In the latest video in the “Roy’s Insider Tips” series, American Handgunner Publisher Roy Huntington examines the effectiveness of shotshell cartridges for defending against snakes and other unwanted varmints. Huntington tests the capabilities with three different shot cartridges from CCI – .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .45 Colt – to discover which is best for handling pesky varmints.

“CCI’s elegant shot cartridges have always been appealing. The thought of having a ‘mini-shotgun’ in your revolver or semi-auto is just too irresistible to ignore,” Roy explains. “But in the interest of seeing just how effective they really are, we blasted some hard target paper to see how they penetrate and just what kind of spread is delivered in the real world.”

Shooting at toe-to-snake distances, Roy experiments with a Ruger Super Single Six in .22 LR and .22 Magnum, and a vintage S&W Mode 25 in .45 Colt to pinpoint the real-world effectiveness of CCI handgun caliber shot loads.

“Are they effective? It looks like the .22 LR versions max out on mice or the errant attacking grasshopper or wasp,” Huntington says. “But moving up in caliber, the .38 Special, .44 Special, .45 Colt and others suddenly become serious tools for field use.” Read more

NEWINGTON, NN ) – SIG SAUER, Inc., continues to set new standards in firearm design, innovation, and performance with the introduction of the SIG MCX™. Designed from the ground up as a short-barreled, silenced, lightweight rifle-caliber system, the SIG MCX has reset the standard for modularity, sound suppression, and mission capability.

With the introduction of the SIG MPX™ submachine gun, SIG SAUER raised the bar for performance and modularity in a pistol-caliber platform. The SIG MCX combines that modularity with rifle-caliber power in a compact package, designed for optimum performance with a silencer.

“We’ve built a team of the best minds in the industry, when it comes to silencer technology, rifle engineering and the .300 Blackout cartridge,” said Jeff Creamer, Executive Director and General Merchandise Manager for SIG SAUER, Inc. “The end result is a technological leap forward in ergonomics, modularity, cartridge performance, and sound reduction.”

Unlike every other firearm on the market, the SIG MCX was designed from the start for optimum performance with the .300 Blackout cartridge and a silencer. When paired with a SIG SAUER silencer, the outcome is a firearm with superior suppression capability and enhanced reliability with both supersonic and subsonic loads.

An auto-regulating gas system makes the transition from subsonic to supersonic seamless. In combat situations, the SIG MCX can run supersonic on the silenced setting without damaging the firearm or negatively impacting reliability.

Sharing a modular design with the SIG MPX, the SIG MCX is a mission-adaptable marvel. Changing between .300 Blackout and 5.56 NATO is as simple as swapping barrels and op rods. Converting to 7.62x39mm simply requires an additional bolt face change. All of this can be performed by the user in the field. Barrel lengths can also be changed, with 16″ and 9″ versions initially available. Read more

WEST HARTFORD, CT- Colt’s Manufacturing Company, one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms, is expanding upon many of its classic and highly popular handgun families with several new handgun introductions for 2015. The new handguns give customers more options in caliber, weight, rails and other features to best meet their preferences and needs. The Colt handgun families with new models include the Rail Gun®®, XSE Series, 1991 Series and Gold Cup®.

“Our new handgun introductions provide customers with the same high-quality products the market expects from Colt, with a greater diversity in design and configuration,” said Joyce Rubino, Vice President of Marketing for Colt’s Manufacturing. “We are excited to offer our customers a great array of choices to find the Colt handgun that best suits them for personal protection, target shooting, competitive shooting, hunting and other needs.”

