Archive for April, 2008
FNH USA and NRA join forces to offer Women’s Wilderness Escape in July 2008
Posted by: | CommentsFNH USA is sponsoring the NRA Women’s Wilderness Escape scheduled for July 16-24, 2008 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. The event is described as a nine-day “get away” opportunity to experience the softer side of firearm education with an exposure to a wide variety of shooting sports activities and an array of enticing hunting and outdoor related activities.
FNH USA will provide many of the firearms used in the program – including semi-automatic pistols, carbines and long-range rifles – as well as providing an FN tactical light and cleaning kit for each participant to use during the event. Ben Voss, of FNH USA, will serve as lead rifle instructor and Jack McMillan will serve on the pistol range and as lead instructor for the long range rifle event.
Participants will learn to shoot rifle silhouette, scoped/tactical carbine, long-range high power rifle, conventional and tactical pistol, historic firearms, shotgun, and archery. Other activities include game calling, orienteering, survival training, Refuse To Be A Victim® Seminar, NRA Wild Turkey Hunter Clinic, Laser Shot (shooting simulator) and a unique day of cowboy action shooting in Coal Canyon. Participants may even spend a night under the Rocky Mountain stars if the weather is favorable. Women attending the Wilderness Escape will be guided by some of the most skilled firearms instructors and outdoor specialists in the country.
For more information, visit http://www.nrahq.org/women/wilderness_escape.asp.
ATK Acquires Weaver Optics
Posted by: | CommentsATK has announced its acquisition of Weaver® Optics from Meade Instruments effective April 24, 2008. This acquisition further heralds ATK’s return to the optics category and integrates yet another trusted and respected name into the well-known family of ATK brands.
This strategic move, coupled with the 2007 launch of Nitrex Optics™ establishes ATK as a significant and growing force within this product category. Mark DeYoung, President of ATK Armament Systems and ATK Commercial Products stated that “The opportunity to add Weaver optics into our growing portfolio of quality brands supports our strategy for growth. As we continue to expand our capability and product offering in the accessories category, optics will be a solid contributor to our success. Our company has a solid history with the Weaver brand and we are pleased to add Weaver optics back into our winning lineup.”
The legendary Weaver brand of optics, when combined with ATK’s existing Weaver rings, mounts and bases, positions the company for continued growth and operational synergies within their optics line-up.
Maryland State Police to Carry Beretta PX4 Storm Pistol as Duty Gun
Posted by: | CommentsBeretta proudly announces that the Maryland State Police have chosen the Beretta Px4 Storm to replace their Beretta 96D pistols. The Beretta Px4 Storm is the next generation in law enforcement pistols. The Maryland State Police will issue 1,065 Px4 Storm D Model pistols in .40 S&W to their officers.?
“The Maryland State Police are pleased to continue our long partnership with Beretta by upgrading the pistols our troopers carry to the new Beretta Px4 Storm,?” said Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. “?After rigorous testing by Maryland State Police experts, the Storm has proven that its simplistic design, safety features, ability to individualize fit, ease of maintenance, and overall dependability make it the firearm ideally suited for use by Maryland State Troopers as they continue to serve and protect the people of our state.?”
The Beretta Px4 Storm pistol provides a single solution to pistol fit in a diverse agency setting. The Storm allows each officer to customize their pistol based upon hand size and left/right preference with interchangeable back straps and grips, reversible and interchangeable magazine releases and slide catches. Officers also have the ability to shift from an open-carry platform to a concealed carry without any change in the control configuration. Another important element in making the decision to remain with Beretta was the fact that the Px4 Storm?s modularity also provides for quick and safe disassembly without requiring the user or armorer to pull the trigger during disassembly, increasing the overall safety of the handgun.
The Px4 Storm Model D .40 S&W is a Double Action Only pistol featuring a spurless hammer and an automatic firing pin block safety with a 3-dot sight system coated in Superluminova®, a special photo sensitive material that provides luminescence for up to 30 minutes with just a short exposure to any -more- Press Release Page 2 kind of light. An integrated Picatinny rail allows for mission specific use of laser devices and illumination tools. The rotating barrel locking system reduces friction within the barrel, slide, and central block providing for a smoother operation and greater reliability. The lower barrel axis also reduces felt recoil and minimizes muzzle rise allowing officers to get back on target more quickly.
