Pistols

Springfield Armory Mil-Spec Stainless 1911A1 45 ACP

We recently read The Book of Two Guns, The Martial Art of The 1911 and AR Carbine, by Tiger McKee. McKee is the proprietor and headmaster of the Shootrite Firearms Academy (shootrite.org) located in Langston, Alabama. Printed in long hand with illustrations, McKee instructs and inspires the reader to consider what skills are necessary to effectively use the handgun and rifle weapon interdependently, as well as in transition from one to the other. With the two-gun concept in mind, they decided to go ahead with a story they'd been considering for some time—evaluating two pairs of handguns that could also be used to work effectively in tandem, in this case, two revolvers against two pistols.

Making Homemade Barrel Adapters

Take a moment before hauling that trash to the dumpster—you may find something useful, such as .22 barrels.

Disassembly/Reassembly Of the Ruger KP345 .45 ACP Pistol

First introduced in 1987, the Ruger P-Series pistols were the first firearms to be manufactured at Sturm, Ruger's new Prescott, Arizona, plant. The P-Series was the result of a development program to build a state-of-the-art pistol with features designed by practical shooters, that would offer excellent reliability under harsh conditions. Since the P-Series pistols were introduced, they've seen extensive use by law enforcement, government agencies, and sportsmen all over the world, and have gained a good reputation for their rugged durability. As we have come to expect from Ruger, the pistols are also being steadily improved and the new KP345 is one outgrowth of that.

Glock 33 .357 SIG

The Glock 33, or G33, was chambered for 357 SIG and operated just like its medium- and large-size brothers, (models G32 and G31 respectively). The most notable difference was the short grip, which limited the shooter to holding the pistol with only two fingers. The rear of the stubby grip showed a generous palm swell and the trigger guard was generously undercut, or generously under-molded.

Colt Employees Remind Lawmakers About Jobs, History

Samuel Colt's legacy is alive and well. On March 14, 550 workers from the two Colt operating companies, successors of the Colt Armory that once made iconic Colt Peacemaker revolvers, boarded buses that brought them to the Legislative Office Building, part of the state Capitol complex in Hartford.

Handgun Value Previews: 380s and 357s from Beretta, CZ, Colt, and S&W

Gun Tests’ Houston- and Idaho-based test teams take detailed looks at two very different sets of handguns in the April 2013 issue of the magazine.

Fitted vs. Drop-In M1911 Barrels

Over the years, I've replaced a dozen or so 1911 pistol barrels for various reasons. When military pistols were more common, wear and corrosion was a consideration. Later, the increased accuracy afforded by custom match-grade barrels from Bar Sto Precision was a leading factor. Today, some pistols come from the factory with match-grade barrels, but, of course, these are expensive high-end pistols. At the other end of the spectrum, service-grade pistols often come with a cost-cutting two-piece barrel. These pistols use a barrel that is brazed together, with one half meeting the other about at the chamber and barrel-lug line. While serviceable, these barrels are less than ideal.

Case Hardening with Kasenit

Case hardening was once the best way to stretch a limited steel budget. Today, it provides a hard surface with a tough inner structure.

Heckler & Koch P30S V3 40 S&W, $1005

In this test we evaluate a 40 S&W polymer handgun that offers significant changes to its original design — Heckler & Koch’s $1005 P30 V3 adds an ambidextrous thumb safety to the latest edition of that company’s newest polymer platform.Most polymer handguns are simple in design. Rather than call the HK P30 more complex, we’ll use the word sophisticated. There are six variants of the P30 series pistol— seven if you count the suffix 'S' for ambidextrous safety. In our December 2007 evaluation of the 9mm Heckler & Koch P30 V3, we began our Gun Tests Report Card by saying: 'Based on the fine accuracy we achieved firing single-action only, maybe this is a gun that should have a thumb safety rather than a decocker.' The P30S V3 pistol in this test adds an ambidextrous thumb safety.

Cool New Handguns at SHOT 2013

At the 2013 SHOT Show, Gun Tests staffers ran across tons of new sidearms. If you are particularly interested in any of them, please let the staff know in the comments below or send your wish list to GunTestsEditor@me.com. If you see more on other websites, just include a link in your comment so the staff can follow up.

Gun Tests March 2013 Preview: Mid-Size Compact Forties: Smith & Wesson and Kahr

Gun Test’s Idaho test team has spent a lot of time looking at relatively tiny 9mm handguns over the past year. They have found there are a few good designs that permit the use of some relatively hot ammo in the small 9mm packages. But some people want still more power, so the Sr. Technical Editor Ray Ordorica and the magazine’s test team decided to sample a few of the smaller forties out there.

Springfield Armory XD45 Compact Tactical .45 ACP

In this test we looked at four different polymer handguns that offer higher round capacity but take up less space than full-size models. Our first pistol, the $503 Taurus PT24/7 Pro 45-BP-12 could be considered a true compact, especially when compared to Taurus's new OSS pistol. The Springfield Armory XD45 4-inch Compact XD9645HCSP06, $589; and the Springfield Armory XD45 5-inch Compact Tactical XD9655HCSP06, $619, have undergone the Colt Officers treatment, receiving a shortened grip frame attached to a full-length slide. The $637 Glock SF21 is a remodeling of the Glock 21, but the SF21 does not seem to be much smaller. We wanted to find out if any of its subtle streamlining added up to a better pistol than the original.

Worrisome Questions From SCOTUS

I am uneasy after hearing oral arguments in the Supreme Court case, Garland v. VanDerStok, and reviewing a transcript from the October 8, 2024 session....