Recreational

In this test we evaluate a 40 S&W polymer handgun that offers significant changes to its original design — Heckler & Koch’s $1005 P30 V3 adds an ambidextrous thumb safety to the latest edition of that company’s newest polymer platform.Most polymer handguns are simple in design. Rather than call the HK P30 more complex, we’ll use the word sophisticated. There are six variants of the P30 series pistol— seven if you count the suffix 'S' for ambidextrous safety. In our December 2007 evaluation of the 9mm Heckler & Koch P30 V3, we began our Gun Tests Report Card by saying: 'Based on the fine accuracy we achieved firing single-action only, maybe this is a gun that should have a thumb safety rather than a decocker.' The P30S V3 pistol in this test adds an ambidextrous thumb safety.

Traditions Performance Firearms has introduced a 2013 lineup of single-action revolvers by Pietta. The single actions will be available in two series – the Frontier series and the Rawhide series.

Back Country, a lightweight rifle for hunters and shooters, joins Weatherby’s Vanguard Series 2 line in 2013. Weighing just 6.75 pounds, Back Country carries the Weatherby sub-MOA guarantee and other features common to all Vanguard Series 2 rifles. In addition, Back Country’s chrome-moly metalwork with Cerakote Tactical Grey finish provides exceptional corrosion resistance.

Gun Tests’ Houston- and Idaho-based test teams take detailed looks at traditional bolt-action hunting rifles by Weatherby, Howa, and Thompson/Center in the April 2013 issue of the magazine.

GunReports.com presents this article from the American Gunsmith Library Book of the Rifle: aking The Ruger 10/22 Team Challenge Conversion. Gunsmiths will be called upon to make drop-in parts drop in and solve other difficulties associated with the upgrade of the stock Ruger 10/22 to a Team Challenge unit.

The .300 AAC Blackout cartridge in AR/MSR platform rifles provides the ability to shoot subsonic ammunition for low-noise applications and supersonic ammunition for longer-range shots. To get the most out of the round, Nikon's new P-300 BLK riflescope, $200, comes in 2-7x32 magnification with an all-new BDC SuperSub reticle that is calibrated for use with both supersonic and subsonic ammunition

I noticed the bolt on the old shotgun was closed when it was being taken out of its case, so I asked the owner to open it. When he touched the bolt, the striker released. I was mighty relieved that he had remembered to unload the piece before bringing it into my shop. Another person standing at the end of the counter, which happened to be at the shotgun's muzzle end, was even more relieved than I was.

Gun Test’s Idaho test team has spent a lot of time looking at relatively tiny 9mm handguns over the past year. They have found there are a few good designs that permit the use of some relatively hot ammo in the small 9mm packages. But some people want still more power, so the Sr. Technical Editor Ray Ordorica and the magazine’s test team decided to sample a few of the smaller forties out there.

In this test we looked at four different polymer handguns that offer higher round capacity but take up less space than full-size models. Our first pistol, the $503 Taurus PT24/7 Pro 45-BP-12 could be considered a true compact, especially when compared to Taurus's new OSS pistol. The Springfield Armory XD45 4-inch Compact XD9645HCSP06, $589; and the Springfield Armory XD45 5-inch Compact Tactical XD9655HCSP06, $619, have undergone the Colt Officers treatment, receiving a shortened grip frame attached to a full-length slide. The $637 Glock SF21 is a remodeling of the Glock 21, but the SF21 does not seem to be much smaller. We wanted to find out if any of its subtle streamlining added up to a better pistol than the original.

The ACULON A211 binocular officially launches Nikon’s all-new ACULON optics family to the world, with seven fixed-power and two zoom models.

TriStar Arms, known primarily as a manufacturer of shotguns, will add several pistols for personal defense and target shooting in 2013.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, joined a chorus of skeptics who questioned President Barack Obama's recent comments about his hobby of skeet shooting.