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Welcome to CANCON A Fully Suppressed RECOIL Range Day!
Save the date and make your plans to come down on Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 11-13 to the 17 South Rod and Gun Club in Savannah, Georgia.
Hundreds of the newest and best suppressors, firearms, and optics will be on the firing line for you to get hands-on trigger time.
All ammo will be provided, just bring your trigger finger!
Veterans get in FREE Friday, so come spend your Veterans Day weekend with us at CANCON!
SATURDAY NIGHT VIPs will have the opportunity to shoot suppressed with night vision goggles, clip-on night vision optics, IR lasers, tracers, and more.
CANCON will even have activities for kids, making this a completely family-friendly event.
Expect to see hundreds of firearms and suppressors, every one of them available to shoot. Don’t forget your eyes and ears for safety!
Not every day you get to shoot cool stuff like this!
Great food will be available on-site for when you need to recharge between shooting bays.
More information and ticket pre-sales coming soon!
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Designed Machined and assembled in Leupold Optic's Oregon factory, the Mark 5HD scope keeps the company roots firmly planted in its home.
Crafted to redefine accuracy, precision, and optical performance for long-range shooters, Leupold’s award-winning Mark 5HD is a testament to domestic manufacturing. It’s proudly designed, machined, and assembled in the company’s Beaverton, Oregon factory, where Leupold employs over 650 hardworking Americans.
In designing the Mark 5HD line, Leupold’s product specialists asked elite shooters what they needed to put accurate fire downrange faster, and used that input to design a riflescope that provides all the tools necessary — in both quality and features — without the unnecessary extras that add weight and cost for consumers. Combining relentless optical performance, rugged reliability, and user-friendly features in a package that could only be produced by leveraging the 70-plus years of optics manufacturing Leupold possesses, the Mark 5HD has wowed end-users throughout the industry.
Be sure to enter our American Made giveaway, with great gear from great American companies. Click the tab at the bottom right of page to enter.
Pick up a Mark 5HD and you’ll feel the difference; it’s up to 20 ounces lighter than other scopes in its class. Get behind one and you’ll see the difference, from its superior edge-to-edge clarity to its extreme low-light performance. With three revolutions of elevation adjustment, the Mark 5HD was built to max out the performance of the latest long-range rifles and ammo.
The heart of the Mark 5HD is in its ZeroLock adjustments, which provide precise, repeatable tracking with a dead-on return to zero. The M5C3 elevation dial delivers over 30-mils of adjustment in three turns. Visual and tactile revolution indicators are in place to ensure you don’t get lost in the travel, and the auto-lock at zero eliminates the risk of accidentally moving the dial. The windage adjustment is capped and the zero indicator mark has been relocated on the riflescope’s main tube so you can see it without moving your head off the stock of the rifle.
In short, it’s the most dominant long-range, precision riflescope on the market. Best yet, it’s backed by Leupold’s legendary lifetime guarantee, which guarantees performance where other companies warranty failure.
For more information on Leupold Optics, please visit leupold.com.
Top-tier, battle-proven products, Radian Weapons turns out rifles and accessories in which you can trust your life.
At Radian Weapons, we think American gun companies should make or source their parts from right here in the USA. That’s why 100-percent of the firearms products we sell are manufactured in America, by Americans.
We machine the majority of our rifle and accessory components in Redmond, Oregon, using state of the art CNC equipment. At Radian, we’ve prioritized vertical integration of our manufacturing processes over product development to ensure that whenever we deliver goods to the consumer, it’s of the highest quality and reliability standards.
Be sure to enter our American Made giveaway, with great gear from great American companies. Click the tab at the bottom right of page to enter.
The temptation in most industries is to rush new products to market. At Radian, we actively choose not to release “me too” products or rely on sourcing major components for new products from third party vendors. This helps protect our brand integrity, and hopefully gives consumers peace of mind when they purchase Radian products.
Our flagship products are the Model 1 rifle and related receiver sets, Talon ambidextrous safeties, and Raptor charging handles. Featured here:
MODEL 1 – 17.5-INCH 223 WYLDE
Clandestine Desert™ Cerakote Finish (Cerakoted by our finishing business, High Desert Coatings—www.highdesertcoatings.com)
RAPTOR CHARGING HANDLE FOR A15/M4
The original all-billet design with Cerakoted FDE handles.
TALON 45/90 AMBIDEXTROUS SAFETY
The screwless safety design ensures your levers won’t come loose and gives you two throw degree options to choose from. Finished with FDE Cerakote.
Buy with confidence, as all Radian products are backed with a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects.
For more information on Radian Weapons, please visit radianweapons.com.
Best known for body armor, Blue Force Gear also offers the everyday carry essential Micro Trauma Kit.
The Micro Trauma Kit NOW!, or Micro TKN, is our smallest version of the Trauma Kit NOW! yet. It was designed to hold essential lifesaving gear with minimal size in mind. The Micro TKNTM is designed to be worn horizontally with minimal bulk—perfect for everyday carry, for law enforcement professionals, prepared citizens, or in low-profile mission sets. The inner carrier can be deployed with one hand or one finger from either the left or right side by pulling the BLIP featured pull tabs. The Micro TKN consists of two main components – the outer MOLLE or Belt mounted pouch utilizing the Ten-Speed® technology, and a removable insert that keeps medical supplies organized.
Be sure to enter our American Made giveaway, with great gear from great American companies. Click the tab at the bottom right of page to enter.
Supplies
Hemostatic dressing for wound packing/clotting (1 included)
4” Emergency Trauma Dressing (1 included)
9” Medical Grade Easy Tape (6 included)
Tourni-Kwik Compression Tourniquet (1 included)
Heavy Duty Medical Gloves (1 pair of Large sized gloves)
For more information on Blue Force Gear, please visit blueforcegear.com.
Unrelenting in design and execution, the new Berger Bullets Long Range Hybrid Target bullets are engineered for hair-splitting accuracy.
Berger’s new Long Range Hybrid Target bullets™ (LRHT) are 100% Made in the USA and feature a high Ballistic Coefficient (BC), jump-tolerant ogive profile that is Doppler verified with less than 1-percent BC variation.
Long-range target shooters and extreme accuracy enthusiasts endlessly seek a competitive advantage, using sophisticated ballistic solvers, custom drag models, complex optics, and twist-rate calculators, among others. All of these tools are rendered meaningless if the projectile exiting their favorite target, hunting, or Mil/LE tactical rifle is inconsistent and unpredictable. Using advanced proprietary manufacturing processes, Berger’s innovative Meplat Reduction Technology™ (MRT) applies controlled pressure along the nose of each LRHT bullet, producing a homogeneous and repeatable profile for the industry’s most consistent BCs. While a high BC is desirable, shot-to-shot BC consistency is most critical when engaging targets at 1,000 yards and beyond. When you absolutely need to maximize hit probability, never settle for a bullet other than Berger.
Be sure to enter our American Made giveaway, with great gear from great American companies. Click the tab at the bottom right of page to enter.
The story behind the construction of Berger Bullets is simple. We start with virgin copper and lead wire products with the tightest specifications. Then, we manufacture our own signature J4 Berger bullet jackets to unmatched tolerances of less than 0.0003 inches of total indicated runout. What does this mean? A better bullet begins with a concentric jacket! Lastly, we merge the materials into finished projectiles — all within the confines of our Mesa, Arizona manufacturing facility.
Berger Bullets are highly sought after by the leading shooters in the world’s most demanding competitive shooting disciplines, such as PRS, F-Class, Fullbore, long range, and ELR to name a few. New Long Range Hybrid Target bullets are available in .22 caliber, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, and .30 caliber offerings.
New for NRA Show is our line of LRHT Ammunition offerings in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 300 Norma Magnum.
For more information on Berger Bullets, please visit bergerbullets.com.
Improving the safety, performance and comfort of soldiers and safety professionals, Oakley Standard Issue has become a trusted first line of defense.
For over 20 years, Oakley Standard Issue has manufactured all ballistic products at their factory in Foothill Ranch, California. Products are designed, materials are sourced, and products are tested right here in America.
The Oakley SI Ballistic M Frame Alpha is our latest flagship product. Alpha is an eco-system; the product contains a frame, goggle, and helo-gasket with a lens interchangeable between all three. No matter the mission, the user can configure the product to his or her needs. Range work, close quarters battle, mobility, and even freefall are many of the environments applicable. Oakley Prizm Technology within the lens brings high contrast and definition. Specifically, Prizm Shooting was developed with the Army Marksmanship Unit and gives greater clarity to targets in different light conditions.
Designed with extensive input from our military and first responder community, Alpha is now authorized for wear on the Special Operations Eyewear Program (SOEP). SOEP, regarded as the highest standard for protective eyewear, certifies that all components are made in the USA and offer the highest level of protection. Available in multiple lens and frame color configurations.
Oakley Standard Issue was formally established in 2000. Committed to serving our military and first responders, Oakley SI offers exclusive pricing for products for active-duty military, government, first responders, and veterans.
A passionate gun parts and accessories company, Overwatch Precision has the kit to make you pistol run like a top.
The OP TAC Trigger System is a patent-pending seven-piece upgrade for your Smith & Wesson MP 2.0 that reduces total travel and pre-travel by 50 percent. Engineered by us from the ground up, this kit provides the unmatched performance you have come to expect from all OP products.
Through state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, our trigger bar is held to industry-leading tolerances using a progressive die manufacturing process, a metal forming technique used in aerospace manufacturing that guarantees the most consistent performance and highest quality parts. This process, coupled with a space-age NP3 coating, provides the end user with the highest quality trigger bar ever offered.
