Handguns

The .45-caliber S&W Model 625 Mountain Gun and 10mm Model 610 proved accurate and versatile. The titanium Taurus M415Ti .41 Magnum was a handful.

While it's true that a self-loading pistol carries more rounds than a revolver, a pistol is more prone to malfunctions. A single action revolver requires cocking of the hammer before each round can be fired and considerable time to reload. That leaves a double action revolver.

What kind and why? A double action revolver is easy to learn to shoot. It is totally reliable as long as it is decently maintained and the quality of its ammunition remains high. A short-barreled revolver is easily secreted in a bedside table drawer or on one's person in states that allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed. Many think that it should hold six rounds rather than five. What caliber? A .22 isn't p...

This months Downrange takes aim at the efforts of a group to drive Californias manufacturers of cheap auto-loaders out of business. The group is assisted by data indicating that such handguns are disproportionately used in the commission of crimes.

Since statistics are so easily manipulated, well say neither yea nor nay to that purported fact, but we have published some pretty harsh words on budget-priced pistols in the past. For example, our report on the AMT .380 Back Up complained of the pistols lack of any visual means to determine whether or not its cocked, and we revealed that it jammed 20 times during our 300-round test. About AMTs .22 Automag, our bottom line recommendation...

We've been asked: Why would I want to buy a double action .22 revolver over a .22 semiautomatic pistol? The answer is: It depends. If targets are your point of aim, you're better off with a target pistol. After all, holding on a bullseye while cranking the average double action trigger isn't the easiest thing to do during a course of timed or rapid fire.

On the other hand, small-caliber double actions have long accompanied campers, hikers and fresh water fishermen as part of their basic survival equipment. The little wheelguns have been known to pick off many a squirrel or rabbit and even an occasional partridge in a pine tree. They also have the capability to take out or seriously discou...

Some outdoorsmen prefer a rimfire handgun they can carry in their pocket or tackle box. For this, you need a .22 LR revolver that is smaller and lighter than those covered in this issue. One such revolver is the Smith & Wesson Model 317 AirLite.

As its name suggests, the Model 317 AirLite is extremely lightweight and compact. When equipped with a two-inch barrel, this small-frame double action revolver weighs in at 9.5 ounces with wood grips or 10.5 ounces with a rubber grip.

Why does this 8-shot model weigh so little? It has an aluminum alloy frame, barrel and cylinder. The cylinders chambers are reinforced with steel inserts. The barrel has a steel liner and forcing cone.

Reta...

Slowly but surely, the .45 ACP is regaining its preeminent position as a personal defense round. The fact that it always was the best got lost for a while when the Pentagon had to conform to NATO's use of the 9mm. Historically, anything adopted for the American soldier creates a lemming-like demand for the same in the civilian marketplace.

Forget that it was adopted primarily for political reasons. Forget that the 9mm never could compare with the .45 ACP as a stopper. A slew of DA/SA (double action/single action) 9mm platforms with high capacity magazines evolved and were gobbled up by an eager public. The magazines eventually begat gun laws limiting capacity, ergo the declining appeal of...

People who own .45 ACP pistols like the edge this caliber gives them over lesser rounds such as the 9mm. Another way to get the edge is by having a compensated pistol. A properly-designed compensator reduces a handguns felt recoil, resulting in improved control and faster follow-up shots.

Most compensated .45 ACP pistol are designed for competitive shooting, so there arent very practical for defensive use. However, European American Armory offers a pistol that is suitable for this type of work. It is called the Astra A-100 Carry Comp.

This $534 model is a standard A-100 equipped with a single-port compensator that screws onto the guns 3 1/2-inch barrel. It features a double action...

You had to learn to walk before you could run. You had to learn to ride your first two-wheel bicycle before you graduated to a 20-speed model. What makes you think its any different with target shooting?

Somehow believing the gun in their hand will instantly transform them into masters of the sport, far too many plunge into bullseye shooting by making an major, initial expenditure. This error is often compounded by making that investment in a caliber never intended to, and generally incapable of, deliver 10 rounds to the 10-ring at 50 yards. Were thinking specifically of the 9mm. Another foible is to spend the big bucks going in, then deciding you dont cotton all that much to paper-bu...

Every year, for at least the last five, the 9mm cartridge and the pistols chambered for it, have led the pack in numbers of units sold in the US. Today, almost a hundred years after its introduction in Europe, we can say the 9mm cartridge is so well entrenched in our own society that it is here to stay.

There are several reasons for its popularity, but not necessarily sound ones. First, the 9mm is a NATO round and has been adopted by our own military. Second, it is a relatively small cartridge and large numbers of them can be loaded into a double-column magazine. Third, when the police left the .38-caliber revolver and opted for the semiauto, they found the moderate-recoiling 9mm made it easy to train large groups of personnel. And, fourth, on the civilian side, some think that the ban on high-capacity magazines will be repealed. Good luck on that one.

One of the biggest trends in 9mm pistols is the polymer frame. When properly engineered, a polymer frame is stronger and around 80 percent lighter than a steel frame. Being molded, they can be made in more intricate shapes with no extra work. The downside is that gunsmiths can't do as much with polymer as they can with steel.

Not counting variations in barrel length, centerfire calibers or Mason conversions, we added up the number of single actionrevolver models our readers could purchase. The total is 45. Since the gun most models are patterned after, Samuel Colts Single Action Army (S.A.A.), was a .45, that number seems appropriate, if oddly coincidental. Perhaps we missed one or two.

You could mosey in to a Cowboy Action shootout toting any one of those revolvers. Of course, youd also have to participate under an alias and wear appropriate clothing. Getting yourself suitably decked out in the latter could cost more than the shooting iron. But even that hasnt seemed to stunt the growth of these nostalgia...

No one is going to give you much of an argumentif you say action shooting has taken a bite out of bullseye shooting. Obviously, the appeal of knocking down steel plates in rapid succession exceeds that of merely punching holes in paper. If you have any interest in joining the fun, you dont have to invest heavy bucks to do it.

The three pistols included here are among many you could buy that meet the criteria of the U.S. Limited Division of I.P.S.C. competition. They are production guns available to the general public. More than 1000 of each has been manufactured in the last 12 months. Out of the box, they have no optical, electronic or custom sights; no compensators or ported barrels....

About forty years ago, Dick Casull, together with one Jack Fulmer, developed the .454 Casull. Originally known as the .454 Magnum Revolver, the cartridge began life in solid-base .45 Long Colt brass. Today the .454 Casull case is a tenth of an inch longer than Colt brass, precluding its use in guns that can't take its exceptionally high pressure. Make no mistake, the .454 Casull is a hot cartridge with but one purpose: handgun hunting.

Okay, some will want to use it on silhouettes, but the great power of the .454 isn't needed in that game. It sure isn't the best plinking cartridge. The .454 offers lots of security for those who want a powerful handgun where bears are a problem, though it...