Category: Gun Schtuff

Google Searches For ‘Reloading Ammo’ Explode Amid Nationwide Shortage

From Zerohedge

Americans are panic searching again. This time it’s not where to buy toilet paper online, but instead learning more about reloading ammunition as the virus pandemic and social unrest has sparked shortages of ammo and guns.

Ever since the first round of virus lockdowns that began in March, ammunition prices have surged because of unprecedented demand. Some of the hardest bullets to find this past summer, that is, if one wanted to purchase bulk, as we noted in April and August (see: here & here), was 9mm.

And, of course, a shortage and skyrocketing costs for factory-loaded ammunition forced many Americans to investigate alternative options in panic hoarding bullets.

As shown below, an eruption in US internet searches for “9mm Reloading” can be seen.

 

Reloading, also called handloading, is the process of making firearm cartridges by manually assembling the individual components rather than purchasing factory-loaded ammunition. Reloading can easily be done at home.

NSSF RELEASES MOST RECENT FIREARM PRODUCTION FIGURES

NSSF®, the firearm industry’s trade association, released the 2020 edition of its Firearm Production Report to members. The report compiles the most up to date information based on data sourced from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports (AFMER) as well as the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Key findings for public release showed:

  • In 2018, 11.4 million total firearms were produced or imported in the United States (less exported firearms).
  • Approximately one-half (48%) of all rifles produced and imported (less exports) in 2018 were Modern Sporting Rifles.
  • Since 1990, there are an estimated 19.8 million Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) in circulation today.
  • An interim 2019 estimate showed a total of 6 million total firearms were produced in the United States. Of those, 3.6 million were pistols and revolvers, 2 million were rifles and 480,000 were shotguns. Those are interim figures that will be updated when complete reports become available from the ATF.
  • In 2019, there were approximately 3.3 million firearms imported into the United States which included 2.3 million pistols and revolvers, 301,000 rifles and 678,000 shotguns.
  • From 1991 to 2019, nearly 214 million firearms have been made available to the U.S. market.
  • According to reports such as: ATF Firearms Commerce in the United States, ATF AFMER and Congressional Research Service data, there are an estimated 434 million firearms in civilian possession in the United States.
  • There are approximately 71.2 million pistol magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and 79.2 million rifle magazines capable of holding 30 or more rounds in circulation.
  • Firearm and ammunition manufacturing accounted for nearly 12,000 employees producing over $3.9 billion in goods shipped in 2018. An estimated 8.7 billion rounds of all calibers and gauges were produced in 2018 for the U.S. market.

“These figures, combined with the record-breaking 17.2 million NSSF-adjusted background checks for the sale or transfer of a firearm in the first ten months of 2020, demonstrates that Americans have a strong desire to continue purchasing firearms for lawful purposes,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO. “The Modern Sporting Rifle continues to be the most popular rifle sold in America today, and with nearly 20 million in circulation, is clearly a commonly-owned firearm that is being used for lawful purposes every day in America. The continued popularity of handguns demonstrates a strong interest by Americans to protect themselves, their family and homes, as well as to participate in the recreational shooting sports.”

Today’s report also shows that as lawful firearm ownership in America continues to grow, criminal and unintentional misuse of firearms is falling. During the 28-year period covered by this report (1991–2018) the violent crime rate has decreased by 51.3 percent and unintentional firearm-related fatalities have declined by 68.2 percent.

Numbers crunched by an old friend –4 years ago– suggest this number is on the low side.

DATA: US HAS 434 MILLION GUNS, 20M ARS, 150M MAGS

The trade association for the U.S. firearm industry crunched the numbers and came up with one solid fact: Americans really like guns.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation used data from the ATF, information from the Congressional Research Service, and reports from the U.S. International Trade Commission to get a snapshot of roughly how many guns are in current circulation in the country.

This includes an estimated 434 million firearms in civilian possession, with about half, 214 million, of those entering the market since 1991. Of those, “America’s Rifle,” the AR-15 and similar semi-automatics dubbed Modern Sporting Rifles by the NSSF, account for an estimated 19.8 million, lending concrete numbers to the argument that such guns are in common use. Continue reading “”

Gun Control Plummeted in Popularity This Year

Gun sales have surged in 2020, fueled by a pandemic, nationwide riots that Democrat leaders showed little interest in stopping, and, even prior to election day, the mere prospect of a Biden/Harris administration that would implement new gun control measures.

