American Sniper opened today in theaters nationwide, recounting the story of the most lethal sniper in American military history – Chris Kyle. The Navy SEAL had 160 confirmed kills out of 255 probable kills over the course of four tours in Iraq. As the above extended clip shows, the new movie – an adaptation of Kyle's Autobiography of the same title – appears fairly intense and true to the tribulations the Chief Petty Officer endured while protecting his brothers in arms.
Here are some suggested Long-Range Shooting References
HPR has tipped its new 300 Blackout ammo with Barnes TTSX bullets.
HPR (High Precision Range) Ammunition is blacking out, with a bit of help from Barnes. The Arizona ammunition maker is adding a .300 Blackout offering to its catalog and is topping off the cartridge with a 110-grain Barnes' TTSX bullet.
The TTSX, released in 2003, was designed as a hunting bullet. The streamlined projectile has a polymer tip that helps reduce drag and increase the ballistic coefficient. It also aids in the solid-copper bullet's expansion.
The TTSX has won praises for its terminal ballistic performance. The bullet retain nearly 100-percent of its weight and it double in diameter, both leading to wound channels.
HPR puts the muzzle velocity of its new 300 Blackout ammunition at 2,311 fps and its muzzle energy at 1,304 ft./lbs. The ammunition is presently available in boxes of 20, which have an MSRP of $33.99.
With around a week until the 2015 SHOT Show, Magpul has let the cat out of the bag for its big product announcement.
The Wyoming firearm accessories manufacturer dropped a video earlier this week showcasing it’s new Pmag D60 – a 60-round drum magazine. Check out the above video to see the polymer beast go through its paces on a number of different firearms.
Historically, drum magazines are temperamental, but Magpul has added a few twists to the D60 that look to defuse some common problems. The company has included a quick-release backplate on the drum for on-the-fly maintenance. And it has a loading lever to aid juicing the magazine in a more timely fashion.
The D60 has a couple other unique features, such as a full magazine indication window, compatibility with a wide spectrum of firearms and last-round bolt hold open. While the MSRP was not listed on the Magpul website, it has been reported the list price will be $129.95 and it will ship this summer.
For some shooters, Sierra is the king of the hill.
Really, the regard for Missouri manufacturer's MatchKing bullets has reached mythical proportions in certain corners of the shooting world. But there is good reason why the hollow-point projectiles have earned such respect in the world of precision shooting – they get the job done.
Sierra, however, is aiming to tighten up groups a bit more with the addition of six bullets to the line. And while they have taken a marked break from the classic MatchKing design, the tweaks could make the already accurate bullet even more so.
The company’s new Tipped MatchKing Bullets are designed to give shooters a ballistic boost. They do so through the addition of an acetal resin tip, which lowers drag by improving the ballistic coefficient. Most of Sierra’s new line is presently available and come in 100 to 500 count boxes.
.22 Caliber 69 gr.
Diameter (inches): .224 Sectional Density: .196 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .375 @ 2700 fps and above .365 between 2700 & 1950 fps .335 between 1950 & 1700 fps .305 @ 1700 fps and below
.22 Caliber 77 gr.
Diameter (inches): .224 Sectional Density: .219 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .420 @ 2400 fps and above .415 between 2400 & 2000 fps .395 between 2000 & 1750 fps .380 @ 1750 fps and below
.30 Caliber 125 gr.
Diameter (inches): .308 Sectional Density: .188 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .343 @ 2580 fps and above .338 between 2580 fps and 2180 fps .332 @ 2180 fps and below
.30 Caliber 155 gr.
Diameter (inches): .308 Sectional Density: .233 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .519 @ 1900 fps and above .490 between 1900 fps and 1600 fps .420 @ 1600 fps and below
.30 Caliber 168 gr.
Diameter (inches): .308 Sectional Density: .253 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .535 @ 2050 fps and above .521 between 2050 fps and 1650 fps .480 @ 1650 fps and below
.30 Caliber 175 gr.
Diameter (inches): .308 Sectional Density: .264 Ballistic Coefficients and Velocity Ranges: .545 @ 2400 fps and above .530 between 2400 and 1800 fps .495 @ 1800 and below
Wow! Sig Sauer pulled out all the stops on this prize package.
