®

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.

46 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996

INTRODUCED in Germany just after thepassage of the 1968 Gun Control Act,the Walther TPH was for many years

rarely seen in this country, as the little pis-tol failed to meet that law’s import crite-ria. In the mid-eighties, Walther decid-ed to have the TPH (which stands for“Taschen Pistole, Hahn” or “Pocket Pistol,Hammer”) made here in the U.S.

Ranger Mfg. Co., of Gadsden,Alabama,(a subsidiary of Mid-South Industries, Inc.)had been producing a Walther-licensedcopy of the PPK/S, the “WaltherAmerican,” since 1978, and it was thus thelogical choice to manufacture the TPHdomestically. In 1989, after a year or soof TPH production (done partially onequipment also used for PPK/S fabrica-tion), Ranger ceased to exist as a separatecorporate entity, with all manufacturingnow under the Mid-South banner.

Although sales of the TPH were initial-ly brisk, demand for the little pistoldecreased by the early 1990s, causing a hia-

tus in production that allowed Mid-Southto upgrade tooling and fixturing and insti-tute a separate TPH production line to allowgreater output. These proved to be wisesteps, as public call for the pistol increasedin 1995, necessitating the reinstatement ofproduction.

The TPH is a blowback-operated, dou-ble-action, .22 Long Rifle semi-automaticpistol with a fixed barrel, decocking safety,6-round magazine and black plastic stocks.

The original German-made TPH offered analuminum frame and both .22 LR and .25ACP chamberings. American-made TPHs,however, are produced in 400-series stain-

less steel and .22 LR only. TheTPH frame is investment cast,while the slide is machined

from a special extrusion.The TPH barrel ismachined from solid barstock, and button rifled in-house.Most of the TPH’sinternal steel parts are also of the stainlessvariety; those that aren’t are electroless-nickel plated.

In both outward appearance and inter-nal lockwork the TPH resembles the PPK.The TPH is not just a scaled-down copy,however. Though both guns feature a sin-gle right-sided trigger bar, the TPH’s actsdirectly on the hammer in the double-actionmode, unlike the PP/PPK-series design, inwhich a cocking piece intermediary tripsthe hammer.

Also different is the location of the mag-azine catch. Unlike its bigger brothers’thumb-accessible button positioned to therear of the trigger, the TPH’s magazine

catch is at the bottom of theframe behind the magazinewell. Other characteristics ofTPH design and functionhave been previously noted(February 1989, p. 60).

According to Interarms,which markets the pistol,TPHs made by Mid-South areidentical in design and toler-ances to those made inGermany, yielding complete

WALTHER TPH .22 PISTOL

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

CCI No. 00051 810 Avg. 2.18 3.13 2.77Pistol Match 14 Sd

Rem. No. 1600 848 Avg. 2.62 4.35 3.57HPHV 15 Sd

Win. No. X22LRD 790 Avg. 2.08 3.88 3.12Dynapoint HV 26 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.15

Five consecutive 5-shot groups from 50 ft., fired from sand-bags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Rem.(Remington), HPHV (hollow-point high velocity), Win.(Winchester), HV (high velocity)

ACCURACY RESULTS

This view of the frame top shows the hammer, ejec-tor and feed ramp.The tab on the trigger bar (arrow)engages a slide recess to effect disconnect function.

Shooters with fleshyhands may be slightlyscraped by the WaltherTPH’s recoiling slide.

The American-made TPH com-bines good accuracy with

Walther standards of quality.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996 47

parts interchangeability, regardless of placeor date of production.

The TPH we received was fully up toWalther cosmetic standards, with a well -executed polished finish on the stainlesssteel slide and frame. The only hint of itsnationality were the “Made in U.S.A.” and“Under License Of” stampings visible onthe slide.

We fired the TPH for accuracy, with theresults listed in the accompanying table,and function-fired it with CCI, Federal,Fiocchi, Remington and Win-chesterammunition. Accuracy was good for apocket pistol—and slightly better than theTPH tested here earlier—but at 50 ft., thebullets impacted four to six inches aboveand an inch or two to the left of the point ofaim. Most loads fed and ejected flawlessly;

jams occurred only with hyper-velocityrounds with extreme tip shapes, which arenot recommended by the manufacturer.

