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Greetings!
The kids are out of school. Sundown isn't until the adults' bedtime. There are burgers on the grill, fish on the line and lots of new guns to be range tested. Although, this might seem like a time for a little R&R, most of our clients are already making plans for fall 2011 and into 2012. I will predict that the next SHOT Show will see innovation return to the floor. We've been talking with some brand new companies who are bringing back the "cool" to our industry. And that's the term you'll be saying a lot when you see some of this really thought provoking stuff. Now, I'm not at liberty to discuss any of it, and heck some of them aren't even clients, but I am VERY upbeat about what I am seeing and hearing for our future in this industry.
P.S. This is also why I love my job!
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The Passing of Charlie Cutshaw - Friend and Great Writer
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On June 12th, a good industry friend and an excellent writer, Charlie Cutshaw, passed away. He was always there for LBM. We will surely miss him. Charlie was buried at Greenview Memorial (3657 Old Chisholm Road, Florence - (256) 764-2411) in the Veterans section on June 15th. Charlie was given full police honors with an Honor Guard and motorcade escort to Greenview Memorial.
In lieu of flowers: Please send donations to one of two of Charlie's favorite charities. The first charity being ASPCA. Please use the following address of Linda Tiramani, ASPCA Special Giving, 520 8th ave 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Please include a note,"in memory of Charles Q. Cutshaw". The second charity is Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd., Ste 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256. Same note as before please.
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Chris Shugart Joins the American Technologies Network Team
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 | | Chris Shugart, Marketing and Advertising Manager |
American Technologies Network welcomes Chris Shugart aboard as ATN's new Marketing and Advertising Manager. Shugart, after studying Graphic Arts and Film at UCLA, began his business communications career in the music industry. Shugart's interests in promotion and writing, with a result of winning the public's attention, eventually led him to develop out-of-the-box marketing skills. He has since developed an impressive resume of marketing experience in a variety of industries before landing in the shooting sports, law enforcement and military markets.
Shugart previously owned and operated an advertising agency providing clients with full-service, in-house capabilities. As an entrepreneur, Shugart also teamed up with his father, Al Shugart, founder and CEO of Seagate Technology to establish and promote Carmel Bay Publishing. It was during this period that Shugart also dabbled in political marketing including creating campaign materials and website design. Shugart's early experience in the political arena led him to start a radio show, Uncommon Sense, the basis of the show helped found the American Association of Independent Voters, a non-profit political action organization.
Since the radio show ended in 2004, Shugart has continued to develop his marketing skills and share his expertise with a multitude of companies in various industries.
Chris brings an extensive set of talents and skills to any project, with a solid background in a variety of media and venues. He also has a diverse knowledge of products and services, covering a wide range of industries serving both the consumer and the business sector.
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BLACKHAWK!® Fire / EMS Mobile Operation Bags
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 | | Mobile Operation Bag - Large |
When compared to the BLACKHAWK! Fire / EMS Mobile Operation Bags, other gear bags just don't stand a chance! Featuring top-quality 1000 denier nylon and reinforced stitching for durability, both sizes of this operator-friendly gear / travel bag can be used as a backpack, shoulder bag or storage bag. Each comes equipped with reflective cording and are available in black or red. Get all the details here!
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G4S International Training Inc. Listens to Students and Designs A More High Performance Driving Course
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Two and a half year ago one of the ITI clients came to G4S International Training, Inc. (ITI) and asked them to design a driving course that essentially was higher speed driving with a bit more high performance driving on gravel, dirt and sand surfaces. The instructors set about designing the course, which included the surface, the cars and the techniques that would have to be used. This process took some time, required some external expertise and training, as well as a great deal of internal training to prepare their cadre. The result is what is known within ITI and now in wider circles as the Unimproved Road Course or the URC.
 ITI learned some lessons in designing and teaching the URC over the past two years and made the necessary adjustments to prepare students for deployment. Drivers have to negotiate multiple surfaces at higher speeds than one might find in an off road or 4x4 driver training course. Rally driving techniques, cars setup for this effort and surfaces that range from sand to gravel to hard surfaced roads and back to gravel or sand proved to be the right formula.
