2024 Tactical Product Of The Year: Trailblazer Pivot

For the 22nd consecutive year, the editors of “The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority” have selected their top picks for the finest and most innovative products that the gun industry has to offer.

by
posted on May 22, 2024
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2024 Tactical Product Of The Year: Trailblazer Pivot

The coveted Golden Bullseye Awards, now in their 22nd year, were created as a way for us to publicly recognize the firearm industry’s best-performing, highest-value and most innovative products from the previous year. Some years there are runaway standouts, but more often than not, there are numerous contenders worthy of accolade within a given category, and the selection process to nail down a slate of recipients can require no small amount of rigorous discussion on the part of the editors. This year we were blessed with a sizable crop of great new guns that could have won an award, but below you will find our consensus winners.

“Last year was one of massive new-product introductions from the recreational shooting sports industry,” said NRA Publications Executive Director Doug Hamlin. “As a result, the editorial staff had some tough decisions to make to identify the best all-new products.”


2024 Tactical Product Of The Year: Trailblazer Pivot
The members of the Golden Bullseye panel place a premium on innovation, so when a 9 mm pistol-caliber carbine was unveiled at SHOT Show with an upper receiver that could be rotated 180 degrees in either direction, allowing it to be stowed in a package as compact as 20.9" long, it got our attention.

AmericanRifleman.org screengrab of Editor's Choice Trailblazer Firearms Pivot

Later, when Field Editor B. Gil Horman got a chance to run the gun, the Pivot from Trailblazer Firearms, through its paces and confirm that it was a true performer and more than just a gimmick, it jumped to the front of the short list for this award. As he relayed in his story, “A New Twist On The PCC,” Horman’s testing revealed the blowback-operated and Glock-pattern-magazine-fed Pivot to be ruggedly built, utterly dependable in operation, sufficiently accurate, surprisingly intuitive to use despite its unorthodox manual of arms and quick to deploy from its folded state.

American Rifleman centerfold magazine article trailblazer firearms pivot rifle b. gil horman review text guns

He ultimately concluded, “So, if you’re looking for ‘something completely different,’ then the Pivot is well worth the investment.”

American Rifleman magazine article screenshot words centerfold

For thinking outside the box to create an eminently portable, lightweight tactical carbine that could be put to a variety of applications from home defense to small-game hunting, we bestow the title of Tactical Product Of The Year upon the Trailblazer Pivot. For more information, visit trailblazerfirearms.com.

Latest

Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web
Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web

Gun Of The Week: Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1

Join American Rifleman staff on the range in this video to get a closer look at Wilson Combat’s somewhat cryptically named “Division 77 Project 1.” 

The Armed Citizen® July 18, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Review: POF-USA LMR BASE Rifle

The Patriot Ordnance Factory LMR Base offers a .308 Win. chambering in a lightweight, AR-15-size package, which makes it a capable platform for today's new gun owner. And it comes at a fair price.

2025 Accessory Of The Year: Wyoming Sight Drifter

For each of the past 23 years, the editors of American Rifleman have convened to select our top picks for the past year’s best and most innovative products. Here are the most recent winners.

Henry Donates Rifles To Support Young Leukemia Victim

Henry Repeating Arms has donated a limited run of 50 “Team Keane” Golden Boy .22 lever-action rifles to support 13-year-old Keane Rhodes of Universal City, Texas, who is currently undergoing aggressive treatment for ALL T-cell leukemia.

Rifleman Review: Springfield Armory Echelon

Springfield Armory introduced its Echelon in 2023, bringing a modernized, chassis-style, striker-fired handgun to the market that has since seen several notable line extensions.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.