PEARCE ON CCI’S NEW BLAZER BRASS JHP AMMO

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SAVAGE’S NEW REVEL RIMFIRE

A LOVELY LEVER ACTION

PULSAR’S THERMION RIFLESCOPE IS

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HORNADY’S BACKCOUNTRY
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 SEPTEMBER 2025 VOLUME 66, ISSUE 8

Hornady Backcountry
Defense Ammunition
Hornady’s Backcountry Defense

28 handgun ammo is designed to

provide maximum penetration, and
it produces excellent accuracy.
By Brad Miller PhD

Tip of the Spear

34
Pulsar’s incredible Thermion 2 LRF
XP60 Riflescope is a game-changer
in the world of low-light hunting.
By Joseph von Benedikt

Centerfire Options for Small Game

Here are the answers to seven

42 frequently asked questions

about using centerfire guns
for hunting small game.
By Allan Jones

Covert Double Stack

Kimber calls its newest 9mm

46 micro 1911 the Covert Double

Stack (CDS9 for short). And
it’s a real humdinger!
By Joel J. Hutchcroft

A Lovely Lever Gun

52
Savage is back in the lever-action
game with the introduction of
the all-new Revel .22 LR rifle.
By Layne Simpson

2 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025 COVER PHOTO BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2025 VOLUME 66, ISSUE 8

An Outdoor Sportsman Group® Publication

SHOOTER’S UPDATE VICE PRESIDENT,
SHOOTING GROUP PUBLISHER
8 Readers Speak Out Chris Agnes

7mm Backcountry, .22 Hornet EDITORIAL

Correction, Model 1891 Argentine EDITOR IN CHIEF
Joel J. Hutchcroft
Mauser 7.65x53, 10mm for Bears, Keep
Up the Good Work, My LC Brass Story, COPY EDITOR
Bill Bowers
Double Rifle Regulation, and more
DIGITAL EDITOR
10 New Guns & Gear Colton Bagnoli

Springfield Kuna, KelTec 10mm SUB2000 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

James Clark
Carbine, and Barnes Harvest Collection
CONTRIBUTORS

12 Ask the Experts Craig Boddington

Jake Edmondson
.22 WMR and .22 LR Energies and Small- Steve Gash
Game Handloads for the .223 Remington? Allan Jones
Payton Miller
Lane Pearce
SHOOTER’S GALLERY Layne Simpson
Joseph von Benedikt
Terry Wieland
14 The Shootist
ART
Winchester Model 70 XTR
ART DIRECTOR
Featherweight .257 Roberts Mark Kee
Joseph von Benedikt
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Michael Anschuetz
18 The Ballistician PRODUCTION
Holdbacks in Ammo Pressure PRODUCTION MANAGER
and Velocity Explained Terry Boyer
Allan Jones PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Jenny Kaeb
24 The Reloader ENDEMIC AD SALES
CCI Blazer Brass VP, ENDEMIC SALES
Lane Pearce Michael Savino — [email protected]

NATIONAL ENDEMIC SALES

SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE Jim McConville (440) 791-7017

WESTERN REGION
58 Gunsmoke Hutch Looney — [email protected]

“Sometimes a Great Notion.…” EAST REGION

Terry Wieland Pat Bentzel (717) 695-8095

NATIONAL AD SALES
64 Hipshots ACCOUNT DIRECTOR—DETROIT OFFICE
Kevin Donley [email protected]
Banditti of the Prairie
Joel J. Hutchcroft NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE—CHICAGO OFFICE
Carl Benson [email protected]

DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING/NON-ENDEMIC

Anthony Smyth (914) 409-4202
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4 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS

Model 1891 Argentine Mauser 7.65x53

Regarding Joseph von Benedikt’s column
on the Mauser Model 91, I purchased a very
nice Argentine Model 91 many years ago as
an impoverished college student and solved
the ammo problem by purchasing an RCBS
trim die so I could make cases out of the
plentiful .30-06 brass lying around shoot-
ing ranges. With a little work trimming, etc.,
I had all the brass I needed for reloading.
Never had a problem with my reloads and
am enjoying shooting it to this day. I am
ready to pass it on to the grandkids. Unlike
Mr. von Benedikt, my eyes have reached
the old age stage, and I don’t want to put a
scope on the rifle. Thanks for a great article.
Ed Cunningham
Shoreline, WA

10mm for Bears

Great article by Layne Simpson on the 10mm
Auto for bears in the April issue of Shoot-
ing Times! I’ve been carrying my Smith &
PHOTO BY JOSEPH VON BENEDIKT
Wesson Model 1006 for over 30 years...never
felt undergunned. Great load data for heavy

7mm Backcountry bullets...thank you.

I’m a longtime reader, since the early
1980s.
I READ THE ARTICLE ON THE 7MM BACKCOUNTRY IN THE MAY ISSUE. Kevin Murphy
Wouldn’t that make a great Scout Rifle, per Jeff Cooper’s concept? Via email
Owen Camp
Via email Keep Up the Good Work
I’m a longtime subscriber to Shooting Times,
.22 Hornet Correction and I thoroughly enjoy reading the magazine
I read with some interest the .22 Hornet article by Steve Gash on the Shoot- each month. The June issue’s cover article on
ing Times website (it also appeared in the September 2024 print issue of the .338 ARC was, as is the norm for Joseph
the magazine), and it was an informative read as I really like the .22 Hornet. von Benedikt’s work, beautifully crafted.
However, I noticed a slight problem with the reported first dates of rifles The purpose of my message is to remind
introduced in .22 Hornet. your readers that if you have an AR-15
Specifically, the Winchester company introduced the .22 Hornet in the lower receiver, you can buy a Uintah Pre-
Model 70 bolt action in 1937 not 1946 as the article mentions. That’s not a cision upper receiver, and you won’t need
big deal as there are only a few of these fine old Model 70s left in .22 Hornet, to buy an entire rifle. I have a UT-15 bolt-
but accuracy is important in shooting and in articles, too. action upper in 6mm ARC and a UT-15 gas
The only drawback to those Model 70s is the early ones were bored to gun upper receiver, heavy long barrel for
shoot 0.223-inch-diameter bullets (40- to 45-grain weights are the best due precision work, also in 6mm ARC. They’re
to the 1:16 rifling twist rate), so handloading is a must. both top quality units, which I mount on a
I hope this info is recognized as wanting to help rather than criticize the Colt 6920 lower.
author, as his article was very informative and well written. Keep up the great work!
Brad Flott Capt. Nicholas C. Gottuso (Ret)
Mobile, AL Via email

8 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025 EMAIL LETTERS TO [email protected]

My LC Brass Story rifle. DO NOT substitute lead bullet load data
In the May issue’s installment of “Ask the Experts,” a reader told his story of for jacketed bullet load data.
Lake City 7.62 NATO brass. I once bought a carton thinking I would shoot I assume the first bulged case encoun-
the ammo and have lots of brass to reload in my DSA rifle. Though I had tered also had a flattened primer. I advise
no problem resizing and the dimensions are like .308, the consistency of my students to stop immediately when any-
the metal resulted in cracked cases and head separation sometimes after thing out of the ordinary occurs. Typically,
one reload and more so after two reloads. I scrapped the cases rather than reduced-power loads may have backed-out
damage my gun. primers (indicative of low pressure), not flat-
Joseph Solimando tened primers (indicative of high pressure).
Via email Finally, I’m curious whether the flash hole
was offset and/or enlarged in the brass
Double Rifle Regulation before firing. This could also contribute to
I have enjoyed Shooting Times for many years, and Craig Boddington’s powder flashover.
article on the double rifle in the May issue was interesting. I have admired Erik Olson
double rifles for many years, but I never seriously thought of buying one Via email
because I never had the need and the prices were beyond my budget
until recently. I have never understood why double rifles are “regulated” A Purpose for the Mossberg
today in the same manner that was used 150 years ago. Surely modern Bolt-Action Shotgun
technology (lasers and such) could accomplish this task faster, easier, I thoroughly enjoyed Joseph von Benedikt’s
and better. It is said that if we still had the telephone system of 100 years column on the Mossberg bolt-action shot-
ago, we would need every woman (no sexism intended) age 18 to 60 to gun. He did a great job evaluating it the
operate the system. same way he would a Browning, Benelli, or
Jerry A. Ciccone any other sporting arm. I was amused, how-
Via email ever, when he seemed not to understand
the best utility of these guns. He points out
Resizing LC82 Brass they were not the best for wingshooting
I used to shoot M14s for the rifle team and reloaded many military brass but would work for rabbits and squirrels,
cases. I had trouble until I switched to RCBS Case Lube-2 resizing lubri- for deer in a pinch, and were only margin-
cant. It’s the lube I now use for 7.62/.308 cases because of their taper. ally better than a single shot.
It works! They were perfect farm guns! My uncle
John Napoliello and my grandfather lived on farms and
Via email needed the means to dispatch a skunk,
wolverine, or fox in the henhouse. Their
Response to “Don’t Load Too Little Powder” shotguns stayed in good condition because
As a certified NRA metallic reloading instructor, I can offer some addi- of light use and were returned to the rack
tional pointers regarding the .45-70 load with too little powder from the after the varmint was dispatched. A box of
July 2025 issue. shells would last them six months or more.
Best practice is to always use an overpowder wad with reduced or low- It’s easy to miss a varmint in the middle
volume loads, to help keep the powder immediately adjacent to the primer. of the night with a rifle and easier to hit it
For .45-70, try a 0.460-inch-diameter wad. Handloaders also can fill the with a shotgun.
remainder of the empty space with fiber wads in straight-taper cases like This farm use may help explain the short
the .45-70 to ensure the powder stays next to the primer. Doing so usually production duration for these guns. Many
improves consistency in low-volume loads. modern farmers now use Mossberg and
The current online load data for Accurate 5744 powder in the .45-70 lists Remington pump shotguns for the same
three different actions, each with a different starting load for the 400-grain reasons—they are affordable and they get
jacketed or 405-grain lead bullets. In addition to the action strength, the the job done. Unlike a sportsman, a typ-
groove diameter and the throat length are different in each. It’s paramount ical farmer only needs one, and keeps it
to understand that hard copper jacketed bullets in tight grooves (modern until he dies.
Browning/Winchester BPCR for example) require substantially more pres- Doug Akins
sure to get the bullet through the barrel than lead bullets through a Trapdoor Arlington, TX

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 9

 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS

Barnes Harvest Collection

The new Harvest Collection ammunition
from Barnes is engineered specifically for

Springfield Kuna hunting whitetails and thin-skinned game,

and as such it is loaded with Sierra Tipped
GameKing bullets and temperature-sta-
SPRINGFIELD’S NEW KUNA 9MM PISTOL IS A PRECISION-MANUFACTURED ble propellants. Barnes says, “Hunters can
PDW designed for personal protection. Developed in partnership with HS expect match-grade accuracy combined
Produkt, the Kuna employs a unique roller-delayed operating system, a with aggressive terminal performance,
monolithic aluminum upper, a 6.0-inch threaded barrel, a multi-port muzzle ensuring a successful hunt every time.” The
brake, fully ambidextrous controls, and adjustable hybrid flip-up metal sights. new ammunition is offered in .223 Rem-
It comes with two 30-round detachable magazines. Two versions are being ington, .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor,
offered. One has an integrated Picatinny rail on the end plate. The other 6.5 PRC, .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington
features a Strike Industries FSA single-side folding brace fitted out on the Magnum, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Spring-
Picatinny rail end plate. It weighs 4 pounds, 10 ounces. The upper has a field, and .300 Winchester Magnum.
black Type III hardcoat anodized finish. MSRP: $39.99 to $44.99
MSRP: $999 and $1,149 depending on configuration depending on chambering
springfield-armory.com barnesbullets.com

KelTec 10mm SUB2000 Carbine

KelTec has announced that its SUB2000
rifle will be available chambered for 10mm
Auto in late summer 2025. It’s the newest
caliber option for the folding carbine.
The SUB2000 uses the unique Gen 3
platform with a rotating fore-end and a twist-and-fold (in either direction) procedure, and it does so without any mounted
optics needing to be removed. The blowback-operated semiautomatic carbine features a 16.15-inch barrel, adjustable sights,
a Picatinny top rail, and M-LOK compatibility, and it uses 10mm Glock 20 15-round magazines. The carbine also is compat-
ible with various third-party stick and drum magazines. The 10mm SUB2000 weighs 5.6 pounds and is 29.2 inches long.
MSRP: $599 (black finish)
keltecweapons.com

10 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 SHOOTER’S UPDATE
READERS SPEAK OUT NEW GUNS & GEAR ASK THE EXPERTS

.22 WMR and Small-Game Handloads for

.22 LR Energies? the .223 Remington?

