Henry opens a new factory to boost production

Henry Repeating Arms has announced it's opening a new firearms production factory in Wisconsin, with the goal of increasing its production capacity.

Currently, Henry has a factory in the Badger State, a 140,000 square-foot facility in Rice Lake. Now, it's opening a second factory that's about an hour's drive away in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. The new plant covers 85,000 square feet, and it's expected to create 100 new jobs. Once open, this plant will bring Henry to 350,000 square feet of production space, and 600 employees.

The new plant in Ladysmith will begin as a machining factory, building parts for Henry's rifles and shotguns. Judging by corporate communications, Henry has other plans for the factory down the road, presumably including final assembly of Henry's firearms.

An industry undergoing change

Although it's an American factory, this announcement is good news for Canadian shooters. In case you haven't noticed, it's been pretty hard to get your hands on a lever-action rifle over the past year. Basically, if you want a new one, make sure you've paid for a pre-order. If you want a used one, get ready to pay $200 or $300 above the asking price pre-COVID.

The reason? A perfect storm of production hassles and increased demand, both thanks to COVID-19, combined with Marlin's factory shutdown as parent company Remington went through a bankruptcy restructuring.

Now, Marlin is about to come back online, under new owner Ruger, and we'd expect to see more Henry rifles and shotguns on the market in the near future as well, thanks to expanded capacity.

Looks like the US firearms industry is pretty bullish on the future, then, even as political and judicial leadership down there seems intent on restricting the Second Amendment and civilian firearms owners. Even Bushmaster has resumed production under new ownership, after Remington sold it off. There are some major changes in the US firearms manufacturing scene right now (Smith & Wesson just announced it's moving much of its company from Massachusetts to Tennessee, thanks to political interference). Nobody's sure what the country's leadership will do next, in its quest for gun control. However, all the manufacturers seem to agree on one thing: The public wants to keep on buying guns, and as long as they can, they'll build them and sell them, even if that means moving, declaring bankruptcy to restructure your business, or building a new factory. Hopefully, that will translate into ongoing availability for Canadian customers as well.

RCMP constable doesn't renew RPAL, gets absolute discharge: Ian Runkle's take

Here's a story that Canada's firearms insiders have been talking about for the past few days: A Saskatchewan-based RCMP officer has been handed an absolute discharge, after letting his RPAL lapse while in possession of a handgun.

And, here's Ian Runkle's take on the situation, for the Runkle of the Bailey YouTube channel:

Background: This case came into the news last summer, when RCMP Sgt. Rene Giroux (Saskatchewan's Waskesiu detachment) was charged with unauthorized possession of a restricted firearm. Giroux had been an RPAL holder and owned a .22 LR pistol. His RPAL had expired, and he was still in possession of the pistol. That's very much against the law, but Giroux remained on active duty as an RCMP officer, as this process played out.

For that reason, firearms lobby groups raised hue and cry last summer, saying the Mountie was receiving unfair treatment. Regular citizens outside law enforcement would be hit harshly in this case, while the police officer seemed to suffer no immediate consequences. Those complaints from firearms rights organizations were raised even louder last week, when Sgt. Giroux pleaded guilty to a charge of unauthorized possession of a restricted firearm, and then received an absolute discharge as well as a $500 surcharge fine.

So what's the deal? Is this another case of "Rules for thee, but not for me," with government employees getting off easy? Runkle doesn't think so; he says he's seen similar cases and similar results for people outside law enforcement. Runkle thinks this is fair treatment for Sgt. Giroux in this case, and wishes others would see the same. For more on that, and an explainer of how you can get an absolute discharge and still pay a $500 fine, see his video above. If nothing else, it's a great proof of how the law is a real mind-bender.

OFAH Releases Hunting Gun Report

"It is hard to wrap things up in a short paragraph, but I’ll give it a shot. If you plan to read the report, then consider this to be your spoiler alert.

Of the 64 firearms examined in the report that were previously non-restricted, almost all of them were used for hunting by Canadians. When looking at the form and function, the report concludes that there is nothing that separates these now prohibited firearms from other non-restricted firearms available for hunting in Canada."

