Viewpoints

After thinking it over, I really do think that that the old Gun Tests firearms grading system was much better. Though I enjoy reading each issue cover-to-cover, the old system was much more "to the point" and simpler to understand than the current letter-based grades. I plan on sticking around either way, but do give some thought to going back to the other set of firearm grades "Our Pick, Best Buy, Conditional Buy," et cetera.

Ted Szabo, the president of Para-Ordnance Mfg. Inc., passed away on March 28, 2007, at the age of 60. Szabo founded the company in 1985 with his friend, Thanos Polyzos. Their first offering, introduced in 1987, was an all-plastic, selective-fire paint ball gun called the Model 85 "Dye Marking Tactical Machine Pistol." In full-auto mode, this pistol fired at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, and was designed as a close-quarters-combat training device for law enforcement and military personnel.

Thompson/Center Arms, a Smith & Wesson company, has introduced the Icon, its first bolt-action centerfire rifle."While developing the Icon, our engineers and designers worked with numerous master gunsmiths, tactical shooters and hunters to better understand what features they desired in a premium bolt-action rifle," said Gregg Ritz, President of Smith & Wesson Hunting.

Thompson/Center Arms, a Smith & Wesson company, has introduced the Icon, its first bolt-action centerfire rifle."While developing the Icon, our engineers and designers worked with numerous master gunsmiths, tactical shooters and hunters to better understand what features they desired in a premium bolt-action rifle," said Gregg Ritz, President of Smith & Wesson Hunting.

I like the new letter grading system because it gives me the ability to compare firearms across reviews. I can compare an "A" to any other graded review of a similar firearm regardless of what it was reviewed with or when. Makes the reviews much more flexible and useable. Thanks for a great magazine!

In early March, one of the most anti-gun courts in the country ruled in favor of the 2nd Amendment - declaring the Washington, D.C., gun ban unconstitutional, and much, much more.Two big rulings: The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right and concluded that the District of Columbias ban on guns in the home is unconstitutional.

Over the years, Gun Tests readers have asked us to alter aspects of what we do. On an issue-by-issue basis, there are always questions about mix (the ratio of certain types of guns compared to others), quantity (the number of guns in a certain test or in a certain issue), and matchup (how closely guns resemble each other in physical configuration).

I am a long-time subscriber and appreciate your publication very much. I dont buy a lot of guns, but have a few, including a Cabelas .45 Long Colt after your test. A couple of comments:

Smith & Wesson Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Thompson/Center Arms, Inc., a 40-year-old, privately held, New Hampshire-based designer, manufacturer and marketer of hunting firearms, for $102 million in cash. The transaction was expected to close in January 2007.

I am chagrinned at the "Dont Buy" rating you gave the Para Ordnance CCO CWX745S .45 ACP. I re-read your review on this piece, and your were entirely laudatory, your only reservation being its price, and that on the basis that you had tested a cheaper (operative term) plastic gun that would send the same bullets down range.

Following the decision of Lake County, Ind., Superior Court Judge Robert A. Pete, declaring the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act unconstitutional, firearm manufacturers under suit have filed a motion to certify the courts ruling.

As we reported in "Short Shots" some months back, Smith & Wesson has expanded the Military & Police (M&P) Pistol Series to include compact frames. The first compact in the compact line is a 9mm, the M&P9c.