At the 20th Annual Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence awards (held last week in Kentucky), Larry Potterfield of Midway USA received the prestigious Shooting Industry Award for 2011. Potterfield was honored for his efforts to promote the shooting sports. In 2010, Potterfield donated more than $4,000,000 to youth shooting sports organizations and firearms training programs. We congratulate Mr. Potterfield. It’s great to see a successful businessman give back to the sport so generously.
After receiving the Shooting Industry Award, Potterfield stated: “This award is a great validation, from our peers, that Brenda and I are on the right track in supporting the youth shooting movement in the United States. Tomorrow’s leaders are in 4H, Boy Scouts, and the youth programs of the Key Conservation Groups; and they’re attending high schools and colleges. Our passion is to help fund programs that allow more kids to pull the trigger more times. The Scholastic Shooting Trust Fund, which provides funds for high school and college shooting teams, is our favorite charity.”
Hornady is Manufacturer of the Year
Hornady was named Manufacturer of the Year for service, support, and commitment to customers at all levels. Hornady’s new Superformance Varmint Ammo also earned “Ammunition of the Year” honors.
Ruger was a double winner as a gun-maker. Ruger’s new LC9 pistol was named “Handgun of the Year”, while the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle (M77-GS) received the coveted “Rifle of the Year” award.
Leupold also won two awards. The Leupold VX-R 3-9x40mm riflescope was named Optic of the Year and Leupold’s RX-1000i TBR Laser Rangefinder was named Hunting Product of the Year.
Awards were determined by the votes of the 500-member Academy of Excellence, which includes manufacturers, distributors, executives, storefront dealers and outdoor writers. “Each award recipient and nominee deserves accolades for their commitment to excellence in design and service,” said Randy Molde, Academy director.
Ruger has introduced a 10-shot version of its popular single-action rimfire revolver. The new “Single-Ten” will augment the venerable Single-Six, one of Ruger’s best sellers over the years. The Single-Ten features a ten-shot cylinder (chambered for .22LR) and is constructed from satin-finished stainless steel. The Single Ten comes with a 5.5″-long, 6-groove, 1:14″-twist barrel and is fitted with Williams™ adjustable hi-viz fiber optic sights. Single-Ten™ models feature smooth, walnut “Gunfighter”-style grips. The gun weighs 38 ounces, and is 11.00 inches overall. MSRP is $619.00.
Editor’s Commentary: I like the idea of Ruger’s Single Ten. I personally think every shooter should have a quality rimfire revolver for training, plinking, and general outdoor use. I’ve put hundreds of rounds through a six-shot S&W m63 “Kit Gun”, and I currently own a Smith & Wesson Model 617 10-shot rimfire revolver. Rimfire revolvers are great — they are simple, accurate, and inexpensive to shoot. Based on my experience with the S&W Kit Gun and m617, I can say that ten shots really do beat six. You spend less time loading/unloading and more time shooting. Most 50-round factory ammo packs have five-round rows, so it’s logical to load 10 rounds in a cylinder. And, being able to shoot 10 rounds between reloads is a definite advantage in some gun games. So, overall, I think it’s great that Ruger now offers 10-round capacity in its single-action revolver.
Ruger Should Offer a Modern Grip Option
I’m disappointed that Ruger is not offering a Bisley-style grip or a normal full-length target grip as an option for the new Single Ten. The short “Gunfighter-style” grips were developed for heavy-recoiling big-bore revolvers, shot one-handed. The short length is designed to allow the gun to rotate backwards on recoil (with your little finger UNDER the base of the grip). The rotation assists with cocking the hammer for the next round. Well, rimfire revolvers don’t work that way. Except for children and women with small hands, the Gunfighter grip is basically too short to allow a comfortable grip with all fingers on the gun. And the grip is likewise poorly shaped for a two-handed hold. We understand Ruger wanted the Single-10 to look like a vintage Colt SAA. However, for target work, it would be much better to have a longer grip that permits shooters to: 1) hold the gun comfortably with ALL the fingers of one hand; and, 2) use the gun with a modern, two-handed hold.
