Category: Gun Schtuff
I don’t have a bump stock, never did, probably never will. But when bureaucraps redefine a law to suit a political agenda restricting the people’s exercise of a right, they need to get slapped down….hard.
CRPA & Allies File SCOTUS Amicus Brief in Garland v. Cargill
CRPA has joined with several other pro 2A organizations and filed a friend of the court “amicus” legal brief in Garland v. Cargill. The case is set for argument before the Supreme Court on February 28, 2024.
The Cargill case will decide whether a bump stock device is a “machinegun” as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b) because it is designed and intended for use in converting a rifle into a machinegun, i.e., into a weapon that fires “automatically more than one shot … by a single function of the trigger.”
The case is primarily about the scope of the ATF’s regulatory authority and whether it can freely change its positions and interpretations of federal law. It does not explicitly involve any Second Amendment claims. Nonetheless, our amicus brief advises the Court about the significant risk to Second Amendment rights if it rules in favor of the ATF. The ATF has shown an unfortunate willingness to reverse its opinion about the legality of a device whenever it suits the political whims of the Biden administration.
ATF did this on bump stocks, incomplete lower receivers, and pistol braces. So our amicus brief warns the Court that if it finds that a bump stock is a “machine gun,” the logical next step that ATF, or governments hostile to the Second Amendment, could pursue would be to reclassify most or all semiautomatic rifles as illegal fully-automatic machineguns because they could be converted (illegally) to fully automatic. There is support for that position in the Seventh Circuit’s recent absurd ruling upholding Illinois’s “assault weapon” ban, where it wrongly concluded that the semi-automatic AR-15 and the fully automatic M-16 were virtually indistinguishable so that semi-automatic rifles can be banned.
The amicus brief lays out a history demonstrating that Americans have always owned so-called “military” small arms, and expanding the ATF’s authority such that it believes it could regulate semiautomatic firearms would cause chaos and potentially millions of accidental criminals.
Joining CRPA on the brief are the Second Amendment Law Center, Second Amendment Defense and Education Coalition, Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, and Guns Save Life. Multiple additional briefs are expected to be filed in the next few days.
The brief urges the Supreme Court to affirm the 5th Circuit’s ruling in favor of Mr. Cargill, and to reaffirm that commonly possessed semiautomatic rifles cannot be banned. You can read the brief HERE.
The Marlin patent went public a century ago.
New Smith & Wesson Model 1894 Series Lever Guns: First Look
Smith & Wesson is proud to announce the release of its first ever series of lever-action rifles, the S&W Model 1854 Series.
.44 magnum Model 1854 Series rifles are now available through authorized dealers and have an MSRP of $1,279 and $3,499 (Limited-Edition) [the one on top].
First Shots: Ruger .45 ACP LC Carbine.
New from Ruger is a .45 ACP version of the original LC Carbine. The original LC Carbine was chambered in the small and fast 5.7x28mm. This new model retains all of the features of the gun, but is chambered in the larger and slower .45 ACP round. All the original features are still retained, including a threaded barrel and a reversible, side-folding, adjustable stock. The firearm is designed to work with 13-round Glock .45 ACP magazines,…..
The Truth Behind ‘Assault Rifles’
On any given day, you won’t be surprised to see some lawmaker calling for an assault weapon ban as part of some effort they’re trying to sell as a way to reduce violent crime.
Of course, most of these people don’t know what an assault rifle is.
If you noticed the difference in those terms, you’re a gun person. An assault rifle and an assault weapon, as people try to define them, are very different. One is already banned and the other just looks similar to the other, which makes way too many people nervous, apparently.
But these difference are often ignored, all because some want people scared.
Are “assault rifles” even a real thing?
Yes, but frequently not in the way that the term, or the slight variance of it, is used in debates over gun control, a Wyoming firearms policy expert said.
The term “assault weapons” in the popular or politicized context dates back to the 1980s as an attempt to evoke public fear and “reinvent the gun control movement,” George Mocsary told Cowboy State Daily.
Moscary is a professor of law at the University of Wyoming and director of UW’s Firearms Research Center.
Military Vs. Civilian
“Assault rifle” has a specific meaning in the military context, Mocsary said. It dates back to World War II, and is said to have been coined by none other than Adolf Hitler.
In military contexts, “assault rifle” refers to an infantry weapon that has three basic characteristics. First, it’s fed by high-capacity, detachable ammunition magazines. Second, it’s chambered for a mid-sized cartridge: larger than the ammunition for pistols and submachine guns, but smaller than cartridges for battle rifle or machine guns.
