Get The Lead Out: New Remington Core-Lokt Copper

Remington Ammunition is back in business, cranking out hunting and self defence-oriented ammo after its shutdown in the wake of its parent company's bankruptcy. Along with filling demand for its existing products, Remington is also exploring some new territory. Its latest venture? A new Core-Lokt Copper line.

The Core-Lokt series is by far Remington's most famous and popular ammunition, a conventional cup-and-core design that hunters across Canada swore by. But, it's always been a jacketed lead-core round surrounded by a copper jacket. This new copper-core design is a newfangled take on the old design, which might alienate the crusty veterans of the deer woods who loved the original.

However, as times change and environmentalists and even hunting industry insiders push lead-free hunting ammunition, Remington sees which way the wind is blowing. So, we get this new monometal design, with hollow point designed to penetrate and expand with performance similar to the old load.

Remington even uses a lead-free primer with this ammunition, which may also help to keep the green lobby off Big Green's back.

As you'd expect, the Core-Lokt Copper line is available for common hunting cartridges: 30-06 Sprg, .308 Win, .270 Win, .243 Win, .300 AAC Blackout and .300 Win Mag. Remington says more options are coming soon. And while the bullets are lead-free, Remington's design still allows for projectiles roughly as heavy as previous Core-Lokt loads. The .243 Core-Lokt Copper comes with 85-grain bullet, for example. The .270 Win Core-Lokt Copper comes with 130-grain bullet, and so on.

One thing that's very much changed is the price tag on the box. Core-Lokt was once priced around the lower middle end, not quite as cheap as some other options but also not pricey. The new Core-Lokt Copper line sees pricing start at $40.99 US per box of .300 AAC Blackout for American customers, and running as high as $60.99 for .300 Win Mag. Add another 30 percent for the exchange rate, and you've got some expensive hunting ammunition. However, you always pay a premium for lead-free rifle ammo, and it's not like anything is getting cheaper these days, especially in the shooting world.

For more details on the line, visit Remington's website here.

New Cartridge: Winchester 400 Legend

Here's another entry into the ever-growing family of straight-wall rifle cartridges! Winchester has just announced its new 400 Legend, intended for this booming market segment in the US. It's supposed to be a hard-hitting, soft-recoiling cartridge intended for distances you'd expect for whitetail deer hunting.

Winchester's initial unveiling shows the 400 Legend available in the Power Point hunting cartridge line, with a 215-grain lead-tipped bullet moving at 2,250 fps at the muzzle. Winchester claims effective knockdown power on big game and even nasty varmints such as wild hogs out to 300 yards. However, there is a lot of drop-off at that point, as you can see in the ballistics table below.

That's just what you'd expect with a big, heavy bullet moving along at those speeds. But even as velocity decreases, momentum remains decent for a cartridge like this, as that slug still packs considerable punch as it slows. Winchester says the 400 Legend has 20 percent more energy than .30-30 and 25 percent more energy than .350 Legend (and with greater penetration, too!). It has energy equivalent to the familiar 450 Bushmaster, with 20 percent less recoil. However, it doesn't share information as to what ranges those numbers are true at.

Chances are most buyers will be more likely to be considering swapping to the 400 Legend from their old slug gun. In those cases, Winchester says the 400 Legend has twice the energy of a 12 gauge slug at 100 yards, and 55 percent less recoil. Those are big improvements in the numbers that hunters care about.

If some of you are wonder why on earth we'd need another .40-calibre deer hunting cartridge, here's the reasoning. If you read hunting magazines or gun magazines from the US, you might occasionally hear some sort of reference to an "army" of deer hunters (there's a very good example of that here). They aren't kidding. There are literally hundreds of thousands of deer hunters in single states, and they move between states to take advantage of the rules, regulations and better sporting opportunities afforded elsewhere.

Currently, those rules and regulations are promoting the use of so-called "straight-walled" rifle cartridges in some states with excellent hunting opportunities. In the past, some states restricted deer hunters to shotguns during firearms season, but now, in the lower 48 states, all but four allow straight-wall rifle cartridges, which are typically a big improvement over slugs or buckshot. See Remington's map here, illustrating the point. Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and other states that previously had state-wide or regional restrictions on high-powered rifles are now allowing straight-walled cartridges for deer hunting in some zones, or in the whole state.

