Gun Reviews

Savage Arms has been mostly a rifle company for decades, with a few shotguns along the way. So, when Savage released a handgun in 2021, it came out of left field — at least for me, it did. It was the company’s first pistol in, well, dang-near forever. I, like many, paid attention when Savage dropped the Stance. It was released in three colors: black, FDE, and grey, and some models come with night sights and other models with lasers. The one used for this model is the FDE model with standard sights.

Stance — Breakdown and Specifications

The Savage Stance keeps things rather traditional. Savage bills the Stance as a micro-compact 9mm, but that title doesn’t fit. The Stance is more akin to a single stack nine like the S&W Shield than a true Micro-Compact like the P365. The Stance comes with two magazines, one holds seven rounds, and the other holds eight.

The gun has a 3.2-inch barrel with an overall length of 6.2 inches. Height-wise, the gun sits at 4.6 inches tall. The widest portion measures out to .96 inches, making it quite thin and lithe. At twenty-two ounces, it’s a little heavy for its class of firearm but not heavy enough to make carrying it difficult.

Like a lot of modern handguns, the Stance uses an integral chassis system. The chassis contains the guts of the frame and can be removed from the frame. This chassis is the serialized portion of the firearm and is technically the ‘gun.’ This means frames and slides aren’t serialized and can be shipped without an FFL.

Savage has said they plan to produce new frames for the pistol. This includes color, frames with rails, and likely various sized frames to fit larger or smaller magazines. Additionally, the interchangeable frames could allow for a wide degree of customization and new aftermarket options.

Take a Stance on Ergonomics

The Stance does a great job of presenting ambidextrous ergos. The slide stops and manual safety are ambidextrous, as is the magazine release. Not reversible, but truly ambidextrous. That being said, the slide lock and safety are both very small. Savage does make a model without a manual safety, and that would be my choice. The slide locks are just that — locks — and are not meant to be used as a release to reload.

Savage conquered the grip game with the Stance. The 18-degree angle is nice and comfy, and you get an additional backstrap to change the size of the grip to fit your hand. The grip is also thin with rounded edges, and it fits the handle very well. On top of that, the grip itself wears a very aggressive grip texture that covers everything.

The front, the sides, the rear, and even multiple index points for your trigger finger are all covered. Holy crap, it’s just everywhere. Not only everywhere, but it’s well done and very, very grippy.

That same grip is rather thin with a couple of very nice thin portions to accommodate your trigger finger and the top part of your hand. The slide features a few relief cuts to lessen weight and does make the gun have that modern, cool look to it. The front of the slide is beveled for easy reholstering, and the slide is melted and dehorned for easy concealment and a smooth draw.

At the Range

I put a few hundred rounds of Global Ordnance brass-cased 115-grain FMJs and some SIG 124 grain +P loads. I ran a variety of drills, including the iHack, the failure to stop drill, and a few reload drills. At that time, I found the weapon very easy to control. Like crazy easy to control. The Stance’s thin but highly textured grip doesn’t budge in the hand.

Even with those hotter self-defense loads, the Savage Stance doesn’t shake its way out of your hand. The gun stays put without complaint. A lot of little guns will recoil and shift in your hand, especially when you rapidly fire several shots in quick succession. The Stance doesn’t move in your hand at all. Good on Savage for addressing a rather common issue with little guns.

The Stance is plenty easy to control, even with a single hand, and even when that hand is your weak hand. Blasting through my ammo was never uncomfy. The recoil impulse is mild, and there isn’t any slide bite or pain between each shot. While it might not be ‘soft’ shooting, it does handle well for its size and class.

Those recessed slide stops are nice. My big thumbs often pin slide stops downward, which ensures the slide doesn’t lock back to the rear after the last round is fired. That’s not an issue with the Stance, and it is the only small gun that I’ve shot that doesn’t give me a slide lock failure.

Trigger Time

The trigger, well, you won’t write home about it. It’s a long, spongy trigger pull with a fair amount of weight to it. The reset is also fairly long, and it has to come all the way back forward before it fully resets. It’s not fantastic, especially in the face of so many good triggers on the market.

Although it’s not so bad that it compromises your overall accuracy, Savage tossed on a great set of sights. The rear sight is two white dots, and the front sight is a big orange dot. They contrast well, deliver great accuracy, and are super easy to spin up and get on target. Finding the front sight is easy, and a good presentation gets you right on target. Plus, since they are easy to see, you can get lead on target quickly.

In terms of accuracy, it doesn’t stand out but is perfectly suitable. Headshots at twenty-five yards are not a big deal. Hitting those two-inch dots that make up a dot torture target isn’t very difficult either. Now, if I needed to make a fifty-yard shot on a ten-inch gong…well, I better have lots of extra ammo.

Going Bang

Did I have any flaws or reliability issues? Nope, not a single one. The Savage Stance ran and ran without complaint or a lick of lube. I ran it exactly how it came from the factory, and the Savage didn’t disappoint.

The Stance does lack the capacity of modern micro-compacts, as well as their efficiency. However, the price point is a fair bit lower, with an MSRP of 479. The street price will likely be even lower. That being said, I think the Stance missed the boat by not including a rail or an optic compatible model. I feel that makes the single stack nine design feel slightly more dated.

However, it’s a reliable and ergonomic pistol. Accuracy is good but not great. It’s a solid, well-made gun that will be a perfectly competent choice for concealed carry and defensive use.

Here’s something some gun owners might not know: all Glocks are not alike. Not only that, but their differences extend beyond various calibers and compact-versus-full-size. The Glock 43X is one of those different models thanks to its Slimline design and updated components. Hilton Yam of 10-8 Performance Lab discusses what you need to know about the Glock 43X in the video review you’ll find below.

Should You Train with Your Carry Gun?

Short answer: yes. As Yam points out right off in this video, you should be training with your carry gun. Simply picking up the latest plastic fantastic pistol and carrying it around is never a good idea. Any gun you’re considering carrying should meet certain standards:

• Reliability (more on this later)
• Accuracy
• Comfort
• Durability
• Factory parts (or factory trigger pull weight if you swap triggers)
• Concealability

Before you start carrying a gun for self-defense purposes, it’s ideal to put at least 500 rounds through it. Those 500 rounds should cycle. If it fails, you’re back at round one.

Ammunition used should be a combination of target rounds and your chosen defensive rounds, because defensive ammo is not the same as a target round. It’s understandable that it won’t always be possible to use that much ammo, but do your best to check its reliability. The last thing you need is a gun that might fail at the most important moment of your life (and remember, you can’t predict or schedule that moment). Remember, your magazine is your first point of failure, so check your mags first and be sure you have more than one.

