The Beretta APX pistol was designed as the company’s potential entry into the Army Modular Handgun System trials. Knowing that the M9 family was ready for replacement after the past several decades of service, the company veered away from their traditional double-action / single-action preference. What? The striker-fired Beretta APX is the company’s entry into […]
Uberti’s El Patron Six Shooter: A Cowboy Classic
I’ve always wanted a pair of matching “cowboy guns.” By matching, I mean a six-shooter and a classic lever-action rifle, chambered in the same caliber. Ideally, that caliber would be .45 Colt. Childhood dreams? Maybe. Or perhaps just because. When we decided to do some stories and videos on these classic guns, we quickly looked […]
Should You Choose an AR-15 Rifle or Pistol?
AR-15 pistols certainly aren’t new, but we’ve seen an explosion in the platform over the past two years. A combination of new product designs and some favorable opinions from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms have propelled these firearms into mainstream use. Depending on your requirements, an AR-type pistol platform may be a great […]
FNX 45 Tactical: Capacity and Brawny Bullets
9mm or .45 ACP? The debate never ends, now does it? Most times, a rational discussion comparing the two devolves to an argument of size versus capacity. What’s more important? Size? Or how you use it? The 9mm platform (usually) gives you two smaller bullets for the price of one hefty one for the 45. I […]
Winning with the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory
Who needs yet another .22 Long Rifle Pistol? That’s what I thought when I got my hands on a Smith & Wesson Victory at a pre-launch showing a few years back. In fact, it looked like other pistols already on the market, like the Smith 22A pistol for example. This single Allen screw releases the […]
Brass Tacks: The Beretta 3032 Tomcat
The Beretta 3032 Tomcat is a .32 ACP pocket pistol with a few twists. It’s a double-action/single-action design, so the first trigger press is heavy. After that, the single-action press isn’t too bad at all. The action is straight blowback, possible due to the small caliber chambering. In a cross between the old-school European heel […]
Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Ported: A One-Caliber Recoil Reduction
Here’s a neat fact about the F-16 fighter jet. The pilot’s seat is far more reclined than those in other planes. That’s a bit of physics and biology trickery to help the pilot deal with high G forces. What does that have to do with pistols? If you create gas ports in a pistol barrel, […]
Does the Smith & Wesson Governor Really Shoot Shotgun Shells and Bullets?
Hand-held shotguns are odd ducks. Can I say that? Actually, I can’t because, at least according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and firearms they’re not shotguns at all but rather handguns. Here’s the distinction. Shotguns by legal definition have a smooth bore. They are also required by law to have barrels of at least […]
A Ported Pocket .45 From Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center
The 9mm Smith & Wesson Shield is a great carry gun. It’s perfectly sized to balance concealment and control when shooting. As a single-stack magazine pistol, it’s flat, so it’s not only feasible but comfortable to carry inside the waistband. Depending on your clothing style preferences, it might even work as a pocket gun. However, if […]
FN’s Fast and Tiny Five-Seven Pistol
Imagine the 9mm versus .45 ACP argument on steroids. In the 9 v. 45 debate, most arguments boil down to whether fat and slow are better than skinny and fast. With the FN Five-Seven pistol’s 5.7x28mm caliber, what is thin and fast is completely redefined. What? The Five-Seven pistol uses teeny, tiny centerfire cartridges labeled […]