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Bucket Lists

I would’ve been all of 10 years old when Tex Ritter sang the mournful lyrics: “Oh my buckets got a hole in it; Yes my buckets got a hole in it;

Tags: Colt, Marlin Firearms,...
10/15/19

The Non-Slip Grip

Every year I compete in Richard Davis’ seminal bowling pin shoot at Central Lake, Michigan (pinshoot.com). This year I saw some things to inspire this particular column.

Tags: Colt, Ed Brown, glock,...
10/14/19

Colt 1903 Pocket...

1903 — Henry Ford launched his motor company but the first models were still a few years away. Automobiles on the road were still a novelty if not a pestilence and the cognomen “horseless...

Tags: Colt, Sellier & Bellot,...
10/14/19

New Products December 2019...

The TP9 Elite Combat Executive is based on the 2019 TP9 Elite Combat but with upgrades from Salient Arms International.

Tags: Alien Gear, Ammunition, Axeon...
10/09/19

Rock Island XTM

Rock Island Armory — sometimes they create a niche, sometimes they fill a niche. There wasn’t a 1911 in .22 Magnum but now there is. I can just hear the engineers when company president Martin...

Tags: Beretta, handgun, Kel-Tec,...
10/07/19

Taurus .357 Magnum Raging...

As closely as I can count, I’ve had extensive experience with over 75 .357 Magnums. This includes single and double action revolvers, semi-automatic and single-shot pistols, as well as lever-...

Tags: Black Hills Ammunition,...
10/04/19

Springfield Armory’s New HELLCAT Pistol

American Handgunner’s Will Dabbs takes a close look at the
new HELLCAT 9mm micro-compact polymer pistol.

