Springfield Armory is adding to their popular  XDM line with the new XDM 5.25 Competition Series handgun.  The XDM is a proven platform with its owners swearing by them.  It only makes sense that this striker fired pistol follows the same developments as its striker fired competitors like Glocks and the Smith and Wesson M&P series which all have competition models of their pistols.

The new Springfield XDM Competition series pistols hosts features that lend themselves well to the competition market thanks to the help of Springfield Armory’s champion shooter Rob Leatham who designed it.  For increased accuracy the new XDM features a fiber optic front sight and an adjustable rear sight, which will allow a shooter to get a rapid sight picture and modify that sight picture to his or her preferences.  To help reduce recoil and muzzle rise, Springfield gave the 5.25 XDM Comp a lightening cut to lessen the weight which in turn decreases the mass coming back reducing recoil, and allows the pistol to cycle faster.  It’ll be available in 9mm with a black or bi-tone finish, has a capacity of 19+1 rounds, a total length of 8.3″ and weights 29 ounces.  No word on price yet, but if I had to make an educated guess, I would put the figure at $650-$750 judging from pricing of current XDM models.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Now we know what Travis Haley has been up to after Magpul Dynamics, and yes it’s another shooting DVD.  Haley partnered up with Panteao Production to add to their “Make Ready” series of videos.  It differs from how we’re used to seeing Travis, not only because his titanium bearded partner Chris Costa won’t be included, but the format of the video itself.  Make Ready with Travis  Haley utilizes a one on one format as opposed to the class format, which is aimed at giving the viewer a sense of personal instruction.  From the trailer below, it also seems that Travis spends just as much time going into the mental preparation for using the carbine in that “1%” scenario as much as he does with the physical attributes of shooting.  DVD pre-orders are being accepted now for $49.99, unless you buy multiple Make Ready DVDs at Panteaoproductions.com, then you can save a few bucks.

Ruger is going to be selling their traditional 77 bolt action rifle chambered in the non-traditional bolt action .357 magnum round.  According to Bruce Rozum, Ruger’s Chief Rifle Engineer, the Ruger 77/357 is effective for medium sized game in heavy cover–which would make since given the characteristics of the .357 magnum with the added velocity of having a 18.5″ cold hammer forged barrel propelling it.  The new Ruger 77/357 achieved 1820 FPS with 140 gr Hornady FTX loads.  At 1820 feet per second, lets hope your game is at least within 150 yards or you’re going to need to aim quite high.

Ruger’s new .357 magnum bolt action rifle has a brushed stainless  finish, an overall length of 38.50″ and weighs 5.5 lbs.  It features open sights and a  5 round rotary magazine.  It should be in your gun shops soon and has an MSRP of $793.00.

Chiappa firearms, famous for their unconventional revolvers, are now selling a dedicated .22 LR upper.  More and more shooters are turning to the .22 lr to get the most bang for their buck.  Some have turned to .22 LR conversion kits for their AR-15, but that can come with some consequence.  Although the diameter of a .22lr and a .223/5.56 are microscopically close, a .223 barrel is still not made for the .22lr–in terms of size and the bullet itself.  The .223/5.56 are jacketed bullets; they have a copper-nickle jacket around a lead core bullet, most .22lr is not jacketed.  After repeated shooting with .22lr in a rifle chambered in .223, it can lead to a degradation of barrel life and accuracy; not to mention the accuracy of shooting .22lr itself can be sub par due to the 1:9 or 1:7 twist rate of your AR.

Using a dedicated upper instead of a conversion kit can mitigate these risks, and that’s what impressed me with the Chiappa .22 LR upper.  Most conversion kits costs around the $200 dollar mark, which can quickly pay for itself with one trip to the range, but the gradual damage to my precious AR-15′s barrel leaves me a little apprehensive to run it as much as I would like.  So at only $150 dollars more for the Chiappa .22 LR upper,  it makes it a little more appealing.  Not only for the reassuring sense that I won’t (or might) be degrading my rifle, but mainly for the accuracy Chiappa claims their .22lr can achieve.  Check the photo below, 28 shots at 50 yards… that’s pretty impressive.  The Chiappa .22lr dedicated upper is compatible with any mil spec AR-15 and comes with two 28 or 10 round magazines for $350.

Andrew over at Vuurwapenblog.com toured the famous Beretta Armi factory over in Gardone Italy and produced a fine video for the guys over at GunsForSale.com.  Che bravo lavoro hanno fatto.  Sono un po’ geleso che non potevo andare, ma allora, posso guadare la’ video.  And that’s all I have to say about that.  Enjoy.