_Combat Handguns_ fits somewhere in the middle of the quality stack of firearms publications available on most newsstands. These are my criticisms:
It's a monthly publication with a decent glossy print. Many pages are color, but the grey scale images are still quite good. Issues are about 100 pages long, enough for a quick read, but not enough to fully satisfy me as an inquisitive reader. The entire copy can be read thoroughly in 30 minutes.
A subscription is not expensive, but it's still not exactly a bargain. I shelled out $24 through Amazon.
Articles cover a range of items available for purchase, such as handguns, knives, holsters, and ammunition. This information is no different from that of every other firearms magazine on the newsstand, save that it often is not complete enough. Usually, a product article will forego telling the price of an item, which is unacceptable for such a venue; an estimated price should be given for each and every item (or an explanation of why the price wasn't printed should be given). Of the 7 handguns reviewed in the September 2006 issue, three were missing price information. Ugh.
Often, product articles are ended abruptly by the authors. Did the editor chop out essential information, or did the writer dash out the article at the last moment? The articles often have the same feeling that my composition students' papers have, the rushed conclusion of the simple-minded: in the Sept. 2006 issue, on another 1911 clone, "It's a workman-like gun that does a working job" (25). Again, UGH. This is, in product pieces, the equivalent of "And they lived happily ever after."
Articles are almost always chopped up and continued in the rear portion of the magazine. Often, there is absolutely no purpose to the " continued on page..." It's absolutely irritating and antithetical to continuity, especially since many articles are not much longer than a single page (with one-third covered by ads).
Although it is titled "Combat Handguns," some handguns covered are not adequate for any sort of combat save the combat against a paper target at close range. Sometimes, .22 pistols are reviewed or featured in photos in the various technique articles, which is irresponsible as advice and further support for the anti-gunner belief that people who enjoy shooting want to carry a gun in every pocket.
The quality of writing is barely adequate. As a composition professor, I'd grade most articles C-, as there **will be** several misspelled words or incomplete sentences. Again, this indicates a dashed-out drafting process, with little proofreading (isn't that part of an editor's job? Does anyone read the finished articles before they go to press?). Another UGH, big time.
Cover enticers, such as "2-Against-1 Shootout: Someone's Breaking into the House," are usually all-show, no-go. This particular article in the Tactics section gives a basic diagram for setting up an IPSC pistol course. There's no story to it; it's a made-up, alarmist piece about an unlikely practice event that "the armed professional" (i.e., law enforcement officer) doesn't need a magazine to supply, but the anti-gunner looking at the cover at the grocery-store newsstand will think that the magazine is a bloodthirsty training device for the next wacko. There are better ways to present the content, editors.
The "It Happened to Me" column will have two or three stories submitted by readers, but, sometimes, these stories get recycled from previous issues, and they're always far too decontextualized. Where and when did the event happen? Did it even happen? Who ARE these people? Where is the fact checking? The Sept. 2006 issue's column has GY from Iowa writing about he gunned down two men that tried to rob him as he was fishing: "Not bad and still 2 rounds left" (6). Idiocy! I like true crime stories like the next guy, but not this yokel-justice gloating. I want names of people and places and dates supplied, if only to confirm that the stories aren't 30 years old and patchworked with urban myth. Instead, gun owners get lumped together with bumbling morons who are quick to draw and, sometimes, over-anxious to get some "trigger time."
The "Street Smarts" column gives advice that should be common sense, and it's not really very enlightening. The Sept. 2006 issue has "What Cops Know: The Key to Alertness It's the Condition Yellow Habit!" (why, why do there have to be so many exclamation points?), beginning on p. 32 and continued on p. 72 (UGH), with the key message that being alert is good but is a skill that must be practiced and can't be taught. It's just a habit. Hmmm...sounds like a big waste of ink to me. This column also is frequently recycled under the guise of "tribute" or "classic" articles.
Frankly, I doubt that "armed professionals" are reading this magazine seriously. There are columns on "Cop Talk" or "VIP Protection," but they don't provide much insight into those professions. It's a good magazine for a quick read about product availability, but, mostly, it has a "springboard" function, piquing interest and forcing the reader to turn to other sources for more complete information.
This is my favorite gun magazine. I've subscribed to guns and ammo, shooting times, rifle shooter, etc.
If you carry or are considering it, it is a wealth of info... real-life legal issues by Massad Ayoob, "I was there" experiences from those who carry, suggested training exercises, even body guard training and scenarios. Columnists respond to questions in letters to the editor.
There are also gun reviews, a section on holsters and new stuff on the gun market.
So, if you carry, or are interested in considering it, this is a great magazine.
Buy Combat Handguns Now
While holding promise, Combat Handguns ultimately falls short, serving a very narrow audience. The magazine focuses almost exclusively on the 45-caliber weapon and every possible incarnation it could conceivably have. If you are interested obtaining information about any other caliber and how it pertains to your self-defense needs, you will find almost no information whatsoever. Its content seems to consist largely of slick color advertisements from a wide variety of manufacturers. It does have some informative legal and self-defense articles, but these are often packaged in the most inflammatory manner possible with titles like, `It's A Three on One Showdown, AND THEY'VE GOT YOUR WIFE!!!' If your looking for a gun magazine that focuses on the handgun try Guns and Ammo's Handgun magazine, it is far more balanced. Unless you're into 45's and kidnapped wives, then this is your magazine.
Read Best Reviews of Combat Handguns Here
Reality check...all gun magazines are full of adds and have reviews that are never critical. This is a sad reality, but it is the truth. What sets Combat Handguns apart from the rest of them is the amount of information given. When you read about a firearm in this magazine, it will tell you the size of the groups it shot, with what ammo it shot it, how much it cost, muzzle velocity, and other useful information that many other gun magazines leave out.
Also, this magazine has a section called "It happened to me", which is similar to "The armed citizen" in NRA mags. This by far is my favorite section of this magazine. It's the first place I turn to when I open it up! I've read everything from G&A to Pocket Pistols and no other magazine comes close in my opinion.
Want Combat Handguns Discount?
I don't write a lot of reviews on Amazon, but after reading another review, I really felt it necessary to post this. I've been a subscriber to this magazine for years, and yes, the magazine does cover the .45 as well as 9MM, .380 ACP, .25, .40 S&W, .38, .357 and a host of others. Yes, they do have articles titled "It's A Three on One Showdown, AND THEY'VE GOT YOUR WIFE!!!" That's the focus of this magazine,which is exactly what the names implies COMBAT HANDGUNS. Guns and Ammo is a great magazine, and they have great supplements, but it's a different niche in the market. Combat Handguns is targeted (pun intended) to the person who is interested in the use of the handgun for self defense, or for the person who carries a handgun for their profession. They have articles that address the concealed carry of the handgun for those legally authorized to do so. They also address training drills, new product reviews, as well as the legal implications of defending yourself, or your loved ones, with a handgun. They provide great insight into what to do, as well as what NOT to do, should you ever have to use your handgun in self defense and they reinforce it through real world examples of both. They have several columns and articles written by the "Legends" of combat handgun training Massad Ayoob, John Farnham, Jeff Cooper, Chuck Taylor, etc.
As a Combat Handguns subscriber, and a firearms owner for 30 years, I can highly recommend this magazine if you're looking for straight information covering all areas of the defensive use of the handgun, written by experts in their fields.
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