The Rifleman Report: New Developments

Our official coverage of new products for the current year is set for next month, but we included two substantial new developments in this issue that have the potential to make significant ripples in the firearm business even before then. The first is a semi-automatic handgun with a rare combination of features, and the second is a rimfire cartridge—and both fly the banners of familiar industry giants.

In “Ruger RXM: Collaboration Begets Customization,” Field Editor Aaron Carter wrings out a recently introduced melding of expertise between industry giants Ruger and Magpul in the form of a chassis-based, polymer-frame, striker-fired, semi-automatic pistol design that boasts compatibility of some internal components, along with magazines and holsters, with one of the most popular handgun brands of all time. All of that comes at a price sure to attract the attention of inveterate pistol tinkerers and first-time gun buyers alike—and raises questions as to just how disruptive the new RXM may be to the handgun market at large.

And, in “Hedging For The Future: Winchester .21 Sharp,” contributor Jeff Johnston takes to the field to evaluate an all-new rimfire cartridge from one of the most famous names in firearms and ammunition. Though similar dimensionally to, but not interchangeable with, the world-standard .22 Long Rifle, Winchester’s latest chambering promises a broader array of non-heeled projectiles—including copper matrix for those areas in which lead has been banned—that result in high ballistic performance. Aided by modernized manufacturing techniques, the new .21 Sharp appears well-positioned to make inroads in one of the most significant segments of the market.

In coverage of past developments, Field Editor Bruce Canfield reveals the curious history of a little-known version of the U.S. Model 1917 rifle in “The ‘M1917 Carbine.’” Though overshadowed in history by the Springfield M1903, the full-length M1917 was nonetheless an important infantry rifle beginning in World War I, having been made in greater numbers and having seen more widespread service. But until the 1980s, few Americans were aware of a much later carbine variant that had been developed to arm the shorter-statured troops of the Nationalist Chinese army.

Such efforts to bring size and weight efficiency to arms continues today in the commercial realm as evidenced by this month’s Dope Bag. First up is the Springfield Model 2020 Redline—a centerfire bolt-action rifle weighing just 6 lbs. and measuring a scant yard long, thanks to the use of advanced composites in its stock and barrel. We also tested the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 NTS, a polymer-frame .380 ACP-chambered semi-automatic pistol that weighs slightly more than 11 ozs., measures 5.5" long and is designed for discreet personal protection.

Back to next month’s issue—along with our plan to reveal the latest firearms, optics, ammunition and accessories that will be on display at the 154th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits set for April 24-27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta—we will also begin the “semiquincentennial” celebration of no less than the birth of America. That’s right, April 19, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard round the world,” and we commemorate it with a special cover story about the events that occurred in Lexington and Concord, Mass., on that fateful day.

The American Revolution, formally declared on July 4, 1776, eventually resulted in the greatest nation the world has ever known—one that remains free to this day, thanks to the individual liberty enumerated in our Constitution’s Second Amendment.