IWI just jumped into the AR-10 game with the release of the Zion-25 series of rifles. As IWI accurately points out, the AR-10 never received the same standardization as the AR-15 platform, and the quality and performance of what has been available have varied widely. With the Zion-25, IWI is looking to provide a top-quality, duty-grade offering of the AR-15’s big brother.
The Zion-25 Series
The Zion-25 series features free-floated 1:8 twist barrels for the 6.5 Creedmoor models, and 1:10 for the .308 Winchester models. They are outfitted with ARCA-compatible M-LOK handguards, and B5 Systems grips and 8-position adjustable B5 stocks. All models offer QD sling compatibility out of the box.
The rifles have a black nitride finish. All of the Z-25s come with the IWI exclusive Timney 2-Stage trigger that debuted with the Z-15 SPR as well. The Zion series rifles are manufactured and assembled at the IWI US facility here in the United States. It’s in my home state of Pennsylvania, in fact.
MSRP for all Zion-25 models is $1949.99.
Zion-25 Carbine 16″
The shortest of the group is a 16-inch carbine chambered in .308 Winchester. It comes with a 15-inch Free Float Carbine Handguard with ¼ ARCA rails. It comes with one 20-round Magpul PMAG.
Zion-25 18″ DMR
The DMR version is also chambered in .308 Winchester. Its features are largely similar to the carbine, except it features an 18-inch barrel and a 17-inch free-float handguard.
Zion-25 20″ DMR
The 20-inch DMR is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and comes with a 17-inch free-float handguard and the +2 gas system length. The 6.5 Zions also come with 20-round P-MAGs.
Zion-25 22″ DMR
The last entry in the Zion line is the 22-inch DMR. Also chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and utilizing the +2 gas system and 17-inch free float handguard. If you’re really looking to reach out with your AR-10 platform, then this is the Zion you are looking for.
At the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, I had the opportunity to handle a number of firearms that I couldn’t even talk about. As official announcements roll out, I have an opportunity to talk a bit more about the guns I got to handle and shoot at the event, one being the SIG P320 M.O.D. M.O.D. stands for Max Off Duty and is the official sidearm of SIG Sauer’s new Off-Duty Program.
Max comes from Max Michel, who is an absolute beast of a professional competition shooter. Max Michel is a former soldier who served with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and won more championships than I’ve had birthdays.
He’s had input on P320s for SIG before, but those have been firearms designed specifically for competition use. The M.O.D. is designed for defensive use and is designed as such. It’s kicking off with the Off Duty Program that’s available to police, active and veteran military, and first responders.
The Off-Duty Program is open now and offers specially priced firearms to qualified individuals. The Off-Duty Program offers discounts on all sorts of SIG Sauer products. SIG makes everything from guns to optics and suppressors, so I imagine the discounts will go far and wide.
Digging into the P320 M.O.D.
The P320 M.O.D. is a unique P320 configuration. It’s essentially a full-size P320 with a full-size grip module that’s unique to the M.O.D. The barrel is 3.9 inches long, but the overall profile of the gun is that of a full-sized model. Why? Well, at the end of the slide is a two-port expansion chamber that acts as a compensator.
It redirects gas upward to push the gun down and mitigate muzzle rise. The P320 M.O.D. features an optics cut for SIG Pro optics. The gun comes with an XSeries flat trigger and a giant beavertail at the back to allow for a nice high grip on the gun. The gun comes with an integrated magwell and three 21-round magazines.
SIG teamed up with Hogue to produce a set of stick-on grips to increase traction. They are the Hogue Heavy Grit Max Michel edition Wraptor Grips. We have a Springer Precision magazine release as well as the SIG Standard XRay3 day/night sights. It’s quite the package and a great way to kick off the off-duty program.
Shooting the Beast
Shooting the M.O.D. was quite the experience. At first, I noticed how loud a comped handgun is when you’re shooting indoors. I thanked the lord for earmuffs and kept shooting. The expansion chamber does its job of driving the pistol down and keeping it on target. You can shoot very quickly and keep it on target.
It resets almost instantly, and I had no problems keeping the gun on target and tracking the sights. I wish the gun had a red dot. I’d have loved to see what I could do with a dot on this massive, comped gun. A good grip on the gun is a must-have for ensuring accuracy and control.
Those Hogue grips are no joke. They are extremely and aggressively textured. They stick to your hand quite well and don’t budge even a bit when shooting. This keeps the M.O.D. stuck in your hand and, when combined with the expansion port, makes the gun super easy to control.
It makes you smile to shoot this thing. It’s so easy to control and so easy to shoot. It’s loud, but an absolute ton of fun to shoot. I understand it’s designed for off-duty carry, but I could see it being a capable open-category competition gun. It shoots so smoothly and easily.
I look forward to getting more time behind the gun and maybe taking it to a match or two!
Have you ever seen the movie Four Brothers? In it, Mark Wahlberg describes the three-shot burst of a Beretta 93R as a triple action. Sure, Hollywood is wrong all the time, but I thought it was interesting. What is a triple-action? We know single and double action. What action is a machine pistol? A continuous action? We are getting off topic. What about triple-action?
The water has always been muddy around actions. Traditionally, we assign the title of a single or double action based on what triggers do. A single action fires the weapon, and that’s it. A double action cocks and fires the weapon. It gets murky around partially cocked strikers like Glocks. The trigger finishes cocking the hammer and fires the gun.
But most people aren’t going to call that double action. The Lionheart Vulcan used to call its trigger a triple-action. The gun used a DA/SA trigger, and the user could press the hammer down to decock it. Typically, the trigger needs to commit the action to get a 1+.
There’s room for interpretation, and a little company called Hopkins and Allen designed what they called a triple-action revolver. Is it truly a triple-action? Let’s explore the gun and try to find out!
The Hopkins and Allen Triple-Action Revolver
You probably know next to nothing about Hopkins and Allen, and that’s fine. I’m an autist who doesn’t talk to girls and seemingly only occupies himself with guns, and I don’t know anything about Hopkins and Allen. As the kids say, let’s spit some surprising facts about the company.
