If you had asked me 30 years ago to recommend an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster for a double-stack 1911 9mm, I would have thought you were completely out of your mind. Fitting that much gun into a low-profile holster seemed like a truly impossible task. Back in the early to mid-1990s, the dou...
At SHOT Show 2026 I was at the Gideon Optics booth, and a custom “Scooby Doo Gun” 1911 caught my eye. Not because of performance. Not because of innovation. Because…
Precision shooting at distance is an unforgiving discipline. Every variable compounds, and it’s easy to blame the wrong one(s). A rifle tilted even two or three degrees from true vertical will cause what shooters call cant error. Bullets don't simply fly sideways; they arc away from yo...
Passing the qual and being ready to shoot are not the same thing. Most agencies have built their training calendar around one and called it the other.
Maximizing accuracy and performance seems to be a white whale we all chase. We want the shortest package with a minimal footprint to reach out to 500 and beyond with ease. But we still want to run the rifle fast at closer targets. For this scenario, the low power variable optic (LPVO) h...
Editor’s Note: The author received a Springfield XD Mod.4 pistol on loan from the company for the purposes of writing this review. I’ve always appreciated the Springfield Armory XD series for what it is: a simple, reliable and accurate 9mm pistol. While the original may have more than two dec...
Let’s get this out of the way up front. I believe the 1911 pistol is just about the finest handgun ever made. A well-built, custom 1911 represents mechanical elegance, history and performance all rolled into one. In my opinion, a pistol of that caliber deserves to be carried in nothing less tha...
The XM8 ships with a 25-round magazine. Twenty-round mags from the M7 remain compatible. That directly addresses one of the louder complaints in Army Capt. Braden Trent's May 2025 assessment of the M7, which called the 20-round capacity a liability. As TFB covered when the Army type-classifi...
Editor’s Note: This article is not intended as training advice, but is merely the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of The Armory Life. Please seek qualified training and ensure proper safety protocols are followed when conducting any drills.  On a bri...
Choosing the right defensive handgun for you means finding the right blend of size and features for your lifestyle. This can take some time, and just when you think you’ve settled on the right gun, your needs can suddenly change and you’re out gun shopping once more. Deeper Cover This was my ...