Handguns

Some of us who know that theres no substitution for bullet mass when it comes to stopping power prefer the 45 Auto for self defense. But no one likes to pack a heavy handgun, so most makers offer some solutions to that problem in the form of lighter-weight 1911s. These generally utilize aluminum frames, with shorter grips and slides. Any 45 Auto requires good management by the shooter, so these lighter and shorter-grip guns are not for everyone. One of the better 45 compromises is the use of a full-size aluminum grip frame combined with a short slide. Colt calls this setup the Lightweight Commander. In this test comparison one of the guns had a configuration that was similar to Colts LW Commander, but lacked a barrel bushing. The shorter "Officers Model" grip, to use another old Colt name, is undoubtedly easier to conceal, and two of the guns in this test use that setup. Modern magazines for the shorter "Officers" grip hold seven rounds, so they dont give up capacity when compared to the original 1911 design, but of course most full-size 1911s today hold eight in the mag.In February 2009 we compared the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 to the discontinued Colt CCO (and Kahr PM 4543), and noted that there are not a whole lot of options if you must have the Officers frame with the Commander-length slide, which is the CCOs setup. But we found a handgun by Kimber that is mighty close to that concept, and decided to also look at one of the full-grip, light-frame, short-slide offerings by Springfield to see how they both stacked up to the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 No. 19GS0031 (MSRP $1200; street price about $975). The two new guns were Kimbers Compact Stainless II (MSRP $1009; street price about $850) and the Springfield Armory Champion Operator PX9115LP (MSRP $1076; street price about $850). Heres what we found.

Some of us who know that theres no substitution for bullet mass when it comes to stopping power prefer the 45 Auto for self defense. But no one likes to pack a heavy handgun, so most makers offer some solutions to that problem in the form of lighter-weight 1911s. These generally utilize aluminum frames, with shorter grips and slides. Any 45 Auto requires good management by the shooter, so these lighter and shorter-grip guns are not for everyone. One of the better 45 compromises is the use of a full-size aluminum grip frame combined with a short slide. Colt calls this setup the Lightweight Commander. In this test comparison one of the guns had a configuration that was similar to Colts LW Commander, but lacked a barrel bushing. The shorter "Officers Model" grip, to use another old Colt name, is undoubtedly easier to conceal, and two of the guns in this test use that setup. Modern magazines for the shorter "Officers" grip hold seven rounds, so they dont give up capacity when compared to the original 1911 design, but of course most full-size 1911s today hold eight in the mag.In February 2009 we compared the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 to the discontinued Colt CCO (and Kahr PM 4543), and noted that there are not a whole lot of options if you must have the Officers frame with the Commander-length slide, which is the CCOs setup. But we found a handgun by Kimber that is mighty close to that concept, and decided to also look at one of the full-grip, light-frame, short-slide offerings by Springfield to see how they both stacked up to the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 No. 19GS0031 (MSRP $1200; street price about $975). The two new guns were Kimbers Compact Stainless II (MSRP $1009; street price about $850) and the Springfield Armory Champion Operator PX9115LP (MSRP $1076; street price about $850). Heres what we found.

(GunReports.com) -- Matt Carmel, president of Constitution Arms, said the company has received its first working prototype of the Palm Pistol and that the pistol is undergoing endurance testing.

On GunReports.com, this Ruger video covers the essentials. Learning grip and body position are crucial to controlling your firearm's recoil. Dave Spaulding puts special emphasis on trigger control for managing your gun, as well as other essentials like grip and body position.

(GunReports.com) -- Four similar and equally matched 9mm pistols turned in a tightly fought battle in the August 2010 issue of Gun Tests, says its editor, and the magazine’s test team had trouble picking a winner. Tested: Glock 19, Springfield Armory XDM 3.8, CZ USA 75D PCR Compact, and the new Ruger SR9C.

GunReports.com finds that the LaserLyte rear sight laser fits all Ruger SR9 and SR9 Compact pistols. The only laser for the Ruger SR9 pistols that you can fit in any holster. MSRP $200.

(GunReports.com) -- A recent tabulation of 529 respondents to a GunReports.com survey question, “Is the 9mm suitable for self defense?” showed a strong preference for the round. However, almost all respondents added comments to qualify their 'yes' votes.

From GunReports.com: Thanks to the efforts of Springfield Armory, the XD9 pistol has undergone somewhat of a transformation. It's available in two finishes and at competitive prices. In the this video from the 2010 SHOT Show, Gun Tests Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine discusses the improvements.

(GunReports.com) -- In its second major ruling on gun rights in three years, the Supreme Court Monday extended the federally protected right to keep and bear arms to all 50 states. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the five-justice majority, saying 'the right to keep and bear arms must be regarded as a substantive guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored so long as the States legislated in an evenhanded manner.'

(GunReports.com) -- In celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the long-standing handgun ban in Chicago, TGSCOM, Inc. and its founder Eric Thompson, an online firearm and sporting goods distributor based in Green Bay, WI, are offering their entire stock of nearly 10,000 guns at their cost for a single week, June 28 - July 6.

(GunReports.com) -- Following today's U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago that the City of Chicago's handgun ban is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, thus applying the Court's 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller beyond Washington, D.C., Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand issued the following statements.

(GunReports.com) -- Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statements. See the GunReports.com's staff [comments in brackets] following each Helmke misstatement.