At the Rendezvous!

Hit the hotel parking lot yesterday at just after 6PM, got checked in and went in search of dinner. Per the schedule, those arriving early departed for the El Dorado Buffet at 6:15, so I managed to join them just after 6:30. Pretty good crowd for Wednesday! Eleven of us, in total. Got refueled, and then a few of us went to the Hospitality room where we shot the breeze until about 11PM.

Today we have breakfast together, and then at 2PM a tour of Scheel’s. I’m taking my camera. This place is HUGE.

The rest of the day will be occupied as each attendee prefers – gambling, touristing, sitting around the Hospitality room beating gums and drinking adult beverages, etc. Dinner is at 6PM, then back to the Hospitality room to close out the night.

Don’t you wish you were here?

One Week to the Rendezvous!

OK, we’re just one week away from the Ninth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous.  Have you made your hotel reservations?  Mailed in your registration?  Here’s the schedule thus far:

Wednesday, September 3rd

6:15 PM. For those arriving on Wednesday, dinner at the El Dorado Buffet Restaurant. The El Dorado is part of the same giant casino complex as the Silver Legacy and the Circus Circus. The El Dorado Buffet is at one end of the complex. The Silver Legacy is in the middle, and the Circus Circus is on the opposite end.

Thursday, September 4th

8:30 AM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality Room for one of the restaurants for breakfast.
1:15 PM. Leave the Hospitality Room to car pool to Scheels.
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM. Guided tour of Scheels Sporting Goods and browsing/shopping. Buy ammo? Pick up munchies and soft drinks on way back to hotel.
6:00 PM. Leave the Hospitality Room to go to dinner. Location to be determined later.
Thursday Evening until midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.

Friday, September 5th

8:00 AM. NRA Sponsored breakfast in our Hospitality room. Catherine Mortensen of the NRA will address the group, bringing us up to speed on what’s going on, and what’s on the horizon concerning the NRA and our 2nd. Amendment rights.
9:00 AM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the Washoe County Shooting Facility, the Pyramid range for rifle and pistol target shooting out to 900 yards.
9:45 AM – 2:00 PM. At the range.
4:00 PM – 5:45 PM. Show-N-Tell at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Manufacturers and show new stuff, and attendees show neat things too!
6:00 PM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to go to Dos Gecko’s Mexican Restaurant for dinner. A 3 minute walk from Hospitality Room.
7:15 PM. (Approx) Brian Ciyou from Gunlawsbystate.com, will talk to us, and other industry, shooting sports, and legal aspect folks will follow.
Friday Evening until midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.

Saturday, September 6th

8:00 AM. Lucky Gunner sponsored Breakfast in the Silver Legacy Hospitality room.
9:00 AM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the Washoe County Shooting Facility, Western Nevada Pistol League Action Pistol bays at the Pyramid range for an introduction to International Steel Shooting Association Action Pistol shooting, and more.
9:45 AM – 2:00 PM. At the range.
5:00 PM – 6 PM. Short presentation by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. possible other short presentations, and information on the Honored American Veterans Afield Charity.
6:00 PM. NSSF all you can eat pizza feed at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. After dinner will be the fund raiser raffle for HAVA and the drawings for the door prizes.
Saturday Evening until Midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.


Sunday, September 7th

8:00 AM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room for one of the restaurants for breakfast.
9:15 AM. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the U.S. Firearms Academy for some digital live scenario shooting fun. We will also visit Reno Guns, and BattleBorn, which are next door.
9:45 AM– NOON. Digital scenario shooting and shoot house.

Hope to see you there!

That Should Make Four….

In keeping with tradition, MKS Supply / Hi-Point is donating a 9mm Carbine to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous.  This will be the ninth year of their support, in from the very beginning!
 photo 995TS.jpgWhile perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing, these things have a reputation for WORKING. Bill Llewellen, who is attending again this year, has a .40 S&W version that (being a mechanical engineer and inveterate tinkerer) he has extensively modified.  Capitalist Pig, also attending again this year, has the 9mm version that he has torture-tested.  A thousand-plus rounds without cleaning!

