In 1955, the Browning Arms Company began importing a striker-fired, blowback-operated .380 ACP pistol built by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Belgium. Designed by John Browning and originally designated as the Model 1910 by FN, the Browning Model 1955 (for U.S. import) pistol features a steel frame and slide with an internally fixed barrel. Diminutive and concealable, the .380 ACP-chambered pistol provides for three safety mechanisms: a grip safety, a frame-mounted lever-actuated safety and a magazine safety. Topside, a rudimentary set of fixed sights aid shot placement. The firearm functions via the renowned builder’s striker-fired mechanism within the pistol’s slide. Additionally, a six-round detachable box magazine feeds the firearm. To learn more, watch this NRA Gun of the Week video hosted by American Rifleman’s Brian Sheetz.
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.