American Rifleman 2018-03

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRECISION RIFLE SERIES March 2018

Official Journal of the National Rifle Association

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority

KAHR ARMS: STEERING ITS OWN MARKET

The KIMBeR RI STORY RIfLe SOVIET SNIPING 1939—1945

MAUSER PISTOLS

2018 NGC CERTIFIED

MS 69 - NEAR PERFECT 2018 $5 American Gold Eagle 1/10 oz Gold

As low as

160

$

Images for representation only and are not to scale.

each • check / wire price

limit 2 per household

N G C CERT I FI ED

The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) is a leading grading and authentication service. The label design may vary.

MS 70 - PERFECT 2018 $5 American Gold Eagle 1/10 oz Gold

As low as

$

175

each • check / wire price

limit 2 per household

U.S. Government Guarantee

The United States Government guarantees the weight and gold or silver content of each American Eagle.

H The U.S. Mint does not sell Brilliant Uncirculated Gold Buffalos or Gold Eagles and Silver Eagles directly to the public. H

HH

NEW 2018 H H

50 AMERICAN GOLD BUFFALO

$

1 oz 24k .9999 Fine Gold • IRA Approved * D ealer cost (NOT SPOT PRICE) at time of transaction / The U.S. Mint charges a modest premium above the current market price of gold to cover minting, distribution, and marketing costs.

AS LOW AS

0.32% above our actual dealer cost

*

Check /Wire Price

Limit 10 Per Household

The Exclusive Precious Metals & Rare Coin Expert of NRA Publications H Proud Sponsor: H

H Eddie Eagle GunSafe® H H

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Program

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Follow Dr. Mike Fuljenz

GOLD & SILVER EAGLES

MS 69 - NEAR PERFECT 2018 $1 American Silver Eagle 1oz .999 Fine Silver

As low as

25

$

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each • check / wire price

limit 2 per household

MS 70 - PERFECT 2018 $1 American Silver Eagle 1oz .999 Fine Silver

34

$

each • check / wire price

limit 2 per household

DID YOU KNOW?

E X PERT GR A DED

Collectible coins are graded on a universal 70-point scale, with Mint State 70 (MS70) considered perfect by experts.

Each of these 2018 American Eagles has been certified and graded MS70 or MS69 by NGC and selected for this special limited NRA Member offer by rare coin expert & Universal Coin & Bullion® President, Dr. Mike Fuljenz.

HH

As low as

Sales Tax on Precious Metals Eliminated in Texas In 2013, Dr. Mike Fuljenz helped to pass a bill in the Texas Legislature which eliminated sales tax on coins and precious metals in the State of Texas.

NEW 2018 H H

NRA SILVER ROUND

1 oz .999 Fine Silver • IRA Approved

From The Respected Highland Mint • Bulk Silver - Low Prices

AS LOW AS

89¢ price each** over spot

Check /Wire Price • Limit 20 Per Household

** S POT PRICE- the daily quoted market price of precious metals in bullion form, determined solely by Universal Coin & Bullion® at time of transaction.

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H

H On advertised offers over $99 H H

(add $6 on orders under $99)

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Contents MARCH 2018 VOLUME 166, NO. 3

NRA

EXPERTS IN THE FIELD

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 132nd Year of Publication

The NRA, the foremost guardian of the traditional American right to “keep and bear arms,” believes every law-abiding citizen is entitled to the ownership and legal use of firearms, and that every reputable gun owner should be an NRA Member.

Photo by Leonardo M. Antaris

features

Online Gun Sales Narrative Torpedoed . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 Chris W. Cox

Government investigation sinks the anti-gunners’ claim that it’s easy to buy guns illegally online.

The Kimber Rifle Story .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 48 Jeff Johnston

The company best known for rifles with classic American lines, light weight and accuracy, Kimber, actually had its beginning Down Under more than a half-century ago.

American Rifleman Guide: Precision Rifle Series .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 Keith Wood

One of the most challenging and exciting shooting sports today is the Precision Rifle Series—better known simply as PRS.

“They Never Seemed To Learn”: The Genesis Of Sniping, Part 6.. .. .. 62 Martin Pegler

From 1939 to 1945, the scope-sighted, bolt-action Mosin-Nagant was used with deadly effect by Soviet snipers, including against the Nazis on the Eastern Front.

Kahr Firearms: Steering Its Own Market .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 66 Jeff Johnston

Even if you don’t carry a Kahr handgun daily like the author does, you’ll likely appreciate the company’s American success story.

Magnificent Mausers: An Exploration Of Unusual Pistols And Carbines .. .. 72

MEMBER PROGRAMS: (800) 672-3888

66 Photo by Jeff Johnston

62

Photo courtesy of Martin Pegler

56

Photo by Keith Wood

26

Photo by Peter Fountain

Leonardo M. Antaris The Mauser Broomhandle was one of the most successful pistols of all time. Not so for the many experimental and developmental Mausers that didn’t make the grade.

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q Check enclosed for $_____________ . q Charge payment of $ _____________ to: q VISA q MasterCard q AMEX q Discover ©AHL, Inc.

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America Remembers® 10226 Timber Ridge Drive • Ashland, Virginia 23005 www.amflricarflmflmbflrs.com To placfl your rflsflrvation toll-frflfl call 1-800-682-2291

NRA PUBLICATIONS OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

Wayne R. LaPierre, Executive Vice President

official journal

correspondence

reports

technical

The Armed Citizen . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Special Reports Standing Guard .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

President’s Column .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Political Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

NRA Plans For Annual Meetings As Big As Texas ILA Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Regional Report/Member Info & Benefits .. ..

Programs & Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

10 12 14 16 46 88 90 92

The Keefe Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 8 Readers Write .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 Favorite Firearms. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 News & Notes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 26 Products & Projects .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Handloads: 6.5 mm Creedmoor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 32 From The Bench .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 A Closer Look At Norma Ammunition

Questions & Answers . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 43 The Deringer Line Leads On Leading

Dope Bag .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 78 Browning Buck Mark Field Target Suppressor Ready Henry Long Ranger .243 Win. Rifle Trijicon Reap-IR Thermal Scope

I Have This Old Gun .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 96 Sauer 38H Pistol

THE COVER: Kimber rifles have come to represent the classic and classy American bolt-action. But did you know Kimber actually started with a single homely rifle Down Under? For the full Kimber rifle saga, turn to Field Editor Jeff Johnston’s story beginning on p. 48. Shown on the cover is the new Kimber Open Country Granite, chambered in 6.5 mm Creedmoor, with a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10X 40 mm riflescope mounted using Talley one-piece rings and bases. Photo by Forrest MacCormack.

Design by David J. Labrozzi.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRECISION RIFLE SERIES March 2018

The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority

EDITORIAL

John R. Zent Editorial Director Mark A. Keefe, IV Editor In Chief Brian C. Sheetz Senior Executive Editor Ann Y. Smith Senior Executive Editor, Digital Joe Kurtenbach Managing Editor Kelly Young Associate Editor Christopher Olsen Assistant Editor Kristen Voss Assistant Editor, Digital Maureen A. Denfeld Editorial Assistant Bruce N. Canfield, Aaron Carter, Wiley Clapp, Rick Hacker, B. Gil Horman, Jeff Johnston, Jeremiah Knupp, Jim Wilson Field Editors

ART

Susan K. Kilday Creative Director David J. Labrozzi Art Director Karen Haefs Assistant Art Director Peter Fountain Photography Director Forrest MacCormack Photographer Jesse Snyder Associate Photographer American Rifleman (ISSN 0003-083X) is published monthly by the National Rifle Association of America, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400, (703) 267-1000, for the benefit of its members. Membership dues (U.S. and possessions) $40 a year, $100 for 3 years, $140 for 5 years. $3.75 per year is designated for a magazine subscription. For foreign postage add $5 a year in Canada and $10 elsewhere. For membership inquiries only, call (877) 672-2000. Copyright 2018, the National Rifle Association of America.

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Ruger Super Redhawk 10 mm

Ruger skipped over the single-action wheelgun lines and went directly to its flagship double-action hunting revolver to house the 10 mm Auto cartridge. We review it at americanrifleman.org/superredhawk10.

The U.S. Model Of 1911 Pistol In 1918

By 1918, the Kaiser’s men began to experience the hammering power of the big .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol at the hands of the Doughboys of the American Expeditionary Force. To see the results, go to americanrifleman.org/doughboys1911.

Second Amendment Primer

Go to americanrifleman.org/madison to learn about James Madison’s struggle against fellow Federalists to write one of the greatest documents ever conceived in the defense of liberty.

Tune in Wednesday nights to the Outdoor Channel for the best firearm show on television. Now in its 16th year, American Rifleman TV brings you a Feature, a “Rifleman Review” and an “I Have This Old Gun” segment in each show.

To preview upcoming episodes, visit americanrifleman.org.

The Yanks Are Coming!

February 21

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Over There! The Men & Guns Of World War I: An American Army; Mossberg Shockwave In 12 Gauge; Interarms FEG APK Pistol

February 28 Over There! The Men & Guns Of World War I: “Retreat Hell! We Just Got Here”; Remington R51 Pistol In 9 mm Luger; Colt Anaconda Revolver

March 7 Over There! The Men & Guns Of World War I: The Lost Battalion, “Come And Get Us”; Beretta APX Pistol In 9 mm Luger; Colt Detective Special Revolver

March 14 Hot Ticket: Hornady’s 6.5 mm Creedmoor; Springfield XD-E Pistol In .45 ACP; Remington-Rand M1911A1 Pistol

Michael J. Sanford Managing Director, Publishing Operations Michelle E. Kuntz Director, Production James C. Handlon Director, Marketing/Advertising Debra Oliveri Senior Production Coordinator Adam Wilson Production Coordinator Samantha Brown Senior Advertising Coordinator Cheryl Doden Advertising Coordinator Director, Eastern Sales Tony Morrison (860) 767-9801 Southeast Sales Executive Stan Yates (850) 619-8148 Eastern Sales Executive Rachelle Trout (910) 262-0913 Detroit Advertising Sales Ken Glowacki (703) 267-1300 Director, Western Sales Courtney Olson (303) 520-4025 Western Sales Executive James O’Neill (530) 401-8607 Midwest Sales Executive Tim Hamill (231) 360-6434 Western Direct Sales Executive Debbie O’Connell (805) 501-9138 DIGITAL OPERATIONS Michael Pedersen Director, Digital Operations Tom Rickwalder Senior Digital Producer Steve Dulco Digital Producer Carolyn Raithel Digital Advertising Trafficker MEMBERSHIP INQUIRES: (877) 672-2000 WARNING: All technical data in this publication, especially for handloading, reflect the limited experience of individuals using specific tools, products, equipment and components under specific conditions and circumstances not necessarily reported in the article and over which the National Rifle Association (NRA) has no control. The data have not otherwise been tested or verified by the NRA. The NRA, its agents, officers and employees accept no responsibility for the results obtained by persons using such data and disclaim all liability for any consequential injuries or damages. See asterisked (*). * NO ADVERTISED ITEM IS INTENDED FOR SALE IN THOSE STATES, OR IN THOSE AREAS WHERE LOCAL RESTRICTIONS MAY LIMIT OR PROHIBIT THE PURCHASE, CARRYING OR USE OF CERTAIN ITEMS. CHECK LOCAL LAWS BEFORE PURCHASING. MENTION OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE IN ADVERTISEMENTS OR TEXT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT HAS BEEN TESTED OR APPROVED BY THE NRA. OFFICIAL NRA POSITIONS ARE EXPRESSED ONLY IN STATEMENTS BYLINED

BY NRA OFFICERS OR IN ARTICLES IDENTIFIED AS SUCH. THE EDITORS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS OR PHOTOGRAPHS.

The New Audit Bureau of Circulations

THE KEEFE REPORT

T

he headline said it all: “Colt Again Cleans Up Camp Perry Matches,” followed by, “15 out of 17 Matches taken by COLT Shooters.” That advertisement—from Colt, of course—was in the October 1936 issue of The American Rifleman. It used to be that NRA’s matches were the only game in town, with the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches being the equivalent of baseball’s World Series. And the companies that made rifles, handguns and ammunition would tout the victories of competitors using their products in these pages.

Not that anyone would need additional incentive to want a Colt Officers’ Model, back then or now, but the firearms used to win championships mattered at the gun shop counter. Sponsored shooters and company teams still have influence these days, but it is more about the types of guns used by competitors than the specific model or load used by a winner that affects the greater firearm community. It’s not just match-winning, it is trend-setting. In the same way automotive racing developments trickle down to the family minivan.

There are shooting sports that have had an effect on the firearm industry far beyond the number of actual registered participants. For example, Ruger alone has made far more Vaqueros than there are badgewearing members of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). But for many years, cowboy games were all the rage, and cowboy guns struck a chord of interest amongst the larger shooting public.

Another “big thing” has been 3-gun competition, but 3-gun has done more than just fill prize tables and give companies an opportunity to have their names emblazoned in spandex on competitors. The placement and size of controls on guns have been changed for 3-gun, and

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MARCH 2018

those changes have spilled into the commercial market. And it’s not just equipment. The way the U.S. Army trains soldiers to transition from an M4 to an M9 was proved on the 3-gun range. In 3-gun, many matches were decided by who could reload a shotgun the fastest. But what if more rounds were already onboard? The DP-12, UTS-15, Kel-Tec KSG and, more recently, the factory detachable magazines for Mossberg and Remington pump guns have some of their origins in 3-gun.

The latest big thing, though, is long-range precision rifle shooting (even though NRA has been at it since 1873; where do you think “Creedmoor” comes from?). Hornady’s 6.5 mm Creedmoor—credited to Dennis DeMille in NRA High Power competition—is the hottest ticket in cartridges these days. It and the 6 mm Creedmoor are emblematic of the interest in long-range shooting. It has also created demand for chassis rifles and adjustable stocks from nearly every maker of bolt-actions, as well as accurized semi-automatics on the AR platform.

In this issue, we have tagged a very informative story by Keith Wood on the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) as an “American Rifleman Guide,” or simply “AR Guide.” The sport has become an incubator for not only accurate rifles, but scopes and ammunition, too. And it has a new cartridge named for it, the 6.5 mm PRC for Precision Rifle Cartridge from Hornady. Competition spawns innovation, and it can change an industry. Look for more “AR Guides” to other competitions, trends and topics in the future.

Sincerely,

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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THE ARMED CITIZEN

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E IF YOU HAVE A FIRSTHAND “ARMED CITIZEN” EXPERIENCE, CALL NRA-ILA PR/ COMMUNICATIONS AT (703) 267-3820.

Studies indicate that firearms are used more than 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances.

Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or, in some cases, property.

Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts.

Send clippings via e-mail to armedcitizen@nrahq.org, or by mail to “The Armed Citizen,” 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 220309400. For bonus features, visit “The Armed Citizen Blog” at americanrifleman.org.

Share this column online at nrapublications.org.

ven something as simple as walking a dog can put a person in harm’s way, but a Michigan woman was able to withstand a recent threat because she had a gun. While the woman was taking her dog for his nightly walk, a stranger came up from behind and grabbed her. The armed citizen responded by pressing her handgun against the alleged assailant’s gut. The pet owner had been in a heightened state of awareness because she had earlier noticed a black van with no windows idling on the side of the street ahead of her. She then caught sight of a man getting out of the vehicle and strolling parallel to her as she walked her dog. The uneasiness of the situation prompted her to grip her gun while it was still in her jacket pocket. When the man later took hold of her coat, she drew her gun, pushed it into his stomach area and reportedly said, “I don’t want to kill you.”

The thug scurried off. (fox32chicago.com, Chicago, Ill., 12/7/17)

G

eorgia authorities named a 68-year-old business owner an honorary deputy for his heroism during an armed robbery. The businessman was closing his shop for the day when two young thieves burst through the door. They demanded his money, then one struck him in the face for good measure. Although the store owner was dazed, he grabbed a shotgun and fired, striking both suspects. Both teens were hospitalized and have since been taken into custody and charged in connection with the robbery. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office later recognized the victim, presenting him with the honorary deputy title and badge. (wrdw.com, Augusta, Ga., 12/15/17)

F

irearms can be an equalizer for the old and the outnumbered, as a recent defensive shooting in Pennsylvania illustrates. An 84-year-old Korean War veteran makes its a habit to sleep with a gun under his pillow so he can react quickly if he’s threatened.

The practice worked to his advantage in early December when two men conducted a late-night break-in at his home. The resident was awakened by the sound of the suspects bursting through his front door. When an assailant tried to grab him, the veteran fired, killing one of the intruders. A tussle with the other ensued, with the gun being knocked out of the armed citizen’s hand, and the bad guy fled before the owner could retrieve his handgun. (cbsnews.com, Pittsburgh, Pa., 12/8/17)

V

igilance is important, even when you think you should be safe, according to a Louisiana homeowner who held a burglary suspect at gunpoint until the police arrived.

The troublemaker was trying to break into a car that belongs to the homeowner’s daughter. After the alarm went off, the armed citizen approached and held him at gunpoint. The man said he was surprised

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that his property was targeted because lights were on and three cars were in the driveway.

The incident proves that you have to be aware of things all the time, he said. (wbrz.com, Baton Rouge, La., 12/7/17)

O

ne suspect was dead and at least one other was on the loose, after a Christmas Eve home invasion in North Carolina.

The dead man, identified as a gang member with a felony record, and a cohort broke into the house of an armed citizen. A gunfight resulted when the resident made a stand to defend himself and his property. (wncn.com, Wilmington, N.C., 12/27/17)

A

West Virginia grandmother has a motto: If you come after her with evil intentions, she’s going to stand up to you. Recently, she lived by that guiding principle, scaring off someone who was trying to pry open her bedroom window. When she saw the shadowy figure lurking outside, she called 911, grabbed her defensive handgun and yelled, “You’re going to die.” The conviction in her voice and the gun in her hand were enough to convince the perpetrator to run. (katc.com, Charleston, W.Va., 12/28/17)

W

hen someone says the justice system is enough to protect you, point to this Kentucky incident as evidence that a protective order sometimes isn’t enough. Just weeks after his arrest led to the issuance of an order to stay away from his ex-wife, the man tried to break into her home. After the miscreant broke the glass on the front door and started fiddling with the lock, his exwife yelled through the door to stop or her boyfriend would shoot. The ex-husband paid the threat no mind, and was fatally shot.

Police were investigating, but no charges have been filed in what appeared to be an act of self-defense. (wkyt.com, Cynthiana, Ky., 12/18/17)

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standing guard

In Today’s Democratic Party, Democrat Equals Socialist

W

By Wayne LaPierre

Executive Vice President

Like us on Facebook at the National Rifle Association.

For related articles, go to nrapublications.org.

12

hat’s the difference between Democrats and Socialists?

It’s not a joke, nor is it a trick question. But it is a question even national Democratic Party leaders have a hard time answering. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman, couldn’t answer it and, instead, said the more important difference was between Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said it depended on how you define Democrats versus Socialists, and then he refused to define the two.

Even Hillary Clinton was stumped by the question, merely describing herself as a “progressive Democrat” and not a Socialist.

You would think these Democratic leaders would be able to answer the question. But they either can’t tell the difference, or they simply refuse to admit the hard truth.

There is no difference—not any longer.

The Democratic Party has become the party of Socialism and the growing emergence of hard, left-wing socialists ruling the party threatens every one of us and every thread of our firearms freedom. It didn’t used to be this way. But over the last few years, those great Democratic leaders have disappeared and those kinds of Democrats have been choked out of the Party—replaced by the most liberal candidates they can find … who can be defined only as rabid Socialists.

These European-style Socialists believe in a complete redistribution of wealth and government control of major components of the U.S. economy, such as our health care system. From socialized medicine, to higher taxes on most Americans to pay for more government welfare programs, to government-paid college tuition and more.

Make no mistake. If the Socialists take power, all of our freedoms could be lost— especially our Second Amendment-protected freedom to keep and bear arms.

History proves it. Every time, in every nation in which the scourge of Socialism rises to power, its citizens are repressed and their firearms are not just banned—they are taken.

Venezuela is the latest example, its resources stolen by the Socialist ruling class, while children starve on the streets and honest citizens are left defenseless in the wake of a national gun ban. Soviet Socialism, National Socialism, Maoist Communism—this evil, destructive, left-wing ideology is on the march right here in America … backed by all the George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer billions … and gleefully promoted by March 2018

all the Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rachel Maddow, Salon bloggers and liberal activists posing as journalists. All preying on a new generation of young Americans walking out of the classrooms of Socialists who serve as professors of hatred of American capitalism and individual liberty.

The Socialists of academia have turned our college campuses into anti-constitutional enclaves where “free speech” is zoned off and free market capitalism written off.

Even our judiciary is threatened by Socialist judges who go so far as to ignore the law and legal precedent to fit their own agenda. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has become the favorite of any Socialistic group looking for an opinion to advance its cause.

Make no mistake. These Socialists hate Donald Trump – especially as the president has nominated conservative judges at a record pace.

Perhaps the only thing they hate more than President Trump is the National Rifle Association of America.

Their plan is simple. Dump billions of dollars into the 2018 elections and take over the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

The money is in the bank, the national media is behind them, and the Socialist coup d’état is just one election away.

If successful, they’ll threaten our country with two years of impeachment nonsense.

They’ll roadblock everything the president tries to accomplish and, essentially, render his presidency ineffective … and replace him with a screaming Socialist in 2020.

And then they’ll come after us.

Our freedom and our nation face a dark, grave future.

But the Socialists haven’t won, yet.

We can and we must stand up, reject their socialistic agenda, and join together to defeat them. It starts now with every one of us, and every freedom-loving American.

The men and women of the NRA have proven to be the only group of patriots with the will and the strength to beat back the wave of socialism that is spreading across the country.

We must not—not ever—allow our U.S. Capitol to be flooded by Socialism. We will rise. We will stand and fight. We will save and protect our freedom and our great America!

american rifleman

president’s column

Act Locally to Protect the Second Amendment

Y

By Pete R. Brownell President

NRA OFFICERS Pete R. Brownell President

Richard Childress First Vice President

Carolyn D. Meadows Second Vice President

Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President John Frazer Secretary

Wilson H. Phillips Jr. Treasurer Josh Powell Executive Director, General Operations Christopher W. Cox Executive Director,

Institute For Legislative Action

For news about your NRA, visit: nra.org and nranews.com Share this column online at nrapublications.org.

14

ou are the NRA. Every single one of you make us the great organization we have become. Every one of your voices counts. Every action you make as a member has impact. Every step you take to protect the Second Amendment locally has a compounding effect on our nation.

You all rallied to the call to support the Second Amendment at the national level this last presidential cycle. Now more than ever, local action by Second Amendment supporters is required. Become active locally by going to the range, by going hunting, by participating in NRA programs, which are plentiful.

One of the most important local programs in NRA’s history is the Friends of NRA events. This hometown outreach is a 100-percent grassroots effort to secure the Second Amendment by raising funds to ensure all Americans have opportunities to learn and participate in the shooting sports. Friends events occurring in all 50 states make you feel like part of something special from the moment you walk in. The atmosphere at a Friends of NRA banquet is both entertaining and fulfilling.

Best described as a mash-up of formal dinner, firearm auction and neighborhood party, I guarantee you will meet many like-minded shooters and hunters at these family-friendly affairs.

Since the program began in 1992, Friends of NRA has held nearly 21,000 events—currently more than 1,000 each year—raising $810 million, and counting, for the NRA Foundation. This tremendous feat could never be achieved without the commitment of local volunteers. They support the program by organizing committees, securing donations, selling tickets, and hosting Friends of NRA events in their communities. And as for that $810 million? All of the net proceeds are split 50-50: half goes to support local and state projects, the other half to national projects. Learn more about the program at friendsofnra.org.

Another way the NRA is near you is through the thrill and accomplishment of competitive shooting. Training in marksmanship is the reason the NRA was started, and the tradition continues front and center. The NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division offers dozens of different types of shooting that range from beginner-level matches to championships involving the world’s best marksmen. The NRA sanctions some 11,000 shooting tournaments in all 50 states. Additionally, there are over 50 national championships each year conducted

by NRA. For full coverage, check out NRA’s online competitive shooting journal, Shooting Sports USA, at ssusa.org.

March 2018

Competitive shooting is a great way to exercise your Second Amendment-protected rights. Anybody can compete on equal footing—male or female, young or old—whether in small gatherings at your local range or in major tournaments attracting hundreds of competitors. There is no sport better for the entire family to enjoy together, and the skills obtained here will prove valuable for a lifetime.

NRA Education and Training programs (explore.nra.org) are the gold standard in firearms instruction. Each year, the NRA trains more than 1 million Americans to handle and shoot firearms safely and effectively.

This occurs thanks to a network of 125,000 instructors, 8,000 coaches and 2,200 training counselors who provide invaluable service

MAKE A LOCAL IMPACT. FIND YOUR FRIENDS OF THE NRA EVENT THIS YEAR AND ATTEND. to communities. Training counselors recruit and educate hometown instructors to teach basic firearm courses, as well personal-safety strategies on avoiding dangerous situations, self-defense with a firearm, and protection inside and outside the home. Carry Guard is NRA’s latest training outreach, featuring highlevel tactical instructors to teach advanced personal protection. NRA coaches, in turn, develop competitors at the club, high school, collegiate and national levels.

Each year, more Americans are choosing to exercise their Second Amendmentprotected rights, creating unprecedented demand for highly qualified instructors. The NRA works constantly to fill that need. You can find an NRA training course in your area at nrainstructors.org.

I encourage every member, along with family and friends, to make the most of what NRA is doing to strengthen our communities. Have a great evening out attending a Friends of NRA event. Step up to a tournament firing line and experience the thrill of competition while sharpening your skills. Join millions of fellow Americans in getting training that genuinely prepares you to defend your family, yourself and your community. You are the NRA! You are the voice that has moved a nation and kept our Second Amendment-protected rights alive in each of your communities. Do so once again by supporting local NRA programs.

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political report

Trump Slump? More Fake News Appears in Mainstream Media

A

By Chris W. Cox NRA-ILA Executive Director

YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE NOT ENOUGH. If you want to DEFEND your right to own and carry a firearm …

If your FREEDOM to hunt and shoot is important to you …

Then you need to SUPPORT the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

We are the only arm of NRA specifically charged with defending your Second Amendment freedoms on Capitol Hill, and in state legislatures and courtrooms across America.

Visit nraila.org/donate to support NRA-ILA today!

NRA-ILA: (800) 392-8683 NRA-ILA website: nraila.org For related articles, go to nrapublications.org.

16

t times, the biased media are so eager for a certain result they seem determined to conjure it into existence. For example, journalists and commentators spent much of 2016 declaring that Donald Trump’s candidacy for president was over. Similarly, at points in the past five decades reporters have declared NRA’s demise. In 1993, Rolling Stone crowed that NRA was “on the run” and in 1996 excitedly asked “Is the end near for the NRA?” Those pronouncements proved so astute that The Washington Post and Bloomberg News were able to write similar assertions in 2016. Of late, these inept observers have busied themselves writing obituaries for the American gun industry.

