I have a deep, dark secret love in the world of guns: Wonder nines – the original fighting pistol.

If you’re not familiar, the term, ‘Wonder Nine’ came out of the 1980’s by gun writer, Robert Shimek. It basically describes any stager-column, 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Though the term has evolved to describe the original Wonder Nines – the metal-framed versions of these guns. It’s these more antiquated ones that I’m smitten with.

The combination of steel frames, capacious magazines and light-recoil of the 9mm cartridge make for some of the softest-shooting, easiest-handling pistols of all time. But, like everything in life, you can’t squeeze blood from a stone, and you can’t get something for nothing. These pistols are great, but have a few drawbacks.

For starters, they tend to lack accessory rails, limiting their modularity and adaptivity. Now, some of these guns have modern iterations that incorporate features like railed dust covers, or dovetailed sights for better modularity, but their original versions did not. Thankfully, most of the new versions still utilize the same magazines.

So, finding spare mags is easy, and generally, they’re more affordable than new production OEM mags for newer designs. This is double true, if the gun was ever used in military service, as surplus mags tend to be even more affordable.

Because of this, I find that these pistols are almost ideal for shooters in ‘ban-states’ and elsewhere. For ban-staters, if your state allows for grandfathered standard-capacity magazines, you should be able to find some for your pistol. After all, these guns predate legislature restricting magazine capacities.

Another downside of these robust blasters, is their weight. Because these original pistols don’t incorporate much or any plastic in their construction, they tend to be twice as heavy as modern polymer-framed guns.

This extra heft is great for resisting the recoil impulse, and making the guns more pleasant to shoot, but makes them very tiring to carry.  Shooters looking for a perfect concealed carry gun ought to look elsewhere, unless they intend to carry in a shoulder holster (not recommended). But, as a bedside gun or range plinker, these guns are unmatched.

The last major reason I love them so much, is because they’re all fairly unique, at least in terms of aesthetics. Sure, every major pistol design of the last 80 years is a variant or derived from one of Browning’s designs. But modern, polymer-framed handguns all look fairly similar. There are some exceptions, but pistols like the Beretta Model 92, are much more distinct in appearance than say a Glock or an XD.

This doesn’t make either of those polymer pistols any less effective, but I enjoy the looks of a classic pistol. Maybe it’s because of growing up watching action flicks of the 70’s and 80’s, but something about the way the look and the weight and feel of the guns just seems right. Much like an M1 Garand feel perfect in your hands, even if objectively, it’s no match for modern rifles in combat. Still, if you’re looking for the next addition to your collection, and you feel burnt out on modern poly-framed guns, why not give the ol’ Wonder Nines a spin? They might just surprise you.

FN America announced a pair of new FN 15 carbines for the consumer market. What makes these a little different than the existing guns the company offers is that they are NFA guns with barrels shorter than 16”.

If you are not familiar, the National Firearms Act of 1934 requires a special tax stamp and registration of any rifle with a barrel that is shorter than 16”. Essentially, this makes a short barrel rifle (SBR) illegal unless you go through the extra scrutiny and paperwork (along with paying a special tax) the federal law requires. Because of this, few people buy a SBR and few manufacturers built SBRs for the consumer market. So the announcement from FN America is fairly interesting. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come.

FN 15 Patrol Carbine 10.5”

The first of the two new carbines is the shorter and lighter of the two. This model has a 10.5” barrel – almost half a foot shorter than what most civilian shooters are used to. Shorter does not mean the company cut corners on the quality. FN America uses button broached rifling with a 1:7” twist. The barrel is chrome lined and threaded with an A2 style muzzle device. 

This gun has other features commonly referred to as being A2 style. This includes a front sight tower with gas block. A flip-up rear sight is included. The hand guard is a two-piece design with a heat shield. A standard pistol grip and adjustable buttstock are used on this gun.

Obviously, the shorter barrel makes the gun easier to maneuver in closed spaces like the interior of your home. It also makes the gun lighter. Unloaded, this model weighs about 5.9 pounds. With a collapsed stock, the gun has an overall length of 26.5”.

FN America set the suggested retail price at $1,148 for this rifle. It comes with one 30-round magazine.

FN 15 Patrol Carbine 14.5”

Some might say that this gun is “the same, but different” from the 10.5” gun. Although 4” longer, it shares the same quality barrel with an identical twist rate and lining. However, instead of a front sight tower, it has a low profile gas block. Instead of the two-piece plastic hand guard, FN America opted for an aluminum part made by Midwest Industries. This hand guard has M-LOK attachment points.

The additional length doesn’t affect the gun’s overall weight by very much. This gun is only about 0.1 pounds heavier. Fortunately for shooters, the price isn’t affected at all. It also carries an MSRP of $1,148.

Winchester Repeating Arms announced several new pump action shotguns for 2017. These guns cover everything from turkey and deer hunting to self-defense on the high seas. Without further preamble, let’s get right into the new SXP scatterguns.

20 Gauge Black Shadow Deer

Part of the Black Shadow line, this new shotgun is chambered in 20 gauge. This gives deer hunters a lighter recoiling option when in the field. For small framed shooters, this can be a real shoulder saver.

The gun has a 22” rifled barrel and is equipped with Truglo fiber optic sights. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for the addition of a scope or other optic. The shotgun does have a 3” chamber.

Winchester uses a matte black finish on the gun. The bolt has a black chrome finish to ensure corrosion resistance and a match to the gun’s exterior finish. An Inflex Technology recoil pad is attached to the rear of the synthetic stock to help absorb the gun’s kick.

