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This November 22nd will be 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The shooting itself has been the subject of movies, documentaries and countless books and articles; the legitimacy of any of them, including the official government explanation, called the Warren Report, is not within our purview to say. But we thought it would be cool to try to find one of the rifles that came from the same batch as Oswarld’s supposed murder weapon, and see what it looks like close up, and how it actually shoots. The 6.5mm Carcano we were able to find is serial-numbered C4880, and Oswald’s was C2766. That puts it only a couple thousand rifles away in the production line, and our test rifle has the original scope mount and scope found on Oswald’s as well, almost exactly like the rifle/scope combo he bought out of the February 1963 American Rifleman ad from Kleins for $19.99. We don’t know if the parts were originally on this gun and that they were part of that small batch of imports for Kleins, but it sure is cool, albeit a bit morbid, to shoot a nearly exact replica of the gun that changed the course of America, a course that still reverberates with the assassination today.

The finer things in life are sometimes just those things that technology can’t capture. If a gun is a classic, like the 1911, modern updates are great to carry an effective design forward. But there is a magic to the old guns that Cerakote and Picatinny rails can’t match for some. Doug Turnbull has been restoring classic 1911s, cowboy guns and classic shotguns for decades, with the correct bluing, case coloring and even the original roll engravings. If you missed our first article on Turnbull restorations, you really should read it. The problem with the old guns, though, is that there are only so many of them that are good candidates for restoration. And for 1911s, the further we get from the year 1911, the more any 100% original gun will be worth, regardless of condition. That is why Doug decided to bring the 1911 into his family of newly manufactured firearms, a list that includes the Winchester 1886, Colt Peacemaker style revolvers, and we recently reviewed the Turnbull steel version of the AR-15. If you have always wanted a 1911 that looked, felt and worked like a gun new in the box circa pre-1920, the Turnbull 1911 is the most accurate gun you could possibly own. We got to shoot Doug’s version of this modern classic, and sure enough, the safety is even stiff. These guns are available directly from Turnbull Restorations for $1,950.

Before there was a Sig P226 or a Beretta M92 there was a the Browning High Power. It was made by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, and was designed by John Moses Browning like like the Colt 1911. But unlike the 1911, the High Power has always stayed under the Browning name and it is still manufactured today by Miroku in Japan. The major departure from the 1911 on the High Power is the feature that brings the 226 and M92 into the same family of guns. It is a double action/single action, method of firing. On the first shot, the trigger both pulls back the hammer and releases it, like a revolver. Once the first round is fired, the hammer stays back from being cocked by the recoil of the first shot, then the second shot fires single action. The tangent sight marks this as a military contract High Power. It is among the more desirable models from a collector standpoint.
The tangent sight marks this as a military contract High Power. It is among the more desirable models from a collector standpoint.
This double action/single action design evolved into an entire class of pistols, that eventually came with hammer decockers and safety decockers, but the original High Power had neither of those. It can be carried with the simple manual safety engaged, hammer back in single action (holstered of course), or without the safety engaged in double action mode. There have been several copies of the Browning FN high power over the years, but the original High Power is still made today for Browning by Miroku in Japan. Examples of the Belgian made High Powers are thought to be the original classic guns, and are sought by both collectors and shooters today.

The Smith & Wesson M&P pistol needs no introduction at this point. Since its introduction the M&P has been one of the best striker fired guns in the market. An oddity about the gun is one of few complaints that you hear from competitors who shoot the M&P in matches. It is that two part rocking trigger. Apex Tactical makes a line of improved triggers for many of the most popular pistols in the world, and they recented added the Smith and Wesson M&P handgun to the list with the Polymer Forward Set Sear Kit. The replacement trigger is completely redesigned and looks more like other factory triggers than the hinged trigger offered on the stock S&W platform. The polymer kit, introduced about 6 months ago, keeps the cost down without degrading function, while improving usability. The factory trigger is one of the pistols biggest criticisms from trainers and end users compared to the aluminum kit. The name of the trigger defines the function of the kit. It moves the sear forward allowing the shot to break earlier in the squeeze of the shot, the uniquely shaped trigger provides a built-in over travel stop, giving the shooter a short crisp shot that gives positive reset for faster follow-up shots.

Sturm Ruger & Co. knew back in 2009 that they needed to be in the semi-auto rifle market with more than just the Mini-14. They wanted an AR-15-type rifle, but soon discovered that the“Mil-Spec” AR-15 left a lot to be desired. A standard AR sends its hot gases back to the bolt, pushing on the bolt carrier and opening it for the next shot. This makes for a very hot and very dirty bolt group after only a few rounds, and this can and does hurt both short and long term reliability. So while most of the market was busy copying the standard AR-15 design with their own branded product, Ruger decided to take the less beaten path, and create their own design. That design was the SR-556, in 5.56 NATO, or .223 Remington. Instead of just gas, the 556 employed a rod to move the bolt, this rod rode above the barrel, and was controlled by an adjustable gas block. The design is very similar to the rifle that used to be called “the right arm of the free world,” the FN-FAL. This new Ruger rifle contained the gas/rod system of the FAL, yet had the weight advantage and ergonomics of the AR-15. Out of the gate the SR-556 was a hit for Ruger, and several variations of the SR556 are still extremely popular today.

