|
|
Here's the definition, right out of the NRA Firearms Sourcebook. It is “...the minor interior diameter of a barrel that is the diameter of a circle formed by the tops of the lands.” That is the bore diameter, but groove diameter is “...the diameter of a circle circumscribed by the bottom of the grooves...”
March 15, 2011
|
|
|
A reader made a very accurate comment on my headphones blog about how distracted people become when talking on a cell phone. I personally believe that this is an understatement. There are people who don’t realize that they’re still in this world when talking or texting on a cell phone.
March 14, 2011
|
|
|
Once again the world is conspiring to humiliate the Insider. No sooner had I opined that the shooting industry is lacking in market share data than two surveys surfaced, one dedicated to “modern sporting rifles” (MSR) and another to the overall industry.
March 14, 2011
|
|
|
Currently on the second leg of my March odyssey, I'm watching Top Shot tonight with some friends in a restaurant in Fairfax Va., just down the road from NRA HQ. It feels like revisiting the scene of a crime, as last time I was here, Pete Palma joined me for the occasion, and the celebrations were a little, shall we say, spirited? Pete has since moved to Blake Miguez's stomping grounds, so he won't be able to make it for episode five of Season 2, but I'll be reporting back when he accompanies me to a 3-gun match next month. The inimitable Adam Benson is among tonight's audience however, and I know that Jermaine, George and JJ Racaza have their own viewing party tonight in Atlantic City.
March 10, 2011
|
|
|
Iain Harrison, Top Shot Season 1 Champion and AmericanRifleman.org blog contributor, was in-house earlier this week, so we convinced him to sit down in front of the camera and talk about the whole of Top Shot season 2 so far: what he liked, what he thought was different, recent eliminations and much more.
March 09, 2011
|
|
|
As the weather has warmed, I’ve started noticing more people out running and walking for exercise. While staying in shape is a good way to ensure a long healthy life, I can’t help but notice how many are committing, at least to my way of thinking, a major awareness sin.
March 08, 2011
|
|
|
If there is a pervasive trend in the development of modern handgun ammunition, it is the development of more effective personal-defense ammunition. Much of this effort can be traced to the early years of the Wondernine Wars, when various makers struggled for supremacy in building double-action 9 mm pistols. To match the guns, ammo makers focused great attention on effective 9 mm ammo that would reliably stop criminal attacks. They developed some great loads and the effort to improve continues. Eventually, these techniques were expanded to apply to all kinds of handgun bullets in many calibers. The result is handgun ammo that really does what we want it to, both in terms of penetration and expansion. This is a matter of great interest to this handgunner and I have watched over the years as handgun ammo became better for real-world effectiveness. Today's police ammunition is far better than the 200-grain lead round-nosed stuff I was issued as a rookie cop in the ‘60s.
March 08, 2011
|
|
|
Bushmaster Firearms, part of the Freedom Group of companies (along with Remington, DPMS and others) holds a 12 percent market share of modern sporting rifles (MSRs), the largest single chunk of a fragmented market. The study is based on a comprehensive 2010 market research report issued by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
March 08, 2011
|
|
|
Reality Shots once again caught up with a newly ousted Top Shot contestant this week to discuss life before, during and after the show. This time it's Maggie Reese, the final woman to be eliminated from Season 2.
March 07, 2011
|
|
|
I recall a very pleasant day at my gun club, shooting a handsome old Smith & Wesson revolver that had somehow turned out to be a commercial dud. This was sometime in the early 1980s and the gun in question—called the Model 53—had been officially discontinued in 1974. In fact, it was dead long before that, with leftover specimens languishing on dealer's shelves at pricetags that had to make you wonder. The gun was also called the .22 Centerfire Magnum, a model intended for the handgunning outdoorsman who wanted to engage small-game animals and varmints at ranges well beyond those normally associated with pistols and revolvers. It was, in short, a varminting revolver, useful at distances out to 100 yards or a little more. The thing that made this happen was a hot cartridge called the .22 Remington Jet.
March 07, 2011
|
|
|
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade association for the firearms industry, has released a 2010 market research study about AR rifle buyers, revealing a treasure trove of information about the fastest growing segment of the gun business. The study was conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys, a company specializing in recreation and sports.
March 03, 2011
|
|
|
I'm occasionally asked if the Top Shot experience did anything for me, besides the ability to buy a bit more ammo. Well, today's thrilling installment of my Season 2 review is brought to you from sunny downtown Prescott, Ariz., rather than my usual watering hole in Oregon, as this week I'm attending an industry shoot at Gunsite with the likes of Bryce Towsley and Ed Head. So yeah, there's been an entire career change in the course of a few months and to be honest, my head's still spinning. I hope that the Season 2 competitors manage to turn their appearance on the show to their advantage as like their predecessors, they're all pretty much just regular guys with a passion for the shooting sports.
March 02, 2011
|
|
|
On tonight's episode of Top Shot contestants will face off using something a little less powerful than the Springfield M1A or the Thompson submachine gun—the compound bow.
March 01, 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
American Rifleman gave its social media audience on Facebook and Twitter a chance to ask Jermaine Finks, the most recently eliminated contestant from Top Shot, questions they had about his experience on the show. Below are Jermaine's answers.
February 25, 2011
|
|
|
|
|