Americans have purchased more guns in the first eight months in 2020 than the entirety of 2019, and are on pace to make this year the biggest year for gun sales ever. Firearms seller Vista Outdoor has a backlog of over $1 billion in ammo purchases alone.

These sales don’t reflect existing gun owners hoarding firearms either, as there are over five million new gun owners this year, likely the largest surge in gun ownership in U.S. history.

Naturally, that surge in gun sales and ownership has coincided with the popularity of gun control plummeting.

According to the latest polling from Gallup: Continue reading “”

Joe Biden’s Plan For Common Sense Gun Control

2020 Breaks All the Records

A record number of Americans have exercised one of the most important rights affirmed by the founders of this great nation: the right to keep and bear arms.

The FBI NICS office conducted 3,305,465 background checks last month – breaking the record for the month of October by nearly a million checks. Each month in 2020 has broken the record for background checks in that month. October was the fifth busiest month ever for the NICS office, which has now run 32,131,914 NICS checks in 2020. We – the American people –  broke the annual record last month; this year has now seen 13% more checks than the previous busiest year for the NICS office.

Thirty-two million background checks so far this year, and we haven’t seen Black Friday or holiday sales yet.

Not all of these checks are related to the sale of a firearm. Some may be related to the sale of multiple firearms and some are permit applications that result in the permit holder being able to lawfully acquire a firearm without a NICS check (as the permit itself involves a NICS check). Continue reading “”

Looks like an interesting drill.

Skills Check Live: The Forty-Five Drill

For our November 2020 Handbook, Richard Mann pulled together a half-dozen drills culled from some of the most renowned self-defense trainers in the industry. One of the drills Mann included was what he calls the “Forty-Five” drill, not because it’s designed for testing 1911s, but because of the various factors involved. Mann uses this drill as a standard test when he’s evaluating handguns, as it provides a practical measure of how well suited a pistol may be for self-defense.

The Forty-Five drill is so-named because it has four components, all with “five” somethings. It involves five rounds, fired in 5 seconds or less, at a 5-inch target from a distance of 5 yards. All five rounds must land inside the five-inch circle within the time limit specified to “pass” the drill. It is intended to be conducted with a concealed pistol to more accurately assess the drawstroke and target acquisition in addition to shooting speed and accuracy.

Mann assigns a point system to the drill as well, so that once you’ve mastered getting five shots on target in 5 seconds or less, you can still chart progress. Each hit (inside the circle) is worth 4 points, and your score is the total points minus the time. Mann assigns 15 points as the minimum for qualifying—which precludes misses, as you would automatically be starting with 16 points before you deduct time. For example, getting all five shots in the circle in 4 seconds even would be a 16.

The Forty-Five drill is an excellent method to assess your carry method as well as your drawstroke in conjunction with your ability to rapidly acquire a target and your shot-to-shot variability. If there are any deficiencies in any of these areas, they should become apparent quickly, and you can see where you need to devote more of your practice. Best of all, you can perform this test with a J-Frame revolver and not have to worry about a reload!

I have one too. And for $60 on Amazon (that includes shipping)  I think it’s a pretty good deal for a portable shooting bench.

MTM PREDATOR SHOOTING TABLE

This isn’t a new product by any stretch but every time I head to the range for a product review, I’m so happy I own an MTM Predator Shooting Table. Shaped like a traditional shooting bench, the table folds into a lightweight, compact package that’s easy to transport and stow in my garage. Best of all, it offers a quick, stable surface anywhere on the range or even in the field.

The 30″ tall table also has three molded-in gun barrel notches so you can stand up long guns and there are even grips for easy carrying. In addition to sighting-in and general shooting range duties, the table works well as an indoor cleaning bench to avoid having to explain why your gun solvent ate off the finish from the kitchen table.
Retail price: around $60

 

We Have Only Ourselves to Blame

David Codrea-

I am disappointedly surprised at the number of supposedly activist gun owners I see concluding the Honey Badger Intolerable Act is the fault of people “flaunting shouldering.”

