The front to back distribution of shotshell pellets in flight that results in the cigar-shaped "cloud" of pellets is called the shot string. More

Simo Häyhä was born in 1905 near the Finnish village of Rautajärvi, close to the border with Russia. It was a poor area, the residents of which made a living by farming, raising livestock, lumbering, trapping and hunting. Young Simo adapted to the harsh winters and became a skilled hunter and trapper.

At the age of 17 he joined the Civil Guard, where he rose to the rank of corporal. More

Basically, the gun resembled the smaller topbreak .32s and .38s made by S&W, and perhaps this was one of the reasons for the gun's tepid performance in the marketplace. To the average shooter in the latter part of the 19th century, the bigbore Smith & Wesson of the time was the famous No. 3. Not only had that fine single-action gone through a number of variations, it was used around the globe by many of the world's armies. Even though the Frontier might potentially be a more efficient military arm, governments were already committed to the No. More

M&P15s are chambered to 5.56mm NATO specifications, making them particularly suitable for shooting military ammunition. The 1:9-inch twist, M203-contoured, 4140-steel, 16-inch barrel is chrome lined, as are the chamber, bolt carrier and gas key. At the business end of the barrel resides an A2 birdcage-style flash suppressor, and sling swivels are installed on the bottom and left side of the gas block. The side swivel can be switched to the right side if desired. More

The Model 40 came on the scene in 1953 and was discontinued in 1974. It is chambered for the .38 Special and features a two-inch barrel, fully concealed hammer, grip safety and smooth wood grips. It was available in blue or nickel finish (by far, most are blued steel).

Several factors made the Model 40 Centennial such a preferred revolver for concealed carry. First, it doesn't weigh much (even being made all of steel). And because the cylinder holds five rather than six rounds, as do many revolvers, the cylinder is a slim 1.3 inches wide (the widest part of the entire gun). More

The XD is correctly classified as a single-action design, meaning it is fully cocked by racking the slide. Most single-action autos have manual safeties, but the XD's Croatian designers eliminated the need for such safeties by adopting the Glock-type trigger safety as well as an internal firing-pin block. They also added a grip safety. The XD is a very safe design, but its single-action designation has confused some.

The XD is a true single-action internally but externally operates more like a double-action-only handgun. More

(1) Karl Steiner established Steiner Optik GmbH in 1947. Despite the difficult economical post-war situation, the newly found company grew from a one-man factory to a more than 50-employee company within 6 years. Offering products from small cameras to binoculars and special lenses, Karl Steiner soon realized that the company’s future was with the production of professional high-quality binoculars. This idea set high standards within the optics industry and Steiner Optik soon became the world-leading quality binocular manufacturer. More

Bullets traveling slower than the speed of sound, generally accepted as 1,100 fps at sea level in normal air. Subsonic bullets do not produce the supersonic "crack" as they pass through air making them useful in sound suppressed firearms. Further, subsonic .22 Long Rifle ammunition is popular for target shooting as its external ballistic properties are superior to supersonic .22 Long Rifle making them more accurate for target shooting. More