Gun Reviews

The final design of the 1911 really came about from a series of trials that the US Government put it and other pistols through. These tests let Colt and John Browning see how the pistol held up. There were also requirements that the design had to meet. A lot of the credit for how the 1911 came out can be attributed to the trials and specifications required for the new pistol.

Daniel Defense M4A1: https://danieldefense.com/M4A1 Buy now at GunsAmerica: /M4A1 The Daniel Defense rifles have been out in the field, slowly building up the company’s reputation. Their take on the ubiquitous black rifle is seen by many as the benchmark for legitimate quality and value. Their M4A1 is no exception. Designed from the ground up with [...]

Legend has it that John Moses made the first prototype of the Vest Pocket to carry in his, you guested it, vest pocket while walking around on this land in Utah. He supposedly wanted a tiny pistol for defense against coyotes. True or not, Browning did design a great little pistol that will fit in a vest pocket.

The Colt Python is quickly becoming an object of obsession for American firearms enthusiasts. Is the beastly wheel-gun’s reputation deserved? It is. This one here just might be the best revolver ever made. So hit pause on that episode of The Walking Dead and check out a Python in the real world.

The first thing many notice about the Kel-Tec SU16 is the abundance of polymer. This skinny little .223 doesn’t weigh very much. So how does a lightweight, polymer chassis rifle stand up to honest use? Check out our review.

Accuracy X is hardly a household name. Tucked in the foothills of the Appalachians in western Virginia, the company is known more for its competition guns than it tactical 1911s. But they’re branching out. They’ve sent us three models from their new Pro Series–guns optimized for daily carry that still carry the Accuracy X Accuracy Gurantee–1.5″ groups from 25 yards. Can they live up to the challenge?

When you think of Sig Sauer pistols, you think of classic double/single-action. What you don’t think of is striker-fired. While the new P320 clearly inherits some ideas and inspiration from the modular Sig P250 design, the action is all new. It’s a constant action, striker-fired pistol, complete with the internal safeties you would expect in a striker design. And the modularity will allow you to easily swap between calibers and frame sizes.

Shooting History. This is the name of a new series that we will be running here at Guns America. We will take some historic guns, shoot them and review them not too much unlike our new gun reviews. It was seeing the new production Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless at SHOT Show this year that got me to thinking, so, it makes sense to kick it off with an antique 1903.

Fans of bullpup rifles anxiously awaited the arrival of the IWI Tavor. And now the company is making a version that is almost identical to the rifle issued to the Israel Defense Forces. How does the Tavor IDF16 one stand up to the competition? Read our review.

I think the 300 AAC Blackout caliber was really made for short barrels. Don’t get me wrong, I have a 300 Blackout AR-type rifle with a 16-inch barrel and love it. I just think the flexibility of the caliber really shines in short and compact configurations. And the CMMG MK4 Pistol is a solid option.

This past week we ran a extremely popular SHOT article on the new AR pistol from MGI chambered in the 7.62×39 cartridge, which we generally think of as exclusive to the AK-47 and SKS class of rifles. Many people noted in the comments out there that there are other options for ARs that take AK mags, and it so happens that we put the https://rockriverarms.com/lar47″>Rock River LAR-47 through its paces some time ago. Since the gun is available for sale right now, this week is a good time to run it.

So you want to experience a gun that the pistoleros of old carried? The wheel guns of lawmen and outlaws alike was the Colt 1873. Original Colts are getting more and more expensive and then there is the risk of shooting a 100 plus year old revolver. But there are options to get the next best thing. Thanks to some of our Italian brothers we can shoot reproductions of the classic old west guns without fear for safety, damaging a collectable and with out breaking the bank. This Uberti Cattleman is a great place to start.

The ARES Defense SCR is a blend of classic sporting rifle and an AR. With the function of an AR and the feel of a Monte Carlo stock, the SCR is a winner. Think of the SCR as if someone cut off the top part of a Remington 750 and put an AR upper on it. It feels and shoulders like a traditional sporting rifle, but works like an AR.

