End the War on Freedom - Guns

SHOT Show 2010

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:42:59 +0000

Boge Quinn at Gunblast - four pages of photos of weapons from this year's SHOT Show.

I had two favorites:

The Big Horn Armory Model 89 Carbine in .500 S&W Magnum holds seven rounds of bison-stopping power, has an aperture rear sight, is dressed in American Black Walnut, and costs $1,889.

The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .38 Revolver and .380 Pistol are equipped with integral laser sights, and designed for concealment. Slated to ship in May. Couldn't find prices. I reduced the image below from its "Actual Size".

There were lots of other interesting firearms, and some very pretty ladies showing them off.

Massad Ayoob has a SHOT Show Extravaganza report over at Backwoods Home Magazine. Five pages of comments and photos.

Ruger SR9c Compact 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:16:31 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Ruger downsizes the SR9. Ruger says it ships on January 15. It comes in brushed stainless or blackened alloy, and retails for $525.

Quote:

The SR9c is one of the better concealed carry pistols on the market now. It is slim and light weight but not excessively so, having enough heft for good controllability under recoil. The pistol is easy to handle, very reliable, and accurate. It disassembles easily without tools for cleaning. The stainless/polymer construction is low-maintenance, and unlike most polymer pistols on the market, the SR9c has a thumb safety in addition to the trigger safety and firing pin safeties. The manual safety is good to have, and it sweeps downward naturally with the thumb. There is also a loaded chamber indicator that is easily seen and easy to feel. It rises above the slide when a cartridge is in the chamber. I know of no other pistol that has more safety features than this SR9c. The only improvement that I would like to see is the option of tritium night nights. Trouble usually comes after dark, and night sights are a good option to have.

GUNPAL.net to be Featured as AuctionArms.com Payment Method

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:04:49 +0000

PR Newswire - if you buy a gun at AuctionArms.com, you can now pay for it with GUNPal.net.

Quote:

"Now with GUNPAL.net, our mutual customers can buy something they like at AuctionArms in real-time, instantly ending the auction, locking in their purchase and making immediate payment while enjoying the peace of mind provided by our enhanced buyer protection," says GUNPAL.net CEO Ben Cannon.

"AuctionArms.com customers will immediately benefit from the first viable payment system this industry has seen. No longer are our customers stuck in the dark ages of making payment with money orders, high cost Credit Card transactions or waiting for personal checks to clear. The comprehensive Buyer Protection policy GUNPAL.net offers to our mutual customers as a Preferred Affiliate site is outstanding! In conjunction with our 'no questions asked 3 Business Day Inspection and Return Policy' for firearms, it provides additional and exceptional consumer protection for purchases made through GUNPAL.net. Sellers will benefit by gaining immediate access to their funds allowing quicker shipment to their customers," says AuctionArms CFO, Bob Lancaster.

GunBroker says:

Quote:

5. You should think twice before using electronic payment systems like PayPal. With these services not only do you typically not have any rights if the transaction goes bad, you lose your ability to file a mail fraud claim because you are not ‘mailing’ payment.

A bigger reason to think twice before paying for a gun with PayPal is that they do not allow you to use their service to purchase guns, and they'll freeze your account if they discover you doing it.

GunBroker recommends using a credit card or a postal money order, and using an escrow service for purchases over $500, which are not covered by their Buyer's Protection plan. A search for "gunpal" found one item for which the seller said he would accept payment with GUNPal.

Kel-Tec 7.62x51mm RFB Bullpup Carbine

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:26:45 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - I reported a long time ago on the Kel-Tec RFB (Rifle; Forward-ejecting Bullpup). It's finally shipping. Shoots accurately and reliably, according to Mr. Quinn. Costs $1,880.

Quote:

Ammo consisted of military NATO spec 147 grain ball and purple-tip cartridges, commercial .308 hunting ammo, and Buffalo Bore Sniper and Federal Gold Medal Match hollowpoint target ammo. With every type tested, reliability was one hundred percent. Every round fed, fired, and ejected perfectly, and the bolt always locked open on an empty magazine. Accuracy varied from good to superb, depending upon the ammo chosen. Federal Gold Medal 168 grain hollowpoint was by far the most accurate ammunition tested in this RFB carbine, grouping reliably under three-quarters of an inch for three shots at one hundred yards. The military ball ammo grouped closer to two inches. Any rifle is only as accurate as the ammo fed it, and the ball ammo was from broken-down machine gun belts. It was cheap and perfectly reliable, but better stuff is needed for good accuracy.

New Firearms & Stuff from the 2009 NASGW Show

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:03:06 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - photos of new products from the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers Show in Reno, Nevada. The most interesting new product to me was the Chiappa Rhino Revolver, a snubby .357 magnum with the barrel aligned with the bottom most chamber, for less (or no?) muzzle flip. I couldn't find any prices.

New Precision .308 Bolt Action Sniper Rifles from Savage Arms

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:10:26 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Savage has a new, modular, bolt-action sniper rifle, chambered in .308. And boy, can it shoot! Comes as the 10 BAS-K, with an adjustable M4 stock, for $1,852, or the 10 BAT-SK, with a fancy multi-adjustable stock, for $1,991. Both come with the Savage AccuTrigger™ and AccuStock™ a scope and accessory mounting rail, a muzzle break, fluted 24" barrel, and a 10-round removable magazine.

