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Want to start a good debate among your fellow shooters? Just toss out the question: What is the best type of firearm for home defense? Youll likely get as many answers firing back at you as different people in the room, and for the most part, most of the opinions will be (at least particularly) valid.

Certainly, those among the concealed-carry contingent will advocate the same sidearm they tote in public and practice with at the range, citing the familiarity developed with the handgun of their preference --- revolver vs. semi-auto, 1911 vs. Glock, 9mm vs. 380 vs. 45 vs. you name it is a whole other argument -- and this group of avid shooters makes a great point. Modern rifle fans will definitely dig the versatility and the visual intimidation factor of an AR. Compact when outfitted with a collapsible stock or in a carbine configuration and rigged with a tactical white light or laser sights and able to feed ample rounds in an extreme defensive situation (of course, isnt any defensive situation extreme?), its hard to argue against their choice. And of course, citing the minimized likelihood of pass-through shots in the walls and shot patters that reduce the absolute necessity for the precise aim of a single projectile, scattergun fans will espouse the benefits of the shotgun as the ultimate defensive gun. To a point theyre absolute correct as well.

From that latter option, I imagine there have been more than a few non-gun owning couples that have strolled into a gun shop in search of a firearm they can use for self-defense, particularly to put the womans mind at ease when the husband may be away, only to roll home with a hard-kicking 12-gauge that after the first shooting session, will leave the woman thinking, No Way! A local gunsmith friend of mine encountered just such an elderly couple who were looking to unload their recently purchased 12-gauge for that very reason.

My buddy suggested instead of giving up their hopes for defensive peace of mind, that they try a lighter 20-gauge. The kick is minimal, the guns are typically lighter and easier for smaller stature shooters to handle, yet available loads still deliver plenty of close-range knockdown mixed with mid-range aim forgiveness. Lets be honest. Most people who are not avid shooters, but still want a gun for home defense, are not going to practice as often as they should - if more than once or twice - and are going to require a gun that is easy to operate in an unnerving situation and offer a little insurance against an unsteady aim. In fact, it might help if the gun is visually intimidating and maybe even generates a universally understood, blood-chilling sound as it is taken to battery. That alone can sometimes mitigate a situation before a shot ever even has to be fired. Enter the 20-gauge tactical pump shotgun - two new models of which hit store shelves in 2013 courtesy of North Haven CT, gunmaker Mossberg.

The 68^th edition of Gun Digest not only carries detailed round-ups of all of todays firearms, ammo and optics but dozens of articles and features on all types of shooting and firearms including the defensive guns like the Mossberg 20-gauge. To read more about this gun and others like this, purchase "Gun Digest 2014, 68th Edition" from Gun Tests.

Single-action-revolver purists cringe at the thought of a transfer bar in a six-shooter. The fact is, classic single actions are usually five-shooters rather than six-shooters. Reason: For safety, the loading regime for a classic single action is to load a chamber, skip a chamber, and load the rest, which allows the hammer to rest on the empty chamber. Some single actions have built-in transfer bars that are raised into firing position as the trigger is pulled to the rear. When the hammer falls in this design, it hits the transfer bar, which in turn transmits energy to the firing pin. Thus, these transfer-bar revolvers can be carried fully loaded without the risk of an discharge if the revolvers are accidentally dropped on their hammers. The ability to load six rounds appeals to plinkers, hunters, and home defenders, but to a Cowboy Action Shooting competitor, the advantage is moot — only five rounds are ever loaded at a time during CAS competition.

Accordingly, we evaluated two transfer-bar designs in 38 Special/357 Magnum chamberings more broadly than as pure competition guns. They were a Traditions Frontier Series 1873 Single Action Model No. SAT73-126, $609; and a Ruger New Vaquero No. 5108, $739. Here's what our mild bunch encountered with these transfer-bar single-action revolvers.

Glock is renowned for building an always reliable pistol that has become the choice of many law-enforcement agencies and militaries across the world, and has already received a couple of top grades in Gun Tests. So, if Glock already makes a good pistol, why would we want to change it? First, we wanted to see if a Glock could be made even better with a few quick changes; second, to evaluate the aftermarket upgrades themselves and the bang for the buck they provide; and third, to see if personalizing a pistol is more an exercise in vanity than a measurable uptick in performance.

