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The XD(M) was originally designed as a service handgun, but when it quickly caught on in competitive shooting’s Service Divisions, Springfield Armory decided to make a good thing even better. Small touches like a longer barrel and sight radius, fiber-optic front sight with a color selected to improve contrast with the targets used in competitive shooting and lightening cut atop the slide—just behind the front sight—make the XD(M) Competition Series a whole different gun. XD(M) Competition Series pistols come with a 5.25-inch, match-grade barrel instead of the standard XD(M) barrel lengths of 3.8 and 4.5 inches. For a limited time they are shipping with three magazines, instead of two. All of the Competition Series features a higher-visibility red fiber-optic, but a green pipe is included in case that color works better for the shooter. The rear target sight is fully adjustable and the sight radius has been increased to 7.25 inches. The XD(M) Competition Series is available in 9 mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. All are 8.3 inches in length, 5.75 inches tall, and the 9 mm tips the scales at 29 ounces, with the .40 S&W and .45 ACP coming in at 32 ounces. Magazine capacity is 19 in 9 mm, 16 in .40 S&W and 13 in .45 ACP. Finishes available are black and bi-tone.

Hornady has introduced an all new line called the American Whitetail. Its red-and-and-blue packaging is easy to spot and the company is loading some of the most proven cartridge/bullet weight combinations for hunters inside. Cartridges include .243 Win. (100-grain bullet), .25-’06 Rem. (117 grain), .270 Win. (130 grain), 7 mm-08 Rem. (139 grain), 7 Rem. Mag. (139 grain), .30-30 Win. (150 grain), .308 Win. (150 grain), .30-’06 Sprg. (150 grain) and .300 Win. Mag. (150 grain). All are loaded with the company’s time-tested InterLock bullets. Those who carry will be glad to know Hornady also introduced Critical Defense loads for new chamberings. Often leave your .32 NAA at home because you’re worried about the bullet’s terminal performance? Hornady now has you covered with an 80-grain FTX bullet that comes from the muzzle at 1,000 fps. Also added to the Critical Defense line was .32 H&R Mag. (80-grain bullet), a special pink-tipped .38 Spl. LITE load (90-grain FTX bullet at 1,200 fps, and part of the proceeds from each sale are being donated to breast cancer research), and my personal favorite, a .410 Critical Defense 2 1/2-inch shotshell. It begins with the proven performance of Hornady’s FTX bullet (.41-caliber), but behind it a pair of .35-caliber, high-antimony lead round balls nearly ensure fight-stopping performance at close range. All loads in the Critical Defense line employ the company’s proven Flex Tip technology.

The Smith & Wesson M&P Pro Series has become extremely popular with competitive shooters, and this year the company has added something new with four CORE (Competition Optics Ready Equipment) versions. The CORE system allows easy mounting of a variety of red-dot optics often seen on the firing line, including the Trijicon RMR, Leupold Delta Point, Jpoint, Docter, C- More, STS and Insight MRDS. Pro Series guns that have received the CORE treatment at the custom shop include M&P9, M&P9L, M&P40L and M&P40. All COREs have an MSRP of $729 and the iron sights are raised to co-witness with the optic, which means if your red-dot goes down, you’re not out of the game. The three provided palmswell grip sizes also have newly enhanced texturing for positive grip during those long stages. For most shooters, though, the biggest news from Smith & Wesson comes in the newly introduced M&P10 rifle. Two versions will be available at first, an all-black model and a camouflage hunting version. Both have an ambidextrous safety, bolt release and magazine release, as well as 18-inch barrels with one-in-ten-inch twist 5R rifling. The tactical version has an overall length of 41 inches with the stock extended and 37.75 inches with it collapsed. It weighs 8.2 pounds and ships with a 20-round magazine. The hunting version ships with a five-round magazine and has a fixed Magpul stock that gives it a 37.5-inch length. Both are chambered in .308 Win. and the camo version has an MSRP of $1,729. Smith & Wesson hasn’t announced the 20-round version’s price yet.

Shotguns can be one of the best home-defense firearms around, but Century International Arms is now importing a whole new level of intruder intimidation. The Catamount Fury shotgun chambers 2 3/4- and 3-inch shotshells, its box magazine has a five-shell capacity, barrel length is 20 1/8 inches, it has fixed rifle sights, and, just in case you need to modify that pattern, it comes with full, modified or cylinder choke tubes. The semi-automatic shotgun runs on a gas-piston system, the top cover comes off easily for maintenance/cleaning and coupled with the a light rail under the barrel, any bad guy you hold at bay with this thing is going to need to change his underwear before he’s booked. The Fury has an overall length of 42.5 inches and the also-new Fury II comes in a bit more nimble at 10.75 inches. In handguns, the company is rolling out the CZ999, chambered in either 9 mm or .40 S&W. Both have four-inch barrels and you can also expect to see a more compact version in .40 S&W. Century International Arms is also offering Zastava M70 and M85 Mauser-style rifles with hinged floorplates, English walnut stocks and adjustable sights in left-handed versions. All come drilled and tapped for scope mounting. If you’ve been yearning for a more classic look, consider the company’s Zastava M70s that are now available with Mannlicher-style stocks.

