American Rifleman 2018-07 by Manuel Adrian Galindo Yañez

A PRIMER ON COLT’S PYTHON July 2018

The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority

Official Journal of the National Rifle Association

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

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EXPERTS IN THE FIELD

JULY 2018

VOLUME 166, NO. 7

features

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.

Don’t Let District Courts Squeeze Our Rights . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..18 Chris W. Cox

A Massachusetts gun-ban case highlights the importance of President’s Trump’s judicial appointments.

A Show Of Strength: 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits .. .. .. .. 38 NRA Staff

A record number of NRA members—more than 87,000—celebrated freedom at the 2018 Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas.

Making History In Dallas! NRA-ILA’s 2018 Leadership Forum . .. .. .. 42 NRA Staff

Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Dallas to address NRA members from across the country.

U.S. National Archives photo

Contents

Building Momentum: A First For Franchi .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 44 Joe Kurtenbach

Franchi is celebrating its 150th anniversary, but in all those years it has never made a center-fire bolt-action—until now. The new Momentum is a very impressive first.

“The Best Rifles In The War”: The Model 1903 In World War I .. .. .. .. .. .. 48 Bruce N. Canfield

When the Doughboys went to France starting in 1917, they took with them arguably the finest bolt-action military rifle ever made—the ’03 Springfield.

A Colt’s Python Primer . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 Gurney Brown

Once a neglected collecting category, Colt’s Python remains one of the hottest tickets today. Here is the half-century history of the “King of the Seven Serpents.”

Box-Fed: Remington’s 870 DM & Mossberg’s 590M . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..60

MEMBER PROGRAMS: (800) 672-3888

Photo by Forrest MacCormack

Blue Book Publications photo

For the first time, the two pre-eminent pump-action shotguns—the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500/590—have embraced the benefits of the box.

Photo by Forrest MacCormack

NRA staff photo

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H O R N A DY S E C U R I T Y.CO M

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 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ILA Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Regional Report/Member Info & Benefits .. .. Programs & Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

EDITORIAL

12 14 16 72 74 78

The Keefe Report .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 8 Readers Write .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22 Favorite Firearms. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 37

News & Notes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 Products & Projects .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 27 Handloads: .30-’06 Sprg. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34

Questions & Answers . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 35 Belgian Inheritance Pre-War Stock Pistol

Dope Bag .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 68 SIG Sauer P225-A1 Nitron Compact 9 mm Luger Pistol CMMG Guard .45 ACP Carbine

I Have This Old Gun .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 Smith & Wesson Model 1

THE COVER: You read it right. Franchi, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in the gun business, is now building bolt-action center-fire hunting rifles. Made in Italy, the elegant new offering is called the Momentum, and our .30-’06 Sprg. example is topped by a Burris Fullfield II 3-9X 40 mm riflescope mounted using Burris bases and Zee rings. For a full report, turn to Executive Editor Joe Kurtenbach’s story beginning on p. 44. Photo by Forrest MacCormack. Design by David J. Labrozzi.

A PRIMER ON COLT’S PYTHON July 2018

The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority

Box-Fed Pumps: Remington & Mossberg

FRANCHI BUILDING MOMENTUM

Official Journal of the National Rifle Association AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

R1807_COVER.indd 1

Printed in the United States of America

Doug Hamlin Executive Director Evelyn Q. Kessler Deputy Executive Director Marshall J. Flemion Managing Director, Integrated Marketing Terri A. Wolfe Executive Assistant Rachel Carr Sales & Fiscal Assistant

5/10/18 8:56 AM

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 Executive Editor Kelly Young Managing 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 Larry Quandahl Firearms Inventory Manager

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. All rights reserved except where expressly waived. Periodicals Postage paid at Fairfax, VA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to American Rifleman, c/o National Rifle Association, P.O. Box 420648, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0648. TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS or to report a damaged or undelivered magazine, write: American Rifleman, c/o National Rifle Association, P.O. Box 420648, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0648. Or to make changes to your account online go to: NRAmemberservices.org. Do not return damaged copies. Change of address should include both new address and a mailing label bearing the old one. In case of duplication send both labels.

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NRA PUBLICATIONS PUBLISHING OPERATIONS

Colt Shatters Auction Record A cased Colt Walker shattered a world record at auction in April, eclipsing its pre-auction estimate of $800,000 to $1.3 million. When did the hammer finally drop? Find out at americanrifleman.org/record. Model 92 Revival It’s on its way out as the U.S. Army’s official sidearm, but there are now—finally—great aftermarket options for the Beretta 92, fueling a mini-revival of interest in the pistol. Check out americanrifleman.org/92upgrades.

The One You’ve Been Waiting For ... It’s not Ruger’s first 10 mm Auto revolver—but it’s the one most have been waiting for. Read the full evaluation of the Ruger GP100 Match Champion 10 mm revolver at americanrifleman.org/match10.

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.

New Season, Great War Men & Guns June 27 Over There! Alvin York, American Rifleman; Taurus Spectrum Pistol In .380 ACP; Argentine FM FAP (High Power) Pistol

July 4 Over There! Soldiers, But Not Equal—African-Americans In World War I; Smith & Wesson M&P380 Shield EZ Pistol In .380 ACP; Norwegian Model 1914 Pistol

July 11 Over There! ”No Finer Troops”—Americans Under British Command; Remington RP45 Pistol In .45 ACP; Mauser Gewhr 98 Rifle

July 18 Over There! Lest We Forget; Winchester SX4 Shotgun In 12 Gauge.; Mauser Model 98a Rifle

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 Senior Accounts Receivable Coordinator Director, Eastern Sales Tony Morrison (860) 767-9801 NE Sales Office Manager Alycia Clemons 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 (703) 267-1300 Western Sales Executive James O’Neill (703) 267-1300 Midwest Sales Executive Tim Hamill (703) 267-1300 Western Direct Sales Executive Debbie O’Connell (703) 267-1300 www.nramediakit.com 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.

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THE KEEFE REPORT

emain calm. Odds are you have heard Vista Outdoor is putting Savage Arms on the block. And it may, but there is quite a lot more to it, and it cannot be fully explained in a pithy meme or in 140 characters. On May 1, “Vista Outdoor Inc. … announced its strategic business transformation plan, designed to allow the company to focus resources on pursuing growth in its core product categories.” And top Vista executives were on the phone right away with us. To be clear, this was not a kneejerk reaction to a moveon.org Astroturf petition drive and not “in light of recent events,” as “The plan is a result of a comprehensive strategic review, which began in November 2017.” And it’s not just Savage. “Our review identified product categories that are core to the company’s long-term business strategy,” said Vista Outdoor Chief Executive Officer Chris Metz. “We believe future investment should focus on categories where Vista Outdoor can achieve sustainable growth, maximize operational efficiencies, deliver leadership economics and drive shareholder value.” “As a result of this evaluation, and with support from its board of directors, Vista Outdoor will focus on achieving growth through its marketleading brands in ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories, hydration bottles and packs, and outdoor cooking products.” “The company plans to explore strategic options for assets that fall outside of these product categories, including its remaining Sports Protection brands (e.g. Bell, Giro and Blackburn), Jimmy Styks paddle boards, and Savage and Stevens firearms.” If you doubt Vista’s commitment to the shooting sports, you need to have a look at what companies are not becoming a “strategic option.” Vista Outdoor has no fewer than 50 brands, and it is choosing to focus, for solid business reasons, on what it calls its core businesses. Vista, at heart, is an ammunition and accessory company, and the brands, among others, Vista will JULY 2018

focus on are Federal Premium, CCI, Speer, Blazer, Estate Cartridge, Fusion, American Eagle and Force N Force. Then on the optics and accessories side, there are Bushnell, Weaver, Simmons, Millett, Tasco, Night Optics, Primos, Blackhawk!, RCBS, Champion Range And Target, Butler Creek, Uncle Mikes, Eagle, Hoppes No. 9, Gunslick Pro, Outers and Alliant Powder. This is not a company running from NRA members and the shooting sports. It’s one that is trying to compete and succeed in a tough market. So why is this happening? “Vista Outdoor expects that the execution of this process will significantly reduce the company’s leverage, improve financial flexibility and the efficiency of its capital structure, and provide additional resources to reinvest in core product categories, both organically and through acquisition.” This is not an example of the corporate cowardice that we have seen from companies that are not committed to the shooting sports. No, when you look at the Vista portfolio, even with this “strategic transformation plan,“ there a lot of shooting sports names there—and I expect they will emerge stronger. Top management assures us that CEO Chris Metz is “committed to the shooting sports but needs to drive shareholder value.” Savage would have required investment to become a full line in the firearms segment. The sale of these brands is not a done deal, and it is not happening overnight. While I know nothing about the bicycle helmet business, I can say that Savage, unlike some companies out there, is actually worth buying. Sincerely,

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omen have been buying an increasing number of firearms in recent years, and that trend is starting to make itself felt against those who try to commit criminal acts. In Arizona, for example, a shopper was getting ready to get into her car and drive home. While she was attempting to close the door of her vehicle, a man armed with a hatchet approached her vehicle, demanded that she hand over her keys and get out of the car. The woman drew a sidearm and told the man to back off. Instead, the assailant raised the hatchet. The shopper proceeded to shoot him, holding him at gunpoint until the police and medics arrived. The suspect was hospitalized, and charges were to be filed later. (Tucson News, Tucson, Ariz., 4/14/18)

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.

n another example of how a gun empowers women, a South Carolina woman used a 9 mm handgun to protect her boyfriend from a deadly threat by an attacker armed with a shotgun and a garrotte. The thug was one of two people who forced their way into the home. The incident started when loud knocking caused the male homeowner to crack the door open to peek outside. The door was pushed in, shoving the resident against the wall hard enough that the drywall cracked, according to a video news report. The intruders threatened the people inside the home, and during an ensuing struggle, the homeowner’s girlfriend fired two shots, killing one of the bad guys and causing the other to flee. (foxcarolina.com, Gaffney, S.C., 4/6/18)

ogs are supposed to bark, but a North Carolina pet owner knew it was unusual for his dog to do that. So when he was awakened one morning by the noise, he decided to check on his dog. Arriving downstairs, he noticed a stranger in his outdoor sunroom. The resident grabbed his smallbore bolt-action rifle and went outside. As he approached, he noticed that the other man was fussing with the doorknob, trying to enter the home. “When I saw that, I instantly put my rifle up at him,” the pet owner told local reporters. With that, he ordered the would-be intruder to back away from the house and lie on the ground, where the armed citizen held the man at gunpoint until the authorities arrived. The suspect faces multiple charges, including one count of breaking and entering. (Statesville Record & Landmark, Statesville, N.C., 4/11/18)

eturning to the scene of the crime was not a good idea for a couple of suspected burglars in Nashville, Tenn. The two men allegedly broke into a home and attacked the woman who was inside. Shortly thereafter, the man of the house returned home. When the homeowner entered, one of the

JULY 2018

intruders struck him in the head with a blunt object, dazing him. The resident was then restrained and shoved into another room, where they told him to open his gun safe so they could steal the firearms. The stunned homeowner complied, and the intruders apparently took off with three long guns and a pistol in hand. The male victim then armed himself and started to try to find his wife. Instead, he found the intruders, one of whom he shot fatally. The dead man was identified as someone with a rap sheet for auto burglary, felony theft and other misdeeds. He was also a suspect in a break-in at the same home a month or two earlier. (The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn., 3/29/18)

ome people are so intent on wreaking havoc they don’t even heed verbal warnings about the prospect of being shot. Such was the case in Hesperia, Calif., where a man was trying to force his way into a home of a Vietnam veteran. The military man heard someone trying to break into his home through a window. The homeowner grabbed his gun and told the burglary suspect to leave, but the intruder continued what he was doing, eventually forcibly gaining entry, police said. The armed citizen fired, critically injuring the trespasser. When the police arrived, officers found the wounded suspect on the ground in the front yard. (The Sun, San Bernardino, Calif., 3/30/18)

New Mexico burglary suspect will have plenty of time to sit and think about his actions, but it might not be very comfortable. After the bad guy broke into what was then an unoccupied house, someone came home. The resident noticed things were amiss and drew his gun before going inside, where he caught the thief in the act. The intruder pulled out a box cutter and lunged at the armed citizen, who fired once, hitting the stranger in the backside. Charges are pending. (Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M., 4/3/18)

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Media Get it Wrong Again: The NRA is Not Dead

T By Wayne LaPierre

Executive Vice President

“MAKE NO MISTAKE. YOUR NRA TODAY IS LARGER, STRONGER AND MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER.”

Like us on Facebook at the National Rifle Association. For related articles, go to nrapublications.org.

he media elites and the political elites are so quick to predict the NRA’s demise and so eager to dance on our grave, they can’t see past all their fake news and recognize the real truth right before their eyes. They can’t see you, and the millions and millions of good-hearted, patriotic Americans of the National Rifle Association. They don’t want to see you, because they hate you. They hate you, your guns and your freedom. So the news media piles on, and the political class jumps on, the bandwagon to smear gun owners, claim the NRA is losing, and call for total destruction of our association and the Second Amendment. But you know what all those anti-freedom elitists either missed or chose to ignore? They missed the fact that 87,154 law-abiding members of the NRA attended our recent Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas. They ignored the thousands and thousands of Americans who came to the ILA Leadership Forum to hear from both the President and Vice President of the United States. They’ve been missing for years the polling data that has consistently demonstrated the majority of Americans who support the NRA, oppose the sham of gun control and stopped trusting the media a long, long time ago. Make no mistake. Your NRA today is larger, stronger and more determined than ever. In fact, NRA membership is now at an all-time high, approaching a record 6 million active members! For your support, I congratulate and thank you because these are dangerous and challenging times for the Second Amendment. We face an enemy that is willing to spend whatever it takes to drown out our voice, disgrace our Association and put their anti-gun cronies in office. Their goal, as I explained in my column last month, is the complete and total elimination of the Second Amendment. Your freedom, your guns … gone. Eliminated. For any other organization, these challenges would be too much to face. But the NRA has fought through times like these before … and we know how to win. In fact, no other organization has a more proven track record of doing everything it takes to win, even in the toughest of times. That is because NRA members are warriors. We are warriors for freedom. We never shrink and we never back down. Between now and Election Day, we must get stronger and even larger … to stand even firmer and more resolute in defense of the July 2018

individual freedoms we hold so dear. Standing and fighting with us, I am proud to announce, is LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.), the next President of our National Rifle Association. This is the best news for NRA members since Charlton Heston so nobly served as NRA President. I can think of no one better than LtCol North to serve in this critical position. He is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader. North is an unflinching, unapologetic defender of Second Amendment freedom who has earned the enduring respect and admiration of our members. And believe me, LtCol North strikes genuine fear into the freedom-hating political elites who so desperately wish for a weakened NRA. He understands the news media, has fought them toe-to-toe and beaten them back time and again. Most of all, Oliver North recognizes what most of the elites have never understood. He knows that the real strength of our association has always, and will always, come from our active, politically savvy and engaged members. One by one, we all save our freedom together. I’ll take 6 million good NRA members over all the millions of dollars Bloomberg and his crowd can put together. I’ll take our hard-working NRA members over all the hypocrites in Hollywood and anti-Second Amendment media hacks they can throw in front of a camera. History proves that when we all stand and fight together, we win elections and preserve our freedom. Our fight has never been more critical than now. You already know that. You feel it in the pit of your gut. That fight starts right now and every day between now and Election Day in November. Now is our time to rally with our growing, record number of fellow NRA members, for all of us to rally together around our new NRA President … to stand with LtCol Oliver North … and fight like hell to save our country and the freedoms and values that have always made ours the greatest nation on earth. As members of the NRA, we are the toughest defenders of individual freedom this country has ever seen. We must prove in this election, for now and forever, that we are truly “Freedom’s Safest Place.”

american rifleman

president’s column

North to Lead the NRA

Carolyn D. Meadows Interim President

NRA OFFICERS

Carolyn D. Meadows Interim President Richard Childress First Vice President

Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President John Frazer Secretary

ou’ve no doubt heard the terrific news. LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.), is the next President of our National Rifle Association of America! Our record-setting convention in Dallas concluded with North answering the call to serve at this critical time in NRA history. As your former Second Vice President, it is a true honor for me to now serve as NRA President on an interim basis, to allow LtCol North time to set his affairs in order to hit the ground running as our next President. Our talented leader, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, First Vice President Richard Childress and I all agreed that there was no better warrior for freedom to serve as our President than Ollie North. And I am eager to soon step aside to support and follow North’s command of our NRA Board of Directors. On a personal note, I never dreamed of having the honor of writing in this space to directly address NRA members in our official magazines. There is little doubt that this will be my first and only column as your NRA Interim President. It is a true honor for me, because of all you do over the years, all of you together, to protect and defend and even expand our great freedom. I’ve been a bit amused, over the years, to hear other organizations talk about wanting

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

Institute For Legislative Action

NRA SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTS 2018 NRA National Championship Schedule— This listing includes disciplines such as action pistol, air gun, collegiate, pistol, smallbore, high power, silhouette, law enforcement, and the NRA World Shooting Championship. Questions? Email comphelp@nrahq.org or visit compete.nra.org.

National High Power Rifle Championships July 5-24—Edinburgh, IN

July 24-27—Raton, NM

National Silhouette Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Championship

July 30-Aug. 3—Raton, NM

Fullbore Prone/Spirit of America National Championship NRA World Shooting Championship

July 9-13—Camp Perry, OH

Sept. 20-22—Glengary, WV

National Silhouette Smallbore Rifle Championships

National Silhouette Cowboy Lever Action Rifle Championship

Sept. 8-14—Raton, NM

National Precision (Bullseye) Pistol Championships

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

to be more like the NRA. The key word there is “talk.” NRA members don’t just talk. We walk. We walk precincts. We walk to the post office to send in our dues or an extra contribution to the NRA. We walk to our neighbors to encourage them to support our freedom. We talk, walk and work. The power of the NRA has always and will always reside in the minds and hearts and will of you—the members of the National Rifle Association of America. I know that I don’t need to remind you of how critical this coming election is to our Second Amendment. You already know what we face. The opponents of our freedom are raging and ranting and chanting the demise of our freedom in march after march. Our march is in November when, one by one, every single one of America’s 100 million gun owners march to the polls. That’s where we, the men and women of the NRA, make our difference. That is where LtCol Oliver North, our Marine now called to serve as our President, will lead us: To victory at the polls! Ollie and I cannot thank you enough for your prayers, for your patriotism and for your support. Join us, stand with us, stand together and fight to save our freedom from now to November.

National F-Class Championship

July 15-17—Raton, NM

Sept. 16-23—Raton, NM

National Smallbore Rifle Championships

National Police Shooting Championship

July 19-30—Bristol, IN

Sept. 24-26—Albuquerque, NM

National Silhouette High Power Championships

National Black Powder Target Rifle Championship

July 19-21—Raton, NM

July 2018

Oct. 1-7—Raton, NM

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political report

Newly Discovered Data Prove Why We Can’t Trust the CDC on Guns

F 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.

ew who read this magazine are likely to be unaware of the anti-gun leanings of the Center for Disease Control, which for years has worked to treat firearm ownership like it's a disease that needs to be eradicated. But, newly discovered polling by the CDC shows just how far the agency is willing to go to hide evidence of the positive aspects of gun ownership. To fully explain the recent discovery, a look at the history of defensive gun use research is necessary: The year is 1996. The Right-to-Carry movement is building momentum across the United States after violent crime peaked in the early 1990s. Criminologists Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz just published a study estimating that 2.5 million Americans used a firearm to defend themselves against another person in 1993. Gun control advocates scoff at the number, though Kleck refutes the criticisms levied at his work (and does so even today). The surest way to confirm, cast doubt upon or refute any research is replication. The CDC had recently entered the “gun violence research” field, publishing a flawed study clearly designed to advocate for gun control in 1993. Shortly after Kleck and Gertz published their research, the CDC began collecting data that could have been part of the debate over the hot-button issue of how often lawful gun owners use their guns in self-defense. It collected data on defensive gun use for three years (in 1996, 1997 and 1998) in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys. This data collection was not discovered until Kleck just recently came across it while looking for data on another topic. While Kleck is currently analyzing the data and comparing it to his own, something is clearly amiss. For 20 years, this data went unnoticed. Like some buried treasure, Kleck luckily discovered it essentially by accident. He wasn’t looking for it because, like the rest of the world outside of the CDC offices, he had no idea it existed. It was not discovered until 20 years after the CDC stopped collecting data on the topic. Twenty years of silence. Given how often questions about defensive gun usage come up, and the wide range of estimates (from around 116,000 per year to millions, depending on the source) as well as the CDC’s clear interest in the topic, one may wonder why this data was never acknowledged. Twenty years of silence is good reason to question the CDC’s motives. The agency had July 2018

opportunities to publicize the data. Former President Obama directed the CDC to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence in 2013. The CDC then requested the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council identify the most pressing research problems. This report briefly discusses estimates of defensive gun usage, including citations of Kleck’s work, but makes no mention of the BRFSS data. The report notes the wide range of estimates, from “only” 108,000 annually to more than 3 million per year, yet it offers no mention of the CDC’s own data on the topic. Tellingly, every brief mention of defensive gun usage is followed by reference to the biased study on “risk factors associated with gun possession.” Perhaps it was simply forgotten … by however many people worked on the BRFSS over the span of three years writing the survey, collecting the data, formatting the data, analyzing the data and presumably presenting it to someone at CDC. Maybe it was misplaced. Or maybe the CDC didn’t report the data because it did not corroborate the agency’s anti-gun leanings. It would be hard to advocate banning firearms from the same office that found a sizable number of law-abiding Americans use firearms to defend themselves every year. Is that more or less likely than a team of researchers forgetting they collected data on a hot-button topic? Our assumptions about the CDC may be colored by their history with gun control advocacy. The motives or circumstances driving their silence may never be uncovered. Maybe in 20 years or so someone will find a long-lost memo that details why the CDC kept quiet. Maybe not. While this data would have been useful to support our fight against gun control measures over the last 20 years, even now it can still serve as an example of how often law-abiding gun owners use firearms to defend themselves and others. Those who seek to curtail our firearms freedom with anti-gun research always exclude the positive impacts of firearm ownership, but thanks to the CDC, we now know about the millions of Americans who are alive and unharmed today thanks to exercising their constitutional right to self-defense.