Check out the video for more from Hilton Yam:

Favorite Glock 43X Feature?

The rear sight was one of the things about the Glock 43X Yam was apparently happy to see:

“So, the first thing I was pretty excited about is the rear sight has some serrations on the front and, of course, the ledge shape so that you can use it for catching on things to perform one-handed manipulations. So, my first victim was, of course, the bench…at the range. …one thing I kind of wanted to highlight is, it is very popular right now because it looks cool on YouTube or Instagram or whatever, is to take the gun and just smash it against something and hope something catches and racks it. However, I started in an era when we had wedge-shaped rear sights which you couldn’t catch on anything, no matter how hard you hit them, and that was by design. …we had to place the edge of the ejection port on the edge of our holster. We had to place it, and then rack it. …if you do the same with a sight or an optic…it’s a little less destructive.”

Because, Glock

There’s a reason Glocks are so popular. They are backed with decades of proof they’re reliable, they’re affordably priced, and they flat-out get the job done. The 43X was a great idea by Glock because the Slimline design — not technically a single-stack, but similar — makes it easier to conceal and fits a wider range of hand sizes while maintaining the gun’s reliability, durability, and performance. 

Everyone needs a good flashlight and there are endless options out there to pick from. Writing or reading a review on a flashlight can be challenging. I mean what is there to say? Here’s how bright it is, here’s how long the battery lasts… That can usually sum it up. I must admit however, the Streamlight WEDGE is much different. Streamlight has always made good lights for law enforcement, and I have had one Streamlight model or another on me in my patrol car or on my tactical vest since I’ve been a cop, but none of them were comfortable to carry in your pocket on a regular basis.

Over the years improvements have been made and today’s lights are much better than they used to be. They are lighter, brighter, and of course, they are rechargeable. Remember the days when your light died, and you had to make a battery run? But after the big switch to LED, plastic, and reachable batteries, they are all different variations of the same thing: a round flashlight with a button on the front and rear of the light. But when I got this light, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not just another standard light to throw in your car or stick on your belt; it was, dare I say — cool!

So, what makes this light different?

The most obvious difference with the WEDGE compared to other smaller tactical lights is the shape and the activation switch. At first glance, this light reminds me more of a pocketknife than it does a flashlight. The WEDGE is approximately 7/8” wide, 1/2” thick, and 5 ½” long. The square look makes it stand out from most other lights and tends to work better when carrying it in your pocket. This light isn’t meant to replace the duty light you carry in your patrol car but is the perfect size for an everyday carry light, on or off duty.

The “Toggle” Activation Switch

Most lights I carry can change lumens (brightness) during use. This is most often done by clicking the button multiple times to cycle from full-bright to medium/dim and strobe. I rarely use these settings, however, because once I am at a scene or looking for someone in the dark, I don’t want to start clicking through settings to get to the brightness I want. Streamlight’s newer model of the Stinger does have a switch above the button that allows you to toggle from low to high, but this ability is not a common option with most LED lights.

The WEDGE has a rotating lever on the side that is in the perfect spot for your thumb to push forward to activate the light. The light clicks on, and you have 300 lumens of constant light. From here you can then push further on the lever to send the flashlight to full-power mode and release 1,000 lumens of temporary light. Once you let off the pressure, the light goes back to the 300-lumen setting until you turn it off. Because of the size of the light, you can hold it in either the left or right hand and easily operate the lever with the thumb.

The first day I carried this light, I took it to a search warrant at a home that contained stolen firearms. We needed to search from top to bottom for these missing guns and there was very little light in the home. I found the momentary full-power option much more useful than clicking a button to cycle through brightness settings when looking under a bed, behind a dresser, or other dark places (and I found the stolen guns!).

Carrying the WEDGE for Everyday Use

The WEDGE has a pocket clip on the back (charging side) just like a standard pocketknife. The clip is not so large that it gets in the way when using but has just enough size to keep it firmly affixed to the inside of your pocket. Because I always carry a knife in my right pocket, I carried the WEDGE in my left pocket. It is just a little narrower than most knives I carry so it did not get in the way at
all with reaching other items in your pocket. It was comfortable, easy to grab and when pulled out of the pocket, your hand finds itself in the right place for your thumb to push the activation lever forward. After showing the WEDGE to my detectives, they requested the agency purchase these to issue to all plain-clothed personnel.

Charging

The WEDGE comes with a charging handle and is charged with a USB-C port on the back of the light. This makes it very easy to charge in the car, office, or at home. A green light next to the activation lever tells you have plenty of charge for use. The same light will turn red when the battery is getting low and needs to be recharged. When my light turned red, it took just a little under three hours to charge. With a full charge, I carried the WEDGE for just over a week with intermittent use each day without charging it to see how the battery held up. On the 8 th day, the battery light was red and the next day I left it on until it died. This is a light that could easily be charged every few days unless you had an extended use.

Overall

The design of the Streamlight WEDGE makes it easy to hold on to and operate. The size and design were very important to me as I always carry a firearm off duty and the ability to grab a light and activate it with one hand is an important feature. The aluminum body makes it light but durable and the IPX7 water rating allows it to be submerged in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes and they back it up with a limited lifetime warranty.

The regular (constant) operation mode of 300 lumens could have been just a little brighter, but that would have also shortened the battery life and made the light grow hot when operating. If you know you will be out searching a field and want to light it up, then grab a full-size duty light. But for keeping a light on you all the time with good power and battery life, I can’t find anything to
complain about with the Streamlight WEDGE.

Oh boy, I love shotguns, and I’ve always loved Benelli. Well, kind of. I loved their semi-auto shotguns. For basically ever, I’ve ignored the SuperNova, Benelli’s flagship pump-action shotgun. I’m a Mossberg man, but I’ve also grown partial to the Benelli SuperNova. Thanks to a few Christmas gift cards to Bass Pro, I ended up owning one. It was on clearance, and after my gift cards, I paid less than a hundred bucks out of pocket.

From that experience, I learned two things. First, holy crap, Benelli makes a great pump action! And second, I will never purchase another gun from Bass pro. They really have no idea how 4473s work, how background checks work, or even how state laws work. But let’s focus on that first point. After spending a lot of time shucking shells with the Benelli SuperNova, I’ve realized it’s criminally underrated.

In fact, instead of giving you a basic review, I’ve come up with five reasons why the Benelli SuperNova is an amazing tactical shotgun.

