Archive for category Industry News

The text from Handloads.com
Revolver checkout: how to tell if a particular specimen is any good
By Jim March

So you’re buying a revolver. New, used, doesn’t matter, you want a good one, right? How do check one over without firing it, right at the dealer’s counter or gun show table? This is how. All of this works with DA or SA wheelguns…”close the action” on most DAs means swing the cylinder in, on SA types, close the loading gate, on break opens, close ‘em. UNLOADED.

WARNING: most of these tests require violation of the “finger off trigger” rule. Therefore, be extremely careful about safe muzzle direction and making sure the gun is unloaded ahead of time, PERSONALLY, as you begin handling it.

Note: bring a small flashlight, something small and concentrated. A Photon or similar high-powered LED light is perfect. You also want feeler gauges if you’re not used to eyeballing cylinder gaps; at a minimum, bring a .002″, .004″ and .006″.

Note 2: no dry firing is required or desired at any point. It just pisses off the gun’s current owner.

Cylinder play

1) With the gun UNLOADED (check for yourself!), close the action.

2) Thumb the hammer back, and while pulling the trigger, gently lower the hammer all the way down while keeping the trigger back – and KEEP holding the trigger once the hammer is down. (You’ve now put the gun in “full lockup” – keep it there for this and most other tests.)

3) With the trigger still back all the way, check for cylinder wiggle. Front/back is particularly undesirable; a bit of side to side is OK but it’s a bad thing if you can wiggle it one way, let go, and then spin it the other way a fraction of an inch and it stays there too. At the very least, it should “want” to stop in just one place (later, we’ll see if that place is any good). The ultimate is a “welded to the frame” feeling.

Cylinder gap

4) Still holding the trigger at full lockup, look sideways through the barrel/cylinder gap. If you can get a credit card in there, that ain’t good…velocity drops rapidly as the gap increases. Too tight isn’t good either, because burnt powder crud will “fill the gap” and start making the cylinder spin funky. My personal .38 snubbie is set at .002, usually considered the minimum…after about 40 shots at the range, I have to give the front of the cylinder a quick wipe so it spins free again. I consider that a reasonable tradeoff for the increased velocity because in a real fight, I ain’t gonna crank 40 rounds out of a 5-shot snub.

If you’re eyeballing it, you’ll have to hold it up sideways against an overhead light source.
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In October of 2009 ATI came under attack from H&K now they are under attack from the BATF for the fake Suppressor.
Announcement about the H&K Lawsuit
October 12, 2009

Re: Heckler and Koch, Inc. vs. German Sport Guns GmbH, American Tactical Imports,
Inc. Civil Action No. 1 : 09-cv-00039-WTL-JMS (S.D. Indiana)

For immediate release,

We are very pleased to report that the litigation filed by Heckler & Koch, Inc. against
German Sport Guns GmbH and its U.S. distributor, American Tactical Imports, Inc.,
together with all counterclaims, has been settled.

Announcement from ATI about the Fake Can.
To all retail customers:

On January 2010 American Tactical Imports Inc received official notification from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives that the original barrel shroud (aka: fake suppressor) supplied with your GSG 5 SD model must be replaced. It has been determined that this shroud is regulated under the National Firearms Act. American Tactical will provide a replacement shroud at no charge for each GSG 5 SD model sold or currently in inventory.
Consumers in possession of a GSG 5 SD model with the original shroud in place on the firearm are now in violation of the NFA. To avoid continued violation of the NFA, ATI asks that all persons in possession obtain a replacement shroud as soon as possible. We anticipate arrival of the new shrouds to begin by the middle of February 2010.
IMPORTANT: THE ORIGINAL SD MODEL SHROUD MUST BE RETURNED ACOMPANIED BY THE FIREARM SERIAL NUMBER BEFORE A REPLACEMENT SHROUD IS ISSUED. THE DIAMETER OF THE SD SHROUD IS 1-9/16”. DO NOT RETURN THE SMALLER CARBINE SHROUD.
WHAT TO DO:
If possible return your old shroud to the dealer where purchased and show him this notice. The shroud will be returned to ATI along with a list of serial numbers from the guns that the shrouds were removed. ATI will send replacements to the dealer for pick up at your convenience; ATI will be sending replacements as fast as logistics allow. If your dealer is out of business or difficult to reach, or you purchased your gun used, from a consumer, return the shroud directly by US mail or UPS to American Tactical Imports Inc. 100 Airpark Drive Rochester, NY 14624.
PLEASE TRY NOT TO CALL US. We will provide comprehensive information on our web site www.americantactical.us , and www.ar15.com or by e-mail to atiexchange@americantactical.us
REMEMBER, INCLUDE THE FIREARM SERIAL NUMBER WITH EACH SHROUD OR A REPLACEMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED.
This action IS NOT being instituted through any fault and is strictly due to NFA compliance. American Tactical will assume the responsibility to satisfy the requirements in an effort to minimize the impact on our customers and protect your investment.
We at American Tactical Imports Inc. sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate situation.

