Two-time Olympian Derrick Mein won a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun event in Almaty, Kazakhstan, competing for Team Federal. Mein finished second in the Men's Trap final on May 9 at Asanov Shooting Club, with a Turkish competitor setting a world record to claim gold. The Kansas native teamed with Ava-Elizabeth Downs in the Mixed Trap event.

SLG2, Inc. will bring its Shoot Like A Girl experience to Bass Pro Shops in Chesterfield, Michigan on May 16-17, 2026. Led by all-women instructors, the free event features hands-on firearm and archery demonstrations, safety education, and product showcases from leading outdoor brands for participants of all experience levels.

We Buy Guns, a national online firearm purchasing platform owned by Chris Wing, announced it has surpassed 1,000 five-star customer reviews while purchasing over 11,500 firearms across all 50 states and issuing $5.4 million in payments to sellers.

Kinetic Development Group (KDG) has officially joined the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) and will attend the NASGW Expo in October. The company has partnered with Sports South, Zanders Sporting Goods, AmChar Wholesale, and RSR Group to expand its distribution reach and strengthen dealer network support.

North Dakota is accepting applications for district game warden positions with exams scheduled in June at locations in Minot, West Fargo, Bismarck, and Dickinson. Applicants must register by May 27 through the North Dakota State Job Openings website and meet requirements including a bachelor's degree, valid driver's license, and peace officer license eligibility.

Zanders, a national distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, has added Swampfox Optics to its wholesale catalog. The partnership expands dealer access to Swampfox's red dot sights, prism scopes, LPVOs, and precision rifle optics across the country.

Primary Arms Optics has launched the PLx Compact 1.5-12x36 FFP RDB Rifle Scope, featuring Japanese ED glass, Red Dot Bright diffractive reticle technology, and two ACSS reticle options. The scope offers 1.5-12x magnification on a compact 30mm chassis and is available for $1,999.99.

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF) filed comments with the U.S. Postal Service on proposed rule changes that would allow lawful handguns to be mailed under the same terms as rifles and shotguns, following a January OLC opinion determining the current prohibition violates the Second Amendment.

EOTECH has partnered with Walk The Talk America, a national nonprofit focused on mental health and responsible firearm ownership, for Mental Health Awareness Month. EOTECH will donate funds and include specially designed flyers in consumer shipments directing users to WTTA's mental health resources.

SLG2, Inc. renewed its partnership with the NSSF to support the +ONE mentorship initiative, promoting shooting sports participation through education and community engagement. The company will deliver +ONE messaging across its nationwide event platforms, including the Grand Safety Tour, having welcomed over 50,000 guests since 2009.

The HeadHunters NW Podcast features attorney Clay Cheshire, founder of Defense Industry General Counsel, discussing outside general counsel services for firearms manufacturers and defense industry companies. Cheshire emphasizes proactive legal partnerships, regulatory compliance with the ATF and U.S. State Department, and strategic guidance on succession planning and international transactions.

Paige Pearce, Bowtech pro shooter and world champion archer, discussed mental training for bowhunters on The Bowhunter Podcast hosted by Christian Berg. Pearce shared her Insight Mental Programming educational series and explained how mental preparation has contributed to her competitive success and bowhunting achievements, including winning the NFAA's Marked 3D National Championship for the 11th time.

Buck Knives announces its 2026 product lineup featuring the 110 and 112 Slim Heritage Elites with MagnaCut steel blades, the 724 Mustang mid-lock EDC knife, and three new Alpha Backcountry fixed blades. All products are available at buckknives.com and authorized retailers.

Beretta announced the expansion of its refreshed 686 Silver Pigeon I lineup with updated 28-gauge and .410 bore field models and new sub-gauge sporting configurations. The refresh includes a redesigned top lever, refined engraving, and premium features like cold hammer-forged Steelium barrels and select European walnut stocks.

Galco has unveiled the Combat Master 2.0 belt holster, now available for Glock 48 with or without carry optics. The updated pancake holster features hand-molded design, optic cutaway capability, raised sweat guard, and premium steerhide construction for enhanced retention and durability.

Shell Shock Technologies, LLC announced the commercial release of its .338 Lapua NAS3 cartridge cases featuring innovative two-piece construction that is 30 percent lighter than traditional brass with 11 percent more internal capacity. The cases deliver higher velocities and improved precision for civilian, military, and law enforcement marksmen.

