I’m going to be on hiatus from my blog for a while. I hope to be back to bring you the latest happenings at NRA Publications in This is my Job.

Tyler

Pentax’s new riflescope, the Ultimate Zoom, looks like any other 3-15x50mm scope except for two things—it doesn’t have a power adjustment ring and it has a motor on the side.

You may ask the same question I did, “A motor?”

Yes, a motor. The Ultimate Zoom has a built-in battery-powered motor zoom with remote switch for ease of zooming adjustment. The user can zoom in on a target without drastically adjusting their shooting position.

I honestly couldn't think of a reason why I would need this, but that hasn't stopped me before. Plus, it's more affordable than I expected at $349.

Back in February my buddy Steve at thefirearmblog.com posted some info on S&W’s new Bodyguard series of handguns. Well, we just received the Bodyguard 380 and the Bodyguard 38 that come with “built-in lasers” made by Insight.

To be completely honest, I’m not a fan of these lasers. I’m not the tallest guy in the world, in fact, some may say that I’m short. When I bring up the 380 I can’t reach the on/off button, and it seems even more difficult to activate the laser without taking the gun off target. The 38 requires you to wrap your thumb around the right side of the sights to turn on the laser. Some shooters may take to this style a bit quicker; I'm just more accustomed to a different type of laser grip and it might take more time for me to get used to the Insight design.

R&R Targets offers a completely tricked-out version of the Saiga. If you're not aware, a Saiga is a shotgun variant of the many different verions of the AK. R&R has two variants, the open and tactical packages.

The gun I received for testing immediately grabbed my attention as it sports the purple-and-black team colors of my favorite football team—the Baltimore Ravens—but it is also available in other appealing finishes.

Retail is $3,298, which initially raised my eyebrow, but after researching the extensive customization that went into this gun, I think it's a fair price. The people over at R&R put a lot of work into customizing this gun. R&R's website has a detailed list of the customization effort, but there were a few things that stood out.

Burris’ new Eliminator series of scopes can do three key things. Two of which are already found on a few other models, but the third is the Holy Grail of rifle scopes.

Not only does the scope range your target and calculate your trajectory, but it illuminates the perfect holdover! Just hit the button while aiming at your target, and it tells you where to hold—no more guessing.

What's the sweetest sound any gun-loving, pistol-toting American can hear? The simple answer is the gun's boom. In fact, the bigger the boom the better. So, if you wanted a bigger blast, you’d need a bigger caliber and a bigger gun, right?

No.

Umarex has added another brand of tactical .22 firearms to its line—the HK MP5 and 416 series. We received the 416 and the 416 pistol, both of which are dedicated .22’s that have the look and feel of the widely recognized HK.

Memorial Day inspired me to change things up and find out more about the gear and accessories with which our servicemen and women trust their lives. So when I heard that Ek Knives have seen six wars—World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and the Iraq War—I gave them a call to see if I could get my hands on one of their blades.

The knife I received is the M4 which has a 6.6” blade, weighs 14.5 ounces and comes with all the features one could want.

All Ek knives feature a full-length, full-width tang with an extended butt for the lanyard. The lanyard is wrapped parachute cord that has a tensile strength of 650 pounds—100 pounds more than standard mil-spec. The grips are made of a material called micarta, which is used by most custom knifemakers.

We just received the Remington 40-X series Model 40XS 338LM System. The trigger is a crisp 2½ pounds and can be externally adjusted from 1½ to 3½ pounds. There’s also an extreme trigger option of two ounces. The gun has a 26-inch barrel and is 51 inches overall. Average weight is 13 ½ pounds without the scope, and the suggested retail price is $7,738. So, if you’re like me, you’ll be saving for about 10 years before you have enough to add this to your collection. The gun features an user-adjustable, titanium-bedded McMillan A5 stock.

Thompson/Center’s new Impact! is the budget-busting muzzleloader we’ve been looking for. At $249 for black and $279 for camo, the Impact! should be within the budget of most hunters and shooters.

T/C incorporated a new action on this gun, which doesn’t involve the trigger guard at all. On this rifle, there’s a hood covering the breach that simply slides rearward releasing the barrel, exposing the breechplug and opening like a shotgun.