TAC Trigger
Our proven TAC trigger is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, with features immediately identifiable as Overwatch Precision’s intellectual property. The overall design has been the go-to for Glock pistols since we released it in 2016, and its overall shape and function have been refined to excel in this new platform. With pre-travel reduction and a flat face, this self-correcting contact point aids in a linear rearward pull and increases accuracy. The indexing lip helps the shooter consistently place their finger on the trigger in the exact same spot every time, helping muscle memory and overall consistency.
The Sear
At the heart of this system is our NP3 coated sear. With a proprietary sear angle and large radius, this sear allows for a light and consistent break that can be tuned to the shooter’s preference with the two trigger return springs provided.
The Plunger
This product has a proprietary radius that replaces the OEM chamfer and creates a measurable “hump” in the trigger pull. This Swiss CNC’d part, coupled with NP3, creates a smooth pull to the wall. The plunger spring provides constancy and safe operation of this part, as intended by S&W.
The Trigger Springs
We offer two different trigger return springs with this kit. Standing by our ethos of serious-use defensive weapon components, we include a 4.5-pound return spring for duty or carry use for a dependable, predictable break. With the growth of USPSA popularity and participation in and amongst firearm enthusiasts, we also offer a 3.2-pound spring. Please note, this spring is not suitable for carry.
North Carolina based G-Code produces solutions for ever gun and tactical carry situation under the sun.
At G-Code, we don’t have a flagship product; what we have is a flagship philosophy and an unyielding commitment to excellence in everything we do. We don’t see ourselves as a company of products — we’re far more than that. G-Code is a solutions company.
Our purpose has always been to solve problems for our customers. We do this with design and innovation, and although our efforts manifest in products, we never sit back and feel like “we have arrived.”
Be sure to enter our American Made giveaway, with great gear from great American companies. Click the tab at the bottom right of page to enter.
Likewise, execution in our workmanship is paramount in its importance to us and to our customers. Our fit, finish, and function must always be unquestionably second to none.
To this end, G-Code products have always been, and will always be, 100-percent American made using only U.S.-sourced raw materials and components. At G-Code, we count it our privilege to provide tactical carry solutions to the men and women who serve in our military, law enforcement, and the civilian concealed carry communities.
This is why when you buy G-Code, you buy American, you buy quality … because we simply will not sell anything else!
The bipod has long been a tool used by shooters to obtain a more steady firing position in the field or on the range. However, in its many years of use, the fundamental design and function of a lot of traditional “stiff” bipods have not changed all that much.
Swagger Bipods, a Nebraska-based manufacturer, has developed a couple of bipods that offer the shooter a ton of flexibility and functionality, all while remaining incredibly lightweight. Using what the company calls Crazy Legs Technology, these bipods afford the shooter a wide array of shooting positions. The flexible, hyper-extending Crazy Legs are shock-corded and are easily adjustable with a simple twist motion.
Gun Digest Editor in Chief Eric Conn had the opportunity to experiment with a Swagger bipod this winter while sighting in for an upcoming predator hunt and came away very impressed with the bipod's flexibility and ease of use.
For more information on these great shooting aids, check out the video above, or visit the Swagger Bipods website.
You need light, and the SureFire XC3 marks the spot.
It’s in the nature of how our eyes work that you need light. While some of us can see better in “the dark” than others, even then there is some light.
So, more light is better.
But some lights are better than others, and the SureFire XC3 is one such light.
Starting out, it offers 550 lumens for a runtime of 1.75 hours. It has a center beam of 7,500 candelas. Lumens is total output. Candelas is how much the center actually puts on target. You get a bright center, but with enough “spill” that you can see outside the center, which is useful.
The body is made of aluminum and given the expected SureFire Type III hard anodizing. SureFire makes lights and other products not to meet some idea of a warranty, but to keep working even after you haven’t. Not to be gloomy, but a SureFire light will still work after experiencing conditions you can’t survive, so it won’t let you down.
The SureFire XC3 is compact, sure, but it’s loaded with superb details.
It can be mounted to almost any rail, be it a universal or Picatinny, with the included adapter lug. It’s compact, lightweight and easy to use. At 2.65 ounces, you won’t notice its weight. Oh, you’ll have to get a holster to accommodate it, but that’s the new normal.
It’s small enough to fit underneath the slide/frame of most pistols, not protruding past the muzzle. This protects it from impacts and from some of the muzzle blast and powder residue.
It has an ambidextrous toggle as well, so you can control it with either hand or thumb. So far, I’ve described a bunch of weapon-mounted lights, so what makes the SureFire XC3 such a big thing?
The power and battery swapping.
The XC3 runs on a single CR123 battery. Yep, 550 lumens, 1.75 hours runtime—on a single battery. And the best part? You can change batteries without taking the light off the frame.
The front cap, which is the LED light and reflector, comes off to remove the battery forward out of the housing. (Do this after you have unloaded and shown clear, please.)
No more fussing with screwdrivers and removing the light to swap out the tired or dead batteries. Now you can do it in a minute with no tools … and just the one battery.
Unfortunately, this coolness does not come cheap.
SureFire’s usual customer base goes to dangerous places and puts paid to the careers of dangerous people. They build the gear to stand up to the rigors of that work. If your job starts with a HALO jump, followed by room-clearing, lots of ammo and more than a few explosions, you do not want your pistol light to be DOA when you need it. (After all, if you need a pistol a lot of things have already gone wrong.)
The price? A listed $299, which means you can probably walk out the door, tax included for less than three Benjamins. At that, it’s likely to be half the price of the pistol you are mounting it on.
But until the battery dies, it won’t fail you. And when the battery dies, it’s a minutes or less to change that—no tools needed.
SureFire … gotta love it.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Mossberg engineered a near perfect tactical semi-auto scatter gun with the 940 Pro Tactical SPX.
From never-fail striker-fired pistols to potent AR platforms, suppressible and manageable at the shoulder, home defense options are legion. Even with these choices, the 12-gauge shotgun still has a certain daunting mystique when manning the ramparts of your property line and addressing bumps in the night.
Nothing quite says, “Get off my lawn!” more convincingly. And few companies have perfected the defensive scattergun like Mossberg.
Like a dark and avenging spirit, the company’s 500 and 590 series pump guns strike fear into the black hearts of the felonious. However, there’s a fair case to be made that Mossberg’s newest semi-auto smoothbore has the chops to hold its own versus the company’s legends. Smooth shooting, easy to manipulate and fast as AC down copper wire, the newly minted 940 Pro Tactical SPX is built for defense.
Requires a short break-in period before it's perfectly reliable
Not budget-priced
Birth of the 940
If you’re not familiar with the Mossberg 940 line of shotguns, it’s essentially a redemption story. The company’s preceding gas-operated shotgun—the 930—had all the trappings of greatness. However, it proved to require plenty of attention in the maintenance department, lest it throw in the towel and quit due to a malfunction. Bad news in field models, catastrophic in tactical variations.
The 940 action set out to remedy this issue by re-engineering several key components, with rock-solid reliability the target. As far as the ones I’ve shot since its release in 2020, Mossberg has scored a bull’s eye. The gas-gun runs like rain down a gutter and eats practically anything it’s fed.
Much of this success, not to mention dependability, of the gun has been its piston. Placed on the outside of the tubular magazine, venting gas forward and out of the way of moving parts, it runs much cleaner. Furthermore, a separate spring-loaded valve in the gas block only allows through enough gas as needed to cycle the bolt, again keeping fouling to a minimum.
Does it really cycle through upward of 1,500 shells between cleanings, per Mossberg’s marketing hype? I haven’t reached that mark personally on a single gun. But the Pro Tactical SPX and the field-grade 940 Pros I’ve shot haven’t hiccuped once through hundreds of shells.
It’s worth slipping, the piston system also makes the 940 damned versatile. From No. 8 bird to 300-grain slugs, the 940 chew through them without a hitch. This is no small feat, given that the pressure curves between those loads are worlds away from each other.
In addition to QD points, the SPX also has a length of M-Lok on its barrel separator—a must-have feature to attach a light or other accessory.
The Pro Tactical SPX gives the action plenty to munch on, as the 18.5-inch barreled shotgun has an impressive payload. Chambering 3-inch and 2 3/4-inch shells, the gun has a 6+1 and 7+1 capacity, respectively, thanks to an elongated tubular magazine. If that isn’t enough, Mossberg levels it up by including a Vang Comp 6-Shotshell Carrier Card standard, giving you a lucky 13 rounds loaded and at hand if you’re running 3-inch ammo.
Eye of the Beholder
Tactical in many circumstances simply means the gun is dressed in black and brings little practical to the table. Not the Pro Tactical SPX. Mossberg has incorporated several useful design points into the 12-gauge, making it excel at its intended defensive purpose. None more significant than its optics cut.
The model I ran was the fully stock version available with all the bells and whistles, which included a Holosun HS407K micro red dot. If you’re interested in defensive shotguns, chances are you have a streak of late adopter in you, particularly with battery-operated optics. You need to get over this because a red dot takes a defensive shotgun to an entirely different level of effectiveness.
Taking the SPX up a notch is the Holosun HS407K, which makes target acquisition much faster and accurate. Incidentally, the shotgun has an optics cut, making adding a red dot simple and painless.
While small, the HS407K is ideal on the SPX. Unlike on a pistol, the optic is close to the eye, thus the dot is fast and easy to acquire when shouldering the shotgun. And what it will do for your target acquisition will spin your head. Why wouldn’t you want an unfair advantage like that?
Don’t cotton to Holosun? Never fear, the Pro Tactical SPX is compatible with RMSc footprints, and it can adapt to nearly any optic thanks to its adapter plate system.
Dressed For Success
While the overall furniture on the Pro Tactical SPX is rather what you’d expect—glass-filled nylon—it has some minutiae making the gun much more user-friendly. Perhaps my favorite aspect is the fore, which Mossberg has wrapped around the top of the barrel to create a heat shield. Running the gun hard gets its barrel smoking, but this elegant feature allows you to be bold in how you handle and manipulate the gun.
