This week’s been a real rollercoaster ride for me, but I’ve been trying to keep an eye on the goings-on at SHOT. Some thoughts:

• I agree with the universal consensus re: pricing for the Masada/ACR/whatever-they-finally-call-it. I’m also sure they’ll sell every copy they can make, with early adopters paying a premium over MSRP. Then, in a year or two, Bushmaster will roll out a revised Gen 2 version, correcting the real-or-perceived faults of Gen 1, and all the fanboys will again (1) bitch up a storm but still (2) line up to buy it.
• The inexplicable success of the Taurus Judge still depresses the hell out of me. Taurus keeps cranking out new versions, each more grotesque, hideous and nonsensical than the last, and people KEEP BUYING THE GODDAMN THINGS. Just another sign that our culture is doomed, I suppose.
• Remington’s heavily rumored 1911 is nowhere to be seen. I just don’t know how the gun shops will stay in business without Yet Another New 1911 to sell.
• But it’s okay, because Ithaca is jumping into the 1911 game. At least until they go bankrupt again, which will probably be in <checks watch> oh, five minutes or so.
• Speaking of 1911s, Dan Wesson is producing some very impressive-looking guns, albeit with equally impressive price tags. If I were in the market for a $1500 1911, I’d look very hard at their offerings.
• The other Wesson has one new J-frame without the key lock, a nifty little 640 with tritium sights. They also seem to be going out of their way to only show the RIGHT side of their revolvers. They just might be getting the hint, verrrrry slowly…
• I believe every AR maker on the planet now has a piston-driven gun on the market. And of course, they’re all mutually incompatible. If you buy one, you’d better hope you can get spares for your particular mutation a few years down the road!

Looks like DoubleTap almost immediately discontinued their .38 Super offering with the 125-grain JHP and replaced it with a 147-grain bonded JHP (manufacturer unspecified) at 1225 fps. That’s a good 250 fps more than the 9mm manages with the same bullet weight.

A pretty smart lady once told me,

“Y’know what I like about .38 Super? 147gr@1200fps. Heavy and fast.”

The potential problem, of course, is that the 147-grain bullets on the market now were engineered for the lower, 9mm velocity level, and bullets driven too fast have a tendency to get all ‘splodey instead of holding together and penetrating (bonding the core to the jacket typically solves this problem). I’d really like to find out what bullet DoubleTap is using, and I’m even more curious to see what it does in gelatin testing.

As far as I know, the only bonded 147-grain JHP on the market right now is the Speer Gold Dot. I think a phone call to DoubleTap is in order…

Giving the girlfriend a bit of a hard time tonight:

Carrie: Actually, I think my sister would like to try sometime as well.
TD: o rly
Carrie: ya rly
TD: huh, a woman shooting a firearm. how novel.
Carrie: Like a dog walking on its hind legs!
TD: no, my dear. not at all like that
TD: dogs can be TAUGHT
Carrie: You’re a terrible person. You know that, right?
TD:

(It’s a running joke between us; I’m not really THAT much of a jerk)

Got a good deal on these with some Xmas cash.

They’re made by Metalform, who OEMs for Colt. If your rampant-pony-bearing Colt-branded mags have a little M stamped into the floorplate, that’s why. These came off the same production line in the same factory and cost less than half as much. I can live without the prancing pony on them!

Shooty-related priorities for 2010:

Projects

• The .450/.400 Nitro Express project still awaits primers. If/when they become available, and the weather warms enough for outdoor shooting, I’ll get into load development. The gun itself is still going to get a few minor tweaks, notably a new recoil pad and a reshaped safety.
• The .38 Super pseudo-GSP will probably go ahead, slowly. Mags are already en route. Budget priorities being what they are, I’ll probably fund this by selling off a safe queen or two.
• My AK dilemma needs solving. This deserves a post of its own, which I might even get around to writing soon!

