Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 - January 2024 (Gun Buyer's Guide) i Personal Defense World

If you haven’t shot a newer Taurus pistol lately, you need to change that. This isn’t the Taurus you know from a decade ago. Sure, they had a couple of flops (the Curve), but I applaud them for trying something new, something out of the box. Their quality control and customer service have greatly improved over the years. Good things are coming from them soon, and great things later. About 10 years ago, Taurus released the Taurus G2, a striker-fired pistol that worked and you didn’t need to send it in for repairs. Yes, the trigger sucked, but the gun worked and was reliable. Then came the G3 shortly thereafter with an improved trigger, better ergonomics, great reliability and, as Taurus was quoted as saying, the “performance-to-cost ratio is outstanding.”…

MSRPs and “street prices” can vary considerably. While the MSRP for my YC9 is $229, street prices run $179 to $219 right now. There are other 9mm pistols that fit into this same price bracket and offer similar features. Here are two of them. SCCY DVG-1 Much lighter and more compact than the YC9, the DVG-1 from SCCY has a 3.1-inch barrel, 6.1-inch overall length and a weight of 15.5 ounces empty. The pistol is striker-fired and features the Roebuck Quad-Lock mechanism with a 10+1 cartridge capacity. The slide is stainless steel, and the frame/grip frame is textured polymer with a variety of finish and color combination options. Sights are fixed three-dot, and for about $10 more your DVG-1 can be optics-ready. The DVG-1 sports a straight trigger and finger…

BASIC TRAINING FOR those who truly live the 2A life, dry practice and training in general are just a part of everyday life. We diligently do our dry practice to make sure we can easily and effectively get our guns into action. In fact, many of us perform these drills in a variety of settings to make sure we can perform under stress and in all the environments we live and work in. From performing draws in our bedrooms to drills in our cars, we are dedicated to training ourselves to get to our guns wherever we are. All this training gives us a sense of confidence and comfort with our weapons. By training like this, you would think that we had all our bases covered. That was what I…

CIMARRON 1862 POCKET NAVY CONVERSION Caliber: .380 ACP Barrel: 6″ Weight: N/A Grips: Walnut Sights: Bead front, notch rear Features: SA Finish: Blued, brass, casehardened Capacity: 5 MSRP: $647 CIMARRON MODEL NO. 3 1ST MODEL AMERICAN Caliber: .45 Colt, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .44 WCF Barrel: 5″, 8″ Weight: N/A Grips: Walnut Sights: Fixed Features: SA Finish: Blued Capacity: 6 MSRP: $1,365 CIMARRON PISTOLERO Caliber: .357 Mag/.38 Special, .45 Colt Barrel: 4.75″ Weight: 40 ounces Grips: Walnut Sights: Fixed Features: SA Finish: Blued, casehardened, nickel Capacity: 6 MSRP: $589-$691 COLT ANACONDA Caliber: .44 Mag Barrel: 6″, 8″ Weight: 42-46 ounces Grips: Hogue rubber Sights: Red ramp front, adjustable rear Features: DA/SA Finish: Semi-bright stainless Capacity: 6 MSRP: $1,499 COLT COBRA Caliber: .38 Special Barrel: 2″ Weight: 25 ounces Grips: Wood…

BARRETT 95 Caliber: .50 BMG Barrel: 29” Weight: 23.55 pounds Stock: Synthetic Sights: None Features: Bolt action Finish: Parkerized Capacity: 5+1 MSRP: $6,671 BARRETT 99 Caliber: .416 Barrett, .50 BMG Barrel: 29”, 32” Weight: 23-25 pounds Stock: Synthetic Sights: None Features: Bolt action Finish: Several options available Capacity: 1 MSRP: $3,967-$4,222 BARRETT MRAD Caliber: .300 PRC, .300 NM, .300 WM, .338 LM, .338 NM, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor Barrel: 17”, 20”, 22”, 24”, 26” Weight: 12.83-14.43 pounds Stock: Adjustable, folding Sights: None Features: Bolt action Finish: Cerakote Capacity: 10+1 MSRP: $4,995-$6,154 BENELLI LUPO Caliber: .243 Win, .270 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6mm Creedmoor, 7mm Rem Mag .30-06, .308 Win, .300 WM Barrel: 22”, 24” Weight: 6.9-7.1 pounds Stock: Synthetic, walnut Sights: None Features: Bolt action Finish: Black Capacity: 5+1…

LEGENDS M3 GREASE GUN Caliber: .177 BB Barrel: 8 inches Weight: 7.65 pounds Stock: Metal Sights: Post/peep Features: CO2, full-auto Finish: Gun Metal Capacity: 60 MSRP: $250 (From Umarex USA) SIG SAUER MCX ASP Caliber: .177, .22 Barrel: 18” Weight: 7.3 pounds Stock: Synthetic Sights: Flip-up front and rear, optional scope Features: CO2, up to 700 fps Finish: Black, FDE Capacity: 30 MSRP: $222-$300 UMAREX AIRSABER ELITE X2 Caliber: Umarex Arrow Barrels: 20” air tube Weight: 8.73 pounds Stock: Synthetic Sights: None Features: PCP, double-barrel Finish: Composite/OD Green Capacity: 2 MSRP: $500 UMAREX EMERGE Caliber: .177, .22 Barrel: 17.5” Weight: 7.5 pounds Stock: Synthetic Sights: Fiber-optic, scope Features: Up to 1,000 fps Finish: Black Capacity: 12 MSRP: $190 UMAREX GAUNTLET 30 Caliber: .30 Barrel: 28.25” Weight: 8.97 pounds Stock: Synthetic…

