® 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. 44 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996 I N 1959, Sturm, Ruger & Co. introduced the gas-operated, semi-automatic .44 Magnum Carbine that, in 1964, evolved into the .22 rimfire blowback-operated 10/22. According to the factory’s announcement of that gun it was “a com- panion to the famous RUGER .44 MAG- NUM Carbine. The external similarity of these two Carbines is unique—they are almost identical in size and shape.” These Carbines evolved again this year when “Bill Ruger got the idea of a .22 rifle that would be, in effect, a lever action version of the 10/22 self-loader.” This new rifle, designated as the Model 96, is avail- able in .44 Mag. as the Model 96/44, .22 Mag. as the Model 96/22M and .22 Long Rifle as the Model 96/22, which is the model to be reviewed here. Because of their similar appearance, one would expect us to compare the 96/22 to the 10/22. But looks are the extent of their like- ness as not only are the actions completely different, but parts interchangeability con- sists of only the magazine, a receiver cross pin, barrel retainer block and some screws. The walnut-stained hardwood stock has a long wrist to accommodate the curved alu- minum finger lever that is hinged at the front of the trigger guard just below the hammer- blocking cross-button safety. The top of the lever arcs up through the trigger group into the steel-reinforced aluminum alloy receiv- er (the 96/44’s receiver is chrome-moly MANUFACTURER: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., Dept. AR, 200 Ruger Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301 MECHANISM TYPE: lever-action rifle CALIBER: .22 LR (tested), .22 WMR, .44 Mag. OVERALL LENGTH: 37 1 /4" (37 5 /16" 96/44) BARREL LENGTH: 18 1 /2" WEIGHT: 5 lbs., 4 ozs. MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10 (96/22), 9 (96/22M), 4 (96/44) RIFLING: 1:16" RH (96/22), 1:14" (96/22M), 1:20" (96/44) TRIGGER: single-stage, 5 lbs. pull SIGHTS: gold bead front, adjustable folding leaf rear, drilled and tapped for dovetail rail (integral scope mount on 96/44) STOCK: American hardwood: length of pull, 13 3 /4"; drop at heel, 1 1 /4"; drop at comb, 11/16" (96/44 dimensions from Ruger press release: drop at heel,1 11 /32"; drop at comb, 2 5 /32") ACCESSORIES: extra magazine, scope base PRICE: $327.50 (96/22), $345 (96/22M), $365.50 (96/44) RUGER MODEL 96/22 RUGER MODEL 96/22 The 96/22’s bolt (above) has dual opposing extractors and the ejector (arrow) is a bent steel piece retained by a roll pin. The top of the lever arcs up through the trigger group and is con- nected to the bolt by a pivoting link. On closing,the link cams the bolt up to lock the action.The bolt’s top (l.) locks up into the receiver and its locking surface is visible at left as is the firing pin (arrow). The Ruger Model 96 rifles are available in .22 LR, .22 WMR and .44 Mag.They trace their lineage back to 1959 and the .44 Magnum Carbine, called the Deerstalker at its introduction.
Transcript
®
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.
44 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996
IN 1959, Sturm, Ruger & Co. introducedthe gas-operated, semi-automatic .44Magnum Carbine that, in 1964, evolved
into the .22 rimfire blowback-operated10/22. According to the factory’sannouncement of that gun it was “a com-panion to the famous RUGER .44 MAG-NUM Carbine. The external similarity ofthese two Carbines is unique—they arealmost identical in size and shape.”
These Carbines evolved againthis year when “Bill Ruger got theidea of a .22 rifle that would be, ineffect, a lever action version of the10/22 self-loader.” This new rifle,designated as the Model 96, is avail-able in .44 Mag. as the Model 96/44,.22 Mag. as the Model 96/22M and.22 Long Rifle as the Model 96/22,
which is the model to be reviewed here.Because of their similar appearance, one
would expect us to compare the 96/22 to the10/22. But looks are the extent of their like-ness as not only are the actions completelydifferent, but parts interchangeability con-sists of only the magazine, a receiver crosspin, barrel retainer block and some screws.