Jeff Gabel and Johnathon Akers each added a Sig Sauer P320 pistol to their gun collections. Soon, one of them will stuff the gun safe with a heck of a lot more Sig hardware.
The finalist of Sig Sauer’s P320 Take-A-SHOT contest face off at the 2015 SHOT Show in a bid to take home a $10,000 prize package. And, boy, if you like the New Hampshire manufacturer’s guns, it’s a heck of roster of goods to nab.
The grand prize includes a SIG MCX, SIG MPX, M11-A1, MK25, extra barrels for both pistols, extra magazines and SIG SAUER Elite Ammunition all in a custom Pelican case.
But to pocket all those goodies Gabel or Akers will have to have a steady hand. The grand prize winner will be determined at the Sig Sauer VIP Range Day, through a series of shooting challenges.
Gabel, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was the winner of the video contest, with his entry “A Gun For Every Hand”. Akers of Katy, Texas was selected in the P320 Sweepstakes. Check out Sig Sauer’s Facebook page or You Tube page for video of the final competition.
Typically shotgun patterning brings one thing to mind – hunting prep.
The practice is integral in delivering pellets on a bragging-rights long beard or limiting out on white wings. But understanding how different shot sizes in different loads perform out of a particular shotgun has broader applications.
The shotgun is a popular home-defense tool; knowing how it patterns is key to getting the most out of the firearm. Luckily, Clint Smith neatly covers this crucial concept in the above video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The president and director of Oregon’s Thunder Ranch training center, however, doesn’t stop at discussing patterning. He also touches upon the role distance plays for the defensive shotgun.
Far from being a point-and-shoot weapon, Smith demonstrates exactly how precise the shotgun can be at close range. Have your doubts? Watch the whole thing and take note of the exactitude required to successfully execute Smith’s drill at the end.
FNH has earned a solid reputation for building reliable and striking firearms. From rifles to shotguns to pistols, the transnational company has all the bases covered. And it has a slew of new AR-style rifles hitting the market this year. So, without further ado, here are the five new black rifles from the Belgian-American gun maker.
Taurus has done it again. This innovative Brazilian company revolutionized personal defense handguns when it introduced the big-bore Judge in 2010. This year they’ve provided us with a whole new “curve” on deep concealment .380s.
Carrying a concealed handgun discreetly can sometimes be a problem. Even compact handguns can be hard to conceal when wearing light clothing in warm climates. This is especially true for people who are of small stature.
The size, weight and the overall squareness of most compact revolvers and semi-autos often makes them bulge at the waistband or print through a shirt, even when the best IWB holster is used. Some folks even have trouble concealing sub-compacts, so they resort to vests, fanny packs or special carry bags that too often are dead giveaways.
Taurus’ solution was simple in concept. Build a gun that doesn’t require a holster and give it a body-hugging lightweight polymer frame that is concave on the left side.
This allows the pistol to curve around a right-handed shooter’s hips when carried in the waistband on the right side or in a cross-draw position on the left. Curving the frame greatly reduces printing when you stand still, and when you move, the gun moves with you and doesn’t protrude.
Even if you don’t carry on your hip, the curved frame still offers advantages. Its unique shape makes the gun fit naturally in the right front pocket of most trousers. If noticeable at all, it looks like a wallet. It also carries nicely in some ankle rigs, and, for ladies who wear dresses, on the inside of the left leg in a thigh holster. The curved frame does limit the use of this gun for lefties.
Additional Features
Taurus Curve as viewed from the front.
In addition to its unique frame, the Curve has other features that improve its concealability and tactical utility. The edges of both the frame and slide are fully rounded, and there are no sharp or protruding edges on the pistol to cause the gun to print or dig into the flesh.
Rounding includes eliminating the slide-stop lever and replacing the magazine release button with a pressure release at the base of the pistol’s six-round magazine.
This helps avoid abrasion of skin and clothing. In fact, the only part that can catch on clothing is the frame-mounted belt clip, which after all, is intended to grip the waistband. For those who wish to carry only in a pocket or a leg-mounted holster, the clip can be removed by removing two screws.
