Muddy announced expansions to its DV8, Timber Recon Xtreme (TRX), and MTX hunting apparel lineups, introducing new jackets, vests, and pants designed for varying temperatures and terrain. The brand also plans to launch female-specific DV8 and TRX apparel lines in mid-September, engineered around women's biomechanics.
Barnett offers five value-priced crossbows for hunters with $350–$500 budgets: the XP370, Wildcat Ultralite, Whitetail Hunter STR, XP385, and XP390. Each features TriggerTech triggers, anti-dry-fire safety, and hunting-ready accessories, proving budget-friendly crossbows don't sacrifice performance.
Mathews has introduced two new finish options, Metallic Purple and Bronze, for its TITLE target bow, which has earned hundreds of podium finishes since its 2024 launch. The TITLE is now available in eight finish options and can be customized through Mathews' Bowbuilder platform.
The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) and Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) announced finalists for the 2026 Caliber Awards across seven categories including Best New Rifle, Handgun, Shotgun, Ammunition, Optic, Accessory, and Suppressor. Winners will be announced October 12 at the NASGW Annual Appreciation Reception during the 2026 NASGW Annual Meeting & Expo in Phoenix.
Team Leapers' Randy Olds and Roy Mitchell earned two overall wins and four Top Civilian finishes at the 2026 CMP New England Games in Jericho, Vermont, competing with the Integrix iXF 4.5X28 Service Rifle Scope and bringing the team's season total to 27 first-place finishes.
PROOF Research team shooters Kate Estes and Grace Vaughn achieved top finishes at the 2026 IPRF World Championship, with Estes winning 1st place and the Ladies Division World Champion title using PROOF's PXT barrel technology, while Vaughn finished 4th place.
Team SHIELD athletes achieved multiple podium finishes at the 2026 IPSC Slovenia Open, with Denny Rossetto securing 2nd Place Overall in Open Division, Bartosz Szczesny and Robert Černigoj placing 2nd and 3rd in Optics Division, and Dylan Keppel winning Production Optics. The team earned three Lady titles across divisions.
Robin Grauffel of Team SHIELD won the Junior title and finished 5th overall at the Pan American Handgun Championship, achieving 93.62% of winner JJ Racaza's score. SHIELD Sights congratulated Grauffel on his outstanding performance against world-class IPSC competitors, highlighting his emergence as a top young athlete in practical shooting.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut granted a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of Connecticut's handgun ban law. NSSF, represented by Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane, challenged the law in NSSF v. Griffin, arguing it violates Second Amendment rights and fails the Supreme Court's Bruen test.
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Johnson v. United States, challenging a lifetime federal firearms ban for nonviolent felons. SAF Director Kostas Moros and Executive Director Adam Kraut argue that historical tradition supports disarming only dangerous persons, not all individuals with felony convictions.
The National Rifle Association, joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the federal lifetime prohibition on firearms possession by nonviolent felons, arguing the regulation is unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's Second Amendment test.
Firearms Policy Coalition, alongside the National Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Johnson v. United States challenging the federal government's permanent disarmament of people convicted of nonviolent crimes, arguing historical tradition supports disarming dangerous people, not peaceable citizens.
The inaugural FFL Compliance Summit, "The Briefing," concluded a sold-out event in Dallas featuring direct dialogue between Federal Firearms Licensees and leadership from the ATF and FBI. ATF Director Robert Cekada delivered the keynote address on "The New Era of FFL Compliance," with sessions covering NFA transfers, Form 4473 processing, and regulatory updates. The event was supported by title sponsors FastBound, FFLGuard, Gearfire, and U.S. LawShield.
B&T USA will participate in Sharkapalooza Fall Festival on Oct. 9–10 at Shark Coast Tactical in Sarasota, Florida, followed by a live-fire Range Day on Oct. 11 in Ruskin, Florida. Attendees can try and purchase B&T USA suppressors covered by the Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF injunction without federal registration delays.