Q. I want to use my .223 Remington bolt-

action rifle for hunting small game.

Q. IN THE JUNE 2025 ISSUE THERE WAS AN INTERESTING “ASK THE

Experts” Q&A comparing .22 WMR velocities in handguns to .22 LR
velocities in rifles. While the table of results was nice, a comparison of energy
Does Lane Pearce have any handloads spe-
cifically for that? What advice can he give
me for building such handloads?
for the loadings would have added impact information to the answer. How Jake Holmes
do those energies compare? Via email
Roger Cox
Via email A. I can understand why a small-game
hunter might like to use his .223 Rem-

A. Thank you for your question, sir. You are correct in that the energy informa-
tion would have been helpful. Here is the velocity chart with the energy data,
as calculated through an online bullet energy web tool that uses bullet weight in
ington rifle for such pursuits. In fact, almost
10 years ago, I came up with three small-
game handloads for my .223 Rem. CZ 527
grains and velocity in feet per second to determine the energy in foot-pounds. bolt-action rifle. At the time, I included them
Joel J. Hutchcroft in an article that I wrote for the 2016 edi-
tion of the Hodgdon Annual Manual. Here
.22 WMR & .22 LR VELOCITY & ENERGY are their particulars.
This type of handload calls for lightweight
VEL. ENERGY bullets and small charges of fast-burning
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FT-LBS)
powders. Consequently, two of the hand-
.22 WMR S&W M&P 22 Magnum, 4.35-in. Barrel
loads used Hornady 40-grain V-Max bullets
Hornady Critical Defense 45-gr. FTX 1313 172
and Remington 6½ primers. One was stoked
Federal Game-Shok 50-gr. JHP 1103 135
with 6.0 grains of HP38 propellant, while the
.22 WMR Walther WMP, 4.90-in. Barrel
other was loaded with 6.0 grains of Trail Boss
Remington Magnum Rimfire 40-gr. PSP 1422 180
powder. The third handoad’s bullet was the
Hornady Critical Defense 45-gr. FTX 1363 186
Sierra 40-grain Varminter JHP, the primer for
Federal Game-Shok 50-gr. JHP 1126 141
it was the CCI 500, and it was loaded with
.22 LR Ruger 75th Anniversary 10/22, 18.5-in. Barrel 6.0 grains of CFE Pistol powder. The V-Max
CCI Stinger 32-gr. LHP 1722 211 and HP38 load produced an average veloc-
Remington Cyclone 36-gr. LGHP 1312 138 ity of 2,014 fps, with a standard deviation of
Winchester Super-X 37-gr. LHP 1133 105 13, and accuracy at 50 yards was 0.35 inch.
CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr. LSHP 1260 141 The V-Max and Trail Boss load produced an
Federal Classic 40-gr. LRN 1352 162 average velocity of 1,659 fps, with an S.D.
Remington High Velocity 40-gr. LRN 1285 147 of 26 and an accuracy of 0.50 inch. The Var-
SK High Velocity Match 40-gr. LRN 1142 116 minter JHP and CFE Pistol load produced an
SK Long Range Match 40-gr. LRN 1104 108 average velocity of 1,980 fps, with an S.D.
SK Standard Plus 40-gr. LRN 1041 96 of 6 and an accuracy of 0.45 inch.
.22 LR Winchester Ranger, 20.5-in. Barrel “Squirrel-head accuracy” has been
CCI Mini Mag 40-gr. CPRN 1195 127 described as being a half-inch at 50 yards.
Eley Match 40-gr. LFN 1052 98 Clearly, all three of these handloads achieved
Federal Gold Medal Target 40-gr. LRN #711 1121 112 that. Looking at their velocities shows that
Federal Hunter Match 40-gr. LHP 1135 114 they mimic .22 WMR and .22 Hornet bal-
Norma TAC-22 High Performance Target 40-gr. LRN 1018 92 listics, which are more than adequate for
PMC Match Rifle 40-gr. LRN 1038 96 hunting small game. By the way, my rifle has
SK Rifle Match 40-gr. LRN 995 88 a 23-inch barrel with a 1:9 twist rate. Bear in
SK Standard Plus 40-gr. LRN 1022 93 mind that none of these loads will generate
Winchester Power-Point 40-gr. LHP 1219 132 enough gas to operate an AR-15-type semi-
Winchester Wildcat 40-gr. LRN 1127 113 automatic rifle due to their small powder
NOTES: The .22 WMR velocities were measured 10 feet from the muzzles. The .22 LR velocities charges.
were measured 12 feet from the muzzles.
Lane Pearce

12 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025 EMAIL QUESTIONS TO [email protected]

 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN THE RELOADER

Winchester Model 70 XTR

Featherweight .257 Roberts
Winchester’s push-feed Model 70 XTR rifles are not legendary,
but maybe they should be. BY JOSEPH VON BENEDIKT

MOST RIFLE AFICIONADOS KNOW THE STORY OF bolt action that emerged from the redesign is a very
the so-called demise of the original Winchester Model nice rifle—particularly in the case of the XTR Feath-
70. (I’ve mentioned it in this column several times.) erweight, such as the one spotlighted in this column.
In the early 1960s, skilled craftsmen trained before Like many who love the original controlled-feed
and during the world wars were retiring out of the Model 70 and consider it among the best action
gunmaker’s realm. Remington’s then-new Model 700 designs ever, I’ve always had a hard time regarding
was threatening sales. Production cost of the origi- the push-feed Model 70 as a “real” Model 70. I cele-
nal Mauser-based Model 70 loomed nearly as high brated when Winchester brought back the “Classic”
as value, reducing profit margins to an unsustainable Model 70 in the 1990s.
level. The “Rifleman’s Rifle” was in peril. But the fact is, the push-feed Model 70 can stand
Featuring a Winchester hired a top executive from Ford to turn on its own. The redesigned action was produced for
three-position
safety on the the company around. Complex actions were rede- a longer period (1964 through 2006) than the origi-
bolt shroud, an signed. Machined parts were replaced with stamped nal controlled-feed Model 70, and more were made.
integral recoil parts wherever possible. Hand-fitting was abandoned.
lug, a strong
extractor, and Savants of the early Winchesters saw the shift as a Mechanicals
generally very cheapening of the brand. Quality, some purists claim, Bolts on push-feed Model 70s do not have the massive
nice finishes, plummeted. non-rotating Mauser-type claw extractor that pro-
Winchester’s
Post-’64 push- Probably, they’re right. To a point. However, amid vides controlled-round feeding. Rather, the extractor
feed bolt-action all the kerfuffle some very solid, well-finished guns of these Post-’64 rifles was a small hook-type affair
is actually a were built. Model 94s from the 1970s are now prob- dovetailed into the front of the right-side locking lug.
very good
design. ably the best values on the lever-action market. And Aside from the fact that it’s not a Mauser extractor,
although it’s a push-feed design, the Model 70 XTR it’s actually a very good design.

14 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 Winchester Model 70 XTR Featherweight .257 Roberts // Continued From Page 14

Perhaps most significantly, the new Winchester One other aspect of the Post-’64 rifles that surprised many folks was
Model 70 extractor was much stronger and more reli- how well push-feed Model 70s shoot. Clearly, barrel quality was one area
able and durable than the C-clip style extractor in its where Winchester made no compromises even though the company went
primary challenger: Remington’s Model 700 action. from using time-consuming cut-rifled barrels to hammer-forged barrels.
The push-feed Model 70 boltface completely There’s a screw-related nuance of the push-feed Model 70 XTR (and
encloses the base of the cartridge, providing a theoret- indeed all actions that use two-piece bottom metal with three action
ically stronger and safer lockup than Pre-’64 versions. screws). If you overtighten the middle screw—the one that secures the
Other features of the Model 70 XTR are undeni- front of the trigger guard—you can introduce accuracy-robbing ten-
ably superior to the Remington Model 700 design. sion into the action. That middle screw should be barely finger tight.
One is the three-position safety on the bolt shroud, Post-’64 Model 70 triggers can be rather heavy. The rifle I used for
which blocks the firing pin when engaged and locks this column has an average trigger pull of 6 pounds, 2 ounces. A good
the bolt closed when in the third position. It’s stronger gunsmith can lighten them, and if yours is too stout, it’s worth doing.
and more reliable than any trigger-blocking, two-posi- There’s one other worthy modification that can turn an average rifle
tion Model 700-type safety. into a tackdriver. Have the action glass bedded and the barrel free-floated.
Another superior feature is the recoil lug, which is Most of the push-feed Model 70s have snugly fitted barrel channels, and
machined integral with the Winchester action, unlike inconsistent contact between wood and steel causes changes in barrel
the separate recoil lug Remington 700s use. vibrations. Accuracy suffers. Action bedding and barrel free-floating
Bolt travel of the Post-’64 Model 70 push-feed remedy that.
action is smooth as silk, at least after an anti-bind
groove was added in 1968. Provenance
Off-putting to Model 70 fans was the cheap-looking The .257 Roberts rifle shown here belongs to a friend, who bought it
stamped bottom metal and pressed-in “checkering” on from his dad and gave it to his wife. To make it fit her petite frame, he
the entry-level Post-’64 Model 70s. There’s no debat- had the stock shortened and a nice recoil pad installed by a gunsmith.
ing the fact that some ugly, cheap-looking Model 70s As I said earlier, the rifle is an XTR Featherweight, which is one of the
were made in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. nicest push-feed Model 70 variations ever made.
However, after the 1968 revision, the upper-tier
Model 70s featured well-made, well-finished bottom Rangetime
metal and clean-cut, elegant checkering. At the range, my first impression of this Model 70 XTR was how smooth
Less noticeable was that Winchester went from the push-feed action is. The second was how heavy the trigger is.
machining Pre-’64 Model 70 actions from bar stock Groups with the first type of ammo I tried (Hornady’s 117-grain SST)
to forging them. After forging, a bit of machine time ranged from disappointing to dismal. The average was 2.76 inches at 100
finished them up. This process was less expensive and yards. That’s adequate for deer hunting out to a couple hundred yards,
less time-consuming. The fact is the finished product but it doesn’t inspire confidence.
is strong, straight, and durable. Here, the disadvan- The second load fared much better. It was 100-grain Partitions in
tage is mostly perceived. the Nosler Custom ammo line, and it averaged 1.04 inches, just squeak-
ing into that magical sub-MOA category. I suspect that if glass bedded,
POST-’64 MODEL 70 XTR FEATHERWEIGHT free-floated, and fitted with a good trigger, this little rifle would shoot
lights out.
MANUFACTURER Winchester Repeating Arms Reliability was stellar throughout testing. The push-feed action fed,
TYPE Push-feed bolt-action repeater fired, extracted, and ejected beautifully. Balance, too, was excellent. The
CALIBER .257 Roberts rifle mounts well, points naturally, and feels good.
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 5 rounds
BARREL 22 in. POST-’64 MODEL 70 XTR FEATHERWEIGHT
OVERALL LENGTH 41.25 in.
100-YD.
WEIGHT, EMPTY 7.63 lbs. (with scope) VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC.
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.)
STOCK Walnut
LENGTH OF PULL 12 in. (stock was cut down) .257 Roberts, 22-in. Barrel
FINISH Blued Nosler 100-gr. Partition 2949 72 22 1.04
SIGHTS None Hornady 117-gr. SST 2837 93 19 2.76
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of three, three-shot groups fired from a sandbag ben-
TRIGGER 6.13-lb. pull (as tested) chrest. Velocity is the average of nine rounds measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro
SAFETY
Three-position rotating wing on Doppler chronograph adjacent to the gun’s muzzle. Ambient temperature: 55 degrees
bolt shroud Fahrenheit. Elevation: 4,600 feet.

