The American Rifleman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” at least since 1921, when Col. Townsend Whelen first titled his column with it. Even then, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot- ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firing line.“Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s term for sight adjustment information, while judging wind speed and direction was called “doping the wind.” CAUTION: Technical data and information con- tained herein are intended to provide information based on the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances. They do not detail the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely necessary to properly carry on similar activity.Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page. Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity. ® SAFARI ARMS ENFORCER .45 ACP

EEMS like just about everyone is mak- ing an M1911 clone these days. One Sof the oldest makers of such guns is Safari Arms, whose distinctive designs have been marketed since the early 1980s. Originally MS Safari Arms, the firm was acquired in 1988 by Olympia, Washington- based Olympic Arms, whose prod- ucts include a Ruger 10/22 clone with a stainless-steel receiver, a vari- ety of AR-15-based rifles, pistols and acces- sories and a line of custom bolt- rifles. Olympic Arms owns its own in-house foundry to both reduce costs and to assure continuity and quality of production. Safari Arms also produces M1911 parts, a line of semi-custom M1911-based pistols under the Schuetzen Pistol Works rubric, and has announced the introduction of its The Enforcer is one of the more rad- Partner pistol, a close copy of the ically-styled production M1911s,with Whitney Wolverine. an integral finger groove and One of the mainstays of the Safari recurved guard, beavertail Arms line is the M1911-based .45 ACP grip safety and spider pattern stocks. Enforcer, first introduced by MS Safari Arms in 1983. The pistol is about 1/4" short- made. In addition to such custom features also offers Safari’s signature as a King’s-type beavertail grip safety, light- recurved trigger guard and weight aluminum trigger, extended slide integral finger-groove front- release and extended thumb safety, extend- strap with a molded-in checkered ed ejector, fluted ejection port and panel. In the rear, a flat grooved mainspring Commander-style hammer, the Enforcer housing sits below the beavertail. The gun’s sights are of the adjustable variety, with an LPA unit dovetail-mounted ENFORCER .45 ACP at the rear of the slide and a dovetailed ramped front post that is slightly angled on MANUFACTURER: Safari Arms, Dept. top to facilitate reholstering. Both sights are AR, 620 Old Pacific Highway, SE, plain black. Below the rear sight on the slide, Olympia, WA 98513 the Enforcer eschews the familiar series of Rear view showing the LPA adjustable MECHANISM TYPE: single-action, short narrow V-groove serrations for five broad, sight, wide,angled slide serrations, recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol angled flat-bottomed cuts .125" wide. beavertail grip safety, skeletonized ham- CALIBER: .45 ACP OVERALL LENGTH: 73⁄4" mer, lightweight aluminum trigger, and 15 extended thumb safety and slide release. BARREL LENGTH: 3 ⁄16" RIFLING: six-groove, LH twist WEIGHT: 36 ozs. er than a Colt Commander, having a barrel WIDTH: 11⁄4" 1 length just a hair under four inches, and its HEIGHT: 5 ⁄2" grip frame is some 3/8" shorter than the CAPACITY: six 3 Colt’s, giving it a six-round magazine TRIGGER: 3 ⁄4 lbs. pull SIGHTS: ramped post front, elevation- capacity. The gun is available in stainless and windage-adjustable rear steel, blued steel or a two-tone configura- STOCKS: smooth walnut The Enforcer employs a triple recoil spring tion with a blued slide and stainless frame. ACCESSORIES: plastic case system with full-length guide rod and Outwardly, the Enforcer is one of the PRICE: $750 reverse spring plug.The recoil system can more radical M1911-style production guns be retrofitted to earlier-vintage Enforcers.