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ila story By Chris W. Cox NRA-ILA Executive Director

DON’T LET DISTRICT COURTS

SQUEEZE OUR RIGHTS C

an a state attorney general unilaterally reinterpret a gun control statute to retroactively ban firearms that had been openly bought and sold within the state throughout the law’s 20-year history? William G. Young, a federal judge in Massachusetts, said “yes” in Workman v. Healy, the NRA-supported challenge to the attorney general’s ban. That opinion illustrates why President Donald Trump’s appointments to the federal judiciary are so important. A wave of distinguished judicial nominees from Trump is already descending upon the federal bench. But far more are needed, and the U.S. Senate needs to quickly confirm them. It is no exaggeration to say that pro-Second Amendment judges are often the last line of defense for our Second Amendment rights. This progress must continue. Because the alternative is what we are seeing in case after case from jurists whose views of the Second Amendment are rooted in the mid-to late 20th century, before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. Few judges at that time took the Second Amendment seriously. Yet their boldness in trying to write the individual right to bear arms out of existence is perhaps exceeded by

July 2018

the boldness of judges like Young, who—though bound by Heller—defiantly refuse to enforce it. Not only does Young’s opinion in the Workman case uphold an expansive ban on semi-automatic firearms and magazines by misreading Heller, it goes out of its way to mock the legacy and jurisprudence of that decision’s author, the late Antonin Scalia. Massachusetts enacted a state law banning a variety of semi-automatic firearms and magazines in 1998. That law paralleled a federal ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in effect from 1994 to 2004, explicitly adopting the federal definition of “semi-automatic assault weapon.” The Massachusetts law accordingly banned certain firearms by name, others as “copies and duplicates” of the named guns, and still others with a “features test” that applied to additional semi-automatic firearms. Throughout the federal ban, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifles specifically designed to comply with the ban’s terms were legally available. Massachusetts legislators had notice that such firearms were available and considered federally compliant when they enacted the state law four years after the federal law. The reference to the federal law in Massachusetts’ own statute made it clear to all for nearly american rifleman

Illustration by David Labrozzi

MASSACHUSETTS GUN-BAN CASE HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF TRUMP’S JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

ILA STORY two decades that rifles which complied with the federal ban were also legal in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, on July 20, 2016, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy issued an “enforcement notice” that upset nearly two decades of settled law and unilaterally expanded the reach of the state ban. In particular, the notice created two “tests” not present in the Massachusetts statute to redefine prohibited “duplicates” or “copies” of banned firearms. Law-abiding gun owners and retailers throughout the state were, with the stroke of a pen, declared in possession of contraband for having firearms that had been sold within the state without incident throughout the ban’s existence. Healy’s notice—although insisting that it was merely an effort to enforce the law as written—stated that firearms obtained prior to its publication date would be exempt from the new policies, subject to her right to alter or amend the guidance at a later date. That revocable limitation was little comfort to those whose freedom was now subject to Healy’s prosecutorial whims. A number of firearm dealers, gun owners and advocacy groups suddenly on the wrong side of the law sued to block implementation of the enforcement notice. The Workman case cited violations of due process, unconstitutional vagueness and violation of the Second Amendment. Young’s opinion in the case first took the unusual step of dismissing the due process claims on ripeness grounds, even though the state itself had not raised this issue in its own defense. Young cited the nonbinding grandfather clauses, as well as the fact that no prosecutions had yet been brought against anyone who previously possessed the newly banned guns, to dismiss the claims that the enforcement notice retroactively criminalized behavior that was legal when it occurred. By doing so, Young suggested he knew more about the state’s future intentions than the state itself. Young also denied the vagueness challenges, finding the phrase “copies or duplicates” to be “sufficiently clear” to pass constitutional muster, even though the entire premise of Healy’s enforcement notice was that this phrase had been universally

mis-understood until she herself finally set everyone straight. Most egregious of all, however, was the court’s treatment of the Second Amendment claims. Here, Young’s bias was clear from the outset of the opinion. “For most of our history,” he stated inaccurately, “mainstream scholarship considered the Second Amendment as nothing more than a guarantee that the several states can maintain ‘well regulated’ militias.” Putting aside the fact that federal judges are bound by Supreme Court precedent, not legal scholarship rejected by the high court, the earliest of Young’s citations for his position was a 1966 law review article. Scalia’s opinion in Heller, by contrast, featured voluminous citations that contradicted these claims with direct evidence of the Framers’ intent behind our right to keep and bear arms. This included legal scholarship known to the authors of the Bill of Rights, contemporaneous writings, early commentary on the Second Amendment, as well as later 19th-century case law on the Second Amendment and state analogues. This authority demonstrated that from the time of its adoption, the Second Amendment was well understood to protect an individual right to the types of “arms” in “common use at the time” for “lawful purposes like self-defense.” That description certainly fits the AR-15 and its “copies and duplicates,” which are not only “common” in contemporary America but are the country’s most popular rifles. Nevertheless, Young upheld Massachusetts’ ban on those firearms, ruling that the guns and magazines banned by that act “are not within the scope of the personal right to ‘bear arms’ under the Second Amendment.” Young’s “analysis” in this regard relied chiefly on the “reasoning” in an earlier case from the 4th Circuit, Kolbe v. Hogan. That opinion ignored the common use test and read Heller to leave wholly unprotected “weapons that are most useful in military service.” Heller, of course, did no such thing. It instead used that phrase to describe fully automatic machine guns, like the M16, that are heavily restricted under federal law, notwithstanding their use in national defense by America’s professional standing army. The same JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

paragraph even indicated that the very reason a ban on such machine guns is valid is because it affects only “sophisticated arms that are highly unusual in society at large.” That description certainly does not fit the AR-15 and similar magazine-fed semiautomatic rifles. Even their detractors cannot legitimately claim they are “highly unusual” among law-abiding people. But we don’t have to guess what Scalia himself might have thought of Massachusetts’ ban on AR-15s. That’s because he joined an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas that dissented from the Supreme Court’s refusal to review a 7th Circuit decision upholding a nearly identical ban from Illinois. Characterizing that and similar court decisions as “noncompliance with our Second Amendment precedents,” the dissenters explained Heller’s test for which arms are protected by the Second Amendment. “Heller,” Thomas wrote, “asks whether the law bans types of firearms commonly used for a lawful purpose— regardless of whether alternatives exist.” It “draws a distinction between such firearms and weapons specially adapted to unlawful uses and not in common use, such as sawed-off shotguns.” “Roughly five million Americans own AR-style semiautomatic rifles,” Thomas noted, and “[t]he overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes.” The opinion concluded: “Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons.” Yet Young ruled that “Massachusetts is free to ban these weapons and largecapacity magazines” and then mocked Scalia, insisting he “would be proud” of that determination. By the end of April, Trump’s tally of judicial appointments included one Supreme Court justice, 15 U.S. circuit court judges and 17 U.S. district court judges. More are currently in the confirmation process. With some 140 federal judicial vacancies still pending, and judges like Young still on the bench, it is more important than ever for Trump’s judicial nominees to be quickly confirmed by the U.S. Senate. There is no greater legacy for all of us who support the Second Amendment.

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A Northwest Cockpit Colt Revolver It was with great interest that I read the article “Colts In The Cockpit” by Anthony Vanderlinden and Luke Mercaldo (April 2018, p. 58). Northwest Airlines started out as a mail carrier, and I am pleased to have one of its issued firearms, but mine is a Colt Detective Special. It has “N.W.A.” stenciled on the left sideplate, along with a very interesting holster. The emblem embossed on the leather is of the first Northwest Airlines logo, back when it was just called Northwest Airways. The initials inside the flap are of Mel B. Freeburg, one of the company’s pioneering pilots. Thanks again to the authors, as this is the first I have seen of another “airline gun.” Captain Joel Tastad (Ret.), Northwest Airlines, via email

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I read the “Colts In The Cockpit” article with great interest, in part because Anthony Vanderlinden is one of my favorites. But I also have a Colt Model 1908 .380 ACP made in 1929 and marked “Property of U.A.L.” along with a documentation letter and a Colt factory letter stating that it had been shipped to Salt Lake City—an appropriate place to buy a John Moses Browning-designed pistol. Moreover, I also have another Model 1908, made in 1941, unmarked, but it came with a sales receipt from American Airlines stating that it was sold to First Officer Harry J. Brickner on Nov. 28, 1941—one week before Pearl Harbor. The Colt factory letter also confirmed that it had been shipped to the American Airlines hangar in New York City. According to the 1940 census, a year earlier, Brickner had been a sergeant in the Marine Corps at Parris Island. I collect .380s, and I also have a Remington Model 51 engraved “Dave Little” complete with a holster marked “D.S. Little, American Airlines, New York, N.Y.” So while the chambering was popular, it was not only Colts that the pilots carried. It was an excellent article that answered many questions about some of my pistols. Tom W. Glaser, Texas TRADITION: HUNTING STOCK

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readers write

From The Cockpit

I enjoyed the “Colts In The Cockpit” article. I still have the Colt M1911 in 9 mm Luger I carried in my flight bag for years. When I flew, it was loaded, cocked-and-locked, in a partitioned pocket that allowed me to access it with my left hand. I carried this piece during the years of “Take me to Cuba” hijackings. Eventually, the companies and the FAA decided flight crews should be disarmed and subjected to “security screening” like our passengers. With no means to fight back, Delta had a copilot shot dead, as was Southern Airways Captain Billy Haas. As a result, armed intervention was determined to be the “captain’s call”—pilots and the FBI agreed that if the cockpit can be defended there is reasonable hope. Once a hijacker is in the cockpit, all bets are off. Airlines have fiercely resisted armed crews. Why? I got this explanation from an airline executive: If a crew defeated a group of hijackers, but accidentally shot a passenger, there would be huge liability suits. If, on the other hand, hijackers destroyed an entire plane and its passengers, there is no corporate liability attached. Captain Jerry L. Farquhar (Ret.), Delta Airlines, via email “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.

July 2018

american rifleman

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Flexible Gunnery School

t its height, the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) comprised more than 2.4 million men and women, and its operations spanned from 1941 to 1947. As the need for combat aviation grew, the AAF trained more than 300,000 defensive aviation gunners. Buckingham Army Airfield, located 10 miles east of Fort Myers, Fla., became the first of the Flexible Gunnery schools, and by 1943 it had developed an intensive, five-week firearm training course that was used to certify Flexible Gunnery Instructors. Students of the Flexible Gunnery School were taught advanced techniques for the use of shoulder-fired arms and machine guns. The accompanying photo came from the Public Relations Office of the Buckingham Army Airfield, and was authorized for publication by the War Dept. in Washington, D.C. It depicts a Marine student of the Buckingham Army Airfield Flexible Gunnery School using a Mirror Sighting Device in conjunction with a Springfield M1903, just one of the unique techniques the gunnery school was known to use. The ’03 rifle was still in service with the U.S. Army Air Forces at the time—to learn more about its role from World War I through World War II, turn to p. 48 for the feature story by Field Editor Bruce Canfield.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

REPORTS | NEWS & NOTES

Taurus USA Plans Georgia Facility

aurus Holdings, Inc., plans on investing $22.5 million in Bainbridge, Ga., for a new manufacturing facility slated to bring more than 300 jobs to Decatur County. According to company President and CEO David Blenker, “The decision to relocate stems from our desire to expand our facility, keeping all operations in one location. All involved have welcomed Taurus, from the governor’s office to the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to establishing a solid workforce and giving back to a great community.” Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson stated, “Georgia has

a long history in the manufacturing industry sector, and we are excited to add Taurus to the long list of manufacturers that are based here. I am confident that our thriving pro-business environment and unmatched logistics network, along with the abundance of resources available in Bainbridge, including a skilled workforce, will allow Taurus to succeed in Georgia.” taurususa.com

Texas Allows Airguns For Big-Game Hunting

he Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) Commission announced that, effective Sept. 1, 2018, airguns and air bows using .30-cal. and larger projectiles will be allowed for the legal and ethical harvest of game animals, more specifically,

N A T I O N A L

R I F L E

deer and turkey. Jay Duncan, director of marketing for Crosman, commented, “We are elated to learn that the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Commission has approved big-bore airguns … With this TPWD change in regulation, hunters are offered expanded opportunities with pneumatic-powered devices across the state to ethically harvest game.” A state-bystate airgun hunting chart is available at crosman.com.

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REPORTS | NEWS & NOTES

FBI Seizes Famous Sheetz Longrifle

Louisiana couple that legitimately purchased a famous longrifle was shocked to discover late last year that it had previously been stolen from a museum. The gun has now been confiscated by the FBI. On Nov. 17, 2017, Robert and Linda Melancon from Thibodaux, La., were traveling out of state when they received a call from their son-in-law, Charlie Bourgeois, saying Louisiana State Police and FBI agents were at their home with a federal search warrant. Bob and Linda are long-time members of the Kentucky Rifle Ass’n, and, as collectors, owned the only fully documentable Kentucky longrifle used at the Battle of New Orleans in 1814-1815. Upon their arrival back home, an FBI agent informed them that the Kentucky rifle they possessed had been stolen from the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans more than 35 years ago. They had legally acquired the rifle from a well-known antique shop in New Orleans in 1982 for $18,000. Thirty-five years of painstaking research by the Melancons affirmed the rifle’s presence at the battle, uncovering the history of the original owner of the gun, New Orleans resident William Ross—a member of Thomas Beale’s Rifle Company—and further pinpointed exactly where Ross (with his flintlock longrifle) was standing on “Line Jackson” when the British attacked on Jan. 8, 1815. Their ongoing investigations also uncovered many other interesting aspects of Ross’s life and family, including photos of a portrait of William Ross and photos of all his male descendants. This greatly increased the rifle’s value both historically and monetarily. However, this rifle meant more to the Melancons than just financial gain. It became a family treasure and one they unselfishly shared across the country. It had been on loan to several museums, two of which were in New Orleans, featured in four books (two by New Orleans authors), nine different magazine articles, and on display at various shows across the county. In 1986, it even won a NRA silver medal

JULY 2018

at the NRA convention in New Orleans! So, why did it take so long for the FBI to track this firearm? First, no stolen property report had ever been issued. Second, the museum staff said they didn’t know it was missing. Ironically, it was an article in American Rifleman (June 2013, p. 66) about a longrifle built by Jacob Sheetz and used by William Ross that led to its retrieval and return to the museum. As one can imagine, the Melancon family is devastated. Their 35 years of time-consuming and costly research brought the rifle and its owner out of obscurity, giving it life and establishing its reputation as a national treasure. Looking back on it, Bob says there is little they could have done differently. The rifle was advertised for sale in a national antique digest. They bought it from a reputable antique dealer on Royal Street in New Orleans. The historical provenance of their gun was solid—though they would greatly expand the gun’s history and worth. Most importantly, they got a signed and dated receipt from the antique dealer. Now they wish that they had also asked for the name of the gun’s previous owner(s) but, again, they trusted in the integrity and reputation of the antique shop. According to Bob and Linda, the museum has not reached out either to extend their condolences or even thank them for all their research and care for the longrifle. They also said that the antique dealer has not offered an apology (or explanation) for selling them a stolen artifact. Bob summed it up, “It is so heartbreaking; we acquired that rifle in good faith, did all the research for many many years and shared it with the world. That Kentucky rifle and William Ross gained national prominence because of the effort and work my wife and I did. We cared for it for more than a third of a century, only to have it so abruptly taken from us with not even a thank you.” —MARK SAGE

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

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Brownells Premium 7.62x39 mm AR-15 Barrel

rownells provides high-quality gunsmithing tools and firearm parts, and has tapped Satern Barrels to produce a premium barrel made from 416R stainless steel and chambered in 7.62x39 mm. The Red Army cartridge is a capable fit within the AR-15, and this 5R, buttonrifled Satern barrel provides great accuracy with its 1:10" RH twist. The 16" barrel is ported for carbine-length gas systems and cut to fit a 0.750"-diameter gas block. Each barrel is made in the United States and is nitride-treated for corrosion resistance. A 7.62x39 mm bolt is included, and the barrel is threaded 5/8x24 TPI for accessories. Price: $326. Contact: Brownells, Inc.; (800) 741-0015; brownells.com.

Ruger Knives LCK

ompact and lightweight are watchwords of today’s personal defense market, and to that end Ruger Knives, by CRKT, introduced the Lightweight Compact Knife (LCK). A folding, liner-lock design, two versions of the LCK are available, one featuring a 3.3", satin-finished, drop-point blade (shown), the other with a 3.2" modified sheepsfoot blade with a black oxide finish. Both knives weigh just 2.7 ozs., have an overall length of less than 7.5" and come with right-side pocket clips for ease of carry. Price: $40. Contact: Ruger Knives; ruger.com/crkt.

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Nikon P-Tactical Spur

eighing in at just over 1 oz., the Nikon P-Tactical Spur red-dot sight is shockproof, waterproof and maintains power from one CR1632 battery for up to 15,000 hours of continuous use. The unit features Nikon’s Trucolor lens coating, which is claimed to remove blue color tones within the viewing area. A 3-m.o.a. dot within the aluminum unit has 10 brightness settings—two of which are reserved for use with night vision optics. The exterior features a glare-reducing, matte black finish, and the unit contains a removable Picatinny rail mount. Price: $220. Contact: Nikon Inc.; (800) 645-6687; nikonusa.com.

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High Noon Holsters Bottom Line

roviding an unorthodox but effective method of carry, High Noon Holsters’ Bottom Line is a full-grain-leather, small-of-theback, outside-the-waistband holster that is made to order and can be wet molded by the company to accommodate roughly 300 handgun models. A part of the company’s Extreme Duty series, the open-top design features an adjustable tension screw,

double-stitched seams, a reinforced mouth and an interior sight track. Available in cow or horsehide; dyed black, tan or left natural; and in right- or left-handed configurations, the Bottom Line’s three belt slots provide added stability, and can accommodate belts up to 1½" in width. Price: $110. Contact: High Noon Holsters; (727) 939-2701; highnoonholsters.com.

Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory Target

uilding on its successful SW22 Victory line, Smith & Wesson has added a model designed specifically for punching precise holes in targets. The SW22 Victory Target is a rimfire autoloader that features a 5.5" bull barrel, adjustable trigger and fully adjustable sights. The grip has been upgraded to provide a thumb shelf more typically seen among bullseye pistols. A flush-fitting, 10-roundcapacity detachable box magazine is provided, and a Picatinny rail is available for mounting optics. Price: $429. Contact: (800) 331-0852; smith-wesson.com.

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REPORTS | PRODUCTS & PROJECTS

5. 2.

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Tinkering With A PS90

he PS90 is a unique firearm design in its own right, and when I acquired mine I had no intention of changing things. Nevertheless, sometimes projects evolve in an organic way. The following is one such example and is representative of the seemingly myriad solutions for updating the PS90. Perhaps like many, my entry point toward modifying my PS90 started at the sights. Mine came with a removable Picatinny rail unit that attached to the upper receiver. Instead of fitting a sight to the rail, I opted to remove it in favor of a Ring Sight with black reticle (1., $300) from Strike Industries (strikeindustries.com). I wanted a small, rugged sight that sat as close to the bore axis of the firearm as possible. In fact, for many PS90s, the Ring Sight unit has been offered as standard equipment. The black Ring Sight has a shortcoming though. That is, when the sight overlays a dark target in daylight, it can be hard to make out the reticle. Fortunately, there is a solution for this problem. M1 BullPup (m1bullpup.com) makes an 11-stepadjustable LED unit called the REM-T3B (2., $40) that can be fitted to the base of the sight to illuminate the T-Bar in the reticle. Once fitted, the sight can be re-installed on the PS90 and the illumination dial can then be mounted through the sling point in the upper receiver. M1 BullPup makes a range of such units to fit the other Ring Sight units, including the White Ring and Green Dot models. Talking with Chris Roenker, of

M1BullPup, led me to K&M Aerospace (kmaerospace.com) to learn more about its extended charging handle, The Handler (3., $50). The aluminum replacement can be installed on either side of the PS90. It greatly enhances the operator’s purchase when folded out, as it provides 1¾" of surface to pull back on. Once the PS90 is cocked and the charging handle released, it will return to a forward folded position. In the folded state, The Handler protrudes only 1/4" more than the original. K&M Aerospace also makes an improved spring called the K&M Lightning (4., $30) that installs in the PS90 hammer pack. While the stock trigger pull-weight of the PS90 is 6 lbs., 13 ozs., the K&M Lightning brings that pull weight down to between 4 and 4 lbs., 8 ozs. Users can install the spring themselves or, for an extra charge, send their hammer packs to K&M Aerospace where it will install the new spring. At this point I realized I was overlooking the obvious—the sling. Senior Executive Editor Brian Sheetz steered me toward The Wilderness (thewilderness.com) and its Giles Sling (5., $56). The Giles incorporates a quick-release buckle with two sections of high-quality webbing that attach through the slot in the lower rear of the buttstock and through a sling point defined by the owner toward the front of the PS90’s receiver. The upper receiver of my PS90 has threaded holes tapped in the sides forward of where the magazine rocks in. The holes allow the user to JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

RING SIGHTS MC-10-80 BLACK RETICULE SECRET SERVICE MODEL

M1 BULLPUP: REM-T3B

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MORE THAN A RIFLE, A FULLY OPTIMIZED SHOOTING SYSTEM. The all-new Model 700 PCR (Precision Chassis Rifle) pairs our legendary Model 700 action – the strongest ever conceived – with an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy chassis for the most stable and consistent platform possible. Accurizing upgrades include 5R rifling, free-floated aluminum handguard, plus a completely user-configurable Magpul PRS Gen 3 stock.

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REPORTS | PRODUCTS & PROJECTS

DAMAGE INDUSTRIES: QUICK DETACH SWIVEL WITH 11⁄4" LOOP 7.

mount a short piece of Picatinny rail. I turned to Damage Industries (damageindustriesllc.com) for its 1913 Side Rail (7., $35), a six-slot unit with a QD socket. Equipped with this new rail, I had expanded my options. I also opted for Damage Industries Quick Detach Swivel with 1.25" loop (6., $13). The 1.25" loop accommodates the forward webbing of the Giles Sling. As a matter of course, I found that I needed to reverse the suggested mounting of the rail to accommodate the illumination dial for my Ring Sight, which places the QD socket toward the front of the receiver. During my search I found one other interesting solution in Parker Mountain Machine’s (parkermountainmachine.com) PS90 QD Sling Mount (8., $27). The CNC-machined, anodized aluminum mount is made to install in the user’s choice of counterbored hole already in the PS90’s lower frame. The mount is eccentric, allowing the user to rotate the socket so that it’s base lies flush to the bullpup’s surface. The QD socket provides another sling attachment option for those looking to keep their sling attachment off of the PS90’s upper. Finally, as I like to save my spent cases, I picked up an FN-PS90 Fired Case Collector (9., $57) from Brownells (brownells.com). The PS90 lower is designed to accept this bag that catches the downward-ejected cases from the receiver and can hold up to 50 cases.

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P.S. The versatile and trim platform of the PS90 allowed me to make all of these upgrades without permanent modification to the firearm. I would like to reinforce the point, however, that there are many directions one might take to achieve results that will personalize the PS90 experience. —DAVID LABROZZI, ART DIRECTOR

FN-PS90 FIRED-CASE COLLECTOR

Otis Mission Critical

ission Critical, by Otis Technologies, pairs a 1-oz. spray bottle of the company’s MC-10 Cleaner with a 1-oz. spray bottle of its MC-10 Lubricant for a firearm maintenance system that can withstand temperatures ranging from -65° F to 650° F without freezing, gumming up or burning off. Intended for use anywhere there’s metal-to-metal contact, the cleaner removes carbon, fouling and other residue, and prepares the surface for the synthetic lubricant, which penetrates the metal to provide long-lasting protection and lubricity. Mission Critical is safe for use on all metals and finishes, and comes with a microfiber cleaning cloth. Price: $30. Contact: Otis Technologies; (800) 684-7486; otistec.com.

Camp Chef SmokePro SG

igitally controlled, wood-pellet-burning smokers are increasingly popular because of their flavorful and versatile cooking abilities, as well as their ease of use. With the SmokePro SG, Camp Chef is increasing the smoker’s utility even further by adding integral, smoker-safe temperature probes and a direct-flame grilling function in the form of its Slide and Grill (SG) heat-deflecting plate. In typical smoking mode, a plate that covers the burn box and protects food from direct flame can be moved for traditional grilling and finishing by the simple pull of a rod. Other features include: an 811-sq.-in. cooking-rack surface (cooking area is 4,850 cu. in.); electronic ignition with automatic start; automatic pellet feed; and LED, dual-temperature readouts for internal cooking and internal food (via wired probes) temperatures. Price: $750. Contact: Camp Chef; (800) 650-2433; campchef.com.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

CeCe Mazyck

I AM A VETERAN AND THIS IS MY VICTORY. “My victory was finishing my education.” After 38 jumps, CeCe was injured in a parachute accident. Her veterans benefits allowed her to follow her dream and earn a degree. Every year, DAV helps more than a million veterans of all generations—connecting them to the health, disability, and education benefits they’ve earned. Help support more victories for veterans. Go to DAV.org.

