AR15.com Newsletter - Issue 1406 - June 2014

 

If you are having trouble viewing this email, please CLICK HERE for the web version.

 

Issue 1406 June 2014

AR15.com News June, 2014 Another month, and still no rest for the weary. We've just wrapped up the first New Dawn Shoot (covered below) and are fully engaged on the opening of the ARFCOM retail venue in Canton during the First Monday Trade Days next month (July 3-6th). Canton Trade Days This will be an opportunity to come and see our products in person, shop, hang out, and see what's new. We will have what I think is going to be the largest assortment of night vision and thermal devices on hand to try, compare, and buy. We are planning on featuring new products and vendors each month. We will stock ammo, parts, and accessories. In addition we will provide services to clean and maintain your firearms, upgrade your components, and add optics, lights, and lasers. During our opening weekend, July 3-6, we will be featuring special deals (available in store only), as well as giving away prizes. There is an "official" get together Friday, July 4th @6pm for all ARFCOMmers. Everyone is welcome: come introduce yourself and meet others, hang out, and stick around for the fireworks display (courtesy of the town of Canton). For more details, maps, and other pertinent information, see this thread. New Dawn Charity Event The first AR15.com New Dawn shoot sponsored by Black Rain Ordnance is now behind us, and it was a big success. It's primary purpose aside from the competition, demos, and overall fun activities, was as a fundraiser for Mercury One, and as such it raised $50,000 for the charity. At the same time we had a great time, competitors walked away with a ton of prizes, and attendees got a chance to do some things they don't normally get to do. First and foremost, a big thanks to Triple C Tactical Training and it's owners and staff for hosting the event. Thanks to all the sponsors and supporters, all of the volunteers, the attendees, and most importantly to Jeff and the ROs that set up and made this event run smoothly. Last but not least, thanks to our very own Mr. JoeD, without whom this and many other events like it would not be possible. We as an industry, and we as freedom loving Americans, are lucky to have him on our side. I have yet to meet anyone that even comes close to working as hard as Joe does for this industry and for our veterans. New Dawn MultiGun Shoot The 3-gun competition was the majority of the first day, and attracted many first time shooters. They got the opportunity to shoot side by side with some of the biggest names in 3-gun including our very own Chris Anderson who shot video during the entire weekend for some future segments. At the end of day 1, competitors were treated to a catered dinner and awards ceremony, from which every competitor and RO walked away with prizes. During the day, attendees and competitors got the chance to shoot some of the various side matches, which included: Side Shoots HeliGunner A chance to shoot from MD-500 helicopters. Full-Auto Stages A variety of machine guns were on hand including a large number of ARs, suppressed ARs, and AKs. Rimfire Stage Participants had the chance to shoot a variety of rimfire rifles and handguns, including a number of suppressed guns. FLIR/TNVC FLIR had an RS64 thermal weapon sight and heated steel targets on hand. TargetVision Target Vision showed their new target stand and wireless camera and software that eliminates the need to walk downrange, especially at those longer ranges where it's hard to see your hits. Grenade Launcher Users had a chance to shoot a 40mm M-79 grenade launcher at targets that included a mock bunker and fuel depot complete with a scale deuce and a half. Entertainment Gould Brothers Top exhibition shooters, the Gould Bothers, made shooting clay birds, golf balls, produce, and everything in between look easy. Crazy Quail If shotgun shooting is your game and you want a challenge, the Crazy Quail is for you. This contraption spews out birds in every direction from 4 throwers as fast as the line of 10 shooters we had could shoot. Mad Lab Industries These guys were on hand flying and shooting video from high above. They offer parts, kits, or custom builds of multi-rotor UAV vehicles that are truly a no setup ready to fly out of the box. Check out this video from the event. Vendors Special thanks to all the vendors, including Black Rain Ordnance and DSG Arms for bringing the big rigs out. Food Texas BBQ was available all weekend for lunch and dinner by local providers and an authentic chuck wagon run by two of the nicest gentlemen you'll ever meet provided excellent food and hospitality. Race Track If the shooting wasn't enough to get your blood flowing, across the street from the hotel Adventure Super Cars had Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and other vehicles available to drive around the Cresson Motorsports Park. Mercury One In the end, the goal of this event was to raise funds for this fine charity, and we managed to donate $50,000 after all was said and done. This is on top of all the prizes and giveaways that were distributed throughout the weekend. More information including videos, images, and more is available in this forum. Thanks to all that made this weekend a success, and looking forward to the next one... See