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January 13th, 2010
 Make no mistake about it, despite the tough economic times, gun sales are still going strong. In 2009, Americans purchased over 14,000,000 firearms, based on NICS Background Check statistics from the FBI. The FBI logged 14,033,824 NICS checks in 2009, a 10% rise from the 12,709,023 checks in 2008.
The raw number of NICS checks may actually under-count the total number of guns sold last year. This is because when a buyer purchases multiple firearms at the same time, a single NICS check can apply to multiple sales.
Shooting Sports Are Big Business
Let’s compare gun sales with other sporting items. According to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), Americans spend more on guns than on ski equipment or tennis equipment. Moreover the $5.5 billion shooters and hunters spend each year on guns, ammo, and equipment dwarfs the $3 billion golfers spend on equipment. Given the BILLIONS of dollars that shooters spend, why are shooting sports largely ignored (or trivialized) by the mainstream media? The answer appears to be political/philosophical bias. The general news media simply refuses to acknowledge that sporting use of firearms is a widespread, popular activity in our culture.
The Important Truth Revealed by Gun Sales Statistics
Ironically, while the mainstream news media attempts to marginalize the shooting sports as a “niche” activity by “unprogressive” elements in society, Americans are buying more guns and ammo than ever. What is the message behind verified gun sales statistics? First, gun ownership is hardly a niche activity. Secondly, gun ownership is so widespread that gun owners need not be apologetic about exercising their Second Amendment rights. While the “talking heads” on news networks may mock “gun-totting rednecks”, the reality is that all segments of society own and use firearms for sport, hunting, and self-defense. Be proud to be a gun owner, along with tens of millions of other law-abiding Americans.
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January 12th, 2010
You can quickly access loads for Alliant powders via Alliant’s Online Reloading Guide. There you’ll find hundreds of recipes for rifle loads, pistol loads, and shotshell loads. While it’s great to have web-based reloading info when you have a live internet connection, you can also download the Alliant Reloaders’ Guide in PDF format. That way you can archive the guide on your computer, or keep the file on a portable computer for use in the field or workshop.
CLICK HERE to download ALLIANT RELOADER’S GUIDE (PDF format).
Alliant’s 47-page PDF Reloader’s Guide includes recipes for shotgun, pistol, and rifle. This guide includes important safety instructions, plus reloading data for most popular cartridges. The guide includes Alliant’s new Reloder 17 and Power Pro powders. Unfortunately the listed loads for centerfire rifles only include Speer bullets.
FREE Reloader’s Guide Print Version Offered
You can also CLICK HERE to order a FREE printed version of the 2010 Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide. Just fill out your name and address. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
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January 12th, 2010
Bryan Litz, a skilled long-range shooter and ballistician for Berger Bullets, has created a “deployable” ballistics computer, MOBALL, based on the versatile Texas Instruments Voyage 200 graphing calculator. The MOBALL unit lets shooters input a wide variety of environmental variables. It delivers very precise ballistics solutions, and can run for months on a set of ordinary AAA batteries.
CLICK HERE for full description of MOBALL Ballistics Calculator.
When Bryan released the MOBALL unit late last year, it was set up to use English system measurements for most of its functions. That worked great for most users, but some shooters with mildot scopes wanted the ability to use Mils and meters instead of MOA and yards. Well, Bryan listened to these requests — he’s upgraded the MOBAL to provide metric range inputs and both metric and Mil drop outputs as an option.
Bryan tells us: “I’ve added the option to use meters/MILS in MOBALL. After consulting with several shooters who requested metric, it turns out that most of them didn’t want complete metric (caliber in mm, bullet weight in grams, temp in Celsius, etc) but only the range and drop in meters and MILS. So, I’ve updated the program functions accordingly. MOBALL has been upgraded to accept range in meters (as well as yards) and output drop in cm and MILS (as well as inches and MOA).”
The MOBALL Unit Retails for $290.00 and is available from AppliedBallisticsLLC.com.
