Author: Pat Cascio

The Immortal folding knife by Cold Steel may well be the most wicked knife they’ve ever produced to date. We’ll take a close look at it. From the very start, Cold Steel www.coldsteel.com has been a force to be dealt with in the cutlery field. They became famous for their version of the fixed blade Tanto knife, and I longed to own one. It took quite some time for me to save up enough pennies to get one. But when I did, I was not disappointed in the least. Even today, the Cold Steel Tanto is the best of the …

Whenever Ruger comes out with a new center handgun, people take notice. The all-new Ruger Security 9, 9mm handgun might just be their best offering yet. Ruger Security 9 – A Perfect 9mm Handgun For Every Day Carry Ruger never ceases to come out with more and more, and better and better products. Under review today is the all-new Ruger Security 9– a just perfect 9mm handgun for every day carry. Many Years Ago Many years ago, when I was working as a private investigator in Chicago, IL, my wife gifted me with a Ruger Service Six revolver. It had …

The all-new and improved Ruger PC9, 9mm carbine is under review. And this may just be the hottest selling firearm on the market right now. When Ruger Originally Came Out With PC9 Some years back, Ruger www.ruger.com came out with a PC9, 9mm carbine. However, the one draw back was that it only took magazines from Ruger handguns. While not necessarily a bad thing, many shooters wanted more; they wanted a compact little carbine that would take magazines from other gun makers. Still, the original PC9 was a hot-seller, and after it was discontinued demand was crazy. Used models were …

An outstanding “end of the world” handgun is under review today, the Glock 35. This one deserves a close look. Glock Handguns Truth be told, I’m not the biggest fan of Glock handguns for a number of reasons. First off, I haven’t run across anyone who says that the Glock line of handguns actually fit their hand perfectly. Secondly, I don’t know why Glock still insists on installing plastic sights, front and rear, on their handguns. What I do love about the Glocks is that they always go “bang” if you give them just the smallest amount of care. That’s …

I love value in a true every day carry folding knife, one that will get used hard but still stand up to the rigors of what a folding knife should be, and the new Kershaw Barstow folder is worth a close look. Kershaw Knives Kershaw Knives has been around since 1974. It is right here, in my home state of Oregon, not too far from Portland but just far enough from the maddening crowds. Kershaw never ceases to amaze me with all the new and very different knife designs they come out with each year. To be sure, and to …

The Glock 21 .45 ACP pistol is under review in this article. I was most fortunate to have been able to test one of these pistols before they even came on the market, when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate. Handguns for SHTF Many people believe that they can get by, when the SHTF, with just a handgun. Maybe they can and maybe not. I’m inclined to think that a handgun is an up-close and personal defensive weapon, not one that was designed for offensive use. However, a good handgun can perform both duties, given the limitations of …

Today’s knife under review is called the “Fraxion” and is from Kershaw Knives in my home state of Oregon. Kershaw Knives has come a long, long way in a very short period of time, and is a leader in the cutlery field. Kershaw Knives It was just back in 1974 when Pete Kershaw left another major knife company in Oregon that he started Kershaw Knives. His products were, and still are, a big hit with the knife-loving public. Just a few short years after starting Kershaw Knives, Pete Kershaw sold out to the KAI Corporation from Japan, and they continue …

In this article, we’ll take a close look at the Kimber Ultra Carry II SP 1911. This is one of the smallest 1911 based handguns chambered in .45 ACP on the market. Limited, Discontinued Splash 1911 I’m sad to say, it appears that Kimber has discontinued this particular base model 1911 and gone to some upper crust, more costly, smaller 1911s. It’s too bad! The gun under review here is the Ultra Carry II SP, and the SP stands for “Splash”. It was a limited product run available for sale at a SHOT Show a few years ago. I believe …

Zero Tolerance knives is a division of Kershaw Knives, and they produce some of the most hard-core fixed and folding blades to be found. Today we’re looking at the ZT Model 0055. Kershaw Plant in Oregon I still remember the very first time I toured the Kershaw plant, here in Oregon, many years ago. If I recall correctly, they had a mere 18 people on the floor assembling knives. All of that has changed over the years. They have a huge operation these days. They moved into another building and have already expanded their operation further. The operation is very …

Surviving the kitchen with the Cold Steel Chef’s Knife is our topic today. People Talking About “Surviving” I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it repeated; people are talking about “surviving” whatever it is that is coming our way. More often than not, I hear people telling me they are going to bug out to the mountains or the wilderness and survive there without giving it any thought or preparations. I’m sorry, if you believe that you are living a lie or a fantasy, or you are misguided. I used to live in Chicago, and I couldn’t tell you …

Always looking to improve and upgrade their handguns, Kahr Arms  just released their latest compact 9mm, the S9, and that is under review today. Kahr’s Rep of “Rolls Royce” of Trigger Pulls Many years ago, I remember reading about Kahr 9mm handguns, and how all the gun writers raved about their DAO (Double Action Only) trigger pull. The writers claimed it was the Rolls Royce of DAO trigger pulls. Having been a writer for more than 25 years in the gun, knife, and survival fields, I took it with a grain of salt, knowing how some gun writers hype things …

The Springfield Armory TRP Operator 1911 is one of the best of the best 1911s available, at any price, and we’ll report our results from testing in this article. Bear With My Sad Story Bear with me, before I give my findings on the TRP Operator 1911 in this article. This is a sad but somewhat humorous story about the start to my testing this outstanding 1911. I received the TRP Operator 1911 from Springfield Armory during the past winter. Before testing this gun, I noticed that the Tritium front sight wasn’t glowing at all. I have had this happen …