JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 Have a drink with BLAKE SHELTON Solo cup-ready concoctions PG. 20 THE CADILLAC THREE Shredding the line between country and rock n’ roll PG. 24 COLION NOIR Drops the hammer on gun violence in America PG. 54 The Rick Harrison hocks history worldwide THE SIG MCX RATTLER CANEBRAKE Love at first bite. PG. 41 Top Shot CHRIS CERINO Shoots it straight on handgun basics PG. 32Located in the Missouri Ozark Mountains overlooking Table Rock Lake, Big Cedar Lodge offers inviting accommodations, spectacular restaurants and unparalleled nature attractions. Featuring five golf courses by the world’s top designers, an 18,000 square-foot spa, expansive shooting facility and so much more, Big Cedar Lodge is the ideal destination. Call or visit the website to plan your getaway today. 800.225.6343 | BIGCEDAR.COM Ranked the #1 Resort in the Midwest for 3 Consecutive Years – Travel and Leisure Magazine www.lone-elm.com Distilled in Forney, TexasAUTHENTIC TEXAS WHISKEY ®02 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | HOOKANDBARREL.COM @HOOKANDBARRELMAG 03 42 THE PAWN STAR Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison gives history lessons with a laugh and a smile. by jim hannaford 48 UNAPOLOGETICALLY AMERICAN F-1 Firearms’ innovative formula for high-profile success. by kevin reese 54 DROPPING THE HAMMER America does not have a gun violence problem. by colion noir TABLE OF CONTENTS JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020VOLUME THREE, ISSUE ONE All material is strictly copyright protected and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the copyright holder. All prices and data are correct at the time of publication. The views and opinions expressed in Hook & Barrel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the advertisers. Any images supplied are at the owner’s risk and are the property of the Hook & Barrel Magazine. All content is owned in full by Hook & Barrel Magazine. Proudly Printed in America Hook & Barrel is a proud partner in the PrintReleaf program. PrintReleaf guarantees every sheet of paper we consume in the production of our magazine will be reforested. New trees are planted on our behalf in PrintReleaf Certified Reforestation Projects across the globe. Photo courtesy of The History Channel ON THE COVER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John J. Radzwilla MANAGING EDITOR Lee M. Hurley CONSULTING EDITOR Matt Morgan PRODUCTION MANAGER Jill Christiansen COPY EDITOR Barry Wise Smith CREATIVE DIRECTOR Claire Cormany PHOTO EDITOR Chris Irwin CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Natalie Radzwilla EDITORIAL OFFICE 1012 W. Eldorado Parkway P.O. Box 183 Little Elm, Texas 75068 214.997.1118 hookandbarrel.com CONTACT THE EDITOR editor@hookandbarrel.com FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@hookandbarrel.com EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Materials to be considered for use in Hook & Barrel Magazine should be emailed to editor@hookandbarrel.com or mailed to editorial office. Not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or other materials. Returns only when accompanied by return postage. We do not recommend sending original photography or artwork. SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe or manage your subscription to Hook & Barrel Magazine, visit www.hookandbarrel.com. PHO T O B Y D AN VERRIP S THE TROPHY ROOM Former Israeli combat soldier Orin Julie talks guns and Gal Gadot. BACK PAGE New resolutions and ol’ hunting buddies. 64 60 41 32 36 MUST HAVE GEAR Sig Sauer’s Rattler MCX Canebrake. HOW TO Mastering your handgun. FIELD TRIP Long-distance relationships... and noise outside of the box. WISDOM The great outdoors. GIVING BACK National Shooting Sports Foundation 08 FULLY LOADED The latest gear and wear for modern outdoorsmen. 10 06 EDITOR’S NOTE 04 16 GOOD GRUB Great bowls of fire. 24 28 NEW TUNES The Cadillac Three blasts a unique brand of rocking country. THE WILDLIFE Predator hunting with Kaitlyn Lowes. 20 HAPPY HOUR Blake Shelton is changing the vodka game with Smithworks. CAN YOU SPOT THE HOOK & BARREL CRITTER? Each issue, the Critter is hiding somewhere in the table of contents picture. Happy hunting!02 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | HOOKANDBARREL.COM @HOOKANDBARRELMAG 03 42 THE PAWN STAR Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison gives history lessons with a laugh and a smile. by jim hannaford 48 UNAPOLOGETICALLY AMERICAN F-1 Firearms’ innovative formula for high-profile success. by kevin reese 54 DROPPING THE HAMMER America does not have a gun violence problem. by colion noir TABLE OF CONTENTS JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020VOLUME THREE, ISSUE ONE All material is strictly copyright protected and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the copyright holder. All prices and data are correct at the time of publication. The views and opinions expressed in Hook & Barrel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the advertisers. Any images supplied are at the owner’s risk and are the property of the Hook & Barrel Magazine. All content is owned in full by Hook & Barrel Magazine. Proudly Printed in America Hook & Barrel is a proud partner in the PrintReleaf program. PrintReleaf guarantees every sheet of paper we consume in the production of our magazine will be reforested. New trees are planted on our behalf in PrintReleaf Certified Reforestation Projects across the globe. Photo courtesy of The History Channel ON THE COVER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John