The Firearm Blog

For just $250, Cabela’s Tactical 3X Prism sight is great bargain for shooters that are on a budget.

The field of view is 35.4 feet at 100 yard. It’s not bad but not as large as the premium prism sights like the Trijicon or ELCAN. Optically, the Cabela’s 3X Tactical Prism sight is very good. I would say it’s better than majority of the budget scope in its price range. The included slotted screw mounting base is basic but it’s serviceable and it can be replaced with an ACOG comparable 1913 sight base.

The Colt SWORD (Sniper Weapon & Observer Reconnaissance Devices) Technology Demonstrator connects a variety of COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) and MOTS (Military Off-The-Shelf) components together into a deployable package. The system is hard to describe in a single sentence. Colt describe it as “a Small Arms Fire Control System based upon Colt Canada’s Patented Small Arms Network Power Data System”. It is probably best described as a local area wireless network of sensors, communications, power systems and video feeds that can receive and transmit data to/from a wider area military or government networks if required. The heart of the system is a 3G wireless base station. The base station is a fully integrated battery powered system that can be connected to external systems via. satellite modems if required. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the base station, just imagine a green rectangular box about 12″x12″x4″ with two antennas on the top.

Lancer Systems, generally known for their innovation in AR15 magazines has released a new line of .308 magazines for 2014.  The L7AWM magazines are 7.62×51 (.308Win) and feature a steel insert that helps to keep the magazine rigid, but also forms the feed lips to help with magazine longevity.  The rest of the magazine is made from the same polymer as the L5AWM and can be had in either translucent or in solid colors of black, FDE, OD and Foliage green.

They are based on the SR25/DPMS platform rifles and will fit any of the rifles patterned after the SR25.  The L7AWF magazines also feature a drain in the floor plate for water that can also be closed in dusty conditions.  Initially released in 20rd capacity magazines, a release of 5rd and 10rd magazines is planned for mid-2014 for those in states with magazine capacity restrictions.  Also

Ok before anybody comments and tells me this ERGO grip is ugly I already know that. The thing is the owner of ERGO was tired of grips that made the “J” frame point down, point up but never seemed to point straight.

Clint (the owner) sat down and made a few prototypes until he found the one that would work. He did a very good job because I spent several minutes drawing from a holster and drawing fast which is a good way to end up with the barrel pointed high many times. No matter what I did when the revolver came up to eye level it was aiming straight as an arrow every time.

This is one of those products that doesn’t look good but the form sure makes it function great! The best part is the cost is only $19.95. They’ll be coming out soon and they intend to expand the line to fit

Yesterday, Sig announced the Sig P320, a polymer framed, striker fired pistol.  Many know Sig has, up to this point, always been a hammer fired pistol so this is a definitely a break from their normal design.  The pistol will be available is 9mm, .40S&W and .357Sig, with a .45ACP coming later in 2014 according to the Sig rep I talked to this morning.  The pistol comes in two sizes which are called Duty and Carry, and can be converted back and forth depending on the need with the purchase of the additional slide/barrel combo.  The Duty has a 4.7″ barrel while the Carry has a 3.9″ barrel making it more suited to concealed carry.  Both options come standard with Sig-Lite night sights.

Many know that I am a huge fan of Sig for their quality and b

The Action TrackChair was on display at SHOT Show. It allows wheelchair users go off road into the fields or forests to hunt. Optional accessories include a camouflage finish and a gun rack. Its 24 volt DC 24:1 ratio high torque motor give this 390 lbs machine a max speed of 3-4 mph. The two 12 volt wheelchair batteries have a range of up to 6 miles, depending on a number of factors (weight of operator, temperature, terrain etc.). The base model, without any extra features, costs $15,300.

Phil White reviewed the Remington R51 a few weeks ago and I don’t want to repeat what he said but I will say it is a slick looking gun. Here are photos I took of it at SHOT Show today, including the Crimson Trace laser grips and the threaded model with a AAC suppressor.

Remington R51 with Crimson Trace Lasergrip.

