Innehållsförteckning för October 2020 från Guns & Ammo

RUGER’S FIRST LOOK The September 2020 issue of Guns & Ammo featured an article authored by Eric Poole entitled “The Sweet Spot,” detailing Hornady’s exciting new 6mm ARC Cartridge. The article describes “…a new Ruger AR-556” chambered in 6mm ARC. The rifle that was tested was indeed “new.” In fact, it was one of the first prototypes of an AR-556 chambered in this new caliber that Ruger made, and was shipped to G&A to assist in the evaluation of the new cartridge in an AR-style platform. We at Ruger still have to work hard to prove out accuracy, reliability, and durability to our usual standards before we release an AR-556 chambered in 6mm ARC to full production and for sale to our customers. These are typically exhaustive processes, and they…

“SOMETHING IS ONLY WORTH what someone is willing to pay for it,” Dad used to say. Twenty-seven-hundred dollars is steep money for any pistol, albeit on the low end for some Model 1911s. But the HK SP5K-PDW is not the typical handgun. As a pistol for home defense, a truck (or trunk) gun, or an everyday carry backpack gun, a shortened MP5 variant is more useful in these roles than you might expect. The new SP5K-PDW is based on the storied MP5 introduced in 1976. Specifically, it’s inspired by the select-fire MP5K, but is most closely related to a shortened semiautomatic HK94 prototype that was revealed as the “P94” at the 1988 SHOT Show. Once the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) authorized its importation, the production model…

LEVER GUNS used to be a traditional affair with blued steel and walnut stocks being the norm. However, a few years ago Marlin updated their lever-actions with a “Dark” theme, which is now being copied by Henry and Rossi. Marlin’s rifles have a non-standard appearance that includes black-painted and textured stocks, optic-mounting rails atop the receiver, and muzzles threaded to accept suppressors. Some initially tagged these black guns as a fad, but many consumers saw them as highly useful rifles that were legal to own in places where AR-15s were not. Since the first guns were Marlin’s Model 1895s and 336s chambered in .45-70 Government and .30-30 Winchester, they were obviously better suited for hunting than defense. However, the new Model 1894 Dark Series carbine is an ideal defensive firearm…

I HEARD THE HYPE. Another company offering a new product chambering the 5.7x28mm. There hasn’t been a lot; the FN Five-seveN, FN P90/PS90, and a few brands better known for making AR-15s. FN’s pistol, introduced in 1998, is often what we think back to when the cartridge is mentioned, but here comes Ruger with a new handgun that no one asked for. The patent for the Five-seveN pistol was submitted in 1993, three years after the FN P90 submachine gun and 5.7mm cartridge were introduced. However, the Five-seveN pistol was delayed internationally until 2000. Commercially, the U.S. market didn’t receive the semiautomatic PS90 and Five-seveN until 2004, and by then a number of police agencies and special forces units in other parts of the world were already using variants of…

THEY MAKE EXCELLENT RIFLES in Finland, and have for a very long time. Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy (SAKO) started making rifles in 1921 for the Finnish Civil Guard and has evolved as a manufacturer of bolt-action rifles used by the world. SAKO’s military rifles have been forced to evolve fairly rapidly to keep up with various solicitation efforts around the world. We’ve seen the SAKO TRG morph from a sniper rifle to a modular, multi-caliber rifle with an adjustable and folding stock. However, SAKO’s sporting rifles have remained relatively traditional since the 1950s, until now. The company’s new S20 is a departure from the company’s typical offerings, and with change comes a whole lot of options for the consumer. A Blending of Bolts Beretta owns both SAKO and Tikka,…

AT A QUICK GLANCE, it’s easy to mischaracterize Marlin as the “lever-action” company. Marlin has been in the lever-action business since 1881 and, over time, became the world’s largest producer of lever-action firearms. In fact, Marlin’s 30-millionth lever gun was made in 2008, and there have been many more since. Marlin’s lever-actions are important, but they are only a partial picture of Marlin’s heritage. In 150 years of continuous production, Marlin has manufactured nearly every type of firearm. Since 1891, Marlin has been a major producer of .22 rimfire rifles, including more than 10 million Model 60 semiautos and more than 2 million Model 39As. Thanks in large part to this success, there were times when Marlin could lay claim as “the world’s largest producer of sporting rifles.” John M.…

THE “EZ9” first appeared on the cover of Guns & Ammo’s February 2020 issue and has since become a top seller for Smith & Wesson with a retail price of $479. It’s a single-stack 9mm with a capacity of eight-plus-one rounds. Before S&W introduced the M&P380 Shield EZ in 2018, there were not a lot of options for gun owners wanting a semiautomatic pistol that was easy to rack and easy to load. In fact, we only know of the Walther CCP that first appeared on the cover of Guns & Ammo’s November 2014 cover, which offers comparable dexterity requirements, ergonomics and capacity, and currently has an MSRP of $469. (Ironically, Walther introduced a .380 ACP-chambered variant in 2019 to take the CCP platform into S&W’s territory.) Regardless of caliber,…