Bills Newsletter Number 3 of
2004..... And an
event filled year it has been. Which may explain why we are only going to get 3
of these news notes out this year. Will cut right to the chase. .
New Guns and More…….
It seems as though most companies use December 1 to November 30th
as their ‘model year. So far we’ve gotten new stuff news from just a few.
New from Marlin/H&R/N.E.F….
This old-line company has proven to be quite caring insofar as their
model offerings. The Marlin group has consistently made some really nice guns
that really hit the bull’s eye (sorry bout the pun). This year, Marlin is
reintroducing the olde name, L.C. Smith, with over/under and
side-by-side shotguns in both 12 and 20 gauges. Box lock receivers and choke
tubes, selective triggers and an extremely wonderful fit and finish. They will
be made in Italy. And of course Marlin
will have a number of rifles in the new (last Year) 17 HM2. As you may recall,
this is a 17 caliber based on a regular 22 long rifle. Marlin even has a 22 auto in this
caliber. And a new rifle in 32/20
caliber.
H & R will also have single shots in the
17 HM2 caliber also. The Muzzleloader rifles will grow 2 inches in barrel
length. The pump shotguns will have slug barrels available for next fall.
Browning for 2005….. And what would the start of a new year be without a NEW
CALIBER? Browning and Winchester have had really great success with their
family of short magnum new calibers. And added to this years ‘stable’ is the
325WSSM. Preliminary numbers indicate performance to equal or exceed a 338 win
mag. Why 325 instead of 338? All indicators to the caliber gurus at Winchester
were that 325 was the better bullet size. And in shotguns, the new Browning
Cynergy will now be available in 20 and 28 gauge. For those of you and
us still wild about the original Citori design, that gun is and will continue
to be available in all shapes and sizes. BUT, this Cynergy is a pretty neat
over under shotgun. And last years new
rifles, the semi auto Longtrak and Shortrack, well folks, this year we
should actually be able to get some of these.
One of these issues we are going to
devote entirely to Browning. They have a whole slew of various products. Years
back you could even buy a genuine Browning Dog? How bout that for a factory
product?
Remington Arms Company is turning to a Russian company for its latest new Product.
The EAA Baikal line of shotguns, side by sides as well as
over/unders. These have been sold by us for several years we like ’em a lot.
They work, they look nice, and they have a lot of features and are priced very
nicely. Savage turned to this company for its new 411 model. Now apparently
Remington has bought the entire years output of these guns.
Ruger has a new pistol called the P345 in
45 ACP. Great new design and should be available very soon. (No further news
from this company so far.
The Assault Weapon Ban.. Please Read…. We are going to try and sort this one
out in a paragraph or two. Call it Truth in Advertising.
The 1994 Law commonly known as the Assault weapons ban seems
to have come to an end on this September 14th of year 2004. Its’
actual value insofar as the increased safety of our society will be debated for
a long time. The guns that were in production were affected by this in the
following ways. Any gun produced from 94 to 04 could not have a bayonet lug. It
had to come with a 10 round or less magazine. It could not have a flash
suppressor. Insofar as handguns were concerned, it was primarily magazine
capacity that was affected. Pistols could not have magazines with more than 10
round capacity.
So what this meant was that guns didn’t have bayonet lugs.
It meant that if you found an old magazine that held more than 10 rounds you
could use it in your gun. Flash suppressors really never worked. And many were
built as recoil suppressors.
So many folks have asked us since this law expired, how has
this changed our/their life. Handguns are now starting to come thru with
magazines with greater capacity. Rifles too have bigger mags. We jokingly state
that we have been selling 25 bayonet lugs a day. Prices on extra magazines have
come down somewhat. All the magazines marked police use only, well, they don’t
mean it anymore. And all the pre-ban guns that commanded such high prices are
just worth ordinary prices. Now there
are regular guns, and guns produced during the ban.
An assault rifle is defined as a rifle designed to be fully
automatic and used by a military force to wage war. We don’t sell these, never
have. We sell semi auto rifles, (along with bolts, rifles, pumps, single shots)
which are used as sporting rifles or target guns.
