WHEN semi-automatic pistols cus-tomized for competition or dis-creet carry are mentioned, the Colt

M1911 usually comes to mind. Recognizingthe potential of these markets, Beretta USAhas responded with the introduction of the“Elite Team” series of pistols based on itsproven Model 92/96 handguns. Four newpistols make up the team, starting with theModel 92/96G “Elite” with a 4.7" stainlesssteel barrel that is an out-of-the-box Int’lDefensive Pistol Ass’n (IDPA) pistol. Next,the Model 92/96 “Border Marshall” emu-

lates the pistol specifically madefor the Immigration andNaturalization Service. For discreet carry,Beretta’s new 92/96 “Custom Carry” has acompact 4.3" barrel and shortened grip.Completing the team is the stainless steelModel 92FS “INOX Tactical.” The INOXTactical comes only in 9x19 mm, while theother Elite pistols are offered in 9x19 mmor .40 S&W.

Since members of the NRA TechnicalStaff often compete in monthly IDPAmatches on the NRA Range, we elected to

receive a Beretta Model 92G Elite fortest and evaluation and to classify for

IDPA competition. As an IDPA gun, theElite falls into the Stock Service Pistol clas-sification. The slide-mounted, ambidex-trous levers function only as decockers,not safety levers, so “cocked and locked”carry—and thus Enhanced ServicePistol classification—is not an option.Since fast shot recovery decreases times

for better scores, a heavy, contoured,“Brigadier”-style slide helps reduce feltrecoil, and aids getting back on target quick-ly. The slide also has front grasping groovesin addition to grooves in the normal rearposition.

Removable front and rear sights are ofthe three-dot-pattern and are dovetailed intothe slide. The rear is easily adjusted forwindage by drifting the unit left or right.

Other competition-specific enhance-ments include a radiused backstrap to fill

®

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “DopeBag” at least since 1921, when Col.Townsend Whelenfirst titled his column with it. Even then, it had been inuse for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot-ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firingline.“Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s termfor sight adjustment information, while judging windspeed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

CAUTION: Technical data and information con-tained herein are intended to provide information basedon the limited experience of individuals under specificconditions and circumstances. They do not detail thecomprehensive training procedures, techniques andsafety precautions absolutely necessary to properlycarry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimeron the contents page. Always consult comprehensivereference manuals and bulletins for details of propertraining requirements, procedures, techniques andsafety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

9x19 mm Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Federal 9AP 1069 Avg. 315 3.4 1.67 3.08 2.33124-gr. FMJ 15 Sd

Remington R9MM3 1144 Avg. 334 3.4 2.58 7.67 4.79115-gr. FMJ 9 Sd

Winchester SC9NT 1172 Avg. 320 3.1 2.77 4.49 3.77105-gr. JSP 11 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 3.60

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 4.7" barrel. Range temperature 68° F. Humidity:42%. Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 25 yds. from a Ransom Rest.Abbreviations: FMJ (full-metal jacket), JSP (jacketed soft-point), Sd (Standard deviation)

SHOOTING RESULTS

A generous bevel on the Beretta’s maga-zine well allows for easier insertion of thesteel, 10-round, double-column maga-zines. Thick, rubber bottom pads preventmagazine damage during speed changes.

Slide-mounted, ambidextrous levers func-tion only as decockers. “Cocked-and-locked” carry is not an option, nor is theIDPA Enhanced Service Pistol classification.

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999

Beretta has a new line based on the Model92/96. A Border Marshall Model emulatesguns issued to INS, the Compact Carry is fordiscreet carry and the INOX Tactical is all stain-less steel. We tested an IDPA gun, the Elite.

BERETTA ELITE TEAM PISTOLS

AFTER Gerhard Blenk retired from asuccessful career in internationalbusiness, he had time to indulge his

lifelong passion for big game hunting. As heconsidered hunting rifles from the viewpointof a dedicated, modern sportsman, he beganto question why existing designs, many ofwhich were more than 100 years old, couldnot be improved using modern technology.

Although Blenk was not an iconoclast,he felt that the state-of-the-art in huntingrifle technology could be pushed forwarddramatically. As existing gun manufactur-ers were not interested in such a project,Blenk resolved to accomplish it himself. Hebuilt several prototype rifles then took themhunting. Others were so impressed by

Blenk’s rifle, many sought to buy one. Blenklater formed his own company to manufac-ture his creation—the Blaser rifle.

