Gun Reviews

The 1911 pistol is as much a part of the fabric of America as is baseball, fast cars, and pretty girls. Literally, countless young men headed off into harm’s way with one of Mr. Browning’s hand cannons tucked into their belts.

Designed and focused around the shooting lifestyle, we’ve created seven unique apparel items that support the carriage, movement, and comfort you need.

The rifles by Big Horn are beautiful. But the owner of Big Horn said, “We don’t build safe queens, son. We build guns to be used.” That is my kind of party.

Wilson recently expanded their Glock customizations. I happened to have a Glock 43 in the safe so I was all in. But I still couldn’t believe the final product.

The M1 carbine was designed as a Personal Defense Weapon of sorts. It combined the portability of a handgun with the magazine capacity of an autoloading rifle.

The service handguns chosen by the Army have always become essential weapons; the Remington New Army, the Colt Single Action Army, Browning’s M-1911 and the M-9 Beretta are all classics. Now you can get the latest chapter in this historic line, the SIG M17.

The word “papoose” comes from the Algonquian word “papoos” and means “child.” Marlin’s diminutive semi-auto rifle has undergone a variety of iterations over the last thirty-odd years, but the original concept behind the famous nickname has remained the same. Today’s Model 70PSS is designed to fit anywhere, be shot by anyone, and tag along on whatever adventure comes next.

The M1911 was the finest combat handgun at the time of the World Wars. For close range firepower and reliability, nothing beat the M1917 revolver.

In 1945, Roy Weatherby introduced three cartridges that became synonymous with speed. That has always been Weatherby’s calling card: high velocity equals flat trajectory, and they’ve stuck with that concept.

Then Smith produced the Model 640 Pro Series, perhaps the best J-frame ever! The Model 640 Pro is a Performance Center pistol that reminds me of the Smiths of old. The 640 Pro is based on a Model 640, stainless, five shot .357 Magnum, with a 2.125” barrel.

Even the highest quality, best-made guns eventually suffer a failure or malfunction, and it may not indicate a problem with the gun. It can still be a serious problem though, and learning how to clear malfunctions is serious business.

This week, we got a chance to look at a Savage 10 GRS, which boasts a Berserk stock, suppressor-ready barrel and runs off Magpul AICS style magazines.

The Ruger Precision Rimfire (RPR) Model 8400 is a bolt action .22 LR made to mimic a full-size precision chassis long range centerfire rifle. It has the ability to be a super short rimfire action or mimic a centerfire short action rifle. It’s a tac driving machine that has phenomenal ergonomics and an easily adjustable stock…

The Victory .38 was a wartime version of the original Smith and Wesson Model 10 first introduced in 1899. The gun was variously known as the S&W Military and Police or the S&W Hand Ejector. Total production exceeded six million copies. While civilian variants typically sported a deep blue finish and a variety of barrel lengths, the Victory model was bred purely for combat.

Smith & Wesson saw the exact problem I’ve described and have literally engineered the S&W M&P Shield EZ to be easier to shoot and manipulate. I believe it to be the easiest centerfire pistol in the concealed carry market to shoot and it might be the ultimate kids gun.

Law Enforcement was one of the obvious target audiences for this gun, and it shows. The 1301 Tactical features a slightly shorter receiver than the 1301 Competition, part of an overall size reduction. The stock is also slightly shorter, offering a 37.8 inch length of pull out of the box.

The Gewehr 98 Mauser rifle is one of the most historically significant and technically influential firearms in history. In one variant or another, it armed men on both sides of two world wars and continues to be seen in conflicts around the world to this day. Rifle actions are still being based on it or using its features.

Opening a newly arrived box at my local FFL dealership inspired a couple “Wow!” responses – one of them my own. The 1860 Richards Transition Model Type II nestling therein sports eight glorious inches of gleaming blued steel barrel, a beautifully figured walnut grip, and a very nice color-casehardened frame.

Lightweight, rugged, and maneuverable, the Czech vz. 58 represents a tiny glimmer of individuality in the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.

Available in six models including pistols and carbines, the Guard has fully functional AR controls and feeds from Glock-pattern magazines.

This particular class was obviously not a beginner’s course. But there are plenty to choose from that are in the NRA Summer Gunsmithing Program.

Kimber America, however, seems like the most unlikely company to be in the revolver market. Yes, the same Kimber famous for their 1911s.

But, why I really love shotguns is because they are so versatile. Seriously, if you can find me any other gun that you can shoot a quail with at 15 yards and also shoot a whitetail with at 150, I will be very impressed. Not to mention all the different gauges, styles and brands.

Today was the first time I got to test the new Ruger 10/22 with the Silent-SR ISB, or Integrally Suppressed Barrel. The lines look like a double barrel gun, but the bottom half is actually a baffle stack. A one-piece barrel and suppressor, it fits any 10/22 takedown model as a replacement. It is one of the most well thought out rimfire suppressors I have seen, Ruger hit it out of the park this time.

In 1952 the Czech military adopted a radically strange new pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvil. The vz52 (not to be confused with the vz52 rifle of the same designation that entered Czech service the same year) represented a unique application of the roller-locked action pioneered by the German MG42 machine gun. While HK dabbled in the same thing with their short-lived P9S handgun, the vz52 pistol was otherwise unique.

Successful firearm sequels balance “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” with real, value-adding improvements. If a manufacturer re-engineers a popular design like the XD-S, they risk losing those features that made the firearm successful in the first place. But if they don’t improve enough components, “new-and-improved” starts to look suspiciously like “the-same-and-more-expensive.” Those were my thoughts heading into this review, but I think Springfield balanced these two extremes well.

The TriStar KRX Tactical Shotgun is a serious player. With AR ergonomics and a box magazine, it is easy to load and simple to shoot. No matter what your sport, the KRX is ready to play. The advanced self-adjusting gas system feeds any shotgun ammo reliably and the removable choke system (Beretta/Benelli Mobile Threads) lets you pick your pattern, including extended tactical chokes.

The ability to convert existing M4A1 carbines to a PDW, chambered in 300 BLK, offers several appealing advantages.  First, it is far more economical than purchasing complete carbines.  Far more conversion kits can be purchased than complete carbines.  Second, the purchase of a retrofit kit presents fewer issues than building a new carbine.  Finally, should the receiver be damaged, the conversion kit can be fitted to another lower.

I was ready to rock ‘n roll earlier this month when I made my way to central Texas to try my hand at a 1000-yard target with the new Long-Range Rifle (LRR) from Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center and Thompson/Center. Like many gun owners in 2018, my long-range shooting knowledge exceeded my experience. I’ve been geeking out about D.O.P.E. cards, bullet trajectories, and MIL vs. MOA for years, but I hadn’t had many chances to pull the trigger.