?The Px4 Storm has been subject to extensive testing by law enforcement and defense agencies in Europe and North America and found to exceed even the most demanding field requirements, including testing that confirmed the Px4 Storm?s ability to fire 10,000 rounds with no defects or malfunctions? said Elio Oliva, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Law Enforcement and Defense Division, Beretta USA, commented. ?We are extremely confident of the durability and reliability of the Px4 Storm under extreme conditions. Law enforcement agencies, including the Maryland State Police, Providence Rhode Island Police Department, Canadian Border Services Agency and over 100 other law enforcement agencies that are now carrying Px4 Storm pistols, look for this level of reliability and performance when selecting a pistol to protect their officers and citizens.?
?”Law enforcement agencies are becoming increasingly diverse and the demand for a single pistol solution is more prevalent than ever,” ?added Christopher Merritt, General Manager for Beretta USA, ?”which is why the Px4 Storm is the perfect modular solution for any agency.?”
Jeff Reh, Vice General Manager and General Counsel for Beretta USA also pointed out the safety features that make the Px4 Storm the choice of many law enforcement agencies. “?The Px4 Storm was designed from the ground up to become the new standard bearer in law enforcement pistols; in design, fit, function, and, most important, safety.?”
Mayor Bloomberg’s Latest Anti-Gun Group: County Executives Against Illegal Guns
Posted by: | CommentsMayor Michael Bloomberg is very anti-gun and has formed groups like Mayors Against Illegal Guns in an attempt to further his agenda of disarming the citizens of the United States. Bloomberg’s latest venture is called County Executives Against Illegal Guns.
County Executives Against Illegal Guns is a newly formed coalition of anti-gun county executives who would like to see all Americans sacrifice their freedom for a fleeting concept of “safety” as provided by Bloomberg’s all knowing government. Read More→
Bloomberg Brings 12 More Into His Gun Banning Coalition
Posted by: | CommentsNew York Mayor brought twelve more Massachusetts mayors into his anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, just days before their 2008 general meeting in Washington D.C.
The new mayors are from the Massachusetts cities of Amesbury, Cambridge, Easthampton, Fall River, Gardner, Lawrence, Lowell, Malden, Newburyport, Revere, Salem, and Weymouth.
If you are a resident of one of these cities, I would urge you to contact your mayor and let them know how you feel about Mayor Bloomberg’s agenda to deprive U.S. citizens of their right to keep and bear arms as protected by the Second Amendment.
Five Gun Dealers Fold Against Bloomberg’s Abhorant Anti-Gun Tactics
Posted by: | CommentsIn a previous post, I talked about Jay Wallace and Adventure Outdoors of Smyrna, GA. Wallace owns Adventure Outdoors and he has been targeted by the anti-freedom gun-banner, Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
As most of you will recall, Bloomberg set up an elaborate (and criminal) operation in which he paid non-law enforcement people to travel around and make ‘straw’ purchases of firearms. Not only is the individual straw purchase illegal, the act of conspiring with others to make these illegal purchases throughout the nation would certainly seem to warrant (excuse the pun) criminal charges being brought against the Constitution hating New York City mayor. Read More→
A product recall notice on the Ruger SR9 Pistol from Sturm, Ruger & Company:
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., announces that it has determined that Ruger SR9 pistols manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008 can, under certain conditions, fire if dropped with their manual safeties in the “off” or “fire” position and a round in the chamber. The pistols will not fire if the manual safety is in the “on” or “safe” position.
As a responsible manufacturer, we want to make our customers aware of this safety concern as soon as possible. Ruger is finalizing the design of a new trigger group which prevents firing when dropped and will retrofit at no charge all Ruger SR9 pistols with serial number prefix “330″ (330-xxxxx).
SR9 owners can obtain information or register for the recall by:
- Visiting the Ruger website at: www.ruger.com/SR9Recall/
- E-mail: SR9recall@ruger.com
- Fax: 928-541-8873
- Calling the Ruger SR9 Recall Hotline at 800-784-3701 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EDT.
When Ruger is ready to retrofit a consumer’s pistol, Ruger will send a shipping box, label and instructions for the FREE return of the SR9 pistol to our factory in Prescott, Arizona. Work will be completed promptly at no charge to the consumer and the pistol will be returned at Ruger expense. All owners will receive a FREE SR9 magazine as a “thank you” for their patience and cooperation.
All owners of Ruger SR9 pistols are urged not to use their pistol until it has been retrofitted with these new factory parts. If owners must use their SR9 pistol, the manual safety should be kept in the “on” or “safe” position except when actually firing.
