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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.

SEEMS like just about everyone is mak-ing an M1911 clone these days. Oneof the oldest makers of such guns is

Safari Arms, whose distinctive designs havebeen marketed since the early 1980s.Originally MS Safari Arms, the firm wasacquired in 1988 by Olympia, Washington-based Olympic Arms, whose prod-ucts include a Ruger 10/22 clonewith a stainless-steel receiver, a vari-ety of AR-15-based rifles, pistols and acces-sories and a line of custom bolt-action rifles.Olympic Arms owns its own in-housefoundry to both reduce costs and to assurecontinuity and quality of production. SafariArms also produces M1911 parts, a line ofsemi-custom M1911-based pistols underthe Schuetzen Pistol Works rubric, andhas announced the introduction of itsPartner pistol, a close copy of theWhitney Wolverine.

One of the mainstays of the SafariArms line is the M1911-based .45 ACPEnforcer, first introduced by MS SafariArms in 1983. The pistol is about 1/4" short-

er than a Colt Commander, having a barrellength just a hair under four inches, and itsgrip frame is some 3/8" shorter than theColt’s, giving it a six-round magazinecapacity. The gun is available in stainlesssteel, blued steel or a two-tone configura-tion with a blued slide and stainless frame.

Outwardly, the Enforcer is one of themore radical M1911-style production guns

made. In addition to such custom featuresas a King’s-type beavertail grip safety, light-weight aluminum trigger, extended sliderelease and extended thumb safety, extend-ed ejector, fluted ejection port andCommander-style hammer, the Enforcer

also offers Safari’s signaturerecurved trigger guard andintegral finger-groove front-strap with a molded-in checkeredpanel. In the rear, a flat grooved mainspringhousing sits below the beavertail.

The gun’s sights are of the adjustablevariety, with an LPA unit dovetail-mountedat the rear of the slide and a dovetailedramped front post that is slightly angled ontop to facilitate reholstering. Both sights areplain black. Below the rear sight on the slide,the Enforcer eschews the familiar series ofnarrow V-groove serrations for five broad,angled flat-bottomed cuts .125" wide.

SAFARI ARMS ENFORCER .45 ACP

The Enforcer employs a triple recoil springsystem with full-length guide rod andreverse spring plug.The recoil system canbe retrofitted to earlier-vintage Enforcers.

Rear view showing the LPA adjustablesight, wide,angled slide serrations,beavertail grip safety, skeletonized ham-mer, lightweight aluminum trigger, andextended thumb safety and slide release.

The Enforcer is one of the more rad-ically-styled production M1911s,withan integral finger groove andrecurved trigger guard, beavertailgrip safety and spider pattern stocks.

MANUFACTURER: Safari Arms, Dept.AR, 620 Old Pacific Highway, SE,Olympia, WA 98513

MECHANISM TYPE: single-action, shortrecoil-operated semi-automatic pistol

CALIBER: .45 ACPOVERALL LENGTH: 73⁄4"BARREL LENGTH: 315⁄16"RIFLING: six-groove, LH twistWEIGHT: 36 ozs.WIDTH: 11⁄4"HEIGHT: 51⁄2"MAGAZINE CAPACITY: six TRIGGER: 33⁄4 lbs. pullSIGHTS: ramped post front, elevation-

and windage-adjustable rearSTOCKS: smooth walnutACCESSORIES: plastic casePRICE: $750

ENFORCER .45 ACP

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997

CENTER-FIRE bolt-action target riflesfor NRA highpower or InternationalShooting Union (ISU) competition

are generally characterized by heavy bar-rels, light, crisp triggers, and (in some dis-ciplines) stocks offering cheekpiece andbuttplate adjustments and a fore-end acces-sory rail—features also demanded by manycontemporary police marksmen.

Such specialized precision does notcome cheap, however. Even the least expen-sive of these rifles runs more than $1,000,

with most costing around $2,600 to morethan $8,000—a price that can easily precludepurchase of such a rifle by either a would-be target competitor or a smaller policedepartment. The Tikka 595 Sporter, intro-duced in 1997, offers many of the featuresmost desired by competitors and policemarsmen, and at a more affordable cost.

