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CDC Study: Use Suppressors To Reduce Noise Exposure

January 24th, 2017

The American Suppressor Association shared this press release with us. Anti-2A organizers have long wanted to use the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as source material to curtail gun rights. However, this report doesn’t follow their expected narrative.

The question of increased access to firearms Suppressors is indeed a public health question. Their implementation as a standard, over-the-counter device would not only help preserve the hearing of gun owners, but also their dogs used for hunting as well as nearby livestock and wildlife. Additionally, the use of suppressors would lower the profile of firearms ranges and lead to a decrease in spurious nuisance complaints.

Finally, with an increased market size, prices will come down and technological innovation will increase. Military and law enforcement will benefit from this boon, better protecting those serving, as well as the public.

With the reintroduction of the Duncan-Carter Hearing Protection Act, suppressors have been thrust to the forefront of the national political debate. According to many traditional gun control advocates, firearms are not loud enough to cause hearing damage. They make definitive statements, like this one from a recent LA Times article, that, “there’s no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gunfire.”

To this end, they could not be more wrong.

In a study from 2011 entitled Noise and Lead Exposures at an Outdoor Firing Range – California, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the following (see page 5):

“THE ONLY POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE NOISE CONTROL METHOD TO REDUCE STUDENTS’ OR INSTRUCTORS’ NOISE EXPOSURE FROM GUNFIRE IS THROUGH THE USE OF NOISE SUPPRESSORS THAT CAN BE ATTACHED TO THE END OF THE GUN BARREL. HOWEVER, SOME STATES DO NOT PERMIT CIVILIANS TO USE SUPPRESSORS ON FIREARMS.”

If you still don’t believe that hearing loss is a public health issue associated with gunfire, and that suppressors help hunters and recreational shooters reduce their exposure to dangerous noise levels, there is likely nothing that we can say that will change your mind. Just know that the correct term for your opinion is willful ignorance.

Full CDC Study: CDC Study – California Firing Ranges

Tags: American Suppressor Association
Posted in 2A, Press Release, Suppressors | 20 Comments »

SHOT Show 17 – Badger Ordnance

January 24th, 2017

Badger Ordnance continues to innovate in mounting solutions.

Badger Ordnance has several new offerings coming for the first quarter of 2017. First off is their new line of bipod mounts and bipod kits. This line started 2 years ago when an employee with Badger Ordnance made a low profile mount for his Harris bipod to direct attach to his AR-10. Based off his experiences instructing Snipers he’d seen and experienced several Harris mounting plates break or come loose when shooting off barricades.

The new Badger Ordnance Low Profile Harris Mount is designed to replace the current mounting plate and thumbscrew for Harris Engineering swivel style bipods. Made to have a slimmer profile than traditional bipod mounting options while having a much more robust interface to allow barricade braced shooting without fear of breaking the attachment system. Easily retrofit any Harris BRM-S bipod in just a few short minutes. Made from 7075 T6 Aluminum and Type lll Hard Coat Anodized for a lifetime of flawless function. Available for Magpul M-LOK, Picatinny, and Remington RACS style handguards.

Badger Ordnance has also worked alongside Harris to design an exclusive bipod with the leg extension buttons placed on the inside to avoid accidental extension when bracing the bipods against barricades. The mounts can be bought separately as a retrofit for current Harris designs or bought as a package with the new bipod legs.

Also new from Badger is a line of accessories to work in conjunction with their S.L.I.C.K. and other spotting scope integration kits. The Badger K4 and K5 mounts are made to hold any 4000 or 5000 series Kestrel weather meter to the 3 or 9 o’clock position of a picatinny rail. The Kestrel simply snaps in and is held firmly until needed. Made from 2200 series Polyamide and colored Light coyote.

Lastly Badger has released the SPF-60 Spotter Protective Filter- 60 mm Designed to work with the Leupold 12-40X60 Spotting scope (M151) and the Badger Ordnance SLICK spotting scope mount (P/N 306-94). Provides rugged protection to the objective lens as well as allowing reduced light transmission and reducing glare via the variable aperture “Catseye” feature. Cover indexes out of the way for full light transmission or for NV/Thermal integrationPic. Made from 6061 Aluminum, Type lll Milspec Hard coat anodized.

www.badgerordnance.com

Tags: Badger Ordnance
Posted in SHOT Show, Weapon Accessories | 6 Comments »

Falconhead Capital Alongside M3 Outdoor Investments Announce Acquisition Of Kwik Tek, Inc

January 24th, 2017

I’m often asked what BLACKHAWK! founder Mike Noell is up to. As you can see, he’s still out there, in the mix.

New York, NY (January 2017)- An investment group led by Falconhead Capital, LLC, a sports, leisure and lifestyle focused private equity firm, alongside M3 Outdoor Investments led by BLACKHAWK! founder and long term industry leader Michael Noell, today announced that it has acquired Kwik Tek, Inc. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Based in Colorado and founded in 1991, Kwik Tek, Inc. is a leading designer and supplier of outdoor branded products for the recreational watersports and winter sports markets. Its product line includes towables, inflatables, life jackets, wakeboards, kneeboards, snowshoes, trekking poles, snow sleds, pool floats, lounge items, and related accessories. Kwik Tek supplies products through their trusted consumer brands including Airhead, Sportsstuff, and Yukon Charlie’s. Aaron Kramer, founder, CEO and President of Kwik Tek said, “I am excited to be partnering with Falconhead Capital and M3 Outdoor. Their market expertise makes them the perfect partners to help ensure that even more people can enjoy our exciting products. The dedication and hard work of Kwik Tek’s employees have built our brands into what they are today. We look forward to building on our past successes and the opportunities that lay ahead.”