Well laid out, the SPX proves a capable rendition of a modern fighting semi-auto shotgun.
Speaking of operating the SPX, Mossberg has made it simple with an oversized and knurled charging handle and bolt release. It is further enhanced with a beveled loading port and an elevator designed not to bite the thumb that feeds it. A nice touch, a brazen metallic-orange follower that leaves no doubt when the mag is empty. And the safety is in the right spot—tang—and has very aggressive texturing, making it easy to flip.
Overall, this adds up to a shotgun you evaluate and manipulate quickly and run hard.
High-Desert Showdown
A handful of other gun writers and I had the opportunity to run the 940 Pro Tactical SPX in the most fitting setting—Gunsite Academy’s defensive shotgun course. Under the tutelage of former Glendale, California, Deputy Sheriff Mario Marchman and U.S. Marine Chris Currie, we put the gun through its paces in situational training, urban tactical courses, house-clearing drill, plain-ol’ speed and accuracy tests and manipulation drills.
Chris Currie was a breacher in Iraq during his service with the Marine Corps. He shows the proper way to gain entry to a room, without immediately putting himself in harm’s way and his Pro Tactical SPX at the ready
In three days, I did north of 500 shells worth of shooting. Adding a layer of pressure to the participants and the gas-operated Mossberg was the environment. Dry, dusty and hot, June in Arizona isn’t exactly inviting … except, perhaps, to basal cells.
The SPX performed spectacularly, particularly with the Holosun red dot. I particularly appreciated the 940’s trigger, which in tandem made double taps and target transitions lightning fast. And the gun’s rock-solid reliability shone through.
Currie works a room clear with his Pro Tactical SPX at the high ready.
None of us did any maintenance on the guns through the course and with four shooters behind 940s, there were zero malfunctions. And this included getting the gun in the desert’s talcum-powder dust in drills meant to emulate shooting from under a vehicle.
This alone was enough to leave me impressed. However, the cherry on top was the accuracy potential—with the right load—of the SPX. This was proofed at the end of Gunsite’s infamous Urban Scrambler, a course meant to emulate an urban shooting situation and concealment. The passing shot in the course was flipping the paddle on a hostage target without maiming the hostage at 15 yards.
Three of us ran the course twice, and each person slapped the paddle and didn’t touch the hostage. We pitched Federal Power-Shok 9-pellet 00 buckshot, showing how surgical the gun could be with the right ammo.
Currie pies a corner with his Pro Tactical SPX on his shoulder. The key here is not to hug the wall or overextend your lateral movement.
One final point on the SPX after pitching plenty of lead, I valued the gun’s buttpad. Designed with hollow cells that collapse on recoil, it went a long way in sparing me the abuse the gun could potentially dish out.
Some Bugs
While the SPX did not malfunction on me in terms of a failure to extract, feed or the like, there were some gremlins. In particular, early on the first day of the class, the magazine occasionally prematurely released a shell onto the elevator. This did not affect how the gun cycled but did hinder topping off the magazine—a key aspect in running a defensive shotgun.
The stop was likely sticky on the fresh-from-the-box shotgun to start but seemed to work itself out through the course of 30 or so shells. From then on, the issue ceased.
Parting Shot
Protecting your property and all those who reside in it is a serious job. The 940 Pro Tactical SPX is a serious tool to accomplish this task. The 12-gauge can put hate on target, is quick to manipulate and, above all, is reliable.
Certainly, in this day and age, the smoothbore isn’t the first tool some reach for to guard against the ills of this world. But the SPX should make those folks reconsider. Mossberg hasn’t simply designed a shotgun; it’s engineered a defensive star.
Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical SPX Deals
Sportsman's Warehouse
$900
Palmetto State Armory
$1,168
Gear Notes: Holosun HS407K
Holosun has been in the red dot game for a spell now and more than understands the needs of shooters. Hence, the HS407K sight. The small and unassuming addition to a pistol—in my case, a shotgun—vastly enhances your ability not only to acquire targets, but also to hit them.
Down to basics, the HS407K is a micro-red dot primarily designed for pistols, in particular one aimed at concealed carry. Coming in at 0.95 inch in height and 1 ounce in weight, even on this demure class of handguns, the optic doesn’t take up much room. Even better, it is small enough that it won’t throw the balance of a gun off either.
Given its size, the red dot’s window is on the small side; however, crystal-clear glass and a very visible red dot still make it quick onto the target. The dot itself is 6 MOA and has 12 brightness settings, 10 of which are night vision compatible. Plus, it has 30 MOA of windage and elevation.
Additionally, the HS407K features shake-and-wake technology, a battery-saving feature I value. Quite simply, when not in use, the unit turns off, but it comes alive the moment you draw your gun or move it. Just so you know, the unit is powered off of a 1632 battery, which is side-mounted, so when you swap in a fresh cell, you don’t lose your zero.
Overall, I walked away impressed with what Holosun brought to the table with the HS407K running it on the Mossberg Pro Tactical SPX. While small, the rear mounting of the unit on the shotgun filled the eye and picked up the pace of my hits.
The red dot is available as part of a package with the fully loaded shotgun. But, from what I saw when running the SPX, I wouldn’t hesitate to stick one on a defensive pistol. MSRP: $259
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Taurus has just announced the GX4 Strike Bravo, a variant of the 9mm pistol featuring a folding brace.
Taurus and Strike Industries have partnered to create the GX4 Strike Bravo, an interesting new braced iteration of Taurus’ GX4 9mm pistol. If you’re in the market for a compact defensive handgun that can reach out and accurately engage targets at longer ranges than a traditional pistol, the GX4 Strike Bravo is worth a look.
The heart of the new GX4 model is the chassis and modular grip system co-developed with Strike Industries. This chassis system is designed to use Strike Industries’ FSA Single Stabilizer folding pistol brace, but Taurus sells the GX4 Strike Bravo both with and without the FSA brace included. The back of the chassis features a segment of Picatinny rail, so you can use other brace models if desired. Both versions of the GX4 Strike Bravo are also available with either a standard 15-round capacity or a reduced 10-round capacity. Other features include an optics-ready slide, a 1/2×28 threaded muzzle, a reversible charging handle and an accessory rail. The pistol is naturally also compatible with existing GX4 parts and accessories.
Laura Prieto, Marketing Manager at Taurus, said this about the new braced pistol:
The GX4 Strike Bravo is Taurus stepping in a bold new direction … By teaming up with Strike Industries, we didn’t just add a brace — we co-engineered a dedicated chassis and modular grip system to support it. That collaboration created an affordable, compact pistol that offers shooters extra stability, control, and versatility — expanding what they can expect from the GX4 family!
MSRP for the Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo with the brace included is $796 and MSRP for the version with no brace is $607.
Unpacking the truth, data and real self-defense uses of so-called assault weapons.
Few topics in American politics generate as much heat, and as little light, as the debate over so-called “assault weapons.” For decades, politicians and media outlets have leaned heavily on the term to conjure images of battlefield carnage and mass destruction, often painting civilian ownership of rifles like the AR-15 as both unnecessary and dangerous.
But what if the narrative surrounding these firearms is more rhetoric than reality? What if the “assault weapon” label is little more than a political invention designed to confuse the public and restrict lawful gun ownership?
That’s the question at the heart of the “assault weapon” debate, and it’s one worth answering with facts, history and a sober look at self-defense in the real world.
What’s in a Name?
The phrase “assault weapon” is, at its core, a political creation. It first gained traction in the late 1980s and 1990s as lawmakers sought to capitalize on public unease about semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. Unlike the military term “assault rifle,” which refers specifically to select-fire, intermediate-caliber rifles such as the German Sturmgewehr 44, the civilian rifles at the center of controversy are not automatic weapons at all.
Modern, commercially available AR-15s, for example, are semi-automatic firearms. They fire a single round with each pull of the trigger, just like most handguns and hunting rifles owned by millions of Americans. Semi-auto AR-15s have never been a standard-issue rifle for the U.S. Military. Yet they have been demonized through cosmetic features like pistol grips, collapsible stocks and flash hiders that have no effect on how the action of the rifle operates.
Federal Judge Roger Benitez summed up this absurdity in his ruling striking down California’s assault weapons ban: Rifles banned under the law are functionally identical to many others that remain perfectly legal. The distinction is purely cosmetic. In other words, these bans punish firearms for how they look, not for what they do.
The Data Doesn’t Lie
Gun control advocates frequently claim that “assault weapons” are the firearm of choice for mass shooters. But when we look at the actual numbers, the picture changes dramatically.
Research from Dr. John Lott Jr.’s Crime Prevention Research Center, covering mass shootings from 1998 through 2023, found that the most common firearm used in such crimes is not a rifle at all, but a handgun, responsible for over half of all incidents. Rifles of any type, including AR-15s, were used as the sole firearm in fewer than 17 percent of cases.
And here’s a striking fact: Even if every single homicide committed with a rifle were attributed to an AR-15, those crimes would account for less than 0.000018 percent of the total number of AR-15s in civilian hands. Put differently, more than 99.999985 percent of AR-15s are never used in crime.
The data also undercuts claims that the 1994 federal assault weapons ban saved lives. A Department of Justice study commissioned after the ban expired in 2004 concluded it had no measurable effect on reducing gun violence. Subsequent research by economists Mark Guis and Carlisle Moody reached the same conclusion: Neither the federal ban nor various state-level bans reduced firearm homicide rates.
Despite political talking points to the contrary, the hard evidence shows that targeting “assault weapons” does nothing to prevent violence.
