USCCA Firearms & Self-Defense Blog
Guns & Gear
Read no-holds-barred reviews of both personal- and home-defense firearms and stay up-to-date on the latest concealed carry gear offerings on the market. Discover everything you need to know to select the best, tried-and-true self-defense gear — from holsters, knives and ammunition to flashlights, first-aid kits and alternate weapons.
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Dueling .38s: 2-Inch J-Frame vs. 4-Inch K-Frame. Does Impact Effect Suffer?
When I found out that SIG Sauer was going to add the .38 Special to their fine line of V-Crown defensive ammo, I felt that it might be a good opportunity to compare apples to apples. For many years,…
Continue Reading →SIG P226 ASP: Powerful .177-Caliber C02 Training Replica
The first “air powered” arm I ever fired was a single-shot Model 800 Hy-Score .22-caliber pellet-firing pistol. Built in—of all places—the U.S.A. during the 1950s, the Model 800 I had belonged to my…
Continue Reading →CrossBreed Ares Aegis “Crossover” Belt: Tactical/Casual Gun Belt
It’s been five years since I was a member of a SWAT team. Just this past December, I decided that 26 years of being a Police Academy Commander and Instructor was long enough. So while I still teach…
Continue Reading →Buffalo Bore .38 Special 150-Grain Hard Cast Wadcutter: Pure Lead Standard Pressure Stopper
Once again this week, I am taking a look at a plain lead defensive handgun bullet in an attempt to gauge its effectiveness as a defensive load compared to newer high-tech designs. And once again, the…
Continue Reading →Hornady RAPiD Safe: Gun Storage Technology of Tomorrow, Here Today
I realize that all the hype right now is about Star Wars. Believe me: I get it. (I just haven’t braved the movie-theater crowds…yet.) But I am, admittedly, a “Trekkie.” I got hooked on Star Trek: The…
Continue Reading →Buffalo Bore’s Heavy .38 Special +P Lead Semi-Wadcutter HP: Effective Old School Defender
As you are aware, there is an abundance of dedicated self-defense ammunition available from a wide variety of manufacturers. Most of these modern loads are the result of advanced engineering…
Continue Reading →CrossBreed’s Purse Defender Holster System: One Size Fits Most
Sometimes the most brilliant solution to any given problem or set of problems is the simplest. CrossBreed’s Purse Defender solves a number of issues with carrying a concealed firearm in a purse in a…
Continue Reading →SIG Sauer P238 HD Nickel: Sure-Shooting Single-Action .380
One of my past off-duty guns that I carried in the 1980s was a Colt Mustang Pocket-Lite 1911-style .380. The Mustang, with its aluminum frame, was reliable and easy to carry. The problem was that the…
Continue Reading →Gun Review: 7-Shot Taurus 617 .357 Magnum Revolver
Make no mistake about it, the .357 Magnum revolver is not only at the top of the heap when it comes to stopping angry, animate targets, it’s also at the top of the heap in terms of versatility.…
Continue Reading →First of its Kind: The Olympic Arms OA-93 AR-15 Pistol
Last week, I told you about one of two AR-15 pistols I was evaluating: the Olympic Arms K23P. While the K23P is classified as a pistol, the presence of a foam padded buffer tube makes it a bit…
Continue Reading →Polycase Inceptor ARX 9mm Self-Defense Ammo: Unconventional Design with Excellent Performance
It has been said that “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” Very true, especially when the “cat” is improving effective delivery of kinetic energy from a bullet to a threatening target.…
Continue Reading →Gun Review: 5-Shot Snub-Nosed Revolver
There is one basic fact that explains why more than six decades after its introduction, the modern five-shot snub-nosed revolver still flies off the shelf: It’s simple, effective and it works.…
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