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Continuing our look at the business of the gun business, the next component to consider is how the industry’s distribution channels further obfuscate sales trends and product demand. In many industries, a lot of data is collected in the distribution channel, but in the gun business, virtually none of this information is available to industry analysts.
November 18, 2010
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In the comments section of my last blog, I was asked if I had to carry concealed when hunting. Well, the answer is no. In a lot of states, you can carry open when hunting, and in Virginia, where I currently live, open carry is completely legal.
November 17, 2010
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Over the weekend, I was pheasant hunting with a buddy down at Rose Hill Game Preserve. As always, I was carrying my Kimber in my Milt Sparks VersaMax II. The morning started cool, but as it warmed up, I had to remove a layer and ended up only covering with my upland game vest.
November 15, 2010
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What is this thing we call the shooting industry or, to put it another way, what is the business of the gun business? Unlike other industries that can be analyzed, quantified, objectified and measured, the metrics of the gun business are largely unknown. It’s amazing how mysterious the industry is when you think about it. Even an industry analyst like the Insider cannot get hold of basic data that other industries take for granted.
November 12, 2010
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One of the most difficult drills simulates clearing a stoppage with a single hand because the other hand has received an injury during a fight. However, the concept is still the same regardless of the type of stoppage; you still have to rack the slide while maintaining control over the handgun.
November 10, 2010
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“Double Tap” is a slang term that I don't believe has a precise meaning. They don't use the term at Gunsite, which has been teaching for a long time now. Most commonly, I believe it means two fast pistol shots.
November 10, 2010
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The shooting industry is moving south. Remington left New York for North Carolina, Para USA moved from Canada, USRAC shut down completely, then moved to FN’s factory, and now Olin’s Winchester ammunition factory is relocating from Illinois to Mississippi.
November 08, 2010
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Remington's recent decision to offer the public a 1911 style .45 pistol is well timed. Back in March, we passed the 99th anniversary of the official adoption of the M1911 pistol as the sidearm of the U.S. Army. Next year, we'll see the centennial of that great old classic. For a host of reasons, the 1911 is an enduring firearm. I have yet to handle a sample of the Remington version, but it looks good and the early reviews of the gun by other writers are favorable.
November 05, 2010
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Last week, I was in Kansas at the Flint Oak Hunting Club meeting with some representatives from Bushnell, Uncle Mike’s, Final Approach, Butler Creek and others. I was there to get an early look at some of the new products coming out over the next few months, though we also had opportunities to bust clays and pheasants.
November 05, 2010
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Over 20 years ago, I was just beginning to get rolling as a gunwriter. I had a couple of years behind me working for one of the smaller magazines and had just been called up to the show at one of the big books.
October 28, 2010
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The high capacity automatic pistol is now an accepted necessity in the 21st Century gun culture. While it is most commonly done in 9 mm Luger, the double-wide pistol may or may not be a necessity in the real world. That's an opinion, so we had better take a deeper look at the virtues and vices associated with this class of gun. The advantages of a high capacity magazine should be obvious, but are best summarized in Wayne Novak's words: “the reload is in the gun.” Sure, there is a great potential for misuse in a seemingly endless supply of ammunition, but the answer to that one lies in good training. It doesn't make sense for the traditionalist to condemn the pistol's capacity for potential misuse when the gun doesn't have anything to do with the way it's used. In my view, the problems associated with this class of pistol are the physical characteristics that are by-products of those two columns of cartridges.
October 26, 2010
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At this year's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Taurus introduced new variations of the Judge revolver. The Judge is the whimsical name that the Brazilian-based American gunmaker gave to their revolver that fires both .45 Colt cartridges and .410 shotgun shells.
October 25, 2010
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Quite often, I end up in discussions about both home- and self-defense with friends and even strangers because of where I work. This is obviously not a problem as these are passions of mine. Well, not long ago, I was discussing self-defense tactics with a friend and I asked him about his home-defense plan. The basic idea was: What would you do if?
October 22, 2010
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I was on the line at Gunsite with perennial shooting buddies Novak, Blumenthal and Johnston. It was an advanced class and my partners don't tend to be understanding or forgiving of screw-ups or failures that distract the class or interrupt the training. The instructors are of the same frame of mind.
October 20, 2010
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