Handguns

The year 2011 marks the 100-year anniversary of the introduction of the John Browning's most successful pistol. The initial design was actually completed about 1907, but after acceptance by the U.S. Military some four years later, it became known as the 1911 and was chambered for 45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).

To recognize this achievement, we found three affordable 1911-style 45s introduced in the year 2011. They are the Ruger SR1911 No. 6700 45 ACP, $799; Springfield Armory's $939 Range Officer; and the $799 Desert Eagle 1911G from Magnum Research. The introduction of yet another 1911 from Springfield Armory isn't surprising; the company has essentially built its formidable reputation on 1911 pistols. For Ruger and Magnum Research, however, these pistols are their first tries at producing 1911s.

All three models featured a 5-inch barrel on a full size frame offering a flat profile checkered mainspring housing below an enhanced grip safety. Thumb safeties were left side only. The front strap of each pistol remained smooth. Each pistol utilized an aluminum trigger that was lined at its contact surface and relieved to reduce weight. Only one gun, the Springfield Armory Range Officer, offered an adjustable rear sight. Only the Desert Eagle was fit with a full-length guide rod. The Ruger pistol alone was fit with three-dot sights and offered a noticeably taller magazine release button. Otherwise, these three pistols were nearly identical.

Besides their basic functionality, these pistols are interesting for another reason. They individually include advancements in 1911 design and finish that shooters of this time take for granted. To better illustrate some of these so-called advancements, we compared our test pistols to a 100th Anniversary, we shot them alongside a 100th Anniversary Limited Edition 1911 Government model from Cylinder & Slide (www.Cylinder-Slide.com). The retro-1911 is being built for production by Cylinder & Slide, Bill Laughridge's Fremont, Nebraska, custom house famous for the production of high-quality 1911 parts. On the outside of the current pistols, it is easy to see an improved grip safety, beveled magazine well, aluminum trigger adjustable for overtravel, oversized or ambidextrous thumb safeties, a lowered and flared ejection port, reduced mass hammer and high visibility sights both adjustable and low profile. Most of the upgrades that define the modern era 1911 were developed in the final quarter of the 20th century.

Today's features are supposed to help the operator shoot the gun faster, safer, and more comfortably, and those upgrades have become more economical. Not long ago, our test pistols would likely have sold in the $1400 range. The cost of high-quality 1911s first took a notable drop with the introduction of Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machining. This made accurately machined parts more abundant, reducing hand fitting.

In 1870, the U.S. Army contracted with Smith & Wesson to deliver 1,000 of their revolutionary new top-break Model No. 3 revolvers in .44 S&W caliber. The delivery to Springfield Armory of the 800 blued and 200 nickel-plated revolvers took place in 1871. After issuing the new revolvers to the cavalry for a period of field trials, the Army came to the conclusion that the S&W was too complicated and delicate for service use, and decided not to purchase additional revolvers.

The concept of shooting 22 LR ammo in centerfire handguns goes back a long way. The Germans had a system for the Luger when centerfire ammunition was mighty scarce between the two World Wars. These conversion units consisting of an insert barrel, a different toggle mechanism, and suitable magazines. Insert barrels were also used on the Walther PP at that time to fire a low-power 4mm round, presumably for indoor gallery use. These 4mms were one-shot deals, the round not having enough power to run the slide, so you had to work it by hand. Also pre-WWII or shortly thereafter were some conversions for the 1911 45 autos involving a lightened slide, which predates the Colt Ace conversion with floating chamber. Then the Ace system came along, and it let 22 LR rounds give the same kick to your 1911 as when firing 45 ACP rounds, thanks to a flying breech that essentially amplified the kick of the rimfire rounds to cycle the normal slide. Even more recently a few 22 LR units were made in Germany for the P-38, apparently for police/border-guard units. Like today’s units, these consisted of slide, barrel, and magazines suitable for rimfires.

Kahr Arms and Magnum Research are proud to announce that they will be reintroducing the IWI Classic Desert Eagle pistol for a limited time. The Desert Eagle pistol is the most recognizable of all the firearms from 25-year-old company Magnum Research, Inc. (MRI), appearing in over 500 motion pictures and TV films.

Holster manufacturer Crossbreed Holsters, LLC is now offering a concealable Ankle Carry Holster. The ankle rig offers a deep cover concealment option for small autos and revolvers such as J-frames, XD, S&W M&P, Kahr and Glock Sub compacts and most other small 9mm or .380 ACP handguns.

