A Couple Of More Black Friday Items

I love my Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic shooting muffs. I did a post last year on them at a reduced price and they are again being sold at a good discount. They are $3 more at $34.98 than last year but still a good deal when compared to Walmart, Bass Pro Shop, etc. I paid $49 for my original pair and they are still going strong. All I’ve had to do is change the batteries.

I upgraded them with gel pads like these. They are going for $13.43 which is a little cheaper than last year. They were easy to install and really made the muffs more comfortable while wearing eye protection. If you already have the Howard Leight Impact Sports, I would really encourage upgrading them using these gel pads.

As I have noted earlier, I am an Amazon Affiliate and I will make a small commission if you purchase them from the links above.

Pre-Black Friday Sales At Amazon

I am an Amazon Affiliate but I don’t push it much. I bring this up because I did see some interesting things that I think my readers might be interested in purchasing. In addition, what little bit that Amazon pays me in commission helps to pay my PACER bill as I check out case filings.

First up are Walker’s Shooting Training Protection 29 DB Omni-Directional Microphone Rope Hearing Enhancer Earbuds. They are very similar to the earbuds I have from Axil minus the Blue Tooth connectivity. Given I paid approximately $140 for my Axil GS Extreme earbuds and these are only $49.95, I think this is a good deal. They allow you to amplify background sound for example when out hunting in the woods. Then they automatically cut off when you shoot. They have a NRR of 29 DB.

Staying on the topic of hearing protection, Amazon has a Black Friday deal on Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs. They are strictly passive hearing protection. They give a NRR of 31 DB which is quite high. I have a couple of pairs that were given to me at the SHOT Show. You put them in hot water for a bit and then you press them into your ear for a custom molded earplug. The normal price is $25.99 but they are on sale for $19.99.

Moving away from hearing protection, I came across the Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife. It is a copy of the Grohmann’s D. H. Russell Canadian Belt Knife made in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The difference is the rosewood handle is now a molded polymer for the Cold Steel version. I have both the original that I bought in Nova Scotia in 1975 and the Cold Steel version. Instead of paying over $120, the Cold Steel version is on a Black Friday sale for $12.44. I think they would make great stocking stuffers and I intend to buy a couple more to give as gifts. In addition, at this price you can afford to beat it up.

Amazon also has a Cold Steel Karambit Trainer on their pre-Black Friday sale. It is only $8.05. If you own a Karambit, this is a good way to train to use it without the fear of cutting yourself. As I have a couple of Karambit knives, I plan to buy one for myself as well.

These are just a few of the items that are on Amazon’s pre-Black Friday sale. Again, anything you buy that is linked to from this site does generate a small commission for me. I use that money to pay the expenses of keeping the blog going. Finally, this is a good time to take advantage of the 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. In addition to the 2-day shipping, I use it to watch movies and TV series. Currently, I’m going back now and watching the full Miami Vice series starting from the pilot.

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

A Couple Of Black Friday Deals

There are a lot of Black Friday deals out there on firearms, ammo, and accessories. Bearing in mind that I am an affiliate of both Luckygunner.com and Amazon which pay me a commission, here are a couple worth your attention.

First up is the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic hearing muffs. I have a couple of pairs of them and like them. They allow the use to hear commands on the range while shutting off when the decibel level rises. I also find them very useful hunting as they can be used to amplify sound while sitting in the stand. Many people have also upgraded these muffs by replacing the foam pads with gel ones. Amazon has these gel pads that will fit the Impact Sport muffs for only $14.

My first pair cost me $49 plus at Amazon. For Black Friday, the identical pair is now only $31.14. By comparison, MSRP is $84, Walmart is $35ish, and Cabela’s is selling them for $69. In other words, this is a really good deal on an excellent product.

LuckyGunner is running a number of specials on both ammo and accessories. For example, they have Federal 9mm 124 grain HST for $42.50 for a box of 50. Compare that with the prices you’ve seen in the $70-80 range at the gun show. Use this link to get to the specials.

This is not a bad time to try Amazon Prime. They offer the first 30 days for free which gets you 2 day shipping and access to a lot of great Amazon produced videos including Jack Carr’s Terminal List.

