American Outdoor Brands Corporation (AOBC) announced that its firearms business, Smith & Wesson Corp., has agreed to acquire the assets of Gemini Technologies, Inc. (“Gemtech”), a leading provider of suppressors and accessories for the consumer, law enforcement, and military markets.
Smith & Wesson intends to complete the acquisition of Gemtech utilizing cash on hand and expects the transaction to close this summer. Ron Martinez, President of Gemtech, will continue in his leadership role as General Manager, heading up the company’s strong team located in Eagle, Idaho. For more information, visit Smith-Wesson.com and Gemtech.com.
James Debney, AOBC President/CEO, said, “Gemtech is widely recognized for producing some of the finest rifle and pistol suppressors in the market. Gemtech’s strong product development capabilities, combined with our experience in brand management and our manufacturing expertise, will help us to efficiently develop both firearms and suppressors, minimizing our time to market for both product categories. We view this acquisition as opportunistic, allowing us to enter the suppressor category[.] These elements combine to make Gemtech an excellent fit with our long-term strategy.”
About Gemini Technologies, Incorporated
Gemini Technologies, known as Gemtech, began as a group of leading designers with roots in the suppressor business going back to 1976. Gemtech’s suppressors are in use with all branches of the U.S. military and are also in use by many special operations forces, military, and police around the world. Based in Eagle, Idaho, Gemtech is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 certified company and maintains effective rigorous quality assurance systems and processes. Visit Gemtech online at https://gemtech.com.
The AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum hit another membership milestone. We’ve surpassed 36,000 registered members. Now we hope to reach 40,000 members in the next year. If you have considered joining our Forum, but haven’t done so yet, there’s no better time than now. We have fast, “mobile-friendly” Forum software that works great with smart phones and tablets. You can now stay in touch when you’re on the go. Log in with your iPhone or Android phone. Our advanced Forum software also makes it easy to add photos to your posts and classified adverts.
As a Forum member, you’ll be part of an active community of serious shooters. You can get valuable advice on shooting and reloading from top shooters such as newly crowned King of 2 Miles Derek Rogers and National Champions Tom Mousel, Larry Bartholome, and Sam Hall. As well, many top experts visit the Forum, such as Bryan Litz (Applied Ballistics), Shiraz Balolia (Bullets.com), Frank Green (Bartlein Barrels), and John Perkins (21st Century Shooting).
Visit Forum.AccurateShooter.com to check out our Forum features. You’ll find a wealth of information shared by thousands of knowledgeable members. The boards are tightly moderated to prevent the ego battles common to some other internet forums. Our Shooters’ Forum maintains a high “signal to noise ratio”, with courteous and respectful exchange of ideas.
Sell Your Gear with Six FREE Classifieds
Along with our Forum discussion areas, we offer FREE CLASSIFIEDS for all registered Forum members. You’ll find great bargains in the Classifieds, and we provide a feedback system for buyers and sellers. Published feedback helps you buy and sell with greater confidence. Each Forum Member gets six (6) free classifieds per year. Then you can upgrade your membership to Silver or Gold to get Unlimited Classifieds for 12 months. Silver membership costs just $20 per year (a mere $1.67 per month).
Every serious hand-loader can use a powered Case Prep station. This multi-function device saves time and avoids repetitive manual labor (that can be downright painful after 50+ cases). Now you can get the Lyman Case Prep Xpress for a crazy low price. Midsouth just slashed its price on the Case Prep Express, and this unit also qualifies for a sweet $25 Rebate from Lyman. That puts your net cost at just $84.99. Hard to argue with that. Your wrists and fingers will thank you.
The Case Prep Xpress lets you chamfer inside and out, brush case-necks, clean/uniform primer pockets, and ream military crimps. However, the unit does NOT trim cases. The motor is powerful and the Xpress is easy to clean. On sale at MidSouth for $109.99 ($84.99 after Rebate), this is a great deal. You can also purchase at Amazon for $107.71 with free Prime Shipping ($82.71 after Rebate).