According to these folks, firearms sales are in a “Trump slump.” The story goes that with Trump in the White House, Americans are less fearful of new gun control than they were under President Barack Obama or at the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency.

As a result, citizens are buying fewer firearms, secure in the knowledge that Trump will not make it harder for them to do so in the future.

There is a kernel of truth in this narrative.

When threatened with further restrictions, Americans do ramp up their gun buying.

In late 2012 and early 2013, as the Obama administration and other anti-gun politicians like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., pushed legislation to criminalize the private transfer of firearms and ban commonly owned semi-automatics, gun sales exploded.

The number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks—a rough indicator of gun sales—performed by the FBI in January 2013 was more than 1 million greater than the same month a year earlier. Faced with the prospect of another Clinton presidency, gun owners acted similarly.

The year 2016 was a record year for gun sales, with 27.5 million NICS checks.

This can also be seen at the state level.

The day Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced she had unilaterally reinterpreted state law to ban certain types of semi-automatic rifles, 2,531 semi-automatic rifles were sold in the state. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, the previous record for a single day was 140. Starting with California’s ban on semiautomatics in 1989, that state has experienced successive waves of gun-control-induced buying. In 2017, California retailers reported a sharp increase in ammunition sales in anticipation of a new vendor-licensing law and pointof-sale background checks on purchasers.

March 2018

Given this history, it was reasonable to expect that in 2017 gun sales might come off of their record highs. However, to read the mainstream press, Trump is a mortal threat to the firearm industry. According to CNN, “Trump is taking a toll on the gun industry.”

The Nation contends, “gun sales are plummeting.” Fortune magazine claimed that there is a “massive gun sales decline.”

This isn’t the case. Despite the media’s rhetoric, 2017 was second only to 2016 in the number of NICS checks conducted in a given year, with more than 25 million. The number of NICS checks for May and August 2017 set all-time records for those months. Moreover, Nov. 24, 2017 (Black Friday), set a new singleday record for NICS checks, besting the previous record by more than 17,000.

If the press could expand their myopic worldview, they would recognize that there is a long-term upward trend in gun sales.

Remember back in late 2008 and early 2009 when the media was lamenting a wave of “bitter clingers” purchasing guns in the wake of Obama’s victory? In 2009, the FBI conducted just over 14 million NICS checks, 10 million fewer than in 2017. As anti-gun politicians targeted gun owners in January 2013, The New York Times wailed, “Sales of Guns Soar in U.S. as Nation Weighs Tougher Limits.” Despite the record-breaking NICS numbers in 2013, that year’s total would be bested in three of the following four years.

Rather than pose a threat, Trump and his administration have taken vital steps to secure a vibrant future for the American firearm industry. Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department has repudiated Operation Choke Point, an Obama-era initiative that deterred banks from doing business with gun sellers. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has worked to preserve hunting opportunities and the use of traditional ammunition on public lands. Moreover, Trump’s pro-Second Amendment judicial nominees will help to ensure our rights are respected for generations to come.

The kind of shoddy reporting that has led to the recent gun sales stories might be why Americans’ trust of the mass media, as measured by Gallup, hit an all-time low in late 2016. One might be tempted to attribute that finding to a media “Trump slump,” were it not for the fact that trust in the press had already been declining for more than a decade.

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ILA STORY

Online Gun Sales

Photo by iStockPhoto.com/South_agency

Narrative Tor

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MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

rpedoed

By Chris W. Cox NRA-ILA Executive Director

GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION SINKS THE ANTI-GUNNERS’ CLAIM THAT IT’S EASY TO BUY GUNS ILLEGALLY ONLINE.

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ast November, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—the “audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress”—released a report that detailed the results of a 2½-year investigation into online gun sales. Their findings underscore what most of this magazine’s readers already know: that private sellers of firearms are overwhelmingly knowledgeable, conscientious and self-policing. The report, “Internet Firearm Sales: ATF Enforcement Efforts and Outcomes of GAO Covert Testing,” also blew a giant hole through one of the anti-gunners’ favorite narratives: that the internet is a “vast illegal marketplace for guns.” The GOA’s undercover investigators went 0-for-72 in their attempts to provoke illegal gun sales from listings on readily accessible Internet sites.

Ironically, the report was generated in response to a request by three NRA F-rated legislators: Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is the ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. They asked GAO investigators to “assess the extent to which ATF is enforcing existing gun laws as they apply to firearms transactions facilitated by the internet and investigate whether online private sellers sell firearms to prohibited individuals.“ No doubt these anti-gun members of Congress were confident the report would reinforce the findings of earlier

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

“investigations” by anti-gun advocacy groups which supposedly showed the ease with which prohibited persons buy firearms online.

One such effort was “Point, Click, Fire,” which was conducted by the city of New York during the mayoral administration of the gun control lobby’s biggest spender, Michael Bloomberg. At the time of that report’s release in December 2011, Bloomberg was the driving force behind Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and he wasn’t above using city taxpayers’ funds to wage what for him is clearly a very personal war against America’s gun owners. Bloomberg would later merge MAIG with another gun control group, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, to form Everytown for Gun Safety, a private anti-gun group funded primarily by Bloomberg’s vast personal fortune.

In the 2011 report, Bloomberg’s investigators claimed that 62 percent of sellers advertising on five different online sites agreed to sell a firearm to a buyer who said he “probably couldn’t pass a background check.” The report concluded that “[t]he private sale loophole and the private-sector failures that enable too many unscrupulous individuals to sell guns online, and too many dangerous people to buy them, should be reformed.” Specifically, Bloomberg called for federal legislation to ban private sales.

MAIG followed this up in 2013 with a report entitled “Felon Seeks Firearm, No

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ila story Strings Attached.” There, the group claimed to have compared contact information provided by persons posting “want-to-buy” ads on a popular online firearms marketplace with criminal records to determine that about 3 percent of the prospective buyers supposedly had disqualifying criminal records. From this, they extrapolated that “more than 25,000 guns may be transferred to criminals each year” through that one website alone.

Everytown followed this up with “The Wild Wild Web,” a January 2016 report that focused on internet gun markets in Nevada and that was timed to promote an initiative effort heavily backed by Bloomberg to impose “universal” firearm background checks in the state. This time, Bloomberg’s lackeys found that 8.7 percent of people in Nevada shopping online for a gun were prohibited from possessing firearms.

All of these results were eagerly and uncritically parroted by the media, and a new anti-gun mythology was born, that vast numbers of criminals were arming themselves through “online gun sales,” thanks to the essentially “unregulated” internet marketplace for firearms. This of course necessitated immediate action on the No. 1 anti-gun agenda item of the time, banning transfers of firearms between private persons.

Yet the GAO—which, unlike Bloomberg, has no obvious dog in the fight—sharply undercut MAIG’s 2011 findings that most private sellers who were advertising online were willing to transact with known prohibited buyers.

And even assuming that Bloomberg’s latter reports were correct that prohibited buyers were trying to buy guns with online listings (clearly not a safe assumption, given his obvious bias), the GAO report showed that private sellers had no interest in accommodating them.

Instead, the GAO report documented how legitimate online advertisers helped law enforcement authorities identify and successfully prosecute illegal activity or freeze unlawful transactions before they could be completed. It also indicated that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is actively pursuing illegal firearm transactions arising from online activity.

The GAO report additionally reinforced what the NRA has been saying for years, that “firearms transactions facilitated by the internet are subject to

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the same legal requirements and regulations as traditional firearms sales.” In other words, the Internet marketplace for firearms is hardly “unregulated.”

For example, those “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms— including sales originating from online postings—must be federally licensed as firearm dealers, keep detailed records of their transactions and run a background check on prospective purchasers. A person crosses this threshold when he or she “devotes time, attention, and labor to dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms.”

Unlicensed persons who make occasional sales can also advertise online, but they still have to follow the laws that pertain to every firearm transaction. For example, they cannot sell to a buyer who they have reason to believe is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms, and they cannot directly transfer to a buyer who resides in a different state. Interstate transfers must be processed in a face-to-face transaction by a licensed dealer, with all the formalities of any other licensed sale (identification check, recordkeeping, background check, etc.).

Shipping a firearm is also a complicated process. Handguns and other concealable firearms may not be shipped through the U.S. Postal Service, although the Postal Service will ship long guns in certain circumstances.

While it’s legally permissible to ship a handgun or long gun intrastate or to a licensed dealer through a contract carrier, these carriers often have their own policies and procedures concerning firearm shipments. In all cases, the law requires that the carrier be notified when a package contains a firearm.

The GAO report provides a good example of how this all works in the real world with regard to a variety of readily accessible gun forums or classified ads. The goal, according to the report, was to determine “whether private sellers would knowingly sell a firearm to an individual prohibited from possessing one” under federal law.

The GAO’s undercover buyers revealed information during each transaction that indicated they fell within one of five prohibited categories. These included felons, individuals with histories of domestic violence or outstanding restraining orders against them, addicts or unlawful users of March 2018

american rifleman

controlled substances, persons dishonorably discharged from the military, or unlawful aliens or former Americans who had renounced their citizenship. Investigators set out to run each scenario again and again until they successfully completed a purchase, exhausted the number of applicable ads, or reached their predetermined cap of 15 purchase attempts for each category. Ultimately, 72 total purchase attempts were made.

None of the 72 purchase attempts succeeded. Fifty-six of the sellers “outright refused to complete a transaction once our undercover agents revealed either that the shipping address was across state lines or that the agent was prohibited from owning firearms.” In five other cases, the forum on which the ad was posted “froze” the prospective buyers’ accounts and blocked the transaction once information on their prohibited status was revealed. The agents failed to complete the remaining 11 cases because they determined the sellers wanted to take their money without actually delivering the firearm.

One hundred percent of the time, however, the sellers would not deliver a firearm to a buyer they had reason to believe was prohibited or lived in a different state. That’s hardly the “Wild Wild Web” that Bloomberg has spent so much time and money trying to conjure in the public imagination.

Another facet of the investigation involved attempted transactions on the “Dark Web,” which “contains content that has been intentionally concealed and requires specific computer software to gain access,” thus affording users “little risk of detection.” The ATF describes the Dark Web as “designed to facilitate criminal activity online.” In these cases, the agents did not pose as prohibited buyers.

Yet even in this inherently suspect realm, the investigators completed only two of seven attempted transactions.

One involved a semi-automatic Uzi that had been advertised as a machine gun, and the other was an AR-15 with an obliterated serial number. Both cases were referred for further investigation.

Unsurprisingly, the GAO’s report is not generating the breathless media coverage associated with Bloomberg’s earlier publicity stunts. But that’s the difference between the best results Bloomberg’s money can buy and the far less convenient findings provided by unbiased professionals who aren’t on his payroll.

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The Enduring Galil

T

he fine article by Field Editor Jeremiah Knupp, Savage’s Precision Pair Tested: 6 mm Creedmoor “Galil ACE: IWI Brings The AK Into The Modern Colt USMC M1909 Revolver Era” (January 2018, p. 56), reminded me of an IWI’s experience I had while stationed at RAF Bentwaters 21st Century Galil in England. I belonged to the Viking Pistol Club of Wickham Market in Suffolk County. Once each year we competed against area rifle clubs. In the summer of 1987 the match was held at an old Ministry of Defense rifle range in Rendlesham Forest that dated to World War I or before. The course that year was 600 yds., shot prone with iron sights. I shot a borrowed .308 Win. and scored an 86, if memory serves me correctly. Following the match, my good friend Tony brought out an original IMI Galil chambered in .223 Rem. It had a side-mounted 4X scope. He set up an empty one-gallon paint can against the berm at 300 yds. Tony was an exceptionally good rifle shooter, and he riddled the can. Then he turned the Galil over to me, and I was amazed at how accurate it was. I also found it easy to hit the can repeatedly.

That was the most accurate AK-based rifle I’ve ever fired. I suspect that the new ACE, if equipped with a quality scope, would prove to be extremely accurate as well. The Israelis certainly got it right.

Horace W. Smith, Georgia Official Journal of the National Rifle Association

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Vintage Riflemen

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he recent “American Marksman: 2017 National Matches” (January 2018, p. 84) prompted me to write. You will find enclosed a photo of riflemen who took part in the matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1937.

The photo shows the Missouri Civilian Team, each member with his rifle, except for team captain Wayland H. Meredith, an NRA Life member, who is holding his shooting jacket with its Missouri patch showing. Although the photo was taken about 80 years ago, there may be members of the Missouri team who are still alive and supporting NRA. Notice the tent accommodations in the background. NRA records may contain names of the rest of the team members and may show whether any are still living. As an aside, 10 or more years ago, the Meredith family gave the medals to NRA that were won by Wayland Meredith, my father, at the Camp Perry matches.

Ted Meredith, via email

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“Readers Write” affords members an opportunity to comment on material published in American Rifleman. Single-topic letters are preferred and may be edited for brevity. Send letters to: Readers Write, NRA Publications, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400 or e-mail us at publications@nrahq.org.

March 2018

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A Milestone In Wood & Steel: Commissioner Reagan’s Rifle

I

n real life, No. 1 Police Plaza is in Lower Manhattan, but in the alternate universe where Police Commissioner Francis Xavier Reagan is the third longest serving NYC police commissioner, we met up with actor and NRA Director Tom Selleck in a perfect copy of the Chief’s 14th floor office, a mere five miles away in Brooklyn. For Selleck, the eighth season of CBS’s hit series “Blue Bloods” (2010) holds a special place in his heart. It was back in 1980 that he was cast as Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, a former Navy Seal turned private investigator. That series

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MARCH 2018

ran for eight seasons, exactly 163 episodes. This year, “Blue Bloods” reached and passed the 163-episode mark.

Tom Selleck wanted to preserve the occasion with a special memento similar to the one he commissioned to commemorate “Magnum P.I.’s” eight-year run—a set of Colts now on display at the National Firearms Museum.

That memento is a stunning Winchester Model 1886 in .50-110 delivered on set by Doug Turnbull of Turnbull Restoration Co., Inc. “Back in the day, when someone reached a milestone, an inscribed gold watch wasn’t the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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only way of commemorating that event. Many people gave and received specially inscribed firearms. That tradition is what I wanted to carry on when ‘Blue Bloods’ hit the same mark that ‘Magnum’ did,” said Selleck. Turnbull located an antique Model 1886 and began to work his magic on it. It started life as a standard rifle in New Haven, Conn., back in 1889, but when his team in Bloomfield, N.Y., was finished with it, it was a true work of art. “I intend to shoot this,” Selleck said. “I’d really like to take a buffalo with it.”

—PHILIP SCHREIER, SENIOR CURATOR, NRA MUSEUMS For the full story of the Model 1886 crafted by Turnbull for Selleck, go to americanrifleman.org/selleck.

SIG Makes M17 Pistol Marines Adopt Enhanced Combat Cartridge Available To Civilians

S

IG Sauer is releasing roughly 5,000 M17 pistols for civilian purchase. “The timing is not finalized yet, but it looks to be late spring,” said SIG Sauer’s Tom Taylor. These civilian-purchase M17s are expected to feature all the same design attributes the U.S. Army specified before signing the contract for the new service pistol, with the exception of an anti-tamper mechanism and specialized internal coatings. SIG Sauer plans to ship each pistol with a unique serial number to match a serialized coin with a letter of authenticity. sigsauer.com

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attlefield demands on today’s service cartridges are greater than ever, so when the U.S. Marine Corps noted deficiencies in its M855 (5.56x45 mm NATO) during the past dozen or so years, it determined to seek an upgrade. It found one in the 62-gr., copper-core M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR) already in service with the U.S. Army. According to Marine Corps Times, citing Chris Woodburn of the Corps’ Combat Development command, “The M855A1 provides improved performance over the current M855 5.56 mm round in a lead-free form factor and provides improved steel penetration, hard- and soft-target terminal effects, with more consistent terminal effects than the M855 at ranges out to 600 meters.” marines.mil

Magpul Awarded DOD Contract

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agpul Industries Corp. has been awarded a $12,792,000 firm-fixedprice, definite-quantity contract for the company’s GEN M3 PMAG magazines. The PMAGs will be distributed among U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel, with a completion date set for Sept. 10, 2018.

This news marks a reversal from earlier military directives against the personal use of PMAGs in place of standard-issue magazines. magpul.com

Homeland Security Closes Deal On Speer Ammunition Contract

T

he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced a contract deal with Speer to the tune of 120 million rounds of 124-gr.

9 mm Luger Gold Dot Duty ammunition. Speer’s Jason Nash said, “Speer Gold Dot has a long history of providing trusted performance time and time again for our nation’s law enforcement and military. We’re very proud

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to provide Gold Dot to the DHS for their duty ammunition needs.” The awarded contract is to be distributed within the Immigration Customs Enforcement sector of DHS, which encompasses the Air Marshal Service, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Secret Service, among others. speer-ammo.com

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Otis MSR/AR Cleaning System

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R-15-pattern arms perform best with proper cleaning and maintenance, and Otis Technologies is a leading source of portable service kits for those, and many other, firearm platforms. The MSR/AR Cleaning System is a comprehensive kit that, in addition to more generic cleaning supplies, includes AR-specific brushes, scrapers and tools for servicing areas and components such as the “star” chamber and bolt carrier group. The system even includes the Golden Bullseye Award-winning B.O.N.E. tool, all in a small, zippered carrying case. Price: $70. Contact: Otis Technologies; (800) 684-7486; otistec.com.

Magpul MOE SL Handguard

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agpul’s M-LOK rail system has become a favorite option among shooters for attaching accessories such as slings, bipods and lights to hunting- and tactical-style longarms, especially AR/M4-pattern rifles.

For rifles equipped with clam-shell handguards and spring-tensioned Delta rings, Magpul offers the MOE SL Handguard as a drop-in, M-LOK-compatible upgrade.

The SL is a trim, lightweight component that features molded ribs to improve purchase, a forward handstop and, of course, plenty of M-LOK slots at the 2-, 6- and 10-o’clock positions. Available for mid- and carbine-length gas systems in black, flat dark earth, gray and olive drab green. To install, the front sling swivel must be removed, and the SL requires a round—not triangular—front handguard retaining cap. Price: $40. Contact: Magpul; (877) 462-4785; magpul.com.

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XS Sights XTI DXW Big Dot

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esigned to be used as a secondary, non-magnified sighting solution aboard carbines primarily utilizing a magnified optic, XS Sights’ XTI (Xpress Threat Interdiction) line allows for quick, close-range target acquisition without forcing the shooter to break his or her cheekweld or fiddle with the scope.

Offset 45 degrees, adjustable, and reversible for both left- and righthand use, the DXW Big Dot pairs the company’s tritium Big Dot front sight with a white stripe rear sight, and each element requires only a single slot of Picatinny rail for installation.

Price: $180.

Contact: XS Sight Systems; (888) 744-4880; xssights.com.

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Elite Survival Systems Liberty Gunpack

P

he Sightmark Wolverine FSR is a red-dot optic featuring a 2-m.o.a. reticle with 10 adjustable brightness settings, including two for use with nightvision. Energy efficient and powered by a single AA battery, the Wolverine FSR boasts a battery life of six years of continuous use on a medium brightness setting. Constructed of a single piece of 6061-T6 aluminum and wrapped in a rubber protective layer, the FSR mounts to any five-slot section of Picatinny rail and is configurable for both absolute and lower-one-third co-witness.

Price: $150. Contact: Sightmark; (817) 225-0310; sightmark.com.

ASAP Universal AR15/M16 Loader

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he Butler Creek ASAP Universal AR15/M16 Magazine Loader helps fill AR-pattern rifle magazines quickly and efficiently. Capable of loading up to 10 rounds of loose ammunition at a time, the high-strength polymer unit is also designed to accept pre-loaded stripper clips. A quick push on the unit’s sliding, polymer top piece inserts rounds into the magazine. Price: $30. Contact: Butler Creek; (800) 423-3537; butlercreek.com.

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MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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Sightmark Wolverine FSR

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art holster, part fanny pack, part personal organizer, the Liberty Gunpack from Elite Survival Systems allows armed citizens to carry and organize all their EDC essentials into one compact case. Constructed of tactical nylon and available in coyote tan or black, the Gunpack features an adjustable holster for compact or subcompact pistols and small revolvers, and an elastic loop to hold a reload. It also has multiple zippered pockets and a secure phone pouch, and can be attached to the body or a bag via belt loops or MOLLE webbing. Price: $50. Contact: Elite Survival Systems; (866) 340-2778; elitesurvival.com.

W

R

airing a 100-lumen mint green light with either a red or green laser sight, models in LaserMax’s new CenterFire GripSense line can be configured to activate manually with the push of a button or automatically when the host pistol is gripped. The GripSense activation technology projects a detection zone beneath the trigger guard and then actuates the unit when it senses the shooter’s hand. The CF-LC9-C-G model shown is compatible with Ruger’s LC9-pattern pistols, features a bright green laser sight—fully adjustable for elevation and windage—can be programmed for either steady or pulse operation and has an external door that allows the battery to be replaced without removing the unit. Price: $220. Contact: LaserMax; (800) 527-3703; lasermax.com.

hile newfangled, highballistic-coefficient, “longrange” bullets have seized the attention of various media outlets in recent years, the reality is that it’s the tried-and-true designs, such as Nosler’s Ballistic Tip Hunting, that fill the majority of hunters’ tags each fall.

The lead-core projectile’s distinctive, sharp, colorful polymer tip and boattail base serve to enhance external ballistics while the tapered, gilding metal jacket and thick base lend to its 50-percent weight retention. Material “washed off” during expansion exacerbates damage to vital organs, resulting in rapid expiration of game. The projectile’s forte is thinskinned species, such as deer and antelope, though in larger calibers it’s also successfully employed on game up to elk. Owners of 6.5 mm Creedmoor-chambered rifles who routinely hunt non-dangerous, medium-size species will find the recipe below to be a superb option.

NA OR D —AARON CARTER, FIELD EDITOR C OO

LaserMax CenterFire GripSense

6.5 mm Creedmoor

H

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HANDLOADS

REED M

RECIPE

BULLET: NOSLER 120-GR. BALLISTIC TIP HUNTING PROPELLANT/CHARGE: RELODER 17/42.5 GRS. PRIMER: FEDERAL GM210M CASE: HORNADY CASE TRIM-TO LENGTH: 1.920" CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH: 2.775" VELOCITY @ 10' (F.P.S.): 2867 ENERGY (FT.-LBS.): 2,190 ACCURACY: 0.99"* USES: BIG-GAME HUNTING (DEER, FERAL HOGS, BLACK BEAR, CARIBOU, ETC.), RECREATION, PRACTICE NOTES: 24"-BARRELED WEATHERBY VANGUARD SYNTHETIC TOPPED WITH A LEUPOLD VX-2 3-9X 40 MM RIFLESCOPE. *AVERAGE OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 100 YDS. WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based upon the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances. They do not detail the comprehensive training, procedures, techniques and safety precautions that are absolutely necessary to properly carry on similar activity.

READ THE NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER ON THE CONTENTS PAGE OF THIS MAGAZINE. ALWAYS CONSULT COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE MANUALS AND BULLETINS OF PROPER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, PROCEDURES, TECHNIQUES AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY SIMILAR ACTIVITIES.

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FROM THE BENCH

A Closer Look At Norma Ammunition

Best known for offering tough-to-find loadings and top-shelf components, Sweden’s Norma also has a full line of premium mainstay cartridges for match shooters and hunters. And, thanks to Norma USA, those offerings are increasingly available to American consumers.

“H

ere,” my father-in-law, John Kascenska, said in his gruff way as he shoved a rifle into my hands. “It’s yours; I am giving it to you. It’s got some history, and it needs to be with somebody who understands that.”

The rifle was a Japanese Arisaka in 6.5x50 mm (Japanese), and when I wanted to shoot it there was only one source of ammunition: Norma.

Then again, any time I encounter an oddball rifle, Norma is the first place I check for ammunition. The company makes most of the European military cartridges for those surplus rifles that were so easy to find in the 1950s and ’60s. If you have one of those old rifles, perhaps one passed down from a family member like mine, and you are in need of ammunition, Norma has a host of such cartridges, including: 6.5x52 mm (Italian), 7.65x53 mm (Belgian) and 7.7x58 mm (Japanese).

The company’s specialty is not just military cartridges, though. I

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BY BRYCE M. TOWSLEY love .35-cal. rifles and own at least one rifle in each of the current .35-cal. cartridges on the market.

When I had a rifle built by E.R. Shaw in .358 Norma Mag., the only commercial load was, perhaps not surprisingly, from Norma. It pushes a 250-gr. Oryx bullet just less than 2800 f.p.s. and groups right at an inch. My best five-shot group is 0.6".

My only regret is that no American maker chambered rifles for this cartridge back when it was introduced in 1959. If that had happened, I think a lot of you would be singing its praises along with me.

The .358 Norma is a bit proprietary, I’ll admit. But suppose you have an old gun that no company has made ammunition for in years. Odds are if a major company is loading any, it will be Norma. While it does not have everything—I know, I have been looking for .351 Winchester Self-Loading without success—Norma will surprise you with what it does offer. I had an old friend who had a Model 99 Savage chambered MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

in .22 Sav. HP. He would say that finding .22 Sav. HP is like the search for Bigfoot. You suspect it exists, but nobody credible has ever seen any actual proof. In this case, however, Norma actually does load it, just under the 5.6x52 mm R designation.

The big stuff is not ignored. If you are looking for 9.3x74 mm R, .375 Flanged, .404 Jeffery, .500 Jeffery, .505 Gibbs or a host of other cartridges that are outside of the hot 100 in popularity, odds are very high that Norma produces it.

Norma has a great reputation for high quality in both loaded ammunition and components. Not only will ammunition be available to fit your rifle, but it’s likely that it will be the highest quality ever fired from that gun. Norma doesn’t rest on its laurels, but it continues to refine and expand its product line to meet the changing demands of the shooting world.

When I participated in a driven hunt in Poland a while back, I wanted to use a cartridge that was a bit off the grid for most American hunters. It’s Photos by Forrest MacCormack

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from the bench tough for Americans to bring guns into Europe, so one of the French writers on the hunt loaned me a Merkel Helix rifle chambered for 7x64 mm. That cartridge is often noted as a ballistic twin to our .280 Rem., but it has a certain European flair. The ammunition was Norma’s 156-gr. Oryx.

For those who don’t know, the Oryx is Norma’s bonded-core hunting bullet. I have used Oryx bullets quite a bit in several cartridges while hunting in Africa, Europe and the United States. I have used it to shoot tough game like oryx (talk about irony), and I have nothing but respect for its performance on game.

I am a big-bore guy, and I will admit I was a bit concerned about the 7 mm on this hunt. One of my companions was a writer from France with a lot of experience hunting throughout Europe. His English was spotty, but he told me that he used a 9.3x62 mm because, “When I shoot a boar, I like him to fall down dead and stay down dead. That’s not always the way with the smaller bullets.”