Also, the weapon features a selective fire switch. That means it can be toggled between semi-automatic fire (one shot per pull of the trigger) and fully automatic fire (once the trigger is pulled, it fires rapidly until the trigger is released or the ammunition runs out).
Some more modern military weapons also have “burst fire,” meaning about three shots are fired for every pull of the trigger.
Now, that last bit is why “assault rifles” are essentially banned. There are a few that were in civilian hands prior to 1986 and are thus available for purchase today, but not a whole lot of them.
Yet somewhere along the way, the term “assault weapon” came into being, and Moscary has commentary on how and why that happened.
The term “assault weapon” entered popular discourse in the 1980s, Mocsary said. And he contends that it was introduced deliberately in favor of more gun control.
A 2017 paper that he co-authored quotes a gun control advocate as pushing for the use of the term. A passage titled “’Assault Weapons’ – the Quintessential Demonization Campaign” argues that the term was introduced to shift the focus from handguns to semi-automatic rifles.
“In the mid-1980s, Josh Sugarmann of the Violence Policy Center found that neither Americans nor the media were interested in banning handguns,” the paper states.
Sugarmann is quoted in the paper as having said: “Assault weapons — just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms — are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons — anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun — can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.”
Mocsary said that proves the term “assault weapon” was designed to muddy the gun control debate.
Of course, absolutely no one reading this is going to be shocked by this revelation. We always knew the term “assault weapon” was being thrown around simply to make these guns sound far scarier.
Especially because it equates assault rifles with assault weapons.
In a lot of cases, “rifle” and “weapon” can be used almost interchangeably–all rifles are weapons, after all, even if all weapons aren’t necessarily rifles–which only makes it easier those trying to muddy the waters in the gun debate.
Yet here’s the thing we all need to consider. If their cause were righteous enough and backed by all the research and common sense anti-gunners claim, why would they need to resort to rhetorical tricks to get people to support banning these firearms in the first place?
Especially since assault rifles are already banned.
But anti-gunners simply want to ban as many kinds of firearms as they can. They’ll use existing bans to try and get new ones.
The push against “assault weapons” had nothing to do with how supposedly dangerous these weapons are but instead had everything to do with the fact that they were legal and could be framed to be terrifying.
“But, Tom, mass shooters use these all the time!”
No, they really don’t. Most mass shooters use handguns, which no one has any interest in banning anymore. While some might use a modern sporting rifles–none have used actual assault rifles so far as I can recall–the question that’s not being asked is how those individuals decided on those particular weapons.
I can’t help but figure that all the doom-and-gloom reporting on just how terrible these firearms actually are may have pushed many of these shooters to pick a modern sporting rifle over, say, a handgun. At least at first–and the media hysteria after shootings where they were used certainly hasn’t helped.
But no one is actually asking the question of surviving shooters, so we have nothing but supposition.
Regardless, Moscary’s underlying premise, that assault rifles are real but the term assault weapon exists to terrify people into supporting gun control remains true.
In 2016, the late Kevin O’Brien swagged it from 412 t0 660 million.
New data shows over 473 million firearms in U.S. civilian possession
NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, released the Firearm Production in the United States including the Firearm Import and Export Data 2023 Edition (reporting 2021 data) to its 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).
Key findings for public release showed:
- The estimated total number of firearms in civilian possession from 1990-2021 is 473.2 million, according to data in reports such as ATF Firearms Commerce in the United States, ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Reports and Congressional Research Service and including the collective ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report (AFMER) reports up to the 2021 edition.
- Total domestic firearm production reported in the 2021 AFMER was 12,521,614 – an increase of 28.6 percent over 2020 reported figures.
- Data indicates that 28,144,000 Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) are in circulation since 1990.
- MSR production increased 32 percent from 2020 to 2021. This increased the estimated amount of MSRs produced (since 1990) by 15 percent from 24.4 million to 28.1 million.
- In 2021, 21,037,810 total firearms were made available for the U.S. market, which includes firearms that were domestically produced plus those imported, minus exported firearms. Of those, 12,799,067 were handguns, 4,832,198 were rifles and 3,406,545 were shotguns.
- An interim 2022 estimate showed a total of 11,217,388 total firearms were domestically produced. Of those 6,148,877 were pistols, 830,800 were revolvers, 3,575,322 were rifles and 662,389 were shotguns. Those are interim reports and will be updated when complete reports are available from the ATF.
- Firearm and ammunition manufacturing accounted for over 12,400 employees producing over $5.6 billion in goods shipped in 2021.
- From 1990 to 2021, 254,753,372 firearms have been made available to the U.S. market.
