In two days at the 2010 SHOT Show I have yet to hear a discouraging word; in fact the place is bulging and throbbing like an unlanced boil. I’ve just fled from one of the law-enforcement halls because it was so mobbed that you couldn’t get through the aisles, and it is not much different anyplace else.

On the other hand, 2010 is not much of a year for innovation, at least in rifles. There are all sorts of “new” models that are only cosmetically different, but for actual new the only one that I’ve seen is the Blaser R8. Optics, however, is a different story. [ Read Full Post ]

Greetings Gun Nuts. Though I never thought an occasion would arise that caused me to stray from my post at the Honest Angler blog and enter the realm of Mr. Petzal and Mr. Bourjaily, sometimes strange things happen. One actually happened today. I aimlessly wandered the SHOT Show floor with Phil Bourjaily, filming whenever something grabbed his attention. Here's a look at what we found, including some of the hottest new guns and gear, plus a booth babe that signs lingerie. I hope you enjoy the show, as Phil and I certainly had fun making it -- Joe Cermele

[ Read Full Post ]

My thanks to John Blauvelt for this one.

Here’s a list of the most commonly used North American big-game cartridges, compiled over the past three years by Boone and Crockett. These loads were used by hunters who entered trophies in the B and C listing. I’ve entered more or less intelligent comments of my own after each one.

[ Read Full Post ]

There are only a few books on guns that are worth a damn, and to make matters worse they are rarely updated* and become less valuable over the years. Such is the case with Warren Page’s The Accurate Rifle (1973) or Jim Carmichel’s The Book of the Rifle (1985)--still eminently worth reading, but now quite dated.

Happily, this is not true of Terry Weiland’s Wieland's Dangerous-Game Rifles. It appeared in 2006, established itself as the definitive work on the subject, sold out its first printing, and then sold out a second printing. Now, Terry has done a complete revise, which is not only up-to-the minute, but more complete than the original.

Wieland is a writer of the first magnitude, and his book is an irresistible combination of nifty (and mostly very expensive) machinery, high adventure, gore, lots of excellent photos, and plenty of very sound advice which you can use even if you never hunt anything bigger or more dangerous than whitetail deer. He is careful, scientific, does not rely on hearsay, rumor, or innuendo, and lets you know if he does not know something, which is almost unheard of in... [ Read Full Post ]

As a citizen and voter, I expect a minimum level of common sense and pragmatism from the people elected to represent me. After so many years of bitter disappointment, I have no idea why.
 
For example, my home state of Oklahoma has the dubious honor of having the largest state budget deficit in the nation. A reasonable person might assume our elected representatives are at this very minute hard at work trying to solve this urgent problem. A reasonable person would be wrong.
 
Two Democratic state lawmakers want a sales tax holiday on the purchase of guns. Sen. John Sparks, and Rep. Wes Hilliard, of Sulphur, have introduced Senate Bill 1322, also called the Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday Act. It would set a sales tax break on handguns, rifles or shotguns starting at 12:01 a.m. on the third Friday in August until midnight the following Sunday. Oklahoma is facing a revenue failure for the current fiscal year and expects to have 20 percent less to spend next fiscal year due to declining state revenue.

"I thought it was a perfect way to reduce the barrier to exercising our Second Amendment rights and saw no reason... [ Read Full Post ]

If you were good enough to get a new Leupold Mark 4® riflescope for Christmas than you were better than a lot of us boys and girls. Still, you’d better take a close look at your new toy. According to the company, there are some hard-to-spot fakes hitting the market:

Leupold® is issuing a customer alert to purchasers of products, particularly via Internet sales, in regards to bogus Leupold products that are apparently being illegally imported from the People’s Republic of China. . . .

Leupold employs serial number tracking for all its riflescopes, so if a customer finds a scope that is suspect, he or she can simply write down the serial number and call 1-800-LEUPOLD to confirm if it is indeed authentic.

[Most counterfeits] have “Leupold Mark 4” laser engraved on the bottom of the turret in a silver etch, while the black ring on the objective is etched in white and does not include the name “Leupold.” An authentic Mark 4 riflescope will always be engraved black on black and have the name “Leupold” engraved on the black ring. [ Read Full Post ]

A while back, I wrote about my friend Sam Curtis, who was dying of brain cancer and, knowing he didn’t have long, sent me a knife that he carried for years as a keepsake. Sam was a long-time Field & Stream contributor who began writing for us in the 1970s. On December 17, Sam went to the place were there is always good tracking snow and lots of elk. I liked him as a person, and admired him as a hunter and writer. He was careful, scientific, and relentless. Unlike me he did not care a damn for equipment. He wore an old brown-wool coat with a homemade orange vest and carried a Savage .30/06 with a 4X Leupold scope. I don’t think he owned another rifle.

[ Read Full Post ]

Can you shoot? Are you in shape? Are you a character?

If you can answer “yes” to all three, you might be the contestant Pilgrim Productions is looking for to appear on the History Channel’s upcoming “America’s Top Shot.”

Pilgrim – producers of “Ultimate Fighter”, ”Dirty Jobs” and “Ghosthunter” – needs to cast 16 shooters. One will eliminated each week in a marksmanship challenge until the last man or woman standing claims the $100,000 prize. Because this is a History Channel show, weekly competitions could feature any projectile weapon ever made, from atlatls to assault rifles.

[ Read Full Post ]

Thanksgiving is over. I know this because every commercial on TV is now Christmas-related. I don’t generally pay attention to these rants about sales and holiday cheer, but I noticed something interesting this year. Bass Pro Shops is running loads of commercials, and I’m not talking about just on Versus and the Outdoor Channel. I’m talking Bravo and Lifetime. Why? Because these commercials are targeted at wives who don't fish. Here’s why they’re genius.

[ Read Full Post ]

According to an article by one Alice Schroeder on Bloomberg.com (and reported here on Field Notes last week), Goldman Sachs executives, with an eye toward public rage at the imminent whopper bonuses to descend on GS, are applying for pistol permits. Ms. Schroeder (who does not think much of handguns as protection) called the NYPD to verify, and was informed that some of the bankers she asked about do have permits, although the cops said it will “…be a while before it can name names.” (I will not hold my breath waiting to find out.)

[ Read Full Post ]

Here's an interesting story via the blog of former Field & Stream editor and noted vampire expert Scott Bowen.
 
Researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered that exposure to nature can actually change how we view the world.
 
From the story:
"...a recent article by researchers at the University of Rochester shows that experiences with nature can affect more than our mood. In a series of studies, Netta Weinstein, Andrew Przybylski, and Richard Ryan, University of Rochester, show that ... [ Read Full Post ]