—usually the one with the highest charge weight—shown in trusted handgun load data. That gives you the best opportunity for a decent velocity increase while maintaining safety and reliability.