Happy Birthday, Annie!

Little Sure Shot was born this day in 1860...go out and bust a clay in her honor.

The Firearms Blog notes that Robinson Arms is now offering an XCR pistol variant. Interesting...all of a sudden (and I think I mentioned this a while back) AR platform pistols have gone from being jokes to "serious" tactical tools. I actually think they're somewhere in the middle. I have a 9mm AR variant from Spike's Tactical, which is an absolute blast to shoot. I figure it would be the ultimate "defend the bedroom" gun, but probably not good for a tour on the Afghan border watching out for opium smugglers. Or maybe as a car gun..a few 33-round magazines would probably get you home from the MJ Tribute concert, even if its held in Tegucigalpa.

Ammoland.com is featuring the Bill Wilson Carry Pistol, which we popped on SHOOTING GALLERY and generated a big demand. Here's a shock...it's a little 1911 in .45. I've shot it and it's a nice nice gun. BTW, John May, who works for Wilson Combat, also writes an excellent column for the Tactical Journal, the official publication of IDPA. The most recent column, Vol 13 Issue 3, isn't up yet, but it's worth watching for, because it's just superb. Here's a little bit, typed in my Yours Truly:

One of the things that seem to get lost in competitive shooting is fun. I can remember when I started how much fun it was, shooting my first match made me smile for days. I'll bet you all remember your first national shooting event. I know that I felt like a kid going to the County Fair. I miss those days...

Nicely done, John...there is an on-going need on making sure we keep having fun, becaise it's surprising how easily we can convert something we love into a chore.

I note the passing of Les Paul, the God of Guitars. Back when I was a Celebrity Journalist Guy in NYC, one day this guys shows up in my COUNTRY MUSIC Magazine office carting a beautiful Les Paul guitar. "I'm Les Paul," the guy said. "I thought I'd come up and play for you." And he did. And it was magic.