Handguns

GUN TESTS GRADE: A- $1,227 This was a recent price at BudsGunShop.com, but the SKU is showing out of stock as we went to press. The company website shows it was discontinued in 2019. The Dan Wesson Heritage is a stainless steel Government-Model-size handgun. The pistol is well made of good material, and it’s free […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: A $453 This was also a recent pre-Covid price at BudsGunShop.com. The Cattleman 22 is a traditionally styled revolver with all the heft of centerfire single action. Unlike the other rimfires tested, which have a six-round capacity, the Cattleman 22 has a 12-round capacity. At first glance, it looks like a centerfire […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: B $172 This was a pre-shutdown price at BudsGunShop.com. The Cimarron Plinkerton is inexpensive and looked it. This model is actually discontinued by Cimarron, but it is available from Chiappa Firearms. The Plinkerton and the Chiappa 1873 SAA 22 are virtually the same revolver. Both are manufactured by Chiappa in Italy. The […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: A (OUR PICK) $286 The barrel is fixed. We liked the takedown; twist a lever and pull the slide back and up. The S&W is finished in a nice, dark anodizing on aluminum slide, and the frame is black polymer. The safety is ambidextrous. The slide lock is left hand only. The […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: A $210 This was also a BudsGunShop.com price prior to the lockdowns. We think old man Ruger would have been delighted with the manufacturing cost savings — which translates to less cost to the user — of the Wrangler because one of his company’s flagship products is the rimfire Single-Six. He may […]

If we were to put together a list of top plinking pistols, we would have to put single-action rimfires at the top of that list. The ammo cost is low, recoil is nil, and muzzle blast is tolerable, especially for new shooters. To see which of three single-action wheelguns hit the tin can for us, […]

Within the past few months, two major firearms makers, Glock and Ruger, introduced 22 rimfire versions of popular centerfire handguns. Already in the smallbore pistol market is the Smith & Wesson M&P22. Most 22 pistols can be great trainers if they are rimfire twins of a centerfire handgun. For instance, the Smith & Wesson M&P22 […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: B $299 The grip design and forward cocking serrations are each well designed and effective. The barrel doesn’t recoil with the slide, but it tilts a bit as the handgun recoils and the cartridge loads into the chamber. The recoil spring is tiny. One rater likened it to a ballpoint-pen spring. There […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: B $367 This turned out to be the least reliable handgun we have tested from a maker famed for reliability. The Glock 44 is a Glock 19-size handgun. The primary innovation of the Glock 44 is a “hybrid metal” slide. It is a mix of polymer reinforced with steel. No worries, steel […]

A reader recently asked if we could run a test of compact 357 Magnum revolvers to see if there was any significant difference in performance and handling with different barrel lengths. We procured three suitable compact revolvers for testing which included a new Colt King Cobra with a 3-inch barrel, a used Rossi Model 971 […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: B $295 The Model 971 VRC (Vent Rib Compensated) is a used revolver that is fairly common to find on GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com auction web­sites. This model was manufactured from 1996 through 1998 and imported by Interarms. The 971’s size and function is similar to a Smith & Wesson K-frame but with […]

GUN TESTS GRADE: A- $504 RIA imports the AL3.0 from Alpha Proj in the Czech Republic. We tested a target variant of one these revolvers years ago and it failed miserably. Our expectations were not high, but we test with an open mind. The finish on the RIA was suspect. The frame wore a blue/black […]