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. ® LLAMA MICROMAX

LAMA-GABILONDO Y CIA., S.A. of Vitoria, Spain, has long produced full- Lsized M1911-based pistols in vari- ous configurations, including a new high- capacity compact model in .45 ACP (July 1997, p. 34). More recently, the firm has introduced a new compact .380 ACP pistol having a strong M1911 lineage. The Llama Micromax is a single- action, semi-automatic pistol having a seven-round-capacity single-stack maga- zine, plastic stocks and a black oxide fin- ish. In appearance the pistol looks like The influence of the M1911 design on the nothing so much as a scaled-down M1911, Llama Micromax is seen in its barrel bush- retaining not only that pistol’s profile but ing,grip and thumb safeties,slide stop and virtually all of the signature Government general profile. Unlike the M1911, how- Model design characteristics as well. ever, the Micromax is blowback-operated. The slide rides in rails on the frame, has angled rear serrations and is machined in a pattern reminiscent of the lateral scalloping on an M1911 slide. The tion port and the spring- place on top of the frame. barrel is positioned by a barrel bushing that loaded claw extractor. The Behind the trigger on the also serves to retain the recoil spring plug latter is one of the few departures from left side of the frame is the M1911-style in its tunnel under the barrel. This tunnel, M1911 principles, as it pivots around a ver- magazine catch that is depressed to release which surrounds both the spring plug and tical roll pin, visible in the top of the slide, the magazine. It is not reversible for left- the single-coil recoil spring, is not machined and is tensioned by a small coil spring that handers. The pistol’s plastic stocks, howev- integrally with the slide but is a separate part pushes against its tail. er, are designed for ambidextrous use, as mortised into the slide and silver-soldered The rear sight with its .098"-wide notch both sides have a shallow thumb rest as well into place. is mounted in a dovetail cut in the slide, and as a panel of molded-in checkering. The On the right side of the slide are the ejec- is drift-adjustable for windage. The front stock screws do not turn into bushings but post is .087" wide, ramped for a no-snag directly into threaded holes in the .092"- draw and rounded in front for easier rehol- thick frame sidewalls. LLAMA MICROMAX stering. The sights are painted in the famil- At the rear of the frame the mainspring iar three-dot pattern. housing contains the mainspring, main- MANUFACTURER: Llama Gabilondo Y The underside of the slide fea- Cia., Dept. AR, Apartado 290, E- 01080, Vitoria, Spain tures an M1911-type disconnector IMPORTER: Import Sports, Inc., Dept. track with semicircular disconnec- AR, 1750 Brielle Ave., Unit B1, tor cut and a passive firing pin block Wanamassa, NJ 07712 plunger. At the rear, the firing pin MECHANISM TYPE: blowback-operated, stop sits in a slot in the rear slide semi-automatic pistol face and retains the spring-loaded CALIBER: .380 ACP 1 inertia firing pin. OVERALL LENGTH: 6 ⁄2" 3 BARREL LENGTH: 3 ⁄4" The frame also reflects a strong WEIGHT: 23 ozs. Government Model influence. An WIDTH: 11⁄4" extended, serrated slide stop is ten- HEIGHT: 45⁄8" sioned by a spring-loaded plunger MAGAZINE CAPACITY: seven that projects from the front of a TRIGGER: two-stage, 6-lb. pull SIGHTS: fixed, three-dot system, rear frame-mounted plastic plunger Instead of a spring-steel M1911-style drift-adjustable for windage tube, while a second plunger at the rear of extractor, the Llama Micromax features a STOCKS: black plastic the tube engages a detent in the pistol’s pivoting claw extractor tensioned by a ACCESSORIES: plastic carrying case thumb safety, giving positive stops in both coil spring that bears on its tail. Also vis- PRICE: $258.95 the “safe” and “fire” positions. The ible in this view are the breechface’s fir- Micromax’s ejector is silver-soldered in ing pin hole and the ejector tip (arrow).

