NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, revealed that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) completed 613,380 background checks related to firearms for the week leading up to, and including, “Black Friday,” one of the busiest shopping days of the year. That figure is down from 2023’s total of 680,671 for the same time period. The 2024 total is a 9.8 percent decrease from the 2023 figure.
FBI NICS completed 169,906 background checks on “Black Friday” alone. Read more
After Biden’s pardon for his criminal son, Hunter, who under the sun condones this flaunting of power over justice? I can’t count how many times the liar in chief exclaimed that nobody is above the law.
And, for 91 year-old Chuck Grassley…if you believed that traitor Joe wouldn’t pardon his treasonous son, it’s time to hang it up. Get out now!
Silencer Central, the nation’s leading retailer of suppressors and accessories, extends its exciting Black Friday offer through Cyber Monday, and beyond – but you need to act fast! These savings only last while supplies remain. For a limited time, when you purchase any BANISH suppressor priced at $849 or higher, you’ll receive a FREE BANISH 22K-V2 rimfire suppressor, valued at $465.
This is the best BOGO deal in the industry, and it’s disappearing fast! Don’t miss your chance to grab this incredible offer – once the BANISH 22K-V2 is gone, so is the deal!
“We have had a tremendous response to our BOGO event,” said Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central. “It has been amazing to see how many people are taking advantage of the opportunity to get the suppressors they want. This promotion is all about our customers and we are thrilled at the response we’ve seen so far.”
Here’s how it works: Purchase any qualifying BANISH suppressor priced at $849 or more, including the all-new MeatEater by BANISH, and receive the BANISH 22K-V2 for free (a $465 value). The following BANISH suppressors qualify for the deal: Read more
Murfreesboro, TN — Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. is proud to announce that the Marine Corps Systems Command has achieved Fully Operational Capability (FOC) for the MRAD® MK 22 Mod 0 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) a year ahead of schedule.
The MK 22 represents the culmination of Barrett’s dedication to innovation and collaboration with the Department of Defense. Originally developed through a Special Operations Command contract, the MK 22 transitioned to the Marine Corps via the “Special Operations Forces (SOF) to service” process, with contracting led by the U.S. Army. This seamless interservice cooperation enabled the Marine Corps to achieve FOC a full year ahead of schedule, delivering critical capability enhancements to warfighters sooner.
“The MK 22 isn’t just another rifle; it’s a modular, mission-adaptable system that empowers the warfighter with unmatched precision and flexibility,” said Bryan James, CEO of Barrett. “We’re honored to contribute to this pivotal modernization effort for the U.S. Military and Marine Corps, and to support our nation’s elite forces.” Read more
There are times during waterfowl season when savvy hunters rely on special tactics to bag their birds. Hiking-in to remote areas or using small watercraft such as canoes to gain access to back bays, creeks and bayous where some of the smartest ducks live are a couple ways to improve your odds to bag a few ducks, albeit with a little more effort.
These scenarios call for traveling light, including cutting way back on decoys and other equipment. All the creature comforts hunters come to expect in blinds – forget about all that stuff. A gun, a reasonable amount of ammo, calls, and a few decoys are all that is needed.
When ducks become “stale” and the migration stalls during warmer patches of weather, smart ducks still go about their business in little nooks and crannies around the countryside where they are seldom seen. Oftentimes, ducks will be inactive during daylight hours and restrict movement to a nocturnal schedule.
Scouting morning and afternoon is critical. Observing a given spot’s full potential may require staying well past legal hunting hours. You may not be able to see birds very well, but you should be able to hear them. These lowlight observations help determine the number of ducks in the area. Also, by watching which direction ducks come from, you can derive where they’ve been. Confirmation is a simple matter of observing that other spot…so, the inverse of the evening scout in the morning. Share the burden by tag teaming assignments with a hunting buddy (or friendly confidant). Read more
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners in a long-running challenge of California’s restrictive gun control policies regarding gun shows have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review in a case known as B&L Productions, Inc. v. Newsom.
SAF is joined by the California Rifle & Pistol Association, South Bay Rod & Gun Club, Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association, Second Amendment Law Center, L.A.X. Firing Range, B&L Productions—for whom the case is named—and several private citizens. They are represented by attorneys Donald Kilmer at Kilmer Law Offices in Caldwell, Idaho, and C.D. Michel, Anna M. Barvir and Tiffany D. Cheuvront at Michel & Associates in Long Beach, California.
The case involves questions about First and Second Amendment rights, and whether the state can adopt laws and policies which abridge and impair those rights.
“We are at a point where California has essentially ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022 that eliminated the use of ‘judicial balancing tests’ when deciding Second Amendment claims,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “while trampling on the First Amendment protections of speech which is necessary for the commerce of lawful products.” Read more
If you ask Yvette Bonney to describe the grossest thing she’s seen during her job, she talks about the time she removed an abscessed lymph node from the neck of a mule deer, which Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff occasionally sees in deer.?
“All this green stuff oozed out,” Bonney says.?
She’ll also tell you about other times when she examined tick-infested heads, deer with injuries or heads that were no longer fresh but still sampleable.?
The job of a wildlife technician who samples dead animals for chronic wasting disease (CWD) isn’t always a glamorous one. But Bonney says she likes it. She arrives at her job site, which is an old Globestar camper with a folding table outside, before 8 each morning, takes out her tools and waits for the first hunter of the day. Read more
Archery season, firearm deer season and the holiday season — these are tried and true traditions that most every Michigander knows! If you’re a hunter looking for a way to give back and help protect the outdoors and wildlife you love, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources hopes you’ll take part in critical disease testing for deer you harvest.
As part of ongoing monitoring and management, the DNR is offering chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis testing for deer harvested during the 2024 hunting season. Every head that is turned in will help wildlife managers better understand the scope and movement of CWD and bTB in Michigan.
Chronic wasting disease testing
CWD testing is focused on the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. Counties eligible for CWD testing include Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Benzie, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Dickinson, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Iosco, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Otsego and Schoolcraft.
Hunters can submit samples for testing through the following options: Read more
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As Michigan’s Regular Firearms deer season comes to an end, I am going to take this opportunity to explain why the choice of ammo – and, specifically, bullets – can make all the difference in outcomes. Long ago, I have come to the conclusion that a bullet with proven design characteristics and elements that produces controlled expansion is always my choice for deer hunting; varmint hunting is a different matter and is not the issue. We’re talking deer hunting.
Never before has there been more varieties in conventional store-bought ammo. Some folks may opt for price, others accuracy or just plain availability. However, without understanding what happens to that bullet when it strikes the target, may leave hunters at a distinct disadvantage afield.
Many YouTube videos exist that depict penetration and expansion characteristics when chosen projectiles are fired into ballistic gel. This is always helpful and can lead shooters to make educated decisions as to ammo choices. With this in mind, I made the video below to unscientifically demonstrate vast differences in two bullet designs: Hornady’s flex tip and Federal’s with its proprietary Fusion projectile as they strike bone.
Before going any further, it’s understood that my test is extreme; however, it demonstrates the integrity of both. My personal choice is neither, but its proven design fits the bill for me: Barnes Vortex – a copper hollow-point offering that produces controlled expansion results regularly.
Two cases in point this deer season; one is a sizeable buck that I took and another is a doe shot by my pal, Joe, with the Hornady Flex Tip. My buck was taken at 108 yards and Joe’s doe was shot at less than that.
When I decided to let that Barnes bullet fly, the deer had moved to a quartering-away position. To me that meant I’d aim a bit farther back than straight broadside shots and the suppressed .450 Bushmaster round from my Ruger American hit the mark, as evidenced by the “mule kick” and “thump” sound of the bullet. The mortally wounded deer piled up within 70 yards. Because of the angle, there was no usual exit wound, but that bullet traveled through the vitals lengthwise taking out both lungs. It’s rare for this bullet not to pass through, but the total distance of travel of the projectile after impact was impressive upon inspection.
When Joe punched his doe, he mentioned he too saw the mule kick from the Flex Tip. He didn’t hear the impact, but his hearing has diminished over the years. It was assumed to be an easy recovery, as he marked the scene, although no evidence was found: no hair, no blood and no deer.
I was back at headquarters pacifying his trusty tracking dog, Junior, when he radioed me. To give the dog some excitement, we took him along for the seemingly easy recovery. We were totally dumbfounded when after over an hour later we had no clues. For the first time, Junior, came up as empty as were our hearts.
Next morning, back at it with the dog. Same results. Nothing but someone else’s dead by that expired on my property.
The following day, I found Joe’s deer some 70 yards from the scene of the crime in plain view. Why the dog never found it, may be attributable to a lack of blood trail. Although Joe mentioned the direction of the fleeing, accompanying antlerless deer, we blew the chance to recover it before spoiling. The dog seemed to be trailing the other deer to Nowheresville.
Upon inspection of the wound, I noticed an entry hole but merely as spec of blood on the opposite side – apparently from a small bullet fragment. It was an accurate shot in the ribs but that explosive bullet never produced the exit hole we desire. Had it been shot in the same place with a better bullet, I suspect we’d have had no problem finding the prize. Dang it!