Charter Arms has released the Pitbull, what it claims is the world’s first .40-caliber rimless revolver. Built on the same 416 stainless-steel matte-finish frame as the Charter Arms .44 Special, the 5-shot Pitbull has a a rimless-cartridge extractor assembly. The dual-coil spring assembly located in the extractor allows the insertion, retention, and extraction of .40-caliber cartridges.

Cowboy Action shooters might well consider choosing a .38 Special for their activities if they have even the slightest trouble with recoil from the .45s. Recoil recovery plays a big part in Cowboy competition, speed being mighty important for best scores. Gun Tests tested the American Western Arms Ultimate 1873, all blued, for $600. It had 5.5-inch barrels, and was made by Pietta in Italy. Here’s what they found. On all versions of this single action, the frame is forged and the barrel is hammer forged. Options include a variety of chamberings, and either nickel or hard-chrome finish for $195 over the base price. There is also a Bisley version in .45 or .357. The Classic version uses a traditional flat hammer spring and costs only $440 in all-blue, or $565 with real case hardening. This Ultimate had a coil hammer spring. More on it later.

Making ammunition is sometimes a necessary part of shooting old firearms. Watch along as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA modifies a Lee bullet mold to be able to cast bullets for an antique Rolling Block pistol in the obsolete caliber of 50 Remington.

The International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA) recently instituted a new division aimed at attracting more shooters competing at a maximum distance of 100 yards or meters. As explained on the www. IHMSA.org website, the rimfire arm of the Practical Hunter division is open to 22 LR handguns only with open sights, optical, or red-dot scopes. Competitors can shoot from any safe position they choose, including prone. New shooters may use a sandbag or mechanical rest to support the gun.

We decided to review some of the guns that would be a good choice for competing in IHMSA's Practical Hunter rimfire division. For quick reference we opened up our DVD copy of the Firearms Guide 2011 database ($40 from www.FirearmsMultimediaGuide.com) and found almost 80 pistols and revolvers that would be eligible to compete, along with their specifications and schematics. Economy was the goal, but we didn't want to buy the least expensive gun and risk outgrowing its capabilities. We were also split over choosing a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol. So we chose two of each.

Our revolvers were the Smith & Wesson 617 double-action revolver with single-action capability and Ruger's New Model Single Six Hunter. The Smith & Wesson was a smallbore version of the L-frame 686 revolver, and the Ruger was the smallbore brother to the New Model Super Blackhawk Hunter single-action revolver. On the pistol side we decided to stay with the same manufacturers. The Smith & Wesson Model 41 has been in production since 1957. The Ruger Mark III Competition is the latest version of the popular pistol that often comes to mind when shooters talk about target shooting.

Since accuracy was the primary concern, our test procedure was simple. Firing from a bench we would shoot the best groups possible. For support we chose the Caldwell Matrix shooting rest with the rifle extension removed. Augmented with sandbags to support the shooter's head as well as his arms, the only thing moving was the trigger finger. Most full-size pistols are tested from the 25-yard line, but the nearest steel silhouette was going to be 50 yards away. Even with the fine target sights found on each of our handguns, it was our opinion that 50-yard shots would require a scope. All four of our guns came with accommodation for mounting a scope, but with the extraordinary winds that were blowing, we were afraid that conditions might trump even the best optics. Finally, we decided to test from the 25-yard line with the supplied open sights.

The first gun we tested was the New Model Single Six Hunter, and here is why. The Hunter is a convertible model that comes with two cylinders, one for chambering 22 LR and the other for 22 Winchester Magnum Rifle. The WMR bullets are a little bit wider (.222 vs. .224). According to a Ruger representative, the bore would favor the wider magnum rounds, but we should be able to find a number of 22 LR rounds that shoot very well in the Hunter nonetheless. After trying several different rounds of 22 LR in the Ruger revolver, we chose the three most accurate rounds. They were CCI's new high-velocity AR Tactical rounds, CCI Standard Velocity ammunition, and Lapua Midas Plus. All three were topped with 40-grain roundnosed bullets. Regarding velocity readings, the pistols were fired over the chronograph five times. The revolvers were chronographed according to their full cylinder capacity, six shots from the Ruger and 10 from the Smith & Wesson 617.

