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OK, Folks. Please bear in mind that I write on a number of fora based in the USA, and on one of them I've been asked about updating the state of play regarding the recently announced Longthorne version of the iconic GP35/HP35 pistol.
I've just come off the blower from a good long discussion with Elaine [sales and marketing] and Jim [production] at Longthorne Guns in Northampton about their beautiful new version of the iconic GP35 pistol.
The Youtube video from TGS Outdoors seems to have been removed.
Here is the current state of play.
1. Right now, Longthorne is awaiting the return of documentation from BATF regarding the importation of the pistol in to the US of A, the first importer of choice not having proved suitable. And no, no names were mentioned.
2. Having gotten all the paperwork squared away, and another more suitable importer having been established, they are hoping to have samples on the stand at the Nationals in Dallas TX at the end of October, where they can be seen and handled.
3. The gun does NOT have a magazine safety - a serious bone of contention for many prospective buyers - but it DOES have a trigger block. Removing the magazine prevents the trigger from being operated, a feature that appeals to some, but not to others. Apparently a foreign-made firearm like this has to tick a few boxes and score safety points in order to be compliant with the rules - a trigger block/magazine safety would appear to make it somehow more compliant.
4. HOWEVER, Jim was at great pains to explain that removing this blocking pin is a couple of minutes work by the owner, and that its removal in no way interferes with the working of the trigger which, he says, is a a great improvement on the original, being both crisper and lighter.
5. He went on to add that there will be a number of down-the-road versions but was understandably tight-lipped about what form they might take.
For anybody from the UK or from Germany/Continental Europe [read IWA] reading this the news is bleak. Getting the documentation, passes and permits to go to Germany next year is just too much of a hindrance - so, right now, that probably won't happen.
Nor will it/can it be shown anywhere here in UK at the many shows where Longthorne's unique shotguns have such prominent place. Anybody in Northern Ireland, where they can still have ordinary cartridge-firing handguns of any kind, will have to make their own arrangements with Longthornes.
And for you lucky people in the US of A, with lots of money, it's really coming, and I can't even begin to tell you just how jealous I am.
I've just come off the blower from a good long discussion with Elaine [sales and marketing] and Jim [production] at Longthorne Guns in Northampton about their beautiful new version of the iconic GP35 pistol.
The Youtube video from TGS Outdoors seems to have been removed.
Here is the current state of play.
1. Right now, Longthorne is awaiting the return of documentation from BATF regarding the importation of the pistol in to the US of A, the first importer of choice not having proved suitable. And no, no names were mentioned.
2. Having gotten all the paperwork squared away, and another more suitable importer having been established, they are hoping to have samples on the stand at the Nationals in Dallas TX at the end of October, where they can be seen and handled.
3. The gun does NOT have a magazine safety - a serious bone of contention for many prospective buyers - but it DOES have a trigger block. Removing the magazine prevents the trigger from being operated, a feature that appeals to some, but not to others. Apparently a foreign-made firearm like this has to tick a few boxes and score safety points in order to be compliant with the rules - a trigger block/magazine safety would appear to make it somehow more compliant.
4. HOWEVER, Jim was at great pains to explain that removing this blocking pin is a couple of minutes work by the owner, and that its removal in no way interferes with the working of the trigger which, he says, is a a great improvement on the original, being both crisper and lighter.
5. He went on to add that there will be a number of down-the-road versions but was understandably tight-lipped about what form they might take.
For anybody from the UK or from Germany/Continental Europe [read IWA] reading this the news is bleak. Getting the documentation, passes and permits to go to Germany next year is just too much of a hindrance - so, right now, that probably won't happen.
Nor will it/can it be shown anywhere here in UK at the many shows where Longthorne's unique shotguns have such prominent place. Anybody in Northern Ireland, where they can still have ordinary cartridge-firing handguns of any kind, will have to make their own arrangements with Longthornes.
And for you lucky people in the US of A, with lots of money, it's really coming, and I can't even begin to tell you just how jealous I am.
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