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ISRA Thursday Bulletin - January 23, 2020
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Executive Directors Message
As you may or may not know, Michael Bloomberg and the New York State Attorney General have been pressuring financial institutions and credit card companies to stop doing business with gun companies and those who use credit cards to purchase firearms. In some cases, even firearm training schools have been shut off. You are probably aware the National Rifle Association had its credit card program canceled
by the hosting bank.
We actually don’t care what Michael Bloomberg or his financial thugs think. The Illinois State Rifle Association is fighting back. On February 1, 2020, the ISRA will launch an exciting new credit card for members only. We are teaming up with Services Credit Union (SCU) to bring you a powerful financial tool to help you reach your financial goals. The ISRA Credit Card is available to all active members of the ISRA and offers you:
The rally in Virginia last Monday went very well with over 22,000 Second Amendment Supporters showing up. It went so well that the “lame stream media” were disappointed at how well they conducted themselves. Of course, the media were salivating at the possibility of something going wrong. Moreover, the protesters cleaned the place up before they left. Well done Virginia, well done Second Amendment Supporters! IGOLD (Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day) is scheduled for April 1st. If you are bringing a bus to IGOLD please let us know by March 15th. We must make arrangements for parking and supply the bus drivers with route maps. I mentioned last week that I would be at the SHOT Show (Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show) this week. It is not heaven but probably as close as I am going to get. Monday, January 20th, was Range Day. I was at the bus bright and early headed for the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club Range, a magnificent place indeed. I had my list of gun manufacturers and several firearm models that I wanted to try out. My first stop was Glock and their new Model 44 in .22 caliber. It was everything I expected. It felt like a Glock, it shot like a Glock, it was a Glock. Everyone who trains with Glocks or more importantly, trains newcomers to shoot Glocks, should have a model 44 in their bag of tricks. I am going to order one as soon as I land back in Illinois. The next firearm I wanted to shoot was the Springfield Hellcat. The Hellcat is a 9mm micro compact concealed carry pistol. I don’t know what engineers put this gun together but they get a bunch of gold stars. This is the best micro compact pistol I have ever fired. The point of aim is dead on, the grip is perfect and the accuracy is superb. There is nothing not to like about the Hellcat. My next stop was at Colt to try out the new Colt Python. I tried both the six-inch and four-inch models. They shot very well. I have to tell you that the cylinder failed to turn a number of times. I was informed that I wasn’t pulling the trigger correctly. Well, maybe I wasn’t. I had failures on both the four-inch and six-inch models. I will also tell you that I competed with a Colt 1917 in Bullseye. I have a Colt 1950 officers model target and have had a Colt Cobra and never had a failure with any of them. I think the Python is a great gun but Colt will need to work out some details on the new models. I then visited Mossberg to try out their new Model 940 semi-automatic shotgun. Jerry Miculek himself was my instructor. This model was an eight-round combat or self-defense shotgun. The gun was quick, shot well, and the recoil was very manageable. The recoil pad was easy to mount and really buffered the recoil very well. Armscor was the next stop to try out their new model combat shotgun. This would also be a great self-defense or combat shotgun. It is a bit on the heavy side for some women to handle in a home defense situation. The AR type magazines were easy to use and worked flawlessly. Because of the operating system and the heavier weight, the recoil was easy to handle. The Diamondback MX8 in 5.7mm FN was not on my list but I was intrigued. This little number has an AR type operating system. Most AR parts such as grips, triggers and sights will fit the gun. It uses FN magazines so they are easy to get. The one I shot was equipped with a small lightweight red dot sight. The MX8 starts out at 3.7 pounds and it comes with a folding shoulder stock and with all of that, it was still at 4 pounds. A flashlight could be added to make it a great home defense gun. The best part is it would be easy for my wife to shoot. Switching to rifles, I was then off to Winchester to try out the .350 Legend. The .350 is a straight walled modern cartridge with the deer hunter in mind. The .350 has more zip than the .243 but with less recoil. I was shooting the .350 in a bolt action Winchester and the recoil was light. The rounds were grouped very well at 100 yards. If we can get rifle deer hunting in Illinois, the .350 would be an ideal cartridge. The last gun that was on my list was because some of our F-Class shooters wanted to know about it. The gun is the Savage Arms Elite 10, equipped with a Bushnell LRS II scope and a bipod. There was a rear sand bag for us to use. The caliber was 6.5 Creedmoor and we were provided with Hornady ELD cartridges. I am a pistol shooter but have always been fascinated by long range rifle shooting. I always stop at the long-range section of the firing line. There were two shooters ahead of me which was fortunate for me. One of them was an experienced long-range shooter. I watched him shoot and when he got up, he told me to hold left for 2.5 minutes for wind. So, I made my calculations. The distance was 960 meters. I had a spotter calling every shot. The first shot, I struck the steel gong on the left. I recalculated, fired again, and the next shot was 4 inches left of center. Those were my two sightseers. I recalculated and the next five shots were in a three-inch circle in the center of the gong. This is not a testament to my rifle shooting, but rather to the rifle, the scope and whoever set it up. The Savage Arms Elite 10 isn’t cheap, running $1999.00 msrp. It is mounted on a stainless-steel chassis and is state of the art for a production gun. Savage told me they were coming out with a model simply called the Elite which would be cheaper and lighter. That model would be a great varmint gun, I would think. I will be looking for the latest and greatest in the next few days. There are about 14 mile of aisles here so I will have plenty to occupy my time. Thanks for being a member. If you are not a member, JOIN NOW! Upcoming Events: ISRA Calendar For more information, visit www.isra.org The Well Armed Woman Saturday, January 25, 2020 ISRA Air Rifle League Tuesdays – 8:00-5:00 ISRA International Air Pistol League Every other Wednesday – 5:00-8:00 Range Work Day Saturday, February 1, 2020 Gun & Trade Shows Sauk Trail Gun Show Bureau County Fairgrounds – Princeton, IL Dates: January 25 & 26, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 8:30-4:00 Sunday: 8:30-3:00 Admission: $2.00 Crown Point Gun Show Lake County Fairgrounds – Crown Point, IN Dates: February 8 & 9, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Kane County Sportsman’s Show – St Charles, IL Kane County Fairgrounds Date: February 9, 2020 Hours: Sunday: 7:30-1:30 Admission: $7.00 Regional Firearms Auction Rock Island Auction Company – Rock Island, IL Dates: February 13-16, 2020 New Berlin Gun Show Sangamon County Fairgrounds – New Berlin, IL Dates: February 15 & 16, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-4:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $5.00 Bloomington Gun & Knife Show Interstate Center – Bloomington, IL Dates: February 22 & 23, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 9:00-3:00 Admission: $6.00 Diamond Gun & Sportsman’s Show Diamond Banquet Hall – Diamond, IL Dates: February 22 & 23, 2020 Hours: Saturday: 8:00-3:00 Sunday: 8:00-2:00 Admission: $5.00 Check out ISRA's website at www.isra.org! 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