A POUND OR SO OF PREVENTION

Console Vault’s Vehicle Vault Keeps Handguns and Valuables Safe and Secure

While searching the Web for a discreet gun safe for my Ford F-250, I came across a company named Console Vault, which offers not only vehicle safes, but covert wall safes and security briefcases, as well. Turns out, the company has been making specialized vehicle vaults for law enforcement and government officials around the world for eight years. By the time I’d finished reading its homepage, I’d made up my mind.

The Vehicle Vault uses Console Vault’s five-point locking system and a high-security barrel lock. A keyless combination lock is an option, and that’s the route I went. I can set the combo off by one digit when I’m in the vehicle in the event I need access to my handgun in a hurry. The major components are made of 12-gauge cold-rolled plate steel and refined with welded tabs and notch seams.

What I appreciated most is that the Vehicle Vault requires no vehicle modifications whatsoever. There are only four parts to install on late-model F-250s and three on earlier models; the kit also includes all the mounting hardware.

Installation is pretty straightforward, as long as you can read instructions. First, you set your personal combination. Next, you remove the factory nuts at the bottom of the console. Then, you attach the front, then the rear, support brackets to the bottom of the console. And finally, you mount the lid assembly to the top of the support brackets. Done deal.

When the installation is complete, the Vehicle Vault is anchored discreetly inside the console. Virtually no storage space is lost, because the console lid closes flush up against the Vehicle Vault’s lid assembly. When the console lid is closed, no one would ever know it’s there.

I’ve now used my Vehicle Vault to stow my wallet, watch, keys (my truck has keyless entry), mobile phone and anything else I had in my pockets on several occasions when the truck was parked, whether I was fishing at a bass lake near my house or going for a jog at the beach. While it’s true that my truck has never been broken into (perhaps it’s the NRA, California Rifle & Pistol Association, American flag and assortment of gun decals that are displayed on the rear window of my cab), I get some real peace of mind knowing that if it ever were broken into, the thief would have to be equipped with some serious cutting tools to get to any valuables I’d left in the console.

CONTACT:

CONSOLE VAULT
5000 West Oakey Boulevard
Suite E2
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(800) 878-1369
www.consolevault.com

GW-1212-FIELD TEST

When the installation is complete, the Vehicle Vault is anchored discreetly inside the console. Virtually no storage space is lost, because the console lid closes flush up against the Vehicle Vault’s lid assembly.

Kel-Tec’s Radical RFB Is Loaded with Power, Accuracy

Kel-Tec is not your normal gun manufacturer.

If anything, they are the polar opposite, with some of the most creative and singular designs in the marketplace. I had a chance to field test and review one of their most creative, “out-of-the-box-thinking” designs to date: the RFB, or “Rifle, Forward ejecting, Bullpup.” This extremely portable 7.62x51mm NATO rifle is one of the most interesting and intriguing weapons I have ever taken to the range or afield. Let’s lock and load and take a closer look at what makes the RFB such a show stopper!

History Lesson

Kel-Tec’s owner and founder George Kellgren is no stranger to the bullpup design. The RFB traces its roots back to the late 70’s at Interdynamic AB of Stockholm, Sweden, where George was involved with the design of two MKR bullpup rifles. Although neither MKR rifle ever reached the production stage, the “spine” concept, where all components were mounted around a long and rigid barrel, eventually carried over to the RFB.

Kellgren’s work on a bullpup design resumed in the early ‘90s after he founded Kel-Tec. His next bullpup design was the SUB-16, which used 5.56x45mm NATO ammo and standard M-16 magazines. The SUB-16 had dual pivoting extractors actuated by cam surfaces in the receiver and a forward eject feature. The project was suspended with the adoption of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994.

Kel-Tec’s bullpup work resumed in 2003 with the SRT-6, a dedicated sniper rifle firing a special 5.56x45mm load. In mid-2005, they decided to have another try at the “Holy Grail” of bullpup rifle design, with forward ejecting operation, so the SRT-8 began development in the larger 7.62x51mm NATO caliber. Metric FAL magazines were chosen for the new rifle because of their availability. The design also featured a unique tilting bolt design. A stationary, curved sheet metal forward-chute solved some of the earlier expended case ejection problems and the early prototypes had 18” barrels for convenience of handling.

After the sunset of the assault weapons ban in 2004, they decided to rename the SRT to Rifle Forward ejection Bullpup and the RFB was born. Consequently, the names of the three main models were changed from Sniper (32” barrel), Hunter (24” barrel), and Battle (18” barrel), to the less menacing names Target, Sporter, and Carbine. The RFB was perfected during pre-production trial runs in 2008; Gen2 models were introduced in 2012, and include this RFB I’m reviewing.

Style Points

 The Kel-Tec RFB is unlike anything that you have ever pulled out of a case. The cool-factor is totally off the charts.

 The barrel of the RFB is made from 4140 Chrome-Molybdenum ordnance-grade steel. Recent models (mid-2012 production and later) employ a Salt Bath Nitride-QPQ (quench, polish, quench) finish. According to Kel-Tec engineer Ryan Williams, this process is superior to chrome-plating with a better overall (black) finish that offers superior corrosion and heat resistance and lasts longer.

