When first introduced to the Osprey silencer line manufactured by Silencerco, LLC, it was immediately obvious that it was not a typical suppressor. It wasn’t until shooting them that we experienced how “outside the box” they really were.

There are a number of very experienced and capable silencer manufacturers who have been in the sound suppression business for a long time. Their products vary in size, weight, mechanics and sound reduction and fit almost every firearm and purpose where a suppressor is desirable. While many of them vary greatly in design and utilize cutting edge technology in every new offering, most of these changes are hidden from the average shooter with one thing in common: they typically utilize a traditional round tube for a body. When we saw the Osprey for the first time the obvious trait that made it unique was the rectangular shape. While that is what we were first attracted to, we quickly found that the shape was just one of several things we would find different about the Osprey and there was much more to the Osprey than just the shape.

Osprey Design Basics

While testing the Osprey we found there were many advantages to the rectangular design above and beyond the aesthetics. One of the important features of the shape is the ability to allow a large interior volume while still keeping a slim profile. With traditional round tubes, the volume is spaced equally through the entire interior profile. In general terms, the larger the volume, the larger the suppresser tube must be with the greater size spread equally around the entire radial circumference. While the larger volume can be beneficial in sound reduction, the size must be taken into consideration when balancing it against the optimum exterior size of the tube.

Because the Osprey is rectangular with the barrel mounted at the top, it can retain a slim profile, which aids in several areas.

• Since the suppressor is similar in size and shape of the slide of the pistol it is mounted to, it can often be used with standard holsters.
• As the barrel is mounted towards the top of the Osprey, the sights are visible on most host handguns without the necessity of tall, aftermarket sights.
• Due to the shape, the alignment of the mounted suppressor on every firearm is known during the manufacturing process, taking point of impact shift issues out of the equation.

For use with many popular pistols that utilize the time-tested Browning design where the barrel tilts upon unlocking, the Osprey has a built-in Neilson Device to overcome the additional forces created with extra weight at the end of the barrel. Their device has the ability to be used with interchangeable pistons allowing mounting on multiple pistols.

The Osprey is 1.75 inches tall, 1.3 inches wide and just over 7 inches long. The “tube” is manufactured from 6061 T6 aluminum with the core and end caps manufactured from 7075 T6 aluminum. The overall weight is 11.1 ounces and the finish is Type III Hard Coat Anodizing. The mounting system, including the Neilson device, is manufactured from 17-4 Stainless Steel and finished with a heat treated black oxide.

Range Time

With several suppressors to choose from, we utilized the 9x19mm Osprey for purposes of testing for Small Arms Review at this time. The host pistol was a Glock 17 fitted with a drop-in stainless steel threaded barrel from Lone Wolf Distributors.

Anyone who has installed a threaded muzzle device of any kind will understand the properly tightened position of the can is unknown and is based on the threading of each individual barrel. This is one of the contributors to the point of impact shift encountered with some traditional round silencer designs. Since the Osprey has a predetermined position it must be mounted in, Silencerco, LLC has incorporated an innovative Cam Lock mounting system, which allows proper alignment on any handgun. To mount the Osprey, the suppressor is simply threaded on in a normal fashion with the cam lever in the locked position, tightened against the shoulder of the threads. With the suppressor completely secured on the threads, the cam lever is moved to its “open” position and the Osprey will freely rotate to the proper orientation on the host pistol. At this position the cam lever is placed back in the “lock” position. No further adjustment or use of the cam lever is necessary in the future on the same pistol, unless it has been used and aligned on a different pistol since the last use. The proper alignment is fast and very obvious when viewed against the slide of the host firearm, as it just looks like an extended slide in the correct orientation.

Since “out of the box” zero point of impact shift is a claim we have heard before but have not yet witnessed, we were anxious to test-fire the Osprey. The host pistol is extremely accurate with the Lone Wolf barrel and the sight alignment was tested by firing several groups before mounting the Osprey. The ammo used in all testing was Federal American Eagle 147gr FMJ-FP.

One of the few pistols where the factory sights are not visible when using the Osprey are Glock line. We have not yet tested it on other host pistols as we were still awaiting the delivery of more threaded barrels at the time this issue went to press, but Silencerco, LLC assures us the factory sights are clearly visible on numerous other pistols including H&K, SIG, and Colts. Since a Glock was our test platform, we used several shooters during live fire testing varying from very experienced silencer users to those never having fired a silenced pistol. All shooters found aiming the Osprey very easy, even without the sights protruding over the top, due to the smooth flat surface of the suppressor properly aligned with the host slide.

After all shooters fired numerous groups with the pistol without the suppressor, the Osprey was mounted, aligned and several groups of equal rounds were fired on an opposing point of aim on the same targets. Much to our surprise the claims were spot-on and we experienced absolutely no point-of-impact shift with the attachment of the Osprey even when shooting with the sights slightly obstructed.

As impressive as the accuracy was, it wasn’t the most surprising aspect of the live fire experience. To put it bluntly, this can is quiet. At press time we did not have the opportunity to do any scientific metering on it but all in attendance agreed it was much quieter than expected. The first round pop when fired dry (we fired it dry during all testing) seemed to have a similar sound signature to other suppressors fired at the same time, but all subsequent rounds were noticeably quieter than all others tested. To simplify, the Osprey’s first, and loudest round seemed on par with all other suppressors fired in their subsequent rounds. One oddity though was that when switching the ammo to 115gr FMJ Winchester (white box), which is much faster than the 147gr FMJ-FP, it was unanimous that the Osprey was noticeably louder than other suppressors with the same ammunition.

Conclusions

From the first impression to the firing line, the Osprey is unique in every way. In our experience thus far, the peculiar, rectangular shape quickly morphed from an oddity to almost a necessity. The workmanship of the Osprey design is very high quality in all aspects. The cam lock system ensures a tight, correct alignment and the ease of sighting couldn’t be simpler. An extremely impressive sound reduction level with the subsonic ammo we tested it with indicates that the design quality inside the Osprey is as well thought out as the outside. As to the question of if the Osprey was really a performer, or if the $849.95 MSRP was really a tall price to pay for a “high cool factor,” this author firmly believes that the aesthetics of the rectangular design may be the most noticeably apparent feature at first glance, but it is only the beginning of an entirely new suppressor experience.

Silencerco, LLC has a very nice website that includes their full product line and some interesting videos ranging from very slow-motion, thermal imaging firing sequences to CNC manufacturing procedures (www.silencerco.com). Watch the pages of Small Arms Review as we will be testing many more Silencerco, LLC suppressors in the future, including other Osprey models and their innovative new .22LR Sparrow.

