Gear Reviews

Vortex Optics has been growing by leaps and bounds, steadily chipping away at the market by dominating PRS and Hunting. Not so much new this year, but plenty improved.

Trijicon was first to the game with the micro red dots, almost a decade ago. The purpose-built sights, sized to fit pistols, changed the game with red dot carry and suppressor ready guns. This year, they take that to the next level with theRMR 2.

Is there some sort of 12-step program for holster addiction? If so, I may need it. As I prepared to write this, I took a quick look my holster collection and would guess I own at least 100 different holsters.

Part of it’s just hoarding. But, in my defense, I do need a lot of them. I’m a bit of a gun slut, and a lot of my guns need different holsters based on the situation. I’ve been told admitting your problem is the first step.

But, what if I could buy one last holster for all my pistols?

If there is one thing on God’s green Earth that makes my blood boil, it is when paint chip eating retards litter public lands with trash for targets. Not one day have I gone out shooting in Idaho and not seen mufflers or beer bottles left with a pile of shotgun hulls, clear evidence of paint huffing jackassery. I fully realize we will never stop all the stupidity. But my hope is that products like Target Factory’s Complete Target Frame can stop at least some of the stupidity.

Building off a very successful first year, AMTAC launched 2018 with the MANTIS series of suppressors. The MANTIS series is composed of four suppressors. All of them feature AMTAC’s mono-core system and three feature AMTAC’s signature over-barrel design. MANTIS suppressors directly thread to a barrel and are rated for Magnum calibers. Regarding price, MANTIS suppressors start at $799. Let’s take a quick look at the various models that make up the MANTIS lineup.

We got a chance to stop by and see the goons from High Threat Concealment this year, and get hands-on with the new stuff. Earlier in the year, I conducted a full review of a complete HTC belt system, and I was very impressed. These guys make purpose-built for real-world missions. The low vis system [...]

Steiner has long been a leader in military optics and more recently has been establishing a presence in the U.S. civilian market. We had an opportunity to test several models this summer, and the clarity of glass and quality was outstanding. New for SHOT Show 2018, Steiner announced the M6Xi.

Blackhawk has been making tactical nylon for many years now, so you might think they have done it all. But this year, they still managed to squeak out some new designs, at a price that is right.

At range day, we got a chance to catch up with Night Force Optics, who had the new 1×8 riflescopes on hand. Night Force has been very quiet on the 1x front, for a very long time. This year, however, they have come back strong.