Subscriber Only

The self-contained centerfire cartridge coming into use in the mid-1870s was revolutionary, especially to those accustomed to working with single-shot firearms. Further, in 1875, Colt Firearms finally chambered the Single Action Army revolver in 44-40 (aka 44 WCF), thus allowing their handgun to use ammunition compatible with the famous 1873 Winchester rifle. But the 1873 Colt pistols still only carried five shots (usually, for safety’s sake), and they were slow to reload, even with cartridges. Effective range was also limited. A short-barreled rifle chambered in the same round fixed many of those shortcomings. Capacity was greater, plus the longer barrel and sight radius made them easier to shoot accurately. The carbine-length barrel also makes more efficient use of the powder in the pistol cartridge, pushing the bullets to higher velocities, which translated into more knockdown power and longer effective range.

In the April 2024 issue, our Houston Gun Tests team compared the Savage 1911 and a Ruger SR1911, with the Ruger earning a half-grade win over the more costly Savage. Because the Savage was a new release, and new releases often need some time before the bugs get worked out, we had our South Carolina test group working independently with a second Savage 1911. During test firing, the Savage in Houston had solid results as far as combat shooting and accuracy were concerned, and we saw no reliability problems. The second pistol’s reliability, however, was questionable. One tester in South Carolina, a frequent shooter with a great deal of practical shooting and gunsmith experience, felt that the Savage could have been a stellar pistol with a little more prep. While we recommend readers send problem-prone pistols back to the factory, we kept working with the second Savage to identify issues readers might encounter with their pistols. 

Thousands of shooters rely on a snubnose 38 Special pistol for carry, and many deploy a longer-barrel 38 Special for home defense or trail use. We recently received an e-mail concerning 38 Special ammunition. Reader Richard asked us to do a standard-pressure 38 Special ammunition test, noting that +P ammunition may not be suitable for older guns. This is true.

• Economy 9MM 1911S
• 357 Mag Lever Rifles
• 38 Special Loads
• A Buggy Savage 1911

• 9MM Pistol Match-Up
• Everyday Carry 357 Magnums
• Hunting Bolt Guns

Line ‘Em Up

Your publication is great! The best improvement that you have made over the years has been putting the comparison charts side-by-side. I have one additional suggestion. Why not also line up the feature lines. The reader should be able to check the weight, for example, of all the compared products from left to right in a straight line. It is a shame that just because of the size of the gun picture the lines can’t be lined up. — Ray

Polymer-frame striker-fired handguns are flexible in design and performance, so it is simple enough to design a pistol with different-length slides and frames. In the past, full-size service guns were usually downsized by shortening the slide, and often the slide and the frame, creating a compact pistol. Among the most famous compact designs is the Glock 19 9mm, shrunk in size from the Glock 17. Later, Glock introduced the Glock 19X and the similar Glock 45 9mm. These pistols feature a Glock 19 compact slide and full-size Glock 17 frame. The pistol is fast from leather and features a full-length magazine. Some were skeptical, but the 19X pistol has been proven in hard use.

Polymer-frame striker-fired handguns are flexible in design and performance, so it is simple enough to design a pistol with different-length slides and frames. In the past, full-size service guns were usually downsized by shortening the slide, and often the slide and the frame, creating a compact pistol. Among the most famous compact designs is the Glock 19 9mm, shrunk in size from the Glock 17. Later, Glock introduced the Glock 19X and the similar Glock 45 9mm. These pistols feature a Glock 19 compact slide and full-size Glock 17 frame. The pistol is fast from leather and features a full-length magazine. Some were skeptical, but the 19X pistol has been proven in hard use.

