If you have ever taught non-shooters how to shoot clays, you will know how painful it can be. Unlike target shooting where a newbie shooter gets visual feedback on their shots, missing a clay by an inch is as good as missing it by a mile. The Winchester AA TrAAcker is designed to give shooters more feedback on how far off their shot was. The AA Traacker’s wad is weighted with shot and when it the barrel fins are deployed. This allows the wad to travel along roughly on the same trajectory as the shot itself. There are two wad colors available, black and orange, to suit many different shooting conditions. In the below sequence of photos you can see Chris Cheng hit a clay. The black wad can clearly be seen.

I would say the wad is more visible in real life that it is in the photos. The black color is the easiest to see against a blue sky, while orange would be the best when seen against greenery or in dark conitions.

I was a skeptic before trying it but I am now a convert and will be a buying boxes of it as soon as it hits the shelves.

Mathews Inc. manufacture archery bows and accessories. One of their products is a Mathews Harmonic Damper, a device which dampens the vibration in the bow after the arrow has been fired. It is essentially a dumpbell shaped weight enclosed in a rubber. The weight can bounce around soaking up vibration. Mossberg have scaled the Mathews Damper up and installed it in a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag stock. The theory is that this will dampen perceived recoil in a 3.5″ Ultra Magnum 12 Gauge Shotgun in the same way it dampens vibrations in a bow. I guess we will find out when they start shipping it.

New for 2013 is the Benelli Vinci Speed-Bolt. This updated Vinci features a lighter bolt that’s designed to cycle faster and allow for faster follow up shots. The Speed-bolt claims to reduce recoil and muzzle climb which will allow the shooter to get back on target quicker.

Click on the picture for a larger view of the bolt.

The bolt is inset with tungsten and can handle loads as light as one ounce. The official press release frames the new Speed-Bolt shotgun as a competition shotgun, but with its 3+1 capacity it can’t compete without an extension tube. The author owns a Vinci shotgun, and after putting a few rounds through the new Vinci Speed-Bolt, I can attest that both are excellent shotguns. My sense is that the Vinci Speed-Bolt may be a great shotgun for the competition shooter and hunter who wants one shotgun for both purposes.

www.BenelliUSA.com.

Chris Cheng is History Channel’s Top Shot Season 4 champion. A self-taught amateur turned pro through his Top Shot win, Cheng very much still considers himself an amateur who parachuted into this new career. He is a professional marksman for Bass Pro Shops who shares his thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a newbie to the shooting community. www.TopShotChris.com.

Remington’s latest addition to the VersaMax line is also an entry into the zombie category with the VersaMax Zombie shotguns.

The new shotguns are available in Gargoyle Green and Explosion Pink.  Both the green and pink versions use the Reaper Z pattern that has been popular with the zombie gun crowd.

The shotguns have a 22″ vented rib barrel with a fiber optic front sight.  The full length magazine with factory extension holds eight rounds.

The stocks on these guns are synthetic and have built-in rubber panels at various points to improve handling.  Both guns carry an MSRP of $1599.

I happened upon the below video on YouTube. The video is of an Argentian man showing off the custom Franchi SPAS-15 shotgun he competes with in IPSC. The gun features a huge muzzlebrake that resembles a large mallet in size and shape. The magazine is custom and holds at least 18 rounds of 12 gauge shells in a single stack. It even has spring-loaded kickstand that automatically swings back when the gun is picked up off a stable (shaving microseconds off the time it would take to complete a course of fire).

Now I am skeptical about how effective the large muzzlebrake is, and I would not want to have such a large magazine getting in the way, but I applaud his efforts putting together such a unique gun.

A few years back, Mossberg worked with Clint Smith to introduce a limited edition Thunder Ranch version of the model 500 shotgun.  For 2013, Mossberg is rolling out two new Thunder Ranch guns plus a update to the original model 500.

The first new Thunder Ranch gun is a special edition version of the company’s hot MVP line of bolt action rifles.  The bolt-action rifle is chambered in 5.56 NATO and comes with a single, detachable 10-round magazine.  However, the rifle will accept any standard AR15/M4 magazine.

