Reviews: Guns - My Gun Culture

Holy Handguns! To Port or Not to Port?

By Tom McHale|2023-11-30T09:46:15-05:00December 5th, 2023|

Some people swear once you go ported you never go back. Others claim Satan makes his guests use ported pistols while paying double for their ammo. I was an ambivalent “porter” until I spent some quality time with a few new Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P pistols. Now? Read on and see.

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Big Capacity! New EAA Witness 2311

By Tom McHale|2023-11-30T09:40:40-05:00December 1st, 2023|

There’s a new crop of double-stack “1911” pistols on the market: Staccato, Springfield Armory and now, EAA Girsan. The new Witness 2311 family offers double-stack configurations in 9mm, .45 ACP and 10mm. Let’s take a look at the 4.25″-barrel 9mm model for starters.

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A Modern Take on the Classic Hi-Power: Girsan MCP35 LW OPS

By Tom McHale|2023-10-03T09:28:56-04:00October 3rd, 2023|

It’s really nice to see the famous Hi-Power design coming back. Arguably, depending on where you are in the world, it never really went away, but we haven’t seen much mainstream production and innovation until the last couple of years. A great design is a timeless design, and I, for one, welcome the tweaks and changes we’re seeing with modern versions. Who can argue with the many improvements made to the 1911 platform over the years?

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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.

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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.

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Nighthawk Thunder Ranch Combat Special: Classy and Dangerous

By Tom McHale|2023-02-02T10:24:35-05:00February 2nd, 2023|

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.

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The Air-Powered Fun Zone

By Tom McHale|2022-12-20T07:41:44-05:00December 20th, 2022|

We can’t always get to the range to shoot our fire and brimstone guns, and frontyard ranges tend to upset the neighbors — at least some neighbors. That’s where Air Power saves the day. Modern air pistols and rifles are technological marvels and offer realistic and accurate performance. Better yet, they can be safe for backyard, garage, or even indoor — if your spouse isn’t home — use. Or better yet, get her involved in the shooting! Here’s a few “must haves” and “wish I had thems” to get you going.

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A Holster Full of Boom: Springfield Armory XD-M 10mm

By Tom McHale|2022-11-13T15:16:54-05:00November 13th, 2022|

Reports of the demise of the 10mm cartridge have been greatly exaggerated. If new gun launches are any indicator of consumer demand (they are), then the 10mm is alive and kicking; thank you very much.Anyway, the 10mm has been coming on strong this past year. Considered mortally wounded after law enforcement everywhere moved to the .40 S&W and assumed to be dead and recycled into Shake Weights when law enforcement everywhere moved to the 9mm, it seems to be still kicking. Apparently, it’s the Michael Myers of calibers.

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Vantage Point: The French Do Something Right

By Tom McHale|2022-07-30T11:04:55-04:00July 30th, 2022|

French military jokes tend to write themselves, and somehow, French arms haven’t always enjoyed the satisfaction of a durable martial reputation. So, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way so we can proceed to the story at hand … Do you know why French tanks are designed with one forward and five reverse gears? In case they have to retreat straight ahead. Ba-da-bing! Now I’ve gotten it out of my system; it’s time to heap some well-deserved praise on a French arms maker.

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New! Springfield Armory .45 ACP Garrison 1911 Pistol Review

By Tom McHale|2021-11-15T09:02:10-05:00November 15th, 2021|

Over the past year or so, Springfield Armory has taken the concepts of economies of scale to new heights. Pistols in the Ronin family and the new SA-35 Hi-Power have proven to the market you can make a rock-solid pistol at a price friendly to most everyone. The latest entry in this race to provide top-notch firearms at affordable price points is the anchor of a new family of 1911 pistols — the Garrison. It’s a basic 1911 design with modern refinements to make it reliable with defensive ammo, accurate and comfortable to carry and shoot.

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