There were several ignition failures,possibly attributable to light hammer fall(though all the misfiring rounds showed apositive firing pin indentation on the caserim). According to Interarms, certainbrands of rimfire ammunition, most notablyRemington, have historically given ignitionproblems with the TPH. Most of our mis-fires did indeed involve Remington load-ings and were usually ignited by a second,double-action pull of the trigger. TPH own-ers are well advised to test any rimfireammo they may use for reliable ignition.

On two occasions the trigger bar moveda small distance outward from the frame,preventing its tab from resetting into itsrecess in the underside of the slide and ren-dering the trigger inoperable. This condi-tion is caused, according to Interarms, byslight warpage of the trigger bar assemblyduring heat treatment. Though this warpageis rare, a special inspection process has beeninstituted by Mid-South to detect it.

Though the TPH’s $440 suggested retailprice may seem steep to some, it may bereasonable to those who value top-quality,American manufacture and the prestige ofthe Walther name—particularly when thepistol’s reliability ills are fully cured.

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

MECHANISM TYPE: double-actionsemi-automatic pistol

CALIBER: .22 Long RifleOVERALL LENGTH: 53⁄8"BARREL LENGTH: 213⁄16"WEIGHT: 14 oz.WIDTH: 15/16"HEIGHT: 311⁄16"MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 6TRIGGER: single-action pull, 23⁄4 lbs.;

double-action pull, 11 lbs.SIGHTS: fixed, rear drift-adjustable for

windageSTOCK: black plasticACCESSORIES: test target, plastic casePRICE: $440

WALTHER TPH

DIXIE 1874 SHARPS SILHOUETTE

Lower the trigger guard andpull the slide rearward andup (l.), then move it forwardto free it from the frame(below l.). The field-strippedframe (below) shows thebarrel, recoil spring, andright-side trigger bar (arrow).

Not long ago blackpowder cartridge guns were obsolete for NRA competi-tion. New matches like Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette have revivedcompetitive shooting with guns like the Dixie 1874 Sharps Silhouette rifle.

THOUGH the Sharps rifle is perhapsbest known for its part in the deci-mation of the buffalo herds during

our expansion into the West, it is also knownfor its accuracy. This accuracy proved itselfmore than 100 years ago in the NRAMatches at Creedmoor and later at Sea Girt,until about 1900 when smallbore smoke-

less powder guns dealt a deathblow toblackpowder arms in NRA competition.

In only the last few years, blackpowderguns have been brought back to NRAnational competition, thanks to renewedinterest in the guns and the creation ofevents specifically for them. One suchevent is NRA Black Powder Cartridge Rifle

Silhouette—and the Dixie 1874 SharpsBlackpowder Silhouette Rifle is built justfor it.

Pedersoli of Italy is making the gun forDixie, and it’s one of the better-lookingreproduction guns we’ve seen from thatcountry. The satin oil finished walnut stockis uncheckered, and it has a pistol grip, shot-

48 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996

gun butt with blued steel buttplate and schn-abel fore-end.

Two slotted screws secure the fore-endto a substantial 30" blued octagonal barrelthat tapers slightly from 1.10" at the breechto .99" at the muzzle. Rifling is six-groove,1:18" RH twist for the .45-70 rifle, and1:16" twist for the .40-65 cal. The flip-up,steel rear sight has an elevator regulated inincrements of 100 yds. to 800 yds., and a3/8" dovetail slot retains the blued steelbase with silver blade front sight that is driftadjustable for windage.

The massive action, lever, lock and trig-ger plate are beautifully color casehard-ened, and the top tang is drilled and tapped10-28, 21⁄4" center-to-center for a tang sight.The double set triggers are externallyadjustable for set trigger pull weight.

To load, begin with the muzzle pointeddownrange and the hammer in the half-cockposition. Extend the lever downward toopen the breech and insert a .45-70 Govt.cartridge fully into the chamber and returnthe lever to close the action. Next, point therifle toward the target and fully cock thehammer. It is now ready to fire using theheavy, un-set front trigger, or alternately thefront trigger can be set to a hair trigger byfirst depressing the rear trigger until it sets.

To field-strip the rifle for cleaning, firstensure the gun is unloaded by opening thelever and looking into the chamber. Withthe action closed, place the hammer in thehalf-cock position and depress the plungerpin on the right side of the frame just infront of the lever hinge pin.

While pressing in on the plunger pin,turn the arm of the lever hinge pin forwardpast the plunger pin until it points straightdown. Turn the rifle upside down and pullout the lever hinge pin, freeing the breech-block and lever to be lifted from the bottomof the action. The extractor will also comefree with the removal of the block.

