Travis Pike

Florida

Firearms and Gear Writer at Freelance

Purpose-driven gear for specialized users. From @taskandpurpose. Tweets may contain affiliate links.

Articles

Weird Tokarevs - The TT-33 Evolved

1 day ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

In the United States, I think most gun owners who have heard about the TT-33, aka the Tokarev, respect it. They are a little obscure, but lots of folks have one in their collection, and it’s often a neat little gun. What Americans don’t really understand is how popular the Tokarev was across the world. In many ways, it’s the AK of handguns for Communist military forces. Variants of the TT-33 were spread far and wide through Eastern Europe, Asia, and beyond.
The Mossberg 990 Aftershock

2 days ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

The 12-gauge shotgun genre isn’t large but has left a lasting impression on the firearm industry. Since day one of the Shockwave, people have wanted a semi-auto model. A precious few TAC-13s leaked out from Remington before their bankruptcy, but that well is dry. Well, it was dry. Mossberg is now introducing the 990 Aftershock. We got to put a ton of lead down range with one at the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, and it was a total blast.
Magtech Revolver Ammo - Stay Away

3 days ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

Ammo reviews are a rare thing. It has to be an interesting or new load, but I’m writing out of pure rage today. Rage at wasting money on what has proven to be one of the most unreliable ammo brands I’ve ever experienced. The company is called Magtech and is part of CBC Global Ammunition. CBC Global Ammunition seems to own several budget-friendly ammo brands. I’m attracted to Magtech because it consistently produces .32 caliber ammunition, including affordable .32 ACP, .32 S&W Long, and .32 S&W.
The KE Arms KP-9 Polymer AR Lower

4 days ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

I’ve only had negative experiences with polymer AR lowers. It seems like it would be easy to conquer, but here I am, deep into the world of polymer lowers, and I only use them for rimfire purposes. When I saw the KE Arms KP-9 lower at a local pawn shop for forty bucks, I hesitated, but it was only forty bucks and came complete with a stock. I enjoy pistol-caliber carbines, and I took the chance. Like most of us, I know about KE Arms through Sinistral Rifleman, Forgotten Weapons, and InRange TV.
The Bianchi 19L And My Little Beretta

5 days ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

It’s surprisingly hard to find holsters for old guns. Especially if that gun has been out of production for a few years. One of my dream guns is the Beretta 81. It’s a mid-size handgun that chambers the .32 ACP cartridge. It has a double-stack magazine and gives me twelve rounds of John Browning’s most underrated cartridge. I love it, but it took me forever to find a holster. Then, the Bianchi 19L came across my browser.
Rare and Weird Shotguns You Can Actually Own

5 days ago | gunsamerica.com | Travis Pike

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes I love shotguns and weird guns. If I can mix the two, I’m a happy camper. The weirdest shotgun I own is a High Standard Model 10B, but it’s far from the weirdest shotgun out there. Because I have such a love for weird shotguns, I figured I’d put together a list of the rarest and weirdest shotguns you could own. Listing weird, one-off prototypes isn’t exactly fun because you simply aren’t going to find one for sale.
Things I’ve Learned From the Comment Section

1 week ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

If you write, create videos, or are any kind of media, you’ll constantly hear your peers say, “Don’t read the comments.” That can be very valuable for your mental health if you’re a content creator. I’ve gained a bit of a thick skin, so I wade into the comments here and there, and I’ve learned a thing or two about portions of the gun community that leave a comment. Enough to make a few generalizing statements about these fine folks.
Is the Cyelee CAT0 Worth $150?

1 week ago | thetruthaboutguns.com | Travis Pike

Cyelee is an up-and-coming red dot company that would be easy to dismiss. It’s one of what I call ‘Amazon’ brands. Amazon brands are garbage-tier optics companies like Feyachi and Pinty. Cyelee started popping up in odd corners of the firearms world, likely a big marketing push by the brand to get optics out there. Cyelee contacted me directly and offered to send me the for test and review. While dismissing the company is easy, it might not be wise.
The Krummlauf - And America's Response To It

1 week ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

The age-old problem with military arms is that cover is a blessed thing, but to shoot your enemy, you have to break cover, right? Exposing yourself to potential enemy fire is terrifying. What if you could shoot around corners? Or, what if you could engage threats with small arms fire from inside your tank? The Germans must have thought that sounded revolutionary and designed the Krummlauf. The Krummlauf is one of the variants of an already rare gun, the STG 44.
The Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous

1 week ago | gatdaily.com | Travis Pike

Athlon Outdoors and Bleeker Street Publications are kicking off their yearly Rendezvous in the mountains of Wyoming. The event brings together a breadth of writers and firearms companies for a weekend of range time and deep, in-depth examination of some of the latest and greatest guns coming out this year. This is no SHOT Show. As much as we love SHOT Show, it’s like the Walmart of firearms events.