We’ve All Lost A Friend

From Jim Shepherd

Hearing a deep “So… whattaya know” when answering my phone always brought a smile to my face.

It was a standard greeting from my longtime friend Jim Scoutten when he initiated one our too-infrequent catch-up phone calls. Calls that went on considerably longer than either of us would admit -and were marked with bursts of raucous laughter.

On Tuesday, a text message from his eldest son and TV successor, John, told me there wouldn’t be any more of those calls coming. Our friend, Jim Scoutten, 77, passed away yesterday after a brief illness.

For some of us, this loss is deeply personal.

For the thousands of us in the shooting community, it’s a sense of collective loss.

We’ve lost a friend and fellow shooter, an unapologetic Second Amendment supporter, and a guy we happily invited into our homes for more than three decades.

Jim Scoutten, 1945-2023

Jim Scoutten has been a permanent, positive figure -a celebrity, if you will- in the shooting industry and with outdoor television enthusiasts’ TV screens for three decades. He played a pivotal role in helping launch the careers of many of our sport’s best-known figures. He helped turn shooters into personalities by showing them as people. Read more

Firearms

Outdoor Sportsman Group Remembers “Shooting USA” Legend, Jim Scoutten

DENVER – With sad hearts, Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) learns of the passing of Jim Scoutten, co-host of the Shooting USA television program on Outdoor Channel and one of the most iconic voices in the shooting sports industry. Scoutten was 77 years old.

Scoutten was a vital figure at OSG, with his TV series and resilient voice for Second-Amendment rights.

“Jim leaves a strong legacy as a tireless defender of shooting, firearms, and our Second-Amendment rights,” said Mitch Petrie, Vice President of Programming for Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks. “His voice was unique and powerful; we will honor Jim by continuing the endless fight to defend the Constitution and support his family and team as they forge a new future for Shooting USA.”

A Franklin, Tenn. resident, Scoutten’s firm but gentle voice and familiar smile were eagerly welcomed into the homes of America’s shooting enthusiasts for three decades, an invitation that made him the most watched firearms reporter in industry history thanks to his knowledge of firearms, his passion for the shooting sports, and journalistic integrity that marked his long career. Read more

Firearms

PARD’s Dual Spectra Imaging TD32 Scope Now Available

PARD is excited to announce immediate inventory availability on its newest product, the Dual Spectra Imaging TD32 Thermal/Night Vison scope.

The TD32 is the latest technological innovation from PARD. The Dual Spectra Imaging technology combines long distance Thermal detection, high definition Night Vision, a ballistics calculator, AND a Laser Rangefinder into a single unit.

Featuring a 384×288 resolution IR thermal sensor, 35mm lens (providing 7.5°x5.6° FOV), 2.4x optical magnification, 2x digital magnification, 12µm pixel pitch and ?25mK Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD), users will enjoy rich contrast and bold resolution when acquiring (and accurately ranging) targets with the 1200 yard integrated laser range finder that seamlessly feeds the data into the on-board ballistics’ calculator.

The integrated CMOS 1920*1080 visible light sensor combines a 50mm lens, 4.5-9x magnification, 6.4°x3.6° FOV and visibility down to .001 lux. Available in either 850nm or 940nm versions, the VCSEL IR illuminator has 3 levels of intensity, and directional focus out to 350m. Read more

Optics

Faxon Firearms Introduces the ION-X Hyperlite 5.56 Rifle

Faxon Firearms Introduces the Faxon ION-X Hyperlite 5.56 Rifle: A Lightweight Powerhouse for Competitive Shooters and Firearm Enthusiasts

Cincinnati, Ohio – Faxon Firearms, a leading provider of high-quality firearms and components, is proud to announce the release of the Faxon ION-X Hyperlite 5.56 Rifle, the newest take on Faxon’s beloved ION FX5500 Rifle. Engineered to meet the exacting demands of today’s competitive shooters and firearm enthusiasts, this rifle sets a new standard for performance and precision.

At the heart of the Faxon ION-X Hyperlite 5.56 Rifle lies its outstanding lightweight design. Weighing in at under 5 lbs, this rifle delivers exceptional maneuverability and ease of handling, making it the perfect companion for competition shooting and lightweight AR enthusiasts alike. Its 16″ 5.56 NATO pencil profile barrel, combined with the slim 3-port muzzle brake, provides an unparalleled shooting experience. Notably, the slim profile of the muzzle brake allows for easy removal of the gas block and barrel nut without disturbing the muzzle device. Read more

Firearms

CCRKBA Rips Raskin for Calling Hunter Biden a ‘2A Rich Guy’

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is calling out anti-gun Democrat Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland for portraying Hunter Biden as a “rich guy exercising his Second Amendment rights” as an explanation for Biden’s purchase of a handgun while allegedly failing to admit his drug use on the federal Form 4473 he filled out.

“I’m not sure whether to shake my head in disgust or just laugh out loud,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Raskin’s flippant dismissal of what would otherwise be a serious criminal act if anybody other than Hunter Biden were involved is either a new low in attempted sarcasm, or an exhibition of monumental stupidity.” Read more

Gun Control

Michigan: Orion Sporting Weekend

July 21-23
Bald Mountain Shooting Range
2500 Kern Road, Lake Orion
(in Bald Mountain Recreation Area)

Celebrate the fun, excitement and camaraderie of the sporting life during a weekend of awesome outdoor experiences for the whole family. The event is open to the public, and admission is free.

