An Interesting Year for Guns Ahead

With the biggest event in the shooting world, the SHOT Show, less than a week away, we have already seen quite a few leaks and early product announcements. I believe it's going to be an interesting year for guns, both technologically and legislatively.

Ruger gets (even further) behind the .327 Federal Magnum

Ruger releases two new revolvers in the somewhat controversial .327 Federal Magnum... Controversial meaning, do we really need a .32 magnum magnum? Or, do we really need a smaller, faster .357 magnum? I answer, why not, if it means more rounds in the cylinder. For more commentary, see Michael Bane's post New Rugers, and Ruger Blackhawk and GP100 Chambered in .327 Federal Magnum on the ever-burgeoning blog ONEINCHGROUP.

The Epitomization of Italian Engineering: Rhino .357 Magnum

Possibly filed under W for WTF, Chiappa's new Rhino reflects perfectly the ideals of Italian engineering, which they apply to cars, firearms and battleships equally: one: must have the style of a beautiful woman; two: must handle like a beautiful woman; three: function follows form. As a case in point, a friend of mine had a Fiat in which the tachometer needle moved counterclockwise. The reason for doing this was that the steering column would otherwise have obscured the 0 - 6000 RPM range. Well, you ask, why not simply move the tachometer dial? Oh no, that would have broken up the symmetry of the dashboard. In the case of the Rhino, what makes this revolver unique is that the barrel is lined up with the bottom of the cylinder--this low centerline causes the recoil to travel directly into the shooter's palm and wrist, rather than above them, thus reducing barrel rise. With a .357 snubby, this is certainly a serious consideration.

Fig. 1: Cutaway view of the Chiappa Rhino

Carry options just get better and better

Ruger 9SRc: ...Watch the demo video on the Ruger website or the DRTV Podcast. Michael Bane compares an SR9c with a Glock 26 one-on-one. NICE compact carry. I like the design even better than the Taurus 709. While we don't know whether the Ruger will prove to be as reliable as the Glock, it's certainly prettier!
Boberg XR9-S Shorty 9mm: ...still developing...

Candy for the black rifle crowd

This video of the Remington ACR was recently leaked on YouTube. Remington got just about everything right on this one: the FN SCAR desert tan styling; the collapsible stocks; the gas-piston action, interchangeable 5.56mm and 6.8mm SPC barrels; non-reciprocating charging handle, on the left hand side; and the cherry on top, an optional muzzle entry tool (hint: it's not just for breaking windows).

Developing...