Accessories

Gun Tests’ Houston test team recently obtained four shoulder holsters from the company that offers more of those designs than any other maker: Galco International.

The Model 37 Ithaca Deerslayer shotgun was renamed the Model 87 Deerslayer from 1987 through 1996, after which time the Model 37 designation was resumed. Both models were equipped with open sights from the factory, including an adjustable rear leaf sight allowing ample room for a scope or red dot optic without disturbing the open sights. There is ample room for a one-piece scope base on top of the receiver bridge, which must be drilled and tapped.

Here are new videos added to GunReports.com the week of October 25: Watch Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA demonstrate how to lap the rings on a rifle; Dianna Liedorff, member of the FNH USA shooting team, explains the 180, as well as other aspects of range etiquette; and Jerry Miculek fires armor-piercing rounds concrete blocks.…

Bushnell Outdoor Products has introduced a new 4.5-18x40mm $300 riflescope with high-quality optics, a bullet-drop compensation reticle (BDC), and target turrets.

When it comes to handgun concealment, perhaps the most colorful configuration is the shoulder holster. Shoulder holsters are not as popular in the real world as they are in old detective movies, but that has as much to do with contemporary style as it does with the cost of a good rig, especially when compared to a Kydex belt holster. People simply do not wear sport coats as much as they used to. But shoulder holsters do provide superior access when seated at a desk or behind the wheel of a car.

To learn more about shoulder holsters, we purchased four different models from the company that offers more designs than any other maker. Galco International (USGalco.com) began making gun leather in the late 1960s as the Famous Jackass Leather Company in Chicago, Illinois. Their most famous product was a shoulder holster referred to as the Jackass Rig worn by Don Johnson in the second season of the 1980s hit show Miami Vice. Later, Johnson's character, Detective James "Sonny" Crockett, was fit with a new model from Galco, the Miami Classic. It was covered by a summer-weight sport jacket and sparked a trend in men's fashion that some of us would like to forget.

To carry our full-size Springfield Armory 1911 45, we chose the $200 VHS vertical carry shoulder system with a vertical drop dual magazine pouch. To house our Springfield Armory XDM 3.8 9mm compact, we picked the $195 Miami Classic II with dual magazine pouch, offering horizontal open top access. For our Caspian 1911 Commander we bought a $165 Jackass Rig, also with a vertical drop dual magazine pouch. This design offered abbreviated coverage of the pistol's top end but greater diagonal adjustment for the holster than the Miami Classic. For our Sig Sauer P239 we tested a $93 Classic Lite shoulder system with single vertical drop magazine pouch fashioned from center cut steer hide with a natural finish. The Classic Lite is the least expensive shoulder system that Galco makes.

Galco Gunleather has introduced a KingTuk tuckable IWB holster for Springfield Armory’s XD-S pistols.

Bushnell’s new Equinox 3x30mm digital night vision monocular comes in four configurations. Equinox night vision monoculars, $330, are popular for wildlife watching, hunting, landowner security, or any other nighttime activity.

Stag Arms, one of the nation's largest AR-15 manufacturers, is offering certain rifles and parts in pink to raise funds and increase awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation through the end of October.

Redfield has introduced its latest tactical optic, the Battlezone Tac.22 2-7x34mm riflescope.

From Gun Tests reader Dan Brunger in the upcoming November 2013 issue:'Newer magazines do not fit my CZ 75. Could you tell me when the change occurred and how to tell the magazines apart other from physically trying them?'

Federal agencies that provide customer services to the firearms and ammunition industry are affected by the shutdown, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reports.

After a decade of distribution by Kimber USA, Meprolight Self-illuminated sights will be distributed in the USA exclusively by The Mako Group beginning November 1, 2013.