The Gunslinger Syndicated Radio Show • February 22, 2026
Ruger 10/22 in .357 Magnum Concept, Hot Brass Range Safety & IE Conservative Convention
Howard from West LA actually called Ruger to pitch an idea the show had been floating: scale the 10/22 platform up to .357 Magnum so it pairs with a matching revolver. The Ruger rep said he would take it to a meeting, which is further than these calls usually get. The conversation drifts into range safety and hot brass; a video someone sent leads Jeff to a story about the specific burns that come from a semi-auto ejecting brass into an exposed neckline, why a hat matters more than most shooters think, and what he told a first-time shooter when it happened in front of him. Two events are on the calendar: the Inland Empire Conservative Convention and a Patriot Town Hall, both coming up at the end of the month.
How a Saturday Night Hour Became a Two-State, Two-Hour Show
Jeff opened the segment by reflecting on where the show started: one hour, Saturday nights, one station. Now it runs two hours and covers San Diego to San Francisco, Los Angeles to Phoenix to Las Vegas. He resisted the jump to two hours for a long time, convinced they didn’t have enough material to fill it. The reality turned out to be the opposite. Most weeks there isn’t enough time for everything on the table. The audience gets credit for that – the calls, the engagement, the community that’s built around the show is what made it grow.
Caller Howard: Pitching Ruger on a .357 Magnum Lever-Style Rifle
Howard from West LA actually called Ruger to pitch an idea the show had been kicking around: scaling the 10/22 platform up to .357 Magnum. The Ruger rep Howard reached said he’d bring it to a meeting the next day. No promises, but that’s further than most unsolicited product suggestions get.
The technical pushback from the previous episode was that .357 Magnum is a rimmed cartridge, which complicates semi-auto feeding. Howard’s counter was straightforward: so were the .22 LR and .44 Magnum rounds Ruger chambered in rifles back in the 1970s, and those fed fine. The Dragunov SVD also came up as a case in point – a semi-automatic sniper rifle chambered in 7.62x54R, which is itself a rimmed cartridge, and it has functioned reliably in military service for decades. Rimmed cartridges in semi-autos require careful magazine and feed ramp design, but it’s been done. Whether Ruger has any interest in revisiting that territory is another question.
Hot Brass and Why You Always Wear a Hat on the Range
The rimmed cartridge discussion drifted naturally into spent brass and the burns that follow. Howard mentioned seeing a video of someone shooting a semi-auto in a bikini, which led Jeff to share a story from his own time behind a lever gun: a piece of hot brass went straight up, came down the back of his collar, and burned him good. The cowboy hat he was wearing sent it that direction instead of forward.
The worse one came later – same lever gun, and this time the brass came down between his shooting glasses and his eyelid. His prescription glasses were on, the brass got behind them anyway, and it burned the skin of his eyelid. That’s about as unpleasant as range incidents get without a negligent discharge. The practical takeaway is one Jeff stands behind: always wear a hat on the range, even a ball cap. It deflects brass away from your face and keeps a lot of debris out of your collar. Eye protection alone doesn’t cover everything. Hat plus glasses is the combination that actually protects you.
Upcoming Events: IE Conservative Convention and Patriot Town Hall
Two events worth putting on the calendar. Gunslinger Radio is a sponsor at the Inland Empire Conservative Convention, coming up at the end of next month. Jeff, Jimi, and Mark plan to be there. Both Chad Bianca and Steve Hilton are expected to attend, which should make for a direct comparison – Jeff noted Bianca has kept it clean while Hilton has been going after his own side, which he finds more disappointing than anything the other party could throw.
Caller Antoinette from Sunset Beach called in to flag the Patriot Town Hall, which she has attended for ten of its twelve years running. It’s Saturday, March 28th, at the DoubleTree Inn in Ontario, California. This cycle the speaker list runs to about twelve, including Larry Elder. Antoinette’s pitch for it is simple: people walk in skeptical and leave converted. Tickets are available now.