Midwest Gun Works

SBR Selection Time - which is it going to be? 🔷Geissele Super Duty 12.5"  🔹Vortex AMG w/ 3x Magnifier 🔹HUXWRX Flow 556 Ti 🔷HK MR556 🔹Trijicon ACOG 🔷Sig MCX Spear LT .300 BO 🔹EOTECH EXPS2

The caliber with almost mythological “Stopping Power”: .300 Winchester Magnum. If you have been hunting long enough, chances are you know/knew someone who hunts whitetail with a .300 Win Mag. He says he chose a round with enough “stopping power” to lay a trophy buck down flat from hundreds of yards away, but he seems to knock the spots off them at about 50 yds… In all seriousness, though, it's been a prolific round in the deer hunting community for a long time, and non-hunters alike have revered it for its association with military and police unit marksmen.  Upon release in 1963, it wasn’t so clear that it would go on to live an acclaimed life for over six decades.  .300 Win Mag was a bit of an oddity for the cartridges of that time. Unlike the .264 and .338 Magnums before it, it had a longer case body and a very short neck, defying the conventional “one caliber length” minimum neck measurement. It was done intentionally to maximize the available powder volume. It was a simple approach: “more powder equals faster velocities,”. They did accomplish faster velocities, but it came with some concessions. Because Winchester maxed out the dimensions in the name of powder volume, the COAL was at the limit for a standard long action. Factory ammunition was loaded to a rather short overall length so it was compatible with a variety of rifles and magazines from different manufacturers, and longer (heavier than the standard 150 gr) projectiles had to be recessed further into the case body—reducing the total powder volume.  Nonetheless, hunters of medium to large game over time recognized the benefits of Winchester’s .30 Cal Magnum, including reduced wind drift when compared to other cartridges of the time. It became apparent to them, with the variety of bullet weights available and the thoughtful construction of their handloads, that the .300 Win Mag was well suited to take everything from medium-sized game to big game the world over.  Joining the likes of .30-06 and .30-30, .300 Win Mag found its place as the next chapter in America’s long-standing love affair with .30 cal cartridges. It remains popular today as a functionally capable, American classic.

Who says a precision rifle can't have a little classic style? This 6.5 CM build pairs a Bergara Premier barreled action with a Sharps Bros. Heatseeker chassis featuring a walnut stock. Add a JARD match-grade trigger and Vortex glass, and you've got a build that blends timeless looks with modern precision. Whether you're gearing up for deer season or building for the competition line, this one's worth a closer look. ✅ Bergara Premier Barreled Action ✅ Sharps Bros. Heatseeker Chassis ✅ JARD B-14 Match Grade Trigger ✅ Warne Mountain Tech Tactical Rail ✅ Vortex Pro Extended Cantilever Mount ✅ Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 ✅ MDT 5 Round Metal AICS Magazine

Same SA-35, but totally transformed. What started as a factory-stock pistol is now something entirely different. Our gunsmiths put their skills to work to bring our customer's vision to life, giving the SA-35 a deep, glossy blue finish worthy of its Hi-Power heritage. The best part? Seeing our customer's idea come together just the way he imagined it. Check out the finished product.

He almost walked away from a brand-new SA-35 over one thing: the finish. Inspired by the classic Browning Hi-Power, the SA-35 has the looks and heritage to match. But our customer wanted that deep, glossy blue the original was known for. So we’re giving this pistol a makeover. Follow along as our gunsmiths transform this matte-finished SA-35 into something a little more special.

Happy 10/22 Day! Since 1964, the Ruger 10/22 has become a rimfire icon, winning over generations of shooters with its reliable design, classic roots, and nearly endless customization possibilities. So, for 10/22 Day, we gave this legend a little MGW treatment. From a Timney Calvin Elite trigger to a LUTH-AR chassis and Athlon glass, this classic has a few new tricks up its sleeve. 62 years of 10/22 history, and we're still finding new ways to make it our own. What's your favorite 10/22 build?  Trigger: Timney Calvin Elite Chassis: LUTH-AR MCA-22 Suppressor: Sonicore Skarv .22 Charging Handle & Scope Base: Tandemkross Scope: Athlon Neos 3-9x40 Scope Rings: Warne Vapor