The Lyman Case Prep Xpress comes with all the necessary tools (listed above), so you don’t have to purchase extra accessories. The five (5) gear-driven heads on the unit are powered by a high torque, low-speed motor ideal for case prep operations. Lyman’s Case Prep Xpress features handy storage areas for accessories, a removable brass shavings dump pan, and a handy clean-up brush.
Sinclair Int’l video clearly illustrates all case prep functions. Worth watching.
In the four years that this product has been on the market it has been a strong seller. If you’re prepping hundreds of cases, this unit will save considerable time and reduce hand/finger fatigue. While the Case Prep Xpress is not as sturdy as the metal-bodied Hornady prep center, the Lyman unit offers a lot of functionality for the money.
Lyman Case Prep Xpress Pros and Cons
GOOD Features
Quite Affordable (under $120)
Compatible with RCBS and Redding Tool-heads
Removable Bin for Shavings
Four Brush Sizes: .25, .30, .38, .45
Compact Footprint
Not-So-Good Features
Tool-heads Not Particularly Sharp
No Case Trim Function
No Flash-hole Uniformer
No Top Dust-Cover
Only 1-Year Warranty
Reviews by Verified Purchasers
“Case prep is the most tedious and boring aspect for hand loading in my opinion. The process center makes all the steps in prepping the case very quick and with consistent results. It has reduced the time required to do these steps with separate tools by easily 50% if not more. Highly recommended.” — Brandon G.
“Quiet and capable. Worth every penny. I adapted a Lee Cutter and Lock Stud, to cut case lengths, and I can fly through my brass. I can do so much more brass without getting the sore, cramped-up hands.” — Dean Ellis
“This unit has plenty of torque, and my unit is very quiet. This unit will also work with tools made by RCBS and Hornady, or anything else with 8-32 threads. My Redding tools (specifically, my primer pocket uniformers) do in fact fit on this machine. This unit is certainly worth the money, and will revolutionize the way you reload by saving you massive amounts of time and wear on your hands/fingers.” — Mule
The data-packed July issue of Shooting Industry magazine reveals key gun industry metrics — such as background checks, financial results from publicly-traded gun-makers, and the latest U.S. firearms manufacturing production data. The annual U.S. Firearms Today Report presents a comprehensive review of gun industry activity, including data on firearm production by caliber, shifts in export/import totals and the top 25 U.S. firearm manufacturers from 2015 (the latest data available).
As indicated by the ATF’s 2015 Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export, the industry rebounded across several categories after a challenging 2014. Total firearms production increased from 8,692,461 in 2014 to 8,911,530 in 2015, growth of 2.5 percent. For the eighth year in a row, Ruger was the top overall U.S. firearms manufacturer with 1,667,820 firearms produced in 2015, while Smith & Wesson and Remington were the leading handgun and long-gun manufacturers, respectively. One notable trend is that Savage Arms significantly increased its production output compared to other leading rifle-makers.
Here are the top three rifle makers in 2015 with percentage change from 2014:
Gun Sales Trends in 2017 Compared to 2015
The Firearms Today Report reports that, contrary to some perceptions, gun sales remain strong: “Comparing the first five months of 2017 to 2015 (which was the second-largest year for U.S. firearms manufacturing), the industry is performing well. NICS background checks increased by 6.7 percent (from 5,427,494 to 5,793,571) from January through May 2017 compared to the corresponding months in 2015.”
The lastest issue of Shooting Industry (and all 2017 and 2016 monthly issues) can be accessed in their entirety online at www.shootingindustry.com/digital-version. CLICK HERE for July 2017 Digital Edition.
Story Lead from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
The USA Shooting National Championships are underway at Fort Benning, Georgia. This is an elite event for Air Rifle, Smallbore Rifle, and Pistol. Thus far titles have been claimed in Men’s Three-Position Rifle, Women’s Air Rifle, Centerfire Pistol, Standard Pistol and Junior Men’s Sport Pistol. 2016 Olympian Lucas Kozeniesky won the overall Men’s Three-Position Rifle title, an Olympic event. He and eventual silver medalist George Norton shot the same Qualification scores yesterday and today (1166, 1174). Kozeniesky placed two positions higher in the Final to claim the overall gold medal.* Two-time Olympian Michael McPhail won the bronze medal.