Owned Bay State Arms and was the agent for Merwin Hulbert and Company
Lost most of their original factory in a fire
Employed 600 people
It was the third largest gun maker behind Colt and S&W in 1902
The first triple-action revolver was created in 1908
The most surprising being the third biggest gun company, but you’ve heard of Colt and S&W. Hopkins and Allen never had a revolutionary design or designer that propelled them to the name recognition of the other big companies. They might have had that if their triple action had taken off.
The Triple-Action Safety Police revolver is the full name of this little gun. Police revolvers are interesting and differ greatly depending on where in the country you live. Out west, it was common to carry something like the .45 Colt, the .44 Russian, or any other caliber that starts with .4.
When you moved east to a more civilized world, the calibers shrank. The NYPD’s first revolver was the Colt .32 New Police. The .32 New Police wasn’t exactly a big-bore round.
This is important to understand since the Triple-Action Safety Police chambered the even less powerful .32 S&W.
Hopkins and Allen designed this top-break revolver for eastern police forces in varying lengths, including my massive 6-inch model. It’s a bit silly-looking, but it represented a police revolver of the era.
How The Triple-Action Worked
I’ve teased it enough. The triple action that’s part of this revolver isn’t anything crazy. The first two actions are predictable. The trigger cocks the hammer, then releases the hammer, and the gun fires. Finally, our third action occurs when you release the trigger.
When you release the trigger, the hammer raises off the firing pin and onto the revolver’s frame. This ensures the hammer cannot touch the firing pin until the trigger is pulled. The third action was a safety device.
It’s nothing crazy, but it was very interesting as far as I’m concerned. It clearly didn’t propel Hopkins and Allen into the limelight. The triple-action design was neat, but it wasn’t the winner they had likely hoped it would be.
Luckily, these are affordable, and it is easy to find guns. Easy as far as century-old guns go. They are quite well made, and my example still handles and fires nicely. If only Magtech ammo didn’t suck so bad.
I receive emails from marketing folks on a regular basis. They’re always touting the latest and greatest products their clients are releasing. Which, of course, is their job. Sometimes the products sound pretty meh, but when one of them offered me freeze-dried pizza, I was immediately all in. I mean, who doesn’t like pizza?
Mountain House has long been at the forefront of freeze-dried camp foods. They’ve been at this since 1963 or thereabouts. Safe to say, they know a thing or two about how to put good food into your pack.
I was blown away by the package that arrived on my doorstep. Seriously, how cool is this?
I have a rule that I avoid trying new-to-me foods for the first time out on the trail. If I’m going to find out that I don’t like the food, or that the food doesn’t like me, I’d rather that happen in the comfort of my own home, thank you very much. So, with that in mind, I told my wife that I was adding a little something extra to our normal Wednesday pizza night routine, then got to work.
Prepping the Pizza
Like any similar pouch-style freeze-dried food, getting it ready to eat is pretty simple. Tear off the top of the pouch, then fish around inside for the oxygen absorber. Pour in the required amount of boiling water, in this case 1.3 cups. Stir it up, then seal the pouch and let it sit. The time varies from meal to meal. For this one, it was nine minutes.
The contents started out looking like croutons mixed with pebbles that I took to be pepperoni bits. As soon as I mixed in the hot water, I could smell tomato sauce and spices. This was a good sign.
When the timer went off, I opened the pouch to check it out. Now, here’s the thing. If you aren’t familiar with these types of meals, you need to understand that they rarely look all that great. This freeze-dried pizza didn’t look amazing. It looked like glop. But stirring it up, I was heartened to see little cheese pulls here and there.
Plating and Tasting
Normally, meals like this are eaten directly from the pouch whilst sitting in front of a fire. In this case, since we were splitting the pouch of pizza at the dining table, I broke out actual bowls for each of us. The package indicates there are two servings inside, and that seemed accurate. There was plenty for the two of us.
It was still steaming after sitting on the kitchen counter for the rehydration time, so that was a nice bonus. Out in the field, some people like to use insulated bags to keep the pouches warm as they rehydrate. Not a bad idea, especially in cold weather. Sitting in my kitchen, there were no issues.
Checking out a few spoonfuls, I could taste pepperoni, cheese, and sauce. There were also little chunks of what tasted like pizza crust. The overall effect was like eating pizza that had been cut up and smushed into the pouch. To me, the sauce was very reminiscent of Chef Boyardee pasta sauce, more than what I’d consider pizza sauce.
All in all, I’d give Mountain House Cheesy Pepperoni Bowl a score of 7.5 out of 10. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. If someone handed me a pouch of it when we were camping, I wouldn’t complain. But by the same token, I’ve had other Mountain House varieties I liked better. My wife was less generous and rated it about a 5. She didn’t like the sauce at all, but the pepperoni was okay.
It doesn’t beat a rising crust pizza fresh from the oven, but it’ll do in a pinch on the trail.
If I say IWI, what do you picture? Most of us probably picture the Tavor or maybe the affordable and outstanding Zion 15. If you’re a classy type, it’s all about the Jericho. IWI makes a shotgun, the TS-12, but that’s not what they are known for. When I heard that IWI was producing a 12-gauge, semi-auto firearm in the same vein as the Shockwave and TAC-14, I was utterly shocked. It’s called the Mafteah.
As Hector and Jeremy of IWI explained during our recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, Mafteah means Key in Hebrew. I appreciate the cleverness. It’s often a joke that shotguns are master keys, so Mafteah makes sense for a micro-sized semi-auto 12-gauge firearm. The IWI Mafteah isn’t just a firearm; IWI plans to create an entire series of shotguns, including tactical guns, bird guns, and beyond. The Mafteah is just kicking the whole thing off.
The Mafteah is an inertia-driven shotgun, the first inertia-driven 12-gauge firearm. The benefits of an inertia gun include being a lighter gun with a much thinner forend. When you’re aiming to make a weapon small, you’re usually aiming to make it lightweight as well. The Mafteah provides a light and ergonomic platform.
Like other 12-gauge firearms, this gun features a shorter-than-average barrel. I couldn’t get an exact measurement on the range, but it’s in the 14-inch realm. The rear of the gun features a longer, more horizontal grip to get it over the magical, non-concealable 26-inch overall length measurement.
Inside the Mafteah
The Mafteah uses a unique rear grip. It’s a fair bit straighter and thinner than other designs, but quite comfortable in hand. When firing, there is no recoil hitting your wrist. It’s all going upward rather than rearward. This makes it quite comfortable to fire and easy to control. It’s pain-free.