That's how the author of a recently publicized report submitted to the Supreme Court presiding over the OIC case sums up his findings.

The report, spanning 68 pages and addressing everything from misconceptions around terminology like "military-style" or "military-grade" to discussions around what a hunting gun is, was compiled after a survey of members found nearly 86% of the different kinds of formerly non-restricted firearms prohibited by the OIC last year were used by OFAH members for hunting.

This result flies in the face of the legal requirement that sets out the Minister, in this case the former Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, "is not of the opinion that any thing prescribed to be a prohibited firearm or a prohibited device, in the Annexed Regulations, is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes."

Notably, OFAH has maintained absolute independence from all legal actions around the OIC, and have declined to support any party, morally or financially, in order to maintain independence during the preparation of this report for filing with the Supreme Court. As a result of this, and OFAH's longstanding history as a hunting organization, this report (and more importantly, the unassailable data it's based on) should carry a tremendous amount of weight and credibility alike with the Supreme Court.

There is one downside: Because the report is founded on the polling data, which determined how OFAH members used their firearms within the confines of Canadian statute, the AR-15 is not among the 64 varieties of formerly non-restricted firearms OFAH found were used commonly as hunting guns. As a result, it cannot be included in the report's formal findings regarding primary hunting firearms. However, it's not difficult to draw the parallels between the report's various technical conclusions and the argument in favour of the AR-15's re-legalization.

Read the author's summary and full report here: OFAH releases public version of the firearms report filed with the Federal Court - OFAH Insider

Nosler Model 21: Lightweight hunting firepower

Nosler is stepping into the firearms manufacturing scene again, with the all-new Model 21. In keeping with current consumer trends, mostly inspired by TV and social media, the Model 21 is a lightweight hunting rifle; Nosler calls it "a rifle for the next decade."

The Model 21 uses a proprietary bolt action design, but precision shooters may notice a similarity to the EVO action built by Mack Brothers from South Dakota. That's because the Model 21 is actually a refinement of that action, with customization to Nosler's specifications. This is supposed to guarantee accuracy with the rifle right out of the box, with no need for "accurizing" tweaks by the buyer.

This makes plenty of sense; with Nosler primarily being an ammunition and components manufacturer, outsourcing action design to a trustworthy manufacturer is the best way to go.

The action is manufactured with advanced wire EDM equipment (electrical discharge machining), meaning every unit is made to the same careful blueprinted dimensions. As is common with modern mountain hunting rifles, the Model 21 action comes with spiral fluted one-piece bolt, Nitride-coated and made of chrome-moly steel. The bolt handle comes with 5/6-24 threaded handle, should you wish to replace it. The safety is atop the action, mounted to the side, behind the bolt handle.

The recoil lug is self-indexing; Nosler says this "eliminates recoil lug alignment issues and increases thread shank length for added barrel support." The Model 21 action comes with scope bases attached, when shipped.

There's an M16-style extractor and fire control group; both can be removed from the rifle without using tools Very handy in the mountains, if you've left your gunsmithing kit back in the truck.

The trigger is a TriggerTech Field single-stage affair, with the company's Frictionless Release Technology. It's user-adjustable from 2.5 to 5 pounds.

The Model 21 comes with a Shilen match-grade barrel, with recessed crown and threaded for attachment of muzzle devices (a knurled thread protector is included). Threads are either 1/2-28 or 5/8-24. The barrels are hand-lapped for bore smoothness.

As you'd expect, the stock is carbon-fibre composite for combined rigidity, weight reduction and durability. It comes with aluminum pillars, a 1-inch recoil pad, an all-weather epoxy paint finish and 13.5-inch length of pull. Depending which calibre you order, barrel length is 22 inches or 24 inches, and magazine capacity is three rounds or four rounds. Overall length ranges from 41 5/8 inches to 42 1/2 inches; weight ranges from 6.8 to 7.1 pounds. It won't be as much of a featherweight as the Weather Backcountry 2.0 Ti, which was also just recently introduced (sub-5 pounds, in some configurations!), but it's definitely on the light side for many hunters.