16 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN THE RELOADER

Holdbacks in Ammo Pressure

and Velocity Explained
Good reasons exist for why some cartridges loaded
in the U.S. are well under pressure or velocity
specs of the identical cartridges loaded elsewhere,
especially Europe. BY ALLAN JONES

IN READING JACK O’CONNOR ARTICLES where Mausers were invented don’t seem to worry
during my youth, I realized that some cartridges about lug count. I see another suspect: Remington’s
loaded in the U.S. were well under pressure or veloc- Model 1867 Rolling Block action.
ity specs of the identical cartridges loaded elsewhere, Its pivoting breechblock had a load-bearing crosspin
especially Europe. Later I learned some are loaded in the receiver positioned below the primary thrust
far under their SAAMI maximum average pressure vector—the axis of the bore. Wear-induced “slop”
(MAP) assignments. Let’s look at some examples. in the system’s dimensions can cause the breech to
“lean” rearward under load, effectively making the
Pressure hold-
back for .45-70 7mm Mauser (SAAMI MAP: 46,000 CUP top of the chamber longer than the bottom. This
ammunition crusher; 51,000 psi transducer) was manageable with blackpowder, but quite a few
(left) is out of Differences in sensor type and placement make a direct Rolling Blocks chambered for 7x57 ended up in the
concern for
old firearms. correlation of SAAMI to European (CIP) pressure U.S. The 7x57mm was always a smokeless cartridge.
The .454 Casull standards difficult, but we can roughly approximate A friend had a well-worn 7mm Rolling Block.
(center) and the Euro standards for 7mm Mauser (7x57mm) as equiv- After firing domestic 7mm Mauser factory ammo,
.357 Magnum
(right) may alent to our 58,000 psi. he noticed the fired cases leaned slightly when stand-
be held under The reason commonly cited is the lack of the third ing on their bases. That’s bad; too much stretch can
max pressure “safety” locking lug in pre-Model 98 Mauser bolt- rupture a case. Keeping 7mm Mauser pressures down
for function
reasons. action rifles. Most surplus 7x57mm Mausers in the in the U.S. may have been influenced by such worn-
U.S. were two-lug models, but those who live and hunt out Rolling Block rifles.

18 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 Holdbacks in Ammo Pressure and Velocity Explained // Continued From Page 18

.35 Remington (SAAMI MAP: 35,000 CUP; 33,500 psi) modern transducer-based test gear. The highest blackpowder
The .35 Remington’s pressure seems grossly underrated today. average pressures we recorded were—wait for it—just under
Compare its pressure assignment to the .30-30-Winchester at 21,000 psi. Good call on my friend’s part.
42,000 psi, a cartridge chambered in similar rifles. Opinions
lean to early semiautomatic and slide-action rifles in .35 Rem- 8mm Mauser
ington, not lever guns. I can’t quibble with those opinions. (SAAMI MAP: 37,000 CUP; 35,000 psi)
Both “old gun” and “wrong gun” issues exist here. The Euro
.45-70 Government pressure limit would be about 58,000 psi on SAAMI systems,
(SAAMI MAP: 28,000 CUP; 28,000 psi) a massive 65 percent increase over U.S. pressures. We tested
Here, holdback to under SAAMI numbers is clearly attribut- surplus Turkish military ammo for pressure; 50,000 CUP—
able to “old guns.” For decades the majority of civilians shooting exactly the .30-06’s crusher max.
.45-70 had surplus “Trapdoor” Springfield rifles built for black- Holdback in 8mm Mauser is cited as its being able to be
powder. They were appealing to civilians looking to enjoy the fired in a .30-06 chamber—and other chambers as well. A
big-bore rifle experience “on the cheap,” but they’re never strong. 0.323-inch-diameter bullet stuck in a 0.308-inch bore is trou-
I wanted to add .45-70 reloading data appropriate to orig- ble. Another reason cited is early 8mm rifles had the smaller
inal Trapdoor models to the Speer manuals I developed, so I “J” bore and used 0.318-inch bullets, not the 0.323-inch ver-
phoned a ballistician friend whose company cataloged two sions developed for later 8x57mm rifles.
loads. He said they held their 405-grain ammo to about 18,000
psi. However, the 300-grain bullet showed high extreme varia- .470 Nitro Express
tions if loaded that light. They took it to 21,000 psi, which he (SAAMI MAP: 35,000 CUP; 41,000 psi)
judged the upper limit appropriate to Trapdoor actions. Years This buffalo-buster is held to .30-30 pressures for good reason.
later at Speer, we tested blackpowder .45-70 handloads on It was conceived 125 years ago in England for double rifles with

20 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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 Holdbacks in Ammo Pressure and Velocity Explained // Continued From Page 20

modified shotgun lockups and burned Cordite propellant. Early fewer than about 200 rounds is a problem. Slowing the wear
Cordite versions were notorious for over-sensitivity to temper- rate is a test-intensive balancing act between propellant char-
ature. Firing pressures could spike in high temperatures. It was acteristics, bullet construction, and peak pressures.
loaded “light” in England to keep pressures manageable in sub-
Saharan Africa. A Velocity Holdback
SAAMI lists recommended velocities for different bullet
Handgun Ammo weights. One submission showed 9mm Luger ammo with
Old handguns chambered for .32 S&W Short and Long, .38 95-grain bullets doing 1,400 fps at the muzzle. A maker of
S&W, .32-20 Winchester, .38-40, .44-40, .45 Colt, and even 9mm pistols asked SAAMI to reduce that recommendation to
.44 Russian/Special still exist. Those cartridges are held under under 1,350 fps to avoid potential slide damage to some of its
15,000 psi and often factory-loaded lighter—10,000 to 11,000 psi. models. Slide velocity at firing is proportional to bullet velocity,
Commonly, load pressure limits for factory Magnum hand- and too much can accelerate wear on a pistol’s slide and frame.
gun cartridges are held back. When .357 Magnum pressures SAAMI complied, and the recommended muzzle veloc-
were controlled on crusher, the MAP was 45,000 CUP. I’ve ity for 9mm Luger with a 95-grain bullet remains at 1,330 fps
never crusher-tested any factory ammo that averaged over today, but someone else later slipped in a recommendation for
38,000 CUP. The .454 Casull has a huge MAP of 65,000 psi, an 88-grain bullet at 1,500 fps. Maybe the affected pistols were
but the highest factory ammo we tested posted about 55,000 upgraded or discontinued.
psi. Why? To ensure manageable extraction forces from dou- Remember that SAAMI recommendations are voluntary but
ble-action revolvers. always reflect best practices. Although SAAMI pressure-test-
Another issue is erosion of a revolver’s topstrap over the bar- ing equipment is very different from its European counterpart,
rel-cylinder gap and the breech end of the barrel. Most revolvers the two organizations work hand in hand so that “safe” on one
wear at these points to some degree over time. Severe wear after system is “safe” on the other.

22 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 SHOOTER’S GALLERY
THE SHOOTIST THE BALLISTICIAN THE RELOADER

CCI Blazer Brass

CCI Blazer Brass ammunition is now offered with
JHP bullets and is totally reloadable. BY LANE PEARCE

CCI RECENTLY ADDED FOUR NEW PRODUCTS included “NR”, i.e., “Not Reloadable.” The rounds
to their popular Blazer centerfire pistol ammuni- featured Berdan instead of conventional Boxer
tion portfolio. Until now, most Blazer ammo has primers to further discourage reloading the fired
featured copper-plated, full metal jacket bullets. aluminum cases.
The new-for-2025 Blazer Brass 9mm, .40 S&W, More calibers soon followed: .25 Auto, 9mm,
10mm Auto, and .45 ACP factory loads are all .357 Magnum (1983); .45 ACP (1985); and .380
topped with conventional cup-and-core, jacketed Auto (1986). Line extensions featuring new
hollowpoint bullets, they are loaded into reload- bullet configurations for the previous rounds
able brass cases, and they feature Boxer primers. were offered. The list grew and grew as the years
Blazer ammunition is available in 14 different cali- passed. At one time, CCI Blazer was offered in
bers, from .25 Auto to .45 Colt, and there are more 9mm Makarov and 9mm Largo (I’ve fired both).
than 30 different loads. Several items are assem- Eventually they added powerful .41 Magnum, .44
bled in aluminum cartridge cases and should not Magnum, and .45 Colt Cowboy ammo. They even
be reloaded, while others—including these latest made .357 SIG ammo for a short while. All were
JHP loads—use brass cases that are fully reload- loaded in aluminum cases.
able. I obtained samples of the new factory-loaded Back to the subject at hand. When it came to
ammo for T&E, and of course, I also handloaded reloading the new Blazer Brass cases, as expected,
the fired brass to compare ballistic performance. the reloading session revealed no surprises. I
Lane test-fired A bit of history of CCI Blazer ammo may be resized, decapped, and primed each batch of fired
CCI’s new Blazer
Brass JHP of interest to readers. CCI started manufacturing cases without incident. I chose propellants and
ammunition in centerfire pistol ammo in 1981 to complement bullets to hopefully duplicate the factory loads’
four chamber- their very successful primer and rimfire ammu- velocities as close as possible. Small primers are
ings and then
reloaded the nition product lines, which began in the early used in all of the new Blazer Brass factory loads.
brass cases. The 1950s. Starting with only three .38 Special loads, Standard Small Pistol primers have proved to be
new products the unconventional, aluminum-cased Blazer ammo quite adequate for igniting 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45
performed to
his satisfaction. was intended to provide a quality product at a more ACP ammo; however, if you fill the larger-capac-
affordable price. The identification headstamp ity and high-pressure 10mm case with a relatively

24 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 HOLLOW POINT
expands up to 1.5X the original diameter
resulting in maximum stopping power

WHERE CAN I BUY WINCHESTER AMMUNITION?

Visit Winchester.com to find a dealer near you!
 CCI Blazer Brass // Continued From Page 24

slow-burn-rate propellant like Accu- in this pistol, as evidenced by the

rate No. 9, a “hotter” Small Pistol excellent accuracy average and the sin-
Magnum primer like the CCI 550 is gle-digit velocity standard deviation.
recommended, and that’s what I used And on another note, during the range
for my 10mm handloads. session, when firing the handloads, we
As the accompanying chart shows, made an interesting discovery. We used
the new factory loads performed sat- Matt’s Garmin Xero C1 Pro Doppler
isfactorily, with most of the handloads chronograph and my Oehler M35P
yielding slightly better accuracy. All chronograph set up on each side of the
in all, this exercise proved to my satis- bag rest. We compared velocity data and
faction that the new Blazer Brass JHP determined each number didn’t vary
ammo shoots well and can be success- more than one fps. Even the high and
fully handloaded. low readings matched within one fps. I
I just have to mention that the 10mm asked him if he had both chronographs
long-slide Kimber Model 1911 used for slaved together, and he assured me the
this report belongs to a friend of mine readings were recorded independently.
(his name is Matt Reed, and he did all So, the few excessive extreme spreads
the shooting for this report). The new shown in the chart are real and not sus-
ammunition performed exceptionally picious data glitches.

