Richard A. Mann - Cartridges of the World

About the Covers

Hornady in the Spotlight

As has become traditiion, a number of Hornadys products grace the covers of this Cartridges of the World 13th Edition. This time we asked them to mix it up a little, focus on the products that truly speak the Hornady name, and thats just what the company did.

Topping the list is the LEVERevolution round, perhaps one of the most exciting creations to ever happen to lever-gun ammunition. The cleverly named round design brings you an innovation in ammunition performance that features patented, state of the industry, FTX (Flex Tip eXpanding) and MonoFlex bullets that are safe in tubular magazines. Before Hornady introduced this design, lever-gun/afficionados were limited to round-nose bullet profiles that wouldnt punch the primer of the round next in line in the tube magazine and set off a gun and body-part altering chain-fire reaction. But long-range and terminal performance of such rounds was limited. No longer. LEVERevolutions high ballistic coefficient delivers dramatically flatter trajectories and amazing bullet expansion at all ranges. It truly is an evolution in lever-gun ammunition!

See that really tiny cartridge in the mix? The shooting virtues of Hornadys .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire) are now the stuff of legendhigh velocity, flat trajectory, and long-range accuracy. The devastating V-MAX and XTP bullets deliver characteristics that takes the .17 HMR into the realm of the true hunting cartridge, and its a great choice for small-game and varmint hunting.

Did you notice something different in the front cover? A dash of flourescent green? Thats Hornadys ZOMBIE MAX ammunition and the proprietary PROVEN Z-MAX bullets. Honestly, its been a long time since tongue-in-cheek marketing genius and a genuinely good product have gone so well together. This is the company that got the zombie craze started and these rounds are a force to be reckoned with, especially if youre a prairie dog or a member of the un-deadhave you seen a Zombie? See, PROVEN isnt just an adjective, its part of the bullet name proper!

On a more serious note is Hornadys 6.5 Creedmoor with a pedigreed as storied as it is precise. Developed by Dave Emary, Hornadys Senior Ballistic Scientist, and Dennis DeMille, General Manager of Creedmoor Sports and two-time NRA National High Power champion, this cartridge was designed to allow any shooter to compete at the highest level with factory-loaded ammunition. Built for match rifles, including the Tubb 2000 and DPMS, its case is slightly shorter than the 260 Remington, eliminating any cartridge overall length issues when using .308 Winchester-length magazines.

Another round unique to the wizards at the Hornady laboratories became the .30 T/C (Thompson/Center). According to Horandy, many of todays so-called short mags are nothing more than an attempt to see how much powder can fit behind the bullet in a .308 Winchester-length magazine. Little thought is given to the crucial balance between case volume, bore volume, and the burn rates of different propellants. Well, Hornady and Thompson/Center give the short mags a run for their money with this highly individualized round. Specifically designed for T/Cs Icon bolt-action rifle, the .30 T/C sports optimized case geometry, while advanced propellants deliver (or exceed!) .30-06 ballistic performance in a short-action case.

Finally, on our back cover is a glamour shot of Hornadys Critical Defense line of ammo. Law enforcement and tactical professionals now have a truly advanced handgun ammunition solution that delivers the most consistent and reliable urban barrier performance ever created! The proven Flex Tip design of the new FlexLock bullet eliminates clogging and aids bullet expansion. Its large, mechanical, jacket-to-core InterLock band works to keep the bullet and core from separating, resulting in maximum weight retention and proven terminal performance through all FBI test barriers.

About the Editor

Richard A. Mann was born and raised in the West Virginia hills. He has chased coon hounds until daylight, waited out whitetails while perched high in an oak, canoed the New River, and hunted from the Montana Mountains to the Green Hills of Africa. During service in the Army, and later as a municipal police officer and Special Agent with the Railroad Police, Richard obtained numerous certifications in small arms instruction. He has trained military personnel, law enforcement officers, and civilians in the application of firearms for defensive, competitive, and recreational use. Richard won the West Virginia Governors Twenty Award, the West Virginia National Guard State Pistol Competition, and earned his Distinguished Medal with pistol.

Badge and camo turned in, Richard is now a contributing editor for the National Rifle Association publications and several other magazines. He was the compiling author of the book, Rifle Bullets for the Hunter and conceptualized and contributed to the book Selecting and Ordering a Custom Hunting Rifle. Richard has patents on a rifle scope reticle and a revolutionary bullet testing media.

A self-proclaimed hillbilly at heart, Richard lives on Shadowland (his shooting range in West Virginia), with the most understanding wife in the world, their three kids, and a giant German shepherd.

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