“This report demonstrates the strength and durability of the U.S. firearm manufacturing sector and the U.S. firearm sales markets,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO.
“The data continues to show that the Modern Sporting Rifle is the most popular centerfire rifle sold in America today with over 28.1 million in circulation and being used for lawful purposes every day. The continued popularity of handguns demonstrates a strong interest by Americans to protect themselves and their homes, and to participate in the recreational shooting sports.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUN OWNERS FILE LAWSUIT CHALLENGING COLORADO’S “GHOST GUN” BAN
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners [RMGO], Colorado’s only no-compromise gun rights lobby, announced Monday that they have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Colorado’s newly enacted homemade firearm ban, Senate Bill 23-279. The federal court lawsuit aims to overturn the ban, which infringes on Second Amendment rights.
Three members of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, along with the National Association for Gun Rights, joined as plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ban on the ground that it infringes their right to keep and bear arms.
“This law is an outright assault on the constitutional rights of peaceable Coloradans. It’s not just an overreach; it’s a direct defiance to our Second Amendment freedoms,” Rhodes stated. “We believe that this law, much like others that attempt to restrict gun rights, will not stand up under scrutiny, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Bruen.”
The lawsuit specifically references the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which set a precedent that any gun control law must be consistent with the nation’s history and tradition of firearms regulation. Bruen prohibits judges from giving any credence to government arguments that the benefits of a firearm regulation outweigh the burden on citizen’s constitutional rights.
Gun Sales Rise at the End of 2023
The last three months of 2023 reversed a years-long downward trend in gun-related background checks.
The 2023 fourth quarter saw a 4.6 percent increase in sales run through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) compared to a year earlier, according to an industry report released on Wednesday. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s trade group, said adjusted NICS numbers indicated there were more than 4.7 million gun sales from October through December. It reported nearly 1.8 million in December 2023 alone, a 1.6 percent increase over 2022.
“Americans showed they want their Second Amendment rights by the millions – once again,” Mark Oliva, an NSSF spokesperson, said in a statement. “These are solid figures that reflect the mood of Americans and the desire to exercise Second Amendment rights.”
The numbers further bolster the idea there has been a rebound in gun sales after nearly three years of continuous decline from unprecedented peaks in 2020. Demand for firearms tends to surge and decline around significant news events, especially ones that drive people to consider arming themselves for protection. The chaos of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the riots that followed caused people from across the demographic spectrum to buy guns in 2020, but demand slowly dissipated in the years that followed as industry members and watchers alike looked for signs of a new demand floor.
In the past, the post-surge demand for guns has leveled out above the pre-surge demand. With NICS checks and major gun company sales back on the rise, the same could be happening now. While NSSF’s report shows a decline in sales throughout 2023, the number of firearms sold was still higher than any year before 2020. And the fourth quarter sales jump gives the gun market momentum headed into 2024, a year with a presidential election that’s likely to boost demand for guns.
“In December alone, nearly 1.8 million times, Americans purchased a firearm at retail,” Oliva said. “That was a strong finish to cap off the 15.8 million times Americans did the same thing throughout the year. These figures are a reminder of the importance law-abiding citizens place on their personal safety and freedoms, even as the Biden-Harris administration is using a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to chill and ultimately eliminate those rights.”
There is no way to track gun sales on a one-to-one basis, and the NSSF analysis of NICS numbers provides an incomplete view of the market. However, NICS checks are widely considered to be a strong indicator of gun sales because they are required on all sales between licensed dealers and customers. Some states also require used gun sales between private citizens to be transferred through dealers so they can be subject to an NICS check.
Still, not every gun sale is reflected in the NICS numbers. For instance, not all states require private used sales go through dealers, and many states allow those with concealed carry permits to bypass NICS checks during sales because they passed one to obtain the license in the first place. NICS checks can also be conducted for reasons other than gun sales, such as the aforementioned carry permits.
In fact, states like Illinois re-check all of their gun permit holders through the system every month. Those additional investigations add a considerable number of NICS checks to the total for a given month, quarter, or year. The NSSF attempts to strip out all the checks in the NICS reports that aren’t related to gun sales. In its December report, the NSSF identified nearly a million NICS checks that weren’t associated with gun sales–more than a third of all checks.
ARKANSAS GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS TO JOIN NSSF’S GOVERNORS’ FORUM AT SHOT SHOW 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomes Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to join NSSF’s 3rd Annual Governors’ Forum at SHOT Show® 2024. Gov. Huckabee Sanders joins six other state governors to discuss the importance of the firearm industry to their states, Second Amendment rights of their citizens and their insights to challenges and opportunities ahead for gun rights in the United States.
