Over the last decade, the availability and after-market support for the MP5 platform has exploded. With a number of companies offering MP5 clones or variants, there are now a number of different companies to look at when it comes to purchasing an MP5 variant. I have an SP5K from HK but wanted to try out a clone variant. It’s fairly crazy to see how much fighting online there is about the overall performance of these clones so it’s time to put one to the test. I ended up settling on a Century Arms AP5 and I’ve had it for a few months now. Let’s take a closer look at the Century Arms AP5.

In the world of handguns, the CZ 75 is one of the older models that’s been around the block a time or two. There are a number of companies out there who make copies and clones of the original 75 style. CZ has built countless variations of the CZ75 as well as created some high-end competition firearms off the 75 workhorse bones. The newest variant of this evolution is the CZ Shadow 2 Orange. This handgun has a number of changes compared to the CZ75s of the past. Let’s take a closer look at the new CZ Shadow 2 Orange pistol.

The concealed carry market is, in my opinion, the most diverse in the industry. Everybody is different, and due to their differences in physical geometry, preferences, and circumstances, many different types of firearms are needed. For me, I live in a place where I’m mostly concerned with two-legged predators, but I also don’t spend too much time away from home. A medium-sized, single-stack 9mm is what you’ll usually find inside my waistband. However, that pistol isn’t necessarily suitable for all situations. One of my jobs includes traveling around the state. This lands me in remote areas, as well as some…less desirable parts of the city. In these cases, something more capable is my preference. It doesn’t get more capable than a compact, high-capacity, heavy caliber pistol with a red dot. That’s exactly what this review is about. The Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 3.8″ Compact OSP holds as many rounds of .45 ACP as it has words in its name, and I’m here to give you my take on its viability as a concealed carry option.

Welcome back to another installment of Friday Night Lights where I review things that help you see at night. Today we take a look at a somewhat obscure accessory by Black Optex called the Zero Lens. It converts a PVS-14 into a CNVD (Clip-on Night Vision Device). Allowing you to take further shots with a day optic on your rifle of choice.

If you recall, back in 2020, Imperial Arms Co. had come out with their Cypher and Cypher X SCAR receivers. Well, they have continued to build upgrades for the SCAR platform. They now have an M-LOK CypherX receiver. On top of that, they have a billet lower that takes AR-10 mags and more importantly AR trigger groups! They have also made their own B&T stock/brace adapter. Let’s take a closer look at these SCAR17S upgrades.

It’s universally agreed these days that eye and ear protection should always be worn when you’re out shooting. Whether you’re out hunting, competing at a match, or just out goofing around on the range, keeping your sensitive organs protected from unnecessary trauma is important if you want to keep listening to “ A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton on your way home from the range (don’t lie we all know you do it). Wireless earbuds have become extremely popular these days but often suffer from a couple of core drawbacks. A lot of wireless earbuds lack sufficient battery capacity to last you all day and others aren’t all that durable when it comes to hard range use. The new ISOtunes Sport CALIBER wireless Bluetooth earbuds aim to correct a few of those drawbacks and provide shooters with another option for convenient hearing protection both on and off the range. ISOtunes was generous enough to provide me with early access to these new earbuds for testing and evaluation and today we’ll take a look at the features, pros, and cons of these new earbuds to see if they’d be a right fit for you and the type of shooting that you do.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report. This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm universe and its various firearms, ammunition, sports, mysteries, and stories. This week we’re going to talk about the recently released Ruger Wrangler Birdshead Single Action Army 22LR revolver (that was a mouthful). Ruger released the Wrangler 22LR SAA pistol back in 2019 and it quickly became a favorite within the rimfire community for its build quality, reliability, and fun characteristics. Another contributing factor to the Wrangler’s success was its price – coming in at about half of what Ruger’s other SAA revolvers were running you. Building on the success of the original Ruger Wrangler is the Wrangler Birdshead revolver. Today we’ll take a look at a copy of the Birdshead revolver that Ruger sent out for testing and evaluation to see what it’s all about.

Welcome back to another Friday Night Lights. This week we take a look at a somewhat uncommon night vision clip-on. It is thanks to Night Vision Devices that I get to check out the KAC UNS®SR for this review. The UNS®SR stands for Universal Night Sight Short Range. But what does that mean and what can it do? Let’s find out.

In the world of high-end optics, there are a number of options to choose from. Whether it’s German, Japanese or American companies building high quality of glass, there are a number of options on the market today. Vortex has just dropped their latest Razor HD Gen III variant with their new 6-36×56 FFP optic. This is the second optic to come out from Vortex in the HD Gen III line up after their Razor 1-10 optic I reviewed awhile ago on TFB. Let’s take a deeper look at the Vortex Razor HD Gen III 6-36×56 FFP scope.

The Pulsar Proton FXQ30 is a thermal imaging, clip-on front attachment for the riflescope(s) that you already own. With an adapter you mount it to the end of your daytime scope, then the system is ready to deliver you a thermal image. You use the reticle of your daytime scope, no additional zeroing should be needed, at least that’s my experience.

