Springfield XD Thumb Safety .45 ACP (top), Ruger LCP .380 ACP (bottom)
The year’s best firearms, ammunition and optics are here—and
you can see them all under one roof at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits,
May 16-18, inLouisville, Kentucky.
America’s firearm manufacturing community has released an incredible
array of new products in recent months, and our staff has scoured
the field to find the most interesting, which are highlighted here.
Each one is designed to enhance your shooting performance, making
it safer, more efficient and more fun.
Wherever your interests lie—classic single-shots for target or varmint
shooting; classically styled shotguns for clays or upland birds;
semi-automatic, military-style arms for sport or self-protection;
ultra-compact handguns for concealed carry; electronic sights for
competition; or high-performance bullets for big-game hunting—you’ll
find several products listed here that will not only whet your appetite
but suit your needs.
Of course, we’ll evaluate many of these guns, optics and ammunition
products in greater depth in features and in Dope Bag and Loading
Bench reviews in coming months, but if you just can’t wait, you can
see all these great products and a whole lot more on display in the
exhibit hall of NRA’s own 2008 Annual Meetings & Exhibits—May
16-18 in Louisville, Ky.—the year’s biggest celebration of our country’s
Second Amendment freedom and shooting sports heritage.
We’ll see you there!
AIRFORCE AIRGUNS’ new EDGE air rifle, intended for youth and adults, is a fully adjustable and ambidextrous air rifle that uses a compressed-air cylinder for power, much like Olympic-level airguns. It also offers a precision peep sight and is approved by the Civilian Marksmanship Program for use in Sporter Class competition. www.airforceairguns.com
ARMALITE’s AR-10T is now chambered for the .338 Federal. The gun
has a forged aluminum flattop upper receiver and all the accuracy-enhancing
features of the AR-10T, including a two-stage National Match trigger,
a 22" triple-lapped stainless steel match barrel and free-floated
aluminum fore-end. www.armalite.com
AUTO-ORDNANCE has a faithful replica
of the U.S. M1A1 “Paratrooper carbine” constructed from all new parts.
Its folding stock is made in the United States and closely follows
the lines of the original. On the Tommy Gun side, a new semi-automatic
pistol version of the legendary Thompson has a 10" finned barrel with an M1-style
front sight, and an aluminum receiver and frame. It comes standard
with a 50-round drum, has a horizontal fore-end and no provision
for fitting a buttstock. www.auto-ordnance.com
BENELLI claims its Ultra Light 20
gauge is the lightest 20-ga. autoloader on the market. Weighing just
5.2 lbs., it has a 24" barrel and
is chambered for 3" magnums. The company’s other introduction
is the Legacy Sport, a strikingly handsome clays gun with an AA walnut
stock and engraved titanium receiver insert in the scrolled alloy
receiver. Both guns feature Benelli’s Inertia Driven action. www.benelliusa.com
BERETTA, after nearly 500 years of arms manufacture, introduces its third-generation over-under, the SV10 Perennia. Its most unique feature is the locking system situated between the stock and receiver. www.berettausa.com
BLASER’s new safari version
of its straight-pull R93 rifle is named for one of the greats of
African hunting: Frederick Courtney Selous. Chambered in .375 H&H
Mag. or .416 Rigby with heavy safari-weight barrel (or in .300 Win.
Mag. with an intermediate-weight tube), the rifle has a highly polished,
casehardened steel receiver and a “kickstop”
built into its deluxe walnut buttstock. www.blaser-usa.com
BROWNING’s bolt-action X-Bolt rifle features a bolt unlock button that works with the top-tang safety for improved security while unloading; an adjustable, three-lever Feather Trigger set at 3 lbs., 12 ozs. pull; the X-Lock scope-mounting system with four screws per base; and a detachable, polymer rotary magazine that feeds cartridges directly in line with the bolt. The fit and finish of the new Citori 625 over-under shotgun rivals guns costing more—action components are machined to exact tolerances and hand-fitted with the lampblack-and-file method. Offered in 12 gauge, its barrels have Vector Pro extended forcing cones, which are 2" longer than those on most guns on the market. Field and Sporting models come with 26" or 28" barrels. The Cynergy Classic Trap Unsingle Combo is ready for singles or doubles competition with an adjustable Unsingle Rib barrel and an over-under-barrel set all housed in an aluminum case. www.browning.com
BUSHMASTER has signed a licensing deal to produce an innovative
semi-auto rifle previously developed by Magpul Industries and known
as the Masada. The new gun, called the Adaptive Combat Rifle, or
ACR, will retain most of the Masada’s features, including a
gas-piston operating system, tool-less quick-change barrels, a folding
stock with integrated storage and some M16/AR-15 parts interchangeability. www.bushmaster.com
CVA’s new Accura 209 Magnum
Series of break-action muzzleloaders is based on the Optima Pro platform
but sports a redesigned frame with the breaching lever built into
the trigger guard, an ambidexterous stock in standard and thumbhole
designs, and a blued-or-stainless 27" fluted Bergara barrel that ensures maneuverability and efficient
powder burning. www.cva.com
CZ-USA’s semi-automatic 7.62x39 mm VZ 58 rifle is available in two versions: the Tactical Sporter has a Zytel stock and the Military Sporter has a wood-impregnated plastic stock. Unlike AK-style rifles, the VZ- 58’s bolt locks open after the last round is fired, and the gun is striker-fired. Available in 12 gauge, with a choice of 30" or 32" barrels, the CZ Sporting Clays over-under shotgun features a satin black engraved receiver. The neutral-cast Circassian walnut stock has an adjustable comb and ambidextrous palm swells on the pistol grip. www.cz-usa.com
CHARLES DALY, best known for its
imported shotguns and handguns, has branched out with a four-model
line of AR-15-style long guns: D-4LE, D4-S and D4LX carbines and
the DR-15 Target Rifle. Marketed under the Charles Daly 
Defense name,
all the 5.56x45 mm rifles are made in the United States, have chrome-lined,
chrome-moly barrels, and can be had with or without rails and even
in a version ready for NRA High Power competition. www.charlesdalydefense.com
CHARTER ARMS offers new .22 LR and .22 WMR Target Pathfinder Series
six-shot, 4" barrel revolvers with fully adjustable sights.
