Dope Bag is compiled by Staff and Contributing Editors: David Andrews, Hugh C. Birnbaum, Bruce N. Canfield, Russ Carpenter, O. Reid Coffield, William C. Davis, Jr., Pete Dickey, Charles Fagg, Robert W. Hunnicutt, Mark A. Keefe, IV, Angus Laidlaw, Scott E. Mayer, Charles E. Petty, Robert B. Pomeranz, O.D., Charles R. Suydam and A.W.F.Taylerson. CAUTION: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based on the limited experience of individuals under specific condi- tions and circumstances. They do not detail the compre- hensive training procedures, techniques and safety pre- cautions absolutely necessary to properly carry on simi- lar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the con- tents page. Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety pre- cautions before attempting any similar activity. ® SMITH & WESSON SW380 HE calibers offered in Smith & Wesson and Smith & Wesson’s Tover the years have ranged SW380 is a big depar- ture for the firm—a in power from .22 Short to .44 gun intended strictly Mag, but one round conspicu- for the pure defensive ously absent from the tally is the user rather than for the .380 ACP. S&W made a brief police or sporting foray into the pocket auto mar- pistol markets. ket in the early part of the cen- tury, but that gun is now remembered only as a curiosity for collec- tors interested in its unique .35 S&W ammunition. Perhaps the failure of that exer- cise deterred S&W from another foray into pocket pistols, as did the natural desire to emphasize its well-established Chiefs Special snub-nosed revolvers. More recently, the firm could point to its compact 9 mm autoloaders as a the zinc alloy Zamak, a proper choice for concealed carry. very common and well- But as we have found (see story p. 42), established material used in there are some buyers who insist on the .380 the construction of European caliber, whether for economic or other rea- and economical U.S. pistols. sons, and so S&W has decided its best course Zamak is easily die-cast and takes an The slide top has a is to give them what they want. groove connecting attractive black finish, but is heavier than alu- The new Sigma SW380 is something of a the SW380’s fixed minum and has a shorter life than that metal marketing departure for the Springfield, front and rear sights. or steel. S&W estimates the service life of the Massachusetts, manufacturer, too. At $308, it SW380 at about 2,500 rounds. This is more is positioned between the products of firms than a lifetime of shooting for most defensive like Davis and Lorcin at the economical end .380 users. of the pistol spectrum and those of tradition- An integral channel at the top of the slide al S&W competitors like Beretta, Colt and incorporates the front and rear sights, which are small and non-adjustable, though it should SIG. A quick perusal of the Gun Digest shows be kept in mind that any defensive use of this S&W SW380 just two .380 autoloaders close to the pistol is likely to be at arm’s length, and a MANUFACTURER: Smith & Wesson, SW380’s price—the AMT DAO Back Up and smooth, non-snagging surface is more impor- Dept. AR, 2100 Roosevelt Ave., the FEG B9R, guns whose names are proba- tant in a self-protection gun than is precision Springfield, MA 01102 bly unlikely to ring a bell with the first-time sighting equipment. MECHANISM TYPE: semi-auto- gun buyer. Deeply recessed grasping grooves at the matic pistol Clearly, S&W is attempting to expand its CALIBER: .380 ACP rear of the slide are a big help in retracting it. 1 OVERALL LENGTH: 5 ⁄8" customer base beyond the hard core of pistol These worked well with any hand position we BARREL LENGTH: 3" fanciers to purely defensive users who know tried. The extractor is pivoted on a roll pin on WEIGHT: 14 ozs. little about guns but who have heard the Smith the right side of the frame behind the gener- WIDTH: 15/16" & Wesson name. ously-sized ejection port. 1 HEIGHT: 4 ⁄8" Like the 9 mm and .40 S&W Sigmas, the The slide also houses a passive firing pin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 6 SW380 has a polymer frame and a trigger- TRIGGER: trigger-cocking, 10 lbs. pull safety to help prevent accidental discharges SIGHTS: post front, notch rear cocking lock with an articulated trigger blade. should the SW380 be dropped on its muzzle. ACCESSORIES: disassembly tool, empty The similarities end there, however. A plunger in front of the extractor roll pin chamber indicator, plastic carrying case While the big Sigmas are -operated must be lifted by a projection on the trigger PRICE: $308 with conventional steel slides, the SW380 is bar to allow the firing pin to move forward a straight blowback arm. The slide is made of enough to touch off the chambered cartridge.

