As a long-time user of Smith & Wesson revolvers, I am excited to see the things the company is doing these days. One of the most interesting handguns to come along in some time is the Model 69 .44 Magnum. This is a 5-shot .44 Magnum revolver built on the L frame chassis. It features square butt grips and a 4-inch barrel.
Not long ago at the gun shop, I was lamenting on some simple facts of life. I have little time to shoot the firearms I really love. The Savage 99 rifle and Colt SAA revolver are among these. My friend Clay asked what I would be shooting if I had the time and on my own dime. I didn’t even have to think about.
Not long ago, at my favorite shop, the conversation turned to Colt 1911 handguns—as it often does. One of the guys commented that his Colt 1991 was a ‘pretty accurate’ piece. He wondered what the pistol would shoot like with a .200 crosspin and a barrel bushing with only .001 clearance rather than .003. Another fellow said, ‘Y’all are talking about the 1991A? That’s the entry level Colt, correct?’ It is, and the latest Colt 1991A1 is a capable, reliable, and accurate handgun.
Among the happiest times I have had when shooting is the time I have spent with single action revolvers. Those true to the Old West in appearance and function are my favorites. When properly finished and well fitted, the single action revolver is a joy to own and use.
Someone said there are two types of artists, the revolutionary and the plagiarist. While this is a little harsh, there is some truth in the statement. The revolutionary is the one who ushers in a major change in the field. There are artists and inventors who stand head and shoulder above the rest. Samuel Colt built on very little that came before him. This solidly set his legacy as a pathfinder.
I don’t mind finding coal in my stocking—well coal black actually although flat dark earth magazines are not bad either. Of course finding AR mags in your stocking is like finding batteries. I wonder what the long, narrow box marked “Adult Signature Required” could be for the fourth day of Christmas?
One of my favorite things to do is to set up and shoot a new gun. I enjoy the process from choosing the correct rings to bore sighting to spending time at the range—and yes, even to working up the perfect and most accurate load for each gun.
About 18 months ago, I decided it was high time for me to try my hand at 3 Gun. Life was good; I carved out some range time and found a friend to attend with me. He had some experience running matches, so he helped me kit up and learn some practice drills. We had a great time, even if he consistently smoked my stage times.
If there is one weapon that is on nearly every tactical shooter’s bucket list, it is the MP5, For most, spending quality trigger time with a MP5 was out of the question—until now. Zenith makes the MP5 delayed roller lock experience attainable. Don’t call the Zenith MKE Z-5RS a clone, knock-off, or wannabe MP5. The Zenith is a licensed version of the iconic Heckler & Koch MP5. Zenith Firearm in Afton, Virginia, imports a number of H&K-licensed delayed roller lock action models from MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) of Turkey.
The .41 Magnum is a useful, powerful, accurate, and well-balanced cartridge. Perhaps, it is one of the best revolver cartridges ever designed. Yet, it seems to be almost on its last leg, and far down the list in popularity compared to the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. This is understandable in some ways, but the cartridge is just too good to die.
The Firearms Guide Flash Drive & Online Combo is modern, digital, searchable gun publication that combines a reference guide on antique and modern guns with printable gun schematics and blueprints library and with gun value guide. All that content is conveniently placed online, but also on a fast 16GB flash drive as offline backup for Windows PC or Mac.
The M1 Carbine was the most produced American Infantry weapon of World War II. We built around 6.5 million of these tidy little rifles by the time the last shot was fired. At the apogee of production, we were producing 65,000 M1 Carbines a day. Truth be known, the Axis never had a chance.
There are few subjects as prone to create an argument as personal defense handguns and calibers. Some have a “devil may care” attitude and deploy anything, stating most are the same, while others go into great, even minute detail, in their testing and choices. I think that everyone should master the personal defense handgun of their choice.
The pistol reviewed invites cliché. As long as it begins with “four” has been a strong motto for most of my handgunning life, but then I am a great believer in the .357 Magnum. The .22 LR is a fine recreational caliber, but the .25 ACP was designed purely for personal defense. The jacketed bullet and centerfire case are more reliable than the .22 rimfire with its heel-based bullet. A 50-grain FMJ bullet at 650 fps isn’t an impressive loading. But then, the best gun is the one you have with you,
Arex broke into the market in a big way with the introduction of the Rex zero 1S. The pistol was not revolutionary or chock full of new features. Instead, many labeled its reliability as the ultimate SHTF gun—an improvement on current popular models all combined into one gun. The zero 1 was followed by the Alpha, an out-of-the-box competition-ready pistol with an MSRP around $1,000. For 2019, Arex is set to release the Delta, a striker-fired polymer pistol, and The Shooter’s Log went to Slovenia to get a first look at the prototype.
The HK VP70 began as a space age version of the disposable single-shot Liberator pistol that the OSS dropped to resistance members fighting the Nazis during the Second World War. The original intent was to produce a reliable, rugged, selective-fire 9mm machine pistol that could be economically produced in quantity. The gun was intended to arm partisans operating behind enemy lines during a global conflict with the Warsaw Pact that thankfully never quite brewed up. Radically advanced by any objective standard, the VP70 was almost, but not quite, awesome.
Did you ever notice that looking at a gun is like morphologically analyzing a family member? Little Timmy might have Dad’s ears, Mom’s nose, Uncle Edgar’s dour disposition, or Aunt Edna’s penchant for eating her boogers. He’s his own kid, but the raw material is drawn from a motley well. Likewise, most tactical weapons come from recognized families.
There has been a tremendous amount of development in ammunition during the past few years. Among the most interesting of these has been the advances in nonexpanding ammunition. These loads are intended to produce good wound potential for personal defense without the problems of jacketed hollow point manufacture and performance.