They may be familiar to some, but not every gunsmith knows the ins and outs of drill bits. Here are the basics.

The graceful, light, and distinctive L.C. Smith Hammerless Double sidelock is a favorite of American shotgunners. Here’s how to fix its most common problems. If you own a Smith and want to make it suitable to shoot again, or if you are presented a Smith to repair, here’s what you need to know about the shotgun.

In June 2010, Kahr Arms purchased Minnesota-based firearms manufacturer, Magnum Research, Inc., maker of the Desert Eagle Pistol and BFR Revolvers in .44 Magnum, .45 LC/.410 or .45/70. Kahr Arms offers a selection of other niche-type firearms, such as the “Tommy Gun” and Auto-Ordnance line of M1 .30 caliber carbines. In this video, Gun Tests Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine shows off two of the company’s big-hole BFR wheelguns.

Beretta USA introduced the BU-9 Nano as its entry into the pocket 9mm pistol category last September. Initial shipments of the American-made pistol left the Accokeek, Maryland factory beginning in November 2011, with a suggested retail price of $475. In this video, Gun Tests’ Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine gets a detailed explanation of how easy the Nano is to break down for maintenance. The Nano's modularity provides for simple disassembly and easy cleaning. Safely disassemble the pistol by first engaging the striker deactivator, a patent pending safety mechanism that eliminates the need to pull the trigger prior to disassembly.

Gun Reports - News

July 2010 a Record Month for NICS Checks

(GunReports.com) -- Unadjusted data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,069,792 checks in July 2010, ranking the month the highest July for most NICS checks.

This figure represents an increase of 10.7 percent over checks in July 2009.

The total number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is 118,006,677. (FBI NICS disclaimer: These figures indicate the number of background checks requested. They do not indicate firearm transfers.)

As NICS can be used for a variety of purposes such as state permit checks on CCW databases and applications, NSSF has created an adjusted monthly NICS figure by subtracting out the "permit" column on the monthly NICS purpose code reports.

The July 2010 adjusted NICS figure of 628,125 is an increase of 4.3 percent over the adjusted figure of 602,353 in July 2009.

As more states use NICS to check new CCW applicants and their active CCW databases, NSSF feels by subtracting the NICS checks used for "permit" checks, it will give a more accurate and reliable indicator of current market conditions.

Reader Comments

While it is encouraging, in one sense, to note that an increase in NICS checks does correlate to an increase in sales of firearms, there is some room for inaccuracy. For example, in Texas, no NICS checks are required/conducted if a purchaser shows his/her CHL to the dealer who is conducting the transaction. That said, since the Texas CHL law went into effect in 1996, many gun owners like me have purchased significantly large numbers of firearms that did not involve the use of a NICS check. The end result, then, is that more firearms transactions have been conducted than are represented by NICS records.

Comment by: canovack | August 24, 2010