This is a review of the InfiRay FH35R Thermal Monocular. These devices are typically used by hunters for scouting before and after the shot, but there are many other uses like finding missing persons. I really like this InfiRay. It has a good image quality, it’s easy to use and it’s relatively small and light. On top of that, there’s a Laser Range Finder (LRF) built-in, and while not cheap, the device is reasonably priced. It’s been my companion on several driven hunts, and I’ve used it to scout various areas to discover the performance and possible limitations.

Welcome back to Friday Night Lights. Every week you can find good pics and in-depth looks at various night vision and thermal devices. We occasionally look at night vision accessories like lasers and lights. This week we take a look at a historic night vision device. The Litton PVS-7A. This night vision goggle predates the infamous PVS-7 and has features ahead of its time. Let’s dive in and take a closer look.

Thanks for joining us on another TFB Wheelgun Wednesday, where we look at all things relating to revolvers. This week, we’ll take a look at Smith & Wesson’s Model 19 Carry Comp, which, as the catchy name implies, is built for carrying, and it has a compensation port that is designed to bleed off gases upward to keep the muzzle down and the sights on target. I wasn’t sure what to think about this model when it was first released, but a number of wheelgunny readers seemed to take a shine to it, so I was glad Smith & Wesson was able to loan me one to review for you.

SIG has been progressing and adapting the P365 series since it debuted back in 2018 with the original model. In past articles, I have taken a look at the various evolutions of the line from the XL variants to the new X line that’s a mash-up of the two models. Their newest offering is from the Spectre line which is the highest variant that SIG offers. Created out of the Custom Shop at SIG Sauer, the brand new P365 Spectre Comp is a new twist and the next evolution to the existing P365 lineup. Let’s take a deeper look at the SIG Sauer P365 Spectre Comp variant.

One of the biggest issues when it comes to traveling with guns and gear is the fact you never have enough space. I cannot tell you how many times I have traveled into a different state for training courses with multiple bags for all my gear. I reviewed the Otte Gear Range Bag a while back which is great for the day-long range days. The problem with the Otte Gear bag is it doesn’t leave much room for coats or anything you may need for a multiple-day course. I searched for a while for different solutions. Everything from Hard cased Pelicans to just taking a couple different bags but nothing really worked out. I searched around for awhile and finally came across the First Spear Contractor bag with a rolling frame. Let’s take a deeper look into this rolling locker on wheels.

Welcome back thermal enthusiasts! We have a relatively new thermal scope for this week’s Friday Night Lights. iRayUSA is the distributor for InfiRay in China. They are the same people who make the Jerry C and Jerry F. Well, iRayUSA has a new thermal weapon sight called the RICO MK1 and they have a laser rangefinding module, the ILR-1000, that connects to the RICO to give you laser range finding into the scope. Friday Night Lights is sponsored by ATN Corp, manufacturers of night vision and thermal optics like the THOR LT. As with all of our sponsored series, Friday Night Lights will continue to bring you unbiased news and reviews from a variety of companies.

The Model P-10 was CZ’s answer to the striker-fired, polymer-framed pistol market, and currently includes around nine different variations spread across four different letter designations. Other models include the C, S, and M designations, while the full-size CZ P-10 F features a longer grip to accommodate added magazine capacity, and no one in the competition market should balk at the extra half-inch of barrel length and sight radius of the CZ P-10 F Competition-Ready model. Due to the name “Competition-Ready” CZ didn’t want to stop there, so let’s take a look at what this model has to offer.

Holsters can be one of the most hit-or-miss firearms accessories that one can encounter, and I’d be willing to bet that most longtime handgun owners have a collection of a least a dozen that didn’t work out at one point or another.  The holster world has come a long way from the “Milt Sparks” type holster being one of the only viable concealed carry designs, and it’s super interesting to see what new designs each year holds.  Some of the better new designs I’ve recently encountered are the new Protos-M and Entrada holsters from Black Arch Holsters.

Former Sparks, Nevada Chief of Police Steve Keefer has taken to heart his role in police survival, even in retirement. He understands the value of training, in particular “reality-based training,” which for many agencies refers to role play with inert munitions. Its effectiveness is lauded in the law enforcement and military realms for facilitating better control over the physiological effects of stress, as well as improved decision-making about use of force.

If someone tells me to grab a pistol for a day of hard use, chances are I’m going to grab something made of plastic. While all-steel guns have their benefits, low weight, high capacity, ultra customizable pistols have clearly taken over, and they’ve been king for a while. Contrary to what you read on the ‘Gram, there are still plenty of people carrying and using older designs on the daily, namely the 110-year old 1911. In fact, I personally know a gang officer in the heart of South Central Los Angeles who carries the classic banger. I’m not going to pretend that I think the 1911 is just as relevant as more modern options, but it has a few things going for it. In this article, we’ll be looking at the Springfield Armory 1911 Loaded Marine Corps Operator in God’s caliber, .45 ACP. 

