5th Generation GLOCK Pistols are Hitting Gun Store Shelves
Are you Jumping on the New Pistol Bandwagon?
GLOCK may not have won the bid to be the US Army and Air Force’s new pistols (no matter how big or how many tantrums they throw over losing out to Sig), but some of the changes from their “new” pistols seem to have made it into the latest Gen 5 models, just released.
The GunLink team got a few of the new pistols in our hands and it appears that “what’s old is new again” when it comes to some aspects of the latest offerings from the Austrian gun maker. Some of the “groundbreaking” changes on Gen 5 models are really just recycled features from as far back as Gen 2 models, while adding some characteristics for which users have been asking for a while – and some features that, as far as we know, nobody was asking for.
For the newest iteration of Perfection, GLOCK boasts “over 20 design modifications from their Gen4 predecessors,” which they claim “deliver improved accuracy, durability, performance, control, and flexibility.” Continue reading
Micro-Handguns of SHOT Show 2017
Pocket-Sized Fire Power Makes it Easy to Always Have a Gun
Diminutive handguns are nothing new; Henry Deringer’s eponymous Philadelphia model was produced and sold from 1852 and tiny, eminently concealable firearms have been popular for at least as long. Nihil novi sub sole; at SHOT Show 2017 a number of manufacturers showcased the continuation (and expansion) of this corner of the firearms market.
Bond Arms, the largest modern manufacturer of derringers, is probably the closest living cousin of the early models. For just over 20 years, Bond Arms has been creating small(ish) non-repeating break-open handguns with caliber-swapable double barrels (available in everything from .22LR rimfire to .45 centerfire to .410 shotshells) reminiscent of early pocket guns like the ones that might be found in a frontier gambler’s vest pocket. More recently, Bond added a more modern touch to their pocket gun lineup when they acquired Boberg Arms’s design for a semi-auto bullpup pistol that strips rounds rearward from the nose-down magazine before chambering them. Although they are small and classified as derringers, neither Bond offering could realistically be called “tiny” or classified as a “micro gun,” much less a “mouse gun” when chambered in such heavy rounds as .45LC or .410.
A staple of the tiny-gun market is the lineup from well-known North American Arms (NAA) – founded in 1972 as Rocky Mountain Arm – probably best known for the mini-revolvers that they have been selling since 1990, when they acquired the design from Freedom Arms. Available only in .22 rimfire chamberings, NAA mini revolvers are spur-triggered single action only revolvers with several models small enough that a pair of them could fit into the space occupied by a deck of cards. Now sold in a variety of configurations (including ones that fold into their own grip, and ones that are carried in a belt buckle), if you’ve ever walked into a gun store and saw a revolver-shaped speck in the bottom of the case, chances are that it was an NAA. In 1997, NAA entered the semi-auto market with their Guardian series to compete with Seecamp’s tiny offerings, although they don’t enjoy the same widespread recognition as the wheelguns do.
What’s New?
Now that we know some of the established players in the micro-gun game, let’s take a look at some of the new arrivals which were showcased at SHOT Show 2017. Continue reading
First Look: KelTec RDB Survival Bullpup Rifle
Sorry about your luck, everyone who left SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range any time throughout the day up until about 25 minutes before all of the action wrapped up. Because that is around when the folks at KelTec remembered that they had forgotten to uncase their latest contribution to to the firearms market: the RDB Survival Edition bullpup rifle.
We had just finally made our way to the the KelTec booth and finished being confused by why the KSG bullpup shotgun on the bench was obscenely long (it is because of the Germans, in case you were wondering, and it is called the KSG 25) when we heard the company reps start expressing concern over some piece of missing equipment. That missing piece of equipment happened to be a literal one-of-a-kind on earth prototype firearm that relatively few other humans have laid eyes on or had the opportunity to fire – including everyone else at the range day until Chad Enos and crew happened to locate it in a case under one of their shooting tables and pulled it out with minutes to spare during shooting hours, providing Team GunLink the opportunity to be the first to snap some photos and send some rounds downrange with it. Continue reading
Gear Up for SHOT Show 2017 with GunLink
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) annual Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) is just around the corner and, as usual, the GunLink team will be there to cover it all. From the opening shots of the pre-show Industry Day at the Range through the last booth of the show floor, be sure to follow our coverage on our family of websites and social media outlets.
Join the discussion on the GunLink Forums in the 2017 Industry Day at the Range thread and in the 2017 SHOT Show thread. For more in-depth coverage, reviews and more, stay right here on the GunLink Blog. If instant gratification and up-to-the-second updates, photos, and reports from the range (as if there was cell service out in the desert) and SHOT Show floor is what you are looking for, find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget that you can use all of these avenues to connect with us to let us know what type of shooting and firearms news you want to see covered from the show. Continue reading
Springfield Armory Hopes to “Defend Their Legacy” with New SAINT
The Wait is Over: Oh, Good – Another AR-15 on the Market!
Springfield Armory has been teasing and building hype for their new SAINT product for a while now with their “Defend Your Legacy” campaign and, yesterday, they revealed what it is. It’s an AR15. Try to contain your excitement.
If you think that releasing yet another version of a rifle that will be celebrating its 60th birthday next year is not exactly a game changing event worthy of all the hype… well, we probably won’t argue with you. To be sure, the SAINT is a nice enough rifle, but is it really “the ultimate refinement of the AR-15 form” that they claim it to be thanks to its “relentless execution of core features?”
The SAINT features a flat top upper receiver that is ready for your optics and includes a Springfield-branded flip-up rear BUIS (rumored to be a UTG Pro) but, curiously, they opted for a fixed front sight to which the handguards are anchored instead free-floating the A2 birdcage-equipped 16″ 1:8 CMV barrel inside of full-length rail system. Do you know what you do get though? KeyMod. The twelve people who like KeyMod, and the three companies who make native KeyMod accessories, will be very happy about that.
Speaking of the small handful of companies who make KeyMod accessories, other than the fact that it is KeyMod (and that it is load bearing against the front sight), the handguard is probably alright, considering that it is made by Bravo Company. However, a far cry from their Alpha handguards, the exclusive PKMT handguard looks a lot like a KeyMod version of the basic Magpul MOE-SL handguards, BCM also makes the included Gunfighter Stock and the Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip that round out the furniture department. Continue reading
Thompson/Center Arms Recalls The T/C Compass Bolt-Action Rifle
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE
Thompson/Center Arms has identified a condition that may exist in Compass rifles. We have determined that there may be some instances, depending on the height and position of the rifle and other factors, where a chambered round may fire if the firearm is dropped with the safety in the fire position. Safety is paramount to us, so we are taking this measure to further enhance performance and to meet our customer expectations, with the goal of reducing the chance of an accidental discharge should the rifle be dropped.
This recall applies to all COMPASS rifles manufactured by Thompson/Center Arms prior to September 16, 2016.
STOP USING YOUR RIFLE AND RETURN IT TO THOMPSON/CENTER AT ONCE.
Because the safety of our customers is our utmost concern, we ask that you stop using your rifle until corrective action can be taken.
To facilitate the inspection and repair of your rifle, please contact Thompson/Center at 855-512-5935 to receive instructions and a pre-paid shipping label for the return of your rifle to Thompson/Center. Thompson/Center will repair the rifle at no cost to you, and return it to you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Additional information will be available shortly on our website at http://compassrecalltcarms.com. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this recall, please contact Thompson/Center at 855-512-5935.