1. The Action

The Benelli SuperNova is a weird gun that is kind of ugly. Those crazy Italians went and made a polymer receiver shotgun with a polymer pump and stock. It looks ugly, but gosh dang, that action is smooth. Crazy smooth, and it glides rearward.

When left in a cruiser-loaded condition, the rotating bolt seems to exert rearward force on the action making it much easier to work the action for the and for subsequent shots. The rotating bolt of the Benelli SuperNove ensures the weapon very easily and effectively extracts and ejects the shotgun hull.

The action of the gun makes follow-up shots fast and reliable, and with a manually operated weapon, speed matters.

2. That Big Long Pump

Look hard at the Benelli pump. Does it seem fairly long to you? Well, it should. It’s huge, very long, and goes from the top of the action all the way back and covers about a quarter an inch of the receiver. Why does that matter? Well, most pump shotguns have a fairly short pump design that makes it harder for shorter shooters to effectively reach and work the pump.

Magpul’s own SGA series features a pump design with a slightly extended pump that just tries to do what the Supernova does. This weird pump design works for shooters of all sizes and beyond that, the SuperNova pump allows you to have more room to work.

Benelli’s long pump design allows you to work the pump in closer quarters, work the action in odd shooting positions, and allows your hand to slip rearwards on accident when things get hot, and you slip.

3. The Magazine Disconnect

The magazine disconnect is a big button on the bottom of the pump, right in the middle. Your magazine is the tube. When you retract the pump slightly and hit that button, a round won’t feed from the tube into the chamber.

Why is this valuable? Shotguns are very versatile weapons, and you can use a wide variety of loads. You might want to transition from one load to another in the middle of a fight. Maybe you want to switch from buckshot to a slug. Well, press the button, eject the buckshot round, and now you can insert a slug to take that long-range shot.

This is known as a slug select drill. The button on the Supernova makes this drill blazingly fast. Much faster than any standard shotgun. With most shotguns, this can be a slow, multi-step drill. With the SuperNova, it’s fast and easy.

4. Sights and Optics Ready

Gosh damn, it’s good to see shotguns coming with good sights and being optics-ready. Shotgun beads still work well, but Ghost ring sights and red dots work a whole helluva lot better. The Supernova comes drilled and tapped, and you just gotta remove the plastic plugs and slap an optics mount of some kind on it.

The SuperNova uses the same scope mount footprint as the Benelli M4 and M2, so you are open to a ton of mounting options. You can attach a standard rail, or even better, and you can attach some of the numerous mounts like the Scalarworks Sync mount, which places the optic so low it co-witnesses with iron sights.

The SuperNova ghost ring sights are fantastic. They are easily adjustable, made from metal, and feature two big white dots make alignment quick and easy. Shooting slugs or even Federal FliteControl is easy and accurate with these sights.

5. A 3.5 Inch Chambering

Will you need 3.5-inch shells for defensive shooting? No, heck, you won’t even need three inches. Does the 3.5-inch chambering matter? It can be super handy for maximizing versatility. In a bad situation or a situation where ammo is hard to find, it could be handy to be able to chamber even 3.5-inch loads. It’s better than nothing.

Better than that, the SuperNova’s massive ejection and loading port make it easier to load smaller shells. If you use 2.75-inch shells, you have lots of room to reload your gun. The ejection port is massive, and you can very easily port load the weapon in the event you run completely dry.

Since the loading port is so massive, you can easily load spare rounds into the magazine tube. This makes reloading a round or even two at a time fairly quick and easy. On my first day shooting it, I’ve achieved port reloads that I never have with my standard 3-inch chamber shotguns.

The SuperNova — So Bright You Have to Wear Shades

The Benelli Supernova is an incredibly capable shotgun. Out of the box, it’s almost the perfect pump gun. The four-round tube magazine leaves something to be desired, but you can easily attach a magazine tube extension. I used one from a company called Sellution MTB, a mountain bike company, that gave me three extra rounds.

I’d also like to see the stock trimmed to have a shorter length of pull. The 14 and 3/8s inch length of pull isn’t very comfy and feels massive. My next upgrade will likely be a reworked stock with a shorter length of pull. To be fair, I have those same issues with a variety of shotguns, in fact, most shotguns, so I won’t complain too much.

I feel like the Benelli SuperNova might be the best pump action shotgun currently on the market. It’s easily the most modern on the market, and I think American shotgun makers could learn a thing or two from the Benelli shotgun. What do you think? Is this Italian stallion for you? Let me know in the comments.

Back in 1959, the Air Force expressed a desire to be able to equip its pilots with a lightweight survival rifle that was both convenient and reliable. The sort of rifle that they could have with them and yet hope to never have a need for. Interestingly, the USAF never adopted this particular design, which is a shame.

Over the years, it has been manufactured by a host of companies. Unfortunately, the units put out by a few of these companies weren’t known for their reliability, and for a time, the AR-7 received a bad rap. Well, rest assured that since Henry Arms has been making this little rifle, it is being done the right way, all the way!

Weighing just 3.5 pounds, this easily and discreetly portable rifle is 16.5 inches long when all the components are stowed. Stowed where? Tucked into its own buttstock, of course! When the components are broken down, they fit into the buttstock, which is water and impact resistant.

The barrel, action, and magazines each have their own molded slot to fit into inside the buttstock, which is then sealed using a cover that doubles as the butt plate. It reduces everything into this incredibly handy, compact package that can then be slipped into a backpack, a plane, your car’s trunk, behind the seat…you get the picture. This thing fits into all sorts of small places that are out of the way until you might need it. And at 3.5 pounds, it’s not a major burden to carry around.

How difficult is it to assemble the Henry AR-7?

Rest assured, it is incredibly easy and simple! Your author can do it in about a half a minute, and if I can assemble it, anyone can. Simply attach the receiver to the stock by sliding it into a groove and tightening a screw. Then insert the barrel (there is a tab so that you cannot mess it up) and tighten the nut. That’s it, you’re done. Aside from that, you insert a loaded magazine, pull back on the charging handle, and the rifle is ready to fire. No tools are needed!

Let’s take a look at the features.

The barrel is steel and is covered with ABS plastic. The entire thing is covered with a protective coating. Mine wears a camouflage pattern called True Timber Viper Western Camo, and I have to say, the pattern is really pretty cool and seems effective. That’s what Henry sent me for test and evaluation, and I’m quite pleased with it.

Interestingly, the charging handle can be pushed into the bolt when the receiver is stored in the stock. When you need to use the charging handle, you just pull it out and charge the weapon with it. It’s a rather ingenious space-saving idea.