CCI BLAZER BRASS ACCURACY & VELOCITY

25-YD.
POWDER VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC.
BULLET (TYPE) (GRS.) CASE PRIMER (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.)
9mm Ruger RXM, 4.0-in. Barrel
Hornady CCI Blazer CCI
VV 3N37 5.9 1149 36 11 3.05
115-gr. XTP Brass 500
Sierra CCI Blazer CCI
Silhouette 5.6 1155 26 8 2.38
115-gr. JHP Brass 500
CCI Blazer Brass 115-gr. JHP Factory Load 1138 68 16 2.96
.40 S&W Glock 23, 4.02-in. Barrel
Hornady CCI Blazer CCI
CFE Pistol 5.8 963 39 14 2.41
180-gr. XTP Brass 500
Hornady CCI Blazer CCI
Longshot 6.1 996 48 15 2.25
180-gr. XTP Brass 500
CCI Blazer Brass 180-gr. JHP Factory Load 965 103 21 2.87
10mm Kimber 1911, 6.0-in. Barrel
Hornady CCI Blazer CCI
Blue Dot 10.0 1202 111 38 1.95
180-gr. XTP Brass 550
Hornady Accurate CCI Blazer CCI
13.0 1213 77 24 1.86
180-gr. XTP No. 9 Brass 550
CCI Blazer Brass 180-gr. JHP Factory Load 1211 29 8 2.02
.45 ACP Ruger SR1911, 5.0-in. Barrel
Speer 230-gr. Power CCI Blazer CCI
6.3 781 70 18 2.85
Gold Dot Pistol Brass 500
Speer 230-gr. CCI Blazer CCI
W231 5.2 708 48 14 2.71
Gold Dot Brass 500
CCI Blazer Brass 230-gr. JHP Factory Load 782 49 11 3.18
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of two, five-shot groups. Velocity is the average of at least 10 rounds.
All load data should be used with caution. Always start with reduced loads first and make sure they
are safe in each of your guns before proceeding to the high test loads listed. Since Shooting Times has
no control over your choice of components, guns, or actual loadings, neither Shooting Times nor the
various firearms and components manufacturers assumes any responsibility for the use of this data.
 HORNADY

AMMUNITION
HORNADY’S NEW BACKCOUNTRY
DEFENSE HANDGUN AMMO IS
DESIGNED TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM
PENETRATION WITH NO
DEFLECTION, AND IT PRODUCES
EXCELLENT ACCURACY.
BY BRAD MILLER PHD

PHOTO COURTESY OF HORNADY.

HORNADY BACKCOUNTRY DEFENSE AMMUNITION

Hornady’s Back-
country Defense
ammo is offered
in 9mm +P,
.357 Magnum,
10mm Auto,
.44 Magnum,
.454 Casull, .460
S&W Magnum,
and .500 S&W
Magnum. Brad
tested the .357
Magnum and
.44 Magnum
loadings.

S
PENDING TIME IN THE WILDERNESS IS A WON- that locks the nose to the core. The copper base produces no
derful way to get away from the world. Hunting, hiking, lead smoke to obscure your view for follow-up shots, which
camping, whatever you enjoy. But the wilderness can be can happen when using wax-lubed cast bullets. These are heavy
a dangerous place. The beautiful creatures that live in bullets, and that aids penetration, too.
nature can be a genuine threat to our existence. Apex Hornady Backcountry Defense ammo is offered in 9mm +P,
predators reign in the wild, and we are just visitors in their .357 Magnum, 10mm Auto, .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, .460
world. They see us as intruders or prey. Bears are the biggest S&W Magnum, and .500 S&W Magnum. I tested the .357
predators in the woods, and while bear attacks are rare, they Magnum and .44 Magnum offerings.
are an ever-present threat. Large ungulates like moose, elk, and The .357 Magnum has a 165-grain bullet with a reported
bison don’t take kindly to our presence, either, and an ill-man- speed of 1,510 fps from a 10-inch, non-vented barrel. At that
nered one could rid the world of you. In short, nature is scary, speed, its energy calculates out to 835 ft-lbs. The .44 Magnum
and it’s wise to be armed. load has a 240-grain bullet with a reported speed of 1,620 fps
The best defense against these beasts is a powerful rifle or from an 8.0-inch barrel, producing an energy of 1,398 ft-lbs.
shotgun. But sometimes a long gun is not practical, and we I fired the sample ammo from two barrel lengths because
turn to a handgun. As with any task, the ammunition choice people will differ on which barrel length they will carry for
matters. Big animals have big bones and big muscles, and the their woods adventures. Some folks will carry short-barreled
bullet needs to penetrate deep to smash its way through to do revolvers for convenience, but some folks are fine with long
as much damage as possible and to reach vital organs. Handgun barrels, and they produce more speed, which produces more
calibers can do that with the
right bullets.
Hornady’s Back-
Hornady recently intro- country Defense
duced a new handg un handgun ammo
ammunition line for just this is loaded with
heavy-for-cali-
purpose. They call it Back- ber DGH bullets.
country Defense. These loads Note how the
feature a new jacketed bullet copper jack-
ets fold around
design named DGH (Dan- the edges of the
gerous Game Handgun) bullets’ noses.
intended to produce max-
imum penetration with no
deflection. The bullet nose
has a jacket-protected point

30 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

HORNADY BACKCOUNTRY DEFENSE AMMUNITION

penetration. The ammunition was tested for

accuracy at 25 yards with the guns mounted
in a Ransom Rest.
The .357 Magnum 165-grain Backcountry
Defense ammo produced an average velocity
of 1,250 fps from my 7.0-inch-barreled S&W
Model 686 and 1,135 fps from a 3.0-inch-bar-
reled S&W Model 60. For comparison, I get
1,250+ fps from Remington and Federal 180-
grain factory loads in the 7.0-inch gun. The
Hornady ammo’s 10-shot group from the 7.0-
inch Model 686 was 1.96 inches, and that’s
quite good.
The .44 Magnum 240-grain Backcountry
Defense ammo averaged 1,360 fps from my
For this evaluation, Brad fired the .357 Magnum Backcountry Defense ammo in a
4.0-inch-barreled S&W Model 629 and 1,370 7.0-inch-barreled S&W Model 686 and a 3.0-inch-barreled S&W Model 60.
fps from my 6.0-inch-barreled Model 629. Yes,
that’s only 10 fps gain in speed from the 2.0-
inch longer barrel, but the 6.0-inch gun has a
wider barrel-cylinder gap than the 4.0-inch
gun, and that can reduce speed considerably.
The speeds with the .44 Magnum load were
right up there with other 240-grain loads.
For example, a Federal 240-grain JHP load
clocks 1,314 fps from the 4.0-inch gun and
1,338 fps from the 6.0-inch gun. The 4.0-inch
Model 629 produced a 2.86-inch eight-shot
group, and the 6.0-inch model 629 produced
a 1.94-inch eight-shot group. Again those are
at 25 yards.
Hornady’s Backcountry Defense DGH
bullets should produce excellent penetration
because of their design. Velocities were high
enough to push them deep through thick
The .44 Magnum Backcountry Defense ammo was fired in a 6.0-inch-barreled S&W
muscle and bone, and their accuracy will keep Model 629 and a 4.0-inch-barreled S&W Model 629 for this report.
them all in the size of a bear’s skull.

HORNADY BACKCOUNTRY DEFENSE ACCURACY & VELOCITY

25-YD.
VEL. E.S. S.D. ENERGY ACC.
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (FT-LBS) (IN.)
.357 Magnum S&W Model 686, 7.0-in. Barrel
Hornady Backcountry Defense 165-gr. DGH 1250 89 28 572 1.96
.357 Magnum S&W Model 60, 3.0-in. Barrel
Hornady Backcountry Defense 165-gr. DGH 1135 38 15 472 ----
.44 Magnum S&W Model 629, 6.0-in. Barrel
Hornady Backcountry Defense 165-gr. DGH 1370 63 21 1000 1.94
.44 Magnum S&W Model 629, 4.0-in. Barrel
Hornady Backcountry Defense 165-gr. DGH 1360 53 17 985 2.86
NOTES: Accuracy for the .357 Magnum is a single 10-shot group with the 7.0-inch-barreled revolver mounted in a Ransom Rest.
The 3.0-inch .357 Magnum revolver was not fired for accuracy. Accuracy for the .44 Magnum is a single eight-shot group with the
revolver mounted in a Ransom Rest. Velocity is the average of 10 rounds for the 7.0-inch .357 Magnum, five rounds for the 3.0-inch
.357 Magnum, and eight rounds for both .44 Magnum guns. They were measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro Doppler chronograph.

32 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 ©2025 O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.

990 AFTERSHOCK™ SEMI-AUTO

WORTH
 M
PULSAR’S INCREDIBLE Y INTRODUCTION TO USING THERMAL OPTICS CAME
while night-hunting wild boars in the virgin thickets of Argen-
THERMION 2 LRF XP60 tina. In a dramatic shift to the far end of the spectrum, my next
RIFLESCOPE IS A GAME- use of the technology was while day-hunting aoudad in the
CHANGER IN THE WORLD arid desert canyons of West Texas. The following year ther-
mal wasn’t just helpful, it was a game-changer in England’s old-growth
OF LOW-LIGHT HUNTING. timber stands while hunting fanged muntjac deer.
Thermal optics have evolved like cell phones, and of the various con-
sumer-available brands, in my limited experience, Pulsar appears to be the
tip of the spear when it comes to innovation and quality. The company’s
recently introduced Thermion 2 LRF 60-series riflescopes showcase this.
There are three variations of the 60-series Thermion 2 LRF: the flag-
ship XL60, which features an incredible 1024x768 sensor, 2.5-20X zoom,
and a 2,800-meter detection range on deer. The XG60 has a 640x480
sensor paired with 4-32X zoom, giving it extremely good resolution for its
BY JOSEPH VON BENEDIKT sensor size but a narrow field of view. It has a 2,800-meter detection range.

34 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 THERMION 2 LRF XP60
Pulsar’s new Thermion 2 LRF XP60 is a state-of-the-art thermal hunting scope with MANUFACTURER
Pulsar
on-board laser rangefinder and ballistic compensation. pulsarnv.com
DISPLAY TYPE Micro-OLED
RESOLUTION, PIXELS 2560x2560
SENSOR @ 17 µm 640x480
OBJECTIVE LENS F60/1.1
Reviewed here is the XP60, arguably the most practical of MAGNIFICATION 3-24X
the three for predator hunters. It has the same 640x480 sensor FIELD OF VIEW 10.4 degrees/18.1m@100m
as the XG60 paired with a 3-24X zoom. This lowers resolu- DETECTION RANGE 2,000 meters on deer
tion a bit when zoomed way in but offers a wider field of view, CLICK RANGE 2840mm@100m
enabling the user to more effectively scan for and detect quick- PRELOADED RETICLES 10
traveling predators. For those who live by the numbers, the RESOLUTION, PIXELS 640x480
XP60’s resolution is 2560x2560 pixels. Video recording reso- FRAME RATE 50 Hz
lution is 1280x960. RANGEFINDER MAX
RANGE 800m
Without getting bogged down in too much technical jargon,
VIDEO/PHOTO
let’s just point out that all three utilize a highly advanced Micro- RESOLUTION 1280x960
OLED display inside to provide a vastly improved scope-filling BUILT-IN MEMORY 64GB
screen. Instead of peering at a modest square of display when you BLUETOOTH Yes
look into the scope, you’ll find nearly the entire inside filled by WI-FI Yes
the display. This is apparently enabled by the 60mm front lens. WATERPROOF Yes
Only a little is cut off the top and bottom of the round field of OPERATING
TEMPERATURE -13 to 122 degrees F
view, and those regions are utilized to display crucial settings.
As many readers know, premium thermal scopes cost the MAIN TUBE SIZE 30mm
equivalent of a new base-model four-wheeler. As tech advances SUPPORTING APPS
Stream Vision Ballistics,
Stream Vision 2
and marketplace competition continues to drive manufactur-
RECOIL RESISTANCE 12-gauge slugs, .375 H&H
ing innovation, those prices are coming down. But the cost
BATTERY TYPE
Li-Ion APS3/3200 mAh/
still seems ghastly expensive to shooters new to thermal. The DC 3.7V
Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XP60 has a suggested retail of about BATTERY CAPACITY,
4900 mAh
BUILT IN
$6,500 but sells online for about $5,500. The XG60 is about
OPERATING TIME ON
the same, as it offers the same quality with subtle differences in BATTERY PACK 7 hours @72 degrees F
features. The flagship XL60 will set you back closer to $7,000. EXTERNAL
5V via USB-C
POWER SUPPLY
So, just what does one get when forking out $5,500 for a
WEIGHT 43 oz.
good predator-optimized Thermion 2 LRF XP60? Quite a lot.
LENGTH 17.4 in.
As I researched and worked with this scope, the deeper I got
into its features and capability, the more impressed I became. MSRP $6,499.97

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 35

TIP OF THE SPEAR

Use the three shortcut buttons atop the ocular housing to zoom, record video and images,
and activate the rangefinder.