The walnut-stained hardwood stock has
a long wrist to accommodate the curved alu-minum finger lever that is hinged at the frontof the trigger guard just below the hammer-blocking cross-button safety. The top of thelever arcs up through the trigger group intothe steel-reinforced aluminum alloy receiv-er (the 96/44’s receiver is chrome-moly
folding leaf rear, drilled and tapped fordovetail rail (integral scope mount on96/44)
STOCK: American hardwood: length ofpull, 133⁄4"; drop at heel, 11⁄4"; drop atcomb, 11/16" (96/44 dimensions fromRuger press release: drop atheel,111⁄32"; drop at comb, 25⁄32")
The 96/22’s bolt (above) has dualopposing extractors and the ejector(arrow) is a bent steel piece retained bya roll pin. The top of the lever arcs upthrough the trigger group and is con-nected to the bolt by a pivoting link. Onclosing,the link cams the bolt up to lockthe action.The bolt’s top (l.) locks up intothe receiver and its locking surface isvisible at left as is the firing pin (arrow).
The Ruger Model 96 rifles are available in .22 LR, .22 WMRand .44 Mag.They trace their lineage back to 1959 and the .44Magnum Carbine, called the Deerstalker at its introduction.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996 45
steel) and is connected to the bolt by a sin-gle pivoting steel link so that when the leveris operated, the arc swings down, pullingthe link with the attached bolt back. As thelever is fully closed, the pivoting action ofthe link causes the rear of the bolt to camslightly forward and up, allowing a wedge-shaped extension of the bolt to purchaseagainst a steel bar set in a matching recessin the top of the receiver.
When cocking, the hammer pressesagainst a lifter in the rear of the lever assem-bly causing a small round brass button topop up through the top rear of the receiver,providing visual and tactile evidence thatthe rifle is cocked. This button is not aloaded chamber indicator and the owner’smanual states “... never assume that if thecocking indicator does not protrude thechamber is empty—the cocking indicator,like any mechanical device, might mal-function, or a misfire may have occurred.”
The bolt has dual asymmetricallyopposed extractors that are retained by the
spring pressure of their respective plungers.For an ejector, the 96/22 uses a flat piece ofsteel that is bent forward and retained by asingle roll pin at the front of the triggerhousing.
Barrel retention for the 96/22 is the sameas for the 10/22, though the barrels are notreadily interchangeable. After-market10/22 match barrels (July 1996, p. 34), willfit, but will require at least an additionalextractor cut for the dual extractors.
To disassemble the Model 96/22 forcleaning, begin with the unloaded riflepointed in a safe direction and remove themagazine. Open the lever to make certainthere is not a cartridge in the chamber andto cock the internal hammer, then place the
safety in the “on” position.Loosen the barrel bandscrew and slide the band offtoward the muzzle end, fol-lowed by loosening thetake-down screw in front ofthe magazine. Position the
safety button so an equalamount of the button isexposed on each side of the trigger guard orit may jam against, and damage, the stockduring disassembly. Finally, lift the bar-relled action upward and away from the
stock. If it is necessary to remove the leverassembly from the receiver, make sure thelever is fully open and drift out the receiv-er pins with the appropriate diameter punchand lift the assembly from the receiver. The96/22’s bolt is removed with the leverassembly and can be separated by pushingout the bolt link pin.
Reassembly is in the reverse order,though it is important to make sure the cock-ing indicator lifter is positioned directlybehind the hammer and has not drifted tothe center of the assembly, or it will notfunction properly and will damage theupper arm of the cocking lever.
A Nikon 6.5-20x40 mm scope wasmounted with Warne quick detachable ringsto the 3/8" dovetail rail that came with our96/22, which we fired for accuracy with theresults shown in the accompanying table.Function firing was with what can only becalled a “junk food” diet. Ammunition con-sisted of solid, hollow-point, truncated andSGB bullet designs randomly loaded withthe occasional .22 Short thrown in just to
push the feeding limits. The lever was oper-ated both smartly and slowly and deliber-ately, with the gun held properly, upside-down and on each side.
Of more than 500 rounds fired, the onlymalfunction experienced was with a singleround of Federal ammunition that misfired.Examining that cartridge, as well as a num-ber of fired cases, revealed that our 96/22was hitting the rim hard enough, but thediameter of the firing pin is small and at theextreme edge of the rim.
The lever throw of this gun is so shortthat even an average size shooter can reli-ably manipulate it without removing thegun from his or her shoulder, or altering thethumb position of the grip in any way.Experienced shooters were able to directaimed fire at nearly a semi-automatic rate.
