Monthly Archives: January 2013

What the 2012/2013 Panic has taught me

Shooting for me has ground to a standstill thanks to Gun Panic 12-13. Sure, I’ve always made certain to have a combat load of ammo around the house for emergencies, so no real worries there. But that ammo is for emergencies, and with every common caliber drying up at gun stores and online all over the place, I don’t dare shoot it. I have no idea when I’ll be able to get more. This means that my review of the Gunsite Scout is on hold, which torques me right off.

I’ve never seen it this bad. I mean, yeah, there was a panic after the 2008 election, but nothing like this. And now that I’m knee-deep in this gun and ammunition wasteland, some decisions I’ve made pertaining to firearms and ammunition have come under review.

Findings

1. “Common” calibers aren’t so common during a panic like this, which means you can bet your ass they won’t be common at the onset of an emergency either. My .223, 9mm and to a certain extent my .308 are lying dormant, the ammunition I have for them being carefully controlled. If I had gone and had one really good range day a few days before the panic, I’d be SOL.

2. Politicians will not stop trying to infringe on the 2nd Amendment. Their common tactic is to shoot for the moon and demand bans and absurd magazine limitations and then “compromise” to get a tenth of what they want. Then, after the next tragedy, they’ll do the same and get another tenth. It’s a long game.

3. Depending on the state you live in, you can become a criminal overnight depending on which politicians want to make a name for themselves.

4. Prices go crazy-up during a no-kidding politically-inspired gun panic.

So, what do I do? Well, the good news is that it’s looking more and more like Sen. Feinstein won’t get her ban. There may still be some ugly new laws pertaining to magazines coming, but nothing is certain yet. However, you can bet there will be another attempt just as soon as some other psycho decides to make a point by murdering innocent people with a gun he stole. Until then, there’s still time to make some changes.

Proposed actions

1. Time to look into some uncommon options that will allow me to shoot and give me a better chance of finding ammunition during times when it’s needed. .357, .38, .44 magnum I have no problem finding right now because they’re primarily revolver cartridges. A .357/9mm Ruger Blackhawk or a S&W Model 29 in .44mag might not be the fastest guns out there, but they’re powerful, and their cartridges can also be used in lever guns. Not as fast as an AR or AK, but fast enough. Shoot, a Coonan 1911 in .357 would solve my problem toot-sweet. Same deal on the rifle side. I can find .270 and 30-06 more readily than the modern military cartridges. If that GSR had come in 7mm-08 (the other Jeff Cooper-approved cartridge for a scout rifle), you’d probably be reading a review about it right now.

2. I’m going to rejoin the NRA and some of the other pro-2A groups. People give the NRA a lot of guff because they say the organization won’t “compromise” on gun laws. People forget that’s what the NRA is paid to do: Hold the line. That incremental whittling away of rights only happens when one side, the pro-2A side, budges. And they always do.

3. Develop a plan in the event my state does something like New York or I’m forced to move to one of them. A sizeable portion of New York’s gun-owning population just found out they’re about to become criminals thanks to a law passed in the middle of the night with no public debate.  If the choice comes down between registering my firearms with a government like that, giving them up, or moving them out of state, I choose out of state. Fortunately, I have options, so this action is practically done. You, however, might want to start asking yourself “who do I know that I can trust who lives in a free state?”

4.If I had known a year ago that a stripped AR lower receiver from Palmetto State Armory that normally goes for about $70 would be fetching around $500 online now, I would have bought three of them when they went on sale. Guns have always been an investment. They age well, and when things get tough, everyone suddenly wants one. Having an extra SKS or Hi-Point lying around to sell or give to a friend or family member who find they have need of one but can’t find it would be nice.

I’m sure there’s going to be more lessons-learned as they whap me upside the head at the worst moment, but for now that’s what I’m going with because you can bet that even if the polticos back off, this is going to come up again. Like they say on Battlestar Galactica: “All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.” The only question is what kind of position am I going to be in the next time it does?


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My first time – Tales of a true gun noob

The following story comes from a friend of my sister’s who recently took a trip to the range for the first time. She recounts her experience here. – TJ

By Rebecca

To be clear I would like you all to know I am not a stupid woman who lacks common sense (even though this recounting does make me double check that statement); I am a 36 year old successful business owner with a good head on my shoulders.  I am also not complexly ignorant of guns and how they work, and by that I mean I have held a revolver and a Glock, I know where the trigger is, and which end is the business end of the gun.  I have however never shot one…until today that is.

