PRACTICAL GUIDES
Learning how to shoot, reload, and carry concealed couldn’t be easier. Check out our Practical Guides – top rated on Amazon!
Expensive Guns And Gear That Are Worth It | Episode 192
We've all read stories about guns that are well outside of our budget, but how many of them are worth the cost? Brent Wheat, Tom McHale, and Erick Gelhaus talk about the gear they've used that justify the cost.
Worst Defensive Ammo | Episode 11
Everybody wants the best, but what are some of the worst choices for self-defense ammo? Will the bullets in your defensive firearm do their job effectively if called upon? Join our resident Gun Cranks for a live and lively discussion on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of self-defense ammunition.
Gross Negligence: The Guns & Gear We’ve Ruined | Episode 191
Nobody's perfect! This is especially true of the Gun Cranks. Brent Wheat, Tom McHale, Roy Huntington, and Erick Gelhaus confess to all of the guns and gear they've ruined over the years.
GUNS & GEAR
Gun Review: Walther PDP 9mm Full Size and Compact Pistols: Accurate? You Bet!
We check out the Walther PDP. A fine handgun — you might be shocked at its accuracy from the bench...
There’s A Lot Going On… Inside the .22 Conversion
The .22 conversion is almost as old as the autopistol itself. Shortly after the adoption of the 1911, Springfield Armory began experimenting with ways to train soldiers more cheaply and without the blast and recoil of a full-power pistol cartridge.
Nighthawk Thunder Ranch Combat Special: Classy and Dangerous
The whole point of mass production is to make something “good enough” for an affordable price. If you want a pistol that ranks among the very best, you’ll look for a gun built more like a Chiron.The folks at Nighthawk Custom coined the phrase, “One gun, one gunsmith” to capture their manufacturing philosophy. It means what it says.Nighthawk starts each 1911 pistol with 46 parts, machined from bar stock billet. They’re intentionally oversized to allow the gunsmith to hand-fit every one to each specific pistol. No parts bins here.
Do You See What You’re Supposed to See? Streamlight Color-Rite Flashlight
Day three of SHOT Show 2023 brought one more useful product from Streamlight. Their Color-Rite technology is now available for tactical, electrical, or many other applications. Tom McHale helps explain how.
IMPROVE YOUR SHOOTING RIGHT NOW!
SHOOTING TIPS & HOW-TO’S
Tactical Foolery Or Effective Concealment?
It seems all the “cool kids” are carrying concealed in the appendix position these days. You know, the guys with beards, high-speed, low-drag instructors and all manner of serious gun folk.
So, is it a “tacti-cool” fad or a responsible and effective method of everyday concealed carry?
Are You Training For Fads, Fantasy Or A Fight?
A useful and factually accurate take by Tom Givens on the realities of self-defense encounters. The results from 70 street encounters by his former students may surprise you...
5-Point 1911 Safety Check: Is Your Gun Safe?
If I had to wager, I’d wager at least 10% of the 1911s I’ve worked on over the decades have had safety issues. Some were even new guns. If I just think about well-used 1911s, I’m betting the percentage is more like 15% or even 20% — especially gun show “parts” gun amateurs often assemble. Not long ago a friend brought me a foreign 1911 (an Argentinian “Sistema” Colt clone) saying it needed some work. No fooling.
Top 10 Tips For Urban Survival
Some people are naturally observant. I’m not one of them. My wife can sprint through a crowded airport on a holiday weekend wearing noise-canceling headphones and then proceed to describe everyone there, who has middle seats on their next flight and which of their kids are taking violin lessons. On the other hand, I could trip over Jabba the Hut playing “I Am the Walrus” on a set of kettledrums and not notice.
What’s the moral of the story? I have to work at situational awareness. No, I mean it. I deliberately have to “switch on” when I’m out and about or the world will pass me by while I remain blissfully unaware. As a result, I’ve had to learn and develop some techniques and hacks to help me spot potentially dangerous anomalies and lifesaving opportunities during my daily travels. Maybe some of these strategies will help you too.
The more you read, the more things you will know. — Dr. Seuss
AMMO NEWS & AMMUNITION REVIEWS
SHOT Show 2023: Black Hills Ammunition
From the SHOT Show floor, a quick look at what makes the new 10mm HoneyBadger from Black Hills Ammunition.
Fizzics ‘R Us
I’m not a physicist, but I did read Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. He attempts to explain such things as how, at the moment before the Big Bang, all of the matter and energy in the known universe was contained in a space a trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence. Now that I think about it, trying to wrap my head around stuff like that is likely why I’m not a physicist. I can’t even comprehend a miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup being packed into a wrapper that small, much less the sum total of all stuff that ever existed anywhere in the cosmos.While the deGrasse Tysons and Hawkings of the world can ponder the great expanse in their studies, we mere mortals can make more practical use of the physical sciences for our shooting activities.
Gunnysack: NOVX Ammo
And now for something a little different. NOVX Pentagon ammunition uses a patented two-piece stainless steel case instead of the de facto standard “brass.” Why? Weight is a factor. I weighed an empty case and came up with 32.8 grains. A comparable brass case is about 62. So, we’re talking a weight savings of nearly half. If you’re wondering, that works out to about 1 oz. per 15-round magazine. I did check case volume, too — it’s about the same.
Gear Spotlight: Home Defense Must-Haves
Here are some of our favorite picks for home defense must haves: Guns, gear, ammo and accessories... Source: Gear Spotlight: Home Defense Must-Haves
SOCIAL STUFF & POPULAR ARTICLES
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This week on Gun Cranks TV and Podcast: Are those expensive guns really worth it? Can a $4,000 pistol be a deal?
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Nighthawk Thunder Ranch Combat Special: Classy and Dangerous
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