Specialty Handguns

First Look Video: New and Old Colt Pythons

The Colt Python is back, and more than a few Gun Tests readers have requested a face-off between the new Pythons and the original...

Walther P-38 9mm Luger

GUN TESTS GRADE: A $800 to $1200 The Walther P38 is the most modern design of the pistols tested, a tremendously influential handgun. In most particulars,...

FN Browning Hi-Power 9mm Luger

GUN TESTS GRADE: B- $1200 Browning recently discontinued the Hi-Power as a cataloged item. The only remaining Hi-Power still in production is a Turkish clone. The...

German Luger P-08 9mm Luger

GUN TESTS GRADE: D $995 For many years, the word Luger has conjured up visions of the best made, best fitted and best finished of all...

Polish Radom Vis 35 9mm Luger

GUN TESTS GRADE: B- $995 We gauged the price of the Radom by looking over several of the larger websites and assessing our pistol’s condition against...

First Look Video: Ruger-57 16401 5.7x28mm, $749

Gun Tests staffers are currently testing a Ruger-57 chambered in the 5.7x28mm round for the October 2020 issue of the magazine. The 57 is...

Gun Tests Master Index 1989 to 2022

HANDGUNS 2022 Items marked with an asterisk were listed in a Value Guide American Tactical Firepower Xtreme GI 1911 45 ACP *Oct. 2022 Beretta/Wilson Combat 92G Centurion 9mm...

Over-the-Counter Exotics from Mossberg and Century Arms

Pistol-arm braces for AR and AK pistols have been one of the more controversial issues in the shooting industry and public for the past...

Smith & Wesson 638 Bodyguard .38 Special +P

The name Bodyguard has to be one of the all-time classic names for a self-defense gun. Certainly this Smith & Wesson design has been with us a long time, and in many ways it should be considered an unsung hero among the latest super-light firearms, mainly because it did so much so well.

Colt Trooper Mark III .357 Magnum

The Colt Trooper was made from 1953 to 1969. The Trooper Mark III superceded the Trooper and had a redesigned lock mechanism. It was manufactured from 1969 to 1983 in blue and nickel finish with 4-, 6-, and 8-inch barrel lengths. An owner's manual can be obtained by calling Colt at (800) 962-2658. The Trooper III in our test was made in 1974.

The Colt Trooper Mark III is for all practical purposes the working man's Python. Sound good? It features a serrated front sight pinned in place. The rear sight is fully adjustable, and it should be more durable than similar designs since the rear notch moves back and forth inside a protective frame. While adjustment for elevation is clockwise for down and counter-clockwise for up, the windage adjustment is reversed. Turn it to the right if you want the point of impact to move left, and turn left to bring the POI to the right.

Another feature is the direction in which the cylinder rotates. While other revolvers move counterclockwise, expecting a Colt to go bang requires the first round to be in the 11 o'clock position prior to cycling. Also, to release the cylinder one pulls rather than pushes on the latch.

STIs New DVC Limited and Open Pistols

"Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas"

Olympic Arms OA 98 223 Rem

The design of the OA series of AR-15 type rifles connects to the OA 98 pistol. To accommodate a folding stock, Olympic Arms developed an upper that eliminated the need for a buffer tube. However, due to subsequent legal restrictions, folding-stock models such as the OA 93 and its cousins now feature fixed stocks, but these rifles still benefit from their minimal design and lighter weight. If you look at an OA-built AR-15 and imagine it without a stock, it is easy to visualize how the OA 98 pistol came into being.

Rebellion In The Lower Courts

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act in January 2023, and it is among the nation’s worst gun-control laws. It bans...