Ed Brown Savanna Rifle

Most custom rifle-smiths begin withfactory bolt-actions

that they rework according totheir philosophies. For world-class shooter and custom gun-smith Ed Brown, that wasunacceptable as he could notcontrol the quality of mass-produced factory actions. Forthat reason, Brown set out tomanufacture his own bolt-action that combines leading-edge manufacturing tech-niques and proven featureswith old-world craftsmanship.

That means Brown actions andrifles are built one at a time oncomputer numeric controlledmachining centers to customerorder with each rifle personal-ly built and tested by Ed or oneof his two sons. The result is theEd Brown Model 702 actionthat Brown offers as the basicbuilding block for five models.The NRA Technical Staffrecently received an Ed BrownSavanna model in .300 Win.Mag. for test and evaluation.

The Brown Savanna rifle isa classically styled, 71⁄2-lb.

sporter intended forbig game hunting atlong ranges. Avail-able in either left- orright-hand operationand long- or short-action lengths, bar-rels are either 24" or

26" stainless or carbon steeldepending on caliber and optionsselected. The rifle is not intend-ed as a showcase of artwork or asa display case queen. For thosereasons, the Savanna rifle fea-tures a no-nonsense checkered,fiberglass-reinforced, pillar-

80 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • August 2001

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” at least since1921, when Col. Townsend Whelen first titled his column with it. Eventhen, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot-ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firing line. “Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s term for sight adjustment information,while judging wind speed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide informationbased on the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances.They donot detail the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely nec-essary to properly carry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page.Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training require-ments, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

Ed Brown elected to manufac-ture his own rifle actions, combining

old world craftsmanship with modern manu-facturing techniques. They are offered in short

or long lengths with right- or left-hand operation.

.300 Win. Mag. Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (inches) (inches) (inches)

Federal P300WT4 3125 Avg. 3,150 24.5 0.85 1.06 0.92150-gr. TBBC 27 Sd

Hornady 8202 2923 Avg. 3,131 25.9 0.61 1.08 0.84165-gr. BTSPIL 20 Sd

Winchester X30WM2 2861 Avg. 3,272 28.1 0.47 0.96 0.70180-gr. PP 22 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 0.82

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 26" barrel. Range temperature: 75° F.Humidity: 21% Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yds. from asandbag. Abbreviations: BTSPIL (boattail spire-point Interlock), PP (Power Point),Sd (standard deviation), TBBC (Trophy Bonded Bear Claw).

SHOOTING RESULTS

Ed BrownSavanna Rifle

bedded, synthetic stock, all-steel construction and matteblack finish.

But where it counts, the EdBrown Savanna rifle allowsabsolutely no compromises.To assure the accuracy neededfor long-range hunting, onlyhand-lapped, match-qualitybarrels with deeply counter-

sunk muzzle crowns andbenchrest-quality chambersare used—No. 3 contour instandard calibers and No. 4contour in magnum calibers.Socket-head action screwshold the precision-beddedaction securely in the synthet-ic stock against aluminumpillars. Blued steel quick-detachable (QD) sling swivelstuds are standard equipmentas is a 1"-thick rubber recoilpad. Talley steel scope mountbases are installed and securedby heavy duty 8-40 screws.

Brown’s Model 702 actionis a classic Mauser-type turn-bolt repeater with a short 90degree bolt throw and dual,opposed front locking lugsoffering plenty of contact area.The bolt locks directly to theaction, which is a stressed part.An M16-type, non-rotatingextractor is used along with aninternal ejector. The 0.700"diameter, hand-fitted, carbon

steel bolt has a welded-on han-dle and spiral flutes to reduceweight, distribute lubricationand enhance cleaning. An easyto operate, push button bolt stopis located on the left rear side ofthe receiver, and there is a three-position safety lever on the rightrear of the bolt shroud.

The 1.360" diameterreceiver itself is machinedfrom heat-treated, carbon steelwith a solid rear bridge, roundbottom and 0.300" thick,collar-type, front recoil lug.Sidewalls of the front receiverring are approximately 0.185"thick. There is a 0.115"-diameter gas-relief hole drilledinto the right side of the frontreceiver ring to allow high-pressure gases to escape in theunlikely event of a rupturedcartridge case head. AllSavanna rifles have an internalmagazine as standard. Savannarifles in the new .300 WSMcaliber will have a detachablebox magazine option.