Winchester set the suggested retail price at $519.99. 

SXP Shadow Marine Defender

A pump shotgun has long been considered a top choice for home defense, police duty and military service. The design tends to be both reliable and devastatingly effective. For specialized environments where additional durability is required, Winchester now offers the Shadow Marine Defender.

The Marine Defender is designed for the harsh environment of a ship at sea. Nothing corrodes metal quicker than the salt air and spray of ocean water. Yet with piracy and drug runners, a captain would do well to have a 12 gauge for close encounters.

To increase corrosion resistance, Winchester uses a hard chrome plating on the barrel, slide arms  and magazine tube. Additionally, the chamber and bore are hard chrome plated. The bolt and other metal components have a black chrome finish.

This pistol grip pump has a solid shoulder stock for maximum control. Additionally, the surfaces of the pistol grip and fore end are textured for a good hand hold even when things get wet. The stock has interchangeable combs to adjust the height for best fit with an optic or the standard bead sight.

Winchester matches this 12 gauge gun with a 3” chamber and a 5 round magazine. The MSRP is less expensive than one might think: $499.99. 

SXP Turkey

For you turkey hunters out there, Winchester is now offering a pump gun developed just for you. The SXP Turkey is available in both 12 and 20 gauge with 3.5” and 3” chambers respectively. The guns have a 24” back bored barrel. Both the chamber and bore are hard chrome plated.

Winchester includes a One Invector-Plus turkey choke with these guns and installs Truglo fiber optic rifle sights. The traditionally shaped stock is made of a synthetic material, and it has a Inflex Technology recoil pad attached at the rear. Both models are well under 7 pounds and have a MSRP of $439.99.

The H&K MP5 is an icon around the world. Even its silhouette is recognizeable to anyone who has seen a movie or video game with guns in them. Here, close your eyes and think of the MP5 shape. What does the magazine look like to you?

I bet it looks something like this.

The standard curved mag of the HK MP5 is a steel box that holds 30 rounds of 9mm in a double stack column. Empty the magazine weighs around 179 grams. The curvature is supposed to help feed 9mm rounds although at one time H&K did make a straight magazine.

You can see the straight magazine above. It is a rectangular box with indentations on the leading edge so that it is easier to grasp and you can orient the magazine in the dark.

The straight mag is a little lighter at 171 grams. If you look at the markings above it is stamped SD. That is believed to have been made for the MP5SD.

The SD stamped straight magazines have a plastic follower whereas the curved magazines and non SD stamped straight magazines have metal followers. It is reportedly to reduce followr noise for shooting suppressed.

Next up is a rather uncommon magazine for the MP5, it is the MKE polymer magazine. MKE is a military weapons and ammunition manufacturer in Turkey. They purchased the tooling for MP5s from Heckler & Koch. MKE made a polymer magazine for the MP5. It is half the weight of a metal magazine at only 85 grams. It is a dark smoke plastic that is somewhat translucent but you need to have bright light shining to see the bullets in the magazine. Some say they are not realible and the plastic feedlips can break with a lot of use.

The last magazine is an extended curved mag made in the USA.  It holds 38 rounds although you could squeeze in 40 rounds but it is not reliable. It is the heaviest out of the bunch at 195 grams.

The standard 30 rd curved magazines can usually be purchased for around $30 - $75 depending on where the magazine is made. The cheaper ones are made in Korea and the H&K SP5K magazine is $75. I found an online store that was selling the MKE polymer magazine for $28 and I got the long extended 38 round mag from HKparts for $58. The straight metal SD magazine came direct from Germany thanks to a co-worker.

The HK416 rifle is H&K's version of a piston driven AR15. There are subtle differences but it is basically an AR15. It uses STANAG magazines and comes with a steel magazine. H&K USA has a translucent polymer magazine.

Recently a German store has gotten their hands on some brand new Gen2 HK polymer magazines and they look very different.

The polymer magazine above looks somewhat like a Lancer Systems AWM magazine just without the metal feedlips.

But these new polmer magazine are something else.

These magazines are more ergonomic. They have rounded edges and an aethetically pleasing texture pattern.

Below are the back and front texture of the magazine.

Here it is compared to a PMAG and Lancer Magazine.

L-R: Lancer, PMAG, HK. The HK follower looks similar to the PMAG follower.

Here is the Gen2 HK mag disassembled. It is odd that the base plate is completely smooth. Any other polymer magazine has some sort of texture but here it seems like they forgot something.

It is not a common magazine you see here in the US. Thanks to my co-worker for helping me order one from Germany.

TPM Outfitters got a demo factory H&K MP5SD in for repair.

We have some demo Factory HK MP5SD's that were sent to us for repair that had the suppressor's stuck on to the gun and they started to get very loud, we had to cut the cages off and the suppressors as well. This is all factory HK including the suppressors. They did not try to take off the suppressors and were seized to the barrels after it was too late, this is why it is so critical that the suppressors come off every 250-500 rounds to clean the barrel and ports of built up carbon. The suppressors were solid carbon all the way to the end cap inside. Thanks for looking and don't let this happen to you.

 

That is just a shame. The person who was in charge of maintaining these guns should be fired.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. introduced a new caliber in a popular rifle this week. Expanding the Gunsite Scout Rifle line, Ruger is now offering the big bore 450 Bushmaster as a caliber option. As the story goes, the 450 Bushmaster cartridge was inspired by Jeff Cooper’s call for a large caliber rifle round to replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge. It is only fitting that the cartridge is now available in the rifle that was inspired by the same man.