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 The SW380 lockwork is interesting and zine floorplate has two vertical catches that grooves on either side of the grip behind the unusual. The trigger is articulated, following engage cuts molded into the interior of the trigger help short-fingered users reach the the design of the larger Sigmas. Its lower por- grip frame. Pinching them inward allows the trigger blade. The gun’s serial number, both tion serves the same purpose as the trigger magazine to be removed. Spring tabs in the in numerals and a scannable bar code, is inlaid safety lever of pistols—it prevents trig- magazine box limit their travel. in front of the trigger guard. ger movement unless it is depressed, again We saw no easy way to remove the floor- The disassembly method is unusual, and serving to help avoid accidental discharges if plate for cleaning the inside of the magazine; will probably be the most controversial aspect the pistol is dropped. we suspect a special tool is required to depress of the SW380 for experienced pistol owners. Pulling the trigger pushes the trigger bar the plastic tabs that hold floorplate to box. S&W clearly figures most home-defense pis- tol users are unlikely to do a whole lot of cleaning, and so has traded ease of takedown ACCURACY RESULTS for lower cost. To disassemble, remove the magazine and .380 ACP Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) ensure the chamber is empty. Support the gun, except for the extreme rear of the frame (we Geco 870 Avg. 2.79 4.06 3.23 94-gr. FMC 14 Sd found a couple of telephone books did nice- ly). Using the supplied tool as a punch, drive Rem. No. GS380B 917 Avg. 3.31 4.22 3.65 102-gr. BJSP 18 Sd out the roll pin, being careful not to lose it. Next, grasp the slide and pull it rearward Win. No.S380 862 Avg. 1.83 3.63 2.64 95-gr. JHP 14 Sd and upward; the motion will be familiar to Walther users. Average Extreme Spread 3.17 Then allow the slide to move forward and Five consecutive 5-shot groups at 15 yds. fired from sand- off the barrel. The takedown rail then is free bags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), FMC (full to slide out the rear of the frame. metal case), BJHP (brass-jacketed hollow-point, JHP (jacketed hollow-point), Rem. (Remington), Win. (Winchester) The sear assembly is free to move up and down a bit in the frame, but is retained by the The magazine is retained by twin catches at trigger bar. Take care not to dislodge the ejec- either side that engage cuts inside the grip tor from its place in the plastic body of the frame. The system is secure, but not quick. sear assembly. The instructions warn against driving out rearward against a buffered return spring. A any other pins. Having driven them all out and projection at its rear serves as a disconnector; laboriously replaced them, we can heartily it is pressed down, disengaging the trigger bar second that advice. The barrel, trigger and from the sear assembly, by a bump inside the trigger return spring all must be aligned for slide except when the slide is in battery. the front roll pin to be replaced, and that’s a The sear assembly and ejector are part of lot easier said than done. a subassembly roll-pinned into the rear of the To reassemble, use the disassembly tool frame. As the trigger bar moves fully rear- as a guide to replace the recoil spring and slide ward, a cam surface on top of the sear meets over the barrel. We found this helped keep the a corresponding surface in the body of the recoil spring from kinking. Keeping control assembly, pushing the sear down out of of the slide, replace the takedown rail and engagement with the tail of the firing pin, align its holes with the holes in the frame. allowing that part to fly forward and fire the Then, using a non-marring mallet or similar chambered round. tool, drive the roll pin back into place. As the slide returns after ejecting the spent case, the disconnector is activated, allowing