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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.

THE elegant styling of Browning’snew, BPR, center-fire, pump-actionrifle is patterned after the firm’s suc-

cessful BAR Mark II, semi-automatic rifleintroduced in 1993. Despite the imposingappearance, the BPR weighs only 7 lbs. 3ozs with excellent balance and handling.Stock dimensions will please most ownersand the comb height serves iron sight andscope sight shooters equally well.

Stocks on the Browning BPR are of fine-ly-grained, select walnut with 20 line-per-inch cut checkering. The buttstock is flutedwith a full pistol grip, rear sling swivel studand soft, black rubber buttpad. There is nopistol grip cap, white line spacer or forwardsling swivel stud. However, Browning doesoffer a barrel clamp front sling swivel studat extra cost.

Barrel lengths are 22" in standard cals.and 24"in magnum cals. with a sporter con-tour of constant taper with a diameter of.590" at the muzzle. Button rifled in carbonsteel with six lands and grooves, BPR bar-rels are finished with a durable, medium pol-ish blue. Barrel-mounted iron sights arestandard and combine a front blade with agold bead on a hooded ramp with a bladerear sight having click adjustments forwindage and elevation. The receiver isdrilled and tapped for scope bases (those forthe BAR will fit). Scopes with long tubesmay require the shooter to remove the reariron sight, though this should not be neces-sary with most hunting scopes.

A rotary bolt with seven front lugs inthree rows locks directly to the barrel. Thereceiver is aluminum alloy with a hardanodized blue finish. Dual operating rodsassure smooth, bind-free operation. There isa smallish, internal extractor and ejector. Thefloorplate of the receiver is hinged at thefront, and it swings down to expose theremovable, double-column, steel magazineinside. This four-round unit (three rounds inmagnums) snaps into place quickly and eas-ily via a catch on the rear of the floorplate.

The single-stage trigger assembly is heldinside the receiver by two large, steel pins.When these are drifted out, the entire trigger

assembly may be removed easily out the bot-tom of the receiver. Surprisingly, this simpletask constitutes the entire user disassemblyrecommended by Browning. As this expos-es the interior of the receiver for cleaning,further disassembly is unnecessary. Triggerpull of the rifle submitted for test was crisp,but a bit heavy at nearly six lbs.

The cross-bolt safety in the rear of thetrigger guard works smoothly and silently.A small slide release lever projects down-ward on the right side of the trigger unit. Justin front of the trigger guard bow is a curved,grooved sliding button that releases thefloorplate when pushed forward. The trig-ger itself is gold-plated and there is a small,gold-filled, Browning “Buckmark” logo onthe outer surface of the trigger guard.

When loading or unloading the BPR, theslide must be fully forward which also clos-es and locks the bolt. If the slide is not fully

BROWNING BPR RIFLE

MANUFACTURER: Browning, S.A.,Place des Hauts-Sarts, B-4040Herstal, Belgium

IMPORTER: Browning Arms Co., Dept.AR, One Browning Place, Morgan, UT84050

MECHANISM TYPE: pump-action, cen-ter-fire rifle

CALIBERS: .243 Win., .270 Win., 7 mmRem. Mag., .308 Win., .30-’06 Spr.(tested), .300 Win. Mag.

OVERALL LENGTH: 395⁄8" BARREL LENGTH: 221⁄8"RIFLING: six groove, 1:10" RH twistWEIGHT: 7 lbs., 3 ozsMAGAZINE CAPACITY: four (magnums

three)TRIGGER: single-stage, 57⁄8 lb. pullSIGHTS: Blade with gold bead on hooded

ramp front, blade rear click adjustablefor windage and elevation, receiverdrilled and tapped for scope bases

STOCK: Select walnut with high-glossfinish: length of pull, 135⁄8"; drop atheel, 11⁄2"; drop at comb, 11⁄4"

ACCESSORIES: barrel clamp front slingswivel mount optional at extra cost

PRICE: $689.95 (standard cals.),$741.95 (magnum cals.)

BROWNING BPR

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998

Browning’s new pump-action rifle, the BPR, exter-nally resembles the semi-automatic BAR.The BPR isoffered in four standard and two magnum calibers.

The BPR’s trigger assembly may be re-moved by drifting out both retaining pinsin the receiver, then pulling the unit out thebottom. This allows access to the gun’sinterior for routine cleaning. Browningdoes not recommend further disassembly.

forward, the floorplate will not swing downfar enough to clear the magazine. Becauseof this, it is very important to apply the safe-ty when loading or unloading and point themuzzle in a safe direction. Single roundsmay be loaded through the ejection port ifthe magazine is empty.

