Forged From Freedom — pistol

The last time we talked - we discussed the lowly .25ACP - this week I want to go to the opposite end of the spectrum. 

The Desert Eagle 50AE. Is it too big? Is there really such a thing? 

Playboy's Miss November 1992 - doesn't think so at all. In fact on April 8, former Playboy Playmate Stephanie Adams received her long-awaited gun permit and purchased a .50 caliber Desert Eagle handgun to keep in her home for self-defense.

While we at ForgedFromFreedom.com - support Ms Adams constitutional right to purchase any and all lawful firearm(s) that she would like - the 50AE (Action Express) might be just a little big for practical self defense applications. The round is rather large/ heavy and the over penetration of perpetrators and/or New York City apartment walls - could pose as potentially problematic. Not to mention that the going rate for 50AE rounds are going for approximately $1 a round - on the low side. Not totally undoable - but I wouldn't want to pay the bill for an afternoon at the range - that's for sure. So should you buy one - is it too big? Sure! It's a fun weapon! Huge knock down power and come on - look it! Gorgeous and iconic! Is it the best choice for every day cary? In our humble opinion - probably not. So unless you're a complete bad-ass like Jerry Miculek and can successfully fire off 5 shots of 50 AE in under a second - you might want to leave that Desert Eagle in the safe and bring the 9mm, 40, or 45 instead. (Check out Jerry with the Desert Eagle below)

- Agent M 

The .25 ACP - is it the most useless round ever? 

The .25 ACP was introduced by John Browning in 1905. Mr. Browning wanted to create a round to match the velocity of the .22 LR coming out of a 2" barrel and boom- the .25ACP was born.

Now is it good to carry for your primary weapon? In my humble opinion - absolutely not. It is under powered, under sized, largely inaccurate - and is expensive to shoot/ practice with it. With that said - the old adage "

A .25 ACP in hand is better than two .45’s back home" rings true every time. Now what about a back up weapon? While I think there are some way better options out there - if that's all you have - rock it. Remember the famous words of Jeff Cooper boys and girls "The first rule of a gun fight is to have a gun." So use what you have until you can upgrade when time and money allow it. 

Like, love, or hate it - the small, under powered .25 ACP has helped secure it's place in history. It was used by some European resistance groups in WWII to ward off the Nazis. It was also favored by early James Bond chambered in his Beretta 418 before upgrading to his infamous Walther PPK. So it has to be kind of cool. Right? 

At the range - these guns can be a blast to shoot. While ammo is a bit harder to find and much more expensive to shoot than .22LR - it is great to change it up a bit from time to time. (If you ever get the chance to get your hands on a .25 ACP - I highly recommend you launch some rounds down range. If for no other reason - than to appreciate your normal every day carry pistol caliber.) 

- Agent M

The title says it all - snap caps helped me to learn to be a better shooter. 

For the uniformed - "A snap cap is faux ammo that can contain a spring-damped false primer or one made of plastic or none at all, the springs and plastic filled ones help absorb the force from the firing pin, allowing the user to safely test the function of the firearm without damaging the components of the firearm."

So did snap caps help me? Well they allowed me to practice both at home and on the range. At home - they allowed me to practice my fundamentals in a safe environment. (Pulling my weapon out of it's holster, drawing, pointing in a safe direction, and firing.) (WITH NO LIVE AMMO IN MY WEAPON). Seems like no brainer stuff right? Practice makes perfect - and I like to practice a lot. Still not perfect as much as I would like to believe - just ask my wife. 

Using snap caps at the range is what really helped me learn the most about what kind of shooter I am. So how did I use snap caps at the range? What I did - is I placed a snap cap inside my mag along with my live ammo. I loaded several magazines and placed a snap cap at various round intervals in each one to try and keep it as random as possible. After firing several rounds - my magazine would arrive at the snap cap. My weapon obviously wouldn't cycle and the shot didn't fire - so I was forced to looked at what just happened. Did I flinch? Did I push the pistol when trying to fire? Was my hand stance pushed to one side or the other? 

After several trips to the range - I started to notice a pattern that I was able to correct via more practice. Over a summer I noticed my accuracy improved dramatically. Now I started doing this practice of using snap caps at the range several years ago - but I still use it to this day when I am in a stationary target practice environment. Hope this helps you out as much as it helped me. 

Do you use snap caps? Have they helped you improve your accuracy and/or trigger pull? Let us know in the comments below.

- M

About Special Agent 'M'

Agent 'M' is a shadowy figure in the Gun industry. He is a highly trained armorer with experience in all things that shoot shit. In his spare time he acts as an under-cover commentator, and blogger.

Some say that he is not even human. Some say that he literally cooks up omelettes made up of eggs, 9mm projectiles, mushrooms, and Glock parts, for breakfast.

We'll leave the final opinions to you.