Category Archives: gun culture

Kimber goes more carry-oriented with new 2K11 Pro series double-stack 1911s

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Alabama-based Kimber looks to mine more gold from its popular new 2K11 double-stack series pistols by debuting five new, and more carry-oriented, Pro models.

The company debuted the 2K11 line in three models and two calibers (9mm and .45 ACP) last November with an aluminum alloy grip module over an SST steel sub-frame. The slide is made of stainless steel, featuring an external extractor, front and rear slide serrations, and a factory optics cut in the RMR footprint.

Running TAG Precision FiberLok 2 front sights with a suppressor-height serrated rear sight, under the hood is a beast of a deep-crowned, fluted bull barrel. Buyers also got a great GT aluminum trigger, ambi safety levers, an innovative tool-less guide rod/spring assembly, and common (2011 pattern) magazine compatibility.

The Kimber 2K11 standard model
The standard 2K11 is an elegant, if full-sized, tack driver that is slicker than an oyster with a head cold. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Since then, Kimber has added a Stainless model featuring the Carbon Fiber/Kevlar-infused grip module from MJD Solutions, the 2K11 Independence, and the Eclipse.

Now, the company has answered demand for a more compact entry to the 2K11 line in a big way with five new 9mm models, all sporting a 4.25-inch fluted and crowned barrel while offering 19+1 round Checkmate UHD magazines. Two of the new models will also be available in .45 ACP format, shipping with one flush 11+1 round mag and one extended 13+1.

All share many of the more top-shelf 2K11 features, such as its toolless guide rod, external extractor, disconnector ramp, and zero-creep GT Trigger that has a 3 to 4-pound break. All are optics-ready and ship with an RMR plate with RMSc, DPP, ACRO, and 509T available. As with the rest of the line, these guns are constructed, not assembled, by a single technician, from the ground up.

Let’s talk models.

These five finishes available are Coyote, Eclipse, Minotaur, Royal, and Stainless. Of these, the Coyote and Minotaur feature aluminum grip modules, while the other three use MJD carbon fiber and Kevlar molded grips, with the latter shaving off about 6 ounces in weight.

The Kimber 2K11 Pro Coyote
The Coyote. Note its Stan Chen magwell and Kevlar carbon fiber grips on an aluminum grip module. Hitting the scales at 40.9 ounces empty, it is available in 9mm ($2,699) and .45ACP ($2,799). Note the Coyote PVD slide and black DLC barrel
The Kimber 2K11 Pro Eclipse
The Eclipse with its stainless slide and black DLC barrel. Offered only in 9mm, it is lighter at 35 ounces due to its MJD carbon fiber grip module. Price is $2,345. 
The Kimber 2K11 Pro Minotaur
The Minotaur features a distressed Sandstone Cerakote finish over its stainless slide and frame with a black DLC finished barrel. Available in 9mm, it has an ask of $2,575.
The Kimber 2K11 Pro Royal
The aristocratic Royal has a bronze PVD finish and an MJD composite grip module and magwell. It is available in 9mm for $2,499 or .45ACP for $2,599. 
The Kimber 2K11 Pro stainless
Finally, the aptly named Stainless has a Kimpro Granite finish and Kevlar carbon fiber grips. In effect, it is the most attainable 2K11 Pro, priced at $2,245. It is only offered in 9mm. 

We have one of these inbound for a review, so expect to see more on these beautiful – and functional – new pistols in the coming weeks.

The Saint Victor is now a solid option for off-the-shelf ARs

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Springfield Armory has debuted its new and improved Saint Victor series for 2025, and we have been testing a Coyote Brown 16-inch model for the past few months to give you guys the full review.

Springfield has been in the AR game for a minute and introduced its Saint series in 2016, followed by the more high-end Saint Victor series in 2019. In September 2025, the revamp of the Victor line brought a ton of new features and enhancements to the series that customers have been asking for, now in 16 new models. 

As the gun gives you 7 QD points and 56 M-LOK slots, you have a lot of room to accessorize.