So what does the title of this post mean?  Well, in addition to the Hi-Point carbine, we’re giving away a Ruger Mk III Hunter, a SIG 1911-22, and Engineering Johnson is donating a Winchester Model 74.  If I don’t go home with a new (to me) gun THIS year, I’ll give up!  And, of course there’s all the OTHER great stuff you can win!  So, go get registered and make your hotel reservations!  It’s only two weeks away!

For Hitting Little Things a Long Way Off

This year Redfield is donating a Battlezone 6-18x44mm scope to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous!

From the press release:

Redfield® is expanding on its popular Battlezone™ riflescope line with a new 6-18x44mm model. Designed for the AR, modern sporting or precision bolt-action rifle, the Battlezone delivers all the tactical utility demanding marksmen require at an economical price.

The Battlezone 6-18x44mm features fully multicoated lenses, Bullet Drop Compensation System (BDC) and TAC-MOA™ reticle. Pop-up, resettable 1/4-MOA finger adjustments offer tactile/audible clicks.

The Bullet Drop Compensation System comes with two adjustment dials calibrated in two of the most popular calibers for tactical rifles. The .223/5.56mm NATO dial is set up for 55gr bullets at 3,100 fps. The second dial is calibrated for 168gr .308/7.62mm NATO bullets at 2,650 fps. Each dial is marked in 50-yard increments.

The TAC-MOA reticle features stadia lines on the horizontal and vertical crosshairs set at one minute of angle (MOA) increments. This allows the marksman to quickly holdover for wind or elevation, and can be used for range estimation on objects of known size.

A fast-focus eyepiece helps shooters get on target and easily adapt to changing conditions. Like all Redfield riflescopes, the Battlezone is built to withstand the elements. 100% waterproof, nitrogen-filled maintubes prevent fogging and freezing, and are guaranteed to stay sealed for the life of the scope. The Battlezone is covered by Redfield’s “No Excuses™” lifetime warranty.

This is a 1″ tube scope.  Here’s what it looks like:
 photo RED118929.jpgBut you must be present to win! Get your reservations made and your registration sent in NOW!

More Rendezvous Stuff!

Brownell’s has been a supporter of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous since the first year, and each year they donate one of their top-of-the-line range bags:
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From Brownell’s catalog:

The Signature Series Range Bag is a versatile, two-in-one bag system featuring a roomy, outer bag with large exterior, bellow pockets and an inner, open bag with adjustable dividers, padded pistol inserts, magazine pouches and much, much more. Both bags are constructed of long lasting, 1000 denier, Cordura® nylon with non-scratching, self-healing, YKK zippers and solid brass pulls. We even added stylish, top-grain, leather straps to the zipper pulls where needed to make opening and closing the “high-use” compartments easier when wearing shooting gloves. Adjustable shoulder strap is made of strong, 1½” wide nylon webbing and includes a comfortable pad lined with non-slip, suede leather. Quickly detachable, brass-plated swivel clips are springloaded for extra security and allow shoulder strap to be interchanged between inner and outer bags. Inner bag provides safe transport for match pistols when you don’t want to leave them in your competition holster. Use the inner bag to carry just what you need to the firing line and for fast “bag-up” after shooting. If you have a lot of gear, use the bags separately for nearly twice the storage capacity. The double-layered, 3/8″ thick, corrugated bottom panels in both bags give full support for heavy loads of ammunition, pistols, tools, sandbags and other shooting accessories while retaining the original shape of the bag. The Signature Series is a full-featured bag, designed to perform and built to last.

