Firearms News & Blog
Posted on May 14, 2018 at 7:12am
(12034 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.3 / 5
(6 votes)

WhichGun.com has been moved to a new webserver. The old server will remain active for several days in order for the DNS (the system which maps domain names to the IP addresses of the servers they are hosted on) to fully update. There should not be any issues, but if you find something is broken or not displaying correctly, please let me know at support@whichgun.com.

I know I have fallen behind on keeping the site updated, and as such there are a number of great new firearms which are not listed on the site. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be pouring through firearm manufacturers' current catalogs, and adding any pistols, revolvers, and shotguns which are missing from WhichGun.com.

During the update, if there are any specific pistols or revolvers which are missing, and you would like to know how it compares to others with its Concealed Carry Factors™, just send an email to support@whichgun.com with the pistols and revolvers you are interested in, and I will move them to the top of the list to be added.

Once the updates to the pistols, revolvers, and shotguns databases are completed, the rifles database is up next. Then we will be up to date with everything, and WhichGun.com will be your best source for firearms information and specifications. It truly will be Your Complete Firearms Buying Guide™.

Posted on March 18, 2015 at 11:03pm
(24156 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.1 / 5
(30 votes)

Fans of Glock pistols have long sought for a slim, single-stack 9mm model for concealed carry. Glock has now officially announced their newest model, the Glock 43, and the wait is finally over. It is very similar in size to the Glock 42 single-stack .380 ACP model, except the slide is 8 mm longer. Magazine capacity is the same at 6+1 rounds.

The MSRP for the new Glock 43 is $589, and the official press release is scheduled to be released on Friday (March 20th).

Glock 43 (left profile)
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 6:34pm
(25410 views,  comments)
Rating: 3.6 / 5
(15 votes)

Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, has announced that the ban on assault weapons has been removed from the proposed comprehensive gun control bill. The ban, based on the 1994 — 2004 law which banned the sale of firearms described as "assault weapons" and ammunition magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds, was one of four measures passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee after the mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut took the lives of 20 young children and 6 adults.

The proposed ban has been dropped from the legislation heading to the full Senate for debate because it was expected to receive at most 40 votes — far below the threshold to even pass the Senate, let alone defeat the filibuster that would be all but guaranteed had the ban remained.

The ban's sponsor, Senator Dianne Feinstein, could still offer it as an amendment to the gun control bill on the Senate floor in order for it to be voted on. She has, however, acknowledged that the other provisions of the proposed legislation might have a better chance of passing with the controversial assault weapons ban removed.

Those three remaining measures include a universal background check required for all gun sales, strengthen laws against straw purchasers and firearms trafficking, and steps to help improve school safety.

According to Reid, the floor debate on the bill is scheduled to begin shortly after the Senate's upcoming recess in April.

Posted on December 21, 2012 at 1:15pm
(24272 views,  comments)
Rating: 3.8 / 5
(4 votes)

Earlier today, Wayne LaPierre, the CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, held its first press conference since the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, CT. LaPierre expressed condolences on behalf of the 4 million NRA members, and called for further discussions on how to effectively protect children in what once was the safe haven of their school.

He spoke about gun-free zones, and how politicians and the media praise them for being bastions of safety, while in reality they only advertise the safest places for the most insane or evil people to "inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk".

Banks are commonly protected by armed guards, along with airports, power plants, politicians, and sports stadiums, and LaPierre asks why, "when it comes to the most beloved, innocent and vulnerable members of the American family – our children – [do] we as a society leave them utterly defenseless".

Instead of guns being the problem, the NRA believes that some of the true sources are violence in the media and entertainment, the widespread demonization of millions of lawful gun owners, and the "dangerous notion that one more gun ban – or one more law imposed on peaceful, lawful people – will protect us where 20,000 others have failed".

LaPierre continues, expressing how puzzling it is for the media to assign the human attribute of "evil" to an inanimate object, and in reference to the outcry against the push to use firearms to defend schools, why it seems so difficult for people to grasp "the idea of a gun [being] good when it's used to protect our President or our country or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in the schools". He asks everyone to "at least admit it's possible that 26 innocent lives might have been spared" had Adam Lanza been immediately confronted by armed and qualified security.

He implored Congress to act immediately to appropriate whatever programs or funding are needed to put armed police officers in every school nationwide, and that this is done before our nation's children return to school in January after the holidays. The NRA is willing, able, and ready to help ensure that this important layer of protection is put into place as quickly as possible.

A model National School Shield Emergency Response program – a multi-faceted program that examines everything from building design, access control, armed security, and training for both teachers and students – will be created for any school that wants it. Asa Hutchinson, a former U.S. congressman, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, and former administrator of the DEA, has been tapped as the head of this effort.

