A quick look at the new Cipher series of IWB concealed carry holsters from Henry Holsters.
It can be hard to find the perfect holster for your carry setup. If you carry inside the waistband, it can be even harder, but when it comes to concealment, it usually proves true that the slimmer the holster, the better. That’s why Henry Holsters recently launched the Cipher series of streamlined, ultra-slim IWB/AIWB holsters that are designed to maximize comfort and concealment.
The key to the Cipher holsters’ slim design is its construction from .093-inch-thick Boltaron, a rugged yet lightweight PVC/acrylic alloy. It ships with Discreet Carry Concepts (DCC) Mod4 Universal belt clips, but it’s compatible with the PHLster Enigma system as well. As for other notable features, Cipher holsters are ambidextrous, have an open muzzle and have clearance for optics and suppressor height sights.
Andrew Henry, Owner of Henry Holsters, said this about the new Cipher series:
At Henry Holsters, we are always striving to refine and advance our designs based on feedback from our customers and industry professionals … The Cipher product line represents our dedication to excellence—offering a holster that is both highly functional and exceptionally comfortable for everyday carry.
Henry Holsters’ Cipher series is available now for several popular handgun makes and models, and the MSRP starts at $108.
Springfield Armory has just announced a new line of upgraded and enhanced SAINT Victor AR rifles and pistols.
Constantly looking to improve its product line, Springfield Armory has just announced that its popular SAINT Victor line of AR rifles and pistols is receiving a redesign. Boasting improvements and enhancements throughout, the new guns will be available in both 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm in a variety of barrel lengths in rifle and pistol formats.
Each of the new SAINT Victor guns boasts a forged 7075-T6 Type III hardcoat anodized aluminum receiver that features the Accu-Tite tension system, designed to enhance accuracy by creating a more snug fit between the receivers. The receivers also have low-profile, minimalist markings, a small but much appreciated choice compared to the billboards that adorn the sides of some other lowers.
As for their barrels, regardless of caliber or length, all redesigned SAINT Victors feature a 4150 CMV barrel with a continuous tapered profile that’s designed to be rigid and disperse heat well. They also feature taper-pinned/low-profile gas blocks, crowned muzzles and a rugged nitride finish. The enhanced bolt carrier group is M16-pattern, crafted from 9310 carpenter steel, HP/MPI tested and also has a nitride finish. The BCGs also feature hard-chromed firing pins and properly staked gas keys to ensure reliability.
Other notable features of the redesigned SAINT Victor guns include four-prong flash hiders, Radian Raptor-LT ambidextrous charging handles, free-floated M-LOK aluminum handguards with QD sling cups, B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD stocks, Type 23 P-Grip pistol grips and polymer trigger guards, 45-degree ambidextrous safety levers, low-profile aluminum flip-up sights and nickel boron-coated triggers (pistol models come with an SB Tactical SBA3 brace instead of a stock).
Steve Kramer, Vice President of Marketing for Springfield Armory, said this about the redesigned ARs:
Since its launch in 2019, the SAINT Victor line has proven itself as a market leader by providing premium features and impressive performance … With these enhancements and updates, the new SAINT Victors — in 5.56mm or 7.62mm — stand ready to deliver professional-grade capabilities.
Looking for a new iron or piece of kit to enhance the one you already own? Check out these 7 new bits of guns and gear to grow your firearms wish list.
Magpul just made life easier for M-Lok users with the new MOE QD Bipod. It’s got the same rugged reliability and clean design of their original bipod but now attach-es directly to M-Lok slots—no adapter needed. Built from high-strength polymer with stainless steel hardware, it offers smooth pan and tilt, rapid leg deployment and quick one-handed adjustments. Best part? It’s lightweight, stable and priced right for everyday use. Whether you’re ringing steel or stretching your rifle’s legs in the field, this bipod is ready to work. MSRP: $80
Henry HUSH Rifles
Henry’s new HUSH Series isn’t just suppressor-ready—it’s suppressor-optimized. Built by the company’s Special Products Division (SPD), this is a clean-sheet design engineered specifically for running quiet. Each rifle features a carbon-fiber tension-wrapped match-grade barrel from BSF, a skeletonized aluminum M-Lok forearm by TAPCO, and a forged-carbon Pic rail for optics. The matte-finished laminate stock keeps it rugged but lightweight and a threaded muzzle comes standard. Available in five calibers from .45 Colt to .45-70 Gov’t, the HUSH balances like a classic lever gun—even with a can on board. MSRP: $1,999
HEVI-Hitter Waterfowl Loads
HEVI-Shot’s new HEVI-Hitter line blends 20 percent tungsten over 80 percent steel to deliver a one-two punch that ducks and geese won’t walk away from. The denser tungsten layer adds serious impact—reportedly 54 percent more kinetic energy than steel alone—while the steel keeps patterns wide and affordable. Available in 12-, 16-, 20- and 28-gauge options, HEVI-Hitter offers 11 loads tuned for everything from close shots to long-range boomers. MSRP: Starting at $49 per box of 20
Escort WS Youth
Escort’s WS Youth is built from the ground up for young or small-statured shooters—but without feeling like a cut-down compromise. This 20-gauge pump-action sports classic Turkish walnut furniture, a soft recoil pad and a 13¾-inch length of pull that leaves room to grow. The aircraft-grade alloy receiver keeps weight down, while the 22-inch chrome-plated barrel is threaded for Escort’s multi-choke system, making it just as suited to bird hunting as it is to casual clays. With a fiber-optic front sight, sling studs and a manual cross-bolt safety, the WS Youth delivers tradition, fit and function in one package. MSRP: $300
Mendoza RM-22 Rifles
Mendoza Firearms, a century-old Mexican gunmaker, is now bringing its RM-22 semi-auto rimfire carbine stateside. Based on the classic Hammerli SA22, the RM-22 runs a reliable blowback action and feeds from a 17-round tubular mag. It’s offered in three trims—the RM-22 1000, 3000, and 6000—each sharing the same core action but differing in stock style and optics readiness. Think German beechwood or camo synthetic stocks, with options like thumbholes and Picatinny rails on the higher-end models. Lightweight, affordable and made for plinking or small-game duty, the RM-22 is an old-school .22 with fresh availability. MSRP: Starting at $225
Leupold Spotting Scopes
Leupold is doubling down on glass this season with two fresh entries: the SX-2 Alpine HD and the SX-4 Pro Guide HD. Both are purpose-built for hunters and long-range shooters who demand sharp optics without babysitting their gear. The Alpine HD comes in 60mm or 80mm objective versions, offering excellent clarity and rugged, lightweight construction at an approachable price. Step up to the SX-4 Pro Guide HD and you get enhanced resolution, edge-to-edge sharpness and a diamond-coat lens treatment designed for hard-core use in tough light. Either way, you’re getting top-tier Leupold performance. MSRP: SX-2 Alpine HD starting at $399, SX-4 Pro Guide starting at $799
X Vision Optics Shadow 100 Digital Night Vision Viewer
Don’t let the size fool you—X Vision’s new Shadow 100 Mini packs serious punch in a pocket-sized night vision viewer. With an extended 435-yard nighttime range, 8X digital zoom, and a crisp IPS display, this upgraded model delivers clear visuals in low light without the bulk. It’s photo and video capable, stores up to 32 GB internally, and offers seven IR brightness levels to adapt to changing conditions. At just over 7 ounces, it’s an easy grab for hunters, campers or anyone who wants to see in the dark without weighing down their pack. MSRP: $149
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
If you’re in the market for a 9mm snub-nose revolver, take a look at this Davidson’s Exclusive Smith & Wesson Model 940.
Revolvers chambered in 9mm aren’t the most common, but given the wide array of excellent, common 9mm defensive ammo available today, it’s easy to see why some would choose to carry one. As a bonus, moon clips are a pretty slick and speedy way to reload a wheelgun. For those who may want a 9mm snubby for EDC, there’s the new Davidson’s Exclusive Smith & Wesson Model 940 to consider.
Designed with concealed carry in mind, the new Model 940 features a 5-round cylinder, a 2.17-inch fluted barrel, low-profile sights with a large Tritium XS front night sight and an internal, snag-free hammer. That last detail means that it’s double-action-only, however. To top the stainless steel revolver off is a VZ Diamond grip in handsome Black Cherry.
The Davidson’s Exclusive Smith & Wesson Model 940 ships with three full moon clips and has an MSRP of $999.
If you carry a gun for self-defense, mastering the draw stroke could save your life.
The great thing about improving your skill at presenting your handgun from the holster is that it’s a skill you can measurably improve without firing a single shot. Of all the defensive handgun skills you can use dry-fire to develop and practice, presentation is the one where dry-fire can provide the most improvement.
