#Optics-Ready

Tanfoglio has a new 10mm version of the Defiant Gold Match OR (Optics Ready) pistol. It has a 13+1 capacity and a six-inch bull barrel. Let’s take a look at the other features.

The infamous Taurus Judge 45 LC/.410 Bore revolver has been getting a lot more interesting lately with the addition of the new long-barreled Home Defender model, and now the new optics-ready Judge TORO. The T.O.R.O (Taurus Optics Ready Option) lineup has been steadily growing to include more and more of both Taurus’ new firearms as well as their legacy firearms like the much talked about Judge revolver. Options will include stainless steel models, as well as magnum models capable of handling 3″ .410 shotshells.

I’ve had the opportunity to test out, shoot, and own pretty much every single iteration of the 9mm micro-compact category of pistols. Since the introduction of the SIG Sauer P365, every company has strived to match the groundbreaking and quite honestly “game-changing” features set that the P365 offered concealed carriers and shooters. While FN pistols haven’t been my favorite, there have been some notable releases like the FN Five-seveN as well as the 509 Tactical that have impressed me quite a bit with the Five-seveN being the dream gun of pretty much anyone who has watched Battle Star Galactica or played Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. FN’s newest offering, however, doesn’t have the backup of the silver screen or the video game industry this time, but what does it have to offer? I’ve had my hands on an FN Reflex for a while now and today I’ll share with you my initial thoughts on it, and where I think it falls within the highly competitive market of micro-compact 9mm pistols.

Welcome to TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday, where we delve into all things revolvers. This week, we’ll take a look at the rare Smith & Wesson 629 Master Hunter, which was designed as an optics-only model from the factory in 1997 to 1999. Our friend, Cédric Armurier happened across a nice example of the 629 Master Hunter when a customer requested some work done on one. Cédric provided the photos you see here, and Smith & Wesson assisted with some background details about the Master Hunter model.

At SHOT Show in January of this year, Smith & Wesson busted out their take on a 5.7x28mm pistol in the form of the M&P 5.7. The 5.7 series began much like the Ford Model T’s black color scheme, but Smith & Wesson has just announced they’re adding FDE (Flat Dark Earth) to the color options of the M&P 5.7 series of pistols. At present, the FDE M&P 5.7 will feature a two-tone scheme, with an FDE frame, while the slide retains a black finish. You can read S&W’s full press release below.

FN America has a new .22 LR pistol, the 502 MRD. It takes the existing 502 and adds an optics-ready slide. Much like the original, it features a 10-round capacity and a single-action-only hammer.

Beretta is adding a new compact model to the APX A1 family. With a 3.7-inch barrel and 15-round magazine, the APX A1 Compact fits in between the Full Size and Carry models. Let’s see what other features it brings to the table.

Glock is a brand that certainly needs little introduction in the year 2023 but here are the cliff notes for those who may not be familiar with the company. Glock is a brand of polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered the Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was the top performer in reliability and safety tests. Glock pistols have become the company’s most profitable line of products, and have been supplied to national armed forces, security agencies, and police forces in at least 48 countries. The focus of this review will be on the Glock 43X MOS which is a concealed carry-minded pistol that was originally released in everyone’s favorite year of 2020. 

Welcome to another edition of TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday! This week, we’ll take a detailed look at the Taurus 856 TORO revolver, which is an optics-ready model straight from the factory. The Taurus 856 was already a capable six-shot, small-frame revolver, but the optics-ready T.O.R.O. treatment adds more versatility for those that prefer red dots on their concealed carry weapon. As cool and trendy as red dot sights are on handguns, they can add a bit more complexity to set up, and we’ll take a look at the hiccup I had mating these two systems. Let’s dig in!

KelTec is always coming up with new and interesting guns. Their P17 is one of, if not the, lightest .22LR pistols on the market and one of the most affordable. It’s also now joining the ranks of red dot-capable pistols with the introduction of a red dot-equipped P17 slide.

This week on TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday, we’ll take a sneak peek at the brand-new Taurus 856 TORO revolver, which is an optics-ready revolver, driven with concealed carry and self-defense in mind. The aptly named “T.O.R.O.” in this case stands for Taurus Optics Ready Option, which was initially launched in 2021 with Taurus’ G3 semi-auto pistol. However, the TORO line has just been expanded to two of their small framed revolvers, the 856 and 605. Taurus was kind enough to lend me a copy of the model 856 TORO, which we’ll take a quick preview of today, with a full review coming in the near future.

Shadow Systems showed off a few new models of 9mm pistols at Industry Day at the Range 2023. Their pistols share quite a bit of DNA with Glocks, but add features more often associated with custom modifications.

EAA released a new model in their Girsan MC P35 Ops line, the Ops Optic. It adds red dot compatibility to the other modernization features of the Ops model. This brings many characteristics of more modern pistols to the classic design of the Hi-Power family.

Springfield Armory has released pre-cut, optics-ready slide kits for the XD series of handguns. This makes it a breeze to add a red dot sight to your gun, without having to ship it off to a machine shop. How does XD optics-ready slide kit hold up in practice?

Springfield Armory has announced optics-cut replacement slides for the XD series of handguns. These optics-ready slides are drop-in replacements for current XD owners who want to add a red dot to their slide without obtaining an aftermarket milling job.