The 1980s were rough on Colt. Their former dominance in the handgun market was challenged by the likes of Smith & Wesson, Beretta, and a relative newcomer, GLOCK. With the replacement of the 1911A1 in military service by the Beretta 92 Series, Colt lost a strong marketing tool. For generations, they’d marketed the 1911 series […]
Within two months of his eighteenth birthday, my grandpa left the Bronx, New York and was inducted into the Army of the United States. His listed civilian occupation was “boilermaker,” but he was on his way to an MOS of Intelligence Observer 518 in the 209th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He […]
In a recent post I detailed some elements of the 9x19mm cartridge and why it’s a good choice for beginners. I received a great deal of positive feedback on this and requests to do the other side of the ‘caliber war.’ So today, it’s .45 ACP. I was surprised with the comments in my 9mm […]
Over the last year, I’ve been helping law enforcement agencies with Tactical Combat Casualty Care instruction, patrols, fugitive recovery and warrant service. One of the departments I work with insists I carry a .45ACP full-size GLOCK 21. So my new duty weapon is the GLOCK 21SF . . . A couple of years ago I […]
When most people think of a 1911, they think of Colt or Springfield. Truth be told, SIG SAUER is America’s number one maker of 1911 handguns. The New Hampshire manufacturer has been cranking out John Moses Browning’s masterpiece as fast as their CNC machines can turn, in a stunning variety of models. While many favor the clean […]
Selecting a suppressor — especially a first suppressor — is difficult. With the generally high cost of entry, $200 NFA tax, and ~nine-month wait in addition to various other fees and hassles, it’s a big decision. If you ask me, the Liberty Cosmic is the best first suppressor available. Rated for use on at least […]
My go-to FFL, Best Buy Surplus, has always had a steady supply of LE trade-in GLOCKs. Suffice it to say, they’re fans of the genre. Last month they received a shipment of over 300 of these pistols — mostly G22s (.40 S&W), but also a lot of G21s (.45 ACP) — and asked me if I wanted to […]
Economics is supposed to make such clean, perfect sense. Heaven knows I spent enough time believing that back in college, studying how purely hypothetical ‘demand’ lines cross with purely speculative ‘supply’ lines to determine a perfect market price for any commodity. After keeping my eye on ammo prices for the last several years, however, I’m pretty […]
After a hellish day at the office, my FFL guy had a wonderful surprise waiting for me: this drop-dead sexy Kimber Super Carry Pro in (what else?) .45 ACP. This isn’t the first time we’ve tested the Super Carry Pro here at TTAG (click here for Jeffrey Lynch’s review from 2011) but this will be […]
“The .380 was a cute fad,” Springfield Armory’s print ads proclaim. “Now, let’s get back to business.” Back to business indeed. Forty-five caliber single-stack striker fired pistols aren’t exactly a new thing. Kahr and Glock have been making them since the naughties. Truth be told neither model has been flying off the shelves. But no one […]
I have a huge crush on my 1911. The only problem: it’s not mine. “My” gun actually belongs to my father but it’s kind of been in my possession for the last two years. And now thanks to TTAG, I’m amassing a bit of a firearms collection of my own. As a result, my father’s […]
I received a surprise email from our friends at Springfield Armory last week. Their girl Friday (a.k.a., Deb) was sending an .45 caliber single-stack XD-S pistol to my FFL. Following its debut at the SHOT show, the compact XD-S is hotter than Candice Boucher. Astute members of the AI will notice that the grip on […]
