The New (Shotgun) Renaissance

Benelli’s Super Vinci Blends Art and Engineering

There is little doubt that Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most brilliant minds in history, a true polymath, a master of anatomy, engineering, painting, writing and mathematics. Because of this impressive resume, any company that applies the name of Vinci to their product line invites immediate comparison with the lofty inventor and artist.

Benelli’s Super Vinci, like its counterpart the 3-inch-chambered Vinci, certainly defies traditional shotgun styling cues. Sharp, angular lines give the Super Vinci an avant-garde look, with a steeply angled pistol grip, a geometric trigger guard that flows into the receiver, a gradually narrowing finger groove on the fore end, and integrated sling studs.

Brad Fitzpatrick

Unlike most shotguns, which bear a clear distinction between the receiver, fore end, and barrel, the lines of the Super Vinci seem incongruous; the fore end and trigger guard are connected, and the top of the receiver is separated from the bottom of the receiver and the trigger guard. This gun displays unconventional styling cues, and traditionalists are likely to be put off at first by the modern aesthetic. In fact, the Super Vinci makes even the Benelli Super Black II seem slightly pedestrian, and it was once considered the model of edgy shotgun styling. However, the Super Vinci is a classic example of form following function. The gun handles extremely well and points naturally.

I had a chance to test the Super Vinci on Texas waterfowl with Joe Coogan, of Benelli and Tim Brandt, of Federal Premium Ammunition. We were hunting the secluded lakes of Matagorda Island, in the Gulf along the coast of Texas, joined by Chris Martin and his team from Bay Flats Lodge.

Just before shooting light, we had a flock of ducks (pintails, by our guide T.J. Christensen’s best estimate) drop down out of the darkness and settle with a splash at the far end of the decoys. It wasn’t long before the next group came piling into the decoys, a mixed group of gadwall and teal that locked up and fell from the sky into our spread.

 “Get ready,” T.J. said, holding a call on the edge of his mouth and watching until the ducks finally committed and dropped down just above the water.

“Take ‘em!”

I rose up alongside Tim Brandt and outdoor writer Bryce M. Towsley, and we started firing as the ducks neared the decoys. The first Black Cloud shell I fired put a gadwall down (at least I believe it was my shot). Soon afterwards more birds began appearing in large numbers, pouring into the decoys.

“Be ready for them,” T.J. said. He hunkered down in the blind and blew the nasally pintail whistle as a flock of birds appeared out of the blinding light of the rising sun. The birds committed to the decoys and locked up, dropping down out of the sky into our spread. When they were almost to the water T.J. shouted, “Pintails! Now! Take them now!”

I stood up and caught the white flash of a drake pintail wheeling in the sky, his white belly flashing against the blue sky. I shouldered the Super Vinci and pulled the bead ahead of the arching pintail’s bill, pressing the trigger and watching as the drake’s wings folded and he sailed down into the water.

Over the course of the morning I put almost a full box of Black Cloud FS Steel 1 1/4” through the Super Vinci, a potent load that proved excellent for Texas ducks. And, to my great relief, I wasn’t battered by the recoil. And although I can’t personally vouch for the recoil reduction figures put forth by the engineers at Benelli, I can certainly tell you that I’ve never gone through a box of heavy 3” loads with less discomfort.

Would Leonardo give the nod to his new namesake shotgun? I think so. After all, Leonardo was a fan of engineering and artistry, and the Super Vinci has plenty of both.

By Brad Fitzpatrick

Deep Concealment

There were Ankle Holsters, then so-called ‘Tuckables,’ but Nothing Beats a Pistol in your Pocket!

I began thinking about a deep concealment rig when I watched “The French Connection” for about the fifteenth time, just to watch Gene Hackman dive behind a tree to duck rounds fired by a rooftop sniper while reaching down to draw a snubbie .38 Special revolver from that holster on his ankle.

Later on, I carried an old Chief’s Special in an ankle rig that fit very well inside of my cowboy boot while working as an editor at a small weekly newspaper. I occasionally carried a flatter .32-caliber Beretta semiauto the same way, and the notion of having a pistol that nobody could detect in a place they wouldn’t be looking was both intriguing and very practical.

Such pistols are handy, within reach at all times, and unnoticeable because most people don’t walk around staring at someone’s ankles…and the holster allows you have your gun in an emergency. I knew a female attorney who carried a revolver in an ankle holster, and with the proper slacks, one could not tell. Ditto a female cop.