Reassembly is in reverse order. If it isdifficult to insert the hinge pin, remove thefore-end and loosen the lever spring screwto relieve pressure from the lever. Be sureto retighten the lever spring screw beforereattaching the fore-end.

At the advice of Dixie Gun Works weequipped our 1874 with a Soule rear andspirit level front sight from MontanaVintage Arms Co. (Dept. AR, 2354 BearCanyon Rd., Bozeman, MT 59715), bothof which are also available from Dixie, andfired the gun for accuracy with resultsshown in the accompanying table. Therewere no malfunctions of any kind duringthe course of our testing, and the Dixie withtang sights proved to be every bit as accu-rate as many a scoped, high-powered, mass-produced bolt gun.

Our handload using the behemoth 480-gr. Lyman No. 457658 with ThompsonBlackpowder lube and wad over 73.7 grs.of Goex CTG did not do as well as the jack-eted factory ammunition in our test gun.Cast bullet handloads can be finicky, how-ever, and time simply did not allow tailor-ing this load to the rifle, but the consisten-cy of this powder and high ballistic coeffi-cient of the bullet clearly hint of better longrange accuracy potential.

Function-firing was at bowling pins

MANUFACTURER: Davide Pedersoli &C. s.n.c., Via Artigiani, 57-25063,Gardone V.T. (BS), Italy

IMPORTER: Dixie Gun Works, Inc.,Dept. AR, Gunpowder Ln., Union City,TN 38261

MECHANISM TYPE: single-shot, fallingblock rifle

CALIBER: .45-70 (tested), .40-65OVERALL LENGTH: 471⁄2"BARREL LENGTH: 30"WEIGHT: 10 lbs., 3 ozs.RIFLING: six-groove 1:18" RH twist

(1:16" in .40-65 cal.)TRIGGER: double set: 16 lbs. un-set; 8

ozs. setSIGHTS: steel flip-up ladder rear, silver

blade frontSTOCK: walnut: length of pull, 137⁄8"; drop

at heel, 21⁄4"; drop at comb 7/8"PRICE: $895

DIXIE 1874 SHARPS

Invert the gun, and remove the pin. Next,lift the lever with breechblock and extrac-tor from the bottom of the rifle’s action.

With the unloaded Dixie 1874 Sharps in thehalf-cock position and with the rifle’saction closed, depress the plunger pin(arrow) and rotate the lever hinge pin down.

If it is difficult to re-insert the gun’s leverhinge pin during reassembly, remove thefore-end and loosen the lever spring screwto relieve pressure from the lever itself.

49

THE Bersa Model 85 (October 1990, p.51) was one of that breed of large-capacity double-action .380 autos

that appeared at the end of the 1980s.These, thanks to long, thick grips, wereconsidered too big for pocket carry, butoffered only .380 ACP ballisticsat a time when 9 mm and .45compacts were coming onto the semi-auto pistol market.

The Violent Crime and LawEnforcement Act spelled the end forthat pistol class, and so the Model 85has been replaced by the Series 95, asingle-stack magazine .380 thatmore closely fits the pocket pistolformat established in 1929 by theWalther PP. The Series 95 is muchtaller than the PP, but most of thedifference comes from a large fin-

using Federal and Remington ammunitionand collapsible shooting sticks fromUnderwood Rests (Dept. AR, P.O. Box 924,Mocksville, NC 27028). During testing wehad occasion to stop when an unplannedcease-fire was required. To render the gun

safe quickly, the action leverwas opened as the trigger hadalready been set. Once thecommence firing commandwas given, we closed the leverand the gun fired upon closing.Users should take note to openand unload the gun, lower thehammer to half-cock and loadas explained above should asimilar situation arise.

Recoil, though authorita-tive, was not punishing owingto the gun’s heft and the largesurface area of the buttplate.

Though the days of the buf-falo are gone forever and therange at Creedmoor is silentand paved over, the Dixie 1874Sharps Silhouette rifle can today devastaterows of steel chickens, turkeys, pigs andrams. Members interested in obtainingmore information on NRA Black Powder

Cartridge Rifle Silhouette competition ordetails on matches held in their area shouldcontact the NRA Competitions Division at(703) 267-1477.

