Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2025 i Handguns

Bodyguard 2.0 Loader Your article in the February/March issue on the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 encouraged me to get one. I love the gun, but there is one important thing you left out: This .380 would be a lot easier to load if you can find a mag loader for it. LOUIS ORTH Mr. Orth: I’ve been using an UpLula universal pistol magazine loader (UP60), and while it says it’s for 9mm to .45 ACP, it works fine on the shorter .380. If you can’t find one at your local gunshop, most big retailers like Midway USA, Brownells, etc. carry its products, according to the Maglula website.—Scott March of the Oddballs For the .22 Jet, Remington necked down the .357 to use .222/.223 diameter bullets, and the Smith & Wesson Model…

ONE OF THE MORE INTRIGUING GUNS TO come down the pike in a while is the new Taurus 22 TUC. It’s a double-action-only .22 semiautomatic tip-up with a 2.5-inch stainless steel barrel. With its diminutive dimensions—five-inch overall length, 4.35-inch height, one-inch width and 10-ounce weight—it’s easily concealed and could serve dual roles as a primary or backup carry gun. Available in black or stainless, the pistol is notable not only for its design but also its unexpectedly hand-filling grip. Thanks to the finger hook on the nine-round magazine, I can get all three fingers on the gun. The frontstrap has a subtle finger groove, the sides of the grip are textured, and the back of the grip has a generous beavertail. Controls could not be simpler. There’s a button mag…

LIKE MOST SHOOTERS, I HAVE A potpourri of pistol cleaning kits and cleaning accessories scattered on the shelf in my gun room. However, the introduction of Otis’s Elite Pistol Kit eliminates the need for multiple cleaning kits by offering everything you need to properly clean handguns from .22 to .45 caliber in one convenient, simple-to-transport zippered case. Inside that case you’ll find a complete set of cleaning tools for every firearm—including a Professional Cleaning Kit in a nylon zippered case. The compact Professional Cleaning Kit offers everything you need for on-the-go cleaning of handguns from .22 to .45 caliber including two- and three-inch gun cleaning patches, directions and two pull-through Memory-Flex cables (eight and 12 inches) with threaded ends to accommodate a variety of cleaning tools. Those tools include brass…

It’s hard to compete in the crowded micro-compact 9mm pistol market. It helps when you’re Heckler & Koch, aka HK. The new CC9 is the smallest double-stack pistol the company has developed. It’s also the first HK pistol designed and manufactured in the U.S. specifically for the U.S. concealed-carry market. Only the German-made barrel is imported. With the CC9, it’s clear HK wasn’t just dabbling in the micro-compact 9mm space but rather aiming to establish itself as a major player in the category. Years in development, the CC9 was extensively tested—freezing and heating the gun, and drop testing it. In addition, designers ran it through high-speed photography to ensure all the moving parts functioned exactly like they should in order to provide proper cycling and barrel lockup. Highly concealable, the…

Since its formation in 2004, Nighthawk Custom has manufactured some of the finest 1911 pistols in the world. At Nighthawk Custom, “One gun, one gunsmith” is more than a slogan. It’s a commitment to quality. Every component of a Nighthawk Custom 1911 is fully machined from bar-stock billet steel. Parts are made oversize to allow for hand fitting by a gunsmith using files and sanding sticks. All 46 parts are fitted to a particular Nighthawk Custom 1911 to create a highly functional work of art. All Nighthawk Custom pistols are test fired before they leave the Berryville, Arkansas, facility. If the pistol doesn’t meet the company’s stringent standards, it doesn’t leave the shop. Pride in craftsmanship and accountability at Nighthawk Custom is exemplified by the gunsmith’s initials being stamped under…

“GAMING IT” IS WHAT I CALL IT WHEN A competitive shooter takes every advantage made available based on one’s division. He or she may chamber custom loads, work with lighter connectors, French-fry-crisp aftermarket triggers, a ported slide cut and engraving at the cost of hundreds. There’s nothing wrong with it—not in the least—but it’s not why I show up at matches. Working to climb a leaderboard, striving to outshoot those lined up on one’s left and right, is a great way to hone’s one skills, and it’s the perfect motivation for many hand-gunners. Divisions such as Production in U.S. Practical Shooting Association and Steel Challenge; Stock Service Pistol in International Defensive Pistol Association; and MOS in the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation allow for match attendees to compete using the same…

TISAS USA 45 RAIDER SPECIAL FEATURE This Government 1911 .45 sports a hammer-forged frame with a Picatinny rail for lights and lasers. The five-inch barrel is hard-chrome stainless steel, as are the bushing and recoil spring. Sights include a Novak front and a rear set in a Glock dovetail, and the slide is cut on the 507K/RMSc footprint. The gun has a skeletonized hammer and a titanium firing pin. Comes with two eight-round magazines. {$750, TISASUSA.COM} TAURUS 58 The new 58 is a double-action/single-action semiauto chambered to .380 ACP with a 15-round capacity. The gun has a four-inch stainless steel barrel, and weight is just shy of 30 ounces thanks to its aluminum frame. It’s available in black or stainless finish. The front sight is fixed while the rear sight…

