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Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 3 weeks 13 hours ago

ATF eForm Update: Submission to Approval in 2.5 Months

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 12:00

I tried to fill out an eForm 4 yesterday to transfer my silencer into my trust. I originally registered the can as an individual, but with proposed rule changes coming down the pike I don’t want to take any chances. But when I got to the first page of the form, I couldn’t fill out a single thing. It didn’t work. Since I’m not an FFL, it wouldn’t let me transfer something I already own into my own trust. While I found the website useless, one of my favorite merchants of awesomeness has been using the new eForm system since it first rolled out. According to him, he’s now getting approved Form 4s back in exactly 2.5 months . . .

Some caveats here. Each section of the country is assigned an examiner, so the time to approval will vary depending on where you live (this guy is in Florida). And as more people flood the eForm system, the wait

FNS-40 Contest Entry: “Military Grade Weapons”

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 10:00

By de facto

Good afternoon fellow citizen, allow me to introduce myself. I’m your local representative for the Committee of Public Safety, or CPS, and I am committed to creating a safe environment for all members of our community. In light of that, I’m here to talk about your guns. I’ve received reports from concerned citizens indicating that you have an extensive gun collection. As much as I respect the Second Amendment, I need you to turn in your “sporting rifles” . . .

Our government can only allow private ownership of guns used for legitimate sporting purposes – not weapons of mass murder. It’s too dangerous for these weapons to be out there. You can appreciate that, can’t you? Besides, if you work with us and voluntarily turn in your military grade weapons

Just Arrived From My FFL: Del-Ton Evolution

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 09:00

We used to get a lot of ARs to review around here. At one point in 2012 I had three of them in my gun safe (only one of them my own) and then Sandy Hook happened and the flow of T&E guns went dry for a while. Well, let the floodgates open again: I just picked up Del Ton’s Evolution carbine from my FFL guy . . .

I should have said “it doesn’t feel like a heavy two-stage trigger.” It’s definitely a two-stager, but it feels like a good one. The rest of the Evolution has all the good gubbins you want on an AR: a chrome-lined 16″ barrel, midlength gas system, Samson

Quote of the Day: Utopian Long Game Version

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 08:00

 

“(I)t’s good, at least, to hear someone arguing the details and filling out the fact-picture, good to be reminded that the cultures and rituals of the gun, however irrational in nature, are still felt to be essential by the people who engage in them. Curing the irrationalities of human culture later depends on understanding them now.” – Adam Gopnik, How A Gun Dealer Sees It [at newyorker.com]

Weekend Digest: Stupidity Burns Edition

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 21:00


NBC news in Dania Beach, Florida spreads FUD about ammunition in a house fire. (“[It] could have fired off wildly!”) The deceased resident was a collector and had more than 100 guns, some dating back to World War I (More FUD: “…and even a grenade launcher!”). But oh, those guns. Those poor guns. Someone forgot to tell the poor reporter (“Each individual bullet could have gone off?”) about the instructional video that SAAMI did (and apparently the fire chief, as well). Also this: “Propane tanks were also found around the home, but firefighters say those weren’t as big of a threat as the bullets, that were seconds away from shooting off.” The stupid, it burns, and is likely more dangerous than that ammo. . .

Today’s

Philadelphia Considers Law Banning 3D Printed Guns

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 20:00

There are a ton of media outlets reporting that Philadelphia has passed a ban on the manufacture of firearms using a 3D printer within city limits, but according to

Does The World Need Another 4-Barrel Rimfire Derringer? You Make The Call.

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 18:00

Edge Arms has hit the Interwebs hard in the last few days, trying to build some blogosphere buzz around their forthcoming four-banger ‘Reliant’ derringer. I try not to badmouth new gun ideas until I can actually try them–or at least watch some YouTube videos of their catastrophic failures–but there’s really not much ‘new’ about this gun at all.

Nonetheless, I shall reserve judgment while we retrace the phylogeny of the four-barreled rimfire derringer.

