From all across the web, we've searched high and low for some of the best deals we can find! From tactical gear to firearms, from ammo to footwear, we've dug down deep to deliver some delicious discounts!
Take a scroll and see the best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Gun Deals!
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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.
Our gift guide will be updated daily through Christmas, so remember to check back for the latest and best deals on guns, gear and accessories!
It’s the season of giving, but let’s be honest, it’s also the season of taking advantage of some of the year’s best sales to treat yourself to some toys you’ve had your eye on. Whether you’re looking to stuff your family’s stockings or your own, we’ll be updating this guide daily through Christmas to keep you in the loop on some of the best discounts that online purveyors of gun gear and tactical goodies have to offer.
It’s been a long time since a battle rifle like this has been available for such a low price. Is it the absolute best G3 clone you can buy? No, but for only $660, it’s hard to say no to adding this Cold War classic to your arsenal. Surplus mags are still cheap as dirt, so feeding it a steady diet of 7.62 NATO will be the priciest part of the equation. I still think it’s a deal too good to pass up.
If you’re a serious gun guy, there’s a good chance that Heat is one of your favorite movies. If you’ve ever wanted to LARP as Val Kilmer in the streets of L.A., or just want a slick way to carry 8 AR mags close to your body, KOMMANDOSTORE’s reproduction is as sexy as it is practical. Some others on the market feel like Halloween costumes, but this one is quality and built tough enough for actual use and is currently $20 off! The only downside is you’ll want to buy a gray suit and a balaclava next.
This is my favorite sling, hands down. I use them on all my rifles and expect I’ll only need more as time goes on. Slings aren’t that exciting, but a good quick-adjust like this is one of the best upgrades you can give a long gun. If you’re still rocking old-school two-point slings on your rifles, for just $65, a Vickers sling will be one of the simplest yet most appreciated gifts you can give yourself or a loved one.
The CZ P-10 is a great 9mm pistol option, and this version is both optics-ready and suppressor-ready, so it's worth a look if you've been in the market for a suppressed home defense handgun. Plus, the $200 off the list price means you can put more money toward the red dot or the can!
Just about the only thing more fun than plinking with a .22 LR firearm is plinking with a suppressed .22 LR firearm. The Ruger 10/22 is a classic option for the task, and you can pick one up with a threaded barrel right now for $100 off! If you don't have a .22 that can take a suppressor already, this is a great opportunity to pick one up.
Ruger’s RXM—compact, high-capacity, polymer-framed, optics ready pistol, with an interchangeable fire control system and retailing for less than $500—will make a lot of waves in the self-defense pistol market.
While still relatively new to the market, seemingly everyone has been impressed by the Ruger RXM. It might be the current best Glock 19 clone on the market, and for only $370, it’s hard to imagine buying a competing model instead. This is a stellar deal.
If you don’t already own an AR-15, it’s well beyond time to change that. With prices this low, there’s simply no excuse. PSA has several models on offer at bargain prices, but this 16-inch model with Magpul furniture and iron sights comes with everything you need right out of the box.
The standard Kel-Tec P15 is incredibly lightweight at only 16 ounces, but for only 3 ounces more, you can get this metal-framed version that looks far cooler. The steep $250 discount makes it all the more tempting.
If you’ve been wanting one of Holosun’s night vision digital red dot optics, this is about as affordable as they’ve been since they were first launched. They’re still not cheap, but the $350 discount makes it a lot lighter on the wallet. For the technology you’re getting, this is a great deal.
B5 Systems makes great furniture, and for only $70, this is a no-brainer upgrade for any of your ARs that are still wearing the M4 stock and grip they came with. The aggressive texture means your hand will never slip, and the convenient storage compartment in the grip gives you somewhere to stash your sugar plums.
Range Time Targets has just launched its new SR500 steel targets. The new steel formulation is harder than typical AR500 steel, resulting in less pitting and a longer service life! These tough plates are available in a few different shapes and sizes, and they're currently on sale for Black Friday!
Give the gift of outdoor adventure and connection this holiday season with Outdoor Solutions’ From Field to Table courses. Whether your loved one is a seasoned hunter, new to the field, or simply passionate about sourcing their own protein and knowing where their food comes from, Outdoor Solutions offers a variety of tailored experiences. This multi-day, hands-on experience teaches participants every step of the hunting process, from shot placement and field dressing to butchering, packaging, and cooking wild game like a pro.
This is one of CRKT’s best-selling knives, and it’s available now for almost 50 percent off! It’s sharp, opens fast and the Micarta grip looks as good as it feels.
Whatever you’re shooting, .22 LR to .50 BMG, these self-healing targets have a lot of advantages over steel or cardboard. During these holiday deals, you can get a free 2/3-scale Infinity Target with the purchase of a full-size one. They have a few other deals running too, so take a look if you want to enhance your training.
Don't forget about your medical equipment! A good medkit is a necessity for all of us who play with guns, and MyMedic is offering 20 percent off right now on first aid kits and med packs!
It's a good idea to have a gas mask too, you never know when you'll need one! MIRA Safety's 25 percent off sitewide sale makes now the best time to grab one for yourself or the family!
Optics Planet seems to have great deals year around, but they've ramped up the savings in anticipation of Black Friday. Targets, triggers, scopes, body armor and just about anything else you might need are are all on deep discount right now!
From guns to AAC ammo to gear, PSA carries just about everything. Whether you just need another AR lower or a full FN SCAR 17S before they're all gone, PSA is offering some great prices this holiday season.
From Shadow Systems pistols to EoTech optics and more, Guns.com has some great deals to peruse. Oh yeah, select silencers come with a free tax stamp, too!
A quick look at .25 Remington, a cartridge that's been barely hanging on since the 1950s.
The .25 Remington is one of a series of rimless cartridges developed for the Remington Model 8 Autoloading rifle, and then later used in other Remington rifles. It was introduced in 1906. The Remington Model 14 pump action, Model 30 bolt action and Stevens Model 425 lever action also used the .25 Remington.
No rifles have chambered this cartridge since 1942, and the ammunition companies stopped loading it about 1950. Buffalo Arms offers loaded ammunition for this round (AMO25REM).
General Comments
The .25 Remington is nothing more than a rimless version of the .25-35, but it differs slightly in shape. The two are not interchangeable. Since the Remington line of rifles, particularly the Model 30 bolt action, would stand higher pressures than the lever action, it is possible to get slightly better performance out of the .25 Remington. However, the difference is not sufficient to make the rimless version anything but a barely adequate deer cartridge.
It will, however, do for varmints and small to medium game, and deer in a pinch, provided the hunter is a good shot. The .25 Remington is not in the same class as the .250 Savage or the .257 Roberts.
In 2022, Buffalo Arms listed a .25 Remington load in a 117-grain jacketed soft point.
I go hands-on with Mantis’ new TitanX pistol laser trainer to see just how well the dry-fire system can sharpen skills.
In Greek mythology, titans were the deities who ruled before the Olympian gods that we all know such as Zeus, Hades and Thor. The titans were the children of the primordial deities of the earth and sky. However, these days most people think of the word “titan” as it’s defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “One that is gigantic in size or power; one that stands out for greatness of achievement.”
Given its moniker, then, Mantis is setting lofty expectations for its new smart laser training pistol, the TitanX. To understand this more deeply, we first need to discuss the value of dry-fire training.
From left to right: the new Mantis TitanX, bone stock Gen 3 Glock 19, and the grandpappy of modern laser trainers from SIRT.
Dry Fire For The Win
You won’t find an instructor, top shooter or institution that doesn’t stress the importance of dry fire—practicing with an unloaded firearm—in learning and improving shooting skills.
Without the concussion and bluster of live fire, dry-fire practice helps you develop everything about your shooting, from fundamentals to advanced skills—at home. Ideally, you’d combine dry and live fire in a comprehensive training plan that feeds on each other in a virtuous loop.
To develop marksmanship fundamentals, practice your stance, grip, sight picture, trigger control (pressing the trigger without disturbing your sights) and follow through.
Work on manipulations like your drawstroke, reloads, and other gun handling. Be smoother and more efficient to gain speed. Keep doing repetitions until it becomes subconscious.
Refine your presentation of your gun so you can draw and present your gun right on target. Do the same with transitions between targets without overshooting them.
The TitanX comes in a handy carrying case.
Concentrate on visual processing—what you see and how you process it. Develop your ability to shoot with both eyes open, lead with your eyes on transitions and dial in what you need to see to get hits on different types of targets.
Practice moving in and out of shooting positions, shooting on the move and working around barricades. There’s lots more that you can work on as well, incorporating a shot timer, one-handed shooting, support side shooting and so on.