One Saudi retired general remarked that it was "... like home..." and visitors from Haiti said, "... if you could pile up some burning tires, it would be just like home..." Of course they are not burning tires at ITI, but they have captured the driving challenges of the overseas environment in many under developed countries. ITI aims to continue the work with the URC to increase the applicability and the required driver skills. One thing is for sure - it is a blast to drive rally style!!
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Cheaper Than Dirt! Chats it up with ISSC Owner Mike Weisser
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Cheaper Than Dirt recently had the opportunity to speak with Mike Weisser, owner of ISSC, the exclusive importer and distributor of the M22 range pistol and MK22 rifle. We discussed where the company comes from and the thoughts behind the ingenious designs they put into their firearms.
Cheaper Than Dirt: Tell me a little bit about how ISSC Austria got started and how they grew into the company they are today.
Mike Weisser: The founder of the company is Austrian Wolfram Kriegleder. He is a graduate of the Austrian technical college which awards degrees in gun engineering and design. It is the only such degree anywhere in the world. It has been there for a long time. Austria of course is a country, along with Germany, that makes very high-quality firearms in both handguns and long guns. Many of the people who are designers or engineers for the Austrian, German and Swiss gun companies went to this college. He originally started as a designer and engineer with WALTHER, a German company that imports into this country through Smith & Wesson. He designed a very popular pistol for them called the P22. After designing that gun for WALTHER and actually having some disagreements with the management of WALTHER over the design, which I'll get into in a minute, he decided in 2008 to found his own company so that he could design the pistol that he really wanted to design. One thing led to another and he and I met at a trade show in 2008. The gun market is such that if you are not in the United States, you aren't anywhere. I agreed to import and set up a sister company over here which is also called ISSC and to import and service the American market for his products. So ISSC was founded by Wolfram in Austria 2008, and I founded a separate company over here with the same name in 2009.
The above is an excerpt from the recent Cheaper Than Dirt! Interview with ISSC-Austria Owner Mike Weisser. To read the full interview, please visit The Shooter's Log.
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LaserLyte® RL-TOOL vs XD(m) Factory Rear Sight
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The LaserLyte® RL-TOOL will remove most factory rear sights and allow you to install the LaserLyte Rear Sight Laser. The Springfield Armory XD and XD(m) are among the toughest rear sights to remove. This video is shot in one take and does not stop filming. This impossible feat is now possible with the LaserLyte RL-TOOL. $199.95 MSRP www.laserlyte.com
 | | LaserLyte RL-TOOL vs XD(m) Factory Rear Sight |
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Masterpiece Arms MPA9300SST-XX 9mm Carbine
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First unveiled at the 2011 SHOT Show and based on the MPA930 "Mini" 9mm, Masterpiece Arms' MPA9300SST-XX 9mm Carbine is American Made and comes with a Lifetime Guarantee. It includes a muzzle break, holosight, aluminum quad rail, vertical grip, low profile buttstock, polymer mag and mag loader. Watch the video demonstration and keep an eye out for the ejection path of the spent cases. Available now from your local gun retailer or distributor.
 | | Masterpiece Arms MPA9300SST-XX 9mm Carbine |
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Your Chemical of the Week - Hydrogen Sulfide - brought to you by Morphix Technologies
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Ah, hydrogen sulfide, the chemical that has been the "butt" of so many jokes. The gas with the familiar odor of "rotten eggs" is a colorless, toxic and flammable gas with the chemical formula of H2S. Commonly associated with bathroom humor and odor caused by the decay of organic matter from swamps and sewers, it is also an important component in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. A variant of the typical ephedrine reduction method for making meth calls for the combination of iron sulfide and hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen sulfide gas. The gas is then bubbled into a suspension of iodine water to produce hydroiodic acid, a precursor for meth production.
A funny thing about hydrogen sulfide though, in low concentrations, the gas has the familiar foul smell but as the concentration rises, the hydrogen sulfide gas quickly deadens the sense of smell, the only alert system to the rising levels of toxicity. Low levels of toxicity can lead to eye irritation and damage (10 - 100 ppm). At the 150 to 250 ppm level the sense of smell is deadened. At 320 to 530 ppm the possibility of death increases with pulmonary edema. At 530 - 1000 ppm the central nervous system becomes over stimulated and at around 800 ppm (the lethal dose for 50% of humans) death occurs in as little as five minutes. Death from hydrogen sulfide has occurred with as little as one single breath at concentrations of over 1000 ppm.
