Here is a very brief mention of some new guns coming up that we’re sure will be of interest. Watch for ‘em at your dealer and in Gun Tests.
Colt’s will soon be into production with their double-action-only Z40, a semiautomatic pistol design made in close conjunction with CZ of Czechoslovakia. The new Colt Cowboy single-action revolver is also coming along. Colt will also continue to offer the original Single Action Army, but some industry insiders seem to think Colt should stick with just their original SAA and figure out how to make it the old way, for a better price. Colt dropped the DS-II in .38 Special, one of which we tested for this issue. The new .357 Magnum version looks just the same but is called the Magnum Carry.
Ruger is again offering their single-action .45 Convertible Blackhawk with .45 Long Colt and .45 ACP cylinders. Another new offering is their Bisley Vaquero. They also have some nice new muzzle-loading rifles out.
Remington has developed a new caliber, called the .260. Expect to see it in their resurrected bolt-action handgun and in new rifle offerings. We haven’t inspected their Rolling Block rifles yet, but we hear there’s a very long line of folks waiting to get one, and they’re not cheap. The same is true of Sharps rifles, with the average wait about three years. Calibers of the Rolling Block include .45-70, .30-30 and .444 Marlin.
One interesting new rifle is the Steyr Scout, brought to life mostly by the durable efforts of Jeff Cooper. It isn’t cheap either, but those who have one say they’re happy to be able to get one at any price. It is unique. Leupold makes a special scope for them.
Cowboy Action Shooting continues to grow, and the demand for new guns in increasing variety also is growing. European American Armory has introduced a 12-gauge shotgun with external hammers for the game, called the Bounty Hunter. It has a 20-inch barrel and, of all things, a thumb safety.
Winchester is again making the 1886 lever action, and they have a take-down version of the Model 70. Weatherby and Savage have new bolt-action handguns out.
There’s lots of stunning new stuff out there, but nothing, however, boggles the mind like the new automatic revolver (you read that right) by Mateba. It’s a .357 Magnum, and once you see one you’ll never be the same.
We read a poll that was taken by the Hammond, LA, Daily Star newspaper to see if readers favored a new law that permits you to shoot a suspected carjacker. Of the over 37,000 replies, 92 percent were in favor of the law.
On the gun owning front, watch out this fall for the outrage by shotgun and rifle buyers who will now have to wait up to three days for their instant background check to go through. There are some new rules coming up that supposedly include a $15 to $30 potential charge for checking up on you, and the permanent recording by the Justice Department of your social security number when you buy any gun. And we thought national registration of gun owners was illegal.
-Ray Ordorica