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January 11th, 2010
 Les Baer Custom (LBC) is a highly respected maker of “semi-custom” 1911 pistols and AR platform rifles. Now Baer moves into the precision bolt-action rifle market with impressive new offerings for 2010. Baer will sell two different bolt-guns, each fitted with a Stiller custom action and a cut-rifled barrel made in-house by LBC. Available chamberings (for both models) are .243 Win, .260 Rem, or .308 Win (later this year LCB will release a .338 Lapua). Remarkably, Baer guarantees these new guns can deliver half-MOA 10-shot groups with match grade ammo.
The new Les Baer Custom bolt-action rifles all feature a Stiller Tac 30 action with Picatinny rail, Wyatt precision floor plate with Wyatt detachable box magazine (DBM), along with a “match grade” 24″ cut-rifled, 5-groove LBC barrel. A Timney match trigger with 2.5-lb pull is fitted, and both action and barrel are coated in a matte-black Dupont S finish.
Two different Bell & Carlson composite stock designs are offered. The LBC Tactical Recon Bolt Action Rifle features a tactical-style stock, similar in appearance to the SAKO TRG stock. It has a vertical pistol grip, undercut toe, plus an adjustable cheekpiece and adjustable buttplate. MSRP for the “Tactical Recon” model is $3560.00.
If you want a lighter rifle with a more conventional stock, the LBC Tactical Varmint Classic features a varmint-style composite stock with a narrower fore-arm, “standard” wrist-grip shape, and a straight comb. There is a small hook in the underside of the buttstock. Like the “Tactical Recon” model, the “Tactical Varmint” features a Stiller action, Wyatt bottom metal/magazine, and 24″ cut-rifled barrel. MSRP for the “Tactical Varmint” is $3410.00.
New Les Baer Bolt-Guns have 10-shot Half-MOA Guarantee
We talked with Les Baer yesterday, and he told us that the prototype Baer tactical rifles have show outstanding accuracy during testing, producing some 1/2″ groups at TWO hundred yards. Accordingly, Baer is offering one of the best guarantees in the business. Both LBC tactical bolt-guns “are guaranteed to shoot 10-shot groups under 1/2 MOA with match grade ammo.”
The new LBC rifles will debut next week at SHOT Show in Las Vegas. We hope to get our hands on one for field testing. It will be interesting to see if the rifles can really put 10 shots inside one-half inch (center to center) at 100 yards.
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January 10th, 2010
30-caliber magnums are the chamberings of choice for North American big game hunters. Although the venerable .30-06 and .270 remain popular, Boone and Crockett Club records show that the 30-caliber magnums (of one variety or another) take more North American trophies than any other caliber/chambering. (Note: “30-caliber magnum” includes .300 Win Mag, .300 WSM, .300 Wby. Mag, 300 Ultra mag. Records do not distinguish specific 30-cal magnum chamberings.) Boone and Crockett compiled the data from records-book entries from 2007 through 2009. Surprisingly, the second most popular trophy-taker isn’t a firearm—it’s a bow.
Here are the most commonly used calibers across all Boone and Crockett categories over the past three years, along with percentages of trophy entries credited to each:
30-cal Magnum (all types)—18 percent
Bow/crossbow—16 percent
.270—12 percent
.30-06—11 percent
7mm Magnum—11 percent
Muzzleloader/shotgun—10 percent
6mm—3 percent
.338 Magnum—3 percent
.257—2 percent
.30-30—2 percent
.308—2 percent
.375 Magnum—2 percent
Other—8 percent |
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30-caliber magnum cartridges appear among the top three calibers for 11 of the 15 species recognized in Boone and Crockett trophy records. Species for which records are kept include: Whitetail deer, Coues’ whitetail deer, Blacktail deer, Mule deer, Black bear, Brown Bear/Grizzly, Pronghorn, Elk, Moose, Caribou, Bison, Muskox, Cougar, Rocky Mtn. Goat, Sheep (Bighorn, Dall’s, Desert, Stone’s).
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January 10th, 2010
Hornady has announced that it is continuing its “Get Loaded” promotion throughout 2010. Under this program, you can get FREE Hornady bullets with the purchase of certain reloading products. For example, you can get 100 free bullets with the purchase of a set of New Dimension dies with Zip Spindle System. You can get 500 free bullets if you purchases a Lock-N-Load Classic Reloading Kit. You’ll find more details on Hornady’s Hornady’s Get Loaded Promo webpage.
