Tag Archives: new handguns 2025

Modern Pirate Pistol!

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Rossi has expanded its Brawler series of modern break-action single-shot pistols for the better with new models to include variants in .300 Blackout and 5.56 NATO.

The company in 2023 debuted the $300 Brawler line with a dual-caliber .410 bore/.45 Colt offering outfitted with a single-action trigger and a cross-bolt thumb safety. It’s simple. Just load the chamber, close it, cock the hammer, fire, and reload. Takes about five seconds to figure out.

Now, Rossi has upped the ante and was on hand at the recent NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta with the new Brawlers, each carrying a more serious punch.

The Brawler in 300 BLK runs a 6-groove, 1:8 RH twist, 9-inch barrel and has an overall length of 14 inches. The 5.56 has a 1:7 twist with everything else being the same. Note the threaded barrel. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

While the .45/.410 Brawler has a high blade front sight; the rifle caliber variants only run the integrated top Picatinny rail for optics. (Photo: Rossi)

The possibilities for such a pistol as a trail gun are obvious. Paired with a suppressor, it seems ideally suited as a Form 1 candidate to transform into an SBR running Rossi’s $59 LWC/Tuffy folding pistol grip stock.

The return of the PT-58!

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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.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

Finally, the CZ Shadow 2 Carry

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The CZ Shadow 2 is one of the best guns of the century. Full stop.

The original Shadow line, an all-steel, large-capacity SA/DA pistol, was descended from the CZ 75 SP-01 and used successfully to pull down a first-place production division finish in the 2005 IPSC World Shoot. Given improved sights, a longer barrel, and better ergos, the Shadow 2 debuted in 2016, followed by an optics-ready model in 2020.

Today, it is used by two out of three of the top competitors in IPSC Production and Production Optics divisions, most notably by nine-time IPSC World Champ Eric Grauffe.

With Shadow 2 fans petitioning CZ for a slimmed-down version of the gun, the company introduced the Shadow 2 Compact in 2023, which cut weight with a forged 7075 aluminum frame and a 4-inch barrel. The magazine’s capacity is 15+1 with a flush-fit double-stack mag. Like the standard Shadow 2, the Compact ships with textured aluminum grips and a “butter smooth” trigger pull (single action 3.4 pounds; 10.3 for double action).

We shot the Shadow 2 and Shadow 2 Compact side by side while touring the CZ factory at the foothills of the Carpathians in Czechia last year and were thoroughly impressed with how they performed.

The Shadow 2 Compact, for all intents and purposes, is just a little brother to the more competition-oriented Shadow 2. It is smaller, lighter, and easier to carry, but retains the DA/SA with a manual safety. As it’s based on a competition gun, there’s no firing pin block plunger system, which can be a pucker factor for some on being drop-safe if carried with a round in the chamber.

With the Shadow 2 Compact’s safety question, folks were gun-shy, pardon the pun, about carrying it, especially concealed.

However, CZ has updated the design in the new Shadow 2 Carry, introduced this week. It retains everything folks loved about the Shadow 2 Compact but deletes the manual safety lever in favor of a simple de-cocking lever while adding a safety notch on the hammer and an automatic firing pin block.

I’ve been testing one that CZ sent me, and I have to admit, it is pretty sweet. I mean, it should be at $1,400…

More in my column at Guns.com.

 

Meet the New Springfield Armory Kuna

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After leaving cookie crumbs around the world for months, Springfield Armory on Tuesday announced that the Kuna large format pistol platform is available in the U.S.– and we’ve been kicking one around for a few months.

Designed by popular Croatian gunmaker HS Produkt, the Springfield Armory Kuna (Croatian for “Pine Marten,” the national animal of that country) sub-gun first surfaced last October when it beat the top-shelf B&T APC40 and Steyr M40 for a contract with the PMESP, the Sao Paulo Military Police – the largest police force in Brazil. Chambered in .40 S&W, it also appeared at EnforceTac in Germany back in February with a promised 9mm variant inbound as well. The word was that the svelte little burp gun, using an advanced roller-locked system of operation, had been developed with international counter-terror teams in mind.

Now, it is available in a semi-auto pistol variant in the U.S., initially just in 9mm. It will be sold at launch in a standalone pistol variant as well as a more deluxe version sold with an installed Strike Industries side-folding stabilizing brace. The MSRP varies between $999 to $1,149, with the braced model running higher.

