Handguns

With the Hearing Protection Act being heard on Capitol Hill this week and the introduction of the Maxim50, suppressors are front and center in the shooting community. SIG Sauer has been marketing themselves as the “ total systems provider”, and that is proving more accurate by the day. This week, we finished the hard part of getting a suppressor. The waiting game.

The war in Vietnam saw the introduction of a wide array of new technologies. From smart bombs to night vision and lightweight assault rifles, Vietnam was a proving ground for countless new weapons and the tactics that drove their employment. As a result, flight crews operating Army rotary-wing combat aircraft frequently made up the rules as they went along.

As an outdoorsman, I enjoy being afield in all sorts of capacities. While hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, fishing and hiking are a wonderful means of spending time with friends and family and living in close proximity to both the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, there is ample opportunity for both of those activities. I am also, by trade, a Professional Land Surveyor, so my work hours are often spent in the remote wilderness areas.

This week, I got my hands on the M&P Bodyguard in .38 Special from our friends over at Smith and Wesson. What is the big deal, you may ask, with a .38 Special J Frame that was actually released six years ago? Well, there have been a couple of updates, but the biggest deal is what we found to feed it.

What do you call a double stack 1911 in 9mm, with an Excalibur level trigger, an RMR, and a threaded barrel? Dan Wesson calls that the Fury. One of the most appropriately named pistols I have seen. I would have to concur. This pistol has roots in paper and steel matches, but God help whoever is on the other end of this as a tactical gun.

It seems like every year we hear that revolvers are dead, and then every year some magic happens with the wheel guns. The Performance Center Model 327 is no exception to this. The 327 is everything you could ever want in a personal protection gun if you are a wheel gun fan.

The CCW market is one of the fastest growing segments of the firearms world and has held that position for years. It should come as no surprise then, that a good chunk of it is snake oil and hyped up nonsense. Sadly, grifters naturally gravitate to any segment of the market based loosely on fear, [...]

When is a gun defined as a firearm? Even better when is a gun a ghost? If you are a staunch 2nd  Amendment advocate as I am plus like to build stuff — especially stuff that goes bang — then 80 percent lowers no doubt tickle your fancy. According to the Federal Government, the Polymer80 Spectre 80 percent pistol kit is nothing more than a piece of polymer, but apply some calculated cuts with drill bits and cutting tools, shape the polymer with a file and sand paper, and add parts and that inert piece of plastic becomes a functioning semi-automatic pistol.

When you bring up FN in conversation, people will nod their heads. If you ask them to say something about FN, a few of the folks nodding their heads will say “Well, they make guns for the military.” The old guy will clear his gullet and say, “John Browning’s Hi-Power.”  Well, both of these are accurate, but FN’s history spans far more than just these two great guns. The BAR, The FN FAL and the M2 Ma Deuce would all be quickly added to the discussion as the group thinks began to kick in. Even these additions only scratch the surface, so let me take you through the high points of FN.