2/15/2010 Press Release

Dear Friends and Loyal Customers:

As you may be aware, we have been engaged in an ongoing dispute with the ATF for the past two years. While Cavalry Arms has at all times tried its best to run a lawful and honest shop, unfortunately, some regulatory compliance mistakes were made. We have now come to the point where we feel it is in our best interest to close our FFL and to cease all firearms operations. The owner of Cavalry Arms, Shawn Nealon, has elected to leave the firearms business and concentrate on firearms accessories instead. We are currently in negotiations with another company for that company to purchase the CAV-15 product line. Rest assured that any resulting purchase agreement will address the issue of providing service and support with regard to existing CAV-15 firearm products. We will continue to manufacture quality plastic components, grow our Medical products line, and work to bring new innovations to the relevant markets. Over the next several weeks we will be conducting a wind-down of our firearms manufacturing and FFL operations. Accordingly, please do not send us any firearms for repair or replacement. Instead, such issues should be addressed to the ultimate purchaser of our assets. Due to our limited personnel resources, during this transition/operation wind-down period, the final processing and shipping of firearm receivers already in our inventory will be our first priority.

We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding and anticipate that the relevant asset purchaser will begin operations in March of 2010. We sincerely thank you for your prior and ongoing support during these troubled times and look forward to better years ahead.

Thank you,
Cavalry Arms

By Dan Lamothe – Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 15, 2010 21:50:05 EST

The Marine Corps is dropping its conventional 5.56mm ammunition in Afghanistan in favor of new deadlier, more accurate rifle rounds, and could field them at any time.

The open-tipped rounds until now have been available only to Special Operations Command troops. The first 200,000 5.56mm Special Operations Science and Technology rounds are already downrange with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, said Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. Commonly known as “SOST” rounds, they were legally cleared for Marine use by the Pentagon in late January, according to Navy Department documents obtained by Marine Corps Times.

SOCom developed the new rounds for use with the Special Operations Force Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR, which needed a more accurate bullet because its short barrel, at 13.8 inches, is less than an inch shorter than the M4 carbine’s. Using an open-tip match round design common with some sniper ammunition, SOST rounds are designed to be “barrier blind,” meaning they stay on target better than existing M855 rounds after penetrating windshields, car doors and other objects.

Compared to the M855, SOST rounds also stay on target longer in open air and have increased stopping power through “consistent, rapid fragmentation which shortens the time required to cause incapacitation of enemy combatants,” according to Navy Department documents. At 62 grains, they weigh about the same as most NATO rounds, have a typical lead core with a solid copper shank and are considered a variation of Federal Cartridge Co.’s Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw round, which was developed for big-game hunting and is touted in a company news release for its ability to crush bone.

The Corps purchased a “couple million” SOST rounds as part of a joint $6 million, 10.4-million-round buy in September — enough to last the service several months in Afghanistan, Brogan said. Navy Department documents say the Pentagon will launch a competition worth up to $400 million this spring for more SOST ammunition.

“This round was really intended to be used in a weapon with a shorter barrel, their SCAR carbines,” Brogan said. “But because of its blind-to-barrier performance, its accuracy improvements and its reduced muzzle flash, those are attractive things that make it also useful to general purpose forces like the Marine Corps and Army.”
M855 problems

The standard Marine round, the M855, was developed in the 1970s and approved as an official NATO round in 1980. In recent years, however, it has been the subject of widespread criticism from troops, who question whether it has enough punch to stop oncoming enemies.

In 2002, shortcomings in the M855’s performance were detailed in a report by Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Ind., according to Navy Department documents. Additional testing in 2005 showed shortcomings. The Pentagon issued a request to industry for improved ammunition the following year. Federal Cartridge was the only company to respond.

Brogan said the Corps has no plans to remove the M855 from the service’s inventory at this time. However, the service has determined it “does not meet USMC performance requirements” in an operational environment in which insurgents often lack personal body armor, but engage troops through “intermediate barriers” such as windshields and car doors at security checkpoints, according to a Jan. 25 Navy Department document clearing Marines to use the SOST round.

The document, signed by J.R. Crisfield, director of the Navy Department International and Operational Law Division, is clear on the recommended course of action for the 5.56mm SOST round, formally known as MK318 MOD 0 enhanced 5.56mm ammunition.

“Based on the significantly improved performance of the MK318 MOD 0 over the M855 against virtually every anticipated target array in Afghanistan and similar combat environments where increased accuracy, better effects behind automobile glass and doors, consistent terminal performance and reduced muzzle flash are critical to mission accomplishment, USMC would treat the MK318 MOD 0 as its new 5.56mm standard issue cartridge,” Crisfield wrote.

