NRA election
You should have gotten your February NRA magazine with your Board of Directors election ballot by now. Please make sure to vote. You do not have to vote for 25 names and in fact, the fewer you vote for, the better the chance for the folks for whom you do vote. More on this later.
Judiciary
The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday gave initial approval to ten of President Trump’s nominees for federal appeals court seats, including Judge Andrew Brasher, 38, for confirmation on the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Eleventh Circuit is one of the nation’s powerful appeals courts covering Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Brasher’s nomination drew a politically split vote and howls of protest from the left, who said he’s “too extreme.” Judge Brasher currently sits on the US Circuit Court for the Middle District of Alabama and previously served as Alabama’s solicitor general for three years where he filed amicus briefs challenging restrictive gun laws that were passed in New York and Connecticut, arguing that it should be easier to overturn restrictions on gun possession in court, and soliciting other states to sign on. Brasher also argued that “studies show that the federal ‘assault weapons ban’ had no measurable effect on gun violence.”
Trump Administration Eases Small Arms Export Rules, Kills Gunsmith Registration Tax
Charlie Daniels on Hillary & Benghazi
Charlie will be at the NRA annual meeting this year.
Chicago Tribune Still Opposes Prohibition
Anyone with half a brain cell can see their argument applies to guns as well. Of course the Trib doesn’t have half a brain cell collectively.
Comic – How News is Consumed
Violent Felon Hired by Jackson (MS) Police Dept.
The Only Ones
In 2019, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 47 police officers were shot, 7 killed in a vehicular assault, and three died from assault. Another 77 cops died as a result of car crashes, heart attacks, and illnesses. Absent from the database of fallen officers, however, are the 228 cops who ended their own watch. This number is a giant leap from the year before and the fourth consecutive year that it’s risen. Cops are killing themselves 4 times as often as being homicide victims in the line of duty. A report commissioned by the Ruderman Family Foundation showed that officers’ highest risk of death is by suicide.
Enemies
The Everytown gun ban group raised a record 67 million dollars in 2018, according to their Form 990. According to the Schedule B, 39 million of that was raised from one donor (guess who?). Another 4 million was received in million-dollar donations. That totals 43 million raised from rich fascists with armed guards.
The Non-permissive Environment
Home Defense Overpenetration: Shotgun, Handgun, Rifle
Church Security
- Watching Two Men Shot – White Settlement Church Shooting (language warning) [Force Necessary]
- Pastor, We Have to Talk About Our Family [Slow Facts]
Build your own suppressor
Just pay for the parts and the tax stamp. This is NOT legal advice.
Make your own ballistic gelatin
Powder Recall
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada Valleyfield, Inc. has determined a potential defect relating to certain lots of Accurate 2495, 4064 and 4350 propellants manufactured for Western Powders, Inc. prior to October 1, 2016 and packaged under the Accurate brand name in 1 lb. and 8 lb. canisters. The potentially defective rifle powders may cause a fire while in storage.
Products
60,000 attendees and 2600 exhibitor companies reported at SHOT show, both records. Keep in mind that only industry folks can get in.
We’ve already seen reports of a few operational problems with the new Colt King Cobra and Python revolvers. Might want to wait a bit for them to get ironed out before pulling the trigger.
On Target Magazine‘s 2019 Editor’s Choice Award – FN 509 Tactical. This is also my favorite non-1911 autopistol. Have a look.
John Farnam sends an ammo report:
9mm traditional cup-and-core 115 gr. is still a top-seller, but the all-copper HP (DPX, SCHP) has now pulled-up nearly even, despite its premium price, and if the prices were close to the same, cup-and-core bullets would disappear altogether.
.38 Super and .32 ACP are suddenly in demand.
10mm experienced a brief surge in popularity, but has now fallen back off.
.357 Sig. is now more in demand than 40 S&W.
Non-expanding Fluid Transfer Monolithic (FTM) bullets (the ones that look like Phillips screwdriver tips) are loaded by a few companies. There have now been several dozen actual shootings with them, and performance has been pretty much what gelatin testing predicted. Terminal performance is at least equal to the best high-performance HP.
Springfield Armory’s new SAINT Edge EVAC Pistol in 5.56mm features a patent-pending ratchet barrel takedown system and Gear Head Works Tailhook MOD 1 sidefolding brace with Law Tactical Gen 3-M folder adapter allows it to fit in an extremely small packable zippered bag.
The new SAINT Edge PDW Pistol is a 5.5″-barreled 5.56mm that measures a mere 18.75″ overall with its Maxim Defense SCW brace collapsed.
