As we have covered before, the current firearms works known and loved by collectors, hipsters, and savvy users alike dates to 1936 when its new factory was established to produce machine guns for the Czech Air Force. However, it became iconic in the West for its CZ 75 double-stack 9mm pistol.
We were fortunate enough to hold CZ 75 Serial Number 00001 when we visited the CZ factory in 2024, the gun that made the company a household name on this side of the pond.
Now, the new Legend repeats the same slab-sided Iron Curtain aesthetic while keeping the pistol’s internals and features modern, including a 16+1 round magazine, making it essentially a “post-B” gun in a “pre-B” body.
The new CZ Legend. Note the slab-sided frame and slide as well as the pebble-style grips. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The new Legend compared to SN 00001, which we saw in 2024 in the Czech Republic.
MSRP on the new CZ 75 Legend will be $1,399.
Bundeswehr Pistole 13
One of the big stories from late last year was that the German military (Bundeswehr) had selected the CZ P-10 pistol after it beat out a number of contenders to become the country’s new P13 sidearm.
Among the finalists bested were the Arex Delta and Glock G17 Gen5 for what could be an order of as many as 180,000 units. It will replace the HK-made P8A1, a version of the USP
CZ had the new P13 on hand at their booth last week.
In another shift from previous German service handguns, the new striker-fired P13 will arrive wearing an FDE finish instead of the traditional black.
CZ will work directly with its authorized German partner, POL-TEC GmbH & Co., to fulfill the order and provide the Bundeswehr with support for the new platform.
CZ 457 Target
CZ 457 rifles are known for their superb accuracy, but the new 457 Target, a fully adjustable, ISSF 3-Position competition-ready aluminum chassis co-developed with four-time American Olympic shooter Matt Emmons, raises that bar.
It includes a three-axis-adjustable pistol grip available in three different sizes, a side-tiltable buttstock with a five-axis-adjustable buttpad, along with a three-axis-adjustable, two-sided cheekpiece; and a forehand riser can be adjusted in three different axes. A 26-inch 12-groove .22 cold hammer-forged match barrel equipped with a diffuser is standard as is an adjustable 2-stage Flyweight trigger.
The MSRP for the CZ 457 Target rifle is expected to be around $3,600, which is still less than many European-made alternatives in the same class from folks like Anschutz and Walther.
After sunsetting the legacy SCAR last year, FN has the new generation of its venerable modular rifle for 2026 – and they are softer recoiling, accept suppressors, and don’t eat scopes anymore.
First fielded in 2008 as sporter (semi-auto) variants of the USSOCOM SOF Combat Assault Rifle, the 16S, 17S, and 20S were a top-shelf option on the commercial market until FN closed that line late last year. Let’s be honest, the original SCAR series was cool but had some issues, and a few needed a significant redesign to fix.
That brings us to the new SCAR line.
The old SCAR, top, compared to a new SCAR, bottom. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Among the new features is that the rifles are optimized for suppressors with a U.S.-standard muzzle profile and barrel shoulder. The platform’s short-stroke gas piston system uses a two-position adjustable gas regulator for improved reliability with cans and different ammo types. The adjustment is accessible via an access port in the heat shield. It works and is an upgrade from the old exposed gas block. Doubling down on the platform being suppressor-friendly as a selling point, FN even designed some new cans just for the SCAR, which we will get to in a separate article.
Another issue with the now-classic SCAR was the tendency to blow out scope crosshairs due to the, well, let’s just call it aggressive recoil. The new SCAR has a new (and lighter) hydraulically buffered modular two-piece bolt carrier that softens recoil. In testing last summer on the range between the old SCAR and the new ones, we could feel the chop decrease and the recoil impulse smooth out significantly.
We found the new SCARs to be much less choppy on the range in testing.
The new bolt carrier system helps with those tight repeatable groups on the 20S as well, which runs a heavy contour 20-inch barrel that now features 5R precision rifling with hammer-forged/chrome-lined durability. We were able to nail confirmed hits on target at 1,385 yards on a new gen SCAR 20 (6.5CM) in front of a crowd (no pressure) after just a few minutes of instruction.
FN realized that the handguard needed to be updated, so now the upper is a good bit longer with less exposed barrel and uses an integrated rail system, replacing the short M1913 rails with a ton of M-LOK accessory slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock position – even on the SCAR 20S precision rifle. Plus, the 16S and 17S rifles now ship with a colorway-matching vertical foregrip.