Click here to download the 2010 Redemption Form (5MB PDF)
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January 9th, 2010
 If you’re planning to attend SHOT Show, or if you just want a preview of the firearm industry’s largest trade show, you’ll want to read the January 2010 edition of Shooting Industry Magazine. For a limited time, an electronic “e-zine” version of the January issue is available for FREE online. This digital edition contains an extensive SHOT Show Special Report, along with a complete SHOT Exhibitors Guide (pp. 72-87) listing ALL participating companies with their booth numbers.
Big 2010 New Product Guide
The entire 116-page issue is now available on the web, in a searchable, flip-page format like a print magazine. This lets you see the large-format, full-page 2010 product introductions from companies such as Hornady (p. 11), SigSauer (p. 23), and Savage (p. 29). Along with these vendor-produced ads, you’ll find an 18-page 2010 New Product Guide featuring new firearams, reloading products, and shooting accessories.
New Hornady Electronic Powder Dispenser and New RCBS Bipod
We found a couple surprises in Shooting Industry’s January New Products report. First, Hornady is bringing out a NEW Digital Powder Scale/Dispenser to compete with the RCBS Chargemaster. Hornady calls its new red dispenser the Lock-N-Load Auto Charge. Hornady claims its new Auto Charge “measures weights to 0.1 grains and has a scale capacity of 1,000 grains.” The unit features automatic and manual dispense options, trickle function, three (3) speed settings, and “over-charge” protection. Hmmm, this is the first powder dispenser to included selectable dispensing speeds — that’s potentially a very useful feature. The brand new Auto Charge is featured as item 050068 on Hornady’s website with a $317.91 MSRP. MidwayUSA says it should have the AutoCharge in next week (1/15/2010), with a retail price of $239.99. If that price holds, the red Auto Charge will cost about $40-$60 less than the green RCBS ChargeMaster.
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RCBS also revealed an interesting new product — a new rail-mounted bipod. The new RCBS “Precision Target Bi-pod” features quick-adjust telescoping legs (7-10″), 25 degress of cant adjustment, large wedge-shaped plastic feet, and “tool-free mounting” to Picatinny rails. According to RCBS, the new bipod is constructed of 6061 T6 Aluminum with Type III Hard Coat Anodizing. RCBS says this new bipod is “suitable for AR-style weapons and can be adapted. to non-Picatinny-style weapons as well. For more info on this new bipod, check our this RCBS 2010 Catalog Update (PDF file). MSRP for the new bipod is a hefty $219.95. Message to RCBS: A Harris Swivel works darn well at half the price!
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January 9th, 2010
Are you headed to Vegas to attend the 2010 SHOT Show, Jan. 19-22? To do the show right, you need a plan. Wandering randomly among the 1800 exhibits (on TWO floors this year) wastes time and energy. By the end of each day you’ll be exhausted and you won’t have seen half what you wanted to see.
Here’s what to do — log on to the SHOT Show Planner website. There you’ll find floor-plans for the whole show. You can alpha-search for particular companies, and the interactive planner will automatically plot their locations on the grids. What’s more, you can “mouse-over” booth locations on the grid and the planner will display the company name and booth number. Say, for example, you’ve located RCBS at booth #14638. You can just slide your mouse around the nearby area to find Sierra Bullets at booth #14934 and Nosler at booth #15938.
Log In to Create Customized Exhibitor List and Show Navigation Maps
If you sign up with a name and password, you can save all your search results and even print out highlighted floor-plans with your “targeted” booths. The SHOT Show planner will create (and remember) a customized list of the booths you want to visit. Then you can print-out custom floor-plans with your choices marked on the grids.
Using the SHOT Show Planner, you can quickly identify all the exhibits you want to visit, and then create personalized show maps with your “destinations” marked. When you’re at the show, bring your customized maps and simply “connect the dots” from one pre-marked booth to the next. That lets you proceed efficiently from one location of interest to the next, without backtracking or wasting time.
CLICK HERE to access SHOT Show Planner. (Log-In Required for some features).
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January 8th, 2010
While some of the very best rifle shooters in the world are ladies (Such as Sherri and Michelle Gallagher, and Noma Mayo), a large percentage of women, at least in big cities, seem very “gun-averse” and react negatively to men who collect guns or enjoy shooting as a hobby. This can narrow the pool of women suitable as dating partners or potential “soul-mates”.
