90 years after the introduction of the 1927 Thompson submachine gun the “Tommy” still remains an iconic piece of Americana. Images of gangsters, prohibition-era smugglers, g-men, and even WWII heroes come to mind. The history of the “Tommy gun” and John Thompson is actually much richer than is commonly known: John Thompson was responsible for […]
Establishing a Handgun Grip: The Modern Two Handed Technique
There are many methods both taught and self-taught for holding a handgun. Here 15-year Army veteran, former 3-Gun Competitor, and NRA Certified Instructor Graham Baates shows us his simple method. Graham Baates is a 15-year Army veteran with a range of firearms experience stemming from combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, two years in the […]
Shots Fired! Diamondback DB9R 9mm Carbine
Yes, we’ve been handling a lot of 9mm carbines lately. The Jard J68, Dark Storm Industries Hailstorm, and more are on the way. They’re fun and quite practical. If you consider the controls and familiarity lent from the AR platform and combine that with the benefits of 9mm there’s a lot to like. Why 9mm? […]
Are Cheap Guns Worth It? The Pros and Cons of Affordable Firepower
Cheap Guns. While working as a defensive shooting instructor I saw a variety of handguns. Now as a writer I’ve seen even more. From under $200 to over $2,000. Is there really a ten-fold difference? Bookmark this page because we’ve got more the answer to more than 100 guns. The answer is yes and no. […]
Front Sight Trip: Gear Used
Front Sight is a great place to gain some skills or test gear. In just two days of course time you’ll break, wear out, or otherwise learn about gear that in normal weekly shooting could take months or years. There’s just something about a shooting course that makes gear age at an accelerated rate. This […]
Shots Fired: Regent SP1: Compensated for Your Pleasure
Not long ago we brought you a First Look at the Regent SP1 manufactured by Tisas and imported by LKCI, LLC. The SP1 is a compensated, full-size 9mm handgun built with an aluminum frame and steel slide. Between the all-metal construction and compensated barrel I was excited to get the SP1 on the range and […]
Shots Fired: Regent BR9 Browning High Power Clone
Not long ago we brought you the first look at the Regent BR9 imported by LKCI, LLC and manufactured by Tisas. The Regent BR9 appears to be a finely-machined rendition of the Browning High Power (or “Hi-Power” for you friendly folks). Despite the High Power being in service for more than half a century I […]
Honest Every Day Carry: Graham Baates
I work in an office environment and so try to keep things low-key. Fortunately I also work in the firearms industry so folks don’t freak out on the occasion that I walk down the hall with a carbine or two in hand. What you see here is my standard pocket load: Bersa BP9CC, phone, car […]
ST9 From T R Imports: Feature Rich Duty Gun
After the announcement and fall out of the Army’s Modular Handgun Competition we’ve been distracted by all the headlines. From the new products that flew under the radar like the FN 509 to Glock’s incredible ability to not change much but call it new gun news has been busy since January’s announcement. Meanwhile, in the […]
Ammunition: Is bullet weight or bullet quality more important?
In the never-ending search for slightly more accuracy we’ve all heard that X brand is better than Y brand, or to only use X-weight bullets with Y twist rate. I had always believed that until a recent test with the Ranger Proof rifle when we saw great accuracy with projectiles that traditional logic would argue […]