The Nomenclature of Handgun Sizes

By

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March 28, 2024

The firearms industry and standardization are not good friends. For some reason, choosing one pattern for anything is often terrifying. It’s why we still have a dozen different optics cuts. One thing the industry has more or less standardized on is handgun sizes. We seem to have settled into a comfortable area for the various handgun sizes, so I figured I’d break it down for new shooters and give them an explanation of these more or less accepted sizes.

Digging Into Handgun Sizes

There are seven major handgun sizes that are more or less reserved for automatic handguns. Revolvers are a bit of their own world, of various sizes, for various purposes. We’ll cover automatics today and revolvers in another article. These sizes aren’t quite universal but are as close as we can get in the firearm industry.

Full Size

Full size is the duty-sized handgun variant. They are typically defined by a barrel length between 4 to 5 inches. These guns are typically around 5.5 inches tall and hold anywhere from 15 to 20+ rounds of ammunition when chambered in a caliber like 9mm. They tend to be doublestack firearms in the modern era. They are a popular choice for duty carry, competition, home defense, and concealed carry, with those who go a little hardcore with it.

Compact

Compact can be deceptive in its name. I’ll admit, it was the first time I saw a gun described as compact. I thought it was a bit of a bad description. Compact guns tend to have barrel lengths that are 3.7 to 4 inches or so. The height is about five inches max, and they also tend to have doublestack magazines. These guns are often considered the perfect jack-of-all-trades handgun size.

A new type of compact in the form of guns like the P365XL and the Hellcat Pro has introduced a thinner-than-average compact option as well. They are well suited for concealed carry, duty, and home defense.

Subcompact

Subcompact guns typically have a barrel length between 3.1 to 3.5 inches and tend to be 4.17 inches tall. These smaller firearms can come in both single-stack designs and doublestack designs. Most of the time, the subcompact handgun sizes are smaller versions of duty-sized and compact firearms like the Glock 26 and SIG P224.

Most companies also defined their single-stack 9mm handguns as subcompacts. Guns like the Walther PPS and Glock 43 tend to be thinner but roughly the same size in terms of length and height as their doublestack alternatives.

Micro Compact

Micro compact brings us a relatively new set of handgun sizes. These guns came about in 2018, and they were started by the premier of the SIG P365. A micro-compact tends to have a barrel length of about 3 inches and a height below 4.5 inches, depending on the magazine length. The defining feature of these firearms is their 1 to 1.1-inch wide grips with the ability to hold at least 10 rounds in a flush-fit magazine. These guns are typically reserved for concealed carry.

Competition / Long Slide / L

When we reach the bigger-than-duty size length, we start to see a mix of terms used to describe the guns. The two most popular are competition and long slide, with L often being the marker of a Long slide variant. These guns feature barrels that are typically 5.25 to 6 inches long, but they can be longer on occasion. This section of handgun sizes makes use of full-sized frames, so the height is still around 5.5 inches. These tend to be guns used for competition and hunting but are also somewhat common duty and home defense options.

X / Carry

Handgun sizes are always evolving, and one of the newer options is the X or Carry Models. Glock and SIG started the theme. Glock has the most famous model in the form of the Glock 19X, but SIG also has the P320 Carry, and the Arex Delta X is another X model. These guns combine a compact-sized slide and barrel length with a full-length grip module. They are popular for reasons unknown to me, but they tend to fill the same genre of firearms as compacts and are popular as jack-of-all-trades guns.

Pocket Pistol

The smallest of automatics are known as pocket pistols. These firearms are named because they very easily drop into your pocket. They often have single-stack magazines and feature a capacity of six to seven rounds. These guns have barrel lengths between 2.5 to 2.8 inches. They tend to be in calibers like .380 ACP and .22 LR, but .32 ACP and .25 ACP are not unheard of.

Handguns Sizes & You

In this online age, more and more people are shopping online. I often find that online descriptions are somewhat lacking. Some people may be looking for something that’s more akin to a micro compact and think the gun-size compact will fit their needs. Hopefully, this will give you a quick reference to handgun sizes and their uses.

EDC BARREL UPGRADES

By

Linas Cernauskas

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March 27, 2024

One of the most American things you can do is to take something you own and make it personable to you. We do it to our houses, cars, trucks and even firearms. It’s an American tradition to take something stock, tinker with it, and make it yours and one-of-a-kind. Then we show it off to our friends and family with a “look what I did” grin on our faces.

BARREL UPGRADES

One of the easiest upgrades to do to your handgun is replacing your barrel. If you know how to field strip your pistol, chances are, you know how to replace your barrel. A typical aftermarket barrel will improve your accuracy by about 10% to 20%. And with the improved accuracy, you can also add some flair to your handgun. Most of the barrels are offered in various colors, threaded/non-threaded, different styles of thread protectors and several different designs of being fluted.

We’ll look at barrels for two very common and popular platforms, the Sig Sauer P365 and Glock 19. For the P365 variant, Lone Wolf has several new offerings, and Ballistic Advantage also has new offerings for the Glock platform.

Ballistic Advantage

Located In Florida, Ballistic Advantage started making barrels for ARs, eventually teaming up with Aero Precision and offering various AR barrels and receivers. New for them are Glock barrels for the Model 17, 19, 26 and 34. Some of the barrels are offered for Gen 3-5 Glocks, non-fluted, spiral fluted or QPQ Bomber fluted. All barrels are threaded and offered in various colors (iridescent, light gray, copper, gold and black). They also offer two types of thread protectors—the standard and Skull Crusher version (offered in the same colors as their barrels).

The barrels themselves have a SAAMI spec chamber, hood chamfered on three sides, and a unique cam slot positioning. They feature a 1-in-10-inch-twist rate, button rifling and 1/2×28 threaded muzzle. What does this all mean? As Ballistic Advantage calls it, “match grade performance, duty grade reliability.”

I chose the G19 Gen 3 barrel in PVD copper with spiral flutes and their Skull Crusher thread protector in the same finish. The host gun was a Lone Wolf’s 80% Freedom Wolf lower and Zev Technologies OZ9c slide with a Trijicon RMR on it. Installation of the barrel was easy breezy, and I was off to send lead downrange.