J.M. Browning’s 1911 pistol is 100 years old, and now the latest iteration is… a Ruger. Sturm, Ruger & Co. just introduced the Ruger SR1911 in .45 acp, Ruger’s first-ever 1911-style handgun. The new Ruger SR1911 pistol will debut at the NRA Annual Meeting in Pittsburg, PA, April 29 – May 1, 2011.
With its bead-blasted stainless frame, contrasting grip safety, and Novak sights, Ruger’s SR1911 looks an awful lot like the Smith & Wesson 1911 with some important differences. Unlike the S&W 1911, the Ruger SR1911 has a traditional internal extractor and no forward slide serrations. The SR1911 pistol features a titanium firing pin and heavy firing pin spring. According to Ruger, “this negates the need for a firing pin block, offering an updated safety feature to the original ‘Series 70′ design without compromising trigger pull weight.” In deference to the lawyers, an inspection port allows visual confirmation of a round in the chamber. SR1911 features are shown in the DownRangeTV video below.
We think the gun looks good, and will sell well. However, given Ruger’s checkered history with handgun recalls, we might wait a few months until Ruger gets the bugs out. The Ruger SR1911 weighs 39 oz., ships with one 8-round mag, and has an MSRP of $799.00. We expect street price to be around $725.00 once initial demand eases. The SR1911 is not yet approved for sale in California and Massachusetts.
Ruger has just introduced a new 9mm carry pistol. Very light (17 oz.), very thin (0.9″), Ruger’s LC9 is the bigger brother to the company’s successful LCP pocket 380acp. According to Ruger CEO Michael Fifer, consumer demand inspired this new pistol: “Customers repeatedly requested a lightweight, compact 9mm pistol. Frankly, they wanted an LCP chambered in 9mm.”
Ruger LC9 Press Release The LC9™ [is] a lightweight, compact 9mm pistol for discreet carry by law abiding citizens, or a full-power, no-compromise backup for off-duty law enforcement officers. This highly requested pistol was developed through Ruger’s Voice of the Customer program….
The LC9 has a 3.12″ barrel, is 6.0″ long and 4.5″ tall, making for a very compact 9mm pistol. The LC9 is impressively narrow at a mere .90″ wide, and weighs only 17.1 ounces with an empty magazine. Featuring a black polymer (glass-filled nylon) frame and blued alloy steel slide and barrel, the lightweight, full-featured Ruger LC9 offers the versatility and capability of the popular 9mm cartridge in a highly compact, reliable, and user-friendly pistol.
LC9 Design Features
The LC9 is a double-action-only, hammer-fired, locked-breech pistol with external extractor, and single-sided manual safety. The Ruger LC9’s polymer frame and steel slide feature smooth “melted” edges. One seven-round, single-column magazine is provided with each LC9 pistol, with an optional finger grip extension. Yes there is a nanny-state mag disconnect, and a California-approved loaded chamber indicator. Sights are low-profile with one dot in front, two in the rear.
Ruger has just released a new, compact .308 Win bolt-action rifle with iron sights and a front-mounted scope rail. Developed in conjunction with Gunsite instructor Ed Head, the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is based on the Ruger M77 action. Designed for defensive and “tactical” use, the Scout Rifle features a 16.5″ barrel with birdcage flash suppressor (standard 5/8-24 muzzle threads allow muzzle brakes or suppressors to be installed). Rounds are fed via 5-round or 10-round AICS-sized detachable box magazines, with a Mini-14 style mag release forward of the trigger guard. Total rifle weight, without scope, is just 7.0 pounds. MSRP is $995.00 but expect the street price to be closer to $800.00.
Ruger Scout has Iron Sights and Front Picatinny Rail
The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle comes from the factory with good iron sights: a protected non-glare post front sight and receiver-mounted, adjustable ghost ring rear sight. A forward-mounted Picatinny rail can hold various optics — such as Burris or Leupold Scout Scopes which allow “both eyes open” sighting and fast target acquisition.
Laminated Stock with Adjustable LOP The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle features a gray/black laminate stock with sling swivel studs and checkered grip and forearm. A soft rubber recoil pad, with three 1/2″ spacers, allows length of pull (LOP) to be adjusted.