Sources

Osprey Silencers
Silencerco, LLC 5511 South 6055 North West Valley City, UT 84119 Ph: (801) 417-5384 Fax: (801) 417-5002 Email: Joshua@sliencerco.com Website: www.silencerco.com

Threaded Glock Barrels
Lone Wolf Distributors 57 Shepard, Road Oldtown, ID 83822 Ph: (208) 437-0612 Website: www.lonewolfdist.com

Move over chainsaw, here comes the DuckBill.

The first time I actually saw a photo of the mysterious Duckbill choke I used to hear about once in a while, was in the book Special Warfare, Special Weapons by Kevin Dockery. It was designed by the U.S. Navy in 1968 to change the pattern of the shot from circular to a horizontal oval, and was fixed to an Ithaca model 37. It was adopted by the UDT/SEALs for use in Vietnam. While I was intrigued by the idea of a choke that spread shot from a shotgun to a 4:1 ratio horizontal pattern, it was not available any more, and it did look kind of funny anyway.

A few years went by, and one day while browsing some gun pages on the World Wide Web I saw it mentioned again. This posting was by a fellow named Chuck Madurski from Great Lakes Arsenal, Inc. and it stated that his company was going to go into production on a new and improved shotgun choke based on the original Duckbill design. It took only seconds before my fingers started typing an e-mail to Chuck to obtain whatever information I could. He confirmed that they were going into production, and I was welcomed to test one of their units for Small Arms Review should I desire. I gave him the shipping information and the wait was on. A few days later, a Remington 870 barrel with a DuckBill Choke showed up at my door.

It is designed a lot like the original first model duckbill as far as appearance, but the new unit has been improved in strength. Where the original was manufactured from low carbon steel for ease of manufacture, the Great Lakes Arsenal design uses 01 oil hardening drill rod. The U.S. Navy facility at China Lake that manufactured the originals gave the duckbill choke its characteristic wedge shaped cut by using a side-milling cutter. This led to stress cracks at the bottom radius causing the unit to slowly open up under heavy use. Great Lakes Arsenal has solved this problem by making their cuts with a modern wire-EDM machine.

When it first arrived, I was knee deep in deadlines and it stood up, leaning against the wall in my office for some time. Everyone who saw it thought it was something different. I entertained all kinds of guesses, from some type of tool, to an entry / breeching round adapter, to a grenade launching adapter. After a short explanation and condensed history lesson, everyone who saw it was intrigued. The real intense interest came at the range.

I stopped at a 50 yard pistol range, pulled the gun out of the case and set it on the trunk of my car. I proceeded downrange to lay out some cardboard. Everyone walking by the shotgun looked at it funny and said something similar to “what to hell is that?” We first tried a couple rounds of #6 lead shot from a distance of 20 yards or so and walked up to the cardboard. Everyone’s jaw kind of dropped a little while we all muttered “holy sh*t. This thing really does exactly what it is supposed to do.” The pattern, with all shot, from #7 bird shot all the way to 000Buck, was compressed to a horizontal pattern of at least a 4:1 ratio. We found that if fired once holding it horizontally, and then once with the same point of aim, but held on it’s side, the shot pattern would be of a perfect “X”.

My Remington 870 still looked like a shotgun, but was behaving more like a chainsaw. As a matter of fact, I was shooting the test patterns on a piece of 3’x4’ cardboard leaned up against a little 2×2 to avoid any shot deflection problems. After firing less than 20 rounds at distances varying from 10 yards to 30 yards, the little 2×2 was almost ripped in half in the center, with barely a visible blemish a foot or two above or below center. Pretty impressive. Everyone who witnessed this choke in action immediately asked “How much?”
For applications other than tactical ones, in the author’s opinion it would make a great hunting aide if you hunt with buckshot. Just imaging leveling on a Whitetail Deer and having the ability to hit it from nose to tail while placing the vast majority of the shot in the body area. Depending upon the distance, you may end up with no shot being thrown over the back or under the belly. That really gives the hunter an enormous advantage when a running lead is necessary on a moving target as well. This really creates a serious wall of shot. As for competition, just imaging how long it will take to clear a table of bowling pins with this device. I give it about 2 weeks before it is disallowed by competition governing bodies.

One odd thing noticed by all was the tendency for the unit to act as a tuning fork when the action is racked. A quick cycling of the action is always accompanied by a high pitched ringing. This is really no big deal, as any member of an entry team would have a round chambered before entry, therefore eliminating any audio detection risk. As for hunters, the same would probably apply. This is an easy fix if it is still a concern though. After looking it over for a minute, a friend asked me for an elastic band. A few wraps around the end and no more ringing. It should be sliced with the first shot and disappear from sight. In mentioning this to Kevin Dockery, he said it could also be solved by placing 1/2 of a camera film canister over the end, if it was really a factor for anyone, and that it would also keep any vegetation from being caught in the DuckBill design.

These units are permanently attached by silver solder to the shotgun barrel and are installed directly by Great Lakes Arsenal. They were designed for #4 buck being the optimum load and are for use with lead shot only. (No slugs). Great Lakes Arsenal will mount one of their DuckBill Chokes on your barrel for $125.00 + $5.00 S&H and this includes your barrel being refinished with a matte blue. The mountings can be done on any non-ribbed shotgun barrel, rather it is a pump, lever, single-shot or even semi-automatic as long as it does not have a reciprocating barrel. The massive shot restriction actually dampens the recoil and would cause a reciprocating barrel semi-automatic to short stroke. They will install one of these units on your AOW or SBS short barrel, but you must provide them with a copy of your BATF Form 1, 2, 3, or 4. They will not cut any barrel below 18.5” but will be pleased to crown your existing short barrel. If you have a borderline barrel, or one cut “a little” short, this choke can make the barrel usable again as it adds approximately 1.5” to the overall length.

Great Lakes Arsenal only needs your barrel, rather than having you send the whole gun. This greatly reduces paperwork and turn around time.

Great Lakes Arsenal
60233 Northern Ave.
Ray, MI 48096-3914
(810)749-9386
e-mail: glainc@tir.com

Special Warfare, Special Weapons
The Arms and Equipment of the UDT and SEALS
By Kevin Dockery
$29.95
ISBN 1-883476-00-3
Published by
The Emperor’s Press
5744 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, IL 60634
(773)777-7307

If you come from the school of “Bigger is Better” the Grizzly Big Boar is the first step towards earning your Masters Degree.

The first time I saw the Big Boar first hand was at the LAR Manufacturing display at S.H.O.T. Show ’97 in Las Vegas. I was walking around with a camera on my neck in absolute awe of the enormity of the show, and basking in the glow of the fact that I was actually in T-shirt weather in January. Being from the snowy State of Maine, it was a coin toss as to which was more impressive. I rounded the corner of an aisle and the LAR booth stood out among all others. It was a huge display decorated with mounts of many different species, and a few huge rifles on tall tripods in the center.

