Monday hit especially hard this last week as I returned to work after the 4th of July break. I felt like I spent the rest of the week recovering. As such, this past weekend was low key for myself and my family. No crazy fishing stories this week.
Website Updates
Two new articles went live this past week.
The first is my thoughts following the passage of the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) and the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act. Now that the laws have passed, a myriad of lawsuits have been filed against the legality of the registration requirements.
Marc has been working on 44 Mag loads for his Smith and Wesson 329PD and took the time to write up his experience loading for this unique pistol.
We have updated The Ballistic Library, with a few new books we have picked up over the past few years. If you have a moment, check it out, maybe find some light reading.
Time at the Bench
Estate Sale Score
Marc got lucky and scored some older reloading supplies from an estate sale. One of the more exciting finds was a quantity of 300 gr .429 cast bullets from an unknown maker. These will make for an exciting research project for his 44 Mag loads. He’s been working on a load for them that we will hear about sometime later.
Marc’s been on the hunt for a new powder for his .44 Mag loads.
Being a traditionalist, he has always stuck to the old favorites powder wise. His recent dive back into the peculiarities of the 329PD has led him to branch out and try some of the newer powders for magnum loads. The recent years have seen many new powders introduced. New options are always welcome in the reloading space. More options will always equate to more shooting and learning opportunities.
Speaking of Powder Shortages
Many people find their preferred powder is not in stock at their local sporting good stores. I personally have been waiting for RL 33, a Swedish powder made by Bofors, to come back in stock so I can load up rounds for my 338 Lapua. Wars in Ukraine, and Israel have really sucked up a lot of the manufacturing capacity. ADI powders, from Australia, have been virtually nonexistent for a few years now. Many reloaders are in the same boat as Marc, trying out new powders and new loads for their favorite firearms.
A little light reading
While it is not time “at the bench” I have been doing some reading. I am a sucker for books that dig into homemade firearms, or books that offer technical information regarding a firearm. I recently stumbled onto the series of books published by Paul T. Jackson host of the YouTube channel “Garage Guy 30-06”
The book I flipped through this time was Building a Target Pistol at Home. He lays out the process he used to build the pistol with a basic mill and lathe set up. Nothing CNC, just some good old fashioned know how. One of my favorite things to do is to model the firearm based on the blueprints and information presented in the book. Right on the first page, he states that the plans are not a complete set, and there is a fair amount of fitting and handwork that needs to be done.
The book is informative and presents not only the basic design, but the engineering that goes behind it. I have found that the quality of books that claim to teach you how to build your own firearm varies from dismal to excellent. This book is good, especially if you read some of the other books in his series.
This specific book covers the building of a 22LR bolt action pistol. However, he has books detailing the building of a couple different bolt action rifles, as well as a semi auto rifle. Anyone who likes to tinker in the shop will likely find these books right up your alley.
Industry and Legislative News
HPA and SHORT
The HPA and SHORT Act passed, we are now waiting for the details on how it will be implemented. We expect the date when the ATF will begin to accept $0 NFA’s will likely be January 1st, 2026. However, that could change if the right people put the right pressure on the agency. We will also be waiting for what happens with the lawsuits that have been filed to challenge the rest of the NFA. This is likely going to be a long wait, and we do not expect to see movement for several months at least.
Harbor Freight vs Steamlight
This is probably one of the more amusing things that have happened in the firearms industry. In June Harbor Freight, released a weapon mounted light under their Braun brand that looked to be a 100% knock off of a Streamlight TLR-1. The knock off is a little ‘too good’ and Streamlight has filed a lawsuit for both trademark and patent infringement. The Harbor Freight version is about a 1/3 of the price of the TLR-1 at $50.
This is only the latest example of a Chinese company copying a US product. We see this all the time with everything from optics to flashlights, to Glock switches and solvent traps. It’s a real issue. In fact, I get emails both to this website and to my work asking if we would be interested in purchasing Chinese optics branded to our specifications. There is an awful lot of Chinese glass on the market, no need to add to that space.
New Yorks Public Nuisance Law
The NSSF lost its case in the 2nd Circuit court challenging the 2021 Public Nuisance Statute which was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. This legislation seeks to classify violent crime as a public nuisance and aims to hold firearms manufacturers liable for their role.
This is a blatant attempt to get around the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) which protects firearms manufacturers from damages resulting in the illegal use of firearms. The 3 Judge panel decided against the NSSF and upheld the law. We expect an appeal, likely leading to a full en banc review.
Cases like these have been a mainstay in the firearm legal world since the 2005 passage of the PLCAA. So far, the pattern has generally been that the plaintiffs have some small victories at the beginning and then get struck down on appeal. We will see if this pattern holds.
New Guns and Gear
Taurus GX2
Taurus is the latest to offer a new pistol to compete directly against the Sig Sauer P365. It is a micro 9mm and offers a 12+1 capacity. This likely means the GX4, the first micro 9 released by Taurus, is on the outs. It seems to be a trend that Taurus will release an updated model with a new model number and then phase out the predecessor. It’s priced as a budget pistol, about half the MSRP of the Sig P365. Personally, when it comes to a personal defense pistol, I would rather spend the few extra bucks to get a brand that I know is going to be reliable than to get a “Johnny Come Lately” model.
I do have one semi serious question, who chooses the color schemes for Taurus Pistols? Cyan, Light Purple, Dark Purple and Black…. it’s the most random thing I have seen in awhile.
Derya DY9
Continuing with the trend of “Sell what works” the Derya DY9 was released. This is a Turkish Glock Clone, though I think the term they use is a Glock Parallel. The internals are nearly identical to a Gen 3 Glock, and it accepts Glock mags and reportedly will work with many Glock holsters. The market has been flooded with Turkish guns over the last few years, they’re usually “parallel” to other well-known firearms and the quality can be mixed. Derya is imported by Rock Island Arms.
I personally do not like the grip angle of Glock pistols. So I don’t get as excited when I see a new Glock on the market as everyone else seems to.
That is all we have for this week,
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 firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.
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Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com
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