You can break the process of handgun presentation down into four steps. They include clearing for the draw, establishing a shooting grip, clearing the holster and sight acquisition. Let’s dissect each of these so you fully understand the draw stroke process.
Step 1: Clearing/Prepping for the Draw
Before you can draw your handgun, you need to be able to get to your handgun. This is of particular importance if you’re carrying concealed. The method will vary a bit depending on where you’re carrying your handgun, but the process is essentially the same. First, obtain a balanced stance, which is a stance that’s slightly weight forward where you can remain composed while shooting.
When drawing from concealment with an unopened cover garment, use your support hand to pull the garment well above your handgun so you have unobstructed access. Leave your support hand here until you’re ready to add it to your grip.
When drawing from concealment, you must use either your support or shooting hand to uncover the handgun. If you’re drawing from your waistband and wearing a cover garment with an open front—like a vest or jacket—use your shooting hand to sweep the garment past your holster.
Before you can draw a handgun from concealment, you must first clear the concealment garment. With an open-front garment, sweep the garment away with your shooting hand.
If your cover garment is a T-shirt or sweater without an open front, use your support hand to grab the bottom of the garment near the holster location and pull it up past the holster. This process would also apply to ankle carry; the difference is your support hand is pulling up your pant leg. Regardless of the situation, exaggerate the clearance of the garment to ensure you can have full and unrestricted access to your holstered handgun.
Step 2: Establishing a Shooting Grip
Once you pull your handgun from the holster, establishing a proper shooting grip becomes problematic. So, it’s very important to establish a shooting grip on your handgun while it’s still in the holster. You might be able to deliver a single shot with a poor grip, but you will not be able to shoot accurately and repetitively with speed if you have an improper grip.
Once you’ve cleared the way to the handgun, you need to establish a shooting grip. When drawing from concealment with an unopened cover garment, use your support hand to pull the garment well above your handgun so you have unobstructed access. Leave your support hand here until you’re ready to add it to your grip.
Though a proper and comfortable grip will vary slightly from shooter to shooter and from gun to gun, you want your hand to be as high as comfortably possible on the handgun’s grip, and you want the handgun—muzzle—to be in line with the forearm of your shooting hand. However, before you attempt to establish your shooting grip, you must release any retention straps or devices integral to the holster.
Regardless of the type of holster you’re using, it’s paramount to establish a good shooting grip while your handgun is still in the holster.
As you’re establishing your grip with your shooting hand, you should also be positioning your support hand so you can easily establish a two-hand grip without pointing your handgun at your support hand when you draw. You can do this by either placing your support hand at the center of your chest, or, if you just used your support hand to clear your cover garment, hold onto the garment and leave your hand in that location until it’s time to obtain a two-hand grip.
As soon as you point your handgun at the target/threat, you can then add your support hand to the grip.
Another consideration is if you need to use your support hand to fend off an attacker who is very close as you’re attempting to draw. If this is the case, try to keep your support hand at least chest high so you don’t inadvertently shoot your support hand if you must fire from the retention position, but more on that shortly.
Step 3: Clearing the Holster
When you draw a handgun from the holster, you need to bring the handgun straight up—or straight out—of the holster. If the holster has no cant, the gun should come straight up. If the holster has some cant, pull the gun out at an angle equal to the holster’s cant. Regardless, the goal is to get the handgun far enough out of the holster so you can get the muzzle oriented toward the threat without holster interference.
As you begin to establish a shooting grip and pull your handgun from the holster, position your support hand mid body where you can easily transition it to a two-handed grip. With a shooting grip established, pull the handgun up and out of the holster, far enough the muzzle clears the holster.
Sometimes it’s easier to learn to clear the holster in a two-step process. The first being to pull the handgun completely out of the holster and, the second step, to rotate the handgun toward the threat.
When you have the muzzle clear of the holster, rotate the handgun so it’s oriented toward the threat.
Step 4: Sight Acquisition
Now you’re ready to complete the final step of the draw stroke. Generally, this is the point where you press the handgun out toward the target, often adding your support hand to the grip and finally, establishing a sight picture. At least that’s the way most of us would prefer to complete a draw stroke.
Shooting with two hands is always more accurate than shooting with one hand, and shooting with a sight picture is always better than shooting without. The problem is, if the threat is extremely close—within reach—you might not want to extend your handgun toward them, and too, you might not have the time to do that, either.
At this point of the draw stroke, you must make some decisions. The first will be where you want to shoot from. If you have time and distance allows, you should move the handgun upward toward your line of sight, while at the same time adding your support hand to the grip. Once you have established a proper two-hand grip, press the handgun out toward the target while at the same time attempting to bring the handgun’s sights into your line of sight.
With a good two-hand grip on your handgun, press it toward the target/threat while raising it so the sights are between your eyes and the target/threat.
Don’t make the mistake of lowering your head to pick up the sights. Keep your head erect and move the handgun between your eyes and the target.
If, however, you feel pushing the handgun closer to the threat is not a good idea, you might want to shoot from a retention position. In the standard retention position, you will have a two-hand grip on the handgun, but you will hold it just below or near your chest/nipple on your strong hand side. It can be helpful to cant the pistol slightly away from your body so your body or clothing does not interfere with the cycling of the slide. You cannot acquire a sight picture in this position, but you can—with practice—point the handgun toward the target to make an accurate shot.
If you want or need to point-shoot from the retention position and you’re shooting a semi-automatic, it can help to slightly cant the pistol to keep clothing from interfering with slide operation.
If the threat is right on top of you, you might want to use your support hand to fight off your attacker or to fend off blows to your head from your attacker as you draw. In this case, you will point your handgun toward the target from the one-hand retention position. This is the same position of the draw stroke where you orientated or rotated the handgun just above the holster.
You may also need to fend off a close attacker with your support hand when you draw. When doing this, keep your hand high and away from your line of fire.
Regardless of the retention position you’re shooting from, sighted fire essentially becomes point shooting.
Decision Time
During each step of the draw stroke, you must be continually aware of the threat level you’re dealing with. In a life-and-death self-defense situation, the threat level can change at any moment. Between the time you decide to draw and when you obtain sight acquisition, your attacker might have disengaged or retreated. If that occurs, you will need to decide what to do next. The proper path forward might be to issue verbal warnings while holding your antagonist at gunpoint.
But there are other decisions you must make during the draw stroke, too. If your handgun has a manual safety, when should you disengage it, and at what point during the draw stroke do you place your finger on the trigger?
Regarding a manual safety, disengage it after your handgun has cleared the holster, while you’re rotating it toward the threat/target. As for placing your finger on the trigger, one of the four firearms safety rules is to keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. This is a sound rule you should always follow, but what some shooters do not understand is what exactly “sights are on the target” means.
For example, if you’re shooting from the retention position, you cannot see your sights—you’re point shooting—and you cannot point shoot unless your finger is on the trigger. Similarly, in a self-defense situation, you might need to shoot before you get the handgun fully extended and between your eyes and the target/threat where you can see the sights. Place your finger on the trigger when you’re positive you’re pointing your handgun toward the target/threat.
Getting It Right
As important as handgun presentation can be in a self-defense situation, it’s something you should practice as often as possible. As stated, you can work to perfect your presentation with dry practice. By starting out slow and working to become progressively faster, just a few minutes of dry practice presentation each day can substantially improve your skill level.
Break the process down into the four steps, working on each individually until you can combine the process into a single fluid motion. By using the par time setting on a shot timer, it can help you evaluate your efficiency.
And do not forget to incorporate the retention positions. Some of the laser dry-fire training devices can be extremely helpful with presentation practice, and they can also make the training more enjoyable.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Want to improve your shooting skills at home? AceXR VR handgun training is making that a reality.
If becoming an excellent shooter is the destination, then dry fire is the road to get there. Ask anyone from USPSA Grand Masters to tier 1 operators to premier firearm instructors, and it’s universally agreed that dry fire is critical to growing as a shooter.
And while a Ben Stoeger book of dry-fire drills and some paper targets will take you far, what if we could improve the experience with the help of technology?
Virtual reality hasn’t taken over the world like it promised it would 10 years ago, but using it to enhance and maximize the potential of dry fire is a revolutionary feat that AceXR is leading.
Basics
The short and sweet of it is that AceXR is a VR app and a realistic handset that puts you on a virtual range. It’s as close as you can get to being on the shooting range without actually putting on your pants, getting in the truck and going to one.
