Archive for the 'Firearms' Category

Uh oh.  There is war between the manufacturers.

I don’t have a dog in this fight.

I guess ultimately it depends upon exactly how the patent paperwork reads and exactly what they took credit for.  I know a patent and copyright attorney.  It gets really complicated, very quickly.

NSSF on Firearms sales.

• The estimated total number of firearms in civilian possession from 1986-2018 is 422.9 million, according to data reported in the ATF’s Firearms Commerce Report in the United States 2019 report and including the preliminary 2018 Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report (AFMER) figures.
• 17,740,000 Modern Sporting Rifles are in private ownership today.
• More than half (54%) of all rifles produced in 2017 were modern sporting rifles.
• In 2017, 7,901,218 total firearms were produced and imported. Of those, 4,411,923 were pistols and revolvers, 2,821,945 were rifles and 667,350 were shotguns.
• An interim 2018 estimate showed a total 7,660,772 total firearms were produced and imported. Of those 4,277,971 were pistols and revolvers, 2,846,757 were rifles and 535,994 were shotguns. Those are interim reports and will be updated as complete information becomes available.
• Firearms-ammunition manufacturing accounted for nearly 12,000 employees producing over $4.1 billion in goods shipped in 2017. An estimated 8.1 billion rounds, of all calibers and gauges, were produced in 2018 for the U.S. market.

So how’s that plan to confiscate 18 million MSRs going, controllers?  You think you’ll get them all?

Here is a useful graph from Ammoland.

There has been a general trend upwards for a very long time.  Excel or TableCurve-2D could easily fit a smoothed curve with that data with a decent correlation coefficient.  Do you see that increase right at the end of 2019?  It’s seasonal, no doubt, like the rest of the repeatable perturbations.

But I don’t expect to see it go back down very far or fast in 2020.  I think 2020 is the year you want to be in the firearms manufacturing and sales business.

Tribunist.

According to the FBI, over 200,000 background check requests associated with the purchase of a firearm were submitted to the agency on Black Friday, marking the second highest gun sales day ever. The previous record was set on the day after Thanksgiving in 2016. In both 2017 and 2016, enough guns were potentially purchased on Black Friday to arm every active duty United States Marine.

That makes me happy, everything except the NICS part.

But that’s nothing compared to what we witnessed at the time of Obama, when Larry Hyatt at Hyatt Gun Shop in Charlotte sold 1000 AR-15s in a single day, enough to arm a Marine Corps Battalion.  That’s from one single store.

For fans (like me, and many of you) of the 1911, there is a newcomer to the scene called the 2011.  It’s a shiny new variant of the 1911 design, with a double-stack 9mm magazine.  It’s usually designed for competition shooting, and there is no reason a law enforcement organization which exists on the public dollar needs something like this.

Today the latest version of American Rifleman (paper copy) came out, and on page 28 under “U.S. Marshals Get Trendy New Rig,” it says this.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) recently announced the adoption of some interesting and illustrative new gear for its Special Operations Group (SOG).  The heart of the operators’ new service sidearm is STI’s Staccato-P pistol … topping the slide is Leupold’s DeltaPoint Pro red-dot sight, backed up by the Universal Optic System from Dawson Precision – co-witnessing iron sights pairing a black notch rear with a fiber optic front.

I’m covering this because I hadn’t seen it before now.  Guns.com has further information on the procurement of the STI Staccato-P.

Price?  MSRP is a cool $2500 for this model.  A competition pistol, $2500, for the U.S. Marshals Service, ahem, “Special Operations Group.”

Because SpecOps.  It’s not just for real operators who sign up and do it across the pond.  And big dollars.  It’s  not just for rich people.  It’s for FedGov who gets to tax and spend until their heart is content.

Perhaps you feel safer because of this.

This is certainly of value to the folks at Springfield armory.  I’m not a fan of striker fired pistols, but if I was in the market for a striker fired concealed carry pistol, I would consider this gun.

From a reader.

November 18th, 2019

Stag Arms LLC (“Stag” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new President as well as its new location.

Stag’s Board of Directors today announced that Chad Larsen has been appointed Stag’s President effective immediately. The Company also announced that it will be relocating to Cheyenne, WY, by the end of the year. In June, the Company disclosed its decision to move from Stag’s former headquarters in New Britain, CT, and accordingly initiated a national search for a new location.

In making today’s announcement, Elie Azar, Founder and CEO of White Wolf Capital, LLC, which owns a controlling interest in Stag Arms, said: “We decided it was time to do a complete refresh of the Company. We needed to solve for three things: visionary customer-centric leadership, a business-friendly, pro-growth economic environment, and a cultural climate that reflects Stag’s brand image of independence and free spiritedness. I am pleased to report that we have found a solution that hits all these points.”

To find a new location for the Company, Stag’s Board of Directors conducted a rigorous process comparing dozens of potential sites against a stringent set of criteria. “Cheyenne came out on top on most of the individual criteria,” said Azar, “and considering our requirements as a whole, it was by far the superior site. Not only is Wyoming an incredibly hospitable place to do business, it is also a top destination for outdoor recreation, including hunting and shooting sports, which reflects its citizens’ unwavering support for the Second Amendment.”