REPORTS | PRODUCTS & PROJECTS

Where Can I Get . . . ?

he Springfield XD45 is a service-grade pistol that is often associated with a long trigger take-up and fairly lowprofile grip safety that can make consistent engagement a bit difficult for some folks. Powder River Precision (PRP) solves these issues with its Ultimate Match Trigger Kit and Extended Grip Safety for Springfield’s XD pistols by refining the trigger pull and enhancing grip safety purchase, respectively. Careful disassembly and fitting is required. Installation instructions are included, and videos available online will help guide even the inexperienced gunsmith through the procedures. During installation, careful adjustments must be made to the overtravel stop by removing excess material at the rear of the trigger shoe, and slight fitting of the sear and grip safety may be required. Our installation time, including the addition of an extended magazine release from PRP, was about one hour, and the new trigger possessed an average ONE-HANDED MAGAZINE-LOADING TOOL BEN’S OUTDOOR DESIGN; (253) 952-2455; BENSOUTDOORDESIGN.COM SLIDING-STYLE, ELEVATION-ADJUSTABLE RED-DOT RAIL MOUNT ELEVATED TECHNOLOGIES; ELEVATEDTECH.COM

pull weight of 3 lbs., 12 ozs.—amounting to a 4-lb. reduction of pull weight, an immediate and noticeable improvement to the functionality of the Springfield XD45. The grip safety and magazine release are available in black or stainless steel. Price: $30 (Extended Mag Release), $57 (Extended Grip Safety Kit), $135 (Ultimate Match Trigger Kit). Contact: Powder River Precision, Inc.; (541) 523-4474; powderriverprecision.com. ALUMINUM COMPETITION REVOLVER SPEEDLOADERS PACHMAYR; (800) 225-9626; LYMANPRODUCTS.COM LIGHTWEIGHT TITANIUM SCOPE MOUNTS FOR M1A-STYLE RIFLES SADLAK MFG. LLC (DEPT AR); (860) 742-0227; SADLAK.COM

REPORTS | HANDLOADS

.30-’06 Sprg.

HE S T NC

ometimes you just need a really big stick, and for the .30-’06 Sprg., this is it. Woodleigh Bullets’ Weldcore protectedpoint soft-nose (PP SN) bullets feature a tapered, 1.6 mm-thick, 90 percent copper/10 percent zinc jacket that’s bonded to a pure lead core for maximum retained weight and penetration. Eighty-five percent (or more) weight retention is standard. Negligible exposed lead at the nose prevents deformation in a box magazine during recoil, while internal grooves ensure consistent, controlled expansion across a range of velocities. The mild-recoiling load below features the Australian-made, 1.278"-long, 200-gr. Weldcore PP SN propelled to 2481 f.p.s., resulting in 2,733 ft.-lbs. of energy. Moreover, when zeroed at 200 yds. the heavy projectile only drops 10" at 300 yds. That’s bad news for elk, moose, eland, greater kudu, nilgai and other large, tough non-dangerous species at practical hunting distances. —AARON CARTER, FIELD EDITOR

0 6 SP R

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

RECIPE

BULLET: WOODLEIGH BULLETS 200-GR. WELDCORE PP SN PROPELLANT/CHARGE: HODGDON HYBRID 100V/49.5 GRS. PRIMER: WLR CASE: WINCHESTER CASE TRIM-TO LENGTH: 2.484" CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH: 3.330" VELOCITY @ 10' (F.P.S.): 2481 ENERGY (FT.-LBS.): 2,733 ACCURACY: 1.54"* USES: HUNTING (ALL NON-DANGEROUS SPECIES) NOTES: 24"-BARRELED KIMBER SONORA TOPPED WITH A B USHNELL E LITE 4200 2.5-10X 40 MM SCOPE. *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.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS NRA member photos

Belgian Inheritance

This shotgun belonged to my father, and I inherited it when he passed away. I found a box of 10-ga. ammunition for it, though I have yet to chamber and fire a shell through it. I’ve been told it kicks like the proverbial mule. The gun has been inspected and cleaned by a local gunsmith, and he mentioned he had never seen or worked on a Parkhurst side-by-side before. My dilemma is, I don’t have a clue as to the rareness or collectability of this shotgun, and would like to know a little more about what I’ve inherited.

Your William Parkhurst shotgun was made in Belgium. A submitted photo of the proofmarks, found on the barrel and action flats, would have verified its origin. Almost all were made by Simonis, Janssen, Dumoulin y Cie in Liege, Belgium, for import by American hardware stores, mail-order houses and gun shops between 1893 and 1914. They sold in the $12 to $15 range. Your gunsmith did a fine job cleaning it up, but seemed to omit some vital information. From the photos, your shotgun appears to have Damascus, laminated or twist-steel barrels. The proofmarks will indicate proofing with blackpowder, whose chamber pressures are in the low 9,000-p.s.i. range. Furthermore, he should have measured the length of the chambers, as in all probability this gun is chambered for 27⁄8" shells, and the ammunition you have is probably for 3½" chambers and shotguns made of modern steel with a service pressure of 11,000 p.s.i. Because of this shotgun’s age, Damascus-style barrels and lack of sourcing for repair parts, I would not fire it under any circumstances unless it is first examined and declared safe by a gunsmith familiar with similar old double guns. —JOHN M. TAYLOR, 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. “Questions & Answers” is compiled by staff and Contributing Editors: Bruce N. Canfield, Michael Carrick, Garry James, Charles Pate, Charles E. Petty, John M. Taylor and John Treakle.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Pre-War Stock Pistol

Q A

I’ve acquired an older, semi-automatic .32 ACP pistol that I’ve never heard of. The gun is stamped “STOCK” on the stock panels, and the slide is stamped “FRANZ STOCK – BERLIN. D.R.P.” Can you help identify this pistol?

These are well-made, blowback-operated pistols that were introduced in the 1920s by Franz Stock of Berlin. The D.R.P. stamped after his name is the abbreviation for Deutsches Reichs Patent (Patented in Germany). They were in production for about 15 to 20 years. Fieldstripping the Stock pistol was addressed on p. 84 of the June 1971 issue of The American Rifleman, and is available online at americanrifleman.org. It was noted that the trigger pull is clean and quite light for a pocket pistol. Also, the barrel is fastened rigidly to the frame, and the slide fits the frame and barrel closely. These features, and the excellent proportions of the pistol, aid in accurate shooting. —MICHAEL F. CARRICK, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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favorite firearms

n the 1930s, during Prohibition, my grandfather was the county detective in Cumberland County, N.J. There are several rivers and tributaries that flow from Cumberland into the Delaware Bay, and the “rum runners,” as my grandfather referred to them, used these waterways as conduits to bring the illegal whiskey up the bay to awaiting trucks for transport to Philadelphia and New York. My grandfather had a network of informants who he would tap to determine when a shipment of illegal booze was scheduled to land. He would then contact local, state and federal law enforcement, and they would coordinate a raid to catch and arrest the bootleggers. On one such occasion, my grandfather took his son—my father—who was a teenager at the time, along on the raid where a brief gun battle ensued. After the miscreants were subdued

and in custody, my father looked in the back seat of one of their cars and saw a 20-ga. double-barrel shotgun lying on the seat. He asked the state police captain who was leading the raid if he could have it, but the captain told him it was evidence and needed to be confiscated for the trial. Over a year later, that same captain drove to my grandfather’s house, pulled that shotgun from the back seat of his patrol car and presented it to my father. The shotgun is an A Grade Ansley H. Fox. I fondly remember my father using it on many hunts in my youth. My Uncle John, a gunsmith, made a beavertail fore-end for it at dad’s request, as my father did not like the original splinter fore-end, but he thankfully retained the

original. Dad was a great wingshooter, and once doubled on grouse with this handy little 20 gauge. When he passed, I inherited the gun and replaced the beavertail with the original fore-end. I haven’t doubled on grouse with it—yet—but I have managed to break two crossing clays on the sporting clays range with a single shot a few times. I still hunt with the gun, and have enjoyed the many pheasant and quail dinners it has provided me. I look forward to passing it on to one of my three grandsons when the time comes. Bruce Murray, Pennsylvania

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.

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A Show of Strength 2018 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS DRAWS A RECORD 87,154 ATTENDEES TO DALLAS. Story and photos by NRA Staff

hunderstorms ushered in the start of the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, but the rain didn’t dampen enthusiasm as a record number of people attended. The line to attend the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum stretched the length of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The Leadership Forum, where Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump were among the speakers, was one of the single biggest draws during the 147th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, sponsored by MidwayUSA. For the first time in the organization’s history, a sitting president and vice president both addressed NRA members. And there were plenty of other happenings to keep people busy. Events kicked off Thursday evening, with nearly 1,500 people attending the NRA Foundation Banquet & Auction, sponsored by Henry, Century Arms and Kimber. Attendees placed bids on hundreds of items during the silent auction before dinner, and the later live auction offered hunting excursions, firearms, a

Nolan Ryan-autographed bat and ball, a Rascal Flatts-signed guitar and more. The main floor opened Friday, with more than 831 exhibitors. Attendees spent all weekend exploring new and exciting firearm products and accessories from industry leaders. The Women’s Leadership Forum held its lunch and auction, drawing about 1,200 women, and the evening ended with the ILA Dinner & Auction. Like the NRA Foundation event, each of these offered silent and live auctions, often allowing people to bid on one-of-a-kind items. Outside the exhibit hall, attendees could shoot at the Pyramyd Air air-gun range, congratulate Eddie Eagle on his 30th birthday, attend book signings, shop at the NRAstore and catch a sampling of country music from performers at the NRA Country Sound Stage. If the mix of music offered in the atrium whet someone’s appetite for more strumming of the six-string, the NRA Country Jam, featuring the Randy Rogers Band, was held offsite at Gilley’s Southside Music Hall. The Saturday main

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

★

event had the Charlie Daniels Band and special guests Travis Tritt, and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. Weekend business included the Annual Meeting of Members, where members were updated on the state of the association and Directors were elected, and a slew of seminars were offered where people could learn the fundamentals of carrying concealed, the latest on legislation affecting our Second Amendment right and how to interact with law enforcement. Sunday started off with the National Prayer Breakfast and the Women’s New Energy Breakfast and Youth Day. Numerous new members joined the NRA, and fundraising efforts yielded record results, to go along with the record attendance. Next year, the Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be April 26-28 in Indianapolis. Start making plans early so you don’t miss out on the fun.

President Donald Trump, Wayne LaPierre, Vice President Mike Pence and Chris Cox were among the ILA Leadership Forum speakers.

Past NRA President Pete R. Brownell introduces Larry and Brenda Potterfield.

Larry Potterfield, of MidwayUSA, with NRA Interim President Carolyn D. Meadows and First Vice President Richard Childress watching, shakes a young visitor’s hand before opening the exhibit hall.

The youngest and oldest Life members at the Annual Meeting of Members.

Tucker Carlson addresses the Women's Leadership Forum.

A vote is cast during the Annual Meeting of Members.

Anthony Imperato, of Henry Repeating Arms, presents special-edition Firearms and accessories from hundreds Henry rifles to Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff, heroes of manufacturers were on display. who stopped a church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

The Pyramyd Air air-gun range offers fun for the whole family. Gun manufacturers let people get a real feel for their products.

Baseball star Adam LaRoche meets NRA Interim President Carolyn D. Meadows and NRA Board Member Susan Howard at the Prayer Breakfast.

NRA Board Member Duane Liptak, of Magpul, flanked by Publications Executive Director Doug Hamlin and Editorial Director John Zent, accepts the Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award that was given to Magpul founder Richard Fitzpatrick.

Visitors sample MILO Range Training Systems’ products.

Attendees take a break to browse offerings at the NRAstore.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Wayne LaPierre presents a Charlton Heston-collectible revolver to Charlie Daniels.

An autographed guitar is auctioned off. NRA Board Member LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.), with members at the Prayer Breakfast, will soon take over as NRA President.

Winning her bid for a dream hunt or firearm makes one auction attendee very happy.

NRA Board Member Steve Hornady was named the 2018 NRA Corporate Executive of the Year.

NRA Board Member Allen West speaks during the Prayer Breakfast on May 6.

What would any NRA auction be without firearms up for bid?

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

Presented by:

Supported by:

Chris W. Cox “To all the freedom-hating politicians and their friends in the media who so desperately wish we weren’t in your way, let me say this: The National Rifle Association has never been stronger, never been tougher and never been more ready to fight for OUR freedom!”

Wayne LaPierre “I am proud to report that, as we meet here today, the NRA’s membership is at an all-time high, approaching 6 million active members, and thousands are joining every day. … While they write our obituary, more Americans belong to the NRA right this second than at any point in our 147-year history.”

NRA-ILA’S 2018 LEADERSHIP FORUM

Making History in Dallas! J

ust a few weeks ago, both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended our NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Dallas to address our members from across the country. This was the first time in history that we’ve hosted both the sitting president and vice president at our Annual Meetings & Exhibits. The electricity in the auditorium is something I won’t soon forget. It was an amazing celebration of American freedom. And, most of all, it was a true testament to the power of your leadership as an NRA-ILA supporter. You and the NRA’s nearly 6 million members are this nation’s last hope to preserve the liberties that so many Americans have sacrificed to defend. Our gun-ban opponents want to erase the Second Amendment right out of the Constitution. And the only thing

standing in their way is a wall of law-abiding, freedom-loving American patriots of the National Rifle Association. There is no one else. It’s me. It’s you. And it’s NRA members in every city and town in America. We know what’s at stake. And we’ll never give up even one inch of freedom’s sacred ground without a fight. I’m grateful for everything you do to defend freedom. It’s an honor to serve you as the Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. And I’m proud to stand tall with you each and every day against those who would deny us our freedom, our guns, and our God-given right to protect our homes and families!

NRA Spokeswoman Dana Loesch “It is up to you to hold that line. And I will be there with you, fighting with you, every step of the way, going to wherever the debate may lead ... You are the evangelists for the Second Amendment and self-defense.”

Benghazi Survivor Mark Geist “God bless you all. Thank you so much for everything you do for us, for the NRA, for those that served. And let’s go out there and live our lives like it’s worth it.”

Second Amendment Activist Mark Robinson “The people who want to end our Second Amendment are Leftists, they’re Marxists-Socialists, and they’re doing it to destroy our Constitution and drag this country down. And the only way we’re going to defend ourselves against them is if we stand up and be courageous.” JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Social Media Personalities Diamond & Silk “We have the right to bear arms in this country. And for those that are having a problem with it—because you know they do—No! We don’t need to re-write the Constitution. You need to re-read the Constitution.”

Photos by NRA Staff

President Donald Trump “I wanted to thank all of you, the true American patriots of the NRA who defend our rights, our liberty and our great American flag. … Thank you very much. The people in this hall have never taken our freedom for granted. Never. And you have never stopped fighting for our beloved Constitution. Incredible people. … You give your time, your energy, your vote and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense.”

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts “Thank you for supporting the NRA. The NRA is important in making sure we continue to defend our Second Amendment rights. They’ve been vilified. They’ve been unfairly attacked. You are the answer to that, by being involved. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for being here. Thank you for what you do in your communities.”

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson “Standing up to Washington’s liberal elites and socialists isn’t easy, especially these days when our rights are under attack like never before. But Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox are there for us every single day fighting that fight.”

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk “The Left would like nothing more than the most effective and most powerful grassroots organization in America—the NRA—to be decapitated. Because they know as long as the NRA is powerful, they cannot obtain unilateral political power.”

American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp “We decided we would establish the first-ever conservative Hall of Fame. And when we thought of (anyone) that we could honor by being our first inductee, we decided the right thing to do ... was to give it to the National Rifle Association and all of you.” AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

Vice President Mike Pence “The National Rifle Association is an organization forged in freedom. For nearly 150 years, the NRA has valiantly defended the Constitution and all our God-given liberties. … The work you do is essential to preserving our freedoms at every level of the American government.”

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn “The Second Amendment is under attack. There are those today trying to shut us up and shut us down. That’s why we have to fight hard to protect the Second Amendment each and every day. The NRA, I assure you, does not give up. And we can’t either.”

Hero of Sutherland Springs Stephen Willeford “We are the NRA. We are the people that stand between the people that would do evil to our neighbors. I’m nothing special. Look at you guys. Every one of you would do what I did. And I love you all.” JULY 2018

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz “To the men and women gathered here, to each of you, to patriots, like the 56 who signed the Declaration and pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor, your standing up for freedom has a cost. But I am grateful for your commitment to liberty, because it is protecting not just your liberty, it is protecting my liberty, it is protecting the liberty of our kids.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “I want to thank the NRA and the members of the NRA for standing for freedom and for fighting for our Second Amendment rights. … If we allow government to chip away at our freedoms, we begin to lose what has made America the greatest nation in the history of the world.“

Parkland High School Student Kyle Kashuv “I want to let every single one of you know, that no matter what they say, they will not take our guns away.”

July 2018

american rifleman

Photos by Forrest MacCormack

COVER STORY

A First For Franchi

Best known for fine Italian shotguns affordably priced for the American market, Franchi is celebrating its 150th anniversary as a firearm manufacturer. In all that time, however, it has never made a center-fire bolt-action rifle. The aptly named Momentum changes all that. BY JOE KURTENBACH, Executive Editor AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

FRANCHI he moment had nearly arrived. The air was cool, high in the Canadian Rockies, and the horses were tired, as was I after a long day of scouting and stalking. But I was well-placed, now, hidden among the thick mountain willows, with an oft-tread game trail to my front, and confirmation from a pair of cow elk that I was one with my surroundings—passing immediately in front of me, the animals neither saw me in the shadows, nor smelled me through the scent of horse acquired by hours in the saddle. Within moments, I hoped, tall antlers briefly spotted through the trees would emerge, this time along with the great head and body of a bull elk, which, to this point, had been concealed. My friend and fellow hunter—shooting editor for Outdoor Life—John Snow and I, along with our guide, were experiencing a truly memorable first day of hunting. We were in Alberta’s Ya Ha Tinda, a federally operated horse ranch and recreation area sited on the northern bank of

the Red Deer River and the eastern edge of Banff National Park. We’d traveled to Canada to take part in the first North American field test of Franchi’s new Momentum bolt-action rifle. The Ya Ha Tinda’s bear- and game-rich mountains feature stark stone cliff faces, large swathes of dense timber, ample creeks and plunging waterfalls. Its big country and expansive views make the ranch a favorite destination for local trail riders, and a truly exceptional hunting ground for the very few sportsmen permitted afield each year. Hunting out of a rustic riverside camp, we’d driven our horses deep into the wilderness. With light fading, and having seen sign of grizzly, elk and deer, we’d made our turn for home when the shrill, yet bellowing, call of the bull elk arrested our descent and encouraged one more hunt before the rapidly retreating sun diminished behind western peaks.

Franchi’s first bolt-action rifle cannot deny its Italian heritage—there is nothing plain or simple about the polymer stock, which features graceful lines and thoughtfully designed contours, and it contrasts nicely with the chrome-finished, fluted bolt.

Franchi, today, is best known for its fine, yet affordable, Italian-made, over-under and semi-automatic shotguns. Originally founded in Brescia, Italy, the company has been in the firearm business since at least 1868, and has had a presence in the United States market for nearly 100 years. In the late 1990s, Benelli USA took over importation and distribution of the Franchi line, increasing its public profile, and, more recently, under the Benelli umbrella, Franchi USA was established to better engage the American

consumer. The company has garnered praise in recent years for its Instinct line of over-under shotguns, the Affinity family of intertia-driven semi-automatics and Catalyst models of the aforementioned platforms—shotguns tastefully designed to better fit the anatomy of female shooters. I was surprised then, when I was asked to field test a Franchi bolt-action, center-fire rifle—the company’s first such offering. Once I received the rifle and specifications, though, the Momentum’s lineage was clear, as was

FRANCHI MOMENTUM

IMPORTER: BENELLI/FRANCHI USA (DEPT. AR), 901 EIGHTH ST., POCOMOKE, MD 21851; (800) 264-4962; FRANCHIUSA.COM 42.3"

1.75"

1.31"

CIP

N CS

CIP

22" 14"

MANUFACTURER: FRANCHI (ITALY) CHAMBERING: .30-’06 SPRG. ACTION TYPE: BOLT-ACTION, CENTER-FIRE REPEATING RIFLE

RECEIVER: MATTE-BLACK STEEL BARREL: CHROME MOLY STEEL, COLD-HAMMERFORGED, THREADED 5/8X24 TPI RIFLING: SIX-GROOVE, 1:11" RH TWIST MAGAZINE: FOUR-ROUND INTERNAL BOX, HINGED FLOORPLATE

SIGHTS: NONE; DRILLED AND TAPPED RECEIVER

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

TRIGGER: SINGLE-STAGE, ADJUSTABLE; 3-LB., 12-OZ. PULL STOCK: BLACK MOLDED POLYMER WEIGHT: 6 LBS., 10 OZS. (7 LBS., 11 OZS., RIFLE/SCOPE COMBO) ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL MSRP: $609 ($729 RIFLE/SCOPE COMBO)

SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.)

.30-’06 Sprg. Cartridge

Vel. @ 15' (f.p.s.)

Energy (ft.-lbs.)

Group Size (inches) Largest Average Smallest

Federal Fusion 165-gr. SP

2797 Avg. 12 Sd

2,867

1.08

2.08

1.65

Hornady AWT 150-gr. Interlock

2884 Avg. 9 Sd

2,771

1.02

2.70

1.79

Remington Premier 180-gr. Swift Scirocco

2563 Avg. 16 Sd

2,626

1.06

2.42

1.69 1.71

Average Extreme Spread

Notes: Measured average velocity for 10 shots through an Oehler Model 36 chronograph at 15 ft. Accuracy results for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 100 yds. from a Caldwell LeadSled rest. Temperature: 64° F. Humidity: 34%. Abbreviations: AWT (American Whitetail), Sd (Standard deviation), SP (soft point).

its appeal for American sportsmen and women. The rifle has class and styling, including some lines you would be unsurprised to find on a European long gun. But the design also shows restraint and emphasizes utility, which demonstrates an understanding of American sensibilities. There are embellishments, sure, but they have purpose, and for all its grace, the Momentum is priced to sell. Though built in Franchi’s Urbino facility, near Italy’s eastern coast, the cold-hammer-forged barrel at the heart of the Momentum rifle is produced in northern Italy by Sabatti, in Gardone, to Franchi’s specifications. Initially, the rifle is available in six chamberings, and the barrel length and rifling twist rate is determined by the cartridge: .243 Win., 22", 1:10" RH; 6.5 mm Creedmoor, 24", 1:8" RH; .270 Win., 22", 1:10" RH; .308 Win., 22", 1:11" RH; .30-’06 Sprg., 22", 1:11" RH; and .300 Win. Mag., 24", 1:11" RH. In its primary configuration, the Momentum’s free-float barrel is threaded, 5/8x24 TPI, and capped by a knurled thread protector. Rifles chambered for .243 Win., .270 Win. and .308 are also available with un-threaded barrels, and all chamberings are offered in a combo package that includes threaded barrels and a Burris Fullfield II 3-9X 40 mm riflescope mounted with Burris Zee rings. Both rifles I’ve tested, an early rendition for the elk hunt and a production model for formal review, have been chambered for .30-’06 Sprg. with 22" threaded barrels. For me, the rifle’s most striking feature has to be its stock. It’s a molded polymer design, yes, but not like those I’ve americanrifleman.org

seen previously. The stock’s lines, contours, texturing and semi-glossy sheen really make the Momentum stand out from the crowd. And, as I mentioned earlier, the stock wasn’t designed simply for aesthetic appeal, though it has that in spades; it was designed for functionality. Scaled texturing can be found not only on the grip and foreend, but also just below the receiver and at the toe of the buttstock—everywhere one might benefit from added purchase when shooting from field positions or at the bench, or when carrying the rifle on a stalk. The Momentum’s ergonomic qualities are reinforced by the stock’s curves and contours, which swell and diminish to create finger rests and handholds in strategic locations. Franchi’s tagline, “Feels Right,” may have been authored in reference to the company’s smoothbore offerings, but it certainly applies to its first bolt-action rifle. The stock is capped by the company’s TSA recoil pad, which does a good job of soaking up a firearm’s kick, whether a 12-ga. scattergun or a .30-cal. rifle. The only feature I’m so-so on is the sling attachment studs. Integral to the stock, Franchi opted to mold the two studs into fin-shaped recesses, fore and aft. I love the way they look, but it’s not convenient for bipod attachment. The engineers did, however, reinforce a small section of the fore-end—an easily identifiable semi-circular area, just behind the sling stud—to accommodate the installation of a third stud or a QD-style adaptor. continued on p. 82

July 2018

HISTORICAL

“The Best Rifle JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

When the Doughboys went to France, starting in 1917, they took with them arguably the finest bolt-action military rifle ever made—the ’03 Springfield. BY BRUCE N. CANFIELD, Field Editor

es In The War” The Model 1903 In World War I

“Nothing Stops These Men, Let Nothing Stop You” by Howard Giles; courtesy of Armor Plate Press AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

ne of the best known and most venerated U.S. military small arms is the “U.S. Magazine Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903.” Subsequently known over the past 115 years as the “Springfield ’03” or simply the “’03,” the rifle has gained a well-deserved reputation for its craftsmanship, dependability and accuracy. The excellence of the rifle was aptly stated in the following passage from the 1919 book America’s Munitions 1917-1918, authored by Assistant Secretary of War Benedict Crowell: “America, since the days of Daniel Boone a nation of crack shots, was naturally the home of good rifles. Hence, perhaps, it is not surprising that the United States should be the nation to produce the closest shooting military rifle known in its day. This was the United States rifle, model of 1903, popularly called the Springfield.” Adopted in 1903 as a replacement for the .30-40 Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action rifle, which had shown several deficiencies during the Spanish-American War, the original Model 1903 rifle was fitted with a retractable rod bayonet

and was chambered for the .30-’03 cartridge. Modifications were subsequently made in the design during 1905-1906, and included the incorporation of a more conventional knife bayonet, adopted as the “Bayonet, Model of 1905,” switching to a folding-leaf rear sight (also designated as the “Model of 1905”) as well as changing to the improved .30 Springfield (.30-’06 Sprg.) cartridge. The Model 1903 rifle weighed approximately 8 lbs., 11 ozs., with a 24" barrel and an overall length of 431/2". The rifle was typically equipped with the Model 1907 leather sling. In addition to being manufactured at Springfield Armory, the ’03 was produced at Rock Island Arsenal from 1903 to 1913 and again from 1917 to 1919. The designation, name of the manufacturer and serial number were stamped on the receiver ring, and the initials of the maker, date of production and Ordnance Dept. “flaming bomb” insignia were stamped on top of the barrel just behind the front sight. Prior to World War I, the Springfield ’03 reigned supreme on many of the rifle ranges of the day. Amazingly, the ’03 in military configuration successfully competed against the best target rifles from other nations in the 1912 Olympics and other prestigious shooting matches. As stated in the above-referenced book: “There was no questioning the superiority of the Springfield in point of accuracy. Time after time we pitted our Army shooting teams against those of other nations of the earth and won the international competitions with the The first Americans in France, such as these 2nd Division Marines near Saint Ouen (above) and soldiers of the 4th Division (r.), were equipped with ’03s made by Springfield or Rock Island (l.).

