The Heritage Rough Rider is an easy-to-shoot plinker that’s great for all skill levels. This single-action army inspired revolver is designed to be light and easy to operate in a fun-to-shoot package. The standard Rough Rider features a 6-shot .22 LR cylinder (.22 Magnum cylinders are available). It sports either classic-style western grips or birdshead-style grips, and it is available in various barrel lengths from 3 to 12 inches. If you are looking for an affordable gun that is cheap to shoot, this is it.
The POF Tombstone is a unique 9mm modern lever-action rifle. It uses 10 or 20-round magazines that are also found on the POF Phoenix. A crisp trigger breaks at 3.5 pounds, and the 16.5” free-floated barrel is accompanied by a 10.5″ M-LOK. XS Ghost Ring sights allow for quick target acquisition, and POF’s removable dual port muzzle break makes for fast follow-up shots. The Tombstone is a unique and fresh take on both the PCC and lever-action platforms.
The Colt Government Series 70 is based on the original 1911 without the passive firing pin safety. These Government models feature a series 70 firing system, a 5-inch forged stainless steel barrel, short trigger, spur hammer, checkered grips, GI-style sights, and a CNC-machined forged stainless slide and frame. While these are new production Colt guns, they maintain the classic styling and design that makes the 1911 so popular.
The FNH FNS-9 is often overlooked, but it’s a solid choice for people in the market for a CCW pistol. It’s one of the few striker-fired, polymer-frame pistols with a manual safety, multiple backstop inserts help create an optical fit, and the accessory rail lets you mount a light. We’d love to see an optic-ready slide, and aftermarket support isn’t great, but it’s still a viable concealed carry or home defense platform.
The Kimber 2K11 Target is Kimber’s first foray into the double-stack (a.k.a. 2011) arena. While it’s a beautiful pistol with a crisp trigger and excellent ergonomics, it’s not without issue. During our testing, it struggled to go into battery on a few occasions. Also, our large-handed shooters struggled with accidentally riding the slide stop. As an expensive race gun, this was disappointing. We diagnosed the out-of-battery issues as the gun possibly being undersprung, but it’s something to keep in mind. Overall, we had fun shooting it despite the issues.
“It feels great in hand, although we prefer a bit more aggressive grip. The slide starts off a little stiff…as does the magazine release…so make sure you can confidently rack it. And because it’s the more budget of Kahr’s offerings, there are some sharp corners in the ejection port and the front of the slide and some machining marks on the barrel. But again, as a budget 9mm for concealed carry, you have to expect some concessions. Overall, if you’re looking for a concealable single-stack 9mm at a great price, you can’t go wrong with the CW9.” – Eric Hung
The SIG Sauer P365 SAS is a variant of the popular P365 concealed carry pistol, with the SAS standing for “Sig Anti-Snag”. The pistol features a number of design elements that make it highly concealable and easy to carry, including a flush-mounted FT Bullseye fiber optic sight, a snag-free slide, and a recessed takedown lever. The tool-less disassembly and useful slide lock also make the SAS a good choice for EDC. The pistol has a 10+1 capacity and is chambered in 9mm. Overall, the SIG Sauer P365 SAS is a high capacity, highly concealable and reliable option for those looking for a compact pistol for CCW.
A metal-framed .32 ACP semi-automatic pistol is almost an oddity in today’s world. Despite this, the Tomcat is an interesting pistol. A tip-up barrel means you never have to rack the slide, making it accessible to just about every shooter regardless of strength or dexterity. The .32 ACP cartridge is also extremely soft shooting, and even with a heavier trigger, this gun is accurate and fun to shoot.
The Tavor TS12 bent the rules and brought us a gas-operated semi-automatic bullpup shotgun with a set of 3 rotating magazine tubes. Each magazine tube can hold up to five 2 3/4-inch shells, giving the gun a maximum capacity of 15+1. Once the magazine tube is depleted, the tubes can be rotated and will automatically load a new round. An 18.5-inch barrel combined with the bullpup configuration keeps the length compact at just 28.34 inches overall. Quick-detach sling points, M-Lok rails, full-length top Picatinny rails, and interchangeable chokes allow for plenty of accessory mounting capabilities and flexibility.
The Springfield Armory M1A is a modern version of the classic US military M14 battle rifle. This semi-automatic rifle uses a Garand-style rotating bolt and operating rod combined with a short-stroke gas piston. Magazine capacity ranges from 10-20 rounds of .308, and the rifle is available in several different trim levels, from base models all the way to Super Match variants.
