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 856 into the exceedingly handy niche that was for years held by Colt’s Detective Special. Taurus released an aluminum framed version, the “Ultra Lite,” in [...]
THE SAINT COMES MARCHING IN | Springfield Armory SAINT™ Pistol
When the SB-Tactical brace was released, they received a letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms saying the device didn’t turn a pistol into a rifle. It didn’t take long for gun owners to install a brace onto AR pistols creating a working man’s short-barreled rifle (SBR). [...]
MOSSBERG MC2c
In November of 1998 we were invited to attend the rollout of the Mossberg MC1sc pistol at Gunsite. Spelled out the model is the Mossberg Carry 1, subcompact. The handgun was met with extraordinary success from both seasoned and novice pistoleros. A year later we returned to Gunsite to [...]
Gunsite’s New Gunsmithy
There are a number of things that contribute to a viable business partnership such as good people, good products, and good ser-vice. On April 1, 2021 Gunsite Academy announced a re-organized Gunsmithy operation at the 45 year old world renown training facility. I was fortunate enough to attend the [...]
WHEELGUN WISDOM | Running Double-Action Revolvers
I had the privilege of instructing the "revolver day" of a New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy's Firearms Instructor Course recently. There were 14 cops in the class and experience ranged from a few years to one gent with 27 years in the bag. None of them had carried a [...]
PUTTING LEARNED SKILLS TO USE | Gunsight And Dunton Ranch
Back in the early 1970s Colonel Jeff Cooper started the American Pistol Institute, now known as Gunsite Academy. Today Gunsite is known worldwide for firearms training, from a quality facility with top notch instructors and staff. Some of the best warriors have attended and continue to train there. Recently [...]
IN-YOUR-FACE PISTOL RELOADS | Trendy But Unsafe
Pistol ready positions and reload positions are an ongoing topic of debate. We’ve undoubtedly come a long way since the cup-and-saucer grip or emptying brass into the support hand during revolver reloads. We all recognize our tactics and training must maintain a high standard and we cannot afford to [...]
RELIC TO THE RESCUE | Century Old Self-Defense Pistol
In the category of “Non-Fake News,” gun sales in the last two years have broken all previous records. Many of these guns have been sold to first time gun buyers suggesting that more Americans now believe that our government may not be able (nor inclined) to protect them in [...]
DOUBLE-DEUCE DRILLS | Real-Deal Rimfire Training
I have used subcaliber training to very good effect over the years. However, my approach was best summed up as using the reduced cost of .22 Long Rifle to allow a blunt-force smashing of maximum reps of key skills. When the ammo drought set in, I went into [...]
GUNS ACROSS THE BORDER | What Border Lawmen Used a Century Ago
Twice a year gun writer Dick Williams organizes a three-day theme shoot. Recently I attended one of these events at Gunsite. The theme was what handguns peace officers working on the Southern border used in the period of 1900-1917. The class would cover single and double-action revolvers and semiautomatics [...]
USED SERVICE WEAPONS FIND NEW LIFE | Police Trade-In Bonanza
I don’t know about you, but there is just something about a former service weapon. That it protected and served gives nobility to such a piece, every bit of wear on the finish humbly calling out as time spent honorably. Whether it ever was drawn in desperation or anger [...]