Handguns

In an evaluation of 45 ACP subcompacts, Gun Tests magazine asked how best to package the big bullet in a small concealable machine. The $687 Glock G30SF feeds from a high-capacity magazine with rounds compressed in a staggered column. Its ignition is via a striker system, and the frame is polymer, not steel.

Meeting the FBI-protocol handgun-ammunition terminal-performance test requirements is no small task — especially with a bullet as large as .45 caliber – but Hornady engineers have apparently succeeded.

Last week, an appeals court upheld a federal law that prohibits people under the age of 21 from purchasing handguns from dealers, rejecting the first challenge to the age rule since the Supreme Court recognized an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.

SIG Sauer, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of law enforcement and military firearms, is pleased to announce that the Connecticut State Police has selected the SIG SAUER P220 as the agency’s next service firearm.

Colonel Jeff Cooper, one of the masters of self-defense handgun methods and training believed that the 1911 was the perfect combat handgun, writes CTD Suzanne on the Cheaper Than Dirt! blog.

You'd be surprised how many people view the shooting teams as a good old boys club. They have no idea of the benefit and skill these Soldier-shooters are bringing to the Army Reserve. It's like accusing an NFL team of being nothing more than a group of drinking buddies that play catch on Sunday afternoon. Outsiders to US Army Reserve Shooting Team fail to understand why such a team exists. Unless one has been involved in small arms training or higher level shooting activity, marksmanship experience is typically limited to basic qualification. Just as retaking the same elementary arithmetic test will never teach Calculus, marksmen need to evolve to gain proficiency. Shooting teams were established in enact this and provide other benefits as well.

As the cost of centerfire ammunition continues to ascend, many gun owners will turn to the standby 22 LR round as a way to shoot economically, whether those pursuits include knocking over cans, punching holes in paper, or killing the occasional rodent. Of the many available guns chambered for the rimfire round, perhaps the easiest to load and shoot and enjoy is the revolver.Gun Tests recently tested a trio of wheelguns chambered for the 22 round, and versions of two of them had previously been tested and graded for their utility. For example, in October 2007, the magazine shot the Taurus Model 94SS4, $406. That stainless-steel gun with a 4-inch barrel got a B-, mainly because it was too heavy to be considered as a trail gun. They also said back then, 'But the Taurus is a great deal less costly, so if you don’t mind its weight and if you can do without extreme accuracy, it might be right for you. It looked great, performed quite well, and was easier to load and unload.'

During World War II, Robert L. Hillberg worked for Republic Aviation, the manufacturer of the P-47 Thunderbolt. A fighter-bomber nicknamed “Jug” by its pilots, the rugged plane could take quite a pounding and still return safely to base. The P-47 packed eight Browning 50-caliber machine guns, four mounted on each side of its somewhat elliptical wing. Hillberg was given the responsibility for fitting the big guns plus their ammo into the limited space available. He learned a great deal about lightweight aluminum alloys in the process. When he left Republic after the war, he joined High Standard Manufacturing as head of research and development. Shortly thereafter, High Standard became the first firearm company to employ aluminum alloys commercially.

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.