#GunReview

The past few years saw an insane number of first-time gun owners. If any of you are reading this, welcome to our community! One of the more popular handguns for n00bs was the Smith & Wesson Shield EZ. It was originally only available in .380 ACP, then 9x19mm. S&W has pushed another evolution of the pistol. Though not an exact sequel, the Equalizer is the Split to the EZ’s Unbreakable, and today it’s the topic of our review.

Over the weekend, I figured out I hit the 10,000 round mark with my SIG Sauer P226. It made me think about my history with this gun over the last six years, and how well it has performed. When I first purchased the P226, it was a basic Enhanced Elite model with the E2 molded grip. It had an SRT trigger already installed along with night sights and I couldn’t have been happier. Up until that point, I was carrying a P220 in .45 ACP for two or three years prior, along with an older generation Glock 19. The feel and overall layout of the P226 were great when I started carrying it. One thing I had to get used to though was the weight compared to my older Glock 19. SIx years later, It’s still my daily carry and has easily become my favorite pistol to carry and shoot.

AK platform firearms are pretty ubiquitous, with variants coming from all over the world.  Despite its popularity in the United States, for a long time there was no major production of a 100% U.S. made model.  Century Arms International changed that dynamic with the Centurion 39.  Recently, a major improvement of the Centurion 39 came out, the C39v2.  For those of you readers that may be leery due to the producer, I get it. If you’ve been burned by a substandard Century product in the past, no need to worry, I can directly empathize with you.  I once had an extremely shoddy Golani and fortunately was able to sell it for pretty much what I paid for it.  I also have a Centurion 39 that I acquired for use as a test platform for various parts that my customers might have wanted during my tenure as a gunsmith.  That being said, I assessed the C39v2 extremely closely for any defects, while trying to put aside my past prejudices in order to be as objective as possible.  I urge you to read on, as I was pleasantly surprised by this rifle.

I’ve had a little over a decade of experience with the M-16/AR-15 platform.  My first introduction to the platform was a heavily beat-up M16A2 with a bent front sight post that I was unfortunate enough to draw from an armory.  From there, my first AR-15 I ever purchased for myself had one of POF-USA’s first piston-driven P416 upper receivers.  Despite the overly heavy rail cluster that I thought I needed back then, the gun was accurate and reliable.  I always knew of POF as a piston-driven specialist, so I was surprised to receive a rifle to review from them that was direct impingement.  For those of you wondering about the “+”, there is a base-level DI rifle called the Renegade, and the one I was reviewing was equipped with many extra features.  I soon found out  that, true to POF form, this was no ordinary DI rifle.

The 1301 is a Formula 1 car. Its designed to look good and go fast but at the expense of creature comforts. How so? Read below and get to know this Italian 12-gauge boomstick.

It’s likely that every review of Walther’s new PPK/S .22LR will include some Bond reference – and why shouldn’t they?  Bond made the PPK/S iconic, and according to Walther’s marketing team, the PPK/S .22 was re-introduced due to a re-kindled Bond fervor.  This is certainly in no small part due to (a) Daniel Craig’s surprising fittedness in the role and (b) the re-introduction of the PPK as Bond’s sidearm in Skyfall.  (Please ignore the fact that the Skyfall PPK had three LEDs that would have likely blinded the operator when in use).  To give you some background that likely won’t be covered in other articles on this variation of the PPK:  Ian Fleming, Bond’s creator, was issued the diminutive and hardly-lethal “Baby Browning” .25ACP when Fleming served in WWII-era Naval Intelligence.  Resultantly, Fleming’s James Bond carried the similarly non-lethal .25ACP  Beretta 418 because Fleming considered that appropriate (although he confessed in print that his firearm-related knowledge was extremely limited).  Boldly, Geoffrey Boothroyd, a firearm expert and prolific writer himself, wrote Fleming to inform him that the 418 was “a lady’s gun”, and instead suggested that Bond carry the more powerful S&W Airweight revolver instead.  When Fleming insisted on an automatic, Boothroyd suggested the PPK in .32/7.65mm.  Consequently, in Dr. No, a service armorer named “Major Boothroyd” made a brief appearance to issue Bond his new PPK.  While Fleming immortalized Boothroyd out of gratitude, he and Boothroyd also inadvertently propelled the PPK to legend status.  Fifty-five years later, the Bond franchise is going strong, its fans prompting the Stateside re-introduction of the PPK/S in .22LR.