SHOT 2014

Starting right off, the first interesting bit were two new gun control actions that almost stole the show. At every Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show most conversations get right down to business. Reams of orders are written, thousands of products and services are introduced, new partnerships are haggled, others are dissolved.

When those matters are not top of mind there is always a common undercurrent of a subject, or subjects, discussed that soon come close to dominating communications on both exhibitor floors of the vast Sands Expo. Last year, the big talk it was the simultaneous AVN Adult Entertainment Expo gathering going on—and coming off—over at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The primary sources for much of the secondary chatter this year spread outward from the Smith & Wesson and Ruger exhibits. And idle chatter it wasn’t.

Both companies have announced they will stop selling new semi-automatic handguns in The People’s Republic of California. The Republic has asked for it. In 2007 its Governator signed a proposed law requiring a number to be laser micro-engraved on the business end of the firing pins in semi-automatic pistols. Theoretically, the number would be transferred to the primer of any case fired and ejected from the pistol. The legislature of The Republic finally got around to enacting Arnold’s law.

S&Wand Ruger took little time in reacting. Like most of the "auntie" gun laws enacted since the Brady Bunch initiated its campaign to eliminate handguns and handgun ammunition in the United States since 1976, this one won’t do a thing to stop crime. There are federal, state and local law enforcement statistics to verify that statement. Very likely, this one won’t help law enforcement directly link spent cases with a specific gun or gun owner either.

It doesn’t require rocket science to "salt" a crime scene with spent cases of the same caliber that have been fired from another gun. End of the trail, folks. You bet challenges to the microengraving fiasco are underway. One is from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Check with the National Rifle Association’s various web sites to see what’s up with the Institute for Legislative Action.

Among the facts presented in the challenges, the lasercreated identifying number is very small and extremely shallow, such that normal wear from the repeated impacts of a firing pin would soon obscure the tell-tale numerals and, but not finally, all a bad actor has to do before committing his or her bad act would be swiping the end of the intended pistol’s firing pin with a common nail file. Two passes should make it happen. The base of the Second Most Talked Up concern is in New York City.

The UN is getting into gun control big time. It already has 150 nations signed up to ratify its Arms Trade Treaty. Want to know more about it? You won’t find much revealed on the UN website regarding what Manhattan Island’s East Side Gang refers to as a "Review Conference on the Illicit Arms Trade." Don’t waste your time looking for any forthcoming explanation from gang HQ.

Browse up The Washington Times newspaper editorial entitled "Gun Control in the UN." Without pulling too many punches it shines a harsh light upon what the 150 nations are cooking up. Hold everything. I should say 151 nations if you include this one. Yep, POTUS instructed the guy who married into the Heinz Tomato Ketchup fortune and is now our Secretary of State to sign the proposed treaty. Ever obedient, the former Senator and failed candidate for the Presidency did so on January 13, 2014, the opening day of SHOT.

There was little risk involved in their actions. Neither is running for office in 2014. Others who are don’t have that luxury. They all realize a treaty must be ratified by act of Congress before it can supersede any existing law of this land. Four Senators, all Democrats, have written the President, Secretary Kerry and the United Nations that the treaty will never be ratified.

The four joined 50 fellow Senators and 181 House members who have sent a letter to President Obama expressing their opposition to the UN Arms Trade Treaty. Presently, it appears the proposed treaty will be DOA in both houses. In the opinion of every manufacturing or importer executive and all those gun folk roaming the floors, including yours truly, it had better be. If ratifying a UN treaty usurping the Second Amendment is successful, why stop there? Take a shot at the First.

Everyone in favor of eliminating freedom of speech, religion, assembly and the press please stand up. Other Noise at SHOT No Ethel, it is not a snake. It’s a Ripcord, the newest tool providing breech-tomuzzle cleaning from Otis Technology (otisgun.com). The thinnest part is 24 inches long and it is fed into the breech to extend out the muzzle.

The solid brass tip at the breech end is internally threaded, 8-32 standard, to allow attachment of cleaning accessories such as brushes and patch tips and will not damage the bore. The Nomex "skin" of the snake is stretched over a helix-formed rubberized core, ensuring 10 inches of 360-degree cleaning surface engages the rifling

A full story will appear in a future issue. Far I set up a separate scope for each barrel to keep ballistic variations of the rimfire at one MOA. through the length of the barrel. This safe but intensive action is initiated by grasping the exposed end and pulling it like, well, a ripcord. Featured here also is the provenindispensable, and not brand new to black powder practitioners in the know, Otis Retractable Nipple Declogger. Nipples do have a tendency to become stubbornly plugged with residue.

The curved end protruding from the body of the Declogger is an extremely strong wire that has never failed to open up a plugged nipple for any smoke pole shooter I know. It never stuck one in the rump either. That strong, stiff wire disappears completely inside the tool body when it’s not going about its business. The Otis Retractable Nipple Declogger is one of those little things you’ll never need until the hammer falls and the only sound you hear is "click." Encore! Encore!

Making a first appearance in these pages is an exciting development in rimfire rifles from Majestic Arms Ltd. (majesticarms.com). You never heard of them? Yes you have! We did a step-by-step how-to on the Ruger .22 Pistol Speed Stripping Kit developed and patented by Majestic’s chief gunsmith, Dino Longueria, a/k/a "The Boss." Thanks to Dino, it may not be long before small bore fanatics will be blazing away with the next generation in takedown rimfire rifles, the MA4.

The MA4 is a rimfire system, combining the concepts of a completely new, self-contained action with quick change barrels and bolts. It delivers extremely good accuracy in four rimfire calibers from the same platform by merely changing the barrel and bolt. I will be purchasing Dino’s newest creation soon, shortly after .22WMR, .22LR, .17HMR and .17HM2 have again become abundant. Tap, Tap. Who’s There? There are more CCW handguns than ever. Two were getting special attention from the crowds roaming the show.

One was introduced last year. Since it is being made by Remington (remington.com), news that the second is nowa reality came as somewhat of a surprise. Though it turned out thousands of the M1911A1 during World War Two, The Ripcord is introduced at the breech, pulled through the barrel and maintains full contact with the bore with ten inches of cleaning contact during withdrawal.

Below Center and It is shown with its extremely stiff wire clog buster extended and has proven to be indispensable for eliminating misfires due to plugged nipples. With the wire retracted into its brass body, the Declogger further eliminates painful wounds made possible when carried in a rear pants or hunting coat pocket. Remington hadn’t produced an automatic of its own design since the Model 51, discontinued in the mid 1920s. Well, the M51 is back. Right now, it’s chambered only in .380.

The new pistol, renamed the R51, is quite different from any original Model 51 you have been handed in the past. Not to worry. The new Remington 51 is being scheduled for a disassembly/ reassembly article this year. Another feature article I’m preparing will be dedicated to the Double Tap Tactical Pocket Pistol (doubletapdefense.com). The little O/U ran into production problems after its initial 2013 intro. Those problems are no more.

Orders are now being quickly filled for a newer, higher quality, significantly improved type of concealed carry pistol. Among the improvements are 9mm and .45 ACP interchangeable barrels, an easier to operate thumb latch and a patentpending sequentially fired trigger system with double strike capability that’s been simplified to only four major components. AG