Pittsburgh Area Gunmaker To Forge $1 Million Pistols From A Meteorite

By Aaron Smith   @AaronSmithCNN


Cabot Guns announced that its "extra-terrestrial pistols" will be forged from a meteorite as old as the Earth itself, and could sell for as much as $1 million at auction next year.

"It hasn't been done before and that's the kind of thing that drives me," said Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club member and Cabot founder and president Rob Bianchin in an email to CNNMoney. "I think it's fair to state many of the pistols we have constructed border on art."

"Meteor is rare, more so than terrestrial precious metals and I wanted to create a set of guns that were formed from a material that had intrinsic value," BiaNchin said.

Cabot, a four-year-old company located near Pittsburgh that's sometimes called the Rolls Royce of gun makers.The company's clients include actor Joe Mantegna, rocker Kid Rock and Twisted Sister's Dee Snyder.

BiaNchin said that holding the meteorite is "awe inspiring," but it is difficult to work with. He compared the cutting of the meteorite "to cutting a rare diamond."

Cabot has fashioned a pair of pistol grips from the meteorite, and BiaNchin is now confident they can move on to building an entire gun.

"We were not sure it was possible, but we have passed the critical stage of construction and we are confident these will be a fully functional set of left and right-handed mirror image pistols," he said. "Building each component has been a science experiment."

Rob Biachin, founder and president of

Cabot Guns, plans to forge a pair of pistols,

like the one pictured

here, from this meteorite.

The gun company plans to forge its "Big Bang pistol set" from a 35-kilogram chunk of the Gibeon meteorite, which crashed to Earth 4.5 billion years ago and was discovered in Namibia in the 1830s.

The meteorite will be fashioned into a pair of semiautomatic .45 caliber pistols of the 1911 style. Cabot specializes in the 1911 pistols, which were invented in the late 1800s and used by the U.S. military for more than 80 years, serving through both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Gibeon is prized for its unusual patterns of crystallized metal, known as the Widmanstätten lines.

The Gibeon is actually a massive deposit of meteorites totaling many tons of iron. Polished, palm-sized pieces are selling on eBay, starting at about $50.

 

Hunting For The Purfect Gift?

Game Commission selling two new calendars, and loads of collectibles to please any holiday budget.

          While hunting is often challenging, bagging the perfect gift for the hunters and wildlifers in your life is as easy as placing a phone call or logging onto the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website.

          Among other gifts available this holiday season, the Game Commission is offering not one, but two new calendars for 2016.

          In addition to the 2016 edition of the popular Pennsylvania Wildlife Calendar, which has been published annually for years, the Game Commission this year also has produced a 2016 Birds of Pennsylvania calendar. 

          Like the wildlife calendar, the Birds of Pennsylvania calendar contains striking full-color photos and is chock-full of useful information. The calendar gives tips on the best times to view birds or listen for their calls, advises on when to think about readying nest boxes or planting trees or shrubs that benefit birds, and contains a plethora of dates for bird-themed events and festivals. 

          Both calendars are a bargain at $9.25, plus shipping, plus sales tax for Pennsylvania residents.
          A pair of books offered for sale for the first time last holiday season remain hot sellers and are sure to please.

          Pennsylvania Deer Hunting, Through the Pages of Game News, a 174-page collection of classic deer-hunting stories that have been published over the years in Pennsylvania Game News magazine, sells for $15.50.

          Also available is the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s new Game Cookbook, a collection of big-game, small-game and wild fowl recipes submitted by camp cooks from across Pennsylvania. The spiral-bound 108-page cookbook is priced at $9.43.

          The books are among many gifts available either through The Outdoor Shop at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us, or by calling toll free to 1-888-888-3459.

          Also popular this holiday season is the 2015 edition of the Pennsylvania Big Game Records Book. This is the 50^th anniversary of the state’s Big Game Scoring Program, and the new records book is loaded with color photos of many of the new entries. 

          And hardcover and soft-cover editions of “Gone for Another Day,” the recent sequel to the classic Ned Smith compilation, are available, as well. 