The new Model 21 will be available in a wide range of chamberings, including proprietary calibres such as .22 Nosler, .26 Nosler, .27 Nosler, .28 Nosler, .30 Nosler and .33 Nosler. It's also available in standard rounds such as .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, 6.5 Creedmore, .375 H&H Magnum, and more.

Full details on the rifle are at Nosler's website here. No word yet on Canadian pricing or availability, but Americans will pay $2,495 US.

Hodgdon closes GOEX blackpowder plant

Muzzleloader fans, take note: On September 27, Hodgdon announced it was closing down its blackpowder production facility in Camp Mindon, Louisiana.

The plant is already closed down at this point, while Hodgdon figures out what to do next with its business. As per the press release:

Effective immediately, Hodgdon Powder Company, Inc. has made the decision to cease manufacturing operations at the company’s Camp Minden, Louisiana site while evaluating strategic options for the black powder business.

The business will wind down operations while an evaluation process on the future of the black powder business takes place.

So, production is already offline, and it doesn't sound like Hodgdon is going to start the factory back up again. However, it does sound as if Hodgdon is willing to sell the business to another company:

Strategic options for the GOEX and Olde Eynsford brands of black powder, along with the manufacturing capabilities, will include a potential sale of the business.

If someone else purchases GOEX and resumes production, that's very good news for muzzleloader fans; other plants in North America produce blackpowder substitutes, but GOEX was the only factory manufacturing the real deal.

Although actual manufacturing of blackpowder has ceased, Hodgdon says all employees affected by the closure will stay on until the end of the year, to properly close down the factory. No doubt that would help smooth out the process of a sale of the business as well.

GOEX is a long-standing pillar of the US shooting scene, with its roots going all the way back to the early 1800s, long before Hodgdon acquired it. Hodgdon itself has been around since 1947, and is a major player in North American ammunition manufacturing. Hodgdon did not explain the reasoning behind the plant closure; declining market share seems unlikely, since GOEX has no real exact competition, and the US is going gun-crazy right now, buying up whatever they can get. It's not a case of changing production focus, either; Hodgdon just seems to want to shut the plant down.

Perhaps a couple of high-profile safety incidents at the plant in recent years are to blame. Whatever the case, this does seem like a good opportunity for some other manufacturer to step in and either acquire the GOEX business, or start a new blackpowder manufacturing operation.

Ruger to reboot Marlin line with the 1895SBL

Marlin's big-bore lever-actions are back! Or at least, they will be back, in the very near future.

Marlin, one of the oldest hunting firearm manufacturers in the US, was under Remington ownership in recent years. When Remington went bust in the summer of 2020, its assets were divvied up. When the pieces of the company were sold off, Ruger bought the Marlin brand (and a lot of manufacturing equipment) for $28.3 million US. Ever since, shooters have been waiting for Ruger to re-start production in its Mayodan, North Carolina plant.

Now, Ruger says it's just about ready to start delivering those new-production Marlins. Christopher Killoy, Ruger's CEO, says the company will begin production with the Model 1895SBL rifle, chambered in .45-70; deliveries will start in December of 2021.

After the Model 1895SBL comes to market, Marlin will also resume production of some Model 336 lever-action rifles, and Model 444 rifles. The pistol-calibre Model 1894 rifles (in .357 magnum and .44 magnum) will resume production after that.

How many of the new Marlins will come to Canada? Ruger says that, at first, there will be very limited availability for the new rifles, but production will ramp up quickly. That sounds like we should see them start to arrive sometime in early 2022, hopefully.

It's worth noting that, at this point, we've still seen no mention of rebooting Marlin's rimfire lines. Ruger already has very strong rimfire rifle models, and may not be interested in selling Model 60 rifles to compete with its own 10/22 and other models. However, Ruger did take more than 100 tractor-trailer loads of machinery from the old Remington-owned Marlin production line down to North Carolina, so all that manufacturing capacity is likely still usable, if Ruger decides it makes business sense.