We function fired theDixie 1874 Sharps atbowling pins usingcrossed shootingsticks from Under-wood Rests. Recoilwas not bad owing tothe gun’s heft andsizeable buttplate. Atthe advice of DixieGun Works we equip-ped our sample riflewith a Soule rearsight (r.) supplied byMontana VintageArms, Dept. AR, 2354Bear Canyon Rd.,Bozeman, MT 59715.

BERSA SERIES 95 PISTOL

Muzzle blast and recoil from the Series 95were both mild, even with the high-veloci-ty Cor-Bon loads we used during testing.

MANUFACTURER: Bersa, S.A., Dept.AR, Castillo 312, 1074 Ramos Mejia,Argentina

IMPORTER: Eagle Imports, Inc., Dept.AR, 1750 Brielle Ave., Wanamassa,NJ 07712

MECHANISM TYPE: blowback-operated,semi-automatic pistol

CALIBER: .380 ACPOVERALL LENGTH: 63⁄4" BARREL LENGTH: 35⁄8"WEIGHT: 19 ozs.WIDTH: 15⁄16"HEIGHT: 515⁄16"MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 7TRIGGER: single-action pull, 5 lbs., dou-

ble-action, 10 lbs.SIGHTS: three-dot with rear click-

adjustable for windagePRICE: $274.95

BERSA SERIES 95ger rest at the base of the pistol’s magazine.

As before, the barrel is pressed andpinned into the anodized aluminum frame,with the recoil spring surrounding it. Anaddition since the Model 85 is a manualslide stop, allowing convenient slide clos-ing on an empty magazine.

The lockwork is fairly conventional,though with an unusually long sear that isstyled “cocking piece” in the exploded viewthat accompanies the pistol. The trigger baron the Series 95 is outside the frame underthe right grip panel; a bump on its top servesas a disconnector when not aligned with acut in the bottom of the pistol’s slide.

A bar that passes through the right side

.45-70 Govt. Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Federal Classic 1773 Avg 1.01 1.86 1.44300-gr. HPFN 26 Sd

Remington R4570L 1784 Avg. 1.16 2.23 1.60300-gr. SJHP 40 Sd

Rem. case and 91⁄2 1099 Avg. 2.95 3.76 3.40primer, Lyman No. 14 Sd457658 bullet, Thompson BPC Lube and wad, 73.7-grs. Goex CTG

Average Extreme Spread 2.14

Five consecutive 5-shot groups from 100 yds., fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Fed.(Federal), HPFN (hollow-point flat-nose), SJHP (semi-jacketed hollow-point) Rem. (Remington), BPC (blackpowder cartridge)

ACCURACY RESULTS

The .380 ACP cal. Series 95 is apocket pistol that employs a single-stack magazine and replaces theModel 85—a big pistol for a .380that was rendered less than desir-able by the 10-round capacity limit.

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996

of the grip frame serves both as the maga-zine safety and the magazine ejector. A C-shaped wire spring presses it down exceptwhen a tab at the bottom of the magazinebox presses up on it. This allows the trig-ger bar to move into line with the hammer’sdouble-action notch or with the sear toallow firing.

The other safety mechanism is aWalther-style safety/decocker. Pressing itdown interposes the safety shaft betweenhammer and firing pin. At the same time ahorseshoe-shaped firing pin stop dropsaround the rear of the firing pin, preventingit from moving forward.

Finally, a cam surface on the shaft press-es down the hammer release, a plate locat-ed just to the right of the hammer. This inturn presses down the trigger bar, allowingthe hammer to fall against the safety shaft.The safety lever remains down, preventingengagement of the trigger bar and hammer.

Pressing it up again returns the triggerbar to position, allowing firing.

The magazine catch resembles theM1911’s, and falls readily under thethumbs of right-handers.

The three-dot sights are part of a flat-topped rail at the top of the slide; the rearsight is click-adjustable for windage.The extractor is pivoted at the rear of theflared ejection port.

Disassembly is on Walther princi-ples, though with a twist. Remove themagazine (it will be forcibly ejected)and clear the chamber. Instead of low-ering the trigger guard as on the Walther,press down the disassembly lever at theright front of the frame. Then pull backand up on the slide and allow it to runforward and off the frame. This expos-es the barrel for cleaning. Reassembly isin reverse order.

The Bersa Series 95 was fired foraccuracy with results shown in theaccompanying table, and function-firedwith Black Hills, Cor-Bon, Remington,Samson, Speer and Winchester ammu-nition. There were no failures of any kindduring our testing.