IF YOU SIMPLY CAN’T GET ENOUGH GUNS and shooting, the My Outdoor TV (MOTV) app is a resource like no other, a curated treasure trove of firearms- and outdoor-oriented television shows and videos. For example, MOTV offers nine seasons—102 episodes—of “Handguns” (formerly “Handguns & Defensive Weapons”) alone. The show focuses primarily on personal protection and includes plenty of recreational shooting activities such as plinking and action-shooting competitions. It features reviews of the latest firearms, ammunition and shooting accessories, as well as advice on marksmanship, gun handling, self-defense techniques and a host of other handgun-related topics. But wait, there’s more! There are 10-plus seasons of the popular “Guns & Ammo” television shows, encompassing more than 200 episodes available on the app. You can also check out past episodes of shows like…

As a gun writer I can’t count how many times I’ve described new 1911 pistols as “modern.” What that really means is that this century-old design has added features like optic-cut slides and double-stack magazines, making it competitive against the field of newer pistols. But the Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1 is something entirely different. It doesn’t keep pace with modern guns. It’s a 9mm 1911 with an eye toward the future of firearms design. Bill Wilson has always been an innovator in the field of 1911s, but the Division 77 guns—so named for the year he began making 1911s—prove that Wilson Combat is not constrained to traditional John Browning features. In fact, while this gun does remain a 1911 at heart, almost every detail found on the original…

WALTHER CONTINUES TO BUILD OUT ITS PDP line with a new F-Series pistol, the Pro 3.5. If you’re not familiar with the F-Series, the “F” stands for female, as this gun’s grip, trigger reach and slide are designed to be easier for women to shoot. But let me tell you, this is a gun that’s going to be just the ticket for more than only women. For starters, the F-Series has a smaller grip circumference than the standard PDP. Small and medium interchangeable backstraps come with the gun, and they’re easy to change by driving out a roll pin in the grip. Trigger reach is something we don’t talk about much and is rarely addressed by manufacturers, but the fact is it matters. The trigger on the F-Series has…

ALTHOUGH I AM A FAN OF THE 1911 AND something of a student, having written three books on this pistol, most of them I run across are not terribly interesting. However, the handgun illustrated here is one that I hold with a deep reverence because it is one of the legendary firearms build by Springfield Armory gunsmiths, back when Springfield Armory was still a government facility. The most noticeable thing about this pistol is its Drake slide. The Drake Manufacturing Co. produced a run of slides for 1964 National Match pistols, and these slides were built to withstand constant practice and heavy competition schedules. The triangle-marked rear sight is a fully adjustable unit similar to the Bomar. The front sight is interesting. This one appears hand cut, as many National…

TO THE NEW DEFENSIVE HANDGUNNER, the idea of striking an attacker with their gun may seem odd. Why would you let an attacker get close enough to strike with your gun? Why not just shoot him from several yards away? The simple answer is that it may not be up to you. Don’t forget: The bad guy has a say in the fight, too. Inattention or distraction may enable an attacker to close in undetected. If he presents an imminent deadly threat, shooting him would be appropriate. But what if you pressed the trigger and heard only a click instead of the anticipated bang? Fortunately, in close quarters, a malfunctioned or empty handgun makes a great bludgeon. Some worry that striking an attacker with their gun may damage it. Not…

I’m going to write about the Walther PP without mentioning James Bond. Well, fine, but I’m not going to mention him again. The point is that, thanks to popular culture, many Americans are familiar with the Walther PPK. Fewer among us are aware that the PPK is the little brother of the PP, one of the most successful handguns in history. The Walther PP Polizeipistole (Police Pistol), the brainchild of Carl Walther’s son Fritz, was the first successful double-action semiautomatic handgun. Sure, other designs pre-dated the 1929 PP, but none of them came close to the level of popularity this pistol reached. Many of the features we commonly associate with double-action handguns—particularly the manual safety that doubles as a decocker—were first seen on the PP. This was a handgun that…

Whether you’re a revolver enthusiast or Smith & Wesson collector, the introduction of two S&W no-lock classics is cause for celebration. The oft-maligned internal revolver lock arrived on S&W guns in 2001 and has been with us ever since, except on some J frames and a few other models. With the newly introduced Model 10 Classic and Model 19 Classic, the lock-access hole in the left side of the frame above the cylinder release is gone. If you want to know more about the lock, feel free to read the accompanying sidebar, but let’s dive right into the Model 10 Classic No Internal Lock, its official name. And it is classic in every way—one of the most iconic revolvers the company has ever made, with more than 6 million produced.…

THANKFULLY, I NEVER HAD ANY CLOSE encounters in my home with those intent on doing us harm, but I have done house-clearing stages in competition. I was shooting a 1911 at the time but nothing on the order of the Wilson Close Quarters Battle (CQB) pistol I have here on my desk. Wilson calls it a “standard package” of custom features designed for the “professional,” and it would be quite the handgun to have at your side when the chips are down. Established in 1977, Bill Wilson’s firm was determined to manufacture the best in combat type firearms, starting with the 1911 platform. Its 1911 frames and parts are produced on CNC machinery for the utmost in precision, then built on order by a team of top gunsmiths. The CQB…