They may be familiar to some, but not every gunsmith knows the ins and outs of drill bits. Here are the basics.

The graceful, light, and distinctive L.C. Smith Hammerless Double sidelock is a favorite of American shotgunners. Here’s how to fix its most common problems. If you own a Smith and want to make it suitable to shoot again, or if you are presented a Smith to repair, here’s what you need to know about the shotgun.

In June 2010, Kahr Arms purchased Minnesota-based firearms manufacturer, Magnum Research, Inc., maker of the Desert Eagle Pistol and BFR Revolvers in .44 Magnum, .45 LC/.410 or .45/70. Kahr Arms offers a selection of other niche-type firearms, such as the “Tommy Gun” and Auto-Ordnance line of M1 .30 caliber carbines. In this video, Gun Tests Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine shows off two of the company’s big-hole BFR wheelguns.

Beretta USA introduced the BU-9 Nano as its entry into the pocket 9mm pistol category last September. Initial shipments of the American-made pistol left the Accokeek, Maryland factory beginning in November 2011, with a suggested retail price of $475. In this video, Gun Tests’ Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine gets a detailed explanation of how easy the Nano is to break down for maintenance. The Nano's modularity provides for simple disassembly and easy cleaning. Safely disassemble the pistol by first engaging the striker deactivator, a patent pending safety mechanism that eliminates the need to pull the trigger prior to disassembly.

Gun Reports - News

Courtesy, Harper's Magazine

Harper’s Magazine Makes a Case for Concealed Firearms

(GunReports.com) -- The Supreme Court recently expanded gun rights by declaring that an individual’s right to bear arms applies to state and local gun laws. In its August issue, Harper’s Magazine explores one facet of gun ownership that has proven particularly contentious.

“Happiness is a Worn Gun: My Concealed Weapon and Me” by Dan Baum is the August cover story of Harper’s Magazine. In the piece, he explores how being armed changes the individual's actions and outlook. An excerpt:

“Nowadays, most states let just about anybody who wants a concealed-handgun permit have one; in seventeen states, you don’t even have to be a resident. Nobody knows exactly how many Americans carry guns, because not all states release their numbers, and even if they did, not all permit holders carry all the time. But it’s safe to assume that as many as 6 million Americans are walking around with firearms under their clothes.

Good thing or bad? Most people can answer that question instinctively, depending on how they think about a whole matrix of bigger questions, from the role of government to the moral obligations we have to one another. Politically, the issue breaks along the expected lines, with the NPR end of the dial going one way and the talk-radio end the other,” writes Baum, who discovered the joys of shooting as a kid at summer camp almost fifty years ago.

How did this typical liberal Democrat become fixated on guns? What does he have in common with the gun-show vendor whose T-shirt proclaims, “Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Should Be a Convenience Store, Not a Federal Agency”? Baum takes a three-hour handgun class that will allow him to get a carry permit in Colorado. As he starts carrying a gun everywhere he goes, at first concealed and then openly in Colorado, Arizona, and Louisiana, we learn how carrying a gun changes Baum’s behavior. He writes:

"Having carried a gun full-time for several months now, I can attest that there’s no way to lapse into Condition White when armed. Moving through a cocktail party with a gun holstered snug against my ribs makes me feel like James Bond—I know something you don’t know!—but it’s socially and physically unpleasant."

To read about Baum's journey into the carry world, click here to jump to Harper's Magazine's homepage. The link to the August issue is on the lower right side of the homepage. Subscribers (only) can access the article online for free.

Dan Baum is the author, most recently, of Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death and Life in New Orleans (Spiegel & Grau). He is a contributor to Harper's Magazine and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker, as well as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Baum lives in Boulder, Colorado.

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Comment by: John R. | September 21, 2010