Richard Mann (who you might know from Shooting Illustrated) takes a look at Remington’s first 1911 in almost 100 years.
Julie G's thoughts from Area 6
The recently concluded USPSA Area 6 Championship Match was by all accounts a fantastic match with challenging stages and great competition. Julie Golob of Team Smith & Wesson shot the match in Single Stack Division, finishing as the Women’s winner in Single Stack and with an impressive 5th overall finish in Single Stack. Considering this was her first major match of the year, and she hasn’t had a whole lot of prep time, that finish is a testament to the skill level that the top pros like her are shooting at.
At her blog, Julie posted her re-cap and thoughts on the Area 6 Championship. I really enjoy all the blogs by pro shooters, as the opportunity to get inside their heads is something that competitors looking to climb the ladder should definitely take advantage of.
Revolver Protips
Learn from the best in the game with Jerry Miculek’s revolver protips.
Mossberg Maverick Hunter
The Firearm Blog has the details on Mossberg’s new budget class over/under shotgun. I like the lines on over/unders, but I’ve never bought one because 1) I’m not really into shotguns that aren’t designed for self-defense, and 2) o/u shotguns are usually pretty pricey. That may change with Mossberg’s new offering.
Loading!
In IDPA, the one issue that probably draws the most commentary both positive and negative is the tactical reload/reload with retention. Way back in February of ’09 I took a look at the reload with retention (RWR) and the tactical reload; interestingly I wrote that post well before I started shooting revolvers exclusively. In fact, I wrote that before I had purchased my 625. Since then, I still don’t like RWR, but they have largely become a moot point for me in IDPA.
That being said, revolver shooting has brought another component of the reloading process to my mind, which is namely “when do you reload your gun in a fight”? The concept behind the IDPA tac-load/RWR is that during a lull in the action, you top off your gun. In USPSA, if you’re shooting Production, L10, Single Stack, or Revolver you basically load any time that you’re not actively engaging an array of targets. Essentially, if you’re moving – you’re loading.
The obvious answer to “when do you load during a fight” is “when your gun is out of ammo” – the slide lock reload being the most likely situation you’d encounter in an actual defensive situation. Most of us as private citizens are not going to get in a protracted gunfight with multiple targets, so for the sake of discussion I’m going to boil this down to a simple and relatively likely (as likely as these things get, I suppose) scenario. You’re attacked by a single assailant while strolling through your neighborhood with your spouse/partner/dog. You’re given no option but to respond to the attack with deadly force, and put your attacker on the ground. After surveying your surroundings and making sure there are no other attackers, do you top off your heater with your spare magazine/speedloader?
Discuss in comments – for what it’s worth, my thought is “if I have the presence of mind to remember, then yes I absolutely top off my gun.” No one that ever survived a gunfight wishes they had less ammo.
You learn something new every day
Tam in the comments on the revolver sight post:
[T]he factory sights [on a pistol] are calibrated with recoil in mind.
The 130gr bullet will shoot lower because it is faster, and therefore the gun has experienced less muzzle-flip when it exits the barrel.
Now you know…and knowing is half the battle!
Steyr 9mm AUG
I like pistol caliber carbines. I do not as a general rule like bullpups. That being said, I do want Steyr’s new AUG in 9mm. The Firearm Blog has the details at the link, and I have to agree with Steve: this is a sexy looking gun. 
That noted weakness for pistol caliber carbines is acting up again, and I can definitely say that this would be a pretty awesome addition to my home defense arsenal. Despite my noted dislike for bullpups, I like that the gun has a 16.5 inch barrel on it…but the OAL is nice and short. Pistol caliber carbines make good home defense guns in my opinion, and the short OAL of this gun would make it easy to swing around indoors. Hopefully it will be available in the States…and it won’t take absurdly expensive proprietary magazines.
Gun Nuts Radio: Pistol-Training.Com HK45
It felt good to be back on the air last night on Gun Nuts Radio to talk about Pistol-Training.Com’s charity shoot and the HK45. Todd as always was a great guest, and it was pretty cool for me to hear about the development of the HK45. To hear how the HK45 evolved from the JCP program, click here for the show. We also discussed the work that Pistol-Training.Com is doing in conjunction with the RangeMaster Conference; namely hosting a charity shoot based on the FAST Test with the proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Download the show in portable .mp3 format here.
As always, the show is available for download at the show page at www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts and is also available for download on 
for free by clicking the button.
Again, huge thanks to Todd for taking time to come on the show last night – I’m definitely looking forward to his Aim Fast, Hit Fast in Indianapolis this October and my opportunity to shoot the HK45!
Headed to the NRA Convention in North Carolina?
Then before you go, check out pdb’s handy guide to toting a heater in North Carolina. NC honors my Indianastan permit, so if I can make it down to the convention I’m allowed to legally carry in North Carolina. One big notice though is that the convention hall itself where the exhibits are being held is specifically noted as a “no fly zone” for your burner. This is from NRA’s website:
North Carolina State law prohibits the carrying of firearms in the Charlotte Convention Center, the Bojangles Coliseum, and the Time Warner Cable Arena. In addition, the Rules and Regulations of the Charlotte Convention Center prohibit the carrying of firearms in the Center. Pursuant to Time Warner Cable Arena policy, all individuals entering the Arena will be subject to a magnetometer security check.
This is a change from last year’s convention in Arizona and the year before in Kentucky. If you plan on carrying while you’re in North Carolina but not at the convention, make sure that you have a secure place in your hotel room for the gun. If your hotel doesn’t have an in room safe, find out if they have safety deposit boxes or another place to secure your blastomatic.
Man-crush
[T]his Court will not uphold an unconstitutional statute merely because the Government promises to use it responsibly. Chief Justice Roberts in the majority opinion in US vs. Stevens.
On a serious note about the Stevens case, the court affirmed the decision of the Appeals court, which is a good thing for anyone in the outdoor media. The 8-1 decision enjoys the support of POMA and many other outdoor media groups.