#9mmLuger

Welcome back to Wheelgun Wednesday, our weekly article series that covers everything about wheelguns, and on this selected day. This week, Taurus gives the single-action revolver segment something it has rarely offered: a factory dual cylinder setup on a traditionally styled wheelgun.

It’s fall, and that means it’s hunting season. Hunting season might mean it’s bow hunting season where you live, and maybe you want to carry some extra protection if you live in bear country. Or maybe you aren’t a hunter, but you still want to carry a pistol for bear protection when you’re out in the woods, because a rifle or shotgun is hardly convenient. Good news—Liberty Ammunition has your back with their new Bear Country lineup.

I’ve wanted another AR pistol for some time, but after my wife and I found out we were expecting, I knew that a new gun would be out of the question for a little while, even if it was budget-friendly. So when Extar reached out and asked if I was interested in testing the EP9, of course, I said “Yes” because I’ve never fired a polymer-framed AR.

I have been a fan of the 2011 platform for a long time. I have been using them since 2017 and have owned and worked on over a dozen different 2011s. I was a huge fan of Staccato back when they were known as STI where I got my start with a Hex Tac special edition that was released at SHOT Show. Since then I have been running 2011 pistols for everything from concealed carry to competitions. With the rebranding to Staccato, many people were worried about a potential dip in quality but it seems the concerns were unfounded as Staccato has despite a somewhat rocky start managed to garnish a reputation on par or even surpassing its previous iteration. I bought my first Staccato P almost 2 years ago and have since purchased a multitude of others including a second P, an XC and a C2. Since then I have been running them as carry pieces while upgrading them along the way. I will be going over my thoughts on the pistols both stock and as a platform for upgrading.

Ever since the dawn of the pistol, we’ve always sought to optimize the projectiles we shoot at those who are threatening us. Throughout history, we’ve seen the simple round ball shot evolve into all sorts of shapes, and eventually into the sleek, high ballistic coefficient, and complex expanding bullet designs meant for the greatest terminal effect out of the shortest barrels. With such a long history of developing ammunition, humanity has a long laundry list of even just 9mm cartridges that many people would consider carrying for self-defense. How do you sort through all of that? Today I’m going to give you what I and a lot of the TFB staff agree are the best available 9mm carry ammo.