Hunting With A Long Malcom Scoped Hexagonal Bore .451 Caliber Whitworth Muzzleloading Rifle

The original of the rifle in the photo above and below could very well have been one of, if not, the first "sniper rifles".  It was introduced in 1855 by arms designer Sir Joseph Whitworth, with a good number of his rifles built on the British Enfield Pattern.  What made the rifle so different is that the bore had no rifling grooves at all.  Instead, the bore was hexagonal in shape...and the bore itself spiralled with a one turn in 21 inches rate of twist.  The original bullet was a long 580 grain hexagonal bullet.  While the slow loading of the rifle ruled it out as an infantry rifle, it's tremendous accuracy made it the ideal choice for the secretive long range sharpshooters which became known as snipers.

Here's an article on hunting with a Dixie Gun Works reproduction of the Whitworth...what it takes to turn out hexagonal bullets...and the accuracy these rifles were capable of producing.  To tap the accuracy of the rifle in these photos, one of the Hi-Lux Optics long 6x Malcolm scopes has been mounted - using the Hi-Lux Malcolm off-set mounts designed for the round barrel percussion Sharps rifle (No. ROBSMT).

http://namlhunt.blogspot.com/2013/02/hunting-with-451-caliber-hexagonal-bore.html

Thanks To Hi-Lux TB-ML Scope, Iowa Muzzleloading Hunter Makes 242-Yard Shot On A Whitetail Buck!

"As the smoke rolled out over the field the deer ran at top speed for cover. He made it about 40 yards before crashing in the open field. The Barnes bullet had found its way to within 2 inches of my aim. The extra hold offs in the scope are precise and unbelievable."

Iowa resident Mike Ross, hunting the late muzzleloader season this past January, pulled off a great 242-yard off-hand shot with his Knight .50 caliber Long Range Hunter, taking a nice buck with a single bullet centered through the chest cavity.  He attributed the success of that shot to spending a lot of time on the range with the rifle and the Hi-Lux Optics multi-reticle TB-ML scope - and to the precise placement of those reticles in the scope.

Here's a link to his story of the hunt.

http://www.namlhunt.com/mladventure2.html

Leatherwood Uni-Dial - Designed For The Serious Long Range Rifleman

          Here is a scope that allows the shooter to fully harness the trajectory of an accurate center-fire rifle - at all ranges within the ballistics capability of the cartridge being shot.

          The Leatherwood Uni-Dial  is a scope of conventional design, built with a very unique feature.  This exceptional rifle scope can be programmed for the zero to be "on" at ten different points down range.  The elevation turret features a series of (10) moveable flags, or indicators, and each can be sighted for the rifle to be "on" at different ranges.  Once a flag has been set...it can be locked in place.  To take a shot at that distance, all the shooter has to do is turn the turret until the flag for that range aligns with an index mark at the base of the turret.  It's that easy. 

          This scope is ideal for the long range varmint shooter, who may suddenly find himself faced with a 500 yard shot at a coyote, then another just as suddenly pops up at 300 yards.  Many shooters of the past would have simply tried to figure a different hold, or would add or subtract a number of clicks on the elevation turret.  With the Uni-Dial, it becomes simply a matter of turning the elevation turret in the right direction to the pre-determined, or programmed, range indicator.

          The Uni-Dial models also feature a "No Math Mil-Dot" ranging reticle.  All a shooter has to do is zoom the magnification range up or down until an object of known size (18 inches or 1 meter) fits between the proper brackets incorporated into the reticle...then look at the range indicated on the magnification ring.  The elevation turret is then turned to the proper flag, and the shooter takes the shot.  One full turn of the elevation or windage  turret gives 40 MOA adjustment.  Once set, the windage adjustment can also be locked in place, leaving the shooter 7 MOA of adjustment in either direction for tweaking point of impact for those long range shots on a breezy day. 

