The National Shooting Sports Foundation released their report titled “The Firearms and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report: 2017” on April 10th. As the title hints this annual NSSF report provides details on the economic impact the firearms and ammunition industry has on the USA as a whole and each individual state by breaking down the numbers in dollars of both direct and indirect jobs, wages, and overall economic impact of our favorite industry.

If you are a reloader you know the name Starline brings quality to the table. To make things even better for the rifle reloader Starline adds .338 Federal brass to its ever-growing lineup of high-quality rifle brass.

While at Latin America Aerospace and Defence 2017 (LAAD 2017), Israeli Weapon Industries released the latest in their line of Jericho handguns. The 9x19mm NATO/.40 S&W/.45 ACP Jericho 941 PL Enhanced handgun is a move towards bringing the Jericho into motion with numerous changes in recent modular pistol design. This includes a flattened polymer frame, interchangable backstraps, a rounded trigger guard, and more picatinny rail-estate on the forend. The 941 PL comes in two sizes, a full size and a compact version. So far the only difference between the two that we can tell is that the full size has one more picatinny cross section and might be somewhat longer in the grip. The handgun comes in Black, Green, and FDE. Offering this handgun in FDE appears to be a first in terms of finish FDE options for IWI as well.

Now buying a Ruger AR-556 Elite complete lower is a factory option thanks to the new addition to their product catalog. When Ruger started shipping the stripped lowers, consumers were scooping them up quickly. Given Ruger’s reputation, it comes as no surprise that there haven’t been any reported issues with the stripped lowers.

The Associated Press and KGWB in Cheyenne, Wyoming are reporting that Magpul Industries’ staffing agency, ResourceMFG, informed workers of the separation of 85 employees from its manufacturing and distribution facility on Thursday, April 6, 2017.

Our friends over at Maglula sent some photos of the counterfeit loaders that have been purchased from Amazon directly. As before, the best thing you can do to avoid falling victim to the fake loaders is to buy from a reputable retailer that purchased their entire inventory from Maglula.

An official announcement from the Connecticut Governor’s office has confirmed that Colt’s Manufacturing Company, the current, official name of the company we all call “Colt”, is purchasing its own headquarters and manufacturing facility in West Hartford Connecticut. Also in the press release from Governor Dannel Malloy was promised retention of Colt’s current 600-employee workforce and the addition of 100 more jobs at the location.

Our friends over at Maglula sent over a notification that their excellent loaders have been counterfeited. Below is the release they sent over, sadly we do not have any photos of a fake loader to show you. Your best defense is to buy from a quality retailer until the folks at Maglula can sort everything out.

FightLite, the manufacturer behind some fairly novel AR platforms has selected Wolverine Supplies as their official distributor in Canada. FightLite makes the MCR, an AR upper capable of feeding from linked belt amunition, as well as the SCR a “not really an AR” straight stock setup without the traditional AR buffer, and most recently at Shot Show 2017 demoed their MXR family of pistol caliber carbines.

Taylor’s & Company, best known for importing reproductions of civil-war era and cowboy action firearms, has just announced a new rifle in their line-up: The 1892 “Huntsman”.  Chambered in .357Mag, 45LC, and .44Mag, the 1892 Huntsman Carbine features a 16″ barrel, 8 round capacity, and 38″ OAL for a total weight of 6lbs.  More importantly, it comes stock with upgraded features that I have added on to customers’ lever guns in the past, including an adjustable skinner-type rear sight, hi-vis fiber optic front sight, and an enlarged D-type lever loop.  All calibers of this model have an MSRP of $1273.00.

The new Apex advanced trigger promises to drop approximately two pounds from the factory trigger pull with only a trigger replacement. We previously tested the flat trigger on my P320 Compact and found it to be pretty good with the exception fo the finish used on the trigger itself. It was a bit on the slick side for serious use in hot conditions with a rather slippery trigger face.

Aftermarket triggers like the Overwatch Precision D.A.T.V2 that I am currently reviewing have one of the highest cost to benefit ratios out of every possible gun upgrade (aside from more ammo). Depending on what gun you currently are modding you might be out of luck when looking for a trigger. Now those of you who own a Springfield Armory XD-S can choose the new BRZ trigger from Overwatch Precision if that is an upgrade you are eyeing.

Aftermarket triggers like the Overwatch Precision D.A.T.V2 that I am currently reviewing have one of the highest cost to benefit ratios out of every possible gun upgrade (aside from more ammo). Depending on what gun you currently are modding you might be out of luck when looking for a trigger. Now those of you who own a Springfield Armory XD-S can choose the new BRZ trigger from Overwatch Precision if that is an upgrade you are eyeing.

Aftermarket triggers like the Overwatch Precision D.A.T.V2 that I am currently reviewing have one of the highest cost to benefit ratios out of every possible gun upgrade (aside from more ammo). Depending on what gun you currently are modding you might be out of luck when looking for a trigger. Now those of you who own a Springfield Armory XD-S can choose the new BRZ trigger from Overwatch Precision if that is an upgrade you are eyeing.