We took a look at a few of the upgrade and part options for Glocks, ranging from sights to triggers to a 22 LR conversion kit. The lucky Glocks to get the first-class treatment were one Gen 4 Model 17 and two Model 22s, one a Gen 4 and one a Gen 3 former police issue. We tested all of the parts individually to evaluate what difference they would make, considering ease of installation, performance difference, and price as the main grading points. All the parts were supplied by Brownells, and the stock numbers and pricing reflect recent citations rounded to the nearest dollar, but they could still vary.

Ive worked with the 1911 for many years, and sometimes that experience has been helpful with other pistols, such as the Browning Hi-Power, for example. Sometimes the differences between pistols are hard to spot, and other times we find similarities between handguns that at first seem very different. Another example: If you can work on the Savage 1910, you can work on the Astra 400, and you wont be confused by the H&K P7M8. But the Glock? Ah, the Glock is an altogether different creature. Sometimes my 1911-based reasoning produces positive results with the Glock, and other times it does not. With the Glock so popular with law-enforcement and now proving itself in competition-winning the first top-class award at IPSC-were going to see more and more Glocks turned in for improvement. And at the very least, we should be familiar with the similarities and the differences between the Glock and old Slabsides.

MG Industries, manufacturers of the MARCK 15 AR 'Hydra' platform, announces that the complete weapon system configuration in 9mm SMG Hydra is now shipping. The suggested retail for the MGI 9mm SMG Hydra Modular Rifle is $1,299.

We wanted to take a look at 357 Magnum double-action revolvers with 4-inch barrels and adjustable sights because these handguns are so versatile. They can be juiced up with hot 357 Magnum ammo to hunt black bear from a tree stand or kept in the night stand drawer for home defense. They also allow for plenty of training with less powerful 38 Special ammunition, or they can be used competitively in an IDPA match.

Our Idaho test team is not that fond of the AR-15 rifle and its tiny cartridge, but our shooters really do like the 308 Win. versions of the "black rifle." Thus it was with joy that we unpacked four rifles in that caliber and selected two for this head-to-head test, the Rock River Arms LAR-8 Mid-Length A4 with accessories, which brought its price to about $1335 without sights, and a Sig Sauer Model 716 Patrol ODG, (the latter three letters indicating olive-drab telescoping butt, pistol grip and rail covers), list price of $2186. Here's what we found.

Two popular handy rifles shoot it out for a place in the home or the truck — the Kel-Tec is neat and compact, but the Beretta wins out on superior features and better accuracy.

Grizzly Bear Shot and Killed By Hikers In Denali National Park and Preserve(May 31, 2010) — A grizzly bear that emerged from a thicket and charged two backpackers in the backcountry of Denali National Park and Preserve was shot and killed by one of the two who was carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to park officials. [IMGCAP(1)] …

Stance, grip, trigger control, and sight alignment are widely recognized as fundamentals necessary for accurate shooting. But what about when firing from a cramped position, where the shooter is not able to extend his arms and put the sights between the shooter’s eye and the target? One answer is to rely on a laser unit to project the desired point of impact. Other advantages to laser aiming would be maintaining full vision of the field of threat and not having to rely on one’s near vision to define an adequate sight picture.

In the October 2013 issue, Gun Tests magazine tested three new models of self-defense shotguns that carry low to moderate price tags against one of the popular veteran self-defense shotguns, the Benelli Super Nova Tactical No. 29155 pump-action 12 Gauge, $559. The less expensive shotguns were the recently introduced Stevens Model 320 Home Defense No. 19495, $270; the CZ Model 612 Home Defense No. 06520, $290; and the CZ Model 612 HC-P No. 06510, $349.

he makers of Gunk and Liquid Wrench have taken to repackaging what proved to be one of the finest metal preservatives weve tested here in Idaho. Our tests (September 2012) on a bar of bare steel exposed to salt and rain for weeks showed the product, originally called Smith & Wesson Lubricant and Protectant, to be among the very finest at keeping rust off that steel bar. We had first tested that oil in July 2010, and it had been one of the best two preservatives wed tried, the other being Boeshield. Our steel test bar now has sat outdoors all last fall and winter, and it has yet to show any rust in that spot, though the rest of the bar has rusted badly. The accompanying photo of pistol and bar at right shows it as it is today, the oil having never been reapplied.That preservative oil was at first hard to find, and then became impossible to find. Along the way we published a few sources, but they dried up. Imagine our joy to learn that the oil is now being repackaged as a liquid, not in a spray can, and its readily available. Its called Bushmaster Firearms Master Lubricant & Protectant. The sample we got was actually part of a cleaning process that involves three fluids, called #1 Master Bore Cleaner & Polish, #2 Master Bore Rinse, and #3 Master Lubricant & Protectant oil.