If you are looking for a compendium of Black Friday deals, Eric at Pew Pew Tactical has a good round-up.

Even My Local TV Station Is Talking About NICS Checks

When even your local mid-size market TV station is reporting on Black Friday NICS checks, you know it is a big deal.

Black Friday firearm sales appear to have very, very good. While the FBI’s NICS checks are also used for carry permit background checks (among other things), they still are a good indicator of trends in firearm sales.

According to a story posted by my local TV station, WLOS, there were 202,465 NICS checks run on Black Friday. Put another way, that is one every 4.85 seconds.

As USA Today notes:

The FBI fielded more than 200,000 background checks on Black Friday gun purchases, continuing a steady surge this year following a series of mass shootings that have renewed calls for more restrictive gun laws.

In all, the bureau posted 202,465 checks Friday, an 11% increase from last year and falling just short of the single-day record: 203,086 in 2017.

I would love to see the exact numbers for Virginia where many gun control proposals are sure to reach Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk. As it is, we do have the numbers for the entire month of November and they are up approximately 5,000 compared to 2018. It should be noted that virtually all the NICS checks in Virginia are for sales and not permit checks.

To put Virginia in context, let’s compare it to Georgia which has approximately 2 million more residents. Georgia’s NICS checks for only firearms for November 2019 totaled 29,826. Virginia, meanwhile, had a total of 56,661 checks for only firearms. If we needed any clearer evidence that fear of future gun control can drive sales, this is it.

New One-Day NICS Check Record Set

A new one-day NICS background check record was set on this year’s Black Friday or the day after Thanksgiving. USA Today reports the FBI processed 203,086 background check requests on November 24th. This compares to 185,713 checks last year which had been the previous all-time one-day record.

According to FBI records, four out of the five highest days have been Black Friday. This includes the years 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014. The outlier was the Friday before Christmas 2012. This was two days after then-President Obama said he planned to submit new gun control legislation to Congress in the aftermath of the shootings in Newtown, CT.

As I always caution, while NICS checks are a stronger indicator of firearm sales, there is not a one-to-one correlation between check and a firearm purchase. A check could be used for the purchase of more than one firearm. Furthermore, in many states, concealed carry permits substitute for the NICS check on a purchase. Finally, NICS background checks are used by some states as part of the carry permit process though I think it probably could be assumed that few of Friday’s checks were related to carry permits.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy – 2017 Edition

I have been doing these Black Friday posts annually since 2010. The state of the firearms industry is a bit different this year. After many years of double-digit growth, it appears the bubble has burst. In earlier years you would have been lucky to find an AR-15 upper for $400 or so. Now you can get the whole AR for that price.

Let’s just say it has not been a great year for the firearms industry in general. The thought that we would have a President Hillary and you better grab while grabbing is good was crushed late on the night of November 8th when Donald J. Trump was elected president. Dennis Badurina of Dragon Leatherworks who also owns a small gun store in Tennessee has been pointing out the state of the retail firearms industry with his posts on his Facebook page for a number of months. As Dennis notes, the industry is in freefall and is in a state of contraction.

I am going to make the assumption that the industry will be using Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a major tool to rid itself of excess inventory. If you are in the market for anything, I think you should find some good deals with careful shopping.

As with last year, I have decided not to reinvent the wheel and will point out some of the better aggregations of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. I will be adding links to individual companies as I go through the weekend when I find something that might not be covered elsewhere.

Starting off, there is the Black Friday page of Slickguns.com. It has links to the sales at all the major big box sporting and outdoor stores.

Crowd-sourcing is a great way to put many eyes together to find the deals. The /gundeals subreddit page of Reddit is one such place. They have a Black Friday megathread going that has a little bit of everything. The other major crowd-sourced effort is on Arfcom. Their “official GD Black Friday” thread is at 6 pages and counting. The first thing that caught my eye there was $8 PMags. You can never have enough magazines! Now if I can find some less expensive CZ P-09 mags, I’ll be in hog heaven.

If you trend more towards the tactical, SoldierSystems.net has a dedicated post that is continually updated with Black Friday sales.