Confirmed for the Governors’ Forum is (in alphabetical order of states):
Arkansas – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Idaho – Governor Brad Little
Montana – Governor Greg Gianforte
Nebraska – Governor Jim Pillen
Nevada – Governor Joe Lombardo
Oklahoma – Governor Kevin Stitt
Wyoming – Governor Mark Gordon
When both Massad & Clint advise such, well……
The Primary Reason to Carry a Spare Magazine
There are several debates that endlessly rage in the firearms community, and one specific to concealed carry is whether or not to wear a spare magazine on your person when you are armed. A strong argument can be made that reloads virtually never happen in civilian self-defense, as the typical protocol seems to be people shoot until empty and then break contact. If the defender starts shooting, the criminal element most often becomes late for a different appointment. Therefore, in the vast majority of civilian defensive gun use, we don’t see reloads.
Still, this author leans towards having and not needing rather than needing and not having. I almost always carry a reload. I can confidently say that many people I know and respect who carry all the time do not carry a reload, while others do. Therefore, it is impossible to suggest the right thing to do here. The chance of needing the gun on any given day is slim, and the chance of needing to reload it in a fight is minuscule. However, concealed carriers opt to go prepared rather than just rely on statistical probabilities.
Historically, low-capacity handguns and no reloads on-person seem to have most often been all that is required to get the civilian self-defender out of trouble. This will probably continue to be the case most of the time. What about the minority of the time? With an undeniable increase in mob violence that involves multiple assailants, as well as an increase in active killer attacks, which have proven to demand distance shooting and a significant amount of rounds fired to neutralize the threat, carrying a reload makes more and more sense.
Even here, though, the most pressing reasons to carry a reload are seldom discussed. Consider the following more likely reasons that may warrant a second magazine:
The Magazine Can Go Missing
Yes, you read that correctly; a magazine can go missing. Especially during the stress and chaos of a fight. How does a magazine go missing? You inadvertently eject it out of the gun. If that happens, would you prefer to reload with the second magazine on your belt or in your pocket, or would you rather search around on the ground for the one you dropped while violence is occurring? According to my way of thinking, this is the primary reason to carry a reload.
Many will declare that they have never dropped a magazine unintentionally, so why discuss it? Those who say this have probably never shot beyond a flat range’s predictable comfort and casual atmosphere. I was at an IDPA match years ago when a competitor, who was a good shooter and an active duty cop, accidentally ejected his magazine from his Smith and Wesson M&P twice during a single stage. After the stage, he told me that he had fired thousands of rounds through that gun, and that had never happened before. I asked him how many matches he shot with the gun, to which he replied that this was his first. Thus, even the stress and faster pace of a match induced malfunctions that this shooter never before experienced. Do you suppose that in the stress of a fight, you might do something differently compared to what you have done only at the range?
Beyond just the always-present possibility of dumping the magazine due to stress-induced mishandling of the gun, environmental factors can come into play. I know of an instance in which a police officer experienced the base plate of the magazine in the gun getting ripped off by the seatbelt as he hastily exited the vehicle. This is less likely to happen to a gun under concealment, but there are other factors as well. I have seen people draw their guns at the range, and the magazine immediately hit the ground because it became unseated while in the holster because the release button got bumped. It can happen.
Contact Distance Fighting
Anyone who has done force-on-force training fighting with simmunitions guns knows how easily they can malfunction when in a contact distance fight. Admittedly, sims guns malfunction more easily than real guns of a quality make. Still, the magazine is often ejected during a struggle. In a real contact distance fight, this is of high likelihood. If you are in a fight and break free of the attacker, you now may be holding a gun with only a single round in it, if not empty. Being able to reload from the belt or pocket is a much better solution than searching around on the ground for a dropped magazine.
While a gun with no reload on body will likely do what is needed if you face violence, a reload may make all the difference, should the unlikely event become even more unlikely. Like the gun itself, the reload is something to have and not need rather than need and not have.
This is over a year old, but still on point.
Meet Shirley: The .22LR built for the year 2022 from Cottage Arms on Vimeo.
So you’ve just bought an AR-15. Now what?
Consumer demand can be a fickle friend to businesses that stock firearms. While overall gun sales have remained brisk since I entered the industry as a custom manufacturer and gunsmith in 2009, interest in specific firearm types tends to ebb and flow. As a result, a gun shop can easily get caught between having stagnant inventory that suddenly fell out of favor and not having enough of the latest, high-demand firearms. However, two categories that remain fairly constant are concealed-carry handguns and AR-style rifles (or large-format pistols). We’ll focus on the AR-15-style firearms here.
