Handguns

Some members of the Houston test group are involved in teaching the Texas License To Carry class. The instruction includes a great deal of information about requirements for carry in Texas and the law regarding usage of those firearms. We also get asked about the best guns for carry. We tell them 1) the gun has to go bang, 2) it has to hit what they point it at, and 3) it needs to be sufficiently powerful. We normally recommend a minimum of 380 ACP. We also strongly suggest carrying a defensive firearm larger than a mouse gun, which tends to be easy to carry but is often difficult to shoot and has limited ammo capacity. Because we’ve never heard anyone who survived a gunfight say that they wish they had had a smaller gun or fewer cartridges, we normally suggest that they select the biggest gun they can, and will, carry. 

Some members of the Houston test group are involved in teaching the Texas License To Carry class. The instruction includes a great deal of information about requirements for carry in Texas and the law regarding usage of those firearms. We also get asked about the best guns for carry. We tell them 1) the gun has to go bang, 2) it has to hit what they point it at, and 3) it needs to be sufficiently powerful. We normally recommend a minimum of 380 ACP. We also strongly suggest carrying a defensive firearm larger than a mouse gun, which tends to be easy to carry but is often difficult to shoot and has limited ammo capacity. Because we’ve never heard anyone who survived a gunfight say that they wish they had had a smaller gun or fewer cartridges, we normally suggest that they select the biggest gun they can, and will, carry. 

When the FBI carried 357 Magnum revolvers between 1981 and 1991, the standard issue was a S&W Model 13 with a medium-sized round-grip K-frame and a 3-inch barrel. Consider the Model 13 a benchmark for a concealed-carry 357 Magnum revolver. It offers better shootability than a smaller-frame revolver with a smaller grip, yet doesn’t feel like a brick on your hip when you carry it. 

When the FBI carried 357 Magnum revolvers between 1981 and 1991, the standard issue was a S&W Model 13 with a medium-sized round-grip K-frame and a 3-inch barrel. Consider the Model 13 a benchmark for a concealed-carry 357 Magnum revolver. It offers better shootability than a smaller-frame revolver with a smaller grip, yet doesn’t feel like a brick on your hip when you carry it. 

When the FBI carried 357 Magnum revolvers between 1981 and 1991, the standard issue was a S&W Model 13 with a medium-sized round-grip K-frame and a 3-inch barrel. Consider the Model 13 a benchmark for a concealed-carry 357 Magnum revolver. It offers better shootability than a smaller-frame revolver with a smaller grip, yet doesn’t feel like a brick on your hip when you carry it. 

Some shooters need one handgun to do everything — some self defense, some target plinking, a bit of small-animal hunting. We think that a mid-size, mid-weight, mid-price 357 Magnum revolver does a great job of filling those and other needs.

Some shooters need one handgun to do everything — some self defense, some target plinking, a bit of small-animal hunting. We think that a mid-size, mid-weight, mid-price 357 Magnum revolver does a great job of filling those and other needs.

Some shooters need one handgun to do everything — some self defense, some target plinking, a bit of small-animal hunting. We think that a mid-size, mid-weight, mid-price 357 Magnum revolver does a great job of filling those and other needs.

In the February 1995 issue, we tested a quartet of 45-caliber semi-autos, two of which had significant drawbacks, our shooters said. In this installment of Gun Tests Classics, we revisit the winner of that test, a Taurus PT-945, and see if its current used pricing makes it a still-valid recommendation for today’s shooters. Here’s a quick recap of the losers in that test:

Offering custom treatments on revolvers is a tradition among wheelgun manufacturers. In fact, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Taurus all produce custom-shop variants of popular models. These gun receive extra fitting handwork, along with premium finishes and tuned actions. Many are also tweaked for a specific task, such as everyday carry (EDC), competition, or a viable choice as a fancy BBQ gun. We acquired three revolvers given such glam and performance makeovers at the factory: