Outdoor Life - Guns RSS

Bill Maher Says Second Amendment is B.S., But Owns Two Guns

Alex Robinson — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:47:07 -0400

Uber-liberal HBO 'Real Time' host Bill Maher has never been vague in expressing his contempt for the Second Amendment and gun owners.

But it wasn't until the Friday, May 18, segment of 'Real Time' that viewers learned that Maher, like so many left-wing elitists, doesn't think the same laws that apply to you apply to him.

While mocking the Constitution and Bill of Rights during a panel discussion with documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times and MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp, Maher criticized the failed Manchin-Toomey expanded background checks bill because it prohibited a national gun registry.

"Of course we need a gun registry,” Maher said. “The Second Amendment is bullsh*t.”

A short while later in his blathering discourse, Maher revealed he actually owns two firearms that he keeps in his home -- one upstairs and one downstairs -- and that he goes to the range twice a year to practice shooting.

Maher said there have been 12 home invasions in his neighborhood over the last year and he needs the guns to protect himself.

"As long as we live in the gun country, I ain't giving up my guns," he said.

And why should he?

He's Bill Maher and you're not.

For you, "The Second Amendment is bullsh*t.”

For more, go to:
-- S.E. Cupp On National Background Checks: ‘You Want To Be Able To Track Me’

-- Bill Maher: ’12 home invasions in my neighborhood, I ain’t giving up my gun’

-- "Real Time" Panel: S.E. Cupp vs. Bill Maher & Michael Moore On Guns

-- S.E. Cupp lays into Michael Moore for characterizing gun owners as pariahs (VIDEO)

-- S.E. Cupp And Michael Moore Debate Gun Control On ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ (Video)

-- BILL MAHER TO MICHAEL MOORE: I HAVE GUNS AND I AIN'T GIVING THEM UP

-- Bill Maher: ‘I Ain’t Giving Up My Gun’ [Video]

James Bond-Inspired ‘Smart Gun’ Proposal Enters Gun Control Debate

Alex Robinson — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:42:07 -0400

If you look at the bills legislators propose, you get a good insight into the inner workings of their brains. In Congressman John Tierney's (D-Mass.) case, James Bonds movies apparently spur the proverbial gerbil into action, spinning the wheels inside his head.

Tierney told the Boston Globe on May 15 that he plans to soon introduce the 007-inspired Personalized Handgun Safety Act of 2013, which would mandate all handguns be equipped with technology that allows the guns to only work in the hands of their owners or other authorized users.

Tierney's proposal would make manufacturers that do not meet the bill's standards liable for any misdeeds perpetrated by anyone with a handgun that doesn't have the required technology after two year of the bill's adoption.

The proposed Personalized Handgun Safety Act of 2013 would also require individuals or businesses selling older handguns to have them retrofitted with personalization technology within three years after the bill is enacted, at the expense of the federal government.

Is this feasible?

Depending who you ask, the answer is "Maybe so" or "Maybe not." Some say the technology is realistic, but Tierney's bill is not.

According to Tracy Jan of the Boston Globe, personalized handguns are already being sold in other countries, and several manufacturers plan to introduce the technology to the American market this summer.

Logan Whiteside of CNN Money Tech reported in late April that researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have been working on a grip-recognizing gun similar to the one James Bond uses in "Skyfall."

Sensors on the grip -- similar to the touchpad on a laptop -- measure the pressure applied and the size and shape of the hand holding the gun, he writes.

"If a child tries to grab the gun, their hand geometry is actually going to be smaller," NJIT Associate Professor Michael Recce told CNN. "So they're not going to touch the sensors, and they're not going to be able to fire the gun."

Some insist there is merit to the "smart guns" idea -- or any idea, really -- simply because both the NRA and the Brady Violence Policy Center oppose it, meaning it could be worth a less ideologically motivated analysis.

The NRA and other gun-rights groups feel that smart gun technology is an attempt to control citizen ownership of guns. Many object to "smart guns" on a philosophical, regulatory and technological basis, according to the Globe's Jan.

"No defensive firearm should ever rely upon any technology more advanced than Newtonian physics," gun-rights advocate Boston T. Party writes in Boston's Gun Bible. "That includes batteries, radio links, encryption, scanning devices and micro-computers. Even if a particular system could be 99.9 percent reliable, that means it is expected to fail once every 1,000 operations. That is not reliable enough. My life deserves more certainty."

CNN's Whiteside reported in April that "at least one major seller of smart gun technology admits potential fallibility of the technology. Gun Technology Corporation says on their website that 'No mechanical or electrical device is capable of 100 percent reliability. Personalized guns offer advantages to some people and disadvantages to others.'"

The Brady Bunch has opposed "smart guns" since 2004 because, as it states in it position statement, "The False Hope of the 'Smart' Gun," such devices "will make gun ownership more commonplace by making guns seem safer."

Nevertheless, the momentum for finding a technological solution to the nation's "gun violence" issue is being stoked by the Obama Administration, which has directed the National Institute of Justice to study the state of gun personalization technology.

Vice President Joe Biden proposed adopting "smart gun" technology in January, when he claimed "evidence" shows personalized handguns may have prevented the Newtown school shooting. Not surprisingly, Biden has no "evidence" proving this claim, but that's been par for the course for Joe since gun control became a national obsession.

Is the time right to realistically look into "smart guns" as an alternative to political solutions that please no one?

Maybe, as Tierney told the Huffington Post's
Paige Lavender in a May 16 column, it's time to let those gerbils spin those wheels inside those heads -- even if the stimuli for action is a movie.

"In the most recent James Bond film, Bond escapes death when his handgun, which is equipped with technology that recognizes him as its owner, becomes inoperable when it gets into the wrong hands," Tierney's office told Lavender. "This technology, however, isn't just for the movies -- it's a reality."

Maybe so.

Then again, maybe not.

For more, go to:
-- Congressman John Tierney to introduce gun bill

-- Smart Gun: A Stupid Idea That Won’t Die

-- 'Smart guns' could be next step in gun control

-- Tierney files safe-gun legislation

-- New York Times on Biometric Guns: What’s Worse Than Willfully Ignorant?

-- A thought about “smart” guns

-- Tierney's 'smart-gun' bill aims for safety

-- 'Smart Guns,' Designed To Be Fired Only By Owner, Have Battled History

-- Tierney says tech can cut gun violence

-- Congressman Tierney unveils new “smart gun” bill to prevent gun violence

ATK to Buy Savage Arms

Alex Robinson — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:15:25 -0400

Big news in the sporting world today. ATK, which already owns large swath of the outdoor industry’s leading ammunition and shooting accessories brands, has announced that it is acquiring the company that owns Savage Sports Corporation for $315 million in cash. This purchase is ATK’s first foray into firearms production.

The name of the company being purchased is Caliber Company, which is the parent of Savage Arms, Bowtech and other brands in the hunting and shooting world—though the deal only includes the Savage and Stevens firearms brands and Savage Range Systems and does not include the archery company Bowtech. According to ATK, the purchase should be finalized prior to June 30, 2013.

Officials from both ATK and Savage offered upbeat assessments of the deal.

"The acquisition will complement ATK's growing portfolio of leading consumer brands," said Mark DeYoung, ATK President and CEO. "This opportunity will allow us to build upon our offerings with Savage's prominent, respected brands known for accuracy, quality, innovation, value and craftsmanship."

Meanwhile, Savage’s president and Chief Operating Officer, Al Kasper, had similarly nice things to say.

"Savage offers customers a unique value proposition that is unmatched by any other firearms manufacturer and will be a tremendous complement to ATK's existing ammunition and shooting accessories portfolio," Kasper said.

The official announcement at ATK.com said that ATK will integrate Savage within its Sporting Group business.

And, in case you were wondering just how big ATK's Sporting Group is, the release offered this helpful description of the brands it currently owns: “ATK's ammunition brands include Federal Premium, CCI, Fusion, Speer, Estate Cartridge and Blazer. ATK's accessories brands include Blackhawk!, Alliant Power, RCBS, Champion targets and shooting equipment, Gunslick Pro and Outers gun-care products, and Weaver optics and mounting systems.”

The acquisition of well-known firearms brands by larger companies has often not worked out well for the firearms companies in question. Though, in this case, there’s reason not to panic. ATK has demonstrated an ability to bring new brands into the fold without uprooting those brands’ production facilities and personnel in the name of consolidation and cost savings, and has therefore avoided some of the errors that have plagued similar business deals.

My fervent hope is that Savage’s new overlords at ATK will proceed with a light touch. Savage is one of the most clear-cut success stories in the gun world in recent memory and its example should be emulated and not tampered with. Savage, which a couple decades ago was on death’s door, reinvented itself under former CEO Ron Coburn, and turned into a most improbable gun maker: namely, a profitable firearms company located in the heart of the anti-gun and heavily unionized Northeast that makes accurate and affordable guns for every-day shooters. (And for the record, no, I don’t equate the success of the AR guys, which is due to circumstance more than business acumen, with what Savage has accomplished.)

Likewise, I hope that Bowtech doesn’t languish in limbo as a result of this either. I can understand why ATK might not have been interested in acquiring the bow maker—to date, ATK’s brands have been focused purely on the shooting side of hunting and Bowtech was a tiny fraction of Savage’s business. Even so, it has been a remarkable and innovative force in the archery business and I hope that whoever ends up with it (I can’t imagine it will stay part of the financial group it is currently with for very long) treats it well.

Secure Firearms Act Offers Tax Breaks for Purchasing Gun Safes, Locks

Alex Robinson — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:15:34 -0400

Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Carter (R-Texas) and fellow HSAS member Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) have introduced the Secure Firearms Act, which would provide up to a $1,200 federal income tax deduction for the purchase of a gun safe, or other safety device, through 2014 as well as prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from using tax deduction claims to produce "any kind of gun ownership registration."

The bill, which has been endorsed by the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, was introduced on May 8 into the House and is expected to pass with little opposition.