Robert Freberg officially takes over as Saskatchewan's provincially-appointed CFO

Months after the provincial government first telegraphed its move, Saskatchewan has officially installed Robert Freberg as its Chief Firearms Officer.

The move comes as some of Canada's provinces as well as many municipalities are expressing discontent with the federal government's handling of firearms issues. Some jurisdictions say the feds are going too far with recent firearms policy, and others say the new rules aren't tough enough.

It's fair to say Saskatchewan is one of the regions that feels law-abiding citizens are unfairly targeted by federal firearms regulations. As a result, in July of 2021, the province announced it would appoint Robert Freberg to the role of Chief Firearms Officer. Previously, the role was held by federal appointees.

Freberg comes into the role with a wide range of experience in the firearms world. Hunting enthusiasts should be particularly pleased to see him in the CFO position, as his 40 years with the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation as board member and volunteer (he served as president for five years) will give him lots of insight into the issues faced by sportsmen. However, he should be familiar with more than just hunting firearms. Freberg also served on the National Board of Directors for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) and was a firearms instructor for both PAL and RPAL safety courses.

So, what's next? The Regina Leader-Post published a write-up of Freberg's first press conference, and there certainly didn't seem to be any indication that Saskatchewan's new CFO will rock the boat too vigorously, for now.

A provincially-issued press release says "The Government of Saskatchewan continues to oppose the federal government's firearm control measures, including Bill C-21, which will do little to impact firearm related crime in our province, and unfairly targets law-abiding firearms owners." However, Freberg seemed to want to focus on firearms safety in his press conference, instead of railing on the feds. The press release says that "In his capacity as CFO, Robert Freberg now administers the Firearms Act in Saskatchewan, which includes jurisdiction over the licensing, storage, transportation and carrying of firearms. The position of CFO is also responsible for licensing instructors who provide firearm safety training in the province." Then, it goes on to quote Freberg saying "I have known Saskatchewan gun owners my whole life and I know they stand for safe, responsible, and accountable ownership of firearms."

While firearms safety is a key component to the CFO's role, many Saskatchewan residents would probably have liked to hear some pushback against the Order in Council firearms bans, or Bill C-21. However, this is the reality that Canadian shooters need to remember. Although they may find sympathetic ears in provincial government, especially with CFO regime changes in Saskatchewan and, more recently, Alberta, there's only so much law enforcement can do, if the laws they're required to enforce are out of their hands.

Quebec puts $90 million towards fighting gun crime

Following on last month's announcement of a new police unit aimed at battling gun crime, Quebec's provincial government has announced a further $90 million in funding for more efforts against criminal firearms usage.

The money is aimed at several different goals. CBC reports the anti-crime plan is codenamed Operation CENTAUR, with several sub-facets to the plan.

The province intends to hire dozens of police officers, as well as lab specialists, all specifically recruited to fight firearms crime. The province also intends to increase funding to existing units inside Quebec that fight firearms trafficking and other forms of gun-related crime. Quebec's leaders are also hoping for increased and improved collaboration between the province's internal police forces, as well as externally-led forces such as the RCMP, CBSA and the US Department of Homeland Security.

It all sounds good, but are there are any hard details to the plan, besides hiring more officers and spending a lot of money? What will those new officers be doing? Initial reporting on CENTAUR is filled with mention of intelligence sharing and quick response to crime and gang violence, with no mention of crackdowns on legal firearms owners. Indeed, according to the Canadian Press, Quebec's Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said CENTAUR would be modeled after Operation Wolverine, which was aimed at fighting outlaw motorcycle gangs in Quebec in the 1990s.

That's probably good news for legal gun owners. Quebec's justice system has long been seen as tough on law-abiding shooters; it's the only province to retain a firearms registry, in the wake of the federal registry's shutdown. However, in recent months, the province's leaders seem to be waking up to the dangers of real criminals with guns, not trying to create paper criminals. Last month, when the province announced a new anti-firearms crime unit focused on Montreal, the talk was all about smuggling, not about banning various firearms variants, which is what we see at the federal level.

