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A MERIC A N
SHOOTING JOURNAL Volume 9 // Issue 3 // December 2019 PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andy Walgamott OFFICE MANAGER / COPY EDITOR Katie Aumann LEAD CONTRIBUTOR Frank Jardim CONTRIBUTORS Jim Dickson, Scott Haugen, Ryan Kennedy, Phil Massaro, Mike Nesbitt, Rob Reed SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Celina Martin, Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper
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ON THE COVER Young guns Weston Zolck, Jessica Strasser, Makayla Scott and Levi Henrichs joined Dave Miller of CZ-USA to set a new world record for most clays shot in 12 hours, 14,167. (CZ-USA)
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Website: AmericanShootingJournal.com Facebook: Facebook.com/AmericanShootingJournal Twitter: @AmShootingJourn
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 3
FEATURES
28
53
YOUNG GUNS CRUSH SHOTGUN WORLD RECORD
High school and community college students Weston Zolck, Makayla Scott, Jessica Strasser and Levi Henrichs recently came together with Dave Miller of CZ-USA to try and set a new Guinness World Record for most clays shot by a five-member team in a 12-hour period. Our Frank Jardim caught up with the kids and Dave to talk about the remarkable “practice, commitment and concentration” that went into their audacious – and awesome – attempt.
(CZ-USA)
BLACK POWDER: NEW FOWLER FILLS THE BILL AT RENDEZVOUS SHOOT A few months back Mike Nesbitt wrote about his new Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading fowler, and he recently used it in competition at his club’s fall rendezvous. Find out how sharp shooting with the trade gun helped him win a coveted award.
63
ROAD HUNTER: ON-TARGET CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR HUNTERS, SHOOTERS Want to hit the bull’s-eye with a Christmas present? From rifle gear to footwear to trail cams, hardcore sportsman Scott Haugen shares his top seven picks for those on your list this holiday season
77
ORIGIN OF A ‘BB’-ELOVED HOLIDAY TRADITION The first air gun for kids was made in the late 1880s, and ever since, untold numbers of youngsters have graduated to hunting and shooting after getting their start behind one. Jim Dickson details how BB guns came to be a favorite Christmas present for youngsters – and a whole lot more.
87
BULLET BULLETIN: SIERRA ADDS POLYMER TO TIPPED LINES There’s a “new spin” on Sierra’s popular Tipped MatchKing and GameChanger/ GameKing ammunition lines, reports bullet writer Phil Massaro, who says it’s also one that improves ballistic coefficient and expansion for shooters.
99
PANZER PIGS ON THE LOOSE Armored and coming for your garden, pesky armadillos are spreading north and east in the United States. Their habit of rooting for worms and insects makes them “a first-class varmint in most folks’ eyes,” and Jim Dickson has advice for stopping their blitzkrieg cold.
111 SURVIVING YOUR FIRST SHOT SHOW Industry vet Rob Reed shares tips to help you maximize your time at the firearms and outdoor industry’s biggest event – coming up next month in Las Vegas – as well as how to avoid the “1,000 aisle stare” and other dread afflictions that pop up when you pack 65,000 people into a convention center.
AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2019 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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CONTENTS
125
PRODUCT REVIEW:
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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americanshootingjournal.com 21
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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YOUNG GUNS CRUSH SHOTGUN WORLD RECORD
‘PRACTICE, COMMITMENT AND CONCENTRATION’: CZ-USA-SPONSORED YOUTH TEAM BUST 14,167 CLAYS IN 12 HOURS. BY FRANK JARDIM
N
ot every world record in the Guinness book is spectacular, but whether the achievement is big or small, it will always draw public attention. Dave Miller, the shotgun product manager for CZ-USA and a CZ pro-shooter, believes that youth shotgun programs in America are tremendously important to the long-term health and growth of the shooting sports and they should be getting a lot more attention than they do. Setting a world record with some of these young shotgunners seemed like a great way to put the spotlight on the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation’s Scholastic Clay Targets Program and the Amateur Trap Shooting Association’s Academics, Integrity,
High school and community college students Weston Zolck, Levi Henrichs, Makayla Scott and Jessica Strasser came together with Dave Miller of CZ-USA to set a new world record for most clays shot by a fivemember team in a 12-hour period, 14,167, smashing the old high mark by over 9,500 targets. (CZ-USA) americanshootingjournal.com 29
The record attempt was made with the new CZ 1012, considered to be a general-purpose recreational autoloader for hunting and clay targets, but with its inertia-operating system and relatively light weight of 6.5 pounds, it was quick and easy for the five shooters to get on target, as they fired thousands upon thousands of rounds with it. (CZ-USA)
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
Marksmanship, or AIM, program while demonstrating the strengths of CZ’s new autoloading inertiaoperated CZ 1012 shotgun, in a claytarget-busting, all-American, teenage tour-de-force. Miller determined the record best suited to meet all these goals was “Most clay targets broken by a five-person team in 12 hours.” By his analysis, the standing record of 4,602 clays was ripe for the breaking. And they did it on October 12, 2019, surpassing the old record after only four hours of shooting and finishing with an amazing total of 14,167 clays. Already the holder of the world record for “Most sporting clay targets shot in one hour as an individual,” Miller’s experience with the process got him immediate support from CZ and key sponsors to underwrite the new record attempt. “I knew we could break the record,” he said, “but I wanted to smash it and really set the bar on the top rung. Getting great youth shooters wasn’t a problem, but I estimated it was going to cost close to $65,000 to get the most out of the effort. The cost of Guinness Book adjudicators and promotional agreements alone was about $38,000. The contract was half an inch thick.” “To go as big as we wanted to go, we needed a lot of help. In addition to the contributions by sponsors and individuals, we had 40 volunteers supporting us on the field that allowed the five of us to break 14,176 clays in 12 hours. White Flyer provided all 17,250 clays. MEC Outdoors sent 10 huge, 400-target carousel trap machines to throw them. Aguila Ammuntion provided the 20,425 rounds we fired. CZ-USA gave each of us five new CZ 1012s, not because we expected we’d need them, but to show off the different colors the guns come in. Powder Creek Shooting Park in Lenexa, Kansas, provided the venue. We spent over $3,800 on materials for the five custom shooting platform/gun racks and the 56-foot-long plywood wall needed to protect the target throwers and their operators. The Powder
Creek Shooting Park range staff donated their labor to build the wall.” WHILE MILLER WAS WORKING up the strategy to set the new record, the marketing team at CZ put the team together. Miller chose to recuse himself from the selection process since he knew the families of quite a few of the young shooters who were trying out. To be considered, kids had to be actively involved in a SCTP or AIM program and at least 16 years old by the time of the record attempt. CZ evaluated the applicants based on their scores in a tryout shoot and a 500-word personal essay explaining what shooting sports mean to them, and why they deserved to be on a world record team. The essay was worth half the overall rating. “We didn’t just want good shots,” Miller said. “We wanted good people. For the shooting tryout, competitors fired on 50 targets thrown in the same way we planned to go after them for the world record. The rules required the birds be no closer than 30 yards from the shooters, which is a monster shot for sporting clays. Most of the best shooters came out of SCTP. That was no surprise since that program exposes kids from elementary grades through high school and college with the opportunity to participate in trap, skeet and sporting clays, as well as the Olympic disciplines of bunker trap, trap doubles and international skeet. Those kids usually have a broader range of shooting experience because of that. “The AIM program produces terrific young shooters too, but because their focus is exclusively trap shooting, they were at a disadvantage in the tryout because our birds were flying where trap shooters aren’t accustomed to looking for them.” Out of 66 talented young shotgunners, Makayla Scott, Levi Henrichs, Jessica Strasser and Weston Zolck came out on top. CZ-USA’s Miller would be the fifth member of the team. After planning the event and gathering all the resources needed to make it happen, Miller passed the reigns of event management to Rich 32
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
Gerlach and Mike Hyde, close friends who helped him set his personal world record. This was necessary so Miller could focus on his role as a CZ pro shooter. As team leader, he positioned himself in the center of the firing line so he could see everyone all the time. Some he was already acquainted with, and some he just met, but he knew immediately this team was going to
Sixty-six young shooters competed for a place on the team and were judged not only by how accurate with a shotgun they were but a 500-word essay on what the shooting sports meant to them. For West Virginia’s Makayla Scott, at 16 the youngest member of the team, it’s all about building confidence in herself. (MAKAYLA SCOTT)
make history. MAKAYLA SCOTT IS A 16-year-old high school junior from a small town in West Virginia. She started in the shooting sports four years ago and her skill and enthusiasm – she’s been affectionately nicknamed the Energizer Bunny – scored her a spot as a brand ambassador for CZ-USA before she
americanshootingjournal.com 33
earned her place on the world record team. During the past three years she shot over 10,000 NSCA competition targets, not counting the thousands of rounds of bunker trap, and NSSA, ATA, and 4-H targets across the United States up to the SCTP Nationals and the Junior Olympics. Seeing her now, it is hard to believe she once struggled to find a sense of self-worth as an orphaned and abused child who couldn’t seem to fit in at school. Things began changing for the better for her at age 9 when she was adopted by a loving family who supported and encouraged her. Though she failed at every sport she tried, they would not let her quit trying. Finally, at age 12 her father and brother introduced her to the shooting sports and the mold was cast. “I fell in love with the shotgun sports, and the success I had competing built my confidence and put me in front of so many people
who helped me,” she said. “The shooting sports, shotgun in particular, came to me during a time in my life when I felt like I was nothing. I can’t tell you how many friends I have made across this country because of it. It’s almost unreal. I’m so blessed and fortunate to have been granted this opportunity! Now I’m using my involvement in the shooting sports to tell the world my story. I hope to be able to help another kid like me feel they are worth something. Because, even though the average person doesn’t see them, there are many of those kids out there. I want to show those kids, and even adults that you do not have to let your past define you.” IOWA BORN AND RAISED Levi Henrichs is a graduate of SibleyOcheyedan High School, near the Minnesota state line. The 19-year-old joined the trap shooting team in his
