RECOIL Issue #29

By now, 2017’s New Year’s resolutions have already been broken, the festive booze supply has been depleted, and you’re probably tired of having to jockey for space at the gym with the folks who, like swallows to Capistrano, show up every January to crap on the place then disappear. On the national political front, now that the hubris surrounding November’s election result has subsided, we’ll all get to see whether our new president will live up to promises made on the campaign trail. If the Hearing Protection Act is passed and national CCW reciprocity becomes a reality, then this could wind up being a banner year for gun owners. If not, well, history is a harsh critic.

Speaking of elections, we’ve taken the unusual step of endorsing a candidate for the NRA’s Board of Directors, and you can read the Q&A that caused us to reach this conclusion. Getting Adam Kraut, and other young people, on the NRA board will go some way toward bridging the generational rift between its leadership and those it needs to recruit to ensure the organization’s future in advocating for all American gun owners.

At this time every year, our team throws down the gauntlet to those who consider themselves competition, secure in the knowledge that whatever we do, it’ll take at least six months before the rip-off artists can make a cheap copy available. We truly welcome the opportunity to improve, and the challenge only makes the finished product even more kick-ass. Take our Issue 29's cover, for example.

Jenavee Johnson embodies the anticipation of what this year might bring as we introduce a new generation of shooters to the Second Amendment community. Sure, they might have a curious obsession with their mobile devices and take at least four pictures of themselves every day, but without an active effort to recruit them, we run the risk of losing our firearms rights within a couple of generations. So if you’re looking for a worthy resolution to replace the ones you’ve already let slide, might we suggest taking a new shooter to the range?

Our next-gen theme continues in this edition with three new firearms that embody cutting-edge thinking. All of them bring something new to the table and are produced by start-up companies in the proud tradition of American free enterprise and exceptionalism. If you scan through our list of advertisers, you’ll no doubt notice that none of them are actually clients of RECOIL, and I’ll leave it to you to reach your own conclusions regarding our editorial integrity, versus others in this game.

Elsewhere, we profile noted 2A legal authority Alex Kincaid and you should look for her voice to be added to the roster of experts appearing in these pages. There’s a new version of everyone’s favorite spray-and-bake firearm finish, and we get to look behind the scenes at how Cerakote Elite is made and tested. And we cast a beady eye over the latest two-wheeled electric vehicle that has some very real advantages in a SHTF scenario.

There are some big moves afoot at RECOIL HQ. Readers of CONCEALMENT, our concealed-carry magazine, have been very vocal about demanding more of the same, so we’re going to double the frequency at which it hits the shelves. RECOILtv has a brand-new look and feel, so if you’ve yet to sample the videos available online, please check out some of the cool content we’ve been working on at www.recoilweb.com. And there’s something in the pipeline that’s going to shake up the cozy world of certain outdoor pursuits.

Welcome to 2017. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great one.

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