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 and similar reliability- Aiding in recoil control enhancing modifications. ACCURACY RESULTS is the Enforcer’s grooved, check- The Enforcer retains the M1911 grip and thumb .45 ACP Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average ered frontstrap. (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) The gun’s beveled safeties, but lacks the Colt magazine well Series 80-type passive firing Fed. No. P45HS1 794 Avg. 2.19 4.43 3.46 helps speed mag- pin block. 230-gr. HS 27 Sd azine changes. Our test stainless steel Hdy. No. 9111 853 Avg. 2.26 4.10 2.86 Enforcer showed evidence 200-gr. FMJ Match 19 Sd of good quality control, Win. No. X45ASHP2 862 Avg. 2.65 6.04 4.22 being devoid of pits or other 185-gr. ST 35 Sd common casting flaws. Fit Average Extreme Spread 3.51 and finish were generally Five consecutive five-shot groups from 25 yds., fired from good, with about an average sandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed. degree of slide/frame play, (Federal), FMJ (full metal jacket), Hdy. (Hornady), HS (Hydra- and a bit of a gap between Shok), ST (Silvertip), Win. (Winchester) the beavertail and the frame. We fired the Enforcer for accuracy with safety while shooting using a high grip. Adding to the pistol’s external distinc- the results listed in the accompanying table, The Enforcer joins the approximate tiveness are its smooth walnut stocks with a and function-fired the pistol with Black length of a Colt Commander with the frame black widow spider design. At the bottom Hills, CCI, Federal, Hornady, Remington length of an Officer’s ACP, giving a more of the pistol’s butt, the magazine well has and Winchester ammunition. Out of some discreet profile when worn vertically, as in also been beveled to enable speedier maga- 120 rounds, there was a single malfunction, a belt or inside-the-pants holster. Note that zine insertion. a smokestack jam with target ammunition. the Enforcer will fit in many, but not all, hol- Internally, the Enforcer is of familiar Our Enforcer exhibited only moderate sters for the Colt Commander. Many hol- M1911 design, but with a few twists, such recoil even with heavy +P .45 ACP loads, stermakers offer models specifically for the as its triple-coil spring recoil system and its probably thanks to its stiff triple-recoil Enforcer; the latest Olympic Arms catalog large-diameter barrel, which mates directly spring system. The finger groove and has a list of several of these. with the slide, eliminating the barrel bush- checkered panel seemed to aid in recoil The Safari Arms Enforcer may not be ing. The new recoil system replaces the control, though the groove did not fit all everyone’s ideal as the ultimate .45 ACP fatigue-prone single- and dual-coil systems hands equally. High marks were given to carry gun. However, many will gladly 3 on older Enforcers (which, according to the gun’s sights, 3 ⁄4-lb. trigger and extend- accept the Enforcer’s weight and size as a Safari Arms, can be retrofitted with it). ed thumb safety (though some complained good trade-off for its controllable recoil. In addition to the new recoil system, of sharp edges on the beavertail and finger The gun should appeal to fans of current Enforcers are also subtly improved groove). One shooter also reported that his Commander-size M1911s and those who in the areas of tuning, throating, polishing thumb tended to engage the pistol’s thumb are drawn to its unique styling. TIKKA MODEL 595 SPORTER

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

ENTER-FIRE bolt-action target rifles with most costing around $2,600 to more mounting, a detachable five-round maga- for NRA highpower or International than $8,000—a price that can easily preclude zine, an adjustable single-stage trigger and CShooting Union (ISU) competition purchase of such a rifle by either a would- a target-style hardwood stock adjustable for are generally characterized by heavy bar- be target competitor or a smaller police comb height, length of pull and buttplate rels, light, crisp triggers, and (in some dis- department. The Tikka 595 Sporter, intro- position. Currently the Sporter is currently ciplines) stocks offering cheekpiece and duced in 1997, offers many of the features available in the U.S. in .308 Win. only; other buttplate adjustments and a fore-end acces- most desired by competitors and police target-type chamberings may follow. sory rail—features also demanded by many marsmen, and at a more affordable cost. Turnbolt actions for serious accuracy contemporary police marksmen. In general description, the 595 Sporter work have a rigid receiver with thick walls, Such specialized precision does not is a bolt-action repeater with a medium- minimal cutouts for the ejection port and 3 come cheap, however. Even the least expen- heavy, 23 ⁄4" barrel, a flat-bottomed receiv- magazine, and plenty of bedding area. Most sive of these rifles runs more than $1,000, er with an integral dovetail for scope base commonly employ a two-lug bolt (a design

