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Brian McCombie

Concealed Carry Permits Surging in Orange County, Calif.

Despite's California's anti-gun reputation, one county is doling out concealed carry permits, proving that not all Californians are drinking the Kool-Aid.

CCW Permits in Orange County California?

Following a federal court ruling that required law enforcement officials in Orange County, Calif., to issue concealed carry permits for people who wanted the permit for general personal safety—rather than the documented justification of a specific threat that had been required before—more than 700 permits have been issued to citizens.

As the Los Angeles Times reported, “That number will continue to rise as county officials process the stack of pending applications, which had grown to more than 2,800 by the end of August. In all, more than 7,000 people have filled out applications or requested appointments, sheriff’s officials said.”

Apparently, Orange County residents want to exercise their full civil rights, despite their state’s anti-Second Amendment reputation and ongoing anti-gun legislation.

This article also appeared in the November 20, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Armed Citizens in Action, November 2014

CCW-2T6B7757b

True stories of everyday armed citizens taking action to defend themselves and others.

  • A 34-year-old woman entered her home and found a man in her bedroom. “When she saw he had a hammer and large screwdriver, she retrieved a handgun and confronted him,” the Daily Herald reported. “She told police that, fearing for her life, she fired at [the man] but missed. Then she held him at gunpoint until police arrived.”
  • A man staying in Clackamas Co., Ore., awoke to someone breaking in through the front door. “The man fired a single shotgun shot at the burglary suspect, striking him in the head and neck, according to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Kraus,” The Oregonian noted. Police arrived and transported the burglar to a hospital.
  • An attempted robbery was foiled at the Six Corners market in Springfield, Mass. when a man approached the storeowner, sticking a gun into the owner’s face and demanding cash. The storeowner realized the gun was fake and after a struggle, The Republican reported, the owner pulled out his handgun and held the man until police arrived.
  • A homeowner in Person County, N.C., awoke to find a man standing next to his bed, holding a shotgun and demanding money. The homeowner drew his handgun and fired once at the intruder. Hit, the criminal fled for a hospital but died of his wounds while en route.

This article also appeared in the November 20, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Recommended for You:

Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry - 2nd EditionThe Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry 2nd Edition

The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery

Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handguns

Find more resources at
gundigeststore.com/tactical

 

Suppressor Hunting: The Sweet Silent Woods

Suppressor-Hunting-Lead

The benefits of hunting with a suppressor can be soothing to your ears.

Joe Metzger and his hunting guide spotted the elk herd in a small canyon, just below a ridgeline, near Craig, Colo. There were about 15 bulls and cows milling around and feeding. Using boulders for cover, Metzger and his guide got to within 220 yards of the elk. Metzger had a cow tag. Selecting a yearling cow, he lined up the crosshairs on his custom .308 bolt-action rifle and squeezed off a shot.

Providing reduced recoil and a muffled report, suppressors are excellent on rifles for younger shooters.  Author photo
Providing reduced recoil and a muffled report, suppressors are excellent on rifles for younger shooters. Author photo

The young elk reared up on her back legs for a moment and then fell over backwards, sliding down the snow-covered slope. The other elk were momentarily startled, jumped a bit, looked around but within a minute went back to feeding.

“If there’d been another hunter with me, he could’ve filled his tag, too,” says Metzger. “My guide said he’d never seen anything like that.”

This happened in October 2013 at the C-Punch Ranch, on a hunt for wounded veterans, and Metzger’s rifle was tipped with a Thunder Beast 30 PI suppressor. For Metzger, a former U.S. Army Ranger who suffered wounds while serving in Iraq, a suppressor was a natural way to hunt. He was introduced to suppressors while in the military, and instantly saw the many benefits to using them, including hearing protection and allowing better communications when multiple shooters/hunters were afield.

Another advantage Metzger sees as a hunter is that suppressors can actually make the hunting experience better for other sportsmen as well.

