If you’re looking for an affordable holiday gift for a shooting buddy or family member, a gift that will be appreciated month after month, consider a magazine subscription. Every month your buddy or relative will get something new in the mail — so it’s like sending a dozen gifts over the course of the year. Your Editor receives a couple magazine subscriptions that were gifts from my brother, and I really do look forward to the magazines’ arrival in my mailbox each month. And each time I open up a new issue of Nat Geo or Shooting Times I think, “Thanks Bro — that was a thoughtful gift — you made my day.”
Share the post "Magazine Subscriptions Make Great Gifts for Gun Guys"
Lousiana has a once-a-year Sales Tax relief program we wish all the other states would emulate. Wouldn’t it be great if California, Pennsylvania, Texas and other major gun markets had a Second Amendment Tax Holiday? For a few days each year, Louisiana waives all the sales tax on firearms, ammunition, reloading components, and hunting gear. The 2011 Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday takes place Friday, September 2, through Sunday, September 4, 2011.
During these three days, eligible items (for individual use) are exempt from all state and local sales taxes in Louisiana. In Louisiana, eligible items include:
• Accessories designed to be used for hunting.
• Shotguns, rifles, pistols, revolvers, or other handguns.
• Ammunition intended to be fired from a gun or firearm is eligible.
• Animal feed for consumption by game which can be legally hunted.
• Apparel such as safety gear, camouflage clothing, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens, face masks and thermal underwear for use while hunting;
• Off-road vehicles such as all terrain vehicles designed for hunting. The exemption does not apply to golf carts, bikes, motorcycles, tractors, or motor vehicles which may be legally driven on highways.
So if you live in Louisiana, enjoy your tax break, starting Friday September 2nd! For the full list of eligible items and special provisions of the Louisiana sales tax holiday, visit www.revenue.louisiana.gov/secondamendment. NOTE: Louisiana is not the only state with such a program. South Carolina has held Second Amendment Tax Holidays in the past, and other states are considering the idea.
Share the post "Firearm Sales Tax Holiday in Louisiana: September 2-4"
Christmas is less than a week away, so today we’re offering a selection of last-minute “stocking stuffers” for precision shooters. So as not to bust your holiday budget, all of our selections are priced under $10.00. Despite their low price, many of these items are handy tools that you’ll use over and over again at the range and/or at your loading bench.
Tactical Xmas Stocking
But first things first — to hold our selected gifts, first you need a handsome Christmas stocking to stuff. What better option for a shooter than than a tactical Xmas stocking from LA Police Gear? On the outside are two mag pouches, a flash-light holder, and a pocket for toy guns. There is also a Velcro square where you can attach a large variety of Milspec Monkey Patches. Offered in tactical black or Desert Tan, these Christmas holster stockings retail for $13.99 each (patches sold separately). There is also a $10.99 version with just MOLLE straps (no external pouches). Be the envy of all your tacti-cool friends.
Gifts $1 to $5
Surveyors Tape
$1.99
Hood Kwik Estimator
$2.50
Bifocal 3X/6X Magnifier
$2.95
Barrel Mirage Shade
$4.95
Surveyors’ Tape. You should always watch the wind when you shoot. Inexpensive, Day-Glo Surveyors’ Tape, attached to a stake or target frame, makes a great wind indicator. It will flutter even in mild breezes, alerting you to both angle and velocity shifts. This should be part of every range kit. Don’t leave home without it.
Hood Kwik Estimator. Here’s a very handy tool to measure your 6mm groups. Bracket the group within the diverging lines of the Kwik Estimator and you’ll instantly get a good approximation of the actual group size. No more trips to the tool box for calipers. The inexpensive Kwik Estimator fits in a shirt pocket. (Thanks to Boyd Allen for this suggestion.)
