First, we would like to thank you for your continued loyalty and business with Queen City Arms. It has been an absolute pleasure being able to do business with you over the years.
However, we would like to personally reach out to inform you that we are consolidating our Ohio location effective April 1st. We will be solely focusing on our KY location.
This comes with a heavy heart, however it is the best decision for our families and business.
For your reference we will be pulling our FFL from our website and encourage customers to halt any inbound transfers or NFA items that require an OH residency.
We will be no longer accepting basic transfers after March 15th, NFA items immediately. All ordered products prior to this date will be delivered accordingly. If you have a pending NFA item, we will be reaching out to you directly.
We wish to thank you again for your patronage and your value as one of our customers.
If you have any questions about this or anything else, I can be reached by text, the number is provided below.
Here at Queen City Arms we have always strived to have one hundred percent transparency with our customers. The last year has been the busiest year to date and we are always humbled by this.
As you know we have always stated we are a family shop. Family always comes first. With that we will be focusing on more work life balance in the upcoming months; for a few reasons.
The Berger’s are expecting baby#5 in the next few weeks! There have been some complications at the end of the pregnancy and Tara will need to step back for a few weeks before and after the baby. She will still be working behind the scenes but will not be directly part of day to day on site operations. Queen City Arms will be adjusting hours to accommodate starting Feb 1.
New Shop Hours – Starting February 1st, 2022
Tuesday – Friday 12 Noon to 5:45PM
Saturday 12 -4PM
Closed Sunday & Monday
What does that mean for you?
We will still have the same level of customer service as always. We are announcing today to allow a week for everyone to adjust to the new schedule.
Each of our carriers will be notified and there will be no disruption of service.
We will still be conducting business as usual. There will be no change to transfers, online orders, special orders, or gunsmithing.
If you need to communicate with us, the best way to reach us is via text: 513-900-8005.
During this time we will be focusing on our ecommerce side of business. We will be seeking out the #qcadealz and posting them more regularly as well as all of our in stock new & used items.
Let’s Talk about FFL Transfers – They are $10 for a reason!
We love our FFL transfers! We love that our customers find amazing deals online and save even more getting them through us. However, they are $10 for a reason.
Few things to remember:
We do not track your package. We have zero involvement until it shows up at our door.
Do not show up when a carrier says your item has arrived. It has not been processed and we will have to turn you away. We will not hunt for a specific package, we will process them as we have time. Online orders and new inventory are always the highest processing priority.
Wait until we text you your item is ready for pickup. The best way to make this process smooth is to make sure you use a valid cell number when you purchase your item for the seller. We have no way of knowing if the number provided is a landline or cell phone so if you provide the seller your landline number you may not receive notification that your transfer is ready.
It may take us up to 5 days to process your item (we normally get them done MUCH sooner). We receive 20-50 transfers on a given day. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND.
We have an online form to notify us of your incoming transfer. You do not have to email us, call us or text us an item is on its way. We only use this form if an item is missing required information when it arrives. A copy of our FFL is also located at the same link, send it to whom ever you need to!
If you can imagine there are miles and miles of goodies to oogle. From tactical cool, to practical. Its almost overwhelming. Here are a few highlights from the last days of Shot.
PSA – Welcomes their 5.7 Rock Pistol Platform…Because why not?
At SHOT 2022 today, PSA had two of the 5.7s available for handling. They will be offering the 5.7 Rock both with and without an optics cut. Both models will come from the factory with a 23-round magazine, and are expected to release within the next 60 days.
$549 Optics Ready — $499 standard
10MM – Be prepared for anything, possibly a bear…
Made infamous by the FBI’s adoption of the caliber following the Miami-Dade shootout in 1986, 10mm has been contentious since the beginning. Many deemed it too powerful for the average shooter to realistically control, but others were impressed by its ballistic performance and were quick to adopt it as their primary handgun caliber.
10mm may have never fully caught on, but it never really died out either. Helping to keep it from falling by the wayside, Smith & Wesson released a 10mm M&P 2.0. As one of the most popular pistol platforms in the country, the M&P.
