Gun Digest June 2021

I get questions all the time—all the time—that go something like, “What do you think about [insert name here] Precision,” or, “Have you shot the new AR from Something-Something Armament?” Now, make no mistake: The entire staff here at Gun Digest thrives by keeping our finger on the pulse of what’s new. After all, we know guns so you know guns. But, these days, keeping up with every boutique AR company shipping some derivative of America’s rifle out their doors is like trying to keep the dandelions off the lawn in the early spring … there’s a new one every time I turn around. But unlike those friggin’ flowery weeds, I’ll gladly tip my hat to every AR builder of every size, whether they’re cranking out guns by the thousands…

HISTORICAL NOTES The.450 Bushmaster's parent cartridge is the.45 Professional, a rifle/cartridge conversion developed by Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms LLC, and licensed to Bushmaster Firearms International for production and distribution. LeGendre still retains ownership. The.450 Bushmaster is designed to be used in the standard M16/AR-15 platform, using five-round magazines. Bushmaster asked Hornady to produce the.45 Professional ammunition for this project, and Hornady agreed. Hornady wanted the.45 Professional shortened to accommodate its 250-grain pointed SST bullet. Hornady asked Bushmaster for the change (1.771 inches to the now standard 1.7 inches), and Bushmaster asked LeGendre to sign off on that change, which he did. Bushmaster eventually wanted a name change, and LeGendre agreed to that, too. Thus, the popular.450 Bushmaster. Based on a concept by Col. Jeff “Thumper” Cooper, the goal was…

I recently decided to learn to shoot with my left hand. Now, I’m right-handed and by “learning to shoot with my left hand,” I don’t mean support-hand shooting; I wanted to learn to shoot with my left hand like it was my dominate hand. The reasons for this were practical and educational, and I’ll address them in later columns. For now, what I want to talk about is the frustration those who are left-handed undoubtedly encounter when looking for carry gear. The pistol I wanted to work with was the very popular Sig Sauer P320, outfitted with a reflex sight. You’d think if you could find a left-handed holster for any handgun, you’d be able to find one for that one. I reached out to all my usual holster sources…

Ever notice that the AR-15 bolt has a great big, honking hole drilled right through it? And that hole has sharp edges that have to be carefully de-angled or it’s not fun to work with? If that edge gets nicked, the bolt will die and soon. Why do we use it? Because the government cast that design in stone back in 1968. If you stick with mil-spec, you stick with the bolt. But, should you? How about we improve that? HM Defense did just that. They took the simple measure of not drilling the hole all the way through. I know, simple, right? The HM Bolt simply has a blind hole for the cam pin. This does, of necessity, require a new cam pin—one short enough not to stop short…

Springfield Armory recently unveiled the newest pistol in their X-DM Elite series, the X-DM Elite 3.8-inch OSP. The Springfield XD started its life in Croatia in the early 1990s as a duty sidearm known as the HS2000, and since Springfield acquired the rights to license it in 2002, they’ve changed quite a bit more than the gun’s name. Today’s handgun market is being driven by concealed carry considerations. Companies are no longer simply trying to make a gun as small as possible like they were when .25 ACP pocket-guns were in vogue, the contemporary concealed carrier now demands usability as much as concealability. THE 9MM COMPACT’S BASICS The XD-M Elite Compact OSP is offered in 9mm with a 3.8-inch match-grade barrel and a shorter grip than standard Springfield XD models.…

On June 10, 2012, 42-year-old York, Pennsylvania, resident Spencer New-comer shot and killed his neighbor, 47-year-old David Wintermyer, in the culmination of a months-long dispute. Wintermyer, a former marine, had taken it upon himself to try to run New-comer out of the neighborhood by continuing to harass him, including the killing of a pet rabbit, vandalism and threats to his dog and girlfriend. The threats and harassment escalated, despite New-comer calling the police on Wintermyer on more than one occasion. On the day in question, New-comer had decided to leave his house to get some errands done and attend a car show, and while he was pulling out of his driveway, Wintermyer exited his home, following New-comer onto the street and yelling and threatening to “kill his dogs.” This direct…