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 [...]
SWAGING SATISFACTION | DIY .22 to .223
I have been reloading for over 45 years and casting my own bullets for almost as long. The main reason I got into loading and casting, like many others, was to make my shooting [...]
Speer Gold Dot CarryGun
Founded in 1943, Vernon Speer provided rifle bullets, and later, handgun bullets to reloaders from his small ammunition company. In the 1960s he began loading those bullets for what would become the famous Speer Lawman [...]
Ed Brown’s Fueled M&Ps — Part 2
When I hung up my 1911a1 pistols at the end of 2011 (isn't that year an odd coincidence now?), I figured I was done with custom pistols. The custom market really wasn’t active with Glocks [...]
Twice The Ammo – MAC’s 1911-9-DS
Double-stack 1911s are currently being used by SWAT teams, fugitive task forces, and "gun-savvy" officers nationwide. The first high-profile use of the double-stack 1911 was by the F.B.I.'s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). For several years, [...]
Not Your Dad’s J Frame — Lipsey’s Ultimate Carry
Smith & Wesson's J frame revolver – if there's a ubiquitous back-up gun for uniformed officers, the J Frame is it. History The first J Frame revolvers - Chief's Specials - were produced in 1950 [...]
H&K’s VP9 Certified Under NIJ’s Semi-Auto Pistol Standard
The past week, Heckler & Koch’s law enforcement division announced that their VP-9 pistol had been certified under the National Institute for Justice’s (NIJ) 0112.03 standard. Good for H&K, but what does that mean, you [...]
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 [...]
Rangemaster’s Shotgun Instructor Class
We had just finished a call involving pointing guns at dangerous suspects that ended well, all in custody with nobody hurt. One of my partners walked up to me, holding a wood and steel [...]
Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol Shotgun – Part 2
During my last trip to Gunsite, I finished up my work with Beretta's A300 Ultima Patrol. Patterning No two shotgun barrels are the same. It's easy to stand by that statement because they darn sure [...]
Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol Shotgun
Oh, my gawd, Becky, look at that gauge! Regardless of some thoughts, the 12ga shotgun still has a definite place in a thinking person’s armory. A shotgun can fill several roles decently if one understands [...]
We Were Slingin’
A long time ago, in what was another country, I heard it said that a sling is to a rifle or shotgun what a holster is to a handgun. The sling fulfills several purposes. It [...]