Hot on the heels of its defensive handgun ammunition launch, Browning is expanding its loadings for the 12 and 20 gauge shotguns. The new BXD loading is designed for upland hunting, launching plated lead shot “at high velocities to achieve premium in-the-field performance.”

I was invited to attend the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun match in Mesa, Arizona at the request of KE Arms. KE Arms is a manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of all things firearms. This year at Superstition Mountain was a nexus of “new things” that had the potential to be noteworthy in our industry. Namely the first formal national 3-gun competition integrating the “Stealth Division” and the unveiling of a new prototype optic enabled pistol modification by KE Arms.

Safety Harbor Firearms is known for making a variety of short barrel shotguns, 50 BMG uppers plus other guns and accessories that some might consider out of the mainstream. The company recently posted images and a video of a short barrel Armagon G12 shotgun they’ve been working on.

In this episode of TFBTV, James reviews the gnarly and intimidating Chiappa Triple Threat, a three-barrel 12 gauge shotgun designed with close quarters combat in mind. James starts with birdshot, then works his way to 3″ BB and eventually 3″ 00 buck rounds, testing the effect of buckshot on a watermelon. With an MSRP of $1600, is this gun worth the price or is it just another gimmick? James finds out in this video.

Gun TV, the channel that we blogged about last year, has been live and on air for about a whole week right now (you can watch it live online). The channel comes with the slogan, “Live Shopping, Fully Loaded”. If you didn’t catch the earlier post, the channel is a 24/7 live firearms shopping channel, with occasional breaks in selling, to show episodes of interacting with firearms, such as range tips, cleaning, safety etc… For example the hosts will present a certain firearm, show how it works, and then they’ll go out a range, shoot it a few times, then go back into the studio where they will continue to talk about it. In total there are 9 hosts that usually pair up with each other to talk about a certain firearm on screen.

On April 1, 2016, Vortex Optics announced their latest reticle to revolutionize Shotgun shooting for winged targets.

Wilson Combat is turning out heavily customozed Remington 870 shotguns that have been developed for tactical applications. Called the CQB Shotgun, these new smoothbores are the latest 12 gauge guns to come from the company’s Scattergun Technologies line.

In part one and part two of the beginner’s series we walked you through the process of researching, buying and finally transferring a new suppressor from a dealer. We even gave you assignments along the way, like getting barrels threaded, buying a booster or picking out muzzle devices. So, let’s fast forward four to six (six to nine?) months when your paperwork comes back approved and start talking about the fun stuff: suppressor ownership and shooting suppressed weapons. Chances are that once you experience the world of suppressors, you won’t be able to go back to your old (loud) ways.

While I have put in many hours of square range time and attended serious training as well, I love shooting sports; they’re fun, informative, and a great way to practice.  One can also make new friends, and sports afford the opportunity to either just have fun or competitively push oneself to better one’s skills with firearms.  The love of shooting sports is a big reason why I am an IDPA RSO (International Defensive Pistol Association Range Safety Officer).  Recently, I wanted to expand my horizons and try a new challenge.  I was attracted to SASS (Single-Action Shooting Society) for a few reasons:  The focus on fun appealed to me, as well as the challenge of using “period correct” firearms, carry, and ammunition management.  Given that I am a “greenhorn” to the sport, I wanted to take an introductory course.   I have seen many people struggle when attending an IDPA match for the first time, and while I try to help them as much as possible, it can be difficult to do in large matches.  I didn’t want to be a boat-anchor at my first SASS match, so an “Introduction to SASS” course appealed to me.  As luck would have it, I would be passing by Coyote Valley Cowboys range in Morgan Hill, CA  on my travels, and they offered such a course.

Ah, the internet. It’s made experts out of everyone with the ability to enter words into a web search engine and models out of, well, everyone who cares to stretch the truth about their looks. It also seems to have removed the need for basic manners and being polite, which brings us to the current Firearms Food for Thought question: internet gun advice. As in, do you give it or not?

Jim Grant of Burst Review, got to play with Destructive Devices new DDI-12 AK style shotgun. It is a converted Saiga 12.

Advanced Technology International (ATI) announced the company is now shipping the new T3 TactLite shotgun stocks.

Bryan Cornwell of NextLuxury.com posted an article showing pictures of 100 gun rooms. Prepare to waste a lot of time drooling at these pictures. I know I did. As Alex Capps said it in another post: “#LifeGoals” LOL

3Gun Nation has started official matches for Airsoft. Say what you will about airsoft, but have a look at this video. Racing is racing and this looks like a fun and challenging sport. It has the spirit of 3gun just without the long distance targets we typically see here in the US.

Sure there were some people trying to convert AR10s to shoot 12ga. Then there are the AR style 12ga shotguns. Now someone has made a beltfed AR upper that shoots 12ga shotgun shells. Just need to iron out the kinks.

For years gun cases have been seen as nothing more than a receptacle used to transport firearms from Point A to Point B. Of course, they’re far more than that  for many of us. As someone who shoots and hunts for work, I can attest to the fact that my gun cases are about a lot more than just holding a gun. Cases end up holding paracord, knives, holsters, ammo – you name it, if it’s gun or hunting-related gear, it’ll find its way into the gun case. Enter the newest offering from Allen Company: the Gear Fit gun case.

