Author: Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur.

A former police officer and trainer, he left public service and founded Tac6 Media, LLC.

Richard is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles related to firearms and law enforcement published by Harris Publications, Athlon Outdoors, NRA, Police & Security News, The Firearm Blog, Human Events and more.

Categories
Self-Defense Issues

Some Thoughts on Choosing a Defensive Handgun

Smith & Wesson SD40 Streamlight laser weapon light

When it comes to choosing the right defensive handgun, there are many “right” answers and a few wrong ones. The best defensive handgun for you will likely be different than my choices. But the criteria in picking a handgun for self defense is fairly universal.

Let’s take a look at some of the things you should consider when buying a handgun for personal protection.

Caliber selection is important, but not that important…

When picking the right handgun, many people obsess about what caliber to choose. Generally speaking, handguns are poor choices for stopping a violent attacker. Handguns launch a fairly small projectile at relatively low velocities, and bullet wounds to areas other than the central nervous system (CNS) generally take time to work.

So, two things are important when considering which caliber. First, bigger is better…to a point. A high-quality .45 hollowpoint is more likely to be effective than a .25 ACP anything. The .45 delivers more energy and momentum, and it makes a significantly larger wound channel.

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Categories
news

Gun Dudes: A Podcast for the Masses

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Iron Maiden or the Gun Dudes...you decide.

Do you have a group of guys that you sit around with, and talk guns, crack jokes, and quote action movies? If so, you’ll feel right at home with the Gun Dudes podcast.

A lighthearted, actually fun approach to discussing firearms, the Gun Dudes are a group of guys that cover topics from concealed carry to IDPA shooting with a liberal helping of humor thrown in to keep the conversation interesting.

Howard Leight Impact Sport ear pro review
Iron Maiden or the Gun Dudes…you decide.

While each show will have some specific topics (also known as toe-picks), the Dudes also start each program with a bit of news that highlights citizens using firearms to defend themselves and their families. A regular segment, the Misfire Award, discusses a criminal act that stands out from the crowd due to its over-achieving level of stupidity.

The Gun Dudes podcast is a member of the Gun Rights Radio Network (GRRN), which includes a wide range of gun and shooting related podcasts.

The Gun Dudes are Carl, (Tactical) Tom, and Stan with frequent guests dropping in to add to the conversation. Though we have never met, listening to these guys is like sitting around with my own friends. It is a great program, and I highly recommend it.

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Categories
Military Rifles

US Palm AK30 Magazine

US Palm is introducing the AK30 magazine, a polymer AK-47 magazine completely manufactured in the USA. These magazines are supposed to be the toughest polymer magazines ever made for the AK-47 series of rifles. Whether that is true is not for me to decide, but I am hearing very good things about these ammo feeders.

The 30-round AK-47 magazine uses the polymers developed by Tango Down. The AK30 magazine also borrows heavily from the design features of the Tango Down AR-15 magazine, including the non-removable floor plate for increased strength, the anti-tilt follower, chromium-silicon spring, and the large waffle-pattern texture on the magazine for a sure grip.

US Palm states the life expectancy on the AK30 magazine is in excess of 100,000 cycles. This is a lot of shooting, but I expect that I don’t have to tell you that. How much Wolf can one man handle anyway?

The magazine is a single piece design and does not come apart for cleaning or replacement of parts. Even though the magazine cannot be disassembled, it is still easy to clean due to the vented follower. US Palm recommends immersing the magazine in soapy water to clean, then rinse and turn it upside down to drain.

MSRP is $29.95. These magazines tend to sell at, or very close to, the suggested retail price. This puts them as being one of the most expensive AK-47 magazines on the market. Many people are buying metal mags for about half the cost of this one. A TAPCO magazine goes for about 1/3 the price of the US Palm AK30 magazine. Granted, this mag offers some features and details not available on some of the other polymer, US made magazines on the market today.

US Palm AK30 Specifications

  • Caliber: 7.62x39mm
  • Capacity: 30 rounds
  • Material: Proprietary Polymer
  • Weight: 7.0 ounces
  • Overall Length: 9″
  • Overall Width: 1 3/16″
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Categories
Military Shooting Gear

Foreign Weapons Field Tool Kit

Brownells introduced the Foreign Weapons Field Kit, a tool kit designed to service Soviet-bloc firearms in the field. This tool kit may be of great interest to Special Forces and other allied troops who work closely with the indigenous peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the thousands of military surplus firearms collectors here in the United States.

The kit contains tools for servicing a variety of Soviet-type foreign weapons, including the AK-47/AKM assault rifle, PK/PKM/PKMS 7.62mm machine gun, Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, DShK/DShKM 12.7mm machine gun, and RPG-7 grenade launcher.

The foreign weapons field kit lets you field-strip these weapons quickly for cleaning, maintenance, adjustment, and repair without the confusion and down time spent scrounging for the proper tools.

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Categories
Holsters

High Noon Holsters for Taurus 709 Slim and Sig Sauer P238

High Noon Holsters Tailgunner

I’ve recently had multiple e-mails asking who is making holsters for the Taurus 709 (aka the Slim) and the Sig Sauer P238. Based on how well both of these guns have been selling, I imagine their is a great deal of demand for quality holsters for these firearms.

If you are in the market for a holster for the 709 or P238, you should check out High Noon Holsters. Based in Tarpon Springs, FL, High Noon Holsters makes a variety of high-quality holsters in many different styles, including models for the Taurus Slim and Sig P238.

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