The Ruger 96/22 will clearly competewith the 10/22 as Ruger’s plinker of choice.It offers extreme reliability, very good accu-racy that may be further enhanced as after-market accessories become available and areasonable price tag.
Beyond being plinkers, the 96/22 and96/22M will appeal to small game huntersin states like Pennsylvania where huntingwith semi-automatic rifles is prohibited,and the 96/44 to big game hunters who pur-sue their quarry in thick cover and want thepower of the .44 Mag., and the speed of ashort-throw carbine.
.22 Long Rifle Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)
Winchester Super 1200 Avg. 1.09 1.67 1.42Silhouette 14 Sd
PMC Zapper 22 HP 1287 Avg. 0.99 1.40 1.2210 Sd
Fed. Hi-Powder HP 1269 Avg. 0.80 1.13 0.9834 Sd
Average Extreme Spread 1.20
Five consecutive 10-shot groups from 50 yds., fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), HP (hol-low-point), Fed. (Federal)
ACCURACY RESULTSWhen reassembling, makesure the cocking indicatorlifter (arrow) is behind thehammer and has not drift-ed to the center or it will notwork properly, and maypossibly damage the lever.
A small round brass button provides visu-al and tactile evidence that the gun iscocked. It is not a loaded chamber indicator.
Barrel retention is the same as for the10/22, though because of the dual extrac-tors, the barrels are not interchangeable.
Ruger’s lever-action plinker offers bothaccuracy and reliability. During a 500-round test, only one malfunction was not-ed, and that may have been ammo-related.
46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996
BROWNING’S 325 shotgun as offeredhere in the U.S., (October 1993, p.53) was based on the firm’s quite
successful European gun of the same num-ber. A slim schnabel fore-end and lighter-weight barrels, particularly the “in vogue”32" length, were the hallmark of theEuropean guns. Those features made for abrisker swing and follow- through and weredemanded by the American market, too.Though the barrel contours were slightlydifferent and it employed Invector Pluschoke tubes, the U.S. version of the 325proved to have the same handling qualities,making it more lively across the course thanBrowning’s Gti and many other guns.
The Citori action, first introduced in1973, is the heart of current Browning over-unders and is assembled on the monoblocsystem with the barrels joined just forwardof the chambers. Differences in how the bar-rels are joined to the monobloc during themanufacturing process, plus a new engrav-ing pattern, were the primary reasonsbehind the change in the gun’s designationfrom the 325 to the 425.
The one-piece action body has a graynitride finish as do all other exterior metalsurfaces, save the barrels and trigger. Oursample had Grade 1 ornamentation withscroll engraving, the Browning name andBuck mark on the left and right sides. More
scroll engraving and “GRADE 1 Mod. 425"are on the bottom of the receiver. A goldBuck mark is inlaid into the trigger guard.
The blued 30" barrels are ported, as hasbecome the fashion in sporting clays guns,with the upper barrel sporting 18 ports (nineper side) and the lower barrel 28 ports (14per side). The rib is a low, untapered .40"-wide Broadway-style with a .080" whiteplastic bead at the mid-point and another atits front. The barrels are overbored, theinside diameter on both measuring .743".Solid side ribs separate the two barrels,which are threaded to accept Invector Pluschoke tubes (skeet, improved and modifiedunits were supplied along with a spanner).
The hammers are powered by coilsprings and are retained by sears that extenddownward from the top strap. Cocking thehammers is effected by a linkage that con-nects the fore-end iron to what Browningcalls a “cocking lever lifter,” an L-shapedpiece that rotates and pushes the hammersback to be engaged by the gun’s sears. Lock-up is by a 1"-wide underlug that engages arecess cut in the lump of the monobloc.
Ejection is selec-tive. Studs on the ham-mers activate the ejec-tor trip rods that passthrough the actionbody to act on the ejec-
tor sears located in the fore-end.The safety is on the tang behind the top
lever and, as befits a gun intended primari-ly for competition, is manual. Pressing thebutton to the rear engages the safety andreveals an “S” engraved on the tang. Thesafety button also acts as the barrel selec-tor. When the button is pressed to the left,an “O” visible on the tang indicates that theupper or “over” barrel will fire first; therightward safety position selects the loweror “under” barrel and reveals an engravedletter “U.”