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 47 bearing area is on the order of .079 sq. in., palm swell for prone, bipod or sandbag while shear area is some .40 sq. in.—about shooting; a 8.12"-long accessory rail run- the same as other modern high-strength ning along the downward-sloping underside actions. The bolt head is integral with the of the fore-end, a left-side mounting plate bolt body and contains a Sako-style extrac- for a sling; and an adjustable comb and tor and a plunger ejector, and is counter- buttplate. The straight comb is mounted on bored about .11". a pair of vertical metal rods that are clamped At the rear of the bolt, a single helical in place by two hex-headed screws set into 3 camming surface cocks the firing pin. The the buttstock ’s right and which allow 1 ⁄4" bolt handle is neither welded to, nor integral of vertical adjustment. Length of pull is with the bolt; its inboard end fits into a dove- adjusted by adding or removing .2"-thick tail cut in the bolt body. During bolt disas- spacers between the buttpad and its mount- sembly (detailed in the Tikka Owner’s ing plate. Removing the buttpad and loos- Manual) the handle may be removed, along ening a large hex screw allows the buttpad with the firing pin, cocking piece and syn- to be moved vertically along the curved butt, thetic bolt shroud. Bolt disassembly is not as well as pivoted inward or outward. normally required for routine maintenance. Surprisingly, the stock, though well A serrated button in the right side of the Bolt removal is accomplished by simul- sealed against moisture, showed no traces stock is depressed to release the single- column five-round magazine. Magazine taneously retracting the bolt and depressing of bedding compound. The Sporter’s recoil release can also be performed with the left the bolt stop lever set into the left receiver lug is a separate, thick L-shaped aluminum hand reaching around under the stock. wall. The stop’s beveled rear face is over- piece having a hole centered in the longer, ridden when the bolt is reinserted. horizontal side that engages a same-size that still dominates bench-rest competi- The barrel of the 595 is a medium-heavy boss around the forward stock screw hole in tion). The action of the 595 Sporter has all tube that tapers from 1.12" at the receiver to the receiver, and a shorter leg that projects these characteristics. Its investment-cast .785" at the muzzle, and the crown is downward into a stock recess. When the receiver is 1.28" wide, 1.25" high and 8.6" receiver is in the stock, it is locked secure- long, with a wall thickness outside the lock- ly to the recoil lug which, in turn, butts up ing lug raceways of .17" and a .110" high against the face of its stock recess. The recoil and .650" wide dovetail for scope base lug is loose in the stock, so care must be mounting along the receiver top. taken not to lose it during disassembly. On many repeating bolt actions, the ejec- Magazine retention is via a serrated but- tion port and magazine openings leave (on ton set into the right side of the stock. In nor- right-handed actions) a relatively thin right mal operation, the magazine catch would be siderail—a less-than-optimal situation for operated by curving the left hand under the maximum rigidity and accuracy. The 595’s stock and depressing the button with the fin- siderail is as substantial as we’ve ever gertips of the left hand. This positions the seen—.63" high at the ejection port and hand to catch the freed magazine, whose more than .3" thick—due to both the receiv- release is assisted by a small spring-loaded er’s flat-bottomed design and the gun’s sin- plunger in the lip of the magazine well that gle-column five-round magazine, which Two aluminum rods in the comb lock into pushes against the magazine’s plastic requires a narrower cut through the receiv- the stock by hex-head screws (arrows); basepad. The