The Second Amendment and the Role of Rifles in Defense
Beyond data and definitions, there is the matter of principle. The Second Amendment, as the Supreme Court has affirmed, protects the right of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms for self-defense. That right is not confined to muskets, nor is it contingent on whether a firearm has a pistol grip or a flash suppressor.
Modern rifles like the AR-15 play a vital role in personal and home defense, especially in situations where defenders might face multiple attackers. Judge Benitez cited several cases in his ruling:
A pregnant woman in Florida used an AR-15 to defend her family against two armed intruders.
A 61-year-old disabled man in rural America relied on his AR-15 when three men tried to break into his home.
Another homeowner successfully repelled seven armed and masked attackers with his AR-15.
In each case, ordinary citizens faced extraordinary threats. Without the firepower and capacity of a modern rifle, these individuals might well have become mere statistics. Instead, they protected themselves and their loved ones, a constitutionally protected right exercised in its truest sense.
Why Killers Choose “Gun-Free Zones”
If rifles are not the main driver of mass shootings, what is? The uncomfortable truth is that mass killers don’t primarily choose their weapons. They choose their victims, and they overwhelmingly prefer places where their targets are least able to fight back.
Empirical evidence suggests that over 90 percent of mass public shootings occur in so-called “gun-free zones.” The Aurora theater shooter bypassed several closer theaters to attack the one that banned firearms. The Nashville Covenant School shooter specifically avoided another potential target because of its heavy security presence. The Orlando nightclub shooter initially planned to attack Disney World but abandoned the plan after seeing extensive armed security.
The pattern is clear: Killers prefer soft targets. The label on the gun doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether the intended victims can defend themselves.
Active Shooter Response: Why Seconds Count
So how can tragedies be prevented or at least mitigated? The answer lies not in waiting for police, nor in relying solely on passive measures like lockdown drills or cameras. As firearms instructor Ed Monk emphasizes, “time and math” dictate outcomes. Every second an attacker remains unopposed increases the body count. To keep casualties in the single digits, a shooter must be confronted within 30 seconds.
Law enforcement, even when fast, usually takes three to eight minutes to arrive—far too long. The only people positioned to act quickly enough are those already on the scene: the intended victims.
That is why armed citizens play such a critical role. From Jack Wilson’s decisive action in a Texas church to Eli Dicken’s intervention in an Indiana mall, everyday Americans have stopped mass shooters with precision and courage … and often with higher accuracy rates than trained police.
For armed citizens, however, responsibility is paramount. Rule Four of firearm safety, “Be sure of your target and what is beyond it,” must always guide defensive action. Training is essential to ensure 100 percent accuracy within one’s abilities, minimizing risks of stray rounds.
Conclusion: Shifting the Focus
The debate over “assault weapons” has never really been about function or effectiveness. It has been about appearances and politics. Cosmetic bans don’t save lives, and statistics show rifles like the AR-15 are rarely used in crimes. Meanwhile, they remain among the most valuable tools available for lawful self-defense.
As Lysander Spooner wisely observed: “To ban guns because criminals use them is to tell the law-abiding that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of the guilty and the lawless.” That principle is as true today as it was in Spooner’s time.
The focus should not be on restricting rifles that millions of responsible Americans own and use safely. Instead, it should be on empowering individuals with training, preparation, and the mindset necessary to stop violent attackers before they can inflict widespread harm.
Freedom and security are not opposites. They go hand-in-hand, and in a free society, the ultimate responsibility for defense will always rest with the people, not with the government.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A quick look at the new Vortex Triumph HD 3-9×40 Riflescope and Triumph HD 850 Laser Rangefinder.
Who says that hunting optics have to break the bank? There are plenty of affordable options that are more than good enough to help you fill your freezer this deer season, and Vortex has just added two more to choose from with the Triumph HD 3-9×40 Riflescope and the Triumph HD 850 Laser Rangefinder.
The Triumph HD 3-9×40 scope features Vortex’s HD Optical System, designed to provide excellent resolution, color fidelity, edge-to-edge sharpness and light transmission while reducing chromatic aberration. The lenses are also fully multi-coated, and Vortex says the scope is built tough to withstand water, fog and shock. As for its reticle, the Triumph HD 3-9×40 sports a Second Focal Plane (SFP) Dead-Hold BDC (MOA) reticle, and each scope ships with a set of Vortex 1-inch Hunter rings in addition to a neoprene lens cover, lens cloth, Torx T-25 wrench and a custom turret tool. It has an MSRP of just $150.
The Triumph HD Laser Rangefinder features a durable waterproof and shockproof housing, an HCD (Horizontal Component Distance) Corrected Shoot-To Range reticle and the same great glass quality as the scope thanks to the HD Optical System. It also features 5x magnification, three ranging modes, three targeting modes, and a maximum reflective range of 850 yards. Each range finder ships with a carry case, a wrist lanyard, a lens cloth and one CR2 battery, and it has an MSRP of $150 as well.
I take Q's The Fix rifle in 8.6 Blackout to the range to test the best ways to maximize its subsonic and supersonic capabilities.
Up until the introduction of the 8.6 Blackout cartridge I never had much interest in subsonic centerfire rifle cartridges. This was mostly because of the lackluster supersonic capabilities of the .300 Blackout and even the much newer .338 ARC. Once either cartridge is combined with a compact short-barreled-rifle (SBR) all you really have is a subsonic platform with limited application. The 8.6 Blackout is different, mostly because of its incredibly fast twist rate of 1 turn in 3 inches. From a terminal performance perspective this radically fast rotational velocity not only lets it outperform all other subsonic cartridges, but it also substantially increases its supersonic capabilities. That high performance dual use intrigues me.
This comparison shows the difference in the 8.6 Blackout (left), .308 Winchester (center) and .300 Blackout (right).
The 8.6 Blackout is a brainchild of Q, a firearms company in New Hampshire that’s probably best known for their Honey Badger SBR. I don’t know where the company came up with their odd name, but I do remember that Q was where James Bond got all his cool tools. At any rate, the founder of Q was also the founder of AAC (Advanced Armament Corporation) and the creator of the .300 Blackout. As you might guess, Q also makes the best rifle for the 8.6 Blackout cartridge. It’s called the Fix.
The Fix is very unique and unlike any other bolt-action rifle you’ve seen. It is built around an aluminum receiver, but, except for the trigger, all operational components are housed in the striker-fired bolt. It also has a folding stock that’s adjustable for length of pull and comb height, and the barrel system is modular, so the end user can swap barrels on their own. A Q Fix SBR in 8.6 Blackout with a 12-inch barrel only weighs 5.18 pounds, so even with a suppressor and a riflescope it’s still reasonably light for a rifle that powerful.
Gorilla Ammunition offers the widest range of factory loaded 8.6 Blackout ammunition with supersonic and subsonic loads.
I’ve been working with one for about a year and wanted to maximize its usefulness by selecting a sight system that would allow me to go between subsonic and supersonic ammo without drastic sight alterations. In other words—ideally—I wanted to be able to shoot accurately, from the muzzle to 200 yards, and let the riflescope do my trajectory correction work for me. The first thing I needed to do to start down this road was establish the DOPE for super and subsonic loads so I could select a riflescope that would best pair with both, and the current best source for 8.6 Blackout ammo is Gorilla Ammunition.
Getting the DOPE
This is where things get a bit tricky because you’re dealing with trajectory correction at various distances, and this makes the click value of the riflescope change. For example, at 100 yards most riflescopes have a click value of ¼ MOA. This equates to about a quarter inch, but to be precise it equals 0.262 inch. At 50 yards, the riflescope has a click value of 0.131-inch (1/8th MOA) per click, at 75 yards the ¼ MOA click value equals 0.197 inch, and at 200 yards it’s 0.524 inch per click. It is also a bit complicated because you’re correcting for loads that shoot reasonably flat and for other loads with a rainbow trajectory.
The Maven’s RS.6 1-10x28mm riflescope offers two rotations of 25 MOA of correction and has a zero stop.
For my purposes, I decided on the 190-grain Fracturing supersonic load, which is what I zeroed the rifle for at 100 yards. Next, I wanted to know how much that load would drop at 200 yards. Shots on target confirmed this at about 7.5 inches. Since each elevation click equals 0.524-inch at 200 yards, I needed 14.31(15) clicks.
While I was at it, I also checked the drop of the 210-grain Barnes TSX load at 100 yards. With the rifle zeroed for the 190-grain Fracturing supersonic load, the 210-grain TSX load was 2 inches low at 100, and 9.0 inches low at 200. But I really wanted to be able to shoot accurately out to 100 yards with the 285-grain Fracturing subsonic load.
I started at 50 yards using the 100 yard zero for the 190-grain Fracturing supersonic load. At that distance the 285-grain Fracturing subsonic load impacted 5 inches low. The ¼ MOA click value of the scope at 50 yards is 0.131 inch, and to correct for 5 inches I needed 38 clicks. As it turned out, this was the same elevation correction I needed for the Gorilla subsonic 300-grain Sierra MatchKing load.
Next, I shot a target at 75 yards, and both the 285-grain Fracturing and 300-grain Sierra MatchKing subsonic loads struck the target right at about 12 inches low. The ¼ MOA click value at 75 yards equals 0.197 inch, which meant I needed to divide 12 inches by 0.197 to determine the number of clicks of correction needed. The math worked out to 60.91 or 61 clicks.
Finally, I was shooting the subsonic loads at 100 yards where I was also dealing with the common ¼ MOA (0.262-inch) per click correction. At that distance, the 300-grain Sierra MatchKing subsonic load was 17.5 inches low, so it required 67 clicks, and the 285-grain Fracturing subsonic load at 19 inches required 73 clicks.
This chart shows the impact of the tested loads at different distances. The click adjustments can be confusing because ¼ MOA equals different corrections at different distances.
