WED | FEBRUARY 10, 2021

Reaching a new record score at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s Talladega 600 “A Southern Classic” rifle and pistol event was Kyle Kirschenmann, 56, of Tellico Plain, Tennessee, with an outstanding score of 392-9x in the M16 Match.
USA Shooting, with the help of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, hosted the 2020 Winter Airgun Championships in December. The event spanned three days at the CMP’s air gun ranges in Anniston, Alabama, and Port Clinton, Ohio, simultaneously.
Shoot Like A Girl continues the 2021 Home of the Brave Tour with a stop at Bass Pro Shops in Daytona Beach, Florida on February 12 and 13. Both new and experienced shooters are invited to join Shoot Like A Girl at the state-of-the-art mobile shooting range for this free, interactive event.

The Combat Master from Galco is a professional-grade belt holster hand-molded to fit specific handguns. The traditional high-riding pancake-style design places the belt slots on either side of the holster, pulling the handgun tight to the body.
Primos Hunting announced the new Will Primos Signature Series Turkey Vest. Designed with a new, more easily accessible layout of pockets for specific turkey hunting gear, this top-of-the-line vest is the brainchild of legendary gear inventor and hunter, Will Primos.
Taurus is kicking off the launch of its all-new TX22 Competition pistol with the Ultimate Thrill of Competition Giveaway. The package includes a new Taurus TX22 Competition pistol and a Bushnell RXS-250 reflex red dot sight.

At the end of a year where new hunter participation increased dramatically and more than 8 million people became first-time gun owners, Nosler has revealed Tim Kennedy as the latest addition to their new “Project 48” initiative designed to welcome, engage and educate this record number of new shooting sports enthusiasts.
Primary Arms Government is seeking talented individuals for their Law Enforcement Affiliate Program. If you are a Law Enforcement instructor, influencer, or contributor, Primary Arms is offering an opportunity to connect your followers with special offers on products and services from an established brand.
Garrison Everest expands their brand and marketing services to include business coaching for professionals in the outdoor, hunting and shooting sports industry.

SAR USA by Sarsilmaz announced that SAR USA won Grandview Media’s Tactical Retailer’s first “Reader’s Choice Gold Award” in the handgun category.
Streamlight Inc. introduced new laser models of its ultra-compact TLR-6 rail mount weapon light to fit best-selling subcompact handguns, including the Springfield Armory Hellcat and the GLOCK 43X/48 MOS/RAIL.
Buck Knives introduces the 2021 Legacy Collection, including an upgrade to the famous 110 classic and an ebony 124 Frontiersman.
­High Speed Gear announced the release of the ReVive Medical Pouch, the brand’s newest, low-profile medical pouch. It is a quick-access, compact pouch built around treating a single gunshot wound.
Breakthrough® Clean Technologies’ new Lens Cleaning Wipes ensure effective and fast cleaning by gently removing fingerprints, dust, oil, and smudges, without leaving streaks or residue on surfaces.
Butler Creek announced that the company’s new Featherlight Bino Caddy is now available. Made of the same patent-pending breathable closed cell foam material as the popular Butler Creek Featherlight sling, the Butler Creek Bino Caddy offers hunters a comfortable, dependable way to protect their glass in the field.

DeSantis Gunhide announced the #195 Veiled Partner. This OWB holster is made from precision molded Kydex and is curved to fit the body.
Adams Arms, pioneers of piston-driven AR platform firearms, announced the re-launch of AdamsArms.net. The new dealer locators on the site will allow customers a direct way to communicate with FFLs who stock products from Adams Arms.
SIG SAUER, Inc. announced the availability of the official SIG SAUER 2021 Product Catalog. The catalog is a comprehensive review of all SIG SAUER pistols, rifles, ammunition, electro-optics, suppressors, airguns, accessories, and the SIG SAUER Academy, including new product releases for 2021.

The S3DA Board of Directors recently voted to promote Holly Helton to the position of Executive Director. Helton will lead the program and help shape the pathway to a remarkable future for the youth archery and conservation world.
Riton Optics becomes the newest sponsor of Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey.
In this week's episode of American Rifleman TV, the countdown continues for the top 10 machine guns of all time: this week, the manually operated Gatling gun and the British Bren light machine gun.
This week, 1911s are competing at the Classic Single Stack Nationals. Plus, the British Martini-Henry -- one of History’s guns.
 

