As I write this, Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous 2026 has ended. My feet, throat, and body are sore, but I had an absolute blast. From the beautiful Brush Creek Ranch, we had the opportunity to not only shoot a variety of new guns but to speak with the guys behind the scenes who make our favorite guns possible.
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- Taurus RPC
- Heritage Arms Rough Rider .32 H&R Magnum
- Mossberg 590RM Chisel
- Rugged Suppressors Oculus22
- S&W Bodyguard 2.0 (The Other One)
- SIG M400 Forge
- Springfield Armory Saint PDW
- What is Next?
There was a pile of guns, optics, suppressors, and more at the show. Picking what was “best” is impossible. However, as a high-opinion, low-skills type of shooter, I do get to pick and choose my personal favorites. Even that was hard to do, so I limited myself to five, and then picked ten, but scaled back to seven as a compromise.
The only good news is that some of it was under embargo, so I got to cut a few naturally. Here are my highlights from Rendezvous 2026 in no particular order.
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I am a PCC/subgun kind of guy. The smaller, the better, but you know, I am not an MP5 fan. I find it a bit dated. But that does not mean I do not appreciate the roller-delayed design. When Taurus released the RPC as a roller-delayed design at NRAAM, I did a double-take. When I saw it at the Rendezvous 2026 range day, I clamored for it.
As expected, the gun has extremely light recoil and barely burps between shots. The ambidextrous controls are a highlight, and the ability to easily remove the barrel and handguard makes it modular for future barrel and handguard lengths. You get two locking pieces for suppressed and unsuppressed use, so they thought of everything.
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The gun is brace-ready, and if you want, there is a package option with a brace included. Plus, it costs a whole lot less than any MP5 or MP5 clone.
I am not a single-action revolver guy, but throughout most of my life of shooting, I have owned a Heritage Rough Rider or two. I did not think I needed another, but then Heritage went and introduced the gun in .32 H&R Magnum. I am an unapologetic fan of .32 anything, including the old H&R Mag.
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Like the classic Rough Rider, this is a six-shooter, but now that it takes the centerfire .32 H&R Magnum, we get a lot more oomph from the affordable six-gun series. The use of .32 H&R Mag allows you to shoot .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long, opening you up to even lighter recoil.
In .32 H&R Magnum, it was a tack driver; I was hitting targets out to forty yards with the rudimentary iron sights. The gun did not buck much and would be comfy in the hands of new shooters. Do not let the Magnum moniker fool you; it is still a pleasant shooting gun. This might have been my most welcome surprise at Rendezvous 2026.
I am a shotgun nut, and I could have just listed all of Mossberg’s new guns, like the 990 SBS, the Maverick, and new models of the 940, but I limited myself to one to keep the non-shotgun guys from falling asleep. The one that I kept going back to is the 590RM Chisel SBS.
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Not long ago, I wrote about the perfect barrel length for a home defense shotgun and theorized that an uber-short barrel would be great with a mag-fed shotgun. Mossberg was already way ahead of me. The 590RM Chisel combines the mag-fed action of the 590M series with the rotary safety of the R series and a Chisel stock that folds, collapses, and even detaches.
The gun has an 11.5-inch barrel and uses magazines with capacities of 5 to 20 rounds. This creates an ultra-maneuverable shotgun without the loss of capacity we would see with a magazine tube this short. These even included a choke system, which might seem silly until you consider the ability to add a suppressor. This room broom was my pick for best shotgun at Rendezvous 2026.
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The Oculus22 is not new to the market, but it is new to me. The Oculus22 is a .22LR suppressor, which is not radical. What impressed me most about this can was how well it suppressed 5.7x28mm. Most .22 cans, even when rated for 5.7, do not suppress it all that well, especially from a handgun.
The Rugged Suppressors crew had the Oculus22 equipped to a Ruger 5.7 pistol, and I could not get over how well it seemed to suppress the fast little cartridge. Even inside a shoot house, the gun suppressed the cartridge extremely well. Better yet, it sat low enough on the gun that I could use standard-height sights.
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5.7 pistols are notoriously loud with little recoil. With the Oculus22, the bark finally matched the bite. Color me impressed.
S&W Bodyguard 2.0 (The Other One)
S&W has two Bodyguard lines: the Bodyguard .380 and the Bodyguard .38. Last year, they released a Gen 2 of the Bodyguard .380, and this year they introduced the Bodyguard 2.0 in .38 Special. I did not like the original Bodyguard .38 or the original Bodyguard .380. However, the new Bodyguard 2.0 is a nice step up.
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The most beneficial change is the addition of a real rear sight. I do not do trench sights well; I just cannot shoot with them. The UC series spoiled me, and the Bodyguard is giving us a rear sight molded into the top strap. It is simple but effective, and it lines up perfectly with the bright orange, high-visibility front sight.
The grips are a little bigger, making it easier to hold onto and deal with recoil. As you would imagine, the recoil is stout, especially from a snub nose, so every bit helps. The trigger is much smoother and glides rearward. These little updates make it the budget revolver to beat.
Oddly enough, there were not a ton of AR-15s at Rendezvous 2026. I know we have enough AR-15s out there, so what can SIG do to make the M400 Forge stand out? The answer is to balance good features with a good price. The M400 Forge comes slathered in new features that turn it into an out-of-the-box rifle for anyone looking for a solid, well-made rifle.
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We get the normal features, an M-LOK rail, a 16-inch barrel, a mid-length gas system, and a Magpul SL-K stock. Beyond that, we get a TriggerTech two-stage trigger that weighs about 3.5 pounds. The gun has an ambi safety and magazine release, an oversized bolt release, and even comes with a Romeo MSR Gen 2 red dot.
All you need to add is a sling, and you get a rock-solid rifle for about a thousand dollars. It is an out-of-the-box option that you can purchase and shoot without upgrading a thing. The value and features make it a standout rifle in a crowded market.
I already mentioned I am a subgun guy, right? I love these little guns, and the Saint PDW came in hot. It builds on the 9mm line of Saint rifles but in a much smaller package. The barrel is a mere 5.5 inches long and covered by a micro M-LOK rail. We have a short-throw safety, a B5 grip, and the SB Tactical HBPDW brace.
The gun uses Colt magazines, and while it comes with a 32-round magazine, I think a 20-rounder would be perfect to keep the size of the gun small. Luckily, Colt mags are widely available. The straight mags also provide a very distinct look that is tough to beat.
The little blaster is a ton of fun to shoot with light recoil and excellent accuracy. It allowed me to reach out to 100 yards on man-sized steel with ease. At 50 to 60 yards, I was hitting everything from micro-sized turkeys and coyote-sized steel to 12-inch triangles. It is the AR bag gun to beat.
Rendezvous 2026 is over, so what can you expect next? We aim to provide you with in-depth reviews of what you have seen here and a whole lot more. Watch this space as the year unfolds to see how my picks hold up over serious testing.