First off, as I quoted here, ATF itself advised a Colorado police department:

“[W]e have determined that firing a pistol from the shoulder would not cause the pistol to be reclassified as an SBR,” ATF’s Firearms Technology Branch Chief replied. “Generally speaking, we do not classify weapons based on how an individual uses a weapon. FTB has previously determined that the firing of a weapon from a particular position, such as placing the receiver extension of an AR-15 type pistol on the user’s shoulder, does not change the classification of a weapon. Further, certain firearm accessories such as the SIG Stability Brace have not been classified by FTB as shoulder stocks and, therefore, using the brace improperly does not constitute a design change.”

Actually, that should be second off. I shouldn’t need to tell anyone here what first off should be.

I really needed to restrain myself from indulging in a stream of obscenities in this one.

BLUF:
To find out more about the Ghost Gunner and reserve their machine for a $500 deposit, readers can visit www.ghostgunner.net .

Ghost Gunner 3 CNC Machine – Defeating Gun Control One Cut at a Time

A couple of years ago, I tested out the Ghost Gunner 2 by Defense Distributed. The Ghost Gunner 2 was great for taking an 80% lower and turning it into a fully working firearm. In November of 2019 AmmoLand News reported the next GG3 would be a ground-up redesign.  So when Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed gave me the chance to review their new Ghost Gunner 3 CNC machine, I couldn’t say no. Before we get into my review of the latest Ghost Gunner, we have to talk about what it does and why it is groundbreaking.

Ghost Gunner 3 CNC Machine

To put it simply, The Ghost Gunner is a purpose-built CNC machine that lets anyone turn an 80% lower receiver into a fully working firearm. Defense Distributed designed the Ghost Gunner not only to finish 80% AR15, AR10, AR9, and AR45 lowers, but it also complete 1911 and Polymer 80 frames. In 2021 they will be releasing a cutting code for an AKM. The operator doesn’t need to have any machine skills to use the Ghost Gunner. Continue reading “”

80% Silencers, the Political Ramifications of Mass Ownership

In the first two parts of this on home made silencers series, I wrote of how we arrived at the current situation, historically, and what exists today, in terms of the technology and legal system, for individuals to make their own silencers utilizing the ATF Form 1.

Because of the tremendous bureaucratic and monetary infringements imposed by the National Firearms Act (NFA), very few form 1’s (required to legally make your own silencer, short-barreled rifle, or shotgun) were processed as late as 1990.

It took two more years, to 2016, to more than double again, to 49,985 Form 1s per year. That was the peak, so far. Record firearms sales in 2020 lead to the prediction over 50,000 Form 1’s will be processed this year. The figures for 2019 Form 1’s have not been released at this time, but should be out soon.

About 120 times as many Form 1s are being processed each year, as were being processed 30 years ago. Entire forums on the Internet trade information on what works and what doesn’t.

Forums such as silencertalk.com are potent places for political organizing.

Analysis of the ATF figures shows about 75% of the current Form 1s are for silencers. Most of the rest are for short-barrelled rifles (SBR). SBR Form 1s have probably dropped off as pistol arm braces gained popularity.

The vast increase in the number of legal silencers is altering the political and judicial landscapes.

Such visible numbers are a sign of political and judicial strength. Second Amendment supporters have every logical argument to repeal the National Firearms Act. They do not have the political support in Congress to do so…yet.

The inclusion of silencers in the NFA may be the worst public health blunder made by the Federal Government. Tens of millions of gun owners’ hearing has been adversely affected.

Two million legal silencers are merely the start. There are about 100 million firearms owners who could benefit from owning inexpensive and effective silencers in the United States. Market saturation of silencers in the United States might top out in the area of 200 million. Continue reading “”

This guy’s first time attending the shoot was in 2010, the last time I was at the range was in 2009. Of course, living down the road in Radcliff at the time as I was working at Fort Knox would tend to make a difference

KNOB CREEK SHOOT WOULD HAVE BEEN THIS PAST WEEKEND

COVID-19 has really sucked the jelly out of our donut this year with many great events canceled due to the pandemic. The latest victim, perhaps the most epic gun event of them all, is the Knob Creek machine gun shoot originally scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11.

