Now that the barrels of test guns at the SHOT Show have cooled we find that the trend in shotguns this year is light weight and trap-competition-ready models.
Benelli's Ultra Light is a 20-gauge auto loader that weighs in at 5.2 pounds. Talk about svelt. Sign me up to walk all day in woods with one of those.
Franchi, too, has an aluminum alloy 12 gauge auto at a lithe 6.5 pounds. You heard about Browning's BPS in 16 gauge from a previous post, plus the low profile
Cynergy is now rigged for trap shooting. Caesar Guerini is also falunting their
Magnus Trap, which has this DTS system with an adjustable rib to change the point of impact. The Browning and Guerini come with the typical trap features—adjustable stock, extended tubes. Remington has also tarted up thier
1100 with a nickle-plated reciever, gold trigger, and with semi-fancy American walnut. Who are they kidding, that's full-fancy if you ask me. What really caught my eye in the trap offerings, however, is the
H&R Topper Trap gun. Can you image you can get into the trap game for less than $400? I would love to see the faces of those Perazzi guys when they see you break a clean 50 and they ask what type of gun you're shooting.
Recession? What Recession. Sales in ATK’s ammunition systems group increased by 15% to $381 million, compared to $331 million in the prior-year quarter. ATK Ammunition Systems is the nation’s largest producer of commercial and military ammunition. Part of their product line includes Military Small- and medium-caliber ammunition, propellants for tank tactical rounds, environmentally friendly ammunition and other applications. In the commercial sector, ATK provides Alliant Powder for reloaders and ammunition manufacturers, CCI, Speer, Lawman, and Blazer ammunition; Speer bullets for reloaders, Champion traps and paper, metal and clay targets, Federal Premium, Fusion, and Estate Cartridge ammunition, as well as other gear for hunters and shooters. Olin Corporation’s fourth quarter 2007 income from continuing operations was $29.6 million compared to $15.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2006. Winchester, which is part of Olin, earned $2.7 million in the quarter and completed its best year since 1994. During the quarter, Winchester benefited from higher selling prices and stronger than expected demand, which more than offset higher commodity and manufacturing costs. Oh, and if that’s good news the FBI awarded Winchester a second ammunition contract. Last year Winchester was tapped to supply the FBI with .40 Smith & Wesson loads. Now Hoover’s crew signed up for 9mm ammo. This 9mm contract is worth a $54 million, and the two contracts combined will be worth a maximum of $108 million over five years, making it the largest ammunition contracts in the history of federal law enforcement.
If you are interested the 9mm service round uses a 147-grain, bonded hollow point bullet.
If you haven’t heard about the new 
Word on the street is the Winchester Model 70 is back. Winchester Repeating Arms announced the rifleman’s rifle will continue production in 2008 and it will continue to be American-made. I lament the fact that the barrel won’t be stamped with New Haven, Connecticut, but Columbia, South Carolina, is fine by me. Expect the classic pre-‘64 controlled round feeding, characteristic three-position safety, and improved fit and finish. They’ll ad a bit of enhanced accuracy, too. It will also tout a new M.O.A. trigger system. Should Savage and their 
Smith & Wesson posted record first-quarter sales with a 39% increased compared to the same period last year. This is a company to watch with its recent acquisition of Thompson/Center Arms, the 150-year-old company shows no signs of shooting blanks in the marketplace. Firearm sales were up 55.2% and handgun sales at retail locations spiked 41%.
American workers make great products, too bad not enough of those products are being sold. That may be a simplistic analysis of a complex situation but with Toyota about to speed past GM as the world’s largest automobile manufacturer and Remington being bought out by 
Orvis just recently opened the Orvis Shooting Grounds at 
It has been a few weeks since bird hunting season ended and the withdrawals are here. How many times can you count empty shotgun shells and cross-reference them by gauge and manufacturer? There just isn’t enough shot, wad, primer and powder to fill up the time until turkey season. As a distraction, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT has an exhibition worthy of a gunner’s viewing. 