In general description, the 595 Sporteris a bolt-action repeater with a medium-heavy, 233⁄4" barrel, a flat-bottomed receiv-er with an integral dovetail for scope base

mounting, a detachable five-round maga-zine, an adjustable single-stage trigger anda target-style hardwood stock adjustable forcomb height, length of pull and buttplateposition. Currently the Sporter is currentlyavailable in the U.S. in .308 Win. only; othertarget-type chamberings may follow.

Turnbolt actions for serious accuracywork have a rigid receiver with thick walls,minimal cutouts for the ejection port andmagazine, and plenty of bedding area. Mostcommonly employ a two-lug bolt (a design

TIKKA MODEL 595 SPORTER

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 47

Adding to the pistol’s external distinc-tiveness are its smooth walnut stocks with ablack widow spider design. At the bottomof the pistol’s butt, the magazine well hasalso been beveled to enable speedier maga-zine insertion.

Internally, the Enforcer is of familiarM1911 design, but with a few twists, suchas its triple-coil spring recoil system and itslarge-diameter barrel, which mates directlywith the slide, eliminating the barrel bush-ing. The new recoil system replaces thefatigue-prone single- and dual-coil systemson older Enforcers (which, according toSafari Arms, can be retrofitted with it).

In addition to the new recoil system,current Enforcers are also subtly improvedin the areas of tuning, throating, polishing

and similar reliabil i ty-enhancing modifications.

The Enforcer retains theM1911 grip and thumbsafeties, but lacks the ColtSeries 80-type passive firingpin block.

Our test stainless steelEnforcer showed evidenceof good quality control,being devoid of pits or othercommon casting flaws. Fitand finish were generallygood, with about an averagedegree of slide/frame play,and a bit of a gap betweenthe beavertail and the frame.

We fired the Enforcer for accuracy withthe results listed in the accompanying table,and function-fired the pistol with BlackHills, CCI, Federal, Hornady, Remingtonand Winchester ammunition. Out of some120 rounds, there was a single malfunction,a smokestack jam with target ammunition.

Our Enforcer exhibited only moderaterecoil even with heavy +P .45 ACP loads,probably thanks to its stiff triple-recoilspring system. The finger groove andcheckered panel seemed to aid in recoilcontrol, though the groove did not fit allhands equally. High marks were given tothe gun’s sights, 33⁄4-lb. trigger and extend-ed thumb safety (though some complainedof sharp edges on the beavertail and fingergroove). One shooter also reported that histhumb tended to engage the pistol’s thumb

safety while shooting using a high grip.The Enforcer joins the approximate

length of a Colt Commander with the framelength of an Officer’s ACP, giving a morediscreet profile when worn vertically, as ina belt or inside-the-pants holster. Note thatthe Enforcer will fit in many, but not all, hol-sters for the Colt Commander. Many hol-stermakers offer models specifically for theEnforcer; the latest Olympic Arms cataloghas a list of several of these.

The Safari Arms Enforcer may not beeveryone’s ideal as the ultimate .45 ACPcarry gun. However, many will gladlyaccept the Enforcer’s weight and size as agood trade-off for its controllable recoil.The gun should appeal to fans ofCommander-size M1911s and those whoare drawn to its unique styling.

Aiding in recoil controlis the Enforcer’sgrooved, check-ered frontstrap.The gun’s beveledmagaz ine wel lhelps speed mag-azine changes.

The Tikka 595 Sporter is a new model, based on theproven 595 action, that is suitable for both targetshooting as well as the police counter-sniper role.

.45 ACP Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Fed. No. P45HS1 794 Avg. 2.19 4.43 3.46230-gr. HS 27 Sd

Hdy. No. 9111 853 Avg. 2.26 4.10 2.86200-gr. FMJ Match 19 Sd

Win. No. X45ASHP2 862 Avg. 2.65 6.04 4.22185-gr. ST 35 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.51

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 25 yds., fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed.(Federal), FMJ (full metal jacket), Hdy. (Hornady), HS (Hydra-Shok), ST (Silvertip), Win. (Winchester)

ACCURACY RESULTS

that still dominates bench-rest competi-tion). The action of the 595 Sporter has allthese characteristics. Its investment-castreceiver is 1.28" wide, 1.25" high and 8.6"long, with a wall thickness outside the lock-ing lug raceways of .17" and a .110" highand .650" wide dovetail for scope basemounting along the receiver top.