Shooting in the wind required us to wait for calm between gusts. Some of our hold periods took minutes, not seconds. Since both revolvers were shot single-action only, we lost time pulling back the hammer and reacquiring the sights between shots. The pistol tests didn't take as long to complete because during the periods of calm, we were able to put more consecutive shots down range without interruption. This could pay off at a match when trying to beat a time limit. Beyond accuracy, we looked for reliability plus how well each gun lent itself to being shot standing offhand and from other IHMSA-legal shooting positions. Let's start knocking them down.

The International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA) recently instituted a new division aimed at attracting more shooters competing at a maximum distance of 100 yards or meters. As explained on the www. IHMSA.org website, the rimfire arm of the Practical Hunter division is open to 22 LR handguns only with open sights, optical, or red-dot scopes. Competitors can shoot from any safe position they choose, including prone. New shooters may use a sandbag or mechanical rest to support the gun.

We decided to review some of the guns that would be a good choice for competing in IHMSA's Practical Hunter rimfire division. For quick reference we opened up our DVD copy of the Firearms Guide 2011 database ($40 from www.FirearmsMultimediaGuide.com) and found almost 80 pistols and revolvers that would be eligible to compete, along with their specifications and schematics. Economy was the goal, but we didn't want to buy the least expensive gun and risk outgrowing its capabilities. We were also split over choosing a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol. So we chose two of each.

Our revolvers were the Smith & Wesson 617 double-action revolver with single-action capability and Ruger's New Model Single Six Hunter. The Smith & Wesson was a smallbore version of the L-frame 686 revolver, and the Ruger was the smallbore brother to the New Model Super Blackhawk Hunter single-action revolver. On the pistol side we decided to stay with the same manufacturers. The Smith & Wesson Model 41 has been in production since 1957. The Ruger Mark III Competition is the latest version of the popular pistol that often comes to mind when shooters talk about target shooting.

Since accuracy was the primary concern, our test procedure was simple. Firing from a bench we would shoot the best groups possible. For support we chose the Caldwell Matrix shooting rest with the rifle extension removed. Augmented with sandbags to support the shooter's head as well as his arms, the only thing moving was the trigger finger. Most full-size pistols are tested from the 25-yard line, but the nearest steel silhouette was going to be 50 yards away. Even with the fine target sights found on each of our handguns, it was our opinion that 50-yard shots would require a scope. All four of our guns came with accommodation for mounting a scope, but with the extraordinary winds that were blowing, we were afraid that conditions might trump even the best optics. Finally, we decided to test from the 25-yard line with the supplied open sights.

The first gun we tested was the New Model Single Six Hunter, and here is why. The Hunter is a convertible model that comes with two cylinders, one for chambering 22 LR and the other for 22 Winchester Magnum Rifle. The WMR bullets are a little bit wider (.222 vs. .224). According to a Ruger representative, the bore would favor the wider magnum rounds, but we should be able to find a number of 22 LR rounds that shoot very well in the Hunter nonetheless. After trying several different rounds of 22 LR in the Ruger revolver, we chose the three most accurate rounds. They were CCI's new high-velocity AR Tactical rounds, CCI Standard Velocity ammunition, and Lapua Midas Plus. All three were topped with 40-grain roundnosed bullets. Regarding velocity readings, the pistols were fired over the chronograph five times. The revolvers were chronographed according to their full cylinder capacity, six shots from the Ruger and 10 from the Smith & Wesson 617.

Shooting in the wind required us to wait for calm between gusts. Some of our hold periods took minutes, not seconds. Since both revolvers were shot single-action only, we lost time pulling back the hammer and reacquiring the sights between shots. The pistol tests didn't take as long to complete because during the periods of calm, we were able to put more consecutive shots down range without interruption. This could pay off at a match when trying to beat a time limit. Beyond accuracy, we looked for reliability plus how well each gun lent itself to being shot standing offhand and from other IHMSA-legal shooting positions. Let's start knocking them down.

The new Smith & Wesson Governor is a six-shot revolver with scandium-alloy frame and matte-black finish that is being made to compete against the popular Taurus Judge. Like the Judge, the Governor handles 2.5-inch, 410 shotshells plus 45 Colt cartridges. The Governor also chambers 45 ACP ammunition, which the Judge does not. We still had the Taurus on hand at our Idaho office, so we took a close look at the two of of them side by side. Here's what we found.

Sig Sauer Model P250 has been selected as the official duty pistol of the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice. The P250 will replace the stock of Walther P5s and Glock 17s currently in use by the Netherland police.