Good morning firearms fans and welcome back to another episode of the TFB Behind The Gun podcast. Today’s guest is Aaron Hampton from EOTECH. I really enjoyed this interview because besides having an incredible level of knowledge and experience, Aaron was easygoing and personable, which can be sometimes hard to find in our industry today. We discussed optics basics, product development and dove into the issue of thermal drift. Personally, I was impressed with the openness by a company that received such harsh criticism in the past, but you can have a listen and let me know your thoughts.

French firearms manufacturer  Verney-Carron is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the company’s creation. Established in 1820 in Saint-Etienne by spouses Claude Verney and Antoinette Carron, the company since operated uninterruptedly remaining a family-owned business managed by six generations of the Verney-Carron family. This fact makes it the oldest existing firearm manufacturer in France.

North Carolina-based Blackwater Worldwide have announced a partnership with Utah-based Iron Horse Firearms which will see Iron Horse come under the Blackwater banner as the company continues to diversify. Blackwater’s new firearms division joins the gear and ammo arms of the business.

The whole grasshopper versus the ant fable can easily be applied to the current ammunition market. While the ant worked diligently to scoop up 5.56×45, .22LR and 9mm at affordable prices, the grasshopper kicked back and banked on an endless summer bounty. Well, when it comes to sourcing ammo, the nuclear winter has arrived. There are still pockets of availability scattered across the internet, but ammunition manufacturer SIG Sauer has made it easier to see which SIG Sauer ammunition is ready to buy and ship.

In a recent report by Southwick Associates, it was revealed that CCI took the number one spot as the most-purchased handgun ammunition for 2019. The report was generated by surveying more than 20,000 gun owners which included hunters and recreational through ShooterSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com.

Sioux Falls, SD-based Silencer dealer Silencer Central has just been given the green light by the ATF to sell suppressors in all 42 silencer friendly states. What makes Silencer Central special amongst other silencer dealers is that they sell their silencers direct to their customers.

MT2 Firing Range Services is a company that works nationwide to help gun ranges and gun clubs safely and efficiently run their ranges. Their mission is to help companies keep sustainable standards that keep our environment clean and free from lead hazards. They offer cleaning and remediation services for not just the firing ranges but the rest of the facility including shop displays and locker rooms in law-enforcement facilities.

Silencer Shop and Ruger have just announced an independent distribution agreement to sell Ruger Suppressors through its nationwide dealer network. Four years ago the firearm manufacturing giant made the leap into the suppressor world with the Silent-SR rimfire suppressor followed by an integrally suppressed barrel for the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. With their  expanding PCC lineup, let’s hope the trend towards quiet shooting continues for Ruger.

Last year TFB published this interview with the multiple-IPSC World Champion Eric Grauffel as he changed brand and joined the CZ Shooting Team. IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) together with CZ firearms have now announced a global partnership in the field of “IPSC Handgun”. If you remember, Kahles recently did the same thing. Read our article IPSC and Kahles Optics Enter a Global Partnership to refresh your memory.

The homie Roy at Brownells emailed me a clever promo they have going now – “Brownells Boredom Buster”. Rules are below, but the long and short of it is that Brownells is giving someone a shot at a $10k shopping spree if they post an entertaining gun-related video to Instagram on or before April 16 and use the proper tags/hashtags/@s detailed below.

The Italian firearms manufacturer Beretta is helping in the current healthcare crisis in Italy. Beretta has switched their machine park, which usually produces 3D printed prototypes of firearms and accessories, to make parts for breathing aids for the extremely hard-pressed Italian healthcare.

In the midst of this current pandemic, Remington Arms has offered to take part in its manufacturing space at their Ilion New York factory and convert it supplies dedicated to combating the coronavirus. Items such as ventilators, surgical masks, hospital beds and other critical medical supplies used in hospitals are in short supply and Remington has offered one million square feet of unused manufacturing space.

I can personally attest to the difficulties in evaluating suppressors from a scientific standpoint. Consumers want a go/no-go gauge for the performance of a particular silencer on a variety of different hosts. But unfortunately, the variables that come into play – from atmospheric conditions all the way down to gas port sizes – will alter test results in some shape or form. One way to help consumers make more informed decisions is to provide them with a variety of test data collected using the scientific method and an industry standard. Jay Idriss of PEW Science hopes to give the industry access to the most comprehensive test data currently available through a subscription based service that will launch today at www.pewscience.com.