Bleecker Street Publications' October Free Gun Friday giveaway features a $6,230.99 hunting package including a Ruger American Rifle Generation II Predator, Meprolight MVO 3-18x44 riflescope, Precision Armament TiTrex 300Ti suppressor, 500 rounds of Black Hills ammunition, Streamlight Wedge XT flashlight, and CCW Safe Ultimate Plan membership.
Shell Shock Technologies and CBC Global Ammunition signed a definitive manufacturing agreement to produce SST's NAS3™ hybrid case technology across multiple calibers. The partnership adds advanced tooling and new operations in Michigan and Oklahoma to support industrial-scale production for military and commercial markets.
Bryan Tucker, CEO of Davidson's, Inc., has made a second $25,000 personal contribution to NSSF's Protect Liberty PAC for the 2026 election cycle, matching his 2024 commitment. Tucker's renewed support demonstrates confidence in the PAC's mission to elect candidates who will protect Second Amendment rights and constitutional freedoms.
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's will host a National Hiring Event on October 7-8 at retail locations throughout North America, offering competitive wages, industry-leading benefits including up to 50 percent merchandise discounts, and health insurance programs for eligible team members.
MidwayUSA is hiring three Product Specialists in Columbia, Missouri for Sporting Optics & Scopes, Guns, and Clothing, Footwear & Marketplaces categories. The position offers a salary range of $55,000-$71,500 with comprehensive benefits, professional development opportunities, and the chance to work for a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning company.
CCI Ammunition announced its new Hunter Series rimfire ammunition designed for small game hunters, featuring 40-grain lead flat nose bullets in supersonic and subsonic velocities. The product is now shipping to retailers nationwide, with Steven Monniere, Rimfire Product Manager for CCI, highlighting the ammunition's practical design and terminal performance.
Aegis Optics officially launches its flagship product catalog featuring red dot sights and precision scopes, including the Sentinel and Vanguard red dot lines and Pathfinder scopes. The optics are exclusively available on RETAY's RXP22 and RA1522 rifle and pistol platforms.
Trijicon announced the REAP-IR-50 thermal riflescope series featuring a 1024×768 high-resolution thermal sensor, 1280×1024 OLED display, integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, and optional laser rangefinder. The scope includes video recording, 64GB internal memory, and is designed, engineered, and assembled in the United States.
The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action announced Winchester Ammunition as an official partner of the 2026 NRA Gun Bus Battleground Tour, which will visit 13 states with over 60 planned stops through Election Day 2026. Winchester Ammunition, known as "The American Legend," is the leading small-caliber ammunition brand and largest supplier to the U.S. military.
HeadHunters NW released the "Fake Recruiter Podcast" episode featuring Mike Petronella and Aaron Hutsell, creator of GhostJob, a Chrome extension that helps job seekers identify fraudulent LinkedIn job postings. The episode discusses sophisticated recruitment scams and verification strategies for job seekers.
Remington Ammunition announced a partnership with Lexington Resources to launch Remington-branded pet products, now available in approximately 275 Walmart stores and on Chewy.com. The new lineup includes coated dog harnesses, crate mats, fleece hoodies, collars, leads, boots, and bowls designed with durable materials and outdoor-inspired styling.
Langdon Tactical Technology (LTT) has expanded its product lineup with the LTT Steyr ATD, combining Steyr Arms' modern DA/SA pistol platform with LTT's custom refinements. The pistol features a modular trigger system, optics-ready slide, and is available in standard and compensated configurations, both chambered in 9mm.
EAA Corp. and Girsan firearms announce nationwide distribution of the Witness2311 XXX Series compact 9mm double-stack 1911 models, featuring a grip module 25% smaller than standard full-size models. The CMX XXX and SC9 XXX will ship through EAA's distributor network beginning October 2026, with the SC9 XXX starting at $599.