European hunters have a finely devel-oped appreciation for engineering excel-lence and technical accomplishment. Theadvanced technology of the Blaser rifleappealed to these senses and struck aresponsive chord throughout the Europeanmarket. Blaser rapidly came from nowhereto gain a major market share among knowl-edgeable, European hunters. Competingrifle manufacturers such as Sauer immedi-ately noted this, of course. In the late 1990s,the Swiss Industrial Company (SIG), own-ers of Sauer in Germany, gave in and pur-chased the Blaser rifle company. American

sportsmen stand to benefit from this as SIGnow actively promotes sales of the Blaserrifle in North America.

the palm of the gun hand, and serrationson the front and back strap for a moresecure grip. A generous bevel at the bot-tom of the magazine well allows for easi-er insertion of the steel, 10-round, double-column magazines. Magazines have thick,rubber bottom pads to protect them whendropped during speed changes.

The Beretta 92G Elite was fired for accu-racy with the results shown in the accompa-nying table. Function firing was with a varietyof ammunition with round-nose, truncated andhollow-point bullets including subsonic loads.There were no malfunctions of any kind. Wefound the 92G Elite recovers quickly for fast

follow-up shots and points naturally. Double-action trigger pull is a little heavy and stackssomewhat, but the single-action pull is crisp.Some overtravel is evident and we’d like to seea stop screw incorporated into the trigger blade.Sights are easily visible against the buff-col-ored IDPA targets. The sharp front sight bladetended to snag in a fabric holster we tried, butnot in a leather model. For this reason,we optedto use a leather holster from the Gould &Goodrich Gold line for the IDPA competition.Accuracy, especially with Federal 124-gr. bul-lets was quite good.

The Elite Team series fills niches wherethere are definitely growing markets. Thedesign is battle- and match-proven, and theElite Team should appeal to competitors look-ing for something beyond an M1911.

MANUFACTURER: Pietro Beretta S.p.A.,Via Beretta 18, 25063 Gardone V.T.,Brescia, Italy

IMPORTER: Beretta U.S.A. Corp. (Dept.AR), 17601 Beretta Drive, Accokeek,MD 20607; (301) 283-2191

CALIBER: 9x19 mm (tested), .40 S&WACTION TYPE: short recoil-operated, semi-

automatic, double/single-action pistolCONSTRUCTION: chrome-moly steelFINISH: Bruniton frameOVERALL LENGTH: 83⁄8"BARREL: 4.7" stainless steelRIFLING: six-groove, RH twistWIDTH: 11⁄2"HEIGHT: 6"MAGAZINE: detachable, 10-round,

double-column, steel with rubber padSIGHTS: three-white-dot: blade front,

square-notch blade rear, drift-adjustablefor windage

TRIGGER: single-stage, non-adjustable:double-action, 11-lb. pull; single-action51⁄2-lb. pull

STOCKS: checkered black plasticWEIGHT EMPTY: 35 ozs.ACCESSORIES: extra magazine;

lockable, hard plastic boxSUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $732

MODEL 92 ELITE

The slide has front grasping grooves.Though they aid in opening the action witha scope or red dot sight attached, suchsights are not allowed in IDPA competition.

The Model 92 Elite has a heavy, contoured,“Brigadier”-style slide that is thicker thanthose of standard Beretta Model 92 pistols.

Blaser magazines are molded, single-column,semi-spiral designs powered by ro-tary springs acting on a synthetic follower.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999 47

Terms such as “revolutionary” and “the rifle of the future” are used in SIG Arms lit-erature to describe the Blaser rifle. While history will determine if this holds true, theBlaser certainly offers a package of innovative, unique concepts such as 360 degree, radi-al bolt locking; a trigger unit with no sear; thumb-cocking safety; fast takedown with inter-changeable barrels in different calibers and a unique magazine with straight-line feed.

BLASER R93 SYNTHETIC

The Blaser offers a package of innov-ative, unique concepts such as 360 degree,radial bolt locking; a trigger unit with nosear; thumb-cocking safety; fast takedownwith interchangeable barrels in differentcalibers and a unique magazine withstraight-line feed. Other advanced fea-tures not unique to the Blaser include astraight-pull action, a free-floating barrel,a metal bedding block, a detachable bolthead, captive mounting screws and nuts,scope bases with integral rings, scopemounts with repeatable zero and a syn-thetic stock.