Built on the same frame as the popular 2"-barrel model, the
Pathfinder sports full-size rubber grips and weighs only 20 ozs.
The Pathfinder fits the need of those shooters looking for a lighter-caliber
revolver that is comfortable and easy to shoot. www.charterfirearms.com
CIMARRON’s Texas Brush Popper
is a Model 1873 replica with an 18 1/2" standard
blue octagon-to-round barrel with a full-length magazine. Stock options
include either straight or pistol grips in walnut with a shotgun
buttplate. Calibers offered are .357 Mag. and .45 Colt.
www.cimarron-firearms.com
continued
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by calling 877-672-2000.
OPTICS ’08
AIMPOINT bills its Concealed Engagement
Unit (CEU), for law enforcement and military users only, as a “highly
versatile aiming device” that “allows engagement of threats from
behind cover.” Compatible with all Aimpoint sights, it rotates a
full 260 degrees, allowing the shooter to safely look around either
right- or left-hand corners, up staircases or down tunnels from almost
any angle. Since the Aimpoint CEU does not affect the sight’s point
of impact, it can easily be passed from one operator to another using
the company’s TwistMount. www.aimpoint.com
BSA Stealth Tactical riflescopes carry a patented, all-weather Pull/Push windage/elevation turret system that makes zeroing a cinch, and their precise 1/4-m.o.a. adjustments are easy to make even while wearing gloves. The scopes are water-, fog- and shockproof. Stealth Tactical Illuminated Sights come in 1X and 3X magnifications with 5-m.o.a. red-dots, multi-coated lenses, half-click windage/elevation adjustments and Weaver-style rail mounts. The 3X unit features a detachable laser and flashlight. www.bsaoptics.com
BARRETT, best known for its .50-cal. rifles, has released the Barrett Optical Ranging System, or BORS, a 13-oz. integrated electronic ballistic computer that mounts directly to a riflescope and mechanically couples to the elevation knob. An LCD display reveals the target’s range and three internal sensors automatically calculate the shooter’s ballistics, compensating for aiming up or down, cant, temperature, and changes in barometric pressure. BORS is available either by itself or factory installed on a 4.5-14X Leupold Mark 4 riflescope. It comes preloaded with most popular cartridges and includes Barrett Ballistic software and a cable that allow the user to enter custom loads. www.barrettrifles.com
BURRIS has developed a broad range of innovative optics gear. Its LaserScope with Ballistic Plex or Tactical Ballistic Mil-Dot Reticle is a riflescope with a rangefinder designed for precision rifle shooters. Its Fullfield TAC30 Riflescopes are tactical 30 mm riflescopes available in three popular variable ranges, including the versatile 3.5-10X 50 mm with an illuminated Ballistic Plex reticle. The new XTR-14 1-4X riflescope features the innovative XTR Ballistic 5.56 Reticle. The ShotCam mounts on a barrel to capture video of the shot. And the SpeedBead System is a quick-acquisition red dot for shotgunners and pistol shooters. www.burrisoptics.com
BUSHNELL Excursion EX binoculars feature a lightweight, double-bridge
design, PC-3 phase coating, a wider field of view and a lockable
focus knob; available in 8X 36 mm, 10X 36 mm, 8X 42 mm and 10X 42
mm sizes. Excursion Folded Light Path spotting scopes reduce size
without sacrificing performance—15-45X 60 mm and 20-60X 80 mm models
are only about a foot long and weigh about 40 ozs. Bushnell’s Videoscope
is a compact video camera with a 1.5" color display that mounts
atop a riflescope so users can digitally record activity for up to
30 minutes. The Scout 1000 with Angle Range Compensation (ARC) is
a laser rangefinder that provides true horizontal distance when shooting
at steep angles. Range objects out to 1,000 yards, then watch the
built-in inclinometer provide the true horizontal distance and range
to the target (good for rifles and bows). www.bushnell.com
CABELAS’ new Alaskan Guide XT Scopes have duplex reticles, 1/4-m.o.a. adjustments, matte finishes and come in sizes from 1.5-5X 32 mm to 6.5-20X 49 mm. At just 24.6 oz., Cabela’s new Outfitter Series binocular weighs up to a half-pound less than comparably sized binoculars. www.cabelas.com
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