The Thunder Ranch MVP rifle has a wood stock that is finished in OD green.  The Thunder Ranch logo is engraved on the right side of the stock above the magazine well.

The barrel is an 18.5″ medium bull barrel with fluting.  The twist rate is 1:9.  The barrel is also threaded for the addition of a flash or sound suppressor.

Mossberg Thunder Ranch Series Rifle Specifications:

The second new gun is a special edition version of the Maverick HS12 break-action shotgun.  This over-under shotgun is chambered in 12 gauge (3″ chamber) with a tang mounted safety and integrated barrel selector.

Barrel lengths ate 18.5″ and they have fixed cylinder bore chokes in both.  The barrel sides have short Picatinny rails for the addition of a white light or other accessory.  The top of the receiver also has a Picatinny rail should you wish to add an optic.  That rail is slotted to work with the fron fiber optic sight.

The stock is black synthetic and the metal parts have a matte blue finish.  Engraved on the right side of the shotgun receiver is the Thunder Ranch logo.

Although not a brand new model, the Thunder Ranch version of the model 500 has been re-introduced.  It is nearly identical to the original save the Thunder Ranch 20th Anniversary logo that is now engraved on the receiver.

Mossberg Thunder Ranch Series Shotgun Specifications:

When I teach any firearms class I always address manual safeties during the preliminary brief. I always emphasize, “Use the safety, but don’t rely on it! It can and will fail!” Gunsmiths make a living fixing broken mechanical devices, and the safety on your firearm is just a mechanical device like any other.

Here is an example that is in my shop right now. A customer came in upset because in his own words “I nearly blew a hole through my living room wall…” That’s why we treat every gun as if it were loaded, right? Disassembling the Mossberg 500, I discovered that a metal tail had broken off the trigger itself. Yessir, snapped right off. I place a red arrow pointing to the rusty spot where the tail usually resides:

This is a big deal because that metal tail goes through the piece I’m holding in my hands. The “Y” shaped piece is referred to as a safety connector. Its job is to point a piece of metal upwards in the receiver so the “L” shaped aluminum block underneath the safety can touch it when the safety is in the “safe” position. With the aluminum block holding the safety connector down, the safety connector holds the trigger down, you can’t pull the trigger, and the firearm is rendered safe. Unless, of course, one of these small pieces actually snaps off. Now the safety connector isn’t attached to the trigger anymore at all. Pull the trigger and the hammer falls, discharging this 12 gauge regardless of the safety’s position.

I want to point out that this situation isn’t Mossberg’s fault at all. See, while I was poking around in the guts of this shotgun, I noticed that the owner had installed an aftermarket AR-15 style stock using a bolt from a hardware store. A bolt that was just a bit too long. A bolt that hit the “Y” shaped safety connector and pushed it forward, snapping off the metal tail on the trigger as the stock was tightened down. I’ll bet most of you didn’t know that installing a tactical stock improperly could break the safety. And that’s why we follow the multiple, redundant, carefully thought out rules of firearms safety.

Tristar, importer of cool looking yet unproven Turkish made shotguns, has released a tactical shotgun that is getting some attention. The Tec 12 appears to be inspired by, if not a direct clone of, the classic Benelli M3. Normally the gun is a semi-automatic, recoil inertia operated 12 gauge, but the user can turn a ring in front of the forend (just like the M3) to convert the gun to pump action. Capacity is 5+1 with standard size 2 3/4 inch shells, but the gun also accepts 3 inch magnum shells.

Why would you want to turn a semi-auto shotgun into a pump? The answer lies mostly in ammunition. Most of the self loading shotguns in my gunsmithing shop are there because they aren’t functioning properly with the ammo that the user wants to shoot (usually cheap birdshot). Some “tactical” loads like reduced recoil buckshot or the so-called “beanbag” less lethal loads will fail to cycle most semi-autos regardless of how clean or lubricated they are. Add in the possibility of a fouled or muddy gun in tough real world conditions, and the idea of being able to manually pump a tactical shotgun by flipping a switch starts to make a lot more sense.

