Tag Archives: back-up gun

9/11 Back-Up Gun

This is NYPD Ofc. Walter Weaver’s Smith & Wesson model 640 back-up firearm that was uncovered in the rubble of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 terror attacks.  Ofc. Weaver was last seen on the sixth floor of the North Tower on that day helping survivors. The NRA Museums’ Facebook page displayed this photo montage today.  Ofc. Weaver’s service and sacrifice are not forgotten. Randall

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Smith & Wesson Centennial Revolvers Revisited

Does the pervasive plastic pistol have you feeling a bit listless and melancholy lately?  Striker-fired boredom setting in?  Well, perk up your life with a Smith & Wesson Centennial revolver!  Sometimes going “retro” can get you caught in a new frame of mind that will liven your dreary modern existence. The quintessential J-frame revolver by Smith & Wesson has been around since its birth in 1950 as the Chief’s Special or, later, the Model 36.  Designed as a small, concealable handgun with moderate power from its .38 S&W Special chambering, the platform has morphed into many versions during its 60-plus years. In Smith & Wesson-ese, the “Centennial” model, introduced in … Continue reading

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New Remington RM380 Pocket Pistol

Yet another new handgun officially launching at the NRA Annual Meeting 2015 is the Remington Arms‘ RM380.  This .380 ACP caliber hammer-fired DAO sub-sub-compact pistol has an aluminum frame with a fiberglass reinforced nylon grip overlay.  It will have a 6+1 capacity and a weight of 12.2 ounces.  The new gun will ship from Remington’s Huntville, Ala. plant with extended grip and flush grip magazines that will release from ambidextrous buttons. Much like the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, with which it will directly compete, the hammer-fired locked breech RM380 has a multiple-strike capability for stubborn

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Ruger Adds 9mm to LCR Lineup

For you back-up revolver carriers, Sturm, Ruger & Company is introducing a 9mm version of their popular LCR platform.  If you like having a secondary firearm chambered in the same caliber as your on-duty pistol, then this one may be your ideal belly gun. The Ruger LCR has rightly gained a solid following based upon its light weight, smooth cammed trigger pull, and reliable functioning.  A 9mm round ups the foot pounds of energy delivered on target when compared to its .38 Special +P variation, though both still lag behind the .357 Magnum. Sharing the same 400 stainless steel monolithic frame of the .357 model, the 9mm LCR will come … Continue reading

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New Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380

Smith & Wesson has announced a variant of their popular Bodyguard 380.  This will be marketed as the M&P Bodyguard 380, adding to their Military & Police line.  Noticeably absent from this gun is the integral InSight laser.  When I first wrote at BlueSheepdog.com about the LAPD approving the Bodyguard 380 for on and off duty use, back in April of 2011, the Los Angeles Police Department had mandated that both the laser and manual safety be deactivated.  This version solves one of those requests. I am ambivalent about the InSight laser.  I have kept mine functional and I occasionally use it at the range.  The activation buttons’ stiffness can … Continue reading

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Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 Laser Batteries

The Insight laser on my Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 fizzled out.  I have had the gun for several years now.  I function check the laser periodically, like most of my gear, since the Bodyguard is my often carried back-up gun on duty.  I turned the laser on and it produced a weak light.  Then it shut down entirely.  No problem.  Or so I thought. I fetched my original S&W box and owner’s manual.  There is a tiny Allen wrench in the blue box.  I mean it is super small hex key.  It is nothing you would normally have on your workbench.  The key is specific to adjusting, and also … Continue reading

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Smith & Wesson Announces New M&P Shield Pistol

This week, Smith & Wesson unveiled their new M&P Shield semi-automatic pistol.  Made to compete in the single-stack concealed carry arena, the Shield is a slimmed down version of their popular striker-fired polymer pistol offerings.  By my calculations it is .25″ thinner than an M&P9, weighs 2.7 ounces less, and is .6″ shorter on the slide topline.  It is available in 9mm or .40 S&W cal. I think with the law enforcement popularity of the full-sized M&P guns, the Shield will be a nice compliment to those who want a smaller version of their everyday duty pistol for secondary weapon or off-duty carry.  It is a training advantage to carry … Continue reading

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Diamondback DB9 Long Term Test and Review

In January of 2011, I was walking through the static vendor booths at SHOT Show’s Media Day at the Range and saw a familiar pistol that somehow looked off-kilter. It was a stretched Diamondback Firearms DB380 pistol.  No.  It was something new. Diamondback Firearms makes striker-fired polymer framed pistols and (soon) shotguns AR -15’s in Cocoa, Florida.  After successfully marketing a micro-compact .380 ACP pistol, the company began producing a 9mm version.  This was the gun I saw on the table. I handled the unloaded gun in the booth.  It looked very promising, however, for its diminutive size, I worried about how it would actually handle in the hand when … Continue reading

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New Charter Arms Pitbull .40 S&W Revolver Review

…Updated below… BlueSheepdog Richard and I went to the range a couple of months ago to get some trigger time with a mixed bag of pistols and revolvers.  One of the wheelguns he brought was the unique Charter Arms Pitbull.  The Pitbull is a .40 S&W cal. revolver, which was formerly called the CARR, for Charter Arms Rimless Revolver. The Pitbull was made to fire a rimless auto-pistol cartridge without the use of full or half moon clips.  Integral to their design is a dual coil spring loaded extractor, which engages the case rim and ejects the spent rounds. Originally, Charter Arms’ idea was to provide a revolver that was … Continue reading

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