The Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum has a distinctly American backstory. Introduced to much fanfare in 1955 as the “most powerful handgun in the world,” the .44 arrived at a time when we were adding muscle and power to cars, jets and space rockets. The .44 Mag. was a dramatic leap ahead …

Relatively early in adolescence, I learned that the secret to productivity is to fit smaller tasks into my periods of downtime. Shooting is one of those activities that is chock full of these periods, no matter how hard it is to accept. Between ceasefires, barrel cooling and firing unnecessary rounds …

The SIG Sauer P320 rewrote the rulebook for the modern defensive pistol. Its innovative design is based on a combination of a Fire Control Unit, or FCU, which holds all the workings of the gun, and a grip module, which holds the FCU and connects everything to the rest of …

Sometimes concealed carry on your person just isn’t a viable option, and you need something that allows for quick access your gun, but keep it near your person rather than one your person. This is where a concealed carry fanny pack or waist pack comes in handy. A fanny pack …

Any handgunner (combat or competition) will attest to the fact that first-round placement on target is critical to mission success. It is the anchor shot for any subsequent round placement and ensures that the shooter is appropriately set to deliver additional hits downrange. Given the importance of making effective first …

The Springfield Armory XD-M line of handguns have proven to be a popular option on the American striker-fired handgun market since its release in 2007. These were meant to be an upgraded, match variation of the already existing XD line. Over time, this striker-fired, polymer-frame handgun line grew to include several calibers and sizes. …

New from UTAS is the UT9-M, a semi-automatic pistol that is chambered in 9 mm. The pistol has a 6-inch barrel and upper receiver that is topped with a full length section of Picatinny rail for mounting optics or other accessories. The controls of the pistol will be immediately familiar to anyone …

Taurus took the U.S. M1911 market by the horns, so to speak, when it introduced its PT1911 in 2005, with the company’s products quickly setting the standard for affordable, imported M1911s with high-end features. For the first decade of production, Taurus stuck with full-size “Government Model” M1911s before expanding its lineup …

A few years ago, when I was first introduced to the Canik brand of semi-automatic pistols, my initial response was more ho-hum than yee-haw. Lacking previous experience with the company’s products, I thought they were just another set of less-expensive imports. I mentioned this to Mark Keefe, NRA Publications’ editorial …

CZ USA announced the release of a new version of its popular Scorpion line of 9 mm Luger chambered large format pistols with the launch of the CZ Scorpion 3+ Micro. This new version of the Scorpion builds off of the previous Scorpion EVO 3, but with several changes and additions that …