Blaser rifles do not have a receiver ofconventional configuration in that there areno front or rear receiver rings or bridges.Rather, the receiver is a non-stressed, U-shaped piece of aluminum that simply

serves to bed the barrel and hold it, the boltassembly and trigger assembly in relation toeach other. The bolt locks directly to the bar-rel with a collet head and, as the bolt headdoes not rotate, the bolt travels on two railsriding in corresponding grooves cut into theupper, inner sides of the receiver. The boltcollet head locks radially through 360degrees into a V-shaped groove cut into therear shank of the barrel.

A coned surface on the rear of the bolthead serves to expand the collet’s steel fin-gers for locking or allow them to contractfor unlocking. In the locked position, thecollet fingers travel up the cone surface,causing them to expand into the lockinggroove cut into the barrel. When unlocked,the collet fingers slide down the cone sur-face to their normal, retracted position. Theseparate, detachable bolt head is fitted withan internal extractor and internal ejector. Asmall, steel assist pin on the upper face ofthe bolt carrier and connected to the bolthandle provides a degree of initial extrac-tion to first loosen the cartridge case as thebolt is opened. A lightweight, steel firing pinpowered by an encompassing coil springcombined with short firing pin travel offersultra-fast lock time. These features enablean unusually short, compact bolt assembly.A small, bolt-release button located on theupper right rear wing of the action enablesthe bolt to quickly be removed as needed.

Blaser triggers are built into an integralhousing on the bottom of the tang. Thereis no sear and the housing is not remov-able. Although the housing is enclosed,panels can be removed for cleaning ormaintenance as necessary. When the trig-ger is pulled, it acts to raise a round metalpin out of the housing a very short distanceso it contacts the pivot arm on the boltassembly. The pivot arm holds the striker

in see-saw fashion; when the pin pushesupward, the striker is released by the arm.A disconnector is built into the assembly.

Although Blaser magazines are readilyremovable, they are not external. Ratherthey are internal in somewhat similar fash-ion to the “en bloc” clips such as those usedin the M1 Garand, but are not ejected whenempty. They are molded, single-column,semi-spiral designs powered by rotarysprings acting on a synthetic follower. A sec-

ond, rotary spring-powered piece pushesagainst the bottom of the receiver to pushthe magazine upward into its proper posi-tion. The purpose of this is to present thetopmost cartridge in such a manner as toallow a straight push into the chamber forreliable feeding. Blaser magazines arecaliber-specific and can be removed easilywhen changing calibers. Extra barrels aresold with a correct caliber magazine.

Of takedown design, Blaser barrels areeasily interchangeable between calibers.Changes requiring a different bolt face aremade possible by interchangeable, detach-able bolt heads. Blaser barrels are hammer-forged of carbon steel with four lands andgrooves of conventional design.

Two equal-length mounting bolts per-manently affixed to the bottom of the barrelpass through the bottom of the receiver tomate with two captive locking nuts in thestock. The 4 mm hex heads of these lockingnuts are deeply recessed into the stock.Barrels bed directly to the metal receiver.Scope bases with integral rings mount insmall eyebrow notches cut into the top ofthe barrel. Designed especially for repeatzero, the scope base/ring unit with the scopeattached can be dismounted and remountedwithout losing its zero.

The Blaser Synthetic rifle comesequipped with a one-piece, fiberglass-reinforced, molded stock with steel QDsling swivel studs and a black rubberbuttpad. The stock has no checkering, butits surface has a finely pebbled, black, non-slip, non-reflective finish. In the Syntheticmodel only, the receiver is imbedded per-manently in the stock.

Turnbolt rifles require four distinct handmovements for operation—upward, back-ward, forward and downward. The Blaser’sstraight-pull bolt reduces these to just twomovements—backward and forward. Thatsubstantially reduces the time required tooperate the bolt for a quick second shot andkeeps the rifle securely in the shooter’sshoulder and focal plane. When the shooterpulls the bolt knob rearward, the bolt han-dle first pivots about 15 degrees. This pulls

MANUFACTURER: SIG Swiss IndustrialCo., CH-8212 Neuhausen Rhine Falls,Switzerland

IMPORTER: SIG Arms, Inc.(Dept. AR),Corporate Park, Exeter, NH 03833;(603) 772-2302

