If you’re reading this on your iPhone/Crackberry/whatever, I would like to strongly encourage you to clink the link to Brownells.Com. They have a new mobile site set up that is actually quite awesome and user friendly; while still being robust enough to allow you to do all the coveting shopping that you want.
SHOT SHOW kicks off!
While the show itself doesn’t officially start until Tuesday morning, today is “media day” at the range, where a host of manufacturers and companies host writers, radio, and TV to get an exclusive first look and some trigger time with some of the new products.
Our good friend Steve at the Firearm Blog is on the show floor this year, and he’s promised to feed us some information on the new M&Ps from Smith & Wesson as well as a couple of other surprise items. Additionally, on tomorrow night’s Gun Nuts Radio (live at 9pm eastern time at www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts) we’re going to have representatives from Crimson Trace, as well as ToddG of Pistol-Training.Com to give us an inside look at what’s going on at this year’s show.
Finally, if you’re at SHOT, whether you’re a manufacturer, writer, or just some guy wandering the show, if you have an item, a story, or something that you’d like to get in front of our regular readers, just send an email to me at [email protected] with the header “SHOT SHOW” and I’ll get it up on the blog!
2010 should be a great show as manufacturers bring an increasing number of new and exciting products to the floor while competing for an ever tightening marketshare. The items I’m most interested in are as follows:
- New Pro Series M&P Pistols from Smith & Wesson
- The M&P-22 pistol from Smith & Wesson
- New products from Crimson Trace (which we’ll be discussing live tomorrow night on Gun Nuts Radio)
- Those little surprises that you never see coming
All of our SHOT SHOW coverage past and present can be found by following the category tab that these posts are under!
Beretta adds Tx4 Storm shotgun to the "Storm" line of products
This gun is so new it’s not even on Beretta’s website yet! Here’s the press release on the new Tx4 Storm shotgun from Beretta:
ACCOKEEK, MD — New for 2010, the Beretta Tx4 Storm represents yet another solution in Beretta’s line of home-defense options. The shotgun incorporates decades of Beretta’s experience perfecting the gas operated semi-automatic design. “The reduced felt recoil, a characteristic of the gas operating system, is complemented by the infallible reliability Beretta shotguns are known for”, said Gabriele de Plano, Vice President of Tactical Marketing for Beretta USA Corp.
Weighing under 6 ½ pounds, the compact Tx4 Storm shotgun, with its 18″ barrel, is very maneuverable, while maintaining a 5+1 round capacity. Like the Cx4, the shotgun’s length of pull may be adjusted with ½” spacers (one included), while the soft rubber grip inlays on the stock and fore-end ensure a firm grip in all situations.
A metal Picatinny rail is mounted to the receiver to accept a variety of optics or the included rugged and fully adjustable ghost ring sight. Adopting Beretta’s new Optimabore HP choke tube system, the included choke may be replaced with several optional accessories. Like the rest of the Storm family (Px4 Storm pistols and Cx4 Storm carbines), the Tx4 may be accessorized to meet the demanding needs of today’s shooter.
Beretta, established in 1526, is the oldest industrial dynasty in the world tracing its roots through 16 generations of continuous family ownership. Firearms bearing the Beretta name have been sold for almost 500 years. Beretta USA Corp. was founded in 1977 and supplies the standard sidearm to the U.S. Armed Forces. Today, Beretta manufactures, distributes and markets a complete line of firearms, accessories and apparel. Beretta also owns and operates six retail Beretta Gallery stores worldwide. For additional information, visit www.berettausa.com
Looks pretty interesting. Nice to see that Beretta is starting to take the civilian self defense market seriously again; admittedly not quite as much as other companies, but this still looks like a pretty sweet gun.
New Smith & Wesson M&P Pro Series .40
New for 2010 from Smith & Wesson are not one, not two, but three new pistols in the Pro Series line of M&P pistols. From Shooting Industry Magazine (which should change their format so people can link to articles, come on) we see S&W’s announcement of the following new Pro Series M&P Pistols.
In .40 S&W, Smith is bringing out two pistols, a 4 inch Pro Series gun and a 5 inch “longslide” gun. The Pro Series guns come from the factory with either Novak or Warren Tactical sights, fiber optic front sights, no magazine disconnect safety, and the excellent factory trigger we’ve come to expect out of these guns.
Also for 2010, the M&P Pro Series adds a third new gun: a 4 inch 9mm to complement the 5 inch longslide gun. While the 5 inch models have been very popular, there are some people (myself included) that prefer the balance and feel of the 4 inch pistols.
The new guns should be on display at SHOT SHOW, and I’m working with our inside guy to get some pictures as soon as we can for you!
Thumbs forward pistol grip
I got a couple of emails from people asking me what I meant when I said “thumbs forward hold” on an autopistol. This image below is of the “thumbs forward hold”. The thing about this grip is that it’s very easy to teach, as it utilizes the body’s mechanics to lock down on the gun. Those hands in the picture belong to a woman with small hands, who was able to assume a proper thumbs forward hold on my .38 Super with about 10 minutes of instruction.
Note that both thumbs are indexed on top of one another, and both are pointing towards the shooter’s intended target. This allows the gun to come back faster on target in recoil (nevermind the big ol’ Wilson Accu-Comp on the gun) which will lead to faster splits in matches…or when your life depends on it.
The thumbs forward grip isn’t just for 1911 patter pistols, either. Top level competition shooters such as Dave Sevigny use it when shooting Glocks, Julie Golob uses it on her S&W M&P, and the list goes on.
Of course, this is not “the way”. It is “a way”, that I’ve found works very well for me, and for most people that I’ve helped along. Again, while it’s not the only way to hold a pistol, it is the most common way you see competitive shooters hold their guns.
Twitter update
If you’re following my Twitter feed, I’ve changed the username to be more content appropriate. You can now follow all of Gun Nuts awesome action by hitting our twitter feed at www.twitter.com/gunnuts_radio! It’s the new hotness!
Breaking New: Indiana Handgun Database bill passes out of committee
The bill introduced by Rep. Welch, House Bill 1068 has passed unanimously out of committee and is headed for a full floor vote. While it won’t hit the floor for a vote for a bit, now is the time to start contacting your State Representatives to ask them to support this bill in its current form. Despite pressure from the state’s journalism association, the bill has not yet had any ammendments introduced that would poison the bill. Right now, the bill will close access to the full database to everyone save law enforcement.
Use this link to contact your Indiana State Legislator and ask them to support HB 1068!
Rifle for sale update
People asked for pictures of the rifle I’m selling – here they are, sorry for the quality. I snagged these with my iPhone earlier.
I’m going to list it on Gunbroker early next week, so get in now for the “pre-auction” price!