July 2018

american rifleman

NRA Museums photos

THE MODEL 1903

The M1903 had a 24" barrel and held five rounds of .30-’06 Sprg. The maker and date of manufacture are found on the barrel (l.), with these examples being made in August 1917 by Springfield (top), and May 1913 by Rock Island (bottom).

Springfield … . Much credit is to be said for the men behind the guns, but due credit must be given the rifles that put the bullets where the marksmen aimed … .” By late 1913, appropriations for military expenditures were severely reduced, which resulted in Rock Island Arsenal ceasing manufacture of the ’03, and Springfield scaling back its production line. Since the small pre-war U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps were more or less fully equipped with Model 1903 rifles by this time, the reduced production rate was not seen as a problem. That would change just a few years later. When America entered the Great War in April 1917, our nation was armed with arguably the finest bolt-action military rifle of all time. The only problem with the Springfield

National Archives photos

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

rifle was that there weren’t nearly enough on hand to equip the rapidly mobilizing armed forces. In early 1917, Rock Island Arsenal was directed to resume manufacture—easier said than done. The assembly line had been shut down for three years, and most of the skilled workers had long since departed. Rock Island also experienced some problems in recruiting and training a new workforce. To exacerbate the difficulties, there were troublesome shortages of raw materials, chiefly suitable steel, since many other arms manufacturers were also gearing up to make various types of firearms. Since Springfield Armory still had a cadre of experienced workmen, the facility did not experience as many problems as Rock Island during this period, but there were still shortages of materials, which had some impact on the production rate. In order to speed manufacture, some components were slightly modified to reduce machining time, including elimination of the serrations on the trigger and checkering on the buttplate. None of these changes had any negative effects on the utility of the rifles, and there was no discernible reduction in the quality of either workmanship

JULY 2018

The primary American sniper rifle in World War I was the M1903 fitted with a Warner & Swasey “Telescopic Musket Sight.” There were two models, the 1908 (above) and the 1913. A VivienBessières grenade launcher (l.) was made for the M1903.

or materials of the Springfield and Rock Island ’03 rifles made in the 1917-1918 period from those made previously. In late 1918, the heat-treatment procedure for the receivers and barrels was changed from the old case-hardened variety to a stronger, double-heat-treated type. Another change made in late 1918 was the use of the more durable Parkerized finish to replace the attractive, but labor-intensive, bluing that was previously used for many of the rifle’s metal components. However, few, if any, of the factory Parkerized rifles made it overseas before the Armistice. When the first contingent of Doughboys arrived in France, they brought along their trusty pre-1917 production ’03s. Ordnance records indicate that about 30,000 Model 1903 rifles were also assembled in France from spare parts. As soon as the newly arrived American troops were deployed to the front lines, their Springfields were put to good use. There are many accounts of the effectiveness of the ’03 during the war. One was related in John Harllee’s The Marine From Manatee: “Even in the matter of defeating machine gun nests, two U.S. Army General Staff officers who had been in the thick of the fighting reported the value of accurate rifle fire. They said that in some cases American riflemen had been able to get on one or more flanks or to the rear of machine gun nests at some distance and had been able to fire their Springfields with such accuracy that the machine gunners were often shot through the head or vital part of the body.” World War I combat veteran, 1st Lt. Samuel W. Meek of

JULY 2018

the 6th Marines, 2nd Division, had the following comment regarding the rifle: “Let me say something right now about the Springfield. It was a great weapon. Not only was it accurate, but it rarely jammed … it seemed to absorb the dirt and still work … and dirt was something we were always living in.” There was no question as to the excellence of the ’03, but even with Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal working at maximum capacity, it was forecast that there would soon be a shortage of service rifles given the everincreasing demand. In order to secure the required additional rifles, the Ordnance Dept. had two basic options available: seek additional manufacturing sources for the Model 1903 rifle or adopt a second type of service rifle to augment the Springfield. It was soon determined that having commercial firms gear up to manufacture the ’03 from scratch would result in an unacceptable time delay, so the second alternative was selected. Three American firms—Remington, Winchester and Eddystone—had just completed production for the British government of large numbers of the Pattern 1914 rifle chambered for the .303 British cartridge. It was decided that the British rifle could be modified without a great deal of difficulty for the American .30-’06 cartridge. The timing was good for the American government since the workforces and production lines of the three manufacturers were still largely intact. The modified British rifle was adopted by the Army as the “Model of 1917,” and large numbers were made during the war. While a serviceable weapon, the 1917 rifle was heavier and bulkier than the trim Springfield. Even though an estimated three-quarters of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was armed with Model 1917 rifles by the time of the Armistice, the ’03 remained the overwhelming choice of our Doughboys. In addition to its reliability and superb accuracy, another attribute of the Springfield that is often overlooked today was its versatility, as it was utilized in ways never envisioned when the gun was adopted some 15 years earlier. These included various sniper-rifle variants, including those fitted with Warner & Swasey telescopic sights, as well as some with Winchester A5 scopes. The telescopic-sighted sniper rifles were not the only variants of the ’03 rifle fielded during World War I. During the war, the rifle grenade proved to be very valuable in trench warfare. A grenade launcher, the Vivien-Bessières, copied by the Americans from a French design, was AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

U.S. Military History Institute

THE MODEL 1903

Author’s collection

produced and used in surprisingly large numbers with the ’03 rifle by our troops during the war. An extremely interesting variation developed in World War I was the socalled “Pedersen Device,” which was an ingenious mechanism designed by John D. Pedersen that converted the bolt-action M1903 rifle into a semi-automatic firing a small .30-cal. cartridge similar to the Colt .32 ACP pistol cartridge. The conversion from the standard bolt-action rifle firing the powerful .30-’06 Sprg. cartridge to a semi-automatic was by the simple expedient of removing the bolt and inserting the device. Springfield Armory made a slightly modified Model 1903 rifle, called the Mark I, for use with the Pedersen Device. As events transpired, the Armistice came about before any of the Pedersen Devices could be fielded, and production was halted after some 65,000 had been made. Post-war evaluation revealed that the device was not suitable for the Army’s present or future needs,

and, in 1931, they were ordered to be destroyed. Very few survived, and they are rare and valuable collectibles today. The Mark I Model 1903 rifles remained in service, although most had the special Mark I parts removed and replaced with standard components. A fascinating adaptation of the ’03 rifle produced during World War I were several types of experimental “trench periscope” rifles, the most well-known being the so-called Cameron-Yaggi “periscope rifle,” developed by James L. Cameron and Lawrence E. Yaggi. Their concept was to mount a standard M1903 rifle into a metal framework that was rested on the shooter’s shoulder and held above the head in order to fire over the top of a trench. The bolt and trigger were manipulated by extension levers, and sighting was by means of a periscopic sight. A 25-round extension magazine was fitted so that the rifle could be fired for an extended period without having to remove it from the shoulder for reloading. It, and similar, mechanisms were tested by the Ordnance Dept., but none was selected for adoption, and only a few prototype examples were made. The end of World War I resulted in little perceived need for special trench warfare devices, and further development ceased. Surviving examples of the trench periscope rifles are quite rare. Still another modification to the Model 1903 rifle during World War I was the “Air Service” Rifle. This was a standard ’03 service rifle with a shortened stock and handguard,

A rare variant of the ’03 was “Stripped for Air Service” (above), even though it is not entirely clear who was supposed to use it. The M1905 bayonet had a 16" knife blade (below), a serious upgrade over the ’03’s original rod bayonet.

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

Cameron-Yaggi Trench Periscope

the model 1903

modified rear sight and the same type of 25-round extension magazine as used with the Cameron-Yaggi trench periscope rifle. It was described in a 1918 Ordnance Dept. report as “Stripped for Air Service.” While the existence of the Air Service ’03 rifles has been well established, the intended use for which it was designed remains the subject of some conjecture even today. It was not intended for infantry use, and other theories have been postulated including those that it was intended as armament for aircraft observers and for defense in observation balloons. The most logical application for the modified ’03 was use by a pilot who might be forced down behind enemy lines and need an arm more effective than a pistol with which to defend himself. Just over 900 Air Service rifles were made, but none is believed to have been issued. After the war, virtually all were either destroyed or converted to standard service-rifle configuration. After the Armistice that ended World War I was declared in November 1918, the War Dept. had a decision to make regarding the future use of the ’03 rifle. Even though it was still the standardized U.S. military service rifle, there were greater numbers of Model 1917 U.S. Enfield rifles on hand. The Model 1917 had proven to be serviceable and reliable during the war. There were many, in and out of the military establishment, who were in favor of making the American Enfield the standard service rifle and relegating the ’03 to the war-reserve stockpile. However, the performance of the ’03 during the war, especially its superb accuracy, resulted in the decision to retain the Springfield as the

July 2018

standardized American service rifle and put the Model 1917s in mothballs. Indeed, of all the ’03’s virtues, its unparalleled accuracy was its most impressive attribute. It has been said about the three major rifles fielded in World War I that the Germans brought a hunting rifle, the British brought a battle rifle and the Americans brought a target rifle. The Great War ended with the ’03 rifle’s legacy as a superb military arm firmly intact. The Springfield remained a mainstay of the U.S. military during the post-World War I era. Even though the M1 Garand rifle was adopted in 1938, production of the new semi-automatic rifle was limited for the first few years, and the Springfield remained the predominant American service rifle at the beginning of World War II. The early Pacific campaigns of World War II were fought primarily with ’03s, and it was not until 1943 that the U.S. military was more or less fully equipped with M1 rifles. Even so, the ’03 remained in use as a supplemental service rifle, a sniper rifle and a rifle-grenade-launching platform throughout the war. Despite its subsequent use after 1918, the Model 1903 rifle will always be inexorably linked with the Doughboys of the First World War. Even though by the end of the war, most Doughboys were issued Model 1917 rifles, rather than ’03s, the Springfield was the preferred rifle in the eyes of a majority of the AEF. This feeling was aptly summed up by Cpl. Mike Shelton: “What we really wanted were Springfields. They were the best rifles in the war.” Such is the legacy of the ’03 Springfield during World War I. american rifleman

U.S. Army photo

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Once a neglected collecting category, Colt’s Python remains one of the hottest tickets today. Here is the half-century history of the “King of the Seven Serpents.” BY GURNEY BROWN

Originally paired with an Officer's ACP as part of a cased set, this .357 Mag. Double Diamond Edition Python has a bright stainless finish, a 6" barrel and is fitted with smooth rosewood target-style stocks with nickel-finished 150th Anniversary Rampant Colt medallions.

DOUBLE DIAMOND EDITION PYTHON SERIAL NO. DD001

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Photos by Paul Goodwin Professional Photography

COLLECTORS

n June 1955, Colt’s Mfg. Co.’s new masterpiece, the Python double-action revolver, was first shipped from the Hartford, Conn., factory, beginning a half-century of continuous production. Colt’s factory superintendent, Adalbert (Al) Gunther, was heavily involved in the design of what was to become the company’s flagship double-action revolver. It started in 1953 when Bill Henry, Colt’s head salesman, came to Gunther with the idea for a new precision target revolver. Colt had no budget for experimental guns at the time, so the prototype was

AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

made from existing parts and from raw steel, which was machined and welded as needed. The original prototype had a barrel length of 45⁄8", and the barrel rib was solid. That first gun took almost a month to complete, with some of Colt’s top foremen— Andy Perkins, Walter Sowinski and George Cramer— involved with the project. The name “Python” came about as the result of a company contest, and it is believed that Philip Schwartz, one of Colt’s vice presidents, came up with the winning name.

JULY 2018

COLT’S PYTHONS

MASTER ENGRAVED SERIAL NO. V26512

FACTORY "D" SCROLL ENGRAVED SERIAL NO. 60433E

The Royal Blue Master Engraved Python (top) was shipped to Hodgdon on Sept. 28, 1979. The Factory "D" Scroll Engraved nickel gun was fitted with "non-factory" ivory target stocks.

Colt Python Serial No. 1, which was hand-built by Colt Master Gunsmith Alfred DeJohn, resides in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn. Factory records indicate the first four Pythons ever shipped to the public—serial nos. 4, 6, 7 and 10—left the factory on June 2, 1955, and all went out on loan accounts to outside salesmen. From that time until production ended in 2006, more than 753,000 were manufactured. In simplest terms, the Python is a double-action revolver chambered primarily for the .357 Mag./.38 Spl. cartridges. Initially, it was available in a single barrel length: 6". As time progressed, barrels were produced from 2½" to 8". The barrels are of full-underlug design, and all have ventilated ribs. The barrel rifling twist is 1:14", and the bore is slightly tapered toward the muzzle, leading to its inherent accuracy. Originally the barrel lugs were hollow to reduce weight, but were later left solid. The rear sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation, and both Colt Accro and Colt Elliason rear sights were used during production. The first version of the Accro (flat top) sight was used until sometime between October 1957 and April 1958, when it was replaced by the “humpback” version. The front sight is a pinned, ramp-style sight with horizontal serrations. This was later changed to accommodate red or orange sight inserts. Originally, two pins were used to secure the sight blade in place, but this was changed to a single pin in the early 1990s when the Python Elite was introduced. The hammer is a wide, checkered spur, and the trigger and backstrap are grooved. With a 6" barrel, the Python tips the scales at just over 43 ozs. Initially, stocks were fully checkered American walnut with an oil finish and gold Rampant Colt medallions. This variation was used through at least Serial No. 8800. In 1962-1963, checkered American walnut stocks with smooth upper sections and gold Rampant Colt medallions were introduced. These have a thumb rest on the left stock panel. That style was followed by thumb rests on both panels and a slightly different checkering pattern. The screw heads on all models of the walnut stocks are

JULY 2018

visible on the left panel. Lastly, smooth, laminated rosewood stocks and black neoprene stocks were used. Both target (Presentation) and finger-groove (Gripper) rubber stocks were produced by Pachmayr. Both styles have gold Rampant Colt medallions. Hogue Monogrips with the Colt logo molded were also used for a very short time. Guns shipped with 2½" barrels originally came with service-style stocks. They were fully checkered walnut with narrow borders and gold Rampant Colt medallions. Late-production guns, especially stainless steel and Electroless Nickel-finished guns, were shipped with both Presentation- and Gripper-model Pachmayr stocks with gold Rampant Colt medallions. Although this precision-quality revolver was chambered primarily for the .357 Mag./.38 Spl., Python Target models were chambered exclusively for the .38 Spl., and their barrels are so marked. The Python was marketed both as a sporting revolver and for police use. Some factory catalogs listed the model as the Police Python, but the guns were never marked in that fashion. Other chamberings were advertised in the 1981 Colt catalog, and prototypes in .22 Long Rifle and .22 WMR were built, but none were sold to the public. The catalog went so far as to picture an 8"-barreled gun marked “Python 22” on the left side of the barrel. The .22 advertisement disappeared from the catalog the following year. There are known examples in .22 Long Rifle in collector hands, but none will letter from Colt. Archival material dated January 2000 indicates that five prototypes were built in .22 cal. with “X” serial numbers. Three of these guns were auctioned in Anaheim, Calif., in June 2009, as part of the Colt Archives Collection. There were reportedly several guns produced in .41 Mag., but none of these have surfaced that will letter from Colt. AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Colt’s Python: King Of The Seven Serpents

hile Seven Serpents: The History of Colt’s Snake Guns (2015) brought much-needed information into the public eye on this previously underappreciated era and category of firearm collecting, Gurney Brown has broken new ground by narrowing his focus in Colt’s Python: King of the Seven Serpents. This tome leaves no stone unturned and leaves few, if any, unanswered questions about the fascinating history and production of one of the most heralded “snake” guns.

Here you will find 15 chapters, each dedicated to a specific Python collecting category. Every factory finish and configuration is covered, with detailed text and stunning right and left side photography of exceptional Pythons and the Colt factory letters that reflect how they were originally made in the Hartford factory between 1955 and 2006. The serial number information contained herein is published for the first time, and will instantly become a valued and essential reference for collectors, curators and historians.

There are known factory-documented prototypes in .22 Hornet (No. 5959, 8" in the white), .256 Win. Mag. (No. V19025, 6" blue) and also .40 S&W (No. 32806, 6" blue). The .256 Win. Mag. prototype is pictured in The Book of Colt Firearms by Sutherland and Wilson, clearly showing the left side of the barrel marked “PYTHON .256/.256 Magnum Ctg.” and the .22 Hornet and .40 S&W prototypes were auctioned as part of the Colt Archives Collection in 2009. Interestingly enough, no .41 Mag. prototypes were listed in the auction. The .256 Win. Mag. prototype was absent from the auction, but there is pictorial proof showing that the gun did exist. Colt offered its masterpiece in several finishes, including Colt Blue, Royal Blue, Bright Nickel, Royal Coltguard (also known as Satin Nickel and Electroless Nickel), Matte Stainless Steel and “Ultimate Bright Stainless Steel.” Slight color variations have been noted on Royal Coltguard guns in boxes marked Satin Nickel and Electroless Nickel. In addition to standard cataloged revolvers, the Python was also used as a canvas for engraved and gold-inlaid works of art offered through Colt’s Custom Shop. Commemorative issues and special editions were also based on the “I” frame. These include 1,780 guns built as part of the Colt Bicentennial Set in 1976. Factory special editions include the Double Diamond Set Python, the Snake Eyes Pythons and the Silver Snake Edition. The Python was also popular with law enforcement agencies in special editions. Two hundred Special Edition revolvers were manufactured for the St. Paul Police Dept. in 1980, and another 200 for the Minneapolis Police Dept. in 1981. Also in 1981, 250 guns were built for the Durham County, N.C., Sheriff’s Dept., 235 Special Edition guns were built for the Colorado State Patrol in 1985 and 400 built for the Florida Highway Patrol Ass’n. Most of the police special editions had etched motifs on their frames, barrels and cylinders, and many of those editions had smooth, two-piece rosewood stocks with Colt Custom Shop medallions. They were normally offered with a walnut display case with French fitted interiors. Both medium blue AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

The 304-pp. book contains 275 illustrations, costs $65 plus shipping and is available through Blue Book Publications, Inc., (800) 877-4867, bluebookofgunvalues.com. —PHILIP SCHREIER, SENIOR CURATOR, NRA MUSEUMS

ROYAL COLTGUARD SERIAL NO. K60576

Shipped in December 1981, retail on this 2½"-barreled Coltguard Python was $576.95. The stocks are 3rd-style checkered walnut with gold Rampant Colt medallions.

and Tyrol Red interiors have been observed. The Colorado State Patrol is also known to have issued Pythons as duty guns during the 1970s. These were blued guns with 4" ventilated-rib barrels and checkered walnut target stocks. The Florida Highway Patrol and Georgia State Patrol also issued Pythons to their troopers. It is also believed that 22 Pythons were built as part of the 150th Anniversary Engraving Sampler Series. The April 1956 Colt catalog shows a suggested retail price of $125 for a blue Python, when the average weekly income for an American household that same year was $68. If you want to own one today, you need to have $2,000 or more in your pocket. By 1998, the only cataloged Python was the Colt Custom Gun Shop Python Elite offered with a 6" barrel and a Brushed Stainless Steel finish. A year later, the Python Elite was catalogued in Royal Blue as well as Brushed Stainless Steel. By 2007, Colt’s Cadillac revolver, the beloved Python, had disappeared from the company catalog along with all of Colt’s other double-action revolvers. Fifty years had passed since its debut. JULY 2018

For the first time in their respective histories, the two pre-eminent pump-action shotgun designs—the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500/590—have detached from the tubular magazine and embraced the benefits of the box. BY KELLY YOUNG, Managing Editor

July 2018

american rifleman

shotgun

BOX-FED Remington’s 870 DM & Mossberg’s 590M

he patent for the first detachable box rifle magazine was filed in 1879 by James Paris Lee, and the resulting Remington-Lee Magazine bolt-action would go on to birth a whole family of box-fed descendants while influencing the designs of countless others. Military orthodoxy of the day kept the fixed internal magazine relevant for a bit longer—despite the successful fielding of detachable-magazine-fed models such as the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Thompson submachine gun—but prior to World War II it was clear that the removable box was to be the feeding mechanism of the future for rifles. Handgun inventors caught on even more quickly, and the conveniently portable ammunition containers consistently started being utilized in their designs as soon as the early 1890s. The benefits were just too great to ignore. Yet, nearly 140 years after Lee’s innovation, shotguns that deviate from the same tubular-magazinefed design in use since the advent of the repeating scattergun remain curiosities, despite those same benefits applying to box-fed shotguns as well. Sure, in the past dozen or so years a handful of exceptions to this rule have arisen—mostly as variants of the AK and AR patterns (or at least designed to superficially

Photos by Forrest MacCormack

americanrifleman.org

imitate them)—but they still remain a meager slice of the shotgun market and more often than not are produced abroad. That is, until now: The box-fed shotgun just went mainstream. The world of the pump-action shotgun has long been dominated by two models, Remington’s 870 and Mossberg’s 500/590 family, and for 2018, both of these revered American platforms are being offered in their first ever detachable-box-fed renditions: the 870 DM and 590M, respectively. Pump shotguns have a lot going for them, but their reliance on the tubular magazine also hamstrings them with a number of ammunitionrelated shortcomings. A cumbersome loading procedure results in glacial reload times, a problem exacerbated by the typical shotgun’s low capacity, which necessitates more frequent topping-off of the firearm. And with bandoliers having fallen out of fashion a good while ago, convenient options for carrying the spare shells needed for a reload are limited; more or less, any ammunition that isn’t present in or on the gun won’t be available during a time of need. By introducing the detachable magazine to their mainstay pump-actions, Remington and Mossberg are seeking to address these limitations while still offering an unfailingly reliable product.