steel-bodied magazines fea- er floor than do the typical staggered-col- loosening these screws allows comb ture a synthetic follower, and may be disas- umn boxes used on many other bolt guns. height adjustment. The butt moves verti- sembled for cleaning. The 595’s bolt is machined from bar cally and laterally by loosening a machine The 595 Sporter is not supplied with stock and has a .682" diameter body and screw under the buttpad; length of pull can sights, but the receiver is drilled and tapped .921" diameter lug circle. Calculated lug be modified by way of .2"-thick spacers. and is equipped with the aforementioned integral dovetail rail designed for Tikka recessed. The four-groove hammer-forged bases, which feature a recoil stop pin in the TIKKA 595 SPORTER rifling has (in .308 Win.) a 1:11" RH twist. forward base that engages a semicircular The Sporter’s trigger is user-adjustable recess in the top of the receiver just forward MANUFACTURER: Sako, Ltd., Box 149, from two to four pounds pull by way of a of the ejection port. The interior surfaces of 11101 Riihimaki, Finland IMPORTER: Stoeger Industries, Dept. hex-headed screw in the forward face of the the steel rings accept rounded one-piece AR, 5 Mansard Court, Wayne, NJ trigger unit that is accessible upon removal- flexible synthetic inserts that rotate to fit 07470 of the action from the stock. around a 1" scope tube without any torsional MECHANISM TYPE: bolt-action rifle At the rear right side of the action is the CALIBER: .308 Win. (tested), Sporter’s serrated safety button, which in 1 OVERALL LENGTH: 44" the rearward, “safe” position blocks both BARREL LENGTH: 233⁄4" RIFLING: four groove 1:11"RH twist trigger and bolt. Moving the safety forward 1 3 WEIGHT: 9 ⁄2 lbs. to the “fire” position frees both parts and MAGAZINE CAPACITY: five also exposes a red dot on the receiver tang. 4 TRIGGER: single-stage, 3 lbs. pull When the rifle is cocked a red-painted indi- SIGHTS: none; receiver drilled, tapped cator protrudes from under the bolt shroud. and dovetail-contoured for scope The 595 Sporter’s most distinctive fea- mounts 2 STOCK: European walnut; cheekpiece ture is probably its stock, which slightly adjustable for height, buttpad resembles that of the British Accuracy adjustable for pitch International sniper rifle. Made of European The right-side view of the Tikka 595 action ACCESSORIES: none walnut, the stock features a wide channel for shows the (1) safety,(2) trigger adjustment PRICE: $875 the free-floating barrel; stippling in all grip- screw, (3) thick right siderail and (4) boss ping areas; a nearly vertical handgrip with that engages hole in L-shaped recoil lug.

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 stress, similar in principle to the Burris Pos- Reassemble the rifle in the reverse order. Align system. Target iron sights should be We fired our sample 595 Sporter for easily installed by a competent gunsmith. accuracy with the results reported in the To disassemble the Sporter, first ensure accompanying table, and function-fired it that the magazine is removed and the cham- with Black Hills, Federal, PMC, Remington ber empty. Turn out and remove the front and White Feather ammunition. There were and rear stock screws; be careful not to lose no malfunctions. The gun’s trigger was their respective washers. Lift the barreled excellent, breaking at a dead crisp 3 lbs., and action free of the receiver,heeding the afore- bolt operation was extremely smooth. mentioned caution regarding the loose The Tikka showed exceptional accura- recoil lug. No further disassembly is cy with both Federal and White Feather required for maintenance or cleaning. match ammunition. The rifle’s .49" aver- age group size with The 595 uses a two-lug bolt with a plunger Federal loads—praise- ejector and Sako-style extractor.The notch ACCURACY RESULTS worthy performance in a in the upper lug is for the bolt guide rib. match rifle costing .308 Win. Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average $2,000 or more—is as- We found few faults with the Sporter. Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) tonishing in a factory, We’d like to see an optional stainless Fed. No. 308M 2519 Avg 0.37 0.65 0.49 wood-stocked rifle at the match-grade barrel, a metal bolt shroud and 168-gr. HPBT Match 13 Sd Tikka’s $875 list price. bottom metal to replace the (functionally PMC No. 308 SMB 2644 Avg. 1.22 1.68 1.38 Although the gun’s adequate) plastic units supplied with the 168-gr. HPBT Match 15 Sd nominal 1:11" rifling rifle and a fully adjustable synthetic stock White Feather. 