CALIBER: .22-250 Rem. through .416Rem. Mag.,.30-’06 Sprg. (tested)

ACTION TYPE: straight-pull, repeating,center-fire rifle

RECEIVER: aluminumFINISH: matte blackOVERALL LENGTH: 397⁄8"WEIGHT: 6 lbs. 9 ozs.BARREL: take-down design, free-floating,

hammer-forged, carbon steel, 22" stan-dard calibers, 26" magnum calibers

RIFLING: conventional, four-groove,RH twist

MAGAZINE: internal, detachable, three-round, semi-spiral with rotary springs

SIGHTS: noneTRIGGER: searless, 2-lb. pullSTOCK: one-piece, molded, fiberglass-

reinforced, matte black synthetic:length of pull, 141⁄4"; drop at heel, 11⁄8";drop at comb, 11⁄16"

ACCESSORIES: optional at extra cost;scope bases with integral rings, barrelswith magazines for different calibers,left-hand action, Safari package.

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $1,495(Synthetic), $1,795 (LX), $3,495(Classic), $4,675 (Grand Luxe),$5,125 (Attache)

BLASER R93

The bolt locks directly to the barrel bymeans of an expanding collet (arrow) thatengages radially through 360 degrees intoa V-shaped groove cut into the rear shank.

Turnbolt rifles require four distinct handmovements for operation—upward, back-ward, forward and downward. The Blaser’sstraight-pull bolt reduces these to just two.

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999

A coned surfaceon the rear of theBlaser R93’sdetachable bolthead (l.) servesto expand thelocking collet’ssteel fingersinto the R93’sbarrel extension.

the bolt carrier slightly rearward allowingthe locking collet fingers to slide down therear cone of the bolt head, unlocking the boltfrom the barrel. At the same time, the assistpin on the bolt carrier deploys forward toloosen the cartridge case by pushing the boltcarrier rearward. The bolt is then free tomove fully rearward, extracting and eject-ing the fired case. Pushing the bolt knob for-ward causes the bolt to push the topmost car-tridge from the magazine into the chamber.As it does so, the bolt knob pivots forward,causing the locking collet fingers to travelup the rear cone of the bolt head and deployinto the locking recess ring in the barrel. Therifle is now locked securely.

For safety, the Blaser rifle normallyremains uncocked when the bolt is closedon the first round. To cock the rifle, theshooter must push forward and upward ona large, ribbed, metal button on the rearof the bolt that is connected to the strik-er. This exposes a large red dot in the tang,indicating the rifle is ready to fire. Oncepressed home to cock the striker, the but-ton will stay in that position after the shothas been fired and the bolt manipulatedfor follow-up shots. If desired, the riflecan be put on safe by pressing the buttoninward and upward, which releases it toslide down into the safe position. Thisdecocks the striker and locks the boltclosed. If desired, a light upward push onthe safety button unlocks the bolt with-out cocking the firing pin. The safety canalso be applied when the bolt is open.There is no conventional safety button.We found that while the Blaser’s opera-tional procedure takes a bit of gettingused to, it works quite well once you getthe hang of it. One piece of advice, how-ever—read the operation manual careful-ly and completely, then practice the oper-ation procedure on an unloaded riflebefore attempting to fire it.

Following the utilitarian concept of theBlaser Synthetic, finish on all metal partsis a matte blue/black. Even the triggerguard and trigger bow are made of mold-ed, matte black synthetic. Fit and finish ofall metal parts proved average for a rifle inthis price range.

Styling elicited a mixed bag of reactions.Traditionalists choked on the syntheticstock and matte finish. For them, a rifle isnot a rifle unless made of blued, polishedsteel and checkered walnut. However, theydid allow as how the Blaser stock lines werenice—for a synthetic. For traditionalists, thehigher grades of Blaser rifles with check-ered walnut stocks and blued steel parts hadstronger appeal. But, potential buyersshould consider that the price of such mod-els is substantially higher. If they rememberthat the Blaser Synthetic is aimed at cus-tomers who view a hunting rifle as a basictool with little aesthetic content, then theappearance makes perfect sense.

Our tests indicated that takedown andreassembly of the Blaser rifle were fast andeasy—however a hex wrench was required.Bedding did not prove to be a problem asthe Blaser barrel beds directly to the metalreceiver and the entire scope base/ringassembly attaches to the barrel.