The front sight is of the blade variety and appears to be a piece of polymer or similar plastic in the color of bright orange. It shows up very well, being quite visible in most conditions. The rear sight is the epitome of simplicity, being a peep sight that is adjustable. It’s just a piece of metal with two holes that can be raised or lowered by loosening a screw. I did not need to adjust mine, it was sighted from the factory.

It’s a magazine-fed semi-auto and the mags hold eight rounds.

The magazines appear to be reasonably robust. I went ahead and ordered two spares right away (two come standard with the rifle) from Henry. A magazine can be stored in the receiver when it is inside the stock, and two more magazines also fit in the slots inside the stock, which allows three magazines to be stored in the stock when the rifle is broken down. You can have this rifle in any caliber that you desire, as long as that caliber is .22 LR. Now some people will turn up their nose at the lowly .22, but when we examine why this caliber was chosen, it makes perfect sense.

For a survival weapon/tool, you can carry quite a bit of .22 ammo with you, even if it’s in a backpack; it would not be a burden to have 500 rounds with you for an extended stay in the wilds. If you keep the rifle in a vehicle, you could easily have more ammo, which doesn’t take up much space compared to other calibers and is also much cheaper than other calibers. That allows you to stock up on more ammunition as well as practice a lot more. And the .22 is much quieter than many other rounds, which may help you if you’re trying to be somewhat discreet. Naturally, there is almost no recoil, which is always a good thing.

With proper shot placement, the .22 can take a wide range of game. No, it’s not our first choice as, say, an elk round. In a pinch and at close range with precise shot placement, however, the .22 can take down a surprising host of animals. Aside from that, a semi-auto rifle with an eight-round capacity isn’t the worst thing in the world for self-defense, either. Sure, it’s not optimal, but it absolutely beats nothing. Let’s face it, the .22 is a compromise caliber in a few areas (mostly in the power category), but it does a lot of things well enough to get you by, and that’s exactly what this rifle is intended to do; get you by until you are back home.

Since it breaks down, it is portable and concealable.

Personally, if I were backpacking into an area where I might not want to visibly carry a rifle, but yet wanted to have a rifle along with me, the AR-7 would be just about perfect. A real comfort to have along. You’d probably never need it, but then again, one never knows. And stowed in your backpack, no one would ever have a clue that you were carrying a rifle.

To clarify, I’d have a pistol with me (most likely concealed) in the event that I needed immediate protection. Since the rifle takes a few seconds to assemble, I’d not rely on it as my emergency protection device initially. But should things begin to look dicey, I could take it out and have it up and running in short order, and that’s where the peace of mind comes in.

I see this compact rifle as being the perfect addition to my “Get Home” bag that I like to carry in my car. If I were traveling any real distance from home, I’d likely bring it along for the ride as one of those “I’m comforted that I have it but pray I’d never have to use it” items that provide a pleasant peace of mind.

I have to be honest, I was seriously excited to receive this rifle, which made unboxing it much fun. The entire concept appeals to me because of the reasons mentioned above; but mostly being able to have a rifle broken down in its own stock was what sold me from the get-go. It’s almost as if you can make a rifle appear out of nowhere, and I find that to be attractive. Yes, I have rifles that are far sexier, but this one does things that they cannot and is more unique in concept and execution. The fact that it’s in .22LR put the cherry on the sundae.

For a moment, let’s set aside the aspect of this rifle breaking down into its own stock. We’ll pretend that it is simply fixed in the “open” position and stays that way. This little rifle would still be a winner in that mode. That fact that it does, indeed, break down just takes it that much farther.

Does the Henry AR-7 have good performance and accuracy?

Happily, I can report a wonderful range session. A few hundred rounds of .22LR went down the pipe with accuracy, low noise, and little recoil. There were no failures of any kind. Many semi-auto .22LR caliber firearms require ammunition that is high-velocity, ie., full-powered, in order to feed reliably. I’m happy to report that this is not one of them. It worked just fine with standard velocity ammunition, which just adds to the versatility.

For what it is, this little rifle places the rounds very accurately. At 25 yards, it easily grouped into two inches. At 50 yards, it grouped just over 2 ½ inches. At 75 yards, the group was around four or so inches. Mind you, I wasn’t going for supreme accuracy, as the sights are not designed for that, and frankly, my eyes aren’t that great anymore. I did a lot of firing from the bench, but at a fairly rapid rate. I wasn’t taking my time to wring every ounce of accuracy from the rifle, and as such, I’m sure I could have tightened up the groups a bit if I had done so.

Suffice to say that I believe the AR-7 is more accurate than I am. Mounting an optic would definitely add to the accuracy potential, although that would eliminate it being able to be stowed away inside the stock. Nevertheless, the rifle did its part well. I’m certain that, at well past 100 yards, the AR-7 could put hits on a human-sized target should it be required for defensive reasons, however unlikely such a scenario would be. Mine will wear the open sights for the duration, as it is accurate enough for my purposes as it is.

Far more likely a scenario would be the harvesting of game at closer ranges, and the AR-7 would be just fine for that. Remember, it’s a “Survival” rifle, and providing game for food would be the chief job of this rifle. Repelling predators is just another role that it would fulfill.

The MSRP at the time of writing is $408, however, it can be found on gun store shelves for considerably less than that, making this a superb bargain, considering what the consumer receives. To be honest, I can’t believe I didn’t get one of these little gems sooner. This particular rifle will not be going back to the factory, it will remain with me. And with that, I will add a word here about Henry’s customer service: they are simply great folks who are a serious pleasure to deal with, as they’re very responsive and helpful. It’s not very often that you receive a great product and super customer service together.

Check one of these rifles out, you won’t regret it. Aside from that, Henry has an expansive line of other firearms that are quite nice as well, and they are all made in America

Big Horn Armory’s tagline is “half-inch holes,” and I think that’s absolutely fantastic. If you’re going to have a company built on building large-caliber rifle and pistol options, then you can’t have a better tagline. Big Horn Armory makes gleeful use of the 500 S&W cartridges in a variety of weapons, including lever guns and ARs. Well, sort of. You see, I got my hands on the Big Horn Armory AR 500 and a little 500 Auto Max ammo.

The 500 Auto Max

The AR 500 utilizes a cartridge known as the 500 Auto Max. Big Horn Armory created the 500 Auto Max because the 500 S&W Magnum’s rim doesn’t work well in semi-auto platforms. The 500 Auto Max packs the same punch as the 500 S&W Magnum, as well as the same versatility. However, it fits perfectly in box magazines and feeds well in semi-auto AR-type weapons.

