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 stainless-steel Model 66 .357 Magnum along with a Blocker duty holster. After I qualified with my personally owned 1911, I turned that gun back in. Six years later, I was issued another -66 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s instructor [...]
ShotDot — Technology That Works For The Shooter
Some commonly used technology has limitations. Despite the best efforts, existing tools may not “hear” or “see” gunshots. The hostage negotiator community has documented instances of their equipment not “hearing” a gunshot. Body-worn Cameras may not be physically oriented to catch the shot's firing. What if the “witness” to an [...]
Why Not PPC?
(Editor's note: August is National Shooting Sports Month. Because of that, you will see a few articles covering competitive shooting. Appropriately, we are starting with PPC.) PPC (Police Pistol Combat) shooting was developed in the late 1950s to help police officers improve their firearms skills. It’s still relevant today for [...]
Shadow Systems’ XR920P – Part 1
Normally, when “we” (gun writers) start to review a firearm, it’s from the perspective of what the writer learned about that one gun. Knowledge of the company comes into play as well. This one will be a bit different. The Shadow Systems’ XR920P that I am reviewing is my third [...]
Making Ready
There was an interesting confluence of events over the weekend. The first was the anniversary of Patrick Rogers' death. A good number of experienced private sector trainers were influenced by Rogers and likely connected to each other by him. The other was an email question early Sunday morning about the [...]
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 yet. I’m not sure anyone was thinking of work like that on the M&P. Then, [...]
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, HRT used customized Para Ordnance P14s. Gunsmith Les Baer built those guns, and commercial copies [...]
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 and have included a number of models since then. When the 442 debuted in 1993, [...]
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 ask? Excellent question. Like the updated body armor standard I recently wrote about, there are [...]
Taurus 856 Ultra Lite: Always Bring It
Taurus upgraded its long-serving Model 85 small frame .38 Special revolver in 2018, most notably by expanding the cylinder diameter slightly and increasing its capacity to six rounds. Dubbed the 856, it was a no-frills snubby constructed of carbon or stainless steel with a two-inch barrel. The upgrade promoted the [...]
Ed Brown’s Fueled M&Ps — Part 1
Custom pistols aren’t new. Factory custom pistols, while newer, are not either. Think about the number of 1911s out there that came from nationally known or local gunsmiths – one at a time. Add to that all the pistols built and shipped by the factory’s custom shops as well as [...]