Gun Reviews

The Remington 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader is unlike any front loader I have had my hands on. The bolt-action front loader is as close to a Remington 700 as you can get, which should open more doors for early season hunters who may have doubts about muzzleloaders. But is it the ultimate, hard hitting, long range early-season hunting gun?

Most coverage of concealed carry guns focuses on thin, polymer framed autos that try to pack increasingly larger rounds into smaller packages. Revolvers are treated as antiquated. But Smith & Wesson hasn’t given up on the wheel gun, and the new M&P Bodyguard with an even more effective Crimson Trace laser is making a compelling case for the old-school five shot.

From the man who brought you the first open-sourced 3-D printable firearm, now comes the Ghost Gunner, a miniature CNC mill that allows one to readily make AR lower receivers at home.

If you are serious about training, you will eventually stop punching paper and seek out moving targets. Umarex has been making huge strides with realistic versions of popular guns, and now you can train force-on-force, without the consequences of actually getting shot. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t want to get hit. It hurts much worse than I’d imagined.

When Beretta launched the ARX100, we put up a spontaneous review. We had only had the gun for a few hours before press time. So we’re going back and taking another look at the rifle. This time Tom McHale has had more time to really push the gun. How well does Beretta’s new rifle stand up to close scrutiny? Read on…

If you move the grip on a pistol closer to the muzzle, you can more easily control muzzle flip. But how do you get the rounds in through the grip, and into the barrel? Boberg has invented a reverse-feed system that does just that. The result is the XR9-S, is like a bullpup pistol. It is blindingly fast and accurate, but the design presents some serious reliability issues. Read on for more.

Shotguns have been a favorite choice for many years when it comes to personal protection as they provides firepower and versatility with options to fit any budget. There are a lot of myths about what makes a good shotgun for home defense. The basics are easy–it should be a 12 gauge, possess a sturdy and reliable action, have an 18-20 inch barrel, and an easy to see sighting system. Here are five scatter guns that would make excellent choices for defensive shotguns when things go bump in the night.

Some see the M1 Carbine as a antique, a collectable that’s nostalgic at best. They’ve never seen Fulton Armory’s carbines. The Fulton M3 Scout Carbine builds on the M1’s classic design. But don’t mistake this for some historic homage, or a safe queen–Fulton’s M3 is an ideal choice for home defense. And it shoots one clean r.

The Sig P226 Elite SAO has classic Sig internals – not the hinged recoil action and barrel bushing we’re accustomed to seeing in a 1911. Yet it offers the benefits of a constant, light trigger to aid in accurate shooting. Unlike the 1911, it offers a double stack magazine so you get 15 rounds of ammo, plus an extra in the chamber. Oh yeah, and it’s chambered in 9mm.

If you trace the evolution of the modern sniper rifle, it invariably leads you back to the Model 1903 Springfield. It served US forces in World War I, then soldiered on into World War II, through the Korean Conflict, and even appeared here and there in Vietnam. Several versions of the 1903 Springfield were used as sniper rifles, the most common of which was the 1903A4. It first appeared in 1943 and carried a Weaver 330 scope, mounted on a drilled and tapped Redfield base that was created specifically for the gun. The Weaver 330 later turned into the M73, and then the M73B1, and with its 2.2x not waterproof sniper scope, the 1903A4 is today the most classic of all US sniper rifles, but they are expensive, in the thousands of dollars for even a beat up one.

Over the past several years there has been an explosion in shooting competitions based on “as issued” military bolt rifles, or “service rifles.” Thousands of old ’03 Springfields and other bolt action battle rifles have left the confines of the gun safe after decades of non-use and have again become “working rifles.” The problem is, a lot of the shooters involved in these new service rifle competitions are great shooters, but have aging eyesight. Over a certain age, you really need optics to shoot well, but the 1903 Springfield isn’t the easiest gun on which to mount a scope. The receivers are extremely hard on most of them and difficult to drill and tap, and drilling and tapping them is a big decision as well. It is very rare if not impossible to find an ’03 that is all original, but they all have historical value and significance. Most of us out here with the guns are also history nuts and at least quasi-collector/accumulators, and we can’t just decide to drill and tap them for scope mounts so we can shoot them better. That is why, until now, they have largely just sat in the safe.

There’s no denying the feeling of potential instilled by a powerful handgun. And when that gun fits your hand just right, the feeling is even better. The last decade has seen a resurgence in the popularity of the .45 ACP, a round whose reputation has been built by more than a century of proven results, and the guns that fire the round keep getting smaller and better. Here are 5 .45 ACP concealed carry pistols that push the limits of form and function.

GunsAmerica and HAVA are pleased to offer this Mossberg MMR Tactical for auction. We’ve put the rifle through our battery of review tests, and now we’re auctioning off the gun. 100% of the proceeds will go to HAVA and their efforts to help American veterans. It is a worthwhile cause and a kick-ass rifle. The auction is live now, and will close at 8:00 p.m. EST on Sept 21st.Read on for the details.

Kimber’s take on the perfect concealed carry 1911 is a commander length single action with a bobbed grip and a built in laser. It draws fast, is easy to get on target, and hits hard. If you are looking for a functional 1911 that looks as good as it shoots, check out Kimber.

I was initially enamored with the RAAC MKA-1919, otherwise known as the AR-15 looking shotgun. It was the star of our 2012 SHOT Show coverage, registering over 80,000 readers within the first few days after release. Then I got a review gun, and in August of that year everyone got to read that the gun had some quirks. My review was one of the few that put the gun through its paces, and demonstrated that it failed more than it fired. But at the time, I was excited about a modification company that had exhibited with RAAC at SHOT. Guns can get expensive and the base price of the 1919 wasn’t that high. A couple hundred in mods I felt was reasonable for a niche specialty gun like this, assuming that it works well. That company never got back to me.