As for me, I’m good on most things. However, I’m in the market for a good quality handgun safe/strongbox with a mechanical keypad. My granddaughter Olivia Grace is almost three and has a little sister due in April. Little fingers can get in places they shouldn’t be and I want to protect against that.

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money is an Amazon affiliate. All commissions that I earn from your purchases go to non-profit gun rights organizations like the Second Amendment Foundation and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund.

If you are in the market for an inexpensive tablet device, the Kindle Fire 7 is only $29.99. It was $33.33 last year. The Complementary Spouse uses her Fire daily to keep up with email, crafts, and family.

UPDATE:


There is a thread at 24hourcampfire.com with some more hunting related Black Friday specials.

My friend Andy Langlois of Ching and Rhodesian sling fame is having a sale on all his products. Save 20 percent off all his products from Nov. 22 – 28 and 10 percent off all products from Nov. 29 – Dec. 24, 2017. I have both his belts, both style of slings, and even a couple of holsters by Andy and the quality is top-notch. Go to https://www.andysleather.com/collections/black-friday-sale. Use the code “BlackFriday”.

UPDATE II:

Steve Johnson at The Firearm Blog has posted what he considers his Top 5 deals in firearms for Black Friday. You can find it here.

Tom Gresham of Gun Talk Radio has compiled his own list of holiday deals in firearms, ammo, and accessories. He has a special page for it.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy – 2016 Edition

This is my annual listing of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in guns, ammo, parts, knives, and other outdoor or 2A related items. Looking at the recent stock prices of Ruger and Smith & Wesson, it looks like the stock market is assuming the win by Donald Trump is negative for gun sales. That said, the stocks prices of Vista Outdoors and Olin have soared. We shall see.

Unlike in past years where I had tons and tons of links, this year I am sending readers to some excellent compilations. I really see no need to reinvent the wheel especially when they are doing such a fine job of it.

The first place I’d suggest going is to the Black Friday page of Slickguns.com. They have links to all the major outdoor and firearm retailers along with other gun deals. If you don’t have an AR-15, this is the year to buy one. I saw a number of them in the $500 range. Brownells has the Aero Precision (not a low end brand!) OEM model for $524.99. All you need to is add a stock, handguards, and whatever kind of optics or iron sights that you want.

The second place I’d suggest going to Reddit for their /gundeal subreddit page. I was turned on to this (fortunately or unfortunately) by PDB. They do have a Black Friday thread. One deal I found that I couldn’t pass up was for a CZ P-09 for under $400. The CZ P-07 was the same price.

Arfcom has multiple threads going on Black Friday deals. The official one is here. A secondary one dealing with reloading tools and components can be found here. If you are a member of Arfcom, then here is the official thread dedicated to team members.

If you are just looking for regular Black Friday circulars of all the major retailers, then I’d suggest this website.

Soldiersystems.net has a Black Friday page of more tactical items. The page was down right now but I’ll post a link as soon as they are back up.   Here is the link to their Black Friday page.

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money is an Amazon affiliate. All commissions that I earn from your purchases go to non-profit gun rights organizations like the Second Amendment Foundation and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund.

One think you might want to look at is the Fire Tablet. I bought one last year and it functions as my alternative iPad. While it isn’t as powerful as an iPad, it works for email, web browsing, Facebook, Reddit, and Kindle reading. For $33.33, you can’t beat it. See the link below.

Shop Amazon Devices – Fire tablet only $33.33

A NICS Check Two-Fer

The FBI’s NICS checks marked two milestones on Black Friday, November 27th. First, it had the highest recorded number of NICS checks on record for the day after Thanksgiving which is otherwise known as Black Friday. Second, and more importantly, it surpassed the previous one day record total for NICS background checks set on December 21, 2012.

The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reports that it processed 185,345 transactions on Nov. 27, Black Friday, making the day the highest Black Friday ever and the highest day in NICS history. The highest previous day was Dec. 21, 2012 with 177,170 background checks. For the entire Nov. 26-29 2015 four-day Black Friday period 368,774 checks were completed, a 9.9 percent increase over the 335,555 checks conducted over the corresponding 2014 4-day period.