In this connection, we tested the repeat-able zero by first zeroing in the rifle, remov-ing the scope base, waiting overnight thenreinstalling the scope base the next day. Zerodid not change.

Blaser bolt operation was smooth andvery fast—something straight-pull rifles arerenowned for. Fast second shots were easy,even by novice shooters. This raised aninteresting point. Turn-bolt hunting riflesrequire practice to achieve smooth boltoperation allowing fast follow-up shots. TheBlaser required noticeably less training in

this respect with novices quickly master-ing the backward-forward operation.

The cocking safety, however, was anoth-er matter. While it does operate reliably andhas considerable thought behind its design,it is not intuitive. Rather, it requires a care-ful reading of the manual—and practice—before use. Uninstructed but experiencedshooters, for example, could not get the rifleto fire at first.

Feeding, extraction and ejection wereflawless. One point is worth mentioninghere. Straight-pull rifles do not have theinherent mechanical advantage duringextraction that good turnbolt designs have.While this remains unimportant in mostcases, it takes on serious meaning when a

case sticks in the chamber for whatever rea-son. Fortunately, such instances are rare, sothe average owner need not be overly con-cerned about this.

We found the searless trigger pull crispand clean with little loading and very littletake-up. Blaser is on to something good herein its simple, searless, enclosed design.Accuracy results are summarized in theaccompanying table. Results may be char-acterized as above average for a huntingrifle. Perhaps more important here is theconsistency to be had from the metal bed-ding, free-floated barrel and synthetic stock.

The Blaser rifle incorporates numerousunique features combined with many otheradvanced features found on modern hunt-ing rifles. No doubt about it, the Blaserdoes advance the state-of-the-art; witnessthe straight-pull clones from competitors.The Blaser embodies the personal prefer-ences of Gerhard Blenk, a knowledgeable,modern sportsman. But not every sports-man is interested in advancing the state-of-the-art, particularly in North America. Thecombination of pioneering, technical fea-tures and high price limit the appeal of theBlaser rifle to knowledgeable, well-heeledhunters who appreciate technical excel-lence. Therefore, this is not a rifle for theaverage hunter. Predictably, we will seemany of the concepts embodied in theBlaser rifles adopted by competitors. Suchis the work of the pioneer.

.30-’06 Sprg. Vel.@15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Winchester No. 30065 2761 Avg. 2792 18.4 1.24 1.76 1.49165-gr. SP 10 Sd

Federal No.3006A 2843 Avg. 2692 15.2 1.50 1.85 1.63150-gr. SP 13 Sd

Speer No.24508 2719 Avg. 2954 21.4 1.14 1.93 1.61180-gr. GS 11 Sd

Average: Extreme Spread: 1.58

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 22" barrel. Range temperature: 68° F. Humidity:42%. Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yds. from a sandbag rest.Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), SP (soft point), GS (Grand Slam)

SHOOTING RESULTS

The R93’s free-floating,hammer-forged bar-rel beds directly to the aluminum receiverand features four milled cuts for attachingan optional scope base with integral rings.

The Blaser rifle remains uncocked whenthe bolt is closed on the first round.To cock,push forward and up on the large, ribbed,metal button (arrow) on the rear of the bolt.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999 49

WHILE many sportsmen havemoved to over-unders and semi-automatic shotguns, a small but

traditional market still exists for elegantside-by-sides. FABARM’s line of double-barrel shotguns, appropriately named“Classic Lion,” exhibit a mixture of Old

World craftsmanship with modern manu-facturing methods and features. Twogrades are offered, differing only in thatGrade I is an engraved boxlock, while theGrade II is a boxlock with removable,engraved, false sideplates and a lockable,fitted luggage case. We received a Grade IClassic Lion for test and evaluation.

The most remarkable feature about theFABARM Classic Lion is its locking sys-tem. Each barrel chamber of the monoblochas its own set of Purdy double under lumps.H&K, the importer of FABARM shotguns,calls this arrangement the “four lockingpoints.” This “quad-lock” makes assem-bling the gun almost effortless as it is essen-tially self-aligning, and offers unsurpassedstrength and durability.

