Table of contents for October 2024 in Gun Digest

I’ve got a neighbor who’s been shopping for a new truck for at least 6 months. Yes, a NEW truck: I’m not talking about trying to find leather seats with new tires and less than 36,000 miles in a silver metallic with tinted windows … for a ridiculously low price. I’m talking about going to the lot, finding what you want and spending the money after some awkward negations (I actually really enjoy that part). For my neighbor, manufacturer sales have come and gone. Promotions have come and gone. In fact, this guy found a truck he really liked, and then test-drove it in three different colors to see which one “felt right.” And yet he still has not bought a truck. When it comes to buying a new handgun,…

01 Wilson Combat EDC X9 2.0 Welcome to the Future of Everyday Carry: the EDC X9 2.0. Launched in 2016, the EDC X9 rapidly rose to popularity, merging the timeless design of 1911 with the cutting-edge features modern shooters demand. The 2.0 builds upon this with upgrades that deliver superior performance and reliability. Of note, the new iteration has a solid-frame construction using a durable, high-capacity compact aluminum X-Frame. And the 9mm’s grips are fully adjustable, fine-tuning the gun to your hand. And it’s set up to feel great in hand, striking the perfect balance between comfort and concealability. The pistol was a knockout to begin with, and now is more so with Wilson dolling it up. MSRP: $3,307 02 Colt CBX Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor Colt’s history with bolt-action…

Not only is the 1911 pistol iconic, but it’s also a timeless design that’s more popular a century after Colt introduced it than it ever has been. But that doesn’t mean the 1911, with its linked barrel, single-action operation and non-pivoting trigger, hasn’t been improved on. These improvements—at least for 1911-style pistols chambered in 9mm—go way beyond an enhanced grip and thumb safeties. Wilson Combat’s introduction of the EDC X9 pistol marked a significant shift in the 9mm 1911. In 2017, I declared it the best self-defense pistol ever made. I still believe that. I also believe the new EDC X9 2.0 is an upgraded version of “best.” THE EDC X9 Wilson Combat machines the EDC X9’s slide from 416R stainless steel, with a weight reducing, trimmed down, tri-cut-like top.…

Firearms are dangerous … and that’s why we have them. But we also have “blow-out” kits, right? Right? A blow-out kit is a first-aid package meant not to deal with sunburn and insect bites, but gunshot wounds and other serious injuries. A specific one I have strapped to my range bag comes from RTS, called the IFAK. It’s meant to be attached to a soldier’s load-bearing or plate carrier, but it also attaches to a range bag by its MOLLE straps. Inside is a tourniquet (you get to choose from three brands), an Israeli trauma bandage that applies pressure to a wound, hemostatic gauze, more gauze, a chest seal, medical tape, CPR mask, gloves, shears and nasal airway. And this all comes in the pouch, which strips open one-handed. A…

Let me preface this piece with the most loving words I can muster, given the age we live in: It has all been done before and there’s little we can do to move forward, save for “twists” and subtle cosmetic differences. As I’ve written before, style and the fashion of the day often have more to do with what sells than raw function. Rarely are we seeing products designed that display what could be called “innovation” or “real invention.” Instead, it’s a shuffling of established designs that can be melded together for some level of perceived advantage over those it borrows from. So, as fashion dictates, here we are in 2024—and the hottest pistols on the market are 1911 and 2011 designs. How did we get here? CASSETTE FUTURISM AND…

Sometime back in the early 1990s, my shooting mentor and boss at Ranger Ammunition, Rob Virkus, introduced me to what may still very well be my most favored target pistol of all time: the Smith & Wesson Model 52-2. Rob and I used to shoot weekly at the Tampa Police Range after delivering their orders of several thousand rounds of ammo. I always had either my 1911s or Magnum revolvers with me, because I was young and poor, but Rob was a master-class shooter of anything with a trigger … and 20 years my senior. He always had something special in his range bag that would get me further into the world of shooting and reloading. One weekend he showed me what looked like a long-barreled S&W Model 39 with…

The M14 rifle has enjoyed an interesting but largely unknown history. It’s a direct descendant of the famous M1 Garand; however, it has a much more convoluted and harder to understand backstory that may be somewhat different from how you imagine it to be. The common notion is that the M14 was simply introduced too late, and the world had already moved on to other designs, earning it the title of the “shortest lived” U.S. service rifle … but this is far from the truth, and the story of the rifle is much more complicated. Today, the finest examples of this rifle come from Fulton Armory, a company doing its best to not only preserve the legacy of these rifles, but to also make them match accurate. M14 HISTORY What…

The struggle is real: Comfortable everyday carry of a completely concealed handgun can be difficult. It’s not so difficult in the cooler months, when a vest or jacket makes sense, but it’s sure a pain during the summer when temperatures pass the 90-degree mark. I’ve always been an inside the pants (IWB) kind of guy, but during a recent hot weather vacation, I decided to give the fanny pack a try. Some consider carrying a handgun in a fanny pack as off-body carry, but I think that description better applies to a purse or handbag. With the fanny pack, you’re essentially just strapping on a holster just as you would with a gun belt. The main difference is that you’re carrying in the open but doing so incognito. It’s a…

How many carry guns should you have? Logic would suggest only one, right? Carrying different guns or guns you’re unfamiliar with could be dangerous. My friend, former Texas Sheriff Jim Wilson, is not a fan of rotating carry guns and I agree … mostly. You should be as intimate with your carry gun as you are with your significant other. However, I do believe that exceptions exist, based on the situation and the guns, and only if you routinely work to stay proficient with any and every gun you might carry. Here’s a look at my four answers to the carry gun question, the reasons behind my choices, and the decisions that dictate what rides in my holster. 1 WILSON COMBAT EDC-X9 This isn’t the fanciest pistol I own, but…

Walther has always been an iconic brand, whether you go back to the early 20th century with the PPK or P-38, or fast-forward to the ’90s when James Bond upgraded to the P99. A few years ago, they released the WMP (Walther Magnum Pistol), a semi-automatic .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) pistol, and It’s proving itself to be an accurate and capable handgun in several ways. One of my favorite rimfire rounds has always been the .22 WMR, otherwise known as the .22 Magnum. When you find a cartridge you love, you typically want to shoot it in as many different firearms as possible. For .22 Magnum, that’s typically bolt-action and lever-action rifles, often paired with an accurate revolver. Sadly, semi-auto rifles and pistols are rarely found chambered in this…