Tom McHale - My Gun Culture

About Tom McHale

Tom is the Editor of American Handgunner Magazine and has published numerous books on shooting, concealed carry, reloading, and the United States Constitution. You can find print and ebook versions of his books at Amazon. Find Tom online at Parler, MeWe, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

5 Appendix Carry Tips

By Tom McHale|2023-09-15T09:33:27-04:00September 15th, 2023|

When I embarked on a multi-month experiment to see what all the fuss was about with appendix carry, I encountered the exact same challenges you describe. Now, I carry a full-size, double-stack Staccato P model 2011 appendix every day, even while sitting and spending hours in the car.

The Fusion of Aesthetics and Ability: Ed Brown M&P Field 9MM

By Tom McHale|2023-09-09T08:12:30-04:00September 9th, 2023|

The Ed Brown crew has expanded from 1911 builds and customizations to the Fueled series. When you think about it, it’s not surprising the company started that project with the S&W M&P with its rough similarities to the 1911 platform — think grip and pointing attributes.

New From Springfield Armory: Echelon!

By Tom McHale|2023-09-09T08:04:46-04:00September 9th, 2023|

There’s a new service, duty and defensive pistol in town, compliments of the busy folks at Springfield Armory. While no one is saying “replacement for the XD series,” it is a brand-new, ground-up design.

Simtek StealthALERT: Protect Your Guns and Gear with Tech

By Tom McHale|2023-09-01T14:11:52-04:00September 1st, 2023|

Enter the Simtek StealthALERT sensor. This handy little device provides watchful eyes on … well, most anything while you’re away. Let’s explain how it works, then you’ll clearly see its applications.

The Art of Reviewing a Semi-Auto Pistol – American Handgunner

By Tom McHale|2023-08-25T10:03:11-04:00June 7th, 2023|

Reviewing guns is 38% objective, 54% subjective, and 93% opinion. Those of you who aced Trigonometry might have figured out we blew right past the 100% limit, but that just goes to show that evaluating a gun isn’t an entirely quantifiable exercise. Now that I think about it, there is a word for a perfectly objective gun review. Specifications.

Streamlight TLR-8 sub

By Tom McHale|2023-06-06T15:28:09-04:00June 6th, 2023|

The “sub” in this one hints at its small and (extremely) light nature. Designed for compact carry guns like the GLOCK 43X and 48, SA Hellcat, SIG P365 and XL and other common subcompact models. Do check the model numbers carefully; some are gun specific, like the model shown here for GLOCKs with thin rails. The combo laser and light unit packs a whopping 500 lumens of steady or strobing light (your choice) into the small footprint powered by a CR123A battery. It’ll run for about an hour and a half with light and laser activated.

False Assumptions! You Most Certainly Can Carry a Larger Gun

By Tom McHale|2023-06-06T10:25:06-04:00June 6th, 2023|

I’m saying you can carry a larger gun concealed — every day even. To be clear, I’m not talking about one more powerful or in a larger caliber. I’m talking about a handgun physically bigger than the pocket micro mini subatomic ultra-compacts all the rage these days.

A Quick Look at the Bravo Concealment LINKed Holster

By Tom McHale|2023-04-14T11:28:32-04:00April 14th, 2023|

Here’s a mea culpa moment: I always feel I “should” carry at least one spare magazine for capacity and failure resistance. Do I follow through? Not nearly often enough.

How Do Your Concealed Carry Team Skills Stack Up? Team Tactics: Pernicious Pas De Deux

By Tom McHale|2023-03-13T10:03:50-04:00March 13th, 2023|

Humans are naturally confident, bordering on arrogant. In our minds, we’ve got all the correct answers, and for those situations we haven’t yet experienced, we assume we’ll make the right choices on the fly. We’re awesome like that.Gunfighting schools, on the other hand, are a force created by the universe to expose and counterbalance our genetic hubris. These diametrically opposed forces of nature are like gravity and orbital velocity — the reasons our hunk of rock topped with flawed humanity doesn’t crash into the sun or zoom past Pluto.

Less-Offensive EDC Tools

By Tom McHale|2023-03-06T09:18:15-05:00March 6th, 2023|

The parking garage was darker than normal. That light at the top of the stairwell was busted. No surprise, if the public bathroom on the ground floor is any indication, maintenance in the city’s public parking garages takes a distant second place to fixing that pothole at the end of 2nd Street. No reason to panic … yet. Nothing unusual about the light being smashed given the copious scrolls of graffiti on the walls.

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