The original plan called for the SOST round to be used specifically within the M4 carbine, which has a 14½-inch barrel and is used by tens of thousands of Marines in military occupational specialties such as motor vehicle operator where the M16A4’s longer barrel can be cumbersome. Given its benefits, however, Marine officials decided also to adopt SOST for the M16A4, which has a 20-inch barrel and is used by most of the infantry.
Incorporating SOST

In addition to operational benefits, SOST rounds have similar ballistics to the M855 round, meaning Marines will not have to adjust to using the new ammo, even though it is more accurate.

“It does not require us to change our training,” Brogan said. “We don’t have to change our aim points or modify our training curriculum. We can train just as we have always trained with the 855 round, so right now, there is no plan to completely remove the 855 from inventory.”

Marine officials in Afghanistan could not be reached for comment, but Brogan said commanders with MEB-A are authorized to issue SOST ammo to any subordinate command. Only one major Marine 5.56mm weapon system downrange will not use SOST: the M249 squad automatic weapon. Though the new rounds fit the SAW, they are not currently produced in the linked fashion commonly employed with the light machine gun, Brogan said.

SOCom first fielded the SOST round in April, said Air Force Maj. Wesley Ticer, a spokesman for the command. It also fielded a cousin — MK319 MOD 0 enhanced 7.62mm SOST ammo — designed for use with the SCAR-Heavy, a powerful 7.62mm battle rifle. SOCom uses both kinds of ammunition in all of its geographic combatant commands, Ticer said.

The Corps has no plans to buy 7.62mm SOST ammunition, but that could change if operational commanders or infantry requirements officers call for it in the future, Brogan said.

It is uncertain how long the Corps will field the SOST round. Marine officials said last summer that they took interest in it after the M855A1 lead-free slug in development by the Army experienced problems during testing, but Brogan said the service is still interested in the environmentally friendly round if it is effective. Marine officials also want to see if the price of the SOST round drops once in mass production. The price of an individual round was not available, but Brogan said SOST ammo is more expensive than current M855 rounds.

“We have to wait and see what happens with the Army’s 855LFS round,” he said. “We also have to get very good cost estimates of where these [SOST] rounds end up in full-rate, or serial production. Because if it truly is going to remain more expensive, then we would not want to buy that round for all of our training applications.”
Legal concerns

Before the SOST round could be fielded by the Corps, it had to clear a legal hurdle: approval that it met international law of war standards.

The process is standard for new weapons and weapons systems, but it took on added significance because of the bullet’s design. Open-tip bullets have been approved for use by U.S. forces for decades, but are sometimes confused with hollow-point rounds, which expand in human tissue after impact, causing unnecessary suffering, according to widely accepted international treaties signed following the Hague peace conventions held in the Netherlands in 1899 and 1907.

“We need to be very clear in drawing this distinction: This is not a hollow-point round, which is not permitted,” Brogan said. “It has been through law of land warfare review and has passed that review so that it meets the criteria of not causing unnecessary pain and suffering.”

The open-tip/hollow-point dilemma has been addressed several times by the military, including in 1990, when the chief of the Judge Advocate General International Law Branch, now-retired Marine Col. W. Hays Parks, advised that the open-tip M852 Sierra MatchKing round preferred by snipers met international law requirements. The round was kept in the field.

In a 3,000-word memorandum to Army Special Operations Command, Parks said “unnecessary suffering” and “superfluous injury” have not been formally defined, leaving the U.S. with a “balancing test” it must conduct to assess whether the usage of each kind of rifle round is justified.

“The test is not easily applied,” Parks said. “For this reason, the degree of ‘superfluous injury’ must … outweigh substantially the military necessity for the weapon system or projectile.”

John Cerone, an expert in the law of armed conflict and professor at the New England School of Law, said the military’s interpretation of international law is widely accepted. It is understood that weapons cause pain in war, and as long as there is a strategic military reason for their employment, they typically meet international guidelines, he said.

“In order to fall within the prohibition, a weapon has to be designed to cause unnecessary suffering,” he said.

Sixteen years after Parks issued his memo, an Army unit in Iraq temporarily banned the open-tip M118 long-range used by snipers after a JAG officer mistook it for hollow-tip ammunition, according to a 2006 Washington Times report. The decision was overturned when other Army officials were alerted.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

On February 22, a new law on guns in national parks takes effect. The law repeals a National Park Service rule that has long prohibited Americans from lawfully possessing firearms in national parks for self-defense.

The new law, passed last spring by an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate, will allow people to possess, carry and transport firearms in national parks, in accordance with state law.

However, many details remain to be worked out. Reports indicate that National Park Service officials are debating issues such as the definition of “federal facilities,” where firearms will remain prohibited under a different federal law.