July 2018

BOX-FED SHOTGUNS A comparison of box-fed and tube-fed shotguns reads a lot like the semi-automatic pistol versus revolver arguments that have been occurring in gun shops around the globe for at least the past generation. Although the revolver still has plenty of adherents, the semi-automatic has beaten the wheelgun—in no small part due to the ease of use and increased capacity of its detachable magazine. As you’ll see below, Remington chose to focus on the former in designing its first box-fed Model 870; Mossberg’s 590M, instead, prioritized the latter. For all but the most practiced of shotgun users, removing an empty and inserting a fresh detachable box that allows the firearm to immediately return to full capacity is an exponentially quicker and easier operation than collecting shells from the side of the gun or your person and individually inserting them into a tube in order to top-off. This is particularly true if the user is already familiar with the process because of similar procedures required to reload his or her handguns and rifles—which, at this point, virtually everyone reading this magazine is. Yes, if one possesses the time, manual dexterity and commitment to go the Malcolm Gladwell/10,000-hour route of gaining proficiency, it is possible, through tireless repetition, to develop the muscle memory necessary to run a tubular magazine like a professional competitor, but that’s not a realistic expectation of the typical shotgun-wielding home defender. Practically speaking, for many, a tube-fed shotgun that runs empty during the course of a defensive scenario is fairly likely to stay that way. Remington’s 870 DM and Mossberg’s 590M make a mid-fight tactical reload a much more feasible proposition for the Average Joe. Another area where the box-fed shotgun shines is in its potential use of dedicated magazines carrying specific loads. With its ability to fire anything from birdshot and slugs to flechettes and bean bags, the shotgun is quite possibly the most intrinsically versatile firearm, and detachable magazines allow that flexibility to be even more fully realized. Whether you’re a hunter who quickly needs to shift from a turkey load to a slug, or a peace officer who must swiftly transition from buckshot to a breaching round, detachable box magazines allow your shotgun to rapidly adapt to a host of different missions. Just drop your current magazine, retract the slide to eject the chambered shell, load the appropriate box and run the action closed again. With practice, and properly marked magazines, it should take only seconds—not so with most tube-fed guns.

At the time of their respective launches, both companies came to market with multiple SKUs at the ready— Remington with six and Mossberg with two—and I’ve had the chance to extensively run what amounts to the base model of each of these two new lines. While it’s highly unlikely that the detachable box magazine will ever usurp the dominance of the under-barrel tubular magazine among shotgunners in the same way that semi-automatics have overtaken revolvers, range time with these two similar-butdifferent scatterguns leads me to believe there’s plenty of merit to the box-fed shotgun concept.

Remington Model 870 DM Introduced in 1950, and manufactured to the tune of 11 million units since that time, the Remington 870 stands alone as the most-produced shotgun in history. Yet of the countless gauges, grades, barrel lengths, finishes, sights and stock materials in which Remington has offered the guns during the past 68 years, the six variants of the Model 870 DM are the first to feature a removable magazine. Designed and manufactured in-house by Remington with an emphasis on reliability and versatility, the 870 DM feeds from a single-stack, six-round-capacity box magazine that can accommodate either 2¾" or 3" 12-ga. shells interchangeably. A camouflage-clad Predator configuration ships instead with a three-round box. Each shotgun comes with only one magazine, however, spares can be purchased aftermarket from the company for $35. When filled with 2¾" ammunition, the 870 DM’s toppedoff capacity of seven shells places it on equal footing with the company’s tube-fed home-defense shotguns—which generally have room in the tube for six 2¾" shells or five 3" shells. When loaded up with 3" magnums, however, the new model accommodates an extra round relative to its tubular stablemates—since shell length has no bearing on capacity in a box magazine. And, of course, a quick magazine change allows shells eight through 14 to be quickly brought to bear. Remington initially began research into the development of new pouches that would help facilitate the carrying of extra magazines, but quickly found that it wasn’t necessary—as nearly all M14-style magazine pouches and many AR-10-style pouches are already compatible with the 870 DM boxes. The portion of the magazine that mates with the receiver within the magazine well is made of steel, while the section that protrudes downward from the well is a

Remington’s 870 DM utilizes single-stack box magazines that lock into the receiver’s rifle-like magazine well (opposite, r., top) using only upward pressure. To ease the loading process (opposite, r., bottom), place the rim of the shell on the brass of the one beneath it (not the plastic hull) before sliding it under the feed lips.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

REMINGTON MODEL 870 DM

MANUFACTURER: REMINGTON ARMS CO. (DEPT. AR), 870 REMINGTON DRIVE, MADISON, NC 27025; (800) 243-9700; REMINGTON.COM 38.75" 1.5"

2.0" 13.75"

ACTION TYPE: PUMP-ACTION SHOTGUN GAUGE: 12; 3" MAGAZINE: SIX-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX

18.5"

SIGHTS: BRASS BEAD TRIGGER: 4-LB., 9-OZ. PULL

STOCK: BLACK POLYMER METAL FINISH: STEEL; BLACK OXIDE FINISH WEIGHT: 7 LBS., 4 OZS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, LOCK MSRP: $529 SHOOTING RESULTS (25 YDS.)

HORNADY VARMINT EXPRESS 12-GA., 2¾", NO. 4 BUCKSHOT AVERAGE PELLET COUNT: 24 MEASURED VELOCITY @ 15 FT.: 1324 F.P.S. AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS = POINT OF HOLD

1 5 5

5 7

CYLINDER (0.726") 21" INNER CIRCLE: 30" OUTER RING: TOTAL HITS:

glass-filled nylon. Shallow texturing on the sides of the box do little to enhance purchase, but deeper grooves on the front and rear of the magazine are much easier to hold onto. Each box uses a bright orange, anti-tilt follower and can be easily disassembled by depressing a button in the bottom of the baseplate. I found the 870 DM’s magazines to be quite effortless to load to capacity, thanks to a relatively pliable follower spring, as long as care was taken to avoid hanging up a given shell’s rim on the edge of the brass of the shell beneath it (easier with high-brass loads than low-brass ones). At first glance, the stamped steel feed lips appeared to be somewhat flimsy, however, repeated drops from shoulder height directly onto the lips did not result in any apparent damage to those parts. Empty, the six-round magazine weighed only 9 ozs., and filling it to capacity with 2¾" shells loaded with No. 4 buckshot brought the weight up to 1 lb., 2 ozs. In order to pull off proper functioning of the 870 DM, the receiver of the standard Model 870 had to be machined differently to allow an aluminum magazine well to be AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

22 2 24

(92%) (8%) (100%)

bolted into place. The tube-fed gun’s trigger group and breechbolt also had to be modified, and a lug was designed to traverse the feed lips, strip a shell from the magazine and chamber it when the action is closed. While the magazine tube is still present in order to serve as a guide for the pump-action fore-end, the tube is now empty and the carrier has been altered to dispense with the elevator. Magazines are dropped from the shotgun via a paddle-style release located just forward of the magazine well. Apart from the changes necessary to accommodate loading from a separable box, the 870 DM is in all other ways a Remington Model 870. The shotgun’s receiver is milled from a single block of steel, and the one-piece slide assembly makes use of dual steel action bars. A spring-loaded extractor is contained within the right side of the bolt, and an ejector is found on the left side of the receiver. As is typical of the 870, the DM’s action bar lock is located forward of the trigger guard on the left side of the gun, and the crossbolt safety is found just behind and above the trigger. Righthanded shooters will find this orientation to be convenient— for southpaws, the arrangement is sub-optimal. JULY 2018

BOX-FED SHOTGUNS With the exception of its bilateral, helical magazine-release button (located forward of the trigger guard), the rest of the 590M’s operating controls are found in their traditional locations for the Model 590. The action-lock lever is located on the left side of the receiver behind the trigger guard, and a two-position safety is centered on the shotgun’s tang.

The base-model 870 DM has an 18½" fixed cylinder-bore barrel topped by a single bead, a 3" chamber, a black synthetic stock with a SuperCell recoil pad and a corncob-style fore-end. Overall length of the shotgun measures 38¾", and, with an empty magazine, it has a weight of 7 lbs., 4 ozs. The receiver offers no accommodation for the installation of an optic. Also offered by Remington are: a very similar hardwood-furnished model; a tactical variant with ghost-ring sights, a pistol grip and a ported REM choke; a hunting model with a thumb-hole stock and two TruLock choke tubes; a Magpul version wearing that company’s SGA buttstock and MOE fore-end; and a TAC-14 “firearm” option featuring a Shockwave bird’s head grip and an abbreviated 14" barrel. The presence of a traditional, rifle-like magazine well on the 870 DM makes no-look magazine changes possible, and the fact that they click audibly into place using simple upward pressure makes reloading the shotgun a quick and simple process—something that can rarely be said of smoothbores. Empty magazines did not reliably drop free of their own accord when the release lever was depressed. Side-to-side wobble of the seated magazine was minimal, however, it could be jostled forward and back a considerable amount; regardless, through 200 rounds of function testing, using numerous types of loads, I was unable to force any malfunctions of the Remington. As long as proper slide-racking technique was employed, the 870 DM ran 100 percent. On the range, the Remington’s slide was easy to actuate, the controls were intuitive to use and the trigger was excellent. Patterning was done at 25 yds. using Hornady’s 2¾" Varmint Express No. 4 buckshot ammunition. Using an average of 10 shots, the cylinder-bore barrel deposited 22 of the load’s 24 pellets (92 percent) within the target’s 21" inner circle,

with a mean pattern size of 18". Of the 240 pellets fired in total, only a single flier ventured outside of the target’s 30" outer ring. This is a pretty typical result for buckshot through an unconstricted barrel, and given the shotgun’s intended close-range applications, would serve a home defender well.

Mossberg Model 590M Released in 1961, the Model 500 achieved immediate popularity due to its quality, affordability and modularity of design. In the mid-1980s, a few tweaks were made to the 500 in order to appeal more to the law enforcement and military markets (where Mossberg would go on to enjoy great success), and the resulting shotgun was dubbed the Model 590. While the Model 590M cannot lay claim to being the company’s first detachable-box-fed shotgun, or even its first box-fed 12 gauge—those distinctions belong to the 20-ga. Model 85B and the Model 195 bolt-actions, respectively—it does mark the first time that the concept has been applied to the august 500/590 family tree. The most immediately eye-popping feature of the new 590M is its immense, double-stack, center-feed, 10-round magazine, supplied to Mossberg by Adaptive Tactical. Compatible only with 2¾" shells, the stock factory magazine affords the gun a prodigious amount of firepower. Only by extending the tube well beyond the barrel of the gun (or drawing from multiple tubes) can most home-defense shotguns achieve such a capacity. Potentially upping the ante even further, the manufacturer also offers Brobdingnagian 15-round ($128) and 20-round ($140) spare magazines—in addition to a fiveround ($101) option and additional 10-rounders ($112). At its widest point, the 590M magazine measures just shy of 2.5" across, making it dimensionally compatible with most

MOSSBERG MODEL 590M

MANUFACTURER: O.F. MOSSBERG & SONS (DEPT. AR), 7 GRASSO AVE., NORTH HAVEN, CT 06473; (203) 230-5300; MOSSBERG.COM 39" 1.25"

2.0" 14"

ACTION TYPE: PUMP-ACTION SHOTGUN GAUGE: 12; 2¾" MAGAZINE: 10-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX SIGHTS: BRASS BEAD

18.5"

METAL FINISH: BLUED STEEL BARREL; BLACK ANODIZED ALUMINUM RECEIVER

TRIGGER: 7-LB., 5-OZ. PULL STOCK: BLACK POLYMER JULY 2018

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WEIGHT: 7 LBS., 11 OZS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, LOCK MSRP: $721

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.308 Win. double pouches already on the market. Empty, the factory 10-rounder weighs 1 lb., 4 ozs.; loaded up with 2¾" 00 buckshot, it adds 2 lbs., 3 ozs., to the weight of the gun. Principally composed of thick, sturdy polymer, the magazines’ upper portion (where the double-stack assembly of shells transitions into a single column) and floorplate are identical—only the center section of the box, which is secured in place by eight screws, varies according to capacity. Thick ribs all along their circumference aid in the manipulation of the magazines, and hardened-steel feed lips and an anti-tilt follower help provide reliable feeding. The magazines are also easily disassembled for cleaning, however, filling the box to capacity does require some effort due to the stiffness of its ASTM A228 steel follower spring. As with the Remington, to ease the loading process, place the rim of the shell on the brass of the one beneath it (not the plastic hull) before attempting to push it down and slide it under the feed lips. Six lugs molded into the upper portion of the magazine engage corresponding recesses milled into the receiver, resulting in surprisingly solid lock-up given the design’s lack of a conventional magazine well.

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FEDERAL PERSONAL DEFENSE 12-GA., 2¾", 00 BUCKSHOT AVERAGE PELLET COUNT: 9 MEASURED VELOCITY @ 15 FT.: 1123 F.P.S. AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS = POINT OF HOLD

0 2 2

2 3 0

CYLINDER (0.734") 21" INNER CIRCLE: 30" OUTER RING: TOTAL HITS:

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JULY 2018

BOX-FED SHOTGUNS Boxes must be rocked and locked into place, in a manner reminiscent of AK- and M14-pattern rifles, resulting in a somewhat slower reloading procedure that may require taking your eyes off of the target momentarily. In addition to machining the receiver differently, the 590M’s bolt, barrel and bolt slide (carrier) all had to be re-designed in order to ensure dependable function with a removable magazine. Like all 590s, the bolt on the 590M locks up with a steel extension in the shotgun’s barrel when in battery, allowing the unstressed receiver to be composed of lighter-weight aluminum. With an empty 10-round magazine seated in place, the weight of the shotgun comes in at 7 lbs., 11 ozs. An extractor on either side of the bolt serves to pull shells from the chamber, and a user-serviceable ejector subsequently expels them from the firearm. An empty tubular magazine, again serving only to support the fore-end, is topped with a 590A1-type magazine cap. The 590M is partially compatible with Mossberg’s FLEX system of interchangeable components; the shotgun can accept any FLEX buttstock or recoil pad modules, however, the fore-end cannot be swapped out for FLEX components. And while 590M barrels are interchangeable with other 590M tubes, standard Model 500/590 barrels are not compatible with the new gun. The 590M ships with one 10-rounder, however, additional magazines are available from Mossberg in (below, r. to l.) five-, 10-, 15- and 20-round capacities. Each must be rocked and locked into place (r.).

JULY 2018

Placement of the 590M’s controls make the gun equally accommodating for both left- and right-handed users. A bilateral, helical, steel magazine-release button is located just forward of the trigger guard and can be actuated by pressing inward from either side. Other operating controls are found in the traditional locations for the 590: The action-lock lever is located on the left side of the receiver behind the trigger guard, and a two-position safety is centered on the shotgun’s tang. Two styles are available at launch: a base model and an enhanced “Heat Shield” version, both of which are 39" long with an 18½" barrel and utilize a corncob-style fore-end. The former makes use of a simple brass bead front sight, while the latter utilizes ghostring sights and features a barrel shroud. Both options come as a cylinder-bore from the factory, however, the Heat Shield model accepts Accu-Choke-type choke tubes, while the base configuration is not threaded for use with chokes. Each variant comes drilled and tapped for the optional use of an optic. Designing a reliable double-stack box magazine for use in a shotgun is an incredibly difficult feat to achieve—due to shell lengths varying widely (not only manufacturer to manufacturer, but even lot to lot) and a tendency of the rimmed ammunition housed within a box to lock rims with each other. Yet Adaptive Tactical pulled it off admirably. Reliability of the 590M was flawless, as you should be able to expect from a pump-action shotgun, and pressing the release button caused the magazines to fall from the gun without assistance from the shooter. continued on p. 80

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SIG SAUER P225-A1 NITRON COMPACT

n the pursuit of building a semiautomatic pistol for every conceivable role, SIG Sauer introduced the single-stack P225 as one of three entrants in the West German pistol trials of the mid-1970s. At that time, the P6—as it was then known—faced such strong contenders as the Walther P5 and Heckler & Koch P7, which may explain why SIG came up with several groundbreaking new features for its pistol. One of those was a multi-piece slide, utilizing sheet and solid steel components, that was easily manufactured and worked quite well for

almost all of the company’s early P-Series pistols. In addition, the slide’s ejection port also served as the locking contact surfaces for the barrel’s squared breech end. Both were true innovations, as was the gun’s basic lockwork and handling procedures. There is a strong family resemblance among all the SIG Sauer P-Series pistols, but the P225 was a single-column semi-automatic of medium size, which was pretty much the standard for European police guns of the era. Also, not uncommon for such guns, the front of its trigger guard had a somewhat hooked contour. Chambered in 9 mm Luger, the P225 armed many German police officers and was imported into this country in respectable quantities. A light and compact gun, the P225 was also reliable and accurate, but didn’t compare

commercially with its higher-capacity brother, the P226. This latter pistol is a double-column gun with a 15-round magazine, originally developed for the U.S. pistol trials of the early 1980s. By that time, interest in single-stack, 9 mm Luger-chambered pistols had waned. The original P225 therefore did not persist, and was phased out after about 10 years on the U.S. market. But times have changed, and a growing number of concealed carriers have shown a preference for singlestack pistols, along with a renewed interest in the 9 mm Luger cartridge. Among the several makers that have developed mid-size pistols with singlecolumn magazines, SIG seized the opportunity to make some changes to the original P225 to produce the P225-A1, the Nitron Compact variant of which is the subject of this report.

The hammer-fired P225-A1’s controls (l.) are classic SIG, and consist of (rear to front): a slide lock, a decocker and a takedown lever. In addition, a press-button magazine release lies just to the rear of the frame/trigger guard junction. There is no manual safety.

July 2018

american rifleman

SIG SAUER P225-A1 NITRON COMPACT

MANUFACTURER: SIG SAUER, INC. (DEPT. AR); 72 PEASE BLVD., NEWINGTON, NH 03801; (603) 610-3000; SIGSAUER.COM 6.9"

The new gun updates the original with a host of small improvements, and conveys the not insignificant benefit of contemporary 9 mm Luger defensive loads, which are far better terminal performers than those that were available when the original P225 was developed. In profile, the P225-A1 is very similar to SIG’s other medium-size guns—the P228 and P229. The main difference lies in its more slender aluminum frame, which accommodates an eight-round, single-column magazine. Despite that, the P225-A1 feels solidly built, weighing in at 30.5 ozs. and measuring 6.9" in length by 5.2" in height and 1.26" wide. So, even though it is more svelte than a double-stack, it is still a medium-size pistol with a 3.6" barrel and enough weight to require carry in a holster rather than a pocket. The pistol’s operating system is the same as all other P-Series pistols, and has been popular since first introduced in the 1970s. It is a hammer-fired double-action/ single-action with a decocker and no manual safety. On the left side of the gun, near the top of the stock panel, is a pair of levers. The rearmost is the pistol’s slide lock; the other is the decocker. When the pistol is cocked, depressing the latter will cause the hammer to fall without firing the gun and the trigger to return forward to the double-action firing position. In normal service, a shooter carries the pistol decocked, with a round in the chamber and the hammer down. The first shot will require a long, double-action arc of the trigger, however, as the slide cycles in recoil, it cocks the hammer—rendering all subsequent shots in single-action.

9mm x 19

SIG SAUER INC. EXETER—NH—USA

46A000000

3.6"

5.2"

RIFLING: 1:16" RH TWIST MAGAZINE: EIGHT-ROUND DETACHABLE BOX

CHAMBERING: 9 MM LUGER ACTION TYPE: RECOIL-OPERATED, SEMI-AUTOMATIC CENTER-FIRE PISTOL SLIDE: STAINLESS STEEL; NITRON-COATED FRAME: ANODIZED ALUMINUM; G10 STOCKS

SIGHTS: TRITIUM, THREEDOT, DRIFT-ADJUSTABLE TRIGGER: DOUBLE-ACTION, 10-LB. PULL; SINGLEACTION, 4-LB. PULL WIDTH: 1.26" WEIGHT: 30.5 OZS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL, CASE, LOCK, EXTRA MAGAZINE

MSRP: $1,032

SHOOTING RESULTS (25 YDS.)

9 MM LUGER CARTRIDGE

VEL. @ 12' (F.P.S.)

ENERGY (FT.-LBS.)

BLACK HILLS 124-GR. +P JHP

1150 AVG. 11 SD

364

1.74

3.47

2.48

FEDERAL HYDRA-SHOK 124-GR. JHP

1011 AVG. 5 SD

281

1.38

3.25

2.94

SIG SAUER V-CROWN 124-GR. JHP

1107 AVG. 13 SD

337

2.43

2.82

2.62

AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD

GROUP SIZE (INCHES) LARGEST AVERAGE SMALLEST

2.68

NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS FIRED OVER AN OEHLER MODEL 35P CHRONOGRAPH AT 12 FT. ACCURACY RESULTS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 25 YDS. FROM A SANDBAG REST. TEMPERATURE: 60° F. HUMIDITY: 24%. ABBREVIATIONS: JHP (JACKETED HOLLOW POINT), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION).

Testing of the P225-A1 was simple and straightforward. Informal shooting produced very consistent performance in terms of reliability. Everything worked as designed, and there were no malfunctions of any kind. Three different types of readily available 9 mm Luger ammunition went through the SIG, as fired from sandbags at 25 yds. Using the

standard American Rifleman protocol of five consecutive, five-shot groups, the gun averaged around 2.5" groups at this distance. This is fine accuracy given the pistol’s intended use. Slick, reliable and accurate, SIG’s P225-A1 Nitron Compact makes a competent do-all semi-automatic for those shooters who still prefer the feel of an all-metal gun.