In Women’s Air Rifle, Ole Miss Rebel Alison Weisz shared the lead after Day One with an impressive 419.8. Though her Qualification score of 416.6 wasn’t the highest among the competitors, her win in the Final secured her first National Championship title and nomination to the National Team – .1 point ahead of Sagen Maddalena who claimed silver. Emily Stith won bronze AND the women’s Junior title.
Six-time Olympian Emil Milev won the Men’s Standard Pistol competition in dominating fashion – winning the title by an astronomical 61 points. Kevin Bennett won silver and William Dutton won bronze.
Paralympic Sport Match
A World Shooting Para Sport-sanctioned match was held in conjunction with this year’s National Championship with nine countries participating. Some of these competitors shot from wheelchairs, while others shot from a bench with support for the rifles. Three American athletes earned medals and nominations to the National Paralympic Team with their performances today.
File photo 2016
*Here’s how the scoring worked. Athletes completed two days of Qualification matches, with competitors in the Olympic events (Women’s Air Rifle and Men’s Three-Position Rifle) also competing in a Finals match today. Points from the two Qualification matches, plus points earned based on rank in the Finals were combined to determine athletes’ final placements at these National Championships.
Many leading shooting sports online retailers are offering money-saving promotions this holiday weekend. With appropriate discount codes you can save 10%, get free shipping, or qualify for other significant savings. Here are some of the best current promotions we’ve found. Note — these promo codes change frequently. Check www.Retailmenot.com for new codes after these expire.
NOTE: MidwayUSA changes Promo Codes often, sometimes on a Daily Basis. Look for Promo links on MidwayUSA’s home page and check www.Retailmenot.com for the latest codes.
Ever wonder what “Maggie’s Drawers” means? Well, in the shooting community it means a complete miss on the target, as originally indicated by a large red flag. In this 1957 photo, the U.S. Army brought the targets to the students at the annual Small Arms Firing School. Wheeled carts with “demo” targets were positioned at the firing line, between shooting stations, so trainees could better see the procedures. Soldiers demonstrated firing a shot, scoring the target and scorecard on the Camp Perry firing line. Targets in use at the time were the “V” type. In this demonstration shot, the pit worker waves a red flag, known as “Maggie’s Drawers”, signifying a miss. This old photo comes from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Archives.
If you click the gray tab to view the photo full-screen, you can see something extra. Look carefully at the horizon below the muzzle of the M1 Garand held by the shooter in the foreground. If you look carefully, you can see a crane being used to erect the beach tower that now watches over Lake Erie and the ranges when they are “hot”.
Origin of ‘Maggie’s Drawers’ Term Hap Rocketto, noted shooting historian, has explained the etymology of “Maggie’s Drawers”. This term “refers to the red flag waved vigorously across the face of the target to signify a complete miss of the target during practice”. The term came in use in the early 20th Century (prior to WWI) when flags were used to signal shot locations on long-range rifle targets.
Hap writes: “Since [the early 20th Century] the target has changed to the decimal bull and the marking system has been revised several times. Flags are no longer used, being replaced by value panels and chalk boards. However, one term from the flag days has held on with a tenacity that is indicative of the strong traditions of the high power community. If a shooter had the misfortune of firing a miss a red flag was waved across the front of the target. The flag is commonly known as ‘Maggie’s Drawers’ giving us the term now generally used to refer to a miss. The term ‘Maggie’s Drawers’ seems to be based on, as many things are in the military, a bawdy song. Prior to The Great War there was an old music hall song entitled The Old Red Flannel Drawers That Maggie Wore which [was creatively altered], as things tend to be by the troops, into something less delicate than might have been sung in vaudeville in the United States or in British music halls of the day.”
