USA Carry’s Top 10 Articles from 2014

We published more articles in 2014 than we ever have before. We decided figure out the top articles for a year end review and came up with a list of 10 most popular articles. That being said, let’s get to the articles.

1. The 2014 Springfield-Armory XDS 4.0 for Concealed Carry: A Review

There is NO perfect handgun, NO single, towering great manufacturer above all others, NO best caliber, NO magic bullet, and NO best barrel length. There also is NO ideal weight for everyone, NO trigger press that everyone can handle, and NO sights for all uses. I have not read a decree that says only pistols or only revolvers for all shooters. “It depends” is not a cop-out or way of avoiding making a decision or giving an opinion, but rather a recognition of reality when evaluating and using a gun. So, it is up to you to personally select the best handgun for yourself based on YOUR personal criteria that are important to you and for your defined use.

2. REVIEW: The 2014 Ruger LC9s 9mm Striker-Fired Concealed Carry Pistol

Most of us know the Ruger LC9 compact hammer-fired pistol as a mature, reliable, platform for concealed carry that has been around for about three years. While hammer-fired and striker-fired handgun designs each have pros and cons, some shooters complain about the long trigger press, the length of the trigger stroke, the hammer, and the reset of the LC9. The new for 2014 LC9s by Ruger claims to greatly improve the trigger, the design, and there is much talk about it. The claim is that the LC9s’ striker design (no hammer like the LC9) allows for a shorter, crisp, lighter, and consistent trigger press with much less resistance for every shot.

3. Criteria for Selecting Your Holster: A Review of the Alien Gear In-the-Waistband Holster

What do you look for in a holster? What are the key factors to consider? Several are interested in the Alien Gear (AG) In-the-Waistband (IWB) hybrid (leather and kydex) holster for concealed carry and I have been asked to review it. So I want to give you the factors I use for assessing holsters in general and apply them to my review and evaluation of the AG IWB holster. I am glad to research, use, and evaluate it, even though I usually do not carry IWB. This should help my objectivity and critical analysis. You see I am horizontally-width challenged. OK, I admit I am chunky in the middle (i.e. gut) and mostly carry in an Outside-the-Waistband (OWB) holster with a cover garment.

4. The 44 CONCEALED CARRY DRILL: Easy But Challenging

This is a very easy-to-remember, simple, and basic shooting drill for those who conceal carry a handgun. It is designed to help you with drawing or presenting from a concealed carry holster and garment, as well as improving your accuracy, speed, and techniques for shooting. Its purpose is to help you respond to a general concealed carry scenario and the usual four elements present. The 4 elements of the drill involve the number 4… thus the 44 Drill. Included are the typical distance involved between you and the bad guy or gal, the usual time consumed in a criminal assault, the average number of shots fired, and a challenging center mass target size. You must understand and integrate the fundamentals of shooting into the scenario drill, like proper grip, front sight focus, breath control, trigger control, follow through, etc.

5. Drawing from Concealed Carry: Steps and Tips

It is a big understatement to say that properly drawing or presenting your handgun from concealed carry (CC) is of critical importance for effectively using it to defend your life. The handgun draw is one of the most important aspects of self defense and can be the difference between life and death. When drawing your handgun, there are several chances to shoot yourself or someone else and a misapplication of the techniques can be very dangerous. Some say most accidents or negligent discharges happen while drawing and re-holstering a handgun. So, safety is very important during all of the steps in drawing your handgun.

6. A Magic Bullet: The New “Radically Invasive Projectile” 9mm Cartridge?

What’s the latest, greatest, super ammo on the market? Is it really something new and technically advanced in bullet and ammo design? Has there been sufficient and extensive ballistic testing with independent labs? Do we really even need it? Is it just a gimmick? Will it increase Failures to Feed and over-penetrate? Will it be expensive? Will the government buy it, ban it, or stockpile it? Will bad guys/gals use it on innocent folks? What about its availability to sportsmen and shooters? Will our military use it, given the Hague Convention and prohibitions on the use of expanding bullets in international warfare? Will you use it and do you want to shoot someone with ammo called R.I.P. (Radically Invasive Projectile) whose goal is to maximize dissipation of energy?

7. Double Action or Double/Single Action Gun?

One of my favorite times of year will be here soon – the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas. This year, like every other, there will be firearm manufacturers releasing dozens of new guns and I’ll walk through their booths wishing I were a billionaire, just like I do every year.

Some of these guns will be double action only (AKA striker-fired, safe action), while others will be double/single action. I know that a lot of folks, especially new shooters, aren’t exactly sure what the difference is so I’d like to try and make it a little clearer today.

8. Top 7 Rules of Pocket Carry

Over the past decade, the popularity of “pocket guns” has exploded and it’s safe to say that more people are carrying guns in their pocket (instead of on their hip) than ever before. I count myself among this group of people, as you’ll frequently find me with a Ruger LCP in my front, right pocket.

Like every carry method, there are certain rules you should follow if you decide to pocket carry. Violating these rules can obviously cause injury to yourself or someone else. For instance, here’s an incident reported by a Florida newspaper…

9. Why You Should Get 5,000 Rounds of this Ammo

I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about ammunition, even though the ammo shortage has been going on for months. More specifically, these questions have been about how much to store, what kind to store, and where to store it.

I realize that ammo is still hard to find in most parts of the country and that 10 minutes after it’s delivered to Walmart it’s already disappeared from the shelves. That’s why, if there was only one type of ammo I could get and one type of ammo that I believe everyone should be focused on, it’s .22.

10. The Sturm Ruger LC9-CT Review

The Sturm Ruger company is arguably one of the best and most successful small arms manufacturers in the world. They opened their doors in 1949 and never looked back. Today they offer everything from rifles, to shotguns to handguns. We are going to concentrate here on their handgun line, and specifically the LC9. Released in 2011, this is one of the best offerings made for concealed carry.

The box contains the gun, two 7 round magazines, a lock, instruction manual, a key and a soft zippered carry case.