Riverboat Gamblers Loved Them

Saturday Safety Tip: Avoid Yemeni Weddings

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 17:00

Or any weddings, really, where the festivities traditionally include celebratory gunfire. As nydailynews.com reports, “A man dancing to “Gangnam Style” at a wedding party in Yemen reportedly killed three people when he tried to fire his AK-47 in celebration and accidentally sprayed the group with bullets.” Maybe it’s unfair to pin the blame on the nuptials when random gunfire, mayhem and death in Yemen is otherwise known a Thursday night. The fact that this tragedy occurred to the dulcet tones of Psy only added insult to the injuries. And deaths.

FNS-40 Contest Entry: Why I Carry A Gun

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 16:00

By Nicholas Alexander

All of us know the common phrase to ask when trying to process new information, who, what, when, where, why and how. I have always subconsciously applied this to firearms, but only recently began to understand why it is so important to do. First let me start with my background, I grew up in a farming community and was introduced to firearms at a very young age. I did not buy my first handgun until I was 21 and at that time I was only considering concealed carry. Today I am 26 years old, a firearms instructor and a strong advocate of carrying a firearm all the time . . .

I am going to break this article up into three sections, Open carry, Conceal carry, and deep concealment. In each part I will subtly address the what when where why and how of that carry position.

PART 1 Open Carry: I grew up hunting hiking and fishing in the woods with my father, I remember before many trips he would pull out his old .44

New From Strike Industries: The Cobra Fang Trigger Guard

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 14:00

Strike Industries, makers of gun goo gaws, is out with a new add-on for your AR shootin’ pleasure. Their Cobra Fang thang is a polymer doohicky with an extra little nub designed to make mag changes easier. Does the new doohickey actually smooth your changes or will it bite you in the butt when the chips are down? Only time and a little T&E will tell. Nick has one in his hot little hand, so as soon has he’s given it a workout, you’ll know. Details below . . .

If you’ve ever wanted faster and reliable magazine reloads, practice makes perfect. You aren’t gonna be a superstar overnight. But a lit

FNS-40 Contest Entry: Beretta 9mm PX4 Storm Type F Review

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 12:00

by Bryce Adam Prescott

The Beretta PX4 Storm is probably the most neglected polymer pistol when it comes to reviews. This is in stark contrast to reviews on Glock pistols which seem to be pouring out endlessly into the Internet and various magazines. This a review on the full size Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm Type F (safety/decocker).

At first look, the PX4 Storm seems to be a combination of a Glock 17 and a Beretta 92FS. In truth, the Beretta PX4 Storm is really more or less a polymer version of the Beretta 8000 (the closest current incarnation is the Stoeger Cougar). The look of the pistol is really striking. It is one of those designs that people either love or hate. For my eyes the Beretta PX4 Storm is the most beautiful polymer pistol ever produced. The finish on the slide is very nice and seems to be resistant to wear.

Ergonomics are almost as subjective as aesthetics. Gripping the pistol feels great even with my smallish hands. The grip comes far back enough to prevent hammer bite (although I wouldn’t exactly ca

Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up Shooting TrackingPoint Rifles

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 11:00

Fate recently decided that I would get the chance to shoot the very thing that would seem to make all shooters obsolete. I was at The Best of the West Range during off-hours laying some of the groundwork for the 2014 Texas International Firearms Festival when a crew from TrackingPoint rolled up in their blacked-out SUV. RF made contact and the next thing you know I was behind the trigger of the TrackingPoint’s Precision Guided Firearm, the .300 Win Mag XS-2. [Click here to read Nick Leghorn's review.] Well it works as well as they say it works . . .

You adjust for wind, locate the target and “tag” it. Once the target’s tagged the crosshairs dip down automatically. As you hold down the trigger you bring the crosshairs back up to the tagged point. Once the crosshairs and the tag point intersect the gun

Hunting the Hill Country’s First Frost

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 10:00


November has been kind of weird weather-wise in the Texas Hill Country. Last weekend was the San Antonio Rock n Roll marathon which is normally a pretty chilly race that marathoners use to set a decent mark. Unfortunately last weekend saw highs in the mid to upper 80′s. But you know what they say about Texas weather, “Wait a few hours/days and it will change.” And change it has! A cold front blew in Friday morning and the temperature plummeted into the low to mid thirties with freezing rain and sleet. Unfortunately, this was the weekend that I had blocked off to take one of my coworkers hunting . . .

