Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Gun Digest

For the past handful of years now, the October issue has been themed to focus on semi-auto handguns. As one of the most popular and prolific segments of the firearms market, we of course cover them throughout the year—in nearly every issue. But how does one even begin to take such a gigantic category and whittle it down to a bunch of columns, a handful of features and call it an issue? Well, welcome to the perils of my world. For this issue’s cover, I finally settled on highlighting the Watchtower Apache. Patrick Sweeney penned this piece, and it took a bit of convincing on his part to sway my final decision. Watchtower has been in a bit of a financial and PR skid as of recent, and it was…

01 Springfield Armory Saint Victor 8.5-Inch 9mm PCC Springfield’s latest Saint Victor offering packs full-size AR performance into a compact 9mm package. The Saint Victor 8.5-inch 9mm Pistol runs a direct-blowback system inside dedicated 9mm forged receivers, with a Melonite-treated 8.5-inch barrel that hits the sweet spot for compact maneuverability and ballistic punch. It features an M-Lok handguard with a handstop, QD mount and the recessed SA Muzzle Drum tucked underneath. Out back is an SB Tactical SBA3 brace, while controls include a short-throw ambi safety and B5 Systems furniture. Feeding from a 32-round Colt-pattern mag, this 9mm blaster is ready for anything. MSRP: $1,099 02 Laser Ammo’s CQB in a Box Laser Ammo’s CQB in a Box is a portable, wireless training system built for real-world readiness. Designed for…

The 6mm bore has been around for quite some time, and it has almost always been met with a degree of criticism against more powerful—or common—bore diameters such as the .30, 7mm and even 6.5 as of recent. The bore has been used steadily during the past century in both military rifles and hunting guns, the most common and well-known 6mm being the .243 Win. Many hunters who use this cartridge don’t immediately associate it with the 6mm class, mostly because of the American language barrier. The parlance has started to change in the past several years with a few chamberings making serious waves in both the competitive arena and for combat use. While there are still limitations to these rounds against the established pantheon of American classics, two of…

HISTORICAL NOTES The development of the rimmed .307 Winchester began in 1980, with the first public announcement in December 1982. However, the cartridge—and the Model 94 XTR Angle Eject carbine chambered for it—were not available until early 1983. The Marlin Model 336ER in .307 chambering introduced at the same time is no longer offered. The Angle Eject feature is a design modification of the beefed-up Model 94 XTR that ejects spent cartridge cases to the side, rather than straight up, the same as earlier Model 94 actions. This was accomplished by changing the position of the extractor and ejector, and by lowering the receiver’s right sidewall. The .307-caliber designation is to avoid confusing this cartridge with the other .30 calibers. It actually uses standard 0.308-inch bullets. The .307 Winchester is…

More ammo is better. A friend of mine once remarked, “There are only two situations where you can have too much ammo: when you’re on fire or trying to swim.” So, how do you get more? Taylor Freelance is the place. Robin Taylor is a longtime USPSA/IPSC competitor, who understands the need for more. And the need for durability. His magazine extensions (TaylorFreelance.com) are designed and built to withstand the rigors of competition—whether dropped on gravel or in mud—and still work. He makes nearly a full line of extensions for a variety of firearms. Not all, because some just can’t take an extension. How so? Look at your pistol magazine. At the bottom, the tube has lips to hold on the baseplate. If the lips are folded in, then you…

The great thing about improving your skill at presenting your handgun from the holster is that it’s a skill you can measurably improve without firing a single shot. Of all the defensive handgun skills you can use dry-fire to develop and practice, presentation is the one where dry-fire can provide the most improvement. You can break the process of handgun presentation down into four steps. They include clearing for the draw, establishing a shooting grip, clearing the holster and sight acquisition. Let’s dissect each of these so you fully understand the draw stroke process. STEP 1: CLEARING/PREPPING FOR THE DRAW Before you can draw your handgun, you need to be able to get to your handgun. This is of particular importance if you’re carrying concealed. The method will vary a…

TEXUS GUN & KNIFE ASSOCIATION 2025 SHOW DATES October 18-19 • ABILENE Convention Center October 25-26 • Fredericksburg Fair Grounds November 8-9 • KERRVILLE Expo Hall December 13-14 • AMARILLO Civic Center December 20-21 • KERRVILLE Expo Hall Guns & Gifts Show Show Hours: Saturday 9-5 Sunday 10-4 Like us on Facebook! Dealers call Janice Hill: (830) 285-0575 www.texasgunandknifeshows.com Thank you for your continued support Praying all are healthy and safe. SHOW LISTINGS BY DATE SEPTEMBER Sep 20-21 SD, Rapid City. Rapid City Rifle Club Association. The Monument Event Center, 444 N W Blvd., Rapid City, SD 57701. SH: Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-2pm. A: $5.00 Daily. T: 205. F: $50. Rapid City Rifle Club. PO Box 1945, Rapid City, SD 57709. PH: 605-209-1166. www.rapidcityrifleclub.com. Oct 4-5 IN, Valparaiso. Gun &…

We often take our defensive handgun shooting too seriously—not that being serious about defense handgun shooting is a bad thing. But one of the great things about shooting is that it can be fun, and sometimes having fun is a good thing, even with a serious firearm. About 7 years ago I developed a comprehensive defensive handgun drill that incorporated five very popular defensive handgun drills. I don’t think it’s all that practical as a training or evaluation tool, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, especially when you’re on the range with some buddies and want to have some friendly competition. THE SHADOWLAND DRILL We call the shooting range I live on Shadowland, and I named this drill simply the Shadowland Drill. To run the…

If becoming an excellent shooter is the destination, then dry fire is the road to get there. Ask anyone from USPSA Grand Masters to tier 1 operators to premier firearm instructors, and it’s universally agreed that dry fire is critical to growing as a shooter. And while a Ben Stoeger book of dryfire drills and some paper targets will take you far, what if we could improve the experience with the help of technology? Virtual reality hasn’t taken over the world like it promised it would 10 years ago, but using it to enhance and maximize the potential of dry fire is a revolutionary feat that AceXR is leading. BASICS The short and sweet of it is that AceXR is a VR app and a realistic handset that puts you…

If you have been looking for a double-stack 1911 pistol (commonly known as a “2011”), you’ve never had it so good. There was a time when they were “competition guns,” and they were heavily used, requiring them to be routinely overhauled and re-fitted by pistolsmiths. But that use taught the ’smiths and makers many lessons, and we have all benefited from the experience. Now they are everywhere … and a really good one to lay hands on is the Watchtower Apache. The overall dimensions of the Apache (named after Operation Apache Snow, aka Hamburger Hill) are the same as a 5-inch government model. Well, a fat one, since there’s a double-stack STI/SVI pattern magazine in there. The magazines the Apache arrives with are a flushfit 17-round magazine and an extended…