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Firearms

Review: Zenith MKE Z-5RS: An Affordable MP5 for the Masses

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.

Ammunition

The .41 Magnum — Alive and Kicking

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.

Reviews

Review: Be Gun Smart With the New Generation Gun Guide

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.

3 WWII vintage rifles with several vintage handguns

Reviews

The Chiappa 9mm M1-9 Carbine — The Best of Both Worlds

The Chiappa M1-9 Carbine looks like your granddad’s GI Carbine in dim light. However, a glance at the magazine gives notice that something is indeed amiss. The M1-9 is chambered for 9mm and is blowback operated. The M1-9 is fed from standard Beretta handgun magazines, but the similarities do not stop there.

Ammunition

Hornady Critical Duty/Critical Defense

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. Critical Defense and Critical Duty loads are not really variants of the XTP but fresh designs for a specific purpose. They have Hornady quality in common, however. These loads make the most of a handgun caliber.

Firearms

Review: Phoenix HP25A — Useful or Useless?

Affordable and reliable, the HP25A is a minimal pistol of the type that arms many American homes. Is it useful or useless?

HK VP70Z with four boxes of ammunition and a target

Firearms

Retro Review: HK VP70Z

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.

Firearms

Review: Kel-Tec RFB — The Ultimate Big Bore Bugout Bullpup

Did you ever notice that looking at a gun is like morphologically analyzing a family member? Perhaps that is why most tactical weapons come from recognized families. Master Stoner or Comrade Kalashnikov beget the lion’s share of them. Those left over hearken from John Moses Browning or one of half a dozen lesser minds. The point is, most modern weapons simply evolved from something simpler. That is just not the case with the Kel-Tec RFB.

Ammunition

Review: NovX Ammunition

While hollow point or expanding bullets have been the standard for personal defense for decades, they are far from perfect. 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.

Bob Campbell shooting the smith and wesson 686 plus revolver front

Firearms

Smith and Wesson 686 Plus — A Go Anywhere Do Anything Handgun

While Smith and Wesson has manufactured great revolvers for a long time, the 686 Plus is superior in many regards. Modern CNC machinery results in tight tolerances in the throat and chamber dimensions. This means excellent accuracy potential, which is important for some pursuits. No one has ever been sorry for carrying an accurate personal defense handgun. No one will be sorry for carrying the 686 Plus.