The 500 Auto Max hits hard and can take any dangerous animal on the planet. It’s a powerhouse of a round that can pack a punch with projectiles ranging in weight from 350 to 600 grains from the factory and well beyond by hand loaders. Big Horn Armory invented the AR 500 and 500 Auto Max, but it’s loaded by Steinel, Buffalo Bore, and Underwood in various power levels.

The 500 Auto Max hits hard, but as you’d imagine, it’s a limited range caliber. Within 100 yards, a 350 grain round hits with over 2,000-foot-pounds of energy. At 200 yards, it drops to 1,600 foot-pounds, and the round drops about a foot ballistically. Within that speed spot from 0 to 150 yards, it will break bone, tear through muscle, and efficiently kill big animals.

The 500 Auto Max cartridges fit into a proprietary magazine, and the AR 500 pistol ships with two five-round magazines. I also picked up a nine-rounder. The nine-round magazine is about the same length as a 20 round 5.56 magazine for perspective.

The AR 500 In Living Color

This AR 500 is an AR pistol that uses an upper and lower largely based on the AR 10 platform. That being said, it’s entirely its own thing. Everything about this bad boy is dummy thicc. The takedown pins, the mag well, the upper and lower, everything is beefy and capable.

The bolt carrier group is massive! It’s a big beefy thing that dwarves a standard 5.56 BCG or even a .308 BCG. Honestly, everything about the gun is huge except the charging handle. It’s a dinky Mil-spec-style charging handle. You have barely any leverage to work the massive bolt against a rather heavy buffer.

Beyond that, the billeted upper and lower look fantastic. The magazine well has a nice funnel to it. The gun comes with an ambidextrous safety and ambidextrous bolt lock. However, the magazine release is standard righties only.

The 10-inch barrel comes fitted with a big ole muzzle brake. Behind it sits a hefty M-LOK forearm with some rail tacked on for some basic accessorizing. Across the top, we got a huge optic rail perfectly suited for a red dot. At the opposite end, we have a blade-style brace. It’s adjustable via two bolts that use friction to keep the brace locked in place.

While it’s short, it ain’t light. The AR 500 weighs 8.1 pounds empty without an optic. It’s a hefty beast, but what do you expect from what’s basically a 500 S&W Magnum AR?

At The Range

It’s rare I approach the range not knowing what to expect. I had some nerves fluttering around. I’d handled big-bore ARs like the 458 SOCOM, 450 Bushmaster, and similar guns. However, this was entirely new. I loaded up the two five-round magazines and a nine-rounder with a little 500 Auto Max and hit the range.

I knew to expect recoil, and I knew the brace wouldn’t be recoil friendly. Boy, was I right. There is some substantial recoil to this gun. It hits hard, and the brace certainly isn’t comfy. The brace makes it worse than it needs to be. It’s roughly the same recoil as a 3-inch 12 gauge magnum round. The brace beat me up and has since left me bruised and literally bloody.

But holy crap, was it fun! I like recoil and a challenge, and the Big Horn Armory AR 500 provides that. It’s everything my red-blooded American body loves! It’s loud, has a hint of muzzle flash, kicks hard, with some serious muzzle rise. Every shot gives you a thrill, and I had a blast, both literally and figuratively, with the AR 500 pistol.

Zeroing is usually boring, but it was thrilling with this gun. Since ammo is expensive, I did a very careful and methodical zero with tapes measures to get my 510C on target. After a 50 yard zero, I moved to 100 yards and tested for accuracy.

Straight Shooter

My group was about 1.5 inches. The gun doesn’t achieve MOA accuracy, but it’s dang near one big hole. I guess that’s what happens with half-inch holes. I achieved the group in a supported bench rest position with a simple red dot. Big Horn Armory seems to know their triggers, and the trigger was very smooth and fairly light. It takes a dedicated pull, but there is no take-up, and it’s super short with a very positive reset.

I will say the brake shoots lots of fire and gas downwards and that creates a rather dusty environment. Interestingly enough, if you focus, you can feel the massive bolt slamming rearwards and then running forwards. As a machine gunner, it reminded me of an open bolt gun firing the first shot. Part of your recoil impulse is the bolt slamming back forward, and with the big AR 500 bolt, you certainly feel it.

When you conduct a reload and hit the bolt release, you can most certainly feel that massive beast shoot forward and lock into place. Speaking of reloading, the magazine has to be inserted straight upwards and seems to have very little wiggle room. I had to pull the magazine forward a little bit partway up the magwell to get a smooth reload.

Also, the nine-round magazine would not insert fully loaded on a closed bolt without a seriously hard slap. Hard enough, I was a little scared of deforming the ammunition. I did love the ambidextrous bolt relief. I just needed to move my trigger finger up and hit the go button.

Does the AR 500 Run?

The ammo costs about two bucks per round, so I didn’t have hundreds and hundreds of rounds to test. I had 100 rounds, and I blew through it without issue. The gun never failed in that hundred rounds. It’s not much, but spending a grand on ammo isn’t in the budget!

While the recoil might be stiff, you can still achieve those sweet double taps. Well, double tapp-ish. It’s more like a controlled pair after you take the recoil and muzzle rise into account. If I was hunting a big animal, I’d feel comfortable in being able to get a follow-up round on target quite quickly if I needed to.

Put me within a hundred yards of a pack of hogs, and I will obliterate at least two of those bastards. The big, hard-hitting round leaves some room for a suboptimal shot. That shouldn’t be a goal, but a big, heavy, hard-hitting round rips and tears.

The 500 Auto Max

The AR 500 lays down some serious thrills. It’s powerful, hard-hitting, and a ton of fun to shoot. It’s certainly accurate enough to hunt and dominate inside of 150 yards or so. It’s a big beefy gun with a real niche use. Sure, the recoil hits hard, and the blade-like brace is most certainly a blade, but you can’t expect less. My only real complaint is the tiny charging handle. Everything about this gun is beefy, so why would you leave out a big beefy charging handle?

Luckily, it’s an easy fix. The AR 500 pistol gives hunters a very capable close-range weapon designed to hit hard and kill any big, dangerous animal that crosses your path. Big Horn Armory clearly knows how to make a damn fine rifle. It’s capable and very well made. Now I need to save my pennies for some more ammo!

Ian McCollum is back with what may be the most well-thought-out bullpup design in the world. Yeah, I know, Tavor and all that, but take a look at the HS Produkt VHS-2 and then see what you think. For the two videos you’ll find below, Ian makes use of his extensive secret contacts in the French Defense establishment to examine and shoot two rifles that went through the French Army testing when they were looking to replace the FAMAS. While the Heckler & Koch 416 eventually got the nod, the VHS-2 came in second to an already proven and outstanding rifle.