the sear to pop up in the path Disassembly is unusual. Drive of the firing pin tail in prepa- out the roll pin at the rear of the ration for another shot. It is frame,then lift the slide rear up important to note that this sys- and rearward.Then remove the tem does not allow repeated takedown rail from the slide. trigger pulls on a misfired round; the slide must cycle before another attempt to fire can be made. In contrast to the larger cal- iber Sigmas, in which the slide rides on Glock-style steel inserts, the slide is supported in the SW380 by a part called the takedown The SW380 has no user-optional safeties, The SW380 was fired for accuracy with rail at the rear. There is a generous clearance and, unlike some other S&Ws, no magazine results shown in the accompanying table, and between slide and frame, which provoked a safety. A warning to this effect is molded into function-fired with Geco, Remington and lot of jokes when the Sigma was first intro- the frame, rollmarked on the magazine box Winchester ammunition. There were no fail- duced, but S&W defends it on grounds that it and repeatedly emphasized in the instruction ures of any kind, even when we tried to induce helps prevent jamming should foreign matter manual. There also is no slide stop, so an one by “limp-wristing” the pistol. The rear lodge there. empty-chamber indicator is provided with the roll pin did have a tendency to walk out of the The six-round magazine is retained by a pistol for use at the range. frame after 25 or 30 shots, but is easily tapped catch system heretofore associated more with The grip frame is serrated at front and rear, back in. cordless drills than with pistols. The maga- as is the front of the trigger guard. Finger The SW380 clearly requires a different

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 49 standard of judgement than previous it’s certainly easier to get to the working parts S&W pistols we’ve examined. There of the SW380 than to the insides of a , are plenty of S&W revolvers from and the SW380 buyer is more likely choos- World War I and even before in every- ing between it and an inexpensive revolver day use, and a decades-old Smith can than the new S&W and a .45. be restored to like-new condition by We suspect a lot of the longtime readers the factory or any of dozens of top- of this magazine will see the SW380 as yet level gunsmiths using well-proven another sign that civilization as we know it is methods. doomed. Fortunately, S&W has a traditional The SW380 is not a gun intended product line intended for them. to be used regularly for the next 100 The SW380 is for the utilitarian, even the years. No one has yet figured a way to reluctant, gun buyer who will dutifully fire the make Zamak as durable as steel. Our occasional practice string but otherwise keeps sample gun showed noticeable wear on a pistol for peace of mind. That purchaser will the underside of the slide and some bat- get his money’s worth from the SW380. tering of the ejection port after 150 The disassembly tool is used to guide the rounds or so. slide over the recoil spring during reassem- That said, the gun functioned flawlessly bly. While the slide can be replaced without through as much shooting as a lot of defen- the tool, the process is easier with it in place. sive purchasers will do in a lifetime. The SW380 was also accurate by pocket pistol easy enough to use and allows a very smooth standards, with groups limited as much by the exterior. It would be a big drawback, howev- rudimentary sights as anything else. Groups er, for users who have some disability in the formed about 3" low at 15 yds. non-shooting hand. Ergonomics are excellent. Despite the Many who saw the pistol at the NRA stunted grip, recoil was never a problem, and Annual Meetings were disturbed by its take- keeping a secure grasp on the pistol was easy. down system, and it unquestionably comes The magazine release system probably won’t off second-best to guns like the