“I can see if you’re on BLM or Forest Service lands out West, and you’re walking into an area, and all of a sudden a guy starts cracking off shots up ahead of you,” Metzger says. “You might as well go back to your camp. Everything’s going to be scared off for a good square mile or better from that shooting.”

But with suppressed rifles, even if game animals are frightened, it will be in a much more localized area. To paraphrase the American poet Robert Frost, good suppressors make good hunter neighbors.

Suppressor Style

Using suppressed rifles on hunts where multiple shots may be required, sportsmen can really protect their hearing. Author photo
Using suppressed rifles on hunts where multiple shots may be required, sportsmen can really protect their hearing. Author photo

Jonathan Owen co-founded Special Hog Weapons and Tactics over two years ago, SHWAT.com, as a meeting place for people who like tactical hog hunting. He’s hunted and taken hogs with suppressed rifles. Along with AR-style rifles and night vision gear, suppressors top the list of equipment that tactical hog hunters gravitate toward—and for good reason.

“With a hearing safe suppressor, you can communicate much more easily with hunting partners,” Owen notes. “You can hear the pigs feeding and moving around when you don’t have foamies crammed in your ear canal. Additionally, suppressors tend to mitigate both recoil and muzzle rise, allowing you faster and more-accurately fired follow-up shots.” The latter, Owen notes, is big help when you suddenly come up on a group of wild hogs and it’s time to dump a full magazine.

“People used to ask me, ‘Why would you want to hunt with a suppressor?’” says John Hollister. “I had a lot of very good reasons, like saving your hearing, and I would explain that. But, really, I’m to the point where I just switch it around and ask them back—‘Why would you not want to hunt with a suppressed firearm?’”

Hollister admits to a rather large pro-suppressor bias. He is, after all, the product manager for Advanced Armaments Corporation (AAC), one of the country’s top manufacturers of suppressors. But he’s also been using suppressors, at the range and in the field, for over a decade. He’s introduced friends, family and all sorts of complete strangers to suppressors, the latter at various shooting events around the country. And any time a newbie has tried out a suppressed firearm, he or she always has the same reaction: “I have to get one of these!”

“Saving your ears from muzzle blast, communicating with other hunters in the field—these are really important reasons to use suppressors,” says Hollister. “But one reason that doesn’t get a lot of attention for suppressor use in hunting is introducing young people and newcomers to our sport.”

A relatively quiet, suppressed deer rifle, for example, is going to be much less threatening to a fledgling hunter than a gun that sounds like a clap of thunder. And because of the way they disperse muzzle blast, suppressors often reduce recoil significantly. Young people, as well as smaller-framed female and male shooters, are much more likely to try and enjoy hunting with a rifle that doesn’t mule-kick their shoulders.

Ultimate Eradication Tool

If the hunters were wearing ear protection, they would not have heard this hog rooting around in the brush. Author photo
If the hunters were wearing ear protection, they would not have heard this hog rooting around in the brush. Author photo

Buck Holly knows firsthand how suppressors can reduce felt recoil—and in the process, make hunting more enjoyable and successful.

Holly runs a custom rifle-making business, C&H Precision Weapons of City, LaBelle, Fla., which specializes in manufacturing authentic Marine Corps M-40 sniper rifles. For the last half-dozen years, he’s hunted game with suppressed rifles, including deer and elk—but most especially hogs.

That’s because Holly’s “part-time” job, when he’s not making custom rifles, is being contracted by the state and local governments to eradicate the wild and very destructive hogs on 20,000 acres of public lands in South Florida. Holly does this work with suppressed rifles and has excellent results.

Unlike Metzger’s experience, Holly says his use of suppressors really is not about relative quiet and not scaring off his prey. There’s a good deal of hunting pressure on the public lands where Holly does his eradication work, and the wild hogs here are generally what hunters consider “educated.”
“They know the game,” says Holly. “They hear that sonic crack of the bullet and they’re running.”