First, a little background. HS Produkt is a small arms manufacturer in Croatia which, after the Balkan Wars of the 1990s and early 2000s, felt the need for a domestic arms production capability. HS Produkt designed and manufactures the HS 2000 pistol, known in the United States as the Springfield Armory XD Series, which Springfield imports from Croatia. The VHS-2 is the successor of the VHS-1, a bullpup reminiscent of the FAMAS, but with all the growing pains of a company’s first outing with a new type of firearm. HS Produkt learned from the VHS-1 and the new design shows the benefits of that experience.

Features

Ian says right up front that HS Produkt has “done a pretty sweet job on this rifle.” Let’s do a quick rundown of the features and specs and then talk about it a little:

• Caliber: 5.56×45 NATO
• Barrel length: 16 or 19 inches, depending on the model
• Short stroke gas piston operating system
• Ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle
• Ambidextrous fire select lever
• Ambidextrous magazine release
• Ambidextrous bolt release
• Adjustable for right- or left-hand ejection
• Interchangeable magazine well to accept STANAG AR-15 or H&K G36 magazines.
• Adjustable flip-up aperture rear sight
• Adjustable flip-up hooded post front sight

Right or Sinister? Totally Up to the Shooter

Many guns claim to be ambidextrous, and they are, to a point. That claim usually applies to the controls but not the internals. The VHS-2 is as truly ambidextrous as any gun in the world. The charging handle is similar to the FAMAS, but it flips out to either side with no adjustment. The fire selector is the same on both sides. The mag release and bolt release are on the bottom of the rifle and intuitively operated during and after a mag change. Both are reminiscent of the AK release lever, just easier to operate. There are lots of sling attachment points, QD and otherwise, on both sides of the rifle.

The most interesting ambi feature is the ability to set the rifle up to eject to whichever side the shooter prefers. There are ejection ports on both sides of the rifle. The dust cover on the side not in use is easily pinned shut. When the bolt assembly is removed, the shooter can turn the AR-18 style bolt to set the extractor to the desired side. The cantilevered cam pin is then inserted, keeping the bolt set to that side. Ian points out that it’s far easier than switching a Tavor or a Steyr AUG, both of which require a different receiver.

The necessity of a right-handed shooter to sometimes shoot lefty, and vice versa, has also been considered. The stock’s cheekpiece includes brass deflectors on both sides, ensuring the shooter doesn’t catch an ejected cartridge case in the face. Ian notes that he gets the slightest breeze on the beard when shooting with his off hand, but that’s it. It’s really a well-thought-out and rather ingenious design.

Other Cool Stuff

The length of pull is fairly long, but the VHS-2 comes with interchangeable butt pads and a collapsible stock anyway. The sights are mounted on the long carry handle, which is also equipped with a full-length Picatinny rail. The rear sight is a metal flip-up design with different apertures for different ranges. The front sight, also metal and flip-up, is a hooded post, adjustable for elevation. Ian says that even if you chose not to mount an optic on that top rail, the iron sights are very good, and the rifle would perform well.

The coolest stuff, for me anyway, is near the front of the rifle. Behind the birdcage flash hider are a bayonet lug and a rifle grenade support. Removing the carry handle assembly, easily done with push pins, reveals the short-stroke gas piston and gas block. The gas block only has one port and two settings. One, obviously, is fire and the other is for rifle grenades. There is no port at all for that setting.

But rifle grenades aren’t the only firepower upgrade for the VHS-2. The handguard is removed with a push pin, whereupon the rifle can take the business part of the stand-alone HS Produkt 40mm grenade launcher, which has the exact same attachment system as the handguard. It can literally be attached to the rifle in less than a minute and be ready to roll. Just swing out the barrel of the launcher, load her up, and you’re suddenly a grenadier.

The mag well is cool because it can be easily removed to accept either standard AR-15 mags or the G36 mags used by the Croatian military. HS Produkt even created a special mag well for the French Army trials that took FAMAS mags. That’s a nice feature to have.

Finally, the rifle has an all-metal and easily removed fire control group similar to the FAMAS and the Steyr AUG. Ian believes this modularity lends itself to trigger upgrades should some enterprising company decide to make the effort.

How Does it Shoot?

Ian shot two versions of the rifle. Both had semi-automatic fire, while one had full auto and the other was limited to two round bursts, a request from the French police, who were also testing the rifle. He fired the guns on all three settings.

“Overall,” Ian tells us, “It is a remarkably pleasant, comfortable, easy rifle to shoot.” In another instance, he says the VHS-2 is “a quite nice rifle. A big reason for that is the design that locates the barrel and chamber on the same plane as the center of the buttstock, and by extension, the shooter’s shoulder. This arrangement all but eliminates any tendency to climb as it recoils.

Ian shot the guns right and left-handed and had no problems with “eating brass” when firing from the non-dominant side. The rate of fire, on paper, is about a thousand rounds per minute, though Ian says he got the impression that the full-auto rate of fire was just a little slower than the two-round burst. He does say that his perception may be entirely subjective. He also notes that, though he’s not sold on the utility of two-round bursts, they are certainly controllable. “It is,” he says again, “quite comfortable.”

Finally, Ian whips out the grenade launcher and attaches it to the rifle in place of the handguard. Since he’s working on an indoor range, he fires rubber riot grenades, but the effect is still pretty cool, evidenced by the elated expression on his face after firing.

You Can Have One Too. Sort of.

All in all, the VHS-2 looks to be a very nice rifle. Personally, I’ve never really been attracted to bullpups, but this one is tempting. If you feel the same, you can pick up the civilian version of the VHS-2 — the Hellion, which was just unveiled by Springfield Armory who, as we noted before, imports HS Produkt guns into the US. There are some modifications to make them legal with the Feds, most notably the M-LOK handguard and the pistol grip. Also, they are semi-automatic and don’t have the capability to mount a bayonet or fire rifle grenades. And no grenade launcher attachment either. Sigh. But, if you’re interested, here’s a gun with only cosmetic changes that has experienced the trials and errors of production and done well in full-on military trials. Might be worth a look since we aren’t likely to get a shot at the real thing.

What do you think? Is this the beginning of a new kind of bullpup? Are you thinking about picking up a Hellion? Let us know in the comments.

When I pulled into the range to meet Bob for a shooting session, it was with the full realization that we were not going to just be turning loaded rounds into empty brass. No, not at all. Bob is a consummate instructor who goes full bore all the time, every time. The man is incapable of going to the range casually; there are goals for every range session.  I love his teaching style, and I always learn something. He taught me to have at least one goal in mind for every training session.

