Feature Articles

Smith & Wesson’s latest addition to the M&P SHIELD lineup is intended to reduce the barriers to shooting a semiautomatic handgun. The M&P 9 SHIELD EZ is touted as easy to use from all perspectives. Many have said it’s ideal for those with lower grip strength, like women and the elderly, but who wouldn’t want a gun that’s easier to use?

The Spot Shot is a Wi-Fi camera that can attach to virtually any spotting scope to take photos and video of whatever you happen to be shooting at. Plus, unlike many products in the firearms world, it’s relatively inexpensive: MSRP is $119.99, but I’ve seen it for as little as $74.99.

There is a whole industry geared up to supply all of your shooting needs but a fun day in your garage doesn’t require a second mortgage. There is a world of targets and gadgets that are cheap or even free if you know where to look.

Wild Bill Hickok was the original Old Western gunfighter. Like most professional purveyors of violence, he left his mark but died both young and hard.

Sig has made the leap into the deep end of the pool to compete with the well-established pillars of the micro market, the Smith & Wesson Shield, and the Glock 43 9mms. It certainly looked and felt good, and it held more bullets than its rival competitors, but looks are sometimes deceiving. The true test is when you put a product side by side with its competitors and see how they stack up. So after a not so patient wait to get the newly popular P365 its time to get down to the range, scales and numbers to see how it does.

I got the Ruger PC Charger in for testing and, admittedly, I was very excited about it. This new 9mm pistol can accept a pistol brace, muzzle device, and an optic which makes it easy and convenient to use. Also, this gun has takedown functionality, meaning you can remove the handguard and barrel from the receiver and carry it as a seperate package.

When the situation calls for shooting the same gun up close or hundreds of yards out, the Vortex Razor Gen III 1-10x has the features to allow top performance at either end of the spectrum. The 10 power gives that little extra to make things possible at greater distances.

If you have been hesitant to build an AR pistol, I hope this helps. Never have so many parts been available, and at mostly reasonable prices. I recommend you get yours ASAP, before the ATF figures out a way to reclassify them all as SBR’s.

Norma has been around the block for over 100 years, producing a diverse range of ammunition lines for military, hunters, and target shooters. I’ve recently checked out some of their pistol and rifle ammunition to see how it stacks up.