This is a guest post by Andrew Betts I didn’t stutter. Garbage. Baloney. Hooey. Hogwash. The notion of “over penetration” has been circulated a great deal. It’s been repeated again and again by gun counter know-it-alls and 1st Interwebz Division commandos, but there is virtually no reason to be concerned about it. I am fully […]
When is a Gimmick Not a Gimmick?
December 13, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Lehigh Defense is well known for producing gimmick pistol ammunition like the Controlled Fracturing Hollow Point as well as their Extreme Defender and Extreme Penetrator which are based on specious claims about magical fluid dynamic faerie dust.
Does Birdshot Turn Into a Slug at Close Range?
December 4, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts For some reason, people desperately want birdshot to be suitable for home defense. They will come up with all manner of excuses to make that work.
Cheap Russian .308 Win for Home Defense?!?
November 25, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts That’s insane, right? .308 Win is a ridiculous choice for home defense because it penetrates way too deeply and cheap Russian ammo is just garbage. Right? Except, what if that wasn’t actually the case? What if cheap Russian .308 ammunition actually performed very well and what if […]
The VMAX bullet
November 22, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts The VMAX Bullet – Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover Sometimes something that looks pretty decent on the surface turns out to be not so great. A .300 AAC loaded with 110 gr VMAX should perform pretty well, theoretically. Sometimes the devil is in the […]
Is Steel Armor Useless?
November 20, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Over the past few years, a variety of companies have started making level III steel armor plates for very affordable prices. Purchasers of these plates have met harsh criticism on the gun forums because level III steel plates may be perforated by high velocity 5.56x45mm M193.
Making Birdshot Useful for Defense
October 3, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts At this point, most people should be well aware that birdshot is an extremely poor choice for defense. Sure, the knuckle dragging window lickers will proclaim that it has killed people, but so has heart disease. That doesn’t make a bucket of KFC a good home defense […]
300 Rip Out Review
September 29, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts By now, most people are well aware that the G2 Research RIP is a steaming lump that does only one thing well: separate fools from their money. Hopefully most people are aware that fragmentation in pistol ammunition is not desirable. Pistol ammunition does not produce velocity sufficient […]
Clearballistics Clear Gel
September 5, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Breaking: Clearballistics Clear Gel Not as Accurate as Manufacturer claims. If you have chosen your home defense ammunition based on a test performed with clear gel, you may want to reconsider. Clearballistics clear gel is extremely popular in YouTube ammo testing and with product demonstrations for gimmick […]
Could Soft Armor Ever Stop a Rifle Round?
August 19, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Body armor is an important part of the home defense plan for many people. There are a variety of factors to consider, such as weight, cost, threat level, flexibility, and other issues so people may legitimately arrive at very different conclusions as to what best fits their […]
Is .44 Magnum Suitable for Home Defense?
August 19, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts If you spend enough time around gun people, you are bound to run into that guy. The one that never misses an opportunity to tell people about how his choice of caliber makes him so much more manly than the rest of us mortals.
.300 Blackout vs 7.62x39mm, Which is Better?
May 20, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Taken at face value, that question is pretty absurd. It’s like asking whether a hammer or a screw driver is “better”. For the question to have any real meaning, we need to put a finer point on it. Because this is the Home Defense Gun, the question […]
CATI level IV: A Seriously Tough Plate
May 13, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts With the Battlefield 1 trailer producing a lot of renewed interest in C&R calibers I thought it might be fun to use 8mm to test the new level IV personal body armor from CATI (Come And Take It), regardless of how unlikely it might be for Calvin […]
Armor Piercing Pistol Ammo?
May 8, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts You might think that armor piercing ammunition is illegal for private citizens to own, but in reality, the prohibitions on armor piercing ammunition are all on the manufacturing and sale of it. There is actually no reason that civilians cannot possess AP ammo.
Here We Go Again (OATH Tango review)
March 29, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Does it seem like there are more gimmick rounds introduced lately or is just me? It may have always been this way, but it really feels as though there has been a sudden proliferation of manufacturers selling magical beans to unsuspecting firearm owners.
.300 Remington 120 gr OTFB Review
March 20, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts .300 Remington – Walmart Defense Ammo? I load my carry pistol and home defense rifle with premium ammunition but one of the things that really fascinates me is affordable ammunition that also has good terminal effect.
.300 Blackout HPR 150 gr JSP Review
March 20, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts .300 Blackout – They Can’t All Be Winners, Kid Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way you expected, or hoped. .300 Blackout is rapidly becoming a popular cartridge, as evidenced by the fact that you can buy it at Walmart now.
Could the Army’s New Ammo Ever Be Available to Civilians?
January 28, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts People like to own the same thing that the military uses. There is a perception that if it is good enough for the military, then it should far exceed the lower expectations of civilian use. This perception may not always be justified, but in the case of […]
Could Steel Armor Save Your Life?
January 21, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts You know what they say about opinions and everyone in the firearm and defense world seems to have an extra one. 9mm is “better” than .45 Auto. M&P is “better” than Glock. Fireclean is “better” than Crisco. As strongly as people tend to hold those opinions, they […]
Two Things You Need to Know About Choosing Body Armor
January 3, 2016 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Not long ago, we wrote about why you might want to consider body armor in addition to a firearm and training as part of your home defense plan. Choosing body armor is a complicated prospect, though. There are a staggering array of choices and almost as many […]
Think Twice About This Ammo
December 26, 2015 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Lehigh “Extreme Penetrator” and “Extreme Defender” look like Phillips head screwdriver bits and they have one thing in common with screwdrivers: they screw you good. Unlike most normal tools, though, they don’t work. That’s not to say that Lehigh ammo doesn’t fire or won’t poke holes in […]
6 Reasons That a .300 Blackout AR Is the Perfect Home Defense Gun
December 3, 2015 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts If you are a firearm enthusiast and you haven’t heard of .300 AAC Blackout, I’d bet a six pack that you wear clothes made from animals you trapped and haven’t taken the mule down the hill to town in a couple years. The .30 caliber cartridge based […]
4 Reasons .300 Blackout Is a Terrible Choice for Home Defense.
November 7, 2015 By
This is a guest post by Andrew Betts Okay, so it isn’t terrible exactly. Not in the sense that leaving a bottle of lotion on the coffee table and playing “Goodbye Horses” is a terrible way to impress a date, but it also isn’t what most of the breathless fanbois are fainting over, either. A […]
The Pumpkin Spice Armor Test
October 8, 2015 By
This a guest post by Andrew Betts It’s autumn. Trendy WASPs everywhere break out their Ugg boots and flock to Starbucks for pumpkin flavored coffee while their skinny jeans wearing boyfriends quiver with anticipation at the prospect of picking up a sixer of pumpkin flavored beer from the Trader Joe’s.