Cleaning the BPR presents no specialproblems, though the barrel must be cleanedfrom the muzzle. Therefore, care must betaken to avoid damaging the muzzle crownwhen inserting the cleaning rod into thegun’s barrel.

In testing, shooters praised the comfort-able stock which contributed greatly to lowperceived recoil even when firing 220-gr.bullets. Test personnel also commented onthe smoothness of the action which, whencombined with the good balance of the rifle,made fast second shots easy. Loading and

unloading was fast and simple.The magazine snaps in or out eas-ily once you get the feel of it.

During function testingextraction was smooth and ejec-tion positive with no malfunctions

of any type. Accuracywas acceptable for a rifleof this type.

The BPR could standa few minor improve-ments, however. Thewood-to-metal fit at therear of the receiver on thetest rifle was not up toBrowning’s usual highstandard. Staffers alsocommented on the stiff-ness of the floorplaterelease button that did

not always want to latch on a full magazine.Right-handed shooters who handled the

BPR noted that the slide release lever was too

long, while left-handed shooters found itnearly impossible to operate with their lefthand. A subjective call was the matte finishon the bolt—some liked it; others would havepreferred a high polish finish.

Hunters who appreciate a well-made,pump-action rifle will likethe Browning BPR. Itssmooth action, low-per-ceived recoil, and comfort-able handling are majorselling points. Of coursethere is also the usual, high-quality Browning wood,checkering and stock finish.Thus, pride of ownershipplays a significant part in aBPR purchase decision—asthe suggested retail price isslightly higher than manybolt-actions and lower thanBrowning’s BAR semi-automatic rifle.

.30-’06 Spr. Vel.@ 15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins) (ins) (ins)

Win. No.X30063 2830 Avg. 2.48 4.04 3.02150-gr. ST 6 Sd

Fed. P3006D 2770 Avg. 1.90 4.78 2.74165-gr. BTSP 10 Sd

Lapua 2526 Avg. 1.10 7.00 3.88185-gr. PSP 19 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.21

Five consecutive five shot groups at 100 yds., fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (Standard deviation), BTSP(boattail soft-point), PSP (pointed soft-point), ST (Silvertip)

ACCURACY RESULTS

As the slide of the new BPR rifle is pulledrearward, the fore-end is cammed down-ward and away from the receiver.The sevenlug rotary bolt locks directly to the barrel.

To load, the detach-able, steel, double-column magazine issnapped into placeon the floorplate. Thefloorplate is thenrotated up and intothe locked position.

FEG MARK II AP22 PISTOLANOTHER pistol based on the timeless

Walther PP and PPK has joined theFEG Mark II .380 APK (March

1997, p. 48) and AP in the Interarms prod-uct line, the Mark II AP22. Chambered forthe .22 Long Rifle cartridge, the new AP22is manufactured by FEG (for Fegyver esGazkeszuelekgyara NV or the Arms and GasAppliances Factory of Budapest).

Walther began offering a .22 Long Riflecal. PP in the 1930s, and these scarce rim-fire guns became prized souvenirs among

G.I.s returning from World War II.Twenty-two cal. PPKs and PPs havebeen offered intermittently since then,

though at present the only .22 Waltherpocket pistol available commercially inthe U.S. is the diminutive, American-made TPH. High retail prices and lackof availability cleared the way for anumber of PP-based copies and clonesin .22 cal. One recent unabashed copy

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998 49

The FEG Mark II AP22 is a .22 LR cal.Hungarian-made copy of the WaltherPP. The little double-action pistolretains most of the original Walther’sfeatures, including a decocking safety.

of the PP was the Daewoo DP52 (March1996, p. 50) imported from Korea from1994 to 1996. At $320, the DP52 was pricedat less than half the price of the Walther orig-inal. The FEG Mark II AP22 is the latest .22Walther clone and, oddly, is marketed by thesame importer that handles the Waltherproduct line.

In profile, the double-action, blowback-operated AP22 closely resembles a PP witha short PPK-length slide and barrel. TheAP22 follows the frame design of the orig-inal, and the new .22 does not have the FEGAPK’s “beavertail” rear grip frame contourthat some consider an improvement over theoriginal Walther.

The 33⁄8"-long barrel is fixed, pinned tothe frame and has a thick, .145" contour atthe muzzle. The rifling is six-groove with aright-hand twist of 1:9.8". Extraction is by asingle hook on the slide’s right. The ejectoron the frame’s left also holds the side openafter the last round in the magazine is fired.

