Easton introduces the Easton 5.0 hunting arrow and Match Grade 5MM Half-Out Component system, featuring seamless Acu-Carbon construction for versatile high-speed or high-FOC setups. The USA-manufactured system offers excellent spine consistency, reduced wind drift, and strong downrange energy with available spine sizes from 200 to 500.
Ameristep won a Gold Award in the Ground Blind category from Bowhunting World magazine readers for the second consecutive year in 2026. The company introduced the Frontline Wide-Bottom Extreme, a hub-style blind accommodating up to three hunters with six silent sliding windows and a 180° bowhunter view.
Scopos' 2026 National Air Rifle New Shooter League and National Air Pistol League completed Week 2 with Daniel Boone MCJROTC and Saint Thomas Academy leading the rifle rankings at 2-0, while NoVA Sharpshooters topped the pistol standings. Lafayette Gun Club and Palmyra Sportsmen's Assoc remain unbeaten in air pistol competition.
SLG2, Inc. will bring its Shoot Like A Girl experience to Bass Pro Shops in Daytona Beach, Florida, February 12-15, 2026, as part of the 2026 Grand Safety Tour. The free, family-friendly event features firearms training using FATS by InVeris simulators, archery instruction, and product demonstrations from partners including Beretta, GLOCK, Vortex Optics, and Springfield Armory.
NSSF praised South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden for signing Senate Bill 2, which deregulates suppressors in the state. The law was signed at Silencer Central with NSSF Board member Brandon Maddox and NSSF's Moriah Day present, removing suppressors from the state's controlled weapon definition.
Wiley X announced the appointment of Cory Uehlein as Vice President of Marketing & Digital. In this role, Uehlein will lead the company's comprehensive marketing and digital strategy, driving brand growth and customer experience across all channels.
Italian Firearms Group (IFG) partners with Philmont Scout Ranch through regular firearm donations supporting their shooting sports program. Last summer, Philmont served 22,615 participants, with 6,443 scouts introduced to new shooting disciplines using IFG-provided equipment.
Unknown Suppressors, an Idaho-based 3D-printed titanium suppressor manufacturer, partnered with Guidefitter to reach over 190,000 verified outdoor professionals. The partnership capitalizes on increased suppressor demand following the elimination of the $200 federal excise tax in January 2026.
Kinetic Development Group recognizes MidwayUSA as a key stocking partner, highlighting their long-standing relationship built on trust and shared commitment to the shooting sports community. With new product launches planned for 2026, both companies are aligned on expanding their partnership and increasing KDG product availability through MidwayUSA.
Michael Waddell hosted a first-of-its-kind roundtable at SHOT Show featuring outdoor television stars Mike Robinson, Melissa Bachman, Brian "Pigman" Quaca, and Lee & Tiffany Lakosky. The episode, presented by Spandau Arms in partnership with Folds of Honor and Cigars International, aired on The Michael Waddell Podcast and covers hunting careers, game meat management, and community unity.
WOOX has launched the Bravado "High Grade" line of American walnut stocks for Henry and Marlin lever-action rifles. Each hand-selected stock features exceptional grain quality and unique aesthetics, with adjustable cheek risers, M-LOK compatibility, and QD sling mounts for enhanced performance and customization.
Legacy Sports International will showcase its 2026 firearms and accessories lineup from brands HOWA, POINTER, CITADEL, and SCSA at the NBS Show in Oklahoma City, February 10-13, 2026. Featured products include the HOWA Superlite Gen 2, Fence Line Series, new Pointer shotguns, and Citadel models at booth #1119.
Federal Ammunition is expanding its 6mm ARC cartridge lineup with three new offerings: American Eagle TMJ 110-grain, Fusion Tipped 110-grain, and Gold Medal Berger BT Target 108-grain. These loads are designed for competitive shooters, hunters, and target shooters using the AR-15 platform.
Real Avid has launched its Master Collection for 1911, a comprehensive toolkit featuring cleaning supplies, maintenance tools, and chemicals designed for 1911 handgun enthusiasts. The collection includes the Smart Wrench, Gun Tool Amp, bore cleaning essentials, and specialized lubricants for optimal firearm performance.
Dasan USA began shipping the Alpha Foxtrot Attila 1911 double stack pistol following a successful 2026 SHOT Show debut. The compact 9mm pistol features a DLC-coated barrel, integrated compensator, optics-ready slide, and ships with Shield Arms magazines and ambidextrous safety.