“The members of America’s firearms industry thank Rep. Carter for his leadership in offering a real bipartisan solution that will help make our families safer,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel in a May 9 statement. “Helping firearms owners responsibly and safely store their firearms when they are not in use so that they are inaccessible to unauthorized and at-risk individuals provides a practical and proven way to increase the safety of our homes and communities.”

“The most common factor in the mass shootings over the past years is that people who should not have had access to firearms managed to acquire them anyway,” Carter, a former Texas district judge, told the AP. “We don’t attempt to address all the reasons for that in this bill, but specifically target better security of firearms by law-abiding citizens through incentives, not mandates.”

“As a concealed handgun license holder and strong supporter of 2nd amendment rights, this is a common sense first step towards increasing access for Americans to purchase devices that will prevent the misuse of firearms,"Cuellar said. "While this legislation is not meant to be a ‘fix-all’, this is a bipartisan idea that Congress should immediately act on. I’m proud to join my fellow Texan and friend, Chairman Carter on this important legislation.”

The bill does not mandate gun owners purchase locks or safes, but some fear it could be a precursor for doing so.

"While laudable, I am concerned that this bill could morph from 'encourage' to 'require,'" writes Randy Rowley, president of a 238-member Fellowship of Christian Sportsmen. "The vast majority of our members, like me, own less than 10 guns. We can barely afford the cost of ammo (which is ever increasing), much less new guns. If we will be forced to buy a gun safe (which start at $2000), even with your bill’s incentives we could not afford one and would have no alternative other than to sell all of our guns."

This bill, Rowley fears, could be an "effective way of banning guns and, eventually, gun owners."

For more, go to:
-- Firearms industry praises U.S. Rep. John R. Carter for introducing Secure Firearms Act

-- Secure Firearms Act to Reduce Gun Violence Introduced in House

-- Secure Firearms Act

-- A common sense gun bill

-- Firearms Industry Praises U.S. Rep. John R. Carter For Introducing Secure Firearms Act

Twenty-Year Low in Gun Violence Illustrates Gap Between Reality and Public Perception

Alex Robinson — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:53:36 -0400

Two reports confirm one set of facts: Gun violence has dropped dramatically nationwide over the past two decades, but the impression people get from the mainstream media and anti-gun lobbyists is "gun crime" is out of control.

The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics on May 7 released a report documenting a 39 percent decline in firearms-related homicides between 1993 and 2011, as well as a 69 percent drop-off in non-fatal crimes with firearms.

Another interesting stat from the Justice Department study: Less than 1 percent of state prison inmates who possessed a gun when they committed their offense obtained the firearm at a gun show.

Also on May 7, the private Pew Research Center issued a report that found a similar decline in the rate of gun homicides, gauging the number of killings against population growth. The PRC found that the number of gun homicides per 100,000 people fell from 7 in 1993 to 3.6 in 2010, a drop of 49 percent.

The Pew report also compared statistical reality with public perception in a March poll that showed that 56 percent of people believe the number of gun crimes is higher than it was two decades ago. Only 12 percent, the PRC's poll indicated, think the number of gun crimes is lower, while the rest said they think it remained the same or didn’t know.

How the information will be interpreted could influence the gun control debate currently stalled in the Senate, notes Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post in a May 7 column.

"This is wonderful news for the country, and rotten data for anti-gun advocates trying to revive the Newtown, Conn., anti-gun legislative package," Rubin writes. "If they needed more facts as to why the anti-gun crusade is misplaced, Second Amendment defenders got a whole batch -- from the Obama Justice Department."

For more, go to:
-- DOJ: Gun violence down, semi-automatics a minor issue

-- Study: Gun homicides, violence down sharply in past 20 years

-- Gun murders drop sharply in U.S., adding fuel to gun control battle

-- Reduced gun violence doesn't mean the problem is solved

-- New Gov't Report Destroys Argument By Anti-Assault Weapon Zealots

-- Opinion: Drop in gun violence could threaten tighter controls

-- US Gun Crime Plunges, but Most Americans Think it's Up

-- Majority of Americans Overstate Level of Gun Violence, Pew Finds

-- Rate Of U.S. Gun Violence Has Fallen Since 1993, Study Says

New Riflescopes 2013: OL Reviews and Ranks the Best Scopes of the Year

Alex Robinson — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:22:26 -0400

If submissions to this year’s riflescope test are any indication, the confluence of the tactical and the sporting may finally be slowing. For the first time in several years, the number of scopes in the field designed mainly for hunting exceeded those configured specifically for shooting.

Of course, any capable optic can bridge the two disciplines. But some riflescopes—such as Nikon’s new M-308, with a holdover reticle tuned to .308-class ballistics—are designed to fill a specific, albeit robust, niche occupied by target shooters. Other scopes with attributes that lean toward tactical shooting include Konus’ disappointing Konuspro; the 1/8-inch-click Targetmaster from newcomer NikkoStirling; the 34mm, 2-pound Triple Duty behemoth from Sightmark; and Vortex’s tight, bright 1–6x Razor HD, a 30mm gem that would pair well with any AR. The most remarkable of what I’ll call these entry-level tactical scopes is Redfield’s $250 Battlezone. Although it’s optically hideous, this 1-inch scope won our favor because it ships with not one but two ballistic turrets: one tuned to the drop profile of the 55-grain .223, and the other configured for the 168-grain .308 match load.

The only bona fide tactical riflescope in the test this year was Bushnell’s Elite Tactical XRS (shorthand for “extreme-range shooting”), a massive 34mm scope with a remarkable 6.6X power range and a first-plane milling reticle that has all the durability and heft you’d expect from a 2.3-pound battle optic. The more purely hunting scopes run the gamut from the accessible—Weaver’s low-profile, redesigned Grand Slam ($415) and the lovely illuminated Meopta Meopro RD ($799), built on a sexy 1-inch tube—to the investment-grade. This latter category includes the stylish Minox ZE5i, a big 50mm illuminated hunting scope ($1,599); and the 56mm Nighthunter Xtreme from Steiner, which retails for a shocking $2,300 and features a complicated illumination system.

In between these extremes are some remarkable hunting scopes. They include the Austrian Kahles KXi, an illuminated 1-inch scope that retails for $1,500; the award-winning Leupold and Burris riflescopes; and Zeiss’ new mid-level scope. This optic, the Conquest HD5, retails for $1,000 and has some noteworthy features, including a big 5X magnification range contained in a sleek 1-inch tube, zero-stoppable turrets, and a precise side focus.

The optics are so good in this latter class of “hunting” scopes that they would be at home on any long-distance precision-shooting range, more proof that the gap between “shooting” and “hunting” scopes is slimmer than some marketers would have us believe.

Leupold VX-6 3–18x50 (Editor’s Choice)

The riflescope industry’s race to ever-broader magnification ranges has benefitted hunters and shooters who want a single optic capable of delivering wide fields of view and bright images at low powers, but also precise aiming points on distant targets at the upper end of the power range. The casualty of this race has always been style and proportion.

Many of the variable-power scopes with wide magnification ranges are, in a word, ugly. They feature oversize eyepiece units and ever-larger tubes to accommodate the complicated power-changing mechanism. Leupold’s remarkable new 6X magnification riflescope defies that trend. The VX-6 is a well-balanced, lovely scope that would dress up any rifle.

But the Leupold’s substance exceeds even its noteworthy style. Its mag range delivers an image that’s crisp and bright from 3X all the way up to 18, and its finger adjustments are precise and positive. Both the standard elevation control and the custom turret we requested for our .308 Win. control rifle performed well, and we appreciated the large, easy-to-turn controls.

The scope’s low-profile turrets and compact focus knob are in proportion to its 30mm tube. Leupold has incorporated one of the industry’s most user-friendly illumination systems in the left-side focus turret. Called FireDot, it lights up a center aiming point with the push of a button, and shooters can easily adjust its intensity by continuing to push the control. A motion sensor shuts off the unit after a period of inactivity but restores the illumination when the rifle is again leveled at a target. Optically, the VX-6’s lenses are bright, crisp, and well coated. The scope turned in the field’s top resolution score—the best indication of glass quality—but finished in the middle of the pack in our low-light test.

With a retail price of more than $1,600, this is not an entry-level scope. But given all its features, one can make the case that the VX-6 is a relative bargain for a big, serious, lovely, American-made optic.

Configuration: 3–18x50
Price: $1,625
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mechanical Quality: B+
Perceived Image: A
Performance: A
Design/Durability: A
Price/Value: B+
Final Verdict: Light, bright, stylish. One of the great optics of our time

Burris C4 4.5–14x42 (Great Buy)

Optically, this scope is essentially the same as Burris’ utilitarian Fullfield E1. But the company has added a shooter-friendly feature—a custom elevation dial calibrated to a specific caliber and bullet type—that allows the user adequate long-distance precision at a fraction of the price of a true tactical riflescope.

The scope’s name references this new feature (C4 stands for “Cartridge Calibrated Custom Clicker”), and one reason the Burris wins our coveted Great Buy award this year is that the custom turret is free (buyers submit their ballistic information and Burris returns a turret). Normally this feature is about a $100 upsell. For our test model, we ordered a turret tuned to Federal’s 168-grain match load in .308 Win., and found the calibration spot-on at 300 yards and only slightly off at 500 yards.

The 42mm Burris scored near the top of the class in both our low-light and resolution tests, and testers liked the ample mounting dimensions on the 30mm tube. They also praised the reticle, which features hold-off references for windage. Panelists didn’t like the focus control, located on the scope’s objective bell, and had gripes with the elevation turret’s lack of a zero-stop or other indication to let you know when you’ve made a full rotation. With the addition of a reference mark for zero, this $400 riflescope will be an even better bargain.

Configuration: 4.5–14x42
Price: $399
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: B
Perceived Image: A-
Performance: B
Design/Durability: B
Price/Value: A
Final Verdict: A zero-stop on the elevation turret would improve this scope.

Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS

Configuration: 4.5–30x50
Price: $2,150
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: B+
Perceived Image: A
Performance: A-
Design/Durability: A-
Price/Value: B-
Final Verdict: Tactical scope features a first-plane reticle and 6.6x magnification

Meopta Meopro RD

Configuration: 3.5–10x44
Price: $799
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: B-
Perceived Image: A
Performance: B+
Design/Durability: A-
Price/Value: A
Final Verdict: This is a stylish, affordable hunting optic. Wonderful illumination.

Zeiss Conquest HD5

Configuration: 3–15x42
Price: $999
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: B-
Perceived Image: A-
Performance: A
Design/Durability: A
Price/Value: A-
Final Verdict: A lovely scope that packs 5x magnification in a trim 1-inch tube

Weaver Grand Slam

Configuration: 2–8x36
Price: $415
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: B
Perceived Image: B
Performance: B
Design/Durability: B+
Price/Value: B+
Final Verdict: Sleek and versatile, a modern facelift to a classic hunting scope

Nikon M-308

Configuration: 4–16x42
Price: $549
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: B-
Perceived Image: B+
Performance: B+
Design/Durability: B+
Price/Value: B+
Final Verdict: A bright, capable optic with a bdc reticle tuned to .308 ballistics

Kahles KX I

Configuration: 3.5–10x50
Price: $1,488
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: C+
Perceived Image: A-
Performance: A-
Design/Durability: A-
Price/Value: B
Final Verdict: An attractive, field-friendly austrian scope with subtle illumination

Steiner Nighthunter Xtreme

Configuration: 3–15x56
Price: $2,300
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: B-
Perceived Image: A-
Performance: B+
Design/Durability: B
Price/Value: C+
Final Verdict: Configured for low-light hunting, optically bright but expensive

Minox ZE 5i

Configuration: 2–10x50
Price: $1,599
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: C+
Perceived Image: A-
Performance: B+
Design/Durability: B+
Price/Value: B-
Final Verdict: This lustrous 30mm german scope exhibited some tracking imprecision

Redfield Battlezone

Configuration: 3–9x42
Price: $249
Overall Score: ★ ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: C+
Perceived Image: B-
Performance: B+
Design/Durability: B
Price/Value: A-
Final Verdict: Optically unimpressive, the value is in its two ballistic turrets

Nikko Stirling Targetmaster

Configuration: 4–16x44
Price: $349
Overall Score: ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: B-
Perceived Image: C
Performance: C+
Design/Durability: C+
Price/Value: C+
Final Verdict: Disappointing glass and imprecise, the scope didn’t live up to its name

Sightmark Triple Duty

Configuration: 6–25x56
Price: $349
Overall Score: ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: C
Perceived Image: C
Performance: B-
Design/Durability: C+
Price/Value: B
Final Verdict: Pros: appealing price for an entry-level tactical scope. Cons: optics

Vortex Razor HD Gen II

Configuration: 1–6x24
Price: $1,399
Overall Score: ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: C-
Perceived Image: B+
Performance: B
Design/Durability: B+
Price/Value: B-
Final Verdict: Tight 6x magnifying scope is durable, but controls are too sharp

Konus Konuspro T30

Configuration: 3–12x44
Price: $299
Overall Score: ★ ★ ½
Optical/Mech. Quality: C-
Perceived Image: C+
Performance: C+
Design/Durability: C+
Price/Value: B-
Final Verdict: Decent optics, but unreasonable mounting dimensions

Firefield AO

Configuration: 3–12x40
Price: $99
Overall Score: ★ ★
Optical/Mech. Quality: C-
Perceived Image: C
Performance: C
Design/Durability: C
Price/Value: B-
Final Verdict: A forgettable optic, with harsh illumination and poorly coated glass

See how we test and evaluate optics here.

Gun Juggling with Bayonets Fixed

Alex Robinson — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:58:36 -0400

Once upon a time men were made of sterner stuff. They hunted in wool, used iron sights and, by god, they hit what they aimed at. Handwarmers? Rangerfinders? Optical magnification? A second shot? Please.

And, they had superior gun handling skills, as this photo plainly shows. This paragon of manhood not only keeps three rifles in the air, but does so with bayonets fixed and with a saber on his hip. Is he biting his lip anxiously or dripping with sweat while worrying about taking one of those blades through his rib cage? Hell no. He’s cool as the flip side of a pillow.

So the next time you’re struggling with your dry fire practice because you can’t keep your reticle from wobbling around like a soused bridesmaid at a wedding, think about this guy. Then take a deep breath, put on your big-boy pants and keep that reticle as still as a spider sitting in the middle of its web.

Gun Test: SIG Sauer SSG 3000

kschulitz — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:51:25 -0400

This tactical rifle from SIG Sauer is doubly amazing. First, it is the most accurate rifle we’ve ever tested—it could shoot fleas off a dog. The average five-shot group—using a wide variety of .308 ammo in harsh conditions in Montana, meaning subzero temperatures and winds up to 25 mph—was 0.643 inches. Our best groups, with match ammo, ran between 0.3 and 0.4 inches.

New York Librarian Loses Pistol Permit Because of Past Prescription for Anti-Anxiety Meds

Alex Robinson — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:02:19 -0400

David Lewis, 35, is a college librarian who lives in Amherst, N.Y., not far from Buffalo. He is a licensed pistol-owner who enjoys target-shooting. He has no criminal record and has never issued threats or done anything that would cause concern about his access to a firearm.

Although there is no evidence of any mental instability, for a short time, Lewis was taking anti-anxiety medicine. And that, apparently, was enough for anti-gun zealots in Erie County to use New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s newly adopted SAFE Act to pull his pistol permit and demand his firearms be confiscated.

New York's gun control measure adopted in January includes a provision requiring mental health professionals to alert authorities when a gun owner might be a danger to himself/herself and others.

Lewis’ lawyer, who is suing New York state, told the Associated Press on May 1 that his client received a letter from the Erie County Clerk in April telling him that his pistol permit was suspended and that he was required to surrender his guns.

Lewis did so, then promptly hired an attorney and challenged the suspension. A state judge on May 1 reinstated his pistol permit and told local officials and the state that the law needs to be revised to prevent the same thing from happening to gun owners across the state without any review of the circumstances.

“Due process’ should come before the suspension," said James D. Tresmond, Lewis' attorney. "That is where due process comes in -- before your rights are taken, due process must occur. That is our Constitutional right, not the reverse.”

State legislators have expressed no interest in revisiting the SAFE Act to revise it, since they've had to do so at least once already, so it is virtually guaranteed that this will become a rather common story as the full ramifications of the hastily adopted SAFE Act become more apparent.

For more, go to:
-- New York Gun Control Law: State Police Confiscate Weapons From The Wrong Guy

-- NY Gun Confiscation Starts & May Set Precedent For Gun Confiscation Across The Nation

-- SAFE Act Mistake Leads to Pistol Permit Seizure

-- Tough new gun law in New York state nets first arrest

-- Oops! New York State Police Admit to Major Mistake in Gun Confiscation Case

Two Towns Adopt Resolutions Requiring a Firearm in Every Home

Alex Robinson — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:26:54 -0400

Towns in Georgia and Texas adopted resolutions in late April requiring the head of every household to own a working firearm and ammunition, both non-binding symbolic gestures passed to show support for the Second Amendment.

The town council in Nelson, Ga., about 50 miles north of Atlanta, on April 29 passed its Family Protection Ordinance, requiring the head of every household to own a gun and the ammunition to feed it. It exempts felons and those with certain disabilities, and it comes without penalties for noncompliance.

According to Bob Adelmann of The New American, Nelson officials say they adopted the ordinance to "make a statement to local criminals scoping out the place, as well as to government officials looking to push federal restrictions on gun ownership."

The next day in Gun Barrel City, Texas, the town council unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution that urges its 5,000-plus residents to buy a firearm if they don't already own one.

According to NBC 5 of Dallas, Gun Barrel City Mayor Paul Eaton said he proposed drafting the resolution in response to the national debate over stricter gun control laws after the December mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.

It is uncertain how many other towns across the country already have ordinances or resolutions requiring at least one firearm in every household. In November, the town of Virgin in southern Utah passed an ordinance that requires every household to own a gun and ammunition. Other ordinances have been passed in Spring City, Utah, and Cherry Tree, Pa., largely as symbolic gestures, within the last few months.

The towns of Byron, Maine, and Craig, Co., are also considering similar laws. The Craig City Council's proposed ordinance would require every household to own a sporting rifle equipped to hold a high-capacity magazine in protest of the Colorado State Legislature's January adoption of a 15-bullet magazine limit.

For more, go to:
-- Texas Town Urges Residents to Buy Guns in Support of 2nd Amendment

-- Texas Town Passes Resolution Encouraging Gun Ownership

-- Leaders of Gun Barrel City Want a Gun in Every Home in Their Town

-- Gun Barrel City: Texas town urges homeowners to 'maintain a firearm'

-- Gun Barrel City Is Officially Urging its Residents to Buy Guns

-- Colorado Town Considers Ordinance Requiring All Residents To Own Assault-Style Rifles

-- Georgia Town Requires Every Homeowner to Own a Gun

-- Eight Towns Have Laws Requiring Residents To Own Guns

-- Town in Utah Requires Owning Guns

-- Gun control backlash prompts US towns to 'require' residents bear arms

Gun Test 2013: How We Evaluate New Rifles and Shotguns

Alex Robinson — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:47:40 -0400

Test protocol includes three distinct, but overlapping, phases. Before a single shell or cartridge is loaded, each firearm is inspected, measured, weighed, cleaned if necessary, and in the case of the rifles, scoped up. This time-consuming process is what we use to build the data sheets provided to each tester, which list all the vital statistics about the firearm. We’re so picky during this process that we even assign number grades to reflect the quality of the machining on the bore and rifling, for instance. Suffice it to say there’s no nook or cranny on these rifles and shotguns, all of which are field-stripped and disassembled, that isn’t inspected.