The rifles were in fact the Big Boar models, and the mounts were trophies taken with these rifles. Under the mounts were tags with the distances they were taken at. The ranges of the shots were incredible. A sampling of the tags was 418 yards, 425 yards, 660 yards, 753 yards, 880 yards and even an impressive 1100 yards! Upon closer inspection of the booth, there was even a hunting video playing, showing many of these shots as they happened. I think this was the first time I heard the word “hunting” and .50BMG in the same sentence. I left the display, and the S.H.O.T. Show that year with a new perspective on an old caliber.

Through the past few years more and more attention is being focused on the .50 BMG cartridge. Once a round originally designed for military application (see related story on the .50 BMG M2HB on page 31 in this issue), many sporting, hunting and target rifles are now being built around it. It’s popularity among the civilian shooting population is growing all the time, and with this increased interest come many new designs and ideas.

One organization dedicated to promoting the sporting uses of the .50 BMG cartridge is the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association. Based in Riverside California, they are a non-profit organization, and publish for their members the quarterly magazine Very High Power. They sanction shooting matches open to members, answer general questions from members over the internet related to fifty caliber problems, and have even compiled a supplier’s list providing detailed information on more than 135 manufacturers of fifty caliber related equipment. Their annual membership is only $25.00 per year. Their contact information will follow this article.

One of the downfalls of the rifles designed to fire the .50 BMG cartridge is that they have typically been viewed as long, heavy and cumbersome. While the weight is a downfall while transporting the firearms, many will argue in it’s defense for the purpose dampening the recoil, especially in the manually loaded models. LAR has addressed these factors very well. The Fifty Big Boar is a bullpup design, single shot bolt action. The overall length is 45.5” with an overall weight of 30.4 pounds. While the weight is on the low side for a rifle of this caliber, their new muzzle brake design dampens the recoil to a tolerable level.

The rifle is shipped with a modified Harris Bipod. Their modification allows the bipod to be locked in place by inserting a pin in each leg stopping the bipod from folding under the weight and recoil of the Big Boar. LAR also offers a custom lightweight tripod and pintel mount for the same rifle. The tripod is adjustable in height from approximately 21” to a whopping 48”. This will allow you to fire it from a bench or table, or stand up behind it when it is directly on the ground. Each leg is independently adjustable allowing you to level it on uneven ground. Once the legs have been positioned and locked, the mount is still fully adjustable for windage and elevation with a positive lock system. You can actually lock the rifle on a target with this mechanism. While the tripod is an excellent accessory, it is not designed to dampen the recoil or hold the rifle still under fire, but to simply support the weight of the rifle and steady it for you.

When the test gun came in I called a few friends and we headed right out to the range. After careful inspection of the firearm, and the owners manual that came with it, we set it up on one of their custom tripod mounts and put a few rounds downrange. The objective that day was to get the feel of the rifle and snap a few photos at the same time. My concern was primarily comfort and recoil on this trip and we got right to it. While I loaded the round into the shell holder of the bolt and inserted it into the rifle, you could have cut the air with a knife. I have been behind a few .50 caliber rifles that hurt to shoot and other than the shock factor from curious onlookers I have gotten little pleasure from them. I rested on a short stool behind the tripod mounted Grizzly and looked through the scope. I sighted in the Leupold Mark 4 on a paper target placed well below a berm at 200 yards out. I took a deep breath and snapped the safety lever to “Fire”. I brought the crosshairs back to center, gently squeezed the trigger, and launched my first 750 grain Hornady A-Max in to the target.

While the report was tremendous, as expected, there was something missing. It was the pain. There was no pain. The muzzle brake had done its job of redirecting the gasses tremendously. I was pleasantly surprised. “Well?”, asked everyone present “How was it?” My answer was smile and a big thumbs up. I took my hearing protection off, put in a set of plugs, put the other ones back on over them and loaded another round. Another deep breath, and “Boom” another round in the target. By this time, everyone at the range (there just so happened to be a pile of Maine State Troopers there qualifying that day), had eyes as big as saucers and all attention seemed to be focused on the source of it. I asked if there were any takers as I gestured toward the rifle, and my friends Barry and John were both eager to get behind it. They each took a few shots and basically came to the same conclusion as I, that the bark of the Grizzly was much louder than the bite. (At least on the giving end).

The second trip to the range I was a little more interested in accuracy. The gun is manufactured with a match grade chamber, and the ammunition we were using was the LAR reccomended ammo by Arizona Ammunition, Inc. in Phoenix, AZ. They offer 3 different loads in .50BMG. 1.) A Practice load: 650 grain ball, moly coated, in mixed cases at $2.50 per round. 2.) A Hunting Load: 570 grain soft nose, moly coated, in PMC Benchrest Prepared Cases at $4.75 per round. And 3.) A Match Load: 750 grain Ultralubed Hornady A-Max in PMC Benchrest prepared cases at $4.75 per round. (Arizona Ammunition offers a $.25 per round discount to owners of the Grizzly Big Boar rifle.) The one we were using was their Match Grade Load. Muzzle Velocity is @2800 fps. We set up at 220 yards and dialed in the scope. After a short period of time the groups were so small that the holes were touching downrange. It was painfully obvious that the gun/scope/ammo combination could outshoot me hands down. What we really needed was another range with a little more distance to unleash this beast, but due to ammo constraints and deadlines on press time we had too settle for what we had.

While at the range this 2nd time I met a Trooper from the Maine State Police Tactical Team sighting in his duty rifle. He was immediately interested in what I was doing after seeing the rifle, and VERY interested after hearing it. When I asked if he wanted to give it a try, I hadn’t gotten the last word out of my mouth and he was nodding his head “yes.” I gave him a quick “once over” on the rifle and he was ready to go. He sighted in on an extra target at the 200 yard bank and got ready to fire. Just as I was anticipating the muzzle blast he put it back on safe, looked at me and asked “Now if this thing were going to set my eyeball back into my head, you would tell me, right?” I assured him that it really was a kitten to shoot compared to the amount of noise it makes and he went foreword with that first round. After he fired it, he kept looking through the scope but said nothing. He was looking for the hole in the target he was shooting at. Another big advantage with that large of a caliber is you really don’t need a high powered spotter scope to see your holes within 200 yards or so. When he put it down, I asked him what he thought. His reply was that I was right about the light recoil, and the anticipation of it was far worse than the recoil itself. I handed him another round and he gladly accepted. When he left the range, we were trying to figure out how he could convince his wife that he really NEEDED one of these and that it wasn’t a toy, but a tool. (Yeah, like we haven’t all used that one.)