J. Radzwilla MANAGING EDITOR Lee M. Hurley CONSULTING EDITOR Matt Morgan PRODUCTION MANAGER Jill Christiansen COPY EDITOR Barry Wise Smith CREATIVE DIRECTOR Claire Cormany PHOTO EDITOR Chris Irwin CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Natalie Radzwilla EDITORIAL OFFICE 1012 W. Eldorado Parkway P.O. Box 183 Little Elm, Texas 75068 214.997.1118 hookandbarrel.com CONTACT THE EDITOR FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Materials to be considered for use in Hook & Barrel Magazine should be emailed to office. Not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or other materials. Returns only when accompanied by return postage. We do not recommend sending original photography or artwork. SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe or manage your subscription to Hook & Barrel Magazine, visit PHO T O B Y D AN VERRIP S THE TROPHY ROOM Former Israeli combat soldier Orin Julie talks guns and Gal Gadot. BACK PAGE New resolutions and ol’ hunting buddies. 64 60 41 32 36 MUST HAVE GEAR Sig Sauer’s Rattler MCX Canebrake. HOW TO Mastering your handgun. FIELD TRIP Long-distance relationships... and noise outside of the box. WISDOM The great outdoors. GIVING BACK National Shooting Sports Foundation 08 FULLY LOADED The latest gear and wear for modern outdoorsmen. 10 06 EDITOR’S NOTE 04 16 GOOD GRUB Great bowls of fire. 24 28 NEW TUNES The Cadillac Three blasts a unique brand of rocking country. THE WILDLIFE Predator hunting with Kaitlyn Lowes. 20 HAPPY HOUR Blake Shelton is changing the vodka game with Smithworks. CAN YOU SPOT THE HOOK & BARREL CRITTER? Each issue, the Critter is hiding somewhere in the table of contents picture. Happy hunting!04 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | ach morning, I sit in our newborn son’s room feeding him sometime between 4:30 and 6 a.m. My wife takes the mid- night feeding since she is more of a night-owl than I am, and I, being a hunter and angler, have mastered the art of groggily waking up before the birds and staggering through the darkness during the wee hours of the morning—so I get the early morning feeding. I love this time with my son. Each morning as he gulps down his bottle, I pray over him and wonder where his life will take him. His little hands and tiny fingers grasp mine, and I remind him no matter where he goes, he can always hold my hand and that I will always be there for him. Before Jack was born, I bought him his first gun, and it hangs above his mirror—just out of reach until the time is right. It’s a Rossi .410/.22LR combo, perfect for any little boy. “What adventures will the gun give you, son?” I ask. Generally, “Gulp, gulp, gulp” is all I get back. But, I know, that someday, he will be five, or six years old, holding my hand as we go on his first squirrel hunt with that rifle, and with that first squeeze of the trigger, he will be as hooked on hunting as I am. And for that I am an excited Daddy. You see, firearms are more than tools or weapons. They represent American tradition and countless father/son or daughter duos living out adventures together in the woods. They are objects that com- munities unite around. Not out of some sort of ill-conceived militia mentality that the media portrays but one of cold autumn days, campfires, belly-laughs, and deer camp camaraderie. Jack’s gun is far more than a squirrel-killer, it represents our bond as father and son, life lessons to be learned, and truly what makes this little boy American. It will teach him responsibility, discipline, indepen- dence, stewardship of resources, and prove to him that he is the only one that is responsible for his actions no matter what the news may try to tell him. It will empower him, make him re- liant and confident, while at the same time, showing him just how fragile life is. These lessons are far more valuable than any book in school can teach him. But along with those lessons of responsibility, come requirements on my part to teach him the right way and to instill the respect that a firearm demands. Guns are not toys, and they are certainly not online video game fantasies. They are real tools that can take life and must be respected. Jack will grow up in a household where if he sees a gun, he doesn’t touch it unless given permission by an adult. He will not be raised to be afraid of them but to respect them. He will not be shielded from them but taught how they work and how to properly handle them. I think that if more parents had this approach, whether they were proponents of guns or not, we as a society would be in a much better place. The reality is that we live in a country that was built by a gun. From frontiersmen hunting for food to the brave souls that stood up to the English during the American Revolution to the men and women that still protect those rights today. Guns aren’t going away, and it is our job as parents to raise our kids to understand what they are, what they represent, and how to respect the power they hold. I am not wishing the little man’s life away, but I am counting down the days until I can take that rifle down and take him to the range for a little beer can target practice. I can envision teaching him how to load it, pointing to the sights and teaching him to align them properly, and coaching him through the nervousness of that first squeeze of the trigger followed by that same big smile he gives me after he finishes his morning bottle. Raise them right, E John J. Radzwilla editor-in-chief EDITOR’S NOTE AD The 2nd Amendment and the Gift of Life. PHO T OS B Y NA TALIE R AD ZWILLA 06 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | HOOKANDBARREL.COM | @HOOKANDBARRELMAG 07 rade associations rarely have a direct connection with consumers. Every- one eats at a restaurant from time to time, but few outside the dining industry know much about the National Restaurant Association. We all love July 4th fireworks, but did you know that the makers of those beautiful dis- plays are backed by the American Pyrotechnics Association? And that new grill you just bought? Its manufacturer is likely a member of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is the trade association for the firearms industry. We count among our members thousands of manufacturers, distributors, importers and exporters, retailers, firearms range owners, outdoor press members, and the many hunting and conservation groups that connect our industry’s products with you, the person buying today’s firearms, ammunition, and gear. But unlike the Inter- national Housewares Association or the Bread Bakers Guild of America, we absolutely have a direct connection with you. REAL SOLUTIONS FOR SAFER COMMUNITIES We at NSSF are extremely proud that our industry has been a leading voice for genuine firearms safety. 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Project ChildSafe, a cornerstone of our Real SolutionsSM for Safer Communities (NSSFRealSolutions.org) initiative. It is estimated that, in the past 20 years, Project Child- Safe (ProjectChildSafe.org) has distributed over 38 million firearm safety education kits—which include a free cable-style gun lock— through more than 15,000 law enforcement and community partners. Today, accidental firearm deaths are just one percent of all firearms-related deaths and accidents, and we credit Project ChildSafe for contributing to that very low number. A natural offshoot to Project ChildSafe has been NSSF’s dedication to educating the public and our industry about suicide prevention. Nearly two-thirds of all firearms-related fatalities are suicides. Our efforts include a retailer and gun-owner awareness program, in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and a community-awareness partnership with the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense to help prevent veteran suicides. Working to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t possesses them is always an NSSF priority. It was the firearms industry that conceived the National Instant Criminal Back- ground Check System (NICS) for every firearm sold at retail. Our industry championed the bipartisan Fix NICS Act in Congress, which works to have all disqualifying records, including mental health and criminal records, submitted into the NICS system so that the background-check system works as intended. The bill, signed into law last year by President Trump, was named after NSSF’s ongoing FixNICS® campaign. Since the campaign’s launch in 2013, NSSF has successfully changed the law in 16 states and increased submissions of disqualifying records from 1.7 million to over 5.6 million today—an increase of 241 percent. Other initiatives, including our Operation Secure Store and “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” work with firearm retailers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to prevent burglaries and robberies of firearms and illegal “straw” purchases, respectively. INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN HUNTING AND THE SHOOTING SPORTS NSSF is, of course, focused on introducing new people to hunting and shooting to help secure a strong future for the traditions we all enjoy. NSSF’s First Shots events connect people who have never handled firearms with ranges and instructors who take them from the basics of firearm safety to hitting the bullseye in just a few hours. August 2019 ushered in our third annual National Shooting Sports Month, with retailers and ranges hosting more than 3,000 events across the country. And NSSF’s +ONESM Movement is inspiring hundreds of thousands of experienced hunters and shooters to take someone new to the range or field. Bolstered by the +ONE Pledge, which can be found at LetsGoHunting.org and LetsGoShooting. org, the movement is receiving national attention. PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS NSSF represents and advocates for every segment of the hunting and shooting sports industry on Capitol Hill and in state capitols nationwide. We continue to grow our government-relations ef- forts, resulting in many key legislative successes in our mission to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. In 2019, these successes included passage of the federal Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Act and expanded Sunday- hunting opportunities. Please visit NSSF.org and NSSFRealSolutions.org to learn more about what we do. Our websites LetsGoShooting.org and LetsGoHunting.org are also outstanding resources for hunters and shooters of all skill levels—and we especially encourage you to use them when taking the +ONE Pledge and introducing someone new to the shooting sports. T AD National Shooting Sports Foundation At Hook & Barrel, we are firm believers in giving back to the greater good. In each issue, we showcase a business, group, or organization that gives back. Conservation is a team effort and takes many forms: from habitat and species conservation to preserving hunting and fishing rights or growing the sports by introducing new folks to the joys of the outdoors. Some of our key focuses are kids in the outdoors, habitat and wildlife, and veterans who protect our rights as Americans to live the lifestyle we all enjoy. Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President GIVING BACK Next >