Not a lot of people would argue that the .223/5.56 is an extremely versatile and useful cartridge. The problem is that not everyone wants to shoot an AR-15 platform for every task, and let’s face it, AR-15s aren’t cheap. Mossberg came up with an idea to make a .223 bolt gun that uses AR-15 mags and for SHOT Show of this year, they released the MVP series. A lot of us are jumping up and down yelling YES YES YES. The MVPs come in several different configurations, from a 24″ barrel and target stock, down to a 16″ stubby patrol rifle that takes a suppressor. All of the guns have a 1:9 twist rate, so they will handle the same range of bullets as most AR-15s, and from what we found with our test gun, an 18″ laminate stock Predator model, these new Mossberg bolt guns are tack drivers. Our primary concern testing the gun was whether the reverse engineering for AR-15 mags worked as hoped, because nobody has really done this before and you have to wonder why. But our little MVP had zero problems digesting from its own 10 round mag and even the long 30 round P-Mags, never failing to pick up the next round, and you could jiggle the magazine back and forth with no hitching of the bolt whatsoever. It works because Mossberg put a little tab sticking out of the bottom of the bolt to pick up the shells. The MSRP for our MVP Predator is $729, and the series tops out at the Flex Patrol version at $928. The street prices will be well under that when the market comes back to normal, and your local stocking dealer most likely has them well below MSRP right now, but call before you go. The MVP seems like an idea whose time has come, and these guns are 100% Made in USA.
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Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD – Long-Range Setup and Review
At first blush you might think you have to shell out big bucks for a long-range rifle, but the Remington Model 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD with a suggested retail of only $833 will hold its own against rifles costing much more. Features like a 1-in-10-inch twist, 20-inch heavy barrel with a threaded muzzle, a Hogue OverMolded Ghillie Green Pillar Bedded Stock and Remington’s externally adjustable X-Mark Pro trigger make this .308 Win. a bargain when it comes to precision rifles.
Ruger 1911 Commander – SR1911CMD – New Gun Review
In a 1911 market that really should be saturated by now and an economy that’s arguably still struggling, Ruger is adding a Commander-size SR1911CMD for the concealed-carry gun owner who wants a quality, American-made 1911 for only $829. It used to be that if you wanted a reliable and accurate 1911, you bought a Colt and then spent more than the cost of the gun on custom gunsmithing. Depending on what you wanted, the sky was the limit. I credit Kimber with changing that in the mid-1990s when it aggressively entered the 1911 market with factory-made guns flush with all the bells and whistles and set off a race to the top that seems to still be going.
Smith & Wesson M&P-9 Shield – Range Report – New Gun Review
Smith & Wesson’s 2012 arrival to the micro-sized 9 mm-pistol market was fashionably late, about a year after just about every pistol company in the gun industry put out a pocketable 9mm. But while most of the competitors pared down their 9mm pocket gun, Smith & Wesson managed to keep most of the features of the full sized M&P, and this proved to be an instant hit with the army of M&P enthusiasts out there. It made perfect sense to retain as much of the M&P design as a micro-sized pistol would permit, but that took more time, and it was a tough judgement call for Smith & Wesson to debut the Shield at SHOT Show 2012 instead of 2011 when so many pocket 9mm pistols were released. A year later, just coming out of SHOT Show 2013, it seems to have paid off for Smith & Wesson. The Shield has been for the most part sold out since its introduction a year ago, and now with some serious range time on the guns, the Shield has shown to be very accurate and reliable. It is one of the few striker pistols on the market with a manual thumb safety, which almost puts the gun in a category by itself.
The Lasers Edge – Free Crimson Trace DVD
If you think the only advantages to a gun-mounted laser aiming system are the confidence it inspires and intimidation factor when you paint the perp, then you’re sorely in need of a free copy of Crimson Trace’s “The Laser’s Edge” DVD. Sit down for 40 minutes and you’ll see how any laser’s instant feedback can be used to improve trigger control, maximize your safety if detaining a criminal until authorities arrive, and much more.
Yes, the company’s products are showcased, and you’ll also receive a Crimson Trace catalog with the DVD, but this is anything but pure marketing hype. A panel of six of the nation’s foremost firearms experts was assembled to discuss and, better yet, show viewers exactly how to use handgun-mounted laser systems to improve their self-defense skills.
