Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i Gun Digest

Should you modify a defensive firearm? Ask that question to a dozen firearms instructors and I feel it’s safe to assume you’ll get at least 11 “absolutely not” replies. And as for that twelfth instructor, that response will likely be, “Well ….” But, in large part, that’s a cop-out answer—a CYA attempt to avoid any potential trouble in court should that gun be used in your personal defense. And I get it: That’s the safe play. Now, I’ve got a 1911 in a safe on my nightstand, to which I added a light. That gun came with a rail, but it did not come with that light. I also added night sights, because if I have to use it in a defensive situation, I’m predicting that predicament to unfold at…

01 Springfield Armory Kuna 9mm Pistol Springfield Armory just launched the Kuna, a roller-delayed 9mm PDW built for fast handling and rock-solid performance. Named after Croatia’s fierce pine marten, this pint-sized powerhouse features a rugged monolithic aluminum upper, a fixed 6-inch cold-hammer-forged barrel and fully ambidextrous controls. The roller-delayed system cuts recoil and muzzle rise for smooth, flat shooting. Add translucent 30-round mags, flip-up hybrid sights and AR-style ergonomics, and you’ve got a seriously capable personal defense tool. Available with a Pic rail end plate or with a Strike Industries folding brace. Compact, smartly built and ready for anything—the Kuna delivers. MSRP: Starting at $999 02 Caldwell Velociradar The Caldwell Velociradar is a feature-packed chronograph that’s built like a tank and smart as a whip. Designed for shooters who dabble…

How would you like to get a competition-ready pistol that was good to go right out of the box? And while you’re at it, one that’s suitable for everyday carry as well? That describes the Canik SFx Rival-S to a T. Before we dive into the full details, the “S” is not the stainless but the shiny version of the two options. Yes, chrome, not stainless, and you can get the SFx Rival-S in all-black as well. The Canik SFx Rival-S uses the same trigger design as found on the Walther line of pistols, and it’s a good one. That’s why it has been tearing up the competition circuit for some time now. Well, all of them have, but the SFx Rival-S is the culmination of years of input from…

FROM GUN DIGEST’S CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD. ORDER AT GUNDIGESTSTORE.COM. HISTORICAL NOTES The 6mm GT is a 2019 collaboration between George Gardner (GA Precision) and Tom Jacobs (Vapor Trail Bullets). Designed with competition shooting in mind, they wished to create a 6mm cartridge that could use forgiving propellants and feed reliably from AICS magazines. They also wanted the round to extend barrel life yet still provide high muzzle velocities with tight rifling twists to stabilize long, high-BC 6mm bullets. Accordingly, the 6mm GT has a 35-degree shoulder angle for easy feeding, an optimized case nearing 100 percent capacity with about 35 grains of Varget and develops 3,020 to 3,080 fps with 103- to 105-grain bullets. The 6mm GT works very well on deer, pronghorn and sheep as a hunting round.…

Owning and shooting an AR-15 pistol, or SBR, is fun. Well, it starts out fun, but the muzzle blast gets to be a bit much after a short while. Indoors, it’s even worse. And, if you happen to be working in a team environment … well, others will grow to hate you. Quickly. I’ve even heard of SWAT team members being retired with medical disability due to the muzzle blast of an SBR too close to them. What do you do? The “easy” answer is to put a suppressor on it. But that isn’t always an option. Some departments still won’t allow it. Or they do, but not personal equipment, and they “just haven’t finished the paperwork yet.” And you? You’re still waiting for your suppressor. So, how do you…

Since its debut in 2017, Mossberg’s short-barreled, bird’shead grip smoothbores have sparked plenty of debate. Are they range toys? True defensive tools? Does it even matter? Because a 14-inch scattergun with serious firepower is just plain cool. Now, Mossberg is cranking the Shock series—what the ATF classifies as “Non-NFA Firearms”—up to 11 with the latest evolution: the 990 AfterShock. This time it’s built on the company’s battle-hardened 940 semi-automatic platform, making it faster, harder-hitting and a lot more fun. Wrists, beware—the 990 AfterShock is here to test your mettle. But let’s be real: A little extra wear and tear might be worth the sheer firepower packed into this compact beast. THE LONG ROAD TO THE AFTERSHOCK I got my hands on a 14.25-inch barreled AfterShock for testing ahead of its…