I’ll admit though, I wasted my worry about the performance of the 7 mm on boar. The first drive of the hunt was well past me and pretty much done when a big boar came slipping quietly back through the drivers.

No doubt he had evaded hunters more than once with this tactic. But this time he made a mistake.

I raised the rifle and carefully placed a bullet through his shoulders.

The boar dropped in his tracks. Before this hunting trip was over, I shot eight wild boars, some of them very big— and all using the 7x64 mm cartridge.

I still like big bores for big boars, but I can’t deny the performance of that 7x64 mm on those Polish pigs. Much of that success I attribute to the bondedcore Oryx bullet.

Norma takes great pride in making what it claims is the very best ammunition on the market. I was able to see the source of that dedication to quality when I visited the Norma factory. I really appreciate such tours, because I have a mechanical background and worked for several years in manufacturing when I was younger. I am

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from the bench Beyond loading ammunition in both hard-to-find and common chamberings, Norma has also earned a great reputation as a maker of premium-quality handloading components, including brass cases, bullets and propellants.

always entranced by any manufacturing facility and the process of turning raw materials into finished products.

I love to gaze at the machinery and marvel at the mechanical genius that allows it to work so well.

One thing that struck me as I toured the Norma plant in Amotfors, Sweden, was how well-organized and clean everything was. Some of the older factories I have toured have been cluttered, dirty and seemed to be based on organized confusion. Not here; this place was well-ordered and well-run. It would almost have to be, as they manufacture more than 23 million cartridges in 70 chamberings each year.

Norma was founded by the Enger brothers from Oslo, Norway, in 1902.

Today Norma Precision AB is owned by Ruag Ammotec AG, and its American

division is named Norma USA. While its presence in the American market remains relatively small, that is likely to change as the high quality of this ammunition becomes better-known and the company introduces more loadings aimed at American consumers. The TAC line includes the popular .223 Rem. and .22 Long Rifle cartridges, and Norma also offers match loads in .223 Rem. and .308 Win. The American PH and African PH lines cover all the other cartridges, both well-known like the .30-’06 Sprg. and not-so-well known as detailed previously. The company offers various loads featuring a wide range of Norma bullets to suit any shooting or hunting situation. One of my current favorite cartridges for ultra-long range shooting is the .338 Lapua Mag., and I have found Norma to be some of the most

accurate ammunition available in this cartridge. The company even loads many of the Weatherby cartridges.

At times it’s been tough to find Norma ammunition or reloading components here in the United States.

Time and again they would come on strong with some new company importing the product, only to have it fade away. It was frustrating for the American consumer who is used to finding what we want and need when we want or need it. It was frustrating for Norma as well. The American market is the largest in the world, and the company wanted to be part of that, but was having trouble getting a toehold here.

Finally Norma did what it should have done to start with; the company opened a division here in the United States called Norma USA.

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from the bench “Our goal here at Norma USA,” Director of Sales and Marketing Gilbert Russell said, “is to eventually offer every cartridge that Norma loads. It’s taking a while to build to that, of course, but I think that will happen soon. We will not only have all the obscure cartridges that you can’t find anyplace else, but we will have a wide range of load options for all the most-popular rifle cartridges. We don’t want to go headto-head with the other ammunition makers by trying to sell you common cartridges with American bullets. If you want .30-’06 ammunition with a Ballistic Tip, we are not for you. There are a lot of other companies doing that very well already.

But what we will offer is the .30-’06 and all the other popular cartridges loaded with a wide range of Norma bullets. That gives the American hunter more, and, we believe, better bullet options.”

True to character, Norma’s catalog of lesscommon ammunition offerings features an extensive line of African big-game cartridges, including (l. to r.): .505 Gibbs, .500 NE, .404 Jeffery and .375 Flanged.

Russell continued, “We are also dedicated to offering the best Norma products for handloading to the American public. Our brass cases have a strong reputation for the highest quality. Our bullets are earning the respect of hunters worldwide, and our powders have always been in demand with serious handloaders. The problem has been maintaining reliable distribution here in the United States.

For many years it was hit or miss in finding our products, both ammunition and reloading components, on the shelves in American stores. We depended on other companies to import and sell our products, and that has not always proven to work well.

Photo by author

“We have solved that with the establishment of Norma USA. We are owned by Norma, and we import and sell Norma products. We have a mix of management that is both American and Swedish, so we have people who understand both worlds. It’s working out extremely well, and we are very optimistic about the future of Norma here in the United States.”

Norma products, both components for handloading and factory-loaded ammunition, are easy to find now; and, if quality is your goal, you should check them out. I bet you will be impressed.

For more information, contact: Norma USA (Dept. AR), (928) 830-3338; norma-usa.com.

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favorite firearms

I

n 1954, my 5,000-student public high school had a .22-cal. rifle and pistol team. To show how popular marksmanship and firearm safety training was back then, that team had more tryouts than did our state champion football, basketball and baseball teams, combined.

I had already proven to my father’s satisfaction that I possessed the discipline to shoot safely, so on my 17th birthday he bought me a Remington Matchmaster 513T, a .22-cal. boltaction target rifle. From the moment I opened the box it was love at first sight. Equipped with Redfield Olympic iron sights, a bull barrel and a beavertail stock, I could hardly put it down.

But I had one problem; everyone on

42

the team had to buy their own ammunition. When a staff sergeant in my local National Guard infantry unit saw me ride my bike to school each practice day with the rifle strapped across my back, he approached me. During the ensuing conversation he promised that, when I became old enough, if I joined the National Guard I could have all the free ammunition I would care to shoot. That sounded like a great deal to me. My mom threw a fit, but eight months later I enlisted anyway.

My marksmanship training with that Remington Matchmaster would serve me well, as I would go on to

win company, battalion, regimental, brigade, divisional and Army Individual Championships during my 35 years in uniform. It was also with that gun that I learned the basics of marksmanship necessary to earn a place in the President’s 100 at Camp Perry in 1964.

I later learned how to shoot Colt .45 “Gold Cup” pistols, which I also taught my wife, son and daughter—with my wife going on to become a women’s pistol shooting champion. But it all started with that Remington Matchmaster 513T. I can’t help but wonder where I would be today without it—I almost certainly would not have retired as an Army brigadier general.

Brig. Gen. Ed Wheeler, U.S. Army (Ret.), Oklahoma

Nearly every shooter has a favorite firearm. If you would like to share the experience of owning yours with other American Rifleman readers, or on americanrifleman.org, send a sharp color photograph of the gun, accompanied by its story in fewer than 400 words, with your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Favorite Firearms, American Rifleman, National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400. Photos and submissions cannot be returned and may be edited for clarity and brevity.

March 2018

american rifleman

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Destined For The Top

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

The Deringer Line

Q

I have this old gun with markings on the barrel’s rib, “DERINGER PHILADA. PATd JUNE 3, 1873.” Deringer is spelled with one “r.” It is a .22-cal., seven-shot, singleaction, spur-trigger pocket revolver. The 3"-barrel tips up for cylinder removal and loading. The cylinder is fluted. The serial number is 15XX and is stamped on the curved butt of the frame. The barrel is blued and the frame appears to be nickelplated. The bird’s head grips are smooth, dark wood. The front sight is a silver-looking blade, and the rear is a V-groove in the frame behind the hinge. The hammer is knurled and has case-hardened colors. I have not had success finding information on this pistol, and I am seeking help.

A

Henry Deringer, of the famous Deringer percussion pistol, died in 1868, but some of his relatives continued his firearm business for a few years and manufactured your metallic cartridge revolver. The pistols were virtual copies of the Smith & Wesson tip-up barrel revolvers of the time.

Your revolver, with its rounded barrel, is of the Second Model made, and was manufactured from about 1875 until roughly 1879. Only about 6,500 of this model were produced, and your gun appears to be an excellent example.

—CHARLES W. PATE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Leads On Leading

Q

I would like advice concerning the use of “shotshells” in pistols. I typically carry a revolver when clearing brush on my 35 acres due to encounters with snakes. In my six-shooter I feel more secure carrying CCI .38 Spl. shotshells loaded with approximately 135 pellets of No. 9 shot.

Though the lead shot is encased in transparent blue plastic, are there concerns with barrel leading? I have not yet experienced performance issues, but will continued use of pistol-caliber shotshells affect the gun, more specifically, the barrel’s rifling?

A

Your concern is a valid one. While the shot capsule protects the bore nicely, there have been reports of bore leading due to shot. Conventional cleaning is typically adequate for the sporadic use of shotshells.

Keep in mind though, that extended shooting may result in severe bore leading that would require heroic measures, such as the Lewis Lead Remover (brownells.com). Other than that, I see no cause for concern.

—CHARLES E. PETTY, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

From the thousands of questions and letters on guns, ammunition and their use that American Rifleman receives every year, it publishes the most interesting here. Receiving answers to technical and historical questions is a privilege reserved to NRA members.

Questions must be in the form of letters addressed to: Dope Bag, NRA Publications, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400; must contain the member’s code line from an American Rifleman or American Hunter mailing label or membership card; must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed, legal-size envelope; and must be limited to one specific question per letter. Non-members may submit a question with a membership application. We cannot answer technical or historical questions by telephone, e-mail or fax, and we cannot place even an approximate value on guns or other equipment. Please allow eight to 10 weeks for replies.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Big as Texas NRA Plans for Annual Meetings as

By America's 1st Freedom Staff

T

he NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits—sponsored by Midway USA—will return to Dallas and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center May 3-6.

Last year, nearly 82,000 NRA members came together in Atlanta, energized to celebrate their freedom and stand united as one.

The National NRA Foundation Banquet and Auction, sponsored by Henry, Century Arms and Kimber, will kick things off Thursday evening. This highly anticipated event features an exciting evening of food, raffles and auctions with opportunities to win exclusive firearms, outdoor gear, unique merchandise and hunts from across the globe.

Starting Friday, members can spend

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the day canvassing the 15-acre exhibit hall with over 800 exhibitors and featuring every major firearm company in the country, plus shooting accessories, knives, hunting outfitters and priceless gun collections. There are plenty of activities for the whole family, from the Pyramyd Air air gun range to a special 30th birthday party for the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, plus so many special activities packed into Sunday that we call it Youth Day. Live music from top country music artists can be heard all weekend long at the NRA Country sound stage, right inside the Convention Center.

At Friday’s NRA-ILA Leadership Forum, Second Amendment leaders from across the country will join NRA’s

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox to inspire and inform on the critical issues affecting firearms and the Second Amendment in the coming year. On Saturday, members will have their chance to vote and make their voices heard during the Annual Meeting of Members, where they'll hear about the state of our organization and what’s in store for 2018. Saturday evening offers an exciting lineup of music performances by top country artists and celebrities, as we celebrate the American values we cherish.

The 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits offers fun activities for all and is sure to be another record breaker. Go to nraam.org for additional event and hotel information. We’ll see you there!

Photo Courtesy of the Charlie Daniels Band

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON AS DALLAS PLAYS HOST TO THE 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS.

May 3 May 4 May 4 May 4 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 6 May 6

National NRA Foundation Banquet & Auction Women's Leadership Forum Luncheon & Auction NRA-ILA Leadership Forum NRA-ILA Dinner & Auction NRA Country Jam NRA Saturday Evening Concert National Prayer Breakfast Women's New Energy Breakfast NRA Youth Day

Exhibit Hall Hours May 4 May 5 May 6

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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Photos by NRA Staff

Special Events

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March 2018

Kimber 8400 WSM Classic .300 WSM

Kimber 84M Open Country 6.5 mm Creedmoor

Kimber 8400 Magnum Talkeetna .375 H&H Mag.

rifle

american rifleman

The Kimber Rifle Story The company best known for its rifles with classic American lines, light weight and accuracy, Kimber, actually had its beginning Down Under more than a half-century ago. Now you can have a Kimber in any size or weight you would like—and some are even affordable.

BY JEFF JOHNSTON, Field Editor lay prone on the red-hot Kalahari dune and waited on the blue wildebeest to clear the herd. With the rifle’s plastic fore-end wedged smartly between the rubber eyecups of my binocular, my hasty shooting position felt as stable as a sandbag. Pending luck and a well-placed bullet, the bull’s backstraps would soon be our camp’s main course.

As I waited in ambush my mind wandered. I reflected on how I’d gotten here, so far away from the deer and ducks of my home, and more specifically, how the 5-lb., budget-priced rifle—a sharp departure from Kimber’s norm—had come to be. Notwithstanding a jaunt over the Atlantic rife with pitfalls, firearm permits and near jail time in Germany—it was a winding road indeed.

The now-wholly American brand called Kimber Mfg. took a rather convoluted route to marketing the rifles for which it is now famous. You might be surprised that Kimber’s story started not in Oregon, but in a seaside “City of Churches” in the Australian Outback. It goes like this … .

Photos by Forrest MacCormack

americanrifleman.org

Kimber’s Story

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is home to the majority of the giant land mass’ 1.5 million residents, and was also home to a citizen named John Llewellyn “Jack” Warne. Born in Kimba, a tiny bush town located on the Eyre Peninsula, Warne was a hunter, shooter and natural entrepreneur who started one of the biggest Australian construction companies at that time. (At one point, he was American ammunition giant CCI’s most valuable customer thanks to his company’s massive purchases of .22 blanks for its nail guns). In 1947, after World War II, the 23-yearold Warne recognized a need for sporting arms since most had been acquisitioned by the federal government for the war effort. So he founded Sporting Arms Limited—later simply called Sportco—where he began making sporting rifles for the public. You might recognize a few Sportco models such as the Model 62 in .22 Long Rifle, as its design was later sold to Winchester, which rebranded it the Model 320 and sold tens of thousands of units.

March 2018

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KIMBER KIMBER 8400 WSM CLASSIC .300 WSM

KIMBER 84M MONTANA .308 WIN.

KIMBER 8400 WSM CLASSIC .270 WIN.

KIMBER 8400 MAGNUM TALKEETNA .375 H&H MAG.

Under Warne’s leadership, Sportco was successful in firearm design and sales in markets both foreign and domestic, offering semi-automatic rifles, bolt-actions and pumps in smallbore rifles, rifles for big game and target shooting, and sporting shotguns. The company carried on for 20 years until Oregon-based Omark purchased Sportco in 1966 and hired Warne as general manager, relocating him across the world to Portland in ’68. Warne’s history with CCI led to Omark acquiring CCI, Speer, RCBS, Outers and Weaver in 1975. You’ve heard of Warne Scope Mounts? Warne started that company in 1991 after retiring from Omark in 1985.

He also designed two rifle actions, a rimfire Model 82 and center-fire Model 84 in the late 1970s. At the time of this writing, Jack Warne is 92 and doing well.

With his father officially working for Omark, Greg Warne—Jack’s late son—used the two actions as a platform All post-2000 Kimber rifles use a claw extractor that borrows from both the Mauser and the Arisaka. The original Model 84M—to which this bolt belongs—was designed by Nehemia Sirkis.

MARCH 1983

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JUNE 2001

for the new family business, a high-end rifle company started in Clackamas, Ore. Both father and son saw a market for adult-style, sporting .22 rifles, especially since the Winchester Model 52 was defunct. After all, what hunters and shooters do not like a quality .22 rifle, accurate enough to win a competition yet practical enough for squirrels?

When naming the company, Jack reflected on his joyful days hunting varmints around Kimba—the aboriginal name meaning “bush fire”—but added an “R” to give it an American ring. In 1979, Kimber of Oregon was born.

Kimber’s first rifle was similar to Sportco’s Model 44, yet when Jack invited outdoor writers of the day on a varmint hunt to test it, Outdoor Life’s Jim Carmichael rather sarcastically asked why its stock was so ugly. The rifle was functional, but a belle it was not. Heeding the scribe’s advice, what followed was an American-style .22 rifle that, in addition to a made-in-house matchgrade trigger and barrel, featured an American-style, straight-comb, full-grain walnut stock designed by Darwin Hensley. The Model 82, available at one time or another in 11 models, was the company’s flagship. But the Warnes had visions of expansion.

Using the new Model 84 actions, Kimber soon specialized in making heavier-weight, small-caliber centerfires for benchrest shooting and varmint hunting.

JULY 2004 MARCH 2018

JULY 2005 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAY 2006

KIMBER 84L CLASSIC SELECT .30-’06 SPRG.

KIMBER 8400 MAGNUM CAPRIVI .458 LOTT

KIMBER 84M ADIRONDACK .308 WIN.

KIMBER 84M HUNTER .308 WIN.

Perhaps the ultimate prairie dog gun, they were tack-driving accurate with outstanding barrels, stocks and triggers, and heavy enough to negate recoil. Quite simply, the Kimber 84s could make a novice shoot like a distinguished expert.

It was this success combined with customer demand that urged the company into producing a long action in 1989. The resulting rifle was called the 89 BGR (Big Game Rifle). Unfortunately, the company’s production demand overmatched its capability, and ultimately forced timber magnate/investor Bruce Engel—who had stepped in to rescue the company—to liquidate and sell Kimber of Oregon in 1991. Many talented employees, including Dan Cooper who would later form Cooper Arms, left. But Greg Warne had other designs.

In 1993, with the financial backing of Philadelphia businessman Les Edelman and the expertise of Boyd Metz, the trio started Kimber of America and focused the company on what it did best—high-end rimfires. Edelman bought Greg Warne out of the company and consolidated its rifle manufacturing to facilities he’d recently purchased in Yonkers, N.Y. The facility was Jericho Precision (JP), a defense contract machining company. (JP’s production manager— and later general manager of Kimber Mfg.—was Ron Cohen, presently CEO of SIG Sauer.)

With collaboration from handgunning champion Chip McCormick, Edelman retooled Kimber’s production to produce the venerable M1911 handgun. The timing was perfect, thanks to President Clinton’s gun ban in 1994 that outlawed high-capacity magazines and spurred consumer desire for an all-steel .45 ACP pistol to compete with the polymer, low-capacity 9 mm Lugers of the day. By 1997, all Oregon facilities had been moved to Yonkers, the company’s name changed to Kimber Mfg. and the pivot to handguns would almost begin to define the company—almost.

The Warnes, Edelman, Cohen and new Vice President of Marketing and Sales Dwight Van Brunt knew Kimber was still a rifle company at heart, and the operation was now better poised to innovate.

What was produced in 2001 proved to be game-changing.

The Model 84M action, a proportionally sized clone of the pre-’64 Winchester Model 70, was designed by Kimber’s Nehemia Sirkis. It featured Mauser 98-style controlledround feeding, dual locking lugs—with a third made by the root of the bolt’s handle—a forward recoil lug, threeposition Model 70-style safety, blade-style ejector and an adjustable trigger. By any measure, it’s a superb action that forms the basis for all subsequent center-fire Kimber actions. Kimber already had a great brand name; now it had a new product to market.

Rifleman coverage of Kimber center-fires throughout the years started with the Model 82C in .22 Hornet in 1983.

In the late 1990s, the company reorganized and moved its manufacturing facilities to New York.

MARCH 2009

APRIL 2010

AUGUST 2012 AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MAY 2014 MARCH 2018

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kimber

Kimber 84M Classic .308 Win.

Weighing in at 5 lbs., 11 ozs., the Model 84M in .308 Win., tested in June 2001, started the modern generation of Kimber bolt-actions.

Modernizing Kimber Rifles

Van Brunt strongly believed that there remained great demand for high-end center-fire sporting rifles, just as Jack Warne had years earlier. But he also realized technology had advanced. American hunters still wanted quality rifles, but many sought lightweight composite stocks and stainless steel barrels—guns that could be dragged up a mountain in the pouring rain. So Van Brunt went to work from Kalispell, Mont.

In late 2002, Kimber’s maiden departure from traditional walnut began. Called the Montana, the rifle featured Kimber’s proportionally optimized 84M action cradled in a hand-laid carbon-fiber stock and stainless No. 1-contour barrel. Chambered in .308 Win., the rifle weighed a feathery 5 lbs., 8 ozs., making it perfect for mountain hunting. Yet because the action was lithe, the rifle’s point of balance remained on the forward action screw even with a .308’s standard-length 22" barrel. This gave the Montana a marked advantage over lightweight production rifles that merely save weight by skeletonizing, fluting and hacking barrel length. For around $1,200, sportsmen could own a custom-like, ultra-lightweight rifle.

Sixteen years ago, $1,200 for a rifle was fairly expensive. Now, at $1,427, and with the addition of a threaded barrel for a suppressor, the Montana represents one of the better lightweight rifle bargains available. Today the company offers five featherweight rifles, including the Montana, Mountain Ascent, Adirondack, Hunter and the new-for-2017 Subalpine. But more on those later.

From there, Kimber became enthralled with the concept of building rifle actions to fit their intended uses. Much like a best-quality shotgun maker would never build a .410-bore on a 20-ga. frame, lest it result in a poorly balanced gun, Kimber believes in the same principle for its rifles. In 2003, the 8400 WSM action made its debut to take

advantage of the popularity of the fat new short magnum cartridges. The action was identical in function but beefier to handle higher pressures.

With the company growing and its proportionally optimized action concept taking hold, Kimber’s next move was predictable. Certainly the company had tried and failed in 1989; but this time, Kimber Mfg. had the production capabilities to pull it off. So, in 2007, Kimber released its Model 84L. The 84L is the same thickness as the 84M, just 0.77" longer to accommodate .30-’06 Sprg.-length cartridges.

Soon Kimber released Classic, Select, Super America and Montana models chambered for America’s most popular long-action (sometimes called standard-length) hunting chamberings. As several writers of the day—including American Hunter’s editor in chief and this magazine’s own Mark Keefe—noted in reviews of the gun, the 84L action was long enough to eject spent magnum cartridges, and hinted at a true magnum rifle to come.

Indeed, there was a market deficiency in high-quality production guns for dangerous game. Hunters insisted on controlled-round feeding, but other than CZ and Winchester, there weren’t many affordable options available. An avid hunter himself, Van Brunt realized Kimber’s action would be perfect in this role, if only it were bigger.

In 2009, Kimber released the 8400 Magnum action that added to the length of the 84L and combined it with the robustness of the 8400 WSM. Models that utilized this action were the 8-lb., 10-oz., Caprivi chambered in .375 H&H Mag. and .458 Lott (.416 Rem. Mag. was added later), and later the 7-lb., 8-oz, Talkeetna in .375 H&H Mag. While the Caprivi, named for a game-rich strip of land in Namibia, targeted safari clients who often prefer traditional walnut, the Talkeetna was the Alaskan bear and moose hunter’s dream, thanks to its carbon-fiber, glass-and-pillar-bedded stock and stainless finish. Both rifles are purely Kimber, with matchquality barrels and triggers, yet both feature robust express sights, hearty recoil pads and a barrel band that relocates the sling swivel forward. All told, they’re flawlessly designed. Today you can buy the Caprivi or the Talkeetna for $3,200 and $2,100, respectively.

Kimber … Currently

Somewhere around 2010 the tactical rifle craze exploded like a flashbang, and Kimber accommodated demand by introducing four rifles that feature custom-designed heavyweight stocks and heavy-contour barrels melded to the company’s vaunted actions. Most significantly, all rifles in its tactical category are guaranteed to shoot sub-half minute-of-angle (m.o.a.) groups.

A great example of just how far Kimber has sprawled from its roots can be found when it introduced its 11-lb., 6-oz., The author has used various Kimbers in Africa—here a Model 8400 Magnum—but he used a Model 84M Hunter on his most recent trip.

Despite its modest price tag, the affordable Hunter shot very well.

March 2018

american rifleman

The Ultralight Tradeoff

T

The three-position wing safety is at the bolt’s right rear. All the way forward is off, exposing a red dot. The middle is safe but allows the bolt to cycle, and all the way back locks the bolt and firing pin.

Advanced Tactical SOC (Special Operations Capable) rifle that featured a side-folding, adjustable, aluminum chassis stock to house its 8400 Magnum action and heavy barrel.

The action was fitted with a steel, five-round detachable box magazine and an oversized bolt handle. Topped with Picatinny rails and a muzzle brake, it retailed for $4,400 and shot like the counter-sniper rifle is was.

But then, as always, a shark-like industry responded. In 2015, mass-production gun companies such as Ruger and Savage introduced new waves of heavy-barreled tactical rifles that cost much less than the Kimbers. But the gun company from Kimba is currently firing back.

For 2018, Kimber has updated the Advanced Tactical SOC rifle with its SOC II. The folding-chassis-stocked rifle features a 22" threaded barrel, a forward night vision optic mount, an underside accessory rail, five- or 10-round Accuracy International-pattern polymer box magazines and the 0.50" accuracy guarantee that came with the original.

Offered in .308 Win. or the popular 6.5 mm Creedmoor, Kimber reduced the original SOC’s price by about 45 percent to $2,449. For this price, I can’t readily name a premium tactical rifle available that compares in terms of quality and features. Consider that its McRees Precision G10 Standard stock—with features such as fully adjustable fit,

What made Kimber rifles different were their adjustable triggers and actions scaled to their respective chamberings.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

he only two complaints I’ve ever heard about Kimber both concern its ultra-lightweight rifles. The first complaint that is that the rifle is “whippy.” Frankly, a 5-lb. rifle with a No. 1-contour barrel is whippy. It’s like buying a ‘69 Camaro and complaining that it fishtails when you mash the gas. But, thanks to Kimber’s lithe 84M action that’s lighter than nearly all other production guns, the company’s mountain rifles are built to balance better than comparable rifles while not sacrificing barrel length.

They may not be weight-forward like your 8-lb. Mauser, but they were never intended as such.

Secondly, plenty of shooters—including this one—have experienced lightweight rifles that throw fliers after five shots or so. I’ve shot Kimbers with this tendency. It drives perfectionists crazy, and certainly looks bad in magazine articles because it causes the rifle’s average group size to swell. This tendency, however, is the downside of pencil-thin barrels that heat rapidly, and thus, change position.

Kimber’s ultralights are intended as hunting guns, not benchrest rigs. They’re specifically made to be easily carried, because after all, rifles are carried for 99 percent of a hunt. And when they are fired, they’re fired with a cold bore. What is important is that it prints to point of aim, on the first shot, every time. You should also know that ultralight rifles are more finicky about ammunition.

I recommend trying at least five loads, and preferably more, to find the most accurate. integral bubble level and copious Picatinny rails—is very expensive on its own. Kimber offers it in sniper gray or flat dark earth models.

Noting the current push for loosening suppressor laws and a niche market that’s pushing tactical rifle makers to make them as compact as possible, Kimber also updated and reduced the cost of its SRC (Suppressor Ready Compact) rifle.

With a 16" threaded barrel and aforementioned McRees folding chassis stock, this .308 Win. remains legal for non-NFA purchase, yet can be folded into an arm-sized package that fits into a backpack with the barrel only poking out slightly.

With the hinged aluminum stock fully extended and a silencer screwed onto the muzzle, the rifle is right at the typical length of a normal tactical rifle, but one that is suppressed. Of course, velocity of the .308 Win. round suffers slightly due to the stubby barrel, but I can think of many mobile SWAT teams, plain-clothes operators and even long-range endurance-style competitors for whom the SRC II will shine. Like the SOC II, it’s also shipped with a denier nylon drag bag. Amazingly, it now costs $2,449 as well.