We added a Streamlight Pro-Tac HP-X 800 lumen light, an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic 2 MOA red dot reflex sight on a QRP2 mount, and a BFG sling. A SilencerCo Omega 36M, a modular multi-caliber suppressor rated up to .338 LPM and .350 Legend, rode along for most of the 500 rounds sent downrange.

The new standard includes a Radian Raptor LT charging handle, nitride-finished 4150 CMV barrels with a continuous tapered profile, crowned muzzles, and low-profile gas blocks; aluminum handguards with a full-length top Picatinny rail, M-LOK slots, and lots of QD sling points; four-prong flash hiders on threaded muzzles, and an enhanced bolt carrier group. Furniture includes B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD stocks, Type 23 P-Grip pistol grips, and polymer trigger guards. Other features include 45-degree ambidextrous safety levers, low-profile aluminum flip-up sights, and flat-faced nickel boron-coated triggers.

There are tons of ARs out there, folks. If you are looking for a budget gun in the $400 range with lots of “mil spec” parts, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a Gucci-level $3K gun from a West Coast maker that specializes in cool tunes and vibes on Insta, this isn’t it. What the Saint Victor is, in its newest configuration, is one that splits the difference between the two bookends and provides some very nice features that genuinely enhance the gun’s performance without crossing into bespoke artisanal territory.

It’s meant for work but still looks good on the wall.

Full review over in my column at Guns.com.

Beretta goes Dark on the 92X Performance

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Built on the proven Beretta 92X Performance Carry Optic platform and dressed in a sleek, all-black finish with a choice of colorways, the new Performance Dark line has arrived.

Beretta introduced the 92X Performance Carry Optic in 2022 as an out-of-the-box race gun that was compliant with IPSC and USPSA Production and Optic division regulations. In addition to improved functional and ergonomic features, they shipped with Toni System optic plates – compatible with four optic mounting patterns, a wraparound grip, a low-profile USPA-compliant frame-mounted safety lever, a competition mag release, and a skeletonized hammer.

New for 2025 are a series of five 92X Performance Dark series guns that build on that standard, but, instead of the bright steel-framed Nistan-coated look, these all carry a Graphite Gray Tinitec finish with options for black, red (Scorched Earth), blue (Midnight Squall), or yellow (Solar Flare) accents in the aluminum grip panels and trigger.

All sport a steel Vertec frame, which gives the guns a 47.7 ounce unloaded weight (oof), as well as a match disassembly latch for faster maintenance, a beveled mag well for quicker reloads, and 18-round magazines.

The 92X Performance Dark Solar Flare 
The 92X Performance Dark Solar Flare 
The 92X Performance Dark Scorched Earth
The 92X Performance Dark Scorched Earth
The 92X Performance Dark Midnight Squall
The 92X Performance Dark Midnight Squall
The 92X Performance Dark Midnight Squall Full
The Midnight Squall is also available in a Full Optional with a Toni systems magwell and extended magazines. 
The 92X Performance Dark black
The 92X Performance Dark Black model. 

The MSRP is $1,699, which is almost twice the price of a standard model 92, but is actually $100 less than the base 92X Performance Optic model when it was first introduced.

Plus, Beretta has been running rebates in recent months, so…

Going the distance with the new Savage Revel DLX lever gun

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With the company’s vaunted Model 99 now almost 30 years out of production, the new Savage Revel series was introduced last September.

The Revel line, in both a basic Classic and fancier DLX series, will eventually be offered in .17 HMR (nine-shot), .22 LR (12-shot), and .22 WMR (nine-shot) models. The six variants will have staggered availability dates. The .22 LRs have been shipping for a while, and other models will appear later in 2025.

Just over 36 inches long, the stock on the Savage Revel DLX has a 14.5-inch length of pull, which makes it much more comfortable than a lot of .22 rifles on the market that run a shorter 13 or 13.5. While most youth should have no problem with it, the rifle handles well for full-sized users without feeling cramped. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

All have a quick takedown capability, an under-barrel tube magazine, an aluminum cover over a steel receiver that is drilled and tapped for a scope mount, Turkish walnut furniture, adjustable iron sights, a cross-bolt safety, and a “big(ish) loop” lever. An 18-inch medium-profile carbon steel barrel is standard.

