Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2022 i Handguns

Numbers Are Hard Great article on the three-inch Python in the August/ September Handguns. Two mistakes, though. Current options include a 4.25-inch barrel, not 4.5 inches. Also, the first production Pythons left the factory in 1955 not 1995. I have a 1975 six inch, my first; a 1970 four inch; a 1960 six inch; and a 1983 six inch—all in royal blue finish. They are the best-shooting guns ever. ROY WILLIAMS Sorry for the errors, Mr. Williams. And let me just say for the record how incredibly jealous I am of your Python collection!—Scott Expects Better The “Legal Eagles” article in the August/September issue was very thought-provoking. However it could have been far more informative had other insurers besides U.S. Law Shield been reviewed. It almost appeared there was an…

AS CONCEALED CARRY HAS GROWN MORE popular in the United States, the market for carry holsters has grown more competitive. With so many holster brands from which to choose, it can be difficult to decide which carry holster is right for you, but one name that is consistently mentioned among the top holster manufacturers in the country is CrossBreed. Its newest holster system, the Rogue, is designed to offer a wide range of carry options and even includes a detachable magazine carrier. Satisfying the tastes of a broad range of shooters presents its own challenges, though. Past attempts by other holster manufacturers to create a system that meets the needs of every shooter have resulted in needlessly complicated, bulky holster designs. So, has CrossBreed’s bid to satisfy the full range…

Over the past 20 years, Nighthawk Custom and its handguns have built a reputation for excellence. The company’s wide variety of carefully crafted models span the traditional to the ultra-modern. Its creations range from competition-focused, race-ready designs to guns built for daily carry. And while Nighthawk Custom’s catalog certainly has specific models from which to choose, the customer isn’t constrained by them. A true custom handgun manufacturer, Nighthawk Custom will build just about anything the customer desires. Using one of the standard models as a jumping-off point, features can be mixed and matched, creating unique and highly practical handguns for the end-user. The Tactical Ready Series (TRS) Comp I recently tested is just such a handgun. The TRS Comp was the first Nighthawk Custom handgun specifically designed around the 2011-style…

Your hands are the interface between you and your pistol. The grip you establish and maintain largely determines how fast and accurately you can shoot. When firing a single shot, just about any grip will do, but when the goal is to hit the target multiple times in rapid succession, grip becomes critical. The defensive hand-gunner must master the elements of a proper grip, including hand placement, gun alignment, wrist cant, grip pressure and arm extension. When you pick up a pistol, grip as high along the backstrap as possible. The force of recoil will be directed opposite the muzzle, so the closer you grip to the bore line the better able your body will absorb recoil rather than allow recoil to cause the pistol’s grip to rotate in your…

THE FOUR BASIC GUN SAFETY RULES RULE 1: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED IN THE APPROPRIATE ISSUES, WE PUBlish a rundown of new episodes of “Handguns & Defensive Weapons” premiering on Sportsman Channel. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to get this channel. If you can’t and if you’re interested in this content, there is a solution: the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. And for a limited time, you can access a free trial available to Handguns readers. MOTC is a resource like no other, a curated treasure trove of firearms- and outdoor-oriented television shows and videos. For example, MOTV offers eight seasons—102 episodes—of “Handguns & Defensive Weapons” alone. The show is hosted by our defense editor Rich Nance, as well as Kourtney Fleming and myself. The show focuses primarily on personal protection…

RULE 3 KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON TARGET I HAVE OWNED THE COLT OFFICIAL Police, Python and New Service revolvers. I always wanted a Colt 357, however, and the stars never aligned properly—until recently, when I obtained a decent six-inch-barrel version. It was all it could be, but I really like guns that I may carry under a light jacket. I finally found a four-inch barrel Colt 357 at a fair price at Ocala Armory, Ocala, Florida. While there was no box, this 357 is very nice and appears to have been fired little. In fact, there was packing grease in the action. Had it been there since 1959? I cannot say for certain. What is the 357? It is a medium-frame double-action revolver…

YOU PROBABLY LEARNED TO SHOOT from a standing position. Since most people are comfortable standing, this position enables the shooter to focus on shooting, as opposed to settling into a kneeling, seated, prone or supine position. Standing is your best bet in many scenarios because it affords you freedom of movement. However, there are times when shooting from a different position would be beneficial to maximize available cover, make yourself a smaller target, fire more accurately, or fight your way back to your feet if you’ve been knocked down or have fallen. Keep in mind, the lower the position, the greater stability and less mobility you have. One position that strikes a good balance in that regard is often referred to as high kneeling. To achieve a high kneeling position,…

