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December 15th, 2011
 If you can’t wait for SHOT Show in January to see new-for-2012 shooting products, then check out the latest FREE digital edition of Shooting Industry Magazine. Shooting Industry’s jumbo, 156-page December issue is the first of two expanded editions that highlight new products for 2012.
In this month’s digital magazine, you’ll find Part I of the 2012 New Product Showcase. This has hundreds of new product offerings including new firearms, ammunition, optics and accessories.
The special December edition also has a comprehensive SHOT Show Planning Guide which lists SHOT Show activities and seminars, and explains new technologies (such as smart-phone apps) that will help SHOT Show visitors. NOTE: The December Edition does NOT include SHOT Show Floor Layouts with exhibitor lists. You’ll have to wait ’til next month. The layouts and exhibitor directory will be published in the January digital edition of Shooting Industry Magazine.
Another handy resource in the December Edition is the Buyers’ Guide a comprehensive industry-wide directory of manufacturers, distributors, and and retailers. The December Edition also includes 2012 firearms industry projections. In this section, representatives from Crimson Trace, Hornady, Mossberg and Taurus share their insights about the future trends.
IMPORTANT: When opening the December Digital Edition, you’ll be prompted to provide your name and eMail address. STOP! This is NOT Required! Simply click one of the right arrows (at top center) or the “Continue” button and you can access the e-magazine without divulging your name or email account.
“We have assembled a wealth of information in our December issue to help businesses throughout industry maximize the opportunities of 2012. Forecasts for the new year, new products, SHOT Show planning, our highly regarded Buyer’s Guide and more are included in this valuable business edition,” said Russ Thurman, Shooting Industry’s publisher and editor.
December 15th, 2011
U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces veteran Eric Hollen utilized shooting as a tool for recovery after an injury that broke his back. Hollen is now the top-ranked Air Pistol and number two Free Pistol athlete in the world and has set a goal for himself: the Gold Medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
 Eric Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger, has been named the 2011 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete of the Year. In addition, Hollen has secured a quota for the 2012 Olympics based on his performance 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The quota that Hollen won down-under earns him a nomination to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team (pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee). Barring something unforseen, this means that Hollen should compete for the United States at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Hollen Wins Silver and Bronze in Sydney
“Eric is an Army Special Forces veteran who has taken advantage of the unique opportunities available as an Olympic Training Center (OTC) Resident Athlete,” said Coach Bob Foth. At the IPC World Cup Sydney Hollen won a bronze medal in P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol. Then, in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol even, Hollen fired 98.1 points to secure the silver medal. The historic part, however, came from the 2012 Paralympic quota that Hollen won along with the medal. This is the first-ever Paralympic quota won by an American shooter under the IPC’s new quota distribution system. An elated Hollen said, “I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing program and to the people who have helped me reach the next step to my ultimate goal — Coach Bob Foth, Coach Ray Arredondo, Sean McCann, Dave Johnson, Sergey Luzov and many more.”
Hollen Achieves New Goals After Loosing Use of His Legs
Eric Hollen served in the U.S. Army for nine years, first with the 2/75 Rangers in Fort Lewis, WA, and then with the 10th Special Forces Group out of Fort Carson, CO. After leaving the Army, while farming in Tennessee in 2001, a tractor overturned on him, breaking his back. Despite that devastating injury, Hollen has gained a new lease on life. He enrolled in East Tennessee State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in April of 2010. He was awarded USA Shooting’s Paralympic Athlete of the Year honor after a terrific 2010 season. Hollen strives to help newly injured veterans reach their goals despite their disabilities. He advises junior shooters to: “Do the hard things — the hold drills and dry-fire drills that are not much fun — and you will find success.”
December 14th, 2011
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC (“Colt”) announced that it will open a new firearms production facility in Kissimmee, Florida. Colt’s announcement did not discuss plant closures elsewhere, but we expect that some of Colt’s production (and jobs) will be moved from New England to Florida. Colt’s press release states: “The new 16,000-square foot facility will allow Colt’s Manufacturing Company to expand into new markets and business lines in parallel with the company’s existing 100,000-square-foot facility in Connecticut. Specific information on facility renovations and employee requirements will be determined over the course of the next several months.”
