Category Archives: new guns

For you Mako fans…

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One of the most underrated mico-9s out there has been Kimber’s Mako R7 series.

I extensively tested and reviewed one of the first models over two years and offered it, along with four similar guns, up when my mother-in-law went on a search for a carry gun– and she went R7 after her own range time on the samples.

Now, Kimber has introduced the Carbon Compact variants of the model, based on almost a decade of user comments and feedback.

The new R7 series gets its name due to the redesigned frame constructed with a carbon fiber-infused matrix that delivers superior durability (up to a 60,000 psi tensile strength) compared to standard polymer frames. This frame also gives the ability for a flared magwell and four interchangeable modular backstraps, both features that are big upgrades from legacy R7s. 

Standard features of the new pistols are a pair of 15-shot magazines, an installed flared magwell, fully ambi surface controls, and three-dot TruGlo Tritium Pro night sights with an orange front ring and white rear rings.

I had a chance to check out the Carbon Compact R7s on a trip to Kimber last month and, have to admit, they are pretty sweet.

Expect more on these in the coming days

Springfield, Breaking Boundaries

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For the past few months, I have been stacking up 7mm Mag groups out of a new bolt gun: the Model 2020 Boundary– from Springfield Armory, of all people.

It’s got an option for a fluted or carbon-fiber wrapped barrel, comes in 7 modern calibers (including PRCs and Creedmoors), runs a traditional profile AG carbon fiber stock with M-LOK slots and QD cups, and is optics- and suppressor ready. Plus it has a Trigger Tech adjustable trigger and comes with a sub-MOA guarantee.

The Boundary, as shown “Field ready” with a SilencerCo Scythe Ti suppressor, a Leupold VX-6HD 3-18×44 CDS-ZL2 and rings, adjustable sling, and three rounds loaded in the magazine, hit the scales at 9 pounds 7.3 ounces.

And I was able to stack up some decent groups with it.

The Boundary feels a lot like a custom rifle that costs a bunch more than this out-of-the-box bolt gun. Springfield seems to be breaking out of its traditional 1911 and M1A mold as of late and this rifle is a step in the right direction if the company is seeking to fill a niche with savvy 21st Century hunters, especially those seeking a PRC-chambered gun that is light enough for Western hunting and with all the best features. 

More in my column at Guns.com.

The NGSW You Have at Home

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The Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, which SIG won in April 2022, aims to use the XM7 rifle to replace the M4 Carbine series with America’s warfighters and the XM250 machine gun to do the same for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. While the M4 and M249 are 5.56 NATO platforms, the new NGSW series will use the Army’s new 6.8 Common Cartridge family of ammunition.

An infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment (Strike Force), 2nd Brigade (Strike), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), executes chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) day qualification with the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle and Fire Control while operationally testing at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. (Photo Credit: Mark Scovell, Visual Information Specialist, U.S. Army Operational Test Command)

That’s what makes the newest MCX Spear variant offered commercially so cool, as it is chambered not in SIG’s consumer .277 Fury variant of the cartridge but in 6.8x51mm – and SIG plans to make overruns of Army ammo available to consumers.

The rifles will still be able to shoot dimensionally identical .277 Fury, while other caliber options such as .308 and 6.5 CM are a barrel swap away.

Plus, there is military overrun ammo inbound.

The military overrun ammo on hand was 113-grain copper solid ball in 20-round boxes, 460-round cans, and 920-round crates. With a .330 ballistic coefficient and 3,200 FPS velocity out of a 16-inch barrel, these rounds spec out at 2,569 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. The case is a brass/stainless steel hybrid that allows for increased muzzle velocity/energy compared to traditional brass.

More in my column at Guns.com.

SIG Hits Both Retro and Ultra Vibes with new P226 models

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I recently attended SIG’s Next event in New Hampshire last week and thought it was interesting that, among the boatload of new products introduced, the company debuted two very different models of the same pistol– the P226.

The P226 was designed in 1984 – before SIG had even established a presence in the U.S. – to compete for the coveted XM9 Service Pistol Trials to replace the much-loved but aging M1911A1. While the P226 was only narrowly edged out by the Beretta 92 over an issue of cost per unit, the U.S. Navy SEALs would soon adopt the pistol and use it for decades. Well beyond this employment by the country’s frogmen, the P226 rapidly became the sidearm of choice for law enforcement customers and savvy consumers – not to mention hundreds of movies, games, and TV shows.

With their smooth dust covers (sans accessory rail) and pebbled grips, for instance in this specimen from the Vault, the old-school P226 is instantly recognizable.

