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 role. Bird hunters seemed to roll the gun upside down, with the loading port upward, and insert shells in that orientation. This right-handed shooter can move the gun into the violin position and load the chamber once there. [...]
Loading Mags — Angry Stag’s Electric AR-15 Magazine Loader
Emptying your loaded magazines by shooting them is fun; loading a bunch of magazines isn’t fun but is a necessity in classes, equipment testing, and organizational qualifications when the shooters aren’t rolling up with their loaded magazines. How do we get those loaded magazines? In the military, it was easy [...]
Defensive & Duty Ammunition Or Training?
We are about to hit another ammo shortage. This time, instead of the shortage being caused by domestic demand, it could be due to a lot of ammunition being needed elsewhere. Cause? First, there is demand coming out of the Ukraine caused by the last eighteen-plus months of fighting [...]
Duty Ammunition — Performance And Selection
If there is one thing gun guys (and gals) will argue about, it is ammunition. In what ways, you ask? Caliber, bullet weight, design, manufacturer, velocity, you name it. They (ok, we) will argue about it. How do you go about choosing the best-performing ammunition for your needs? Ideally, [...]
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 and minimizes printing. Small revolvers tend to function more reliably than small autos when used [...]
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 was eventually dropped, and the composite changed to urethane to become the Speed Strip that [...]
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 contention is that handloaded (reloaded) ammunition is unreliable. First, let me say that you may [...]
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 dollars go farther. Over the years that first single stage RCBS Rock Chucker—that I still [...]
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 series. Following the 1986 Miami FBI shootout, Speer developed Gold Dot — a revolutionary step [...]
Norma MHP Ammunition – Most Expandable?
The folks at Norma have been busy in the secret ammo lab. I’ve always admired their rifle and rimfire offerings, but haven’t followed developments in the handgun area as closely. A new for 2020 self-defense load is the MHP — Monolithic Hollow Point. The MHP projectile is a solid copper [...]