On the ‘Range’
Ace has a pretty impressive set of drills and stages set up—and is adding more every couple of weeks. There are classics like Bill Drills, 22422 and Two One Two One, and a few dozen new drills made by Ace or submitted from groups and trainers from across the nation. One of my favorite drills is Briefcase, based on the Tom Cruise movie Collateral (2004). If you haven’t seen the movie, do yourself a favor and watch it tonight. It might not be a very practical drill, but it’s fun.
While more is better, there is enough content in the “game” to keep you drilling and finding new things to push and do better. Custom stages designed by Ace or USPSA make up the bulk of the options, plus the complete set of Steel Challenge stages.
The AceXR system offers a variety of modes and levels to train various skills and appeal to a wide range of shooting preferences.
On top of that, there is the constant allure of just doing better, going faster and getting a higher score. It’s a player cycle that has been in place since Pong because it works. While the video game elements help with the dopamine rush and keep you coming back for more, Ace is a training program—not a game. Mostly.
There are a few video game elements in Ace that aren’t perfect, but they don’t present a real obstacle either. While the game starts with one free in-game pistol and free in-game optic unlock, unlocking more costs an in-game currency (Brass) that can only be earned by completing drills, daily drills and weekly series drills.
Because you don’t really need to unlock more guns since it’s just cosmetic—and Ace provides enough Brass to keep you swimming in it after a session or two—it doesn’t really impact anything.
For targets, Ace has almost everything. Paper targets in just about all the flavors, plus a standard array of steel targets, and steel that you don’t always see at most ranges, like Texas Stars and Polish Plate Racks. Those last two are pretty awesome in VR because they reset with a push of a button and you can do rep after rep on them to discover the best ways of beating them.
There is a learning curve when first experiencing virtual reality, especially in training scenarios. But once you get used to the platform, the benefits are limitless and the customization options are many.
I’ve gotten to shoot a fair number of real Texas Stars and Polish Plate Racks, and the realism is pretty spot on. Not perfect, but really close.
Multiplayer
Something you might enjoy is the ability to join another player’s game or have them join yours. It’s a VR range day. Personally, this mode isn’t for me. There is a solid community of players on Discord who meet up regularly, and Ace hosts regular meetups as well if you’re looking for friends to play with.
The technical difficulties grow when trying to use the multiplayer, but that’s the nature of the beast right now.
Bigger Is Better
Most of my time with the Ace app has been using a fairly stationary method of dry fire since this allows me to do it in about a 5×5-foot square space in my living room. For my setup, nothing needed to move, and it’s easy to just throw on and get some reps in.
But if you have access to a larger space, like an empty garage or even a backyard, AceXR also offers complete stages—including many stages that were part of USPSA Nationals.
These are simply incredible. Full movement of a real stage, but zero reset and no brass to pick up. Just be really careful to make sure your space is clear, safe and your Meta Quest boundaries are set up correctly.
Running complete USPSA stages in the backyard is insanely fun.
Tangible Improvements
For pistol shooting, there are two major areas that have always been difficult for me, and they both involve speed. My draw is slow, and my shooting is slower overall. Extremely accurate, but slower than it should be. For a little over a year, speeding up has been my main goal, and while progress has been made, it has been incremental.
In-person classes with Baer Solutions and BRVO Tactical have helped push my rifle speed up dramatically, but my pistol still lags behind.
In June 2024, my draw from buzzer to first shot at 7 yards was about 1.8 seconds. A year of normal dry fire and focusing on my draw at least once a week, plus a 35-day stretch dedicated to draw practice, got me down to 1.5 seconds. Not horrible, but not elite either.
Two weeks of AceXR and my draw-to-first-shot time was down to 1.1 seconds most of the time. And this wasn’t dedicated practice; it just happened. Hitting the real range and doing some live-fire drills, the times remained the same: 1.1-ish when pushing it and 1.2 reliably. Tenths of a second might not sound like a lot, but if you know, you know how much of a real improvement this actually is.
Transitions have improved dramatically, also as evidenced by cutting seconds off my times in the Ace drills and hitting the range to see if it translated to live fire. There is no doubt that time spent with the Ace system has helped improve my shooting, and that it helped more than normal dry fire alone.
Cost and Value
I’ll give you the number and then break it down; you’re looking at $650 to $700 (as of August 2025) to your door for a headset, handset and membership. Google for a coupon code and finding 10 percent off isn’t hard, or 20 percent off if you’re military or first responder.
The largest potential cost is a VR headset, but the rest of the gear isn’t cheap either. For the headset, you have three options: Meta Quest 2, 3S and 3. The Meta Quest 2 isn’t in production, but you can find used ones for about $200 or less. Not recommended, but doable.
Currently supported by Meta are the Quest 3 and 3S. A Quest 3 runs $500 but has much better resolution and more storage. If you want to use this for actual gaming on top of Ace, it might be worth it.
Otherwise, the Quest 3S is the trimmed-down version at $300. Offering less storage and less resolution, the 3S is the budget headset—but it works. Mine came via a Verizon promotion, and it seems these promotions are floating around for a number of things like cable, cell phones, internet, etc.
The Ace handset is $200 to start with. “To start with” because it’s likely that you’ll end up spending more if you really want to 1:1 the handset to your main pistol. There is a robust 3D printing community within the Ace community, and a number of aftermarket handsets and mods that you can get from unofficial sources or print yourself. But the tech that makes it all work is the Ace FCU, and those only come in official Ace handsets, and that will run you $200.
And then there is the monthly or yearly Ace membership: $19 per month or $168 a year. A lot of people don’t want one more subscription in their lives, but the Ace team is constantly updating the app and adding content. In my book, this is well worth it.
If you get a yearlong membership, handset, and Meta Quest 3S bundle deal from AceXR, you’re out the door for $650 plus shipping/tax. That isn’t cheap, especially when normal dry fire is free—right?
Think of it this way: Don’t look at Ace as dry fire, look at it as a training cost. Given the choice of two in-person training classes this year or one class and an Ace setup, the Ace system is a better value. Going forward, the yearly membership isn’t that bad if you look at it like a private range membership.
While it doesn’t lower the cost, reframing how you think about it helps make it make more sense.
If you put the time and effort into practicing with the Ace system, the gains speak for themselves.
Holster Up
Again, it depends on how much you want to make your Ace handset match your real pistol—but there are potential added costs. First is a holster. The Ace handset might fit a race holster, but most other holsters won’t fit without some modifications. Ace sells holsters designed for the handsets, as does a few other brands like Double Alpha, Black Rhino and FPS Holsters. All of these run $70 to $80.
My holster was actually just an old Dara holster that isn’t used anymore and modified using a Dremel.
IT Support
The Ace app is surprisingly stable and smooth but isn’t free from all bugs—though that has more to do with Meta than they are with Ace itself.
As a lifelong gamer and computer guy, it doesn’t frustrate me when computers don’t work, and I solve my own problems 99 percent of the time. So far, nothing has come up that couldn’t be fixed with just turning either the Ace app or the Meta headset off and back on, but it comes up regularly.
Setting up the Meta headset and making an account, etc. was the most annoying part of the experience, simply because it’s Meta. Getting Meta to play nicely with my WiFi was also a surprisingly strange problem that took an hour of resetting and downloading patches.
Every five or six times Ace launches, it needs to be closed and reopened because it stalls on boot, or the floor doesn’t load at the right height or the Drills are “temporarily unavailable” for no reason.
This is honestly not really much of a problem; it’s 10 seconds wasted for every six or seven hours of use. But if you’re the kind of person who expects everything to work perfectly every time you touch it, you might need to adjust your expectations.
Once the app is launched and you’re actively using it, it’s almost always problem-free. In almost 30 hours of use, it has only crashed twice, where the app just closed for no reason. I’ve played a lot of AAA games with worse performance, so that ain’t bad.
Loose Rounds
I’m a big believer in the AceXR system now and highly recommend it if you’re able to take advantage of it and you want to improve as a shooter.
It’s not a cheap investment, but it’s definitely worth it in my book. Dry fire might be “free”, but training isn’t. AceXR is training.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
CZ has just announced the CZ 600+ rifle series, featuring several enhancements over the original 600 line.
It’s been a few years since the original CZ 600 bolt-action rifle series launched, and while the guns have garnered an excellent reputation in the meantime, CZ is giving the line a facelift anyway. Called the CZ 600+ series, the new rifles feature some distinct upgrades over their predecessors.
CZ 600+ Range.
Tom Taylor, CZ-USA’s Chief Marketing Officer, said this about the new bolt-action rifle series:
The CZ 600+ represents the future of hunting and precision rifles … Our relentless commitment to innovation and excellence has resulted in a rifle series capable of exceeding the expectations of the most demanding shooters.