I had the opportunity to try the Revel DLX at LeverFest in Louisiana this April and found it impressive.

I was impressed by the rifle’s performance, easily hitting targets at 60 yards with open sights, so we arranged to review a DLX model in .22 LR over the past three months.

Full review in my column at Guns.com

Beretta 92 Inox, now optics ready

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The Beretta 92 is an icon, some 50 years in the making, first hitting the market around 1975. It has evolved numerous times since then, and in 1990, the first Inox models– short for “Inoxidizable,” Italian for “stainless” hit the market. While the company had offered nickel models previously, the move to stainless was a first for Beretta and at the time was an obvious competitor to the brace of stainless S&W “Wondernines” then in production.

The Inox soon became familiar on screens large and small, appearing in the hands of everyone from Chuck Norris, Christopher Walken, and Sam Rockwell to Jean Reno, Pierce Brosnan, and Chow Yun-Fat. Both Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson used an Inox 92 in at least two different movies!

And for good reason– the guns just look great.

The new Beretta 92X RDO Inox
The new Beretta 92X RDO Inox. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The new Beretta 92X RDO Inox
While Beretta has put Inox guns in and out of production in the past 35 years, they are back and still look sharp. These new guns are made in Gallatin, Tennessee. 
The new Beretta 92X RDO Inox compared to old Inox
Compare the new 92X RDO Inox to a circa 2017 92FS Inox made in Italy. The X-series update is easy to spot on the newer gun as it has a slimmer, straight Vertec-style grip, an accessory rail, front and rear slide serrations, and a round trigger guard. 
The new Beretta 92X RDO Inox
And to be sure, the 92X RDO Inox sports both a stainless-steel slide and barrel on an alloy frame. 

Plus, it is now optics-ready.

Full review in my column at Guns.com. 

CMP: M1917 Enfield and Salvaged M1 Updates

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The CMP now apparently has so many surplus M1917s, likely returned to the Army from veterans organizations that had them for decades, that they are now dropping the ask on them to $900 plus $35 S&H.

That’s lower than what decent non-bubba’d specimens usually go for on Gunbroker.

Also, more details on reclaimed M1s, which will include both receivers and barreled receivers.

With prices as low as $275, they may make interesting project guns.

Especially when you consider they will have them in both .30-06 and .308 Win.

A video on the background of these:

And from CMP itself:

CMP RECLAIMED BARRELED RECEIVERS

Mixed manufacturer barreled receivers, re-machined to original specs with new commercial barrels professionally installed and headspaced to the included bolt. Cosmetic condition is good to very good, with minor weld marks primarily below the wood line. These receivers have been “Dual Field Magnetic Particle Inspected” and all have passed ASTM 1444E magnetic particle inspection and are safe to fire. Online and mail orders are luck of the draw, sold as-is, no refunds or exchanges. Available in .30-06 and .308.

PRICE: $500 plus $20 S&H

Note: Barreled Receivers are not sorted by manufacturer and will be distributed randomly—no special requests will be accepted. All orders will be shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight and will require an adult signature upon delivery. Barreled Receivers will count toward your 2025 annual limit, and all state laws and regulations will be followed.

CMP RECLAIMED RECEIVERS

The CMP’s reclaimed rifles/receivers are not rewelds—they are fully inspected, certified, and tested to exceed typical safety protocols and come with the confidence of our engineering and armory teams. Click here to learn more.

RECEIVER A PRICE: $325 plus $15 S&H

Mixed manufacturer. Re-machined to its original specification. Cosmetic condition will be good to very good. Receivers will show signs of previous weld(s), primarily below the wood line; however, the depth of penetration will be superficial. These receivers have been “Dual Field Magnetic Particle Inspected” to ASTM 1444E standards and are safe to fire. Online and mail orders are “luck of the draw” and sold as is with no refunds or exchanges.

RECEIVER B PRICE: $275 plus $15 S&H

Mixed Manufacturer. Re-machined to its original specification. Cosmetic condition will exhibit moderate variation in finish color, pitting and/or porosity from the previous weld(s). These receivers have been “Dual Field Magnetic Particle Inspected” to ASTM 1444E standards and are safe to fire. Online and mail orders are “luck of the draw” and sold as is with no refunds or exchanges.

