CCI VNT 17 HMR Long-Range Hunting Load

LEWISTON, Idaho –– CCI Ammunition is pleased to introduce VNT 17 HMR, a long-range rimfire load that lets shooters devastate varmints or drill targets at extreme distances. Shipments are being delivered to dealers.

 

The loads feature a Speer VNT bullet with an extremely thin jacket and polymer tip that team up to offer flat trajectories, superb long-range accuracy and explosive terminal performance on impact. It’s the perfect combination for hunting varmints or shooting at the range.

 

Features & Benefits
• Speer VNT bullet design
• Very thin jacket combined with precision-built polymer tip
• Devastating terminal effect on varmints
• Flat shooting and highly accurate to maximize effective range
• Consistent CCI priming

Part No. / Description / MSRP
959CC / 17 HMR VNT 17-grain, 50-count / $17.95 Read more

Ammunition

NMMA Sounds Off On White House Tariffs

Tariff would be on top of the Department of Commerce aluminum sheet tariff NMMA has been fighting

President Trump has announced that he decided to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum–a tariff that is separate from the Department of Commerce anti-dumping and countervailing investigation on common alloy aluminum sheet from China that NMMA has been fighting.

In his announcement, the President determined he would place a tariff of 25 percent on foreign-made steel and 10 percent on aluminum. This decision was made based on the statutory authority of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to conduct comprehensive investigations to determine the effects of imports on the national security of the U.S. Based on this investigation, the Secretary of Commerce will make recommendations to the President on how to address any potential issues, however, the final decision is made by the President.

In response to the announcement from the White House, NMMA President Thom Dammrich said, “Today’s decision by the Administration to implement new tariffs severely harms the $37 billion U.S. recreational boating industry and the 650,000 American workers it supports. While these tariffs are meant to protect American manufacturing, they do just the opposite. U.S. manufacturers, like those in our industry, which use American-made aluminum, depend on a competitive global market and fair pricing. What’s more, U.S. aluminum manufacturers are at capacity and unable to supply the wide-width aluminum sheet used by our members, forcing them to seek it overseas.” Read more

General

Smelt Dipping and Days Gone By

By Glen Wunderlich

At the southernmost point of the Canadian mainland – Point Pelee National Park – 45 years ago, my first smelt spawning-run experience unfolded.  There, with a throng of experienced netters, we strung out the 4×20-foot seine netting, consisting of a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water.  From the beach, one person would wade near shore holding onto one end, while the other in waders, would venture as deeply into the water as he’d dare.  With a pivoting maneuver around the shallow operator, the net would be pulled slowly back to shore where it was checked for the small, silvery fish.  Although the seasoned netters claimed the action was slow that night, we still managed to haul myriad wash tubs and cans full of the tasty critters back to Michigan.

Over the subsequent years, the Saint Marys River behind the Sears building in Port Huron, became the dip-netting destination for prized catches.  However, our fishing party had to dip through a long night to fill a couple of 5-gallon buckets.

One of my partners learned a valuable lesson one night.  As we were having some success, a couple of strangers noted the buckets being filled and asked if we had fishing licenses.  My pal piped up, “You don’t need a license for this!”  The retort was a simple, “Oh, yes you do”, as he flashed his conservation officer’s badge, resulting in an expensive episode for the uninformed angler.

Along with a valid Michigan fishing license, the equipment needed is a dip net, bucket and warm clothes and a flashlight.  Some areas require a long-handled net, waders and/or a life jacket.  And, if you are successful, you’ve got to be prepared for the drudgery of cleaning them, as well.

Long gone are the days when pickup-truck beds could be filled in a night’s work; in fact, the dismal state of the smelt population now legally limits catches to two gallons per angler. This is the first time in Michigan’s long history of smelt-netting that a limit has been imposed.  According to the DNR, it seems that more smelt are now breeding in the lake waters, as opposed to heading up-stream and past anglers’ nets.  Years ago, a person couldn’t give them away – unless, of course, they were first cleaned.  You still may be able to locate them in local grocery stores for about $6 per pound in the upcoming month or so.

Michigan’s DNR offers the following helpful information:

Spawning runs begin in early spring, soon after the ice disappears, and extend over a 3-week period, as long as the temperatures stay in the low to mid-40s.   Depending on where you live or plan to travel, prime dipping season is mid-April to early May–earlier in the Lower Peninsula, later in the Upper Peninsula.  Note that prolonged cold temperatures generally make for later smelt runs – ideal stream temps are 42-44 degrees.  Precise predictions of just when and where the smelt will run are nearly impossible to make.

