The Mossberg 590M Shockwave brought high capacity to short shotguns. Even though it only has an overall length of 26.3 inches, the 590M Shockwave boasts an impressive capacity of 10+1 thanks to its magazine design. Aside from the magazine, it has all the standard 590 features, including twin action bars and an ambidextrous tang safety. Everything is rounded out with a 15-inch heavy-walled barrel. The 590M Shockwave is great for those that want to cut down on length without sacrificing capacity.
Mossberg set out to deliver a feature-rich bolt-action rifle at a reasonable price, and they did just that. With features like detachable box magazines, a spiral fluted bolt, a recessed match barrel crown, and a patented LBA user-adjustable trigger, the Patriot offers a lot of value.
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.
The Kel-Tec SU16B is a unique rifle in that it is a 5.56 rifle with a folding stock, making for an extremely compact overall package when stored. The SU16B model is ultra-lightweight, weighing only 4.5 lbs, further solidifying its role as a versatile utility rifle. While it may not be as accurate or reliable as an AR-15, we consider the SU16B an interesting alternative for specific use cases.
The Omega Arms AR12 brings many of the ergonomic features of the AR-15 to the world of semi-auto shotguns. These magazine-fed, 12-gauge shotguns are easy to reload and make for great fun at the range. With two magazines, a hard case, sights, and a sling included, the Omega AR12 gets you a decent amount of bang for your buck.
