Category: Weapons

Antique Schmidt-Rubin Straight-Pull Rifles, by Rick C.

I would like to share with you my experience with the Schmidt Rubin Model 1889 rifle. Antique because of its pre-1899 status, it can legally be shipped directly to the buyer in most states, if the seller properly understands the law. I’m sure you’re aware some will not ship without FFL regardless of antique status. Your exhortations to buy antique firearms have not gone unheeded. Prices have indeed gone out of sight. These rifles are now in the six or seven hundred dollar range, or more. I am not a gunsmith nor an expert on firearms, antique or otherwise. My …


Glock 21 .45 ACP Pistol, by Pat Cascio

I still remember when the Glock 20 and 21 first came out, and I owned both, That was when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate. The Glock 20 is a 10mm pistol, and the Model 21 is chambered in .45 ACP. Other than the chamberings, both guns are alike in many ways. However, the 10mm version didn’t balance as nicely in my hand as the .45 ACP version did. Of course, the 10mm barrel is a little bit thicker, while the .45 ACP version has a barrel that is thinner because of the larger diameter bullet. You’d assume …


Rock Island Armory 1911 Government Model, by Pat Cascio

There are more 1911 pistols made in the Philippines than in any other country in the world – and that’s a fact. It wasn’t all that many years ago, when it was a real hit or miss, on 1911s from this country. And, as I understand it, there are three major companies that produce 1911s over there. Doesn’t matter what name is stamped on the gun – odds are real good that your Philippine-made 1911 came from one of those three makers. In the past, about the only thing you could get from the Philippines, was a bare bones, military-style …


CRKT Bona Fide, by Pat Cascio

As a rule, I report the suggested retail price of the products I test, usually near the end of the review. However, this time, I’m reporting it first. This is the new CRKT Bona Fide folder, and it has a retail price of $125 – and as savvy shoppers know, if they shop the ‘net they can usually find CRKT products for a lot less than their suggested retail price. The Bona Fide, is another design from world-famous knife designer/maker, Ken Onion, who makes his home in Hawaii. It has been a lot of years, since I spoke with Ken …


The “Reasonable” Dictators of D.C.

The congressmen and executive branch bureaucrats of the District of Columbia (DC) — a.k.a. The District of Criminals — are now fully exercising arbitrary and capricious powers. While supposedly operating within a constitutional framework, their dictates are becoming more and more draconian, and often downright absurd. Their latest proposal is a  “high capacity” magazine ban. I’d like to illustrate the absurdity of such proposals with an analogy: Let’s say that you live in the mythical country of The Republic of Freedonia. Freedonia is a constitutional republic with individual rights enshrined in a much-vaunted but two-century-old Constitution. Among these rights is “freedom …


New Pepperball Products, by Pat Cascio

I tested several Pepperball products in the past and was quite pleased with the performance. Now, the makers of Pepperball have come out with two new products. Well, they were actually introduced more than a year ago at the 2020 SHOT Show. However, due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, everything was put on hold, because they couldn’t get their products in hand for the consumer. Having spent half my life in the martial arts, I taught my students a good number of self-defense moves, some lethal and many not-so-lethal. And, certainly, not all attacks on you will be lethal – …


CRKT Woods Chogan, by Pat Cascio

There are a lot of tools that are very suitable for survival purposes, as well as for just plain fun, and self-defense. In the past, I’ve mentioned that, in a hand-to-hand combat situation, as much as I love a good fighting knife – I designed several myself – I would prefer a well-made and well-balanced tomahawk (“t-hawk”) of some type. First of all, you will have a much longer reach, to get at your attacker, than you would with a knife. Secondly, there is a lot more “umph” behind a tomahawk that is swung at an attacker, And, of course, …


Steyr M9 Series Pistols, by Pat Cascio

We don’t see a lot of firearms coming out of Austria, and needed to say, the Glock line-up of handguns is the most recognized Austrian firearm, all around the entire world. Just about every shoot-‘em-up movie shows heavy use of a Glock pistol of some type – both bad guys and the good guys use them. Gaston Glock came out with the Glock 17 about 1985 – at least that’s when they first started appearing in the US marketplace. I spied a Glock 17, 9mm at a drug store when we lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado and it felt so …


Speed Up Your AR-15 Lower Builds, by R.F.