I have put almost 500 rounds through the barrel with it showing minimum wear. Shooting off-hand, I did feel that accuracy was improved. As for the looks department, I feel the addition of the Ballistic Advantage copper barrel has improved this G19 clone by 1,000%. Check out all of their Glock barrels and variations at ballisticadvantage.com.

Lone Wolf Arms

Located in Idaho, Lone Wolf Arms for years has been offering various aftermarket parts for Glocks, even recently offering their newest handgun, the Dusk19. Recently, they branched out and offered barrels and slides for Sig Sauer P365 and P365XL under their Dawn line. The barrels are offered in threaded or non-threaded and in ORB, black, FDE and Graphite Gray finishes.

All of the barrels are made from 416 stainless steel with Lone Wolf’s Dawn profile and finished in PVD. The hood pocket and profile facets help reduce the bearing surface for faster cycling and coating wear resistance. The thread barrels all have a 1/2×28 threaded muzzle.

I chose the Dawn365 in the ORB finish, which is dark copper and bronze in color. The host gun was a Wilson Combat WCP365 with a Trijicon RMRc on it. Installation of the barrel was also quick and easy, and I immediately appreciated the new look of the pistol.

The Dawn365 barrel also had almost 500 rounds through it, showing almost no wear. Accuracy, I felt, was also improved. I can’t express enough how much I like the look of the WCP365 with the Dawn365 OB barrel in it. It is a looker. Check out Lone Wolf Dawn products at lonewolfdist.com.

One Other Change

The WCP365 unfortunately came with Sig’s standard mag release, which I felt was too low profile. I switched mine out with a Tyrant’s P365 Extended Mag Release, offered in black or gold. The new release fits all models of the P365 and is made of 17-4 stainless steel. The grooves help for a more positive engagement of the release, and it just feels and looks so much better. Tyrant couldn’t have said it better with, “…this extended magazine release isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a necessity.” Check out their mag release and other products at tyrantcnc.com.

An Examination Of The Guns of Haiti

By

Travis Pike

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March 27, 2024

The country of Haiti has recently been at the forefront of news media. The situation has escalated into violent gangs roaming the streets and ousting police and military forces. These gangs are heavily armed, and the most prominent leader is reportedly a cannibal named BBQ. (The name BBQ is not related to cannibalism, and it comes from a family member’s business.) The news media has given extensive coverage to the situation on the ground, and plenty of photos of armed gang members have circled the world.

These gangs are calling on Haiti’s president, Ariel Henry, to resign. Henry met that request on March 11th, and efforts to create an interim government are currently underway. I have nearly zero knowledge of Haitian politics, so I certainly won’t offer my take on that situation. However, I am fairly knowledgeable about firearms, and the guns of the Haitian crisis have been interesting to see.

The Guns of Haiti

Haiti lacks any infrastructure to produce firearms, and there are no firearm manufacturing facilities in the country. Where did all the guns come from? Many will quickly blame the United States and classify it as a policy failure. Bear in mind they are already breaking several laws, including international laws, to smuggle these weapons into Haiti. How one more law would stop this practice seems to be up for debate.

There is certainly a degree of smuggled weapons. The aforementioned cannibal leader, Jimmy ‘BBQ’ Cherizier, is carrying some kind of PDW-style AR rifle. This seems to be an American-made rifle, likely an illegally smuggled rifle. However, the majority of the rifles I see in the hands of these gang members appear to be taken from the Haitian police and military forces.

A number of the anti-gun pieces on this subject show photos of Haitians wielding a variety of rifles and even belt-fed machine guns, but those aren’t coming from the United States. These are rifles issued to the police officers and soldiers in Haiti. Over and over, I see these articles blaming the United States while the photos they use to illustrate appear to be stolen firearms.

While I don’t deny smuggling happens. The United States has stopped numerous smugglers and seized numerous weapons. However, the guns being used by these gangs appear to be coming from the Haitian government. Whether it’s corruption or theft remains undecided.

Putting an Eye On the Guns of Haiti

The leader of the G9 Family gang, Jimmy ‘BBQ’ Cherizier, wields a short PDW-type AR, much like Bin Laden wielded that famed AKS-74U. It looks to be a 7.5-inch AR with a PDW stock. The rifle utilizes a Magpul AFG grip and a red dot and sling I can’t identify. He’s seen using two ETS magazines that are clamped together with the magazine’s integral clamping device, which now makes them clone-correct for a Haiti warlord build. His gun is the one that stands out the most.

Other weapons likely smuggled from the United States are various AK-type pistols. These guns lack stock and come in numerous sizes. This includes the famed Dracos, as well as some N-PAP designs. I even saw one with a brace adapter but no brace.

There have also been a few AR-15s that appear to be fairly standard rifles. The Haitian military does have M4s in their armory, so some could be stolen, or they could have been smuggled to the country. I think some of these are smuggled because of the lack of sights, non-standard rails, and non-standard stocks.

A few Glocks have popped up, but those are so eponymous its tough to say if they are imported or taken from the military and police.

Stolen Military and Police Firearms

One of the more interesting pictures shows a gang member wielding a shorty G3 rifle with a red dot and a folding stock. It’s crazy short for a .308, but that’s also been a weapon we’ve seen soldiers of the Haitian military utilize. I don’t think .308 offers great short-barrel ballistics, but here we are.

Another rifle that is becoming more and more common amongst the gang members in the IWI Galil. The Hatiain National Police are armed with a variety of Israeli-made weapons, including the Galil, as well as the Negev, which was seen in the hands of gang members as well.

There have also been some M16A2s, which are also part of the armories of police and military forces in Haiti. The same goes for M14 rifles, which have also been seen in the hands of gang members.

The guns we see in the hands of the gangs are mostly the same guns we see in police and military hands. The Galil is the most common, but the M14, M4, shorty G3s, and M16A2s have popped up in police hands. One of the most interesting pictures shows a Haitian police officer wielding an M1 Garand.

A Failed State

Haiti has always been a bit unstable. The current crisis has been in effect since 2018 but escalated very quickly. The mish-mash of small arms comes from several sources, often given as aid. There is no way to know how the situation will end, but as of now, it seems like a lot of Haitian military and police weapons are on the streets.

