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Norma is taking a unique approach to lead-free big-game bullets with EcoStrike. Beginning with a copper-alloy composition that has proven superior in terms of penetration and weight retention. The Swedish manufacturer is applying a proprietary plating that all but eliminates the problem of copper fouling. Rather than the driving bands present on some copper bullets, this tipped, boat-tail design has a slight “waist,” thus allowing displaced metal to flow and pressures to remain stable as the bullet travels through the bore. At present, EcoStrikes are available in 7x65 mm R, 7x64 mm, 7 mm Rem. Mag., .308 Win., .30-’06 Sprg., .300 Win. Mag., .300 WSM, 8x57 mm JRS, 8x57 mm JS, 9.3x62 mm and 9.3x74 mm R and will also be sold as handloading components. norma-usa.com
In 2024, former owner Gregg Ritz purchased Thompson/Center Arms. Now the company has introduced a modern take on its classic Contender/Encore concept: the ENCORE PROHunter.
While it's certainly a saturated marketplace these days, the AR-15 has never been more popular with American firearm enthusiasts, and many manufacturers are continuing to feed the need with new options loaded with new features.
Like any hobby or pastime that is in any way even vaguely related to machines or technology, firearms attract a (possibly) disproportionate number of “right-brained,” STEM-oriented personalities who like numbers.
Slingshots are fun, but they can also be a legitimate backup defensive tool—in 2023, a 13-year-old Michigan boy saved his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped by using a $3 slingshot to fire a marble and a rock at the assailant, striking him in the chest and head.