Categories
General Information

Why So Many Guns – Handguns

father daughter pistol

Ed. note:  This is part two of a three part series called “Why so many guns?”  Click here to read part one of this series.

PISTOL OR REVOLVER?

Another consideration in handguns is that between revolvers and semi-automatic handguns.  Revolvers have been around since before the Civil War, but semi-auto handguns are only about 100 years old.  With a revolver the shooter has the ease of mind to know that all they have to do is point and shoot. Revolvers offer an ease of mind that pulling the trigger will get the desired result.  And in the extremely rare situation that a cartridge is bad and fails to fire, the shooter need only pull the trigger again to cycle the revolver to another cartridge to fire.

The .357 and .44 cartridge have been very popular and successful as a handgun cartridge, but many of the revolvers shooting these rounds have pushed their price tags up above $600.  The price of ammunition for these guns has also gone up, so their use as a target shooting gun is really diminished.  The .38 caliber offers a relatively inexpensive medium ground for gun and ammunition, but is definitely on the lower end of good self-defense gun selection.  However, the lightweight, and compact .38 revolvers from S&W, Ruger, and others have been very popular lately, due largely to their compact frame and easy concealment.  Any revolver calibers lower than .38 might be good for target practice, but haven’t faired well as good self-defense rounds.

Categories
General Information

Why So Many Guns?

Why So Many Guns

The first time I shot a gun was when I was about 5 years old!  My family was visiting a friend in Alabama, and dad took his shotgun with plans to do some squirrel and bird hunting while there.  I was so enamored with the guns that my dad finally relented and helped me shoot his Winchester 12-gauge pump shotgun.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

However, along the way I’ve realized there are a lot of people who don’t share the love of the gun.  Some are the anti-gun nut jobs that attempt to demonize firearms at every turn.  Thankfully this nation’s history is solidly stamped with liberties gained and maintained because of guns, so the arguments of the nuts have no merit.  But many are simply friends and family that didn’t grow up around guns and wonder – “why so many guns?”  Well let me tell you why!

Categories
Rifles Silencers/Suppressors

Daniel Defense ISR: Integrally Suppressed Rifle

Daniel Defense ISR

Daniel Defense has already established themselves as a first rate rifle and component manufacturer, so it was no surprise to visit their booth at SHOT Show this year and find another great design:  the Daniel Defense ISR.  The ISR, or Integrally Suppressed Rifle, was designed from the ground up to be one complete package, which I explain below.  The official model number is DDM4ISR 300.

The Integrated Suppressor (IS)

Matt Mozak of Daniel Defense walked me through the latest, greatest DD rifle.  The rifle is designed to be a weapon system, and not just a rifle with accessories added.  To accomplish this, Daniel Defense developed and added their all new Integrated Suppressor (IS).  The integrated suppressor is threaded, pinned and welded to the rifle’s proprietary lSR gas block, in what Mozak called a monolithic baffel.  So the IS becomes a permanent part of the rifle, and not simply an interchangeable accessory.  The length of the barrel and Integrated Suppressor together is 16.145”.

Categories
Shooting Gear

ElZetta ZRX Flashlight Mount

ElZetta ZRX

[Ed. note:  This is an introduction to the ElZetta ZRX flashlight mount from our experience with it at the 2013 SHOT Show.  When we get one to test (on order already), we will have a full review here.]

Over the last couple of years we have come to know ElZetta as an innovative company that offers solutions to fill the voids sometimes left by other manufacturers.  Sitting in a smaller booth on the basement floor of the SHOT Show, it would be easy to miss them in the mass of smaller vendors downstairs.  Thankfully we picked up on their offerings and have found the reps to be more than helpful in showing off their gear.

This year I stopped by the booth and took a look at one of the newest flashlight mounts ElZetta is offering – the ZRX.  ElZetta rep, Dave Barnett walked me through the specifics.  This flashlight mount combines hard anodized aluminum clamp rings with a polymer body that makes the ZRX extremely light weight at only 1.1 oz.

Categories
Rifles

Caracal CC10 Carbine

Caracal CC10 picture

Introduced in the summer of 2012, the 2013 SHOT Show was our first opportunity to get our hands on the new Caracal CC10 9mm carbine.  The “CC” stands for “Caracal Carbine”.  The CC10 has a steel receiver and barrel, with a polymer frame, however no details were given on the type of steel.

The CC10 will come in (2) variants – the SB (short barrel version) and the LB (long barrel version).  The SB versions are marketed towards law enforcement, while the LB versions are promoted to the civilian market.  Unfortunately, I was not able to put some rounds downrange with this carbine to truly give it a full review.  [Ed. note:  When we were at the morning session of Media Day during the 2013 SHOT Show, Caracal did not have the CC10 at the range.   They promised to have it there later in the day, but it was never seen by any of our writers.]