If someone were to ask you which products Colt has sold over the years, would you say a .22 semiautomatic rifle? I didn’t think you would. Colt made three versions of .22 rifles, the Courier, Colteer and Stagecoach, as well as others under several private-label names for Sears, Wards and other companies. This alloy rifle shot well, but did not hold up well. Unless it was kept oiled and clean, the alloy parts wore very rapidly. In spite of this, the little Colt rifles were good enough lightweight shooters that most owners will pay to get them fixed rather than discard theirs.

Introduced in 1963, the Remington Model 1100 shotgun has been around for over 40 years now. Variations include a sporter for field shooting, a Magnum version for ducks and geese, as well as a skeet and trap model for those who enjoy breaking clay targets. In all, there have been well over 3,500,000 Model 1100s produced over this period of time so you are bound to see one (or more) come across your bench. In this article, I’ll cover some of the common problems that result in ejection failures along with a few of the possible glitches that aren’t seen very often. And, of course, I’ll examine the cures that will help you get this shotgun back in service as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Check out several videos this week: Close quarter defense requires different tactics than defense from a distance. Pillar bedding is the process of installing aluminum columns in a rifle stock to ensure there is perfect metal-to-metal contact between the action and bottom metal. Gunsite Range Master Il Ling New demonstrates the how to properly load and unload your firearm.

What's ahead for the midterms? Jeff Knox at The Firearms Coalition says, 'There might be a few Democrats who haven't been able to bring themselves to declare support for the Second Amendment, but the official party line is broad support for the constitutional right, while interpreting it in the narrowest terms, and doing all they can to undermine and dismantle it.' As for the other party, 'Republicans, on the other hand, are generally supportive of the right to arms, but few of them have any more understanding of the issue than do the Democrats. They definitely lack the resolve and the backbone to vigorously oppose the Democrats' attacks on the Constitution and the President's appointments of radical extremists to the courts and high level government positions.'

Gun Reports - News

Smith & Wesson's J-frame Model 642 revolver No. 150466 comes with pink grips and black grips. The "Centennial" frame has a fully enclosed hammer.

Pink For Outdoor Equipment?

In an recent poll from HunterSurvey and AnglerSurvey, sportsmen and women were asked how color, particularly pink, factors into the market for purchasing angling and hunting supplies such as fishing rods and reels, firearms, binoculars, coolers, and other similar outdoor equipment.

For hunters and target shooters, taken from nearly 3,700 sportsmen and women, the most popular colors for purchase of supplies were camouflage, where 62 percent of males and 60 percent females prefer this color. The following popular colors included black, green, and brown.

The lowest preference for both male and females included brighter colors--white, yellow, and multicolored. And 15.4 percent women preferred pink, unrelated to breast cancer causes. Overall, 20 percent of men and women did not care about color in purchasing supplies.

With a smaller percentage of women, in comparison to men, agreeing that women are likely to purchase pink--just for the sake of pink, rather than for breast cancer--brings to mind the question of whether or not selling pink equipment unrelated to breast cancer is a condescending way to market that audience. Among hunters, 42 percent of men believed it was condescending, and 47 percent women reported it was condescending, or less than half.

On another note, the discrepancy between pink for the color and pink for breast cancer awareness was significant. Among all hunters and anglers, 72 percent and 74 percent respectively, regardless of gender, believed selling pink equipment to promote breast cancer awareness would promote sales. Eighty seven percent of female hunters agreed that pink equipment would sell better if intended to promote awareness, along with 88 percent of female anglers.

Reader Comments

I don't think Breast Cancer Awareness and Firearms will mate very well other than the fact, they both have the ability to take life. A viewpoint could be conveyed to a Liberal that a pink fishing pole has the ability to take a life as well but that would bring an Animal Rights Activist into the conversation. I'll play safe and side with the 42% of men who believe the color pink is condescending on a firearm.

Comment by: Jeff W | October 22, 2009

I don't care for the pink either, however I think it's a good idea to try and get more women into our sport. Not only so they can defend themselves, but so we can get more voices out there to support the 2nd amendment. My wife would NOT have a pink gun, however if that's what it takes to attract more women so be it. Anyways, just wait until they get lead and gun powder stains on those pink grips, then they will switch them to black.

Comment by: Robert J | October 22, 2009

Well, folks, I don't wish to throw a damper on this discussion, but when my wife saw the Charter Arms Pink Lady, she really lit up. So, I asked her if she wanted one, and she said that she did, but she first wanted a Kahr PM9, so that it can fit nicely into an external pocket that appears on most of her handbags. Because I love to spoil her with little surprises, I bought her the Kahr PM9 for her birthday. She was ecstatic with it! But, because I do like to spoil her, I also bought the Pink Lady to present to her at Christmas. I know.....I know.....Pink doesn't belong on a firearm, but I can't wait to see her reaction when she gets the Charter.

Comment by: canovack | October 22, 2009

One think about pink: Its hard to lose, unlike camo.

Comment by: Mister E | October 22, 2009

Thanks for making my point Col. Novack, if pink gets some women fired up about owning a gun I think its a great option. Pink guns might even increase gun ownership in San Francisco.

Comment by: Robert J | October 23, 2009

I took this survey with mixed feelings on the topic. 1. I felt it may bring more females (I use this to encompass young and old). 2. I feel this is meant only as a marketing ploy with no intend to publicise or assist the breast cancer awareness (are any of the sale profits going to breast cancer research?) and 3. I don't think many men will be buying unless it is for a daughter,wife, girlfriend, or mother.

Comment by: 7mag | October 24, 2009