you there in 2015! Training "Low Light, Left Right" Newest ARFCOM drill for working with the hand held light around barricades. www.PFCtraining.com 3-Gun Essentials Staging for the Array By: Chris Andersen, 3-Gun Nation Pro Shooter As competitors, we are always looking for an edge. Hours and hours spent on the practice range, tons of rounds down range, and potentially thousands of dollars in equipment all in an effort to gain speed. I think it's about time for a Pro Tip that gains you speed without costing you a dime, and doesn't require hours on the practice range: I call it "Staging for the array". "Staging for the array" means making sure that you are taking advantage of placement opportunities that could save you time in your transition to that firearm that is staged in/on a barrel, box or table. It's very common for shooters when given the command to make ready, to arbitrarily place their guns on staging tables and in boxes without much thought as to exactly how they are going to be picked up or used: Regularly giving up potentially significant amounts of time that could be gained by just putting a little thought into that placement. Here are some things to consider: Faster pickups Always place your gun in the most comfortable possible position in order to retrieve it smoothly and safely. Smooth is fast. If you have a position on a table that allows you to prop the gun up slightly to get your hand under it faster: use it. Take advantage of staging area designs to position your firearms in a way that they can be retrieved as quickly as possible. Then, while you are making ready, test that placement to be sure that it will work the way you expect it to. Bad placement can equal a bad pickup and a bad grip, which can mean poor shooting. Use Your Gun as an Index Point Staging your pistol, rifle or shotgun for an array can give you an index point you can use when approaching a shooting area. When approaching a target array from an unusual direction or position, your gun can lead the way in showing you exactly where to stop and position yourself for the best possible angle for a particular target array. I like to determine the position of my gun based on what I plan to shoot first with it. Then, whenever possible, have that gun pointing directly at that particular target. That placement allows me to focus on my gun as I approach it and then let it lead my eyes in the proper direction to my first target as I am picking it up. Faster loading Don't take magazine or ammunition placement for granted. Orienting your magazine in a position that allows you to take it directly to your gun in the shortest and most efficient method possible means you save time. I am betting you have a very specific criteria for how you put magazines on your belt. That shouldn't change just because they are sitting on a table. Keep that criteria in place and always make sure you place your ammunition or magazines for the most efficient possible retrieval. This also applies to gun placement. Orienting your shotgun with the loading port facing you so that you can quickly add an extra round or two as you pick it up can get you shooting targets faster. So always consider those options in your stage plan. Charging your gun Unloaded starts are a trap. I see a lot of people charge their unloaded rifle or shotgun after they have it on their shoulder when picking it up. Start that unloaded pickup with a firm grip on the rifle or shotgun with your strong hand, and use your weak hand to have it charged as soon as it clears the table. The gun being hot before it touches your shoulder, means you are ready to shoot faster. Be careful Care should be taken to make sure that you always place your guns in positions that are not only advantageous for speed, but ultimately are always going to be safe. Don't get cute and take a chance of having a firearm fall off of a staging table. Be fast, but safety, should be your number one priority. Put it to the test Hopefully you have already been staging your firearms properly and taking full advantage of each opportunity matches provide you. But whether you have or not, try putting different placements on the clock in practice. The time that you save may surprise you! TNVC / Scuderia Corsa Ferrari Racing Jeff Westphal drives the #63 Ferrari 458 for Scuderia Corsa, the Los Angeles based Ferrari team competing in its first full season of Grand-AM. With TNVC as a sponsor, Jeff brings you a behind the scenes perspective on the ARFCOM forums. If you haven't seen the thread yet, be sure to check it out and look for updates before and after each race! RACE: Detroit Belle Isle | START: 7th | FINISH: 1st Excerpt from the forum thread: Driver change practice consists of a system my co driver, driver assist, and myself have developed to help one driver get out of the car (fully unbuckled and unhooked), and the next driver get in, buckled and connected, door shut and car ready to move in less than 25 seconds. Sounds like a short amount of time, except the strategy called for us to be able to do it in less than 17 seconds. Honestly, we have never been slow in any of our stops as usually fuel takes just about 40 seconds, but with the short nature of this race, fuel was less time since we'd consume and need less fuel to be full again. And to put it into perspective, my best driver change with Alessandro