For law enforcement or first responders acting on a call, the levels of hydrogen sulfide are normally far above the "rotten egg" smell test. A simple solution is offered by Morphix Technologies with the Chameleon chemical detector kit. Get to the scene. Open your Chameleon kit, tear open the cassette package. Insert into armband. Put on armband and adjust to fit. Now, go do your job with confidence that you have the tools to detect a killer like hydrogen sulfide.
Just a side note on the little video attached. Hydrogen sulfide is believed to have been released to toxic levels by the asteroid impact that caused the Permian mass extinction - hence the dinosaurs.  | | Dinosaur Cartoon |
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Revision Exoshield® Extreme Low-Profile Eyewear Now Available
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Revision announces that its Exoshield Extreme Low-Profile Ballistic Eyewear is now available for purchase. Designed by and for special operation forces, the Exoshield provides extreme low-profile protection for fast-moving maneuvers.
"The Revision Exoshield is an ultra compact hybrid solution designed by special operators for special operations," explains Dan Packard, Sr. VP of Military Sales for Revision. "This end-user driven product, the Exoshield, provides unequivocal night vision gear compatibility, ballistic protection and environmental shielding for use in high-speed, dynamic operations."
Revision's Exoshield Extreme Low-Profile Eyewear features flow-coat lens technology with powerful OcuMax® anti-fog and anti-scratch protection. That, combined with flawless optics, superior ballistic protection-exceeding ANSI Z87.1-2010 and military ballistic impact requirements for both spectacles and goggles (MIL-PRF-31013, clause 3.5.1.1 and MIL-DTL-43511D, clause 3.5.10)-and rugged durability, make this the ultimate eyewear for tactical operators.
So far, the Exoshield has been met with end-user enthusiasm. A U.S. Air Force PJ commented, "The eyewear is great, keeps out the dust (even under freefall) and is comfortable even for extended periods. I think this is 'the product' for the guys that need a multipurpose goggle."
The Exoshield Extreme Low-Profile Eyewear Kit is available in either clear or solar lens versions and retails for $49.99 MSRP.
 | | The Exoshield Kit includes a clear or solar lens with comfort foam, black headstrap, microfiber cleaning cloth, and storage case. |
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Sentry Solutions: Dry Lube vs. Wet Lube
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If you did a word association test on people and asked them what word they associate with "lubricate," I bet many will say "oil" or "grease." Ask them why they didn't think of a dry lube and you are likely to get a perplexed look and a "huh?" Dry lubes, like many of the Sentry Solutions products such as the Tuf-Cloth, or Marine Tuf-Cloth or any of the other Sentry Solutions oil-free lubricants, offer something the traditional oil or grease lubes do not - They provide better lubrication in extreme conditions where the other oils and grease lubes will likely freeze or melt or break apart. Can't have that happen if you are testing  the latest high speed car at the Bonneville Salt Flats, sending off a communications satellite, or responding to gunfire while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The other major benefit of using a dry lube is its ability to maintain performance by not attracting dust or grit whereas a web lube will collect all sorts of foreign matter and clog up the systems in that expensive jet car or cause a costly malfunction on that satellite or even cause a fatal jam in that soldier's rifle. So, next time you are considering lubrication - think about your goals and if performance is key, think dry.
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Student of the Gun Launch
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Student of the Gun is rapidly approaching its premier date of Tuesday, June 28th 2011. The team would like to remind you that they will be airing twice a week: Thursdays at 5:30pm EST, and then replayed on Tuesdays at 1:30pm EST. They are very excited to be premiering on the Pursuit Channel and reaching millions of viewers. The SOTG page is up and running on The Pursuit Channel's website and can be viewed at www.pursuitchannel.com/ShowDetail.asp?ShowID=176. The official SOTG website will be up and running in the next few days. As you can imagine, SOTG is ready to start driving traffic to the site and creating excitement about the show. If you haven't already joined their Facebook page, please feel free to join! There they will keep you updated on any news as well as events and locations they will be attending.
 | | Paul Markel |
The team has been busy filming segments, attending events, and working to make SOTG the best project they can. Last week, they attended the AAC Silencer shoot in Memphis, TN, and had a blast.