Tactical innovations include the absence of sights on the slide that might catch on clothing. When carrying in a holster, the holster’s sight track helps prevent the sights from snagging when the gun is drawn. Instead of a gutter, the Curve has a built-in laser/light combination, which is very good for both sighting and target identification in low light. For shooting in bright daylight the pistol has white markings on the rear of the slide that intersect on the axis of the bore. They allow the shooter to index the bore on the target.
Finally, there are a number of safety features that should be mentioned. The Curve has a pop-up loaded chamber indicator and magazine safety that will not allow the pistol to be fired with the magazine removed. It also has a long double-action only trigger pull that helps prevent accidental discharges. The gun also comes with a polymer trigger cover, which may be used for carry.
Shots Fired
I tested the Curve indoors in low light at the ultra-modern Nexus Shooting Range near Miami and outdoors at the Flagler Gun Club in central Florida. All shooting was done at relatively close range, as this pistol is designed for close-in defensive shooting. In low light the built-in laser and light performed as designed and allowed for good shot placement. Outdoors using the bore indexing lines delivered reliable hits to the head, neck and center chest at 4 yards.
The Curve was test-fired with a variety of ball and hollow point ammunition. Functioning was excellent, as long as the gun was kept clean and lightly lubed. Given the critical alignment of its magazine and barrel, the Curve has close tolerances. Therefore heavy build-up of firing residue did cause a few failures to go fully into battery. Regular maintenance is advisable.
The Taurus Curve is one of the most innovative personal defense handguns to come along in the last several years. It is as sleek as a smartphone and the holsterless design will intrigue many prospective buyers. The built in laser and light is a great bonus. People looking for a concealable .380 semi-auto just might want to give the Curve a close look.
Taurus Curve Caliber: .380 ACP Capacity: 7 rounds with one chambered Barrel: 2.5 in. Sights: Built-in laser and bore axis indicator lines Frame: Polymer Length: 5.18 in. Height: 3.7 in. Weight: 10.2 oz. unloaded Options: None SRP: $390 Website: taurususa.com
FN has expanded its striker-fired pistol line with a model set up for concealed carry – the FNS Compact.
FN Herstal America has never played coy about its FNS series of pistols.
Nearly as quickly as the line was released at the 2012 SHOT Show, the transnational gun maker announced the family of polymer-frame pistols was destine to grow. First it added a longslide model of the FNS, and now the company is going the other direction.
The company announced recently the release of the FNS-9 and FNS-40 Compact, news that could get concealed carry practitioners’ hearts soaring. The variations share the same features as the standard model, but in a slightly smaller package.
The compact version of the striker-fired pistol measures in at 6.7 inches in overall length and boasts a 3.6-inch barrel. The gun tips the scales at 23.4 ounces empty, around 2-ounces lighter than the standard model.
While smaller in dimensions, the FNS Compact has retained the line's respectable capacity. The 9mm model ships with two 12-round magazines and one 17 round; the 40 S&W has slightly less capacity, shipping with two 10-round magazines and one 14 round.
The magazines appear to be outfitted with finger extensions, allowing for a full grip, while maintaining a low profile.
Shooters will have a few decisions to make if their eye is caught by the FNS Compact. Similar to earlier iterations, the pistol's stainless-steel slide is available in matte black or silver. In both finishes the slide boasts front and rear cocking serrations.
The FNS Compact is also available with or without an ambidextrous thumb safety. The safety, like the pistol’s ambidextrous magazine and slide releases, is understated in design. Combined this with the smooth lines FN has incorporated, the handgun is engineered to be snag-free upon draw.
The compact model has aggressive texturing on its grip, helping with a firm purchase on the pistol. And like its forebears, the gun comes with interchangeable back straps to adjust to nearly any hand size.
The trigger pull on the new FNS is in lockstep with the rest of the series at between 5.5 and 7.7 pounds. And it is boasts a Picatinny rail under the muzzle, a popular configuration allowing for the addition of accessories. The pistol come with the choice of fixed standard or night three-dot sights.
The MSRP on the FNS-9 Compact and FNS-40 Compact is $599.
Your goal, should you ever need to shoot, is to get your attacker to stop. Grant Cunningham reveals what he thinks are the best calibers for self-defense to make sure that happens.
