The question that has been on my mind is whether being a veteran really makes me better prepared to defend myself against an attacker here in the civilian world. Well, that is riddled with variables on the individual in question, the type of attack, and a host of other critical things we must analyse and be mindful of. Society has created a standard to respect the military and all individuals wearing a uniform without knowing why. "Thank you for your service" has become about as meaningless and half-hearted as a cashier asking if you how you are doing and if you found everything you were looking for. It is societies new saying to run through the motions on.

When it comes to making a selection for what kind of target you are going to use, there are alot of questions you need to ask yourself. What am I using the target for? Am I using it for diagnosing a weak fundamental? Am I just taking my family out plinking? am I testing my abilities? The purpose of your range time should be considered in order to decide what target is right for that day at the range.

When you look at these two pistols, it seems that there would be a massive difference between the Sig P229 and the Tristar C100. However, there are a good amount of things that these pistols have in common. In this article, I am going to dig into some of these differences based off my experiences with both. I have a similar amount of rounds through both, so I think it is a relatively fair comparison.

Beretta is a trusted name in the firearms community. Whether people like it or not, Beretta has a proven track record for developing strong, reliable, and innovative weapons that stand the test of time. Even today, the 92 series of pistols are still regarded as one of the strongest and best pistols on the market. But how does the old design of the 96A1  stack up to the new design of the PX4 Storm? Both of these pistols have seen use in a Law Enforcement capacity, and they are both in .40 caliber. So which one is best, and which one is the best one for the .40 caliber cartridge? 

I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say this to justify their crappy pistol or caliber choice. You know, so they can admit defeat but try to bring you down with them by trying to get you to think you are all in the same crappy situation. This doesn't fly for me for several reasons, and I hope a little logic will cause you to agree.

The Hornady Critical Duty seems to have started a new trend in bullet technology. The polymer tip seems to be an attractive feature for a few companies who seem to find it advantageous and worthy of following. Granted, these other companies have their own designed hollow point plugs, but it seems that the Critical Duty bullet has made an impact on the market enough to get a good amount of heads to turn, particularly in the Law Enforcement community.

Selecting a good carry ammo should not be about just getting something that will be enough for some tasks, but something that will cover virtually all tasks necessary during a defensive armed engagement. There are several things to consider when looking for a good ammo, and I am going to go through these subjects one at a time. I will attempt to be brief and concise. I classify ammo selection as being a fine art that requires alot of thought and critical thinking, which unfortunately is not trending in the gun culture of today. I hope this article encourages the masses to reconsider just taking someones word and recommendation. Instead, I think it would be healthier for everyone for all of us to do our own research and decide for ourselves what is an appropriate ammunition.

Fenix has recently come up as having some of the best value flashlights on the market. I first started using Fenix years ago and always was impressed with their quality. I was never much of a flashlight guy, and I am still learning. However, I have used the TK09 for a while and I have applied it as a tactical light, as well as a general purpose carry light. I want to talk about using this light, but without throwing numbers and specifications at you. Let us cover the different modes, using the light in these different modes, and how the body and design works for or against you.

Since the Beretta M9 was adopted by the US military, there have been doubts and questions about the reliability and validity of the Beretta 92 series design as being a true combat pistol. After about 3 decades of service in the military, it has been replaced with a polymer framed pistol, the Sig P230. Since the development of the 92 series pistols, polymer pistols started to hit the civilian and law enforcement in force. Eventually, people started to see alloy and metal framed pistols like the Beretta 92 series to be outdated compared to the lighter and less complicated polymer framed pistols. But is this claim really valid? Well, let me give my impressions on this design and share what I know as far as the claims and how they match up to my experiences with this design.

Despite the mindsets of certain people out there, defending yourself in low light is not as simple as having a light. There are some challenges you have to get used to and practice to overcome. Having a light on your person means very little, just like having a gun makes you just as capable of defending yourself as owning pots and pans makes you a world class gourmet chef.