Sheriff Jim Wilson

SMITH & WESSON… The day before the 2010 SHOT Show opened in Las Vegas was a shooting day for gun writers and industry folks. One of the events that I always like to visit is put on by the good folks at Smith & Wesson. I had a good time there and, as I was about to leave, they pointed out that I hadn’t drawn for my door prize. Now I have as much luck at drawings as President Obama will in carrying Arizona the next election. But, I drew anyway.

Just to prove that a blind sow can occasionally find an acorn, I actually won an M&P auto. It was supposed to be an M&P .45 but, at my request, they swapped it for the 9mm version. Don’t get excited… I’m not switching calibers this late in the game. However, the fact was that I didn’t have a good 9mm to use in classes and ammo tests. Smith & Wesson was happy to fix me up.

JIm and Simon Kyle-Liittle With a Prized Australian Wild Ox

As you know, there are several good polymer, striker-fired pistols available today. I just happen to like the S&W M&P a little better than the others. The model that I received has the ambidextrous thumb safeties, which I like, and I really like the interchangeable backstraps for making the gun fit my hand.

This past week, this particular M&P went off to XS Sights (www.xssights.com) to have an Express rear sight and a Big Dot front sight installed. I’m looking forward to playing with this package. Don’t be surprised if you see if on AMERICAN GUARDIAN TV during the coming season.

RUGER… This past week, I spent three days with the good folks from Ruger. I was especially pleased to tour their Prescott, AZ, plant. Mark Lang and the guys are doing some really interesting new things with the way they are set up to build guns. Mark and his staff are finding ways to make the whole process faster and more dependable.

For example, just a while back, Texas governor Rick Perry used a Ruger LCP to dispatch a coyote that was after his dog (one shot, too, by the way!). The folks at Ruger heard about the episode and within a few days were turning out an LCP marked “Coyote Special” complete with the Texas star on the slide. Their new manufacturing techniques are the reason that they can get such a quick turn-around on products. You can expect more of this to occur in the future.

We also shot several Ruger guns that will be coming out later this year. Frankly, I agreed not to talk about the specifics until Ruger gives us the green light to do so. You have to understand that Ruger is a public company and, in order to avoid accusations of insider trading, they take confidentiality very seriously. Ruger is also committed to having plenty of guns on the shelves, ready to ship, before they make an announcement. This hasn’t always been the case with Ruger and they don’t want it to happen again. So, stay tuned and we’ll let you know about some very interesting new Rugers just as soon as we can.

HUNTING… In July I’ll be going to Argentina with Remington for a dove/pigeon/duck shoot. I’ve been wanting to get among the Argentine doves & pigeons for many years and this will be my first opportunity. Down there, the birds nest several times a year and there are so many that they have become a pest to local farmers. I’m told that it’s not uncommon to shoot 500-1,000 shotgun shells each day! And, not to worry, the birds are collected and provided to villagers for food.

Anyway, we’ll be testing a new Remington shotgun and new Remington shotshell. You’ll see my report later this year in the pages of American Rifleman and American Hunter magazines.

And then, in August, Il Ling New, Dr. Dean Taylor, and I will be back in Australia, hunting Asian buffalo with Simon Kyle-Little (www.australianbiggamesafaris.com). We’re heading back to the Walker River camp, in Eastern Arnhem Land, and will be doing another buffalo management hunt.

Jim and Il Ling enjoy the Outback morning.

This year, I’ll be hunting with the same Ruger #1 (.375 H&H) that I used last year. But I’ll be using the Hornady Dangerous Game 300 gr. soft-point ammo this time. As with last year, I’ll give you a blow-by-blow of the hunt and let you know how the ammo performed.

MUSIC… Jim Jones is producing a new album for me. This next week I’ll head to Albuquerque and record the last songs for it. Then we’ll be involved in mixing the completed work and getting it ready for distribution. With my hunting trips and all, I expect we’ll probably have it ready to ship some time in October. Just a guess, though. Our main goal is to get it right and have a collection of songs that you folks will enjoy.

I hope that each of you has a fun, exciting summer. Feel free to drop me a line and tell me about your latest hunt or your newest gun. I’ll get back to you in August, with a report on Argentina and Australia. In the meantime, ya’ll try to behave yourselves!!!