On the more traditional tactical spectrum is the LPT (Light Police Tactical) that could perform double duty as a hybrid target/hunting rifle thanks to its sub-half-m.o.a. guarantee, 22" fluted bull barrel, Picatinny rail, laminatedand-epoxied wood stock, matte finish, 8-lb. weight and modest price tag of $1,400. I can think of no other rifle guaranteed to shoot 0.50" groups in this price class.

These updated tactical offerings along with their new price points indicate that Kimber is doing its best to remain nimble and competitive in an unpredictable market that swings wildly with consumer trends.

MARCH 2018

53

KIMBER

The just-introduced Advanced Tactical SOC II marries a Kimber Model 84M action to a McRees Precision G10 Standard aluminum chassis system with a folding stock and adjustable comb.

Of course Kimber still churns out its bread-and-butter varmint rifles—it currently offers six heavy-barreled, woodstocked models in small-caliber center-fires—but most notable is its latest 2017 model called the Open Country.

A coyote or long-range deer hunter’s delight, it features a reinforced carbon-fiber stock that’s then given a rubbery soft-touch treatment before it’s dipped in Gore’s Optifade camouflage. Its 84M action is chambered in the outstanding 6.5 mm Creedmoor cartridge. Combined with a 24" fluted barrel, the rifle checks in under 7 lbs., lending it a great mix of accuracy and mobility for $2,200 retail.

For all of Kimber’s rifle categories, however, perhaps the most impressive—from an engineering standpoint—is its lineup of ultra-lightweight rifles that spawned from the Montana. These models are available in three different action lengths, made evident in their respective weights. It underscores the importance of Kimber’s investment in its proportionally sized action concept. Today, Kimber offers the Montana, Mountain Ascent, Adirondack and its new Subalpine. These rifles are made in Kimber’s new state-ofthe-art facility in Ridgefield, N.J. Coated in a soft touch, Gore Optifade “Subalpine” pattern, the Subalpine rifle weighs an unbelievable 4 lbs., 2 ozs., in .308 Win. (84M action) with a threaded, bedded, partially fluted barrel; 5 lbs., 8 ozs., in a 24" barrel .280 Ackley Improved or .30-’06 Sprg.; and 6 lbs., 8 ozs., in .300 Win. Mag. Most impressive is that it, like the others, is guaranteed to deliver sub-m.o.a accuracy.

The Adirondack, with its threaded 20" tube, weighs just 4 lbs., 2 ozs., and, chambered in 7 mm-08 Rem. and .300 Blackout among others, is perhaps the ultimate truck and tree stand rifle. They represent the pinnacle of ultralightweight rifle technology. And because they are factory rifles, they cost around $1,700, a bargain considering the craftsmanship and materials within.

By 2015, if you thumbed through Kimber’s catalog (photographed, as always, by Mustafa Bilal), you might notice that most all bolt-action rifle niches were covered—except one. The low/mid-priced category. No doubt there were fiery internal debates about whether lowering the cost of a rifle by half would also lower its quality and, therefore, the brand’s reputation, but when it was all said and done, executives felt it could have its market share and keep its Kimber too.

And that brings us full circle, to Kimber’s farthest departure from its rich history to date, and the one I had cradled between my cheek, shoulder and the conforming Kalahari sand. Kimber’s new 5-lb., 8-oz., Hunter model, thankfully, uses the vaunted 84M action, trigger and barrel, but it’s planted in a polymer—a fancy name for plastic—stock.

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MARCH 2018

Injection molded by a third-party vendor for Kimber to the same exterior dimensions of its other lightweight stocks, it utilizes two aluminum pillars that also serve as action screw spacers, a molded recoil lug recess and a honeycomb structure that adds some rigidity. The integrally molded trigger guard does away with bottom metal altogether, saving cost. The flush-fitting, detachable magazine is a combination of plastic and metal. Its plastic latch, which mandates the magazine be placed in the rear of the well and rocked forward, leaves something to be desired. I must report that I experienced a couple of jams that occurred when the magazine was both full and when rounds slid forward in the magazine after the rifle was jostled, causing the tip of the second round to impede feeding. Still, plastic-stock-feel and feeding hiccups aside, the Hunter is a lot of ultralight rifle for $700, even before its sub-m.o.a. accuracy guarantee. (See Craig Boddington’s article, “Meet Kimber’s ‘Hunter,’” Jan. 2017, for a full review. In it, he mentioned no feeding issues, so perhaps my test unit was an anomaly.) Editors of this publication’s sister magazine, American Hunter, liked the Hunter so much they awarded it with a Golden Bullseye Award for 2017 Rifle of the Year.

My Hunter averaged three-shot groups of 1.35", but produced a few under an inch with Federal’s Copper 150-gr. ammunition. Five-shot groups averaged 1.6". (See sidebar, “The Ultra-Light Tradeoff,” p. 53). But all I needed from it now was one good shot, from 305 yds., according to my Nikon rangefinder.

Moments later the young bull unexpectedly stopped and turned broadside.

Blam! The rifle lurched. Whop! The bullet reported.

The beast, one of the most iconic of Africa’s plains game, kicked as if heart shot, then sprinted 20 yds. before confirming it. I stood just as a mighty slap on the back from Dreis, my professional hunter, rocked me forward in unspoken approval. I racked the Kimber’s bolt and slung it over my shoulder so lightly that it would almost be forgotten until I’d depend on it again.

As the storied rifle company with the distinctive name enters 2018, there’s at least one model that’s made from the action up specifically for your intended use. And if you always wanted one but previously couldn’t afford it, now there’s a Kimber for you, too.

For more information, contact: Kimber Mfg., Inc. (Dept. AR), 555 Taxter Road, Elmsford, NY 10523; (888) 243-4522; kimberamerica.com.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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Precision Rifle Series One of the most exciting shooting sports available today is the Precision Rifle Series—better known simply as PRS. It is a discipline that requires competitors to master the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship and external ballistics in settings that are both fun and challenging.

BY KEITH WOOD hannon Kay, an active-duty infantry officer and former Special Operations sniper, climbed into the bed of the 4x4 pickup and rested his rifle’s fore-end across the tattered foam insulation that covered the vehicle’s roll bar. The rules required the rifle to be in contact with the bar, which meant that the shooter had to bend at the waist or squat rather than sit or kneel for stability. Even standing on solid ground, I could see the truck move on its worn suspension; I can’t imagine what that bounce looked like through a powerful optic. At the tone of the buzzer, the stage required the shooter to engage each small “head flapper” target at 320, 356, 382, 429 and 460 yds. in under 90 seconds. Out of the dozens of shooters that ran through that stage, only Kay achieved a perfect score.

The stage was just one of 20 at the two-day CORE Classic match held at CORE Shooting Solutions in Baker, Fla., in September of last year. The CORE Classic was one of 30 matches across the nation that made up the 2017 Precision Rifle Series (PRS)—a calendar of matches that constitute an overall points race during the course of the year. For lack of a better analogy, the PRS is like NASCAR’s Cup Series for long-range rifle shooting. Longrange “sniper-style” rifle matches started springing up around the country in the 1990s and slowly built momentum as part of the mainstream of competitive shooting. As they gained popularity, organizers sought out a mechanism to create a championship atmosphere in the sport—the Precision Rifle Series was born out of that desire and held its inaugural season in 2012. As civilian interest in long-range shooting has snowballed during the past decade, the PRS has grown exponentially; in 2012, there were only 164 PRS members, today there are more than 2,000.

PRS matches feature targets—usually steel—positioned anywhere from 200 to 1,200 yds. from the firing line. The closest target at the CORE match was 262 yds., and the farthest was at 840. A typical stage requires the shooter to engage multiple targets at varying distances, often from different shooting positions and in varying wind conditions. All of this takes place under extremely tight time constraints—the skill level displayed by the top professionals in this sport is astounding. An example stage from the two-day CORE

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Photos by author

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN GUIDE

U.S. Army Maj. Shannon Kay engages targets during the 2017 CORE Classic. Though the shots on this stage were all closer than 500 yds., the shooting platform was shaky at best.

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The “On The Rocks” stage required the competitors to engage 10 steel targets from five improvised positions within 90 seconds.

Classic required shooters to hit five targets of decreasing size on a “Know Your Limits” rack at 800 yds., then transition to a second position and hit five more targets, all in under 90 seconds. A minute and a half sounds like an eternity until it is divided by 10; but, allowing for a few seconds to transition to the second shooting position, that means the shooter has less than 10 seconds to engage each 800-yd. target and reload!

In order to be competitive in the series points race, a shooter must compete at a high level in numerous matches across the nation throughout the year. There are 30 points race matches per season, spread across nearly 20 states.

Prizes for each match include cash and gear from a prize table that is donated by match sponsors. Unlike most shooting sports, the Precision Rifle Series has some serious prize money at stake. Cash prizes at the CORE Classic ranged from $500 to $5,000, and everything from Accuracy International

rifles to Kahles scopes were handed out as prizes. As great as that sounds, what the professional shooters really care about are the points. The points race culminates in an annual championship match—last year’s finale was held at FTW Ranch in Barksdale, Texas, one of the most impressive shooting facilities in the nation. At the 2016 finale, the cash purse for the match totaled $75,000, including $25,000 for the winner. If the first-place shooter also won the PRS points race for the season, he would bring home $50,000 cash from that match—no pressure.

Unlike some shooting disciplines, the PRS rule book is relatively short—fewer than 30 pages including the various appendices. The idea is to leave as much leeway as possible to the match director’s imagination while taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of each respective match location and to maintain the organic roots of the sport. The rules themselves primarily address safety and fundamental course setup, as well as what equipment can be used in the respective divisions of the Bolt Gun (Open, Tactical and Production) and Gas Gun (Open, Tactical Light and Tactical Heavy) series. The one universal rule of the PRS is that, regardless of division, bullet diameter cannot exceed .308" and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 3200 f.p.s.

This rule exists to ensure the longevity of the steel targets used during matches. Unless the individual course of fire prohibits their use, competitors are generally allowed to use shooting aids such as bipods, camera-style tripods and bean bag-style “cheater bags” during matches.

Guns Of The PRS

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ompetition almost always drives innovation, and the rifles used by serious PRS competitors have evolved into highly specialized tools to meet the competitors’ needs. The Open Division of the PRS is dominated by custom rifles, with factory guns from Accuracy International and Surgeon Rifles being the only real exceptions.

A typical PRS setup will feature a custom Model 700-style action from Defiance Machine or Surgeon Rifles, a heavyweight premium barrel fitted with either a muzzle brake or a sound suppressor, a stock from McMillian, Manners or one of the chassis-style stockmakers, such as AI or Masterpiece Arms, and a detachable-box magazine.

The vast majority of competitors use powerful variable-magnification optics made by Kahles, Vortex, Schmidt & Bender or Nightforce due to their durability and repeatable adjustments. The field is dominated by rifles chambered in 6.5-mm and 6-mm cartridges, with the latter being increasingly popular among

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top shooters. One might think that highvelocity cartridges would be popular in the PRS, but it is actually quite the opposite. Mild-mannered cartridges, including the 6.5 mm Creedmoor, 6.5x47L, 6 mm Creedmoor, 6x47L and 6 mm Dasher are all popular choices among competitors.

Besides the inherent accuracy of these rounds, their low recoil, high ballistic coefficient, long barrel life and relatively

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flat trajectories make them ideal choices for this type of shooting. Wind drift can make or break a long-range shot, and each of these cartridges fare well in that department. In PRS, it is also crucially important that a shooter be able to determine whether a shot was a hit or a miss, and these cartridges are all conducive to that, especially when a brake or suppressor is used.

This custom-built rig—a left-hand action from Defiance Machine with a heavy, cutrifled, match-grade barrel, Manners stock, Harris bipod and Kahles riflescope— is a typical setup for PRS.

PRECISION RIFLE SERIES There are two major categories of match styles in PRS: field matches and position matches. Field matches are usually shot from the prone or over natural barriers using a bipod or bag, and require minimal movement on the shooter’s part during the stage. Position matches are far more athletic in nature, and usually require competitors to move rapidly between improvised positions using artificial barriers while on the clock. The CORE Classic, the match I observed for this article, was a positional type whose course of fire was designed by George Gardner of GA Precision—one of the sport’s pioneers. As a general rule, the targets at positional matches are set at closer ranges due to the movement and unorthodox shooting positions required. Labor Day weekend is pretty steamy in North Florida, and the CORE match pushed the physical endurance of the competitors. Those who were in poor physical shape or who didn’t stay hydrated paid the price over the course of the two-day event.

Field matches tend to be held in the wide-open spaces of Western and Midwestern states, and often employ longer shots, many of which are beyond 1,000 yds. A third, yet smaller, category of matches known as Extended Long Range (ELR) push the target distances even farther. As an example, at the Q Creek ELR match in Wyoming last June, targets ranged from 500 to 1,800 yds. Shooters in the ELR matches often take advantage of larger cartridges due to the distances, and the .300 Norma Mag. is a popular choice.

Brian Dennis, director of PRS and an active competitor in the series, recently purchased the company. “I decided to buy the series because of my love for it—I want to grow it.

I’m not here to make money on this, I’m putting everything back into the sport. We want to attract as many shooters as possible, and one of the ways to do that is to push the sponsor money down to the shooters and to the local clubs.”

Dennis also recognizes some of the challenges of bringing new competitors into the sport and is working to address them. “The problem for some new shooters is that

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you show up at a match and you’re shooting with the best in the world—it’s like playing golf against Tiger Woods and you’re hitting from the same tees. Not only can that be intimidating, but, if the course is hard enough to challenge the pros, it’s likely so difficult that most shooters will get discouraged quickly.”

During the next few years, the PRS hopes to incorporate rules designed to allow new competitors to transition into the sport in an educational and enjoyable way. New participants will be assigned to shoot alongside professionals, who can mentor them during the matches. The new entrant will also shoot a modified course of fire on each match stage that meets their abilities. For example, in a stage where the pros might engage 10 targets in 90 seconds, the new shooter may only be required to shoot five. This arrangement will help novices improve with every match while having the enjoyment of finding success within their skill level—the same way that golf tournaments employ a handicap. New shooters are also encouraged to take advantage of local club matches where the overall environment is more conducive to learning. Club matches are usually single-day events, so they require less of a time commitment and may not require overnight travel. There are currently 42 PRS-affiliated clubs located across the nation.

The second barrier to entry for new participants is financial: A competitive rifle setup for the PRS Open Division can easily top $10,000, not to mention match entry fees, the cost of ammunition and travel expenses. To address this issue, the PRS has a Production Division where competitors are required to use off-the-shelf production continued on p. 86

Assorted rifles and gear set up during the two-day CORE Classic.

Chassis-style stocks, like those on the front two rifles shown here, are becoming increasingly popular among PRS shooters.

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THE 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON CONVENTION CENTER DALLAS, TEXAS MAY 3-6

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SNIPING

“They Never Seemed To Learn”

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The Genesis Of Sniping, Part 6

Soviet Sniping, 1939-1945 After the Great War, Soviet Russia sought to upgrade its military capability—especially when it came to sniping rifles. The result was the scope-sighted, bolt-action Mosin-Nagant, used with deadly effect against the Nazis on the Eastern Front.

BY MARTIN PEGLER fter the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, the world’s armies began to lick their collective wounds and reassess the impact of almost five years of fighting that had resulted in the deaths of around 11 million soldiers. The map of Europe had been changed forever, and the breadth of social changes wrought by the war had yet to become apparent. However, some immediate lessons had

been learned by the combatant nations. It had become increasingly clear that technology was now the master of the battlefield, with the widespread use of tanks, aircraft and ever more powerful artillery. But there was also a realization that the traditional small arms used by the infantry were, by 1918, becoming outdated, too expensive to make and frequently ineffectual.

In this posed image of a sniper on the Eastern Front, the Mosin-Nagant rifle lacks the white-bandage wrap typically used as camoflage, and the shooter has a bare support hand—an open invitation to frostbite.

Historical photos courtesy of the author; rifle photos courtesy of nramuseum.org.

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Two of the most famous snipers of World War II were Finland’s Simo Häyhä (far l.), with a Finnish Model 1928 rifle, and Soviet hero Vasily Zaitsev (l.), pictured allowing a senior officer to look through his PEM scope.

The long-barreled rifles issued in 1914, such as the Mauser Gewehr 98, Mk I Lee-Enfield and French Lebel had given way to more practical short-barreled variants, and the manufacture of these rifles had been much simplified.

Compact, carbine-size rifles were becoming increasingly commonplace. Rifles capable of accurate shooting to 2,000 yds. had proven unnecessary during the war; the average distance for combat was generally estimated to be under 200 yds., and much was at ranges no greater than 50 yds., little different from that of the Napoleonic War. World War I had spawned new forms of small arms, such as medium machine guns, semi-automatic pistols, submachine guns and effective mortars. Despite that, there was a realization that for long-range shooting, highly accurate rifles were still very much required. The use of snipers during the war had slowly evolved from that of general marksmen— taking on opposing snipers or any other visible target—to that of scout/snipers and observers.

By the end of the war, they were being employed as specialists in their own right, providing vital intelligence as well as cover for advancing troops by dealing with machine gunners and enemy snipers. During 1918, the retreating Germans used a potent mix of snipers and machine gunners to pin down attacking Allied units, providing protected withdrawal for their own units, with little risk to themselves. These small units then melted away to re-form again a few miles farther back. By the end of the war in November 1918, there was little doubt that the age of the sniper had arrived. However, in the lean postwar years of the 1920s and 1930s, virtually no government in Europe, the Dominions or the United States wished to devote time or resources to building up its armed forces. After all, the War to End All Wars had just been fought, and there seemed no justifiable reason to do so.

There was one exception to this, and that was Soviet Russia, at the time probably the only major power to have had cause, since 1918, to seriously re-evaluate its sniping doctrine. During the war it had employed no dedicated snipers at all, and, as a result, Russian soldiers suffered grievously from the well-equipped German and Austrian snipers.

In the early 1930s, the Soviet Union had embarked on a massive modernization of its armed forces, and that included sniper training. Russia had used the venerable Mosin-Nagant rifle, chambered in 7.62x54 mm R, since its introduction in 1891. Although not the most sophisticated rifle in design or construction, it was simple, strong and accurate enough for combat use to around 500 yds. The early rifles were then

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upgraded with a rounded receiver that simplified production, improved iron sights, a re-designed bolt and a barrel shortened to 28.7" to become the Model 91/30.

It is a curious irony that the first Mosin-Nagant sniper variants came to fruition as part of a series of technology exchanges between the Soviets and the new Nazi regime in the early 1930s. Thus, the earliest sniping models, with PE (“Unified Model”) and later PEM (“Unified Model Improved”) scopes were manufactured by Emil Busch AG, and later scopes were made in Russia in a factory equipped by Carl Zeiss. Although optically excellent, these early 4X scopes were long and heavy and their vulnerable mounting systems were easily damaged by careless handling. Russia had gained some practical sniping experience during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) by deploying sniper units, with the Soviets aiding the Republicans while the Germans provided material help to the Nationalists. Sniper tactics were improved compared to those of World War I, with increased deployment of snipers alongside machine gun units and more effective use of them in both attack and defense.

But Spain was never more than a sideshow in Europe, and on Nov. 30, 1939, Russia’s invasion of neutral Finland was to prove far more instructive, and much more costly. Having the men and rifles was one thing, employing them correctly was another, as Russia was about to find out.

Soviet snipers during the “Winter War” found themselves outshot and tactically outmaneuvered by the Finns, who were used to the bitter winter cold, which could drop to -50˚ F. In a curious twist of fate, the Finnish army also had its own sniper sections equipped with variants of the Russian Mosin-Nagant, Model 27 and Model 28-30 rifles. While scopes were fitted to many rifles, they often proved problematic; the temperatures caused mount screws to shear and the adjuster turrets to freeze.

Reticles broke in the fearsome cold, and if the scope was kept next to the body to prevent it from freezing, its optics misted up the instant it was fitted to the rifle. Any lubricant used in the rifle mechanism turned to glue, locking the bolt firmly in place and causing cartridges to jam in frozen magazines.

As a result, most Finnish snipers preferred to use their hunting skills to get close enough to the Russian soldiers to kill using iron sights or even using submachine guns.

The greatest practitioner of this was undoubtedly Simo Häyhä, a hunter by profession who stalked Russian soldiers with extraordinary skill, accounting for 505 confirmed kills. Although Russia eventually ended the war with a treaty in March 1940, it had paid a terrible price, losing american rifleman

SOVIET SNIPING around 350,000 men. Inevitably, a revision of sniper tactics followed, and to encourage marksmanship the Voroshilov Sharpshooter Badge was introduced in 1932, although it should be stressed that this was not a sniper qualification, the Sniper Award not being introduced until 1942. The deficiencies in the PE/PEM scopes and mounts were also addressed. The original mount was too high and required five fitting screws, so a lower, one-piece pattern, retained by one large thumbscrew, was adopted. In addition, a new scope, the PU, was also introduced. It was shorter-bodied and of slightly less power, at 3.5X, but lighter and incorporated simple, easily adjusted elevation and windage drums.

The PU-equipped Mosin-Nagant was to remain the standard Soviet sniping rifle until replaced by the Dragunov in 1963.

Initial confrontation with Soviet snipers in the early weeks of the invasion of Russia in 1941 proved to be a demoralizing experience for the Germans. Units of snipers (to the Germans the Russians initially appeared to have a limitless number), worked cohesively and efficiently to stop advancing German columns, and the Soviets worked in large, effective teams.

A Russian infantry commander wrote, “A staff car appeared, Corporal Mikhailov fired … the car ran off the road … with other vehicles behind it. When the column closed within effective range, it was met with a hail of unhurried, wellaimed accurate shots. The lead vehicle was brought to a halt and blocked the road … lorries collided with each other and piled up. The Germans needed to push several vehicles from the road to clear the right of way, but hardly had the convoy moved forward when the snipers opened fire again.” By firing and then retreating to new position, the dozen snipers caused mayhem, enabling the German column to advance only two miles in 24 hours. Indeed, it slowed them to a point where Soviet armor later caught up and destroyed them.

Many of the snipers had received only the most basic of training; Soviet doctrine was to provide very basic sniper training in rear areas, then attach a pair of snipers, called “leverets” to an experienced man, to give them on-the-spot training. Many didn’t last long enough to become experienced. At Stalingrad, two weeks was the average lifespan of a neophyte sniper. Ivor Peneshsky, who corresponded with the author for some years, was trained by Vasily Zaitsev and stated that he had 10 days of basic training behind the front lines then: “We were assigned to working sniper squads, two of us attached to an experienced sniper. We were told to watch and learn and do nothing unless we were instructed to. Our training under Zaitsev had been very good, very thorough, and we were fortunate indeed. All of the other squads became casualties by the end of the month, but we two survived.”

If there was one thing the Russians were not short of it was men, or women, to train as snipers. The only response was for the Germans to bring forward their own counter-sniping teams.

Josef “Sepp” Allerberger, who became Germany’s second highest

scoring sniper with 257 official kills, later commented that he was surprised at how inexperienced the Soviet snipers were.

He couldn’t believe they would “… make the cardinal error of shooting from a tree without the ability of retreat or taking cover … while they were good shots, they were tactically inexperienced. Like sacks, the Russians fell from the trees.“ On one occasion, he reported shooting 18 enemy soldiers within an hour. What shocked the Germans more was the fact that a significant percentage of these snipers were women, Russia uniquely employing large numbers of female snipers.

Generally, the Mosin-Nagant, when used by a competent sniper, was capable of accurate shooting at 800 or more meters. Peneshsky said he was not up to the standard of the great snipers, but he was able to make head shots at 200 meters and guarantee a body shot, given favorable weather conditions, at 500 meters. He said his favorite targets were machine gun crews, whom he hated. “Shooting them was like shooting rats. Because of our snipers, they began to put camouflaged armored plates in front of their guns, so we had to move to the flanks to try and pinpoint them. We would get a couple of our men on their front to shoot or move about and draw their fire, and when they opened up they immediately gave away their position. The strange thing was, as soon as one went down, another would take his place. I once shot five, all head shots, all within the space of 15 minutes. They never seemed to learn.”

The Russians continued to produce scoped Mosin-Nagant rifles throughout the war, and Soviet arms plants were geared up to produce PU-equipped sniper rifles, with between 185,000-200,000 being manufactured during its service life.

The Red Army, though, was also very aware that the firepower of a bolt rifle was limited, and in situations where mass attacks took place or in built-up areas, semi-automatics were preferable. They had not been resting on their laurels where this was concerned. But Soviet semi-automatic sniper rifle development and use will have to wait for another day.

The Mosin-Nagant with the PEM scope’s mount (top, r.) proved to be somewhat fragile in combat, but the optics were excellent. The later, more compact PU scope (bottom, r.) had easily adjustable windage and elevation drums and a rugged, simplified mount.

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HANDGUN

Kahr Fir

Steering Its Own Market

KAHR CW9

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Photos by Forrest MacCormack

rearms New York-turned-Pennsylvania firearm firm reinvented the concealed carry pistol, charged a premium for its quality construction and now hopes to target a lower-priced market segment with its recent introductions. Here’s a look at the Kahr Firearms Group, its vision and the driving force behind the wheel.

BY JEFF JOHNSTON, Field Editor

KAHR K40

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KAHR t all began at around age 14 when Justin Moon’s older brother took him target shooting. Like most boys, the impressionable Moon naturally loved shooting and became infatuated. At 18, Moon, who was born in Korea, acquired his New York State concealed carry permit, but, after gaining some practical experience with a handgun buried under his belt, he felt that most carry guns at the time were either too bulky to fully conceal or too slight of caliber to be effective. What separates guys like Moon from most firearm enthusiasts is that he decided to do something about it.

“The best carry gun is one that you always carry with you,” said Moon, a philosophy he still very much believes in today, and one that continues to steer Kahr’s gun designs.

During college at Harvard, from which he’d soon graduate with a degree in economics, Moon began sketching designs for an ultra-compact handgun—a thin one that was a single-stack and chambered in 9 mm Luger rather than .380 ACP. Using his imagination, carry experience and pure tinkering talent, he designed a gun from the ground up by mimicking features of other guns he liked, discarding those he didn’t and filling in the rest with a design that placed the hand as high as possible in relation to the bore line and felt good to shoot. His new gun delivered 9 mm Luger stopping power, yet was smaller

A PM9 has been the author’s constant companion for more than 15 years. The gun has upgraded XS Big Dot sights— and skateboard tape around the polymer grip frame.

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than the typical double-stack autoloaders of the day. It was always intended as a carry gun, and not a full-size model that was merely chopped off.

Striving for perfect machining quality and smoothness of function, Moon chose all-steel, CNC-machined construction. He was also dissatisfied with the triggers of strikerfired guns of the day, so he set out to design a better one, his lack of an engineering degree be darned.