The biggest new features of the CZ 600+ series include the Silent, Ergonomic, and Ambidextrous (S.E.A.) safety, a quick 4-position adjustable trigger and an interchangeable barrel system that allows you to adapt one rifle to multiple calibers. Speaking of barrels, the rifles are accurate as well. The ALPHA, AMERICAN and LUX models deliver guaranteed sub-MOA accuracy at 100 yards (three-shot groups), and the RANGE model has a guaranteed sub-0.75 MOA accuracy (five-shot groups) when using match-grade factory ammo. Other notable features include the controlled feeding system and lifetime warranties for the cold hammer-forged barrels.
CZ 600+ Trail.
The five new models are:
AMERICAN: Timeless American styling combined with modern enhancements
ALPHA: Rugged polymer stock designed for reliable performance in all conditions.
LUX: Classic European walnut stock with fiber optic adjustable iron sights.
RANGE: Optimized for precision shooting with adjustable stock features.
TRAIL: Compact, versatile model featuring a retractable stock and compatibility with AR and CZ BREN 2 magazines.
MSRPs for the CZ 600+ rifle series ranges between $800 and $1,600, depending on the model.
If there’s one thing the gun debate desperately needs, it’s clarity. Not more shouting, not more spin—just facts. That’s why I invited Guy Smith, founder of Gun Facts and author of Guns and Control: A Nonpartisan Guide to Understanding Mass Public Shootings, Gun Accidents, Crime, Public Carry, Suicides, Defensive Use, and More onto Forge of Freedom for a recent conversation (Episode 181). What followed was an eye-opening, no-nonsense discussion about firearms, public safety and how distorted data continues to shape bad policy.
Smith isn’t your typical gun rights advocate. He describes himself as “an old-school Bay Area liberal,” not exactly the stereotype conjured up by the media when they talk about Second Amendment defenders. That’s precisely what makes his work so valuable. Smith approaches the issue with the dispassionate lens of a data analyst and researcher. He’s spent years dissecting gun control claims, citing original sources and building a robust, nonpartisan database that challenges the conventional wisdom on firearms.
During our conversation, Smith made one thing clear: Most of what people believe about guns—especially those shaping public policy—is not just wrong, but provably wrong.
Debunking the ‘Gun Show Loophole’ and Other Myths
One of the most persistent claims in the gun control narrative is the so-called “gun show loophole.” The popular belief is that anyone can walk into a gun show and walk out with an AR-15—no background check, no paperwork, no questions asked. It’s a claim repeated in newsrooms, congressional hearings and activist campaigns.
But, as Smith explained, this is pure fiction. “There is no gun show loophole,” he said. “That phrase was invented by gun control organizations because it sounded ominous. But there’s nothing special about a gun show. The same laws apply there as anywhere else.”
In truth, licensed dealers are still required to run background checks, even at gun shows. Private sales are a different matter—but those are equally legal if done outside a show. What’s really being debated isn’t a “loophole” but whether the government should regulate all private transactions.
Suicide and Gun Death Statistics: The Hidden Truth
Smith also shed light on how statistics are often manipulated to create a false sense of crisis. Take the much-cited figure that “40,000 people die from gun violence each year.” It’s a shocking number—until you realize what it includes.
“The majority of those deaths are suicides,” Smith said. “In fact, roughly two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides, and those are very different from homicides in terms of causation and prevention.”
That distinction matters. Suicide is a public health issue, not a criminal one. Policies aimed at restricting lawful gun ownership in the name of reducing suicide often miss the mark and ignore broader mental health solutions.
Smith pointed to international data showing that countries with strict gun laws, like Japan, still have high suicide rates. “People bent on suicide find a method,” he said. “Reducing gun availability doesn’t necessarily change that outcome. It just changes the means.”
Mass Shootings: Rarity vs. Reality
Few events capture national attention like mass shootings, and understandably so. They are horrifying, tragic and senseless. But they are also statistically rare, and that’s something the media often fails to communicate.
Smith highlighted research showing that mass shootings account for less than 1 percent of all gun deaths. “They’re what I call ‘statistical noise,’” he explained. “They’re emotionally powerful, but from a policy standpoint, you don’t write national laws based on extremely rare events.”
That’s not to say mass shootings don’t matter. But it does mean we should be cautious about building sweeping gun control laws on the back of emotional trauma rather than empirical data.
The Data Is Out There—But You Have to Dig
One of the most important takeaways from my conversation with Smith is this: The information is available, but you won’t find it in most media outlets or political speeches. Smith’s website, GunFacts.info, compiles peer-reviewed research, government reports and historical data to provide a comprehensive view of gun issues—without the spin.
What makes his work stand out is the commitment to transparency. His claims are footnoted. His charts are well-sourced, and his conclusions invite scrutiny.
That’s refreshing in a world where narratives often trump nuance. Whether you’re a gun owner, policymaker or concerned citizen, Smith’s message is the same: Do your homework.
Why the Truth Matters
In today’s polarized climate, facts are more than an intellectual exercise—they’re a moral obligation. Policies built on lies or half-truths don’t just fail to solve problems, they create new ones. When people believe guns are the primary driver of crime, they push laws that restrict liberty without improving safety. When they ignore mental health in favor of targeting inanimate objects, they miss the root causes of violence.
This is why I believe conversations like the one I had with Smith are so important but, unfortunately, so rare. We need more voices willing to cut through the noise, challenge the orthodoxy and follow the evidence wherever it leads.
For gun owners, that means arming ourselves not just with firearms, but with knowledge. We must be able to defend our rights not only with passion, but with facts. Because, ultimately, the battle for the Second Amendment isn’t just fought in the courts or legislatures—it’s fought in the minds of our neighbors, our communities and our country.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Harrington & Richardson has just announced a small, limited edition run of H&R M14 rifles.
Now under the Palmetto State Armory umbrella, the revived Harrington & Richardson brand specializes in making very cool retro guns, mostly AR-15s like the XM177E2. Now, the company is releasing a small, limited run of H&R M14 rifles.
The new M14s are being assembled with mostly original (though re-inspected and refinished) USGI parts. The new parts used include the 8620 billet machined receiver, the chrome-lined barrel, the upper handguard and the walnut stock that bears H&R’s logo on the bottom of the grip.
While it’s too bad that these aren’t entirely made in-house by Harrington & Richardson, these are still very cool rifles. For those with more patience, H&R has confirmed that they also have a long-term plan in the works to begin fully producing M14s themselves. That’s no easy task, however, so don’t expect to see them any time soon.
The H&R M14 hasn't had a price announced yet, but they drop August 29th at 4:30 EST if you're interested.
A quick look at the .307 Winchester, a cartridge that’s been quietly eating the .30-30’s lunch.
The development of the rimmed .307 Winchester began in 1980, with the first public announcement in December 1982. However, the cartridge—and the Model 94 XTR Angle Eject carbine chambered for it—were not available until early 1983. The Marlin Model 336ER in .307 chambering introduced at the same time is no longer offered.
The Angle Eject feature is a design modification of the beefed-up Model 94 XTR that ejects spent cartridge cases to the side, rather than straight up, the same as earlier Model 94 actions. This was accomplished by changing the position of the extractor and ejector, and by lowering the receiver's right sidewall.
The .307-caliber designation is to avoid confusing this cartridge with the other .30 calibers. It actually uses standard 0.308-inch bullets. The .307 Winchester is essentially a rimmed .308 Winchester, although there is a difference in the overall cartridge length. Original factory loadings had 150- and 180-grain bullets.
General Comments
The popular Model 1894 Winchester lever action has always suffered from two major deficiencies: The design didn't allow center mounting of a scope sight, and the tubular magazine required the use of flat-point bullets to prevent one cartridge from setting off others in the magazine under recoil. These factors combined to relegate the Model 1894 to largely short-range use. The new XTR Angle Eject redesign eliminates the scope-mounting problem and modernizes an old but popular action.
The .307 Winchester can enhance the range and power of lever-action rifles so chambered. It is, based on factory ballistics, faster than the .30-30 by 375 fps in muzzle velocity. Although the .307 Winchester has the same general configuration as the rimless .308 Winchester, there are slight differences that prevent it from achieving full .308 power. For one, the bullet is seated slightly deeper, to maintain an overall length compatible with the length of the Model 1894 action; for any given barrel length and the same bullet weight, the .308 will deliver about 60 to 110 fps more muzzle velocity. Also, with its pointed bullet, the .308 will lose velocity at a slower rate than the flat-point .307.
The .307 has slightly less velocity at 200 yards than the .30-30 has at 100 yards. If the .30-30 is an adequate 100-yard-plus deer cartridge, then the .307 is certainly a 200-yard deer cartridge. It’s not likely to replace the .30-30 as America’s favorite deer cartridge, but it is a more versatile cartridge and certainly takes the Model 94 carbine out of the woods, bush and short-range class. Although it has been reported that the .307 Winchester has thicker case walls and, therefore, reduced internal volume, measurements do not verify this.
