Gun Digest October 2022

In your hands right now is what I call a “holiday issue” on the annual Gun Digest editorial calendar, due to the fact that I love putting this issue together because of the content: semi-auto handguns. I simply look forward to it all year long. Yes, the Gun Digest editorial staff includes CCW, EDC and hot new handguns in nearly every issue throughout the year—and it’s for that reason that we go just a little deeper down the handgun rabbit hole for this one. For example, the ol’ “my semi-auto is better than your revolver for self-defense” argument has been had by so many gun guys that it’s almost not worth talking about anymore. However, most of those conversations are rooted opinion, which is next to worthless, even from the top…

HISTORICAL NOTES The “new” 6mm ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) SAAMI cartridge (and chamber specs) were introduced in January 2020 and revised in June 2020. Hornady ballistician Jayden Quinlan said, "The 6mm ARC began with a simple question: What can we do with today’s technology to maximize the performance of the AR-15 platform? We subsequently modeled and tested a variety of designs in different calibers until we were able to produce the most flexible cartridge possible within the limits of the AR-15 system." The 6mm ARC was engineered using a long, high-B.C. bullet in modern autoloading rifles. The SAAMI maximum average pressure is 52,000 psi. The twist rate should be 1:7.5 to stabilize 105- to 108-grain high-B.C. bullets and 1:7 twist to stabilize the 115-grain Berger VLD. According to a GunDigest.com…

As a gun writer, I often need odds and ends—and sometimes big items—to complete projects for assignments. And when I need something fast, I always check with MidwayUSA first. Every time. That’s how reliable MidwayUSA is. It’s no accident, either, because Larry Potterfield planned it that way. “Our vision is to be the best-run business in America—and the most successful, most-respected business in our industry for the benefit of our customers,” Potterfield says. How? A single-minded focus. “Keeping the single mission of internet sales, with no retail stores, has allowed us to be possibly the ‘best’ shooting sports business on the internet,” he adds. WHAT EXACTLY IS MIDWAYUSA? “We are a family business with a great selection of products, fast shipping and the foremost supporter of the NRA,” Potterfield says.…

Handgun recoil can be measured objectively. The free recoil energy in foot-pounds can be calculated with a mathematical formula. According to SAAMI (Small Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) the formula looks like this: FRE = (WF/64.34) × (WEVE + WPCVPG)/7,000WF)2 FRE = Free Recoil Energy in foot-pounds WF = Weight of the firearm in pounds WE = Weight of the bullet in grains VE = Velocity of the bullet in feet per second WPC = Weight of the propellant charge in grains VPG = Velocity of the propellant gases in feet per second There’s also a modifier that’s applied to the velocity of the propellant gases (VPG) based on whether you’re calculating for rifles (VPG x 1.75), or shotguns and handguns (VPG × 1.50). You can use this formula if…

I used to work as an on-air radio broadcaster. (And that’s not even the strangest job I’ve ever had.) The rock-’n’-roll motto of “some is good, more is better, too much is not enough” certainly ruled back then. Today, you have to be careful, because too much of some things can be a problem. But ammo? Well, that’s hard to have too much of. And so, ATI offers the Schmeisser AK-47 magazine, holding 60 rounds of 7.62x39 ammo. Yes, 60 rounds. The magazine is polymer (as are so many things these days) with metal reinforcements at the needed points. After all, 60 rounds of AK ammo are a goodly amount—and a bunch of weight—and you don’t want to be depending solely on polymer to hold them in … not even…

This is a message to the gun-owning citizens of California, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii and the District of Columbia: Welcome to the world of legal concealed carry! I know many of you already had out-of-state permits from one or more of the many states that issue them, but sooner or later you’ll be able to possess your very own state’s concealed carry license. Don’t get in a great hurry, though; the history of these things is that the people in your state who didn’t want this ruling to nullify their anti-gun laws will start putting up roadblocks in your way. In New York, they’re already doing it, including mandatory training requirements, mandatory mental health evaluations and perhaps some type of expanded background-check system, with usury fees that’ll…