On many repeating bolt actions, the ejec-tion port and magazine openings leave (onright-handed actions) a relatively thin rightsiderail—a less-than-optimal situation formaximum rigidity and accuracy. The 595’ssiderail is as substantial as we’ve everseen—.63" high at the ejection port andmore than .3" thick—due to both the receiv-er’s flat-bottomed design and the gun’s sin-gle-column five-round magazine, whichrequires a narrower cut through the receiv-er floor than do the typical staggered-col-umn boxes used on many other bolt guns.

The 595’s bolt is machined from barstock and has a .682" diameter body and.921" diameter lug circle. Calculated lug

bearing area is on the order of .079 sq. in.,while shear area is some .40 sq. in.—aboutthe same as other modern high-strengthactions. The bolt head is integral with thebolt body and contains a Sako-style extrac-tor and a plunger ejector, and is counter-bored about .11".

At the rear of the bolt, a single helicalcamming surface cocks the firing pin. Thebolt handle is neither welded to, nor integralwith the bolt; its inboard end fits into a dove-tail cut in the bolt body. During bolt disas-sembly (detailed in the Tikka Owner’sManual) the handle may be removed, alongwith the firing pin, cocking piece and syn-thetic bolt shroud. Bolt disassembly is notnormally required for routine maintenance.

Bolt removal is accomplished by simul-taneously retracting the bolt and depressingthe bolt stop lever set into the left receiverwall. The stop’s beveled rear face is over-ridden when the bolt is reinserted.

The barrel of the 595 is a medium-heavytube that tapers from 1.12" at the receiver to.785" at the muzzle, and the crown is

recessed. The four-groove hammer-forgedrifling has (in .308 Win.) a 1:11" RH twist.

The Sporter’s trigger is user-adjustablefrom two to four pounds pull by way of ahex-headed screw in the forward face of thetrigger unit that is accessible upon removal-of the action from the stock.

At the rear right side of the action is theSporter’s serrated safety button, which inthe rearward, “safe” position blocks bothtrigger and bolt. Moving the safety forwardto the “fire” position frees both parts andalso exposes a red dot on the receiver tang.When the rifle is cocked a red-painted indi-cator protrudes from under the bolt shroud.

The 595 Sporter’s most distinctive fea-ture is probably its stock, which slightlyresembles that of the British AccuracyInternational sniper rifle. Made of Europeanwalnut, the stock features a wide channel forthe free-floating barrel; stippling in all grip-ping areas; a nearly vertical handgrip with

palm swell for prone, bipod or sandbagshooting; a 8.12"-long accessory rail run-ning along the downward-sloping undersideof the fore-end, a left-side mounting platefor a sling; and an adjustable comb andbuttplate. The straight comb is mounted ona pair of vertical metal rods that are clampedin place by two hex-headed screws set intothe buttstock ’s right and which allow 13⁄4"of vertical adjustment. Length of pull isadjusted by adding or removing .2"-thickspacers between the buttpad and its mount-ing plate. Removing the buttpad and loos-ening a large hex screw allows the buttpadto be moved vertically along the curved butt,as well as pivoted inward or outward.

Surprisingly, the stock, though wellsealed against moisture, showed no tracesof bedding compound. The Sporter’s recoillug is a separate, thick L-shaped aluminumpiece having a hole centered in the longer,horizontal side that engages a same-sizeboss around the forward stock screw hole inthe receiver, and a shorter leg that projectsdownward into a stock recess. When thereceiver is in the stock, it is locked secure-ly to the recoil lug which, in turn, butts upagainst the face of its stock recess. The recoillug is loose in the stock, so care must betaken not to lose it during disassembly.

Magazine retention is via a serrated but-ton set into the right side of the stock. In nor-mal operation, the magazine catch would beoperated by curving the left hand under thestock and depressing the button with the fin-gertips of the left hand. This positions thehand to catch the freed magazine, whoserelease is assisted by a small spring-loadedplunger in the lip of the magazine well thatpushes against the magazine’s plasticbasepad. The steel-bodied magazines fea-ture a synthetic follower, and may be disas-sembled for cleaning.