The bolt, receiver and gas system are also made of 4140 steel, with the bolt receiving a special Titanium Nitride (yellow) finish that was chosen for its protective ability and its resistance to wear and flaking. Ryan also mentioned that the RFB was recently upgraded with a thicker CNC-machined piston plate that is welded onto the front side of the carrier that comes into contact with the gas piston during operation. The gas system was also redesigned to keep the parts simpler and to provide a larger adjustable gas setting range to accommodate different types of ammunition. Additionally, the new gas piston is a ring-less design and can be easily removed for cleaning. Lastly, the carrier channel has a longer internal spring that keeps some tension on the piston post for more reliable functioning.

Both the bolt carrier and upper cover are manufactured from stamped 4130 grade sheet steel that overlaps to offer excellent user protection in case of a catastrophic failure in the breech. A durable parkerized finish coats all external metal parts. The pistol grip and forward handguard are made from a high-tech polymer material. Each is textured to provide operators with positive purchase, plus the handguard features an integral slope or bump at the lower front end to prevent the user’s support hand from sliding forward and coming in contact with a potentially hot barrel.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was excerpted from the January 2013 issue.

THE QUARTER-BORE QUARTET

Bigger isn’t always better. From classics to modern, these four .25-caliber cartridges get the job done on big game

In this day and age of the “new cartridge of the month” mentality we live in, it can be a good mental exercise to inject a little sanity into the “bigger is better” madness. It does seem that unless you have one of the latest and greatest designer cartridges and shoot game from several hundred yards, you must be living in the Stone Age.

Rifles

However, long before these slick, new, wonder calibers came out and hunters felt the need to take game at really long range, there were calibers that worked extremely well. These calibers have been performing the task of knocking down big game with authority for longer than the portable wind-meter/computer generation of hunters has been alive.

One group of cartridges that really fits the bill is the .25-caliber. From the classic .250 Savage and .257 Roberts to the more-modern .25-06 Remington and .257 Weatherby, the quarter-bore quartet of cartridges has enjoyed a long and healthy track record of field success among journeymen hunters.

While there is a big ballistic disparity between the .250 Savage and the .257 Weatherby, the little .250 still has a place at the table. Regarding the .257 Roberts and .25-06: Their credibility has been well established.

In my opinion, the best way to assess the merits of each of the four .25-caliber cartridges is to discuss them individually, from oldest to newest.

THE NEAR-CENTURY-OLD .250 SAVAGE

The .250 Savage is coming up on the century mark in 2015. Although this cartridge is almost 100 years old and has lost ground to newer and more powerful cartridges, it is not finished yet. Loaded ammunition may be hard to find at the local CO-OP, and brass is on a “seasonal-run” basis, but the .250 Savage is still hanging around.

The original .250 Savage load, which fired an 87-grain bullet at a velocity of 3,000 fps, was pretty darned impressive in 1915—and it’s not that bad, even today. A 100-grain load was added later to satisfy deer hunters who felt the 87-grain load was just for varmints. Depending on the rifling twist rate, some of the oldest Model 99s were only accurate with the 87-grain load. Newer-built rifles had the faster twist and shot the heavier bullet well.

Even though most of the major rifle manufacturers chambered the .250 Savage, it was discontinued from production some time ago. Today, the main firearm seen in .250 Savage is the Savage Model 99 lever-action, which is highly sought after. Cooper Rifles, in Montana, and the Savage Custom Shop still produce the .250 Savage.

I shared my own experience with the .250 Savage recently in the May issue of /Gun World/. The particular rifle in that article was a Savage Model 16, which was assembled in the Savage Custom Shop. It had a Minox Z5 2.5-10x scope mounted on it. That rifle shot and handled quite well.

Guns - The Good, the Accurate And the Elegant

Two CO2 Revolvers from Umarex that Do Their S&W Namesakes Justice

By James E. House

A lot of products are ordinary. They perform as planned and are reliable, but they do not warrant a description that incorporates superlatives.

Occasionally, however, a product comes along that truly represents the epitome of the species. When it comes to revolvers that launch pellets by CO2 power, that distinction belongs to the guns that carry the name Smith & Wesson. Let’s take a look.

SHOW US WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

Produced in Germany by Umarex, these revolvers replicate the dimensions and weight of the L-frame S&W 586 and 686 models.

The .177-caliber versions of the S&W revolvers are unquestionably elegant. Moreover, they function exactly like the firearms they mimic, except for using a CO2 cylinder that is held inside the grip. To hold pellets, they utilize a swing-out cylinder that is unlatched by a lever on the left-hand side of the frame. Because pellets are quite short, there is no need for a cylinder that measures about 1½ inches in length. Rather, the “active” part of the cylinder that holds 10 pellets is only 0.370 inch thick. The stationary rear section is part of the frame.

The cylinder is not attached to the spindle on which it rotates, so cylinders can be interchanged. This allows a cylinder that is loaded with pellets to be installed quickly. Unlike some CO2 pistols with short cylinders that will accommodate only flat, pointed pellets, the S&W cylinders are sufficiently thick so that pellets of virtually any type can be used.

An elegant CO2 handgun should have sights to match, and this is certainly the case with the S&W models. The front sight is a square-topped post on a ramp. The rear sight has a crisp, square notch that mates correctly with the front sight to provide a good sight picture. The rear sight is fully adjustable in the traditional way: it features a screw to adjust windage and another to adjust elevation. However, removing the rear sight allows a scope rail to be attached by means of two screws, should you choose to mount a scope.