|
|
June 10th, 2010
The First Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show & Conference was held in Nashville, TN, in 1996, and quickly assumed the title of “The Finest Gun Collectors Show in the Country”. The show is a program of the NRA’s National Firearms Museum. This year, the Museum has announced that the 15th Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show & Conference will be held July 23-25 in Kansas City, Missouri.
At Collectors Show in Kansas City, there will be numerous awards handed out, including over $11,000 in cash prizes for the best exhibits. The event, which is open to the public, is hosted by the Missouri Valley Arms Collectors Association (MVACA) at the K.C.I. Expo Center, 11730 N. Ambassador, Kansas City, MO 64195. If you wish to be an exhibitor, contact MVACA Show Director Chuck Samuel at (913) 649-4248 ASAP. Sale/Trade tables are $90.00, while “Display-only” tables are $55.00 for 3 days. CLICK HERE for show information including Expo Center Map.
June 10th, 2010
 Kahr Arms has acquired firearms manufacturer, Magnum Research, Inc., of Minnesota. Magnum Research, founded in 1979, is best known for its super-sized big-bore Desert Eagle pistol, but it also sells a 1911-style pistol, compact “Baby” and “Micro” Desert Eagle carry pistols, BFR revolvers, and the Mountain Eagle™ MagnumLite® line of rifles. The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the USA, and manufactured primarily in Israel by IWI (Israel Weapon Industries, formerly Israel Military Industries, IMI). The Baby Eagle is based on the CZ75 design, updated by IWI.
Kahr Arms currently sells mostly striker-fired semi-automatic pistols, aimed primarily at the personal defense and concealed carry markets. The acquisition of Magnum Research gives Kahr a line of traditional hammer-fired pistols and revolvers. Now Kahr can also expand into the hunting and varminting markets with the Mountain Eagle series of rifles. These feature carbon-wrapped barrels fitted to “custom-tuned” Rem 700 actions in H-S Precision or Hogue stocks. The MSRP on Mountain Eagle rifles is $2173.00 — that’s expensive compared to a factory Remington, but the price is half what Christensen Arms charges for similar rifles with carbon-wrapped barrels. No doubt Kahr hopes to steal some of Christensen’s customers.
June 8th, 2010
 On a 43-10 vote, the California Assembly approved AB 1810, a bill by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Feuer (Los Angeles) that would require registration of all rifles and shotguns. Information on long gun sales would be permanently archived in a database that could be accessed by the Dept. of Justice (DOJ), law enforcement agencies, and, presumably, by other government officials. The database would include the buyer’s name, address, place of birth, phone number, gender, occupation, and other information. AB 1810 repeals existing law which expressly prohibits compiling a long gun database. AB 1810 requires the DOJ to create and maintain a Registration Database of ALL new long-gun purchases or private party transfers.
Under current California law, only handguns are included in a statewide database. AB 1810 would require that all transfers (new or used) of rifles and shotguns are recorded in the same way. This bill passed the California Assembly on Thursday and now moves to the State Senate. Because the Senate is dominated by Democrats, AB 1810 will probably be approved on a party-line vote and then sent to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk, perhaps as early as this summer. So take note — AB 1810 is not the law YET. But the bill is likely to get to the Governor barring something unexpected in the State Senate.
CLICK HERE for text of California AB 1810.
June 8th, 2010
 The NSSF reports that newly released documents show Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was involved in forming Clinton Administration policy on gun control, including, apparently, proposing that President Clinton issue an Executive Order to prohibit firearm sales without prior police certification/approval. The Washington Post reports that Kagan helped formulate gun control measures during the three years she served as a domestic policy advisor for Clinton.
After analyzing documents turned over by the Clinton Library, the Washington Post revealed: “Kagan was immersed in initiatives on gun control. In deliberations about how the Clinton administration should respond to a Supreme Court ruling that the federal government could not force local or state police to conduct background checks on gun purchasers, she appears to support such checks.” One document revealed that Elena had suggested that Clinton might issue an Executive Order banning gun sales without prior police approval. Based on these documents, it appears Kagan showed a strong anti-Second-Amendment bias when she worked in the White House, advising President Clinton.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings this summer, NSSF looks forward to a full exploration of Kagan’s involvement in gun-control issues during the Clinton administration, the most anti-gun administration in history.
