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 [...]
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 [...]
BUILDING A BETTER MOUSETRAP | Handgun Sitting Positions
Long-range handgunning rarely receives much training effort. Consequently shooter’s ability at distance is often pretty erratic. The standard training approach, often thrown in quickly if time allows, is to have the shooter take a knee or go prone. I’ve seen a great many shooters who actually shoot worse from kneeling [...]
RUNNING A WHEELGUN — Revolvers for Today’s World
In late 1972, I was hitchhiking home, on leave. Not many troops wore uniforms in public in those days, but I was in Class A’s, with spit-shined jump boots, ‘cuz dad was a retired Airborne Command Sergeant Major and asked me to. As I passed a small gun store, The [...]
STANDOFF HANDGUN DRILLS Accuracy at Situational Speed
As you look at the news and recent attacks you can see a clear trend of bad guys clueing in to the effectiveness of long guns. Whether the attack is on a church, a school, an event or an office the trendline suggests that the man or woman in a [...]
AMERICAN GENIUS Nighthawk Custom Hi-Power
When it comes to firearms designers, one stands out above all others—John Moses Browning. Born in Ogden, Utah in 1855, he made his first firearm at the tender age of 13 and received his first patent at age 24. During his life he designed or made improvements to lever-action rifles—including [...]
RISING FROM THE ASHES Cutaway Instructional Firearm
After my house was destroyed by a fire on 10 April 2005, Kevin McClung of Mad Dog Knives helped me clean up my firearms so I could read the serial numbers and report them as lost to the BATF. Firemen had unceremoniously dumped them all into a pile in my [...]
Serious Pistol for Serious Users: Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0
Although it doesn’t seem that long ago, Smith & Wesson introduced the M&P pistol line over ten years ago. The line-up includes full size, compact and the popular Shield pistols.
Primo Prestige Police Pistol of the Past — Is Present!
If we don’t know where we’ve been, it’s harder to tell where we’re going. In 2020 Colt re-introduced their top-of-the-line Python revolver. It hit the covers of gun magazines, and likely set a posts record on coltforum.com. But what does that have to do with today, when virtually all American [...]
Ruger Security-9: Defensive 9mm Firepower
The Ruger Security-9 is arguably the best value in a domestically produced defensive handgun today. This new Ruger pistol sports plenty of whiz-bang features along with a price that will just drop your jaw. The Security-9 is purpose-designed for the concealed carry holder who’s serious about packing heat. I came [...]
The New Colt Python: A Delightful Retro-Surprise
It was circa-1955. Bullseye shooting, where you stood on your hind legs and shot one-handed is king. Cops’ holsters are filled with either a Colt or S&W DA revolver, with more of the former than the latter. Both companies are about to make major changes in their sixguns — one [...]