Everything Updated Except The Ammunition?
Look at the equipment we carried decades ago and compare it with today. Body armor? Better. Optics? Hugely better. Communications? Not even close. Duty pistols? Better materials, better sights, better ergonomics. Patrol vehicles? Rolling computers. What about [...]
Run It Like A Violin – Shotgun Reloads
“A violinist who stops improving has already started declining,” said Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), a very well-regarded concert violinist. Historically Shotgun reloads have been taught in one of three ways. They were based on the user's [...]
Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux
My initial look at Beretta’s practical 20-gauge offering – the A300UP – is here. Having two quality 20-gauge shotgun designs available for both end users and serious shotgun students is intriguing. Those are Beretta's A300 [...]
Are AR15 Magazines Universal?
What You Need To Know
If you've been around AR-15 owners for a while, you've likely heard the debate: one person says that their PMAG always drops free, and another complains that the same PMAG sticks in their rifle and [...]
Modlite’s PL350 G3 pistol light
Today, we'll talk about pistol lights, specifically Modlite's PL350 G3. So, per Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary: lumen 3: a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform [...]
Tom Givens & Rangemaster’s Advanced Instructor Course
Who This past weekend, I trained with Tom Givens. Tom began teaching defensive firearms in the Memphis, TN area while he was still actively involved in police work. That grew into buying a range. He [...]
Only Interesting Guns, Part One
Townsend Whelen is often quoted as saying, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” With all due respect, I’d offer that only interesting guns are interesting. Predecessors/Ancestors When I hired on in 1990, I was issued a [...]
Up Close & Too Personal
Retention Position Work Why Despite what some on the errornet opine, we do get into confrontations at very close distances, under 3-5 yards, and even arm’s length. Many of those end up going to the [...]
Long Guns & Handheld Lights
We are in a golden age of equipment, both on-duty and off, for ending the threats posed to our communities and us by the collective “BadGuys.” We’ve gotten better lights with higher output, especially compared [...]
Long Guns & Handheld Lights
A dedicated light mounted on the patrol rifle or shotgun you use at work (or on the same tools you use for home defense) is ideal. My work shotgun had a dedicated SureFire light by [...]
Patrol Rifle Selection Standards & Stag Arms
Are there measurable standards for law enforcement equipment? Yes. Unfortunately, beyond body armor, their existence is not well known. Some exist only in draft form and are released for comment. One of those is the [...]
Two Days at SHOT Show 2026
While a few attendees might still be stuck in Las Vegas because of Winter Storm Fern, SHOT Show 2026 is done and in the books. Last week’s article HERE looked at things that caught my [...]
Run It Like A Violin – Shotgun Reloads
“A violinist who stops improving has already started declining,” said Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), a very well-regarded concert violinist. Historically Shotgun reloads have been taught in one of three ways. They were based on the user's [...]
Zeroing Your Shotgun’s Dot
“We didn’t know how accurate shotguns were until we put good sights on them.” I first heard that back in ’95 from Bill Jeans. Who is that, you ask? Bill served in Viet Nam as [...]
Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux
My initial look at Beretta’s practical 20-gauge offering – the A300UP – is here. Having two quality 20-gauge shotgun designs available for both end users and serious shotgun students is intriguing. Those are Beretta's A300 [...]
First Look – Beretta’s Defensive 20-gauge
Ok, this shotgun is probably going to see much greater use by lawfully armed citizens than by uniformed law enforcement. Those lawfully armed citizens read AmericanCop, too. I say "probably" because I once wrote a [...]