In addition to the improved communication between hunters that suppressors provide, the big advantage of the AAC suppressors Holly uses is that they really tame the recoil of the big-bore rifles he uses on his hog work. Holly goes after hogs in really thick, southern Florida swamps. He also has to account for all hogs killed, which means actually having a carcass to show the people he works for.

“I used some smaller caliber rifles in the beginning, but they wouldn’t always drop the hog where he stood,” Holly explains. “Believe me, you don’t want to go far into some of this brush looking for a hog. So the rifles I settled on are all chambered in .300 Win. Mag. One good shot and they drop.”
The recoil, though, can be pretty stout on a .300 Win. Mag. bolt action. Until, that is, Holly attaches an AAC Mark 13 suppressor. Even Holly’s teenaged sons can fire the rifle without getting their shoulders pounded and bruised.

“With the Mark 13, my .300 Winchester Magnums really don’t kick much more than a .243, and my boys love using the rifles,” Holly says. “And we don’t have to worry about trying to find a wounded hog in the snake-infested swamps!”

Maximizing Benefits of Suppressor Hunting

Suppressor-Hunting-3If you’re only going to use one suppressor on one firearm, Holly suggests you have the end of your barrel threaded, and buy a suppressor that directly screws onto that barrel. That way, you essentially have a complete unit, always at the ready.

However, let’s say you buy a suppressor to attach to a number of different rifles, depending on hunting conditions and game species you are going after. In that case, each of your rifles will need a special muzzle break or mount to accept the suppressor.

“Whichever way you go, you may well need to get your barrel threaded,” Holly notes. “My advice? Don’t do that yourself. It might look easy enough—all you need is a tap and a die, right?—but, guaranteed, most people are going to get it wrong. Even if your threading is ever so slightly off, you are going to have big problems. So have a professional gunsmith do the threading.”

For most rifles, adding a suppressor changes the bullet’s point of impact, too. The weight and balance of a rifle will be different with a suppressor, too, and may affect the shots you can and would want to take. For those reasons, SHWAT.com’s Owen says it is important that you practice and train with your suppressor on your firearm.

As Owen says, “Training makes us better at anything we do, but we should train with what we use. If you plan to hunt suppressed, train suppressed. In the field, in the middle of a hunt, is no place to find out what your suppressed rifle can and can’t do.”

Market Trends: High-end AR-10s Find Market in Granite State

SR-762-GripSteven SoucyMerrimack Firearms, Merrimack, N.H., nhgunshop.com

While the big, booming sales in AR-style rifles are over, Merrimack Firearms is selling a surprising number of pricier black rifles.

The typical fair the New England retailer reported earlier this year were AR-10s, chambered in .308 Win., including models from Windham Weaponry and Ruger’s then new SR 762.

“That Ruger retails for right around $2,000, and I have no trouble selling them,” Merrimack owner Steven Soucy said. “At the same time, I have .308 ARs at around $1,000, good quality, good names, and they just do not move. Kind of strange.”

Merrimack is getting good quantities of most ammunition, though the 9mm and .380 handgun ammo has increased 15 to 20 percent in price lately. The store is actually getting very decent amounts of hard-to-find .22LR but it is not the relatively inexpensive range and plinking .22 rimfire.

“Most of the .22LR we get in stock is the more expensive, match-grade types,” Soucy notes.

With a large segment of his customers practicing concealed carry, inside waist band holsters are very steady sellers, especially models made by Uncle Mike’s and Quest.


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Market Trends: Concealed Carry Market Affecting Caliber Choice

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380-ammoGlenn DuncanDuncan’s Outdoor Shop, Bay City, Mich.

The concealed carry market is still very hot in Michigan, but it has had its effects on what shooters are buying.

In particular, Glenn Duncan has noted a somewhat drastic change in pistol choices due to a tight ammunition market.

