Guns

Police Arrest CA Man Who Built a 20 Gauge Shotgun from a Super Soaker

Online Editors — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:29:50 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

I had never seen a Super Soaker shotgun before, but apparently turning Super Soakers into zip guns is a trend among criminals. As this news story points out, the Fresno police had been briefed on Super Soaker conversions, so when they spotted a 54 year old man with a Super Soaker slung around his neck they became suspicious. And they were right: the Super Soaker turned out to be a home-made 20 gauge.

There are an unneriving number of youtube videos showing how to make a zip shotgun. It requires a piece of pipe of the correct diameter to chamber a shell, and another that slides over it with a cap on the end and a screw for a firing pin inside. Slide the two pipes together hard enough and it goes off. What happens next is a crap shoot. The gun may go off, or it may just blow up. It seems like buying a real shotgun would be a much better idea, but I don’t understand the criminal mind.

Given that this happened in Fresno, CA, how long do you think it will be before a California state legislator tries to ban water guns?

Nonsense Product Names: WEN Will it All End?

Online Editors — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:25:55 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Well, there I was sitting at the old Mac, trying to work instead of listening to bluegrass, when I got a press release announcing that Redfield now has a scope out called the “Revenge.” I thought this was a pretty odd name to give an optical sight, but then I remembered that last year, Winchester came out with an all-copper bullet called Power Core, which has no core, so I guess the rules about product names have been relaxed.

But then, just a moment ago, I received word of a new crossbow called the Barnett Vengeance. Vengeance on what? The last time a crossbow was used in an act of vengeance was on March 25, 1199 when Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was killed by crossbow bolt to the neck that was fired by a French boy who claimed that Richard had killed his father and brothers.

Will we now see bumper stickers that read “Payback is a bodkin head?” or “That bolt from the blue is meant for you.”? Will we have to listen to Rachel Maddow screeching about crossbows you can sneak past metal detectors?

As if this weren’t bad enough, there now are ads running on the various cable channels I watch for a shampoo called WEN. I don’t know what marketing genius thought this one up, but “wen” is an archaic English word for a cyst, usually on the neck or face, as in “Will you look at the wen on King Richard’s neck? That thing’s big enough to hit with a crossbow bolt.”

On the other hand, maybe I should just listen to bluegrass more.

Should Young Hunters Start With Deer and Turkeys?

Online Editors — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:50:13 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

Here’s me, on the set of the Gun Nuts TV show, holding my pick for the ideal youth turkey gun: a 20 gauge 870 Express Jr. with a red dot sight.

It is short, light, doesn’t kick much with the right loads, and it’s easy to hit with. My younger son shot his one and only turkey with it, and I have since taken it from him and killed turkeys with it, too. While you don’t have to put a $500 Zeiss Z-point on a kid’s gun, I think some form of red dot sight (and a lot of target practice before the season) is the best way to be sure a kid doesn’t miss.

Which brings me to my real point: for a lot of kids now, deer and turkeys are the first game they hunt. I am not sure that’s a good idea. Even though sitting in a blind and plinking a turkey someone else calls in for you is easy, killing a turkey is still treated as a big deal. Kill a turkey – or a deer – and a lot of people shake your hand and treat it like it’s a big deal. If you don’t get one, or you miss, well, you failed. It’s not good for kids to attach that kind of pressure to a first hunting experience. It should be about enjoying the outdoors, learning to hunt, and, ideally, bringing home some game. A friend of mine took a kid years ago who missed two turkeys in the same morning. He never went turkey hunting again after that.

I started my sons and a few other kids on youth season ducks. We always had enough chances that everybody who started with me killed at least one duck.

Really, squirrels are the very best animals for kids to start on. They are lots of them, so if you miss one, you don’t have to wait long to find another. Usually you can find at least one stupid squirrel that will sit still on a branch and let a kid shoo t it. People don’t generally tend to ask “get your squirrel yet?” as they do with deer and turkeys so a kid who is unsuccessful doesn’t feel as if he or she failed, which is the last thing we want in a first hunting experience.

Rifle Recoil: Oh, Mommy, My Shoulder!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:48:12 -0400

by David E. Petzal

As a number of you pointed out in my post on the Forbes Rifle, light rifles kick more than heavy rifles of the same caliber. But weight is only part of the equation, and recoil is a highly subjective matter.

In the case of NULAs, you get kicked less than the figures would indicate because the stock is an extremely good design that gives you plenty to hang on to, and directs the recoil into your shoulder rather than into your head.

I myself am not a good judge of recoil because I shoot all the time, have been reduced to an insensible mass of protoplasm, and don’t care anymore. I’ve shot NULAs ranging from .22/250 up through .340 Weatherby, and the only ones whose kick I really noticed were a .338 Win Mag and the aforesaid .340. They were not more than I could handle, but they weren’t fun, and I realized after a while that I could do the same amount of damage to the critters with lesser cartridges.