Any long-range shooter is familiar with an exercise like this; it’s called getting your DOPE (Data from Previous Engagement). The difference is that most long-range shooters are only working with a single load, and they’re also not trying to use a single zero for two different loads.
Another thing to consider is that the drop of your subsonic loads might not impact the target directly below their impact at close range or the impact of the supersonic load at its zero range. This can be a trait of the ammunition, but it’s more than likely an indicator your riflescope/reticle is not level, and when you’re applying click corrections, you’re minutely moving the reticle to the left or right.
DOPE Chart
LOAD
DISTANCE (YARDS)
DROP (INCHES)
1/4 MOA (INCHES)
CLICKS
190-grain supersonic
100 yards
-0-
0.262
0 (0)
210-grain supersonic
100 yards
-2.0
0.262
7.63 (8)
190-grain supersonic
200 yards
-7.5
0.524
14.31 (15)
210-grain supersonic
200 yards
-9.0
0.524
17.17 (17)
285-grain subsonic
50 yards
-5.0
0.131
38.17 (38)
285-grain subsonic
75 yards
-12.0
0.197
60.91 (61)
285-grain subsonic
100 yards
-19.0
0.262
72.52 (73)
300-grain subsonic
50 yards
-5.0
0.131
38.17 (38)
300-grain subsonic
75 yards
-12.0
0.197
60.91 (61)
300-grain subsonic
100 yards
-17.5
0.262
66.79 (67)
Finding a Scope
Once I had my DOPE, I then knew the maximum amount of elevation correction I needed. Since I wanted to shoot to 200 yards with supersonic loads and out to 100 yards with subsonic loads, I needed at least 18.5, or better yet, 19 MOA of correction. Most rifle scopes offer this much elevation adjustment in a single rotation, and some of the more modern riflescopes offer two rotations with almost double that amount. If you wanted to take the subsonic loads beyond 100 yards the additional—second rotation—adjustment would be necessary with the 8.6 Blackout.
If you want to dial in corrections for super and subsonic 8.6 Blackout loads, the Swarovski’s Z5i + L BT riflescope is the simplest solution.
Swarovski’s Z5i + L BT
I first tried one of the new Swarovski Z5i + L BT riflescopes ($1,949) that comes with their self-customizing elevation correction turret that uses multiple small rings. After setting the zero for the 190-grain Fracturing supersonic load, I set a ring at 15 clicks for the 190-grain Fracturing supersonic load at 200 yards, and rings at 38, 61 and 73 clicks for the 285-grain subsonic load at 50, 75 and 100 yards, respectively. This riflescope was equipped with the illuminated plex-style reticle, so trajectory correction was only possible by clicking in a solution.
The Q Fix with the 17-ounce Swarovski’s Z5i + L BT riflescope installed.
Maven’s RS.6 1-10x28mm
I switched to the new Maven RS.6 1-10x28mm riflescope ($1,600) that comes with the unique MOA3-LPI reticle. This is an MOA Christmas tree style reticle with elevation and windage correction, but it also very uniquely provides red or green illumination. This reticle offers 50 MOA of elevation and 20 MOA of windage correction, in 1 MOA increments, so it would be easy to correct for distance with either load. Of course, with 50 MOA of elevation correction in the turret, I could click-in corrections too.
The Q Fix with the Maven’s RS.6 1-10x28mm riflescope installed.
EOTech’s 3-9X32mm SFP
Then, I tried the new EOTech 3-9X32mm SFP riflescope which retails for $1,059. This is an unusual scope because it does not mount via rings. Instead, it uses a rail that interfaces with various height mini-ACOG mounts. The windage and elevation turrets are capped with this scope, but given its size and weight, it was the scope I really hoped worked with this rifle and cartridge. The reticle for the EOTech 3-9X32mm SFP is also an MOA reticle that’s illuminated, and it offers 30 MOA of elevation correction and 16 MOA of left and right windage correction.
The Q fix with the compact, lightweight and rail mounted EOTech 3-9x32mm SFP riflescope mounted. Note: A EOTech mini reflex sight is mounted to the 3-9X scope.
The EOTech has capped turrets, so dialing DOPE was not really an option. But the SFP’s reticle worked just fine for trajectory correction with both loads at the designated distances. However, without any numbering on the MOA hash marks I had to do some counting to select the correct one. Looking at the DOPE chart this seems complicated, but remember, based on my goals, I only wanted four trajectory corrections: 200 yards for the supersonic load, and 50, 75 and 100 yards for the subsonic load. This scope can also be had with a mount for an EOTech EFLX mini reflex sight and ring mount for an additional $370 extra. With the addition of this sight, I can make accurate shots at extremely close quarters just by slightly rotating the rifle and raising my head to look through the reflex sight.
With the EOTech mini-reflex sight installed on the EOTech 3-9x32mm SFP riflescope, you can make accurate close-quarters shots just by raising your head and slightly rotating the rifle.
A Symbiotic Super/Sub System
With its fantastic varied applications, the Q Fix and the 8.6 Blackout cartridge can be used for hunting, recreation, and personal protection, and all this DOPE illustrates how you can maximize the system by using various optical sights. With the modern optics we have today, options seem endless. I really liked all three riflescopes I tried, and it may take some time for me to settle on which one I like best. No matter which way I go I’ll have a very symbiotic system that will allow me to accurately place slow and silent or fast and quiet bullets right where I need them out to 200 yards and beyond.
Shooting Results
LOAD
VEL (fps)
ST DEV (fps)
ENG (ft-lbs)
PRECISION (Inches)
Gorilla 190-grain Fracturing
2,013.2
10.7
1,709.7
1.69
Gorilla 210-grain Barnes TSX
1,927.8
8.5
1,732.6
1.12
Gorilla 285-grain Fracturing
881.6
30.9
492.4
1.64
Gorilla 300-grain Sierra MatchKing
917.3
30.9
561.1
2.88
AVERAGE:
1.83
NOTES: Average muzzle velocity, standard velocity deviation and muzzle energy were obtained with a Garmin Xero C1 chronograph. Average precision is the result of three, five-shot groups fired at 100 yards.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A quick look at .219 Zipper, a cartridge that’s gone the way of the dinosaur.
The .219 Zipper was brought out in 1937 by Winchester for its Model 64 lever-action rifle, which was a modernization of the Model 94. This combination (as with the .218 Bee in the Model 65) did not prove sufficiently accurate for long-range shooting on small targets and, in addition, did not allow the proper mounting of telescopic sights. Winchester discontinued the Model 64 after World War II.
The last commercial rifle chambered for the cartridge was Marlin’s Model 336 lever action, discontinued in this chambering in 1961. A number of custom-made single-shot and Krag-Jorgensen rifles have been made for the .219 Zipper. It’s not and never has been very popular, and it’s based on the necked-down .25-35 WCF case.
Winchester dropped the .219 Zipper in 1962, and Remington followed shortly thereafter.
General Comments
In a good, solid-frame single-shot or bolt-action rifle, the .219 Zipper is just as accurate as any other high-velocity .22 in its class. Since it was designed for tubular magazines, all factory-loaded ammunition is furnished with flat- or round-nosed bullets, and this causes rapid velocity loss.
Although overshadowed by the .222 Remington, it’s still an entirely satisfactory small game, varmint or target cartridge. Given carefully prepared ammunition in a properly functioning lever action, performance of this cartridge and rifle combination is limited more by the necessary use of blunt bullets than by intrinsic accuracy constraints. Such a combination is certainly capable of 200-yard shots on vermin, which is stretching what most shooters can do with iron sights anyway; beyond that range, velocity drops off so fast that trajectory limits usefulness, even given a telescopic sight.
This is one of the few American cartridges that functions well through the British Lee-Enfield action. Some of these rifles have been rebarreled and altered to handle the Zipper. Anecdotal information from several serious shooters who have bothered to wring out the cartridge’s accuracy in the Model 64 suggests that Winchester should have spent more effort on ammunition quality.
In 2022, the Zipper was loaded as complete ammunition by a few custom shops. Hendershot’s Extreme Custom Ammunition listed 45- and 55-grain bullet weights with properly headstamped brass. Reed’s Ammunition & Research listed loads for 40-, 50-, 55- and 60-grain V-Max bullets and 46-grain flat-nose soft points suitable for use in lever actions, as well as Zipper brass. Buffalo Arms Co. also loaded the 46-grain ammunition. MidwayUSA.com also listed .219 Zipper brass.
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.