has been 19 seconds, but that was our BEST! After 5 or 6 tries, working on all the movements that I make, the driver helper makes and team mate make during this process, we were able to get it done in 16.5 seconds. This seems like a small win in a big picture, yet with our stop being less than 17, we can pit, take 2 tires instead of 4, add fuel and change drivers without a wasted second. Our calculations told us that we could maybe do the race on 1 set of tires, yet taking the heavily used side of tires off to be safe would't hurt as long as it didn't set us back any more time in pit lane. This will come into play in later as you read further, yet with these practiced and iron out it was 8am and I was leaving the paddock to head out for our warm up. Two more pit stop practices later in warm up, and now headed back to the tent we discussed the car's balance with some changes we wanted to try for the race day rubbered up track. 0930 was autograph session until 1045, then by 1100 I was suited and ready to take the car out to pit lane before the recon laps. The fan walk which allows fans to get next to the cars on hot pit lane before the race lasted another 45min, and then it was go time. If I had my way I would take a nap in the trailer, but my engineer has been implementing his rules on procedure, which means I am ready to move the car for the entire 45 mins before the recon laps. Imagine yourself as a child denied dessert..... "awww mannnnnnn" As I climb in the racecar around 1145, I start to visualize the start and what I want to happen. For me, visualization is key to executing a plan during a race since it's so easy to get overly amped up, it's one of the tricks I use to get my brain in the sub conscious. The national anthem sounds off, "gentlemen start your engines," my Ferrari V8 roars to life, and away I go starting the parade lap behind the safety car... Read the rest of Jeff's account of this race and much more in the forum thread covering Scuderia Corsa. CONGRATS TO JEFF and the entire team for an excellent race and a first place finish!!! Direct Action MGM Junior Shooter Camps ·         The MGM Targets 3Gun Junior Camp – East will be held at Peacemaker National Training Center in Glengary, WV from June 26th through June 28th. mgm3gunjuniorcamp.com Price is $300 per junior shooter and includes lodging for the shooter and his/her guardian. There is a limit of 30 shooters to help ensure the best experience. Payment is due by May 15th. Transportation of Juniors and parents or guardians to and from Glengary, WV is not covered. Lodging for all, with no exceptions, will be at the Hampton Inn, 1204 Berryville Avenue, Winchester, Virginia 22601. Parents will be responsible for providing transportation to and from the range. To qualify, fill out additional qualification page and return with Parental authority and signatures on the appropriate release forms. To get your Techwear shirt, application must be received no later than May 15, 2014. Applications will be accepted until June 1st, but no camp shirt will be provided. Once these are obtained, MGM will give you a "Letter of Acceptance" and request full payment due by June 15th, 2014. ·         MGM Targets Junior Shooters Camp (July 20, 21 and 22nd 2014), and the MGM 3-Gun Junior Camp (July 24, 25 and 26th 2014) will be hosted by MGM Targets in Parma, ID. www.juniorshootercamp.org Applications will not be accepted prior to February 15, 2014 and will not be accepted after July 1st. Price (per camp) is $275 per junior shooter and includes lodging for the shooter and his/her guardian. There is a limit of 60 shooters to help ensure the best experience. Payment is due no later than July 1st. Transportation of Juniors and parents or guardians to and from Parma, ID is NOT covered. Lodging for all, with no exceptions, will be at the Clarion Hotel located in Ontario, OR. Parents will be responsible for providing transportation to and from the range. To qualify, fill out additional qualification page and return with Parental authority and signatures on the appropriate release forms. To get your Techwear shirt, application must be received no later than June 12th 2014. Applications will be accepted until July 2nd, but no camp shirt will be provided. Once these are obtained, MGM will give you a "Letter of Acceptance" and request full payment due by July 1st, 2014. Ammunition for any of the above camps can be shipped to the hotel to arrive no more than 5 days prior to your arrival. House Report: "Choke Point" Targets Legal Businesses for Asphyxiation On May 29, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) released a staff report, The Department of Justice's "Operation Choke Point": Illegally Choking Off Legitimate Businesses? The report concludes that the true goal of the operation is to "choke out" certain industries, including legal businesses like sellers of firearms and ammunition, which the current administration considers politically objectionable. The report follows the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) launch last year of Operation Choke Point, a wide-ranging investigation into banks and payment processors (the middlemen between banks and merchants in financial transactions). DOJ claimed the operation was aimed at combating mass-market consumer fraud by shutting down access to the banking and payment systems that