The boxlock action is CNC machinedfrom a nickel-chromium-molybdenum steelforging that is finished in the white. A taste-ful amount of scroll engraving adorns thesides and bottom of the receiver as well asits fences. Hammers pivot on pins in the bot-

tom of the action andare powered by coilsprings. Sears arepinned in the top tangand tripped by anextension protrudingup from the singleselective trigger. Thetrigger is gold-platedand checkered for bet-ter finger purchase.Barrel selection is bymeans of a selectorbutton built into thetop tang-mountedautomatic safety but-ton. Moving the selec-tor to the left exposesone red dot indicatingthat the right barrelwill fire first. Uponpulling the trigger, thetrigger extension liftsthe selected barrel’ssear, releasing thehammer to strike therebounding firing pin

and fire the shot. Recoil causes the inertiablock to rock back and positions the triggerextension under the other barrel’s sear.

Cocking is by a single rod passingthrough the bottom of the action that pushesthe hammers back when the action is opened.The rather complicated automatic ejectorsystem is interlocked with the action of cock-ing the hammers. When a hammer is cocked,it presses back a steel stamping in the side ofthe action connected to the ejector trip rods.The rod trips the ejector sear contained in thefore-end iron, which activates the ejector. Ifa barrel isn’t fired, cocking does not occur,and the ejector is not activated.

Our sample’s stock is straight-grainedwalnut with hand-cut checkering of 22lines per inch on the pistol grip and splin-ter fore-end. An Anson push rod latchretains the fore-end under the blued steelbarrels. The pistol grip has a very slightright-hand palm swell, and the buttstockis cast-on to center the barrels in front of

MANUFACTURER: FabbricaBresciana Armi, Via G. Zola 33,25060, Brescia, Italy

IMPORTER: Heckler & Koch (Dept. AR),21480 Pacific Blvd., Sterling, VA20166; (703) 450-1900

GAUGE: 12, 3"ACTION TYPE: Boxlock side-by-sideRECEIVER: nickel-chromium-molybdenumOVERALL LENGTH: 43"FINISH: nickel receiver with scroll

engraving, high-polish blue barrelsBARRELS: 26" with solid top ribWEIGHT: 7 lbs.CHOKE SYSTEM: full, improved modi-

fied, modified, improved cylinder, cylin-der FABARM screw-in chokes compat-ible with steel shot through modified

TRIGGER: single, selective, inertial, gold-plated: 4-lb. pull left and right barrels

STOCK: satin oil-finished walnut: lengthof pull, 141⁄4"; drop at heel, 2"; drop atcomb, 13⁄8"

ACCESSORIES: full, improved modified,modified, cylinder, improved cylinderchoke tubes; choke tube wrench

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $1,488

CLASSIC LION

The hammers pivot on pins in the bottomof the action and are powered by coilsprings.The trigger unit is single selective.

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.

14 21 7 15

24 37 15 22

18 29 14 18

11 12 8 13

Improved Modified Improved Cylinderx=Point of Hold

Federal P128-6 Premium Magnum 12-ga.23⁄4"—11⁄8 oz.—No. 6 lead

Average Pellet count—253Measured Velocity @3-ft.—1385 f.p.s.

Remaining Energy Per Pellet @40 yds.: 2 ft.-lbsRecoil: 31.5 ft.-lbs

Total Hits 162 (64%) Total Hits 112 (44%)21" Inner Circle 108 (43%) 21" Inner Circle 69 (28%)30" Outer Ring 54 (21%) 30" Outer Ring 43 (16%)

FABARM CLASSIC LION

FABARM CLASSIC LION

FABARM’s side-by-side shotgun is appropriately named “ClassicLion.” Two grades are offered and exhibit a mixture of Old Worldcraftsmanship and modern manufacturing methods and features.

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999

a right-handed shooter. A satin oil finishgives the wood a warm glow.

Barrels are 26" and joined by solid topand bottom ribs. A single gold sightingbead is on the front end of the top rib, whilegrooves perpendicular to the rib reduceglare. Chambers and barrels are chrome-lined and the muzzles are threaded toaccept screw-in choke tubes. Full ,improved-modified, modified, improvedcylinder and cylinder tubes come with thegun. Tubes are rated for steel shot up tomodified constriction.

We installed improved cylinder andimproved-modified choke tubes and pat-terned the FABARM Classic Lion withFederal Premium Magnum lead shot ammu-nition. Function firing was at hand-thrown

battue clay targets with PMC target loadsand Remington field loads. When hand-thrown, battue targets typically move fast,face, and zip off in almost any direction.They proved challenging, but the ClassicLion was up to the task. This shotgun pointsnaturally, balances well and is extremelylively. Calmly tracking these targets wasimpossible, but we hammered most of themby using a combination of point and pass-through shooting techniques.