The modular, utilitarian design of ARs (and similar platforms) is near the top of a long list of factors that drive the platform’s popularity. Home defense, hunting, emergency preparedness, target shooting and competition are the most common intended uses I hear from customers, in that order. If you’re a new member of the modern sporting rifle (MSR) club, welcome aboard. Your next logical step is to become intimately familiar with your AR, before you dump a bunch of money into accessories that marketing gurus guarantee will make you the envy of the range.
If you left the gun shop with an armload of extra gear, that’s OK. But before you accessorize your new purchase into something that’s no longer fun to carry, it will help your long game to focus on the basics. The prevalence of basic operation and maintenance questions from my customers demonstrates that an early emphasis on those topics is a critical part of new MSR owners’ first steps.
Improve Your Shooting: The 50-Round Skill Sustainment Course of Fire
In case you didn’t already know it, if you don’t continue to shoot over time, you will slowly lose your shooting skills. Ammunition is more reasonable that it was a couple of years ago, but you still want to make the most of your training dome and dollars. How do you maintain your skill set without burning through a lot of ammunition? Simple: take your time and make every shot a count.
Dry fire practice at home is a great way to keep your skills sharp. If you add a Mantis X training system, that’s even better. Travis Pike gave the Mantis five stars and Jeremy gave it four. Yes, it runs over $200 or about the price of 250 rounds of 9mm ammo. I haven’t formally reviewed my own personally-owned unit, in part because I haven’t used it as much as I’d like yet. At the same time I’ve used it enough that I strongly recommend it for new and experienced shooters alike.
Even at that, though, no matter how much dry fire and Mantis X practice you complete, everyone needs real, live-fire handgun practice.
Here’s a suggested fifty-round course of fire to maintain keep the skill sets you’ve acquired through past training and practice sharp. You should use something small, like a 3×5 index card or a 3″ circle at three to five yards.
Remember, aim small miss small. If you keep all fifty rounds on the target, move back to ten or fifteen yards and repeat (if you have enough gun food). Continue reading “”
Notice, ‘locally made submachineguns’
4 Terrorists Killed in Samaria Gunfight; IDF Soldier Wounded
Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed four Palestinian terrorists during a raid overnight Monday in the village of Azzun, near Qalqilya in Samaria.
Troops from the 8211th Reserves Battalion were shot at from a house in the village and returned fire, eliminating the terrorists, according to the IDF.
One Israeli soldier was moderately wounded during the gun battle.
Following the exchange, troops confiscated three locally made submachine guns from the home.
In other raids across Judea and Samaria, Israeli troops arrested seven wanted terror suspects and confiscated weapons.
Since the start of the war against Hamas on Oct. 7, 2,550 wanted individuals have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including 1,300 Hamas members.
The operations come amid unrelenting Palestinian attacks in the territories.
Two Israelis were wounded Sunday in a stabbing attack at the Mishor Adumim industrial zone, located east of Jerusalem in Judea.
Magen David Adom paramedics treated the victims, both security guards, at the scene before evacuating them, fully conscious and in stable condition, to the capital’s Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus.
MDA said one of the victims, a 24-year-old woman, was in good-to-moderate condition, while the other, a man in his 20s, sustained minor wounds in the attack.
A day earlier, an Israel Defense Forces soldier was seriously injured in a vehicular assault near the al-Fawwar camp, located south of Hebron in Judea.
The victim, a reserve soldier from the IDF’s 7018th Battalion, was treated on the scene before being evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva.
That attack took place close to where five Israeli soldiers were injured, including one seriously, in a similar car-ramming Friday.
Colt CZ Group SE Acquires Czech Ammunition Manufacturer Sellier & Bellot
Colt CZ Group SE (“Colt CZ”, the “Group” or the “Company”) hereby announces that on December 18, 2023, it executed an agreement with CBC Europe S.à r.l. (“CBC”) to purchase 100% interest in Sellier & Bellot a.s. (“Sellier & Bellot”).
Colt CZ shall acquire 100% of shares of Sellier & Bellot for the combination of the cash consideration in the amount of $350 million and a new issue of Colt CZ common stock leading to a 27–28% CBC’s stake in the share capital of Colt CZ Group post transaction. The final number of CBC shareholding in Colt CZ Group will be determined depending on the audited financial results of both companies for the year 2023. The acquisition will be financed through a combination of the Company’s existing cash resources and debt financing. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in various countries and is expected to close in the first half of 2024.
