Guns

As we continue our series on how to build an AR-15, we ask a complex qeustion. Direct impingement or piston operation. Should the gun stick to the time-tested formula for basic gas operation, or do you want a cleaner running machine? We’re looking at the differences in this week’s installment.

Looking to build an AR-15? What caliber will you choose? .223 is just the start. Before you get into the build, you need to know exactly what you want your rifle to do. You can always stick with the traditional 5.56, but is that the right choice? Here’s a list of the most popular calibers and what they deliver.

The writer’s at GunsAmerica are coming to gether to share their expertise. Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring expert opinions on the ins-and-out of building an AR from the ground up. If you’ve got that itch to do it yourself, or have ever thought you might build an AR-15, this series is for you. Here’s the intro…

Hollywood would have you believe that shooting from inside the coat is a devastatingly stealthy way to put bullets in bad guys. How easy is it, really? Will the gun jam, preventing a follow-up shot? If you use a revolver, will you burn the hell out of your hand and catch your clothes on fire? We’ve heard all the rumors, and now we have the answers…

As companies race to make ever smaller and lighter concealed carry guns, Walther continues to do what they do best. The PPK is a timeless classic made famous by its dominant role in Hollywood, but the sleek gun still has something to offer. And with a companion pistol in .22LR, trainging with the PPK and PPK/S couldn’t be easier. Read our review of a perfect pair.

I have come to realize that some products are worth figuring out. That was the case on my newest trunk gun project, adding an Adaptive Tactical Sidewinder Venom kit to one of my Mossberg 500 shotguns. The kit did not go on easy, which I’ll explain, and I even had to send my gun into the company. But it turned out that the issue was my misunderstanding of the directions, and a miscue of information on the phone. If you have considered buying a KSG, or some other high cap shotgun, yet you have an otherwise unused Mossberg 500 in the safe, I would seriously consider this kit, which starts at $199 and goes to fully decked out at $399. My review is of the base model with a standard forend, but as you’ll see on the company website, there is now a version with an optics rail forend, as well as some current camo pattern options. The Adaptive Tactical Venom Sidewinder is a detachable magazine kit for the Mossberg 500/Maverick 88 shotguns, with the 6 round mag tube. And after some unnecessary trepidation on my part, it works marvelously.

Justin Opinion has managed to get his hands on a VP40–the .40 S&W version of the wildly popular VP9. He’s put together this look at the first 100 rounds. Check it out.

The word shotgun covers a lot of ground. You can pay six-figures for an engraved Italian masterpiece, or you can buy an old single shot break-action in decent working order for less than the cost of a date night (with dinner and a movie). We’ll be looking at the most practical and reliable shotguns–and there are unlimited options under the $300 mark.

Let’s assume you have some rimfire rounds on hand–and I know some of you do–what should you do with them? For those of you with an M9, I’d suggest this conversion kit. If you have the ammo, it makes training with the Beretta practical and economical.