pistols

A Unique Pocket Carry Solution: The One-Handed Autoloading Pistol

By Tom McHale|2024-11-15T11:58:24-05:00November 10th, 2024|

Firearm design attracts interesting engineering solutions. To offer a “pocket carry” safe autoloading pistol, one Witold Chylewski created a .25 ACP handgun that could be carried uncocked, with chamber empty, but still ready for instant, one-handed deplyment.

0

A Holster Full of Boom: The Automag III .30 Carbine

By Tom McHale|2024-11-08T15:14:59-05:00November 8th, 2024|

Revolvers chambered in the .30 Carbine cartridge have a reputation for range-clearing levels of boom! One reader suggested when we wants the range to himself, he breaks out a .30 Carbine handgun. Clayton Walker has a great story here about an interesting version of the Automag III chambered in, you guessed it, .30 Carbine.

0

The Vudoo Gun Works Möbius 1911 Pistol: Premium Guns Made Different

By Tom McHale|2024-02-25T13:47:33-05:00February 25th, 2024|

I ran across the folks at Vudoo Gun Works a little over a year ago and was intrigued by their manufacturing approach. The company makes high-end guns but has come up with some interesting manufacturing techniques to bring the price point down. Make no mistake, you'll still pay a pretty penny for a very nice gun, but had it been made using more traditional techniques, you'd be adding a grand or so to the price.

0

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.

0

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.

1

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?

0

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.

1

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.

0

5-Point 1911 Safety Check: Is Your Gun Safe?

By Tom McHale|2022-12-27T10:30:13-05:00December 27th, 2022|

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.

0

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.

0

IMPROVE YOUR SHOOTING!