NPS officials are expected to issue further information as February 22 approaches, and some parks have already published information on their new policies. Because state laws vary greatly, before you visit a national park, you should check the park’s website or call the park headquarters for more information. NRA will also provide updates as they become available.

Copyright 2010, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action.

SEATTLE, WA – A King County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association, striking down a ban on guns in city parks because it violates Washington State’s long-standing preemption statute.

Judge Catherine Shaffer ruled from the bench that the gun ban, adopted under former Mayor Greg Nickels, violates Washington’s law, which placed sole authority for regulating firearms in the hands of the State Legislature. That law was adopted in 1983 and amended in 1985, and has served as a model for similar laws across the country.

SAF and NRA were joined in the lawsuit by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Washington Arms Collectors and five individual plaintiffs.

“This is a great victory for the rule of law and Washington citizens,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Greg Nickels was so blinded by his personal hatred for firearms owners and his own arrogance that he imagined the city under his control could simply ignore state law. That arrogance cost Nickels his job last year. We repeatedly warned him not to push a gun ban, but he refused to listen.

“It is also a victory for the Legislature,” he observed, “because this case affirms the intent of lawmakers in 1983 to prevent cities like Seattle from creating a nightmare patchwork of conflicting and confusing firearms regulations. The ruling solidifies the legislature’s authority and sends a message to city and county governments to stop meddling with the rights of Washington citizens.”

Gottlieb suggested a review of local ordinances may now be in order, so that city and county governments can be compelled to remove old gun regulations or face legal consequences.

“This ruling puts anti-gun local officials on notice that legally-armed citizens have rights, too,” Gottlieb stated.

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

By Brian McVicar | The Muskegon Chronicle
February 05, 2010, 6:30PM

Chris Larson of Grand Rapids took this picture of what appears to be a cougar while visiting a friend in the village of Rothbury.Chris Larson had just finished pouring a bowl of dog food at a friend’s home in Rothbury Friday morning when she witnessed an unexpected sight — a cougar prowling in the woods.

“I called the DNR,” said Larson, a Grand Rapids resident who e-mailed the photos she snapped of the cougar to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. “It was bigger than a bobcat.”

Whether or not cougars live in Michigan has generated intense debate in recent years. The DNRE couldn’t immediately confirm whether the animal Larson saw was a cougar but a representative from an independent wildlife agency says the animal fit the description of a cougar.

Scores of Michigan residents say they’ve spotted cougars, with some wildlife groups calling on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to recognize a breeding population and implement a plan to ensure their survival. But while the DNR has acknowledged cougars have been spotted in Michigan, the agency says there is no evidence of an established breeding population.

Larson says she’s confident that the animal she saw was a cougar, which typically weigh between 90 and 180 pounds and measure 5 to 6 feet from snout to the base of the animal’s tail. She’s seen the animals on a trip she took out west and on TV.

“I was able to take a picture of the footprints,” Larson said, adding the animal’s paw print was about two inches wide and nearly two inches long. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Tim Lyon, a wildlife technician at the DNRE’s Baldwin office, says staff will investigate the scene and ask wildlife experts to review the photos.

He says cougar sightings aren’t unusual. His office, which oversees six counties, including Oceana and Newaygo, has received reports of a dozen sightings in the past six months.

“We want to find out if these animals are out there,” he said, adding cougar paws are usually 4 inches wide and 4 inches long. “We want to know that and we take it as a very serious report when these come out.”

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, are most commonly found in the western United States, Lyon said. While the DNRE has confirmed that cougar tracks have been spotted in the Upper Peninsula, there’s no evidence the animals have an established population, he said.

“We’re not saying they’re not here, we’re just saying we can’t find them,” Lyon said. “If they are here, we would like to confirm that.”

Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, said the animal’s black-tipped ears, muscular frame and thick tail are all characteristics of a cougar. He said he could not confirm the photographed animal as being a cougar until the site could be examined.

“The coloration and configuration of the animal is certainly consistent with a cougar,” Fijalkowski said.

Michigan Wildlife Conservancy researchers claim to have found cougar DNA in scat from seven counties and have documented evidence of cougars from several other sites. The nonprofit organization works to restore and conserve wetlands, streams and grasslands so that wildlife can thrive.

NRA is proud to host the 2nd annual Women’s Wilderness Escape scheduled for September 23 – October 1, 2010 at the Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

The cost of this nine-day retreat is $1,250 and is open to women 18 and older. Fee includes housing, food and all event activities. Transportation is not provided.

No experience is necessary, and all firearms and ammunition are provided. Participants will learn to shoot rifle silhouette, long range high power rifle, black powder rifle, pistol, trap, skeet, sporting clays and archery. Other activities include map reading, camping, survival training, game calling, hunter education and Native American history.

Register now as space is limited!