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, upon learning of Stag’s decision to relocate to his state, issued the following statement:

“I am pleased to welcome Stag Arms to Wyoming and to know that our state came out on top of a broad look at potential new homes for the sought-after company. We have a deep-seated commitment to the Second Amendment that I will continue to uphold. Ultimately, Stag Arms had to make a business decision and I believe this announcement is an affirmation that Wyoming is continuing to cultivate a culture that allows private enterprise to flourish. My administration will work collaboratively with the Wyoming Business Council and Cheyenne LEADS to ensure Stag’s move goes smoothly. I thank Stag’s Board of Directors and Chad Larsen for selecting Wyoming.”

Stag began working with Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development organization for Cheyenne and Laramie County, in June of this year after they reached out offering their assistance. LEADS assisted with site location, workforce evaluation and navigating the community.

Stag’s decision to relocate to Wyoming follows similar recent moves by other firearms companies, most notably Weatherby and Magpul. In addition to being firearm-friendly and outdoor-oriented, Wyoming has been very proactive in its efforts to attract high-skilled/high-paying manufacturing jobs to the state. Communities like Cheyenne have invested significantly in recent years in skilled-training capabilities.

Chad Larsen comes to Stag from Aero Precision, LLC, a leading manufacturer of AR-15 components located in Tacoma, WA, where he spent the last six years leading new product development. Azar noted, “Chad’s innovative genius with the Modern Sporting Rifle platform stems from his personal emersion in the shooting and hunting community. He knows what customers want—and what they don’t—because he is one of them.” Mr. Larsen is both an avid hunter and a registered 3-Gun, Multi-gun and USPSA competitor.

Mr. Larsen added, “I am both honored and humbled to have been selected to lead the charge to revitalize this iconic brand. The Stag team and I are totally committed to continuing Stag’s legacy of innovation—for example, we were the first AR platform to manufacture left-handed rifles—as well as continue our pledge of being 100% made in the United States.” Mr. Larsen succeeds Anthony Ash who was president of Stag since 2016.

Stag has begun the process of relocating all of its operations to Cheyenne and plans to be fully settled in its new accommodations in the upcoming months.

For questions or comments on this announcement, please email questions@stagarms.com.

No firearms manufacturer can stay in Connecticut and survive.  I’m surprised it took them this long to make the decision and engage the move.

Although I have to say that I’m disappointed they didn’t follow so many other firearms manufacturer’s moves and relocate South.

Here’s a report buried in the official narrative of the recent Oklahoma Walmart shooting.

Duncan resident Aaron Helton, an Army veteran, said he was at the Walmart around 9:45 a.m. when he heard nine shots and saw the gunman, weapon in hand. According to Helton, another man walked up, put a pistol to the gunman’s head and told him to stop shooting. Helton said he saw the shooter was turning the gun on himself and looked away.

Don’t expect the MSM to trot this out and focus attention on it.  It doesn’t follow the narrative.  How long would it have taken LEOs to get there, put on tactical gear (they want to go home safely at the end of their shift above all else), and follow procedures trying to isolate the shooter while they searched people when evacuating the building?

One … single … man .. with … a … gun.

Michael Ware writing at Ammoland.

Duracoat has been around for a lot of years. Duracoat firearms coatings require a catalyst and will air cure over time. If you can afford to set aside your work for a month after you’ve completed it, the curing process is usually about as done as you’ll get. You’ll need an HVLP spray gun #ad (high-velocity low pressure) for this and some dry air source, like most spray-on finishes, but it is easy to use and consistent. They offer a Duracoat in a rattle can as well. Same as any finish, it does requires thorough mixing, but isn’t too hard to use.

[ … ]

Aluma-Hyde II is pretty easy to use. You use it as you would any spray paint from a can. I’ll caution you, though, when they encourage you to shake it well, they’re not joking. If your arm isn’t sore after shaking it up, you haven’t shaken it long enough yet [see the Norrells’ coating shaker video tip above.] My other concern is how quickly the product comes out of the nozzle. This is truly a case of testing it on a piece of cardboard or the likes first. If you don’t take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the rate this coating comes out, you’ll have some problems. Be thorough, and you’ll do fine. Find a nice place to let your work cure for a few days, and you’re ready to roll.

KG Gunkote is a common these days. We use the 2400 series product often. It is just about as simple as they get. Shake it well, spray it, and cure it in the kiln. No catalyst is required. KG has been consistent as the sun coming up on color rendition and sheen from batch to batch, so matching something or doing a repeat job for the same customer isn’t tough with KG Gunkote. We use it quite a bit.

The product we use the most in the shop is Cerakote. There are different products of course, depending on which you need to accomplish, but by far we see the most call for H series. Cerakote C series doesn’t require a catalyst and is a high heat application. I use it on machine gun barrels, suppressors, and things that get really hot. However, literally 90% of what product and type that gets sprayed in my paint booth is Cerakote H series. Depending on color it can be a tad fickle to apply, but the results are good. If you have any HVLP skills you’ll be fine. They even have a Cerakote air dry spray coatings products if having a kiln is out of the question. Cerakote is used by some of the biggest names in the gun world including Ruger.

I have literally no experience in the use of coatings, as I’ve never had a need to change colors or add protection because of wear and tear.

But in case I have that need, readers are invited to weigh in on what they’ve used and the relative ease and consistency of application.