Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2026 i Guns & Ammo

REVOLVING RECOLLECTIONS The first photo I saw while flipping through the pages of the November 2025 issue of Guns & Ammo magazine was the photo of holsters on Mr. Poole’s Editorial page. I was issued one of those half-flap holsters for the 4-inch-barrel revolver by the 7272nd Air Police Squadron in 1962. That was at Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli, Libya. I was a sentry dog handler who patrolled large isolated posts to the south and east of the base. One still exists. The squadron arms room was interesting. There was a lot of left-over World War II stuff: .45s, of course, .38 Special revolvers, racks of .50-caliber machine guns, carbines and shotguns. My favorite was the eight BARs that were issued to dog handlers during base alerts in daytime…

NOTHING BEATS THE CONVENIENCE of illuminating a target while maintaining a two-handed firing grip on your pistol. Not only can a light help to confirm a threat, but a bright beam of light may also act as a force multiplier, disrupting an adversary’s vision and intent. Lasers provide a precise aiming point for enhanced accuracy while keeping your focus on the target. The combination of a pistol-mounted light and laser affords users the ability to see through the dark and aim quickly and instinctively without needing to align sights. The HiLight Tactical P3PCL is a new compact light and laser unit that mounts to the accessory rail found on most pistols. The Cree LED projects 700 lumens of light, which is enough output to identify a threat in a precarious…

VIRGIL TRIPP is a well-known name among handgun competitors, especially those who prefer the Model 1911-type pistol. For those who don’t know him, Tripp is the “T” in Strayer-Tripp International (STI). Perhaps you’ve heard of the “2011” pistol? Tripp has been a force of influence on the 1911 platform, on par with the greatest pistolsmiths since the 1980s. He is known for his work on the 1911 magazine, typically the first suspect a shooter considers when a malfunction occurs. Tripp began developing his 1911-style magazine in 1998, and felt that he had perfected it in the Gen II Cobra Mag released in 2008. The Cobramag Gen II is now available for 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm/.40 S&W and .45 ACP single-stack 1911s. Magazines support Government (G), Commander (C) and Officer (O)…

THE BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE (BAR) was one of John Moses Browning’s most iconic designs. It was a hurried affair that took him three months to complete prior to fielding for World War I. John’s son, Val, was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was responsible for training new troops on the function and use of the new rifle. The Army named it the “BAR M1918,” and it and the variants stayed in use with the U.S. military until the Vietnam War. The M1918 is an air-cooled automatic rifle that fires from an open bolt with a cyclic rate of 330 to 550 rounds per minute (rpm), which is easier to control. My wife’s grandfather carried one in World War II. He told me that it was completely reliable, if…

IN THE U.S., consumers think of Taurus as a producer of affordable handguns. However, Taurus is a company that has secured military and police contracts in South America and around the world with its handguns, rifles and submachine guns. Like all companies, it’s looking to increase market share. Toward that end, the new TX9 has been positioned as Taurus’ flagship model. Previously, Taurus offered the TS9 for that role. The TS9 was the issued sidearm for Brazilian special forces, not to mention other Brazilian military and police agencies. Taurus engineers took design cues from the successful TX22 pistol introduced in Guns & Ammo's May 2019 issue, which became that year’s “Handgun of the Year.” Initially, the TX9 will be offered in three versions: full-size (F), compact (C) and subcompact (SC).…

HERE’S WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Gil Ash is going to poke fun at you, then you’ll go home and hardly recognize your new abilities with a sporting shotgun. There are a few steps in between, of course, but sporting clays can be easy when you learn to shoot the correct way. The Ash family, including Gil, Vicki and their son, Brian, have been refining the Optimum Shotgun Performance (OSP) shooting school (ospschool.com) for more than 35 years. In the firearms training I’ve experienced, I’ve never had such a quick arrival to the “light bulb” moment or seen it in others as fast. The problem many do not understand is that the sporting shotgun cannot be fired in the same manner as a rifle or pistol. As centerfire guns shoot a single…

THE RUGER MARK IV 22/45 offers easier maintenance for more time and fun at the range. The .22 LR-chambered Standard Pistol designed by Bill Ruger was introduced in 1949. It was Ruger’s first firearm. The success of the Standard Pistol spawned many variations. Subsequent generations include the Mark II (1982), Mark III (2004) and Mark IV (2016). While the Mark II and Mark III lines were iconic, disassembly was neither easy or fun. Featured in the November 2016 issue of Guns & Ammo, the Mark IV line included the Standard, Tactical, Hunter and Competition models, in addition to the 22/45, 22/45 Lite and 22/45 Tactical. The 22/45 models are distinctive for the Model 1911-style grip, hence the “45” moniker. Rimfire pistols, including the Mark IV 22/45, are a great platform…

GUNWERKS ENTERED the suppressor business with its 6IX and 8IGHT in 2019, having a desire to create the ideal suppressor for the long-range hunter. Its entire business model was built around precision hunting rifles designed for use at extended ranges. The closer the shooter can get to the animal, though, the better. Gunwerks also believes in being prepared for long shots when no other option exists, which is why most of its rifles are chambered in magnum cartridges between the 6.5mm PRC and .300 PRC. Gunwerks tested suppressors that were then-available before designing its own. Engineers learned that most .30-caliber suppressors were built around and tested with .308 Winchester ammunition, for example. The typical .308 Win. cartridge contains about 40 grains of powder that transforms into hot burning gas that…

WHEN GUNS & AMMO sent me an AR rifle for evaluation, I was confused when a box from US Palm arrived. Since the company’s founding in 2009, US Palm has earned a reputation for offering aftermarket product support to AK owners, including its signature hybrid polymer-and-metal magazine with a distinctive “waffle tread” pattern. Century Arms purchased US Palm in 2017, and building an AR-15 rifle represents a sea change for the brand. Officially dubbed the “Storm CAT4,” the US Palm rifle is a direct impingement, gas-operated 5.56 NATO-chambered AR-15. Two versions of the rifle were received for Guns & Ammo’s testing: One in basic black and another with a green upper, lower and handguard. (Photographer Mark Fingar aptly referred to the color as “Hulk Green.”) Storm rifles are built on…

WITH THE ADVENT of smokeless propellant in the late 1880s, it was necessary to design stronger steels to handle the higher pressures that were produced by smokeless propellants. Winchester and Marlin both had several successful models of rifles in the Models 1881 and 1889 Marlin and the 1873, 1876, 1886 and 1892 Winchester. All were well-designed, strong actions for blackpowder but the low-strength steels used in these rifles were not strong enough to handle cartridges designed around smokeless propellant that could produce two to three times the pressure of blackpowder. All the rifle manufacturers began work on stronger steels shortly after the introduction of smokeless propellant. At the time, metallurgists pursued alloying steel with nickel to achieve a higher strength. Marlin perfected its nickel steel a little sooner than Winchester…