Saturday Night Special.. With all the talk about this
subject, we would like to offer the following thoughts on this subject. A man
or woman who has to have a Browning over under, an expensive shotgun, may also
want a handgun. These person’s priorities may well be different for this
handgun compared to their shotgun. So instead of wanting to buy an expensive
handgun, they may want a less expensive model.
Or someone may want to buy a gun for sport or personal protection and
don’t give a darn about name brand. They want something that works. Maybe they
just plain can’t afford an expensive gun. That’s why there are 9mm handguns
priced from 120 dollars up to 700 bucks. And why there are 3-inch pump shotguns
from 150 dollars new to 500 dollars.
Some Political Thoughts
here..
.
And maybe the last word in election attitude. My 99 year old grandmother
made this statement the other day. “I think those people who brag about not
voting are for the birds.” The election is over. The phone calls and TV/radio
ads are past. Gone! As a final thought,
one of the greatest things we saw in this election was the voter turnout. And
as huge as it was, it could even be greater.
Black Powder Shootin......
As this is being written, black
powder is in full swing. The Pyrodex powder is still working well. Triple
7 is filling in real well. All the exposed breech plug guns are a little
more easily available. And you diehards still using real Black Powder are still
having fun. We saw loads of SmokePoles being used during the regular deer
seasons. Hope everyone is real successful!
DNR License and more…….
We have to say that this electronic
license system is a winner. It is finally running so smoothly that it goes
faster than the olden days when we would write those things out. And a lot more
legible. The DNR has really kept prices at realistic levels. Those horror
stories we heard a year ago about license fees, well folks, they did not come
true for the most part. During the season we kept track of the income from
license sales that the DNR received. Multiply 20 bucks times 600,000 deer
licenses and see what you come up with. Multiply 12 bucks times 120,000 bonus permits and see what that total is. We are talking some DNR income. And that doesn’t come close
to what the totals are from all other fees and licenses. So the DNR is doing a
pretty good job, and they are not starving Marvin.
Our Used Gun List……… As of December 1st is up to date. From 54 dollars up to 8500
bucks. Should be something in their for everyone. Take a look at the list here,
check it on our web site, better yet, c’mon in and snare one.
Coyote and Fox Folk...... It is getting to be
our time now. From a 22 to a 17 to a 223 or a super short mag. 30-06
accelerator shells should even be available this year again. Have fun, aim
safe!!
Business Hours......
Open 9 to 9 Mon to Friday
9 to 5 on Saturday,
Closed Sundays and Holidays.
This new years we will be closed on Sun and Mon Jan 1
and 2 for out inventory.
Internet....
Our website is another place where
we publish our used gun list. We try and do this
monthly. We also provide a links page with pathways to many firearm’s and
hunting related companies, as well as the DNR and other organizations. Give us
a visit, Have fun!
View our web site (BillsSport). Or
if you wish to send us an e mail.
customer_service@billssport.com
.
The Dollars We Pay…… Just want to note here for the sake of all of us, how much is paid in some
form of taxes already by Hunters and Shooters. I have already mentioned the
income the DNR receives form license and fees. Please keep in mind that we all
pay an excise tax, on our firearms, ammunition and components. This is charged
by the government at the manufacturing level. So we never see or hear of it but
about 10 percent of your expenditure is going to this.
Keep in mind that our license and tax fees paid in amount to a hefty chunk
of change. There is no one out there supporting the hunter or fisherman. We
totally support ourselves and much much more. We fully pay our way and in fact fund many parts of
the budget not related to what we do. We are paying toward the use and
enjoyment of the outdoors by many non hunters. And that is OK.
Gun Safes.......... We have lots of these in stock.
And we pride ourselves in being able to
properly answer your questions with good information regarding this investment.
Stop in for help in making the decision as to what is most suited to your
security needs.