2631 Avg. 0.49 0.82 0.65 twist is theoretically (the latter item is reportedly under consid- 175-gr. HPBT Match 11 Sd optimal for projectiles eration). Yet even without these changes Average Extreme Spread 0.84 of 168 grs. or less, good (which would increase its cost), the 595 results were obtained Sporter remains a very reasonably priced Five consecutive five-shot groups from 100 yds., fired from sand- bags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed. (Federal), with White Feather rifle with the adjustability, trigger quality HPBT (hollow-point boattail) loads with Sierra’s 175- and pinpoint accuracy required by both tar- gr. MatchKing. get shooters and police marksmen. REMINGTON 11-96 LIGHTWEIGHT

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

OMETIMES bigger isn’t necessarily The sample 11-96 shotgun we received Another weight-saving step was to better. This is especially true with sported a light-colored Claro walnut stock shorten the tubular magazine assembly, Srifles that may need to be lugged up with 22 line-per-inch cut checkering on the giving the 11-96 a capacity of three in the steep mountains at high altitudes or hand- pistol grip and fore-end, and a 1/2" thick magazine and one in the chamber. A mag- guns that are legally tucked away on the solid rubber recoil pad. azine plug, included with each gun, limits body. The shotgun isn’t absolved from this Unlike the aluminum receivers of most the total capacity to three to comply with requisite, either. To that end, Remington other lightweight autoloading shotguns, the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Arms recently introduced its Model 11-96 particularly European ones, the 11-96’s Euro Lightweight, reviewed here. receiver is machined from a single As its name suggests, the Euro block of steel that has a “hump-back” Lightweight has European influence. profile where superfluous metal is According to Jay Bunting, Remington’s removed. Scroll and floral engraving firearms business unit manager, “The embellishes the side panels, and the European market told us that they [sic] lightweight trigger guard is made using wanted an ultra-light autoloader that was a metal injection molding process. as good as a Remington 11-87 ... . The 11- Like the 11-87, the 11-96 employs 96 was so well received at the IWA Remington’s pressure-compensated, firearms trade expo in Germany that we low recoil gas system that is touted to Visible here is the right-hand action bar, 3 decided that we should introduce it here in handle both 2 ⁄4" field and 3" magnum the shortened tubular magazine, and the the United States.” shotshells. Euro Lightweight’s gas piston assembly.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 49 Both 26" and 28" ventilated rib Rem Carolina. During a semi- duced no splitting in our Choke barrels are offered. Our sample nar-sponsored hunt for REMINGTON sample’s fore-end, so came with the latter having a single .058" pheasants at the Primland this problem seems to brass bead on the 6 mm rib. Both length Hunt Preserve, our staf- AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS have been corrected. barrels are of chrome-moly steel and have fers found the guns pleas- AT 40 YDS. The Remington 11- chrome-plated bores and are of light- ant to carry even though 96 Euro Lightweight weight contour so they should not be over- the pheasant fields on the 16 13 was patterned at 40 yds. bored or polished. Three flush-fitting Rem side of a mountain, where with the results shown in Choke tubes for lead or steel shot and a a heavier gun would have 28 28 the accompanying table. tube wrench are supplied. been taxing. Functioning We had no malfunctions, The NRA staff was first introduced to was 100% reliable for sev- 31 28 even with several boxes the Remington Model 11-96 Euro eral boxes of Remington of Remington’s Premier Lightweight during the 1996 Remington Premier Field Loads fired 1 oz., 23⁄4 dram-equiva- Writer’s Seminar at Remington’s new during the intermittent 22 16 lent Target Load. Al- world headquarters in Madison, North drizzle that dampened an though the gun tips the otherwise fine shoot. Modified Tube scales at little more than Though we did not seven pounds, recoil— = Point of Hold REMINGTON 11-96 witness it, other writers even with 13⁄8 oz. of mag- 3 1 who had chosen to shoot Sovereign Aristocrat 3 ⁄4-1 ⁄4-6 num steel shot—was MANUFACTURER: Remington Arms ducks reported some split Pellet count=281 light, thanks to the gun’s Company, Inc., Dept. AR, 870 Remington Dr., Madison, NC fore-ends under the recoil fit and gas system. 