The challenge comes in controlling the upward recoil. That’s the same challenge all of these shorties have. The Mafteah has the benefit of a slim-forward grip that’s surprisingly long. You get a ton of grip texture and a retaining strap to ensure your hand stays put. It forms a very ergonomic front end that makes it easy to lock your hand down on the gun.
What blew my mind is that the Mafteah has a feature I’ve always wanted but never seen on a semi-automatic shotgun. The charging handle can be swapped from the standard right-hand side to the left-hand side. For right-handed shooters, placing the charging handle on the left makes it easy to access without shifting your firing grip. This makes it easier to reload, deal with potential malfunctions, and more.
Additionally, the Mafteah is optics-ready, but in a way you wouldn’t expect. The removable slot features a mounting system compatible with the Glock MOS plates. This also makes it compatible with Holosun and C&H Precision optics that fit directly into the slot. The use of Glock MOS plates allows you to use a ton of different optics.
Shooting the Key
The Mafteah handles quite well. Its big forearm makes it easy to grab, and the rear grip is nice and long, which allows for a good grip. The gun cycles reliably and smoothly. It throws empty hulls like they insulted its mother. The Mafteah has excellent controls and solid ergonomics. You can aim and shoot the gun like a traditional shotgun, but you have to be a man about it.
Any pistol-grip-only 12-gauge can be a blast to shoot, literally and figuratively. It’s fast cycling, and the guys at the IWI station kept allowing me to shoot. While it’s no poodle shooter, the Mafteah’s semi-auto action makes shooting much softer than pump-action alternatives.
The Mafteah is a ton of fun to shoot rapidly, and the five-round tube makes it easy to shoot. The gun works like a charm, and I can’t wait for it to hit the market. Semi-auto pistol grip-only firearms have a ton of self-defense potential for fights. The softer recoil and faster firing action make them quite the defensive weapon.
The Mafteah should be out before summer starts, so prepare for that sweet semi-auto action.
Here’s a prime example of a Nata chopper (prototype) from Knives by Nuge and a small Bear Forest Knives GT-3 fixed blade.
Like food and fine wine, outdoor tools also know how to join the party. Knife and tool pairing for every trip and environment makes life easier than juggling a trio. Look at these examples and craft your ultimate pairs to match your adventures!
Why Only a Pair?
Two is less to carry and fuss with. If you can make due with two cutting tools for your trip, then you’ve made room for gear that may be more important. Outdoor cutting tools are heavy by nature. Less is more. Knife and tool pairing is a way to make sure your skills are keen enough to tackle tasks with less.
Use a pair on trips where weight and bulk are an issue. It’s okay to vary from the Nessmuk, Kephart, and Scandinavian Trio. Make an (enter your name here) tool pair and tread lighter and faster!
Knife and Axe Tool Pairing
A super popular duo is an axe and a knife—not any knife, but a fixed-blade knife for durability. Axe is a common term that also includes a hatchet and a tomahawk. Yes, they’re different, but bear with me. These days, felling trees is not as common as in the 1800s. Most wildernesses worldwide have an abundance of downed trees that need processing more than anything.
An axe-style tool can remove branches and section small trees that are wrist to calf thickness. Firewood and shelter poles will fall into this category. Pole beds, grills, and camping furniture also fall under this category. Call it fuel and drag it on the campfire if there’s anything more significant.
Kephart-style pairing of a light tomahawk from H&B Forge and stout ML Knives fixed blade knife made in the tradition of yesteryear.
Meanwhile, the fixed-blade sheath knife can make kindling via a wooden baton and shave wood for feather sticks. Let’s not forget how the knife shines in the cabin or camp kitchen with food and common utility tasks.
As Horace Kephart would say, “A camper has use for a common-sense sheath-knife, sometimes for dressing big game, but oftener for such homely work as cutting sticks, slicing bacon, and frying ‘spuds.’ For such purpose, a rather thin, broad-pointed blade is required … It is tempered hard enough to cut green hardwood sticks, but soft enough so that when it strikes a knot or bone it will, if anything, turn rather than nick.”
Saw and Knife Pairing
I want to stress the point that most wilderness areas have lots of dead wood that needs processing more than felling. A folding saw and knife can do most of the camp work required for a cookfire or camp crafts. This pair is the lightest knife and tool pairing combo for light to medium work.
Some survival classes teach that a fixed-blade knife and saw can handle 90% of camp and survival tasks. I believe. This knife and tool pairing is popular among day campers, bushcrafters, and backpackers. They appreciate its utility for processing wood on weekend trips.
A classic lightweight pairing of a Mora 1/0 and Corona 10” folding saw has accompanied the author for several years.
This pair is perfect for stealthier campers or people who don’t want to attract attention with the ruckus chopping causes. However, they aren’t without essential tools when they need a fire or shelter. The fewer tools you bring, the more skills you need to accompany them. Crack on!
This Bucksaw and Coalcracker Bushcraft fixed blade knife made an excellent combo in the author’s fixed camp over the years.
Chopper Fixed Blade Tool Pairing
Chopping tools wear many hats. Besides axe-type tools, big knives are in the mix. It needs company, be it a machete, nata, kukuri, parang, bolo, or bowie knife. I grew up with a long blade and small knife mentality. However, it fit with the books I read, videos I watched, and training. Above all, experience was the deciding factor.
A chopping knife and a fixed blade can do a lot. You won’t get any tidy cut ends or pression with these tools. However, with these knife and tool pairing options, you can adjust your methods for a warm fire, shelter, or whatever you desire.
SIG’s optics division often floats under the radar but produces some absolutely fantastic products, from the budget-friendly Romeo5 series to the 9T, which costs as much as a used Civic. One of their latest optics brings us a fascinating piece of tech. The SIG Romeo 8T-AMR is giving us an optic designed to provide increased functionality when used with a magnifier.
The Romeo 8T-AMR is a big, square-shaped optic aimed at the modern rifle. The 8T series is known for its size and square shape, and with the 8T-AMR, things have gotten a fair bit smaller overall, but it’s still got a nice-sized window. What this thing does when a magnifier flips over is what counts.