The new rifle is a bolt action gun with a mix of conventional and modern design characteristics. Glancing at the gun, you will likely notice the fine stock made of American walnut with its checkering on the gripping areas. On the hind end is a soft rubber recoil pad that can be adjusted with spacers.

Juxtaposed to the traditional wood stock is the 16.1” barrel with its massive muzzle brake and Picatinny rail. The brake is the same one used on the company’s Precision Rifle to reduce felt recoil. It is threaded on, so it can be removed or even replaced if so desired. The rail is attached to the barrel instead of the top of the receiver. This allows for the forward mounting of a scope in the manner described by Cooper many years ago.

However, attaching a scope to the Picatinny rail is not the only sighting option. The rifle also comes with integral scope mounts and rings for a typical scope attachment to the receiver. Don’t like glass? No problem. An adjustable ghost ring rear sight and protected front post ensure you will be able to put rounds on target.

A four-round, detachable box magazine feeds the gun. A release in front of the trigger guard pushes forward to detach the magazine.

This cartridge tends to throw a relatively heavy bullet down range in excess of 2,000 fps. For example, the FTX load from Hornady matches a 250 grain polymer tipped bullet to a 2,200 fps muzzle velocity. However, with the wide bullet and relatively low ballistic coefficient, the velocity bleeds off fairly quickly – dropping to about 1,500 fps at 200 yards. Nevertheless, this makes for a great brush gun cartridge – especially in a scout rifle configuration.

Ruger only announces guns when they are in the hands of distributors. So, when you read this, your local gun shop may already have them on the rack. If not, they can order you one. The suggested retail price of these new rifles is $1,199.

A few years ago I had the chance to review a product from CMMG before anyone else – the Mutant. This rifle is based on an AR-10, and uses the same direct impingement method of operation. It’s chambered in 7.62x39mm, and unlike most AR’s in that caliber, feeds from AK/AKM magazines.

The combination of being built on the more robust AR-10/AR308 reciever, and utilizing affordable, reliable common magazines made the Mutant an instant hit. But there’s just one problem. Because the Mutant incorporates the same linear configuration as the AR-15 and AR-10, shooters must carefully choose the right magazine to maximize the heavy carbine’s potential. With that in mind, here are my three favorite AKM magazines for the CMMG Mutant.

Arsenal 5-round polymer

A Modern Sporting Rifle with only 10 rounds?!

Indeed, but not because I don’t appreciate having extra rounds in reserve, but simply because the size of standard-capacity AK magazines makes shooting from the prone very difficult. Higher capacity magazines can be used, but unless firing from a rest or a bipod, the mag itself will hit the ground.

Arsenal’s 5-round (or 10 depending on the follower) magazine barely protrudes 2 inches below the magazine well, and well above the bottom of the pistol grip. This makes it ideal for shooting from the prone, or for reducing the overall profile of the gun.

The only downsides to the magazine are spotty availability and relatively high price. The second I can personally justify simply because I only need one.

Bulgarian Steel-Lined 30-round Polymer Magazine

The Mutant isn’t a light gun, no AR-10-based platforms really are. Because of this, I try to steer clear of any metal magazines if possible. I don’t like the extra weight, and I’ve banged up my hands more with AK magazines than knives, tools or even working on cars in my entire life.

This magazine in particular is one of the best out there, combining steel reinforcements for extra durability, with lightweight high-impact polymer.  The end result is a high-quality, super-durable polymer magazine that’s next to indestructible. – Plus, it looks great on the Mutant, matching its all-black aesthetics.

Only downside to the magazine, is the size of it, and how its length prevents shooters from getting low when firing from the prone. Plus, it’s cheaper than Magpul’s steel-lined AK PMAGs.

Magpul 30-round AK PMAG

Speaking of Magpul AK PMAGs, their 20-round version is among my favorite AK mags in existence. See, before Magpul started making their PMAGs in 20-round capacity configuration, the only reliable 20-round magazine for the AK (as far as I’m concerned) was the Hungarian tanker mag.

This is a great magazine, but it’s built out of steel, and it’s heavy as hell. Shooters looking to shave a few ounces off their AK, or in this case, Mutant – didn’t have other options save for those from Tapco. Don’t get me wrong, Tapco mags are much better than people think, but I wouldn’t bet my life on them.

These new Magpul mags don’t have the steel reinforcements of the third generation 30-rounders, but their truncated size precludes the necessity of them. Plus, these reduced capacity magazines don’t protrude past the pistol grip, making them great for benchrest or prone shooting, without sacrificing as many rounds as the Arsenal 5-rounder.

Now, every AK mag I tested in the CMMG Mutant, ran completely fine, but these were just my favorites. If you’re stuck with a few steel surplus mags, don’t worry – they’ll serve you well. But if you want to improve the handling of your Mutant substantially, a few polymer magazines like the ones above, are a God-send.

For most of us, the thought of an AR-15 wrench conjures images of a grey, speckled metal tool that most of us never use more than twice. Hell, in a lot of ways, the armorers wrench is like a plumber – you rarely need one, but when you do – you REALLY do.

To be honest, after building a handful of AR-15s, and helping others do the same (and subsequently loaning them my wrench) I never gave the heavy metal bludgeon another thought – until I broke one.

I forget which rifle I was working on, but a friend of mine had an AR with a barrel so thoroughly encrusted with carbon, junk and God-knows-what-else, that he called me for assistance.

Admittedly, I laughed at, and mocked him for his ineptitude initially, secure in my superior gun-building abilities. But once he showed up at my place with ultra-cruddy receiver in band-aid-covered hands, I grew nervous. So we headed out to my shop, and tossed the stubborn thing into a receiver block, tightly secured in a vice, and removed the gas tube.