Jim Wilson

WELCOME FRIENDS… Since I updated my web site your response has been terrific. This site is being visited by just over 1,000 people each month and we’re having some excellent response. As you might imagine, I am somewhat challenged when it comes to just about anything having to do with computers. The success of this site is due entirely to the good work of my site manager, Mr. Carlos Vazquez. If you are wanting to create your own web site, blog, or whatever, you might visit with Carlos and discuss your plans with him. I think you’ll be very pleased to have him onboard with your project.

SHOOTING ILLUSTRATED… Speaking of Shooting Illustrated magazine, I write a personal defense column (Straight Talk) in each issue and do several feature stories each year. My colleagues on the magazine include Wiley Clapp, Dick Williams, Rick Hacker, Richard Mann, and others. Shooting Illustrated is an NRA publication that is not included in your NRA membership. You’ve got to buy it on the newsstand or, better yet, subscribe to it. Subscription is only $9.95 per year. You can subscribe online or call 877-223-3840. We’d love to have you as part of our shooting family.

STARBUCKS… As most of you know, Starbucks has come under fire from the anti-gun crowd. It seems that Starbucks won’t ban guns in their stores. They are simply saying that all pertinent state and local laws should be respected in whatever state and city the Starbucks store happens to be located. In other words, Starbucks is their to sell coffee and service their customers, not make a political statement. So, for minding their own business and not yours, Starbucks is the target of the anti-gunners. It is very important that you take the time to stop by your local Starbucks and thank the store manager for their corporate position. Failing that, visit them online and express your thanks. Businesses, like Starbucks, needs to know that we appreciate their not caving in to the bullying tactics of the anti-gun crowd.

SINGLE-ACTION DEFENSE CLASS… The Gunsite Academy will be hosting a Single-Action Defense class May 3-5, 2010. This class is designed to help the student learn to apply the Modern Technique of the Pistol to the single-action revolver. The old thumb-buster is still mighty popular with cowboy-action shooters, woodsmen, modern-day cowboys, and handgun hunters. The class will help the shooter to better defend himself should the need arise while he is carrying a single-action. For information and to reserve your spot in the class, call Mr. Ed Head at 928-636-4565. But don’t delay… time’s a-wasting!

So, thanks for visiting my Web site. If you have any questions, or comments, please let me know. I’d enjoy the visit.

Well, finally, here is my new web site. I will be updating it on a regular basis and sharing events, thoughts, and ideas, with you. If you have information or questions, you can reach me at jw.44@sbcglobal.net.

WEB SITE
Thanks go to my friend Carlos Vazquez for designing and maintaining this web site. I highly recommend his work and, if you’re needing a web site, or work done on an existing web site, you can contact him at Dichotomy Consulting. I think you’ll be pleased with his service.

WRITING ENDEAVORS
In the spring of 2008, I quit Shooting Times and Intermedia. Almost immediately, I began an association with NRA Publications. I’ve got a regular column (Straight Talk) in Shooting Illustrated, and I do feature articles for Shooting Illustrated, American Rifleman, and American Hunter magazines. In addition to that, you’ll see my articles in the various Wolfe publications, Handloader and Rifle magazines.

Joe Graham, John Zent, and the crew at the NRA, are great folks to work with and I am really enjoying this association. I’ll say the same for Don Polacek, Dave Scovill, and Roberta Scovill, at Wolfe Publishing Company. This change in writing jobs also brings with it the opportunity to do a lot more hunting and writing about hunting. As you can imagine, that just about broke my heart. But, in the words of that Great American John Wayne, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do!”

TELEVISION WORK
In conjunction with my association with the NRA, I have also increased my television work. You’ll see my regular weekly segment on American Guardian TV on Wednesday nights, on the Outdoor Channel. And I am also featured on the American Rifleman show and the American Hunter show, also on the Outdoor Channel.

In fact, back in March, we had a great aoudad hunt down along the Rio Grande, in the Chinati Mountains of the Texas Big Bend. We filmed it for the American Hunter show and I think you’ll find it pretty exciting. I can tell you this, with the passing years; those mountains seem to be getting steeper. Must be a global warming thing.

So, anyway, welcome to my new web site. I hope that you enjoy it and will visit it often. I’ll do my best to have an update of some kind for you each month. Let me hear from you with your questions, thoughts, and ideas.

See ya down the road……