The SIG P320 is SIG SAUER newest modular double-action striker-fired pistol. The P320 has been designed primarily with one thing in mind: convince law enforcement organizations to buy it. At the heart of the SIG P320 is the internal stainless steel frame assembly. The assembly houses the trigger group and contains the firearm’s serial number. Legally speaking, the internal assembly is the firearm. The frame assembly drops into one of three grip modules. The polymer grip modules (what we would normally call the ‘frame’ if they were serialized) vary in grip circumference (a small, medium and large). The grip module contains a cut out so the assembly serial number can be seen externally.

There are two barrel sizes, each being available in a threaded or non-threaded variant. The barrel lengths are 4.7″ for the Full Size model, and 3.9″ for the Carry (compact) model. Two slide assemblies are available in either the Full Size or Carry size. Two triggers are available, a standard trigger and a tabbed safety trigger (think Glock-style trigger). They both break at 5.5 lb

With $700 AR15 rifles everywhere, it is hard to sell the American public on more expensive semi-automatic modern sporting rifles no matter how many bells and whistles said rifles may have. As such, the Robinson XCR is a rifle that you do not see too often at the range, and that really is a shame. Our neighbors to the north love them due to their non-restricted status, but shooters here in the USA have never quite warmed up to the rifle. Here at SHOT 2014 is the first time I have been able to play with one for a bit.

The XCR was a competitor in the recent US Military Individual Carbine Competition, and from what I have heard, the soldiers loved the rifle.

Here is the light version, chambered in 5.56 by default but caliber conversions to 6.8 and 7.62×39 are available now:

The rifle

Nemo Arms has a line of high-end and high-priced ARs in .300 Win Mag. This year they’re adding a blue collar working man’s gun to the lineup at a lower price. Mind you, this “lower price” is still $3,999, so we probably won’t be seeing a ton of these out at the range on the weekend.

The Pratka has a 20″ barrel and lightweight stock, making it more portable than the other cannons in the Nemo lineup. It has a match trigger and billet receiver for a consistent touch and solid feel. The Pratka does not have the adjustable gas block that the rest of the Nemo guns have.

Using Nemo’s patented recoil-reduction technology in the bolt carrier group, I’m told that .300 Win Mag shots “tap like a .223.” I haven’t fired one of these guns, but the literature shows that the Nemo .300 Win Mags kick a little, but only a little, harder than .308 guns. So, despite the manageable recoil, the “taps like a .223″ claim might be a bit of a stretch.

The rep also mentioned that a sniper he talked to told him that he lik

WOLF Performance Optic, a sister company of WPA (WOLF Performance Ammunition), introduces at the SHOT Show 2014 the PSU 1x/4x32mm gunsight. It’s a switchable 1x to 4x magnification optic in the similar style as the highly regarded ELCAN Specter DR 1x/4x gunsight.

The new PSU 1x/4x is build by the Russian NPZ optic plant and imported by WOLF Optic for the US market. The NPZ optic plant was started by Carl Zeiss in the 1905 and it have been producing optics for the Russian military optic since World War I. A number of features were added for the US market such as MIL adjustment, 1.5 inch sight height, 1913 rail mounting interface and markings in English.

I know many people see our new AR posts and think “oh great, another AR in the crowded marketplace”. I admit I am right there with you, however something about Rhino Arms intrigued me. This young company out of Missouri specializes in extremely high quality AR rifles that are convertible from 7.62×51 to 12 gauge by swapping an upper and a magazine, which to me is very cool (especially to countries where shotguns are less restricted).

The guns use Remington chokes too:

Troy Industries has introduced new rails designed for the AK-47.  Using their proven designs as a foundation, the Troy AK-47 rail is lightweight and modular, providing the AK shooter a lot of options for accessories such as lights, lasers, scopes, or sling mounts.

The Troy AK-47 Top Rail.

The first Glock compact, slim frame, single stack pistol has arrived.  What many have wanted, but most considered would never arrive, has finally materialized in the form of the Glock 42 in .380 caliber.  The long awaited “mini” Glock is finally a reality.