Zanders, a national firearms distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, is now stocking the Winchester SXR2 MG4 DBM in .300 Win. Magnum, .30-06, .308 Win, and 9.3x62 calibers. The semi-automatic hunting rifle features a classic blued finish and walnut stock with detachable box magazine capability.
Orion Wholesale announces Suga Cub, the second custom CANiK SFx Rival in an exclusive three-part series created by Taylor Customs. Built on CANiK's competition-ready SFx Rival platform, Suga Cub features a tan frame, gray slide, and copper-toned barrel accents, available exclusively through Orion Wholesale.
Bond Arms is offering a limited-time 250th Anniversary Gift Card Rebate Promotion from October 1-31, 2026, providing rebates up to $75 on qualifying firearms. Customers can receive gift cards in three tiers based on their purchase, with redemption available through Bond Arms' online rebate form.
Bleecker Street Publications announced Karen Hunter as Editorial Lead for Gun University and Contributing Editor for Athlon Outdoors. Hunter brings over a decade of firearms industry experience, extensive instructional expertise through The Hunter Academy, and hundreds of published articles to the role.
KDG has expanded its nationwide dealer network throughout 2026, adding retailers including SC Arms in New Jersey, Fin Feather Fur Outfitters in Ohio, Athena Gun Club in Texas, Western Drug & General Store in Arizona, and Shoot Straight in Florida. The company is simultaneously launching new products, including the BOM Series Optic Mount platform, giving customers increased access to KDG firearms accessories locally.
Steiner Optics announced that Clyde Armory in Athens, Georgia, is now an authorized dealer for the Steiner Overwatch Program, offering special pricing on select Steiner optics products to qualified military, law enforcement, and first responders. Founded in 1991, Clyde Armory operates locations in Athens and Warner Robbins, Georgia.
Kent Cartridge is recalling specific lots of Ultimate® Turkey, Fasteel®+, Ultimate® FastLead, Steel Dove®, and TealSteel® shotshell ammunition due to potential excessive chamber pressure during firing. Consumers should immediately discontinue use of affected products and contact Kent Cartridge at 844-951-6098 for return and replacement instructions.
Thompson/Center Arms will showcase the new ENCORE FireStick Muzzleloader and expanded product lineup at the Green Top Outdoor Expo on October 3-4, 2026, in Hanover County, Virginia. CEO Gregg Ritz emphasized the company's commitment to connecting with hunters and families at this premier regional outdoor event.
RSR Group announces its 2026 Fall E-Show running October 6-9 as a virtual online event featuring manufacturer booths, exclusive dealer specials, new products, and daily prize giveaways accessible from www.rsrgroup.com.
Precise Recruiting Solutions, a leading recruiting firm in the firearms and outdoor industries, is sponsoring the cocktail hour at the 2026 NASGW Annual Expo on October 13th. The event will provide networking opportunities for manufacturers, wholesalers, and industry professionals.
Beretta USA will serve as platinum sponsor of the 2026 Green Top Outdoor Expo on October 3-4 in Ashland, Virginia, featuring displays of the AX800 Suprema, B22 Jaguar, and A400 Solo firearms. Ward and Jeb Burton of Crossroads with the Burtons will join for a meet and greet on Sunday, with consumer rebates up to $300 available on select models.
MyOutdoorTV launches WhitetailStream, an ad-free live streaming channel presented by Umarex featuring premium whitetail hunting content including Bone Collector, Whitetail Freaks, and North American Whitetail with Dr. James C. Kroll. The exclusive channel offers 24/7 on-demand access to top hunting series across multiple streaming platforms.
Outdoor Channel dedicates Friday prime time to conservation officers through "Wardens" and "Wardens: Case Files," produced by Wolf Creek Productions in partnership with Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The programs showcase the action-packed lives of game wardens and DNR employees protecting wildlife and enforcing outdoor recreation laws.
Outdoor Channel premieres an investigative special hosted by biologist Chris Dorsey examining whether polar bear policy is driven by science or climate advocacy. The documentary features perspectives from Inuit hunter Ryan St. John, Brian Nesvik of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other wildlife experts, exploring the intersection of wildlife management, politics, and conservation economics in the Arctic.
