Readers often ask “What’s the difference between a Weaver scope rail and a Picatinny Rail?” The answer is not as simple as it seems. The dimensions of a Picatinny Rail should be consistent (from one rail-maker to another), since there IS a government spec. Conversely, there is some variance in “Weaver-style” rails. The width of the groove is the most important difference between Picatinny Rails and Weaver-type rails. “Mil-spec” Picatinny rails will have a grove width of 0.206″ while Weaver rails typically have a narrower, 0.180″ groove width.

Does your rifle have a Weaver Rail or Picatinny Rail? Check the dimensions to be sure.

A while back, Brownells had a helpful GunTech™ Article that discussed the Picatinny Rail vs. Weaver Rail. That article explained:

What are the differences between the ‘Picatinny’ and the ‘Weaver’ systems? The profile of the two systems is virtually identical. Depending on the quality of the machining done by the manufacturer, the two systems should be indistinguishable from the profile. The key difference lies in the placement of the recoil grooves and with width of the grooves. MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) grooves are .206″ wide and have a center-to-center width of .394”. The placement of these grooves has to be consistent in order for it to be a true Picatinny MIL-STD system. Weaver systems have a .180” width of recoil groove and are not necessarily consistent in a center-to-center measurement from one groove to the next.

In many instances, a Weaver system has a specific application that it is machined for, so interchangeability is not necessarily an issue. A MIL-STD-1913 system must adhere to the specifications listed above in order for it to be considered MIL-STD, since the military desires uniformity in the recoil grooves to allow for different systems to be mounted on the weapon with no concern for compatibility.

Now, what does this mean? Boiled down, it means that accessories designed for a Weaver system will, in most cases, fit on a Picatinny system. The reverse, however, is probably not the case. Due to the larger recoil groove, Picatinny accessories will not fit a Weaver system. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, but for a good rule-of-thumb, [full-width] Picatinny won’t fit Weaver, but Weaver accessories WILL fit Picatinny.

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

Midsouth — Big Savings on Lyman Products

⏺️ » Major discounts on hundreds of Lyman products

Lookin’ for a great deal? Currently there are over 500 discounted items in the Creedmoor Sports Sale section with 90+ in the Bargain Bunker (with major price cuts). You’ll find some great savings on Sightron Scopes, Wilson and Redding presses, Edgewood Bags, Protektor Front Rests, Wilson and Redding Dies, Berger Bullets, Starline Brass and much more.

Graf & Sons — Dillon Getting Started Reloading Kit, $719.95

⏺️ » Great starter kit with BL550 press, dies, powder funnel die and more

If you’re looking to upgrade to a progressive press consider the Dillon Precision BL550 Get Started Kit. This combo features the BL550 progressive press with multiple die slots and a quick-change toolhead for fast caliber swaps. NOTE: This Dillon BL550 is upgradeable to the RL550 for higher output. This “Get Started” kit also includes a 3-die set, digital scale, powder trickler, calipers, case gauge, ammo box, and more. The kit is on sale for $719.95 for a variety of popular cartridge types including .223 Rem, .308 Win, 9mm Luger, .38 SPL, .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and .45 ACP.

Whidden Gunworks — 50% Off Rimfire Gun Ammo Testing

⏺️ » Save 50% on test to find best ammo for your rimfire gun

Whidden Gunworks is offering 50% OFF Rimfire Test Range fees. The Whidden test center team will test your .22 LR rifle or handgun at 50m and 100m with top quality ammunition from ELEY, Lapua, Norma, and RWS. Multiple lots can be tested, and then you can buy the lots that shoot best in your firearm. Whidden Gunworks even offers door-to-door valet shipping. Offer good through May 17, 2026.