The 595 Sporter is not supplied withsights, but the receiver is drilled and tappedand is equipped with the aforementionedintegral dovetail rail designed for Tikkabases, which feature a recoil stop pin in theforward base that engages a semicircularrecess in the top of the receiver just forwardof the ejection port. The interior surfaces ofthe steel rings accept rounded one-pieceflexible synthetic inserts that rotate to fitaround a 1" scope tube without any torsional

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997

MANUFACTURER: Sako, Ltd., Box 149,11101 Riihimaki, Finland

IMPORTER: Stoeger Industries, Dept.AR, 5 Mansard Court, Wayne, NJ07470

MECHANISM TYPE: bolt-action rifleCALIBER: .308 Win. (tested), OVERALL LENGTH: 44"BARREL LENGTH: 233⁄4"RIFLING: four groove 1:11"RH twistWEIGHT: 91⁄2 lbs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: fiveTRIGGER: single-stage, 3 lbs. pullSIGHTS: none; receiver drilled, tapped

and dovetail-contoured for scopemounts

STOCK: European walnut; cheekpieceadjustable for height, buttpadadjustable for pitch

ACCESSORIES: nonePRICE: $875

TIKKA 595 SPORTER

A serrated button in the right side of thestock is depressed to release the single-column five-round magazine. Magazinerelease can also be performed with the lefthand reaching around under the stock.

Two aluminum rods in the comb lock intothe stock by hex-head screws (arrows);loosening these screws allows combheight adjustment. The butt moves verti-cally and laterally by loosening a machinescrew under the buttpad; length of pull canbe modified by way of .2"-thick spacers.

The right-side view of the Tikka 595 actionshows the (1) safety, (2) trigger adjustmentscrew, (3) thick right siderail and (4) bossthat engages hole in L-shaped recoil lug.

1

2

3

4

stress, similar in principle to the Burris Pos-Align system. Target iron sights should beeasily installed by a competent gunsmith.

To disassemble the Sporter, first ensurethat the magazine is removed and the cham-ber empty. Turn out and remove the frontand rear stock screws; be careful not to losetheir respective washers. Lift the barreledaction free of the receiver, heeding the afore-mentioned caution regarding the looserecoil lug. No further disassembly isrequired for maintenance or cleaning.

Reassemble the rifle in the reverse order.We fired our sample 595 Sporter for

accuracy with the results reported in theaccompanying table, and function-fired itwith Black Hills, Federal, PMC, Remingtonand White Feather ammunition. There wereno malfunctions. The gun’s trigger wasexcellent, breaking at a dead crisp 3 lbs., andbolt operation was extremely smooth.

The Tikka showed exceptional accura-cy with both Federal and White Feathermatch ammunition. The rifle’s .49" aver-

age group size withFederal loads—praise-worthy performance in amatch rifle costing$2,000 or more—is as-tonishing in a factory,wood-stocked rifle at theTikka’s $875 list price.Although the gun’snominal 1:11" riflingtwist is theoreticallyoptimal for projectilesof 168 grs. or less, goodresults were obtainedwith White Featherloads with Sierra’s 175-gr. MatchKing.

We found few faults with the Sporter.We’d like to see an optional stainlessmatch-grade barrel, a metal bolt shroud andbottom metal to replace the (functionallyadequate) plastic units supplied with therifle and a fully adjustable synthetic stock(the latter item is reportedly under consid-eration). Yet even without these changes(which would increase its cost), the 595Sporter remains a very reasonably pricedrifle with the adjustability, trigger qualityand pinpoint accuracy required by both tar-get shooters and police marksmen.

SOMETIMES bigger isn’t necessarilybetter. This is especially true withrifles that may need to be lugged up

steep mountains at high altitudes or hand-guns that are legally tucked away on thebody. The shotgun isn’t absolved from thisrequisite, either. To that end, RemingtonArms recently introduced its Model 11-96Euro Lightweight, reviewed here.

As its name suggests, the EuroLightweight has European influence.According to Jay Bunting, Remington’sfirearms business unit manager, “TheEuropean market told us that they [sic]wanted an ultra-light autoloader that wasas good as a Remington 11-87 ... . The 11-96 was so well received at the IWAfirearms trade expo in Germany that wedecided that we should introduce it here inthe United States.”

