This Sunday on Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio show, the discussion is about traveling with firearms when flying, how to protect your property from disappearing while in the care of airlines, and what to do when a gun is stolen in transit.
One of Tom’s friends, a well-known firearms instructor, will tell his story of how one of his pistols was recently stolen while in the custody of Southwest Airlines, after he had declared the firearms with the airline and had them checked by TSA. When his locked case arrived, the padlocks had been cut off the case, and one of the pistols was missing. He filed a police report, contacted the airline, and also talked with the Transportation Security Administration.
Neither the TSA nor Southwest Airlines will take responsibility for the stolen firearm. No one wants to talk about who cut the padlocks off the case. Southwest says it isn’t their responsibility. TSA says it’s the airline’s responsibility. The police don’t appear to be very excited about the fact that a pistol was taken in the airport environment.
“All this leads to the question,” said show host Tom Gresham, “does this happen so often that no one really finds it to be unusual? Both the TSA and Southwest Airlines have been invited to appear on this Sunday’s national broadcast. At this time, it’s uncertain whether either will provide a spokesperson.
In its 16th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk Radio airs live on Sundays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm Eastern, and runs on more than 115 stations, plus on XM (Ch. 165) Satellite Radio. All Gun Talk shows can be downloaded as podcasts via the GunTalk Archive site.
The August issue of GUNS Magazine is now available to read online for FREE — just click the link below to read the 08/2011 digital edition. The feature story in this issue is the Savage 110 BA chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. We shot one of these during Media Day at SHOT Show, and it’s a lot of rifle for the money (it’s one of the most affordable factory .338 LMs). The rifle is quite a beast. Over four feet in length (with muzzlebrake), it weighs nearly 18 pounds with scope, rings and Harris bipod.
For hunters, this August edition of GUNS magazine features a discussion of illuminated scopes and night-vision scopes. It seems like illuminated reticles are becoming more popular, though we question their utility for shooters who do not hunt at night. The August issue also features an article on the MP44 Sturmgewehr. The first true assault rifle, Germany’s MP44 was chambered in 7.92x33mm Kurz.
Each year, skilled shooters from many countries come to Camp Perry, Ohio to compete in Pistol, Smallbore Rifle, and High Power Rifle disciplines at the NRA National Matches.
With the National Rifle & Pistol Championships kicking off in month, there’s no better time to check out the 2011 NRA National Matches Program. This official guide to the NRA National Matches is available for FREE online in a digital magazine format. The National Matches Program includes a full schedule of events, an explanation of rules and courses of fire for all disciplines, a sponsor list, and other important information for Camp Perry competitors.
The BLADE Show (and Int’l Cutlery Fair), the world’s largest combined trade show/exposition of handmade, factory and Antique knives, runs this weekend, June 10-12, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is open to the general public. A one-day ticket is $15 (kids under 12 get in free with a paid adult). Visitors will get a bonus this year — the 2011 Tactical Gear Expo will be co-located with the BLADE Show at the Galleria. All attendees will have access to both shows with one admission.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the BLADE Show, which showcases knives of all varieties at over 750 exhibitor tables and manufacturers’ booths. Exhibiting their wares will be famous custom knife-makers and major blade manufacturers, plus there will be many impressive knife collections on display, with some rare items valued in excess of $25,000!
Exciting demonstrations and informative seminars will be held over the weekend. Saturday morning there will be a knife and Tomahawk throwing exhibition, followed by a live, blade-forging demo at 12:30 pm. At 4:15 pm visitors can see jaw-dropping action at the 9th Annual BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition. Sunday will be busy as well, with a team of experts showing historical sword-fighting techniques in the morning, followed by afternoon blade-making seminars.
Guns, Knives, and All Things Tactical at Expo
The 2011 Tactical Gear Expo runs under the same roof as the BLADE Show, and entry is FREE with a BLADE Show ticket. The Tactical Gear Expo features manufacturers and suppliers of tactical firearms, tactical knives, self-defense gear for civilians, and all manner of law enforcement and military hardware. On display will be tactical firearms and accessories, duty gear, body armor, books/DVDs, flashlights, lasers, eyewear, edged weapons and more.
$10,000 Custom Knife Giveaway
Each BLADE Show attendee is eligible to win a special, engraved, 30th BLADE Show Anniversary knife crafted by the William Henry Studio. To enter, just fill out a form at the BLADE Show. The drawing will be held Saturday afternoon at the William Henry booth.
Shooters beware — another piece of misguided legislation is in the works in California. State Senator Kevin de León (Dem., Los Angeles) has introduced SB 798. This bill, if it becomes law, would ban Airsoft products, BB guns and pneumatic pellet rifles unless they are configured in solid orange, red, or green colors or fitted with transparent “furniture” such as found on toy guns. This law could apply to Olympic-grade, pellet-shooting air rifles as well. SB 798 could effectively embargo high-quality competition air rifles because the manufacturers would not create special colored versions just for California, and it is impractical to make barrels, sights, and adjustable stocks out of transparent plastics.