Beretta unveils the Beretta Titan, a one-off modern sporting rifle celebrating the company's 500-year anniversary. The rifle features innovative materials including titanium, magnesium, and carbon fiber, chambered in 6.5 Grendel with advanced engineering and aesthetic details honoring Beretta's heritage.

MDT announced two new carbon fiber components for hunters: the HNT Fixed Buttstock at 13 oz with adjustable length of pull and cheekpiece height, and the LSS GEN3 Hunting Forend at 5.9 oz featuring M-LOK attachment and mirage-reducing enclosed design. Both products are available May 12, 2026 through MDT dealers and mdttac.com.

VKTR Industries announced the release of its patented ambidextrous lower receivers as stand-alone products, previously available only with complete rifle packages. The Black VKTR Ambi lowers feature stainless steel billet controls, patented bolt lock and release, and Hiperfire triggers, available for dealers, distributors, and law enforcement.

Firearms News releases its May 2026 WWII Special Issue featuring Dr. Will Dabbs' cover review of Auto-Ordnance's M1 Thompson Short-Barreled Rifle. The issue includes articles on Springfield Armory's Iwo Jima Commemorative Garand, historical WWII firearms, and expanded product showcase celebrating the magazine's 80th anniversary.

The Armory Life has released its 20th edition digital magazine focused on the SA-35 9mm pistol family, featuring a cover story review by Julie Golob and in-depth articles on customized variants, holsters, and EDC tactics. Editor-in-Chief Mike Humphries highlights the magazine as part of the publication's expanding series of themed digital editions covering firearms topics.

WE Knife, alongside sister brands CIVIVI and SENCUT, will showcase adventure-ready and everyday carry knives at Overland Expo West 2026, taking place May 15–17 at Fort Tuthill County Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. Attendees can test models engineered for rugged outdoor conditions at Booth #B23.

Wiley X served as an official sponsor and partner of Boot'n & Shoot'n, the 15th annual patriotic fundraising event hosted by Valor Mission Project at Dallas Gun Club in Lewisville, Texas. The event has raised over $10 million to date, with proceeds benefiting Valor Mission Project and organizations including Brain Treatment Foundation and Third Option Foundation.

Shooting USA honors Dr. Lewis Drake's 15-year contribution to the History's Guns library, featuring his firearms expertise and career highlights. The episode includes John's service rifle build, updates on Cameo Shooting and Education Center, and a review of the Hornady 3-in-1 high speed case trimmer.

If you’re a fan of striker-fired pistols, then you live in a world where you’re drowning in gun options. If you’re a DA/SA, hammer-fired fan, well, you live in a desert of guns. People talk about food deserts, but the most oppressed class of people in America is clearly hammer-fired DA/SA fans.  

Luckily, I’m a CZ fan and CZ still offers some very good hammer-fired options. The CZ 75 is their bread-and-butter gun, and the majority of their handguns are derived from that time-tested design. This includes the modern P-09 series. The latest is the P-09 Nocturne pistol series and CZ makes both compact and full-sized P-09 pistols.

With that said, the compact model used to be called the P-07, but with the introduction of the Nocturne series, they’ve ditched the P-07 moniker. It’s the P-09F and P-09C. Why? I’m not sure. Probably just to confuse me. I have both, but today we’re talking about the P-09F Nocturne. 

What’s New With the Nocturne?

With the Nocturne, CZ has finally given modern shooters exactly what a lot of us have wanted in an updated CZ 75…a polymer-framed, DA/SA, hammer-fired pistol. Models have existed for more than a decade, but the Nocturne has slightly revamped the design to modernize it better. 

This includes making the slide optic-ready. You have no idea how many times I considered sending my old P-09 off to have an optic cut added. I loved the gun, but I really love red dots on my handguns. It’s a cheat code for speed and accuracy. Nocturne slides, however, are quite shallow, leaving little room for optics. 

To mitigate that, the Nocturne uses an RMSc footprint, which is what we see on most micro- and subcompact pistols. The Nocturne is what I consider a true optics-ready pistol because of its combination of a low cut and sights that allow you to absolutely co-witness with the included irons. 

Beyond the optic-ready design, they also redid the texture on the grip. It’s much more aggressive now. They took some cues from the P-10 series and instituted those changes on the P-09. 

The slide also has much deeper serrations. That’s important because like the CZ 75, the P-09 uses inverse rails. That means the portion of the slide you can grab is quite small. Deeper serrations give you a better grip on what little slide there is above the frame to manipulate. 