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At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

Creedmoor Sports — Big Savings on Optics, Tools, Bags, & More

⏺️ » Major discounts on hundreds of top-tier products

Lookin’ for a great deal? Currently there are over 500 discounted items in the Creedmoor Sports Sale section with 90+ in the Bargain Bunker (with major price cuts). You’ll find some great savings on Sightron Scopes, Wilson and Redding presses, Edgewood Bags, Protektor Front Rests, Wilson and Redding Dies, Berger Bullets, Starline Brass and much more.

Palmetto SA — AR Complete Rifles, Uppers, Lowers on Sale

⏺️ » Spectacular deals on AR Black Rifles, AR Pistols, and AR components

This week at Palmetto State Armory you’ll find exceptional deals on AR rifles, AR uppers, AR lowers, AR pistols, and the full range of AR components (such as bolt assemblies, sights, triggers, magazines etc.). If you are looking to add a quality 16″ bbl AR to your collection, you’ll find some great bargains. We like the 16″ barrel PSA EPT model. Complete with adjustable buttstock, M-LOK fore-end, and MBUS sights, it’s just $569.99 with FREE shipping.

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Today, April 22, 2026, Shooting USA TV will feature products from the 2026 SHOT Show event. The Shooting USA team were in Las Vegas for the annual Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) event held in late January. New products in all categories — guns, optics, ammo, hunting gear, reloading equipment and more — were on display at this major annual trade show.

Shooting USA SHOW TIMES: This Shooting USA Episode airs Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific; 8:00 PM Central on the Outdoor Channel. If you miss the regular broadcast, you can stream the show online on Vimeo for $0.99 per episode. Or you can get unlimited streaming for $2.99 per month on Vimeo. There are also many videos available on Shooting USA’s YouTube Channel.

SHOT Show 2026 Highlights

SHOT Show 2026 featured impressive new offerings from hundreds of manufacturers. To learn more about new-for-2026 products, check out the SHOT Show Blog which had these recent features:

» New Rifles 2026 | » New Pistols 2026 | » New Shotguns 2026

SHOT Show is one of the biggest trade shows of the year among ALL industries. This year there were thousands of exhibitors spread out over two exhibit halls the combined size of 14 football fields (19 acres)! This is the 9th largest trade show in the USA, promoting an industry that supports over 380,000 jobs and generates over $26 billion in wages.

Savage Revamps Multiple Rifle Models

As displayed at SHOT Show 2026, Savage Arms has updated its rifle line-up, including the Savage 110, signaling a major refresh across multiple platforms. While specifics are still limited, these changes point toward improved features and modern refinements throughout the lineup. This video features GunsAmerica Media Editor True Pearce, who recently tested many new firearms at Industry Day at the Range.

Century Arms ATA ALR — Affordable Precision Rifle

At SHOT Show, Century Arms showcased the new ATA ALR Tactical Rifle. Chambered in .308 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor, this modular rifle comes complete with adjustable aluminum chassis and muzzle brake. This could be a good starter rifle for PRS/NRL competition that does double duty as a hunting rig. And the ATA ALR is just $1099.99. That’s a great deal — you can pay that much just for an aftermarket chassis system.

Smith & Wesson New Metal-Frame Handguns

Smith & Wesson showcased many impressive new handguns at this year’s SHOT Show. This video covers some very impressive S&W handguns that feature aluminum and steel frames. The first pistol is the S&W SPEC VI with aluminum frame, ported barrel, and pre-installed Aimport optic. Next the reviewer covers the impressive steel-framed HD series pistols — both standard and competitor models. With good ergonomics and triggers, these are great for action pistol games.

NEW Nightforce NX6 Scope Family for 2026

Nightforce’s new NX6 riflescopes offer lightweight configurations with an impressive 6X magnification range across the series. NX6 options include: NX6 1-6x24mm, 2-12x42mm, 3-18x50mm, 4-24x50mm, and 5-30x56mm. NX6 scopes are designed for wide field of view and good clarity. The FieldSet turret system provides great repeatability and tracking while offering ease of use and configurability, allowing shooters to convert from capped to exposed dials and custom Bullet Drop Compensating (BDC) dials.