Breaking down the firearms to this degree allows us to spot interesting or innovative features that are not otherwise visible. (Or, as is sometimes the case, to make note of manufacturing shortcuts that the gunmakers would prefer the public did not see.)

With the baseline data in hand, the shotguns and rifles are ready for the range, which is the second phase of testing. We shoot the rifles for accuracy off solid benches to see how well they handle a variety of ammunition. By using these sturdy concrete benches, and quality shooting rests from the likes of Sinclair, we minimize human error.

The data we gather during this type of shooting, while invaluable, isn’t enough. The rifles must also be tested under practical field conditions. So we shoot them prone off backpacks, while kneeling unsupported, sitting, off-hand, and off rests like fence posts. Will they work well while the shooter is wearing gloves? Can you single-load them once the gun runs dry? Does the rifle balance well in hand for comfortable field carry? How quickly can it put shots accurately downrange? All these considerations, and more, factor into the grades.

The same rigor is applied to the shotguns. We shoot them to see how well they break clays, but also to analyze specific handling characteristics. One of the golden rules for our test team members is that if you’re only concerned with breaking clays, you’re not paying enough attention to the shotgun.

We also devote time back at our headquarters on Boone and Crockett’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch to picking over the guns in fine detail. For each firearm, there is a checklist of attributes we take into consideration, covering all the cosmetic and mechanical features of the guns, from butt to muzzle.

Only after each test team member has completed his data sheets do we learn which shotguns and rifles will be anointed with an award. Since we do not share our scores with each other during the test, the final results are unbiased and reliable. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Best Shotguns 2013: OL Ranks and Reviews This Year's Top New Shotguns

Alex Robinson — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:40:23 -0400

In February, the OL test team put the screws to 9 of the best new shotguns on the market. See which guns scored the highest in our annual shotgun test.

Beretta A400 XPLOR Action

This 20-gauge from Beretta, the first sub-gauge in the A400 series, is brimming with amenities and useful features. The kick-off system is one of the better recoil-reducing designs on the market, and by adding it to this shotgun Beretta has made an outstanding semi-auto for high-volume bird shooting. The gun comes with a shim kit and three choke tubes, and is compatible with Beretta’s electronic unit, which fits into the stock and counts rounds, measures the temperature, and calculates recoil. We liked the looks of the gun too. The finish on the receiver is distinctive without being tacky, and the grain-enhancing finish on the wood gives it a classy look. It also shouldered, swung, and shot like a dream. For all these reasons, the A400 XPLOR Action is our Editor’s Choice shotgun for 2013.

Price: $1,625
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A-
Performance: A
Price/Value: B+
Gauge/Chamber: 20-ga./3 in.
Trigger Pull: 5 lb. 5 oz.
Action: semi-auto
Contact: berettausa.com

Stoeger Condor Longfowler

This shotgun harkens back to the great waterfowling era at the turn of the last century. It has the kind of no-frills, utilitarian design that characterized many of the non-pedigreed shotguns of that time—they were built to knock ducks and geese out of the sky and nothing else. At more than 8 pounds (and with a 7-pound 10-ounce trigger pull), this Brazilian-made shotgun is a bit of a brute—a gorilla at the double-gun ball, if you will—but you can’t get more gun for the price. The matte finish is ideal for duck hunting, though the lack of ejectors could get irksome when the sky is full of birds. Nonetheless, the value of the gun for even the most cash-strapped hunter earned it this year’s Great Buy award.

Price: $449
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: B-
Performance: B
Price/Value: A-
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3 in.
Trigger Pull: 7 lb. 10 oz. (both)
Action: over/under
Contact: stoegerindustries.com

Beretta A300 Outlander

This new Beretta isn’t very flashy, but what does make it stand out in the company’s lineup is where it is produced: right here in the USA. That makes the gun cheaper to produce and puts it at a more attainable price point than other Beretta semi-autos. However, the price ($845) wasn’t the only thing that impressed us. This 7-pound, 3-inch 12-gauge moved quickly onto the target and shot well. The trigger on our sample was just average, as was the quality of the shotgun’s wood, but the value the A300 represents made it easy to overlook these issues.

Price: $845
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: B
Performance: A-
Price/Value: A-
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3 in.
Trigger Pull: 5 lb. 10 oz.
Action: semi-auto
Contact: berettausa.com

Browning A5 3.5

The silhouette of the A5 is unmistakable. But unlike John Browning’s original recoil-operated Auto-5s, the current ones have inertia-driven actions. New this year is a 3 ½-inch version that will appeal to many waterfowlers. The gun is gorgeous to look at and hold, and it shoots like it has a personal grudge against all things flying. Even so, the price is pretty steep—despite its coming with a nice hard case and three choke tubes. For fans of the humpback look who live for cold fall mornings in the marsh, this shotgun will hold lots of appeal.

Price: $1,699
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: A-
Performance: A-
Price/Value: B
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3½ in.
Trigger Pull: 6 lb. 6 oz.
Action: semi-auto
Contact: browning.com

CZ-USA 612 Wildfowl Magnum

For its first venture into the pump-action shotgun market, CZ settled on a slam-dunk platform: a bargain-priced 3 1/2-inch gun slathered in camo. There’s nothing particularly surprising about the gun, which is made in Turkey. The trigger is too heavy and the camo finish is too slick, but it handled singles and doubles just fine, and for $409, what did you expect? The receiver is tapped for a scope mount, which is a nice feature, and it comes with two extra choke tubes to refine your patterns. It is built strong enough to take on a bulldozer and will no doubt be a good seller.

Price: $409
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: B-
Performance: B
Price/Value: A-
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3½ in.
Trigger Pull: 9 lb. 1 oz.
Action: pump
Contact: cz-usa.com

Fabarm Axis Trap

This lovely beast of a shotgun has a simple job—turning clay targets into powdery ink blots in the sky—and it does that job very, very well. The speed with which it gets on the going-away targets that characterize trap shooting is nothing short of scary. And thanks to the quality of its trigger—by far the best among the shotguns in the test—the shots themselves feel more like an act of will than an act of your trigger finger. The adjustability of the shotgun’s raised rib and stock allows for a true custom fit and pattern placement. At $3,995, this is a real bargain for a serious trap gun, many of which cost at least twice as much.

Price: $3,995
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A-
Performance: A
Price/Value: B+
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3 in.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb. 5 oz. (both)
Action: over/under
Contact: fabarmusa.com

Franchi Aspire

The shotgun test team couldn’t help but develop a bit of a crush on this sexy little Italian 28-gauge. The lines of the rounded action, the dimensions and comfortable fit of the stock, and the quality of the finish on the metal all won us over. We were also surprised at how well it handled very tough long crossers during the evaluation. This gun really shoots. It comes with selective mechanical triggers, an automatic safety, and a basic set of flush-mounted choke tubes. It’s a good value for the price, but we wished the wood was of a higher grade.

Price: $2,299
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A
Performance: A
Price/Value: B
Gauge/Chamber: 28-ga./2 ¾ in.
Trigger Pull: 5 lb. 3 oz. (bottom) 4 lb. 13 oz. (top)
Action: over/under
Contact: franchiusa.com

Mossberg 835 Util-Mag RRS

At first glance, it looks like Mossberg decided to stick a wheel from an inline skate into the buttstock of the new 835 Util-Mag RRS. In reality, it is an oversize damper, like those used on Mathews bows to reduce vibration. In the case of the Mossberg, it is supposed to soak up recoil. We weren’t sure whether it did so, but regardless, this 3 1/2-inch pump action had the same good balance and rugged feel as every other 835 we’ve shot. One feature that has real benefit is the removable cheekpiece, which can be swapped out and replaced with different inserts to raise the comb height.

Price: $630
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: B
Performance: B
Price/Value: B
Gauge/Chamber: 12-ga./3½ in.
Trigger Pull: 6 lb. 7 oz.
Action: pump
Contact: mossberg.com

Tri Star Viper G2

This Turkish-built 28-gauge is a funny little gun. The test team, to a person, just loved the way it shot and handled. With its 30-inch barrel, it swung very well and was able to dust clays at improbably long distances. As with any gas-operated 28, it has negligible recoil, and during the evaluation it never had any cycling or feeding issues. It’s a shotgun you could shoot all day long. That’s the good news. On the other hand, the shotgun’s design left us cold. The checkering on the forend is a half-hearted affair and the lines adorning the receiver look like an airline route map.

Price: $729
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: C+
Performance: B+
Price/Value: B
Gauge/Chamber: 28-ga./2¾ in.
Trigger Pull: 6 lb. 10 oz.
Action: semi-auto
Contact: tristararms.com

See how we test shotguns here.

See the best new rifles of 2013

Best Rifles 2013: OL Ranks and Reviews This Year's New Rifles

Alex Robinson — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:03:55 -0400

In February, our test team sequestered themselves on a Montana ranch with 12 of the hottest new rifles on the market and lots of ammunition. Here are the results of a week of objective evaluation and hardcore testing in the shadow of the rocky mountains.

SIG Sauer SSG 3000

This level of performance, while very unusual, isn’t unheard of from heavy-barreled rifles. What is unique to the SSG 3000 is its price: $1,499.

With its competitors costing twice as much (or more), the SSG 3000 establishes a new benchmark for precision .308s. Put simply, this rifle is a game changer. As such, the SSG 3000 was not only our runaway pick as the Editor’s Choice, but it also earned our Great Buy award—an unprecedented achievement.

SIG Sauer was able to accomplish the price cut by pairing the barreled actions, which are still being made in Germany, with a domestic-made stock.

There’s nothing not to like about this rifle. The action is smooth, the stock, with its hand-filling vertical grip and adjustable cheekpiece, is as comfortable as a pair of slippers, and the two-stage trigger is excellent.

