Eotech, the world leader in holographic sights, this year has a new sight made for the elusive 300 Blackout, also known as the 300 Whisper. This caliber is interesting because it has two loadings. One is subsonic, slower than the speed of sound, for use with suppressors, and one is supersonic, so there is a [...]

Last year we saw Colt regain its status as the king of the AR-15/M-16 type rifle. Our Colt articles on both the 6920/6940 Patrol rifles, and the .308/7.62 Colt 901-16S were among 2012′s most popular here at GunsAmerica Magazine & Blog. The nice thing was that you could actually get the guns, and tens of thousands of you did. We have some good news for the 901 purchasers out there. According to “inside information” at the Colt Defense booth at SHOT Show, those proprietary swapper parts should be out this year, and they will finally come with the gun. Everyone who already has a 901 will be able to get them either free or cheap directly from Colt, hopefully by March is what we were told. If you have not yet read the 901 article and watched the video, it is a really cool gun that could transform your perspective of the AR-15 platform.

So what’s new for Colt this year? Mostly they are coming out with a bunch of specialized configurations and colors in the same rock solid 6920/6940 guns, and some of them are going to be only available from specific Colt distributors.

If you know innovative 1911s, then you know Para USA, formerly Para Ordnance. It has taken the 1911 places where it has never been before, including double-stack, high-capacity magazines and even gave it an innovative Light Double Action trigger.

A few years ago the Canadian-based company moved operations to Charlotte, North Carolina, and at the SHOT Show I saw five new pistols it is introducing. Here’s a look at what Para USA will be rolling out, and they range from a concealed-carry version to a hunter’s version.

Live birds ahoy! If you went stumbling around the corners of the basement at SHOT Show 2013 you may have come across a trailer mounted giant clay pigeon machine Lazy Susan. There is almost no other way to describe this monstrosity called the Crazy Quail. Made of solid galvanized steel, it comes in sizes that hold from one to four bird throwing machines. The machines you see mounted on this demo unit at the show are made by Apex, but it accommodates just about any thrower. The machines rotate on a spinning plate, so you can throw several presentations at one time, and the whole system is portable, so one unit can be used for several locations at the same club.

The premise of the Crazy Quail is to get more birds in the air for clubs trying to make money. More birds equals more rounds equals more ammo, equals a profitable club. If you run a sporting clays club, the Crazy Quail is affordable, and throws up to 160 birds per minute. The quad configuration holds 1632 clays at one time. That is about 65 rounds, on one loading.

Inside-the-waistband carry, or IWB, is considered one of the most discreet concealed-carry methods, making a T-shirt and shorts possible while carrying in places like my sunny Southern California. Even larger weapons can disappear on your body when quietly tucked into your waistband.

Versa Carry has been coming up with a lot of innovative ideas on ways to secure a handgun inside the waistband, and its latest is a small J-frame revolver setup.

Taurus has always been renowned for its top-notch warranty. Basically, the gun is guaranteed for life, and the warranty goes with the gun from owner to owner.

This year, instead of heading off in some radical new direction, Taurus refined an old favorite. The PT111 has long been known for its small size and respectable firepower, so Taurus decided to push the envelope by reworking its striker-fired PT111 9 mm into the PT111 Millennium G2, part of its “Carry On” series for the concealed carry (CCW) market. The PT140 was also reworked into a similar PT140 Millennium G2 in .40 S&W. If you take a look at the gun pictures, it is head and shoulders better looking than the original Millennium guns, and we hope to get one in to test in hand. Taurus seems to have a new focus on making fewer different guns better, and this gun could be a pleasant surprise at an affordable price.

SIG Sauer’s booth is always busy, but after fighting through the crowds this year I discovered the longtime rumors were true. The Exeter, NH, company has introduced the P227—a double-stack semi-automatic in .45 ACP.

The gun struck me as more of a P226 when I first saw it, but when I looked down at the label, sure enough, it said “Sig P227, .45 ACP.” I picked it up and thought, “Boy, I would have never thought this was a .45.”

The gun has all the classic looks of the P226 line. Its milled stainless steel slide is mated to an aluminum-alloy frame and an accessory rail allows the mounting of lasers or weapon lights. The slide’s Nitron finish provides a businesslike look that’s attractive, and, it’s a SIG, so the double-action trigger pull is better than most. The usual decocker is there as well. The gun has mildly aggressive texturing on its one-piece polymer grip, with no screws to dig into your hand. Capacity is 10 rounds in the flush-fitting magazine, but a 14-round extended magazine is available.

Some things are too awesome for words. Thankfully we have a video so you can hear how
quiet the CondorSS really is. OK, I know it’s pneumatic, but this new model from Airforce
Airguns delivers the kind of punch that Lewis & Clark relied upon during its Corps of Discovery
Expedition for food from its air guns. Despite the lack of report, it delivers a .177-, .20-, .22-
or .25-caliber pellet at velocities that range from 600 to 1,300 fps. To put things into perspective,
that 1,300 fps mark exceeds many velocities delivered by .22 Long Rifle cartridges. With the
CondorSS, a variable-power setting allows the shooter to dial up or down as needed and speed
produced will naturally vary by caliber and projectile weight. Power for this single shot rifle
is provided by a rechargeable tank in the buttstock. It comes with an 18-inch Lothar Walther
barrel to ensure accuracy and if you want to really reach out, a bipod can be mounted. With a
two-stage trigger adjustable for position, a rail for mounting iron sights or a magnified optic
and color choices in racy red, blue and black, this non-noise polluting gem is one of the SHOT
Show’s real sleepers. Add the fact that you can come home from work and let some steam off
while punching paper at BB-gun defying distances or neutralize those annoying pests without
your neighbors “discovering,” and I can’t wait to bring one of these babies home. MSRP is $717
to $737, depending on tank-attachment system requested (QD or spin).

The one creature we haven’t seen on HBO’s “True Blood” is the now ubiquitous Zombie, but if they show up this year you’ll have everything you need with this silver bullet and wooden stake kit from Coonan Arms. You probably already know Coonan from their fabulous .357 Magnum semi-auto handgun, but that begs the question, “where do you go from a highly successful .357 Magnum pistol?” Apparently the answer is, hijack the zombie craze at the height of vampire and werewolf fame and fortune, and produce a very clever and extremely silly silver bullet kit, replete with its own wooden stake. Vampire Diaries just started back up, and it won’t be long before True Blood is back, but its a good thing Twilight is over because this would be too much for those sparkly sissies. The silver bullet pack includes real silver plated bullets, not solid silver, which makes the pack only $39.95, and the bullets really do shoot. They are moderately hot .357 Magnums. Look on the accessory page on the Coonan website.

Also check out new finishes from Coonan in Cerakote, as well as a new ported model. This is a great gun that we reviewed some time ago. If you have been thinking of getting one, there are a lot more options these days, and this is a gun that is always the center of attention everywhere you bring it anyways. Check out Coonan Arms for 2013.