Gun Reviews

This week we got a chance to look at the XDM OSP. The OSP is a 4.5 inch duty size gun that comes out of the box with a Vortex Venom on top.

The operating system is so unique and different on the Virtus, we were really curious about how well it would actually run over time. We tossed down the gauntlet of attempting to run it 2000 rounds suppressed, without a drop of lube

Wind calls, trajectory compensation, trigger control, and even the basic shooting form can be practiced and polished by using nothing more than a simple .22 rimfire.

I’ve always dreamt of going on a black bear hunt. Go ahead, admit it … bet you have too?

When I finally got invited I couldn’t figure out what gun I wanted to take. I’ve always been into lever guns — but was it the right choice? I needed something light, for climbing trees, for getting into shooting positions fast, that sort of thing. I needed something with enough accuracy and power to handle a black bear, but still quick enough for follow up shots. It’s the sort of quandary most shooters love to get into. “Oh darn, I gotta’ decide on what new gun I need to buy!”

Coonan, Inc. is adding a new model pistol to their growing 1911-inspired MOT series with a full-size handgun chambered for .45 ACP.

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing of Murfreesboro, TN is known around the world for building heavyweight, hard-hitting 50 BMG rifles for the military and law enforcement. Barrett’s a family owned business and has been supplying firearms for the US and its allies for over 30 years.  With the Fieldcraft they jumped completely to the other end of the firearms spectrum- from one of the biggest and heaviest shoulder fired rifles to one of the lightest, most versatile hunting rifles on the market.

The action is a miniaturized Mauser action, something CZ does exceedingly well. There are a lot of Mauser’s in a huge variety of calibers floating the Earth, and last I heard they tend to work. The “micro action” is based on a 223 length, though it is available in several calibers. My test sample of the CZ 527 Carbine Rustic is chambered in 7.62×39, and also available in 223.

Sometimes we get a rifle in that doesn’t look overly sexy in the packaging, but then proceeds to blow your socks off. The Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor is one such weapon. When it comes to accuracy, this thing is a monster.

I have retained our original 870 DM, and I am back today with a follow-up report. The original review is here, and I am happy to say I can stand behind this one. The 870 DM remains the best change to shotguns since the original model 870 was introduced back in 1951.

For a 4000 yard shot, my round had a maximum ordinate, or apex, of around 185 yards (555 feet). When I first fired off a round, my bullet would deal with 1/2 value wind from 2 o’clock. The bullet continued its climb until reaching a height of 185 yards above my position. At this point, the bullet peaked above the canyon walls, where it was exposed to a blast of full value

The 1873 Winchester sported a steel receiver along with proper metallurgy in its barrel that allowed the gun to handle the relatively high performance of the .44 WCF round. Various barrel lengths and contours, engraved variations, and rifle, carbine, and musket versions kept things spicy.

The X-Carry shares a trigger (or chassis) with the X5, which means, in this case, the best out of the box striker fired trigger on the market. The grip module is the same as the X5, sans the flared mag well. This grip module is unique to the X family, and offers a higher grip than the regular P320, along with an extended beavertail. Having shot both of these guns for a minute now, I finally figured out how to equate that.

The Kimber Team Match II was developed for the USA Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team to use in action shooting competitions at national and international levels. To say that these are picky shooters is an understatement.

The world has been waiting for a reliable, available, semi-auto AR platform in 6.5 Creedmore and today we have it. I got my hands on the latest Seekins Precision SP10 in 6.5, and it did not disappoint.

The SX1-MTR is a multi-caliber capable rifle. It features a modular receiver that can be configured with several sizes of magazine wells and barrels. Ritter and Stark currently offer barrels chambered in .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.

The 19X is basically a G19 slide melded to a G17 sized frame. This has been poo-pooed at length by the usual internet commando’s, but I like the concept. In fact, we had a grip extension created by Len Baxley when I was in the Army that did exactly the same thing.

In a world where AR-15 clones are built by seemingly everyone but Toyota ( yet), it can be hard to get excited about a new model. But there is something to be said for the companies that specialize in AR’s as the core business. In a hyper-competitive market, they have to come correct to keep [...]

The Skorpion’s Western counterpart was the product of the free market. Though the company that birthed it was called the Military Armament Corporation, the M11 was never actually referred to as a MAC in company literature. We gun nerds conjured that informal moniker ourselves.

This week, I got my hands on a new Fox A Grade shotgun, presented by Savage Arms. This was not my usual fair, in fact, I felt remarkably underdressed when I started my review. Opening the non-descript outer case, complete with a briefcase style numerical lock, revealing a beautiful red lined felt interior. As I [...]

I never thought I would say this, but the P365 isn’t just a good carry gun. It is a good do anything gun. With the capacity on board and a potential of 12+1 with extended mags, there is no reason it can’t. This gun is literally good enough to run 6 plate racks or compete in

Almost every shooter in the US has heard of or seen the Mosin-Nagant rifle, due to the large volume of them that were imported over the last decade or so. The WWII variant was quite readily available and inexpensive until very recently.

What can I say about Barnes Precision Machine AR’s? Apparently, a lot, since I have written about them here, here, here, here, and here. Oh, and here too. As far as bang for the buck, they are very hard to beat. Most of my personal rifles are BPM, including the one with my ODA number [...]

The show stealer this week was the LWRCI PDW, but it wasn’t the only outstanding offering from LWRCI. Until we abolish the unconstitutional NFA, a full sized rifle is a much easier reach for most of us. And LWRCI happens to have that in spades. Fair warning. The MSRP on the LWRC IC-A5 is definitely [...]

Months ago, we started the SIG MCX Virtus test, to see how it would hold up under 2000 rounds suppressed. The test consisted of no cleaning or lubrication. This has also been in a variety of weather conditions if you remember me cooling the suppressor off in the snow back in December. It turns out, [...]

As part of our coverage for AR week, we are leading the charge with a Ruger model sure to make a Californian crap in Xe’s pants. Ruger has been making AR’s for a while now, at a price that makes them attractive. The Ruger SR556 Takedown is by far the most expensive in the catalog, [...]

I have been on record as disliking short barreled rifles ( SBR’s), not because I think you shouldn’t be allowed to own one, but because they are ineffective. The velocity loss from chopping a barrel below 16 inches in 5.56 caliber is catastrophic in terms of combat effectiveness, with shorter being exponentially worse. I felt [...]

So in a nutshell, all of the reasons to carry the XD-E I might not necessarily agree with. Some of them don’t apply to me specifically. But I can understand why they were done.

  I must confess that sometimes I am a bit of a gun snob, especially as it relates to rifles. I don’t have any full custom second mortgage guns, but I generally look well above the price point of the M&P 10 that came in for review this week. As a retired military sniper and [...]

First and foremost, because it is small. Beyond small – it’s tiny. The LC9s Pro is what I would categorize as a micro-9. Its dimensions are literally just enough to handle the size of the cartridge and pressures created and nothing more. This makes the pistol incredibly concealable.