Handguns

Many of us like to carry a 38 or 357 snubbie in the pocket as a backup to a larger gun. Theyre not a bad selection either, with good loads, some of which (specifically, Buffalo Bore) put out 158-grain bullets at 1000 fps. However, some of us prefer bigger, heavier bullets for self-protection, and for that purpose, enter the Charter Arms Bulldog. For years that model was the only viable small 44 Special, but since the advent of the Bulldog around 1973, S&W came out with a similar five-shot revolver called the Model 296, now dropped from production. In more recent days, Taurus entered the fray with two small, light 44 Specials, blued and stainless. The Charter Arms website (www.CharterArms.com) today lists 11 varieties of the 44 Special Bulldog, as well as many other revolvers in 22 LR and 22 Mag., 32 H&R, 38 Spl., 357 Mag, a delightful rimless revolver in 40 S&W that doesnt need moon clips, and the 44 Specials. For this test we chose the model 14420 standard Bulldog with 2.5-inch barrel and matte-blue finish (MSRP $414), and put it against the Taurus glossy-blued 2-inch version, Model 445B2UL (MSRP $508).Both are five-shot conventional revolvers, with both SA and DA modes. Both guns had excellent DA and SA pulls, which was something of a surprise to our test crew. Each gun had rubber grips and external hammers and shrouded ejector rods. The frame on the Charter was blackened stainless, while that on the Taurus was aluminum. The guns were very similar in weight and balance, except that the Taurus grip was much larger. In light of our recent experiments with firelapping, we measured the guns inside and out and found some surprises and mistakes that were borne out on the targets.Because it was difficult to obtain factory-loaded 44 Special ammo, we tested with three handloads and three factory loads, one of which showed up on the UPS truck just as we were concluding our chronographing. The handloads were five grains of Bullseye behind a 250-grain Mt. Baldy (www.MTBaldyBullets.com) cast Keith bullet, the same powder behind a 240-grain Speer JHP, 7.5 grains of Unique behind the Keith bullet, Black Hills cowboy loads with a 210-grain cast RNFP bullet, Remington 246-grain lead RN, and the late-comer, Speer 200-grain Gold Dot Hollow Points. Heres what we found.

If you're confused about how generations of Glocks have differed over the years, Scott Fuller, Product Tech head at CheaperThanDirt.com, posted a concise history of the changes.

Metalform Company is now manufacturing its pistol magazines for sale in the retail market.

Oral arguments occurred July 10 in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case of Jennings v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. In that case, the National Rifle Association is appealing a decision by a federal court in Texas which held that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect the right of young adults to buy firearms from federally licensed dealers.

Auction #11175735 is a Basic Auction posted by “SteveHMaine” that lists a Colt's PT. F.A. Mfg. Co. Single Action Army Artillery Model with a $4,499 minimum bid and a Buy It Now price of $4,500. This is an excellent example of a nice old veteran of the late Apache Wars (1880-1889) that was hastily made ready for the Moro Rebellion (1899-1913) in the Philippines when the Army realized the ineffectiveness of the .38 caliber Model 1892.

On issues involving the Use of Deadly Force, we have laws to guide us, but ultimately the standard of conduct is set by the courts and juries through their decisions in criminal and civil trials. Their decisions filter down and impact the policies of the District Attorney’s Office, your local law enforcement agencies, and civil litigation attorneys. Our own, individual decisions on the Use of Deadly Force may or may not conform to the accepted standard of conduct of the collective group of people we interact with.

You can know all of the high-speed, low-drag tactics that there are to know ... but if you're not aware enough of your environment to see the fight coming, a common street punk can have your car keys, your wallet or your life before you even know what's happening.

Everybody knows firing pins detonate primers, but not everyone can define esoteric aspects of these parts.

One of the featured auctions at GunAuction.com this week is a scarce and collectible pre-war Smith & Wesson revolver listed by “jackthedog.” Auction #11136938 is for a “.44 Hand Ejector, 2nd Model Target,” a .44 Special built on S&W’s big N-Frame with five screws. This no-reserve Penny Auction is generating a lot of interest, accumulating 36 bids in about 48 hours, with the high bid being $1,806 at one point.

A recent post on CheaperThanDirt.com's 'Shooter's Log' blog has generated hundreds of customer comments in response to a simple question: 'Are You Buying Guns? Tell Us Why.'

Austin Miller from GunReports.com talks with Brooks from Thompson Machine at the Silencers Are Legal Shoot at Elm Fork Shooting Range in Dallas. Thompson Machine is a Florida-based company in operation since 1991 providing rapid prototyping and design services. They offer a line of suppressors engineered for full user serviceability.

To most arms enthusiasts the stirrup-latch Webley is the quintessential British revolver, and they’re not wrong, according to a short item on NRABlog.com.