freshman year. Both his parents and all of his five siblings are avid trap shooters too, so you might say it is in his DNA. After one year of successful trap shooting he decided to get certified as a NRA level-1 shotgun coach so he could coach teach younger kids. “Because I enjoyed it so much,” Levi said, “I wanted everyone to be the best they could be at this sport.” Outside of school, Levi shot with leagues and honed his skills competing in local matches. As a high school athlete, he qualified to shoot at all four of Iowa’s state competitions, as well as South Dakota’s. Every year he won a discipline, whether in doubles, singles or handicap. His top achievement while a student was being twice selected for the SCTP Nationals and being selected to train with the 2018 Junior Olympic Development Camp at the Olympic Training Center and USA Shooting’s
“Everything I do is for my shooting, because it’s the best thing that I have had the privilege to do,” said Levi Henrichs of northern Iowa. “My life goals are to get sponsored so I can shoot professionally.” (CZ-USA)
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
International Shotgun Range. That’s the training grounds for the USA Olympic shooting athletes. Now a sophomore enrolled at a community college not far from his hometown, he became a member of their Thunder Shooting Team in 2018 and competed at multiple local trap meets as well as Iowa’s State Trap Shoot last year. After a short break to
set a world record in Kansas, he got right back to Iowa to pick up where he left off. He knows what he’s about. He describes it like this: “Everything I do is for my shooting, because it’s the best thing that I have had the privilege to do. My life goals are to get sponsored so I can shoot professionally. If that goal doesn’t work out, I will continue my education
Jessica Strasser of Wisconsin has been around shooting since she was about 10 years old when she started hunting with her family, and these days she’s won numerous local, state, and national titles. A member of the National Honors Society, she hopes to join a university shooting team when she goes to college. (CZ-USA)
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
in the design engineer program at Northwest Iowa Community College and design guns, and strive to remain in competitive shooting sports at leagues and competitions, or by coaching others. No matter what the future holds, I know my life has been positively impacted by shooting sports and I hope generations after me will get to experience the same joy that I get every time I pick up my gun.” JESSICA STRASSER IS A highly competitive, accomplished shotgun athlete from Wisconsin. For the past five years, this easygoing 17-yearold has broken clays for score as a member of the Waterford Wolverine Shooting Team. Her interest in shooting began around age 10 when she’d hunt with her older brother and father. As time progressed, her passion for shooting flourished and competitive target shooting became a lifestyle for her family. She’s worked hard to strike the right balance between academics, social activities and shooting. That hard work and her dedication to excellence paid off in the form of numerous local, state and national shooting titles, academic achievement awards and membership in the National Honors Society. When Jessica isn’t shooting, she loves to volunteer her time to her church and helping veterans at the local VFW Post. When she graduates high school, she looks forward to furthering her shooting career at a four-year university and hopes to become a professional shooter. The fourth member of the team was Weston Zolck of Nebraska, a 19-year-old sophomore at Iowa Western Community College, where he holds a 4.0 GPA. Thanks to the support of his family, he’s participated in shotgun sports since he was 11 years old and enjoys competing in trap, skeet, sporting clays and small gauge events where he garnered over 200 awards before going for a record. He also enjoys coaching youth shooters and others who share his passion and love for the shotgun
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Weston Zolck took the team’s first shot as they began their bid to top the world record. The Nebraska native reported being nervous before the attempt began, but afterwards said, “I came from the experience believing that as long as I work hard and try to do the best I can do, anything is possible.” (CZ-USA)
sports. To help increase access to these sports, with the help of family and friends Weston established and built a local youth and community shotgun shooting range in Blair, Nebraska. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, trapping and bowfishing when he isn’t competing with a shotgun, going to class, or working on his 1965 Ford F100, nicknamed White Flyer. BREAKING A WORLD RECORD isn’t for everybody. The mediocre don’t set them. All of Team CZ-USA’s young shooters were drawn to it as a chance to show what they were made off. All of them have aspirations to be sponsored professional shooters. When you want to be the best, setting a world record seems completely normal. At least it does until you get selected to be on the 38
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
team. Each of them recalled their initial feelings about the record attempt a little differently. For Makayla, being on the team was a defining experience that closed the difficult early chapters of her life with a precision that seems prophetic in hindsight. “As soon as I heard about this opportunity, I was ecstatic!” she said. “When I was little, I had a rough time and nobody in my life to look up to. I would read books like the Guinness World Records and imagine being amazing like the people in the book! But I didn’t think I would ever get to be someone like that, a hero. This world record defined me as the capable, self-confident person I hoped to be in my childhood!” Weston came across as calm and confident at the shoot, but when he
found out he was to be part of the world record team, he admitted, “I got really nervous about being able to do my part to make it a success.” He was not alone. Jessica worried about her physical stamina. “Going into the world record shoot I had no idea what to expect,” she recalled. “At first, when I shot the qualifier I didn’t even consider the amount of time we would be shooting; I just saw a great opportunity and thought I should at least try out for it. When I got the call from Dave [Miller] and started to practice for the event is when I realized it would be physically challenging.” Levi realized when he was a senior in high school that if he was going to continue as a serious shotgun competitor, he had to overcome one major obstacle: money. He already
spent all his earnings on the many expenses of travel, hotels, practice ammo, guns and match fees. Without a sponsor, shotgun sports would probably have to become a hobby and his goals of representing the United States at the Olympics might slip beyond his reach. When he found out about the CZ-USA world record attempt, he was determined to make the team. “I knew if I was going to continue to grow as an athlete, I needed to get the attention of a sponsor and the world record was my chance to do something really big,” he said. Though Weston was the most experienced youth shooter on the team, the magnitude of the world record attempt was something completely new to him. It hit him the first night at the hotel while he was in the conference room for dinner.
“Seeing all the media people and meeting all the people that made the world record attempt possible,” he said, “is when I really realized how big an honor it really was to be part of the team.” THE MOST MEMORABLE ASPECTS of Jessica’s experience, like trail blazes on a tough hike, stood out at four linear points on Miller’s carefully planned timeline to the record books. The first was the team’s first day on the range, testing out equipment and practicing the day before the event. “The first day on the range was very exciting. There were brand-new CZ 1012 shotguns everywhere and a team of people from CZ helping us feel comfortable with the shotguns and trying to make sure everything went smoothly over the next few days,”
Orphaned as a child, Makayla, the team’s only left-handed shooter, read Guinness World Records books and dreamed of someday seeing her name in it. (CZ-USA)
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
Jessica said. The second came on the following day when they fired their first shot toward the record. “The first few shots of the event were unreal,” she said. “The crowd was cheering, the targets were breaking, and I could tell that our team of five was going to do it.” The third was when they actually realized they’d already broken the old record. “The moment we broke the old record we took a break from shooting. It was certainly one of my proudest moments and I will carry that feeling and memory with me for the rest of my life,” Jessica added. “When they announced that we had broken the record I was overcome with a feeling of pride.” Full realization of the scope of their record-setting endeavor hit Jessica
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when it was over. “When the 12-hour clock ran out I was so proud of myself and all of my teammates. Twelve hours of shooting was very physically demanding but we all finished, and we smashed the record. I was amazed by what we had accomplished.” Makayla had two unforgettable experiences: when she found out they beat the old record only a third of the way through the allotted time, and when they set their record as a team. “I felt like a superhero after we broke the old record,” she said. “And when the buzzer went off when we finished and they announced we had shot 14,167 clays, I just ran to my father and cried and smiled at the same time! I finally felt I had come away from my past as a fighter, as a hero, and I had reached that childhood dream I had for years. It
A representative of Guinness World Records was on hand to certify the attempt. The effort to set the new record was initially estimated to cost $65,000, and depended heavily on the help of volunteers and support from sponsors, as well as custom-built facilities at Powder Creek Shooting Park in eastern Kansas. (CZ-USA)
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
Makayla and her father Telford Scott embrace after 12 hours of shooting in which she and the team shot 14,167 clays, or about one every three seconds. “I finally felt I had come away from my past as a fighter, as a hero, and I had reached that childhood dream I had for years. It was amazing!” she said. (MAKAYLA SCOTT)
was amazing!” Cool and collected, Weston, who fired the team’s first shot, reflected, “I
came from the experience believing that as long as I work hard and try to do the best I can do, anything is possible. I hope that being part of this world record will open doors for me to have a career in the shooting world.” Levi, Jessica and Makayla all shared his sentiments regarding their hopes for a future in the shooting industry. “Next year I will be attending college and studying marketing,” said Jessica. “Being part of the world record team gave me exposure to many people in the industry and I hope that will help me out when I go to apply for a job.” Makayla said what she most hopes to take away from this is awareness. “To finally have a platform to share my story with the world to people that will listen. I hope to reach out to kids like me, who had no hope,” she said. “I hope to inspire them to keep going,
keep dreaming, and work hard. When I started shooting sports, I had no idea where the heck I would be in the future. I had dreams, yes, but I never thought an eccentric little girl like me would ever get to reach those dreams.”