Terminator & Lasers

By

Travis Pike

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March 26, 2024

The Terminator film is one of the best science fiction movies ever. It’s a thriller, or maybe a horror with elements of action. Imagine a killer robot programmed to pursue and kill you. It can’t be reasoned with any more than your toaster can be reasoned with. It comes at you, and the next thing you know, there is a laser on your chest, and some guy dressed like a homeless person is carrying an Ithaca 37 and telling you to run.

Terminator isn’t a gun film per se, but it did have some pretty cool guns for a 1980s film. One of the famed scenes is our Terminator heading to Alamo Gun Shop to arm up for his pursuit against Sarah Connor. When he’s turned down for a plasma rifle in 40 watt range he settle for Earth’s standard lead throwers. This includes an AR-180, a SPAS-12, an Uzi, and the famed AMT Hardballer Long Slide with the massive laser riding above the slide.

Lasers on guns might seem normal now, but in 1984, no one had really seen something like that. It seems ingenious to use the sight for aiming: just put the laser where you want to shoot, and a bullet will appear. You never have to worry about sight picture or focus; just point and shoot. While I have no definite way to prove it, I bet Terminator would help sell more lasers for guns than any other influence.

Keep in mind that in 1984, the laser attached to the Terminator’s AMT was a one-off design. It didn’t exist on the market. People likely wanted something they couldn’t really get until years later. Where did the laser come from? Well, that’s a bit of an interesting story.

A Terminator & A Laser

Lasers on handguns were new in 1984 and very rare. Only one existed, and they didn’t mount it to a 1911. Laser Products Corporation was the first company to produce a weapon-mounted aiming solution. The original device, the LPC Model 7, was designed to be mounted on a Colt Trooper. It replaced the front and rear sight and sat along the top of the gun.

The LPC Model 7 featured a set of iron sights across the top as well. This system required a massive battery that fit the grip of the Colt Trooper and extended the grip a fair bit. These were big devices with tape switch that activated the laser when the weapon was gripped. The LPC Model 7 was a helium-neon laser and was ruggedized for recoil.

This all comes into play because Laser Products Corporation began making other systems. This includes laser sights for the shotguns that were carried by the police standing guard at the 1984 Olympics. (These same shotgun laser devices would be shown in the Arnold movie Commando as well.) A movie propmaster saw the lasers, and something clicked. He reached out to Laser Products Corporation.

The Terminator Gets His Laser

A mount and laser for a semi-auto handgun didn’t exist at this time period. Laser Products Corporation agreed to build a laser for the AMT Hardballer. Ed Reynolds, the cofounder of Laser Products Corporation, got to work. According to Ed:

“A company called Hemdale [Film Corporation] came along and said, ‘We’ll give you the gun, and you put the laser on it,'” Reynolds recalls. “They provided the AMT HARDBALLER .45 LONG SLIDE. Our Colt Trooper .357 had the same laser configuration, so I took one of those and created a housing for it. I took a standard, off-the-shelf gun mount for a scope, modified that, and we had a product. The only thing I got out of it was the advertising, a hat, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt.”

Ed’s custom gun didn’t have room for a battery pack. Instead, the battery and laser connected via a wire. They hid the wire in the Terminator’s jacket throughout the film. They built a second non-working model without a wire and without a battery. Ed attached the laser to the gun via a scope mount, and the system utilized a button the Terminator had to activate with his left hand.

It took 10,000 volts to fire up the laser and get it running for the film. All of the scenes in the movie with the laser being used are the actual laser. There were no special effects. It was the actual laser on screen.

Future of Laser Products Corporation

That little company, Laser Products Corporation, well, they became a little company you might have heard of. Laser Products calls themselves SureFire these days. SureFire still makes lasers, but their focus is mostly on lights, with a healthy obsession for suppressors and muzzle devices as well. They’ve come a long way from Terminator, and that Terminator likely helped sell a lot of lasers.

MANTIS BLACKBEARD: RAPID DRY FIRE AR

By

Linas Cernauskas

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March 26, 2024

Want to improve your shooting? Dry fire! What is dry fire exactly? Well, it is shooting your firearm without any ammunition in the chamber. Dry fire enhances your trigger control and your sight acquisition. It works, but it can be a pain with ARs. With ARs you have to run the charging handle. It can lead to improper muscle memory. However, Mantis Blackbeard has changed the dry fire game.

Mantis Blackbeard

Dry-fire practice with your AR has just gotten so much better, also. The Mantis Blackbeard is an auto-resetting trigger that does not involve replacing your trigger. This is a drop-in bolt carrier group and magazine that will work with your current trigger. It will have the same weight, break and reset. There’s no need to run the charging handle after each trigger pull. Plus, it will work with both direct impingement and piston-driven ARs.

Blackbeard allows you to take up to 10 shots per second, quickly resetting the hammer between each shot. The magazine battery pack is good for 100,000 shots per charge and has a battery level indicator on it. The Blackbeard bolt carrier is offered with an optional laser that allows you to see where your shots go.

Rapid Dry Fire

It took less than two minutes to break open a Bravo AR, remove the bolt carrier group, drop in the Blackbeard (make sure the trigger hammer is down), close it up and insert the battery magazine in place. I then had a chance to really feel the trigger without any live ammo. Much to my wife’s disdain, I started doing home clearing drills. There is an audible “click” after each trigger pull, but I was surprised how quickly the trigger reset itself.

Blackbeard is a great system that requires no modifications to your AR. It is available without a laser or with a red, green or infrared laser. I plan on using Mantis’ Laser Academy with Blackbeard that adds practice modes and targets, which require movement, timing and scoring for a much-improved training session. Do yourself a favor and go get a Blackbeard. You won’t regret it. Find yours at mantisx.com.

The Guns of Starship Troopers

By

Travis Pike

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March 25, 2024

The unprecedented success of Helldivers 2 has reawakened the popularity of the film Starship Troopers. Sadly, it’s also reawakened a group of people who think they have IQs because they remark, “It’s a satire….” and then complain about media literacy. Yeah, we all know it’s satire, but that doesn’t make it not cool. Outside of the fart sniffers, we’ve also seen a weird group of folks say the bugs are the good guy.