Dave and his family grow or raise the majority of their food including all manner of fowl, rabbits, pigs, and lambs. But Dave’s wife really likes whitetail. So Dave comes out once a year to ge

Quote of the Day: Heroes and Villains Edition

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 08:00

“The original mandate of the NRA was to train responsible gun ownership and the NRA should handle it. They should train excellence in gun ownership. They should create the short list of guns that are allowed at home. And every other gun that they say is legal like people-killers and nuclear-tipped semi-automatics should be held in armories owned and controlled by the NRA. Not the government.” – Richard Dreyfuss, Actor Richard Dreyfuss: “The NRA is Not the Enemy, They Should Be Thought of as Heroes [at conservativeinfidel.com]

(h/t DrVino)

Daily Digest: Stop The Insanity Edition

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 21:00

Southwest Middle School in Lakeland, Florida was placed on lockdown for two hours Thursday morning after a student reported seeing a man waving a gun and another reported seeing him jump the fence surrounding the campus. School resource officers notified other officers, and eventually approximately 25 police officers, K-9 units, detectives, tactical officers and sheriff’s deputies were on the scene. After a search found a BB gun in a residential backyard behind the school, police spoke to a man inside the house who admitted being in his backyard with the gun. . .

and shooting at squirrels, but said he nev

Armed Good Samaritan Should Have Walked Away. Or So Says The Ventilated Perp’s Family.

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 20:00

“You should have just left the store and went wherever you had to go in your car or whatever.” These words of Solomonic wisdom were uttered by the family of 18 year-old Adric White (above) after White was shot multiple times by an armed Good Samaritan in Mobile, Alabama last week. White remains hospitalized in serious condition–and armed police custody. Upon his release from the hospital, he will proceed directly to jail without passing Go or collecting one hundred dollars. We can probably assume that White’s enabling relatives are angry about that, too . . .

Their comments come in the aftermath of the most obviously justifiable ‘defense of others’ shooting I’ve ever heard about. According to police, White was robbing a Family Dollar store in Mobile, Alabama at gunpoint when an unnamed and lawfully armed Good Samaritan entered the store.

White failed to maintain situational awareness while he was holdin

Obligatory JFK Assassination Remembrance Post

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 19:00

JFK was not the first U.S. President to shuffle off this mortal coil via an assassin’s bullet. Nor was Kennedy the most beloved President in American history. But the former Senator’s dramatic exit from the public stage was covered on live TV. It was a relatively new medium that created a new kind of instant mass bonding experience. While people who were alive at the time feel a need to ask and answer the highly personal question “where were you when Kennedy was shot?”, it was the collective experience of JFK’s assassination that elevated the event into cultural mythology. Well that and a legion of liberals—now known as progressives—who knew a good thing when they saw one. Did I just say that? I did. And I also want to say something about Kennedy and guns . . .

John. F. Kennedy was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). As JFK wrote in a 

Weekend Photo Caption Contest

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 18:00

[h/t Tom Perritt]

UPDATE: Moms Demand Action Lied About Arlington Staples Incident

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 17:20

Confusion and lies — it’s how gun control advocates advance their position. Because as we all know, there are no actual facts behind their stance; only emotion. So it should probably come as no surprise that the Moms Demand Action crowd duped just about everyone when they posted their triumphant “victory” about getting a Staples store in Virginia to turn their business into a gun free zone. We picked up on this story from Miguel, who has done a little more research into the situation and found out that not only did the MDA crowd never succeed in getting the manager to agree to make the change, but the manager in question never had the power to do so in the first place.

From

TTAG Exclusive: New Calibur Gun Prints: B.A.R., Colt Python, Mossberg 500, Winchester 1894

Fri, 11/22/2013 - 17:00

Robert,

This is Justin Janes from Calibur Prints. We spoke on the phone few months back about my Kickstarter project, “Calibur Prints.” I’m reaching out to you because I’m launching my second Kickstarter project tomorrow (Friday) morning, entitled “Calibur Prints: Reloaded.” I wanted you to be the first to know about the project and for you to have the first opportunity to post a feature about the project on your website. Your readers can click here for a preview link to view the project. I’ve also attached images of the prints [more after the jump] to this email. Additional images can be found through the link located at the bottom of the Kickstarter project page. Please let me know if I can answer any questions that you might have. I look forward to

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