The Tec 12 brings a full slew of tactical features– picatinny rails, ghost ring sights, pistol grip buttstock, two different types of sling swivels, external ported cylinder bore choke, chrome lined barrel, and the list just goes on.  J&G Sales has them in stock for $530 at the moment, which certainly compares favorably to the rare Benelli M3′s current MSRP of $1589, but as a new product imported from Turkey, the Tec 12 needs to be put through its paces by some serious shooters before it proves itself worthy of even a $500 price point. Your spec sheet looks good, your design appears solid, now go out there and prove yourself, Tristar!

Blakchawk! is making a forearm sleeve for shotgunners that puts extra shells closer to the receiver. Blackhawk! claims this sleeve is “…designed for quick and efficient shotgun reloads.”

The sleeves hold up to eight shells in 1″ elastic loops and can be had is black or coyote tan.  The sleeve is held to the shooter’s forearm by the use of three Velcro-like

elastic straps that are adjustable to fit different size arms.  Without any shells, the forearm sleeve weighs four ounces.

This sleeve is an alternative, or could be a supplement, to other styles of carrying extra shotgun ammo.  Many people have an elastic buttstock sleeve or receiver-mounted carrier that will hold five or six additional shells.

MSRP is $24.99.

Molot has made some changes to their Vepr-12 IPSC Special Edition shotgun. The Magpul stock has been replaced with a FAB Defense GLR-16 stock and the oversized muzzle brake has been replaced with a smaller muzzle brake/flash hider.

The Vepr-12 IPSC features ambidextrous charging handles,  ambidextrous controls and plenty of rails.

Many thanks to Eric (3Gun.se) for the photos.

Remington Arms Company is now offering fully rifled barrels for the Versa Max line of autoloading shotguns.  The new rifled barrels will fit both the standard Versa Max and the Versa Max Sportsman.

The new barrels are 25″ long and will handle both 2 3/4″ and 3″ shells.  The barrel finish is a black oxide.  Rifled sights are standard on these replacement barrels.  MSRP is $365.  Pre-release prices at several online stores show these barrels will be selling for about $315-320.

If you are not familiar with the Vers Max line of shotguns, it is a relatively new line of auto-loading shotguns.  Make sure you go back and read prior TFB posts here, here and here.

Remington Arms has a recall in place for some of their law enforcement, reduced recoil, 12 gauge 00-buck ammo.  According to Remington, certain lots of this ammunition may contain improper propellant charge weights.  Most shooters, and certainly all reloaders, understand that the wrong propellant charge weights can has catastrophic consequences.

It should be noted that the boxes may be listed as “law enforcement” ammunition, but there is nothing special about it, nor are there any prohibitions on selling it to non-law enforcement personnel.  Consequently, there is likely a substantial amount of this ammunition available for consumer sales.

Remington identified the following lot numbers as being subject to this recall:

• N27YC525   
• N29YA525        
• P02TA525  
• P03TA525   
• P06TA525
• N28YC525
• N29YB525
• P02TB525
• P03TB525
• P08UB899
• N28YB525
• N29YC525
• P02TC525
• P05TB525

The lot numbers for the ammo can be found stamped on the inside flap of the original boxes.  If you have any ammunition that you think might be covered by this recall, click here to visit the Remington site and obtain additional recall information.

TAPCO makes a variety of components for the Saiga line of shotguns that are inexpensive, relatively easy to obtain and some help meet 922r regulation compliance.  Among them are new pistons, thread protectors, fasteners and stock sets.

The muzzle thread protector is available for the 12 gauge version of the Saiga shotgun.  It carries an MSRP of $12.99 and counts as one 922r part.

Retailing for $8.99, the stainless steel shotgun piston is available for both the 12 and 20 gauge versions of the Saiga line.  This also counts as a single 922r compliance part.

Although it does not count as a 922r part, the grip screw and T-nut are useful replacements to have on hand should you need them.  They retail for $7.99 and work with the original pistol grip for the Saiga shotguns and rifles.