Price: $1,499
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A-
Performance: A
Accuracy: A+
Price/Value: A
Cartridge: .308 win.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb.
Av. Group/Smallest Group: 0.643/ 0.326
Most Accurate Load: fed. 168-gr. bthp
Contact: sigsauer.com

Armalite AR30A1

The fist-sized muzzle brake on the AR30A1, combined with the rifle’s 13-pound unscoped weight, does an impressive job of taking the recoil out of this accurate .300 Win. Mag.—so much so that the shooter can easily reacquire a sight picture to see impact on the long shots this rig is designed for. While we enjoyed shooting this specialized rifle, we were left wanting more for the money, most notably a stock with greater adjustability. The quality of the bore on our sample was superb—one reason the rifle shot so well—and the old-school, Mauser-style safety was very positive and a good feature on an otherwise very modern design.

Price: $3,264
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: B
Performance: B
Accuracy: A-
Price/Value: C+
Cartridge: .300 win. mag.
Trigger Pull: 4 lb. 10 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.124/ 0.733
Most Accurate Load: fed. 190-gr. sierra mk
Contact: armalite.com

Bergara Medium Tactical BCR17

Bergara, known as a maker of quality rifle barrels, has jumped into full-fledged gun making in a big way. The BCR17 is one of four semi-custom rifles the company is producing by matching high-end components with their barrels. The BCR17 is built on a Stiller action and optics rail, a McMillan stock, a Timney trigger, and Badger Ordnance bottom metal. The accuracy of the stout rifle is very good, as you’d expect. At $4,100, the BCR17 will face a lot of competition from other precision rifle makers, but one can’t argue with this rifle’s DNA.

Price: $4,100
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: A-
Performance: A
Accuracy: A
Price/Value: C+
Cartridge: .308 win.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.058/ 0.604
Most Accurate Load: fed. 168-gr. bthp
Contact: bergarausa.com

Bergara BX-11

This rifle’s design was the most innovative of the rifles we tested, due to its unique switch-barrel system. The test team had many good things to say about the rifle’s balance and handling, even though its lines are a bit ungainly. Its accuracy was good, but it didn’t stand out in this year’s highly competitive field. Group sizes were probably hampered by the way the detachable forend puts pressure on the receiver. The trigger, smooth cycling action, and easy-to-load magazine earned our praise. It also comes in a synthetic version that retails for $300 less.

Price: $2,100
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: B
Performance: B
Accuracy: B-
Price/Value: C+
Cartridge: .308 win.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb. 1 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.477/ 0.834
Most Accurate Load: Nos. 165-gr. bt
Contact: bergarausa.com

CZ-USA 527 American

With bluing on its metal and a traditional walnut stock, CZ’s 527, chambered in .17 Hornet this year, is a welcome respite from the synthetic materials and matte finishes that dominate new gun introductions. Best of all, the gun shot as sweetly as it looks, including one .279-inch group, the smallest of the test. The .17 Hornet, which is a fun little cartridge, has been giving gunmakers fits—but this CZ cycled it without any problems. The only hitch in the gun’s operation was an overly heavy and creepy trigger. Other than that, this rifle is a squirrel hunter’s delight.

Price: $711
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: B+
Performance: A-
Accuracy: A
Price/Value: B+
Cartridge: .17 hornet
Trigger Pull: 4 lb.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 0.718/ 0.279
Most Accurate Load: hrn. 20-gr. v-max
Contact: cz-usa.com

Mossberg MVP Flex

The Mossberg MVP Flex combines elements from two recent successful introductions by the company: the modular Flex shotgun and the bolt-action MVP rifle. As with the Flex shotgun, you can can swap buttstocks and recoil pads in this rifle with ease to alter stock style and dimensions. Plus, it uses the same action as the MVP, meaning it runs on AR-type magazines. The rifle is quite versatile in these respects, but we found the action to be a bit rough to run, especially from the shoulder, and the lines of the rifle unlovely. That said, it was accurate off the bench, turning in a five-shot group average size of 1.046 inches.

Price: $949
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: B-
Performance: B
Accuracy: A-
Price/Value: B-
Cartridge: 5.56mm/.223 rem.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb. 8 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.046/ 0.712
Most Accurate Load: Nos. 52-gr. hpbt
Contact: mossberg.com

Remington 783

The 783 from Remington is the latest bargain price big-game rifle to hit the market, offering a minimum of frills for the tightest of budgets. The accuracy of the rifle was certainly acceptable for big-game hunting (1.332-inch average five-shot group size), but the effort to cycle the action and the subpar trigger dampened our enthusiasm for the platform. The rifle features Remington’s good Super Cell recoil pad, metal bedding pillars in the stock, and a detachable box magazine. While the rifle didn’t exert any kind of emotional pull over the test team, we do consider it a very good firearm for the money.

Price: $451
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: B
Performance: B
Accuracy: B
Price/Value: A
Cartridge: .30/06
Trigger Pull: 4 lb. 7 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.332/0.5
Most Accurate Load: fed. 168-gr. bthp
Contact: remington.com

SIG M400 Predator

This compact, handy little AR from SIG was one of the darlings of the test. Everything about this rifle is well thought out, from the Magpul buttstock to the suppressor-ready threaded barrel. The free-float hand guard, excellent Geissele trigger, and overall tight construction of the M400 contributed to its outstanding accuracy. According to the company, the barrels on the production rifles will not be fluted (which is a shame) and will have a matte finish (which is good). The ambidextrous mag release, BCM Gunfighter charging handle, and Hogue grip rounded out the M400’s terrific ergonomics.

Price: $1,384
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A
Performance: A
Accuracy: A+
Price/Value: A
Cartridge: 5.56mm/.223 rem.
Trigger Pull: 4 lb. 1 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 0.726/ 0.378
Most Accurate Load: Nos. 55-gr. varmageddon
Contact: sigsauer.com

Smith & Wesson Model M&P 10

Smith & Wesson is producing its first .308 AR-style rifles this year, and in the lineup are two models designed for hunters. The one we tested was equipped with a classic clamshell hand guard, a six-position stock, and a flash hider, all in matte black, though they are also making one in camo with a fixed stock and no muzzle attachment. The furniture on our model was pretty basic and gave the rifle an incomplete feel. However, it did shoot quite well, turning in sub-MOA groups with match ammo. The ambidextrous bolt lock and magazine release are handy features.

Price: $1,619
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: B
Performance: B
Accuracy: B
Price/Value: B-
Cartridge: .308 win.
Trigger Pull: 5 lb. 8 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.302/ 0.557
Most Accurate Load: win. 168-gr. hpbt
Contact: smith-wesson.com

Stag Arms Model 8T

The new Model 8T from Stag Arms is the company’s first piston-driven AR rifle, and at $1,275 it is competitively priced. It is a tough, rugged rifle that can work for 3-Gun competition, personal protection, and hunting at moderate ranges. It didn’t wow us with its accuracy off the bench, but when we removed the optic and ran it with the Diamondhead open sights it comes with, the rifle really shined, nimbly taking on multiple targets during our drills. Our favorite feature on the rifle is the design of the hand guard, which has a low profile and is comfortable and attractive.

Price: $1,275
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Design: B
Performance: B
Accuracy: B-
Price/Value: B
Cartridge: 5.56mm/.223 rem.
Trigger Pull: 6 lb. 2 oz.
Av Group/Sm. Group: 1.553/0.975
Most Accurate Load: nos. 55-gr. varmageddon
Contact: stagarms.com

Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 Back Country

The Back Country is based on Weatherby’s Vanguard Series 2 rifle, which was last year’s Editor’s Choice winner. Equipped with an upgraded stock and a fluted barrel, the Back Country has shed nearly a pound in weight, tipping the scales at 6 lb. 10 oz., putting it at the upper weight limit of a true mountain rifle. We shot two samples, a .30/06 and the .240 Wby. Mag. Of the two, we greatly preferred the .240 for its milder recoil, better accuracy, and excellent ballistics. The strong, stiff stock and all-weather coating on the metal make the Back Country ready for the most challenging hunting conditions.

Price: $1,399
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★
Design: A-
Performance: B+
Accuracy: A
Price/Value: B
Cartridge: .240 wby. mag.
Trigger Pull: 2 lb. 13 oz.
Av. Group/Sm. Group: 1.089/0.508
Most Accurate Load: wby. 100-gr. spire point
Contact: weatherby.com

Winchester Model 1873

The classic Model 1873 Winchester is back and is being produced for Winchester at the Miroku factory in Japan. This rifle wooed us with its sexy lines, high-quality construction, and smooth operation. With each flick of the lever and downrange impact of the .38 Specials, our smiles grew wider. This faithful reproduction includes touches like the sliding dust cover on top of the receiver and the latch in the buttstock that holds the lever in place. Expect to see a version in .44-40 down the road, as well as a short-stroke kit for the .38/.357 for Cowboy Action Shooting.

Price: $1,299
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ½
Design: A-
Performance: B+
Accuracy: B-
Price/Value: B
Cartridge: .38 spl./.357 mag.
Trigger Pull: 3 lb. 10 oz.
Av. Group: 3
Most Accurate Load: win. 130-gr.
Contact: winchesterguns.com

See the best new shotguns of 2013.

See how the OL test team evaluated the new rifles and shotguns.

Mil-Dot Reticles: Use Mils to Estimate Range

Alex Robinson — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:34:30 -0400

The “mils” in a mil-dot scope refer to milliradians, which is a measurement of angle. If you picture a mil as an ice cream cone, with the tip originating at the shooter’s eye and an open end that gets ever wider the farther out it goes, you get the idea. So if the mouth of our imaginary cone is 1 mil in diameter, making it 3.6 inches across at 100 yards, it would grow to 36 inches at 1,000 yards.

Learning the principle behind mils (see illustrations), coupled with some homework on your part, can yield remarkable benefits to your shooting.

For instance, mils allow you to hold over (or hold off) a target without the need to adjust your scope turrets for elevation and windage. With a come-up at 375 yards of 15 clicks, for example, you can hold the crosshairs 1.5 mils high on the target for a direct hit.