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. AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

DOPE BAG

CMMG GUARD

ombining the ever-popular AR platform with the iconic .45 ACP cartridge, the Guard, reviewed here, required CMMG to design a completely new operating system that it claims minimizes the carbine’s overall weight and felt recoil. Company engineers initially looked at building the gun using both the simple blowback and direct-impingement modes of operation, however, neither were found to be ideal for the .45 ACP. Instead, they developed a patent-pending system that they refer to as a radialdelayed blowback. Here’s how it works: A rotating bolt locks into the barrel extension when in battery, and when the gun is fired, the bolt is forced to rotate and unlock. This slows the bolt carrier’s velocity enough

to safely cycle the .45 ACP. The system also allows the rifle to use a lighter carrier and buffer than a standard blowback-operated gun. That reduces the reciprocating mass while firing, making the Guard much smoother to shoot and easier to keep on target. It also helps keep the rifle’s weight down to a svelte 5 lbs., 12 ozs. Because of the Guard’s unique operating system, there is no gas block or piston system attached to the barrel. CMMG uses a medium-taper barrel made from 4140 chrome moly steel and finished with a salt-bathnitride treatment inside and out. It is rifled with a 1:16" RH twist and measures 16.1" long. Its muzzle is threaded .578x28 TPI, a fairly common thread pitch for .45-cal. suppressors and muzzle devices, and the Guard comes equipped with an effective, side-ported, SV compensator. The

Because the Guard is not gas-operated, its 16.1" barrel is free from obstructions such as gas blocks and tubes, and it fits easily within the gun’s 14" KeyMod-compatible handguard.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

barrel is shrouded with a free-floating KeyMod handguard that measures 14" in length. No iron sights are included with the CMMG Guard, but any detachable back-up sights designed for AR-15s will work fine. In the past, other manufacturers have built .45 ACP-chambered AR-15s, and those guns usually used UZI magazines with some type of magazine well block. CMMG instead designed its lower to accept the readily available and proven Glock magazines. Machined from billet aluminum, the Guard’s lower receiver features a trim magazine well and does not use a conversion block. The lower is specific to Glock 21 magazines (one 13-rounder comes with the rifle) and boasts a last-round hold-open feature that many pistol-caliber ARs don’t have. CMMG’s engineers designed a dual-pinned, machined linkage that is engaged by the magazine’s follower, which, in turn, activates the bolt catch. The magazine release is larger than we are used to on AR-pattern guns and can easily be activated with a right-handed shooter’s trigger finger. Our test sample came equipped with a match-grade, two-stage Geissele Automatics trigger. This non-adjustable trigger is the choice of many competition shooters, but CMMG also offers the Guard with a

CMMG GUARD

MANUFACTURER: CMMG INC. (DEPT. AR), 620 COUNTY ROAD 118, FAYETTE, MO 65248; (660) 248-2293; CMMGINC.COM 0.5"

33" TO 36.25"

0.5"

16.1" MAGAZINE: GLOCK 21-PATTERN; 13-ROUND

10.13" TO 13.38"

CHAMBERING: .45 ACP ACTION TYPE: RADIAL-DELAYED BLOWBACK, SEMI-AUTOMATIC CENTER-FIRE RIFLE

DETACHABLE BOX

SIGHTS: NONE; PICATINNY RAIL TRIGGER: GEISSELE SSA, TWO-STAGE; 3-LB., 4-OZ. PULL STOCK: MAGPUL CTR; SIX-POSITION ADJUSTABLE WEIGHT: 5 LBS., 12 OZS. ACCESSORIES: OWNER’S MANUAL MSRP: $1,750

RECEIVER: 7075-T6 ALUMINUM, BURNT BRONZE CERAKOTE FINISH RIFLING: 1:16" RH TWIST SHOOTING RESULTS (50 YDS.)

.45 ACP CARTRIDGE

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

ENERGY (FT.-LBS.)

BLACK HILLS 200-GR. SWC

1149 AVG. 8 SD

586

1.31

1.89

1.64

FEDERAL HI-SHOK 185-GR. JHP

1203 AVG. 26 SD

594

1.41

1.97

1.71

HORNADY CRITICAL DEFENSE 185-GR. FTX

1355 AVG. 14 SD

754

1.58

2.14

1.80

AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD

The radial-delayed blowback system uses a rotating bolt that locks into the barrel extension to slow the bolt carrier and safely cycle the gun.

standard trigger at a reduced price. The upper receiver is machined from a forging and possesses a flat top with Picatinny rail and a hinged ejectionport cover. The gun does have a forward assist, and the bolt carrier is cut to work with the assist. At 50 yds., our single best group was with 200-gr. semi-wadcutter rounds from Black Hills Ammunition and measured just 1.31". Because the gun is not gas-operated and has no barrel port, we felt comfortable shooting non-jacketed lead bullets through it. The Guard fed the sharp-shouldered projectiles flawlessly, and recoil was negligible. With a USPSA paper target set up at 15 yds. and a Trijicon AccuPoint riflescope dialed back to 1.25X, we used the optic as a reflex sight and fired the Guard with both eyes open. We used a PACT electronic timer to measure our time between shots to get an idea of how controllable the Guard is in rapid fire. Our splits, or time between shots, averaged just 0.16 of a second on controlled pairs. We found the Guard very easy to shoot, with recoil and

GROUP SIZE (INCHES) LARGEST AVERAGE SMALLEST

1.72

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 50 YDS. FROM A CALDWELL RIFLE REST. TEMPERATURE: 72° F. HUMIDITY: 19%. ABBREVIATIONS: FTX (FLEX TIP EXPANDING), JHP (JACKETED HOLLOW POINT), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION), SWC (SEMI-WADCUTTER).

muzzle disruption being so mild that the AccuPoint’s triangular reticle never came off target. We also shot a 5"-barreled M1911 in .45 ACP to compare its velocity with that of the Guard. Averaging the three loads, we found the longer barrel of the carbine accounted for 22.8 percent more velocity and a 50.7 percent increase in energy—a remarkable and somewhat unusual increase based on our previous reviews comparing other .45 ACPchambered pistol-caliber carbines and conversions to like-chambered pistols. During our testing we used a wide variety of ammunition, and found all to be reliable in the Guard; we experienced no stoppages or problems during our 400-round evaluation. Disassembly of the Guard for cleaning and maintenance follows that of a standard AR-15. CMMG offers an optional Tuning Kit consisting of three different weights for the bolt carrier in order to optimize its cycling— whether using hot, +P defense loads, mild-mannered target rounds or a suppressor. Both the ejector and extractor are located on the Guard’s bolt. Our sample Guard sported an AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

optional Burnt Bronze Cerakote finish. The takedown pins, bolt release, safety/selector, trigger pins, charging handle, forward assist, ejection port cover and magazine release are left black for a pleasing contrast to the bronze. CMMG also offers Flat Dark Earth, Midnight Bronze, Sniper Grey and Titanium Cerakote colors for an extra $150. Additionally, there are three pistol versions of the Guard, with 5" or 8" barrels, as well as two NFAapplicable short-barreled versions. The CMMG Guard would make an ideal companion piece for the shooter who favors the .45 ACP pistol. Based on the AR platform, the gun is easy to shoot and uses readily available and relatively inexpensive magazines. We found CMMG’s radial-delayed blowback system to work well with the .45 ACP cartridge, and were impressed with the gun’s light weight and fasthandling characteristics. Whether used for home defense, competition shooting or general plinking, the CMMG Guard possesses the accuracy and reliability needed to find success.

inside nra | ila report

Anti-gun Democrat Proposes Banning Semi-Automatics, Going After “Resisters”

LATEST LEGISLATIVE NEWS FROM INSIDE THE NRA INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION

he headline of the USA Today op-ed said it all. Anti-gun Congressman Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., last week advocated for legislation to ban an as-yetundetermined class of semi-automatic firearms and to “go after resisters” who refuse to relinquish their lawfully acquired firearms. Lest anyone mistake his intentions, Swalwell followed up this week with a lengthy NBC News interview, in which he made clear that his own proposal is a departure from prior gun bans that allowed those who had obtained the firearms when they were lawful to keep them. Swalwell said that after thinking “about the different ways to address it … I concluded the only way to do this is to get those weapons out of our communities.” According to the NBC piece, Swalwell is modeling his proposal on laws passed during the 1990s in Australia. The article then inaccurately states, “But while Australia comes up often in gun debates, almost no prominent figures have proposed national laws that would demand that gun owners turn in existing weapons en masse.” The truth is that anyone who suggests the United States should adopt Australianstyle gun control—a club that includes such infamous gun-ban advocates as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton—is by definition advocating for the forcible disarming of “resisters.” That, in fact, was the signature feature of the Australian approach, which required owners of many popular types of firearms to surrender them in exchange for a sum set by the government. If Swalwell has distinguished himself at all from other American advocates of the Australian approach, it’s because he is willing to be more forthcoming about the fact that it would turn millions of formerly

law-abiding Americans into armed “criminals” with the stroke of a pen. In his NBC interview, however, he tried to have it both ways. While proposing the forcible disarming of “resisters,” he insisted: “I’m not proposing a roundup or confiscation. It would be like anything else that’s banned: If you’re caught with it there would be a steep penalty. Any fear of ATF agents going door to door to collect assault weapons is unfounded and not what is proposed here. They don’t go collecting drugs that are banned or any other substance or weapon that’s banned, and I’m not proposing that here.” That, of course, is a lie. Law enforcement agents with enough probable cause that someone possesses contraband to get a warrant absolutely do go after the contraband. To their credit, NBC asked Swalwell directly whether he was “prepared for some of the confrontations that might erupt from this,” adding, “You’re surely familiar with the slogan, ‘I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.’” Swalwell brushed aside the question, indicating that Parkland, Fla., survivors who have been advocating for gun control have given him “courage” for resolute action. Whether Swalwell is serious—or whether he is just hoping to move the Overton Window on what is considered legitimate rhetoric in the realm of gun control policy— is perhaps debatable. What is no longer debatable is the true ideology that lies behind the gun control project in America. It is the abolition of the right to gun ownership in America as we know it.

Dick’s Keeps Digging

T ILA Grassroots: (800) 392-8683 NRA-ILA: (703) 267-1170 NRA-ILA website: nraila.org

he first law of holes, sometimes attributed to cowboy philosopher Will Rogers, suggests, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” In other words, don’t make a bad decision worse by expanding it, with the hope that you will eventually extricate yourself. The hole will just get deeper. Somebody might want to mention this to Dick’s Sporting Goods. After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy, the retailer caved in to July 2018

pressure from the gun-ban community and began to enact a number of anti-gun policies at both Dick’s Sporting Goods and their affiliated Field & Stream stores. The most egregious of these new policies was the refusal to recognize the Second Amendment rights of adults ages 18-20 by refusing to sell them firearms. Dick’s then doubled down by announcing it would not just remove certain types of semi-automatic rifles from its stores, but

american rifleman

pro-freedom community, especially with those who take part in outdoor activities. That damage is already having real consequences for the retailer. Shortly after the new lobbyist registrations became public, the National Shooting Sports Foundation voted to expel Dick’s from the industry trade association, and several prominent gun manufacturers have indicated that they have no intention of doing business with Dick’s in the future. So, as Dick’s continues to develop its anti-gun bona fides by fully embracing a gun control agenda, we note that the retailer continues to stock small shovels and trenching tools in most of its locations. We can’t verify whether they outsource the heavier implements needed for the major excavation at corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania.

IN MEMORY NRA-ILA CONTRIBUTIONS

April 1, 2018 – April 30, 2018 Reuben Ledra, Schenectady, NY (from: Judith Ledra); Robert Fowlkes, Lepland, CA (from: Richard & Lael Hall, and Steven K. Fowlkes); Bruce Douglas, Rosemount, MN (from: Mid-Continent Gun Club); Paul Karakozoff, Cotati, CA (from: Alexander L. Karakozoff); Alton J. Sadler, Davidsonville, MD (from: Joel Taylor); Jack D. Staite Jr., Venetia, PA (from: Joseph Schaaf); Dr. Emily Schlenker, Normal, IL (from: Fred W. Davis); Ronald C. Jackson (from: Jane Johnston); Phillip Martin (from: Mike & Gale Hammons); Norman Desrochers, St. Albans, VT (from: John & Sandy Gamsby); Fred Graybill (from: Bill Huttner); Thomas W. Delahanty, San Diego, CA (from: William P. Keach).

ILA CONTRIBUTIONS

(The following have contributed $1,000.00 or more to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action: April 1, 2018 – April 30, 2018) Allen Boger, Austin, TX; Karen Lien, Perkasie, PA; Lightle Y. Morris, San Antonio, TX; Benjamin J. Seib, Delray Beach, FL; Arthur B. Choate, Coral Gables, FL; Tim Wells, Watauga, TX; Joseph J. Slawek, St. Charles, IL; Christopher R. Shearman, Calabasas, CA; Paul D. Wasson, Oklahoma City, OK; James B. McMunn, Wichita, KS; George A. Aydelott, Beaumont, TX; Alva Anderson, Wylie, TX; Jeffrey Geldermann, Kenilworth, IL; Chuck Drury, St. Louis, MO; Robert G. Bartlett, Chatham, VA; Keith A. Rominsky, Fenton, MI; Melvin T. Bruce, Winter Haven, FL; John C. Davis, Denver, CO; Kevin Robertson, Oxford, MI; Robert A. Dietz, Houston, TX; Bruce M. Burtan, Prescott, AZ; Danielle M. Kohler, Deeth, NV; D. P. Nobile, Valencia, CA; Robert Whitten, Sequim, WA; Scott D. Campbell, Portland, OR; Walter Malinowski, McLean, VA; Rodney Diehl, Midland, MI; David R. Modrall, Oxnard, CA; Jo A. Graves, Houston, TX; Philip H. Moors, Greenbelt, MD; Scott Allen, Richland, MI; Terrence R. Dolan, Minneapolis, MN; Robert Sellinger, Elkhart Lake, WI; Alan Mossberg, Tierra Verde, FL; John Riconda, Northport, NY; Mary E. Garner, Gainesville, GA; James C. Cooros, Manchester, NH; Raymond Nusbaum, Eagle, CO; Maudi E. Fleming, Fort Worth, TX; Jeff V. Richard, Beavercreek, OH; Tom McCartney, Salem, OH; Shari S. Wagner, Treasure Island, FL; Kelly McAlpine, Irvine, CA; David W. Hearst, San Diego, CA; John Schulmann, Vero Beach, FL; Will Stroud, Dallas, TX; Charlotte Pip and Foundry Company, Charlotte, NC; Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Ass’n. Inc., West Fargo, ND; NRA Mothershead, Charlotte, NC; Todd L. Johnson, Duluth, MN; Donna S. Head, Corsicana, TX; Carol Adams, Dallas, TX; Timothy Mullen, Houston, TX; Arnold Goldschlager, Hillsborough, CA; David Y. Rogers, Midland, TX; Robert K. Eddy, Big Lake, MN; Michael R. Coltrane, Concord, NC; Barry Partlo, Clayton, NC; Brian J. Maguire, West Linn, OR; Kenneth J. Gill, Charlotte, NC; Turner’s Outdoorsman, Cucamonga, CA; James R. Griffith, Charlotte, NC; Harry E. Jennings, Redmond, WA; Channing L. Frederick, West Liberty, KY; Jon Leonhardt, Albuquerque, NM; Bruce C. Farrell, Wyoming, MI; David Levy, Fort Washington, PA; W. Ames, Strafford, NH; David S. Koltick, Lafayette, IN; Ronald W. Schoby, Springfield, IL; Poo-An Siauw, Northbridge, CA; David Bowles, Charlotte, NC; Dale E. Rye, Renner, SD; David C. Olds, Bakersfield, CA; Ralph S. Cunningham, Houston, TX; Kendall G. Bryan, Jacksonville, FL; Michael A. Fitz, Portland, OR; Vernon L. O’Farrell, Spokane, WA; Jon Hangas, Grosse Ile, MI; Jerry A. Allen, Irvine, CA; Roy F. Simperman, Mercer Island, WA; Michael Fogg, Holland, MI; Mary A. Lemon, Ennis, MT; Edwin Sobota, Oscoda, MI; Bill Clinton, Pacifica, CA; Jerome Reinking, Parker, CO; Walter Malinowski, McLean, VA; David E. Adante, Massillon, OH; James Martin, Chambersburg, PA; Kent McCue, Wasilla, AK; George H. Wilton, Pine Bush, NY; Lisa Graham, West Covina, CA; Stephen O. Wade, Charlotte, NC; Jeffrey E. Ingeman, Tequesta, FL; Philip Hoffman, Fairbanks, AK; Michael McCann, Fort Meyers, FL; Michael H. Ponder, Las Vegas, NV; Cary Peterson, Fernandina, FL; Roy F. Harmon, Greenville, SC; Todd D. Marshall, Corpus Christi, TX; John Erickson, Oak Park, IL; C. J. Bouchard, Raleigh, NC; Thomas Daniel, Columbus, NE; Danny Whittington, Summit, MS; Ken Paul, Reno, NV; Patrick Bennett, Danville, IL; Douglas Chinn, Las Vegas, NV; Dunes Rifle & PistolClub, Hobart, IN; Rusing, Lopez, & Lizardi,, Tucson, AZ; Cape Radiology Group Care, Cape Girardeau, MO; Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc., Chambersburg, PA. AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG

JULY 2018

Photo courtesy of Lacey Caroline

would actually destroy its entire stock of these commonly owned firearms, along with their accessories. Yes, you read that right. Dick’s plan is to destroy firearms. But if anyone who supports our right to keep and bear arms was still confused about Dick’s position, a recent article at thefederalist.com should remove all doubt. The Federalist reported that Dick’s has hired three new federal lobbyists to promote gun control in Congress. New lobbyist registration documents state the new lobbyists were hired for “[l]obbying related to gun control.” Considering this development, perhaps encouraging Dick’s to stop digging is pointless. It’s entirely possible that the chain realizes it has irrevocably damaged its image among the

Lacey Caroline

ost NRA members were introduced to Lacey Caroline during the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas. Lacey is multi-talented, working as an NRA-certified instructor and a competitive 2-gun shooter. NRA Country’s Vanessa Shahidi asked Lacey a few questions. VS: What is your favorite personal firearm? LC: “I’m a Glock girl! My carry handgun is a Glock 43, and my competition pistol for USPSA and other matches is a Glock 17.” VS: You grew up in a military family, yes? How did that shape who you are today? LC: “My dad is a Purple-Hearted Marine veteran, drafted into the Vietnam War when he was 18. When I was growing up, he never wanted to talk about his service, and even though I didn’t know exactly why, internally, I understood why. That unspoken understanding raised me with such a respect and appreciation for our servicemen and women, as well as an undying love and gratefulness for this amazing country and its flag.” VS: We were excited to have you perform on the NRA Country Sound Stage at the Annual Meetings & Exhibits. You also sang the national anthem at the ILA Leadership Forum. Why was that significant to you? LC: “I was incredibly humbled to find out that I was chosen to sing the anthem. ... The anthem gives me chills every time I hear it, and I believe it’s an honor to sing it in front of NRA members and the president and vice president of the United States of America!” To learn more about Lacey Caroline, visit laceycaroline.com. NRA Country is 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.

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT CENTRAL 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

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

AREA SHOOTS

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—Tim Besancenez

tbesancenez@nrahq.org

WI—Scott Taetsch

staetsch@nrahq.org

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.

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.

PISTOL

JULY 5—APPLETON, WI

Leroy, IL Barnhart, MO Borden, IN

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Bristol, IN Waterman, IL West Liberty, IA

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Alliance, NE Defiance, MO Borden, IN Montezuma, IA Cornell, IL Bristol, WI Cadillac, MI Louisville, KY

SILHOUETTE

Wright City, MO Ithaca, MI Bennet, NE Danville, IN Ashland, KY Effingham, IL

JULY 14 JULY 27-28 JULY 28 JULY 7 JULY 8 JULY 14-15 JULY 1 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 8 JULY 8 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 21 JULY 8 JULY 13-15 JULY 14 JULY 28 JULY 28 JULY 28-29

TRAINING

Crime Prevention

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

(Seminar) Gail Feher (920) 202-3080

JULY 18—METRO ST. LOUIS, MO

(Seminar) Kevin Cummins (636) 207-1900

LAW ENFORCEMENT

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, instruct in a professional manner, and conduct practical training exercises. Restricted to law enforcement officers only.

JULY 23-27—ST. LOUIS, MO

(Handgun/Shotgun) Contact Rudis Amaya at (703) 2671636 or ramaya@nrahq.org.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

oining NRA-afﬁliated state associations supports NRA’s mission in your state. See stateassociations.nra.org/ for more information. Illinois State Rifle Ass’n. Inc.

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. The 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife from Silver Stag, a skillfully hand-crafted fixed-blade knife, is the perfect tool for deer camp or self-protection. The 6-inch hollow-ground and jeweled high carbon D2 steel blade and leather sheath, with vertical and horizontal carry options, feature Friends of NRA logos. VZ Grips are customized to match the Gun of the Year, a Kimber NRA Custom II "Defending Freedom"1911, creating a duo that you won’t want to put down. When you do, the display case’s black foam interior with cutouts for the gun and knife will ensure it is stored securely beneath a lid engraved with the Friends of NRA logo. Available only at Friends of NRA events.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

missourisportshooting.org

Nebraska Marksmanship Ass’n.

nemarksmanship.org

Wisconsin Firearm Owners, Ranges, Clubs & Educators

wisconsinforce.org

JULY 7-8

ST. CHARLES, MO

St. Charles Convention Center, Midwest Arms Collectors LLC (660) 956-6004

JULY 13-14

MEDFORD, WI

JULY 14-15

CADILLAC, MI

JULY 14-15

CROWN POINT, IN

JULY 20-22

WAVERLY, IA

JULY 21-22

BLOOMINGTON, IL

JULY 21-22

NOVI, MI

JULY 21-22

RICHMOND, IN

JULY 21-22

SOMERSET, KY

JULY 27-29

FAIRFIELD, IA

JULY 28-29

KANSAS CITY, MO

JULY 28-29

JACKSON, MI

JULY 28-29

SOUTH BEND, IN

Simek Recreation Center, Ray Kangas Productions (715) 372-4654 Wexford Civic Center, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160 Lake County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 855-3836 The Centre Hall, Marv Kraus Promotions (563) 608-4401

Interstate Center, ECA Hunting & Trade Shows (618) 495-2572

Suburban Collection Showplace, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160 Wayne County Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 855-3836 Center for Rural Development, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

GUN SHOWS

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. JULY 6-7

IRON RIVER, WI

Iron River Community Center, Ray Kangas Productions (715) 292-8415

Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, Marv Kraus Promotions (563) 608-4401 KCI—Expo Center, Missouri Valley Arms Collectors Ass’n. (816) 873-1951 ORS Field House, Sport Shows Promotions (517) 676-4160

St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds, Central Indiana Gun Shows (765) 855-3836

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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(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

July 2018

inside nra | regional report east 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.org JULY 7-8

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

ME, VT, NH—Brian Smith

bsmith@nrahq.org

NJ, MA, RI, CT & Southern NY— Craig Decker

cdecker@nrahq.org

New York—Bruce McGowan

bmcgowan@nrahq.org

Northern OH—Marc Peugeot

mpeugeot@nrahq.org

Southern OH—David Graham

dgraham@nrahq.org

Eastern PA, DE—Kory Enck

kenck@nrahq.org

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

WILMINGTON, OH

Roberts Centre, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

EAST STROUDSBURG, PA

VFW Post #2540, Jaeger Arms Promotions (570) 470-6404

JULY 14-15

SHARONVILLE, OH

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

JULY 14-15

ALLENTOWN, PA

Allentown Fairgrounds, Forks of the Delaware Historical Arms Society (610) 438-9006

JULY 14-15

BEREA, OH

JULY 14-15

FREDERICK, MD

JULY 14-15

HAMPTON, VA

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

Howard County Fairgrounds, Silverado Gun Shows (301) 874-5012 Hampton Roads Convention Center, Southeastern Guns & Knives (757) 483-5385

JULY 15

MT. BETHEL, PA *

Mount Bethel Volunteer Fire Co., Mount Bethel Volunteer Fire Co. (404) 429-0072

JULY 20-21

HAMLIN, PA

JULY 21-22

PHILADELPHIA, PA

Hamlin Fire & Rescue, Jaeger Arms Promotions (570) 470-6404

Philadelphia National Guard Armory, Appalachian Promotions (717) 697-3088

JULY 21-22

VAN WERT, OH

JULY 21-22

SALEM, VA

JULY 21-22

MANASSAS, VA

Van Wert County Fairgrounds, Van Wert County Agricultural Society (419) 513-1108 Salem Civic Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016 Prince William County Fairgrounds, Southeastern Guns & Knives (757) 483-5385

JULY 27-29

CHANTILLY, VA

JULY 27-29

WATERTOWN, NY

Dulles Expo Center, Showmasters Gun Shows (540) 951-1344* Municipal Arena Alex Duffy Fairgrounds, NEACA INC. (518) 664-9743

JULY 28-29

SCRANTON, PA

Ice Box Arena, Jaeger Arms Promotions (570) 470-6404 July 2018

american rifleman

LAW ENFORCEMENT

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

JULY 9-13—ALDEN, NY

(Patrol Rifle)

JULY 23-27—EGG HARBOR, NJ

(Handgun)

JULY 30-AUG. 3—EGG HARBOR, NJ

(Patrol Rifle) Contact Tiffany Cole at (703) 2671626 or tcole@nrahq.org.

