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1 week ago | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Wilson Combat has created a new division within the company that has three primary goals: The first is to showcase what Wilson Combat’s R&D division is capable of, the second is to thrust the manufacturer to the forefront regarding innovation, while the third is to provide consumers with superbly engineered firearms in a limited-edition capacity.
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1 month ago | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
The new 8.6 BLK cartridge looks to be a step closer to the general-purpose role the .300 BLK was originally intended to fill. When Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) introduced the .300 AAC Blackout (BLK) cartridge a decade and a half ago, it started something. Prior to the BLK, subsonic, centerfire-rifle shooting was mostly a handloading-only proposition with cartridges never intended to deliver subsonic performance.
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1 month ago | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Shell Shock Technologies claims numerous advantages of its steel-cased ammo, but the most apparent advantage is how much less it weighs. In the March 2018 edition of this column, I wrote about NovX ammunition. I mention this because NovX loads its ammunition in steel NAS3 cases. These cases are much lighter than brass, and according to the manufacturer, they’re twice as strong. It’s a unique two-piece case design that is magnetic, allowing you to easily pick them up with a magnet.
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Since the 21 Sharp does not use a heeled bullet, you can expect better precision from lead-free 21 Sharp ammo than you’ll usually see with lead-free .22 LR loads. Recently, we have seen a move from both the legislative and consumer front to move away from lead bullets. This is driven by the toxicity of lead and how it can impact the environment and human health. As a result, in some locations lead bullets are illegal, and in others, some shooters prefer not to use them.
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
recoilweb.com | Richard Mann
In 1977, a competitive handgun shooter from Berryville, Arkansas — who just happened to be a watchmaker by trade — started building custom 1911 handguns. Bill Wilson was a good jeweler and a good shooter, and he became one of the most recognized and best modifiers of the 1911 platform.
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Feb 22, 2025 | 
americas1stfreedom.org | Richard Mann
If you’re a brave patriot who has decided to take responsibility for your own safety, you’ve likely added a pistol to your self-defense toolbox. That can be a wise choice, but it is only the beginning. Now you need to make sure you can get the most from it. This involves the consideration of aftermarket sights and accessories, practical training and practice and routine maintenance. We’ll get to those things shortly, but one of the most-important choices you’ll make concerns ammunition.
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Feb 14, 2025 | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Federal’s new 7 mm Backcountry rifle cartridge is a fantastic option for hunters, but more importantly, the case technology it employs has the potential to change the game for all shooters. Ammunition designers have been on a quest for more velocity since the dawn of the self-contained cartridge. The brass-cartridge case has limited this quest because of the amount of pressure it can contain.
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Oct 27, 2024 | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Now under new management, RCBS hopes to expand the availability of its excellent reloading products and recommit to the innovation of new tools. In May, 2024, Hodgdon Powder acquired RCBS. It seems like a perfect fit. After all, if you load your own ammunition, you need gunpowder (Hodgdon) and reloading tools (RCBS). Hodgdon has been in the gunpowder business since 1952, and RCBS has been making tools for handloaders since 1943.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
Suppressors are currently the hottest-selling centerfire- and rimfire-firearm accessory. The reason is obvious—quieter gunfire. But, how much quieter is the report, and are velocity, accuracy or precision negatively impacted? The plan is to conduct a series of tests with a variety of firearm systems to get a glimpse of the audible and ballistic effects of suppressors, and I figured a suppressed .22 LR pistol was as good a place as any to start these experiments.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
shootingillustrated.com | Richard Mann
The true appeal of the 22 ARC is in its long-range application, especially out of an AR-15. It will push a bullet to 1,000 yards faster than any other AR-15 cartridge. And, at that distance, the bullet will drop about 7 percent less than its closest competitor, which is the 6 mm ARC cartridge. The 22 ARC also has an advantage when it comes to wind drift. In a 10 mph, 90-degree crosswind, the 22 ARC will drift about 6 percent less than the 6 mm ARC.