Fun Stuff

• NRA convention. I’ve been to the last two, so I don’t feel an absolute NEED to see another one. Still, this year’s con is near pdb, who I’m long overdue to meet. If I can swing it I’ll be there, but the higher priority is…
• Blogorado. I missed too damn much fun in ’09, gotta be there in ’10.
• Indy Blogmeet. Reasonable driving distance, awesome people. A dozen chances to attend. Can I pull it off? Probably.

Serious Business (like the internet)

• Gun Skool. I didn’t do ANY formal training in ’09, which is shameful. I need to run through another defensive pistol course, and maybe a carbine class.
• Practice. We all need more of it.
• Competition. I know there’s some IDPA in the area. I want to go watch a match or two, then try it myself.

And if I win the lotto, I’ll be taking a trip to NYC so Holland & Holland can fit me for a Royal Grade double rifle.

CDNN is blowing out the discontinued Remington 798 and 799 bolt-action rifles. These are the Zastava-made FN Mauser clones formerly imported as the Interarms Mark X and Charles Daly Mauser.

Prices are good through Saturday the 9th @ 2:00PM CST. I’d jump on one of those laminate-stocked .375s if I had the cash lying around.

REMINGTON BOLT-ACTION RIFLES

Remington 798 · 243 · 22″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock · New
#REM89831 $389.99

Remington 798 · 30-06 · 22″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock · New
#REM89830 $399.99

Remington 798 · 30-06 · 22″ barrel · Black Synthetic Stock ·New
#REM89807 $329.99

Remington 798 · 30-06 · 22″ Matte ·Walnut Stock · New
#REM89842 $399.99

Remington 798 · 30-06· 22″ Barrel ·Walnut Stock · 3×9 Scope · New
#REM89870 $429.99

Remington 798 · 300Win· 24″ Barrel · Walnut Stock ·3×9 Scope · New
#REM89871 $429.99

Remington 798 · 308· 22″ Barrel ·Black Synthetic Stock · New
#REM89806 $329.99

Remington 798 · 308 · 22″ Barrel · Green Laminate Stock · New
#REM89832 $389.99

Remington 798 · 308· 22″ Barrel · Walnut Stock · New
#REM89843 $399.99

Remington 798 · 7mmRem Mag· 24″ Barrel · Walnut Stock · New
#REM89844 $399.99

Remington 798 Express ·458 · 26″ Barrel ·Deluxe Walnut Stock · New
#REM89849 $599.99

Remington 798 Express ·375 H&H· 26″ Barrel ·Deluxe Walnut Stock · New
#REM89847 $599.99

Remington 798 Express · 375 H&H ·26″ Barrel ·Green Laminate Stock · New
#REM89826 $499.99

Remington 798 Express ·375H&H· 26″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock · New
#REM89836 $499.99

Remington 798 Express · 458 Win Mag· 26″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock · New
#REM89837 $499.99

Remington 798 Express · 458 Win Mag· 26″ Barrel ·Green Laminate Stock · New
#REM89827 $499.99

Remington 798 · 300Win Mag · 24″ Barrel ·Walnut Stock ·New
#REM89845 $399.99

Remington 799 ·22 Hornet · 20″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock · Mini Mauser Style · New
#REM89852 $389.99

Remington 799 · 223 · 20″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock ·Mini Mauser Style New
#REM89850 $389.99

Remington 799 ·792×39 · 20″ Barrel ·Brown Laminate Stock ·Mini Mauser Style · New
#REM89853 $389.99

As both of my faithful readers know, Breda recently introduced my girlfriend to the wonderful world of shooting, and I’ve been showing her some of the niftier aesthetic elements of the firearms universe, things like color casehardening, engraving patterns, nitre bluing, and exotic grip materials. I sent her a link to some elephant ivory 1911 grips, and her joking response was, “I want narwhal grips!”

Well, if you don’t mind dropping a grand on them, you can indeed have narwhal grips for your favorite 1911.

I have not yet told her about oosik.