When it comes to the new SCAR 20S, it runs a rubber over-molded Ergo pistol with a generous palmswell and a fully-adjustable stock.
Triggers have been upgraded with the 20S using an improved FN-designed two-stage precision trigger for better control and feel, providing a 3.5 to 4.5-pound trigger pull. The 17S and 16S have a single-stage trigger that has likewise been updated.
For ergonomics, the pistol grip is now compatible with AR grips and, while the 16S and 17S still ship with the traditional “Ugg Boot” side folding adjustable stock, an AR stock and tube system can be installed.
Yessss.
The new SCARs will accept different stock options.
This is a thing now for the SCAR…
There is even the possibility of using the SCAR SC stock.
You also have more QD cups in more places, and all the guns are “Nerch” (Non-Reciprocating Charging Handle or NRCH) variants.
Whereas the old SCAR was kind of limited in the functionality for southpaws, the new ones are fully ambi when it comes to the bolt catch/release, mag release buttons, and safety levers. Even the selector switches are modular now.
When it comes to durability and serviceability, the old SCAR used Hex screws that could strip, whereas the new ones run Torx, among other changes. We were advised that the testing protocol on these guns was no joke, and the new generation SCAR is designed and built with feedback from nearly two decades of end users, many of whom are “tip of the spear” types.
The new SCARs will be available in 15 different variants across the 16S (5.56 in either FDE, Gray, and Black), 17S (6.5CM or 7.62 NATO in FDE, Gray, and Black), and 20S (6.5CM or 7.62 NATO in FDE, Gray, and Black) models.
You gotta love those Gray models. Cue Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg with “my favorite.”
As for those still hungering for the pistol variant, the SCAR 15P, it survived the great SCAR cull of 2025 but didn’t get any of the new updates and is available in 5.56 and .300BLK, with the latter just screaming for a now zero-dollar Form 1 SBR conversion.
Here comes the rough stuff.
While the new and old SCARs look very much the same – and that was done on purpose for continuity – very little is backward compatible between the discontinued traditional models and the new ones. About the only things that are shared/swappable between the two are the NRCH charging sled (if you had an NRCH model), barrels, magazines, the 9310 bolt and firing pin, and some small springs and pins.
If you have an older SCAR and love it, FN wants you to love it still, and they are supporting those guns for at least the foreseeable future. Remember, they are still making and supporting military/LE contract classic SCARs around the world.
MSRP on the new SCARs is comparable to that of the old guns, but they are still a more top-shelf price than, say, your average AR. The new FN SCAR 17S variants run $3,999, while the 16S is slightly cheaper at $3,799, and the long boy, the 20S, is $4,499. Of course, that is the MSRP, and you can bet that the reseller crowd is going to move into high gear with these, so watch out for the gouging. But if your heart is pure and you wish hard enough and look long enough, you could find one that fits the Ugg-sized hole in your gun safe.
Just in time for SHOT Show, FN has debuted its newest double-stack 9mm pistol: the feature-packed and more affordable FN 309 MRD.
The 309 takes cues from the company’s well-received Reflex series of micro 9s, using a DAO internal hammer operation and direct-mount Shield RMSc/Holosun K/Leupold DPP footprint with adapter plates available for other dots.
The unloaded weight is 18.4 ounces with an empty mag. We found the Reflex in its most svelte form, with 12 rounds of Federal’s Punch JHP 124-grain self-defense loads and no optic, to hit the scales at 23.4 ounces. Shown with a DeSantis Inside Heat, which, although made for the single-stack FN 503, fits it like a glove.
In fact, the FN 309 is basically a Reflex XL, but it is a little bigger, holds more bullets, is $150 cheaper, and uses easy-to-load and more affordable ($20 rather than $50) magazines. Plus, it is easier to rack and very slim, all good things for first-time pistol buyers: the demographic FN is pitching to for this one.
The FN 309 is new for 2026. (Photos: FN)
It has styling similar to the company’s other pistols, but make no mistake, the 309 is its own ecosystem, using proprietary (but inexpensive) 16 and 20-round polymer-bodied magazines. Plus – and this is a win for first-time gun owners and those with reduced hand strength – it requires lower racking force without a gimmick.
