ARCHIVE - ISSUE SEVEN - MARCH 2014                    FEATURED PICTORIAL   -   TRAINING   -   LIFESTYLE   -   REVIEWS                    ARCHIVE - ISSUE SEVEN - MARCH 2014
Niki Jones
Editor-in-chief

Deano Jones
Art Director, 
Photography

Carrin Welch
Copy Editor

Nikki Raye
West Coast Correspondent

On the Cover, 
Cover-twins and Sure Shots Mayokia and Michelle were born in Minneapolis and moved to Texas when they were 11 years old. The twins began shooting with their father when they were 13. 
See more pics from the cover photo shoot!

Shooting the World's 
First Metal 3D-Printed Gun
by Niki Jones

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Solid Concepts, an industry leader in 3D printing, creates the first 3D Metal Gun.


Sometimes the coolest opportunities happen when you least expect them 

I was boarding my flight home from the SHOT show in Las Vegas, completely exhausted and ready to sleep for the three-hour flight back to Austin when I struck up a conversation with my seat mate, a super-friendly former US Navy EN3 (SW), who just happened to be the creator of the world's first 3D-printed metal gun. His name is Eric Mutchler.

Needless to say, I did not sleep at all on that flight, and we talked about the gun (and other cool firearms-related topics) the whole way home. At the end of our trip, he invited me to come shoot it and take a tour of Solid Concepts to check out the printer on which the gun was manufactured.
PictureEric and Niki trying out the Solid Concepts SC1911
In late 2013, the media had reported on the first 3D metal gun, and it was quite a big deal
—especially since this was happening here in Austin. Previous successful printed guns had been made of plastics, but this was the first one created from metal. Solid Concepts wanted to prove that 3D printed parts could withstand the rigors of the “controlled explosion” that occurs during the firing of a firearm. Solid Concepts is a California based company, and is an industry leader in 3D printing with a history in aerospace parts manufacturing, automotive prototyping, medical manufacturing and other related industries.  

During my discussion with Eric, he told me somewhere long the way he had decided it was completely feasible to print almost all of the parts for a functional firearm and had considered how to go about printing a 1911. Eric told me, “I wanted to prove that we could do it, so we did. When I showed my boss, he asked me if I had finally printed a frame.”

Turns out, Eric had printed much more than the frame. He explained the 3D printing process, and how it “stacked” material from the bottom up during the process and how the laser heated the particulate material to the proper temperatures for the manufacturing process. He explained the springs, the grip screws and the trigger bow were virtually the only components they have not yet manufactured by 3D printing. Of the final gun, over 30 of the individual components are 3D printed. Even the carbon fiber grip was manufactured in-house.

On the morning of "Austin Icepocalypse 2014", I drove up to Red's Pflugerville to shoot it. The moment I first handled the SC1911, I was first struck by a single thought – it was like every other full-sized 1911 I had handled. The most amazing aspect was its similarity to guns produced using the traditional methods. When I realized this gun started life as incredibly fine powder of 17-4 Stainless Steel and Inconel 625, I realized the too often used phrase “history in the making” really did apply!  I have a good bit of time and experience shooting various 1911s, so the SC1911 instantly felt at home in my hands. It had a very nice blend of polished and satin-finished components, and had the overall look of a good, solid pistol. I was instantly in love with this gun!