There are three new additions to the Colt Rail Gun® family. First is the O4012RG Colt Combat Commander® Rail Gun® with Picatinny rail. It brings together popular features of the original Colt Commander, the Colt M45A1, and the Colt Rail Gun®. Like the other Rail Gun® models, it features the M1913 government length Picatinny rail for accessory mounting on the dust cover. Inside is a dual recoil spring system based on the one used in the Colt M45A1, so shooters experience less recoil. The slide and receiver are stainless steel, with a Colt extended single side safety lock to allow ease of use for various hand sizes. Additional features and specs include an upswept grip safety with palm swell for an enhanced grip, .45 ACP chambering, 4.25-inch National Match® barrel and 7.75-inch overall length. There will also be a Lighweight Commander Rail Gun®, O4840RG, offered with a hard coat anodized aluminum receiver. The MSRP of both the O4012RG and the O4840RG is $1,198. Read more

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Colt’s Manufacturing Company, one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms, is proud to announce the launch of its new Commemorative Program. The Colt Commemorative Program allows civic groups, law enforcement units, military personnel and other government agencies to order heirloom-quality, customized Colt firearms.

“The Colt Commemorative Program is an excellent way for a group of close-knit individuals to honor the special bond they share,” said Joyce Rubino, Vice President of Marketing for Colt’s Manufacturing Company. “This program is a completely new offering to civic groups, and we look forward to sharing in their expressions of pride through a custom Colt firearm.”

Commemorative firearms in this program typically include the Colt 1911 (model O1091) or the LE6920 rifle. However, other models may be available depending on the specific project request. A minimum of 25 firearms is required per Commemorative Program order. Read more

Evans Machining Launches Consumer Facing Firearms Brand in 2015

Clairton, Pennsylvania (Jan 13, 2015) – Evans Machining Services Inc., a family owned and operated 35 year manufacturer of military firearms components, proudly announces the launch of the Nite Owl Firearms® brand of personal pistols for civilian use.

Their first product line of striker fired pistols are slated for nationwide availability in 2015 at an introductory MSRP of $675 and are 100% made in the USA. Read more

Six decades ago Blaser Jagdwaffen GmbH set out to redefine the art of gun making. Along the way they have laid milestones to mark their success with such names as the Diplomat, ES67, SR850, K95, R93, S2, F3 and the list continues. Never willing to be second best, the design philosophy at the heart of all models is safety, accuracy, reliability and versatility.

The way forward is often started with a close examination of the past and how we were able to come so far. We examined our existing product portfolio and came to the conclusion we needed to pay homage to the rifle that helped redefine the modern bolt action. The R93 was the straight pull action that started the revolution. Now it only makes sense that we pay tribute to the original and introduce the R8 Professional S into our current portfolio. Built for pure performance; when a split second defines a hunt.

The new R8 Professional S will share many of the features that exist in our current R8 line with the exception of removable trigger/magazine housing. The new R8 Professional S is loaded or unloaded through the ejection port just as the original R93. Sure handling is assured with the elastomer inlays featured in the traditional brown/black stock. All existing barrels, bolt assemblies and scope mounts will function flawlessly in the new platform.

With an introductory price of $2,895 your biggest concern will be where to put your next trophy. Available in calibers from 222 Remington to 375 H&H (standard taper) the time is now! Contact your qualified Blaser USA dealer today to place your order! Read more

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) is excited to introduce the Ruger® SR1911® Lightweight Commander-Style pistol; an aluminum frame version of the popular SR1911 Commander-Style pistol. This new model features a black anodized aluminum frame with a satin stainless finish on the slide, resulting in an attractive two-tone appearance in a gun that weighs 7oz. less than the all stainless steel version. It comes factory equipped with an integrated, polished titanium feed ramp and features thin, hardwood grip panels for concealed carry, as well as front strap serrations for improved grip.

Ruger engineers took a hard look at how they could utilize new materials to improve the performance of the aluminum-framed 1911. Most aluminum frame pistols tend to show excessive wear on the feed ramp, particularly when shooting modern hollow-point ammunition. This can result in unreliable feeding and may be expensive to correct. The new SR1911 Lightweight Commander-Style pistol comes factory equipped with an integrated polished titanium feed ramp for a lifetime of reliable performance. Read more