Tag Archives: Blackhawk

Schism in the ammo industry

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Minnesota-based Vista Outdoor has made an agreement to sell its expansive ammo brands to the Prauge-based Czechoslovak Group.

The $1.9 billion all-cash deal, announced Monday, will see Vista divest a number of classic American ammunition brands including CCI, Federal, Hevi, Remington, and Speer – some of which date back over a century. These are made across four factories in Minnesota and Arkansas and employ approximately 4,000 people.

Other than possibly Olin, who runs the Army’s Lake City Ammo Plant as well as produces Browning and Winchester-branded commercial ammo, Vista was the largest ammo concern in the U.S.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Savage comes correct to the AR world

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stack-savage-msrSavage Arms last week dropped the goods on their new Modern Sporting Rifle entries which will include Patrol, Recon, Hunter, and Long Range models with some interesting twists on the AR-15 and AR-10.

All of the guns feature what Savage is calling “5R” right-hand twist rifling which uses slightly slanted lands that are more polygonal– which they contend are easier to clean and less prone to fouling. The barrels across the line are 4140 steel and will be protected by a Melonite QPQ (quench, polish, quench) nitrocarburizing process for non-reflective corrosion resistance. Savage is promising to have zero-tolerance headspace controls.

In addition, Savage has tweaked the mid-length gas systems used on the series (they are all direct gas impingement) to help cut out the overgassing sometimes seen when, for instance, 16-inch commercial barrels are using systems for 14-inch carbines. All have a flattop Picatinny rail for optics. Receivers are all 7075-T6.

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The rest in my column at Guns.com

Training School Rundown

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If you have a firearm, you need to train on it and with it, bottom line. A number of training options are out there in schools spread out across the country from the basic to advanced and extreme level. Before you run you have to walk, and this means you need to get some basic classes under your belt, especially if you have no previous training.

More at my column at Firearms Talk.com