pistols

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.

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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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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.

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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 Gun Review: Mossberg MC2sc Carry Pistol

By Tom McHale|2021-10-26T09:18:12-04:00October 26th, 2021|

Optics ready and big capacity in a small package. American Handgunner Editor tom McHale spends the day at Gunsite Shooting Academy reviewing Mossberg's newly released MC2sc compact handgun.

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American Handgunner Gunsmithing: 1911 Pistol Sear Spring Savvy – American Handgunner

By Tom McHale|2021-10-12T10:02:15-04:00October 12th, 2021|

The more you know… here’s an interesting explanation of what that weird looking sear spring thingy on a 1911 pistol does...

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Gun Review: Springfield Armory Ronin 1911 10mm [VIDEO]

By Tom McHale|2021-10-08T17:56:42-04:00October 8th, 2021|

10mm is in. You can't argue with the power downrange and when packaged in a classic 1911 pistol platform, the 10mm is surprisingly easy to control. Recoil is a bit more than a .45 ACP in a similar handgun, but not bad. American Handgunner magazine editor Tom McHale checks out the Springfield Armory 1911 Ronin 10mm with a range report.

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