The 10mm M&P 2.0 is available in a few different configurations. It can come either with or without a manual safety and with either a 4-inch or 4.6-inch-long barrel, making a total of 4 models to choose from. All 10mm M&P models are also optics-ready and come standard with suppressor height sights. The trigger has also been redesigned into a flat-face style with the intention of providing a more consistent pull for more accurate shooting. Like all M&P pistols, the ergonomic grip inserts are interchangeable as well. With a magazine capacity of 15 rounds, the 10mm M&P can pack quite a bit of firepower in a pretty compact package.
Price tag on these bad boys start at $589
For those who love a little bling…
Sig P365XL with Gold Slide
The Ultimate Gold Package!
Faxon – Rolling Out A New Round
The 8.6 Blackout is a .338 caliber cartridge created with the same general concept as the .300 Blackout except for the bigger AR-10 pattern guns. It has case head dimensions and overall length identical to .308 Winchester which in conjunction with the overall shape of the cartridge allows loading unmodified AR-10 magazines to their full capacity.
Faxon made the barrels for these 8.6 Blackout firearms. Now, these are not regular barrels and making them is probably quite challenging because in order to properly stabilize long and heavy 300-grain subsonic .338 caliber projectiles, the barrels have a 1:3″ twist rate! Yes, that’s one full rotation of the rifling in every three inches. The bores of these barrels look more like being internally threaded than rifled.
The barrels for both platforms will be available in 8″, 12″ and 16″ length options. For more information on this joint project and to be notified about the availability of Faxon barrels, click HERE to proceed to Faxon’s page dedicated to this collaboration with Q and their 8.6 Blackout products.
Other Faxon products that do not disappoint…from their premium line rifles to shorty short barrels!
Upping Our Game – Silencer Shop Kiosk Coming Soon to the Range!
We hate paperwork…like really hate it. So lets eliminate it as much as possible! We will be streamlining our process for NFA items. This benefit s you by reducing turn around time and reduces paperwork friction on our end. WIN-WIN!
We definitely picked up some swag for you folks too!
Queen City is at Shot Show this year with a small crew. Wanted to share our adventure!
We got some time to play with the new Smith & Wesson CSX 9mm. Being a left handed shooter everything is ambidextrous! Slide release, safety, and mag release too. Super light weight it’s slightly bigger than the old P938. Very nice trigger and according to Smith these are shipping now. Price point is looking to be around $549.
Aero Precision
Aero is getting into the 700 chassis game in a big way!
KelTec – Armor Piercing in all its glory…
Had to play with the KelTec P50 and check out their 50 round of armor piercing handheld craziness. Additional models will include a longer barrel and a brace. Congrats KelTec on 30 years of challenging the gun industry!
Dark Storm Industries – 308 Crammed into an AR-15 Platform
Dark Storm Industries coming out with the DS-25 a 308 AR platform that matches the size and weight of a standard AR-15 platform. MSRP looks to be $1400 which isn’t terrible for an AR-10 build equivalent. Best part this whole build is possible with their upper, lower and BCG and the rest follows a mil-spec AR build!!!
SCCY – Love em or Hate em
Some hands on time with the new SCCY DVG striker fire gun and the improved CXP using Glock sights for easy upgrade. Not saying we are in love but a good evolution of the gun long over due!
Look familiar…every major brand is move toward ultra compact 9MM. Sig paved the way and everyone is following suit, even Sccy…
During the pandemic the QC team focused on building our online store to better serve our customers. We have learned a lot during this process and wanted to share a few tips and tricks with you!
The top two question we receive is :”What is an in stock item” verse ” What is dropped shipped from your distributors”.
These are great questions! First there is a dedicated tab for in stock items on our website’s main tab bar:
We try to keep this as current as possible! These items are shared between our two locations, Queen City Arms Ohio and Queen City Shooters Kentucky. If you are inquiring about an item, you can always text one of our locations for the fastest response!
There are also three statuses to keep in mind: On the shelf today, Available and Unavailable.
On the shelf today! Status As you can see in the below image the red outlined text stating “On the shelf today!” this means this item is in store at one of our locations!
