The Rio Olympics shooting competition has ended, and USA Shooting Team’s medalists are all women. Ginny Thrasher of Virginia got the USA medal count off to a great start by winning the first gold medal of the 2016 Olympic games in Women’s Air Rifle, and Corey Cogdell-Unrein repeated as bronze medalist in Women’s Trap. By winning a bronze medal in skeet last Friday, 37-year-old Kim Rhode became the first female and summer Olympian ever to win medals in six consecutive Olympic Games. Read coverage in the LA Times, USA Today and Associated Press. Kim Rhode’s Olympic Odyssey.
Shooting Sports USA profiled Ginny Thrasher, winner of the very first Gold Medal awarded at the Rio Olympic games:
For 36 hours, Thrasher was the face of Team USA as the lone gold medalist, winning the first medal of the 2016 Olympic Games. The 19-year-old WVU sophomore was propelled into the media spotlight…
Thrasher explained how she coped with the pressures of competing in the most important sporting event on earth:
“I think this competition is one where you can mentally out-think yourself, and that’s the danger. For me, just being very focused. During the match I started out with some struggles, and I had to come off the line and my Olympic coach down there said, ‘Ginny, all you can do is shoot the best you can.’ I got back on the line, and that’s what I did. I shot the best that I could. I had a very bad hold, but it didn’t matter. Once I got into the final, I was very much focused on my breathing, and that was the point where all the training and all the discipline just came through for me. All I did was focus on my breathing and let my body do what it knew how to do.”
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Last year 43,196 young Americans earned a very special marksmanship distinction. Can you guess what that was? Here’s a hint — the award helps a young person become an Eagle Scout. That’s right, last year 43,196 Boy Scouts earned the Marksmanship Merit Badge for rifle shooting. This is one of the toughest badges to earn, according to Scouting leaders, but it is still one of the most popular badges among Scouts — it fact it is the second most earned elective merit badge. Since 1910, over 350,000 Scouts have earn Rifle Shooting Merit Badges. Millions more have participated in Boy Scout Shooting programs. Merit badges are offered for both Rifle Shooting and Shotgun shooting.
Mark Keefe, editor of the American Rifleman explains: “According to Scouting magazine, the Rifle Shooting Merit badge was number two of the non-required badges earned by all Boy Scouts cross country last year with 43,196 Rifle Shooting merit badges sewn on sashes. Since 2009, again according to Scouting, nearly 350,000 Rifle Shooting merit badges have been earned. That’s a lot of merit badges — and a lot of .22 Long Rifle downrange.”
The Marksmanship Merit Badge has been offered by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since the first Boy Scout Handbook in 1910. Keefe explains: “Back in 1910 to earn the ‘Marksman’ Badge of Merit, you had to ‘Qualify as a marksman in accordance with the requirements of the National Rifle Association.’ And NRA and the BSA of have had a strong partnership for more than a century, and both organizations remain committed to teaching firearms safety and marksmanship.”
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Got a minute — one minute and six seconds to be precise? Then you should watch this excellent “trailer” video from the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) TV channel. You’ll see virtually all the major Olympic/International shooting disciplines. Even if you’re not a skeet/trap shooter you’ll enjoy the clips of shotgun champions at the top of their game. And the footage of position rifle shooters reveals the intense concentration required in that discipline. We really enjoyed this short clip. The MTV-style editing and soundtrack holds your attention, and the cameramen did a great job of capturing the exact moments when shooters took the winning shot. Enjoy.
Great Video — Highly Recommended — Shows Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun Champions…
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The creators of the Firearms Guide DVDs have launched a huge online database for firearms. This new, subscription-based web resource, Firearmsguide.com, includes over 61,000 firearm types from 902 manufacturers. It’s easy to find just about any gun — search by manufacturer or other variables such as caliber, action type, country of origin, and vintage. In addition, the gun entries are cross-linked to a large ammunition database so you can find factory ammo for any type of firearm.
You Can Search for 61,000+ Guns Using 14 Variables:
Think of this as a digital encyclopedia of guns — the mother of all gun reference guides. The sheer amount of information (text, photos, and schematics) is mind-boggling. Firearmsguide.com currently covers 61,000 models of rifles, pistols, shotguns, air rifles, and air pistols from 50 different countries. Subscription plans start at $49.95 per year.
This new database is a gold mine for gun collectors and gunsmiths. For most of the firearm entries, there are full specifications and up to 12 high-rez color photos. In addition, the database features 5500 printable schematics along with parts lists. Collectors will appreciate the inclusion of gun values for both modern and vintage firearms.