Numerous shooting sports companies made the world record attempt possible, including White Flyer, which provided 17,250 clays; MEC Outdoors, which sent 10 400-target carousel trap machines; and Aguila Ammunition, which provided over 20,000 shotshells. (CZ-USA)
MORE INFO
For more information on the CZ 1012 shotgun and the great sponsors that made this new world record possible, check out: CZ-USA: cz-usa.com Amateur Trap Shooting Association: aim4ata.com Scholastic Clay Target Program: sssfonline.org/ /scholastic-clay-targetprogram Aguila Ammunition: aguilaammo.com White Flyer: whiteflyer.com MEC Outdoors: mecoutdoors.com Powder Creek Shooting Park: powdercreek.com Risher Company: risherco.com Peregrine Field Gear: peregrinefieldgear.com For more on Guinness World Records, see guinnessworldrecords.com.
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
LIKE THE SHOOTERS, THE new CZ 1012 shotgun was carefully selected for setting the new record. It’s designed as a general purpose recreational gun for hunting and clay targets and not specifically for serious clay target competition. However, it has several characteristics that made it ideal for breaking the record. In developing the game plan, it became obvious to Miller that the pace at which the targets had to be thrown required an autoloader with a five-round capacity to keep up. Compared to a gas-operated gun, the CZ 1012’s inertia-operating system is simpler, needs far less cleaning, has no “O” rings subject to failure, and weighs less. Since time equals birds, using a reliable autoloader shotgun that didn’t need cleaning meant no time lost to gun maintenance or malfunction and more time to destroy clays. At 6.5 pounds, the CZ 1012 weighed a pound less than a gas-operated gun, was quicker to the target, and caused less shooter fatigue over the course of shouldering it 4,500 times. Miller perceived this could be especially important to Jessica and Makayla, who had less upper body strength than the guys on the team. Overall, the young shooters had nothing but praise of the new autoloader. “I couldn’t believe how much torture the CZ 1012 could take,” Weston said. “I was able to shoot one gun for the whole 12 hours and the gun never jammed or stopped cycling. The only preventive maintenance I did to keep the gun cycling was spraying a little oil in the action during our breaks.” Makayla was initially biased against any autoloaders for competition for reasons of reliability, but the performance, fast handling and light weight of the CZ 1012 completely changed her mind. Jessica was pleased
with the gun too. “Our CZ shotguns were amazing,” she said. “The guns have low recoil, cycle the shells well and have an overall luxury feel that makes the gun feel very natural.” GREATER FELT RECOIL IS the one drawback of the inertia-operated shotgun, and after firing 20,000 shells, there’d be no getting around a raw shoulder. But recoil, unlike weight, can be mitigated. The Aguila Ammunition used was a big part of the solution that not everyone was aware of, but Weston noticed. “I was really impressed with the Aguila ammo because it was a real light-kicking shell,” he said. “I’ve shot a lot slower shell and had more recoil than the Aguila shell we were shooting.” “The ammunition was very good,” Jessica observed. “Of the over 4,000 rounds that I personally shot, I did not have a single misfire or bad shell.” Everyone’s experience was the same as hers. In 20,000 rounds of Aguila size 71/2 shot target loads, there wasn’t a single misfire or ammunition problem of any kind. There was more to recoil mitigation than just the ammo. Steve Kawamoto of Peregrine Field Gear, on his own initiative, provided the shooters with Wild Hare shooting vests with recoil-absorbing ShockEater shoulder inserts. Thanks to great planning, sponsors, shooters, and the hard work of a great many people a world record was set that isn’t likely to be broken. Miller is quick to point out the many contributors that made it possible, and he is especially effusive in his praise of his young teammates. “This new world record took a great deal of practice, commitment and concentration,” said Miller. “And these young shooters, Makayla Scott, Weston Zolck, Levi Henrichs and Jessica Strasser, never faltered! I’m very proud of these young people and their stellar work ethic. The world record could not have been set without their dedication to excellence.” 46
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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BLACK POWDER
Author Mike Nesbitt displays the Top Mountain Man award he won for accuracy at a Washington muzzleloader club’s fall rendezvous, along with the TVM Fowler that he shot so well to earn it in part.
NEW FOWLER FILLS THE BILL A muzzleloader’s TVM trade gun helps him win high award for accuracy across weapons types at club’s annual fall rendezvous. STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
t
he third weekend in September is when the annual Fall Harvest Rendezvous is held by the Evergreen Muzzleloaders, and more than a few shooters look forward to it to do a variety of good shooting.
This is the Washington State Muzzleloading Association’s (WSMA) Primitive Rendezvous and the awards are referred to as the Primitive Championships. “Primitive” basically means there are no paper targets, except for the peewee class, and that rifles must have nonadjustable open sights and fire patched round balls. There are some other rules too, such
as loading must be done “from the pouch” and shooting boxes are not allowed, but the rifles are the main thing. And in addition to the rifle and pistol shooting, there are matches for knife- and tomahawk-throwing, trade gun shooting, and archery events, all of which fall into the “primitive” arena. In other words, the annual event, held at the Evergreen Sportsman’s americanshootingjournal.com 53
BLACK POWDER During the club match, this group out of the author’s Hawken was fired offhand, hitting to the left.
Club near the state capital of Olympia, is some doin’s! It’s one that this child looks forward to.
Nesbitt describes his handmade “local” Hawken copy in .50 caliber as “light and authentic.”
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THIS YEAR I decided, in perhaps a weak moment, that the rifle I’d use was my lightweight Hawken percussion rifle in .50 caliber. To go along with that, I’d use my .50-caliber Hawken percussion pistol, which I’ve had for several years, and the new TVM Fowler, which was featured in the June issue, for the trade gun match. Yes, and I’d have my “war bow” along too, just to be fully equipped. My lightweight Hawken is a copy of an original rifle that was pictured in Charles E. Hanson’s book The Plains Rifle. I scaled parts and pieces from that picture to build my version from scratch, making the stock from a maple blank and getting the other parts as needed. Several Hawken enthusiasts would refer to my rifle as a “local Hawken,” one that the Hawken brothers in St. Louis would have made for local customers instead of the mountain men who carried their rifles to the fur trade rendezvous or to the mountains. It’s actually a fine rifle and I should be using it more often. Just a week before the rendezvous,
I used the lightweight Hawken at our monthly club shoot and didn’t do too bad. That was primarily done in order to check the rifle’s sights, and some adjustment was needed. Windage needed to be fine-tuned, so I used a Wyoming Sight Drifter to move the front sight to the left, bringing the bullet’s point of impact over to the right. The windage adjustment was not checked on paper, but while shooting the gongs on the trail, my .50 percussion did pretty well. I figured I was ready for the competition at the rendezvous. BECAUSE THIS IS a primitive rendezvous, primitive camping is certainly included and Mike Moran, WSMA’s president, is noted for enjoying a rather small and primitive “diamond fly” between him and the elements. Mike’s “above-ground” campfire did its best to cook his “buffalo meat,” in addition to throwing some welcome heat into his small open-sided camp. There were at least half a dozen other tents in the primitive camp and that was good to see. Tim Sampson, a longtime Evergreen Muzzleloaders member, had a very good camp setup
BLACK POWDER and welcomed guests to join him for refreshments and conversation. Of course, the real highlight and challenge for the Primitive Championships is the shooting. Bob DeLisle made sure that we had some new, or at least changed, targets for this year. He even “set a trap” by having only 19 rifle targets but still having 20 spaces for targets on the scorecard. But nobody took the bait; none of the scorecards had any claims for hits on “target number 20.” Bob DeLisle wasn’t the only one who worked hard to put on this doin’s. Bob Gietz handled registrations for the whole show and he did it without any help or taking a break! Jerry Mayo deserves a “Some doin’s!” too, as being the “booshway,” or head man, is not an easy job. Jerry did appoint Will Ulry to be in charge of the peewee match, but only after we Going along with the “primitive” style of match, Washington State Muzzleloading Association president Mike Moran slept under his diamond fly tent.
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knew we had a peewee who wanted to shoot. That was one of those lastminute things, but it worked out very well, so another “Some doin’s!” goes to Will as well. For Mike Moran and me, the shooting started on Friday morning and we shot the rifle trail first. That’s when I wondered if shooting the .50-caliber percussion rifle was a good choice because I missed more than I hit. My guess is that in the dark timber of the trail walk, I was holding “too much front sight” and my shots were going high. Mike did very well but my score was struggling; in fact, I was wishing I had used my .50 flintlock. Then we went out on the primitive archery trail. That’s where I did better and, as it turned out, only one other archer beat my score, which gave me second place. However, archery is not included in the shooters’ aggregate.
What is included is the rifle score, the pistol score, and the score achieved for throwing knives and tomahawks. We did that together too and turned in good scores, which contributed to our standings in the aggregates. ONE AWARD THAT the Evergreen Muzzleloaders likes to hand out is simply a certificate for the “Top Mountain Man.” To get this award, a shooter must compete in almost every event, in order to get enough points to even be considered for this achievement. I had never gotten or even come close to getting that award. This year, however, I used my new TVM Fowler in the trade gun match and I missed on only one shot. That miss was at a flying clay pigeon. But my other 14 hits gave me 140 points, which added nicely to my overall score, in addition to giving me first place
BLACK POWDER
“Booshway” Jerry Mayo tried to hide behind his rifle’s smoke. He was in charge of the rendezvous, leading to the fur trading era moniker being applied to him.