An M4-type adjustable stock is also available for the Saiga shotguns.  It gives you a SAW-style pistol grip and a six-position adjustable buttstock.  MSRP is $69.99 and it counts as two compliance parts.

TAPCO makes a variety of polymer magazines for the AK47, AK75, SKS and AR15.  I would not be surprised to see them introduce 12 and 20 gauge magazines for the Saiga shotguns in the coming year.

LuckyGunner are selling anti-drone shotgun rounds loaded with depleted uranium buckshot. At $17.76 a box of 5 rounds, its a bargin.

Years of research and development have gone into these highly effective 12 gauge shells that can turn even Joe Biden’s double barrel shotgun into an instant anti-aircraft platform. Specially formulated propellant is capable of launching 9 pellets of depleted uranium rounds up to 1 km straight up into the air. With accurate shot placement, this armor piercing buckshot will disable vital systems on modern military drones. At minimum, the force of impact will disable navigation systems, but in over 60% of our field tests, the drones were incapable of remaining airborne after contact with our Anti-Drone Loads.

…

Drone Loads are intended for entertainment use only and not intended to be used in any manner not in accordance with federal and local laws. Lucky Gunner assumes no responsibility for any illegal activity involving Tacnition Drone Ammo

heh

Depleted Uranium (DU) would make for an great shotgun load. DU is not terribly toxic (to handle) and it has a very long half life that is at least hundreds of millions of years (the longer the half life, the lower the rate of dangerous ionizing radiation released) and the alpha particles it emits would not be able to penetrate the plastic shell of a shotgun round.

DU is 68% denser than lead. A #1-sized shot would be roughly the same weight as a 000-sized lead shot. This would give super penetration, increased range and increased hit rate because many more shot could be squeezed into the shell. It would cut through heavy clothing and maybe even body amour like a hot knife through butter.

The downside of DU is that eating or inhaling it can have nasty effects. The same alpha particles that cannot even penetrate your clothing wreck havoc on your DNA when inside your body. This combined with the over penetration of soft-skinned animals mean it would make a poor hunting round. Its application would be limited to self-defense and military applications.

I am not sure if the photo above is real, but it is pretty funny nonetheless.

Hat Tip: Car Guns.

Advanced Technology International (ATI) is now taking pre-orders on a new side saddle for the Mossberg 500/590 series of shotguns.  This new side saddle system allows the shooter to carry up to nine more shells mounted to the receiver.  Other side saddle products allow the shooter to carry five or six shells on the side of the receiver opposite the ejection port.

The ATI Halo side saddle is an accessory device that is roughly the shape of an inverted “U”.  It mounts to the top of the receiver and is held in place by two screws that replace existing set screws. Users can then mount Add-A-Shell holders on each side of the “U”: three on the side of the ejection port, six on the opposite side.

The top of the Halo system is a Picatinny rail.  So, in addition to the extra ammo, the shooter can easily add an optic such as a holo sight.

The entire system carries a retail price of $139.99.  Click here for detailed instructions on how to mount the Halo system to a shotgun.

Mossberg is expanding their line of 20 gauge self defense shotguns this year with two new model 500 Cruiser/Persuader models.  Both of the new models have extended magazines (total of eight 2 3/4″ shells) and a 20″ matte blue barrel.  Both of the new pump guns have ghost ring sights.

The model #54300 has a Bantam stock, which is a traditional fixed stock, but is slightly shorter than the normal fixed stock.  It offers a 13″ length of pull (LOP), which is shorter than the 14″ – 14.5″ LOP seen on other Mossberg shotguns.

The model #54301 uses an M4-style adjustable stock with a pistol grip.  This allows the user to adjust LOP from 10.75″ – 14.5″.  Other than stocks, the two shotguns are the same.

The 20 gauge shotgun is a viable self defense tool, especially when loaded with #3 buckshot or slugs.  The loads are very effective, but with less recoil than a 12 gauge.  Although Mossberg already makes 20 gauge model 500 shotguns for self defense, these two new guns bring them more in line with the offerings available for 12 gauge.

