8 Great Backcountry Defense Guns Lead

8 Great Backcountry Defense Guns

From rifles and shotguns to pistols and revolvers, these eight sidearms will keep you safe when you’re far from help.

First Look: Taurus Judge Home Defender

Featuring a dual caliber capability in .45 Colt and .410-bore, the new Taurus Judge Home Defender adapts to a range of shooting scenarios. It sports a 13-inch barrel to ensure optimal performance, and topside Picatinny rail and steel blast shield.

Behind the Bullet: 26 Nosler

The first of the Nosler proprietary cartridges, the 26 Nosler remains a flat-shooting, hard-hitting choice for hunting open country. Being a 6.5mm cartridge, it will use the high ballistic coefficient projectiles which retain their energy downrange, resist the effects of a crosswind and offer a flat trajectory.

The Best Black Bear Cartridges

Here’s a detailed look at the top black bear cartridges for rifles and handguns.

Behind the Bullet: 6mm Remington

Introduced in 1955, the 6mm Remington was designed to be a dual-purpose cartridge that could handle varmints and predators just as well as it could deer and similar-sized game.

Behind the Bullet: .270 Winchester Short Magnum

Loosely based on a shortened .404 Jeffery case with the rim rebated to the .535-inch case head of the H&H family, the .270 WSM was the third commercial cartridge using the .277-inch bore diameter, and betters the velocity of the .270 Winchester by 200 to 250 fps.

Behind the Bullet: 360 Buckhammer

Remington’s new 360 Buckhammer straight-wall cartridge is optimized for lever-action rifles, deadly and accurate out to 200-plus yards.

Behind the Bullet: 30 Nosler

If you’re a velocity hound, the 30 Nosler is among the fastest .30-caliber cartridges housed in a long-action receiver.

Behind the Bullet: 7-30 Waters

Developed in 1976 by Ken Waters as a wildcat cartridge, the 7-30 Waters is based on the .30-30 Winchester necked down to 7mm to improve velocity and trajectory, with a significant drop off in felt recoil. In 1984, Winchester began to produce rifles chambered for cartridge, legitimizing Waters’ dream, and establishing it as a commercial cartridge.

Behind the Bullet: .370 Sako Magnum

In 2003, Finnish firearms manufacturer Sako released its own variant of the 9.3mm rimless cartridge: the 9.3x66mm Sako, or as it is known in the U.S., the .370 Sako Magnum. It delivers performance on par with the beloved .375 H&H in a package which can hold one additional round in the magazine in a lighter rifle.

Page 2 of 16

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.