Young Sebastian Wagner embraces the .50-caliber rifle he won from the Evergreen Muzzleloaders at their fall rendezvous. He also a made off with a handmade shooting box and is “well fixed for doing more good shooting,” says Nesbitt.
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in the match. My load of a .595-inch round ball in a .015-inch lubed patch over 60 grains of 3Fg GOEX powder in that 20-gauge worked just fine. The prizes, once again, were very good. The main reason for that is because the shooters were donating shooting prizes that they would like to receive. Outstanding items like the wooden chair that Will Urly makes a habit of donating are always welcome, and the shooters viewed the prizes very well just before the awards. And the first item to be awarded deserves greater comment. That is because our club’s habit, made possible by the support of the WSMA, is to award a muzzleloading rifle to a young peewee or junior shooter at our rendezvous. This, of course, is done with the permission of the shooter’s parents or guardian. In this case, the peewee shooter getting the rifle was Sebastian Wagner, the grandson of Jim Wagner. Sebastian got the rifle plus a new handmade shooting box made and given to him by Frank Ponceroff. We can say that Sebastian left this rendezvous, his first but certainly not the last, well fixed for doing more good shooting. Another award was presented toward the tail end of the awards ceremony. That was when they gave me the Top Mountain Man certificate. Let me admit it, I was delighted. I can also admit that I got the award by being only five points ahead of the next highest shooter. My good fortune mainly rests on my trade gun and archery scores, although it wouldn’t have happened without my rifle, pistol, knife and ’hawk scores too. We’re all looking forward to next September’s rendezvous, and you can bet that Sebastian will be there shooting his new .50-caliber rifle. There are several black powder rendezvous around the country and no two of them are completely alike. This goes to show how much variety there is in black powder shooting. So try a rendezvous sometime; you’ll do it again.
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ROAD HUNTER
ON-TARGET CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR HUNTERS
From rifle gear to footwear to trail cams, here’s what impressed one hardcore sportsman in 2019 and would likely be appreciated as presents by the hunter or shooter on your list. STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
A
nother year has come and gone, and with it, precious time afield. One of the great parts of my job is trying out new pieces of hunting gear throughout the year. Another fun aspect is sharing what I’ve learned about this gear with fellow hunters. Following is a look at some of the best gear I used throughout 2019, and why I think it would make a great Christmas gift for the hunter in your life, or for you, if looking to treat yourself to something special. Keep in mind I wasn’t paid a dime by any of these companies to endorse their products. Rest assured, these are accurate, fair reports on gear I like and will continue using, well after this magazine has gone to press. HATPOINT TARGET STAND I do a lot of shooting year-round with rifles, rimfires and numerous shotguns. One of the biggest time-eaters for me is making and setting up targets. I’ve pieced together target stands that have served their purpose over the years, but when I tried the new HatPoint Target Stand (hatpointtarget.com), things changed. The HatPoint Target Stand is versatile and easy to set up. The framework allows for easy anchoring, be it with the provided spikes, or by placing rocks, wood or sandbags on the frame when shooting on hard ground. Wooden slats can be placed
Want to hit the bull’s-eye with a Christmas present? Among author Scott Haugen’s top seven picks for hunters and shooters this holiday season are HatPoint Target Stands. americanshootingjournal.com 63
ROAD HUNTER
Haugen calls Novagrade’s cell phone adapters “the most durable, rugged, reliable” ones he’s used.
in the frame that offers multiple target widths, but what I really like is HatPoint’s polymer slats that take errant pellets from heavy shotgun loads without compromise. HatPoint Target Stands save time, and if you do a lot of shooting, are a great investment that will save money in the long run. This stand is also easy and quick to assemble and disassemble, making it ideal for
the public land hunter/shooter to carry afield and keep things clean. NOVAGRADE CELL PHONE ADAPTER I’ve been digiscoping for years – using adapters for cell phones to take photos and video through spotting scopes – but not until recently was I truly happy with my results, and all thanks to Novagrade (novagrade.com). Novagrade is
Quickly adjusting the zoom on a riflescope is easier with the addition of a Switchview throw lever, which the author has mounted on most of his rifles.
designed, machined and assembled in my home state of Oregon, and is the most durable, rugged, reliable digiscope adapter I’ve ever used. The technology applied in the Novagrade allows it to quickly fit any cell phone, and a range of available adapters will fit any spotting scope or binocular eyepiece. When in place, the Novagrade is so secure you can grab the device and lift up any spotting scope and tripod setup, and it won’t budge. Whether you’re looking to take your field judging of big game to another level, survey waters being used by ducks or geese from a safe distance, or simply want to photograph and video wildlife, the Novagrade will help. Thanks to its sturdy design and solid framework, every shot you take will be rock-solid, optimizing the capability and clarity of what your cell phone is capable of doing. SWITCHVIEW THROW LEVER If looking to maximize the efficiency of your riflescope’s magnification dial, consider a throw lever. Popular with competition shooters and varmint
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ROAD HUNTER The hardiness of double-wall and rotomolded Gunner Kennels impresses Haugen, as do the survival stories of hunting dogs involved in accidents while inside the enclosures.
hunters, quick-zoom levers are also nice for hunters when looking through the scope at animals on the move. Scope dials are supposed to move slowly, requiring considerable force to budge them at times. This is normal, for these moving parts must also keep the scope waterproof and prohibit dust from penetrating the scope. The challenge of efficiently operating scope dials comes when a quick, big range of movement is required. In order to more easily and quickly move my .22’s scope magnification dial while tree squirrel hunting last fall, I equipped it with a Switchview lever (switchviewusa.com). Soon, I put Switchview levers on nearly all of my riflescopes; that’s how impressed I was with their performance. Made in the USA, Switchview levers are easy to install and made to fit a multitude of riflescopes. 66
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
PELICAN CASE Keeping my hunting gear organized, accessible and dry has always been a challenge. Certain backpacks work well in specific situations, and I don’t know how many dry bags I own, which also serve their purpose under the right circumstances. But throughout the many hunting seasons this year, I put Pelican’s new Ruck Case (pelican.com) to the test, and loved it. The Ruck Case is a hard, sturdy case that accommodates storage for valuable accessories. Be it camera batteries, a cell phone, truck keys or more, they’ll remain totally dry in the Ruck Case. There’s even a feature that securely holds a portable charger and cord for your cell phone to keep it functioning all day long. I used my Pelican Ruck Case on multiple hunts throughout the Pacific Northwest this year, and around many
places in remote Alaska. Be it in driving rains, thick mud, saltwater, on boats, bushplanes or ATVs, the contents in my Ruck Case were dry and in perfect condition every time. Available in multiple sizes and colors, there’s a reason I’ll be getting more of these reliable storage boxes. LACROSSE AEROHEAD BOOTS This fall my son got a pair of LaCrosse AeroHead Sport knee boots (lacrossefootwear.com). The thing that first captured my attention was that they’re lightweight, and the fact that my son and I wear the same size, which meant I could try them out. After my son wore them multiple times in Alaska, in a range of conditions, he made clear they were the most comfortable knee boot he’d worn. I soon wore them in mud, icy rivers, snow and temperatures plunging into
ROAD HUNTER come from hunters who’ve survived vehicular crashes, as have their dogs. To hear some of these stories gives you chills, but to see pictures capturing the severity of the wrecks, and how the dog and kennel survived, leaves any serious hunter who travels a lot with their dog realizing what their next kennel purchase should be. Gunner Kennels come with a plug and specially designed floor for draining, aftermarket accessories, a lifetime warranty and a range of sizes.
If the author’s name happens to be on your Christmas shopping list, he’s left a pretty broad hint that he wouldn’t mind another Stealth Cam DS4K trail camera, “the best I’ve ever used.”