Closing illegal firearms pipelines through the Port of Montreal, as well as the Canada-US border, is a good place to start, if leaders want to get illegal handguns off the streets. With shooting numbers rising rapidly in the province, particularly in Montreal, leaders will have to make the right choices if they want to see actual impact on the problem. Hopefully, they're headed down that road, and this project won't get sidetracked, picking low-hanging fruit by harassing firearms owners who follow the law. It will take more than a large cash injection to actually see results―law enforcement will need a sensible plan. And, courts will need to follow up law enforcement's hard work by ensuring ciminals stay locked up after their capture and conviction.

New Weatherby Backcountry 2.0 series, for serious hunters

The Weatherby Backcountry 2.0 is here, just in time for hunting season. But, be prepared―buy one of these, and your wallet is gonna take a big, big hit.

Weatherby actually added four new rifles to the Backcountry series, the Backcountry 2.0, the Backcountry Ti 2.0, the Backcountry 2.0 Carbon and the Backcountry 2.0 Ti Carbon. All these rifles are aimed at the ultralight hunting set, with materials like titanium and carbon-fibre driving up the price of the more expensive rifles in the series, but also drastically dropping the weight. According to Weatherby, the Backcountry 2.0 Ti weighs as low as 4.7 pounds. Obviously, a magazine filled with cartridges, along with a sling, mounts and optics will increase that weight. Nevertheless, this sounds like a very lively rifle to shoot, if stoked with a load of .300 Weatherby Magnum.

Speaking of which, the various rifles in this series are available in a wide range of calibres, also including .240 Weatherby Magnum, .257 Weatherby Magnum, .270 Weatherby Magnum, .280 Ackley Improved, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmore, 6.5 Weatherby RPM, and 6.5-300 Weatherby. The Carbon rifles are also avaialble in .30-378 Weatherby Magnum/ Not every calibre is available in a left-handed action, but several are.

Again, while perhaps lagging behind the recoil of the heaviest-recoiling calibres favoured by the mountain-hunting set, the weight-cutting measures on these rifles will mean a stiff kick. Such is life in the backcountry, when there's no cover and you want to shoot a moose a half-mile away, like those guys on TV …

Along with the titanium receivers and carbon-fibre barrels on the rifles at the top end of this series, all the Backcountry 2.0 rifles have a Blacktooth carbon-fibre stock from Peak 44. If you're wondering who Peak 44 is, they're a new company offering aftermarket upgrades for hunters. The Blacktooth stock is supposed to be the lightest carbon-fibre stock in the world. It has Peak 44's Rock Solid Carbon Link bedding system, which uses the recoil lug to push energy through the entire stock, not needing an aluminum bedding block. Peak 44 says this is not just lighter, but also stiffer than a traditional stock design.

Even the models with standard steel barrels (Weatherby's #1 or #2 profile, depending on chambering) are fluted, with fluted bolt and skeletonized bolt handle reducing weight as well. Again, Weatherby cut the fat wherever it could, which means the rifle has the potential to beat up the shooter.

Weatherby understands that excessive felt recoil is not conducive to accuracy, though. So, the rifle gets an Accubrake ST muzzle brake, with 30 symmetrically-spaced gas ports, and a 3DHEX recoil pad. This pad has a 3D honeycomb pattern built in, which slows down the rifle's recoil, taking the edge of the kick and helping the shooter stay on target.

Finally, Weatherby gives the rifle a Cerakote finish on the metal parts, which many hunters will find preferable to stainless construction, as it presents less glare.

What about pricing? We have not seen Canadian pricing or availability yet, but in the US, hunters are paying $2,499 for the Backcountry 2.0; $3,349 for the Backcountry Ti 2.0; $2,999 for the Backcountry 2.0 Carbon and $3,749 for the Backcountry 2.0 Ti Carbon. Those elk steaks just went up considerably, in price per pound …