Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur.
A former police officer and trainer, he left public service and founded Tac6 Media, LLC.
Richard is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles related to firearms and law enforcement published by Harris Publications, Athlon Outdoors, NRA, Police & Security News, The Firearm Blog, Human Events and more.
He currently consults with clients who need online publication management, editorial services, content production and organic traffic acquisition through search engine optimization.
One of the sleeper announcements from the 2013 SHOT Show was the addition of two .338 Lapua loads to the Winchester Ammunition catalog. In fact, these are the only two .338 Lapua Magnum loads in the Winchester catalog.
The first .338 load uses an Accubond CT bullet, which is a polymer-tipped, bonded-core hollowpoint. The bullet is designed for controlled expansion and is likely to be an excellent choice for hunters engaging large game at long range. The polymer tip helps ensure expansion by forcing the bullet to open on impact, and by preventing other debris from clogging the hollow cavity. It also improves the ballistic coefficient to 0.720.
I just stumbled across a small company called Head On Tactical that is making a variety of pouches, bags and carriers for all of your tactical needs. They have a bunch of cool looking products in MultiCam, A-TACS, plus the more “pedestrian” coyote, black and Ranger green.
One of the products I think is really innovative is the Vessel Pursuit Shotgun Pouch they developed with the guys at MARSEC4. The pouch compactly holds 24 shotgun shells and divides them up with color-coded pulls to more easily distinguish between two different rounds like slugs and buckshot.
There is a new Mosin-Nagant replacement stock being made by Archangel. For a variety of reasons, making a detachable magazine for the Mosin-Nagant rifles has been difficult. The basic rifle design is more than 120 years old, so adapting it to modern conventions is bound to have a few difficulties.
A quick check of YouTube found this video from mixflip on the new Mosin-Nagant stocks from the ProMag/Archangel booth at the SHOT Show:
Remington HyperSonic rifle ammunition promises to “supercharge” centerfire rifle cartridges and deliver up to 200 fps more velocity from standard pressure loads. Remington states the rounds will deliver “laser-flat trajectories” and more energy on target for better performance.
The nine new loads cover seven of the most popular hunting cartridges, both short and long action rounds. The rounds are not yet listed on the Remington website, but the details are listed below.
The new Savage B.MAG rifle is a completely new compact rimfire bolt-action gun designed specifically for the new .17 Winchester Super Magnum cartridge. The .17 WSM is a rimfire round that is capable of speeds to an amazing 3,000 fps. Click here for more on this new cartridge.
The B.MAG is an entirely new rifle, not merely a warmed-over existing rimfire gun. According to Bill Dermody of Savage, there are “exactly zero” parts on the B.Mag that interchange with the company’s other rimfire rifles. In fact, Dermody suggested that the features of this new rifle more closely resemble their centerfire cartridge rifle line than the rimfire line.
This rifle uses a short action bolt with rear locking lugs for additional strength to handle the higher pressure .17 WSM. The rifle also has a “cock on close” action and hidden action screws.
Savage B.Mag Specifications
Caliber
17 WSM
Capacity
8 rounds
Barrel Length
22″
Overall Length
40.5″
Rate of Twist
1:9 RH
MSRP at Launch
$349
MSRP (current)
$429
The B.MAG uses a thread-in headspacing system that is very similar to the more expensive centerfire rifles in the Savage catalog. According to Savage reps at the SHOT Show, this headspacing system significantly enhances accuracy.
The B.MAG comes with the extremely popular AccuTrigger, which is a user-adjustable trigger that Savage uses on most of their rifles above the entry-level, budget guns. It does not require special tools for adjustment by the owner.
An eight-round, rotary magazine is standard on this rifle. The magazine is detachable and feeds from the center of the mag. It should be a relatively simple thing to make a larger capacity magazine, but there are no announced plans to do so. An extended magazine might be of some benefit to varmint hunters who are eliminating large numbers of pests at long range. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something like the Hot Lips magazines for the 10/22 from Butler Creek.
