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Buscadero
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Gun Smoke |
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GUNS & SHOOTING - 2007 At the 2006 SHOT Show I was approached by my friend Ed Brown,
of Ed Brown Products Inc. (www.edbrown.com).
As most of
you know, Ed builds some of the nicest bolt-action rifles and 1911 pistols
that can be had today. Anyway, Ed proposed the idea that he and I would
design a 1911 pistol based upon my ideas of what such a pistol should consist
of and offer it as a limited edition "Sheriff Jim Wilson .45
ACP".
As of January 2007, this .45 auto is a reality and I have to say that Ed and
his crew did an outstanding job on the gun. For those of you who might be
interested in obtaining a ìSheriff Jim Wilsonî 1911 pistol all you have to do
is visit the Ed Brown web site, then contact them to place your order. The
gun will be shipped to the FFL dealer of your choice. It has been, and continues to be, my policy not to endorse
certain products. Thatís just not fair to the other manufacturers whose
products I am assigned to test and evaluate. So I want to make this very
clearÖ.the gun will be a limited-edition piece, made only during 2007, and,
most importantly,ÖI HAVE NO FINANCIAL INTEREST IN THE GUN, OR IN ED BROWN
PRODUCTS INC. Long before Ed and I engaged in this project I had stated, in
print, that his guns were among the finest that are made today. I stand by
that statement but am quick to point out that there are numerous
manufacturers of excellent 1911 pistols from which to choose. The Browns are
good people and I consider them my friends. They build great handguns, as
does Les Baer, and custom pistolsmiths Wayne Novak and Hamilton Bowen. And I
think you will also be pleased with 1911 pistols from Springfield Armory,
Kimber, and Para-Ordnance. For all that, I really appreciate Ed Brown honoring me with this fine limited-edition 1911. If you choose to order one I know that you will be pleased with the material and craftsmanship that is reflected in this pistol. Speaking of Wayne Novak (www.novaksights.com),
Wayne has
come up with a gizmo that experienced 1911 shooters will really appreciate.
For years, about the only complaint that you heard from 1911 shooters was
that the grip safety on a 1911 was often difficult to get a good purchase on.
This became especially true when we began to shoot with the ìhigh thumbî
position. Letting your shooting thumb ride down on the 1911 thumb safety, and
stay there, just makes too much sense. It gives you more control over the
pistol and keeps you from accidentally engaging the thumb safety during a
shootout. The only problem with that is that we often have trouble engaging
the grip safety with this style of shooting. With all of that in mind, Wayne and his crew designed a unit
called THE ANSWER. This is a one-piece, solid backstrap that replaces the
issue grip safety and mainspring housing. There is no longer a grip safety. Now before everyone gets all excited about safety liability law
suits, let me remind you that John Browning originally designed his guns
without grip safeties. His later pistol, the Browning Hi-Power doesnít have
one. However, at the request of the U.S. Army, Browning designed a grip safety
for his 1911. This is the only reason that the 1911 pistol has a grip safety.
Look in any gun catalog and see how many other models of auto pistols
currently use a grip safety. Youíll find that itís very few. Recently, I sent an older model Colt Commander off to Wayne
Novak to have THE ANSWER installed. At the same time, Wayne did some other
custom work on the gun. At my request, he installed a set of his famous
fixed-combat sights (with none of those silly, damned dots on the rear sight,
either). However, he did put a gold bead on the front sight. This gold bead
is extremely easy to see (even for old eyes) in any kind of light. Novak also
installed a custom barrel in the Commander, tuned the action, and did a great
blue job on the pistol. It is a great gun to shoot and has quickly become one
of my favorite carry guns. Beginning shooters should take note that THE ANSWER, from Wayne
Novak, is completely safe if you remember and abide by the simplest of safety
rulesÖ.KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT. Again, I have no financial interest in Wayne Novakís company,
or in THE ANSWER. Itís just a new product that I feel 1911 shooters should be
aware of. Early in 2007, Jim Zumbo wrote a piece for an internet blog in
which he abused the use of ìblack riflesî for sporting purposes. Essentially,
he said that rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47 had no place in the sporting
field and, in fact, he had no use for them at all. He also suggested that
game departments ought to outlaw their use. The response from shooters was overwhelming in opposition to
Mr. Zumboís comments. As a result of this, virtually every company that had
Zumbo on its payroll dropped himÖthis includes Outdoor Life magazine,
Remington, Cabelaís, and several others. Jim Zumbo has since apologized for
his remarks. Now, I donít know Jim Zumbo and donít have anything against
him. And, not knowing him I canít comment on whether or not his apology is
sincere, or just that of a guy trying to get back in everyoneís good graces.
But there is an issue here that goes beyond this incident. In the next few years we may be faced with a massive assault on
our rights as gun owners. And this is not the time, nor is it ever the time,
to be knocking someone elseís shooting sport. All we have a right to expect
from another shooter, or hunter, is that his conduct be lawful and sporting.
I may not care too much for trap shooting but I sure donít need to be
knocking it in a public fashion. It is critically important for us to stick
together in our support for the spirit of the 2nd Amendment. If youíre not a member of the National Rifle AssociationÖshame
on you. In October of 2006, I spent a week at Gunsite (www.gunsite.com).
This is the
school that the late Col. Jeff Cooper founded out north of Prescott, Arizona.
I was there as a guest of Smith & Wesson, and a host of other companies,
to spend the week shooting and using new products. I also had the chance to
spend time with the new owner, Buz Mills, and his fine staff. I was impressed
enough with their teaching skills that I booked another school with them for
May of 2007. Gunsite is a great place to learn the basics of defensive use
of the handgun, as well as develop useful skills with the rifle and shotgun.
A little over a year ago, I visited with a lady from Arizona who wanted to
learn defensive handgun skills and get her Arizona Concealed Carry license.
At my suggestion, she booked a class at Gunsite and thoroughly enjoyed the
whole experience. Later, I wrote her story up for one of my Gun Smoke
columns. But Gunsite is far more than a school for beginners. Itís a
great place for experienced shooters to re-sharpen their shooting skills.
Thatís the reason that Iím going back in May. Left to our own devices, we
tend to practice what weíre already good at. A good shooting school will make
you stretch just a bit and work on those things that need improvement. I want to thank all of you that have made favorable comments
about our Guns&Ammo television show on the Outdoor Channel. We will be
filming more segments of the show in May and again in August. Please contact
Shooting Times Magazine, or Guns & Ammo Magazine, and let us know what
youíd like to see included in future shows. Also please visit our web site at
www.shootingtimes.com.
In September of 2006, we lost one of the giants of the shooting
industry when Col. Jeff Cooper passed away. Colonel Cooper was a life-long
student of firearms, a magnificent teacher, a thought-provoking man, and the
founder of THE MODERN TECHNIQUE OF THE PISTOL. In re-reading some of his writings I came across his comment as
to how much he disliked the salutation, ìHave a nice day.î He suggested,
instead, that we greet each other with a more appropriate lineÖ.îShoot
straight.î So, in honor of the Colonel that is what I am going to use from
now on and I suggest that you do the same. Shoot
StraightÖ Jim
Wilson (jw.44@sbcglobal.net) ### |
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