The sample 11-96 shotgun we receivedsported a light-colored Claro walnut stockwith 22 line-per-inch cut checkering on thepistol grip and fore-end, and a 1/2" thicksolid rubber recoil pad.

Unlike the aluminum receivers of mostother lightweight autoloading shotguns,particularly European ones, the 11-96’sreceiver is machined from a singleblock of steel that has a “hump-back”profile where superfluous metal isremoved. Scroll and floral engravingembellishes the side panels, and thelightweight trigger guard is made usinga metal injection molding process.

Like the 11-87, the 11-96 employsRemington’s pressure-compensated,low recoil gas system that is touted tohandle both 23⁄4" field and 3" magnumshotshells.

Another weight-saving step was toshorten the tubular magazine assembly,giving the 11-96 a capacity of three in themagazine and one in the chamber. A mag-azine plug, included with each gun, limitsthe total capacity to three to comply withthe Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 49

.308 Win. Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Fed. No. 308M 2519 Avg 0.37 0.65 0.49168-gr. HPBT Match 13 Sd

PMC No. 308 SMB 2644 Avg. 1.22 1.68 1.38168-gr. HPBT Match 15 Sd

White Feather. 2631 Avg. 0.49 0.82 0.65175-gr. HPBT Match 11 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 0.84

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 100 yds., fired from sand-bags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed. (Federal),HPBT (hollow-point boattail)

ACCURACY RESULTSThe 595 uses a two-lug bolt with a plungerejector and Sako-style extractor.The notchin the upper lug is for the bolt guide rib.

REMINGTON 11-96 LIGHTWEIGHT

The new Remington 11-96 Euro Lightweight, popu-lar at the IWA firearms show in Germany, features alightened steel receiver as well as the pressure-compensated, low-recoil gas system of the 11-87.

Visible here is the right-hand action bar,the shortened tubular magazine, and theEuro Lightweight’s gas piston assembly.

NEVER one to “stay with theflock,” Modern Muzzle-loading’s HK-94 in-line

muzzleloading pistol departs radi-cally from traditional lines. Blackand beige laminated hardwood isused for its stock that is reminiscent ofthat of the Remington XP-100.

At the rear of the trigger guard is a sin-gle stock bolt that screws into the triggerhousing, which is attached with three hex-head screws to the receiver. This housingcontains the manual trigger-blockingcross-bolt safety and trigger; instructionson adjusting the latter are in the owner’smanual. The safety can be switched to left-hand operation by a qualified gunsmith.

A slight step at the rear of the tapered12" stainless steel barrel gives the appear-ance that barrel and receiver are two sep-arate pieces, but they are in fact one, giv-ing the gun added rigidity. The breech plugis stainless steel and is drilled and tappedat its rear for a removable nipple that takesa standard No. 11 percussion cap.

The action is glass bedded in the stock

at the two rear-most surfaces of the triggerhousing, and the black aluminum ramrodis retained beneath the barrel by a flatspring screwed into the stock at the bottomrear of the ramrod channel.

The hammer and its operation are the

same as that of the Knight MK-85 series rifles (November 1990, p. 54). Aswith the MK-85, the HK-94 Hawkeye usesa patented secondary safety at the rear ofthe hammer that screws down toward theend cap to prevent the hammer from falling

Both 26" and 28" ventilated rib RemChoke barrels are offered. Our samplecame with the latter having a single .058"brass bead on the 6 mm rib. Both lengthbarrels are of chrome-moly steel and havechrome-plated bores and are of light-weight contour so they should not be over-bored or polished. Three flush-fitting RemChoke tubes for lead or steel shot and atube wrench are supplied.

The NRA staff was first introduced tothe Remington Model 11-96 EuroLightweight during the 1996 RemingtonWriter’s Seminar at Remington’s newworld headquarters in Madison, North

Carolina. During a semi-nar-sponsored hunt forpheasants at the PrimlandHunt Preserve, our staf-fers found the guns pleas-ant to carry even thoughthe pheasant fields on theside of a mountain, wherea heavier gun would havebeen taxing. Functioningwas 100% reliable for sev-eral boxes of RemingtonPremier Field Loads firedduring the intermittentdrizzle that dampened anotherwise fine shoot.