M1911 that be taking the IPSC circuit by storm, but it was have a military heritage. On the other hand, VOERE VEC 95 RG PISTOL tric current at a specific voltage is applied. This is important to prevent the ammuni- tion from igniting if exposed to static elec- tricity, radar emissions, etc. In place of a conventional firing pin, the bolt has an electrode that contacts the primer portion of the caseless cartridge when the bolt is closed on a loaded round. Pressing the tang safety button forward allows the two 15-volt camera batteries in the pistol grip to charge a capacitor (and illuminate a red pilot light in the tang). Pulling the trigger closes the circuit, Voere’s VEC 95 RG pistol offers allowing the charge to proceed down the ballistics that would require a bolt, into the primer and out the copper- longer barrel in the .223 Rem. covered ejector, firing the cartridge in just 1 millisecond. Returning the safety button discharges the capacitor to help prevent ASELESS ammunition seemed to be the about for alternative markets for its car- coming thing for military arms in the tridge. It joined forces with Voere,a small accidental firing. Cmiddle 1980s, with both the former Austrian maker of sport- West Germany and the U.S. military actively ing arms, to offer the VEC The VEC 95 RG’s caseless ammuni- pursuing caseless designs. 91 (May 1993, p. 38). tion requires an electronic ignition Doing away with the heavy cartridge case Now the rifle has been system powered by two 15V batteries. is a tremendous benefit for military users,who joined by a pistol, the may need to airlift troops thousands of miles, VEC 95 RG, that uses the as well as for defense planners who can find same basic . better uses for brass. The VEC 95 is con- The end of the Cold War, however, chilled ventional in general out- development of caseless designs. The line, but totally uncon- Austrian firm USEL, which first began work- ventional in its mode of ing on caseless ammunition in cooperation operation. In place of a with Smith & Wesson in 1965 and had pro- conventional primer is vided the ammunition for the Steyr Advanced one designed to ignite Combat Rifle prototype, immediately cast only when a specific elec-

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 The batteries, available at most camera Though the VEC 95 RG would be stores for about $7 each, are retained by a an excellent choice for varmint ACCURACY RESULTS coin-slotted cap in the base of the pistol grip, hunting, few would care to work over a prairie dog town for sever- .223 UCC Vel. @15’ Smallest Largest Average and are good for 5,000 shots, according to the Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) al hours with ammunition that importer. costs a breathtaking $2 a round. JagerSport 3132 Avg. 0.08 0.58 0.34 The bolt itself is conventional enough at Lightning-Fire 19 Sd first glance, with two opposed locking lugs. 55-gr. HP These are angled at the front to mate with a Five consecutive 5-shot groups at 50 yds. fired from cone-shaped collar at the front of the receiv- sandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), HP er that rotates to seal the rear of the cartridge. (hollow-point) The bolt face has a small hook extractor for times when a loaded round must be ejected as we continued operating the gun’s bolt. through the small contoured port in the pis- The Remington XP-100 had an tol’s receiver. assembly called the trigger balance to The trigger is adjustable for pull weight in help prevent accidental discharges a range of 7 ozs. to 7 lbs., according to the should the pistol be dropped muzzle- 1 manufacturer. Our sample had a 2 ⁄2-lb. pull up. The VEC 95 has no such mecha- as it arrived from the factory. nism, counting instead on a two-stage In contrast to the VEC 91 rifle, which had trigger. We pulled the bullet from a a front recoil lug trapped between barrel and UCC cartridge, loaded it into the gun receiver as in the Remington Model 700, the and dropped the piece