Taurus took its flagship micro 9mm pistol and added a chassis engineered with Strike Industries for seamless brace integration to create something truly interesting.
The Taurus GX4 debuted in 2021 and has been a favorite with consumers. An easy on the wallet micro compact double-stack 9mm that reviewed well and came in at about $300– a good bit less than its competition– Taurus followed up on the hit by introducing optics-ready TORO models, which are direct milled for the Holosun K, as well as larger format Carry series guns with flush-fit 15 round mags.
The original GX4
Now, with the new GX4 Strike Bravo, Taurus takes the GX4 Carry TORO and puts it inside a new chassis and modular grip system co-developed with Strike Industries, specifically engineered to accept the latter’s side-folding FSA Single Stabilizer. Added to the package is a reversible charging handle, a suppressor-ready 3.7-inch extended barrel, and a long MIL-STD-1913 accessory rail for lights and lasers.
Thus:
The GX4 Strike Bravo falls into PDW territory but is NFA-compliant. (Photos: Taurus)
The overall length of the pistol with its Strike Industries FSA extended and locked into place is 18.38 inches.
The weight, unloaded and sans optics or accessories, is 34.9 ounces.
The reversible charging handle comes in handy when it comes to racking the slide due to the rear of the chassis.
It compacts down to about 10 inches, which makes it a tough but not impossible concealed carry piece, and more likely a bag gun.
Shipping with two GX4 Carry-sized magazines (15 rounds or 10 rounds, depending on state restrictions) the Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo has an MSRP of $795.99.
If you already have a brace with a rear Picatinny interface, the GX4 Strike Bravo is sold without one, with an ask of $606.99.
The Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo, in its less spendy but brace-less format.
Compare that cost to the SIG P365 Legion Flux, which has a $1,199 MAP in its cheapest format, and the $2,500 B&T USW-A1, and you see the value.
In short, Taurus is now offering what could be termed “the USW/Flux we have at home” for a fraction of the price.
Ruger has gone full walnut on an anniversary model of the company’s famed Mini-14carbine to celebrate more than half a century of the rifle’s production.
Designed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Bill Ruger and L. James Sullivan, the latter one of the engineers behind the AR-15, the Mini-14 took visual and naming cues from the Army’s 7.62 NATO M14 battle rifle (albeit with mechanical cues from the M1 Garand), but was scaled down to fire a .223 Remington/5.56 NATO round.
Since its introduction in 1974, the gun has captured the public’s imagination and chalked up over 200 film and TV credits, making it an icon.
I mean, who can forget Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith and his khaki tuxedo?
The new 50th anniversary model remains a modern variant of the Mini when it comes to its 580-series Ranch Rifle gas system and internals, while sporting a laser-engraved anniversary logo on the bolt, polished stainless steel accents, and full walnut furniture, including a wood handguard rather than the plastic one that was introduced in 1978. In an ode to the old and highly collectible “GB” models, it sports a bayonet lug and a birdcage style flash suppressor.
Note that the full-size walnut stock includes a wood top cover and has a slot cut to utilize an M1 carbine sling/oiler. Meanwhile, the gas block features a left-side sling swivel. (Photos: Ruger)
The 18-inch cold hammer-forged has a 6-groove 1:9-inch RH twist (rather than the old 1:7 twist) and ends in a 1/2″-28TPI threaded muzzle under the flash hider.
Sights include a ghost ring rear aperture and a non-glare protected blade front sight on the GI-pattern bayonet lug. Meanwhile, the receiver is drilled and tapped for mounting an included Picatinny rail.
The 50th anniversary Ruger Mini-14 ships with a hard case, two 20-round magazines, and scope rings with an MSRP of $1,399. For comparison, the standard sans bayonet lugged blued model with a simpler walnut stock and plastic top cover has an ask of $1,339 and ships with a 5-round mag.
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 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 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 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 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 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.
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.
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 Scorched Earth
The 92X Performance Dark Midnight Squall
The Midnight Squall is also available in a Full Optional with a Toni systems magwell and extended magazines.
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…
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.
We recently attended the SIG Sauer Next Event in New Hampshire and got the scoop on the company’s new hardware for 2025.