44 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 blocking thumb safety and trigger-blocking 1 grip safety of the Micromax function as do their M1911 counterparts. Additionally, the Micromax features a slide-mounted firing 2 3 pin block plunger that must be lifted to allow full firing pin excursion and thus ignition. 4 While the Colt Series 80 mechanism employs a trigger-actuated two-lever mech- anism to lift the firing pin block, the 5 Micromax employs a frame-mounted pin that is forced upward to lift the block when the grip safety is depressed. Since this sys- The Micromax disassembles like an tem is not linked to the trigger, it cannot M1911. Here the slide is retracted to align 6 adversely affect trigger pull as can the its disassembly notch with the tail of the 7 Series-80-type trigger-actuated mecha- slide stop, allowing removal of that part. nism. On the other hand, the Llama system, by not being tied to the trigger, may not, in ham-handed types may find that reach too theory, offer as much protection from acci- short, or the trigger guard a little bit too snug The Micromax field-stripped, showing its dental discharge—though seemingly more for their fingers to fit comfortably. (1) slide, (2) barrel bushing, (3) barrel, (4) than any Series 70-type design that lacks a Delivering a quick, accurate first shot recoil spring and guide, (5) spring plug, (6) firing pin block altogether. with the Micromax is easier than with many slide stop and (7) frame. The semicircular As might be expected, the Micromax is other .380 pistols, thanks to its single-action cut in the barrel underlug (arrow) engages field-stripped using the familiar M1911 pro- operation. Our pistol tended to print its the slide stop pin and positions the barrel. cedure, which needs not be detailed here. groups well to the left of the point of aim, Detail stripping is also similar, but not iden- with some brands as much as 12" left at 25 spring cap and hammer strut. It is retained tical. The extractor and plunger tube, for yds. While at first glance this seems to be a by a frame crosspin. The magazine well is example, differ markedly from those of the considerable distance, it is the equivalent of slightly beveled around its edges to facili- original M1911. Detail stripping, however, tate magazine insertion. is not required for general maintenance, and The external resemblance to the M1911 should be left to a gunsmith. continues inside the pistol as well. All the We fired our test Micromax for accuracy major lockwork parts—trigger, hammer, with the results found in the accompanying sear,disconnector and sear spring—are sim- table, and function-fired the pistol with more ply scaled-down versions of the corre- than 300 rounds of mixed CCI, Federal, sponding components of the Government Hornady and Winchester ammunition. We Model, and the Llama generally adheres to observed three feeding failures and several that pistol’s basic cycle of operation. The occasions when the slide locked open pre- Micromax does show one significant depar- maturely (unassisted by an errant thumb). ture from the parent design’s principles, Some fired cases showed bulging, an indica- however; being blowback-operated, it does tion of the lack of case head support. This Seen here are the Llama’s beavertail grip not fire from a locked breech. Gone are the appeared to result from the gun’s generous safety, thumb safety, extended slide stop, M1911 swinging link and radial barrel and barrel throat, itself a feature designed to pro- Commander-style hammer, plastic thumb- slide lugs; and the Llama’s barrel, instead mote feeding reliability. rest stocks and fixed three-dot sights. of being pinned or threaded rigidly to the Firing the Micromax was quite pleasant. 1 frame, as on many other blowback-operat- The Llama’s beavertail grip safety helped less than 3 ⁄2" at seven yds.—a range closer ed .380s, is positioned in the frame by the distribute recoil over a larger area of the to that at which a personal protection pistol slide stop pin, which abuts a semicircular hand and assisted in controlling muzzle flip such as the Micromax would likely be used. cut in the lower barrel lug. (although one test-firer noted that the sharp Moreover, the lateral deviation we noted The safety mechanisms of the Micromax frame edges adjacent to the beavertail would be easily correctable by drifting the echo those of the modern Colt Series 80 pis- abraded the web of his hand). The trigger gun’s rear sight to the right. tols, but with some twists. Both the sear- pull, though heavy, was nonetheless crisp— We have conflicting feelings about the and head and shoul- Llama Micromax. While we have great ders above the initial respect for the M1911 pistol, we question ACCURACY RESULTS trigger pull of any the rationale for downsizing a relatively double-action .380. complex design; many recent blowback .380 ACP Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) Ergonomics of the designs have been far simpler. Yet the pis- pistol were quite tol seems quite robust, and would appear Fed. No. P380HS1 908 Avg. 2.52 4.23 3.65 capable of considerable use. It is also 90-gr. HS 19 Sd good, as to be expected from its gracile, but perhaps too long to be a true Hdy. No. 9010 888 Avg. 3.81 5.75 4.43 pocket pistol. In any event, its single-action 90-gr. XTP 23 Sd lineage, and muzzle flip controllable. operation, suitable for cocked-and-locked Win. X380ASHP 932 Avg. 4.53 8.10 6.60 The relatively short carry, would seem to preclude any form of 85-gr. STHP 31 Sd 2.3" reach from carry that did not involve a holster. We sus- Average Extreme Spread 4.89 backstrap to trigger pect that the greatest appeal of the Llama Five consecutive five-shot groups from 25 yds., fired from sandbags face enabled small- Micromax will be to ardent fans of the Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed. (Federal), HS (Hydra- handed persons to Government Model design who seek a Shok), Hdy. (Hornady), XTP (Extreme Terminal Performance), Win. (Winchester), STHP (Silvertip Hollow Point) manipulate the gun smaller, functionally comparable compan- handily, though ion pistol in .380 ACP.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 45 WINCHESTER MODEL 95 RIFLE