Sportsman Channel launches "Big Game Wednesday" programming block featuring hunting shows including Legends of the Fall, Whitetail Properties, The Woodsman, North American Whitetail with Host Haynes Shelton and Dr. James C. Kroll, and Adrenaline with Host Kyle Wieter, airing Wednesdays 8:00-10:30 p.m. ET.
Pursuit Media, in partnership with Careco Multimedia Entertainment, announced an expanded Q4 lineup on Pursuit UP featuring diverse outdoor programming including George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing, Uncharted Waters with Peter Miller, and Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky, available free across major streaming platforms.
I’ve been around the firearms market for all of my adult life, and it has been refreshing to see some brands turn their ships around. I’ve seen the good and the bad, and even a few ships sink outright. Today we’re looking at one of the happier stories.
Taurus firearms were once considered by many to be more of a bargain product and their performance sometimes left much to be desired. It seems to me that Taurus USA has turned a page. I have now had four new products from the company that have more than met my expectations, and on top of the product improvement, they’ve continued to maintain very affordable price points.
Today I bring you one of them, the Taurus USA GX4 Carry pistol chambered in .380 ACP.
The Taurus USA GX4 follows the same pattern as several other polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols made in their Bainbridge, Georgia facility. Besides the GX4, I have also recently reviewed the GX2 and the TX9 pistols. All of them have some degree of commonality, such as the divorced frame and trigger/sear pack. I expect this helps keep manufacturing costs down and in some cases allows you to change the frame while swapping in the trigger/sear pack.
Additional modularity is incorporated into the GX4 design through an interchangeable grip backstrap, allowing you to customize the feel of the grip. Like the others, the GX4 is optics ready using Taurus’ Optics Ready Option, or T.O.R.O. This allows a drop-in fit for Holosun K-series and similar optics, which I was sure to take advantage of.
There are also some other neat features, including a loaded chamber indicator, an accessory rail for weapon lights, and a 15-round capacity. They make it handy for concealed carry. I was also intrigued by what Taurus left out. There’s no manual safety and even the usual disassembly lever is absent. This makes the frame of the GX4 less obstructed, with fewer things that could potentially snag during the draw.
Lifting the GX4 from its polymer case, I immediately noticed the familiar grip texture I’ve seen on my other Taurus pistols. The grip feels a little square in my hand, something I can remedy to some degree by changing the backstrap. This was easily done by pushing out a pin and lifting the backstrap from the bottom.
The GX4 comes with two 15-round steel magazines made by magazine giant Mec-Gar, which gives me a sense of confidence. Because this pistol is chambered in .380 Auto, there’s a small spacer at the rear of the magazine to keep the cartridges positioned properly.
I decided to mount both a red dot and a weapon light on the GX4. After removing the two screws holding the polymer optics footprint cover, I found a clean spot to mount my Nutrek Optics Blade red dot.
The rear sight had a very slight interference with the red dot housing, which required a tiny bit of Dremeling to allow everything to fit properly. Other red dots will no doubt mount without any issues. I don’t cast that at the feet of either Taurus or Nutrek, sometimes things are a bit different. After that, it mounted perfectly using the two anchor pins in the slide and the included screws.
For carrying in the dark, I would also use the Streamlight TLR-8 light and laser combination. It turned out to be a very good match for the GX4.
All that was left was getting a few boxes of ammunition. For that I grabbed some Winchester, Fiocchi, and PMC ammunition loaded with 90- and 95-grain bullets. This is actually the first .380 I’ve ever owned, so I was interested in the old power discussion and whether those 90- and 95-grain bullets would be enough when it mattered.
My testing of the GX4 involved carrying the pistol daily between various range trips of my own as well as trips with my kids. All of my children grew up shooting the Taurus TX22, which has been a home run of a product, so when they see another Taurus they tend to assume it will be much the same.