grip-first about VEC 95 pistol’s front lug is welded to the a dozen times, enough to chip the paint, receiver ring, and the floorplate is doglegged without the round going off. This was 1 at the factory pull setting of 2 ⁄2 lbs., .223 UCC drove its 55-gr. bullet at velocities however, and those addicted to very very close to those achieved with 40-gr. bul- light pull weights might want to conduct a lets in the XP-100. Pressures for the UCC car- similar test before taking a VEC 95 hunting tridge are in the 55,000 p.s.i. range. at the minimum pull setting. The faster lock time claimed for the elec- We found the VEC 95 RG a very accurate tronic ignition system was imperceptible to and pleasant gun to fire, and it certainly is a us; perhaps it could be detected in a side-by- switch to open the bolt and have nothing at all side comparison of two similar guns. pop out. Bolt operation we found a bit stiff, a prob- That said, the issue of ammunition cost lem compounded by the limited clearance and availability hangs over all the Voere case- between the “butterknife” bolt handle and the less arms. The importer hopes to establish 2-7X Burris scope fitted to the pistol. It took U.S. production of the ammunition in an a vigorous shove to chamber the loaded round, though feeding from the magazine was smooth and reliable. We also found that the bolt The VEC 95 RG was capable of one-hole tended to contact the safety but- groups at 50 yds., our standard distance for ton in its travel, returning it to testing pistols chambered for rifle calibers. the safe position when opened, Shots on game at 100 yds. should be easy. which is not so bad, but also pressing it forward to the fire upward a bit to meet it. The sides of the mag- position when it was closed, a azine well are drilled through for weight much less desirable thing. This reduction. problem proved to be self-cor- The seven-round steel magazine is recting, as the button wore down retained by a catch that passes into the front of the trigger guard. The sample pistol’s stock was a black VOERE VEC 95 RG fiberglass unit that we thought rather unat- MANUFACTURER: Voere GmbH, Untere The magazine held seven rounds of the .223 tractive for a gun in this price range. We also Sparchen 56, 6333 Kufstein, Austria IMPORTER: Jagersport, Ltd., Dept. AR, UCC ammunition, which originally was were surprised it wasn’t provided with sling developed for military use, where eliminat- swivels, given the VEC 95’s 5-lb. heft. One Commercial Way, Cranston, RI 02920 ing the brass case would have great value. The VEC 95 RG was fired for accuracy MECHANISM TYPE: bolt-action pistol with results shown in the accompanying table, CALIBER: .223 (5.7 mm) UCC (tested), effort to get the price down from the current and function-fired with UCC ammunition. 6 mm UCC $2 a round. 11 There was one misfire, apparently a faulty OVERALL LENGTH: 21 ⁄16" The chicken-and-egg effect comes into round. BARREL LENGTH: 12" play here—the price per round for the unusu- WEIGHT: 5 lbs. The first thing we noticed about the VEC 13 al caseless ammuntion will come down only WIDTH: 2 ⁄16" 95 was its very soft recoil and report. Recoil 5 as volume increases, and volume can’t HEIGHT: 6 ⁄8" struck us as about on the .38 Spl. level, while MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 7 increase so long as the price is high. report reminded us of the .222 Rem., this TRIGGER: two-stage adjustable: In the meantime, the VEC 95 RG is a very despite velocities well in excess of those we 7 oz.-7 lb. pull interesting and unusual arm that will appeal got from the Remington XP-100 Varmint PRICE: $1,495 to the seasoned fancier who’s look- 1 Special, a .223 with a 14 ⁄2" barrel. In fact, the ing for something very different.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 51 SAKO FINNFIRE P94S

Sako has joined the quality .22 rifle market with the Finnfire, a bolt-action that follows some of the lines of the firm’s TRG-S series of center-fire .

