Handguns

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, has named Diedra A. Cauley its new director of exhibitions & conferences. In her position, Cauley will oversee SHOT Show operations, logistics and marketing, as well as NSSF participation in conferences, expos and meetings.

As the cost of centerfire ammunition continues to ascend, many gun owners will turn to the standby 22 LR round as a way to shoot economically, whether those pursuits include knocking over cans, punching holes in paper, or killing the occasional rodent. Of the many available guns chambered for the rimfire round, perhaps the easiest to load and shoot and enjoy is the revolver.We recently tested a trio of wheelguns chambered for the 22 round, and versions of two of them have previously been tested and graded for their utility. For example, just over a year ago (October 2007), we shot the Taurus Model 94SS4, $406. That stainless-steel gun with a 4-inch barrel got a B-, mainly because it was too heavy to be considered as a trail gun. We also said back then, "But the Taurus is a great deal less costly, so if you dont mind its weight and if you can do without extreme accuracy, it might be right for you. It looked great, performed quite well, and was easier to load and unload."We were more enthusiastic about a Taurus Model 94B2UL Ultra-Lite Nine, $375, reviewed in March 2006. We said of that gun, rated a Best Buy: "…All in all, the Taurus doesnt need a lot to make it into one of the finest 22 revolvers weve seen. As we found it, it worked well, and the price was modest."In that same issue, there were two Smith & Wessons reviewed. The 4-inch S&W Model 317-2 HIVIZ No. 160221, $691, earned a Conditional Buy because "…We liked this gun in every respect but for its trick sights. Wed throw them as far as we could, as fast as we could, if we owned this gun, and put on a black or red front post and a square-notch rear as fast as you can say HIVIZ." Next, the S&W Model 317-2 Air Lite No. 160222, $633, received a Dont Buy rating, with our staff saying, "There was nothing whatsoever wrong with this gun, and some readers might have a desperate need for it, and theyll buy it no matter what we say. …We would not buy this gun as long as its adjustable-sighted brother [the HIVIZ unit] was available, unless we had a great need for the smallest, lightest 22 revolver for some special close-range purpose."With that background in mind, we acquired a 22 revolver we havent tested, a Charter Arms Pathfinder No. 72224, a 2-inch-barrel stainless gun that MSRPs for $350. The 6-shooter weighs in at 21 ounces, more than the lightweight aluminum-alloy-frame Smiths and about the same as the Tauruses weve tested. The Pathfinder comes with a Patridge front sight, square-notch rear sight, and full rubber grips.Since we had previous reviews of what are the equivalent of guns rated D or F, (the Dont Buy-rated S&W Model 317-2 Air Lite No. 160222) and what would be an A- or A gun (the Best Buy-rated Taurus Model 94B2UL Ultra-Lite Nine), we went to Fountain Firearms in Houston (fountainfirearms.com) and got fresh samples of those two and pitted them against the Charter, bracketing it. Would the Charter hold its own against the top-ranked Taurus? Would the Pathfinder navigate our tough testing protocol and again leave the Air Lite in the cellar? Extensive shooting would establish the Charters proper place in the established Gun Tests hierarchy, or so we thought.

As the cost of centerfire ammunition continues to ascend, many gun owners will turn to the standby 22 LR round as a way to shoot economically, whether those pursuits include knocking over cans, punching holes in paper, or killing the occasional rodent. Of the many available guns chambered for the rimfire round, perhaps the easiest to load and shoot and enjoy is the revolver.We recently tested a trio of wheelguns chambered for the 22 round, and versions of two of them have previously been tested and graded for their utility. For example, just over a year ago (October 2007), we shot the Taurus Model 94SS4, $406. That stainless-steel gun with a 4-inch barrel got a B-, mainly because it was too heavy to be considered as a trail gun. We also said back then, "But the Taurus is a great deal less costly, so if you dont mind its weight and if you can do without extreme accuracy, it might be right for you. It looked great, performed quite well, and was easier to load and unload."We were more enthusiastic about a Taurus Model 94B2UL Ultra-Lite Nine, $375, reviewed in March 2006. We said of that gun, rated a Best Buy: "…All in all, the Taurus doesnt need a lot to make it into one of the finest 22 revolvers weve seen. As we found it, it worked well, and the price was modest."In that same issue, there were two Smith & Wessons reviewed. The 4-inch S&W Model 317-2 HIVIZ No. 160221, $691, earned a Conditional Buy because "…We liked this gun in every respect but for its trick sights. Wed throw them as far as we could, as fast as we could, if we owned this gun, and put on a black or red front post and a square-notch rear as fast as you can say HIVIZ." Next, the S&W Model 317-2 Air Lite No. 160222, $633, received a Dont Buy rating, with our staff saying, "There was nothing whatsoever wrong with this gun, and some readers might have a desperate need for it, and theyll buy it no matter what we say. …We would not buy this gun as long as its adjustable-sighted brother [the HIVIZ unit] was available, unless we had a great need for the smallest, lightest 22 revolver for some special close-range purpose."With that background in mind, we acquired a 22 revolver we havent tested, a Charter Arms Pathfinder No. 72224, a 2-inch-barrel stainless gun that MSRPs for $350. The 6-shooter weighs in at 21 ounces, more than the lightweight aluminum-alloy-frame Smiths and about the same as the Tauruses weve tested. The Pathfinder comes with a Patridge front sight, square-notch rear sight, and full rubber grips.Since we had previous reviews of what are the equivalent of guns rated D or F, (the Dont Buy-rated S&W Model 317-2 Air Lite No. 160222) and what would be an A- or A gun (the Best Buy-rated Taurus Model 94B2UL Ultra-Lite Nine), we went to Fountain Firearms in Houston (fountainfirearms.com) and got fresh samples of those two and pitted them against the Charter, bracketing it. Would the Charter hold its own against the top-ranked Taurus? Would the Pathfinder navigate our tough testing protocol and again leave the Air Lite in the cellar? Extensive shooting would establish the Charters proper place in the established Gun Tests hierarchy, or so we thought.

…A Fairfield, Alabama, man attempting to rob another man in Pleasant Grove was shot and killed by his intended victim, police say.

The FBI presented these data in the 2007 edition of Crime in the United States, a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data as reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.

A mother who angered fellow parents when she openly carried a pistol to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game got her concealed weapons permit back Tuesday after a Pennsylvania judge overruled a sheriff's decision to revoke it.

Earlier this year, the courts slapped down San Francisco's voter-approved initiative to ban the sale and possession of firearms, calling the proposition unlawful. Gun-owning residents, the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups, cheered.

The Associated Press reports that gun control is playing a complicated role in the 2008 campaign.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels does not have the authority to ban guns on public property, says State Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Rifle Association has endorsed Senator John McCain for president, despite years of attacks on his gun-policy positions.

An article in the Oct. 9, 2008 issue of The Orange County (California) Register reports that the Orange County Sheriff's Department has begun the process of revoking hundreds of concealed weapon permits across Orange County.

The Buffalo (NY) News reported on Oct. 10, 2008, that a pizza deliveryman fought off three robbers at gunpoint and shot one of them in the back.