However, using an unloaded firearm for dry fire presents some challenges. Notably, you’ll need to manually rack the slide on a semi-auto gun between each shot, unless you have a double-action gun. This makes it difficult to practice multi-shot strings, not to mention disrupting the flow of practice and consuming extra time.
Additionally, there’s no confirmation of your point of impact. You’ll need to call your shots, noting your exact sight picture when you broke your shot—so you can recognize if your aim was true and if you jerked your sights off target. This is an important skill to master, and dry fire will help. But you won’t have verification if you were right when using an unloaded gun.
Most importantly, you must be very disciplined about firearms safety.
Mantis TitanX
Mantis is known for its line of training and diagnostic products and software that help shooters improve their shooting skills.
Their MantisX system uses sensors to record telemetry of your gun’s movements; the app interprets the data to provide a detailed analysis of the mechanics of your technique. You can use it with dry or live fire and track your progress, focusing on wherever elements you prefer. The small MantisX unit attaches to an accessory rail or magazine.
A peek inside the mag well.
Mantis also ventured into the world of lasers with the Blackbeard system, which installs in your rifle and emits a laser pulse with each trigger press, then automatically resets the trigger. The BlackBeardX system adds MantisX functionality to the mix.
The new TitanX takes the next step. It’s a stand-alone smart laser training pistol, available as a replica of a Glock 19, 17, or 45 with plans to develop other models. It incorporates MantisX technology to analyze your mechanics, a laser to indicate your point of impact, and a resetting trigger that feels similar to the real thing, complete with a trigger safety dingus.
The USB-C port for charging.
It’s inert, made of plastic, and completely safe. The overall shape matches the corresponding Glock model; our test unit is a Glock 19 doppelganger, and it fit in all the Glock holsters we had on hand. The TitanX solves the issues associated with using an unloaded gun for dry fire.
The slide is optic-ready, with a cutout that takes RMR or RMSc footprint sights. Thankfully, there are metal threaded inserts for the screws. The iron sights are molded into the slide, so you can’t install your own. On top is a power switch, and on the side is a USB-C port. Near the muzzle are windage and elevation adjustments for the laser.
Optic cut that accommodates RMR and RMSc footprints.
You can attach a weapon-mounted light to the light rail, but note it has an actual Picatinny rail like a Gen 5 Glock versus the “universal” rail on older Glocks.
The dummy magazine is weighted, though you can also insert a real mag in the TitanX. Conversely, you can use the dummy mag in an actual Glock as well; it won’t lock the slide back so you can use it for dry-fire practice with your gun.
With all-plastic construction, the TitanX is lighter than an actual Glock. This keeps costs down but feels a little less realistic. Without a magazine, it weighs 7.9 ounces, versus 21 ounces for a Glock 19. The weighted mag weighs 9.3 ounces, compared to 9.7 ounces for a fully loaded 15-rounder. In total, that’s 17.2 versus 30.7 ounces. However, with the addition of a C&H Precision COMP red-dot sight and a SureFire XC3 weapon light, our TitanX weighs 21.5 ounces, on par with an unloaded Glock 19. We noticed it might be possible to add more weight in the grip plug area. You could also go with a heavier light or even use a frame weight.
The trigger mimics the feel of a real trigger, though it’s not exactly the same. It has take-up, pushing through to the break, and a distinct reset. Our unit broke at just under 4 pounds.
Weapons Free
If you use the TitanX by itself, it functions like a laser training pistol, emitting a short laser burst with each trigger press. But pair it with your smartphone, and you’ll have access to all the wonders of the MantisX app and system.
The MantisX app has various configurations and drills for your training needs. Set the shot timer, par times, shot counts and automatically repeat drills. It can specify and detect starting positions, such as low ready, high ready and holstered. You can select a magazine capacity in some drills, requiring a reload before proceeding.
Sample screenshots from the MantisX app, showing shot times, trace of a drawstroke, and lists of drills and courses.
The sensor tracks movement, showing if you jerked the trigger, moved off target and how you transitioned between targets. It can analyze your drawstroke and movement.
Configure your own drills or run specified drills such as the El Presidente, bill drills, reload drills, and so on. The app also includes full courses focused on marksmanship, tactical, and concealed carry skills.
There’s a wealth of data presented in interesting ways, including timing, movement traces, and scoring. One of the most valuable aspects of the system is “gamifying” the process so that not only is it challenging and fun (thus making you more likely to practice regularly), but you can also track your progress over time.
We used reduced-size targets from the Ben Stoeger Pro Shop to train realistically in more confined spaces. For example, placing a 1/3 scale target at 10 feet in your bedroom is like engaging a full-size target at 10 yards.
One problem with laser trainers and iron sights is the tendency to watch for splash instead of calling your shots with your sight picture. The beauty of using a red-dot sight is that once you zero the laser with your sight, the splash basically disappears from view, especially if you turn up the brightness on your sight.
Elevation and windage adjustments for the laser.
You can also use the TitanX with any laser-based training products or apps. Mantis offers their Laser Academy Training system, which consists of a set of special targets designed to work with an app. The app accesses your smart-phone camera to automatically detect targets, run specified drills and detect the laser splash to mark your impacts.
Between MantisX and the Laser Academy, you can put together a great training regimen and effectively bridge the connection between dry-fire gear and live-fire practice to level up your skills. You can safely leave your dry-fire setup and ready to go at home, so you can easily do regular and frequent practice sessions.
At an MSRP of $199, the TitanX is also affordable compared to other options, with the added bonus of the MantisX sensor technology. Mantis fulfilled its promise with the TitanX—two dry thumbs up.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Here’s a small peek into some of the fun that went down at CANCON Carolinas this year. If you missed it, we hope to see you next year!
Suppressors are more popular than ever before, but a lot of shooters are still hesitant to take the plunge into ownership. We’re here to change that.
CANCON is the world's largest fully suppressed range day, and this year’s event at the Clinton House Plantation in Clinton, S.C., was bigger and better than ever before. An unprecedented number of shooters cycled through the gates over the weekend to get hands-on experience with the largest variety of cans available at a single event.
Some attendees were there as prospective first-time owners looking to learn, try and buy. Others were seasoned suppressor shooters perusing the newest models to add to their collection. Others were there just for some good old-fashioned American fun, like blasting suppressed machine guns!
If that's not enough for you, CANCON also hosts shooting competitions with amazing prizes, survival classes and purveyors of high-end blades. Oh yeah, did we mention there was a Little Bird helicopter flying around too?
Here’s a small glimpse into what went down at CANCON Carolinas 2025 and what you can expect to see when we’re back next year, May 8-9, 2026:
The Venue
You can’t host the world’s largest suppressed range day without a huge range, and we have the Clinton House Plantation to thank for that. Situated in the beautiful woods of South Carolina, the massive range has enough pistol and rifle lanes to accommodate the dozens of companies that come out with their cans and guns. Plus, a 1,000-yard range and a 1-mile range for those looking to really reach out. With this much room to stretch out in, it means lines stay short even when attendance is at its apex. Result? More shooting and less waiting.
On the flip side, that much shooting requires a lot of ammo. Special thanks to Ammoman for helping to supply the ammo this year!
VIP/Industry Day
If you’re interested in attending CANCON, it’s worth considering going all out and being a VIP. Sponsored by MasterFFL.com, VIP/Industry Day takes place the day before the gates open to the general public on Friday. Besides providing a whole extra day of shooting (with barely any lines, to boot), purchasing a VIP ticket will garner you a gift bag as well. As most already know, there’s more than stickers and swag inside.
This year’s VIP bag was filled to the brim with some very exciting and valuable goodies, including:
If you’d like to get next year’s bag, keep a close eye on when VIP tickets become available; they always sell out fast!
Buying Cans, Guns & Gear
CANCON isn’t just a place to shoot, it’s a place to buy if you choose to do so.
Besides gear, knives, apparel and other goods you can purchase from vendors dotted around the event, you can even get started on a suppressor purchase thanks to companies like T&K Outdoors, an FFL local to the Clinton area. T&K Outdoors’ booth was all set up to take your prints, picture and information to start the Form 4 process on just about any suppressor you’re interested in buying. What’s more, their extremely helpful employees were eager to handhold anyone through the process, something that can admittedly be a bit intimidating for new buyers.
Check out their store in Spartanburg, S.C., if you’re local, or take a look at their website!
Pros Vs. Joes Shooting Competitions
Being a VIP ticket holder isn’t the only way to walk away from CANCON with excellent prizes—regular attendees have the chance to test their mettle and earn some goodies in the Pros Vs. Joes shooting competitions. If you’re willing to put your skills on display in front of a crowd and then manage to outshoot one of our Pros, you’ll walk away with more than an (justifiably) inflated ego.
Watchdog Tactical: Watchdog Tactical Outside the waistband customer holster
Wilson Combat: Complete Target Stand with Scorable Silhouette
Wolfpack Armory: Wolfpack Armory Night Howler & Plan B HUB Mount Set.
