Handguns

Our more recent evaluations of .44-caliber revolvers have focused on service models designed primarily for law enforcement or personal self defense. In this test we will compare three large-framed long-barreled .44 Magnum revolvers that are best suited for hunting or competing in events that mimic hunting, such as steel-silhouette shooting. We narrowed this category by limiting our selection to double-action revolvers. Furthermore, each of our guns featured the longest barrel length available from their respective manufacturers.Our three .44 Magnums were the $625 Taurus Raging Bull, Rugers $888 Super Redhawk, and the $964 Smith & Wesson Model 629 Classic. Both the Taurus and Smith & Wesson revolvers carried 8.4-inch barrels. The Ruger Super Redhawk was fit with a whopping 9.5-inch-long barrel. All three guns held six rounds.

Our more recent evaluations of .44-caliber revolvers have focused on service models designed primarily for law enforcement or personal self defense. In this test we will compare three large-framed long-barreled .44 Magnum revolvers that are best suited for hunting or competing in events that mimic hunting, such as steel-silhouette shooting. We narrowed this category by limiting our selection to double-action revolvers. Furthermore, each of our guns featured the longest barrel length available from their respective manufacturers.Our three .44 Magnums were the $625 Taurus Raging Bull, Rugers $888 Super Redhawk, and the $964 Smith & Wesson Model 629 Classic. Both the Taurus and Smith & Wesson revolvers carried 8.4-inch barrels. The Ruger Super Redhawk was fit with a whopping 9.5-inch-long barrel. All three guns held six rounds.

In our report on the trio of Smith & Wesson 'Triple Locks,' we missed the fact that the forward lock was absent from all of them. We don't know why S&W left that forward lock off, but we know why we missed it. None of our test crew looked for it, because we all were sure it would have been there. There was no reason not to have it. Surely it would not have cost S&W…

Las Vegas, Nevada – Most serious shooters know that the Shooting and Outdoor Sports Trade Show, SHOT by any other name, is the annual showcase for new guns, ammunition, accessories and more. But for a select few gun writers, editors, TV producers and hosts, the day before the SHOT Show is a chance to not just look, but also shoot, the latest and greatest from gun makers from around the world.

In this evaluation, we will look at three .45 ACP 1911-style pistols. Not too long ago, this would mean three pistols that looked almost exactly alike. But today's 1911 may contain as many different components as the total number of its parts. For example, the new Brownells catalog devoted solely to the 1911 lists as many as 27 different styles of custom hammers. Thus, our test guns offered several different variations on the 1911 platform.

Our three test guns were the $1421 Kimber Custom SIS RL, Springfield Armory's $1332 Loaded Operator MC, and the $1129 Para Ordnance P14-45S GR. Each gun fired from a 5-inch barrel supported at the muzzle by a bushing and could be referred to as full-size "Government" models. But the Para Ordnance pistol offered higher capacity, feeding from a wider magazine wherein the rounds were piled in a zigzag pattern rather than stacked in a single column. All three guns varied in the designs of their grips, sights, and thumb safeties.

Back in April 2006 we tested three .380 ACP pistols, one of which was the Walther PPK, as made here in the U.S. under license by Smith & Wesson. We loved the well-built little PPK, even though it had to go back for rework before we gave it a clean bill of health. It had failed in DA shooting, but a stiffer spring gave it the equivalent of our Grade A appraisal. We recently found a gun that looked a lot like the PPK, the FireStorm by Bersa ($307 MSRP), from Argentina. We thought it would be interesting to see how it fared against the PPK (MSRP $566). A sweep through our dealers shelves also gave us one of the always interesting U.S.-made Hi-Point handguns in .380, the Model CF ($135 MSRP). Could the FireStorm hold its own against the classic PPK? And did the Hi-Point again get our highest marks, as has been common for that make over the years? Heres what we found.

Ed Brown Products has introduced a light rail frame for 2008. This new light rail frame will initially be available on the Special Forces pistol.

Kathy Adkins moved from target to target, using a .38 revolver and a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol with deadly efficiency, putting holes in the dead center of paper targets meant to look like people. Adkins, 48, owns a real estate firm in Jackson and has been taking firearms training since March. Instructor Cliff Cargill said he has had many new students since the Legislature passed a bill last year giving residents expanded legal rights to protect…

It seems like every year is a banner year at the Shooting and Outdoor Trades Show and 2008 is no exception. There’s a bumper crop of new product offerings from some of the biggest names in the sport. Here’s a quick-hits rundown of what’s hot, and what’s happening.

A lot of Americans who believe in the right to own guns were very disappointed this weekend. On Friday, the Bush administration's Justice Department entered into the fray over the District of Columbia's 1976 handgun ban by filing a brief to the Supreme Court that effectively supports the ban. The administration pays lip service to the notion that the Second Amendment protects gun ownership as an individual right, but their brief leaves the term essentially meaningless.

Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that after 10 years of successfully hosting the Smith & Wesson International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) Winter Championships, the company will now hold the first IDPA Indoor National Championships February 21-23, 2008.

The 2008 season began for the Team GLOCK Shooting Squad with victories at the Georgia Steel Challenge Championship. The 3rd Annual steel tournament took place January 3-5 at the Griffin Gun Club in Griffin, Georgia and drew more than 120 entries including GLOCK's Dave Sevigny, Jessie Abbate and Randi Rogers. At this event competitors were required to draw and hit five steel targets at ranges from 7-35 yards. Competitors receive five separate start commands in succession…