To set the stage you must realize I am in no way afraid of guns, so I do not handle them timidly or with trepidation and due to recent events my boyfriend Joe and I have discussed the purchase of a firearm for myself as he has weapons of his own.  He explained to me that I should go to the local Firearms dealer and range to try out a few of their rentals and get the feel of it,  the feel had to be “Just Right” I was told.

Today being a free day for me I popped the address into my GPS and off I went to shoot for the first time.  Another person might have thought twice and made sure that they were prepared and dressed properly for an outing like this, but then that person would not be impulsive like me.  In fact the thought of wearing a floor length low cut sundress with more than ample cleavage popping out and flip flops didn’t even occur to me as being improperly dressed until I was half way there… oops..

Anyway, like I said before though I am not timid around guns the idea of what I was about to do was a bit nerve racking and not something I ever thought I would be doing, much less alone.  When I arrived at the shop I gathered up my Mickey Mouse Disney purse along with my courage and in I went!  I am not sure what I was expecting exactly but I can tell you it was not the throng of senior citizens around me as I patiently waited in line to be served.  When it was my turn I walked up to the counter and informed the gentleman that I would like to buy a gun, however I thought it would be good idea to actually shoot one first.  When asked what kind of gun I was looking for I replied “One that will fit in my tiny hands” With a chuckle he showed me a Smith and Wesson mp22.  It felt light enough, and the grip seemed small enough so I was in.

After a brief explanation on how to properly load, hold, and fire the gun I was instructed to hang the target.  Have I mentioned yet that I am 5’2” and I would swear the clips were 6’ tall, but hey I can do this so up I go on my tippy toes and got the thing hung (if a bit crooked).  After firing off a few rounds, a pat on the back, and a “Good Girl” from the instructor I was left to my own devices.  I can tell you from the very little I know of weapons, the grip was nice, the kick was gentle, and I was able to hit the target most of the time.  After about half a box of rounds (which I now know I was supposed to fire them all) I go in to try the next size up, after all I was told to work my way up.

My next gun was the Smith and Wesson MP 9mm, this one seemed much heavier and the grip larger but I figured why the hell not! Now one would have thought since I got instruction with the first gun I would get instruction with the second. Not so much, in fact I had been left alone to try and figure out how to get these much larger rounds into the much tighter clip and for a while I stood there, looking from bullets to clip, staring at them from many angles before I decided I knew what to do. Taking the clip in my left and the bullet in my right I proudly loaded my first round, but something just didn’t seem right.  

Scratching my head in confusion I turned to the kid in the stall next to mine (by kid I mean he was probably 20) and held up my clip asking if I had these in right.  The poor thing… I have never seen a man so visibly afraid in my entire life.  With eyes as wide as saucers he slowly shook his head in bewilderment, so I asked “Are they in backwards?” my response being an equally shocked nod…. HA! Problem solved, I flipped that bad boy around as if I hadn’t just made a huge mistake and fool of myself and finished loading the gun. Now I know I should have shot more than 7 of the 50 bullets that came in the box but to be honest the room was getting smokey, the gun was heavy, my hand was getting sore from the kick, I had just narrowly missed having a cleavage full of spent casings,  and lets face it.. I pretty much scared the crap out of every grown man around me so I decided to pack it in and call it a day.

Feeling as though I had accomplished a lot I decided to call Joe on my way home and tell him I had picked the type of weapon I wished to purchase. After all it was all about the feel right?  Apparently not, because I was then told that the perfect little 22 I found just didn’t have the stopping power, and if I can’t stop a large man or a heavily dressed man coming to hurt me then it pretty much defeats the purpose (face palm).  I guess it is a good thing I don’t discourage easily because the first thing I did when I got home was message my friend Stephanie , tell her about my awesome yet somewhat embarrassing day, and suggest a girls day out… at the firing range.


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SHOT Show Report: Day 1&2

It’s the classic case of the best laid plans of mice. When I was planning for the show, there was a big list of “ok, I need to do X, Y, Z, etc” and “I can’t miss____” and so on. These plans were based off my previous experience with trade shows and such. The problem is, however, that none of the trade shows I’ve been to come anywhere close to the scale of this one. Let me give you an idea of what I’m talking about here. I have a pedometer app on my phone. I’ve tested it in the past and it’s pretty darn accurate. I left for the show at 7:00am on Tuesday and started the app before I left. The battery on my phone died around 3:00pm. The last recorded distance I walked was about 12 miles. One gentlemen I met also had a pedometer. In 2 days he had gone 56 miles.

