Category Archives: new guns

There’s a New 10 shot Rimfire Wheel Gun Out There

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Wisconsin-based Henry Repeating Arms this week expanded its line of high-quality double-action revolvers with a new rimfire model.

The Henry Golden Boy Revolver announced on Thursday, shares Henry’s lever-action rimfire aesthetic, featuring a deeply blued steel medium-size frame, genuine American walnut grip panels, and a highly polished brass backstrap and trigger guard. Chambered in .22 rimfire, they accept Short, Long, and Long Rifle cartridges, giving the user a bit of flexibility.

The new wheelguns will be available in both a square “Gunfighter” grip as well as an option for a Birdshead grip, and they sport 4-inch round-profile steel barrels.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Ruger in the 10mm Carbine Game?

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Further fleshing out its line of pistol caliber blowback-action LC Carbines that accept common handgun magazines, Ruger has gone 10mm.

The company introduced its current fourth-generation centerfire PCC platform in 2022 as a rifle variant of the Ruger 57 pistol in 5.7×28, then added a .45 ACP companion earlier this year at SHOT Show. Now, the news has come that the LC Carbine will be offered in the resurgent 10mm Auto chambering. Best yet, it accepts standard Glock-pattern double-stack 10mm magazines – even legacy 3rd Gen models.

Shown with a flush 15+1 and with a 30-round extended

The bad news is that the Ruger LC Carbine in 10mm has an MSRP of $1,049, which, while just $40 more than its .45 and 5.7mm brothers in the same family, is still kind of spendy for a PCC.

Still, there aren’t a lot of 10mm carbines out there, with the Ruger falling squarely between the $400-ish Hi-Point 1095 and the super Gucci $1,400 KRISS CRB – which probably gives the new offering a wide open market for those who wish to run the “centimeter” in a full-length barrel.

The Most Affordable 5.7 Carbine?

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Florida and Wyoming-based KelTec late last week debuted the latest caliber offering in the company’s extremely popular SUB2000 carbine series.

Introduced in 2001 with a host of different common magazine well choices, the SUB2000’s biggest claim to fame is that it folds neatly in half for storage. Evolving into a second and currently third generation since then, the pistol-caliber carbine had previously been offered in 9mm or .40 S&W. Well, until now, at least.

The newest SUB2000 runs FN’s 5.7x28mm and uses common 20 and 30-round FN Five-seveN pattern magazines. It can also accept 55-round drums. Running from a blowback action, standard features include integrated M-LOK and Picatinny rails for accessories and optics. It is also threaded (1/2×28 TPI) for easy suppressor use.

When speaking to that asking price, the new SUB2000 with its $500 ask easily beats everything else in the semi-auto 5.7 carbine space, coming in cheaper than the CMMG Resolute and MK4, FN’s PS90, Ruger’s LC Carbine, and even KelTec’s own R50.

More in my column at Guns.com.

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.

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