As the standard P226s cataloged by SIG today have evolved into something that outwardly looks a good bit different from the pistols of the 1980s and 90s, the company has gone retro for a limited run of 40th-anniversary guns that share all the same feature set of those original handguns to include an alloy frame, double-stack 15+1 round magazines, a double-action/single-action trigger system, and a 4.4-inch barrel.

The P226 40th Anniversary Model. Rather than plastic like the originals, the grips are special aluminum models supplied by Hogue. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The P226 XFive Reserve

The new P226 XFive Reserve carries many of the top-tier features of the all-steel American XFive line including an extended beavertail grip, undercut trigger guard, extended magwell, and a factory Delta Point Pro/RMR footprint while still keeping suppressor height XRay3 day/night sights. It also has an SAO system with a three-position AX3 trigger installed that is fully adjustable for pull weight and overtravel while the trigger shoe is removable and adjustable for length of pull.

However, while the standard P226 XFive is all matte-brushed stainless, the new Reserve variant carries a high-polish DLC coating on its stainless slide and frame, a look complemented by a blacked-out set of intricate GridLOK grip panels. Further, to help tame recoil on this 48-ounce (!) 9mm, the slide is fitted with an integral compensator/expansion chamber akin to that seen on the P320 XTen Comp.

The P226 XFive Reserve, with a high polish DLC coating rather than SIG’s more pedestrian nitron finish, is stunning. (Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The Factory P320 Legion Flux Raider Exists

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Utah-based Flux Defense came on the scene in 2018 and their Raider, then improved Raider X, chassis systems that turn a handgun into something very much in the PCC realm have been an “if you know, you know” kind of hit ever since. Case in point, when their promised P365 chassis hit the market a couple of weeks ago, it sold out in just eight minutes.

Now, SIG and Flux have partnered to create the P320 Flux Legion package which blends all the famed Legion features familiar to fans of that line with one of the most exciting chassis systems in the pistol space. The result gives the user a 60+1 capacity platform that compacts down to 10.9 inches and hits the scales right around the 3-pound mark (unloaded).

We got a sneak peek at the new platform at SIG’s Next event in New Hampshire this week.

Standard features include a standard P320 Fire Control Unit outfitted with a Legion series skeletonized trigger, a full-size Legion Gray slide with an integrated compensator/expansion chamber, and housed in a matching Legion Gray Flux Defense chassis with a rapid-deploying stabilizing brace. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

More in my column at Guns.com.

The P365 Grows Up…

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With the P365 micro 9mm platform not even a decade old, SIG has updated the platform with the new Fuse variant that includes all the features expected on a full-sized practical/tactical pistol.

The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment,” being still carry-sized while clocking in with a very full feature-set that includes a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide with decent iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.

The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The pistol will be available in at least three different SKUs, including one shipping with two 21-round and one 17-round magazine, another with a Romeo X Compact micro red dot installed (shown above), and a state-compliant (10-round mag) version.

The P365 Fuse compared to the P365 XMacro Comp. Note the Fuse is a bit longer but remains the same height and width. Both use SIG’s 17+1 round flush fit P365 mags and accept extended magazines as well– which we will get into.

For a frame of reference, the full-sized P320-M17 specs out at 8 inches overall, with its standard 4.7-inch barrel, just a skosh bigger than the Fuse. However, don’t let that one spec confuse you, as the P365 variant is much slimmer, shorter in height, and almost a half-pound lighter. Keep in mind both are shown with 21-round mags inserted and with corresponding versions of the Romeo X enclosed red dot.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Return of the Arm Pistol

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Arguably the first large format AR-style pistol to hit the market is now set to make a return, no brace needed.

Firearms maverick Mack Gwinn Jr., a Vietnam-era Special Forces veteran, in the early 1970s acquired the rights to Colt-made IMP-221, a stockless, gas-operated bullpup pistol intended to provide aircrew with a compact survival gun chambered in .221 Fireball. While the Air Force had already scrapped the project, Gwinn made lemons into lemonade, adapting the design to use 5.56 NATO and accept standard AR mags, launching the Bushmaster Arm Pistol.

Bushmaster Armpistol ads started popping up in the early-1970s

The original Gwinn/Bushmaster Arm Pistol borrowed from both AR-15 and AK-47 designs, with its AR-style rotating bolt and AK-type long-stroke gas piston.

Based on the Colt IMP-221/ Air Force GUU-4/P air crew weapon originally designed at Eglin Air Force Base, the original Gwinn Firearms in Bangor, Maine produced the 5.56mm Bushmaster Arm Pistol “in limited quantities” for the USAF in the early 1970s before sending it to the consumer market. Just 20.63 inches long, the Arm Pistol had a lot of M16-style features in a very abbreviated bullpup format.