Bifocal 3X/6X magnifier. This handy, inexpensive dual-power magnifier is always close at hand on our loading bench, because it helps with so many task. We use a compact magnifier to inspect bullet tips, to check brass chamfers, and inspect the internals of triggers and other parts. Priced at just $2.95, a magnifier like this (or the folding variety) is a “must-have” item for every hand-loader.
Sinclair Barrel Mirage Shade. For high-volume varminters, and competitors who shoot fast in warm weather, a mirage shield is absolutely essential. This prevents hot air rising off the barrel from distorting the image in your scope. The aluminum Sinclair shield can be trimmed to fit, and comes with stick-on Velcro attachments. Two lengths are available: 18″ for short BR barrels, and 24″ for longer barrels.
Gifts $6 to $10
Dewey Crocogator
$6.50
Ballistol Aerosol Lube
$7.85
Sinclair Barrel Bag
$8.95
Sinclair Load Block
$9.95
Dewey Crocogator. The Crocogator tool, with knurled “teeth” at both ends, is simple, inexpensive, and compact. Yet nothing zips though primer-pocket gunk faster or better. Unlike some cutter-tipped primer pocket tools, the Crocogator removes the carbon quick and easy without shaving brass. One end is sized for large primer pockets, the other for small.
Ballistol Aerosol Lube. Ballistol is a versatile, non-toxic product with many uses in the reloading room. We have found it is ideal for lubricating cases for normal full-length sizing. It is clear, not gooey or chalky like other lubes. It is very, very slippery, yet is easy to apply and just as easy to wipe off. As you lube your cases, the Ballistol will also clean powder fouling off the case necks. For heavy-duty case forming and neck expansion, we’ll still use Imperial die wax, but for every-day case sizing, Ballistol is our first choice. It also helps prevent your dies from rusting and it even conditions leather. Ballistol is a favored bore cleaner for Black Powder shooters because it neutralizes acidic powder residues.
Sinclair Barrel Bag. If you run a switch-barrel rig, or take spare barrels to a big match, this simple but effective barrel bag will protect your valuable steel. The bag is moisture-resistant vinyl on the outside with a soft, quilted interior to protect the barrel’s finish and delicate crown. The 26″ bag costs $8.95, while a 31″ bag costs $9.50. Either way, it is cheap insurance for those priceless barrels.
Sinclair ‘Poly’ Loading Block. We’ve tried wood and injection-molded loading trays, and we like Sinclair’s white polyethylene loading blocks the best. They fit BR, .308, and 6.5-284 cases very well, with chamfered holes sized for the particular case you reload. The blocks are heavy enough to be stable on the bench, and the “dishwasher-friendly” material is easy to clean. The PBX model hold 50 cases, while the PLX version holds 25 cases with a tray for empties. There is also a heavy-duty model (08-4275) with an extra-thick 1″ base. Sinclair’s loading blocks are superior products at a fair price.
Share the post "Holiday Stocking-Stuffers for Accurate Shooters"
If you’re looking for a modestly-priced holiday gift for a shooting buddy that is sure to bring him (or her) a smile, consider a shooting-theme T-shirt from Creedmoor Sports. Regularly priced at $12.95, these shirts are marked down to just $10.00 for the holidays. Creedmoor’s graphic T-shirts are emblazoned with clever messages such as: “Life’s Too Short to Shoot 9s”, and “X-Ring: The Only Six Inches That Matter”. There are also gift shirts for family members. Options include: “World’s Greatest DAD”, “Father of the World’s Greatest Kids”. There are more fashionable specialty shirts for the ladies: “Shoot Like a Girl … If You Can”, “Nothing Says Love Like a Girl and her AR-15″ (women’s shirts $18.00 on sale, normally $21.95). And for serious shooters who prefer to let their guns do the talking, there are simple designs with just an M16 or M1 Garand logo.
Long-Sleeve and Sweatshirt models also
These Creedmoor shirts are available in white or gray fabric. And, with most of Creedmoor’s graphic designs, you can get a long-sleeve T-shirt version for $2.00 extra, a crewneck sweatshirt version for $5.00 more, or a hooded sweatshirt version for $10.00 more. (Holiday discount pricing listed; regular prices are higher.)