Second Amendment Supporter Bob Barr May Run for President
Posted by: | CommentsThe pro-gun former congressman from Georgia, Bob Barr, may be making a third-party run for the White House.
I don’t know if a third party candidate is a viable option, but I do know a few things. First, a lot of people are fed up with both the Republicans and Democrats.
Second, neither party is offering us a pro-gun candidate for president.
And last, and perhaps most important, Bob Barr is a good man. I lived in Georgia while Barr was in Congress. I saw first-hand that what he said is what he did. Barr is a man that will tell you what he is going to do, and then he will follow through on it. Barr is a solid supporter of the individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms.
Is Bob Barr a viable presidential candidate? Time will tell. He’ll get my vote if he runs.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr eased into presidential politics Saturday with an announcement that he has formed an exploratory committee to gauge voter interest in his candidacy as Libertarian.
If there are “sufficient numbers” of people behind a Bob Barr presidential race, he’s running, the former Republican said.
His announcement brought whoops and applause from the audience of 130 Libertarians, mostly from Midwestern states.
“We are at a tipping point,” Barr said, “in terms of the willingness of voters, in significant numbers, to consider alternatives to the major [political] parties.”
Barr conceded it was unlikely he could win, but he said his potential candidacy would be an opportunity to preach the Libertarian philosophy.
“I don’t think any past performance by a Libertarian candidate is any benchmark,” he said. “Are my expectations that the Libertarian candidate will win [the White House]? No. But with a credible candidate, anything is possible.”
He added that the Libertarian Party “has been presenting itself as much more mainstream” as voter dissatisfaction increases with the decisions of Republican and Democrat officeholders.
In 2003, Barr left politics, where he had represented a Cobb County-centered district since 1995, to return to practicing law, offering media commentary, consulting and teaching. He is a regular columnist for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
In recent months, he has been a frequent speaker at state Libertarian Party conventions and conferences like Saturday’s Heartland Libertarian Conference. Next week, he has scheduled time with radio talk shows and television personalities, to be followed by more Libertarian conventions.
Barr, once a federal prosecutor in Atlanta, came to a hotel in the middle of an office and industrial park on the outskirts of Kansas City to announce his intentions.
He is the second former member of Congress to flirt with a run for president as a Libertarian. Former Alaska senator and one-time Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel switched to the Libertarian Party last month.
“I’m excited to see what he [Barr] has to say,” said Doug Burlison, a Libertarian who serves on the Springfield, Mo., City Council. “And I’m excited to see what Mike Gravel has to say. It’s exciting to have to former office-holders running [as Libertarians].”
At the Kansas City conference, Barr, 59, repeated his message of less government and protection of civil liberties.
His themes, some say, will appeal to supporters of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a GOP presidential contender who remains in the race even though Arizona Sen. John McCain has accumulated the delegate commitments to win the Republican nomination this summer.
Eight men and two women, plus someone identified as “none of the candidates” and another as “future/unannounced candidate,” have raised money as Libertarian contenders for president. The nominee will be picked in late May at the Libertarians’ national convention in Denver.
Barr, who as a Republican congressman helped impeach President Bill Clinton, focused many of his complaints on the Republicans he once supported.
“The American people are much more sensitive to big government and the problems of big government,” Barr said. “Republicans in Washington have opened people’s eyes. Both major parties are big-government parties.”
“The two-party system is the problem. If we continue to rely on the two-party system, then shame on us.”
National Shooting Sports Foundation Awards Grants to 12 States
Posted by: | CommentsA Record $724,980 Earmarked for Hunter Recruitment and Retention
NEWTOWN, Conn. — For the sixth consecutive year, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has announced grants to states for projects designed to enlist new hunters, and retain existing ones.
“These grants were awarded on the strengths of the concepts presented to preserve our hunting traditions, by adding to the ranks of hunters and encouraging current hunters to continue their participation,” said Doug Painter, president of NSSF.
The 2008 Hunting Heritage Partnership grants include an increase of $250,000 over last year, thanks to a new partnership with Safari Club International. To date, the program has contributed more than $2.8 million to state agencies.