LaPierre concludes by calling on everybody to act now and help protect our children by participating in the National School Shield program, and to not allow politics or personal prejudice to divide us.

The full transcript of this press conference is available at http://home.nra.org/pdf/Transcript_PDF.pdf

Posted on December 15, 2012 at 1:17am
(24807 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.5 / 5
(6 votes)

Magpul logo

Magpul XTM Hand Stop Kit on rifle

After long delays and the possibility of being scrapped, Magpul is now shipping the XTM Hand Stop Kit. It will mount on any rifle with a bottom-railed handguard. This low-profile device acts as both an index point for improved weapon control and a stop to prevent the support hand from being moved too far forward on the rifle.

Magpul XTM Hand Stop Kit on rifle (detail)

Posted on December 14, 2012 at 5:24pm
(14140 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.3 / 5
(12 votes)

A mass shooting today at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT claimed the lives of 20 young children and 6 adults before the gunman took his own life. The shooter was identified as Adam Lanza, who lived in the same town.

The 20 year-old shooter used a .223 Bushmaster AR-type modern sporting rifle in the attack. He also carried two pistols, a Glock in 10mm Auto and a 9x19mm SIG Sauer, but these were not used except when Lanza committed suicide after the murders. A fourth firearm, a shotgun, was found in the shooter's car. Lanza was reported to have been wearing body armor and a mask, eerily similar to the Aurora movie theater shooting earlier this year.

Among the victims are the principal of the school, Dawn Hochsprung, and a school psychologist. Authorities also discovered the body of the shooter's mother at her son's residence in Newtown.

Reports state that the shooter first entered the school at approximately 9:40 AM, a half hour after the start of classes. The shooting was concentrated to just two classrooms of the school, which enrolls 626 students between kindergarten and fourth grade, and has 46 faculty members. Students in other areas of the school were quietly evacuated to a nearby fire station.

Posted on December 13, 2012 at 1:29pm
(6387 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.7 / 5
(6 votes)

MasterPiece Arms, best known for their Ingram MAC-style pistols and carbines, have announced a new semi-automatic rifle called the MPAR 556. As the name suggests, the MPAR 556 is chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO round, and at first glance it looks like another AR-type rifle.

But it's not an AR-15. Other than the pistol grip, buttstock, and magazines, the MPAR 556 is a completely different design. Underneath the railed, free-floated aluminum handguard is a short-stroke gas piston system. The charging handle is on the left side and does doubly duty as a forward assist. Oh, and there's also a folding stock -- the lack of an AR-15 style buffer tube allows this.

MasterPiece Arms MPAR 556 Semi-Automatic Rifle

MSRP is $959, placing this rifle smack dab in the price range of an entry-level AR-15. The folding stock alone might be enough to convince someone looking at AR's to seriously consider the MasterPiece Arms MPAR 556, even though it is incompatible with most of the huge variety of AR-15 upgrade parts and accessories on the market.

The package is wrapped up with flip-up sights, a front handguard cap (to help prevent dirt and debris from collecting inside the handguard), and a muzzle brake. Steel parts are black phosphate coated while aluminum parts are hardcoat anodized.

MasterPiece Arms MPAR 556 Semi-Automatic Rifle

The MasterPiece Arms MPAR 556 rifle will be formally introduced at the 2013 SHOT Show and is expected to begin shipping in the first quarter of 2013.

Posted on July 20, 2012 at 3:31pm
(2391 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.7 / 5
(13 votes)

At a midnight showing of the new Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, a heavily-armed man opened fire, killing 12 and wounding 59 before being taken into custody in the theater parking lot. The shooter was identified as James Holmes, a 24-year old Aurora resident who had recently withdrawn from the graduate neuroscience program at the University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.

Holmes wore body armor and a ballistic helmet, and was armed with two .40 S&W Glock pistols, a Remington 870 shotgun, and a Smith & Wesson AR-15 type rifle. Reports have indicated that he also wore a gas mask and had used at least one canister of tear gas in the crowded theater. He had no criminal record.

During this difficult time of mourning, our thoughts and prayers should be with the friends and family of the victims of this tragic shooting. Instead, just hours after this senseless tragedy, the media is already focusing most of their energy on the weapons used by a man who is clearly either completely insane or completely evil.

ABC News reported the shooter had an "assault rifle [that] can fire 30 rounds at incredible speeds". Other reports have said that an AR-15 is "capable of firing off hundreds of rounds per minute". The NRA has already been attacked because an individual employee who was unaware of the shooting made a tweet stating "Good morning, shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend plans?". It won't be long before politicians and groups like the Violence Policy Center will attempt (like they have immediately after every recent mass shooting) to pass laws that limit the rights and freedoms of millions of Americans.