The pistol is carry-sized and leans more compact than sub-compact, with a 3.8-inch alloy steel, machine-gun grade, barrel with a recessed target crown. This gives it an overall length of 7.4 inches and a weight, due to its polymer frame, of 22 ounces. The guns ship standard with FN 509 pattern drift-adjustable sights, using an over-molded green fiber-optic front and rounded U-notch rear. Other features include an accessory rail, a reversible magazine release, and multiple safeties, including a firing pin block and trigger safety. Manual safety models will also be available.
The MSRP on the FN 309 is $549, which is likely to be closer to $450 at retailers once supply starts flowing.
We were able to travel to South Carolina last summer to check out the 309 “in progress,” shooting a table full of early production pistols along with a group of other gun media. (Photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Note the polymer magazines in 16 and 20-round variants, which FN advises will be inexpensive (think $25) at retail. Compare that to FN 509 mags, which run $50-$90 depending on the model.
The FN 309 is a simple design and field strips without pulling the trigger – a big deal for a lot of users.
Note the internal hammer-fired operation of the FN 309.
The gun shot well in initial testing, with the Guns.com crew putting about 500 rounds through a couple of pistols over the course of a couple of hours. A relay team ran 1,160 rounds on a very hot torture test gun without a serious issue, so there is definitely a potential for the 309 to be something FN is proud to have in its catalog.
The gun is pitched as a more entry-level pistol than the company’s duty-grade 509s, which start at $750 for basic vanilla models and run to $1,600 in the more bespoke Edge package guns. Even the 15+1 round FN Reflex XL MRD has a suggested ask of $719.
“Many gun buyers don’t see FN as an option, and we wanted to change that perception by making the brand accessible to people looking to spend $500 on a 9mm pistol,” said Chris Johnson, Senior Product Manager for Pistols for FN America, LLC. “With the FN 309 MRD, we now have a trustworthy, easy-to-use pistol perfect for new gun buyers and those looking to purchase their first FN. For us, it’s not just a new product, it’s FN’s commitment to offering the everyday user peace of mind and FN performance.”
The FN 309 ships with a 16+1-round flush-fit and 20+1-round extended magazine, with options for 10-rounders in restricted states.
We have a review model inbound, so expect to see more on the 309 in the coming weeks.
Plus, if you like this, you are going to love what is announced later this morning.
Beretta is marking a half-century of the legendary Model 92, the company has released a retro SB variant of the type that went on to make history.
The original Model 92 hit the market in 1975, one of the first double-stack double-action/single-action pistols available, and soon went on to become a global icon. The company has been honoring the lineage of the “Italian Stallion” this year with limited-edition offerings, and the repro 92SB comes as part of Beretta’s “Celebrating 50 Years of the 90 Series” program.
The repro 92SB is full of classic features such as a polished anodized frame, polished blued slide and barrel, a rounded trigger guard, and a flat dust cover. On the inside, it features all-metal components and upgraded internals, including a short reset trigger bar and D hammer spring. It runs a slide-mounted Type F safety lever.
The new 92SB is engraved “Celebrating 50 Years of the 90 Series” on the left side of the slide and has a 1 of 1,526 serial number range, the latter an ode to Beretta’s first firearm contract. (Photos unless noted: Beretta)
Note the ambi Type F safety and all metal components, other than the G10 grip panels.
You have to love the polished externals.
The repro 92SB is a Beretta through and through and ships with a pair of classic-style 15-round magazines with flat base pads.
Finished with G10 grips, each pistol comes in special collector’s packaging, including a challenge coin and a history booklet chronicling the 90 Series legacy.
The history behind the 92SB
The 92SB was the third production model of the 92 series, building on 1977’s Model 92S, which added the slide-mounted safety/decocker to the pistol. Debuting in 1980, the SB added an automatic firing pin block and an ambidextrous safety lever, and was marketed in both the standard and a compact model, the first for the 90 series.
The Beretta 92SB hit the market in 1980, with the 92SB Compact arriving the next year.
The gun found fast success with consumers as well as LE/military customers.
It was soon adopted by the Connecticut State Police in 1983, among many departments.
Perhaps the 92SB’s greatest claim to fame was that it was submitted to the Army Pistol Trials in 1984 and 1986, which it won, and, with modifications including a squared trigger guard, a matte finish, and a chrome-lined barrel, became the 92SB-F, later just shortened to 92F.
The rest is history.
The Beretta 92SB beat out a crowded field in 1984-86 to win the Army’s Pistol Trials, with the modified 92SB-F being adopted as the M9. (Image: 1986 GAO Report)
The MSRP on the new Beretta 92SB repro is an appropriate $1,526.