We are living in a Golden Age of suppressors. The market is flush with caliber ratings, high-tech materials, new mounting options and a host of accessories. If you have ever thought about owning a suppressor, or even if you haven’t, let’s walk you through your first purchase from start to finish. Believe me, you want one. Ok, more than one.

Often seen, but rarely in person, the Techno Arms MAG-7 was one of the firearms fixtures of my childhood, appearing in seemingly every compendium and encyclopedia of small arms I could get my hands on growing up. It’s an extremely strange gun, sort of a hybrid of a Remington 870, an Uzi, and the designer’s dubious sanity. It’s really thanks to it occupying a sort of aesthetic and conceptual “halfway point” between a shotgun and a submachine gun, I think, that has made it so popular in the tabletop gun books I kept on my shelves growing up.

The Taurus Judge is not the first .410 caliber revolving shotgun-handgun hybrid, but it has been by far the most successful pistol of its kind. Despite being a heavy, bulky weapon that holds a mere 5 rounds, the Judge can be found in most well-stocked gun stores, and its suitability for personal protection has become a hotly debated topic on internet forums.

It’s an argument that’s been knocked back and forth at more than one 3-gun event or hunting cabin: does the shooter make the gun, or does the gun make the shooter? Or, in other words, can a subpar or average shooter be made into a superstar with the assistance of a high-end gun (and high-end optics)? Can a skilled marksman coax a stellar performance out of just any gun and/or optic, regardless of quality?

If you have ever taken a basic handgun safety course or perused the NRA’s website, you should be familiar with them. Actually, if you have been around the firearms world at any greater length or depth than only topical interest, you should be familiar with them. They’re the four golden rules of firearms safety and although there are multiple versions thanks to varied wording, the gist remains the same: 1) Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target, 2) Treat all guns as though they are loaded, 3) Know your target and what is beyond it, and 4) Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.

Found this on Facebook.

To a lot of gun people, “action star” brings to mind flashy but impractical firearms, one-liners, and unfortunately often a painfully phony relationship between the actor and his weapons. However, as the shooting sports have exploded in popularity since 2004, we’ve seen an increase in celebrity personalities joining the fold, or revealing that they were a member all along.

TriStar, known for their imported Turkish-made shotguns, has announced the expansion of their Over/Under shotgun line with offerings for smaller gauges. Originally released only in 12 Gauge, the Setter brand of shotguns is now available in both .410 and 28 Gauge.

Uzkon Arms Defense Ltd announced a new shotgun called the AS46. This new scattergun has a pump action and is in a pistol type configuration without a stock. Expected to be shown at the IWA Outdoor Classics in March 2016, the new 12 gauge shotgun is fed from a detachable, box style magazine. The magazines hold five shells, and the company will ship the AS46 with two magazines.

CDM Gear posted a picture on their Facebook page of their improved safety for Mossberg shotguns. One of the great features of Mossberg shotguns is their ambidextrous safety, it’s one of the better shotgun safeties out there. It’s not perfect however, many shooters find that they still have to break their grip on the shotgun to manipulate the safety. This isn’t the first attempt at improving the safety on the Mossberg 500 shotguns, check out our past post on improving the Mossberg shotgun safety.

Wow…
Wow…

The FIME Group has announced a long-term Agreement with The famed Russian MOLOT Oruzhie factory as the “exclusive importer for the North American market.” In addition, the FIME group will also serve as the US service and warranty center.

I don’t usually read The Daily Mail for its authentic and informative stories about the world, but some pretty interesting stuff does sometimes come out of it. Such as this story about a British parish council chairman in Suffolk who amassed over five hundred firearms in his house. We a story earlier back about an American in California who had thousands of firearms confiscated from him when he died, and in a similar case, this British gentleman passed away before any legal ramifications could be had for him. Comparing gun ownership in Britain to the U.S., that’s alot of firearms! Apparently most of them were illegally owned, but I’ve got a hunch that there might be more to the story than this. This might be a long stretch, but I’m willing to hedge a small bet, that the overwhelming majority of these “firearms” were actually deactivated. Although the problem is that I can’t see any evidence to support this in the pictures, and it doesn’t say so throughout the article. What makes me say this, is that the guy has over five hundred firearms, but apparently not a single round of live ammunition. The report claims that there were “200,000” rounds of ammunition also found, but in all the pictures of this “ammunition”, they either show just bullets without shells, or shells without bullets/powder/primers. Knowing English gun laws are extremely strict, I wouldn’t put it past the police to simply say these were firearms, because maybe they had been deactivated in the 1990s or so, but hadn’t followed any of the additional deactivation laws. For more information on this, see my article on the London Proof House. But essentially, Britain has passed a number of deactivated firearms laws, and with each law, the deactivated firearm has to be brought up to standard, by filling the barrel with lead, or slotting the chamber, or any other such method. Maybe this guy had all these deactivated guns, and just got tired of following each new law, and thus simply didn’t. Because I can’t see how even illegally, one has a huge amount of firearm

The Sweet Sixteen shotgun was one of the iconic scattergun models made by Browning in the last century. Built between 1936 and 1976, the 16 gauge semi-automatics were adored by many hunters who liked the lighter gun that produced near 12 gauge performance. Even though the 16 gauge has fallen out of favor with many, these guns are still sought by many collectors and hunters.