Colt Introduces New California-Compliant ARs
In related news, Colt has introduced a series of California-compliant AR15s. This is good for “black rifle” fans in the Golden State. Colt’s CA-legal ARs include: a 16″ barrel M4 Clone (LE6920CA) with adjustable stock; an Accurized rifle with 24″, 1:8″ twist heavy barrel (CR6724CA), and a “Patrol Rifle” that features Magpul furniture (6920CMP-B). All of Colt’s new California-compliant rifles are test-fired at the factory, and they all have mil-spec barrel, chamber, and bolt carrier group. In addition, Colt’s ARs receive special metal testing. Steve Comus, who reviewed Colt’s new ARs for Western Outdoor News, explains: “There is a magnetic particle inspection test done on all Colt rifles. After a rifle passes the MP (Magnetic Particle) test, MP is stamped on the bolt and barrel, as is C for Colt and MP on barrel. To pass, every single barrel and bolt goes through an over pressure test of 70,000 psi to make sure it can handle high pressure. Colt then takes rifle barrel and bolt and does a magnetic particle test on them. Barrels on mil spec barrels are chrome-lined. Accurized barrels are not chrome-lined.”
CLICK HERE for Full Field-Test of Colt California ARs (12/7/2011). Article from WONews.com.
December 13th, 2011
Here’s a fun gift item from Vat19.com — a bottle opener made from de-milled .50 BMG cartridges. These .50 Caliber Bottle Openers are made by hand in the USA by a group that donates at least 15% of its profits to helping wounded soldiers via the Travis Manion Foundation.
The price is $14.99. Considering the simple design, we bet many of our readers could make their own bottle opener using an old cartridge, a Dremel tool, and a file. If that’s too much work, you can order the .50 Cal bottle opener from Vat19.com. This item has been so popular that it is currently sold out, but Vat19.com is expecting to receive more inventory on December 19th — right before Christmas.
Credit TheFirearmBlog.com for finding this item
December 5th, 2011
Target Shooter Magazine has released its web-based December Issue, and it’s chock full of tech info and match reports from around the world. The FREE December Issue features in-depth reports on four great competitions: the European F-Class Championships, the prestigious World Long-Range Rifle Championship (Palma Match) from Australia, the World Handgun (Practical Pistol) Championship from Greece, and the World Muzzle-Loading Championships (MLAIC) from Bisley, England.
If you haven’t sampled Target Shooter Magazine yet, you should. The hardware photography is high quality and there is something for everyone — from Benchresters to Tactical shooters. You can view the 116-page December issue for FREE at www.targetshooter.co.uk. Target shooter also has an iPad/iPhone friendly version that can be downloaded.
Definitely check out the latest edition of Target Shooter Magazine. It offers outstanding match reports (with big, screen-filling images), and some of the most competent gear reviews on the web. When contributors such as Vince Bottomley or Laurie Holland review a product, they deliver intelligent conclusions you can “take to the bank”.
December 3rd, 2011
Gunway.com, an online social network site designed to share information about firearms and outdoor activities, was launched on November 14, 2011. “Gunway represents a radical shift,” says Gunway’s CEO, Charlie Pratt. “We set out to create a world-class niche network that raises the levels of information and functionality.” Gunway’s beta release is built on two core features: People & Questions. Users create their own profiles – public or private – to share photos, links, and information. The Questions feature allows them to post questions and receive answers from anyone.
“The major networks have grown too large, intrusive, and overwhelming,” says Pratt. “We envisioned something that requires much less information from its users and has a clear purpose.”
Editor’s Comment: We always welcome new additions to the online firearms community. However, with hundreds of firearms Blogs and Forums already in existence, we’re not quite sure what Gunway.com brings to the table. Questions about specific firearms, hunting gear, and reloading methods are best addressed to special interest Forums such as SavageShooters.com, LongRangeHunting.com, and the AccurateShooter.com Forum. If people need to find a range, there are existing resources such as WhereToShoot.org. Still, it will be interesting to see how Gunway.com evolves. Hopefully, as its membership grows, Gunway.com will become a useful resource for gun owners and sportsmen.