Share the post "Great Gift Shirts from Creedmoor Sports"
Today is Mother’s Day. For your own mother (or the mother of your children), do something special today. Bring her flowers, cook her a meal, take her someplace fun. Remember that life passes quickly — we need to take these moments to say a heartfelt “thank-you” and “I love you” to our mothers, and appreciate the chance to be together. A lot of shooters are edging into their fifties and sixties. We’re getting older, and so are our mothers. My own mother turned 88 years old earlier this week. Who knows how many more “Mothers’ Days” she and I can celebrate together? Perhaps other readers are in a similar situation. So… get away from the computer and go spend some “quality time” with your mom today. She deserves it.
Share the post "Celebrate Mother’s Day Today with Your Mom…"
In the USA, Thanksgiving is one of our most cherished holidays, a time families re-unite and spend “quality time” together. Increasingly, in our society, families are spread apart, with parents separated from children by thousands of miles. We hope that today, you have a chance to be with your loved ones. For our many overseas readers, you can celebrate Thanksgiving in spirit. Here at AccurateShooter.com, we have our own “family” of sorts–a community of sportsmen and women linked by a love of fine firearms and extreme accuracy. To all our readers (we have more than 50,000 “unique” site visitors every week), we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, and we hope that, on this day, you can be with your family. For those who are traveling, we wish you a safe trip and godspeed.
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” — Jane Howard
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family” — Anthony Brandt
Share the post "To Our Readers — Happy Thanksgiving"
The FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS) hours of operation for federal firearms licensees (FFLs) will remain the same as their current hours of operation during this year’s NICS busy season. NICS Call Centers will be available daily from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern. The only deviation to this schedule will be Nov. 27, the Friday following Thanksgiving, when the hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern. These extended operational hours will be available only to those FFLs who use the FBI Call Centers. NICS is managed through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
The NICS Section will cease operation at midnight on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day. The NICS will resume normal operations on Dec. 26 at 8 a.m. Eastern. NICS is managed through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Share the post "FBI Announces NICS Background Check Holiday Schedules"
Louisiana has adopted a program we’d like to see state governments copy nationwide. From September 4th through 6th (Fri-Sun), Louisiana shoppers can buy guns, ammo, and hunting supplies without paying a penny of sales tax. The Sales Tax Holiday is authorized by a new Louisiana statute that waives gun-related sales and use taxes each year on the first consecutive Friday through Sunday in September. Now that’s a “stimulus program” all shooters can support.
The sales tax holiday will take place Friday, September 4, through Sunday, September 6, pursuant to the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Holiday Act. This law (Act 453 of the Regular Session of the 2009 Louisiana Legislature) provides a three-day exemption from state and local sales and use taxes on consumer purchases of firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies.
Business Purchases Still Taxed
During Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday weekend, the sales and use tax levied by the state and its political subdivisions shall not apply to any consumer purchases (by individuals) of firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies. However, sales and use taxes will still be due on business purchases of guns and ammo. Also sales tax will still apply to sales of animals used for hunting purposes .
Share the post "Louisiana Waives Sales Tax on Guns and Ammo During "Second Amendment Tax Holiday""
Today, July 4th, we are celebrating a special birthday — the launching of a new nation that would become the world’s greatest exemplar of freedom and democracy. With our current concerns about the troubled economy, it is easy to lose sight of the challenges that faced our fore-fathers, and the continuing burdens we all share, as Americans, to maintain freedom at home and stand as an example to other peoples engaged in the struggle for democracy overseas.
