Article first appeared at American Rifleman. We have had the .40 S&W cartridge since 1990, roughly a quarter century of active service. Much of that service was in law enforcement, but many civilian handgunners have also cheerfully climbed aboard the medium-bore bandwagon. When it’s evaluated on the basis of actual …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. Experts in the field of personal protection advise their students to arm themselves with the most powerful defensive handguns they can manage. But how much felt recoil any one individual can deal with is governed by a variety of factors. Age, injury, illness or …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. Choosing to legally carry a handgun for personal protection is a big responsibility that must be taken seriously. Above and beyond which caliber is the best or what action type to choose, there are a variety of important considerations which need to be taken …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. As one of the most popular pocket-pistol cartridges today, the .380 ACP round is actually quite long in the tooth. Dating back more than a century to its creation by John Moses Browning, the .380 has a long and storied history. However, it was not …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. It should be obvious that a gun intended for concealed carry on the person should be small, but more importantly, it should be light. Often, however, the small, light handgun delivers ballistic performance on the light side. That forces the defensive handgunner hard up …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. Recently, I ran into someone I hadn’t seen since my high school days—I’ll call him “Danny.” We talked about mutual friends, families, careers and personal interests and when he learned of my occupation, it became apparent that he belongs to what I call the …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. In pursuing both personal and professional shooting endeavors over the last several years, I’ve prepared a fair number of new and used firearms for first-time trips to the shooting range. Experience has taught me that one can never assume a gun is ready to …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. When it comes to .223 Rem. semi-automatic rifles, Ruger’s Mini-14 has long been one of the obvious choices. And it’s no wonder, considering it offers nearly the same handiness as the M1 Carbine, the ballistics of the AR15, and the feel of the classic M1 …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. Building sleek, sexy, tricked-out AR-15 rifles is all well and good. But what about folks who just want a dependable rifle for less or first-time builders who want to get their feet wet at an affordable price? Building an AR-15 yourself is an effective …

Article first appeared at American Rifleman. The AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle has become one of the most popular guns in the United States. Experts cite a variety of reasons as to why this platform is such a crowd pleaser, including its accuracy, flexibility, and at the top of the list, …