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

MidwayUSA — Demo and Refurbished Premium Optics SALE

⏺️ » Great Swarovski, Kahles, Steiner, and Pulsar products — huge discounts

Have you always wanted a top-of-the-line, prestigious European optic but couldn’t afford the high price? Well here’s your chance to get a superb scope, spotting scope, rangefinder or binoculars at huge discounts with the Demo & Refurbished Optics Sale at MidwayUSA. Top featured brands include Swarovski, Kahles, Steiner, and Pulsar. Choose a riflescope, thermal scope, spotting scope, rangefinder binoculars, or standard binoculars — there are superb products on sale now with prices up to 54% off.

Graf & Sons — Primers In Stock and On Sale

⏺️ » Major savings on popular CCI primers, plus other primer brands

There’s a great Primer Sale this week at Grafs.com. You’ll find a large selection of quality CCI rifle and pistol primers on sale. In addition other primer brands are offered at significant discounts. This is a great chance to pick up cases of 5000 for a little as $261.99 — equivalent to just $52.40/1000.

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Want to improve your understanding of Ballistics, Bullet Design, Bullet Pointing, and other shooting-related tech topics? Well here’s a treasure trove of gun expertise. Applied Ballistics offers dozens of FREE tech articles on its website. Curious about Coriolis? — You’ll find answers. Want to understand the difference between G1 and G7 BC? — There’s an article about that.

“Doc” Beech, technical support specialist at Applied Ballistics says these articles can help shooters working with ballistics programs: “One of the biggest issues I have seen is the misunderstanding… about a bullet’s ballistic coefficient (BC) and what it really means. Several papers on ballistic coefficient are available for shooters to review on the website.”

Credit Shooting Sports USA Editor John Parker for finding this great resource. John writes: “Our friends at Applied Ballistics have a real gold mine of articles on the science of accurate shooting on their website. This is a fantastic source for precision shooting information[.] Topics presented are wide-ranging — from ballistic coefficients to bullet analysis.”

READ All Applied Ballistics Articles HERE »

Here are six (6) of our favorite Applied Ballistics articles, available for FREE to read online. There are dozens more, all available on the Applied Ballistics Education Webpage. After Clicking link, select Plus (+) Symbol for “White Papers”, then find the article(s) you want in the list. For each selection, then click “Download” in the right column. This will send a PDF version to your device.

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

Midsouth — RCBS Explorer Reloading Kit 2, $329.88

⏺️ » Great price for everything you need — press, powder measure, scale etc.

For folks getting started with hand-loading, a great basic package is the RCBS Explorer Reloading Kit 2. On sale for $329.88 at Midsouth, this RCBS Package features pretty much all you need to load rifle and pistol ammo: Reloader Special 5 single-stage press, Uniflow-III Powder Measure, 1500gr digital scale, hand priming tool, powder funnel, powder trickler, hex key set, deburring tool, loading block, and Case Slick spray lube. You even get a Speer Reloading Manual.

Palmetto SA — Bulk Ammunition Sale, Rimfire and Centerfire

⏺️ » Major savings on wide selection of rifle, pistol, and shotgun ammo

Here is a great opportunity to get quality ammo for your pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Head over to Palmetto SA for the current April Ammo Sale. There is a large variety of .223 Rem/5.56 NATO ammo, plus very affordable .38 SPL and 9mm ammo. Rimfire fans will find great deals on all popular types: .17 HMR, .22 LR, and .22 WMR. Along with the ammo types shown above, there are many other pistol cartridge types. Plus you’ll find a huge selection of 12ga and 20ga shotgun ammo starting at just $0.36/shell.