Remington AR-Style Rifles in .22 and Remington 30 AR

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:26:21 +0000

Remington has wrapped an AR body around their Model 597 semi-auto .22 rifle and dubbed it the Model 597 VTR. Price not listed.

They're also chambering their Model R-15 VTR, formerly available only in .223 Rem and .204 Ruger, for a new cartridge, the Remington 30 AR. MSRP $1,225.

Accurate Shooter has a SHOT Show report on the R-15 and the new 30AR ammo. It's short and fat and holds 44 grains of H20, pushing 125 grains at 2800fps. Not quite .308 energy (125/150 = 5/6 = 83%), but close, and plenty powerful enough for deer or other thin-skinned prey.

Ruger SR-556

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:41:36 +0000

Ruger has introduced their very own AR. 16" barrel, piston-driven, adjustable gas regulator, telescoping stock, Magpul 30-round magazines, Troy Industries folding sights and quad rail guardrail and covers. Available only in 5.56mm NATO/.223. $1,995. Product page.

Puma Bounty Hunter

Sun, 03 May 2009 12:23:09 +0000

Legacy Sports is selling a Puma-labeled short-barreled rifle, made by Chiappa Firearms in Italy. 12" barrel, short stock, loop lever, available in .45 Colt, .44-40 or .44 Magnum. $1,250. It's legally a handgun, so no NFA rules apply. Cool. [shotgunnews]

The UC Submachine Gun

Sun, 03 May 2009 12:01:25 +0000

FullAutoClassics.com is selling a folding, self-concealing 9mm submachine gun. It uses Uzi magazines, fires 650 rounds per minute, and is legally transferrable, since the receivers were manufactured before 1986. Only 65 available. $12,500. Videos at the link. [shotgunnews]

REALLY reactive targets

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:19:08 +0000

Joel Simon says that dollar-store shaving cream cans make great reactive targets.

Quote:

Do you know what happens when you shoot a shaving cream can with a rifle? Well...it makes a mess. It makes a big, instantaneous mess. Very entertaining. And the good news - I'm happy to say, since I didn't know how long the mess was going to last - it does eventually go away on its own, so all you have to clean up is the cans. Though if you have to pick up the cans right away, you've got some really, really gooey clean-up in store.

Ruger Mini-14 5.56mm NATO Tactical Rifle

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:13:06 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Jeff got to shoot Ruger's new, black, Mini-14, which I blogged back in January. It shoots 1.5" groups at 100 yards with 75 grain bullets. Not so good with lighter fare. But was rock solid reliable for him. [gunblast]

As I said before, adjustable folding stock. Pistol grip. 20-round magazine. Ghost ring aperture sight. Picatinny rail. 16" barrel. 7.25 lbs. $872.

Cold Steel Medium Espada Folding Knife

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:59:30 +0000

My CRKT Steve Ryan folder went missing, so I ordered a new pocket knife from KnifeCenter.com. After much investigating, and viewing of photos and videos, I chose the medium-sized Cold Steel Espada. It has a 3.5" blade and Cold Steel's new multi-panted Tri-Ad locking mechanism. It was the sound of the lock engaging in the Cold Steel video that closed the deal for me. Here's the KnifeCenter page. There are a few places on the net that offer the knife for less, but I've had good luck with KnifeCenter, and their 40% discount off of list was good enough. The photos below show it with my Condor Jungle Bowie (10" blade) and by itself. Click on any image for a high-resolution version. The Espada clips nicely into my back pocket, and opens easily with my right thumb. The only way I've found to close it with one hand is to depress the lock release with the thumb and close the blade by pressing against a flat surface. Using my leg as that surface is iffy, however, since the point is very, very sharp. It also has no rough place for the thumb on top, but given how far back the grip is from the blade, I think it won't matter. Time will tell.

Savage 111 FCNS Bolt Action Rifle with AccuStock and Leupold’s New VX-3 Riflescope

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:12:12 +0000

Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Savage does it again. They led the world with their AccuTrigger a few years back, and now they've revolutionized the stock with their AccuStock. Jeff got half inch groups at 100 yards with hunting, not match, ammo. Available as the 11FCNS in 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 308 Win, 270 WSM, 300 WSM, 223 Rem, 204 Ruger, or as the 111FCNS in 25-06 Rem, 270 Win, 30-06 Spfld, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag, and in other models. MSRP of $656 for the 11 & 111 models, or $682 for the WSM calibers. I couldn't find it at GalleryOfGuns.com, so I can't quote a street price, but Savage rifles usually sell for a discount on the MSRP. [gunblast]

Metal Spinning Targets

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:45:01 +0000

I used to have a swinging metal ram target that I shot at in my yard with .22 CB rounds. Hardly louder than a pellet gun out of Henry lever rifle, but loads of fun. It disappeared. Ground ate it, or something. Google to the rescue. Right at the top of the result list for a search for "metal spinning targets" is metaltargets.com. So I bought a three spinning targets set. Shot at them for the first time yesterday. It was a blast. They also make spinning targets out of heavy metal for magnum pistols or full-power rifles. I ordered mine on Tuesday, and they arrived on Thursday. It helps that they're just half-way across New York state from me, but they did their part getting my shipment in the mail.