Realizing that handguns meant for concealed carry are defensive tools rather than offensive ones, he dreamed up a trigger that felt similar to that of a double-action revolver.

He reasoned it would be safer when the gun was drawn during the height of an adrenaline release.

Of out-of-the-box ideas he had plenty, but Moon was savvy enough to know his limitations. He needed a prototype, and for that he needed engineers, CAD designs and machining equipment. During his senior year at Harvard he began renting time at a local machining company.

There he met his soon-to-be-longtime partner and his first employee, Frank Harris.

“One day in 1993 Justin said, ‘Hey, I’m looking for someone to help me market and sell guns.’ I thought that sounded good,” said Harris, a military brat who’d moved to New York via North Carolina and knew his way around a machine shop. They agreed on key aspects of what the ideal concealed carry gun should be. So a few months later, the two set off for the SHOT Show and other places to find gun parts and develop their design ideas.

“At the time, Glock had its 26 and 27, but they were chunky,” Harris recalled. “Justin’s P9 prototype was singlestack and lightweight. We could see what the trend was in the concealed carry market, and the P9 was done well and was ahead of the trend. So, in 1994, we came out with a product that was a lot smaller and slimmer than other 9 mm-andlarger semi-autos at the time. Most of the big companies weren’t even in this new sub-compact market yet.”

Moon perfected Kahr’s now-trademarked, simple-yet-safe “Safe Cam” double-action-only (DAO) trigger system that uses a rotating cam to push the spring-loaded striker back via a transfer bar, while also pushing the striker-block safety mechanism down and out of the way. The 5-lb., 8-oz., average pull weight that you feel when you press a Kahr trigger is the physical force used to compress the firing pin spring.

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KAHR PM9

UPDATE: GEN 2

B

ack in 2015, Kahr began working on a second generation of pistols that would feature slides with opticmounting cuts, lighter double-action-only trigger pulls, extended barrels, muzzle

brakes and other design changes to make its single-stack pistols more conducive to target shooting and competition. The project, however, has been put on hold.

Company representatives report that they

are not entirely happy with the new trigger design, and, in keeping with Kahr’s culture of quality, the company wishes to release the Gen 2 guns only when they’re perfect. We’ll keep you updated.

Kahr’s founder and owner Justin Moon As the cam rotates to the valley of the received seven patents on the original K9. pull, it flattens so that the trigger sear Both Magnum Research and Auto-Ordnance slips off of it and the spring snaps the are now part of the Kahr Firearms Group. firing pin forward to strike the primer.

The entire system is safe, effective and has only a few parts that could possibly back in the slide than other similar ever break. Some shooters who are used striker-fired guns, and by doing so it to Glock-style two-stage triggers don’t reduced gas and shell grime impactions like it. Others do. that could cause malfunctions. Moon The K9, like all subsequent Kahr was awarded multiple patents for the pistols, could be safely carried without design, and today each Kahr contains a manual safety, fully loaded like a seven such patented features, although revolver—in a purse or pocket—and a few of the patents have since expired. with more protection from an inadverHappy with the prototype, Moon tent trigger pull. named his new company Kahr Arms.

“In defensive shooting situations, I asked him the reasoning for such a when your adrenaline is pumping and European-sounding name.

Photo courtesy of the Kahr Firearms Group you are under a great deal of stress, “I believed that given Germany’s you lose fine motor control,” Moon said. “The longer stroke reputation for engineering great products, whether guns or of the double-action-only trigger helps to ensure that even cars, using a German surname would be helpful in marunder stress all shots are intentional. With a little bit of keting my new pistol,” Moon said. “And as an interesting practice in learning how to stage the trigger under recoil, side note, Gustav Von Kahr was the mayor of Munich who however, you can fire Kahr pistols as fast as you can fire a imprisoned Hitler after his failed Munich Putsch in 1923.” single-action trigger.”

Kahr Arms shipped 100 of its first model, the 23.1-oz., Keep in mind, designing micro-sized semi-automatics 0.9" wide, all-steel, seven-round-capacity, 9 mm Kahr K9, isn’t easy; there’s an acute lack of space with which to in December 1994. The timing, for the company at least, work. The trigger’s transfer bar alone was an issue that had was stellar. to be solved by shaping it perfectly around the magazine If you recall, President Clinton imposed the so-called well and by slightly offsetting the feed ramp. But as a “assault weapons” ban that year that made the manureward, the design placed the firing pin mechanism farther facture and importation of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds illegal. This made prospective carry Materials and sizes gun purchasers ponder whether the common, double-stack may change, but semi-automatics that were wider and, therefore, tougher the mechanics are to conceal were worth their mandated maximum of three the same on all extra rounds. Savvy consumers did not believe so. However, of Kahr’s single- these people also believed Kahrs could be made lighter by stack, striker-fired, utilizing a polymer frame.

Moon was already on top of it. At the time, SIG Sauer double-actiononly guns. offered its small-frame, single-stack P239, but it weighed 26 ozs.—there were a few other guns under the 25-oz. mark, but most either had dated controls (i.e., Colt’s 1903) or were chambered in .380 ACP or smaller. So, in 1999, Kahr released its P (polymer) Series pistols that, at 17 ozs. in 9 mm Luger (with magazine), proved to be an industry changer.

Kahr Rounds The Corner

Soon Kahr’s brand took off, thanks in part to this ridiculous law but mainly due to its dehorned, hard-hitting and expertly machined guns that quickly developed a reputation for quality, reliability and accuracy out of their WaltherLothar, polygonal-rifled barrels. Their size and quality placed AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

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kahr Kahr handguns in a category all their own. Consumers ate them up, and Kahr was off to the races. Then the only question was: Could Moon’s new ideas keep pace?

Looking to the future, in 1999 he purchased AutoOrdnance Corp.—the company that makes Tommy Guns— from Numrich Gun Parts. But even while hedging for the future, he never let the company lose focus on the finish line. He wanted his Kahr offerings to go even smaller, perhaps into the front pocket of a pair of blue jeans.

Moon and company found they could simply shorten the barrels and slides of existing models to make them even lighter and more concealable. So, in 2001, Kahr released its PM (Polymer, Micro) Series. Chambered in 9 mm Luger— and later in .40 S&W and .45 ACP—the 3.1"-barreled gun held six or seven rounds in its extended magazine; it featured all the controls and sights of a full-size gun, yet weighed under 16 ozs., with its magazine.

By this time the Kahr brand had developed some mystique among the concealed carry crowd because it was different, felt good in the hand and on the waist, and it was priced higher than even the top brands of the day such as SIG and Heckler & Koch. It also became a favorite backup gun for New York policemen.

Meanwhile, fresh from my concealed carry class and with a new Virginia CCW permit in my wallet, I had to have one.

Setting The Pace

After purchasing a PM9, I replaced its factory sights with an XS Big Dot and then, to the chagrin of my “expert” friends, wrapped some cloth tape around its grip to lend my hand better purchase; the hard, thin polymer grip can get slippery with sweat. Since then, I’ve carried that gun nearly every day for 15 years, and I’m still doing so despite a host of top-end, albeit slightly bigger, handguns in my safe. Indeed, I also share Moon’s philosophy on concealed carry, which is that if it’s even slightly uncomfortable, it won’t be carried all the time. The PM9 is so small that I can even drive with it in its inside-thewaistband leather Don Hume holster without it bothering me. I’ve bowled with it and worn it to weddings—dancing weddings! It’s one of the only guns that I’ve ever actually been able to put on my waist, forget that I have it on— and still shoot it well when I draw. For appendix carry, where grip length and slide width is everything, I believe the PM9 is one of the best guns ever made. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one to take notice.

These days most of the major handgun makers— including Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Glock, SIG, Beretta, etc.—produce a gun of similar size, although technically the PM Series is slightly smaller. Sure, Kel-Tec and Ruger produce true pocket pistols of under 10 ozs., but those guns fall into a whole new sub-micro class and, as such, are not easy to shoot well, nor are they fun to shoot. The PM’s only downfall? In 2017, its MSRP was more than $800 with a real-world price over $600. While I don’t think that paying top-dollar for a gun that you wear every day, lasts a lifetime and one on which you

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may stake your life is too much to ask, that pill is a little harder to swallow knowing you can now buy a similar-sized Glock 43 for around $450.

In response to the recent market swell with the introduction of S&W’s excellent Shield and Walther’s PPS, I can only speculate that Kahr may have been feeling sales slip. So it introduced a value line of guns that have fewer bells and whistles than its “premium” (original) lines. For example, its CW9 features a pinned front sight rather than a dovetailed one (its rear sight remains drift-adjustable), rolled lettering on the slide, regular rifling rather than polygonal, and it comes with only one magazine. Its slide and some of its parts are not made from 416 steel bar stock and are not coated like its premium lines. As such, the C Series has a suggested retail price of $487 but sells for around $350. I think it’s a bargain at that.

At the 2017 NRA annual meetings in Atlanta, Kahr unveiled its latest guns, the S Series. Its S9 (like other models, it also comes in .40 S&W and .45 ACP) may be Kahr’s best carry gun ever, considering it has updated features such as an integral accessory rail, yet stays slim with its singlestack, seven-round, updated magazine that’s easier to grasp than Kahr’s older flush-mount magazines, and also provides some purchase for the pinky. And I was onto something with my grip tape; the company now even offers a Hoguemade rubber grip that slides over its plastic to lend more purchase. At 16 ozs. and 0.9" wide (significantly thinner than even Glock’s 43), it’s an updated version of the original P Series that costs significantly less. The ST, on the other hand, features a 4" barrel, a longer grip that holds eight rounds in the magazine; at 19 ozs., it’s a gun you can shoot at the range all day and then carry it all night. Both guns retail for $477, but both can be found in the mid-$300s.

Kahr also makes other lines, including its T Series and M Series pistols, and each model is offered in 9 mm, .40 and .45, in various barrel lengths. Recently Kahr even made a C Series pistol for the .380 crowd that weighs 11 ozs. Indeed, to date Kahr has a wide-ranging portfolio of pistols to suit all who desire a quality lightweight single-stack. Plenty of people do, and Moon’s vision has paid off royally for him.

But just like his products, it’s easy to admire this American’s principles.

Space is at a premium inside Kahr’s pistols. One of Moon’s patents covers the offset feed ramp, which allows room for the gun’s trigger bar on the right. american rifleman

One difference between the C Series and the rest of the Kahr line are the fixed front sights, instead of the dovetailed units found on the more expensive options.

+ Carry Positions  Easily Shifts to 11 Configurations All  Comfortable in ed nte ara  Forever Gu

Expansion

In 2013, Moon purchased 620 acres in Greeley, Pa., and soon after began construction on a 40,000-sq.-ft. facility to include corporate offices, engineering, warehousing and manufacturing capabilities. In July 2015 Kahr moved there due to the passage of New York’s SAFE Act. “We were looking for a friendlier environment for our business,” Harris said, who is now Kahr’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The way [New York] passed the SAFE Act bill left us feeling a lot of uncertainties going forward. Why take a chance when we can be in a state where they’re not looking to cause us any problems?”

Currently, Kahr employs 180 workers in three states. Now called the Kahr Firearms Group, it owns the Auto-Ordnance “Tommy Gun” brand, as well as Magnum Research, which is most famous for its Desert Eagle handguns. Look for new products soon.

For example, Magnum Research just introduced a .22 rifle with an integrally suppressed, tensioned barrel called the Magnum Lite. AutoOrdnance released its first AR-15style rifle under its Thompson brand at the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings.

I suspect Rifleman readers will be delighted to know there’s talk of an M1 Garand.

“Kahr’s goal is to make as many guns and gun parts as possible in the United States, so we can create our own destiny and not be affected by the whims of the government,” Moon said.

“We currently produce guns in our

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continued on p. 84 AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

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71

HISTORICAL

With more than a million made, the Mauser C96 Broomhandle was one of the most successful pistols of all time.

Less familiar are the many experimental and developmental Mausers that didn’t make the grade.

C96, 20-SHOT, SERIAL NO. 748, 7.63X25 MM MAUSER

BY DR. LEONARDO M. ANTARIS C96, SYSTEM MAUSER, SERIAL NO. 93, 7.63X25 MM MAUSER

C96, MODEL 1905, SERIAL NO. 50033, 9 MM EXPORT

MAUSER MODEL 1915, SERIAL NO. 2, .45 ACP

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MAUSER MODEL 1912-14, SERIAL NO. 29, 9 MM PARABELLUM

MAUSER MODEL 1916-22, SERIAL NO. 29, 9 MM PARABELLUM

MARCH 2018

MAUSER MODEL 1906-08, SERIAL NO. 55, 9 MM EXPORT

MAUSER MODEL 1912-14, SERIAL NO. 35, 9 MM PARABELLUM

MAUSER HSC PROTOTYPE, 9 MM PARABELLUM

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAUSER HSV, SERIAL NO. 1030, 9 MM PARABELLUM

Photos by author

AN EXPLORATION OF UNUSUAL PISTOLS AND CARBINES

C96, CONEHAMMER CARBINE, SERIAL NO. 13, 7.63X25 MM MAUSER

MAUSER MODEL 1910, SERIAL NO. 2, .45 ACP

C96, MODEL 1902, SERIAL NO. 50002, 9 MM EXPORT

MAUSER MODEL 1910, SERIAL NO. 4, .45 ACP

MAUSER MODEL 1912-14, SERIAL NO. 51, 9 MM PARABELLUM

MAUSER MODEL 1912-14, SERIAL NO. 174, 9 MM PARABELLUM

MAUSER MODEL 1912, SERIAL NO. 2, .45 ACP

MAUSER TRENCH CARBINE MODEL 1917, SERIAL NO. 5, 9 MM PARABELLUM

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MAUSERS One of just a handful of 20-round-capacity 7.63x25 mm Mauser C96s in the 74X serial range, No. 748 has a nonreinforced barrel extension and a stock whose matching lug was numbered on the forward face.

e all know that the course to success is never easy and doesn’t come overnight. It doesn’t matter whether the focus is education, athletic achievement, diplomatic accord or commercial profitability; success requires tremendous perseverance. As Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

While one could certainly argue that Mauser worked with a more favorable ratio, finished products never “fell off the shelf.” Every model had to be designed, built and tested—an expensive process that was often fraught with pitfalls, dead ends and abject failures. It is human nature that no one likes to remember this part of the equation. But, by studying the failures and iterative improvements, we can best appreciate the work of Paul Mauser, Josef Nickl and Alex Seidel—just a few of Mauser’s extraordinary designers who conceived some of the finest firearms in the world.

One of the most iconic of Mauser’s pistols is the C96 Broomhandle. While credit for its design remains in dispute (Paul Mauser vs. the Federle brothers), there can be no argument that Mauser made more than a million C96s in a variety of configurations. The gun was incredibly successful and was powerful, durable and very charismatic. Yet, as one might suspect, the C96 didn’t reach its final form overnight. The very first pistols were

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markedly different from later guns in having a distinct step between the large-diameter chamber and the smaller, untapered barrel. The majority were marked “SYSTEM MAUSER” on top of the chamber, had solid rails, a singlelug locking block and checkered stocks. Most later pistols, beginning with serial number 200, had the more familiar tapered barrel, fluted rails, a two-lug locking block and serrated stocks.

From the beginning, the C96 was offered in six-shot, 10-shot and 20-shot versions. From a collector’s standpoint, the rarest and most striking guns were the 20-shots made with an integral magazine. Mauser made about 75 milledpanel guns that appeared in three variations, depending on the details specific to a particular serial range. They were all matched to an unusually large shoulder stock whose body was made from a single piece of European walnut.

Despite their tremendous “curb appeal,” these large, unwieldy and frankly cumbersome guns saw little, if any, actual use. In this case, Mauser didn’t really care, for their ostentatious presentation gave new meaning to the words “pride of ownership.”

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

This early 7.63x25 mm Mauser C96, Serial No. 93, is marked “SYSTEM MAUSER,” and has a step barrel, solid rails, single-lug locking block (not shown) and checkered stocks.

Mauser Model 1912-14, Serial No. 174, in 9 mm Parabellum, has a 50-500-meter graduated rear sight and matching shoulder stock. Only a few of these pistols were assembled near the end of production.

At the same time, Mauser also made a limited number of C96 carbines, sequentially numbered in a separate range from 1-1100 (approximately), whose main features underwent the same evolutionary improvements as the pistols. As one might expect, the first 30 carbines were Conehammers, most having an 117⁄8" heavy ribbed barrel, a pinned 50-500meter rear sight and flat rails. Seen as a rich man’s toy, few were sold and even fewer now survive, explaining their desirability, particularly among hardcore collectors.

One of the C96’s features that Paul Mauser seemed to perennially address was the safety, whose form changed several times during the gun’s production. Aside from the usual and well-established configurations on the frame’s

This C96 Conehammer Carbine, Serial No. 13, is in 7.63x25 mm Mauser, has a pinned 50-500-meter graduated rear sight, flat rails and 117⁄8" barrel. The cumbersome carbines saw little use.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

left, Mauser delved into two short-lived explorations.

In 1902, Mauser patented a “jointed hammer safety” for more convenient, one-handed cocking. Rotating the safety forward blocked the hammer from hitting the firing pin. To fire, the safety had to be pulled back and locked to the rear. Complex and awkward, only a few guns were fitted with this mechanism, examples having been recorded from 28XXX-50XXX. In 1905, Mauser designed another safety. In this case, a small projection extended from the left side of the hammer to act upon a reciprocal lug on the safety lever. If the safety was applied with the hammer down, cocking the hammer would automatically cam the safety into the “off” position. If applied while the hammer was cocked, the hammer could not be dropped. Although an improvement over the 1902 hammer safety, there was so little added advantage compared to the existing design that it, too, remained in the experimental category.

As an aggressive manufacturer, Mauser was continually designing new products. One of the most interesting pistols was the Model 1906-08 chambered for the 9x21 mm cartridge, often referenced as the 9 mm Export. Approximately 100 of these guns were assembled, sequentially numbered in an independent range from 1-100. This was the first Mauser pistol to have a detachable magazine in front of the grip, and the first to have the flap-locked, action-retarding mechanism. Even though the Model 1906-08 was never introduced commercially, the design effort was far from a failure, for its features were carried forward to the Model 1910 in .45 ACP, the Model 1912-14 and the Model 1915 Flieger carbine and rifle.

Although Mauser did not participate in the U.S. military pistol trial of 1907, the firm was keenly aware of the .45 ACP cartridge, and experimented with a series of MARCH 2018

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Paul Mauser tried various safeties, including a jointed hammer safety on C96 Model 1902, Serial No. 50002, in 9 mm Export. It has the highest known serial number.

delayed-blowback pistols. Several lines of development were pursued independently, each numbered in a separate serial range. The first .45 ACP guns had a forward frame buffer, a vertically dropping, action-retarding block and a sidelatch to access the firing mechanism. To streamline production, Mauser dispensed with the frame buffer and eliminated the sidelatch. Inadequate to manage the recoil, this design was quickly eliminated. Mauser’s third attempt to make a reliable pistol for the .45 ACP placed a pair of horizontally rotating, retarding flaps in the forward frame. That was the same concept as previously implemented in the Model 1906-08 and set the stage for the Model 1912-14s.

To the casual observer, the 9 mm Parabellum Model 1912-14 might appear as a Model 1910 in 6.35 mm (.25 ACP) “on steroids.” Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.

A scarce pistol, Mauser manufactured fewer than 200 Model 1912-14s in a variety of configurations. The earliest guns had a conventional-appearing slide with a hand-engraved three-line address. The serrated area was soon elevated for better grasping after which the markings transitioned to a two-line address. Most Model 1912-14s were marked with a single line, die-rolled legend. Minor changes were directed to the forward frame and a few guns, usually with a serial number above 100, were assembled with matching shoulder stocks. All of them were numbered in a separate, sequential serial range and considered experimental guns. Toward the end of the Model 1912-14 production, Mauser completed a handful of shoulder-stocked guns with tangent rear sights.

Known as the “Armee Pistole,” a few were reportedly sent to the Brazilian navy in 1913; others were used for commercial promotion. Recorded serial numbers, intermixed with standard-production guns, are in the range 141-174.

Following the death of Paul Mauser in 1914, Mauser’s development program was taken over by Josef Nickl. One of the first full-size pistols to have his well-known rotating barrel system was a Model 1915, No. 2, dated “17.2.1915” for Feb. 17, 1915. Soon afterward, Nickl came out with a simplified series of rotating-barrel guns chambered in

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7.65 mm Browning (.32 ACP), 9 mm Kurz (.380 ACP), 9 mm Parabellum (9 mm Luger) and .45 ACP. Fewer than 100 were completed for internal review. Seemingly poised for introduction, the project was halted. Just why Mauser pushed this effort aside remains unclear, as hundreds of thousands of pistols based on the same design were sold under license by CZ as the Model 1922, and were followed by the Model 1924 and Model 1927.

Toward the end of World War I, Mauser assembled a small number of Model 1917 Trench Carbines. Hoping to interest the German military in a new arm for close-quarters combat, the gun was based on the C96 action, chambered for 9 mm Parabellum, and sequentially numbered from 1-40. Although the surviving examples differ in chamber markings, hammer design, trigger guard configuration and barrel length, all were made to hold a detachable magazine. Capacities varied, with the most impressive being a stick magazine holding 40 cartridges. But the Mauser was deemed too expensive to replace the stocked Luger with snail drum magazine (already in service with the German army), so the project was abandoned. Given the ravages of time, only a few guns survived.

Many years later, in the early 1930s, Mauser decided to create a family of pistols related to the HSc. Simply supersizing the HSc for 9 mm Parabellum was impractical, for the blowback pistol could not handle the more powerful cartridge. So it was back to the drawing board, this time with Alex Seidel spearheading the project. By 1935, Mauser was

With a single-line, rolleddie address and larger serial numbers, Mauser Model 1912-14, Serial No. 51, was in 9 mm Parabellum. This was the final and most frequently encountered form of the pistol.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAUSERS

Mauser Model 1910, Serial No. 4 (first variation), was chambered in .45 ACP and had a frame buffer and sidelatch.

Mauser Model 1906-08, Serial No. 55, has a 15-shot 9 mm Export magazine.

ready to test the first prototypes. While the new pistol still had an HSc-type recoil spring wrapped around the barrel, the area below the chamber was modified to allow function as a locked breech. Other modifications included the use of a push-button magazine release and screwless stock panels that were cleverly secured by a recessed, sliding wedge. One of the first completed pistols was externally unmarked except for the “Crown/U” proofing on the slide and a “No. 2” on the eight-shot magazine. Later guns of this configuration had the left side of the slide marked with the usual Mauser address and were numbered in the experimental “V” prefix serial range.

In 1937, the German military called for a formal test trial to replace the expensive and often temperamental Luger.

Entries had to have fewer components than the P08, be easier to make, have an exposed barrel, an external hammer and a heel-mounted magazine release. Mauser’s entry, designated the HSv (“v” = versuch translating “test”), was based on the above prototype with extensive modification to meet the guidelines. The most drastic change was to replace the barrel-wrapped recoil spring with a pair of recoil springs on either side of the frame, in an arrangement similar to the early Webley and Manufrance Le Francais pistols.

Although the HSv was narrower, had better ergonomics and objectively outperformed the Walther P38, its cost precluded final selection. It is estimated that only five to 10 were manufactured, of which three are known to still exist. All were serial numbered in the experimental “V” prefix range, with No. V1030 having the lowest known number.

Although fascinating to explore, the above are just a few of Mauser’s early experimental pistols and C96-based carbines; new examples continue to surface on a regular basis. The important message is that Mauser took its developmental program very seriously. The sometimespainful failures were part of life’s struggles and, true to the human spirit, overcoming those adversities made Mauser a stronger and more capable firm—ultimately propelling it to become one of the world’s premier manufacturers of small arms.

This Mauser, along with about 100 Nickl pistols, was assembled for internal evaluation, but never offered commercially.

All were very similar to the familiar CZ 1922. Mauser Model 1916/22, Serial No. 29, in 9 mm Parabellum.

Mauser HSc prototype, in 9 mm Parabellum, is reminiscent of the HSc in 7.65 mm Browning but with modifications to handle the more powerful cartridge.

Mauser HSv, Serial No. 1030, in 9 mm Parabellum, was designed to compete in the 1937 German military test trial. After the trial was won by the Walther P38, Mauser abandoned further production, leaving the few remaining pistols as true rarities.

Readers who have any questions or wish to contribute additional insight are invited to contact the author directly at: antaris_leonardo@msn.com.

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DOPE BAG

BROWNING BUCK MARK FIELD TARGET SUPPRESSOR READY B

rowning introduced the Buck Mark .22 Long Rifle pistol line in 1985, replacing the company’s Challenger Series pistols.

Engineered to provide sportsmen with an accurate and dependable rimfire pistol, the Buck Mark line was also designed to be affordable.

Browning currently offers more than 20 variations of the Buck Mark with different barrel lengths, finishes and

stocks. The subject of this review is one of Browning’s newest iterations of the Buck Mark: the Field Target Suppressor Ready.

This particular model features an all-steel, 5½", heavy-profile barrel measuring 0.90" in diameter. The muzzle end of the barrel is reduced to 0.50" and threaded 1/2x28 TPI for the potential use of a suppressor or a similarly threaded muzzle device, and a steel thread protector is included.

For accuracy’s sake, each Buck Mark chamber is hand-reamed. The Buck Mark receivers are all CNC-machined from 7075-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, and are anodized a matte black to match the non-reflective bluing of their slides and barrels.

Browning outfits the Buck Mark with its Pro-Target rear sight, which offers 16 clicks of adjustment per revolution compared to the industry standard of 12, giving shooters every edge in precisely zeroing their pistols. On this Field Target model,

a Patridge-style front sight is used.

The sights are not slide-mounted, so they do not move when the slide cycles, and an integral Picatinny rail runs from the front sight to the rear sight giving the shooter the ability to mount a scope, red-dot or reflex optic.

Controls of the Buck Mark are conveniently located for right-hand shooters, and can be manipulated by the shooter’s thumb while maintaining a firing grip. There’s a slide lock and a manual safety, the latter of which blocks the sear when engaged in its up position. The magazine release is located in an M1911inspired location. Depressing it will eject the 10-round magazine forcibly, as a spring-loaded magazine ejector exerts pressure on the magazine’s floorplate. Browning uses a magazine safety on the Buck Mark, and, as a result, the pistol will not fire without the magazine in place. Browning cautions against dry-firing the gun; since the firing pin impacts the rim

In addition to an adjustable Pro-Target rear sight and a fixed Patridge-style front, the Field Target Suppressor Ready also comes with an integral, full-length Picatinny rail for the installation of an optic. The muzzle end of the barrel is threaded 1/2x28 TPI for use with a suppressor or similarly threaded muzzle device, and a thread protector is included.