While the number of NICS checks are indicative of the number of firearm sales transactions, they are not perfectly correlated. For example, concealed carry permits in many states are taken as a substitute for the NICS background check. Thus, the actual number of firearms sold could be even greater than the number of checks reported.

Many factors probably are coming into play here. First, the ISIS attacks in Paris are still fresh in the minds of many people. I know my fellow Polite Society Podcast co-host Gary Daugherty has reported a significant rise in the number of people contacting him to take the Illinois concealed carry class. Second, the Democrats have decided the gun control is a winning issue for them and have gone all in on it. Finally, President Obama has said he wants to make gun control one of his primary focuses in his last year in office.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy – 2015 Edition

In years gone by, I have worked hard to include every firearm, tactical, big box sporting goods store, and accessories sale that I could find for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Call me lazy but this year I will point you to two very good compilations that already exist. I don’t see any reason to reinvent the wheel or do extra work when others have already done it.

First, Slickguns.com has done an extraordinary job in compiling the Black Friday/Cyber Monday ads from all the major players and then some. It can be found here.

Second, for those who are seeking more tactical items, Soldier Systems has their Black Friday list which is sponsored by Tactical Distributors. You can find it here. If it is like last year, it will be a work in progress with more and more sales and discounts added.

One sale I got in my email box that I haven’t seen in either of these two lists is from Going Gear. If you are looking for a high lumen flashlight, then they can help. Find them here. Another sales going on is from ALG Defense. They are offering 20% off all their AK and AR triggers plus some other stuff. ALG Defense is connected with Geissele which is also having a Black Friday event. It is listed on the Slickguns page.

Feel free to add sales and discounts you come across in the comments section. I would welcome it and I’m others will find it helpful.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy – 2014 Edition (Updated)

Herewith my annual listing of Black Friday or pre-Black Friday deals that are gun, knife, outdoor, tactical, or prep related. In the past I’ve posted this list later in the week but it seems that a number of retailers aren’t waiting to Friday or even Thursday. I will be doing updates through the week as more of the deals are released.

I have included any coupon codes if needed. If you find others, please share them in the comments section.

Think of this as a first draft. I have a lot more to add but wanted to get this part out.

The Old Grouch’s Military Surplus

I like the idea of supporting friends and buying local. Tim told me the prices go live on Thanksgiving and he has some great prices. The reporters camped out in Ferguson ought to give it a look as he even will have some gas masks.

MidwayUSA

Begins Monday, Nov. 24th at Midnight CST and last for eight days. $20 off a $100 purchase with code 14BLKFRI.

Brownells

The sale starts at 12:01 AM on Black Friday, November 28. Customers can also enter the code “J2Y” at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on all orders for any products totaling $150 or more. It runs through midnight on Monday, Dec. 1st.

Stag Arms

Sale is effective 12:01AM EST November 28, 2014 to 11:59PM EST November 30, 2014. Most items are limited quantity. They will be selling a number of Stag Arms uppers including the 1H, 1HL, 3H, and 3HL. The doorbuster price on the 3H is $345.

Walmart

All in-stock firearms are 20% off Friday through Sunday.

 Bass Pro Shops

The in-store event starts at Bass Pro on Friday at 5am. Their 6-hour sale includes a brick of Winchester .22 LR for $25. Ruger 10/22 carbines will be $229 for the five-day sale.

Cabelas

Black Friday starts at 5am on Nov. 28th. Doorbusters include a Sig Sauer 1911 with Crimson Trace grips for $899, a Ruger American Rimfire for $259, and a Rock Island 1911 9mm/.22 TCM combon for $499. Just in time for the winter weather are Danner insulated Pronghorn boots for $89. Their pre-Black Friday deals are here and change daily. You can see their entire Black Friday flyer here.

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Given their wimpy response post-Newtown, I would not shop there if they were given away bricks of .22 LR and Colt ARs for free. You are on your own for them.

MilitaryGear.com

10% off and free shipping. Use promo code “SAVE“. Starts on 11/24 and ends on 12/1.