The 8T-AMR and Magnifiers
The 8T-AMR can change its brightness level and reticle when you slide a magnifier in place behind the red dot. If you’ve never used a magnifier with a red dot, you’ll be surprised when you throw one in place, and your sight becomes crazy bright, making your target difficult to see.
When you slap your magnifier in place, the optic can be set to reduce the brightness to a user-selectable level. You could also increase the brightness, but that’d be a bit silly overall. Additionally, the optic has four reticles. We have a 1 MOA dot, a 1 MOA dot and circle, a 1 MOA dot with dot holdovers, and a circle, 1 MOA dot, and holdovers.
You can program the 8T-AMR to swap to a different reticle to work with the magnifier. Maybe you want the dot and circle for use without the magnifier. It provides a quick, easy-to-see reticle for close-range use. Fill the circle with the target and let it fly. When you throw the magnifier in place, the reticle can swap to a 1 MOA dot to provide a cleaner aiming reticle.
I’d use the circle and dot at 1X and the 1 MOA dot with the .7 MOA holdovers with the reticle. The holdovers would allow for quick and easy adjustments when you need to fire at longer ranges. If you’re using a magnifier, you’re likely shooting at extended ranges, and the holdovers could be handy.
Which Magnifier?
You’re not stuck with one magnifier. In fact, you can use any magnifier with the 8T-AMR. SIG would like you to use Juliet3, which is likely the best option, considering how SIG will offer the 8T-AMR as a package deal to save some money. However, if you’re looking for something different, it’s compatible.
Shooting With the 8T-AMR
I got to throw a fair bit of lead downrange with the 8T-AMR on a SIG MCX SURG at our recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, and I enjoyed it immensely. Switching between the magnified view and the non-magnified view and seeing the instant swap never got old. The dots are crisp, and the glass is clear with a slight blue notch filter.
Swapping between reticles and dots isn’t hard, and the SIG guys explained it to me as best they could. Sadly, it was a small shoot house with a lot of loud guns. It seems easy, but I’ll follow the manual for my first few attempts.
SIG has a brilliant idea with the 8T-AMR, and I can’t wait to get a little more time behind the platform and figure out exactly how the magic works, identify its strengths, and suss out any potential problems. With SIG’s optics being not just a trendsetter but a standard bearer, I don’t think I’ll do much of the latter.
Several months ago, I was busy shooting and writing my review of the Tikka T3X Lite bolt-action hunting rifle. On the way out, I impulse bought a basic Magpul bipod in order to make life easier when shooting that Tikka rifle. At the time of purchase, I had no idea that I had taken home a brand-new-to-me variant of Magpul’s dependable polymer bipod.
With a retail price of $71.99 and the fact that it worked on swivel studs, I impulse bought it trusting the Magpul name. It turns out I made the right call, because for $71.99 plus tax retail, the new Magpul MOE Bipod actually impressed me.
Rear view of the Magpul MOE Bipod. Note the extra sling swivel stud included for hunters and marksmen that still need to rely on sling swivels.
Externally, the Magpul MOE Bipod looks like any other Magpul-produced polymer bipod, with its distinctive lines and thick polymer legs capped with rounded rubber feet. Correspondingly, as with other Magpul bipod models, the MOE Bipod’s feet are held in place with roll pins that can be drifted out to remove said feet and replace them with Atlas bipod aftermarket options.
Setting Up the Magpul MOE Bipod
Internally, the Magpul MOE Bipod uses injection-molded polymer arms instead of the inner metal arms seen on previous models. Bipod legs can extend from a collapsed length of seven inches to a total extended length of ten inches via the internal arms’ ½ inch increments. The MOE Bipod uses an oversized thumb screw to clamp down on standard rifle sling swivel studs.
The upper portion of the clamping mechanism features a flattened rubber-padded surface that supports the rifle’s forend without marring or scratching stock surfaces and finishes. The only thing the MOE Bipod cannot do is tilt or pan, like Magpul’s other bipod. However, I don’t think that’s a huge drawback for a basic bipod designed to securely clamp over sling swivel studs.
Compared to the circular plungers that must be depressed to collapse the legs forward on the older Magpul models, the MOE is equipped with a larger square-ish plunger that’s larger and easier to depress. The Magpul design team thoughtfully included a spare swivel stud behind the bipod’s base to allow hunters to add their swiveled rifle slings.
Shooting With The Magpul MOE Bipod
Top view of Magpul MOE Bipod, note the metal jaw which mechanically “swallows” the sling swivel stud.
According to the copy on Magpul’s site, the switch to an all-polymer construction is said to reduce the bipod’s overall weight by 40% compared to some of the other Magpul-produced bipods. Frankly, I was too busy shooting with the Tikka to perceive any disparities in weight.
With that said, I couldn’t help but notice that the MOE Bipod’s rigidity was very impressive. The junction of the legs to the clamping mechanism still provides some play that allows the shooter to load the bipod when they’re behind a rifle.
Besides relying on this bipod for the duration of the Tikka T3X Lite review, it currently sits on my Tikka T1X. There’s not much that needs to be said about the Magpul MOE Bipod. It’s a useful piece of kit that’s ruggedly built and works as advertised without breaking the bank.
I can’t speak for its competitors that retail at the same price-point. Admittedly, my decision to purchase this accessory was driven by Magpul’s sterling reputation and my smooth end-user experience with their products.
The Takeaway
The range of different rifle bipods available in today’s market is as diverse as the range of said bipods’ prices. Their prices can vary from the mid to high double-digits to figures that are on par with the cost of actual rifles. Modular Driven Technologies even has an advanced Cyke-Pod model that retails for $999! The price all depends on the make, model, and application of the bipod in question.
And as a rule of thumb, decent bipods aren’t cheap. As with other types of firearm-related accessories, bipods are definitely part of the buy once, cry once category. Their job of securely stabilizing the front-end of a rifle is too important to lean on a model with a shoddy design and subpar materials. Rifle ammo isn’t cheap either.
Magpul Industries’ products generally have a reputation for punching above their weight relative to their retail cost. Additionally, the American firearms accessory behemoth has been busy offering basic, sturdy, and decently functional rifle bipods for a few years now. Like with most Magpul products, I think their cost-to-performance ratio is commendable. This certainly checks out vis-à-vis the Magpul MOE Bipod.