Blackhawk Xiphos NT Night-Ops – Gear Test
The tactical flashlight market is fiercely competitive, and although I haven’t inquired as to why the Xiphos NT Night-Ops is no longer listed on its website, I do know Blackhawk has a policy of producing the very best, or the SKU goes away. I surmise with the huge number of companies now offering chip-driven tactical flashlights, this may have been a strategic withdrawal.
TrackingPoint Lock ‘n Launch Rifle Technology
The military contractor game has dried up some since the wars have slowed down so a lot of products that hoped for military trials are now trying to make it in the consumer world of guns and gun toys. Perhaps the most advanced at this year’s SHOT Show was TrackingPoint, a monstrous looking rifle and scope combination that is being marketed as fighter plane lock and launch technology for your deer rifle. Tag, Track, Fire.
The TrackingPoint system looks like a big huge rangefinder scope but it is actually an entire weapon system. You buy the rifle and electromechanical optics computer as a package, tuned to the ammo that comes with the gun. At first blush it felt more like the stuff of science fiction than that destined for the hunting camp, but TrackingPoint was the talk of SHOT Show 2013 for sure. The concept of this device is simple. Rifle accuracy and rifle ballistics have outpaced shooter ability for decades now, and most cartridges are generally not able to be shot at their effective distances because of potential shooter error. First shot hits at ranges of further than 600-800 yards are in the single digits for success percentages in human trials, even with ballistic computers, and if you think about it, there should be a technology that can make this better. From idea to finished working product, TrackingPoint is this technology.
Taurus PT111 & PT140 Gen. 2 Concealed Carry Pistols – SHOT Show 2013
Taurus has always been renowned for its top-notch warranty. Basically, the gun is guaranteed for life, and the warranty goes with the gun from owner to owner.
This year, instead of heading off in some radical new direction, Taurus refined an old favorite. The PT111 has long been known for its small size and respectable firepower, so Taurus decided to push the envelope by reworking its striker-fired PT111 9 mm into the PT111 Millennium G2, part of its “Carry On” series for the concealed carry (CCW) market. The PT140 was also reworked into a similar PT140 Millennium G2 in .40 S&W. If you take a look at the gun pictures, it is head and shoulders better looking than the original Millennium guns, and we hope to get one in to test in hand. Taurus seems to have a new focus on making fewer different guns better, and this gun could be a pleasant surprise at an affordable price.
SureFire 500 Lumen Upgrade – Same Runtime – SHOT Show 2013
Flashlights may be one of the less exciting products to talk about, but if you have ever used a 500 lumen SureFire, there is plenty to be exciting about. THEY ARE LIKE LIGHT SABERS. And now SureFire has upgraded their Defender, X400GN, and X400V flashlights from 200 lumens to 500 lumens with no loss in runtime. Also check out the video for their new “teal green” lasers, which is a pretty gutsy color to advertise in a male dominated market, specifically because according to their own SureFire research, teal green is what the human eye works best with. SureFire products aren’t cheap. These lights will be in the $500+ range, but our experience has been that when you compare relative costs to the Chinese copies, SureFire is 5 times brighter, 5 times more durable, and give you 5 times less problems, at roughly 3 times the cost. And here is an extra tip. Those red SureFire batteries that you can buy from SureFire or even on Amazon in 12 packs last twice as long as Energizers. We use them exclusively on all of our 123A devices.
We Stand As One! Contact President Obama & Congress on Gun Legislation
If you have been following our Law Abiding Gun Owner petition at Whitehouse.gov, you know that it was shut off overnight on Thursday, when we sent our last email appealing to women and minority gun owners. Like many others, we suspect that the Whitehouse staffers noticed that the anti-gun petition was dying and that ours was taking off. We also got reports that many people could not sign it prior to Friday. Over 57,000 of you were able to make your voices heard, and we would have reached 100,000 alone given the chance. No national media outlet, popular gun website or even popular gun blogger linked to our petition. Thanks to those of you who tried to spread the word, and of course, those who were able to actually sign.
As it turned out, President Obama answered all of the gun petitions, for and against, in one note and video. He did not answer ours specifically. You can read his response here on the original petition page. I do feel that he should have answered us directly because we doubled the requisite number of petition signatures, but he did clearly acknowledge law abiding gun owners in his answer at least. If you read between the lines of what he said and wrote, the President appears to be notifying us that his political hands are tied and that we need to act now by contacting our congress members directly, and also by letting him know what we think of his answer. Rather than hem and haw, I think this is what we should do.