Before we get to making mockery of those who insist on “the best trigger possible” in a firearm to be used for defense, we need to lay out the parameters of just what it is we’re talking about. In truth, most triggers are good enough. Most, even those that are deemed “beyond hope” by the cognoscenti will actually do the job when required. But “good enough” is a small comfort. And this is, after all, America … where we have choices. You just want to be careful what you choose. You will search for a long time to find someone more dismissive of the Glock trigger than myself. Not to pick on them in particular (oh heck, why not?), but a spongy, gritty, 6-pounds-plus trigger isn’t ideal for good marksmanship.…

I’m often asked how I evaluate new pistols sent to me for review. The short answer is that I have a standard protocol I use. It starts with a familiarization of the pistol and any new to me, or new to that model, features it might have. Then, I typically run about 50 to 100 rounds of FMJ ammo through the pistol to check for reliability and for additional familiarization. If a pistol fails this segment due to reliability issues, I simply send it back. If the pistol makes it through those first 50 or 100 rounds, I begin precision testing. I’ll select three to five factory range and carry loads, and then I’ll generally shoot three to five, five-shot groups from a rest at 10 yards, while also chronographing…

What we love and what we hate about the 1911 is actually the same thing. An old design that has stood the test of time, the 1911 is not easy to manufacture. It is labor-intensive and requires expensive methods of production. If you want a top-tier 1911, you’ll also need it to be hand-fitted and that will cause the price to skyrocket. You might hate the cost, but what drives the cost is exactly what makes the 1911 special. Reducing the cost requires that you reduce what you love about the platform. This is the paradox of the 1911. Springfield Armory’s 1911 TRP was released in the late 1990s after the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) adopted the Springfield Professional as their primary pistol. The Professional was a more expensive…

If you’re interested in shooting at long range, particularly as it relates to hunting, there’s hardly any doubt you’ve heard of Gunwerks. Gunwerks gained their initial fame through their acclaimed Long Range Pursui television show. Founded by Aaron Davidson in Otto, Wyoming, Gunwerks’ 45,000-square-foot headquarters that’s built around a 100-yard shooting range is now located in Cody, Wyoming. Though generally thought of as a rifle manufacturer, you could better describe Gunwerks as a full-service, long-range shooting syndicate. Gunwerks can provide you with all the gear you need to go the distance. I’ve been writing about rifles, professionally, for more than a quarter century, but somewhat embarrassingly, during all those years I’ve never shot a Gunwerks rifle. Not too long ago, my friend Neal Emery, who previously worked at Hornady, went…

I enjoy all sorts of big game hunting, both here in the U.S. and Canada—as well as more exotic locations such as Africa and Australia. But I must report that the United Kingdom has a different allure; it has deep-rooted traditions and a different approach to the sport than much of the rest of the world. Having experienced a traditional stalking hunt for Scottish red stag, I jumped at the opportunity to hunt the Cotswolds, a beautiful, forested region in the southwest of England, for fallow deer and roe deer. In addition to a great hunting opportunity, my host would be world-renowned chef Mike Robinson, whose fallow deer culling operation provides a good percentage of the venison to England’s restaurants. Upon arriving, Mike and his guides took us to the…

The MP5 is great, but it’s getting pretty old. For parties interested in roller-delayed 9mm PDWs but want something a bit more modern, they now have the Springfield Armory/HS Produkt Kuna to consider. Featuring a 6-inch cold hammer forged barrel, the Kuna is sold as a pistol either with or without a Strike Industries folding brace. The brace attaches via Picatinny rail on the rear of the receiver so you can install whatever brace model you desire, or stock if you choose to SBR it. Like the MP5, the Kuna uses a roller-delayed operating system. The smooth, low-recoil shooting experience that roller-delay provides is one of the big reasons why the MP5 was and is so loved, so odds are the Kuna will be a great shooter, too. Other features…