In operation, the AP22’s trigger closelyfollows the Walther PP. The single right-sidetrigger bar acts on a “cocking piece.”An armon the tail of the trigger bar lifts the cock-ing piece, which in turn lifts the sear andcocks the hammer in double-action opera-tion. When the cocking piece reaches itshighest point of travel, the sear drops out of

engagement, and the hammer falls. In sin-gle-action operation, a notch on the rear ofthe cocking piece is engaged by a projec-tion on the base of the hammer. When thetrigger is pulled the trigger bar pulls thecocking piece slightly forward and out ofengagement with the hammer’s tail—allow-ing the hammer to drop.

FEG characteristics carried over to theAP22 include a hole in the front of the trig-ger guard to aid in disassembly, and a trig-ger stop cast into the rear of the trigger blade,which is vertically grooved on its front.

The eight-round-capacity, steel boxmagazine has a plastic basepad that pro-trudes below the grip frame to aid in con-

trolling the little pistol. The magazine isreleased by depressing the non-reversiblecheckered button on the frame’s left behindthe trigger. There is no button to hold thefollower down during loading, though in ourexperience one was unnecessary.

Stocks are of black, checkered plasticretained by a single screw. The left stockpanel has a “target” thumbshelf that adds tothe BATF’s requisite point total. Southpawswill want to swap it out for a panel withoutthe shelf.

Sights are a low profile .078"-wide bladeon a fixed ramp front with a drift adjustablefor windage open rear with an .090" squarenotch. A grooved 255" wide rib on the slide

top drops just forwardof the rear sight andrises back up at thefront’s ramp.

Depressing thegrooved lever on theslide’s left rearengages the manualsafety. When in the“off” position, a reddot is revealed on theslide. The safety alsoserves as a decockinglever. When disen-

gaged, a flat cut outon the safety drumallows the hammerto hit the rear of thefiring pin. When thegun’s safety lever isapplied, the safetydrum rotates, andprevents the ham-mer from hitting thefiring pin. The safe-ty also locks the fir-ing pin in place.

The FEG Mark IIAP22 was fired for accuracy with the resultsfound in the accompanying table, and func-tion-fired with American Eagle, AussieAmmo, Federal, Remington, Sellier &Bellot and Winchester ammunition. Therewere no failures of any kind among the morethan 250 rounds fired. Even when we mixedstandard and high-velocity Long Rifleammunition together in the same magazinefunctioning was flawless.

Fit and finish of the blued steel AP22were far below that of Walther guns—butthen again so is the price. There weremachine and/or tool marks on most internalsurfaces and on the slide’s exterior. Those

MANUFACTURER: Fegyver esGazkeszuelekgyara NV, Soroksari ut158, 1095 Budapest, Hungary

IMPORTER: Interarms, Dept. AR, 10Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314

MECHANISM TYPE: blowback-operated,semi-automatic rimfire pistol

CALIBER: .22 Long RifleOVERALL LENGTH: 61⁄16"BARREL LENGTH: 33⁄8"WEIGHT: 23 ozs.WIDTH: 15⁄8"HEIGHT: 43⁄8"MAGAZINE CAPACITY: eightRIFLING: six-groove, 1:9.8" RH twistTRIGGER: single-action pull, 71⁄4 lbs.;

double-action, 161⁄2 lbs.SIGHTS: fixed post front, rear drift-

adjustable for windageACCESSORIES: carrying case, cleaning

rod and spare magazinePRICE: $269

FEG MARK II AP22

Remove the magazinefrom the unloadedFEG then pull downon the front of the trig-ger guard. Grasp theslide and pull it rear-ward and up—freeingit to travel forward andoff. The recoil springmay then be removed.

The FEG AP22’s decocking safety is on theslide’s left rear and is depressed to engage.A red dot is visible when in the “off”position.

When AP22’s safety lever is applied, thesafety drum rotates and prevents the ham-mer from hitting the firing pin. In addition,the safety locks the gun’s firing pin in place.

The AP22’s singleright-side triggerbar (above) acts ona “cocking piece.”An arm on the tail ofthe trigger bar liftsthe cocking piece,which in turn liftsthe sear and cocksthe AP22’s hammer.

The FEG’s ejector ison the frame’s right,and it also servesas a slide hold open.

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998

ARMALITE, INC., has introduced a car-bine version of its successful .308Win. cal. Model AR-10(T) rifle

(May 1996, p. 48) as well as its own 10XST96-10 rifle scope with built-in bullet dropcompensator.

With its 161⁄4" barrel—as opposed to a24" tube on the rifle—the Carbine is intend-ed more for close-in work rather than long-range competition like the rifle. The “PoliceModel” scope we received, too, is perhapsbest suited for closer use as the bullet dropcompensator is calibrated to 1000 yds., butthe non-adjustable parallax is set for only100 yds. ArmaLite does offer a nearly iden-tical version of this scope with theparallax fixed for 200 yds.

