Service pistols shoot amazingly well considering that they’re produced by the trillions. OK, maybe millions, but they’re still mass production items made mostly by machines. If you have a pistol that’s hand-fitted, you’ll be paying a lot more than the $500 give or take a few Benjamins. The most significant difference between hand-tweaked guns and […]
15 Must-Have Handgun Tools
Spending just a few dollars on the right handgun tools will save you not only a lot of aggravation but damage to your firearms… There are thousands of gunsmithing tools on the market. How do you choose which ones to buy first? That can be a daunting task, so here’s a quick list of 15 […]
A Quick and Easy Way to Improve the Glock Trigger
Once you shoot a pistol with a nice trigger, you’re spoiled for life… I’ve been tinkering with a new pair of Glocks – the Slimline 43X and 48 models. They’re identical except for slide and barrel length. Yes, they share the exact same 10-round magazine too. If you haven’t checked them out yet, take a look. I’m […]
5 Must-Have Products for Pistol Mag Maintenance
Got a Glock? Then you know what a pain it can be to remove magazine base plates for cleaning. Here’s a nifty tool to help with that. I also find that a 12-gauge shotgun barrel mop does a great job of cleaning magazine interiors. Sure, you’re cleaning and maintaining your pistol, but how do those […]
What to do When Your Rifle Starts to Shoot Wonky
A comprehensive list of things to check, and fix, when your rifle starts to shoot more like a blunderbuss… If your accurate rifle suddenly starts misbehaving and spraying the target with patterns instead of groups, don’t panic. Any good rifle that’s gone to the darkside can be rescued. Read the rest: What to do When […]
How to Zero Your Pistol Laser Sight
Have you ever gotten all worked up about something only to later figure out that whatever was causing anxiety wasn’t all that big a deal? I have. In fact, I used to spend way too much time and energy thinking about the optimum way to “zero” a laser sight on a pistol. Since the laser […]
What Is Rifle Headspace and Why Is It Important?
I wrote this piece on headspace for Shooting Sports Retailer magazine but whether you sell guns to earn a living or not, the information about headspace is handy… Rifle headspace is one of those topics that, in reality, is not nearly as mysterious as it seems. When customers buy a used firearm, especially a military […]
Holster Butchery
Taking a Dremel tool to a firearm is almost always frowned upon. And I agree. However, butchering a holster might be entirely appropriate, depending on the reason. The other day I shared a story about how the extremely challenging Air Marshal Pistol Qualification test exposed some opportunities for gear improvement. The need for top speed […]
What You Need to Know About Sights
Most modern handguns and rifles ship with their factory sights set pretty close to perfect. However, everyone’s eyes are unique and different types of ammo can land in varying spots around the point of aim. Also, many AR platform rifles don’t ship with iron sights at all, letting the buyer add whatever type they want. […]
Headspace For Regular Folks
This article originally appeared at Ammoland. Headspace is one of those firearm concepts that seems way more complicated than it really is. It’s important to invest a few minutes understanding it, however, because if it’s not right, you can end up with a malfunctioning gun, or worse, one of those self-exploding firearms. For the “headspace […]