Muddy launched DV8 and Timber Recon Xtreme (TRX) women's hunting apparel systems featuring complete layering solutions designed for late-season cold-weather conditions. The waterproof, windproof gear includes base layers, jackets, bibs, and insulation pieces rated for temperatures well below freezing, available online and through retailers nationwide.
Hook & Barrel Magazine announces its third annual Top Shelf Awards, a reader-driven event celebrating top outdoor brands, products, and personalities across 23 categories. Voting runs through November 30, with winners announced in January and select category winners receiving awards at SHOT Show 2027.
The Kinetic Group's sponsored shooters from Federal, Remington, Fiocchi, and B&P dominated the 2026 National Sporting Clay Championship in San Antonio, Texas, with over 2,600 competitors. Todd Hitch won the Overall Main Event, Derrick Mein claimed the All-Around Overall title, and Karen Miles dominated the Lady category with multiple event victories.
Team Krieghoff athletes earned multiple championship titles at the 2026 National Sporting Clays Championship in San Antonio, Texas, with Derrick Mein winning the All-Around Overall title and Mike Wilgus being inducted into the NSCA Hall of Fame. The event featured over 2,600 competitors from 49 states and 17 countries competing across various disciplines.
Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a federal lawsuit, Maines v. Bethel, challenging Pennsylvania's ban on carry licenses for adults under 21. The case builds on FPC's previous victory in Lara v. Paris, where the Third Circuit affirmed that 18-to-20-year-olds are protected by the Second Amendment.
Gun Owners of America (GOA) announced tickets are on sale for GEAR (Gun Owners Empowerment & Adventure Recreation), taking place May 21-23, 2027 at Merus Adventure Park near Amarillo, TX. The event features outdoor exhibitors, hands-on experiences, family activities, and industry connections celebrating adventure and freedom.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte visited PROOF Research's new Columbia Falls headquarters to celebrate the company's expansion and growth as a Montana manufacturer. The visit included a ribbon cutting, facility tour, and demonstration of PROOF Research's carbon fiber barrels, precision rifle systems, and the Elevation MTR FDX rifle.
Armanet, a programmatic advertising platform built for the firearms, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor industries, launches with eight integrated channels including programmatic display, video, Connected TV, and email. Founded by Nick Morissey, the platform uses ArmanetID and multi-touch attribution to help brands measure sales impact across all marketing channels.
Trijicon, Inc. announced a new Coyote Brown anodized finish for its RMR HD reflex sight, designed for law enforcement, military personnel, and serious shooters. The optic features an enlarged viewing window, advanced light sensor, and is built from forged 7075-T6 aluminum with waterproof capabilities.
EOTECH made a monetary donation to the American Warrior Association, a faith-driven nonprofit dedicated to healing moral injury among service members, veterans, first responders, and their families through programs like R3, Warrior's Refuge, and Virtus Project.
SIG SAUER has renewed its Gold-level corporate partnership with the Second Amendment Foundation. The firearms manufacturer will continue supporting SAF's legal efforts to defend Second Amendment rights, including ongoing cases before the Supreme Court, and will donate products for SAF's monthly sweepstakes program.
Watchtower Defense, a Tomball, Texas-based firearms manufacturer, launches the Vantage Series of double-stack 1911 pistols featuring advanced porting technology, premium materials, and two configurations: the full-size Vantage V10 at $3,899 and compact Vantage C V6 at $3,699.
Federal Ammunition has expanded its Fusion Tipped rifle ammunition line to include the 25 Creedmoor cartridge with a 130-grain load featuring 2,850 fps muzzle velocity. The new offering delivers improved ballistic performance with reduced drift and drop, while 125-grain American Eagle and 135-grain Sierra MatchKing loads are coming soon.
UTG PRO, a brand of Leapers Inc., has launched new SD Monolithic Handguards for MP5 and MP5K platforms. The patented design features M-LOK slots and Picatinny tops for accessory versatility, with suppressor integration and improved ergonomics for modern MP5 enthusiasts.