What’s Not So New

The P-09 Nocturne keeps all the good features of the criminally underrated P-09/P-07. That includes the thin, lithe grip with interchangeable backstraps. This grip is one of my favorites: it conforms well to my hand and doesn’t feel like I’m holding a 2×4. 

We get 19 rounds of 9mm capacity it the full-size P-09F with the flush fit magazine, and widely available CZ-made +2 magazine extensions will bring that to 21.

The magazine release is a button that can be pressed inward like any other. However, you can also press it from a ledge at the rear, which will drop the magazine. 

Shooters can swap between an ambidextrous manual safety for cocked and locked carry or an ambidextrous de-cocker. The gun comes with both and it’s easy to switch between them. The Nocturne also has a rail for lights, lasers, and chainsaws. 

Going Live With the Nocturne

When the Nocturnes premiered, they were hit with a wave of bad reviews focusing on reliability issues. I saw that and instantly knew the problem. The optic mounting screws were too long. I know this because I once had the same issue with the Gen 4 GLOCK 17. Remember, the P-09 doesn’t have much slide to play with. 

You need to use short screws or they’ll reach too deep and impact the extractor causing…problems. Stick to 9mm-long screws. I’ve used 9mm M4 screws on both my P-09F and P-09C with a few different optics and haven’t had any problems. 

Currently, I have a Steiner MPS-C mounted with 9mm screws and it’s been problem-free. A few months ago, CZ cleared out P-09 magazines for whatever reason, so I have seven of them, which has made this test much easier. I put 600 rounds of cheap Monarch steel-cased ammo through the gun with two failures to fire. 

The rounds had a good impact on the primer, so I dropped them into a Ruger P85 I was shooting and got the same result. They didn’t fire. Cheap ammo does cheap ammo things sometimes. The P-09F Nocturne had no issues. 

Holding On

A big full-sized 9mm handgun isn’t ever going to have all that much recoil. The P-09 shoots quite flat, and I was able to commit to .21 splits with my strings of fire, sometimes dipping into .20 and .19, but never losing control. My shots are hitting an A-zone at seven yards without a problem. Sure, that’s not impressive compared to a pro, but for a low-skilled, high-opinion shooter, that’s not bad. 

The new grip texture feels great and the gun doesn’t slip or slide around in my hand. The P-09 F has a good beavertail to jam your hand against. The trigger guard has a nice undercut for the firing hand, but I’d kill for a second for my support hand. 

The de-cocker is massive and easy to reach. A press downward drops the hammer. It’s got solid placement and moves easily. The slide release is large enough to serve dinner on. My thumbs don’t pin it down, and I can easily reach the release to drop the slide when I reload. 

Ergonomics are always on point with CZ in my experience, so I’m not surprised. 

The Nocturne – A Straight Shooter

The DA/SA design means we deal with two trigger pulls. Out of the box, the double-action trigger was a real pain. You expect a long, heavy first trigger pull, and that’s what I got. However, there are almost three distinct phases: the initial takeup, a heavy wall, then a light wall…then a bang. 

Out of the box, it was rough and I disliked it. However, after a good mix of live and dry fire, it smoothed out. It still has three distinct phases, but it’s smoother. It’s certainly not a great double-action trigger (yet), but it’s acceptable. 

The single action is, of course, much better. It’s obviously lighter and much shorter, but the reset is fairly long for a single-action trigger. 

At 15 yards, I could print five-round groups, initiated by a double-action trigger pull, inside a 3×5 index card. At 25 yards, I could keep a six-inch gong moving. At 50 yards, I could hit an IPSC target with ease and even make most of my hits on a reduced-sized IPSC target if I took my time. 

The Nocturne is a straight shooter for the most part. It might not be a 2011 printing one-hole groups, but I’m not good enough to notice that anyway. 

Finally

I’m a fan of hammer-fired DA/SA pistols. Why? Well, that would be its own article. Let’s just say I like them and I’m glad someone is out there producing a modern option that’s not all that expensive (under $600 retail). It won’t appeal to everyone, but I’ll keep my hammer-fired guns until you can somehow tempt me away. Good luck with that.

Now, if CZ would only produce a hammer-fired DA/SA micro compact, or an X series Nocturne, we’d be cooking with gas.  

– Travis Pike, Shooting News Weekly