Summary

I have fired many .50 caliber rifles over the past years, and the Grizzly Big Boar seems to be the lightest recoiling of any of the manually loaded guns. The recoil is similar to that of a shotgun as it is more of a push than a quick snap. LAR gets an A+ in my book for the muzzle brake for both effectiveness and asthetics. There are a lot of ugly muzzle brakes out there and this is not one of them.

The bullpup design drops the overall length to a reasonable 45.5”. This makes transportation easy in a standard 48” case and the gun even comes from LAR in a lockable Doskocil Gun Guard hard case. Rifle, with scope, bipod and tripod can be transported in this case with a little careful arranging. Ease of transporting gets a high mark as well.

The rifle has a leather cheek pad that comes with it, and in my opinion it is necessary equipment. The scope mount is integral and a little high to be real comfortable, and the cheek pad helps to overcome this a little. I think a little thicker pad or a little lower mount would it more comfortable to shoot. Even though a little awkward at first you overcome it pretty quick.

For accessories, I am impressed with their tripod, and pintel mount. At $329.00 I believe it is also a necessary feature. If you don’t want to spend that much more when you buy the rifle you can always purchase this later. LAR makes all their Grizzly Big Boar rifles compatible with this and the pintel adapter is added to the standard rifle with only 2 bolts. As mentioned earlier in the article it is very light weight and is not intended for holding it rock steady under fire, but it would otherwise be almost impossible to fire in the field where grass or terrain does not allow the use of the bipod. No one smaller than Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to fire this unit off-hand. As for the bipod, their solution for adding a locking mechanism to the Harris Bipod is very quick and effective also. The modified bipod is included with every gun.

Everyone I have dealt with at LAR has been courteous and informative. This goes way back to that first meeting at S.H.O.T. Show ’97, so they are not just turning on the charm because I am reviewing one of their products. They have answered my questions for other publications and to satisfy my own curiosity for a few years now so this is nothing new. At a retail price of $2,570.00 I personally think the Grizzly .50 Big Boar is money well spent as an introduction into the world of .50 BMG shooting.

Sources:

L.A.R. Manufacturing, Inc.
4133 W. Farm Road, Dept. SAR
West Jordan, Utah 84088
(801)280-3505
e-mail: guns@largrizzly.com
http://www.largrizzly.com

Arizona Ammunition, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ
(623)516-9004

The Fifty Caliber Shooters Association
Dept, SAR
P.O. Box 5109
Riverside, CA 92517
(909)653-5447
http://www.fcsa.org

The Denim Wall or the Berlin Wall?

It was brought to my attention recently that Levi-Strauss was running an anti-gun campaign on their website. A friend led me to the following URL:

http://www.levismusic.com/fuse99/pax_petition.html

Once there you will see the following text with a petition following it:

We are the future of America and we demand a future free from gun violence. We will no longer remain silent as a preventable epidemic devastates our towns, our homes and our schools.

We call on our nation’s leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to end the crisis of gun violence in our nation. This plan must include:

1. A national campaign to educate all Americans, both gun owners and non-gun owners, about the threat of gun violence and how it can be prevented.

2. Common sense gun violence legislation which is already supported by the majority of Americans, including the majority of gun owners, such as: Child access prevention laws to hold gun owners responsible for what happens with their guns and prevent children and others from having unauthorized access. Elimination of assault weapons and other weapons of war. Nationwide laws to eliminate illegal gun trafficking and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Licensing and registration of guns, like automobiles. We demand solutions, not political debate, and we demand those solutions now.

As you can imagine, I was quite shocked. I wrote a letter to Levi-Strauss stating my disappointment in finding this. I told them I was writing a column for a National firearms magazine and wanted to give them the opportunity to respond before going to print. Their response to me was the following:

Dear Jeff:

Thank you for taking the time to write us. Customer feedback is very important to us and we appreciate your taking the time to express your opinions about this issue.

PAX is a non-profit, anti-violence organization which strives to reach youth all over the country by making a difference and attaining a society free of gun violence.

Levi Strauss & Co. supports PAX’s goal to bring all Americans together to support common sense solutions to the gun violence epidemic. PAX does not seek to ban firearms. It only seeks to end firearm violence through measures which the majority of Americans, including gun owners, can support.

Levi Strauss & Co. believes that all students should have an opportunity to learn in a safe environment free of violence and by supporting PAX and their petition, we hope to help put an end to gun violence in our schools.

Your views have been registered and we appreciate your taking the time to write and express your thoughts about this important issue.

Sincerely,
Donna
Levi Strauss & Co

I was disappointed again. The letter says that they are not in favor of banning firearms, but their website clearly states “…elimination of assault weapons and other weapons of war…” I guess it is getting clearer and clearer that the realm of political correctness knows no boundries. When I wrote to them to give them the opportunity to respond I stated that our readership represented an enormous amount of spendible income and it was my opinion that it would be spent somewhere other than Levi-Strauss. Damn, I really liked them too.

Handgun Control, Inc. Grades States

Although not brand new, cutting edge news I thought you may be interested in this. HCI, Inc put out a press release on August 27, 1999 grading all the states based upon their gun control laws. Each state is given a grade, and an explanation of why they received their grade. After the explanation, the number of “children and teenagers” who died in that particular state in 1996, as “a result of firearms” is listed. Now in all fairness, I have no idea of what their definition of “children and teenagers” is and I would assume it includes everyone under the age of 20, regardless of their background or the circumstances of their death. For instance, it would be my guess that 18 and 19 year old convicts involved in Police shootings are grouped into the category of “children and teenagers” as we have seen this in the past. For crying out loud, the Commander in Chief, who is certainly in bed with these people, can not even define the word “is” as seen in his testimony just prior to his impeachment. We may never get to the bottom of this one.
I included a quick chart giving the State, the grade and the number of “children and teenagers” deceased in 1996 for your reference. You can see the entire 10 page detailed press release at the following URL:

http://www.handguncontrol.org/press/release.asp?Record=71

I have had many who have seen this, recommend that it be used as a pro-gun mover’s guide, ensuring that the state you move to has a low grade, and is therefore on the higher end of the “Free State” scale. As a brief note, you will notice that Maine, who received an F ranking lost 5 “children and teenagers” in 1996. Maryland who received an A- ranking lost 109 during the same period. Good thing they have those strict gun laws, huh?

Bye Bye eBay

Whether it is a failure to understand firearms law, or an effort to be politically correct, firearms enthusiasts are no longer welcome on the largest auction site on the Internet.

eBay, an enormous Internet auction site has closed the doors to gun enthusiasts worldwide. In an announcement on February 19th 1999, eBay stated that firearms listings would no longer be permitted on their site as of March 5th, 1999. Their reasoning was that current laws governing the sale of firearms were not created for Internet sales, and are therefore not effective in that application. While their new position may seem to hinge on law, a little further reading clearly shows that the law appears to play no part in their decisions.