The overall length of the brace-equipped Springfield Armory Kuna is 24.5 inches with the brace deployed and a more compact 15.5 inches folded. The gun can be fired in either position. (All photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Nobody was looking for the Kuna to roll into 2025 and instantly turn heads. Well-made 9mm large-format handguns in the SMG/PCC style have been increasingly popular in recent years, and it is clear that the folks behind the Kuna did their homework and did it well. You get a smooth-shooting and reliable platform that allows easy use with suppressors, lights, and optics for right around $1K. Taking notes from the Echelon, Hellcat, and Hellion when it comes to ergonomics and sights, Springfield is playing the hits here. It feels like a smoother and more updated version of the MP5K on the range.

The full review is over in my column at Guns.com.

Springfield brings new 9mm AR pistol to market– and it takes Colt SMG sticks

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Springfield Armory this week delivered a 9mm pistol variant of the Saint Victor to complement its PCC models. The company debuted the direct blowback-action Saint Victor 9mm carbine in late 2022 with a Melonite-coated 16-inch CMV 1:10 twist barrel, ambidextrous safety, nickel-boron-coated flat trigger, and a standard GI-style charging handle. In a departure from the widespread use of Glock double-stack mags for 9mm PCCs, the Victor carbine accepted 32-round Colt SMG stick mags– which are widely available.

Now, for 2025, Springfield is shrinking the platform down to an NFA-compliant pistol format with a 5.5-inch barrel inside a free-floating M-LOK handguard and outfitted with an SB Tactical SB-A3 stabilizing brace on an adjustable three-position receiver extension. Other standard features include a full-length top Picatinny rail, short-throw ambidextrous 45-degree thumb safety, a B5 Systems grip and trigger guard, and a SA muzzle drum on a threaded barrel.

Gotta love those Colt stick mags.

Meet the Glock Hunter Series

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Glock Ges.m.b.H. (not Glock US) has released a series of new olive green Hunter Edition pistols in Europe featuring steel sights, threaded barrels, and an option for an installed Aimpoint COA red dot.
The five models in the Hunter Edition are in 9mm (G45) and 10mm (G20) variants and appear timed to coincide with upcoming large overseas firearms trade shows such as Enforce Tac, IWA OutdoorClassics, and WBK International.
The three advertised G45 Hunters all bear extended metric pattern threaded barrels and options for Glock’s new 600-lumen Tactical Light II. There is also an A-Cut G45 Hunter with the new Aimpoint COA, or Glock’s more traditional MOS plate system.
We’ve got no information as to when or if these will ever make it to this side of the pond. However, similar models to these could likely filter out to the States – think about a possible rabbit in the hat for the NRA Annual Meeting in April.

If an HK MP5 and a Colt SMG had a Turkish Baby

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Tennessee-based SDS Arms, whose brands include Military Armament Corporation, Tisas, Inglis, and others, brought a slew of new guns to SHOT Show.

We’ve been covering the company for a while and SDS always has some interesting stuff that you just don’t see everywhere else. Giving us a sneak peek at the 2025 catalog, Jahred Gamez introduced us to the new MAC IX.

SDS introduced the MAC 5 series last year, an MP5-style roller-locked pistol series sans the MP5 price.

The MAC5, in its two variants, as introduced in 2024

For those who prefer direct blowback rather than roller lock, with a more AR feel, the company will be introducing the MAC IX in March (just in time for the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta).

The MAC IX runs an AR-style safety and trigger group. Note the slingshot-style charging T-handle rather than the forward slap-and-go of the MP5. However, it uses MP5 mags, which are increasingly available at better prices than in previous generations.

Note the rear Pic rail for mounting a pistol brace or stock (NFA rules apply).

More in my column at Guns.com.

KRISS Kymera: The Promise of a Fully Modular Handgun

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Virginia-based Kriss USA has a new pistol on deck for 2025 that promises to be one of the most modular on the market.

The company is best known for its line of innovative Vector series of delayed blowback firearms. Still, it has also produced an oft-forgotten series of high-quality Swiss-made Sphinx handguns that use a CZ-75-ish reversed-rail interface.

The Sphinx:

The new Kymera, which borrows its name from the mythical hybrid creature with parts taken from various animals, looks Sphinx-like … until you get a closer look.

