General

Rusty gun syndrome

We were swapping out units: I was getting a newer take-home unit from one of the other guys. He was getting another unit assigned to him by the chief in our small-town police department.

We had just been issued brand new riot guns, and I was pleased when I recommended to the chief we get Remington 870 12-gauge pumps, and he agreed.

They came to us brand-new in the box, black injection-molded stocks and pump forearms, extended magazine tubes, chambered for 2¾- or 3-inch shells.

They were “Parkerized” — a dark grey and coarse finish that is extremely wear resistant and used by the U.S. military for many decades. […]

Hog Hunting

A big-bore revolver hog hunt

I was sitting on an East Texas pipeline, cradling my 7 1/2-inch Ruger Super Redhawk in my lap, watching a pile of corn that had been scattered about the area and trampled with hundreds of hog tracks.

My hand cannon was stuffed with 335-grain hard-cast bullets in .454 Casull, a potent enough load in itself, but this went the extra step. These rounds were manufactured by Cor-Bon — a company that found its niche in the ammunition market by producing ammo that pushed the envelope. […]

General

Hideout guns

A group of firearms instructors for the sheriff’s office was standing around, waiting for a meeting to begin. One of the guys, the best pistol shooter among that relatively talented group, pulled a little North American Arms .22 Magnum revolver out of his pocket, and began showing it around. […]

General

The Ruger SR40c

A recent concealed carry class included a newlywed couple. The young woman was an attractive emergency room nurse with a winning smile, long brown hair and a dad who was a retired federal law enforcement officer.

While she shot her handgun very well, the joke between her and her husband was the target that came home with her better have bragging-sized groups. […]