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One of the most exciting products introduced at the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Atlanta, Ga., was Springfield’s XDE—a familiar, yet very different, polymer-framed semi-automatic pistol. Watch the video as American Rifleman’s Joe Kurtenbach gives the gun a once-over and offers his opinion about where the new entrant fits within the very lively personal-defense market.
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?