Springfield’s latest Saint Victor offering packs full-size AR performance into a compact 9mm package. The Saint Victor 8.5-inch 9mm Pistol runs a direct-blowback system inside dedicated 9mm forged receivers, with a Melonite-treated 8.5-inch barrel that hits the sweet spot for compact maneuverability and ballistic punch. It features an M-Lok handguard with a handstop, QD mount and the recessed SA Muzzle Drum tucked underneath. Out back is an SB Tactical SBA3 brace, while controls include a short-throw ambi safety and B5 Systems furniture. Feeding from a 32-round Colt-pattern mag, this 9mm blaster is ready for anything. MSRP: $1,099
Laser Ammo’s CQB in a Box
Laser Ammo’s CQB in a Box is a portable, wireless training system built for real-world readiness. Designed for law enforcement, military and security pros, it includes three full-size reactive targets with adjustable hit zones for the head, torso and pelvis. Shooters can run simple drills or complex simulations with light-coded shoot/no-shoot scenarios—no range required. The system syncs with a Windows PC for drill analytics and remote control, and it’s compatible with Laser Ammo’s red and IR laser systems. It all packs neatly into a rugged case for training anywhere. MSRP: $2,400 full kit, $899 single target
Federal 7mm Backcountry Terminal Ascent
Federal’s new 7mm Backcountry is rewriting the rules for long-action hunting cartridges. With its innovative Peak Alloy case design, it delivers magnum-level speed—up to 3,300 fps with a 155-grain Terminal Ascent bullet—while still running on a standard bolt face. Built for deep penetration and long-range performance, the bonded Terminal Ascent projectile features a high BC (.586), Slipstream tip for reliable expansion and AccuChannel grooves to cut drag and boost accuracy. It’s available in 155- and 170-grain loads, both delivering flat trajectories and hard-hitting results. MSRP: Starting at $79
C&H ERD-2 Red Dot Optic
C&H Precision’s new ERD-2 brings tough, enclosed-emitter performance to shotguns, rifles and PCCs. This 22mm red-dot runs a 3 MOA reticle with 10 brightness settings (including two for NV), and its front-facing sensor auto-adjusts to changing light on the fly. Housed in 7075 aluminum and fully submersible for 30 minutes, the ERD-2 is built to take abuse and keep zero. A 50,000-hour battery life and included Picatinny pedestal mount round out a feature-rich optic that punches above its price. MSRP: $280
Hawke Optics Frontier Reflex Sight
Hawke’s new Frontier Reflex sight brings rugged versatility and a crystal-clear view to pistols, rifles and everything in between. Built with a tough aluminum body and steel shroud, it runs a crisp 3-MOA red dot with 10 brightness levels—including two night-vision settings—and auto-adjusts via onboard sensor. Mounting options are nearly endless, with RMSc, Docter, DeltaPoint Pro, and Weaver/Picatinny compatibility all in one package. Motion-sensing standby conserves battery life, while a side tray makes swaps fast without re-zeroing. At just 0.8 ounce, it’s compact, tough and ready for carry, competition or duty. MSRP: Starting at $319
Primary Arms SLx RS-10R Reflex Sight
Primary Arms just made its popular RS-10 red-dot even more versatile with the new SLx RS-10R. Built around the widely used RMR footprint, it’s ready to drop onto a broader range of optics-ready slides and mounts. At just 1.1 ounces, this 7075 aluminum sight is featherweight but rugged, with a 23x19mm multi-coated lens, side-loading battery tray and AutoLive tech that preserves its 40,000-hour battery life. Setting up for duty use or everyday carry, the sight is rock-solid at a fair price. MSRP: $210
Leupold Mark 5HD 2-10X FDE Scope
Leupold has added a fresh twist to its elite Mark 5HD line with a 2-10x30mm variant dressed in flat dark earth and outfitted with the illuminated CMR reticle. Built on a 35mm main tube and using Leupold’s M5C3 zero-lock turret system, this scope offers 34.9 mils of elevation in 0.1-mil increments—ideal for precision with semi-auto carbines or compact bolt guns. It’s first focal plane, loaded with MST motion-sensing tech and backed by the Pro Grade Optical System for clarity across the zoom range. MSRP: $2,699
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
I go over 8 must-consider factors when choosing a tactical light, whether it be for a pistol, a rifle or just everyday carry.
Until we learn to use sonar, or genetic manipulation gives us the means of thermal ID, we need light. But because this is America and there are lots of options … well, that doesn’t mean they are all correct.
You have to choose—and you have to choose wisely. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Enough But Not Too Much
The idea of a megawatt light source makes some of us a bit giddy. I mean, who doesn’t want to be wielding 2,500 lumens of tactical light or even more?
Well, try doing anything indoors with that light.
Room-clearing would be an awful experience, yes, but just plain searching for the blasted blankety-blank thing you need when the power is out would be a chore. In truth, 2,500 lumens will blind you when it hits those developer-approved Navajo White walls you are fond of.
Show some restraint when buying a light. We were all agog when SureFire came out with its first handheld tactical light. “Sixty lumens? Oh my.” That was considered blinding back then.
So, if you need a pocket light, consider one with selectable lumen outputs. And if it’s to be mounted on a pistol, keep a hand on your impulses and “settle” for a “mere” 500 lumens—max.
2. More Than One
I know what you’re thinking: Oh, right, the two becomes one, one becomes none adage, right?
Well, yes and no. If you’re going to depend on lights, you need backups. But, you also often need more than one tool. Two examples come to mind: dogs and dropped items.
Each night, when I take the dogs out for their last walk of the day, I’ve got three lights on me. One is a 2,000-lumen blaster. If there’s something moving out there in the dark, I want to do more than just see it. If it might be a hazard, I want its little retinas to fairly sizzle when I light them up.
Having a light on your pistol is good, but not enough. You need a non-gun light source to avoid embarrassment … or worse.
But when it comes time to pick up dog poop (I’m a responsible dog owner, and the city requires it even if I wasn’t), I don’t need 2,500 lumens. So, I have an adjustable-lumen light clipped to my pocket programmed to start on “Low.”
No dogs?
OK, how about this: You’ve walked to your car, and at the car you fumbled and dropped something. Are you going to pull out your concealed handgun, turn on your weapon-mounted light and search for it? If you are, I will disclaim any knowledge of your existence. “Bob Smith, the light-on-his-gun-in-the-parking-lot guy? Nope, never met him.”
Such things are at the very least going to get you talked about. And if anything at all goes awry, you could find yourself in some serious trouble. Have a regular light so you can see dropped things, find the keyhole on the lock, etc.
3. Know Your Beam
Lights come with reflectors, and they determine the shape of the slight spread. If you’re going to be putting a light on a rifle in the country to deal with varmints and hogs, yes, you want power. But you also want a “hot” center, lots of throw with a lot of those lumens in the center of the beam. The measure of that is the candela power, and for reach you need a hot center.
But, if you’re going to be working indoors, you want a wide spread so you can see things not in the center. Oh, you’ll want a hot center also, but you need spread as well.
So, do your research and buy accordingly. That wide beam doesn’t help when trying to hit that coyote at 100 yards, and the high-intensity hot beam is a big fail indoors.
4. Control the Controls
Light only helps if you can call on it when needed. Learn the controls of your light, and practice until you can do them by “I need this” and it happens.
On handguns, that means learning the controls so you can do momentary or continuous. You can select strobe if you want, and you can turn it off easily. In the dark, under stress, is no time to be learning the controls or trying to remember what you read in the owner’s manual, once. On rifles and shotguns that also means training yourself to where the controls are.
Once you have mounted a light onto your rifle or shotgun … learn to run it as efficiently as you’ve learned to run your firearm.
Well, first you have to mount them where you can reach them. Then you learn to reach and control them. So, mount the light and its switch (if that is cabled to be remote) and then practice. If the practice just isn’t working, try a different location. “But that’s where the SEAL team guy who taught us mounted his.”
Practice to see if you can reach the switch. If not, move it until you can, regardless of “how the SEALs do it.”
His light was mounted where it was for a reason. That reason might have been good, or it might have simply been required. His reasons and requirements may or may not be the same as yours.
Mount yours where it works for you.
5. Backup Your Batteries
“Backup” means backup lights and back up batteries for all of them. Your light might come with a battery or batteries. Great. But your practice (and need I remind you to practice?) will use up some of that juice. Buy more now before you need them.
And here’s a hint: Buy in bulk. Why? OK, a common battery for lights is the CR123A. I did a quick search and found six-packs for $13 or so. Hmm. That’s $2.16 per battery before we even get to shipping? That seems like a lot.
The last time I bought CR123As, I bought a tray of 100 of them. With shipping, it was around $120. So, $1.20 per. Yes, that’s a lot of batteries, but they do not go bad sitting on the shelf. I have a multi-year supply, and if prices go up (they never go down), my deal gets better and better.
Store yours in a warm, dry place that won’t get stuff spilled on it. Label the box. Keep an eye on it if you have friends or relatives who might dip into your supply. You’re set.
6. Know the Law
Actually, pay attention to the law, because in this regard the law is pretty much the same everywhere. Pointing a loaded weapon at someone is an assault, and doing so could bring consequences.
We’re back to that search in the parking lot situation. So, there you are, scrambling in the parking lot or the parking structure, using your one-and-only source of illumination, your pistol light, to find what you dropped, and someone asks “Need some help there?” Reflexively, you turn the source of light to see who is talking, and you have just committed an assault.
Will they notice? Will they care? Will they scream for help? Call 911? The responding authorities are not necessarily going to be understanding.
You might get a warning; you might get more. It would not be unusual in some jurisdictions for you—at the very least—to lose your CPL and not get it back. Or, you might get it back after much legal hassle. So, know when you can use it, and if you do need to, have already worked out the details and processes with your attorney.
7. Know the Company
If you break your light, can it be fixed? Will the company stand behind their warranty? Do tire tracks and hammer marks void the warranty?
Oh, let’s stop beating around the bush. Why are you buying a tactical light made out of chinesium? If this is important, it is important. So, buy good gear. The adage “buy once, cry once” comes to mind. Cry over the high price and the performance it brings, not over the failure because the cheap, crappy light failed you when you dropped it, once.
Buy quality and you won’t regret it. This light has been dropped (even gun writers can be clumsy), and it still works just fine.
I expect a light, when dropped, to show the marks but still keep working. If I drop a light (hey, we all get clumsy, tired, have our hands full), and the light doesn’t work … hmm. The maker gets one chance to fix it. If they can’t, won’t or it fails again, I don’t use it. And I won’t show it in an article. (No, I won’t send you a list.)
8. Learn the Lingo
Last on this list, but first in your efforts: Learn the lingo. Learn the difference between lumens and candela. Learn the difference between flood and throw. Get a sense of the performance parameters to be had out there. If a new company offers a light that has just as many lumens as the big guys, but promises twice the runtime, be suspicious.
Know what things mean before you are standing at the counter of your local gun shop, perusing tactical lights.
It’s your money, after all.
But then again, it’s your safety, after all, too.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Premier Body Armor has just introduced a new 10×15 special threat rifle-rated backpack insert.