In the Beginning — Overcoming Great Odds
In a July 4th speech, Navy Lt. Ellen Connors wrote: “Our nation declared its independence in order for our families to live free –- not just for one generation but for future generations. And what odds [the founding fathers] faced. It must have seemed impossible. Our forefathers went up against the world’s most colossal empire since ancient Rome. No colony had ever successfully left a mother country to set up a self-governing state. Not only were the historical odds set against them, they were set to fight against the world’s most powerful Navy — over 300 ships and 32,000 men.”
The Price of Freedom… The Pride of A Nation
Here is a selection from Daniel Webster’s July 4th, 1851 Oration. His words ring true a century and a half later:
“On the 4th of July, 1776, the assembled Representatives of the United States of America in Congress declared that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE and INDEPENDENT States. This Declaration, made by most patriotic and resolute men, trusting in the justice of their cause and the protection of Heaven, and yet made not without deep solicitude and anxeity, has now stood for seventy-five years, and still stands. It was sealed in blood. It has met dangers, and overcome them; it has had enemies, and conquered them; it has had detractors, and abashed them all….
This anniversary animates, and gladdens, and unites all American hearts. On other days of the year we may be party men, indulging in controversies… and we may maintain our political differences… sometimes with angry feelings. But today, we are Americans all; and all nothing but Americans.
Every mans’ heart swells within him… as he remembers that seventy-five years have rolled away, and that the great inheritance of liberty is still his — his, undiminished and unimpaired, his in all its original glory; his to enjoy; his to protect; and his to transmit to future generations.”
Lousiana has a once-a-year Sales Tax relief program we wish all the other states would emulate. Wouldn’t it be great if California, Pennsylvania, Texas and other major gun markets had a Second Amendment Tax Holiday? For a few days each year, Louisiana waives all the sales tax on firearms, ammunition, reloading components, and hunting gear. The 2011 Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday takes place Friday, September 2, through Sunday, September 4, 2011.
Christmas is less than a week away, so today we’re offering a selection of last-minute “stocking stuffers” for precision shooters. So as not to bust your holiday budget, all of our selections are priced under $10.00. Despite their low price, many of these items are handy tools that you’ll use over and over again at the range and/or at your loading bench.
Tactical Xmas Stocking
If you’re looking for a modestly-priced holiday gift for a shooting buddy that is sure to bring him (or her) a smile, consider a shooting-theme T-shirt from 
In the USA, Thanksgiving is one of our most cherished holidays, a time families re-unite and spend “quality time” together. Increasingly, in our society, families are spread apart, with parents separated from children by thousands of miles. We hope that today, you have a chance to be with your loved ones. For our many overseas readers, you can celebrate Thanksgiving in spirit. Here at AccurateShooter.com, we have our own “family” of sorts–a community of sportsmen and women linked by a love of fine firearms and extreme accuracy. To all our readers (we have more than 50,000 “unique” site visitors every week), we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, and we hope that, on this day, you can be with your family. For those who are traveling, we wish you a safe trip and godspeed.
The FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS) hours of operation for federal firearms licensees (FFLs) will remain the same as their current hours of operation during this year’s NICS busy season. NICS Call Centers will be available daily from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern. The only deviation to this schedule will be Nov. 27, the Friday following Thanksgiving, when the hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern. These extended operational hours will be available only to those FFLs who use the FBI Call Centers. NICS is managed through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Louisiana has adopted a program we’d like to see state governments copy nationwide. From September 4th through 6th (Fri-Sun), Louisiana shoppers can buy guns, ammo, and hunting supplies without paying a penny of sales tax. The Sales Tax Holiday is authorized by a new Louisiana statute that waives gun-related sales and use taxes each year on the first consecutive Friday through Sunday in September. Now that’s a “stimulus program” all shooters can support.
Today, July 4th, we are celebrating a special birthday — the launching of a new nation that would become the world’s greatest exemplar of freedom and democracy. With our current concerns about the troubled economy, it is easy to lose sight of the challenges that faced our fore-fathers, and the continuing burdens we all share, as Americans, to maintain freedom at home and stand as an example to other peoples engaged in the struggle for democracy overseas.