I got used to the grip of the GX4 pretty quickly. That squaredness I mentioned initially didn’t seem to affect my shooting or my opinion of the gun. I initially thought I’d prefer the GX4 in 9mm rather than .380, and the jury is still out on that one. But one thing is for sure: my kids and wife all found this GX4 much easier to operate than compact 9mm pistols with their stiff(er) recoil springs. The GX4’s spring is surprisingly soft and easy to rack.
The trigger safety is simple and effective and the trigger feel overall is good. It has predictable breaks without too many jumps or bumps in the pull. Shooting with my red dot also gave me a great sight picture without losing use of the factory sights.
I found that with a full magazine, you need to make sure the magazine is well seated. It fell out on us more than once when we hadn’t fully seated it.
We had no malfunctions during testing of the Taurus GX4. The only concern I had was that ejection seemed a little weak, with the brass sometimes landing almost right at our feet. Regardless of where the brass landed, the pistol never skipped a beat.
Disassembling the Taurus GX4 requires either a tool or some improvisation. Since there’s no takedown lever, you’ll need a screwdriver or something similar to rotate the takedown cam on the right side of the gun. It’s not a big deal, but it is something worth noting.
I also noticed that the pistol incorporates a magazine safety, locking out the trigger unless a magazine is seated. I understand some folks like this type of safety feature, but I’d rather not have it. To each their own.
Like any gun, a good CCW pistol needs to hit where you aim, and I didn’t have any trouble hitting my targets. Typical groups from 10 yards averaged around 2 to 3 inches. Nothing that will win any competitions, but certainly suitable for the purposes for which this pistol is intended.
The factory iron sights on the GX4 are adjustable for both elevation and windage. The rear sight is serrated to reduce reflection, while the front sight uses a simple white dot.
I already mentioned the convertible grip of the GX4, but there’s also an undercut trigger guard. There’s also a single finger rib on the front, and the entire grip area has a nice texture with a sort of sandpaper feel to it. The GX4 feels good in my hand.
The magazine release is fairly small and low profile, but I had no trouble finding and pressing it during reloads. I actually like this because it helps prevent accidentally releasing the magazine while carrying or manipulating the pistol. Releasing the slide was a touch stiffer than I expected, but it wasn’t bad.
The loaded chamber indicator is another useful feature. It sits on top of the slide where it can be seen and felt, providing another indicator that there’s a cartridge in the chamber.
Given all its features, it seems crazy that you can get into a Taurus GX4 pistol for about $270. That feels like a very good buy to me. It shoots well, cycles without issue, and is just plain fun to shoot. The 9mm version will cost you a little more, but I am quite happy with the price-to-performance ratio of the Taurus GX4.
The list of things I liked about the GX4 is long. The price is extremely affordable, I had no malfunctions during testing, the grip is configurable, and the controls are simplified. The 15-round capacity is another big plus, as are the optics-ready slide, loaded chamber indicator, and adjustable sights.
There are a couple of things I wasn’t quite as fond of. The first was the fitment of my particular red dot, which required a small amount of modification around the rear sight. I’m also not a huge fan of the magazine safety, although that’s certainly more of a personal preference than a fault with the pistol.
When compared to other similar pistols like the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 or Ruger LCP MAX, the GX4 has gives them some serious competition. It’s significantly less expensive than some of the other options, including the Bodyguard 2.0 and GLOCK 42, while being very comparable in price to the LCP MAX. However, the GX4 offers considerably more capacity than those smaller .380 pistols and I like the look of the GX4 better than the LCP by a wide margin.
The Taurus GX4 .380 offers a step up in capacity over many of the compact .380 ACP pistols on the market. It also shoots and handles well, while allowing smaller-framed shooters or those with hand strength issues an easily operated option. The pistol’s mild recoil makes it particularly easy to shoot, and that was something my family noticed almost immediately.
It’s also just plain fun to shoot, which is something I always appreciate.