Regardless, the 1997 film Starship Troopers is likely a core memory for many millennial males, not just because of the co-ed shower scene but because it’s a fun action flick. While it’s supposedly based on the book by Robert Heinlen, it’s a bit of a stretch to find much in common between the two stories.

There are some, but one of the biggest differences is the weaponry. The book had power armor and the common use of nuclear weapons, but the movie had the Morita Mk 1 Rifle. Today, we are going to tackle the guns of the film Starship Troopers.

The Guns of Starship Troopers

Like most 1990s sci-fi action flicks, Starship Troopers used real guns, but they were dressed up to be sci-fi-infused. The film isn’t necessarily famous for its gun handling, but throughout the film, over 300,000 blanks were used. There is a fair bit of gunplay, and one thing the film got right was the commonality of one weapon platform rather than several.

In the film Starship Troopers, the main rifle is the Morita Mk 1. It’s the most common weapon platform we see. The Morita Mk 1 Rifle is a full auto assault rifle in a bullpup format. It has a carry handle that seemingly provides both a front and rear sight. In the film, they are seemingly fired almost exclusively in full auto. The full auto fire rips the limbs off of bugs.

When the gun runs dry or when close-quarter combat demands it, the user can swap to a bottom-mounted shotgun. This pump action design is used by our hero, Rico, as he takes literal chunks out of the bug when he’s cornered during the initial invasion.

Throughout the movie, we see two other variants of the Morita. Next, we see a Morita Mk 1 Sniper rifle, which is identical to the rifle variant, but it features a fairly large, almost comically sized scope. We only see the weapon used once by one soldier.

We have a Morita carbine used by Jean Rasczak and most officers of the Federation. The leader of Rasczak’s Roughnecks carries a shorter version of the Morita and uses it quite a bit. It’s not uncommon for leadership billets to carry shorter, lighter rifles. The Morita Carbine and rifle have the same relationship as the M4 and M16. The carbine version lacks the shotgun attachment.

The Real Morita Carbine

The Morita Mk 1 Carbine is a custom shell built around the AC-556. The AC-556 is the select fire assault rifle variant of the Ruger Mini-14. The shell is composed of the old-school Muzzlelite Bullpup stock kits that were around for Ruger rifles.

They seemed to cut the Muzzlelite kit in half about mid-way through the carry handle. They then extended the shell of the gun to make it a bit bigger. The barrels are tipped with M60 flash suppressors.

The shotguns mounted to the rifles are Ithaca 37s. If you look closely, there are two triggers: one for the shotgun and one for the rifle. The magazines also have a sleeve mounted to make them look a little more futuristic.

Even though the film is tongue-in-cheek satire, the use of one gun as the rifle, carbine, and sniper rifle was clever. It is realistic for a military force. The guns themselves are a bit comically oversized, but it works for the cheesy nature of the movie. It’s easy to see why the film has a cult following, and if you have some time to spare, give it a watch and check out the Morita Mk 1 in action.

TACTICAL WALLS MODWALL

By

Linas Cernauskas

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March 25, 2024

I don’t have any little ones running around at home. OK, I do, but they have four legs. I am almost always at home, and besides carrying at home I like to have shotguns and rifles ready throughout the house. I always felt bad about tucking them into a corner or hiding them on a high shelf. This is where Tactical Walls’ ModWall Patriot Pack comes into play. It allows you to proudly display your wares, while at the same time keeping them at the ready.

ModWall Install & Setup

I was surprised at how easy the install was. All you need is a stud finder and a level. The panels are 22-by-48-by-0.5 inches, so you want to find a wall with ample space. The panels are set up for studs that are 16 inches apart, with 12 screws for each panel. I found getting the bottom panel done first was the easy route. I screwed in one of the middle screws so I could adjust the panel to make sure everything was leveled. After that, just screw in the remaining 11, set the other panel on top, check the level and screw it in.

The set up for the accessories was easy and quick; just follow the instructions. The Patriot Pack came with two AR-15 hangers (left and right), two double-stack pistol hangers (left and right), two flashlight hangers, a large shelf (perfect for storing mags), a vest hanger, helmet hanger and two ModWall Hide-A-Mags (super strong magnets that will hold anything you ask of them). All the accessories are easily moved around on the panels so you can change your configuration to your liking.

Tactical Walls Extras

Tactical Walls offers extra accessories for the ModWall at a great price. You can add on horizontal racks (to show off your unique builds), AR-10 hangers, AK hangers, QLS holster mounts, mag racks, a tactical belt mount, multi-rifle hangers, multi-pistol hangers, revolver hangers and much more. You get the idea.

The ModWall is going to be great to have at my home. I really enjoy looking at some of my gear throughout the day. It is also comforting to know that I have several defensive options at the ready if the need arises. For example, if a coyote gets too close to one of my little ones, I can grab the 300 Blackout pistol off the ModWall and take care of business. The unit also adds to the aesthetics and comfort of my office.

If you don’t have a lot of wall real estate, Tactical Walls also offers a MidMOD Rifle Display Package and ModWall AirMod, to mount your favorite rifle. Give them a look, as they have something for everyone. For more information, visit tacticalwalls.com.

Patterning the Judge Home Defender Part 2 – Normal Buckshot

By

Travis Pike

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March 24, 2024

We shot a wallet’s worth of money in the last Home Defender article, and we are doing it one more time. This time, I grabbed the Home Defender and a few boxes of normal .410. By Normal .410, I mean .410, which is designed for smooth-bore shotguns. It’s the common loads of various buckshot options I’ve found cruising around a variety of outdoor stores. I’ve spent anywhere from $1.50 a round to $3 a round. Sadly, this stuff is more expensive than a good 12-gauge buckshot.

For testing purposes, I patterned each load five times at ten yards. My target is a slightly reduced A-zone IPSC target. The Taurus Home Defender’s rifled barrel tends to play oddly with the patterns of buckshot. From the three-inch barrel,normal buckshot used to create chaos and throw huge, unpredictable patterns. In my opinion, normal buckshot from a Judge was useless. Will that change with the Home Defender?