Once inside the receiver block, attempts to remove the barrel were unsuccessful. The amount of torque required was so intense, that I stopped after a moment to check for a blind-welded pin. After not seeing any, we decided to both warm up the barrel with a torch on low, and use a cheater bar for extra leverage.

With everything in place, I managed to rotate the wrench roughly 15 degrees before I heard a pop, and my cheater bar slammed into the garage floor. My initial delight at having broken the barrel free was replaced with confusion after having sheared off two pins from my armorer’s wrench.

While the exact words escape me, I believe I muttered something profound like, “huh?”.

Sure, it’s common sense that any tool can break, but having never seen one destroyed, I was kind of impressed. Undeterred, I decided to buy a new one and try again.

I navigated to Brownells.com to see if they had any deals on wrenches, and that’s when I learned something new – that they make their own AR-15 armorer’s wrench.

The wrenched retailed for nearly $60, so I was a little skeptical – how much better could it be than the old wrench I bought years ago, for around $20?

That’s when I realized my grandfather’s words about time making liars of our memory, were remarkably accurate. That old wrench I remember being so cheap, was nearly $40, and nearly every one I found online had mixed reviews. Some were made in China out of cast zinc, while others were coated steel or aluminum.  So instead of risking another wrench or broken AR component, I decided to drop a little extra dough, and buy Brownell’s own AR-15 Armorer’s Wrench.

Built from 4140 steel, and is coated in a stupidly-durable, manganese-phosphate finish resulting in an all-business, matte black finish. This immediately clued me in that durability was the name of the game with this hefty, steel tool.

Another indication is that the two-pin barrel-nut-remover setup of traditional AR-15/M-16 wrenches, is replaced by six pegs that cover 180 degrees of the nut. This was exactly the type of over-built design I was looking for to remove that stupid, stubborn nut. What’s more, the pegs work with either the fully-enclosed, or traditional type barrel nuts, so you don’t have to mess around trying to get a pin-wrench to fit. Plus, the back of the wrench features a slot for installing mil-spec receiver extensions, and a four-slot wrench head for tightening the castle nut on M4-type rifles.

Impressed with the wrench’s quality, my buddy and I headed back out to the workshop, and attempted to liberate the barrel nut from the receiver. It took some serious effort, but the nut finally came free, and we discovered the additional reasons behind its tenacious resistance.

Nearly zero moly-grease was applied to the barrel nut before installation, and the previous user had applied some sort of baked-on Duracoat knock-off over the nut. Combined, the nut was basically glued on both the inside and outside.

The thing that really surprised us both, is that the wrench barely showed any signs of us, despite being treated like a rented mule. So while I’m not certain how scientific this review of the wrench is, I can safely say it’s negligent idiot-proof, and it’s overbuilt nature makes working on even the dirtiest, most neglected rifles, much easier.

Earlier we posted our RIT DYE guide to dyeing Sand PMAGs. Click here if you haven't seen it. I had also posted an even earlier article about Sand PMAGs and showed some custom dyed PMAGs that I made.

Recently Magpul shared this photo of what looks like a Bacon themed PMAG.

Looking at the photo, it does look like a piece of bacon. The Sand colored polymer is the fat and some dye was applied to look like the meat. Having dyed a bunch of PMAGs for the Rit Dye guide, I am curious how this was achieved. Considering how sterile the photo looks, I am suspicious that it might just be photoshop. If it was real how come we do not see other photos of it being used and displayed in an AR-15?

Ok, let's assume it is real. How did they make it? I can only think of two scenarios using Rit Dye. First possibility is that they hand painted this with a paint brush. However looking at the subtle application of orange and red does not look like sterotypical brush markes. The other possibility would be to mask the PMAG with either vinyl or hot glue. But then it would be almost impossible to get those small sublte strokes of red you see in the photo above. This is why I think it might just be photoshop. I should try making a Bacon PMAG.

The popularity of the 9mm carbine has really taken off in the past few years. Where pistol caliber carbines were once a bit of an oddity, the 9mm in an AR platform has become quite popular. One of the newest rifles pairing the AR with 9mm is the FX-9. 

Developed by Freedom Ordnance, the FX-9 has many of the features that a 9mm rifle buyer would be interested in. Let’s go over a few of them now. 

With a few exceptions, there are two basic pistol caliber AR style carbines on the market: those that feed from Colt pattern magazines and those that feed from Glock pattern magazines. The Colt guns have been around a lot longer – back to the 1980s. While newer, Glock feeders have become extremely popular as they allow a shooter to use the same mags in both his or her pistol and rifle.

The FX-9 uses Glock pattern magazines, and it ships with one 33-round magazine. Although the company does not state who makes the magazine, from the photos it would appear the magazine is provided by SGM Tactical. If you are not familiar, SGM Tactical makes a number of extended magazines for the Glock line of pistols. Generally, they get good reviews and come in at a much lower price point than the OEM Glock magazines.

Good news about this gun: it has a last round bolt hold open. That’s not always the case with 9mm AR rifles. 

Freedom Ordnance uses a threaded 16” barrel with a birdcage style muzzle device. The thread pattern is ½”-28 which is fairly common for suppressors and other devices. Around the barrel is a 13” aluminum handguard uses M-LOK attachment points for the addition of accessories. A M-LOK compatible 3” length of Picatinny rail comes with the gun.