Outer Bag:
• Moisture-resistant, 1000 denier, Cordura nylon.
• Large, main compartment with zippered top, measures 18″ long, 9″ wide, 12″ high.
• Zippered, main, side pocket: 17″ long, 2½” wide, 10″ high. Holds shooting glasses, muffs, and cleaning supplies.
• Two, padded end pockets 7″ long, 2½” wide, 10″ high provide ample room for choke tubes, spare parts, etc.
• Two, flat, zippered pockets 18″ long, 7″ and 8″ high for targets, notebooks, ballistic sheets, etc.
• Four, brass-plated D-rings provide lockable storage when used with your own padlocks.
• Adjustable shoulder strap with polished, quick-release, swivel clips.
• 2″ wide, wrap-around carry handles with contoured grip area and hook and loop carry handle.
• Self-healing zippers and solid brass, #9 zipper pulls.
• Full 3/8″ thick, bottom panel is composed of two, corrugated, double-wall, plastic sheets glued, then layered in opposite directions for superior strength and rigidity.

Inner Bag:
• 1000 denier, Cordura nylon with knit back, expanded vinyl lining for excellent water-resistance.
• Two, fully padded pistol inserts with soft, wool-like Sherpa® lining and hook and loop closure straps fit inside the full-length, zippered side pockets for extra security. Accepts scoped, competition guns, spotting scopes, etc.
• Two, removable, high-strength, plastic dividers with reinforced hook and loop edging for spacing adjustments; provides up to three individual compartments.
• Brass-plated D-rings for shoulder strap attachment.
• 3/8″ thick, double-layered, bottom panel supports the heaviest gear.
• Padded end panels for extra protection of inner bag contents.
• Six, individually sewn, magazine pouches.
• Self-healing zippers and solid brass, #9 zipper pulls.
• Two, elastic, retaining straps for shooting towels, extra ammo and magazines.

The price on this thing in the catalog is $249.99. Mine is eight years old now, has made innumerable trips to the range loaded to the gills, and still looks new.

Brownells has also donated five tactical flashlights:
 photo l_080001089_1.jpgAgain, from the catalog:

The compact, amazingly powerful BVL530 is the light to have when you need emergency or supplemental lighting. At less than 5-1/2″ long, it’s small enough to go with you everywhere, so you’ll have it whenever you need it. Don’t be deceived by the size – the BVL530 delivers power that belies its small stature. An ultra-reliable, shockproof, CREE® XM-L2 LED emitter gives an astonishing 530 lumens maximum output that will illuminate the darkest corners. The Low (175 lumen) mode is brighter than “high” mode on a lot of other lights, and there’s a power-saving Ultra-Low (13 lumen) mode, too. High mode can be set to steady-on or strobe. Change modes by hitting a simple sequence of “clicks” on the sealed rubber tailcap switch.

All this power sticks around, too: you get up to 2.5 hours continuous output in High mode, and an amazing 9 hours in Low.

And if you come to the Rendezvous, you could be taking one of these home with you!

And ANOTHER Reason!

Osage County Guns, a new sponsor to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous is contributing ANOTHER pistol for our fundraising raffle for Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA), a SIG Sauer 1911-22 that will look a lot like this one:

Osage County Guns photo 1911-22LR-Detail-Hero.jpg

And you can win it with a simple raffle ticket.  But you must be present to win!  So make your reservations today to come join us in Reno, September 4-7!  And thanks to ExurbanKevin, Osage County Guns’ new head of social media marketing.

I Won’t Be Leaving Reno Early on Sunday

Mr. Completely emailed me tonight.  For our Sunday morning event at Gun Blogger Rendezvous IX, it looks like we’ll be doing digital shoot-house training at MiScenarios Indoor Shooting Range.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s0ZXCXzU1E]
He needs at least ten shooters @ $15 each.  That won’t be a problem, I think.  I’m definitely in.

Time’s running out, make your hotel reservations and get your registration in soon!

Silver Legacy Group Rate Code: GBLOG14 You must phone 1-800-687-7733 to get the special room rate.