The AR-10(T) Carbine is morethan just a shortened version of therifle. A cut-rifled, match-grade barrelthat is polished and left in the whiteemploys the 5R rifling pattern and ismade by Mike RockRifled Barrels,Inc.. There is also a six-port muzzlebrake permanently attached to thebarrel that ArmaLite calls a “recoilcheck” that is not found on the rifle.The Carbine’s gas system is inside thetubular handguard, but the gas tube isnecessarily shortened. The gas portdiameter has been reduced from

.094" to .084" since less gas is required tocycle the action due to the shortened length.

Whereas the rifle came standard with ascrew-adjustable, two-stage, NationalMatch trigger, the Carbine comes with anon-adjustable single-stage trigger setbetween 41⁄2 and 51⁄2 lbs. at the factory. A two-stage match trigger may be special ordered,but the screw-adjustable model previouslyoffered on the rifle has been replaced on allmodels with a two-stage, non-adjustable,National Match unitthat may be tuned in amanner similar to thatused with the M1 rifle.

This tuning requires stoning and is best leftto the factory or a competent gunsmith.

A flat-top with integral Picatinny rail isthe only version of the ArmaLite AR-10(T)Carbine offered, though a carry handle andiron rear sight that attach to the rail may beordered as options.

Both rifle and Carbine share the sameArmaLite (T)-type upper and lower receiv-er; beefed-up AR-15-style buffer with coun-terweights; firing pin with buffer spring; and

stepped, black phosphatedbolt that is chrome-platedinside for improved corro-sion resistance. Manyother parts are inter-changeable with the AR-15 family of rifles.

The bolt locking lugopposite the extractor hasbeen relieved at the rear soas not to contact the lock-ing recess of the barrelextension. This design fea-

ARMALITE AR-10(T) CARBINE

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998 51

were cosmetic and didnot effect performance.

The Mark II AP22’sdouble-action triggerpull was the mainsource of complaint.The 71⁄8-lb. single-actionpull had some creep,but was quite manage-able. The double-actionpull, however, weighedin at 161⁄2 lbs. with theheaviest weight at theearliest portion of thepull. This was exacer-

bated by the narrow opening between thetrigger and guard which left precious littleroom for the trigger finger.

The AP22 retains the original Walther’sexcellent handling and pointing character-istics, and its weight and all-steel construc-tion were reassuring to some staffers whoeschew more modern materials oftenemployed to keep weight down. Its weightdid help make the AP22 soft-shooting, too.

For those who employ the AP22 as aninexpensive, practice companion to a .380PPK or for those who simply want the clas-sic lines of the Walther PPK in a rimfire plink-ing pistol, the AP22 should serve nicely.

.22 Long Rifle Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

CCI C063 1183 Avg. 2.56 3.38 3.47Stinger HP 13 Sd

Federal 3A9495 931 Avg. 2.27 4.37 3.66Champion SP Sd

RWS 62NC2 838 Avg. 1.72 5.13 3.24Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.49

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 25 yds. fired from aMarcellyn Handgun rest. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation),HP (hollow-point), SP (softpoint).

ACCURACY RESULTS

ArmaLite, Inc. ,has introduced a carbine version of its suc-cessful Model AR-10(T) rifle, as well as its own ST96-1010X scopes with built-in bullet drop compensator.Scopesmay be had with parallax fixed for either 100 or 200 yds.

Moly-coated factory loads from Hornadyand Black Hills, as well as PMC loadssprayed with Marksman’s Ms. Moly coat-ing, turned in impressive groups duringthe course of our testing of ArmaLite’s AR-10(T) Carbine fitted with the ST96-10 scope.

ture is to balance the load on the lockinglugs when a cartridge is fired. The modifi-cation reduces the peak loading on the lock-ing lugs adjacent to the extractor from 40%to 24% each and distributes that load to theother four lugs.

ArmaLite’s AR-10(T) Carbine comesstandard with two 10-round, steel, double-column magazines based on the M14-typethat comply with the Violent Crime and LawEnforcement Act. ArmaLite AR-10 andU.S.-issue M14 magazines are not inter-changeable, but ArmaLite does offer pre-ban 20-round M14 magazines modified foruse in its firearms.

ArmaLite’s ST96-10 is a 10X scope witha 30 mm diameter main tube made in theU.S. The tube is of seamless 6061T6 extrud-ed aluminum alloy with a black, hardanodized coating inside and out. Eye reliefis 31⁄2"-4", exit pupil diameter is 4.3 mm andthe field of view is four meters at 100 meters.The eyepiece has a rubber edge with quickdiopter adjustment from -2.5 to +2.5, but ithas no lock ring.

