Reviews

CPW says the August 1 provisions apply to purchases and transfers occurring on or after that date. The agency's implementation material distinguishes the new process from a registry of firearms already owned: the system records cards, training, and purchase eligibility, not a list of an individual's guns. The purchase section does not direct existing owners to apply for a card simply to keep or use a covered firearm.

Photo Of The Day: Everything you need for a fun day at the shooting range in one image. Sordin’s new Supreme X2 might not be essential, as the B&T Suppressor in combination with Fiocchi’s 9x19mm subsonics keeps the overall noise down, but I’m better safe than sorry with my hearing. This is the Glock 45 Hunter Edition with an Aimpoint COA red dot, Pilla shooting glasses and a Benchmade knife.

Quebecois guide Jason Tremblay had joined our party for the afternoon, since his client had already tagged out, and within minutes he had us on a big bull. It was my tag, and I shot first, squeezing a shot off from the 7mm Magnum when I had the crosshairs on the moose’s sternum—and nothing happened. Well, something happened—a stump directly to the left blew up as the bullet hit it. I’d been so busy shooting at the moose that I hadn’t considered the bush in front of me, which had apparently deflected the round.

The NICS numbers come from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and they are a rough correlation to firearms sales in the U.S.; licensed dealers must check the NICS database before a sale, and when you add up all those queries, you have your NICS numbers for the month.

As gun loving adults, it is not only important to pass on to the next generation an appreciation and respect for firearms, but it is equally important to instill safe practices, like eye and ear protection. For the hearing protection portion, Walker has us covered with a new Boomies Passive Earmuff for toddlers or children aged 1 to 3 years old.

An announcement that one of our Managing Editors, Hrachya, first caught wind of at SHOT Show 2026 was the new CCI Golden Boy Collector’s Edition .22 Long Rifle Bulk Box (275 rounds) is now shipping to dealers across the US. So, rimfire aficionados can rejoice because they have even more options for plinking that are potentially collectible.

Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is an editorial, and the topic is less-lethal tools: Taser, OC spray, baton, and beanbag, and the gap between how they perform on the training mat and how they perform on a wet sidewalk at 2 a.m. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead Air Silencers, whose support keeps this column going every week.

In the past years, if there’s anything that has improved about video games beyond graphics, I would say that at least some game makers are trying to get firearms details more accurate — although concessions to keep gamers happy, not to mention corporate lawyers, mean we still see a lot of silliness.

Custom & Collectable Firearms has unveiled the HK MK23 Bellum, a limited-edition platform pairing the iconic .45 ACP pistol with purpose-built aesthetics and premium presentation. Restricted to just 50 sequentially numbered examples, the Bellum leverages the MK23's legendary combat profile and proven reliability while elevating it to collector status through meticulous customization.

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about the realities of carrying concealed. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to revisit some of the major problems an improper belt can cause for someone trying to carry a concealed handgun. While you carry, you may start to fatigue and not understand why. In most cases, it's a result of your belt either being too big or not sturdy enough to carry the weight of your handgun. Let's take a closer look at a concealed carry belt rundown.

When companies introduce new AR-15 charging handles, we usually see that they redesigned the actual side handles by changing their length, shape and texture, making them ambidextrous, more ergonomic or merely aesthetically different. Haga Defense took a 180-degree (or rather 90-degree) different approach; in their new Saraid Top Notch AR-15 charging handle, they deleted the side handles altogether, replacing them with a single vertical handle. According to the company, this design choice is made because the standard side protrusions cause gear snags, interfere with forward assists, or complicate manipulations near optics and slings.

EOTECH announced a major sale of 14,000 units of its OGL (On-Gun Laser) systems, holographic weapon sights, and compatible magnifiers to the U.S. Army through rapid-acquisition Transformation in Contact (TiC) buys. The delivery supports the PAE (Portfolio Acquisition Executives) Maneuver Ground portfolio's surrogate optics project, which is evaluating advanced sighting solutions across the M7 rifle, XM8 Carbine, and M250 Automatic Rifle platforms.

Berger's 140-grain OTM bullets have been selected for USSOCOM's M1200 6.5 Creedmoor Special Ball Long-Range Ammunition, marking a significant contract win for the Mesa-based manufacturer. Capstone Precision Group, which owns Berger and distributes Lapua, Vihtavuori, and SK-Rimfire products, has been awarded the contract under the Special Operations Unique Munitions Requirements (SUMR) program and will load several million rounds at their Arizona facility.

Jonathan Wild has spent the better part of a decade working his way up the escalation ladder of DIY destructive devices — from a patented caseless ignition system to a hand-built Panzerfaust, then a Fliegerfaust, then the M202A1 FLASH, and most recently a hypervelocity kinetic rocket built out of declassified Cold War research. Each project got its own deep-dive book under the Wild Arms Research and Development name (or is in the process of getting one), and each build was more ambitious than the last. On this episode of the TFB Behind The Gun Podcast, Johnny returns to the show with a new venture on the table: Wild Arms Solutions, the defense contracting outfit he's stood up to apply that same self-taught expertise to drone warfare countermeasures for military clients. We talk about how a British expat DIY research operation has turned into an actual defense contractor, and how Johnny and his company are applying replica work to modern threat systems, and where he sees the counter-drone fight heading next.

If your suppressor spends its life at American ranges and hunting grounds, nothing changes. Manufacturers, exporters, some professional travelers, and people who attend overseas competitions or demonstrations have more reason to read the fine print.