This is yet another example of poorly thought-out, foolish legislation being sponsored by gun-phobic California legislators. The bill passed from the California State Senate Rules Committee and has been sent to the California Assembly Public Safety Committee for consideration. Hopefully SB 798 opponents can convince Assembly members to kill this bill in Committee. CLICK HERE for SB 798 Current Status.
California State Senator Bob Huff has explained many of the flaws in SB 798: “I have some concerns about this bill and do not plan to support it. BB guns are potentially dangerous devices. Coloring them in bright colors will do little except give parents and children the impression that these devices are, in fact, toys. This creates confusion and hides the fact that they can cause serious injury or even potentially death if misused or improperly handled. This bill is another example of an idea with unintended consequences.”
If you want to help fight SB 798, you can add your name to a Petition created by Pyramyd Air. This Petition will be sent to all California Assembly members. The Petition states, in part: “Traditional BB and pellet guns are not brightly colored or clear and should not be — they can cause serious injury if misused. Airsoft guns have blaze orange muzzles, readily distinguishing them from firearms. The unintended consequence of SB 798 is that, because these products will be confused with toys, inappropriate use of these products, particularly in public, could result in injury death to the user, bystanders and police officers. I understand a similar proposal as SB 798 was rejected six (6) years ago by California’s State Attorney General because of these safety concerns.”
If you or someone you know is a young shooter looking to mix some top-notch coaching with summer fun, then look no further than the NRA Junior Shooting Camps. Each summer, the NRA offers a Junior Pistol Camp and a Junior Smallbore Rifle Camp at Camp Perry in Northern Ohio. The slideshow below shows the 2010 Junior Smallbore Rifle Camp.
Both Pistol and Rifle programs are conducted as five-day camps offering expert instruction by NRA Certified Coaches. Both camps are geared towards intermediate shooters, but beginners are accepted on a space-available basis. Open to youths 12-18 years of age, these camps provide young people with the chance to improve their shooting skills under the guidance and supervision of experienced coaches.
The Junior Pistol Camp will be held July 12-16 and the Junior Smallbore Rifle Camp will be held July 23-27, both in conjunction with the National Matches at Camp Perry. The Junior Pistol Camp is limited to 50 shooters and will focus on conventional and international pistol shooting, while the Junior Smallbore Rifle Camp is limited to 72 shooters and centers on 3 and 4-position rifle shooting.
Advanced registration (by June 15) is just $200.00, standard registration (after June 15) is $225.00. This includes training materials and administrative fees, but does not cover travel or lodging costs. First-time campers for the Junior Pistol Camp only are eligible for tuition and travel reimbursement of up to $500.00 per individual thanks to the generous support of the Ohio Gun Collectors Association.
Information packets and registration forms for both camps can be downloaded online, or call 703-267-1411 for more information. You can also view the new Junior Pistol Camp brochure online. If you know a junior who would like to attend a shooting camp, submit an application right away!
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) now has its own CMP Facebook Page. There you’ll find the latest match results, links to interesting stories, and info on special rifle and ammo sales. The Facebook format actually works really well for the CMP — visitors can quickly find the latest new items and stories of interest. For example, here’s a cool article about two Virginia High School Girls who shot in the first official CMP Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match on 10 May, at Camp Butner, NC: High-Schoolers at Butner.
New CMP Rulebook Released
New for 2011, the 15th edition of the CMP Competition Rules is now available. The CMP is the national governing body for Service Rifle, Service Pistol and CMP Games shooting events and the CMP Competition Rules is the official rulebook for these events that are a popular and important part of the national competitive shooting scene. The 15th Edition Rulebook also provides all the rule changes for Service Rifle, as well as the governing rules for the new Vintage Sniper Rifle Competition. The new rulebook, in PDF format, can be downloaded from the CMP website at: http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf.
CMP Scoring App Now Available for Android Smart-Phones
Also, the CMP Scoring App, which has been available for iPhones since September 2010, is now available for Android OS smartphones in the Android App Marketplace. This $4.99 CMP App features an easy-to-use interface that allows for quick recording of your score after each string. The CMP App calculates your shooting percentages automatically to let you know how you are doing throughout the event. You can also enter notes and record conditions. The CMP App was recently updated so it can be utilized with all shooting disciplines. This application is sponsored and endorsed by the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
Our friend Vince Bottomley of Target Shooter Magazine, www.targetshooteronline.com, let us know about an exciting new development for the quality UK-based shooting eZine. Starting this month, June 2011, the latest monthly edition of Target Shooter will be available as a digital App for Apple iPads. Each monthly edition can be downloaded from the iTunes store for just $0.99. That’s a good value when you consider Target Shooter has at least 6-8 feature articles every month, plus gear reviews and match reports. Here are some highlight from this month’s June edition of Target Shooter:
New Optics for 2011 from Leupold, IOR, March, Schmidt & Bender, Sightron (informative report by Vince Bottomley).
Handloading for the 6mmBR (Part 2), by Laurie Holland (Great article — a “must read”.)
Visit to Savage Arms Factory (in Massachusetts) by Yvonne Wilcock.
New Valkyrie Tactical .308 (in Folding Stock), by Chris Parkin.