Note: Receivers are not sorted by manufacturer and will be distributed randomly—no special requests will be accepted. All orders will be shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight and will require an adult signature upon delivery. Receivers will count toward your 2025 annual limit, and all state laws and regulations will be followed.

Has the Glock/Aimpoint COA become the pistol you can’t buy?

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The Glock A-Cut Aimpoint COA series guns have proven popular since their release, but the company is reportedly reining in consumer sales.

The pistol maker debuted the concept in January, with G48, G43X, G19 Gen5, G45, and G47 models available.

The COA, in turn, mounts into the Glock A-Cut via a wedge system that helps eliminate movement. The two companies developed the system jointly, and the pistol maker says it meets its 40,000-round endurance standard.

Glock G48 Aimpoint COA
The A-Cut G48 with the COA installed gives a low deck that allows the standard sights to easily co-witness. Note the size of that window, showing the wide field of view while not drastically overlapping the slim pistol. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

While supplies of these new guns have never been plentiful enough to fully sate demand, it was widely reported via social media over the weekend that “all Glock COA models have been canceled for the civilian market indefinitely to fill military orders.”

Although not discontinued outright, it would seem that the remaining consumer-facing supplies of COA-equipped guns in circulation are finite, at least for the time being.

Glock has been tight-fisted with the COA models all year.

We at Guns.com were loaned two COA-equipped Glocks, a G19 and a G48, for reviews. When we attempted to purchase them at the end of the test period, company representatives said they needed the pistols returned. This has never occurred in previous experiences reviewing new Glock models over the past decade.

To reiterate, we put a few thousand rounds through these guns without cleaning and were rough with them, racking the slides via the optic as much as possible, tossing them around, etc, then repeatedly offered to buy them at full retail afterward, and Glock said: Nope, we need them back.

On the upside, the exclusive agreement between Aimpoint and Glock on the COA lasts for 12 months and is expected to expire in early 2026. Other manufacturers such as CZ, Springfield, and S&W could then introduce competitive COA-equipped or compatible models if Aimpoint’s manufacturing capacity enables the optic to be distributed outside of the Glock package. Aimpoint currently has a U.S. Patent (No.18/876,898) on the A-Cut pending.

The Magic Behind the Axis II rifle

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Founded by Arthur William Savage in 1894– a polymath who also built some of the earliest race cars and invented radial tires– the company’s bread and butter for a century was Mr. Savage’s Model 99 hammerless rotary-magazine lever gun.

With over a million made in dozens of variants, the Model 99 was put to pasture in 1997 and likely is never coming back, fully transitioning to the bolt-action Model 10/110, which had been introduced in 1958.

Savage factory tour
Savage has been in business for over 130 years and in that time has produced a staggering variety of firearms. 
Savage factory tour
Besides its iconic Model 95/99 lever guns and Model 10/110 bolt guns, made Mosin 91s for the Tsar in the Great War (under Stevens-Westinghouse), Enfield .303s for the British, shotguns to train Army Air Corps gunners how to shoot down Messerschmitts,  in WWII, and even M2 “Ma Deuce” .50 cals.

Then, in 2010, Savage, building on over half a century of experience with the 110 series (as well as production of the Enfield .303 rifle during World War II), introduced the well-built yet affordable Axis series rifle. Using detachable box magazines and a smooth-operating bolt with an introductory price of around $300, the Axis was a hit.

By 2014, the improved Axis II line, with the inclusion of Savage’s AccuTrigger system, hit the market and has delivered a reputation as an accurate rifle that is accessible to a wide range of hunters and sports shooters. Upgrades in ergonomics and feature sets have seen the line expand over the years, and the rifle is now made in over a dozen calibers and variants.

While not every Savage rifle is an Axis II– the company catalogs more than 240 rifles– it is a heavyweight when it comes to production numbers. Savage is the people’s champ when it comes to rifle production. Its flagship plant in Westfield delivered 639,591 rifles of all types to the market in 2023, making it the most prolific rifle factory in the country. For reference, the runner-up was Ruger’s North Carolina plant with a comparatively paltry 321,160 rifles. To put those numbers into perspective, Savage these days is besting the century-long run of the old Model 99 every two years.