Hot Concealment Trends
Concealed carry trends change over the years. Back in the 19th century it was common for men to stuff a small pistol into a boot top. Fortunately, such a...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
History's Great P38
Germany’s legendary Luger (Pistole Parabellum 1908) was never a great service pistol. Difficult to manufacture, the Luger P08 needed extensive hand...
Read Full Article Robert Kolesar
Barricaded: The Elfego...
A heavily-armed lynch mob has you surrounded and under fire. You’re armed with two revolvers and whatever ammunition you had on your person when trouble...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Smith & Wesson N Frames
Growing up in Mingo County, W. Va., along the border with Kentucky, my early exposure to double-action revolvers was considerable. That area was the site of...
Read Full Article Mike "Duke" Venturino
.22 Caliber Cross-Training
When the Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro the entire world focused on the myriad of sporting events on display. One of the techniques many of...
Read Full Article Steve Sieberts
Doomsday Defense
There isn’t any real reason why anybody would need to pack a .300 AAC AR pocket howitzer in a shoulder rig for personal protection. However, you also...
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
The Home-Carry Handgun
These days, burglars seem to be less concerned about breaking into an occupied dwelling than they did in the past. Doesn’t sound very smart, does it? With...
Read Full Article Rich Grassi
Fluted Ammo: Great Or Gimmik?
I first became acquainted with the new fluted bullet designs for defensive ammo in the latter part of 2015 with the introduction of ARX ammunition,
Read Full Article David Freeman
Auto Ordnance 1911GCH
The email from GUNS editor Brent T. Wheat was short and to the point. “Tank, I’ve got an assignment for you. It’s kind of a rush job. Don’t let us...
Read Full Article Jeff "Tank" Hoover
Hold Tight To The Past
In any discipline we revere the old masters because we learned from them. “Old” does not equal “obsolete,” not for firearms and not for shooting...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Is 8 Enough?
Man has long been faced with difficult decisions. Is it hereditary or environment? Form or function? Ginger or Mary Ann? One we can mostly answer when it...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm
If we ignore the constraints of the physical universe, what might be the particular attributes of the ideal defensive handgun?
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
Smith & Wesson .44 Combat...
In November 1955, Smith & Wesson presented Bill Jordan with the first .357 Combat Magnum. This 6-shot medium-frame revolver weighed 1/2 pound less than the...
Read Full Article John Taffin
The Ugly Truth
So there I was in one of my favorite gun shops, when something a couple of shelves down in the “used” showcase caught my eye. I did a double take and...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Well-Established Snubbies
Gun makers still make snubbies. That’s because people still buy snubbies. And people still buy snubbies because they have learned that snubbies do a lot...
Read Full Article Mark Kakkuri
Beer Or Champagne?
For 2017, my training year ended in mid-December with a third-level class requiring the lead instructor (me), to demonstrate a triple-speed pistol...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
A Commanding Commander
Without fear of repeating myself (which I never do), GUNS provided much inspiration and information especially in my formative shooting years. I was a...
Read Full Article John Taffin
2nd Chance Smith
Those who have followed my writings over the years will know I’m an auto-pistol person. So, they may be startled to learn my first handgun was an old...
Read Full Article J.B. Wood
Colt’s Greatest Generation?
In the January issue I did a feature on Colt’s 3rd Generation of Single Action Army sixguns. So it’s only fitting to discuss their immediate...
Read Full Article Mike "Duke" Venturino
A Generational Advance
There has been much discussion about the new Gen5 GLOCK 9mm pistols. They don’t derive from the military’s MHS (Modular Handgun System) testing. Rather,...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Ready to Serve: The FN 509
FN’s 509, essentially an improvement over the FNS introduced about 3 years ago, joins the legion of polymer Parabellum pistols vying for the market...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
A Bull of a Pup
It appears to be yet another 9mm sub-compact pistol, and this one is very nicely made. There’s a visible pivoting hammer at the rear, so it’s obviously...
Read Full Article J.B. Wood
Powerful, Tough & Handy
To this day I am surprised by the number of gun enthusiasts who have not heard of BFR revolvers. Perhaps this is one of the best-kept secrets in revolver...
Read Full Article Mark Hampton
Double-Action Dash
There was a time not too many years ago when it was possible to find small gun shops every few miles. There’s still one about 20 miles south of town and I...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Hunting Shack Cowboy Loads
HSM has a full lineup of Low Recoil loads normally known as Cowboy Action Shooting loads. However, they are not relegated to simply Cowboy Action...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Taurus Curve
Back in 2014 the Taurus Curve was introduced. At the time it was at the forefront of what could easily be described as a “New Wave” of .380 ACP pocket...
Read Full Article Mike Cumpston
Pocket Pistol Shootout!
I recently tested a Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 ACP (three-A-T, get it?) and was impressed with how far pocket pistols have come. I liked the pistol so much I got...
Read Full Article Frank Jardim
Optical Delusions
Somewhere between target and brain are your eyes and front sight. It’s pretty straightforward but sometimes along this line, things get misinterpreted...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
The Magnificent Steyr M1912
When I think of the Steyr M1912, I think of comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s immortal line: “I don’t get no respect at all.” Here was a magnificent...
Read Full Article Holt Bodinson
The NAA Ranger II
As I write this, in my pocket resides a tiny, solid-frame, 5-shot, spur-trigger revolver from North American Arms. It’s their updated version of an...
Read Full Article J.B. Wood
Full-Bore Custom
It was bound to happen eventually. Being basically a “stock-box gun” kind of guy, I finally dipped my toe into custom waters. Sure, I tweak and primp my...
Read Full Article Jeff "Tank" Hoover
The Mauser C96
The old pistol mounted in the orange, felt-lined wooden box overhanging my grandfather's basement bar always fascinated me.
Read Full Article John M. Buol Jr.
Volquartsen’s .22 WMR...
When you can uncrate a new handgun, drive to the range and place the first five Federal Premium 30-gr. Sierra loads into 0.41" at 25 yards, you just might...
Read Full Article Holt Bodinson
Two Top 10s
It took a while. But patience has been rewarded and the 10mm is now alive and well. Two of the latest offerings in this excellent chambering come from...
Read Full Article Jeff John
TX22 semi-auto pistol is...
Let’s go back maybe a half-century, maybe a bit more, to the time when I got to first-fire a .22-caliber semi-auto pistol — an original Ruger Standard...
Read Full Article Dave Workman
Faxon Firearms’ Pistol...