Walther has issued a recall of the Walther CCP pistols because of what they call a potential condition in the CCP that can cause the firearm to discharge regardless of the manual safety being engaged or disengaged. Walther has issued a voluntary recall as a result and will be upgrading all affected CCPs in order to remove the risk of a drop-fire.

Much to the elation of M&P 40 police trade in guns like myself, Apex has released a conversion barrel that allows you to shoot 9mm. With the new M&P 2.0 being released this is a well-timed product launch because I imagine that many police departments that are still running the M&P 40 will likely trade them in towards the new and improved 2.0.

Several business news sources across the internet are reporting that Smith & Wesson’s, now branded American Outdoor Brands, shares have declined in value an additional 5% following the expected slowing of the firearms market and American Outdoor Brands’ third quarter sales reports. For those not familiar with such things American Outdoor Brands’ operates on a fiscal year ending each April 30.

Many people predicted the fate of Gander Mountain and now more information is surfacing. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy it allows Gander Mountain to clean up their dirty laundry, consolidate as needed, and potentially sell the company without too much disruption for their customers. Gander Mountain‘s timeline is looking loosely like this:

A gun that was simply given away as a prize throughout the “Duel 3” sweepstakes back in 2015 has finally become available to the public. The Springfield Armory Master Class Silent Operator fills a void in the Springfield 1911 line-up since no stock models have threaded barrels. It also tips the scale on the tacti-cool factor (yup, I said it), and the price tag tips the scale as well.

For anybody that is a fan of the 10mm, Springfield Armory is responding to a lot of unanswered prayers. In an open “Q&A” video on Springfield Armory’s YouTube channel, a Facebook user basically asked if they would be making a 10mm any time soon. This was their response:

Strike Industries is at it again with their new G4 Slidecomp  Glock compensator that requires nothing other than you owning a 9mm Gen 4 gun. That’s right, no threaded barrel, no expensive porting, just a stock Gen 4 Glock in 9mm. So why is this exciting? Well, if you haven’t shot a comped gun, there isn’t much that is quite like it in terms of getting the gun back on target quickly.

Primary Machine has dropped some new Glock compensators that look eerily like the KKM Two Port compensator (I currently have one in for evaluation, review coming soon). This isn’t the first Glock comp to be launched that is reminiscent of the proven KKM style, Texas Black Rifle Company was the first offshoot with the Micro Comp. Scoff at the addition of an external compensator if you like, but there are benefits like keeping the lens of a flashlight clean or reducing recoil. I know for a fact that a good comp can tame a 9mm to where it feels like you are shooting a .22 making follow up shots lightning fast.

The most common Crimson Trace laser grips out in the wild are for the 1911, most often found on Kimbers as well as other manufacturers’ pistols. The laser grips have become part of a daily carry for many 1911 guys to include many of the guys I know that carry a 1911 every day. Since being acquired by Smith & Wesson there have not been many changes made to the Crimson Trace product lineup with the new Master Series laser grips being the first refreshed offering.

Rimfire ammunition, after what seems like an eternity to shooters, is finally becoming available again. Federal Premium is growing their already expansive line of rimfire offerings with some more bulk packs and more premium hunting rounds with Hunter Match.

With Sig Sauer officially winning the XM17 US Army pistol contract, and Glock protesting the outcome of the trials, somebody has to supply the military ammunition. That is where Winchester comes into the picture. They have been selected as the ammunition supplier for the U.S. Army modular handgun system program.

I just received an email that some Brownells AR-15 barrels are being recalled due to a small error in the manufacturing process. It appears that when drilling the gas port, some barrels may show signs of the drill bit contacting the rifling on the opposite side of the barrel.

Gander Mountain is a privately owned company and normally they do not make public statements of any kind. Amidst a multitude of speculation that they were going bankrupt they finally broke their silence.

Smith & Wesson has a lot of popular firearms in their inventory, but there are some that definitely pay the bills more than others. That short-hand list likely includes the Sport II 5.56 NATO, Shield 9mm/.40 S&W, and the Performance Center C.O.R.E. 9mm. Keeping that in mind, even if Smith & Wesson has some golden geese on their hands someone is bound to complain its the wrong shade of gold. Something more flat dark earth colored would obviously be better, right? Well, Smith & Wesson listened to consumers and added in some new variations of their bread ‘n butter models.

You can now get more modern with your HK91, HK33, and clones of those rifles with M-LOK and KEYMOD handguards. Whether you have GI variants, carbine length, or rifle length, there are now handguards out there that open up a Pandora’s box of accessories to you.

The shares for Cabela’s Inc have been dropping and shareholders are becoming quite concerned. The purchase of Cabela’s by Bass Pro Shops for initially $5.5 billion has been halted due to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That figure of $5.5 billion has been adjusted to $4.5 billion now as well. In writing that may not seem like a big deal, but ask any shareholder if they would rather see it sell for one billion dollars more. I think you would know their answer.