Many AR aftermarket parts will work with the FX-9. This includes things like drop in triggers. Even so, the company was able to reduce the size of the upper and lower to help keep weight down. Blow back guns can be a little heavier than gas operated guns. However, the FX-9 has a weight of only 6.1 pounds.

If you find yourself enamored with the FX-9, you will find that they are affordable. Where many 9mm AR carbines are selling in excess of $1,000, this gun stands out with a suggested retail price of only $799. Even better, I’ve seen these guns offered as low as $599 online. Assuming these guns run well, that sounds like a pretty good bargain to me.

The Beretta M9/Model 92 has long been a staple of popular culture, and until recently, the primary handgun of the United States Armed Forces. Despite this, threaded barrels for the pistol have been few and far between.

Some companies have made them in the past, but these were special-order, and normally quite expensive – often 30% of the gun’s cost. With this in mind, SilencerCo has begun offering their own threaded barrels for the classic Wonder Nine.

According to their press release, the new barrel features the most common thread pitch for 9mm handguns – 1/2x28, and features a 1:10 twist rate. They’re made from 416R stainless steel, and ship with a thread protector.

Now, all this is good and fine, and fairly standard for the gun. What separates the new barrel from other offerings, is its built-in compatibility with the Osprey series of suppressors.

SilencerCo’s most iconic suppressor, the Osprey, is an eccentric, geometric suppressor designed to permit the use of standard-height sights. The problem with this design, is that certain handguns, whose guide rod protrudes past the dust cover when their action is open, would often collide with the rear of the suppressor. This arrests the action, and prevents the gun from cycling.

SilencerCo offered XL pistons for their Osprey to add a quarter inch of length between the can and the guide rod, but it’s obnoxious to need require two different pistons of the same thread pitch for the same suppressor. Instead, the new M9 barrel from SilencerCo has that additional quarter inch of clearance built in to the barrel itself.

The only thing the barrel is missing is the locking block kit that comes with factory barrels – thankfully, the existing block on a host gun can be repurposed on the new barrel. These should be shipping now, and have an MSRP of $220.

TorkMag started out making a different AR-15 magazine. They focused on the spring and follower design. By changing the way the magazine lifts the rounds upwards, they are able to increase capacity in regular sized AR15 magazines. So what would normally be a 30 round magazine now holds 35 rounds. They also make a 50 round magazine that is just a litle longer than a traditional 40 round magazine.

Well now they are targeting the Pistol Caliber Carbine world and handguns. Their G17 magazine holds 20 rounds however it does come with a +2rd extension. In that case they were able to increase capacity by a single round since the Glock 17 magazines hold 17 rounds and a +2rd extension brings it up to 19 rounds. More importantly though is that the TorkMag G17 magazine will have a molded mag catch notch along with the standard Glock mag catch notches for use in their G-Block.

The G-Block is a drop in AR-15 magwell adapter that allows you to use 9mm or .40 S&W Glock magazines.

The G-Block uses standard Glock magazines but they do need some modification. The G-Block makes use of the AR-15 mag catch so you need to cut a new notch in the magazine to work with the G-Block.

Here is a video TorkMag posted.

The G-Block will retail for $74.95 and the G-Block compatible G17 magazine will retail for $19.95. Both are projected to be released this Summer.

The devastating power of a shotgun has never been in dispute. From the lawmen of the old west to the US Marine serving today, the shotgun has been a go to firearm for combat and special applications. From the mighty 12-gauge to the often underestimated .410 bore, the shotgun can be a decisive tool in any deadly force encounter.

Detachable magazines greatly increased the effectiveness of the combat rifle and can do the same for the trusty scattergun. Probably the best known example is the Saiga 12 shotgun. However, that gun is no longer imported into the US for the commercial market.

That doesn't mean you are completely out of luck. The following manufacturers offer production shotguns and conversion kits to give you the increased flexibility and firepower that detachable magazines can provide. 

Adaptive Tactical Sidewinder Venom

Developed for the Mossberg 500, 590 and twin action bar Maverick 88 shotguns, the Sidewinder Venom conversion kit allows a shooter to use 5- and 10-round detachable magazines. Developed by a team with a rich background in developing shotgun components, Adaptive Tactical guarantees reliable feeding with these high-strength polymer and alloy kits.

Sidewinder Venom kits can be had with both box-style and rotary drum-style magazines. In addition to standard black, the company offers kits in camouflage patterns including MultiCam and Kryptek  Highlander. While the kits can be installed by most shooters, Adaptive Tactical also offers professional installation services.

American Tactical Omni Hybrid Maxx

The AR-platform has proved to be extremely versatile and easy to operate efficiently. American Tactical has taken the basic AR-design and turned it into a short-stroke piston shotgun chambered in .410 bore. The shotgun has a 6-position stock and a 10” free floated quad rail. Five and 15-round proprietary magazines are available for the gun.

While the shotgun will run with a range of .410 loads, including bird shot, buck shot and slugs, American Tactical has done extensive testing with 2.5” Hornady Critical Defense ammunition. Those loads run very smoothly in this gun and each delivers an FTX slug plus a pair of .35-caliber lead balls. 

Black Aces Tactical Pro Street

Hand tuned and fitted with top shelf components, the Black Aces Tactical Pro Series Street 12-gauge shotguns feed from the company’s own patented Stack Mags. All internals are hand polished, making these guns super slick. Magpul sights and vertical grip are standard. A Black Aces Tactical RB7M quad rail allows the shooter to add any number of accessories including a supplemental aiming laser and white light. The buttstock is an ATI Talon that both adjusts for length of pull and folds for easier storage and carry. To finish the gun off, the company offers a range of Cerakote colors.

