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Hand’s On Reviews
160 posts
Rossi’s New Rio Bravo .22 lever action rifles
Rossi is known for, among other things, its lever action Winchester 1892 replicas. Of course, they are modernized versions which include lawyer-recommended safety features and other newer construction techniques and materials. But they feel really great in your hand and come to your shoulder effortlessly. I know because I owned one for a long time. ... Read more
[Review 2021] Ruger LCP .380 With Viridian Laser
Want one of the smallest, pocket-dwelling .380s on the market? Want it to be reliable? How about a laser sight so you don’t have to look through the tiny built-in sights? Want it to be built like a Ruger? Well, here you go… the best of all those worlds, the Ruger LCP. The .380 has ... Read more
![Ruger American Pistol Review – One Nice .45 [hands on]](http://161.35.252.213/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/title-380x280.jpg)
Ruger American Pistol Review – One Nice .45 [hands on]
The Ruger American pistol joins a growing number of pistols chambered for the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP these days is more and more popular and the pistol designed to shoot it – the 1911 – is stronger now than ever before. Whether you like the .45 ACP or not, you cannot deny the growth ... Read more
[Review] Caldwell Shooting Supplies
Caldwell Shooting Supplies is a name known to many shooters. They are known for, among other things, their excellent shooting rests and their chronographs. I have owned one or two Caldwell chronographs for years and have found them to be accurate and easy to use. Their Lead Sled is one of the most popular rifle ... Read more
[Review] Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite
A small, light .22 pistol can be a thing of joy. We don’t necessarily need a big, honkin’ gun on our hip all the time. There are times when we want to travel light and don’t want two-plus pounds of pistol weighing us down. There is room for a twenty-ounce or so in our gun ... Read more
[Review] Crimson Trace Rail Master Universal Laser Sight
I am not a great pistol shot. Sure, I’ve killed deer, past 100 yards even, with an open-sighted .44 Magnum revolver but for most intents and purposes, I’m not great. I am getting old, or so my body tells me and with that revelation comes the need for progressive trifocal glasses. I have worn them ... Read more
[Review] Ruger 22 Charger: More Handy Than A 10/22?
For those of you out there who own a Ruger 10/22 rifle – all six million of you – Ruger has something relatively new for you. It’s called the Charger. And, if you’re not one of those owners, the Charger is for you, too. I’m sure a lot of you already know about this little ... Read more
[Review] Ruger LCRx .357 Magnum Snubby
What — a lightweight snubby in .357? Wow! That would be handful! I can hear the comments flowing from all you revolver shooters out there. And, these comments are not without merit. I have shot snub-nosed revolvers before, in calibers from .22 LR to .357 and it certainly can be a handful. A lot of ... Read more
[Review] S&W SW22 Victory: Excellent .22 Pistol
Smith and Wesson has had a lot of experience with .22 LR autoloaders. Matter of fact, one of my recent reviews was about their M&P Compact .22. They make a lot of different models. Friend Duane has in his gun case a like-new Model 41 Target pistol with two barrels – one has a red ... Read more
[Review] Mossberg MMR: Best Budget AR-15?
Mossberg. Great shotguns, right? I own a decades-old Mossberg 5500, a lesser-expensive version of the 550 autoloader shotgun meant to be sold in box stores. I bought it long about 1986 or so and paid $199 for it, if memory serves. I got it a long-gone retail store called Service Merchandise. At any rate, I ... Read more
[Review] Taurus 44 Mag – The “Other” 44 Magnum
The “other” 44. What do I mean? Well, if you look at this gun for more than 2 seconds, you will see that it looks an awful lot like a Smith & Wesson. Why does it resemble the other gun? We’ll get into that. Suffice it to say that this gun is a winner in ... Read more
[Review] Sig Sauer P556: Yep, that’s a pistol…
Oh boy…a “pistol” in 5.56! What a cool gun, I thought as I picked it up to look it over. Loaned to me by a good friend and former county deputy, I couldn’t wait to get some rounds downrange through it. I had always wondered about the need for a short-barreled, buttstock-free 5.56 gun, but ... Read more
[Review] Ruger LCP II: The .22 Pocket Rocket
I’ve always had a weakness for .22 handguns. Revolver or semi-auto, it doesn’t matter to me. The thought of having a gun that can go pretty much anywhere you go, on your belt or in a pocket appeals to me. I call them “walking-around guns.” As I wander our woods, I appreciate having something that ... Read more
[Review] Springfield Armory XDS 4.0
A good while ago I owned a Springfield XDS with the short 3-inch-plus barrel in .45 ACP. Now, that was a handful. I’m no stranger to smalller-framed .45s… back in the late 1970s I owned a Star PD, the Spanish-made 6-round .45 that was loosely modeled on the 1911. I liked that gun. But, like ... Read more
Ruger Precision Rifle: Hands-On Review
Let’s just cut right to the chase. If you want a precision rifle that is accurate, modular and well-built, the Ruger Precision rifle would work. From its totally-adjustable butt stock to the cap on its threaded muzzle, there’s a lot to talk about this gun. Ruger Precision Rifle Pros and Cons Quick History of the ... Read more