FALL-Winter Calendar……
Dec
8, Muzzleloader deer closes
Dec
10 Spring turkey app deadline
Dec
10, Bobwhite closes
Dec
31, Pheasant closes
Jan
3, Archery Deer closes
Jan
14, Bear app deadline
Jan
18, Crow opens
Jan
31. Raccoon closes
Feb
12, Sturgeon opens
Feb
15, Fox closes
Feb
28, Cottontail closes
Knives........
Seems like knives are a big holiday
gift item. In light of that we have a bunch of different ones for your
enjoyment. From Swiss Army to folding pockets to folding hunters to straight
knives. For a while we thought straight knives were becoming a thing of the
past. No No NO. These are available in drop points and many others, stop in and
get some.
Crow Hunting.....
The only pure sport left in America?
Perhaps. And according to our DNR calendar, the party begins January 18,2005.
Be there or be square.
Boots...Shoes...Hip Boots .. Well, this year we sure didn’t stock enough hip boots for
deer season. So that means we’ll pick up 30 pairs for next year and it’ll be
dry as a bone. But as regards boots: Boots are an essential part of the tools
of the field. And a good pair of boots is hard to find. And when you find a
good pair, you wind up wearing the darned things out ’cause they do their job
so well. And then you go to replace em and they don’t exist anymore. You don’t
want new and improved. You want what worked for you for 1, 2, or 12 years. Well
folks, that’s the kind of boot we want to have for you to buy. And since we
sell so many of them every year lately, we may be close to having the perfect
boot batch. Stop in. (Oh, and save a lot too!!) .
Hunters Safety...... Continues to ‘grow a new crop”
of good new Hunters and Huntresses every year. These new grads are well versed
in laws and good safe hunting habits. The thousands of volunteer instructors do
it for the love of the sports. And absolutely everyone benefits from this.
Gun Clubs... We put together a list of gun clubs. It
listed their city, what sports they accommodated, and what facilities they
featured. Stop in and pick up this list and support your local gun club. Both
with your dollars as well as a little sweat off your brow.
Tech Tips.....
There are some very powerful
cleaning solutions. These are used primarily on rifle and shotgun bores to
remove the most stubborn residue. These products must be used carefully in most
cases. They can harm the bluing and or wood finish on many firearms. But where
they are supposed to be used, they really work. Just remember to completely
remove these solvents when done, AND then apply some good lubricant.
Chambers … One
of the biggest problems causing firearms to malfunction is fouled chambers. In
the case of shotguns, a darn near invisible film of residue from plastic shells
will hamper the extraction process. You have to clean the heck out of the
chamber. Rifles have shown up lots this year with rusted chambers. If not
rusted then brass residue. So cleaning with special care and leaving the
chamber/barrel with a light coating of oil will head off this problem.
Open Sight Adjustment Rules ……
Just sort of a reminder here. When
adjusting open sights, you are moving the sights to where the bullet or shot is
hitting. You “run away from the point of impact with the rear sight and chase
after it with the front sight. In other words, if you are hitting to the left,
you move the rear sight right or you move the front sight left. If you are
hitting low, you move the rear sight up or the front sight down. In all cases
we recommend you start out at 25 yards and after getting sorted out, checking
at 100 yards.
Back Bored Barrels….. We would like to take a moment here to define back bored
barrels. 12 gauge is 12 gauge, right? Well, yes and no. The diameter of a
12-gauge barrel is plus or minus a few thousandths. There is a certain
manufacturing tolerance accepted in the gun making industry. And a back bored
barrel is one constructed to the outer limits of size allowance. In other
worlds it’s a big 12 gauge. Building it this way has some effects on
performance. A little less friction and the powder changing to gas has a little
more room to expand. The nature of the recoil is softened a bit. And the effect
of the choke is also changed. The choke is actually designed to work with that
different barrel dimension. But in essence, a back bored barrel is a bigger
barrel.
Thanks Once Again......
For your wonderful patronage. Every year is different. We hope you all had a great year
especially in your huntin fishin plinkin and target pursuits. We look forward
to the new year coming and look forward to seeing you again.
Ken. Joe, Olde
Richard, Al. Richard the Eldest, Chris, Kathy, and Litl Mikey