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. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
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.
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.
And to be sure, the 92X RDO Inox sports both a stainless-steel slide and barrel on an alloy frame.
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.
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.
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.
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 has been in business for over 130 years and in that time has produced a staggering variety of firearms.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The concept of the “Glock 26X” has been around for a while and is a favorite “hack” of the 80 percenters and 3D printing enthusiasts. The issue is that the G43X, while a great gun, is somewhat snappy due to its short grip. Additionally, aftermarket magazines that increase the capacity to 15+1 shots can sometimes compromise performance. Further, the standard G26, the famed “Baby Glock,” while a classic some 30 years on the market, is a bit stubby while also having an overly chunky grip that doesn’t allow more than 2-3 fingers, depending on hand size.
Enter the G26X, which combines the best features of the Glock 43X, 19, and 26 into one ideal EDC handgun. Built on the Glock 26 platform, it has an extended grip to match the length of a Glock 19, allowing the use of standard double-stack G19 magazines. The overall profile mirrors the Glock 43X, but with full OEM double-stack Glock magazine compatibility. It also features the same accessory rail as the 43X, making it compatible with subcompact weapon lights.
Lenny and the gang over at the Glock Store are building the loaded (serialized) frame, just add the G26 loaded slide and mags. All generations of Glock 26, 27, and 33 slides fit and function.
It is supposed to ship starting in September with a $150 ask.
According to the House Subcommittee on Investigations at the time, in July 1981, there were 412,339 .45 caliber pistols and 127,745 .38 caliber revolvers in the inventories of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
The last procurement of the .45 caliber pistol occurred in 1945. Since that time, the existing inventory has been maintained by rebuilding and reconditioning the worn weapons. Department of Defense witnesses testified that $1.5 million is currently budgeted for the procurement of replacement components for those handguns. They also testified that “field reports indicate that it is reaching the end of its maintainable life.”
The NYT, the previous month, gave the figure as a slightly different 418,000 .45s and 136,000 .38s, which may include guns in USCG inventory not otherwise captured by Navy figures.
As you can see in the article, even then, the Army speculated on selling the surplus guns to the public via the CMP (at the time run by the Army directly under DCM).
Of course, it would take four years before Beretta 92F became the M9 and 37 years before CMP sold the first batch of surplus 1911s to the public in 2018, but I digress.
Featuring “Ambi X Enhancement,” Tennessee-based Smith & Wesson debuted a new line of 5.56 NATO M&P15 rifles this week.
Besides full ambidextrous controls on the receiver, the new AXE line utilizes Gemtech GVAC technology in the uppers to minimize gas blowback when shooting suppressed. They also have a Gemtech ETM flash hider system; an improved BCG with a Carpenter 158 steel bolt, 8620 steel carrier, and a chromed firing pin; an Armornite-finished 4150 steel barrel with 5R 1:8 rifling; and an M&P grip with interchangeable palm swells.
Other standard features include a Radian Raptor charging handle, Williams folding sights, M-LOK slots on a Midwest Industries free-floating handguard, and Magpul stocks.
The Smith AXE series is introduced in four models, including factory SBRs with 11.5 and 14.5-inch barrels, a standard carbine with a 16.1-inch barrel, and a more upscale Performance Center rifle. The first three are all black with a Magpul CTR adjustable carbine stock, while the Performance Center model sports a Gray Cerakote and a Magpul DT stock. (Photos: S&W)
South Dakota-based Black Hills just picked up a $42 million, five-year contract (below) from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane for 5.56mm Long Range, Special Ball, MK 262 MOD 1 Ammunition, with the first bite being for the USCG, likely for its MSSF or HITRON guys. This tracks as Black Hills last year got a $30 million contract for 9mm barrier blind cartridges from NSWC Corona.
Introduced in 1999, Black Hills guarantees its 77-grain MK 262 MOD 1, which has a velo of 2750 fps, with sub 2″ groups (.64 MOA maximum/10-shot groups). Commercially packed BH MK 262 rounds “good price” at about $1.42 a round, translating the Crane award to being worth at least 30 million rounds, hopefully more.
The award:
Black Hills Ammunition Inc.,* Rapid City, South Dakota, is awarded a $42,480,300 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for 5.56mm Long Range, Special Ball, MK 262 MOD 1 Ammunition. This contract does not include options. Work will be performed in Rapid City, South Dakota, and is expected to be completed by July 2030. Fiscal 2025 Ammo Procurement (Coast Guard) funding in the amount of $292,644 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured on the basis of 100% Small Business Set-Aside and two offers were received via the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment Solicitation Module. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contract activity (N0016425DJN13).