Other features include multi-coatedlenses to minimize flare and internal reflec-tions, shockproof, waterproof, dustproofdesign; and large, target-type 1/4 minuteclick-adjustable knobs for windage and ele-

vation with white adjustment marks.Overall length of the scope is 13", weight is37 ozs. with the aluminum mount, and theobjective and objective bell are 42 mm and21⁄4" in diameter, respectively.

The reticle is best described as a combi-nation mil-dot/duplex crosshair with anintegral converging line rangefinder. To usethe rangefinder, an object six feet tall isbracketed between the baseline and theappropriate short slashes above it, or alter-natively, an object 18" wide can be matchedup to horizontal slashes. The correspondingdistance in yards marked on the rangefind-er bracket’s baseline is then noted.

With the range to the target known inyards, the top turret of the ST96-10 scope isdialed to that range and a dead-on hold used.Complete instructions on initially calibrat-ing the scope are included in the owner’smanual. It is important to note that the bul-let drop compensator on our test scope wasfor the 7.62x51 mm (.308 Win.) cartridgeusing 168-gr. bullets.

The ArmaLite AR-10(T) Carbine fittedwith the ST96-10 scope was fired for accu-racy with the results shown in the accom-panying table. According to ArmaLite liter-ature that came with our test gun, BlackHills moly-coated .308 Match, Federal.308M and G.I. M852 Match ammunitionwould give the best accuracy.Black Hills was the only brand ofammunition on the list in stock, butwe stuck with ArmaLite’s moly-coated recommendation by alsousing Hornady No. 80973 .308moly-coated match ammunition,and sprayed Marksman’s Ms.Moly coating on PMC No.308SMB ammunition. All ammuni-tion shot well within the factory-claimed 2" groups at 100 yds.

In further testing, the targetwas set at 300 yds. and the ST96-10’s bullet drop compensatordialed to that distance. BlackHills’ 168-gr. moly-coated matchbullets were fired, and impacted

about 6" below the point of aim. The com-pensator had to be dialed to 450 yds. for bul-lets to impact at the point of aim. In all fair-ness to ArmaLite, the scope is calibrated foruse with the AR-10(T) rifle, that achievesaround 300 f.p.s. more velocity than theCarbine with the same ammunition becauseof the longer barrel. This difference couldaccount for the additional elevation neededwith the Carbine for the 300 yd. target. Thepresident of ArmaLite advised us that aST96-10 scope regulated to the AR-10(T)Carbine’s ballistics is under considerationat this time.

We found the recoil check considerablymore than adequate. Skilled shooters wereeven able to fire shots while maintaining areasonable sight picture in the scope.

The AR-10(T) Carbine combined withthe ST96-10 scope with parallax fixed for100 yds. offers excellent tactical potential.Although our test gun had a trigger pullalmost twice what we would have liked, theaccuracy of the Carbine actually surpassedthat of the rifle we previously tested.Unfortunately,our accuracy test with the riflewas with different ammunition, so a directcomparison of the guns’ respective accuracyis not possible. When equipped with theST96-10 scope with parallax fixed at 200yds., this rifle should give an excellentaccount of itself at even longer ranges.

MANUFACTURER: ArmaLite, Inc., Dept.AR, P.O. Box 299, Geneseo, IL 61254

MECHANISM TYPE: gas-operated,semi-automatic, center-fire rifle

CALIBER: 7.62x51 mm (.308 Win.)OVERALL LENGTH: 371⁄4"BARREL LENGTH: 161⁄4"WEIGHT: 8 lbs., 3 ozs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10RIFLING: five-groove, 1:111⁄4" RH twistTRIGGER: single stage, 8 lbs. pullSIGHTS: none, equipped with integral

Picatinny rail for Weaver-type mounts STOCK: olive-drab synthetic: length of

pull, 141⁄4"; drop at heel, 1/2"; drop atcomb, 1/2"

ACCESSORIES: spare magazine, openbolt indicator

PRICE: $1395

ARMALITE AR-10(T)

The ArmaLite AR-10(T) Carbine comesstandard with two 10-round, steel, double-column box magazines. After loading thefirst cartridge, depress the bolt-stopplunger at the rear of the follower to loadthe remaining cartridges into the magazine.

The locking lug opposite the extractor hasbeen relieved at the rear so as not to con-tact the locking lug of the barrel extension.This more evenly distributes the peak loadthe bolt receives when a cartridge is fired.

ArmaLite’s ST96-10 is a 10X scope with a30 mm main tube that is manufactured inthe U.S. The tube is made of seamless6061T6 extruded aluminum alloy with ablack, hard anodized coating inside and out.