Now you’d think that with about 150 years of defensive handgunning history at our fingertips we’d have an absolute, ironclad, incontrovertible picture as to what works best to stop a bad guy. You’d be wrong. The reason is because a lot of things work and every shooting is different.
There just isn’t one good, standard way of looking at each individual shooting and decide what happened, because every bullet wound is different and every bad guy is different. Add in different calibers and bullet types and distances and number of shots and… well, you get the idea. There are just too many variables to come up with precise answers.
Over the years, however, researchers like Greg Ellifritz at Active Response Training have come up with a pretty good set of data that helps us to see what generally works and what generally doesn’t.
As it happens, when you look at the most common defensive calibers – 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W and .45ACP – there isn’t a whole lot of statistical difference between them in terms of their ability to stop an attacker.
This runs counter to a lot of gun store gossip, and you’ll find lots of people who just “feel” that their favorite caliber is head and shoulders above everyone else’s, but the best data we have says there just isn’t a huge difference.
I like to say that there is a floor of effectiveness, and once you’ve risen above that floor, caliber is no longer a deciding factor in effectiveness. At least, it shouldn’t be.
Rapid, Multiple Shots
One of the interesting things that came out of Ellifritz’s data is that it’s not caliber which reliably predicts whether an attacker is stopped; it’s the number of rounds fired that actually hit a vital area of the target that stops people. In other words, two rounds of a “lesser” caliber beats a single round of a “better” caliber. More rounds on target as quickly as possible is what ends fights, not the “power” of the round – as long as it reaches the “floor” I alluded to earlier.
For this reason I recommend that you consider a 9mm handgun (aka 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger, 9x19mm). The 9mm, loaded with just about any modern defensive hollowpoint ammunition, is effective and most importantly is easy to shoot well. No matter how well you shoot a “bigger” caliber, you’ll shoot a 9mm better – faster at any given level of precision.
Since it’s the number of rounds on target which really determines effectiveness, and the faster you can get those rounds on target the faster the bad guy is going to stop, the 9mm simply makes sense. Many of the top defensive shooting trainers in the country have moved to and endorse the 9mm for this very reason. For those who decide on a revolver, the equivalent is the .38 Special.
The Savage 99's forward looking design made the gun a staple of riflemen for nearly 100 years.
Most guns are reactive products of their times, fulfilling a need that exists. But the Savage 99 was ahead of the curve, in both design and calibers. Moreover, it was invented by a man as remarkable as the rifle that bore his name.
Arthur W. Savage was born in Jamaica, in 1857. The son of a British colonial official, he was schooled in England and the United States. While still in his twenties, he decided to seek adventure in Australia. He found it, for he was captured by Aborigines and held prisoner for more than a year. Finally gaining his freedom, Savage remained in Australia and created the largest cattle ranch that country had ever seen. He returned to Jamaica briefly before finally settling in Utica, New York, where he became the Superintendent of the Utica Belt Line Railroad.
Evidently he had plenty of free time on that job, because on June 8, 1887, at just 30 years of age, Savage patented a rifle based upon the Martini lever-action system. By all accounts, the gun didn’t work. Undeterred, Savage kept at it, until he ended up with a rifle that featured a more conventional-looking finger-lever and a unique rotary magazine.
With a group of financial backers in Utica, on April 5, 1894, the Savage Repeating Arms Company was founded. The rifle it produced was the Savage Model 1895, forerunner of the Model 99 and the world’s first hammerless lever-action. Moreover, the solid brass internal magazine was revolutionary, in the most literal sense of that word. Looking somewhat like a can opener wedged in the receiver, it rotated within the action of the gun, aligning a fresh cartridge with every crank of the lever, thus making the Savage imminently suitable to the new, ballistically superior spitzer bullets.
Mindful of its somewhat shaky financial footing, Savage subcontracted with the Marlin Firearms Company to produce tooling and manufacture the Savage Model 1895 rifles, which explains the “JM” stamp on their barrels. Although the goal of Arthur Savage was to secure a military contract with his unique rifle, the Army had already adopted the Model 1892 .30-40 Krag.