The reasoning behind this move is, low-pressure straight-wall cartridges are less likely to be involved in accidental shootings than high-powered rounds like the .270 or .30-06. Whether or not this is actually true is another question entirely, but that's the idea.

Interested? See more details on the new round at Winchester's website here.

Henry Launches Several New Models, Including Revolver Lineup

Henry Repeating Arms has been working hard on new launches for 2023, and now we've got another look at not just the new Homesteader PCC, but also a lineup of overhauled lever-actions and even a new revolver series (that we won't get in Canada unless the law changes).

Updated lever actions

At this point, the only updated-for-2023 Henry models we're legally allowed in Canada are the lever actions. For 2023, Henry has added sidegate loading capability to its brass-receiver rifles. This allows the tube mag to be topped up or loaded from the receiver.

The original Henry lever-action rifles loaded from the end of the tube magazine, similar to the original Henry rifles of the 1860s. More recently, Henry had added sidegate loading to some models, but preserved the classic look of the brass receiver models by not adding the capability to those rifles. Now, the brass-receiver models load from either the front of the tube magazine or the sidegate, just like the All-Weather models. This includes the .45-70 and .30-30 models as well as the .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum models.

Speaking of calibre choices: Henry updated its lineup to include the new straightwall .360 Buckhammer cartridge as an option for the Lever Action X series. For US states with "straightwall rifle seasons" for deer hunting, expect those rifles to be a quick sell-out, as hunters attempt to gain a firepower edge.

Homesteader PCC

The retro-look Homesteader rifle, chambered in 9mm Luger, appeared in Henry's announcement of 2023 models, but we'd already seen it. See our first write-up of the rifle here.

Basically, this is a blued-steel-and-wood rifle intended for Glock/Sig/S&W mags (as well as Henry's own 5- and 10-round mags) that is intended to compete with such pistol calibre carbines as the Ruger PC Carbine. It lacks the fancy-pants takedown feature of its Ruger competitor, and doesn't have the tacticool look of most other PCCs on the US market, but that may be an asset depending on the laws where you live

Sadly, for us here in Canada, this rifle would come in as restricted-status only, due to a 16.37-inch barrel, but if Henry lengthens that barrel by a couple of inches, expect these to sell well here.

New Big Boy revolvers

Currently unavailable in Canada due to our handgun import ban and also our transfer ban. These double-action revolvers look a lot like a wheelgun from the second half of the 20th century, certainly not another already-done take on the Single Action Army formula.

Is that a smart move? The classic "highway patrol revolver" is now itself a pretty retro format, and there will be buyers who want it for exactly that reason. The only Big Boy revolver currently shown is a .357 Magnum-chambered, medium-frame, six-shot handgun with either Gunfighter or Birdshead grip options, and blued-steel-and-wood-grips look.

Pricing for these new revolvers is $928 for US customers.

Saskatchewan Firearms Act Passes With Unanimous Approval In Legislature

It's been a busy week in the Saskatchewan provincial legislature, with second reading and then final approval of the new Firearms Act. And despite decades of disagreements between left-wing and right-wing politicians over gun control, everyone in the provincial government was able to agree on this new Act, as it passed with unanimous approval, even from the NDP opposition.

Saskatchewan hasn't published an official press release about the move, but back when the Act was introduced in December of 2022, Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said "This Act will help address concerns of responsible firearms owners and enhance public safety across Saskatchewan," while also emphasizing an equal interest in public safety and cracking down on gang violence and illegal guns.

Talk is cheap, but the provincial government put its money where its mouth is. At the same time as it was working on passing the Firearms Act this week, Saskatchewan's Firearms Office signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saskatoon Police Service to house its new ballistics lab in the department's facility for the next two years.

In other words, this isn't just a big push back against perceived overreach by the federal government with recent gun control legislation—but it certainly is that. The Act requires any personnel involved in firearms seizures to be licenced by the province, which gives it a major amount of control over the whole process, especially since the Act bans police from doing firearms seizures. It also establishes a Firearms Compensation Committee that determines the fair market value of "any firearms, ammunition and related accessories being expropriated by the federal government." Translation: If the feds take your AR-15, Saskatchewan seems ready to make sure they pay for all your rails and foregrips and everything else, too.