[Review] Fiocchi Ammo
Quick — I say “Fiocchi ammo” and you come back with: “_____!” OK… let me fill in the blank. You might say “They make some great .22 rimfire ammo!”, or “Not bad for being made in Italy!” (Speaking of Italy, I’ve heard different pronunciations of “Fiocchi” – for the record, it’s fee-OH-key). You would be ... Read more
[Review] Hi-Point 995 Carbine
I recently received two 9mm carbines for testing. One is made by Hi-Point and the other one by Ruger. I will do a two-part review using these two carbines — this style of firearms is really hot right now. So, let’s look first at the Hi-Point, then next time we’ll examine the Ruger. These are ... Read more
[Review] Taurus 942: New CCW Revolver
Raise your hand if you’ve always wanted a neat little .22 revolver that didn’t take up much room and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Add in accurate and reliable, and we have a winnah! The Taurus 942 is just such a critter. Why Would I Want One? I had requested this gun from ... Read more
[Review] Ruger P97DC: Looking back
OK, boys and girls…set your Way-Back machine for 1985. Point it to Southport, Connecticut – the Ruger factory there. As you enter the Ruger administrative offices, you may notice several men and women “high-five-ing” each other. Why? They had just introduced a new line of pistols, to compete in the marketplace against other “wondernines” and ... Read more
[Review] N82 Tactical Holsters
What, you say…more holsters? Yessiree. With the plethora of carry guns we have today, we really can’t have too many holsters, can we? (Especially those that ride on the western hemisphere of my body, unlike all you right-handed eastern hemisphere shooters!) There are never enough lefty holsters out there, so it was great excitement that ... Read more
[Review] FNS-9 Pistol
Fabrique Nationale Herstal, or, more simply FN. That manufacturer’s name conjures up, for those in the know, a long history of firearms production. Their long guns and military items are legendary, but we’re going to examine a 9mm pistol made by this storied company. Our review pistol is rugged and as Cousin Eddie might put ... Read more
[Review] Mossberg 715T: “Black Rifle” For Almost Any Budget
Look at the photo above. What gives it away? You know — gives away the fact that this is not a normal AR-pattern rifle. Look at the magazine and the bolt. This is not a normal AR-15. Not normal, that is, unless the rifle is chambered in the “other” .22 – the .22 Long Rifle. ... Read more
[Review] Glock 32: The Other .357
Riddle…when is a .357 not a magnum? When it’s fired in the Glock 32, in the guise of the .357 Sig. I have always wondered about the .357 Sig. I’d heard great things about it, such as its ability to push a 125-grain bullet out of a semi-auto’s barrel at over 1300 feet per second, ... Read more
[Review] HK P2000SK Compact 9mm
Heckler & Koch makes some of the highest-quality arms in the world. From submachine guns to rifles to pistols, the company has earned a good reputation for tough, reliable weapons. I was blown away (not literally) with the quality and workmanship exhibited in the P30L in .40 S&W when I reviewed that gun a few ... Read more
[Review] NovX Ammo 9mm
NovX ammo is really popular now. Along with Ruger’s ARX ammo, this very-light-for-caliber bullet moving at hyper speeds is helping redefine self-defense ammo. The light-bullet-moving-fast trend isn’t new — Lee Jurras helped push that idea in the 1960s with his SuperVel company based out of Shelbyville, Indiana. Now, NovX has taken up the baton with ... Read more
[Review] Troy Industries A4 “Other Firearm”
I have always been fascinated by the idea of a carbine that shoots pistol-caliber ammo. This is not a new idea — pistol caliber carbines have been around since the days of the Wild West. So, it would come as no surprise that I requested a 9mm firearm from Troy Industries. They sent me their ... Read more
[Review] Glock 20: Best 10mm Out There?
If you’ve read many of my articles, you’ll know that I frequent a very good friend’s gun shop. My buddy Duane has loaned me used pistols to write about from time to time — he’s one of the good guys. He’s had a used Glock Gen 3 Glock 20 10mm in his case for a ... Read more
[Review] Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm
I owned a 9mm Shield once upon a time and foolishly sold it. That gun was reliable and easily carried inside the waistband. It was well-built, felt good in the hand and went “bang” every time it was supposed to. I don’t remember what gun I just had to have in its place, but it ... Read more
[Review] SIG Sauer P226
I recently was able to snag a used SIG Sauer P226 from my friend Duane’s gun case to review. The gun is chambered in .40 S&W and is in pretty decent shape, considering that it was shot and carried a lot. The P226 is one of those classic guns that has a great reputation. It ... Read more
Taurus Spectrum .380 Subcompact Review
This article/review is about Taurus’ relatively new .380 ACP handgun, the Spectrum. But, before we get into discussing the Spectrum itself, a word about Taurus may be in order. (To cut to the chase, I really like my Spectrum – it’s a very reliable pistol). The following is directed at those who are not fans ... Read more
