Season 12

We kick off the 2014 campaign by going right to the top with two key ammunition manufacturers, who pointedly address the 'factory ammunition shortage' that has at times riled up and frustrated consumers across the country. Hornady president Steve Hornady and Black Hills president Jeff Hoffman, two companies that produce tens of millions of rounds of ammo annually, zero-in on the hot topic and offer their perspectives. You'll only see this exclusive report on Guns & Ammo TV.

Range reviews of a new semiauto pistol and a new AR-platform rifle top this week's show, along with a candid conversation about how two manufacturers, Hornady and Black Hills, team up to produce some of the best factory ammo in the business in terms of bullets and ballistics. We then go behind the scenes and travel to Rapid City, South Dakota, to see how Black Hills identifies and builds up 5.56 factory loads for our military in its state of the art ballistics lab. We finish up the show with the serious subject of the CQB training course at The SIG Academy, and then we wrap things up with our torture team thinking about asking to pass the ketchup and mustard as they deep fry a S&W 1911 pistol.

A topic rarely discussed by handgunners is addressed by two current law enforcement officers, one male and one female, who will help you get a grip on the subject. Carefully selecting the right size and pair of grips, which is often overlooked, is as important as why you choose a semiauto pistol or a revolver for personal defense and how you go about selecting the right chambering. These two LE officers offer years of expertise and training to viewers to help you choose the right grip that, in turn, will help you manage recoil and become an overall better shot. We then check out several new bullet and ammo offerings by giving ballistic gel blocks a good workout, and then head back to the SIG Academy to supply viewers with a hard, serious look at 'how to manage a crisis.' We wrap things up with our torture team conducting a drag test on a classic Springfield M1A rifle.

'Made in America' is the theme this week, and shotgunners who have been waiting for the 'next generation' over-under from Ruger to replace the original Red Label that Bill Ruger designed and introduced 30-plus years ago will see it first. It's slimmer and trimmer with fewer parts and lighter weight all elements that should appeal to the hunter and shooter and it costs significantly less. No, Ruger didn't cut corners. It simply reengineered the shotgun from the ground up. And yes, like every other Ruger firearm, it remains American made. You won't want to miss Craig Boddington's range review. Optics never take a back seat with viewers of G&A TV, and we're the first to evaluate the new Leupold Mark 8 3.5-25X riflescope in this exclusive report.

One of the most anticipated handgun launches in recent years is in the spotlight on this week's show as we conduct a hand's on review with Glock's new Model 34 .380 pistol. While Glock has been a major player in the semiauto pistol market with its 9mm, 10mm, .40, and .45 pistols, many handgunners, because of advancements in ammunition and bullets in recent years, have turned their attention to the little .380.

The content just keeps getting better on G&A TV as we look 'over the shoulder' of writer Tom Beckstrand and a SIG Academy instructor to check out the CAPS (Canadian Academy Practical Shooting) simulator system that is used to train attendees on a variety of 'real world' situations where you may have to defend yourself or your family. We then turn our attention to new products, including Stag's new and first ever .308, Ruger's first American .22 rimfire bolt-action rifle, and Hornady's new whitetail slug load. We then offer up a serious discussion between two law enforcement officers, who talk about the importance of being able to reload your firearm quickly. It could be a matter of life and death.

This week's show is loaded with exclusive new product reviews: SIG expands one of its most popular platforms in 2014 by offering its 1911 in .38 Super and .357 SIG; Hornady shows it's in tune with manufacturers and consumers by offering a new .357 SIG Critical Duty factory loading; Leupold explains why it has decided to launch a second generation optic with the Delta Point II, and LaserLyte goes above and beyond with its laser training accessories by offering some 'cans.' You'll have to tune in to get more specific information, but this training kit allows you to hone your marksmanship skills while having fun doing it indoors! We take a totally fresh and different look at firearms training by showing how the SIG Academy 'Instructs Its Instructors.' Finally, we sink to the bottom of a swimming pool to show viewers what happens when you fire a Springfield pistol underwater. Does it successfully come up for air?