.307 Winchester Loading Data and Factory Ballistics
A quick look at Springfield Armory’s new integrally-compensated Echelon 4.0C Comp 9mm.
When we reviewed the original full-size Springfield Armory Echelon, we suggested that it may be the best new duty pistol on the market. Since then, the company has released other variants in more CCW-friendly sizes, the newest of which is the integrally-compensated Echelon 4.0C Comp.
The main appeal of the new 4.0C Comp model is its discreet, single-port integral compensator that should reduce muzzle rise and make for a much more shootable pistol. Springfield also smartly placed the front sight behind the comp so your sight picture remains uninterrupted while firing. Speaking of sights, the new Echelon features U-Dot sights (U-notch rear sight and tritium/luminescent front dot sight) and an optics-ready slide that uses the Variable Interface System. This system can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of popular footprints, and the optics attach directly to the slide so no plates are involved.
Another notable feature is the Echelon’s self-contained, serialized stainless steel chassis that allows for quickly changing out grip modules. The 4.0C Comp ships with the small grip and three backstraps, but medium and large grip modules are available as well.
Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing, said this about the new pistol:
The Echelon 4.0C took everything that made the original Echelon so popular and sized it down to offer users an exceptional and concealable duty-grade EDC pistol … With its integral compensator, the new Echelon 4.0C Comp takes the performance of this concealable pistol to the next level.
Each Echelon 4.0C Comp ships with a soft handgun case, one flush-fit 15-round magazine and one extended 18-round mag. Reduced-capacity models are available as well and all variants share an MSRP of $750.
I hit the range with a Watchtower Apache to get a new look at the double-stack 9mm 1911.
If you have been looking for a double-stack 1911 pistol (commonly known as a “2011”), you’ve never had it so good. There was a time when they were “competition guns,” and they were heavily used, requiring them to be routinely overhauled and re-fitted by pistolsmiths. But that use taught the ’smiths and makers many lessons, and we have all benefited from the experience.
Now they are everywhere … and a really good one to lay hands on is the Watchtower Apache.
The Apache is a full-sized pistol, but for that size you get a lot—a lot of ammo and a lot of quality.
The overall dimensions of the Apache (named after Operation Apache Snow, aka Hamburger Hill) are the same as a 5-inch government model. Well, a fat one, since there’s a double-stack STI/SVI pattern magazine in there. The magazines the Apache arrives with are a flush-fit 17-round magazine and an extended one holding 20 rounds. They are made by Check-Mate, a company with decades of experience at crafting magazines. In the earliest days, we’d have to fit and tune the magazines ourselves, a process involving rubber mallets and a certain nonchalance about over-tuning. Now, they work 100 percent right out of the box. Again, lessons learned from the forge of competition.
The frame/grip has different-angled non-slip patches to resist recoil movement.
The frame is an assembly, a pre-hardened 4140 machined to be the rails and the holder for the fire control parts. That is married to a composite grip (carbon-fiber reinforced with Kevlar) bolted on as the part that holds the magazine … and the part that you hold on to as well. The grip has a multi-angled set of non-slip traction panels on it, arranged so they work against the movement of recoil. At the bottom is a magwell funnel big enough to be useful but small enough to be concealable if you use the right holster and dress for the occasion.
The frame is lifted on the frontstrap, and the beavertail is high, so your hand gets high on the frame. The thumb safety is an ambidextrous, two-paddle affair. They are plenty big, and if you were going to use the Apache as an EDC pistol, you might want to either replace them with some smaller unit or have your pistolsmith shave them down. The trigger is medium length and flat. The steel portion of the frame has an accessory rail that extends all the way to the muzzle for extra weight and complete choice of light or laser mounting.
The Apache has a grip safety and an ambi thumb safety standard.
The slide is aggressively slotted for cocking serrations, and it’s also machined to accept an optic. The one tested came with a Trijicon SRO already installed. The front sight is a fiber optic, and the rear is a notch. The irons are just barely visible in the bottom of the optic viewscreen. The metal components are treated to a PVD coating, making them harder than an auditor’s heart, but easy to clean.
An added detail is the recoil spring guide rod. Most feature a cross-drilled hole, and you need a high-tech bent paperclip to disassemble. The Apache has a tool-less guide rod. With the slide locked back, pinch the rod to angle the capture shoulder out and ease it forward. It’s now locked, and you can disassemble the Apache—a neat detail and easy to use once you get the feel for it.
Here is the Apache disassembled for cleaning, with its two magazines.
The Apache is the same length as a 5-inch government model, but with a difference. The 416 stainless barrel is just over 4½ inches long and has a Clark/Para dimension integral ramp at the chamber. Forward of the muzzle, Watchtower installs a single-port compensator. Comps are the hot new carry item, but they have been in competition use since the mid 1980s.
The Apache is comped, and the comp is attached to the barrel. Note the aggressive cocking serrations on the slide.
One detail to be aware of is how a comp works. Basically, it’s rocket science. You’re taking some of the gases exiting the muzzle and, by changing their direction, using that energy to change the feel of recoil. The more gases, and the higher pressure they are at, the more energy. The best angles and sizes have been worked out since the mid 1980s, so what you have to know is this: lighter bullets. Lighter bullets, generating any given power factor, require more powder and generate higher pressures than heavy bullets do. That’s why the IPSC world switched from .45 ACP to .38 Super back in the 1980s. So, if you want to get the most benefit from a comp, you run the hottest 115- or 124-grain loads you can lay hands on (or reload, within limits, of course).
But Can She Run?
As a semi-custom pistol (custom features but built as a regular-production inventory item), you’d expect a pistol like the Apache to be accurate and reliable. And you’d be correct in that assumption. I tried the Apache with a variety of ammunition, both competition and daily carry, and it produced groups that were most gratifying. Reliability was 100 percent to the point of being boring in its routine nature. Load magazine, hose down plate rack, reload, repeat.
If you want to have a superb carry pistol, the Apache is just that. It’s a bit heavy and big for everyday carry, but the right holster will deal with that.
As the Apache was the perfect description of the best tool for a particular event at The Pin Shoot, I then tested it with some top-end heavy bullet 9mm loads, found what it liked best and took it north to Central Lake to slay pins. I did my best in the Space Gun event. The load it favored was Michigan Ammo 147-grain JRN, and when I did my part, it shoved off the table with enthusiasm.
Alas, I was not as up to the task as the Apache was, and I finished just out of the standings for the prize table. What are the equipment rules there, you ask? For Space Gun, comps and optics are allowed, and there’s no weight limit. That means the 40-plus ounces of the Apache are there to dampen the recoil of 9mm+P equivalent loads.
If comps work best with light bullets, why did I opt for 147-grain bullets for pins? Because 115s and 124s max out in pressure before getting to the upper level of what is needed for pin-whacking efficiency. Next year I’m going to up those even more, putting 147s downrange at just over 1,000 fps. The Apache is more than up to that task.
Chronograph & Accuracy Data
Ammo
Bullet Weight
Velocity
ES
SD
Accuracy Average (in.)
Accuracy Best (in.)
Black Hills Honey Badger
100
1,273
52
23.4
1.4
1.3
Sig FMJ
115
1,254
12
5.3
1.5
1.4
Super Vel +P JHP
115
1,308
37
14.2
1.3
1.1
Fiocchi FMJ
115
1,085
72
31.9
1.6
1.4
CorBon JHP
124
1,060
58
22.8
1.5
1.3
Michigan Ammo FMJ
147
935
53
24.9
1.4
1.2
Accuracy results were to be averages of three, five-shot groups at 25 yards off a Champion shooting rest. Velocities are averages of 10 shots measured on a Labradar chronograph set to read 15 feet from the muzzle.
Quality and performance like this does not come cheap. The base Apache is $4,299, and adding an optic puts the price higher. You don’t have to get the Trijicon SRO; you can order the standard Apache and then mount the red-dot optic that makes your heart go pitter-pat. Add some magazines and you are ready for competition, daily carry or both.
Note to self: Order up more of this ammo.
Side Note: What Is This Financial Thing?
You might have read about Watchtower being in some kind of financial trouble lately. So, here’s the inside scoop.
The original company was F-1 Firearms. Current owner and CEO Jason Colosky put together a group to buy F-1 and renamed it Watchtower after Operation Watchtower, the battle for Guadalcanal. As a second-generation Recon Marine, Colosky is well-read on military history (and other history as well) and names his product lines after military operations where he can.
The Apache comes with two magazines, a 17- and a 20-round capacity. This is the 17.