The new guns included SIG’s first entry into the double-stack 1911 pistol category, a soft recoiling .380, a “Fluxed” P365, modernized P226s, the return of the vaunted 516 rifle, a Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC, an AR-10 platform in the spicy .277 Fury, at least three new suppressors, and a ton of new optics.
Below is a quick rundown, and you can expect much more on all these platforms in the coming days and weeks.
P211-GTO Series
Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is SIG’s evolution of the P210. The new P211-GTO instead builds on the company’s 20 years of experience with the 1911 platform (exemplified by the new X-Carry series) but in a double-stack format.
Built with lots of buy-in from Team SIG’s pro shooters, the P211 runs P320 mags, has a Delta Point Pro footprint, a usable ambi slide catch, and sports a 3D printed muzzle compensator/brake at the end of the 4.4-inch bull barrel.
Plus, it’s an 80-series, which means it’s drop safe (rare in double-stack 1911s), but somehow still has a good 3.5-pound trigger.
Ready for USPSA Open competition divisions (or Limited Optics with the comp removed from the non-threaded barrel), it ships with one 23-rounder and two 21-rounders.
Unlike some guns in the same space, it has a steel frame with an aluminum rather than a polymer grip.
MSRP is $2,300, which is on par with a base model OA 2311. Just saying.
P365-Luxe Series
Probably the easiest-handling P365 on the market, the new P365 Luxe is a 12-shot .380 ACP with an X-length grip frame and an integral expansion chamber style comp. The result is a double-stack micro compact that runs smoothly and just hangs on target.
This one feels more like a .22 when it comes to recoil than a .380, a round that is notoriously snappy in small pistols.
P365-FLUX
SIG released a Legion-series P320 Flux Raider last year, just as the P365 Flux hit the market, so it’s a no-brainer for the company to debut a Legion-series P365 Flux this year. Billed by Ben with Flux as a “rifle in your pants,” it will be available in both braced pistol and stocked SBR formats, with the ability to carry 50 rounds on the gun when stored.
We were quickly and easily able to hit reduced plates at 50 yards from behind cover with one.
It sports a 6-inch slide (a first for the P365), but when the Flux is folded, it is still just roughly the length of a WML-clad Glock 17.
P226X Legion
Everyone who loves modern combat pistols has a soft spot for the P226, but the platform is a bit dated, pushing 50 years in service. However, the updated new P226X Legion (4.4-inch barrel) and P226X Legion Carry (3.8-inch barrel) include X5 compatibility, optics-ready slides, XRAY3 day/night sights, and bull barrels with 35/35-degree reverse target crowns. You also have the Legion treatment complete with Gray Cerakote and enhanced ergos.
Plus, SIG plans a dozen different SKUs of these guns with options for user-adjustable AX1 single-action-only or AX2 DA/SA trigger systems.
The new SIG P226X Legion models will come in both 3.8-inch and 4.4-inch lengths as well as DA/SA and SAO triggers.
516 Mohawk
The original SIG 516 was an AR-15-style rifle that utilized a short-stroke gas piston system that sprang from the minds of the same guys who invented the HK 416. Renowned for its reliability, the 516 nonetheless was put out to pasture in 2019 while its 7.62 NATO-chambered big brother, the 716, endured and won huge (like India big) military contracts around the globe.
Now, the 516 is back in the Mohawk variant, which now includes a non-reciprocating side charging handle– ideal for use in prone or compressed positions– along with fully-ambi surface controls.
Still a piston gun with an adjustable gas system, it carries a 16-inch cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:7-inch twist rate, a free-floating M-LOK handguard, a 6-position Magpul DT stock, and a Matchlite Duo trigger.
6.8 Hyp rifle
SIG made headlines a couple of years ago with the MCX Spear and its GI brother, the M7 NGSW rifle. Giving the market a direct impingement AR-10 platform that is purpose-built for .277 SIG Fury– the commercial 6.8x51mm cartridge as used in the Spear/NGSW– the Hyp (Hy Pressure) is beefed up to be able to handle the massive 80,000 psi SAAMI spec maximum average chamber pressure of the round.
