Nighthawk Custom is a well-known entity in the 1911 world, having produced truly exquisite 1911s. The company’s TRS (Tactical Ready Series) Commander will raise some eyebrows, since it combines a 2011 frame with a 9 mm chambering. The 2011 frame design arrived in 1994 via STI (now called Staccato). The 2011 offers …

Insanity is repeating the same failing action but expecting success. Chicago Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing a perpetual crime problem and she continues to eliminate law enforcement positions and blame others. The mayor is in a war of words with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx about Chicago criminals …

They fall in the mud, bounce off the floor, spend years under pressure and, through it all, rarely require maintenance. Quality magazines deliver, despite abuse and neglect. Shooting Illustrated—your information-packed, high-performance version—asked the experts how they design and test the critical firearm component too often taken for granted. Magazines may not …

There is no denying the effectiveness of muzzle brakes on rifles. Properly designed, they mitigate felt recoil by redirecting a select amount of the fired round’s gasses backward, upward and/or to the sides, thereby canceling some of the recoil force that would otherwise be sent back to the shooter. Newton’s …

Some efforts to update classic firearm features to better suit the tastes of modern-day shooting sports enthusiasts have proven to be less than aesthetically successful. Take the venerable lever-action rifle, for example. In an effort to make this platform more tactical or handy for self defense, it has at times …

  Lieutenant Colonel Simon Fraser, the 15th Lord Lovat, brandishes his swagger stick while briefing No. 4 Commando before the Boulogne Raid. David Style is seen on the left of the photograph with a modified SMLE slung on his shoulder and a Colt M1911 on his hip. Simon “Shimi” Fraser, …

Given today’s challenging times, more and more people consider relying on their own personal resources to make it through. What can you keep in your proverbial tool kit to help galvanize your own self-trust, burgeoning skills and personal confidence? The answer is personal resilience and self-defense. The dictionary defines “resilience” …

It’s no surprise that 9 mm pistols make up a sizeable portion of all guns sold each year. As a result, that competition in the 9 mm market is extraordinarily tough. But there are a handful of guns that consistently impresses by offering superb performance and rock-solid reliability at a …

Hunters today are blessed with a seemingly endless selection of capable cartridges to pursue their quarry. While many of them were designed “from zero” for hunting, some of the best options have military origins. Case in point: the stalwart .30-06 Springfield. There’s also the .223 Remington (and the 5.56x45mm NATO), 6.5x55mm …

Springfield Armory’s TRP line of 1911 handguns has been a popular line for the company for many years, and it has continually added new options to the lineup with different lengths, chamberings and extra features. Back in 2019, Springfield unveiled another addition to the line in addition to the 6″ barreled 1911 …