the 20s, and my feet remained toasty warm. The polyurethane outer layer of these boots replaces standard rubber, and it is light, flexible, durable, waterproof and optimizes insulation. The soles provide ideal traction in mud and snow, while the abrasion-resistant shin guard offers super protection in sharp, thick grass, amid shoreline sticks and when wading through thorny devil’s club. Comfortable, durable and effective, that’s what the AeroHead boot offers. GUNNER KENNEL No kennel on the market offers what a Gunner Kennel does when it comes to safety and protection of your hunting 68
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
dog. Gunner Kennels (gunnerkennels .com) are the only dog kennels on the market that have passed and dominated the many intensive and comprehensive crash tests they’ve been put through, earning these travel crates the first 5-star crash test rating from the Center for Pet Safety. Gunner Kennels are the only double-wall, rotomolded dog kennel on the market. They’ve been tested to withstand over 4,000 pounds of force, a blast from a 12-gauge shotgun at close range, an impact of over 600 pounds dropped on them, and they’ve been tossed off 200-foot cliffs and made it. But some of the most impressive testimonials of Gunner Kennels
STEALTH CAM DS4K ULTRA Last year I started using Stealth Cam’s new DS4K trail cameras. The quality of video this trail camera produced was unmatched, and I’ve been using trail cameras for many years. Recently, Stealth Cam (stealthcam.com) released their latest version of the DS4K, with an impressive upgrade. The new and improved DS4K shoots ultra 4K HD video and 32 megapixel images. It also features a 100-foot infrared range and new adjustable burst interval options. Personally, I learn a great deal about animal movement and behavior by capturing action on trail cameras set to video mode, not just pictures. Throughout this fall and winter I’ve been using the new DS4K exclusively in southeast Alaska’s rainforest. Here, heavy rain, intense fog, snow and freezing temperatures are the norm, yet this camera prevailed in every situation. It’s the best trail camera I’ve ever used, period, and I will be getting more, hopefully for Christmas. THERE YOU HAVE IT, an experiential look into some of the best hunting gear I was fortunate to use in 2019, and why I like it. Here’s to another year behind us, and to the year of hunting and shooting that lies ahead. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s series of popular hunting books, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
americanshootingjournal.com 69
ATHLON OPTICS Serious shooters want serious gear! The Athlon Optics Midas TAC 5-25x56 gives those diehard enthusiasts premium features without breaking the bank. HD glass and a precision zero stop, built on a 34mm tube, ensure this scope will work for any rifleman. A scope built to last a lifetime, backed by a lifetime warranty. $849.99 See us on page 103
BOYDS HARDWOOD GUNSTOCKS Brown camo grips for Boyds’ At-One adjustable stocks will break up your gun’s outline and help it blend into its surroundings out in the field. Hydro-dipped rubber overmold on forends and adjustable comb for extra gripping power! Just $57. See us on page 98
ATHLON OPTICS Perfect for hunters and target shooters alike. The Athlon Optics Talos 20-60x80 spotting scope delivers excellent light transmission thanks to silver-coated K9 glass prisms and fully multicoated lenses. Use with the included tabletop tripod, or any standard ¼x20 accessory. Covered by a lifetime warranty. $149.99 See us on page 103
DEFIANCE MACHINE Tenacity action with 20 MOA rail and recoil lug See us on page 89
AR Parts, Guns & Accessories americanshootingjournal.com 71
americanshootingjournal.com 73
EZR SPORTS EZR Sport gives you three different comfort and control enhanced grips to replace your stock A2 grip. All three offer superior performance and control over your stock grip. See us on page 124
LAYKE TACTICAL LT-10 lower receiver See us on page 41
LUTH-AR Palm handguard See us on page 70
SIERRAPAPA INC. SierraPapa’s Hammer/trigger/spring kit consists of a stainless steel hammer, adjustable aluminum trigger, reduced-power hammer spring and sear clip. Reduces trigger pull weight from approximately 10 to 12 pounds to 6.5 to 7 pounds and helps take some of the sponginess out of the trigger. Parts are made in the USA and help count toward 922r compliance. See us on page 117
AR Parts, Guns & Accessories
ORIGIN OF A HOLIDAY TRADITION
Here's how BB guns came to be a favorite Christmas present for youngsters, and a whole lot more.
F
or well over 100 years, the BB gun has been a rite of passage for many youngsters. It was a training tool for the next rite of passage, the first real gun. Sadly, many missed out due to a widespread misuse of the BB gun that prompted many parents to skip that first step and go straight to the .22 a few years later. The infamous BB gun
STORY BY JIM DICKSON
wars, where kids shot each other with BB guns, caused many to lose an eye and as time went on, the public no longer tolerated this and it faded from memory. Good riddance. As a training tool, the BB gun is a fine one and tailor-made for the younger would-be shooters. The problems arose when it was used without adult supervision. Young
children need parental supervision and guidance, and they particularly need it in the formative years. The BB gun is the middle ground between a toy gun and a real gun and if it is to serve its purpose as a training gun, it must be treated as a real gun. The muzzle should never be pointed at anything you do not intend to shoot. Lexan plastic wrap around safety
A boy takes aim with his BB gun. The first air gun for kids was made in the late 1880s, and ever since, untold numbers of youngsters have graduated to hunting and shooting after getting their start behind one. (DAISY) americanshootingjournal.com 77
Next year marks the 80th year since Daisy licensed the name of its famed leveraction Red Ryders from the creators of a Westernthemed comic strip.
glasses from the local hardware store will protect against BBs ricocheting off flat objects. Other children, pets and small game too small to be killed with a BB gun should be strictly off limits. Properly used, the BB gun can be a very valuable training aid. It takes a lot of practice to make a good shot and BBs are a lot cheaper than bullets. Training hand-eye coordination while teaching the muscles to hold steady is learned through repetitive motion. The BB gun is a great training aid here. THE HISTORY OF air rifles goes back to the 1500s, but these were powerful arms meant for the battlefield. Napoleon threatened to execute 78
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foreign soldiers caught with one since the expensive weapons had no smoke and little noise. The Lewis and Clark expedition carried one, which still survives today. These early air guns had a compressed air cylinder or sphere that was pumped up by many strokes of a hand pump. The first spring-loaded compressed air rifle made for children was produced by the Markham Manufacturing Company in 1886. In 1887, the company was renamed the Markham Air Rifle Company. This company was later bought out by Daisy. The future Daisy company was started in 1882 as the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company. Lack of an efficient sales and distribution
system was killing the company. In 1888, Clarence Hamilton, the inventor of their windmill, showed the prototype of his new air rifle to the board of directors. The firm’s president, Cass Hough, fired it and delightedly exclaimed, “Boy, that’s a daisy!”, a popular expression of the day. The name stuck. Originally given as a premium to farmers who bought a windmill, the BB gun took off with a life of its own. By 1895 the decision was made to drop the windmills to concentrate on air gun production and the firm was renamed Daisy Manufacturing Company. Extremely efficient advertising and marketing soon made the name Daisy synonymous with air rifle. The guns were called BB guns because the first ones were made to use size BB lead shotgun pellets. Today’s BB guns shoot smaller plated steel shot, but the name remains unchanged. After all, smaller plated steel shotguns just doesn’t cut it as a name. In 1914, Daisy introduced the famous Model 25 pump BB gun. This would be one of the most popular sellers for decades. The lever-action BB guns gave less trouble, though, and this led to the company concentrating on them. CONTINUALLY INTRODUCING NEW models was an effective marketing strategy for Daisy. In the 1930s they began making signature guns endorsed by famous comic book and Hollywood stars like Buck Rogers and Buck Jones. In 1940, they brought out the famous Red Ryder model. Red Ryder was one of the most popular comic strip characters of all time. Beginning in 1938, it captured the imagination of kids across the country and when Daisy introduced its Red Ryder BB gun, every youngster felt like they just had to have one. This is the gun immortalized by little Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story, about a young boy’s fervent desire for a BB gun for Christmas. Today Daisy still sells the Red Ryder BB gun and the 80th anniversary edition is on the store shelves now.
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The name BB refers to the size of the lead pellets the first air guns fired. Today’s projectiles are slightly smaller, .177 inch in diameter, and made of steel and coated with copper or zinc.
The most important use of the BB gun came about when the late Lucky McDaniel developed a way to rapidly teach instinct shooting through the use of the BB gun. Since sights just
get in the way when you are instinct shooting, Lucky would rip the sights off his BB guns with a pair of pliers before shooting them. With a rifle you cannot see the bullet in the air so
Daisy has been putting on an annual championship for young shooters for nearly five and a half decades, and this year's winning team came from Pierre, South Dakota.
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you do not know where the student is missing. You can see a BB in the air, though, and then tell the student what corrections to make. If you see him or her shooting under the target, you tell them to look over the target. If they are shooting over the target, you tell them to look under the target. This was the first time anyone had found a way to quickly teach this vital skill. Once his students were trained with the BB gun, Lucky would switch them to real guns. He would soon have them shooting coins out of the air with a pistol or hitting a five-gallon can at 500 yards offhand with every shot, all without using the sights on the gun. All this in one lesson. I knew Lucky very well and I truly believe he was the world’s best hand-eye coordination instructor. No one could impart their skill to a student as fast as he could. I think some of that was through telepathy, as no one else could do it as fast and efficiently as he could despite copying his every word and gesture.
Author Jim Dickson had the stock of his BB gun lengthened to help “keep up my instinct shooting skills.”
During the Vietnam War, Lucky spent a lot of time at Fort Benning giving free lessons to the troops. That ended when he would not kowtow to a high ranking officer, who then had him banned. That did not stop the army from adopting his training methods as the Quick Kill instinct shooting system though. This training saved countless lives during the war. Daisy was soon selling BB guns without sights to the army and they then came out with a lever-action BB gun without sights as part of their “Quick Skill” instinct shooting kits, which they sold to the public. I bought one of these and promptly altered
and lengthened the stock to fit me according to the gun fitting Robin Nathan at Purdey’s in London had given me. While the workmanship of my stock alteration is certainly not up to Purdey’s standards, it fits me now and that is always a great help to accurate shooting. It’s probably the only Daisy BB gun out there with a 15 9/16-inch length of pull. I use this gun to keep up my instinct shooting skills. The use of the BB gun to teach instinct shooting has made the gun a vital part of the adult’s training routine. Hand-eye coordination has to be maintained and you have to practice this to maintain your skill
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level. The BB gun was no longer just for kids. Now it not only had a place in the adult world, but skill with it was now a life and death matter to many. Today Daisy is still going strong. Economic reasons forced a move from Plymouth, Michigan, to Rogers, Arkansas, in 1958. They opened a Daisy Museum there in 1966, which was moved to a larger facility twice. It remains a top tourist destination in Rogers today. It looks like Daisy is going to be part of America from now on, and every American can be thankful for that. Editor’s note: For more, see daisy.com.