Custom & Collectable Firearms has unveiled the Kimber DS Warrior Spectre, a limited-edition 1911 designed as much for the display case as the range. Restricted to 200 sequentially numbered examples, each gun combines Kimber's proven DS Warrior double-stack platform with a striking Multicam Gold Cerakote finish that balances tactical aesthetics with prestige elements. The matte black controls provide visual contrast, while carbon fiber grips echoing the Multicam pattern complete the cohesive design language.

We are back with another installment of Wheelgun Wednesday, and this week we are going to take a gander at some of the new patriotic-themed revolvers that Smith & Wesson has announced. The new Smith & Wesson America 250 Limited Edition revolver series includes a Model 642 as well as a Model 66 Combat Magnum. So, whether you are looking for a snubbie for concealed carry while packin’ some fiery .38 Special loads, or you want something a touch bigger yet concealable in the Model 66, Smith & Wesson has some commemorative and practical options for us. We’ll dive in to see what they’re all about, their pricing, and if this is something that you will want to make room for in your gun safe.

Straight-wall rifle cartridges are now legal in more states than ever, and that's opened up a problem optics makers needed to solve: bullet drop at practical hunting distances. Leupold just addressed that head-on with the VX-Freedom Straight-Wall, a 3-9x40 Duplex built entirely around ballistic compensation for cartridges like the .350 Legend, .400 Legend, and .450 Bushmaster.

There's something satisfying about a lever gun that doesn't need you to fuss over it before opening day. Smith & Wesson and Vortex have teamed up to build exactly that, four new Model 1854 packages that come out of the box scoped, sighted, and ready to hunt. Two rifles in .30-30 Winchester, two in .45-70 Government, each factory-equipped with a Vortex Crossfire HD 2-7x32 riflescope already mounted in Pro Riflescope Rings.

Headstamp Publishing, a specialist publisher producing books on arms and military history, recently announced their new book " From Hartford to Vietnam: An Illustrated History of How Colt Brought the AR-15 to War".

The Korea Coast Guard awarded KelTec a new contract for KSG Tactical bullpup shotguns on June 2, 2026, according to a statement from the Florida-based firearms manufacturer. The agency already operates more than 200 of these shotguns across its patrol vessel fleet and is now expanding that inventory.

Every gun writer keeps a mental list of firearms they'd shoot exactly once and never need to shoot again, mostly out of morbid curiosity rather than any real desire to own one. One such gun I recently crossed off my bucket list is the   Armsel Striker, which has sat near the top of mine for years. So when a friend showed up with another friend to a recent range day with an actual Street Sweeper, I dropped what I was doing and immediately sauntered on over to take a look. This is one of a small handful of guns most shooters recognize only from movies, video games, or federal court filings, but one that few people get to shoot. So while my time with the gun was short, I felt like it was an experience worth writing up, even though this is less a full review than a field report on whether the legend I built up in my head about the Street Sweeper matched reality.

Troops from D Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment have been evaluating the L351A1, the British Army's designation for the Mossberg 590M, as part of ongoing counter-UAS experimentation. The platform represents a tactical evolution in close-range air defense, offering ground units rapid-response capability against small unmanned aircraft systems operating at low altitude.

Custom & Collectable Firearms built “The Ledger” around a practical premise, then let aesthetics follow function. The result is a limited-run PDP Pro-E Compact. Only 300 will be built, each sequentially numbered, each wearing a desert camouflage Cerakote finish paired with Walther's textured Performance Duty grip module.

Shell Shock Technologies' product lineup just got a meaningful expansion with the introduction of factory-primed NAS³ cases in .308/7.62x51mm and 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington. For those already invested in the company's proprietary nickel-alloy platform, this is a straightforward value-add. For handloaders new to Shell Shock's ecosystem, it's worth understanding what separates these from brass in the first place.

The Heckler & Koch UK SA80A3 modernisation programme reaches completion with the delivery of the final 15,600 rifles to the UK Ministry of Defence. The milestone caps an eight-year evolution from initial fielding in 2018, marked by iterative user-driven refinement and domestic manufacturing continuity.

It’s hard to believe because it feels like summer just began, but fall hunting seasons are upon us. If you are one of those early-morning risers chasing doves, then Remington has some great news for you with the announcement of their Nitro Dove game loads now becoming available in both 12 and 20 Gauge.

In the world of pistol dots, there are two distinct camps: open emitter and enclosed emitter red dots. For a long period of time, I was a straight hater on enclosed emitters. My first experiences were with lower quality ones (not a good start), they didn’t fasten securely to the handguns I tested, and it left a really bad taste in my mouth. Now, after several years, I have spoken with more shooters, law enforcement, and tested better quality enclosed emitters, which has me warming up to the idea of them. Steiner is a stalwart optics company known for their high quality, and they have announced their MPS (Micro Pistol Sight) 2.0 red dot today. Will newer equate to better in this enclosed emitter red dot? Let’s dive in and find out!

This custom Smith & Wesson 442 .38 Special represents the modern revolver carrier's philosophy: precision improvements where they count, married to proven reliability. Built on the alloy-framed 442 platform, the gun receives meticulous gunsmith work that transforms the trigger and ergonomics without compromising integrity.

Defensive 22LR ammunition is something that I thought might die out, but it turns out I was woefully wrong. Instead, a lot of new cartridges have recently come out from common rimfire offenders like CCI, who are now producing the new jacketed CCI Uppercut 32 gr HP cartridge. After my recent trip to the CCI plant in Lewiston, Idaho, I was able to sneak away with a handful of boxes of the stuff for testing here on The Rimfire Report, so today we’re going to do exactly that. In addition to a test with the routine Angstdt RPR, we’ll also be putting the ammo through an old favorite, the Ruger Lite Rack 22LR pocket pistol.