OK, now the financial stuff. Your doom-and-gloom shooting buddy at the gun club might not know the difference between Chapter 11 and Chapter 7. Chapter 7 is the “We’re all gonna die” bankruptcy where the people who are owed money get to divvy up the company because there’s no future for it. Chapter 11 is more like “The economy just threw us a curve, and we need to catch our breath.” Rather than standing by while those owed sort out who gets what, the company gets time to square things away, arrange cash flow and streamline operations. This is all in a plan worked out by the company, its creditors and the court.
In a “7,” if anyone at the company so much as sells a company-owned paperclip before the creditors show up they can go to jail. In an “11” the idea is to encourage moving inventory. The company isn’t going under, they just need elbow room to straighten out some problems.
So, Watchtower and Colosky have been working hard to satisfy everyone. The factory in Spring, Texas, is working near or at capacity, and orders are being filled as quickly as products can be shipped. Everyone is getting paid (employees, creditors, the bank, suppliers, the IRS), and once the contractual agreement has been met (that’s what Chapter 11 is, by the way, a contract), Watchtower will have put the problems behind them.
In the meantime, first-class firearms like the Apache will keep heading out the door to eager customers.
Once it is over we can look forward to more excellent product offerings.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
With a shot timer and a few drills, you can make your handgun training much more enjoyable.
We often take our defensive handgun shooting too seriously—not that being serious about defense handgun shooting is a bad thing. But one of the great things about shooting is that it can be fun, and sometimes having fun is a good thing, even with a serious firearm.
About 7 years ago I developed a comprehensive defensive handgun drill that incorporated five very popular defensive handgun drills. I don’t think it’s all that practical as a training or evaluation tool, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, especially when you’re on the range with some buddies and want to have some friendly competition.
We call the shooting range I live on Shadowland, and I named this drill simply the Shadowland Drill. To run the drill, you will need three IDPA targets and a range where you can shoot from three to seven yards. Set the left target at 7 yards, the middle target at 5 yards, and the right target at 3 yards, spacing them about a foot apart. You will also need—at a minimum—15 rounds of ammo, your defensive handgun, a holster and a shot timer.
The target array for the Shadowland Drill is simple and can be set up on most any range.
Five of the most used defensive handgun drills include a single shot to the head (one shot), a hammer pair (two shots), a failure drill (three shots), a reload drill (four shots) and an adrenalin dump (five shots). If you combine these five drills together, you have the Shadowland Drill that requires 15 shots. And by combining these drills, what I mean is that you shoot them all—one right after another—and use the shot timer to record all 15 shots.
The Shadowland Drill
Begin the drill holstered, and on the signal from the shot timer, draw and fire a single head shot at the 7-yard target. Then, immediately transition to the 3-yard target and fire a hammer-pair (two shots—one sight picture). After that, your focus shifts to the 5-yard target, where you fire a failure drill (two to the body and one to the head). Then, transition to the 7-yard target and fire a controlled-pair (two shots—two sight pictures). This is the first part of the reload portion of the drill.
Now, conduct a speed reload and fire another hammer-pair (two shots) at the 3-yard target. That’s a total of 10 shots, and the final part of the drill is to switch back to the 5-yard target and conduct an adrenalin dump (five shots center mass as fast as possible).
When you’re finished, the 7-yard target should have one hit in the 4-inch head circle, and two hits in the 8-inch body circle. In the 5-yard target, you should have one hit in the head circle and seven hits in the body circle. And finally, in the 3-yard target, you should have four hits in the body circle.
You score the drill by time—the total time it takes you to get all 15 hits on the correct target and in the correct location. A clean run in under 10 seconds is very good. I’ve done it, but I cannot do it every time. A clean run in less than 12.5 seconds is respectable, and if you can run it clean in less than 15 seconds, consider that a decent performance.
This drill is perfect for defensive handguns that hold at least eight rounds, because eight rounds get you through the first two shots of the reload portion of the drill. However, you can run this drill with a five- or six-shot revolver, too; you’ll just need to conduct two reloads.
With a five-shot handgun, conduct the first reload after the first two shots of the failure drill on the 5-yard target. Then, conduct the second reload after the second hammer pair on the 3-yard target. With a six-shot handgun, do the first reload after the failure drill on the 5-yard target and do the second reload after the second hammer pair on the 3-yard target. With a five- or six-shot revolver or pistol, a very good score would be a clean run in less than 15 seconds.
It’s Just a Drill
There are several reasons this is not a very practical drill. The first is that, whether you’re shooting or picking your nose, it’s not advisable to stand in one spot for around 10 seconds. If you’re in a gunfight, you will likely die, and if you are at a social function, you’ll most likely get embarrassed when someone sees you digging for boogers. Another reason it’s not very practical is because, if three or more bad guys accosted you, I seriously doubt this formulation of an attack would be the best or the one that you would choose.
This does not mean the drill is of no value. It requires you to stay on your gun and keep it running at a high speed for around 10 seconds or more. It also requires good shooting. And, just as importantly, it’s a great informal competition drill, because the memory and progression aspect can level the playing field between fast shooters and others who are more deliberate and accurate.
If you run this drill several times, you are going to miss a few shots and you’re going to get out of sequence, too—especially if you go as fast as you can.
As much as this is a shooting exercise, it’s also a memory exercise, and learning to think while you shoot fast is a good skill to practice. You must shoot the targets in order, shoot them the correct number of times and shoot them in the correct spots. The actual shooting is not that difficult; trying to do it all in order and at high speed can get frustrating.
To some extent, this drill is also an exercise in humility. Just when you think you’ve become pretty good with your self-defense handgun, this drill can remind you there is always room for improvement.
Regardless, give the drill a try, mostly because it’s fun, and we could all probably use some more fun in our lives.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Lightweight, rugged, and rated up to .300 RUM, the Banish Backcountry is the suppressor built for serious hunters who demand performance without added bulk.
Lately, suppressors have stolen the spotlight in the firearms world. Though one area has stayed relatively immune to the muzzle device’s breakout popularity, hunting.
Don’t get me wrong, varmint and hog hunters have always appreciated what cans bring to the table. Picking off more porcine because you’ve hushed up your rifle enables a quick learning curve. Deer, elk and even antelope hunters, however, have been reluctant to expand their horizons.
It’s a pity, given what a new generation of hunter-tailored suppressors brings to the table. This gets to the rub of why I’m writing—the Silencer Central Banish Backcountry suppressor. Created with western-style hunting firmly in mind, the can aims at being a do-all in the backwoods. And after spending the better part of the summer running it on different hunting rigs, I’d say it hits the bullseye.
Banish Backcountry Specs
Length: 5.5″ Diameter: 1.6″ Weight: 7.8 oz Material: Titanium Thread Pitch: 5/8×24 Self-service: No Caliber:.300 Caliber range: Up to 300 rum Color: Black, Tan, OD Green, Burnt Bronze, Tungsten, coyote tan Finish: Cerakote Sound Reduction: 30 dB Mount style: Direct Thread Universal hub Full-auto rated: No MSRP: $1,099
Pros
Lightweight
Excellent Recoil Reductions
Versatile Mount Options
Cons
Not User Serviceable
Banished Into The Backcountry
For anyone following the developments at Silencer Central, Banish is a familiar name. This is the company’s in-house suppressor line, which over the years has become synonymous with performance at a fair price. They aren’t the cheapest on the market, but for the money they demand, the cans punch above their weight.
The Banish Backcountry (right) next to a Banish 9K pistols suppressor. It's bigger, but not considerably so. And it's titanium construction keeps it feather light.
Despite the line’s performance, the rifle suppressors didn’t exactly qualify as hunting can, except incidentally. Mainly constructed from stainless steel, they were heavy. But in recent years, Silencer Central has made a big push into titanium suppressors—a boon for anyone concerned about weight.
This plays out hugely for the Backcountry. At 7.6 ounces, the all-titanium suppressor is among the lightest for its size in Silencer Central’s catalog. That’s saying a mouthful, because it’s small for a rifle suppressor—really small. The can only tacks on 5.5 inches (5.7 inches with mount) to the overall length of the rifle and is relatively slim at 1.6 inches in diameter. For some rifles, that’s slender enough to use open sights—if one were so inclined.
Nice as all these aspects are, the mind-blowing aspect of this is that the Backcountry is engineered to handle some pretty rough-and-tumble cartridges. The can is rated up to .300 RUM; in turn, the .300 Winchester Magnum, 7mm Magnum and the .30-caliber and smaller PRC and Nosler cartridges are all fair game. Sorry, .338 fans, you’ll just have to take something smaller to Alaska.