Though we did notwitness it, other writerswho had chosen to shootducks reported some splitfore-ends under the recoilof the heavy steel mag-num loads. Remingtonalso reported that somefore-ends split duringshipping. These gunswere early prototypes,however, and our produc-tion gun had its fore-endreinforced with fiberglasscloth at the receiver and abrass through-bolt near themagazine cap. Functionfiring several boxes ofmagnum steel loads pro-

duced no splitting in oursample’s fore-end, sothis problem seems tohave been corrected.

The Remington 11-96 Euro Lightweightwas patterned at 40 yds.with the results shown inthe accompanying table.We had no malfunctions,even with several boxesof Remington’s Premier1 oz., 23⁄4 dram-equiva-lent Target Load. Al-though the gun tips thescales at little more thanseven pounds, recoil—even with 13⁄8 oz. of mag-num steel shot—waslight, thanks to the gun’sfit and gas system.

Aesthetically, thenew receiver profile tooksome time to accept, andthere was concern that itsstepped contour could bedistracting when shoot-ing. We found, however,no distraction, and thatthe gun was pleasant toshoot and carry.

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.

16 13

28 28

31 28

22 16

Modified Tube

= Point of HoldSovereign Aristocrat 33⁄4-11⁄4-6

Pellet count=281

Total Hits 182 (65%)21.2" Inner Circle 115 (41%)30" Outer Ring 67 (24%)

REMINGTON

A fiberglass cloth patchis used to reinforce theRemington’s fore-endforward of the receiver.

KNIGHT HK-94 HAWKEYE

The Knight HK-94 Hawkeye muzzleload-ing pistol has styling reminiscent of theRemington XP-100,and incorporates thehammer safety of Knight’s MK-85 rifle.

MANUFACTURER: Remington ArmsCompany, Inc., Dept. AR, 870Remington Dr., Madison, NC

27025-0700MECHANISM TYPE: gas-operated,

semi-automatic shotgunGAUGE: 12, 3" OVERALL LENGTH: 481⁄4"BARREL LENGTH: 26", 28" (tested)WEIGHT: 7 lbs., 5 ozs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: threeTRIGGER: single stage, 41⁄2 lbs. pullSTOCK: Claro walnut: length of pull,

137⁄8"; drop at heel, 2"; drop atcomb, 11⁄2"

ACCESSORIES: three choke tubes,choke tube spanner

PRICE: $862

REMINGTON 11-96

far enough forward to strike a percussioncap should the trigger be unintentionallypulled. When the secondary safety isturned to the off position, a red annular ringcan be seen on the hammer screw.

The trigger ispinned at its mid-dle and attachedto a trigger bar atits top. When thetrigger is pulled,the trigger bar isdrawn forwardalong with astepped sear re-lease that is at-tached to its rear.As the sear re-lease moves for-ward, the seardrops from the

step, allowing the hammer to fly forwardand strike the percussion cap. The triggeris returned to the forward position by a coilspring.

The Hawkeye comes equipped with afully-adjustable Williams rear sight and a

hooded gold-bead front sight. The pistol isdrilled and tapped for Warne bases orWeaver No. 45 scope bases.

To load the Hawkeye, begin by screw-ing a cleaning jag onto the end of the ram-rod and pushing a clean patch down thebarrel until it stops against the breech plug.With the ramrod in this position, point theHawkeye in a safe direction, place a capon the nipple and fire the cap. Repeat thisprocess several times to clear the nipple.

Pull the ramrod from the barrel. Thepatch should be blackened, or have a holeburned through it, indicating a clear nippleand flash channel. Place the push-buttonand secondary safeties on and confirm thereis no percussion cap or cap residue on thenipple. Step on a raised surface to elevateyour knee so that the Hawkeye can be sup-ported on your thigh during loading. For therest of the process keep the muzzle pointed

away from you.Pour a pre-mea-

sured powder chargedown the barrel from apowder measure. Ne-ver pour directly from aflask. Tap the side of thebarrel to settle the pow-der, and insert a propersize muzzleloading

projectile into the muzzle. Start the bulletinto the bore using a short starter, then seatit fully against the powder charge using theramrod by holding around, not over, theramrod. Don’t pound or bounce the ramrod;blackpowder and Pyrodex are impact sen-sitive and could ignite.

