Tag: handguns

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

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

Recently, I visited a local gun store. Not having purchased a firearm in over a year, I was in the store looking for nothing in particular. I handled quite a few different pistols, revolvers and rifles. None of them struck me as being worth buying, which is the main reason why it's been so long since I bought a firearm. Certainly, they were all quite nice (I didn't handle any Taurus products) and if I didn't own any firearms, I would most likely have walked out of the store with… Read More

I was recently loaned this Smith & Wesson 1911 for a review, and have spent the last few weeks inspecting, carrying, and shooting it. I came away with one big reservation, but overall, a positive opinion of the pistol. It - and the other E series 1911s from S&W, all of which cost less than this tricked-out model - should bring some much-needed quality competition to the factory production 1911 market. Also, please read Hilton Yam's review of a similar pistol, which goes into more detail, and comes from the… Read More

The following is an excerpt from the book A Rifleman Went to War, by Captain Herbert W. McBride, of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the United States Army. He fought in World War I, mostly in France, and went from junior enlisted to officer during that time. Most of this book is a discussion of rifles, machine guns, or the war in general; all of it is fascinating to a history buff like me, and I found this section on pistols quite interesting. This was written in 1935. As I… Read More

Choosing a concealed carry firearm can be a daunting task, often involving trips to various gun stores, consultations with friends that own firearms, late-night internet forum browsing, and possibly asking a spouse how much money one is allowed to spend. Along the way, various rules might be set - "it has to be in a caliber starting with 4," or "only a revolver is always reliable," or "You can't spend more than $300 on something silly like that." When I worked in a gun store (there's a phrase I don't… Read More

This morning, I received, by email, a link to a post on humanevents.com. The author of the post states that the United States Marine Corps should adopt the Springfield XD-45 as a new service pistol. While I generally weigh what people have to say carefully, some of the comments he makes strike me as quite ridiculous, leading me to question much of his knowledge base on the subject. He bases this recommendation on three major points: 1. That the .45ACP cartridge is a massive improvement over the 9mm Parabellum cartridge.… Read More

This was fun. Surplus 7.62x25...Czech I think, '53.