This year’s winners were:
11:00 a.m. – Maxim Defense Winner #1: Luke Baxley
11:30 a.m. – Maxim Defense Winner #2: Brian Gregory
1:00 p.m. – Meprolight Red Dot Optic Winner: Steven Bowman
1:30 p.m. – LWRC International 9mm Rifle Winner: Devon Christie
The Proving Grounds
Winning Pros Vs. Joes is one thing, but if you really want to see how your shooting skills hold up to more real-world conditions, then you need to check out The Proving Grounds. They’ll see how well you can shoot after dragging a man-sized dummy 50 yards. Spoiler, probably not as well as you think. Activities like this are crucial to the gun community by not just emphasising the importance of training, but shining a spotlight on it.
The Proving Grounds has been a CANCON staple for years now, and they’ll be at future events as well, but if you can’t wait, consider attending one of the competitions they host around the country.
Going Long With Barrett & Gunwerks
Suppressors aren’t just for carbines and handguns, they’re an excellent addition to long-range precision setups as well. To help demonstrate that, a couple of top-notch manufacturers brought out some rifles that really let attendees stretch their legs.
The Barrett Mile Challenge put a .416 Barrett rifle in shooters’ hands and asked them to shoot at a distance that most haven’t had the chance to before. Even with such a fine tool for the job, not everyone hit the target. Those who did were awarded a special challenge coin minted for this year’s event.
Meanwhile, at the humble 1,000-yard range, Gunwerks was showing shooters just how achievable these extreme ranges can be with the right equipment. In this case, that equipment wasn’t just an extremely accurate Gunwerks rifle, but one equipped with the company’s Revic Radikl Smart Rifle Scope with integrated ballistics.
OFFGRID Basecamp
If you need a breather from all the suppressed shooting, what better way to spend it than by improving your survival skills? That’s what OFFGRID Basecamp provides at CANCON.
Inside OFFGRID’s tent, instructors, authors and manufacturers congregated to teach attendees crucial survival skills by drawing on their real-world experiences.
Gorilla Medical was there to teach about treating gunshot wounds, Tactical Rifleman had carbine drills to run and Mountain Readiness offered valuable insights into preparedness strategies. Alan Kay, winner of the first season of Alone, was also there to provide wilderness survival advice in conjunction with Knives By Hand.
BLADE Show Tactical Knife Show
Another small reprieve from shooting found at CANCON is the BLADE Show Tactical Knife Show. Fans of edged weapons and tools will be spoiled for choice—whether they’re looking to buy or just browse and chat with manufacturers from top brands like Stroup Knives, Krein Knives, Heretic Knives and Spartan Blades.
If you like what you see here, know that it’s just a taste of what you could experience at BLADE Show Atlanta, the world’s largest knife show.
Attending Future CANCONs
We host two CANCON events per year, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. If you’re interested in attending either, or both, make sure to keep an eye out for CANCON 2026 tickets on the event website here: canconevent.com. We hope to see you there!
Looking to upgrade your FN SCAR? Check out the new stock and brace options from Kinetic Development Group.
The FN SCAR may have been discontinued recently, but that doesn’t mean aftermarket FN SCAR parts need to be discontinued as well. There are a lot of SCARs out there, and people still want to modify them with new furniture and accessories. One of the latest options is a new stock and pistol brace from Kinetic Development Group.
Made in collaboration with Haga Defense and A3 Industries, the new furniture was designed to be ultimately modular, durable and precise. Regardless of which version you get, they feature a 7075-T6 aluminum, 17-4 stainless steel and high-strength polymer construction. They’re foldable, too, with steel hinges for maximum durability, and they lock in both the open and closed positions. The brace and stock also feature seven positions of adjustment, so you should be able to achieve the perfect fit regardless of your size or the gear you’re wearing. For getting behind your sights, there’s also a cheek riser with three positions of height adjustment.
Chris Bardugone, Director of Sales & Marketing at Kinetic Development Group, said this about the new SCAR accessories:
The FN SCAR platform has always been an industry benchmark, and we wanted to give owners the same level of innovation and refinement that KDG is known for … This launch with OpticsPlanet represents more than just a new product — it’s a way for us to get premium, USA-made upgrades directly into the hands of shooters who demand the best.
The KDG FN SCAR stock and brace are made in America and exclusively available at OpticsPlanet.com and KineticDG.com. MSRP is $385 and both are available in either black or FDE.
Superior gas management: How the Gemtech Neutron Direct Thread balances sound, weight, backpressure and price.
As suppressor manufacturers go, few are as long in tooth as Gemtech. Nearly 50 years of banging out hush tubes, the concern is a grand old man in a niche where a couple of years in the game is mature.
The wisdom of Gemtech’s years shows in the innovation it’s brought to market every decade. One of those most certainly is the do-all Neutron 7.62mm. Among the company’s cornerstone devices, the .30-caliber suppressor kicked a toehold as among the most rugged, dependable and versatile suppressors available. Creeping up on a half a decade of service, it has maintained this distinction.
Yet, Gemtech apparently couldn’t leave well enough alone with the Neutron. Thankfully, this isn’t a story of striving for the great getting in the way of the already-proven good. It’s simply a tale of the manufacturer opening its top-notch can to more shooters. Who can complain about that?
Gemtech Neutron 7.62 Direct Thread Specs
Width: 1.64 Inches Length: 6.6 Inches Weight: 16.1 Ounces Caliber: .30 Cal. Mount Type: 5/8×24 Direct Thread Color/Finish: Black Tube Material: Stainless Steel ; Titanium HUB Compatible?: Yes MSRP: $710
Pros
Solid Backpressure Mitigation
Flash Suppression
Increased Affordability
Cons
Hefty
Neutron’s Direct Take
The modification of the Neutron is extremely simple; GemTech has now made it a direct-thread suppressor. For anyone paying even passing attention to this end of the industry, this should come as no surprise. As the market has matured, direct thread has become the standard.
This doesn’t mean Quick Detach (QD) systems are a thing of the past, such as Gemtech’s Elite Tapered Mount—the Neutron’s former attachment method. Far from it.
Now running a HUB direct thread mount, the Neutron is lighter and cheaper.
QD mounts are legion and handy as ever for those who need to mount and dismount their cans quickly. However, with suppressor manufacturers moving to a standardized Hybrid Universal Base (HUB), which serves as a universal mounting interface, it makes more sense to initially offer a can as a direct thread for a host of reasons.
In the case of the Neutron, going this route has positively affected its price and weight.
As a direct thread, the suppressor is a hair over 2 ounces lighter than the EMT version, weighing in at 16.1 ounces. That’s still hefty—it is primarily 17-4PH stainless steel with a little 6AL4V titanium thrown in, after all. Yet, this subtle shaving of weight generally makes it more manageable on a rifle, particularly those with barrels of 16 inches or more. SBRs, the Neutrons’ diet won’t be as notable.
Nice as this is, where shooters really feel the impact on the Neutron’s switch to direct thread is on their wallets. The price of the can has dropped nearly $150 since moving away from the EMT system.
Excellent cost savings, this should go a long way to entice those who use QD mounts, as the savings are the better part of the price of retrofitting the can to your chosen system. Other shooters, it simply makes the dang thing more affordable, pushing it nearly into the budget zone.
A nice bonus on the can, Gemtech throws in a dandy carrying case.
Neutron Build
On the surface, the Neutron appears to be your standard welded suppressor. But there are some wrinkles to its design, helping it do its job better than some other options in its class.
Gemtech runs what it calls stepped baffles in the suppressor, concentric steps along each of the can’s six baffles. The steps slow down the expanding gas and reduce pressure, thus dampening the report of a shot. Gimmick or genuine article, the can does a number on the report—particularly for a compact 6.6-inch suppressor.
There are quieter cans on the market, but the full-auto rated Neutron is stalwart enough to make the Stag Pursuit 6.5 Creedmoor and Ruger American Rifle Gen II in 7mm PRC I ran it on comfortable to the naked ear. Plus, it has some aces up its sleeve compared to suppressors that tone down more decibels. In particular, for a can that isn’t a true flow-through system, the Neutron does one heck of a job on backpressure.
Face it, getting gassed after every trigger pull is the downside of shooting suppressed. Yet it was virtually eliminated in the Gemtech can, thanks to an interlocking baffle design that creates chambers and channels directing lingering gases towards the endcap. A series of ports then slowly releases the gases toward the muzzle and not your face.
And don’t start wringing your hands over muzzle flash with this design. The Neutron’s GM-S1 endcap is designed to act as a flash hider, so your position at twilight—not to mention your line of sight—isn’t compromised.