The owner of Duncan's Outdoor has seen a shift due to a general lack of .380 ACP ammunition. His customers are opting for 9mm compacts versus the .380 models many would actually come into the store to purchase.

“They can’t get the ammo, so they’re not willing to buy the gun,” Duncan says.

The good news? That ammo reality has the store’s smaller 9mm SIG Sauer’s and Ruger’s selling well.

The warmer weather from this past spring should have had Duncan’s moving many .22 rimfire rifles for plinking and varmint hunting. Not so this year.

“That market’s kind of dead for us,” Duncan said, thanks to the continued scarcity of .22 LR ammunition, he believes.

Local turkey hunters were buying some shotguns, but the trend here is toward used scatterguns and not for new, turkey-specific models.

Area hunters want a more general purpose shotgun, Duncan explains, one that can bag a turkey, knock down pheasants, and be used as a slug gun during deer season, and are generally not willing to spend big bucks for a tricked out “turkey gun.”


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Cartridges of the World Collection

Whether it's ballistics data you're after to help choose the right cartridge for the job, cartridge design and load data to assist you in wildcatting efforts, or simply an interest in the history and evolution of cartridges, the Cartridges of the World Collection has everything you need. The collection includes: Cartridges of the World, 14th Edition, Ammo Encyclopedia, 5th Edition, Gun Digest the Magazine’s special Ammo Issue and the American Standard Bullet Poster.

Market Trends: Mid-20th Century Guns On Fire at Ohio Auction House

mt-shotgunJack LewisCowan’s Auctions, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio

Jack Lewis, resident firearms expert for Cowan’s Auctions, notes a real market shift in the collectibles market.

There is much less interest in those top-tier guns costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past year.

Demand for vintage firearms is still very strong, he stresses, but is now focused on items in the $1,000 to $50,000 range, and steadily pushing up prices within this category.

“Collectible firearms made between 1900 and 1980 are on fire,” says Lewis. “We had an LC Smith shotgun up for auction recently that, a few years ago, would’ve gone for somewhere between $6,000 and $9,000. It went for $28,000. Amazing!”

World War Two firearms are especially hot right now, including M1 Carbines, U.S. military sniper rifles, and any and all 1911 handguns.

On the European side of things, he notes that German bolt action rifles from 1900 to 1930 are moving especially well.

That’s increased interest in accessories for these rifles, too, including optics. For their May auction, Cowan’s will present a selection of German made, claw-mounted optics, for manufacturers that include Zeiss.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the June 12, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms, 25th Edition

You’ll appreciate this gun price guide if:

  • You want to upgrade your current edition of the Standard Catalog of Firearms
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Market Trends: Court Rulings Helping Western Concealed Carry Market

concealed carryKris W. JacobBullseye USA, Inc., Stores in California and Nevada

With stores in Castro Valley and San Rafael, Calif., Bullseye USA is seeing a surge in small handgun sales. Why?

Explains Bullseye President Kris Jacob, “While demand for full-size handguns in self-defense calibers is still strong, concealed carry has been getting a great deal of press in California and Nevada as a result of two 9th Circuit Court decisions challenging local law enforcement’s ‘may issue,’ policies on constitutional grounds.”

California handgun options are restricted to that state’s “approved list,” but within that parameter, smaller models by Kahr, Ruger and Sig Sauer are doing well.

At the Gardnerville, Nev., store, the Glock 42 is a big seller, at $480.

“When we can get them in!” Jacob added.

Handguns haven't been the only thing moving for Bullseye.

“We've been having great success with Off The Grid MKi Appendix Carry Holsters, as well as the Haley Strategic/G-Code INCOG Holsters,” Jacob notes. “These holsters offer deep concealment and comfort in one package.”

