Mantis Upgrades Training Tool with New X10 Elite Device
When we first heard of the Mantis training aid several years ago, it was easy to see its value for shooters wanting to improve their skills without spending a lot of time or money at the range. And we weren’t let down when we got our hands on it. In our review of the original Mantis X model, we were quite tickled with the immediate feedback with both live fire and dry fire. It was no wonder that the device was awarded Best Accessory of 2018 by NASGW and POMA. We were impressed with the user support and continued growth of the MantisX – from quick responses from the company to frequent updates with new features and any bug fixes.
This is why we were so excited to hear about the new models being released at SHOT Show 2020 earlier this year. The company has continued to pour tons of development effort into the product, which has grown from just the original model into a handful of new models including the $99 X2 dry-fire-only model, the X3 for live-fire of both pistols and rifles, the X7 shotgun trainer, X8 archery model, and the top of the line X10 Elite model, which covers all of the bases for live fire and dry fire for pistols, rifles, and shotguns as well as archery. Yeah, they’ve been keeping busy.
Austin was kind enough to arrange for a Mantis X10 Elite unit to be sent to us to review and we had the chance to put it through its paces. Once again, we were not disappointed in the slightest! Continue reading
Apex Announces Threaded Barrel for 3.7″ FN 509 Compact MRD
Apex Tactical Specialties is expanding its pistol barrel lineup with the addition of a new threaded barrel for the FN 509 Compact MRD model pistols. This new offering comes just days after Apex announced their new threaded barrel for the compact M&P9 M2.0. The new barrel is available now for pre-order and is slated to officially begin shipping on May 5th.
The Apex 9mm Threaded Barrel is designed specifically for the FN 509 Compact MRD model pistols with a factory 3.70″ barrel. The cold hammer-forged stainless steel barrel has a black Melonite finish and features a 1:10″ twist rate that is designed for optimal accuracy performance. The barrel features an undercut thread intercept to accommodate a wide variety of attachments and the thread pattern is 1/2-28. A thread protector with captive O-ring is included. Continue reading
Springfield Armory Releases .308Win Chambered Pistol SAINT Victor
Standard 9mm pistol on your hip not enough? AR pistols chambered for 5.56 still not quite there yet on firepower? Remington 700 bolt-action pistol just a little too slow for your taste? Springfield has you covered with their latest release – The SAINT Victor Pistol in .308.
As part of the SAINT Victor line, this pistol is loaded with premium components. Purpose built for defensive use, the SAINT Victor Pistol in .308 is a serious use firearm, featuring an HPT (High Pressure Tested) and MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspected) bolt to confidently handle a heavy round count schedule. From its Melonite finished barrel, to its pinned low profile gas block, to its crisp and grit free enhanced nickel boron coated, single stage flat trigger, the SAINT Victor Pistol in .308 adds a potent defensive platform to the SAINT pistol family.
This new SAINT pistol packs .30-caliber power into a 10.3″ CMV-barreled package that measures just over 28″ with the SB Tactical SBA3 five-position brace fully collapsed. Round that out with excellent appointments such as a BCMGUNFIGHTER Mod 3 pistol grip, 20-round Magpul PMAG Gen M3 magazine, a patented, rock solid, free float M-Lok handguard, and an SA 2-Piece Blast Diverter, and you have a pistol that easily tames the .308 cartridge while remaining handy and compact. Continue reading
Mossberg MC1sc Pistol Wins 2020 NRA Golden Bullseye Award
Mossberg is pleased to announce that their MC1sc (subcompact) 9mm pistol was recognized with the NRA Publications Golden Bullseye Award for the 2020 Shooting Illustrated Handgun of the Year. All 2020 award winners will be recognized in the May 2020 issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter and Shooting Illustrated magazines.
Golden Bullseye Award winners are selected by a committee of editors, graphic designers and veteran members of the NRA publications staff. To qualify for consideration, a product must have been recently introduced and available to consumers; used or tested by a staff member or regular contributor to the magazine; reliable, innovative and meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectation. Completing the criteria for award selection are the perceived value of the product to the purchaser and that the product is styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry, and its enthusiasts.
Mossberg stunned the industry with the introduction of the MC1sc pistol, the company’s first handgun in nearly a century. This full-featured 9mm concealed carry handgun was the result of three years of research and development, combining the highly-desired features of a subcompact with Mossberg’s innovative approach to design. Key features include size, weight, caliber and carryability. And the MC1sc delivers on all; with its overall length of 6.25 inches, weight of 19 ounces (with an empty magazine) and a barrel length of 3.4 inches in the widely-popular 9mm chambering. Mossberg delivered innovation with the patented STS (Safe Takedown System); Clear-Count magazines; and patent-pending, aggressive-signature grip texturing. Not-to-be overlooked, standard features of the MC1sc include a durable frame constructed of glass-reinforced polymer; stainless steel slide with DLC-coating; white 3-dot sights; and flat-profile trigger.