Fundamentally, the Thermion 2 is a thermal riflescope. You

mount it on a rifle, sight it in (which is a digital process), and
then go hunt with it. It’s optimized for use at night, of course,
but actually works reasonably well for certain daylight shoot-
ing tasks, too.
However, the Thermion 2 LRF XP60 goes way beyond its
fundamental use factor. For starters, it has an on-board range- imagine tracking a fast-incoming coyote with the rangefinder on
finder capable to 800 meters (875 yards). That’s what the LRF scan mode, the on-board ballistic calculator constantly updat-
stands for—laser rangefinder. Press the appropriate rubber ing the aiming reticle meanwhile? When the predator stops,
button atop the ocular housing to activate the rangefinder, just plaster the X on the song-dog and squeeze the trigger.
place the little red reticle brackets on the object you wish to Marvelous! This was an epiphany to my inner Fudd. I’ve
range, and press it again. Or, if hunting in a dynamic situation, worked with most of the consumer-available laser rangefind-
long-press the button to activate scan mode. The rangefinder ing scopes, such as Burris’s various Eliminator scopes and the
will provide continuous feedback on whatever it’s pointed at short-lived Zeiss Diarange T, but I hadn’t realized that tech-
until you deactivate it. nology also lived in thermal scopes.
That’s all very cool, I mused while familiarizing myself with To be candid, the technology is probably better in the
the scope. However, it does not have a dial-up ballistic turret Thermion 2 LRF than those others. Thermion 2s are state-of-
that enables precise shooting at distance. In my ignorance, I the-art digital optics, and I suspect they feature tip-of-the-spear
figured that thanks to the rangefinder, at least I’d know when programs and capability. For example, you can activate environ-
a critter was outside the maximum point-blank range of what- mental conditions, and the scope will pull geo-specific weather
ever sizzling-fast cartridge I sighted the Thermion 2 in for. info (temperature, altitude, and so forth) and incorporate it
I hugely underestimated the scope. into the ballistic calculations.
A bit more research revealed that ballistic profiles may be Another feature that blew me away is the fact that you can
created in Pulsar’s Stream Vision Ballistics companion app upload multiple different ballistic profiles, and you can switch
and uploaded into the scope via Bluetooth. When it’s acti- between them in just a few seconds using the controller button/
vated, the user can dial for any given distance to 1,600 yards wheel on the left side of the scope. Once uploaded, each profile
using the control on the side of the scope. Even better, when must be selected and sighted in at your chosen zero distance.
the rangefinder pings an object inside 800 meters, the scope With that completed, you can select and use that profile any-
automatically adjusts the reticle for the distance. Can you just time you need it.

36 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

TIP OF THE SPEAR

This has vast implications. You can zero a given rifle—for The primary control button/knob is located on the left side
example the Sako 90 Peak chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor that of what would be the turret housing on a normal scope. Short
I installed the Thermion 2 LRF XP60 on for testing—with presses and long presses activate the various menus, and the
various different loads that have massively different purposes. knob may be rotated to scroll through the various functions,
And you can switch between those different loads without then pressed to select. It can also be used to make fine adjust-
having to re-zero the scope. The crosshair instantly resets to ments to the zoom.
the different zero when you select a different ballistic profile. Atop the ocular housing are three short-cut buttons. One
Case in point: I first created a ballistic profile for Hornady 140- activates the laser rangefinder. Press to turn it on and press
grain ELD Match bullets, uploaded the profile, and zeroed the again to measure. Long-press to activate scan rangefinding
Sako 90 Peak for it. Next, since I plan to do a lot of nighttime mode. Long-press again to deactivate.
predator and varmint control with the setup, I created a profile for Another button cycles the scope through x2 zoom steps
fast-moving, frangible Hornady 95-grain V-Max bullets, uploaded (3X, 6X, 12X, and 24X, then back to 3X). Once in zooming
the additional profile to the scope, and zeroed it. I now can switch mode, use the primary control knob on the left side to make
loads on the fly, select the appropriate profile in the scope, and just fine adjustments.
shoot. No re-zeroing for the different load is necessary.
I’m going to add another profile—probably built for Swift
140-grain A-Frame bullets that are ideal for tougher game, such
Focusing the
as wild boars with rut-thickened gristle shields. If I were to go image of the
from sniping raiding raccoons off of a feeder to clobbering a OLED dis-
big Eurasian boar off a gut pile, I’d just swap out cartridges, play inside
the thermal
switch to the appropriate profile, and shoot. scope is easily
As if providing an appropriately zeroed reticle for your stan- done with the
dard zero distance wasn’t enough, the laser rangefinder and winged knobs
on either side
ballistic program measure and calculate the holdover for long- of the objective
range shots as well. Whether shooting that 95-grain V-Max or housing.
the 140-grain A-Frame, I can go from muzzle distance to way,
way out there and not only measure the distance to the target,
but I can hold on the money and hit my target.
Here’s where it gets even more impressive. The Thermion 2
LRF XP60 has 10 different primary profiles—indicated by A
through J—each with 10 sub-profiles. You can mount the scope
The laser range-
in high-quality quick-detach 30mm rings that promise excellent finder built into
return-to-zero capability and—here’s the crazy part—sight it the housing
in on multiple different rifles. All you have to do is create and atop the front
objective lens
name each rifle and load profile and zero it when first uploaded will range to
into the scope. The Thermion 2 LRF XP60 will save the set- 875 yards. Note
tings. Want to swap the scope back and forth between a 6.5 the Therm-
ion 2 LRF XP60
Weatherby RPM precision bolt action set up for night-calling comes with a
wolves (where legal) to a .300 Blackout AR-15 set up for stalk- protective flip
ing feral pigs? You can do that. cap for the
objective lens.
Let’s look at some of the simpler functions that everyone
with a thermal scope wants: zoom, focus, digital recording,
and so forth along with color pallettes, contrast adjustments,
reticle types and colors, and whatnot.
Thermion 2
Control buttons and knobs are located in five places on the LRF 60-series
Thermion 2 LRF. The on/off button is a big blue affair located scopes come
on the rangefinder housing atop the objective bell. Press briefly with a remov-
able soft rubber
to turn on. Press and hold for two seconds to put the scope in eyecup that
battery-saving hibernate mode. Press and hold for three sec- can help block
onds to turn the scope off. stray light.

Focusing knobs are located on each side of the scope—which

is important, so left-handed shooters can refine focus while
staying on the trigger. These are winged knobs at left and right
on the objective bell.

38 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

MAKE EVERY HUNT
AN ADVENTURE.
Factory threaded
barrel is suppressor
ready out of the box.

M-LOK and Spartan

Precision attachment
points integrated into
fore-end of stock.

Scalloped-cut stock
designed to make the
gun rest perfectly
in gun saddles.

Feeds from
common detachable
box magazines.

Timeless bolt-action design.

TAURUS® EXPEDITION
AVAILABLE IN .308 WINCHESTER
AND 6.5 CREEDMOOR.

TaurusUSA.com
TIP OF THE SPEAR

The third button is used for taking photographs and videos use time depends on rangefinder activation and mode, current
of what the display inside shows. You know all those videos temperature, and so forth but is rated for about seven hours.
on YouTube of thermal hunters mowing down feral hogs? Use Each Thermion 2 LRF comes with two of the removable
this button to record your own videos. Long-pressing switches batteries, so you can always be charging one while running
between video and photo mode. Files record into 64 GB of the other. Plus, you can plug the scope into an external 5V or
built-in memory. 9V power bank or even an auxiliary cord on which it can run
Color pallettes are accessed in the main menu and enable interminably. Interface is a USB-C port.
the user to select their preference, ranging from fundamentally I haven’t used it yet, but each Thermion 2 LRF comes with
different pallettes, such as white-hot versus black-hot, right up a wireless remote, along with multiple hook-and-loop pads on
through sepia, monochrome, rainbow, and more. peel-and-stick adhesive backing so the remote can be secured
Contrast, brightness, and so forth can instantly be adjusted to the fore-end of your favorite shootin’ irons.
by quick-pressing the menu button and then dialing to the How about durability? The Thermion 2 LRF line is rated
desired setting and quick-pressing to select. for recoil up to and including the .375 H&H Magnum and
Various reticles may be selected from a wide list. User pro- 12-gauge slugs. In specific terms, that’s 6,000 joules of muzzle
files can be created, with each shooter’s preferred color pallette, energy, which is the equivalent of about 4,400 ft-lbs of muzzle
reticle, and other settings. energy. That’s a bit of an obscure rating, since an ultralight
There’s more—and the deeper I dig into the scope the more .375 H&H recoils a lot more aggressively than a heavy rifle,
I find—but those are the primary features and functions that but that’s the rating Pulsar provides.
I find compelling. Operating temperature of the Thermion 2 LRF 60-series is rated
As you might imagine, an electronic with this level of various for ranges from negative 13 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees F.
capabilities draws significant power. Pulsar wisely config- Navigating the menu and zeroing the scope require a fairly
ured the Thermion 2 LRF series with an onboard permanent steep learning curve, especially if you are not previously familiar
rechargeable Li-Ion APS5/4900 mAh/DC 3.7V battery plus a with thermal scopes. The process is covered clearly and compre-
battery compartment for a removable Li-Ion APS3/3200 mAh/ hensively in Pulsar’s online manual, so I won’t address it here.
DC 3.7V battery. The unit draws on the removable battery Should you consider a Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF 60-series
first, then when it’s down to 20 percent or so switches to the scope? I confess that prior to using this one, I coveted one but
built-in battery. Between the two, they last a long time. Specific never felt like the thermal capability was worth the significant
buy-in cost. Now, after seeing its effectiveness in the field and
experiencing its capable versatility on my rifles, I find myself
in a quandary. I no longer can justify not owning one. I guess
I’ll have to put off that new four-wheeler I was going to buy for
my wife and send Pulsar a check for this XP60 instead! Surely,
she’ll like it just as much…

Thermion 2 LRF 60-series scopes come with two removable

Li-Ion APS3/3200 mAh/DC 3.7V batteries and a dedicated
charger. Combined with the powerful on-board permanent
batteries, it adds up to a lot of user time.

40 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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CENTERFIRE
FOR SMALL GAME
OPTIONS
I
HERE ARE THE ANSWERS RECEIVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT SMALL-GAME
hunting with firearms other than the rimfire or shotgun
TO SEVEN FREQUENTLY options. Some big-game hunters enjoy wild meat in the camp’s
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT supper pot and don’t want to pack an additional long gun to
USING CENTERFIRE GUNS feed the pot. They instead consider reduced loads in their big-
game rifle or a centerfire handgun.
FOR HUNTING SMALL GAME. For this report “small game” means squirrels, rabbits, birds up to
the size of pheasant, and similarly sized critters. Please note: Make
certain that taking these animals with a rifle or handgun is legal in
the area you hunt and that you have proper licenses and tags.
Because many inquiring readers are seeking answers to a few
fundamentally important concerns, I decided to do a question-
and-answer format.