This place is f***ing huge.

…and crazy.

Thousands and thousands of booths stretched as far as you can imagine. Just when you think you’ve made it to the other end of the show floor, you turn a corner and there’s another, equally large show floor filled with more booths. There is a persistent thought that casinos purposely design the layout in a confusing way to keep people from leaving. I think those same people designed this show. I kid…a bit. It’s actually amazingly well laid out and with 60,000+ people in attendance, it hasn’t felt claustrophobic at all. I’ve never had to wait more than a couple moments to talk with a company rep and the aisles flow well (except for those occasions when a group of people will stop in the middle of the aisle and just start chatting thus blocking everyone from moving. You know who you are. Nobody likes you. Move over next time.).

The booths are amazing too! The big manufacturers spared no expense putting their displays together. Some of them are 2 stories tall with private offices and everything! If you haven’t looked at the booth gallery I posted to Facebook, I suggest you check it out.

But who cares about that junk?! Let’s talk about guns!

There are quite a few companies trying to get their foot in the door. The first is a company called Caracal. I was impressed by their selection and some of the ideas on their guns. They only started in 2003 and they came out swinging. The thing that really got my attention was their “Quick Acquisition Sight System”. It’s seriously hard to describe how it works or even WHY it works so well but trust me, it works so naturally that I was left saying “why doesn’t every gun do this!?” Seriously, it’s that awesome.

Next was a Turkish company by the name of Canik and I really love the styling and feel of their guns. I can’t exactly place my finger on it but they look like Russian gangster guns. They’ve got some good weight to them and the lines are very unique. They’re still trying to jump through all the import hoops so I couldn’t get any MSRP prices, unfortunately. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes on this company.

Finally, we have Armscor/Rock Island Armory’s new 22 TCM pistol. This is a bit tough to explain so stick with me here. Take a .223 rifle round, yank out the bullet, cut the brass in half, neck it down then put the bullet back in and crimp it. That’s a 22 TCM round. It’s the same length as a 9mm. The bullet is, essentially a .22 caliber round. So why do that? Because you get a 2000+ FPS round out of a 5” barrel pistol with almost no recoil. Giggity, indeed.

Other things from the show: 5.11 Tactical has some of the nicest people in the world, as does Turnbull Mfg. Even though the show required that all firing pins be removed, people STILL need to seriously work on their safety technique and awareness of where the barrel is pointed. I’ve never had so many guns pointed right at me before. I’d expect that at some local gun show at the county fairgrounds but people here are supposed to be industry professionals. Also, I wouldn’t feel comfortable working in Springfield Armory’s booth. Look at the picture to the left. Notice how all the guns are pointing inward at the sales rep?

So those are my first two days there. Stay tuned tomorrow for further reports.


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GunUp Launches a New Gun Magazine!

Our good friends over at GunUp have been busy lately! Not only have they started an online firearms business but now they’re getting into the print business as well! All of us here at GunNoob wishes them the best of luck. I know I’ll be subscribing once it’s released!

Full Press Release Below:


GunUp Launches GunUp The Magazine & GunUp Shop
Sioux Falls, SD – Recognizing the need to integrate online and print content with retail sales, GunUp is excited to announce the launch of GunUp Shop and GunUp the Magazine. GunUp the Magazine will combine the proven value of the GunUp Ad Network with print delivery, seamlessly integrating product, retail sales, and advertising into one platform.  A free copy of GunUp the Magazine will be included with every gun GunUp ships to consumers, putting your product reviews and advertising directly in the hands of real customers.
 
Driving the creativity and innovation at GunUp the Magazine is Managing Editor Shelley Sargent, one of the rising stars in the firearms publishing industry. “GunUp’s vision for a comprehensive approach combining online, print, and retail in a single unified offering parallels my passion for writing, technology, and firearms. I am excited to be a part of GunUp and look forward to taking our magazine to the next level,” says Shelley.
 
Advertising is available with discounts for current GunUp Advertising partners. Sample copies of the magazine will be available at SHOT Show. Contact VP of Sales & Marketing Caleb Giddings at caleb@gunup.com or 317-445-9332 for a media kit and to reserve your advertising placement.
 