To find out more about the Women’s Wilderness Escape and read what some of our 2009 participants had to say about the event, visit our website at: www.nrahq.org/women/wilderness_escape.asp.

If you want to learn more contact Patty Zollman at (703) 267-1378 or pzollman@nrahq.org.

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January 08, 2010

Petzal: Welcome Back Redfield Scopes

If your hams are weak, you have a scant supply of wits, and your eyes purge thick amber and plum tree gum, the title of this post will mean a great deal to you, because Redfield was once at the top of the scope heap, and its decline and fall were a sorry thing to see. Redfield got into the scope business in 1959 by acquiring Kollmorgen Optical, and retained the three knurled rings on the ocular-lens housing that were the trademark of Kollmorgen’s Bear Cub scopes. To shooters of my generation, those three rings were as meaningful as the Cadillac logo.

From the get-go, the Redfield was a top-line scope. Redfield was also an important innovator. In 1962 it introduced the first-ever constantly-centered non-magnifying reticle. In 1966 came the Accu-Range rangefinder system (You think these things are new?) and the Marine Corps selected a special green-finish Redfield 3X-9X for use on its new M-40 sniper rifle. In 1968, Redfield introduced the Model 3200 target scope, which was the first high-magnification scope sight (16X, 20X, and 24X) with internal adjustments, which saved lots of weight and mechanical complications and allowed the scopes to be mounted low. This prompted me, and fools like me, to give up our wonderful Unertl scopes with external adjustments and return-to-battery springs.

But over the years the rot set in. As Redfield’s quality declined, Leupold’s quality rose, and by the late 1970s the number-one scope wore a gold ring instead of three knurled rings. The decline through the 80s and 90s was steady, and Redfield was owned in succession by Blount, ATK, and Meade, none of which could bring back the brand successfully.

By now Redfield was damaged goods. There were a lot of perfectly sound scopes out there, but there were also a lot of dogs. So when the torch passed to Leupold, people asked themselves “WTF?” Well, it just may be that Leuopld can bring its erstwhile competitor back from the dead.

The re-born Redfields are made in Oregon, which is part of the United States. There are four models: a 2X-7X, 3X-9X, 3X-9X x 50mm, and 4X-12X. They come with a choice of 4-Plex or Accu-Range reticles. All are plain-vanilla, no-frills scopes. And, oh yes, they start at $129 and go up to $219.

For the past several months I’ve used two 3X-9Xs, one with Accu-Range and one with 4-Plex. They are good, sound scopes with accurate adjustments and nice optics. I can find no fault with either of them. They are as good an economy-priced scope as I know of, and maybe a bit better. I think Leupold has been very smart about this; it’s the right scope at the right time.

I don’t think the new Redfields are in the pipeline just yet, but you can read their full story on the Redfield website. It’s good to have those three rings back.

Gun Enthusiasts Complain About the “Call of Duty Effect”
Greg Tito posted on 26 January 2010 5:05 pm
Filed under: greg tito, call of duty, gun, modern warfare 2
image

Many gun enthusiasts complain how amateurs believe that they know about firearms due to playing videogames like Modern Warfare 2, which feature real guns.

The owner of the gun site, The Firearm Blog, was surprised to realize that the most popular search term that led to his site was an obscure gun unknown outside the firearm industry, the Bushmaster ACR. That was until he realized that the gun was featured in Modern Warfare 2.

“I was surprised because, compared to the AKs, M4s and Glocks of the world, the ACR is relatively unknown outside of the industry,” the blog’s owner, Steve, wrote on December 8th, 2009. “Have any other bloggers noticed the Call of Duty effect?”

There follows a stream of anecdotes from gun enthusiasts about how videogames have turned gamers into “gun experts.”

“I was riding around with a friend of mine when I asked him to stop in at this new gun shop,” said one commenter, Robert. “He knows next to nothing about guns so I was surprised when he asked, ‘Can you buy an ACR in there?’ After explaining they don’t sell it to regular people I asked him where the hell he had heard of it … should’ve known before asking. He’s an avid gamer.”

Another funny story is told by Jim:

I wouldn’t call it the Call of Duty effect as much as the Halo effect. He came in to a Pawn Shop I was shopping around at and asked for an “Ess Em Gee” (Submachine gun). The owner said that he didn’t carry them. He then asked if he had any sniper rifles. The owner showed him a .270 (I believe). As the punk (hat cocked off to the side and his pants at a level where a belt would not allow them to fall) looked down the scope, he asked how to “zoom it” (a common feature of scoped rifles in video games). The owner showed him how to magnify and clarify the image. The punk said that he was just used to the rifle doing that for him.

Finally the owner asked what the kid was looking for to which he replied “I just want to headshot some noobs! Like in Halo!”

The conversation quickly degraded from that moment and ended very shortly.

Source: Firearm Blog