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Archive for January 2009 – Page 2

HR-197: National Right to Carry Bill Introduced

By Richard on January 25, 2009 4 Comments

From the NRA:

U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.), recently introduced H.R. 197– the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009″–a bill that would provide national recognition for valid state Right-to-Carry licensees.

The bill would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state, to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if the permit holder meets certain criteria. In states that issue permits, a state’s laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within its borders. In states that do not issue carry permits, a federal standard would apply. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other’s carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses.

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to introduce the Senate companion bill in the near future. Rep. Stearns has introduced such legislation since 1995.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 197!

If you are not already a member, please join the NRA today!

Categories : Concealed Carry, NRA, Second Amendment Issues

Tags : CCW, concealed carry, National Rifle Association, NRA, second amendment

Kel Tec RFB: First Impressions

By Richard on January 23, 2009 4 Comments

The Kel Tec RFB rifle will be shipping early next month (Feb 09) according to a Kel Tec representative at the 2009 SHOT Show. The rep was very upbeat about the rifle, stating they are in production now and will be shipping very soon.

Kel Tec RFB carbine and rifles Kel Tec’s sales of the RFB rifles to distributers have been very brisk, selling 1,000 to one distributer on the first day of the SHOT Show alone.

I had a chance to handle the RFB, and I have to admit I was impressed. The rifle, chambered in .308/7.62 NATO, is hefty, but very well-balanced. Kel Tec had several different configurations of the RFB on display, and everyone stopping to check them out seemed to like them.

The RFB looks like it will be a very good seller for Kel Tec.

Categories : 2009 SHOT Show, Rifles

Tags : carbine, Kel Tec, RFB, rifle

Review of the Streamlight Strion Flashlight

By Richard on January 22, 2009 No Comments

I posted a review of the Streamlight Strion flashlight over at BlueSheepdog.com. The Strion is a compact rechargeable flashlight that is a perfect for concealed carry.

Categories : Concealed Carry, Misc Gear

Tags : concealed carry, flashlight, Streamlight, Strion

Federal Nyclad Ammunition in .38 Special Reintroduced at 2009 SHOT Show

By Richard on January 22, 2009 4 Comments

Federal Premium Ammunition re-introduced the Nyclad in .38 Special at the 2009 SHOT Show. Available only in .38 Special, the Nyclad round is a standard-pressure, self-defense load with a nylon clad 125 grain soft lead hollow point. The Federal Nyclad Ammunition for the .38 Special nylon coating allows the bullet to reliably expand at low velocities, unlike traditional copper jacketed hollow points which normally require faster velocities in the .355-.357 bullet size range.

The .38 Special loading pushes the 125 grain hollow point at 830 fps for a muzzle energy of 191 ft-lbs. While this may not seem like a real “manstopper,” keep in mind that the Nyclad proved to be excellent in its class. For a firearm not designed to handle +P pressures, or for someone that is especially recoil sensitive (such as someone who is arthritic), this is a mild recoiling cartridge that will reliably expand.

The Nyclad line of ammunition was developed several decades ago and made its way into one of Federal’s self defense lines of cartridges. The original .38 Special self defense load was a 125 grain, standard pressure round that featured a soft-lead bullet with a very deep hollow point. It appears that the new Nyclad ammunition will be a close copy of the original.

Many experts feel the 125 grain Nyclad hollow point was the best standard pressure cartridge loaded for the .38 Special. It offered excellent expansion with a relatively light recoil in even the lightest of revolver frames.

Categories : 2009 SHOT Show, Ammunition

Tags : .38 Special, Ammunition, concealed carry, Federal, Nyclad, self defense, stopping power

SIG522 .22 Caliber Rifle from SIG SAUER

By Richard on January 22, 2009 2 Comments

SIG SAUER, Inc. has introduced a .22 LR caliber semi-automatic rifle called the SIG522. The SIG552 is modeled after the popular SIG556 rifle.

Sig Sauer 552 SIG552 .22 rifle Featuring SIG556 parts including a Swiss type folding stock and polymer forend on a durable metal receiver with integral Picatinny rail, and a Mini Red Dot sight, the SIG522 provides the avid sport shooter plenty of action on a classic military style platform that give the look, feel and dependability of the full size SIG556.

SIG522 Rifle Specifications:

Caliber: .22 LR Action: Semi-Auto
Overall Length: 29.8″
Stock Style: Swiss Type Folding
Length w/Stock Collapsed 29.1″
Barrel Type: Cold Hammer Forged
Barrel Length: 17″
Flash Suppressor: A2 Type
Rifling: 1 in 7″
Sight Radius: 14.4″
Forearm: Polymer
Operating System: Gas Piston/Rotating Bolt
Mag Capacity: 30 rounds
MSRP: $515.00

Categories : 2009 SHOT Show, Rifles

Tags : 22, 522, rifle, Sig Sauer, Sig522

Charter Arms Rimless Revolver Update: 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP Soon

By Richard on January 21, 2009 22 Comments

Charter Arms is anticipating shipping the new Rimless Revolver in Spring 2009.

I spoke with their reps at the 2009 SHOT Show. The Charter Arms reps explained that the revolvers are ready to begin production, but they are waiting on the patent lawyers. It seems that some of the patents have not been nailed down yet, so Charter Arms Rimless Revolver 2009 SHOT Show before they start showing and shipping the revolvers, they have to make sure their design is protected. Charter Arms had hoped to have everything finished by the SHOT Show, but they have been at the mercy of the patent lawyers and paperwork.

The current expectation is that the revolvers will start shipping in April 2009. Initially, the Rimless Revolvers will ship in .40 S&W, followed by the 9mm, and then the .45 ACP. All revolvers should be in the market before the and of ’09.