“Mossberg opened its doors in 1919 with the introduction of its first firearm, the Brownie, a 22-caliber pocket pistol,” commented John MacLellan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Now 101 years later, it’s a tremendous honor for our MC1sc pistol to be recognized with a 2020 Golden Bullseye Award in celebration of our commitment to engineering expertise and manufacturing excellence. On behalf of Mossberg, I would like to thank the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated publication staff for this highly-coveted award.”
Introducing the Ruger American Pistol Competition Model with 5″ Barrel
We have one of the original full sized Ruger American Pistols in .45ACP that we bough shortly after they were introduced. I think that they are great feeling, fine shooting, reliable, and underrated pistols. It’s great to see Ruger expanding the line with new variants like this Competition model, not just to provide more options for shooters, but also as a sign of longevity and support for the line.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has introduced a Competition model to the robust Ruger American Pistol line. This new model is packed with match-winning features and boasts Ruger’s legendary reliability.
This new pro model chambered in 9mm Luger features a 5″ competition barrel with durable black nitride finish and a 1:16″ slow twist for enhanced accuracy with lighter-weight match bullets. The lengthened slide has forward cocking serrations and the serrated top features a black nitride finish to reduce glare. The slide is ported to reduce weight and is drilled and tapped under the cover plate to allow direct mounting of a variety of red dot reflex optics. A fully adjustable target rear sight is paired with a fiber optic front sight for rapid target acquisition. The grip frame and grip modules on this pistol feature a new, aggressive competition texturing that enhances control of the pistol.
First introduced in 2016, the Ruger American Pistol was developed and tested to exceed military standards for accuracy and reliability in all environmental conditions and was torture tested through 20,000 rounds of +P ammunition. The precision CNC-machined stainless steel chassis gives the gun a low center of gravity while the recoil-reducing barrel cam and low bore axis allow for rapid follow-up shots. The strong glass-fiber, nylon grip frame features ambidextrous controls and small, medium and large grip modules to achieve an optimal fit for a variety of hand sizes. Continue reading
Ruger Introduces the PC Charger Pistol
Gentlemen, you had my curiosity… but now you have my attention.
We first laid eyes on the Ruger PC Carbine at Range Day during the 2018 SHOT Show and almost immediately fell in love. It’s a take-down pistol caliber carbine that feels and shoots like a real-deal rifle from a great firearms company. While I haven’t had the extra money (or, realistically, the need for another PCC) to put one in my safe, every time I see one out in the wild, I long to have it. Now, Ruger has stepped up their game with a pistol version.
The just announced PC Charger is a 9mm pistol based on Ruger’s popular PC Carbine Chassis model. The PC Charger boasts an abundance of features including a 6.5″ barrel; an integrated rear Picatinny rail that allows for mounting of picatinny-style braces; a glass-filled polymer chassis system; a flared magazine well for improved magazine reloading capabilities; and an ergonomic pistol grip with extended trigger reach.
The glass-filled polymer chassis system allows for the use of standard AR pistol grips. These models utilize a CNC-machined, hard-coat anodized aluminum handguard with Magpul M-LOK-compatible slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions for easy mounting of M-LOK-compatible rails and accessories. The 6 o’clock position of the handguard features a factory-installed handstop for secure support-hand placement.
These models also maintain several hallmark features of the original PC Carbine, including an easily interchangeable magazine well system that allows the pistol to accept Ruger Security-9 and SR9 magazines, as well as Glock double-stack magazines; a dead blow action with a custom tungsten weight that shortens bolt travel and reduces felt recoil and muzzle rise; a reversible magazine release and charging handle to accommodate right- or left-handed use; a simple takedown mechanism to allow for quick separation of the barrel/forend assembly from the action; a durable heat-treated, chrome-moly steel bolt; a cold hammer-forged chrome-moly steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling and a 1/2″ x 28 threaded barrel.
The threaded barrel, coupled with a brace like the SB FS1913, would make this thing a great home defense/range/truck gun that can share magazines with your carry pistol. Or, I guess, if you’re feeling adventurous, it could be your carry pistol.
The PC Charger models ship with the SR-Series and Security-9 pistol magazine well installed and an additional magazine well that accepts newer Glock magazines. A 9mm Luger Ruger American Pistol magazine well is available separately at ShopRuger.com.
The standard model features a 17-round capacity, and an additional 10-round, state compliant model also is available.
At an MSRP of $799, it’s a little steep, cutting into CZ Scorpion territory, but likely to come down in price and go up in availability faster. Add in the handy takedown feature and that it comes with some nice accouterments, if I were going to add a firearm from this genre to my collection, I think this would be the one.