The Act also requires ballistic and forensic testing of seized firearms. This is another potential roadblock for the province to throw at the federal government, as it could drastically slow down the seizure process. On the other hand, now that Saskatchewan has its own ballistics lab now, the province can also use that resource to test seized firearms to see if they've been used in cold cases.

What next?

Alberta and Saskatchewan are both taking strong stances against federal gun control; Alberta's own Bill 8, with similar intentions to Saskatchewan's Firearms Act, is currently working its way through the legislature there. Expect more news on that soon.

But does any of this matter, or is it all posturing? Remember that ultimately, Ottawa generally gets its way on gun control. All the West may be doing is adding time to the clock. As the next federal election grows nearer, maybe that will be enough to help the voters of those provinces, though.

Ruger Releases Marlin 336 Classic

After announcing the start of production earlier this winter, Ruger now has the Marlin 336 Classic available to customers. The good news is that it mostly looks like the old familiar classic. The bad news is, the price tag is even higher than before, and some shooters may bemoan the rifle's safety and barrel configuration.

A legend reborn

While the Marlin 336 never achieved quite the cultural love and adoration afforded to the Winchester 94, many deer hunters and shooters preferred Marlin's design over the years. For one, it was available in .35 Remington, a harder-hitting cartridge than the .30-30 (although most 336s were chambered in that round). For another, scoping was easy, thanks to a drilled and tapped flat-top receiver on modern-production models. Takedown for cleaning was also easy, and many shooters claimed superior accuracy from the Marlin. Marlin also made the 336 available in stainless steel for several years, a very desirable option for many hunters headed for adverse conditions.

Naysayers pointed out the Marlin had a clunkier stock than its Winchester counterparts, which was true, and that "John Wayne never used one in his movies," which was also true, but the deer on the receiving end of the rifles never seemed to notice.

Remington bought Marlin in 2007, and then sold it off as part of bankruptcy proceedings in 2020. Ruger now owns the company, and is selling the rifle after reorganizing production.

The new rifle's configuration

The new Marlin 336 Classic looks a lot like the "Remlin" version, with full-length 6+1 tube magazine, a hooded front sight with brass bead, adjustable buckhorn rear, and (sigh!) a cross-button safety. Many shooters and hunters are not fans of that safety, preferring the half-cock setting on the hammer. However, it's possible the aftermarket will offer a "safety delete" feature, as was available on previous Marlin rifles.

The Ruger-built 336 has a black walnut stock, a gold colored trigger and a standard-sized lever loop, with none of the "cowboy lever" silliness that has taken over the lever-action scene. The metal comes in a satin blue finish. The classic Marlin cowboy logo is inscribed on the grip cap, and there's a sling stud in the stock and on the barrel band.

For now, .30-30 is the only chambering available, although Ruger seems interested in a .35 Remington version down the road.

The biggest change is the discontinuation of "Micro Groove" rifling. Marlin's previous production rifles had numerous small grooves instead of standard rifling, which has fewer, more pronounced grooves. Ruger has gone to this design with the cold hammer-forged barrel. No doubt all the .30-30 reloaders will have some thoughts on this change...

Ruger touts its new manufacturing processes as building a tighter gun with more precise tolerances. That is probably true, as the Remlin rifles, at least, were known for sloppy wood-to-metal finishes. This may not be as evident when ogling hand-picked examples in web photos, but in-store, the difference is probably much more obvious.

The most significant change

The rifling change may be the most significant adjustment to the design, but the change most buyers will notice right away is the MSRP. American buyers will pay $1,239 USD for the new Marlin 336 Classic. That works out to about $1660 CAD, at current conversion rates.

Now, such direct conversions aren't usually the case, and Canadian buyers usually get a break. But these rifles were widely sold in Canada for less than $700 about a decade ago, and most Canadian shooters will have a hard time accepting this price hike... and Ruger may have the entire production sold out in the US anyway. So, will we see it here in Canada soon? Don't expect massive numbers available in the near future, considering all that.

And yet... tried to buy a lever-action rifle lately? There is basically nothing available here as new production. If the 336 was ever going to make a comeback as an expensive reboot, now is its big chance.

See more details and photos at Ruger's website here.

New Single Shot Rifles Coming From Turkey... Maybe?