The 425’s trigger is an inertial single-selective unit in which recoil from firing thefirst barrel resets the trigger to fire the sec-ond. The gun’s inertial block moves rear-ward on firing, releasing the first barrel’ssear, and then moves forward again to inter-cept the second barrel’s sear. Pressure onthe trigger must be released slightly beforethe second barrel can be fired. Thoughmechanical triggers are preferred by manypurists over inertial types—a dud shotshellcould cost a competitor two birds instead ofone—inertial triggers have served well on
BROWNING 425 SPORTING CLAYS
The Model 425 replaced the 325 in Browning’s line-up of sporting clays guns.The differences are primarily in manufacturing.The Model 425 is offered in12- and 20-ga., and in a 12-ga.Women’s Shooting Sports Foundation version.
Due to the Model 425’s heft, thick rubber recoil pad and barrel port-ing, perceived recoil was quite managable. The thin schnabel fore-end aids in pointing,and the gun has a brisk swing and follow-through.
AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.
20 20 21 22
64 76 43 51
66 75 51 51
24 28 22 22
Modified Tube Improved Cylinder Tube
=Point of HoldRemington Duplex Lite Target 23⁄4-11⁄8-71⁄2-8
Pellet count—441
Total Hits 373 (85%) Total Hits 283 (64%)21.2" Inner Circle 281 (64%) 21.2" Inner Circle 196 (44%)30" Outer Ring 92 (21%) 30" Outer Ring 87 (20%)
BROWNING MODEL 425
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996 47
clays and in the field, and the reliability ofmodern ammunition makes a mechanicaltrigger’s advantages more theoretical thanreal for most of us. The trigger may also bemanually reset by shifting the safety buttonrearward and then forward .
Three gold-tone trigger blades are sup-plied. A.40" wide unit with a smooth facecame installed and a .25" smooth blade and.40"-wide checkered unit were also includ-ed. The blades are fixed by a hex screw andare free to travel fore and aft, once the screw
is loosened, through a range of 3/4".Our sample’s stock was of well-figured
American walnut with a satin finish and fea-tured a slight palm swell to its pistol gripbuttstock. There was no grip cap. A blackrubber recoil pad and spacer added 5/8" tothe length of pull.
The schnabel fore-end, because of thefore-end iron’s placement,had some shadbelly.Checkering on the gripand fore-end was in a bor-dered point pattern at 20lines per inch. There werea few flattened points andoverruns on both grip andfore-end.
The Model 425 waspattern tested with theresults found in theaccompanying table andfunction-fired withFederal, Remington, Sov-ereign and Winchesterammunition at hand-thrown targets and at sporting clays. Therewere no failures of any kind, and ejectionwas quite positive.
Veteran shotgunners took to the Model425 right away and hits came quickly, whilethe less experienced had some difficulty atfirst. The gun’s heft and relatively thickrecoil pad tamed recoil with all but the
stiffest of loads, and the porting was cer-tainly a help in this regard.
The 425 line now includes a Women’sShooting Sports Foundation version thathas a 141⁄4" length of pull and a drop of 11⁄2"at both the heel and comb. The stock andfore-end have a teal finish and a WSSF logois present on the buttstock. A back-bored
20-ga. is also made, and it, too, has portedbarrels. A buttstock with a comb adjustablefor drop is additionally available.
Browning is to be commended for pro-viding a selection of sporting clays modelsoffering varied gun dynamics. The Model425 and its variants are welcome additionsto a proven line.
MANUFACTURER: Miroku FirearmsMfg. Co., 537-1 Shinohara-NangokuCity, Kochu Pref., Japan
IMPORTER: Browning, Dept. AR, OneBrowning Pl., Morgan, UT 84050
Like other Browning over-unders, the 425 is based onthe Citori action. The gun’sengraving pattern is one ofseveral changes from the 325.
THE lowly .22 rimfire was one of theoriginal cartridges for which the ColtSingle Action Army was chambered,
but it generally has been overlooked in thereproduction market in favor of the .45 Colt,.44-40 and even relative anachronisms likethe .44 Mag.
The .22 has most often been relegatedto service in lesser single-actions like theColt Frontier Scout or Ruger Bearcat thatseem a bit toylike when compared to thereal thing.