The .270 Forbes Rifle that I tested did not have enough recoil that you’d notice unless you were hypersensitive, and you can kill damn near anything with a .270. A .30/06 would jump more, but not a lot. However, as some of you pointed out, the best Forbes/NULAs would be/are the ones in the smaller calibers such as 6.5 Swede, 7mm/08, .260, and 7x57. I would add to that list the .257 Roberts, .25/06, .250 Savage, and .243.

Some people are less sensitive to recoil than others. On the upcoming season of Gun Nuts, you’ll see a young woman named Jessica Bruenn shoot a Savage Model 11 Lady Hunter in .308. Prior to the taping Jessica had shot a centerfire rifle exactly once, and the Lady Hunter, because it weighs something like 6 ½ pounds, will give you a jolt in .308. Jessica is a gifted rifleperson, and she paid no attention at all to the recoil. For her, it didn’t exist. Her shooting, despite her lack of experience, was exceptional.

Some people are like that. Others, who are not, should stick to small, sensible cartridges. With the bullets we have today, they will handle just about anything.

Forbes Model 24B Rifle: A Light Gun at a Great Price

Online Editors — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:10:00 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Melvin Forbes started Ultra Light Arms (now New Ultra Light Arms) in 1986, and is still very much in business, which is a towering tribute to the quality of his rifles. Small gunmakers riseth up and are mown down, but Melvin is still turning out the best truly light hunting rifles in the world.

What stands between a New Ultra Light Arms rifle and most shooters is the price. It’s a handmade gun, and the basic Model 24 NULA is $3,600 before options, which are many. And so, because Melvin is a man of the people, he has found a way to get his rifles into the hands of the many at a price of $1,400, which puts it in the upper tier of factory rifles.

The Forbes Model 24 B consists of the same Kevlar/graphite stock, made by Melvin, a CNC-produced action turned out by Titan Machine Products in Maine, a Timney trigger, and a Shaw barrel instead of a Douglas. The barrel comes in 24 inches only, #2 contour, and at present the rifle is available only in .270 and .30/06, right-hand only, and one stock color, gray. Its weight is 5 ¼ pounds, and until you heft one, you can’t imagine how light that is.

Picking up a Model 24B is jarring because the rifle has not been hacked, chopped, gouged, bobbed, or otherwise mutilated to achieve that extraordinary weight. It’s a full-sized gun, and looks like a full-sized gun, so you don’t expect it to weigh that little. The stock is only a pound, and there is not a fraction of an ounce extra anywhere else. It’s extremely durable (Nosler had a NULA action on a test rifle and put a million rounds through it before it got tired.), accurate, and foolproof.

After some snorting and farting on everyone’s part, I got my hands on a production rifle in .270, and am pleased to report that it shoots as well as any of the $3,600 NULAs. Due to the very limited time I could keep it, I went directly to handloads, and found that I could get groups of .589-inch with 150-grain Hornady SSTs, Federal 215 Primers, and H4831. Even by the unearthly accuracy standards of the newest rifles, this is about as good as it gets.

Two words of caution: The Shaw barrel is pretty rough and collects copper very quickly, so be advised that unless you clean your Model 24B with great vigah, it will quickly cease to shoot well. Second, rifles this light place an extra demand on you; every little twitch or jiggle is magnified because you don’t have 8 or 9 pounds of gun to absorb it. If your marksmanship basics are not up to snuff, you might want to buy something heavier.

I’ve owned a number of ULAs and NULAs over 20-plus years, and have hunted just about everywhere and everything with them, and except for the stamp on the receiver, I can’t tell the difference between the Model 24B and my guns. It’s still the best light big-game rifle around…but at $2,200 less.

Shooting Clays: Field Stocks vs. Target Stocks

Online Editors — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:35:43 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

As I mentioned previously, raising the comb of a field gun with moleskin or a slip-on comb pad makes it work better for clay target shooting--especially trap. The question arose in the comments to that post: Why should guns have different stock dimensions for clays or birds, seeing as how both are flying targets? Good question.

The gun in the picture is a Remington 1100 trap gun. I bought it (for $250. Score!) from a friend who used it as his duck gun for many years. It’s the gun I give to any kid who is having trouble hitting trap targets, especially kids who are struggling to hit trap targets with a field gun.

It has a stock that is straighter than a field stock but not aggressively high (1-3/8” at the comb, 1-3/4” at the heel). For most people, it shoots just high enough that you have to see the whole bird over the barrel to hit it. I believe it’s a lot easier to hit birds (whether clay or feathered) when you see them, rather than when you have to cover them with the barrel.

So, why aren’t all guns stocked this way?

I have no answers, only theories.

Here’s one: since so much of target shooting is done with a premounted gun, you have an opportunity to wriggle your cheek down onto the stock of, say, a trap gun. In the field, on the other hand, you throw the gun up hastily and rarely cheek it as firmly as you would on the target field. Therefore a field gun needs a lower comb to compensate for the fact that most people don’t have time to “get down” on it.

