Viewpoints

An the opinion of many experienced shooters, the 45 Auto is the caliber of choice in self-defensive pistols. However, most of these guns, like the classic 1911 Colt, are big and heavy. Therefore, they often get left behind for a lighter piece, which generally is of lower power. If you still want the power of a 45, why not go to a smaller and lighter gun?

We found three such pistols for this test, and gave them a wring-out. They were a Colt CCO, no longer in the Colt stable but available on the used or new-old-service market for about $1250, depending on condition; the recently introduced SIG Sauer 1911 C3 No. 19GS0031, $1143; and a new PM45-series pistol from Kahr, the PM4543, $855. The Kahr was not quite the same setup but clearly had the same intent as the other two, to deliver big power in a smaller, lighter package.

Both the SIG and Colt had aluminum frames, and they featured the old Colt Officer's Model handle with the Commander-length slide. Most of our test group believes this is the ideal setup for a 1911-type 45 auto, but those with large, wide hands might prefer a gun like the lightweight Commander, which has a bigger grip. The Kahr had its usual ergonomically designed polymer grip with stainless slide, and of course was DAO. We tested with three types of ammunition, Federal 185-grain Hi-Shok JHP, Federal 230-grain ball, and with Cor-Bon 185-grain JHP. We also tried a few groups with Federal Gold-Medal Match, 185-grain TC bullets. Here's what we found.

The ammunition we choose varies largely with the type of firearm being tested. We would not expect a 22 target rifle to perform its best with inexpensive ammunition, yet very often they surprise us. And we sometimes get the worst performance with the 'best' ammo. We try to choose the types of ammunition the average user might grab and take to the range. We always try to use at least one 'premium' brand to give the gun a chance to shine. It’s nice to know you have some good guns and can outshoot all of us and all of our guns. But 1-inch groups with iron sights at 50 yards are not really bad. For example, the test 69A fired a 0.33-inch group, five shots at 50 yards, a few years ago with RWS Rifle Match. We cannot test our guns with all the available ammunition, or we’d never get to press.

Adam Winkler, Professor at UCLA School of Law, posted a sobering summary of the effect of Heller on recent lower-court rulings: In June, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on the Second Amendment right to bear arms, D.C. v. Heller. For over 70 years, the federal courts had read that amendment to protect only a state's right to organize militias, like the National Guard. In a long-awaited victory for the gun rights movement, the Court reversed course and held that the Second Amendment protected an individual's right to own guns for personal self-defense.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two days before the 2009 SHOT Show is to open, a major urban newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, took the side of self-defense by gun owners in an editorial.

By John R. Lott, Jr.Despite a huge Democratic Senate majority, Eric Holder's confirmation hearings are going to be difficult. He has a long record to defend. Whether it is his involvement and inconsistent statements about Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich or his pushing Clinton's clemency of the FALN terrorists or his failure to disclose his work for troubled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after Blagojevich's legal problems surfaced, he faces tough questions.

By a large majority, hunters and shooters feel that the coming changes in Washington D.C. will make it more difficult for them to purchase firearms, according to a recent poll.

The NRA is expected to drop the City and County of San Francisco as a named party in the lawsuit, and there are reports of a settlement with the Housing Authority itself that may moot out the suit.

A federal appeals court panel has ruled that a defamation case brought by gun store owners against New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg should proceed in Georgia's Cobb County Superior Court, not federal court.

For the November 2008 'Downrange,' I wrote that I was in '… a grim mood, because I believe I have seen the future, and the future has shown me that Barack Hussein Obama will become the 44th president of the United States.' Alas, that has come to pass. And at least one Gun Tests reader thought it was my fault. In an email addressed to my alter ego, Tim Woddard, former Gun Tests reader Paul Peterson of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, wrote: 'I personally was appalled at the defeatist attitude you took in this month’s [November 2008] editorial. This election is too important for all gun owners to have a gun publication roll over and give the election to the Senator from Illinois.… [Y]ou are the ONLY publication who is doing anything other than urging their readers to vote AGAINST the Senator from Illinois.… After reading your editorial, I can no longer subscribe to your magazine in good conscience. Please cancel my subscription.'

Your experience of having the Taurus gun 'lock up' or 'freeze' sounded very familiar. My Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag did the very same thing after I fired about 20 rounds and the firearm became warm. It was completely locked up. Two days later, cold to the touch again, it functioned properly. So far, Taurus has not responded to my letter asking for advice. Needless to say, our mutual experiences with this company’s products suggest strongly they are not reliable and could get you killed in an armed confrontation.

Your experience of having the Taurus gun 'lock up' or 'freeze' sounded very familiar. My Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag did the very same thing after I fired about 20 rounds and the firearm became warm. It was completely locked up. Two days later, cold to the touch again, it functioned properly. So far, Taurus has not responded to my letter asking for advice. Needless to say, our mutual experiences with this company’s products suggest strongly they are not reliable and could get you killed in an armed confrontation.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today filed suit in federal court asking that the court strike down a last-minute Bush Administration rule change allowing concealed, loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and seeks an injunction to block the rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on January 9, 2009.