Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2023 i Combat Handguns

With millions of Americans buying their first gun in recent years, it only makes sense to introduce a new line of self-defense ammunition to feed them. Cartridges of this nature must feed reliably, hit their intended target and, above all, stop in relatively short order. In other words, these rounds are built to do one thing and one thing only—save your life from an attacker. The idea of making purpose-built gun grub isn’t anything new to the 150-year-old company, Winchester. To this day, the company still excels at every venture to craft a new product line for a specific market. Its latest endeavor is the Silvertip Defense line, and I had the opportunity to try some at the 2021 Athlon Rendezvous event in Victor, Idaho. At the event, the reps…

You might recall a few installments ago when we featured thigh holsters and a 5.11 Plate Carrier. One thing I didn’t cover that issue was ballistic plates. So recently I reached out to BulletSafe’s Kevin Reese. You may recognize his name as a renowned gun writer, and the former Marine was kind enough to put an order in for BulletSafe’s Level IV Standalone Ballistic Plates. The plate offers 120 square inches of protection, which is enough to cover the heart, lungs and liver. Made in the U.S., BulletSafe’s plates are capable of stopping a .30-06 armor-piercing round! But here’s the best part; each plate weighs a mere 7.5 pounds. That’s right, my 5.11 Plate Carrier with the two plates, front and back, installed only adds 15 pounds to my load.…

Most of you will be surprised to learn that between periods when the Colt (1873) Single Action Army (SAA) was withdrawn from service and the Colt 1911 auto-loading pistol went into service a number of other six-guns were issued by the U.S. military, some of which overlapped one another. The original SAA was a big handgun with a 7.5-inch barrel in .45 Colt. It was the first general-issue handgun firing self-contained metallic cartridges following the Civil War and was a mainstay of the Army during the era’s Indian Wars. An alternate issue was the Smith & Wesson Schofield, which fired a shorter .45-caliber round that was later adopted as standard because it fit both handguns. As the frontier came to a close, the military sought a more modern, smaller-caliber replacement…

Modern-day firearm owners have become very savvy about changing parts and making modifications to their guns. Gone are the days of a shop light and a Dremel with little more than a general idea of what they were going to do. Much of this advancement in firearms civilization is due to the growing presence of serious gun-working tools. Leading that evolution is an innovative company based in Minnesota. While the term innovative is undeservedly tossed around in our industry, Real Avid is absolutely worthy of the title. They have been developing game-changing tools and gear since 2008. From self-contained bore snakes to complete AR-15 assembly kits, they make something for every platform. It is because of this reputation that I did a double take when word came down that a…

When FN created the newest generation of Five-seveN pistol, they didn’t just add an optic cut to the slide and call it good like many companies have a tendency of doing today. Instead, they took an iconic pistol and decided to give it a complete makeover. I am sure most of you already know what the FN Five-seveN is but I think it is important to give a little history so we can all appreciate this new model. FN answered the call from NATO who was requesting a replacement for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge and associated pistols and submachine guns. NATO was looking for a shoulder-fired gun and a handheld gun, both chambered in a new cartridge. These new firearms were meant to be personal-defense weapons used in a last-ditch…

If I was to ask you what the most popular single-action combat pistol was, I do not doubt that many of you would instantly respond, “The 1911!” Well, at the risk of starting an all-out war with some of our readers, I must disagree. While the 1911 pistol was indeed a revolutionary, innovative and excellent design, it was still a bullet-launching machine, and anything mechanical can be improved upon. So, my vote for the best single-action combat pistol goes to the Browning Hi-Power. BIRTH OF A LEGEND In 1921, the Belgian firm of Fabrique Nationale (FN) had John Moses Browning design a 9mm pistol for French army trials. Within short order, he presented them with a pair of functioning models. One was blowback operated while the second had the…

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY introduced their Garrison line of 1911s in late 2021, providing shooters with a domestically made gun at an affordable price. But don’t confuse affordable with cheap. All its major components are machined from forgings and assembled with old-world craftsmanship, and the new 1911s provide users with a quality gun that possesses the essentials needed for uncompromised defense and match use. The Garrison has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and while some might call it a “no frills” gun, I am hesitant to use that term. Even though it might not have night sights or ambidextrous safety or checkering on the frontstrap, there is nothing budget about it. Indeed, I noted when I evaluated the first stainless steel Garrison in November of 2021 that it possessed everything…

There is a war waging on the streets—one where the stakes are high and likely higher than they’ve been before. Forces are fighting for dominance, and we gun enthusiasts are square in the middle of it. This battle is for the right to be declared the king of the carry pistol. And Sig has just dealt another devastating blow to its opponents. Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but there’s a lot of truth to it. You know it just as well as I do. Seems like the past five years have been a show of one-upmanship by manufacturers throwing up their version(s) of a compact or micro-compact pistol that will be the end game for carry. Sig Sauer lit things up with the P365 some four years ago. This pistol…

CLASH OF THE CLASSICS LUGER P08 VS. STEYR M1912 LUGER P08 CALIBER 9x19 Luger/Parabellum BARREL 4 inches OA LENGTH 8.5 inches WEIGHT 30.4 ounces (empty) GRIP Wood SIGHTS Iron ACTION Single action FINISH Blued CAPACITY 8 rounds STEYR M1912 CALIBER 9x23 Steyr BARREL 5 inches OA LENGTH 8.5 inches WEIGHT 36.8 ounces (empty) GRIP Wood SIGHTS Iron ACTION Single action FINISH Blued CAPACITY 8 rounds Like many other enthusiasts of military history, I enjoy comparing various aspects of fighting forces of the past. It’s especially interesting to examine the firearms used during these historic conflicts and pit them against each other on the range to see how my experience firing them today compares or contrasts with accounts from the past. The sheer variety of sidearms used in World War I…

I’ve been a big fan of Springfield Armory’s Hellcat since it was introduced in 2019. It is a great gun that possesses plenty of capacity, tremendous accuracy and the ability to mount a micro red-dot all in a micro-compact platform. And, while it may not be the most inexpensive polymer, striker-fired micro-gun on the market, its price won’t bust your budget either. Not surprisingly, the Hellcat has become a big hit with concealed carriers everywhere, and its success inspired the slightly bigger Hellcat Pro with a longer slide, barrel, grip and larger capacity. For the past three years, I’ve been collecting parts and after-market accessories for the Hellcat and, at some point in the near future, will compose a comprehensive mini buyers guide. Of course, that will include holsters too.…

The 80s were one hell of a ride, and that’s only if you remember any of it. Lots of things came into fashion but eventually faded away, most for good. I doubt anybody misses their pet rock or teasing that mop on their head for hours every morning. However, some of it was worth a second look and, as such, created a fire-like resurgence. No, I’m not talking about leg warmers; I’m talking about 10mm Auto, AKA the best millimeter. The round came from a joint project between FFV Norma and Col. Jeff Cooper, intending to pull .357 Magnum energy from a semi-auto handgun. The cartridge delivered its promise in spades; however, it suffered from poor firearms availability and eventually faded to the brink of obsolescence. Part of this was due…