Taurus’ Continued Innovation in CCW Weapons on Display at SHOT
Taurus firearms have had an up-and-down relationship with gun owners over the years. We have seen changes at the company’s helm over the past half-decade or so and, with it, changes in their direction and product lines. They have expanded with the acquisition of companies like Heritage Mfg., Diamondback, and Rossi. They thought outside the box with the introduction of new revolvers like the massive Judge and the window-sided View. We have seen customer service and quality control issues and we have seen those issues owned and addressed as they retooled their Brazilian manufacturing facilities and grew US manufacturing facilities – which is where two of Taurus’ latest CCW offerings are produced.
Ahead of the Curve
Taurus’ latest offering for the concealed carry market is the new Curve – a double-action only .380 ACP designed to conform to the body for greater concealment. When carrying a firearm on one’s waist, the most difficult part to conceal is often the grip, which sticks out at odd angles from the body. Taurus has addressed that with the Curve. Not only is the Curve about the size of the new iPhone 6 Plus at 5.18″ long by 3.7″ tall with a short, stubby grip, its curved design allows it to hug up against the wearer’s hip. This helps limit the pistol’s maximum projection from the body to the thickness of the 1.18″ frame and 0.88″ grip while allowing for 7 rounds to be at the ready. Continue reading
Remington Unleashes 300 Yard Muzzle Loader at SHOT Show
This Model 700-based Black Powder Rifle Ain’t Your Daddy’s Smoke Pole
Oh, great. Another Remington 700 variant. Yawn; keep moving. Wait a second… that’s a front-loader?
That’s pretty much what happened that got the GunLink crew to double back for an unscheduled visit as we strolled past the huge product art adorning the exterior walls of the Remington booth at SHOT Show 2015. Of course, we had planned to stop in to the Freedom Group booth anyway to visit various members of the family, but this new rifle caught our attention.
The .50 caliber Remington UML appears to have a good start on living up to its name: the Ultimate Muzzle Loader. As much as the term may be overused, by all accounts the UML is a game changer in the black powder world. And it is sure to further ruffle the feathers of traditionalists who already don’t like the current crop of fast, powerful modern inline muzzle loaders that blur the line between muzzle loaders and centerfire rifles. In fact, unlike some other muzzle loaders, the UML is considered a firearm and is subject to the same regulation.
Based on the Remington 700 bolt-action, the inline UML is a true magnum – capable of handling 200 grains of powder, making it an accurate 300-yard rifle. 250 grain projectiles scream from the UML at 2,400 fps with nearly 3,200 ft lbs of energy. At 300 yards, it is still supersonic at over 1,300 fps, delivering 966 ft lbs of energy. Continue reading
SHOT Show Range Day 2015 – What You Missed
The end (of January) is nigh, and that means that we are wrapping up another SHOT Show – the National Shooting Sport Foundation’s annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show which showcases the best new innovations that the industry has to offer. As in past years, the GunLink crew spent an action packed week-long stint in Las Vegas to cover the show – from the live fire demos of SHOT Show Range Day right through all four days of walking the 640,000 square feet of show floor to visit the more than 1,600 exhibitors. If you didn’t make it to the Range Day, here is what you missed. Continue reading
TALON Grips Launches New Glock Grips at SHOT Show
TALON Grips Inc. launched a redesign of its Made in the USA Glock grips this week at SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
According to the release, technological advances are partially responsible for TALON‘s ability to create more complex and thorough grip designs, making them “the most innovative and functional adhesive grips on the market.” Earlier die cutting techniques have given way to more advanced capabilities which allows the design team to increase coverage of the factory Glock grip.
This redesign results in a new TALON grip that entirely encompasses the frame from the magazine well to the top of the thumb rest, increasing the textured, higher friction surface area available to the user. The company says that the grips will still be universal among full size Glock pistols – fitting all generations and backstrap configurations. The grips will be available in black rubber as well as both black and pink granulate textures.
GunLink staff had the opportunity to try out TALON’s new Glock grips at SHOT Show with favorable results. While previous models allowed improved ability to grip the firearm versus the stock frame, especially on earlier generations, the redesigned product improves that ability further with more precisely shaped grips and increased coverage area.
“TALON Grips were born on the Glock,” says lead designer and TALON president Michael Morris. “That’s where we started, and while our Glock grips have always performed well, this redesign brings them to a higher standard as expected by TALON Grips and our customers.”
TALON personnel at SHOT told us that the previous version of the grips were being phased out completely. Existing stock will be sold, but all new production is focused on the improved version.
New GLOCK Models Officially Unveiled at SHOT
Although ads for the new GLOCK MOS models were leaked several weeks ago, they haven’t been officially announced by the Austrian firearms maker until now.
GLOCK, Inc. announced yesterday the release of the new Modular Optic System (MOS). The MOS platform was designed by GLOCK engineers to enable users to mount their preferred reflex sights to their pistol in order to improve their target acquisition. The Gen4 models G34, G35, and G41 will now be available in the new MOS platform. The GLOCK 40 Gen4 in MOS Configuration – a long slide 10mm pistol intended for 10mm enthusiasts as well as handgun hunters – will be available soon.
“Our research has prompted us to release the MOS configurations for the G34 Gen4, G35 Gen4 and G41 Gen4 and the new G40 Gen4 in the MOS Configuration.” stated Josh Dorsey, VP at GLOCK, Inc. “The new GLOCK MOS platform offers a convenient way to mount reflex sights without costly alterations to a warrantied slide.”
The MOS models include an Adapter Plate Kit containing 4 adapter plates as well as the tools for the removal and installation for a variety of optics. Optics are not included with the MOS pistols, leaving users the flexibility to add the sight of their choice. Otherwise, the specifications for the Gen4 MOS configured G34, G35, and G41 are the same as their respective non-MOS versions. Continue reading
Designing Your Own Custom Case with MyCaseBuilder
Last year, we wrote about our SHOT Show visit with MyCaseBuilder and how they make custom cases easy. The foam case inserts that they had in their booth and Steve’s big-screen demo both told a story about the quality and ease of creation of custom foam, but I wanted to get my hands on one to check it out for myself. There are myriad shapes and sizes of Pelican cases, OEM gun cases and other cases around GunLink HQ, but I thought that we should start small for our first custom case, so I got to work on designing some custom case from for a Pelican 1170 pistol case for transporting a Glock pistol (if you don’t already have a case, MyCaseBuilder can send your made-to-order foam in a brand new case).
The design tool is easy to use and is pre-populated with many existing shapes for various firearms, firearm accessories, electronics, camera equipment and more. The Glock 19 shape library includes shapes for the pistol and magazines, in various configurations, and with or without finger notches to make it easier to pull the items out of the form-fitting foam. For this case, I started with the G19 pistol with finger notches. I modified the shape with custom cut-outs to accommodate the pistol and sights with the slide partially rearward (so that it can be cased with a chamber flag inserted) as well as a threaded barrel. Continue reading