June 6th, 2010
 Ireland has adopted some very tough gun laws recently, but we’re glad to see that our Irish shooting friends are still “fighting the good fight” and bringing new shooters into the sport. In fact, Ireland’s National Association of Sporting Rifle and Pistol Clubs (NASRPC) has begun a training program for lady shooters.
The Irish Sports Council has scheduled a Women on Target program to encourage more female participation in sport shooting. Declan Keogh, an NRA-Certified Instructor, has scheduled his first clinic on Saturday June 19th, 2010. The class is being hosted by the Hilltop Shooting Club in Tithewer, Newtown Mountkennedy, County Wicklow. The clinic is a part of the Irish Sports Council’s Women In Sport program. The three-hour class will include basic pistol instruction and .22LR target shooting. Instructors will cover the NRA’s rules for safe gun handling and teach shooting fundamentals. The program costs €20, which covers ammo, program materials, and refreshments.
CLICK HERE for Irish Women on Target Application and Information Form. PDF
CLICK HERE for lastest Ireland NASPRC Newsletter. PDF
This issue contains a detailed Guide to Regulations Governing International Travel with Firearms.
June 6th, 2010
The new Zeiss Victory DiaScope 85 T* FL Spotting Scope has earned two prestigious awards. First the new 85mm DiaScope won the coveted Red Dot Design Award. “All products honored with the red dot design award had to impress an international jury. These products [must] demonstrate their quality in one of the toughest design competitions in the world,” says Professor Dr. Peter Zec, speaking on behalf of Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen which issues the Red Dot Design Awards.
 Outdoor Life Magazine. Outdoor Life’s editors praised its “optically superior [flourite] glass in a surprisingly lightweight chassis”. The ZEISS DiaScope won the low-light test, had a top resolution score and “the two-speed focus and wide-angle eyepiece sparkled”, according to the test team.
We checked out the new 85mm DiaScope at SHOT Show and reviewed its new features with Zeiss project engineer Stephan Albrecht. Make no mistake about it. This is an outstanding spotting scope. We loved the dual-rate focus system. You can do the gross focus really fast, but still achieve the ultra-precise focus needed to resolve bullet holes at long ranges. We were very impressed with the new higher-magnification 20-75X zoom eyepiece. This is one of the best variable-power eyepieces ever made, and long-range shooters can definitely use the extra magnification (75x vs. 60x). Overall the Zeiss system is surprisingly compact, yet it offers excellent low-light performance, plus higher magnification than most other spotting scopes in the 80mm category.
The new 85mm Diascope is available in straight or angled bodies both boasting a rubber-armored exterior for protection. Eyepieces are available as variable 20-60x, 20-75x, or fixed 40x. A 65mm version of the new Diascope is also available, but we feel that, if you’re going to spend this kind of money ($3000.00 for 85mm with 20-60X eyepiece), you should go with the 85mm. The 20-75X eyepiece only delivers 15-56X when used with the smaller 65mm Diascope.
June 5th, 2010
Top Shot is a new 10-episode TV series premiering this Sunday, June 6 at 10 pm (9 pm Central) on the History Channel. (Top Shot repeats Tuesday, June 8 at the same hour.) Sixteen experienced shooters were chosen to compete for a $100,000 cash prize. The 16 contestants are divided into two teams. Each week the teams compete against each other, then one contestant from the week’s losing team is eliminated from the show in a head to head elimination round. We’ve previewed Top Shot’s first two episodes and we can say that Top Shot makes for good television. The cinematography and editing are first-rate, even if hard-core precision marksmen might quibble about some of the equipment used. In addition to modern rifles and pistols, contestants must master antique black-powder arms as well as crossbows, throwing knives, and even tomahawks. Hey, it’s Hollywood remember?
Among the 16 competitors is Accurateshooter.com contributor Kelly Bachand, a talented young Palma shooter from Washington state. Kelly figures prominently in episode one. The History Channel has released an extended 11-minute Series Preview you can watch now on HULU.com.
CLICK HERE to Watch TOP SHOT 11-minute Extended Preview. (Advert may load first.)
