Gunslick SNAP-LOCK Accessory Kit

Gunslick is another division of ATK and offers a variety of excellent gun cleaning products. This year the company introduced a line of quick change cleaning brushes, jags, and swabs. An adapter screws into the standard thread of cleaning rods and allows you to switch tips in a jiffy via the spring loaded adapter. Just pull down on the adapter collet and the tip pops right out. Screwing threaded tips in and out is not a major chore but anything that makes gun cleaning quicker and easier is welcomed by this shooter.

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan

The Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan is chambered for the potent new .375 Ruger. The rifle is short and rugged with a 20-inch barrel, matte blue finish and Hogue overmold stock. It looks all business, handles well, and is no doubt a dependable rifle for tough duty. I was a little put off by the price. The suggested retail price of $1095.00 is considerably higher than many other standard length action Ruger bolt guns with more refined features but is a lot less expensive than the magnum action Model 77 Express rifle. It does not have the refined features of the Express rifle though. The Hogue stock is a good one but is a budget priced stock. When you also consider that the Alaskan has a rudimentary rear sight only adjustable for windage, there is nothing to justify the higher price over other standard action Rugers other than the caliber. Heavy caliber rifles do traditionally cost more though and I suppose the Hawkeye Alaskan is a bargain compared to most big bore safari rifles in a caliber suitable for the largest dangerous game. But a big part of the design premise of the .375 Ruger was that it could be easily chambered in standard actions. I would like to have seen it offered at a standard price. Regardless, the Alaskan is a nice looking rifle that should perform well in harsh climates and there is an African version of the Hawkeye available for the same price with a 23-inch barrel and checkered walnut stock if your tastes run more to the traditional.

While in the Ruger booth I tested the trigger pulls on a variety of Ruger Firearms. A few years ago at a Primedia roundtable Ruger promised an across the board improvement in trigger pulls. Based on triggers tested at the SHOT Show and others I have had some field time with, I would say Ruger has kept their promise. The new LC6 trigger is a result of that promise and will be incorporated into all future centerfire bolt-action Rugers. This trigger breaks cleanly from the factory at 4 to 4-1/2-pounds. That is still a little heavier than many hunters, myself included, prefer and given that the trigger is not adjustable Ruger still has a ways to go yet to match the performance of some of its competitor’s triggers.

Freedom Arms Blued Fixed Front Sight

In the photo above is one of Freedom Arms' beautifully built handguns, but the focus of this review is the front sight. Freedom Arms now offers this front sight as an aftermarket accessory for most any fixed sight single-action revolver. All too often fixed sight revolvers are not regulated precisely for the load you intend to use and, as the term fixed sight indicates, adjusting the sight is difficult. This sight and a competent gunsmith solves that problem.