Industry Notes

(GunReports.com) – Stoeger Airguns is offering cash up to $1000 as a Christmas promotion. To enter the Christmas Cash Give-Away, visit http://usa.stoegerairguns.com and complete the online form and you will be entered to win a cash prize of $500, $750 and $1,000. All entries must be received by midnight, January 15, 2011.

(GunReports.com) – Bushmaster Firearms will help police officers, military, authorized security staff and TSA personnel purchase a qualifying Bushmaster rifle by making a payment of $100 cash to the FFL holder who receives the firearm and assists the qualified purchaser with the completion of the ATF Form 4473 and transfer of the firearm. Called the 2010 Bushmaster Individual Officer Purchase (IOP) Program, the company is offering pricing below retail (25% off) on nine of the most popular law enforcement rifles through December 31, 2010.

(GunReports.com)—SIG Sauer's new P290 Sub-Compact 9mm is a double-action-only pistol designed for conceal carry or used as a back-up for plains clothes or security personnel. The P290 is finished in either natural stainless finish or a black Nitron finish. Unique to the P290 are polymer customized grip plates in aluminum, wood and polymer that can be engraved with the shooter's initials.

(GunReports.com) -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC) announced that the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer William F. Spengler has resigned effective November 12, 2010 to accept a position as president of a publicly traded company in the phytochemical and natural products industry. The Company has initiated a search for a new CFO. John Dineen, who joined Smith & Wesson in 1997 and who currently serves as vice president of finance for the firearm division, will assume the responsibilities of interim chief financial officer for Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation.

(GunReports.com) -- Thermold Design and Development, manufacturer of polymer magazines and other injection molded firearm accessories, has appointed Stanley Smith as Chief Operations Officer.Smith has more than 25 years experience in product development and manufacturing in the firearms industry.

(GunReports.com) -- The upcoming issue of Esquire magazine, due to subscribers in about two weeks and due on newsstands several days later, carries an exclusive adaptation from The Gun, an examination of the origins of the world's most abundant weapon - the Kalashnikov assault rifle - and the consequences of its spread.The Gun and the adaptation of the book in Esquire, entitled 'How They Were Betrayed,' are written by C.J. Chivers, a former Marine Corps infantry officer and now a senior writer for The New York Times, where he reports for the Foreign and Investigative desks. He is also a frequent contributor to Esquire. In 2009 he shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage in of combat in Afghanistan.

One of the major reasons hunters choose a 20 gauge over a 12 gauge is the former's smaller frame, weight, and recoil. Though they may already own a 12, many field sportsmen wind up reaching for their 20s because the smaller gun is just easier to handle, and there are just a few hunting situations—layback goose hunting and spring turkey hunting, to name two—in which the bigger payload might make a difference.

The Remington Sportsman line has two 12s and three 20s. The 12s come in 26- and 28-inch barrels and weigh 8.1 pounds and 8.25 pounds respectively, compared to the weight of our test 28-inch-barrel gun, about a full pound lighter.

(GunReports.com) – The United States Army’s Joint Munitions and Lethality Contracting Center has awarded Remington a contract for the upgrade of up to 3,600 M24 Sniper Weapon Systems (SWS) to be classified as the M24E1. In the package is a new Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm Extended Range/Tactical (ER/T®) M5 Locking Adjustment riflescope.The major configuration change for this system is the caliber conversion from 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) to .300 Winchester Magnum to provide soldier’s with additional precision engagement capability and range. The contract is for a five (5) year period and has guaranteed minimum value of $192K with a potential value of up to $28.2 million.

(GunReports.com) -- The NRA is challenging federal laws that prohibit law-abiding Americans eighteen through twenty years of age from legally purchasing a handgun through a federally licensed firearm dealer. The case was filed Tuesday evening in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Lubbock Division. James D'Cruz of Lubbock, TX is the plaintiff in this case.'In Heller and McDonald, the U.S. Supreme Court clearly stated that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for all law-abiding Americans,' said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. 'That right is not limited only to Americans twenty-one years of age and older. Indeed, throughout our nation's history, adults beginning at age eighteen have served in the military and fought for this country with honor. But while the Supreme Court has consistently made clear that the federal government cannot ban or unduly restrict sales of items protected by the Constitution, the federal government continues to prohibit these adults from purchasing handguns from federally licensed dealers, which represent the largest and most accessible means of purchasing handguns.'

(GunReports.com) – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced today that it has awarded Glock a 10-year contract valued at up to $40 million.The agreement makes available for the first time both the Glock 22 Gen4 and Glock 27 .40 caliber pistols to all ATF agents. The terms provide additional Federal Agencies the opportunity to ride on the contract in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

(GunReports.com) – Leupold’s Tactical Optics Division has announced the addition of Horus reticle options for the Mark 4® 12-40x60mm Tactical Spotting Scope. This Mark 4 spotter is the standard Scout Sniper Observation Telescope (SSOT) of the U.S. Marine Corps.Horus H32 and H36 reticles join the Leupold Mil Dot reticle as options. The H32 has a mil line for target measurement and speed estimation, while the H36 features an inverted “L” in Inch Of Angle (IOA) for ranging. The Mil Dot reticle matches those found in Leupold Mark 4 riflescopes, allowing a spotter to quickly range a target, view the same sight picture as the shooter and convey necessary adjustments.

(GunReports.com) -- The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Chicago's new gun ordinance, asserting that 'by banning gun ranges open to the public...under color of law,' the city is depriving citizens of their right to keep and bear arms in violation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.