With the Arm Pistol long out of production and Bushmaster now in at least its third reincarnation since Gwinn sold the company in 1976, his son, Mack Gwinn III, has founded Maine-based Hydra Weaponry and returned a much-improved version of the design to production.

We caught up with the fine folks from Hydra at the recent 2024 NRA Annual Meetings in Dallas to “lay arm” on the new BMP-23.

Hydra feels the BMP-23 is the 5.56mm pistol that Gwinn Jr. would have built if he had access to today’s CNC machinery and technologically advanced materials.

Springfield Armory Enters the Retro Carry Handle Space

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Back in 1986, the Colt AR-15A2 HBAR was where its at…

Back 20-25 years ago, fixed carry handle A2 style ARs with a 20-inch barrel were about the only thing you could find on the black rifle market, and even those were typically neutered by the Federal AWB (which ran 1994-2004) so that they didn’t have such evil features as a bayonet lug and shipped with 10-round mags. Still, they were good enough for DCM/CMP matches.

These days, with the M4 being the standard post-9/11, rifle-length fixed carry handle ARs are hard to find and only a few niche sources exist to get one– Bushmaster, Fulton, and H&R (the latter sold through PSA)– with prices starting at $1,299, and they are frequently sold out.

Talk about not being in Kansas anymore…

So, interestingly enough, Springfield Armory just introduced a very nicely done homage to the M16A2 in the form of the SA-16A2, which includes all the correct throwback features (forged 7075 T6 aluminum receivers, a 20-inch 1:7 twist government profile chrome lined barrel, round handguards with heat shields, a full-length fixed stock with rear compartment, a fixed A2 carry handle with adjustable/dual aperture sight, A2 F-height front sight post/gas block, rifle length gas system, a full-auto profile BCG with a phosphate exterior with a hard chrome-lined interior, mil-spec trigger, and a hollow GI grip) you expect.

The SA-16A2. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The SA-16A2 has some upgrades to enhance performance that the 1980s M16A2 never did, including an Accu-Tite tensioning system to cut down on the slop between the upper and lower receivers and M4 feed ramps.

The lower receiver features “Government Property” rollmarks as well as a non-functional “Burst” selector marking in an ode to the M16A2. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

A full look in my column at Guns.com.

Drink in the Beretta 92FS Fusion OCP

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Beretta last week announced a small batch of hand-fit Model 92 pistols that were produced via the company’s custom shop in Italy.

The new Model 92FS Fusion Operational Camouflage Pattern pistol is limited to a run of just 250 handguns and gets its name from the distinctive laser-engraved camo pattern etched into its surfaces as a salute to the model’s historic military use around the globe.

I recently had the privilege to visit and tour the PB Selection shop in Gardone Val Trompia and observed the Fusion OCP in production.

Beretta isn’t kidding about the time and effort lovingly put into these guns. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

And to see the gun evolve from bare steel is amazing. The camo pattern is laser engraved and is an ode to the pistol’s long career in military service around the globe with over 25 countries

Hand-fitted and hand-polished by Beretta’s master gunsmiths, the company advises the Fusion OCP delivers an extreme level of accuracy: 60 percent greater than a standard 92FS due to barrel selection and finishing.

The slide, barrel, trigger group, and frame have all been coated with the DLC treatment to reduce friction on high movement areas, increase slide mobility, and improve trigger timing.

Expect to see much more from my Beretta trip in the coming weeks.

New CMP 1911s?

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The CMP has been in the Army surplus M1911 business for the past half-decade, drawing up to 10,000 each year since 2018 from a dwindling supply of 100,000 mostly World War II-era guns long-stored at the Anniston Army Depot. However, everyone realizes these guns are in short supply – leading to a lottery system by CMP to sell them to the public with prices starting at $1,050 for even a very well-worn pistol – and eventually, the Depot will run dry. 

With that in mind, in a partnership announced at the SHOT Show, the organization and SDS have teamed up with Tisas to produce a special CMP M1911A1 model for sale to the public to help fund its national youth-focused marksmanship efforts. 

The production of a new-manufactured M1911 for the CMP is big news. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The .45 ACP Government model, according to SDS, will be “a museum-grade reproduction of a mid-war M1911A1 as it was issued during the Second World War.” This will include “United States Property” markings, a Type E hammer, and reproduction WWII-style brown plastic grips – although an extra set of walnut double diamond checkered grips will be included with each gun. 

In a nod to the special status with the marksmanship organization, they will be “CMP” marked. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The slide, frame, and small parts will be Manganese Phosphate finished, and there will be no MIM parts used in the manufacturing process. Like most Tisas 1911s, it will have Series 70 internals. 

Sure, they are made in Turkey, but Tisas makes a hell of a 1911.

The cost, sold through the CMP, will be $479. 

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