CONCEALMENT FOR WOMEN

There are a couple of companies that build handbags and purses with special compartments for handguns. Such bags are worth the money when balanced against one’s safety. And, as noted earlier, most people don’t look for a hidden handgun—the average scumbag is surprised when an intended victim turns out to be armed and willing to shoot.

Some time back I chatted with a lady in real estate who tipped me to the fact that several of her female colleagues carried pistols on the job. There have been cases of real estate agents being robbed or murdered, and female realtors are often concerned about sexual assault, too.

Over the years, there have been some interesting products for women, including bra holsters and thigh holsters for very small pistols.

THE “TUCKABLE” HOLSTER

Years ago, a guy asked me to build a holster over which he could tuck a shirt. I diddled around with the project and it eventually turned into something copied by several other people; somewhere along the way it was dubbed the “tuckable.”

This was, and remains, a rig built for small handguns. The original prototypes were for a J-frame and a Walther PPK. I’ve had guys ask me to make them for Government Models and I turned them down. The biggest gun I’d ever suggest for such a rig is maybe an Officer’s Model or similar Kimber or Springfield compact.


Integral Holsters

One of the more intriguing options for pocket carry includes the integral pocket holster, like the Pocket Shot made by DeSantis. These holsters fit to your pistol semi-permanently, meaning that you can remove them when you want, but they’re intended to allow proper firing, cycling, and reloading, with the holster affixed to the gun. They don’t provide auxiliary protection for your trigger—like most traditional holsters—and won’t keep out the lint and grit, but they serve a larger purpose: to provide a low-drag, integral method of concealing the shape of your handgun for pocket carry! --Editor

For more information: www.desantisholster.com

Wallet-Printing
 Most pocket holsters are designed in a rectangular size and shape that fits your pocket—and their purpose—quite well.

When you sit down, the contents of your pants pockets “print” through the fabric, clearly showing their outline—keys, a phone, a pocket knife… If you intend to sit down in public, your gun will “print” its unmistakable outline unless you have it in a holster.

Pocket holsters are designed to approximate the size and shape of a wallet, so that even the most intent observer will think you’ve merely placed your wallet in a front pocket. --Editor

Workman’s deep cover rig has generically been called a “tuckable” because you wear it with a shirt tucked over the hidden sidearm. This is Mitch Rosen’s superb rendition.

In Search of a Trophy

This South African Safari Included an Encounter with Poachers and a Search for a World Record Mountain Reedbuck
By Thomas C. Tabor

"Tom, you've got to hunt mountain reedbuck. I know where we possibly could find the next world record," my PH and close friend, Carl Labuschage, kept telling me.

But in all honesty, I hadn't even considered hunting reedbuck of any kind on this trip. Months before I'd arrived in South Africa, I'd prepared a well thought out list of other plains game species that the walls of my trophy room just seemed to be screaming out for.

Surely, if finances weren't a consideration, I would have booked a 30-day safari all-inclusive of everything, including the Big Five. But unfortunately, like a lot of hunters, I don't fit in the category of being a wealthy financier and as such, expenses played a major role in the 10 animals that I'd selected to hunt.

TOP OF THE LIST

On the top of that list, I'd hoped to take a good kudu bull, which would move me a little closer to completing my collection of spiral-horned antelope; I wanted to bring home a warthog, which had somehow eluded me on my earlier safaris; and the eight others on the list were no less desirable, or no less challenging to hunt.

But what was possibly even more of a concern than the fairly small trophy fee for the reedbuck was my time restraints. There just didn't seem to be enough time to include a mountain reedbuck, but Carl persisted, pleading with me that I had to make time even at the cost of missing out on some other species. Knowing full well if I didn't agree I would surely regret it down the road, I finally asked Carl to make the necessary arrangements. First, however, I wanted to see a kudu bull on the ground and in the Zululand area, good quality kudu are not all that easy to come by.

BIRD OF PREY

Ruger’s High-Velocity Break-Action Air Hawk is a Natural Born Hunter

By James E. House

My association with Ruger products goes back almost 60 years, and I must say, it’s been a darned good ride.

   The Ruger Air Hawk is an entry-level break-action air rifle that can be
used for hunting small game and pests.

My first Ruger was the initial model that Ruger produced: the .22 auto standard model pistol. My second was one of the early Single Six models that had the flat loading gate with a curved thumbnail notch. That was followed by a Single Six in 1958. I’ve owned a considerable number of other Rugers over the years, but my most recent gun from Ruger is not a firearm; rather, it is an economical high-velocity break-action air rifle called the Air Hawk, and the subject of this month’s Air gunning evaluation.