          The Leatherwood Uni-Dial models are built with all of the quality, craftsmanship and features that distinguish every Hi-Lux Optics rifle scope.  All lenses are polished to photographic quality, then every air surface is fully multi -coated to insure a bright, clear and sharp sight picture.  Other features include our Tri-Center coil spring tension on the erector tube for positive click adjustment and a Fast-Focus eye-piece for easy multi shooter use.   Offered in three magnification ranges.  The 2.5-10x44mm model comes with  1-inch diameter tube and retails for $299.  The 4-16x50mm and  7-30x50mm Uni-Dial models are built with a 30mm tube and feature handy Top-Angle Focus parallax adjustment, retailing  for  $385 and $475 respectively.  Each comes with a 4 1/2" extended sunshade and flip up lens covers.  Like all Hi-Lux Optics rifle scopes, the Uni-Dial models come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.


For more information on this model, call 888 445-8912 or drop Hi-Lux Optics an e-mail at info@hi-luxoptics.com .

 

 

Hi-Lux Optics TB-ML Muzzleloader Hunting Scope Doubles As A Great Slug-Shooting Shotgun Scope!

          Across much of the U.S., upwards of 5-million deer hunters cannot head for a favorite deer woods with a rifle slung over their shoulder.  These hunters live or hunt where the human population is so dense and so widespread that hunting with a long range rifle has been banned.  In some Midwestern states hunting whitetails with a center-fire rifle has never been allowed.  Instead these hunters have had to rely on a shotgun that shoots a slug with some reasonable degree of accuracy, limiting shots to under 200 yards.  Today, an ever growing segment of those hunters are moving away from the smooth-bored deer hunting shotguns and heavy lead rifled slugs of the past, and are now going afield with rifled 12- and 20-gauge shotguns loaded with far more efficient slugs with saboted bullets.

            The still relatively new shotgun slug concept is very similar to the sabots and bullets which have popularized the modern in-line ignition .50 caliber muzzleloaders.   Thanks to the newer powders currently available, muzzleloading hunters are now hitting the woods with a rifle and load fully capable of getting a saboted 300-grain bullet out of the muzzle at 1,900 to 2,000 f.p.s.  To tap the game taking performance of these rifles, the Hi-Lux Optics 3-9x40mm TB-ML multi-reticle hunting scope was developed to allow "dead on" holds with the proper reticle out to 250 yards.  These scopes are now showing up on the modern sabot-slug shooting rifled shotguns for the same reason - for more precise shot placement out to and past 200 yards.  (Photo above shows the scope on a Traditions .50 caliber VORTEK rifle.)

            Performance wise, today's saboted slugs are right on par with the velocities and trajectories of popular saboted bullets for modern .50 caliber muzzleloaders - and the reticles of the TB-ML muzzleloader scope will keep those slugs in the kill zone all the way out to 250 yards.  This scope is built with the same rugged construction as all other Hi-Lux Optics "All Terrain Riflescopes" and will stand up to the recoil of a 12-gauge shotgun for a lifetime of shooting and hunting.  The TB-ML models come in matte blue-black finish for $179 and in matte silver finish for $189.  All Hi-Lux Optics models come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.  For more on this model and others visit the Hi-Lux Optics website at www.hi-luxoptics.com, or drop the company an e-mail at info@hi-luxoptics.com, or give them a call at 310 257-8142.

2013 SHOT Show Poster - Vintage Sniper Scope Models

This poster was made up for the SHOT Show booth -showing the three vintage sniper rifle scopes now offered by Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics.  If you're going to the show...we're in Booth No. 1017.

Hi-Lux Optics Recreates Vietnam Era USMC Sniper Scope

 

                In 1965, the U.S. Marine Corps began its search for a new rifle and scope combo to serve as their  official combat sniper rifle.  The goal was to have USMC  armorers customize and accurize a readily available production rifle.  The Corps settled on the Remington Model 40x, a premium grade of the Model 700, chambered for the .308 Winchester (a.k.a. 7.62 NATO) cartridge, and topped it with a commercially available 3-9x40mm variable power hunting scope that featured a simple and easy to learn ranging system.  The rifle was designated the M40.