This particular day, we’d be running the AK platform. Anyone who is familiar with the AK realizes that they have a plethora of sharp edges, all the better to cut the living hell out of your hands while running the gun. I’d be fine, though.

Nowadays, our training has taken on a new urgency, given the state of our society. One never knows what twists and turns things will take next week or even tomorrow.

As we laid out our gear to get ready for shooting drills, Bob asked me if I had gloves to wear to protect my hands. Gloves?! What the hell, Bob, I have working man’s hands, I don’t need no damn gloves!

We began shooting drills, which included many magazine changes at high speed. I was persevering, but damn, my hands were getting pulverized. “Hey, Bob…uhhhh…you still have them gloves?”

Bob looked at me disdainfully, shook his head, muttered something about “(Expletive) greenhorns,” and handed me the gloves. Thus was my introduction to Mechanix Gloves.

I’ll tell you, they made that shooting session a lot more tolerable and saved me some bleeding. I was able to concentrate more on training and learning, as opposed to being distracted by pain.

Mechanix offers a solid product. The thing I believe I like the most about them is the dexterity that they offer. The palms are made from synthetic leather and really allow me to feel everything that I need to, and yet offer a decent amount of protection so my palms don’t get chewed up. The thickness of the leather in the palms of the Fast Fit model is .6 mm and they have “touch screen technology” (I tried it, and it actually works).

The uses for these gloves are many. Because of the dexterity they permit, I can perform magazine changes, easily feel the magazine release, and access magazines from pouches. I can easily pick up small tools and such for maintenance jobs and can feel the controls for operating machinery.

The Fast Fit gloves have elastic around the cuffs, which makes it easy to don and doff the gloves, yet keeps them on securely. On a practical level, it works very well.

The part of the glove that covers the back of the hand uses TrekDry, which is breathable and facilitates keeping the hands cool in warm weather. The gloves that I have are in the MultiCam pattern, and also Coyote Brown. I like the Coyote because it blends well in many environments, but is also low-key and doesn’t draw much attention when doing “normal” activities. In short, they don’t look overly “tactical.”

I recently purchased another pair of Mechanix Gloves, “The Original” model. They are very similar to the “Fast Fit” model, with a few minor exceptions.

The leather on the Original is .8mm (it also has touch screen technology), which is slightly thicker than the .6mm of the Fast Fit gloves. I purchased the Original gloves with the intention of wearing them at my job. I often have to touch metal lift gates and chains on trucks, and in the colder months, I like a little protection for my hands (temperatures here can reach zero degrees or even lower at times). Despite the fact that the gloves are intended for warm weather, they do offer some protection in the colder months. The fact that they are light and I can feel what I’m grabbing very well is a major plus.

Another difference on the Original gloves is that the cuffs have a hook and loop closure as opposed to the elastic cuffs.  The hook and loop does hold the gloves on more securely, but for my needs, the elastic works nicely and makes it easier and faster to don and doff the gloves. Personally, I find that I prefer the elastic system that’s used on the Fast Fit gloves.

Mechanix took pains to make certain that the gloves fit extremely well; they feel like they were tailored for my hand. The leather is cut and stitched in such a way that the leather doesn’t bunch up, and I’d use the word “Sleek” to describe how they feel.

So far, the Mechanix gloves are holding up very well and seem durable. Granted, I don’t beat the hell out of them, but I’m quite satisfied with how they’re wearing.

They are available in several colors: Coyote, Woodland Camo, MultiCam, Black, and Wolf Grey.

Mechanix offers a variety of gloves, including impact-resistant and cut-resistant tactical gloves. Some other varieties that they have are mens’ and womens’ gardening gloves, Durahide leather gloves (for heavy work), Winter insulated gloves, Winter water-resistant gloves, impact-resistant winter gloves, heat-resistant gloves, and welding gloves.

I’m considering picking up a pair or two of their water-resistant, insulated winter gloves.

On top of performing very well, Mexhanix gloves also look attractive, which never hurts. They are used by a variety of law enforcement and military teams, as well as other folks in all walks of life.

Now for one of the best aspects of these gloves: the price. I picked up the three pairs of gloves that I currently own for around $13.95 each, which I consider to be very reasonable. The rest of their gloves are priced pretty reasonably as well; nothing in their lineup appears as though it will break the bank.

Overall, I endorse Mechanix Gloves. They function well, look good, and are available at a great price point. Plus they help in training and on real operations. For law enforcement, military, mundane jobs, hunting, and a myriad of other functions, they are just what the doctor ordered.

I’ve got one helluva wife. She’s smart, funny, beautiful and gives great gifts. One gift she gave me this Christmas was the Caldwell Target Turner. Targets that turn, spin, and react can be a lot of fun. Shooting targets that just stand there and get shot is fun and sufficient for training, but it’s not the only option.

The Caldwell Target Turner does exactly what the name applies. As the name implies, it turns the target. It turns the target approximately 90 degrees back and forth. It acts as both a target turner and a stand. The primary components are the Target turner assembly that comes with three legs that fold and adjust.

The axle supports the two target holder rods, which then support your target backing. Caldwell includes a folding target backer, but it’s easily replaceable by anything light and friendly. This includes cardboard, which is my favorite medium for target backers.

Setting Up the Caldwell Target Turner

Caldwell sends all the goodies you need to build out the Target Turner. This includes the nuts, bolts, and tools to get it done. It took me less than fifteen minutes to assemble the legs to the base. Everything else pops on and off without issue.

The Target Turner is designed to be broken down and carried easily in the supplied carry bag. The kit’s plenty lightweight and it breaks down with ease, which makes it easy to take it to and from the range. The biggest downside to the kit is the battery pack. It holds eight AA batteries. That’s a hefty juice investment, and according to Caldwell, the battery life is about eight hours.

The system stands tall enough to easily avoid shooting the base and can stand taller with whatever cardboard you use as a backer. I went pretty dang tall with the thing without issues. The low center of gravity ensures it doesn’t get blown over via wind, and it spins without disruption.

Going Reactive

Why do you want a target to spin around? Or to turn in this situation? Well, it makes your training more reactive and brings movement into the fold. It allows you to exercise your reaction times in a non-predictable or predictable pattern. The Target Turner base has an accelerator that allows you to adjust from Turtle to Rabbit.

The adjustable speed allows you to adjust the turn from every six seconds or a turn every second. The accelerator doesn’t necessarily adjust per second. It just rotates and speeds up as you turn the dial. You’d have to time the turns to understand how fast the target is actually turning.