The Winchester Model 1895 is a little more than 101 years old. As a hunt- ing gun, it has found favor with outdoor personalities such as Zane Grey and President Theodore Roosevelt who called it his “Big Medicine” gun.

little more than 101 years ago, troops of the Imperial Russian government. Another feature on U.S. Repeating Winchester began production of the Production of the original Model 1895 Arms’ gun that was not available on the Afirst lever-action rifle using a non- ended in 1931, while sales continued until Browning is checkering in a bordered point detachable box magazine that was designed as late as 1938. pattern of 20 lines per inch on the wrist and to handle jacketed, pointed Spitzer bullets. Though the romance associated with the schnabel fore-end. The checkering on our Initial offerings included a sporting rifle, sample was very well carbine and military musket chambered for executed with no over- .30-40 Krag, .38-72 or .40-72. A 6 mm Lee runs and few flat dia- Navy musket was cataloged, but apparent- mond points. ly never produced. Later production guns While most original could be had in .35 Win., .405 Win., .30-’03, Model 1895s were fit- .30-’06, .303 British and 7.62x54 mmR cals. Shortly after World War I, the .30-’06 chambering was dropped from the line because of rumors that the action was not strong enough for this cartridge. Investigations suggested that wrecked rifles The most salient improve- had failed because shooters erroneously ment over the original is a used war souvenir 8x57 mm Mauser car- tang-mounted safety. When tridges in their .30-’06 rifles. engaged, the safety pivots a The Winchester Model 1895 was used flat steel bar (arrow) into a afield in both North America and Africa, and relieved area on the side of the was especially liked by famous outdoors- hammer.If the trigger is pulled men like Zane Grey and President Theodore while the safety is on, the Roosevelt who called his .405 Win.-cham- hammer falls, but its forward movement is arrested just bered Model 1895 his “Big Medicine” gun. before it strikes the firing pin. Additionally, more than a quarter of a mil- lion Model 1895s chambered for the 7.62x 54 mmR round were made in 1915-16 for Winchester Model 1895 has endured, the ted with a crescent buttplate, the new ver- zenith of its popularity was reached nearly sion sports a matte-blued steel shotgun one three generations ago. Browning made a that many believe is less punishing to the MODEL 95 RIFLE limited run of 10,000 guns in 1984 cham- shooter with regard to recoil. MANUFACTURER: Miroku Firearms bered for .30-’06 (June 1984, p. 56) and cur- Though not an historically accurate Mfg. Co., 537-1 Shinohara-Nangoku rently U.S. Repeating Arms Co. has seen fit chambering for the Model 1895, the .270 City, Kochi Pref., Japan to resurrect this classic with some improve- Win. offers some hunting nostalgia in its IMPORTER: U.S. Repeating Arms Co., ments over not only the original, but the later Dept. AR, 275 Winchester Ave., New Browning version as well. Haven, CT 06511 The most salient of these improvements While most original MECHANISM TYPE: lever-action rifle is the addition of a sliding hammer-block- CALIBER: .270 Win Model 1895s were fit- 1 ing safety on the top tang. When operated, OVERALL LENGTH: 42 ⁄2" ted with a crescent BARREL LENGTH: 24" a lower extension of the safety button moves buttplate, the new WEIGHT: 8 lbs., 6 ozs. in an angled slot cut in a flat steel bar posi- USRAC version MAGAZINE CAPACITY: four tioned under the top tang. This bar in turn sports a steel shot- RIFLING: four-groove, 1:10" RH twist pivots in or out of an area relieved from the gun-style buttplate 1 TRIGGER: single-stage, 6 ⁄4 lbs. pull side of the hammer. If the trigger is acci- that many believe SIGHTS: gold bead front, semi-buck- reduces felt recoil. horn rear adjustable for windage and dently pulled while the gun is cocked and elevation. the safety is on, the hammer will fall, but its 1 STOCK: Walnut, length of pull, 13 ⁄4"; forward movement is arrested when the 5 7 drop at heel, 3 ⁄8" drop at comb, 2 ⁄8" shoulder of the relieved area stops against PRICE: $909 the pivoting steel bar.

