The Rifleman Report: “To Keep And Bear Arms”

When it comes to the three major firearm types—rifle, shotgun and handgun—along with the ammunition and accessories they require, we strive to cover each as best we can. In our latest issue of American Rifleman, in typical fashion, we include all three. And even though any of them could be pressed into sporting or defensive use, all are only as useful as they are available to responsible citizens.

That is exactly why the NRA vows to protect and cultivate the Second Amendment guarantee of Americans to “keep and bear arms.” It is an enumerated right that presupposes a viable arms industry and unhindered legal trade between companies and individuals. Which types of arms, or particular models, each man or woman chooses to purchase and enjoy in order to address his or her requirements should only be dictated by personal preferences and budgets.

In scatterguns, Field Editor Aaron Carter, an active competitive clays shooter, wrings out two of SDS Arms’ latest inexpensive iterations of well-established designs. “Solid Values: MAC 1014 & MAC 2” goes inside new models intended for harsh conditions—self-defense and 3-Gun competition, respectively. The pair comes to market through SDS Arms in Knoxville, Tenn., which has rapidly expanded since its 2017 launch to include the MAC, Tisas, Inglis, Tokarev and Spandau brands.

Of course, all firearms require ammunition, so in “Hornady’s 22 ARC Strikes A Chord,” Field Editor Frank Melloni tests that company’s latest flat-shooting Advanced Rifle Cartridge, which is tailor-made for AR-15s and short-action bolt guns. Fresh off a multi-day coyote hunt shooting the 62-grain load, he ran it and a second, 75-grain, match load through testing with each leaving the muzzle at around 3,000 feet per second and producing minute-of-angle accuracy. The results confirmed why the new cartridge is resonating with shooters and that it is truly deserving of the title “good medicine for bad dogs.”

When it comes to handguns, polymer-frame semi-automatics have ruled the roost for quite some time, but just 40 years ago, the revolver still held sway in law-enforcement circles and among many civilians. So, since the staff reminded me that it’s been too long since we published one of our classic Exploded View guides to a well-known firearm, I decided to take on updating one that first appeared in these pages in the 1970s at the launch of a then-new double-action wheelgun. In “Exploded View: Ruger ‘Six’ Series Revolvers” I build on that early coverage of the Security-Six, Police Service-Six and Speed-Six and suggest why they are still so well-regarded even today.

And when it comes to what has long been viewed as the predominant battlefield small arm, the rifle, we have included a history piece titled “Boys To Riflemen: Aiken’s Volunteers During The British Attack On Plattsburgh” by contributor Tom Laemlein. In it, he recounts how, in September 1814, a small group of Americans once again stood against the might of the British military, just as their forefathers had done during the Revolution. Only this time it was teenage boys who proved themselves in the face of a British attack—and they were eventually rewarded with a then quite modern presentation rifle for their efforts.

Finally, even though it is the hardware—firearms, ammunition and accessories—that makes shooting possible, it is armed citizens, through resolve and, often, valor who must use them as the tools to secure and sustain freedom.

Today, we are less likely to be rewarded even for properly considered decisions to use firearms in defense of life, but that fact does nothing to diminish the necessity of such actions—or the nobility of the intentions from which they spring.