Now, for those who like toting a full-sized pistol but who need a quiet plink-ing or small-game round, there is theModel 1873 Frontier .22 fromInternational Antique Replicas.
The IAR revolver is made inItaly by Armi San Marco, one of thelargest suppliers of Colt replicas, importedby EMF and exclusively distributed by IAR.
In general outline, the gun resembles theEMF Hartford (April 1994, p. 52), in effecta copy of the Second Generation ColtSingle Action Army, with the transverseplunger base pin retainer that allows easyremoval of the pin and so the cylinder.
The cylinder frame and hammer arecolor-casehardened, while the grip frame isbrass and the cylinder and barrel blued steel.The one-piece grip is walnut.
Federal import regulations require thatforeign-made pistols imported into thiscountry have a manually-operated safetydevice, and Armi San Marco has adoptedthe Hammerli system used first in the Swissfirm’s SAA copies and later in the InterarmsVirginian Dragoon revolver.
Here the base pin is made with a pair ofannular rings that fit against the retainer.When that part bears against the rear ring,
the revolver works exactly asdoes the Colt. But push thebase pin in until the retainertraps the second ring, and the rear of thebase pin prevents the hammer from fallinghome.
This is a very simple and reliable sys-tem, though we suspect a good percentageof those who own guns so equipped arenever aware of it.
The IAR .22 single-action offers full-sizeColt Single Action Army styling and theaffordabilty of .22 LR cal. ammunition.
IAR SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVER
48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996
The barrel is marked“Model 1873 Frontier—IAR”on top and has the manufactur-er and importer code on the bot-tom. Italian proofmarks areapplied to the revolver’s cylin-der, while the cylinder frame ismarked with the 1871 and 1872patent dates common on Coltoriginals.
The IAR was fired for accu-racy with results shown in theaccompanying table, and func-tion-fired with a variety of .22ammunition. There were nofailures of any kind.
The manufacturer appar-ently decided that keeping the original frontsight was important from an appearancestandpoint, but that wasn’t too helpful forshooting. Bullets impacted about a foot lowat 10 yds., which required a rather unortho-dox sight picture with about two-thirds ofthe front sight blade extending from the rearnotch. Regular users will want to file downthe front blade quite a bit to get a normalsight picture.
With that exception, we liked the IARquite a bit. The 48-oz. heft made steadyholding easy, and the 33⁄4-lb. trigger meantthat hand-held groups were almost as smallas those from the Ransom Rest.
The IAR single-action seemed to us anexcellent choice for plinking or for someinformal cowboy action-style shooting.
MANUFACTURER: Armi San Marco,25063 Gardone, V.T. (Bs), Italy
IMPORTER: International AntiqueReproductions, Dept. AR, 33171Camino Capistrano, San JuanCapistrano, CA 92675
Five consecutive 5-shot groups from 25 yds., fired fromRansom Rest. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation),Win. (Winchester)
ACCURACY RESULTS
Loading the IAR revolver is along SingleAction Army principles with the loadinggate on the right side. Putting the hammerat half-cock allows the cylinder to rotate.
SINCE its introduction in 1993, theHeckler & Koch USP pistol hasenjoyed considerable popularity as a
result of its accuracy, ergonomics, versatil-ity and reliability. These characteristics,plus the capability of cocked-and-lockedcarry, seemed to make the USP a contenderin practical pistol competition. With thispotential in mind, H&K began developmentof an add-on scope mount and compensatoreven before the USP pistol itself was publiclyavailable .
According to Paul Carroll, the H&Kengineer behind both items, the new prod-ucts had to be part of an integrated systemthat would allow the use of either alone orboth together, and that would also installusing only the mounting grooves on theframe—no drilling or tapping additionalholes, or changing barrels or slides.Durability and rigidity were also importantfor the assemblies, both for long life andmaintenance of critical alignment for prop-er functioning.
The units that were developed met allthe desired criteria. The Scope Mount is asaddle design cast of 6061 aluminum andmade in two halves joined by three 4-40
Allen screws atthe top of the
mount, just underthe Weaver-stylescope mounting
rail. The mount sits
high enough to allow use of the USP’s ironsights. Lugs on the inside of the lower partof the mount fit into the frame’s groovedmounting recesses.
