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April 4th, 2014
 The April 2014 Digital Edition of Shooting Sports USA is now available online (for free). This month’s issue has many articles of interest to competitive shooters. The cover story From Smallbore to High Power, profiles Col. Denise Loring, an international smallbore competitor who recently made the transition to High Power shooting. This is an excellent article.
Col. Loring “compares and contrasts” smallbore and High Power, providing fascinating insights into the differences between the disciplines: “I was very nervous about having only two sighters for NRA High Power matches. Then, I heard about the CMP style of HP where there are no sighters and could not believe you could shoot a match without them. We have unlimited sighters in smallbore and I took full advantage of that aspect. In NRA conventional smallbore you can even return to the sighter bull once you have begun shooting for record.”
Biathlon — Shooting at 180 Beats Per Minute
There is also an interesting feature on Biathlon shooting. This tutorial covers the basics of this challenging Olympic sport that combines Nordic skiing and smallbore position shooting. This in-depth article profiles the top athletes, explains the rules, and provides interesting details of the hardware: “Most athletes use a Fortner (straight-pul bolt) action, although traditional bolt-action guns are allowed. The rulebook regulates biathlon rifles by minimum width, trigger resistense, dimensions and shape[.] Magazines may be spot-checked before or after an event to ensure they contain only five rounds[.]”
The April issue of Shooting Sports USA also includes a complete round-up of 2013 State Champions for all NRA shooting disciplines, from BB Gun to Black Powder Cartridge Rifles.
April 4th, 2014
Here’s a way you can support competitive shooting, while getting a tax deduction. Donations to the NRA Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment can be tax-deductible. Started in 2007 by then NRA President John Siegler, the Endowment provides direct funding for shooting programs, including the NRA National matches at Camp Perry. This is a permanent Endowment, with investment income channeled to shooting programs.
According to the NRABlog: “Donations go right into the fund and stay there. They are never touched. 85% of the earnings (or interest) generated by the fund are dispersed to the Competitive Shooting Division for their yearly budget. The other 15% goes back into the principal. By never touching the principal, and reinvesting a portion of the earnings, the endowment will always grow. Simple as that.”
You can contribute in one of two ways — as a gift or as a tax-deductible donation. No matter what path you choose, the money still goes towards the overall cost of running the competitions. To make a contribution to the fund, download the Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment flyer, fill out the form and send it to:
NRA Treasurer’s Officer
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
“Once [the Endowment] is big enough, it could pay for all of competitive shooting. That’s something every competitor would benefit from.” — Dennis Willing, NRA Competitive Shooting Director.
April 2nd, 2014
 Guns and ammo are big business in the United States — really big business. Guns and ammo now represent a $38 billion-dollar per year segment of the U.S. economy.
According to the NSSF, the total economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industries in the United States increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $37.7 billion in 2013, a 97% increase, while the total number of full-time equivalent jobs rose from more than 166,000 to more than 245,000, a 48% increase in that five-year period. These figures are based on a new report release today (April 2, 2014) by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
NSSF President/CEO Steve Sanetti states: “We have seen dramatic, unprecedented during peacetime growth in the firearms and ammunition industry that is the direct result of consumer demand for our products in the last five years. While our nation’s overall economic recovery has been slow since 2008, our industry has been a true bright spot, increasing our direct workforce by nearly half, adding jobs that pay an average of more than $47,700 in wages and benefits. Supplier and induced jobs* were also increased by about half since 2008, even as we increased federal tax payments by 93 percent, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes that support wildlife conservation by 83 percent and state business taxes by 77 percent.”
The Firearms and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report (2013) provides a state by state breakdown of job numbers, wages and output covering direct, supplier and induced employment, as well as federal excise taxes paid. Access the full report here.
* Induced jobs are those created by the economic impact made by the industry.
April 1st, 2014
The number one complaint among our readers is: “I can’t find any rimfire ammo … where did it all go?” Well, though .22 LR ammo is in very short supply in the United States, you can find plenty of rimfire ammo in other countries around the globe, including many of the world’s most popular tourism destinations. With the availability of cheap .22 LR ammo overseas, you may want to plan an ammo-buying adventure in an exotic location. Sun, sand, and ammo galore make for a perfect getaway.