TUITION-FREE ARMORER CLASSES** (Register at: le.nra.org/training/ tuition-free-schools.aspx) JULY 17—FAIRFAX, VA

(RUGER LC9 ARMORER)

JULY 18—FAIRFAX, VA

(RUGER GO100 REVOLVER ARMORER)

JULY 19—FAIRFAX, VA

(RUGER M77 RIFLE ARMORER)

Police Competition

RA Police Pistol Combat competition is intended to be used as an extension of an officer’s training. See PPC Rulebook (Rule 2.4) for eligibility requirements.

JULY 14—LEBANON, PA

(Approved) Contact LEcompetitions@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1632.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

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

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

AREA SHOOTS

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

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

Canton, OH Scarborough, ME West Windsor, NJ North Attleboro, MA New York, NY Boyertown, PA Eleanor, WV

TRAINING

SMALLBORE RIFLE

HIGH POWER RIFLE

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 available on the internet by visiting nrainstructors.org, by sending an email to refuse@nrahq.org or by calling (800) 861-1166. JULY 7—ASHAWAY, RI

(Seminar) Lyd Neugent (401) 377-8184

JULY 14—FURLONG, PA

(Seminar) Robert Morris (215) 598-3534

JULY 21—HAGERSTOWN, MD

(Seminar) Ronald David (301) 828-5879

JULY 22—NEW STRAITSVILLE, OH

(Seminar) Honi Greenlee (740) 385-1028

JULY 6-8 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 22 JULY 22 JULY 28-29 JULY 29

Marengo, OH Millville, NJ

JULY 14-15 JULY 29

Nelson Township, OH Enola, PA Grafton, VA Scarborough, ME Massena, NY Bridgeville, DE Delta, PA Buckhannon, WV Keene, NH Highland Lakes, NJ

SILHOUETTE

Mount Vernon, NH Richmond, VA Vandergrift, PA Owego, NY Ridgway, PA Roanoke, VA Rupert, WV Pittsburgh, PA

JULY 1 JULY 4 JULY 21 JULY 22 JULY 22 JULY 27 JULY 28 JULY 28 JULY 29 JULY 29 JULY 1 JULY 7 JULY 8 JULY 10 JULY 11 JULY 15 JULY 22 JULY 28

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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(888) 331-6767

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

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

inside nra | regional report midwest 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

For hotel accommodations at the NRA Annual Meetings, visit nraam.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—Michael Guilliams

mguilliams@nrahq.org

OK—Darren DeLong

ddelong@nrahq.org

Eastern TX—Liz Foley

efoley@nrahq.org Northern TX—Kevin Post

kpost@nrahq.org

Southern TX—Tyler Ward

tward@nrahq.org

Western TX—Jack Cannon

jcannon@nrahq.org

TRAINING

Crime Prevention

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

JULY 8—MONTROSE, CO (Seminar)

Larry McWhirter (970) 249-2771

JULY 11—AUGUSTA, KS

JULY 7-8

SAN ANTONIO, TX

JULY 22—MONTROSE, CO

JULY 7-8

FORT WORTH, TX

AREA SHOOTS

JULY 7-8

CONWAY, AR

JULY 7-8

LONGVIEW, TX

JULY 21 JULY 28

JULY 7-8

TOPEKA, KS

JULY 5-8 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 14 JULY 28

JULY 14-15

MESQUITE, TX

JULY 14-15

HUMBLE, TX

JULY 14-15

AMARILLO, TX

JULY 14-15

FORT SMITH, AR

JULY 14-15

MOUNTAIN HOME, AR

JULY 14-15

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

JULY 14-15

DENVER, CO

JULY 14-15

WICHITA, KS

JULY 21-22

ALLEN, TX

JULY 21-22

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX

JULY 21-22

SAN ANTONIO, TX

JULY 21-22

LITTLE ROCK, AR

(Seminar) Gregory Rupp (316) 651-7877 (Seminar) Larry McWhirter (970) 249-2771

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

Arcadia, OK Midland, TX

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Raton, NM Pine Bluff, AR Houston, TX Whitewater, KS Byers, CO

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Carthage, TX Mansfield, TX North Little Rock, AR Raton, NM Galena, KS Coweta, OK Ramah, CO

SILHOUETTE

Arcadia, OK Hobbs, NM Manor, TX Bronte, TX Topeka, KS Randolph, KS Aurora, CO Bauxite, AR

JULY 7-8 JULY 8 JULY 14 JULY 14-15 JULY 15 JULY 28 JULY 28 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 8 JULY 8 JULY 14 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 22

GUN SHOWS

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

Oklahoma State Fair Park, OKC Gun Show Inc. (800) 333-4867 July 2018

american rifleman

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

Will Rogers Center, Lone Star Gun Shows (214) 635-2009 Conway Expo Fairgrounds, G&S Promotions (918) 659-2201

Longview Maude Cobb Exhibit Building, Classic Arms Productions (985) 624-8577

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

Big Town Event Center, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194 Humble Civic Center, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194

Amarillo Civic Center, Texas Gun & Knife Ass’n. (830) 285-0577 Kay Rodgers Park, Hanging Judge Promotions (479) 858-9079 Baxter County Fairgrounds, G&S Promotions (918) 659-2201

Crossroads Event Center, Buchanan Event Center (405) 844-6055 Denver Mart, Tanner Gun Shows (720) 514-0114 Century II, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Allen Event Center, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194 Al Amin Shrine Pavilion, Al Amin Shriners (361) 696-1585

Austin Hwy Event Center, Austin Hwy Events (210) 242-3683 Little Rock Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

JULY 21-22

SHAWNEE, OK

JULY 21-22

OVERLAND PARK, KS

Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center, G&S Promotions (918) 659-2201 Overland Park Convention Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

JULY 28-29

HOUSTON, TX

George R. Brown Convention Center, Premier Gun Shows (817) 732-1194

JULY 28-29

HOT SPRINGS, AR

JULY 28-29

TULSA, OK

JULY 28-29

JACKSONVILLE, TX

JULY 28-29

KERRVILLE, TX

JULY 28-29

KINGSLAND, TX

JULY 28-29

LOVELAND, CO

JULY 28-29

ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Hot Springs Civic Center, South Hot Springs Lions Club (501) 767-2855 Tulsa Fairgrounds, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Norman Activity Center, Whipp Farm Productions (817) 929-1816 Hill Country Youth Event Center, Texas Gun & Knife Ass’n. (830) 285-0575 Kingsland Community Center, Wild Weasel Productions (830) 992-5291

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

New Mexico Fairground, Rocky Mountain Gun Shows (801) 589-0975

LAW ENFORCEMENT

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, instruct in

a professional manner, and conduct practical training exercises. Restricted to law enforcement officers only. JULY 9-13—GARDEN PLAIN, KS

(Patrol Rifle)

JULY 9-13—LITTLETON, CO

(Patrol Rifle)

JULY 23-27—GARDEN PLAIN, KS

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

Police Competition

RA Police Pistol Combat competition is intended to be used as an extension of an officer’s training. See PPC Rulebook (Rule 2.4) for eligibility requirements.

JULY 14—ALBUQUERQUE, NM

(Registered) Contact lecompetitions@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1632.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

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

Oklahoma Rifle Ass’n. Inc.

oklarifle.com

Texas State Rifle Ass’n.

tsra.com

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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(888) 331-6767

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

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

inside nra | regional report south 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

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

JULY 21—LILBURN, GA (Seminar)

JULY 7-8

EAST RIDGE, TN

LAW ENFORCEMENT

JULY 14-15

HUNTSVILLE, AL

JULY 14-15

HOOVER, AL

JULY 14-15

PALMETTO, FL

JULY 14-15

MELBOURNE, FL

JULY 14-15

TALLAHASSEE, FL

JULY 14-15

SLIDELL, LA

JULY 14-15

FLETCHER, NC

JULY 14-15

AIKEN, SC

JULY 14-15

JACKSON, TN

JULY 21-22

ROBERTSDALE, AL

JULY 21-22

VERO BEACH, FL

JULY 21-22

MIAMI, FL

JULY 21-22

PENSACOLA, FL

JULY 21-22

LAKELAND, FL

Greg Schreffler (770) 367-3525

riends of NRA events celebrate American values with fun, fellowship and fundraising for The NRA Foundation. 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

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

LA—Chad Bowen

cbowen@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

TRAINING

Crime Prevention

The 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 at nrainstructors.org. JULY 8—STONE MOUNTAIN, GA

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

JULY 9—BUFORD, GA (Seminar)

John Bain (678) 283-2504

JULY 9—BUFORD, GA

(Instructor Development Workshop) John Bain (678) 283-2504

JULY 12—NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC

(Seminar) William McLeod (843) 280-5623

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

JULY 9-13—PARCHMAN, MS (Patrol Rifle) JULY 16-20—FLORENCE, AL (Patrol Rifle) JULY 23-27—COLUMBUS, MS

(Handgun/Shotgun) Contact Rudis Amaya at (703) 2671636 or ramaya@nrahq.org.

Police Competition

RA Police Pistol Combat competition is intended to be used as an extension of an officer’s training. See PPC Rulebook (Rule 2.4) for eligibility requirements.

JULY 14—LEXINGTON, SC (Approved) JULY 20—COLUMBIA, SC (Approved) JULY 28—COLUMBIA, SC (Approved)

Contact LEcompetitions@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1632.

GUN SHOWS

DOTHAN, AL

National Peanut Festival Facility, Collectors & Shooters Co. (334) 322-8818

JULY 7-8

ORLANDO, FL

Central Florida Fairgrounds, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870

JULY 7-8

JACKSON, MS

Mississippi State Fair Commission, Great Southern Gun & Knife Shows (865) 671-4757

Camp Jordan Arena, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176 Van Braun Center, R.K. Shows (563) 927-8176

Hoover Met Complex, Alabama Gun Collectors Ass’n. (205) 317-0948 Bradenton Convention Center, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870

Melbourne Auditorium, Sport Show Specialists (321) 777-7455* North Florida Fairgrounds, North Florida Gun & Knife Shows (407) 275-7233

Northshore Harbor Center, Slidell Gun & Knife Show, slidellgunandknifeshow@yahoo.com

Western North Carolina Agricultural Center, Mike Kent Shows (770) 630-7296 Western Carolina Fairgrounds, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074 Jackson Fairgrounds Park, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

Baldwin County Fairgrounds, Collectors & Shooters Co. (334) 322-8818 Indian River County Fairgrounds, Patriot Productions (866) 611-0442 Miami-Dade Fairgrounds, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870 Hadji Temple, Hadji Shrine (850) 476-9384

Lakeland Center, Lakeland Rifle & Pistol Club (863) 665-0092

JULY 7-8

CONCORD, NC

JULY 21-22

COLUMBUS, GA

JULY 7-8

ANDERSON, SC

JULY 21-22

MARIETTA, GA

Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016

Civic Center of Anderson, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074 July 2018

american rifleman

Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176 Machinists Aerospace Union Hall, Eastman Gun Shows (229) 423-4867

JULY 21-22

KENNER, LA

JULY 28-29

SANFORD, FL

JULY 28-29

DAYTONA BEACH, FL

JULY 28-29

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Pontchartrain Center, Great Southern Gun & Knife Shows (865) 671-4757

Sanford Civic Center, Great American Promotions (865) 453-0074 Ocean Center, Florida Gun Shows (407) 410-6870

Greater Jacksonville Fair & Expo Center, North Florida Gun & Knife Shows (407) 275-7233

JULY 28-29

GONZALES, LA

JULY 28-29

HATTIESBURG, MS

Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Classic Arms Productions (985) 624-8577

Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center, Great Southern Gun & Knife Shows (865) 671-4757

JULY 28-29

FAYETTEVILLE, NC

JULY 28-29

MEMPHIS, TN

Crown Expo Center, C&E Gun Shows (540) 953-0016 Agricenter International Park, R.K. Shows Inc. (563) 927-8176

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

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

Louisiana Shooting Ass’n.

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

AREA SHOOTS

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

Dawsonville, GA Jacksonville, FL Pinson, AL Columbia, TN Creedmoor, NC Orangeburg, SC

SMALLBORE RIFLE

Gaston, SC Orlando, FL Dawsonville, GA Cookeville, TN Florence, MS Creedmoor, NC Pinson, AL

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Columbia, TN Glen, MS Brooksville, FL Donaldsonville, LA Columbus, NC Orlando, FL Orangeburg, SC Augusta, GA Hoover, AL

SILHOUETTE

Orlando, FL Ft. Valley, GA Hoover, AL Quitman, LA Arden, NC Batesburg, SC Pearlington, MS Brunswick, GA

JULY 15 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 22 JULY 28 JULY 28 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 8 JULY 8 JULY 14 JULY 21 JULY 28 JULY 7 JULY 14 JULY 21 JULY 21 JULY 28 JULY 28 JULY 29 JULY 29 JULY 29 JULY 1 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 14 JULY 14 JULY 21 JULY 26

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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(888) 331-6767

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

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT SOUTHWEST 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

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

AREA SHOOTS

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.

SMALLBORE RIFLE

South El Monte, CA

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Escondido, CA Carson City, NV Castaic, CA Arcata, CA Dulzura, CA

Southwest Regional Director— Jason Quick

jquick@nrahq.org

AZ—Winston Pendleton

wpendleton@nrahq.org

SILHOUETTE

Central CA—Paul Rodarmel

prodarmel@nrahq.org

Eastern CA—Cole Beverly

cbeverly@nrahq.org

Mid CA—Sheila Boer

sboer@nrahq.org

Northern CA—Dan Wilhelm

dwilhelm@nrahq.org

Southern CA—Mike Davis

mdavis@nrahq.org

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

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

JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 14 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 28

asrpa.com

California Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

crpa.org

Nevada Firearms Coalition

UT—Jim Reardon

Utah State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

jreardon@nrahq.org

JULY 1 JULY 7 JULY 21 JULY 22 JULY 29

Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

NV—Steve Wilson

swilson@nrahq.org

Gonzales, CA Sloughhouse, CA Avenal, CA Tucson, AZ Mesa, AZ Phoenix, AZ

JULY 4-7

nvfac.org

usrpa.org

TRAINING

Crime Prevention

T The 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife from Silver Stag, a skillfully hand-crafted fixed-blade knife, is the perfect tool for deer camp or self-protection. The 6-inch hollow-ground and jeweled high carbon D2 steel blade and leather sheath, with vertical and horizontal carry options, feature Friends of NRA logos. VZ Grips are customized to match the Gun of the Year, a Kimber NRA Custom II "Defending Freedom"1911, creating a duo that you won’t want to put down. When you do, the display case’s black foam interior with cutouts for the gun and knife will ensure it is stored securely beneath a lid engraved with the Friends of NRA logo. Available only at Friends of NRA events.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

(Seminar) O Zeller Robertson (909) 609-4515

GUN SHOWS

BAKERSFIELD, CA

JULY 7-8

OROVILLE, CA

Kern County Fairgrounds, Central Coast Gun Shows (805) 481-6726

Oroville Municipal Auditorium, Chico Gun Shows (530) 591-3379

JULY 14-15

VALLEJO, CA

JULY 14-15

DEL MAR, CA

JULY 21-22

PHOENIX, AZ

JULY 28-29

WILLIAMS, AZ

JULY 28-29

RENO, NV

Solano County Fairgrounds, Code of the West Gun Shows (530) 676-8762

Del Mar Fairgrounds, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125* Arizona State Fairgrounds, Crossroads of the West Gun Shows (801) 544-9125 Bob Dean Rodeo Arena, Arizona Collectibles & Firearms (310) 318-8544 Reno-Sparks Convention Center, 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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(888) 331-6767

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

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

INSIDE NRA | REGIONAL REPORT WEST 2019 NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS • APRIL 26-28 • INDIANAPOLIS, IN

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

wyossa.com

GUN SHOWS

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.

West Regional Director—Brad Kruger

bkruger@nrahq.org

Northern AK—Josh Toennessen

jtoennessen@nrahq.org

Southern AK—Greg Stephens

gstephens@nrahq.org

ID—Steve Vreeland

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

*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.

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

JULY 6-8

LARAMIE, WY

MT—Joe Crismore

Alaska Outdoor Council Inc.

JULY 7-8

CENTRALIA, WA

ND, SD—Doug DeLaRoi

Hawaii Rifle Ass’n.

OR, HI—Mike Carey

Idaho State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

JULY 7-8

BLOOMINGTON, MN

WA—Michael Herrera

Minnesota Rifle & Revolver Ass’n. Inc.

svreeland@nrahq.org

MN—Eric Linder

elinder@nrahq.org jcrismore@nrahq.org ddelaroi@nrahq.org mcarey@nrahq.org mherrera@nrahq.org

WY—Logan Duff

lduff@nrahq.org

alaskaoutdoorcouncil.org hawaiirifleassociation.org idahosrpa.org mrra.org

Montana Rifle & Pistol Ass’n.

mtrpa.org

Albany County Fairgrounds, Wyoming Sportsmans Gun Shows (307) 760-1841

SouthWest Washington Fairgrounds, Wes Knodel Gun Shows (503) 363-9564 Bloomington Armory, Crocodile Productions (763) 754-7140

JULY 13-15

BOZEMAN, MT

JULY 14-15

TILLAMOOK, OR

JULY 20-22

KALISPELL, MT

JULY 21-22

BREMERTON, WA

JULY 21-22

PUYALLUP, WA

JULY 21-22

SPOKANE, WA

Gallatin County Fairgrounds, Weapons Collectors Society of Montana (406) 861-6048

Tillamook County Fairgrounds, Collectors West (800) 659-3440

Flathead County Fairgrounds, Up In Arms Gun Shows (208) 420-2295 Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Falcon Productions (360) 770-1575

The 1911 Sidekick Fighter knife from Silver Stag, a skillfully hand-crafted fixed-blade knife, is the perfect tool for deer camp or self-protection. The 6-inch hollow-ground and jeweled high carbon D2 steel blade and leather sheath, with vertical and horizontal carry options, feature Friends of NRA logos. VZ Grips are customized to match the Gun of the Year, a Kimber NRA Custom II "Defending Freedom"1911, creating a duo that you won’t want to put down. When you do, the display case’s black foam interior with cutouts for the gun and knife will ensure it is stored securely beneath a lid engraved with the Friends of NRA logo. Available only at Friends of NRA events.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Western Washington Fairgrounds, Washington Arms Collectors (425) 255-8410

Spokane County Fair & Expo, Wes Knodel Gun Shows (503) 363-9564

JULY 22

PORTLAND, OR

JULY 27-29

MISSOULA, MT

JULY 28-29

HASTINGS, MN

Jackson Armory, Oregon Arms Collectors (503) 254 5986

University of Montana—Adams Theatre, Weapons Collector Society of Montana (406) 861-6048 Hastings Armory, Crocodile Productions (763) 754-7140

AREA SHOOTS

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

Billings, MT Puyallup, WA Coeur d’Alene, ID Lake Elmo, MN Palmer, AK Springfield, OR

HIGH POWER RIFLE

Bothell, WA Sherwood, OR Nampa, ID Butte, MT Rawlins, WY Snohomish, WA Grand Forks, ND Elk River, MN

SILHOUETTE

Sherwood, OR Lander, WY Littlerock, WA Forsyth, MT Blackfoot, ID Timber Lake, SD

JULY 7 JULY 7 JULY 14 JULY 22 JULY 28 JULY 29-30 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 21 JULY 21-22 JULY 21-22 JULY 28 JULY 28-29 JULY 28-29 JULY 7 JULY 7-8 JULY 15 JULY 15 JULY 21 JULY 29

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Police Competition

RA Police Pistol Combat competition is intended to be used as an extension of an officer’s training. See PPC Rulebook (Rule 2.4) for eligibility requirements.

JULY 7—RICHLAND, WA

(Approved)

JULY 21—MARYVILLE, WA

(Approved) Contact LEcompetitions@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1632.

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

(877) 672-3006

LifeLock

(800) 978-1725

NRA Wine Club

(800) 331-5578

NRA Hearing Benefits

(866) 619-5889

North American Moving Services

(800) 699-0590

NRA Endorsed Check Program

(888) 331-6767

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

americanrifleman.org

July 2018

inside nra | programs & services

Important Notice to Members: Exercise Your Rights

Assist in the Nomination of Directors

he NRA Bylaws provide for the election of one-third of the 75-member Board of Directors each year. This means that the terms of office of 25 Board members will expire at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Members in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 27, 2019. Also, any members filling vacancies on the Board that occurred after the last regular election must stand for election in 2019 in the same manner as the 25 whose term normally expires at that time. Additionally, one Director will be elected for a one-year term on the occasion of each Annual Meeting of Members, by a plurality of the votes cast by those individual members present in person and entitled to vote. The slate will be made up of only those candidates who were nominated for election on the mail ballot but were not elected by mail. The NRA Board of Directors is listed in the box below according to the expiration of their terms of office. You may, if you wish, recommend any of the present Directors whose term expires in 2019. DO NOT RECOMMEND any of those whose term expires in 2020 or 2021.

The Nominating Committee will meet in Fairfax, Virginia, on August 25, 2018, to select Director nominees. There are two ways NRA members can place names of eligible members in consideration for Board service. One is to recommend them to the Nominating Committee for consideration, and the other is to circulate a petition obtaining the required signatures for placement on the ballot. The following information about each process has been summarized from the NRA Bylaws. A copy of the Bylaws will be provided to any member who sends his or her request to the NRA Secretary along with a return addressed, stamped envelope ($.89 postage required).

Recommendations to the Nominating Committee

ll NRA members are urged to recommend fully paid Life members for consideration as nominees for election to the NRA Board of Directors. Recommend as many persons as you feel are well qualified. You may supplement your recommendation with any background or biograph-

THE NRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Term Expires in 2019 Joe M. Allbaugh Bob Barr Matt Blunt Pete R. Brownell Dave Butz Richard R. Childress* Larry E. Craig Carol Frampton Sandra S. Froman Marion P. Hammer Susan Howard Tom King Herbert A. Lanford Jr. Willes K. Lee Karl A. Malone Craig Morgan Oliver L. North* Johnny Nugent Ted Nugent James W. Porter II Esther Schneider Bart Skelton Dwight D. Van Horn Blaine Wade Allen B. West Donald E. Young

Term Expires in 2020 William H. Allen Thomas P. Arvas Clel Baudler J. Kenneth Blackwell Dan Boren Ted W. Carter Patricia A. Clark Allan D. Cors Charles L. Cotton Graham Hill Curtis S. Jenkins Sean Maloney Robert E. Mansell Lance Olson Melanie Pepper Peter J. Printz Todd J. Rathner Carl T. Rowan Jr. Ronald L. Schmeits Steven C. Schreiner Tom Selleck Leroy Sisco Linda L. Walker Howard J. Walter Heidi E. Washington

Term Expires in 2021 Scott L. Bach William A. Bachenberg Ronnie G. Barrett Robert K. Brown Dean Cain David G. Coy Edie P. Fleeman Joel Friedman Julie Golob Maria Heil David A. Keene Timothy Knight Carrie Lightfoot Duane Liptak Jr. Carolyn Dodgen Meadows* Bill Miller Owen Buz Mills Il Ling New Robert A. Nosler Kim Rhode Wayne Anthony Ross Don Saba William H. Satterfield John C. Sigler Kristy Titus * Officer

July 2018

american rifleman

ical material that you feel would be helpful to the Nominating Committee in arriving at its decision. If in doubt as to the membership status of any person you wish to recommend as a nominee, submit the recommendation and the membership status will be checked at NRA Headquarters. These recommendations should be received by the Secretary as soon as possible but must be received no later than August 5, 2018 (20 days prior to the Nominating Committee meeting).