The rifle’s integrated trigger guard/magazine well is glass-reinforced nylon. “Gunsite Scout Rifle” is engraved on the stock’s grip cap, and the receiver is roll-marked “Ruger Gunsite Scout”. Watch the video below to see the Ruger Scout Rifle in action.
Bane Gives Thumbs-Up
Gun Jounalist Michael Bane has shot the new Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle and he gives it high marks: “I’ve had the chance to put a lot of rounds through this rifle, both on AR platform-based courses and out to 300 yards, and IT IS SUPERB! My wish list was a gun aimed squarely at the TBD/SURVIVAL market, a gun that would deliver major caliber results for self-defense and then do double duty as an easy-to-carry hunting rifle.” Read More: The Michael Bane Blog.
Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine Redux? When we first saw the Ruger Scout Rifle, our first thought was “that looks familiar….” Indeed, in size and intended function, the Scout Rifle is a modern version of the famous Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine. “Jungle Carbine” was an informal term used for the Enfield No. 5 Mk I, which was designed for fighting in the Far East and other tropical regions where a shorter, lighter rifle was needed. The No. 5 was about 100 mm shorter and two pounds lighter than the Enfield No. 4 from which it was derived. A number of “lightening cuts” were made to the receiver body, the bolt knob was drilled out, and woodwork was cut down to reduce weight. The Jungle Carbine had other useful features like a flash suppressor and a rubber buttpad to help absorb recoil.
If you found a surplus Jungle Carbine ($270-$500 on Gunbroker.com), fitted it with a forward-mounted scope rail, you could have a nice scout rifle for hundreds of dollars less than the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle ($995.00 MSRP). Granted, the Ruger offers an AICS-type detachable box magazine and some other nice features not found on the Enfield*, but the practical concept is the same.
*A reader correctly points out that the Lee Enfield No. 5 magazine is removable. Lee-Enfield magazines did open, permitting rapid unloading of the magazine without having to operate the bolt repeatedly to unload the magazine. However, the rifle was not designed like modern magazine-fed weapons, for which soldiers carry loaded magazines and discard the empties. Soldiers were instructed to leave the magazine in place and feed with stripper clips. Early models of the rifle actually had a chain holding the magazine to the rifle. There were both 5-round and 10-round magazine versions of the Lee-Enfield. Since these magazines could be removed, it is technically correct to say the Lee-Enfield had a detachable box mag. But soldiers using the weapon would not normally swap magazines in and out as with a modern-day mag-fed infantry rifle.
The Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championship concludes today at the Hogue Range near Morro Bay, California. This is a unique, family-friendly two-gun shooting event using rimfire handguns and rifles. Competitors engage steel targets in a variety of scenarios. There are separate classes for revolvers and self-loading pistols. A wide variety of rimfire rifles are allowed, including semi-auto, bolt action, pump action and lever-action. As you’d expect, Ruger 10/22s are the most popular choice in rifles.
More Bang for Your Buck
For competitors, the Rimfire Challenge offers the same rapid-fire action as a centerfire Multi-gun match, but at a fraction of the cost. No big-buck custom firearms are needed, and with the low cost of rimfire ammo, a shooter can send hundreds of rounds downrange without breaking the bank. With the current tight economy, we predict increased interest in rimfire action shooting. Jim Shepherd of the Shooting Wire agrees: “With center-fire ammunition prices being what they are, .22 caliber rimfire makes a lot of sense. One indicator of the popularity of .22 caliber shooting is the Ruger Rimfire Challenge, a series of regional matches held across the United States. The finals are this weekend in California, and the [event has grown] far beyond expectations.”
At the Ruger Rimfire Challenge Championship, shooters compete in Junior and Senior Divisions, with separate awards for male and female shooters. It’s a great way for people of any age or skill level to get started in competitive shooting. In the video below, Ruger’s Ken Jorgensen explains how the Ruger Rimfire Challenge works, and why it has become so popular.
Superlative Range on the Pacific Coast
The Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championship is held at the Hogue Action Pistol Range, a modern facility with 10 shooting bays. The Hogue Range is part of a large complex of shooting sports facilities operating on a former U.S. Army test range located between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, California. The public rifle range, located just North of the Hogue Action Pistol Range, is shown below. The San Luis Obispo region is a great weekend destination for the whole family, with beaches and tourist attractions nearby. Visit the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Assocation (SLOSA) website to learn more about the Hogue Range and adjacent shooting facilities.
