Category: Weapons

Reloading and Accurizing for the 45 Colt Revolver – Part 1, by “Papa Bear”

The 45 Colt revolver is an excellent weapon with many great characteristics. This big revolver is fun to shoot! It throws a big bullet, around 250 grains, but does not have the snappy punishing recoil of larger magnum handguns. Often referred to as “the original magnum revolver”, the old revolver cartridge was a hit when it was introduced. The heavy lead bullet with large frontal area proved to be big medicine against both game animals and ne’er do wells caught on the wrong end of its muzzle. Being eclipsed by newer and higher velocity magnum cartridges has not diminished the …


Inexpensive, Effective, Firearms Training, by R.R.

Editor’s Introductory Note: Three important points should be kept in mind, while absorbing the following valuable article: While quite useful, dry fire practice should only be conducted in a room with a suitable safe backstop, such as sandbags or several thickness of thick metropolitan phone books in a large box atop a desk at chest and head level. And, of course, the weapon should be completely unloaded and ALL ammunition should be absent from that room to prevent negligent discharges. Double check all of this before conducting any dry fire practice. If you want to practice clearing stoppages, then do …


SIG Sauer P320 Series–The U.S. Army’s New Modular Handgun, by Pat Cascio

The Federal government is on the wrong track most of the time. If there is a hard, wrong, or difficult way to do something, they do it, nearly every time. I know this from first-hand experience when I worked for a large detective agency and we often bid on uniform guard services for the Federal government. It’s not quite as simple as being the lowest bidder, as many believe. There are a good number of loopholes involved in bidding on FedGov services, including whether your company has the capability to meet the requirements. They want to know if your business …


Letter Re: SIG MCX Recall

Hello Sir, I noticed a credit card charge from SIG. It turns out a conversion kit (AKA a barrel) finally became available for my MCX. I’ve been “in line” for several months now. Just to be safe, in this era of scams and CC fraud, I called in to verify that this was a legitimate charge. It was. While on their website looking for their contact number, however, I noticed that there was a recall: MCX Mandatory Carriage Assembly Replacement Program. I started filling out the form, but then my paranoia got the better of me. I made further inquiry …


SOG Knives’ Power Play Multi-Tool, by Pat Cascio

Many folks ask me what types of things they should put in their Bug Out Bag (BOB), and this is a hard one for me to answer. We all have different needs and different ideas about this. When I tell some of these folks what I put in my BOB, they question some of my choices. If they are smarter than I am, then why are they coming to me for advice in the first place? I don’t claim to be an expert in anything; I’m just a serious student in a lot of fields. However, over the course of …


Springfield Armory XD(m) OSP, by Pat Cascio

My, how times change! It wasn’t all that long ago that a red dot sight was rather huge when mounted on a rifle, and no one even gave any thought to a red dot sight on a handgun. I still remember the first (sorta) red dot sight I ever owned. It was on a shotgun back in the 1970s. It wasn’t quite a red dot sight, but it appeared to project a red/orange dot in the air. It was quite the thing back in the day. Over the years, I’ve tried all manner of red dot sights on rifles, shotguns, …


The Common Discussion, by R.K.

The conversation begins in a variety of ways but usually goes something like this: Bob: why do you need a fancy gun that shoots so many bullets….? Me: Do you need to drive a car that produces more than 120 horse power? That’s more than enough power to move you from point A to point B in a timely, economical, environmentally responsible, and safe matter. Therefore, should we not outlaw all cars that produce more than 120 HP? All you need is 120 HP. Think of all the things in your life that you don’t actually need. When we open …


H&R Pardner Protector Shotgun, by Pat Cascio

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The first shotgun I ever owned was a Harrington & Richardson single shot shotgun in 16 gauge, and I’m here to tell you that thing really kicked because it was such a lightweight gun. I was a pretty skinny 16-year-old kid, too. I took it pheasant hunting a number of times, and it never let me down. I don’t recall whatever happened to that shotgun, whether I traded it, sold it, or what. There is a lot of controversy over what type of firearm a person should buy first for survival purposes. Of course, we have to define in our …


Springfield Armory 1911 With Laser, by Pat Cascio

My number one choice, if I could only own one handgun, is still the grand old 1911 in some configuration. Yeah, lots of new gun designs come along, and I’ve tested many different handguns over the past 25 years working as a gun writer, and most are outstanding in their own regard. However, when pressed, I’m going to still pick a 1911 in .45 ACP, of course. Here are some of my thoughts on my choice in a 1911. First of all, there is the proven fight-stopping .45 ACP round. Yes, I’ve read the report put out by the FBI …


Zero Tolerance 0804CF, by Pat Cascio

A famous gun writer once said “only accurate guns are interesting…”, and I certain concur with that statement. If a gun isn’t accurate and reliable, I lose interest and get rid of it. It can similarly be said that “only sharp knives are interesting…”. I have no use for junk knives. If a knife isn’t up to my high standards, I won’t waste my time testing or writing about it. For quite a few years, I collected (and designed) custom-made knives, and I really enjoyed it. Even though it was an expensive hobby, it was still fun. When we moved …


Thoughts On An Often Misunderstood Caliber, by R.R.

I want to share some information regarding an often misunderstood and maligned caliber, which I recently began learning more about after coming across information on the Fort Hood shooting while studying the ballistics of the shooting. The FN 57X28mm What is FN 5.7X28mm? This is a round specifically designed for a class of weapons called PDWs– personal defense weapons. It’s intended for supporting troops to replace their pistols with something half the size of an M16 but with enough capacity and punch to defeat a helmet or soft body armor, and it’s a significant step up from a pistol or …


Ruger’s American Pistol, 9mm Compact, by Pat Cascio

The very first Ruger firearm I ever owned was a rifle in .300 Winchester Magnum. It was in November or December of 1979. My wife and I were working for the Salvation Army back then in The Dalles, Oregon. I was the youth pastor, and my newly pregnant wife was the church secretary. Both jobs were temporary; however we were promised they would be full-time after Christmas. Alas, it didn’t work out that way, and we moved back to our cold, lonely apartment in Portland, Oregon on Christmas Eve with an artificial one-foot tall Christmas tree that we bought at …


Letter Re: What are Your Thoughts on Required AR Registration in California?

Gentlemen, I live in California. After 12/31/2016, no California resident may purchase an “Assault Weapon” (AR-15, AK, et cetera). Those who own them on that date may keep them, but we must register them on the California Department of Justice website by 12/31/2017. I am trying to decide whether to register or dispose of such weapons and buy something like a Mini-14, which is not considered to be an “Assault Weapon’ by the state. If I own such weapons, I will register them. Others may choose a different course, but I would not. I am planning to become a resident …


Letter Re: Ruger P Model

Again, Pat Cisco has covered a handgun that is close to my heart. Thanks, as always. The 9mm Ruger P-89 is actually the first handgun that I went and bought myself back in the late eighties. To this day I love this bulky “Tank” of a gun. I am so comfortable with it that I also bought a P-94 in .40 caliber and a P-90 in .45 caliber. I remember when I bought the P-90 it was a used gun and was listed for just over $300. I offered $300 cash out the door, and that is what I got …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Remington R51

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Most readers probably believe that gun writers get specially picked firearms to test for their articles. I used to believe it myself, until I started writing about firearms. If I ever received a hand picked firearm from a gun maker, I sure didn’t know it. To the best of my knowledge, all my guns came off the shelves at the gun companies without being checked over or hand picked. As a matter of fact, I’ve had more than my share of lemons in the 25 years of writing about guns, and that is probably because I’ve tested so many different …