2 big pieces of news related to firearms rights.

Thankfully there is a thread to show respect to the victims & families wounded by the Kiwi shooting.

That is obviously one big piece of firearms related news.


https://www.google.com/search?q=remington+sandy+hook

In the same news cycle, there is a major ruling that affects all firearms manufacturers.

Since 2005, firearms manufacturers in the US have been exempt from liability related to damages caused by their products.

This product liability exemption is the ONLY reason you can buy functional sniper rifles for about $400 (minus the scope) in the US.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...er-remington-can-be-sued-over-newtown-n983296


That product liability exemption affects every retailer & manufacturer in the US.

If you were an insurance company, how much would you charge a firearms company like Remington or a smaller manufacturer like Palmetto State, for product liability insurance ?


Anyway, expecting "Sold-out" conditions and price rises because that seems to happen every time there is a Sandy Hook ruling in favor of the plaintiffs.

This ruling is probably more significant than the Feb. 2017 ruling.

Then, on the same case, there was a standard procedural ruling where the judge allowed the case to go forward.

There were some major price rises and firearms unavailability after that. Of course we don't always know why the sold out conditions occur.

i've never seen a "functional sniper rifle" for sale for $400, ever. unless you are equivocating an on-sale bolt action deer rifle with a .50 cal like the Marines use in Iraq & Afghanistan. but those are WAY over $400 each. like, a thousand or two dollars more. i'll be surprised if this does not make it to the Supreme Court...

armedoldhippy said:

i've never seen a "functional sniper rifle" for sale for $400, ever. unless you are equivocating an on-sale bolt action deer rifle with a .50 cal like the Marines use in Iraq & Afghanistan. but those are WAY over $400 each. like, a thousand or two dollars more. i'll be surprised if this does not make it to the Supreme Court...

Click to expand...

I was thinking of the Bear Creak 224 Valkyrie with the 24 inch heavy barrel, or the Bear Creek 6.5 Grendel with the 24 inch heavy barrel.

They were both on sale for about $230 this last year.

Palmetto State has the rifle stock lower with free shipping for $169.

So, $399 for the base model.

+ $30 for a pivot bipod, $25 for a scope mount, and $160 for a decent mil dot scope.


Admittedly, the 224 Valkyrie only has about 300 foot pounds of energy left when it gets to 1000 yards, but supposedly it stays supersonic.

Calculating the bullet drop for the 6.5 Grendel would give me a headache beyond 400 yards. So I guess that's not quite sniper quality.

Admittedly very different than getting hit with the 338 Lapua or the 50 BMG at those distances.


Anyway, once firearms manufacturers are forced to bear the full cost of possible liability from their products - there's no way I could afford to participate in this conversation.

The most collegial (college-like) place where I live is a large shooting range. There are some super knowledgeable people hanging out there, e.g. a retired Marine sniper instructor who shoots his 300 Win Mag instead of his 338 Lapua because the 338 Lapua was forbidden.

Plus the paid firearms techs are there to support state local & county cops & SWAT teams when they train there, which is a few days a week. The techs are real patient about answering questions from civilians, as long as you respect their schedule. Plus I think they like being asked questions.


About the "affordable sniper rifle" - does 6.5 Creedmoor qualify ?

I think that will keep about twice as much energy at 1000 yards. 600 foot pounds from a 110 grain bullet that exited the muzzle going about 3100 feet per second but has slowed down to 1200 feet per second. Roughly.

Of course, if the requirement for a sniper rifle is 1000 foot pounds at 1000 yards, then that limits it to maybe the KAK 300 WSM upper. $950 for the upper. $200 for a quality AR10 rifle-stock lower from Palmetto State.


That last part - I think is the part that is going away. I think when firearms manufacturers fully account for product liability related costs - e.g. if the 2005 law is over-turned during a Democrat president Warren term or something like that - firearms prices will roughly double.

That Connecticut ruling is going to get smacked down so hard by the Supreme Court, they'll feel it into the next millennia.

RBG has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Trump will get another appointee before his term is up. And then it's a heavily stacked Supreme Court for the next few decades I reckon.