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Ruger to Open Third Plant – Expansion for New Guns

Ruger Plant Expansion

Ruger Plant ExpansionRuger is expanding.

Sturm, Ruger & Co is in the process of opening a third production plant to expand manufacturing capacity, and company president and CEO Michael O. Fifer wants to do it quickly.

“We’re running out of space,” said Fifer in the company’s annual shareholder meeting on April 30.

According to Fifer, Ruger will use the new facility to build new lines of firearms, not to expand production of current firearms.  Fifer stated he expects the new facility would build about ten completely new firearm lines.

To show how much growth Ruger has experienced, consider the number of employees employed at the Prescott, AZ manufacturing facility.  On the weekly Gun Talk radio program, Ken Jorgensen, Director of Media Relations for Ruger, told host Tom Gresham that there were about 150 employees at the plant in 2008.  Currently, there are about 750.

An existing, high-quality facility is what Ruger would like to find.  “I don’t have any desire to build something,” said Fifer.  He stated that there is more risk in building something, and he would prefer to get the new plant up and running “very quickly.”

Ideally, the facility would be of newer construction, about 250,000 square feet in size, and have a “phenomenal electrical [system] in it.”  Fifer stated the company would prefer not to be in an industrial park.

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news

Magpul AK-47 Magazine

Magpul AK-47 magazine

When you think of polymer AR-15 magazines, Magpul PMAGs are almost the universal image that comes to mind.  The company now aims to make you think “Magpul AK-47 magazine” when you need to feed your Eastern Bloc gun.

Magpul AK-47 magazine

I recently read an independent test in a tactical magazine that compared 5 different polymer magazines. Though several other brands scored high, the Magpul PMAG was still the reigning champ.  From dusty battlegrounds to the mean streets, to home defense and beyond, Magpul has produced a great magazine that is enjoyed by many.

PMAG 30 AK MOE

Until recently Magpul has focused most of the PMAG magazines on the AR rifle market.  The most popular mag being for the AR-15, but also offering magazines for the  AR-10 in .308 caliber, and two options for the British SA80 and the H&K G36.

For the first time, however, Magpul has entered the increasingly popular AK-47 market with the new PMAG 30 AK MOE.  The new PMAG 30 for the AK-47 brings all the experience, expertise, and technical magic that has made the Magpul PMags so popular in the AR market to the Kalashnikov world.  Specifically designed to work in the AK-47, AKM, AKS, and similarly patterned rifles chambered for the 7.62×39, the AK MOE is a 30-round lightweight polymer magazine that offers a removable base plate, constant curve, and the highly regarded and dependable Magpul follower.

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Handguns

Beretta Pico

Beretta Pico

The new Beretta Pico was announced today at the 2013 National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Houston, TX.  The new gun is intended for the concealed carry market and comes to the table already looking like a mature platform with multiple options, frame colors and accessories ready to go.

Beretta Pico

The Pico is being called “ultra-concealable” by the company, and at the widest point, the Beretta Pico is only 18mm.  For those of us stuck still using the king’s system of measurements, that works out to be less than 0.71″ wide.  That is pretty darn thin.

Additionally, the pistol has many of the edges rounded to prevent snagging on garments when drawing from concealed locations.  Additionally, the slide release is flush with the frame, meaning it does not protrude beyond the width of the frame.

Beretta Pico 380

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the new handgun is its ability to change between 380 ACP and 32 ACP with a quick barrel swap.  In less than a minute, the shooter can move between calibers with a single gun.

In both calibers, the barrel only tilts 1.4° during the firing sequence.  According to Beretta, this increases reliability of feeding.  Additionally, by having limited tilt, the company states this dramatically reduces felt recoil.  One Beretta spokesperson stated this gun was unlike other subcompact .380 pistols on the market, because the recoil was so low you would actually enjoy shooting this gun.

The new Pico has the ability to swap frames as the company’s other pistol, the Nano, does.  The frames are polymer.  Ready immediately for the new pistol are frames in black, purple, white, pink and flat dark earth.  The Pico is able to do this by using a chassis system like the Nano.

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Optics and Sighting Systems

New Magpul All-Steel MBUS

Magpul MBUS Pro sights

Magpul Industries Corporation has been in the news lately with its bold stand for gun owners and gun rights.  When the Colorado elected officials voted to limit law-abiding citizens’ use of high capacity magazines, Magpul immediately put out a press release stating that they would be moving their business out of state.

Magpul MBUS Pro sights

Now in the midst of their big move, Magpul has announced the release of new furniture for AR-15 style rifles and the venerable 1911 pistols.

MBUS Gen II

Magpul has already produced a very popular AR-15 flip-down sights in the original and Gen II MBUS (Magpul Back-Up Sight).  Made with the same high-quality polymer construction as their extremely popular PMags, Magpul’s original MBUS sights have found great popularity and high reviews for durability and function.  The original MBUS was lightweight, yet sturdy, and used a nice spring-activated mechanism to flip the sight into shooting position.  The user could then simultaneously press two levers on opposite sides of the sight to fold the MBUS back into a low profile position.

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news

Google Translates Gun Reviews

iceland you tube

YouTube is probably the most popular video site on the internet.  It has been a great place for gun people to share information, do reviews and even land gigs within the industry.  As many of you likely know, Google owns YouTube.  The folks at Google have brought a lot of innovation to the technology world, but they haven’t quite managed to perfect turning speech into text.

iceland you tube

YouTube automatically produces a closed caption text file for all uploaded videos.  These files allow the hearing impaired to read what is being said in the video.  This is a great concept, but it isn’t perfect.

I’m not sure if the problem is in the coding or just that there are too many specialized terms in the shooting world for Google to get the transcribing of gun reviews right.  Regardless, the results of the transcription errors can run from gibberish to some humorous statements.  Take a few of these for example.

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