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Bryant Ridge's Analysis: The Winchester Model 52B Target is a legendary bolt-action .22 caliber rifle that epitomizes precision and excellence in smallbore shooting. Introduced in 1920, the Model 52 quickly earned its reputation as one of the finest target rifles ever made, dominating competitive shooting events for decades. The Model 52B, which is a later iteration of this iconic rifle, features a 28-inch barrel finished in blue, providing both durability and a refined, classic look. Known for …

Bryant Ridge's analysis: The Type I rifle is a strange hybrid with an interesting history. The Imperial Japanese Army controlled the arsenals that made small arms and got priority in deliveries. When the war in China heated up in 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy could not get enough domestically-produced rifles from the Army-controlled arsenals, so they went to Europe and looked at foreign sources. They liked German rifles but found them too expensive, so they signed contracts with the Czechs an …

Bryant Ridge's Analysis: The best-known Lee–Enfield rifle, the SMLE Mk III, was introduced on 26 January 1907, along with a Pattern 1907 bayonet, and featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed, rather than a bolt-head-mounted sliding, charger guide. The design of the handguards and the magazine were also improved, and the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII high-velocity spitzer .303 ammunition. Many early models, Magazine Lee–Enfields (MLEs), …

Bryant Ridge's Analysis: Back in the mid-1960s, when sniping once again came to the forefront of military leaders, the Austrian Army decided it needed to prepare their own snipers and properly equip them. The search for a proper weapon system was begun at that time, and in 1969, Austrian-based Steyr began building the new rifle, which was paired with a Kahles ZF69 fixed 6x scope, Kahles also being an Austrian-based company. The SSG-69, as it was designated, became the standard sniper rifle of th …

Bryant Ridge's Analysis: The Steyr Model 1895 emerged from a series of design improvements following Ferdinand Mannlicher's original straight-pull bolt action rifle, the M84, introduced in 1884, which featured a gravity-fed magazine. In 1885, the design was enhanced with a clip-fed magazine that ejected from the top when empty. By 1896, the en bloc Mannlicher magazine was incorporated, holding five rounds and designating the rifle as the M86. In 1888, the caliber was changed from the original 1 …