Don’t miss the chance to try:

    • Clay target shooting: Beginner stations for novice shooters to try clay shooting for the first time under the supervision of experienced instructors, as well as open shooting for experienced shooters, will be available. And for side-by-side shotgun shooters, there’s the Great Lakes Side by Side Classic, a vintage sporting clays competition with prizes and trophies.
    • Fly fishing: Learn how to fly cast and fly fish, with fly casting instruction available all day Saturday and Sunday.
    • Falconry demonstrations: See hawks and owls at work and learn about local birds of prey from expert bird handlers during this hands-on hawking demonstrations Saturday and Sunday.
    • Hunting dog demonstrations: Dog training experts and handlers will show you some great training tips, talk about important nutritional needs for your dogs and much more.
    • Activities for the whole family: Bring the kids out for bounce houses, archery, BB gun shooting, bird house painting and more.
    • Bourbon and beer tastings: Learn more about Michigan craft brews, bourbon and wine and try some offerings from local breweries and distilleries (after you’re done shooting, of course).
    • Vendors: You’ll find artists and craftsmen at work, dozens of exhibitors and vendors, and food trucks available on-site from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

More info/register ?

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Talladega Marksmanship Park Holding GLOCK Armorer Course in September

TALLADEGA, Ala. – The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is set to host a GLOCK Armorer Course at Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama as part of CMP’s regular marksmanship education offerings.

The GLOCK Armorer Course will be held Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, and includes eight hours of classroom training on how to safely use and maintain GLOCK firearms. Materials will be provided – no firearms or ammunition will be allowed in the classroom. Lunch will be catered to all participants. To be eligible, individuals must be an active/retired law enforcement or military officer, private security, GLOCK Stocking Dealer/Range Program Employee or current GSSF member.

For questions regarding the GLOCK Armorer Course, please contact CMP’s Bret Lankford, Training Manager, at (256) 474-4408 or blankford@thecmp.org. Interested individuals may also visit https://www.glocktraining.com/RegWizard.aspx?classid=110729 to register. Read more

Firearms

Creedmoor Sports, Alabama DCNR and Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Release “Connecting with Conservation” Video

The first in a series of videos promoting the fact that outdoor industry manufacturers, state wildlife agencies, and America’s 60+ million active HATS (Hunters, Anglers, Trappers, and Shooters) fund and manage wildlife conservation and target shooting opportunities has been released.

The video, “Connecting with Conservation – Creedmoor Sports and Outdoor Alabama,” features staff from Creedmoor Sports and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) touring Creedmoor Sports headquarters in Anniston, AL and visiting the site of a newly acquired property that ADCNR plans to develop into a multi-million-dollar hunting and shooting sports area for Alabamians to enjoy.

“It was great to see all the hard work being done by the good folks at ADCNR to expand target shooting opportunities here in Alabama. We learned a great deal about how these ranges are financed, and Creedmoor Sports is glad to support such efforts through the excise taxes we pay. We certainly want to thank our customers for their patronage and inform them that their purchases of items like firearms and ammunition are a primary funding source for ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division which allows them to build and enhance such shooting ranges.” noted John Teachey, Vice President of Operations and Marketing at Creedmoor Sports. Read more

Wildlife

Wildlife Habitat Conserved, Hunting Access Improved in Wyoming

Continuing a family conservation mindset dating back to the early 1900s, landowners worked with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and partners to conserve important habitat for elk, mule deer and other wildlife, and bolster hunting access to adjacent public lands in southeast Wyoming.

“We salute the conservation ethic of our landowner partners,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “Entering into a voluntary conservation agreement with RMEF allows the family to continue to steward their land and maintain its wildlife values while also providing pivotal access through it to improve hunting opportunity on nearby public land.”

The property is about 35 miles northwest of Laramie and is mostly surrounded on three sides by state and federal land. In addition to conserving their land in perpetuity, the landowners and their neighbors extended an existing agreement, managed by WGFD, from five to 20 years for a road access easement that reaches adjacent lands administered by the State of Wyoming, Bureau of Land Management and Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Read more

Wildlife

New Tech for Trolling Motors

Trolling motors are everywhere in fishboats these days, from the stern of canoes and jon boats to the bow of kayaks, bass boats and flats boats. In the last few years, jumbo motors are even showing up on offshore fishing boats—really big offshore fishing boats.

These are all 36-volt motors and all produce 100 pounds of thrust or more at full power.

The Rhodan HD GPS Anchor model is available with shaft lengths to 108”, winning the “mine’s longer” race over the Minn Kota Riptide Terrova, which is available with up to a 100” shaft. These should be long enough to reach the water from the bow of your 53’ Hatteras if you want. (Most of these motors go on the front of fast center console boats in the 25’ to 40’ range and are used to position the boats via “spot-locking” GPS over grouper and snapper reefs, in lieu of messing with all that anchor rope.)

Read more

Fishing
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