About Shelley Sargent: Shelley comes to GunUp after successfully launching Western Shooting Journal, a monthly shooting sports publication reaching consumers in over 31 states. Shelley has a diverse background in the firearms industry with experience in retail, competition shooting, online publications and print publishing. Contact Shelley at shelley@gunup.com for product placement information and review requests.
 
About GunUp: Founded in 2010, GunUp helps gun enthusiasts buy, share, discuss, and research guns across all platforms. GunUp runs the largest gun blog network online reaching over 3 million unique visitors a month. In January 2013, GunUp launched GunUp Shop and GunUp the Magazine.

 
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Walther Arms Launched a new Website.

Looks like GunNoob.com isn’t the only one refreshing their look. I just got a press release from Walther Arms announcing a new design to their site. I have to say, I wasn’t a fan of their old page. Like many firearms manufacturer’s pages, it wasn’t very good at all. It was difficult to navigate and short on info, considering it was pretty much just a subset of the S&W homepage. This new one is nice to look at and easy to get around in. It’s a shame I haven’t had the opportunity to test a Walther gun because, I have to admit, their page makes me want to try one now.

The full press release is below:


Walther Launches New Website For Walther Products

FORT SMITH, Arkansas (January 7, 2013) –Walther Arms, Inc, the U.S-based organization for Carl Walther GmbH of Germany, has launched a new website highlighting the entire 2013 line of German-engineered pistols and tactical rimfire replicas.  The site is designed to educate prospective dealers, customers and avid shooters on the Walther portfolio of firearms. The new URL is www.WaltherArms.comand was launched January 1st as the strategic alliance with Walther and Smith-Wesson expired.

Our goal was to put a quality site together that was both educational, informative, and appealing to a variety of audiences with the hope they would then visit their local retailer to take a closer look and then purchase our products,’ said Mark Thomas, Director of Marketing for the Fort Smith-based Walther Arms, Inc.  “We needed to ensure that anyone could find what they were looking for in three clicks or less and we have done that.  Now that we are up and running we will enhance the site in the upcoming months.”
 

Thomas says the launch was the initial marketing vehicle for Walther Arms, Inc and is only in the initial phase.  The second phase will include a vibrant ecommerce area, easy online product registration portal and private area for the working media to learn about Walther products and access product photography.  It is targeted for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2013.

The highlights of the website include 2013 new Walther products including features diagrams, popular accessories, links to Walther’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/waltherarms), and Twitter (@WaltherFirearms) social media sites.  The new site features easy top and side navigation, large, full-color beauty shots of Walther products and exploding diagrams of product features that work on all mobile devices as well as traditional computers.

Development of the site was spearheaded by Walther’s emarketing specialist, Joe McCoy and designed by Papagalos Strategic Communications, Phoenix Arizona.

About Walther Arms
Entering its 130th year, Walther has earned the trust of law enforcement professionals, recreational shooters, and athletes through its line of reliable PPQ, PPS and PPK pistols.Walther Arms manufactures and markets firearms of various calibers ranging from .22 to .40. For more information, visit www.WaltherArms.com.


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A $100 Hunting Rifle?

I’ll say this right off the bat: I’ve always been more of a handgun guy. I don’t hunt. I have nothing against hunting and such, I just don’t do it and, I must admit, I don’t have an interest in hunting. So the desire to purchase a rifle or shotgun was never really on my radar. That’s why TJ is a writer for the site. He hunts. He loves rifles. He knows a lot about them. That way, I could stick with my handguns.

Then a buddy of mine let me shoot some of his rifles…

From that point on, I was hooked. It wasn’t about hunting, it was about the precision and, of course, the rush of that powerful of a round. So I built an AR-15. I love my AR. There was just something missing from it. It’s like…jeez how do I put this?

Ok, you know when you have a car with an automatic transmission? When you’re driving, you’re just controlling the car. You take care of the steering, throttle and brake and the car handles everything else. The way your car performs is determined by a bunch of dudes with clipboards and impressive sounding acronyms behind their names in the manufacturer’s R&D department. In fact, you could put that car in drive then step out of it and that car would go until it either hits something or runs out of gas. You, ultimately, aren’t needed. When you’re driving a manual, however, you are a part of that car. You determine how it drives. If you want to run it like a bat out of hell or hypermile it like a lunatic, it’s 100% your choice. If you put that car in 1st gear and step away, the car shuts down. It is a symbiotic relationship between human and machine.