2 3

Nominations By Petition

ny member (sponsor) may submit petitions calling for the nomination of qualified members (fully paid Lifetime members only) to the Board. The sponsor may be an affiliated organization. Petition packets may be obtained from the NRA Secretary. Requests should be mailed to the Secretary at the address printed on the following page. Petitions must be received no later than October 9, 2018 (no more than 45 days after the Nominating Committee meeting). No petition for nomination of a Director shall contain the name of more than one proposed nominee, and no more than one signature by any member shall be counted on an official petition for any one candidate. Proposed nominees must indicate their principal city and state of residence. A petition shall not be circulated without the proposed nominee’s written permission, and that permission must be on file with the NRA Secretary by the deadline for receipt of petitions. Only official petition forms provided by the Secretary’s Office, which may be duplicated in full size (8 ½” x 11”), may be used to collect petition signatures. The petition may contain a brief resume approved by the prospective nominee. The name, address and membership number of the sponsor MUST be indicated on each sheet of the petition.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The name of the person circulating the petition sheet, if different from the sponsor, whether the sponsor be an individual or organizational member, should be indicated on each sheet. Petitions MUST bear the membership identification numbers, names, addresses (street, city, state, zip code), signatures and date of signing of no less than six hundred fifty-one (651) members eligible to vote. (Members eligible to vote are Lifetime members and annual members with five or more consecutive years of membership.) ANY SIGNATURES OBTAINED BEFORE THE PROSPECTIVE NOMINEE IS QUALIFIED TO HOLD OFFICE WILL BE RULED INVALID. NOTE: SIGNATURES WITHOUT MEMBERSHIP IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS WILL BE INVALID. IF THE NUMBER IS NOT INDICATED ON THE MEMBER’S IDENTIFICATION CARD, HE/SHE MAY: (a) copy the identification number from their NRA magazine label or (b) obtain it by calling NRA’s toll free number (800) 672-3888. When calling, it is important to give the last name, address and zip code as it is carried on the NRA membership record (including designations such as “Jr.,” “Sr.,” etc.) in order to obtain the proper identification number. Nominees and sponsors may call the toll free number to obtain membership identification numbers for those who do not include them on the signed petition. Staff is only permitted to give identification numbers, and may not indicate voting status. Not more than five petition nominees shall be from any one state during any one year. If more than five are submitted, the five with the greatest number of valid signatures will be nominated. The Secretary will determine the validity of all petitions received and the eligibility of all signatories. If a petition is determined to be invalid, the Secretary must immediately notify the proposed nominee and the sponsor stating the reason for the ruling. The petitioner may appeal the ruling to the Nominating Committee within 14 days. If the appeal is denied, the petitioner may appeal to the Board of Directors, who will act at their next meeting. If the Board rules the petition valid, the proposed nominee will be declared a nominee for the next election.

11 12 13

he NRA Board of Directors consists of 75 NRA members elected by mail ballot by the membership of the Association entitled to vote and one member elected on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Members. The right to hold the office of Director is limited to NRA Lifetime members who have attained the age of 18 years and are citizens of the United States. Directors are elected for a term of three years, with the exception of the Director elected at the Annual Meeting of Members, who serves for a oneyear term. The term of office of one-third of the Board expires each year. The Board of Directors has general charge of the affairs and property of the Association and formulates and establishes the broad policies and programs under which the Association operates. In past years, the Nominating Committee has taken several factors into consideration concerning those recommended for election to the Board. The Committee has felt that nominees should be persons well-known and respected in their communities, with broad experience and background in the affairs of the Association, and with the time necessary to devote to NRA activities. While these factors are not requirements, they may help in the selection of those recommended for nomination to the Board.

2018-2019 NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The members of the Nominating Committee elected by the Board are as follows: J. Kenneth Blackwell, Cincinnati, OH; Allan D. Cors, Naples, FL; Joel Friedman, Henderson, NV; Lucretia C. Hughes, Statham, GA ; Robert E. Mansell, Winslow, AZ; Mitzy McCorvey, Houston, TX; Il Ling New, Meridian, ID; Peter J. Printz, Hamilton, MT; and Robert A. Rotter, Williamsburg, IA.

Election Procedures

The names of those selected by the Nominating Committee and of those nominated by petition, together with short biographical sketches, will be published in the February 2019 Official Journals. A ballot will be mailed to each member eligible to vote. It will

contain the list of names proposed by the Nominating Committee and those nominated by petition and, in addition, provide five blank spaces for write-in candidates. The ballot, properly executed, must be returned by the date indicated on the ballot.

Mail this form to reach NRA by Aug. 5, 2018

Additional copies of this form are available upon request by sending a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to NRA Headquarters. If you do not want to cut this form out of the magazine, send in a letter or postcard with the same information. Mail to: NRA Nominating Committee 11250 Waples Mill Road • Fairfax, VA 22030 I recommend the following individual for consideration as a nominee for election to the NRA Board of Directors in 2018. Nominee Name____________________________________________________________ Membership Identification Number________________________________Age________ Address___________________________________________________________________ City___________________________ State__________________ Zip Code_____________ Recommended by: Your Name________________________________________________________________ Your Complete Address_____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Your Membership Identification Number___________________________________________ To submit online go to: www.nrapublications.org/nomination

INSIDE NRA | PROGRAMS & SERVICES

The following members have been elected Directors of the NRA for three-year terms ending in 2021: Ronnie Barrett 93,400 Carrie Lightfoot 92,689 Wayne Anthony Ross 90,331 Duane Liptak, Jr. 88,992 Julie Golob 86,620 Don Saba 86,078 Robert K. Brown 85,676 Carolyn D. Meadows 84,689 Timothy Knight 82,503 Robert A. Nosler 82,241 Kim Rhode 80,215 William H. Satterfield 79,922 Edie P. Fleeman 78,520 Owen Buz Mills 76,484 Kristy Titus 76,361 Bill Miller 76,180 Maria Heil 75,938 John C. Sigler 75,774 Scott L. Bach 75,769 Dean Cain 74,699 William A. Bachenberg 72,952 Il Ling New 72,669 David G. Coy 72,384 Joel Friedman 71,184 David A. Keene 71,129

Whittington Center Welcomes High Season

ummer in New Mexico brings with it some of the year’s largest shooting events at the NRA Whittington Center. If you want to see some of the top marksmen in action, get ready. July starts off with the King of 2 Miles, an extreme long-range shooting contest. Riflemen are given a set number of rounds to fire at distant targets, and if they score no hits on one target, they’re out of the match. Activities are slated for June 30-July 4. That will be followed by the Fifty Caliber Shooters Ass'n World Championship, July 5-8. The Southwest Amateur Trapshooting Ass'n (ATA) Zone Shoot will be held July 12-15. The ATA (the largest clay target shooting organization in the world) Zone Shoot will bring together some of the top shooters from the southwestern region to Raton, N.M., and three other sites at the same time. Next will come a couple of NRA competitions, including the NRA Cowboy Lever Action National Silhouette Championship July 24-27 and the NRA Black Power Cartridge Rifle National Silhouette Championship July 30-

Aug. 3. After a break in the competitions for a couple of months, the NRA Black Powder Target Rifle National Championship is set for Oct. 1-7. But the Whittington Center is about more than competitions. If you want to improve your long-range marksmanship, Gunwerks will hold its Long Range University on Aug. 23-28. And for a bonding experience, women can check out the NRA Women’s Wilderness Escape (WWE), Oct. 1-5. This yearly event teaches women the safe handling and use of shotguns, rifles and pistols the first three days. The last day will let the shooters get acquainted with 3 Gun shooting, long-range shooting and Henry Rifles. The Whittington Center, a 33,000acre retreat founded in 1973, is one of the nation’s premiere destinations for outdoor recreation. Besides the shooting sports, it offers outdoor adventure camps for children, hiking trails and ample opportunities to see wildlife or go birdwatching. For more information, go online to nrawc.org.

Photo by Connor McKibbin

2018 NRA BOARD ELECTION RESULTS

and for a two-year term ending in 2020: Ronald L. Schmeits 70,935 The remaining candidates on the ballot, who were not elected, are as follows: Paul D. Babaz 67,911 John L. Cushman 67,199 Adam Kraut 67,118 Grover G. Norquist 65,005 Robert J. Wos 64,589 Herbert A. Lanford, Jr. 63,088 Mark Humphreville 59,417 Stephen R. Plaster 56,071 Al Cardenas 45,572 Nominees for the election of the 76th Director were those candidates who had been nominated previously for the mail election of Directors but failed to be elected. The one NRA director elected for the one-year term by those members present and voting at the Annual Meetings was: Herbert A. Lanford, Jr.

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; Dean Cain, California; 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; Edie P. Fleeman, North Carolina; Carol Frampton, South Carolina; Joel Friedman, Nevada; Sandra S. Froman, Arizona; Julie Golob, Missouri; Marion P. Hammer, Florida; Maria Heil, Pennsylvania; Graham Hill, Virginia; 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; Carrie Lightfoot, Arizona; Duane Liptak Jr., Texas; 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; Il Ling New, Idaho; Oliver L. North, Virginia; Robert A. 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; Kristy Titus, Oregon; 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; 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.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

IN MEMORIAM:

R. Lee Ermey

R. Lee Ermey, “the Gunny,” never hesitated to be an ambassador to those in uniform.

attended college in the Philippines, where he was studying drama and stumbled upon a career in acting. His first credited role came in “The Boys in Company C”—a film about military training and the Vietnam War. He followed that up with a spot as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” But his most notable role came in 1987, in “Full Metal Jacket.” Originally, Ermey was to serve as a technical adviser, but his contributions so impressed Kubrick that the director put him in the lead supporting role as GySgt. Hartman. Ermey, who had served as a drill instructor during the Vietnam era, actually wrote and ad-libbed some of the harsh dialogue that so many people—who never have

been through the rigors of boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., or San Diego— now associate with Marine Corps recruit training. His portrayal was such that it earned him his sobriquet, even though he had only been a staff sergeant when he retired. That changed, though, as the Marines recalled Ermey to active duty in 2002, promoted him to gunnery sergeant, only to immediately retire him again. In more recent years, Ermey hosted “Mail Call,” a show for the History Channel that focused on military technology past, present and future, “Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey” for the History Channel and “GunnyTime with R. Lee Ermey” on the Outdoor Channel.

Photos by NRA Staff

he plaintive notes of “Taps” have sounded for the last time for R. Lee Ermey, a member of the Board of Directors and a retired Marine who drew upon his real-life experiences in uniform to give millions of movie-goers a taste of what it takes to be in the Corps. Ermey—fondly known as “the Gunny” because of his role as a drill instructor in Stanley Kubrick’s film “Full Metal Jacket”— passed away in April at the age of 74. “It is with deep sadness that I regret to inform you all that R. Lee Ermey (“the Gunny”) passed away this morning from complications of pneumonia. He will be greatly missed by all of us. It is a terrible loss that nobody was prepared for,” his agent, Bill Rogin, said in the news release. As a member of the Board from 2011-2018, Ermey served on the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Committee, the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Committee and the Adaptive Shooting Sports Committee. He was also one of three noted men in the NRA’s “Trigger the Vote” campaign, an effort in 2012 to engage more Americans in the political process and to persuade them to exercise their right to vote. After Ermey was medically retired from the Marines for injuries he sustained in service in 1971, he

R. Lee Ermey was a spokesman for Glock, but he also would take time to sign autographs and talk to NRA members during Annual Meetings & Exhibits. americanrifleman.org

July 2018

A Marine veteran, R. Lee Ermey's love for the Corps stayed with him forever.

box-fed shotguns

continued from p. 66

Initially concerned that the shotgun’s sizeable magazine would render it ungainly at the shoulder, I found throughout several hundred rounds of function testing such anxieties to be unfounded. Of course, moving the weight of the ammunition from a tube underhanging the barrel to a box centered between the shooter’s hands naturally does shift the gun’s center of balance rearward, but it’s hard to view this as a negative change within the context of a defensive shotgun. Even using a fully loaded 20-round box, four-second Dozier drills were commonplace. While circumstances requiring more than 11 shells of 12 gauge (let alone 16 or 21) to resolve will be few and far between for most of us, reloading from the safe confines of an indoor range was not at all difficult, although I can see how stress could serve to complicate the rocking and locking action needed for a reload. But it’s nothing that a little practice can’t rectify.

During pattern testing, the Mossberg 590M grouped incredibly tightly for a cylinder-bore shotgun. Using Federal Personal Defense 2¾", nine-pellet 00 buck, the average pattern size for 10 shots measured a remarkable 7.3" at 25 yds. So much for the notion of not needing to aim your shotgun. Yet surprisingly, a Galazan bore-measuring tool revealed that my test gun actually had a bore diameter of 0.734"—looser than the 0.729" standard for an unconstricted 12 gauge. Regardless, equipped with a red-dot sight, this shotgun is capable of making uncommonly precise shots. While some will no doubt be hesitant to part with the proven utility of their tube-fed scatterguns, and can hardly be faulted for sticking with the tried and true, broader availability of the box-fed shotgun is a good thing, and it’s long overdue. Armed citizens and professional users alike will benefit

The 870 DM’s magazine (l.) emphasizes ease of use. Designed by Adaptive Tactical, the 590M’s magazine (r.) instead prioritizes capacity.

from ditching the tube. Given the mission-configurable adaptability of the platform, I can see law enforcement agencies, in particular, taking a long, hard look at the potential adoption of a box-fed shotgun design for departmental use. Although they come at the concept from different directions, both Remington’s 870 DM and Mossberg’s 590M provide legitimate advantages not offered by the tubes of their siblings, and are, therefore, welcome additions to the shotgun market.

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July 2018

franchi

吀栀攀圀漀爀氀搀ᤠ猀伀氀搀攀猀琀䄀渀搀䰀愀爀最攀猀琀䘀椀爀攀愀爀洀䄀甀琀栀漀爀椀琀礀

䄀洀攀爀椀挀愀渀刀椀˻攀洀愀渀⸀漀爀最

July 2018

american rifleman

continued from p. 47

The receiver is mated to the Momentum’s stock by two action screws that traverse the gun’s polymer trigger guard/magazine well assembly. The rear screw passes through the stock to engage the action behind the trigger assembly, while the forward screw also passes through a metal V-block—molded into the stock—to securely mate the “bottom metal,” stock and barreled action. Though most of the lower components are polymer, the magazine’s hinged floorplate, follower and spring are all metal. Regarding the magazine, the rifle feeds from a four-round internal box (three for .300 Win. Mag.) that can be opened for maintenance or unloading via a button within the trigger guard. The single-stage trigger is adjustable from 2 lbs. to 4 lbs., and exhibits absolutely no slop or movement—when the proper pressure is applied, it simply breaks, nice and crisp. Our test sample arrived with an average pull weight of 3 lbs., 12 ozs. In terms of safety, the Momentum has a two-position control located on the right side of the action. The forward or “fire” position is denoted by a red circular insert embedded into the stock beneath the lever, and the rear position, “safe,” is marked by a white insert. In the safe position the trigger is blocked, but the bolt can still be cycled freely. The bolt itself is robust, to say the least. It features a monolithic design, meaning the spiral-fluted body and three-lug head are machined from a single piece of metal, and a chrome finish that, along with the fluting, add to the rifle’s attractive appearance. The firing pin is cocked by the opening/unlocking action of the bolt, and the whole arrangement is very fast in operation thanks to the bolt’s short, 60-degree throw and fulldiameter body which rides smoothly within the receiver. Running the bolt is also facilitated by the ample, teardrop-shaped bolt handle knob. The knob is non-removable, and the handle is mated to the bolt via a port machined into the bolt body. The rear of the bolt is shrouded, and a cocked indicator projects rearward, providing

visual and tactile confirmation as to the status of the firing pin. The rifle is a push-feed design, wherein a locking lug strips the uppermost cartridge from the magazine and pushes it into the chamber with the forward motion of the bolt. The bolt head engages the cartridge’s case head with a sliding-plate extractor as the bolt is closed and locked, and a spring-tensioned, plunger ejector aids the expulsion of spent cases. The Momentum does not come with any form of iron sights, but the receiver is drilled and tapped for Remington Model 700-style two-piece mounts and bases. As mentioned before, the Momentum is available packaged with a factory-mounted Burris Fullfield II 3-9X 40 mm riflescope. My test rifle was not a package model, but Burris obliged me and sent the same scope, Zee rings and Burris mounts to outfit the gun for testing. Considering the rifle is very well priced at only a hair over $600, suggested retail, my instinct would be to use the “savings” and opt for a similarly priced optic, improving the overall effectiveness of the rig. Still, Franchi includes a lot of value by pricing the rifle/optic combo only $120 higher than the rifle alone, and the Burris is certainly a very serviceable platform with a good range of magnification. On the range, and in the field, the Momentum’s ergonomic design shines. Whether standing, kneeling, sitting, prone or at a bench, all the areas that my hands naturally grasp to stabilize the gun were textured and contoured to improve purchase. Even the toe of the buttstock (above) has a small, textured relief that is just perfect for the support hand when shooting from a sandbag rest. The gun just feels right. To test the rifle’s accuracy, I chose three loads from different makers—Federal Fusion 165-gr. soft point, Hornady American Whitetail 150-gr. Interlock and Remington

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continued on p. 84 americanrifleman.org

July 2018

franchi

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american rifleman

continued from p. 83

180-gr. Swift Scirocco—and followed the American Rifleman protocol of five, five-shot groups at 100 yds. The results weren’t awe-inspiring, but they were serviceable, and deserve some explanation. The Momentum struggled to produce tight five-shot groups. Mine was a sample size of two—if you count the pre-production model I used, which behaved very similarly—and rifles are often individuals, preferring certain loads and bullet weights over others, but both guns had a tendency to group the first couple shots tightly, but loosen up down the stretch. Too, the barrels get quite warm after just a couple of shots, which can adversely affect overall accuracy—a lighter barrel contour shaves ounces and is handy in the field, but heavy barrels rule the range for extended strings of fire. The Momentum’s barrel is definitely on the lighter side, measuring 1.066" in diameter just forward of the receiver, but tapering down to 0.672" near the muzzle, just behind the threads. Still, despite mediocre performance with five-shot groups, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Momentum as a hunting long arm. Why? Because first-shot, cold-bore accuracy was excellent. Aided no doubt by the gun’s ergonomic design and excellent trigger, the first shot of every group I fired found the center of its mark. In fact, second and third shots tended to group nicely as well, but, when it comes to hunting, the first shot is the most important. Add to that its relatively light weight—6 lbs., 10 ozs. sans scope—and fast-cycling bolt, it’s no surprise that I found the Momentum to be handy and wellsuited for use afield. Hearing the bull bugle, our small party decided to change course in hopes of intercepting the elk. Sitting atop my horse, I was just able to spot antlers through the dense timber, and it was clear that, if the opportunity arose, this bull was a shooter. A pair of cow elk preceded the bull, betraying his path and allowing me to find good concealment among a stand of willows. continued on p. 86

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continued from p. 84

After what I am certain was only a few short minutes, though it felt like an eternity, the bull revealed himself at a distance of about 250 yds., sauntering in our general direction, following the path of the cows, and browsing occasionally as he came on. The tall vegetation still concealed his vitals and prohibited me from assuming a lower, more stable position. My confidence was bolstered by the rifle, which held lightly, comfortably in the hand and, chambered for .30-’06 Sprg., packed plenty of punch. Still, it was to be a standing, unsupported shot for a smaller, secondary target—the junction of the neck and spine—so I opted to wait on the bull to close the distance. As it so often does, patience paid off. The bull continued on his track—200, 150, 100 yds. I was ready, and at approximately 80 yds. I raised my rifle, pressed the trigger and broke the shot. The Momentum sang, and I instinctively cycled the bolt as I rode the recoil, coming back on target in time to see the bull’s head arch back and its legs go limp—the big bull crumpled where he stood. John rode up, binoculars in hand and my horse in tow. Reaching down, he clapped me on the back and congratulated me on a good shot and clean harvest—“pole-axed” was his phrase, and it was an apt description of the new Franchi’s first-ever use on North American game. I remember, as we approached the downed elk, commenting again and again on how well the rifle handled. A second shot wasn’t needed, but the fast, smooth cycle of the bolt, and the

Photo by author

franchi

well-controlled .30-’06 recoil had me back on target before the bull dropped—uncanny, in my experience, when the quarry is less than 100 yds. distant. Of course, elk hunting in the wilderness—especially a wilderness boasting one of the world’s highest densities of brown bears—means that a successful shot merely signals the start of the real work. Still, as we processed the meat, loaded the horses and packed the trophy out of the mountains—all the while vigilantly scanning for large, unwanted guests—it was not lost on me that the truly impressive first performance, given in one of North America’s most awe-inspiring settings, was delivered by an affordable bolt-action rifle made by, of all Photo by author things, an Italian shotgun company. Bravo.

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July 2018

I HAVE THIS OLD GUN …

Smith & Wesson Model 1

GUN: SMITH & WESSON MODEL 1 CHAMBERING: .22 SHORT RIMFIRE MANUFACTURED: C. 1863 CONDITION: NRA EXCELLENT (ANTIQUE GUN STANDARDS) VALUE: $1,500

aniel Smith and Horace Wesson were not men who gave up easily. In 1854 the partners came out with a unique, lever-action, repeating, tubular-magazine-fed pistol. Well-made and mechanically innovative, it suffered a major problem in that the variant of the earlier “Rocket Ball” selfcontained cartridge that it chambered was unreliable, delicate and underpowered. As interesting as the gun was, it was a flawed product. The men’s interest in the arm ceased around 1856 when the company was reorganized as the Volcanic Repeating Arms Co. and taken over by Oliver Winchester. Undaunted, the pair began work on a new project. As Samuel Colt’s revolver patent was due to expire, Smith & Wesson felt a new type of metallic cartridge revolver was the way to go. Under an agreement with former Colt employee Rollin White, who held a patent on a bored-through cylinder, in 1857 the pair introduced a diminutive seven-shooter chambered in a thenproprietary .22 Short Rimfire blackpowder cartridge. Measuring just 7" overall with a barrel length of 33⁄16", it was cleverly put together—the cylinder being rotated by a pawl at the rear of the cylinder and locked by a springloaded lever (which also served as a rear sight) inset on the top of the frame. To load the piece, one pushed up on a latch at the base of the rear, lower portion of the barrel assembly that locked into a notch on the bottom, front of the frame. This allowed the barrel to be rotated upward—hence the gun’s nickname, “Tip-Up”—which permitted the cylinder to be removed and seven cartridges to be loaded into its chambers. The cylinder could then be replaced, making the revolver ready to fire in single-action operation by way of the spur trigger.

Though small in the hand and decidedly underpowered, the Model 1, as it was called, took the public by storm—its ease of loading and firing trumping the gun’s lack of firepower. Demand was such that initially Smith & Wesson had difficulty keeping up with orders. The first version of the Model 1, featuring a rounded frame, of which some 11,671 were built between 1857 and 1860, was re-designed in 1860 into a flat-framed “Second Issue” that was made until 1868, at which date the gun was again altered. This final “Third Issue” was produced until 1881. The Second Issue Model 1 shown here is typical of its breed, having a blued barrel and silver-plated brass frame (full nickel or silver plating was also available). Stocks are plain rosewood panels. It is in excellent condition, retaining most of its finish, and, under normal circumstances, would be valued in the $750 to $900 range. But this example has the added appeal of being exquisitely engraved on the left side of the frame, “Lieut Thos. L. Swann/USN/1st Jan. 1864.” Research disclosed that Marylander Lt. Thomas L. Swann was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, class of 1856, who retired in 1874 with the rank of commander. During the Civil War, as well as being involved in numerous other clashes, Swann was the ordnance officer on the steam sloop U.S.S. Brooklyn at the pivotal battle of Mobile Bay on Aug. 5, 1864. After the engagement, he was officially commended by his captain as having, “everything ready and the working of his department was admirable; he was principally occupied during the action with the bowchasers.” This added bit of naval provenance easily bumps the value of the piece up to $1,500. —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.

JULY 2018

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN

Photos by Jill Marlow

American Rifleman 2018-07

Articles inside

A Colt’s Python Primer

Making History In Dallas! NRA-ILA’s 2018 Leadership Forum

“The Best Ri es In The War”: The Model 1903 In World War I

A Show Of Strength: 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits