Handguns

Our session with the seven shot Smith & Wesson 686 Plus was uneventful. We loaded it, we fired it. Whatever adjustment to the sights was necessary was completed quickly and easily with a single screwdriver.

The single-action trigger was heavier than the Alfa's. But before we knew it the shot was gone. The double-action trigger was better than the action we found on the Smith & Wesson 619 in our last test. The gun was very well balanced, and despite the exposed backstrap of the rubber Hogue Monogrip the level of comfort and control was all we could ask for.

In Greek mythology the aegis was the shield of Zeus. In Kimber's parlance, the Aegis II is much more offense-minded.

It's a small alloy-framed 1911 chambered for 9mm and fed from a single-column magazine. The Kimber Aegis II differs primarily from the Springfield Armory EMP by being built on a frame with grip and magazine well of standard 1911 dimensions. The 8-round MetalForm 9mm magazine shared the same outer dimensions as a typical .45 ACP magazine.

Louisville, KY-The P250, a modular pistol that allows the shooter to its change caliber and size, is now available in 40 S&W and 45 ACP, according to vice president of marketing Bud Fini. 'We're shipping the 40 and 45 now, and the 357 Sig will be coming later this year,' said Fini from the floor of the NRA's Annual Meeting in Louisville May 17. The Sig Sauer P250 enables the shooter to quickly remove the functional mechanism…

In European countries, it is not unusual for police to work with a dog on a leash. That is one reason why many Euro-pistols favor single-hand operation.

The XD9 is a simple pistol. It has a polymer frame with an accessory rail in front of the trigger guard and button magazine release available from both sides of the pistol. There was no active mechanical safety that switches the gun off or on, but there was a lever located in the center of the backstrap that must be compressed for the gun to fire.

There is also a lever inside the face of the trigger that must be compressed to clear the striker. The slide was topped with three-dot sights dovetailed into place front and rear. Cocking serrations adorn the slide fore and aft. Field-stripping begins with removing the magazine and locking the back the slide. This all but guarantees the chamber is empty. A latch on the left side of the frame is rotated clockwise 90 degrees. The slide can now be released, but before the slide can be completely removed, the trigger (with the grip safety compressed) must be pulled to the rear. Under the slide we found a dual-spring plunger-style guide rod and the barrel.

Louisville, KY—McCain: Gun rights are an important issue, and I wanted to share with you some highlights of the speech I delivered today at the National Rifle Association annual meeting. I think they will give you some good insight into my strong belief in the Second Amendment.

…Mccain Will Attend NRA Meeting With Armed Guests. More than 60,000 members of NRA expected in Louisville with the option of being armed. When Sen. John McCain appears at the National Rifle Association's convention in Louisville this weekend, not only will his security detail be armed, so will the audience. More than 60,000 National Rifle Association members are expected in Louisville May 16-20, and thanks to Kentucky's concealed carry law, they can bring their guns with them.The Kentucky Exposition Center allows concealed weapons.

Gun Reports will submit a list of 10 firearms-related questions to the campaigns of John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama to discern who's the best gun-rights candidate.

The trial concerns a civil lawsuit trial beginning May 27 against Georgia gun dealer Jay Wallace, proprietor at Adventure Outdoors. The city alleges Adventure Outdoors is responsible for a disproportionate number of the firearms recovered from criminals in New York City.

The National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in Louisville, Kentucky, this week.

Designed for legal conceal-carry, Charter Arms' 327 Fed Mag Patriot features 6-shot capacity and a 2.2-inch barrel, slick target front ramp and groove channel fixed sights.

…Southwick Associates has announced the brands and products that hunters and shooters preferred most in 2007. This list has been compiled from the 19,288 surveys that hunters and target shooters returned from HunterSurvey.com and TargetshootingSurvey.com last year.

The Houston Chronicle editorial board stepped in a pile of poo last Sunday when its members decided to publish an opinion piece by Marsha McCartney, of Dallas, state president of the Texas Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.