The adjustable trigger isheld to the lower rear of theaction with two pins. On mod-els with an internal magazine,the floorplate is hinged at thefront and released by pressinga small button in front of themachined steel trigger guard.

When handed an EdBrown Savanna rifle for thefirst time, one particularlynotices its excellent balanceand refined handling. Whatthat means is the Savanna canbe carried comfortably for

long periods withoutfatigue and comes to theshoulder effortlessly.Experienced hunterswil l ful ly appreciateboth those features, andnovice hunters will sooncome to the same con-clusion. Operat ionproved straightforwardand smooth. In particu-lar, the bolt operates andglides smoothly withoutbinding, the bolt release

button operates easily and themagazine floorplate releaseson demand.

Styling of the Ed BrownSavanna rifle can be describedas purposeful and practical,and we came to appreciate thestyl ing in i ts own r ight .However, the purposeful ,practical approach may notappeal to everyone—especial-ly a buyer seeking braggingrights on a showcase queen.For the experienced hunter,however, the styling appearsjust right.

On a rifle such as this, thebuyer expects superior work-manship, fit, finish and accura-cy. After all, that is what theSavanna rifle is all about. In ouropinion, workmanship, fit andfinish are fully commensuratewith the asking price.

We fired nearly 200 roundsof ammunit ion of variousbrands through the Savannarifle without malfunction.

Diameter of the Brown receiver is 1.360" (l.),which is large enough to accept large mag-num cartridges such as the .338 Lapua Mag.and .460 Wby. Mag. Brown’s new proprietary

rifle action uses a carbon steel bolt (r.) withdual, opposed front locking lugs, an M16-

type external extractor and an internalejector. Note the helical flutes on the

bolt body that reduce weight andincrease stiffness.

The Savanna rifle uses a fiberglass-reinforced synthetic stock with alu-minum pillar bedding, socket-head action screws, quick-detachablesling swivel studs and a rubber recoil pad.

MANUFACTURER: EdBrown Custom, Inc.(Dept. AR), P.O. Box 492,Perry, MO 63462;(573) 565-3261;www.edbrown.com

CALIBER: .257 Ackley Imp.,.25-’06 Rem., .270 Win.,.280 Rem., .280 AckleyImp., 7 mm Rem. Mag., 7 mm STW, .30-’06 Sprg.,.300 Win. Mag. (tested),.300 WSM, .300 Rem. UltraMag., .300 Wby. Mag. and.338 Win. Mag. Additionalcalibers, including short-actions, available.

ACTION TYPE: proprietarydesign turn-bolt, center-fire repeater with twofront, opposed lockinglugs on bolt, long- orshort-length, left- or right-hand, three-position safety, internal ejector,external extractor

RECEIVER: heat-treated,CNC-machined carbon steel

FINISH: matte blackOVERALL LENGTH: 461⁄2"BARREL: match-grade,

hand-lapped, carbonsteel, 24" or 26" (tested)

RIFLING: conventional,eight-groove 1:10" RHtwist

MAGAZINE: internal, double-column withhinged floorplate

WEIGHT: 7 lbs., 8 ozs.SIGHTS: none, steel two-

piece scope basesinstalled

TRIGGER: adjustable, two-stage, 2 lbs. pull.

STOCK: sporter-style fiber-glass synthetic withcheekpiece, 18 l.p.i.checkering on pistol gripand fore-end, 1" blackand rubber recoil pad;precision bedded withaluminum pillars: lengthof pull, 135⁄8"; drop at heel,21⁄4"; drop at comb, 21⁄4"

SUGGESTED RETAILPRICE: $2,800

SAVANNA RIFLE

81

For more than 100years, Marlin’slever-action rifles

have been enjoyed bygenerations of shooters.Early in the Marlin levergun’s history, shooterswanted a rifle that wouldhelp them survive. Suchrifles had to be utterlyreliable, at least ade-quately powerful andthoroughly durable. Asour use of rifles hasevolved away from sus-tenance and moretoward sport, we’ve seenno less of a commitmentfrom manufacturers

regarding reliability,power and durability,though we have driftedin aesthetics from utili-tarian to sometimeswhimsical.