ALPS OutdoorZ will debut three new Mossy Oak Greenleaf products at the 50th Annual NWTF Convention in 2026, including the flagship Traditions Turkey Vest, Summit Seat, and Turkey Tote. Product Development Manager Adam Brune highlights the modern design approach while honoring classic turkey hunting traditions.
Henry Repeating Arms announced two new revolver variants: the H16 Golden Boy Deadeye Revolver and H17 Big Boy Deadeye Revolver, featuring upgraded adjustable rear sights and fiber-optic front sights. Built on proven foundations and developed from customer feedback, both models are Made in America and backed by Henry's Lifetime Warranty.
Zanders, an all-women-owned distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, announced an exclusive partnership with TriStar Arms to release the TriStar Setter LT shotgun featuring a custom black engraved receiver designed for Zanders dealers and customers.
Charter Arms, a manufacturer of American-made revolvers based in Shelton, CT, has introduced the new Boomer Series featuring four caliber options and two finish choices. The compact defensive revolver is available in 9mm, .38 Special, .357, and .44 Special with prices ranging from $450.86 to $541.84.
Colion Noir, an influential social media personality and gun rights activist, named the Springfield Armory Kuna 9mm as a top gun choice for 2025. Developed with HS Produkt, the roller-delayed PDW features a monolithic aluminum upper, 6" barrel, and ambidextrous controls, priced from $1,179 to $1,330.
MDT released the TIMBR Core Laminate Rifle Stock, combining ultra-rigid laminated wood construction with aluminum micro-chassis and V-block bedding for hunters seeking precision and classic aesthetics. Available in Charcoal and Green Mountain Camo for multiple rifle inlets including Ruger American, Savage 110, Tikka T3/T3x, and Remington 700 short actions.
ALPS OutdoorZ is launching its 2026 NWTF Collection in Mossy Oak Greenleaf, featuring six turkey hunting products including the Impact Pro Turkey Vest, Grand Slam Turkey Vest, and Vantage Bino Harness. The strategic partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation supports habitat conservation across North America.
Firearms News released its February 2026 issue featuring Springfield Armory's Echelon FC Pistol with an in-depth review by James Tarr. The issue includes articles on Ruger's LCP Max, Century Arms' BFT 556, and other firearms reviews from Outdoor Sportsman Group Publishing.
1791 Outdoor Lifestyle Group will exhibit at the NBS 2026 Spring Semi-Annual Market in Oklahoma City, February 10-13, showcasing new HUNT Line accessories, the Tac Leather Rifle Sling, holsters, and the Roni line of pistol-to-carbine conversion kits including the new Nano Roni.
Traditions® Firearms will exhibit at the 2026 NBS Semi-Annual Spring Market, February 10–13, 2026, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. The event connects vendors with North America's leading independent sporting goods retailers through exclusive access to hundreds of vendors and competitive buying programs.
VKTR Industries and White Label Armory will exhibit at the 2026 NBS Spring Show in Oklahoma City from February 10-13 at booth #207. VKTR will showcase their VK-1 short stroke piston rifle and new VKP Pro double stack 1911 handgun, while White Label Armory displays AR parts and accessories.
Chiappa USA and Charles Daly Shotguns will exhibit at the 50th Anniversary National Wild Turkey Federation Convention & Sport Show, February 11-15, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. The brands will showcase field-proven firearms including the Charles Daly Triple, Charles Daly 301 Series, and Chiappa Honcho, along with new 2026 product releases.
European American Armory Corporation will exhibit at the Nation's Best Sports Semi-Annual Market February 10–13, 2026, in Oklahoma City. EAA Corp will showcase its 2026 handgun and long-gun lineup including new 1911 double stack models, CMX 9mm, CMXX 10mm, and Balikli firearms shotguns and rifles at Booth #1104.
TriStar Arms will exhibit at the 2026 National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, Tennessee as a Gobbler Sponsor, showcasing the new Upland Hunter Thumbhole Stock designed for turkey hunters with dual choke tube capability for versatile field performance.
Blaser Group will showcase the Blaser R8 Professional 2.0 and Mauser 98 Das Original rifles at the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville, February 18-21, 2026. The company will also display the R8 Silence barrel, Sauer 505 rifle, and John Rigby & Co. bespoke rifles at booth #1513.
Hornady will exhibit at the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo February 12-15, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by the Mule Deer Foundation, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, and Utah Office of Tourism, the event attracts over 55,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors raising millions for conservation.
Gearfire will showcase its AXIS Retail Management System at the NBS 2026 Spring Semi-Annual Market in Oklahoma City, February 10-13. AXIS unifies point-of-sale, ATF compliance, inventory management, and range operations for outdoor sports retailers.