For more information about smelt and season dates, read the Fishing Guide.  The Department of Natural Resources Fishing Report Hot Line is open 24/7 and the DNR will report runs when known.  Call toll free 1-855-777-0908.  The best smelt-dipping hours are between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. each night as the smelt spawn.

For those interested in dipping for smelt later this spring, visit the DNR’s smelt dipping and fishing opportunities page online.

Fishing

Florida Minimum-Age Firearm Proposal Impacts Hunting, Conservation

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Action Alert! Contact your state Senator and state Representative today and ask them to vote “NO” on legislation that would increase the age from 18 to 21 to purchase any firearm. Florida members can find their state delegate by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and legislators in both the Florida House and Senate are set to propose legislation that would prohibit the purchase of a long gun for anyone under the age of 21. The proposal will negatively impact the retention and participation of youth hunters, as well as funding of conservation.

Whether using a youth-model shotgun or a hunting rifle, Florida’s young adults are a key demographic of hunters that fund conservation through hunting license sales and the taxes that are paid on firearms and ammunition. The safety record of millions of young-adult hunters is exemplary. Maintaining their ranks in the hunting community is key to the future of conservation funding and hunting.

Further, 18 year olds are considered adults in the eyes of the law and fully vested in their constitutional rights, and both the Florida National Guard and the U.S. military accept people at age 18 into military service, commonly putting them in harm’s way. A 21-year-old age minimum sends a contradictory message that government will accept the wounding and ultimate sacrifice of young adults on foreign battlefields under the age of 21, but doesn’t trust them with a firearm in their own home or the fields of America.

“The current emotional and political climate concerning firearms is understandable, but this is a very complex, multi-faceted, issue,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Pushing reactionary legislation that doesn’t address the issue, but does trample the civil rights of millions of voting adults while also making it impossible for them to even duck hunt is not the answer.”

Gun Control

FixNICS: U.S. Senate to Address Firearms Background Checks

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Action Alert! Contact your senator today and ask them to vote “YES” on Senate Bill 2135 that will make the National Instant Criminal Background Check System more complete. You can contact your two U.S. senators by calling (202) 224-3121 and following the prompts or can email them using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.

The firearm industry and hunting organizations have united to support legislation to address deficiencies in the background-check system for the purchase of firearms. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was established 20 years ago to prevent those prohibited by law from obtaining a firearm. Unfortunately, the NICS system depends on states and the federal government to provide updates to the database, which has not always been done effectively.

To address this issue, the National Shooting Sports Foundation launched its Fix NICS initiative in 2013 to encourage and assist states to submit all appropriate disqualifying criminal and adjudicated mental health records. While the effort to Fix NICS has yielded a 200-percent increase in records submissions, the work is not done yet as many states still do not submit all appropriate records that would disqualify individuals from legally purchasing firearms.

Senate Bill 2135 provides incentives for states to submit up-to-date information to NICS and punishes agencies that fail to do so, while also holding the federal government accountable for including and processing those records in the background check system.

The “Fix NICS” act could be voted on in the U.S. Senate as early as this week.

All sportsmen want to make sure firearms are not sold to criminals and those with serious mental health problems. Please call your two U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support S.2135. Read more

Gun Control

SIG SAUER Introduces 300 Win Mag SIG HT Hunting Ammunition

Newington, NH   – SIG SAUER, Inc. is now offering a 300 Win Mag round in its line of SIG HT™ premium-grade, copper hunting ammunition. This accurate hunting round features an all-copper bullet that delivers deep penetration and consistent 1.8x diameter expansion.  The 165gr 300 Win Mag bullet has a muzzle velocity of 3,110 fps with muzzle energy of 3,543 ft-lbs, making it an excellent choice for medium-sized game such as deer.

“The 300 Win Mag is such a popular caliber with hunters, we wanted to add this round to our environmentally-friendly SIG HT line,” said Bud Fini, Executive Vice President of the SIG SAUER Ammunition Division and Special Projects.  “All SIG HT offerings feature our proprietary, high-performance all-copper bullet which is now available in 300BLK, 223 Rem, 308 Win and 300 Win Mag loadings with additional chamberings to be added in the months ahead.” Read more

Ammunition

Federal Adds 300 Blackout to Power-Shok Copper Line

Federal Power-Shok Copper provides the same freezer-filling consistency of original Power-Shok with a non-lead bullet. The accurate, hollow-point copper projectile creates large wound channels, and the Catalyst lead-free primer provides the most efficient and reliable ignition possible.

