GunsAmerica Product Reviews – Rifles

The trans Atlantic relationship between US gun manufacturers and the Belgian company FNH began in 1897. John M. Browning took a number of his designs to FNH, where they were put into production. Today, you’ll find an FNH plant in Columbia, SC, where many of the company’s guns are manufactured. FNH introduced two new guns at this year’s SHOT Show – the FN 15 Rifle and the FN 15 Carbine. Although the company built these guns for law enforcement and the military for many years, these are their first semi automatic variants of the M16 and M4 that FNH has built for the commercial market. The guns both have hard anodized aluminum alloy lowers with carbon steel, chrome lined barrels.

If you’re looking for a value-priced AR-15, Stag Arms is a must see. The company’s been building US-made ARs for the last decade. And when I say US-made, I don’t mean US assembled. Stag Arms makes every part, except for the plastic parts and a few springs, right here in the US of A. The plastic parts and springs are made here too, just not at the Stag plant. Stag, known for building left handed ARs for all us lefties, just announced two new left-handed guns. So wipe that smug smile off your face, righties. We got one too. The new rifles are the left-handed versions of the Model 3T and 3T-M Series. These ARs are chambered for 5.56, meaning they can shoot both 5.56 and .223. Guns chambered for .223 can’t fire 5.56. But you already knew that. The difference between the two series is in how the guns are outfitted. The 3T has polymer DiamondHead front and rear sights, the 3T-M has aluminum DiamondHead sights. The 3T wears a mil-spec collapsible stock, the 3T-M, a Magpul ACS, and so forth. Check it out in the video. It’s much better to see it with your own eyes. Plus Julie’s a lot easier on the peepers than my blather.

Unless you’re living in a dumpster, you’re probably aware of the TV program Duck Dynasty. It’s about the Robertsons, the first family of duck hunting, who have endorsed the new Mossberg Duck Commander series of shotguns. So whether or not you agree that Phil’s right to free speech was violated when he was kicked off the program, you know they at least have good taste in shotguns. Like so much of their gear (and clothing), the Duck Commander series comes in Real Tree cammo. Not only are they great 12 or 20 gauge autoloaders, every gun also comes with one of Willie’s red, white and blue bandanas. Then there’s the MVP patrol Rifle series. I can’t tell you if they endorsed the bolt action MVP Patrol Rifle, but I would be surprised if they didn’t have a few around the house. The MVP comes in .308 Winchester and, get this, accepts either M1A or AR style mags! How cool is that. Finally, we had to check out the new Mossberg Center Mass Laser. This laser mounts to the side of your shotgun and projects a circle of laser dots with one dot in the center. The farther away the target is, the more it opens up, just like an actual shot pattern. What a great accessory for your home defense gun. Bet Silas has one of those on the gun under his bed.

While Colt is well known for their early revolvers, Government Model 1911, and various ARs, the company also happens to build very high quality bolt action rifles with the hunter and competitor in mind. These are the kind of guns you use when you want to reach out and touch something, whether a game animal in the wide open spaces or a target on the 1,000 meter range. The new rifles Colt brought to SHOT Show are an expansion of their popular M2012 series. As in the earlier versions, the new guns come with matc- grade fluted barrels and Timney single-stage adjustable triggers. The new model designations are M2012MT308T and M2012LT308G/M2012LT260G. It’s not really as complicated a naming scheme as it appears. The model is M2012, the 308 and 260 refer to the calibers, the MT and LT indicate how the gun is configured, and the T and G designate…OK it is as complicated as it seems. But that doesn’t detract from the exceptional quality they bring to the game.

When we stopped at the Benelli SHOT Show booth, three guns caught our eye – the Benelli ETHOS shotgun, the Franchi 3 1/2” Intensity shotgun and the Uberti 1873 Lever-Action Competition rifle, a trio of exceptional guns from the Benelli family of companies.The heart of the ETHOS shotgun is Benelli’s Inertia Driven System. Proven in nearly half a century of use in the most demanding competition and field applications, this simple but extremely effective system provides the operator with a number of benefits. There are only three primary parts – the bolt body, inertia spring, and rotating bolt head. Simplicity translates to reliability. It never needs adjusting and can handle a variety of loads from 3 ½” magnums to light field loads. The low mass of the moving parts makes for a fast cycle time, giving you quicker follow-up shots. And the locked bolt keeps powder residue in the barrel for a cleaner action. The AA-Grade walnut stock was not only gorgeous, it also housed a recoil reduction system. The ETHOS wore a light weight carbon fiber vent rib incorporating an interchangeable front sight so you can use the best color for the day’s hunt. Red, green and yellow fiber-optics are included. Take a look at this fast-loading, fast-shooting and beautiful-to-behold example of the gun maker’s art.

Noreen Firearms has a new AR patterned rifle. A new AR. Right. We’ve heard that a lot at SHOT show. You don’t even have to be here in Vegas to hear someone yammering on about a new AR. But Noreen’s guns are a little bit different. It’s an AR all right, but not a 15 or a 10. An AR 10 isn’t a big enough platform for this big boy. We are talking a true long-action AR. One big enough for 30-06.

Daniel Defense makes guns that are well known for their great shooting barrels. The new V9 series of M4 rifles in 5.56 feature three barrel profiles, allowing buyers to select the barrel that best meets their needs. There are a number of features which make the Daniel Defense barrels so good. The first is that they’re cold hammer forged. This process hydraulically hammers the barrel blanks around a mandrel that forms the chamber, lands and grooves. The forging process relieves the strain normally found in a barrel blank while delivering exceptional consistency in chamber size. Both contribute to improved accuracy. The barrels are then externally treated using a Melonite treatment, named for the Melonite salt used. This Nitrocarburizing process results in a smooth, slick surface that improves the surface hardness of the barrel while increasing resistance to corrosion and carbon adhesion. The three barrel profiles available in the V9 series include the16” government profile barrel, 16” lightweight profile and the 18” strength-to-weight (S2W) barrel.

The popular IWI US Tavor SAR won this year’s NRA Golden Bullseye Award presented for the best products in the shooting sports. IWI is building on that popularity and customer demand by introducing a complete kit to convert your Tavor from 5.56 to 9mm. If you’ve ever fired a 5.56 gun indoors without ear protection, such as in a home defense situation, you can appreciate just how loud it is. The same platform in 9mm would produce a lower level of sound with the added benefit of less recoil. The 9mm is also easier to quiet with a sound suppressor and less expensive for training. The kit comes complete with a 17” cold hammer-forged barrel, complete blowback recoil assembly including the bolt and carrier, 9 mm magazine magwell adapter, 9mm deflector, 32-round steel magazine and a barrel removal wrench. All you have to add is the ammo.

CZ-USA’s Western Series 550 Sonoran bolt action rifle is highly accurate and extremely tough. These aren’t run-of-the mill production guns. CZ-USA takes Czech actions and custom builds the rifles to give you a rifle you can depend on when the chips are down. Each and every rifle is ferritic nitrocarbonized inside and out. That brings the surface hardness up to Rockwell 72, making the gun nearly impervious to wear and corrosion. It also improves lubricity, meaning you can use less lubricant for a cleaner-running action. As an added bonus, it doubles barrel life. The Sonorran wears the industry’s first all carbon fiber stock and sports such features as a fluted barrel, adjustable trigger and guaranteed accuracy of 1 minute of angle or better. It’s available in four models: .270 and 30-06 with a 24” barrel and .300 Win. Mag and 7mm Mag with a 26” barrel. MSRP is $3199.