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Gear Reviews

Better Bag Carry

Since I retired from my cop job and I only teach a couple days a month, I spend most of my days wearing gym clothes.   Most often, when I leave my house, I’m either going to the gym or going hiking.  For those activities I find it exceptionally easy to carry my gun in […]

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, fanny pack, flashlights, holsters, Streamlight View Post

Carrying and Using the LDK Knife

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Many of you are aware that I designed the Ka-Bar TDI Last Ditch Knife.  I recently received a question from a reader about some design features:   “Greg: I noticed you mentioned you designed the Last Ditch blade for Kabar. I would be interested in an article about the design […]

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews, Reader Questions
knife fighting, knives, LDK, third world travel, travel View Post

First Impressions of the New Lispseys Snubs

I’ve been excited to see the new Lispeys snub revolvers that my friends Bryan Eastridge and Darryl Bolke had a hand in designing since they were introduced at the SHOT show this year.  For those unfamiliar with the guns, check out my last two Weekend Knowledge Dumps for more articles about the background and features […]

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
Lispeys, revolver, Smith and Wesson, snubnose View Post

Choosing a Buckshot Load for Home Defense

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Although I’m not well known for it in the commercial arena, I really enjoy teaching shotgun classes.  In fact, the first firearms instructor school that I attended was a Benelli shotgun instructor school taught by Phil Singleton (of SAS and HK fame) way back in 1999.  I taught police shotgun […]

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
buckshot, home defense, Rangemaster, shotgun, Tom Givens View Post

Notes From Shotgun Class

    I taught a shotgun class last week at the always amazing Blackwing Shooting Center.   I had 15 students. Class was limited to bird shot due to range limitations. Students fired about 150 rounds of birdshot in the class. Key observations as per my best recollection:   – Three Holosun and one Crimson […]

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews, What's New
Blackwing Shooting Center, class reviews, shotguns, training classes View Post

Snubnose Revolver Ballistic Gelatin Tests

When I was a kid back in the early 1980s, my parents had some rural land where we spent weekends hiking, hunting, and shooting guns.  A man up the road from my parents’ place was a well known “gun guy.”  He shot constantly and often offered to let young Greg shoot all his cool guns.  […]

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ballistics, Chuck Haggard, gelatin testing, Gunsite, Mark Fricke, revolvers, snubnose View Post

South African Ammunition

My friend Tom Givens (support him on Patreon for lots of quality content) recently wrote about a South African ammunition company who has started importing 9mm and 5.56mm cartridges into the USA at extremely reasonable prices. Omusha Ammunition   I decided to buy a case.  I’ve been very happy with it so far.  I took a […]

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ammunition View Post

My Favorite CCW Belt

Written by Greg Ellifritz   If you’ve spent any real time carrying a concealed handgun, you will understand the importance of mating your holster with a high quality belt made to carry a gun.  In general, the double thickness leather gun belts or the ultra-stiff nylon belts make it both easier and more comfortable to […]

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, gun belts, holsters View Post

PHLster Enigma Holster Chassis System

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   In 2016, I was teaching a close quarters gunfighting class in Virginia.  One of my students showed up wearing a Runcible Works belly band.  It performed admirably during the class and I wrote up the details in my post A Couple Gun and Gear Comments.   Soon thereafter, Runcible Works […]

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
Active Self Protection, appendix carry, Caleb Giddings, GAT Daily, holsters, PHLster View Post

Features to Avoid When Buying an IWB Holster

Written by: Greg Ellifritz     While perusing the internet looking for new guns and gear to write about, I came across the  Fobus inside the waistband (IWB) holster. I have to admit that I’ve never been a Fobus fan. In fact, I think they are some of the worst holsters on the market.   […]

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, Fobus, holsters View Post

A Historical Look at Appendix Carry

  This is a guest post from my friend Darryl Bolke.  Darryl is currently writing a book about the history of formal firearms training throughout the 20th century.  I’m very excited to read his book when he gets it on the market.  Until then, follow Darryl’s writing at DB’s Shooting Adventures on Facebook.   -Greg […]

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
appendix carry, Dark Star Gear, Darryl Bolke, guest author, holsters, JM Custom Kydex, PHLster, Raven Concealment, Spencer Keepers View Post

Smart Choices

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   The most common questions I get from readers involve how to best protect families and children.  I’m a single dude who has never been married and has no kids.  I’m really not the one to ask those questions.  I’d rather refer those questions to people with more expertise in the […]

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
children, family safety, The Complete Combatant View Post

Best Law Enforcement Fixed Blade Knife

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I recently received an excellent question from a reader.  It’s a valuable topic so I decided to address it in this public forum rather than simply replying to his email.   “I have been reading your blog for several years and been impressed by the content. If you have some […]

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
Chris Fry, Craig Douglas, knife fighting, knives, police, Shivworks, Tactical Defense Institute View Post

My New Favorite Electronic Hearing Protection

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Most of you collect guns.  Sometimes I feel like I collect hearing protection.     When I started shooting at five years old, no one wore eye and ear protection.  After all, “it was just a .22.”   When I started shooting K-frame revolvers and shotguns more seriously in my […]

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
View Post

Image-Based Decisional Skills

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   My friends Brian and Shelley Hill from The Complete Combatant have recently introduced a new product that I think many of you will find incredibly valuable.  Image Based Decisional Drills comes as a kit which includes: 1 Water resistant carry bag 5 IBDD business cards to pass out 1 Instruction […]

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
FPF Training, John Murphy, The Complete Combatant View Post

Choosing and Equipping Your First AR-15 Rifle

Written by: Greg Ellifritz     Do you own an AR-15?  If not, you should be thinking about buying one before the next pandemic threat or new piece pf gun control legislation makes it more difficult to do so.  You will regret not spending the money now when prices triple in the wake of any […]

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
AR-15, optics, rifles View Post

Do You Need A Muzzle Stand Off Device?

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I recently saw this addition to the Smith and Wesson 380EZ advertised on the internet.  Take a look at the site.  What do you think?  Is this a useful addition to your .380 pistol?   This invention has three roles.  It is a compensator, reducing recoil and muzzle flip.  It […]

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, Close quarter shooting, retention shooting, Smith and Wesson, weapon retention View Post

A Critical (but often overlooked) Holster Function

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   While reading my news feeds in the past few weeks, I’ve seen accounts of a couple preventable accidental shootings.  I’d really prefer to see that my readers and students learn to better secure their weapons so that people aren’t injured or killed by unintentional gunfire.  Let’s examine these negligent discharges  […]

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews, News and Tactical Advice
ccw, Claude Werner, holsters, negligent discharge, pocket carry, Sherman House View Post

Don’t Dig the Rig- Special Pocket Holster Edition

Written by Greg Ellifritz   When the weather is nice, I like to get out of my police car and do some foot patrols as often as possible. Every day (if calls allow) I’ll do at least one foot patrol around a shopping center, park, or school.   Last week, a school in my patrol […]

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, holsters, pocket carry View Post

Don’t Dig The Rig #21

Written by Greg Ellifritz   Concealed Nation has a regular feature on its website called #DIGTHERIG.  It consists of reader submitted photos about their individual chosen concealed carry weapon and holster choices.   A huge variety of guns and holsters are featured.  Real people carry each of these gun and holster combinations.  Unfortunately, some of […]

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, holsters, Tamara Keel View Post
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