Best New Guns Released at NRA 2023 Show
We were at the recent National Rifle Association Annual Meetings in Indianapolis, IN and while there, we made sure to check out some of the coolest new guns to hit the market. Here’s our list of the Best New Guns Released at NRA 2023!
Auto-Ordnance Cold Dead Hands 1911 Handgun
A new limited edition pistol created in a team-up between Outlaw Ordnance and Auto-Ordnance, the “Cold Dead Hands” 1911 .45 ACP handgun makes a bold statement as one of the best new guns released at the 2023 NRA show. Starting with a stainless steel AO 1911, the pistol is finished in a custom Cerakote mix of Light Sand and Plum Brown, complete with a weathered effect. To this is added a Shall not be infringed” engraving to the left side of the slide, and “76” encircled by thirteen stars on the right. To complete the pistol, a coiled serpent and skull are engraved on its aluminum grips, with the statement “Pry it From My Cold Dead Hands.”
Other features include TruGlo day sights, a full-length guide rod, a high sweep beavertail, a skeletonized trigger, a checkered front strap, a serrated and ported slide, and a 5-inch match-grade barrel.
Bond Arms Stubby 9mm
Texas-based Bond Arms has been in the business of making modern over-under, single-action derringers for over 25 years. Their latest model is a pocket-sized double-barreled 9mm so short as to be dubbed the “Stubby” by Bond.
Based on the company’s Stinger RS series, which lacks a trigger guard to allow easier concealment, this little 9mm is only 4.5 inches long and weighs 13 ounces. Slim, at just 5/16ths thick, it runs a 7-pound trigger with a manual push-button safety.
CZ Scorpion 3 Plus Carbine
The heir apparent to the Scorpion PCC throne is CZ’s new Scorpion 3 Plus. With a 16.3-inch barrel, the new carbine employs the iconic Scorpion EVO folding stock that includes three adjustment points allowing the user to adjust the length of pull to meet their needs. The fourth generation of the Scorpion series, the 3 Plus has fully ambidextrous surface controls, an improved upper and lower receiver, enhanced sights, and a new magazine design.
Weight is just 6.8 pounds and, when the stock is folded, the Scorpion 3 Plus carbine runs 24.4 inches long overall.
CZ Scorpion 3 Plus Carbine, coming soon to GunBroker.com
Dan Wesson Heirloom 1911
New York-based Dan Wesson makes its Heirloom series pistols in small batches– we’re talking hundreds, not thousands– and takes the time needed to do it right, with the result being a beautiful, yet still very functional, work of art. The 2023 Heirloom uses a forged steel 70-series frame and slide that is hand-fit with a billet alloy steel fire-control system. Unlike many “custom” 1911s on the market, the Heirloom contains zero MIM-produced small parts, with every component crafted with longevity in mind.
Available chambered only in hard-hitting .38 Super, this 9+1 capacity 1911 carries a high polished black DLC coating on the slide, complete with engraved scrollwork, and a brass bead front sight. Other features include a beveled mag well, a crisp 3.5-pound trigger, and ivory-like G10 grips.
Dan Wesson Specialist Optics-Ready
Dan Wesson introduced their “Operator” grade Specialist 1911 rail guns in 2012 with a ton of upgraded features such as extended mag releases, an undercut trigger guard, night sights, an ambi thumb safety, 25 LPI checkering, and forward slide serrations. Now, the Specialist comes ready for micro red dots right out of the box with a factory-cut slide and optics plates for the Trijicon RMR, Leupold DPP, and Vortex Viper systems, allowing users the ability to quickly and easily mount their favorite MRDs.
A standard Government-sized 1911, the Specialist runs a 5-inch barrel for an overall 8.75-inch length. Chambered in .45 ACP, it is 8+1 capacity.
EAA Girsan MC 14 T 380
Using an innovative design usually just seen on .22, .25, and .32-caliber Berettas, the new Girsan MC 14 T as imported by EAA is a 13+1 capacity 380 ACP that offers easy loading via a tip-up barrel. The simple design eliminates the need to rack the slide altogether and is ideal for use by those with diminished hand strength.