PrOlix is a penetrating solvent/ dry lube product that was lab-developed and tested by law enforcement, military and commercial shooters over many years. The citrus-based biodegradable cleaner, pioneered in 1995, is the first successful “all in one” gun care product, now deemed “Bio-Technology.” Their recyclable (strain and reuse) products are made of 89 percent or greater renewable resources, a true commitment to sustainable practices and caring for the environment. As such, the USDA has listed PrOlix as a BioPreferred Product since 2012. The solvent “goes on wet, cleans, bonds, and the lube turns dry to the touch.” It removes carbon, copper, lead, shotgun plastic residues, and black powder. PrOlix will not damage wood, freeze, or flash off, and it can be used for commercial and industrial applications as well. To complement the PrOlix Cleaner/Lubricant (Dry Tech) line, shooters can use the equally superior “gun-oil and grease replacer” PrOlix Xtra-T Lube for a total care product. PrOlix, which will be celebrating its 33rd anniversary soon, announced at the 2019 Shot Show that they would be shipping out their products with a new look around the middle of the year. Along with the new look, due to many requests, their PrOlix TGCP in the 16-ounce-PRO with an adjustable nozzle and trigger-sprayer cap will also change to an easier-to-handle bottle. Visit prolixlubricant.com for more information. 82
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BULLET BULLETIN
Sierra, long famous for its accurate bullets, has introduced polymer-tipped bullets to its lineup.
POLYMER ADDED TO SIERRA LINEUP ‘New spin’ on popular Tipped MatchKing, GameChanger/GameKing ammunition improves bullet ballistic coefficient, expansion. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
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rowing up in an era when premium ammunition was a rarity at best, my father showed me the benefits of reloading as a young man. His Mossberg 100A gave decent accuracy with the standard Winchester and Remington ammunition, and the accuracy got better with the early Federal Premium ammo – using the Sierra GameKing bullets – but truly shined with his handloaded ammunition, using Sierra MatchKings. For decades, the Sierra bullets were the
benchmark of accuracy, especially the MatchKing, with the GameKing and ProHunter holding their own among the hunting bullets as well. I count the advancements in optics and the modern bullet designs to be the two most important improvements to hunting and shooting in the last three decades; the projectiles we have today are better than they’ve ever been. Monometal construction, bonded cores, copper partitions, polymer tips, aluminum tips; we’ve got all sorts of designs to choose from, yet the classic
Sierra designs work as well today as they did decades ago. But even the classics can benefit from an update, and Sierra has seen fit to put a new spin on their best sellers, and I like it. BOTH THE TIPPED MatchKing and the GameChanger bullet (also known as the Tipped GameKing) benefit from a polymer tip – a translucent green, of course – and that tip performs a couple of different functions. In the Tipped MatchKing bullets, it improves the ballistic coefficient of the bullet, americanshootingjournal.com 87
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The Sierra Tipped GameKing, also known as the GameChanger, in .308-inch-caliber 165 grains.
The 7mm-caliber 165-grain TGK in the 7mm Remington Magnum.
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and keeps it there; a uniform polymer tip will have better consistency from bullet to bullet, and I’ve found them to be very accurate. The GameChanger (and some of the smaller-caliber Tipped MatchKings used for varmints) receives that same benefit, but in the terminal phase, the polymer tip acts as a wedge to initiate expansion upon impact. Between the two, the Tipped MatchKing retains the wonderfully concentric jacket of its older sibling, and the GameChanger jackets are about 0.001 inch thicker to allow for slower expansion in a game animal. Neither of these designs features a bonded core, and almost all of the choices within these product lines feature a boattail. And though it should go without saying, Sierra does not recommend the use of match bullets on game; that said, I’ve been a staunch fan of MatchKings for
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bullet bulletin varmints and predators for quite a long time now. Big game is a different story, as the construction of match bullets does not consider terminal ballistics, and while I’ve seen them work on deer, I’ve also seen them fail. The GameChanger – much like the GameKing – is one of the few hunting bullets that can boast accuracy very nearly on par with the match bullets. The old 165-grain GameKing hollowpoint boattail (Sierra’s No. 2140) has been a go-to in my .308 Winchester for years, as it is designed to give the accuracy of a 168-grain MatchKing but in a hunting bullet with a tough jacket – tough enough to stand up to magnum cartridge impact velocities. I’m happy to report that the GameChanger 165-grain bullet (Sierra’s No. 4665) gives accuracy on par with the No. 2140, though I don’t think the jacket is as thick. Still, it makes an excellent choice for medium game in popular calibers like the .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and
The 168-grain Sierra Tipped MatchKing maintains the fine reputation that the original MatchKing earned.
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American Shooting Journal // December 2019
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bullet bulletin The .308 Winchester and the 168-grain Sierra Tipped MatchKing go great together.
Sierra has introduced its proprietary line of GameChanger ammunition, built around the Tipped GameKing bullet.
.300 Winchester Magnum. I also like the heavy-for-caliber 165-grain 7mm GameChanger (No. 4565); my Savage 110 Long Range Hunter chambered in .280 Ackley Improved loves this bullet over a suitable charge of Alliant’s Reloder 23, obtaining 7mm Rem Mag velocities without the belt. For the 6.5mm fans (I’m a 6.5-284 Norma devotee), Sierra offers the GameChanger at 130 grains, a middleof-the-road choice for the caliber and perfect for deer. This bullet will work in all the 6.5s, from the Creedmoor to the Swede to the PRC. The lead alloy and copper jacket Sierra uses for the Tipped GameKing is specially formulated for that classic balance of terminal ballistics that Sierra bullets have given for so long: consistent expansion and good penetration. And, though as a handloader I absolutely prefer to load my own ammunition, Sierra has taken the plunge and introduced their proprietary line of factory-loaded ammunition, under the GameChanger brand. The headstamp reads “Sierra” but I understand the brass is provided by a number of different suppliers, yet the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo I got to shoot at the SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range had no problem center-punching steel at 900 yards. While I don’t advocate hunting at anything close to these ranges – with the exception of distant prairie dogs – it engenders a lot of confidence when your hunting ammunition has that sort of accuracy capability. Like any cup-and-core bullet – and especially the boattail bullets – the Tipped GameKing can experience 92
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bullet bulletin jacket/core separation, but that’s just part and parcel of the design. Keep velocities down, or give the bullet a chance to slow down – both the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum can make a mess when impact velocities are high at short ranges – and you’ve got no worries. NOW, AMONG THE loaded ammunition, you
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will see some bullet weights that are unavailable in component form; I’m not certain of the reason for this, but I’m hoping that the additional options will soon be available to handloaders. For example, the component GameChanger bullet in 6mm weighs 90 grains and that is what is available in their .243 Winchester load, but the 6mm Creedmoor has a 100-grain
Tipped GameKing (GameChanger). The 7mm Remington Magnum load uses a 150-grain TGK, yet this bullet isn’t available as a component; the 165-grain .284-inch bullet is. And there’s a 180-grain TGK loaded in the .300 Winchester Magnum, which I’d really like to get my hands on as a component. While the Sierra ammunition is wonderful, HSM loads some of the Sierra TGKs as well, like the 165-grain bullet in the 7mm Remington Magnum, among other cartridges. Looking over at the Tipped MatchKing, some of you may be wondering if they deliver the same accuracy as the original MatchKing. I feel comfortable putting it this way: The Tipped version is a very accurate bullet, yet it flies a bit differently. In a proven Model 700 in .308 Winchester – one that absolutely loves the traditional 168-grain MatchKing – we had accuracy nearly as good with the 168-grain Tipped MatchKing. At 300 yards – the limits of our range – the rifle would consistently print 2-inch groups, or 2/3 minute of angle. Bottom line is that the bullet is consistent, and like its older brother, one of the best on the market. Both the Tipped MatchKing and Tipped GameKing (GameChanger) warrant a chance in your rifle. Tipped MatchKing is available in .224 inch (60 grains), 6mm (95 grains), 6.5mm (107 and 130 grains), 7mm (160 grains) and .308 inch (125 grains flat base, 155 grains, 168 grains, 175 grains and 195 grains). Tipped GameKing/GameChanger is available in 6mm (90 grains), 6.5mm (130 grains), .277 inch (140 grains), 7mm (165 grains) and .308 inch (165 grains). Sierra GameChanger ammunition is available in .243 Winchester (90-grain TGK), 6mm Creedmoor (100-grain TGK), 6.5 Creedmoor (130-grain TGK), .270 Winchester (140-grain TGK), 7mm Remington Magnum (150-grain TGK), .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield (165-grain TGK), and .300 Winchester Magnum (180-grain TGK). For more information, go to sierrabullets.com.
