Viewpoints

I just got my December issue of GT and had to sit down and read it. I agree with your findings, especially about the CMP-2 Inland. I got mine about a year ago through CMP, and it’s a winner. The only thing I’d suggest is that when you buy a used M-1 Carbine from anyone, go immediately to Numrich Gunparts Corp. and order a new gas piston, castle nut and wrench. You’d be surprised at the noticeable difference in performance this small change makes. I was told by an old armorer years ago that the gas piston is made of a softer alloy than the gas cylinder, so that it wears first and the cylinder lasts longer. As these weapons are used, over time the gas piston wears and develops blow by. A new gas piston and castle nut improves performance noticeably.

In Monday’s editorial, the New York Times reported the results of a Frank Luntz poll indicating that NRA members are much softer on key issues than the National Rifle Association itself. Unfortunately, the editorial was rife with filters in the form of hot labels and emotionally-laden words and phrases that immediately impugned the validity of the results of the study.

Every December Gun Tests Magazine picks the best from a full year’s worth of tests and distills summary recommendations for readers, who often use them as year-end shopping guides. These “best of” choices are a mixture of the Gun Tests original evaluation and other information the staff compiles during the year.Additionally, the magazine selects the best type of firearm--pistol, revolver, shotgun, and rifle--for its “Best in Class” award.The “Best in Class” Revolver for 2009 was the Taurus Judge No. 4510TKR-3BUL 3-Inch 45 LC/410-Bore, $620. It was originally reviewed in the August 2009 issue.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--An innocuous story posted on GunReports.com on August 22 wound up on dozens of websites and YouTube videos last week as hundreds of gunowners publicly worried that the U.S. Government was planning to use 200 million rounds of 40-caliber ammunition to subdue its citizens.

Michael Bellesiles published in 2000 Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture. Bellesiles, a tenured professor at Emory University, argued that the American culture of gun ownership grew not from the fight by American pioneers for individual liberty but an early-American Congressional mandate necessitated by the actual absence both of firearms and Americans’ proficiency with them.

Now this is funny. Santa and his Texas whitetail sleigh.

The BFR 22H10, code name Little Max in the Magnum Research brochure, is a single action only gun. To load the BFR you first open the loading gate. No manipulation of the hammer is needed to free the cylinder. Much like the Ruger single-action revolvers, the hammer stays safely in a down position.

The BFR strikes a chord. We would have to rate the workmanship of the BFR superior to the Taurus. We recommend it if you need a hunting iron without the recoil of the harder hitting calibers meant for bears and large game.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Chris Cassidy, assistant director of communications at the American Constitution Society, posted a short item about how women's groups lobbying for abortion may wind up supporting gun-owners' rights in the McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court case. He wrote:

Gun manufacturing volume rose slightly from 2006 to 2007, BATFE records show. The ATF’s latest Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER 2007) provides valuable insight into the performance of individual companies and the type of firearms they produce. ATF embargoes the data for one year, so 2007 is the latest data available.

Gun manufacturing volume rose slightly from 2006 to 2007, BATFE records show. The ATF’s latest Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER 2007) provides valuable insight into the performance of individual companies and the type of firearms they produce. ATF embargoes the data for one year, so 2007 is the latest data available.

Regarding Joe Meyer’s letter about extractor failures in the Springfield XD/XDM, I obtained a 40-cal. XDM in February and used it to shoot Practical pistol all this season. I estimate I’ve put about 3,000 rounds through it with a total of two failures to feed, both apparently ammo-related and both quickly cleared. I cannot speak for any other XD/XDM owners, but I would say that any rumors of extractor failure with these pistols are just that, rumors.

Regarding Joe Meyer’s letter about extractor failures in the Springfield XD/XDM, I obtained a 40-cal. XDM in February and used it to shoot Practical pistol all this season. I estimate I’ve put about 3,000 rounds through it with a total of two failures to feed, both apparently ammo-related and both quickly cleared. I cannot speak for any other XD/XDM owners, but I would say that any rumors of extractor failure with these pistols are just that, rumors.