Self-Defense

First look at the newest version in Springfield Armory’s popular SAINT series of rifles.

Traditionally, pocket pistols have been in “mouse calibers” such as .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP. In the mid-seventies, one company set out to break all the rules. The result was Semmerling LM4, the king of the back-up pistols. And now, American Derringer is making a new version of this rare and radical classic.

I have witnessed the birth of several categories of guns over the years. The latest trend of this nature is a class of guns described as pump-action firearms. Guns that fit into this category are pump firearms with a 14-inch barrel and no stock or pistol grip, firing 12 gauge shotgun rounds, and with an overall length of more than 26 inches. The Remington Tac-14 is one of the newest additions.

Love it or hate it, the 10mm round deserves respect. Both the chambering and the 6.3-inch barrel that Dan Wesson equips the Bruin with make it a great choice for hunting—especially with 10mm cartridges loaded to their full potential. Pigs, deer, and bear within close range will fall prey to the Bruin.

I recently bought a Shield for concealed carry. The stock trigger is better than I expected, but I wanted something a little lighter. I want every component to be as effective as possible. Towards that end, I purchased the Apex Tactical Flat-Faced Trigger and Duty/Carry Kit. The kit comes with everything you need to make your trigger lighter and, more importantly, smoother.

While the cumbersome SPAS 12 died a natural death around the turn of the millennium, its cousin the LAW 12 was a prescient piece of iron indeed. I traded out of my old LAW 12 a couple decades ago but recently found another one and righted that past wrong.

This week, I got my hands on the new Hornady RAPID Safe AR Wall Lock. A pretty ingenious design, the safe basically covers over the important parts of an AR, like the safety, trigger, and chamber, with a cutout area for optics.

In the interest of a look toward the future, we decided to have a shoot-off of some of the most popular brands of 9mm pistol with a factory red dot mount option. There can be only one! So, let’s get them out on the range and in the hands of some different shooters and see what comes out on top.

If you are one of those out there looking for a rock-solid .380 pocket pistol that won’t break the bank, then the CPX-3 from SCCY deserves a very close look. With an MSRP around $300, the double-action-only, polymer-framed pistol is a great option.