A Parts Organizer Helps You Several Ways I find it a bit of a challenge keeping all of the thirty-plus AR-15 lower receiver parts organized when building a lower. The lower parts kits (LPKs) arrive packaged in many different ways. It’s a treat to have them come nicely blister packed or tray packed if you’re lucky enough get it that way or were willing to pay extra. But it is far more typical to have them arrive in one or more plastic poly bags packed in a larger bag or even in a blister pack like the example shown, from …


Kimber Micro 9, by Pat Cascio

Many of us, when we were kids, at Christmastime, or on our birthdays, would always look for the biggest present, and open that one first – because we all knew that, the bigger the present, the better the present. Well, I don’t know about other folks, but I’ve learned, as I grew older that, some of the best gifts came in small packages. My first Christmas, with my lovely wife, Mary, in 1979, found us without jobs – no income – and a tiny foot-tall artificial Christmas Tree. And, we agreed that we would only spend $25 on each other’s …


Alternatives to The Evil Black Rifle, Part 2, by Randy in S.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Marlin got into the lever-action market in 1881, improving its initial offering with a stronger locking mechanism in 1888. These were top-ejecting actions like the Winchesters and came in the same calibers. In 1889 Marlin went to a solid-top design with side ejection. The Model 1894 was an improved version. It eventually fell out of favor but was reintroduced in .44 Magnum in 1969. Since then it has been offered in .218 Bee, .22 Magnum, .32 H&R Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .41 Magnum, .44 Special and .45 Colt as well as …


Alternatives to The Evil Black Rifle, Part 1, by Randy in S.C.

To borrow a phrase from a popular television series, “Winter is coming.” By the time you read this, the Leftists in Congress may well have passed, and their puppet in the White House will have signed, a new bill restricting the production, sale, and ownership of so-called ‘Assault Weapons’. By ‘Assault Weapons’ they mean America’s most popular semi-automatic rifles, used for recreational shooting, competition, hunting, and home defense. That none of these meet the textbook definition of ‘assault weapon’ means less than nothing to them. Nor does the fact that the new law will have absolutely no effect on crime. …


Review: 80% Arms Easy Jig 3, by Jonathan E. Rawles

I was given an 80% build kit from 80 Percent Arms just a few week before Joe “Non-Absolute” Biden announced new rules that will seek to put companies like 80 Percent Arms out of business. So, I offer this review, and encourage you to take advantage of the rules as they now stand, and support them and other companies that support our God-given rights to manufacture our own tools and weapons. With the Biden/Harris Regime poised to issue rules requiring an FFL to buy or sell “ghost guns” such as bananas and partially-eaten Poptarts, now may be an excellent time …


SAR 9 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

Turkey is producing some outstanding firearms, at great prices. I think they are making some of the best shotguns, and the prices are crazy low for these quality firearms. Make no mistake, I’m no fan of the dictator Erdogan, who is the president of Turkey. He is a “Mad Turk” if you ask me – so save the hate mail, please.  Over the years, I’ve owned several shotguns and handguns produced in Turkey, and have zero problems with them. They are well-made and priced “oh-so-right”. I’ve been attempting to add a few more firearms to my meager gun collection now …


Polymer 80 9mm Pistols, by Pat Cascio

No, it’s not a Glock, and many people refer the P80 pistols to a Glock, and we often refer to this fine handgun as a “Not-a-Glock” However, for most purposes, these effectively are Glocks, with a few changes. Polymer 80  has been around a few years now, and they didn’t start out producing complete pistols. P80 was, and still is, producing 80% frames, that have to be completed by the buyer, and once the buyer does this, they can assemble the P80 into a complete firearm, and this was approved by the BATF, however…things have changed, the rules have changed …