Available Status
When you see an “Available” status under an item. This indicates it drop ships from one of our many distributors. Pending on where it is shipping from it may take 5-7 business days to receive this item in store. This time frame will increase as the holiday season is right around the corner.
Unavailable Status This status indicates this item is no longer available or is out of stock with each of our distributors.
#onlineonly Dealz What are they? Each day our team looks to see if here are any sweet deals that our distributors drop. We share these as #onlineonly dealz. There may be 50 available or 5 and when they are gone, they are gone! These items must be ordered online and we will notify you once they arrive.
If you ever have questions, just ask! We are happy to help!
Hey, let’s face it, the first time any of us stepped on the range we were intimidated. As with anything new and potentially dangerous we naturally had a few concerns. Some of us may have had a bad experience already with a firearm, and those concerns turned into downright fears. Others still had been indoctrinated by false claims of both the media and the big screen. I still remember my first day on the range, and now that I’m an instructor, I always put myself back in those shoes when I train a new shooter. After doing so professionally for close to 10 years, I have identified the top five fears that new shooters have, and some advice to help them deal with it.
1. Shooting yourself
It shouldn’t surprise anybody to see this at the top of the list, as everyone wants to go home after any fun activity. The truth is that the shooting sports are statistically some of the safest activities in the world, especially when compared to contact sports. Explaining this to a new shooter often helps ease their minds and allows them to focus on the first lesson, safety. I have my routine of the three rules of firearms safety down to about 7 minutes. This lecture and demonstration is meant to be brutally simple with the hope to get a “that’s it?” response from our students. Keeping these rules simple helps to build the confidence that they, too, will be safe and successful with a firearm.
2. Recoil
Most students come to us worried about “kickback.” When that phrase comes up I like to help them with their terminology and explain that the proper term is recoil. (“Kickback” is what the county had to pay the union to build the range.) But, yes, as confirmed by Sir Isaac Newton, for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. Lead going downrange means steel moving uprange. Sure firearms kick a little bit, so we like to minimize that by using heavier guns, smaller cartridges or a combination of both. Nothing is softer to shoot than a full-sized rifle or pistol in a rimfire caliber. Again the goal here is to generate a “that’s it?” response. When it’s time for a centerfire I have the students load just one round into the gun the first few times they fire it. We do this because should they drop the gun after it fires, they will be dropping an unloaded gun. Of course, this is a highly unlikely scenario, but letting them know that they are working with a one-round “safety net” eliminates that fear and helps the student concentrate on the other aspects of firearms safety, as well as marksmanship.
3. Noise
Oleg Volk says “A gun without a suppressor is like a car without a muffler.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement and thus use a suppressor anytime I can when teaching a new student. Of course, this is a problem in many states and other means must be examined. Quiet comes in a lot of different forms, such as the use of subsonic ammo. This offering is available for a number of cartridges, with .22 Rimfire being the quietest. Other ways to bring the noise down is to use longer-barreled firearms and utilize outdoor ranges as often as possible. An outdoor range, especially if that particular range is void of a pavilion, is a substantially quieter environment to discharge firearms. Of course, doubling up on the hearing protection (earplugs and earmuffs) will also cut down on the guns’ report.
4. Action bite
“I have a friend that needed stitches after pulling the trigger the first time.” Yes, many of us have heard about “That Guy” before we picked up our first guns. The truth is that guns are not designed to hurt the user whatsoever. Before I let a student pick up a gun I ALWAYS demo a proper grip, as well as an improper grip. When showing a student how to grip a revolver I take a minute to show them the soot around the cylinder gap and explain that high pressure burning gas is emitted through there. Next, I fire a full cylinder with a proper grip and show them that with a little knowledge they have nothing to worry about. As for semi-autos I simply fire and talk about how the slide moves. During this demonstration, I remind the students that my support hand thumb NEVER wraps around the backstrap, as this action will gouge a chunk out of it.
5. “Everyone’s gonna look at me”
Yep, many times a student is self-conscious of their early performance. While I’m no Dr. Phil, I often do have to play the role of tactical psychologist and help new shooters learn to deal with the looks experienced shooters are giving them.