So, in spite of the fact that the prototype featured a 30-inch barrel with a full-length military musket stock, Savage turned to the now-familiar half-stocked 26-inch barreled sporting rifle version (along with a much less commonly found 20-inch barreled carbine), to appeal to the civilian market. The Savage 1895 was only chambered for the .303 Savage, a round developed especially for it and ballistically equivalent to the then-new Winchester .30-30. It is obvious Savage wanted to compete with this smokeless powder cartridge on a proprietary basis.
In addition to its hammerless feature and rotating magazine, another distinguishing feature of the Model 1895 was a hole in the top of the bolt through which the firing pin could be seen. When the rifle was cocked, a stamped letter “C” was visible though the hole; when fired, the letter “F” appeared. Almost needless to say, this “safety” feature caused problems with rain and debris. Consequently, a number of improvements evolved over the next four years, culminating in the new Savage Model 1899.
Looking into a Savage 99's receiver, the gun revolutionary rotary magazine is easily seen. The advancement allowed the gun to utilize the then new and ballistically superior spitzer bullets.
The Savage 99 (as it was later called) emerged with all the attributes of a lever-action destined for the twentieth century. Small wonder it would remain in production, off and on, for the next 98 years. Its sleek, straight-gripped walnut stock, schnabel-tipped fore-end, and slim receiver combined to produce a handsome, well-balanced gun that was fast pointing and easy to carry, as its weight was centered in the receiver by virtue of the six-shot rotating magazine.
A coil mainspring provided an extremely fast lock time, and the viewing hole on the bolt was replaced by an oblong post—easy to see and feel—that popped up from the top of the bolt when the rifle was cocked. Later, around 1908, this cocking indicator was redesigned as a steel pin on the upper tang. Another notable innovation, a small oval hole on the left side of the receiver, revealed a brass cartridge counter that displayed the number of rounds left in the magazine. Fired casings were smartly ejected to the side, even though the Model 99 did not come drilled and taped for scope mounts until the 1950s. Until then, a wide variety of factory-supplied tang sights and open iron sights were the norm.
Initial chamberings were for the .303 Savage, as well as Winchester’s .30-30, with scarcer variations in .25-35, .32-40, and .38-55. Some of Savage’s more popular Model 99 calibers over the years included the .22 Hi-Power, brought out in 1912, and the classic .300 Savage, introduced in 1920, a round that was a stubby-necked equivalent to the .30-06 (for which the Model 99 action was too short).
To me, the cartridge most representative of the Model 99 is the .250-3000 (or the Savage .250, as it is known today), which came out in 1914. Its nomenclature was derived from the fact that the original 87-grain bullet was the first factory round to crack the 3,000 fps barrier. That feat all of itself gave the Model 99 another boost in notoriety among early twentieth century hunters. Even today, a Model 99 in .250-3000 remains a potent pairing for whitetail and antelope, although the cartridge is now offered in a heavier 100-grain bullet, which doesn’t travel quite as fast. In the latter years of its life, the Savage 99 proved adaptable to numerous “modern” chamberings, including the .308 and .358 Winchester.
In 1919 a notable event occurred in the annals of Savage history—and firearms advertising. A Native American named Chief Lame Deer contacted Arthur Savage in the hope of procuring a number of the highly esteemed Model 99s for use on his reservation. Savage agreed to sell his rifles to the tribe at a discount, if he could get their endorsement. To fully grasp the significance of this transaction, one must remember that this was an era in which many could still remember the Indian uprisings. The chief accepted and presented Savage with an image of his profile, which Savage promptly made part of the company logo. Thus, the rifle inventor’s surname took on a new and even more romanticized imagery.
Savage went on to invent the detachable box magazine, which would appear many years later on the Savage 99C. He also became enraptured with building and racing automobiles and, in 1901, moved to California, where he established the Savage Tire Company in San Diego, and subsequently invented the radial tire. Sadly, Savage committed suicide in 1938 at the age of 81. Thankfully, his namesake rifles lived on.
One of the features of the Savage 99 that shooters of every stripe loved was the swift and smooth lever action.
Throughout its long and distinguished history, the Savage Model 99 was produced in many versions, including a takedown model introduced in 1909, and a 22-inch barreled short rifle which was made from 1899 until 1922. An octagon-barreled rifle—the 99B—was made from 1899 until 1922. There was also a Model 99 Featherweight supplied with a separate .410-bore smoothbore shotgun barrel (which had to be used as a single-shot, as the shells would not function in the rotary magazine).
