Some Shooting/Firearms/Self-Defense News

•  "Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 15, 2023"--Active Response Training. Lots of good links, as always. A few to check out (that you haven't already seen here): a good article on getting started into appendix inside the waistband (AIWB) carry; ballistic gel testing of .30 Super Carry indicates that you need at least a 4-inch barrel to get reliable expansion; expert tips on shooting more accurately with a rifle; a warning that 2024 might see as much or more political violence than 2020; using a ladder with your firearms training (aka, training to use or shoot around barriers doesn't need to be expensive); low light tactics for the common person--i.e., using a light in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
• When John Moses Browning and Winchester parted ways:
• "The End of the Winchester-Browning Alliance, Part 1"--Ammo Land.
• "Winchester-Browning Alliance, Part 2: Mr. Browning Goes to Remington & FN"--Ammo Land.
• "2011 Pistols - Are 1911's Dead"--Ammo Land. A term I see more and more often modern double-stack 1911 is calling them "2011" pistols, but not everyone knows what they are. This article explains a bit about them and what distinguishes them from not only the 1911 but also older models of double-stack 1911s. The primary differences, according to the article, is that these type of pistols are generally found chambered in 9mm and typically make use of an aluminum frame to cut down on weight.
• Speaking of 2011 pistols, Cabot is releasing a double-stack .45 ACP apparently priced such that if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. It was only of note to me because I came across two articles on the pistol at Guns America and Ammo Land that were word-for-word identical, which is the problem of relying too heavily on press releases. 
• "Colt King Cobra .22 LR Target Accuracy Review" – Scattered Shots. Good quality .22 revolvers are not cheap, something evidenced by even the Ruger Single-Six line which, at one time, were classified as "affordable". Colt's offering is a target revolver. It's outward appearance is that of the Python, but I presume that it must be a King Cobra internally--the frame and trigger guard as certainly that of a Cobra. Just testing it with cheap Remington Thunderbolt ammo, the author found that it's accuracy was impressive.
• "XS Sights Launches Vent Rib Standard Dot Shotgun Bead"--The Mag Life. A high visibility replacement for the standard brass bead.
• Good question: "Do We Need College-Trained Cops?"--Massad Ayoob. Ayoob says no, but that we would be better off with people that have better interpersonal skills. I agree. At one time, a college degree would have meant that the applicant had studied and worked hard and had above-average intelligence, and would have been forced to develop critical thinking skills, but is no longer a guarantee of such.
• "Flat As A Pancake" by Dave Workman, GUNS Magazine. From the article:

    It was a chance stop at the mechanic’s shop down the road from my place a couple of miles which started this.

    My pal was under a guy’s trailer working on some wiring which had come loose. Standing there watching was the owner of the trailer and the truck to which was hitched, a full-size ¾-ton 4X4 rig. This fellow was maybe 5 feet tall, and underneath his tight-fitting T-shirt one could clearly see the outline of a rather large semi-auto pistol. He wasn’t hiding anything.

    I strolled over, and the guy started chatting, clearly oblivious that under my vest was a cocked-and-locked Model 1911 nestled in a belt-slide rig.

    Back when I was actively teaching firearms and personal protection, one of the first things my students heard — over and over again — was, “Concealed means concealed, period! Nobody in your presence should know you’re armed.”

    And that brings us around to a discussion of a specific class of concealment holsters, known generically as the “Pancake.” ...

    The Pancake is basically two slabs of leather stitched together to form the holster, with belt slots punched ahead of and behind the holster pocket. These slots can be positioned to allow for straight/vertical carry, strongside carry with butt forward or even carry as a cross draw. Such rigs can be built for virtually any size handgun, although at some point, the gun and holster combination could become just too big for practical concealed carry.

It is a style of holster that is good for OWB concealed carry, and particularly well suited for flat sided pistols like the 1911.

•  "Making the GLOCK 45 9mm Pistol the Perfect LE Gun"--The Truth About Guns. As always, Glock perfection does not extend to the sights, so that was the first upgrade:

    From experience, we knew that the most common distances for police handgun qualification courses were from 5 yards to 50 feet. We set out to create sights that were the perfect height to ensure that shots fired would be point-of-aim/point-of-impact from 5 yards to 50 feet.

    Using the GLOCK 17 and the GLOCK 19 as test guns with Black Hills 124 grain Jacketed Hollow Point ammunition, we tried out various front and rear sight heights until we hit the sweet spot. The Night Fision Accur8 Tritium sights offer the shooter absolute accuracy, day or night.

But being the MOS model, the author couldn't just stop there, so he threw on an EOTech EFLX Optic. 

The battery source is  the standard CR2032. EOTech intelligently put the battery compartment on top of the optic so that it doesn’t need to be removed to change the battery. Battery life on the mid setting for the 6 MOA optic is 20,000 hours. For the 3 MOA optic the battery life is a bit longer at 25,000 hours. Either way you cut it, that is over two years of constant run time.

He also describes his breaking in and testing with different types of ammo, before mentioning that the G45 is popular with those officers finally able to trade in their .40 S&W pistols for 9mm.