Eric loaded some mags for me, and explained how they are logging the number of rounds put through the gun in order to demonstrate durability.  I was the lucky individual getting the privilege to shoot rounds number 3101 – 3200.  First shot was right were I had aimed, and each subsequent shot went right where I wanted. This gun is smooth!  For my final shot, Eric asked me to put a single round through one of his business cards, explaining he asks each of the individuals testing it to do the same. He hung a card, ran it out to the 7 yard line, and I put a shot right through the middle. Later that day, when I toured his office, he hung that card on his wall along with the lucky few others who had the opportunity to test the SC1911
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As Eric took me around the Solid Concepts facility, he pointed out the different machines, and what many of them did.  When we got to the machine that the pistol was manufactured on, I was amazed.  I asked Eric if this was something the average garage tinkerer could do, and he pointed out the machine and related equipment was almost a $1,000,000 set up—which means I will unfortunately NOT be buying one to create a line of “Sure Shots” 1911’s…at least for now!
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Even more cool stuff has happened since that chance meeting on that Southwest Airlines flight. Eric has sent his beautiful wife Leia our way, and now she is a true Sure Shot—even recently built her own AR15 and has trained with us on it. To say thanks, Eric printed me a little gift—an AR15 bolt face pendant printed on the very same printer as that famous 1911. And to make it epic, he printed "Niki Jones, Sure Shots" on the inside… AWESOME. 

The Littlest Sure Shot
by Leia Edmonds

Picture7 year old Sure Shot, Vanessa Aguilar.
Vanessa Aguilar's mom explains her decision to introduce her 5-year-old to shooting.

I never intended for any of this to happen. When I gave birth to a little blond hair blue eyed little girl, I thought I gave birth to a ballerina, possibly a singer, a cheerleader, but never a marksman. I gave birth to a girly-girl who would run, jump and play with other little girls, not shoot with other girls or a team of amazing women. I had no interest to even having a gun in the home. It wasn’t going to happen! I hated guns. They were not allowed in my presence, let alone the presence of my child. I didn’t care if the gun was loaded or not. No! It was not going to happen.

Fast forward 5 ½ years later when Vanessa saw her grandparent’s guns in their gun case. She had questions, and a lot of them. I was so nervous about it, but her questions needed to be answered. She asked what they were, how they worked, why they were locked up and why she couldn’t touch them. I was lost. How could I as her protective mother try to protect her from guns and steer her away from them. I couldn’t. She had questions and as much as I tried to avoid answering them, I realized that I wasn’t protecting her by avoiding them. She wasn’t going to stop asking the questions if I never provided the answers. So I answered them.

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We had a long conversation about what guns were, how they worked, what their purpose was and then she asked….Can I try it? Can I shoot it? As her mother I could have said no, but instead I said, “Ok, just a few and then grandpa is going to lock them back up.” So, I took my almost 6 year old outside and let her try. Posted 15 yards away off of her grandparents country porch was a 2 foot by 2 foot steel plate. Shot after shot we heard “plink, plink, plink, plink….” And then she giggled. She was good and she knew it.

Over the next few months we turned her ability to shoot in to a behavior management plan. We informed her classroom teacher and the school’s administration of our plan to make her earn the right to use grandpa’s single shot rifle to shoot targets. As she earned supervised access to the rifle, she also had to earn access to bullets. It was working, but she became increasingly interested in shooting. As her mother I decided that if she was going to do this, she was going to get trained the right way, Safety First! We review the 4 rules of gun safety which were reviewed before every shooting session. I searched the internet for a place for her to receive training. No, no, no… I kept hearing no, and then I saw the founder of the Austin Sure Shots, Niki Jones on T.V. I set out to email her in hopes of a reply that just maybe she would know who would help us. She did. So with an open arms invite, we proceeded to drive 2 hours each way every Wednesday for Vanessa to get training with the Austin Sure Shots.

No one looked at us funny. No one called me a bad mom for teaching my child gun safety or how to safely use a weapon. No one said, “She can’t do that.” The ladies of the Austin Sure Shots welcomed her into the ranks. Vanessa has been training with the Austin Sure Shots , San Antonio Sure Shots and has attended a Mini Sure Shots shooting clinic. Now 8 years old, she often gives the safety briefing at the San Antonio Sure Shots gatherings, reviewing gun safety, muzzle direction, and the importance of indexing. She has translated those skills to multiple environments including correcting her brothers when they use a Nerf gun inappropriately.

As her mother, I couldn’t be more proud of her. She trains hard, trains safe and trains often. She has managed to gain sponsorship not only from family members but also Animal Customs, VF Gunrunners, Alamo Ammo, Dave Hewitt Designs and most recently FrogLube! We look forward to her competing in Steel Challenges and IDPA competitions over the next year.

