Author: Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is a gun writer, amateur historian and - most importantly - a dad. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

Categories
Handguns

Springfield XDS 40 – When Will It Hit The Market?

Springfield XDS 40
Remove the 9mm markings on this pistol and you have what the new Springfield XDS 40 will look like.
Springfield XDS 40
Remove the 9mm markings on this pistol and you have what the new Springfield XDS 40 will look like.

(Ed. note: Springfield Armory finally announced the new XDS 40. The details on the new gun are here.)

Rumors of the Springfield XDS 40 have been floating around since the introduction of the original XDS 45 at the 2012 SHOT Show.  At the time of this writing, there has not been any official word from Springfield Armory, but people believe an announcement is close.  I would expect the .40 caliber version to be rolled out in January at SHOT Show 2014.  But, I would not be surprised to see the gun at the 2013 National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) show this fall.

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Categories
Military

SKS Still in Russian Service

Russian SKS rifle
© Vitaly V. Kuzmin
Russian SKS rifle
© Vitaly V. Kuzmin

The Russian military still uses the SKS at the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.  These photos were taken by Vitaly V. Kuzmin, a photographer of amazing skill.  Kuzmin took these photos at the June 23 graduation ceremony.

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Categories
Handguns

Arsenal Strike One Pistols

Arsenal Strike One gun
© Vitaly V. Kuzmin
Arsenal Strike One gun
© Vitaly V. Kuzmin

On display at the recent special forces competition in Russia was the Strike One pistols from Arsenal Firearms.  The Strike One is a polymer framed handgun from the same company that introduced the double barrel 1911 pistol last year.

Arsenal Firearms claims the Strike one is “…the fastest, most controllable, most accurate and hard hitting service pistol available today on the world market.”  Those are some pretty big claims considering the excellent alternatives from Glock, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory and others.

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Categories
Shooting Gear

MagHolder: Awesome Horizontal Carry Magazine Pouch

MagHolder magazine pouch

MagHolder magazine pouch

Innovation is alive and well in the United States small business world.  Case in point:  the MagHolder magazine pouch.

Made of injection-molded plastic, the one piece MagHolder carries a single spare magazine horizontally on a belt.  This presents a less noticeable bulge under a concealing garment as the magazine follows a natural visual line along the waist instead of breaking the natural line with a perpendicular angle.  Think of it as camouflage:  the eye is less likely to catch something when the angles flow with expectations.

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Categories
news

Independence Day: What Action Will You Take?

declaration of independence

declaration of independence

Today is Independence Day.

Independence Day just happens to fall on July 4, but it is not a celebration of some date on a calendar.  It is the day we commemorate the birth of a nation that would become the United States of America.

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.  That declaration was a letter to the king of England, and a public announcement to the world, that Congress had on July 2 declared that…

these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

By declaring themselves free, each one of the signers of the Declaration made themselves traitors to the crown and had, in essence, signed their own death warrant.  Each of the signers knew full well what wrath the Declaration would invoke.

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