Essential Concealed Carry Accessories

Choosing to carry a gun on a regular basis is a momentous decision. You've realized, along with a growing number of people, that there may not be a police officer around when you need one, and you've concluded that you have the temperament needed to safely carry a gun. Deciding to take care of your own personal safety is crucial because you are, and always will be, your own first responder. Carrying a pistol with you allows for more options in defense of your life that not having a firearm gives you. Read More

MUST SEE! The Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL50 Thermal Riflescope is HOT!

Pulsar's Thermion 2 LRF XL50 1.75-14x Thermal Riflescope boasts 1024x768 sensor resolution, 12µm pixel pitch, <35 NETD, 2500-yard detection range, 8-color palette, 10 reticles in 9 colors, picture-in-picture, laser rangefinder, video, ballistic calculator, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 5-year warranty. Read More

In The Worst Conditions, The Trijicon MRO® HD Is At Its Best.

The rugged design of the Trijicon MRO® HD means it's built to survive the roughest environments because that's what teams on the ground need. Plus, with a refined 2.0 MOA center dot and 68 MOA segmented circle reticle, the MRO HD puts you on target fast—even from non-standard shooting positions. Read More

2024 Golden Bullseye Awards

Our annual Golden Bullseye Awards go to those products that best combine innovation, value, utility, reliability and outstanding performance from among the hundreds we test. This year, we have added a Suppressor category to reflect the growing importance of silencers in the pantheon of shooting products. Nearly every new rifle comes with a threaded barrel, as do many variants of popular handgun offerings. Read More

Review: Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 SMU Rifle

From the vast pool of various .22-caliber rimfire carbines available today, Smith & Wesson's M&P 15-22 rimfire series has always stood out because this rimfire series takes after the actual dimensions and manual-of-arms of an AR-15. Since the M&P 15's 2009 debut, Smith & Wesson has done a good job keeping the M&P 15-22 series relevant with the times and the new M&P 15-22 SMU continues that tradition. Read More

Tightening Your Accuracy and Performance Standards

As we continue our journey of developing proficiency with a pistol, tightening up our standards is part of the exercise. We can look at this in several aspects: accuracy, speed and capability. Our accuracy standard can be tightened by simply using a target smaller than a full silhouette but still of relevant size. The New Mexico Concealed Handgun License Competency Demonstration gives us an excellent target for this purpose. Read More

Review: Law Tactical ARIC Pistol Plate

Last year I reviewed the Law Tactical ARIC AR-15 bolt carrier, an alternative AR-15 bolt-carrier system. The ARIC bolt carrier replaces the traditional AR receiver extension, action spring and buffer, creating a compact and self-contained system. Because it completely removes the back-end of the firearm from the equation, the ARIC allows the firearm to be fired with the AR Folding Stock Adapter (and stock) folded. Read More

Visual Process

Shooting well is a process. It comprises a complex series of subprocesses that are performed at a specific level of competency to successfully hit a target within a specified amount of time. Several of these subprocesses are executed simultaneously. The overarching shooting process is simply described as to bring stability to alignment (muzzle aligned with target) and press off a round without disturbing muzzle alignment. Read More

Review: Canik METE SF Pistol

Although slimmer 9mm striker-fired pistols have been generating much buzz as the go-to for modern carry pistols, standard width, full-featured compact pistols are still holding their own as defensive and "do-it-all" pistols. Canik's 15-round compact METE SF is such a gun. Its name comes from the Turkish word "mete" (pronounced "Met-Hey"), which means gallant or brave. Read More

Beretta M9 vs Beretta 92FS

The Beretta 92 series is one of the most iconic handgun families of the "wonder-nine" era. In fact, it could even be its poster-child. This Italian 9mm double-action handgun ascended to fame after the US military replaced the legendary M1911A1 service pistol with it after the XM9 trials. Its military designation is "M9," while commercially, it's called the Beretta 92FS. Read More

The Age-Old Debate

I get pretty tired of the claims that the revolver is so yesterday when it comes to defensive tools for the armed citizen. Let's get this straight: the armed citizen should choose the handgun that he or she can shoot the quickest, with the most accuracy and dependability. If that happens to be an semi-automatic pistol, that's just fine. And, if it turns out to be a good revolver, the citizen should understand that is well armed. Read More

I Carry: Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380 Pistol in a N8 Tactical Holster

With the plethora of micro-9 mm double-stack pistols currently available, it gets more and more difficult to advocate for a 7-shot .380 ACP semi-auto when a more powerful, more capacious handgun is available from numerous sources. There are a handful of roles and cases where a small .380 ACP semi-auto might be the right tool for the job, and the Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380 is one of the exemplary models for such cases. Read More

First Look: 50th Anniversary M1A Rifle from Springfield Armory

Springfield Armory is releasing a special limited-edition version of the iconic M1A, a faithful semi-auto recreation of the legendary M14 rifle in .308 Win. that celebrates the 50-year heritage of service for this rifle in the hands of military and law enforcement personnel as well as armed citizens. Read More

First Look: C&H Precision LPVO Rifle Optic

C&H Precision has just launched the C&H LPVO, a new 2-12x24mm riflescope with a modern first-focal plane illuminated reticle, MRAD click values, adjustable parallax and a 30mm maintube diameter. Additional features include six different illumination levels powered by a single CR2032 battery, shockproof construction, locking turrets and an IPX7 waterproof rating, which means it is capable of being submerged at 1 meter of water for at least 30 minutes with no ill effects. Read More

First Look: PHLster Holsters for the Taurus GX4 Series

PHLster has recently expanded the PHLster Skeleton and Enigma Express product line to accommodate the Taurus GX4 and GX4 Carry family of striker-fired, subcompact and ultra-compact 9mm pistols. The PHLster Skeleton holster is the company's standard low profile concealment holster that PHLster has sold to fit guns such as the SIG Sauer P365 series... Read More