In their statement about questionable items it is printed that “..fully automatic weapons are illegal items following United States federal law.” Stated in their Firearms Policy FAQ, ‘..illegal components, such as silencers, converters (to convert a firearm to have automatic capability), short barrels, or high-capacity magazines are prohibited…” In their newly expanded ban of ALL firearms sales their definition of a gun is as follows: a gun is “a weapon consisting of a metal tube from which a projectile is fired at a high velocity.” They have even stated that by their own definition they will no longer permit the sale of BB guns and air guns. It seems obvious to me that the law alone is not their driving factor here.

This first came to my attention when chatting with a friend who used eBay extensively and enjoyed the service. He received a statement, out of the blue, that his auction was terminated because the item he was offering was illegal. A letter also followed to those who were bidding on the item, prompting many angry e-mails to the seller demanding to know why he was trying to sell them an illegal rifle. In this case, the suspect item was a pre-ban AK-47, semi-auto rifle. eBay sent numerous letters like that one to all similar auctions and cancelled them effective immediately. After many angry complaints from their members they toned down their letter to state that the item may be illegal. The following is an e-mail sent to one of their members on February 22nd and forwarded to me;

Subject: NOTICE: eBay Auction(s) Ended – Generic, legal

Dear Jack,

We regret to inform you your eBay auction(s):

700xxxxx MP5 SP89 HK94 mags HK preban 9mm German

has (have) ended. All fees associated with this (these) auction(s) has (have) been credited to your account.

We have been informed that your listing contains items which may be infringing or potentially illegal. We take no position on the authenticity of your goods. Please be advised that upon proper request we do provide law enforcement with all information we have pertaining to eBay users and transactions.

I really don’t know what transpired to cause eBay to enact this ridiculous policy. I have heard a few stories, but as of press time they are just stories. I was saddened that a perfectly legal and legitimate trade was being discontinued when the reasons given for it were clearly bogus. Their reasoning of current laws not applying to dealing on the Internet does not make a bit of sense. All this boils down to is the form of advertising used. When a firearm is purchased out of a trade magazine, it must be shipped to a licensed dealer so the dealer can complete the transaction in person, thereby abiding to all laws, Federal, State, and Local. Purchasing one by word of mouth, or from an Internet listing has absolutely no bearing on how the transaction must be completed. ALL firearms purchased MUST be shipped to federally licensed firearms dealers regardless of how the firearm is advertised. To believe the form of advertising has any bearing on the legality of the delivery of the firearm is asinine.

Well, seeing that eBay must be so concerned about our safety as well as their moral duty to those of us in the general public, I did a little surfing on their site. If they are no longer allowing firearms, although a perfectly legal trade, I figured their morality must flow in all directions. What I found during my searches proved how very wrong I was. My search for Porno was matched with 39 items consisting of movies and such. A search for Marijuana came back with 48 matches including T-shirts, lighters, water pipes, tattoos, and jewelry. A search for Opium came back with 90 hits, including pipes, seeds and incense. A search for Gambling returned 221 matches, offering chips, books, and dice. Simply punching in XXX returned 354 offerings of all sorts. I am certain you will sleep better tonight knowing that those horrible firearms are no longer being offered on eBay.

On an up note, there is a new auction site out there that welcomes your firearms interests and is specializing in guns. Their address is http://www.auctionguns.com. The pricing is competitive for advertising there, and the site owners are certainly not likely to be even a little persuaded by the evil realm of political correctness. I am certain this will turn into a great asset for all of us in the firearms industry. You will have to go back to eBay though to buy opium pipes and porn mags.

At press time there were several ststements in the news regarding ATF and other government agencies checking out the eBay operations, so it may be pressure from elswhere causing this to happen.

Big things sometime come in small packages we hear, and the M6 Scout AOW by Athens Arms & Ordnance is no exception.

Once I was formally initiated in to the world of Class III, I started looking at everything differently. I was no longer satisfied with most “Factory” firearms and now every gun I look at has basically become the foundation for a “fine-tuning” project. After the Title II bug bites, it is hopeless. Most every gun now falls into the one of the following categories; barrel should be shorter, gun should be suppressed, gun should fire full auto, gun should be louder, gun should have a flash expander, gun should have a flash hider, or a combination of any 2 or 3. Fortunately for us, Dudley Calfee of Athens Arms & Ordnance seems to look at things the same way.

Dudley is a Title II manufacturer in Athens, Georgia. He is the proprietor of Athens Arms & Ordnance, and The Firing Lane, a full-auto indoor shooting range 60 miles North East of Atlanta. He also runs Auctionguns.com, an NFA friendly firearms sale site on the internet.

The original M6 Scout rifle in its short barrel configuration is always sure to be one of two things; extremely expensive or untaxed, unregistered contraband. Now fans of the popular survival rifle have a third option much more attractive than dealing with the first two. Athens Arms & Ordnance is now offering this desirable rifle with 14” barrels. These rifles can be ordered in .22 hornet, .22 magnum, or .22 long rifle over .410 gauge shotgun. With an overall length of only 28” and a maximum width of 11/8” it is extremely compact, and will fit in many areas other firearms would not stand a chance in. Like the original, the action is a break open, single shot, breech loading design and in the open position is only 15” in length. The pivot pin may be removed to separate the stock group from the barrel group to clean or transport in an even smaller case.

The rear sight is a flip down design, with one position a peep site for the rifle cartridge and the other a notch for firing the .410. Sight radius is 12”. The trigger is unlike most other triggers you have encountered. It is 2 3/4” long and is pulled up toward the receiver. It is my understanding that it is easier to fire with gloves or even with a broken finger or two with this design compared to a standard trigger.

The safety consists of a firing pin block, and is also a barrel selector located on the front of the hammer. When you desire to fire the rifle from the “safe” setting, the selector is rotated clockwise to disengage the lock and raised to upper detent. When firing the shotgun, the selector is lowered to the bottom detent.

The stock incorporates a cartridge box that holds four .410 shells and 15 .22 cartridges. The stored ammo is accessed by depressing a button on the left side of the stock and the top is than lifted, hinging at the rear.

As one who owned a retail gunshop as a Title II manufacturer, I can certainly appreciate the category the Scout Gun falls into. Many times I had Registered Guides, bear hunters, trappers, and such come into the store, and when they would spot a short barreled shotgun on the wall they would be immediately drawn to it. The compact size was their immediate attraction. Being small and light is important to all in those above professions, and being in a package that really “packed a wallop” was a real bonus. Many times the deal was ready to roll when that little, tiny detail of the firearm being a short barreled shotgun would come up and the damnable $200.00 tax would kill the transaction in its tracks. It wasn’t so much the fact that it required a pile of paperwork, or even the extra money for that matter, but the fact that their $200.00 was being thrown away to the government. It was always more of a principal issue.

