Perhaps the most important thing to control for reliable operation of the Alien pistol is the ammunition used. Because of the gas system that delays blowback, the wrong ammo will lead to unnecessary buildup and finally, failure to cycle the slide.

I’ve started back shooting a Laugo Arms Alien pistol and I still like it. These pistols are niche firearms that offer a unique design not found together in any other current pistol that I know. And if you have had a chance to shoot one, you’ll know exactly what I mean by unique.

The M&P Competitor, that is. After IPSC Nationals in November of 2023, I got started practicing and shooting matches with the M&P Competitor. That has worked out pretty well.

Is ON1’s Photo RAW, now in version 2024, ‘better enough’ than Lightroom Classic to be worth a switch? After using Aperture (until it was discontinued), Capture One (for a few years), and now Lightroom Classic (for several years), Lightroom Classic has become my standard against which others are judged. To be worth moving to another program, it has to have something pretty good going for it.