ARTV Preview: Hornady CX Bullet, Smith & Wesson M&P12 and Cane Air Guns

by
posted on January 25, 2022
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Hornady is one of the best-regarded brands on the market, especially when it comes to quality ammunition. The company got its start in 1949 with the manufacture of bullets, and today, Hornady bullets are some of the best in the business. It continuously develops and improves its projectiles, resulting in new lines with better performance values. The same is true when it comes to its highly successful expanding monolithic bullets. 

The new Hornady CX expanding monolithic bullet.

Recently, the company released a successor to its GMX bullet, which was originally released in 2009. The new CX expanding monolithic bullet builds off the success of the GMX, while integrating several improvements developed by Hornady over the past decade. In this week's feature, we travel to Hornady's facility in Grand Island, Neb., to see how these new bullets are made.

The Smith & Wesson M&P12 bullpup shotgun.

For Rifleman Review, we test a new bullpup shotgun design unveiled by Smith & Wesson, the M&P12. With a pump action and dual feeding tubes, the M&P12 offers copious shell capacity despite its compact package. The two magazine tubes hold six shells each, and the M&P12's 12-ga. barrel can chamber up to 3" shells. The barrel can also accept adjustable choke tubes. Its overall aesthetics are styled in a futuristic form, with the inclusion of an AR-style pistol grip and safety selectors, and polymer used in much of the frame and stock construction. 

Firing a cane air gun.

Later, we examine the history of one of the more unusual self-defense arms to have garnered popularity in Victorian-era England, cane air guns. At the time, petty crime and street violence were very common, with certain urban areas effectively becoming "no-go zones" for the well-to-do. As a result, efforts when into designing defensive arms for gentlemen that would be easily hidden on their person.

Thus, air guns were developed in the shape of canes, which were unsuspecting in their form and in common use at the time. These air guns had an activation lever built in, and when needed could be deployed and used to fire off a single projectile, enough to deter a threat

To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/videos/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.

Latest

Magpul Hunter Lite Stock
Magpul Hunter Lite Stock

New for 2026: New Products from Magpul

Magpul announces new metal-magazines, new stocks and pistol frames.

New for 2026: Burris Veracity Riflescopes

The latest generation of Veracity scopes is available in a variety of 5X magnification ranges.

New for 2026: Springfield Armory 10-8 Performance Master Class 1911 Pistols

Springfield Armory and Lipseys have partnered to offer a highly custom 1911 with input from Hilton Yam.

New For 2026: Diamondback SDR-A

Following the release of its Self-Defense Revolver in 2024, Diamondback Firearms has now lightened its design and reduced the cost with the new-for-2026 SDR-A.

Rifleman Review: Walther Arms PDP F-Series 4-Inch

Walther Arms continues to expand its F-Series handgun line, a design initially developed for women but that has broad appeal across the firearm consumer market, thanks to its unique design elements and feature set.

Mossberg Expands Budget-Priced Maverick Line With Semi-Auto Model

As part of its International family of shotguns, Mossberg announced the introduction of the Maverick SA Semi-Auto, a versatile, value-focused semi-automatic platform built to deliver reliable performance.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.