Innehållsförteckning för April 2024 från Gun Digest

Home defense is one of those personal defense topics that seems pretty straight forward at a glance, but once you dig into it, it’s got more layers than Grandma’s special Jell-O surprise. And if you’re not prepared for it, the taste can be just as unpalatable. Terms like “cover versus concealment,” “over-penetration” and “light blindness” all become major considerations when you’re traversing the dark hallways of your own home, with a firearm in-hand and the people you love behind every closed door. A very popular mindset is to defend your home with the exact firearm you use for everyday carry … because that’s the gun you’re most familiar with. Perhaps no truer logic as ever been spoken, and it’s a position that I can get behind completely. But I also…

Do you ever say to yourself you’ve had enough? More specifically, have you had enough with the litter of tools on your loading bench? I have. I’m regularly swapping toolheads to change calibers on my presses as I test this or that, trying something new or swapping calibers. I tried to keep the Allen wrenches for those adjustments in a plastic box, but they always ended up on the bench. And then, where on the bench were they? Mumble … mumble … mutter. I finally had enough, so when I saw the wrench rack from Dillon, I knew my 550 and 750 were each going to get a set. The rack is simple: It’s a heavy-gauge stamping that you bolt to the top back of your strong mount, behind your…

Home defense is one of those areas that’s filled with paradoxes and degrees of misunderstanding. Many times, we’re concerned simply with the end result of stopping a threat, but what’s often disregarded is the behavior of bullets inside a closed structure. I’ve had the opportunity to perform detailed testing on materials over the years, and through this, I’ve come to a better understanding of just what bullets do when presented to common home construction materials. My opinions here are the result of what I learned—and some of it may surprise you. COMMON MYTHS Before we get into this topic in detail, I do want to go about dispelling some myths that surround bullets on impact. In general, we aren’t going so far as to talk about what you see in…

Originally announced at SHOT Show 2017 by Hudson Mfg., the Hudson H9 made a big impression. The 9mm handgun had a lot going for it thanks to its unique design, and those who bought one seemed to be pleased with it … but the company unfortunately went under just a couple of years later. Fans of the H9 should be excited then, as Daniel Defense announced at SHOT Show 2024 that it had purchased Hudson’s patents and was bringing the pistol back as the Daniel H9. Despite looking nearly identical from the outside, the Daniel H9 only shares a single component with the original Hudson. This is because of Daniel Defense’s commitment to quality, and while the Hudson H9 boasted a very innovative design, it ultimately didn’t meet Daniel Defense’s…

01 Staccato C Tailored for all-purpose use, the Staccato C strikes a balance between carry convenience and duty/home defense effectiveness. The slim and short design of the pistol offers a confident grip across various hand sizes. Whereas its wide frame, flush with the slide, enhances durability and reduces felt recoil, delivering a more controllable shooting experience. Being a Staccato, the C is a 2011, giving shooters ample firepower in a 1911-style gun—in this case, 16 rounds of 9mm. As expected, the company has outfitted the gun with a lights-out trigger, breaking at right around 4 pounds. MSRP: $2,600 02 Walther Arms PDP Compact Steel Frame Kicking 2024 off in style, Walther Arms upped the level of its popular PDP line of pistols with the release of a Compact Steel Frame…

When most think of team tactics, they envision highly trained Delta Force operatives—or a SWAT team—breaching a door and conducting a dynamic entry. That’s a good example of team tactics in action … but few of us will ever participate in an activity like that. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t develop your team tactics. Well, unless you’re a hermit who has no friends and has moved to the mountains to live alone and write a manifesto. Most normal humans have other humans they often hang with, whether they’re their good friend, a spouse or children. I’ve had some team tactics training. As a soldier, and back in my badge-wearing days, it was part of the curriculum. I’ve also attended a team tactics course at Gunsite Academy that focused on…

When it comes to home defense, you don’t have to have the latest, hottest polymer blaster. You don’t need ultra-compact nor something eminently concealable. You don’t even need something new to the market. You can go old school—at least by today’s standards. I offer up for your consideration three potential pistols that you might see languishing in your local gun shop display case, unloved because they aren’t new: the Sig P226, the Beretta 92 and the whole series of S&W M59. SIG P226 This is a full-sized 9mm pistol with a generous magazine capacity, one that first saw the light of day back in 1985 as part of the U.S. Service Pistol trials. A collaboration between Sig and J.P. Sauer & Sohn, it ended up losing to the Beretta, but…

When outfitting for carry concealed, your handgun, cartridge and ammunition are three very important considerations. But holster selection is just as important, partly because it makes carrying concealed easier, and partly because if your holster is uncomfortable, you won’t be carrying when you should be. Many gun stores have ranges where you can try different handguns, but to try a holster you most often have to buy it. So, some holster advice is a good thing. I’ve been carrying concealed for more than half my life, but I thought hearing from a true holster specialist might be more beneficial. Mike Barham has worked for Galco Gunleather for 21 years. He grew up around guns and took courses from esteemed trainers like Chuck Taylor and Massad Ayoob. In addition to 11…

The shotgun is one of the most familiar firearm platforms in existence. At one time, nearly every home in America had one handy. It put food on the table, protected the home and its inhabitants from intruders, and it was as useful as any other household tool for solving problems. Yet, in many ways, the shotgun is an enigma. Myths abound about the shotgun. We’ve all heard a certain politician advocating that people arm themselves with a shotgun and all they need to do is fire two shots in the air to scare off an intruder. Or, maybe you’ve heard that the simple racking of a pump-action will make a home invader quiver with fear. These are irresponsible and will give many people a false sense of security. Maybe the…

Among the numerous rifle companies that made a definite impression in the 20th century, one squeezed in just under the wire; in fact, their flagship rifle action was named for the last year of the 1900s. Montana Rifle Company was the brainchild of gunsmith Brian Sipe. Their Model 1999 action became a favorite among hunters, and their bolt-action rifles gained equal popularity. Using a controlled-round-feed (CRF) action, with definite influences from the proven original Winchester Model 70 CRF design, those Montana Rifles equipped with the Model 1999 action were a perfect fit for the hunter on the back forty or for those pursuing big game around the globe. The original rifle series came in common calibers as small as .22-250 Remington, all the way up to the behemoth .505 Gibbs,…