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Author Page for the Ammunition Depot Gun Owners Gazette firearm blog, your trusted online source for information on firearms, ammunition, and firearms history.
If there’s one topic in the discussion of home defense that is argued about as much as the 9mm vs the 45, it’s whether birdshot or 00 Buck should be used in a shotgun. I’ve heard experienced law enforcement officers and tactical trainers argue for both. So, what’s the truth? Can birdshot be effective in a home defense shotgun, or will it only make your attacker mad? Well, I’m going to give you the facts and you can make up your own mind.
When it comes to selecting a close- to moderate-range optical sight for your carbine there are essentially three options. There is a wide selection of red dot sights and LPVO (low power variable optics) and there are a few scout scopes to choose from. Which is best for you and your carbine? It will depend. Here’s a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each, and where they might best serve you.
When it comes to defensive handgun bullets there’s a misconception that bonded bullets are more lethal than non-bonded bullets. Some believe that the bonding of the bullet’s jacket to its core will make the bullet stop bad guys faster. Bonded defensive handgun bullets do have some advantages over their non-bonded counterparts, but you might be surprised to learn just exactly what those advantages are.
The .357 Magnum is a power round for self defence and hunting, but the .327 Federal Magnum can be a better choice for personal protection because it has much more managable recoil and you're able to get 6 rounds in a small revolver vs. five rounds from a .357 Magnum.
How do the .45/70 Gov't and .444 Marlin stack up? Both are fantastic cartridges that fill a similar niche, so why and how did the .45/70, which was nearly extinct when the .444 Marlin was introduced, rise from the ashes and push the newer cartridge to the sidelines?
When comparing the .380 Auto and 9mm, terminal performance is one measure. But termianl effectiveness is not the only consideration when it comes to concealed carry. In some instances, and for some people, the .380 Auto can be a better choice.
Gun handling may not necessarily be more important than marksmanship or tactics, but it is foundational. The good news is that you can drastically improve your gun handling skills without ever firing a shot. You can do this with dry-fire practice, which will not only make you safer, but it will also make the learning of marksmanship and tactical skills easier.
We shoot groups with our rifles to determine the level of precision we can expect from them. We do this to get an idea of how close we can expect our first shot to land to the point we’re aiming at. But the thousand-dollar question has always been, how many shots should the groups we shoot contain, and how many groups should we shoot?
American shooters – particularly hunters – used to not like first focal plane reticles because when they zoomed in the reticle grew with the target. We like to see a thin reticle superimposed over our target because we feel it helps us aim with better precision. But, with the increased popularity of long-range shooting things began to change and more American sportsmen are turning to first focal plane scopes, though second focal plane scopes are still dominant.
Modern .45/70 loads make this cartridge a triple threat. If you can hunt and know how to close the distance to inside 200 yards, there’s a .45/70 load out there that will allow you to successfully hunt anything walking Earth. The best part is that unlike other cartridges, the .45/70 lets you match the recoil and power needed to critters as small as feral hogs or as large as African buffalo.
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About author
Richard Mann
Firearm Blog Contributor
Author Page for the Ammunition Depot Gun Owners Gazette firearm blog.
