Polymer frames changed the service-pistol market, but they never fully erased the case for steel and alloy. In hard use, older all-metal or metal-heavy pistols kept earning attention for a simpler reason: they were built around proven mechanical systems that organizations could maintain, train around, and trust for years. That...

Pocket pistols exist for a practical reason: a smaller handgun is easier to carry when a larger one is likely to be left behind. The engineering tradeoff shows up in terminal ballistics. Once ammunition is fired through short barrels and a heavy-clothing barrier, several familiar pocket calibers struggle to...