Guns

Five shots, one old-school cylinder, and 30+ years of carry experience make the CCW revolver harder to dismiss than the high-capacity crowd wants to admit. The J-Frame is not for everyone, but in the right role, this little wheel gun still has teeth.

The Browning X-Bolt 2 Special Max LR SPR blends hunting-rifle practicality with enough long-range muscle to make steel ring past 600 yards. With a suppressor-ready 18-inch barrel, adjustable MAX stock, crisp DLX trigger, and consistent one-MOA performance, this 6.5 Creedmoor makes a strong case for the do-it-all rifle slot.

The revived S&W 396 Night Guard in .44 Special promises the perfect middle ground between snubnose carry and full-size shootability. It starts strong, shoots well, and then delivers the kind of reliability failure that turns nostalgia into frustration fast.

ATF is proposing to remove the CLEO notification requirement from the NFA process, which could finally kill one more pointless paperwork headache for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, AOWs, machineguns, and other NFA firearms.

The best micro compact pistols cram serious capacity, real shootability, and everyday carry comfort into guns that almost disappear under a shirt. From the SIG P365X to the Wilson Combat SFX9, these five tiny carry pistols prove small does not have to mean helpless.

The Mossberg 590 Bliksem is not just a camo-coated conversation piece. It is a compact, optic-ready 12-gauge firearm with real defensive utility, slick factory upgrades, and enough personality to make a plain black shotgun feel downright boring.

The S&W 617 Mountain Gun looks like the .22 LR K-frame woods revolver a lot of shooters have been waiting for. It shoots well, carries the right Mountain Gun attitude, and then trips over the kind of quality-control problem that makes a man shake his head twice.

The Tracer Tactical Burro is not just another rifle scabbard pretending to be tactical. It is a hard-sided, muzzle-up, MOLLE-covered rifle carry system that protects suppressed rifles, thermals, optics, and expensive field gear without turning deployment into a zipper-fumbling circus.

I always get excited about testing Daniel Defense rifles. They built the upper for the SOPMOD kits we had back in the day (and still do for all I know), and it was a huge leap forward over the old busted M4s we had prior to that. Black Creek, GA, has always turned out tough, high-quality products, and the M4V7 Pro is no exception.