Bear & Son Cutlery's Bear OPS division, which creates specialized military and law enforcement duty-grade knives, has released a new AC-550 series Bold Action automatic knife. This new AC-550 is a full-sized pocket-carry tactical knife with a closed length of five inches.   

Primary Arms Optics announces three new reticle options for the proven Platinum 1-8x24 First Focal Plane Scope. The ACSS Raptor M2 reticle updates and replaces the original ACSS reticle for 5.56 NATO, .308 Winchester, 5.45x39 and 6.5 Grendel rifles. ACSS Griffin MIL and ACSS Griffin MOA are able to maximize precision and speed with any caliber.

Federal Premium Ammunition sponsored shooters and brand ambassadors Kayle Browning and Ashley Carroll each earned gold medal victories at the Championship of the Americas in Guadalajara, Mexico, November 2 to 10, 2018.

As part of an ongoing national effort to help prevent illegal "straw" purchases of firearms, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are reminding the public in the Atlanta area that stiff penalties are in place for individuals convicted of such purchases. 

Register today for the SIG SAUER November Sweepstakes and a chance to win a pair of ZULU9 binoculars now through Friday, November 16, 2018. ZULU9 binoculars offer 15x56mm HDX and are manufactured using high quality glass, fully multi-coated Spectracoat lenses and phase-coated Abbe-Konig prisms.

German Precision Optics, USA announced that MWS, an independent manufacturer’s sales representative agency, has been appointed to handle sales of the company’s optics lines in a 24-state territory.

SureFire, LLC announced the launch of two suppressors for 6 mm, 6.5 mm and .260 caliber weapon systems: SureFire’s SOCOM260-Ti, which is best suited for bolt-action rifles, and the versatile SureFire SOCOM260-RC2 suppressor for 6mm,  6.5 Creedmoor and .260 caliber, semiautomatic rifles. 

Crimson Trace has its Free Batteries for Life program which applies to nearly all the 350-plus laser sights and firearms mounted lights that Crimson Trace manufactures and sells. The company has now expanded that program to include batteries for its recently released red dot sights, plus the nearly dozen new riflescopes with illuminated reticles.

Century Arms is saddened to learn of a recent event at a factory of one of the company’s sourcing partners in Cugir, Romania. This factory produced a number of firearms imported by Century Arms including the popular WASR rifles and Micro Draco pistols.

The first episode of Oliver North’s American Heroes airs beginning November 13 and tells the story of Dave Eubank, the founder the of Free Burma Rangers. Watch Episode 1: Dave Eubank only on NRATV.com.

Sightmark introduces its newest products, the 30mm Bubble Level Ring and 34mm Bubble Level Ring. Bubble rings are designed to indicate whether a riflescope is mounted properly and level on the firearm.

Springfield Armory’s new SAINT Edge Pistol features a lightweight billet-machined lower receiver, a patent-pending full-length free float handguard, and a 10.3” lightweight 1:8 twist CMV barrel.

Action Target Inc. has developed the AutoTargets Bullet Trap Lifter to provide an improved method of training for military and law enforcement

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. announced the introduction of three new 12-gauge 590 Shockwave variants for the 2019 model year. The new models include the 590 Nightstick, 590 Shock ‘N’ Saw and the 590 Shockwave SPX.

New Howard Leight UVEX Hypershock, Acadia, A1500 and A700 Sharp-Shooter models feature durable, lightweight frames with well-contoured temples that fit comfortably under shooting muffs and tough, scratch-resistant lenses that meet or exceed rigid ANSI 787+ high-velocity impact standards.

Gunwerks is seeking candidates for the position of Director of Marketing. The chosen candidate will be responsible for the overall Marketing Strategy and Implementation.

When drawing the pistol, especially under stress, most shooters rush the act of gripping the pistol. Without the proper grip the rest of the presentation and following shots are going to be less than good. Or, you have to take extra time to establish control over the pistol to manipulate it correctly - because the improper grip created a malfunction. Regardless of the results, it ain’t good enough. We need to be at least “good” – “great” is even better; less than “good” may not be effective, and it’s certainly not efficient. There are parts of the draw stroke that can be done “fast” - I don’t even like using that term. Any time you try to go fast you’ll go too fast and accumulate mistakes. “Full speed” is maybe a better way to think about it. You cannot rush the grip. The proper grip is the foundation for everything that follows.

When I take time to establish the correct grip first, no matter how long that may require, it pays off exponentially. The rest of the draw is much more efficient, almost effortless. Without the correct grip everything else will be shaky – you’re trying to force it as opposed to the draw occurring naturally.

To grip the semi-auto I hit the back of the grip a little low, below the back strap or beaver tail. Then the hand slides up the back of the pistol, or it slides downward in relationship to your head. Once the web between thumb and first finger is indexed the three bottom fingers wrap and grip the pistol. The trigger finger is straight – unless working retention devices – and the thumb is on top of any safety levers. With the proper grip established the pistol can “bounce” out of the holster and into the support hand with the greatest of speed. (Having a pistol that actually fits your hand is mandatory.)

I’ve also run a few students through this drill. We’ll use a timer to see how long it takes to complete the draw and fire an accurate hit. One series is done with the shooter taking time to establish the proper grip, and then pushing the speed onto target for the shot. The other is with them trying to do everything fast. By slowing down and establishing the proper grip in the beginning – controlling the pace – all shooters score better times and accuracy.

To learn any of this – and especially develop the proper timing and rhythm of one action to another – requires practice. The other day I began counting how many times I drew my pistol during the day. Sometimes I’m drawing onto a target while other repetitions are to the Low-Ready position. I stopped counting at 120. Multiply that by the past twenty or more years and it’s a big number. I’m getting “more better,” but also discovering there’s room for lots of improvement. Get a dummy pistol, a safe area to practice with a real pistol or do it at the range before shooting – and start learning how to draw -- starting with your grip.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of The Book of Two Guns, AR-15 Skills and Drills, featured on GunTalk’s DVD, “Fighting With The 1911 and has regular columns in Gun Digest and American Handgunner.

www.shootrite.org

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