Towner Begins Manufacturing of .500 Magnum Carbine

by Jim Jarrett

Wild West Texas hogs soon will be facing a different caliber of opponent.

Scot Towner of Towner Manufacturing is producing a pump action .500 magnum caliber carbine designed especially for boars and feral pigs.

“It should be excellent, that’s what it’s built for,” said Towner.

The first model is expected to roll off the assembly line at the end of this month, he said. “I’m very ready for that,” he said.

It is the company’s first production venture since Towner Manufacturing moved to Reese Center in 2006, said Towner. He said he prepared the manufacturing facility in 2006 and 2007.

The carbine is the first which is specifically designed to hunt boars and feral pigs in the West Texas brush, said Towner.

“A pump rifle is not anything new. The .500 magnum is relatively new in the world,” he said.

The carbine has an effective range of about 150 yards without a scope, said Towner.

“With a scope, a good hunter could extend that range,” he said.

Since feral pigs have a good sense of smell, the extra range could come in handy.

“It gives you an option and is certainly more accurate than a shotgun,” said Towner.

The model has quick handling, has good balance and knockdown power is good, he added.

An express sight, which was developed in the 19th century and used extensively in the 20th century, will be used, said Towner. An express sight with its wide ‘V’ design allows a hunter to aim quicker than a standard iron sight found on most rifles, he said.

“Those were typical in game rifles from the 19th century. They are still popular. That’s when they were first used. They are intended for rapid sight acquisition,” said Towner.

The rifles are priced at $1,600, he said.

“They should be a sound investment,” said Towner.

Towner, who graduated with a mechanical technology degree from Texas Tech, built a 3-D model on the computer prior to manufacturing during most of 2007.

“I’ve used current three-dimensional modeling from the computer. It’s like you see on the car commercial. You build it on the computer and put it all together in the assembly,” he said.

The computer program also checked to verify the model’s safety.

Towner was employed with Strayer-Voigt, a handgun company, for six years. Strayer-Voigt built its reputation in the gun world for its custom-built Infinity 1911 .45 caliber handguns.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Photo by Jim Jarrett

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