Surplus Collectible

We tested two 380 ACP handguns in the April 2013 issue. Here's an excerpt of that report.

If you have a handgun for what some consider to be a sub-caliber round, it might be comforting to have lots of shots on hand, because you just might need them. Taking our tongues out of our cheeks now, the 380 can be an effective self-defense handgun cartridge, particularly with today's hotter JHP loads — if you can find any. There are zillions of good used 380s out there, though in today's market you might have the devil of a time finding one. We managed to acquire two, both slightly used, just like what you might have to consider in today's super-tight gun market. Our test pistols were a Beretta Model 84 ($600-$650) and a CZ Model 83 ($550 on up).

Every gunsmith has secrets he would never share with a competitor. Here are a few you can claim as your own (but don’t tell anyone else).

After nearly a decade since its initial introduction into the firearms marketplace, production on Arsenal’s SLR-106 series has officially ended.

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.

Gun Tests’ Idaho-based test team takes a detailed look at two two historical and technically interesting firearms in the June 2013 issue of the magazine. Sr. Technical Editor Ray Ordorica examined the 9mm Wise Lite Arms Sterling L2A3 9mm, about $500, and the Inter Ordnance/Pioneer Arms PPS-43C Pistol chambered in 7.62x25 Tokarev, also in the $500 range.

Uberti introduced a new caliber for the Silverboy small-bore lever-action rifle at NRAAM. The 22 Magnum Silverboy lever action uses a unique cartridge-control mechanism inside the action so that the gun can be fired and cycled while held at any angle, even when upside down.

The graceful, light, and distinctive L.C. Smith Hammerless Double sidelock is a favorite of American shotgunners. Here's how to fix its most common problems. If you own a Smith and want to make it suitable to shoot again, or if you are presented a Smith to repair, here's what you need to know about the shotgun.

Here’s another installment from 'How to Shoot The U.S. Army Rifle' handbook, published in 1943. Chapters: SIX STEPS TO PERFECT MARKSMANSHIP; IN SIGHTING AND AIMING, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ‘ALMOST RIGHT,'; FIRST SIGHTING AND AIMING EXERCISE; CLEAN AND BLACKEN YOUR SIGHTS.

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.

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

Traditions Performance Firearms has introduced a 2013 lineup of single-action revolvers by Pietta. The single actions will be available in two series – the Frontier series and the Rawhide series.

I noticed the bolt on the old shotgun was closed when it was being taken out of its case, so I asked the owner to open it. When he touched the bolt, the striker released. I was mighty relieved that he had remembered to unload the piece before bringing it into my shop. Another person standing at the end of the counter, which happened to be at the shotgun's muzzle end, was even more relieved than I was.