 Recognizing the unprecedented demand for rimfire ammo, a new specialty travel company, Ammo-Ventures.com, is now offering “ammo buying spree” holidays in exotic destinations worldwide. Participants can jet off to Brazil, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Thailand. All Ammo-Ventures tour participants will be allowed to purchase up to $3000.00 worth of rimfire ammo while on holiday. Ammo-Ventures will handle all the packing and shipping chores, and will arrange for your ammo to be air-freighted right to your residence in the good old USA. In addition, if you’re itching to go shooting once you return home, you can pack a limited amount of rimfire ammo in your regular luggage. From most locations you can bring back up to ten boxes (i.e. 500 rounds) of rimfire ammo in your checked luggage.
Along with ammo-shopping sprees in exotic locations, Ammo-Ventures offers its customers a wide variety of adventurous diversions and “daily escapes”. In Costa Rica, you can enjoy the famous San Jose nightlife, raft a wilderness river, or go deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Papagayo. In the Philippines, tour participants can go on a jungle jeep tour or dive idyllic, unspoiled coral reefs in Palawan province. In Thailand, Ammo-Ventures offers remote beach getaways, plus scintillating Pattaya nightlife.
About Ammo-Ventures LLC
Ammo-Ventures LLC was founded in 2013 by Frank “Cisco” Leland and Sam “Stinger” Yee, two seasoned world travelers who are also avid shooting enthusiasts. They personally accompany each Ammo-Venture holiday. For over two decades these rugged adventurers have organized exotic travel holidays including “romantic adventure” tours to Thailand, the Philippines and Costa Rica. Cisco Leland says: “With our interest in shooting and tropical destinations it seemed natural to organize specialty travel trips for shootists who need to stock up on ammo. With the current ammo shortage in the United States, it makes more sense than ever before to visit an ammo-rich, gun-friendly tropical destination. Now you can enjoy the sun and the fun, and come home with with a crate full of ammo. If that sounds like the perfect vacation… well it is!”
March 30th, 2014
The 2014 ISSF World Cup at Fort Benning is underway, and some events have already finished, such as the 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol. The World Cup, which has attracted many of the world’s top rifle and pistol shooters, continues through April 3, 2014. Here are some photo highlights from the first three days of the Fort Benning World Cup. There were plenty of exotic, expensive rifles and pistols on display — plus a few small toy animals (favored by the lady shooters).
 
ISSF Fort Benning World Cup Photo Stream
Young Russian Wins First Gold of the Competition
Nazar Luginets, 24, from the Russian Federation, won the first medal match of the competition, the 10m Air Rifle Men event. With 209.4 points, the Russian athlete beat Serbian Milutin Stefanovic, who finished just one tenth behind Luginets. The 2013 Euro Champion, Sergey Richter from Israel, finished third.
10m Air Rifle Winner Nazar Luginets
 New Air Pistol Record Set
Hoang Xuan Vinh, from Vietnam, won the 10m Air Pistol Men final, setting a new world record in the process. Currently ranked 8th in the world, The Vietnamese pistol shooter pocketed the Gold medal with a record score of 202.8 points in the final, breaking the previous 202.3-point record set by the 2008 Olympic Champion Pang Wei of China. Hoang beat Russians finalists Sergey Chervyakovskiy, and Vladimir Gontcharov, 36, who finished in second and third place with 202.3 and 181.3 points, respectively. This was an important comeback for Gontcharov, a 14-time ISSF World Cup medalist. Vladimir who started competing back in 1990, had been far from ISSF podiums since 2012.
Photos © International Shooting Sport Federation.
March 29th, 2014
We know that many of our readers are NRA members. This article focuses on little-known NRA benefits. You may be aware that the NRA provides $2500.00 in firearms coverage to NRA members who activate their insurance. But did you know that the NRA offers its members discounts on car rentals, discounts on hotel/motel stays, and even discounts on moving expenses? The NRA even has health-related programs that can save you money on hearing aids and prescription drugs.
To learn about all these special benefits for NRA members, go to NRAmemberservices.org. Once you create an online account, you can activate your NRA firearms insurance, and check out the various special benefits offered to NRA members. You can also change your NRA print magazine selection or subscribe to various NRA newsletters. We do offer one warning though — the NRA is very aggressive when it comes to email marketing. We suggest, if you sign up, don’t list your business email address, or primary email address. Or use a spam filter so you don’t get deluged with messages from the NRA.
March 27th, 2014
Are you ready for the 2014 NRA Annual Meetings? The 143rd NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, April 25-27, 2014. This will be a huge event, attracting thousands of NRA members. The NRA Exhibits is a smaller version of SHOT Show, with over 600 exhibitors lined up in 400,000+ square feet of exhibit hall space. You’ll find products from every major firearms manufacturer in the country, plus accessories, outdoor gear, and more.
