Industry Notes

Hey Shooters: Lots to talk about in this edition of Straight Shooter's "Gun Report," your semi-automatic source of gun-culture news, new-product insights, and whatever else we could find when rooting around in the bottom of the metaphorical range bag.

Hey Gun Tests readers, I'm Todd Woodard, editor of Gun Tests Magazine. I'm here with Bret Vorhees, director of product development for Walther. And amazingly, we have a gun here that you already know about, the Walther PPK/S. Walther's PPK and PPK/S are coming back out in the United States this year.

Bret's going to tell us about the long story of this platform and why it's an interesting gun for shooters.

In this offer, Ed Brown is allowing customers to send old magazines of any make to upgrade to an Ed Brown Performance Magazine of their choice for only $10! It is a one-to-one exchange, so for every single magazine sent in, the customer can select one Ed Brown magazine of his or her choice, up to 20 magazines per exchange.

Beginning September 17, 2018, all repairs and product returns must be sent to the new location in Greeley, PA. The service department can be reached by email at service@kahr.com or by phone at 508-795-3919 Ext. 1. The new shipping address for Kahr and Auto-Ordnance repairs and product returns is stated here.

"National firearms and firearms-accessory retailers have made price- and model-shopping for rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers even easier," says Todd Woodard, editor of Gun Tests magazine. "It's not quite to the point that Amazon has begun selling firearms, but the competition for online sales should drive prices down and make availability even better."

The number of NICS checks in a month is considered a strong indicator for how well gun sales are doing, Woodard explained. Each sale made by a federally licensed dealer, such as a gun store, is subject to a check. Missing from these transaction totals are the sale of used guns between private parties. Also, some states use the checks to issue gun-carry permits. "And sales of multiple guns during a single transaction by a dealer generally only requires a single background check," Woodard said. "So, for example, when I bought three bolt-action rifles at a local Academy store in Houston in March, that only generated one NICS check."

Browning has announced that its Hi-Power pistol production has ended, effective EOY 2017. That's a shame, according to Gun Tests Magazine, which has tested various Hi-Powers over the years and found them to be generally effective as concealed-carry weapons (CCW).

Gun Tests has learned that Lyman Products Corp. ("Lyman") is voluntarily recalling black powder rifles and pistols due to the potential of separation in the breech plug.

Gun Tests reporters and editors on the scene at SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas have been scouring the show for new rifle, pistol, shotgun, and accessory entries for our readers to consider this year. Here's a rundown on quite a few just-introduced scattergun choices for 2018, some of which we'll be looking at for further examination later this year.

In about a month, gun owners in Texas and visitors to the state will feel the positive effects ofSB 473, a bill which Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott signed into law that extends protections for Class 3 devices, such as short-barreled rifles (SBRs), suppressors, and "any other weapons," as defined by the National Firearms Act. SB 473 will take effect on Sept. 1, 2015.

Gun maker Forjas Taurus SA has agreed to settle a $30 million class-action suit with plaintiffs who claim that some Taurus handgun safeties, even when engaged, may allow the gun to fire if it is dropped, according to a review of court documents.