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the May 15, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Defend Yourself: A Comprehensive Security Plan for the Armed Homeowner

Defend Yourself: A Comprehensive Security Plan for the Armed Homeowner by Rob Pincus is the most complete and practical guide to home defense available today. Drawing from experience helping law enforcement, military, private security and people just like you understand how to protect themselves or others, Rob Pincus presents detailed information about planning for, training for and, ultimately, defending yourself and your family from a violent predator inside your home.

Market Trends: High-End 1911 Pistols Moving in Buckeye State

1911 Pistol.Rex A. GoreBlack Wing Shooting Center, Delaware, Ohio

American's have a passion for 1911 pistols, no surprise there. How much so can be demonstrated, in part, by Rex Gore.

The CEO of Black Wing Shooting Center has seen plenty of the pistols fly off his shelves this year. And when it comes to the iconic 1911, shooters a willing to shell out the big bucks for the best names.

“We have done very well with the higher-end 1911-style 45’s, selling Wilson Combat, Nighthawk and Ed Brown’s as soon as shipments arrive,” Gore said. “These $2,500 to $5,000 guns are selling better than the lower price point 1911’s, like Colt and Ruger.”

The 1911 pistol's sales stand in contrast of the rest of Black Wing's sales.

Earlier this year, Gore rated sales over this recent winter as “soft,” and though the very cold, extremely harsh weather kept a number of potential customers home.

Overall, sales numbers here are tracking to a 5-10 percent increase over the same months in 2012, and are down from the record sales months of 2013.

As in most of the nation, Black Wing is experiencing very strong sales in concealed carry handguns, especially for Sauer P238 and P938’s, plus Glock 41 and 42’s.

Used gun sales have declined here, “only because we can’t get enough quality used guns to sell,” Gore notes.

“Throughout 2013 we saw a decline in used guns available to purchase, as people seemed to be holding on to what they have. However, as we get them in, used guns move very fast,” he said.

Market Trends: Snaps Caps and Uzis Hot in Rocky Mountains

Uzi
Edward WilksThe Tradesman, Rifle, Colo.

Shortages of centerfire handgun ammunition, as well as very high prices for the .22 Long Rifle that is available ($125 for a 525 round brick), have a number of gun training aids selling strong at the Tradesman.

“We have a lot of customers buying snap caps, and red and green laser ammo,” owner Edward Wilks said.

These devices allow customers to continue training, practicing things like trigger control, when they can’t get the “real” ammo. And they usually cost less than a box of the lead-and-gunpowder variety.

A Class III dealer, The Tradesman also sells fully automatic firearms.

“We haven’t seen machine gun sales slow down one bit,” Wilks said.

He recently sold a full-auto M16 for $18,000, and a Thompson sub-machine gun for $15,000. He places every full-auto Uzi and Mac10 he can get, too, usually for between $4,000 and $8,000.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the Jan. 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Gun Digest Great Guns 2015 Daily Calendar

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Market Trends: Idaho Concealed Carry – Still a Driving Force for Retailers

Concealed Carry Handgun.Edward SantosCenter Target Sports, Inc., Post Falls, Idaho

Idaho Concealed Carry is tops with customers at Center Target Sports. And the gun shop/range's most popular handgun from earlier this year is among one of the newest on the market.

The Glock 42 has been moving like hotcakes, with the .380 Auto selling for $449.

Recently, the store got in 16 of the Glocks and sold all of them in under two days!

Owner Ed Santos also pointed to Crimson Trace laser grips as another hot item. Santos estimates that 40 percent of the new carry guns he sells leave the store with a laser grip. Night sights for carry handguns are moving well, too.

“CCW holders are buying higher-quality retention holsters,” Santos notes. “We are finally getting away from the cheaper, less-secure alternatives and people are now spending $75 to $100 on a CCW holster.”

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the May 15, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Make Ready with Matt Jacques: Fundamentals of Everyday Carry

 

When you make the decision to carry a firearm for self-defense it's a good idea to have a solid foundation in the fundamentals. In this video Matt Jacques walks you through all the fundamentals of everyday carry in a step by step approach. Matt is a retired police officer and a Marine Corps veteran. He served with two Virginia law enforcement agencies as well as a Special Deputy of the U. S. Marshal Capital Area Fugitive Task Force for the Washington D.C area. Today Matt trains both law enforcement personnel and civilians under his company, Victory First.