This Preview is VERY well done, and well worth watching.
CLICK HERE for Video Bios of TOP SHOT Contestants, including Kelly Bachand.
Editor’s Note: The video Bios include footage from team challenges on upcoming episodes. Watching the contestant Bios gives you a “sneak peek” at much of the future action.
June 4th, 2010
 A “Gun Road Show” (along the lines of TV’s “Antique Road Show”) will be held at at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora, North Dakota, June 12-13. The event will feature National Firearms Museum Senior Curator Doug Wicklund, who will provide appraisals of historic firearms brought in by visitors. Wicklund will be evaluating firearms from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 12 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Hall. Organizers have established a one-firearm-per-person limit, and require each participant to have their gun checked at the door.
The Cowboy Hall of Fame is located in downtown Medora, ND, at the gate of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. “The last time I was in Medora, some fantastic guns came in for me to review,” Wicklund said. “I’m looking forward to seeing more pieces of Western history.” Shown below are two classic American arms recently sold at the Rock Island Auction. Perhaps similar valuable classics will be “discovered” at the “Gun Road Show”.
Saturday evening at 7:00 pm, Wicklund will host a free “Guns of the West” seminar. Wicklund will display famous guns of 19th-century outlaws and lawmen as well as famous Hollywood firearms, including the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver Clint Eastwood used in the Dirty Harry movie. Many of these arms are normally on display at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia.
June 3rd, 2010
 At around 2:15 on the afternoon of June 2nd, there was a fire and explosion at the Nosler production plant in Bend, Oregon. Apparently the accident started in the ballistics tunnel testing area. Employees reported a flash, then smoke followed by a “massive explosion” which was felt many blocks away. One employee who saw a bright flash alertly activated a fire alarm which helped speed the evacuation process.
Nosler Plant Fire and Explosion VIDEO Report
Thankfully, all the roughly 100 Nosler employees were able to evacuate safely, and there were apparently no serious injuries. The fire and explosion did do significant damage to the 80,000 square foot Nosler building. When fire crews arrived, they found major damage to the southeast corner of the Nosler plant, with thick smoke still pouring out.
Damage could run into the millions of dollars. A number of city blocks were evacuated and cordoned off. Right now the cause of the fire and explosion remains unknown, but the Bend Fire Department, state police agencies, and the federal BATF are commencing investigations.
CLICK HERE for Nosler Fire Damage Photos | CLICK HERE for KTVZ.com (Bend, Oregon) News Report
June 2nd, 2010
 ‘Top Shot’, a new 10-episode TV series, debuts this Sunday, June 6th, on The History Channel. The show features 16 competitors (all experienced shooters), vying for a $100,000 prize. While competitors were selected on the basis of marksmanship skills, ‘Top Shot’ is NOT just a series of multi-gun matches or target shoots. Contestants are grouped into two teams which compete in a different type of challenge each week. This requires competitors to master a wide variety of weapons, both modern and antique. One of the 16 competitors is AccurateShooter.com contributor Kelly Bachand, a promising young Palma shooter. Kelly plays a prominent role in the premier episode.
After wrapping up his filming stint with ‘Top Shot’, Kelly visited us in Southern California to do some testing with an Eliseo .308 Win tube gun (photo above). Kelly explained that, for the TV show, he and his fellow competitors had to demonstrate skills with a wide variety of historic and modern weapons. In addition to modern rifles and semi-auto pistols, competitors used black-powder revolvers, crossbows, throwing knives, and even tomahawks. In some episodes the competitors were tasked with recreating a historically significant feat of marksmanship — such as cutting a “hanging rope” with a pistol shot. Each week, contenders will face both team and individual elimination challenges until one winner remains. In the series opener (Sunday, June 6), contestants are immediately divided into two teams and then compete in a “Rifle Relay,” an obstacle course using standard-issue rifles from four different wars. In the elimination round, two contestants go head-to-head in “The Long Shot,” a long-distance sniper challenge which will send the first person home. ‘Top Shot’ will air Sundays at 10 EDT, with ten episodes slated for the upcoming season.
CLICK HERE for TOP SHOT Website with Episode Summaries and Contestant Bios.
|