The Magpul MOE Bipod seem attached to a .22 LR Tikka T1X MTR rimfire bolt-action rifle. The other picture juxtaposes the MOE Bipod against the original Magpul polymer bipod that’s attached to a Savage 110’s Magpul Hunter rifle stock.
One of the features that sold me on the original 940 Pro Tactical was the optics cut. It’s the first shotgun I’ve ever seen that allows me to directly attach an optic to the gun—no Picatinny rail needed. I loved that, but I also fell in love with a lot of Mossberg’s features. Mossberg is building on those features with the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical SPX Holosun combo.
As the combo name implies, you are getting an included Holosun, which drops right into that RMSc footprint in the 940’s receiver. The included model is the HS407K, and it sits low enough to see the front sight. With the SPX design, we also get a ton of new features that make this Mossberg’s best tactical shotgun yet.
Breaking Down the New 940
Let’s start at the tip of the barrel and work our way back, cataloging the improvements the SPX model has over the standard model. The front sight is a rifle-style design that flows rearward into barrel clamps, outfitted with an M-LOK slot and sling swivel. Then, we get into the uber awesome SPX handguard.
The SPX integrates a heat shield into the handguard. This allows the thumb to ride high without accidentally brushing the barrel. The handguard is a bit thinner and features an extremely aggressive texture. I can’t measure the new and old handguards, but the new one seems slightly longer.
The handguard also features a few integrated M-LOK slots for accessory mounting. We also get a QD cup on the handguard to provide just one extra sling swivel option. The controls are still massive, but they are slightly different from the standard 940 Pro Tactical. I love the new safety. It’s huge and easy to manipulate.
Finally, the stock is mostly the same but integrates a QD cup for a final sling point. With this gun, you have lots and lots of options for slings, probably more than any other shotgun on the market.
Shooting The 940 SPX
The 940 Pro Tactical SPX is a serious defensive shotgun. Much like the original 940, it has a smooth and controllable recoil impulse. The gas system takes a bit of sting from the gun’s 12-gauge recoil. It’s not AR-15 soft, but you could shoot it all day and not walk away bruised and beaten.
The included Holosun 407K sits nice, low, and co-witnesses with the front rifle sight. Should the dot die, your entire optic becomes a massive rear sight with an easy-to-use front sight. The gun’s forend fits the hand well, and the aggressive texture allows you to press outward with a good push/pull technique.
The gun cycles rapidly and dependably ejects shells left and right. Dropping eight rounds out of the gun takes no time at all, and if you have to fire eight rounds of twelve gauge, you want them dispersed quickly.
At the time of this article I have only shot the 940 Pro Tactical SPX at our Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. So, I didn’t have enough time with the gun to do a full review, but I liked what I saw. I fired fifty rounds through it, and if it works as well as the original 940, it will be a killer option. Watch this space for a full review sooner rather than later.
SIG SAUER just dropped two new optics as part of its ROMEO-RS line, the PRO and the COMPACT. The RS stands for Reinforced Steel. According to SIG, these new sights were designed to provide the accuracy and convenience of a pistol-mounted red dot at a cost that competes with high-end iron sights. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer.
The SIG Sauer ROMEO-RS PRO
The first of the two new sights is the ROMEO-RS PRO. The new RS sights use a steel chassis molded into a high-strength polymer housing. This keeps both weight and cost down without negatively impacting performance. It uses the PRO footprint used on the P320, P226 & P229 family of pistols.
It’s available in a 3 MOA, 6 MOA, or Circle Dot reticle and has an MSRP of either $169.95 for the plain dot versions or $199.95 for the Circle Dot. The base sights are black in color, but there’s also a nifty clear version available with the Circle Dot reticle. I’m not sure the clear version has any purpose other than looking cool, but I’m okay with that. As long as it works, there’s nothing wrong with variety.
Key Features of the ROMEO-RS PRO:
Hybrid design featuring a skeletonized steel chassis, molded into a high-strength polymer housing
Molded glass aspheric lens for a distortion-free sight picture
High efficiency point source LED emitter with 8 individual brightness settings
Large side control button for easy reticle adjustments
Convenient side-mounted CR1632 battery tray with security screw for easy access without removing the optic from the firearm
Minimum continuous runtime of 20,000 hours (at medium setting, dot-only)
MOTAC (Motion Activated Illumination) that powers up when motion is detected, powering down when inactive
Designed, developed, tested, and assembled in the USA
Fully Backed by SIG SAUER’s Infinite Guarantee™
The ROMEO-RS COMPACT
The Romeo RS COMPACT has very similar features to the PRO. However, it uses the smaller Shield RMS-c footprint. It’s available with the same reticle options as the PRO and also comes in black or clear housings. MSRP on the COMPACT is $149.99 or $179.99 for the Circle Dot variants.
Key Features of the ROMEO-RS COMPACT:
Hybrid design featuring a skeletonized steel chassis, molded into a high-strength polymer housing
Premium molded glass aspheric lens for a distortion-free sight picture
High efficiency point source LED emitter with 8 individual brightness settings
Large side control button for easy reticle adjustments
Convenient side-mounted CR1632 battery tray with security screw for easy access without removing the optic from the firearm
Minimum continuous runtime of 20,000 hours (at medium setting, dot-only)
MOTAC (Motion Activated Illumination) that powers up when motion is detected, powering down when inactive
Designed, developed, tested, and assembled in the USA
Fully Backed by SIG SAUER’s Infinite Guarantee™
SIG is marketing the new RS line as being competitive with a set of iron sights. If you’re looking for a good set of tritium sights, that’s a pretty fair comparison.
Try as we might to avoid them, there are times when most of us are faced with non-permissive environments. Before I embarked on a full-time career as a wordsmith, I spent about 15 years working as a private investigator. Among other things, this meant that I was in and out of courthouses just about every day. Trust me when I say that you’ll only ever forget to keep your pocket knife in your car once.
Heck, I once got in trouble for having one of those AAA Mini Maglites in my coat pocket. I’d been working on my car the night before and completely forgot about it. Courthouse security told me to either take it back to my car or surrender it to them. My counter-argument that many attorneys in the building were using Montblanc pens that were larger and heavier than the flashlight was ignored.
Whether it’s because of where you work or where you play, you might need to be a little creative when it comes to defensive weapons for non-permissive environments. Fortunately, there are several options available.
