In the world of firearms customization, there are outfits that follow trends and those that set them. Koted Custom Finishings (formerly Koted Arms) has firmly established itself as the latter. What began in 2014 as a one-man operation focused on Cerakote quickly evolved into a powerhouse of craftsmanship, merging the talents of three professionals with complementary skills: Jonathon DeVries (JD), ...
One of the most improbable alliances in World War II history was a covert partnership between the United States government and organized crime. Known as Operation Underworld, this clandestine initiative was born out of wartime desperation. With America’s eastern seaboard vulnerable to Axis sabotage and German U-boats decimating Allied shipping, federal authorities turned to an unlikely source for help — mobsters ...
Editor’s Note: In this article, Yamil Sued takes a look at night sights for the Springfield SA-35 pistol. Made by XS Sights, this sight set offers distinct advantages for self-defense in low-light shooting. The tritium sights were provided to the author for this article. OK, I admit it. I’m a boomer. Why? Because I love the P-35 pistol platform. Ever ...
For some, the Vought F7U Cutlass was an innovative jet fighter set to propel the U.S. Navy into air dominance during the Cold War. For many others, the F7U “Gutless” lacked the power to make it a formidable weapon. In fact, some pilots observed that the aircraft’s poor safety record virtually guaranteed the plane was as much a danger to ...
You can pick out the right gun. You can select the best holster in the world. You can practice your draw thousands of times and be able to put hits on target consistently. But, what can you do to take your self-defense skills to the next level? Are your self-defense skills refined as much as they can be? Can you ...
Working in the firearms industry and reviewing shooting gear offers a front-row seat to the cutting edge of gun-related tech and trends. And while some categories, such as optics, chronographs and suppressors seem to advance in leaps and bounds, other products progress through an unassuming procession of modest refinement. New materials, enhanced ergonomics, and original combinations of pre-existing features and ...
The Schutzstaffel was a fascinating mob. Few organizations were more reviled during WWII than the feared SS. Universally feared on the battlefield while being justifiably vilified for their well-documented atrocities, Himmler’s black-clad storm troops were history’s original jack-booted thugs. The Bergmann MP35 represents a fascinating chapter in WWII small arms development. This German submachine gun combined old-world craftsmanship with some ...
We need to talk about stopping power because there’s a lot of garbage floating around. Misinformation that might get you hurt. Or worse, make you overconfident in your carry gun’s ability to end a fight instantly. Let me clear something up right now. Medical professionals experienced in evaluating gunshot wounds often cannot distinguish between wound paths from common handgun calibers ...
There’s a clarity of purpose when it comes to single-action pistols like the 1911. The single-action was the first type of semi-automatic pistol, and it still remains popular through to today. Sir Winston Churchill claimed such a gun, the Mauser C96, saved his life in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. On our side of the Atlantic, the 1911 .45 ...
The main difference between rimfire and centerfire cartridges lies in where the primer is located and how the firing pin strikes it. Rimfire ammunition has a priming compound distributed around the inside rim of the cartridge base. Centerfire ammo has a separate primer component seated in the center of the case head. The differences between rimfire and centerfire cartridges are ...