You know when you see a marketing claim and you’re curious to see how well it holds up? That happened to me when I saw an ESS claim in their 2013 brochure. Here’s the claim:

The ad reads: “ESS high-grade, extra thick Polycarbonate lenses can resist ballistic-force impacts. In this case, a blast from a Remington 12 gauge shotgun firing #6 shot from 10 meters– dimpling but not penetrating the lens.

If you aren’t familiar with ESS, a subsidiary of Oakley, they make eyewear for military, law enforcement, airsoft, fire & rescue, hunters, and competitive shooters. When I contacted ESS to tell them about the stress test I wanted to run, they sent me a few pairs of their Crossbow Suppressors to destroy.

My shotgun of choice was a Benelli M2 modified for 3-gun by my sponsor, Salient Arms International. I started off by upping the ante and at 10 meters, I sent some Winchester Super X 2 3/4″ 00 buckshot up against the ESS 2.4mm thick polycarbonate lens. One of the BBs struck the lens and punched right through.

I guess I wasn’t too surprised, so I dialed everything back and used some Winchester Super X 2 3/4″ #7.5 shot shells I use for 3-gun comps.

Now things got interesting. The first shot separated the lens from the frame, but none of the #7.5 shot penetrated the lens.

The first shot separated the lens and frame, but none of the BBs penetrated the polycarbonate lens.

An ESS Marketing rep let me know that the separation was rare, and was probably due to me shooting at pre-production samples. Successive shots continued to impart more damage to the lens but after four blasts, there were plenty of dimples but no through and throughs.

The glasses held up solidly until the fifth shot, when a small compromise in the lens occurred.

The fifth shot slightly compromised the backside of the lens where I could see a few visible cracks. I took a sixth and final shot which ended up being the tipping point. Even then, only one BB made its way through the lens.

Left to right: An unscathed pair of ESS Crossbow Suppressors; a single 00 buckshot BB hit the lens and punched straight through; the end result of six #7.5 birdshot blasts where there was a full lens compromise.

The full video footage I took is available here:

In conclusion, I think ESS’s marketing claim stood up to the test, and then some.

www.ESSeyepro.com.

Chris Cheng is History Channel’s Top Shot Season 4 champion. A self-taught amateur turned pro through his Top Shot win, Cheng very much still considers himself an amateur who parachuted into this new career. He is a professional marksman for Bass Pro Shops who shares his thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a newbie to the shooting community. www.TopShotChris.com.

Iver Johnson is offering several of their shotguns and 1911 pistols in snake skin finishes.  The finishes are called copperhead and water moccasin, and are presumably based on the snakes of the same names.

As shown in the photos, these models are available as “in stock” items.  However, the finishes can be applied to any of the Iver Johnson guns with a 60 day wait.

The Copperhead 1911A1 is a .45 ACP pistol with 5″ barrel and 8-round magazine.  The grips are black Dymondwood with a snake skin texture.  The Water Moccasin 1911A1 is essentially the same, but with the different hydrographic printing and with synthetic white pearlized grips.

Both shotguns are the company’s PAS12 scatterguns that are chambered in 12 gauge with an 18″ barrel, four round magazine, a 3″ chamber and a blade front sight.

Update from Y-man January – February 2013 (My FIRST self-posted guest post! Yay!). My previous post about my October visit to the USA is here.

Well, hello all… Y-man here again. And when I say “here” I mean “HERE” in the USA on another visit. I came over for work, training, and a few days of vacation, and spent my time in the Atlanta – Georgia area.

It was a hectic trip, with long, tiring flight but all worth it, with all the things I bought, and my exciting visit to the Stoddard”s Guns and Range. Many thanks to the wonderful guys there, who took time out of their extremely busy work schedules to welcome me, take me through the safety courses, and organised some very constructive range time (Including giving me access to their personal firearms, and providing a lot of the ammo I used up…) It was GOOD!

I have a little on what I learnt and got at Stoddard’s Range and Guns below.

Just before I left on this trip, I finally got the chance to do some testing on my shotgun and other developments. I had firmed up on a new design of slug (More like the Federal Tru-Ball type, but with local materials and modifications.) and finally got the chance to test.