With a 4.5-inch barrel and a 6.8-inch overall length, the unloaded weight of the EAA Girsan MC 14 T is 23 ounces, largely due to weight savings gained from polymer grips and an alloy frame. The plan, by EEA, is to to import this interesting new .380 in a half dozen different color combinations.
FN Guardian
FN has a reputation for making some of the best AR-pattern rifles in the world, having long been the Pentagon’s contractor of choice for M4 carbines to equip GIs and overseas allies. However, this top-shelf reputation and the exacting manufacturing practices that created it translated to some fairly expensive ARs on the consumer market. That could be changing, however, as FN recently introduced their new FN 15 Guardian rifle.
A direct impingement action 5.56 NATO caliber AR with a mid-length gas system, the Guardian carries a precision-tuned 16-inch barrel with a 1:7 twist rate. Featuring a low-profile gas block that allows the carbine to carry a slim 15-inch free-float handguard with a continuous 12 O’clock top Picatinny rail and 24 M-LOK accessory slots at 3, 6, and 9 O’clock positions, unloaded weight is still in the 6.6-pound range.
FN Reflex
With micro compact 9mm carry guns like the SIG Sauer P365 series cornering the CCW market, FN has responded with a little pistol of their own– the all-new Reflex. Shipping with an 11+1round magazine outfitted with a pinky extension that, if installed, enables most users to get a full hand grip on the frame, and a 15+1 round extended magazine complete with a grip sleeve, the Reflex matches or bests most of the other guns in its category. Speaking of besting, it is also a single-action-only internal hammer-fired pistol, a departure from its striker-fired competitors that promises a better trigger.
With a 3.3-inch barrel and an overall length of 6.2 inches, the Reflex weighs in at 18.3 ounces unloaded. The FN Reflex will be offered in both Flat Dark Earth and a matte black finish, with standard and optics-ready variants as well.
Henry Big Bore revolvers
In 2003, Henry took their flagship Golden Boy .22 lever action rifle and chambered it into a 357 Magnum/.38 Special carbine dubbed the Big Boy. Now, with two decades of success with that brass-framed centerfire revolver-caliber lever gun, Henry has introduced a companion series of six-shooter wheel guns in the same caliber.
The new Henry Big Bore revolvers come with standard 4-inch barrels and a swing-out cylinder. The company has introduced two models of these .357 Magnums, with a choice of either a squared-off grip frame or a rounded bird’s head style grip. The weight on either is 34 ounces. Constructed traditionally with a callout to the preceding cowboy action rifles, they are blued steel with a polished brass trigger guard and rear strap. Walnut grips are standard.
Henry Big Bore revolvers, coming soon to GunBroker.com
Hi-Point Model 995 30 Super Carry
Recently introduced by Federal as one of the first cartridges designed from the ground up as a defensive round, the .30 Super Carry has an impressive performance envelope when it comes to ballistics while trending towards a lighter recoil than some other personal protection rounds. Tapping into this hot new cartridge is Hi Point’s newest carbine, the first-ever long arm chambered for the new 30 Super Carry.
Based on the company’s beloved Model 995 series carbines, the new .30 Super Carry carbine from Hi-Point includes the traditional skeletonized polymer stock and pistol grip along with a 16.5-inch barrel. Besides excellent fully adjustable sights, the handy little carbine also carries an integral top Picatinny rail for optics.
Hi-Point Model 995 30 Super Carry, coming soon to GunBroker.com
More New Guns Released at NRA 2023 Show
Kimber K6XS Carry
The newest revolver in Kimber‘s lineup is also the company’s smallest in terms of weight. Hitting just 15.9 ounces, the new Kimber K6XS is chambered in .38 Special but don’t let this six-shot snub nose fool you, as it is +P rated and ready for a diet of full-house personal protection rounds.
With a 2-inch stainless steel barrel and an overall length of 7.8 inches, the DAO revolver ships complete with Hogue rubber Cobblestone grips with finger grooves to help make it comfortable to shoot.