The new SAINT Victor .308 Pistol packs has a 10.3″ barrel and measures just over 28″ with the included SB Tactical SBA3 five-position brace fully collapsed.
MIRZON’s Ergonomic Grip Frames for SIG’s P320 & P250.
Volquartsen has announced they will be chambering a version of the Summit straight-pull rifle for .17 WSM with the option to order either a stainless steel fluted barrel or a lightweight THM tension wrapped carbon fiber barrel.
True Velocity’s reduced-weight composite-cased ammunition will support Dillon Aero’s M134D minigun, which is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. The M134D is capable of a rate of fire in excess of 3,000 rounds per minute. True Velocity will also partner with Dillon Aero on their M503D 50-caliber machine gun, which will have three barrels and shoot 1,500 RPM. It will be lighter, faster and smarter than existing 50-caliber machine guns.
True Velocity has also partnered with Sierra to produce polymer-cased competition ammo in .308 Winchester with Sierra’s 168- and 175-grain MatchKing and Tipped MatchKing bullets, and in 6.5mm Creedmoor with a 142-grain MatchKing bullet. Additional offerings will follow.
Sig Sauer has a new belt-fed, light-medium (under 20 lbs.) .338 Norma Magnum machinegun (MG 338) with ballistics from its Fury hybrid ammo reportedly approaching the .50 BMG. The gun is being evaluated by United States Special Operation Command (USSOCOM), potentially to replace both the 7.62mm M240 and .50 caliber M2. Sig also has a 6.8mm version.
Speaking of .50s, the USMC is moving toward polymer-cased ammo, cans and links. They just awarded a $10 million sole source ammo contract to a Mississippi firm.
New Metal FOMI Style Clip from Discreet Carry Concepts
SuperVel Ammunition has its own brand of speed strips for reloading revolvers. They call ’em Super Strips. Pack of two (one each of 5- and 6-round) yellow polymer strips, .38/.357 only. $10
We previously reported on the coming 27 Nosler cartridge. It’s now reality. 150 gr. @ 3300 fps.
Benelli has a new bolt action rifle, the Lupo (wolf). $1700.
Benelli also has its new Benelli Surface Treatment (BE.S.T.), which uses diamond-like carbon particles applied with a high-vacuum plasma nanotechnology to prevent rust, corrosion and abrasions. 25 year warranty.
Check out the impressive EAGTAC flashlights. I’ve seen mixed reviews.
Shield Arms has 15-round flush-fitting magazines for Glock 43X & 48 pistols. $40.
The new Mossberg International SA-410 gas operated autoloading .410 bore shotguns include the SA-410 Turkey, fully camouflaged in Mossy Oak Original Bottomland, and the SA-410 Field version with a black synthetic stock and fore-end. 3″ chamber, 4+1 capacity, choke tubes. 6.5 lbs., which is extremely heavy for a .410. $616-735.
Henry Repeating Arms’ new X Model series consists of the Big Boy lever action rifle platform, chambered in .44 Mag./.44 Spl., .357 Mag./.38 Spl., and .45 Colt, plus .410 bore shotgun and .45-70 Govt. rifle versions. All five models have synthetic furniture with a solid rubber shotgun style recoil pad on the pistol-gripped buttstock, Picatinny and M-Lok accessory slots on the forestock, and integrated sling swivel studs. The matte blued steel receivers have a side loading gate AND a 7-round (4 in .45-70 and 5 in .410) removable tube magazine for convenient unloading. The rifles are all threaded 5/8-24 at the muzzle of the 17.4″ barrel (19.8″ in .45-70) and have a thread protector, while the shotgun’s 19.8″ barrel is threaded internally for invector style choke tubes. Rifles have contrasting fiber optic sights front and rear, while the shotgun version has only a front sight, and they are all drilled and tapped for optics mounts. These check all the boxes for me. Add an aperture sight and/or optic and an ammo buttcuff to a pistol-caliber model, and you have a heck of an all-around truck/ranch/pest/defense gun. $970.
Yankee Hill Machine’s Turbo Integral Suppressor System pairs a pinned and welded suppressor to a 10.5-inch 5.56 NATO barrel, resulting in a one-stamp upper with a full-auto rated, Inconel suppressor housed inside an M-Lok handguard. It only requires a single tax stamp for the suppressor, as the overall length of the barrel and suppressor exceeds 16 inches. $1,415, plus your lower receiver.
The PUNA micro-tool