Normal Buckshot and the Home Defender

Winchester Super X – 2.5-Inch – 3 Pellet 000

This Winchester Super X is one of the most common loads on the market for .410 Buckshot. I was able to find it pretty easily, even at big box stores. Sadly, I also paid close to $3 a round for the stuff. I found both 2.5 and 3-inch varieties. The pattern was over seven inches wide, with two of the three pellets landing outside of our A-zone. That’s not necessarily a great pattern by any means. This wouldn’t be a load I trusted with the Home Defender.

Winchester Super X – 3-Inch – 5 Pellet 000

The same load as above, but now expanded to 3-inches with two extra pellets. This is the better load overall, with a lot more lead per trigger pull. It also seems to pattern much better as a 3-inch round. The patterns were consistent, and the pellets remained inside the A-zone. There was only a little extra recoil compared to the 2.5-inch load. This is clearly the better load for the Hoem Defender. I’m not sure why it works better, but I’m beginning to think the 3-inch chamber works better with 3-inch buckshot. The pattern was about six inches wide on average.

Remington Home Defense – 3-Inch – 5 Pellet 000

One of my all-time favorite .410 home defense loads, is back on the market, and I purchased five boxes as soon as I could. The Remington Home Defense load is packed full of lead, and five 000 pellets is no joke. Four of the five pellets landed within the A zone target and the spread was typically between six and half to seven inches. The pattern typically strung horizontally as you see here.

They remained almost always on target. The recoil was a little sharper than most but still light enough to shoot fast. Of the standard buckshot loads for the Judge Home Defender, this is my favorite. It gives you a nice bang for your buck and plenty of threat-stopping potential. The pattern isn’t perfect, but it is consistent and fine for home defense ranges.

Aguila .410 Buckshot – 2.5 inch – 4 pellets 00

This Aguila buckshot load is another one of the more common loads, and it tends to be fairly affordable for 25-round boxes. The rounds delivered a surprisingly nice performance. The 00 pellets are good enough, and you get four of them. They tended to have a flyer, but it was fairly well contained and landed close to the pattern and always within the A zone. Recoil was very low, and the affordability and availability make this a solid load for defensive use.

Sellier & Bellot Buckshot – 3-Inch – 4 Pellets 00 Buckshot

Sellier & Bellot was a very basic buckshot load and a cheapish one. It’s going to cost you roughly 75 cents per round on a good day. The load looks fine, a bit basic, but workable. It maintains a pattern within 7 inches or so and remains in the A-zone. There is more vertical stringing than horizontal. It’s not bad for a more budget-friendly buckshot load. The recoil is a little stout but still very controllable. It’s not a terrible choice for the Home Defender.

American Tactical BB Buckshot – 12 Pellets BB

I bought this stuff cause it was cheap, and it’s about useless in the Judge Home Defender. To be fair, it would be pretty useless for a self-defense load anyway. Still, I had it on hand and wanted to give it a spin. Between three to six of the 12 pellets landed as desired, and the rest was unaccounted for. It’s a garbage load. I don’t see a purpose for this load with the Home Defender or even a standard shotgun.

Testing Concluded

I think the 3-inch long shells are the best bang for your money when it comes to normal .410 loads. I’d imagine the gap between the chamber and the barrel creates an issue with 2.5-inch loads. It’s a theory, but there are some holes to poke. The Aguila load was a nice surprise overall for a 2.5-inch load. I would still prefer a 3-inch load for the extra lead anyway.

The Judge Home Defender does seem to pattern better than the old 3-inch Judges. The patterns are tighter and a bit more employable for defensive use with the right ammo. I would love to see an 18-inch barrel version with pistol grip, or maybe as long as the barrel needs to be to be a ‘firearm.’ A smooth-bore, .410 revolver would be an interesting option with low recoil, one-handed possible operation, and no reliance on somewhat finicky .410 semi-auto actions.

The longer barrel on the Home Defender clearly makes a difference. I’m becoming more and more of a fan of the Home Defender the more I use it. It seems a little less silly and more of a viable option for some niche use cases.

Gunday Brunch 142: Gun laws are stupid

By

Keith Finch

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March 24, 2024

The boys are back and they’re talking about how two recent cases highlight the absolute pointlessness and absurdity of how gun laws are written, enacted, and enforced

Patterning the Judge Home Defender Part 1 – Judge Centric .410

By

Travis Pike

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March 23, 2024

I’ll come out and say I dislike the Taurus Judge. I dislike the .410 from a 3-inch barrel and think it’s just an oversized .45 Colt gun. Purchasing a Judge fresh off my second deployment taught me a lot of things and one was skepticism. I’ve kept that Judge since as a reminder to be skeptical (and because it’s broken and no one buys broken guns.) When Taurus announced the Judge Home Defender, I was skeptical but intrigued. Firing .410 from a 3-inch barrel is silly, but a 13-inch barrel puts it right up there with the Shockwave. I decided to test both Judge centric ammo and standard buckshot.

Today, we are going to specifically focus on ammunition designed for the Judge series of handguns.

Loading up the Taurus Judge Home Defender

The world of .410 ammo is a bit tricky. It’s often tough to find, especially when it comes to buckshot. I’ve seen lots of people buying it up and reselling it like it was .22LR in 2012. Over the last few months, I’ve purchased it everywhere I’ve been able to find it, and AmmoToGo provided me with a good dose of what’s available, including the Winchester, Hornady, and two types of Sellier and Bellot ammo.

With a couple of ammo boxes full of .410, I figured it was high time to pattern the Judge Home Defender and see if it redeemed my opinion on the Judge platform. The Judge was popular enough that the ammo companies began producing Judge-centric .410 ammunition. I’ve gathered a handful of different types of Taurus Judge-centric ammo and took them to the range.

Every load was patterned at 10 yards from a standing position, and five shots of each were fired with every load but one. I only had four rounds of Federal .410 handgun, and it seems to be out of production. My target is a slightly shrunk IPSC A-Zone.

Can a 13-inch barrel make a difference? Only one way to find out.

