I write quite a bit about 1911s, and really enjoy shooting and carrying them. In the interest of offering some defensive 1911 recommendations, I recently borrowed a commander-sized 1911 from Kimber. The gun, the Kimber Aegis Elite Pro is the subject of this review.
Gun Owner 101: Choosing a Carry Gun
Today we continue with the Gun Owner 101 series, finally arriving at the guns themselves. Choosing a carry gun is a daunting proposition in market crowded with competing offerings. This article will hopefully offer some tools to help you thin the herd and arrive at the best possible handgun for your personal protection.
Book Review: Legal Boundaries by State
I used to travel a lot. One resource I wish I could have had at my disposal during that time was the book Legal Boundaries by State: The Travel Guide for American Gun Owners. In this article I give a brief history of my domestic travel and share a few travel pictures. And of course I review the book.
Gun Review: The S&W M&P Shield Plus
This is a review of the new M&P Shield Plus, Smith & Wesson’s ultra-compact, 10+1/13+1 concealed carry pistol. This article is neither hit-piece nor glowing review. Rather it is a 100% honest, unbiased, unfiltered assessment obtained through 460 rounds and two months with this pistol. You’ll probably have to dig pretty deep to find a more detailed review of the new Shield Plus.
The Best, Most Overlooked M&P Shield
Smith & Wesson’s M&P Shield is an iconic pistol. The subcompact Shield is one of the most popular handguns on the market today. I carried a Shield 2.0 as my primary EDC handgun for a little under a year, and statistically many of you reading this have owned or carried one at some point, too. I am a big fan of the Shield but I think the best of the bunch has been completely ignored.
Gun Owner 101: Lethal Force Considerations
This post continues a series called “Gun Owner 101.” This post discusses some of the less-concrete aspects of concealed carry and the use of lethal force. In my opinion, material of this sort is grossly under-represented in the carry/defense/EDC space. I think these are incredibly important concepts to be exposed to, consider, and factor in your concealed-carry and home-defense plans. If I were teaching a concealed carry class I would work hard to present these concepts.
WML Review: LAPG SlideRail XWL
I have reviewed a number of WMLs on this site. I recently decided to check out a weapon-mounted light from LA Police Gear, the LAPG SlideRail XWL. To be honest I didn’t have terribly high expectations, but it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised every now and then. Bottom line up front: this is a solid, durable light at a very budget-friendly price. Let’s get into it!
Gun Owner 101: Holster Selection
This post begins a news series called “Gun Owner 101.” I am opening this series with a detailed discussion of holster selection. I’m also going to touch on carry positions In it I cover the purpose of a holster, holster materials, common features of a good holster, various carry positions. Throughout I offer some tips and tricks and some pitfalls to avoid. Though this isn’t everything there is to know about holsters, it should help you make a good decision about a holster.
Defensive AR Setup 3: The Rifle Itself
Many of you are probably wondering why I chose to write about accessories (Part I, Part II) for the rifle before writing about the AR-15 rifle itself. I have been operating under the assumption that most of you reading this already own your rifle. I realize that is not the case for everyone, so today I am going to talk about a few considerations in regards to the selection of your carbine.
Defensive 1911: Cleaning & Maintenance
The 1911 is not a platform that suffers long periods of inattention gracefully. It has to be cleaned and lubricated at least somewhat regularly in order to keep running efficiently. This is in contrast to a lot of guns that will keep running notwithstanding a dearth of maintenance. Let’s look at cleaning and maintenance of the defensive 1911.