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Lever-action rifles are woven into the fabric of our American culture. Many of these rifles were high tech when first introduced, offering rapid firepower. They were adopted by the military, used by lawmen and outlaws alike, and to this day are used by hunters and Cowboy Action shooters. Like all designs, however, older levergun designs were discontinued as newer and better leverguns were built. The thing is, you can’t put a good levergun down, to turn a phrase. Many great leverguns ceased production with their original makers only to be resurrected into production by other manufacturers that tweaked the design using newer, better materials, adding safety features, and chambering them in modern cartridges. Interest in the Old West and Cowboy Action Shooting prodded manufacturers to bring back production of these old rifles. Three of these resurrected rifles include the Henry New Original Henry, the Marlin Model 1894 Classic, and the Winchester Model 1873 Carbine. 

We have tested several 38 Special snubnose revolvers over the past few decades. As a direct result of this experience, we have isolated areas of the greatest import in making the 38 snub most effective. The trigger action must be smooth, the sights useful, and the stocks should be hand-filling grips that limit recoil. The role of the 38 Special as a backup handgun must be considered as well. This is a light, but formidable, firearm carried just in case. The snubnose revolver will easily survive in an ankle holster, where other types may not ride in this carry position and come up shooting. Whether in a primary carry role on the belt or in a pocket, or as a backup on the lower leg, a concern with nearly every snubbie is capacity. While the snubnose 38 usually has five cartridges, five rounds isn’t very many, so being able to put them where they’re needed is paramount. 

We have tested several 38 Special snubnose revolvers over the past few decades. As a direct result of this experience, we have isolated areas of the greatest import in making the 38 snub most effective. The trigger action must be smooth, the sights useful, and the stocks should be hand-filling grips that limit recoil. The role of the 38 Special as a backup handgun must be considered as well. This is a light, but formidable, firearm carried just in case. The snubnose revolver will easily survive in an ankle holster, where other types may not ride in this carry position and come up shooting. Whether in a primary carry role on the belt or in a pocket, or as a backup on the lower leg, a concern with nearly every snubbie is capacity. While the snubnose 38 usually has five cartridges, five rounds isn’t very many, so being able to put them where they’re needed is paramount. 

We have tested several 38 Special snubnose revolvers over the past few decades. As a direct result of this experience, we have isolated areas of the greatest import in making the 38 snub most effective. The trigger action must be smooth, the sights useful, and the stocks should be hand-filling grips that limit recoil. The role of the 38 Special as a backup handgun must be considered as well. This is a light, but formidable, firearm carried just in case. The snubnose revolver will easily survive in an ankle holster, where other types may not ride in this carry position and come up shooting. Whether in a primary carry role on the belt or in a pocket, or as a backup on the lower leg, a concern with nearly every snubbie is capacity. While the snubnose 38 usually has five cartridges, five rounds isn’t very many, so being able to put them where they’re needed is paramount. 

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Why Five and Not Six?

I loved the article on S&W N-Frame Revolvers. The reviews were informative and the history of the big guns was fascinating. One question: The cylinders hold six rounds. Why were the accuracy tests done with five rounds? Keep up the good work. — Robert

Virtually everyone in the Houston test group is — or was — a competitor in the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Production Division. Match officials utilize different divisions to place shooters in the group where they would be most likely to compete against others using similar gear. Production Division was — or at least used to be — created to allow the masses to shoot their carry or home defense Glocks, Smith & Wessons, SIGs, etc. When our readers recently asked us to take a look at the latest “Top Guns” in Production, we decided to check it out. The guns have changed dramatically in concept, design, and execution since we began shooting USPSA, and it’s worthwhile to see how we got here.

Virtually everyone in the Houston test group is — or was — a competitor in the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Production Division. Match officials utilize different divisions to place shooters in the group where they would be most likely to compete against others using similar gear. Production Division was — or at least used to be — created to allow the masses to shoot their carry or home defense Glocks, Smith & Wessons, SIGs, etc. When our readers recently asked us to take a look at the latest “Top Guns” in Production, we decided to check it out. The guns have changed dramatically in concept, design, and execution since we began shooting USPSA, and it’s worthwhile to see how we got here.

Some of us wish to have a revolver that is very smooth, easily controlled, and accurate beyond conversational distance, but we also want it to clear leather quickly. We studied the revolvers available and decided that a 3-inch-barrel 357 Magnum double-action revolver on a medium frame would be ideal for home defense, carry in the field, and concealed carry. 

Some of us wish to have a revolver that is very smooth, easily controlled, and accurate beyond conversational distance, but we also want it to clear leather quickly. We studied the revolvers available and decided that a 3-inch-barrel 357 Magnum double-action revolver on a medium frame would be ideal for home defense, carry in the field, and concealed carry. 

Due to reader requests, we’ve begun posting top-ten listings of various firearm categories that garner a lot of interest, such as 380 pistols for carry or other self defense. You can find all of those ranked articles on Gun-Tests.com by searching for the keyword “listicle.” A few months ago, we posted one of those best 380 ACP pistols lists, and we were informed by a reader and experienced shooter that his new Rock Island Armory Baby Rock did not live up to the promise of the pistol we tested nine years ago. Our pistol was delivered with a nice, crisp 4.5-pound trigger compression. That’s similar to one of the South Carolina test team’s Baby Rock, which has been in service for quite a few years as a backup to his 1911. That particular pistol features a trigger action breaking at 5.1 pounds. The reader measured the trigger action of his current production Baby Rock at more than 10 pounds. We corresponded with another reader who reported a 13.2-pound let off, and a third managed a 9.4-pound let off after considerable use and lubrication. Were these typical of current production? It would seem so, because the first reader contacted Armscor, intending to send the pistol in for adjustment. The company informed the reader that his Baby Rock was indeed in spec because there have been safety upgrades to the Baby Rock we tested and liked, and those safety enhancements included a heavier trigger. This gave us pause. What could have changed in the nine years since we tested the Baby Rock 380?