Athens Arms & Ordnance will certainly make life much easier for those who use these firearms in a line of work, due to their ability to register their M6 Scout configuration as an Any Other Weapon (A.O.W.). That is right ladies and gentlemen, all this with only a $5.00 tax. The definition of an AOW includes “weapons with combination rifle and shotgun barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading”.

These M6 Scout Guns are comfortable and practical. The .22 long rifle and .22 magnum barrels are 6 groove, 1 in 15, right hand twist. The .22 Hornet is a 6 groove, 1 in 13, right hand twist. The test target provided with the rifle I tested proved an impressive 5 shot group at 25 yards. The first four shots were all touching and the 5th was a flyer opening the group to a little less than 1”. I found rather quickly that the rifle was more accurate than the shooter in my case and that the test target was very accurate to the rifles ability. As for the shotgun, .410 is perfect for hunting Ruffed Grouse (Partridge) and Woodcock in my area, and fits the bill just fine. That short barrel also provides me with the excuses I need for watching more birds fly away than those added to my bag limit. Truth is, it is not really the gun making me miss.

I highly recommend the M6 Scout AOW. It is a lot of fun, and a real eye-opener any time it comes out of the case. It is well made, very functional, and in rural areas like Maine extremely useful. It fits great in a backpack as a camp gun for you hikers, and is a great all around firearm for all outdoor activities. I also love the fact that the transfer fee is only $5.00. Suggested retail is $379.00

Athens Arms & Ordnance
Dept. SAR
115 Mill Center Blvd.
Bogart, GA 30622
(706)546-6111

We have a few new and exciting things in progress that I think you just may be interested in. First and foremost, SAR has a new Web-site. Our last one got a little stale, mainly due to inattention and lack of time and this has now been rectified. Actually that is a fancy way to tell you that one day Dan said to me “Jeff, do you know how to build and maintain a web-site?” Without any necessity to think about it at all, I quickly answered him with a “Hell no.” He thought about it for a second and followed up with something like “Isn’t it about time to learn?” And here we are.

Anyway, our new site is on-line and being updated on a regular basis. It’s main purpose is to provide information about the magazine, and the firearms we cover. It should be a good reference source for you to utilize at your convenience. On the new site, we have included a complete listing of all our back issues. There is a photo of each cover, and when you click on one, you will see the table of contents for that issue. Something else many of you may find useful is a complete index of every article in Volume 1. This should assist you in locating information on particular firearms, or on articles written by a particular author.

For your convenience, we will provide a listing on our new web-site of retail locations where the Small Arms Review is available. This information is being posted only after receiving written permission from our venders and we will update it every month. We have included some advertising information, a full list of contacts, and a page for the other publications available from Moose Lake Publishing. We have included a page of some interesting links, and would welcome requests to add others. If you have any comments or ideas for our site, please feel free to e-mail me at Production@wtvl.net, or write to my attention at the office.

The thought of hosting a “Chat Area” and “Bulletin Board” came up and was squashed in about 2 minutes. There were two immediate reasons we made this decision. Number one is that I don’t have the time to provide our site the constant attention necessary to maintain and moderate areas of that nature. The second reason is that Tom Bowers is doing such an awesome job with his site we have decided it would be counter productive to start another. I spoke with Tom about throwing our support behind his effort since he provides such an important service to our community and we were met with open arms. (That is just a matter of speech. Big, hairy machine gunners don’t often actually hug!) If you have not been to his board, you are really missing quite a good resource. He has areas to buy and sell related items, and chat areas. He also has quite an impressive collection of Mac parts he sells. He does a great job moderating the board and doesn’t put up with any B.S. for very long. Check it out. It can be reached at http://www.subguns.com. As a special feature, in an upcoming issue we will be publishing an interview with Mr. Bowers.

While on the computer subject, another computer related item has crossed my desk recently. While not really Internet related, I certainly think it is of interest to all. The first is a collection of gun related “Wallpaper” for your computer Desktop. Arizona Corporate Productions has compiled a CD-ROM assortment of over 40 images that range from machine guns to antique firearms. The CD is packaged very professionally, the software is very user friendly, and their instructions are easy to follow. The CD retails for $19.95 and are currently available through Brownells and Dillon Precision. Quantity dealer discounts are available by contacting Arizona Corporate Productions. System requirements are 16MB of RAM, and Windows 95 or newer operating system.

Arizona Corporate Productions (ACP)
9393 North 90th Street
Suite 102-169
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Phone: (602)-391-1191
Fax: (602)391-3303
Email: AZCorpPro@worldnet.att.net

Once introduced to the community of Class 3 firearms, we all seem to learn a new language. It would appear to one who is not involved in gun collecting that we have regressed to speaking in numbers, or advanced to some sort of code language, but either way, we can not ignore its presence. Numerous times I have seen the confused and “I really have no idea what you are talking about” look on many a spouse’s face when the conversations begin. The conversations I am writing about are in reference to discussing the ATF forms.

All it takes are a few stops at a gun shop that sells NFA firearms, and you start to pick up this new lingo as well. Rather than explain that a machine gun is transferable, and owned by an individual, often it is simply referred to as a Form 4 Gun. When you are traveling out of State to a shoot or competition, you have to be sure to have your 5320 in, well ahead of time. If your NFA firearm needs repair, you can Form 5 it to another dealer. When a manufacturer builds a new machine gun, he has to Form 2 it. I think you get the picture.

Of all these forms, it is without a doubt that the most popular ATF form is the Form 4. After all, this small piece of paper is actually the welcome letter of our induction into the Class 3 world. The coveted Form 4, when received for the first time, is often erroneously referred to as a machine gun license, a class three license, or even a federal machine gun permit. In actuality it is simply a TAX record for an NFA firearm. Next to the birth certificate and the marriage license, many enthusiasts consider their first approved Form 4 an irreplaceable document.

If you are reading this publication you are probably familiar with the ATF Form 4, so in this writing, I hope to shed a little light on a lesser known form. This form may soon become your favorite, as it can open many doors for you in your quest for a larger Class 3 collection. As with all other aspects of Class 3 ownership there are misconceptions about the Form 1, and I will try to clear some of them up for you here.

The ATF Form 1 (5320.1) is the Application To Make And Register a Firearm. This form is required by Sections 5821 and 5822 of the National Firearms Act, Title 26 U.S.C., Chapter 53 to manufacture and register NFA firearms. This is the form that an individual must submit prior to making an NFA firearm.