The cost is about $2K, which sounds high but is still a good bit cheaper than the MCX Spear.
Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC
SIG debuted the sub-7-pound Cross Sawtooth last year, complete with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel, 2-stage match trigger, AICS magwell, and a fully adjustable stock. New for 2025 is the gun in 6.5 PRC, a popular hard-hitting round that takes the performance of the 6.5 Creedmoor and turns it up to 11.
The new SIG Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC ships with a 22-inch 1:8 twist barrel and weighs 6.9 pounds.
Endure, Hexium, and TiN Can suppressors
SIG debuted three new suppressors last week, including the low back-pressure Hexium as well as the .30 caliber 6-inch Endure, and 9-inch TiN Can titanium bolt gun suppressors. All are made with additive manufacturing techniques (3d printed) and have modular endcaps.
Available in both Inconel and titanium in 5.56. 300BLK, and 7.62 NATO, the new SIG Hexium series has a 3D printed core and a Hub taper direct thread mount. Note the external hexagonal pattern with black Cerakote.
The Endure features a compact length of 6 inches and a weight of just 11 ounces for enhanced portability in the field. Note the distinctive external topographic pattern with a black Cerakote finish.
The SIG TiN Can suppressor features an overall length of 9 inches while still hitting the scales at just 18 ounces. Like the Endure and Hexium, it runs a Hub taper direct thread mount.
Optics
SIG had a whole table full of advanced optics to debut at the event, including the Bravo6T BDX riflescope, Kilo Warp weapon-mounted rangefinder/ballistic calculator, Oscar6 HDX Pro spotting scope, and the paired Romeo8T-AMR red dot and Juliet3T-AMR magnifier.
The new SIG Bravo6T is a first focal plane riflescope with eTRAK elevation dial and onboard environmental sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity. The company will be offering it in both a 3-18x44mm and 5-30x56mm format with easy-to-adjust turrets and a 35mm tube. Reticles include MRAD DEV-L 2.0 and Milling 2.0. Note the ALPHA5 mount with an LRF diving board. The ask is $2,399-$2,499, depending on the variant.
The Kilo Warp is SIG’s first on-gun rangefinder, able to sister to traditional glass via a diving board on the tube. After about 30 seconds of instruction, we were able to easily measure unknown distances and get an automatic dope that matched the glass to ballistics and atmospherics via Bluetooth to parent Bravo6Ts, then make no-problem hits at 100 and 650 yards from a Sawtooth. The ask is $1,999, which makes a Bravo6T/Kilo Warp combo a $4,500 piece of glass.
The Oscar 6 uses optical image stabilization to allow use offhand, which means in a pinch, you can leave the tripod at home. We were easily glassing to 1,000 yards with it and calling shots at 650. The cost is $1,999.
The Romeo8T-/Juliet3T-AMR combo runs right at $1K ($100 more if bought separately) and gives the user a red dot and magnifier system using SIG’s new Automatic Modified Reticle, which incorporates magnets to automatically transition the reticle when the magnifier is flipped into and out of view. It has a big 40mm lens while being billed as 30 percent smaller than similar sights. Sealed, they are IPX8 waterproof and fog proof and have a 50,000-hour battery life on a common CR123.
While covering the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta recently, I made sure to stop by the Auto-Ordnance booth, as they always have something interesting.
One of these was a neat limited edition Wastelander Thompson, which carries a custom Cerakote finish that looks fresh from some post-apocalyptic badlands.
The Wastelander Thompson carries a custom finish that goes far deeper than just some exotic Cerakote and ships complete with a sling crafted from a salvaged motorcycle chain. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
“Forged for over 80 hours with grit and ingenuity by the survivors at Koted Arms, every detail of the Wastelander Thompson, from the graphic designs to the rusted-out Cerakote finish, reflects the harsh realities of a post-apocalyptic world,” notes Auto-Ordnance.
Note the intricate, deep laser-engraved markings that feel like it has seen the abuse of some far-off end-of-times battlefield.
The walnut furniture has been given a plasma-cut treatment that gives it a distinctive lightning bolt pattern.