With so many victims in this tragic shooting, this is obviously an emotionally-charged time. Our elected representatives in government must not abuse a tragedy like this in an attempt to push their own political agendas. John Velleco of Gun Owners of America has accurately compared this type of people to "vultures [who] take advantage of a situation to further an agenda that doesn't get traction and that people don't support". America needs to let the families and friends of the victims mourn their loss, to give our society as a whole some time to reflect on the events of the shooting, and to refuse to let emotion take over its legislature.

Please take some time out of your day today, and in the days that follow, to offer a prayer or your thoughts for the victims, and the victims' family and friends, of this mass shooting.

Posted on May 31, 2012 at 2:28am
(2715 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.9 / 5
(7 votes)
Ruger logo

After suspending the acceptance of all new orders 2 months ago, Ruger announced that they have resumed taking new orders starting this week.

From Investors.com:

Gun maker Sturm Ruger (RGR) said after Tuesday's market close that it's accepting new orders again, now that it's gotten all the parts it needs to meet demand.

Sturm Ruger said it's resumed normal acceptance of orders from distributors, and business is good.

"Demand for our products is very strong, and the current backlog remains significantly above year-ago levels," the company said in announcing it will again accept new orders. "Our production and shipments in the first quarter of 2012 increased more than 50% from the first quarter of 2011 and remain very strong."

The maker of pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns, mainly for the sport hunting market, was supply-constrained in first quarter. The good news is orders have been rising. On March 21, it said it had received an overwhelming 1.2 million orders during the quarter, more guns than it made in all of 2011.

It said at the time that it wouldn't take any more orders until it filled those it had.

Ruger has announced several new products over the past few months, such as the 10/22 Takedown and the 22/45 Lite. One of the reasons why Ruger temporarily stopped taking new orders was to ensure that adequate stock of their new products would be available when they were launched.

Ruger has thankfully learned from past mistakes, where they were unable to satisfy the extreme demand for new products. When the Ruger LCP was announced in 2008, demand for the miniature .380 ACP pocket pistol far exceeded the available supply, and the gun was near impossible to find for months after it was first put into production.

Posted on April 13, 2012 at 1:52pm
(4004 views,  comments)
Rating: 4.4 / 5
(11 votes)
Ruger logo

Ruger has just announced a new lightweight version of their 22/45 pistol. Using an aluminum alloy receiver, the Ruger 22/45 Lite is about 10 ounces lighter than the standard steel 22/45.

Ruger 22/45 Lite (side view)

The 4.4" barrel is threaded to accept a suppressor or muzzle device, and the upper receiver is drilled and tapped for the included Weaver-style scope mount.

Specifications
Caliber .22 LR
Capacity 10+1 rounds
Frame Polymer
Upper Receiver Aluminum alloy
Finish Two-tone, gold anodized over black
Grip Checkered polymer (replaceable with standard 1911 grip panels)
Weight 22.8 oz.
Length 8.5"
Height 5.5"
Width 1.0"
Barrel Length 4.4"
Rifling Right-hand, 1 in 16" twist
Safety Frame-mounted manual safety
Sights Adjustable rear, fixed front
MSRP $469.00

Ruger 22/45 Lite

From the press release:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to introduce the Ruger 22/45 Lite™, a lightweight Ruger® 22/45™ pistol with a new aluminum upper receiver. Chambered in the popular .22 LR, the Ruger 22/45 Lite™ is accurate and reliable, making it the ideal lightweight rimfire pistol.

"The Ruger 22/45 Lite™ is an exciting new addition to the legendary 22/45™ line of pistols," said Ruger® President and CEO Mike Fifer. "It maintains the superb accuracy and reliability of the classic 22/45™ pistols, but has a cool factor that can't be beat. It has a customized look without the customized price, and is exactly what our customers have been asking us to produce. The threaded barrel provides great accessory options and makes the Ruger 22/45 Lite™ a perfect package right out of the box," he concluded.

The Ruger 22/45 Lite™ upper receiver is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and features serrated cuts, giving the pistol a dramatic look and making it extremely lightweight at only 22.8 ounces. The 4.4-inch stainless steel barrel sleeve is held in place by a tension nut to ensure accuracy and features a factory 1/2-28 thread to accept popular muzzle accessories. The receiver is finished in a striking gold anodize and is drilled and tapped for Weaver®-style scope base adapters (included free of charge) for easy mounting of optics. The comfortable, precision-molded Zytel® polymer grip frame features replaceable Hogue® black rubber grip panels that can be swapped out to customize the look of your Ruger 22/45 Lite™ pistol. The Ruger 22/45 Lite™ is the perfect outdoor companion and can be used for target shooting, plinking, small game hunting, or competitive shooting.