Todd Woodard

The holster must have a balance of speed, security, and access. It cannot be buried under the clothing to the extent that it is difficult to access. A very fast draw isn't necessarily the main ingredient of a successful concealment rig. Good concealment that allows surprise is. Perhaps the adversary doesn't know you are armed, and he should not. There should be no indicators that show you are armed.

Let's look at reality. There is no draw faster than a standard belt holster carried on the point of the hip. This is also a holster that isn't compatible with concealed carry. The holster must be worn behind the hip under a covering garment at the least, and for better concealment, we move the holster inside the pants, or inside the waistband fashion as we call it. You must practice the draw to clear clothing, and is a real danger when clothing becomes tangled. The appendix carry requires less movement. Also, during the course of the day, you sometimes encounter people who like to bump into you or perhaps give a friendly pat. Some know you are armed; most should not. If they pat the groin area, they probably know you pretty well.

Brownells is offering a unique DIY project that beats putting shelves in the garage. The HK 416 Project is a parts kit offered by the Iowa-based retailer that allows a shooter to build an HK 416 — the type of rifle used by U.S. Navy SEALs in the 2011 raid against Osama Bin Laden. Disassembled from German military machine guns, the parts kits were available to all Brownells customers in November.

New product announcements are coming fast and furious, including Ruger's announcement of the SR1911 Competition Pistol. Over the past year, the Ruger Custom Shop has worked closely with professional shooting team captain and world champion competitive shooter Doug Koenig to develop the first Custom Shop SR1911, a full-sized 9mm pistol suitable for competitive shooting in IDPA, IPSC, USPSA, Bianchi Cup, Pro Am Shooting, and Steel Challenge disciplines.

I enjoyed your review of the 1873 from Uberti. I agree that the rubber recoil pad is distracting and probably unnecessary. I prefer a traditional brass or steel buttplate, but with checkering or texture. On my 1892, I added a leather pad for texture, but only because I couldn't figure out how to checker it appropriately. If I were doing it again, I think I would use pin punches and stipple it. Keep up the good work and unbiased reviews.

Our reloading pursuits for handguns are generally to provide volume ammunition for training at a discount based on reusable cases and bullets purchased in bulk. The progressive reloading press is capable of producing more rounds per hour than our arms can withstand. But setting the powder drop to exact quantities can be trial and error, a time-consuming exercise of repeated drops to prime the new setting and weigh out the result. But what if the new load is not what you hoped? Using a programmable automatic powder dispenser enables the reloader to quickly develop multiple loads for test without having to reset your powder measure.