Tactical Distributors

Starting November 26th, and running through Sunday, November 30th, Tactical Distributors is offering 20% off site wide in honor of Black Friday. Additionally, all orders over $79 qualify for free shipping. Use promo code FREAKOUT20 to apply the discount.

OP Tactical

OP Tactical will be running a Black Friday Sale from Nov. 24th through Nov. 28th. Use promo code BF2014“.

SORD-USA

Receive 25% off ALL products from SORD. Use promo code BLACKFRIDAY14.

TacticalGear.com

 10% off and free shipping. Use promo code “SAVEBIG“. Starts on 11/23 and ends on 11/30. Some doorbusters depending upon purchase.

Tractor Supply Co.

On Friday only, they will be selling the Cannon wide body safe for $699. Also of interest to hunters would be their Masterbuilt Electric Digital Smoker. They open at 6am.

TNVC – Tactical Night Vision Company

The TNVC Christmas Sale is going on now through the end of the year. Use promo code “XMAS14” at checkout for substantial discounts on their TNV/PVS-14, IR Hunter Thermal Scope, and TNV Sentinel Night Vision Goggle.

Gander Mountain

Gander Mountain will be open from 8am until Midnight on Thanksgiving and then re-opens at 8am on Friday. Among the Thanksgiving Day specials are the S&W M&P Shield for $399 and the Liberty Fatboy 64 safe for $1,999.

Academy Sports and Outdoor

Academy Sports opens at 5am on Friday and their on-line store opens at 10pm CST on Wednesday. Doorbusters include a Windham Weaponry AR for $579.99, a Taurus PT111 Milennium for $259, and 325 round packs of Federal Match .22LR for $17.99.

Sportsman’s Warehouse

Their Black Friday sale starts at 6am. Included in their doorbusters is a Bushmaster Carbon 15 for $499. The Ruger American Rimfire goes for $199, the SIG P238 is $489, and the Para 1911 Expert is $299 after a $100 rebate. All 5.11 gear is 25% off.

Dunham Sports

Their Black Friday sale starts at 6pm on Thanksgiving and goes to 3pm on Friday. Among the early bird items listed are a Bushmaster Optics Ready Carbine for $549 (after rebate) and a Canon 48 gun safe for $649. That same carbine was $799 last year.

Big 5 Sporting Goods

Their Black Friday sale starts at 5am and goes to 4pm on Friday. Among their doorbusters is a Mossberg 500 2-barrel combon (12 or 20 ga) for $295 and a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch rifle for $739

LaRue Tactical

Now through Christmas, they are holding their PolymAR sale. This is to celebrate the finishing of their polymer production facility. They are offering 25% off all individual polymer items and 35% off combo items.

MC Sports

Their stores open at 5am on Black Friday. Among their Friday specials are a M&P-15 Sport for $619, a Mossberg 500 Field/Slug Combo for $289, and a Glock 19 for $499.

5.11 Tactical Online Store

Thru Sunday! 25% Off Store Wide. Use Promo Code BLK25


LaRue Tactical Black Rifle Days

Free shipping on all orders over $200 when placed on Nov 27th and 28th. 50% off on all LaRue Polymer including grips, stocks, etc.

Sig Sauer

Black Friday offer is free shipping on all items with no minimum from Nov. 25th to Dec. 2nd.

London Bridge Trading

Save on the LBT 6094 Modular & Low VIS Slick Carriers. Sale starts November 27th at Noon, and runs to December 2nd at Noon. Normally $400 or more, they will be $300 for this sale.

Springfield Armory

30% off on all items in their store including magazines. Now through 12/12/14.

Galco Gunleather

20% off everything in their on-line store. No code needed. Nov. 28-30.

Gun Digest Books

50% off all Gun Digest books and CD-ROMs now through 12/3/14

Comp-Tac

20% off all items now through midnight, Dec. 1st. Use code “THANKS-2020″.
Apex Tactical
Free shipping on all orders now through Cyber Monday, Dec. 1st. No code needed. Free patch for orders over $100.

Stark Grips

All of their AK and AR grips are 30% off through midnight, Sunday, Nov. 30th. Use code “Friday“.

Maxpedition

All regularly priced items are now 25% off now through Dec. 1st. Use code “XXVBFR“.

