2023 has ended. It’s over. We made it, folks. As we gear up for SHOT 2024, I’ve been looking back at the year 2023 and the numerous firearm releases. We saw a rise in weird guns; some of which were directly influenced by firearm-related politics. Personally, the resurgence of wheel guns and shotguns has greatly pleased me.
Overall, it’s been a good year for gun owners. I wanted to recap the year and take a look at the best new guns as well as some not-so-good guns.
Best and Worst Guns of 2023
I came up with five awesome new options for 2023 and four not-so-great options. The rules were simple: the gun needed to be released in 2023 or very close to 2023.
The final rule is that it’s all really just my opinion. From factory loaners to media events, I get to shoot tons and tons of guns so I tend to get a good view of the gun industry. At the end of the day, it’s based on my experience, which may be different than yours. With that in mind, if you disagree or want to add your own best or worst, hit up the comments section and let us have it.
The Best
Taurus 856 Defender TORO
The gun that really triggered my interest in revolvers for me, and many others, was the optically enhanced Taurus 856 Defender TORO. The new 856 series replaces the old-school Model 85. The added six represents the fact that the gun now holds six rounds instead of five. The Defender moniker means the weapon has a three-inch barrel instead of the snub nose variant. Finally, TORO means it’s optics-ready.
The optics-ready design is what got my interest. I suck with revolvers, especially when the sights are a front ramp and a rear trench. I don’t suck when we add a red dot to the mix. In fact, I really enjoy shooting a red dot-equipped revolver. The compact design makes it easy to carry, and the three-inch barrel improves velocity and helps cut blasts and concussions when compared to an uber-short barrel. This .38 Special revolver has spawned a renewed interest in revolvers in more shooters than any other revolver release.
S&W FPC
Smith & Wesson surprised everyone with the release of two new PCCs for 2023: the FPC and the Response. I really prefer the FPC to the Response, so I’ve added it to the “bests” list.
FPC stands for Folding Pistol Carbine. It’s a 9mm carbine that predictably folds in half. It’s one of two folding PCCs I know of and competes with the SUB 2000. The FPC folds to the side and provides a very compact and easy-to-tote firearm. The gun uses M&P magazines and comes with two 23-rounders and one 17-round option.
The gun has lots of neat features. It’s got an M-LOK stock, interchangeable grip sizes, and optics ready. The stock even holds your two spare magazines. The FPC is soft shooting with a great trigger, and it delivers a very lightweight gun design. I like PCCs, and I like folding guns, so it’s no surprise it made the list.
Springfield Armory Echelon
Who saw the Echelon coming? Springfield teased it a bit, but I was quite surprised at the gun’s release. If you told me Springfield Armory and HS Produkt were releasing a new pistol, I’d expect it to be another XD or maybe a Hellcat. Instead, it was something in between and better than both. It’s a striker-fired, polymer frame handgun that eliminates some of the biggest flaws of the XD and capitalizes on some of the Hellcat’s biggest strengths.
Moreso than just being better than the XD, the Echelon introduced some outstanding features. It uses a chassis-style design that allows the frame’s internals to be swapped between different-sized frames with ease. The optic mounting system is out of this world and is also a genius touch to make mounting all sorts of optics possible without the need for a plate system. It’s smooth shooting, reliable, and has excellent ergonomics. It was a nice surprise.
IWI Carmel
The Carmel is a 5.56 caliber rifle that uses a short-stroke gas piston system. IWI built this gun from the ground up to make it one of the most ergonomic platforms to date. The controls are all either ambidextrous or reversible. The stock folds and collapses, the charging handle is non-reciprocating, and adding accessories to the optics rail or M-LOK handguard is easy.
The Carmel is super smooth and very accurate to shoot. Users can adjust the gas piston to make it smoother to shoot suppressed. The current model on the market has a 16-inch barrel, but those who want a shorter rifle can get a tax stamp and use a 10, 12, or 14.5-inch barrel. I would argue it’s the most modern rifle on the market.
The IWI Carmel did face a recall this year. However, I have to applaud IWI for being proactive in fixing issues.
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol
Finally, let’s get to the belle of the ball for semi-auto shotguns: the Beretta 1301. Oh wait. That’s not right. Let’s look at the A300 Ultima Patrol, the 1301’s little sister. The 1301 is expensive, but Beretta recognized they were leaving money on the table and released a more affordable semi-auto shotgun in the form of the Ultima Patrol. Sure, it lacks the BLINK gas system, but it’s still uber-reliable and easy to shoot.
The A300 Ultima Patrol packs modern ergonomics with huge features and controls. The stock has an adjustable LOP, and the gun is optics-ready and has plenty of M-LOK slots for accessories. The Ultiam Patrol gives you a duty and defensive shotgun for less than a grand, and it still packs that Beretta quality.
The Worst
Any Large Format Pistol
With the ATF acting out of pocket on pistol braces, the market for large-format pistols was a tough one this year. Without a brace, they tend to be unwieldy. This isn’t a shot at any particular model, but the entire large format pistol market. A lot of people found out why braces were so popular and necessary for the safe shooting and handling of these firearms. However, we seem to be winning this battle, and 2024 looks a lot more promising for large-format pistols.
POF Tombstone
I really wanted to love the POF Tombstone. A lever-action 9mm rifle that uses magazines? Sign me up for that weirdness!
They even used a modern rail, a Magpul SGA stock, and a nice muzzle brake. However, the POF Tombstone needs a rework. Reviews across the internet showed the rifle was plagued with issues. Mix these issues with a high price, and it’s tough to ignore. Maybe a Gen 2 can clean things up?
Standard Manufacturing S333 3rd Gen
I like weird stuff, but I wouldn’t like the third generation of the S333. To be fair, I didn’t like the first two generations either. A Volleyfire .22 Magnum seems cool, but in practicality, it has terrible accuracy, a terrible trigger, and is super bulky for what it is. Plus, the uber-short barrels seem to have issues stabilizing the projectiles, resulting in keyholes at times. I can’t think of anything nice to say about this gun.
Glock 25
The Glock 25 came out a long time ago. It’s a 19-sized .380 ACP Glock with a double-stack magazine. It couldn’t be imported due to some very silly laws and a point system regarding handguns. In 2023, Glock decided to make a run of Glock 25s. There has been a revival of larger .380s. Ruger has the Security-380, S&W has the EZ series, and Sig Sauer even made a P365-380.
Glock jumped on the bandwagon, but all I can ask is, why use the 25? Its straight blowback design results in greater recoil. This new genre of .380s is designed to be low recoiling, and the 25 flies in the face of that. A 9mm Glock 19 is the same size and has less recoil than the 25. Glock should have produced a Glock 48 or 43X-sized .380 with a locked breech to jump on this trend. What the heck, Glock?
New Year, New Opportunities
2023 is over, so let’s look forward and not backward anymore. What does 2024 hold for us? SHOT Show is right around the corner, so we’ll have a slate of new firearms for the new year, and hopefully, the bad list will be zero for 2024. Time will tell, and so will you. In the comments, let us know your thoughts on 2023 and what 2024 holds.