The Wastelander Thompson is chambered in .45 ACP and features a 16.5-inch finned barrel that extends to 18.5 inches with its compensator.
It has an overall length of 41 inches and a solid weight of 13 pounds due to its steel construction.
They also have the new T5P, a polymer-stocked Thompson. Black on black, it is a standard 1927A1 but with wood grain polymer furniture, which drops almost five pounds from the hefty .45 ACP carbine. Seems like they could have shaved a few more ounces dropping it down to a 16.1-inch barrel rather than the 18 it ships with, but hey. MSRP is expected to be $1,558.
Spec sheet below:
The new models come as the old-school “Chicago Typewriter” has been getting a lot of time on the silver screen in recent weeks. The iconic drum-magged Tommy gun is seen in both the trailers and extensively, in the end scene of the smash new horror movie “Sinners.”
Rossi has trimmed down its R95 Triple Black lever-action rifle into a much more packable pistol variant for 2025.
The company debuted its new R95 Triple Black Pistol, or TBP, to the recent NRA Annual Meeting at Atlanta, and we were able to lay hands on it for a closer look. Much like its rifle-length older brother, the TBP is clad in a black Cerakote-coated finish with matching black furniture. A paracord-wrapped medium loop lever and a top-mounted Picatinny optics rail are also features that are carried over from the original.
Specific to the TBP is its abbreviation, shipping with suppressor-ready 13.25-inch barrels and a pistol grip, allowing the lever-action mare’s leg an overall length of just under two feet. Weight is 5.5 pounds, unloaded. While Rossi had the .357 Magnum variant on hand in Atlanta, the TBP will also be offered in .454 Casull, .45-70 Govt, and .44 Mag for those looking for something a little spicier.
The side-loading Rossi TBP has a paracord-wrapped medium lever, which splits the difference between big loops and standard rectangular slot-style levers. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The pistols have threaded muzzles with the .357 at NRAAM fitted with a JK Armament can. All four caliber options run a four-round underbarrel magazine tube. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Note the top-mounted Picatinny optics rail. Other features include a cross-bolt manual safety and two sling swivel studs. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
With an overall length of just 23.5 inches, the Rossi TBP line is more easily stowed than a full-length carbine or rifle. (Photos: Rossi)
One of the interesting new releases on the floor at the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta last week was an entry into the 12-gauge “not a shotgun” category by IWI.
Dubbed the Mafteah – Hebrew for “key” – it is a 12-gauge semi-auto with a 3-inch chamber. However, born sans stock and with an abbreviated 14-inch barrel, it doesn’t meet the federal guidelines to be considered a shotgun, and thus can’t be a short-barreled shotgun, putting it above NFA red tape.
In short (pun intended), it is in the same category of firearm as the Mossberg 590 Shockwave and 990 Aftershock, and the Remington V3 TAC-13 and 870 TAC-14.
“It is said the Key of Solomon could do almost anything, contain anything or anyone, and open any passageway one might need,” notes IWI on the new platform. “This one isn’t quite so magical, but it will do a number on opening doors.”
The IWI Mafteah has an unloaded weight of 5.7 pounds and has a cross-bolt manual safety. The charging handle is reversible. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The cylinder-bore 14-inch barrel is made of 4140 steel. The fixed tubular magazine has a 5+1 capacity in 2.75-inch shells, and 4+1 in 3-inch if you enjoy numbness in your hands.
Taurus came to the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta with a curious new (to the U.S. market) double-action/single-action .380 pistol.
The original Model 58 was introduced in 1988 as the 12-shot Model PT-58.
Thus:
Its more modern variant has been popular in Brazil for years and is now available on this side of the equator.
With a layout similar to the iconic Beretta Model 92 (PT 92/99 for Taurus), the handgun sports a 4-inch barrel inside an open slide that has a familiar feel in the hand despite its stubby 7.2-inch overall length. The full-sized grip contains a flush-fit 15-shot double-stack magazine.
The combination gives you a great feel and a decent magazine capacity.
With the sudden resurgence in double-stack .380s such as the Beretta 80X and assorted Turkish-made M84 clones like the MC-14, the time may be right for some more competition in the field.