7.65x51 mm Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Black Hills 168-gr. 2341 Avg. 1.29 1.96 1.59HPBT Moly-coated Match 6 Sd

Hornady 80973 168-gr. 2454 Avg. 0.55 1.29 .88HPBT Moly-coated Match 16 Sd

PMC 308SMB 2446 Avg. 0.77 1.22 1.00168-gr. HPBT Match* 15 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 1.15

Five consecutive five-shot groups from 100 yds., fired fromsandbag rest. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), HPBT(hollow-point boattail), * (bullet coated with Marksman’s Ms.Moly).

ACCURACY RESULTS

52 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998

DESIGNED in 1936, the venerableIthaca Model 37 pump-action shot-gun remains in production 62 years

later. It has performed military service allover the world and has been enjoyed afieldby hunters pursuing all types of game. TheModel 37 is a favorite of left-handers, as itis one of the few repeating shotguns thateject from the bottom.

Despite the success of the Model 37, theIthaca Gun Co. has had its share of trouble,including a series of bankruptcies in the ’70s,’80s and ’90s. A group of local investors re-opened the company in May 1996, and it isagain producing the Model 37 pump-actionshotgun in limited numbers.

Many variations of the Model 37 havebeen made over the years, including trap,waterfowl and slug guns. The variation wereceived for testing was the Model 37Turkeyslayer—intended for the seriousturkey hunter. True to its origins, theTurkeyslayer uses an interrupted thread bar-rel attachment that is further secured by themagazine nut at the end of the tubular mag-azine. This type of attachment is reported-ly more rigid than other types, although at

the expense of highermanufacturing costs.

Most shotguns in thesame weight range as theTurkeyslayer use an alu-minum alloy receiver tokeep weight down. How-ever, the Turkeyslayer re-tains the machined steelreceiver of the originalModel 37 design, andweight is reduced byusing a minimal numberof parts that are all light-ened where possible. Andsince the receiver is steel,Ithaca wisely thought todrill and tap it for aWeaver No. 51 rail so a C-More sight, HoloSight orshotgun scope could beeasily attached.

The shell carrier is alight, U-shaped steelpiece that has two long,thin, forward-pointingfingers that double as the ejector. Whenchambering a shell, the carrier lifts theshell in line with the chamber and the boltpushes the shell home. As the action locks,the carrier rises above the bolt to the topof the receiver.

On opening, the shell is grasped on itsrim by dual extractors at the 12- and six-o’clock positions. Once the shell is extract-

ed from the chamber, thecarrier snaps down toeject the shell, and intoposition to lift a fresh onefor loading.

Locking occurs at therear of the bolt. As theaction is closed, a slide atthe rear of the singleaction bar tilts the rear ofthe bolt up into a match-ing recess in the top of thereceiver.

The trigger-blocking,cross-bolt safety remainsat the rear of the steel trig-ger guard, and is reversiblefor left-handers.

As its name implies,the Model 37 Turkeyslay-er is marketed toward theserious turkey hunter. Tothat end, the gun comesequipped with a plain 22"barrel with iron sights.The rear blade is a “V”notch using a steppedwedge for elevation ad-justment and is drift-adjustable for windage.The front sight has a trian-gular, pink, high-visibili-ty, plastic sight bladeinsert that collects ambi-ent light much like a fiber-optic sight. It stands outwell against either dark orlight backgrounds.

Tight patterns are a keyelement in bagging turkey. The Model 37Turkeyslayer’s barrel comes threaded forchoke tubes, and is equipped with an extend-ed extra-full choke. The tube is slotted so it

ITHACA MODEL 37 TURKEYSLAYER

The 37 Turkeyslayer was patterned at 40yds. with Federal Premium Magnum No. 6shot.Patterns were tight,and easily movedto the point of aim using a C-More sight.

The venerable Ithaca Model 37 is 62 years old. It has been used by the U.S.military and has been enjoyed afield by many hunters.The gun we receivedfor testing was the Turkeyslayer—designed for the serious turkey hunter.

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT40 YDS.

26 29

63 60

55 59

25 27

Extra Full Barrel

= Point of HoldFederal Premium Mag. 4-2-6

Pellet Count= 450

Total Hits 344 (76%)21.2" Inner Circle 237 (53%)30" Outer Ring 107 (23%)

ITHACA 37

The Turkeyslayer uses aninterrupted thread forbarrel attachment that isfurther secured by themagazine nut. This typeof barrel attachment isreported to be more rigid,though it makes manu-facturing costs higher.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998 53

can be removed using a coin, or similar tool.Full choke in a 12-ga. has an average con-striction of .036". Ithaca’s extra-full chokehas a total constriction of .060", or just lessthan twice that of a conventional full choke.

Ithaca’s full-coverage use of Realtreecamouflage on the Turkeyslayer providesthat extra edge of concealment turkey hun-ters may need to get wary gobblers in close.The finish is applied by a film dip processwith a clear coat protective finish. The dip-ping process is farmed out to Tarjac ofWaterloo, New York. Patterns offered areRealtree Advantage, All-Purpose Brown,All-Purpose Grey or Xtra Brown.