are necessary for fraudulent businesses to operate. The justification was an alleged higher "risk profile" for consumer fraud or potentially illegal activities associated with some merchants or activities identified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). These "high risk" merchants are typically characterized by high rates of unauthorized transactions, consumer complaints, or evidence of state or federal regulatory or criminal actions against the business customer. However, with no explanation or justification, the FDIC's list of high-risk merchants and activities also lumped in ammunition and firearm sales (among other legal industries) with potentially exploitative or outright illegal enterprises. No one can reasonably suggest that firearms and ammunition sellers pose the same risks of fraud to banks and consumers as Ponzi schemes, cable-box descramblers, "get rich" products, online gambling, pyramid–type sales, debt consolidation scams, and similar schemes. As NRA recently reported, evidence has been mounting that banks and financial institutions have been responding to the threat or potential for government investigative action and penalties by refusing to do business with legitimate law-abiding companies in the firearm industry. These decisions, moreover, are apparently being made without regard to the specific company's credit, criminal or financial history. Rather, they're predicated on the implicit threat that a bank's business relationship with a listed "high risk" merchant could be enough to trigger a federal subpoena and resulting investigation and lawsuit. Earlier this year, Chairman Issa and Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan requested that the Justice Department produce documents and communications related to Choke Point. Their resulting review of the 853 pages of internal documents provided in response concludes that "Operation Choke Point is an inappropriate exercise of the Department's legal authorities, and is being executed in a manner that unfairly harms legitimate merchants and individuals." Other key findings of the report released this week include the following: DOJ acted without the requisite legal basis. In furtherance of Operation Choke Point, the Department of Justice "radically and inappropriately expanded its own authority." Operation Choke Point's investigatory basis purportedly rests on subpoenas issued under Section 951 of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, or FIRREA. Yet this authority was intended to give the Department the tools to pursue civil penalties against entities that commit fraud affecting banks, not to investigate consumer fraud, much less private companies doing legal business. Despite assertions that the government's intended goal was limited to fraudulent activity, the report finds that DOJ targeted legitimate businesses. The desired effect was clearly to have legal merchants and legitimate businesses "choked off from the financial system." Operation Choke Point, according to the report, effectively transformed the FDIC "high risk" list "into an implicit threat of a federal investigation," a reaction the DOJ anticipated. The Justice Department was aware of the impact on legitimate businesses – that banks were dumping entire sectors of business deemed "high risk" by the government -- and "dismissed them." The proffered reasoning was that banks and "legitimate" businesses would sort it out, an expectation the report likened to claiming, "if one is not a witch, then they will sink rather than float." Rather than have offenders prosecuted on the basis of real and sufficient evidence in a court of law, DOJ misused its authority to "forcibly conscript banks to serve as the 'policemen and judges' of the commercial world." The report specifically cites the consequences of labeling firearms and ammunition sales as "high risk," resulting in law-abiding firearm merchants having existing bank accounts frozen or terminated. "The experience of firearms and ammunition merchants – an industry far removed from consumer finance fraud – calls into question the sincerity of the Department's statements" regarding the scope and goals of Operation Choke Point. The report and its appendices are available online: The report First Appendix of Documents Second Appendix of Documents Congressional action is already underway to reign in what is merely the latest is a growing list of DOJ's abusive practices. We will continue to report as developments unfold. newsletter advertising Giveaways This month we're awarding two Game Changer 300BLK sample ammo packs from Lehigh Defense. If you haven't seen them yet, their ammunition is some of the best performing bullets we've come across, especially when it comes to subsonic expansion for the 300BLK. Winners get 194gr ME, 174gr CF, and 110gr CC bullets (20 of each for the loaded ammo, and 50 of each for the reloading components) in addition to a Lehigh Defense T-shirt. And the winners are: Loaded Ammo: 41magluva Components: FaucetFace Please claim your prize by emailing sales. Winners have 30 days to claim their prize. Next month, you'll have a chance to win an ATN ThOR Thermal Weapon Sight! Clicking on the ad in next month's newsletter (not this month's) will enter you in the contest. Winners will be announced the following month. Thanks to ATN for another great and much appreciated giveaway. 