Gun Digest

Everything cycles … and I mean absolutely everything. As a hunter, the most obvious examples of this generally come in the form of population numbers of game and bird species. Ruffed grouse numbers rise and fall in roughly a 10-year cycle. Wolf numbers increase and moose numbers decrease, until the pendulum swings back the other way … and it always does. Always. The same things happen with humans annually (ever think about why you’re so much hungrier in the fall?) and generationally (recent headlines highlight the declining birth rate). Everything cycles, and that includes guns—both figuratively and literally. C’mon, that was a little funny. But it is true. For so long, so many gun and ammo manufacturers have strived to push the biggest bullet possible as fast and as flat…

HISTORICAL NOTES The .25 Remington is one of a series of rimless cartridges developed for the Remington Model 8 Autoloading rifle, and then later used in other Remington rifles. It was introduced in 1906. The Remington Model 14 pump action, Model 30 bolt action and Stevens Model 425 lever action also used the .25 Remington. No rifles have chambered this cartridge since 1942, and the ammunition companies stopped loading it about 1950. Buffalo Arms offers loaded ammunition for this round (AMO-25REM). GENERAL COMMENTS The .25 Remington is nothing more than a rimless version of the .25-35, but it differs slightly in shape. The two are not interchangeable. Since the Remington line of rifles, particularly the Model 30 bolt action, would stand higher pressures than the lever action, it is possible…

After World War II, the U.S. Military wanted a lighter and more compact pistol for offcers to carry. So, Colt created a 1911 with a 4.25-inch barrel chambered in 9mm Luger that was built on a lightweight aluminum alloy frame. In 1950, Colt began manufacturing that pistol—known as the Commander—but they also offered it chambered for the .38 Super and the .45 Auto. Twenty years later, Colt introduced an all-steel version of this shorter-barreled 1911 called the Combat Commander, and they renamed the original alloy-framed gun the Lightweight Commander. When I became a police offcer in 1992, a Colt Lightweight Commander chambered in .45 Auto was considered by many professionals to be the premier off-duty/concealed carry gun. Of course, I had to have one, but finding one like I wanted…

The timeline that opened Greg Ellifritz’s Tactical First Aid course is something none of us will forget: the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting. Seventy people were shot. The first trained medical responders didn’t get to the injured for 27 minutes, because police had to clear the scene first. A person with a massive arterial bleed has only 4 to 5 minutes to live without intervention. In that moment, one reality became painfully clear: Bystanders were the only medics on scene, and their actions determined who lived and who died. That sobering timeline reinforced a vital truth for every responsibly armed citizen: When disaster strikes, you are your own first responder. Carrying a firearm is only part of protecting yourself and others. Violence or even everyday accidents produce injuries that no…

I still remember the early days of installing an AR-15 barrel. Trying to clamp everything without crushing anything was a major undertaking. That problem was solved long ago, but Otis, as expected, has some improvements. The Pro+ A15 Uplock is something you need if you plan on installing or replacing a barrel. It’s a reaction rod, a simple bar to hold the barrel in place. A quick look: The front is lugged to match the locking lug slots on the barrel extension. Behind that is a bronze bushing with a roll pin stop. At the back, it’s machined with flats, so you can clamp it in the vise. To use it, simply clamp the rod on your vise, the bigger and stronger the better. Your bench should be big and…

In Greek mythology, titans were the deities who ruled before the Olympian gods that we all know such as Zeus, Hades and Thor. The titans were the children of the primordial deities of the earth and sky. However, these days most people think of the word “titan” as it’s defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “One that is gigantic in size or power; one that stands out for greatness of achievement.” Given its moniker, then, Mantis is setting lofty expectations for its new smart laser training pistol, the TitanX. To understand this more deeply, we first need to discuss the value of dryfire training. DRY FIRE FOR THE WIN You won’t find an instructor, top shooter or institution that doesn’t stress the importance of dry fire—practicing with an unloaded firearm—in learning…