We equipped the Ithaca Model 37

Turkeyslayer with a C-More sight and pat-terned it at 40 yds. with 3" FederalPremium Magnum Turkey loads with theresults shown in the accompanying table.Function firing was with a variety of 23⁄4"and 3" shells varying in shot size from No.2 to No. 6 having charge weights rangingfrom 11⁄2 to 2 ozs. and powder charges vary-ing from 33⁄4 to Mag. drams equivalent.There were no malfunctions of any kind.Patterns were consistently tight and wereeasily moved to exactly the point of aimusing the C-More sight.

With the exception of the magazine fol-lower, front sight insert and ventilated,black, rubber recoil pad, the Ithaca Model

37 Turkeyslayer is entirely made of woodand steel—a welcome feature to many. Thehardwood stock fit average-size shooterswell, which helped control the recoil of eventhe 2-ozs. Magnum loads. While the stockwas fine for use with iron sights, a cheekpiece was needed on our gun to get the eyein line with the C-More sight.

Production of this variant is said to be lim-ited, and there is reportedly a similar 20-ga.in the works.

While the 37’s design has stood the testof time, it is an expensive model to producewhen compared to other pump guns.However, the Ithaca Model 37 has provenitself reliable for decades, and theTurkeyslayer should serve a new generationof owners well, too.

54 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998

Locking occurs at the rear of the bolt.Whenthe action is closed, a slide at the rear ofthe Model 37’s single action bar tilts therear of the shotgun’s bolt up into a match-ing recess in the top of the steel receiver.

The Ithaca Model 37’s carrier is a light, U-shaped steel piece that has two long, thin,forward-pointing fingers that double as theejector. When a shell is extracted, the car-rier snaps down to eject the shell, and intoposition to lift the next one for loading.

MANUFACTURER: Ithaca Gun Co., LLC,Dept. AR, 891 Route 34-B, King Ferry,NY 13081

MECHANISM TYPE: pump-actionshotgun

GAUGE: 12-ga., 3"OVERALL LENGTH: 423⁄4"BARREL LENGTH: 22"WEIGHT: 6 lbs., 14 ozs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: fourTRIGGER: single-stage, 81⁄2 lb. pullSIGHTS: plastic blade front, open rear

step adjustable for elevationSTOCK: hardwood: length of pull, 14";

drop at heel, 21⁄4"; drop at comb, 11⁄4"ACCESSORIES: choke tube wrench,

magazine plugPRICE: $549.95

ITHACA MODEL 37

NORGON AR-15 AMBI-CATCHSOUTHPAW AR-15 shooters have

always been at somewhat of a disad-vantage when it comes to speedy

magazine changes. The release’s location,on the receiver’s right side above and justforward of the trigger guard, presents noproblems for right-handers as they can eas-ily reach it with the trigger finger,but is prob-lematic for left-handed shooters who haveto shift their grip or use their weak hand.

Norgon, LLC, of Springfield, Virginia,has introduced the AR-15 Ambi-Catch, aunit that does not hinder the function of theright-hand button, but allows the magazineto be released from the left side as well.The catch is designed to work with all AR-15-type rifles and it allows left-handedshooters to release the magazine withoutchanging hands or losing their grip—or forright handers to operate the release withtheir weak hand.

The Parkerized steel Ambi-Catch isdesigned to drop-in without full disas-sembly of the rifle and replaces the “stock”

magazine catch and catch shaft. It operateson the same axis of the original release,and its slim profile helps protect againstaccidental depression.

To install the Ambi-Catch, first removethe magazine and ensure the rifle isunloaded. Next, depress the right side mag-azine release button until the magazine catch

on the left side is clear of the lower receiv-er. Grasp the catch and slowly rotate itcounter-clockwise until it unthreads fromthe release button. Slowly let the catch comefree of the receiver, being careful not to letthe magazine catch spring shoot out of thenow-empty magazine catch cutout.Depressing the release button, insert theAmbi-Catch into the hole for the catch in thelower receiver. Rotate the catch clockwiseuntil it is threaded into the right-handed but-ton. When the unit is fully seated, the springwill allow tension to be released from eitherside.

We installed the sample Ambi-Catcheasily in seconds. Left-handed users likedit immediately and it functioned flawless-ly. This is a well-thought-out accessorythat will no doubt be welcome amongthose with AR-15-type rifles.

Available from: Robert H. Garrett,Norgon, LCC, Dept. AR, 7518 K FullertonRoad, Springfield, VA 22153. $89.95 plus$5 shipping.

