Gun Digest Everyday Carry SIP #4

Very few things in this life come easily, especially those things that are truly worth it. I’m not saying that all the good stuff has to come hard, but those things that really matter are always worth working for. I’ll argue through my last breath that protecting myself and those I love is one of those things that truly matters. With the same intensity, I’ll also argue that the responsibility is mine alone for doing so. It should go without saying that I’m a steadfast supporter of our law enforcement community, but when a threat comes calling and my family doesn’t have that kind of time—they have me. That said, I admit that a lifestyle of everyday preparedness was a challenge at first. Carrying no gun is always more comfortable than carrying…

HISTORICAL NOTES The .221 Remington Fireball cartridge was introduced early in 1963 for the Remington XP-100 bolt-action, a single-shot pistol based on a shortened, lightened 700 series rifle action. The pistol had a streamlined nylon-plastic stock, ventilated barrel rib and adjustable sights. This was the first handgun made by Remington since its pocket automatics were discontinued back in 1935. The Thompson/Center Contender was also available in .221 Remington for a time, but no longer. Remington was the only source for .221 Fireball ammunition, and it’s still available. GENERAL COMMENTS The .221 Fireball follows the modern design in .22-caliber high-velocity pistol cartridges for small game and varmint hunting at long range. The rimless case is a shortened version of the .222 Remington. The cartridge is well adapted to rifles, as well as pistols. The…

Most of the really good defensive handgun loads on the market have one thing in common—they were designed to perform well in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s testing protocol. This test assesses a bullet’s ability to inflict an effective wound after defeating various intervening obstacles commonly present in law enforcement shootings, like steel, plywood, wallboard and automotive safety glass. The best performing bullets in this test tend to expand to 1.5 times their original diameter and penetrate to between 12 and 18 inches, regardless of the intermediate barrier. This testing protocol has driven the manufacture of defensive handgun ammunition for the last 30 years, and manufacturers have become really good at building bullets to meet the FBI standard. And, as law enforcement agencies adopt loads based on their performance in this…

There’s a great scene in Major League when the team finds out their pitcher with the rocket launcher for an arm is almost blind. They fit him with a pair of glasses, and the coach comments, “Seeing’s the most important thing.” Looking at the hideous frames he’s wearing, one of the other players replies, “It’s not that important.” We used to peer down bores and as long as we saw day light from the other end and a shiny surface, we called it good. Little did we know. Now, perhaps, we can know too much. A rifle that otherwise shoots excellent groups might show up at the gunsmith with a request to re-barrel it, saying, “The bore is too rough.” The important thing to remember is actual performance. If your rifle shoots…

On August 25, 2020, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse put an AR-15 over his shoulder and voluntarily went to downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin, into the midst of a riotous mob. The result was two people shot to death, with a third grievously wounded and young Rittenhouse being charged by the local county prosecutor with five felonies and one misdemeanor. At the time of this writing, irrefutable facts show that Rittenhouse was being chased by the mob because he had assisted in putting out a fire, an action the mob took exception to. This article, though, isn’t addressing the facts and narrative of the Kyle Rittenhouse case. That information is freely available over the internet and will be played out in the media for the next several months, if not years. Instead, I want to discuss…

01 The Ed Brown FX2 An expansion of the manufacturer’s dashing FX Series, the pistol is tailored for concealed carry and incorporates one of the hottest technologies of the day. Look closely: It’s hard to miss the slide cut and red-dot perched atop the metal beast. It being Ed Brown, it’s not just any reflex married to the FX2, but Trijicon’s fairly new and ultra-slim RMRcc. At 0.9 inch in width, the micro red-dot is almost tailor-made for 1911s and other slender concealed-carry handguns. The FX2 seamlessly fits the slide and is so low profile (0.9 inch) it’s as unobtrusive as red-dots come. Incidentally, the pistol is available in both .45 ACP and 9mm. MSRP: Starting at $4,295 02 Trijicon RMRcc Since we touched upon it with the Ed Brown pistol, we’ll dig deeper…