Feature Articles

The great thing about modern production pistols is the ability to plug and play or mix and match. Taurus recently announced the newest G3 pistol at the 2022 SHOT Show. The G3x combines the full-size frame of the G3 with the short slide of the G3c. I received one of the new models a week before its announcement at SHOT Show.

Shotgun nerds like me are always wary of weirdness, and shotguns attract lots of weirdness. A lot of these weird firearms are often just unreliable gimmicks. I can tell you two things. First, the SRM 1216 is beyond a gimmick, and two, yep, it’s pretty freaking weird.

The P1 is a fun and affordable piece of history. If you have ever thought about owning one, now is the time. In a few years, they will be collectible and un-affordable. Your kids and grandkids will thank you.

If you are piecing together an AR15 upper you have most likely wondered what bolt carrier group or BCG you should go with. These days many manufactures are spitting out BCG’s each with its own set of pros and cons. Listing all of your required features will help narrow down the search to a handful of different BCGs. When I pieced out and built my 11.5” AR15, my requirements were that the BCG had to be affordable, full-auto rated, and TiN-coated was preferred. Enter the Brownells M16 Bolt Carrier Group with the Titanium Nitride coating.

The Vortex Spitfire Gen 2 HD is my new example for the reasons why prism optics rock. The Spitfire’s small size but capable magnification make it a perfect carbine optic. It’s no designated marksman’s optic, but for the typical carbine ranges, the Spitfire works and works well. The price point is affordable, and the optic is well suited for a variety of firearms.

Bert Waldron was a “Break Glass in Case of War” type of soldier. America desperately needs such men. It is simply figuring out what to do with them when the bullets aren’t flying that seems to be the perennial challenge.

The Colt Walker, or Walker Colt according to some, is an iconic but historically insignificant firearm. In firearm development it was a big deal, because everyone figured out that nobody really needed a horse pistol. Ballistically, this gun is a true Magnum when it comes to cap & ball pistols. I tested the Walker at length with balls and heavy bullets, and it is a monster of a handgun, from all the way back in 1847.

Continuing the evolution of Springfield’s much beloved Saint line of semi-automatic rifles comes the Saint Edge ATC and ATC Elite. ATC stands for Accurized Tactical Chassis. This monolithic chassis is at the foundation of the rifle’s accuracy and Springfield’s sub-MOA guarantee. The rifle comes in 2 models, the regular Edge ATC and an Elite model. 

The CZ Scorpion went from being a single sub-gun and large format pistol to an entire series made up of rifles, pistols, and even a bullpup. One of the latest models is the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S2, aka the Micro Scorpion. The Micro Scorpion took the standard Scorpion and shrunk it a fair bit. They sell it with a folding brace, a collapsing brace, and a brace-free variant. This little (but big) pistol gives you something PDW-sized for home defense and for a ton of fun at the range.