BREAKING NEWS (6:13 pm, 6/29/17) — Federal Court grants Preliminary Injunction. Attorneys for the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), supported by the NRA, obtained an injunction in the case of Duncan v. Becerra, a federal lawsuit[.] The injunction prevents California from enforcing new laws prohibiting possession of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds, while the case is pending. The ban was set to take effect on July 1, 2017. In granting the injunction, Judge Benitez held that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in this lawsuit because “public safety interest may not eviscerate the Second Amendment”. The Order Granting Preliminary Injunction preserves the “status quo” while the constitutionality of the law is decided by the Court.
Here is a very important notice for our readers in California. As of July 1, 2017 it will be illegal to own ANY firearm magazine that holds more than 10 cartridges or rounds. It does not matter if the “full-capacity” magazines were acquired legally. There is NO Grandfather provision. Mere possession will become illegal. Counting today, June 28th, you have just three (3) more days to destroy your 10+ round magazines, render them permanently inoperable, sell them to a licensed dealer, surrender them to a law enforcement agency, or ship them out of California.
The July 1st magazine ban is the result of a patchwork of new laws passed by the California Legislature as well as Proposition 63, a deceptively-promoted initiative approved by voters last November. There are lawsuits currently challenging the magazine ban. It is possible that a temporary injunction halting the effect of the magazine ban might be ordered by a court in the “eleventh hour”. But don’t count on it — in a related case, a federal judge in Sacramento recently denied an injunction. Bottom line: if you reside in California and own/possess ANY mags that hold more than ten rounds, you need to find a solution… and find it fast.
There are probably hundreds of thousands of Californians who currently own magazines that hold more than ten rounds. The effect of the new laws will turn these law-abiding citizens into criminals. The Sacramento Bee newspaper explains:
Sweeping new gun laws passed last year by California voters and legislators require those with magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition to get rid of them by July 1.
The question is: How many of California’s 6 million-plus gun owners are actually going to comply, even though violators face potential jail time if they’re caught?
Talk to gun owners, retailers and pro-gun sheriffs across California and you’ll get something akin to an eye roll when they’re asked if gun owners are going to voluntarily part with their property because Democratic politicians and voters who favor gun control outnumber them and changed the law.
In conservative, pro-gun Redding this week, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko joked that gun owners were lining the block to hand their magazines in to the sheriff’s office (In reality, no one has turned one in). He said his deputies won’t be aggressively hunting for large-capacity magazines starting next month.
“We’re not going to be knocking on anybody’s door looking for them,” Bosenko said. “We’re essentially making law-abiding citizens into criminals with this new law.”
Incrementalism — How Freedom Is Lost
It has been illegal to purchase magazines with 10+ capacity for quite some time in California. However, it remained completely legal to possess and use such magazines which were lawfully obtained before the magazine-capacity limits were imposed in the year 2000: “California banned the sale of high-capacity detachable magazines in 2000, but it remained legal to possess them, except in cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles and Sunnyvale that enacted local bans. That changed this fall when voters and lawmakers passed overlapping gun laws that require Californians, with limited exceptions, to give up any magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds.” Source: Sacramento Bee.
Is the Mag Ban an Unconstitutional “Taking”?
Because the new magazine laws provide no compensation to mag owners for what is effectively the confiscation of their property, it can be argued that California’s magazine ban is an unconstitutional “taking” depriving citizens of their property without due process. This is one of the arguments that is being used in court by the NRA and other gun rights organizations challenging the controversial magazine ban which goes into effect July 1, 2017.
While the majority of competitive shooters are male, some of the very best shooters are female. Competitive shooting is one sport where men and women do compete head-to-head at the highest level. You won’t see that in tennis, or cycling, or basketball, but in shooting, it’s not unusual to see a talented lady on top of the podium. There still are gender-based classifications in some shooting disciplines, but in F-Class, NRA High Power, and Benchrest women can and do compete on a par with men. These talented ladies have proven themselves capable of winning National and International Championships against all comers.
To celebrate the skills and talent of lady shooters, Shooting Sports USA recently created a great article showcasing 50 of the most talented female shooters in the USA. This list includes Olympic gold medalists (in shotgun and air rifle), Pistol champions, Palma rifle shooters, PRS competitors, and 3-gun specialists. Here are some of the 50 notables from the list. CLICK HERE to see the whole list.