It takes time, but once you master it, the mil-dot system is lethal and fast.

#1 - Measure in Mils
The first step is to learn how to measure objects, like the depth of a deer’s body, down to a tenth of a mil. The figures in the chart show how to bracket an object to get a precise measurement. If we know the size of the object, we can quickly calculate its range using a relatively simple math equation: Size of the target in yards multiplied by 1,000 and divided by its size in mils equals the range in yards.

#2 - Range Your Buck
Likewise, if we know that the large-bodied bucks where we hunt are typically 18 inches deep in the chest, we can pre-determine the mil values for different ranges. In this case, at 350 yards those 18 inches would measure 1.4 mils; at 400 yards, 1.25 mils; at 500 yards, 1 mil; and at 600 yards, 0.8 mil. With this knowledge at hand, you can quickly find out if a buck is in range.

Lessons from Sniper School: Three Optics Tips for Long-Range Shooting

Alex Robinson — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:31:18 -0400

Top-flight shooting instruction has never been easier to come by, particularly with the proliferation of long-range precision rifle schools, most of which have been strongly influenced by modern sniper techniques. One of the keys to being more effective at long ranges is to get the most out of your riflescope, binoculars, and spotting scope.

Here's three tips from the pros.

1) Glassing Effectively
The trick to glassing is to do it in a deliberate, unrushed manner. When you settle on a spot, keep your binocular still and look all around the area in view. Once your scan is complete, shift the bino up (or over) to glass the adjoining ground. Make your circles slightly overlap, as the extreme edges in a binocular are often out of focus. This way you’ll be less likely to overlook that bedded buck.

Also make a habit of looking for bits of an animal—the symmetrical spread of ears or the head, the white patch from a mule deer’s rump, the glint off an antler—rather than the whole body. You’ll spot more game this way.

2) Push/Pull Dialing
When the time comes to adjust the crosshairs on your rifle, seconds count, so it pays to learn to dial in windage or elevation corrections quickly, without lifting your head from the stock and losing view of the target. For a right-handed shooter, pushing forward with the thumb on the knobs, rotating them clockwise, will move the point of impact down or to the left, while pulling on the turrets moves them up or to the right. Memorize this “push/pull” method to dial in faster.

3) Picking a Scope
If you’re going to get serious about shooting at long ranges with targets at unknown distances, your scope needs to be up to the task. That means target-style elevation and windage turrets that are easy to operate under shooting conditions, and a focus knob that allows adjustments for parallax. (How often should you adjust for parallax? With every shot.)

For range estimation and accurate holdover, I’ve come to prefer a mil-dot reticle. Once mastered, it is amazingly effective. Likewise, get a scope that adjusts in 0.1 mil increments. Lastly, a reticle in the front focal plane lets you use the reticle’s holdover marks at any magnification you choose.

Backlash Against Senators Who Voted Down Gun Bills?

Alex Robinson — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:46:17 -0400

According to a poll published on April 29, five senators -- including four Republicans -- who voted against the Manchin/Toomey compromise background check bill on April 17 could face a backlash by voters back in their home states in 2014 elections.

Public Policy Polling, a Democrat-leaning consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C., surveyed constituents of five senators who opposed the measure: Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Dean Heller of Nevada, and Democrat Mark Begich of Alaska.

The PPP says its surveys found 60 to 72 percent public support in each state for expanding background checks to require them in sales at gun shows and on the Internet.

In Arizona, according to the PPP, 52 percent of respondents said they are now "less likely" to support Flake for re-election with a disapproval rating of 51 percent.

In Alaska, the PPP poll placed Begich's and Murkowski's approval ratings at just 41 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The PPP says 39 percent of respondents said they are now "less likely" to vote for Begich for reelection, and the same number said they are "less likely" to vote for Murkowski.

In Ohio, the PPP poll said Portman has an approval rating of 26 percent, with 36 percent saying they are "less likely" to support him for a second term.

In Nevada, according to the PPP poll, Heller has an approval rating of 44 percent with 46 percent saying they were "less likely" to back him for reelection.

But political analysts point out that the poll is rife with flaws. Dan Friedman writes in the New York Daily News on April 30 that PPP is widely regarded as unreliable because it is uber-liberal and relies exclusively on automated calls.

"The group’s findings could be right, but they aren’t the whole story," Friedman writes, noting gun control advocates "endlessly cite polls showing near 90 percent of Americans support strengthening background checks as if this means the same voters supported the defeated deal on background checks."

Just because 90 percent of polled Americans support better background checks doesn't mean 90 percent of Americans favored the Manchin/Toomey bill, Friedman says.

"Almost everyone supports better background checks in the abstract," he writes. "But put it in an actual bill with language to attack and lie about, with a divisive president behind it, and support falls fast."

A more reliable poll, according to Friedman, is the Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll published on April 22 that showed 47 percent of voters said they were “angry” or “disappointed” gun control legislation failed, while 39 percent were “relieved” or “happy” by the result.

"The 90 percent figure also ignores an intensity gap favoring gun rights advocates over gun control backers," he writes. "If disputed, it is real enough for politicians who act on the belief that gun rights voters are much more likely to vote on the issue than gun control backers."

For more, go to:
-- Senate foes of gun bill suffer in polls

-- Senate foes of gun bill suffer in polls

-- Rep. Maloney: Gun legislation 'will pass eventually'

-- Gun Control Polls to Comfort the Left

-- U.S. senators feeling sting for voting against gun control measures

Senator Manchin to Reintroduce Failed Compromise Background-Check Bill

Alex Robinson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:24:47 -0400

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) plans to re-introduce the gun control bill he co-sponsored with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that was shot down in the Senate on April 17.

“I’m willing to go anywhere in this country, I’m going to debate anybody on this issue, read the bill and you tell me what you don’t like,” Manchin said on Fox News Sunday on April 28, confirming his intention to bring his measure back to the Senate floor.

He did not say when he will re-submit the measure, which calls for criminal and mental health background checks for gun buyers at shows and online. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has shelved gun legislation for the foreseeable future.

The Manchin/Toomey compromise bill -- called the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act -- was among seven amendments to the first gun control bill debated on the Senate floor since 1994 that failed to get the necessary 60 votes to proceed.

Manchin told Fox News that co-sponsor Toomey remains "totally committed to this bill," although Toomey has said he is focusing on fiscal issues and immigration reform.

Despite Toomey's perceived ambivalence, there is some enthusiasm for reviewing the bill again, including from surprising sources such as Robert A. Levy, chairman of the board of the Cato Institute.

In an April 28 editorial in the New York Times, the chairman of the libertarian Cato Institute implored gun owners and other opponents that the compromise bill might be the best deal they can get -- and that it is needed.

"Gun-rights advocates should use this interval to refine their priorities and support this measure, with a few modest changes," Levy writes. "If they don’t, they will be opening themselves to accusations from President Obama and others that they are merely obstructionists, zealots who will not agree to common-sense gun legislation. The focus on background checks should not distract gun owners from the positive provisions in the Manchin-Toomey proposal."

For more, go to:
-- Senator to reintroduce gun bill

-- Manchin-Toomey Do-Over?

-- Top Links: Why Sen. Joe Manchin thinks second time’s the charm on background checks

-- A Libertarian Case for Expanding Gun Background Checks

-- Further Thoughts on Sensible Gun Legislation

-- Joe Manchin is not done with gun control. Does it matter?

Illuminated Reticles Are Useless on Big-Game Riflescopes

Alex Robinson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:49:54 -0400

The fastest growing segment of the sporting-optics market is electronic illumination of a scope’s crosshairs. And it may be the most useless hunting-gear gimmick since the DeerView Mirror, a backward-looking reflector for your treestand. Check out the lineup of new scopes at your sporting-goods store. I’ll bet more than half have a bulbous illumination knob above the eyebox or opposite the windage and elevation knobs, distorting the otherwise lovely lines of the optic. But illumination modules also add weight, as well as a mechanism to fail and a battery to die.

Red is the most common illumination color, but a number of scopes also feature green and blue. And instead of illuminating a subtle aiming point, most of these battery-powered units light up the entire reticle like a Christmas tree on fire.

Illumination is a great asset on some scopes, like the low-magnification optics used on ARs for short-range work, such as clearing dark, dangerous houses. But here’s why they’re worse than useless on higher-magnifying big-game hunting optics:

- Legal light for most big-game hunting is a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Outdoor Life’s annual optics test has revealed that all but the cheapest, darkest glass is bright enough to resolve antlers, vital areas, and aiming points even several minutes after legal light fades. Not only will most glass let you “see” into the dark, but most non-illuminated reticles are visible long after legal light has ended.

- Any illumination brighter than a barely perceptible point will ruin your night vision. Yet many of these reticles are calibrated for high intensity, not subtlety, forcing shooters to concentrate on the blazing crosshair instead of the dim target. And when a reticle is awash in light, the optic glows with so much internal reflection that precise shooting becomes increasingly difficult as ambiant light fades.

- Artificially illuminated aiming devices are illegal for big-game hunting in some states. Even if you never turn on the illumination, its presence on your rifle could be setting you up for an avoidable wildlife violation.

- Building a bright, clear optic is difficult and expensive. Instead of investing in optical technology, scope manufacturers that turn to high-intensity illumination are grabbing market share with the luminescent equivalent of bells and whistles. Savvy hunters would do well to spend their money on good glass, not electronic gimmickry.

Slug Gun Upgrade: 5 Ways to Make Your Shotgun More Accurate

Alex Robinson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:51:41 -0400

Hunting big game with a rifle is not permitted in many parts of the country. Gun hunters in those areas are left to tote shotguns that are usually better suited to dumping grouse at close quarters than collecting venison at longer range. A modern saboted shotgun load is perfectly capable of delivering lethal performance at distances well beyond 100 yards. But can you put that projectile where it needs to go?