Throwing Judge Centric Ammo Downrange

Federal Personal Defense Handgun 410 Handgun – 2.5 inch – 4 Pellet 000

The Federal Personal Defense Handgun loads performed excellently. This produced a tight pattern that landed dead center in the A-zone. The four pellets are very impressive from a rifled barrel. Sadly, this load seems to be out of production. It would take the top spot if availability wasn’t a concern. The recoil is very mild, and I’d love to know the magic behind the round and why it works so well from a rifled barrel.

Hornady Critical Defense 410 Triple Defense – 2.5 inch- 1 .41 caliber slug – two .35 caliber pellets

This Hornady load is a Judge-centric load that is designed around the rifled barrel of the Judge Home Defender. With this in mind, I assumed it would be a solid load for the Home Defender. I was right, and the pellets and slug grouped well together when patterned. It’s like the Flite control for the Judge Home Defender.

It’s got very low recoil and fires easily. Not every pattern was this tight, but they were within 2-inches or so. The FTX slug tends to penetrate a little less than desired, but the two .35 caliber pellets tend to penetrate well.

Winchester PDX Defender Loads – 2.5 Inch – Three Disks – 12 BB Pellets

This is another Judge centric load and one of the original options. It’s as nontraditional as ammunition gets. This 2.5-inch load holds three disks, which engages the rifling, and it’s backed by 12 BBs. This is a load I want to love, but it’s held back by the BBs. The three disks pattern really well, but the BBs are unpredictable and fly everywhere. On my target backing box, I used blue painter’s tape to mark the BB holes I could find. This load has the worst recoil, but it’s still not bad. If Winchester would ditch the BBs, then I’d be a bigger fan of this load.

Sellier & Bellot Elite Protection – 2.5 Inch – 1 Pellet 000 buckshot – 12 pieces BB Buck

This Sellier & Bellot load is another load seemingly designed for the Judge. In fact, it even has a revolver cylinder on the box. The load throws a single ball backed by BB buck. It’s like a Rhodesian load for the .410. Sadly, it’s absolutely terrible. The pellet and wad tend to hit the target, but the BBs go everywhere. I included a picture of the second target to show the BB spread far and wide. The recoil was very light, which is nice.

The pellets went everywhere, except where I wanted them to go.

The Judge Home Defender – Worth It

The Judge centric ammo still remains a bit of a mess. The Hornady load is fantastic, and the Federal .410 handgun load is also amazing. The Winchester and S&B loads with BBs are a nonstarter for me. It’s a split bag, but the Hornady load seems to be the most common and easiest to find option compared to the other loads on this list and would be my go-to option.

“COMPROMISE”

By

Linas Cernauskas

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March 23, 2024

It was almost 25 years ago when I started in the firearm industry. Truly, I didn’t know what to expect. My assumption was that everyone would be stand-offish, maybe a bit pretentious. Much to my surprise, I found an industry that was extraordinarily welcoming and extremely friendly. Like all industries, there are a few expectations to the rule, but they are few and far between.

Even manufacturing competitors are friendly and actually want, for the most part, for their competition to do well. In fact, it’s not uncommon for some manufacturers to help each other out. I know that I can reach out to the editors at competitive publishing houses with any questions I might have, and they can do the same. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t share any company secrets or anything like that, and we always keep our eyes open on what our competition is doing, but we do get and give praise where praise is due. In a sense, we’re in the same industry with the same goals of empowering law-abiding citizens with solid information about firearms, personal-defense and the shooting sports.

Done Compromising

There are several things that help bind us and keep us accessible, and one of the main reasons is the Second Amendment. I am tired of people asking why we don’t compromise when it comes to gun regulations. To them, “compromise” means we give up something with nothing back in return. Well, we have been “comprising” since 1934:

National Firearms Act of 1934
Federal Firearms Act of 1938
Gun Control Act of 1968
Clinton Executive Orders
Lautenberg Act
Hub/Smith & Wesson agreement
Brady Law
School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act
Bump Stock Ban

I didn’t include in this listing the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act (also known as the assault weapons ban) since it sunset in September of 2004. As a whole, we have “compromised” on the Second Amendment more than enough. There isn’t another right that’s more regulated than the Second Amendment. As an industry, an attack on the Second Amendment is an attack on all of us.

What Can You Do?

Please get in touch with your local, state and federal representatives. Tell them what the Second Amendment means to you, tell them that a non-elected branch of the government, such as the ATF, has no right to limit your God-given rights. Besides your representatives, talk to people in a calm manner and tell them what’s at stake. If the Second Amendment goes, there’s a good chance the First will go next, and then the rest. We are not subjects; the government works for us. Remember that in seven months.

The Glock 42

By

P.E. Fitch

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March 22, 2024

The .380 ACP Glock 42 first entered the scene a decade ago, after its reveal at SHOT Show 2014. Besides being the smallest Glock pistol ever fielded, this tiny pocket rocket is unique for two main reasons. First, due to arbitrary gun control and import restrictions set up around handgun calibers, the Glock 42 is wholly American-made. Second, unlike Glock’s other .380 ACPs, the Glock 42 is designed with a standard Browning delayed recoil blowback system. Even the other two .380 ACP models in Glock’s portfolio make use of a modified version of straight blowback (Glocks 25 and 28). By including the same mechanism in the Glock 42 of its larger siblings, the end result is a micro-compact handgun that’s surprisingly smooth shooting for its size.

Glock 42: Overview

As a product of the mid-2010s, the Glock 42 bears all the typical stylistic functions of the fourth generation models save for the finger-grooves. Its grip is covered in the squared dot texture that first appeared on the fourth generation and still found on the fifth generation. The muzzle end of the slide is squared off and hog-nosed, as the chamfering of that part wasn’t standard across all models like it is for the fifth-generation.

Like already mentioned above, the .380 ACP Glock 42 is a perfectly miniature model of the typical full size 9mm versions. It even has the same dual captured recoil springs and the same standard factory Glock rectangle and dot front and rear sights. In short, other than the frame and parts being scaled down for size, there’s nothing otherwise remarkable or outstanding in the Glock 42. It’s a Glock, like any other. Not surprisingly this also means that the stock trigger isn’t anything to brag about. Although the pistol is reliable and uses Glock’s more-than-proven action, I found that in the case of this smaller pistol, it’s more sensitive to the elements, carbon and fouling so shooters would do well to keep an eye on it a little more often than they would for their normal Glock.