How could you want more than the Triple 4? Ask anyone for a big-bore lever-action cartridge, and they'll most likely say .45-70—and why shouldn’t that be their answer? Between tactical lever guns and hunting communities, that round dominates the discussion. However, that isn’t the cartridge modern big-bore lever guns owe their success to. We can see the responses now: “How dare they tarnish the good name of the lord’s rifle caliber. The .45-70 Gov’t has been around since the 1800s.”  The .45-70 traces its origins to 1873 as a black powder cartridge. Lever-action rifles were chambered for it, including the Winchester 1886 and Marlin 1895. Rifles of that time were built to withstand the pressures produced by black powder. They could not withstand the pressures produced by an equivalent amount of smokeless powder when it entered production. Manufacturers had to “download” the commercial ammo to 18-20,000 PSI to be considered safe for older rifles, particularly the 1873 Trapdoor design. To this day, SAAMI specs still list the max pressure of .45-70 at 28,000 because of it. Hindered by the need to cater to “weaker” black powder era rifles, the .45-70 fell out of vogue with American hunters.  Marlin stopped production of the 1895 in 1917, and Winchester did the same with the 1886 in 1935.  Plenty of lever-action rifle options existed in the .30s range, but the lever-gun market lacked a true big-bore rifle cartridge.  Marlin took their prototype concept for a new .429-caliber round to Remington in 1964, and the following year Marlin introduced the .444 Marlin and a new Model 444 rifle. Marlin’s own actions ultimately ended the .444 when they brought back the Model 1895. The modern .45-70 could push heavier 300+ gr. bullets, something that the .444 Marlin struggled with due to the 1:38 twist that it had until 1999. After that, the .45-70 had a renaissance and left the .444 Marlin behind.  The .444 Marlin still has factory loads, but like many rounds, it shines with handloads. While you may consider it outclassed by the .45-70’s performance and market support, the .444 Marlin is an option if you enjoy experimenting with handloads or just want to be different.

Engineered for the field, designed to make history. The Beretta A400 Solo 500 Years Special Edition takes the performance of a proven semi-automatic platform and elevates it with remarkable artistry. An intricate hunting scene spans the nickel-finished receiver, complemented by gold inlays, dark accents, and beautifully finished wood. The result is a shotgun that’s as striking on display as it is at home in the field. With Beretta’s 500-year anniversary emblem proudly featured, this special edition celebrates a legacy built over centuries. It’s a tribute to craftsmanship and tradition, made to be appreciated today and passed down for generations to come.

So, which is it going to be? Volquartsen Mini Scorpion X ______________________________ • Optic: Swampfox Kraken w/ RMR Adapter • Can: Angstadt Arms Reticent 22 Ruger/Silencer Shop Mark IV ______________________________ • Optic: Burris Fast Fire 3  • Can: GSL Technologies FLEA S&W 22 Victory ______________________________ • Barrel: Tandemkross Comet • Can: Faxon Firearms Twenty-Toucan Let us know what else you would add to one of the setups!

The Beretta B22 Jaguar is already a fun little .22, but we couldn't leave well enough alone. 😎 We added a bunch of Tandemkross upgrades: the halo Charging Ring, Victory Trigger, fiber-optic front sight, and Game Changer Pro Squared Compensator. Finally, we topped this build off with a Vortex Defender-XL red dot.  And for you detail-oriented folks, yes, the charging ring and trigger are red. A home-run color combo, or did we strike out? You be the judge.