The reactive design of the Target Turner makes for a more challenging training environment. This allows you to practice a variety of skills not only against a timer but against a potentially moving target. Plus, it’s just a ton of fun, and the more fun you’ll have, the more likely you are to train. Your target doesn’t need to just sit there and do nothing. Instead, it can move and change things up.

At the Range

Setup took no time at all. I messed around a bit with the accelerator and found a somewhat slow speed to start with. It certainly wasn’t six seconds’ worth of time. I started at 15 yards with my AR and practiced some simple engagements as the target turned towards me. Admittedly, you can fall into a predictable rhythm, but it’s a lot less predictable than a target that just stands still.

I stepped up my practice with the Target Turner and turned up the speed of the device. At the same time, I practiced my own failure to stop drills—two shots to the chest and a single, well-aimed shot to the head. The target spun, and I flew into the drill. It’s so much fun and delivered an outstanding training experience.

I was quickly finding new ways to use the Target Turner to enhance my training and to increase the challenge. One way was dropping the big targets and moving to smaller, more challenging targets. A series of 3×5 cards on my target backer made things a lot more challenging and, with their placement, a lot less predictable, especially as the targets rotated and quickly limited my time to get on target.

To change another thing up, I rotated the base oh so slightly to ensure the target didn’t turn to fully face me. This limited the target’s exposure and added a new degree of challenge to my time at the range.

Going 3D

What quickly became apparent was that pairing the Caldwell Target Turner with 3D targets was the way to go. I grabbed the cheapest possible 3D target on the market, which is the Birchwood Casey Torso target. It’s made from recycled material and still rotates with ease when attached to the Target Turner.

I stapled the target to a target backer, and this added an entirely new edge to the Target Turner. The 3D target provides me multiple angles to shoot, and the Target Turner exposes both the front and side angles of the target. This changed things up and not only made me utilize the Target Turner to its fullest extent, but the Birchwood Casey 3D targets as well.

I could engage the smaller sides of the target and engage, or I could wait and engage when the target turned towards me. It was an entirely new training experience, and as far as I know, it’s the safest and simplistic way to train with moving targets.

Moving On

Since my first days at the range, I’ve used the Target Turner extensively, not only for live-fire but dry fire as well. The Target Turner can easily be used for a multitude of training environments. I’ve used it inside my kitchen, paired with an AR-15 equipped with the Mantis Blackbeard system.

I’ve taken it in the yard and used the Target Turner with a Sig P365 BB gun for close-range retention training. Trying to draw and shoot the target as it spins towards you creates a lot of challenge and plenty of excitement—a heckuva lot more fun than practicing with a stationary target.

The battery life might last eight hours, but after six hours, I noticed a little lag in the acceleration. What might affect battery life was using the heavier cardboard backers for larger targets and the heavier 3D targets. I’m not sure, but even six hours of use seems generous. It took three weeks of heavy use to get six hours of use in. After a set of new batteries, the Target Turner came back to life and spun just as rapidly as it did on day one.

The Caldwell Target Turner is an amazing piece of gear. It’s a ton of fun, and I had a blast with the device. It changes up your training and what you can accomplish. Best of all, according to my wife, it costs less than 100 bucks. Not a bad investment to change things up.

The Smith & Wesson CSX is one of the most talked-about new guns of 2022 and has been blowing up the internet. If you’re like me, you want to gauge as many opinions as possible before dropping 600 bucks (or more) on a new blaster. So, here’s another good rundown without a lot of fluff from the guys at Gun Talk Media in the video linked below.

Not an M&P

One point needs to be made up front: the CSX is not a new model in Smith & Wesson’s M&P line. It’s a completely new platform. The main things that differentiate it are the aluminum alloy frame, as opposed to the M&P’s polymer frame, and the fact that the CSX is hammer-fired. The video notes that the CSX seems to fill a distinct niche in the subcompact carry gun market with those features and its frame-mounted thumb safety. Those are features that many folks like, but they are few and far between in a world dominated by striker-fired polymer guns. It is allowed that the grips have “an M&P flavor to them” and that does seem to be the case. Hey, if you have a good grip already in production, and it works, why not use it? But the grip doesn’t make it an M&P except maybe at first glance.

Let’s hit the CSX’s features

• Aluminum alloy frame
• Hammer-fired
• Ambidextrous frame-mounted thumb safety
• Ambidextrous low profile slide stop
• Reversible magazine release button
• Barrel Length: 3.1 inches
• Weight: 20 ounces
• Three dot sights with anti-glare cuts in the top of the slide
• 1 extra interchangeable backstrap
• Capacity: 10+1 or 12+1
• Caliber: 9mm
• MSRP: Around $600

Where does the CSX stack up?

The size of the CSX is rightfully drawing attention. The video features several guns of similar size on the table with it, and the CSX is one of the smallest. Among those guns is a Colt Defender, included with the interesting observation that the CSX is “kind of 1911-y” with the hammer and thumb safety. Other interesting comparisons are with the popular Springfield Armory Hellcat and the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Sub and M&P Shield Plus. The CSX will likely be a major competitor for the Hellcat, mainly because of its differences than its similarities. The comparisons with the M&P guns are interesting because it shows where the CSX fits in the Smith & Wesson lineup.

A Few Points and Opinions

A few points should be made outside the list of features. The trigger on the CSX has generated some talk. It’s noted here that the trigger is “solid bodied” and has the ubiquitous blade trigger safety. The pull weight is checked and comes in at an average of 5.12 pounds on the gauge. It’s then pointed out that trigger pull is subjective to each shooter in terms of weight and smoothness. That’s true, but there’s no firm opinion offered here. Take that as you will. It is noted that the trigger guard is a bit small, which is again subjective depending on the shooter. Some will like it, and some won’t.

The magazines look to be well thought out. The ten-rounder is flush. The “extended” twelve-round mag is only about a quarter of an inch longer. Well done, Smith & Wesson. In that case, why wouldn’t you carry the twelve rounder? The mags are said to be tight going in and full mags are harder to eject than empty mags. Could be a breaking-in issue.

The thumb safety is always going to be a matter of preference, but the video opines that Smith & Wesson “hit the sweet spot” with this one. It’s low profile and can be operated without a big change in the shooter’s grip. The slide can also be operated with the safety engaged.

The CSX shoots well and the recoil was very controllable. The reviewer “liked it a lot.” Overall, the review is positive, if ambiguous in a couple of places. But for a “first look” review, an opinion of “pretty cool” might be about the most we can expect. Have you shot the CSX? Let us know what you think about it.