“We are proud to welcome one of the oldest and most important producers of small caliber ammunition, Sellier & Bellot, to Colt CZ Group. This acquisition fits into our long-term strategy to expand not only in our core segment of small arms, but also in related areas, with ammunition being a natural complement to our products.
We look forward to working with the management of Sellier & Bellot, its employees, partners, and customers, as well as the new opportunities that the connection with Sellier & Bellot will undoubtedly bring to our entire Group,” said Jan Drahota, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Colt CZ Group. “We are pleased that CBC believes in our story and our strategy and is to become the second largest shareholder of Colt CZ Group,” added Jan Drahota.
“The successful contribution of one of CBC Global Ammunition Group’s flagship companies to Colt CZ Group in exchange for a significant shareholding marks the starting point of an impactful strategic collaboration. We are convinced of Colt CZ management’s long-term vision and believe the transaction will lead to remarkable value creation between the ammunition and firearms segments.
Our subsidiary Magtech Ammunition will continue to serve as the dedicated sales entity for Sellier & Bellot products in the United States. This ensures exceptional customer service and reliable distribution to further preserve Sellier & Bellot’s trajectory of growth in the most relevant ammunition market,” comments Fabio Mazzaro, CFO of CBC Global Ammunition LLC.
“I am delighted that Sellier & Bellot, after many successful years in the CBC Group, will become part of Colt CZ Group, which has Czech roots and, at the same time, an international presence. We are convinced that the connection with Colt CZ Group will bring a great future for Sellier & Bellot. We will continue to build our traditional brand and work closely with the Colt CZ Group team in developing our products to deliver the best solutions to our customers,” said Radek Musil, CEO of Sellier & Bellot.
Sellier & Bellot is a traditional Czech ammunition manufacturer which ranks among the oldest engineering companies in the Czech Republic and worldwide. The company’s products have been manufactured under its trademark since 1825. The company’s product portfolio includes a wide range of hunting and sporting ammunition and components for pistols and revolvers, rifles, shotguns and rimfire cartridges. Sellier & Bellot is also a major supplier of small caliber ammunition to military and law enforcement customers worldwide. The company has approximately 1,600 employees and operates its main production facility in Vlašim, Czech Republic.
CBC Global Ammunition LLC and CBC Europe S.à r.l. are the holding entities for a group of companies internationally active in the ammunition sector: CBC Brazil, Magtech Ammunition, MEN, SinterFire, New Lachaussée and Fritz Werner. Together, this strategic alliance forms one of the largest ammunition corporations in the world, with a combined experience of more than 300 years in the manufacturing of small and medium calibers.
While it was developed for Naval boarding use (as unintended holes in ship hulls are a bad thing) and CQB practice on close range steel targets, I use ‘RRLP’ frangible for home defense in my AR. For everything else it’s modern jhp of one brand or the other.
Would You Trust Frangible Ammunition in Your EDC Gun?
Retired U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Paul Lemke founded the company now known as Inceptor Ammunition in 2012. Lemke’s goal was to create innovative frangible ammunition with a twist to differentiate their products from the then-current industry offerings.
The majority of frangible ammunition companies today use a sintered copper-tin combination in their bullets, but Inceptors are different. Theirs are made with a proprietary copper-polymer compound. The use of polymer as a binding agent is certainly unique and may well give the bullets something more thanks to its toughness and viscoelasticity.
According to Lemke, “Combining [our production] capabilities and know-how with the inherent advantages of injection molding has resulted in ammunition that is true revolutionary in a 140-year-old industry that has seen relatively little innovation in materials, design and manufacturing processes.”
That ammunition is offered in a variety of calibers including their new .223 Remington 35 grain ARX and 10mm 90 grain ARX. Other options include the usual ammunition suspects from 9mm 65 grain ARX to .45 ACP 118 grain ARX. There’s also a +P option for 9mm fans. (And, of course, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .380 ACP, and so on.)
Over the years I’ve used various calibers of Inceptor on paper, steel, and a variety of game and varmints. Last winter I dropped a mature Whitetail doe using their 10mm and used the same caliber on a badger. Feral hogs have also been fair game, right on up to a 225-pound boar with awesome cutters.
On paper, using the Ruger SR1911 10mm with a rest, I had a best five-shot group of 1.66” at 25 yards; with the Gen 5 GLOCK 17, Inceptor’s 65-grain 9mm rounds tore ragged single-hole five-shot groups shooting off-hand between 7 and 10 yards. Suffice to say, Inceptor’s line has become well worth the attention.
So, why am I here now? Because frangible ammunition is perhaps the least-understood and most ignored slice of the ammunition market. Ballistics have come a ridiculously long way over the years; the frangibles of today are not the frangibles of the past.