SilencerCo Salvo 12 Suppressor Review

Salvo 12 Suppressor Review.

The Salvo 12 suppressor review: a look at a game-changing tool in the world of shotgunning.

I heard the thwack-thwack-thwack! as I approached the firing line, and for all the world it sounded like a loud pellet rifle. But when I got to the line I realized the “thwacks” were from 12-gauge shotguns equipped with SilencerCo’s new Salvo 12 shotgun suppressor.

 Shotguns outfitted with the four different sizes of the Salvo 12.
Shotguns outfitted with the four different sizes of the Salvo 12.

And these weren’t subsonic 12-gauge loads being shot, either, but Federal Top Gun 2¾-inch field loads with 11⁄8 ounce loads of 71⁄2 shot.

Amazing, I thought to myself.

I was at the new product introduction of the Salvo 12 in July this year, held just outside of Salt Lake City and hosted by SilencerCo. The suppressor manufacturer had invited about three dozen people to the event—media, retailers and distributors—to observe and use their newest product. And my early impression was:  it works and could be a game changer, especially for shotgun hunters.

The Salvo 12 has a different look to it. Most suppressors I’ve used are round and slim. Not the Salvo 12, which is long and rectangular. I assumed it would be really awkward to use, especially at the end of a swinging shotgun barrel.

Instead I found the balance point pretty quickly on the Salvo-equipped Benelli Model M2 12-gauge. I missed my first three clay pigeons, but began making hits as I got used to this rig.

What took me more time was figuring out how to truly aim a shotgun with a Salvo 12 attached to the end of the barrel.

The Salvo 12 comes in four lengths, from 6.42 inches long to just a bit over 12 inches, and weighs from 21 ounces at the smallest size up to 34.5 ounces. I used the 12-inch model on two different shotguns, the Benelli and, later, a Mossberg. But something about that extra 12 inches protruding from the end of the barrel had me aiming and looking above and beyond my targets.

“You’re shooting over,” said Darren Jones, of SilencerCo’s marketing department and the range officer at my shooting position. “Bring it down, man!”

Once I did that and got used to dropping my aim point, the pigeons started breaking with some regularity. Other shooters, I noticed, knocked down more clays as they went through the firing line multiple times, many dusting off six and seven pigeons in a row by their third session.

The Salvo 12 connects to a shotgun via the choke tube device, which threads into the end of the barrel. Screw in the connector, and then attach the Salvo 12 to the end of that connector. Connecters will be offered in a variety of choke tube sizes, including an extra tight choke for turkey hunters.

The suppressor is is a modular design of rods and baffles and can be taken apart. So a lot of people are simply going to buy the 12-inch model, along with a kit that has different sized rods, and will adjust the size to fit their particular shotgun or hunting or shooting situation. The rod kit will likely sell in the ballpark of $50 to $70.

The Salvo 12 attaches to the barrel with a choke tube connector. Author Photos
The Salvo 12 attaches to the barrel with a choke tube connector. Author Photos

Recoil was greatly reduced with the Salvo 12, too, by about 25 percent was my estimate with the 12-inch model. Of the four sizes, the largest three models of the Salvo 12 muffle the sound, measured at the ear, to below 140 decibels—over 140 decibels and the human ear can sustain damage.

The smallest Salvo 12, though, the 6-inch model, is rated at 149.2 decibels at the muzzle, 140.6 decibels at the ear. So shooters using this version will still want to use hearing protection.

The Salvo 12 is designed for use with shotgun slugs, as well as all wadded shotshell loads, and has been tested extensively on a wide variety of slugs. However, not all new slug gun barrels have choke tube-style threading. SilencerCo is working with shotgun makers and its own design crew to come up with various options for attaching the Salvo 12 to slug barrels, smoothbore and rifled.