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Here’s an early Christmas present to our readers from Beretta — a really great video about gun-making. This movie, entitled “Human Technology”, is one of the best videos we’ve ever featured on this site. It’s that good. You’ll see an amazing blend of ultra-modern manufacturing technology along with old-world artisanship — “a mesmerizing meld of the high-tech and the traditional”. (Daniel Xu, Outdoor Hub.)
“Human Technology is a singular and symbolic movie, its cast entirely made up of Beretta workmen, thus illustrating the perfect synthesis between craftsmanship and technology,” Beretta writes. This artistic movie by Ancarani Studio illustrates all the aspects of the manufacturing of a high-end Beretta shotgun. This video is a study in contrast. The movements of robotic assembly machines are juxtaposed with the centuries-old craftsmanship of stock carvers. Beautifully filmed and edited, this video should amaze and entertain anyone who loves fine firearms. (Full-screen HD Recommended.)
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There’s a big online auction set for November 18 and 19, 2015. The well-known Kesselring’s Gun Shop in the Seattle area has closed its doors. Now a large selection of firearms and shooting accessories will be sold to the highest bidders. You’ll find high-quality rifles, shotguns, and handguns up for auction with no minimums and no reserves. There are also 900 lots of optics and 1500 lots of ammunition. On Day One there are 200+ Leupold scopes listed, including the top-of-the-line tactical models. This is a chance to get top-quality guns, scopes, and ammo for very attractive prices. Bidding starts tomorrow. There are two separate Live +_Online Auctions, Day One (Wednesday, November 18th) and Day Two (Thursday, November 19th). Bidding opens at 9:00 am on each day.
If two barrels are better than one, then why not three? That’s the thinking behind the exotic new BD14 from Blaser, unveiled at the 2014 IWA Show in Germany. This “bockdrilling” three-barrel firearm works as a shotgun, large-caliber rifle, and small-caliber rifle all in one. Even with all those barrels, the BD14 is relatively light, at 3.3 kg (7.26 lbs) without optics. That makes this a nice, carry-around gun for stalking. As you’d expect from Blaser, the twin triggers are crisp and precise, with a pull weight of just 1.43 lbs (650 grams). The front trigger is for the large-caliber rifle barrel, while the rear trigger works both the shotgun and small-caliber barrels, via a tang-mounted selector. Sorry, we don’t yet have a USA-market price on this example of gun-making exotica, but you can bet it will be expensive.
Here’s what Blaser USA has to say about its unique three-barreled BD14:
“The ‘Bockdrilling’ is, put simply, an over/under (O/U) rifle-shotgun combination with a smaller caliber rifle-barrel… on the side. The barrel arrangement [allows] for an extremely slender receiver, making the BD 14 exceptionally huntable.
The brand new Vertical Block Lockup…has been filed for patent. It combines an extremely compact and solid block lockup in a closed system within the monoblock with the comfortable handling of a classic break-action rifle.
The double lock permits, if needed, a rapid second shot, the front trigger always releasing the large rifle-caliber. The … barrel selector actives the shotgun barrel when in position ‘top’ and activates the smaller rifle caliber in position ‘bottom’.”
Story idea from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Even wonder how a pump shotgun works? Then watch this fascinating video from MidwayUSA. The operation of a pump-action shotgun is illustrated with a special cut-away version of a Winchester Model 12. The shotgun has been modified to reveal the inner workings. This cut-away Model 12 still loads and ejects dummy shells, but you can see how the lugs, slides, locks, ramps, springs and other internal parts work. You’ll be amazed how complicated this old pump-gun is. (The Model 12, Winchester’s first hammerless shotgun, is one of the most popular scatterguns ever made. Over 2,000,000 were sold.)
Skip Ahead to 3:00 to See Cut-Away in Action
To see how the Model 12 works, you can skip forward to the 3:00 minute mark in the video. The first part of the video shows how the Model 12 was “sliced and diced” to expose the inner workings. Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA explains that “the factories often used cut-aways as sales tools to show how a specific model operated”. In addition the U.S. Military used cut-aways for training purposes.
Here is the cut-away completed. Even the pump grip has been sliced to reveal the inner workings.
Here’s a close-up, showing how the bolt retracts to eject a round.
A round has been picked up from the feed tube, and then is lifted into the chamber.