Also: I had gotten a Knoxx Blackhawk! Specops folding stock for my shotgun last year, and have been chomping at the bit to go test it under real firing conditions.

In mid-January, I drove for 300 miles from the Niger Delta to my home area up-north (The North Central area.) where hunting, shooting and (licensed) shotguns are a bit more accepted. I hooked up with some of my cousins, and took off for some shooting adventures. You can see the video from the experience below.
What I learnt from this experience:

1. My locally fabricated slugs work quite well. I fired from about 45 yards (stepped – WIDE, LONG steps!) at some computer hard disk covers screwed onto planks of wood. I fired over ‘open sights’ using a HiViz Plain Barrel clip-on sight. I basically had some good hits: even with my less than perfect eyesight through my Remington Shooting Glasses (I did not wear my own glasses.) I was able to hit the hard drive cover bull’s-eyes at least twice, and hit the plank just below that at least four more times. (I even had two holes overlap! Does this mean there was either something wrong with my aiming, or with the sights?)

2. Distance to target: 45 yards is just simply too long to expect much accuracy from homemade slugs. I think it was over-optimistic of me to try at this distance. It is painful when you consider that I once had good hits as far out as 70yards! Consistency has been the issue. I will henceforth do my shooting at a reasonable distance of 25 to 30 yards maximum.

3. The Knoxx stock is a BAD cheek slapper! Each time I would fire, my cheek would feel like I had been hit by a glancing blow from a hammer. I had my cheek throbbing even a week later. After a few shots, I quickly swapped the Knoxx stock for one of my own fabrications. (That one did not do much better in the cheek-slap-free department either, but that’s a different story altogether…) This led to several modifications on the Knoxx stock, and with this, I think I am now onto a good thing.

4. A range visit should be a well thought-out plan, with a whole day invested into it. If one is going to carry out specific tests on specific batches of ammunition, it is good to plan it properly. I ended up forgetting to go with the right cameras, I forgot to keep track of the specific slug batches I was shooting (So as to know and review the results accordingly.) It is also good to set up the right type of targets. If accuracy is the test: use the right distances, use easily recognizable targets (I find that discarded computer hard disk covers are useful here…) and if speed shooting is the test: I have found that nothing beats balloons of different colors strung up in staggered intervals. For this speed test: shooting sequences could be randomized  a ‘coach could vary the calls, at whistle blow: shout out – “Blue, green, green, red, blue, red, yellow, yellow, purple!” A good shooter will then remember this order, and shoot accordingly. A fast and accurate shooter will almost be hitting the right balloons as the coach calls out the colors  Imagine if all this is caught on tape, with clear coverage of the target balloons for after-action reviews?

5. Sometimes, the very best equipment could disappoint a person. My highest end Nikon D7000 camera made a mess of videoing the event. I ended up with more acceptable video from my Samsung phone, my GoPro HD cam, and an old Olympus camera I thought I had lost long ago. At least my shotgun worked! (Even though my cheek got painful and slightly swollen from the cheek slap – not to worry: I  saw a doctor, a regular doctor, not a sangoma! (I only had some bruising to my cheek, no bones broken.)

6. Simple can be best. I used a simple aluminium clamp to hold my Hi Viz sight to my shotgun barrel: after having lost several such sights before from getting flung off the barrel during recoil. I have decided to simplify even more in everything I do. The clamp worked, my sights worked, it all worked!
In all, quite an eye-opener, (And cheek slapper!)

Now, back to my Atlanta visit, and Stoddard’s adventure.
Jonathan of Stoddard’s had hinted in a response to one of my guest posts here that I could check out their Gun store and Range if I were ever to be in the Atlanta area. By coincidence, a training seminar in personal management was set up and I was invited to participate. So on 07FEB, I left for Atlanta. Before then, I had done a LOT of research on Stoddard’s , and had gotten in touch with them in preparation for my trip. Jonathan was very kind in answering all my inquiries, and was very patient in explaining things to me.

