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
Franklin Armory’s Reformation – Brilliant End-Run or Spotlight on NFA Absurdity
Franklin Armory mystified the shooting community in the days leading up to SHOT Show 2018. Right around two weeks ahead of the show, the company – most well known for their binary triggers – issued a press release with photos of a weapon that, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be an NFA-regulated short barreled rifle (SBR). However, Franklin claimed that the item shown was not a rifle (so, not an SBR) nor were they playing sneaky semantics games with a shotgun (and, thus, not an SBS). Readers were left scratching their heads and trying to figure out how it might fit into the generic “firearm” category that might escape the purview of NFA regulations
Rumors swept the internet, along with speculation on how Franklin Armory had achieved this feat, if they had achieved it at all – many thought that the company was just trolling to generate buzz and that the new firearm, dubbed the Reformation, was just their 11.5″ SBR and that the entire campaign was a hoax. Everyone loves a good puzzle, and the only clues in the initial release were that the Reformation sported an 11.5″ barrel, a Magpul SL stock (not a brace), that it used patented “NRS” technology, and that it required no NFA tax stamp.
Guesses at how this was done included things like the stock being pinned to make it unusable as a stock (instead, being capable of functioning only as a cheek rest), having a smooth bore (no rifling, no short-barreled rifle) – with or without guesses at special ammunition like a rifled shotgun slug, firing only on release (to skirt the definition of one round per trigger pull), and other theories.
This is not the first time that the designers at Franklin Armory were able to dance around BATFE definitions of certain classes of firearms (see the XO-26, which sports a short barrel, pistol brace, and VFG, yet is not an AOW). The company played the Reformation release close to their vest, letting the shooting community continue to guess right up through their SHOT Show announcement. Continue reading
SHOT Show 2018 is Just Around the Corner
What will the largest firearms industry trade show bring us this year?
The biggest show of its kind in the industry is just over a month away, with the 2018 iteration of SHOT Show going on from Tuesday, January 23 through Friday, January 26 in the Sands Expo center in Las Vegas. Not only will our team be there to cover the latest and greatest firearms and gear innovations from the show floor, we will also get to share our hands-on experiences with guns and gear again during the invite-only Industry Day at the Range from Boulder City the day before the show officially opens.
Be sure to keep an eye here on the GunLink Blog, as well as the GunLink Forums for news leading up to, during, and after the show, and follow us on our social media outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live updates, photos, video, and more. Sign up now for a free GunLink Forums account to join in the discussion during the event, share your opinions of what the past year of development is bringing to the industry, and to let us know what you want to see more (or less) of in our coverage.
Our week-long coverage of the much anticipated annual event is made possible in part by our coverage partners, who we thank for their involvement and support of new and evolving media platforms. We greatly appreciate their help in fostering the new environment which allows immediate access to the latest from the industry rather than having to wait for news and rumors to trickle through the traditional print timelines or wait longer still for products to hit shelves before laying eyes on them. Continue reading
AimShot Patent Pending Quick-Detach KeyMod Accessory Gallery
Photos of the new AimShot MTKMPR 60mm, six-slot quick-detach section of picatinny rail and MTKMLM quick-detach flashlight mount – to accompany the review in the GunLink Forums Gear Review section. Continue reading
Sunjack Solar Panel Photos
Photos of the SunJack solar panel unit and battery pack to accompany the SunJack 14W Portable Solar Charger and 8000 mAh Battery Pack review.
Repack Box Helps Get Your Ammo Organized
Years ago I was in the market for some new bling to commemorate a big move that we made out of our home state. Something that would hold up better than what I had already and something I wouldn’t worry about getting damaged, like rings that I’ve had get smashed on my hands or PM chains that are done for when they get snagged and broken. I stumbled on GI Jewelry and thought that fit the bill pretty well: subdued, US made, not too flashy, and well-made enough that they have an NSN to be issued to US military under a DLA contract.
After years of use, the necklace had lost enough ends that the ball chain got short enough that I’d had to replace it a few times using whatever ball chains I had laying around, none of which held up nearly as well as the original. I contacted GI Jewelry owner Roger to see if he could sell me some new chains, or let me know where he got the good ones. In a feat of customer service that you don’t see much these days, Roger told me that GI Jewelry has a lifetime warranty that includes the chain and he would send me some extras under warranty. Sure, chains may be cheap, but that’s pretty cool to see someone stand behind their product like that.
Anyway, while talking to Roger, he also introduced me to one of his other ventures: Repack Box. The idea is pretty simple, thus the company’s tagline, “Common Solutions to Uncommon Problems” – they are just basic, uniformly shaped boxes to hold your ammo. Roger’s website tells the story of why he came up with the boxes – to store all of the surplus ammunition that he bought, whose boxes fall apart over time – but surplus military ammo isn’t their only application. If, like us, you shoot a lot and, like us, you buy whichever ammo you find cheap at the time, you have almost certainly run into the problem of every manufacturer putting their ammo in differently sized and shaped boxes. Continue reading
