Heckler & Koch’s VP9 made its debut in 2014, and it was two things for which H&K wasn’t well-known for at the time—striker-fired and affordable (well, by H&K standards anyway). The polymer-frame gun has an excellent trigger pull, superb ergonomics and a truly customizable grip frame with an ingenious stock panel system. Now you can add a threaded barrel to the list of options with the introduction of the VP9 Tactical in both 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W. Night sights are standard. And, of course, the thread pattern on the 4.70" barrel is metric. hk-usa.com
Any survey of military firearms isn’t complete without also discussing the development of ammunition across this past quarter-millennium. From a conceptual standpoint, very little has changed.
Initially introduced in 2019 to the international military market in a select-fire format, the IWI Carmel is a modular, durable and thoroughly modern sporting rifle.
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. became the first Blue Diamond level sponsor of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) in 2024 by supporting the youth shooting sports program with more than $75,000 a year.
KelTec has brought the stripper clip back with the thoroughly unconventional PR57—a carry pistol with an uncommon chambering, an unusual action and no box magazine.
A number of states in the western U.S. have opened or are planning to open large, versatile ranges to serve the growing need for publicly accessible shooting spaces.