Downrange: 06/03
HESTON STEPS DOWN. At the NRAs annual convention in Orlando April 26-27, Charlton Heston stepped down as the groups president. Unquestionably, Hestons celebrity helped amplify the NRAs gun-rights message and put supporters in Congress and the White House.
As the NRAs public face for five years, he successfully steered the organization through several public-relations disasters involving shootings, and he won wide favor with fellow celebrities and politicians. For example, as part of his going-away event, country music singer Toby Keith performed in Orlando, and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gave the conventions keynote speech.
It helped the NRA immeasurably to have Charlton He...
Firing Line: 06/03
The Unsung CZ
Re May 2003, Fine .22 Rifles - We Like The Anschutz 1710 Bolt Action:
I thoroughly enjoyed the .22-caliber reviews of the Cooper, Anschutz, and CZ 451. Yes, we would all like to have the Cooper or Anschutz, but being practical, the CZ is more likely what we will end up with. I was not surprised to see the results of the CZ, however. I own a CZ 452 in .22 LR, and using Federal Gold Medal Ultra-Match ammo, I consistently have one-hole groups. To date, my smallest group measured 0.258 inch, and one-hole groups 0.5 inches or smaller are commonplace. This rifle is woefully under publicized, though it is stiff competition for rifles costing four to five times as mu...
Downrange: 05/03
JUNK LAWSUITS UNDER REVIEW. Congress is considering legislation that will stop lawsuits holding companies in the firearms industry responsible for the criminal misuse of legally sold guns. Forty-six Democrats are among 247 House members who originally co-sponsored H.R. 1036, introduced by Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns. And there are 52 co-sponsors of Senate bill 659, introduced last week by Idaho Senator Larry Craig, including nine Democrats with Minority Whip, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, among them. We strongly urge interested firearms enthusiasts and those who make a living from the responsible and safe use of firearms to write and call their representative in the House and...
Firing Line: 05/03
.380 Auto History
Re April 2003, Pocket Pistol Pair-Off: We Test A Set of .380 Surplus Handguns:
I just received my latest issue of Gun Tests and read with interest the test on the .380s, as my brother swears by his Mustang Pocketlite and as I was the original owner of the Firearms International gun you tested.
With regard to the FI, it was in fact an FIE/Garcia Model D, which I purchased new in the 1977-1979 time period. At the time, gun writers were stating, right or wrong, that Colt had contracted with Garcia to manufacture a prototype of a .380 that Colt was supposedly to be considering marketing as the Colt Pony. From all reports at the time, Colt reconsidered and...
Downrange: 04/03
BIG GUN, BIG NEWS. Smith & Wesson caused quite a stir when it unveiled its Model 500 five-shot revolver chambered for the new Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum cartridge. Anti-gun groups denounced the handgun as too powerful; it fires a round producing about three times the muzzle energy of a .44 magnum. Orlando-based TV crews scrambled to get pictures of it on the network feeds, even though area law-enforcement officials told them the 4.5-pound hunting firearm, introduced at the February SHOT Show, was hardly the sort of thing criminals would tote around. Then, Illinois Congressman Danny Davis made the curious observation that no one hunts deer with a handgun.
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GUN TES...
Firing Line: 04/03
Mikes Truck Gun
Re February 2003, Mikes Ultimate Truck Gun:
The article on Mikes Truck Gun caught my eye. About 15 years ago Marlin made a rifle exclusively for K-Mart called the 30TK. It is almost identical. It had an 18-inch barrel, two-thirds length magazine tube, straight stock and lever and permanently attached sling swivels. Came with a camo sling. I purchased one, put a Williams peep on and have used it since. Very handy indeed.
-Robert Kellner
@hotmail.com
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Sig-Mauser M2 .45 Auto
Re February 2003, 9mm Carbines: We Would Buy Kel-Tecs Sub 2000":
Okay, so you didnt like my 9m Leinad Cobray; and you did like the Kel-Tec Sub 20...
Downrange: 03/03
FINGERPRINTING GUNS NOT SO EASY. In a report to Californias legislature, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer acknowledges his Department of Justice finds technical limitations and a poor success rate in its attempts to expand ballistic imaging technology, designed to identify individual firearms found at crime scenes, into a database encompassing non-crime firearms.
The California Department of Justices own Bureau of Forensic Services used fewer than 800 semi-automatic handguns to test the system, and its experts discovered failure rates as high as 62.5 percent in attempts to match cartridge components with the handguns that fired them. Each year, according to the attorney gen...
Firing Line: 03/03
Sub Problems
Re February 2003, 9mm Carbines: Kel-Tecs Sub Rifle 2000 Is Affordable, Reliable and Totally Trick:
I read your article regarding the Sub 2000. I have to admit that it is an interesting gun, but I did have problems with mine. I shot it at the range with both Cor-Bon 9mm HP +P and Winchester WinClean. I had multiple failures to feed. The rounds would cock at a 45-degree angle (the bottom lip of the chamber would then take a bite out of the side of the round) or it would jam the bottom edge of the bullet straight into the bottom lip of the chamber and cram the bullet further into the cartridge. It did this with both types of ammo in the supplied magazine, Beret...
Downrange: 02/03
THE NUTTY NINTH CIRCUIT: For better or worse, it seems that the issue of individual gun rights might be headed for a Supreme Court showdown.
The reason: Before Christmas, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals made a reasoned, if mistaken, argument that put the California court at odds with the Fifth Circuit, which held last year in U.S. v. Emerson that the Second Amendment does, in fact, protect an individuals right to firearms.
The Ninth Circuits decision came in a case called Silveira v. Lockyer, which pitted nine plaintiffs against the state of California, which a decade ago banned assault weapons. But the law made an exception for individuals who owned such weapons...
Firing Line: 02/03
Intimidation Factor
Re December 2002, Entry-Type AR-15s-Is One of These Rifles For You?:
Id like to highlight your comment about the Mini-14 being less intimidating than AR-15s. I own a Mini-14, and out here in California, where you cant buy AR-styles exactly because they are more intimidating and imposing, the Mini-14 is a great choice if you want to avoid the possibility of your neighbors branding you the guy with the assault rifle. Though a Mini-14 out of the box might not be the most accurate weapon in this class, its reliable, breaks down into a handful of large parts with no tools for quick cleaning, and the fit and finish are outstanding. Its a pure joy to own...
Downrange: 01/03
TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS? If you had wondered if Smith & Wesson could recover from its troubles and travails, perhaps an advance look at one of the companys 2003 product introductions might suggest the company is returning to good health:
The SW99 line will be expanded with the addition of a full-size .45 ACP pistol and two compacts. The .45 ACP SW99 pistol will feature a 4.25-inch barrel, 9 + 1 capacity, and weigh 25.6 ounces. The compacts will be available in a 9mm and .40 S&W version. All these SW99s will feature interchangeable backstraps, interchangeable front sights and adjustable rear sights. From our perspective, the most interesting of these guns will be the SW1911, a 191...
Downrange: 12/02
NATIONAL AMMO DAY. A grass-roots activist who coined the idea for National Ammo Day says hes hopeful about the results of what he calls a BUYcott.
Kim du Tuit is a self-employed database management consultant living near Dallas, and he had the idea that hunters and shooters nationwide should pick up an extra 100 rounds of ammunition last month on November 19. He says he had nothing to gain from the idea, except that he wanted to send a message to people trying to infringe on his rights by encouraging an increase in the sales of ammunition on that day.
On his website, Mr. Du Tuit wrote, There are an estimated 75 million gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun...