Kim Rhode: One of a few household names on this list, Kim Rhode and her Olympic bronze medal performance in Rio last year made her a six-time Olympic medal recipient. Kim has won an Olympic medal on five continents. Additionally she won the Women’s Skeet Final at the 2016 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final in Rome, Italy. She plans to “definitely [go] for Tokyo in 2020. If Los Angeles gets the bid for the next one, (even if they don’t) I’ll probably go to the 2024 Olympic Games. There’s no reason for me to stop at this point.” Kim was recently elected to the NRA Board of Directors. Editor: Kim is a once-in-a-generation shooter; we support her work with the NRA.
Ginny Thrasher: This Olympic gold medalist needs little introduction. Quietly arriving on the scene after years racking up smallbore and air rifle victories, Ginny Thrasher arrived at West Virginia University and made history. Not only did she win the smallbore championship at NCAA in 2016, but her performance at the Rio 2016 Olympics started a media frenzy. Winning the first U.S. Gold Medal of the Games will do that. Prior to glory on the international stage, Ginny was winning NRA smallbore championships as a member of Northern Virginia’s own Junior Acorns team.
Lena Miculek: The daughter of master shooter Jerry Miculek, Lena burst onto the competitive shooting scene in 2005 with five consecutive Sportsman’s Team Challenge Junior national titles. Moving on to 3-gun, by 2015 she had an astonishing 89 percent win rate. Lena was the 2016 NRA World Shooting Ladies Champion. Recently, she traveled to Russia to compete at the inaugural IPSC World Rifle Championship, along with her mother Kay Miculek, Ashley Rheuark, and Maggie Reese. Lena and Team USA’s women’s team won Gold in the women’s Open division, and Lena won a second Gold Medal as the Ladies Open Division Individual Champion.
Lanny and Tracey Barnes: Both highly decorated Olympic biathletes, the identical Barnes twins have been on the World Cup circuit for over a decade. At the age of 18, they made their first World Junior Championship team and medaled in the World Junior Championships the next year. Lanny competed in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and Tracy competed in the 2006 and was an alternate in 2010. Lanny posted the best U.S. finish in 16 years in 2010 with perfect shooting. These days, the twins compete in 3-gun and Sportsman’s Team Challenge—and also are serious hunters.
Kirsten Joy Weiss: Before making great trick-shot videos on YouTube, Kirsten Weiss was a smallbore rifle champion, winning high lady and second place overall at the NRA 3-position smallbore nationals in 2012. Remarkably, Kristen shot the any sight match with iron sights, while many of her fellow shooters were using scopes. For those new to rimfire, Weiss says, “It is almost always better to start with iron sights rather than a scope. Scopes can be a crutch, but interestingly enough they can also help in developing bad habits if your fundamental marksmanship skills aren’t developed yet.”
Nancy, Sherri, and Michelle — The Tompkins/Gallager Clan
There are three more ladies, champions all, who should be included in the Top 50 list. We would definitely add Nancy Tompkins, and daughters Sherri Gallagher and Michelle Gallagher to this list. Nancy and Sherri are the only two women in history to have won the National High Power championship. Michelle Gallagher has won the Long Range National championship and she also serves as the coach of the U.S.A. F-Open team at the 2017 F-Class World Championships. Nancy Tompkins has rightly been called the “First Lady of American Shooting” and rightly so. You won’t find a nicer person, or a more talented shooter. Sherri, currently with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute Team, was an ace shooter with the USAMU squad who earned U.S. Army’s Soldier of the Year honors in 2010.
The CMP National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio commence with the First Shot Ceremony on Monday, June 26, 2017. That’s just two days away! With the NRA having moved the National High Power Rifle Championships away from Camp Perry to Indiana this year, the CMP has stepped into the breach, offering more matches in the first part of the June 2017 National Match Schedule.