We were unimpressed with the trig-ger of the Model 85 we previously exam-ined here, but the new Series 95 pistol’strigger seemed far more useful to us,

though the takeup is still very long in bothsingle- and double-action firing. Those wholike to try and attempt to “stage” the dou-ble-action trigger pull will find the sus-pense almost unbearable.

The three-dot sights stood out proudly,and we experienced none of the tendencyto shoot low we found with the Model 85.The pistol was sighted about 8" to the rightas it came from the importer out of the box,however.

Muzzle blast and recoil with the Series95 were mild, even with the high-velocityCor-Bon loads, reminding us that for someusers, there is a useful difference betweenthe .380 and the 9 mm.

Magazine safeties are disliked bymany authorities who point out theyhave the potential to prevent firing ata crucial moment. This opinion iscountered by thousands of homedefense owners who like the idea ofstoring gun and magazine separately.

The Bersa Series 95 seems an eco-nomical and reliable choice for homedefense or trail use.

.380 ACP Vel. @15' Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Cor-Bon 998 Avg. 3.40 5.18 4.2690-gr. JHP 27 Sd

Speer No. 23606 899 Avg. 2.82 4.80 3.7590-gr. GDHP 29 Sd

Winchester 845 Avg. 2.95 3.62 3.3790-gr. JHP 12 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 3.79

Five consecutive 5-shot groups from 25 yds., fired fromRansom Rest. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), JHP(jacketed hollow-point), GDHP (Gold Dot hollow-point)

ACCURACY RESULTSThe Series 95’ssights are arrayedin a three-dot pat-tern and are part ofa flat-top rail at thetop of the slide.Therear sight is click-adjustable for win-dage. There is noprovision for ele-vation adjustment.Our sample hitabout 8" to theright out of the box.

The trigger bar is outside the frame underthe right grip panel. The Series 95 is sup-plied with both a manual Walther-stylesafety/decocker and a magazine safety.

Disassembly of the Series 95 begins withremoving the magazine and making sure thechamber is empty. Press down on the disas-sembly lever at the frame’s right, then pullback and up on the slide, allowing it to moveforward and off of the gun’s frame Walther-style.

The magazine’s base has a large fin-ger rest that helped control the pis-tol while firing. The base, however,does add some height to the pistol.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996 51

AMONG .22 Long Rifle plinking rifles,the Ruger 10/22 occupies a preem-inent position—and deservedly so.

The gun’s low price, ruggedness, reliabili-ty and accuracy—plus the availability ofaftermarket parts and gunsmithing—makea combination that’s hard to beat.

There are always those, however, whostrive to improve upon a design, no matterhow well-conceived or well-executed.Thus, when the Arcadia Machine and Tool(AMT) Custom Shop brought out its ownversion of the little Ruger in 1995, therewere a few changes.

As its name implies, the ChallengeEdition is inspired by the custom 10/22sused in Chevy Truck Sportsman’s TeamChallenge (STC) competition (see July1996, p. 34), and it features a heavy bullbarrel, silhouette-type stock, light target-grade trigger and oversized magazinerelease. AMT Custom Shop also producesthe Team Challenge Elite, Sporter andFlyswatter variants, each characterized bya different combination of barrel lengths,stock options and other features.

The firm makes its own 6-groove, but-ton-rifled, 1:12" right-hand twist barrelsfrom 416 stainless steel billets. Thoughmost aftermarket 10/22 barrels offer a 1:16"twist, AMT found that the faster twist gave

better accuracy. AMT’s .22 LR barrels alsofeature tight .218" bores, match chambersand recessed crowns, plus an outside diam-eter of .940", making them slightly fatter(and therefore stiffer) than standard .920"-diameter bull barrels. All barrels are alsocryogenically stress relieved at -300o in-house.

Barrel attachment in Custom Shop riflesis by way of a .700"-long shank with a 3/4-20 thread, which engages a matchingthreaded hole in the receiver. While theoriginal Ruger design, which employs anunthreaded tenon and a V-block retainer,

allows easy barrel changing,the tolerances required for theslip fit may allow slight barrelmovement, and the retainerblock pulls on only one side ofthe barrel.

