September 2007

4-Inch .44 Magnum/Special Revolvers: Ruger Redhawk Wins
When new revolvers are introduced, they don’t get the fanfare afforded the latest semi-auto. That’s why you might have missed out on the latest crop of big-bore wheelguns. In this test we will try to make up for it by pitting two steel-framed forty-fours against an ultra-lightweight revolver of the same caliber — Taurus’s 444MULTI, $666 — that could make carrying a bigger gun more inviting. The stainless-steel guns are the $916 Smith & Wesson Model 629 No. 163603 and Ruger’s $780 Redhawk KRH-444.

Marlin's 308MX Beats the New Browning Takedown BLR Gun
Lever-action rifles have stood the test of time, being as viable today as they were in the 1860s. They’ve been chambered for nearly every pistol round, and for rifle (and shotgun!) cartridges up to the potent .450 Alaskan and others of even more power. We take a look here at two new offerings in highly practical calibers, both with interesting features and high overall usefulness. The two rifles are Marlin’s .308 MX ($590) and Browning’s takedown BLR in .308 Winchester ($832).

.45 ACP Single-Stack Pistols: S&W Pulls Out a Surprise Win
Chances are that whenever a pistol is described as being a single-stack .45, it will automatically be assumed that the handgun in question is a Browning 1911. In this test we will evaluate three single-stack .45s that operate with a hinged trigger, with at least the first shot being fired double action. The $711 Smith & Wesson Model 457 has been in the catalog since 1996. The 457 is a traditional double action (TDA) pistol that once charged, can be 'decocked' to both raise and drop the hammer on the first shot. Both the $697 Kahr TP4543 and the $620 Glock G36 are striker-fired pistols that define double action in a less traditional manner.

Three 20-Gauges Duke It Out On the Sporting Clays Field
Serious sub-gauge clay-bird shooters have two choices available to them when it comes to guns. They can either use tube inserts in their main 12-gauge gun, or they can pick a separate firearm. Tubes certainly have distinct advantages—cost and familiar handling characteristics to name two. But many of us want a separate gun, so we wanted to see if any of today’s sub-gauge sporting clays firearms were up to the task.We pitted three 20-gauge over/unders that were similar in many ways, but particularly in weight—all of them coming in at exactly 6.5 pounds. In the lineup were a $2950 Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon II Sporting No. J687435 with 30-inch barrels; a $3850 Caesar Guerini Magnus Sporting with 30-inch barrels, and a Browning Cynergy Classic Sporting No. 013245726, $3235, with 32-inch barrels.