Mike

“What – yet another black rifle review?” I hear you say. To that I answer: “yessiree!” I like black rifles (or, to use a slightly more descriptive tag, the MSR, Modern Sporting Rifle). The MSR nowadays is to be found not only in law enforcement or military environments (in its select-fire guise), but also in … Read more

The 1911. What more can be written about this legendary pistol? In terms of handgun recognition by non-shooters I would venture to say that, maybe other than the ubiquitous Colt Single Action Army (the “cowboy gun”), the 1911 would come in at worst a close second place in that contest. The gun has been around … Read more

Fabrique Nationale Herstal, or, more simply FN. That manufacturer’s name conjures up, for those in the know, a long history of firearms production. Their long guns and military items are legendary, but we’re going to examine a 9mm pistol made by this storied company. Our review pistol is rugged and as Cousin Eddie might put … Read more

Look at the photo above. What gives it away? You know – gives away the fact that this is not a normal AR-pattern rifle. Look at the magazine and the bolt. This is not a normal AR-15. Not normal, that is, unless the rifle is chambered in the “other” .22 – the .22 Long Rifle. … Read more

The emperor scorpion…the largest, nastiest scorpion out there, from what I read. Living in a non-desert area, I have no real-world experience with scorpions (but I bet a lot of you readers in desert areas have plenty of experience with the critters!). Sig Sauer named their carry 1911 after the emperor scorpion, to give it … Read more

Riddle…when is a .357 not a magnum? When it’s fired in the Glock 32, in the guise of the .357 Sig. I have always wondered about the .357 Sig. I’d heard great things about it, such as its ability to push a 125-grain bullet out of a semi-auto’s barrel at over 1300 feet per second, … Read more

I am a 1911 fan. I’m not exactly a junkie, but I’ve owned several over the years. I started out, in the late 1970s, with a Llama stainless model. I had trouble with the roll pins on that one, but otherwise it was alright. I then had an AMT Hardballer, again stainless. That was a … Read more

The “Black Rifle.” The “assault rifle” (even though it’s not – see below). The gun that elicits responses on both sides of the aisle, whether pro or con. No other gun has been demonized more in recent memory than the descendant of Eugene Stoner’s handiwork, the AR-15. But… no other gun has had a more … Read more

Heckler & Koch makes some of the highest-quality arms in the world. From submachine guns to rifles to pistols, the company has earned a good reputation for tough, reliable weapons. I was blown away (not literally) with the quality and workmanship exhibited in the P30L in .40 S&W when I reviewed that gun a few … Read more

I have always had an attraction to snub-nosed revolvers. I’ve owned a few, including a Charter Arms .44 Special Bulldog back in the late ‘70s when David Berkowitz, aka “Son of Sam” used that gun for nefarious purposes in New York. The large-ish Bulldog stretched the definition of a snubby, but technically it fit. It … Read more

It all started with this… … a 7 ½-inch-barreled Ruger Super Blackhawk. I had traded a 7 ½” Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt for it, long about 1980. My good friend Mitch’s dad, a military collector and owner of an original Flattop Blackhawk .44 magnum (before it became the Super Blackhawk), had me re-think swapping … Read more

I am a fan of the Modern Sporting Rifle. The “Black Rifle.” The MSR seems to have a polarizing effect on shooters and non-shooters alike, at least in my experience. To an old-school rifle shooter, an AR-style rifle is anathema to his or her way of thinking…rifles are supposed to be wood and metal with … Read more

I have always been fascinated by the idea of a carbine that shoots pistol-caliber ammo. This is not a new idea – pistol caliber carbines have been around since the days of the Wild West. So, it would come as no surprise that I requested a 9mm firearm from Troy Industries. They sent me their … Read more

A .22 LR pistol can be a very useful firearm. I’ve had a few. My first semiauto .22 handgun was a Ruger Bicentennial Mk. II that was given to me by my band at the school where I was teaching – I was leaving and they wanted to get me a nice going-away present. Talk … Read more

The eBay of gun sites. That’s what Gunbroker.com has been called by those who use it. There is some validity to that point, as gunbroker.com is set up and run pretty much like an auction, except that you can list a “buy now” non-negotiable price if you want to sell something as quickly as possible. … Read more

It all started with the PT111 Millenium Pro. That was the small double-stack Taurus pistol that held 12+1 and included two magazines. Features included double strike capability, adjustable rear sight and some really good ergonomics. It was a competitor in the small, double-stack 9mm market. It was a successful gun and I owned two of … Read more

If you’ve read many of my articles, you’ll know that I frequent a very good friend’s gun shop. My buddy Duane has loaned me used pistols to write about from time to time – he’s one of the good guys. He’s had a used Glock Gen 3 Glock 20 10mm in his case for a … Read more

The Colt Anaconda is a revolver that many of us dream about owning. But, we have about as much chance of finding a Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum revolver as we do finding its namesake slithering around our backyards. Of the Colt “snake guns”, the Anaconda is one of the newer ones, and seems to be … Read more

Heckler & Koch makes some of the highest-quality firearms in the world. That’s a pretty strong statement, but I believe most folks who’ve spent much time around an H&K gun would probably agree with me. The designs, the engineering, the materials, the craftsmanship…it all goes together to make some top-notch guns. We’re going to look … Read more

Sar What? Sar Who? You might even wonder more if you knew that Sar was short for Sarsilmaz. OK…now it’s getting weird, I hear you say… What is a Sarsilmaz? First, A Few Things… I hope to accomplish three main goals by writing this article. Here’s what I’m trying to do herein: Answer the questions … Read more

I owned a 9mm Shield once upon a time and foolishly sold it. That gun was reliable and easily carried inside the waistband. It was well-built, felt good in the hand and went “bang” every time it was supposed to. I don’t remember what gun I just had to have in its place, but it … Read more

I recently was able to snag a used SIG Sauer P226 from my friend Duane’s gun case to review. The gun is chambered in .40 S&W and is in pretty decent shape, considering that it was shot and carried a lot. The P226 is one of those classic guns that has a great reputation. It … Read more

For those of you who remember American pop singer Jim Croce, one of his biggest hits of 1973 was “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” – a song about a mean dude on the other side of the law who “owned the downtown”. He was known for his fighting – he carried a razor in his shoe, … Read more