Apex Tactical Specialties is pleased to announce the release of its new Apex Threaded Barrel for the 9mm M&P M2.0 Compact pistol from Smith & Wesson. The stainless steel barrel features a black Melonite finish, a 1:10” twist rate and a 1/2-28 thread pattern.

Nightforce Optics announced increased commitment to the U.S. Rifle Team through a multi-year 'Gold Medal' sponsorship. The three-time F-Class World Champion U.S. Rifle Team competes in domestic and international F-Class competitions, and is one-hundred percent supported by shooters' personal funds as well as sponsor dollars. 

Viridian Weapon Technologies announces that the West Hennepin Public Safety Department, located just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has deployed the FACT Duty Weapon-Mounted Camera to all of its officers.

Breaking a flying clay target or knocking over a steel plate and then sharing the fun of that experience awaits all who participate in National Shooting Sports Month this August. The National Shooting Sports Foundation established this celebration to encourage you to spend trigger time at your local shooting range and share your passion for the shooting sports with others. 

Propper has signed on as a sponsor at the upcoming IDPA US National Championship.  Propper joins Alien Gear, Hogue, Springer Precision, Nowlin, Nighthawk, Holosun Technologies and Safariland as a silver level sponsor of the championship. 

Sellmark is proud to announce continued support of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers and attendance at the organization’s annual conference. The 2018 AGLOW Conference is scheduled for September 10 – 13, in Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota.

At least one custom Timberwolf build and other Lone Wolf products will be featured in upcoming media from VIKTOS brand. And VIKTOS gear willl likely make its way into Lone Wolf branded media.

First Focal Plane riflescopes are typically pricey – now there’s the new Diamondback Tactical FFP Riflescope Series. Because it’s First Focal Plane, all the MOA- or MRAD-based hashmarks and windage-tree holds are useable throughout the entire zoom range – at a sub $500 MSRP.

Before the firing of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s National Trophy events, the National Matches schedule offers training clinics for all levels of shooters to receive personalized help and information.

The United States Concealed Carry Association is applauding West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s decision recognize the state’s concealed carry permits for 10 additional states.   Currently, there are 23 states that recognize West Virginia concealed handgun licenses.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers announced a donation to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation to support industry advocacy efforts to protect sportsmen's rights. 

Athlon Outdoors is happy to announce the hire of Paul Rackley as the editor for Athlon digital properties including Personal Defense World. 

TEAM SIG Captain Max Michel and TEAM SIG shooter Lena Miculek recently joined over 2,700 student athletes at the Scholastic Action Shooting Program National Championships to host development clinics and mentor junior competitive shooters. 

Make your mark with Sightmark’s new reliable and affordable Latitude 8-32x60 F-Class Riflescope.  This riflescope features oversized adjustments turrets, a zero-stop elevation dial, a lock ring to keep the eyepiece in focus and a 34mm tube.

MTM announces an ultra-adjustable bench rest style shooting table for left and right handed shooters. The High-Low Shooting Table can stand 55” tall at the highest or 18” at the lowest setting.

United Tactical Systems announced that its PepperBall LifeLite is now available to the public. These launching devices use CO2 cartridges to accurately propel small, non-lethal plastic projectiles 60 feet at a velocity of 270 feet per second. 

Following “disturbing information about an individual employed by the venue of their upcoming annual meeting” the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association announces it has moved their annual meeting to the Omaha Gun Club.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce that Team Ruger took two divisional wins at the 2018 WBRP Independence Outlaw Match held at the Wilkes-Barre Rifle & Pistol Club in Hunlock's Creek, PA. 

SIG SAUER, Inc., is pleased to announce the Montgomery Alabama Police Department has selected the SIG SAUER P320 as their official duty firearm. The Montgomery Police Department has a complement of more than 500 sworn officers protecting the second largest city in the state, with over 200,000 citizens. 

The ZEISS “Gear Up” Promotion offers a great value by way of a $100 instant rebate on the Conquest V4 rifle scopes.  Purchase any of the four models from the Conquest V4 rifle scope family and immediately save $100.00.  

The National Rifle Association announces the second annual NRA Carry Guard Expo, scheduled for September 14-16 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia.

ERGO has expanded into international markets to sell firearm upgrades outside of the USA. They partnered with MAE Group International, Inc. to supply international distributors with high quality upgrades for rifles, shotguns, and pistols.

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute announced that it has accepted two new cartridges, the 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge (6.5 PRC) and the 300 PRC.   Both cartridges were developed by Hornady Manufacturing Company.

Now you can bid on a hard-to-get tag and promote state and local conservation efforts through the Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Non-Resident Deer Tag Auction, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 

Blue Force Gear announced the debut of the Tourniquet Now! Pouch to its growing line of medical accessories.  The tourniquet fits inside an elastic keeper attached to the lid that is then folded up and secured on the top with a hook and loop field.

The 2018 American Handgunner Concealed Carry Special Edition makes concealed carry choices easier for everyone from beginners to seasoned shooters — and anyone in between. The issue is rich with reviews on today’s most notable self-defense firearms.

I’ve gone along with it and tried to identify a shooting course that (1) had a low round count, (2) was holster-intensive, (3) that had nearly every stage completed in less than three seconds and (4) could be used not only to compare equipment issues but identify shooter issues for purposes of remediation.

I wasn’t terribly successful – and won’t release my results here except to note that I’ve run a range of guns over the CS and found that I personally need some work on consistency.

The latest trip on the comparative standards was to compare the new FN 509 Tactical with the (nearly new) GLOCK 19X. As I want to use this course over time to collect a range of data points, it was as good a time to try one gun against another as there was going to be.

The concept is simple: Each string is timed, each time recorded to be compared against every other like string in the database. Total time for the 20 round course is recorded with time added for penalties, .5 second for every point down.

I selected the same holster for both guns: the Safariland Model 576 GLS Pro-Fit. As it fits both guns, that rules the holster out as a contributor to the success or failure of one or the other. Likewise, the ammo used for both guns was Nosler Match 124 grain JHP.

Both guns shot over the same course of fire, with the time for each string -- as well as penalties if there were any -- were recorded and compared. The guns are practically the same from the viewpoint of the user.

I’d shot the FN 509 T on the 50-round “Dot Torture” as discussed here; that piece includes a precis of the new gun. DT is trigger intensive – control of the trigger is critical to success. It’s no less stringent on the Comparative Standards – but CS adds the timer.

The G19X has a trigger press that’s a full pound less than the FN 509T – and it’s much ‘cleaner.’ I’m used to hard triggers and I can tell you the problem with the FN 509T was with the user – not the gun. I racked up 2.5 seconds in penalties – that’s from the shooter jerking the trigger.

The per-string times were nearly identical. It felt like I was going slower due to the suppressor-height sights on the FN; it seemed to take forever to find them, but the timer showed that “feelings” don’t count. Where I had control, it was wonderful. Where I became more human, the machinery couldn’t help.

Average of five trigger presses from each gun as measured by the excellent Wheeler Engineering trigger pull gauge showed the GLOCK was an even pound less in required pressure.

In fairness, I racked up 1.5 seconds in penalties on the G19X – a fair analog to a pistol I’ve carried since 2001. That shows “user error.” On the other hand, the FN 509 – and the FNS Compact – are far more recent additions to the collective armory. That tells me that the ergonomics are there with the new guns.

I was a bit slower on the reload stage -- .4 second – with the FN. That 24-round stick isn’t hard to handle, but it’s . . . interesting. You don’t have to get used to it because you can find FN 509 17-round magazines, I’m sure.

I’ll go into more detail on the Comparative Standards at some point, likely for Shooting Wire so others can give it a shot. Before I do, I’m going to try to get some of the usual suspects to give it a whirl, so I can report their findings.

So far, the FN 509 Tactical is working fine and it appears to be every bit the decent service pistol the FN 509 was – with just a few refinements.

-- Rich Grassi