Sincerely,
Anthony DiChario
President C.E.O. retailcandoc.021210

1) SAFETY UPGRADE NOTICE

If you own an EAA Witness style semi-automatic pistol bearing a serial number between AE00000 to AE70000, please read this Notice.

Owners of the above designated Witness pistols should immediately field strip the pistol and send the slide assembly to European American Armory Corp., 411 Hawk Street, Rockledge, Florida 32955.  Upon receipt, European American Armory Corp. will replace the original firing pin with an upgraded firing pin for your pistol.

Please follow the instructions and warnings in the Owners’ Manual and do not disassemble your pistol beyond a field strip.  Any disassembly beyond a field strip should only be performed by a qualified gunsmith.  In particular, the firing pin should never be removed by you.  If the firing pin is removed, it must be re-installed correctly by a qualified gunsmith or the EAA Corp. service center.  If the firing pin is installed incorrectly in an upside down position, it may adversely affect the operation of your pistol and its safeties.  If your pistol is not operating properly, discontinue using it and take it to a qualified gunsmith or send it to the European American Armory Corp. service center immediately.

Thank you for your attention to this Notice.  Please call European American Armory Corp. at (800) 536-4442 if you have any questions regarding this Notice.

Safety Recall Here

Smith & Wesson has received four (4) reports of barrel failures involving its Performance Center Model 460 revolvers. These barrels were manufactured by an outside supplier. Our investigation has revealed that the quality of steel in some of these barrels did not meet the performance requirements for these firearms and may have contributed to failure of the barrel.

You should stop using the revolver and return it immediately to Smith & Wesson so that your barrel can be inspected and replaced, if necessary.

S&W Performance Center is having it’s fair share of issues this year.

Official Recall Notice

This safety recall notice applies to the limited edition model 329 revolver manufactured at the Smith & Wesson performance center. This safety recall notice applies to 270 revolvers manufactured at the performance center bearing serial numbers – ranging from BVA0004 to BVA0210 and DEW0001 to DEW0099.
Official Recall Notice

Dear SIG SAUER Customer:

SIG SAUER, Inc. has initiated a Mandatory Safety Upgrade pertaining to our new Model P238™ pistols. We have determined that a small number of P238 pistols may have safety levers that are not manufactured to factory specifications. Under certain conditions, it may be possible for the lever not to be completely engaged in the safe position. In this condition, the gun will not fire when the trigger is pulled. However, when the safety lever is moved to the off position, the hammer may fall, with the remote possibility that the gun could fire unintentionally, thus creating a risk of injury or death.

P238 Recall

Ruger has recently received a small number of reports from the field indicating that LCP pistols can discharge when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. We are firmly committed to safety and would like to retrofit all older LCP Pistols. The retrofit involves installation of an upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge to the customer.
Ruger LCP Recall Info

Smith & Wesson has identified a condition that may exist in certain PPK and PPK/S pistols which may permit a round to be discharged without the trigger being pulled. When the manual safety is disengaged, Smith & Wesson’s Product Engineering Group has determined that the possibility exists in certain firearms that lowering the hammer may cause a chambered round to fire.
S&W Recall Info