When you have been around\xa0firearms\xa0as long as the author has, you will invariably recall a few mistakes made along the way. You paid too much for this one, sold that one to cheap, made a bad trade, etc. The worst thing that happens is realizing you should never have let a particular one get away. Having made that mistake more times than he would like to admit, the author is moving closer to the “Never Sell Anything Again — Ever” camp.

Like many of you, I became a .45 believer some years ago. It was a combination of things: talking with some people who had been shot with various caliber\xa0handguns\xa0and studying the charts mostly.\xa0For my basic handgun classes, I worked up some charts comparing various calibers. The primary comparison point was muzzle energy. The .327 Magnum was a clear winner…

Some single-shot rifles available are pretty pricey.\xa0Ruger\xa0Number 1 rifles, the\xa0Winchester\xa0High Wall, and even some of the Ubertis are out of the reach of many hunters. Henry’s rifle is well made of good material — like all Henry rifles. The Henry Repeating Arms break-open single-shot rifle is currently listed at just under \\$475 at\xa0Cheaper Than Dirt!\xa0That is a fair price, even a bargain.

Playing cowboy, watching western movies and TV shows, and collecting Old West guns has long been a joy in my life. Even though today’s television and movies don’t focus on Westerns as much as they did when the author was growing up, there is still enough there for the fascination with the guns to continue. Best of all, there’s no shortage of current and past production guns to fill the need.

When referring to firearms, especially for self-defense or duty, the term ‘service life’ often surfaces. There’s a lot of mixed information regarding\xa0handgun\xa0service life, with different law enforcement, military, and civilian standards. But what does that really mean, and is there anything we can do to extend it?