Gun Digest April 2021

In your hands sits Gun Digest’s annual nod to home defense. And as I so oft en do when writing this column, I went back in time 12 months to see where my head was at … and I found this: “As I write this from the well-armed confines of my work-from-home desk, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States sits at approximately 100 people. By the time these words hit the printer, those stats will be obsolete. And by the time you read this Gun Digest issue? Well, that’s anyone’s guess …” Pandemic. Presidential election. Riots. Texas ice storms. Ammo (and guns) shortage. Hell, toilet paper shortage! It’s been a weird 12 months for sure. And, I know that everyone gets to define “normal” for themselves,…

HISTORICAL NOTES If there’s one shotshell that holds all titles as most versatile, most popular and most varied in loading, the 12 gauge is it. Except for the .22 rimfire, by almost any measure the 12 gauge is the most popular sporting chambering ever offered. It’s commonly available loaded with shot made of lead, steel, tungsten/iron, tungsten/polymer or bismuth. Current shot charges range from about ⅞ ounce to 2½ ounces. Common shot sizes range from No. 9 through 000 Buck. Slugs are typically 1 or 1¼ ounce, but other weights are available. Further, it’s relatively simple to have a moderately sized batch of custom-loaded 12-gauge ammunition (with either an odd-sized shot or reduced velocity), produced by a major manufacturer. To gain a true perspective, just consider that at one time…

HOLSTER DESIGN A holster manufacturer recently sent me several holsters to try and asked that I offer feedback. The holsters were well made but were equipped with a flange that extended from the rear of the holster up behind where the slide portion of the handgun stuck out of the holster. This is not a bad thing; it can make wearing a holster more comfortable, because it can prevent the handgun from digging into your torso when you bend or flex. It also serves as a mechanism for helping to keep your shirt clear of the holster during the draw or when holstering. The problem with the holsters I was evaluating was that this flange was too wide. In other words, it was significantly wider than the handgun’s slide. Because…

Oh, for the good old days when you didn’t have to take out a second mortgage to afford a day of range time. Why I remember when a five-day class was an occasion to practically toast a barrel. Now, the ammo costs are greater than the enrollment fee or the travel costs. But it’s still mind-numbing labor to load a magazine. It’s hard on thumbs, it takes time from building skills and this is America, where life is supposed to be better for us than it was for our forebears. Which leads us to the Mag Pump. PUMP IT UP The Mag Pump is the device that many of us had thought of, even dreamed of, while spending time in the sun on a range, thumbing ammo into magazines. The…

When former Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Cooper built his home on what he called the Gunsite Ranch in Paulden, Arizona, he exercised common sense and applied defensive architectural principles to the structure. The home, Cooper called the Sconce, would serve as his base of operations for the American Pistol Institute, which would ultimately become known as Gunsite Academy. It was nothing luxurious, but it was built with an integral arms room and safe room and afforded the ability for the occupants to see the entire exterior of the building from the inside. THE ARMS ROOM Cooper’s gun room was on the ground floor, and though it did have a few small transom-style windows, it was sealed off from the rest of the home with a large, vault-like door. Admittedly, for…

On January 30 of this year, 45-year-old Nya Reyes was arrested for aggravated assault when (according to news reports) she allegedly shot at a fleeing shoplifter, missing the shoplifter and hitting an innocent bystander. This occurred outside an Ace Hardware store, in Phoenix, Arizona. Fortunately, the bystander, an Ace Hardware employee who was chasing the shoplifter at the time, wasn’t seriously wounded, so instead of being arrested for murder or manslaughter, she was only arrested for aggravated assault. “Again, depending on the jurisdiction but much more likely justified, is the right to make a ‘citizens’ arrest.’ And the law gives that person the ability to use ‘reasonable force’ when making the arrest, which in practical terms means holding the person for the police. When a person confronts a burglar in…