Marlin has just raisedthe bar in its commit-ment to durability withthe introduction of itsModel 336 in stainlesssteel. While hardly a“new” rifle—the designarguably dates to1893—the use of stain-less steel marks a newdirection for Marlin in thecenter-fire rifle market.Stainless steel is not rust-

MarlinModel336SS

The Marlin Model 336rifle has a solid reputationfor reliability and durabil-ity. Now that it is availablein stainless steel, it will beable to maintain thoseattributes despite neglector a harsh environment.


Accuracy proved excellentand perceived recoil was mod-erate thanks in part to therifle’s excellent balance. Inparticular, we like the some-what shorter than normal 135⁄8"length of pull on the Savanna.Why? Because typically, riflessuch as this are used in the

colder months of the yearwhen hunters wear heavyclothing, which can makerif les with 14"-plus pulllengths unwieldy. A minordetail perhaps, but indicativeof the thorough attention todetail given to this rifle’sdesign by Ed Brown.

Unlike some competitors,Ed Brown does not guaranteeaccuracy. The reason is, ofcourse, that the Savanna rifle iscapable of substantially greateraccuracy (1/2 m.o.a.) than mosthunting ammunition can deliv-er. However, the Savanna riflewill deliver all the accuracy

your ammunition is capable of,which is more than acceptablefor most types of hunting.

Ed Brown’s Savanna rifle willbe appreciated by experiencedhunters willing to pay for a reli-able, high-quality, precision toolfor hunting at long ranges in allweather conditions.

For accuracy testing,we equipped theMarlin with a LeupoldVari-X 3-9X Compactscope in Weaver-stylerings. The combinationproved complementaryyielding good accuracywith most loads.

proof, nor is it corrosion-proof,but it does lend some degree ofsecurity to those of us who don’talways clean our guns after eachuse or who hunt in extreme cli-matic conditions.

Some of the hallmarks of theModel 336 design that bearrepeating are its full-length,tubular magazine, real walnutstock with cut checkering andround bolt that theoreticallymakes the receiver stronger thanthe square bolt of earlier Marlinrifle designs. There are also thefamiliar barrel bands and pistolgrip with black cap, as well asthe relatively modern cross-bolthammer-drop safety that whenengaged stops the hammer fromstriking the firing pin.

The iron sights are the onlyblued steel external parts wecould find on the test rifle. That’s

good because stainless sightswould be annoyingly reflective,especially in bright sunshine.

Marlin’s first gun with asolid top was the Model 1889,and from it evolved—through aseries of successive modelsincluding the Models 1893 and36—the Model 336. A by-product of the solid top receiveris side ejection—a great bene-fit to the many who buck tradi-tion and mount a scope on theModel 336SS.

For testing, we chose to buckand equipped the Marlin with aLeupold 3-9X Compact scope inWeaver-style rings. That combi-nation was rather complemen-tary, and increased the overallweight to only around 8 lbs.Accuracy testing results are sum-marized in the accompanyingtable. Function firing was with

several different typepartial boxes of .30-30Win. ammunition theTechnical Staff hadremaining in its ammu-nition locker. Therewere no malfunctions

of any kind with thetest gun, and accura-cy was on par withthe Marlin Model336ER rifle in .356Win. caliber we test-ed in 1984 (October1984, p. 58). As arifle intended formedium-size gamesuch as deer or bearat woods ranges, the23⁄4" group average isacceptable.

Both Federal-and Remington-brand ammunition

shot well, but the accuracyexception was PMC-brand .30-30 Starfire, which, frankly,stunk. That’s a shame becausethe Starfire uses an all-copperbullet much like the Barnes X-Bullet, which has a proven ter-minal ballistics track record. Atfirst, we assumed there wassome incompatibility betweenthe bullet and the bore, causingthe soft copper to not be stabi-lized by the shallow “Micro-Groove” rifling. We managed torecover more than a half-dozenbullets from the backstop andexamined the rifling marksunder a dissection microscopebut found nothing that wouldsuggest inadequate purchase bythe lands. There was also nokeyholeing, so the result is thatthe load simply didn’t shootwell in that gun. The only waywe could get it to group was tofire five shots then clean the borewith a strong copper solventbefore firing the next group.As with cast lead bullets,Mar l i n ’s Mic ro -Grooverifling didn’t seem to work

that well for us with all-cop-per bullets.