For starters, they’re not…No I mean it, really…nobody cares that you’re new, and nobody is paying attention to your shooting. Anybody worth their salt on the range is too busy paying attention to their own target.
Gun owners are some of the most understanding and accepting people I have ever met and newbies are an everyday occurrence. When I am working with someone with this concern, I ask them to point out some easy to recognize characteristics of the other people on the range. When they fail to answer I point out that the same way they aren’t obsessing over the other shooters, the other shooters aren’t obsessing over them. Now if it’s a group class I always like to start off by asking for a show of hands of “how many people have been to the range fewer than five times.” In nearly every introductory course it is somewhere around 92 percent of our clientele that has a hand in the air. Knowing that they are among shooters of the same skill level helps them feel less out of place, and again helps them concentrate on safety and marksmanship.
Overall, firing your first shots should be a memory that lasts a lifetime—but for the right reasons. If you are ready to send your first rounds downrange, seek out a qualified NRA instructor for a private lesson or—even better—enroll in an NRA basic level course. These courses are all geared towards new shooters and the folks teaching them have extensive training in not only firearms instruction, but how to address the fears that we know some of you might have.
We are excited to announce we have partnered with Kopis Tactical of Northern Kentucky. This is an amazing opportunity to train with some of the best. If you are looking for advanced handgun training to sharpen your skills or take it to the next level we have you covered.
Kopis Tactical is offering two advanced classes. These courses are a two day event, where majority of the time will be on the range. Classes will be hosted at Queen City Shooters in Independence KY.
Kopis Tactical Handgun I Course October 16th & 17th
This is a two day course. Class will begin at 8AM and conclude at Noon each day. This is an entry level class, no prior experience is necessary. Below is a brief description of topics covered during class:
-Marksmanship Fundamentals: Proper Grip, Stance, Sight Picture, Trigger Management, and Breathing -Shooting Basics: Dry Fire Drills, Single/Double Drills, Fundamental Refresh, Proper Draw techniques/Chest ready -Shooting Positions: Standing, Kneeling, Seated (on the ground, chair, car), Prone -Basic Self Defense Theories: Identify the threat, Create or close distance, Find cover/use firearm to exit the situation/get more guns, you are responsible for every round that leaves your gun! -Situational Awareness: Always know what’s going on around you, Face ingress/egress points, Know where the exits are, identify points of cover, BOLO for suspicious behavior/subjects, Look for weapons on everyone! -Open Discussion/Questions on equipment such as guns, gear, and manufacturers -Legal Considerations: Should you defend? What a normal person in that situation would believe. Public perception- The court of public opinion. Self defense vs. seeking confrontation.
Spots are limited. To reserve your class follow the bellow button and it will navigate you to our online store.
Kopis Tactical Handgun II Course December 4th & 5th
This is a two day course. Class will begin at 8AM and conclude at Noon each day. You must be enrolled or have already completed Handgun I to participate in this class. You can schedule both classes at the same time if you prefer. This is a two day course. Class will begin at 8AM and conclude at Noon each day. This is an entry level class, no prior experience is necessary. Below is a brief description of topics covered during class:
-Draw From Holster including High Draw -Off Hand Shooting -Malfunction Drills -Moving and Shooting -Advandced Shooting Positions
Review of basics from Handgun I Considerations of Carrying a Defensive Weapon: Mental Conditioning/knowing the risks, Carry location, Equipment and support equipment, situational awareness Continued Considerations of Carrying a Defensive Weapon: Defense of self and loved ones, defense in public/vehicle/home, plan for you and your family, survival mindset, presentation of the firearm. Shooting Basics Refresh: Dry Fire, Single/Double Drills Magazine Changes: Administrative, Emergency, Tactical, One hand magazine changes Off Hand Shooting Techniques: Grip (Hint does not change), Switching To Off Hand, Off Hand Shooting Practice/Drills Malfunction Drills: Immediate Action, Double Feed Moving and Shootin: Forward, Backward, Laterally Shooting Positions: Standing, Kneeling, Seated, Prone, Side, Back Shooting from Vehicle: Driver’s Side (Alone), Passenger Side (Alone), Driver’s Side (With Passenger), Passenger Side (With Driver) Basic room clearing: Secured exterior doors/windows, Exterior/interior lighting, Alarm systems, Residential considerations, Family/occupants plan of action, Firearms/ammo considerations
Spots are limited. To reserve your class follow the bellow button and it will navigate you to our online store.
