Author: Pat Cascio

I want to say that the CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) Xan knife under review in this article is “symmetrical” but that’s not quite true. However, the design simply flows from the tip of the blade to the butt of the handle. It’s a little bit hard to explain, but once you pick up this folder, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This folder was designed by Darrin William Sirois, a former Spec Ops guy, and it is surely is “tactical” if ever there was a tactically-inspired folding knife. Those who have followed my knife articles for any …

If your hands and feet get cold, the rest of your body isn’t far behind. This is a fact! Going back to my high school days, I attended a private Lutheran High School, and it was about 13-miles from where I lived – that is a long, long distance in a big city (Chicago) to travel. On a good day, it would take me about an hour and a half to get to school, and home at the end of the day, on the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus. As most big-city dwellers will know, buses usually make a stop …

In another life, people used to ask my recommendations on survival gear, especially firearms. Of course, there is no one simple answer to these types of questions. The first thing I’d ask folks, is was what kind of a budget they were on. Needless to say, we all have budgets, like it or not. If a person didn’t have a lot of money to spend on a firearm, I’d recommend they go with some kind of 12 Gauge shotgun, and preferably a short-barrel model. This way it could be used for home defense, and short-range hunting purposes. Of course, a …

I’ve seen it a hundred times. I used to own a gun shop, and later on in life, I was in partnership with a friend, who sold mainly at gun shops. Someone will purchase a nice handgun, costing hundreds of dollars, or even more than a thousand dollars. One of the first things they would ask for, when we’d ask them if they needed any ammo or other accessories, and they would buy a box of ammo, then ask if we had any “cheap” holsters – and by that, they meant really cheap holsters. It never ceases to amaze me, …

Smith & Wesson has come out with yet another version of their popular Shield 9mm handgun. My first impression, when I read the press release, was a lack of enthusiasm. I thought to myself: “Just another variation.” So, I wasn’t all that fast to jump on this handgun, as I’ve already owned the original, the improved 2.0 version, and the Custom Shop version. Hands down, the S&W Custom Shop version was the absolute best out of the three models. Somehow, at some point, it got away from me. Then again, I’m a habitual gun trader because I don’t have the …

Today, I have a couple knife reviews. Both knives are made by the same company, both from the same designer, and both manufactured in Taiwan — Free China. It’s a pretty rare thing for a knife company to re-introduce a knife design, but that’s exactly what CRKT did with the improved Shenanigan folder. Some years back, I reviewed this folder for our readers, and didn’t find anything “wrong” with it – so I was a little disappointed when it was retired. A really good knife design, is good for about two-to-three years on the market, before people tire of it. …

Glock has been running ads in firearms publications for many years stating “Glock Perfection” and of course, that is their hype. When it comes to firearms – and I don’t care who makes them, there are no “perfect” firearms, they all have their various quirks. Still, Glocks are largely about as perfect as they come. I remember purchasing my first Glock. It was called the “Glock 17” and many folks believed it was called that because it held 17 rounds of ammo. Not true! That came from the 17th patent that Gaston Glock applied for, so he assigned “17” to …