Texas retailer CDNN Investments often acquires large inventories of overstocked firearms and then offers them at close-to-wholesale prices. When CDNN comes out with a new catalog you know there will be some amazing deals that won’t last long. The latest 2010-2 CDNN catalog was recently released. CLICK HERE to download CDNN 2010-2 Catalog.
Listed below are some of the best long-gun deals we found in the new spring Catalog. There are also some amazing deals on HK, Sig Sauer, and Springfield Armory handguns with prices “too low to print”. You’ll need to call CDNN at (800) 588-9500 for details.
Ruger No.1 in .204 Ruger, 22″ or 26″ Barrel. $649.99 (MSRP $1147.00)
Winchester m70 Super Grade, .30-06 (24″ bbl) or 300 WM (26″ bbl), Fancy Walnut Stock, Engraved Receiver, $849.99.
FNH SLP Mark I Tactical Shotgun with 9-shot mag, scope rail, and fiber optic front sight. A great choice for 3-Gun competition, the FNH SLP was the 2009 NRA Shotgun of the Year. Call for Price.
In our report about the new Tactical Rimfire discipline pioneered in California, we predicted that the major manufacturers would eventually develop rifles tailored for this fun, low-cost shooting sport. Sure enough, Ruger has released a new version of its popular 10/22 rifle that would be well-suited for tactical rimfire matches.
The new Ruger 10/22VLEH Target Tactical Rifle (TTR) features a Hogue OverMolded® synthetic stock, and a compact 16-1/8″ bull barrel (.920″ OD). The Hogue stock comes with double palm swells, a varminter-style forend, and sling swivel studs. Ruger’s TTR ships with a scope rail on top of the receiver, and Ruger includes an adjustable (non-swivel) bipod with the rifle.
Overall, there is nothing really ground-breaking about this rifle, but Ruger has included some useful upgrades (stock, scope rail, bipod), that make the rifle more suitable for gun games. Rather than buy a low-end 10/22 and toss the barrel and original stock, a shooter can now buy a 10/22 that’s pretty much ready to go (except for a trigger upgrade). Adults shooting the new 10/22 TTR will want to add buttpad spacers as the gun ships with a very short 12 3/4″ length of pull from the factory.
These are tough economic times. We know a lot of folks who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut back as companies slash budgets. There’s a lot of belt-tightening going on as families, across the country, reduce their expenditures. Nonetheless, despite all the cutbacks, Americans are still buying firearms in record numbers. Americans may be able to live without luxuries, but not without their guns.
Over 1,000,000 NICS Checks in August
In August, 2009, Americans purchased over 1,000,000 firearms. According to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), there were 1,074,757 background checks in August 2009, a 12.3 percent increase from the 956,872 reported in August 2008. And so far this year, there have been 9,076,205 NICs checks. Keep in mind that a NICS check may cover the purchase of more than one firearm at a time, so total 2009 gun sales probably well exceed the 9,000,000 mark. If we assume, probably conservatively, that 10 million guns were sold so far in 2009, that’s one for every 30.8 citizens, based on current Census data.
Gun Manufacturers’ Stock Prices Have Tripled Since November
By most indicators, we may be in a major recession, but times are good for the big gun-makers. The stock prices of both Smith & Wesson (SWHC) and Sturm, Ruger & Co. (RGR) have soared since the November Presidential election, reflecting the boom in gun sales. S&W stock, which bottomed at $1.79 on 11/20/08, traded for $5.14 per share on 9/25/2009 — nearly three times as high. On November 20, 2008, RGR traded at $4.52 and it closed at $12.91 this past Friday (9/25/2009). Now, don’t you wish you’d invested in some S&W or Ruger stock last year?
