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Ruger 10/22 Competition Left-Hand. Andrew McKean Photo Next Post Coming Soon…▶ Finally, southpaw rimfire shooters don’t have to endure hot brass in their faces as Ruger presents a competition-level 10/22.   I’ve wanted to love Ruger’s 10/22 as much as anybody. It shoots fast and accurate, despite its heavy trigger. It’s endlessly modular. And it is reliable as a roofing nail. But I’m an unrepentant left-handed shooter, and the right-hand port of the 10/22 often puts ejection gases and shells in my face. Like most southpaws, I’m used to the indignities of the right-handed world of guns and shooting, but…

Diamondback Birdshead Sidekick. Michael Irwin Collins Photo Next Post Coming Soon…▶ A 25-ounce .22 revolver that rides easily in the back pocket is a good thing to have. A couple of years ago, Diamondback introduced their Sidekick revolver. The original 4-inch barrel revolver is a neat plinker and trainer. But the new 3-inch barrel birdshead grip revolver is even lighter and easier to carry. The popular birdshead grip configuration gives the Sidekick a vintage look some will definitely find attractive.   Features The revolver is similar in outline to the High Standard Double Nine or W100. The Double Nine features…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ Ammunition can be a tricky beast. We love it, but hate paying for it. We want the best in new technology, but only once it’s as proven as the old stuff.  After all that we want the best there is, at a low price. I don’t envy any ammunition manufacturer looking to dethrone the top few, but I applaud all who try. With that, let’s look at G9 Defense. G9 Defense was founded in 2013. The name G9 is derived from the ballistic coefficient scales used to determine ballistic trajectoryt. G9 was interested in having some…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ Mid-April last year I was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with long-time friend Eddie Stevenson before sunrise listening to a longbeard hammer the day awake. Before long, the tom was gobbling so close to us we could smell his breath. Problem was, the tom was directly behind us. He skirted to our rear and walked off in the direction of a real hen while never presenting a shot. As the first morning’s hunt wound down, a band of feral hogs moseyed into a corn feeder about 120 yards distant. Always willing to help thin wild hog populations, I snuck…

The Walther PDP Compact 5-Inch, Michael Irwin Collins Photo Next Post Coming Soon…▶ The pistol illustrated is a result of my diligent searching for interesting pistols to own, shoot, carry and report on. It has been quite a while since HK introduced their polymer-frame P9 and almost as long since Glock introduced their game changing Glock 17. Polymer frame striker-fired handguns are easily the most popular pistol on the market. They may not engender emotional attachment or the affection of some more prominently styled firearms, but they will definitely save your life when needed. Another pistol with the big “R,”…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ The popularity of mounting a suppressor on a hunting rifle has grown with quantum leaps over the past two decades. The secondary benefit of a suppressor—hearing protection—seems to be the prevailing driver behind the acquisition of hunting rifle silencers these days. One of the negatives of putting a can on a rifle comes from adding several ounces and several inches of length to what otherwise would be a trim hunting rig. I recently found a new suppressor that answers both negatives at a gun-writer editorial rendezvous in Idaho. The Silencer Central Banish Backcountry delivers good performance…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ In the early 2000s I needed a nylon belt to wear on the range as a firearms instructor. I didn’t want a heavy duty belt or Sam Browne belt to lug around all day, but it had to be stiff enough to hold an OWB holster and mag pouches during repeated draws and demonstrations. Several seasoned agents pointed me toward The Wilderness brand from Tactical Products LLC and the original Instructor belts. Unlike most nylon belts, they were as stiff and heavy duty as the double thick leather belts, they could be worn visible or concealed…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to spend the first week of October in Idaho at numerous firearm-industry editorial rendezvous. More than a dozen gun writers gathered to see what the gun, optics and ammo companies had to offer for the coming year. On the range and later back at the ranch I chatted with Nighthawk Custom owner Mark Stone to learn about his business. Long-time publishing colleague Nino Bosaz joined Mark and I, and as typical, an editorial brainstorming session began. By the time our ice cubes started their swirling rattle around…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ A competent side-by-side shotgun retailing for under $1,000 sounds as unlikely and unattainable as a sub-6-pound elk rifle that shoots consistently. But Weatherby has accomplished the unexpected with its new Turkish-made Orion that hammers birds and has just enough style that you don’t have to feel inadequate around Beretta- and Orvis-equipped wingshooters. Let’s be clear: The Orion isn’t some undiscovered heir to elegance. Instead, it’s an unadorned workaday side-by-side that digests a wide range of payloads, is at home on the marsh as in the uplands, and that you won’t feel bad when you scratch and…

Next Post Coming Soon…▶ Almost two decades ago I decided I needed a PVS14 monocular. I had used PVS7’s on the U.S./Mexico border, then been issued a PVS14 in Afghanistan, and after I came home, I went down a rabbit hole. Eventually, I ended up with multiple PVS14s, multiple dual-tube goggles and more equipment for mounting them to your head, your gun, your spotting scope, your camera and anything else than you can imagine. Needless to say, I learned a lot along the way. In the words of Thomas Edison, “I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Let me…