John Wick Style
I always thought that Ticonderoga missed the boat by not coming out with a special edition John Wick pencil set. But the folks at Kopis Designs and Midnight Oil Company teamed up to fill that gap. Check out the Blackout Pencil Pusher.
Photo credit: Kopis Designs
Looking to all the world like a regular #2 pencil, the red oak hides a solid core of G10 composite material. Each one is handmade by the team at Midnight Oil Company, which results in a unique look for each one. Few people working in non-permissive environments would give it a second glance.
A Truly Sharp Sharpie
Nick Huffman is a master spikesmith, if I might be allowed to coin a term. If it’s sharp and pointy, he can make it. He’s built a great reputation for sharpened Sharpie markers. He’s done them with G10, steel, and other materials. I particularly like the retractable models, just click and stick.
Photo credit: JennBugCrafts.
Flailing About
I picked this one up from my friend Kevin Estela. If you regularly use a backpack or bag of some sort, this is a great option for non-permissive environments. This weapon is carried in two pieces, each of which is innocuous.
The first is a padlock, which many people carry to use when they visit the gym, so they can secure their belongings while they exercise. The other element is a short dog leash, the type that’s pretty much just a handle with a snap closure at the end. If you keep them in separate compartments in your pack, nobody would blink an eye at them.
However, if you attach the lock to the end of the leash, you’ve instantly created a formidable impact weapon, one that doesn’t require immense strength or even moderate finesse to use. Grasp the leash and swing the lock at the target. It will definitely get their attention.
It should go without saying that these are absolutely weapons of last resort. Discretion is the better part of valor, as they say. If you’re able to avoid danger and flee the area, that’s definitely the route to take.
In addition to SHOT Show, one of the more significant events for the firearms industry every year is the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Events. In addition to meetings, forums, and speakers’ events for the organization’s members, NRAAM 2025 also included plenty of exhibition space.
During the event, major firearms and outdoors companies invite the public (provided they’re NRA members) into their booths to browse their products. NRAAM always takes place between April and May of each year, and much of the industry uses it as another product launch point.
Below is a round-up of ten assorted (but not comprehensive) new firearms and gear that are making their official debut at this year’s NRAAM, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Some companies have more than one entry. Truthfully, some of these companies have been very busy launching several new products.
CZ Shadow 2 Carry
CZ just announced the next version of a 9mm compact and carry-friendly traditional double action (TDA)—the new CZ Shadow 2 Carry. Like the CZ Shadow 2 Compact, the new CZ Shadow 2 Carry is based on one of CZ’s best-selling performance and competition handguns, the 9mm full-size steel frame CZ Shadow 2, which in turn is based on the original CZ-75.
The CZ Shadow 2 Carry is built with a lighter-weight aluminum frame, but keeps the same ergonomic profile that has endeared the full-size Shadow 2 to many. Unlike the double-action CZ Shadow 2 and Shadow 2 Compact models, which have neither a firing pin block nor a decocker, the new Shadow 2 Carry includes both of these features.
The pistol ships standard with a factory-milled optics-ready slide for slide-mounted red-dot reflex sights. Shadow 2 Carry pistols are already available at select online retailers with an average price of approximately $1,399.
Hi-Point, best known for its affordable and straightforward straight blowback pistol and pistol caliber carbines, has just entered the AR-15 game. The company announced its new product line of AR-15s directly at this year’s NRAAM opening day. Formally known as the Hi-Point HP-15, these firearms will be available in both 5.56mm and .300 Blackout chamberings.
Customers will have the option of purchasing the new Hi-Point HP-15s as either carbines (5.56mm only) or large format pistols (10.5 inch barrels, 5.56mm or .300 Blackout) with real-world price tags of around $500.
Following the success of its American-made Zion-15 AR-15 direct gas impingement 5.56mm rifles and carbines, Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI) is branching out into manufacturing and selling large-frame “AR-10” pattern carbines and DMR rifles chambered in both 6.5mm Creedmoor and .308 Winchester.
All IWI Zion-25 series long guns are built around 1:8 or 1:10 twist free-floated barrels available in lengths of 16, 18, 20, and 22 inches (depending on caliber). Sparing no effort to cater to precision shooters, IWI’s Zion-25 models also come standard with ARCA and M-LOK compatible handguards.
Furniture-wise, this new product series is outfitted with B5 System’s comfortable pistol grips and collapsible buttstocks. Finally, cartridge ignition comes by way of the IWI exclusive Timney 2-stage match trigger that was made famous by the 5.56mm IWI Z-15 SPR.
Honorable mention: IWI is also showcasing its new family of flow-through suppressors and its 12-gauge semi-auto Mafteah in Atlanta during this year’s show.
Magpul UCS Folding Stock
Magpul just dropped its new UCS, Universal Carbine Stock. It clamps onto the back of a vertical Picatinny rail surface found in many large-format pistols or SBRs, especially those that function without an AR-15-style spring, buffer, and receiver extension. To maximize its versatility with a wide variety of firearm makes and models, the Magpul UCS folding stock can be configured to hinge in either direction.
Magpul includes 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch stock risers for compatibility with higher-mounted optics. Correspondingly, the UCS’ Picatinny clamp itself can also be used to tweak the height of the stock relative to the back of the firearm. Like the typical AR-15 carbine stock, the UCS’ buttstock can also telescope to change its true length of pull.
Finally, the UCS includes anti-rotation QD sockets and the butt portion accepts the same type of rubber buttpad found on the Magpul MOE-SL or DT stocks.
Mossberg 990 Aftershock
Alongside IWI’s Mafteah 12-gauge semi-auto weapon, Mossberg is also unveiling a new gas-operated semi-auto 12-gauge shotgun. The Mossberg 990 Aftershock counts on a standard 5+1 shotshell capacity, while remaining ultra-compact and being relatively soft-shooting, all things considered.
The Aftershock’s grip is specially designed to absorb excess recoil while its receiver is outfitted with oversized tactical controls, including its safety and charging handle. Similarly, to facilitate loading its 5-shot tubular magazine, its bottom loading port is opened and enlarged. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for an optics base, just like other Mossberg shotguns.
To aid the shooter in keeping control during shooting, the Mossberg 990 Aftershock has a nylon hand strap over its forend that the shooter can use to “lock into” the weapon.
Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol
Rossi launched a large-format pistol version of its R95 lever-action firearms. The new Rossi Triple Black Pistol is going to be available for several rimmed straight wall pistol and rifle calibers, including .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .45-70 Government. Like the full-size Rossi R95 lever-action rifles and carbines, the Rossi Triple Black Pistol includes a black paracord wrapped lever loop.
These all-black pistols come finished in a tough weather-resistant black Cerakote finish. Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistols also come standard with a receiver-mounted integrated Picatinny rail base to facilitate the mounting of optics. Their barrels are 13.25 inches long and include a threaded muzzle for compatibility with suppressors or other muzzle devices.
Ruger x Dead Air RXD Ti Silencers
RXD 22Ti shown
Sturm, Ruger & Co. collaborated with Dead Air Silencers to launch two titanium silencers with bore diameters of either .22 or .30 caliber, known as the new RXD series. RXD silencers employ both Dead Air’s 3-D printed single Tri-Skelion baffle system, along with elements of its Nomad system, too.
Whether .22 caliber or .30 caliber, both RXD silencers are covered by a lightweight titanium tube. In addition, the RXD22Ti can handle rimfire calibers up to .22 WSM. Likewise, the RXD30Ti can safely accommodate .30 caliber magnum bottleneck rifle cartridges in addition to sub-caliber ammunition such as 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6mm ARC, 5.56mm, etc.
SDS Imports, the importer behind Turkish-made TISAS and MAC (Military Armament Corp), has been making waves these past few years by bringing all kinds of affordable and decent quality single-stack and widebody 1911 models to the US Market. Some of SDS Imports’ best-sellers are models like their JSOC and Raider .45 Auto 1911 pistols. Both were inspired by original US military 1911 sidearm builds carried by the likes of Delta Force and the US Marine Corp.
SDS unveiled another retro-military fan favorite at this year’s show with the MAC MEUSOC replica. MEUSOC stands for “Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable.” This handgun consists of a .45 Auto single-stack fighting pistol that was carried by the Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit between 1985 and 2012 and originally assembled by the Precision Weapons Section gunsmiths at Quantico.
To this day, MEUSOC pistols remain a fan-favorite of military and 1911 pistol buffs.
Springfield Armory Kuna Pistol
My own picture of the Springfield Armory Kuna that I shot mid-April at Rendezvous 2025.
Although Springfield Armory announced the new 9mm roller-delayed blowback Kuna well over two weeks prior to this year’s NRAAM, consider the NRA’s event the Kuna’s first official debut for the public at large. The Kuna is named after the European pine marten (a furry wolverine-like clawed mammal that also happens to be a prominent national symbol of Croatia).
Like a few of Springfield Armory’s toughest and most reliable firearms, the Kuna is also designed and manufactured by the Croatian weapons company HS Produkt. Starting at around a cool thousand dollars, the Kuna can be purchased as a large-format or braced pistol.
Although it uses a roller-delayed blowback system, the Kuna’s action has nothing to do with the classic HK-pattern roller-delayed action. Kunas do not use fluted chambers, and their rollers work on a different axis to delay their bolt.
Taurus Model 58
Taurus USA took the opportunity to launch the new .380 ACP blowback Taurus Model 58, whose design is based on the open-top slide Beretta Cheetah Mod. 84. The new Taurus Model 58 is built with a lightweight aluminum frame and uses a traditional hammer-fired double action. It is also equipped with a four-inch barrel and a standard magazine capacity of 15 rounds.
The Taurus 58’s mission is to provide a .380 ACP light-recoiling concealed carry/defensive firearm in a medium size and easy-to-carry form factor. Taurus is offering the Model 58 in all-black or a complete stainless steel finish. Like other Taurus products inspired by the Italian gunmaker Beretta, the Model 58 retains frame-mounted thumb safeties.
What do you know Wilson Combat for? High-level, custom-grade 1911s, right? We know Wilson Combat has extended itself into ARs, Shotguns, and suppressors, but it also branched out of the 1911 world into other handguns. Their latest comes from the newest branch of Wilson Combat, Division 77, and it’s appropriately named Project 1.
Division 77 is a mad lab at Wilson Combat, working to develop the latest and greatest in small arms technology. Wilson Combat started in 1977, and that’s where the 77 comes from. Division 77 is set to release plenty of new guns, but Project 1 is the first they’ve shown us. What is Project 1? Well, it’s not a 1911, and it’s not a 2011, so what is it?
Division 77 Project 1 is continuing the EDC line of 9mm compact handguns. It’s not a compact gun. I’d describe it as a race gun. The type of gun that would be at home in an open match. They took the idea of flat and fast shooting to an extreme degree.
The Project 1 – It’s So Fast
The Project 1 is a full-sized handgun. It holds 18 rounds of 9mm and features a five-inch barrel, so we are getting into a Government profile-sized gun. The metal frame features the Wilson TRAK checkering on the front and back grips and G10 grips with the Wilson Combat Starburst pattern. It’s super aggressive, and your hand fills every little gap and locks the gun into your hand.
Wilson Combat uses many of its Bulletproof parts, including the hammer, magazine release, and ambidextrous safety. As you’d imagine, it’s optics-ready. To top things off, the barrel and slide are ported for reduced muzzle rise and faster recovery.
From shooting Project 1 at our recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, I can say the compensated design works quite well. It allows you to recover rapidly. In fact, it’s so fast that it outran me with ease. The dot returned to the target faster than I was mentally ready to shoot again. At one point, I just pulled the trigger as fast as I could, and it seemed like the dot never left the window.
Like any Wilson Combat weapon, the Project 1 features a masterclass of triggers. It’s superbly light and completely flat in profile. It glides rearward and releases without much pressure or effort. The single-action hammer races forward as fast as you can pull the trigger.
It’s also absurdly accurate. I’m a pretty good pistol shot, but I was hitting a fairly small 18 x 12-inch steel rectangle at 50 yards with the gun and a Trijicon RMR. For a pro, that’s nothing, but I’m no pro.
A Master Class
This gun is designed to give shooters a fast, flat shooting tool. Everything about the gun is designed to increase speed while maintaining accuracy. Shooting it is a ton of fun, and I’m not a good enough shooter to run the gun as fast as it could go, but I want to be! A lot of little things were done to improve the user’s experience.