Beneath the frame is an aluminum spac-er, joined to the lower rails of the mount
H&K USP MOUNT &QUIK-COMPNew from H&K are a stain-less-steel-slide USP and twoaccessories,a six-port Quik-Comp and a frame-mountedScope Mount, shown herewith a C-More Systems sight.
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • November / December 1996 49
halves by four more 4-40 Allen screws, twoper side. HeliCoil steel threads line thescrew holes in the spacer block to preventstripping or other thread damage.
Recoil stresses are not absorbed by thesescrews, however, but by 1/8" steel pins thatprotrude from the spacer block into holesin the Scope Mount. Additional rigidity isprovided by an integral crossbar, formed bythe Scope Mount halves, that fits inside thefront of the trigger guard.
The USP Quik-Comp is machined from6061 aluminum, with a stainless steel tubelining its bore. Two banks of three holesangled about 45o outward redirect propel-lant gases upward to reduce muzzle jump.They are are also angled approximately 15o
to the rear to counteract the backward recoilpush.
The rear face of the Quik-Comp is coun-terbored about .050" to accept the muzzleand has an angled top lip matching the bevelon the slide. The compensator is also boredfor passage of the pistol’s guide rod.
The lower portion of the Quik-Compextends back under the forward portion ofthe frame, and it is clamped in placebetween two plates that engage the frame’smounting grooves. When the Scope Mountand the Quik-Comp are used together, thisextension takes the place of the ScopeMount’s aluminum spacer block and issandwiched between the mount halves.
Once the compensator is mount-ed, an aluminum alignment rod(supplied) is inserted through it intothe barrel until the enlarged collarsits inside the compensator body.Easy insertion demonstrates properalignment, which in turn guaranteessufficient bullet clearance.Correcting misalignment involvesadjusting the mounting platescrews.
While not difficult, installationcan be time consuming; both unitsare designed for semi-permanentinstallation. Kits include copiousinstructions and a 4-40 Allenwrench.
Our Scope Mount (with a C-More Railway sight attached) and
Quik-Comp came already mounted on a .40S&W USP in a single-action, cocked-and-locked configuration and featuring H&K’snew stainless steel slide. This forged slideis made to the same specifications as thestandard blued-steel version, and it shouldmake the USP even more impervious to theelements.
Functionally our sample USP was iden-tical to the model previously examined here(October 1993, p. 44). During the course ofour firing tests, zero remained consistent,with no tendency to walk or wander, indi-cating the rigidity of the Scope Mount. TheC-More sight and the USP pistol proved tobe a good combination, both for informalspeed shooting and for shooting groups offsandbags. The latter activity confirmed thatour sample gun was capable of the sameaccuracy as the model we tested in 1993.
Muzzle flip was reduced by the Quik-
Comp, though perhaps not quite as dra-matically as by the barrel-mounted compson full-race guns. Nonetheless, the Quik-Comp’s performance was impressive for anadd-on unit. Currently, the Quik-Comp isoffered only for 9 mm and .40 S&W USPs.Low-light firing demonstrated consider-able flow of propellant gases through theQuik-Comp’s six ports. The flash produced,while visible, was not deemed likely to dis-tract or blind the shooter at night.
H&K recommends that the Quik-Compcompensator be cleaned every 1,000-1,500rounds. Alignment should also be checked,using the supplied alignment rod, at thesame interval.
USP owners wanting the recoil attenu-ation of a compensator, or the sighting
advantages of a pistol scope—or both—without permanentlymodifying their guns shouldfind the H&K Scope Mount andQuik-Comp particularlyappealing.
Available from: Heckler &Koch, Dept. AR, 21480 PacificBlvd., Sterling, VA 20166.Price: Quik-Comp, $165;Scope Mount, $199.
When the Quik-Comp is properly installed on theScope Mount, the lip at the rear of the comp’s topsurface matches up with the slide bevel (arrow). Accurate shooting proved to be no prob-
lem with the Scope Mount and the C-Morered-dot sight.The combination maintainedits zero throughout our test procedure.
Left, the H&K Scope Mount,showing both halves, alu-minum spacer block with steelpins (arrow), screws andwrench. Note crosspiece thatfits inside trigger guard. TheQuik-Comp (r.) has six angledports, a stainless steel liner,and mounting bracketswhose lugs (arrow) fit intoframe grooves. Alignment baris in foreground. When collaron bar (top, arrow) easilyenters comp body, comp andbore are in proper alignment.