John Mairose 5 Years Combat Medic in the US Army deployed to Mogadishu Somalia and Guantanamo Bay Cuba. 22 Years Law Enforcement in Kenton County – SWAT Entry Team – SWAT Sniper Team Member – Defensive Tactics Instructor – Narcotics Detective – FBI Safe Streets Task Force Officer – DEA Task Force Agent – Primary Firearms Instructor for two SWAT teams and multiple local police agencies Held certifications through NRA &Glock Over 20 years Certified Firearms Instructor Experience -Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) firearms instructor for Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun -use of force analyst certified through the Force Science Institute
Tony Hill 15 Years Ohio Army National Guard -Infantryman -Cavalry Scout -US Army Certified Instructor teaching Military Occupational Reclassification skills 20+ Years Law Enforcement for Covington Police -Two SWAT units for a total of 10 years -SWAT entry team -SWAT sniper team -SWAT sniper team leader and primary firearms instructor Certified firearms instructor through DOCJT
Joshua Bornhorn Bachelor’s degree from NKU in Organizational Leadership 9 Years United States Army as an Infantryman 14 years Police officer in Northern Kentucky Training and Certifications -DOCJT certified firearms instructor -AR-15 armor -SWAT Unit Team Leader -Shift Commander Kentucky Colonel member of the DAV and the Military Order of the Purple Heart
We have had an overwhelming request for information on this. So, lets dive in.
First, why are these new sanctions even taking place? Well, we must rewind to a year ago… according to the State Department’s fact sheet, the sanctions issued on Friday include “… a continuation of measures imposed on March 2, 2021, as well as in 2018 and 2019 in response to the poisoning of Sergey Skripal and his daughter, along with the waivers associated with these sanctions.”
Retaliation for espionage and chemical weapons; this is what it boils down to.
“Persuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (the CBW Act), the United States will impose a second round of sanctions on the Russian Federation over its use of a “Novichok” nerve agent in the August 2020 poisoning of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny.”
What are the exact sanctions of the CBW Act and what do they mean for us?
The Act mandates that the U.S. government will terminate arms sales with a country found to have violated the act, including the “termination licenses for the export to that country of any item on the United States Munitions List.”
Typically once a ban has taken place it will not be lifted. Meaning, even though we saw some light at the end of the tunnel on ammunition, it is about to get exponentially worse. According to the the US International Trade Commission released through the National Shooting Sports Foundation report, in May 2021 alone, that 462.3 million units of cartridges, not including shotgun shells, were imported from overseas into the country. Some reports hold that as much as 40 percent of overseas ammo supply could be coming from Russian manufacturers or exporters located in Russia. This sudden loss of potentially hundreds of millions of units of ammunition from an already voracious ammo market could see consumer prices skyrocket as demand aggressively outpaces supply.
Though the ammunition is the greatest hit to American gun owners. Lets talk gun imports… Looking to purchase your favorite gun imported by Century Arms such as that Canik you have been eyeing…or FIME Group. I would start planning now. Though we do not have all the details, manufactures, or products that will be affected it might be a good idea to be prepared… It is coming in one form or another.
When will this take place?
The importation of firearms and ammunition from Russia will be effectively banned starting September 7, 2021. According to the documents provided by the State Department, “These latest sanctions on Russia pursuant to the CBW Act will take effect upon the publication of a Federal Register notice expected on September 7, 2021, and they will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months. The sanctions can only be lifted after a 12-month period if the Executive Branch determines and certifies to Congress that Russia has met several conditions described in the CBW Act, 22 U.S.C. 5605(c). As soon as we know more we will issue an update.
Queen City Shooters Range and Retail in Independence KY will be closed Sunday the 5th for the Labor Day Holiday. We will open back up September 7th normal time!