Overall Take On The Neutron
Hitting the sweet spot on suppressors is a dicey proposition. Tweak one to relieve back pressure, and you’ve got a device that has more in common with a brake than a suppressor. Amp up the noise suppression; you’ve got a face full of gas. The Neutron walks a fine line and provides a grand compromise on all these facets.
Interestingly, the endcap of the suppressor works as a flash hider, minimizing muzzle flash.
The Gemtech option held its own in all respects important in suppressors in my testing. It was light enough to remain maneuverable on a hunting rifle. Its sound suppression is solid enough to make even new-wave magnums less taxing. And in all cases, it kept gas at bay. If there were any nits I had to pick, the Neutron is heavier than I’d prefer, but only marginally so.
To be sure, there are lighter and quieter suppressors and ones with less back pressure. But there are a few tying these assets into one tidy package, like the Neutron. And with the switch to exclusively direct thread, the suppressor is open to more shooters.
There’s a reason Gemtech has remained in the suppressor game for so long. The Neutron Direct Thread shows why.
Walther has temporarily halted PPK, PPK/S and PP pistol production as the line begins a modernization journey.
James Bond fans, wannabe spies and historical German firearm enthusiasts all have reason to despair, as Walther has just halted production of PPK, PPK/S and PP pistols. The good news is it’s not going to be forever, as the company is embarking on a modernization process for the line and will reintroduce them once they are ready.
Walther says that the reengineering and modernization program will be a “multi-year” affair, so don’t expect to see the updated pistols until 2028 at least, and possibly even later than that. What the changes will exactly entail isn’t known, but Walther did say this about the new project:
This initiative aims to enhance performance, integrate advanced manufacturing technologies, and elevate the user experience—all while preserving the iconic look, feel, and spirit that have defined these pistols for generations.
Tyler Weigel, VP of Sales at Walther Arms, said this about the modernization endeavor:
This is not the end of the PPK story … It’s the beginning of a new chapter. Our goal is to honor the heritage of these iconic firearms by bringing them into the future without compromising what made them classics.
Those in the market for a Walther PPK, PPK/S or PP should check around and grab one before remaining stocks dry up, or prepare themselves to pay possibly inflated prices on the secondhand market for a used model. Until then, we’ll be eagerly awaiting the release of the updated models to see what changes they feature and how they will affect their performance.
I’ve owned a lot of great guns, but none are more dear to my heart than a practical, old Remington 700 named Elvira.
It wasn’t love at first sight but a relationship that was born of necessity. I was never a fan of synthetic stock stainless, rifles even though I owned one for my “truck gun.” I considered myself old school, preferring the feel of a nice walnut stock and the luster of a quality blued finish. The previous deer season had left me reconsidering those values. Five straight days of torrential rain spent on an open stand trying to keep my rifle somewhat protected, then wiping it down every night trying to keep rust from setting in and worrying that the wood stock was going to be damaged was enough. I made it through the season without the rifle being harmed but decided that I would start the search for a rifle that I could use during inclement weather without as much worry.
As happens most years, shortly after modern firearms season for Whitetail Deer here in Kentucky, used deer rifles started showing up for sale. A friend of mine who often took advantage of these bargains called me and told me that he had something that I might like. He knew my taste in rifles and had a beautiful walnut and blue Remington 700 in 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum that he thought I might like. While looking at it I noticed a synthetic stainless rifle laying in the back seat of his truck. Remembering my previous season, I asked about it. It turned out to be a Remington 700 BDL SS. He told me it was chambered in 7mm Weatherby Magnum and he figured that he was stuck with it because of the high price of ammo. After a little painful deliberation, I went with the stainless one knowing that the ammo would be expensive for either, and I couldn’t afford both. The 7mm Weatherby came home with me. The rifle came with a cheap scope and half a box of ammo.
The Remington 700 BDL SS rifles were produced from 1993 through 2005, but Remington only chambered the 7mm Weatherby round from 1991 through 1995. Photo: JD Photography.
Before firing it, I removed the scope and put on a new Leupold Vari X III 4.5x14x50. I paid more for the scope than I did the rifle, but it was a good investment, because it has performed flawlessly ever since.
The ammunition was Hornady Custom 154-grain, and it shot under 1-inch groups, with two shots touching and one flyer. J.J. Reich from Vista Outdoor came down to turkey hunt with us and brought me some Federal Premium ammo loaded with Nosler 150 gr bullets that did the same thing. Under one inch should be good enough for a rifle that was only going to be used in inclement weather, right? You would think so, but that flyer and the cost of the 7mm Weatherby Magnum ammo drove me to start down what would become a very long and rewarding road of reloading. I had been wanting to try my hand at reloading for a long time, and this pushed me over the edge.
Armed with a good source of brass and a new love of reloading I went to work in an attempt to get rid of the flyer. Shortly into load development and after wearing the phone out calling my reloading mentor Paul Johnson, the new rifle was shooting groups under 1/2 inch with no pesky flyer. A load of 66 grains of IMR 4350 ignited by a Remington 9 ½ M primer pushing a Hornady 154-grain SST bullet produced a group of 0.306 inch.
7mm Weatherby cartridge built with Hornady brass, Hornady 154gr SST bullet, 66 grains of IMR 4350 powder and ignited by a Remington 91/2 M primer. Photo: JD Photography.
Daniel Boone carried a rifle he named “Ticklicker” because he claimed that he could shoot the tick from a bear’s nose. Davey Crockett carried a Flintlock that he called “Old Betsy”. The second year I hunted with this rifle right at the last minute of shooting light I killed a beautiful 15-point buck. Someone asked me what I shot that buck with. I jokingly replied “Elvira, The Mistress of The Darkness”. The nickname stuck, and she has been known by that name ever since.
Thanks to the Leupold Vari X III this buck fell victim to Elvira less than a minute after legal shooting light at 279 yds, while trying to slip out of the field before daylight. Photo: JD Photography.
Elvira has accounted for 18 bucks, and the number keeps growing. I killed my largest buck to date with her, a 13-pointer that scored 168 B&C, and numerous others. Many of them are more memorable than the biggest ones. In 2018, I was hunting by myself when a beautiful 9-pointer walked into the field about 600 yards away and made his way to a cedar tree, which he thrashed. He came a little closer and began feeding at around 400 yards. I steadied Elvira and waited for him to come closer, thinking how much the bullet would drop at that range and where I should hold (I still haven’t replaced the Vari-X III with a scope that you just dial up the range.)
It became apparent that he had no intention of coming any closer, so I steadied the horizontal crosshair level with the top of his back and the vertical one at the back edge of his front leg. I took a deep breath and squeezed Elvira’s trigger. I was back on target by the time the bullet made impact and watched him roll and run. He made it about 50 yards.
This Buck walked into the field at 209 yds from the author and Elvira’s stand a little after 8 am one morning, that was as far as he walked. Photo: JD Photography.
I’ve lost count of the coyotes that I have taken over the years with Elvira. Some folks believe that shooting coyotes during deer season will scare off the deer, but I haven’t found that to true. Song dogs are detrimental to the turkey population and are rough on young fawn, so any coyote that presents itself as a target gets a taste of one of Steve Hornady’s SST bullets courtesy of Elvira. While they might not be designed to perform as a varmint bullet, the coyotes will never complain if I can do my part. Last year, Elvira and I killed seven coyotes during the firearm season.
In 2010, Mark Six, founder of Greens Run Game Calls, was turkey hunting with us when he found out that he had been drawn for a Kentucky cow elk tag. At the time, Mark didn’t own a rifle that met the requirements to elk hunt in Kentucky and had no idea where to hunt. I knew some folks that would allow us hunting access and offered the use of Elvira. Since it was a cow only permit and Mark wanted it to eat, we had discussed it and decided that if the opportunity was presented, he would try to harvest a midsized cow that wouldn’t be too old or tough.
Opening morning found us easing along an old trail on a reclaimed mountaintop removal surface mine. As we rounded a corner, we were face to face with a small herd of cow elk standing about 40 yards above us. One of them looked to be twice the size of the rest and was wearing a tracking collar. Mark quickly raised Elvira to his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The elk stood on her back feet, took 9 steps backward and fell with all four feet in the air. I accused him of killing the grandmother of all Kentucky elk. Mark decided then and there that Elvira was a “Stone Cold Killer”.
In 2010 Mark Six, Owner of Green’s Run Calls used Elvira for a Kentucky Elk hunt. Photo: JD Photography.
While still hunting nearly 10 years ago, my little brother took a nasty fall landing on his scope. A test shot revealed that his scope wasn’t hitting anywhere near his point of aim. Since Elvira and I had tagged out I let him take her hunting. The result was a nice 8-point buck on the ground at a little over 200 yards—his farthest kill then, and Elvira had another admirer.