A bolt action rifle is like a car with a stick shift. Yes, it takes more work to use it but, in the end, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

So I went looking for bolt action rifles. I wanted something that had some great range but with ammo that wasn’t going to break the bank. I wanted to be able to customize it. Most of all, the rifle itself had to be inexpensive. The Ruger American rifle had just been announced so I wasn’t keen on buying a first-run design with 0 reviews to be found. Plus, I only had a small amount of money from my birthday (gotta love cash as a present!). Have you ever tried to find a sub $200 rifle of good quality? Let’s just say “slim pickin’s” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Then I stumbled across something in Ormond Beach, FL. It was a gun store like none I had ever seen. This place was beautiful! Waterfall out front, gorgeous interior and the prices were crazy low! Inside, there was this beat up box filled with these gorgeous antique rifles. They had Russian markings on them and the sign on the box said “Mosin-Nagant”. I had heard of the name but never looked into them. I grabbed my iPhone and looked them up on Wikipedia. Talk about an interesting history! I didn’t see a price right away but I figured, like most antique rifles, they would be expensive. Then I noticed the sign with the price had fallen into the box. It listed what you get: the rifle, original bayonet, ammo pouch, sling, tool kit , and oil canister…all for $100.

That had to be wrong. There’s no way that it could be that cheap…wait, no. That’s what it’s going for on GunBroker and other sites (gotta love smartphones). Well heck, I’m sold! Even if it turns out bad I’m only out $100 so I’m sure I could figure out something to do with it.

Why so cheap? You see, these guns were being manufactured in bulk, almost 24 hours a day by prisoners in a gulag somewhere in the Russian wilderness (among other places). To say there’s a lot of them is an understatement. We’re talking millions and millions of them. In 1943 alone, the year mine was made, they churned out 1,833,506 of them. There are so many, in fact, that there isn’t much value to them now or even in the near future.

So now I own a bolt action rifle from 1943. What now? Well, I said the rifle was cheap, but with that comes a price. I would soon discover that price…

Like any gun, my first item of business is to clean it when I get it home. This is where a new word was added to my vocabulary. It’s a word that all antique gun owners know but wish was never created. A simple noun, it became so much more. It invokes such horror and spite that it should be added to George Carlin’s “7 Words You Can Never Say” as the 8th word. I shall mention it only once, then it will be referred to from now on as “TWSNBN” (That Which Shall Not Be Named”). That word is “cosmoline”. I am sure that just by my act of typing it, there are many that shuddered and yet know not why.

This primordial goo, brewed in the deepest bowels of hell where even demons dare not tread, is used to preserve guns for long term storage. It is slathered over every square inch of a gun, presumably by some Lovecraftian type of creature whose appearance would cause instant insanity to any who dared look upon it. Removing this sludge is no easy task.

On the bright side, Ballistol seems to almost dissolve the stuff. In this initial cleaning, you will gain monumental knowledge of how your gun works because it will need to be completely stripped down and every square inch of it cleaned. As your hands, coated in this foul substance, struggle to grip any piece of the gun after only minutes into the cleaning, you will know the pains of Sisyphus.

I do not exaggerate.

After spending almost an entire day cleaning something that normally would have taken me an hour, the rifle was ready to go. Now I had to buy some ammo. I wonder if my local store sells 7.62x54R?

As it turns out, they do! Ok, let’s see how this cartridge compares to the AR roun..CRAP THAT’S A BIG CARTRIDGE! So as it turns out, this bullet is big enough to take down just about any animal in North America. This round was created in 1891 and is still in use today by the Russian military. It’s roughly 180 grain with a 2,600 feet per second velocity. My research has turned up people shooting this gun effectively past 1,000 yards. Not too shabby for a 120 year old design.

You can also get Russian military surplus ammo for this gun for a very low price but then you’re introduced to another interesting term: “corrosive primers”. The Russians, back in the day, used a primer that was inexpensive but had this tendency to leave an acidic residue inside the barrel that would eat away at it relatively quickly. It’s not like your barrel is going to be screwed up by the time you get home but you’ll want to do something to neutralize the residue as soon as you get home from shooting. Again, my precious Ballistol will neutralize said residue. There are other ways as well. Ammonia is one method. I’ve read numerous stories of Russian soldiers actually peeing into their rifles on a regular basis. So there’s a solution for you, if you’re into that sort of thing. I won’t judge. I will, however, respectfully decline your offer to try your guns. Nothing personal.