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As armadillos expand their range out of the South, their habit of rooting for worms and insects also makes them “a first-class varmint in most folks’ eyes,” according to author Jim Dickson. (ALLAN HALLMAN, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION)
PANZER PIGS Armored and coming for your garden, pesky armadillos spreading north, east. STORY BY JIM DICKSON
A
rmadillo hunting is often very close-range shooting due to the thick cover they inhabit and their low-to-the-ground profile. They are a prime handgun target, as ranges are generally measured in feet instead of yards here in the Eastern states where they have migrated to in recent years. The species will quickly find and tear up a garden, which makes them a first-class varmint in most folks’ eyes. My late aunt Dell used to kill them in her garden with a little .410 single-shot
shotgun loaded with birdshot. If she hadn’t shot them, she would not have had that garden for long as they would root it up like miniature pigs in their hunt for worms and insects. I always prefer a 12 gauge for everything I use a shotgun on, and my all-purpose load is 1 ounce of No. 6 shot over 3 drams of powder. It patterns perfectly and kills even the biggest turkeys cleanly at all normal shotgun ranges, with no felt recoil in my side-by-side doublebarrel shotgun. While most armadillos are shot
with .22s, the .22 has been damned for its inhumane lack of killing power ever since it first appeared. In my opinion, no game should be shot with anything smaller than the .32-20, the most perfectly balanced small game cartridge ever made and one that provides a swift, merciful end. Please note that the original high-velocity rifle .32-20 loads are a .30-caliber M1 carbine equivalent and the current cowboy action loads for the .32-20 are weak loads intended only for target shooting. Whatever you americanshootingjournal.com 99
Native to Central and South America, armadillos are most closely related to anteaters and sloths. Their top and sides are nominally armored, while their underside isn’t. (ALLAN HALLMAN, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION)
do, never fire a high-velocity .32-20 through any revolver if you value your hearing. There is an old saying that every .32-20 revolver has been dropped the first time its new owner fired it and grabbed their ears in pain. Believe me, you don’t want to go there. While .32-20 rifles with full-power loads for them are hard to find today, the .30-caliber M1 carbine is not and it is the ballistic equivalent of a highvelocity .32-20 load. Like the .32-20, the .30 carbine round is simply too loud when fired in a handgun. Army ordnance tests of a .30 carbine pistol in World War II were quickly abandoned 100
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the first time they fired one. Kimball and Ruger both made pistols chambered for the .30 carbine and the noise levels made them a failure. The M1 carbine is a perfect gun for the armadillo hunter, offering quick kills with lightning-fast target acquisition and firing. You just can’t seem to miss with that sweet-handling little gun. BUT IF EVER there was a varmint tailor-made for handgun hunting it is the lowly armadillo. They are shot at close range because you can’t find them in the vegetation any further
than that. They are easy to spot when they show up in your garden and the stalking hunter is in luck because these are not stealthy animals. When my wife Betty and I were deer hunting on the Georgia coastal islands, they made so much noise coming through the palmettos we expected the world’s biggest wild hog or deer to be approaching, but instead this tiny animal would suddenly pop out. One hunter thought they would make a cute pet and caught one and picked it up. Its long claws promptly shredded his leather jacket and he put it back down quick! Thankfully he was
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not hurt and his experience gave me a new respect for the little critters. While primarily nocturnal, coming out of their burrows at dusk to forage, armadillos do get about a lot in the daytime as well, in my experience. Most any pistol will work fine on them, from the old top-break .38 Smith & Wesson pocket pistols to the .45 automatic. If you use your Colt .45 SAA on game, you will have no trouble hitting armadillos. The Luger pistol will work to perfection, bringing them to bag with classic German precision and efficiency. BACK DURING THE Great Depression a lot of folks ate armadillos as it was too expensive to buy meat. They were called “Hoover hogs,” as President Hoover had gotten the blame for the financial collapse. As the name indicates, armadillos taste like pork. It is said that early German settlers in Texas named them Panzerschwein, or armored pig. Their Spanish name means “little armored one.”
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A lot of people are afraid to touch, much less clean and eat, armadillos since it has been found that armadillos can get leprosy, a truly horrible disease that early explorers brought from the Old World. It has been established that is is possible to get leprosy from an armadillo but the exact means of transmission has not been determined. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of getting leprosy from armadillos is very low, plus over 95 percent of people have a natural immunity. Wearing rubber gloves when cleaning and preparing armadillo for the table is prudent as it will keep the animal’s blood out of any scratches and cuts you might have, while cooking the meat well done will kill any bacteria. It is worth noting that there was no known increase in leprosy patients among those eating those Hoover hogs during the Depression. The bottom line, though, is this. Leprosy is such a horrible disease that anyone worried about getting it should
not touch the armadillos they kill, nor let their dog get at them as dogs can also contract the disease. A prominent physician I consulted on this believes in staying away from armadillos. WHILE THERE ARE many subspecies in the New World it is the nine-banded armadillo that has spread over the United States from Texas to North Carolina and Florida in the east, and north to southern Nebraska and Indiana. They are commonly seen as roadkill due to their habit of jumping straight up 3 to 4 feet in the air when startled, which all but guarantees that the vehicle will hit them. The nine-banded armadillo weighs from 5½ to 14 pounds, though really big ones have scaled as much as 22 pounds. They stand 6 to 10 inches high and are 15 to 23 inches long. Native to the hot and wet reaches of Central and South America they do not survive well in cold or dry areas. In good habitat they can live for 12 to 15 years. They subsist primarily on insects but will eat
Yes, the species known as “Hoover hogs” during the Great Depression are edible, but with a very slim chance of catching leprosy from them, we’re not advising eating what you kill in this instance. (KAREN PARKER, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION)
small animals on occasion, as well as eggs. The latter habit did not endear them to farmers during the Great Depression who were depending on getting those eggs for their own table. All their digging skills stem back to that need to dig and root for insects. A burrowing animal, an armadillo may have as many as 12 holes in its territory to escape too. These run about 8 inches wide by 7 feet deep and 25 feet long. They can cause problems around farm pond dams and irrigation ditches, as you really don’t want anything tunneling there. The mammal version of the turtle, their outer shell is made from ossified dermal plates, or scutes, that are “covered by nonoverlapping keratinized epidermal scales,” according to Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology, and which are connected by flexible bands of skin. This armored skin effectively covers the top, both sides, head and tail and the outside of the legs, while the underside of the body
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and the inside of the legs have thick, tough skin but no armor. When attacked armadillos protect these parts by quickly digging a trench that covers them. Once braced in the trench, they are hard to remove. If they can get to one of their burrows, they will do so at surprising speed. They breed in July and August with their young born in March. Sexually mature at a year old, a single mother may have as many as 56 young in her lifetime. That, combined with modern civilization eliminating most of their natural predators such as the mountain lion, has ensured their rapid expansion of their range into North America, a feat they have almost entirely accomplished since the 19th century. Obviously you are not going to easily wipe this animal out by overhunting. THE ARMADILLO IS one of the most fascinating of the invasive species to the U.S., but like many new immigrants they also bring disease at times. This is always a consideration when dealing with them and often the top reason for shooting them. This is one animal that I do not condemn folks for not touching after they shoot it, as I have seen lepers in Asia. The risk of transmission of leprosy from armadillos to humans may be small but with a disease this horrible, who wants to take any chances at all?  Editor’s note: Armadillo regulations vary by state; check your local game and fish agency.
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SURVIVING YOUR FIRST SHOT SHOW
With 2020 show coming up Jan. 21-24, an industry vet shares tips to help you maximize your time at the firearms and outdoor industry’s biggest event and avoid the ‘1,000 aisle stare.’ STORY BY ROB REED • PHOTOS BY NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION
T
he SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show is the firearms and outdoor industries’ premier business event. Every January, more than 65,000 people converge at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. With more than 1,600 exhibitors and 630,000 net square feet of floor space, it is the fifth largest trade show in the nation. There are two types of people at SHOT: experienced vets who know the ins and outs of surviving the show, and “SHOT shocked” newbies often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the event. Whether you go as an exhibitor, attendee or media, here are
some tips to get the most out of the show and avoid the “1,000 aisle stare.” WHO CAN ATTEND To steal a line from The Lord of the Rings movie, “One cannot simply walk into SHOT Show.” All registrations must be approved in advance and there is no walk-up registration available. Since SHOT is a trade and not a gun show, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which puts it together, limits attendance to professionals in the shooting and outdoor industries. This includes manufacturers, distributers, FFL dealers and media. Recently, the NSSF has tightened
up attendance policies to make it easier for attendees to conduct business at the show by reducing the number of looky-loos. Media attendance is generally restricted to those who cover the shooting and outdoor trades on a regular basis. New media, including bloggers and YouTubers, are welcome, if they meet the NSSF’s requirements. As media registration is capped, the earlier you apply for media credentials, the better. PLAN AHEAD To get the most out of your SHOT experience, start planning as soon as you can. Make appointments with the people you want to talk to americanshootingjournal.com 111
early before their schedules fill up. Refer to the floor plan while booking appointments to avoid unnecessary walking. The show occupies three floors and it takes time to get from one place to another. There are two vital computer programs available for the show. The first, My SHOT Show Planner, allows you to log in and schedule appointments. You can access this online program through your computer or through kiosks on the show floor. The second is the SHOT Show mobile app for smart phones. This free app includes appointment scheduling, exhibitor lists, a map of the show floor, and a navigation aid to get you from one spot to another efficiently. WHERE TO STAY As with real estate, the key is “Location, location, location.” The most convenient, and expensive, option is to stay at the Venetian/ Palazzo hotel complex. Since these hotels are connected to the Sands Convention Center, and serve as the official show hotels, they are the closest to the action. If you are on a budget, the prices drop as you move further down the Strip. For example, if you stay about a mile and a half away, rooms at Circus Circus can be found for about a third of the price. The drawback is that the free shuttle service the NSSF provides from the hotels to the Convention Center stops an hour after the exhibit hall closes. Since so much business is conducted at evening social events, you’ll have the choice of either not returning to your room until late or night, carrying everything you have with you all day, or paying $12 to $15 a pop for taxis to and from the hotel. While many Vegas hotels are advertised as being within “walking distance” of the center, the last thing you want to do after being on your feet all day is hoofing it back to your room. DRESS AND APPEARANCE Since SHOT is essentially one large 112
American Shooting Journal // December 2019
D You can’t avoid crowds at SHOT, from outside the hall (top) to the smaller rooms (middle) and the main show floor (bottom).
