AMMO INC’S | Streak Tracer Pistol Ammunition
This March, during a stint at Gunsite, I had a chance to try out two new pistol caliber offerings from Ammo Inc.
WADCUTTERS WILL WORK
Revolvers soldier on as defensive weapons because they perform certain tasks very well. As deep cover carry guns, small revolvers are arguably superior to semiautos. The revolver’s lack of sharp angles lends itself to concealment [...]
BIANCHI & BEYOND | Revolver Loading Strips
It’s been fifty years since John Bianchi introduced the first plastic/rubber loading strip for revolvers. Available in the early 1970s, the “Speed Strip” was made from rubber with a spring steel center. The steel insert [...]
RELOADING FOR PRACTICE AND DUTY
For years many people have said that it is unwise to carry handloaded ammo for defensive purposes. This is based mostly on two elements—both of which I believe are mostly myths. The first point of [...]
Considering the 9mm Revolver
When choosing a small to medium-sized defensive revolver caliber, most people automatically default to the .38 Special or .357 Magnum chambering. There are good reasons to take a hard look at the 9mm Luger for [...]
Options for Mounting Your Red Dot Sight
If you've missed it, pistol-mounted optics (PMO), also known as red dots, are "here," they are staying; they are not going away. So, how do you put one – or more – on your pistol(s)? [...]
Working the Thumb Safety for new 1911/2011 Shooters
It has been interesting to watch the re-invention of STI into Staccato and, simultaneously, see the resurrection of a 1911-style pistol into the police duty-use world. I used a 1911 pistol on patrol and in [...]
Two Is One – why officers need a backup gun
Carrying a backup firearm while on duty is not as popular as I believe it should be. I am the only Constable (in a 13-officer agency) carrying a backup gun (BUG) on duty. Let us [...]
Bolt Carrier Solves AR Magazine Loading Issue
American COP's Brent Wheat takes a look at Speed Tac's new Bolt Carrier for the AR platform. It allows the shooter to insert a fully loaded magazine with the bolt closed and a round in [...]
MARLIN 1895 .45-70 LEVER-ACTION | Still Viable for Defense or Hunting
The Springfield Trapdoor Cartridge Rifle and Carbine was produced for the military in 1873. It came chambered in an equally new, powerful cartridge. Commonly called .45-70 Government or simply .45-70, the actual nomenclature for the [...]
WMD GUNS .300 BLACKOUT
The inimitable J.D. Jones while working under S.S.K. Industries (a company he started) invented the .300 Whisper caliber in 1992 as a wildcat cartridge. The parent case that J.D. Jones used to make the .300 [...]
DEFESIVE RIFLES LEVER GUN RESURGENCE | What Was Old Is New Again
If I were to pick one class of long guns as my favorite, it would have to be lever-action rifles. They can be chambered in everything from .22 Long Rifle up to Big Horn [...]
Inexpensive but Not Too Cheap – SDS Imports’ AR-T02 12ga Shotgun
I like shotguns; I really like them. My second and third Gunsite classes were shotgun courses. When I started at the sheriff’s office, we didn’t have patrol rifles; it would be another three years before [...]
Cruiser Safe – a change in the pump shotgun’s ready condition
The NRA Law Enforcement Handgun/Shotgun Instructor Manual defines two methods of "cruiser carry" for pump-action shotguns. Cruiser Ready: Safety ON, chamber empty, the action is closed and unlocked (bolt forward and trigger pulled to drop [...]
Modifying your shotgun – defensive and duty accessories
While the shotgun is currently seeing a renaissance of sorts with armed citizens and home defenders, it has been falling out of favor with many law enforcement agencies. There are good and not so good [...]
MOSSBERG 590S SHOTGUN | More Versatile Than Ever Before
O.F. Mossberg and Sons is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in the United States opening their doors in March of 1919. I’ll admit up front that I’m a Mossberg fan because of their products, customer [...]