Marlin’s newest rifle, then,combines the nostalgic traditionof a lever-action gun with the“modern” material stainlesssteel. That combination forms arifle that over the test of time hasproven itself in reliability, dura-bility and accuracy, and can nowmaintain those attributesdespite neglect from time-crunched modern man—ornearly anything MotherNature can dish out.

.30-30 Win. Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (inches) (inches) (inches)

Federal 3030B 2204 Avg. 1,834 10.5 1.45 2.52 2.07170-gr. SPH-S 11 Sd

Remington R30301 2309 Avg. 1,776 9.4 1.63 3.35 2.65150-gr. C-LSP 29 Sd

PMC C3030SFA 2204 Avg. 1,618 8.8 2.75 4.51 3.57150-gr. SF 24 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 2.76

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 20" barrel. Range temperature:77° F. Humidity: 86% Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yds.from a sandbag. Abbreviations: C-LSP (Core-Lokt soft-point), SPH-S (soft-pointHi-Shok), Sd (standard deviation), SF (Starfire).

SHOOTING RESULTSMANUFACTURER: Marlin

Firearms Co. (Dept. AR),100 Kenna Drive, P.O.Box 248, North Haven,CT 06473-0905; (203)239-5621; www.marlin-firearms.com

CALIBER: .30-30 Win.ACTION TYPE: lever-

action, center-fire rifleOVERALL LENGTH: 381⁄2"BARREL: 20" RIFLING: Micro-Groove

1:10" RH-twistWEIGHT: 7 lbs.MAGAZINE: six-round

tubular magazineSIGHTS: semi-buckhorn

rear adjustable forwindage and elevation,ramp front with Wide-Scan hood and brassbead on steel blade

TRIGGER: single-stage, 41⁄2 lbs. pull

STOCK: American walnut:length of pull, 131⁄2"; dropat heel, 21⁄4"; drop atcomb, 11⁄2"

ACCESSORIES: hammerspur, safety lock

SUGGESTED RETAILPRICE: $608

MARLIN 336SS

The round bolt of the Model 336 (l.) theoretically makes thereceiver stronger than the square bolt of earlier Marlindesigns, as some believe the steel is weakened lessby boring a round hole than cutting a squareone. Externally, the only visible steel partsthat are not stainless are the sights (r.).The rear is an adjustable semi-buckhornwhile the front is a hooded ramp withbrass bead.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • August 2001 83

Americans have along history ofappreciation for the

repeating shotgun, and theWinchester Model 1897 isone of the earliest and mostpopular examples. From itsintroduction in 1897, theModel 1897 Winchester wasan immediate success andwas manufactured until1957 with approximately1,024,700 made. But the gunis not merely relegated to theforgotten corners of history.The growth of CowboyAction shooting has madeguns from that era very pop-ular recently with manyshooters looking for eitheroriginals or, more often,quality reproductions foruse in the competitions.

The Model 1897 is sim-ply a slide-action repeatingshotgun. Its two primarymoving action elements arethe breech block and thelarge, heavy, machined car-rier. The first motion of theaction slide arm moves thecarrier downward. Thebreech block is lockedagainst an abutment in theheavy carrier and once thecarrier moves downward,

the breech block is free tomove to the rear on tracksmachined into the receiverin a straight line. The carri-er continues to move down-ward where it picks up afresh shell from the five-shot tubular magazine. Onthe closing stroke, the carri-er motion is reversed and itlifts upward, lining up thefresh shell with the chamberinto which it is pushed bythe bolt.

Tastes change, percep-tions alter—and now theModel 1897 is once again amarketable product thanksto the popularity of CowboyAction shooting. Althoughthis shotgun would likely beprohibitively expensive fora U.S. company to manu-facture today, InterstateArms has stepped into thevoid left by high labor costsin America with its Chinese-made Model 97, a reason-ably priced imported alter-native for modern shooters.