Things like the optics mounting system. It’s universal but doesn’t require any plates. You have a series of removable locking pins that can be moved to mount various optics. We get things like an enhanced magwell, heavy-duty magazine baseplates, a Picatinny rail, and an external extractor.
While it’s clearly 1911-inspired, it’s not a 1911. Project 1 departs far enough from the platform to be something completely new. I can’t wait to get one in my hands and see if I can run it as fast as it deserves.
Springfield Armory just released its latest AR, the SAINT Victor Pistol in 5.56mm. This is the latest release in Springfield’s Victor line of AR-pattern firearms.
This SAINT Victor Pistol
Springfield Armory didn’t jump into the AR market nearly as soon as a lot of companies did, but when they did, they offered solid, well-thought-out models at affordable prices. The SAINT Victor Pistol looks to be following that pattern. It’s chambered in 5.56mm and has an 11.5-inch CMV barrel. It uses a carbine-length gas system and is fitted with an A2 birdcage flash suppressor. The upper receiver is forged from 7075 T6 Aluminum. It has a black Type III Hardcoat anodized finish, a forward assist, and is cut with M4 feed ramps.
The SAINT pistol uses a free-float handguard with a full-length Picatinny rail on top. It has M-LOK slots on the sides and bottom for attaching your preferred accessories. An M-LOK handstop is included on the handguard, and a QD mount is located on the receiver end plate.
The lower is also forged from 7075 T6 Aluminum with a black Type III Hardcoat anodized finish. It incorporates the Accu-Tite Tension System as well. The SAINT Victor Pistol has a nickel boron-coated flat trigger and is fitted with a B5 Systems polymer trigger guard. A 45-degree short-throw ambidextrous safety comes standard.
The SAINT comes with a B5 Systems Type 23 P-Grip and an SB Tactical SBA3 brace on the three-position receiver extension. Additional features are a set of flip-up sights and one 30-round Magpul PMAG Gen M3 magazine. MSRP on the SAINT Victor Pistol is $1,150.
SAINT Victor Pistol Specs:
Caliber
5.56x45mm NATO (.223 REM)
Color
Black
Barrel
11.5″ CMV, Melonite®, 1:7
Upper Receiver
Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum, Type III Hardcoat Anodized, Forward Assist, M4 Feed Ramps
Lower Receiver
Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum, Type III Hardcoat Anodized, Accu-Tite™ Tension System
The USMC’s greatest shame was the M16A2. The M16A2 project was largely led by Marines, but sadly, it was led by Marines more obsessed with scores on the Known Distance range than combat effectiveness. Some of the problems with the ole A2 would stick around on the A4 and were ultimately a silly decision.
Problems With the M16A2
Where to start? The saddest problem was the government profile barrel, which was heavy in the wrong spots and made the rifle unwieldy. This was done because, apparently, Marines were bending barrels, but in reality, the armorer’s gauge showed the barrels were bent due to a buildup of bullet jacket material on the gas port. This was discovered too late, and we got the dumbest barrel design possible.
The stock was ridiculously long, too. The A1 length was perfection, and the reason they decided to lengthen it was silly. The longer length of pull is great for sling loop shooting for score at Camp Perry, but not so great for infantry use with gear.
The M16A2 sights were also great for Camp Perry shooting, but an infantry rifle’s rear sight is needlessly complicated. The A1 sights were a superior option in most ways. The M16A2 aperture sizes were admittedly better, but that would be an easy fix.
Oh, yeah, and they decided a three-shot burst was the way to get Joe to conserve ammo instead of spray and pray. Three-shot burst designs are kind of silly to begin with, and they were executed in a silly way with the M16. This led to a complicated trigger design that was also terrible.
Most of the M16A2’s improvements weren’t all that great. Somehow, Canada did it way better than we did with the C7 series.
How the C7 Became the Better M16A2
Before the C7, the Canadians used the FN FAL like most of the Commonwealth. When they wanted to move from a battle rifle to an assault rifle, they could have grabbed the SA-80 family, like the Brits, but thankfully, they weren’t stupid.
Instead, they looked to the south, saw the M16, and said, “Hey, that works pretty well.” Years prior, they even had a liaison officer working with the Marine Corps on the A1 upgrade package. They ran a series of tests with various firearms and settled on the FN FNC and M16A2, with the A2 winning.
Colt issued Canada a license to build the rifle, and Canada turned to Diemaco. Canada wasn’t psyched about the M16A2, so they made a few changes. Adding a little maple syrup to the design turned the M16A2 into the C7.
How Canada Made an Excellent M16
First, they kept the length of pull from the M16A1 but created a method of spacers that allowed the stock to adjust its length of pull to fit the end user. Four spacers could bring the rifle to M16A2 length. Being able to adjust the stock became a running theme with the C7, and later models would use a four-position carbine stock.
Canada also kept the M16A1-style sights. The rear sight was adjustable for windage only, and the front sight controlled elevation. These simpler, more robust sights were less likely to shift when bumped against gear and ultimately easier to learn and use.
Canada also felt that its soldiers should fire short, controlled bursts in automatic fire. However, it believed they should train their soldiers. Thus, it ditched the three-round burst concept in favor of safe, semi, and auto, which results in a much nicer trigger overall.
Finally, they also used reinforced, interlocking handguards made of a more fibrous material. M16A2 handguards had a habit of falling off with wear. The more fibrous material was used to create a better cold-weather-resistant handguard, which was certainly more important to our friends in the Arctic.
They even used a cold hammer-forged barrel to squeeze more accuracy out of their rifles.
An Initial Weakness
Not everything was perfect. Canada did try to jump into the world of polymer magazines early. The Thermold designs they used were, uhm, crappy. You can probably still find Thermold magazines from the era. The polymer is weak, the words anti-tilt were a foreign concept, and they just sucked.
Canada and The AR Platform
Canada was surprisingly progressive with its service rifle. It quickly introduced an optics rail, but it was Weaver because it predated Picatinny. It then introduced an ELCAN fixed power optic, followed by ambidextrous controls. Eventually, it added a four-position carbine stock to the C7 series to better fit soldiers. Sadly, we aren’t getting C7s anytime soon.
It would be an interesting route for a retro AR company to take. Brownells, H&R, or a similar company could make an interesting C7 concept.
