In the latest shooting sports industry news:
Zanders Sporting Goods has an exclusive shotgun offering from TriStar Arms, the Viper G2 in camo and blued barrel and receiver.
TriStar imports Turkish-made firearms. The Zanders' Viper G2 is a gas-piston-operated, semi-automatic shotgun chambered for .410 bore. It has a 28-inch barrel and ventilated rib sight with fiber-optic bead front.
These exclusive shotguns are in stock and ready to ship. Dealers should contact their sales representatives for more information or to purchase the Zanders exclusive TriStar Arms Viper G2.
Zanders has been serving U.S. firearms dealers for more than 50 years. It offers more than 40,000 products that now include archery, archery accessories, and camping products.
“Our customers have always come first and we strive to go above and beyond their expectations every day,” said Stefanie Zanders. “Old and new customers alike will enjoy our ever-growing inventory of outdoor products and accessories as well as our commitment to ensure their complete satisfaction.”
FN 509 Tactical Available Through Davidson's
FN America has released a limited-edition FN 509 Tactical with a black frame and flat dark earth slide through Davidson’s retailers nationwide.
The FN 509 Tactical features a 4.5-inch threaded barrel with four-inch slide, FN Low-Profile Optics Mounting System, and suppressor-height night sights that co-witness with miniature red dot optics. It has 17-round standard and 24-round extended magazines; 10-round versions are available for states with magazine capacity restrictions.
To inquire about purchasing these limited-edition pistols exclusive to Davidson’s, please call Davidson’s at 1-800-367-4867 or visit www.galleryofguns.com.
Close Quarters Tactical Acquires Georgia Training Site
Close Quarters Tactical, which is based in Shelby Township, Mich., has acquired the former National Security Associates training facility in Cusseta, Ga.
The new CQT Georgia facility is a state-of-the-art 700-acre training facility with extensive breaching equipment for all types of mechanical, ballistic, thermal and explosive breaching, a 6000 sq. ft. covered shoot house, multiple ranges from 25-1,000 yards and more. CQT provides law enforcement, government and military courses for tactical professionals in real-world facilities to support training missions and readiness. Turn-key, deployment-ready preparation and detail specific follow-through is guaranteed with all CQT training.
CQT Georgia also provides the defense industry an excellent venue to conduct testing, evaluation and demonstration of cutting edge technologies and capabilities. Our facility provides a convenient location to exhibit new capabilities to the Fort Benning Combat Developers and Integration Directorate personnel.
With facilities that can accommodate up to 100 people, CQT can offer one-stop training for law-enforcement, private security, military and special operations teams. Course lists include breaching, precision rifle, SWAT, patrol tactics, active shooter and much more.
Contact sales@cqtusa.com for a customized quote.
Weatherby Welcomes More Than 5,000 to Grand Opening
Weatherby welcomed more than 5,000 visitors to its June grand opening of its new facility in Sheridan, Wyo.
"I am so grateful for Weatherby's past and rich heritage that began so many years ago in Southern California with my grandfather," said Adam Weatherby. "I am so incredibly grateful for the state of Wyoming and the many others that helped get us to our new home."
Weatherby began public tours of the facility at 9 a.m. It invited 11 local conservation group chapters to attend and bring awareness to efforts in the Wyoming region through conversation and product raffles. Multiple food trucks provided meals. The Weatherby Visitor Center was constantly filled with guests viewing Weatherby historical documents and purchasing exclusive products.
Other dignitaries at the ceremony included Ed Weatherby, First Lady of Wyoming Jennie Gordon, former Gov. Matt Mead, Mayor of Sheridan Roger Miller, Business Council CEO Shawn Reese, and Shawn Parker, the Executive Director of Sheridan Travel & Tourism.
USA Shooting Accepts Resignation of CEO
USA Shooting’s Board of Directors accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Keith Enlow, who resigned in early June for another professional opportunity.
Enlow had been in the position since Dec. 4, 2017, following the retirement of long-time CEO Robert Mitchell. Dave Johnson served as interim CEO from September 2016 to September 2017 before accepting a coaching position with the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“We are very appreciative of Keith’s dedication, leadership and passion in leading us through a key transitional moment in this organization’s history,” said USA Shooting Chairman Chad Whittenburg. “He fought hard to make sure we were headed in the right direction as an organization and we’re in a much better spot today than we were when he began. Despite his departure, the mission and efforts remain unchanged with 13 months until Tokyo 2020 and we’ll remain focused on supporting our athletes in their quest to achieve their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.”
The USA Shooting board met June 25 and is conducting a search for Enlow's replacement.
Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls Under New Ownership
Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls has entered into an agreement and has sold the company and all intellectual properties to DDA Holdings.
DDA Holdings has formed a new company that will include current RMHC General Manager Kurt Howard as well as Sales and Marketing Director Mike Mattly as shareholders. Howard will continue his duties as GM and Mattly will remain as Sales and Marketing Director. RMHC founder Rockie Jacobsen will remain as a full-time employee. Rockie will continue to be instrumental in the development of new products as well as assuming the new role of Ambassador Coordinator for RMHC.
“Over the past eight years, I have learned a tremendous amount about the game call market, more specifically the elk call category,” Howard said. “The entire team at RMHC has accomplished some great things and I am very excited to continue to lead our team. The new owners of RMHC have big plans to continue the growth and produce the best game calls on the market, bar none.”
Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls is slated to remain in Kamiah, Idaho, for the foreseeable future.
Jacobson has more than 33 years of experience in designing, manufacturing and assembling game calls. He has won four elk calling titles over the years and has been issued two patents for game call design. Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls have been used to win more than 70 World Elk Calling Championships.
CCI/Speer Facility Celebrates Milestone
Vista Outdoor celebrates National Safety Month with impressive numbers from its Lewiston, Idaho, location, where it houses its CCI/Speer brands, with 14 years of injury-free operation.
This means 160 employees worked nearly 1.1 million hours shooting and testing nearly 50 million rounds of ammunition without any OSHA-recordable injuries.
Bill Mackleit, Sr. Director, Factory Division Operations in Lewiston, says safety in Lewiston’s Quality Department is not a ‘check the box’ exercise.
“Safety is deeply engrained in our culture,” he said. “The alliance between engaged employees and servant leaders allow injury-free environments and safety-conscious cultures like ours to exist.”
Mackleit explained the department has safety regulations: Lewiston employees engage in process improvement and submit safety observations. Leaders serve others to ensure safety observations are abated. Leaders complete an annual safety scorecard. Employees participate in ergonomic assessments, lockout tagout audits, safety training sessions and departmental audits annually. All safety concerns are worthy of timely, corrective action.
“Each of these guidelines are key in keeping employees engaged in making improvements,” Mackleit said.