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New Gun Reviews & More

In recent weeks, I’ve written a number of new reviews and resource lists. All of my reviews can be accessed from that tab at the top of the page.

Here are the links to the most recent articles.

Gun Reviews

  • Smith & Wesson Model 610 – A revolver chambered in 10mm, this fighting handgun turned out to be one of the better wheelguns I’ve shot in recent months. And contrary to popular myths, the recoil is quite tame.
  • Diamondback DB9 Gen 4 – The original Diamondback DB9 was met with some resistance by the shooting public and many of the criticisms were fair. However, the latest generation of the DB9 is quite good. I found it to be reliable and significantly more comfortable to shoot that the original. I tested it with HST, Critical Defense, Gold Dot and more.
  • IWI Galil ACE Pistol – I took the arm brace version of this pistol for a spin. It proved to be accurate and reliable. Even more, the gun was just plain fun to shoot. Yes, it is heavier than an AR pistol, but it is well balanced and has minimal recoil.
  • Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P380 EZ Shield – Without a doubt, the M&P 380EZ is a very popular handgun. It’s not hard to understand why – it fills the hand, is easy shooting, has good sights and is easy to manipulate even if you have diminished hand and arm strength. I took the new Performance Center version of the pistol for a spin, and it proved to be everything I hoped it would be.
  • Diamondback AM2 – This pistol was a pleasant surprise to me. Although I had good experiences with Diamondback in the past, internet naysayers suggested the company would not be able to make a solid, combat-capable pistol. The gun I tested proved that the company can make a reliable pistol – and offer features that some of the big boys don’t.  I was impressed by this pistol.

Other Shooting Product Reviews

  • Mantis X2 Review – Mantis is making big moves in the firearms training niche, and the new X2 offers a very affordable system for you to dry fire train at home. I’m a proponent of dry firing to improve your shooting fundamentals and ultimately your accuracy. The X2 brings the ability to run different skill drills and give you actionable feedback on how to improve your technique.
  • SureFire G2X Flashlight – After reviewing this flashlight, it became my preferred daily carry and bedside flashlight. It proved to be tough with good light output and a reasonable runtime on CR123A batteries.
  • Elite Survival Systems Stealth SBR Backpack – I love my Maxpedition and 5.11 bags, but for the discreet carry of a large pistol or SBR-style weapon this is the best I’ve found. It is a high-quality bag that blends very easily into the scenery. It attracts no attention but is extremely functional.
  • Streamlight ProTac HL Flashlight – This has been a long time favorite of mine. I’ve used it on duty as a police officer and for years since as a regular good guy. It proved itself time and time again. I updated my original review of this light to include runtime and output data with my current measurement tools. I still recommend this light.
  • Phalanx Stealth Holster – In this case, one size fits all doesn’t really. The Stealth Operator holster from Phalanx proved to be acceptable with a few of my handguns, but it failed to live up to my expectations on others. Read the review for a better understanding, but I do not recommend this holster unless you try it out prior to purchase and understand its limitations.
  • Wowtac A7 Flashlight – This inexpensive flashlight bills itself as being suitable for tactical use. But, I don’t recommend it for that. In fact, I don’t recommend it for anything other than hobbyists. And even then, you need to be careful as I found something that makes this light potentially dangerous.

New Resource Pages

Finding a holster or other accessory for a particular handgun or rifle can be a pain. Google only gives you a limited number of selections based on which companies have better search optimization skills – not the best product. Likewise, places like Amazon give preference to products with the deep pockets to advertise.

My intent is to bring many of the options together into a single article so you can compare them and make an informed decision.

Also, I updated the Flashlight Reviews page with additional testing information and a large comparison chart to help you navigate all of the testing I’ve been doing.

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news

New Reviews Posted Up

The news section of the site has been a bit quiet since I shifted the focus of the site slightly. Instead of trying to pump out the latest news and press release information, I am focusing on providing more reviews of gun related products. As one of the few sites that fully discloses all biases in each review -and- doesn’t have annoying advertising plastered all over, I hope that the product evaluations I write are a help to you.

Ammunition Performance in Revolver

Here are some of the latest reviews I have published:

  • Anker LC90 Flashlight Review – Flashlights are must-have piece of equipment for daily life and self-defense. Although Anker tries to position this as a tactical flashlight, it is better suited for daily use in my opinion. I have a full review of it including runtimes and an examination of its questionable specifications.
  • Beretta 1301 Tactical Shotgun – Sadly, I wrote this review some time ago and failed to link to it from the rest of the site. So, this one sat unread by most people. While not “new” in the sense that I just wrote it, it is likely “new to most people” because it hasn’t been seen by many people at all.
  • Caldwell Platinum Series G3 Electronic Hearing Protection Review – These earmuffs proved to be a bad deal at any price. Feel free to read the full story, but the short story is hard pass.
  • Defensive Revolver Fundamentals Review – A great book about the use of revolvers in self-defense by recognized expert Grant Cunningham.
  • IWI Tavor X95 Review – The X95 proved to be a great shooting rifle. And while its price tag is larger than the budget of many shooters, it is a top-shelf, compact rifle that was reliable and accurate.
  • Ruger American Compact Pistol Review – Beefy. Generally, this is not a term associated with a compact handgun. Nevertheless, the Ruger American Compact pistol is just that. It works well, though it is not my first choice for concealed carry.
  • SIG SAUER P320 Airgun Review – This might be a fun gun to play with, but its not a training pistol. It has some positive aspects, but don’t expect it to replace your actual P320 for practice or training.
  • SIG SAUER Airgun Accessories – In addition to the P320 above, I looked at a number of airgun accessories from SIG: a Texas star spinner, reflex target and a quad shooting gallery.
  • Smith & Wesson Model 66 Review – I take a look at a pair of the modern manufactured .357 Magnum wheelguns from Smith. Some purists won’t like the two-piece barrel design, but these were good shooting handguns.
  • Taurus Spectrum Review – As much as I want Taurus to succeed, the company can’t seem to make a working gun at launch or fix its customer service woes. I detail both in this review.

I have also updated these reviews to reflect new versions of the books that have been released.

  • Black Man with a Gun – From my brother from another, Kenn Blanchard released a follow up to the original book. I updated the review to include information on the new tome.
  • Cartridges of the World – This is one of my go-to reference books for firearms information. The updated edition has been expanded and includes even more information than before.
  • Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson – Another fantastic resource, this book is a must have for any S&W collector. The current edition is even better than the previous – and I was not sure that would be possible.
Categories
news

New Reviews, Resource Pages

I’ve added or updated a number of reviews and resource pages on the site. Here are some of the highlights:

Dara Holsters Review

Dara Holsters & Gear makes a number of Kydex concealment and duty rigs. I’ve been testing the company’s IWB and OWB holsters with my M&P Shield, and I found them to be extremely durable and a good value. Click here to read the review.

S&W M&P Shield Holster List

Speaking of holsters for the M&P Shield, I updated the buyer’s guide to Shield holsters. It includes additional brands and models. It is always expanding, and I share my experiences with different brands as I test different holsters. Click here to visit the Shield holster page.

Categories
news

Additional Gun Reviews and NRA Show News

We are just days away from the NRA show in Nashville, TN. I know I am looking forward to it, and I bet you are as well.

Already, we’ve seen announcements from Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Remington and Kahr about new guns. I expect there are even more coming. In fact I know of at least one new gun from the aforementioned companies that has not yet been announced…but, I can’t talk about it yet. Follow along on my NRA show page to keep up with the news.

Of course, I’ve been working on some gun reviews in the weeks leading up to the show…