On the bright side, it looks like my gun never saw combat so no worries about urine stains on this one.

Now the gun is clean and I’ve got a hefty supply of ammo. Time to shoot it. Is it was a few months between when I bought it and when I finally got to try it, such as life. Either way, the big day came. All the benches were taken so I wound up having to shoot it standing up, which gave me even more respect for the soldiers that would have had to carry that 8.8 pound rifle in battle. (Side Note: I had never shot from the standing position before.) The bolt takes some arm strength to work. The trigger is a bit heavy but surprisingly crisp with a short pull.

The recoil, however, is something else. It’s not like my AR. This thing punches you in the shoulder. It’s good that the rifle holds 5 rounds because it takes the other 4 rounds to put your shoulder back in place after the first one dislocates it.

I’m exaggerating a little bit there.

I shot about 10 rounds just to see what the recoil was like and, as a result, there’s a nice red mark on my shoulder as I type this the day after shooting. I then slipped a Limbsaver recoil pad over the back of it and it made all the difference in the world! I would never have imagined that a squishy little rubber sock could reduce the felt recoil that much. It went from feeling like a 12 gauge to being a bit stronger than an AR chambered in .308. That is a huge difference right there. If you’ve never shot a 12 gauge or a .308 AR, I liken it to the difference between a firm punch in the shoulder and a slap on it.

All in all, it’s a great rifle and, considering the price, it should have a place in every collection.

So that’s the rundown of buying and shooting a Mosin-Nagant. As far as how to use it as a high quality hunting rifle? Keep reading…

While you can use it for hunting right out of the box, there are a few things that a factory new Mosin has that prevents it from being an awesome hunting rifle. For one, it’s heavy. It also has iron sights which, are more than usable for hunting, but many prefer a scope. If you’re willing to shell out a little bit more cash, there are some things you can do to really modernize it. First off, there are companies that make stock replacement kits. This replaces the heavy, wood stock and foregrip with a lightweight composite one. This will make it easier to carry and shoulder for firing. These stocks are relatively inexpensive and are available at many online retailers.

Secondly, if you want a scope, you’re going to need to shell out a bit more (not counting the price of the scope). The bolt design on a Mosin makes it difficult to mount a scope to the rifle but Brownells sells a scope mounting kit that fixes this issue by replacing the handle on the bolt itself with a low profile one that won’t smack into your scope with cycled. The kit runs about $50 BUT it requires some gunsmithing. The old bolt handle must be cut off then holes must be drilled and tapped. If you have the equipment to do it then by all means feel free. If you screw it up you’re not out much money. It’s not like you’re practicing on a $2000+ rifle.

If you’re not comfortable with the process, however, a gunsmith would be more than happy to do it for you and the price isn’t much (at least not in my area).

Regardless of which route you go, once you’re done you’ll have a pretty top notch rifle that could go toe to toe with just about any other rifle out there. Like I’ve said a few times in this article, the fact that the original cost is so low, there’s no reason not to tinker a bit. If you were modernizing a nice M1 Garand or something, that would be one thing. Slapping on a modern stock and cutting into a rare, antique gun is akin to painting a clown face on the Mona Lisa. These rifles, however, are just too plentiful to worry about. If it really bothers you, do what I plan to do: have one rifle that is kept original for collecting and get another one to customize.


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Vegas, Baby!

In case you didn’t see the announcement on Facebook or Twitter a couple of weeks back, Gun Noob will be at the NSSF SHOT Show in Vegas. If you’re new to shooting, the name might not ring a bell. The SHOT Show is, according to the website “…the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries. It is the world’s premier exposition of combined firearms, ammunition, law enforcement, cutlery, outdoor apparel, optics and related products and services. The SHOT Show attracts buyers from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.“

This isn’t like a gun show at the county fairgrounds. Essentially, it’s the CES or E3 of the gun world. Every product that will be coming out in the next year will be announced and shown off there. It’ll be 630,000 square feet of firearm related coolness! The show is only open to industry professionals and the media and somehow this rag-tag band of misfits was able to qualify for media passes!

We will be blogging and posting live from the show. Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook pages for updates throughout the day and then check here in the evenings for write-ups of the day’s events.

We’re going to try to cover as much as possible but if there’s something in particular you’re interested in, let us know in the comments here, the contact us page or via Facebook or Twitter and we’ll try our best to cover it.


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