In 1960, the button safety on the lever was changed to a sliding tang version, and a new 99DL incorporated a Monte Carlo stock. That same year a low-cost 99E was brought out, without the famous cartridge counter and sporting a plain, uncheckered birch stock. But the most radical departure from the famous rifle’s logistics was the 99C, made in 1965 and, again in the late 1990s. This iteration featured a detachable four-shot clip, thus eschewing the famed rotary magazine. This, along with the pressed checkering (introduced in 1965), that replaced the hand-checkered workmanship of earlier years, were indications of the complexity of manufacturing the Model 99. Even an embellished Model 99CE (Centennial Edition), made to celebrate the company’s hundredth anniversary, came out one year late, in 1996, thus foretelling the gun’s demise.
A great gun from inception, manufacturing costs and questionable manufacturing decisions combined to close the curtain on the Savage 99 in 1997. Thus, it barely missed making the centenary mark it so richly deserved—but, at least it made our bucket list.
A snappy AR-15 trigger is one of the quickest ways to increase an AR's accuracy, but can cost some coin. HIPERFIRE has put the upgrade in its crosshair, with the introduction of a economically priced option.
One of the fastest ways to improve an AR-style rifle’s accuracy is to outfit it with a good trigger. A snappy trigger, whether in a tactical, competitive or hunting situation can make all the difference in the world in putting rounds on target.
There is one barrier in outfitting an AR with a slick new fire control, the aftermarket upgrade typically carries a somewhat hefty price tag. But a Minnesota manufacturer has put high-performance triggers' costs in its crosshairs.
HIPERFIRE recently released the HIPERTOUCH Enhanced Duty Trigger, offering AR shooters a single-stage trigger with a 4.5- to 5.5-pound pull weight. But what really catches the eye on the system is the EDT’s MSRP. Priced at $89, the aftermarket trigger appears to be a value and doesn't seem to skimp on design features.
Modern Shooter TV travels to Florida to meet with Massad Ayoob. The legendary firearms instructor walks us through one of the fastest growing competitive shooting sports, the Glock Sports Shooting Foundation with some help from a genuine Glock Matchmeister.
Ruger has released a new model of its GP100 Match Champion, outfitted with adjustable rear sights.
Now with adjustable rear sights Ruger's GP100 Match Champion should be accurate, no matter what ammo it's shooting.
The Ruger GP100 revolver has been one of the company’s staples since it was introduced in 1985. But a year ago, the handgun received a rather sporty makeover.
The GP100 Match Champion was released at the 2014 SHOT Show, the New Hampshire/Arizona manufacturer’s offering to the competitive shooting market. While the handgun had a number of features that made it an option for IDPA matches and the like, it lacked an asset many competitive shooters look for in a firearm.
The first iteration of the match pistol came without adjustable sights. It was a design choice the company admits it heard its share of opinions over. And it's a choice of which Ruger has been quick to react.
One of the first new guns the company has introduced for 2015 is the GP100 Match Champion with adjustable sights. The rear sights are variable for both windage and elevation, making the gun more accurate, no matter the ammunition rotating through the revolver’s six chambers.
The new model of the .357 Magnum comes outfitted with a fiber optics front sights, an addition that should allow shooters to acquire a sight picture more quickly. And those who prefer the Novak Lo-Mount Carry sights on the original, needn’t worry. Ruger presently is continuing to produce this model.
Outside of the sights, the new variation of the GP100 Match Champion has all the features that aimed to make the revolver a shooter in the first place.
The competitive model of the GP100 weighs in at 38 ounces and is 9.5-inches long. It frame, barrel and cylinder are all made of stainless steel, each with a satin finish.
The revolver boasts a 4.2-inch, half-lug, slab-sided barrel that gives it a sleek look. But it is designed for performance, with a target crown aiding in its accuracy.
Even with new sights, Ruger's GP100 Match Champion looks to be a sharp shooter.
Ruger has match tuned the action, polishing the internals of the revolver, and including a centering boss on the trigger and centering shims on the hammer. This is meant to produce a smooth, consistent double-action trigger pull.