Made by Norinco ofChina, the Model 97 turnedout to be a surprisingly faith-ful copy of the original, withsome who saw it at first ask-ing how that “Winchester”

was in such good condition.It is important to note thoughthat despite very similarappearances, parts are notnecessarily interchangeablebetween an original and thislatest Model 97. Looking agreat deal like a “riot” or“brush” model, the Model 97features a 20" barrel with afixed cylinder bore chokeand brass front bead. TheModel 97 is chamberedstrictly for 12-ga., 23⁄4" shells.

Unlike the original thatwas offered in both take-down and solid-framemodels, the Model 97 isstrictly a non-takedowndesign. It features a hard-wood stock, with a walnutversion in the works, and anicely polished blue finish

Interstate ArmsModel 97 Shotgun

Unlike contemporarydesigns, the Model 97 hasparts sticking out all overwhen the action is open(above r.). Although thehammer was well-fittedand shaped, its checkeringwas too smooth for ourtastes (middle r.). Note thedual extractors on the bolt(r.), which encourage positive extraction.



on metal parts. Wood to metalfit was acceptable with reason-ably good fit and only a little bitof proudness. The only part thatwas fitted roughly was the rearof the trigger group to the under-side of the pistol grip. There, thewood was above the metal. Thefinish on the metal parts is even,with the only evidence of roughmachining being on and aroundthe trigger group and the boltand carrier in the receiver. Also,the action is not as smooth as anoriginal Winchester that we hadon hand, but that may not be a

fair comparison as the originalhad probably been rackedthousands of times. Rackingthe slide on the Model 97 backand forth proved gritty-feelingwith some points that tookadded effort to overcome, butthe gun will likely smooth outas it is used.

Functioning of the Model97 is the same as an originalWinchester. It has an exposed,external hammer with half-cock and full-cock settings.The owner’s manual warnsthat, although the gun is

designed to not fire while inthe half-cock posit ion, i tshould not be carried that wayunless one is about to fire andhas the muzzle pointed in asafe direction. The gun shouldbe carried with the hammerdown on an empty chamber.

The Norinco features aslide-action release button onthe right side of the receiver,allowing the user to empty thechamber if the situation war-rants. Also, the Model 97 fea-tures a shell release mecha-nism. It allows the user to presstwo buttons placed on eachside of the receiver to releasethe shells from the magazine.Although we could get these towork, they were inconsistentand difficult to employ.

Loading is accomplishedby having the fore-end fullyforward with the gun turnedover so you can see the maga-zine follower. Push shellsdirectly into the magazine tubeuntil they are captured by theshell latch. To chamber around, press the bolt release on

the rightside of thereceiver andthen manually oper-ate the fore-end as withany slide action. The gun isnow loaded with the hammer atfull cock. Be sure to release thetrigger after each shot as, likethe original, the Model 97 doesnot have a disconnector andwill fire when the action isclosed if the trigger is keptdepressed.

During our shooting tests,we discovered that the Model

97, like the originalWinchester, can bea bit “balky.” Wepattern tested thegun with FederalNo. 6 lead FieldLoads with theresult shown in thea c c o m p a n y i n gtable, and functionfired i t wi th avariety of otherbrands of shells.We discoveredthat it is necessaryto smartly work theaction back andforth during firingto ensure that prop-er extraction and

feeding is performed. Early on,we experienced several failuresto extract and feed with severaltypes of shells, but discoveredthat proper functioning can beachieved through the combina-tion of brisk “shucking” and theuse of high-quality ammunition.Also, whether using handloadsor factory ammunition, consis-tent shell length is an importantconcern with this gun. We dis-covered that the outside of themagazine tube of this gunshould be oiled where the actionslide contacts it to smooth upthe movement of the action.

During our test, and the vio-lent working of the action, theaction slide sleeve screw capseparated from the slide actioncausing the fore-end to sepa-rate from the slide action. Itappears that the fore-end’slength may have precluded thecap from fully seating and thatthe threads were too shallow.Interstate Arms informed usthat was a problem in the earlyrun of guns and assured us thatthe factory has been informed

and theproblem reme-died. It sent us a secondgun from the current produc-tion batch and it performedwithout a hitch with severalbrands of shells. As comparedto the earlier production model,this gun was much smootherand easier to use and did notrequire as much force in work-ing the action.