While at the new product intro, I didn’t get a chance to use the Salvo 12 with shotgun slugs, but I will this fall on a slug gun hunt for deer and wild hogs.

For hunters, the Salvo 12 promises to let us shoot without ear plugs or bulky muffs, communicate with other hunters and hear the game as it is approaching. For volume shotgun shooters, the reduced recoil can only help our shoulders.

All of this does come with a cost, however. The current price is $1,400, though actual in-store prices remain to be seen when the Salvo 12 gets to stores in fall 2014.

Salvo 12 Shotgun Suppressor
All models
Width    2.21 in.
Height    2.96 in.
Attaches via threaded connector, included.
Weight (with connector)
6-inch    21 oz.
8-inch    25.5 oz.
10-inch    30 oz.
12-inch    34.5 oz.
Decibel (dB) level, at ear
6-inch    140.6 dB
8-inch    137 dB
10-inch    134.1 dB
12-inch    132 dB
MSRP    $1,400
Website    silencerco.com

Armed Citizens in Action, September 2014

Photo: Galco Gun Leather
Photo: Galco Gun Leather

True stories of everyday armed citizens taking action to defend themselves and others.

  • A 63-year-old grandmother from Prichard, Ala., used her 9mm handgun to protect herself and her granddaughter during a home invasion. Phyllis Law’s home had been broken into previously so she was ready when she recently heard a door being broken apart. She gave the burglar a chance to retreat, but the man kept coming closer and Prichard fired several times, killing the home invader. Police arrested a second suspect, too, according to FOX10News.
  • Hearing a commotion downstairs, a New London, Conn., homeowner grabbed his handgun and discovered a teenaged burglar armed with a knife and loaded handgun. But at the sight of the armed homeowner, the Hartford Courant reported, “The juvenile immediately dropped his gun and complied with the resident’s orders to remain still until police arrived.” Police charged the young burglar with a number of offenses, including assault with a firearm and first-degree threatening with a weapon.
  • A homeowner in Jackson, Miss., recently opened fire on two intruders, killing one and wounding the other, after the pair staged a 2 a.m. break-in. “You’re entitled to have a weapon in your home and certainly you’re entitled to defend yourself and your home,” Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance told WAPT.com. “The deceased suffered the consequences that come sometimes when you break into somebody’s house.”
  • Lisa Atkin, of Junction City, Ore., was home sick from work when she heard the noise of an apparent break-in. She retrieved her handgun from the nightstand and found that a young man had forced his way into her home. She held the burglar at gun point until police arrived. “We’ve been through the Oregon Firearms Academy courses, so we were trained to deal with these kinds of situations,” Atkin told KEZI.com News.

Citizens in Action appeared in the September 18, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Recommended Resources for Concealed Carry:

Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry - 2nd EditionThe Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry 2nd Edition

The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery

Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handguns

Find more resources at
gundigeststore.com/tactical

 

Market Trends: Bidders Big on ARs and Concealed Carry Handguns

DPMS LR-308John Slagle – KIKO Auctioneers, Canton, Ohio

Typically, gun auctions muster up images of firearms with a patina and of historical vintage.

Earlier this year, however, it was much more recent guns that drew top bids at an event.

At an KIKO Auctions, bidders made it plain they wanted AR and military-style rifles and pushed up the prices accordingly.

According to KIKO firearms expert John Slagle, the auction house recently sold a Heckler & Koch model 91 Rifle for $1,900; a pair of Springfield Armory M1A rifles, one for $1,700 the other at $1,500; a Bushmaster XM15 for $1,125 and a DPMS LR 308 for a cool $1,000.

Huh, and the AR buying frenzy was suppose to have been over in 2014.

“They were used rifles, all in very good condition,” Slagle said. “And we were a little surprised at how the bidders kept going at it.”

