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If handguns had tombstones, the Walther P99’s would be simple.  “1997 – 2023.”  That’s the lifespan of one of the most unique and forward-thinking semi-automatic pistols ever produced.  Walther recently pulled the plug a couple of years ago by sending it off with the “Final Edition”, which is a black slide and OD green frame. It was a quiet farewell to a pistol that deserved more applause than it ever got. I don’t have a Final Edition, but I’ve owned multiple P99s over the years: a first-generation 9mm, a third-gen 9mm, and even the compact version.  At the top we have a full-size Walther P99 and a P99 Compact, both in 9mm, compared to the later PPQ model at the bottom. All three are great, but without the P99, the PPQ never would have existed.  Every single one reminded me that Walther was swinging for the fences in the late

Some pistols are made to be pampered.  The Heckler & Koch USP series was made to be abused.  The full-size USP and its smaller sibling, the USP Compact, are not range queens.  They were designed to survive conditions that would leave most other pistols rattling apart in a bucket of parts.  HK didn’t just test these things, they tortured them, and that’s part of why the USP name still carries so much weight. At the top is a full-sized HK USP in .45 ACP, and at the bottom is a Compact counterpart chambered in .40 S&W. I’ve had the pleasure of owning two USPs in my life, a full-size model in .45 ACP and a compact variant in .40 S&W, and both guns were built to an excellent level of German engineering that few other gun makers can match.  The Birth of the USP To understand the USP, you have

There are some guns you buy because you want them, and then there are others you buy because you need them.  The Smith & Wesson Model 63 (which is also known as the ‘Kit Gun’ in some circles) is both. It’s the kind of revolver that makes you grin when you pull it out of the case thanks to the classic S&W lines, but it’s also the kind of revolver that earns its keep every single time you use it. I’ve always said that every shooter (no matter how deep their pockets or how big their safe) ought to have at least one .22 handgun in their collection. It doesn’t matter if it’s a revolver, semi-auto, or even a single shot.  A good .22 is like a cast-iron skillet…you just can’t do without it.  And the Model 63 is about as fine a skillet as you’ll ever fry up. Why

The .38 snubnose still matters. It’s the kind of gun that makes sense in just about any situation. You can slip it into a pocket before heading out the door, tuck it under a poker table while holding a losing hand, use it as a backup gun to a semi-automatic with more capacity, or keep it in the truck safe when you’re gonna be hitting the road.  The snubnose doesn’t care about style points, and it’s not chasing trends. It’s simple, and it’s reliable, and when you pull the trigger, it fires.  That’s all a person really needs. Now, I’ve owned my share of little semi-auto pocket semi-automatic pistols, like those tiny little .380s that promise convenience but that sometimes end up being more trouble than they’re worth. Sure, they’re slim and easy to carry, but anyone who has put enough rounds through them knows that little guns have a

Some guns come and go over the years, but the Walther PPK is one gun that has never fully left the conversation.  It’s a pistol that has stood the test of time, and not because it’s the most modern or the highest capacity, but because it works…and it just so happens to look really good doing it. In a way, the PPK is like the 1911 of the concealed carry world. The 1911 might not be the hottest thing on paper compared to polymer wonder semi-automatic pistols, but they work, folks still carry them, compete with them, and are buying more of them now than ever before.  Same with the PPK. The Walther PPK/S in .32 ACP (also known as the 7.65mm in Europe) holds 8+1 rounds, which isn’t bad for such a small gun. Walther keeps bringing it back in different flavors. They recently reintroduced it in .32 ACP

Some designs fade with time and others get reinvented, but the 1911 is one gun that just refuses to go away.  More than a hundred years old, this pistol is still one of the most popular semi-automatic pistols in America. In fact, when you add up all the companies making 1911s today (Colt, Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Kimber, Dan Wesson, Taurus, SIG Sauer, Rock Island Armory, and plenty more) they collectively outsell Glocks on the civilian market.  That’s not nostalgia talking. That’s cold hard numbers. The 1911 may be old school…but sometimes old school is cool.  The 1911 has managed to hang around because it works. It’s accurate, it’s comfortable to the point of feeling super natural in the hand, and the .45 ACP cartridge it was designed around is still a proven fight-stopper.  In a world of striker-fired polymer pistols, the 1911 still remains a more than