AMT considers the thread-ed joint to offer greaterstrength and rigidity, plus amore even distribution ofstresses on the barrel, yieldingan accuracy improvement ofperhaps .050" at 50 yds. Since

each AMT Custom Shoprifle must meet an in-house accuracy stan-dard of five-shot groups of .250" or less, a.050" accuracy gain is quite significant.Best accuracy, AMT’s gunsmiths havefound, is obtained when there is no freeboreand the bullet is firmly pre-engraved by therifling upon chambering. The Bentz cham-

ber reamer used for the barrels for theChallenge Edition and its siblings producesa chamber tighter than most productionchambers but still allows reliable function-ing with varied ammo. The throat createdby this reamer allows about .020" to .050"of pre-engraving, depending upon theammunition used.

Perhaps the most radical departure fromthe Ruger design is the replacement of theoriginal aluminum receiver with one ofinvestment-cast 17-4PH stainless steel.AMT claims the steel’s increased strengthallows a strong, threaded barrel/receiverjoint and greater action stiffness forimproved bedding. It also allows heavy bar-rels to be free-floated. Moreover, the steelreceiver is thought to resist better both inter-nal frictional wear as well as the stressescaused by the battering of the reciprocatingbolt over many thousands of rounds.Reports of cracked Ruger aluminumreceivers are quite rare, however, so theincreased durability of steel matters most tothose who put tens of thousands of rounds

AMT CHALLENGE EDITION

The AMTChallenge Edition rifle features a heavy, match-grade bull barrel, match chamber and crown, McMillanfiberglass silhouette stock and a stainless-steel action.

MANUFACTURER: AMT Custom Shop,Dept. AR, 6125 Enterprise Dr., #8,Diamond Springs, CA 95616

MECHANISM TYPE: blowback-operated,semi-automatic rifle

CALIBER: .22 LROVERALL LENGTH: 361⁄8"BARREL LENGTH: 1715⁄16"WEIGHT: 8 lbs., 4 ozs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10RIFLING: 6 groove, 1:12" RH twistTRIGGER: single-stage; 2 lbs. pullSIGHTS: noneSTOCK: McMillan Silhouette synthetic;

length of pull 135⁄8"; drop at heel 2";drop at comb 7/8"

ACCESSORIES: Butler Creek magazine,pull-through cleaning kit, hard case

PRICE: $989.99

AMT CHALLENGE

The heart of the Challenge Edition is theAMT stainless steel action. Investment-cast of 17-4PH, the receiver shouldstand up to tens of thousands of rounds.

Even the trigger assembly on theAMT is of stainless steel. Note theoversized magazine release catch.

52 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996

through a rifle per year, such as serious STCcompetitors.

Bedding is enhanced by a tang lug thatprotrudes at a downward angle from the endof the receiver and fits snugly into a recessin the stock, pulling the rear of the receiv-er down into the stock and increasing bed-ding rigidity. All AMT Custom Shop .22rifles feature McMillan synthetic stockshaving a reinforced area supporting theaction to prevent stock crush when theaction screw is tightened.

AMT Custom Shop makes all theparts—bolt, trigger, pins, springs and all—used in its 10/22 clone out of stainless steel(with the exception of the hammer and sear,which are of A2 hardened tool steel). AMTclaims100% parts interchangeabilitybetween its rifle and the Ruger.

The action features two other small butsignificant design modifications to the orig-inal design: a bushingless hammer and apretravel set screw on the trigger. The for-mer simplifies manufacture and assembly,

while the latter change totallyeliminates trigger take-up.

AMT also offers completeactions (with and without bar-rels) and receivers for thosewishing to upgrade their10/22s. Receivers can be sup-plied for either threaded orunthreaded barrels. Completeactions with 18" barrels can beobtained from either AMT orBrownells (Dept.AR, 200South Front Street, Montezu-ma, IA 50171) for $699.99;barreled actions with longerbarrels are supplied only byAMT Custom Shop, and cost $50 more.The Challenge Edition we received sport-ed a satin finished barrel and a polishedreceiver. Mounted atop the receiver was aWeaver-style scope mounting rail. The bar-reled action was in a black McMillan sil-houette stock with a pebble-grain finish.

Those who hefted the Challenge Editionrifle immediately noticed the heavierweight provided by the steel receiver andother parts—weight that seemed to makethe gun balance better and hold steadier. Atabout 81⁄4 lbs. without scope, the rifle issome 3 lbs. heavier than a standard 10/22.