If you have been following my Friday Night Lights series, I have written about the PSQ-20 before but didn’t realize the generational changes until I acquired the final and older PSQ-20. Today we will take a look at the first PSQ-20 and compare it against a newcomer from China. The same people who made the JerryC, InfiRay, have made their own take on the PSQ-20 and call it the JerryF. Let’s do another deep dive into some thermal fusion monoculars. The Friday Night Lights series is sponsored by ATN Corp, manufacturers of night vision and thermal optics like the THOR LT. As with all of our sponsored series, Friday Night Lights will continue to bring you unbiased news and reviews from a variety of companies.

Red dots have become a dominant optic option for use on firearms. Vortex has made their name known with their wide selection of red dots. A couple of years ago, Vortex came out with their Micro3X magnifier. It was a short magnifier with a large eye box. Well, now they are coming out with a Micro6X for more magnification. Let’s take a closer look at this super magnifier.

The single stack 9mm market hasn’t completely gone to the wayside yet. Springfield Armory recently introduces new optics-ready versions of their XD-S MOD.2 pistols in an effort to meet the demands of modern concealed carriers. I was able to receive a copy of the Springfield XD-S MOD.2 OSP pistol in 9mm and in their 4-inch barrel configuration and with this review, I wanted to set out into a realm of handgun performance I hadn’t really spent all that much time with in the last couple of years. Why? Well with the introduction of modern micro-compact 9mm pistols, there really hasn’t been a need for me to pick up a compact single-stack 9mm in a long time but I had the feeling that many people still probably preferred their older single-stack 9mm pistols and might want to have carry-optics capabilities but keep largely the same gun.

9mm AK-style firearms have been mostly nonexistent until recent years. Two years ago Palmetto State Armory came out with their AK-V pistol and it has been hugely popular. Surprisingly, we have not reviewed an AK-V, that is until now. When PSA asked if we wanted to review some of their firearms, I jumped at the opportunity to check out the AK-V pistol. I had some issues out of the gate, some of it was the gun and most of it was the ammo but other than that, the gun is awesome. Let’s take a closer look at this AK-styled PCC.

The term “scout rifle” is one that often gets tossed around a lot in military fiction, science fiction, and other firearm-oriented material. However, the concept of the scout rifle is a real thing and one that was brought to modern popularity by retired US Marine, writer, and firearms instructor John Dean “Jeff” Cooper. To put it simply, the scout rifle concept consisted of a bolt-action carbine chambered in a full-sized rifle caliber (usually .308 Winchester) that had to be less than 40 inches in length and less than 6.6-pounds in heft. As designed, the scout rifle should have been capable of downing a man-sized target at distances of up to 450-meters. After the concept was brought to the fore, many firearms companies including Savage, Steyr, and Ruger produced rifles to match Jeff Cooper’s specifications. Now, Christensen Arms has offered their own version of the scout rifle with a few notable differences from the core concept and I was lucky enough to be able to receive a sample of the new Ridgeline Scout Rifle chambered in .308 Win for testing and evaluation purposes.

Over the last year, I’ve looked at a number of options to replace my aging Leupold Mark 4 CQ/T on my 15.1 RECCE Rifle. Having a medium-range DMR style rifle with a quality optic can be an incredibly useful tool. Whether it’s shooting at medium distances or just hunting for small game, having a quality LPVO can make your rifle much easier to make hits on target with proper magnification. After looking around on the market, I decided to pick up a Nightforce Optics NX8 1-8×24 scope as the permanent option for my RECCE Rifle. Let’s take a closer look at the Nightforce NX8 1-8×24 scope.

There have been many innovations in the muzzleloader industry in the past few years. SilencerCo brought us the “ Maxim 50” — history’s first (and only briefly 50-state legal) integrally suppressed muzzleloading rifle:

Over the last few years, there have been a number of legendary models from gun companies being brought into the modern times with the inclusion of optic cuts and upgraded sights as well as tuning specific parts of a firearm. This is exactly the case with the new SIG Sauer P226 Legion RXP variant.

The .458 SOCOM is a member of the “thumper” family. The Thumper concept comes from the great Jeff Cooper. A larger caliber bullet out of a rifle-length barrel. When Bear Creek Arsenal offered up a review, obviously I was going to request it be one of their .458 SOCOMs. Bear Creek is known for making affordable options for the gun world. Having a more affordable price point does not change the review, just gives it a perspective. How well is it made, and of course does it perform? Is shooting a “thumper” enjoyable. Well, I can tell you upfront, it is a lot of fun. Let’s take a look at Bear Creeks 458 SOCOM upper.

Athlon Optics has really made some waves in recent years, offering quite a variety of options between budget scopes around the $200 mark, all the way up to the $2000 spectrum. Athlon’s Argos 1-4x caught my eye when Adam S. reviewed it for AllOutdoor.com, so when I was looking to set up a rifle to eventually use as a sniper rifle for my department, I wanted to give Athlon Optics a try. One such optic was the Athlon ARES ETR 3-18×50 with a 34mm tube and UHD, extra-low dispersion glass. Athlon also let me use a set of their Precision Scope Rings as well.