  Features & Benefits
• New 120-grain 300 Blackout
• Lead-free copper bullet construction
• Hollow-point design expands consistently
• Accurate, reliable performance
• Large wound channels and efficient energy transfer to the target
• Federal brass
• Catalyst lead-free primer provides the most efficient ignition Read more

Ammunition

New World’s Record Bighorn Sheep Officially Certified by Boone and Crockett Club

MISSOULA, Mont. (March 1, 2018) – A special Boone and Crockett Club judges panel today declared a ram from Montana as the new World’s Record bighorn sheep. The four-member panel of senior Boone and Crockett Official Measures re-scored the ram’s horns and determined the final score to be 216-3/8 points B&C, surpassing the current World’s Record – a ram that scores 209-4/8.
Special judges panels are convened to declare new World’s Records by confirming an official entry score. This ram’s entry score accepted on February 8 was 216-3/8.
“This ram is significant for many reasons,” said Justin Spring, the Club’s director of Big Game Records. “One of many things worth noting is that since the Club’s current scoring system was adopted in 1950, this is only the fifth World’s Record bighorn, and three of these have been declared since just 2001. If anything, we’re now seeing what nature and sound wildlife management are capable of producing in the wild.”
The panel scoring took place at the world headquarters of the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), located in Bozeman, Montana. On hand were B&C officials, Montana State Governor Steve Bullock, and Wild Sheep Foundation President and CEO Gray Thornton.
“Here in Montana, we have a rich history of bringing diverse groups together to preserve and protect wildlife habitat and public lands,” said Governor Steve Bullock. “This is truly a Montana conservation success story.”

Read more

Hunting

Modern Fish Act Takes Major Step Toward Becoming Law

Alexandria, VA – February 28, 2018 – The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation overwhelmingly approved S. 1520, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 (Modern Fish Act). This legislation calls for critically important updates to the oversight of federal fisheries, including adding more tools to the management toolbox, improving data collection techniques, and examining some fishery allocations that are based on decades-old decisions.

The Modern Fish Act was introduced in the Senate in July 2017 by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). It has since received strong bipartisan support from 12 cosponsors representing coastal and non-coastal states alike. In addition, a broad coalition of organizations representing the saltwater recreational fishing and boating community has endorsed the Modern Fish Act and highlighted the importance of updating the nation’s fisheries management system to more accurately distinguish between recreational and commercial fishing. Read more

Fishing

Alpen Optics Closes Doors After 22 Years of Business

GW:  After having met Vickie on numerous occasions at outdoor media events, I can say categorically that the industry is losing one upbeat representative and strong supporter.  She has been a loyal corporate sponsor of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, and no doubt, we’ll miss her generous contributions to the organization.  I’ll remember her kindly as I peer through my Alpen spotting scope in the years to come.  Wishing you nothing but the best in the future, Vickie.

“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” — Earnie Harwell

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – Alpen Outdoor Corporation (Alpen Optics) will be ceasing all operations and closing its doors effective Feb. 28, 2018.

Many factors, including family health issues, a difficult business climate, competitive dynamics and factory production challenges have led owners Tim and Vickie Gardner to this tough decision.

“I want to express my love and gratitude to all the awesome friends I’ve made over the last 22 years,” Vickie Gardner, VP of STUFF and Marketing for Alpen Optics, said. “Just thinking of everyone gives me a big warm feeling, puts a gigantic smile on my face and leaves me with a bittersweet heart. I want to thank each and every one of you for your loyal support and love over the years. I guess Winnie the Pooh said it best, ‘How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.'”

Established in 1996, Alpen Optics has provided best quality optics, including binoculars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes and accessories at affordable prices to hunters, birders, wildlife watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Over the years, Alpen Optics has been presented a number of awards celebrating the optics top-of-the-line quality, durability, impressive design and affordability. Thanks to these qualities, Alpen has developed a loyal customers base that is truly valued and appreciated and will be deeply missed by both Tim and Vickie.

“It is now time to start a new chapter in our lives, and we sincerely thank you for your past support and friendship,” Vickie said. “Happy trails to you until we meet again. Love and blessings from Tim and Vickie.”

About Alpen Optics
Alpen Optics has won seven Outdoor Life Great Buy Awards (more than any other optics company), one Outdoor Life Editor’s Choice Award and one Field & StreamBest of the Best Award.

Optics
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