Armor panel backpack inserts are a simple but great way to add some defense to your day-to-day life, and Premier Body Armor has just launched a new 10×15-inch special threat rifle-rated backpack insert designed specifically for the most common 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm rifle threats.
With a weight of 3.6 pounds and a thickness of just 16mm, the new special threat backpack insert is thinner and lighter than Premier Body Armor’s previous version. It’s designed to fit in most backpack laptop compartments and provides discrete, quiet, all-day protection to anyone who regularly carries a backpack.
While the special threat backpack insert isn’t NIJ-certified, it is optimized to defeat the most common rifle rounds used in crime—5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm. By ignoring the NIJ RF1 certification requirement for the rarely-seen-in-crime 7.62x51mm round, Premier Body Armor can make a thinner, lighter armor insert that focuses on the two much more common rifle threats. The full test report is available on the product page. The backpack inserts are also multi-hit capable, feature a durable UHMWPE composite construction with a waterproof polyurea coating and they come with a 7-year limited warranty.
Alex Stewart, President of Premier Body Armor, said this about the special-threat backpack insert:
The best armor is the armor you’ll actually carry … By focusing this plate on the most common rifle threats, the AR-type 5.56×45 M193 and the AK-type 7.62×39 MSC, we cut thickness and weight while protecting where it matters most. For people who carry a backpack every day, that tradeoff makes protection a realistic, daily habit.
The Premier Body Armor 10×15 special threat rifle-rated backpack insert has an MSRP of $290 and it’s available now.
Kick up your SIG's performance with these P365 upgrades. We put them through the wringer so you don't have to.
The Sig Sauer P365 is the most popular concealed carry pistol as of the time of this writing. And with that comes a litany of aftermarket support. By Sig utilizing a modular FCU design an entire sub-market opened up. And as we’ve seen in multiple arenas, whenever a new market opens up, innovation rules the proverbial roost.
With all of the choices comes paralysis. Some companies literally have thousands of different configurations for their P365 setups. Couple that with the dozens and dozens of companies that make grip modules, slides, small parts, spring kits, striker assemblies, back plates, and more, and it becomes even more daunting.
Worry not, though, fellow shooter. We reviewed as many as we possibly could over the last six months, so you can make an informed choice for upgrading your P365. Let’s get into it.
How I Choose The Best P365 Upgrades
Every component was tested rigorously in a hands-on on head-to-head by the author, over the course of several months. The scoring criteria document gets into the details, criteria, and commentary of each component, and scores critical dimensions of each product. Items were scored on the following dimensions: Grip modules for comfort, shootability, modularity, concealability and a nod to holster compatibility. Slides for shootability, controlability, form factor/aesthetics, and porting/recoil impulse if applicable. Optics were scored on window size, footprint, battery size, clarity, durability, and brightness.
Best P365 Grip Modules: Sharps Bros MACRO
Grade
Overall Average: 4.4 Comfort: 5 Shootability: 5 Modularity: 4 Concealability: 3.5 Holster Compatibility: Holster choices are pretty slim but TXC has some phenomenal options.
At the risk of sounding preferential, the Sharps Bros MACRO grip module is probably one of my favorites, especially when paired with the matching slide. It has similar gas pedals as other offerings, but with the Brazilian Cherry hardwood grips. It just looks and feels sexy.
Fine checkering on the front and backstrap and a chunkier grip make this gun a pleasure to shoot with a full-size magazine. The magwell has a slight flare; you can make quick reloads, but still conceal essentially a full-size gun.
Texturing on the front strap and backstrap makes this a wonderful extension of your hand, with outstanding ergonomics and pointability. I can press out, eyes closed, and open up to a perfect sight picture. That’s the sweet spot of any pistol.
One detail I love about this grip module is the use of a screw instead of a pin to install the FCU. That detail, along with the elegant styling and exceptional ergs, make this one of my top picks.
Sharps Bros Deals
Optics Planet
$290
Midway USA
$300
Runner Up P365 Grip Module: Shalotek Macro Flex Frame
Grade
Overall Average: 4.3 Comfort: 4 Shootability: 5 Modularity: 5 Concealability: 3 Holster Compatibility: TXC and Four Bros make excellent holsters for this grip module. However, some of my slides did not fit in the Four Bros (Norsso for example).
Shalotek is in a class all its own with the modularity, innovation, comfort, and permutations of the slides/grip modules they offer. I tested several different types of setups, but its Macro Flex Frame tied for first. I do need to mention, and even the guys at Shalotek warned me, the tolerances here are tight. Putting in an FCU for the first time requires patience, a soft touch, and some gun oil. Same goes for all the other mechanical parts, they’re right, right, and lock up nice.
The Norsso Reptile is easily one of my favorite slide/barrel combos for a few reasons. A unique scale-like serrations, it truly lives up to its namesake. Furthermore, there are window/lightening cuts, but with the scalloped edges that look like eyes.
The N365XL Bull Barrel Reptile KP Set features: a RMSc/Holosun/EPS Carry footprint, and I’ve been testing it with the SCS Carry by Holosun. The sawtooth texturing on the top of the slide gives way to the porting, which is primo: the geo ports are outstanding. Moreover, the bull barrel itself is crazy accurate, stupid thick, with a target crown. Note: this slide only works with Bull Barrels.
The 3.7” barrel mates into the slide for a smooth buttery action, and is machined from 17-4 PH Stainless. The rear serrations are deep, aggressive and outstanding for maintaining a grip with wet or – worst case – bloody hands.
This combo is interesting for a variety of reasons, first and foremost, its futuristic styling. With ultra-modern styling—from the pinched rear of the slide to relief cuts on the top side—it just has a unique look. The barrel is both ported and compensated and the slide itself is integrally compensated, making this a very flat-shooting gun. Mine was tested with Angry Bear Arms sights and a Holosun 407K mounted.
True Precision got their name making barrels for every major pistol, to be sure, but also for every Sig P365 iteration and flavor.
Their proprietary broach cut has 5 grooves, with a 1/10 right hand twist, suitable for all ammo, even cast lead barrels. The barrels themselves are machined and cut from 416r stainless, and aren’t blanks. They take a solid bolt of metal and turn it into a barrel on site and in the US. The barrels come with either 1/2×28 threads or a target crown.
I tested an XL barrel with my True Precision slide. Of all the barrels and barrel companies, since this was how they started, True Precision has the most optionality, versatility, and breadth of choice. You can get one that’s nitrided, or one that is PVD coating in any of the whacky colors they make. You can truly build a unique one-of-a-kind gun with their parts.
True Precision Deals
Midwest Gun Works
$171
Best P365 Comp: Radian AfterBurner + RamJet
This is the gold standard for compensators against which all other comps should be compared. While pricey, and requiring a barrel/comp combo, this is by far the most accurate and reliable package of the bunch. With a novel and easy installation of just a hex screen and barrel/comp pair, the Radian Afterburner Ramjet combo is the pinnacle of compensation and concealability, in my humble opinion.
The barrel itself is made from 416R stainless, enhanced with their Radianite coating. This gives the slide a slick surface to ride over, low friction, high hardness, and corrosion resistance. The small comp doesn’t stick out too far, and on standard 365 barrels it’s rumored to fit into XL holsters with ease.
The Intra-Lok mourning system uses a taper lock, and angled v groove under the barrel to provide a tight and reliable fit. It’s a simple and repeatable process, and is easy to take off with just a screwdriver, unlike some integrated compensator designs that require special tools and a lot of elbow grease.
It performed as well if not better as testes, with a significant reduction in perceived recoil. No ammo issues were observed, and this thing cycles my competition powder-puff loads as well as carry loads. A clear frontrunner, the Radian RamJet is ideal for a CCW compensator.
The Defender CCW is my favorite open reflex sight that was tested. Even against a 407/507k, and a Trijicon RMRcc, I found the Vortex to be the best all around red dot. With the best warranty out there, and the texturing on the front of the lens housing, I also shamelessly racked it off everything, as I do with all my dots. This sight held up to the abuse, of course, and held zero.
Spec wise, it’s solid. With an aluminum housing, the 3 MOA dot runs on a common 1632 top load battery – unlike the RMRcc which requires you to take it off – and a shim plate. It has motion sensors that turn it on, and it auto shuts off after 10 mins of non-use. The red dot itself was crisp, small enough for precision shots (my preference) and performed beautifully on a Shalotek LC slide.
Overall, of all the dots I tested, this is the best reflex sight. It’s durable, reliable, has a great warranty, and even the design acknowledges dots are made for racking.
Vortex Defender Deals
Euro Optics
$250
Primary Arms
$300
Best P365 Enclosed Emitter Optic: Holosun SCS & EPS
These two sights are some of my favorites, and I have some that are much more expensive than these enclosed emitter red dots. Sleek, rugged and with crisp reticles, both of these Holosuns are outstanding choices.
The SCS Carry runs on a solar-rechargeable battery that gets up to 20,000 hours of life on a single charge. The window is rather large for an optic this size (0.9 in x .63 in), and within the window the reticle is green, bright, and crisp.
A 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA ring, the green reticle makes me get over my hatred for green dots, as they usually wash out. The bright reticle is capable of cycling between just the dot, dot and circle, or just the circle. I love this option and delivers it.
The aluminum housing is rugged, the aesthetics of it are pleasing, and she holds zero of course. The shakeawake tech is pretty standard, except for ironically Trijicon, and works well here.
Its brother – the EPS carry – also has a solar failsafe but runs a 1620 battery for 50,000 hours of life. Similar to the SCS, it has a 2 MOA dot, 32 MOA circle that can be run either with just the dot, dot and circle, or just the circle. The red reticle is my preference, and is plenty bright, with some NV settings as well. The window size is slightly smaller (0.58 x 0.77), but it sits lower so as to co-witness better. Both of these are in heavy rotation on my carry guns.
