BETTER SHOOTING
WHAT WORKS BEST FROM OUR EXPERTS
Bear Guns and City Folk
The cast-iron skillet was heating up nicely, resting on a wire grill over a bed of glowing coals. Jake took two thick slices of bacon and laid them in the...
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Ruger Handguns: Case Study...
The Ruger .22 pistol is one of the great firearm designs. Its success laid the foundation for the Ruger company of today. Bill Ruger was brilliant, and his...
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The Right (And Wrong) Grips
The human hand is a marvelous device, an instrument of both great force and the utmost delicacy. The hand can be balled into a fist to punch you in the...
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The Mighty J-Frame
Now approaching its 75th anniversary, the J-Frame S&W is one of the all-time great handguns.
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Working Guns
There was a time not so long ago when people who spent much time outdoors — trapping, prospecting, fishing, camping, surveying, farming, ranching, logging...
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Why Pistol Caliber Carbines?
The pistol caliber carbine doesn’t replace either the handgun or the full-power service rifle but does provide considerable utility. For many homeowners,...
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Trigger-Meister...
He’s the best revolver shooter in the world, arguably the best who has ever lived. And he’s generous about sharing his knowledge.
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One-Handed...
There’s really no debate anymore: two hands on the gun is the best way to shoot a handgun. With two hands, the gun can be held more steadily. Recoil...
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Sage Advice
It was a glorious spring day at the Lewis & Clark Rifle & Pistol club and the Senior Member was in his usual spot. The rifle range was far enough away the...
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To Shoot Better,...
To become a really good shot, one has to shoot. The top competitive shooters I know generally shoot at least 1,000 rounds a week, some considerably more. If...
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Better Shooting...
Shooting stance is a topic I try not to get too dogmatic about it. In formal bullseye shooting, there is plenty of time to settle in a solid stance. In a...
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Better Shooting:...
What about .22s as carry guns? I’m not talking about them as backup or last-ditch firearms but as primary personal defense weapons. The short answer is...
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Vintage...
Bill said, “I’m thinking of a revolver my Daddy had, a little S&W Regulation Police. We still have some of daddy’s stuff stored and if I looked long...
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How Much Ammo Do...
When you carry a handgun, whether for competition, hunting, or self-defense, the question arises how much extra ammunition is enough?
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Recoil Science
Recoil and muzzle blast are the two biggest hurdles to overcome in learning to shoot well.
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How to make Sure...
When a novice asks for advice on purchasing a first handgun, a popular suggestion is to try various handguns and find one that “feels right.”
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Sage Advice For...
It was a typical day at the Lewis & Clark Rifle and Pistol Club. On the pistol range every bay was in use.
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Timeless...
Some things don’t change. Some principles were true long ago, are true today, and will be true far into the future.
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Let There Be Light
Evil loves the darkness while good rejoices in the light.” Obviously, this is metaphorical, but there’s literal truth.
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I’d Like A...
Selecting a firearm for everyday carry can be bewildering. Firearm manufacturers have responded to increased carry interest with an amazing array of designs...
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Alternative Gun...
Today, there are so many makes and models of guns you can hardly be expected to become familiar, much less proficient, with all of them.
25
The Hidden...
As I write this, we’re experiencing yet another end-of-the-world crisis. It’s about my 30th; I’ve lost count since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
14
Unorthodox CCW...
Everything in life involves tradeoffs, beginning with where you live. In two-season country you have six months of too hot and six months of just right
13
DA Semi-Autos
It’s been 90 years since Walther made what’s generally considered the first commercially successful DA semi-auto pistol, the model PP. Most previous...
34
One Eye — Or Two?
Should I shoot with one eye open — or two? The short answer is two. Most shooters, most of the time, are better off with both eyes open. Most of the top...
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Safe Carry Modes
The Colt Single Action Army was introduced in 1873 and with only occasional breaks has been in production to the present day.
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The Long Vs. The...
Short vs. long action refers to the arc swung by the hammer when cocked and fired.
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The Best Handgun...
Most rifle shooters seem to prefer a trigger with a crisp, virtually motionless single stage break. Ideally, the shooter gradually increases pressure on the...
1
Demystifying...
Practical pistol competition has become one of the most popular shooting sports, both worldwide and in the U.S. At the international level it’s...
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Precision Shooting
These days a handgunner interested in competition shooting is likely to be attracted to the action/practical shooting sports. Such sports are dynamic,...
5
SIG's P320 X-Five
The SIG P320, introduced in 2014–2015 has proven to be a solid success, most notably its acceptance by the U.S. military. It’s also becoming popular as...
31
What? Huh? No...
If you’re enough of an enthusiast to be a Handgunner reader, you probably get asked for advice on selecting a first handgun. Or maybe an acquaintance has...
29
Double-Barrel...
Ex Vice-President Joe Biden is apparently planning a post-political career as an expert on defensive firearms and tactics. On the subject of firearms, he...
5
Rimfires: Your...
People seem always to be looking for the “secret,” the magical easy shortcut to shooting skill.
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Stylish Or Stable?
Technique matters in developing shooting skills. Good coaching in basic techniques can save a novice from having to learn by trial and error. Just don’t...
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The How Not To...
People have devised many ways of carrying a sidearm. Sometimes you may not have a choice; if your department or agency says this is how it’s done, you...
1
Home Gunsmithing...
It will happen eventually. You selected your handgun after a lot of research and study. You compared various models at the gun store, maybe even went to the...
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Manipulation...
With age comes decreased mobility and strength, which in turn means fewer options in terms of avoiding or resisting criminal aggression. Sometimes, just at...
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Defensive Realities
This may be heresy, but the fact is handguns aren’t very good weapons.
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Simple Is Not...
People read “simple” to mean “easy.” The process is simple — doing it well is hard. It takes time, disciplined training and thousands of...
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Recoil And...
I don’t think it’s possible to nail down recoil with such precision. There are just too many factors, many of which are subjective. Plugging in bullet...
0
A Safety? Or Not?
So the crise du jour seems to involve striker-fired pistols without a manual safety. There’s a lot of chin-stroking and deep thinking going on about how...
1
Rust & Dust
The two worst environmental conditions your firearms may encounter are exposure to: (1) salt water/salt air, and (2) fine airborne dust. In comparison to...
0
Dave Gets...
An outfit called Ms Clean makes a line of cleaning kits stored in a (very) tough plastic case, shaped roughly like an AR 30-shot magazine. The cases are...
0
Dominating Eyes
Avery small minority of people are naturally ambidextrous. To some extent ambidexterity can be developed through disciplined training. Most people can learn...
0
J-Frame Light?
You can debate the value of a weapon-mounted light versus a separate light, but we’ll leave that for another time. I’ll just say, on a home-defense gun,...
32
Re-Born Re-Volver
The revolver had been gathering dust on the display shelf, unwanted and unappreciated. It was one of a group of police trade-ins purchased by my local gun...
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S&W's K22
In the early decades of the 20th century, .22 revolvers were mostly made on small frames — “small cartridge, small gun” seemed to be the rule.
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