Self-defense handguns were sought after, too, especially Glocks and SIG Sauer models.

A Kimber Ultra Carry lightweight 1911 in .45 ACP recently commanded $825, a difference of less than $200 from the new-in-store price.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the January 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15

Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15

You’ll enjoy this AR-15 guide if:

  • You want tips for accuracy while using an AR-15
  • You’re looking for AR-15 ammunition advice
  • You’re interested in customization options for your AR

Market Trends: First Time, Recreational Shooters Numbers Growing

Recreational ShootersTammy Sapp – Bass Pro Shops, National Headquarters Springfield, Mo.

Mega outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops has more than 60 stores in the United States and Canada, plus does major sales via the internet.

And one definite trend the chain is seeing, as reported earlier this year, is the purchase of first rifles and shotguns for youngsters.

Favorites include the Henry Mini-Bolt .22LR youth model at $300, and the Marlin XT-22YR youth model for $200.

“In shotguns, 20-gauge models are our number one seller for these first-time shooters,” Tammy Sapp said, communications director for Bass Pro Shops.

In centerfire rifles, .223 and .243 calibers lead the way.

“We've also been selling first firearms to others, including numerous women who want to shoot for fun or to own a firearm for personal protection,” she said.

Bass Pro Shop gun managers report many customers specifically looking to become recreational shooters, with no real thoughts of hunting or self-defense.

“We're selling increasing numbers of shotguns that will never see a feather, and rifles in calibers large and small whose only purpose is to hit long-range targets or put bullets in ever-decreasing group sizes,” Sapp said.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the January 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Market Trends: Small Revolvers Big with Female Customers in Pittsburgh

Smith--Wesson-642-revolvers-Keith SavageBraverman Arms, Pittsburgh, Pa.

With hunting season over, Braverman Arms is seeing a noticeable influx of first-time female customers, most of them in the market for a self- and home-defense handguns.

The preference of these buyers, says store manager Keith Savage, is for a revolver over a semi-automatic.

“The revolver seems to make more sense to the ladies,” Savage explains. “It’s easier to use, safe, reliable.”

These women are snapping up Smith & Wesson 642 revolvers in .38 Special, priced at $420.

So much so, Braverman Arms is having a tough time just keeping the 642’s on the shelf. S&W Models 19 and 66 are also strong sellers, in the 2.5- and 4-inch barrel configurations.

For the semi-auto crowd, Glock 19, 23, 26 and 27’s lead the way.

Braverman Arms has finally gotten caught up on its ammunition orders, and has a good stock of all common hunting and handgun calibers. But prices are higher than they were a year or two ago, especially for handgunners.

The same boxes of 9mm that Savage sold for $13 to $15 now command $16 to $17 per box.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the March 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Market Trends: The Ruger 10/22 and SR22 Hot at New Hampshire Store

10-22TakedownAnthony ForgettaGun and Sport North, New Salem, N.H.

It seems New England is no different than anywhere else.

Located just a half-mile from the Massachusetts border, Gun and Sport North has a very diverse customer base hailing from both states, from hunters and league shooters, to people focused on self-defense.

But, no matter the type of shooting they do, the store’s customers are buying up firearms chambered in .22LR.

“Sales of Ruger 10/22s have been very brisk,” owner Anthony Forgetta said. “For handguns, the Ruger SR22 pistols are hot.”

Customers especially like the Ruger 10/22 Takedown model, priced at $360. The SR22’s sell for $315.

Like other gun shops, Gun and Sport North can’t get enough .22LR ammunition to satisfy demand, and Forgetta knows the lack of rimfire ammo has cost him some sales.

“If you don’t have the ammo in store, you don’t have people in the store. Always been that way.”

Centerfire revolvers are moving well, too, especially the J-Frame Smith & Wesson Models 442 and 642, as well as the Ruger GP100.

Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the March 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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