Gun Digest July 2026 Table of Contents and First Shot

Jul 11, 2026

Uploaded by Violet

Gun Digest July 2026, Volume 43 Issue 07, presents firearms news and media with sections for departments, columns, and in-depth features spanning defensive handgunning, modern gunnery, AR-15 and optic trends, and gun-and-gear spotlights. The issue includes featured articles on upgrading a Remington 1100, lesser-known service rifles shaping early American history, AR-15 trigger considerations, red-dot versus fixed-sight performance for carry pistols, and safe-related access failures, alongside industry coverage and listings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages94

Reading Time3 h 57 min

AccessFree to download

Departments

First Shot

Know Your Cartridge

Columns

Defensive Handgunning

Drawing Conclusions

Hardware Talk

Modern Gunnery

Guns & Gear

Features

Sorry, Grandpa: Giving a classic Remington Model 1100 new purpose.

The Uncool Kids: Lesser-known service rifles that helped shape America’s first 250 years.

Upgrade Your AR-15 Trigger: Or maybe not?

Do the Dot…or Not?

When Your Gun Safe Goes Bad

Luftwaffe Survival Gun

WWW.RECOIL.TV DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP RecoilTV is a 2A friendly streaming platform created to entertain and inform you on the latest guns and gear associated with the firearms lifestyle. AVAILABLE ON Honest. Relevant. Unfiltered. THE PREMIER AUTHORITY FOR FIREARMS NEWS AND MEDIA THE WAY YOU WANT AND DESERVE. P R ES E NT E D BY TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS JULY 2026 | VOLUME 43 ISSUE 07 DEPARTMENTS 6 First Shot 8 Know Your Cartridge COLUMNS 10 Defensive Handgunning RICHARD MANN 14 Drawing Conclusions ALEX OOLEY 18 Hardware Talk PATRICK SWEENEY 22 Modern Gunnery JACK HENNESSY 26 Guns & Gear GDTM EDITORS FEATURES 28 Sorry, Grandpa: Giving a classic Remington Model 1100 new purpose. PATRICK DIEDRICH 34 The Uncool Kids: Lesser-known service riﬂes that helped shape America’s ﬁrst 250 years. JOSH WAYNER 40 Upgrade Your AR-15 Trigger: Or maybe not? PATRICK SWEENEY 62 Do the Dot…or Not? Are dot sights that much better than ﬁxed sights on a carry pistol? RICHARD MANN 74 When Your Gun Safe Goes Bad: Shooters store valuables in their gun safes with the idea that the big metal boxes will give up the goods when asked. But what happens when your safe says,“No.” TODD WOODARD 82 Luftwaffe Survival Gun: The German air force took their ﬁrearms seriously. JAMES SLAUGHTER THE BEST GUN LIST IN PRINT 47 Show & Auction Listings 52 The Gun Digest Marketplace p.28 p.34 p.62 p.40 GUN DIGEST THE MAGAZINE GUNDIGEST.COM SORRY, GRANDPA GIVING A REMINGTON 1100 NEW LIFE W E K N O W G U N S S O Y O U K N O W G U N S T H E M A G A Z I N E JULY 2026 , VOLUME 4 3 • ISSUE 07 FLYING TARGETS 2.0 CALDWELL’S CUTTING EDGE CLAYCOPTER WHAT ’S INAN INCH? TESTING THE NEW BABY HIPOWER p.74 p.82 VOLUME 43 | ISSUE 07 JULY 2026 WHEN YOUR GUN SAFE GOES BAD TOP AR-15 TRIGGER UPGRADES THE CRUCIAL MOMENTS AFTER THE SHOOTING STOPS CONCEALED CARRY GUNS , RED-DOTS & SPEED VS. ACCURACY Gun Digest the Magazine (ISSN 1938-5943) is published monthly by Caribou Media dba Gun Digest Media, LLC. Corporate Headquarters is 5583 W. Waterford Ln. , Suite D, Appleton, WI 54913. Periodicals postage paid at Appleton, WI 54913 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gun Digest Magazine PO Box 182 , Williamsport , PA 17703. Copyright © 2026 Gun Digest Media. GUN DIGEST THE MAGAZINE and its logo are registered trademarks. Other names and logos referred to or displayed in editorial or advertising content may be trademarked or copyrighted. The publisher and advertisers are not liable for typographical errors that may appear in prices or descriptions in advertisements. 4| GUN DIGEST THE MAGAZINE|JULY 2026 GUNDIGEST.COM FIRST SHOT / LUKE HARTLE I’ ve always found firearms trends to be fascinating, and with each one that comes—and the many that often go— determining whether the chicken or the egg came first has become truly entertaining. Said another way: Is consumer demand dictating these trends, or is the industry driving them and the masses are following suit? Take ARs, for example. When I first entered the industry about 20 years ago, the tactical/law enforcement and AR section of the SHOT Show was relegated to adjoining rooms and hallway tables. They weren’t even part of the main show floor. But these days, it’s completely the opposite, with the AR and tactical markets dominating floorspace and attendee attention. One day we all just woke up and loved ARs and black shotguns? Or, more recently, suppressors have become mainstream. They’re the hottest segment of the civilian firearms market with no signs of slowing down. In fact, recent manufacturing numbers suggest that nearly 75 percent of rifles now come from their respective factories with threaded barrels. For what? Suppressors. 6| GUN DIGEST THE MAGAZINE|JULY 2026 And what’s trending right now? Reddot optics on defensive pistols. Shooters are opting for optics on their life-saving guns, willin

FAQs

What major firearms trends does the “First Shot” department discuss for July 2026?

It highlights the shift toward AR dominance at the SHOT Show, the mainstreaming of suppressors in the civilian market, and the growing use of red-dot optics on defensive carry pistols.

What does the issue’s feature section focus on besides general news?

It covers specific hands-on and analytical topics such as renewing a classic Remington 1100, historical service rifles, AR-15 trigger upgrades, dot sights versus fixed sights, gun-safe reliability/access issues, and a Luftwaffe survival firearm.

How does the magazine suggest readers evaluate current pistol optic trends?

It advises taking time to send rounds downrange to determine what works personally, emphasizing that trends change while practical results matter most.

Jul 11, 2026

Uploaded by Violet