Handguns

We set out recently to test a set of plinker/target .22 LR handguns, with an eye toward finding a comfortable, shootable, affordable product to pass some range time with. Unexpectedly, they wound up finding a .22 LR pistol that not only achieved the relatively low standard of being decent recreational-shooting diversions, but which also offered the serious shooter good training use that can save money. But are these echoes of bigger guns enough to interest the serious shooter who may be looking for a rimfire to keep his bullseye edge, or the Practical shooter who wants to test footwork inexpensively, or the self-defense shooter who want to hone his 20-yard accuracy? Yes, as the pros and cons detailed below illustrate.

The San Antonio Police Department has selected the M&P40 as its new service firearm and has begun to convert officers to the new handgun platform. Gun Tests has its own rating of the pistol.

How much does it cost to get a decent .22 'plinker,' or whatever you'd like to call a .22 pistol for shooting fun in camp or on the trail? Can you get one for under $150? Or will you have to spend many hundreds of dollars? The answers may depend on your proposed use for the gun, but Gun Tests limited the use to simply having low-cost fun with a semiauto handgun, the ground was laid for the current test.

Gun Tests’ Idaho-based test team takes a detailed look at two carryable 40 S&W pistols in the May 2013 issue of the magazine. Sr. Technical Editor Ray Ordorica examined the Glock 23 Gen 4, $650, and the Taurus 24/7 G2C, $555.

Silencers, like machine-guns, are regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, and are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The procedure for owning a silencer may seem daunting at first, but actually requires less paperwork than buying an automobile.

We recently read The Book of Two Guns, The Martial Art of The 1911 and AR Carbine, by Tiger McKee. McKee is the proprietor and headmaster of the Shootrite Firearms Academy (shootrite.org) located in Langston, Alabama. Printed in long hand with illustrations, McKee instructs and inspires the reader to consider what skills are necessary to effectively use the handgun and rifle weapon interdependently, as well as in transition from one to the other. With the two-gun concept in mind, they decided to go ahead with a story they'd been considering for some time—evaluating two pairs of handguns that could also be used to work effectively in tandem, in this case, two revolvers against two pistols.

So ya wanna buy a 9mm handgun, eh, sport? Suffice to say, you've got a lot of choices. You might begin your search for, say, full-size autoloaders. Then narrow it down to action type, single or double. Factor in whatever aftermarket items you need or want, and finally look at how much you are willing to pay for the package. All that narrows the choices still more. If you insist on a single-action auto, or more specifically, if you insist on a gun you can carry cocked and locked with the same trigger pull for each and every shot, your choices in 9mm get pretty small. Two prominent choices are the Browning Hi-Power or one of its clones, and the CZ 75.

Take a moment before hauling that trash to the dumpster—you may find something useful, such as .22 barrels.

First introduced in 1987, the Ruger P-Series pistols were the first firearms to be manufactured at Sturm, Ruger's new Prescott, Arizona, plant. The P-Series was the result of a development program to build a state-of-the-art pistol with features designed by practical shooters, that would offer excellent reliability under harsh conditions. Since the P-Series pistols were introduced, they've seen extensive use by law enforcement, government agencies, and sportsmen all over the world, and have gained a good reputation for their rugged durability. As we have come to expect from Ruger, the pistols are also being steadily improved and the new KP345 is one outgrowth of that.

When it comes to concealing a handgun, there is only so much space available on the hip, inside a handbag, or somewhere else on the body or in clothing. That's why there are snubnosed revolvers and subcompact pistols. Choosing a handgun, then, becomes a balance of firepower versus weight and overall structural dimensions. Gun Tests magazine recently tested guns that will fit into a box approximately 5-by-7 inches in size — which represents a handgun that can be carried easily in just about any manner of traditional concealment.

The Glock 33, or G33, was chambered for 357 SIG and operated just like its medium- and large-size brothers, (models G32 and G31 respectively). The most notable difference was the short grip, which limited the shooter to holding the pistol with only two fingers. The rear of the stubby grip showed a generous palm swell and the trigger guard was generously undercut, or generously under-molded.

Samuel Colt's legacy is alive and well. On March 14, 550 workers from the two Colt operating companies, successors of the Colt Armory that once made iconic Colt Peacemaker revolvers, boarded buses that brought them to the Legislative Office Building, part of the state Capitol complex in Hartford.