Steven Asher—m my wife and I call “Stepson, even though he is no relation to us—had a similar experience where a huge bodied mature 8-pointer collapsed in his tracks. The immediate collapse of the buck and ease of felt recoil added him to the long list of people wanting to be the recipient of Elvira in my will.
While hunting alone a few years ago a small two-year-old 8 point was chasing does and I was enjoying the show. When he stopped about 60 yards in front of me, I placed the crosshairs on his shoulder and eased the rifle down. I had no reason to kill him, because I knew there were better bucks on the farm. He stopped again and turned at the perfect angle to take out the far shoulder at a little over 100 yards. I settled the crosshairs, then took my finger off the trigger and told Elvira “That would be a pie shot, but you don’t want to kill him”. The next time he stopped he was at 250 yards facing me head on. Elvira had already placed the crosshairs of the Leupold dead center on his chest. Once again, I convinced her not to shoot. I told her what a mess the 154 grain SST bullet would make at that angle, and besides, we really didn’t want to kill that buck.
He then turned, quartering slightly away, and Elvira didn’t wait for any of my excuses. The little buck crumpled in his tracks. My cousin Henley McIntosh the local County Attorney asked me why I killed such a young deer. I told him my story, and he laughingly replied, “You should have checked it in under Elvira’s name, everybody knows how she is!”.
Our local Sportsman’s Club holds a “Deer Rifle Match” once a year. The rules require that the rifle must be legal to hunt with in Kentucky but cannot be a heavy barreled rifle. You generally see light barreled 22-250, 223 243, and of course 6.5 Creedmoor rifles there. I took Elvira for one year just to see how she could stack up. While we didn’t win the match, we finished in a very respectable 3rd place.
I have several other rifles that I am fond of. Trying to satisfy my addiction to reloading I built loads for several rifles that I could hunt with. I have a 7mm Remington Magnum that will shoot groups under one quarter inch. There are rifles in 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, 6.8 Western, 270 Winchester, 25-06 Remington, 260 Remington, all that will outshoot Elvira (don’t tell her I said that). Most of these are easier to find factory ammo for. Some of these rifles have newer scopes, which have the capability of dialing up for longer ranges. Some are stainless while others have Cerakote. There is no valid reason that they shouldn’t be taken to the deer stand each fall.
The author and Elvira on the farm where she does most of her hunting now-a farm that has been in the family since Revolutionary War Land Grants. Photo: JD Photography.
Over the years I have bought newer scopes, some with illuminated reticles, a couple of Leupolds with the CDS system that would eliminate the need to figure out where to hold at longer ranges, but I just can’t seem to make myself try to fix what isn’t broken. A few years ago, a friend of mine offered to “Dip” Elvira with a camouflage covering, but since she is a fairly uncommon rifle I declined his offer, thinking it might adversely affect her value. My wife laughed at my response, saying, “Like you would ever sell Elvira”.
Every year when deer season rolls around, I look over the current residents of the vault, consider the weather conditions along with where I plan to hunt, and after careful consideration, I pick up Elvira and head to the stand.
The value of a rifle depends on a lot of variables. Brand, caliber, scope, condition, rarity, and others, but sometimes a rifle’s value depends on how badly the prospective buyer wants it or the current owner’s willingness to sell. Even though Elvira is probably a low production model based on her chambering, I doubt that she would be considered rare or highly collectible. Being chambered in an obscure caliber could either raise her value because of rarity or lower it because of the high price of the ammo as well as difficulty in finding it.
The primary factor that affects the old Remington’s value is the determination of the current owner to keep it. My wife often refers to Elvira as “The other woman in our marriage”. I have threatened to have Elvira buried with me, but that would be senseless because I am sure someone would dig me up to get her. There is an old mountain saying that “Every man is entitled to one good gun, one good dog, and one good woman”. Living in this politically correct age we won’t discuss the woman, and I have had more than one good dog.
When it comes to guns, I have had more than one good one, but if I had to pick only one, that is an easy answer for me. My wife, most of my family members and probably at least twenty or thirty of my friends could quickly answer the question for you. Elvira!
Benelli has just announced the M4 EXT, the ultimate version of the iconic semi-auto 12-gauge straight from the factory.
The Benelli M4 is widely considered to be the best combat shotgun of all time. Used by military and police units across the globe since its introduction in the late 90s, the Italian semi-auto 12-gauge has garnered an excellent reputation for rugged reliability thanks primarily to its ARGO (auto-regulating gas-operated) gas system. Commercial versions have been available in the U.S. for a while now, but they came from the factory lacking some important features, and upgrading them with aftermarket parts could potentially run afoul of 922R compliance regarding imported firearms. Thankfully, that’s all now behind us, as Benelli has just announced the M4 EXT.
The biggest and most important upgrade of the Benelli M4 EXT is its full-capacity 7-round magazine tube as opposed to the usual 5-round tube. It also comes with the proper 5-position collapsible stock instead of the fixed-stock lookalike that came on some of the older commercial M4 models. The stock features a QD sling mount, too. Another small upgrade that makes a big difference is the new oversized bolt release that enables faster operation, even while wearing gloves.
The rest of the M4 EXT is the same as the older models, but that’s a good thing. It means it features the same proven ARGO gas system, handy 18.5-inch barrel length, quick-acquisition ghost-ring sights and comes with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics.
Bret Maffet, Senior Product Manager at Benelli, said this about the new shotgun:
Consumers weren’t asking us to reinvent the legendary M4…they were simply asking us to unleash it. Now we have
The new Benelli M4 EXT is available with either a Black Multicam, Titanium Cerakote or FDE Cerakote finish and has an MSRP of $2,600.
Harrington & Richardson has just announced the CLET 9mm AR, a tribute to the iconic Colt SMG DEA model.
In the 1980s, the MP5 was still the gold standard of police and military submachine guns, and Colt wanted a piece of the pie. This resulted in the Colt 9mm SMG which boasted a familiar manual of arms and some parts compatibility with standard AR-15s. The plan didn’t go as well as Colt had hoped, with most SMG users opting to stick with the venerable MP5, but it did result in a few very interesting designs that were adopted and used by a handful of different departments. Possibly the coolest variant was used by the Drug Enforcement Agency and became known as the DEA model, and PSA/Harrington & Richardson just announced a 9mm AR pistol model inspired by it called the CLET.
CLET stands for “Clandestine Laboratory Eradication Team”, likely a homage to the meth lab raids that DEA agents used their SMGs for. Besides being select-fire, the real DEA model Colt SMGs sported an integral suppressor underneath their full-length round M16 handguards. Unfortunately, the H&R CLET is neither select-fire nor suppressed, but it does do a great job of looking the part. Practically speaking, the longer handguard does at least provide more grip real estate than the standard 635 or DOE 9mm AR models (both of which H&R also makes clones of). You also get better ballistics with the CLET, as the longer handguard is hiding a 13-inch barrel. The muzzle is threaded 5/8×24 and comes equipped with a handguard support cap. As a pistol, the CLET ships with H&R’s retro brace, and it feeds from 32- or 20-round Colt-pattern 9mm magazines.
While it’s understandable that the CLET ships as a non-NFA item, it will be very exciting to see if any enterprising gunsmiths can use it as a host to make a true integrally suppressed clone of the original DEA model. PSA is offering the H&R CLET as either a complete pistol (MSRP $1,150) or a standalone upper (MSRP $700) in both standard and BLEM condition grades.
A look back on the Smith & Wesson Model 52, a classic dedicated target pistol in .38 Special.
Sometime back in the early 1990s, my shooting mentor and boss at Ranger Ammunition, Rob Virkus, introduced me to what may still very well be my most favored target pistol of all time: the Smith & Wesson Model 52-2.
Rob and I used to shoot weekly at the Tampa Police Range after delivering their orders of several thousand rounds of ammo. I always had either my 1911s or Magnum revolvers with me, because I was young and poor, but Rob was a master-class shooter of anything with a trigger … and 20 years my senior. He always had something special in his range bag that would get me further into the world of shooting and reloading.
One weekend he showed me what looked like a long-barreled Smith & Wesson Model 39 with walnut grips and amazing target sights.
“Oh, is that another 9mm?” I said and chuckled.
“No, this is a pistol that will change your life. It’s a 38 Wadcutter,” he said.
“Like a Desert Eagle?” I asked. At the time, I was thinking, rimmed cartridges in a semi-auto with the more familiar semi-wadcutter rounds I’d shoot in my .357.
This time Rob laughed at me and said, “Not exactly.”
He showed me the ammunition, which at first glance looked like empty cases, but were 148-grain hollow-based wadcutters, seated flush with the mouth of the case and a crimp so light that you could almost see space between the bullet and the case walls. Loaded with 2.8 grains of Bullseye, the muzzle velocity was about 735 fps.