You would be hard pressed to find something more effective in a defensive situation than a 357 Magnum revolver. The cartridge provides more velocity and energy than the more popular 9mm Luger round. The 9mm and 357 Magnum both use similarly-sized bullets, but because the 357 Magnum case is longer, it can hold more powder, which translates to about 30 percent more velocity, and depending on the load, about 70 percent more energy. Certainly, the 357 is ballistically superior to the 9mm, but that magnum power comes at a cost, and that is recoil, as we found out in a recent test of 357 Magnums sized for everyday carry (EDC). We had four guns, three from Smith & Wesson and one from Rossi, the RP63 with a 3-inch barrel. The S&W contenders included the Model 360 PD 163064 with a 1.88-inch barrel and two Performance Center guns, a Model 19 Carry Comp 13323 with a 2.5-inch barrel and a Model 60 Pro Series 178013 with a 3-inch barrel. All of these revolvers are built on either a small- or medium-size frame, are chambered in 357 Magnum, have exposed hammers, have double-action and single-action triggers, and have abbreviated barrels ideal for concealed carry.

You would be hard pressed to find something more effective in a defensive situation than a 357 Magnum revolver. The cartridge provides more velocity and energy than the more popular 9mm Luger round. The 9mm and 357 Magnum both use similarly-sized bullets, but because the 357 Magnum case is longer, it can hold more powder, which translates to about 30 percent more velocity, and depending on the load, about 70 percent more energy. Certainly, the 357 is ballistically superior to the 9mm, but that magnum power comes at a cost, and that is recoil, as we found out in a recent test of 357 Magnums sized for everyday carry (EDC). We had four guns, three from Smith & Wesson and one from Rossi, the RP63 with a 3-inch barrel. The S&W contenders included the Model 360 PD 163064 with a 1.88-inch barrel and two Performance Center guns, a Model 19 Carry Comp 13323 with a 2.5-inch barrel and a Model 60 Pro Series 178013 with a 3-inch barrel. All of these revolvers are built on either a small- or medium-size frame, are chambered in 357 Magnum, have exposed hammers, have double-action and single-action triggers, and have abbreviated barrels ideal for concealed carry.

You would be hard pressed to find something more effective in a defensive situation than a 357 Magnum revolver. The cartridge provides more velocity and energy than the more popular 9mm Luger round. The 9mm and 357 Magnum both use similarly-sized bullets, but because the 357 Magnum case is longer, it can hold more powder, which translates to about 30 percent more velocity, and depending on the load, about 70 percent more energy. Certainly, the 357 is ballistically superior to the 9mm, but that magnum power comes at a cost, and that is recoil, as we found out in a recent test of 357 Magnums sized for everyday carry (EDC). We had four guns, three from Smith & Wesson and one from Rossi, the RP63 with a 3-inch barrel. The S&W contenders included the Model 360 PD 163064 with a 1.88-inch barrel and two Performance Center guns, a Model 19 Carry Comp 13323 with a 2.5-inch barrel and a Model 60 Pro Series 178013 with a 3-inch barrel. All of these revolvers are built on either a small- or medium-size frame, are chambered in 357 Magnum, have exposed hammers, have double-action and single-action triggers, and have abbreviated barrels ideal for concealed carry.

You would be hard pressed to find something more effective in a defensive situation than a 357 Magnum revolver. The cartridge provides more velocity and energy than the more popular 9mm Luger round. The 9mm and 357 Magnum both use similarly-sized bullets, but because the 357 Magnum case is longer, it can hold more powder, which translates to about 30 percent more velocity, and depending on the load, about 70 percent more energy. Certainly, the 357 is ballistically superior to the 9mm, but that magnum power comes at a cost, and that is recoil, as we found out in a recent test of 357 Magnums sized for everyday carry (EDC). We had four guns, three from Smith & Wesson and one from Rossi, the RP63 with a 3-inch barrel. The S&W contenders included the Model 360 PD 163064 with a 1.88-inch barrel and two Performance Center guns, a Model 19 Carry Comp 13323 with a 2.5-inch barrel and a Model 60 Pro Series 178013 with a 3-inch barrel. All of these revolvers are built on either a small- or medium-size frame, are chambered in 357 Magnum, have exposed hammers, have double-action and single-action triggers, and have abbreviated barrels ideal for concealed carry.