Until I bought mine, I was always under the assumption that the Glock 42 and the 9mm Glock 43 were the same size, but the Glock 42 happens to be slightly smaller. Its form factor is amongst the best in its class as a micro-compact defensive pistol. Besides the back of the slide, there’s not much that the Glock 42 can snag on. Unfortunately, this pistol, like all the other “slimline” guns lacks an ambidextrous slide-stop. Due to its size, overall low capacity and mission, the lack of the ambi slide-stop isn’t critical as the gun wasn’t designed for speed-reloading either.

Glock 42’s Niche

Because of its small size, low capacity and marginally viable caliber, this pistol is nothing more than a back-up gun (BUG) or a minimalistic carry piece. In this sense its greatest weakness is also its greatest strength. After all, a fully loaded Glock 42 with 7 rounds only weighs 460 grams (16.2 oz)– just slightly over a pound. Strictly in this sense, the 42 is comparable to a 2” snub-nose revolver. A savvy north Texas street-cop was the first person to put the Glock 42 in my radar. Similarly, I had a chance to speak with legendary lawman Chuck Haggard who also disclosed his great love for this little pocket rocket. To date, he’s fired thousands of rounds of .380 ACP through his Glock 42 and can clean the Kansas law enforcement qualification shooting this gun with a perfect score.

I wouldn’t be the first or only person to wonder how this Glock compares to the typical .38-caliber snub revolver, given their overall similar size and payload capacity. Haggard is arguably one of the foremost experts on the use and employment for both small pocket semis and snub-nosed revolvers. Whether one is better than the other, he’d probably tell you that it depends on each situation, use-case, manner of dress, etc. Its small form factor allows for many forms of BUG carry: on the waistband, ankle, pockets, police vests and even deep concealment. Carry style and positioning possibilities is the area where this small and otherwise “marginal” pistol gives its carrier the most flexibility.

Practical Accuracy & The .380 ACP

Shooting-wise, this little pistol is mild and pleasant to shoot. I had no prior experience with this ancient cartridge and my first impression was that it truly did feel like a “diet 9mm.” And practically speaking, it is 9mm-lite. From a precision standpoint the Glock 42 isn’t hard to shoot. But it’s also not easy, especially with the stock trigger and stock sights.

That said, I shot two separate types of .380 ACP carry ammo at 10 yards. These cartridges include Federal Premium’s 99-grain Personal Defense HydraShok Deep JHP (P380HSD1) and Sierra’s Sport Master 90-grain JHPs. Besides, the only other rounds I’ve put through mine has been basic ball ammo, like CCI Blazer 95-grain FMJs. The HydraShok Deep is loaded to offer 12-inches of penetration. Even from this marginal chambering, so it feels warmer than the Blazer or Sierra rounds. That said, it’s snappiness is nowhere near that of a .38-caliber snub revolver. From a pure accuracy perspective, the gun is capable of providing plenty of mechanical accuracy… But the biggest limiting factors are going to be the stock trigger and stock sights. Fortunately, finding upgraded sights isn’t too difficult. Is this easier to shoot than most snubs? By far!

Glock 42: The Takeaway

In many ways a Glock is a Glock is a Glock. But in the case of the Glock 42, this diminutive .380 ACP single-stack pocket pistol happens to punch above its weight given its bases on Glock’s proven tilting barrel delayed blowback action. The standard plastic Glock sights (aka “Dovetail Protectors”) can easily be swapped out with any other aftermarket units that are slimline compatible. While the trigger isn’t anything special, I actually think its best left alone on this micro-compact defensive firearm. In fact, I’ve noticed that when handling it or drawing it, one has to be careful not to muzzle their hands, as it’s not hard for this tiny gun to disappear in the palm. I bought my gun used and the magazine it came with included an aftermarket finger ledge, and I take full advantage of that feature while shooting.

Even a decade later, the Glock 42 is still be found in gun shops big and small or outdoor big-box stores prominently besides all current or newest models. Like the ancient cartridge it’s chambered for, this Glock isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Helvetia SIG 550

By

Travis Pike

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March 22, 2024

The SIG SG 550 rifle has served its home country of Switzerland for 34 years now. The rifle is quite well known for its reliability, especially in cold conditions. It’s famous for the various pictures of Swiss reservists carrying rifles around Switzerland doing everyday average things. It’s a popular rifle in Switzerland, and SIG Sauer AG, a different company than the SIG Sauer that serves America, has released a special Helvetia variant of the 550 rifle.

I don’t make it a habit of cruising through European firearm websites, but every so often, something pops up that captures my attention. The Helvetia SIG 550 was one of the few pieces that captured my attention. I stumbled through Google Translate to learn more. First and foremost, I like the 550 design. I understand it’s not the best rifle ever made, but I think it’s neat, especially the carbine models.

….But the Helvetia Model

What captured my attention about the Helvetia SIG 550 was the bright red paint job. I’m not sure if it’s dipped, cerakoted, or anodized, but dear lord, is it a gaudy finish for a cool rifle? The metal is all red, and the polymer furniture portions are all black.

What sets the thing off is the weird smattering of chrome that occupies the rifle’s controls and bipod. The Swiss flag is red and white, so I’m not sure why they introduced black and chrome into the mix. Red, black, and chrome don’t go together, but it’s certainly an eye-catching rifle.

The rifle bears the dates 1291 and 2021. It was made to celebrate the 730th birthday of Switzerland. The handguard also says Swiss on it. There is a relief of Switzerland on the receiver, but it cuts off Geneva, a major Swiss city. The Rutli Oath is printed on the gun in German as well.

It comes with an embroidered sling, some very fancy set of iron sights, and obviously a SIG Sauer challenge coin. Plus, it has an axe that bears a somewhat modern resemblance to a Halberd.

What’s Helvetia?