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

Brownells — Hornady LNL Classic Pro Combo Kit, $749.99

⏺️ » Great deal on combo kit with 500 free bullets or 250 free brass cases

The Lock-N-Load Classic Pro Accuracy Kit from Hornady has almost everything you need for precision reloading. This deluxe Combo Kit featurea the Classic Pro Press with good front access, plenty of leverage, and tight tolerances for smooth, consistent results. You also get Hornady’s impressive Auto Charge Pro powder Scale/Dispenser which provides fast and precise powder measurements to within 0.1 grain. This kit includes the popular Case Prep Trio power tool with three tool drivers. NOTE: Kit buyers qualify for a big rebate from Hornady — Get 500 bullets or five, 50ct boxes of brass cases.

Palmetto State Armory — Major Colt Sale PLUS $100 Rebate

⏺️ » Save hundreds on Colt Revolvers and 1911s PLUS $100 Mfg. Rebate

Colt Firearms offers some of the highest-quality revolvers and pistols you can buy. The classic Colt Python and Anaconda wheelguns are legendary for good reason — they are ultra-accurate, with smooth cycling and great triggers. And the Colt King Cobra .22 LR revolver is excellent. Colt also offers a wide selection of very high-quality 1911-style pistols in multiple chamberings: 9mm, .38 Super, and .45 ACP. We like the fit and finish of these 1911s. Act now to get a great Colt revolver and/or pistol at a significant discount. Plus now through 4/30/2026, Colt offers a great $100 rebate on popular revolvers and 1911-type pistols.

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Tactical competitor Zak Smith stores his elevation and wind drift data on a handy laminated data card. To make one, first generate a come-up table, using one of the free online ballistics programs such as JBM Ballistics. You can also put the info in an Excel spreadsheet or MS Word table and print it out.

Above is a sample of a data card. For each distance, the card includes drop in inches, drop in MOA, drop in Mils. It also shows drift for a 10-mph cross wind, expressed in inches, MOA, and mils. Zak explained that “to save space… I printed data every 50 yards. For an actual data-card, I recommend printing data every 20 or 25 yards.” But Zak also advised that you’ll want to customize the card format to keep things simple: “The sample card has multiple sets of data to be more universal. But if you make your own data card, you can reduce the chance of a mistake by keeping it simple.”

Once you have the card you can fold it in half and then have it laminated at a local office store or Kinko’s. Keep this in your pocket, tape it to your stock, or tie the laminated card to your rifle. If you regularly shoot at both low and high elevations, you may want to create multiple cards (since your ballistics change with altitude). To learn more about ballistic tables and data cards, check out the excellent “Practical Long-Range Rifle Shooting–Part 1″ article on Zak’s website.

Scope-Cover Mounted Ballistics Table
Another option is to place your ballistics card on the back of the front flip-up scope cover. This set-up is used by Forum member Greg C. (aka “Rem40X”). With your ‘come-up’ table on the flip-up cover you can check your windage and elevation drops easily without having to move out of shooting position.

Greg tells us: “Placing my trajectory table on the front scope cover has worked well for me for a couple of years and thought I’d share. It’s in plain view and not under my armpit.

And the table is far enough away that my aging eyes can read it easily. To apply, just use clear tape on the front objective cover.”

Links for JBM Ballistics Program

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.

Graf & Sons — Major RCBS Sale on Presses, Tools, Dies Etc.

⏺️ » Thousands of RCBS products on Sale — presses, dies, tools

Grafs.com is running a massive RCBS Sale right now with big savings on thousands of RCBS products including reloading presses, priming tools, powder measures, case prep equipment, and hundreds of die sets. Among our top picks, the Universal hand priming tool is excellent, and the unique RCBS Summit is a great compact reloading press.

Sportsman’s Warehouse — SIGnature Sale — Optics and Pistols

⏺️ » Great savings on pistols, optics, mounts and more

If you need a carry pistol, or a new riflescope, thermal scope, reflex/red dot optic, or binoculars, definitely check out the major Optics and handgun sale at Sportsman’s Warehouse. If you need a hunting scope and Rangefinder, definitely consider KILO3K Laser RF and 3-12x44mm BDC-1 combo — now $150.00 off the regular price. Along with the discounts of 10-25% there are eGift cards available with many items.

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