7mm PRC… and the R stands for Repackaged Rem. Mag? Like many of Hornady’s newer releases, 7 PRC is no exception to the online ridicule of being a revisionist take on a “Tried and True” cartridge design. Some of it is warranted, and some of it is not. Many times the controversy over a cartridge is due to opposing camps approaching the round from different perspectives.  Hornday introduced the 7 PRC, the third PRC after .300 and 6.5, in 2022. It filled the gap between the S/A 6.5 PRC and the magnum-length .300 PRC. Some people touted this round as a big step forward in performance, while others said it did nothing the 7mm Rem. Mag couldn’t do. And both opinions were right, kind of. It is fair to say the 7 Rem Mag defenders approached the new cartridge from the hunting perspective, out to about 400 yds and in. In this context, the performance differences are marginal: similar velocities, grain weights, bullet drop, etc., and you would be hard-pressed to see a noticeable difference between game harvested with one round vs. the other. Those accused of joining the “Hornady Hype Train” tended to focus on the performance of the cartridge at extended ranges, 500-1000+ yds, for target shooting. This is where the argument for the 7 PRC is based. High-BC bullets, around which the entire PRC family was designed, result in a flatter trajectory, more velocity, and greater retained energy at distance. Giving the 7 PRC equal, or many times better, performance than some of the iconic magnum cartridges, without the added recoil or complications imposed by the magnum length / belted case design. Now, is 7 PRC the #1 cartridge in either respect—highly doubtful. But where it stands out is actually in the middle ground between the two. The 7 PRC seems to strike a good balance between the two worlds.  Do you need to go sell the 7mm Rem Mag in your safe and go get a PRC? Or do you need choose the 7 PRC over the 7mm Rem Mag as your 7mm rifle? No, you don’t; that 7mm Rem Mag will do just as good, in the context of hunting.  However, you could argue that if you want a dual-purpose gun as suitable for competition as it is for hunting, the 7PRC is worth considering.

As an MGW Customer, here’s how the recent ATF decision affects you... Missouri Residents: You will no longer be required to file an ATF Form 4 for an SBS, SBR, or firearm suppressor. Instead, customers may choose to use a 4473 (the same form as a standard firearm purchase) for the transfer. You will still have the option to file a Form 4 with the ATF if you would prefer, but it is not required.  Non-Missouri Residents: All SBS, SBR, and Suppressor purchases made on our website still need to be transferred to your local FFL/SOT. We encourage you to contact your local dealer to see what forms they will require for the transfer of the SBR/SBS/Suppressor to you. State and local regulations still apply and are not overruled by the recent decisions of the U.S. Federal Courts or the ATF. Please check them before attempting to purchase a suppressor. For more info and to read the entire Open Letter from the ATF, Click Here: atf.gov/media/30961/download

Five hundred years is a remarkable amount of time for any company, especially one built around the craft of making firearms. Since 1526, Beretta has carried its name through generations of shooters, hunters, and craftsmen. The 687 Silver Pigeon 500 Years Limited Edition is a celebration of that history. Limited to just 1,526 hunting and 1,526 sporting shotguns worldwide, this special 687 combines Grade 3 European walnut, hand-polished finishes, intricate scroll engraving, and gold anniversary details. It’s a fitting tribute to five centuries of craftsmanship—and a reminder that some designs become classics not because they need to change, but because they’ve stood the test of time.

Gun Culture Question: If you had told someone, in the 2000's, that you were building a hunting AR they would have looked at you like you were crazy. It seems like more and more people are building uppers or complete rifles specifically for hunting. What do you think has been the biggest driver of that change?

Who says your deer rifle has to be a bolt gun? We took an AR upper, swapped in a .350 Legend barrel, and turned it into a semi-auto setup ready for deer season. Check out the transformation and let us know: would you take an AR deer hunting, and would you choose .350 Legend?

The 6.5 before Creedmoor… .260 Remington Anytime something gets posted about a 6.5 Creedmoor, there will inevitably be comments saying the .260 Remington is better—but if that's true, why does the 6.5 Creedmoor even exist when the .260 Remington has been around a decade longer? Before the .260 Remington designation, wildcatting circles used a few different names for the round, including 6.5 Panther and 6.5-08. 6.5mm bullet and base on the venerable .308 case—this should have been a home run, right? There was trouble from the start. Remington selected a twist rate that was too slow to stabilize the 120 gr. bullets, and the revised 1:9 twist left the 140 gr. bullets options “hit or miss”. This left an initial impression of .260 Rem. being inaccurate, a broad sentiment that it could never really shake.  Hornady’s release of 6.5 Creedmoor would finish off any remaining hope .260 Remington had for widespread adoption. Aside from the massive marketing push, the 6.5 Creedmoor’s case dimensions were developed with long, heavy-for-caliber, high-BC bullets in mind. Because the .260 Rem has a longer case length, it can require seating those high-BC bullets much deeper than intended to fit into a SA magazine.  That doesn’t mean the 6.5 Creedmoor is inherently better. Those high-BC bullets are great and really shine at long range, but those benefits are arguably negligible at typical hunting distances. Using the same hunting loads, .260 Remington actually has a slight advantage over Creedmoor, but it is hard to say if you'd notice any real performance difference in the field. So which one should you choose for hunting? The correct answer: either one.  If you enjoy long-range target shooting and regularly go out 600-100 yards, the high-BC bullet options of 6.5 Creedmoor might make it a better choice for you. If you hand-load and like being a little different from everyone, then the .260 Remington may be the right call. . . . There is so much more nuance and history around the .260 Remington that had to be left out to make it all fit into one post. Let us know what info we left out that should have been included!