27025-0700 of the heavy steel mag- Total Hits 182 (65%) Aesthetically, the MECHANISM TYPE: gas-operated, num loads. Remington 21.2" Inner Circle 115 (41%) new receiver profile took semi-automatic shotgun also reported that some 30" Outer Ring 67 (24%) some time to accept, and GAUGE: 12, 3" 1 fore-ends split during there was concern that its OVERALL LENGTH: 48 ⁄4" BARREL LENGTH: 26", 28" (tested) shipping. These guns stepped contour could be WEIGHT: 7 lbs., 5 ozs. were early prototypes, distracting when shoot- MAGAZINE CAPACITY: three however, and our produc- ing. We found, however, 1 TRIGGER: single stage, 4 ⁄2 lbs. pull tion gun had its fore-end no distraction, and that STOCK: Claro walnut: length of pull, 7 reinforced with fiberglass the gun was pleasant to 13 ⁄8"; drop at heel, 2"; drop at 1 cloth at the receiver and a shoot and carry. comb, 1 ⁄2" brass through-bolt near the ACCESSORIES: three choke tubes, A fiberglass cloth patch choke tube spanner magazine cap. Function is used to reinforce the PRICE: $862 firing several boxes of Remington’s fore-end magnum steel loads pro- forward of the receiver. KNIGHT HK-94 HAWKEYE

EVER one to “stay with the flock,” Modern Muzzle- Nloading’s HK-94 in-line muzzleloading pistol departs radi- cally from traditional lines. Black and beige laminated hardwood is used for its stock that is reminiscent of that of the Remington XP-100. At the rear of the trigger guard is a sin- gle stock bolt that screws into the trigger housing, which is attached with three hex- head screws to the receiver. This housing contains the manual trigger-blocking cross-bolt safety and trigger; instructions on adjusting the latter are in the owner’s manual. The safety can be switched to left- The Knight HK-94 Hawkeye muzzleload- ing pistol has styling reminiscent of the hand operation by a qualified gunsmith. Remington XP-100,and incorporates the A slight step at the rear of the tapered hammer safety of Knight’s MK-85 rifle. 12" stainless steel barrel gives the appear- ance that barrel and receiver are two sep- arate pieces, but they are in fact one, giv- at the two rear-most surfaces of the trigger same as that of the Knight MK- ing the gun added rigidity. The breech plug housing, and the black aluminum ramrod 85 series rifles (November 1990, p. 54). As is stainless steel and is drilled and tapped is retained beneath the barrel by a flat with the MK-85, the HK-94 Hawkeye uses at its rear for a removable nipple that takes spring screwed into the stock at the bottom a patented secondary safety at the rear of a standard No. 11 percussion cap. rear of the ramrod channel. the hammer that screws down toward the The action is glass bedded in the stock The hammer and its operation are the end cap to prevent the hammer from falling

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 far enough forward to strike a percussion hooded gold-bead front sight. The pistol is cap should the trigger be unintentionally drilled and tapped for Warne bases or pulled. When the secondary safety is Weaver No. 45 scope bases. turned to the off position, a red annular ring To load the Hawkeye, begin by screw- can be seen on the hammer screw. ing a cleaning jag onto the end of the ram- The trigger is rod and pushing a clean patch down the pinned at its mid- barrel until it stops against the breech plug. dle and attached With the ramrod in this position, point the to a trigger bar at Hawkeye in a safe direction, place a cap its top. When the on the nipple and fire the cap. Repeat this trigger is pulled, process several times to clear the nipple. the trigger bar is Pull the ramrod from the barrel. The drawn forward patch should be blackened, or have a hole A secondary safety (arrow) can be along with a burned through it, indicating a clear nipple screwed forward to prevent the hammer stepped sear re- and flash channel. Place the push-button from contacting a percussion cap should lease that is at- and secondary safeties on and confirm there the gun’s trigger be inadvertently pulled. tached to its rear. is no percussion cap or cap residue on the As the sear re- nipple. Step on a raised surface to elevate out. Reverse the combo tool, reinsert it into lease moves for- your knee so that the Hawkeye can