Century Arms Catamount Fury II

Inspired by the AK-platform, the Catamount Fury II from Century Arms is a piston driven 12-gauge shotgun that can handle both low- and high-pressure ammunition. Both 2.75” and 3” shells will run reliably in these semi-automatic shotguns. Each gun ships with a pair of 5-round magazines plus a 10-round mag. A short Picatinny rail under the gas block allows for the addition of a white light or other accessory, while another rail on the top of the receiver allows for the easy installation of a red dot or other optic. Included with the shotgun are three choke tubes: full, modified and cylinder bore. 

EAA MKA 1919 Match 

Styled after the AR-15, the MKA 1919 Match is a semi-automatic shotgun designed for law enforcement, home defense and sporting use. Chambered in 12-gauge, the shotgun comes with two 5-round magazines and handles both 2.75” and 3” shells.

Imported by European Armory Corporation, these guns have a fixed length stock, ambidextrous safety and extended bolt and magazine releases. Three internal choke tubes are included with this rifle. A Pro version of this shotgun adds an aluminum forearm that has Picatinny rails for the addition of a tactical light or laser. 

Fostech Outdoors Origin-12

The Origin-12 shotgun from Fostech Outdoors is a thoroughly modern semi-automatic shotgun designed for heavy duty use. This design incorporates an infinitely adjustable gas block, quick change barrel and a non-reciprocating forward charging handle. A 5-round magazine ships with the gun while 20- and 30-round drum-style magazines are also available.

Mission First Tactical provides the popular Minimalist stock for these shotguns. An ambidextrous safety and magazine release makes the gun easy to use regardless of what shoulder the shooter uses. With a full length Picatinny rail, adding rifle sights or a red dot is quick and easy.

Kalashnikov USA US109T

Based on the rugged AK-47 design, the US109T semi-automatic shotgun from Kalashnikov USA (formerly RWC Group) uses a gas piston system with an enlarged port and block for increased reliability with a wide range of loads. Combined with the proprietary muzzle brake, the system significantly reduces the felt recoil of heavy duty 12-gauge rounds.

This shotgun uses 10-round box magazines. A 6-position adjustable buttstock has a rubber cheek weld and butt pad to increase control and comfort while shooting. Kalashnikov USA uses a pistol grip that has interchangeable back straps and finger grooves to best fit the shooter’s hand.

These guns were announced some time ago, but have never made it into full production. K-USA has stated they should be shipping in the Spring of 2017.

Federal Armament Uzkon BR-99

The BR-99 is an AR-style shotgun made in Turkey by Uzkon Arms Ltd. These semi-automatic shotguns are chambered in 12 gauge and will take both 2.75” and 3” shells. A self-adjusting gas system allows the shooter to run a range of loads reliably when the gun is shouldered. Imported by Federal Armament, the BR-99 ships with a pair of 5-round magazines with 10-round magazines as an optional accessory. Adjustable sights attached to a full length Picatinny rail ship with the BR-99, but they are removable for the addition of your choice in sighting systems. 

SRM 1216

With a different take on the detachable magazine, the Model 1216 from SRM Arms uses a rotary mag that can hold up to 16 rounds in a very compact package. Shooting from a prone position is not a problem with the 1216. This shotgun is semi-automatic and uses a roller delayed action for reliability, minimal recoil and fast cycling. The ambidextrous receiver can be efficiently run by both right- and left-handed operators. All kinds of bird, buck and slugs will run reliably in the 1216. Additionally, specialty rounds like bean bags operate normally in this shotgun.

The late, great, Colonel Cooper once said, “A handgun is merely a weapon used to fight your way back to your rifle.” And he’s right.

By definition, handguns are a compromise -  they don’t have the stopping power, effective range, or controllability of a shoulder-fired weapon. They lack these features in exchange for portability – the best gun in the world isn’t worth a damn if it isn’t on you.

This is why I try to hedge my bets, and recommend carrying a large, or full-sized handgun for either home or self-defense.

Doesn’t this run contrary to my first statement?

No, not entirely.

Yes, portability is king with a firearm a shooter intends to bring along with them. That said, there is a point of diminishing returns or compactness and portability. Because all things on a handgun are interconnected (at least until humanity manages to figure out laser or light-based weaponry).

Imagine a triangle on a graph. Like all triangles, it consists of three vertices connected with line segments between them. This trifecta represents three qualities of handguns: capacity, size and caliber.

When one of these attributes is increased, it affects the others – but not sometimes only in one direction.

For instance, if size stays the same, and capacity is increased, then caliber size must go down. Conversely, caliber size can be reduced, without increasing capacity or overall size. – You could potentially build a desert eagle in .32 ACP without increasing the magazine capacity, but you couldn’t chamber a Glock 19 in 50 BMG without seriously increase the overall size.

OK, but what does this mean for the average shooter looking for a pistol?

Basically, you can’t get something for nothing. Thus, it’s best for a shooter to figure out which configuration of these three factors is best for their needs. For me, and for home defense – I’ve always relied upon the classic full-sized combat handgun.

While the name is someone contradictory -handguns are a backup weapon, not a primary one – it’s best to pick a handgun that is feature-laden, and user-friendly as possible.

In a nutshell, pick a pistol in the largest caliber you can safely handle with as much capacity as possible.

A few great examples, are the classic Glock 17 in 9mm or Glock 21 in .45 ACP. Both of these guns offer great magazine capacities in calibers fielded by modern militaries. The latter aspect is important, because it lets the shooter know that the caliber is an effective man-stopper.