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Got a minute — one minute and six seconds to be precise? Then you should watch this excellent “trailer” video from the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) TV channel. You’ll see virtually all the major Olympic/International shooting disciplines. Even if you’re not a skeet/trap shooter you’ll enjoy the clips of shotgun champions at the top of their game. And the footage of position rifle shooters reveals the intense concentration requied in that discipline. We really enjoyed this short clip. The MTV-style editing and soundtrack holds your attention, and the cameramen did a great job of capturing the exact moments when shooters took the winning shot. Enjoy.
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If you do anything on our site today, watch this movie from Beretta, start to finish. Among the scores of videos we have featured in 2014, this movie, entitled “Human Technology”, is certainly a candidate for “Video of the Year”. It’s that good. You’ll see an amazing blend of ultra-modern manufacturing technology along with old-world artisanship — “a mesmerizing meld of the high-tech and the traditional”. (Quoting Daniel Xu, Outdoor Hub.)
“Human Technology is a singular and symbolic movie, its cast entirely made up of Beretta workmen, thus illustrating the perfect synthesis between craftsmanship and technology,” Beretta writes. This artistic movie by Ancarani Studio illustrates all the aspects of the manufacturing of a high-end Beretta shotgun. This video is a study in contrast. The movements of robotic assembly machines are juxtaposed with the centuries-old craftsmanship of stock carvers. Beautifully filmed and edited, this video will amaze and entertain anyone who loves fine firearms. (Full-screen HD Recommended.)
Zoom for Best Viewing
We strongly suggest you watch this excellent video in 720p or 1080p High-Definition, Full-Screen Mode. To do this, after starting the video, click the gear icon and select 1080p (or 720p if you have a slower connection). After setting the resolution, click the four-corner box to enter Full-Screen Mode. When you’ve finished watching the movie, click the “Esc” key to return to your normal browser screen.
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You’re looking at the #1 product our readers have purchased at Amazon.com this month. And we’re not surprised. What outdoorsman would not want a thermos configured like an giant-sized shotgun shell? This is an ideal gift for the shooting enthusiast. Stansport offers shotshell-style thermal bottles in two sizes. The “12 gauge” bottle holds 25 ounces of liquid while the smaller “20 gauge” bottle carries 16 ounces. Both bottles feature a brass-colored screw-on top that doubles as a drinking cup. There is a second, gasket-sealed stopper with a quick-dispense feature. This allows you to pour the hot contents without needing to remove the screw-in stopper. That’s smart — one less item to drop on the ground.
These shotshell thermal cannisters are offered in four colors: Red, Black, Green, and Yellow (16 oz. only). All shotshell thermal bottles feature double-wall 18-8 stainless steel insulated construction with insulated cap. Prices for the red, 25-oz. version start at $27.31 on Amazon.com. (Other colors may cost more — also check for free shipping offers).
Shotshell Thermos Demo Video on YouTube
A hunter who owns one of these Shotshell Thermos bottles has posted a video of his bottle on YouTube. The video will give you an idea of the size of the cannister and how the outer cap/cup and inner stopper work. CLICK HERE to watch Shotshell Thermos Video.
Disclosure: AccurateShooter.com has an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.
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Remington is voluntarily recalling Remington Model 887 shotguns manufactured from December 1, 2013 to November 24, 2014. Remington has determined that some Remington Model 887 shotguns manufactured between December 19, 2013 and November 24, 2014 may exhibit a defect causing the firing pin to bind in the forward position within the bolt, which can result in an unintentional discharge when chambering a live round. Therefore, Remington is recalling ALL potentially affected products to fully inspect and repair. Remington has advised customers to immediately cease use of recalled shotguns and return them to Remington free of charge. The shotguns will be inspected, repaired, tested, and returned as soon as possible.
RECALLED: Remington Model 887 shotguns made from Dec. 1, 2013 to Nov. 24, 2014.
Owners of the recalled shotguns should not attempt to diagnose or repair the shotguns themselves. Remington has established a dedicated website and toll-free hotline to help Model 886 owners consumers determine whether their shotguns are subject to recall. Visit 887recall.remington.com or call 1-800-243-9700.
REMEDY/ACTION TO BE TAKEN: STOP USING YOUR SHOTGUN.
Any unintended discharge has the potential to cause injury or death. Immediately cease use of recalled shotguns and return them to Remington free of charge. Shotguns will be inspected, repaired, tested, and returned as soon as possible, at no cost to you. DO NOT attempt to diagnose or repair recalled shotguns yourself. For your safety, STOP USING YOUR SHOTGUN and immediately contact Remington.
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