Although they're not tacticool and not even favoured by hunters, there is certainly a market niche for single-shot rifles, and that market niche is very under-served these days. But now, putting a few pieces of info together, it appears that we might see some new options on the market in coming months, built in Turkey.

The information comes by way of US-based Midland. The name should be familiar to many Canadian shooters, as Midland was a British gunmaker with similarities to Parker-Hale (after World War II, Parker-Hale actually owned Midland). Now, Navy Arms owns Midland, selling imported firearms under that name. While the 1950s-1970s Midland focused on bolt-action hunting rifles built on imported Mauser actions, the current iteration sells Turkish single-shot shotguns, of a pattern very familiar to Canadians. We see the same designs sold here under other names.

But like the Turkish single-shot designs sold here in Canada, Midland's lineup so far has focused on shotgun chamberings, although there was talk of rimfire rifle offerings a while back. And now, those talks have resurfaced over the past few months, with Midland reportedly hoping to offer centrefire rifles as well, in the $300 USD range. One report from the US had Midland offering a .308 single shot at that price; for $400, buyers could have an accessory 12 gauge barrel included. But when you go to Midland's website, no such offer appears, and there are no rimfire offerings either. So what's up? Is the plan off?

According to Midland staff, it comes down to selling what's available. Currently the Turkish factory doesn't have the single-shot centerfire rifles available for Midland yet, but Midland says that as soon as they can let us know more, they will, but at their end, the plan is still a go.

Buyers are waiting

If these rifles do actually come to market, and the prices are as predicted, that should work out to roughly $400 CAD, if someone brings them into Canada. And at that price, there would certainly be interest. Currently, there are no new single-shot rifles readily available; Baikal's imports are banned, H&R ended its production of the SB1 and SB2, and Henry's single shots are extremely hard to find and expensive when you do find one (at least when you compare them to the bargain-basement MSRPs that H&R and Baikal used to sell for).

The H&R line was relatively well regarded in its time and probably would still be popular today but for two problems: Many of them had a reputation for popping open when fired, and when Savage introduced the Axis, it was roughly the same price. While many shooters like a single shot rifle for various reasons, the Axis shot so well that it basically torpedoed the SB1 and SB2 lineups overnight. H&R was sold in the latest Remington Arms breakup, and there is no indication that the new owners want to restart single-shot production.

So, if Turkey is willing to sell reliable, accurate single-shot rifles at a low price, they will have the North American market practically to themselves...

Kel-Tec R50: Pistol Turned "Sport Utility Rifle"

Kel-Tec is back in the market with another different take on the semi-auto rifle formula, this time with the new R50 carbine.

Take a look; it sure looks like the P50 pistol with a longer barrel and a collapsible stock. That's because that's exactly what it is. It's chambered in the high-velocity 5.7×28, and in its US configuration, comes with a whopping 50-round magazine and 16.1-inch barrel.

Of course, both of those numbers would change here in Canada, if it was to be imported as non-restricted. The mag would be pinned to five rounds (although an identical 10-round P50 mag would fit... ) and Kel-Tec would have to add another 2.5 inches to the barrel. That should be easy to do, should Kel-Tec wish to fill orders for our market.

The 21.5-inch collapsed length would also be a problem, but again, adding five inches to the barrel would solve the issue, or the stock could be reconfigured.

This is a lightweight rifle, at a slim 3.48 pounds, but if you want a sling to help with the load, there's a QD mounting point for single-point sling over the magazine release.

It comes with a Picatinny rail atop the receiver that's over 7 inches long, with a second 2-inch rail under the barrel. Kel-Tec says the rifle ships with basic sights, but most owners are likely to mount an optic.

MSRP in the US is $815. Would it find a market in Canada with a longer barrel, and the currency converted at roughly 130 percent? Probably... but Kel-Tec would have to do a specific run for our country, and right now, it's probably expecting to sell all it can make in the US.

H.C.A.R. Coming To Canada: Non-Restricted, And Not Cheap!

Another entry in the file of exotic rifles headed to the Canadian market this year: The Ohio Ordinance Works H.C.A.R., chambered in .30-06.

How to describe this rifle? You could call it a modern version of the Browning Automatic Rifle—not the modern version, made for shooting out of a deer blind, but the original World War I version, made for shooting out of a shellhole. It is a magazine-fed gas-operated semi-auto, and unlike the original, it has attachment points for muzzle devices, optics, stock and other accessories.