A gun has become a standard when you can build one entirely from parts manufactured by someone other than the original manufacturer—for example, Ruger’s...
Read Full Article Jeremy Clough
Ruger's Perfect Packin' .357
Built just like, yup … a tank, the Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum has made a lot of friends over the decades. Just a few years ago Ruger came out with their...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
The Case For Big Butts
On January 22, 2018, GLOCK released its newest pistol to the public — the 19X. It’s essentially the company’s entry into the recent competition for...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Safe Holstering
When I started teaching cops in 1972, they weren’t actually bad at quick draw. But Lord! Some of them looked like Barney Fife when they went to...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Why the Flex is Best
Tim Smith, editor of Airgun Hobbyist, was devoting a whole issue to safety and asked me why I teach a flexed trigger finger position up on the frame at low...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
GP100 .44 Special
There’s no doubt today’s revolvers are stronger, made of better steels with closer tolerances, and almost always shoot better than those from the...
Read Full Article John Taffin
S&W's Model 340 PD
“Well,” said my shooting buddy Thomas Mackie, massaging his right hand with only a slight grimace, “now I can say I’ve done it….” The...
Read Full Article Payton Miller
Behind the Scenes: How I...
Easily one of the top five questions I get asked as an online editor for FMG Publications is something along the lines of, "So, what are you carrying...
Read Full Article Mark Kakkuri
What I Carry: Glock 19 Gen5
For this writer, “personal primary carry gun” is a fungible thing. I’m constantly testing firearms, mostly defensive ones, so how they carry is a test...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Exclusive: Springfield...
Well, Saint’s galore! Springfield Armory recently announced what it calls “a new tier” in the SAINT family: The Victor series of rifles and pistols...
Read Full Article Dave Workman
Colt’s King Cobra DA...
At the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas, a fair amount of attention from revolver aficionados was focused on the Colt exhibit because another snake is back in...
Read Full Article Dave Workman
You’re a Mean One, Mr....
You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Fliiiinch...!” Dr. Seuss nails it with this Christmas favorite when describing the...
Read Full Article Jeff "Tank" Hoover
Brownells Reduced Power...
If you have a fetish for DA revolver shooting, you’ll eventually run across an “out-of-print, price-is-right” Smith you simply can’t live without....
Read Full Article Payton Miller
The Single-Six
After I got the Marlin 39A Mountie I talked about last month, I soon wanted to add an appropriated companion piece — a really good .22 sixgun. A young...
Read Full Article John Taffin
The .357 Magnum: Part 1
Since the .357 Magnum arrived in 1935 — heralded as the most powerful sixgun in the world — it has been followed by plenty of other hard-hitting...
Read Full Article John Taffin
What I Carry (And How And Why)
Regular readers of GUNS know my first concealed carry sixgun in 1956 was a then-brand new 2nd Generation 7-1/2" Colt Single Action .45. It was chosen very...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Gabe White Pistol ...
When Gabe White first trained with me in the early 2000s, he was already well along the way to mastering the handgun. Gathering much training in a broad...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Handguns In Africa
The early morning mist evaporated quickly as the sun beat down on the Zambezi River. As we launched the boat, two women were washing their clothes in the...
Read Full Article Mark Hampton
The Wraith 10mm
Webster defines manliness as “the traditional male quality of being brave and strong.” Proper manliness carries along with it an implicit ruggedness. It...
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
Viable In A Square World?
Amidst a tsunami of polymer-framed autoloading pistols we’re seeing a groundswell of renewed interest in double-action revolvers. Some of the most popular...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Lipsey’s Lightweight...
In 2014 Lipsey’s released the all-stainless steel, Ruger-made Single-Seven revolver. Chambered in the mightiest .32 caliber round — the powerful .327...
Read Full Article Jeff "Tank" Hoover
LONE STAR SUMMIT
I’m writing this shortly after returning from the Texas Firearms Law Seminar hosted annually by the State Bar of Texas. It’s a CLE (Continuing Legal...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Quiet Zone
The CZ P-10C is the latest iteration of a long line of superlative Czech combat handguns hearkening back decades. Featuring state-of-the-art materials...
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
Dan Wesson ECP
Dan Wesson continues a history of innovation with the 1911 and their latest offering — the 9mm Enhanced Commander Pistol — is no exception. The ECP...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Custom Compromise
Enter Hamilton Bowen, the custom revolver maker who was one of the early ’smiths building the big Linebaughs in the days when you couldn’t just buy one...
Read Full Article Jeremy Clough
Backyard Battlefields
Homo sapiens is an intrinsically predatory species. It’s tucked someplace within our DNA. One need only survey male kindergarteners on a playground to...
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
At Home On The Range
The most fun I’ve had shooting lately has been working with and shooting older surplus military handguns. These “issue” pistols usually have tiny...
Read Full Article Robert Kolesar
Remington RM380 Executive
Remington introduces Model RM380 Executive, an all-metal, micro pistol designed for concealed carry.
Read Full Article Mark Kakkuri
Dominant Players
In the June 1968 GUNS, the legendary Col. Charles Askins Jr. wrote an article predicting the future of firearms development in America. Noting a generation...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Ruger’s Stainless...
About 66 years ago, Bill Ruger took a serious look at how popular Western movies and TV shows were. Then he realized the fact there were no single-action...
Read Full Article John Taffin
Big Gun, Little Gun
In 1955, Smith & Wesson introduced the .357 Combat Magnum which would become the Model 19 two years later when the company went to a model-numbering system....
Read Full Article John Taffin
The Five-Yard Roundup
For 20 years now, master trainer Tom Givens has run his value-packed Rangemaster Tactical Conference. In tandem he offers the Polite Society defensive...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Germany's Great Pistole...
“Epiphany,” according to Mr. Webster, refers to the moment when a previously mundane item or event takes on a new and unexpected significance. It was an...
Read Full Article Will Dabbs, MD
SIG NEW-NICHE 9
The goal was to create a pistol the size of a 7- or 8-shot super-slim pocket 9mm. Something in the S&W Shield, GLOCK 43 or Ruger LC9 category — but with...
Read Full Article Massad Ayoob
Ruger Observes 10th...
When Ruger first introduced the pocket-sized LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol) a decade ago, it got a lot of attention from law enforcement and armed...
Read Full Article Dave Workman