Contrary to popular belief an individual can still manufacture firearms for his / her own private collection and use. It is not necessary to be licensed as a firearm manufacturer unless you are making firearms as a business, or for resale. For the most part, there is very little paperwork necessary for an individual to worry about, at least until you get to Title II firearms. This is where the Form 1 comes in.

It IS lawful for an individual to manufacture short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, sound suppressors, A.O.W.’s and destructive devices for their own collection. In a nutshell, the only firearms an individual may not manufacture for private ownership on a Form 1 are machine guns.

The manufacturing tax is $200.00 and is due upon submission of the form. I know what many of you are thinking right now, and the answer is “Yes, even if you are making an A.O.W.” The MANUFACTURING TAX is $200.00 on every NFA firearm, no matter what classification it falls under. If it were an A.O.W., any subsequent transfer would only be a $5.00 tax, but that is a TRANSFER TAX.

For those not familiar with this form, the information required on a Form 1 is very similar to that on a Form 4. It is necessary to provide Uncle Sam with your name, address, and phone number. As for information regarding your intended firearm, they ask for the name of the original manufacturer of the receiver if you are re-manufacturing someone else’s Title I firearm into a title II, the type of firearm, caliber or gauge, model, length of barrel, length overall, and the serial number.
Unlike a form 4, there is an applicant certification on the front of the Form 1. You must answer the same questions that appear on the ATF Form 4473. (Commonly referred to as the Yellow Sheet. This is the one you fill out at the gun shop on every firearm purchase.) You must attach a passport style photo to the back of this form and bring it to your Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO). Your CLEO certifies that he has no reason to believe you will use this proposed firearm for unlawful purpose, nor will you be in violation of any state or local law.

This form is completed in duplicate, and mailed to the NFA Branch of the BATF along with two completed fingerprint cards (FBI Form FD-258), and the $200.00 check made payable to the Department of the Treasury. These fingerprint cards must be supplied by ATF. Your wait is now on. A reasonable amount of time for approval of this form is in the 90-day range.

You can use the Form 1 to manufacture a firearm from scratch, or to remanufacture an existing title 1 firearm into an NFA firearm. A few popular remanufacturing projects include changing the barrel length of a shotgun to less than 18 inches, and remanufacturing Title 1 receivers to destructive devices. In the case of the latter, an individual who lives in an area with no destructive device dealer and wishes to own an M-203 or M-79 grenade launcher, may purchase the bare receiver through a regular FFL dealer and remanufacture it as a destructive device at a later date. When the approved form is returned, the barrel and the remainder of parts can be installed. It is at this time that the destructive device is completed. The barrel cannot be originally from that firearm and it cannot come from the dealer who sold the original receiver.

One very important thing to remember is that you can not start making the firearm you have filed the application for until it comes back approved. This could get you in trouble real quick. If you are manufacturing a short-barreled shotgun you can have the shotgun in your possession in its original title 1 configuration, but DO NOT cut the barrel until the tax stamp is in your possession. You must also make sure that you do not have any combination of parts in your possession that could get you in trouble either. If you have a Remington 870, and you purchase a 12” barrel at a gun show before your Form 1 is approved and returned, you are guilty of conspiracy to manufacture an illegal, short-barreled shotgun. Even though the parts are not assembled, you can still get hit for possession. This also stands true with grenade launcher receivers. A bare receiver is considered a Title 1 firearm, but once you are in possession of a barrel as well, you have a destructive device, requiring registration under Title II. Do a little homework as to what parts can get you into trouble. Do not purchase them until your form is approved.

It is a little more complicated and equally important when you are building a sound suppressor. Unlike other firearm projects, you can not have ANY suppressor parts in your possession until the form is approved.

The Main part of the sound suppressor is the tube. Similar to the lower receiver of an M-16, this is the registered piece and is treated as the firearm. This is where the similarity to other NFA firearms ends and it gets a little complicated. BATF has disallowed possession of ANY suppressor part, except by qualified Class 2 persons or businesses. To make it simple, no one can possess any suppressor parts unless they are a Class 2 Manufacturer. This includes individuals who own suppressors, and even class 3 dealers. Suppressor parts can include end caps, baffles, wipes, diffuser sections, and obviously, the tube.

If you own a suppressor that needs to have the baffles replaced, or needs to be rebuilt, you must ship it to a manufacturer on an approved form 5 for repair. You can not simply buy a few baffles, nor can you just build them yourself. However, it has always been my understanding that if you are the manufacturer of a suppressor on a Form 1, you may maintain it yourself. Just do not be manufacturing any spare parts. This being the case, it is imperative that you do not start construction of a sound suppressor until you receive the approved Form 1.

If you decide to enhance your collection by adding a few Form 1 guns, make sure you educate yourself about the project you are working on. Safety has to be your top priority. You can request ATF forms by calling the ATF Distribution Center at (703) 455-7801, or writing them at: PO Box 5950, Springfield, Virginia 22153. Be safe and have fun.

The 20th Annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show hosted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation was again held in Las Vegas January 27th – 30th, 1998. The largest show of its kind in the world celebrated its 20-year anniversary boasting an attendance of 32,756 visiting their 450,000 square foot exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

As usual, this event was host to a virtual “Who’s Who” in the shooting industry. In attendance this year were 1,650 visitors from almost 90 foreign countries, with 207 foreign exhibitors displaying their wares in addition to more than 1,100 domestic exhibitors.

For any of you who have been led to believe that this event is nothing more than a big room full of 30-30’s and would be of no interest to those of you with an interest in the fast and exotic, you could not be further from the truth. This show, whose obvious primary focus is on the “Sporting” edge of the firearms realm, still has something for everyone.

As you walk through the main entrance identified by a typical Las Vegas style neon sign, you are transported into a firearm enthusiast’s Mecca. You are immediately greeted by the enormous displays of such firearm icons as Browning, Remington, and H&K. These are not your typical gun show style displays consisting of a few tables covered with cloth, but rather intricate satellite branches of the manufacturers, distributors and dealers home locations. Some of these displays are two stories high, with separate offices for getting down to serious business. Most displays include entire inventory lines for prospective purchasers to handle and evaluate. Many use gimmicks and clever marketing strategies to catch your attention, such as beautiful models and free drawings. Many displays include an interactive area where attendees can participate in various competitions or just try out a new product.

Tasco hosted one particular interactive display. It was an opportunity to do a little timed shooting on falling targets. You were supplied with a pistol set up to fire a laser each time you squeezed the trigger and you were to engage a corresponding set of targets as they popped up. You were given a time limit and the total number of targets fallen decided the winner. The person who knocked down the most targets in the allotted time frame would win a Tasco scope. (After taking his turn, this writer hit a few under the leading score and was presented with the consolation prize of a Tasco T-shirt.)

One prominent feature of the last few SHOT Shows seems to be the proliferation of .50 caliber bolt action and semi-automatic rifles into the general sporting arena. There were numerous .50 caliber rifles being offered and displayed. Some with a proven track record such as the LAR Grizzly and the Barrett, were on display, and there were others that I have not seen in the past. A cartridge once thought of as having no application other than in a military role is now being embraced by the main stream market. Long range shooters, such as the 50 Caliber Shooters Association caught on to this round years ago, and it appears as though the rest of the market is finally getting on board.

Mike Dillon of Dillon Precision had an educational display of his Blue Press’s. There were many models set up to allow you a little “hands on”, and there were many of his associates there to answer any questions you may have had. With a group that shoots as much ammunition as our readership, combined with a product as time proven as Dillon’s Blue Press, it was easy to meet with many friends and familiar faces at his display.

I spoke with the crew of Knight’s Armament at their display numerous times. Among other products, they had their very popular M-16 Rail Interface System, their SR-25 .308 Rifle Series, and their new SR-50 .50 caliber semi-auto rifle. Also present at the Knight booth was 7 time NRA Open National High Power Rifle Champion, David Tubb. David won the 1997 event with a custom Knight SR-25 rifle chambered in 6.5mmx.308. David is the first person in history to achieve this prestigious title using a semi-automatic rifle. This is a true testament to the quality of the SR-25 as well as the tremendous proven ability of Mr. Tubb. In his own words, he chose the SR-25 rifle because of several desirable features it entails, as well as Knight’s meticulous quality control.

Jonathan Arthur Ciener was present with his .22 sub-caliber units. His newest addition is for the Glock. He is anticipating a large influx of orders for these units and I believe he is correct. All of Jon’s sub-caliber units have a good reputation for quality and workmanship, and every one I have had the opportunity to handle has functioned fine.

For any of you who are still skeptical that this show is too low key for you to attend, a few other exhibitors whose names you may recognize are Armalite, Gun Parts Corp., and J&T Surplus. In talking with J&T, things were successful enough for them to already book their display area for the 1999 SHOT Show in Atlanta, GA.

Ted Nugent was again in attendance representing his organization, United Sportsmen of America, and the folks from Browning. An avid outdoorsman and legendary rock and roller, Mr. Nugent is a tireless fighter of our rights and is invaluable to the preservation of our shooting heritage and our outdoor tradition. Ted was also on hand to autograph the official ’98 SHOT SHOW Auction Bow, a one of a kind Browning Bloodbrother, donated by Browning, for the lucky high bidder.

There were many in attendance, as usual, who were not displaying any wares, but simply attending to keep up on the latest industry information, and to meet with old friends. I ran into Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, John Ross, author of Unintended Consequences, Kent and Kathy Lomont of Lomont Precision Bullets, as well as countless other prominent industry people.

There were many new and exciting products being introduced and displayed this year, and you will have to keep your eye on Chris Choats’ New Review column in this Magazine, for details. He will be testing them and writing about them for many months. For any of you interested in attending this show in the future, the 1999 SHOT SHOW will be held in Atlanta Georgia, and the 2000 SHOT SHOW in New Orleans, Louisiana. I hope to see you there!

National Shooting Sports Foundation Flintlock Ridge Office Center
11 Mile Hill Road
Newtown CT 06470
(203) 426-1320
(203) 426-1087 – Fax

Dillon Precision Products, Inc.
8009 E. Dillon’s Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(602) 948-8009

Knight Armament Company
7750 9th Street S.W.
Vero Beach, FL 32968
(561) 562-5697

Jonathan Arthur Ciener, Inc.
8700 Commerce Street
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
(407) 868-2200

Ted Nugent
United Sportsmen of America
4133 W. Michigan Avenue
Jackson, MI 49202
(517) 750-3640

J & T Surplus
PO Box 430
Winchester, KY 40391
(606) 745-1757

ArmaLite,Inc.
PO Box 299
Geneseo, IL 61254
(309) 944-6939

Gun Parts Corp.
226 Williams Lane
W. Hurley, NY 12491
(914) 679-2417

Greetings and salutations. First a quick re-introduction. The Internet is an invaluable source of information for each and every one of us. We basically have the resources of the entire world at our fingertips, and we would like to use this column as a means of assisting one another in our search for information. We are gladly soliciting tips from those of you who have some helpful hints for other web surfers in our audience. We would like to hear from some Sysops who may have ideas on proper internet etiquette for some of the newer internet users as well.

Other data we will accept in this forum could include new hardware we should be aware of, new firearms related software; including programs related to testing and evaluating ballistics, CAD software that may be of interest to our Title II’s, compendiums and data bases of related interests, and so on.

It is our intent to make Net News a regular column, and the amount of input we receive from you will dictate it’s frequency. If you have anything you would like to contribute to Net News, you will find our contact information at the end of this column.

We have been getting quite a few requests to run a list of gun related web sites and that is exactly what we are going to do this month. The following are just a sampling of the sites you have sent to us and we will list more as they come in. We have not had time to check each individual site, so the following listing is not any type of endorsement by SAR. We are simply passing your requests along. At a later date, we will actually get you some interesting updates on cool sites that we recommend, and hope to have a “Hall of Fame” and a “Hall of Shame” listing.

Mongo’s MG Board
http://xpointcgi.digiweb.com/cgi-bin/users/3081/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Tom Bowers Board
http://www.subguns.com

F.U.N. Supply NFA
Firearms Board
http://www.tecinfo.com/~jayhawk/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Vollmer’s Board
http://www.fjvollmer.com

Long Mountain Outfitters
http://www.longmountain.com

Big Jim’s Machine Gun
Sanctuary
http://www.tiac.net/users/bigjim/HTML/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Small Arms Review
https://smallarmsreview.com

Impact Tactical Weapon
Systems
http://www.impactguns.com

Hiram Maxim
Historical Society
http://www.hirammaxim.com

Trader’s Den Message Board
http://www.centuryarms.com/forums/trader/trader.cgi

Dalphon – Military Weapons Sale Board
http://www.dalphon.com/wwwboard.html

Heckler & Koch
http://www.heckler-koch.de

Behind The Lines Magazine
http://www.behindthelines.com

Soldier of Fortune Magazine
http://www.sofmag.com

Gem Tech
http://www.gem-tech.com

National Rifle Association
http://www.nra.org

Knob Creek Gun Range
http://ww03.imall.com/stores/the_creek

Ultimate Weapons Systems
http://www.uws.com

B.A.T.F.
http://www.atf.treas.gov

Second Amendment Mall
http://www.2ndmall.com

Contact us at:

Small Arms Review
C/O Net News
223 Sugar Hill Road
Harmony, Maine 04942
Phone: (207)683-2959
Fax: (207)683-2172
E-Mail: SAReview@aol.com