The arms race between weapons and protection is one that dates back to around the time fire was invented. While IIIA panels might not be the most interesting evolution in that tug-of-war, the size, comfort, and concealability of modern armor are wildly impressive. Premier Body Armor has just released its latest version of the popular…
In the 21st century, a polymer pistol in a plastic holster is the norm. They have excellent retention and have gotten quite comfortable. New manufacturing methods and materials are cheap and accessible. Still, the allure of leather remains, perhaps because humans have been using animal skins longer than we’ve been using language. Heck, our earliest…
The 1911 is a classic pistol, with a reliable design that’s managed to persist despite a massive amount of competition in the semi-auto pistol market. And when you think of 1911s, you think of its classic cartridge, .45 ACP. However, though the 1911 is mostly associated with .45 ACP, there are other caliber options available…
Double-stack 1911-style pistols (more colloquially known as 2011s) have generated pretty strong reactions — positive and negative — among the firearms community over the years, but it’s safe to say that they’ve now cemented their position as high-performance pistols. We don’t need to tell you about the 1911, the most American of American pistols, chiseled…
The Seax or Sax is an ancient style of blade that, at least in principle and shape, dates to the Migration Period in Europe (300-375 CE). The blade style and shape were single edged, sometimes with a point, but often without it. It’s speculated that many were fashioned from larger swords that broke in battle.…
Several years ago, against the base of a mountain north of Spokane, friends and I escaped from our service-industry jobs to shoulder shotguns, sling clays, and let fly strings of lead, watching as the discs turned to dust and showering pines and dirt in bursts of orange. It was cheap fun — gas was likely…
Though the seeds of Kimber were sown in the late 1970s and many rifles and designs came before, everything really came to fruition with the release of their first 1911 pistol in 1997. And damn, they really shook things up by releasing a standard gun full of previously-custom-only features at a lower price point. With…
Suppressing pistols has always been a tricky business. To begin with, many semi-automatic pistols have narrower operating windows than you might think, depending on factors such as the type of ammunition, mass of the parts and attachments, springs, and the shooter. On top of this, the Browning tilting-barrel design is ubiquitous in modern pistols. With…
I love nearly everything about the MP5. The soft recoil impulse, the die-hard reliability (geddit?), and, of course, the superb aesthetics. But there are two things about the gun that count against dedicating it to the role of bugout gun — terminal ballistics and effective range. For all its greatness, the MP5 is still just…
At one time it was easy for the more tactically minded to blow off a lever-action rifle. The arguments were there: It’s outdated technologically, reach rarely extends beyond 200 yards, the capacity is just too low, the calibers too old, in most cases it’s hard to improve the sights — and on top of all…