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New Gun Reviews & More

New Gun Reviews on GunsHolstersAndGear

In recent weeks, I’ve written a number of new reviews and resource lists. All of my reviews can be accessed from that tab at the top of the page.

Here are the links to the most recent articles.

Gun Reviews

  • Smith & Wesson Model 610 – A revolver chambered in 10mm, this fighting handgun turned out to be one of the better wheelguns I’ve shot in recent months. And contrary to popular myths, the recoil is quite tame.
  • Diamondback DB9 Gen 4 – The original Diamondback DB9 was met with some resistance by the shooting public and many of the criticisms were fair. However, the latest generation of the DB9 is quite good. I found it to be reliable and significantly more comfortable to shoot that the original. I tested it with HST, Critical Defense, Gold Dot and more.
  • IWI Galil ACE Pistol – I took the arm brace version of this pistol for a spin. It proved to be accurate and reliable. Even more, the gun was just plain fun to shoot. Yes, it is heavier than an AR pistol, but it is well balanced and has minimal recoil.
  • Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P380 EZ Shield – Without a doubt, the M&P 380EZ is a very popular handgun. It’s not hard to understand why – it fills the hand, is easy shooting, has good sights and is easy to manipulate even if you have diminished hand and arm strength. I took the new Performance Center version of the pistol for a spin, and it proved to be everything I hoped it would be.
  • Diamondback AM2 – This pistol was a pleasant surprise to me. Although I had good experiences with Diamondback in the past, internet naysayers suggested the company would not be able to make a solid, combat-capable pistol. The gun I tested proved that the company can make a reliable pistol – and offer features that some of the big boys don’t.  I was impressed by this pistol.

Other Shooting Product Reviews

  • Mantis X2 Review – Mantis is making big moves in the firearms training niche, and the new X2 offers a very affordable system for you to dry fire train at home. I’m a proponent of dry firing to improve your shooting fundamentals and ultimately your accuracy. The X2 brings the ability to run different skill drills and give you actionable feedback on how to improve your technique.
  • SureFire G2X Flashlight – After reviewing this flashlight, it became my preferred daily carry and bedside flashlight. It proved to be tough with good light output and a reasonable runtime on CR123A batteries.
  • Elite Survival Systems Stealth SBR Backpack – I love my Maxpedition and 5.11 bags, but for the discreet carry of a large pistol or SBR-style weapon this is the best I’ve found. It is a high-quality bag that blends very easily into the scenery. It attracts no attention but is extremely functional.
  • Streamlight ProTac HL Flashlight – This has been a long time favorite of mine. I’ve used it on duty as a police officer and for years since as a regular good guy. It proved itself time and time again. I updated my original review of this light to include runtime and output data with my current measurement tools. I still recommend this light.
  • Phalanx Stealth Holster – In this case, one size fits all doesn’t really. The Stealth Operator holster from Phalanx proved to be acceptable with a few of my handguns, but it failed to live up to my expectations on others. Read the review for a better understanding, but I do not recommend this holster unless you try it out prior to purchase and understand its limitations.
  • Wowtac A7 Flashlight – This inexpensive flashlight bills itself as being suitable for tactical use. But, I don’t recommend it for that. In fact, I don’t recommend it for anything other than hobbyists. And even then, you need to be careful as I found something that makes this light potentially dangerous.

New Resource Pages

Finding a holster or other accessory for a particular handgun or rifle can be a pain. Google only gives you a limited number of selections based on which companies have better search optimization skills – not the best product. Likewise, places like Amazon give preference to products with the deep pockets to advertise.

My intent is to bring many of the options together into a single article so you can compare them and make an informed decision.

Also, I updated the Flashlight Reviews page with additional testing information and a large comparison chart to help you navigate all of the testing I’ve been doing.

Categories
Rifles

All New ArmaLite M-15 Line

ArmaLite is introducing an all new M-15 line of rifles and pistols for 2015 according to the representatives I met at the recent NASGW Show. The new guns cover everything from tactical to competition with plenty of fun stuff in between.

While the guns are in the AR-style, these are a significant departure from the company’s traditional line up. Frankly, it looks like a major pivot on the part of ArmaLite. Let’s go over seven of the new guns right now…

Categories
news

Wednesday’s Gun News

Grand Power

With the approach of the NASGW Expo, a number of manufacturers in the firearms industry are spooling up the PR machines for new product announcements. Here are a few of the new items that have landed in my e-mail box the past few days…

Grand Power Pistols Now Imported into US by Eagle Imports

Eagle Imports announced they would now be the exclusive importer of the Slovakian Grand Power pistols to the United States. The pistols were developed by a former weapons officer in the Slovakian army. A variety of Grand Power handgun models will be available, including the K100 pictured above.

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news

Thursday’s Gun News

Desert Tech MDR-C

The new Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDR) from Desert Tech remains on track for delivery in 2015.  The company showed the multi-caliber, ambidextrous rifle at the 2014 SHOT Show, and has continued to develop the rifle.

Right now, it looks like there will be two versions: the standard MDR and a compact version (MDR-C).  The MDR-C will be 20″ overall with a 10.5″ barrel.  The standard MDR adds 6″ to both measurements.  The rifle can be quickly converted from .223 Rem to .308 Win, 300 BLK, 6.8 SPC and 7.62×39 for an incredible amount of caliber flexibility.

Categories
Rifles

Upgrades to the IZ132 Saiga Rifles

IZ-132 rifle

I just received an announcement from Concern Kalashnikov about a number of upgrades to the IZ132 rifle being sold in the United States.

The standard IZ132 rifle is based on the AK-47 pattern rifle and is chambered for the 7.62×39 cartridge.  It is a semi-automatic rifle fed by detachable magazines.  The new upgrade will use an improved polymer stock that has an integrated pistol grip.  The polymer handguard is also updated.  Standard AK-pattern 30-round magazines will work in the gun.