Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2025 i Handguns

Competition Can Help Reading Richard Nance’s excellent article on movement in a defensive gunfight (“Move It!” June/July) made me wonder how many of your readers will devote the time necessary to develop and practice these skills. Many ranges do not allow drawing from concealment or shooting on the move or have the facilities to practice shooting from cover. Perhaps Mr. Nance should have added that shooting competitions like IDPA or Galactic Pistol Alliance would be the perfect way to learn these skills in a safe and supervised environment. It’s not about “winning” but about developing the full range of defensive shooting skills. IDPA and GPA utilize guns and holsters one actually carries every day. Most matches cost around $20 and utilize about 120 to 150 rounds of ammunition. If you…

DOTS IN THE THREE M.O.A. CLASS HAVE been more or less standard on reflex sights for a while, but as red dots are now commonplace on defensive pistols, it only makes sense we’re starting to see some bigger dots. Case in point: Leupold recently came out with a six m.o.a. dot version of its well-respected DeltaPoint Pro ($450, LEUPOLD.COM). It’s available in black or flat dark earth, and it’s a robust sight thanks to its aluminum body. The Diamond-Coat aspheric lens resists scratches and provides good clarity. The sight has eight brightness settings. Cycle through them by pressing the power button. The dot flashes when either limit is reached, and it then reverses illumination intensity on subsequent presses. The sight is powered by a 2032 battery, with the battery compartment…

GRIZZLY BEAR NUMBERS HAVE STEADILY increased in the northern Rockies over the last two decades, and with that abundance comes more attacks on humans. Grizzlies aren’t the only dangerous predators on the prowl, though, as black bear and mountain lion attacks are on the rise as well. And while they’re hardly predators, if you get sideways with a cow moose protecting her calf, you might wish you’d encountered a bear instead. It makes sense, then, to protect yourself from attack in the backcountry. For years hunters and hikers have argued which cartridge is best for predator defense. However, the argument about which cartridge is best overlooks an important aspect of defense against large predators: bullet performance. Ammo manufacturers already knew this, and with an increasing number of outdoors types seeking…

Sadly, the man himself is gone: The legendary Ed Brown passed away last year. But his company soldiers on, continuing a tradition of producing the finest 1911s and other platforms you’re likely ever to put your hands on. Ed Brown Products’ line of 1911s has never rested on its laurels, always evolving to meet the needs and the tastes of its customers. This evolution is at the heart of the EVO series introduced in 2018, and two of the newest models fully embrace today’s pistol optics trend. The new EVO-KC9-G4-Holo and EVO-E9-LW come with a Holosun SCS 320, although the guns can be ordered simply optic-ready if you prefer a different type of sight. One of the first things that stands out on these new EVOs is there’s no rear…

In an era when striker-fired polymer-frame pistols are exceedingly popular, the CZ Shadow 2 Carry might seem like something of a dinosaur. It features a metal frame and double-action/single-action operation. Its decocker mechanism might befuddle a new shooter who has owned only striker-fired pistols. But spend a bit of time behind the trigger of this gun and you’ll understand why the CZ 75 family of pistols never really went out of style. The new Shadow 2 Carry is the distillation of 50 years of design evolution, building on the foundation established by the CZ 75. If you’re not familiar with that background, you can read about it in the accompanying sidebar. Otherwise, let’s dive right into this standout new pistol. While its double-action/single-action design seems out of sorts with popular…

YOU CAN’T BEAT THE BASICS, AND THAT’S exactly what the new Taurus 850 delivers: a five-shot, double-action-only snubnose .38 Special revolver. It’s available in black or stainless and with a two- or three-inch barrel. Suggested retail price is only $425, and you know you’re going to be able to score it for less, probably under $400, at your local gunshop. This is an all-steel gun with, in the case of this sample, a corrosion-resistant matte-black finish. The test gun sported the shorter two-inch barrel, producing an overall length of about 7.7 inches and a weight of 22.75 ounces. The 850 is 1.3 inches wide at the cylinder, and height is 4.6 inches. Sights are dead simple: a gutter milled into the topstrap paired with a serrated black blade front. The…

MOST SHOOTERS AROUND THE COUNtry who have heard of the Civilian Marksmanship Program—formerly the Director of Civilian Marksmanship or DCM and the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice—probably knew of CMP’s sales program for M1 Garand rifles. But fewer may be aware that CMP also sells M1911A1 pistols. Sales began in 2018, were halted in 2021, and have resumed this year. More than 2.5 million M1911s were purchased by Uncle Sam from Colt and a wide variety of secondary manufacturers during wartime. Production of U.S. M1911s ended in 1945, and war-used pistols were rebuilt and refinished by government arsenals after each conflict so they’d be ready for the next one. CMP has received 10,000 M1911A1 pistols long in storage from the Dept. of the Army. Of these, 98…

KELTEC P15 CA COMPLIANT One of the lightest 9mms on the market at a little over 16 ounces, the KelTec P15 is now available as a California-compliant version with 10-round magazines. It’s a polymer-frame, striker-fired gun with a four-inch barrel for an overall length of 6.6 inches. It’s 4.4 inches tall, and width across the slide is only 0.875 inch. The fully adjustable sights include a two-dot tritium rear paired with a tritium/fiber-optic front. Available in black, tan or OD green. {$495, KELTECWEAPONS.COM} FEDERAL PERSONAL DEFENSE HST .44 MAGNUM Love your .44 Magnum but don’t use it a ton because it kicks too hard? This new “light magnum” load sits above the .44 Special but provides more control than full-boat magnum loads. The 230-grain HST hollowpoint is cartridge specific and…

