FRI | APRIL 12, 2019

Federal has expanded its line of Premium unprimed brass to include 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel cases. Shipments have been delivered to dealers.
Federal is proud to introduce new Syntech Defense. These loads produce dynamic terminal performance with a hollow-point bullet that separates into three segments and a deep-penetrating core on impact.
The Applied Ballistics Weapon Division announced the EnABELR cartridge in 375 and 338 calibers. It is a medium capacity, magazine feedable cartridge.

SIG SAUER, Inc. congratulates Team SIG professional shooters Daniel Horner and Lena Miculek for their National Championship titles at the 2019 USPSA SIG SAUER Multi-Gun Nationals in Frostproof, Florida. The 2019 USPSA SIG SAUER Multi-Gun Nationals had 180 individuals competing through twelve stages scored equally for speed and accuracy ranging from 5 to 425 yards.
Hoppe’s congratulates Jessie Harrison on her continued dominance at the 2019 U.S. Steel National Championship in Covington, Georgia. In a field of 460 of the Nation’s top shooters, Harrison won the Overall Single Stack division and the Ladies Open division, delivering her ninth Ladies Open National Title.
SIG SAUER, Inc. is honored to announce the conclusion of the Second Annual SIG Relentless Warrior Championship. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point Combat Weapons Team earned the top honor of being named the 2019 SIG Relentless Warrior Champions.

Team Lapua member, Nancy Tompkins brought home regional titles at the Diamondback Metric Regional and Western Wildcat .22 rimfire smallbore matches this past month. Tompkins was competing with Lapua Center-X ammunition.
GSM Outdoors announce their lineup of professional shooters and leading outdoor sports enthusiasts who will be meeting with NRA members and fans, in their booth at the 2019 NRA Annual Meeting at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 25-28.
RISE Armament announced its attendance at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits at Indianapolis beginning April 26. RISE will be giving away a free Veil flash hider, a $69 value, to eligible participants.

Stevens’ new 555 Enhanced is light and handles fast, thanks to a lightweight aluminum receiver that’s scaled to gauge and reinforced by a steel insert. It is now available in 16-gauge.
Savage has added an adjustable gas block and longer barrel to stretch the out-of-the-box performance of its MSR 15 Recon platform even further. This popular long-range model was introduced to dealers in 2018, additional shipments continue to feed the marketplace.
Birchwood Casey introduces the Back Drop Precision Rimfire target, an addition to their expansive line of steel targets. It stresses accuracy by offering three shooting ports that will flip steel paddles to an upright position when the target is hit.

MDT is proud to announce the addition of the 6mm BR AICS pattern magazine. Available in 12 round capacity, the new magazine is a one-step solution for feeding your 6mm BR variant rifle.
FN America, LLC is pleased to announce that South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has selected a custom-designed FN 15 Patrol Carbine equipped with agency-selected upgrades. FN law enforcement distributor, Amchar Wholesale, has delivered a total order of 265 carbines to the agency.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) proudly announces that professional instructor and competitor Tina Martin has joined as the eighth addition to Team Ruger.

Hoppe’s announces the signing of National and World Practical Shooting champion Todd Jarrett to the Hoppe’s Ambassador Program. He will represent Hoppe’s at shooting competitions, appearances at shows and assess products.
GLOCK, Inc. was awarded a contract to supply U.S. Customs and Border Protection with the newest generation of GLOCK pistols. The contract calls for the replacement of existing .40 caliber duty handguns with 9X19 GLOCK pistols by 2021. Duty weapons will be replaced for CBP law enforcement personnel and additional Department of Homeland Security units which have chosen to purchase through the contract.
The total economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industry in the United States increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $52.1 billion in 2018, a 171 percent increase, while the total number of full-time equivalent jobs rose from approximately 166,000 to almost 312,000, an 88 percent increase in that period, according to a report released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Rock River Arms is now shipping a new series of semi-autos chambered in 9x19mm. Designed to work with GLOCK style magazines for optimal cross-compatibility with GLOCK pistols, the BT-9 pistol & carbine series takes shooting fun and personal defense systems to new levels.
A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction against the East St. Louis Housing Authority’s ban on firearms possession by residents of government subsidized public housing and thus granting a victory to the Second Amendment Foundation, which sued the town in 2018 over the ban.
BLACKHAWK worked to create the ultimate line of duty-rated holsters – the T-Series. With its streamlined thumb-activated retention, the T-Series keeps your firearm at the ready while maintaining total security.
ERGO will be showing a new product at the NRA Annual Meetings this month. It’s the TDX-0 -- Tactical Deluxe Zero Angle Grip. It’s now available in a reduced angle for comfort and control on precision rifle chassis, AR15 and AR10 platforms.
Mec-Gar USA announced the addition of a 9mm 10 round CZ 75B magazine to their product line. The magazine consists of a full-size tube which is physically limited to a 10 round capacity.
Glenn Eller and Ashley Carroll won silver yesterday in the Trap Mixed Team event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Alabama S3DA held their 1st regional qualifier of the 2019 3-D season in conjunction with Marshall County Bowhunters in Albertville, Alabama. Alabama S3DA shooters received great hospitality and faced a very challenging 3-D range.
Wabash Valley College has a flagship team in its first year competing in the collegiate archery program with six archers, four of which are former participants in the Illinois S3DA program.
Cordova Outdoors, the officially licensed cooler of the National Rifle Association, now has available NRA-logo coolers for purchase through the Cordova Outdoors website.
The Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm could be viewed as the ideal single all-around utility handgun — according to Contributing Editor Will Dabbs, MD. In the June issue of GUNS Magazine, Dabbs delivers a solid case for considering the mighty do-all 10mm.
What can ballistic gel tests really determine about ammo? Plus, survival tools and training, ammunition for handgun and varmint hunting, the unique world of Cowboy Fast Draw, and more, this week on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio.
What can ballistic gel tests really determine about ammo? Plus, survival tools and training, ammunition for handgun and varmint hunting, the unique world of Cowboy Fast Draw, and more, this week on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio.
The Northern Arizona Shooting Range has announced all ranges will be open to the public beginning Saturday, April 13, although winter hours will remain in effect until May.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) proudly announces its support of A Girl & A Gun Women's Shooting League. In its first year of sponsorship of AG & AG, Ruger joins as a Diamond+ Sponsor of the organization's two largest events in 2019 – the National Conference and Fall Festival Multi-Gun Challenge.

