Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Guns & Ammo

A rare and desirable Elgin Cutlass pistol at the October 22, 2019, Morphy Auctions sale realized a very respectable $12,000 including buyer’s premium. The Bowie blade of this scare U.S. martial sidearm was manufactured by A.P. Ames of Springfield, Massachusetts, and the pistol itself by C.B. Allen, also of Springfield. It is dated 1837 and is one of only 150 that were issued, specifically for the Wilkes South Sea Exploring Expedition of 1838 to 1842. This example is serial number 147. The barrel and blade exhibit a brown finish over minor pitting. The one-piece walnut grip has a small split at the butt, but in general condition is quite good for this type of arm. All-in-all, it is a fine example of a sought-after U.S. martial pistol. For more information…

AS TEMPERATURES DROP, I begin to reevaluate my concealed-carry options. If I can properly hide the gun and holster, I prefer to fill my hand with a larger platform and increased capacity that is quick to access. The fastest concealed carry style for me to draw from is the appendix-inside-the-waistband (AIWB) position using a Level 1 holster that features friction-fit retention. (For AIWB holsters, I prefer a pistol featuring a manual safety.) Next, my fastest draws are a tossup between using a crossdraw holster and those worn over the hip and outside-the-waistband (OWB). When considering an OWB holster worn over or behind my hip, I can appreciate the security of a Level 2. There are various ways to achieve Level 2, including push buttons activated by the trigger finger and…

SUBSONIC AMMUNITION is not a new thing, but the rise of the .300 Blackout and firearms chambered for it have brought subsonic ammunition, firearms and suppressors into the limelight. The military has been using subsonic ammunition for some time to provide stealth in engagements and to improve close quarters battle (CQB) communication. There has been purpose-built subsonic ammunition in existence for a long time, but only in recent years has it been a design criterion for the masses. Many of the old blackpowder pistol cartridges and the original 40-grain loading of the .22 Long were subsonic. Of course, the original 230-grain loading of the .45 ACP was subsonic. There were guns specifically designed and fielded by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and British Special Air Service (SAS) for…

AS A YOUNG MAN, I met disappoint after watching the 1978 war drama “The Deer Hunter,” starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage. I enthusiastically picked up a copy on VHS after mining through a discount bin of used video tapes. I flipped over the box to read the summary and was impressed by the picture of De Niro carrying a Remington 700 BDL — a left-hand model mind you. Filled with intrigue, I thought I had spent my hard-earned dollars on an Academy Award-winning film about an epic whitetail adventure. Oh, how wrong was I. I’m often distracted from the tried-and-true while testing new introductions such as rifles chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 PRC, but I’ve found my way back to the .308 Winchester. It’s a…

There is no more iconic American blade than the legendary Bowie knife. Hollywood has made generous use of this spectacular sidearm, and none is more revered than the version made by Arthur Rhodes and used by Alan Ladd in the 1952 Bowie biopic, “The Iron Mistress.” Like many featured firearms, swords and knives, rubber copies were made and used when the real article would not be appropriate from handling or safety standpoints. Seen here is just such a clone. Even fairly close up, it is difficult to tell it from the real article. The Rhodes Bowie was also used in other films including “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier” (1955), “The Last Command” (1955) and “The Alamo” (1960). Courtesy of Joe Musso and the National Firearms Museum, Fairfax, Virginia.…

I’M A BIT PARTIAL to Streamlight products. I’ve used a 300-lumen TLR-1 ($250) on my duty gun for well over a decade. There’s no shortage of quality gun lights on the market these days, but the TLR-1 has never let me down. Not only is my TLR-1 reliable, its toggle-activation switch is tough to beat and it’s easy to take off or attach. The classic TLR-1 is a relatively big light. It’s well suited for a full-sized, openly worn pistol, but for those needing a more compact rail-mounted light, the new TLR-7A is a sensible alternative with two switch options. It’s robust with an anodized machined aluminum housing. Overall, it stands 1.27 inches tall and is 2.58 inches long. It weighs mere 2.4 ounces, which includes the supplied CR123A battery.…

WAITING PERIODS were among the first efforts toward gun control since the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The waiting period concept was intended to give law enforcement time to ensure that a potential gun buyer wasn’t prohibited from owning a firearm and to give hot-headed individuals a few days to cool off. Congress passed the Brady Act, a five-day waiting period on handguns, effective in 1994 and several states followed with laws of their own. Though the Brady Act lapsed with the creation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) in 1998, many state-level restrictions remain on the books. But do they work? A group of researchers studied this topic and published their findings on March 22, 2018, in “The Economic Journal,” a peer-reviewed scientific…

WORLD WAR I LUGER Q: This Luger has been in the family since a great uncle brought it back from Europe in 1945. The numbers match as seen in the pictures. It was produced in 1918. The holster has a date of 1942 and a Wehrmacht army stamp on the back. Unfortunately, in New York City during the 1960s, when registration first started, the firearm was taken to a police station where, as you can see, they etched “NYC” and the registration number into the side. My questions are: What is the value of the pistol and holster and how badly did the etching hurt it? I know trying to get it removed would hurt it even more. Now that I’ve moved, I’ve been able to shoot it and was…

RECENTLY I WAS TALKING to Guns & Ammo Editor-in-Chief Eric Poole, and our conversation turned to the writers and pistoleros of yesteryear. We both consider ourselves history buffs when it comes to firearms, so this line of discussion is common. Poole mentioned that he was re-reading Bill Jordan’s “No Second Place Winner,” and recalled that Jordan had some very specific ideas when it came to holster design and positioning. While some of the Jordan’s musings are somewhat dated (and fodder for another article), his thoughts on holster position remain relevant, even today. As the conversation turned from yesteryear to today, Poole said, “I think you have your next column here.” Indeed. In fact, this article is not going to make me any friends, especially amongst those in my chosen profession…

A SINGLE CALF CALL brought elk pouring off the ridge above. Several were bulls, but the forest was thick making it difficult to identify the best one. I could only see pieces of elk between tree trunks and branches. It was the heat of the rut, and a collision of herd bulls and lonely satellite bulls fired off a ruckus. It was music to an elk-addict’s soul. Bugles rasped the morning air, some so close and deep they reverberated in my chest. A heavy antlered 5x5 paused right in front of me, a front leg lifted in suspense. A younger bull plunged his muzzle into a pool of water nearby and drank. Still, there were bulls I hadn’t seen, and I figured at least one would be a 6x6. I…