ASK THE GUN EDITOR
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Straight-pull rifles popular
Q It look as if straight-pull rifles are becoming all the rage. Savage has added a straight-pull rifle to its range and there’s also a new European entry called the Strasser, which competes with the Blaser, Lynx, Merkel and other European makers. Can you tell me who made the first straight-pull rifle?
Earl Warren
A The first rifle embodying this type of mechanism (straight-pull, locked-breech, bolt-action rifle) was introduced by von Mannlicher of Austria in 1884. In the following 30 years five types of straight-pull rifles were developed and adopted for military use by various nations. These included the Ross rifles in 1905, the Model 1890 and 1895 Mannlichers, the Swiss Schmidt Rubin and the Model 1895 Lee-Navy.
Measuring barrel length
Q How do I correctly measure the length of a rifle barrel? My local gun shop told me to measure from the muzzle back to the end of the receiver ring. Is this right?
Peter Hancock
A No, it is normal practice that the length of the barrel includes the chamber. At least that’s the way the Americans do it, but some Europeans measure only the rifled portion. To measure the length of your rifle’s barrel, simply insert a cleaning rod with the bolt closed, mark the rod at the muzzle and then measure between the
