Throbbing basslines, mucho distortion, and a singer with a jet engine for a throat: the only heavy-metal poisoning we want. Lead is a big Pb and NOPE sandwich for shooters. Lead is one heavy metal. I don’t just mean that it’s high-density–although it is quite heavy in that way. I mean that elemental lead (Pb) is classified as a “heavy metal,” meaning that it’s toxic to animals at low concentrations. If you’re a true crime fan, you’ve heard about other heavy metals like arsenic and thallium being used as murder weapons. As we discussed last week, lead poisoning can be a real threat to shooter ..read more

Let’s skip this particular Pb & J sammich. It’s fun to joke about how Dillinger died of “lead poisoning,” but lead exposure is no joke. Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over a period of months or years. It can be particularly harmful to children, causing developmental delays, learning difficulties, and a range of other health issues. Lead poisoning can result from ingesting or inhaling lead-containing substances such as paint, dust, water, or soil. Shooters, such as those who frequent shooting ranges, are more likely to be affected by lead poisoning due to rep ..read more

Want to own the last 1911 issued to the U.S. military? Prefer not to pay $10K? Well, do I have an Honest Review for you … Türkiye has transformed itself into a global powerhouse of gun manufacturing in the last decade. This European country is now leading the way with state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques that earn top international certifications for quality … and Tisas is one of the “Young Turks” leading the way. While the company offers several different pistols, it’s their 1911 offerings that have made the biggest impact with American shooters. It’s a full lineup of 1911 pistols for e ..read more

Okayyyyy… SIG Sauer just released a product that most of American shooters never asked for and frankly don’t want. The reception online in general has been harsh to say the least. Ridicule has been leveled at the unholy amalgamation of stuff to make a rifle, all the way to the marketing strategy and price point. The SIG MCX Regulator is supposed to be the modern ranch rifle, but they’ve released it at a price that’s almost as much as a ranch. What is a Ranch Rifle? While there is no official definition of what a ranch rifle is, there are some attributes that make up what most people would co ..read more

Double action/single action all-metal pistols are no longer in vogue. Once the Beretta M9 pistol lost the U.S. military contract to a polymer single-action striker-fired pistol, the Tackleberry types moved on to the next high-speed, low-drag gear. I wonder if this is how the hardcore 1911 fanatics felt back in the 1980’s when they were sent out to pasture and replaced with modern hardware fresh from Italy. The Beretta 92 was first introduced in 1975, based on earlier Beretta designs like the M1923 and M1951 pistols. Ten years later it won a U.S. military contract, becoming the standard-issue ..read more

Ever since Holosun entered the American market, they have disrupted the status quo. Originally dismissed as yet another Chinese company, Holosun has surprised the American shooting community with quality products at reasonable prices. This year promises to be a big one for Holosun—here’s what they’ve teased for 2024! DRS-NV First on my list and the one accessory that has me refreshing my dealer’s webpage is a product that was announced last year, but will finally be shipping in the next month: the DRS-NV, a Digital Reflex Sight with built in night vision. To say I was impressed with the perfo ..read more

The Rost Martin RM1C is a compact polymer pistol that is about the size of a Glock 19 for comparison. Big enough to serve as a duty-sized pistol, but small enough to also be easily concealed. What differentiates the RM1c from other “budget” pistols in the same class is that this is from a brand-new startup firearms company based in Dallas, Texas. Their goal? A quality pistol at a competitive price point. Usually that means a base model pistol with more expensive versions to follow. Instead, the RM1C comes standard with features found in the more advanced models of competitors. Oh yeah—they al ..read more

You have probably spent time preparing for things like natural disasters, power grid failures, and more. But with all of that work dealing with the here and now, how much thought have you put into your afterlife? Relax, I’m not here to save your soul—that ain’t my department—but once said soul is gone from this plane, your loved ones will have work to do, and they’ll be doing it without you. I am currently dealing with a death in the family, and fortunately there was a Last Will and a clear direction of what to do with and how to distribute the estate. Not everyone is so lucky. Matters of inh ..read more

It’s like prom for us, only with fewer unintended pregnancies. (Image courtesy NSSF.) I have successfully made it through my 14 or 15th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. I feel like it was a productive week and I was able to wheel and deal, shake thousands of hands, meet tons of new people, and hug old friends. What’s amazing is that this show was the first one where I did not manage to catch the SHOT Crud, which is the schoolyard bully that gives wedgies and swirlies to COVID. Gun Prom SHOT is the industry trade show for the firearms industry, bringing everyone from the firea ..read more

The original KelTec Sub2000 is the granddaddy of folding backup rifles. Sure, there were others, but the Sub2000 was the alpha wolf of the pack, and it was the one that got to make all the puppies. The Sub2000 pack is a family of polymer-frame pistol-caliber carbines (PCC) that fold neatly in half for a compact, lightweight, infinitely portable survival solution. In fact, at around 16” when folded, the whole thing fits nicely into a standard size backpack. It’s an astonishingly lightweight 4 lbs. unloaded, thanks to the fact that the Sub2000 is largely constructed of polymer. That said, this ..read more