Gun Reviews

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Review: The Rock River Arms Polymer-Framed 1911

Review: The Rock River Arms Polymer-Framed 1911

{ 20 comments }

No one knows what John Browning would’ve thought of a polymer 1911, but it is possible to judge how it performs. And we did just that.

Big Horn Armory AR500: 3,700 ft-lbs of Big Bore Record-Breaking Awesomeness (Full Review)

Big Horn Armory AR500: 3,700 ft-lbs of Big Bore Record-Breaking Awesomeness (Full Review)

{ 24 comments }

The AR500 is, according to the company’s claims and my own research, the most powerful short-range semi-auto rifle in the world. Chambered in the .50-caliber 500 Auto Max cartridge, the AR500 packs a wallop in a modified AR-10 platform. Combined with Buffalo Bore’s 350, 400, and 440 grain loads, the AR500 is ready to bring down, quite literally, any kind of critter you’re hoping to hunt.

The Webley Revolver: The Seminal British Combat Wheelgun

The Webley Revolver: The Seminal British Combat Wheelgun

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Lieutenant Blowers carried nothing more than his six-shot Webley revolver as a personal defense weapon. Crawling through fetid German trenches stacked deep with corpses both fresh and otherwise, Blowers and his crew picked their way across the most dangerous terrain on earth.

Review: The M48 Nosler Custom Handgun. Steady As She Goes!

Review: The M48 Nosler Custom Handgun. Steady As She Goes!

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The M48 Nosler Custom Handgun as a hunting handgun which challenges the hunter. It’s also a lot of fun to shoot, once you get used to it.

Walther's New PPQ Subcompact Raises the Bar in the Concealed Carry Market (Full Review)

Walther’s New PPQ Subcompact Raises the Bar in the Concealed Carry Market (Full Review)

{ 24 comments }

The explosion of the concealed carry market has meant nothing but good news for gun nuts. Gun manufacturers have been more than happy to oblige, though some have been quicker than others. Walther is among the last of the major handgun companies to offer a subcompact semi-auto, but, as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.

The Story Behind the SA XDM 10mm, 10,000 Round Test

The Story Behind the SA XDM 10mm, 10,000 Round Test

{ 28 comments }

When the new XDM came up, I asked Springfield Armory if they were ready to dance. Not only did they say yes, but they knew a good ammo guy. My proposal was 10,000 rounds, every round shot on camera. That is a huge risk for a new gun, and I had no way of knowing if it would survive.

Heizer Defense PKO - 45 Defines Big Bore Slim

Heizer Defense PKO – 45 Defines Big Bore Slim

{ 20 comments }

Heizer Defense, the creators of the Pocket Shotgun, Pocket AR, and Pocket AK single-shot pistols, recently added a 45 Auto semi-auto pistol to their product line. With some innovative engineering, and liberal use of the unexpected, the PKO-45 is an amazingly thin single-stack 45 semi-auto that may be the ideal IWB concealed carry pistol for those looking for large caliber in a slim package.

Beretta APX Centurion and Compact

Beretta APX Centurion and Compact

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Earlier this year, Beretta announced additions to the APX family: The Centurion and the Compact. Both are built for the worst-case scenario.

Upgrading the Mossberg Patriot Predator with a Boyds Pro Varmint Stock

Upgrading the Mossberg Patriot Predator with a Boyds Pro Varmint Stock

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Consider a Boyds Pro Varmint as a replacement for the Mossberg Patriot Predator Stock as a modular solution for shooting from a prone position.

SW1911 Pro Series 3” 9mm: Full Review

SW1911 Pro Series 3” 9mm: Full Review

{ 15 comments }

Somehow, the folks at Smith’s Performance Center have made the 1911 mini-me in 9mm with all the bells and whistles that runs like a full-grown model.

Leupold's Combat Competition Hunter Reticle: Multi-Purpose Perfection?

Leupold’s Combat Competition Hunter Reticle: Multi-Purpose Perfection?

{ 4 comments }

This reticle was created for combat, competition, and hunting scenarios. It’s clearly made for fast, accurate holds.

Springfield OSP 2: The Operative Special

Springfield OSP 2: The Operative Special

{ 13 comments }

For a complete tactical solution, the XD(M) has some shortcomings. Springfield Armory heard that concern and and did something: They fixed them.

224 Valkyrie 16 and 18 inch Barrels Chronographed

224 Valkyrie 16 and 18 inch Barrels Chronographed

{ 27 comments }

Ever since we learned about the new 224 Valkyrie round from Federal and its alleged performance, the questions have been fast and furious. But how does this perform out of a 16 or 18-inch barrel?

Best Value Commander Size 1911 - New Taurus Handgun Packs Features at a Low Price

Best Value Commander Size 1911 – New Taurus Handgun Packs Features at a Low Price

{ 32 comments }

Taurus USA has been manufacturing 1911’s since 2005, and this year they released two new models based on Colt’s legendary designs. The Officer and Commander are both chambered in 45ACP and offer consumers all the features of a modern 1911 without the modern price tag.

Browning's M1911 and the Tale of a U.S. Combat Engineer in Italy

Browning’s M1911 and the Tale of a U.S. Combat Engineer in Italy

{ 34 comments }

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.

Magpul Showcases New Fall 2018 Apparel Catalog With Slick Video

Magpul Showcases New Fall 2018 Apparel Catalog With Slick Video

{ 5 comments }

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

Big Horn Armory Model 89: A John Wayne Gun for the Modern Gunslinger In 500 S&W

Big Horn Armory Model 89: A John Wayne Gun for the Modern Gunslinger In 500 S&W

{ 43 comments }

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 Combat Custom Glock 43

Wilson Combat Custom Glock 43

{ 10 comments }

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 and The Story of War Hero Jack Lucas

The M1 Carbine and The Story of War Hero Jack Lucas

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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 Chosen One: The Army’s M-17 Pistol Review

The Chosen One: The Army’s M-17 Pistol Review

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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.

Marlin Model 70PSS “Papoose”: Small Package, Big Fun, Survival Ready

Marlin Model 70PSS “Papoose”: Small Package, Big Fun, Survival Ready

{ 14 comments }

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 Smith and Wesson M1917 .45ACP: A Big-Bore World War Wheelgun (#3 – Allied Small Arms WWII)

The Smith and Wesson M1917 .45ACP: A Big-Bore World War Wheelgun (#3 – Allied Small Arms WWII)

{ 20 comments }

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.

The 6.5-300 Weatherby - Lightning in a Bottle

The 6.5-300 Weatherby – Lightning in a Bottle

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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.

S&W Model 640 Pro Series - Review

S&W Model 640 Pro Series – Review

{ 43 comments }

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.

Getting Out of a Jam - Clearing Malfunctions in an AR-15

Getting Out of a Jam – Clearing Malfunctions in an AR-15

{ 27 comments }

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.

Savage 10 GRS 6.5 Creedmoor - Push Button Easy

Savage 10 GRS 6.5 Creedmoor – Push Button Easy

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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.

Ruger Precision Rimfire .22 LR: Review

Ruger Precision Rimfire .22 LR: Review

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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 Smith & Wesson Victory .38 - A Cop Gun Goes to War (#1 - Allied Small Arms WWII)

The Smith & Wesson Victory .38 – A Cop Gun Goes to War (#1 – Allied Small Arms WWII)

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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.

S&W Shield EZ: EZ-iest Shooting Centerfire Pistol on the Planet

S&W Shield EZ: EZ-iest Shooting Centerfire Pistol on the Planet

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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.

Beretta 1301 Tactical - Shotgun Review

Beretta 1301 Tactical – Shotgun Review

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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.