And they are doing it while keeping the craftsmen in the game and retaining accuracy and reliability.

I recently visited the Savage factory and had a chance to see how the Axis II was produced.

25-minute video after the jump to my column at Guns.com.

Hanging with the Crayfish

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During the Warsaw Pact era, the Poles broke from the nominally allied Soviets a bit when it came to small arms. Instead of the straight AKM, they used the Kbkg wz. 1960/72. Whereas the Russkies went to the AK-74 in 5.45, the Poles came up with the wzór 1988 Tantal and the Onyks carbine. Rather than the Makrov PM, the Poles had the FB P-64 in the same caliber, later supplemented by the .380 ACP P-83 Wanad.

Whereas the Soviets generally replaced subguns with folding-stocked short-barreled AK variants, the Poles kept on chugging with the FB PM-84 Glauberyt (Pistolet maszynowy wz. 1984) and the smaller PM-63 RAK, both in 9×18 Makarov.

While the PM-84 was no beefcake, hitting the scales at just over 4 pounds unloaded and sporting a 5.5-inch barrel, the PM-63 was downright portable, running just 13 inches long with the stock collapsed and weighing in at 3.5 pounds.

Polish paratrooper armed with a PM-63 submachine gun RAK, with its stock and foregrip folded

Polish marine with a FB PM-63 RAK submachine gun, its stock and foregrip deployed. Note the scooped barrel, which serves as a sort of compensator. Coincidentally, RAK means “crayfish” in Polish

Polish tankers with RAKs in drop leg holsters. The PM-63 RAK, with its stock collapsed, was a true PDW and is akin to the Flux Raider of today.

The PM63 continues to see use

Further, while the PM-63 still floats around in combat use in Ukraine and elsewhere, parts kits complete with 9mm Mak barrels are here in the states for cheap.

Bowman and others have been selling beautiful RAK kits for like $269

While traveling in Minnesota recently to film a bunch of podcasts for Guns.com, I stopped in to see friends at 2 if By Sea Tactical in New Prague, a Class 7 FFL, and put a few boxes downrange with a post-86 reweld “crawfish” they have in the shop.

At 650 rpms, you drained a mag quick.

It uses 15-round flush and 25-round extended magazines, giving you either 1.5 or 2.5 seconds of zpppppp.

With the stock extended, the length is 23 inches, which gives the user a very compact little PDW.

The Poles may have been on the right track with this interesting little guy.

 

German Army Looks to CZ P10 as New Pistol

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Reports from Europe point to CZ as being the winner of a huge contract to provide as many as 180,000 new pistols to the German military.

The German federal army, or Bundeswehr, has been conducting trials since last year to replace its polymer-framed hammer-fired 9mm P8A1 pistol, a variant of the HK USP, which has been in service since 1994. Current contenders to become the future P13 handgun in Bundeswehr service have been narrowed down to the Arex Delta, the Glock Gen 5 G17, and the CZ P-10 F.

German defense media site Hartpunkt reported earlier this month that the BAAINBw, the Bundeswehr’s acquisition agency, is finalizing a €25 million award to CZ for the new P13. The award will be for 62,000 pistols first, with an option for as many as 186,000 guns.

The striker-fired P-10 F, introduced by CZ in late 2018, is the largest of the company’s well-liked P-10 series, with a 4.5-inch barrel and a 19+1 capacity. While available in both optics-ready and suppressor-ready variants, it is not known which model the Bundeswehr has under consideration. (Photo: CZ)
CZ’s P-10 series is already in use with the militaries of the Czech Republic and Romania, both NATO allies of Germany. (Photos: Czech Army)

In addition to the P13 program, German KSK special operations and KSM frogman units recently adopted Walther PDP 4.5 and 4-inch variants as the P14/P14K series of pistols.

Before the adoption of the HK P8, the Bundeswehr issued the Walther P-38 and its postwar alloy-framed offspring, the P-1, going back to the service’s birth in 1955.

Savvy gun autists will, of course, point out that the 1940s-era German military used several different CZ variants.

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