Category: Review

Without a doubt, Springfield Armory came late to the dance with a sub-compact .380 handgun. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t know the dance or came with a new and faster two-step dance. Under review today is the new 911 from Springfield Armory. Back When I Carried a .380 Pistol Many years ago, when I was a young private investigator back in the Windy City of Chicago, IL, I carried a Walther PPK/S .380 stainless steel pistol in a shoulder holster. It was very chic to say the least. Back then, the only ammo available was Full Metal Jack …

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 …

By request, from our own Jim Rawles, we are taking a close look at the Remington TAC-14 shotgun. Unique in Barrel Length Something a little unique about the Remington TAC-14 shotgun is the barrel length of only 14 inches. Normally, this would be considered an NFA firearm and you’d have to jump through all the red tape and hoops in order to own one. However, Remington cleverly got around this in a number of ways. First of all, there is the overall length of 26.3-inches. Secondly, the very unique Raptor Pistol Grip gives the TAC-14 the much needed few more …

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 …

The trend continues with subcompact 9mm handguns, and today we are reviewing the Beretta Nano. Market for Itty-Bitty Handguns For quite a few years, the handgun market was awash in itty-bitty .380 ACP handguns, and for good reason. A lot of people were getting their concealed handgun permit, and most didn’t want to strap on a big gun each day. I can certainly understand that. For many, many years I carried either a full-sized 1911 in .45 ACP or a Commander-sized 1911 again in .45 ACP. However, as I age, and I seem to be aging much faster these days, …

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 …