Meet the Glock 42:

Overall Length – 5.94”
Barrel Length – 3.25”
Width – 0.94” (0.836” slide width)
Height – 4.13”
Weight – 12.35 oz. (without magazine); 13.76 oz. (with unloaded magazine); 14.36 oz. (with loaded magazine)
Sights – Polymer white dot front, white bar notch rear
Caliber – .380 ACP
Capacity – 6+1
MSRP – $475

The good people at Boberg Arms surprised everyone at SHOT by showing up with a .45acp version of their remarkable pocket pistol.

Ok great, another pocket pistol you say. Well here is the kicker: the pistol will shoot .45 Super.

A smattering of Bobergs

The rep told me that the .45acp version will be available in Spring and that the recoil with regular .45acp ammo is on par with a full size 1911, but less than a Commander. Also you get 7 rounds of .45acp in a gun smaller than a Glock 26:

Ohio Ordnance’s booth at SHOT is very impressive. Immediately you are greeted by a giant M2 machine gun and a semi-automatic FN MAG type firearm:

These rifles are available for sale to the well-to-do enthusiast who wants an FN MAG without spending over $100,000 for a transferable.

The gun that Ohio Ordnance is most well known for however is their semi-automatic Browning Automatic Rifle. On display they had a classic version (weighing in at 19.4 pounds) and a modern take they have designed as a sort of “what if the BAR was around today” type rifle:

Who would have ever guessed that FN would make the leap to manufacturing AR-15 based carbines and rifles? Seems like everybody is jumping on that bandwagon these days. Though they’ve produced the guns for quite a while, they’ve only had a few regular customers. Still, it looks like they know how to build them. Maybe it’s the hundreds of thousands of guns they’ve built for the US military that has given them a little practice.

New this year is the FN 15, the commercial version of the company’s AR. Initially, it will be offered in two versions, a rifle with a full stock and 20″ barrel and a carbine with an adjustable stock and a 16″ barrel. These are decidedly no-frills guns. In fact, I expect that some are going to complain about the underwhelming nature of yet another “base” AR model. But the fact that these are coming out of the same South Carolina facility as the proven military model means a lot, and when it comes to mil-spec, these guns are built by people whose livelihood depends on earning the stamp of approval. And my

Front view of the Elite Iron Revolution Bi-pod

I did not think I could ever spend over $700 for a bi-pod. But after I checked out the EliteIron booth and their Revolution Bi-pod I begged to have one sent to me to test out. The bi-pod has a ring that slides over the barrel to the front of the chassis and is mounted in to the chassis. The adjustable legs can be pivoted in any direction and the rifle can swivel smoothly and you do not come off target. You can literally turn this to the side or even upside down. It swivels 360 degrees. The legs can hook on t

Battlehook Sights for Glock. Front sight enclosed fiber optic

Battlehook Sights are solving two issues with this genius idea. The front and rear sights each have a great function. I have fiber optic sights on my competition pistol. I break or lose my fiber optics sights often. The Battlehook Sight distributed by Henning Group will solve that problem. The front sight encloses the fiber optic tube inside its housing if you will. No more break

This article first appeared on AllOutdoor.com

Black Rain Ordnance needs no introduction to regular AllOutdoor.com readers. The company is renowned in the black rifle world for making some of the finest ARs available, and unlike most AR makers, who assemble their ARs mainly from OEM parts, Black Rain machines most of their parts in-house. But I’m not here to talk about their ARs. I’m here to talk about their brand spanking new bolt-action sniper rifle platform.

Black Rain has been working in secret on this project for quite a while, and they gave AllOutdoor.com an exclusive, first-ever look at this beauty. From the muzzle brake all the way back to the Manner composite buttstock, BRO has engineered and machined this rifle to compete with the highest-end military sniper rifles available. If you’re in the market for a high-end .308, then in order to get a Remington 700-based rifle up to the level of finish a