Category: General Opinion

I guess this thought has been at the back of my mind for a while, I just hadn't voiced it. I recommend a number of different types of ammo for carry because 1) supply levels vary and 2) most modern defensive handgun loads from major manufacturers are really quite good and compare pretty well with one another. Segue to pretty photos... Yesterday I shot some HST in .40 and .45 underwater. The photos are pretty cool. I'm totally not done with this, by the way. As pretty as this stuff… Read More

I have started posting brief "thoughts" on the Vuurwapen Blog Facebook page relating to firearms, accessories, etc. Here are the first three from the last few weeks: Firearm Thoughts, 9/22/12: Muzzle Flash Firearm Thoughts, 9/16/12: Optic Quality Brief Firearm Thoughts, 9/13: Sig P228

I was checking out GearScout and saw this article about a review on GunsAmerica's blog. Here are some interesting quotes from the GA review: "The drop safety itself is a revelation of sorts and should make a lot of people jump up and down screaming YES! FINALLY! Few companies have dared put a manual safety on their striker pistols and this is the first in a gun that can compete with the big boys." "The FNS is the first gun from a high end manufacturer that breaks this mold and… Read More

Yesterday I took some photos of Endeavour's last flight while getting some left seat time in a Cessna 180. Endeavour was on its way to being a museum piece in Southern California and flew over Tucson at an altitude of 1,500 feet at the request of Captain Mark Kelly to honor his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Captain Kelly flew the shuttle on its last mission in 2011. The specially modified 747 used to carry the shuttles is called, unsurprisingly, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. This particular aircraft is N905NA, a… Read More

Not the most exciting post I've ever made, but here's an update to my February 2012 post regarding which items I would buy in various categories. If I set out to buy one of the following, this is what I would look for as of September 2012. Some things have great alternatives that aren't listed and some things have great alternatives that are listed. Some things I've gotten for free and some things I haven't. Some things might be more or less than you need. But if you ask me… Read More

Look in any firearm magazine and you'll see either advertisements or articles informing you that a certain military unit or police agency uses certain firearms or gear. There are two messages here - first, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you; second, they are way better than you, so their decision making processes are infallible and you'd be an idiot to pick anything else. The truth is that my needs are not the same as, say, DEVGRU's needs. I don't live on an oil platform, so… Read More

There is nothing going on between Michelle and I, there never has been, and there never will be. She is engaged, and I am writing this purely out of respect for her. If you would like to see other articles I have written or videos I have made about people in the industry, see this article, this article/video, and this article. For those who are unaware of Michelle Viscusi's short yet extremely tan presence in the gun world, here is a link to her Facebook fan page. When I first… Read More

Okay, seemingly everyone on the interwebs is talking about how the editor of Recoil Magazine said that civilians shouldn't own stuff like the HK MP7; his "retraction" was even worse, a rambling attempt to weasel out of the statement and a weak connection between supporting the troops and not wanting civilians to get their hands on MP7s. That's great and all, but it misses the real point. Recoil (sorry, RECOIL) sucked as a magazine long before this MP7 fiasco. I commented on this a while back, but here's why in… Read More

I'm gonna try to keep this short, which for me is anything under 5000 words... I grow weary of people claiming that certain products or techniques were invented recently, and that much adulation and praise must be heaped upon those who "invented" them. In reality, there is only so much that can be done while shooting or designing things that shoot. This leads to overlap, current or historical. Take muzzle devices. The way some people tell it, the Battle Comp is the greatest thing ever. A few other companies came… Read More

I differentiate my Mustangs by color ("the silver one" or "the white one") or age ("the older one" or "the newer one"). Same with AR-15s - the spray painted one, the shiny one, etc. This AR-15, a Spike's midlength, I now refer to as "the burned one." It remains serviceable, reliable, and accurate, with the only parts replacement being a new top MOE handguard - the bottom remains the same. It's photographed here with the old handguard for...dramatic effect? Whenever I get some free time (probably sometime in 2014), I… Read More