Articles by Herschel Smith

Ammoland.

The Bishop Ammunition and Firearms 458 SOCOM 1895 GBL Lever Action chambered in 458 SOCOM comes with all the foregoing plus additional features other manufacturers charge extra for and now joins our line up in 458 SOCOM with our 458 SOCOM Hunter Bolt Action and the AR458 SOCOM Rifle. The 458 SOCOM 1895 GBL Lever Action was designed specifically for those situations where an AR-15 rifle is either not permitted for hunting while riding the range hunting feral hogs, or for those that want something completely different.

It’s a nice looking and powerful gun, but my question would be why?  When the lever guns at Big Horn Armory are available, what is the hoped customer base for this gun?

Hold your breath.  MSRP = $2,999.99.

I understand.  They’ve got to get their R&D money back out of this.  The ammo will be expensive though, just like the gun.  Let me know if any readers get one.  You can do a review of it.

Lincoln County was the first to do it.  Next up, by my count (I could use a second check on this), North Carolina has added the following counties to the ranks of second amendment sanctuaries (I’ll include Lincoln County in the roll call).

Lincoln County

Surry County

Wilkes County

Rowan County

Davidson County

Iredell County

There are other counties actively working on it, including Gaston County.

This is good, if they’re serious.  I’ve already outlined some of the serious implications of this, and no, this isn’t some “symbolic gesture” if they intend it to be more than that.  This means not just refusing to cooperate in confiscatory schemes and other infringements, but using the power of the Sheriff and militia to stop others from doing it.

As for Lincoln County, Commissioner Carol Mitchem says this.  “I don’t need more layers of government telling me what to do,” Mitchem said. “If it comes to pass that they want to infringe upon the people’s rights to carry guns, it’s going to be a bad day for somebody.”

Good.  I’ll remember your declaration.  I’m going to hold you to this, sir.

News from New Zealand.

I opened the door to see a number of police officers outside. They served me with a search warrant under Section 6 of the Search and Surveillance Act 2012. Half a dozen armed police officers swarmed in the front door (holstered sidearms only) as several more ran around the sides of the house. They later called for more backup as the house was larger than your average state-house drug lab. I got the impression that they’d never had to raid a middle-class suburban house like mine before. Everyone on the property was detained, read their rights, and questioned separately. I opted to call a lawyer who advised me to refuse to answer any questions.

The warrant claimed they had reason to believe I was in possession of a prohibited magazine fitted to a “.22RL lever-action rifle. Blued metal, brown wooden stock.” The officer told me I had posted about it online, which I had—in my public written submission against the Firearms Amendment Act passed last year. That submission was shared on several blogs and social media. I had used the firearm as an example to prove the legislation was not targeting “military-style assault weapons” as the media, prime minister, and her cabinet repeated ad nauseum. The vast majority of firearms affected by the legislation were just like mine.

I thought nothing more of my little example to the select committee. It was no longer in my possession when the police raided my house. They departed empty-handed after turning the place inside out for ninety minutes and left me with my firearms and a visibly shaken wife who broke down in tears. Thankfully, the kids didn’t quite get what was going on—but I realised after that they had gone to bed without icecream.

I’ve been vocal about the amnesty being a disaster, and the police were rather open about the failure of the whole process. Maybe if they stopped raiding innocent people’s houses there might have been some more good will? They implied that they’d keep having to raid the houses of people I knew until the firearm turned up. This is for an A-Category firearm, which I have no reason to believe is fitted with a prohibited magazine! Are these the kind of intimidation tactics now the norm in New Zealand? Are we going to accept this in a first-world democracy?

This is for a lever-action .22LR that’s designed to hit paper or be used to hunt bunnies. What happened to going after the “weapons designed to kill people” as the police minister Stuart Nash has claimed?

The implications of this are rather stunning. I took the photo and publicised the details about this firearm as part of the select committee process. This good-faith evidence was used by the police as a justification for their raid. Do we now live in a country where public evidence given to a select committee will be used against you to suit the political purposes of the police?

You see, the problem here sir is that you are a peaceable, law abiding man.  That’s exactly who gun control laws target.  They intend it to be that way.They controllers don’t care about violent men, criminals or gangsters.

They fear you, a peaceable family man.  And yes, they even fear your lever action .22LR.  You can’t have anything.  The .gov has a monopoly on sanctioned violence, and thus you are left utterly powerless and impotent to protect your family against the gangsters, whether they work for the government or not.

Military Times.

When Winchester Ammunition announced their straight-walled .350 Legend cartridge at SHOT Show 2019, only CMMG and Ruger had firearms chambered in the new round.

Now, roughly one year later, the potent round appears to be gaining traction with additional gun manufacturers with the latest adopter being Franklin Armory.

The cartridge was developed in response to various hunting laws in the United States that restrict calibers to straight-walled cartridges. This effectively restricted hunters to .30-30, .45-70 Gov or similar rounds in lever-action, or breech-loading rifles.

To give hunters an auto-loading alternative, Winchester developed the .350 Legend – a round that functions in a modified STANAG magazine in standard AR-15 magazine wells.

Despite being developed initially as a hunting round, it is equally as effective as defensive cartridge. There are even super-heavy subsonic loads available for shooters running a suppressor who want more ballistic energy than .300 BLK.

I’m not sure why it flew under the radar, but Rock River Arms also has an offering in 350 Legend, as well as uppers.