Banish Backcountry Construction
Strong and light as titanium is, it’s a difficult material to craft. Silencer Central has done a solid job in this department, particularly given its welded baffle design.
The Backcountry's welds are hard to see. Also note, the endcap is attached not making it user serviceable.
I’m no metallurgist or fabricator, but the welds were uniform and through 100-plus rounds of 7mm PRC showed no issues in strength—more on that later. As for its internal construction, it’s a six K-baffle design, with an ample blast chamber. Given it’s welded, this is not a user serviceable suppressor—somewhat.
Silencer Central, wisely in my opinion, runs a 1.375×24 universal mount that gives some access to the interior. At least if you give the Backcountry an ultrasonic bath, it’s easier to get everything drained off, including the carbon filth.
The mount that comes with the suppressor has a 5/8×24 thread pattern, making it compatible with a majority of hunting calibers. However, the mount can be switched out, essentially making it compatible with any caliber for which the can is rated. Or, you can go for a QD mount, if that’s your cup of tea.
Backcountry Range Performance
The Backcountry, being targeted at hunting, I ran it on what I would call a blue-collar long-range setup—a Ruger American Gen II, as mentioned, in 7mm PRC. For those living under rocks, the PRC family of cartridges are beltless magnums and a good option to see the overall performance of the Silencer Central suppressor.
Overall, it was dynamite.
A wish move, Silencer Central uses a universal mount, allowing you to switch out mounting options on the can.
As for sound suppression, the Banish hunting can put a big dent in the report of the Ruger. Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to verify the dB reduction on the can, but it was substantial compared to the rifle unsuppressed.
For the record, Silencer Central lists the Backcountry will reduce a similar cartridge—the .300 Winchester Magnum—to 137 dB. That’s still not safe for unprotected ears, but substantial enough to make a rifle more pleasurable to shoot.
Recoil mitigation—the more important aspect of a hunting suppressor, in my book—was impressive. I had a good benchmark, given the American Gen II comes with a muzzle brake that itself does a fairly good job of taming the buck 7mm. However, the Backcountry does even better, cooling the kick down to around that of a .270 Winchester out of a rifle the same, by my estimations.
Overall Take
Recoil mitigation alone, the Banish Backcountry hits the mark. Elk, deer, moose, what-have-you season, often you only have one shot to put meat on the table and a rack on the wall. A device that can reduce the potential of flinching is worth its weight in gold.
Given Silencer Central has shaved down the mass of the Backcountry to make it a feasible addition to a mountain rifle, it’s worth more. For many hunters, suppressors are untrodden and untested territory—especially for those who hike back a few ridgelines. The Backcountry should change this in a big way, with an adaptable, functional and, above all, lightweight option.
The suppressor certainly has what it takes to change the game on the hunt.
Some ammo is good, but more is better, and that’s exactly what Taylor Freelance Mag Extensions give you.
More ammo is better. A friend of mine once remarked, “There are only two situations where you can have too much ammo: when you’re on fire or trying to swim.”
So, how do you get more? Taylor Freelance is the place.
Robin Taylor is a longtime USPSA/IPSC competitor, who understands the need for more. And the need for durability. His magazine extensions (TaylorFreelance.com) are designed and built to withstand the rigors of competition—whether dropped on gravel or in mud—and still work.
He makes nearly a full line of extensions for a variety of firearms. Not all, because some just can’t take an extension. How so? Look at your pistol magazine. At the bottom, the tube has lips to hold on the baseplate. If the lips are folded in, then you can’t extend it. Out, and you can.
Except for magazines with a crease at the bottom. The Browning Hi-Power is the classic example there. The crease at the bottom of the tube prevents the follower from moving down any further.
You’ll notice that magazine extensions are denoted by a plus and number (+2, +4, etc.). That is how many extra rounds it adds. Generally, in 9mm, .40 and .45 calibers will be less. You’ll also see some +0 basepads. No, they do not add capacity. But they are often more durable than the factory basepads. And if you opt for the brass ones, they are heavier. You can install those on the otherwise not-extendable magazines (the ones with the crease at the bottom).
Aluminum or brass—and various colors of aluminum—you have options galore with magazine extensions.
And, yes, brass. You get a choice of brass or aluminum; all machined on state-of-the-art CNC centers. The extra weight means the magazine will fall free when you press the mag button. And it is more likely to land on the brass and not on the magazine lips—no guarantees, of course, but the odds are better.
The website is also a rich source of information. You will notice that there are overlaps in what basepads fit on which magazines. Canik basepads also work just fine on selected Beretta magazines. (Those pesky creases again.) The simple reason is that there are only so many ways you can make a 9mm double-stack magazine. And a pistol designer will often use a common magazine tube, especially if it has an enviable reputation for reliability.
So, there are a lot of commonalities in magazine basepads. It’s all in the selections.
The apex of extension is the Goliath magazine extension. This is a +20 or a +30 extension. Yes, 20 or 30 extra rounds. It’s made for the Glock 33-round 9mm magazine, and it produces a magazine of absurd dimensions. Taylor Freelance makes this for PCC competition shooters who want to go through a full stage and never reload. You’ll spend forever loading it, and you can’t go prone, but if you want a magazine that swallows an entire box of ammo, this is the way.
The Goliath magazine extension adds 20 or 30 rounds to a Glock magazine. Now we’re cooking with gas.
While the brass magazine extensions come in shiny brass, the aluminum ones can be had in a variety of colors, limited mostly by what’s popular. I’d bet if you just had to have a color not on the webpage Taylor would do it, but you’d have to place an order for enough of them to do a special anodizing dye run.
Taylor Freelance also makes grip panels, backstraps and magazine funnels. You can significantly increase the weight of a pistol (to dampen recoil) by blinging it with brass, speeding your reloads and making yours yours and not just like everyone else’s.
And, as another bonus, the basepads are made with dimples in them, so you can paint-spot them in a pattern and keep them straight. That way, if one decides to start acting up, you can, at a glance, see which one it is for later adjustments.
To finish the rock-’n’-roll motto: Too much is not enough.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Lever-actions in .22 LR are a ton of fun. Here we take a look at some of the top options on the market today.
Designed in 1887, the .22 Long Rifle (LR) is arguably one of the most popular cartridges ever invented, and for good reasons. Of course, other rimfire cartridges were produced, including the .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) and the tiny .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR), but I’ll focus on the .22 LR here in lever-action rimfire applications.
This rimfire cartridge has many things going for it from the get-go. First of all, it’s relatively inexpensive and pleasant to shoot. No harsh recoil nor ear-splitting muzzle blast are associated with the .22 LR, although we need hearing protection whenever possible, even with small cartridges. It’s a master at collecting small game, and while it may not be optimal, you can press it into service as a defensive weapon. Federal even offers its Personal Defense Punch Rimfire .22 LR 29-grain load specifically designed for such purposes. Another of the .22 LR’s merits is that it’s chambered in guns similar to those we hunt big game with or carry for personal protection. That adds another excellent option for less expensive live-fire practice to hone our shooting skills.
One of the most popular rifle actions ever devised is the classic lever-action. It provides the shooter with lightning-fast follow-up shots. For those still needing convincing, we can easily watch videos of accomplished shooters running their lever-action rimfire rifles with unbelievable speed and accuracy.
Uniquely American, the lever gun has been a part of the shooting scene for over 160 years. The longevity of manufacturing rifles with this type of action and the fact that gun companies still produce them and continue to add them to their lines means one thing: Shooters want them. If companies couldn’t build, sell and make money by providing lever-action rifles, they wouldn’t do it.
Several companies are currently offering multiple versions of .22 LR lever-actions. From historic designs like the Henry 1866 Yellowboy to modern renditions of lever guns that have gained brand recognition from makers like Browning, Chiappa, Rossi and others, the lever-action .22 is as popular as ever. Let’s look at the current models available for today’s shooter.
The Henry Golden Boy .22. Every shooter should treat themselves to a Henry, and a Golden Boy chambered for a rimfire round provides the perfect excuse to get one.
Cimarron Firearms offers its 1866 Yellowboy carbine with a 19-inch round barrel or 24-inch octagon-barreled Sporting Rifle chambered in .22 LR. Staying within traditional lines, Taylor’s & Company catalogs the 1866 Carbine with a 19-inch barrel and the rifle version with a 24.25-incher. Taylor’s also sells the Uberti Scout with a 19-inch barrel.
The 1866 Yellowboy in .22 LR from Cimarron Firearms.
Browning’s BL-22 comes in numerous configurations, Field Grades I and II, Micro Midas, Grade I and Grade II. What does all of this mean? You can have the top-shelf, fast-cycling, accurate lever-action in a couple of different sizes with optional barrel lengths of 16.25 to 20 inches and even a 24-inch octagonal barrel. The receiver finish options are satin nickel or blue.