Along with being a mother, wife and a teacher for the auditory impaired, Sure Shot Leia is a CHL-holding, pistol-packing woman who trains with the Sure Shots seriously and often. She also competes in IDPA and helps run our San Antonio practices.

Carrin and Niki’s Excellent SHOT Show Adventure

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A conversation between Sure Shots leaders Carrin Welch and Niki Jones
When Niki and Carrin got the opportunity to represent Sure Shots Magazine with press passes for the 2014 SHOT Show, the firearms industry’s largest gathering with attendees from all over the world, it was a no-brainer. They immediately booked the flight to Las Vegas and a room at the Palazzo, and started counting down the days. It was their first time, and though they had heard it was enormous and overwhelming, they had no idea…

Carrin: I was really excited to go to the SHOT show, mostly because I am a gear freak and wanted to see the latest and greatest! And I was looking forward to spending some time with Niki in VEGAS!

Niki: My main focus for attending the show was to finally meet all the amazing sponsors and supporters of Sure Shots face to face. Also, I was really psyched for Media Day at the Range! 

C: With over 1600 Vendor booths, we knew we would have to be very selective in what we wanted to see, because we were only going to be there for 2.5 days! 

N: Thank GOD for the SHOT show app—we were able to plot a plan of attack!

C: I know, that app really saved us time and energy! But before the show started, there was Media Day at the Range!! I was really excited to get to see what the manufacturers had brought out to test and evaluate. I think my favorites were the Beretta Nano and the Black Rain Ordnance .308 suppressed rifle. And it was cool to learn about Simunitions and all the training opportunities their product offers.

N: Media Day at the Range was AWESOME. I was expecting a total madhouse, but it was very well-run and pretty laid back. I really liked shooting the Beretta ARX100. I loved how smoothly it shot, and like that it can be completely disassembled with no tools at all. Also awesome was the OSS suppressor, developed with HK416 in mind... really neat technology!

C: I loved meeting people who were excited about their products and wanted to talk about them. Joe at Devil Dog Arms is very supportive of female shooters and showed us some of the ultra light ARs they have on the market. Glock had their two newest pistols out, the 41 & 42. That was a very popular booth. We even met some other Sure Shots: Sure Shot Game Calls… how nice were those guys?!
N: They were great, and how funny was their "Feral Frenzy" Wild Hog call? We should have gotten one. It was a super-fun, happy day! We didn't want to leave, did we? But we had to go home and get ready for our Sure Shots Magazine West Coast Correspondent Nikki Raye's dinner meet and greet, and then the infamous Battle Comp kickoff party!

C: Nikki Raye's dinner party was great, and it was awesome to meet so many people we knew online but had never met face to face, like Regina Milkovich, who is really cool. Then it was on to the Battle Comp party… When the car pulled up to the Leatherneck Club, we weren't sure we were in the right spot, there were so many bikers. But, like we do, we rolled with it. Alan from Battle Comp sure knows how to throw a party! It was a blast—we ran into many friends and some new faces we'd met since we arrived. And then there were bagpipes!!

N: They definitely know how to kick a SHOT Show off right! But, we were good girls and went home pretty early so that we'd have enough rest for Day 1 of the show!

C: We were up early and out the door, we had a lot of appointments we had to make. And Niki's Froglube booth appearance was that morning.

N: Yup! It was pure madness running to all our appointments—thank goodness we had done a dry run the day before with our trusty map app! Also we had a great sit-down with Brandy and Mike from TacGirls. And, of course, Nikki Turpeaux's Firearms Radio Network TV segment was exciting to be a part of!