NOT FOR KIDS

Like many other companies, Ruger has diversified the product line to include air guns made elsewhere but carrying the firearm label that is used under license. This is now common for Remington, Winchester and others, as well as Ruger. In this case, the importer is Umarex USA.

I recently bought a Ruger Air Hawk, which is a .177-caliber break action that is advertised to give velocities up to 1,000 fps. This “1,000 fps” category describes numerous break-action rifles, but pellet velocity depends on several factors, such as pellet weight and altitude. Yes, /altitude/, because just as it is harder for you to breathe at high altitude, cocking a break-action rifle at high altitude draws in less air in an analogous way. Less air in the compression chamber means less air compressed at the time of firing, and that means lower velocity.

Not having had firsthand experience with any of the Ruger airguns, I decided to remedy that situation by going to one of the big box stores and buying one. Of the Ruger models offered, the one that interested me most was the Air Hawk, because it is the most powerful, making it suitable for hunting small game and pests. The Air Hawk comes bundled with a 4x32 scope and mount and sells for slightly more than $100. So, what do you get for your money?

When I opened the box, I was impressed with how carefully the air gun was packed. Not all airguns are fully supported, so if the box is dropped on end, damage to the front sight can occur. The Ruger was fully supported on each end and in the middle by sturdy foam inserts. Moreover, the scope was neatly packed in a box that fit in recesses in the foam supports.

The rifle comes enclosed in a plastic sleeve. When I removed this, I was impressed with the hardwood stock. Although not beautifully grained, the stock is nicely shaped, with a raised Monte Carlo section to support the cheek. Also pleasing to me was the fact that the stock was of a conventional design, with no cutouts, thumb holes or a bulbous forearm. Compared to some of the modern break actions, this is a sleek air rifle of stylish design.

The Air Hawk measures 44.8 inches in length, weighs 7.9 pounds and has a cocking effort of 30 pounds. In summary, it is an air gun for an adult shooter.

NOTE: This was excerpted from a recent issue of Gun World magazine.

Take All The Anti-Gun Reporting With A Grain Of Salt

The Romans had a term for warning buyers about possible defects in property they purchased that might render it useless or unfit for the use for which it was intended. /Caveat emptor/ means “Let the buyer beware.” In other words, there was no liability on the part of the seller unless he/she concealed the defects or made false representations about the product being sold.

Of course, under today’s laws, buyers have many safeguards to protect them from defects or dishonesty—but certainly not for all products, and not all of the safeguards are enforceable, so buyers must still beware.

Today, Americans should familiarize themselves with another Latin term: /Caveat lector/. It translates as, “Let the reader beware,” and is similar in many ways to /Caveat emptor/. Rather than accept as fact everything they read or hear in the news, readers/listeners need to sort things out for themselves to determine what’s factual and what’s agenda driven.

This holds especially true in terms of Gun ownership, which is constantly under attack by the media, as well as by those who hold public office who believe the Constitution is “a living, breathing document,” whose text is meant to be flexible. Often, the handiwork of armed lunatics is used by the media and lawmakers to make us law-abiding gun owners look like we’re all a bunch of fanatics who live in the past.

During the two short years I’ve been editor of /Gun World/, Supreme Court Justice Breyer, who dissented from the majority in the landmark cases District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010) told Chris Wallace in a televised Fox News interview that the role of the court is to interpret the Constitution flexibly, in light of ever-changing consequences. We’ve also seen the ATF push for new regulations on gun dealers near the Mexican border—ironically, at the same time Fast and Furious was still in full swing.

In that same period, the tragic Tucson shooting led to an anti-gun outcry on the parts of both the media and members of Congress; the latter used it as an excuse to propose stricter gun-control laws, and the former crafted stories to influence public opinion in favor of these stricter regulations.

Three New Large-Caliber Big-Game Rifles For 2012

Game Rifles For 2012

By Richard Folsland

Hunters have a lot to be excited about this year. One of the trends currently seen in this market is lower-cost rifles. Manufacturers are producing more and more inexpensive models, and the competition for the under $400 to $500 market is expanding rapidly.

The year 2012 also marks the anniversary of a couple of the most famous—and best-selling—hunting rifles in U.S. history. One of those two rifles is the Remington Model 700, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Also celebrating a 50th anniversary is the 7mm Remington Magnum caliber.

Another trend in the world of big-game hunting rifles is the proliferation of “Black Guns” (AR-15 style) showing up in hunting circles in larger numbers. While many traditional hunters would never consider showing up in deer camp with an AR-type rifle, there is a growing segment of younger hunters doing just that.