The only thing is, the FAL is a 7.62×51 (.308 Winchester), not a 5.56. So since the introduction of the SR-556 the market has been screaming for a SR-762. About two weeks ago Ruger finally introduced one into the market, based on the exact design of the SR-556. The MSRP of the SR-762 is a hefty $2195, but as an “all you’ll ever need” rifle, we found it to be just that, and worthy of a lifetime purchase decision.

I first heard about the Kimber Solo from the new gun reports coming out of the 2011 SHOT show.  At the time it was big news and I was really intrigued to hear that a major manufacturer, which I only knew from its reputation in building high grade .22 rifles in the 1990’s and high end 1911-pattern pistols, was jumping into the increasingly crowded pocket pistol market.  I was even more interested when I learned more about the Solo and discovered it was a single action striker-fired pistol with a good set of sights, ambidextrous manual safety and magazine release.  As a fan of all pocket 9mm pistols, I made a mental note to watch my local shops and check one out as quickly as possible.Eventually, one of the largest Kimber dealers in our area received a Solo demonstration pistol.  I had a chance to handle the pistol and really liked the way it felt in my hand.  Constructed from stainless steel and aluminum, the all metal pistol had a good weight and balance even with an empty magazine.  The build quality looked outstanding.  What really sold me on the pistol was its size.  As far as pocket 9mm pistols go, only a select few can ride comfortably in my front pocket for all day carry.  Visually the Solo appeared to be just a shade smaller than my old-style bullnose Kahr PM9, and the weight felt about the same.  For me, it would definitely work as a pocket pistol.

It was a huge surprise when this past Labor day weekend we started to hear that Springfield Armory had announced a recall on their XD-S series of concealed carry pistols If you are not familiar with the XD-S, it is a small, but not tiny, 45acp six shot, and this year Springfield brought out a 9mm eight shot, with the same external dimensions. The magic of the XD-S is ergonomics. The .45 shoots like a 9mm of any other brand, and the 9mm shoots like a .380 of any other brand. Springfield has never had a recall on any of their guns, so nobody knew what to expect. This article is something of an update, with the latest news, and we got to shoot a couple of the modified XD-S’s this weekend. An overview and review follow.

This past Friday, October 18th, Springfield started shipping back the upgraded guns from the folks who had sent them in starting that first week in September, when we first sent out our notification. The guns will be upgraded in the order that they were received. Denny Reese, the Co-CEO of Springfield explained what’s going on with the upgrade process in an interview on Friday.

In a perfect world one gun will do everything you need. Well, the world isn’t perfect and who really only wants only one gun anyway? But a little FLEX’ability never hurts. When President Obama talked about people clinging to religion and guns, the gun he was probably talking about was the Mossberg 500 shotgun. If you are going to cling to a gun, the 500 isn’t the worst choice you could make, and it is probably the best. Last year Mossberg came out with a new addition to the 500 line, called FLEX, and it is indeed meant to bring a certain “FLEX’ability” to your Mossberg. At first glance you might think the various accessories in the pictures just screw on and off like normal hardware, but they do not. The FLEX system, in this first incarnation, is made up of three linkage systems. One is on the forend. Another is on the wrist of the gun, where the stock connects, and the third is on the butt of the stocks. With the FLEX system, one Mossberg 500 can be converted from a full length duck gun to a tricked out tactical to a bare bones pistol grip in about 30 seconds. Different recoil pads adapt for different sized shooters, and it takes no tools whatsoever to change the parts. Both the 500 and 590 guns are out in the market as FLEX guns, and they retail in the $450-$550 range depending on configuration.

The DoubleTap Tactical Pocket Pistol is an over/under break action derringer capable of delivering two rounds of 9 mm or .45ACP as fast as you can pull the trigger. It is sold as a simple and rugged option for deep concealment or backup. Make no mistake, this is not a range gun or plinker. It’s designed for one purpose and one purpose only – saving your life. We first saw the DoubleTap almost two years at SHOT Show 2012, but after some hiccups with manufacturing contracts and parts suppliers, the DoubleTap pistol is just now finding its way into the market. Our big question, and yours most likely, is the street practicality of the DoubleTap. The .45ACP is no kitten when it comes to recoil, and even though your followup shots are limited to one in the two shot pistol, an “ouch that hurts” after the first shot wouldn’t be the ideal in a concealed carry pistol. There are a lot of perfectly good pocket pistols on the market, and this gun has several red flags, as well as some outright user discomfort. At an MSRP starting at $499 for a two shot derringer, do we really need the DoubleTap?