In the opening week of the National Matches schedule, June 26-30, 2017, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) will lead off with CMP Service Rifle and CMP Match Rifle events, called the CMP Cup Matches. The CMP Cup series includes: CMP Four-Man Team Match, CMP 800 Aggregate Matches, and CMP Excellence-in-Competition (EIC) Service Rifle Match. This will be followed by pistol events July 1-2, and July 9-13, 2017.
On July 14-25, the CMP conducts its second set of National Matches rifle events including the CMP National Trophy Rifle Matches, and CMP Rifle Games Events. Notable special events will include the President’s 100 Match (July 17), National Trophy Team Match (July 20), the CMP Garand Match and M1A Match (July 22), and the Vintage Sniper Match (July 24). The Sniper Match was the brainchild of Hornady’s Dave Emary. The competition was inspired by his father, a World War II scout sniper, who carried a rifle similar to the 1903A4 rifle builds found today on the Camp Perry firing line.
Hornady’s Dave Emary and “Gunny” R. Lee Ermey (right) at Vintage Sniper Match:
Rimfire Sporter — Fun for the Whole Family
The CMP’s final event, the hugely popular National Rimfire Sporter Match, will be held on Saturday, July 29 (see below). For more information, visit the CMP 2017 National Matches website.
Watch Highlights from the 2016 National Rimfire Sporter Match:
This year, NRA High Power events and major rifle championships will be held in Indiana, at Camp Atterbury. The American Rifleman website explains: “The High Power Rifle Championships have a new venue, exciting side matches and the opportunity to shoot at a mile. Preparations for the 2017 NRA National High Power Rifle Championships at Camp Atterbury (near Edinburgh, Indiana) are proceeding well. The Indiana National Guard is making improvements to firing lines, housing is open for reservations, and buildings have been selected for administrative needs[.] NRA and the Indiana National Guard are working hard to make this year at Camp Atterbury a memorable one.”
The championships will be conducted July 7 to 25, 2017, and they will include Across-the-Course (XTC), Mid-Range, and Long-Range matches, as well as classic trophy matches — such as the Leech Cup and the Wimbledon Cup… and, of course, Palma competition.
Match Schedules Adjusted to Allow Travel Time
The shooting schedule has been adjusted to give competitors time to travel between events held at different locations. Following the completion of the XTC matches, competitors will have a day to travel to Camp Perry, Ohio, should they wish to attend the Small Arms Firing School and shoot the Civilian Marksmanship Program National Trophy Matches. Similarly, Smallbore Prone competitors in Bristol, Indiana, will have a day of travel to arrive at Camp Atterbury to participate in the High Power Mid-Range and Long-Range Prone matches.
NRA National Championship Rifle Events in Indiana
The NRA has moved the National High Power XTC Rifle Championship, Mid-Range Championship, and Long Range Championship away from Camp Perry, Ohio, starting in 2017. Starting this summer, all these events will henceforth be held at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. That means if you want to compete in both CMP and NRA rifle matches, you would need to go two different venues, located 280 miles apart, in two different states.
Visit 
Hap Rocketto, noted shooting historian, has explained the etymology of “Maggie’s Drawers”. This term “refers to the red flag waved vigorously across the face of the target to signify a complete miss of the target during practice”. The term came in use in the early 20th Century (prior to WWI) when flags were used to signal shot locations on long-range rifle targets.
Kim Rhode: One of a few household names on this list, 
Ginny Thrasher: This Olympic gold medalist needs little introduction. Quietly arriving on the scene after years racking up smallbore and air rifle victories, Ginny Thrasher arrived at West Virginia University and made history. Not only did she win the smallbore championship at NCAA in 2016, but her performance at the Rio 2016 Olympics started a media frenzy. Winning the 
Lena Miculek: The daughter of master shooter Jerry Miculek, Lena burst onto the competitive shooting scene in 2005 with five consecutive Sportsman’s Team Challenge Junior national titles. Moving on to 3-gun, by 2015 she had an astonishing 89 percent win rate. Lena was the 
Kirsten Joy Weiss: Before making great trick-shot videos on YouTube, Kirsten Weiss was a smallbore rifle champion, winning 