The handling characteristics of theClassic Lion will probably not come intoplay on game such as pheasant. Given fasterand more unpredictable targets such aswoodcock, grouse or quail, the responsive-ness of the Classic Lion will really shine.For the upland hunter who appreciates

excellent workmanship in a classic packageat a fairly reasonable price, the FABARMClassic Lion will appeal.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1999 51

THE Ultra-Accurate Rifle System(UARS) is a drop-in replacement stockthat is claimed to increase rifle accu-

racy by 50 percent when used to replace woodstocks on bolt-action hunting rifles. Accuracyincreases of lesser but unspecified degree arealso claimed for precision rifles, regardless ofgrade or quality.

The stock incorporates a one-piece, air-craft quality, aluminum rail system with V-blocks that totally eliminates the need for

bedding and leaves any contour barrel free-floated. Empty weight is 41⁄2 lbs. A pebble-textured outer shell of paintable, ther-moset, dense urethane foam, molded in arather unusual thumbhole grip form, is per-manently bonded to the aluminum rail.Two 1/2" stock spacers are supplied toadjust buttstock length of pull, and a sup-plied 1/4" cheek pad spacer may be usedto adjust comb drop. Quick-detachable,steel, sling swivel studs on both sides ofthe stock are also provided, as well as afront sling swivel stud on the bottom of thefore-end. This bottom stud for attaching a

Harris bipod can be locatedin any of six different posi-tions along the fore-end.

Our test sample came witha Remington Model 700action with a heavy, fluted,stainless steel, .22-250 Rem.barrel. While this was appre-ciated, we wanted to test theeffect of the stock on a con-ventional sporter. We did thisby replacing the supplied bar-relled action with one from anolder Remington Model 700chambered in .22-250 Rem.from the NRA Technical Stafftest collection.

After carefully cleaningthe bore, our test rifle wasfirst fired for accuracy usingits original wooden stock that

had been glass-bedded and free-floatedmore than a decade ago. The bore was thor-oughly cleaned once again and the same testrepeated using the UARS stock with thesame lots of ammunition.

In this test, only Federal ammunitionincreased in accuracy, but the increase wasa credible 22 percent. Both PMC andHornady ammunition shot slightly worsewith the UARS stock. A call to the manu-facturer advised us to make sure the triggerpin was fully seated so the action sits prop-erly in the V-blocks. Indeed, the trigger pinwas slightly protruding. It was tapped backin place, and the UARS test repeated.

Overall accuracy improved an averageof 7 percent. Actual results are summarizedin the accompanying table.

The failure attributed to the trigger pincombined with the success observed in latertesting suggests that there may be some-thing to the UARS stock concept. While theprice of the UARS stock seems steep, it’snot much more than you’d pay for a high-end synthetic stock plus the cost of a bed-ding job. Like the Ford Model T, the UARSstock is available in any color as long as itis black. Currently, the stock is only offeredfor the Remington Model 700 short actions,though stocks for Model 700 long actionsas well as Winchester and Savage riflesshould be available soon.

Suggested Retail Price: $379.95 fromIDEA, Inc. (Dept. AR), 2900 West GunsiteRoad, Paulden, AZ 86334.

Each barrel of the Classic Lion has its ownset of Purdy-type double under lumps.This“quad-lock”arrangement makes assemblyeffortless as it is essentially self-aligning.

ULTRA-ACCURATE RIFLE SYSTEM

The UARS drop-in replacement stock fromIDEA,Inc.,is designed to enhance the accu-racy of various bolt-action hunting rifles.

.22-250 Remington CartridgeWOOD UARS STOCK STOCK

Load Average Average AverageGroup Size Group Size Improvement

(ins.) (ins.)

Federal No. 22250C 0.508 0.498 2%40-gr. HPBT

Hornady No. 83363 0.656 0.567 14%50-gr. Moly-coated VX

PMC No. 22-250VB 0.916 0.864 6%55-gs. HPBT

Average 0.693 0.643 7%

Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 50 yds.from a sandbag. Abbreviations: HPBT (hollow-point boat-tail), VX (Varmint Express)

ACCURACY RESULTS