          There are many new collectible patches, including the new Hunting Heritage patch, which features the same logo seen on the new Hunting Heritage license plate, and the 2015 Working Together for Wildlife patch featuring a great blue heron.  

          The Working Together for Wildlife great blue heron print also is being offered. 

          And, as always, gift subscriptions to Pennsylvania Game News magazine and a host of other merchandise are available at the website and might just make for the perfect gift.

          There’s something for everybody and something in everybody’s price range.

          Some materials also might be available for purchase at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., or at region offices. All orders placed online and by phone are subject to shipping and handling charges, and Pennsylvania sales tax.

          Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said that, during this season of giving, the agency is pleased to give shoppers plenty of great choices.

          “As hunters know, hunting can be challenging, and so can hunting for the perfect gift,” Hough said. “But if you’re shopping for hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts, check out what the Game Commission has to offer this holiday season. There are a lot of choices that just can’t miss.”

The 2016 National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet Coming In January

Here are details for the 2016 NWTF to be held on January 29th.  Se the form at the bottom to print and mail to the addresss listed or bring to a club meeting and give to Mike Zourelias

 

 

Opening Day Of PA Deer Season Draws Better Crowds Than A Year Ago

Bull Creek member Bill Davis with his buck from
Clarion County taken the first day 2015

By Bob Frye 

Better weather. More hunting pressure. And more whitetails harvested.

That's how opening day of deer season across Pennsylvania went in many places Monday.

“I probably saw more hunters and checked more dead deer than I did all last year in the two-week season. Or at least more than in the entire first week last year. I feel confident in saying that,” said Chris Bergman, a wildlife conservation officer with the Pennsylvania Game Commission who patrolled in eastern Washington and western Fayette counties.

Dan Puhala, the commission's officer in northern Allegheny County, said he and his deputies saw plenty of hunters, too. Several killed bucks.

“They weren't massive, but they weren't bad either. One was a pretty decent size,” Puhala said.

Officer Mike Papinchak, who patrols northern Westmoreland County, said he saw a lot of activity, too.

“I saw a few deer taken, and a couple of real nice bucks actually. I had a nice 10-point killed in Murrysville. It was a real nice deer,” Papinchak said.

That's not to say everyone harvested, or saw, a deer.

“I didn't see anything all day, other than some other hunters,” said Dan Balcerek of Green Tree, who spent a good portion of the day hunting state game land 203 near Warrendale.

“I keep seeing buck rubs. I'm just not seeing the bucks. There just aren't enough people out here to move them around.”

John Yasko of Harmony, too, hunted game land 203, and he likewise was skunked as of mid-afternoon.

He had seen few hunters and no deer. He had been counting on a few of the former to move some of the latter.

“But it turned out I was wrong,” Yasko said.

A lack of hunting pressure was a factor in other places.

Randy Pilarcik, the commission's officer in eastern Butler County, said he saw fewer hunters than he expected, especially given the mild weather.

He suspected that might be a result of what deer are legal to take at this time. Across most of the state, only bucks, antlered deer, are legal game through Friday. Antlerless deer, or does, become legal Saturday.

”I'm expecting there to be a lot more people out Saturday,” Pilarcik said.

He said he saw a nice 8-point buck taken in Lancaster Township, near Zelionople.

Matt Kramer, officer in southern Beaver County, similarly said he saw more hunters in the portion of his district that lies in wildlife management unit 2B, where hunters can take deer of either sex, than in unit 2A, where only bucks are legal. But pressure was “relatively limited” everywhere, he said.

Several officers commented on was how hunters stayed in the woods late into the day.

That was evident at Northmoreland Park, near Apollo. Nathan Henry of Vandergrift and Chuck Goedicke of Oklahoma Borough were heading out there after 3 p.m. with a goal of staying until dark.

Goedicke had tags to shoot a deer of either sex, and said he wasn't picky.

“Some guys are trophy hunters. I'm a meat eater,” he said. “You can't eat a rack.”

Yasko, too, was sticking it out to see what might happen.

“I hope something works in my favor,” he said.

Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter@bobfryeoutdoors.