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AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

BROWNING BUCK MARK FIELD TARGET SUPPRESSOR READY

MANUFACTURER: BROWNING (DEPT. AR), ONE BROWNING PLACE, MORGAN, UT 84050; (800) 333-3288; BROWNING.COM 10"

of the cartridge, dry-firing can cause peening on the chamber end of the barrel as well as undue stress on the firing pin.

Our test gun’s trigger broke crisply at 3 lbs., 12 ozs., of pressure with very little overtravel. The pivoting trigger is wide and curved, which our evaluators found to be comfortable for precision shooting. Browning has added a splash of color to the Field Target Suppressor Ready by gold plating the trigger and adorning the frame with red cocobolo stocks.

It didn’t take long to get the rear Pro-Target sight zeroed for 25-yd. shooting. Most of our groups using the iron sights at this distance measured around 1", but in an effort to find the gun’s true accuracy potential we mounted a Simmons 2.5-7X pistol scope and fired groups with three different ammunition loads with the scope’s magnification set on 5X. Shooting from a DOA Tactical portable bench and using a Millett BenchMaster for support, we fired five, five-shot groups with each type of ammunition.

Remington/Eley’s Match EPS load produced both the smallest individual group and the tightest five-group average, at 0.56" and 0.60", respectively. However, the average for all 15 groups measured only 0.66", which is remarkable accuracy for a production rimfire pistol at this range. The heavy-profile steel barrel gives the Field Target Suppressor Ready a good degree of heft, weighing in at 38 ozs.

The crosshairs never moved off the target, and we were able to watch our rounds impact the paper.

During our 300-round evaluation, there were six failures to eject, with at least one from every load tested. There were also three failures to detonate—a fairly

5.5" MAGAZINE: 10-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX

SIGHTS: PRO-TARGET 5.5"

CHAMBERING: .22 LONG RIFLE ACTION TYPE: BLOWBACKOPERATED, SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIMFIRE PISTOL

RECEIVER: 7075-T6 BLACKANODIZED ALUMINUM

BARREL: STEEL; 1:16" RH TWIST; THREADED 1/2X28 TPI

FULLY ADJUSTABLE REAR, PATRIDGE-STYLE FRONT; PICATINNY RAIL FOR OPTICS TRIGGER: SINGLE-ACTION; 3-LB., 12-OZ. PULL WIDTH: 17⁄16" WEIGHT: 38 OZS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, SOFT CASE, LOCK MSRP: $599

SHOOTING RESULTS (25 YDS.)

.22 LONG RIFLE CARTRIDGE

VEL. @ 10' (F.P.S.)

ENERGY (FT.-LBS.)

CCI MINI-MAG 40-GR. RN

1129 AVG. 27 SD

113

0.68

0.73

0.71

FEDERAL AUTOMATCH 40-GR. RN

1109 AVG. 21 SD

109

0.57

0.81

0.68

REMINGTON MATCH EPS 40-GR. LFN

1024 AVG. 11 SD

93

0.56

0.69

0.60

AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD

GROUP SIZE (INCHES) LARGEST AVERAGE SMALLEST

0.66

NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS FIRED OVER A PACT PROFESSIONAL XP CHRONOGRAPH AT 10 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 25 YDS. FROM A MILLETT BENCHMASTER. TEMPERATURE: 72° F. HUMIDITY: 21%.

ABBREVIATIONS: LFN (LEAD FLAT NOSE), RN (ROUND NOSE), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION).

common problem with rimfire ammunition. Rimfire guns are notoriously picky about ammunition, and it would serve the shooter well to buy a variety of loads and test each for reliability and performance.

The manual advises users to clean their barrels from the muzzle end using a properly fitted bore brush and then patches. It is our recommendation to leave the thread protector in place during this operation in order to protect the crown of the barrel. The chamber end of the barrel and breechface of the slide should be lightly scrubbed with a brush saturated with a quality solvent.

The magazine feed lips and follower should also be scrubbed until clean, and the outside of the magazine body should be wiped down.

Overall, we were very impressed with the fit and finish of our test Buck Mark Field Target Suppressor Ready. It possesses an ideal grip angle, and its stock panels are contoured for a comfortable firing grip.

The gun also has remarkable inherent accuracy. Combined with its ability to accept a suppressor and a multitude of different optics, the model offers sportsmen a great deal of versatility for their rimfire handgun needs.

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” since at least 1921, when Col. Townsend Whelen first titled his column with it. Even then, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used by target shooters to hold ammunition and accessories on the firing line. “Sight dope” also was a traditional marksman’s term for sight-adjustment information, while judging wind speed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based on the limited experience of individuals under specific conditions and circumstances. They do not detail the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely necessary to properly carry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page. Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

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DOPE BAG

HENRY LONG RANGER I

n 2016, Henry Repeating Arms introduced a modern lever-action rifle chambered for flat-shooting cartridges capable of making hits at extended distances. Featuring a geared action and a detachable magazine, the side-ejecting rifle has been designed from the ground up to perform like a bolt-action rifle.

For testing we received a Henry Long Ranger chambered for .243 Win., although the model is also available in .223 Rem. and .308 Win. In order to cut down on weight, Henry uses an aerospace aluminum alloy for the Long Ranger’s unstressed receiver. It is hardcoat anodized in a matte black finish. To accommodate an optic, the receiver top is flat and has been drilled and tapped. Henry includes excellent Skinner scope bases and a hammer extension for those who choose to take advantage of the Long Ranger’s precision by mounting an optic.

The Long Ranger uses a rack-andpinion system of connecting the lever to the bolt that is extremely smooth and wobble-free. For strength, the

rifle’s chrome-plated steel bolt has a six-lug head that rotates into engagement with a barrel extension, not unlike an AR-15. The result is a very strong and consistent lockup, and the lever provides fast cycling without binding.

Unlike most lever guns, the Long Ranger feeds rounds from a detachable box magazine. One of the advantages of the box magazine relative to the more traditional tubular style is that spitzer-type bullets can be used for better accuracy. The higher ballistic coefficients of these types of bullets make them the better choice for long-distance shooters compared to the round-nose and flat-point ammunition typically used in tubular-magazine firearms to prevent tip-to-primer contact. The .243 Win. and .308 Win. rifles have a magazine capacity of four, while the .223 version’s capacity is five. There is a flush magazine release mounted on the right side of the receiver; to remove the magazine, simply depress the button and it will drop free.

Henry uses a 20" round barrel on the Long Ranger. It is tapered and blued, and has a 1:10" twist in the .243 model.

Our sample possessed a folding rear sight and ramped front sight with a 0.062" ivory bead for quick acquisition, however, Henry also offers the rifle without sights. For accuracy’s

sake, the barrel is free-floated. The accuracy of conventional lever guns is adversely affected by attaching the fore-end and magazine tube to the barrel with a barrel band, and the Long Ranger does not have this issue; Henry attaches the fore-end to a cylindrical tapered stud, approximately 5" long, that extends from the receiver. It makes for an extremely rigid and wobble-free fore-end that does not make contact with the barrel.

Both the fore-end and the buttstock are made from American walnut, and exhibit an excellent degree of fitting to the metal parts. Diamondpattern checkering is laser-cut into the stock, and beyond looking good, it provides a degree of functionality.

The fore-end has a blued-steel cap and a sling swivel stud, and the buttstock also has a stud and is equipped with a black rubber recoil pad.

The Long Ranger does not have a manual safety; there is no cross-bolt safety, tang-mounted safety or even a half-cock notch on the hammer.

But the rifle does have a transfer bar safety mechanism, and the manual states, “This safety system prevents the gun from being fired under all circumstances, except when the hammer is fully cocked and the trigger is pulled.” The transfer bar is actually located in the hammer, and cannot

A rack-and-pinion system connects the Long Ranger’s lever to its chrome-plated steel bolt. Our evaluators found the operation of the rifle’s action to be smooth and wobble-free.

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

HENRY LONG RANGER

MANUFACTURER: HENRY REPEATING ARMS (DEPT. AR), 59 E. 1ST ST., BAYONNE, NJ 07002; (201) 858-4400; HENRYUSA.COM. 40.5" 2.25"

CAL. 243 WIN.

1.75"

20"

14"

BARREL: BLUED STEEL; 1:10" RH TWIST SIGHTS: FOLDING BUCKHORN REAR, RAMP FRONT; DRILLED AND TAPPED FOR OPTICS TRIGGER: SINGLE-STAGE; 3-LB. PULL WEIGHT: 7 LBS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, SKINNER SCOPE BASE, HAMMER EXTENSION MSRP: $1,014

CHAMBERING: .243 WIN. ACTION TYPE: LEVER-ACTION, CENTER-FIRE REPEATING RIFLE

RECEIVER: HARDCOAT ANODIZED ALUMINUM STOCK: AMERICAN WALNUT MAGAZINE: FOUR-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.)

.243 WIN. CARTRIDGE

VEL. @ 10' (F.P.S.)

ENERGY (FT.-LBS.)

FEDERAL FUSION 95-GR. SP

2991 AVG. 14 SD

1,887

0.61

0.88

0.73

NOSLER 90-GR. BT

3063 AVG. 17 SD

1,875

0.89

1.06

0.99

REMINGTON CORE-LOKT 100-GR. PSP

2981 AVG. 4 SD

1,973

0.99

1.54

1.30

AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD

GROUP SIZE (INCHES) LARGEST AVERAGE SMALLEST

1.01

NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER A PACT PROFESSIONAL XP CHRONOGRAPH AT 10 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 100 YDS. FROM A CALDWELL REST. TEMPERATURE: 103° F. HUMIDITY: 14%. ABBREVIATIONS: BT (BALLISTIC TIP), PSP (POINTED SOFT POINT), SP (SOFT POINT), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION).

Unlike traditional lever-action rifles, the Long Ranger feeds from a detachable box magazine (above, l.) rather than a tubular one. The rifle is available from Henry either with or without a buckhorn rear sight and a ramp front sight (l.).

contact the firing pin unless there is pressure on the trigger. Henry recommends carrying the gun fully loaded with the hammer down, or in the forward position. When ready to shoot, simply thumb back the hammer.

To load the rifle, first point the gun in a safe direction and insert the loaded magazine. Swing the lever down and then close it. At this point, the hammer is cocked and the rifle is ready to fire. To lower the hammer, place a thumb on the hammer—to prevent forward movement—and then pull the trigger slightly rearward. Immediately release the trigger while still holding the hammer, and then slowly lower it down to the forward position.

For the accuracy portion of our evaluation, we used a Trijicon 3-9X 40 mm AccuPoint riflescope. With the

targets set out at 100 yds. and our scope set on 9X magnification, we fired five, five-shot groups per load, utilizing a bench and rifle rest. We were immediately impressed with the Long Ranger’s trigger. It broke crisply at 3 lbs. with just a little take-up.

The temperature was more than 100 degrees when we fired the rifle, and we made no attempts to allow the barrel to cool between shots. Despite this, we experienced no vertical stringing and our groups were well-rounded.

The single best group measured just 0.61" and was produced by Federal’s Fusion 95-gr. bullets—in fact, the average of all five groups fired with this load measured only 0.73". Each of the three loads tested produced at least one sub-m.o.a. group. Recoil, even when shooting from the bench, was mild in the 7-lb. rifle.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

In all, we fired 175 rounds during our evaluation, and experienced no problems. Rounds fed smoothly from the Long Ranger’s magazine, and cases were ejected positively from the rifle’s right-side ejection port.

The owner’s manual suggests using pull-through-type cleaning kits, and advises against disassembling the rifle for cleaning.

Henry Repeating Arms’ Long Ranger provides shooters with the accuracy of a bolt-action in an easy-to-carry, fast-handling lever gun. It possesses the convenience of a detachable box magazine and chamberings that should extend the effective range of an accomplished marksman. Henry’s modernization of the lever rifle will help keep it a viable option for hunters far into the 21st century.

81

DOPE BAG

TRIJICON REAP-IR A

merican riflemen have been gravitating toward nightvision (NV) optics since Soviet Gen 1 and Gen 2 units entered the global commercial pipeline around 1990. When working, those bulky, military-surplus riflescopes and binoculars delivered passable closerange images rendered in ghostly green hues amid varying degrees of “noise” and distortion.

With demand growing, a number of U.S.-based firms are now involved in producing NV equipment with performance light-years better than the Red Army leftovers. Foremost among these sources is Trijicon, whose new line of thermal imagers appears every bit as capable and rugged as its highly regarded reflex sights and scopes.

Rather than tool-up for a new product category or rebrand import gear, Trijicon acquired prominent

82

military contractor IR Defense— including its products, R&D and manufacturing plant—as the basis for a new Electro-Optics Division. As is the case with most Trijicon products, this gear is all U.S.-manufactured, including three rifle-mounted models— namely the IR-Hunter, Reap-IR and Snipe-IR—plus the handheld IR-Patrol monocular spotter.

Competition in this emerging market space means buyers have options in terms of pricing and, especially, quality. Newcomers have a lot to learn.

Essentially, a thermal scope is a highly specialized digital camera whose front lens transmits emitted infrared (IR) waves (heat) to a sensor and then translates the incoming heat data into a coherent sight picture. Utilizing sensors made from germanium oxide, as well as other complex components and micro circuitry, the Trijicon line boasts

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

three key aspects that affect imaging quality and product reliability.

First, the sensor core is studded with detectors, and more is better. Standard detectors each measure 17 microns, while Trijicon IRs use smaller 12-micron detectors, thus allowing a greater number to be packed tighter together.

The result is 640x480-pixel imagery, twice the 320x240 resolution yielded by 17-micron units.

Secondly, digital images “refresh” constantly, though at different rates depending on the processor. Trijicon IRs operate at 60 Hz (meaning they repaint 60 times per second), as opposed to the 25-Hz refresh rates of many competing products. This is especially critical when panning the rifle/scope, since with slower units the sight picture you see when pulling the trigger may lag behind what’s actually happening.

TRIJICON REAP-IR

MANUFACTURER: TRIJICON ELECTRO-OPTICS (DEPT. AR), 49385 SCHAFER AVE., WIXOM, MI 48393; (800) 338-0563; TRIJICONEO.COM 8.13"

REAP-IR MADE IN USA

ZOOM RANGE: 2.5X OPTICAL; 8X DIGITAL EYE RELIEF: 1" OPERATING TEMPERATURE: -40 TO 131° F. DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 640X480 PIXELS FRAME RATE: 60 HZ; 30-HZ POWER SAVE MODE WEIGHT: 21 OZS.

An entirely new way to view your target with more precision, Edge Detect mode is a fraction of the brightness of other modes so your eyes are not as prone to night blindness from the screen.

And thirdly, Trijicon thermal scopes are built to MIL-STD-810G standards.

To qualify for military sales, they must be proven to be capable of withstanding temperature extremes, rain, humidity, sand, dust, vibrations and shock in measurable testing.

After participating in an introductory feral hog hunt in Texas, we obtained a sample of the Reap-IR for test and evaluation. This compact 8.13"-long, 21-oz. sight delivered surprising imaging performance out to 300 yds. and beyond. While hunting, we noted numerous small animals such as jackrabbits and raccoons, and could identify bucks among the many deer moving through the area.

In fact, we found it may be easier in some scenarios to spot game by their heat signatures than it would be using standard optics in daylight. And, at 250 yds., with the sight mounted on a tripod, we were able, from most angles, to distinguish between a rifle and an axe carried by a human subject.

Trijicon thermal imagers transmit fields in black and white as opposed to the more common neon-colored palettes. The hottest objects,

including animals, are rendered as solids—White Hot or Black Hot— depending on the polarity mode chosen by the user. All other objects, including trees, foliage and manmade structures, come through as varying shades of gray. The surprising visual clarity makes it easy to comprehend one’s surroundings.

Every object is detailed and selfevident, as if seen in fine black-andwhite photography.

A third viewing mode is Edge Detect, which traces hot subjects in a white outline, thus limiting users’ night blindness. For hunting, we alternated between solid modes in both black and white, whereupon the unit’s reticle would automatically change for contrast. Five different reticles are offered in the basic software, plus a Stadiametric Rangefinder that provides distance readouts to bracketed objects of known size.

The Reap-IR provides 2.5X optical magnification, but can be digitally zoomed to 8X. Zooming causes a loss of detail, but not to the extent that the sight can no longer be used for accurate shot placement on hogsized game. Reticles are located in the first focal plane to scale along with increases in magnification. The Reap-IR’s sturdy aluminum housing is fitted with an easy-to-deploy Picatinny rail mount.

A digital electronic zooming system comes standard on the Reap-IR. This lets the user achieve various magnifications quickly. And with the advanced, built-in sighting system, the reticle will maintain its zero.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

BATTERY TYPE: TWO CR123; UP TO FIVE-HOUR BATTERY LIFE ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, HARD CASE, BUTLER CREEK FLIP CAP, EYE CUP, IMAGE DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE

MSRP: $7,999

Mastering the unit’s joystick-style controller requires effort, and typical of modern consumer electronics, only the exact combination of clicks and scrolling will activate a desired function or setting. Given the Reap-IR’s versatility there’s plenty to learn, and capabilities also include video and still-image capture, along with adjustments for brightness, contrast, reticle position, ranging and more.

After a couple hours afield, we were able to keep pace with the hogculling action, and no doubt owners will learn the codes needed for their preferred tasks, beginning with the digitally manipulated reticle adjustment, which proved functional, if not as methodical as mechanical click adjustments. However, once zeroed, we experienced no point-ofimpact shifts.

Thermal imagers are now attracting interest from folks who aren’t special operators, in particular, from securityminded property owners, farmers and hunters targeting feral hogs and predators. As noted, the fastemerging thermal field now spans a wide range of cost and performance options, with Trijicon IRs at the top of the heap in both regards. Given the company’s history of bridging the military-commercial gap with sights whose battle-tested ruggedness is prized no matter the mission, it makes perfect sense that Trijicon is taking the lead in outfitting civilian users with night vision on par with what professionals use.

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84

March 2018

american rifleman

kahr

continued from p. 71

Massachusetts and Minnesota plants, and we will continue to do so into the foreseeable future, but we can expand manufacturing into our Pennsylvania plant if we must. We hope to contribute in keeping Pennsylvania a pro-gun state into the future.”

As for the American dream? Moon is the epitome. “I get to make a living doing something I love,” he said.

“The great genius of the American Revolution was that our Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution a nation which protected the common man from the overreach of the federal government and lets us pursue our dreams and build our own businesses,” Moon said. “Yet this freedom has been diluted as government at all levels has expanded during the last quarter century,” he said. He feels its the responsibility of gun manufacturers—and consumers—to ensure that our unique American freedom rides into the future, and he’s doing his part.

“Kahr Firearms Group is absolutely committed to providing the highest-quality guns and service in the firearms industry. We are also absolutely committed to protecting and expanding our Second Amendment rights and the restoration of our liberties enshrined in the original Bill of Rights,” Moon said.

As for me, a few weeks prior to writing this article I attended NRA’s new Carry Guard advanced concealedcarry class. We trained with full-size guns for instructional purposes, but at the end we were encouraged to run a timed course of fire, from the holster, with our carry gun of choice.

I figured my score would drop off significantly when using my well-worn, 3.1"-barreled, double-action-only PM9 from distances up to 12 yds. … but I was mistaken. It was unbelievable how well the little gun stacked up against my Glock 19, S&W M&P and FNP-9, all considerably bigger, easier-to-shoot guns.

After leaving the range, I didn’t case up my PM9, rather I reloaded it with hollow points and buried it under my belt where I nearly forgot about it during the long drive home.

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Ask about our exclusive Art Discs with ready-to-cut artwork!

“We used to cut everything by hand and had a lot of trouble. Now our PlasmaCAM does it all, attaining levels of production not thought possible before. It’s run 40-50 hours a week for the past three years. It attains incredible detail, is very easy and cost efficient to operate, and requires little maintenance. The bottom line is: this machine makes me money!”

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PO Box 19818 • Colorado City, CO 81019-0818 (719) 676-2700 • www.plasmacam.com

PRECISION RIFLE SERIES

continued from p. 59

rifles and optics. Production rifles must cost less than $2,000, and an additional $2,000 is allowed for optics. As an example, a shooter could pair a Ruger Precision Rifle— which is widely available for less than $1,500—with a similarly priced riflescope and be competitive in Production for less than a third of the price of an Open Division rifle and optic. With match-grade ammunition widely available for many of the frequently used cartridges, such as 6.5 mm Creedmoor, a competitor doesn’t even need to be a handloader in order to participate.

The PRS also wants to encourage active-duty military personnel and law enforcement officers to participate in matches without being penalized by their service’s or agency’s choice of cartridge. The Tactical Division was designed for this purpose, and restricts competitors to rifles chambered in either 7.62x51 mm NAT0/.308 Win. or 5.56x45 mm NATO/.223 Rem. Though most of us first think of bolt-action rifles when it comes to long-range precision shooting, there are also “gas gun” divisions in the PRS for semi-automatic rifle shooters with Open, Light and Heavy categories. The Open Division restricts shooters to .30-cal. and smaller cartridges with less than 3200 f.p.s. of velocity, while the Light and Heavy divisions are restricted to the 5.56 mm NATO and 7.62 mm NATO cartridges, respectively.

Many PRS competitors, particularly those who are highly ranked in the points race, are professional shooters, easily identified by the sponsor-clad jerseys that they wear during matches. Some, like Kay and retired army sniper Jim Gillialand, are former military sharpshooters, but, perhaps surprisingly, many of the top shooters are not. Another interesting thing is that, unlike many other shooting disciplines, the sport is still in its relative infancy, so some of the top-ranked shooters in the series have only been shooting for a few years. Texan Matthew Brousseau, who ended up winning the Open Division of the CORE Classic, and would go on to win the 2017 season’s overall points race, has only owned a precision rifle since 2014. Regina Milkovich, one of the top-ranked female

The “Oklahoma Tic Tac Toe” stage required shooters to engage nine targets from multiple positions at 425 yds.

shooters in the sport, shot her first club match in 2009 and her first national match the following year. Compare that to the USPSA, where some of the top-ranked shooters have been competing since the 1980s and ‘90s.

Shooters interested in competing in the Precision Rifle Series are encouraged to start at the club level, and for those willing to make the commitment, formal training programs are available. Kay—who owns K&M Precision Rifle Training in Tennessee in addition to being a PRS competitor—offers a Competition Preparation Clinic alongside his other precision rifle courses, and CORE Shooting Solutions has a Precision Rifle Competition Prep Course among its offerings. Other training opportunities exist throughout the country.

The competitors we spoke to offered two consistent pieces of advice to new shooters: First off, don’t run out and buy a rifle until you are sure of what you want, as it is better to borrow or rent a gun initially. Secondly, anyone who is interested should stop hesitating, drop the excuses and go shoot, or at least observe, a match.

The Precision Rifle Series is one of the most exciting shooting sports available. The PRS requires competitors to master the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship and external ballistics in a setting that is both fun and challenging. Men and women of all ages and abilities will find themselves in a friendly and welcoming environment where the best rifle shooters in the world are competing alongside first-time amateurs. These competitions push the limits of both shooters and their equipment, and are helping spur-on rapid innovations among rifles, bullets, optics and even ballistic software. There’s good reason why the Precision Rifle Series is becoming more popular every day. Check it out for yourself: A list of national and club matches is available at precisionrifleseries.com.

The “DOPE card” attached to this scope mount gave this competitor the appropriate elevation and windage corrections needed for the stage.

86

MARCH 2018

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Survey: NRA Strongly Associated with American Patriotism

T

he NRA prides itself on being “freedom’s safest place,” and its members exemplify what is best about our beloved country. A pair of recent national surveys on patriotism bear out what many instinctively understand: that for those who embrace traditional American values, the NRA remains an important cultural touchstone in its own right. The surveys also show Americans strongly embracing the right to keep and bear arms, including younger adults for whom other traditional aspects of patriotism are less central to their identity.

The online surveys were conducted during October and November by the American Culture & Faith Institute, and each involved a sample of 1,000 subjects 18 years or older that reflects the demographic profile of the U.S. adult population. The Institute published its findings in a report entitled “American Views on Patriotism.”

The organization with the highest patriotism rating among all respondents was none other than the National Rifle Association, which 33 percent of respondents identified as “very patriotic.” This eclipsed the patriotism rating of the Supreme Court, both chambers of Congress, both major political parties and major news outlets from across the political spectrum.

Unsurprisingly, a majority of the respondents—51 percent—also indicated they “strongly agree” with the statement that “[b]asic freedoms are under attack in America.” An additional 32 percent agreed with that statement “somewhat.”

MARCH 2018

Fifty-seven percent of respondents indicated that the right to bear arms was “very” personally meaningful to them, with an additional 21 percent rating it as “somewhat” personally meaningful. Only 9 percent of respondents answered that the right to bear arms was “not at all” personally meaningful to them.

A clear majority of both white (59 percent) and black (55 percent) respondents identified the right to bear arms as “very” personally meaningful.

Perhaps the most heartening result of the survey, however, was that millennials ages 18 to 29 identified the right to bear arms as “very” personally meaningful at the highest rate of any age group, with 60 percent providing this response. This was so, even though this age group ranked lowest in rating the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem as “very” personally meaningful.

A full 90 percent of respondents rated the statement that “[i]ndividual rights come with responsibilities” as an “accurate” description of what it means to be patriotic.

This sentiment, of course, is integral to the prevailing mind-set of American gun culture, which prizes responsibility for one’s own safety and emphasizes care and responsibility in the handling of firearms.

Overall, while the survey did show some marked divisions among Americans’ views on patriotism across a range of issues, the NRA and the right to bear arms continue to be strongly associated with this notion in the American consciousness.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Historic Military Pistols Will be Sold to the Public

I

n December, President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (NDAA).

Included in the law is a provision, long sought by collectors of vintage firearms, that would require military surplus M1911/M1911A1 pistols (1911s) to be made available for sale to the American public. The military currently has some 100,000 excess 1911s sitting in storage at taxpayer expense.

A previous version of the NDAA signed into law by then-President Obama in 2015 authorized, but did not require, the Secretary of Defense to transfer up to 10,000 surplus 1911s per year to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) for sale to the public. Unsurprisingly, no such transfers were ever made while Obama remained in the White House.

The language in the 2018 NDAA effectively establishes a mandatory pilot program under which at least 8,000—and as many as 10,000—1911s would be transferred to the CMP for public sale in 2018. The Secretary of Defense must then report to Congress on the outcome of the program.

Thereafter, the Secretary would be authorized to continue transferring up to 10,000 surplus 1911s a year to the CMP for further such sales.

The pistol sales may only occur through a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL) in a face-to-face transaction in the purchaser’s state of residence. The FFL will be obligated to obey all state and local laws. Sales records allowing for the tracing of the firearms—should they later be found at a crime scene—will be kept both by the CMP and by the transferring FFL. Pistols will not be provided directly to the buyers by the CMP. The CMP has further indicated two background checks will be conducted in connection with each sale, one by the CMP prior to shipping the pistol to the specified FFL and another by the FFL before releasing the pistol to the customer at the FFL’s place of business. And while federal law allows an FFL to transfer a firearm three days after a “delay” response by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the CMP will only transfer the firearm to the FFL if NICS provides a “proceed” response to the first background check.

