Combat Handguns November - December 2018

HOGUE COMPOSITE LE GRIPS Hogue’s popular Laser Enhanced (LE) 1911 grips are now available with precision-cut G10 or checkered wood laminate materials. In addition, each variation is available for both Government and Officer’s Model 1911s. These LE Grips offer three operating modes—steady, flashing and “stealth target”—and four user-selectable brightness levels. Two common CR2032 batteries hidden under the grip on the non-laser side power the unit. (hogueinc.com) SIG SAUER MATCH ELITE AMMO Sig Sauer has introduced a new line of Match Elite competition ammo. This 147-grain 9mm JHP load uses coated nickel cases and fast, clean-burning powder for exceptional performance and shootability when you’re on the clock. In other words, it’s designed to be light on recoil. Depending on the pistol used, velocity figures range from 860 to 900 fps with…

It is a prevalent myth that anyone shot in the back must obviously be the victim of a cowardly murderer. There are even some prosecutors who seem to take that as a given. In real life, however—and in real courts—the totality of the circumstances have to be taken into consideration. Consider the following. INTENTIONAL SHOTS Consider Case One, which took place in Brunswick, Georgia. A local businessman named Monroe Phillips was standing inside a drugstore when a man came up behind him and shot him in the lower back with a shotgun. Phillips, kidneys shredded, collapsed and lived only long enough to utter a few last words. Clear-cut murder? Not exactly. Eustace Butts, the man who triggered the fatal shotgun blast, was hailed as a hero. Phillips, you see, had…

Since it all started in 2009, the Second Amendment March has been growing, and founder Skip Coryell has been organizing other groups to help support and fight for the Second Amendment. Skip decided to start the march right after President Obama was first elected because he felt the Second Amendment was in jeopardy, and this year’s march was the largest one yet. Terri Stocke, the president of the Second Amendment March, estimated that around 1,000 Second Amendment supporters and firearms enthusiasts from various age groups, races and religions gathered right on the front lawn and steps of the Michigan State Capitol building. Most of the attendees proudly open carried everything from relics and handguns to rifles and shotguns, making the capitol building the safest place in Michigan at the time.…

I bet all Combat Handguns readers have the best intentions to practice and train with their handguns. But quality training and practice can take second place to life’s demands, such as family and work. For many people, range access is limited and thus impacts opportunities to self-train or, more importantly, attend a course. If there were only one piece of advice I could give readers, it is to receive professional firearms training. One of the quickest and simplest ways to increase your proficiency is to attend a structured course by a reputable trainer. Another option is visiting a range on your own with a concise action plan to avoid mindless blasting. The Echo Valley Training Center (EVTC) located outside of Winchester, Virginia, is a great place for both of these…

If you were paying attention back in the 1990s, when the proliferation of “shall issue” carry permits took off like a Saturn V rocket to the moon, you could not possibly have missed the “Bigger Is Not Always Better” phenomenon that developed in the years since. With shiny new permits in hand, thousands of people from all levels of experience rushed to gun shops across the nation to buy a firearm for protection while out and about in daily life. Serious calibers in serious guns. Everybody knew a .45 ACP could knock an assailant down with one shot, every counter salesperson worth his or her salt was heavily pushing the hot .40 S&W zappers that all the cops were switching to, and everybody under the age of 30 had to…

Like many, the .38 Special was the first centerfire cartridge I ever tried out. I still can remember the day. I had just received my new Smith & Wesson Model 19 Combat Magnum and was anxious to shoot it. Prior to that I had purchased a set of Lyman dies, a few boxes of .38 Special brass, Bullseye powder and a box of Speer’s 146-grain hollow points. I “rolled my own” rounds with 4.5 grains of Bullseye and fired them off at a few tin cans in the backwoods. New to centerfire cartridges, my hand trembled as I squeezed the trigger. But the .38 Special turned out to be mild on recoil, and once I got over the shock of what I thought the round might deliver, I knew it…