Handguns

(GunReports.com) -- A release from the CCRKBA: The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is condemning Saturday's attempted assassination of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the murders of six people including a federal judge and a 9-year-old child, for which a 22-year-old Tucson man is now facing charges.

(GunReports.com) -- Gun Owners of America issued an email alert in response to New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy's call for magazine and gun show bans in the wake of shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords over the weekend.

In this test we'll take a look at three 6+1 380 Auto pistols that Gun Tests readers have been asking us to test: the $430 Diamondback DB380, the $575 Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, and the $336 Taurus Model 738B.

The Diamondback DB series pistols are manufactured by a relatively new company in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Diamondback lays claim to "a FEA (Fine Element Analysis) designed slide and barrel that is stronger than any comparable firearm, resulting in durability with less felt recoil…." Some of the finer points we liked were the steel magazine catch and the taper at the lower corner of the trigger guard to ease holstering or other means of retention. The slide had cocking serrations that were both functional and visually appealing. There was also a helpful beavertail to aide recoil control and protect larger hands from contact with the slide as it moved forward and back. Only one six round magazine was supplied. True to each of our 380 test guns, the Diamondback magazine was fashioned from sheet metal with a polymer follower, and it had a removable basepad for cleaning or replacement of the spring.

Including our 738B, there are a total of six Model 738 pistols with different color frames and stainless slides on the taurususa.com website. The most expensive model costs as little as $352. Our stealth-black Taurus 738B arrived in a black ballistic-nylon belt pouch measuring about 5.5 inches long by 4.0 inches high. The pouch was deep enough to carry a second six-round magazine, supplied, and the full-length flap was secured by two magnetic snaps. Belt contact was by belt loop or a steel clip. This product, the Tetron Ambi Cell Phone holster, was designed for "mini 380s" and can be found online in a variety of colors for about $19, at bulldogcases.com.

There was a great deal of technology in each of our test guns, but the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 makes use of many modern advancements. Each of our guns utilized a narrow synthetic frame, and, in addition, the Bodyguard 380 was fit with a two-stage laser built in to the dust cover, and it had a slide stop and a thumb-operated safety. The receiver of the Bodyguard 380 was rock hard, and the front side of the grip offered a finger groove directly below the trigger guard. Only one magazine was supplied, but it was fit with a base pad that added one additional finger groove. Smith & Wesson shipped the Bodyguard in a black zippered case that suggested the pistol can be carried concealed in what appeared to be a daily planner. A flat basepad was also supplied, which was intended to make this pistol even more concealable.

Long ago someone put a shoulder stock on a handgun so he could do a better job of shooting it without becoming a skilled pistolero. The shoulder stock holds the gun steadier than the hands alone can hold it, thus some immediate handgunning success was possible. Some early examples were the shoulder-stocked Third Model Colt Dragoons and 1860 Army Colts of the Civil War era, and there were some earlier uses. We've seen examples of percussion firearms dating to the mid 1830s, and would bet a nickel there exist examples of shoulder-stocked flintlock pistols going back a hundred years earlier.

For this test report we looked at two guns from the early 20th century, both of which types saw plenty of wartime and civilian use. Our test guns are by Mauser and by Browning/Inglis. Both were supplied to us by Collectors Firearms in Houston (www.collectorsfirearms.com). The Mauser was a C96 Model 1921 "Bolo" with short barrel ($2395 plus $395 for the stock at Collectors), and the Browning was a Hi-Power made by Inglis in Canada ($1650 with stock, also Collectors's counter price). Both handguns had walnut stocks, and both had tangent sights with a narrow V-notch combined with a sharpened post front blade, which gave relatively poor sight pictures. We tested the 30 Mauser with Serbian Prvi Partizan FMJ ammo, and the 9mm Hi-Power with Black Hills 147-gr and Winchester BEB 115-gr ammunition. Here is what we found.

(GunReports.com) -- Recently, Gun Tests magazine received a letter urging us to test more deep-concealment guns, claiming that they are the most popular gun of the day. Checking with one of the larger distributors (www.camfour.com), confirmed that it is the subcompact and micro guns that are currently driving the market. In this test we didn’t evaluate a pocket gun, instead shooting a compact pistol that was just one step larger than the smallest model available from the manufacturer.

The first test gun we chose was the $697 XDM 3.8 from Springfield Armory. Since the first XD pistol to hit our shores from Croatia was the Four-inch Service Model, we were tempted to refer to the XDM 3.8 as belonging to a 'sub-service' category. The XDM 3.8 utilized the trigger to release the striker after rearward movement of the slide had loaded the striker spring nearly to full strength. Pressing the trigger on the XD series pistols tops off the compression of the striker spring and releases the trigger.

(GunReports.com) — Stealth Cam’s new Scouting Camera is a compact camera that is easy to conceal in the woods and features a 640x480 digital video with audio (10-180 seconds).

(GunReports.com) – DeSantis Gunhide is making an Intruder holster for the Ruger LCP 380 pistol and a Mini Slide style holster for the Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm/40cal Full-size and Compact.

(GunReports.com) -– Kahr Arms's 100th Anniversary Edition 1911 from Auto-Ordnance will debut at SHOT Show 2011 in January. The 100th Anniversary Edition is a .45 caliber classic style WWII Parkerized 1911 pistol with a 5” barrel. A special engraving on the slide will read “1911 .45 ACP, 1911-2011, 100 Years”.

(GunReports.com) -- New GunReports.com Videos: 1: Tips on buying a gun safe, including internal features, setup, and locating. 2: Todd Jarrett demonstrates how shooting on the move using Crimson Trace laser sights helps accuracy. 3: Watch how to operate and maintain the H&K .22 Rimfire 416 D145RS Tactical Rifle.

(GunReports.com) -- In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the classic 1911 pistol designed by John M. Browning, Browning has introduced a scaled-down, 22 L.R. version of this firearm for 2011. The new Browning 1911-22 pistol is almost an exact replica of the original 1911, just smaller. The new Browning 1911-22 is 85% the size of the original 1911 John M. Browning design.

(GunReports.com) -- Smith & Wesson Corp. is introducing a limited-edition Model 27 revolver dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the .357 Magnum. Covered with American style scrollwork, the engraved Model 27 revolver features the hand drawn artwork of Smith & Wesson engraver David Mishichak.

(GunReports.com) -- Smith & Wesson Corp. is shipping the new Bodyguard 38 and Bodyguard 380 First Edition firearm sets. The limited edition sets feature one Bodyguard pistol and one Bodyguard revolver with corresponding serial numbers and laser engraving.