Along with the political speeches, there will be educational seminars, celebrity appearances, and even an indoor air-gun range. You can view priceless “investment-grade” firearms in the NRA’s gun collector area, or book a hunt from a dozens of leading outfitters and guide services.
 Get Free NRA 2014 Mobile Apps
To help you organize your visit to the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, the NRA has created FREE Apps for mobile devices. There are versions for iPhones and iPads, Android devices, and even Blackberries. These handy apps make it easy to plan your agenda and locate exhibitors. The Apps even have an interactive floor-plan (site map), so you can map out your “plan of attack” in advance. Here are key App features:
Interactive Floor-plan
Exhibitor List & Descriptions
Set ‘Favorites’ and Take Notes
New Products & Product Categories
Complete Schedule of Events, with Workshops, Seminars and Tickete Events.
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For Android OS Devices |
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March 26th, 2014
Ouch. The Ruger American Rimfire (RAR) rifle has only been on the market for a few months, and now some of the .22 WMR and .17 HMR versions are already being recalled. Some of these RARs left the factory without the necessary gas venting port.
CLICK HERE for Full Ruger American Rimfire Recall Notice
Reason for Recall
Ruger American Rimfire rifles chambered in .22 WMR and .17 HMR manufactured between November 17, 2013 and January 8, 2014 were manufactured without a vent hole. This hole should appear just below and behind the serial number on the left-hand side of the receiver. The hole does not serve any function during normal operation of the rifle, but is a safety feature and may help vent gas in the event of a problem such as a ruptured case head or bore obstruction. Rifles are being recalled to add the vent hole to the action.
Which Particular Rifles Are Being Recalled?
Only Ruger American Rimfire rifles chambered in .22 WMR and .17 HMR within the serial number range 830-34831 to 830-43880 are subject to the recall. If your rifle is chambered in .22 LR or falls outside this serial number range, it is not subject to the recall. If you do have a RAR chambered in .22 WMR or .17 HMR, examine the left side of the receiver, just below and behind the serial number. If there is a hole there (Figure 1), then you do not need to return the rifle. If there is no hole (Figure 2), then the rifle should be returned.
If you own a RAR chambered in .22 WMR or .17 HMR that is subject to the recall, contact Ruger. Call (603) 865-3100 or send email to: recall@ruger.com. After verifying that the recall applies to your rifle, Ruger will send out a packing container, detailed instructions, and shipping label so you can send in your rifle FREE of charge. Ruger will then retrofit your rifle and return it to you within one week of the day Ruger receives it.
For RAR owners affected by the recall, Ruger will pay all costs of shipping (both ways). Ruger will also include a free magazine, a $24.95 value, when Ruger returns the rifle. Connecticut residents will receive a ShopRuger.com gift certificate in lieu of the magazine.
March 26th, 2014
 Gun Digest will be producing a new quarterly print magazine, called Modern Shooter. It appears that the magazine focuses mostly on AR-platform rifles, AR accessories, and defensive shooting. The new magazine parallels the new Modern Shooter television show, which debuts on the Sportsman Channel next January. Look for Modern Shooter magazine on newsstands in April. The new magazine will also be available in digital format at www.gundigeststore.com.
Each issue of Modern Shooter will focus on a popular firearms category. For example, the premier issue explains how to maintain an AR rifle, and how to “Defend Your Castle” with an AR. This first issue features Richard Mann’s 12 training drills for AR-platform rifles, plus reviews of AR accessories: optics, sights, rails, and adjustable stocks. The premiere edition of Modern Shooter profiles Colt manufacturing, discussing the history of the company. Colt’s new LE6920MP-USA and AR15A4 rifles will be reviewed.
March 24th, 2014
Brownells’ 8th Annual Gunsmith Career Fair will be held at the Des Moines Marriot Downtown in Des Moines, Iowa, April 1-2, 2014. The Brownells Gunsmith Conference & Career Fair is expected to draw hundreds of attendees along with representatives from three dozen potential employers. As in past years, the Career Fair will include gunsmithing seminars along with opportunities for individuals to interview for jobs with arms-makers and government agencies.
 Gunsmith CareerFair.com.
In addition to industry and government representatives, many trade schools and colleges offering gunsmithing programs will be exhibiting at the 2014 Gunsmith fair. Past exhibitors have included:
Story tip by EdLongrange. Reader Submissions are welcome.
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