Home Defense

There are three new videos available at GunReports.com.: Harley Ride and Shoot -- For Juvenile Diabetes, SIGTac Adaptive Carbine Platform, and IWI Tavor MTAR-21 SAR first impressions with Jerry Miculek.

We recently tested compact 40 S&W handguns in the March 2013 issue. Here's an excerpt of that report.

For this test we looked at a S&W M&P Compact 40 ($569) and a Kahr CW40 ($485). They are a bit larger than the tiny nines we've been trying, and there are good reasons for that. The 40 S&W is a lot more cartridge than the 9mm Parabellum, and when forties get smaller than these two test guns, recoil is entirely unfriendly.

Much popular opinion around handgun slides posits that slide tightening is not particularly important for maximum accuracy. Instead, barrel-to-slide fit and barrel and bushing fit are more frequently stressed. With some of the quick packages that the gunsmith offers, barrel and bushing fit are good enough for carry purposes, or perhaps even for IDPA-competition pistols. But when a shooter demands top-notch accuracy, his pistol should have a good tight slide and frame-rail fit.

We recently tested guns with factory-fitted lasersights in the February 2013 issue. Here's an excerpt of that report.

Lasersights on handguns are common today. Scan the used-handgun case at a gun shop, and more than likely you'll find a rig that the former owner customized with a laser sight. In the new-pistol case, you will also see factory-fitted laser sights on handguns.

Brownells makes it very easy for any shooter, experienced or not, to convert his Ruger Mini-14 into a tricked-out rifle that meets your exacting wants and needs. The first step in this customization process is to determine what I am going to use the rifle for. Foremost, I wanted this rifle for varmint hunting, particularly night-time hunting. My secondary use is for self-defense purposes at home.

This neat unit gives excellent performance. It is a good option for the Glock fan wishing to dedicate one of his pistols to the carbine concept. Commonality of trigger action is a strong point, as well as commonality with magazines. On the basis of affordability, it is a good choice, if you already have the Glock pistol on hand.

To answer a number of questions concerning the performance of the 1911 pistol, the Gun Tests South Carolina test unit obtained a Rock Island Armory Standard GI No. 51421 45 ACP, $410, and a Kimber Eclipse Target II 45 ACP, $1393, in what originally seemed to be a price mismatch.

Adaptive Tactical recently released Sidewinder Venom Shotgun Magazine Conversion Kits for Mossberg shotguns.

All Mossberg autoloaders available are gas operated. Each bleeds a set amount of gas from the ignition of the shotshell, down through a port in the barrel to function the action. The oldest of these guns, the Model 5500, requires the shooter to change barrels when switching from non-Magnum to Magnum loads. Two updated 5500s—the new Model 6000 and the Maverick 60—will continue to do so. A totally new Mossberg, the Model 9200, allows free interchange of ammunition without changing barrels.

A Gun Tests magazine August 2010 review on the Ruger SR9C notes that it fires from a 3.5-inch barrel. That makes it the smallest, most concealable, pistol in the test. But if you remove the 10-round magazine and insert the 17-rounder, the grip will become longer by about 1 inch.

Small semiautos that match the physical dimensions of pistols we tested recently - such as Para-Ordnances $740 P12-45 - are usually referred to as compacts or sub-compact. But when pistols of this size class are miniaturized 1911s, the tag of "Officer's models" is hung on to them, even though they may not exactly fit the mold of the original Colt's Officer's model.

Manufacturers are taking a fresh look at the Officer's model for a number of reasons. For one, the 1911 pistol has legions of fans inside both competitive shooting and law-enforcement circles. Also, many military and ex-military personnel recognize the .45 ACP's superiority over the 9mm Parabellum, a cartridge choice often perceived as NATO's intrusion into American affairs. Traditionally the Officers model offered a six-round magazine, like the 945s. However, the Para Ordnance P12 integrates a double-stack or staggered-round magazine that holds ten rounds.

The P12 has been around a while and is essentially bug free. It fits the hand surprisingly well and points easily. Function was 100 percent despite warnings from some gunsmiths who seem weary of semiautos fitted with short slides. The P12 action also includes a Series 80-style firing pin block. This mechanism is not a favorite with 1911 purists, and some gunsmiths have a difficult time refining the action with this feature in place. But the P12 did not suffer any malfunctions because of it.

The San Antonio Police Department has selected the M&P40 as its new service firearm and has begun to convert officers to the new handgun platform. Gun Tests has its own rating of the pistol.