Mike

If you’re trying to select the best 10mm pistol, you definitely have a hard job ahead of you. This is one task that, about 25 years ago, would have been simple due to the lack of said-chambered guns. Not so much now – the 10mm is experiencing a renaissance of sorts as more shooters discover … Read more

Springfield Armory is known for, among other guns, its extensive line of 1911s but it has gained a lot of traction from its XD line of striker-fired pistols. I just recently took possession of a new XD(M) with a 3.8 inch barrel in .45 ACP. (For simplicity’s sake I’ll just call it from now on … Read more

I am a retired public school music teacher. I also have an affinity for a good 1911 – I’ve owned several. But, when you combine these two facts, it fairly well defines the type of 1911s I’ve been able to own – the budget variety. I got really good at selecting good-shooting 1911s that cost … Read more

So…you’ve decided that you want to carry a gun. Depending on what state you live in, this may not be the easiest decision you’ve made. Different states have different laws, as we know. Some states make it easier than others to get a concealed carry permit. Now that Illinois has joined the club, all fifty … Read more

For those of us who are into handguns and have not been living under a rock for the past 3 decades or so, the name Glock has come to be a household word in the shooting universe. People who may have never held a gun (let alone a Glock) recognize the name. It’s a brand … Read more

The .357 Magnum cartridge is, arguably, the most popular all-around revolver cartridge out there. Whether you are carrying a snubby for protection or a larger gun for target shooting, competition, hiking, or other activity, the .357 seems to be the go-to round for wheelgunners. With the availability of many different loads and bullets, the cartridge … Read more

To many handgunners, the numbers 1, 9, 1 and 1 means only one thing: a classic semi-automatic handgun that was adopted by the military in 1911. Another related thought that usually pops into his or her mind is that the gun was chambered in caliber .45 ACP. As the original chambering of the vaunted 1911, … Read more

In this day and age of polymer-framed striker-fired semiautos, does the old-fashioned revolver even have a place? Many of you reading this may think not but I beg to differ. There’s something to be said for a carry weapon that just needs to be drawn (or shot through the pocket, hidden) and fired just by … Read more

I recently did an article on the best 9mm subcompact pistols. Those small, single-stack guns can be very handy if you’re looking for something to stick in a pocket holster or carry discreetly, but what if you want to bring a bigger bat to the ballgame? Full-size guns, with their longer barrels and grip frames, … Read more

The Colt 1911 semiautomatic pistol is an icon. If you were to show photos of an 1873 Peacemaker, a 1911 and a few other common handguns to your non-gun-savvy brother-in-law and asked if any guns were recognizable, chances are that he would point to the 1911 and say that he’d seen that one before, in … Read more

Concealed carry options abound for most of the United States. Every state now has some form of concealed carry law on its books. The concealed-carry permit gamut runs from very restrictive states to other states that don’t require a specific permit, figuring the Second Amendment is permit enough. The upshot is that more and more … Read more

The .22 LR is by far the most popular caliber out there. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimates that about half of the approximately ten billion rounds manufactured annually are .22 rimfire cartridges. The military has used it to teach marksmanship; Boy Scouts use it to qualify for their Shooting merit badge. Largely available … Read more

Here’s a conversation from a gun shop: “What’s that in your pocket?” “A .380 in a pocket holster”. “Don’t you know you might as well throw rocks as shoot somebody with a .380?” “Well, if it’s so ineffective, will you volunteer to hold the target at the far end of the pistol range? HA! Didn’t … Read more

“I won’t carry anything in a pistol caliber that doesn’t start with ‘four’”. This is the philosophy of many old-time (and some newer) shooters who grew up with the .45 ACP being the King of the Hill in terms of effective pistol cartridges. To them, the good ol’ .45 ACP is THE only round to … Read more

The 9mm cartridge has long held a reputation as a great round for target shooting and competition. But its greatest surge in popularity has occurred over the past 30 years or so as more concealed carriers have adopted it as their favorite. Why has that happened? First, let’s look briefly at the 9mm backstory, then … Read more