RUGER AMERICAN RIFLE

The Ruger American Rifle was one of the first new rifles introduced for 2012. It is a completely newly designed bolt-action hunting rifle with many new features and a real departure from the model M77 rifle. And the American Rifle is even lighter than a full-sized Ruger Hawkeye.

One of the first notable features is the trigger. The Ruger Marksman Adjustable Trigger is adjustable from 3 to 5 pounds; however, a closer look reveals that it looks a lot like a Savage AccuTrigger with the little blocking tab in the center of the trigger shoe. That tab is the (lawyer-approved) safety feature.

Mossberg’s 590A1 Special Purpose Is Street-Certified, Trail-Approved and Home Defense-Ready

Mossberg’s 590A1

Anytime I see the word, “special,” in a product description nowadays, I pretty much ignore it instantly. That word has been so overworked by advertising types that it’s about as overdone today as “colossal extravaganza” was by P. T. Barnum more than 100 years ago.

Yet, “special” still does mean something, on occasion. You just have to weed out those occasions from all the rest of the clutter. For the subject at hand, it is an apt descriptor, however, and it’s entirely understandable why Mossberg includes it in its Model 590A1 Special Purpose line.

The Mossberg website shows no fewer than 17 different variations of the 590A1 Special Purpose, covering 18.5- to 20-inch barrels, various sight options that include brass bead, three-dot and fully adjustable ghost-ring sights, standard black synthetics stocks, black wood stocks, Speedfeed stocks, adjustable sliders with Pistol grips, Parkerized and Marinecoat finishes, accessory rails, bayonet lugs, and ventilated and solid rubber recoil pads.

Based on the long-running Mossberg 500 pump action and first cousins to the shotguns fielded by the U.S. Marine Corps for several years, the A1 version treads well beyond the standard “civilian” Model 500 “riotgun” used by police for many years. Those were essentially just Hunting Guns with shorter barrels and different stock finishes, while the A1s are designed for hard use by some seriously hard users. If you’re a Mossberg fan and need a heavy-duty working pumpgun for social applications, you should be able to find a model to fit somewhere in that Special Purpose lineup. If you can’t, you’re just not trying.

Having partnered with a pump in a cop car, and after buckling one into an ATV scabbard more than a few times, I have my own preferences and ideas of what I want in a defensive shotgun. Others may vary (the reason behind so many options), but a quick scan turned up a model on Mossberg’s site that fit my shopping list of features, and then it was just a matter of waiting for it to arrive.

I’ll admit up front that while I’ve known others who have had good results with Mossbergs, I’m heavily invested in the “other” brand, and I’d never personally tried one myself. The test sample was an Item # 51663, Special Purpose 9 Shot 590A1. When it arrived, I was quite impressed. Take a look.

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.

Guns - Take All The Anti-Gun Reporting With A Grain Of Salt

Gun

The Romans had a term for warning buyers about possible defects in property they purchased that might render it useless or unfit for the use for which it was intended. /Caveat emptor/ means “Let the buyer beware.” In other words, there was no liability on the part of the seller unless he/she concealed the defects or made false representations about the product being sold.

 Of course, under today’s laws, buyers have many safeguards to protect them from defects or dishonesty—but certainly not for all products, and not all of the safeguards are enforceable, so buyers must still beware.

Today, Americans should familiarize themselves with another Latin term: /Caveat lector/. It translates as, “Let the reader beware,” and is similar in many ways to /Caveat emptor/. Rather than accept as fact everything they read or hear in the news, readers/listeners need to sort things out for themselves to determine what’s factual and what’s agenda driven.

This holds especially true in terms of gun ownership, which is constantly under attack by the media, as well as by those who hold public office who believe the Constitution is “a living, breathing document,” whose text is meant to be flexible. Often, the handiwork of armed lunatics is used by the media and lawmakers to make us law-abiding gun owners look like we’re all a bunch of fanatics who live in the past.

During the two short years I’ve been editor of /Gun World/, Supreme Court Justice Breyer, who dissented from the majority in the landmark cases District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010) told Chris Wallace in a televised Fox News interview that the role of the court is to interpret the Constitution flexibly, in light of ever-changing consequences. We’ve also seen the ATF push for new regulations on gun dealers near the Mexican border—ironically, at the same time Fast and Furious was still in full swing.

In that same period, the tragic Tucson shooting led to an anti-gun outcry on the parts of both the media and members of Congress; the latter used it as an excuse to propose stricter gun-control laws, and the former crafted stories to influence public opinion in favor of these stricter regulations.