Berens Chris - Gun Digest 2017

FEATURES

by Terry Wieland

by Wayne van Zwoll

by Paul Scarlata

by Dick Williams

by Garry James

by Tom Turpin

by Jim Wilson

by Rick Hacker

by Nick Sisley

by John Taffin

by Tom Tabor

by Phil Massaro

by Kevin Muramatsu

by James E. House

by Robert K. Campbell

by Tom Turpin

by Tom Tabor

by Stan Trzoniec

by Steve Gash

by Walt Hampton

by Wayne van Zwoll

by George Layman

by Jerry L. Jacobson

by Roger Smith

by Al Doyle

by Phil Shoemaker

by Robert K. Campbell

by Mike Thomas

by Brad Miller

by Ken Walters

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

by Wayne van Zwoll

by John Haviland

by Kevin Muramatsu

by Max Prasac

by Wm. Hovey Smith

by Tom Tabor

by Phil Massaro

ONE GOOD GUN

by Robert Sadowski

by Will McGraw

by Rick Hacker

TESTFIRES

by Doug Larson

by Steve Gash

by L.P. Brezny

by Dick Williams

by Jim Dickson

2017 FIREARMS CATALOG

BALLISTICS TABLES

HANDGUNS

RIFLES

SHOTGUNS

BLACKPOWDER

AIRGUNS

REFERENCES

GUN DIGEST STORE

Congratulations to Charles E. Petty, recipient of the 35th Annual John T. Amber Literary Award. The award is given each year by Gun Digest in honor of an authors work that appeared in the previous years edition. This years award is for Charlies fine historic profile of the Kings Gunsight Company in the 2016 edition. He told the story of a company that started what eventually became a cottage industry in the gun businessproviding adjustable sights for guns that came from the factory with fixed sights. From the end of World War I until the early 1950s, Kings was the major source for adjustable sights, mainly for handguns, but for long guns as well. The company also offered numerous customizing services and today Kings guns are highly sought-after by collectors.

Charlie Pettys love of guns and the outdoors began at the feet of his grandfather, a dedicated North Carolina quail hunter who was profiled by Charlie in My Grandaddys Shotgun, which appeared in the 1989 edition of Gun Digest. It was a wonderful story that touched many of us who grew up tagging along with their dad or granddad until we were old enough to shoot.

Charlie progressed through the NRA Junior rifle program and, following high school, joined the Air Force. He was assigned to Marksmanship School at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas where he was taught to accurize Model 1911A1 pistols to AFPG (Air Force Premium Grade) standards. Soon he became a serious competitor in NRA Bullseye Pistol and eventually earned a master card. Following the Air Force, Charlie went to UNC Charlotte and following school, got a job at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities and retired after 30 years in 1993 as Chief Chemist. During the same time his interest in law enforcement led to service as a reserve police officer. He served in patrol and firearms training units, retiring with the rank of captain.

Without Uncle Sams support, competitive shooting became prohibitively expensive and Charlies interest shifted to gun collecting. This eventually led to his book, High Standard Automatic Pistols1932-1950, which was published in 1979 and launched a writing career that continues to this day. It is considered by many to be the standard text on High Standard pistols.

The first time the Charles E. Petty byline appeared in Gun Digest was in 1985 for his article Little Known .22 Pistols of the Post War Era. In addition to several other stories in Gun Digest, he has written many articles and columns for the countrys leading gun magazines including American Rifleman, American Handgunner, GUNS, Shooting Industry, Shooting Times, Handgun Quarterly and the Hodgdon Annual Manual. Currently he is a contributing editor for the NRAs American Rifleman and two Wolfe Publishing Company titles, Rifle and Handloader.

The John T. Amber Literary Award is named after the longtime editor of Gun Digest who was at the helm of the book from 1950 to 1979. Amber had instituted an award for the books authors in 1967, named for the great shooting and hunting writer Townsend Whelen. In 1982, three years after Ambers retirement, the award was renamed in his honor. The winner of the award receives $1,000 and a handsome plaque honoring his achievement. Congratulations again to Charlie Petty, whose stories we look forward to presenting for your pleasure in future editions of Gun Digest.

Jerry Lee

Editor

Photo by Mike Dendinger

Welcome to the 2017 Gun Digest, the 71st annual edition of the complete go-to source for the firearms enthusiast. If youre new to Gun Digest, what youll find in these pages are top writers in the shooting and outdoor fields sharing their experiences and opinions. Whether your interest in guns is for hunting, collecting, target shooting, personal protection or learning about the history of legendary models, theres something here for you. There are more than 30 feature articles, shooting tests, and Reports From the Field on the years new guns, optics and handloading components, our comprehensive ballistics tables and a website directory to the entire firearms industry. The annual Firearms Catalog has descriptions and prices for virtually every handgun, rifle and shotgun currently in production, including muzzleloaders and airguns. All in all, our goal is to bring you the best all-in-one source for information on firearms and their uses.

We would like to welcome several new contributors to Gun Digest including Max Prasac, who wrote the Revolvers and Others report on the years new revolvers, single-shots and derringers. Max was the author of Gun Digest Book of Ruger Revolvers that was published by Krause/Gun Digest Books a couple of years ago. Some other new bylines in this edition are Phil Shoemaker, Jerry Jacobson, Roger Smith and Doug Larson. Welcome to all.

One of the most famous handguns in the world, and some say the most famous, is the Luger. The former editor of a popular gun magazine told me a few years ago that every time they put a Luger on the cover, newsstand sales would skyrocket. It is still being made by various manufacturers 117 years after its introduction at the turn of the last century. Terry Wielands story on the history, mystique and collectability of this famous pistol is a fine read and has some excellent photographs.

The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the United States entering World War I, declaring war on Germany on April 4, 1917. Rick Hacker tells us about the weapons used by U.S. forces in what was supposed to be the War to End All Wars. Some became legends in firearms history, like the Springfield 03, the 1911 .45 pistol and the Winchester Model 1897 Trench Gun.

Tom Turpin takes a look at another piece of firearms historythe remarkable Model 98 Mauser rifle. Its roots go back more than 200 years and there have been a wide range of variants made by different manufactures. Recently the M98 has gone back into production in Germany and Tom provides a thorough review and test report on this most influential bolt-action rifle ever.