David S. Moross, Chairman and CEO of Falconhead Capital, added, “We are thrilled to announce this transaction and to partner with Aaron Kramer and Mike Noell to enhance the value of Kwik Tek for the benefit of all its stakeholders. Kwik Tek’s leadership team has done a tremendous job growing the Airhead, Sportsstuff, and Yukon Charlie’s brands all while developing a scalable multi-channel distribution footprint. Kwik Tek offers a strong platform to innovate and enhance its already exceptional brands. This will provide the foundation to accelerate growth and offer substantial upside through various paths of expansion.”

Investment banking firm Lazard Middle Market, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Kwik Tek. The law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP served as legal counsel to Falconhead Capital. JPMorgan provided senior revolver financing for the transaction and LBC Credit Partners provided senior term financing.

Tags: Falconhead Capital Alongside M3 Outdoor Investments, Kwik Tek Inc, Mike Noell
Posted in Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on Falconhead Capital Alongside M3 Outdoor Investments Announce Acquisition Of Kwik Tek, Inc

SHOT Show 17 – Where Does All Of That Swag Go?

January 24th, 2017

I recently saw someone refer to SHOT Show as “Tactical ComiCon” and from what I have bserved over the past few years, it seems that way for the average attendee. Companies shell out beaucoup bucks to make their presence known at SHOT Show and folks leave each day with loads of cool swag.

But what happens to all of it? Some is treasured and displayed once the attendee makes it home. Other giveaways are regifted to friends and family by the generous. But some attendees are at SHOT Show to make a buck. They take advantage of indulgent companies, walking off with everything they can get their hands on, only to sell it later.

This example from eBay depicts the normal tchotchkes offered as promotional items, but others will be selling weapon parts and accessories scored as samples from an unsuspecting sales staff.

Posted in SHOT Show, WTF? | 22 Comments »

SHOT Show 17 – Tektite Industries Mag-Pump

January 23rd, 2017

Tektite’s Mag-Pump is a magazine loader for STANAG M4/AR-15 magazines, capable of loading both .223/5.56 and .300 BLK rounds. The hopper holds up to 60 rounds at a time, and the internal mechanism of the loader auto orients the rounds as they’re loaded so they go correctly into the magazine. Additionally, the Mag-Pump is quick to take down, and easily fits into a .50 cal ammo can for storage and transport.

Unfortunately, the clear polymer model seen above exists purely for demonstration purposes, and isn’t for sale.

www.tek-tite.com

Tags: SHOT Show, Tektite
Posted in SHOT Show, Weapon Accessories, weapons | 5 Comments »

SHOT Show 17 – Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1

January 23rd, 2017

The Razor AMG UH-1 is a new Holographic Weapon Sight, utilizing Vortex’s Fusion Hologram with Quantum Well Light Control technology, which Vortex claims makes it “…the first holographic sight to meld the durability and energy efficiency of a red dot with the impressive sight picture, zero-distortion, and reticle pattern of a holographic sight”. Featuring a shockproof body with ArmorTek coating, the Razor is submersible up to 10m/33ft for 5 minutes, is powered by a single CR123A battery, and has 15 individual brightness settings. Additionally, the Razor has a 14-hour auto shut-off feature, which can be turned off by the end user, and a integrated Picatinny rail mount.

If you’re wondering what reticle the Razor uses, here’s a subtension detail diagram from Vortex:

www.vortexoptics.com

Tags: SHOT Show, Vortex, Vortex Optics
Posted in Optics, SHOT Show | 7 Comments »

SHOT Show 17 – Blue Force Gear Klaux Plate Carrier

January 23rd, 2017

Blue Force Gear’s new Klaux Plate Carrier is the latest evolution in its PLATEminus Plate Carrier line. The KLAUX sets itself apart from other armor carrier systems currently available by using a patent-pending quick attach buckle. This distinct emergency-release system is built directly into the front attachment points of the vest. This allows the vest to immediately release and can easily be shed when the user pulls the release cable (conveniently hidden beneath the chin protector.)

The KLAUX Plate Carrier also greatly reduces reassembly time. Rather than spending up to 30 minutes for reassembly, most end users can reassemble the KLUAX Plate Carrier in as little as 30 seconds, which means that this carrier can easily be used in training where the user becomes familiar with the exact carrier they will be using in the field.

www.blueforcegear.com

Tags: Blue Force Gear
Posted in Advertiser, Armor, SHOT Show | 3 Comments »

SHOT Show 17 – Daniel Defense DDM4V7S

January 23rd, 2017

Although there was plenty to check out in Daniel Defense’s rather large booth, the DDM4V7S caught the eye of more than one member of the gun press.

This 5.56 carbine weighs 5.8 lbs and sports a 11.5″ Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a Government profile and carbine length gas system. It’s topped off with a DD Flash Suppressor.

Note the Daniel Defense furniture which includes Collapsible Buttstock, Pistol Grip and Vertical Fore Grip as well as 32 round magazine.

I’ve long been a fan of DD’s Rock and Lock Fixed Front and Rear sights. They are solid and easy to install making them great back up sights. Based on the A1-style, they are simple to adjust and are always there when you need them.