Firing Line: 04/06
March 2006
I was tickled pink when todays mail brought the March issue of GT, with the positive review of the Taurus Thunderbolt. Ive lusted for one in .357 Magnum since I first ran across it on the Taurus website, but hadnt seen a review of it and wondered whether it was any good. So your positive review was most welcome. I cant wait until my dealer can get one in.
Ray Shaw
Merriam, KS
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Re: Budget .45 Colt Cowboy Guns: Heritage Comes Up Shooting
February 2006
I am a very satisfied owner of a Cabela Millennium and a Taurus Gaucho, both in .45 LC, so I was surprise...
Firing Line: 03/06
February 2006
I just read your article comparing the Heritage Rough Rider to the Taurus Gaucho. I dont understand how the same ammo fired through the same length barrel can produce significant differences in velocity. Can you explain that?
I recently purchased a Gaucho with case-hardened finish, and I like it a lot. I find it shoots very close to point of aim (less than 1 inch high), though I did not use a sandbag rest as you did. The fit and finish is excellent, and the light trigger pull feels like my S&W 686. I think your Dont Buy rating was a bit harsh for a very nice cowboy gun. I would like to find a Rou...
Firing Line: 02/06
November 2005:
Todd, personally I think your choices are about as good as it gets under the circumstances. The 10/22s advantages are numerous and convincing. If you wanted a slight variation on the theme, I think you could say what one handgun and one long gun? One answer is exactly what you went with; another would be a .38 Special/.357 Magnum instead of 1911 .45 ACP could be a personal alternate choice. The other answer to the same question is a .22 LR handgun and something else, such as the 12 gauge, AR, Mini or whatever) for the long one.
Derek M.
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Can I take two? :) Springfield Armory TRP Operator w/light rail and Surefire...
Firing Line: 01/06
Re Waiting on Rita,
November 2005:
We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so the threat of a disaster - earthquake, terrorist, etc. - is fairly real. Your question probably will get different responses from different areas. My wife and I are quite proficient with our weapons. Our house guns are a Les Baer P-II 5-inch 1911 for me and a Glock M21 .45 for her, as well as a Mossberg shotgun tricked out with extra shells and a light.
Which to take with only one permitted? We would take the Glock .45 and 5,000 rounds of ammunition and at least six extra mags. Inside 75 yards a miscreant is in real trouble with either of us and the Glock. Plus, the Glock is easy to take down...
Firing Line: 11/05
Re Convertible .45 Revolvers: Ruger and Cimarron Face Off
May 2005:
As usual, your evaluation was thorough and informative. However, I believe your recommendation not to buy the Cimarron [shown adjacent] because the gun shot low with the .45 ACP loads did not serve your readers well. All guns, whether equipped with fixed or adjustable sights, will shoot low at some yardage. Most practical shooters learn how much to elevate the front sight over the rear sight to compensate for this. Some even place a dot or scribe a mark on the front sight to indicate where they need to hold for longer yardages.
Overall, you rated the Cimarron higher than the Ruger. I have owned and sho...
Firing Line: 10/05
September 2005:
If you havent done an article on the Auto-Ordnance M1 carbine, please consider it. Ive looked at CMP M1 Garands, and I just dont think thats what I want. Now, the Auto-Ordnance M1 carbine is around $600 MSRP, and Ive found one as low as $539. Thats only $39 more than the maximum I wanted to spend. If I could only get Gun Tests blessing, I would be very grateful, as I greatly respect and put my faith in your magazine.
Dan Davis
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Steyr Autoloaders
I am a long-time subscriber and continue to use Gun Tests as the tiebreaker in all my purchases. So far I have acquired...
Firing Line: 09/05
Re Full-Size Double-Action .45s: Taurus, Ruger Go Head To Head,
April 2005
I just got my first issue of Gun Tests and read it from cover to cover. Very enjoyable reading. I even checked out the website. Its nice to read an honest evaluation of the guns tested, but Ive noticed a strange twist in the comparisons. You like to compare apples to oranges. You test .45 ACP against .45 GAP or .40 SW, compacts against full-size target and other similar but not same types of weapons. Although I enjoy the info, I find it confusing. When Im buying a particular firearm, I figure out if I want an orange or an apple, and then compare it to other apples of the same size, type and...
Firing Line: 08/05
Re A Baer of a Decision: Monolith, Ultimate Master, Or Premier II,
January 2005:
I have owned a Les Baer Concept III for over a year, having won it in an NRA/ILA sweepstakes. Your article on the Les Bear Custom 1911s is accurate in every respect except one. You mentioned in your review of the Premier II that the Concept I and II include a smooth frontstrap. Mine, produced in 2003, has a 30-lpi frontstrap. The Les Baer website states that the Concept I and II have smooth frontstraps, but the rest of the Concept line has the checkered 30-lpi frontstrap. I have found this pistol to be totally reliable, with many upgrade options available. The Les Baer pistol is a quality pro...
Firing Line: 07/05
Re Budget Self-Defense Revolvers: Taurus, Rossi, and Comanche, November 2004:
I was very interested in the Taurus M605B, but I have a question. Where does it shoot relative to the point of aim? I have been disappointed by fixed-sight revolvers for their lack of accuracy because they do not shoot to the point of aim. Its impressive that such a modestly priced gun shoots 2.5-inch groups, but not so nice if they are off the point of aim by 3 or 4 inches at 15 yards. How difficult/expensive would it be for a gunsmith to fix this?
Stu Kupferman
Our Taurus generally shot to point of aim elevation at 15 yards; there were some left and right...
Firing Line: 06/05
I Would Like To See…
I am a long-time subscriber of your magazine and always appreciate your no-compromise reviews. I would like to see a Gun Tests comparison of new bargain-priced bolt rifles. I would suggest a shoot-out including the new Mossberg ATR 100 Series, the new Stevens Model 200 bolt gun from Savage, and the Remington 710. You might also include the Savage 11FXP3 package. Most all of these can be purchasedfor under $400, with scopes.
I would also hope to see an ammo test, focused on the best loads for 2-inch-barrel snubbies. I have always kept my S&W 442 loaded with the 125-grain Federal Nyclad load, which for years has been referred to as the Chiefs Special loa...
Firing Line: 05/05
Other Solutions
Re Getting Bores Clean: Copper Solvents Require Elbow Grease, February 2005:
I know that it is impossible for you to test every product on the market, but I do wish you had included two of what I consider to be well-known brands in your evaluation of copper solvents. One is Hoppes Bench Rest 9, and the other is Butchs Bore Shine. Both of these products are sold by Brownells. You even made reference to Hoppes No. 9 in your article (without regard to whether it was the old No. 9 Nitro-Solvent or the newer Bench Rest 9 Copper Solvent), but you did not give any evaluation of the Hoppes product. I have used both of the Hoppes products for many years a...
Firing Line: 04/05
What Happened to Lower Cost?
As a pioneer subscriber to Gun Tests, I have always enjoyed the diversity of articles. The last few years, I have noticed a trend toward what I call the high buck handgun - a gun that does not always equate price to value.
Remember a number of years ago when you rated the Norinco as a better bargain, with a bit of gunsmithing, when compared to many of the high-buck 1911s on the market? Why not a review on the Rock Island $300 1911? Could that be a bargain?
These hold the budget articles, I believe, would even be of interest to those who wanted a reliable second plinker.
Also, what ever happened to the Kel-Tec 223 article that was listed...