I also pre-ordered some items I had only ever dreamt about: the Lyman Sabot Slug Mould, the BPI Roll Crimper, a proper Shotgun sling, a survival knife and a few other odds and ends. I gave the sellers and shippers the hotel address.

On arrival at Hartsfield International Airport on 08FEB, I was surprised at how cold it was, though not as much as the North East. My pre-ordered items had mostly arrived: these and other (non-firearm) items were waiting for me when I arrived: the hotel staff jokingly called me “Mr. Packages”!

I settled in for my training, and did some shopping too. I must confess that I found the area I stayed in rather boring (Douglasville, Atlanta.) and had much difficulty getting food to eat: I just could not find my favourite foods! So I settled for shrimps, and potato salad for EVERY day I was there.

On Monday 11FEB, I finally got to spend the day at Stoddard’s. And man! Was I excited or what! A wide array of rental and sale firearms, rifles, shotguns, handguns, knives, tactical jackets, holsters, all well arranged and presented. The staff were nice and attentive, professional in their duties and very, very warm in welcoming customers. Jonathan recognized me as I walked in and was very warm with his welcome. He also introduced me to his colleagues who had obviously heard about me from him before. The welcome was overwhelming.

When he had a little time free, he showed me round the shop, I met the owners, who are inspirations in their own right: with their almost miraculous bounce-back after a devastating fire some years ago. Then he set me up on a firing lane, and signed out a Chiappa Rhino Revolver in .38/ .357 magnum for me to start with. I chose the .38.

Firing this was sweet! Recoil was negligible, the revolver stayed on target, and the shots went too fast for my liking. At one point, I mistakenly got my finger on my left hand too close to the gap between cylinder and barrel, and got a slight and painful powder burn for my mistake. As I asked the Sales Manager: Tim MClarty later: I am puzzled as why such a sweet shooting, accurate revolver is not more widely adapted, even for law enforcement, and he did mention that it is a classic gun, and the price of up to a thousand dollars per piece might put it out of reach of more people. Lovely gun.

Jonathan brought over shotguns his friends and colleagues had brought specially for my visit, and plenty of ammo –compressed lead powder breaching rounds. These all shot very well, though Winchester Slugs did not cycle properly through the Remington 1100 Shotgun. I fired the Remington 1100, and the 870, solid shooting platforms. I believe I impressed the guys with my rate of fire and accuracy…

I moved on to other firearms, and it was like the day had just begun…I put rounds through –
The H & K P45, in .45ACP, the venerable Uzi, in 9mm with a sweet shooting long barrel. I also fired a Sig Sauer 556 Rifle… It brought back memories of training with and shooting the 7.62×51 mm Fabrique Nationale SLR when I was in the Air Force. I also fired a lovely, smooth Palmetto State Armory AR-15 Rifle. This belongs to one of the staff at Stoddard’s and they kindly gifted me 15 rounds of VERY precious 5.56mm ammo for that.

I also fired Jonathan’s laser-accurate CZ 527 Bolt-Action rifle, with a 4X Scope. I must confess I did not quite enjoy shooting this: maybe because I fired it mainly from a free-standing position… It also had issues with light hammer strikes, and failure to fire several times. I was also not very accurate with it: I did not know how to properly align my eyes to the reticules of the scope.

To cap it up for the day, Jonathan surprised me with the Kriss Vector PDW, chambered in .45ACP. Unfortunately I was not permitted to fire it in full auto or burst, as I had not completed the Stoddard’s Full Auto Safety class. I plan to do that next time I might be in the area.

You can check out the fun I had shooting on my Youtube Channel here. Check out the some more of my videos, and PLEASE leave a comment!

On the whole, it was a good visit, and I closed it out by buying from the Stoddard’s exceptional store: a Tactical Combat vest, and a “close-shaving” Cold Steel Survival knife.

I also got me (At last!) a proper Lyman 525gr Sabot Slug mould, and a BPI Roll Crimper. I would have loved to buy much more, but decided to leave some dollars for gifts for the family… We can’t be so selfish, can we?

Thanks!