HE Finnish firm of Sako, Ltd., is best Like the TRG-S, the separate bolt handle known for its line of highly accurate with stem is screwed into a lug on the rear of SAKO FINNFIRE Tand equally high-priced center-fire the bolt body. Unlike the TRG-S though, this MANUFACTURER: Sako Ltd.,Sakokatu 2, rifles. Less well-known are the firm’s rimfire lug is also the locking lug, entering a notch 11100 Riihimaki, Finland rifles, the only one reviewed here being the cut below the bolt handle after first passing IMPORTER: Stoeger Industries, Dept. AR, P72 (June 1979, p. 60). Styled after the then- over a detent ball. Bolt lift is very short. As 5 Mansard Ct., Wayne, NJ 07470 current line of Sako center-fire rifles, the P72 the handle is lowered, the rifle cocks and the MECHANISM TYPE: bolt-action rifle CALIBER: .22 Long Rifle was accurate, but our sample was plagued by cocking indicator emerges from the rear of the 1 OVERALL LENGTH: 39 ⁄2" magazine-feeding problems. bolt shroud. BARREL LENGTH: 22" Sako’s latest .22 sporter, the Finnfire Extraction is by a long single claw on the WEIGHT: 5 lbs., 10 ozs. P94S, is not an updated P72, but rather a rifle right side of the bolt. The ejector is fixed. MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 5 styled after the current TRG-S center-fire rifle RIFLING: 6-groove, RH twist 1 (May 1993, p. 50). TRIGGER: single-stage, 3 ⁄4 lbs. pull STOCK: walnut: length of pull, 133⁄8"; drop The sample we received was stocked in 1 at heel, 2"; drop at comb, 1 ⁄8" satin brown finished walnut, checkered at 18 PRICE: $685 lines per inch in a bordered point pattern on fore-end and grip. A black plastic buttplate and sling swivels are included. return spring can be removed by driving out The detachable box magazine holds five the forward pin. Reassembly of the rifle is in rounds and is made of lightweight plastic. An The barrel is slip-fit into reverse order. optional 10-round magazine is also available. the gun’s receiver and Two triggers are offered: a standard trig- No metallic sights are provided, but the secured by two screws. ger, as on our test rifle, or a single-set trigger. receiver is dovetailed for a scope. The clamp- Both are adjustable. The manual safety lever ed-in free floating barrel is retained by two is located behind the bolt handle and locks the Bolt removal is accomplished by pulling bolt when in the safe position. it back and simultaneously pressing the bolt The Finnfire was fired for accuracy, with release button on the right side of the receiv- results shown in the accompanying table, and er. Bolt disassembly is generally unnecessary, function-fired with a variety of standard-, but may be done by removing the bolt and high- and hyper-velocity ammunition. There uncocking it by turning the handle 1/8 turn were no malfunctions of any kind.Trigger pull clockwise. The shroud, cocking piece, firing was crisp and light. pin spring and handle are then removed by Standard velocity ammunition was clear- driving out the rear pin. The firing pin and ly preferred by the Finnfire, with accuracy deteriorating with higher velocity ammunition. ACCURACY RESULTS Lowering the bolt handle took .22 Long Rifle Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average quite some effort. At first we sus- Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) pected the difficulty was overcoming the detent ball, but it was determined Despite its full-sized proportions, CCI Green Tag 1098 Avg. 0.76 1.06 0.90 the Finnfire is lightweight, at less 10 Sd that it was the beefy firing pin spring than 6 lbs., making it easy to carry. Remington THP 1429 Avg. 1.59 2.28 1.83 being compressed as the bolt was 22 Sd lowered and the gun cocked. hex screws passing below the barrel Eley HV Moving Target 1232 Avg. 0.81 1.66 1.18 The price tag carried by this rifle to draw the slotted receiver tight. 33 Sd will likely not appeal to those want- Rather than having a recoil lug Average Extreme Spread 1.31 ing to plink away with sale-priced as part of the receiver, the Finnfire hyper-velocity ammunition, but uses a loose steel plate set in a recess Five consecutive 10-shot groups at 50 yds. fired from sandbags. instead should find acceptance with Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), THP (truncated hollow- in the stock that engages a shelf at point), HV (high velocity) those willing to pay for the accuracy the rear of the action. characteristic of the Sako name.

52 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 RUGER RED LABEL 28-GA

Ruger’s popular Red Label now can be had in a fast- swinging 28-ga. version. While the original Red Label was criti- cized for its heavy barrels, this one has an appealing, lively feel.