Some guns look great in the glass case at the gun shop. They’re polished to a mirror finish, and they’re practically begging to be admired.  And then there are guns like the Ruger GP100, which doesn’t really care about impressing you at all. That’s because it’s too busy being the kind of revolver that you can carry into the wilderness for weeks at a time without a single worry. It’s the sidearm that just plain works, and that’s true regardless of whether you’re facing down a black bear on a mountain trail or knocking over steel plates at the range on a sunny Saturday afternoon. This revolver is a chunk of steel and it really has a robust personality. It feels solid in the hand, and not in that “heavy for the sake of heavy” way, but in a “this thing could probably survive a nuclear winter” kind of way. 

If the Beretta 92-series is the Italian Stallion of the handgun world, then the SIG Sauer P-series is the Swiss Watch: precise, refined, meticulously engineered, and built to last.  And in the middle of all that precision and craftsmanship sits the SIG Sauer P229, which is (in my humble opinion) arguably the most practical and versatile of the P-series lineup.  It’s a gun that doesn’t just do everything; it does everything well.  The SIG Sauer M11-A1 9mm in the original factory box with x3 15-round magazines. And the M11-A1 variant that I happen to own? I think it might just be the best blend of old-school SIG and modern carry gun you can still get, brand new in the box that is.  Beretta vs. SIG is like Ford vs. Chevy You can’t talk about the SIG P-series without also bringing up the Beretta 92. The two are locked in a

If I could only own one pistol for the rest of my life (and I mean just one, no safe full of options, no weekly trades, no “what ifs” or other scenarios), the Beretta 92 would be very close to the top of that very short list.  It’s not just a personal favorite of mine either. It’s a gun that makes sense. It’s reliable and rugged and ready for hardcore tactical situations…and yet it’s also so elegant and refined that it’s beautiful to look at.  It’s also just plain fun to shoot.  And here’s the thing: it’s not just great for me. If you’re the kind of shooter who appreciates the old-school feel of DA/SA pistols, and who also loves the weight and balance of a full-size metal frame (and if, like me, you also want something with both soul and performance)… then the Beretta 92 might just be the

Semi-automatic pistols are the go-to pistols for law enforcement, concealed carriers, competitive shooters, and weekend range warriors.  Why?  It’s pretty simple: they can be carried around literally anywhere and they also offer speed, capacity, and a whole lot of practicality packed into one tidy little frame. But before diving headfirst into the sea of polymer frames and striker-fired triggers, it’s worth slowing down and getting a clear lay of the land, so to say. As we’ll soon see, emi-auto pistols might all look like cousins, but they’re built for very different roles.  What Exactly Is a Semi-Automatic Pistol? A semi-automatic pistol is a handgun that uses the energy from firing a live round to eject the spent casing, rack the slide, and load the next round into the chamber from the magazine…all in one fluid and rapid motion that happens faster than the blink of an eye.  It fires one

Hiding a gun doesn’t mean that you should just set it into a shoebox in your closet or slide it under a mattress like you’re the hero in an action flick stashing guns around in the house in preparation for the bad guys to come.  These days, people are getting quite crafty with their concealment and are also generally becoming more effective at keeping a gun in the home and with turning everyday household items into covert storage with a purpose.  And while some of these ideas as we’ll soon see are impressively clever…not all of them are as safe (or even as practical) as they can look like they are on paper.  Here are nine unconventional secret gun storage spots and the risks that come with each: Secret Gun Storage Spot #1 – The Mirror  A full-length mirror with a hidden compartment isn’t just for checking your hair before

When it comes to home defense, there’s a common image that comes to mind for most folks: a generic handgun (like a 9mm Glock or a .38 revolver) that’s tucked away in the top drawer of the nightstand, maybe hidden under something like a shirt, and ready to rock and roll at a moment’s notice. It’s the go-to spot for many of you who are reading this, but is it really the best place to keep a firearm that’s meant to protect your home and family? Or is it just the default answer because it’s what a lot of people have always done? In this article we’ll discuss whether or not it’s a good idea to keep your home defense pistol or revolver on your nightstand. We’ll dig into the nitty-gritty, the practical, and the clever (and maybe even the slightly paranoid). This is about what you need to do