Bill Wilson is well-known in firearms circles as one of the premier builders of custom 1911 handguns, but have you ever wondered what pistol Wilson selects as his everyday carry pistol? The answer is the new SFX9, and it’s easy to understand why this feature-loaded firearm is the top choice for one of America’s top handgun designers. As the name suggests, the SFX9 is chambered in 9mm Luger. It features Wilson’s Solid Frame full-size aluminum grip/frame design, which is machined from solid T6-7075 aluminum. The design is more durable than competing two-piece grip/frame designs, and it’s also considerably lighter than steel-frame pistols. For example, the SFX9 four-inch pistol I tested (3.25-inch and five-inch versions are also available) has an unloaded weight of 29.3 ounces, much lighter than alloy-steel Commander 9mm…

I ENJOY WRITING ABOUT FIREARMS, BUT it can be a challenge to write enthusiastically about guns that are so similar in design to other firearms that their parts are practically interchangeable. The cure for the fifth-striker-fired-gun-in-a-row blues is the Magnum Research BFR, which is unlike just about anything in the handgun market. The BFR is a single-action revolver crafted from stainless steel. This American-manufactured revolver is charming, in the same way a vintage H1 Hummer or the 72-ounce Big Texan steak is charming. Everything about the BFR is outsized, and it will certainly overshadow any other firearm your buddies bring to a barbecue show-and-tell. My interest in BFR handguns grew out of my passion for hunting whitetails with a handgun. There aren’t a lot of companies selling high-quality single-action wheelguns…

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire has been with us for more than half a century. Relatively popular in rifles, it’s also been a favorite option for rimfire revolvers. Semiautos? Not so much. Today, other than KelTec’s PMR 30 and Rock Island Armory’s XT 22 Magnum series, there are...well, that’s pretty much it. Until now, with Walther’s introduction of the WMP or Walther Magnum Pistol. Why are there so few? Mostly because it’s hard to get this cartridge to function reliably in a semiautomatic pistol. Jens Krogh, vice president of marketing and product development at Walther, said he believes the company has cracked that code. Magazine design was one of the hurdles, but it wasn’t the biggest. “The hardest part was figuring out the entire barrel and how it locks up,”…

Taurus developed its first revolver in the 1940s, so it has been in the game for a long, long time. And while the company’s reputation for building reliable guns hasn’t always been stellar in the past, its recent products have proven to be solid handguns you can count on. We’ve been using Taurus semiautos and wheelguns on our “Handguns & Defensive Weapons” TV show for several seasons and have had zero problems with any of them, and I’ve had the same experience with Taurus guns I’ve reviewed for this magazine. So it’s fitting that the firm has decided now is the time to take a step forward, as evidenced by the announcement of the new Executive Grade 856. The guns are made in Brazil, and they’re built in a separate…

FIRST CAME THE SPRINGFIELD ARMORY Hellcat, a micro-compact that offered an 11+1 capacity with its flush-fit magazine along with an extended magazine offering 13 rounds. Springfield was quick to follow up with an even bigger mag, an extended 15-rounder. Now comes the Hellcat Pro, which provides a 15+1 capacity with the standard magazine. To go along with that increase in firepower is a gain in barrel length: 3.7 inches for the Pro compared to the three inches of the original. That boosts the weight to 21 ounces, which is three ounces heavier than the standard Hellcat. The hammer-forged barrel, like the slide, is finished in Melonite for resistance to wear and corrosion. The slide is machined from a steel billet, and it has shallow vertical slide serrations front and back.…

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE A RIMFIRE THAT offers style and precision, my choice is the discontinued Kimber Rimfire Super, formerly made in its custom shop. For shooters who like the feel of their prized tricked-out 1911 but without the weight, this Kimber is great for practice because it fits the same holster and has high-end features—right down to its adjustable trigger. The slide and frame are made from aircraft aluminum, and the latter is finished to a soft satin aluminum-color finish. The slide’s finish is anodized black, making for a handsome contrast. The five-inch barrel is machined to be within a tight tolerance of the match-grade barrel bushing, as evidenced by the slightly larger diameter at the muzzle end. The slide has serrations front and rear, and the the top…