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As some readers may be aware, I am a big fan of the Gun Digest, a great gun book that has been produced annually since 1944. In the early years, the book evolved a unique format that gave it a distinct character. It has pretty much stayed with the same format through 60-plus years, which includes a selection of detailed articles on a variety of gun topics, a catalog type section with all major models listed and even a bibliography. One of the more interesting features is a well-done roundup on pistols, another on revolvers, shotguns, etc.
January 10, 2013
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For years, when training and competing, I used the slide stop on my 1911s to return the slide to battery when conducting a speed reload. I had found that I could more quickly obtain my shooting grip in this way.
January 08, 2013
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It's that time of year again—The SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show is back. SHOT Show is the world's largest and most comprehensive trade show for shooting, hunting and law enforcement industries, and the AmericanHunter.org team will be on hand at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. from Monday, Jan. 14 to Friday, Jan. 18 in order to bring you all the latest news and releases.
January 07, 2013
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One of the sought-after “Holy Grails” of Smith & Wesson collecting is a nice clean specimen of the 1st Model .44 Hand Ejector—the Triple Lock. This classic revolver was introduced as the “New Century” model and was produced from 1908 to 1915. Approximately 20,000 revolvers were made in this short period of time. It was an expensive gun that required a great deal of hand-fitting. Since it was popular with military officers who liked the big .44 and .45 cartridges for which it was chambered, many of the guns were pressed into service in the early months of World War I. Wartime experience with the gun’s finest feature—a precisely fitted third cylinder lock—may have caused the gun to be discontinued. That lock system was not fully reliable under the muddy, dirty conditions of trench warfare.
January 07, 2013
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Being able to feed a long gun and a handgun from the same box of cartridges can reduce ammo costs, and is one of the oldest, most tried-and-true shooting concepts in the industry. While the lever-action has been more often associated with that role, Ruger has recently released a line of bolt-actions that are more than capable of handling your favorite handgun loads.
January 07, 2013
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There are many ways to conceal a handgun. Most of the best ways involve the handgun remaining on the person, but sometimes that is unfeasible for a variety of reasons. Women often carry in purses or bags, while some men also prefer to carry off their bodies in briefcases, day books, bags or even jackets.
January 04, 2013
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I’m always concerned that people have to be reminded to follow basic firearm safety rules. It seems like it should be common sense, especially rule 1: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
January 02, 2013
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A few months back, I walked into a gun store in California that I frequented in the early 1970s. It hasn’t changed very much—same large log building with no change in floor space or show cases. This is a full-service gun shop that is deep into everything available. In the old days, there was room for several samples of everything current in handguns. Today, there are so many kinds of competing handguns that usually there is one example of each on display with more under the counter. In essence, that’s the difference between then and now—there is a lot more from which to choose. That is particularly true in the field of automatic pistols. For reasons that don’t seem to make much sense now, in those days everybody was mad for pistols with DA/SA triggers, particularly .45s. They were perceived to be somehow “safer.” Many current 21st century models fill the bill, but there weren’t that many in the 70s.
December 31, 2012
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While in most circumstances of a home invasion, your best bet is to arm yourself, gather the family in a locked room and call the police, there are times and situations where you might have to clear your home. In those situations, you may have to go around a corner or through a doorway, and it’s better to practice those moves beforehand.
December 18, 2012
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When Single Action Army revolver No.1 left the old plant on the river in Hartford, it had a barrel that ran some 7 1/2 inches from forcing cone to muzzle. In time, other guns came along with shorter barrels, most commonly 5 1/2 or 4 3/4 inches. These three lengths served the interests of handgunners about 99 percent of the time. One of the three lengths worked well for most shooter’s since 1873, when all of this Peacemaker business began. In the so-called “first generation SAA” period, which was basically before World War II, Colt was willing to fill special orders for other lengths. We know of a handful of guns made with extra-long barrels, some of them the Buntline Specials. And we also recall a larger quantity of Sheriff’s or Storekeeper’s Models with no ejector rod assembly on the lower right side of the barrel. I always wondered what the Frontier handgunner used to poke out his empties when equipped with one of these guns. Most likely, it was a pencil or plain old stick. Most of these guns, however, were one of the three standard barrel lengths and that remains true to the present.
December 18, 2012
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Ken from North Carolina recently offered an excellent tip on deterring intruders; keep your car keys, with the automatic key fob attached, next to your bed. If you believe your home is being broken into, set off the panic button. The noise and lights should scare off a burglar and alert your neighbors, who you should know and have coordinated with to some degree.
December 17, 2012
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