Gun Reviews

If you love America, 1911’s, and think plastic pistols should be melted into Tupperware, then the Kimber Micro 9 Rapide Black Ice just might be the EDC you’ve been dreaming of. It’s small, thin, light, smooth, and absolutely gorgeous.

The Benelli M4 being one of the most competent fighting shotguns on the planet. It’s perfect for police and military use and is a fearsome fighting shotgun for home defense.

The CA5five6 is a lightweight and nimble rifle that feels great on the shoulder, too. I wish I could have scored better groups with it, true, but the rifle will certainly do the job for most shooting, from plinking and home defense needs, as well as for hunting medium-sized and smaller game.

The new Spectre series from SIG, in a nutshell, is the proven P320 platform and the P365XL sent to the SIG Custom Shop for some ZEVish style custom work.

About a decade ago, give or take, the baseline for what made a great polymer-framed, striker-fired handgun was changed overnight when Walther introduced us to the PPQ. Its ergonomics were all the rage, as was its performance and accuracy – but it was that trigger that knocked the industry on its butt. The light, crisp trigger of the PPQ with its very short and tactile reset had every IDPA shooter in the country taking those make-up shots without adding time to their scores. It is hard to overstate the revolution that was started by that pistol.

I will admit, I was hesitant to see what a Springfield Armory bolt action might produce when it was announced late last year. It’s not that Springfield Armory isn’t capable, it’s that the bolt action market is both finicky and saturated.

On April 29, 2021, Bergara and CVA sponsored The Long Shot Tour, held at the Fossil Pointe Shooting Grounds, outside Decatur, Texas. These two gun makers had some new and newer firearms to show off and invited a dozen writers and editors to try out several Bergara bolt action rifles and a pair of CVA muzzleloaders, plus a CVA bolt action. I was one of those writers.

Strasser rifles are made in Austria, a country known for high-quality firearms, and the RS14 Evolution certainly fits that bill. I’m not sure what the company meant by the “RS” designation but after evaluating the Evolution I think it should stand for “Really Smooth,” “Remarkably Slick,” or something along those lines.

If you have a Henry, but you want to get the absolute most out of it, this is a set of modifications worth looking into.

This is an expensive gun, but what’s the saying in drag racing when people say how much does it cost? How fast do you want to go? The price point will keep many people away, but for what it is – a dead-nuts-accurate-competition-ready .22LR rifle – many others will view the cost as the price of admission to speed down the .22LR drag way. As the great Ricky Bobby said, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Late last month, we had a chance to attend an industry event full of the new hotness. With the cancelation of SHOT SHOW for 2021, Bergara opted to do something a little different with the marketing budget for the year. Can’t show off the goods at a booth in Vegas? Well, then how about a traveling roadshow where you actually get to shoot! Not only did we get to actually go hands-on with all the toys in the lineup for 2021, but I also lost zero dollars to a slot machine, which I count as a win all around.

The Hi Point Firearms 995 carbine, or as I call it, the Yeet Canon XL (YCXL) is a strange gun. In many ways its bad, but in other ways its actually good; in short its confusing.

Hammer-fired handguns look beautiful, they’re incredibly easy to shoot but something in me seems to believe they’re becoming dated platforms. I know many people are going to stop reading right now but hear me out.

Those who have followed my writing over the years will, no doubt, remember that I am a self-avowed Smith J-frame addict. That being said, more than one friend has encouraged me to take a serious look at Ruger’s little LCR. This assignment was just the nudge I needed.

What the hell is 8.6 Creedmoor? It’s the .338 Federal, right? No. Similar, but no. It’s the result of a collaboration between Q and Hornady, and it promises to be interesting.

The 856 Defender isn’t a perfect revolver, but like many Taurus products, it lives in a nice middle ground between bargain bin and custom Gucci. It’s light (but not too light), well-built, reliable, reasonably priced, and accurate enough to get the job done. It’s the everyman’s revolver, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to carry it.

I find the standard Government 1911 too heavy for concealed carry; I prefer to carry a 1911 that is lighter, while just as accurate and reliable as it’s bigger cousins. I found one in the Springfield Armory’s new Ronin Operator 4.25”.

The Spec Series Kits include an optics-ready two-tone M&P pistol bundled with a Crimson Trace optic, M&P fixed blade knife and a challenge coin.

The Armscor and Rock Island Armory STK100 is a full-size, striker-fired 9mm with a 1911-inspired anodized alloy grip.

All in all, I find the RDB Defender to be a fine gun for certain applications. As a backpack gun, it is fabulous. Compact, light, and it stows easily in a bag. As a home defender, it is also A-okay in my book. The short length overall lends itself to being a good nightstand gun. Would it be my first choice to take back to Tal Afar? No, but KelTec also didn’t intend it for that. For the money, and the purpose, this is the little blaster that could.

I recently evaluated the Ruger LCR in .38 Special. As a follow-up, I wanted to evaluate the LCR in .22 LR. eing a fan of the Smith & Wesson J-frame, I am fortunate to own a Model 43C which is also chambered in .22 LR. This review also gave me an opportunity to compare the LCR with the Smith.

It isn’t often we get a semi-auto rifle design that is wildly different, but not often also doesn’t mean never. And this week we got our hands on one that is way outside of current norms for a battle rifle. New, from CZ, the evolution of the Bren family of rifles. The Bren 2 MS!

The new Springfield XD-M Elite Compact OSP is a mouthful to say but a joy to shoot. I’ve got to be honest, before Springfield sent me this pistol to review, I had little to no experience with their handgun offerings aside from their 1911’s. After unboxing this handgun I was incredibly excited to see how it compares to the pistols I’m more accustomed to.

If you’re not first with a new innovation, then you’d better bring something extra to the table. And that is exactly what Ruger has done with the MAX-9. I am duly impressed by it – the MAX-9 is a very legit contender.

AK’s are effective rifles. They’ve certainly proven that over the decades but the Zastava M70 ZPAP is a fantastic and relatively modular rifle at an attainable price point.

Nighthawk Custom and Korth are teaming up once again to bring new, world-class revolvers to the U.S. market with the upcoming Heritage and Vintage Edition models.

Looking for a small, ultra-concealable pistol for self and home defense? Taurus USA may have just what you need with the newly introduced GX4 micro-compact.

Taurus is the latest company to introduce a micro-compact pistol for self-defense and concealed-carry, the 11+1 9mm GX4.

There are many iconic handguns in the collective consciousness of gun enthusiasts. There are fewer, but still several iconic handguns in global culture. These latter icons tend to be associated with a larger-than-life appearance on the silver screen. But even amongst the most iconic and awe-inspiring handguns ever to make viewers’ eyes widen and chins drop – there is one that sits at the very top. The .44 Auto Mag.