Charter Arms said the 9mm will also chamber the .380 ACP.

Assuming these revolvers are reliable, they could be excellent backup weapons for law enforcement and citizens carrying concealed for self protection.

From the product announcement on the Charter Arms website:

Charter Arms Rimless Revolver (CARR) will be available in April 2009!

Charter Arms announces an affordable revolver that chambers rimless semi-automatic rounds the same way as a standard rimmed-cartridge revolver.

Now the average gun owner can own an affordable, trouble-free revolver chambered in these popular semi-auto rounds without the need for specialized ammunition clips and a specialized gun.

With the patent-pending Charter Arms Rimless Revolver Round System a round is loaded into the chamber and a specialized spring engages the cartridge’s ejector groove. When the cylinder is opened and the ejector rod operated, it extracts and ejects the fired cases

Available Calibers

Charter Arms will first offer the .40 S&W followed by the .45ACP and 9×19 mm Parabellum (the 9mm Parabellum revolver will also chamber factory .380ACP). All three Rimless Revolvers (9mm, .40 and .45) will be rated for higher velocity +P loadings.

Warranty

As with the other Charter Arms revolvers, the CARR has an industry exclusive lifetime warranty.

Categories : 2009 SHOT Show, Revolvers

Tags : .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 2009 SHOT Show, 9mm, Charter Arms, revolver, rimless cartridge

Toys Guns Threaten New York City: NYC Takes Down Party City Menace

By Richard on January 21, 2009 No Comments

[Editor's note: The use of sarcasm will be employed in this article. While the article is sarcastic, the facts and quotes are all correct. Refrain from flooding me with hate mail!]

In a bold move to protect the citizens of New York City, the Department of Consumer Affairs negotiated a $500,000 settlement with crime menace Party City. Party City, in flagrant disregard for the residents of NYC, had been selling toy guns to anyone with the cash who walked in off the street.

“Fake guns that look real aren’t toys. In fact, they’re so dangerous that selling them is illegal,” said Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. “The City is committed to cracking down on every single violator of this public safety law and will seek maximum penalties when businesses fail to get the message.”

Mintz and his crack squad of consumer investigators caught Party City in a ring of illegal toy gun sales in April 2008. Apparently selling to anyone, Party City was charged by the city with almost 800 counts of illegal toy gun sales.

And this is not the first time Party City has been caught selling illegal toy guns on the streets of New York City. In 2003, the Department of Consumer Affairs busted Party City for selling illegal toy guns. In that case, Party City paid $150,000 in fines.

This time, Party City isn’t getting off so easy. In addition to the half-a-million dollar fine, DCA required Party City to pay for an independent monitor who will perform unannounced weekly inspections of Party City’s shelves and review its advertising in New York City over the next year. Further, to ensure Party City’s compliance, the settlement allows DCA to double the fine for future imitation gun violations from $1,000 to $2,000.

Since 2002, DCA enforcement teams have removed more than 7,000 guns from the shelves of more than 220 stores throughout the City, and levied $3.3 million in fines.

Categories : Second Amendment Issues

Tags : crime, New York, NYC, Party City, stupid politicans, toy guns

President Obama’s Official Anti-Gun Policies

By Richard on January 20, 2009 2 Comments

Well, the new president has made the his anti-gun agenda official. Copied right from his transition website to the WhiteHouse.gov site:

Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.

So, look for President Obama backed legislation to:

Allow the use of law enforcement data to sue gun manufacturers for the misuse of their products;
Make it a crime to transfer ownership of a firearm from one citizen to another as a gift, inheritance, or private sale;
Banning of the sales of semi-automatic rifles; and
Criminalizing the sale and possession of magazines with a capacity above a random, arbitrary number.

Please, get involved! Talk to your elected representatives. Join the NRA. Write letters to your newspapers.

If we do nothing, our rights will be taken. If we stand up, and make our voices heard, we can make a difference!

Categories : NRA, Second Amendment Issues

Tags : assault weapons ban, NRA, President Obama, WhiteHouse.gov

Smith and Wesson M&P Pistols with Thumb Safety

By Richard on January 19, 2009 22 Comments

In December, I first told you that all of the Smith and Wesson M&P pistols could now be had with 1911-style thumb safeties. S&W had every model of M&P pistol displayed with a thumb safety at the 2009 SHOT Show.

I worked with several different M&P pistols and found the safeties worked very well. I wasn’t sure I would like them, but they were easy to manipulate, clicked smartly into place, and did not interfere with my grip. I don’t know that I would order a M&P with a thumb safety, but I certainly would consider it.

Categories : 2009 SHOT Show, Pistols

Tags : .357, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 9mm, M&P, military, pistol, police, S&W, Smith and Wesson, thumb safety

The Colt Combat Elite Returns

By Richard on January 19, 2009 11 Comments

Colt has brought back the Combat Elite. Announced at the 2009 SHOT Show and now listed in the ’09 Colt catalog, the Combat Elite is a very nice looking and feeling 1911-platform gun chambered in the venerable .45 ACP.

Colt Combat Elite 1911 .45 ACP pistol

The floor sample at the SHOT Show had excellent craftsmanship, and unlike the Delta Elite at the same show, had no cosmetic blemishes.

Colt Combat Elite 1911 .45 ACP pistol slide close-up

Colt lists the following features for the Combat Elite:

front and rear slide serrations
three-dot sights, Novak rear
skeletonzised, three hole trigger
combat hammer with elongated slot
8+1 capacity
1/2 checkered, 1/2 smooth rosewood grips
Smith& Alexander upswept beavertail palmswell safety
the Colt single side tactical thumb safety
two-tone finish
national match barrel
stainless steel frame
carbon steel slide