Archive for the 'Firearms' Category

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.

This is a good video, worthy of reviewing his data.

You pick up a nontrivial amount of velocity with the rifle compared to the revolver.

I recently read a comment by Matt Bracken.

I think a good case can be made, especially in the thick southeastern hills and woods, for a scoped levergun/revolver pairing in 44 or 357 mag. Going from a 4″ revolver to a 16″ rifle barrel boosts .357 and .44M velocity by better than 25%, and the steadier or rested rested scoped rifle is going to give better real-world accuracy results as well.

The velocity boost for 22LR is not as great coming from a longer rifle barrel, the payoff with a 22 rifle is it’s very quiet, especially with subsonic ammo, because the powder charge is practically spent, and there just isn’t much muzzle blast left over.

I think a good case can be made too.  But I prefer to wait until Henry designs and distributes a side-gate loading .44 magnum rifle.  They have them already for select calibers.  Paired up with a .44 magnum wheel gun, that would be a great combination.

What are they waiting for?

He does an educated review of the most recent NICS data.  I agree with his assessment, and I see prices increasing while inventory begins to decrease over the year 2020.

Nevada Carry.

Three incidents confirmed incidents of open carriers robbed or attacked, only one fatality, and one thwarted attack. One of those victims was killed when he chased the now-armed robber down. Two of the open carry incidents can only be dubiously considered to be true cases of open carry. Six of the incidents, the majority, were confirmed to be concealed carry.

What did these events have in common? Most of these events took place during the hours of darkness. What appears to be common thread with those who were disarmed is carelessness, including:

• Repeated failures of situational awareness by letting the bad guys get too close.
• Failure to use a retention holster (including off-body carry).
• No will to fight back.
• No skills at retaining control of the weapon.
• Using the gun as a talisman rather than a serious tool.

The majority of these incidents show, or at least hint at, major failures in judgment and basic self-defense techniques. Human failure, not systemic failure. Three equivocal documented events in recent news don’t amount to a denunciation of open carry as dangerous. It’s like saying concealed carry, with its higher rate of incidents, should be discounted as well.

The assumption that an openly carried weapon constitutes an invitation for victimization is false in light of the isolated incidents. A few events do not constitute an abundance of evidence. Rather, abundant evidence is available that open carry is indeed a deterrent to crime while concealed carry lacks that deterrent factor.

With six incidents of weapon theft during concealed carry in this informative article.  Frankly, there aren’t enough incidents to convince me that any of this is statistically significant, even though I think this is a good analysis (concerning the primary point of situational awareness).

Bob Owens (when he was alive) used to pan open carry on the basis that it was an invitation to weapon theft.  I disagreed, and still disagree with his successors at Bearing Arms who also take his position.

And I will open carry whenever I think it’s appropriate and I wish to remain comfortable by avoiding the necessity for concealed carry.