The trigger on this pistol was pure excellence. It simply broke like a glass rod with about 2.5 pounds of pressure. The sights are highly visible and minutely adjustable, and after shooting it for 30 minutes or so, I was printing one-hole groups at 30 yards and wondering out loud, “What if you upped this to a +P? It would be the perfect home-defense load. SWAT guys could use it as an entry gun and …”
“Whoa! I’m gonna stop you right there, partner,” said Rob, as he brought me back to reality. “You must load them so there’s just enough energy to throw that slide back and then chamber the next round. This isn’t a fighting pistol like your 1911. This is a target pistol for Bullseye matches and as a training aid to build confidence in new shooters learning how to shoot a semi-auto.”
I was thinking that all I had to do was call Smith & Wesson, or one of the distributors, and order one. Um, no. Unfortunately for me, this story took place in the spring of 1993—and although they had just gotten more expensive because a year earlier, the 30-year-old machinery used to produce the Model 52 was showing signs of age and was starting to fail—Smith & Wesson decided against replacing it, and the handgun was discontinued.
Regardless, I knew I had to have one. I have been lucky enough to own two, but it was a long, hard road.
It’s unfortunate that the machinery used to build the S&W Model 52 fell into disrepair. These pistols still perform well as a target gun.
Smith & Wesson Model 52 Specs
Caliber: .38 Special (Midrange Wadcutter) Action: Single Action Only (SAO) Finish: Blue Stocks: Walnut Magazine Capacity: 5 Barrel Length: 5 Inches Slide Length: 8.5 Inches Weight: 40 Ounces
History of the Model 52
Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 52 as a match-grade target pistol based on the company’s popular 9mm, the Model 39. It was chambered in .38 Special high-brass wadcutter (HBWC) only for the sport of Centerfire Bullseye shooting.
The original Model 52 used the same trigger mechanism of the Model 39, with the double-action function selectable via a simple frame-mounted setscrew, allowing the pistol to be fired in either single-action only or in double-action mode, depending on how you adjusted the screw.
Two years later, in 1963, S&W released the Model 52-1 with a newly developed single-action trigger and manufactured this model until 1970, when it was replaced by the Model 52-2. This version sported an improved extractor and may have been the perfect version of this now iconic pistol. As previously mentioned, within 30 years it’d enter the history books as an out-of-production pistol.
Smith & Wesson’s Model 52 series has a classic and iconic look about it … one that will never go out of style.
The Finer Points
The S&W Model 52 is a standard semi-automatic pistol not unlike the 1911, Browning Hi Power and S&W’s pre-plastic-framed pistols like the Sigma or M&P series. As stated, it’s a specialized target pistol made for Centerfire Bullseye competitions. The sport doesn’t get much publicity lately, but in its heyday, custom 1911s and specialized semi-autos like the Model 52 dominated.
The finish is a classic, high-polished blue, like many S&W pistols came from the factory for decades. The top strap has a matte finish to reduce glare, and the sights are highly visible with a tall front blade and a micro adjustable rear. It’s not uncommon for shooters to blacken them with a smudge pot or carbide lamp in order to obtain a crisp sight picture.
The front sight is tall to allow the shooter to reach out at distance to punch holes in paper.
The slide-mounted safety blocks the firing pin, but it allows a full trigger press. This ensures that the shooter can dry-fire without striking the firing pin and not needing the use of snap caps or dummy rounds. As was common with Smith & Wesson semi-auto pistols, there’s a magazine disconnect that’ll prevent firing when the magazine is removed.
Factory grips were checkered walnut, but some shooters would switch them with S&W Model 39 Pachmayr grips. Its barrel bushing is adjustable, but admittedly, the bushing isn’t the greatest in the world, and a special wrench is needed to adjust it. If you’re looking to buy a Model 52, make sure this wrench is included: They’re not that hard to find, nor that expensive, but it shows the owner took care of the pistol.
The only other factory accessory was a weight that could be attached to the bottom of the dustcover by means of a set screw. Original factory weights are marked “S&W,” but aftermarket weights were not. Spare magazines are north of $125 … when you can find them.
The Model 52’s five-round magazine sells for insanely high aftermarket prices these days, edging closer to $200 each.
This One is Mine
As a young veteran making ammunition for a living, I didn’t have a whole lot of spending money to buy any gun I wanted. I would comb pawn shops and gun shops looking for deals in the days before the internet … when you still could score things at a great price. I found an original Model 52 (no dash), and while it might not have been a classic like Rob’s, I loved it.
Unfortunately, a calamity struck my life a few years later where I had to sell off the bulk of my small collection and move to an area with better job opportunities. In the midst of the Draconian Clinton Assault Weapon Ban, certain guns that I thought could be easily replaced, like my beloved Model 52, had to go. As I passed it off to a collector who paid me more than what I paid for it, I vowed I would get another.
A few years went by and I was more focused on rebuilding my life and family than rebuilding my lost collection, but by 2001, I was doing better than I ever had with a great job and had the funds to purchase a Model 52. The only problem was, I was now in California and “the roster” had just been put in place.
For those of you in Free America, that year California decided to impose strict regulations regarding the sale and transfer of handguns. If a handgun wasn’t listed on the roster, it could only be purchased from another individual through an FFL. It might’ve been easier a few years later when they allowed an exemption for Olympic target pistols, but at that time, there was no exemption. That meant, the seller and I would have to meet at a gun shop and perform the transfer in person.
After 8 months of searching and having people trying to find me a Model 52, one turned up, and—most importantly—the dealer was willing to broker the transaction and the price was decent. The problem was he was in Southern California, and I was in the north about 500 miles away. On top of that, California has a 10-day waiting period, meaning I had to drive 1,000 miles round trip to buy it, then 10 days later repeat the process to pick it up. Once it was in my possession, it was a constant range companion for years.
A Picky Eater
Making your own ammunition is the best way to go on these, as accuracy for each pistol tends to be load dependent. At one time, I found this pistol cheaper to shoot than .22 LR. It uses very little powder and a cheap, soft lead swaged bullet. Swaged bullets are typically better for this pistol than cast. You might find a local commercial loader offering plated or jacketed bullets, but they generally don’t fare well in the Model 52. The plated bullets can work with the right load data, but the jacketed bullets have never performed well for me.
The trigger breaks at 1.74 pounds, and with my ammunition, I guarantee any student who fires it that they will hit the 9 ring at 25 yards with one hand if they have their basic fundamentals down.
Even though it has no practical purpose for hunting, home defense, 3-gun or any “real world use,” it’ll most likely be the last pistol that ever leaves my collection. It’s an accurate and reliable shooter. It excels at everything you could want in a dedicated target pistol: punching holes in paper.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Smith & Wesson has just announced two new Davidson’s Exclusive .32 H&R Magnum J-Frame revolver models.
The world needs more .32-caliber revolvers, but thankfully, Smith & Wesson has just added two new options in the form of the Davidson’s Exclusive Model 432 and Model 632, both J-Frames chambered for .32 H&R Magnum. The two wheelguns are functionally the same besides their finish colors, with the 432 sporting a black-anodized aluminum matte finish and the 632 featuring a matte silver finish.
Designed with concealed carry and self-defense in mind, these DAO J-Frames feature a 6-round capacity, a 1.88-inch stainless-steel barrel and a weight of just 14.7 ounces. As for their irons, the revolvers come with a precision-regulated gold bead front sight and an integrated U-notch rear sight for fast acquisition. Other upgrades include an enhanced internals Endurance Package, chamfered charge holes for easier loading and a textured synthetic boot grip for improved ergonomics.
Don’t forget, one major advantage of .32-caliber revolvers is their ammo versatility. These two Smith & Wessons should be able to fire .32 Long and .32 Short in addition to their official chambering of .32 H&R Magnum.
The Davidson’s Exclusive S&W Model 632 and Model 432 are both available now and share an MSRP of $670.
Smith & Wesson has just announced a new Performance Center Carry Comp version of the M&P9 Shield X.
Smith & Wesson’sM&P9 Shield X pistol hit the market earlier this year and had all the makings of an excellent 9mm CCW pistol option, but their Performance Center team has already set out to make it even more shootable with the new Shield X Carry Comp model. Featuring a PowerPort integrated compensator in its 3.6-inch fluted barrel, it should deliver a smoother shooting experience with less kick and muzzle rise.
As an optics-ready pistol (RMSc/K footprint), the M&P9 Shield X Carry Comp also features Smith & Wesson’s ClearSight Cut designed to divert gases away and keep red dots clean. Other features include front and rear slide serrations for easier racking, a reversible magazine catch and an integrated front rail for accessories. As for iron sights, it comes with an Ameriglo Trooper LumiGreen front sight and a blacked-out serrated U-notch rear sight to remain useful in any lighting condition.