Dave Klotz of Da Mar Gunsmiths, a small shop located in Weedsport, N.Y., says you can with some modifications to your shotgun.

Here’s what Klotz did to my Remington 870 at a cost of $487.

Pin the Barrel
Shotguns are not rifles. Barrels are easily removed and tolerances aren’t tight where it slides into the receiver. “The barrel moves. It vibrates,” Klotz explains. “You don’t have to be a gunsmith to understand that a barrel that moves is not going to deliver consistent groups.”

Klotz developed his pinning process about 35 years ago. He drills a hole through the side of the receiver and through the shank of the barrel, then inserts an Allen head screw to about five threads deep. The result is a barrel that doesn’t wiggle.

Improve the Bore
“Shotgun barrels usually don’t leave the factory in a condition that leads to really accurate shooting,” Klotz says. “We lap the bore, lengthen the forcing cone, and crown the barrel.”

The high polish in the bore after lapping helps minimize plastic buildup from sabots, which can degrade accuracy. Extending the forcing cone gives the slug a better transition into the rifling, Klotz says.

Fix the Trigger
It is nearly impossible to shoot well with the creepy 8-pound triggers typical of most production shotguns. “You can’t shoot accurately with a trigger like that,” Klotz says. Klotz’s shop used to be a Remington Service Center, and my 870 came back with a trigger that breaks crisply at 2 ¾ pounds.

Use a Better Scope Mount
Klotz doesn’t believe in barrels with cantiliver scope mounts. “On a shotgun, you need a mount that does not shoot loose and will not bend or break. There wasn’t one available, so we designed our own,” Klotz says.

The Da Mar mount uses six screws (three per side), and each screw is located on the sides of the receiver where the metal is thickest. It features a Weaver-style rail and rings.

Reduce Recoil
To take the sting out of my slug gun, Klotz did some bonus work and installed a Remington SuperCell recoil pad and put a steel plug in the stock to increase its weight. Slug guns are never a pleasure to shoot, but these alterations made a big difference and were no doubt part of the reason my groups improved.

Accuracy Results
I’ve never been very good with a slug gun, but after receiving my reworked 870 from Da Mar, it took me about 30 minutes to realize that I’m not quite as bad as I thought.

I shot six different loads, recording the best five-shot groups for each at 100 yards. I shot as I always have—off a picnic table with sandbags. While I wasn’t able to duplicate the 1.5-inch groups that the Da Mar guys got with Lightfield slugs, I was able to print the first 3-inch group I’ve ever shot with a shotgun, which is a far cry from what I had previously been able to do.

Winchester Dual Bond
Before: 7.5 in.
After: 3 in.

Winchester Platinum Tip
Before: 8.25 in.
After: 3.25 in.

Winchester Partition Gold
Before: 9.5 in.
After: 3.75 in.

Remington Core-Lokt
Before: 7.5 in.
After: 4.25 in.

Remington AccuTip
Before: 9.25 in.
After: 5.5 in.

Winchester XP3
Before: 8.75 in.
After: 5.75 in.

Made in the USA: Sturm, Ruger & Co.

Alex Robinson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:32:55 -0400

In 1949, William “Bill” Ruger and Alexander Sturm, armed with just $50,000 in capital, opened a small manufacturing facility in Southport, Conn. Their only product was a graceful and innovative .22LR semi-auto pistol—the Ruger Standard Pistol.

Today, Sturm, Ruger & Co. ,Inc., has grown considerably. A publicly held corporation (NYSE: RGR), Ruger now operates a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with about 1,000 employees in Newport, N.H., and a smaller facility in Prescott, Ariz., that employs about 650 people. With more than $500 million in annual sales, the company has become a major factor in the firearms industry, and in 2010 Forbes magazine named it one of “America’s 100 Best Small Companies.”

That acknowledgment is appropriate because not only has Ruger always been an American company, but its products are American-made. For Ruger CEO Mike Fifer, that is a positive factor. “I believe there is an advantage to making your products in America,” says Fifer, who began his career as a U.S. Naval officer serving on nuclear submarines before spending 25 years in the business world. “One of the keys is in the innovation and speed to market you can achieve. That can create a tremendous consumer demand for exciting new products that people want.”

A Well-Oiled Machine
That philosophy was certainly borne out with Ruger’s recent introduction of the polymer-framed LCP semi-auto and LCR revolver, which quickly became industry trend-setters.

“Our manufacturing methods follow the Toyota ‘lean manufacturing’ system,” Fifer notes. “It’s the elimination of waste throughout the system and the use of modern manufacturing techniques, with all of our employees participating and given a full voice in the process. When you turn the American worker loose, good things happen.

“We are in the same square footage that we were when I started here six years ago,” he says, “but our sales are up roughly four times what they were, and our earnings are probably up about 50 times what they were. We are doing that with the same facilities, and an employee base that has grown from 1,300 to just under 1,700. Those employees are now making increased salaries, and it’s been a win-win for our company, our customers, our employees, and our shareholders.”

It’s not a bad deal for the communities of Newport and Prescott, either. In addition to the property taxes and fees Ruger pays for the facility sites, consider the number of employees, their property taxes, and their support of local businesses, and you can see why Ruger is so important to the two towns.

“It’s my opinion,” Fifer states, “that for every manufacturing job created in this country, you also create seven or eight service jobs. Manufacturing is the root foundation of a good economy. It’s not much different from the foundation of a building. And if our country doesn’t have that, we are in trouble.”

Read Other Company Profiles:

Bear & Son Cutlery; W.R. Case & Son

Lamiglas Rod Company

Crooked Horn Outfitters

Eppinger Lure Co.

Click here to go back to the main article.

Made in the USA: Sturm, Ruger & Co.

Alex Robinson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:32:55 -0400

A Well-Oiled Machine
That philosophy was certainly borne out with Ruger’s recent introduction of the polymer-framed LCP semi-auto and LCR revolver, which quickly became industry trend-setters.

Read Other Company Profiles:

Bear & Son Cutlery; W.R. Case & Son

Lamiglas Rod Company

Crooked Horn Outfitters

Eppinger Lure Co.

Click here to go back to the main article.

West Virginia 8th Grader Arrested After Refusing to Take Off NRA Shirt at School

Alex Robinson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:34:12 -0400

A West Virginia 8th grader was arrested on April 18 for obstruction and "disturbing the education process" after he engaged in a heated exchange with a teacher and refused to remove his NRA T-shirt.

Jared Marcum, 14, of Logan told the Associated Press on April 19th that he was on a cafeteria line when a teacher demanded that he remove his NRA T-shirt or wear it inside-out because it featured a gun, which the teacher insisted violated the middle-school's dress policy.

Marcum refused, stating it was his First Amendment right to voice his support for the Second Amendment by wearing a T-shirt with an image of a gun and the words ”Protect Your Right” on it.

According to the AP, Marcum was sent to the principal's office where he was subsequently arrested and taken to jail.

“I never thought it would go this far because honestly I don’t see a problem with this, there shouldn’t be a problem with this,” he told the AP.

Jared’s stepfather Allen Lardieri said he had to rush from work to pick his son up from jail. “I don’t see how anybody would have an issue with a hunting rifle and NRA put on a t-shirt, especially when policy doesn’t forbid it,” he told the AP.

True enough. According to Kelsey Osterman of Red Alert Politics, "a shirt which features an image of a gun and the words 'Protect Your Right' would seemingly be allowed under his school’s dress code."

Osterman reports that "Marcum’s fellow students also stood up for his rights, with some wearing gun t-shirts to school on the first day of the boy’s suspension." At least one student, he writes, was reportedly told to change their clothing.

The AP doesn't typically publish the names of arrested juveniles but did so in this case at the family’s request that his name be made public to "let his case be known."

Many believe the school district's "case" says more about the school district, and the bizarro state of looking-glass weirdness that permeates today's education industry, than it does about the "case."

"I wouldn’t be terribly shocked to see this story if it were taking place in New York, Connecticut or San Francisco, but this is all unfolding in West Virginia. Something has gone pretty seriously off the beam here, and it looks like the problem is coming from their school district," writes Buzz Shaw on hotair.com. "Obviously, gun control and Second Amendment rights are an important and current topic in the country and if schools aren’t going to foster an environment where students can learn about both sides of a constitutional question, what sort of education are they receiving?"

For more, go to:

-- 8th grade student suspended, arrested for wearing NRA t-shirt

-- Student arrested for wearing NRA t-shirt with picture of gun

-- Eighth Grader Arrested For Wearing NRA T-Shirt

-- Not a Joke: West Virginia 8th Grader Suspended & Arrested Over NRA T-Shirt

-- Eighth-grade boy arrested, suspended over NRA 'Protect your right' T-shirt

What it Takes to Manufacture Hunting and Fishing Gear in the US

Alex Robinson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:31:22 -0400

Over the last century, as the United States has shifted away from being a nation of producers and has become a nation of consumers, the manufacturing of goods sold by American companies has, in large part, gone offshore and taken countless jobs with it. Nearly everything we buy today is made overseas, including a lot of our sporting goods.

However, there are still a number of hunting and fishing equipment manufacturers who are bucking the trend and keeping their operations here in America. We look at how—and why—six different companies are providing the world’s outdoorsmen with American-made sporting equipment. We also take a road trip through the Northeast—which, despite its prohibitive gun regulations, is still the epicenter of firearms manufacturing in America—and take a look at the modern state of the country’s gun industry.

Boom Time

For America’s gunmakers, business has never been better. So why are so many of them unsure about what the future holds?

The voice from my GPS declared I’d arrived at Beretta’s Maryland factory, but instead I was sitting in the parking lot of a single-chair barbershop. To my left was a small dirt road paralleling a six-lane thoroughfare that leads commuters to Washington, D.C. As I dug around for a map, the barber stepped out and asked, “You lookin’ for Beretta?” I nodded and he pointed with his scissors down the dirt road.

