Most firearms industry observers knew that gun sales in excess of 1 million a month couldn’t continue forever. That’s why few were alarmed when the number of background checks for firearms transfers fell to 980,000 in July, the first time the number was below 1 million in nearly six years, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
While some anti-gun groups cheered the sub-1-million number as “progress” and as a sign that gun sales were hitting a slump, August figures once again jumped above the 1-million mark. The August 2025 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,091,342, however, was a decrease of 9.9percentcompared to theAugust 2024 NSSF-adjusted NICS figureof 1,210,995.
Mark Oliva, NSSF managing director of public affairs, said the August figure jumping back above 1 million was a positive one.
“NSSF is encouraged to see the adjusted NICS background checks top 1 million in the month of August once again,” Oliva said. “We know there is a strong and continued interest in lawful firearm ownership, and these figures bear out the truth that Second Amendment rights are valued.”
As Oliva pointed out, these monthly figures are much more than just data points or statistics.
“They represent Americans from all walks of life who are, quite literally, investing in their safety, security and freedom,” he said.
Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to verify transactions for the sale or transfer of new or used firearms.
Notably, more than half the states—28 to be exact—have at least one qualified alternative permit, which, under the Brady Act, allows the permit holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits, so the real number of gun sales is likely much higher.
The adjusted NICS data are derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.
In August, the top five states for total background checks, handgun checks and long gun checks were Texas, Florida, California Pennsylvania and Virginia.
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I contributed two to that number.
Me, as well, GF.
Me too, two!
Hello AlanInFla Hk33a5yahoo
I see you won this weeks post my name and email contest.
Lucky you ,huh..
–Gun sales are up to a million. I suppose that’s because people fear Obama, no wait, Biden, no that’s not , Trump, I suppose people fear Trump is going to take their guns.
They are probably right.
Wrong!!
I expect to complete a purchase next week which will contribute to September’s numbers.
I like break-action single shot rifles for three reasons:
1) They are inexpensive.
2) They have the potential to be extremely accurate.
3) They are very compact, reliable, and easy to clean.
For the last several years I have been using a break-action rifle chambered in .44 Magnum for white-tailed deer hunting. It is a very potent platform for deer out to 100 yards–and potentially out to 150 yards if the rifle is accurate. And therein lies the rub: I keep getting inconsistent accuracy with my go-to rifle. Sometimes it shoots very tight groups of about one inch at 50 yards. Other times the groups open up to at least four inches. Furthermore, my go-to rifle does not have a threaded barrel for a suppressor.
My current go-to rifle has an unnecessarily long barrel (22 inches) and the twist rate in the barrel is slow (one twist in 38 inches) which I am thinking may be the root cause of my inconsistent group sizes. Furthermore, my cost for a gunsmith and shipping to thread the barrel on my go-to rifle is every bit of $150. Well, I found a brand-new break-action rifle chambered in .44 Magnum with a factory threaded barrel, a compact 16.5-inch barrel length, and faster rifling twist rate (one twist in 20 inches) for $300. This is a no-brainer for me to buy this new rifle. I would rather spend an extra $150 for a more compact barrel and faster twist rate than threading the barrel on my current go-to rifle.
The correct twist rate for 44 Magnum is 1:20, so the main problem with your old barrel with the 1:38 twist was its slow twist rate, which may have been ok for 19th century ammunition and musket balls, but not for today’s ammo. Another issue may be that your overly long barrel (22″) was less rigid than a shorter barrel (16″) would be, and for 44 Magnum, 16″ to 18″ is long enough.
I, too like single-shot rifles best because they’re super compact, easy to clean, reliable (few moving parts, no magazines to lose, break, jam, or get dirty), and if you have a TC Encore or Contender, can take interchangeable barrels in dozens of different calibers.
But as far as accuracy, most single-shot rifles fall short of other types of rifles for a couple reasons.
First, break-action single-shot rifles don’t have free-floated barrels, so the barrel flexes from your hand on the forearm, probably even worse if you put a bipod on the forearm. For better accuracy, get a bull barrel. Match Grade Machine is one of several companies that make custom barrels for the TC Encore and TC Contender.
Second, being break-action, the lockup is looser and wobblier than any bolt-action or semi-automatic rifle. Any wobble from the lockup is magnified downrange!
Gun sales are up, in part at least, because of left-wing violence. On top of that, blue cities continue to coddle criminals, which influences city dwellers who never thought of buying a gun before, to buy one to protect themselves. Ironically, Democrats push gun control, but it is their ideology and politics that are fueling higher gun sales.