Recoil

2023 may well go down as the year the 1911 became relevant again. Over the past half-decade, we’ve seen the remarkable growth of Staccato, which has created a wildly successful business selling race guns to cops, but the OG double-stack 1911 has always struggled with a magazine designed around the .45 ACP cartridge. As with Glock’s dogmatic adherence to its polymer mags, this means they’re way bigger than they need to be and, in the case of STI Staccato, have never been particularly reliable without tweaking and tuning. This is about to change with the couple of pistols featured in this issue. As any firearms engineer will tell you, designing a reliable magazine is the hardest part of designing a reliable handgun. The smartest option is to find one that already…

01 STEINER MICRO PISTOL SIGHT MSRP: $575 URL: steiner-optics.com Despite what the naysayers incorrectly predicted a while ago, red-dot sights for carry pistols are here to stay. That’s why premium optic companies like Steiner are getting into this genre. The Micro Pistol Sight (MPS) is barely over 2 ounces, but it promises to be durable like Steiner’s larger optics. That’s because of its all-metal construction and a recessed window with a hood that helps shield the front lens. It has eight brightness levels, a selectable auto-off function, and 13,000 hours of battery life. Plus, the 1x magnification offers a clear, undistorted image so you can keep both eyes open to get a clean shot yet still maintain your peripheral vision. The MPS’s ACRO footprint is compatible with most optic-ready pistols and baseplate adapters. 02 STERN…

Various aspects of the history of the United States Army, the oldest branch of the U.S. military, are currently chronicled at multiple museums across the country. These include the United States Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia; the United States Frontier Army Museum at Fort Leaven worth, Kansas; and the United States Cavalry Museum at Fort Riley, Kansas — as well as multiple division museums. Then, of course, there’s the impressive West Point Museum at the United States Army’s Military Academy. On November 11, 2020, after a delay due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, another institution opened at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., and just miles from President George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The National Museum of the United States Army is a modern facility meant to highlight the…

Andrew Bottrell’s life changed instantly on October 1, 2011. Less than four months earlier, he deployed to Afghanistan as a U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) tech attached to SEAL Team 10. On that fateful day, the vehicle Bottrell was riding in was struck by a roadside IED. In the wake of the explosion, he realized he had sustained severe injuries to his left arm and both legs — this would result in the amputation of all three limbs. As he spent the following months enduring painful physical therapy and learning to use his new prosthetics, he maintained a strong sense of determination. “Always dominate your life — do not let your life dictate what you do or how you live. If you do not like your situation, change it.…

If there’s one knife that’s a true multitasker, it has to be a small fixed blade. They’re stronger than almost any folding knife, handy to carry around, and ready to go once they clear leather or Kydex. Unfortunately, poorly written or poorly interpreted laws can make carrying a fixed blade illegal in certain jurisdictions. There seems to be one thing lacking in knife legislation — consistency. What can be perfectly legal in one state might be a felony in the state next door. Writing for an international audience can make this task a bit tougher when trying to interpret laws for different countries, especially when in our own country these laws vary from state to state and at times even counties, cities, or towns within those states. Reflecting on a youth spent…

In past years, there have been some significant engineering and manufacturing advancements with the AR-15 — enough to warrant picking up a wrench and trying them out. The concept to produce a dual role carbine essentially has two requirements: Requirement #1: A long-range platform capable of accurate engagements out to 700 meters and beyond (with quality ammunition), equipped with a quality low power variable optic (LPVO) or similar. The optic must be robust, have a MRAD reticle, and be first focal plane. This configuration allows for both positive target identification and observation. Requirement #2: Set up for the short range fight. No more than a 16-inch barrel, as it needs to be maneuverable in a CQB environment. Equipped with a dot sight for passive aiming under night vision. “Nice to Have” Specs: • Ambi…