Q: What centerfire handgun cartridges work best for small game?

A: Accuracy is more important than terminal ballistics with hand-

guns for small game. Ranges can be over 20 yards. Granddad’s war
souvenir P-38 is not much good for this unless it can keep five shots
BY ALLAN JONES under roughly 2 inches at 20 yards. And be prepared to practice.

42 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025 PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ

 With a handgun capable of that kind of accuracy, we
can talk cartridges and bullets. The .38 Special is one
of the finest small-game handgun cartridges. The old
standby 158-grain lead RN factory load comes close to
perfection. The velocity is just right, and the gentle tip
design of the bullet will not damage too much edible meat.

Q: What about “Magnum” revolvers?

A: Anything with “Magnum” appended to the name will

work, but the extra velocity of magnum ammo will tear up
a lot of usable meat. A .357 Magnum revolver should be
loaded with .38 Special ammo. The .44 Magnum owner
can use .44 Special lead RN loads.

Q: Are semiauto pistols workable?

Allan recommends using the .38 Special loaded
with 158-grain lead RN bullets for hunting small
A: If accurate enough, yes. A slab-sided semiauto pistol game with a .357 Magnum or .38 Special revolver.
can be much easier to carry than many revolvers. An accu-
rate 9mm pistol loaded with a 147-grain FMJ bullet is
spot-on for small game. The heavier bullet is quite accu-
rate in many pistols, and the muzzle velocity is under
1,000 fps. As velocity increases, so can meat damage.

If you’re wanting to
hunt small game with
your .44 Magnum
revolver, .44 Special
ammo loaded with
cast lead bullets is
the way to go.

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 43

CENTERFIRE OPTIONS FOR SMALL GAME

Allan says heavy roundnose bullets, such as these

9mm 147-grain FMJs, are best for small-game
hunting in centerfire handguns because RN bullets
cause less damage to the meat.

Q: Can I buy factory small-game ammo for my big-game rifle

if I’m not a handloader?

A: The short answer: no. There are some “reduced recoil”

loads available, but their velocities are usually over 2,200 fps,
well beyond the 1,600 to 1,800 fps zone where excessive tissue
shredding enters the discussion. Given enough velocity, even a
non-expanding bullet can make purée of formerly edible bits.
One source for
reduced and
Q: Can I make reduced small-game handloads for any center- subsonic load
fire cartridge I use? data is the
2025 Hodgdon
Annual
A: No. Some popular centerfire hunting cartridges have too much Manual. It
case capacity to create ballistically consistent small-game loads. You offers sections
for such loads
could suffer a bullet-in-bore condition that could spell the end of using a variety
a hunt. A general rule of thumb is that decent small-game hand- of powders.
loads will be hard to achieve if case capacities are greater than the
.30-06. One good source for reduced-recoil and subsonic loads is
Hodgdon. Their online data center and the 2025 Hodgdon Annual
Manual offer such loads for a variety of centerfire rifle cartridges.

Q: What bullets are best?

A: That depends on velocity. If you are trying to stay around 1,200

fps, try a lubricated cast lead bullet. A roundnose design will be
easier on the meat than a flatnose, even at modest velocities. With
jacketed bullets, strive for around 1,500 fps to minimize chances of
the hard jacket acting like brakes and stopping the bullet in the bore.
Classic cast bullet reloading manuals are great resources even
if you are light-loading a jacketed bullet. The propellants recom-
mended are commonly the fast- to medium-burning rate fuels that
are most appropriate to modest velocities. You don’t want anything
slower burning than IMR 4895 and its variants from other makers.

44 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

 For hunting
small game
with a .30-06
centerfire rifle,
Allan says
bullets weighing
in the 165-to-
180-grain
range are good
choices and
cast bullets
are better than
jacketed bullets.

Here is a tip based on spending a lot of time living inside a As much as I like testing and shooting safe reduced rifle loads,
pressure test barrel: You can develop more consistent reduced I fall squarely on the side of the handgun as long as I can hit
loads with a heavy bullet than with a light one. Light bullets can with it. In my cabinet are an old .38 Special S&W Model 15
start to move too early in the pressure curve, and the amount of revolver and a match-capable custom 9mm Colt Government
movement per unit of pressure varies too much. Heavier ones Model. Both are very accurate. However, the issues raised here
have more inertia and will start moving only at higher pressures also mean keeping the rimfire option open. There are plenty
where burn characteristics are more uniform. In .30 caliber you of accurate rimfire pistols and revolvers that will take all the
will see reduced shot-to-shot velocity variation loading a 165- pot meat you need with less noise than centerfire.
to 180-grain cast bullet compared to something in the weight
range of a .30 Carbine bullet, 110 grains.
As a starry-eyed youth, I regularly read the old-time gun
pundits praising the use of 90- to 100-grain .32-caliber cast
revolver bullets in the .30-06 for reduced-velocity game loads.
After working for several decades with the latest industry test-
ing equipment, I now know those old-timers were either very
lucky or were making up loads at the typewriter.

Q: Do I get the impression that there is an “elephant in

the room”? Allan enjoys
testing and
shooting
A: Ah, you are perceptive. Assuming you have dealt with shot-to- safe reduced
shot variation (see previous answer), there are two rifle issues here. centerfire
rifle loads,
The first is point of impact (POI) shift. With a massive change but he
in velocity, reduced loads could print inches from hunting ammo prefers a
POI even at close range. I would not like to be changing scope centerfire
handgun like
settings between big- and small-game settings during a hunt. his trusty old
That sounds like the plot for a movie called Finding FUBAR. .38 Special
The other ugly tusker causes trouble if you are using cast lead S&W Model
15 revolver
bullets: bore cleaning. Even the best quality cast lead bullets for hunting
can leave streaking in the bore that should be removed before small game.
shooting jacketed bullets again. Restoring the bore for jacketed (Photo by
Allan Jones.)
bullets can require more gear than most of us usually pack and
can require extra accuracy checking.

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 45

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ
 DOUBLE STACK
KIMBER CALLS ITS NEWEST 9MM MICRO 1911 THE COVERT DOUBLE STACK
(CDS9 FOR SHORT). AND IT’S A REAL HUMDINGER!
BY JOEL J. HUTCHCROFT

W
HEN ENGINEERING ITS NEW COVERT The Micro 9s have aluminum frames, with unloaded weights
Double Stack (CDS9) 9mm semiautomatic specced at 15.35 ounces and 15.6 ounces, again depending on
pistol, Kimber started with the company’s pop- the configuration. Micro 9s are 4.07 inches tall. Since the Micro
ular single-stack Micro 9, and when they were 9 is a single-stack pistol, with a magazine capacity of either six
finished, all that was left was some springs and or seven rounds, it is quite thin, measuring either 1.06 or 1.08
a few screws. At least that’s according to Kimber Senior Prod- inches thick. The new CDS9 is a single-action, recoil-operated,
uct Design Engineer Aaron Alexander Sr., as reported by my double-stack pistol, so it is slightly thicker than the Micro 9,
colleague David Faubion, editor of our special publications yet it is still very comfortable in my hand (I have medium-size
division, in his recent article for Red Dot (available on news- hands). The CDS9 is 1.1 inches thick, and its grip circumfer-
stands and online at osgnewsstand.com). The new CDS9 may ence is 6.0 inches, according to my measurements. Standard
have its roots in the popular Micro 9, but it’s definitely a whole magazine capacity is 13 rounds, but the CDS9 comes with an
new cat. After spending quite a bit of time handling and shoot- extra 15-round magazine that utilizes a grip extension. And
ing our sample, I can say it is a real humdinger. 10-rounders are available for persons living in areas where mag-
azine capacity is restricted. To finish out the dimensions, the
Details CDS9’s barrel is 3.18 inches long, making the pistol 6.2 inches
Perhaps the best way to show and tell readers about the new long overall. It is 5.0 inches tall with the 13-round magazine.
CDS9 is to compare it with the Micro 9. There are two initial The Micro 9 has been available with various colored slides
versions of the CDS9 (I’m using the CDS9 OR RL version for and frames, everything from all black through two-tone silver
this comparison because that’s the review sample we received), and black and two-tone desert tan and black to all silver. There’s
and currently there are close to 30 different configurations of even a purple and silver one, a Bel Air blue and silver one, and
the Micro 9, so if I have missed some specific feature or fea- a sapphire blue and silver one. The new CDS9 is offered with
tures of the Micro 9, forgive me. Here we go. stainless-steel slides finished in KimPro II, in either black or
The Micro 9 is a single-action, recoil-operated autoloader that gray colors. And the CDS9’s frame is finished in either gray
is based on Kimber’s .380 ACP Micro semiautomatic pistol that or black, and it has an integral accessory rail with two cross-
was born in 2013. The Micro 9 came on the scene about 2017, slots. Note that our sample’s slide is black, and its frame is
and it comes with a 3.15-inch or 3.65-inch barrel. As its moniker gray. The other version of the CDS9, called the CDS9 OR RL
indicates, it’s chambered for 9mm Luger. Overall lengths range TFS, comes with a threaded barrel, and its slide is gray while
from 6.1 inches to 7.09 inches, depending on the configuration. its frame is black. I’ll draw your attention to the scale-like slide

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 47

COVERT DOUBLE STACK

Kimber’s Covert Double Stack (CDS9) is

based on the company’s popular single-
stack Micro 9 pistol but features double the
magazine capacity.

treatments up front and at the rear. They are not just for style;
they serve as the grasping grooves for racking the slide and for
conducting press checks.
Like the Micro 9, the CDS9’s barrel is stainless steel, and its
chamber is fully supported. Kimber says the CDS9’s barrel is
match grade with 5R right-hand rifling in a twist rate of one
turn in 10 inches (1:10). Because our sample doesn’t have the
threaded barrel, its muzzle is flush with the end of the slide,
and it is precision crowned.
Both the Micro 9 and the CDS9 are essentially scaled-down
Model 1911s; however, they do not use a traditional barrel
bushing or a traditional 1911-style grip safety. The CDS9 uti-
lizes dual captive recoil springs, and it has an external extractor.
Some versions of the Micro 9s have ambidextrous thumb safe-
ties, and others have a single-side thumb safety. The CDS9 has
an ambidextrous thumb safety, and I should mention that the

CDS9 OR RL

MANUFACTURER
Kimber
kimberamerica.com
The CDS9
TYPE Recoil-operated autoloader comes with
CALIBER 9mm Luger double-stack
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 10, 13, and 15 rounds magazines that
hold 13 and 15
BARREL 3.18 in. rounds of 9mm
OVERALL LENGTH 6.2 in. ammo, and
10-rounders
WIDTH 1.1 in.
are available
HEIGHT 5.0 in. (with 13-round magazine) for areas where
WEIGHT, EMPTY 20.8 oz. magazine
restrictions
GRIPS VZ Frag G10
exist.
FINISH KimPro II

SIGHTS
Black rear, red Tag Fiber Lock
front, RMSc direct mount optic cut
TRIGGER 6.0-lb. pull (as tested)