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 Being a top-ejecting gun, the Model 1895 does not lend itself easily to scope use. Currently, though, a Weaver side mount is available, but requires drilling and tap- ping the receiver. Disassembly can be complicated, and we If he was alive today,Theodoore Roosevelt agree with the manufac- might have a problem with the newly-made Model 1895’s “made in Japan”label, but its turer that this task is best accuracy might just be the spoonful of left to a qualified or facto- sugar that helps the “medicine”go down. ry-authorized gunsmith. We fired our sample at If Teddy Roosevelt was alive today, he A number of the very first Model 1895s had 100 yds. using the supplied gold bead front might have some trouble with the gun’s flat-sided receivers and one-piece finger sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight with the levers. Current-production of the lever- “made in Japan” label; however, the quali- actions have the more-familiar scalloped results shown in the accompanying table. ty of the workmanship and proven accura- receiver and two-piece finger lever that is Function firing was with a mix of pointed cy of the new Model 1895 could be the interlocked with the trigger to prevent fir- and round-nose cartridges from various spoonful of sugar that helps this medicine ing unless the action is completely closed. manufacturers with no malfunctions of any go down. kind. The rifle’s accuracy, own right, and was even called “advanced even with the historically- [in] age” in 1970 by one of its most well- accurate but outdated sights, ACCURACY RESULTS known proponents, Jack O’Connor. was nearly as good as many scope-equipped bolt-action .270 Win Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Average Some final notable deviations from the Cartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.) original design include the use of a power- guns we have tested. ful coil mainspring rather than a flat spring, Overall, we were im- Federal Premium 2946 Avg. 2.88 4.31 3.61 P270T1 140-gr. TB 17 Sd and a mousetrap carrier spring instead of a pressed with the new 1895 “V” spring. from U.S. Repeating Arms Speer Nitrex 3212 Avg. 1.62 3.57 2.75 Approximately the first 5000 of the orig- Co. Unlike the Browning 130-gr. GS 19 Sd inal 1895s were made with flat-sided version that was limited to Winchester Silvertip 3038 Avg. 2.40 3.87 2.99 receivers and one-piece finger levers. The 9000 Grade I and 1000 High X2703 130-gr. ST 5 Sd current production gun has the more famil- Grade rifles, “the new Average Extreme Spread 3.11 iar scalloped receiver and two-piece finger Model 1895 will be made in Five consecutive five-shot groups from 100 yds., fired from lever that is interlocked with the trigger to continuing quantities each sandbags. Abbreviations: GS (Grand Slam), Sd (standard prevent firing unless the action is com- year” according to the man- deviation), ST (Silvertip), TB (Trophy Bonded) pletely closed. ufacturer’s catalog. STOEGER COACH GUN

The Stoeger Coach Gun, made by IGA, is a rugged and easily-handled double-barrel side-by-side offered at a modest price.The no-frills 12-ga., 3" gun is intended for the burgeoning Cowboy Action shooting market.

HE newly-introduced Coach Gun sonal protection arm for the home as well. rels and equipped with a single brass front from Stoeger Industries will not nec- The Coach Gun is a plain-finish, basic, bead sight. Barrels and action are polished Tessarily appeal to the stereotypical utility-grade boxlock in 12-ga. with 3" blue and the triggers are silver colored. well-heeled shotguner, nor should it. By chambers. Our test sample featured sturdy There is a long history of shotguns being design, the Brazilian-made side-by-side is 20" barrels choked improved cylinder and made for Stoeger by IGA in Brazil, and the intended for the Cowboy Action shooter, modified, with a cross-grooved rib that is Coach Gun is no exception. It has familiar and it may have some attraction as a per- solid on the top, ventilated between the bar- features like coil spring-powered hammers,

