Accessories

Crimson Trace has announced the release of its new Rail Master platform for all rail-equipped firearms. With an MSRP of $149, the new laser sight features a tap on/tap off switch, and four interchangeable inserts which utilize Secure-Lock Technology™ to enable a custom fit to any handgun.

In 2012, Wilson Tactical will offer a limited collection of handmade knives by some of today's premier tactical knife makers without the long wait typically associated with special ordering a custom-edged masterpiece.

At Media Day at the recently concluded SHOT Show in Las Vegas, GunReports.com Publisher Timothy H. Cole gets an overview of Galco’s new products from company representative Mike Barham.

The Galco Underwraps BellyBand is an elastic garment that can be worn low, just above the waistband, or high underneath the armpit. It resembles a heavyweight Ace bandage that secures with Velcro.

Leica and G7 have collaborated to develop the Integrated Ballistic System (IBS) reticle, a multi-purpose reticle that allows the hunter to use the ballistic drop reticle or the center aiming point in conjunction with a custom ballistic turret that has been calibrated in yards.

Remington Arms Company and its parent, Freedom Group, Inc. (FGI), are pleased to announce that the board of directors has appointed Robert L. Nardelli as Chief Executive Officer.

Leupold’s Mark 8 1.1-8x24 mm CQBSS riflescope has received American Rifleman magazine's 2012 “Optic of the Year” Golden Bullseye Award.

Carl Zeiss Sports Optics introduces the new 30mm Conquest Duralyt Riflescope line available in 1.2-5x36, 2-8x42 and 3-12x50 models. All three German-made models are available with illuminated reticle # 60 or non-illuminated reticle #6.

Carl Zeiss Sports Optics is offering customers an opportunity to save hundreds of dollars on its Victory binoculars.

When it comes to choosing handgun grips, personal preference and pride of ownership play a large part in the decision. If you are choosing a handgun for serious use, efficiency is also an important consideration. The grips must fit properly, the angle of deflection must be maintained, and the grips should enhance your ability to control the handgun. It is possible to adversely affect the handling qualities of a handgun by using poorly made handgun grips.In this report we look at semi-automatic handguns and the most popular grip choices. The majority tested were for the 1911 handgun types, followed by some for the Browning High Power, Ruger Standard Model, and others including the Heckler & Koch P7. There were handguns with removable grip panels, including the Beretta 92 and the CZ75 that are worth discussing, but the 1911 and the High Power are the handguns most commonly fitted with custom grips. There were few choices for other handguns, but we will touch lightly on some of these in this report because we know everyone does not own a 1911. As an example, what Pachmayr does for a 1911 it also will do for a High Power or a Beretta.We attempted to test more than one grip from the major makers. In some cases, the custom grips had a long waiting list, and some were difficult to obtain. This is a consideration if you were wanting to upgrade the pistol right now. Supply was a greater concern than expense with some of our raters. While every grip or stock on the market may not be covered, we believe we have put together a comprehensive report that covers every major type of grip panel. In several cases, the grips have been subject to a long-term test, including a decade of constant use.

AR-15 rifles continue to be churned out by more and more manufacturers. Frankly, the modular concept of the AR platform means that rifles can be built to specific price points, more easily, we think, than traditional bolt guns or other actions. And we recently found two such guns that illustrate how perfectly pitched the product price can be made to appeal to a specific customer.

The Ruger SR-556E "Essential" #5912 5.56mm NATO/223 Rem., $1375, is what Sturm, Ruger calls its value-priced two-stage piston-driven carbine. The major similarity between it and the SR-556FB (January 2010) is the carryover of Ruger's two-stage piston and multi-stage regulator. The major difference is, rather than a quad rail, the Essential has a round aluminum handguard with a full-length Picatinny rail only at 12 o'clock, so the rail and the flattop receiver align. The handguard is also drilled and tapped to accept sections of rail or handguard covers, available at www.ShopRuger.com, which allows the user to configure the handguard to his or her requirements while minimizing size and weight. It's also a significant cost savings over the quad rail.

Adcor Defense's B.E.A.R. Elite is the second generation of that company's modern automatic rifle line. Based in Baltimore, Adcor rolled out the original B.E.A.R. (Brown Enhanced Automatic Rifle, designed by and named for Michael J. Brown, executive vice president of operations at Adcor Defense) with a free-floating gas-piston system attached to the rail. This allowed for a free-floating barrel. Other features were a key-locked rail system, an ambidextrous forward-placed charging handle, and a polymer dust shield that protects the ejection port from debris.

The B.E.A.R. Elite tested here offers several enhancements to the original (hereafter, we'll spell it "Bear" so those capital letters don't scream on the page). The Bear Elite features an FN Manufacturing 1:7 twist hammer-forged, hard chrome-lined barrel with M249 rifling profile, a Magpul MOE Mil-Spec rifle stock, and a Magpul MOE rifle grip. Both the Bear and Bear Elite are available in several barrel lengths, optics ready or with sights, and in fully automatic for law enforcement. Our test gun here is the optics-ready (no sights) 16-inch-barrel Adcor Defense Brown Enhanced Automatic Rifle (B.E.A.R.) #201-2040 E, $2214.

The charge we gave our test team was to compare a highly-rated gas-piston gun to the two new entries, so we chose the Ruger SR-556FB 5.56x45mm NATO-223 Rem., $1995. It's obviously very similar to the 556E — but much more expensive. In contrast, the Bear Elite offers an interesting set of potential upgrades, but it is $200+ more expensive than the SR-556FB.

While some people are struggling to explain a gun buying surge reported on 'Black Friday,' the day after Thanksgiving, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms suggests there are several plausible explanations, all reflecting the times in which we live.