High Speed Gear's GEN 2 TACO lineup has become the company's fastest-selling product line in 10 years. Designed for military operators, law enforcement professionals and shooting enthusiasts, GEN 2 features lightweight construction, uncompromising durability, true versatility and a modern aesthetic while maintaining the adaptive DNA that made the original TACO trusted by users.
NEXTORCH North America announces the P09 Multi-Function Duty Flashlight featuring white, UV, red, and blue LEDs with up to 2,000 lumens and 240-yard beam distance. Designed for law enforcement and emergency response, it includes tactical strobe, ceramic glass breaker, and IP67 durability at $79.99 MSRP.
Mossy Oak has partnered with STITCH Golf to introduce the SL2 Golf Bag featuring Mossy Oak's iconic Original Bottomland camouflage pattern. The collaboration combines both brands' appreciation for the outdoors and tradition, with the bag retailing for $398 and available online and at select country clubs nationwide.
Ol' Man Outdoors has introduced the OST-100 Steady Eddie Tripod Shooting Stick, a field-tested rifle rest designed for deer gun season. Weighing 5 lbs. 10 oz. with an adjustable height range of 8 to 65 inches, the tripod supports multiple shooting positions and is compatible with crossbows and spotting scopes.
Hornady offers reloaders access to over 1,000 pages of verified load data through multiple formats: a hardcover Handbook, eBooks on Apple Books and Kindle, and the Hornady Reloading App for iOS and Android. The app allows users to save favorite loads, add personal notes, and purchase data by cartridge for 99¢ or unlock the full library with a $19.99 annual subscription.
FLUX Defense launches the FLUX Redux, a completely reworked platform for Gen 4 and Gen 5 Glock pistols featuring upgraded materials, improved ergonomics, and a new shroud system. Priced at $349.99, the modular design retains the original two-piece architecture while incorporating nearly a decade of design and manufacturing experience.
Walther Arms is offering a free Vortex Venom Enclosed Micro Red Dot optic valued at $290 with the purchase of qualifying PDP pistols from November 1 through December 31, 2026. The promotion applies to new Walther PDP and PDP F-Series models in various configurations, with redemptions required by January 31, 2027.
Media members can now register for credentials to attend the 2027 DSC Convention & Sporting Expo, held January 7-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. DSC is providing a dedicated pressroom with amenities for the sporting press. Contact Stephanie Mallory at Mallory Communications to pre-register.
Sellmark Corporation is running a $20,000 sweepstakes from November 2-30, 2026, featuring products from Sightmark, Pulsar, KJI, Dark 30, INFORCE, and other brands. The grand prize package includes thermal imaging devices, shooting supports, tactical gear, and a $1,000 Everest Gift Card.
Outdoor Channel dedicates Saturday evenings to the MeatEater franchise with a three-hour "Prime Cuts" block featuring Rinella's Field Notes, MeatEater Season 14 premiere on November 14, and MeatEater's 12 in 26 cinematic presentations showcasing hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventures with Steven Rinella and crew.
Pursuit Media showcases its extensive programming across Pursuit Channel and Pursuit UP, featuring shows like Wiebe Trapline Adventures, Higdon Outdoors, Argo's How to Hunt with Ryan Kohler, and The Fish Guyz. The dual-platform approach provides outdoor enthusiasts flexible access to premium content via linear television and free streaming across major platforms.
There are plenty of ways to spend lots of money in the (for some of us) never-ending effort to break more clay targets. While practice, practice, and still more practice tends to pay off pretty reliably, buying a new shotgun is one of the more enjoyable options available to you.
Whether that will actually improve your scores is another matter entirely, but Beretta’s new(ish) 688 Performance XTrap over/under gives trap shooters some very enticing reasons to open their wallets.
At the top of that list of very good reasons to buy one is owning a beautifully made Italian shotgun, something the five century-old company is famously good at producing.