Ruger has just announced the new SR-22, which is a Ruger 10/22 shamelessly tarted up to look like an AR-15. For tactical and 3-gun competitors needing a practice weapon that shares the ergonomics of their AR15 match gun, the SR-22 makes sense. Otherwise, frankly, we lament the addition of the wobbly and poorly-designed AR-style collapsible stock to a firearm that works just fine with a conventional stock. We do like the integrated Picatinny-style rail on top of the action. This allows you to easily mount Red Dot sights or other optics. But does anyone really need rails on the forearm or a Mini-14 flash suppressor on a 22LR? No, but these features will probably sell more rifles. Anything that looks “tacticool” these days seems to sell well.
MSRP for the new SR-22 is $625.00 and we expect street price to be about $575.00. That’s more than twice the price of a standard 10/22 that, frankly, performs pretty well once you’ve upgraded the trigger. Is it worth paying double to get a pistol grip, AR-style buttstock, and Picatinny scope rail? Ruger is banking on the fact that AR devotees will say yes and shell out big bucks for the SR-22.
AR Egonomics with 10/22 Economy and Simplicity
According to Ruger, the “SR-22 Rifle allows shooters to use economical .22 LR ammunition, while still enjoying the look and feel of an ‘AR’. [The gun] faithfully replicates the AR-platform dimensions between the sighting plane, buttstock height, and grip. Like the 10/22, the AR-style SR-22 Rifle also has an extensive array of accessories available, allowing shooters to select a custom configuration that best suits their tastes and needs.”
The SR-22 uses standard SR-22 rotary magazines. Indeed, at its heart, the SR-22 is pretty ordinary. It features a standard 10/22 action inside an aluminum Nordic Components chassis that provides the rail mount, buttstock mount, and AR-style grip mount. The SR-22 ships with a six-position, telescoping M4-style buttstock (on a Mil-Spec diameter tube), plus a Hogue pistol grip. Buttstocks and grips may be swapped out for any AR-style compatible option. The wobbly, collapsible buttstock is the first thing this editor would toss on the SR-22.
Interestingly, the round handguard/float tube is secured with a standard-thread AR-style barrel nut, and the handguard is drilled and tapped for rails at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’ clock positions. Picatinny handguard rails are available from Ruger so you can add rail-mounted gizmos to your heart’s content. There is a barrel support V-block in the handguard so you can easily swap barrels or install after-market 10/22 barrels. The SR-22’s 16-1/8″ barrel is capped with an Mini-14 flash suppressor mounted with AR-spec ½”-28 thread.
At the 20th Annual Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence awards (held last week in Kentucky), Larry Potterfield of Midway USA received the prestigious Shooting Industry Award for 2011. Potterfield was honored for his efforts to promote the shooting sports. In 2010, Potterfield donated more than $4,000,000 to youth shooting sports organizations and firearms training programs. We congratulate Mr. Potterfield. It’s great to see a successful businessman give back to the sport so generously.
The LC9™ [is] a lightweight, compact 9mm pistol for discreet carry by law abiding citizens, or a full-power, no-compromise backup for off-duty law enforcement officers. This highly requested pistol was developed through Ruger’s Voice of the Customer program….
The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle features a gray/black laminate stock with sling swivel studs and checkered grip and forearm. A soft rubber recoil pad, with three 1/2″ spacers, allows length of pull (LOP) to be adjusted.
When we first saw the Ruger Scout Rifle, our first thought was “that looks familiar….” Indeed, in size and intended function, the Scout Rifle is a modern version of the famous Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine. “Jungle Carbine” was an informal term used for the Enfield No. 5 Mk I, which was designed for fighting in the Far East and other tropical regions where a shorter, lighter rifle was needed. The No. 5 was about 100 mm shorter and two pounds lighter than the Enfield No. 4 from which it was derived. A number of “lightening cuts” were made to the receiver body, the bolt knob was drilled out, and woodwork was cut down to reduce weight. The Jungle Carbine had other useful features like a flash suppressor and a rubber buttpad to help absorb recoil.
The Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championship concludes today at the Hogue Range near Morro Bay, California. This is a unique, family-friendly two-gun shooting event using rimfire handguns and rifles. Competitors engage steel targets in a variety of scenarios. There are separate classes for revolvers and self-loading pistols. A wide variety of rimfire rifles are allowed, including semi-auto, bolt action, pump action and lever-action. As you’d expect, Ruger 10/22s are the most popular choice in rifles.
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