Next, remove the ramrod, point theHawkeye down range and pull back on theknurled hammer screw until the hammerlocks into the cocked position. Ensure boththe push-button and secondary safeties areon safe, then place a No. 11 percussion capon the nipple. The pistol is now loaded.

It is necessary to use a patch on the ram-rod and fire caps to ensure the nipple isclear only after the Hawkeye has beencleaned—not between shots.

To disassemble the un-loaded Hawkeye for cleaning,remove the ramrod and turnout the hex-headed stockscrew from the rear of the trig-ger guard and lift the barreledaction from the stock. Next,remove the three hex-headedscrews from the triggerassembly and lift it from thereceiver. Grasp the knurledend-cap at the rear of thereceiver and unscrew it untilthe hammer assembly can bepulled free. Insert the suppliedcombo tool into the receiverwhile pulling the trigger,engage the nipple and turn it

out. Reverse the combo tool, reinsert it intothe action and unscrew the breech plug.

Reassembly is in the reverse order. It isimportant to lightly grease the nipple andbreech plug threads and hand tighten only.Remember to pull the trigger as you insertthe hammer assembly to lower the sear.

The Hawkeye fitted with a Tasco 4x28extended-eye-relief scope was fired foraccuracy at 50 yds. with blackpowder,Black Canyon and Pyrodex loads usingmuzzleloading bullets and bullets in sabotswith the results in the accompanying table.

The owner’s manual suggests loadsbetween 50 and 70 grs. of blackpowder orblackpowder equivalent. With the BlackCanyon blackpowder substitute, the 90 gr.charge is by volume and is equal to a 70-gr. charge of blackpowder. Heaviercharges are not recommended, and in a 12"barrel, will likely not yield any more veloc-ity. All powder charges shown are ex-pressed in grains, but measured by volume.

The Hawkeye approaches the accuracyof some muzzleloading rifles, perhaps dueto the added rigidity of the short barrel.Though the properties of blackpowderlimit the power of this pistol, in the handsof a skilled shooter using maximum loadsat reasonable ranges, it should be suitablefor medium-size game where legal.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 51

.50 cal. Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageLoad (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

RWS No. 11 percussion capKnight 260-gr. LHPSB 656 Avg. 3.78 4.98 4.3690.0 grs. Black Canyon 7 Sd

RWS No. 11 percussion capT/C 275-gr. M-H 1008 Avg. 3.05 4.71 3.8760.0 grs. Pyrodex P 16 Sd

CCI No. 11 percussion capBuffalo 245-gr. Ball-et 1147 Avg. 2.66 4.64 3.6370.0 grs. Elephant FFFg 7 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.95

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 50 yds., from sandbags.Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), LHPSB (lead hollow-pointsabot), M-H (Maxi-Hunter), T/C (Thompson/Center)

ACCURACY RESULTS

A secondary safety (arrow) can bescrewed forward to prevent the hammerfrom contacting a percussion cap shouldthe gun’s trigger be inadvertently pulled.

The leg can be used to support theHawkeye during loading (above l.). Thedrilled and tapped holes in the Hawkeye’sreceiver (r.) allow the mounting of a tele-scopic sight or the supplied iron sights.

MANUFACTURER: ModernMuzzleloading, Inc., Dept. AR, P.O.Box 130, 234 Airport Rd., Centerville,IA 52544

MECHANISM TYPE: in-line percussionmuzzleloading pistol

CALIBER: .50OVERALL LENGTH: 20"BARREL LENGTH: 12"WEIGHT: 3 lbs., 4 ozs.WIDTH: 13⁄4"HEIGHT: 61⁄2"RIFLING: eight-groove, 1:20" RH twistTRIGGER: single-stage adjustable,

41⁄2 lbs. pullSIGHTS: Williams adjustable blade rear,

hooded gold-bead frontACCESSORIES: instructional video,

three hex wrenches, combo tool, sam-ple pack of bullets

PRICE: $449.95 (stainless) $399.95(blued)

KNIGHT HK-94