As an American, I had never heard of the term. Through some research, I learned a bit about Swiss history. It has a bit of a double meaning. It’s the Latin name for Switzerland, well, kind of. The official Latin name is Confoederatio Helvetica. It’s also been called the Republica Helvetiorum. Other times, it’s just shortened to Helvetia. The root of the term comes from the Helvetti, a Celtic tribe who occupied the Swiss plateau prior to the Roman conquest.

Helvetia is also a national personification. Much like Uncle Sam represents the United States, Helvetia represents Switzerland. Helvetia is a female personification that’s often adorned in flowing cloth with a spear in one hand and perhaps a Swiss shield in the other. As I learned this, I had the realization that the Helvetia-themed SG 550, or STGW 90, is basically the swiss equivalent to a We The People Glock or 1776 AR-15.

It’s gaudy, like most limited editions are, and appeals to a particular type of customer. From what I’ve gathered there are only 100 of these rifles otu there and they sell for 8,000 Swiss Francs, which is a hair over 9,000 US dollars. It’s quite pricey as far as rifles go.

It’s a little comforting to know that even the Swiss have their gaudy guns and their silly, expensive prices. At the end of the day, our gun cultures are different, but there are some very interesting similarities, even if those similarities are terrible-looking guns.

Holosun – Officially Combat Proven?

By

Travis Pike

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March 21, 2024

The conflict in Ukraine has been absolutely brutal and now lasted two years. Arguably, it’s been going on for a decade if we rewind time back to 2014 and the annexation of Crimea. I’m not qualified to talk about politics, the tactical situation, or long-term strategy. I’m not that kind of armchair commando. The kind of armchair commando I am, looks at gear and guns and argues if it’s good or not! Today, in armchair commanding, I’m looking at Holosun and pondering if they are now officially combat-proven.

Who Is Holosun?

If you’ve been living under a rock, Holosun is an optics company, specifically a Chinese optics company with international offices. If I have my research right, the parent company of Holosun is an emitter company that broke off to make complete optics. We can see their rise with the rise of the SIG ROMEO5. The ROMEO5 was made by Holosun for SIG and proved to be a fairly robust and well-made optic.

Holosun more or less made their name by producing what’s essentially an Aimpoint T-1 type red dot optics. Small, round, tubular designs. They were as simple as it got when it came to red dot designs but robust and worthwhile. Then they exploded, namely with the Holosun 507C optic. It was a Trijiocn RMR-sized optic that was half the price of Trijiocn and performed damn well.

Ever since then, they’ve grown into an absolute monster of a company. They are incredibly innovative and impressively so. Other optics companies are playing catch up. Due to their international presence and low price, they have popped up quite a bit. This includes both sides of the Ukraine conflict.

Holosun & Ukraine

It’s not a big surprise to see these optics in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers and fighters. A lot of their military is made up of recent volunteers, and they use an odd assortment of gear from a variety of different countries. What is interesting is the use of Russian forces, which are supposed to be a professional military force. I’m not just talking about Wagner forces or random soldiers hard-wiring optics to their AKs.

From the various international news sources I follow, it’s been forces like Spetznas using Holosuns. Those guys are supposed to be elite special operations forces. They’ve been spotted with a wide variety of Holosun optics on their rifles and machine guns. In the past, the Russian military has had PR campaigns showing their troops wielding EOTechs on their weapons. The Russians make their own optics, and the 1P87 is their somewhat famous red dot.

Why Holosun? Well, it’s likely tough to get EOTechs in Russia, and the sanctions since the war popped off have been quite heavy. I’m sure EOTech is actively making sure none of their retailers or dealers are selling to Russia either. The same goes for other international companies with well reputed dots, like Aimpoint.

Why not use Russian optics? Well, in my limited experience, Russian optics suck. The 1P87 isn’t exactly a great optic. I would take a Holosun over the 1P87 as well.

Which Optics?

Newsweek reported that a Russian-based outdoor retailer imported over 2,000 Holosun optics. I’m seeing a mix of various red dots, lots and lots of tube-type 403-style optics. They seem to be the most common optics used by both Ukrainian fighters and Russian soldiers. I’ve also seen a few examples of the AEMS and the 510C in use.

The guns are using magnifiers from Holosun on top of the red dots. The users mount the optics via side rail mounts; however, some examples of AK-12s are using the rail dust cover.

The use of Holosun seems to be rising. We are still seeing the ancient POSPs in use, as well as the 1P87. Throughout the war, the magnified optics tended to be Russian-made, but some Leupold optics slipped through as well. More recent photos taken and shared over social media channels show a fascinating rise of Holosun red dots, even amongst Russia’s Elite forces.

XS Sights Introduces Lever Rail and Ghost Ring Sight Kit for Rossi R95

By

Keith Finch

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March 21, 2024

Fort Worth, Texas (March 19, 2024) – XS Sights is pleased to now offer its popular Lever Rail and Ghost Ring sight sets for the Rossi R95 lever-action rifle and Lever Scout Mount for the Rossi R92.

R92 Lever Rail

Machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, XS Rails are hard coat anodized to provide a lightweight mounting system that is tough enough to withstand a lifetime of use. R92 Lever Scout Mount Kit Retail Price: $76.99

R95 Ghost Ring

The ghost ring sight sets are made of precision-machined steel and fully adjustable for windage and elevation. These rugged sights deliver an enhanced field of view with a white stripe front sight. That front sight is highly visible on targets in all lighting conditions and contrasts against any color background. R95 Lever Rail and Ghost Ring Kit Retail Price: $192.99

“The XS Ghost Ring sight sets allow for the fastest target acquisition possible with iron sights,” said Jeff King, Marketing Manager, XS Sights. “The surge in popularity of lever action rifles has been fun to see, and we are happy to offer Rossi R95 and R92 owners upgrades to make their shooting experience better. Our Picatinny rail offers users flexibility by easily accommodating riflescopes and red dot sights.”

All XS sights are backed by a 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee. The company also offers a 12-year warranty on all tritium products and a limited lifetime warranty on all other products. For more information, visit www.xssights.com.

About XS Sights

XS Sights is known for making the fastest sights in any light. For more than 25 years, the XS team has created some of the most innovative sights on the market today. Whether used for personal defense or hunting, these sights are designed and built to be the absolute best for their specific purpose. American Made. Texas Proud. 2A Strong.