Considering the nature ofthe gun and its price, the Model97 should be quite popular withthe Cowboy Action shootingcrowd. Taking into considera-tion the “quirky” design natureof the original, the Model 97proved to be a good low-costalternative to an originalWinchester. Also, with thedetails of the design appearingto be worked out, the new pro-duction models should be asolid deal for the CowboyAction shooter looking for agun to use that will not breakthe bank.

MANUFACTURER:Norinco, Factory No. 976Shan-Dong FirstMachinery Factory,Beijing, China

IMPORTER: InterstateArms Corp. (Dept. AR),6G Dunham Road,Billerica, MA 01821;(800) 243-3006

GAUGE: 12, 23⁄4"ACTION TYPE: slide action,

repeating shotgunFINISH: blued steelOVERALL LENGTH: 39"BARREL LENGTH: 20"CHOKE: fixed, cylinderWEIGHT: 7 lbs., 1 oz.MAGAZINE CAPACITY: fiveSIGHTS: brass bead frontTRIGGER: single-stage,

73⁄4-lbs. pullSTOCK: hardwood with

walnut stain (walnutplanned): length of pull,133⁄4"; drop at heel, 25⁄8";drop at comb, 13⁄4"

ACCESSORIES: instructionmanual

SUGGESTED RETAILPRICE: $349

MODEL 97

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.

12 12

10 11

18 16

13 12

Cylinder Choke= Point of Hold

Interstate Arms Model 9712-ga., 23⁄4"—11⁄4 oz.

No. 6 copper-plated leadAverage Pellet count: 287

Measured Velocity @ 3'—1221 f.p.s.Remaining Energy Per

Pellet @ 40 yds.: 1 ft.-lb.

Total Hits 104 (36%)21.2" Inner Circle 55 (19%)30" Outer Ring 49 (17%)

MODEL 97

The Model 97 features shell release buttons (above l., arrows) that arepressed together to release shells from the magazine. Also, a slide-actionrelease button (above r,. arrow) is located on the right of the receiver. Itallows the user to retract the slide and empty the chamber.

For decades, Redfieldenjoyed a reputation for“accuracy and consis-

tency of adjustments” withrespect to its various lines ofhunting and target scopes.While that reputation contin-ued, the company didn’t, and itssudden closure in late 1999caught many off guard. ABOUSA, Inc. in Miami, Fla., con-tinued to honor the Redfieldwarranty , but the optics icon allbut disappeared from the mar-ket. With such a recognizableand respected name, it wasn’t

long before Redfield was resur-rected—this time as part ofsporting goods conglomerateBlount, Inc.

Now, with the backing of aparent company whose hold-ings include such names asRCBS and Federal Cartridge,Redfield is back on dealers’shelves. Initial offerings includethe Widefield line of scopes thathave a field of view claimed tobe 30 percent greater than con-ventional scopes. There is alsothe Illuminator line thatRedfield calls its “best,” the tra-

ditional Golden FiveStar series of scopesand the economicalTracker line. In all,there are currently25 different scopesoffered in gloss,matte, blue or silverfinishes.

To help kick offthe return of Red-field, Blount hosteda seminar held overa cold Decemberweekend at FederalCartridge Co. inAnoka, Minn., torefamiliarize theoutdoor press withthe old name and tointroduce the newproduct line. Thatseminar allowed us to put thenew Redfield products throughan array of torture tests thatwould make inferior opticalproducts fail.

First in the series of testsinvolved packing a scope in abox of snow and leaving it out-side overnight where the tem-perature was hopelessly stuckseveral degrees below zero. Thenext morning, that scope waschiseled out of the snow andbrought inside to warm up.There was no fogging as a result

of that test. Another scope hadbeen left buried in sandovernight, presumably to test ifthe sand would penetrate thetube or controls. There wassome slight grittiness to thepower adjustment ring, but theturret drums and lensesremained unaffected.

Next, a heated scope wasplaced into a tank of cold water,the theory being that the con-traction caused by the rapidcooling of the scope would suckmoisture into it if the seals

Redfield 3-9x 42 mmIlluminator Scope

Having built a decades-old reputation for quality, Redfield’s suddenclosure in 1999 caught many by surprise. Back on the market again,the new Redfield looks as though it will continue that tradition.

The view seen through the scope looks like a television since theocular bell is shaped like one. Field of view is 31'x24' at 100 yds.when the scope is set at 3X—12'x10' when set at 9X.

