William Bell

Cattleman Eli (played by Pierce Brosnan) is seen here holding a Winchester Model 1907, the AR-15 of its day.

After a seeming lull since the mid-1980s, the traditional double-action (DA) revolver appears to be making a comeback. Many companies, like Colt, Kimber, Henry Repeating Arms, and Heritage Manufacturing, each have recent iterations of the platform. Now, Diamondback Arms, which has been making a line of DA/SA.22RF revolvers called the Sidekick, is out with a new compact DA.357 Magnum snub called the SDR (for Self Defense Revolver).

Quite often the key to surviving a critical situation is to make it through the first 24 to 48 hours. This is especially true if you are caught away from your home and where all of your survival preparedness essentials are stored. For this reason, a good precaution in these troubled times is to keep a “go-bag” handy, especially in a place like your vehicle or place of work. Whether you are in a wilderness or urban environment, having basic emergency gear in a lightweight package could make all the difference. Which brings us to the AR-7 U.S. Survival Pack from Henry Repeating Arms.

The barrel of the Charter Pitbull has an integral rib and ramp front sight on the top.

“I was impressed with the performance of my Ruger SR1911; I will no doubt use it in future Wild Bunch SASS competitions.”

Kimber is a relative newcomer to the American firearms scene, although it has been in operation for over forty years. The company started producing rifles and then added 1911 pistols. One such 1911 pistol is the KDS9c, which enjoyed fast popularity, so Kimber focused on enhancing the platform with the addition of a rail.

The ubiquitous Model 1911 pistol has to be one of the most often-modified handguns on the planet. Following the experiences of WWI, the military asked for some external changes that resulted in the Model 1911A1 in 1924. Then, in the late 1940s, Colt created the Commander, a 1911 with a 4.25-inch barrel and an aluminum frame, hoping the military would adopt it. Instead, it became a civilian favorite and spawned a steel frame version called the Combat Commander. Now, Springfield Armory is upping the Commander-size 1911 game by adding an optic-ready slide with its Operator AOS.

Acting on market demand for an economical 9mm AR, American Tactical introduced the MilSport Carbine in 2016 with a forged aluminum upper, a billet aluminum lower and a buffer that allows you to use 115- to 147-grain bullets. It comes with a threaded, 16-inch, nitride-finished barrel; a 10-inch, free-floating KeyMod handguard; a six-position Rogers Super-Stoc; and a 31-round ETS magazine. It is also compatible with most Glock magazines.

North American Arms (NAA) of Provo, Utah, has been making the same basic stainless-steel, single-action, 5-shot mini-revolver for almost 35 years. They are chambered for.22 Short,.22 LR, and.22 WMR (Magnum). Sizes vary from the tiny NAA-22S with a 1.13” barrel to the NAA-1860-6 “Earl” with a 6” barrel. And they are all 5-shooters. The latest in the North American Arms concealed carry wheelgun catalog is its new Sentinel, chambered in.22 WMR.

In 2005, Taurus International introduced a new centerfire single-action (SA) revolver into its lineup of handguns. A South American company, Taurus called it the Gaucho. To be honest, I never did an evaluation on one or even shot one. Obviously aimed at the Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) market, I saw a few competitors using them. There was mention of some issues with this sixgun in certain circles, but that's just hearsay. In any event, the Gaucho went away in 2009. Then 15 years later, the