Categories
Second Amendment Issues Self-Defense Issues

D.C. vs Heller: Supreme Court Strikes Down Handgun Ban

Supreme CourtIn a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the District of Columbia’s draconian handgun ban is unconstitutional. Specifically, the Court held that “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

The Court also states that “The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The District’s total ban on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an entire class of “arms” that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of self-defense.”

Categories
Rifles

DeWalt AR-15 Nail Gun: Great Gag!

(Looking for information on new guns the 2020 SHOT Show? Click here for our coverage.)

For those of you that have not yet seen it, meet the DeWalt AR-15 nail gun.

Someone released a photo of their AR-15 rifle made up as a DeWalt nail gun. Personally, I love the originality behind it. As one forum poster observed, maybe it should be called a DeWalt ‘Tack Driver’.

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When I originally posted this DeWalt AR-15 nail gun several years ago, I had no idea it would become such a popular post. It has actually become one of the most read pages on the GunsHolstersAndGear.com website. I still chuckle about how viral this photo has gone.

Dewalt AR15

Also, if you have not already done so, please read through the comments on this thread and join in on the discussion about this rifle. There is quite a bit of lively chatter regarding its status as an M16, M4 or AR15. Also, which version of which gun… for example: if it is an M4, is it an M4A2 or M4A3. I find it all humorous, and I hope you do as well.

I’m curious: have you ever done anything like this to dress up your gun? Would you consider a Black & Decker paint scheme? How about a Chevy or Ford styling? The truth is a lot of people like to customize their firearms to give them a unique feel and flair.

Gun companies have cashed in on this in the past, creating limited or special edition runs of some firearms. You may have seen some manufacturers rolling out everything from Texas commemoratives to zombie guns. Sometimes these guns carry some collector value, but mostly they are simply an option for someone that wants to stand out from the crowd. Since many gun owners are independent-minded, adding a little flair to their rifles makes sense.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to dress up one of your guns? Would you be willing to buy a limited run rifle with an unusual paint scheme?

Update

Thanks to one of our readers for sharing this video of the gun in action:

If you watch the video, you can see the gun is capable of full-auto fire. Hopefully, that will help settle some of the arguments in the comments section.

Special note for all of those who have been e-mailing me – I’ve got the Glock 19 holster page up now.

Categories
Rifles

Smith and Wesson M&P15R: 5.45×39 Rifle and Upper

The new Smith and Wesson M&P15R is a rifle chambered in 5.45×39.  S&W developed this new AR variant due to the rising costs of .223/5.56 NATO ammunition.  The 5.45×39 cartridge was developed for the AK-74 rifle in the early 1970s.  Few guns in made the United States are chambered for it, and consequently, surplus ammo is comparatively cheap.  The 5.45×39 is not interchangeable with the 5.56×45 NATO (or .223 Remington) cartridge which is the standard cartridge AR-15 platform rifles.

Smith and Wesson M&P15R

The M&P15R features a chrome-lined 16″ barrel with a 1:8″ twist, M4 style post front sight, and a six-position collapsible stock. The rifle comes with one 30-round magazine.

A “mil-spec” upper is also available for people who already own an AR, but would like to shoot 5.45×39. The upper comes with a 30-round magazine and a bolt carrier assembly and should drop right onto any mil-spec AR lower.

The M&P15R has a suggested retail price of $1146.00 and the upper alone has an MSRP of $751.00.  Street prices should be significantly less.

Categories
news

Charter Arms Patriot Revolvers in .327 Federal Magnum

The Charter Arms Patriot was a short-lived line of revolvers chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum. In all, three Patriot models were manufactured between 2008 and 2011. The three models were the standard model, the Target Patriot and the Crimson Patriot.

Let’s dig into this line of handguns.

Categories
Ammunition

New Fusion Sabot Slug for 20 Gauge Shotgun

Fusion, a division of ATK, introduced a new deer hunting load in 20-gauge. The new cartridge is a 3/4 ounce slug in a 2 3/4″ shell. At the muzzle, the slug is running 1600 fps for 1864 foot-pounds of energy, making this a very potent load for the 20-gauge hunters.

The 20 gauge Fusion features:

  • Copper jacket is electro-chemically applied to the core through a sophisticated and
    refined molecular application technique;
  • Formed under consistent pressure for complete dimensional control and slug integrity;
  • Perfectly uniform jacket;
  • Skived, pre-programmed nose provides consistent expansion; and
  • Maximum weight retention for deep penetration.

With more than 1800 ft-lbs of energy, this slug will penetrate deep and deliver a knock-out blow to humanely kill the animal.  The benefit to the hunter is this shell will give you less of a pounding than a 12 gauge load.  This load is a good 50-100 yard shell depending on your gun and abilities.

I would expect that this load would also make a good self-defense round.  What will take a deer, will also put an armed attacker down as well.  Just make sure you hit your target, because that 3/4 ounce slug will pop straight through a sheetrock wall like a hot knife through butter.

Fusion branded ammo is made by Federal and is situated to be very good quality ammunition but at reasonable prices.  The Fusion line is not a “budget” or “cheap” line of ammo.  Instead, it is priced to be a step below the top premium rounds, but still above the cheap lines like American Eagle.  The Fusion line will provide very good performance, and will likely fill the needs of all but the pickiest of hunters.

Update

Federal Premium eliminated the 3/4 oz slug from the Fusion line of 20 gauge ammo. A similar load can still be had in the Federal PowerShok line, but not in the Fusion line.

As a replacement, Federal now offers a pair of 7/8 ounce Fusion Sabot Slugs: one as a 2 3/4″ shell, and the other as a 3″ shell. They run 1450 fps and 1550 fps respectively. Both are suitable for taking deer to the 100-125 yard range.