Turrets are finger-adjustable with 1/4"clicks and waterproof covers. Adjustmentrange is 62 m.o.a. vertical and 59 m.o.a.horizontal.


failed. They didn’t. Yet anotherscope was left overnight sealedin a chamber that simulates long-term environmental exposure byusing heat and humidity. Thatscope remained clear, too.Blount Research Director BruceWarren bounced several scopesfrom shoulder height off a hardrubber pad with no ill-effects,while another scope that hadbeen frozen in a block of ice wasplaced in a warm water bath tothaw. That scope had its sealsfail as evidenced by the mois-ture collected against the insideof the objective lens. Last of theextreme tests subjected a scopeto 1,000 Gs axial and 500 Gstransverse force for 1,000cycles. That test was intended tosee if the scope could stand upto severe and repeated recoil,which it did.

Less physically extremetests were performed to checkoptical quality and adjustmentrepeatability. Optical qualitywas tested with a collimator fix-ture that used a series of incre-mentally reduced lines thatcould be viewed through allparts of the scope lens. Any dis-tortion attributable to the lenswould have been evident. At that

test fixture were several high-end, name brand scopes fromRedfield’s competitors. In opti-cal comparison, the Redfieldappeared to be of equal qualityto scopes costing considerablymore money.

There was no detectableimage distortion over the rangeof magnification, nor was thereany noticeable change in imagecolor or tone. The last test dur-ing the seminar had us “shootthe square,” which is a test foradjustment repeatability. Theobject is to fire a group from100 yds. into the center of a tar-get, and while maintaining thataiming point, make scopeadjustments to move consecu-tive groups around the targetpaper to form the corners of asquare. Again, the Redfieldpassed the test.

We left the seminar with anew Redfield I l luminator3-9X42 mm scope with duplexreticle for our own test and eval-uation. It’s a sealed, water-, fog-

and shock-proof one-piecealuminum unit made in Japan toRedfield’s specifications. Theoptics are fully coated to controlflare and reduce light reflectionloss, and the ocular bell is ovallike a television screen. Eyerelief ranges from 31⁄4" to 31⁄8"depending on power setting.The objective bell is round andthe exit pupil ranges from 13mm to 4.6 mm depending onpower setting. Like the ocularbell, the view as seen throughthe Redfield Illuminator is

shaped like a television screenand images are bright and crisp.Field of view is 31'x24' at 100yds. when on 3X and 12'x10' at100 yds. on 9X. The poweradjustment ring has a protrud-ing lug for easy grasping, and

the adjustment turrets are fin-ger-adjustable with 1/4" clicksand waterproof covers.Adjustment range is 62 m.o.a.vertical and 59 m.o.a. horizon-tal. Weight is 14.9 ozs., length is12 5⁄8" and the adjustment saddleis centrally located.

Being thoroughly satisfiedwith the testing done on theRedfield products at the semi-nar, we opted not to put thisscope through the same rigorswith the exception of the onetest the seminar scope failed.While preparing to freeze thescope in a block of ice, bubblesbegan to leak from the objectiveindicating a leak. We gaveRedfield the benefit of the doubtthat the scope had suffered dam-age at the hands of airline bag-gage handlers and requested areplacement. The replacementscope didn’t leak, and wasfrozen in a block of ice asplanned. When thawed in warmwater, no leaks were apparent sothat scope passed the test.

Given the severity of thephysical tests the new Redfieldscopes passed, it would appearthat Blount has made the neces-sary commitment to offer a qual-ity and rugged product. Optically,the Redfields compare favorablyto their peers by offering bright,clear images. To the new Redfieldproduct line, then, we say, “wel-come back.” Contact: RedfieldDivision of Blount (Dept. AR),201 Plantation Oak Drive,Thomasville, GA 31792; phone:(800) 285-0689;www.redfieldoptics.com.

Optical quality was tested with a collimator fixture. TheRedfields compared favorably with several other high-end,name-brand scopes in clarity and resolution.

One scope was heated andplaced in cold water (above).Contraction was not able todraw moisture into it. Anotherwas frozen and thawed in warmwater (r.)—it fogged. We repeat-ed the test at NRA with anotherscope—it didn’t fog.


Ed Brown Savanna Rifle

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