We're been waiting for these two pistols for some time now, and they're finally here the new Glock Model 42 and 41 semiuatos. Glock's first entry into the .380 market is the Model 42, and this pistol, with its classic Glock lineage and construction, won't disappoint those who are familiar with the Glock platform or those shooters who are looking for their first pistol for personal defense in a .380 chambering. The Model 41 is Glock's newest entry in the .45 ACP category, and this pistol and platform will only help cement this classic cartridge's standing amongst handgunners. It simply seems like the 9mm and .40 continue to take a back seat to this ever-so-popular cartridge and chambering, and Glock is helping push the .45 to the forefront once again.

We're been waiting for these two pistols for some time now, and they're finally here - the new Glock Model 42 and 41 semiuatos. Glock's first entry into the .380 market is the Model 42, and this pistol, with its classic Glock lineage and construction, won't disappoint those who are familiar with the Glock platform or those shooters who are looking for their first pistol for personal defense in a .380 chambering.

We hit the ground running hard this week with new handguns from Kahr and Armscor and a great new optic from our friends at Leupold. Kahr and Armscor may not be household names to some handgunners, but both companies are making significant inroads in the semiauto pistol market in 2014. Kahr is catching the attention of shooters looking for a reliable semiauto pistol that carries an affordable price tag.

It appears 2014 will be a banner year for new semiauto pistols and revolvers, and this week's show provides strong evidence that three industry firearms leaders - Ruger, S&W and SIGSauer - will be one of the trios leading the pack. All three are putting new guns into the marketplace, S&W and Ruger with new revolvers and SIG with a dandy semiauto pistol. What's newsworthy here - without giving away all the interesting details - is that each handgun is different and is being built to cater to a shooter's specific needs.

Walther will wow shooters with a couple of new handguns in 2014. First up is the new PPQ .22 rimfire, which has all the classic lines of the centerfire PPQ but chambers the diminutive .22 cartridge. For those shooters who don't want to burn up centerfire ammo and like to practice, this rimfire variant is the perfect medicine. In show 10 we talked about the new Armscorp pistol and cartridge, now we range test the big boy - their very own .45 1911. There's always room for one more .45, right? And for those shooters looking for a .45 that has a surprising low retail price, this pistol is right on the money - without surrendering performance and reliability.We also take a look at several Black Hills and Hornady bullets and factory loads in 9mm, check out Redfield's new Revolution tactical riflescope and put a classic Springfield 1911 up against the 'new kid' on the block - the Glock.

Advanced tactical rifle training is a red hot topic this year, and we check out this fast-moving trend and training tool for serious riflemen. But the big news this week is yet another Guns & Ammo exclusive - SIGSauer is introducing its own line of factory ammunition, and G&A is the very first to range test and show viewers the variety and performance standards SIGSauer has established. This is not cut rate ammo that is sold in bulk to the masses. This new ammo offering is being positioned as premium ammo with premium bullets and ultimately optimum performance. And from SIGSauer's perspective, it's one stop shopping - you can buy a SIGSauer firearm and ammo now from the same source and at the same time! Finally, our torture team literally crawls through the mud with a Springfield M1A to see if it becomes a 'stick in the mud' or a firearm you can count on no matter the conditions it's exposed to. You won't want to miss this report as the boys quickly become a muddy mess.

Award-winning Guns & Ammo TV kicks off the second half of the year with some amazing new - and never before seen - firearms and accessories and shooting tips and techniques from one of the best. Segments for the last 26 weeks of the year will include At The Range, Civil War and World War I Classic Tests, Tactical Hunter, and Learn & Shoot Better With The Best.

Boddington and Lamb use smoke bombs in this week's Tactical Hunter segment to check wind currents in this remote region where elevations change and winds constantly shift at varying distances. You can't use wind flags when hunting, and the SAAM training center in Texas, a facility that hosts everyone from civilian big-game hunters who want to increase their skill level to special ops military teams who have to constantly maintain and work to elevate - their shooting skills in all types of terrain, provides the perfect landscape to conduct this mini seminar.