Like the standard Shield X, the Carry Comp variant also sports a slim grip with aggressive front and rear texturing, a flat-face trigger and a capacity of 13+1 with flush-fit mags and 15+1 with the extended magazine (one of each is included). A 10-round version is available as well for compliant states, and it can be purchased either with or without a manual thumb safety.
The Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 Shield X Carry Comp is available now and all three variants have an MSRP of $699.
If you can’t find it, you might as well not even have it. Here we look at how to organize your gun gear.
How many of you have heard of Marie Kondo? Don’t be bashful; it won’t create deductions on your man-card to admit it. She is an organizing genius who can make life easier. Unfortunately, it also makes your living environment simpler. Her idea of an ideal environment is pretty much bare walls and two to three of each item you need, all tucked in drawers out of sight. Getting her “spark of joy” doesn’t always mesh well with our “lots of firearms and ammunition” acquisition lifestyle. But being organized does.
When I started this life of living with firearms, the mavens suggested organization with cans, glass jars and cigar boxes. Looking back, that was my first encounter with “life wasn’t so good in the ‘good old days’ epiphany.” Basically, they sucked. So, what to do? How can you be better organized with the Marie Kondo “throw it out” approach? Here’s a few tips.
Stacks of containers with labels means you can identify the contents without having to open them. Which is good.
Get a Label Maker
I have one on hand that has served me well now for more than a couple of decades. It is an ancient Brother P-Touch label maker. It is so old it takes six AA batteries to run. It has no Bluetooth, or WiFi capabilities. There’s no USB port. All it does is print what I type, which is just fine by me. I use it to label storage boxes, loose-leaf binders and the boxes various firearms arrive in. Why? Because it is neater than handwritten labels, and I can color-code them.
A quick jump forward here. Back when I started getting real organization on my system, my two brothers had access to my ammunition supply. (Yes, we had it all worked out; they weren’t just sponging it.) I used color-coded labels to indicate what their choices were. Green stickers meant “Use what you want, let me know.” That way I could load up more, and they could replace the components. Blue was “Talk to me before you use this” because I had specialized loads that they might not find themselves happy using. And Red was “Don’t touch.” Those were either irreplaceable or saved for emergencies.
Now you may not have brothers who want ammo, but you might want to mark your ammo (or the bins they are in) with more than just “9mm” for example. OK, you have a label maker, now what?
Two containers, one legacy and one more modern. All data is on there, and each has its own 3×5 card inside.
When I was starting this organizing thing, there was a Big Lots store down the street from the gun shop. I found that the various shoebox-sized bins and others were perfect for storing my reloaded ammo. Cast bullets came in 4x4x4 cardboard boxes, but those boxes were not good for storing loaded ammo. They got tattered, they didn’t stack well, and once they got grubby, they couldn’t be cleaned. But the plastic boxes with locking lids solved all those problems.
So now each load, or brass supply, gets a label on the bin into which it goes. The label can be as simple as “9mm” or it can be more involved. For example, the bins (bigger, for the most part) of 9mm brass that is range pickups and my own brass saved after a range trip, are simply marked “9mm.” I know what they are, one quick peek into the bin tells me what is in there, so that’s all I need. But other bins, usually smaller ones, will be marked with caliber, source and uses, such as “.32 H&R Starline new.” This reminds me that the brass in there, however bright and shiny it is, is new, from Starline, and I don’t want to be using it to load up practice ammo. It is for load testing and such. The mixed-brass 9mm is just commodity practice brass, but the Starline is special.
Oh, I have ammo can, for sure. I’ve accumulated a bunch of them over the years, and they have their own labels as to what’s in them. The oldest ones have handwritten info, using masking tape. That is, until the masking tape falls off and I have to replace them with the Brother labels. One of these years when I’m snowed-in I might just brew a pot of coffee and sit down and relabel them all. But not now.
These bins date back to the 1980s, and they’re color-coded so my brothers could not create problems.
Get Handy Plastic Drawers
The brass bins can be stacked, but there are things you don’t want to be unstacking and re-stacking bins for. I have a reference library of firearms and more come in on a regular basis. So, I need holsters and magazines for the pistols. Oh yes, each test gun arrives with a magazine or two, but let’s get real. When it comes time to spend an afternoon hammering a plate rack to test reliability, who wants to do it with the sole magazine that came in the box? So plastic drawers on shelves, labeled (there’s that label maker again), so I can keep track. I often don’t even use the magazines that came with the gun, unless I just don’t have some on hand that fit. That way the maker (or their PR agency) gets the pistol, box and contents back.
Plastic drawers on a shelf can be your friend. Clearly, there are some legacy cardboard boxes here, but it’s all labeled.
Binders
You will have to keep track of your reloading efforts. That means noting what bullets, powders, primers and cases you used to whomp up that stellar load you now use at club matches. Writing the details on the flap of the cardboard box the bullets came in only gets you so far. (I know … been there, done that, lost the box … you know the tale.) As a friend of mine in law enforcement has been known to remark, “If it wasn’t written down it didn’t happen.”
When you go to chronograph a load (and chronos are now so inexpensive that there is no excuse) write down the detail before you go: bullet weight, brand, powder, charge weight, primer, cases. Then, once you are at the range, note the firearm used, and write down all the details the chrono reports. Yes, write down the extreme spread and the standard deviation. You might not need them. Or even know what they mean. But if you want to know later, you won’t have it if you didn’t write it down.
When you chrono your ammo (and you should—you must) write it down. Memory is a weak reed.
All this info gets written up on pages that are in your loose-leaf binder, with a label on the spine. Call it whatever you want but label it.
And while we’re here, invest in some 3×5 cards. Yes, dead-tree info system stock. OK, this card goes into the bin with the ammo you’ve loaded. You’re thinking, “I load one caliber, one load, why write it down?” I thought that too. I loaded in the basement of the house where I lived. I wrote the powder charge for the three loads (one .38 Special, one .357 Magnum and one .45ACP) on the wall next to the powder measure. Then, I moved. I had forgotten, in the moving, to write that info down. I phoned the new owner, “Oh, we were just about to paint that wall.” Saved by the bell.
No, write it down. And include all the details: overall length, bullet, brand, powder, weight, primer, all of it. The card goes into the bin with the ammo. You can even note on the card what the load is for: practice, competition, hunting, whatever.
For your heirs, and to avoid problems, record all the useful info about your firearms and keep it stashed in a safe place. Again: Write it down.
And all these bins and loose-leaf binders need shelves on which to stand. You can’t just stack them in the corner. There are only four corners in a room, and you’ll need more than that. I’ll leave style, construction and placement to you, but keep this in mind: Ammo is heavy. A thousand rounds of 9mm 125-grain FMJ weighs 21 pounds. .45 ACP weighs 33 pounds. Depending on how much you load (and if you use steel ammo cans), a shelf might be required to hold 150 pounds of dead weight. Keep that in mind when considering shelves at the big-box hardware store, or the discount furniture store.
OK, so far we’ve covered ammunition and the accessories. What about the firearms themselves?
No, I’m not suggesting slapping a label on each one—not that any label would survive the rigors of use and cleaning. No, this is a longer-term perspective. The simple questions are: What is it, and where does it go?
When I was working at various gun shops, we’d get the occasional very sad visit. The widow, or the children of a deceased gun owner (back then often a World War II vet) and what was left. “Oh, his golf partner said Charlie always wanted him to have the [fill in the name of an expensive rifle or shotgun] after he died.” Or the “helpful” gun club members who were happy to buy a firearm for more than “the $100 he said he paid for it.”
What is it? Write it down. What is it worth? Look it up and write it down. Who do you want to get it once you’re gone? Need I say it? Write it down. Putting it all in a will is good, but cumbersome, and if you are in the habit of wheeling and dealing, trading and buying/selling, it’s expensive to update. But if you have a loose-leaf binder with this info, then that is the guideline your executor can go by. Oh, it doesn’t have the legal force of a notarized will detailing things, but it does give your widow (or widower, let’s not be sexist about this, eh?) info they otherwise would not have.
And in this day and age of digital photography and inexpensive printers, you can easily take a few shots of important details like serial numbers and include the printout in the loose-leaf binder. Or manila folders. Or envelopes. Just get it written down.
Getting back to the start, the Marie Kondo method would likely have you pare things down to one firearm in each category you use, collect or compete with. That would, for most of us, be very boring and certainly would not create the “spark of joy” she wishes for us all. Sometimes we (well some of us, anyway) like being in a sparse space but trying to live there all the time means giving up the amenities we’ve gotten accustomed to. Like shelves full of loaded ammo.
Get the spark, but don’t get crushed under the clutter.
