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.
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.” Â Those are some pretty big claims considering the excellent alternatives from Glock, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory and others.
Innovation is alive and well in the United States small business world. Â Case in point: Â 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.
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. Â 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. Â Each of the signers knew full well what wrath the Declaration would invoke.
We all know that the 1911 platform is a fine weapon, and we also know that they can be picky about the kinds of ammunition they will run. Â That is one of the many reasons why more than a few firearms instructors suggest guns other than a 1911 for self-defense purposes.
For years, I have seen gunsmiths offering a variety of packages to improve the reliability of the venerable 1911.  But, I did not realize that Colt offered one of those same packages at the factory. The Colt Enhanced Reliability Package is a deal offered through the company’s custom shop and can be purchased prior to the acquisition of the firearm to get it tuned before delivery.  Also, current Colt owners can ship their existing 1911 back to the shop for improving reliability.