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APRIL 2, 2019

Crimson Trace announced that the $50 consumer direct rebate on select Crimson Trace laser sights will continue through April 30, 2019. The Crimson Trace laser sights eligible for the rebate under this offer must be purchased between March 1, 2019 and April 30, 2019.

“The Bergara Experience” is an opportunity for the public to come out and experience shooting a variety of Bergara rifles. The first event of the year will be held at Manatee Gun Range in Myakka City, Florida, May 4th.

SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range has announced that registration is now open for new exhibitors wishing to attend in 2020. The 15th annual Industry Day at the Range will take place one day prior to SHOT Show. Spaces are extremely limited, so prospective exhibitors are encouraged to register soon.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) reintroduced the Hawkeye Alaskan rifle chambered in three calibers: .375 Ruger, .338 Winchester Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum. Based on the popular Ruger Guide Gun platform, this is a stainless steel rifle, paired with a Hogue OverMolded stock.

 

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) proudly introduces four new Target models to the Ruger American Rimfire family. Constructed from stainless steel for superior aesthetics and corrosion resistance, all four rifles live up to Ruger's reputation for accuracy and rugged reliability.

The Stevens 320 Security platform has been proven for years, and now it sports a redesigned black matte synthetic stock and fore- end. Like all 320 shotguns, it features a smooth, reliable pump action, rotary bolt and dual slide-bars.

Walther Arms, Inc. is proud to announce the newest variations of PPQ series: the Q4 Tac M1 and Q5 Match M1. The new M1 models sport the same signature features as their M2 counterparts but are now being offered with the M1 paddle-style ambidextrous magazine release.

Walther is pleased to announce that David Barnes has accepted the position of Law Enforcement Channel Manager. As part of the Walther Law Enforcement Sales Team, Dave will report to Chris Carlberg, VP of Sales and Rick DeMilt, Director of Law Enforcement and Military Sales.

Gunswerks has broken ground on its new 44,396 square foot corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in Cody, Wyoming.

Smith & Wesson Corp. announced that it has contributed over $32,000 to the Pioneer Valley USO. Proceeds raised from the company’s annual Game Dinner have benefitted the Pioneer Valley USO and its programs supporting American military personnel and their families.

After extensive testing, the Singapore Police Force has awarded the tender for the purchase of more than 6,000 GLOCK pistols to GLOCK Asia Pacific's distributor, W.H. Brennan & Co Pte Ltd.

Apex Tactical Specialties, the industry’s leader in the design, development and manufacture of aftermarket trigger kits for pistols, is seeking candidates for the position of CNC Machine Operator at their Peoria, Arizona facility.

Extreme Risk Protection Orders, generically known as “red flag laws” that allow the seizure of private firearms based on a complaint filed with the authorities must include and guarantee due process, or they shouldn’t be allowed, the Second Amendment Foundation said.

Modular Driven Technologies reported that it has launched Emdity, "a rifle stock replacement and accessories supplement that can help improve accuracy in any shooting discipline."  

The Real Avid Smart Drive 90 is a master grade gunsmithing bit set featuring tool grade steel bits. The driver comes with a jeweler’s top handle for one hand adjustments and a bright, 360° COBB LED light to illuminate the work area with no shadows.

Lyman Products announces A-Zoom StrikerCaps dry practice training aids. They are made without a rim and are equipped with a centering O-ring which grips the chamber walls and keeps the snap cap in place in the chamber.

GetZone.com’s latest original series, In the Hunt, is now live. This 25-part series serves to satisfy the outdoor enthusiasts’ growing appetite for more hunting content.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is in search of individuals to serve as members of the Support Team during the 2019 National Matches rifle and pistol events, held in July and August at the historic Camp Perry National Guard Training Base in Ohio.

Daniel Defense has partnered with optics manufacturer Vortex to offer a deal to its customers. Customers will receive a free Vortex SPARC AR red dot sight with the purchase of any Daniel Defense AR pistol during the month of April.

The April issue of Shooting Industry features articles, key takeaways and an expanded New Product Showcase derived from the industry’s annual trade event, the 2019 SHOT Show.

The April/May 2019 issue of Tactical Life magazine covers the 2019 SHOT Show, featuring the latest and greatest products from the event. Products include optics, shotguns, sound suppressors and more.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and Orchid Advisors are pleased to announce that Davidson’s and Easy Bound Book are Silver sponsors of the 2019 Firearms Industry Compliance Conference.

McMillan Fiberglass Stocks is excited to support the upcoming Guardian Long Range Competition. This first competition of the 2019 Guardian series will be held April 6-7 in Warrenton, North Carolina.

Breakthrough Clean Technologies announced that they are the first complete gun care cleaning company to sponsor The USA Clay Target League.  The USA Clay Target League offers competition programs for both high school and collegiate athletes. 