A Burris 8-36X target scope was mount-ed on the Challenge Edition, and the riflefired for accuracy with the results shown inthe accompanying table.The ChallengeEdition was also function-fired with Eley,Federal, Fiocchi, Remington, RWS andWinchester ammunition.

Several feeding jams were noted earlyon, which seemed to be magazine-related.When the included Butler Creek magazinewas exchanged for a standard Ruger unit,reliability was nearly flawless.

AMT Custom Shop claims that bestaccuracy is achieved with bullets having alarger forward pressure band (to better pre-engrave the rifling), and recommends theuse of ammunition having such bullets,such as Eley Bench-Rest Gold, Eley Tenexand Lapua Midas M.

The rifle’s 2-lb. trigger—typical for aChallenge Edition—facilitated tightgroups, though there was palpable triggercreep. AMT states that a design upgrade,made after our sample gun was produced,now produces trigger pulls having no dis-cernible pre-travel or creep.

With Federal Ultra Match ammunition,our AMT Challenge Edition’s 10-round 50-yd. groups averaged .43". Statistically, thisis equivalent to a .33" five-shot group aver-age—quite close to AMT Custom Shop’sclaimed standard of five-shot .250" groupsat 50 yds.

Though priced more than $800 morethan a standard Ruger 10/22, the AMTCustom Shop Challenge Edition rifleshould satisfy the most stringent require-ments for accuracy in a semi-auto .22.

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

Eley Tenex 1097 Avg. 0.46 0.82 0.6412 Sd

Federal Gold 1176 Avg. 0.37 0.53 0.43Medal Ultra Match 9 Sd

RWS R100 1078 Avg. 0.47 0.83 0.64Silhouette 14 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 0.57

Five consecutive 10-shot groups from 50-yds, fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation)

ACCURACY RESULTS

DAISY has introduced its Model 200235-shot pump-action rifle, the sec-ond in its 2000 series of CO2 -pow-

ered .177 cal. repeating pellet rifles.The 2002 features a Monte Carlo imita-

tion walnut plastic stock with molded incheckering at 22 lines per inch on the pis-tol grip and fore-end. There is a black plas-tic buttplate with white spacer and no grip

cap. The fore-end rides on dual plastic sliderails for a distance of 1" when pumping theaction.

A plastic trigger guard is molded intothe black plastic receiver that has a hingedtop plate for insertion of the 35-round heli-cal magazine.

The crossbolt, trigger-blocking safetybutton is in the front of the trigger guard in

Remington Model 870 fashion. A magazinesafety prevents the 2002 from being firedwhen the magazine is removed.

The .30" diameter rifled steel barrel iscontained within a steel false barrel shroudtapering from one inch at the receiver to.66" at the muzzle. Welded to the shroud isa steel rear sight adjustable for windage byloosening a small screw at the front of the

DAISY 2002 AIR RIFLE

A Weaver-style scope base is mounted onthe top of the AMT receiver. Note the tanglug (upper arrow) which engages a recessin the stock (lower arrow), promoting bed-ding rigidity and allowing barrel floating.

It’s not a target rifle, and it’s proportions are too large forthe smallest of shooters,but the 2002 is a fun gun for teach-ing the operation of an adult-sized pump-action firearm.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • October 1996 53

blade and for elevation using the plastic ele-vator ramp. The generous front sight is ofplastic.

A 12-gram CO2 cylinder is retained ina tubular housing beneath the barrel. Toinsert a cylinder, put the safety on and pushthe fore-end toward the muzzle. Open thebottle lever at the front of the fore-end slow-ly to a 45o angle. Insert a cylinder in thetrack at the rear of the fore-end, round endfirst and toward the muzzle. Now, lay thecylinder down flat in its track. With themuzzle pointed in a safe direction, close thebottle lever slowly making sure the smallend of the cylinder starts into the puncturepin assembly at the base of the track. Thebottle lever will not close if the cylinderdoes not properly enter the puncture pinassembly. The manufacturer warns that oneshould never try to force a cylinder intoplace.

The interesting 35-round helical maga-zine at first reminded us of the Calico rifle(Jan. 1987, p. 60) that had a 100-round mag-azine. While the design is different, theprinciple is the same. A star-shaped carrierholds pellets in a row in each of six splines.The splines are rotated by an actuating pinnear the rear of the magazine engaging ablock in the receiver having a crookedgroove. This block is connected to the fore-end through the receiver so that when theaction is pumped, the actuating pin rides inthe groove and is pushed around the mag-azine, returning when the fore-end ispushed forward. A button on the front of themagazine keeps the splined carrier frombacking up.