2014 Challenge Coin 2014 Challenge Coins are here and celebrate our move to Texas in 2014! These sell out quickly so get them while they are available. 2014 Challenge Coins : $15.00 GUN DIGEST AR-15: The Ideal Home Defense Gun? When people think self-defense, handguns most often come to mind. But with its versatile design, higher capacity and a wealth of great ammo options available, an AR just might be the only home defense gun you'll ever need to own. AR-15 Trigger Trouble It's no secret that Mil Spec AR triggers are terrible. They have everything a good trigger does not have, like take-up, creep, over-travel, and inconsistency. AR-15 Parts: Spares to Have On Hand What are the best AR-15 parts to have as backup in case something breaks? Here are Patrick Sweeney's top picks to keep your AR running. Redding Reloading Giveaway Now through July 6, 2014, enter daily for a shot at winning a Redding Reloading Equipment prize pack worth more than $1,500. Target Vision TARGETVISION is a fixed lens, portable, battery powered, wireless target camera that can be viewed from a phone, tablet or laptop. With a range of one mile and a run time of 16 + hours TARGETVISION is the perfect companion for long range shooters, competitive shooters, and people who are looking for a more interactive and entertaining shooting experience. This unit is able to clearly see .17 caliber bullet holes and larger at any distance up to a mile. TARGETVISION consists of two pieces, the transmitter/camera and the receiver. The transmitter sits down range about 10-15 feet from the target and can be moved within that range to adjust the field of view. The receiver is built into the carrying case and sits next to the shooter while shooting. For more info visit their website or come to the ARFCOM store in Canton July 3-6 to check it out in person! NRA-ILA: Latest Updates Chair of Federal "Gun Violence Prevention Task Force" Introduces Wide-Ranging Gun Control Bill U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-5), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, has introduced what he is calling "the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014." In truth, the bill is largely composed of gun control measures that mirror and supplement acts being pursued in the states by the likes of Michael Bloomberg and his "Everytown" gun control cabal. The NRA strongly opposes this unjustified incursion on Second Amendment rights. Not only is it unjustified and expansive in its prohibitions, it exploits and stigmatizes stereotypes of the mentally ill, most of whom do not pose an elevated risk of harm. Bloomberg Rebrands Gun Control Apparatus Pledges 50 Million to Fight NRA Second Amendment The New York Times published an article outlining Michael Bloomberg's latest attempt to buy your rights. This time, Bloomberg is dumping $50 million into the gun control cause and consolidating his anti-gun groups Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) and Moms Demand Action under a single organization, Everytown for Gun Safety. According to the article, Bloomberg's goal with the new money and group is to "outmuscle the National Rifle Association." House Report Choke Point Targets Legal Businesses for Asphyxiation On May 29, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) released a staff report, The Department of Justice's "Operation Choke Point": Illegally Choking Off Legitimate Businesses? The report concludes that the true goal of the operation is to "choke out" certain industries, including legal businesses like sellers of firearms and ammunition, which the current administration considers politically objectionable. Gun control lobby continues to ignore the facts about background checks The Brady Campaign is being intentionally deceitful by claiming "40 percent" of gun purchases are conducted without a background check. You won't read this in their misleading report, but even the notoriously anti-gun Washington Post debunked their "40 percent" whopper, giving it a rating of "3 Pinocchios" for dishonesty. That's because this statistic comes from a 251-person survey conducted nearly two decades ago, in which more than three-quarters of the firearm sales covered in the survey occurred before background checks were mandated by federal law. NEWS & ISSUES June 13, 2014 - Politifact calls gun control groups claim on number of school shootings mostly false June 13, 2014 - Oregon: Gun control debate likely to intensify June 13, 2014 - Is there really an epidemic of mass shootings? June 13, 2014 - Professor: Statistics show mass shootings not on the rise June 13, 2014 - Everytown's List of "School Shootings" Employs Misleading Terms for Emotional Effect LEGISLATION June 13, 2014 - Delaware: Update on Gun Ban Legislation in Dover June 13, 2014 - Pennsylvania: Two Bills Would Allow Semiautomatic Rifles for Some Small Game Hunting June 13, 2014 - Wyoming: Target Shooting Addressed in BLM Rawlins Field Office Recreation Plan June 12, 2014 - Oregon: UPDATE on Efforts to Ban Lead Ammunition for Hunting June 12, 2014 - California: Assembly to Vote on Anti-Gun Bill Any Day

Our Network Home Online Store Forums Equipment Exchange Contact Us Email: newsletter@ar15.com Copyright © 1996-2014 AR15.com LLC. All Rights Reserved. Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited. Join the NRA: Follow Us: