The Colt Single Action Army revolver, which was adopted for service in 1873, is now the official state firearm of Arizona.
Colt Single Action Army Mod 1873. This revolver was issued to the US Cavalry early in 1874. Photo (C) Hmaag
AZCentral.com reports ...
Arizona is getting an official firearm - the Colt Single-Action Army revolver.
Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday without comment signed a bill passed by the Legislature to designate the weapon as the state's first official firearm.
Connecticut-based Colt had lobbied for the legislation.
I learned a lot about Europe’s firearms market while at IWA and touring various factories. One of the most important things I learned was that quality sells in Europe – and a lack of quality doesn’t. When I asked, for example, why a certain US-market rifle was not on display at IWA, I was bluntly told that it was “too low quality to sell in Europe.”
So when I was told that we’d scheduled a video with a company that made gun cases, I thought to myself, “Really? Gun cases? There are more exciting things at IWA than plastic boxes with foam inside.” What I didn’t understand was that these were European gun cases, and that they were definitely high quality enough to sell in Europe.
The Blaze is multipurpose and manufactured with top quality materials in a first class manufacturing nation by a company that makes precision medical equipment. All of these things are great selling points, but will they, at approximately $250, be too expensive to sell in the United States?
The German product Ballistol is popular with shooters the world over as an effective cleaning, lubricating, and protecting agent. Now, its aerosol cans are available in many different languages. I saw the display at IWA and had to take a few photos.
Because I am male, I rarely read directions, so it does not matter to me if the text on a can of gun oil is something I can read. However, I think this is a neat idea, and I will probably buy a few cans in my favorite languages. This way, I might not be able to tell a Romanian girl that she is pretty, but I will be able to tell her what to do if she sprays Ballistol in her eye.
While at IWA, I had a chance to familiarize myself with many fine firearms, including high end rifles from Blaser. Their newest rifle is the R8, a development of the straight-pull bolt action R93.
The R8′s action has been beefed up and is currently available in calibers up to .416 Remington Magnum, with .458 Win Mag, .458 Lott and .500 Jeffery available as special orders with a 4 month lead time.
One unique feature of the R8 over the R93 (or any other rifle, for that matter) is that the magazine and trigger blade are one assembly and can be easily taken out of the weapon, which not only removes ammunition from the firearm but also renders it incapable of being fired or even cocked. Should the user wish to lock the magazine and trigger in place, he can easily do so.
The R8 has a three-position safety that I found quite intuitive. The rifle is not cocked unless the safety is all the way forward, on “fire.” At the middle position, the bolt can be cycled, but the weapon is not cocked and cannot be fired; the rearward position locks the action and also prevents the weapon from firing.
It’s possible to change between any of the 32 available calibers by swapping the barrel and the bolt head – this is done at the end user level, so the owner of an R8 can hunt dangerous game in Africa one month and varmints in the American West the next with the same rifle.
None of the R8 models could be considered inexpensive, and the sky is really the limit when options like hand engraving, gold inlays and five hundred year old Turkish walnut stocks are added. All R8s feature cold hammer forged barrels. Models such as the Professional, which have a synthetic stock, can be found on Gunbroker for just over 3,000 USD. Other models examined at IWA had list prices of 30,000 Euros, but were truly works of art.
Dan Wesson, a subsidiary of CZ-USA, has been manufacturing 1911s for quite some time, and models like the Bobtail have gotten a good amount of attention for their carry-friendly features.
The new Guardian pistol is available in .45 ACP and 9mm. It has a Commander length slide and 4.25″ barrel instead of the truncated 4″ barrel found on some other compact 1911s. The Bobtail frame is present, in an aluminum alloy to save weight. 30LPI checkering on the frontstrap, night sights, and an extended thumb safety are all desirable on a carry firearm, as is a durable finish. The Guardian features all of these, with their “Duty” finish being touted as extremely abrasion resistant.
I was pretty impressed with the overall package that I examined at IWA in Nuremberg. CZ-USA states that the weight of the pistol is 1.8lbs. No trigger weight is stated, but I would estimate that the one I handled broke at about 5lbs. It was a very clean and crisp trigger for a production 1911.
Česká Zbrojovka Uhersky Brod (CZUB) is one of my favorite firearms manufacturers. Iconic weapons such as the Vz.58 and the CZ-75 came from behind the Iron Curtain and are still relevant today. The company itself has a rich and interesting history, as our guide – who had worked at CZUB for almost 40 years, and whose grandfather worked at the factory during World War II – explains.
One thing I’ve wondered about for quite some time is exactly how to pronounce Česká Zbrojovka (the name of the company) and Uhersky Brod (the name of the town where the main factory is located). Boris of CZ was working the booth at IWA and prounounced them both for me. Also, our guide explains the difference between “CZ” and “Vz.”
LaserLyte has developed a Quad Rail for double barrel shotguns.
I think this product is an excellent idea. Double barrel shotguns are excellent defensive weapons, and being able to add a light and/or laser will only improve their utility in the home.
The LaserLyte Double Barrel Shotgun Quad Rail Mount sells for $79.95.
Sig Sauer Guns has a list of SIG new pistols slated for production this summer ...
220R-45-BSS-E2 – P220 in .45 ACP with night sights and enhanced ergonomic grips (E2)
220R-45-XTM-BLKGRY – P220 Extreme – just like the P226 Extreme but in a 220
E26R-9-DP – P226 Diamond Plate – probably much like the P238 Diamond Plate
E29R-9-SCPN – P229 Scorpion in 9mm – most likely similar in finish to the 1911 Scorpion – with short reset trigger
E29R-40-SCPN – Same as above…. only in .40
239-40-RBT – P239 in .40 S&W with a Rainbow Titanium finish on the slide – like the P238 RBT
239-9-DP – P239 in 9mm with the Diamond Plate finish on the slide
1911-22-FDE – 1911-22 with a flat dark earth finish on the frame
1911-22-OD – 1911-22 with an olive drab finish on the frame
1911CAR-45-SCPN – 1911 .45 ACP Scorpion in a carry configuration – much like the regular Scorpion
Last year Winchester brought back the Model 94 lever action. This year they are adding two new models: the Sporter and the Short rifle.
Winchester Model 94 Sporter
Winchester Model 94 Short Rifle
From the press release ...
The new Winchester Sporter 94 will feature a 24-inch half-round, half-octagon blued barrel. The rifle has a traditional straight grip stock with a crescent butt and blued steel buttplate. The satin oil finished walnut stock is finely checkered in the familiar pattern with double-lined bordering. The Sporter 94 has a semi-buckhorn rear sight and a fine gold bead on the front. Each receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts and the hammer is drilled and tapped for a spur extension.
The Sporter comes in either 30-30 Winchester or 38-55 Winchester. Both have a magazine capacity of 8 rounds. The 30-30 model has a 1 in 12 inch rate of twist and the 38-55 has a 1 in 18 inch rate of twist. Both have an overall length of 42 ½ inches. Suggested retail for both guns is $1,299.99.
The Winchester Short Rifle Model 94 was a favorite for many hunters and shooters and the new model is sure to be a popular addition to the new line of Model 94 rifles. The Short Rifle 94 is fast to the shoulder, quick-swinging, lightweight and a pleasure to shoot. It was and will be popular with the range rider who needs to snatch the gun from a saddle scabbard and fire quickly.
The Short Rifle 94 has a compact 20-inch deeply-blued round barrel and straight grip walnut stock. It has a rifle-style forearm, black grip cap and full-length magazine. The sights are traditional with a semi-buckhorn rear and Marble Arms® gold bead at the muzzle. The rifle is also drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
The Short Rifle 94 has an overall length of 38 inches and weighs 6 ¾ pounds. It is available in 30-30 Winchester and has a suggested retail price of $1199.99.
The only feature missing is an EOTech.
UPDATE: Andrew recorded a brief overview of the Winchester Model 1984 when he was at IWA:
But why not? An EOTech is the perfect sight for a pistol cartridge chambered carbine. Suppressors are just as useful on a lever action carbine as they are on a pimped-out AR-15. As for the Magpul AFG grip ... ok, I admit that it taking the concept a too far!