This is the kind of environment in which Marie Kondo developed her aesthetic. While it can be very restful, it’s hardly conducive to racks of firearms and shelves of ammo. We must adapt.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
We speak with Joel Hodgdon of RCBS about how to get started reloading your own ammo.
When I was 15, I convinced my father I needed to handload ammunition. I purchased a kit, built a bench in my closet, and the first thing I did was stick a fired case in a sizing die. I hid that die from Dad, saved some money and bought a new one. Then, I broke the bench I’d built when I cranked down on the loading press handle, effectively demonstrating my lacking carpentry skills.
I finally figured it all out—mostly on my own—because in those days information was not as readily available. I’ve been handloading for 45 years, have gotten pretty good at it, and you can too. And you can do it all a lot easier than I did.
I think a lot of shooters are uneasy about reloading because they fear they might experience things like I did, or that they might blow their gun up. For those folks, I thought Joel Hodgdon at RCBS might be able to alleviate some of the apprehension. RCBS has been around for almost 85 years and they have all the products and educational resources reloaders need.
From the outside looking in, reloading your own ammunition can seem like a daunting task. It’s not. Thousands of shooters handload their own ammo without any formal training.
Joel’s family started Hodgdon powder, and Joel has spent his life immersed in ammunition. Before RCBS, he worked at Federal and Remington, and Joel knows how to make ammo, and he knows how to shoot it. I know, because we’ve been on safari together. If you’re considering reloading, you should find what he has to say interesting.
Question: What’s the first step?
Answer: “Learning to reload is like picking up any other new hobby or sport. Having a knowledge base from reading or watching video tutorials is a great way to learn the basics, but the best way is practice. Specifically, practice guided by an experienced mentor. If you don’t know who can help you, ask around at your gun club or gun store. Most handloaders enjoy helping newcomers.”
Joel’s right. There was a small specialty gun shop near my home, and even though I was still a teenager the owner was happy to give reloading advice. I’ve been handloading now for almost a half-century and I often ask advice from other handloaders, and I think because they’ve done the same at some point, they’re always as eager to help me, as I am to help others.
Question: What is the number-one fear?
Answer: “From the outside, reloading looks complicated—lots of processes to learn. Face your fears by diving in. As you learn and practice, it becomes simple, and you’ll get into a rhythm. Go slow, learn each step and you’ll quickly overcome the complexity and worry.”
The reason I stuck a cartridge case in a sizing die when I was 15 was because I did not read the simple instructions that came with the kit. I did not know rifle cases needed to be lubed before sizing. After some practice I learned how much lube they needed and the best ways to apply it. You may not need to read the instructions on assembling something from IKEA, but when it comes to reloading, instructions are mandatory.
Question: What should the first purchase be?
Answer: “I’d highly recommend a starter kit. RCBS and other manufacturers sell quality kits that include about every tool you’ll need to begin reloading. They come with instructions as well as a reloading manual full of practical how-to info. You might end up outgrowing a few of the tools, but the odds are you’ll use the press, powder measure and some of the other accessories for the rest of your life.”
I’d echo Joel’s advice and suggest a kit. Not only will you save money, but short of purchasing a kit you’re trying to put together a puzzle without knowing what all the parts are. As you learn you might discover you want a different press, powder funnel and some additional accessories, but for a beginner, get the kit.
RCBS and other companies that manufacture reloading tools offer a variety of kits at various price points. Except for the dies for your specific cartridge, one of these kits is all you need to get started.
Question: If someone only wants to load large quantities of handgun ammo, should they start with a progressive press?
Answer: “I’d recommend everyone start with a single stage press to learn the basics and practice your new hobby at a slower speed. If you’ll be primarily reloading pistol ammo, you’ll eventually want to step up to a progressive, but you’ll always be able to come back to your single-stage press for a one-off task like pulling a bullet, developing a new load or another operation.”
I think a lot of new, volume-minded reloaders make the mistake of starting off with a progressive press so they can make lots of ammo, fast. Even if that is your ultimate goal, a single-stage press is the best tool for working up loads. Whether I purchased a kit or not, I’d definitely start with a single-stage press. RCBS’s Partner press is very budget friendly, takes up a limited amount of bench space and will last a lifetime.
The selection of powders, bullets and primers available may seem too massive to choose from, but a reloading manual will provide you with simple recipe combinations you need for your cartridge.
Question: How can a new reloader simplify powder, primer and bullet choices?
Answer: “Go back to why you wanted to get into reloading. If it was to reload to save money, simplify component choices by picking cheaper bullets, primers and powder. If you’re reloading to finally have ammo for that old hunting rifle you inherited, or for that specialty cartridge that requires ammo not commonly found on shelf, narrow down components based on availability. And, if you’re reloading for performance or a specific competitive pursuit, it’s often a good idea to ask other shooters what has worked for them.”
Any time you look at a handloading recipe you’ll see various powders, bullets and primers listed. Some powders require heavier charges, and this limits the number of rounds you can load from a pound. If you’re loading plinking handgun ammo, used brass will save you money. The more precision or performance you want, the fewer number of times you’ll able to reuse brass and the more expensive the bullets will be. There’s a lot of valuable information on the Internet but be cautious and always verify load data with a reputable source. The RCBS customer service line is a great resource. I’ve reached out to them multiple times.
The choice of bullets, powders and primers can seem endless, but reloading manuals and reloading articles can help you sort through the confusion.
Question: How important is a chronograph?
Answer: “Next to a reloading manual, or maybe the press itself, a chronograph is likely the most important tool in the handloader’s arsenal. While always paying attention to pressure signs, a quality trusted chronograph is the best way to see your handload’s performance and safety.”
I don’t know how you could safely handload good ammunition without a chronograph. It is the only way to know the velocity of the ammo you create, and in turn it gives you the most reliable look at pressure. If you create a load that’s faster than the published velocity for a specific recipe, chances are, it’s over pressure. Understand that some firearms—especially high-quality firearms—are often slow to show traditional high-pressure signs.
Regardless of the cartridge you want to reload for, in addition to any tools you will need that come in a kit, you will also need reloading dies for the cartridge you want to make ammo for.
Question: What’s the difference between basic and advanced reloading tools?
Answer: “Whether using basic or advanced tools, the result is the same—a reloaded cartridge. A Ford or a Ferrari will both get you to where you’re going, but like reloading gear, the quality and speed with which you arrive is the difference. More advanced equipment is higher quality and gives you a more consistent process/operation, holds ammo to tighter tolerances or speeds up the process. Advanced reloaders use different equipment to dive deeper in the rabbit hole by adding extra steps beyond the basics to explore the cutting edge of accuracy and consistency.”
What might surprise you is that you do not need advanced tools to create very accurate and consistent ammunition. With a basic kit like Joel mentioned you should be able to craft very good ammo. If you want to save time, which is one thing we all seem to have less of, advanced tools like electronic powder dispensers, digital scales and calipers, and hand priming tools can help. If you want to make the most precise shooting ammunition possible, other tools like case trimmers and precision mics can help. The truth is, until you get into reloading and learn what you like and don’t like about it, you’re not going to know if you need advanced tools.
Advanced reloading tools can include a lot of different things, but generally they are tools to help you create ammo faster or with more precision.
Dollars, Time and Sense
Visit the RCBS website, click the learn tab and scroll down to the step-by-step guide. It will take you through the entire reloading process. The website is also packed full of videos and tutorials. Once you feel confident you can handle the tasks, find a place where you can set up a reloading station free from distraction, order a kit and get started. Most find that after they create their first handloads they just can’t stop.
Cost should be addressed. You can save money if you handload, but you must load a good bit of ammo to offset the cost of the tools. If you shoot less than 1,000 rounds of handgun or 500 rounds of rifle ammo each year, it may take several years to recoup your investment. Time is a factor too; reloading takes time. If you already have no time to spare, reloading might not be a good fit. On the other hand, many find joy and even relaxation in handloading, and this can be a worthwhile tradeoff for the money and time you spend. Reloading is also a great way to carry your shooting interest into the nighttime hours and cold winter months.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Have you ever heard of Charles Newton? Here we look at his .256 Newton cartridge.
One of several high-velocity rimless cartridges designed by Charles Newton for his bolt-action rifles, the .256 Newton was introduced in 1913 by the Western Cartridge Co. Until the .264 Winchester Magnum came along in 1958, this was the only American-designed 6.5mm to be offered on a commercial basis. The last of the Newton rifle companies failed in the early 1920s, and Western quit loading Newton cartridges in 1938. The .256 Newton is based on the .30-06 case necked down.
The .256 Newton has hung on as a wildcat cartridge and, occasionally, custom rifles are made for it. Cases can be made by necking down, reforming and shortening .30-06 brass. It’s adequate for practically all North American big game but is not as effective as the .270 Winchester. With modern slow-burning powders, its performance can be improved over original factory ballistics.
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.