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business meeting and networking opportunity, how you present yourself is important. Unless you need to showcase your own clothing products, want to impress the tactical crowd, or wear company or sponsor attire, “business casual” should be the rule. You can dress more casually when you are meeting friends or coworkers at the bar. However you dress, the most important thing is to wear comfortable shoes. In past people with pedometers have reported walking anywhere from 6 to 12 miles each day. Multiply that by four days and you understand why people talk of the “SHOT Show Marathon.” MANAGE YOUR GEAR Each day at SHOT is like a miniexpedition. It helps if you can establish a base camp where you can stash supplies or drop things off during the day. Exhibitors can use their booth, media can check coats and bags at the Press Room, and the Sands Expo Center offers a coat and
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The show also has its own logo merchandise available.
bag check for a fee. You will want a bag while you are on the floor for all the flyers, media kits, catalogs and swag. Just try to avoid dragging luggage behind you or using an overly large pack so you don’t get in other people’s way. And remember, everything you pick up, you have to
carry with you, so think twice before filling your fists with freebies. The show prohibits photography, except for media. If you do attend as media, battery management is important. The Press Room includes a working area where you can set up your computer and power strips to
recharge devices. The outlets are in high demand, so if you have multiple devices you may want to bring a small 3-in-1 adapter to maximize outlet efficiency. There are also a few phone charging stations scattered throughout the show. Of course, extra batteries and memory cards are a must. HEALTH AND WELFARE There are a couple health issues to watch out for at the show. The first is dehydration. You’ll be walking a lot, and the air is dry, so it takes work to stay hydrated. Although bottled water is available, it is expensive, so the smart option is to bring your own water bottle and refill it as needed. The second and more insidious danger is the legendary “SHOT Show Crud.” With this many people in a confined space, upper respiratory infections spread easily. Here the best bet is to stay hydrated, take Vitamin C, and wash your hands as often as possible. I actually followed a friend’s recommendation and carried around a small bottle of hand sanitizer, which
This array of Smith & Wesson handguns represents just a fraction of the firearms credentialed attendees see and handle at SHOT.
I used religiously after shaking hands, handling demo products, and before eating or drinking. THE SECRET SHOT SHOW The SHOT Show experience is different once you’ve attended a couple times. In addition to the exhibit hall and scheduled public events, there are a large number of
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The Comfort-Air Ankle Holster is the most comfortable and secure ankle holster on the market. This holster features medical-grade mesh material to allow airflow and reduce heat retention. Behind your handgun is a large section of Slip-Not material to reduce movement while walking or running. Fits compact or subcompact guns, with right- and left-hand-draw models available. Law enforcement option includes thumb break strap for extra security. MSRP: $48.99 to $59.99.
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TAP RACK HOLSTERS
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Belly Band and Guard Her Belt, a modular band that secures a Sticky Holster and handgun around the hips/torso or thigh with the Guard Her Belt. Both bands have two small accessory pouches for a spare magazine or knife, and the Belly Band has two large accessory pouches for a phone, wallet or other items.
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Introducing the Defender Holster made specially for revolvers. This new design fully covers all barrel lengths and features up to six bullet loops in your choice of caliber, a sweat shield and open muzzle. Made to be worn in the 2 o’clock to 3 o’clock position with a 10- degree forward cant for easy holstering. MSRP: $110.
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Product REVIEW
GETTING A BETTER GRIP EZR Sport’s gauntlets for handguns, AR, mags, shotgun impress with their ease of installation, feel and, of course, grip.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY RYAN KENNEDY
EZR Sport gauntlets adorn a number of author Ryan Kennedy’s handguns. He reports being impressed with their feel and performance on the range.
E
ZR Sport offers many different styles of grips, and they are custom made for many different firearms. I had a chance to try out their gauntlets as well as put the material they’re made out of to the test. A gauntlet is a sleeve designed to slip over your specific firearm’s grip. EZR has a wide array of options that work with many popular firearms, from pistols and shotguns to AKs and
ARs, as well as with fore grips, vertical grips and magazines. They also offer different colors to accessorize your firearm to your specific needs. I INSTALLED GAUNTLETS ON several different pistols, an AR-15, 20- and 30-round magazines, and a Shockwave shotgun grip. They’re very easy to install, and can be removed and reused
if need be. They come nicely packaged with foam to keep proper form, as well as with P-80 lubricant, a nice touch. The lubricant helps with installation and holds the gauntlet in place when it dries. There’s enough to remove the gauntlet and reinstall it. To install, heat the gauntlet with a heat gun or blow dryer for about 45 seconds or until it’s soft. Put the lubricant inside and spread it around. americanshootingjournal.com 125
PRODUCT REVIEW
Along with three options for ARs, EZR has grips and grip enhancements for BCM, Magpul, ERGO and other major brands. “I have a big hand and it felt easier to get proper finger placement on the trigger,” Kennedy states.
Then work the gauntlet on until it is in place. A yellow dot at the inside bottom rear helps with placement. The whole process takes about two minutes from start to finish. It’s best to wait a day for the lubricant to properly dry.
EACH GAUNTLET IS SPECIFICALLY cut to fit each firearm, so no cutting is required. I installed one on my SIG Sauer P365. The gauntlet is designed to miss the mag drop and fit flush with the bottom of the mag well. With my P229, the
The 20- and 30-round magazine gauntlets that the author tried out improved grip. Installing them and those for handguns and ARs takes just minutes with quickdrying P-80 rubber lubricant.
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gauntlet fit nicely over the wood grips, giving it a good feel and sleek look. There is a gauntlet for all Glock frame sizes. I only installed on the full-size frame. The gauntlets fit nicely over the finger grooves. For ARs, there are three different grips: one with an index finger cutout, another without the cutout and the third with no index finger. Installation took about the same amount of time as with the handguns. EZR has grips and grip enhancements available for BCM, Magpul, ERGO and other major brands. All fit like factory and provide a nice look. With my pair of 20-round magazines, I cut one of EZR’s mag gauntlets in half, as it was otherwise too big for them. I installed the halves on each, while the 30-round model fit that magazine perfectly. The Shockwave shotgun grip did take a little bit longer to install than the gauntlets for the aforementioned firearms, but still less than three
PRODUCT REVIEW minutes to place properly. It took about the same amount of time to remove. EZR also offers bolt-on, ready-to-go AR grips in different colors. EZR’S GAUNTLETS ARE MADE of a PVC material that is extremely durable and UV resistant. I have had one sitting on my back deck here in sunny Las Vegas for over a month with no color change or noticeable difference. Softer than other products on the market, the grips feel good with wet, sandy, dirty or sweaty hands. They do not get slippery under any circumstances I was able to recreate. I scratched the grips with rocks and dropped them on the ground, but the only way I was able to damage them was cutting with a knife. AT THE RANGE I noticed a difference between my old grips and the EZR gauntlets I’d installed. The latter had a much more positive grip and felt
sticky. I was impressed with their performance over the old ones, which were made by a well-known brand in the grip industry. I carry my pistol in the waistband with no holster. It stuck nicely in place and did not move while I was using it as my concealed carry weapon. The AR grips felt very comfortable. I have a big hand and it felt easier to get proper finger placement on the trigger. The magazines were greatly improved. They had a much more positive grip and fell out a little easier when empty. Less metal to bang around equals less noise. The Shockwave provided a dramatic difference from the factory shotgun grip. It added a much-needed cushion and increased the grip with much less slippage. I noticed no slipping or rotation while shooting or carrying with any of the gauntlets. I have used other manufacturers’
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EZR SPORT GRIPS, GAUNTLETS SNAPSHOT PROS Soft, comfortable Fit a wide variety of handguns and all Glocks Different colors UV resistant Come with installation lubricant Not slippery when wet or dirty Positive grip CONS Make grip bigger than factory Not available for all handguns More weight on the smaller guns
grips for years, but all in all I was impressed with EZR Sport’s grips. I was happy with how easy they were to install, as well as the feel of the material in comparison with other brands. I would definitely suggest trying them out, with the magazine gauntlet a good place to start.
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HOGUE INC. Hogue’s Beavertail HandAll Grip Sleeves feature models specifically designed for today’s polymer-framed handguns. They engage with the textures and contours of the firearm frame to stay firmly in place over the lifespan of the grip. Six colors available. www.hogueinc.com
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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Florida-based Stocky’s, which manufactures gunstocks, is moving into a new facility in its West Palm Beach location. (STOCKY’S GUNSTOCKS)
CARBON STOCK MAKER GOES IN-HOUSE Stocky’s Gunstocks announces completion of Florida manufacturing, distribution facility.
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tocky’s, America’s gunstock specialist, announced the completion of its new carbon fiber gunstock manufacturing and distribution facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. While formerly outsourced, Stocky’s is very excited to bring construction of its most popular models in-house, under their own rigorous quality control. Now shipping is the familiar VG2, at less than 2 pounds. Meticulous
hand lay-ups with 100-percent carbon fiber cloth, they are laminated under strict, climate-controlled cleanroom conditions and tempered in Stocky’s custom ovens to precisely control the curing process for a shell that is pound-for-pound far stronger than steel. External and internally, they are very unique stocks. They are machined on the company’s new, state-of-the-art CNC mill employed exclusively
to transform the special bedding composites utilized into their superaccurate Accublock “V” bedding configuration. They come in a variety of popular action inlet/barrel taper configurations, including Remington, Defiance, Big Horn, Weatherby and Howa footprints. Stocky’s most popular models are in stock and ready to ship in a variety of finishes. For more info or to order, visit their website at stockysstocks.com. americanshootingjournal.com 133