|
|
Older revolver catalogs used to list two basic butt shapes for their products—round and square. This actually meant slightly different things in the literature of the two big pre-World War II gunmakers—Colt and S&W.
December 07, 2011
|
|
|
Distance is a friend, especially in self-defense situations. The more distance between you and a bad guy, the more you control the outcome of the situation. Unfortunately, since the attacker usually picks the location, distance is not always under your control. For this reason, you should consider in-your-face situations during training.
December 07, 2011
|
|
|
Handgunners in search of a new target for informal plinking and impromptu competitions need to take a look at a new device I recently found. Made by a company called Do-All Outdoors, this new target is known as a bouncing ground target.
December 06, 2011
|
|
|
Black is beautiful. I stopped in Spurlock’s Gun Shop in Henderson, Nev., on Black Friday to find a crowd of customers besieging Rance and Pat Spurlock, the husband-wife owners. Black Friday is so named for the widespread belief that retailers only go from “being in the red” to becoming profitable on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Such is not the case at Spurlock’s Gun Shop, even though Black Friday was a huge day for the shop.
December 05, 2011
|
|
|
People approach handloading from different perspectives. When I was moving every few years in the service, handloading just didn't seem to be practical. Things eventually evolved to where I had the time and space for a good loading shop. My approach may be unusual, but I was so intrigued with the game that I dived headfirst into it by selling a minty Colt Single Action .44 Spl. for enough money to buy every single piece of equipment I thought I might need, along with die sets for every major pistol caliber. While most people piecemeal themselves into the game, yours truly did it all at once.
November 29, 2011
|
|
|
Quite often I’m asked my opinion on the best gun and caliber for self-defense. My standard answer is: “Whatever gun you have on you.” The person usually then asks if that if that means it is OK to carry a .22 LR. To which I reply no, and I’m about to tell you why.
November 29, 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just returned from having an inside look at a fascinating subculture within our law enforcement community. I attended Sniperfest 2011, an invitation-only two-day training event near Phoenix, Ariz., for SWAT snipers.
November 22, 2011
|
|
|
If you are ever put in a life or death situation, your adrenalin will spike, causing parts of your body to decrease activity while other parts increase. Your heart will also start pumping harder to increase the oxygen to your brain and muscles. This is the body’s response to extreme stress.
November 21, 2011
|
|
|
For over three decades, I have had the good fortune of shooting for a living. Actually I have been writing for a living, but I had to shoot in order to have something to write about. And for almost every one of those shooting sessions, I've relied on a chronograph to measure the velocity of the various loads from guns as I fired them. Although I have used most brands of chronographs from time to time, my preference has been the Oehler and Millenium brands. I mention this because I believe that a chronograph is necessary to properly evaluate ammunition and firearms.
November 18, 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
I got a question the other day at the gun store counter. A fellow customer wanted to know about a “New York reload.” That's an easy one and another of those elusive terms that surround the lore of guns and shooting. A New York reload is another gun.
November 15, 2011
|
|
|
Don’t look now, but a brand-new 90-year-old gun company is reinventing itself. O.F. Mossberg & Sons has become a dynamo of innovation, far removed from the staid, stodgy pump-shotgun maker that you might have previously thought of the Connecticut-based manufacturer. Today’s Mossberg is not your great-grandfather’s Mossberg.
November 10, 2011
|
|
|
According to a comment on my Power of Words blog, there seems to be a misconception among some that if you draw a gun in a self-defense situation, you have to fire it. This can’t be further from the truth.
November 10, 2011
|
|
|
There are two basic types of automatic pistol mechanisms, known as actions. One is the blowback; while the other is known as recoil operated. Both accomplish the same thing: The breech is held closed until the bullet exits the muzzle before using the residual energy to extract and eject the spent case, load another cartridge and close the breech.
November 07, 2011
|
|
|
