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Heckler & Koch turned a lot of heads with its polymer-frame, striker-fired VP9 pistol. With an excellent trigger and sound ergonomics—that include “wings” on the back of the slide to make cocking easier—the VP9 took home an American Rifleman“Golden Bullseye” award in 2015. Now, the affordable (well, for H&K, anyway), full-size gun is offered in .40 S&W with a 4.08" barrel and weighs in at 26.5 ozs. Look for more guns in the future based on this platform from H&K. hk-usa.com
Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.
In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.
The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.
The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?