Handguns

Here is the detailed ammo-testing protocol from Gun Tests magazine, the most commonly requested addition to Gun Tests coverage. Gun Tests' focus is on performance before the bullet hits the target. 'We realize that results from our test gun can't be extrapolated to every possible gun readers might own, we wanted to test ammunition in a fashion most consumers would be able to duplicate, and in fact, should conduct on their own. But our framework can potentially save you money and time by narrowing the list of candidates you might try in your own gun, and you can also follow our system to see if a given round performs for you like it did for us.

Carl Walther GmbH has found that manual safeties on some PK380 pistols don’t work properly. Certain PK380 pistols may permit a round to be discharged if the trigger is pulled, despite the manual safety being engaged.

American Tactical Imports is now selling the $400 FMK 9C1 Generation 2 Pistol.

Glock, Inc. recently donated $50,000 to the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) at a ceremony at the GLOCK booth at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Glock has donated to C.O.P.S., bringing total Glock contributions to the organization to $300,000.

A bill that would decriminalize gun and ammunition possession charges for some legal firearms owners from outside the city caught traveling through the District with their weapons goes before a D.C. Council committee Monday, according to the Washington Times.

Recently, I was approached by a young soldier who wished to upgrade his 1911 pistol. The pistol in question is a Springfield Stainless 1911A1. The pistol was in good shape and had proven reliable and accurate in thousands of rounds of ammunition, but the owner felt limited by the small sights—and he’s among the few shooters genuinely good enough to feel limited by a pistol. I checked the pistol and found it to be a good solid piece well worth an upgrade. Trigger compression was a crisp and clean 4 pounds, overall an above average factory trigger. The pistol fed hollowpoints and exhibited no glaring faults, despite the embryonic sights of the 1911 GI pistol. These sights simply don’t make the grade in a modern-combat/general-purpose pistol.

Colt’s first double-action revolver was their model of 1877, a six-shot, rod-ejector pistol capable of both double- and singe-action operation. The revolver was designed in 1876 by a well known Colt employee, William Mason. The 1877 pistols were built on a medium frame, and used a small birds-head-shaped grip. They were initially chambered only in the .38 Long Colt caliber, though the .41 Colt caliber was added later. Small numbers were also manufactured in .32 Colt caliber. “Lightning” was the nickname given to the .38-caliber versions, while .41-caliber revolvers came to be known as the “Thunderer.” These revolvers were made both with and without an ejector and in barrel lengths that ranged from 2 to 7 inches.

In today's market there seems to be a glut of 1911-type pistols. They run the gamut from inexpensive foreign imports with cast frames and parts to the most inexpensive examples of the gunmaker's art. John Browning's masterpiece has been widely cloned and copied — and arguably never equaled by any other design for pure fighting efficiency. The combination of a low bore axis that limits the recoil arc, a short, straight-to-the-rear trigger compression, well-placed controls, and a comfortable grip add up to unequaled human engineering. Coupled with a design that allows cocked-and-locked carry and unsurpassed speed to a rapid first-shot hit, the 45 ACP cartridge and good heft, the 1911 is a deadly efficient fighting tool.

A generation or so ago we cut up and modified GI 45s into what we thought were superior fighting pistols. Today, we have ready-made factory pistols that incorporate many of the features once found only on custom handguns. But the original GI type remains popular. The simplicity and utter reliability of the design cannot be faulted. The more bells and whistles, the more we have to go wrong with a pistol. Low-profile sights, simple controls, and uncluttered design are among the strong points of the GI-type pistol. In this report we tested two modern renditions of the GI 45, the Auto Ordnance and Regent, respectively. As a counterpoint, we located and tested an original GI 45, by Remington Rand. Finally, we tested a modern pistol that is basically a GI gun with slight upgrades as a comparison. The results were interesting and made for a valid comparison of the GI-type pistols.

I pulled up to the range, and my comrade had his guns out while he organized his ammo. He already put some holes in a paper target, which sat in the middle of the three-sided berm. His Colt Python had some steam coming off the barrel. When I asked about why he carried a little 9mm instead of that intimidating Colt, he said he felt that it was simply obsolete.

Austin Miller, contributing editor for Gun Tests magazine and a contributor to GunReports.com, and video producer J.T. Woodard travel to Tactical Firearms in Katy, Texas, to begin testing a unusual trio of handguns for an upcoming issue of Gun Tests.

If you’re looking for a good Cowboy Action “Wild Bunch” pistol or just a durable 45 ACP, Springfield Armory’s Model 1911 GI is worth a look. These are made to look and feel exactly like the classic WWII G.I. Colt 1911s.

University of Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano recently notified the Boulder campus faculty members -- in particular Professor Jerry Peterson, chairman of the Boulder Faculty Assembly -- that professors 'do not have the right to shut down a class or refuse to teach' should they learn that one of their students is lawfully carrying a gun under a concealed-carry permit.