WATCHTOWER Defense will debut at IWA OutdoorClassics 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany, showcasing its double-stack 1911 pistols including the new Tactical Commander and flagship APACHE MKII, plus the RAIDER15 rifle platform. The company will be located in Hall 5, booth #272, offering exclusive show-only specials for dealers and distributors.
Liberty Ammunition will exhibit at the Nation's Best Sports Show February 10-13 in Oklahoma City, showcasing innovations including the Liberty SPIKE in .380 and 9mm, along with OverWatch, Ultra-Light, and Civil Defense ammunition lines. CEO Gary Ramey emphasized the company's commitment to producing superior self-defense ammunition.
Winchester Ammunition will showcase its 2026 product lineup at the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo February 12-15 in Salt Lake City, including the new Supreme Long Range precision hunting cartridge and big game ammunition options like Expedition Big Game, Deer Season XP, Power Point, and Ballistic Silvertip.
Killer Instinct Crossbows, owned by MaxView Optics, will exhibit at the NBS 2026 Spring Semi-Annual Market in Oklahoma City February 10-13. The company will showcase its new lineup of fully decockable crossbows at Booth #1825, with marketing support from Hunt Camp Company.
Sarsilmaz will exhibit at the Nation's Best Sports 2026 Spring Semi-Annual Market in Oklahoma City, February 10-13, showcasing its 7/24 and SAR9 Series pistols. The company, with over 140 years of firearms manufacturing experience, will demonstrate duty-ready platforms for commercial, law enforcement, and professional users at booth #1705.
MaxCam, owned by MaxView Optics, will exhibit at the NBS 2026 Spring Semi-Annual Market in Oklahoma City, February 10-13. The company will showcase the MaxCam7 action camera and accessories at Booth #1825, marking the first NBS Market appearance under new ownership following the acquisition of Tactacam technology.
Winchester Ammunition will exhibit at the 2026 NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, February 11-15, showcasing new products including Long Beard Tungsten, Supreme Long Range precision rifle ammunition, and commemorative USA 250th Series rounds. Winchester continues supporting the Veteran's Breakfast and has contributed over $2 million to NWTF's conservation mission since 1973.
CZ will exhibit at Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2026 in Minneapolis, February 20-22, showcasing upland hunting firearms at Booth #1227. Hosted by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the premier event features hundreds of exhibitors and supports habitat conservation.
Viridian Weapon Technologies will exhibit its 2026 product lineup at the NBS Spring Semi-Annual Market, February 10–13 in Oklahoma City. The showcase will feature new optics, tactical lights, lasers, and emerging technologies including the FACT DUTY Weapon-Mounted Camera and 4LUX Foregrip Light at Booth #1948.
Beretta will exhibit at the 2026 Western Hunt Expo, celebrating 500 years of craftsmanship with premium hunting rifles including the Sako 90 Finnlight, Tikka Ace Game and Target rifles, Tikka T3x Lite Roughtech Ember, and Beretta BRX1, plus hunting apparel collections and Top Knives at Booth #5720.
SCHEELS has renewed its sponsorship of the USA Clay Target League, the nation's largest youth clay target shooting sports organization, continuing support since 2012. With over 55,000 participants in 2025, the League will engage over 2,000 high schools and colleges in 2026.
Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo, hosts of The Choice television series and owners of Content King Media Inc., announce their continued partnership with Dallas Safari Club. The partnership reinforces shared values of conservation, ethical hunting, and education through science-based wildlife management and sustainable use practices.
World Fishing Network launches "Reel In Canada Fridays," a Friday night programming block featuring eight fishing shows including Lisa Roper Outdoors, The New Fly Fisher, Connect Fishing Experience, Fish TV, Fish n' Canada, West Coast Sporting Journal, BC Outdoors Sportfishing, and Fishing the Wild West, showcasing Canada's premier fishing destinations and expert anglers.
MyOutdoorTV premieres new episodes of Gale Force Twins featuring Captains Emily and Amanda Gale, who explore premier fishing destinations including the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Guatemala, and Outer Banks. The 10-part series follows the accomplished siblings as they share their offshore fishing expertise and Gulf Coast lifestyle content with subscribers.
Shooting USA features the tenth anniversary of the Civilian Marksmanship Program's Talladega Marksmanship Park and the tenth year of the CMP Talladega 600 series, including the Congressional 30 service rifle match on Range One.
A term from the automotive industry is now a part of American handgun terminology: the crossover. Meant to describe a mashup of a passenger car and an SUV, some would call it “jack of all trades, master of none.”
