#Handguns

It’s no secret, handguns are pretty terrible relative to their larger counterparts at pretty much everything. Gun guys know this, but Hollywood and clueless politicians are responsible or perpetuating the myth that they are much more capable than they really are. In this video we explore that topic a bit and try to explain to our less informed viewers why a handgun is always a compromise.  Video of doctor’s lecture.

I like accessories that help improve my shooting or that make me more efficient. While not always needed accessories and add ons like enhanced mag releases, flared magwells, muzzle brakes and optics can really help you in combat or in shooting competitions, or just patrolling the mall. I stumbled upon a pistol accessory that claims to help increase accuracy, reduce recoil and increase stability while shooting. What’s this new wonder product you ask? It’s the Thumb Grip from Cross Armory that retails for $59.95.

The Kahr CW9 has been around for a few years now and has certainly gained popularity among many gun owners for concealed carry use. The original CW9 is a striker-fired pistol chambered in 9mm with a 7 +1 capacity. This new release from Kahr is similar to the first in those ways as well as in others, but whereas the original was released with a black polymer frame, this one is different.

Not typically known for polymer handguns, there was a time that Kimber produced a polymer framed 1911. While not produced anymore, the handgun was and still is an interesting offering from the company, as Kimber didnt just go polymer, they also implemented a double-stack magazine.

Previously in Operating Systems 101, we covered the simple, inexpensive principle of blowback, and the reliable principle of short-recoil. Both of these mechanisms together form the foundations of almost all automatic handguns in common use today, but what about rifles? Well, the most common mechanism for rifles is the method of gas operation, developed by legendary Utahn Mormon gun wizard John Moses Browning. Browning observed that the gases coming from the muzzle of a rifle could influence objects around it, such as tall grass. Through tireless experimentation, Browning found he could harness this gas, and the principle of gas operation was born.

Two basic mechanisms dominate the field of handguns today: The aforementioned straight blowback system, and short-recoil operation. The latter of two is a mechanism as clever as it is old; the first short-recoil weapons date back to the latter half of the 19th Century!

It’s one of the more hotly debated topics among gun owners who carry a gun for protection on a regular basis: open carry or concealed carry? Yes, some states have specific rules that make the decision for the gun owner, but there are plenty of states where the choice is up to the potential shooter. So what do you do, OC or CC?

We’ve all gone through them – failures in our firearms. Whether it’s a failure to feed, failure to eject, or even a trigger failing to fully reset, problems happen. In order to combat those issues we do everything from swapping out components to using different brands and types of ammunition. Of course, some companies create products specifically designed to stave off failures. Gun Pro is one such company. They created the Sure Fire Anti Nose-Dive Magazine which is meant to prevent feed-related failures.

When you walk into any sizable gun store the options can be a bit overwhelming (or absolutely thrilling, depending on your viewpoint). Firearms in a number of calibers with countless features and options are displayed on the walls, within glass counters, and on the hips of employees. And when you try to engage said employees in conversation, whether with questions or simply to take a look at a specific gun, you’re frequently hit with opinions as varied as the guns on display. If you ask what the best handgun caliber is – “best” being used somewhat loosely – you’re going to get a different answer depending on a few factors. Are you male? Female? Tall? Short? Do you have that tough, capable look or do you appear a little stand-offish, maybe even timid? Sure, appearances can be deceiving, but a lot of assumptions are made based on them. So when the suggested handgun calibers start rolling out, they vary depending on different factors and, of course, opinions. But when those suggestions are made, how often is the 10mm among them? Is the 10mm underappreciated – and underused?

In the latest addition to their #FightTheNoise campaign SilencerCo has expanded their line of threaded barrels. The two new additions are made for the Glock 22 and 23, both of which are .40 S&W pistols. The new barrels join a group of eight pistol barrels currently being offered for the Glock 43, 17, 19, 21, 17L, and 34, SIG Sauer P226, and HK VP9.

In a video put on the internet in 2015, and with over 500,000 views in Brazil, we have a classic walk through on how not to go about the proper fundamentals of handgun marksmanship. I will give the Brazilian police shooter credit in that she kept the firearm pointed downrange at all times. However, that is about the only proper thing she did right. From being unable to engage her target from the standing, then the kneeling, she goes into the prone. Once in the prone, she uses trigger fingers from both hands on the trigger to discharge the firearm. I’m not sure the concept of recoil was familiar to her that day, but thereafter I’m sure she learned her lesson when the recoiling handgun was sent flying back into her forehead, giving her a solid cut and making her bleed.

A computer developer has put together an app, combined with a round that contains a laser (actuated by the firing pin), and a target like contraption that you dry fire with. Once you have calibrated your phone in the cradle that comes with the contraption onto the target that the phone will be sitting in front of, you can dry fire at the target with the laser round in the chamber, and the phone will register the placement of hits on the actual target, from the laser. The dry firing of the firearm will actuate the laser in the dry fire round for a second, while the phone will capture the exact placement of the laser on the target and record it, both recording it once for the single shot, but also recording every other shot taken previously. So you can have a sort of dry fire group as it were. This is almost as if SIRT guns meet phone technology, similar to the German coach we blogged about previously that uses a laser affixed to the end of his competitors air rifles, so he can watch their fundamentals at work. If you are interested in the setup , the individual has an IndieGoGo campaign set up, where there are different options to select as to how to help fund the product. Right now they are at 70 backers, hoping to raise $75,000, which I think might be a bit of a stretch with this sort of product. But the basic buy in package is $89, with a cheaper option at $49 which just gives you the cradle/sled the phone is on. Current calibers are for mainstream handgun calibers, 9mm Luger, .38 ACP (Pretty sure he means SPL) .45 ACP, and .223 REM.

We all have a box – or perhaps a closet – brimming with discarded holsters. Whatever it is that disqualifies them, be it comfort, height, visibility, or something else entirely, they are so low on our to-use list they don’t even warrant a place in or near the safe (let alone actually with our EDC). And even when you find the seemingly perfect carry option you keep searching, because maybe – just maybe – something better is just around the corner. If you want to carry on-body but prefer not to carry on your belt, there’s something new from CrossBreed that just might be your next favorite holster: the Modular Belly Band.

The Walther semiautomatic handguns of the mid-20th Century, including both the PP and P38 families, would become some of the most influential weapons of the latter half of the century. The PP and its smaller stablemate the PPK was perhaps the premier pocket semiautomatic handgun for many decades, and its legacy carried over to the Russian PM Makarov pistol, many American pistols of all sizes, virtually countless European blowback semiautomatics, and it would inspire two major calibers, the 9×18 Makarov of the aforementioned Soviet pistol, and the 9×18 Ultra Police.

A hypothetical question: If you could launch your own line of ammunition, what would you do? Considering the sheer number of ammo lines out there and their varied applications, is there really anything that can be improved upon? Or if not improved upon, perhaps simply manufactured and sold in a different way.