The price of the XTrap is $3,899. That actually qualifies as affordable in the world of competition shotguns, where perspective tends to disappear somewhere between the adjustable stock and the embroidered shooting vests.
The Beretta over/under competition guns have basically four tiers that start out with the 686 Silver Pigeons that begin at just under $3000 (and retail for between $2500 and $2750, depending on options. Then there are the 688 guns where we find ourselves here a relatively modest step up from the Silver Pigeons.
Hence, the relative affordability of the 688 Performance XTrap that keeps the price (just barely) in the threes. For that kind of money, this full-featured trap gun givers you Beretta Steelium barrels, a sturdy steel low profile receiver, a B-Fast adjustable comb, and a laminated stock that’s built around breaking targets rather than looking pretty in a gun cabinet.
That last part will be immediately apparent when you see it. The gray laminate furniture and the orange-type-on-black receiver are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. And the 688’s modern styling won’t satisfy those who think a shotgun should have deeply figured walnut and a few tastefully engraved birds or retrievers on the receiver.
Fair enough, but plenty of us — me included — think this is a good, clean look for a very capable sporting gun.
The 688 Performance XTrap clearly takes a more utilitarian — and affordable — approach. The emphasis here is on fit and function, with cosmetics that make no attempt to impersonate Grandpa’s favorite field gun.
Beretta builds the 688 on its established 680-series platform, with a wider, heavier receiver intended to improve stability and long-term performance.
Yes, that’s a lockable barrel selector on the safety. That set screw ensure it’s staying right where you want it. Those of us who want to make damn sure than the lower barrel always fires first in both singles and doubles will sleep a little easier at night knowing there’s no chance of the selector accidentally being inadvertently flipped to the top barrel first position.
If you’ve ever put a single round in the bottom tube, yelled ‘pull’ and then heard nothing but a disappointing click, you know the feeling.
If you didn’t know this shotgun was intended for shooting trap (though we certainly didn’t confine ourselves to that in our testing), that high vent rib with its mid bead should leave no doubts at all.
The 688 Performance XTrap comes fully kitted out, including a set of five Beretta Optimachoke HP extended tubes.
That grey laminate Monte Carlo stock has Beretta’s B-Fast-equiped adjustment system.
That lets you customize the fit to get exactly the the upright head position most trap shooters like to use when shooting rising targets. Those adjustments let you dial in just the right comb height and cast for your unique mount and facial dimensions, giving you the consistent point of impact percentage above the front sight you like.
With a shotgun, your eye is effectively the rear sight, and a stock that puts that rear sight in the wrong place is going to make an expensive gun remarkably good at missing clays you should otherwise be busting.
With the stock MicroCore butt pad (which does a nice job of absorbing recoil), the length of pull is listed as 14.8 inches. That, however, is adjustable, too, thanks to the 688 Performance XTrap’s adjustable trigger. There’s also a modest, comfortable palm swell for a comfy grip.
While none of these, on their own, guarantees a perfect fit, as a whole, they give you a package of flexible options that give you every opportunity to fit the XTrap to you and make it feel like an extension of your body.
The XTrap’s trigger broke at an average of 3 pounds, 11 ounces on my Lyman trigger gauge with a clean release and almost no take-up.
The shotgun’s weight — listed as 8.6 pounds, but my scale says 8.8 — and near-perfect balance means those long, 32-inch barrels swing naturally and smoothly…exactly what you’re looking for in a good trap (or other clays) gun.
To sum up, the 688 Performance Trap is a very well-made, reasonably priced (for its feature set and pedigree) way to to get an Italian clay-busting trap gun that will let you get everything out of your level of dedication and abilities. It lets you do what’s needed to customize its fit for you, effectively taking away any non-shooter-related excuses for missing those pesky left-to-right crossers.
If that’s what you want and you love shooting trap, the 688 Performance XTrap is a great tool for the job.