The Kymera, like the Sphinx, is a double action/single action hammer-fired pistol with a low bore axis that is a hallmark of the CZ-75 style reversed-rail system. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Catching up with KRISS at SHOT Show last week, the secret sauce of the Kymera is its modular grip, offering replaceable modules with different angles and sizes, all compatible with the original double-stack CZ-75 pattern magazines. For instance, the Kymera will be able to have a 21-degree (Glock style), 19.5-degree (SIG/1911), or an 18-degree grip angle (CZ/S&W). This design allows users to choose the configuration that best aligns with their natural point of aim.

A potential Kymera compact model using a 3.75-inch barrel, 18-degree angle with a short beavertail, 15+1 shot magazine capacity, and four-slot rail.

More in my column at Guns.com.

MAC-V-SOG J frames

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One of the best showings in terms of companies, at SHOT last month was by Smith & Wesson. Not only did they bring back a line of classic “no hole” wheelguns in J, K, and L-frames, but they also reintroduced the Mountain Gun series.

Going past that, two guns that I thought were just great are the new Special Edition Undercover sries shrouded hammer snub-nosed revolvers, designed to honor the Army’s MAC-V-SOG group of Vietnam fame.

Lightweight & performance-focused, these defensive revolvers feature OD Green G10 grips, brass bead front sight, and the iconic Special Operations logo. A portion of proceeds supports the Special Operations Association (SOA).

They are offered in .38 (Model 442-UC SOA) and soft recoiling .32 (Model 432-UC SOA)

Further, I think these are very appropriate as my grandfather, who did three tours in Vietnam and had to often go to remote firebases to fix commo gear, said he always carried his personal all-stainless steel S&W Model 60 with him everywhere he went.

And, as told by Major John Plaster, who spent time as an operator in SOG during the conflict, all the Recon Team (RT) and Hatchet Force men typically carried handguns as backups to their primary rifle system:

SOG’s most used handgun certainly was the Browning 9mm Hi-Power. Many recon men packed the 45 U.S. Government model. although just about any handgun might be encountered, from a Walther P-38 to Colt Commando airweight or hammerless Smith & Wesson snub nose.

Smith & Wesson Getting Back to Wheelgun Roots

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Smith & Wesson is playing the classics at SHOT Show when it comes to bringing back popular revolver lines including the Model 629 and 686 Mountain guns.

The company previously announced it is adding a trio of J and K frame “No Hole” classics— sans the oft-detested internal lock system– to its catalog for 2025. Joining these three new variants at SHOT Show will be a pair of great-looking Mountain Guns including an L-frame .357 Magnum and an N-frame .44 Magnum.

The original Mountain Gun series dates back to the late 1980s. Designed with a tapered 4-inch barrel, a large bore caliber (.357 Mag., .41 Mag., .44 Mag., .45 ACP, .45 LC), adjustable rear sighs, and a stainless steel frame, these were intended for use in the field while being capable of defense against a large predator on two or four legs if needed. While the old MGs of the past, such as the Model 625-6 and 625-9, have faded into history, deleted from Smith’s catalog by 2005, that is changing.

Lipsey’s has partnered with S&W to offer two new Mountain Gun models this year, a 686 Plus (7 shot .357) and a 629 (6 shot .44).

True to the old ways, they will have one-piece 4-inch tapered barrels, adjustable rear sights, and stainless steel construction. Standard features will be a partridge-style front sight with a brass bead insert, Tyler Gun Works high-grade walnut Bear Hug grips on a round butt frame, a beveled cylinder front edge, and chambered charge holes. Likewise, there is no detested internal lock.

The new Smith & Wesson Model 686 Plus Mountain Gun. We were able to lay hands on this thumper at an event with S&W on Sunday night just before SHOT Show. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The 686 Plus Mountain Gun weighs 35 ounces. The 4.13-inch barrel yields and a 9.75-inch overall length. It is a 7-shot .357 Magnum that will also accept .38 Special cartridges. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Both of the new Mountain Gun revolvers from Smith have an adjustable rear sight as well as a partridge-style front sight with a brass bead insert.

We also managed to spend some time with two of the gunmaker’s new Classic No Lock series revolvers, which look more akin to wheelguns the company produced in the 1950s than current models.

The S&W Classic Model 36 No Lock. Note this J-frame .38 Special +P 5-shot revolver has the very old-school half-moon sights seen on early Chief’s Specials as well as walnut medallion grips.

The S&W Classic Model 10 No Lock. This 6-shot K frame .38 Special +P revolver has a set of smooth TGW grips that give it the feel of a WWII Victory model.

Nice to see Smith is getting back to its roots.

Stay tuned for more from SHOT Show.

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