C: While we were maneuvering through the show, I was looking for products for women. Not just pink and sparkly guns and jewelry, but other useful products, like bags, grips, and gear designed for women shooters. I wasn't disappointed—the firearms industry has definitely taken notice of us and are starting to develop more products for women who want to train. I was also able to track down Jim & Nanci from Firebird Precision, the company that manufactures the TAC-12 parts I modified my MKA-1919 with (from my article in SSM Issue 5). They were really nice and showed me their new "HELI-HUNTER SPECIAL EDITION" shotgun. And, of course, I want one!

N: The Bond Arms people were great; how cute was that little derringer? And Bond Girl Amy was rad! It was also really fun to finally meet Dan Coonan, he's a character! And Coonan has been supportive of the Sure Shots for a long time now, so it was nice to thank him face to face.

C: Dan was really nice, and they had a light purple version of their .357 Magnum that was drool-worthy. It was such a long day, it was super exciting and tiring, but we still had things to do!

N: Yup. We had to go get ready for the Froglube reception! Good thing it was practically in the same hotel as we were... I don't think my feet could've handled any further! It was cool to hang out with Stacy Lasky and her hubby who created Froglube, and Clover of course! And we met yet another girl we know well online but had yet to meet face to face... Melissa Gilliland! It was a great collection of Froglube's Girls of the Gun sponsored shooters. It was nice how they had each of us come up and talk about what all we do, and even nicer when they announced our little Sure Shot Vanessa Aguilar as their latest sponsored shooter!

C: I know! We are so proud of Vanessa! Then we headed back to our room and, thankfully, went to bed. Day One was CRAZY! Day Two was a little more relaxed, as we didn't have any appointments to make. So we really got to walk around and meet new people, find some friends, and look at products. Nikki Raye was in the London Bridge Trading/2 Vets Arms booth with her new covert rifle pack, which you may remember it from the last issue of Sure Shots Magazine (issue 6). We ran into the guys from Crosstac, who are great supporters of the Sure Shots. And Niki fell in love with a white LWRC SBR that looked like a mini Snow Queen!  One exhibitor that stood out was S.O. Tech. These guys are doing something really great. Everything they produce is handmade in the USA by veterans. They offer all kinds of tactical and safety gear, but the clear winner in popularity at their booth was their Battle Bear.

N: I loved how each Battle Bear is made in LA at the VA Hospital, with all the proceeds going right back there. Of course I had to take one home! It got a lot of attention as I walked around the show with it the rest of the day.

C: Not only as you walked around SHOT, but also at the hotel, and the airport. Pretty much everywhere we went, that bear made people smile. Even the TSA agents!

N: Aaaaaannnnnd…. then it was time to leave! Why didn't we believe everyone when they told us 2.5 days at SHOT wasn't enough?! 

C: Heading home so early in the show was hard, there were many more things to see and do, and parties we had to miss. But duty called and we HAD to go home and go back to our day jobs. I don't think we can accurately express the scope of SHOT. As if Las Vegas isn’t enough of a sensory overload, add all those booths full of guns and gear, about 67,000 attendees, and you've got yourself one potentially overwhelming experience. What it ended up being for us was a lot of fun, interesting, exciting, and eye-opening

N: TOTALLY overwhelming, COMPLETELY exhausting, but 100% FUN! Can't wait till next year!!!

More things at SHOT we loved:
Summit Night Vision Group's PVS-7 Night Vision Goggle - summitnightvision.com
Kekki Professional Hunting Rifles made in Italy - bsplanet.com
Mag Tactical Systems Ultra Light AR15 (4.8lbs!) - magtacticalsystems.com
Unique AR's Customized Forends and Hand Guards - unique-ars.com
AlumaGrips Handgun Grips - alumagrips.com
Kinetiz Research Group Whiskey-3 Chassis (W3C) - kineticresearchgroup.com
White River Knife and Tool Classic Series Knives - whiteriverknives.com
Red Stitch Tactical Pepper Popper Target - redstitchtactical.com
Perazzi MXS 12 gauge shotgun - perazzi.com
Moonstruck Leather Diva Sleeve Cognac Acid Wash Cowhide Leather Holster - moonstruckleather.com
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