Fiocchi may not be the most recognized name among ammunition manufacturers, but those in the know understand it has an impeccable reputation. It should, since the family-run business began back in 1876. Today the company continues that legacy of quality, but with something of a twist. Let’s face facts, Americans are gobbling up ammunition faster than companies can churn it out (we all know how hard finding .223 Rem. at your favorite gun store can be). Is it all being shot at the range? Personally, I don’t think so, or I wouldn’t have so many people ask, “Are you saving your brass?” Last year Fiocchi came to the same conclusion I did, and it introduced ammo in a can. It stores neatly, stacks, is impervious to the elements and ready when you need it. It’s a pretty neat idea and you can get them filled with buckshot, slugs, .223. Rem., .308 Win. and rimfires. This year the company stepped up that effort, with ammo in more-voluminous waterproof Plano boxes. Yeah, they sort of look like metal ammo containers of yesteryear, but they’re polymer, so they won’t rust and your emergency fodder won’t get ruined when the next Superstorm floods your basement.

CZ-USA says there is no other handgun out there with a higher flush-fitting magazine capacity than the company’s new P-09 Duty. I certainly don’t know another, but any way you look at it, 19+1 in 9 mm and 16+1 in the .40 S&W chambering is impressive. One of the most interesting things in the P-09 is the fact that it comes from the factory with an ambidextrous decocker installed, but manual safety levers ship with the gun. So if you’d rather have a manual safety instead of a decocker, it takes just a few minutes for the owner to make the swap. OK, it took me more than a few minutes when I gave the system a try on the P-07 Duty, but it does work and it’s not that tough (assuming your fingers are more nimble than mine). MSRP is $528. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun, take a close look at CZ-USA’s new 612 Home Defense. It’s comes with an 18.5-inch, cylinder-bore barrel and polymer furniture. The tubular magazine holds five rounds and a 26-inch vent rib is available in case you want it to do double duty during bird season. MSRP is only $290. And the company’s other new introduction is the 527 Varmint, which is chambered in .17 Hornet, has a detachable five-round magazine and for only $704 it still utilizes the popular CZ-USA Single-Set Trigger.

After you’ve purchased that cutting-edge AR, getting a solid optic aboard is a critical component in realizing all of its performance. Unfortunately, sometimes that results in an expense that nearly rivals your original purchase. Bushnell has the answer in 18 new products (12 red dots and 6 scopes) that comprise the company’s AR Optics lineup. Each come in with an MSRP of $300 or below. Magnified scopes include 1-4×24 mm Thrown Down PCL shown in the interview (with an illuminated BRT-1 reticle and a lever to speed magnification changes with gloved hands), a regular 1-4×24 mm, 2-7x 32 mm, 3-9×40 mm, 3-12×40 mm and a 4.5-18×40 mm. They come with fully multi-coated optics and caliber-specific reticles. Red-dot choices include the 1×28 mm Multi Reticle with four different illuminated reticle choices and the 2X MP with green or red T-Dot reticle, among others. The lineup works great for anything with a standard-sized rail, including shotguns and patrol rifles. Also new from Bushnell are innovative rangefinding binoculars in the Fusion Series. They are the 1 Mile 8×32, 10×42 and 12×50. With BaK-4 prisms, PC-3 phase correction and that famous Bushnell RainGuard coating they’re bound survive some tough conditions. Best of all, they’re allegedly capable of ranging out to one mile. Power is supplied by a single CR 123 cell.

That’s no typo. Beginning in March, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) will have TAVORs for sale here in the United States, and we caught a sneak peak of the famed bullpup at the SHOT Show. This is the same gun designed by Israeli defense forces after the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War, except it’s a semi-automatic—so you, too, can take one home. And with MSRPs that begin at $1,999, it’s not a bad deal for something this cool, although Julie Mac is holding out for one in pink (currently they will be available in flat dark earth and black). Chambered in 5.56 NATO, it has a magazine capacity of 30 cartridges, comes with either a 16.5- or 18-inch barrel and has a Picatinny rail atop for mounting optics or iron sights. Conversion kits will also be available to change chamberings to 9 mm or 5.45×39 mm. Southpaws rejoice. The TAVOR can be changed to fully left-handed operation, including the charging handle and, get this, the gun uses standard AR-15 magazines. Since the odds are pretty good you have a few of them hanging around, you don’t need to invest in a whole new kit. The cold-hammer-forged barrel comes with six groove, one-in-seven-inch rifling and the longer 18-inch-barreled versions still come in at a compact 27 5/8-inches in overall length.

For 2013, Benelli is offering its time-tested and field-proven Montefeltro in a black synthetic stock that moves the MSRP down to $1,139. The shotgun still harnesses the company’s famous Inertia Driven system, and the 12-gauge can digest three-inch magnum shotshells. Perhaps more exciting is the introduction of what the company claims to be the world’s first left-handed 20-gauge shotgun. The M2 Field ComforTech can chamber three-inch magnums, and the semi-automatic method of operation coupled with the company’s recoil-handling stock, promises to make it one of the softest shooting bird baggers out there. MSRP is $1,519. Also new in the M2 line is a compact version with a shorter stock. For the nostalgia buffs out there, take a close look at Uberti’s latest, the 1873 Horseman and two different 1873 Cattleman in .22 LR. The 1873 Horseman is a Single Action Army replica, but it comes with something different—more safe, if you will. It has a transfer bar safety, so you can forget leaving that top chamber empty, if you so desire. It comes chambered in either .45 Long Colt or .357 Mag. All have walnut grips and are case hardened/blued. Three barrel lengths are offered, either 4.75-, 5.5- or 7.5-inches, and regardless of configuration, MSRP is $559. The 1873 Cattleman .22 LR is chambered in .22 Long Rifle, but your cylinder capacity can either be six rounds or 12. Once again, you get that striking Uberti look and reliability, but your ammunition bill goes down dramatically. The same three barrel lengths are available, and the MSRP for the six-shooter is $529 with a steel backstrap and triggerguard or $509 if you prefer them to in brass. The 12-shot version comes only with steel and the MSRP is $559.