The rifle feeds from standard BAR mags, but of course they will be pinned to five rounds in Canada. And of course, Canada will only get the 20-inch barrel version (four-groove, 1-10 twist), to keep non-restricted status. This version of the rifle weighs 12.5 lb, and is 42.25 inches long. Although it is a modernized version of the classic military rifle and much, much lighter, it is still a heavy beast.

The Colt Monitor, a BAR built for civilian customers and law enforcement after World War I. The FBI bought a truckload of them (seen here testing the rifle). Ohio Ordinance Works is simply following a long history of repurposing and modernizing practical and reliable rifle designs, and they've probably built more of the H.C.A.R. than Colt did of the Monitor. If you look at the old Monitor, Colt did mostly the same thing that the H.C.A.R. does with its newer redesign, just with tech 100 years older.

The H.C.A.R. fires from a closed bolt and comes with three-position adjustable gas system. Despite the lighter weight, it's supposed to have much less kick than the original BAR; watch Larry Vickers rip some rounds through the rifle here, where he says the muzzle brake and hydraulic buffer reduce the recoil to less than .308 levels.

Some keeners may remember that semi-auto BAR-style rifles from Ohio Ordinance Works have indeed come to Canada before, but with the recent ban-a-thon of Bill C-21, many importers/distributors would have been hesitant to import the rifle, as it was targeted for ban in the Liberal government's last-minute amendments to the bill.

If you are willing to put your money down anyway, IRUNGUNS is now offering these for the Canadian market, as stocked in its US storefront. Asking price for the basic black version: $6,599.99 US (see here). The tan version is $7,499.99 US. That would work out to roughly $9,050 CAD to $10,250 CAD, before tacking on import fees, taxes and other line items.

Not to mention, of course, the cost of blasting away with .30-06, if you can even find it in stock in sufficient quantities. But If you've got the money, well, let us know how it works out for you.

Coming To Canada: The Unusual Hera H6

And now, for something completely different—the Hera H6! This European bolt-action rifle has just been confirmed for Canada, combining features from modern sporting rifle design with a bolt-action small-game hunting rifle, and ... a magazine feed system that appears to belong on FG42?

Bolt-action sporting/hunting rifle

At its simplest, the Hera H6 is odd, but it doesn't exactly break any new ground. However, it certainly is an unusual mash-up of firearms designs.

Here's the official description of the rifle, from the manufacturer (which is best-known for AR-pattern rifles and accessories):

"The HERA H6 Rifle is the result of a cooperation between HERA GmbH Germany and VOERE Präzisionstechnik Austria. The outcome is one of the most modern and easy-to-handle hunting or sporting rifles of today in .223 REM or 300 BLK caliber."

The H6 may look all tacticool, but underneath all that black paint is a bolt action rifle that can take AR mags. However, unlike 99.99 percent of all other mag-fed sporting rifles, the H6 feeds from the side of the receiver, instead of the bottom. The result is a weirdo look, like a space-age STEN.

Another look at that unusual magazine. Note the folding stock hinge; the stock can be configured to fold to either the left or right.

There's a reason for the design, though; it's supposed to make improve usability by making it easier to rest the H6 on a rail in a hunting blind, etc.

The rest of the rifle is filled with similar oddball features. There's a standard safety behind the charging handle and a "finger stop" in the trigger guard, an idea borrowed from collaborating designers at Voere. Shooters have the choice of a fixed stock, or one that hinges behind the pistol grip.

There's an M-Lok forend, which you might be more likely to see on a tactical-style semi-auto, and a Picatinny rail runs along the top of the receiver and most of the 18-inch barrel. This medium-contour barrel is not a repurposed AR part; it's purpose-built for this rifle with 1-in-9 twist. The muzzle has 1/2 x 28 threads, and the H6 comes with Hera's A2 flash hider.

It's a very lightweight rifle, at 5.5 lb.

While these rifles are from a German manufacturer, they will actually be built in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a new production line, made of a combination of German and American components.

North Sylva will bring these rifles to Canada in black, tan or olive green. MSRP is unknown, but in Europe, these rifles go for €1,429, which works out to roughly $2100 CAD. Expect a lesser price, perhaps, if they're being built in Utah.