From Shooting Illustrated.

EOTech’s HWS offerings are extensive, but L3Harris (EOTech’s parent company) is no longer the only kid on this block. Vortex offers its own take on HWS in the form of its Razor AMG UH-1. Hampton told me that Vortex’s holographic system is different than EOTech’s, but I suspect that to the user, the differences will remain hidden inside the optics. Vortex’s HWS appears to be in the same size and weight category as EOTech’s EXPS family, but instead uses an enclosed-style housing.

Good review.  I guess I’ve been a little out of the loop.  I didn’t know that EOTech wasn’t the only Holographic sight maker now.

Interesting reddit/firearms comment thread.  One reader gets it and has sense of where this is headed.

The is one of the main issues to me. People will obviously not comply with registration, and there will obviously be illegal private transactions that take place after the law goes in to effect. But FFL’s are in an unfortunate position where they have no choice but to follow the law. I think a lot of people aren’t thinking of this aspect. They assume that if the law passes, everyone will disobey the law, and that things will more or less go on as normal.

That’s a good point and one that I have been thinking about.

Remember, while there will indeed still be private transactions, as there should be, and while I suspect most gun owners will neither give up nor register their firearms, nor should they, FFLs will be in a mess.

This is one of the goals of the controllers.  For my Virginian readers and friends, you’ll still likely be able to purchase bolt action rifles, maybe lever action rifles, revolvers and shotguns (I expect limits on tube mag capacity, and perhaps limits on type, i.e., pump action allowed, no auto-loaders), you won’t be able to purchase MSRs or standard capacity magazines from your local FFL.  It’s likely that pistol sales will be tightly controlled and monitored.

Some FFLs will shut down.  Some will barely be able to stay afloat.  In the mean time, remember that you can still purchase what you want, and also remember this: under current ATF rules, long guns sales from an FFL can cross state lines in adjacent states.

That means you can drive to North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky or Tennessee to buy MSRs, pistols, magazines, and whatever else you need.  Ammunition is a huge deal.  Make sure you have everything you will want or need, for both you and your progeny.

If you want more swamp blues, you can check him out here too.

Via WRSA (and reader QuidProQuo), some common sense resistance.

For starters, I seem to recall at least one sheriff in one county stated that should the state begin unconstitutional confiscations, he’d deputize the population as a posse-at-large to nip that right in the bud.

So tell me, those of you on the ground there, with actual skin in the game, WhyTF aren’t all your 2A sanctuary counties and cities pushing your respective sheriffs and police chiefs for the exact same plan??

Why are you leaving it as a what-if contingency?
Why aren’t you pushing to make it a by-God reality, RightF-ingNow??
1000 yahoos fapping in the park at the statehouse are a juicy target for the leftards, the media, and the minions of jackbooted thuggery.
But 500 or 1000 folks at the county meeting or sheriff’s office is a voting bloc that won’t be ignored. Because how in hell did all y’all get those 2A sanctuary votes pushed through? Hmmm???

So how about leading with your strength, instead of your chin for a change?

Dear Sheriff Dawg,
We, the citizens of Bugtussle County, respectfully require that you come up with a plan to deputize auxiliary deputies, to prevent or oppose any unconstitutional enforcement actions in Bugtussle County, effective ASAP.  – signed, 500 registered voters

If he does it, you’ve just grown fangs for liberty teeth. If not, you’ve identified that he was just paying lip service, and needs to go in the next election, if not sooner.

Sounds a lot like something I said.

In the mean time, I really wonder if it might be a much better use of time and resources to leave Richmond alone (after all, there is virtually nothing that can be done to stop the controllers on their way to the Tower of Babel), and schedule a cup of coffee with your local town police, county Sheriff or county deputies.

You can see exactly where they stand, and perhaps make a difference in their views.  If not, you know exactly where you stand.  Yes?

Shhh … quiet.  Hidden from view.  Don’t telegraph your plans to the controllers.  Prepare your own terrain, physical and human, and meet them there.  Focus on your strengths, not theirs.  The pit of vipers is their terrain.  Don’t silhouette the skyline.

The innovative citizen could come up with any number of good plans that don’t silhouette the skyline.  Nothing you say or do will change the controllers’ minds to build their tower of babel.  “Can a leopard change its spots?”

But you can make it too costly for them to finish the job.

Shooting Illustrated recommends at least this.

A micrometer-adjustable seater, a freefloating/self-centering bullet-seating system and a bullet-retaining system … the RCBS MatchMaster Full Length Bushing Set .223 Rem.  MSRP: $169.95; rcbs.com …

Hornady .223 Rem. Brass … MSRP: $32.41 (per 50); hornady.com …

Powered by two AAA batteries, measuring 2¼x4¼x¾ inches and weighing a mere 2.47 ounces, the Lyman Pocket Touch 1500 Digital Scale offers immense performance … MSRP: $30.95 lymanproducts.com …

The Frankford Arsenal M-Press Coaxial Reloading Press … MSRP: $262.99; frankfordarsenal.com

A replacement for the company’s popular Rapid Lube 5000, spraying a thin layer of Dillon Precision’s DCL Case Lubricant on brass prior to running it through your press’ sizing die … MSRP: $11.95; dillonprecision.com …

Does anybody who reloads for 5.56/.223 have any subtractions or additions to this list?  Any experienced reloaders care to weigh in?