Combat Handguns July/August 2022

There are few documents in Washington more worthless than a presidential budget. Joe Biden’s $5.8 trillion budget, which was formally presented on March 28, is no exception. A presidential budget is merely a wish list—a starting point for the complex task of funding the government. They’re more of a statement of priorities than an actual budget, and Biden’s priorities are very clear. He wants to increase funding for the ATF by more than 13 percent so the embattled agency can hire more special agents to target Biden’s fictional “rogue gun dealer” boogeymen, whom he blamed during his June 23, 2021, speech for skyrocketing crime rates in large cities historically controlled by Democrats. To be clear, this is all part of Joe Biden’s war on America’s gun dealers. If they’re allowed…

When post-shooting pitfalls come under discussion, some naïve souls always cry, “None of that matters! A good shoot is a good shoot!” Whenever I hear that I want to answer, “Yeah, and next Christmas Eve a chubby guy in a red suit is going to come down your chimney and give you presents, too.” Recent ordeals suffered by people who used deadly force under apparently justifiable circumstances have made national news. Some of their trials were broadcast live and archived for subsequent review by anyone who was at work when the trials went down. Unfortunately, much of the media portrayed the issues in these cases as if they were parroting the prosecution, and an amazing number of people who should know better took the accusations as gospel. Let’s look at…

The term “professional shooter” defines a spectrum that spans more than competition shooters alone. The word professional describes a person who is engaged or qualified in a profession far more than that of a hobby or pastime. In a world flooded with firearm instructors, “professionals” are easy to find. “Qualified professionals” are much harder to come by, however. When I do come across a truly qualified, professional shooter, competition or otherwise, I make certain they find a way into this Combat Handguns column. Clint Achziger far exceeds the definition of a qualified professional shooter. Achziger has more than 30 years of experience in the worlds of defensive and competitive shooting, from application to instruction. Genuine humility coupled with strong skill sets have enabled him to build a solid reputation and…

All of us have met people at shooting ranges, gun shops or gun shows who love to give advice about the best handgun, cartridge or ammo. But have you ever seen anyone extolling the virtues of “the best” paper target? I’ve rarely heard advice about targets in 60 years of shooting. The simple fact is that except for matches that require specific paper targets like IDPA and bullseye, targets are usually considered to be the least important aspect of shooting, if they’re considered at all. Most of us just focus on placing our shots into small groups no matter what the target looks like. This kind of thinking led to the development of “Center Mass” silhouette targets. Unfortunately, the center of mass in the human body is just above the…

Late last December, theage-old argument once again rose to the surface. Itwas not the classic 9mm vs. .45 ACP, or even about 1911s and two WorldWars. It was much more serious than those. This holiday season, the debate raged onwhether Die Hard was a Christmas movie. Thismovie has become iconic in the gun world fora number of reasons. One that stands out isJohn McClane’s use of our beloved H&K MP5. There are even shirts available that simply say“Ho-Ho-Ho, Now I have a machinegun.” Whileactually owning a true MP5 is out of the graspof most shooters, we are able to find alternatives that give us the same look and feel. New to this corner of the gun world is theteam at Quarter Circle 10. They are well knownfor their pistol-caliber carbine…

THE HELLCAT PRO is the latest iteration of the extraordinary line of Springfield Armory Hellcat micro-compact defensive pistols. Incorporating everything that is righteous and wholesome about the original Hellcat into a slightly elongated chassis, the new Pro strikes the sweet spot between micro-compact defensive pistols and service-sized handguns. The Hellcat Pro represents the cutting edge of modern defensive firearm design. Why would anybody need a concealed carry pistol with a 15-round magazine, you ask? Here’s a good anecdote that explains my answer. In 1994, my wife, toddler son and I were in an urban shopping mall. After enjoying a meal at the food court, we retired to the restrooms. I was standing in front of the urinal doing what guys do when they came barging in. There were about a dozen…