Wing Supply

30% off all items and 40% off of turkey calls through Nov. 29th. No code needed.

American Built Arms Company

Big savings from November 24th through December 8th on metal and polymer items. Click on their Deal of the Day tab. Their handguards look kinda interesting to me.

Bravo Company

Their Black Friday sale includes demo/scratched uppers for $65, basic M4 buttstocks for $12.48, DPMS lower parts kits for $49.95, and a whole lot more.

LA Police Gear

November 27th through November 29th: 25% Off 5.11 Tactical & Maxpedition, 10% off everything else. Free bottle opener with every order. Use coupon code: BF2014

UPDATE:


L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives

Instead of Black Friday they will be having Stag Friday. They will be offering three of their knives with stag handles at very nice prices. The sale goes from 9am to 3pm EST on Friday. These knives will also be offered by their authorized dealers. Go to the website for a list.

Vermont’s Barre Army Navy

Free ground shipping on orders above $30 until 12/1/14 plus 15% off all Condor, Alpha, and Eberlestock items. If you live in the Barre, Vermont area, everything is 30% off on Friday for walk-in customers.

Blade Magazine

Up to 50% off all books, DVDs, etc. through Dec. 3rd.  Downloads are $1.99 through 11/30.

Red State Tactical

 They are taking pre-orders through Cyber Monday for the Vickers “Adapt or Die” T-shirt. The price is $13.95. Also get 15% off a Vickers Sling by signing up for their email list.

Bud’s Gunshop

Opens at 8am on Friday and 8am on Saturday. Deals include a CZ-USA P-07 for $349 (with threaded barrel), an Adams Arms piston AR-15 for $699, and a Mossberg Tactical 22 with a free brick of .22LR ammo for $219.00. More of their Cyber Week specials can be found here including Canik 9mm pistols for $99.

U.S. Cavalry

15% off for all new customers with code HPBF2014, 25% to email subscribers (coupon in the mail), and more starting 12:01am Nov. 28th.

Armalite

Cyber Monday special is 20% off any in-stock firearm. Must call 1-800-336-0184 to order.

Core Rifle Systems

Starts at noon on Thanksgiving. Free shipping for the first 48 hours with code BFSHIP. Other discounts using code BFSAVE until Dec. 5th. 10% off all rifles plus 3 free PMags.

DSG Arms

Complete railed uppers in either .223 or .300 Blackout only $399 plus $5 UPS shipping. These are assembled by Seekins Precision. Prices good through Dec. 1. You can see details in this video.

Panteao Productions

All DVDs and yearly subscriptions are 25% off through Dec. 2nd. I have a number of their DVDs and they are highly recommended.

Nosler

Black Friday deal is 15% off when you spend $150 or more through midnight PST Dec. 1st. Also the final run of Trophy Grade Nosler 48 rifles are $1,499

JoeBob Outfitters

Black Friday deals now through midnight CST 12/1/14. Use code “BLACKFRIDAY“.

Gunsite

They call this Black Raven Friday. Deals include $200 off any 5-day class registered for on the 28th. Registration and deposit must be sent to Karen@gunsite.com. Their proshop sale will run Nov. 28-30.

UPDATE II:

Wilson Combat

Sale runs Black Friday through Christmas. Includes everything from 1911 magazines to .300 AAC Blackout match grade barrels.

Barrett Rifles

Black Friday sales include package deals with soft case, your choice of ARMS or Daniel Defense rails, MOE stock and pistol grip, and a Barrett cap.

G-Code

All products are 15% off from Nov. 26th through Dec. 1st. Use code thanks2014.

IDF Holsters

Beginning at 12:01 am on Thanksgiving morning, until 11:59 pm Cyber Monday night, IDF Holsters is having a Black Friday Sale, with special 30% off discounts on every item in stock. Use promo code TAKE30.

AIM Surplus

They are calling these deals Black Friday-ish. These deals from now through Nov. 30th or while supplies last.

Soldier Systems also has an extensive listing of tactically oriented Black Friday specials. They are too numerous to copy. You can access them here. Also check the listings from SlickGuns.com.