Handguns

For carry purposes, a short-barreled (snub-nosed) revolver has many welcome attributes, including ease of concealment, maneuverability, ease of presentation, and comfort. The short barrel makes the gun easy to hide and handle, and having smooth surfaces can help minimize incidental contact during carry that can irritate or scrape one's skin. One such gun is the .38 Special +P Taurus CIA, which has an enclosed hammer like the Centennials.

Weve had more than two dozen requests for a Gun Tests evaluation of the Taurus Judge, a 45 LC- and 410-shotshell-chambered revolver that, on its face, might fit into many individuals self-defense schemes with its powerful, simple operation. The Judge bears that name on its barrel, and its supposedly destined for those judges who pack iron in the courtroom. They presumably have the occasional need to defend themselves from those on whom they pass judgment-or their friends. The idea of spraying the courtroom with a load of shot is presumably preferable to drilling only one of the unlucky people who happen to be in there, once said judge opens fire.The Judge is catalogued in the Taurus line as the Model 4510, and there are several versions. Some are blued steel, others are stainless, and there are versions that accept longer 3-inch 410-bore shotshells. There are also Judges with 6.5-inch barrels. In this review, we try out an Ultra-Lite 4510UL with a 3-inch barrel, No. 2-441031UL to be exact. Heres what we found.

Weve had more than two dozen requests for a Gun Tests evaluation of the Taurus Judge, a 45 LC- and 410-shotshell-chambered revolver that, on its face, might fit into many individuals self-defense schemes with its powerful, simple operation. The Judge bears that name on its barrel, and its supposedly destined for those judges who pack iron in the courtroom. They presumably have the occasional need to defend themselves from those on whom they pass judgment-or their friends. The idea of spraying the courtroom with a load of shot is presumably preferable to drilling only one of the unlucky people who happen to be in there, once said judge opens fire.The Judge is catalogued in the Taurus line as the Model 4510, and there are several versions. Some are blued steel, others are stainless, and there are versions that accept longer 3-inch 410-bore shotshells. There are also Judges with 6.5-inch barrels. In this review, we try out an Ultra-Lite 4510UL with a 3-inch barrel, No. 2-441031UL to be exact. Heres what we found.

During a visit to Top Gun Range in Houston (topgunrange.com), one of our favorite retail gun shops, two colorful 9mm polymer pistols caught our eye. One was the Springfield Armory XD Service Model No. XD9201HCSP06, with an olive-drab-green frame and black slide, $543. The other pistol was the SIG Sauer P250 Compact No. 2509205, with a dark-earth-colored grip and Melonite-black slide. Both of these pistols were double-action-only, but from the operators' point of view, their unique triggers gave each gun a different personality. A comparison test was in order but we wanted to add a third pistol. That's when we found a new model from CZ USA that was also a polymer 9mm semiautomatic. The CZ USA P-07 Duty arrived as a DA/SA, traditional double-action pistol. But the P0-7 was also shipped with an optional set of ambidextrous thumb levers. When swapped out with the decocker levers, the P-07 could be fired single-action-only with a thumb-operated safety. We decided to focus our test on the single-action capability of the P-07 because it was the only mode in which operation of the trigger remained constant. This played into our desire to test three polymer nines, each with a different, but simplified, way to light the fuse.

For accuracy tests we fired from sandbag rests at targets placed a measured 15 yards downrange. We also staged a rapid-action test from a distance of 7 yards. For our 15-yard session we fired Black Hills 115-grain full-metal jacketed ammunition, (Black-Hills.com), and two choices from the catalog of Atlanta Arms and Ammo, (AtlantaArmsandAmmo.com). They were the 125-grain HAP rounds and the AAA Sub Sonic 147-grain JHP Match ammunition. For our 7-yard session we fired 124-grain FMJ rounds from Black Hills. Both the 147-grain and 124-grain rounds were sold in blue boxes, signifying that they were remanufactured ammunition. During the benchrest session, our pistols were fired utilizing a controlled press with the sights on target and the gun fully supported. Our rapid-action session was performed standing in front of a Hoffners ABC16 target, (from hoffners.com, 877-463-3637). The point of aim was the A-zone/chest area and the B-zone/head. The shooter began with the gun in both hands chest high. The muzzle was canted slightly upward so that the front sight was at the bottom of the shooter's peripheral vision. The trigger finger began resting along the frame outside the trigger guard. Upon an audible start signal from a shot-recording timer, the shooter pressed the gun toward the A-zone, fired two shots then moved the sights upward to deliver one more hit to the B-zone. We took note of shot placement and recorded the elapsed time for each of 10 recorded runs. Since we were testing at Top Gun Handgun Training Center, a public indoor range which tends to be louder than an outdoor setting, we were wearing ear plugs as well as ear muffs. Taking note of the elapsed time between the buzzer and the first shot, we kept in mind the slight delay to our hearing as well as the physical manipulation necessary to deliver a first shot. Subtracting the first shot ET from the total time told us more about recoil management, trigger control and sight alignment. Happily, none or our guns showed any hint of malfunction when firing, so we were able to concentrate on the essential operation of each weapon. Here is what we found.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC has determined that the Slide Lock Safety (“Safety”) and/or the Recoil Spring Guide Pad (“Guide Pad”) in certain Colt model pistols were not manufactured to Colt specifications and must be replaced.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Smith & Wesson has recalled certain Model 22A rimfire pistols. This recall applies only to 22A pistols manufactured from August 1, 2008 to February 19, 2009.

The basic 625 revolver was introduced in 1989, and has largely retained its basic design — it's a stainless-steel N-frame revolver with full-lug 5-inch barrel, adjustable sights and a tall plain Patridge blade up front. However, the input of competitive shooters and the rules under which they compete has reportedly fostered the arrival of the "dash-eight" model 625.

NEWPORT, NH -- Sturm, Ruger & Company's new Ruger Single Action Shooting Society Vaquero is a high-gloss stainless steel revolver with a lower/wider Montado-style hammer found on the Ruger Montado.

The congregating arsenal was all perfectly legal as well as perfectly acceptable to the leaders of New Bethel, an Assemblies of God church in Louisville, Kentucky, that invited people to bring their unloaded guns to this first-ever event.

The 21 was Glock’s biggest gun until the arrival of the models 34 and 35, which feature a longer slide and 5.3-inch barrel. The .45 ACP 21 incorporates a 4.6-inch barrel, but at about 27 ounces unloaded, it is still the heaviest pistol in the Glock lineup. This is the result of beefing up the original design to handle the pounding of .45 ACP ammunition. For example, the current 9mm Model 17, which is similar in dimensions to the GL21 and closest in design to the original Glock pistol, weighs only about 22 ounces. Our GL21 arrived with two 13-round magazines.Palm swells and finger grooves with helpful checkering molded into place have helped the Glock pistols become more shooter friendly, and adding a rail to the dustcover allows accessories to be added easily. The magazine release is prominent, making reloading faster. The extractor offers plenty of surface area to the case rim and serves as a loaded-chamber indicator, sticking out just enough to tell the shooter visually or by touch when the gun is charged.

BERRYVILLE, Ark. -- Wilson Combat has added the Spec Ops 9 to its family of custom pistols. The new 29.8-oz polymer 1911 sports a 4.5” barrel with 16+1 rounds of 9mm on board.

EXETER, NH – SIG Sauer will resume shipping all standard commercial pistols with two magazines. SIG Sauer suppliers increased production to meet the heightened consumer demand, thus allowing SIG Sauer to resume shipping two magazines with every commercial handgun.