The man I bought the 1100 from was a serious sporting clays shooter. He has practiced his gun mounting enough that it was consistent, whether he was shooting ducks or clays with the 1100. For him, a gun with a target stock was perfect for hunting. Your mileage may vary, as they say, but it’s something to think about.

Iowa Governor Rescinds Ban on Lead Ammo for Dove Hunting

Sarah Smith — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:45:34 -0400

--Chad Love

It's been a long, strange and litigious trip, but it looks like Phil Bourjaily can finally go dove hunting in Iowa with whatever ammo he wants to use, thanks to an executive order from Iowa governor Terry Branstad

From this story in the Sioux City Journal:
Gov. Terry Branstad fired a shot at his executive-branch agencies by issuing an order Friday rescinding a ban on lead ammunition by dove hunters. Branstad said he would not let them trump actions of elected officials by using “administrative fiat” to set rules that go beyond a law’s intended effect. “We need to make sure that we stop this practice of agencies going beyond what’s been delegated to them and their responsibility,” Branstad said.

Branstad claims the Iowa Natural Resources Commission exceeded its authority when it banned lead shot for dove hunting last year. Unsurprisingly, the Humane Society of the United States, which first fought the dove season and then pushed for the lead ban, was disappointed.

From the story:

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, issued a statement condemning what he called a “power grab” by the Iowa governor. “It is the height of hypocrisy for Gov. Terry Branstad to overrule both the Legislature and the Natural Resources Commission by executive fiat and to thumb his nose at the people of Iowa," he said. "But Gov. Branstad apparently believes that politics should trump science, and that anything goes if the gun lobby demands it.”

Thoughts? Reaction? Now that you have a choice, will you use lead or steel this fall?

Armed Citizen Alliance: Shoot the Gun You Carry

Online Editors — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:12:55 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

Two years ago when I took my tour of Smith & Wesson, S&W’s Paul Pluff talked with me about current the boom in gun sales. He told that something like 50% of recent gun buyers were first time gun owners. He said the challenge the shooting industry faced was to turn those new gun owners into shooters or they would not be repeat customers, and the boom would be but a one-time spike in sales.

Pluff drew an analogy to Harley Davidson. A lot of people buy Harleys just because they are cool American icons. If they never ride their Harleys (and some don’t), they never have to buy new ones. Harley Davidson, therefore, puts on events and rides specifically aimed at getting people out and riding their bikes so they will buy more. The firearms industry, said Paul, needed something like it.

A couple of days ago I received a release about the Armed Citizen Alliance (ACA) which appears to be an initiative like the one Pluff was describing. The ACA, among other things, plans to offer shoots for carry guns. From their website:

“ACA “Practice & Confidence” recreational events offer an appealing alternative, designed specifically so people can “Shoot what they actually carry; the way they actually carry it.” Only store-bought handguns of carry-concealed configuration are allowed. No special-configuration custom guns, no non-standard refinements.

The format and structure of ACA events themselves will be simple, safe, and fun. Basic and necessary forward-looking rules will provide for the inevitable desire of returning participants to expect growth and improvement as they become “captured” by the challenge--and the enjoyment--of developing personal defense abilities and confidence, and seek ways to “keep track of how well they’re doing.”

It seems like a sensible idea all around. The shooting industry needs to sell guns, ammunition and holsters. People with permits should practice and become more familiar – and therefore safer and more responsible – with their firearms. They should have fun with them, too.

Discussion questions:
Would you shoot in an ACA event with your carry gun?
If ACA events catch on, do you predict they will become serious competitions in their own right the way skeet and sporting clays evolved from hunting practice to target sports.

16 Of The Best Westerns Ever Made: What's Your Top Ten?

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:39:36 -0400

Share your Top 10 Westerns list in the comments section!

State Police to Shut Down PA Instant Check System, No Firearms Purchases for 3 Days

Sarah Smith — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:59:25 -0400

--Chad Love

Are you a Pennsylvania resident who plans on buying a gun sometime this month? You might want to check with your gun shop before making the drive...

From this story on examiner.com:
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) announced on Friday, that the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), used by the Pennsylvania State Police, will be taken out of service for three days later this month for a full system replacement. Consequently, this will temporarily restrict the purchase of firearms and negate the ability to obtain criminal history checks.

It's that last bit of news that has more than a few people a little ticked off. And it didn’t take long for them to express just how much...

From this follow-up story on examiner.com:

A complete shutdown of the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for a period of 60 hours later this month for a system upgrade is "inexcusable," the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today. “Closing down the background check system, and thus suspending all firearms transactions and concealed carry license processing simply allows the [PSP] to obstruct the gun rights of law-abiding citizens,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb. “Access to the computers for background checks should not be suspended at all. Surely the [PSP] can find alternate means of processing firearms transactions and permit applications while the upgrade is in progress.”

The system will shut down at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 19 and will remain down until the following Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Thoughts? Reaction? Is it a mere inconvenience, or a de facto (albeit temporary) suspension of the Second Amendment?