Those wishing to acquire one of the surplus 1911s must be U.S. citizens, eligible to receive firearms under federal law and the laws of their places of residence, members of a CMP-affiliated club, and able to provide proof of participation in a marksmanship activity. Only one 1911 will be available to each customer per calendar year.

IN MEMORY NRA-ILA CONTRIBUTIONS

December 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017 Stanley G. Jones, Houston, TX (from: Angeline F. Jones); David Girardin, Chesapeake, VA (from: William Snuffer); Jim Nalesnick, Towanda, PA (from: John N. Seltzer); Elizabeth Ann Lindstrom, Ankeny, IA (from: Robert B. Lindstrom) George Weissenburger, East Aurora, NY (from: Hamburg Rod & Gun Club, Inc.); Robert C. Young, Boise, ID (from: Nathan Young).

ILA CONTRIBUTIONS

(The following have contributed $1,000.00 or more to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action: December 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017) Richard E. Neldner, Fairbanks, AK; Jeff Carlson, San Diego, CA; Linda Leith, Raleigh, NC; Nathan Young, Industry, PA; Doyle Parrish, Raleigh, NC; D. G. Pierce, Apex, NC; Charles W. Jenkins, Vero Beach, FL; Susan Kriley, Raleigh, NC; Jay C. King, Vero Beach, FL; Turner’s Operations Inc., Cucamonga, CA; John T. Talbert, Wilmington, NC; Imus Wilkinson Investment ManagementLLC, Tucson, AZ; George Taggart, Rockport, TX; Stephen F. Bolick, Raleigh, NC; David G. Sneeden, Wilmington, NC; David Levy, Fort Washington, PA; David Lortscher, Honeoye, NY; Sandra Froman, Catalina, AZ; Benjamin Wadham, Deerfield, MA; Gregory Heisey, Tucson, AZ; John Stump, Raleigh, NC; R. Callan, Tucson, AZ; Roy Skagen, Mill Creek, WA; Stanley D. Pearce, Lewiston, NY; Earl H. Lott, San Antonio, TX; J. Q. Bonanno, Saddle River, NJ; William D. Perkins, Tucson, AZ; Thomas R. Ziegler, Gardners, PA; Michael Rusing, Tucson, AZ; Beverly Weidendorf, Farmington, MI; Suzanne Yenzer, Cypress, TX; Benny E. White, Tucson, AZ; Federick R. Sowerby, Tucson, AZ; Joann McBride, Tucson, AZ; Roger T. Grimes, Tucson, AZ; Bruce Halle, Marana, AZ; Rex Tollman, Jamestown, NY; Steven Kornman, Tucson, AZ; David Zell, Atlanta, GA; John E. Wright, Tucson, AZ; Jerry C. Jackson, Tucson, AZ; Philip B. Voght, Centerville, OH; Benjamin L. Kunzler, Mesa, AZ; J. Jerome Moiso, McArthur, CA; Mike Lavor, Tucson, AZ; Alan Mossberg, Tierra Verde, FL; James L. Foster, Tucson, AZ; Bob Abbott, Saratoga, CA; James Shoureas, Boca Raton, FL, Patricia G. Rogers, Tucson, AZ; Kenneth Curry, Elkton, FL; Tyler Morris, Raleigh, NC; Paula C. Peterson, Tucson, AZ; Cape Radiology Group, Cape Girardeau, MO; Christian County NRA Affiliate, Taylorsville, IL. AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

Scooter Brown Band is

A

fter four years and three months—with one tour of combat in Iraq—as a U.S. Marine, Scott Brown traded in his guns for guitars and hit the road. The Scooter Brown Band was formed in Houston and currently plays more than 100 shows a year, opening for some of its biggest influences, including the Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band and Travis Tritt, to name a few. The band recently released a new album, “American Son,” featuring Daniels. Described as a “good ol’ Southern Rock Country Album,” it debuted in the Top 20 on the iTunes Country Chart. NRA Country’s Vanessa Shahidi asked Brown a few questions.

VS: What is your favorite personal firearm?

SB: “I carry a SIG P225 9 mm, but I’m a lover of all guns. There are too many good ones, pistol and long rifles, for me to pick a favorite, although, I do love my Henry lever action!”

VS: If you could go hunting with one other person, dead or alive, who would that be?

SB: “Jesus. I’d have a lot of questions to ask during our downtime!”

VS: How has serving in the military affected you as a musician?

SB: “Earning the eagle, globe and anchor [the Marine Corps emblem] was one of the proudest moments of my life. Fighting in combat for my country was another. The Marines instilled in me the “never quit” attitude, and that’s how I go about doing anything I want to do. As a songwriter, I write from personal experience and, since being a Marine and combat vet is part of my story, I write about it in my songs. I love being able to connect with my military brothers and sisters in that way from the stage. I use my platform as a voice for veterans and to draw attention to veteran issues. I am also the co-founder and assistant director of Base Camp 40—Warriors In The Wild. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that takes combat veterans on hunting and fishing trips all over the country. I love to still be able to serve in that capacity.”

NRA Country is a lifestyle and a bond between the country music community and hard-working Americans everywhere. It’s powered by pride, freedom, love of country, respect for the military and the responsibilities of protecting the great American life. For more information visit nracountry.com, follow on Twitter @ NRACountry, and NRA_Country on Instagram.

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INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT CENTRAL 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org

AREA SHOOTS

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

Central Regional Director—Chad Franklin

cfranklin@nrahq.org

IA, NE—Tim Bacon

tbacon@nrahq.org

Northern IL—Mike Huber

mhuber@nrahq.org

Southern IL—Donald Higgs

dhiggs@nrahq.org

IN—Craig Haggard

chaggard@nrahq.org

KY—John LaRowe

jlarowe@nrahq.org

MI—Allan Herman

aherman@nrahq.org

Northern MO—Travis Scott

tscott@nrahq.org

Southern MO—Bryan Hoover

bhoover@nrahq.org

WI—Scott Taetsch

staetsch@nrahq.org

F

J

PISTOL

Illinois State Rifle Ass’n. Inc.

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

Flushing, MI Marshalltown, IA Georgetown, IN Highland, IL

MAR. 3 MAR. 4 MAR. 17 MAR. 25

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Neenah, WI Elkhart, IN Lansing, MI

MAR. 10 MAR. 17 MAR. 25

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Freedom, IN

MAR. 3

SILHOUETTE

Wright City, MO

MAR. 25

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information. isra.org

Indiana State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n. Inc.

isrpa.org

Iowa State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

iasrpa.org

League of Kentucky Sportsmen Inc.

kentuckysportsmen.com

Michigan Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

michrpa.org

Missouri Sport Shooting Ass’n.

missourisportshooting.org

Nebraska Marksmanship Ass’n.

nemarksmanship.org

Wisconsin Firearm Owners, Ranges, Clubs & Educators

TRAINING

wisconsinforce.org

Crime Prevention

T

he NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program provides information on crime prevention. To learn more about the program, visit refuse.nra.org. The most up-to-date schedule is available on the internet by visiting nrainstructors. org, by sending an email to refuse@ nrahq.org or by calling (800) 861-1166.

MAR. 20—ST. LOUIS, MO

(Seminar) Kevin Cummins (636) 207-1900

MAR. 26—APPLETON, WI

(Seminar) Gail Feher (920) 202-3080

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters. *Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

MAR. 1

WISCONSIN DELLS, WI

Chula Vista Resort, Dells Rifle Club (608) 697-0664

MAR. 2-3

WILSON, WI

MAR. 2-4

WAUKESHA, WI

MAR. 2-4

DAVENPORT, IA

MAR. 2-4

AUBURN, IN

MAR. 3-4

MASON CITY, IA

MAR. 3-4

JEFFERSON, IA

Calvary Community Center, Bearing Arms Gun Shows (715) 308-8772

Waukesha County Expo Center, Bob & Rocco’s Gun Shows (608) 752-6677

Kimber Custom II .45 ACP and Silver Stag Knife with Display Case*

Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Big Bore Enterprise (563) 590-4248

The 2018 Friends of NRA Gun of the Year set brings together two perfectly paired pieces in a custom display case designed to showcase the Kimber Custom II “Defending Freedom” 1911 and the Silver Stag 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife with matching grips and Friends of NRA embellishments.

90

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

National Military History Center, Gun Slinger Promotions (260) 624-5996 North Iowa Fairgrounds, River City Rifle & Pistol Club (641) 529-1605 Greene County Fairgrounds, J.R. Gun Shows (712) 782-3195

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAR. 10-11

IDA GROVE, IA

MAR. 17-18

BIRCH RUN, MI

MAR. 10-11

ANN ARBOR, MI

MAR. 17-18

MUNCIE, IN

MAR. 10-11

SPRINGFIELD, MO

MAR. 17-18

PRINCETON, IN

MAR. 23-25

ONALASKA, WI

MAR. 23-24

RICHMOND, KY

MAR. 24

CLARKSTON, MI

Ida Grove Community Hall, Lake Riders Saddle Club (712) 210-4635

Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, Huron Gun Collectors (517) 546-4710 Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

MAR. 10-11

FREMONT, NE

Christensen Field, Midwest Arms Collectors LLC (660) 956-6004

MAR. 10-11

FORT WAYNE, IN

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, CPI Shows (260) 483-6144

MAR. 10-11

GREENFIELD, IN

Hancock County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 993-8942

MAR. 11

ST. CHARLES, IL

MAR. 11

EVART, MI

Kane County Fairgrounds, Kane County Sportsman’s Show (815) 758-2773 Osceola County Fair Grounds, American Heritage Gun Shows (231) 854-1634

MAR. 3-4

PEORIA, IL

Exposition Gardens, The Cloe Group LLC (815) 263-2810

MAR. 3-4

OZARK, MO

Christian County Elks Lodge, Elks Lodge #2777 (417) 693-2090

MAR. 3-4

JACKSON, MI

O.R.S. Field House, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160

MAR. 3-4

NEW CARLISLE, IN

Crown Event Center, Second Amendment Arms & Range (574) 654-3012

MAR. 3-4

CROWN POINT, IN

MAR. 3-4

ASHLAND, KY

MAR. 16-18

TAYLOR, MI

Taylor Town Trade Center, Taylor Town (313) 299-9533

MAR. 16-18

WEST BEND, WI

Washington County Fair Park, Bob & Rocco’s Gun Shows (608) 752-6677

Birch Run Expo Center, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160 Delaware IN County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 993-8942

Gibson County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 993-8942 Onalaska OmniCenter, Bob & Rocco’s Gun Shows (608) 752-6677 Madison County Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club, DR Wilson Rifle & Pistol Club (810) 882-1465

MAR. 24-25

CADILLAC, MI

MAR. 24-25

KALKASKA, MI

MAR. 24-25

KANSAS CITY, MO

MAR. 30-31

FORT WAYNE, IN

Wexford Civic Center, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160 Kaliseum Rec Center, J&J Sport Shows (800) 968-5016

KCI-Expo Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176 The Fieldhouse, Gun Slinger Promotions USA (260) 624-5996

MAR. 31

ALPENA, MI

Knights of Columbus Hall, P.J.'s Promotions LLC (989) 798-8709

MAR. 17-18

KANKAKEE, IL

MAR. 31

GARY, IN

MAR. 17-18

GRAYSLAKE, IL

MAR. 31-APR. 1

NOVI, MI

Kankakee County Fairgrounds, The Cloe Group LLC (815) 263-2810

Lake County Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Indiana National Guard, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 993-8942

Suburban Collection Showplace, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160

Lake County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 855-3836 El Hasa Shrine Temple, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

MAR. 4

WHEATON, IL

DuPage County Fairgrounds, Pioneer Valley Sportsman’s Ass'n.

(630) 365-2808*

MAR. 9-10

LOYAL, WI

MAR. 9-11

EAU CLAIRE, WI

Loyal American Legion, Ray Kangas Productions (715) 372-4654

Menards Expo Center, Bob & Rocco’s Gun Shows (608) 752-6677

MAR. 10-11

BELLEVILLE, IL

Belle-Clair Expo, ECA Hunting & Trade Shows (618) 495-2572

MAR. 10-11

DECATUR, IL

Decatur Conference Center & Hotel, The Cloe Group LLC (815) 263-2810

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

americanrifleman.org

March 2018

91

inside nra | regional report east 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org MAR. 3-4

MORGANTOWN, PA

MAR. 10-11

DALE CITY, VA

MAR. 3-4

SPRINGVILLE, NY

MAR. 17-18

ASHLAND, OH

MAR. 3-4

WILMINGTON, MA

MAR. 17-18

LAKE HARMONY, PA

MAR. 3-4

WILMINGTON, OH

MAR. 17-18

MAUMEE, OH

MAR. 3-4

LEESPORT, PA

MAR. 17-18

MONTPELIER, OH

MAR. 3-4

FAIRMONT, WV

MAR. 17-18

NEW CASTLE, PA

MAR. 17-18

ST. THOMAS, PA

MAR. 17-18

TALLMADGE, OH

MAR. 17-18

COLUMBUS, OH

MAR. 17-18

HAMPTON, VA

MAR. 17-18

ROANOKE, VA

MAR. 18

PORTLAND, PA

Morgantown Center, Eagle Arms Productions (610) 393-3047

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

East Regional Director—Bryan Hoover

bhoover@nrahq.org

Springville Volunteer Fire Co., Niagara Frontier Gun Shows (716) 542-9929

Aleppo Shriners Auditorium, New Mart Promotions (914) 248-1000 Roberts Centre, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

Leesport Farmers Market, Appalachian Promotions (717) 697-3088 Marion County National Guard Armory, Showmasters Gun Shows (540) 951-1344

Northern OH—Marc Peugeot

mpeugeot@nrahq.org

Southern OH—David Graham

MAR. 4

dgraham@nrahq.org

ONEONTA, NY

Holiday Inn, Midstate Arms Collectors (607) 748-1010

ME, VT, NH—Brian Smith

bsmith@nrahq.org

NJ, MA, RI, CT & Southern NY— Bryan Hoover

bhoover@nrahq.org

New York—Jay Rusnock

MAR. 10

CONCORD, NH

Bektash Shrine Center, Fort Constitution Arms Collectors (603) 223-0001

MAR. 10-11

jrusnock@nrahq.org

CHEEKTOWAGA, NY

Knights Columbus Hall, Niagara Frontier Gun Shows (716) 542-9929

Eastern PA, DE—Kory Enck

kenck@nrahq.org

MAR. 10-11

Western PA—Tom Baldrige

tbaldrige@nrahq.org

Eastern VA, Eastern MD, Washington, DC—David Wells

dwells@nrahq.org

Western VA, Western MD, WV— Jim Kilgore

jkilgore@nrahq.org

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters. *Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

EASTLAKE, OH

Eastlake Community Center, L.G. Firearms Productions (216) 338-1271

MAR. 10-11

HAUPPAUGE, NY

IBEW Local 25, C.F. Sporting (631) 295-0925

MAR. 10-11

MEDINA, OH

Medina County Fairgrounds, Conrad & Dowell Productions (330) 948-4400

MAR 10-11

QUARRYVILLE, PA

Solanco Fairgrounds, Southern Lancaster County Farmer-Sportsmen’s Association (717) 468-0515

MAR. 10-11

SHARONVILLE, OH

Sharonville Convention Center, Bill Goodman’s Gun & Knife Shows (502) 538-3900

MAR. 3-4

CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH

MAR. 10-11

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA

MAR. 3-4

LIMA, OH

MAR. 10-11

HARRISBURG, PA

Emidio’s Expo Center, Heritage Gun Shows (330) 805-1110 Allen County Fairgrounds, Tri-State Gun Collectors (419) 647-0067

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Eastern States Exposition, MidHudson Promotions (914) 248-1000 PA Farmshow Complex, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016* March 2018

american rifleman

Dale City VFW, Showmasters Gun Shows (540) 951-1344

Ashland County Fairgrounds, Norris Gun Shows (419) 651-7795 Split Rock Resort, Eagle Arms Productions (610) 393-3047

Lucas County Recreation Center, Maumee Valley Gun Collectors (419) 893-1110 Williams County Fairgrounds, D&K Enterprises (419) 737-2801 Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department, Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department (724) 944-4465

St. Thomas Volunteer Fire Department, Frontier County Gun Club (717) 263-3715

Summit County Fairgrounds, Ohio Shows (330) 539-4247

Ohio Expo Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

Hampton Roads Convention Center, Southeastern Guns & Knives (757) 483-5385 The Berglund Center, Showmasters Gun Shows (540) 951-1344

William Pensyl Social Hall, Portland Hook & Ladder Co. #1 (610) 216-4191

MAR. 23-25

PHOENIXVILLE, PA

Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Eagle Arms Productions (610) 393-3047

MAR. 24

SHIPPENSBURG, PA

Shippensburg Auction Center, Hunters Gun Show LLC (717) 497-8584

MAR. 24-25

BEREA, OH

MAR. 24-25

DAYTON, OH

Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Ohio Shows (330) 539-4247 Montgomery County Fairgrounds— Coliseum Building, Bill Goodman’s Gun & Knife Shows (502) 538-3900

MAR. 24-25

HOLBROOK, MA

MAR. 24-25

MATAMORAS, PA

Holbrook Sportsmen’s Club, Holbrook Sportsmen’s Club (781) 767-4971

Matamoras Expo Center, Westchester Collectors Club (914) 248-1000

MAR. 24-25

NORWALK, OH

MAR. 24-25

UPPER SANDUSKY, OH

Huron County Fairgrounds, Bill-Mar Promotions (440) 986-5004 Wyandot County Fairgrounds, Wyandot County Rod & Gun Club (419) 294-8392

MAR. 24-25

FREDERICKSBURG, VA

Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, Southeastern Guns & Knives (757) 483-5385

MAR. 24-25

RICHMOND, VA

Richmond Raceway Complex, Showmasters Gun Shows (540) 951-1344

AREA SHOOTS

F

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

PISTOL

Abbottstown, PA Bridgewater, NJ Wappingers Falls, NY Stratford, CT Ausuta, ME Sharon, MA Cincinnati, OH

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Washington, PA Vienna, OH Cumberland, ME Ridgewood, NJ Annapolis, MD Fairfax, VA

HIGH POWER RIFLE

New Freedom, PA Grafton, VA New Tripoli, PA Greenville, PA

SILHOUETTE

Montpelier, VA Mansfield, PA Christiana, PA Sudlersville, MD Montoursville, PA

MAR. 1-4 MAR. 3-4 MAR. 4 MAR. 10-11 MAR. 18 MAR. 25 MAR. 25 MAR. 3-4 MAR. 6 & 17 MAR. 11 MAR. 11 MAR. 24 MAR. 31 MAR. 3 MAR. 17 MAR. 18 MAR. 24 MAR. 10 MAR. 11 MAR. 17 MAR. 17 MAR. 24

LAW ENFORCEMENT

P

ublic and private officers interested in becoming firearm instructors should attend one of NRA’s Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor

Development Schools, designed to enhance the instructors’ firearm knowledge and handling skills, as well as prepare them to develop effective training programs. Restricted to law enforcement officers only.

MAR. 25—MARTINSVILLE, VA

MAR. 5-9—FREDERICK, MD

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

(Handgun)

(Instructor Development Workshop) Dawn Dolpp (434) 770-1972

MAR. 31—BRADFORD, PA

(Seminar) Martin Henneman (814) 366-1879

J

MAR. 19-23—LEESPORT, PA

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information.

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 26-30—LEESPORT, PA

(Tactical Shooting)

MAR. 26-30—FREDERICK, MD

(Tactical Shotgun ) Contact Timothy Cole at tcole@ nrahq.org or (703) 267-1626.

TRAINING

Connecticut State Rifle & Revolver Ass’n.

csrra.com

Delaware State Sportsmen’s Ass’n.

dssa.us

Maine Rifle & Pistol Ass’n. Inc.

mainerpa.org

Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

Crime Prevention

T

he NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program provides information on crime prevention and personal safety.

To learn more about the program, visit refuse.nra.org. The most up-to-date schedule is at nrainstructors.org.

MAR. 3—ASHAWAY, RI

(Seminar) Lyd Neugent (401) 377-8184

MAR. 3—MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ

(Seminar) Martin Tremarco (732) 742-1324

MAR. 13—BRISTOL, CT

(Seminar) Michael Ptaszynski (860) 582-4388

MAR. 24—MARTINSVILLE, VA

(Seminar) Dawn Dolpp (434) 770-1972

MAR. 24—PEEKSKILL, NY

(Seminar) Steven Donahoo (914) 455-4099

msrpa.org

Goal (Massachusetts)

goal.org

Gun Owners of New Hampshire Inc.

gonh.org

Ass’n Of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs Inc.

anjrpc.org

New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n. Inc.

nysrpa.org

Ohio Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

orpa.net

Pennsylvania Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

pennarifleandpistol.org

Rhode Island 2nd Amendment Coalition

ri2nd.org

Vermont Federation Of Sportsmen’s Clubs Inc.

vtfsc.org

Virginia Shooting Sports Ass’n.

myvssa.org

West Virginia State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

wvasrpa.org

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

americanrifleman.org

March 2018

91

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT MIDWEST 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

Midwest Regional Director—Tom Ulik

tulik@nrahq.org

AR—Erica Willard

ewillard@nrahq.org

CO—Brad Dreier

bdreier@nrahq.org

KS—Tom Ulik

tulik@nrahq.org

NM—Kevin Post

kpost@nrahq.org

OK—Darren DeLong

ddelong@nrahq.org

Northern TX—Terry Free

tfree@nrahq.org

Southern TX—Liz Foley

efoley@nrahq.org

Western TX—Jack Cannon

jcannon@nrahq.org

TRAINING

MAR. 3-4

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

T

MAR. 3-4

TAHLEQUAH, OK

MAR. 3-4

LEWISVILLE, TX

MAR. 3-4

SAN ANTONIO, TX

MAR. 3-4

BELTON, TX

MAR. 3-4

LONGVIEW, TX

MAR. 3-4

PASADENA, TX

MAR. 3-4

TOPEKA, KS

Crime Prevention

he NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program provides information on crime prevention and personal safety.

To learn more about the program, visit refuse.nra.org. The most up-to-date schedule is at nrainstructors.org.

MAR. 1—SAN ANTONIO, TX

(Seminar) Alison Adams (210) 508-0317

MAR. 15—AUGUSTA, KS

(Seminar) Gregory Rupp (316) 651-7877

MAR. 18—BROOMFIELD, CO

(Instructor Development Workshop) Gerard Violette (480) 244-6315

MAR. 21—MONTROSE, CO

(Seminar) Larry McWhirter (970) 249-2771

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters. *Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

Oklahoma State Fair Park, Oklahoma Gun Shows (918) 955-1092 Cherokee County Fairgrounds, G&S Promotions (918) 659-2201

Premier Event Center—Lakeland Plaza, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194

San Antonio Events Center, Saxet Trade Shows (361) 289-2256*

Bell County Expo Center, Lone Star Gun Shows (214) 635-2009 Longview Maude Cobb Exhibit Building, Classic Arms Productions (985) 624-8577

Pasadena Convention Center, High Caliber Gun & Knife Shows (281) 489-1741

Kansas Expocentre, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

MAR. 10-11

CANTON, TX

Canton Civic Center, G&S Promotions (918) 659-2201

MAR. 3-4

BENTON, AR

MAR. 10-11

FORT WORTH, TX

MAR. 3-4

SPRINGDALE, AR

MAR. 10-11

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

MAR. 10-11

PARK CITY, KS

MAR. 16-18

MONTROSE, CO

MAR. 17-18

DENVER, CO

MAR. 17-18

CONROE, TX

MAR. 17-18

TULSA, OK

Benton Event Center, Kerry Murphy Promotions (501) 580-3737

Encore Event Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Will Rogers Center, Lone Star Gun Shows (214) 635-2009 Oklahoma City State Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Hartman Arena, Chisholm Trail Antique Gun Ass’n. (888) 851-0888

Kimber Custom II .45 ACP and Silver Stag Knife with Display Case*

Montrose County Fairgrounds, Montrose Rod & Gun Club (970) 249-9008

The 2018 Friends of NRA Gun of the Year set brings together two perfectly paired pieces in a custom display case designed to showcase the Kimber Custom II “Defending Freedom” 1911 and the Silver Stag 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife with matching grips and Friends of NRA embellishments.

90

Denver Mart, Tanner Gun Shows (303) 756-3467

Lone Star Convention Center, High Caliber Gun & Knife Shows (281) 489-1741

Tulsa Fairgrounds—Exchange Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

LAW ENFORCEMENT

P

ublic and private officers interested in becoming firearm instructors should attend one of NRA’s Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Development Schools.

MAR. 5-9—ALVA, OK

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 12-19—GARDEN PLAIN, KS

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 12-19—SAN ANTONIO, TX

(Patrol Rifle) Contact Mary Shine at (703) 267-1628 or mshine@nrahq.org.

AREA SHOOTS

F

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

PISTOL MAR. 17-18

FREDERICKSBURG, TX

Gillespie County Fairgrounds, Silver Spur Trade Shows (806) 253-1322

MAR. 17-18

SAN ANTONIO, TX

Austin Highway Event Center, Austin Highway Events (210) 242-3683

MAR. 17-18

MESQUITE, TX

Big Town Event Center—Exhibition Hall, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194

MAR. 17-18

HOT SPRINGS, AR

Garland County Fairgrounds, G&S Promotions, (918) 659-2201

MAR. 24-25

HOUSTON, TX

George R. Brown Convention Center, High Caliber Gun & Knife Shows (281) 489-1741

MAR. 24-25

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX

MAR. 24-25

DALLAS, TX

MAR. 24-25

JEFFERSON, TX

Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds, Saxet Trade Shows (361) 289-2256*

Dallas Market Hall, Dallas Arms Collectors Ass’n. (972) 369-6062* Jefferson Visitor Center, Marion County Chamber of Commerce (903) 665-2672

MAR. 24-25

KINGSLAND, TX

MAR. 24-25

LUBBOCK, TX

Kingsland Community Center, Wild Weasel Productions (830) 992-5291 Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Silver Spur Trade Shows (806) 253-1322

MAR. 24-25

LOVELAND, CO

Outlets at Loveland, P.E. Gun Shows (970) 779-0360

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

J

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information.

Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

arpa-online.org

Colorado State Shooting Ass’n.

cssa.org

Kansas State Rifle Ass’n.

ksraweb.org

New Mexico Shooting Sports Ass’n. Inc.

nmssa.org

Amarillo, TX Midland, TX Denver, CO

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Pine Bluff, AR China Spring, TX Houston, TX

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Carthage, TX Wichita Falls, TX North Little Rock, AR Rosharon, TX Van Buren, AR

SILHOUETTE

Albuquerque, NM Haltom City, TX Arcadia, OK Friendswood, TX Bauxite, AR

Oklahoma Rifle Ass’n. Inc.

oklarifle.com

Texas State Rifle Ass’n.

tsra.com

MAR. 18 MAR. 24 MAR. 31 MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 10 MAR. 11 MAR. 24 MAR. 4 MAR. 10 MAR. 17 MAR. 24 MAR. 25

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

91

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT SOUTH 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

South Regional Director—Al Hammond

ahammond@nrahq.org

LA—Chad Bowen

cbowen@nrahq.org

AL, MS—Gene Newman

gnewman@nrahq.org

Northern FL—Bret Eldridge

peldridge@nrahq.org

Southern FL—Tom Knight

tknight@nrahq.org

GA—Neely Raper

nraper@nrahq.org

Eastern NC—Garland “Tra” Storey

gstorey@nrahq.org

Western NC—Doug Merrill

rmerrill@nrahq.org

TN—Mike Webb

mwebb@nrahq.org

SC—Freeman Coleman

fcoleman@nrahq.org

J

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information.

Alabama Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

jmoses1936@gmail.com

Florida Sport Shooting Ass’n.

fssaf.wildapricot.org

Georgia Sport Shooting Ass’n.

gssainc.org

louisianashooting.com

Mississippi Gun Owners Ass’n.

msgo.com

North Carolina Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

ncrpa.org

Gun Owners of South Carolina

gosc.org

Tennessee Shooting Sports Ass’n. Inc.

tennesseeshootingsportsassociation.org

F

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Sunrise, FL Donaldsonville, LA Palm Bay, FL

MAR. 4 MAR. 18 MAR. 24 MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 4

Kimber Custom II .45 ACP and Silver Stag Knife with Display Case*

Hoover, AL Batesburg, SC Pascagoula, MS Jackson, TN Jacksonville, FL

MAR. 3 MAR. 10 MAR. 10 MAR. 18 MAR. 23

TRAINING

T

he NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program provides information on crime prevention and personal safety.

To learn more about the program, visit refuse.nra.org. The most up-to-date schedule is available on the internet by visiting nrainstructors.org, by sending an email to refuse@nrahq.org or by calling (800) 861-1166.

MAR. 3—CHOCTAW BEACH, FL

MAR. 4—STONE MOUNTAIN, GA

(Instructor Development Workshop) Matthew Schwab (678) 260-8318

MAR. 10—RURAL HALL, NC

(Seminar) C. Richard Talbert (336) 969-4867

MAR. 24—EDGEFIELD, SC

(Seminar) Richard Porterfield (803) 292-8589

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters. *Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

The 2018 Friends of NRA Gun of the Year set brings together two perfectly paired pieces in a custom display case designed to showcase the Kimber Custom II “Defending Freedom” 1911 and the Silver Stag 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife with matching grips and Friends of NRA embellishments.

90

SILHOUETTE

(Seminar) Kenneth Geis (321) 230-6171

AREA SHOOTS

Orlando, FL Jacksonville, FL Creedmoor, NC

MAR. 4 MAR. 4 MAR. 11 MAR. 25

Crime Prevention

Louisiana Shooting Ass’n.

PISTOL

Myakka City, FL Lakeland, FL Gatson, SC Hoover, AL

MAR. 3-4

DECATUR, AL

MAR. 3-4

LAKELAND, FL

MAR. 3-4

DELAND, FL

Decatur Shrine Club, VPI Gun Shows (256) 381-0506 RP Funding Center, Florida Gun Shows, (407) 410-6870

Volusia County Fairgrounds, Sport Show Specialists (321) 777-7455*

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAR. 10-11

RALEIGH, NC

MAR. 10-11

FLETCHER, NC

North Carolina State Fairgrounds, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

Western North Carolina Agricultural Center, Mike Kent Shows (770) 630-7296

MAR. 17-18

HOOVER, AL

Hoover Met Complex, Alabama Gun Collectors Ass’n. (205) 317-0948

MAR. 17-18

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL

War Memorial Auditorium, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870

MAR. 17-18

WEST PALM BEACH, FL

South Florida Fairgrounds, Sport Show Specialists (321) 777-7455*

MAR. 17-18

BARTOW, FL

National Guard Armory, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074

MAR. 17-18

KENNER, LA

MAR. 17-18

LAUREL, MS

MAR. 17-18

HICKORY, NC

Pontchartrain Center, Great Southern Gun & Knife Shows (865) 671-4757

MAR. 3-4

POMPANO BEACH, FL

MAR. 3-4

NEWBERRY, FL

MAR. 3-4

SEBASTIAN, FL

Pompano Beach Civic Center, Florida Gun Expo (305) 922-3677 Newberry American Legion, Gun Trader Shows (352) 359-0134

Sebastian Elks Lodge, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074

MAR. 3-4

GROVETOWN, GA

Columbia County Exhibition Center, Eastman Gun Shows (229) 423-4867

MAR. 3-4

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA

MAR. 3-4

WINSTON-SALEM, NC

Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176 Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

MAR. 3-4

KNOXVILLE, TN

Laurel Fairgrounds, Big Pop Gun Shows (601) 319-5248

Hickory Metro Convention Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

MAR. 17-18

COLUMBIA, SC

MAR. 17-18

KINGSPORT, TN

MAR. 24-25

BIRMINGHAM, AL

South Carolina State Fairgrounds, Mike Kent & Associates (770) 630-7296 MeadowView Convention Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Birmingham—Jefferson Convention Complex, Great Southern Gun & Knife Shows (865) 671-4757

MAR. 24-25

ORLANDO, FL

Central Florida Fairgrounds, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870

MAR. 24-25

FORT MYERS, FL

MAR. 24-25

MELBOURNE, FL

MAR. 24-25

MIAMI, FL

MAR. 24-25

GONZALES, LA

MAR. 24-25

CONCORD, NC

Araba Shrine Temple, Fort Myers Antique Arms Collectors (954) 294-2526

Melbourne Auditorium, Sport Show Specialists (321) 777-7455* Miccosukee Gaming Resort, Florida Gun Expo (305) 922-3677

Lamar-Dixon Expo Hall, Classic Arms Productions (985) 624-8577 Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

MAR. 31-APR. 1

OAKLAND PARK, FL

Universal Palms Hotel, Gun Show Team (561) 288-8425

LAW ENFORCEMENT

P

ublic and private officers interested in becoming firearm instructors should attend one of NRA’s Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Development Schools.

MAR. 5-9—APPLING, GA

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 5-9—FLORENCE, AL

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 12-16—TUSCALOOSA, AL

(Tactical Shotgun)

MAR. 19-23—SUMMERVILLE, SC

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 26-30—TUSCALOOSA, AL

(Handgun/Shotgun)

MAR. 26-30—SHREVEPORT, LA

(Handgun/Shotgun) Contact Rudis Amaya at (703) 267-1636 or ramaya@nrahq.org.

Knoxville Expo Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

MAR. 10-11

PORT ST LUCIE, FL

Polish American Social Club, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074

MAR. 10-11

LAKE WORTH, FL

Scottish Rite Masonic Center, Gun Show Team (561) 288-8425

MAR. 10-11

SEBRING, FL

Highlands County Fairgrounds, Patriot Productions (866) 611-0442

MAR. 10-11

VALDOSTA, GA

MAR. 10-11

BOSSIER CITY, LA

James H Rainwater Conference Center, Eastman Gun Shows (229) 423-4867

Bossier City Civic Center, Classic Arms Productions (985) 624-8577

MAR. 10-11

JACKSON, MS

Wahabi Shrine Building, Big Pop Gun Shows (601) 319-5248

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

americanrifleman.org

March 2018

91

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT SOUTHWEST 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org

TRAINING

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

Southwest Regional Director— Jason Quick

jquick@nrahq.org

AZ—Winston Pendleton

wpendleton@nrahq.org

Mid CA—Jason Quick

jquick@nrahq.org

Central CA—Paul Rodarmel

prodarmel@nrahq.org

Northern CA—Dan Wilhelm

dwilhelm@nrahq.org

Southern CA—Mike Davis

mdavis@nrahq.org

Eastern CA—Cole Beverly

cbeverly@nrahq.org

NV—Steve Wilson

swilson@nrahq.org

UT—Jim Reardon

jreardon@nrahq.org

Crime Prevention

T

he NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program provides information on crime prevention and personal safety.

To learn more about the program, visit refuse.nra.org. The most up-to-date schedule is at nrainstructors.org.

MAR. 24—SAN DIEGO, CA

(Seminar) Peter Schultz (760) 789-0987

MAR. 30—FLAGSTAFF, AZ

(Instructor Development Workshop) Gerard Violette (480) 244-6315

LAW ENFORCEMENT

P

ublic and private officers interested in becoming firearm instructors should attend one of NRA’s Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Development Schools.

MAR. 5-9—CHINO, CA

(Tactical Shooting) Contact Mary Shine at (703) 267-1628 or mshine@nrahq.org.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

J

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information.

Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

asrpa.com

California Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

crpa.org

Nevada Firearms Coalition

nvfac.org

Utah State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

usrpa.org

AREA SHOOTS

F

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

PISTOL

Escondido, CA Phoenix, AZ

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Yuba City, CA

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Seeley, CA Boulder City, NV Clovis, CA Ventucopa, CA Gonzales, CA

SILHOUETTE

Phoenix, AZ Mesa, AZ Cupertino, CA

Kimber Custom II .45 ACP and Silver Stag Knife with Display Case*

MAR. 17-18 MAR. 4 MAR. 11 MAR. 11 MAR. 18 MAR. 31 MAR. 17 MAR. 18 MAR. 22

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters.

The 2018 Friends of NRA Gun of the Year set brings together two perfectly paired pieces in a custom display case designed to showcase the Kimber Custom II “Defending Freedom” 1911 and the Silver Stag 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife with matching grips and Friends of NRA embellishments.

90

MAR. 11 MAR. 18

*Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

MAR. 3-4

REDDING, CA

Holiday Inn Convention Center, High Plains (530) 222-3223

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAR. 3-4

TUCSON, AZ

MAR. 17-18

EUREKA, CA

MAR. 24-25

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ

MAR. 3-4

YUBA CITY, CA

MAR. 17-18

LAS VEGAS, NV

MAR. 24-25

VISALIA, CA

MAR. 3-4

FAIRFIELD, CA

MAR. 17-18

SANTA MARIA, CA

MAR. 24-25

COSTA MESA, CA

MAR. 3-4

LAS VEGAS, NV

MAR. 17-18

CHICO, CA

MAR. 24-25

FRESNO, CA

Pima County Fairgrounds, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125 Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, U.S. Gun Trader (530) 701-8659 Specialty Event Center, Mountain Aire Promotions (209) 663-2830

Eastside Cannery Casino Hotel, Western Trails Gun & Knife Shows (702) 222-1948

MAR. 3-4

OGDEN, UT

MAR. 3-4

SANDY, UT

Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, Buck Stop Gun Shows (530) 622-9486 Las Vegas Convention Center, Midwest Arms Collectors LLC (660) 956-6004

Santa Maria Fairpark, Central Coast Gun Shows (805) 481-6726

Chico Masonic Family Center, Chico Gun Show (530) 591-3379

Fountain Hills Community Center, AZ Gun Radio (650) 520-6002

Visalia Convention Center, Mountain Aire Promotions (209) 663-2830 Orange County Fair & Event Center, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125 Fresno County Fairgrounds, Central Coast Gun Shows (805) 481-6726

Weber County Fair, Utah Gun Collectors Ass’n. (801) 486-1349

South Towne Expo Center, Rocky Mountain Gun Shows (801) 589-0975

MAR. 9-11

RENO, NV

Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Big Reno Show (775) 828-2350

MAR. 10-11

MESA, AZ

Mesa Convention Center, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125

MAR. 10-11

ONTARIO, CA

MAR. 10-11

UKIAH, CA

Ontario Convention Center, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125

Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, Buck Stop Gun Shows (530) 622-9486

MAR. 17-18

DEL MAR, CA

Del Mar Fairgrounds, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

91

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT WEST 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • MAY 4-6 • DALLAS, TX

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

F

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in games, raffles, live and silent auctions and more. Your attendance contributes to grants that promote firearm education, safety and marksmanship. To learn more about events in your area, visit friendsofnra.org, contact your local field representative or send an email to friends@nrahq.org.

West Regional Director—Brad Kruger

bkruger@nrahq.org

MN—Eric Linder

elinder@nrahq.org

ND, SD—Doug DeLaRoi

ddelaroi@nrahq.org

Northern AK—Josh Toennessen

jtoennessen@nrahq.org

Southern AK—Greg Stephens

gstephens@nrahq.org

ID—Steve Vreeland

svreeland@nrahq.org

MT—Joe Crismore

jcrismore@nrahq.org

OR, HI—Mike Carey

mcarey@nrahq.org

WA—Michael Herrera

mherrera@nrahq.org

WY—Brad Kruger

bkruger@nrahq.org

J

oining NRA-affiliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state.See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information.

Alaska Outdoor Council Inc.

alaskaoutdoorcouncil.org

Hawaii Rifle Ass’n.

hawaiirifleassociation.org

Idaho State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

idahosrpa.org

Minnesota Rifle & Revolver Ass’n. Inc.

mrra.org

Montana Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

mtrpa.org

North Dakota Shooting Sports Ass’n.

ndssa.org

Oregon State Shooting Ass’n.

ossa.org

South Dakota Shooting Sports Ass’n.

sdshootingsports.org

Washington State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n. Inc.

wsrpa.org

Wyoming State Shooting Ass’n. Inc.

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AREA SHOOTS

F

or more information, send an email to Shelly Kramer at mkramer@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1459. For a complete listing, see shootingsportsusa.com.

PISTOL

Honolulu, HI Wadena, MN Sherwood, OR Billings, MT

MAR. 4 MAR. 4-5 MAR. 17 MAR. 17

Delta Junction, AK Honolulu, HI Lander, WY Bonners Ferry, ID Bismarck, ND

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Snohomish, WA

MAR. 10 MAR. 11 MAR. 17-18 MAR. 23-25 MAR. 24 MAR. 10

SILHOUETTE

Boise, ID Missoula, MT Little Rock, WA Lander, WY Sherwood, OR

MAR. 3 MAR. 3 MAR. 18 MAR. 18 MAR. 24

GUN SHOWS

D

ates and locations of gun shows are subject to change, so please contact the show before traveling.

Discounted NRA membership are sold through NRA recruiters.

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90

SMALLBORE RIFLE

*Some shows may offer free admission to people who sign up for new memberships or renewals. To become an NRA Recruiter call (800) 672-0004.

MAR. 3-4

GRAND FORKS, ND

MAR. 3-4

ALBANY, OR

Alerus Center, Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Ass’n. (701) 361-9215 Linn County Expo Center, Albany Rifle & Pistol Club (541) 491-3755

MARCH 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

MAR. 3-4

POCATELLO, ID

MAR. 3-4

HOMEDALE, ID

Mountain View Event Center, Lewis Clark Trader (208) 746-5555

Owyhee Community Center, Amoureux & Amoureux (208) 870-1712

MAR. 3-4

PORT ANGELES, WA

Port Angeles Masonic Temple, Falcon Productions (360) 770-1575

MAR. 3-4

MANKATO, MN

Mankato National Guard Training Center, Crocodile Productions (763) 754-7140

MAR. 10-11

LEWISTOWN, ID

MAR. 10-11

SIOUX FALLS, SD

MAR. 10-11

CENTRALIA, WA

Nez Perce County Fairgrounds, Lewis Clark Trader (208) 746-5555 Ramkota Hotel, Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Ass’n. (701) 361-9215 SouthWest Washington Fairgrounds, Wes Knodel Gun Shows (503) 363-9564

MAR. 11

VANCOUVER, WA

Clark County Square Dance Center, Arms Collectors of Southwest Washington (360) 263-7511

MAR. 17-18

HONOLULU, HI

MAR. 17-18

BURLEY, ID

MAR. 17-18

PORTLAND, OR

Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Hawaii Historic Arms Ass’n. (808) 942-8664 Burley Inn, Lewis Clark Trader (208) 746-5555

Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, Wes Knodel Gun Shows (503) 363-9564

MAR. 17-18

WATERTOWN, SD

MAR. 24-25

POST FALLS, ID

MAR. 17-18

YAKIMA, WA

MAR. 24-25

PUYALLUP, WA

MAR. 17-18

ST. PAUL, MN

MAR. 24-25

MCMINNVILLE, OR

MAR. 24-25

BEMIDJI, MN

Codington County Extension Complex, Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Ass’n. (701) 361-9215

Yakima Convention Center, Big Top Promotions (425) 422-5114

Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Minnesota Weapons Collectors Ass’n.

(612) 721-8976

MAR. 23-25

KALISPELL, MT

Flathead County Fairgrounds, Northwest Montana Arms Collectors Ass’n. (406) 471-0972

Greyhound Park & Event Center, Lewis Clark Trader (208) 746-5555

Western Washington Fairgrounds, Washington Arms Collectors (425) 255-8410 Yamhill County Fairgrounds, Collectors West (800) 659-3440

Bemidji Curling Club, Russ Bowers Gun Shows (218) 845-2530

MEMBER INFORMATION & BENEFITS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT INFORMATION: (877) 672-2000 NRA Headquarters: (703) 267-1000 • INTERNET ADDRESS: nra.org MEMBER SERVICE

(800) 672-3888

NRASTORE.COM

(888) 607-6007

5-STAR MEMBER BENEFITS NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs NRA Visa Credit Card LifeLock NRA Wine Club NRA Hearing Benefits Hertz Car Rental CDP# 166609 Avis Car Rental AWD# A832100 Enterprise Car Rental # NRAERAC North American Moving Services NRA Endorsed Check Program

(877) 672-3006 (866) NRA-VISA (800) 978-1725 (800) 331-5578 (866) 619-5889 (800) 654-2200 (800) 225-7094 (800) 736-8222 (800) 699-0590 (888) 331-6767

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION Grassroots/Legislative Hotline (800) 392-8683

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT/ GIFT PLANNING (877) NRA-GIVE THE NRA FOUNDATION (800) 423-6894 NRA INSTRUCTOR/ COACH FIREARM TRAINING (703) 267-1500 EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM (800) 231-0752 REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM (800) 861-1166 RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS (703) 267-1511 NRA AFFILIATED CLUBS (800) NRA-CLUB RANGE SERVICES (877) 672-7264 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING (877) 672-6282 LAW ENFORCEMENT (703) 267-1640 FRIENDS OF NRA (703) 267-1342 NRA MUSEUMS/ GUN COLLECTOR PROGRAMS (703) 267-1600 SHOWS & EXHIBITS (866) 343-1805 MEDIA RELATIONS (703) 267-1595

The “NRA Regional Report,” a service for NRA members, appears in every issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated and America’s 1st Freedom. The Regional Report is an up-to-date listing of NRA conducted and/or sponsored events scheduled in your region for the current month. Call to verify event dates and locations before traveling.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

MARCH 2018

91

inside nra | programs & services

A

significant focal point of the NRA Foundation in 2017 was supporting the future of firearms freedom in America by investing in the next generation of advocates for our Second Amendmentprotected rights.

One of the high points of the effort came on Giving Tuesday (Nov. 28, 2017), a day designed to give people a chance to focus on the true message of the holiday season by showing gratitude to the people and causes that affect our lives. The NRA Foundation marked the occasion by raising more than $31,000 for the NRA’s Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) Scholarship Fund. The money was raised during a five-week, web-based fundraising campaign where NRA members and other supporters could make donations.

The Y.E.S. program allows high school sophomores and juniors to apply for an all-expenses-paid, week-long educational experience in Washington, D.C. With the NRA Foundation’s help, Y.E.S. will grow to two, one-week sessions, scheduled for July 9-15 and July 23-29 in 2018. The expansion allows twice as many students to participate in this life-changing program, developing into strong leaders in their communities and competing for $55,000 in college scholarships.

The NRA Foundation would like to thank all of the donors who created their own story of giving and said “yes” to Y.E.S. as they help the NRA support the young men and women who will lead the legacy of freedom into the future.

Photo by NRA Staff

NRA Foundation Raises More Than $31,000 for Y.E.S. Scholarships

NRA Chooses its Law Enforcement Firearm Instructor of the Year for 2017

I

t’s no surprise that law enforcement officers often give back to their communities—after all, they put their lives on the line to protect and serve every day. The 2017 winner of the NRA’s Law Enforcement Firearm Instructor of the Year exemplifies such an attitude.

Bradley W. Smith, of Yorktown, Va., earned his nomination from Combined Firearms Training for his dedication in

making sure that Virginia law enforcement community officers are trained and ready to handle any public-safety situation effectively.

Among his instruction work in 2017, Smith led a three-day tactical carbine course and a one-day vehicle rifle/pistol course in Henrico County, volunteering his time to teach both NRA-approved classes.

He also played a key role as Combined Firearms Training conducted a statewide push at multiple locations to train law enforcement officers how to fight from their patrol vehicle/downed vehicle. And during a three-month period, Smith traveled to nine locations to teach a total of 760 officers at NRA-sponsored tuitionfree schools.

NRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joe M. Allbaugh, Oklahoma; William H. Allen, Tennessee; Thomas P. Arvas, New Mexico; Scott L. Bach, New Jersey; William A. Bachenberg, Pennsylvania; Bob Barr, Georgia; Ronnie G. Barrett, Tennessee; Clel Baudler, Iowa; J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio; Matt Blunt, Virginia; Dan Boren, Oklahoma; Robert K. Brown, Colorado; Pete R. Brownell, Iowa; Dave Butz, Illinois; Ted W. Carter, Florida; Richard R. Childress, North Carolina; Patricia A. Clark, Connecticut; Allan D. Cors, Florida; Charles L. Cotton, Texas; David G. Coy, Michigan; Larry E. Craig, Idaho; John L. Cushman, New York; R. Lee Ermey, California; Edie P. Fleeman, North Carolina; M. Carol (Bambery) Frampton, South Carolina; Joel Friedman, Nevada; Sandra S. Froman, Arizona; James S. Gilmore III, Virginia; Marion P. Hammer, Florida; Maria Heil, Pennsylvania; Graham Hill, Virginia; Steve Hornady, Nebraska; Susan Howard, Texas; Curtis S. Jenkins, Georgia; David A. Keene, Maryland; Tom King, New York; Timothy Knight, Tennessee; Herbert A. Lanford Jr., South Carolina; Willes K. Lee, Hawaii; Karl A. Malone, Louisiana; Sean Maloney, Ohio; Robert E. Mansell, Arizona; Carolyn D. Meadows, Georgia; Bill Miller, West Virginia; Owen Buz Mills, Arizona; Craig Morgan, Tennessee; Grover G. Norquist, Washington, D.C.; Oliver L. North, Virginia; Robert Nosler, Oregon; Johnny Nugent, Indiana; Ted Nugent, Texas; Lance Olson, Iowa; Melanie Pepper, Texas; James W. Porter II, Alabama; Peter J. Printz, Montana; Todd J. Rathner, Arizona; Kim Rhode, California; Wayne Anthony Ross, Alaska; Carl T. Rowan Jr., Washington, D.C.; Don Saba, Arizona; William H. Satterfield, Alabama; Ronald L. Schmeits, New Mexico; Esther Q. Schneider, Texas; Steven C. Schreiner, Colorado; Tom Selleck, California; John C. Sigler, Delaware; Leroy Sisco, Texas; Bart Skelton, New Mexico; Dwight D. Van Horn, Idaho; Blaine Wade, Tennessee; Linda L. Walker, Ohio; Howard J. Walter, North Carolina; Heidi E. Washington, Michigan; Allen B. West, Texas; Robert J. Wos, Florida; Donald E. Young, Alaska.

Communications intended for any member of the NRA Board of Directors should be addressed to: (Name of Board member), NRA Office of the Secretary, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030; or nrabod@nrahq.org; or (703) 267-1021. Please include your name, contact information and NRA membership I.D. number, as only communications from NRA members will be forwarded.

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i have this old gun …

Gun: Sauer 38H Manufacturer: J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl, Germany Chambering: 7.65 mm Browning (.32 ACP) Condition: NRA Excellent (Modern Gun Standards) Value: $950

SAUER 38H PISTOL W

hen one thinks of groundbreaking double-action pocket pistols, those that probably come to mind are examples from the superb Walther PP series. They were the first guns of their type to achieve a real foothold in the marketplace, and, even though introduced in 1929/30, they continue to be strong sellers today. The Walthers were so good that they have a tendency to overshadow other early, small, quality double-actions, including the one we’re looking at here, the Sauer 38H. There are many who consider the Sauer 38H to be at least equal to the Walthers in style and efficiency—in fact, some feel it is actually superior.

Sauer & Sohn’s handy new pistol was introduced in 1938, and because of the things going on in Germany at the time—and the drying up of foreign markets—the firm was unable to take full advantage of civilian sales before and after World War II, hence the fact that it’s somewhat forgotten today.

A considerable departure from Sauer’s earlier Model 1913 and 1930 7.65 mm Browning (.32 ACP) pistols, the 38H was a double-action design with an internal hammer—the “H” in the gun’s model designation stood for hahn. It featured a fixed barrel around which was wrapped a stout

recoil spring. The breechblock was a dedicated unit secured to the slide by a pin. Model 38Hs employed a unique de-cocking lever. Lowering the lever cocked the hammer, but one could also safely release the hammer with the same lever when the gun was on full-cock by slightly pushing down then easing it upward. As well, most had a safety sited on the left rear of the slide. In the “on-safe” position, it blocked the hammer and secured the trigger. A magazine safety prevented operation when the magazine was removed.

The eight-round magazine was released by means of a button positioned below the de-cocking lever on the left side of the frame behind the trigger. A cocking indicator protruded from the rear of the slide, allowing the user to determine by sight or feel if the pistol was ready to fire. Stocks were of checkered Bakelite—normally black, but other colors are seen— emblazoned on the left panel with an intertwined Sauer und Sohn “SuS” logo. A few 38Hs were also chambered for .22 Long Rifle and 9 mm Kurz (.380 ACP), but these are quite scarce.

Early 38Hs were superbly finished with a high-luster blue, though as World War II progressed finish declined apace. Still, general quality

of the guns never lagged. Markings changed as production continued. A small number toward the end of World War II were made with Duralumin frames. During the pistol’s brief lifespan between 1938 and 1945, a high percentage went to the German army, air force, police and the Nazi party.

Some 250,000 were built in total.

Values on 38Hs vary according to chambering, finish and usage. The most expensive variants are those in .22 Long Rifle or .380 ACP, and guns with alloy frames. High-polish pistols bring a premium, as do those with various military, party and police markings. The example seen here is in excellent condition with minimal wear. It has an “Eagle C” police stamping on the front part of the left side of the trigger guard. As such, it’s worth $950. Other things being equal, a pistol without this mark would be valued at about 20 percent less.

—Garry James, Contributing Editor

American Rifleman does NOT accept submissions for the I Have This Old Gun column. Topics are assigned to Field Editors in advance. Due to the volume of mail received, our writers are not able to answer individual questions. Please consider instead sending your correspondence and questions through our Dope Bag/Q&A service, which is available to all NRA members in good standing. Details appear in the Q&A section.

96

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