December 2nd, 2011
Smart phones and flat-screen TVs weren’t the only things flying off retailers’ shelves during the recent “Black Friday” sales fest. Americans bought firearms in record numbers on Black Friday 2011. The FBI recorded 129,166 firearm background requests on November 25, 2011, an all-time, single-day high. That’s 32% higher than any day on record, exceeding the previous one-day high of 97,848 background checks on Black Friday of 2008. (Note: The actual number of firearms purchased, in all likelihood, exceeds the number of background checks, because one buyer can purchase multiple guns with a single background check.)
No one really knows why gun sales went through the roof this shopping season. Many large vendors, such as Cabela’s, offered deep discounts. Also hit cable television shows such as Top Shot and Sons of Guns have popularized shooting, emphasizing the “cool factor” of gun ownership. These TV series stirred interest in firearms among many Americans who, just a few years ago, had limited awareness of hunting and the shooting sports.
 Women and First-Time Buyers Drive Sales
Statistics suggest that newcomers to shooting (and first-time buyers) are driving the increase in sales. USA Today reports: “Some gun industry analysts attributed the unusual surge to a convergence of factors, including an increasing number of first-time buyers seeking firearms for protection and women who are being drawn to sport shooting and hunting.”
According to the NSSF’s Larry Keane, “I think there also is a burgeoning awakening of the American public that they do have a constitutional right to own guns.” Keene noted that 25% of sales are going to first-time buyers, many of whom are women. This is a good thing for the shooting sports. As more females acquire firearms for both personal defense and for recreational use, we can expect the ranks of female competitive shooters to grow.
December 2nd, 2011
 Through the end of December, MidwayUSA is running an exclusive promotion for AccurateShooter.com readers. This is a sweet deal: you get $10.00 off any order of $50.00 or more. This applies to regular-priced, in-stock inventory only (no discount on sale items, clearance items or back-order items). To get this exclusive discount for our readers, simply use Promo Code 5161171 during “check-out” when shopping online.
This discount applies to web orders only (no discounts on phone or fax orders). In addition, Nightforce and FNH products, and gift certificates, do not count towards the total. For more information, view MidwayUSA’s Special Discount Page. The discount can only be used once per customer and it expires at 11:59 pm CT on December 31, 2011.
December 2nd, 2011
 The 2012 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be held April 13-15, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. The big meeting may still be a few months away, but you can pre-order tickets for the most popular special events including the National NRA Foundation Banquet, NRA Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum, NRA Celebration of American Values Freedom Experience, and the Prayer Breakfast.
Glenn Beck and Lt. Gen. Boykin Host Events
The NRA Celebration of American Values Freedom Experience has two great speakers lined up for 2012. Back by popular demand is television host Glenn Beck and joining him in 2012 will be one of America’s favorite comedians, Larry the Cable Guy. The 2012 Prayer Breakast will feature Lt. General (U.S. Army Ret.) Jerry Boykin as the Keynote Speaker and will include Mr. Chuck Buck, Chairman of Buck Knives and country music star Bryan White. To order tickets for any of these events, log on to www.nraam.org, or call 877-672-7632.
December 1st, 2011
The CMP has issued the following invitation to shooting team coaches and their team members:
 “You and your shooters are cordially invited to participate in the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational, to be hosted at both the CMP Competition Center South in Anniston, Alabama, and at the CMP Competition Center North at Camp Perry, Ohio. The match is a junior three-position air rifle match that is a sanctioned CMP Cup Match and an outstanding competition opportunity for every school or junior club shooting team. This event is named after the former Director of the Civilian Marksmanship Gary Anderson, whose influence and guidance has significantly impacted the success of three-position air rifle shooting. We sincerely hope you and your team will join us in Anniston (Alabama) or at Camp Perry (Ohio) in December for a great competition.”
DOWNLOAD Gary Anderson Invitational Match Program (PDF).
 Gary Anderson earned two Olympic gold medals, seven world championships, six world records, and 16 National championships. No other American has won more Olympic and world championship three-position rifle titles. Anderson transitioned from world champion to mentor — helping train thousands of US shooters, young and old, civilian and military alike. Anderson served as Director of Civilian Marksmanship from 1999 through December 2009. Today Anderson serves as DCM Emeritus for the CMP, President of the Board of USA Shooting, and Vice President of the International Shooting Sports Federation.
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