Pellets drop by gravity onto the feedtrack, and are held in place by spring loadeddetents until pressed into the chamber by afeeding rod fixed to the front of the groovedblock in the receiver. This rod has a smallrubber O-ring to seal the breech.

Two magazines, red and black, are

provided for pellets of different lengths.The owners manual has a detailed chart thatexplains what brand and style goes witheach magazine.

Begin loading the magazine by posi-tioning it so that the loading port is facingyou. Place the actuating pin in the “pin posi-tion.” Place pellets

into magazine loading port with the solidor point end forward. Push down on the pel-let until it rotates slightly past the port. Adetent action will be felt. Remaining pel-lets are loaded in the same fashion.

Insert the magazine by placing the safe-ty on, closing the gun’s action, and open-ing the top plate. Place the magazine in withthe actuating pin facing down. Now, pressin and down on the tab at the rear of themagazine until it pops into place. Finally,close the top plate.

To remove the magazine, unlatch andopen the top plate. While holding the top

plate open, push the yellow magazine ejec-tor tab rearward with the index finger. Themagazine will jump out.

Removal of the magazine does notunload the chamber. Pellets in the chambermust be shot out, or pushed out with a clean-ing rod after unloading and carefullyremoving the CO2 cylinder.

The Daisy 2002 was tested for accura-cy with the results shown in the accompa-nying table, and function fired with DaisyQuick Silver, Crosman CopperheadSupermatch and Beeman Silver JetMagnum pellets.

The Daisy 2002 suffered several failuresto feed when pellets dropped from the mag-azine irregularly, and were subsequentlysmashed against the chamber opening.There were also two occasions when thepuncture pin assembly seal failed while fir-

ing and CO2 spilled from the cylinder.Velocity leveled out after a few pellets

were fired, but 20 shots later, fell off quick-ly. We found it possible to fire nearly twofull magazines before velocity was so lowthat pellets merely lobbed out of the barreland bounced off our cardboard target.

Operating the short pump action isawkward at first, especially for those

accus-

tomed to the full throwof a pump-action shotgun. Theawkwardness does not last long, andonce gone, the Daisy 2002 is rather fun toshoot.

Again, removing the magazine does notempty the chamber. The remaining pelletmust be either shot out, or pushed out witha cleaning rod. It is also possible to pumpinto the chamber more than one pellet. Wefound that six in the barrel is about as muchas a fresh CO2 cylinder can push.

It’s not a target rifle, and it’s too big forthe smallest of young shooters, but the 2002is good for familiarizing beginner shooterswith the feel of a pump-action gun.

MANUFACTURER: Daisy Mfg. Co., Inc.,Dept. AR, P.O. Box 220, Rogers, AR72757-0220

MECHANISM TYPE: pump-actionC02 rifle

CALIBER: .177OVERALL LENGTH: 403⁄4"BARREL LENGTH: 23"WEIGHT: 4 lbs.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 35TRIGGER: single stage, 43⁄4 lbs. pullSIGHTS: post front, open rear adjustable

for windage and elevationSTOCK: plastic: length of pull, 131⁄2"; drop

at comb, 11⁄2"; drop at heel, 21⁄4"ACCESSORIES: one magazine for point-

ed pellets, one for flat-head pellets.PRICE: $82.50

DAISY 2002

The 2002 has a 35-roundcapacity helical magazine. Astar-shaped carrier holds thepellets in a row in each of sixsplines. The magazine isinserted into the unloaded gunby closing the action, openingthe top plate, then placing it inthe gun with actuating pindown. Press in and down onthe tab at the rear of the mag-azine until it pops into place.

.177 Vel. @15' Smallest Largest Averagepellet (f.p.s.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Daisy Quick Silver 515 Avg. 0.53 1.00 0.819 Sd

Crosman Ch 576 Avg. 0.37 0.81 0.55Supermatch 6 Sd

Beeman Silver 554 Avg. 0.48 0.82 0.59Jet Magnum 13 Sd

Average Extreme Spread 0.65

Five consecutive 5-shot groups from 10 meters, fired fromsandbags. Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), Ch(Copperhead)

ACCURACY RESULTS

Though a pump-action, the 2002 employsa 12-gram CO2 cylinder that is retained ina tubular housing beneath the gun’s barrel.