Viewpoints

The Texas Department of Public Safety has begun an investigation into a central-Texas concealed-carry-instructor who said in a recent radio advertisement that he wouldn’t teach the handgun course to a “socialist liberal,” people who voted for the “current campaigner-in-chief,” or to a “non-Christian Arab or Moslem.”

Over the past few months weve been testing a product that one of our readers suggested to us. The product is called NanoLube, and its a registered trademark of the NanoLube, Inc., company, with website at www.DiamondLube.com. The product is a combination of incredibly small, 0.1 to 4 nanometer, rounded diamonds in suspension in a light 5W oil. The tiny synthetic diamonds are spherical, not jagged, and once they are embedded into the base material of whatever youre trying to lubricate, they provide a slick surface with greatly reduced friction. So says DiamondLube Treatment Systems inventor, Chris Arnold.The evidence given by the reader and by the manufacturer fired our interest. The testimonials in favor of this product are many and varied. One stunning example was a video of two bearings side by side, one of which had normal oil and the other, NanoLube. The two bearings were spun by a blast of air, and then allowed to coast to a stop. The NanoLubed bearing spun far longer than the other. There are many testimonials of the use of this product on the company website, including its use in the bearings of over-the-road tractor-trailer drivers, who have seen significant improvements in longevity of their trucks as well as better mileage. Some of the companys claims and testimonials were in this products use on firearms. These included drastic reduction of trigger pulls, better function of semiauto handguns, and slicking of the bore that made cleaning the barrel easier.To assess these claims for what we considered to be a rather costly product, we obtained two samples from the maker. One was called NanoLube NDN70-ATM+P (7 milliliters, list price $37.50, + $3.50 domestic shipping, or $5 international). The other was a smaller bottle labeled Quicken Weapons Lubricant MIL 30-CLP. (We could not clearly determine its price from the company website, but our best guess is its a three-milliliter sample, which goes for $22.50.) We tried these oils in a vast array of comparative before-and-after tests on items ranging from firearms to tractor engines. Please be informed that our conclusions are empirical, not scientific. This, however, is in keeping with previous tests of metal-preserving oils that we put on bare steel and left outside to see how well they worked. We got some definite ideas from those tests, and the same is true in the case of NanoLube and Quicken.

As monthly deadline cycles loom, I sometimes forget to just go shoot for fun. I personally don't shoot handguns much, mainly because the testing I conduct favors long guns. But my wife, Tracey, my son J.T. and his friend and co-worker Angela, and Product Coordinator Kevin Winkle and I went to Memorial Shooting Center here in Houston recently and had a ball with sidearms.

I really like the fact that Gun Tests does not have advertisements in the journal. It has been refreshing to read articles without having to flip past several ads for products I'm not interested in. However, lately I've noticed that your publication has been making reference to products you are using during tests. In the New Polymer Forties article, you reference a Falco holster, Caldwell pistol rack, and LED rope lighting from LockdownVault.com. Seriously, rope lighting? I understand if costs are rising, and this is a way of making ends meet (or profit), but these product mentions are almost comical. I'd rather see an ad or two instead of this. Otherwise it's a great publication!

KHAS-TV in Hasting, Nebraska, did follow-up interviews to mark the five year anniversary of Nebraskans' being allowed to carry concealed handguns.

We're not endorsing Gov. Rick Perry for president, but it is certainly refreshing to see an executive choosing a different kind of recreation besides golf. GunReports.com advertiser LaRue Tactical hosted Perry recently for a little sniper-rifle shooting.

The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute), employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source. FPS Russia shoots one in the video here.

(GunReports.com) -- Derek Scammon, a representative of the Hawaii Concealed Carry group, wrote a nice piece on the Hawai'i Free Press website. He said:

In the latest development in the ongoing Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) 'Fast and Furious' scandal, the NRA-ILA reported that the Department of Justice has announced the appointment of U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota B. Todd Jones to serve as Acting Director of BATFE, replacing Kenneth Melson. The DOJ also announced that Dennis Burke, U.S. attorney for the district of Arizona, has resigned. And the Wall Street Journal reported that Emory Hurley, the assistant U.S. attorney responsible for the day-to-day operations of 'Fast and Furious,' has been removed from his post and reassigned to the department's Civil Division.

As a longtime subscriber, I've really had it with Scout-style rifles. Nothing against Ray Ordorica's recent series of Scout reviews, but the concept has proven to be a market failure. I know Jeff Cooper sits next to Jesus in heaven. Being dead has its advantages — ask Elmer Keith or Jack O'Connor! I would note, that at age 69, I read everything these guys and their contemporaries wrote when it was 'new.' The original Cooper Scout was a concept looking for a home at a price, as I recall, of $3,500. By the time Cooper's Scout hit the street, any competent AR builder could build an AR-10 in 308 Win. that was just as light, held more ammo, shot faster and as accurately for a lot less money.

As a longtime subscriber, I've really had it with Scout-style rifles. Nothing against Ray Ordorica's recent series of Scout reviews, but the concept has proven to be a market failure. I know Jeff Cooper sits next to Jesus in heaven. Being dead has its advantages — ask Elmer Keith or Jack O'Connor! I would note, that at age 69, I read everything these guys and their contemporaries wrote when it was 'new.' The original Cooper Scout was a concept looking for a home at a price, as I recall, of $3,500. By the time Cooper's Scout hit the street, any competent AR builder could build an AR-10 in 308 Win. that was just as light, held more ammo, shot faster and as accurately for a lot less money.

If you’re interested in long distance rifle shooting, or in hunting with a rifle, I highly recommend that you check out the Spirit Ridge Rifle Golf facility, in Utah. The “golf” part of the name is really just part of the rules for how your shots are scored. Other than that, it’s all rifle and no golf, and it’s one of the best opportunities I’ve ever seen to test one’s rifle skills.