The Norgon Ambi-Catch allows the maga-zine of an AR-15 to be released from eitherthe left or right side.The unit replaces the“stock” magazine catch and catch shaft.

MOST authoritative sources wouldagree that the best choice for hear-ing protection while shooting is ear

plugs with muff-type ear protectors overthem. However, it is difficult to hear rangecommands or coaching instructions whenwearing that combination.

A cure seemed at hand a few years agowith the introduction of electronically aug-mented, muff-type, ear protectors. Thesehad electronic circuitry inside that enabledthe wearer to hear range commands andconversation while cutting off the soundspikes that damage hearing. That they did,but they also cut off words as the soundspikes occurred. This was more than just anuisance as range commands were some-times hard to understand and instructorshad difficulty communicating with theirstudents. In addition, such hearing protec-tors were bulky, heavy and some found

them uncomfortable towear for long periods.

Enter Ridgeline, Inc.,with their new, electroni-cally-augmented, LinearElite hearing protectorsfeaturing “Dynamic SoundCompression” (DSC).DSC works by maintain-ing a preset, internal soundlevel of 85 decibels (db) orless which will not dam-age hearing. DSC does notcut off words when a soundspike occurs. Instead, thesound spike is com-pressed 50% below nor-mal conversation soundlevels (about 72 db)before release so normalspeech may be heard.According to companyliterature, DSC begins at10 db and extends over allfrequencies to providecrisp, clear, natural soundwithout distortion orinterference. Ridgelinecalls this Dynamic SoundRange (DSR).

Each Linear Elite unit is independentwith its own batteries (two “N” type), elec-tronic circuitry and volume adjustmentknob. There are no wires connecting the twounits. Each can be specifically tuned to theuser’s hearing for true, directional, stereosound. Battery life is quoted as being a min-imum of 250 hours.

We tested the Pro-Mag, Pro-Slim andSporting Clays models. We found the bat-teries easy to change or install and the earcups comfortable even when sealing aroundeyeglass frames. The DSC worked as adver-tised. Range commands and conversationcould be heard clearly without cut-offs.Users accustomed to standard ear protectorsfelt the Pro-Mag unit was heavy. However,when we compared the Pro-Mag to anotherbrand of electronic hearing protectors, thePro-Mag was found to be 13% lighter. ThePro-Slim was compared with other non-

electronic units and found to be only41⁄2-ozs. heavier, while the SportingClays model was actually lighter thanmany non-electronic units. TheSporting Clays model features a

“chop side” ear cup contour to clear the highcomb of shotguns and rimfire target rifles.

The Pro-Mag weighs 161⁄2 ozs., while thePro-Slim weighs 3 ozs. less. Both are avail-able in either black or white. The SportingClays weighs 81⁄2 ozs. and comes in black,white or green.

The Noise Reduction Ratio (NRR) ofthe Pro-Mag is claimed to be a very good28 db. Ridgeline recommends these unitsfor center-fire rifle and pistol shooting forthis reason. Testers reported that the Pro-Mags worked well to reduce sound levelsoutdoors and, though the units were asgood or better than competitive brandsindoors, they felt that more attenuation wasdesirable inside.

The NRR of the Pro-Slim and SportingClays models is 21 and 20 respectively.Consequently Ridgeline recommends theseunits for use with .22 rimfire and shotgunsonly. Lack of ear clearance inside the cupswas an often heard complaint.

These electronically-augmented hearingprotectors are second generation models andare lighter and more comfortable than firstgeneration units. The DSC and DSR cir-cuitry functions effectively to eliminatesound cut-offs so the wearer can clearly hearrange instructions and conversation. Qualityand reliability appear very good, and themodular design makes battery replacementor repairs fast and easy. With a five year war-ranty on the electronics and a modest retailprice, they appear to be a good buy.

Available from: Sheldon Marketing,Dept. AR, 2191-A Resort Way South,Prescott, AZ 86301. Price: $219.95 (Pro-Mag), $199.95 (Pro-Slim and SportingClays), plus $10 shipping.

The Ridgeline Pro-Mag model (l.) is13% lighter than comparable firstgeneration units.The Pro-Slim model(center) is only 41⁄2-ozs. heavier thanmany non-electronic units while theSporting Clays (r.) is actually lighterthan many non-electronic protectors.

RIDGELINE LINEAR ELITE

The Linear Elite line of second generation, electronically-augmented hearing protectors feature Dynamic SoundCompression that enables the wearer to clearly hear rangecommands and coaching instructions without cut-offs.

The modular design of the RidgelineLinear Elite series enables fast, easyrepair or battery replacement. A five-yearwarranty is offered on the unit’s electron-ic circuits, microphones and switches.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • February 1998 55