Pistols

BEIJING, China —The U.S. Olympic Team for Shooting turned out an outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China earning six medals to double the medal count from Athens four years ago. Arguably, the most successful showing for the U.S. in the history of the Olympic shooting competition, the U.S. Shooting team brought home two gold, two silver and two bronze medals and set a total of five new Olympic records.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that Harris County District Attorney Ken Magidson has asked for a legal opinion from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to see if assistant DAs can be prevented from taking handguns into courtrooms.

Gun Tests magazine recognized this in the January 2007 issue, when the magazine staff wrote that the 45 ACP was a Best Buy. “Ten rounds of big bullet with a full-size grip highlight this low-priced street fighter. A thumb safety and Heinie sights are plusses in our book.” A recent check of www.Gunbroker.com showed a couple of choices for the gun, both of which were substantially below the MSRP quoted in that issue—$421.

Dick Heller walked out of D.C. police headquarters Monday, clutching a yellow firearms registration certificate stamped 'approved.' He gave the thumbs-up sign, grinned and said, 'Victory!'

In this test we will evaluate three handguns for self defense that we would regard as enhanced versions of more basic models available from their manufacturers. First up is the Sig Sauer P229 SCT, an $1100 40 S&W that "improves" on the $929 base model P229 in a couple of important areas. The P229 SCT is about a $200 upgrade of the model P229 that is popular with law enforcement in 357 Sig and 40 S&W. The SCT Super Capacity Tactical pistol offers upgrades in the form of a TruGlo tritium fiber-optic front sight, front cocking serrations on the slide, and a supply of four 14-round magazines. The standard magazines for the P229 pistols carry 12 or 10 rounds of 40 S&W or 357 Sig.Next is Springfield Armorys $749 XDM, wherein the letter "M" does not stand for "mystery." Instead, Springfields website explains that this gun contains several M-nomenclature upgrades from the base model XD, including Major Grasp Serrations, Model Contour Frame, Max Reach Magazine Release, Mega Capacity magazine, Mega-Lock Texture, Melonite Finish, Minimum Error Disassembly, Minimal Reset Trigger, Multi-Adjust Rail system, Multi-Use Carrying Case, Match Grade Barrel, and interchangeable Mould-Tru back straps. These "mupgrades" come in a gun chambered only for 40 S&W, and they create a $200 premium for the XDM over the standard XD40, which costs $543.Kimber was among the few manufacturers that believed the onslaught of high-capacity 9mm handguns could be beaten back with a traditional American design. The lowest-priced 1911 we could find on the kimberamerica.com website was the $815 Custom II. This is a full-size 45 ACP. The Pro Carry series is based around a full-size grip capable of housing full-length seven- or eight-round magazines, but with a shorter 4-inch barrel. The lowest MSRP for a Pro Carry we found on site was an $850 45 built on a matte-black alloy frame. The Heavy Duty HD model is constructed of stainless steel with satin finish. Our Pro Carry HD II was one of the few Kimber models available chambered for 38 Super, and it runs $1010. Are the upgrades worth the extra money? If the answer is not obvious, then at least we will try to explain the purpose of each upgrade and leave it to our knowledgeable readers to decide.

Kimber’s Custom SIS RL recently won a test of three 45s in the February 2008 issue of Gun Tests, earning an A- rating. One of the concerns the Gun Tests staff had about the gun was its price, a list of $1421. Based on our research, tight supply seems to keep the gun’s price up.

The M&P45s feature a 4.6-inch barrel with an overall length of 8.0 inches. The M&P45 comes standard with three interchangeable grips, a steel dovetail mount front sight and a steel Novak Lo-Mount carry rear sight. Tritium sights are also available. A universal Picatinny-style equipment rail has been incorporated for tactical lights and lasers. Our polymer pistol had an empty weight of 25.1 ounces.The new frame-mounted ambidextrous thumb safety acts as a passive safety device, allowing the slide to be pulled toward the rear, clearing the firearm without disengaging the safety. Another feature is the lanyard attachment. All M&P45 pistols feature a Zytel polymer frame reinforced with a stainless-steel chassis and a hardened black Melonite-finished stainless-steel barrel and slide and a Dark Earth Brown grip. This is a silly name for a color—Sand would have been fine—but we overlooked it.

Smith & Wesson’s M&P45s continue to win new converts. A test of the gun in the January 2008 issue of Gun Tests rated it as an “A-“ pick. A search of Gunbroker.com found a handful of the guns with current bid prices below the $619 MSRP cited in the GT article.

Gun owners in Baltimore whose firearms are stolen would be required to report the theft to police under legislation approved by the City Council yesterday—despite questions about whether the proposal is legal.

BEIJING, China (August 8, 2008) – The shooting competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China will kick off Saturday at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall/Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field (CTF) with the Women’s 10m Air Rifle, Men’s Trap and Men’s 10m Air Pistol events.

Shooters who are looking to buy one of the better out-of-production guns should search Gunbroker.com for the Heckler & Koch P7 PSP 9mm. On Monday Aug. 4, there were 16 listings for the gun, with prices ranging from $0 on a brand-new auction (with reserve) to $1600 for a 'buy now' price on Auction # 106162335, due to expire today @ 10:23 p.m.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. garnered a 2008 Academy of Excellence Award for its Ruger LCP pistol. The gun was named the Academy of Excellence Handgun of the Year for 2008 and Ruger was recognized as Manufacturer of the Year by Shooting Industry magazine.