Reading Mirage for Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest, by Carl Boswell.
Review of Bryan Litz’s Applied Ballistics (2d. Ed) book.
If you prefer to read Target Shooter on the web, or you don’t have an iPad content reader, don’t worry, Target Shooter will still be available for free through Target Shooter’s website. Just log on to www.targetshooteronline.com. But if you want to see the latest and greatest version of Target Shooter, consider the iTunes download. Vince tells us: “the magazine is so much nicer to read with an iPad — it’s almost better than a paper magazine.” To download Target Shooter, just go to the iTunes Webstore and search iPad apps for “Target Shooter” or “targetshooteronline”.
The Original PA 1000-Yard Benchrest Club in Williamsport, PA, will hold a Father’s Day Fun Shoot with cash prizes on Saturday June 18, 2011 (starting at 8:00 am). This will be the first-ever match of its kind at Williamsport, the first and largest 1000-Yard Benchrest Club in the country. Entry is open to everyone. All net proceeds from this match are going directly to pay off the massive pit rebuild Williamsport recently completed. There will be 50% payback of fees to shooters, as well as door prizes. CLICK HERE for entry Form (Pre-registration recommended).
Father’s Day Fun Shoot and 1000-Yard Scramble
50% payback to top 10% of shooters in each class; there will also be door prizes.
Free lunch for every paid shooter (hot dog and drink)
Relays picked at 8am (random drawing). Match Starts at 9:00 am.
Pit crew will be provided, shooters need not pull pits.
Dinner will be provided for $7 if desired. Other concessions available.
THREE Classes – Light Gun, Heavy Gun, and Factory
Light-Gun and Heavy-Gun per Williamsport rules. Factory class rifles must include: factory barrel and receiver and stock. (Rechamber, trigger, re-crown, brake etc. are OK.)
ROUND COUNT: The total round count (per rifle) is 50-75 rounds.
ENTRY FEE: $75 per gun (each shooter may enter up to 1HG, 1LG and 1 factory)
Williamsport Father’s Day Fun Shoot — Course of Fire:
Stage 1: 3-Shot and 5-Shot Groups at 1000 yards.
– Shot in one sitting with a short break between groups.
– 12 shooters per relay, with points given for each group and score.
– Approx. 18 rounds, 48 points possible.
Stage 2: 10-Shot Group at 1000 yards
– Same scoring as Stage 1.
– Approx. 18 rounds, 24 points possible.
Stage 3: Clay Birds at 1000 Yards.
– Three targets each: rabbit/skeet/mini clay-birds for each shooter in 3×3 arrays.
– Shooters have 2-3 minutes to break as many as you can (no shot limit).
– Approx. 10-20 rounds, 36 possible points.
Grand Finale – “Scrambled Eggs”
– Top 12 scorers from EACH CLASS go to final relay to shoot eggs on the bank at 1040 yards. Note: this is shot in the evening for the best conditions.
– Factory class will shoot eggs at 600 yards.
– Two-minute sighters on bank at skeet, then 2 minutes to try and break eggs.
– Cash prizes awarded for breaking the egg (separate from the 50% payback).
– Approx 10-15 rounds.
Sell a million guns in a year — and then send a million bucks to the NRA. Sounds simple, eh? Well Ruger issued an interesting challenge last week. Officials of Sturm, Ruger & Co., pledged to donate $1,000,000 to the NRA if one million new Ruger firearms are sold between the 2011 and 2012 NRA Shows.
Is this a publicity stunt or could Ruger really hit the mark? According to Ruger, “no company has ever sold one million firearms in a 12-month period. With the help of our loyal customers, we hope to make history.” Can Ruger do it? On the positive side, gun sales continue to rise, and Ruger continues to roll out popular new carry pistols. On the negative side, the economy remains weak, and many of Ruger’s recent releases have been the subject of embarassing product recalls. We think Ruger is going to have to ramp up its Quality Control before it grabs much more market share from the likes of Glock, Sig Sauer, and Smith & Wesson.
“Our goal is to present the NRA with a check for one million dollars during the 141st NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis next April,” said Ruger CEO Mike Fifer. This substantial donation would reflect a record-breaking feat in the firearms industry. We wish Ruger well in its quest — it certainly won’t be easy to reach the goal. To follow the progress of the “Million Gun Challenge,” visit www.Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger.
This Sunday on Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio show, the discussion is about traveling with firearms when flying, how to protect your property from disappearing while in the care of airlines, and what to do when a gun is stolen in transit.
“All this leads to the question,” said show host Tom Gresham, “does this happen so often that no one really finds it to be unusual? Both the TSA and Southwest Airlines have been invited to appear on this Sunday’s national broadcast. At this time, it’s uncertain whether either will provide a spokesperson.
The August issue of 
Guns, Knives, and All Things Tactical at Expo
New CMP Rulebook Released
CMP Scoring App Now Available for Android Smart-Phones
Our friend Vince Bottomley of Target Shooter Magazine, 
Sell a million guns in a year — and then send a million bucks to the NRA. Sounds simple, eh? Well Ruger issued an interesting challenge last week. Officials of 