Bullets that fragment on impact with objects harder than themselves? That’s my idea of awesome. Don’t believe it? I’ve fired frangibles at AR500 steel plates from 18” away (not saying you should try that, but if you do, please be sure you’re wearing eyes and ears). That’s not an exercise I would ever repeat with standard FMJs or HPs.
It’s not only for steel and does far more than group well on paper. Inceptor is made for hunting and, yes, self-defense. In fact, the double-stack .45 ACP sitting beside me right at this moment is loaded with Inceptor Ammunition. It’s grown on me and earned its place through a lot of shots fired down-range.
Good enough for your EDC gun
Greatest Defensive Semi-Automatic Shotguns
While many solid options exist for a semi-auto scattergun to fill the home-defense role, here are three of the author’s favorites
Anytime you read “greatest,” “best” or “top” in a gun article, you can generally assume what follows will be filled with opinion. So, here’s my opinion of what I believe to be the best semi-automatic shotguns ever made for home defense.
Remington VersaMax Competition
In 2010, Remington engineered a gas action that is so simple it’s genius. Rather than using a mechanical gas regulator to cycle the action via two ports in the chamber—ports that easily get clogged—Remington added seven ports in the chamber so that the longer the shell, the more ports it covers up, thereby effectively regulating the gas pressure without adding any mechanical parts. I believe it is one of the most reliable and recoil-mitigating pure-gas actions ever invented.
Around this action Remington designed a gun that has every feature I want in a defensive gun, but none I do not. (To be clear, it made a similar version called the VersaMax Tactical, but I like the nearly identical Competition model slightly more.) The Competition model weighs nearly 8 pounds and has a 22-inch barrel. It comes with an eight-round magazine and a two-round extension, so it holds a total of 11, 12-gauge shells.
What I like most about it is its rubberized stock that features a super-soft buttpad and a gel-comb insert that does wonders for taming kick. Its receiver features oversize controls (bolt handle, action-release button and safety). Some of Benelli’s design influence is evident in its magazine-cutoff switch, trigger guard style and stock-adjusting shim kit, and I’m glad Remington chose this design to emulate.
I think it has the best sights of any shotgun on the market: A fiber-optic front bead combined with a shallow, express-style V-notch rear give it the best of both worlds. It is unobtrusive enough that I can hit running targets with it, but accurate enough for slugs at distance.
In sum, it’s my favorite do-it-all shotgun ever made. It points so well and has such mild recoil, I have actually taken it to the clays range by choice; other than the extended magazine, it fits right in. Its downside? Due to Remington’s recent demise (and reincarnation as Rem Arms), it was discontinued a few years ago. But, you can still find one online for around $1,350. If you don’t have one, I’d buy one now.
Benelli M3 Tactical
Benelli’s defensive dynamo is a top-end, semi-automatic that also comes with an emergency switch. In normal times, when shooting standard or heavy loads, the M3’s inertial, semi-automatic action functions flawlessly. But, when reduced-recoil loads or less-lethal options need to be manually chambered and extracted—or if you failed to clean the gun after a year at sea—the shooter can simply twist a collar mounted under the fore-end cap. This minimal movement unlocks the fore-end and engages the action rods of the pump system, instantly converting the M3 into a pump-action. Returning the control disengages the action bars, locks the fore-end in place and allows the inertia recoil system to function as a semi-automatic. Tell me this isn’t slick.
It wears a 19.75-inch barrel and features a pistol-grip stock. Unlike most Benelli inertia-action guns, the M3’s recoil-return spring is located ahead of the receiver around the magazine tube, so a spring tube in the buttstock isn’t needed. This allows the stock to be swapped for a folding or collapsing style if the user so chooses.
This M3 is often forgotten because the M4 won a military contract and became so popular, but I think the M3 might be the greatest combat shotgun ever made. Its downside? Most models I’ve seen at retail don’t come with an extended magazine tube, so you’ll likely have to buy one and install it (not a difficult task). I also don’t love ghost-ring sights, but they can be easily replaced. As for speed and reliability, however, it simply can’t be beaten because it’s both a semi and a pump.
In my opinion, it doesn’t handle quite as softly or as intuitively as the VersaMax or Beretta’s 1301 (I wouldn’t take this gun to the clays range), mainly because its stock is more of a tactical style, but then again, the VersaMax can’t turn into a pump with a flick of a switch. MSRP for the M3 Tactical is $1,599.