During the ongoing health disaster (or whatever this is …), I’ve been trying to catch up on reading and consumption of video content. I’m appalled at some of the misinformation out there – and that’s just in the firearms world.

One such bit of beclowning was a video in which the term “Saturday Night Special” was mentioned. Another featured a revolver drop safety mechanism, the transfer bar, described as “the thing that blocks the hammer and keeps the gun from firing.”

Sadness descended upon me. Mistake? I make mistakes routinely – and feel foolish – but there’s no need to share it. The first thing we need to dispense with is the racist terminology (yes, I said it). Then we’ll deal with positive drop safety, equally provided in DA revolvers with hammer block technology or the use of the transfer bar.

The rather stupid term Saturday night special became “popular” with prohibitionists in the 1960s, whether or not they were aware it was an offensive term. They meant “small, easily concealed handguns, especially of low quality and low cost, often used in crime (sic)” – and used by the less affluent citizens who lived in high crime areas … An article by William Tonso in a reason.com article referred to “Gun Control: White Men's Law” (his title) in which he demonstrated that “Gun control is really people control. And guess which people the power elite wants to control …”

The screwdriver bit points to the actual device that prevents the hammer nose from hitting the primer: a hammer block ... not a 'transfer bar.'

Now for the technical aspects. A transfer bar isn’t something that “blocks the hammer and keeps the gun from firing.” That’s a hammer block safety, popularized by Smith & Wesson back in the early days of the Hand Ejector revolver series. They became aware that fully loading the gun was hazardous; dropping a loaded gun without that (and other) safety features meant the gun would likely fire if it landed on the hammer.

A belt and suspenders approach: the bit points to the hammer/rebound slide interface. With the action at rest, the contact point prevents the hammer from pivoting forward to strike the firing pin/primer.

They handled that in a couple of ways. The rebound slide is built up matching a protrusion on the hammer. That physical contact, a ‘safety rest,’ prevents the hammer from moving forward if the gun is dropped on the hammer.

They added a hammer block, a stamped metal bit with a cross bar at the top and a stirrup at the bottom. As the trigger is pulled, the rebound slide is pressed back. This removes the projection on the slide from the path of the hammer extension. It also lets the hammer block drop, allowing the hammer access to the firing pin (in current guns) and allowing the hammer nose free travel to reach the primer (in older versions). (A great explanation of the S&W revolver drop safety aspects is provided by Larry Potterfield at MidwayUSA, found here.)

Above, the firing pin is visible: the transfer bar is below it. A protrusion on the hammer face keeps the rebated striking part of the hammer from reaching the frame-mounted firing pin. When the trigger is pressed, below, the transfer bar raises to cover the firing pin - transferring the blow of the hammer to the firing pin.

That’s not a transfer bar. A transfer bar is the opposite of the hammer block. If you remove the hammer block from a S&W revolver, the gun still fires; in fact, it could well fire when you really don’t want it to. (Check your used S&Ws; idiots routinely remove the hammer block for reasons I don’t comprehend.)

Remove a transfer bar from a revolver so equipped and it won’t fire. The transfer bar is so named because it transfers the impact of the hammer to the firing pin. If the bar is missing, the hammer won’t strike the firing pin, making the gun an expensive paperweight.

The top of the hammer on, say, a Ruger GP100 has a projection on the front that strikes the frame and prevents the hammer from reaching the firing pin. The transfer bar is moved up to cover the firing pin as the trigger is pressed, allowing the force of the falling hammer to be transferred to the firing pin … hence the term “transfer” bar.

Is it important to know the difference? Well, it’s critical to know how the firearm is supposed to work. It’s also important to know the safety features of the gun are intact and functional.

As to making mistakes, there’s a good way to admit to them – and to sort them out. The difference between hammer block and transfer bar is explained -- after a mistake -- by Hickok45, here.

-- Rich Grassi

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