Category: Review

Only One Gun?, by Pat Cascio

16

I get a lot of questions asked of me, all the time, but many of them are really one in the same question, just phrased a little differently. Over my lifetime, I’ve been asked, literally hundreds of times: “What is your favorite gun…?” or, “If you could only own one gun, what would it be…?” and other similar questions from those seeking a truth or “the” truth about firearms. And, I can’t give a pat answer to these questions and no one else can, either. I can only reply based on my own experiences, the facts and my finding over …


Glock Model 44 Pistol in .22 LR, by Pat Cascio

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Look, I don’t care how many firearms you own, if you don’t own at least one firearm chambered in .22 Long Rifle (LR), then you don’t have a survival battery! When I worked for the late Colonel Rex Applegate, he had more than 850 firearms in his collection. Quite a few of them were chambered in .22 LR. If the good Colonel needed firearms in .22 LR, then so do you. For many years, I used to recommend that the first firearm people purchased, should have been a 12 gauge shotgun of some type. I was wrong! I honestly believe …


Ruger AR vs. Springfield Armory AR, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve had a few requests for doing another AR versus AR article, since I did one several years back. I personally don’t like doing any sort of “Versus” firearms articles, because it is difficult, if not impossible, to remain totally unbiased. In the end, a person will usually like one firearm over another, and probably for no solid reason – just a personal bias. However, I will lay out my findings for our readers and you be the judge when you finish this article. Right now, AR-15 styles of rifles are difficult to come by, because of all the violence …


Gear Review: Morisk Waterproof Flashlight/Plasma Lighter, by The Novice

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According to the ancient Greeks, Prometheus lay the foundation of civilization by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. The mythology of the ancient Greeks does not accurately represent the one true God, His holy character, or His plan of redemption. But the Greeks were remarkably perceptive regarding the role of fire as the foundation of civilization. Heat, light, protection from wild animals, food preparation, the forging of metal tools, and a host of other possibilities all lay hidden within the glow of a tiny flame. Effective fire starting is so foundational to survival, that I try …


Bushnell Powerview 2 Binoculars, by Pat Cascio

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I don’t pretend to be an “expert” in anything – just a serious student, or many things. Having spent 35 years in the martial arts, and I have Black Belt rank in five different styles of martial arts disciplines, I don’t consider myself an expert – just a serious student. I’m just like most folks, just a hard-working stiff, who demands the most for my hard-earned dollars, so that means I shop around – most of the time – for things I need or want. At times, it is difficult to walk away from a particular firearm, but if the …


Springfield Armory Ronin Compact M1911, by Pat Cascio

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Having spent 35-years in the martial arts, I knew what the word “Ronin” meant, but many people don’t. The short story is that a Ronin is an out of work Samurai – one who has no master to serve. I can understand Springfield Armory selecting this term for their newest 1911, and I’m only going to cover their newest model, and it is a lightweight model, with a 4.25-inch barrel.  (Commonly called “Commander” size.) To put it bluntly, the Springfield Ronin, is in search of a brave person, a man (or woman) of honor, and this Ronin wants to serve …


Ruger LCRx .357 Magnum, by Pat Cascio

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We can’t please all the people, all the time – as much as we’d like to. I get quite a few requests for more articles on all-steel pistols, or revolvers. As I’m sure many readers know, the tread for the past couple of years has been for polymer-framed semiauto pistols, not many all-steel or steel and alloy pistols are being made these days. As to revolvers – because everyone wants a semiauto handgun, there isn’t a lot of brand-new revolvers on the market. And, let’s be honest, everything that can be said about revolvers in general, has already been said …


Zero Tolerance Knives ZT0308, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always liked folding knives on the larger side, for a number of reasons: First of all, I believe a larger folder can accomplish a lot more daily tasks than a smaller folder can. Second, this comes down to survival – and while no folding knife is the best choice for survival, a large one can do many of the chores you ask of it. Third, a larger folder is better suited for self-defense work. Now, I’m not advocating that you take a knife – any knife – to a gunfight, however a larger knife in your hand, when being …


Taurus G3 Versus G3C, by Pat Cascio

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I recently covered the Taurus G2C in a product review article, and it was an outstanding little gun. Unfortunately, Taurus didn’t manufacture a G2 full-sized version. This has been corrected with the all-new Taurus G3 full-sized pistol, and their new G3C. While these two guns appear to be identical to the G2 with a quick glance at the guns side-by-side. But in fact they are really two different models. They just appear to be similar. Let’s start way back when – when I was the Investigations Manager for a big private detective agency, back in Chicago, Illinois – I was …


CRKT Ken Onion Panache, by Pat Cascio

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Ken Onion is one of the most famous knife designers on the planet. I’ve never met him face to face, but I’ve spoken with him a few times on the phone and discussed his knife designs, as I was preparing articles about them. He is a wild man, to be sure! But he knows everything he needs to know about making some of the most in-demand knives in the world – both for collectors and practical users alike. To be sure, original Onion handmade knives don’t come cheap, so we have CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) to thank for …


Ruger American Compact .45 ACP , by Pat Cascio

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I’m a big fan of the .45 ACP cartridge. The “official” FBI tests show that there isn’t a lick of difference between the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP rounds – when loaded with high-performance JHP ammo, when it comes to stopping power. But I refuse to believe that those three rounds are all pretty much the same when it comes to stopping a deadly encounter. I do a lot of shooting, and I mean a lot of shooting for my articles, as well as for target practice, tactical shooting and just plain ol’ fun shooting. If there is one …


Taurus G2C and G2S, by Pat Cascio

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A quick test: Who is the largest maker of handguns in the free world? Nope, you’re wrong if you guessed anyone except Taurus Firearms. Most people would have probably guessed Ruger, Smith & Wesson, SIG-Sauer, or take your pick. However, Taurus produces more handguns than any other gun company in the world. Then we have the gun buyers who complain that Taurus doesn’t produce good or reliable firearms – and they would be wrong, once again. Look, every gun maker, no matter how good of a company they are, has some “lemons” sneak out the door – it just happens …


Glock Model 45, by Pat Cascio

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Just as I reached the back of the gun shop that I haunt, one of the owners, Mark, reached into the display case, and asked me: “Have you seen the new Glock forty-five?” Before I could even answer, it was in my hands, and I liked it – a lot. Wow! A single-stack Glock in .45 ACP, and it feels sooo good…” Boy, what I wrong, I should have known better – you can’t tell what a Glock is by the model numbers they assigned to their handguns. I admit that I don’t keep up with all the latest firearms …


Ruger Officer-Style SR1911, by Pat Cascio

Anyone who has followed my articles for the past 28 years, will surely know that I have a love affair with 1911-style handguns – all of them, in all sizes and calibers. I still prefer a 1911 in .45 ACP over any other calibers, but I’ve owned them in 9mm, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, and a few others. The latest FBI findings state that the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP calibers are all about the same when it comes to stopping power – I just don’t buy into that. I’m not going to believe that a 9mm – …


Six Wristwatches for Survivalists, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always been a real stickler for being on-time, for everything – and I’ve been wearing a watch since I was a child. I believe I can count on one hand, the number of times I’ve ever been late for work, and at that, there was usually a good reason for being late. At that, my tardiness was only a few minutes being late from my scheduled starting time, with one exception. Back in 1976, I was briefly driving a dump truck for a living. The prior evening, some buddies and I went out drinking – I stopped drinking shortly …