One of the gold standards of concealment and versatility, the Tier1 Concealed Axis Elite is top notch when it comes to the ability to carry an extra mag and keep everything concealed. For standard OEM grip modules, this is by far my favorite rig to carry with. Not only do I have an extra magazine on tap, but the p365 platform with a 12 rd grip module just disappears, even in summer. This isn’t my only T1C, I have about 4 others – but for the p365 in standard configuration, this is hard to beat, especially for the sidecar layout. Their Axis Elite setup just vanishes. Overall, the most comfortable and concealable holster out there.
Sharps Bros Deals
Tier1
$140
Other Holsters Tested
LAS Concealment: Grade–4 Hillker Holster: Grade–3.5 TXC: Grade–4.8 4Bros: Grade–4.3
Best P365 Chassis: Flux Raider
The Flux Raider is an interesting little toy, and yes, I view it as a nice to have, but not a need to have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very cool little package, I tested with my True Precision slide, and the Flux 6” barrel.
It’s a solid piece of anodized aluminum as the chassis, which allows the user to carry 1 in the gun, 1 in the front as a backup. Clevery, the mag release to drop your backup mag also engages the magazine in the grip of the gun, making mag changes simple as the press of a button i.e. you will drop an empty when you grab a full magazine and press the button.
Furthermore, the brace can be actuated with your right index finger, and the weapon can be fired with the brace open or closed. I tested it running a few with it closed, opening it and shouldering it with no issues. It’s a very cool design and is intuitive, that is to say: easy to learn. I had good accuracy on a plate rack with this set up, for example, but I was still faster and more accurate with my pistol. Maybe with practice I could blow away my plate rack times with this since there are more contact points, but in testing, I would just go for a pistol and extra mags. With a side-car rig and a Macro size gun, you have the same ammo, and just have to reach a little further for a reload (hip vs using support hand).
Flux Raider Deals
FLUX Defense
$800
Best P365 Optics Plates: Maple Leaf Firearms
Imagine your chagrin if you spent close to $1,000 on a FCU, grip and slide milled, only to find out that the $600 RMRcc didn’t mount to anything. Maple Leaf heard your pain and created plates to allow you to mount pretty much anything to a P365. I tested out P365s with RMR footprint optics with the company’s adaptor and was pleased. Maple Leaf also makes they even make slides for direct mount RMRcc. It’s very innovative companyand they think in thousandths of an inch with all of their products. Best Trigger: MCarbo
Probably the gold standard of striker assemblies, MCarbo has a lot going for them. With its titanium striker assembly, it’s made OEM assemblies seem suboptimal. The titanium striker reduces lock time, in addition to being lighter—minimizing light strakes and primer drag. The downside is the strike assembly is both expensive and has a proprietary back plate. What’s more the geometry of the design reduces primer drag and is an instant upgrade for all Sig Models.
Its trigger shoe is a wonderful upgrade as well. It is adjustable and improves the reset and break angle by up to 33 percent. In the Mischief Machine grip module I tested with the MCarbo slide, I installed this trigger in the FCU and the combination of the trigger, titanium striker assembly, and Mcarbo slide gave me wonderful results. It dropped nearly 1 pound in pull weight to around 2lb 10oz, with minimal grit. The geometry of this trigger does lower the overall trigger pull.
Maple Leaf Plate Deals
Maple Leaf
$75
P365 FAQ
Is the Sig P365 the best carry gun?
There is no “best” carry gun. One handgun might be ideal for one person's risk profile, skill ability, budget and other factors, but not for another. However, the P365 certainly has been among the most popular concealed carry pistols to come out in recent years. This is due to a number of factors, in particular its small size, excellent capacity and accuracy.
Does the Sig Sauer P365 have a lot of recoil?
The pistol does not have considerably more or less recoil than other micro-compact 9mm options. For the caliber, this class of guns is considered to have a fair amount of recoil, particularly compared to duty- and full-sized 9mm handguns. That said, micro-compact 9mm do not have excessive recoil and, with practice, can be managed by even those new to handgun shooting.
What are the cons of the Sig P365?
Likely, the price tag of the P365 is the pistol's largest con, especially compared to other micro-compact 9mms. From there, the gun has a stiff recoil that beginners may have difficulties managing, the factory trigger is squishy and it has a short sight radius, which may affect the accuracy of those new to this class of gun.
How many bullets does a SIG P365 hold?
The P365 ships with a 10-round magazine, however, 12-round magazines are also available for the pistol.
Vortex is continuing to roll out new optics, and the latest is the Venom Enclosed Micro Red Dot.
Vortex has fully committed to the enclosed micro red dot trend, as the company has just announced the Venom Enclosed Micro Red Dot, the fourth model in its catalog. The first Vortex enclosed micro red dot was the Viper, designed for shotguns, followed by the Defender-CCW and Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dots. The Vortex Venom Enclosed Micro Red Dot offers the same rugged reliability of the Defender models, but with no solar feature and a smaller price tag.
Featuring a DeltaPoint Pro mounting footprint, the Venom Enclosed Micro Red Dot’s enclosed 6061 aluminum housing protects it from the elements while the large viewing window enables fast target acquisition and a good field of view. It’s available with either a 3-MOA or 6-MOA red dot reticle and the brightness level (ten daylight bright settings, two night vision settings) is adjusted via buttons on top of the optic. The red dot also has a motion activation feature and automatically shuts off after 10 minutes.
The new Vortex enclosed micro red dot isn’t just for pistols, either, as Vortex also sells a compatible 45-degree Pro offset mount and Picatinny mount for attaching to carbines or PCCs. Maybe the best part about the enclosed Venom red dot is its MSRP of $290, making it one of the most affordable enclosed micro red dots on the market.
A quick look at the limited series Smith & Wesson 500 Emergency Kit from CNC Firearms.
If you find yourself venturing into bear country but don’t like packing iron on your hip, having a gun nearby is the next best thing. What better way to stay prepared than with a custom box of anti-bear goodies? That’s what CNC Firearms is offering with its limited series Smith & Wesson 500 Emergency Kit.
So, what’s in the box? Most importantly, a Smith & Wesson 500 with a 4-inch barrel and compensator sporting orange rubber grips and a black Cerakote/high polish stainless finish with a bear motif. Also included is a Boker fixed blade knife, a Humvee compass and a fire starter. The orange hard case has spots cut out for five rounds of .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum as well, but you’ll have to provide your own ammo.
Each CNC Firearms Smith & Wesson 500 Emergency Kit also ships with a Custom and Collectable Firearms challenge coin, a series-detailed postcard and a certificate of authenticity. MSRP is $2,900 and it’s available now.
Want to help support wildlife and habitat conservation? Take a look at the new Banish Backcountry Bugle suppressor.
Last month, we reviewed the Banish Backcountry and walked away very impressed. From excellent noise reduction to its lightweight yet durable titanium construction and compact size, the .30-caliber can has everything you’d want in a dedicated hunting suppressor. Now, Banish has partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) to introduce the Banish Backcountry Bugle.
Functionally speaking, the Banish Backcountry Bugle is the same as the standard Banish Backcountry. The only physical difference is that the Bugle model features a dual-layer Cerakote finish for extra protection and to help show off the laser-etched RMEF logo. The presence of the logo is less important than what it signifies, namely, a portion of each Banish Backcountry Bugle sale will go to the REMF to support its conservation mission.
Brandon Maddox, BANISH Suppressors Founder and CEO, said this about the new Bugle suppressor:
Hunting and conservation are key parts of the culture at BANISH … From the very beginning, we have worked hard to support conservation and pro-hunting efforts, and RMEF has always been a great partner. We are really excited to work with them on the Backcountry Bugle. Not only is it a premium hunting tool that will protect hearing and reduce recoil, it also directly supports the work being done by RMEF to conserve elk and promote big game hunting across U.S.
Kyle Weaver, RMEF President and CEO, said this about the new partnership with Banish:
We’re excited for the release of the BANISH Backcountry Bugle because not only is it a suppressor optimized for hunting, but it also supports RMEF’s mission to conserve big game, enhance habitat, and improve access … This partnership with BANISH Suppressors will benefit today’s hunters along with the future of our hunting heritage as we continue to conserve one square mile of big game habitat every day.
The Banish Backcountry Bugle suppressor has an MSRP of $1,200 and it’s available now.
A quick look at the new Savage RXR22, a lightweight, reliable semi-auto .22 LR rifle.
Who doesn’t love a semi-auto rifle in .22 LR? Whether you’re plinking for fun, hunting varmints or teaching someone how to shoot, few things are better for the job. The latest model to hit the market is the Savage RXR22, and the company says it’s light, reliable and ready for anything.
The RXR22 features a direct blowback operating system, a durable polymer receiver (with an integrated Picatinny rail on top) and a 10-round rotary magazine with last-round bolt hold-open. The 16.5-inch precision barrel is button-rifled and sports a recessed target crown and a 1/2×28 threaded muzzle for suppressors. Other features include a quick-release trigger group, metal sling studs and a Picatinny accessory rail under the forend. The synthetic stock’s vertical pistol grip also comes with interchangeable grip inserts for different hand sizes. The cherry on top is that an extensive aftermarket for the RXR22 already exists, as it can use Ruger 10/22 magazines, triggers and barrels.
RJ Contorno, Savage Arms Senior Product Manager, said this about the new .22 LR rifle:
The new RXR is built for shooters who demand more than just accuracy. They want a platform that adapts to their style, discipline and ambition … This rifle offers unmatched versatility and customization straight out of the box. Whether you're dialing in for competition or building your ideal training rig, this is the rimfire that grows with you.
The Savage RXR22 is available with either a Gun Metal Gray or an FDE finish, and the MSRP for both models is $299.
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.