They have completed the first edition of their open; which they will be calling their version 1.0. It still will be undergoing some changes but SOTG thought you may be interested in looking at it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKsTqp_rfc.
Paul and Troy want to thank everyone that has traveled down to the Beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast to film with them. They hope your stay with them was as enjoyable for you as it was for them. It was a treat to have you down and highlight your products with them on camera. They would like for you to consider Paul and their team an asset when introducing new products and services that you want to share with the shooting sports industry.
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Laura Burgess Marketing provides public relations and marketing services to companies within the law enforcement, tactical, military, shooting sports, boating and recreational fishing markets. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, corporate management and public relations, Laura Burgess Marketing helps companies to build better brand awareness to the media and their customers through traditional and the new social media methods.
Sincerely,
Laura Burgess
Laura Burgess Marketing |
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A Class Act Gift for Any Family Member
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If you are looking for a class-act gift for a family member or as an award for your reps, distributors or employees, look no further than My Bullet. My Bullet has just received the official licensing approval for the United States Marine Corp. Each .50 caliber bullet or 20mm cannon round replica are made in both brass and silver. They are individually made and expertly engraved and packaged in a variety of showcase presentations. www.my-bullet.com.
 | | Baldrick's Bullet.m4v |
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AGI Announces New Facebook Page
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American Gunsmithing Institute has announced the official launch of the AGI Facebook Page. The goal of the page is to create a place for fans and students (past and present) to interact directly with the institute, where they can discuss and review AGI classes, learn training tips from esteemed teachers and find out more about upcoming events.
Be sure to visit the AGI Facebook Page and "like" them today!
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Gunup.com Unveils a New Look and New Research Tool
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A New Look
We have updated the look and feel of GunUp.com, check it out and let us know what you think!
Download Our New Research Tool
Now you can find information, reviews, and pricing about guns and gun manufacturers anywhere on the web with our FireFox Browser Extension. Note you must be using FireFox 4 for the extension to work properly.
 | | How to Use GunUp.com's Firefox Browser Extension |
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As the original designers of the Bushmaster pistol, MGI would like some of your thoughts on re-releasing the original "Arm" pistol. MGI values your feedback! To post your thoughts and opinions, visit the MGI Facebook page, click on the Discussions tab and navigate to the "Re-Releasing" discussion topic. If this is the first time you're visiting the MGI Facebook page, make sure you "Like" it so you can reply to the thread. By connecting with MGI, you'll also receive the latest MGI news and updates on products and new distributors.
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Tactical Mic Keeper (TMK) Announces Social Media Presence
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Tactical Mic Keeper (TMK) has announced the official launch of the TMK Facebook Page and Twitter account. The goal of the Facebook page is to create a place for law enforcement, fire personnel, hunters and more to interact directly with the company, where they can discuss and review the TMK and watch videos and testimonials on the product and find out more about upcoming events. The Twitter account will provide the community with dealer locations, product information and hot promotions.
The TMK securely attaches the microphone to any officer's uniform: either from the front buttons or shoulder strap buttons. It is compatible with almost all remote microphones including Motorola and Kenwood. The TMK is ideally suited for police, sheriffs, EMT, fire, border patrol, hunting, TSA and construction.
Be sure to visit the TMK Facebook Page and "like" them today, as well as to follow the TMK Twitter account!
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The Latest from the LBM Blogger
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LBM Wants YOU...To Be a Contributing Blogger | |
LBM is looking to expand The LBM Blogger and we're looking for upstanding bloggers to contribute. We've already been able to get some fantastic bloggers to start posting content on our site. Perhaps you've seen their work. If you are a blogger who has contributed outstanding work to the industry, we'd like you to share your wisdom with our readers.
Getting started as a contributing blogger is easy. Contact Ashley Burgess to have your profile created.
Once your user profile is created, feel free to contribute as often or as little as you'd like!
All posts will be publicized through our Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn accounts. We may even feature you in our bi-monthly newsletter as well! |
LBM Now Offers Advertising in Bi-Monthly Newsletter | |
Are you looking to gain exposure but don't have the budget to launch a full scale PR / Marketing campaign? LBM is proud to announce that we are now accepting advertising in our bi-monthly newsletter for companies large and small. Contact us today to schedule your ad in the next LBM newsletter. |
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