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) used to transfer firearms in many states is run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The system itself isn’t exactly instant, especially in times of high volume – like Black Friday and now the COVID-19 pandemic. NICS uses three categories to determine the outcome of a firearms transfer request. Proceed: the applicant has passed the background check. Deny: the applicant has failed the background check. And Delay: more information regarding the applicant is required before the transfer can move forward. In the Delay scenario, FFLs are given an official Brady Transfer Date from which the clock starts ticking. If after three days from the Brady Transfer Date the FBI is unable to complete the background check, the transfer of the firearm can continue at the discretion of the FFL.

American Holoptics, an affiliate of  Koucar Management, have bought EOTech from L3Harris. The purchase price is undisclosed. At the end of 2005 L3Harris acquired EOTech, a story that now comes to an end.

In the wake of increasing security concerns regarding the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Americans are buying up guns and ammunition at a breakneck pace. After years of suffering from high prices related to overseas conflicts, raw material availability, and incidents in the U.S. that could push forward new firearm restrictions, we were just starting to get back to normal pricing levels. Just in time for a another bank run on lead, copper and brass. Ammo.com just sent over a very interesting data-driven report on the calibers, locations and price increases of ammunition sales in recent days.

The COVID-19 Coronavirus situation has spiked fear and anxiety worldwide. In uncertain times, it’s natural for people to want to protect themselves and defend their families in the event of any adverse human behavior. The past few days have seen a huge spike in firearms sales, possibly pointing to a large new group of gun owners entering our world. First off, welcome, we are happy to have you. Second, let’s talk about gun safety.

The legal and leadership team at SIG Sauer have announced a victory today in a patent infringement case brought forth by Steyr Arms. The claim, as described in a complaint filed in the Northern District of Alabama in 2017 had previously alleged that SIG infringed on Steyr’s patent #6,260,301. The “301“ patent claim took aim at the plastic frame and metal trigger housing module that is characteristic of the SIG P250 and P320 handguns.

Dead Air Silencers recently extended a kind thank you to loyal customers with no strings attached. This exclusive thank you includes whole hosts of exciting loot just waiting for you, the faithful Dead Air patrons. They give their social media announcement as follows:

At the beginning of the past month, we reported about  Rock Island Auction Company preparing to hold the world’s largest firearm auction. The auction took place as scheduled (February 13th to 16th) and with over 11,200 guns sold in over 5,500 lots, the RIA February Sporting & Collector Auction generated $10.4 Million. Here is how RIAC described this auction in their press release.

Photos by Defense Mechanisms

IWA OutdoorClassics 2020, Europe’s largest outdoor and firearms trade fair, has been postponed. The event was due to take place on 6-9 March, at the NürnbergMesse convention centre in Nuremberg, Germany. ENFORCE TAC, a defence and security trade show which preceeds IWA OutdoorClassics (on 4-6 March), has also been postponed. Although the announcement states the events will be rescheduled to later this year, there is no update on when this may be.

There are two things that are easily remembered in the gun world.  Your first gun, and your favorite gun store.  Nestled in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City is my personal favorite, Gallenson’s Guns and Ammo.  In 1916 Russian immigrant and tailor,  William Gallenson, opened the store as a tailor shop. In 1925 that tailor shop turned gun store and pawnshop, and it’s been open ever since.

2020 is a year of change for Adams Arms. Not only are they in the process of moving to a new facility, but  Adams Arms has also hired on its newest team member. Adams Arms Holdings LLC has just announced that Michael Halleron will be taking the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the company.

In 2019, Blackwater Worldwide re-entered the firearms and ammunition market in the USA and began manufacturing ammunition, tactical blades, and suppressors. Today they are proud to announce the Blackwater Contractor Grade 124 grain 9mm hollow point ammunition.

Just this past week, North Haven Firefighters had to knock down a structure fire at the Mossberg headquarters. Located on 7 Grasso Ave in North Haven CT, the fire was first engaged at about 9:15 am. To date, no major Injuries have been reported.

Sons of Liberty Gunworks, a manufacturer of high-quality AR-15s, gun parts, and accessories, has just announced that they will be adding SGM(R) Charles “Chuck” Pressburg to their professional staff. Chuck currently operates with Presscheck Consulting which provides training to law enforcement and military personnel.

A lot of people within reloading circles have been wondering, “where has all the powder gone” as of late? With Hodgdon Powder providing the handloading community with so many popular brands of smokeless propellants – Hodgdon, IMR, and Winchester – they have some answers for us in this 2020 Update that was posted to their Facebook page on Friday, January 31st.

Ceska Zbrojovka Group (CZG) is probably more known to our readers as just “CZ“. At least that is a lot easier for most of us to pronounce.

Airforce Airguns, maker of the “ most powerful production air rifle“, just announced a partnership with American Built Arms Company. The Pennsylvanian company, best known for their Mod*X rifle chassis, will be the OEM of several component and accessories for the Texas based airgun manufacturer.