Kimber K6XS Carry, coming soon to GunBroker.com
Kimber KDS9C
With the growing popularity of double-stack 1911s, commonly referred to as 2011s, it should come as no surprise that Kimber‘s latest 9mm fits in this mold. Boasting a 15+1 round capacity in a flush-fit magazine, the new Kimber KDS9C is a modern single-action masterpiece. Saving weight via an alloy frame, the 4-inch barrel is fully fluted, crowned, and ramped. Other features include G10 Crosshatch grips, an optics-ready slide with a Hi-viz green dot insert front sight, and a 3.5-4.5-pound trigger.
With a 7.8-inch overall length, the weight of the new Kimber KDS9C is 28 ounces, unloaded.
Kimber KDS9C, coming soon to GunBroker.com
Magnum Research BFR in 360 Buckhammer
Magnum Research’s Biggest Finest Revolver, or BFR, is legendary when it comes to its ability to run very large calibers in a handgun format. Its newest chambering is Remington’s recently introduced .360 Buckhammer straight-walled cartridge. Big Green’s Core-Lokt .358 caliber bullet delivers both weight retention and controlled expansion at ranges out to 200 yards in a carbine length barrel, and the 10-inch high-performance barrel on the BFR is sure to come close to emulating those results.
The weight of this big 5-shot revolver is in the 5-pound range.
Magnum Research BFR in 360 Buckhammer, coming soon to GunBroker.com
Marlin 336
The Marlin 336 was a classic staple of that lever gun maker’s catalog for generations. After a hiatus that came about with the company changing hands from Remington to Ruger, the 336 has made a triumphant return for 2023. Lovingly crafted in Ruger’s North Carolina facility, the new 336 has the same lines and feel as the old guns while it includes subtle Ruger markings and benefits from improved manufacturing processes.
Using a 20-inch barrel to keep a compact 38.6-inch overall length, this 6+1 capacity .30-30 caliber carbine has a 7.5-pound weight.
Ruger Super Wrangler
Ruger had an instant hit on their hands when they introduced the budget-minded Wrangler series of single-action rimfire revolvers a few years ago. Fundamentally a streamlined version of the company’s much-loved (but increasingly expensive) Single-Six revolver, the Wrangler flew off the shelves and soon became a best seller. Now, Ruger has introduced a more polished version, the Super Wrangler, that includes adjustable target sights, a longer 5.5-inch barrel, and the ability to convert from .22 Long Rifle to .22 Magnum via a simple cylinder swap that can be accomplished without tools.
Ruger Super Wrangler is available in Black, Bronze, or Silver Cerakote finishes.
SIG P320 Spectre Comp Blackout
Shipping with a TXG tungsten-infused grip module and a threaded barrel with an installed single-port compensator, the P320 Spectre Comp Blackout is clad in a striking black Cerakote finish. Standard features on the optics-ready 9mm include an XSeries skeletonized trigger, Xray 3 day/night sights, and 21+1 round magazines.
With a 4.6-inch barrel and 8.5-inch overall length, the SIG P320 Spectre Comp Blackout has an empty weight of 41.8 ounces. Those who want something along the same lines but with a bit more flash should check out the standard P320 Spectre Comp, which included a gold TiNi barrel and trigger.
SIG P365-380 Robins Egg
While the company has offered a few different standalone Grey Guns Robin’s Egg blue grip modules for 9mm P365 series pistols in the past, SIG Sauer has introduced something new this year with an all-up production Robin’s Egg pistol model. This newest P365-380 model features a stainless slide, along with a nickel-finished magazine catch, manual safety lever, slide catch, and takedown lever paired with a unique Robins Egg Blue grip module.
Standard features include an optics-ready slide with Xray 3 day/night sights installed and two 10+1 round capacity magazines, this little pistol is ready to back up its good looks with solid performance.
SIG P365X Tacops
A follow-up to SIG’s well-received P365 XMacro series pistol, the 9mm P365X Tacops accepts 17+1 round flush-fitting magazines. The company’s first Tacops model in the P365 series– SIG has offered the standard in P320s and 1911s previously– the optics-ready pistol ships with X-Ray 3 day/night sights, a flared magazine well, an M1913 accessory rail on the dust cover, and four magazines.
With a 3.7-inch barrel, the P365X Tacops has an overall length of 6.6 inches and an unloaded weight of 22.8 ounces.
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