Pistol Anatomy: An In-Depth Guide

A pistol's frame is like its heart. It can change customization options, how fast you shoot accurately, and how comfortable it is to carry. Learn how to tell whether a pistol's frame is good or bad, polymer vs. metal pistol frames, and the best pistol frame material.

A handgun grip that fits your hand can make all the difference in your shooting speed and accuracy. Learn what to look for in a handgun grip, the importance of grip angle, whether to upgrade your grip, and which pistols have the best grip.

A pistol's trigger is the most important factor in shooting accuracy for most shooters. Learn what to look for in a pistol trigger, flat vs. curved triggers, whether heavier triggers are safer, and more.

A pistol rail can give you extra options for sights, lights, and laser sights. Learn how to tell good rails from bad ones, types of pistol rail attachments, and which is the best pistol rail attachment.

Without ammo, your pistol is just a paper weight. Learn the basics of pistol ammo, which pistol caliber is best, the truth about "stopping power" in pistol ammo, the types of practice ammo that can save you money (or your life), and which is the best defensive pistol ammo.

A pistol's magazine holds the ammo. Learn how pistol magazines work, pistol magazine types, common myths, what is magazine capacity, how many rounds of ammo you need, whether to upgrade your pistol magazines, and which pistol has the biggest magazine.

If you ever need to reload quickly, a good pistol magazine release can make a big difference. Learn how much speed you can gain on your reloads, how to tell good pistol magazine release from a bad one, and whether to upgrade your pistol's mag release.

A pistol's manual safeties can save or cost you your life. Learn why pistol safeties are important, the types of pistol safety, and which ones are best at protecting you from undue risk.

A pistol's slide can affect how much a pistol jams, how fast you can shoot accurately, and how fast you can reload or clear jams. Learn what makes a good pistol slide, front vs. rear slide serrations, how pistol slides affect recoil, whether to upgrade your slide, and which pistol has the best slide.

A pistol's barrel imparts power to your shots, and affects accuracy, but not the way you think. Learn how pistol barrel length changes velocity (power), recoil, and accuracy; the shocking truth about pistol power, types of pistol barrels, whether to upgrade your barrel, and which pistol has the best barrel.

A pistol's recoil spring can affect how much a pistol jams, how fast you can shoot accurately, the durability of your pistol, and how easy (or hard) it is to rack the slide. Learn how to change out recoil springs to prevent jams, for faster shooting, when to replace a pistol recoil spring, recoil reduction systems, and whether to upgrade your pistol recoil spring.

A pistol's slide release is important when unloading your pistol, and for certain types of shooters. Learn how to tell a good pistol slide release from a bad one, and whether you should upgrade your pistol slide release.

Sights are critical to shooting accurately. Learn how pistol iron sights work, the different kinds, which pistol iron sights are best, how much pistol sight radius matters, what to do if you can't see pistol iron sights well (due to age, astigmatism, etc.), and other common questions about pistol iron sights.

If you're interested in pistol red dots, first look at pistol optic mounts. Learn how a pistol optic mount can help or hinder your red dot, how to tell a good pistol optic mount from a bad one, and which pistol has the best built-in optic mount.

Pistol red dots have a lot of hype, but they're not for everyone. Learn the pros and cons of pistol red dots, how to tell a good pistol red dot from a bad one, whether a pistol red dot is the right choice for you, and the best red dots for pistols.

Pistol laser sights get a bad rap, but the can be surprisingly effective. Learn what makes a good pistol laser sight, whether a pistol laser sight is the right choice for you, and which is the best laser sight for pistols.

Pistol recoil is a necessary evil. Learn why a pistol recoils when fired, the kinds of pistol recoil, whether pistol recoil affects accuracy, how to reduce pistol recoil, how to control pistol recoil, and which pistol has the least recoil.

Want an upgrade to reduce pistol recoil? A pistol compensator is your best bet. They get a bad rap, but that's mostly from myths, misinformation, and not being up to date with new products. Learn how to get the most out of a pistol compensator while avoiding common issues.

If your pistol is jamming, you may want to check out the ejection port and extractor. Learn how a pistol extractor works, how to remove one, and how often to clean and maintain a pistol extractor to keep your gun from jamming.

What happens if your pistol breaks, or you need a holster? Aftermarket support keeps you from having to buy a whole new pistol. Learn how much aftermarket pistol parts can improve performance, and how to find the right aftermarket pistol parts.