The revolver’s cylinder has been designed for consistent alignment, in turn dependable operation. It achieves this through a triple-locking system that locks the cylinder in place from the front rear and bottom.
The cylinder also features a light chamfer on the chamber mouths. This slight enlargement aims to shave seconds off reload time.
The GP100 Match Champion also has Ruger’s patented transfer bar mechanism. This is a standard feature for the company’s revolvers, helping guard against accidental discharge.
The MSRP of the new variation of the revolver is the same as the one introduced a year ago – $929.
Given its lasers' classes, the original DBAL-A3 was a tough accessory for civilians to lay hands on. But Steiner is giving every day shooters access to the device with an eye-safe model.
In its military form, Steiner’s (formerly Laser Devices) DBAL-A3 has been around for a while.
The laser pointer/infrared illuminator has seen its share of action as a standard issue piece of equipment for the U.S. military. But for civilians, given the restrictions on certain classes of lasers, the device was little more than unobtainable wish list fodder.
Steiner, however, is set to relieve a wide swath of shooters’ frustrations with one of its most recent announcements. The subsidiary of Berretta, has come out with a version of the multi-purpose device that doesn’t require enlistment to obtain.
The DBAL-A3 (Dual Beam Aiming Laser) Civilian is slated for release on the US market soon, giving shooters a practical-tactical aiming and low-light solution.
Though, specifications on the aiming device are scant, Steiner has released the DBAL-A3 has a Class I green visible laser and a Class 3R IR laser and IR illuminator. This, as pointed out in the company’s produce announcement, makes the device eye-safe.
While the lasers and illuminator may be different from its military counterpart, the DBAL-A3 has much the same layout and features of the original.
Similar to earlier iteration, the new sighting device includes a single laser activation switch, low profile windage and elevation adjusters and mounting holes for a flip-up front sight, sub-miniature red dot sight or a MIL-SPEC-1913 top rail. The DBAL-A3 also features dual remote cable ports that allow the operator to plug a Forward Mounted Light directly into the laser housing using the dual remote cable switch.
A one switch pressure pad activates the light and visible laser simultaneously; a second switch activates the infrared functions, enabling operators to instantly transition from infrared to white light on the fly. Housed in an Aircraft aluminum 6061-T6 / MIL-SPEC Type III hardcoat anodized case, the DBAL-A3 Civilian is as rugged and reliable as the military issue DBAL-A3 on which it is based.
With the introduction of the 3-laser DBAL-A3 is also the 2-laser DBAL-I2 that offers a choice of either an IR pointer with a visual pointer or an IR pointer with an IR illuminator.
The DBAL-A3 Civilian’s MSRP was not available at the time of writing, neither was the official release date of the device.
The Gun Garage specializes in parts for vintage firearms, and of this past summer the big sellers are target hammers and target triggers for older Smith and Wesson K- and L-frame revolvers.
“They’ve been flying out the door pretty fast,” co-owner Evan Bolduc said.
The especially has gone for one a batch of parts. Triggers acquired from a gun shop close-out that Bolduc sells for $49.99 apiece and moved like hotcakes.
In fact, Bolduc said, any parts for older S&W revolvers are hot, including the screws for target grips. The Gun Garage got 350 of these target grip screw sets last year, and sold every one of them within six months.
That has the Gun Garage working with a manufacturer to make reproductions of these screw sets, which Bolduc will soon have in stock.
For long guns, Bolduc notes a big demand for any of the smaller parts for 19th and early 20th Century lever guns. Ejectors and extractors are in demand, as are side plates.
“Side plates for the Winchester 73, reproductions, go for $100 a set,” Bolduc said. “Every collector out there wants the originals, and they move for $200 to $300 a set, depending on condition. As soon as we get in these original side plates? They are gone.”
This acclaimed series of assemble and disassembly guides is now available to you in digital form. The six books are among the most detailed firearms references available, with step-by-step instructions and comprehensive photos walking you through the takedown and reassembly of the most popular models of guns. Each guide starts with a detailed list of the tools required and what each will be used for. The references all include individual firearms listings, detailing the firearms’ manufacturers, makes, where it was produced.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