Others might refer to it as “just right.”
For many people – according to a source from 2018 -- it is the best choice, reaching 40% of market share.
The crossover pistol – a “compact” upper over a “full-size” or duty lower (the receiver) – is not a new concept in the industry. When our dear over-spending rich Uncle Sam longed for a new military service pistol after WWII, they wanted a NATO caliber in a gun that wasn’t foreign in function or handling from the pre-WWI warhorse.
They got the Commander. An aluminum full-size frame – lighter than the old GI frame – was placed under a slide and barrel ¾” shorter. With a resize of the barrel bushing and the different barrel, extractor, ejector and a few other items, the original crossover came out before the term was used for automobiles.
The concealed carry crowd decried it because the longer grip frame was harder to conceal. The duty gear types liked it; with a duty holster a bit shorter to clear the car seat, the quicker handling – and cycling – shorter slide endeared the concept to them.
That doesn’t even include the weapon retention aspects of the gun – in an attack on a drawn handgun, the gun’s user has more to hold onto than the attacker.
GLOCK stepped into the crossover era, naming it with the G19X, the contender for the service pistol contract.
That has a familiarity to it.
It was only a matter of time before other makers put their mark on that space. And Springfield Armory did it with their service-grade Echelon.
It’s the fifth entry in the Echelon line that I’ve handled. I’ve concluded that it’s clearly service grade. As to its longevity, I can’t testify. My guess is that the line will be around and healthy beyond the expiration date on my birth certificate.
It’s solid.
The difference between the Echelon 4.0C (Comp, with Burris RDS, left) and the 4.0FC (right) is clear.
The Echelon 4.0 FC (“F” for full-size frame, “C” for shorter barrel/slide) has the Echelon lineage, with the superior fixed sights, a maximum-compatible optics cut, the well-fitting ergonomics built into slide and frame, bilateral controls and large cargo hold.
The gun is supplied with a 17-round magazine and a 20-round magazine. The dustcover on the grip module is shorter than on the Echelon 4.5F service-size pistol.
The Central Operating Group – literally the “firearm” – is a unit that fits in the grip module. It’s compatible with grip modules across the Echelon line.
As the gun was received in February in a plains state, the effects of weather on the outdoor range were incompatible with this user’s comfort. I headed to Integrity Elite Firearms and their indoor range to check out the newly fitted blaster.
As it was a flying trip – and I wanted to get some rounds through the gun for this first impressions review – I took two kinds of ammo. One was the Black Hills 115gr. JHP-EXP load. The other was Federal American Eagle Syntech 115 gr. TSJ.
The initial range trip included Black Hills 115gr. JHP and Federal Syntech 115 TSJ ammo. Below, the difference between a standing 15 yard group and the upper group, fired from a seated rest at the same distance, both with Black Hills ammo.
I quickly found that the gun was shooting high – very likely a function of my vision in the light on the indoor range. I shot the Black Hills load at fifteen yards, seated, resting on the shooting bench. The second five shot group gave me a 1 7/8” group. With the American Eagle Syntech load, I move the target back to 25 yards. That load yielding a 3 ½” group. I had a bit of trouble holding where I wanted due to lighting (compared to the outdoor range).
The next bit of shooting involved the “Shootist’s Challenge,” shot at 25 feet, one-handed. Of the six rounds fired, four were on the “stamp” image. All six were easily inside the “envelope.”
I had a “Dot Torture” target and shot it at varying distances; the target is moving fore-and-aft on this indoor range. Had I shot the bottom lines at three yards or five yards, rounds would have hit the floor on their way to the backstop.
I wasn’t having that.
I didn’t shoot every part of the Dot Torture as I was just getting a feel for the gun and where I was hitting. I noticed that on the “nondominant hand, unsupported” string, I shot a tight group on the right side of the “dot” with some rounds outside the dot.
That’s an interface issue, my grip on the gun, that I need to sort out.
My last rounds were fired on a First Person Safety FPS-1 target at seven yards. I put three pairs on the “body,” with all hits but one going into the “pump.” The last four rounds where singles to the upper aiming point. First two hit high – I then remembered that the gun was shooting over the sights for me with this load. I held low for the second pair of singles, hit the “base of the nose” with holes touching.
This first impression is favorable. Unlike some of the “cross-over” types of semi-autos, this one seems to be a bit jumpier in recoil. That could be from my lack of time shooting, but it’s something I’ll explore going forward.
As to the concept of the compact slide over the full-size frame, it’s my favorite style. So far, the Echelon 4.0FC is upholding that principle.
