Handguns

The Ruger 10/22 is among the most popular rifles of all time. It has been in use for nearly 60 years. The simple blowback-operated rifle was a fresh and innovative design in 1964 and remains a valid choice for sporting use.

This test group lives near the Texas Gulf Coast, where most of the year, describing the temperature as hot and humid is a ludicrous understatement.

This SAR9cx reminds us of a Glock 19. Arguably one of the most successful mid-size pistols, the G19 is worthy competition, and we think SAR USA engineers did their homework well. Length of the 9cx is almost exactly as long as the G19, as is the height.

Beyond this model’s optics cut and striker mechanism mentioned above, SCCY has made a number of other changes as well. The steel slide now sports curved grasping grooves at the front and the rear.

We did not seek out a nickel-plated revolver, but the opportunity was there, and the price was fair. We learned that during times of shortage, shops that seldom stock single-action revolvers now have two or three.

Taylor’s lists the revolver at $587 for the standard version and $784 for the tuned version. Current retail is a bit higher in most shops, and we had to pay $625 for our example.

This is a storied revolver. The Smith & Wesson top-break revolvers were an alternative to the Colt Single Action Army. They offered a top-break system that ejected all spent cases automatically and was much easier to load quickly.

The Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 was, slightly, the more accurate of the two 10mms tested. Though a very subjective thing, we felt the S&W had the lighter recoil impulse, and the shooting results testified to that.

Springfield Armory has a wonderful reputation of modernizing venerable weapons, thereby making them suitable for the latest production methods and the latest shooters. The company also works with some of the most current types of firearms.

One of the used pistols, an FN FNS-40, performed well, but as we were researching aftermarket sights and backstrap modules for it, we came across an important FN Service Bulletin issued in 2021. It didn’t look good. Under certain conditions, the FNS could delay fire. According to the Service Bulletin:

NEWTOWN, Conn. – The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute,® Inc., (SAAMI®) has announced the acceptance of a new pistol cartridge for SAAMI standardization. 30 Super...

We paid $431 for the 30 Super Carry pistol. Many paid more than $500 for the first few to hit dealer shelves. This pistol seems identical to the 9mm EZ in every dimension.