A New Magazine for the Ruger 10/22 – The High Tower Armory RM-25
Ah, the Ruger 10/22. The first firearm for many shooters and a perennial favorite used for everything from plinking to small game hunting and, in some cases, military applications. With over 5 million built in the past 50+ years, over a dozen factory variants, many more dealer exclusive variants, and hundreds – if not thousands – of aftermarket accessories available, to say that the 10/22 is popular would be quite the understatement.
It could be that one of the reasons for the Ruger’s popularity over some other .22 semi-auto rifles is its reliability, due in part to its famous rotary magazine. Despite his feelings on so-called “high capacity” magazines, the late Bill Ruger did a pretty good job with this rifle and its feed system. The only problem with it is that, perhaps to Bill’s satisfaction, it only held 10 rounds.
To solve that reduced-capacity magazine issue, a number of aftermarket magazines have popped up over the past few decades with varying degrees of success. Some degrees lower than others, in my experience (yes, I’m talking about you, BC Hot Lips and Eagle). Thankfully, the folks out at High Tower Armory (HTA) in Minnesota seem to have done a good thing with their new RM-25 magazine.
The RM-25 appears to be the solution to the reduced-capacity problem of the standard factory magazine and the reliability issues with some aftermarket offerings. And while, yes, Ruger may have abandoned their namesake’s ideology and produced higher capacity BX-series magazines, HTA didn’t stop there – they also brought some welcome additions to the table. Continue reading
Bigfoot Gun Belt Goes Beyond Just Holding Up Your Trousers
Why You Need a Good Gun Belt, and Why Your Current Belt Probably Isn’t It
One of the most important pieces of your CCW loadout might not be what some would expect. Finding a firearm that is reliable, accurate, easy to carry, and easy to use under stress is paramount. The number two spot on this list is often contested between a good holster and a good belt, the importance of which is difficult to understate. Speaking with someone who carries a firearm regularly, whether for work or for general self defense, will confirm that one of the most important pieces of your CCW loadout is a good belt.
A CCW holster has a lot of responsibilities, including being comfortable, effectively concealing the firearm, keeping the firearm in the right position and angle where you put it, and keeping the firearm securely holstered unless and until you intentionally draw it. But what keeps that holster where you put it and allows it to do its job? As important as the holster may be, the belt from which you hang it is just as vital. The important thing to realize is that the belt and the holster work together to comprise the overall carry system that you use.
Like many people who carry, Team GunLink has amassed a box-o-holsters through the trial and error process of finding the couple of holsters that work well and see regular use. No matter how good those holsters are, without a good belt, they will have issues. As such, CCW-ers may find themselves either going through a similar trial and error process with their belt or just dealing with those issues – which can lead to giving up on carrying a gun. I personally went from using a standard web belt to a Dickies work belt, which I used for ages, using “fashion belts” for dressier work and toying with the idea of springing for a spendy double-thick gun belt before finally finding Bigfoot Gun Belts. Continue reading
Concealed Carry Options For Women
Women have myriad problems when considering a holster for concealed carry. It can be difficult enough to find a product that conceals in everyday clothing, but it can be even more difficult to find something that can be concealed in dress clothes or athletic clothes.
Given that women are among the fastest growing group of shooters, it is no surprise that many enterprising women have already come up with a number of innovative solutions to the CCW issue. While many traditional holster companies do create holsters that they market to female shooters, they are typically for standard IWB or OWB, which can be challenging for women since our clothes are typically more form fitting and our hips are shaped differently than men’s. Continue reading
SHOT Show Range Day 2016
The NSSF’s Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) opens today and, as it is every year, the start of the show is preceded by SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range outside of Las Vegas in Boulder City.
With more than 170 exhibitors and over half a million rounds fired, Industry Day bills itself as the largest, most influential one-day event in the hunting and shooting industry. The event provides the opportunity for outdoor media and buyers to get hands on, live-fire experience with the newest firearms and products that will hit the market in the upcoming year. It is the perfect chance to see what is coming down the pipe and, as we have in past years, the GunLink team took advantage of that opportunity at the 2016 Range Day so that we can share the latest and greatest with you.
One of the new products at Range Day that is sure to create some buzz came from Kimber. Long known for their fine bolt-action rifles and 1911 pistols, the company is carving a path into new territory: the revolver market. Enter the Continue reading
Glock Factory Service: The Best Kept Secret in Sights?
It’s no secret that Glock’s factory sights might not exactly be the best in the business. Pistol shooters may find a variety of faults with the sights, from the polymer material from which they are constructed to the otherwise unconventional “ball in the bucket” markings versus more traditional 3-dot sights to the dimensions of the stock sights. Whatever it is, enough people dislike them to make the field of aftermarket sights a relatively large one.
One of the main concerns heard most frequently seems to be about the durability of the polymer sights. Some damage to the side of a Glock rear sight is visible in our Armed Citizen graphic. A stock front post on one of the GunLink Glocks was starting to wear on one corner and mushroom on the other corner from being drawn and reholstered. One of our shooting buddies told us about a Glock that took an unlucky hit to the rear sight after dropping a few inches onto an end table and the sight snapped out. Other stories of sight failure can be easily found if you scrounge around online.
To be certain, the polymer OEM Glock sights are not complete garbage and, truthfully, might be just fine for the majority of casual shooters. Although they don’t make a habit of regularly releasing their numbers, Glock production hit the 5-million mark eight years ago in 2007. If the last eight years kept pace with the previous 8-year period, the numbers are now somewhere around 8 million. The majority of those pistols’ owners probably don’t spend a lot of time using them hard enough to cause any notable damage. Continue reading
Brownells New Products Week in Review for December 4, 2015
Product manager Paul Levy shares some of the new products this week at Brownells.
- Magpul PMAG D-60 Drum Magazine – Lightweight, durable polymer magazine holds up to 60 rounds of 5.56/.223 ammunition for sustained firepower without a reload. Drum’s compact design allows for easy prone firing, and simplifies storage. Tension-relieving lever eases loading. Fits standard AR-15-style firearms, as well as HK416, MR556, M27 IAR and similar.
- Bravo Company KMR Alpha Handguard – With many of the same advantages as the original KMR Handguard, the all-aluminum Alpha version weighs slightly more, but costs less. Handguard flares slightly toward the muzzle into special flat-bottomed shape that is comfortable and ergonomic, and helps give stability when shooting off a rest or barricade. Accepts KeyMod accessories at four offset positions, and free floats the barrel to help maximize accuracy potential.
- 7″ KMR Alpha
- 8″ KMR Alpha
- 9″ KMR Alpha
- 10″ KMR Alpha
- 13″ KMR Alpha
- 15″ KMR Alpha
- Rapid Pure Trail Blazer Ultralight Camp Filter – Reservoir-style filter hangs up on a branch, pole or stand and uses gravity to help remove virtually all particles, impurities, microorganisms and viruses from water. Can be rolled up for easy storage in a pack or bag. Comes with 9-liter reservoir, long-threaded connector, sealing washers and tube for drinking or directing water into other containers. Filter unit length determines flow rate and average service life.