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 47 is in a diamond- shaped pattern on the STOEGER COACH GUN fore-end and on the AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS. pistol grip. On this working gun the coarse 16 lines per 20 14 15 15 inch checkering pro- vides a secure grip- 39 31 25 28 ping surface even though all points are 31 22 24 26 flat. Wood-to-metal fit varied from being 13 9 12 14 flush at the fore-end and tangs to the butt- stock being 1/16" Modified Barrel Improved/Modified Barrel The Coach Gun is a plain-finish, basic, util- higher than the action. x = Point of Hold ity-grade boxlock side-by-side in 12-ga. Cocking is on open- PMC Quail & Dove 31⁄4 –1 oz.– 6 with 3" chambers. The sturdy 20" barrels ing and as it is opened the Pellet count—236 were choked improved cylinder and mod- fore-end iron cams down ified, with a cross-grooved rib that is solid Total Hits 179 (75%) Total Hits 159 (67%) on the top, ventilated between the barrels the gun’s cocking levers while an actuator simul- 21.2" Inner Circle 123 (52%) 21.2" Inner Circle 103 (43%) and has a single brass front bead sight. 30" Outer Ring 56 (23%) 30" Outer Ring 26 (23%) taneously lifts the two double underlugs, double triggers, an auto- extractors. matic tang safety, a beavertail fore-end and Take-down of the unloaded Coach Gun at 25 yds. with 1-oz. PMC Dove & Quail a pistol grip hardwood stock like we found is conventional in that you depress the fore- loads with the results shown in the accom- on the IGA-made Stoeger DB20 shotgun end lock and pull the fore-end down and off. panying table. Function firing was carried (November 1983, p. 61). Next, press the top latch to the right and tip out with a variety of foreign and domestic The stock is made of a straight-grained the barrels from the action. No further dis- target and field loads including No. 4 Buck hardwood with a dark, walnut stain and assembly is recommended, nor should it be and Foster-style slugs. There were no mal- grooved black plastic buttplate and grip cap. necessary for routine cleaning and mainte- functions of any kind in the course of the Functional, hand-cut bordered checkering nance. Reassembly is in the reverse order. test procedure. The Coach Gun’s boxlock mechanism as seen from the front illustrates a number of its features.The firing pins and firing pin bushings are clearly vis- ible in the breechfaces for both barrels. Also seen are the cocking levers and the sliding locking bolt (arrow). Shown at left are the Coach Gun’s side-by- side barrels. Note the fore-end hanger and dual underlugs. The gun has no ejectors and an actuator lifts the extractors when the action is opened.

An action detail (above) IGA COACH GUN of the Coach Gun shows the double trig- MANUFACTURER: IGA, Veranopolis, gers, hammers, sears RGS, Brazil and top latch spring, as IMPORTER: Stoeger, Inc., Dept. AR, 5 well as the gun’s sliding Mansard Ct., Wayne, NJ 07470 tang safety mechanism. MECHANISM TYPE: break-action, side- by-side shotgun GAUGE: 12-ga., 3" Overall, we were sat- OVERALL LENGTH: 365⁄16" isfied with the Coach 15 BARREL LENGTH: 19 ⁄16" Gun, though we would WEIGHT: 6 lbs., 12 ozs. Despite the utilitarian design, or perhaps have preferred a straight grip so it would be TRIGGER: double: front, 101⁄4 lbs. pull; 3 because of it, the Coach gun comes quick- easier to slide the trigger hand back to pull rear, 9 ⁄4 lbs. pull the second trigger. Also, the automatic safe- STOCK: walnut stained hardwood: length ly to the shoulder and swings steadily. of pull, 145⁄8"; drop at comb, 111⁄16"; Recoil, though sharp, was not punishing, ty proved to be a nuisance in rapid firing drop at heel, 3" though muzzle flash from the short barrels when a reload was required. ACCESSORIES: none could be considered distracting. Recovery The Stoeger Coach Gun, then, is simply PRICE: $382 for an immediate second shot was not a a rugged and easily-handled double barrel problem. at a modest price, that doesn’t pretend to be The Stoeger Coach Gun was patterned something it is not.