be sup- the action and unscrew the breech plug. ward, the sear ported on your thigh during loading. For the Reassembly is in the reverse order. It is drops from the rest of the process keep the muzzle pointed important to lightly grease the nipple and away from you. breech plug threads and hand tighten only. Pour a pre-mea- Remember to pull the trigger as you insert sured powder charge the hammer assembly to lower the sear. down the barrel from a The Hawkeye fitted with a Tasco 4x28 powder measure. Ne- extended-eye-relief scope was fired for ver pour directly from a accuracy at 50 yds. with blackpowder, flask. Tap the side of the Black Canyon and Pyrodex loads using barrel to settle the pow- muzzleloading bullets and bullets in sabots der, and insert a proper with the results in the accompanying table. size muzzleloading The owner’s manual suggests loads projectile into the muzzle. Start the bullet The leg can be used to support the between 50 and 70 grs. of blackpowder or Hawkeye during loading (above l.). The into the bore using a short starter, then seat blackpowder equivalent. With the Black drilled and tapped holes in the Hawkeye’s it fully against the powder charge using the Canyon blackpowder substitute, the 90 gr. receiver (r.) allow the mounting of a tele- ramrod by holding around, not over, the charge is by volume and is equal to a 70- scopic sight or the supplied iron sights. ramrod. Don’t pound or bounce the ramrod; gr. charge of blackpowder. Heavier blackpowder and Pyrodex are impact sen- charges are not recommended, and in a 12" step, allowing the hammer to fly forward sitive and could ignite. barrel, will likely not yield any more veloc- and strike the percussion cap. The trigger Next, remove the ramrod, point the ity. All powder charges shown are ex- is returned to the forward position by a coil Hawkeye down range and pull back on the pressed in grains,but measured by volume. spring. knurled hammer screw until the hammer The Hawkeye approaches the accuracy The Hawkeye comes equipped with a locks into the cocked position. Ensure both of some muzzleloading rifles, perhaps due fully-adjustable Williams rear sight and a the push-button and secondary safeties are to the added rigidity of the short barrel. on safe, then place a No. 11 percussion cap Though the properties of blackpowder on the nipple. The pistol is now loaded. limit the power of this pistol, in the hands KNIGHT HK-94 It is necessary to use a patch on the ram- of a skilled shooter using maximum loads rod and fire caps to ensure the nipple is at reasonable ranges, it should be suitable MANUFACTURER: Modern clear only after the Hawkeye has been for medium-size game where legal. Muzzleloading, Inc., Dept. AR, P.O. cleaned—not between shots. Box 130, 234 Airport Rd., Centerville, IA 52544 To disassemble the un- MECHANISM TYPE: in-line percussion loaded Hawkeye for cleaning, ACCURACY RESULTS muzzleloading pistol remove the ramrod and turn CALIBER: .50 out the hex-headed stock .50 cal. Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average OVERALL LENGTH: 20" screw from the rear of the trig- Load (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) BARREL LENGTH: 12" ger guard and lift the barreled WEIGHT: 3 lbs., 4 ozs. RWS No. 11 percussion cap 3 action from the stock. Next, WIDTH: 1 ⁄4" Knight 260-gr. LHPSB 656 Avg. 3.78 4.98 4.36 1 90.0 grs. Black Canyon 7 Sd HEIGHT: 6 ⁄2" remove the three hex-headed RIFLING: eight-groove, 1:20" RH twist screws from the trigger RWS No. 11 percussion cap TRIGGER: single-stage adjustable, assembly and lift it from the T/C 275-gr. M-H 1008 Avg. 3.05 4.71 3.87 1 60.0 grs. Pyrodex P 16 Sd 4 ⁄2 lbs. pull receiver. Grasp the knurled SIGHTS: Williams adjustable blade rear, end-cap at the rear of the CCI No. 11 percussion cap hooded gold-bead front Buffalo 245-gr. Ball-et 1147 Avg. 2.66 4.64 3.63 ACCESSORIES: instructional video, receiver and unscrew it until 70.0 grs. Elephant FFFg 7 Sd three hex wrenches, combo tool, sam- the hammer assembly can be ple pack of bullets pulled free. Insert the supplied Average Extreme Spread 3.95 PRICE: $449.95 (stainless) $399.95 combo tool into the receiver Five consecutive five-shot groups from 50 yds., from sandbags. (blued) Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), LHPSB (lead hollow-point while pulling the trigger, sabot), M-H (Maxi-Hunter), T/C (Thompson/Center) engage the nipple and turn it

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1997 51