RCBS is proud to have been named the Official Reloading Sponsor of Guardian Long Range Matches. Guardian Long Range Competitions are full-day precision shooting events held throughout the country.

Melissa Bachman, host of Winchester Deadly Passion, shares youth hunt footage that was submitted for her “Memory Chase” segment over the years, plus footage from her own experiences introducing young hunters to new hunting opportunities.
 

Today's feature is from our companion service, The Tactical Wire.

The BR9 Hi Power clone comes with two Mec-Gar magazines, the standard for Hi Powers.  This clone has a baked on finish, which is well done, or they’re available in stainless.

Regular readers know I’m a Hi Power fan. The “Browning” is the original “hi capacity” semi auto pistol. It’s a proven design, popular all over the world, except the U.S. FN/Browning stopped producing the gun in 2017. Finding a good Hi Power has become hard, expensive and something you might not want to customize. But there is hope. The Turkish firm Trabzon Silah Sanayi A.?. – Tisa - is producing the Regent BR9 “Hi Power.” This clone is being imported into the U.S. by LKCI, out of Ohio. And, at about $500, it’s affordable.

The Hi Power was a revolutionary, hi-capacity pistol released 1935. John Browning was a major contributor to the design, which is a big plus for any firearm. (He passed before final designing was completed and actual production.) It’s been battle tested all over the world; over ninety nations adopted it for military and law enforcement work. Both Allies and Axis powers carried the Hi Power during WWII. It was my “first,” my own semi auto pistol for carry -- which is funny because that’s what I’m back to carrying again.

As noted above, FN/Browning stopped making the Hi Power -- in 2017. (This event was noteworthy enough to be mentioned by Popular Mechanics.) Original Browning Hi Powers, when you can find one, are expensive. “Imported” FN/Brownings Hi Powers are usually beyond abused, requiring complete rebuilds for safety and reliability.

Various companies were producing Hi Powers, some with FN/Browning’s blessings, which equaled the FN/Browning pistols in quality. These too are getting expensive. Other companies didn’t bother to get licensed and simply copied the design; some of these models are junk. With the Tisa Regent BR9 you have an affordable Hi Power option for a buying a new “Browning,” and they’re offering a stainless version too.

Turkey has become a hotbed of firearms production, including clones and original designs. In 2017 Turkey was number four on the list of countries importing firearms into the U.S., below #1, Austria – Glocks, then Brazil and Germany.

I know, we’re always worried about a clone or copy of something that’s being produced in a foreign country, but reports on reliability are good. In fact, the Regent BR9 is being sold by Brownells, which tells you how good it is. Plus, it’s being used by several Hi Power custom shops as a basis for their complete builds.

For a full test review of the BR9 – truly a torture test – check out BH Spring Solutions’ website. During this torture test - firing rapidly until it was too hot to function, then dunking it in water to cool and continuing firing – they did discover some weak areas. However, they also offer a BR9 “Essential Reliability” kit. If you plan on doing heavy shooting / training / practice, this kit contains the parts they had trouble with during testing: the extractor, pin and spring, a firing pin retaining plate and heavy firing spring, plus sear pin and lever pin.

Seven shot slow fire group from seven yards in a standard two-handed stance. Accuracy was good, and there were no malfunctions over about 100 rounds. A friend, also a Hi Power guy, shot it as well and was very impressed, especially considering the price.

I was in Scottsboro Gun & Pawn a couple of months ago. Sitting on display was a Hi Power. It felt nice in hand, and the internals looked good. Once they told me the price it was over and done. All Hi Powers need some upgrades for carry, like a different thumb safety – the BR9 has the small original style. Research shows it will accept standard Hi Power and aftermarket parts. As a DIY’er it’s great for me.

So, who needs a Regent BR9 clone? For me it’s perfect. I can customize it, learn some new skills, and if I screw it up, I haven’t ruined a classic. Anyone who is familiar with Hi Powers knows it a great platform, and easy to shoot. Having a spare to wear to the range saves wear and tear on your original. For anyone wanting to experience the classic Hi Power without investing a great sum the BR9 is an ideal platform. To sum it up, anyone who needs a Hi Power should investigate the Regent BR9.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of The Book of Two Guns, AR-15 Skills and Drills, featured on GunTalk’s DVD, “Fighting With The 1911 and has regular columns in Gun Digest and American Handgunner.

www.shootrite.org

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shootrite-Firearms-Academy/156608611038230?ref=ts

SHOOTING WIRE
Event Calendar

APRIL 25-28
148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits

The 2019 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be held Thursday, April 25, to Sunday, April 28, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. https://www.nraam.org/

JUNE 7-9
D.C. Project Foundation’s 3-Gun Fundraiser

Reveille Peak Ranch, Burnet, Texas. Contact: Dianna Muller di@pro3gunner.com Info: pro3gunner.com/team-match

 
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