When going on a hunt of a lifetime or with your relatives on family ground you need to be confident with shot placement. Even the hardened professional hunters will agree that gauging your angles is a tough skill to learn. Working with our friends at the FTW Ranch Kyle and Craig really show off their shooting prowess.

Legendary gunwriter Elmer Keith, who wrote for Guns & Ammo magazine for decades and was instrumental in convincing Smith & Wesson and Remington to introduce the Model 29 .44 double-action revolver and .44 Magnum cartridge, respectively, in the mid-1950s, would be impressed with the new Model 69 five-shot revolver. It's the first time in more than 55 years of existence that the .44 Magnum cartridge has been chambered by S&W in any other frame size revolver than the N-frame. It's revolutionary, it's a handful'and we offer it to you as a G&A TV first.

Kay Clark Miculek remains a top all-around competitor, and she shares some shooting tips and throws down a challenge to our own Patrick Sweeney on a shotgun course of fire. Kay's father, Jim Clark Sr., was a national champion bullseye shooter and an even better person, and Kay shows the shooting skill that separates good shooters from the best. How will Patrick fare against this great lady who takes her ability to shoot at a high level as seriously as her dad did?

Boddington and Lamb go through the process of mounting an optic, and while some shooters may dismiss it as not being that important, it is a process often misunderstood and sometimes overlooked or discounted as critical to how a gun and load perform. These guys know from their own experiences - both in the hunting field and on the battlefield - where it's critical to make that first shot count. And if you don't properly mount and sight-in your optic - scope, red dot, laser - you're setting yourself up for failure. And failure isn't an option. Craig and Kyle do a quick A to Z approach to mounting an optic. You won't be disappointed, and you may just pick up a tip or two that will help you avoid a problem at the range or in the field.

Craig Boddington and Kyle Lamb talk about a commonly misunderstood element of shooting'working the bolt from the shoulder. Craig has decades of experience with bolt actions, and has countless times had to use a right-handed bolt-action rifle even though he is left-handed simply because in the early days manufacturers never offered a left-hand version of some of their more popular models. Of course, Kyle prefers a semiauto in many situations, but if the bolt gun is your gun of choice, you'll want to learn from one of the best about working the bolt from the shoulder'and how important it can be when a follow up shot is unexpected but necessary.

We have a potpourri of reviews to bring you this week, starting with Springfield Armory's XDm series of 9mm pistols, including the 3.8- and 4.5-inch semiautos. We follow that with mating the Trijicon SRS with nigh vision optics, and check out Magnum Research's 9mm and .40 Baby Eagles.

Richard Heine has been recognized over the years as a top-drawer pistolsmith who has always been on the cutting edge. Nighthawk has afforded Heine the opportunity to put decades of that priceless experience to work as a shooter and smith to create some new 1911-platform pistols - including the Heine Signature model that is reviewed by Patrick Sweeney and James Tarr this week.

Yet another exclusive is coming your way as we check out Armscor's 1911-style pistol chambered not in the standard .45 ACP cartridge but a totally new round - the .22 TCM.

22 rimfire products dominate this week's show, and even though we're all having trouble finding rimfire ammo, and some point soon it will become more readily available, and when it does you want to be ready to go to the range with these new products.

A basic 1911 platform pistol remains and the top of just about every handgunner's list of guns they have or want. Well, make room for one more. Springfield Armory has introduced its Range Officer in 9mm, and while the .445 ACP version remains popular amongst the ranks, the 9mm is bound to capture the interest of seasoned veteran shooters and newcomers to the shooting sports.

We've reviewed hundreds of firearms, cartridges, optics and accessories on Guns & Ammo TV over the years, but we've never really come across a gun like this - Magnum Research's BFR .30-30 revolver. This stainless single-action revolver is a real handful. When you see it for the first time, the length of the cylinder due to the length of the .30-30 cartridge will have you taking a double take. It's hard to believe you can chamber this classic lever-action cartridge in a revolver, but MRI has done it. How did the gun perform? Check out this exclusive range review.