Brian McCombie

I dropped down onto the other side of the ranch gate and onto the saturated soil. I was hunting private property south of Longview, Texas, in early April 2021, and it had been raining much of the last 24 hours. It had been raining pretty steady for the last three days of my time here in East Texas, which made the fields and pastures even more inviting to the feral hogs that so love to root up the ground.

The TRS (Tactical Ready Series) Commander 1911 from Nighthawk Custom carries a hefty price tag of $4,399.00. Which has many readers asking themselves, “How the hell can any pistol be worth $4.3K?!”

Last year, I reviewed the new STR-9, a 9MM semi-automatic pistol from Stoeger Industries of Istanbul, Turkey, for this very digital platform. Best known for its workhorse shotguns, Stoeger launched itself into self-defense handguns with the STR-9—and it did a workman-like job.

Marlin Firearms made big news recently by launching its first rifle since being acquired in 2020 by Sturm, Ruger and Company: the Marlin Model 1895 SBL chambered in the potent .45-70 Govt., and manufactured in Mayodan, North Carolina. Ruger, as was widely reported, purchased Marlin after the Remington Outdoor Company declared bankruptcy and its assets were sold, including the Marlin brand.

y guarantee on the Lupo, and I found that to be true with all three brands of ammunition when shooting from 100 yards and off a sandbagged rest. 

Earlier this year, Devil Dog Arms (DDA) announced that its 1911’s were available in optics-ready versions, and I immediately asked for their 5 Tactical model in 10MM, specifically cut for the Trijicon SRO optic. I’d used and reviewed DDA’s 1911’s in the past and they were first-rate—accurate, reliable, and solid. But I had yet to use one of their 10MM models.

That was one of the furthest shots I’ve even made with a thermal optic, at night, on a hog. My guide and fellow hunters were cheering my shot, and I certainly felt good about it. But I also knew the REAP-IR made the shot possible.

A relative newcomer to the body armor market, Predator Armor is based in Delta, Utah, where it makes and sells body armor plates, plate carriers, and other accessories. When I was asked if I might review some of the Predator product line, I thought to myself, “Body Armor? Me?” 

The first time I viewed a photo of the new Buck Mark Plus Vision UFX .22 caliber rimfire, from Browning North America, saw the red and black color pattern, the side cuts on the barrel sleeve and the long muzzle break, all I could think of was Star Wars–and I immediately loved the pistol! Then I received a Plus Vision UFX to review and loved it all over again. It was extremely accurate, comfortable in hand, and just so damned much fun to shoot, and all of this wrapped up in the coolest looking pistol I’ve seen in forever.