There are revolvers and then there are Smith & Wesson Performance Center Revolvers. This snub-nosed 686 has a lot of features that make the other Smith wheel guns jealous. It looks good, but it is also ideal for those who are looking for hard hitting firepower and unfailing reliability from their concealed carry gun.

[one_half padding=”0 0 0 0px”] FNS-9C [/one_half] [one_half_last padding=”0 0 0 0px”] [/one_half_last] SHOT Show 2015 is officially underway. We stopped in at the FNH booth this morning, first thing, and got the run down on what’s going on. When you make as many guns as FN, it is hard to narrow down your choices. [...]

The Korth Sky Marshall may be the single most innovative 9mm revolver on the market. And I’m not talking about the exterior of the gun. This is one rimless revolver that doesn’t require moon clips, or anything extra. Check it out.

Tac-Con made a big spalsh with the 3MR, an AR trigger that runs almost as fast as full-auto. Now they’re adding to that trigger and taking on the AK platform, too. Drop in triggers for AKs and the Saiga 12? That’s just half of the news. The 3MR is evolving too. Now the lightning fast trigger has a third position–a two-stage trigger with a one pound break. Speed and accuracy from one trigger–and the price is coming down.

As AR pistols get smaller and smaller, they loose power. And the blast is hard to handle. The pistol caliber carbines have been slow to catch on, but that’s about to change. CZ’s new 9mm powerhouse, the Scorpion, is epic. It is exceptionally well built, and the price is going to knock you over.

Park rangers found a Model 1873 Winchester rifle under a juniper tree in a remote area of the Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

This is the start of a new series I have been thinking about called “Cheap Guns.” I don’t know if cheap is the right word, but it’s the word people use when they encounter a $200 firearm of just about any type. “That’s cheap!” But the next words are something like “I wonder if it is any good.” My goal is to go out and buy some of these guns, some of the more common ones, and go shoot them.

For me, a pistol without a rail is more or less a novelty. I shoot them at the range, but leave it at that. I won’t carry a full-size pistol if I can’t attach some implement of illumination to its frame. I’m not knocking range guns or older designs for their defects, but I carry guns I can use in low light situations. That’s where ReCover comes in.

Some high-end 1911s are exceptionally well-built works of art that don’t seem to be designed for daily carry. They’re pretty. Not this one. The Christensen 1911 Commander is one of the most complex versions of the old Browning single-action I’ve ever seen. This titanium framed .45 ACP is built for several lifetimes of daily carry.

Fans of the Ruger 10/22, listen up. The Charger, Ruger’s big .22 pistol based on the 10/22, is back. There are two new versions, and both come packed with features that I hope will be standard on every new Ruger. These fun guns look good, too–read our review.

Fans of the venerable 10/22 typically have only one gripe with the gun: the trigger. Even so, the stock triggers on 10/22s are better than much of the competition. But Ruger now offers an improved trigger for the 10/22 and Charger. The BX-Trigger is a vast improvement over the stock Ruger triggers and is incredibly easy and quick to install.

The Magnum Research Desert Eagle is a big gun. It is Hollywood large. The pistol is so big that it isn’t practical for much of what we use pistols for. Yet the beast of a gun is a heavy hitting .50 AE with a lot of personality. And now, in the all stainless version, the Desert Eagle looks even better. And the built in compensator makes it even more practical. A practical Desert Eagle? Yes. Read on.

Just in time for SHOT 2015, FN America has released a compact version of their FNS. The new FNS-9C is a solid pistol–it shoots well, has great controls, and is ideal for concealed carry. And the best part may be the price tag.

Urban gun enthusiast Mr. Colion Noir gives us his thoughts on a Mossberg 500 decked out with Magpul furniture.

A .308 pistol? I can guess what you’re thinking. But we’re using the term pistol quite technically in this review. The PTR 51P is a .308 pistol. It is also a devastating personal defense weapon capable of dominating close quarters work. With the addition of an arm brace, this pistol comes to life.

Smith & Wesson has a new line of factory ported M&P pistols. These flat shooting powerhouses are fast and even easier to handle. We got our hands on one and have our first impressions.