Another of my gun reviews slipped through the cracks and onto the ‘pages’ of TheTruthAboutGuns.com. Seriously, thanks Dan Zimmerman for doing another great job on the editing! Y’all can find it here!
Gun Review: MG Arms Ultra-Light Rifle in 7mm-08
My newest review is now available at TheTruthAboutGuns.com. I was given the opportunity to review another of MG Arms’ wonderful rifles. This time it was their Ultra-Light model in 7mm-08 Remington. You can check out my data and conclusions here.
MG Arms Ultra-Light in 7mm-08
The two rifles from Carol and Kerry O’Day, owners of MG Arms, arrived yesterday. I was hoping to take both rifles to the range today, but we are receiving some of our ~50 inches of yearly rainfall. So, instead of rangetime, I spent several hours in a very enjoyable photo session with an MG Arms Ultra-Light chambered to 7mm-08. The plan is to photograph the ‘ultimate longrange tactical rifle’ (i.e. the Banshee) tomorrow.
I thought I would share a few photos of the Ultra-Light.
This Ultra-Light, like all MG Arms products, is a high-quality and accurate-as-heck firearm. To prove that I’m not being hyperbolic about the accuracy, I’m also including a JPEG of the sighting-in target that Carol sent to me.
The ammunition used to obtain this sub-sub-MOA group was hand-loaded by MG Arms staff. They included boxes of the same hand-loads with the Ultra-Light, thus I will have NO excuse for obtaining larger groups during my shooting sessions. No pressure there!
A full review in TheTruthAboutGuns.com will appear soon!
Rifle Review: Verney-Carron Azur .450/.400 3″ Nitro Express
Hey, Guys. My review of a beautiful and accurate Verney-Carron Double Rifle in .450/400 3″ Nitro Express appeared on the digital site of Africa’s Sportsman magazine. You can check out the review here.
Things That Don’t Suck: Harris Bipods
When I first encountered Harris Bipods I had no idea what they were, or who made them…
My newest review concerning the Harris Bipods just appeared on TheTruthAboutGuns.com. Please check it out here.
St. Etienne = Weapons
The title of this post is not meant to shock or frighten. What I am trying to communicate is that the name St. Etienne is synonymous with weapon production. From the middle ages to the present, artisans and manufacturing firms have produced countless knives, swords and firearms. Some of these weapons were designed for hunting, others for self-defense or military applications.
Verney-Carron is a paradigm of St. Etienne’s firearm production. The marriage of Claude Verney and Antoinette Carron saw a combination of two families’ work in gunsmithing that extended back-in-time to Guy Verney who was producing shotguns by 1650. An homage to Verney-Carron is thus an homage to the wonderful history of weapon production in St. Etienne and France.
MG Arms Ultra-Light Rifle in .416 Taylor
“You begin carrying a pack, canteen, food, full-weight rifle and a handgun strapped to your waist. After 14 days you don’t even want to carry the handgun.” – Kerry O’Day
This review was born out of a series of conversations with MG Arms Owners, Carol and Kerry O’Day. Our interactions occurred during the Dallas Safari Club’s 2019 Convention.
Knowing a bit about the esteem with which they and their products were held, and the number of writers who were at the time pestering them for access to their products, I was a bit surprised by their willingness to send out a rifle to yours truly. The decision was made to have me work with the model that established MG Arms as a major, custom-firearms manufacturer, the Ultra-Light rifle…
See the full review of this fantastic rifle here.
Dreams of Small Boys
Growing up reading the wonderful books on hunting in Africa, I dreamed of shooting an ‘elephant rifle’. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Verney-Carron, Blaser USA and MG Arms, I can now put a check next to that line on my bucket list. In the top photograph, the left-hand cartridge is a .458 Lott with a Hornady 500 grain solid used in my review of an R8 Platform Blaser rifle. On the right is a .416 Taylor cartridge topped with a 400 grain A-Frame used in my recent review of an MG Arms Ultra-Light. In the bottom photograph, the Verney-Carron Azur side-by-side in .450/400 3″ Nitro Express and two of its cartridges are pictured. All three of these calibers have accounted for the largest, toughest and most dangerous game, including elephant. As Robert Ruark reflected: “…dreams are not taxed for small boys, not even the wildest ones.” (Horn of the Hunter)
Turnbull Winchester Model 1886 Reproduction Action Rifle
This is a bit of a throwback because I just realized my mistake of not alerting folks to my first review of a Turnbull Restoration Co. firearm. What an oversight! This is Doug Turnbull’s famous Reproduction Model 1886 in his own wildcat chambering, .475 Turnbull. What a rifle and what a caliber! You can view my review here.
.416 Taylor – John Wootters’ Choice
Early tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading to the range to try out one of Kerry O’Day’s MG Arms Ultralight rifles chambered to .416 Taylor. I asked Kerry why he started making dangerous-game ultralights. He stated simply, “Hunting in Idaho.” I asked another question. “Were you hunting in the Selway drainage?” He answered “Yep.” (I had gone after black bear on a spot-and-stalk hunt some years previously and learned how tough that terrain could be.) Kerry continued, “You start out with a pack, canteen, food, rifle and a handgun strapped to your waist. After 14 days you don’t even want to carry the handgun.”
In this particular rifle, Kerry has combined his epiphany with the caliber that was a favorite of the esteemed outdoor writer, John Wootters.
I cannot wait to start the rangework on this state-of-the-art firearm. The full review will follow soon!