New England is getting a taste of Texas this week. It’s supposed to top out at 97 degrees, which is downright miserable. I have lived in a lot of different areas in the United States. It is interesting to see how different regions make fun of other regions. Places that get lots of snow will mock places the get shut down over a flurry. Likewise, places with 90% humidity and 90-degree heat will laugh at northerners complaining about a few hot days. At the end of the day, northerners do not have central AC but have tons of snowplows, which is pretty much the exact opposite of the southerners. I have determined it is far more about the equipment then it is the people.
No fishing this past weekend, so my catch ratio remains unchanged.
Website Updates
As you may have noticed we are trying a different format for these updates. My original intent was to publish a weekly post highlighting new articles and tools on the site. This has morphed into a weekly newsletter of sorts that goes beyond just reporting on the website.
Since the purpose of these updates have changed we felt it was best to handle them differently. Hence the new title and a issue number. Marc and I will continue to keep our ears to the ground and provide industry news, and commentary, we’re just going to structure it a bit differently. We hope for the better.
Time at the Bench
I have been working on prepping brass and experimenting with a few new things just to see how they work. As most handloaders know, trimming brass tends to leave a burr on both the inside and outside of the case mouth. One of my least favorite things about the process is the OD deburr as it just squeals and feels miserable. So, I decided to try something new.
I started playing around with deburring tools used in machine shops to see how well they might work. Honestly, I was very impressed. The cutters are very sharp, and the ergonomics are a bit better. It looks like it would be awkward to use, but it knocks out that inside burr with one rotation. There is a similar attachment for the OD deburr. It takes very light pressure to trim away the burrs and leaves a very consistent edge break. I am going to play with it some more but if it’s something I end up liking I may do a future write up.
The one thing that always causes me a bit of annoyance is when a case uses two different primer sizes. 45 ACP typically has a large pistol primer, but it is not uncommon to find brass that uses a small primer pocket. That is apparently true for 7.62×39, which I have been working through this week. I get why companies do it, at the end of the day both rounds perform fine with their smaller primers. The cost of a small rifle primer when compared to a large one is small, but not zero. Margins on ammunition are notoriously small, so anything a company can do to increase margin they will. Still bugs the hell out of me though.
Industry and Legislative News
Hearing Protection Act
The provisions currently remain in the Senate bill to remove suppressors from the NFA entirely. Current events have put a damper on a lot of the conversation around the “Big Beautiful Bill”, which I think is a good thing. The quieter the public discourse, the better its odds of passing, in my view.
Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles and Tools (SHORT) Act
Possibly the most exciting news of the week is the inclusion of the SHORT act in the Big Beautiful Bill. This bill removes Short Barrel Rifles and Short Barrel Shotguns from the NFA. This had been a provision that was in the original House bill but was removed and was not adopted in the final version of the bill that was passed to the Senate.
Well, the Senate added it back into their version of the bill. If it passes the Senate, the two different versions will need to be reconciled and approved by both before it can reach the president’s desk.
I have a 300 Blackout Shorty that I would really like to build, and of course that build needs a suppressor.
Frank Brownell’s Passing
Frank Royce Brownell III, longtime leader of Brownells Inc. and a prominent advocate for the Second Amendment, passed away on June 18, 2025, at the age of 85 after a lengthy illness. Frank joined the family business in 1965 and played a pivotal role in expanding it into one of the most recognized names in the firearms industry. He served as President starting in 1983 and later as CEO and Chairman of the Board, guiding the company through decades of growth while promoting the craft of gunsmithing and supporting the shooting community.
Beyond his business leadership, Frank was deeply committed to protecting gun rights and fostering education within the firearms world. He helped establish the NRA Business Alliance and was a familiar face at industry events like the SHOT Show and NRA Annual Meetings. A generous philanthropist, Frank supported youth shooting sports, conservation, and gunsmithing scholarships. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and son Pete Brownell, who continues the family’s legacy of advocacy and innovation.
New Guns and Gear
Sig 211-GTO
This year probably should be the year of the 2011, 1911 Double Stack (DS). Pretty much every major pistol manufacturer seems to be coming out with one. Sig was clever in its name. 2011 is a trademarked term licensed to Staccato and staccato protects that aggressively. Sig just dropped the zero. I think Staccato is a bit overly ambitious in protecting its trademark. At this point it has become a colloquial term for double stack 1911’s. Kind of like Kleenex is to tissue paper.
The Sig 211-GTO has a very nice look and has some nice features. However, it departs from the traditional 2011 or 1911 design quite a bit. Ambidextrous slide release, drop safe (more on this later), external extractor, changes both to the guide rods, reverse plugs and barrels. This is to say that this isn’t a firearm that is going to be compatible with other parts. It is its own beast, and it makes me ask the question, is it truly a double stack 1911, or have they departed so far from the John Moses Browning design that it should be removed from the family all together?
To be completely fair, Sig, to my knowledge, is not marketing it as a 1911 DS, but the market is comparing it to other 1911 DS on the market. This has been the most humorous part of the whole thing. Sig really stepped on it with what was an issue of P320 discharging when dropped. Not only did they not handle the issue particularly well, but their PR firm keeps it top of the news and cannot seem to let it drop. It’s that friend who made that one mistake that you and all your other buddies refuse to let them forget. Everyone knows Sig Sauer makes a top tier product, but it’s just too much fun to keep needling them on it.
It probably won’t be long before I am able to get my hands on one, I look forward to testing it. Retail is expected to be around $2400
That is all we have for this week. We will be keeping a close eye on the news with bated breath to see where this Big Beautiful Bill goes. Now’s the time to really apply some pressure to your legislators. Call, Text, Email, send Ravens, whatever it is you use to communicate.
Jay & Marc
The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearms related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.
Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com
Marc –Marc@theballisticassistant.com
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