The Browning BL-22 Micro Midas.
At last count, Henry Repeating Arms offers more than 30 different lever-action rimfires. From its Classic Lever Action .22 Model H001 to carbines, Octagon Frontiers, Small Game Rifles and Carbine, Limited Edition, and Tribute guns, Henry has a vast variety from which to choose.
Henry is making gorgeous lever guns, including this rimfire TX Ranger with eye-catching engraving and a large loop lever.
Heritage Manufacturing Company’s Settler Series of lever-actions are new to the shooting game, with three different models available from the 20-inch Settler to the 16-inch Compact and down to the 12.5-inch Mares Leg. These guns feature polished black oxide barrels, wood stocks and attractive simulated case-hardened receivers.
Rossi’s Rio Bravo line of .22s are good-shooting, affordable lever guns. These 18-inch carbines come in matte black and wood, PVD gold and wood, Cerakote gold and wood or the tactical-looking polymer and black.
The Rossi Rio Bravo performed well for the author. He noted that the action was smooth, but this rifle had a slight catch as the nose of the bullet entered the chamber. However, that didn’t slow it down or cause any malfunctions.
Chiappa Firearms has several versions of its takedown LA322 lever-action .22—a straight grip blued and wood model with an 18.5-inch barrel, the matte-chrome Kodiak Cub, and the Take Down Deluxe with a curved lever and hand-oiled walnut stock and forearm.
The Chiappa Kodiak Cub.
Hands-On Experience
Henry provided the H001T with a hefty 20-inch octagonal barrel that balances nicely. Of course, the action was smooth, as all Henrys are, and the trigger broke at 3 pounds. The semi-buckhorn rear sight with a white diamond in the bottom contrasted nicely with the brass bead front sight.
The wood-to-metal fit and finish on the Henry rifle are excellent, with a bit of grain in the darkly stained walnut stock and forearm. The Henry holds 16 rounds of .22 LR, and the barrel is marked .22 S/L/LR. It holds 21 rounds of .22 Shorts.
Rossi sent its brass-framed Rio Bravo Gold. The action is smooth on the Rossi, but this particular rifle has just a bit of catch as the nose of the bullet goes into the chamber. This did not cause any issues; you feel a slight increase in action tension as the cartridge begins to seat into the chamber of the 18-inch round barrel. The fit and finish are good, and the wood stock has some grain, which I like. The trigger broke at a crisp 4 pounds with about a quarter inch of take-up or slack before you hit the trigger’s tension. By design, a quarter-inch gap between the lever and grip of the stock takes some getting used to; it feels slightly different from other lever guns I’m familiar with. However, you get used to it in no time. The rear sight is buckhorn with a brass bead front, and the rifle holds 15 rounds of .22 LR.
I carried this little rifle while working livestock on the Harkins Ranch in hopes of shooting it during an afternoon break, which is precisely what we did. For starters, 12-year-old Sutton ran the Rossi through several rounds of steel Go Fast targets he had set up for a speed competition at 30 feet with two square targets on each side of a round “time-stopping” target. He competes with a slick semi-auto .22 LR rifle, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he ran the Rossi lever-action like a pro. Sutton, his dad Jase, and I alternated running this course for time and naturally gravitated to shooting at long-range steel on the remote range. A steel ram, turkey, pig, and chicken soon took a beating at 50 yards, so we moved to an old scuba tank at 100. Next came the 200-yard steel, small-man-silhouette that we hit repeatedly by holding the front bead on top of the rear sight notch and focusing the bead on the head of the distant target. The pop of the .22 LR going off was answered after a slight pause by a “ding” of the tiny bullet making contact with the metal.
My friend Jim Crouch at Dodson Guns in Alpine graciously allowed me to include his previously unfired Browning BL-22 Grade II in this article. It is high-end and has a beautiful black walnut stock and gloss-finished forearm, with an engraved receiver and a 20-inch barrel.
Browning BL-22 Grade II.
The 33-degree lever throw design of the BL-22 enables you to run the lever with a simple flip of the hand. It’s fast, and it’s accurate. The trigger breaks at a crisp 6 pounds after a slight take-up. We could cover each group with a quarter; most were nickel-sized or smaller. For fun, I ran several mag tubes rapid-fire on a small-torso steel plate at 25 yards, and it’s incredible how fast one can run this rifle.
Taking all three rifles to the range for accuracy testing, I set up my target stand at 15 yards and used 1-inch orange Rangemaxx target stickers on a white poster board as my aiming point. I fired five shots each from a sitting, sandbag rest with Remington’s 40-grain Thunderbolt and 36-grain Golden Bullet, CCI 40-grain Target Mini Mags, Eley 40-grain Club, Browning’s 40-grain Pro 22 and Winchester’s 40-grain Power-Point.
The three .22 LR lever guns the author tested all performed well with each brand of ammunition. (Top) Browning BL-22 Grade II (middle) Henry Octagon Frontier, (bottom) Rossi Rio Bravo Gold.
Each of these rifles performed well with all brands of ammunition, with some groups a ragged hole. The largest groups were made by one-round-self-induced flyers by the shooter.
Each lever-action could likely shoot better than I can shoot them, and each provided good-to-excellent accuracy with the six loads tested. The Browning BL-22’s best two groups measured 0.39 of an inch with Winchester Power-Point and Browning Pro22 ammunition. Out of all rounds tested, this rifle averaged a group size of .43 inch. That’s six different cartridges from four different manufacturers. Browning’s BL22 is the top-shelf lever gun in the trio. This quality lever-action fit, finish, and engraving will set you back around $740.
Each of the three lever-actions reviewed produced tight five-shot groups (the setup was 15 yards from a sandbag rest). Each gun will provide excellent accuracy after seeing which rounds it likes.
The Henry stacked the CCI Mini Mags into 0.34 inch, and the Browning Pro22 load was close behind at 0.43-inch groups with one round just slightly out of the cluster, likely pulled by yours truly. The average for all loads fired was 0.64 inch. The Henry Octagon Frontier Model retails in the neighborhood of $400 and sits comfortably as a mid-price, quality lever-action .22 LR.
The most economical of the lot is the Rossi Rio Bravo Gold. This rifle retails around $350, but don’t let the lower price tag dissuade you from considering it a worthy addition to your armory. The Rio Bravo produced impressive groups, with the smallest measuring 0.22 inch with the Browning Pro22 ammunition—the smallest group of the three rifles tested—and the average of six groups was just 0.42 of an inch. So, the most cost-effective .22 LR in the mix shot on par with the high-end lever gun; how’s that for a bargain?
FIREARM
LOAD
ACCURACY (IN.)
Browning BL-22
Remington Bucket O’ Bullets
.42
Browning BL-22
Remington Thunderbolt
.57
Browning BL-22
CCI Mini Mag
.41
Browning BL-22
Eley
.42
Browning BL-22
Winchester Power-Point
.39
Browning BL-22
Browning Pro22
.39
Henry Octagon Frontier
Remington Bucket O’ Bullets
.88
Henry Octagon Frontier
Remington Thunderbolt
.68
Henry Octagon Frontier
CCI Mini Mag
.34
Henry Octagon Frontier
Eley
.47
Henry Octagon Frontier
Winchester Power-Point
1.06
Henry Octagon Frontier
Browning Pro22
.43
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
Remington Bucket O’ Bullets
.76
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
Remington Thunderbolt
.33
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
CCI Mini Mag
.37
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
Eley
.43
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
Winchester Power-Point
.43
Rossi Rio Bravo Gold
Browning Pro22
.22
All of this boils down to one thing. No matter what your gun budget allows, we have excellent options to own a good, accurate lever gun in .22 LR. Understandably, fit and finish vary slightly between the manufacturers and each gun is priced accordingly. Some low-cost guns might have cast or even synthetic parts here and there, and the wood quality goes up with price. The fact remains that no matter the cost, each of these lever-action rimfires shot and functioned well.
Finishing up with the business at the shooting bench, I loaded up the rifles for some fun, rapid-fire shooting on steel from 50 to 100 yards. I never experienced a glitch with any of the guns or ammunition, and it took little effort to keep them ringing plates, even at football field distance.
Today’s production .22 LR lever-actions range in price from under $300 to over a grand. You can choose from various brands and models and select the appropriate rifle to fit your needs, wants and budget. Even the most economical guns offer good accuracy, function and reliability, ensuring shooters have opportunities to own and shoot quality lever-action .22 rifles at any cost. There are also options for those who admire the finer things in life like high-end, figured walnut and engraving. Now grab a pocketful of ammo, your favorite .22 lever-action and head to the range!
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