Beretta 1301 Tactical
Beretta’s excellent 1301 BLINK system is an ultra-fast cycling, self-regulating action that is reliable and very good at recoil mitigation. When combined with Beretta’s useful tactical features—such as the seven- round extended magazine, oversize controls and an 18.5-inch barrel, you get a shotgun that’s fit for just about any Special Forces team on the planet. What I like about it most is that Beretta’s tried-and-true stock dimensions, including the important drop-at-comb measurement, tend to fit most people well, thereby mitigating recoil and making the gun easy to shoot intuitively.
The 1301, like the VersaMax, is another example of a tactical shotgun I could take to the skeet range and shoot a 24 with. What does this have to do with defensive applications? If you can hit fast and tiny flying targets consistently with a shotgun almost subconsciously, then slow, man-size targets become easy. It’s available with a traditional buttstock or a one that has a pistol grip.
As for my perceived negatives, I am not a big fan of the ghost-ring sights, but again, I may be in the minority on this point. Additionally, I can easily replace them with a Big Dot from
XS Sights.
If you asked me what shotgun I like better, the Remington VersaMax or Beretta 1301, I’d probably go with the Remington for the feel of its rubbery stock, its sights and its larger magazine. Then again, the VersaMax is discontinued, so replacement parts and service for it might be difficult to find. The 1301 from the world’s oldest firearms manufacturer, on the other hand, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Pricing on the 1301 starts around $1,700, with options, color variations and configurations adding to the cost.
Fifth Circuit Denies ATF’s Request For Stay on the Districts Courts FRT Injunction
After what seems like a year of defeats for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the courts, the ATF keeps losing. This time, it is forced reset triggers (FRT).
The case, National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) v. Merrick Garland, was filed by Rare Breed Triggers and NAGR in a Texas Federal District Court challenging the ATF’s opinion that forced reset triggers such as the Rare Breed FRT-15 are machine guns. The ATF has been sending out letters to and visiting owners of the triggers demanding that the users turn over the items to the ATF or face possible charges for violating the National Firearms Act of 1934. At least three people have been charged with NFA violations for having FRTs. A conviction for violating the NFA could carry a penalty of up to ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Federal District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled in early October that the plaintiffs had proven that they were likely to succeed on the merits of the case. Judge O’Connor issued a preliminary injunction (PI) barring the ATF from taking enforcement actions over forced reset triggers. The ATF appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and asked the court to stay the lower court’s decision.
The Fifth Circuit has now reviewed the ATF’s motion and denied the requested stay, meaning the injunction will remain in place for now, protecting the public from the ATF taking enforcement actions over Rare Breed’s FRT-15. The Circuit Court believed the defendants didn’t meet the requirements for a stay on the injunction.
Remington Finally Says Goodbye to Its Ilion, New York Production Facility
It’s been a very long time coming, but yesterday’s announcement by RemArms, LLC that it will close its Remington Arms production facility in Ilion, New York shouldn’t really have surprised anyone. Company CEO Ken D’Arcy said they’ll be consolidating their operations and headquarters at a new location in LaGrange, Georgia. That means the closure of America’s oldest firearms manufacturing facility next year.
Here’s Remington’s press release . . .
The iconic Remington Firearms brand was founded in 1816, and today Remington Firearms (RemArms) operates as one of the United States’ largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth R. D’Arcy today announced that RemArms, America’s oldest firearms brand, will consolidate its firearms operations in LaGrange, Georgia. This will align all firearms manufacturing with our planned global headquarters and world class R&D facility in Georgia, which supports and welcomes the firearms industry.
“We are deeply saddened by the closing of the historic facility in Ilion. We have a dedicated workforce at the Ilion facility, but maintaining and operating those very old buildings is cost prohibitive, and NY’s legislative environment remains a concern for our industry. In the coming months, we expect to be working with our Ilion employees and their representative on transition issues.” said Ken D’Arcy, RemArms CEO.
The move is no doubt sad and difficult for the upstate New York town and the remaining Remington workers there, but leaving Ilion has made good business sense for a very long time.
Remington has been transitioning production and other functions away from Ilion for years, long before the bankruptcy and the formation of RemArms, LLC. After New York rammed through the laughably-named SAFE Act into law in 2013 after Sandy Hook, Remington reacted entirely rationally to the hostile business environment. They opened a new facility in Huntsville, Alabama in 2014 that will continue to operate there as the company expands operations in LaGrange.
I’ve been to the Ilion plant. It’s ancient by any moden manufacturing standards, with production broken up among multiple buildings and floors. Maintaining that facility and trying to compete with the inherently higher costs involved just doesn’t make sense. Add to that the fact that New York government has made it abundantly clear that firearms businesses aren’t welcome in the state and it isn’t difficult to justify the move.