 If you’re looking for a lady who shares your interest in firearms, and who supports gun ownership by law-abiding citizens, there is a new website you should visit. Second Amendment Singles is a new match-making site design to bring together like-minded, gun-loving men and women. We think that’s a great idea, and we hope the site will successful. Right now the membership is just getting started, and nearly all of the early sign-ups are male. We do hope that, with time, more ladies join the service. Once the word gets out, more lady shooters may sign up.
The founder of the new service, Jared Gollnitz, explains why he set up this new online service: “Gun ownership can be polarizing in a relationship between a man and a woman, but the other dating sites just ignore it as an aspect of compatibility. This site is for the person who … makes NO APOLOGIES for living the armed lifestyle.” Gollnitz adds that his site lets you find “a dating partner who shares the belief that there is nothing as liberating as knowing you can defend yourself.”
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January 7th, 2010
It’s a New Year, and a new decade, and that means we need to update our Events Calendar. We need your help compiling our list of events. Our Events Calendar will include major competitions, firearm industry trade shows, important club events, and special interest events such as the Varmint Jamboree. We showcase events in a handy, year-at-a glance format, so you can easily plan for big events months ahead. You can click on each item to see details, such as the 2010 Shot Show info:
Reader Event Submissions Wanted
If you help run a major match, trade show, or event, please send us information to be included in our 2010 Events Calendar. Please include event start and end dates, event weblink (if any), a short description of the event, and a photo or event logo. Email your submissions to: mailbox [at] 6mmbr.com. Thanks!
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January 7th, 2010
 Hodgdon Powder Company announced that an error occurred in printing of the 2010 version of the Hodgdon Annual Manual. Pages 108 and 109 in the manual, which cover 7mm caliber load data, appear in reverse order. But don’t despair — you can get a free correction from Hodgdon. Do not use the 7mm caliber data as it appears in the 2010 Hodgdon Annual Manual until the corrected copy is received.
Contact Hodgdon Powder Company for a free reprint of pages 108-109. You can phone 913-362-9455, fax 913-362-1307, or send email to help@hodgdon.com. You can also send postal mail to: Hodgdon Powder Co., 6231 Robinson, Shawnee Mission, KS 66202
All Hodgdon, IMR®, and Winchester® reload data is also available on-line at hodgdon.com, imrpowder.com, and wwpowder.com in the Reloading Data Center.
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January 6th, 2010
 A new California law requiring that all new semi-auto handguns sold in California incorporate microstamping technology was to go into effect on January 1st, 2010. Many readers are concerned that this law will make it illegal to purchase new, self-loading handguns in California. However, because the law mandated technology which, thus far, has NOT been made available to pistol manufacturers, the law is NOT being applied for now. This was the case of misguided legislators passing a gun law requiring technology that didn’t really exist.
The NSSF reports: “Firearms microstamping, signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) in October 2007 and slated to take effect New Year’s Day (2010), is not in effect since the technology remains encumbered by patents.” Microstamping is the process by which firearms manufacturers must micro-laser-engrave a gun’s make, model and serial number on two distinct parts of each gun, including the firing pin, so that, in theory, this data is imprinted on the cartridge casing when the pistol is fired. By its terms, the microstamping law required that the technology be “patent-free” (as determined by the California Department of Justice) before the law could go into effect.
 The one company which has pioneered micro-stamping technology for pistols has NOT released its patents. Hence, by its own terms, California’s micro-stamping law is “dead on arrival”. However, last month the California Department of Justice nonetheless proposed new microstamping regulations, a move that was questioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) — the trade association for the firearms industry.
“In the midst of California’s budget crisis and despite the possibility this law may never go into effect — as the technology remains encumbered by patents — one has to question the decision by the California Department of Justice to spend its time and limited resources on drafting regulations for the flawed technology,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.
Opposition to microstamping has intensified as manufacturers have indicated the new law would force them to raise prices of guns significantly. Estimates of price increases go as high as $200 per firearm, as the unreliable technology would require a complete reconfiguring of the manufacturing and assembly processes.
CLICK HERE for more information on Firearms Microstamping.
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