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 BUSHNELL YARDAGE PRO 800

highly reflective objects by lowering its sen- Depressing the “fire” button (1) on the Yardage Pro sitivity to eliminate noise); RAIN (improves 800 emits an infrared laser beam from the left 40 1 mm objective. The beam is reflected off the tar- ranging through rain by ignoring all reflect- get and returns through the right-hand 40 ed light from objects less than about 95 yds. mm objective to sensor circuitry. The 2 distant); and ZIP (similar to RAIN but smaller center lens is for the 6X ignores reflected light from objects less viewing monocular. The than 165 yds. away). Additionally, a new “mode” button (2) selects SCAN mode can be selected, which the current targeting provides continuous ranging data on mode. The LCD dis- multiple objects as they are traversed play (below, r.) gives range, current by the crosshairs. mode, target We tested the Yardage Pro 800 in quality and the field on a variety of targets under other parame- various lighting conditions. We found ters (see text). the unit to be easy to use, and the backlit LCD display was visible even in near-dark- ness. Our tests highlighted the capabilities— and limitations—of such rangefinders. We were easily able to range a haystack in a field at more than 700 yds. in late afternoon light, HOUGH many believe that yd. (Bushnell but had more difficulty in ranging smaller, today’s heavy-barreled factory rifles states that, under less reflective targets at such extended dis- Tchambered in flat-shooting, ultra- ideal conditions, the tances. In general, laser rangefinders work high-velocity magnum calibers enable the unit can range out to about better in reduced light conditions (bright 1 average shooter to make clean kills out to 1,000 yds.). About 5 ⁄2" long, 5" sunlight produces light “noise” that com- 1 400-500 yds. and beyond without worrying wide and 2 ⁄2" high, and 18 ozs. in weight, it petes with the laser beam) on reflective tar- overmuch about bullet drop, the truth is that, is powered by a standard 9v alkaline battery gets (such as light-colored animals or shiny even for a competent rifleman, any shot in and boasts a bright liquid crystal display leaves). Target size is also a factor, the rough the field much beyond 250 yds. is still chal- (LCD) viewing screen that can be seen rule of thumb being that if you can’t see it lenging—particularly when the target is clearly under diminished light conditions, small. The problem lies primarily in accu- as well as a variety of ranging modes for rately estimating the range to the target. better performance. With a 7 mm Magnum propelling a 150-gr. Like its Yardage Pro 400 predecessor,the bullet at 3100 f.p.s., at 400 yds. a range esti- 800 uses an invisible, eye-safe 904 nm Class mation error of 40 yds.—only 10%—can 1 infrared laser beam to gauge distances. produce an 8" difference in drop—enough The unit is used by looking through the eye- to produce a miss or, worse, a crippling piece, centering the crosshairs in the LCD wound instead of a clean kill. on the target (at least 25 yds. distant), and While optical rangefinders have long pressing the “fire” button on the top right been available, the less expensive of these side of the unit. This causes an infrared laser generally afford only 90 to 95% accuracy, beam to be emitted, some of which bounces while more accurate models are typically a back to a sensor in the unit. Internal circuitry cumbersome 18" to a meter or more in length. measures the time for the emitted beam to The other long-range alternatives are laser go from the unit to the target and be reflect- rangefinders such as the Leica Geovid and ed back, and converts this interval into dis- Swarovski’s LRS and RF1 units which, tance, which displays in yards or meters. through the 6X monocular, you probably though all accurate out to 1,000 yds., carry a The LCD display offers a number of fea- won’t be able to range it. Bushnell repre- four-figure price tag. tures designed to enhance operation. At the sentatives stated that the average person A less expensive alternative was intro- top, a TARGET QUALITY meter registers should be able to range a full-grown deer out duced in 1995 when Bushnell introduced its the quantity of light being reflected back to well past 500 yds. under most conditions Yardage Pro 400 rangefinder, which used an from the target. The higher the quantity, the likely to be encountered. With greater expe- infrared laser to give readings out to a max- easier it is for the unit to range to the object. rience with the unit, that distance might be imum range of around 400 yards. Though Note that this has nothing to do with accu- extendable to around 600 yds. the 400 worked well, its maximum range racy; anytime a range figure is displayed, it Though considerably more expensive could be reduced when the unit was used in is accurate to within three yds. (one yd. if than the Yardage Pro 400, the 800 offers bet- bright sunlight or on small or non-reflective the PRECISION indicator to the right of the ter performance and some new features in a targets. Moreover, many shooters simply range display is lit). package no bigger or heavier than typical wanted a unit with considerably more range. Below the crosshairs is the large digital full-sized binoculars. For the dedicated Bushnell responded to these demands by distance display; to the left of this the cur- long-range varminter or big-game hunter, it releasing its Yardage Pro 800 unit this year. rent targeting mode is shown (selected by allows accurate judging of target distances The Yardage Pro 800 gives about twice pressing the “mode” button atop the left side at about the cost of a typical target scope. the ranging performance of the 400, mea- of the unit). The Yardage Pro 800 offers Available from: Bushnell Sports Optics, suring distances up to 800 yds. with a three targeting modes to enhance ranging: Dept. AR, 9200 Cody, Overland Park, KS claimed accuracy of up to plus or minus one REFL (increases the unit’s ability to range 66214. Price: $549

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • September 1997 49