One of my new favorite handguns for home defense, is the Beretta APX. It’s a 9mm handgun developed by Beretta in response to the US Military’s modular handgun competition. This is interesting, as it allows the gun to transform into different configurations of itself – this includes capacity, caliber and overall size.

This is great, because it allows shooters to have a full-sized, full-capacity handgun in a powerful cartridge that can convert into something more portable when they want to take it with them. Seeing as both FNH USA and SIG have developed similar designs, it’s fair to say we’re seeing the beginning of a new breed of ultra-modular handguns.

But until then, shooters will have to load their hand with a trump card or two, if they want to maximize their potential combat effectiveness when limited to just a handgun. 

FN America just pulled the curtain back on its latest pistol: the FN 509.

The 509 was the company’s entry into the US military’s handgun replacement competition. Known as the Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition, it pitted several major handgun manufacturers against one another to find a replacement for the aging Beretta M9. The competition was won by SIG SAUER with the P320 pistol. However, that doesn’t mean that the FN, Smith & Wesson or Glock entries were not excellent pistols.

According to FN America, the 509 is an evolution of the FNS Compact design. The FNS Compact is a proven handgun platform that is in use with police departments and citizens across the country. For the MHS, the company put together a team of engineers to produce a pistol that would meet the US Army’s requirements. As it turns out, the FNS Compact offered the team a solid base for building a combat ready handgun.

Subsequent to the MHS competition, the company worked with law enforcement agencies who provided feedback on the handgun. During testing, the pistol platform has been thoroughly tested, and more than 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition have been fired through these guns.

FN America states that “critical internal components were completely redesigned.” Although the company does not state exactly what was changed from the FNS Compact, or why, I can only assume that this will be one tough pistol. After all, the FNS Compact was no slouch. Externally, the company added a new grip texture, front cocking serrations on the slide and a barrel with a target crown.

Features & Specifications

• caliber: 9mm only
• standard magazine capacity: 17 (low capacity 10 round magazines will be available)
• barrel: 4.0” long with a recessed target crown
• overall length: 7.4”
• weight (unloaded): 26.9 oz
• external safeties: none
• action: striker fired, double action only
• trigger pull weight: 5.5 – 7.5 pounds
• sights: 3-dot photoluminescent (tritium available for government customers)
• suggested retail price: $649

If you want to see one of the new 509 pistols yourself, FN America will have them on display at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings in Atlanta. That show is open to the public and will run from April 28 – 30. Of course, your local gun shop should be getting some in May. So even if you can’t get to the NRA show, you should be able to put your hands on one of these pretty soon.

Smith & Wesson may have made its name in wheel guns, but it is a thoroughly modern firearms company offering a broad range of weapons including an extensive line of AR-style rifles. Adding to its catalog of modern sporting rifles is a pair of updated carbines: the M&P15X and the M&P15T Tactical Rifles. Both of these new guns are shipping to dealers now. 

M&P15X

The M&P15X is a straightforward semi-automatic rifle that has a number of nice features and upgrades. Starting with the lower, Smith & Wesson uses a forged 7075-T6 receiver with an integral trigger guard. The guard is slightly oversized to make it easier to run the gun while wearing gloves. The upper and lowers have a hard coat, black anodized finish for durability.

For the barrel, the company chose to go with a 16” length. Made from 4140 steel, the free-floating barrel has a 1:8” twist and 5R rifling. The chamber is designed for the 5.56 NATO and it has M4 feed ramps. Both inside and out, the barrel has a Armornite finish. The barrel is threaded and comes with the company’s specially designed flash suppressor.

Smith & Wesson uses the new M&P slim handguard. This carbine length handguard is made of aluminum and uses the Magpul M-LOK attachment points for the addition of your favorite AR accessories. S&W includes a 2” length of Picatinny rail with the gun for attaching older accessories to the gun.

Up front, the gun uses an A2-style front sight base. The company also includes a Magpul MBUS rear sight. Should you want to add glass or a red dot, the upper has a Picattiny rail. Both the pistol grip and adjustable length stock are typical M4-style.

Unloaded, this gun weighs 6.4 pounds. It comes with a Magpul PMAG 30-round magazine and retails for $1,239.

M&P15T 

The new version of the M&P15T is very similar to the M&P15X, but with a few significant changes. Some of the same features include the 4140 16” barrel with 1:8” 5R rifling and forged receivers.

The significant change comes with the gas block. On this rifle, Smith & Wesson did away with the A2 FSB and opted for a low profile block instead. Then the company went with its 13” M-LOK handguard to give it a clean look from front to back.

Since the FSB was deleted, the company includes a Magpul MBUS front sight with the rear for sighting. Of course, the sky’s the limit with any other sights or optics you might want to add.

Between the two, this would be my preferred choice. The nice thing, for me anyway, is that this gun is slightly less expensive than the M&P15X. The suggested retail price is $1,190. Of course, it comes with only one 30-round PMAG also.

When Heckler & Koch introduced the VP9, one of the first questions I heard was “When is a compact model coming?” After some very strong rumors for several months, HK officially announced the VP9SK today.

The new subcompact pistol is like its older brother in several respects. Both are 9mm handguns that use a polymer frame and are striker-fired. Additionally, the new pistol will use interchangeable back straps and side panels to help the hand best fit the gun.

Unlike the larger pistol, a finger extension floor plate will be available for the VP9SK. However, a flush fitting base plate is also available to best fit your concealment and shooting needs.

