reviews

Available in a direct thread or QC set up, we opted to test the direct thread. The can features a completely toolless takedown, though it has wrench flats on the cap. Not that any of us would ever neglect maintenance so long as to need those. The user serviceable part of this cannot be overstated.

Smith & Wesson saw the exact problem I’ve described and have literally engineered the S&W M&P Shield EZ to be easier to shoot and manipulate. I believe it to be the easiest centerfire pistol in the concealed carry market to shoot and it might be the ultimate kids gun.

Opening a newly arrived box at my local FFL dealership inspired a couple “Wow!” responses – one of them my own. The 1860 Richards Transition Model Type II nestling therein sports eight glorious inches of gleaming blued steel barrel, a beautifully figured walnut grip, and a very nice color-casehardened frame.

Successful firearm sequels balance “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” with real, value-adding improvements. If a manufacturer re-engineers a popular design like the XD-S, they risk losing those features that made the firearm successful in the first place. But if they don’t improve enough components, “new-and-improved” starts to look suspiciously like “the-same-and-more-expensive.” Those were my thoughts heading into this review, but I think Springfield balanced these two extremes well.

The new for 2017 Armageddon Gear Suppressor Cover models can withstand sustained semi-auto fire. They are specifically rated to 800 degrees. I’m running titanium suppressors and don’t want to ever get my suppressors or barrels that hot. If you are doing full auto mag dumps then you’ll likely exceed that temperature and this probably isn’t the suppressor cover for you. 

Besides addressing my grill needs, I can rest assured that Camp Chef is on our team. Their parent company is Vista Outdoors, which is also home to Savage Rifles and Federal Ammunition, amongst others. After the REI debacle with Vista a few months ago, and Vista’s praiseworthy refusal to fold, I am a fan of the company in general. And as the battle lines are drawn in the economic sphere, I am definitely not siding with the smelly hippies and assorted SWJ chuckleheads. I’ll get my outdoor gear from Cabela’s and Brownells from now on.

The TriStar KRX Tactical Shotgun is a serious player. With AR ergonomics and a box magazine, it is easy to load and simple to shoot. No matter what your sport, the KRX is ready to play. The advanced self-adjusting gas system feeds any shotgun ammo reliably and the removable choke system (Beretta/Benelli Mobile Threads) lets you pick your pattern, including extended tactical chokes.

While it’s not a perfect, crisp as a Pringle 1911 trigger, it’s close. Very close. For a striker-fired pistol, it’s extraordinarily good. The flat face took me a few rounds to get used to, but when I allowed my finger to rest naturally on the trigger, migrating toward the lower end of the shoe as intended with the resulting increase in leverage, I grew to like it. For the final analysis, I applied the Lyman trigger gauge once more.

Before I talk about the features of the gun, let me say that this gun and my time behind it has led me to rethink my immediate negative reaction when some gun writer pens the phrase, “Practical Accuracy.” When seen within context of most articles I have always winced, viewing it as a dog whistle indicating poor accuracy. However, my off-the-shelf Hudson H9 that I purchased from a retailer has me re-defining practical accuracy more generously, i.e., being able to hit targets of a size commensurate with the defensive use of a handgun, effectively at practical distances and speed.