                 Hi-Lux Optics is now recreating this 1960's era scope for all of those "old school" sharpshooters among us, those who take the time to know the trajectory of the loads they shoot.  However, Hi-Lux Optics has made some major internal improvements.  The optics are far superior to that of the original, with precision ground lenses that are fully multi-coated for maximum light transmission.  Hi-Lux Optics has also added positive 1/4" click adjustments to the windage and elevation turrets.

                The Auto-Ranging system incorporated in this scope features two parallel horizontal crosshairs near the top of the reticle.  Showing at the bottom of the rear lens is a yardage scale.  The shooter simply zooms in on a known target of 18 inches, until it fits perfectly between the two crosshairs, then reads the range at the bottom.  The reticle accurately ranges from 200 to 600 yards. The yardage scale used in the original Marine Corps scope was made of plastic, and often melted in the heat of Vietnam.  The Hi-Lux M40 USMC 3-9x40mm Sniper model is built with an etched glass yardage scale.

                This scope comes in choice of anodized finish - deep black or olive drab green, and is backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty.   The finishing touches are now being made to this recreation of a vintage scope from the past, and should be on display at the SHOT Show.  The anticipated retail price is $319.  If you are attending the show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas,  January 15 thru 18, be sure to stop by the Hi-Lux Optics booth (No. 1017) and take a look at the M40 USMC 3-9x40mm Sniper model.

                For more information on the delivery date of this scope and other models in the Hi-Lux Optics line, call 310 257-8142 or send an e-mail to info@hi-luxoptics.com.

 

(Accompanying photo shows the USMC M40 rifle and auto-ranging scope used by Marine Corps sniper Chuck Mawhinney in Vietnam.  He was the Corps' top sharpshooter during that conflict.  The rifle is in the Marine Corps Museum.)

The Hi-Lux Optics LER Scout - Specifically Designed for Today's Scout Rifles

                Gun writer Jeff Cooper has been rightfully credited with popularizing the "Scout Rifle" concept, thanks to his coverage of such rifles through the 1980s.  Rifles of that type have been around for decades,  in a variety of short and fast handling bolt-action, semi-auto and even lever-action models that can deliver a high rate of fire, and which can be quickly reloaded - yet still offer a dependable degree of accuracy.  Scout rifle shooters  looking to fully tap that capability are turning to low magnification scopes mounted forward of the receiver.  One of the best scopes available today for rifles of this type is the Hi-Lux Optics 2-7x32mm LER Scout.

                This scope has been specifically designed for being mounted in just this fashion.   The LER Scout is not a handgun scope.  Depending on the magnification setting, the workable eye relief of this scope is approximately 8 to 13 inches, which puts it mounted in front of the receiver.   With the LER Scout  magnification turned down to the lowest 2x setting, a hunter following wounded game can hold the rifle in the ready position, and when the target suddenly appears at close range, just snapping the rifle up to the shoulder will generally put the reticle on the target.  A rifle in a popular caliber such as .308 Winchester can still deliver the accuracy and performance needed for shots out to and past 200 yards - and the LER Scout offers the higher magnification often needed to precisely place those longer range shots.

                The LER Scout is ideal for whenever a scope must be mounted forward - whether the shooter is assembling his own Scout Rifle...or perhaps when mounting the scope on a top-ejection lever action rifle, or even to set clear of the hammer on a traditionally styled muzzleloading big game rifle.  This scope is built with a high tensile strength one-piece aluminum tube and the lenses have been fully multi-coated to insure a clear, bright and sharp sight picture.  Shooters can choose between a standard fine duplex reticle or a heavy German style 3-post reticle.  A Fast Focus eye-piece allows easy multi-shooter use, and the 1/4" click windage and elevation adjustment is crisp and positive.  The Hi-Lux Optics LER Scout retails for $189 and comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.