POCKET BLASTER FIREARM PONTIFICATORS have prematurely sounded the death knell for various types of firearms. For example, snubbie revolvers, single-action revolvers, submachine guns, full-power battle rifles, single-shot rifles and lever actions, were all destined for the scrap heap at some point. Derringers are another category that many “in the know” have predicted the gun’s demise. Derringers were the original pocket pistols dating back to Henry Deringer’s muzzleloading percussion cap variant made infamous with Lincoln’s assassination. Like current news reporting knowledge of firearms, the newspapers misspelled the name of Booth’s weapon, thus why we have “derringer” as the label. When metallic cartridges arrived, the term derringer stuck for any compact multiple-barrel handgun that did not have an action (revolver, semi-automatic, etc.). Metallic cartridges allowed additional barrels to be added versus single-barrel,…

Whenever the topic of selfdefense with a firearm is broached, without fail the conversation will include the nasty business of overpenetration. This issue is so compelling that some CCW holders have downgraded their handguns to less powerful offerings, often to their demise. For decades the solution to keeping bystanders safe was to bring less gun, but that move has the potential to put both defenders and bystanders in danger in an active shooter situation. The solution lies, as it always has, in the ammunition, particularly ammo that breaks apart and dumps all of its energy where you need it. Collectively, these rounds are referred to as frangibles, and the design idea is rather simple. For rounds to flake apart, all a manufacturer has to do is make them brittle enough…

AUTO-ORDNANCE 1911 Caliber: .45 ACP Barrel: 5” Weight: 39 ounces Grips: Polymer wood Sights: Blade front, drift-adjustable rear Features: SA Finish: Black oxide Capacity: 7+1 MSRP: $637-$662 AUTO-ORDNANCE STAINLESS 1911 Caliber: .45 ACP Barrel: 5” Weight: 31.539 ounces Grips: G10 Sights: Night, Dovetailed Combat Features: SA Finish: Stainless Capacity: 7+1 MSRP: $1,324-$1,402 BERETTA 92X CENTURION Caliber: 9mm Barrel: 4.3” Weight: 33.3 ounces Grips: Flat and wraparound polymer Sights: Orange front, black rear Features: DA/SA Finish: Bruniton Capacity: 10+1/17+1 MSRP: $699 BERETTA 92X COMPACT Caliber: 9mm Barrel: 4.3” Weight: 27.2 ounces Grips: Polymer Sights: Orange front, black rear Features: DA/SA Finish: Bruniton Capacity: 10+1/13+1 MSRP: $699 BERETTA 92X FULL SIZE Caliber: 9mm Barrel: 4.7” Weight: 33.3 ounces Grips: Polymer Sights: Orange front, black rear Features: DA/SA Finish: Bruniton Capacity: 10+1/17+1 MSRP:…

I HAVE NEVER BEEN A SNOB OF ANY KIND. I don’t have a Southern mansion or a hot car. I’m happy with a certain brand of lower-shelf bourbon. With the exception of a few pricey examples, my accumulation of guns is plain factory. I’m not going to look down my nose at someone who can only afford a new gun with a modest price point. As a career law enforcement officer, I never earned any big paychecks, so I had to live within my means, which meant used or lower-priced handguns. With this “history,” I’ve always been on the lookout for affordable guns that work. Many years ago, I compared a Hi-Point 9mm pistol with a now-defunct Lorcin 9mm and a Smith & Wesson SW9 in 9mm. Both of the…

BRAVO COMPANY RECCE 11 KMR-A Caliber: 5.56mm Barrel: 11″ Weight: 5.1 pounds Grip: BCM Gunfighter Sights: None Features: Semi-auto Finish: Matte black Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $1,399 BRAVO COMPANY RECCE 9/12 KMR-A Caliber: 300 BLK Barrel: 9″, 12″ Weight: 4.9-5.2 pounds Grip: BCM Gunfighter Sights: None Features: Semi-auto Finish: Matte black Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $1,399-$1,499 CENTURY ARMS AP5 Caliber: 9mm Barrel: 4.6″, 5.8″, 8.9” Weight: 4.43-5.5 pounds Grip: Polymer Sights: Adjustable rear, fixed front Features: Semi-auto Finish: Black Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $2,000 CENTURY ARMS C39V2 Caliber: 7.62×39mm Barrel: 10.6″ Weight: 6.55 pounds Grip: Magpul MOE Sights: Adjustable Features: Semi-auto Finish: Nitride Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $880 CENTURY ARMS DRACO/U.S. DRACO Caliber: 7.62×39mm Barrel: 10.5″ Weight: 6.3 pounds Grip: Polymer Sights: Adjustable Features: Semi-auto Finish: Nitride Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $725 CENTURY ARMS DRACO…