This year’s grant recipients include:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission–$64,400
Project: To increase hunting activity in Florida by large numbers of state residents who have been hunting in states other than Florida. Research will identify residents who have been hunting out of state and why, and attempt to convince them to hunt in Florida through a directed marketing effort.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game–$153,000
Project: To obtain access to additional land for hunters by providing various types of compensation to landowners in the form of services, and to recruit new landowners into the Access Yes! program.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources–$62,000
Project: To reactivate a group of lapsed hunters that will be targeted with the implementation of a direct mail marketing and advertising campaign.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources–$16,500
Project: To offer two mentored youth hunts, providing a positive hunting experience and allowing the youngsters to interact with wildlife managers and conservation officers, who will communicate the importance of hunting both as recreation and as a game management tool.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
The state received grants for two separate projects.
Project #1–$77,755
A direct mail program to encourage prior hunting license holders to re-enter the ranks of active hunters through license purchases. Also, it will encourage current license holders to investigate access to public hunting land and urge veteran hunters to act as mentors for new hunters.
Project #2–$45,000
Recruitment of new hunters and hunters who have left the sport by providing dove hunting opportunities on privately owned dove fields.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks–$61,700
Project: A program designed to identify lapsed Montana big-game hunters most likely to return to hunting and to induce their participation, as measured by license purchases in 2008. Also the program will identify current Montana hunters predisposed to lapsing out of hunting and reduce their rate of doing so in 2008.
Nevada Department of Wildlife–$56,125
Project: A campaign to persuade hunters who have unsuccessfully applied for a big-game tag to purchase a hunting license and participate in under-utilized hunts for both big and small game. This will be accomplished through a direct marketing program.
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department–$20,000
Project: To develop a landowner incentive program that will provide the ability to secure and maintain hunting access to 100,000 acres of private land by December 31, 2012.
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation–$21,000
Project: To conduct a direct mail campaign aimed at encouraging former hunters to pick up the sport again and purchase a hunting license in 2008.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources–$92,500
Project: Attempt to reactivate lapsed hunters through an integrated mix of paid advertising, direct mail, electronic communication, media relations, events and other grass roots activities.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency–$30,000
Project: A program to increase small-game hunting participation on private land in Tennessee, through a small-game hunter-access cooperative effort with landowners.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department–$25,000
Project: To maintain and enhance the department’s Private Lands Public Access Program for hunting through enrolling private landowners into either a Walk-in Hunting or Hunter Management Area Program.
Twenty-five proposals from 21 states were submitted this year to the Hunting Heritage Partnership judging committee of NSSF. Mississippi was a grant recipient for the first time this year. All other states on this year’s list have been awarded previous grants.
Formed in 1961, NSSF’s mission is to provide trusted leadership in addressing industry challenges and in delivering programs and services to meet the identified needs of our members. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.
New 10/22 Thumbhole Stocks from Shooters Ridge
Posted by: | CommentsGet a better grip on your shooting action! Introducing the new 10/22 thumbhole stocks from Shooters Ridge®.
Custom built for a superior fit, these stocks use computer enhanced designs and a steel pillar to provide the ultimate in repeatability and a high cheek piece for improved shooting comfort. Get steady and improve your accuracy with our weather proof, synthetic thumbhole stocks.
Each stock features a soft recoil pad and come with swivel studs.
Features & Benefits
- Thumbhole design and high cheek piece for steadiness/accuracy/comfort
- Soft recoil pad and easy grip forearm inserts
- Available in four appealing finishes
- For both factory tapered barrels and .920 diameter barrels
- Comes with swivel studs
- Steel pillar insures secure fit and superior repeatability
- Lightweight / strong / weather proof synthetic
Speer Bullets Reloading Manual #14 Out Now
Posted by: | CommentsSpeer Bullets is now publishing their Reloading Manual #14. The original bible of reloading has now been updated with several new loads and other information to keep reloaders informed. This book represents years of fine-tuning loads and meticulous testing.
This year’s edition is our largest volume yet. It contains hundreds of pages of how-to information with charts, illustrations and photographs. You’ll find over 9,000 powder loads, plus bullet data, detailed ballistic tables, bullet energy and velocity tables, special technique sections, a problem solving section and a whole lot more.
It is an indispensable tool for every reloader’s bench. In an age of automation and mass production, reloaders relish the satisfaction that comes only to those who create. Whether you’re a veteran, or just getting started, let Speer Reloading Manual #14 be your guide as you create the perfect load for that special firearm, hunt or target set.
Features & Benefits
- Supplemental load data
- Contains over 9,000 powder loads
- Detailed ballistic, bullet energy and velocity tables
- Tips and techniques
- Choosing the right bullet