The new gun will use the same trigger that is found on the original VP9. I tested the original VP9 extensively and found that trigger to be extremely nice. It was light and crisp. If the SK model uses the same trigger, I imagine most people will be very pleased by it.

As with the original, the VP9SK is completely ambidextrous. It uses a paddle style magazine release, which I was surprised to discover I liked quite a bit on the full size gun. I’ve had problems running a paddle magazine release on Walther pistols and did not expect to like it on the VP9. I wound up running the gun very fast with the paddle release and had no problem in transitioning to it from a push button style release.

The new pistol is only 4.57” tall, 6.61” long and has a barrel length of 3.39”. This compares to 5.41”, 7.34” and 4.09” on the original gun. Unloaded, the smaller gun is about 2.5 ounces lighter.

HK equips the VP9SK with 10-round magazines standard. However, the company states that 13-round and 15-round magazines with grip sleeves will be available later in the year. 

Although the company doesn’t directly address this, I suspect that the new guns will run on the full-size VP9 magazine. The key, however, would be to avoid slamming them home when reloading. This could damage the ejector and render the gun inoperable.

The new pistols have a suggested retail price of $719. 

SB Tactical just released a Press Release about the ATF sending them a letter from the ATF.

Saint Petersburg, Fla. (April, 25, 2017) – SB Tactical™, inventors and manufacturers of the Pistol Stabilizing Brace®, is excited to announce that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) has issued SB Tactical a reversal letter containing a sensible clarification of the Bureau’s position on the lawful use of SB Tactical braces.

The new clarification of opinion letter states, “an NFA firearm has not necessarily been made when the device is not reconfigured for use as a shoulder stock – even if the attached firearm happens to be fired from the shoulder. To the extent that the January 2015 Open Letter implied or has been construed to hold that incidental, sporadic, or situational “use” of an arm-brace (in its original approved configuration) equipped firearm from a firing position at or near the shoulder was sufficient to constitute “redesign,” such interpretations are incorrect and not consistent with ATF’s interpretation of the statute or the manner in which it has historically been enforced.”

SB Tactical, along with the law offices of Mark Barnes & Associates, have worked tirelessly for more than two years to correct what they believed to be an inaccurate interpretation of “redesign,” related to the Pistol Stabilizing Brace. “It has always been our belief that the addition of our Pistol Stabilizing Brace benefits shooters, both disabled and able-bodied, and that neither strapping it to your arm nor shouldering a brace equipped pistol would constitute ‘redesign’ of a pistol to a NFA firearm”, said Alex Bosco, inventor, founder and CEO of SB Tactical. “We are strongly encouraged by the ATF’s reversal of opinion and commend their willingness to continually review policy, including their own opinions, to ensure public safety and the fulfillment of their mission.”

Both SB Tactical and Mark Barnes & Associates are proud to be at the forefront of protecting and preserving the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Mark Barnes echoed Bosco’s praise of the ATF’s new guidance and stated that “it’s clear that the Bureau has no intention or desire to prosecute law abiding citizens using SB Tactical Pistol Stabilizing Braces. Their decision to act should be commended.

The letter clarifies the 2015 Open Letter. Back in Jan 2015, the ATF determined that shouldering a pistol brace redsigns the brace as a stock and so everyone thought it was illegal to shoulder a pistol brace. This new letter clarifies that and says that misusing the brace does not constitute redesign. However if you alter the brace and undermine its ability to be used as a brace then you are making an NFA item. They also mention affixing the brace at the end of a buffer tube where it would create such a lenght that it would no longer serve as a brace but could only be used as a stock.

What this means is if you have a pistol with an SB Tactical brace, leave it alone and you can shoulder it. If you have anything else, you might not want to shoulder it.

Check out the press release below that just went live.

Boonville, MO (April 25, 2017) - CMMG has announced the release of the MkG45 GUARD - a new AR15 rifle chambered in the iconic .45 ACP caliber.  The GUARD is offered in five different configurations, operates on CMMG's new, patent pending Radial Delayed Blowback system and is fed from Glock magazines.

"With the GUARD, we set out to engineer an affordable, highly reliable AR chambered in .45 ACP that would use the widely-available Glock magazines. In the early stages of design, we tested out a variety of different operating systems, including straight blowback and direct impingement, but none of those options gave us the reliability we were looking for.  We ultimately came up with the design for the Radial Delayed Blowback system and from there, all the pieces started falling into place," said Chris Reinkemeyer, CEO/CFO at CMMG.

While the straight blowback system found on most pistol-caliber AR carbines utilizes a non-rotating bolt assembly, the Radial Delayed Blowback system used on the GUARD has a bolt carrier group (BCG)  that appears similar to that found on a direct impingement AR15 but operates completely differently.  The rotating bolt is the key to the Radial Delayed Blowback system.  It is the act of the bolt being forced to rotate and unlock that slows down the BCG just enough to safely cycle .45 ACP while keeping the BCG and buffer lighter than 9mm AR15's.

Some advantages that result from this new operating system are that it reduces the overall weight of the rifle and simultaneously decreases the felt recoil by using a lighter bolt and buffer.  It also opens up the door to run calibers that have historically been too powerful for straight blowback but weren't suited for direct impingement. 

Pretty cool, especially since most companies tend to phone development in when it comes to pistol caliber carbines - building a direct blowback model is a thousand times simpler than reinventing the wheel – but in this case the wheel could use some improvements.

Direct blowback firearms tend to be excessively heavy and suffer from disproportionate amounts of felt recoil – by delaying the blowback process the new CMMG carbine proports to reduce the recoil by increase the dwell time of the action.