Visual parts list for the Weatherby Vanguard upgrades from our last reel. This rifle came in on the GunXChange program, and with just one of the upgrades we were able to address two issues.  1) Internal Mag w/ Hinged Floor Plate They have their merits and use cases, but, for the sake of ease of reloading and unloading, we wanted an external detachable magazine. 2) Stock Comfort / Lack of Adjustability The original one was the grey polymer stock from the factory.  Upgrade Solution:  The MDT Field Stock for the Howa 1500 was the obvious, cost conscious choice for this. The stock replaces the original bottom metal and allowed us to use AICS pattern magazines. It also gave us an adjustable stock comb and length of pull spacers that can be adjusted so there's a consistent cheek weld and eye placement each time someone gets behind the glass. This thing should be a sweet little shooter now.

Sure, a stock Weatherby Vanguard makes a great deer rifle. But we decided to make ours even better. 🦌 And who knows, maybe we’ll take this rifle to the range and see if it’s up to snuff before opening day. • JARD Weatherby Vanguard Trigger System • MDT Field Stock • Magpul PMAG 7.62/.308 AICS Magazine • Athlon Optics Neos 3-9x40 Scope

The Great American Cartridge, still standing after 120 years… The modern cartridges can’t hog all the spotlight; legacy calibers have their place, and no other legacy cartridge has cemented its place in history and its place in the American hunter’s safe quite like .30-06 Springfield, better known as “thirty-aught-six”. Some of you may be surprised to know the hunting cartridge that is “as American as apple Pie” owes a lot of credit to a German ballistics expert—an ironic fact in retrospect. Before the .30-06, the bullets used in U.S.-manufactured cartridges were large, heavy, and rounded. The 1903 Springfield was originally chambered for the .30-03 Springfield. This short-lived service round used the same long rounded bullet as its predecessor, the .30-40 Krag. Seeing that the .30-03 was vastly inferior, the Ordnance Department developed their new .30 cal bullet using the “spitzer” design and officially adopted it in 1906. The caliber and year of adoption gave the cartridge its common name, .30-06. Adopting the round also proved to be a turning point for hunting firearms in the U.S. when the surplus of 1903 rifles chambered in .30-06 hit the civilian market. In addition to private citizens sporterizing their surplus Springfield 1903s, Remington used surplus M1917 Enfield parts to create a commercial hunting rifle, the Model 30. In the cartridge's 120-year life, it has been an offering for most, if not all, hunting rifle models put into production, regardless of the action type: bolt action, semi-auto, break action, falling block, pump action, straight pull, and even lever action if fed from a box magazine. Because of the cartridge's popularity and the sheer number of rifles chambered for it, it's the one box of ammo you are sure to find wherever you go. Everyone knows this round, even if they don’t like hunting or even firearms as much as we do. If you don’t believe that, go ask your non gun/hunting friend to name a hunting cartridge. It may be long in the tooth, but this round isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. New hunters gravitate toward it because of the name recognition, and hunters who have depended on it for decades will continue to.

In case no one taught you this... This classic combo will remove that surface rust build up. Best Ways to Avoid Rust: 1) Wipe you rifle down after you bring it back inside. That temperature change will cause condensation to form which leads to rust, even if you can't see it. 2) Install a dehumidifier in your safe that will pull all of the moisture out of the air and protect all of your firearms stored inside. 3) Don't leave it in damp/humid areas for extended periods of time.