SAFETY
Ambidextrous thumb safety;
beavertail grip safety
MSRP $1,075

48 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

slide stop on the CDS9 also is ambidextrous, and the maga- than that, measuring 7.0 pounds and 8.5 pounds. Our CDS9 is
zine release can be reversed. an early pistol, so its pull weight may not be indicative of stan-
A note about the thumb safeties is necessary. On Micro 9s dard-production CDS9 trigger pulls, but I can report that it
and the CDS9, the safeties can be engaged with the hammers was incredibly consistent. I measured it five times consecutively,
cocked or uncocked, but if the hammer is down and the safety and each time it registered exactly 6.0 pounds on my RCBS
is “On,” the hammer cannot be fully cocked. trigger pull gauge. Zero variation means exceptional consis-
Various sight options have been offered on the Micro 9s, tency, and consistency, of course, lends itself to better accuracy.
including three white dots, tritium and fiber-optic day/night
sights, and plain black sights, whereas the new CDS9 comes Rangetime
with an all-black rear sight and a red Tag Fiber Lock front sight. Speaking of accuracy, the CDS9 averaged 3.36 inches for five-
Also, in accordance with the prevalent trend in personal-pro- shot groups with eight 9mm factory loads at 25 yards. That’s
tection pistols these days, the CDS9 is optic-ready (RMSc for three, five-shot groups with each load. Obviously, that’s
footprint direct mount to the slide), and the rear sight is dove- under the old self-defense standard of 4.25 inches at 25 yards.
tailed into the optic-cut coverplate. The details are listed in the accompanying chart, so I’ll just
The frontstraps of the Micro 9s receive various treatments, point out a couple of loads here. The most accurate load for
including smooth and dimpled. The new CDS9’s frontstrap has me in the new CDS9 was the Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain
large, blocky “checkering” (Kimber calls it “Frag” checkering) FlexLock load, and its three, five-shot groups at 25 yards aver-
that matches the pattern on the G10 grip panels. And speaking aged 2.50 inches. Its best single five-shot group measured just
of grips, the Micro 9 has been offered with rosewood, zebrawood, under 2.0 inches. Its velocity averaged 937 fps for five rounds
Micarta, rubber, and G10 grip panels and also with lasergrips. measured 12 feet from the muzzle with a Competition Elec-
The CDS9’s arched backstrap has similar-looking checkering, tronics ProChono Digital chronograph with indoor light setup.
but it’s narrower than the frontstrap and grip checkering. The velocity extreme spread was 30 fps, and the standard devi-
The CDS9’s trigger is significantly different than the Micro ation was 13 fps. The second most accurate loading was the
9 triggers. This one is flat and smooth, and our sample’s trig- Black Hills 124-grain JHP ammo, and it averaged 2.70 inches
ger pull weight was 6.0 pounds. Just for comparison’s sake, the at 25 yards. Its velocity averaged 1,095 fps, with an extreme
Micro 9s that I have personally handled had heavier trigger pulls spread of 31 and a standard deviation of 15.

The front sight is a red Tag Fiber Lock

sight. Note the flat, smooth top sur-
face of the slide.

The rear sight is all black with a

square notch. It is dovetailed into
the slide’s optic-cut coverplate. With
the coverplate removed, RMCs-foot-
print optics can be mounted directly The CDS9 has fully ambidextrous controls, including the thumb safety and the slide stop, and the mag-
to the slide. azine release is reversible.

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 49

COVERT DOUBLE STACK

The pistol’s As for shooting comfort, the CDS9 was

frontstrap and truly easy to shoot. Its hand-filling grip made
backstrap fea-
ture Frag it extremely comfortable, even in my arthritic
checkering that hands. In fact, it was so easy on my hands that
matches the after shooting for accuracy and velocity, I pol-
checkering on
the G10 grips. ished off almost all of my stock of 9mm ammo
shooting offhand at a bouncing ball target and
my swinging steel plate target. I usually prefer
shooting full-size Model 1911s because I just seem
to shoot them really well, but I have to admit that
I think I could become just as proficient with
this snubby, double-stack hybrid 1911 with more rangetime.
I guess I’m going to have to stock up on more 9mm ammo.
Loading the 13-round double-stack magazine was easy
without requiring a magazine loader, but as expected, the
15-rounder was a bit more difficult. I accomplished it with-
out a mag loader the first time around, but thereafter I used
my trusty Maglula UpLULA loader, and it made the job
much easier. And speaking of the magazines, I tested both
the 13-rounder and the 15-rounder, and they functioned per-
fectly. Every round fed smoothly, and the empty cases ejected
well clear of the firing line. In fact, the pistol operated per-
fectly throughout my range session, without a single hiccup,
bobble, or malfunction of any kind. Empty magazines ejected
quickly and effortlessly every time. And for those who care
about such things, the pistol’s slide racked easily, requiring
about 19 pounds of force, according to my makeshift gauge.
Kimber describes the new Covert Double Stack 9mm
semiautomatic pistol as the “pinnacle of design for the
modern everyday concealed carry 1911 handgun owner.”
They also say the CDS9 is in a class of its own. I think they
might be right.

KIMBER CDS9 ACCURACY & VELOCITY

25-YD.
VEL. E.S. S.D. ACC.
AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FPS) (IN.)
9mm, 3.18-in. Barrel
Federal Syntech 115-gr. TSJ 1066 36 16 3.60
Hornady Critical Defense
1044 29 17 4.00
115-gr. FTX
Federal Personal Defense
1075 50 27 4.10
Punch 124-gr. JHP
Black Hills 124-gr. JHP 1095 31 15 2.70
Hornady Critical Duty
937 30 13 2.50
135-gr. FlexLock
Wilson Combat 135-gr.
882 23 11 3.75
HBFN
Hornady 147-gr. XTP 888 35 13 3.00
SIG SAUER 147-gr. FMJ 962 29 16 3.25 The CDS9 features a flat trigger that was incredibly con-
sistent on our review sample. Its trigger pull averaged a
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of three, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag ben-
chrest. Velocity is the average of five rounds measured 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle.
clean 6.0 pounds.

50 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

A LOVELY

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ANSCHUETZ

 T
SAVAGE IS BACK IN HERE WAS A TIME WHEN MENTIONING THE NAME
Savage to big-game hunters across America brought to mind
THE LEVER-ACTION lever-action rifles of the highest quality chambered for a number
GAME WITH THE of powerful cartridges. Sad to say, the last Model 99 was built
INTRODUCTION in 1998. About two decades later, a member of Savage manage-
ment stated that a lever-action rifle was in the company’s long-term plans,
OF THE ALL-NEW but due to the projected high production cost it would not be a Model
REVEL .22 LR RIFLE. 99. That rifle has arrived, it is called the Revel, and it is being built at a
new Savage factory in Ontario, Canada. I shot the Classic version with
a straight-grip walnut stock for this report, and it is a nice little rifle at
a very affordable price. It’s currently offered in .22 LR in two configura-
tions, and .17 HMR and .22 WMR will eventually join them. The more
costly DLX version has a recoil pad on its curved-grip stock, a smaller
BY LAYNE SIMPSON finger lever loop, and a threaded muzzle at 1/2-28, and it is slated for
production sometime in the near future.

Mechanicals
The Revel consists of what the company describes as upper and lower
assemblies held together by two 0.246-inch-diameter steel push pins with
the receiver enclosed by an aluminum cover. The barrel and tubular mag-
azine are attached to the upper assembly, which also contains steel rails
on which the breechbolt rides. The lower assembly contains the trigger,
hammer, and hammerspring, and it also serves as an attachment point
for the operating lever with its extremely large finger loop. The ends of a
transverse safety positioned just above the trigger rest in small recesses in
the sides of the lower assembly, and that along with a strong ball detent
discourages the safety from being accidentally moved from either of its
two positions. The trigger of the rifle I shot had some creep, and it pulled
3.5 pounds on my Lyman digital scale.
A LOVELY LEVER GUN

REVEL CLASSIC

MANUFACTURER
Savage Arms
savagearms.com
The new Savage
Revel Classic TYPE Lever-action repeater
lever-action .22 CALIBER .22 LR
LR rifle features
The 18-inch carbon-steel barrel has the usual 1:16 rifling MAGAZINE CAPACITY 12 rounds
an 18-inch barrel,
twist for the .22 LR cartridge. It measures 0.690 inch at the walnut forearm BARREL 18 in., 1:16 twist
muzzle where it is nicely crowned. The rear sight is elevator- and buttstock, OVERALL LENGTH 36.25 in.
and an oversized
adjusted for elevation and drifted in its dovetail slot in the barrel finger loop.
WEIGHT, EMPTY 6 lbs.
for windage. The front sight, also dovetailed to the barrel, is a STOCK Walnut
simple black blade. The tubular magazine is the familiar steel LENGTH OF PULL 14.125 in.
outer tube with a rustproof brass inner tube and spring-loaded FINISH
Black coating on
cartridge follower. Turning the knurled cap releases the inner metal, satin wood
tube to slide forward to allow cartridges to be dropped into a SIGHTS
Fully adjustable rear,
plain blade front
slot in the side of the outer tube. While the rated capacity is
TRIGGER 3.5-lb. pull (as tested)
12 cartridges, the magazine of my test rifle easily held an addi-
SAFETY Two position
tional round. Two brackets dovetailed to the bottom of the
MSRP $439
barrel hold the magazine in place, with a screw into the rear
bracket securing the forearm. Unlike lever-action rifles of yes-
teryear, the Revel is not designed to cycle with the .22 Short.
The walnut buttstock and forearm are nicely shaped, and causes the elevator to present a cartridge at a slight angle to the
both have just enough contrasting figure to catch the eye of a chamber, where it is pushed home by the bolt.
shooter who is browsing his favorite gunshop for a new .22 rim- Overall length of the Revel is a tad over 36 inches, and it
fire rifle. While not perfect, wood-to-metal fit is good can be disassembled into two sections for carrying
enough on a rifle in its price range. The stock’s in a compact case or in a backpack while traips-
length of pull measured 141/8 inches and felt ing through the high country. With the rifle
good to me, but combined with the oversized unloaded, push the safety to its disengaged
finger loop, it will be too long for shoot- position, push the finger lever to its full-
ers with a shorter reach. The stock has no forward position, and then engage the
sling-swivel studs, but it does have a hard safety. Then push the exposed ends of
synthetic buttplate that’s held in place by the two steel takedown pins at the lower
two Phillips-head screws. All other screws left side of the receiver to the limit of
in the rifle have hex heads with various sizes
of drive recesses. Cartridge feed from maga-
The Revel also features a two-position transverse
zine to chamber is the same as for Marlin and safety that’s located in recesses in the lower assembly.
Henry rimfire lever guns, in that closing the lever

54 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

their travel. (I used a nylon dowel from Disassembling
the Revel is
Brownells to do that.) The pins are cap- accomplished
tive, so even though most of their lengths by pushing two
will protrude from the opposite side of the captive take-
down pins
receiver, they will not drop out. Takedown until most of
is completed by pulling the upper and their lengths
lower assemblies in opposite directions. are protrud-
ing from the
If the Revel is disassembled for cleaning right-hand side
its bore from the chamber end, the alumi- of the receiver.
num receiver cover will have to be removed The upper and
lower assem-
by turning out its four retention screws. blies can then
Due to an extremely tight fit, I placed be pulled apart.
the end of a large nylon dowel against the Removing the
breechbolt
bottom edge of the cover and used a small requires the alu-
hammer to tap it free of the upper assembly. minum receiver
With the cover removed, the bolt is free cover to be
removed.
for removal. When replacing the cover, I
discovered with dismay that the tiny 5/64-
inch hex drive recesses in the heads of the
four screws are easily wallowed out. They
really should be considerably larger, and
increasing the hardness of the screws would
not hurt.
Owners of lever-action .22s with tubu-
lar magazines unload and make them safe
in more than one way. Pointing the muzzle
in a safe direction and cycling the action
until the rifle is empty is one of them.
The manual safety on the Revel makes it
quite safe to unload in that manner. With
the safety engaged, the hammer cannot
be cocked, and that prevents the finger
lever from being moved all the way for-
ward. With the muzzle pointed in a safe
direction, disengage the safety, cock the
hammer, engage the safety, and the lever
can be pushed all the way forward. The
hammer is now locked in its cocked posi-
tion, but the action can be cycled to
completely unload the rifle.
Other owners unload by keeping their hand away from hangup is not at all unusual in the tubular magazines of
the muzzle of the barrel while removing the inner magazine .22 rimfire rifles.
tube, pointing the muzzle down, and allowing cartridges to Companies that I contacted were in no hurry to produce
slide from the outer tube. It is important to know that when a scope mount for the Revel, and with the deadline for this
this is done with the Revel, the first round loaded in the report looming just around the corner, I thought I would have
magazine will remain in the magazine. In other words, if to use the open sights of the rifle to fire groups with several .22
five rounds are loaded in the outer tube and the inner tube LR loads. A dot of red fingernail polish applied to the front
is installed, locked into place, and then removed, only four sight greatly improved the sight picture, and drops in the stock
cartridges will exit when the muzzle of the rifle is pointed at comb and heel of 2.0 inches and 2.5 inches, respectively,
downward. That round is removed from the magazine by proved to be perfect. Then at the very last minute, a Picatinny
installing the inner tube, locking it in place, pointing the rail arrived from Savage, and in addition to solving one issue,
muzzle in a safe direction, disengaging the safety, and oper- it revealed another. The rail, along with the lowest Weaver
ating the lever to cycle the bolt twice to first chamber and one-inch rings I had on hand, elevated the Bushnell 3-9X
then eject the round. I will point out that this first-round Rimfire scope far enough to prevent my cheek from making