Normally, I’d be meeting up with my friends at the event for three days of shopping, shooting and stress-release through extreme firepower. Upwards of 20,000 other folks would have been doing the same. But alas, it’s canceled so here I am, writing about it. Knob Creek Dreaming, I suppose.

Continue reading “”

Get Off My Lawn: Great WWII Guns for Home Defense

Despite all the atrocities of the Second World War, this global conflict gave our country’s fighting men and women some of the greatest individual battlefield weapons of the 20th century. While most of them have been retired from government duty by more advanced designs, these veteran World War II arms, like our Armed Forces veterans themselves, have attained a certain immortality, not only as symbols of America’s ongoing fight for freedom, but also as weapons still prized for their reliability and effectiveness.

Indeed, just as they have proven themselves on the battlefield, today these wood-and-steel World War II veterans—collectability aside—can serve in an even more personal mission of protecting our homes and families. To validate this concept, I enlisted the opinions of some of the most skilled and experienced firearms and self-defense experts I know: the instructors of Gunsite Academy.

M1 Garand, .30-’06 Sprg. loads

While the M1 Garand may not be the first choice for close-quarters home defense, it is more than up to the task, particularly where overpenetration is less of a concern. Newer factory .30-’06 Sprg. loads, such as Hornady’s Superformance, make this World War II veteran more effective for defensive purposes than ever before • This vintage M1911A1 is just as viable for home defense today as it was during World War II.

Winchester Model 97 Trench Gun

Both the solid-frame (bottom) and takedown (top) versions of the Winchester Model 97 Trench Gun were used during World War II and make for effective home-defense shotguns today.

M1 Carbine, M1 Garand

The M1 Carbine (top) and the M1 Garand (bottom) were the two most prolific American rifles of World War II, and both can be effective today as home-defense tools.

Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless, M1917 version of the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector revolver

The M1917 version of the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector revolver requires half-moon clips in order to quickly load .45 ACP rounds • This Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless is one of 40 shipped to the Government Transportation Office in 1944. Although highly collectable, it can do double-duty as a home-defense handgun when loaded with modern ammunition.

Continue reading “”

The FBI Crime Stat that Keeps Wounding Gun Control Lobby

With this week’s release of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for 2019, the gun prohibition lobby is once again faced with an uncomfortable truth: Their crusade to ban so-called “assault rifles” doesn’t pass the smell test.

Continuing a pattern that dates back decades, the number of homicides involving rifles of any kind amounts to a fraction of all the murders in any given year. By far, handguns are used in more slayings in any given year.

In 2019, according to the UCR, there were an estimated 13,927 homicides, of which 10,258 involved firearms. But the report only positively linked 364 of those slayings to rifles, and there has never been a breakdown on the types of rifles, whether they were all semi-auto, or bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action or single-shot models. Continue reading “”

Except when you have to work on one as the slide is a Chinese Puzzle.

The Walther PPK, the classic spy gun that changed the game.

A stripped Walther PPK

In 1930, a new pistol went on sale that would revolutionize the firearms world. Best known to the public these days as the “James Bond gun”, the Walther PPK was arguably the first successful handgun made for concealed carry, and its now-classic design helped to introduce a number of technical features that quickly migrated throughout the industry as it became the most copied gun in the world.

In 1958, in the pages of the newly published novel Dr. No, Ian Fleming’s fictional secret agent James Bond was called into the office of the head of MI6, who warned 007 that he had to get rid of his .25 Beretta 418 pistol or quit the Double-O section. Major Geoffrey Boothroyd, better known to cinema

“Walther PPK, 7.65 millimeters, with a delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window,” said Boothroyd in the film version. “The American CIA swears by them.”

Ever since then, the Walther PPK has been inextricably linked to Bond, but Ian Fleming’s choice wasn’t a random one. In 1956, the real Geoffrey Boothroyd, a Glasgow firearms expert, wrote to Fleming, saying that, though he enjoyed the Bond novels, he didn’t think the Beretta suited 007.

Boothroyd offered a number of suggestions. After a lot of discussion back and forth, Fleming decided to swap the Beretta for the Walther PPK, wrote the Beretta out of the series, and introduced the fictional version of Boothroyd in appreciation. Continue reading “”