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…

The search for the ideal combination of power and capacity in an easy-carrying gun never ends. On the revolver side, some people thought the .327 Federal Magnum, introduced in 2007, might be just the ticket. A longer, more powerful version of the older .32 H&R Magnum, it was designed to rival the .357 Magnum in power but be more shootable in small-frame revolvers while providing an extra round in the cylinder over similar-size .357/.38 guns. Problem was, more than a few shooters found the .327 a little too “blasty” when fired out of said revolvers. But what if instead of reinventing the wheel, you simply used, you know, the wheel? That’s what Smith & Wesson has done with several new revolvers chambered to the .32 H&R Magnum. They’re not the…

Choosing the right holster has a major impact on how often and how comfortably we carry. I talk to many gun owners who, despite owning a carry pistol, don’t wear the gun every day simply because they haven’t found the right holster. You must choose a holster that is comfortable, easy to access, secure and, if need be, concealable. Not every holster works for every lifestyle or body type, either. Part of the holster buying process is often trial and error. Here are some of the new holster designs for 2025 that you might want to consider. INSIDE THE WAISTBAND 1 | BLACKPOINT TACTICAL F03 Designed by instructor and SEAL team member Bill Rapier, the F03 is intended to be worn just forward of the three o’clock or forward position…

JAMES BOND! WHILE ALL OF US KNOW OF this super spy, to gun enthusiasts it’s his Walther PPK/S pistol that gets a lot of the attention. The PPK/S shown here is the limited-edition Gold Ribbon Meister grade gun. Walther’s Meister Manufaktur program produces hand-built pistols with newly developed coatings and finishes not used on any of its production guns. Past Meister efforts have focused on the Q5 Match Steel Frame model, and this is the first such PPK/S. The Gold Ribbon is also the first gun in the Meister series to be built in the United States, and “Walther Arms Inc. Fort Smith, AR USA” is engraved below the gold-filled Walther ribbon on the right side. I would say the engraving on the slide is 100 percent coverage—to include the…

NOT LONG AGO I SPOTTED A REVOLVER that just looked a little off compared to the dozens of Harrington & Richardson revolvers I’ve seen over the years. The Model 900 looks like a swing-out-cylinder revolver, but it also resembles the Harrington & Richardson with a removable base pin. The truth is it is neither. The Model 900 was produced from 1964 to 1976, and at the time of introduction Harrington & Richardson offered two basic revolver lines. The less expensive one was a double-action/single-action nine-shot .22 rimfire that had to be loaded and unloaded by removing the cylinder base pin and pulling the cylinder—unloading accomplished by knocking spent cartridge cases out one at a time with the cylinder pin. The more expensive double-action revolvers with swing-out cylinder operated much the…

“KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER until your sights are on the target.” The late Col. Jeff Cooper’s third rule of firearms safety is intended to prevent your gun from discharging until you’ve made a conscious decision to fire. While the rule is simple and, on its face, easy to understand, there are some nuances to when your finger should be on the trigger. There’s a concept called “indexing,” which is placing your trigger finger outside of the trigger guard until you’re ready to fire. Indexing comes into play whenever you are handling a gun—whether you’re picking one up, having one handed to you or are in the act of drawing. Properly indexing your trigger finger during the draw is especially important. As you draw, your index finger should be…

In 2023, Canik launched the Mete MC9, its first micro-compact. The 9mm Mete MC9 had an impressive capacity for its size—12+1 with a flush-fit magazine and 15+1 with an extended magazine. The Mete MC9’s popularity spawned two larger Mete variants, the MC9L and MC9LS, each with a 17+1 capacity. While it seems Canik and other manufactures once strove to make the smallest pistols possible, the recent trend has been to make incrementally bigger pistols that are easier to shoot and hold more rounds, yet still remain concealable. This is where Canik’s latest offering, the Mete MC9 Prime, really shines. It’s essentially the same size as the MC9LS but has a slew of new upgraded features. The first pistol manufactured by Canik USA, the Mete MC9 Prime measures 6.73 inches long…

To say that double-stack single-action 9mm handguns are popular right now would be a giant understatement. Nearly every major maker, Kimber included, has come out with its own flavor of the 2011 handgun. While there are some great pistols in this category, few could be considered genuinely concealable. If there’s an open niche in the defensive handgun market, this is it. And Kimber’s CDS9 Classic is a subcompact single-action, double-stack 9mm that is truly suitable for concealed carry. CDS9 is the acronym for Covert Double Stack 9mm. Let me begin by making it clear that the CDS9 Classic is not a 2011 clone. It shares no parts and few features with the double-stack 1911, but it fills a similar niche. Does this gun fit in the 1911/2011 category at all?…

MANY MANUFACTURERS MAKE CARRY guns under the premise that they’ll see only a limited round count, and therefore throw ergonomics and feature sets to the wind. But what if the reason folks don’t shoot their carry piece is because it wasn’t made with training and practice in mind? Stoeger Industries was brave enough to consider this and, as a result, created a concealed-carry pistol that includes all the features of a full-size handgun and is built with actual range use in mind. Dubbed the STR-9 Thinline, it is the latest addition to the STR polymer-frame, striker-fired family. At a shade over one inch thick, the Thinline lives up to its name, making it minimally intrusive on the waistline. While this measurement is one that makes or breaks a pistol for…