2015 Ladies Choice Awards Recipients Honored at SHOT Show
Taking a break from the noise and excitement of Range Day and the miles of aisles on the SHOT Show exhibit floor, the GunLink team had a chance to attend the presentation of the Shooting for Women Alliance’s (SWFA) 2015 Ladies Choice Awards. The well-attended event filled quickly and, while our Women’s Shooting editor got there early for a seat, I ended up in the standing-room-only portion – which worked out well for shooting photos and congratulating the award recipients as they exited.
Awards were presented by SFWA founder, Susan Carrichner Rexrode – who, in in 1992, was held hostage at knife-point in her own home for 5 ½ hours and then stalked for two years. Following her ordeal, Susan became a more active participant in her self defense and began training others to help prevent something similar from happening to them – out of that was born the SFWA.
In front of a standing room only crowd with a multitude of onlookers sneaking a peek through the entryway, fifteen awesome industry leaders accepted 2015 Ladies Choice Awards for Guns and Gear for the Modern Woman presented by Shooting for Women Alliance, a non-profit 501(c)3 nationally-renowned organization based in Knoxville, Tennessee. “10,000+ women weighed in with all products being used during actual personal defense related training classes, and the crème de’ la crème rose to the top,” explained Rexrode.
Criteria to be considered as a Ladies Choice Award recipient include: a women-friendly company that designs products that actually work well for women, are easy for them to use, perform as they expect, and understands that it is NOT about pink (although customization options are appreciated). All products are tested Continue reading
Taurus’ Continued Innovation in CCW Weapons on Display at SHOT
Taurus firearms have had an up-and-down relationship with gun owners over the years. We have seen changes at the company’s helm over the past half-decade or so and, with it, changes in their direction and product lines. They have expanded with the acquisition of companies like Heritage Mfg., Diamondback, and Rossi. They thought outside the box with the introduction of new revolvers like the massive Judge and the window-sided View. We have seen customer service and quality control issues and we have seen those issues owned and addressed as they retooled their Brazilian manufacturing facilities and grew US manufacturing facilities – which is where two of Taurus’ latest CCW offerings are produced.
Ahead of the Curve
Taurus’ latest offering for the concealed carry market is the new Curve – a double-action only .380 ACP designed to conform to the body for greater concealment. When carrying a firearm on one’s waist, the most difficult part to conceal is often the grip, which sticks out at odd angles from the body. Taurus has addressed that with the Curve. Not only is the Curve about the size of the new iPhone 6 Plus at 5.18″ long by 3.7″ tall with a short, stubby grip, its curved design allows it to hug up against the wearer’s hip. This helps limit the pistol’s maximum projection from the body to the thickness of the 1.18″ frame and 0.88″ grip while allowing for 7 rounds to be at the ready. Continue reading
Palmetto State Armory Enters the Glock Barrel Market
For some time now, there have been only several players in the threaded Glock barrel game. Of course, one can get a factory threaded barrel from Glock, complete with their M13.5x1LH threading – which does have its benefits, but is otherwise largely silly – and a relatively hefty price tag. Then there are notable offerings from the likes of Storm Lake and Glock-aftermarket titans Lone Wolf Distributing, whose price tags can run the gamut from $235 down to $129, respectively. Now, it seems as if Palmetto State Armory wants to join in the action.
Known for having ridiculously good deals and specials, PSA is now selling drop-in 1/2×28 threaded Glock barrels. With an MSRP of just $109 (and melonite G19 models currently on sale for $99!) with the thread protector included, it seems like too good of a deal not to try out. In a feat of blindingly-fast-for-PSA shipping, the barrel that we ordered arrived promptly via the big brown truck after a mere 12 business days.
Comparing the profile of the PSA barrel’s lugs, feed ramp, etc. to that of the factory barrel, they seem pretty much identical. Comparing the smell of the two, it may be safe to say that the PSA unit was fresh from the nitrocarburizing tank. The finish of the PSA barrel was nice enough, with all surfaces having a consistent finish. The stamp consists of the PSA crossed-cannons logo and “9MM” and it looks good enough that, even if there was an option to pay extra to have it removed, it wouldn’t be necessary. Although there are some guesses floating around the internet, we haven’t seen any confirmation of who is making the barrels for PSA or if they are producing them themselves. There is no wolf head hidden anywhere on it to indicate that they are re-branded LWD barrels, as is the case with Gem-Tech barrels.
The barrel lived up to its “drop-in” moniker, installing with no additional fitment required and hand-cycling snap caps with no issue. At the range, right out of the box it gobbled up a full box of brass 9×19 ammo as well Continue reading
The 2014 Gift Buying Guide for Firearms Enthusiasts
You had all year to shop. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday have all come and gone. Now December is upon us and you still haven’t finished your holiday shopping for the firearms enthusiasts in your life. With the 2015 GunLink Holiday Gift Buying Guide, you will have to come up with another excuse than forgetting a gift to avoid visiting your in laws for Christmas.
The Gift of Gun Rights
One easy, and always appreciated, gift for any hard-to-shop-for gun lover is an NRA membership. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year by helping to protect our Second Amendment rights. Membership comes with other benefits as well, such as a choice of publications sure to satisfy any shooter, including American Rifleman, American Hunter, and America’s 1st Freedom. Membership also gets you in to the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, which is always a great experience for any firearms enthusiast. Click here to save $10 on an annual NRA membership for that special someone (or yourself).
Something EVERY Shooter Needs
If you know what kind of firearms your recipient owns and enjoys shooting, Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Tac Daddy Live!
Our friends from the TacDaddy Live crew celebrated a milestone last night with the 1-year anniversary of their Thursday night live gun-chat show. Big congratulations to Kevin, Spectre, Glock Brothers, Fidelis Patriot, Reichro and all the guests that have been on the show and made it what it is and helped to grow the show over the past year.
If you’re looking for something to do on a Thursday night, head over to the TacDaddy YouTube channel at 9PM Eastern to join in live. If you can’t make it to the live show, all of the shows are archive on his channel and you can join the discussion on the TacDaddy board on the GunLink Forums.
Be aware though, TacDaddy videos are probably rated PG-13 for language and might be NSFW. Continue reading
Remington’s New R51 and John Pedersen’s Legacy
It would be tough to find someone who doesn’t know, if not own, John Moses Browning’s seminal pistol, the M1911. Not surprising, given that nearly 3 million have been procured for military service in the US alone, dozens of other countries use them for military service and untold numbers of the prolific pistols and its derivatives are in the civilian market. Less well known is the Remington Model 51 designed by his contemporary, John Pedersen, who Browning described to US Chief of Ordnance Field Service Julian Hatcher as “the greatest gun designer in the world.” Also not surprising, since only 65,000 were produced and only through the late 1920s.
The original Model 51, marketed as a pocket pistol and available in .380 and .32 ACP, never enjoyed widespread commercial success despite many considering the locking mechanism to be superior to Browning’s design and describing it as ahead of its time. Pedersen’s legacy, and that of the Model 51, lives on with Remington’s introduction of the R51 pistol at SHOT Show 2014. Continue reading