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and Orchid Advisors are pleased to announce that RSR Group and Silencer Shop will be the Gold sponsors of the 2019 Firearms Industry Compliance Conference.
 

FEATURE

As the new gun models get more plentiful, the names get longer and more cluttered with initials. Here we have the eminently classy, but very small, Kimber EVO SP. The “SP,” I’m told stands for “Striker Pistol,” meaning “striker fired” pistol.

And what a pistol this is; instead of going for the cost-cutting nature of polymer technology which additionally cuts weight, Kimber went for class; they use aluminum alloy for the little pistol’s frame. The stocks are fitted without external hardware, the magazine release button is reversible and there’s a striker indicator aft, through the slide cover plate.

Of what relevance is a striker indicator? You can see if the trigger is forward, right? – Sure you can. If there’s enough light. On this gun, you can run your thumb over the back of the slide and feel the protrusion. That’s smart.

The muzzle is nicely beveled.

This “(CS)” – Custom Shop – model has night sights on board and they are nice. The front sight has an orange ring around the tritium insert, the rear sight has a generous “U” notch and it features a “ledge.” This flat front can help in one-handed slide manipulations should an unhappy situation occur where two hands were unavailable.

The trigger is alleged to be in the six-to-seven pounds range. I confess I’ve yet to check it – it feels much lighter.

The Custom Shop model has the TRUGLO TritiumPro sights mentioned above, a pair of seven-round magazines and some interesting slide serrations and lightening cuts. The great thing is that none of the slide cuts are through-and-through, but simply appear as depressions in the metal. The stipple pattern used for grasping serrations on the slide as well as on the front strap and on the G10 stocks and back panel are reminiscent of a golf ball; round indentions.

There's not much gun to hang onto as it's being fired. Winchester bulk pack 115 gr. FMJ is light ammo, but you know when it's being launched from the EVO. Using a support bag and a seated rest, the EVO shot the range ammo just fine (below).

The lightening cuts in the slide and frame give the gun a unique appearance. The frame is finished in KimPro II and the slide has a “ferritic nitrocarburizing” treatment. According to sources I’ve found, this is one of the “case hardening processes that diffuse nitrogen and carbon into ferrous metals at sub-critical temperatures during a salt bath.” The objectives of this treatment include “scuffing resistance, fatigue properties, and corrosion resistance.”

The pint-sized cannon showed up just in time for a minor break in the unseasonably bad weather. The feel of the gun, a characteristic many people sneer at, is remarkable. I spent time wondering what it reminded me of and I did a little more research.

Then I found this, the specifications of the currently made (likely in limited number) version of the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Model “Hammerless.”

Compare to Colt M1903 Pocket Model:

Cal. 32 ACP (Kimber – 9x19mm)

Action: blowback, hammer-fired SA (Kimber – Striker-fired)

Slide, frame, barrel: Steel (Kimber: stainless steel slide, barrel; aluminum frame)

Capacity: 8 rounds, detachable box magazine (Kimber: 7 rounds, CS version)

Width: 1.15” (Kimber: 1.06”)

Barrel: 3.75” (Kimber: 3.16”)

Hgt: 4.36” (Kimber: 4.03”)

LOA: 6.5” (Kimber: 6.1”)

Weight: 24 oz. (Kimber: 18 oz.)

MSRP $1,275 (Current mfg. U.S. Armament Corp., 121 Valley View Dr., Ephrata PA 17522. (717) 721-4570; usarmcorp.com) (Kimber: $1,047.00)

Did the Kimber engineers intend to make an updated version of an old classic in terms of feel? I don’t know, but it seems that they couldn’t have gotten much closer if they’d tried.

Shooting the Kimber EVO SP (CS) was interesting too. There’s not very much gun here for the caliber. In firing, I find that my small finger slides under the magazine extension as the gun recoils. There it stays and the gun doesn’t slide down anymore as the gun is fired for subsequent shots.

In the initial outing, I shot about half a box of WW “White Box” 115 FMJ. The only “stoppage” was a failure to lock open on an empty magazine. It happened only once and well could’ve been shooter-induced.

Shooting from a base rest at 25 yards with WWB, I found the point of impact was an inch high and 3.25” left of aiming point. Five rounds went into 4.5” with the best three clustering into 1.25”. I felt that grip was the biggest reason for the group – Did I mention that it’s not very much gun to hold onto?

Winchester bulk-packed “white box” is one of the lightest loads I know. It was still “sporty” in the EVO, but not painfully so. The gun wants to squirm more than kick. The superior stocks and grip surface treatment keeps it as steady as you can keep such a small heater.

I hope to get to run this little gun a bit more and get it into the hands of some other shooters for their evaluation – and I’ll keep you posted on the results.

- - Rich Grassi
 
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