HE popularity of small-gauge sporting in the lithe 28-ga. version of the stackbarrel. tern-tested with results shown in the accom- competitions and of preserve hunting The safety remains automatic, with con- panying table and function-fired with Federal Twhere small gauges are especially use- version to manual operation a factory option. and Remington ammunition. There were no ful has led Ruger to offer a Red Label in 28- Locking is by a bifurcated bolt that engages failures of any kind. ga. The new Ruger shotgun can be had with two lugs on either side of the breech face. Shotgun purists who prefer side-by-side 26" or 28" barrels, and with a straight-gripped Another cube-shaped block under the bottom doubles are prone to sniff that over-unders or pistol-gripped stock. barrel passes into a square mortise in the stand too tall in the hand and are popular only The influence of the Sporting Clays model action body to help locate the barrel assembly. because Americans are weaned on rifles (we is immediately apparent in the absence of side The selective ejectors are powered by coil won’t ask why Italians like them). ribs. While other Red Labels allow for easy springs inside the monobloc and controlled Traditionalists argue that the hands should removal of the ribs, the Sporting Clays comes by ejector sears in the stainless steel fore-end be, as nearly as possible, in line. Also, they that are activated by cocking rods. The hammer-forged barrels are silver-soldered into the mono- RUGER RED LABEL bloc and are topped by a medium- MANUFACTURER: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., height .33" floating ventilated rib Dept. AR, Lacey Pl., Southport, CT 06490 with bead front sight. The 1.5"- MECHANISM TYPE: over-under shotgun long choke tubes protrude slightly GAUGE: 28 from the muzzle. The gun is sup- OVERALL LENGTH: 451⁄8" plied with full, modified, impro- BARREL LENGTH: 28" 1 ved cylinder and two skeet tubes WEIGHT: 6 ⁄4 lbs. TRIGGER: single selective, 4 lbs. pull both and their spanner. barrels The sample Red Label was STOCK: American walnut: length of pull, stocked in an attractive grade of 141⁄8"; drop at heel, 21⁄2"; drop at comb, 1 medium-brown walnut with 1 ⁄2" The action has been slightly modified to plenty of reddish and black fig- ACCESSORIES: choke tubes, spanner allow easy cocking with the light barrels. ure. Checkering was in a point pattern at 18 PRICE: $1,215 Extended hammer struts (arrow) apply lever- lines per inch. The 28-ga. Red Label was pat- age to the gun’s hammers at a higher point. assert that the forward hand should with none, and the 28-ga. follows RUGER RED LABEL 28-GA. be as close as possible to the bore that lead, for a more lively feel. line, something thought possible There have been some subtle, only with side-by-sides. but useful, changes to the action. 13 12 15 15 That objection goes by the board The investment-cast stainless in the Red Label 28-ga. The barrels action body is retained, as is the 27 32 29 31 sit low enough in the hand that train- mechanical trigger and barrel selec- ing the gun is as easy as looking tion by a pivoting safety button. 23 27 25 25 down the index finger. The change is a new system that Some Red Labels we’ve tried in replaces the low-mounted cocking 11 12 12 12 the past have had divergent trigger cams with reshaped hammer struts pulls, with one barrel requiring a whose forward tips contact the noticeably heavier tug than the cocking rods that pass down either Skeet Tube Skeet Tube other. The 28-ga. was quite the side of the action body bottom. As =Point of Hold opposite, with both of the triggers the barrels are lowered, the rods Winchester Super-X Max.-1-6 releasing quite crisply at 4 lbs. on press on the strut tips. This applies Pellet count—215 the button. force against the hammers at a high- AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 25 YDS. While we’ve always respected er spot for better leverage, reducing the Ruger Red Label, we’ve found the cocking force required. This Total Hits 157 (73%) Total Hits 164 (76%) some niggling drawback in most wasn’t much of a consideration 21.2" Inner Circle 109 (51%) 21.2" Inner Circle 110 (51%) previous versions we’ve tried. The with the early heavy-barreled Red 30" Outer Ring 48 (22%) 30” Outer Ring 54 (25%) 28-ga. is a Red Label we liked with- Labels, but is especially welcome out reservation. AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1995 53