Who makes the world’s most complete, most bad-ass combat shotgun? It is a question that will stir some heated debates. Pump guns almost always have a leg up over fickle automatics. Capacity is an issue. For civilians who don’t want to bother with registering an SBS, length is still a concern. Ultimately it comes down to two main discussion points: reliability and ergonomics. UTAS, makers of the UTS-15, hope to settle the debate once and for all. They’ve released an overhauled version of their bullpup that is shaking things up.

Mossberg’s MVP Patrol in 5.56 is a surprising rifle. The basic nature of this gun’s design makes it easy to use, and the two chamberings (5.56, and .308) make it a logical choice for preppers. If you’re looking for a compact rifle that shoots inexpensive ammo, and one that is imminently capable, check out the Mossbergs.

Polymer80 makes pieces and parts for the home rifle builder. If you’ve ever thought about finishing your own AR-15 lower, and avoiding all of the FFL paperwork, Polymer80 has a kit that is almost foolproof. And we’ve going built it, start to finish. Read the review…

Today’s spotlight is on a very special set from Barnes Precision Machine–an AR-15 with uppers in both 5.56 and .300 AAC Blackout. Why two upper receivers? That is the brilliance of the Blackout. 300 AAC was designed from the ground up to work with all existing AR-15 components except the barrel. Magazines, bolt, and all the internal parts are identical. But the real benefit comes from active training.

[one_half padding=”0 0 0 0px”] Springfield Duel Contest [/one_half] [one_half_last padding=”0 0 0 0px”] [/one_half_last] Springfield Armory is winding down their August Duel promotion, but there are still ways to win. This week it is the XD(M) Full Size 9mm. Contestants can submit entries once an hour, every hour. And even if you don’t win [...]

General George S. Patton once called the M1 Garand the “best battle implement ever devised.” But was he correct? The run up to World War II saw a giant leap forward in technology for weapons of war. The jet airplane was invented for WWII. Of course the atomic bomb was invented for WWII. But more importantly, the weapons that saw the most combat, the infantry battle rifles of the war, changed considerably as well, worldwide. The SVT-40 never really got out of the gate due to the later popularity of the AK-47, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was an influential rifle on the Eastern front during the war, or the fact that it totally rocks. We got to test an actual 1943 SVT-40 side by side with an M1 Garand, and the results may surprise you.

When Savage called and asked if GunsAmerica would review one of their Youth rifles, I intended to do it right and have an actual kid do the shooting. Then they asked if they could send one in Muddy Girl. While this camo pattern won’t prevent boys from shooting it, I thought I’d try to find a girl who knew her way around guns. After a few phone calls, I lined up an 11 year old. But when the rifle arrived, it was a .308. How well can an 11 year old girl handle a .308?

While there are some 1911s out there that are less expensive, they are coming in from overseas. There’s something very American about the Mil-Spec which is, above all, a nod to a very American pistol. For that, Springfield Armory deserves a special kind of credit. Here’s an affordable American made homage to American history, one that can be both a nostalgic icon and a solid carry gun. Hard to beat that combination.

Gunslingers agree on very few things, but one of them is that bigger, longer guns are easier to shoot, and to shoot well. This is doubly true when you have to do a lot of shooting. Glock owners are a fierce bunch of gunslinging devotees, and now they have a Gen. 4 version of what is essentially a bigger, longer .45ACP Glock 21. This is the last of a competition trio that joins the G34, a long slide 9mm G17, and the G35, a long slide .40 G22. This new G41 has a barrel about .6 inches longer and it has about 3/4 inch more sight radius than the G21, but it actually comes in a couple ounces lighter.

The Mauser M12 is a gun that will help you get the most from your shooting ability. It won’t make you a better shooter than you are, but you’ll still shoot better because the gun is about as accurate as a gun can get. It is a well built rifle that will handle the abuse of the hunt, and one that will hold its value for generations to come.

The Burris FastFire line of red dot sights is known for quality at a low price point. The same is true for the latest addition to the line—the FastFire III. It is practical and perfectly functional and comes in around $240. The 8 MOA dot version is ideal for a shotgun, and I we’ve beaten the hell out of this one, and I’m here to say that the FastFire can handle the abuse.

Smith & Wesson’s M&P line keeps getting bigger. Only this time, the M&P itself is getting smaller. The M&P22 Compact is a well balanced rimfire that is looking to put the fun back in the fun gun. It is brand new, and we have a full review.

I just checked on-line. A Savage Model 111 Long Range Hunter Rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag with a 26″ Barrel and equipped with an AccuTrigger, an AccuStock, and an adjustable comb, sells for $863. A Lucid L5 6x-24 50MM Rifle Scope can be found for $327. Yours Truly is no super sniper, military or law enforcement high-speed, low-drag, kind of guy, but I can consistently hit targets out to one mile with this set-up. This means you can too! And if you are a really disciplined shooter, your results should be phenomenal.

When the XD-S was released two years ago, everyone expected that the small .45 ACP would be the first in a long line of sub-compact single stack pistols. Yet there is really very little that can compete with the XD-S. The .45 ACP XD-S has built a solid reputation, broken preconceived notions for the caliber, and set new standards for concealed carry that have yet to be matched. And Springfield is giving them away!

It seems like we are rushed more and more, all the time in our “fast food” culture. That even applies to range time, sadly. It is a lot of fun to rapid fire a polymer pistol and rip through a 30 round mag on an AR. But sometimes you just need to take your time and enjoy some slow-motion at the range. The Ruger Bearcat makes you slow down. This scaled-down single-action rimfire is great for practicing the basics and poking holes in tin cans, but it is more than a novelty.