SEPTEMBER 2025 • SHOOTING TIMES 55

A LOVELY LEVER GUN

Layne proved the new Savage Revel (left) shoots just as accurately as his Winchester 9422 (center) and Marlin 39A Mountie (right).

contact with the stock. A towel folded several times solved At a weight of 6 pounds and a balance point an inch behind the
that issue at the bench, but it would not be a practical solu- front of a very trim receiver, the little rifle carries nicely, and it has a
tion in the field. I chose that scope rather than one designed solid feel. Cycling proved to be extremely smooth and effortless with
for use on a big-game rifle because it is parallax-adjustable not a single hitch. Plus, no break-in period is required for this rifle.
down to 50 yards, which is the distance I would be shooting After being out of the lever-action rifle business for 26 hunt-
from the bench. Shortly prior to punching the send button ing seasons, Savage has returned in a big way.
for this report, I was informed that by the
time it is published, Talley Manufactur-
ing will be offering a pair of lightweight SAVAGE REVEL ACCURACY & VELOCITY
aluminum rings in low height that use
the four holes drilled and tapped at the 50-YD.
VEL. E.S. ENERGY ACC.
factory to attach directly to the receiver. AMMUNITION (FPS) (FPS) (FT-LBS) (IN.)
That’s welcome news. .22 LR, 18-in. Barrel
CCI Stinger 32-gr. CPHP 1609 45 184 0.62
Rangetime Remington Cyclone 36-gr. LHP 1315 17 138 1.12
It was an extremely windy day at the range, Remington Viper 36-gr. PTCS 1465 92 172 1.20
but time had run out, so I had no choice Aguila Super Extra 40-gr. LRN 1130 64 113 0.94
but to shoot the Revel for accuracy in less CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr. SHP 1169 87 121 2.12
than favorable conditions. With the assis- Federal Classic 40-gr. CPRN 1127 58 113 2.06
tance of a couple of Graham wind flags, Federal Premium Hunter Match 40-gr. LHP 1168 41 121 0.70
I managed to carve a number of small SK High Velocity Match 40-gr. LRN 1014 27 91 0.73
groups with five of the 11 loads averaging SK Long Range Match 40-gr. LRN 1079 65 103 0.48
less than an inch, and one load snuggling SK Standard Plus 40-gr. LRN 919 47 75 1.58
inside a half-inch. That’s Marlin 39A and Winchester Extra Power 40-gr. LRN 1172 86 119 1.47
Winchester 9422 accuracy from an econ- NOTES: Accuracy is the average of two, five-shot groups fired from a Lyman Match Bag/Bag Jack
omy-priced rifle. (The Revel Classic’s combo at the front and a leather bunny ear sandbag at the rear. Velocity is the average of 10 rounds
measured 15 feet from the muzzle. Average ambient temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
MSRP is $439.)

56 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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 SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE
MYOUTDOORTV GUNSMOKE HIPSHOTS

“Sometimes a Great Notion.…”

In an age of specialties, and specialized rifles, small game
and firearms suited thereto seem, at best, anachronistic.
’Twas not always so. BY TERRY WIELAND

WHEN I WAS 13, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO MOVE as a whole had adopted the attitude that small game
to the country. I went to work on a farm that year, and meant small boys, which called for small, cheap rifles.
by the age of 16 I was a hardened groundhog hunter. If you wanted to carry an adult rifle that was an aes-
My rifle was a single-shot, bolt-action Cooey .22 my thetic pleasure and a joy to use, well, good luck.
father bought in the 1930s. Such was not the case a century ago, and gunmakers
At the time, I didn’t think of groundhogs as any- like the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. made some single
This pre-1914 thing other than pests that dug burrows that toppled shots that fill the bill admirably, if you can find one.
Stevens Model
45 single-shot tractors and dulled the blades of hay mowers, and The trick, however, is finding one chambered for a
rifle is an aes- while I knew I could thin their ranks more effec- suitable cartridge—one that did the job and for which
thetic pleasure tively with a .220 Swift, such an esoteric rifle was ammunition, or at least brass, could be found or made.
and a joy to
use for hunt- way beyond my means. And anyway, my immediate A couple of years ago, I came across that rare crit-
ing small game. aspirations were deer hunting and a new Marlin 336 ter—a Stevens Model 45, built on the excellent 44½
It was originally in .35 Remington. action. It was in near-mint condition and had not
chambered for
.28-30-120, It was only much later that I came to appreciate the been cannibalized to make a hotshot varmint rifle, the
so Terry had a joys of hunting, and eating, small game like squirrels fate of so many others in the barbaric 1930s. Unfor-
new .357 Max- and, yes, groundhogs, and began looking around for tunately, it was chambered for the .28-30-120, an
imum barrel
made for it. a rifle that would handle the job but also fit my (by admirable target cartridge for the Schützen era but a
now) elevated ideas of a proper rifle. Alas, the industry pain in the neck to load in plinking quantities.

58 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025

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 “Sometimes a Great Notion.…” // Continued From Page 58

But one of the notable traits of the old Stevens The rifle went to Lee Shaver, who obtained a barrel
single shots is that being made in an era when shoot- blank from Preferred Barrels of Utah; profiled it to
ers often traveled to the range by bicycle or tram, the half-round, half-octagon of the original; and fitted
the barrels were easily removable to fit into a short one of his own globe front sights. This works well
case. All you need is a screwdriver and some muscle. with the lovely old Stevens tang sight. The screw that
Additional barrels are a breeze. The one hitch is holds the forearm in place is an ancient Stevens pro-
that the extractor is mounted in the frame and fits prietary thread. Instead of altering that, Lee made a
in a notch in the barrel. You can have a barrel in a new forearm screw to use with the new barrel, thereby
different caliber, but it needs the same rim size as completely preserving the rifle’s originality.
the original. What I now have is a small-game rifle par excellence
Given my druthers, I would have had a second for dealing with critters, both edible and inedible,
barrel chambered for something like the .32 H&R in and around the house. The whole operation cost
Magnum, .32-20, or .25-20, but they were too small. $1,200. Try to buy a comparable new rifle for that!
(Yes, I could have had a new extractor made, but that At some point I may be overwhelmed with ambition
would complicate things.) and have a third barrel made for something like the .256
Fortunately, the .38 Special rim is almost exactly Winchester Magnum or .22 Jet, both of which were
the same as the .28-30-120, so a new barrel in .357 derived from the .357 Magnum case, or I could lose my
Maximum would accommodate anything down to senses entirely and find a wildcat .32 based on the .357.
.38 Special, and even a few of the earlier .38s, pro- A solid old Stevens like this one is a nice enough
viding a wide range of power and bullet types. I can rifle to make such a project worthwhile—or at least
even plink with bargain .38 Special. make the dream worth dreaming.

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 Banditti of the Prairie // Continued From Page 64

the hundreds, with local “chapters” spread throughout squad. Actually, there were two squads, one with 55
the Rock River territory. They were called Regulators. men and one with 56 men. The 56-man squad shot
The Driscoll gang took offense to the Regulators John first, and the 55-man squad shot William last.
and their captain, one John Campbell, and they deter- After that Banditti activities decreased in Ogle
mined that Capt. Campbell and Regulator Phineas County considerably, but they continued well into
Chaney would die. Three months later, on June 25, the 1840s in other parts of Illinois. One of the most
1841, they attempted to kill Chaney but failed. Two shocking incidents was the murder of Col. George
days later, David and Taylor Driscoll (two of John’s Davenport at his home on the grounds of the Rock
four sons) killed Campbell at his farm and fled. David Island Arsenal in Rock Island County in July 1845.
had fired the single, fatal shot. In an attempt to rob Davenport, who was believed to
Days later, John Driscoll and sons William and have considerable wealth hidden in a safe at his home,
Pierce were rounded up and arrested on suspicion of the Banditti beat him and left him for dead. He died,
being accomplices to the murder. A trial was held, but not before giving a full description of the robbers.
with 111 Regulators making up the jury. William was Later, an amateur detective by the name of Edward
found guilty, Pierce was acquitted and released, and Bonney tracked down the killers and brought them
although John denied having anything to do with the to justice. Eventually, four Banditti were hanged for
murder but admitted to stealing numerous horses, he the murder, one was shot and killed while trying to
was convicted. Having been found guilty, John and escape, and one served a sentence of one year in prison.
William were immediately sentenced to be hanged By the early 1850s, the Banditti of the Prairie had
on the spot. They asked to be shot instead, and before encountered enough resistance from local Regula-
the execution was carried out, William confessed to tors that they moved their illegal enterprises out of
six murders. The Regulators assembled a large firing northern Illinois.

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 SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE
MYOUTDOORTV GUNSMOKE HIPSHOTS

Banditti of the Prairie

During the 1830s and 1840s, a band of bandits terrorized
northern Illinois. Eventually, they were thwarted by groups
of vigilantes. BY JOEL J. HUTCHCROFT

I THOROUGHLY ENJOY WRITING THIS COLUMN IN counterfeiting, horse stealing, robbery, and murder.
Shooting Times because it gives me the chance to put Their criminal enterprises thrived virtually unopposed
my master’s degree in history to good use researching until March of 1841. That’s when local vigilantes had
some very interesting historical events. Being from Illi- had enough and arrested six of the Banditti.
nois (a.k.a. the Prairie State), I am especially interested The rest of the Banditti didn’t take the arrests easily.
in Illinois history, and this month I learned about a They burned down the newly constructed courthouse
band of outlaws that plagued northern Illinois from the night before the trial was to begin, and in the con-
about 1835 until 1841. These bandits aren’t as famous fusion, they attempted to break their compadres out
The end of as say, the James-Younger Gang, the Dalton Gang, and of jail. That failed, the trial was set for a new location,
the Banditti of
the Prairie’s
the Wild Bunch, but the manner in which they were and it was held on schedule. The jury, after discover-
crime spree in brought to justice is no less interesting, at least to me. ing one of the jurors was a Banditti sympathizer and
northern Illinois The Banditti of the Prairie, as they were known, forcibly persuaded that juror to do the right thing,
began with the
execution of
were a loose-knit bunch of gangs who terrorized found three of the accused guilty and sentenced them
outlaw leader northern Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa until they were to hang. The convicts escaped before the sentence
John Driscoll by thwarted by vigilante groups. In Ogle County, Illi- was carried out.
a vigilante firing
squad in 1841.
nois, the Driscoll gang, headed up by John Driscoll, One month later, the local vigilantes formed an
was the primary gang, and these thugs specialized in organization, and its membership rapidly grew into

64 SHOOTING TIMES • SEPTEMBER 2025 CONTINUED ON PAGE 62

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