A short while later I was in the gunmaker’s bustling factory, straining to hear Richard Grimes, Beretta’s director of manufacturing operations, shout over the hum of CNC machines. “We have shifts working around the clock. The machines never stop making guns. We can’t keep up with orders.”

The day before I visited Beretta, I was a few miles away on Capitol Hill, where politicians were debating whether to ban modern sporting rifles (what some erroneously call “assault rifles”). While there, I sat down with Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. When I asked Cox about the political challenges facing American gun manufacturers today, he said, “Anti-gun politicians have been trying for decades to put America’s firearms manufacturers out of business. They want to hold honest entrepreneurs, along with law-abiding gun owners, responsible for the acts of criminals.

“The passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005 was a vital first step toward ending the anti-gun lobby’s attempts to bankrupt the industry through reckless lawsuits.”

But challenges remain. Cox explained that instead of trying to create good policy that would help stop murderers, some lawmakers are intent on using this emotionally charged time to legislate their anti–Second Amendment ideology.

With this in mind, I headed over to Beretta. If you’re wondering why I would begin a road trip to America’s gunmakers at an Italian-owned factory, my answer is simply that, unlike some major American gun companies who import firearms from overseas, Beretta is making guns in America. And not just Px4 Storms and other handguns; they’re now making the A300 Outlander semi-automatic shotgun in Maryland. Why? “We wanted an American-made shotgun,” said Matteo Recanatini, Beretta’s web and social media manager. When I asked if labor costs or politics might prompt Beretta to move to a more gun-friendly state, Recanatini replied, “Beretta invests in people. We have a skilled workforce here in this very ‘blue’ state, so we’re staying and investing in the future.”

An executive of a major firearms company in Connecticut, who wished not to be identified, told me, “We get calls all the time from officials in other states trying to woo us to the West or the South. They offer lower taxes and cheaper labor costs, but we’ve been here for generations and are committed to staying.” When I asked if new gun control regulations that Connecticut was debating at press time could force him to reconsider the offers, he allowed, “We could be forced to move.” (Some gun companies are already moving. Creedmoor Sports, Inc., announced in February that it is shifting all of its operations from the regulatory stranglehold of Oceanside, Calif., to Anniston, Ala.)

Trying to Keep Up

Modern technology has made manufacturing easier and more streamlined, and this has allowed gun companies to remain in less-than-friendly business climates. “It takes a lot less training for workers to run the CNC machines, and the quality is consistently top notch,” said Beretta’s Grimes. Workers make parts by following photo guidelines fixed to the machines.

When I asked if the sophistication of the automation has resulted in a shrinking workforce, Grimes said, “Not necessarily. Our sales are way up. But we can’t find enough qualified engineers. All the new products and tweaks to the process take a lot of know-how from skilled engineers.”

This theme was repeated at O.F. Mossberg & Sons, in North Haven, Conn., America’s leading shotgun maker (in 2010 it produced 393,284 of them).

Mossberg still has a busy plant in North Haven, though 90 percent of its guns are made in a plant it opened in Texas in the 1980s. Gunmakers in general still do a lot of business in Connecticut. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), firearms manufacturers there generate $1.75 billion in economic activity annually and employ more than 7,300 people.

“We’re busy and we’re hiring. We can’t find enough engineers,” said Joseph Bartozzi, a senior vice president at Mossberg, as we toured the facility. He cited several factors that are saving and even revitalizing American manufacturing. Engineers often do a better job of innovating and improving products when they can also get hands-on experience on the shop floor. Skyrocketing oil prices have driven up shipping costs for overseas products. Low natural-gas prices in the U.S. are helping to decrease some manufacturing costs. CNC machines and other advancements are making it more affordable per employee to manufacture in the U.S. Meanwhile, labor costs in many countries, including China, have been rising.

Another benefit of making guns here is that companies can staff themselves with hunters and gun enthusiasts who are in touch with the robust U.S. marketplace. According to the ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports and the U.S. International Trade Commission data, of the more than 8.4 million firearms available for consumer sale in the U.S. in 2011, more than 5.5 million were produced in the U.S.

Numbers Don't Lie

After leaving Mossberg, I spoke to Larry Keane, senior vice president of the NSSF, which is based in Connecticut. Keane pointed out that the common narrative used to explain today’s robust gun sales is only partly true. You’ve probably heard that the political firestorm involving AR-style rifles is causing gun sales to surge, and guns have certainly been selling.

But the surge didn’t begin when Barack Obama first ran for and won the presidency in 2008. From 2002 to 2011, there was a 54.1 percent rise in background checks called in to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). In 2005, there were almost 9 million NICS checks. In 2007, the number pushed past 11 million. It surpassed 14 million in 2009, and then shot past 16 million in 2011. (It should be noted that not every check results in a sale. Some people are denied—keeping criminals from buying firearms is why we have this system—and others simply decide not to purchase a gun.)

The trend can also be seen in the number of guns made in the U.S. In 2001, 946,979 were made here. In 2011, that number jumped to 3,060,584, according to ATF data. In 1991 there were 1,711,908 rifles and shotguns manufactured in the U.S., according to the NSSF. In 2011, that number nearly doubled, to 3,155,540.

So why have gun sales been increasing for more than a decade? The answer lies, at least partially, in the growing national tolerance of guns. In 1959, some 60 percent of the American public favored handgun bans, according to a Gallup poll, whereas in late 2012, 73 percent said they oppose such bans. The percentage of women gun owners in America has risen from 13 percent in 2005 to 23 percent today.

Challenges Ahead
Farther up the road, Smith & Wesson, founded in 1852, is still making its iconic handguns and other firearms in its Springfield, Mass., plant. Not far away is Savage Arms, a company that went bankrupt in 1988. Its turnaround began in the mid-1990s, after Ron Coburn, previously of Smith & Wesson, took over and the company began to develop innovative technologies like the AccuTrigger.

Remington Arms still makes Model 870 shotguns and other firearms in its factory in Ilion, N.Y., where it was established in 1816. Big Green has found itself on particularly shaky ground of late, thanks to gun-control politics. After the shootings in Sandy Hook, Conn., last December, Cerberus Capital—a private-equity firm that owns Remington’s parent company, Freedom Group—announced a fire sale. At press time, they were trying to sell Remington, Bushmaster, Marlin, and their many other gun and ammo companies.

The vulnerability of the brands being sold under duress by Cerberus prompted an op-ed on CNN.com that called for New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, billionaire business magnate George Soros, and others to pay “whatever it takes to acquire control of the Freedom Group” and then, if a “moral turnaround” of the gun companies doesn’t work, to commit “corporate euthanasia” of Remington, Marlin, and other Cerberus brands.

That’s a toxic climate for gun companies that serve America’s hunters and shooters, sell firearms to the police and military, and employ thousands of Americans. There are now more than 100 million American gun owners, according to the NRA. Gun ownership has been rising for decades; violent-crime rates have been declining over that time.

It’s clear that right now, the only dark cloud over America’s gunmakers is of a political nature.

Click the links below to read company profiles:

Bear & Son Cutlery; W.R. Case & Son

Lamiglas Rod Company

Sturm, Ruger & Co.

Eppinger Lure Co.

Crooked Horn Outfitters

From the May 2013 issue of Outdoor Life magazine.

Made in the USA

Alex Robinson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:31:22 -0400

A look at how—and why—six different companies are providing the world's outdoorsmen with American-made sporting equipment.

Gun Manufacturing Jobs: Colorado, Connecticut Losses Could Mean Texas Gains

Alex Robinson — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:14:04 -0400

When Connecticut legislators passed Senate Bill 1160 on April 4, they essentially outlawed an industry that employs 3,000 state residents and generates $1.75 billion annual taxable revenues.

The state's firearms manufacturing industry, which includes Hartford-based Colt, Southport-based Sturm, Ruger and Co. and New Haven-based Mossberg & Sons, warned lawmakers all winter that if they adopted Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy's gun control package, they would move their operations elsewhere.

The first gunmaker to follow up on that threat is Bristol-based PTR Industries, which announced on April 9 on its Facebook page that it will take its 40 jobs and $50,000 weekly payroll to another city in another state.

"Due to an improperly drafted bill, manufacturing of modern sporting rifles in the state of CT has been effectively outlawed," PTR said in a statement. "With a heavy heart but a clear mind, we have been forced to decide that our business can no longer survive in Connecticut -- the former Constitution state."

Stag Arms, another Connecticut-based gunmaker, is also pondering leaving the state, President Mark Malkowski told Ana Radelat of The Connecticut Mirror, in late February. On April 11, he told Mary Ellen Clark of Reuters that his New Britain-based company been approached with offers to move to Texas, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Nebraska.

"My No. 1 concern is my 200 employees, with families," Malkowski said. "Some are willing to move, some are not. This is their home as well as mine."

Texas, in particular, is aggressively soliciting disgruntled gunmakers to move to the Lone Star state. Lawmakers in Austin have adopted a bill that finances efforts by local and regional economic development agencies to offer firearms incentives to relocate.

The seed money allowed the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce to spearhead an effort to recruit Magpul Industries to relocate to a "cost effective, politically safe" city with "a highly efficient workforce."

Magpul, of Boulder, Colo., employs more than 200 people and generates about $85 million in annual taxable revenues. It announced in March that it will leave Colorado after state legislators approved several gun control bills, including a magazine limit of 15 bullets max.

For more, go to:
-- Gun manufacturer to leave state; Cites strict new gun laws

-- Conn. Gun-Maker Declares Intention to Leave State

-- Another day, another Connecticut gun maker wooed to leave state

-- CT Gun Maker Announces it Will Leave Because of State's Newly Enacted Gun Control Measures

-- ‘Anyone Would Be Proud to Have This Factory in Their State’: Blaze Readers on Connecticut Gun-Maker Leaving Over New Gun Laws

-- Texas groups wooing in gun makers

-- Editorial: Targeting Gun Makers; N.H. Woos Disgruntled Manufacturers