Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2019 i Handguns

Honey Badger Don’t Care I have become intrigued with the new Honey Badger ammo and was pleased to see James Tarr’s article on it in the February/March issue—by far the most complete article I’ve seen to date. I have a couple of concerns about it, though, that I’ve not seen mentioned anywhere so far. First, would the bullet’s sharp edges cause rapid wear or damage to the feed ramp? Also, I’ve not seen much mention of the reliability of the ammo compared to more conventional hollowpoint or even ball ammo. CHUCK HILL DATIL, NM The profiles of these bullets is designed to be identical to that of jacketed hollowpoint ammo, so it should be no less reliable than conventional hollowpoints. As to feed ramp damage, the bullets are made out…

I ENJOY A MODEST VINTAGE TOOL COLlection and have an interest in what the great men of the past did with the technology available. Recently, I was amazed by the clockwork in an 1850s lighthouse at Cape Hatteras, not to mention many implements from the Wright Brothers experiments not a hundred miles away. I am no less impressed by the Starr revolver of Civil War fame. While I strive to remain objective because I’m a Colt fan, at the time the Starr was introduced, it was on an even footing with Colt as each was a relatively newcomer to the weapons scene. Today the Starr is gone while Colt remains, but it’s not necessarily because the Colt gun was superior. I have examined many revolvers of the period, and the…

ONE OF THE EARLY HANDGUN MAKers was Hopkins & Allen Arms Company, which made a variety of revolvers over a number of years at its Norwich, Connecticut, facility. Charles Allen, Samuel Hopkins and Charles Hopkins opened shop in 1868 with several partners. The first models were .31 caliber percussion revolvers because the Rollin White patent did not allow other makers to make cartridge guns as we know them today. When the patent expired, Hopkins & Allen started producing .22, .32 and .38 caliber revolvers as well as shotguns and rifles. The company went through several changes in management over the years, and at its peak it employed 600 workers and made revolvers under many names—ACME, Captain Jack, Defender, Monarch, Mountain Eagle, Ranger and many more. It also built Merwin and…

I’VE GOT TWO PRODUCTS TO REVIEW THAT help you carry your gun when you’re doing a little, or a lot of, cardio. Before you exercise haters turn the page, hold on. While Elite Survival Systems’ Marathon Gunpack is specifically intended to allow distance runners to comfortably carry a gun with them, the Blackhawk Junk Drawer isn’t specifically marketed as an exercise rig, but I thought it seemed to work great while jogging. As I’m writing this, the Junk Drawer— a combination holster and pouch meant to be worn in appendix carry—is so new it isn’t even on the Blackhawk website ( BLACKHAWK.COM ). It is constructed of Blackhawk’s super-grabby TecGrip material, which is a stretchy-padded fabric that reminds me of neoprene. It is covered with a rubbery material that keeps…

The new EVO SP (striker pistol) from Kimber is a departure from the single-action 1911 designs the company is known for, but the EVO SP is not Kimber’s first striker-fired 9mm pistol. That title goes to the Kimber Solo, introduced in 2011. The Solo was a darn good-looking gun but was finicky when it came to ammo—finicky enough that Kimber listed recommended ammo choices in the owner’s manual. Kimber never saw the success with the Solo it hoped for, and the Solo was discontinued in 2017. Both the Solo and the EVO SP are metal-framed striker-fired 9mm pistols, but the EVO SP is not a rebranded Solo; it is a completely new pistol. Kimber took all the lessons it learned with the Solo and its successful line of Micro 9…

THE CONCEPT OF THE P210 CAME BEFORE World War II as a possible replacement for the Luger Parabellum that had been in service since the turn of the century. When it made its debut, the P210 was chambered for the 7.65mm, 9mm and .22 Long Rifle. The mag release was on the bottom of the frame, and the sights were rudimentary. Initially made in Switzerland, then in Germany, the current P210 Target is made in the United States. It features a fuller beavertail than you find on a 1911, both the slide-lock lever and the safety have been updated and, last, the old-fashioned magazine catch has been moved from the bottom of the grip frame to just behind the trigger. The lines are clean, smooth and classic, the finish impeccable.…

I’m a leather holster fan, but I get that not everyone is. For those who aren’t, sometimes it’s a question of style—with folks wanting something that looks “tactical,” for lack of a better word. If this describes you, Blackhawk has you covered with the new MBoss, a leather holster with a bad-ass appearance. I’ve been working with the 1911 pancake version, and I love it. The top is double-layered for easy, no-look holstering, and it also features a reinforced sight channel and tension screw. It works great for range duty, and I’ve carried it enough to appreciate the comfort it provides—one of the reasons I like leather. In addition to the pancake style, there are also Askins and inside-the-waistband clip versions. There are a ton of fitments for guns from…

WHY DO YOU RELOAD YOUR PISTOL THE way you do? Is it because that’s the way you were taught? That’s a pretty good reason, but who’s to say the way you were taught is the most efficient method? Unless you’re brand new to shooting, you should give some critical thought as to why you reload the way you do, and this applies to how you perform any other handgun manipulation. While it’s certainly true there’s more than one way to skin a cat, it’s also true that some ways make a whole lot more sense than others. As an example, I was first taught to reload with my arm fully extended. Although I often struggled to smoothly insert a magazine into the pistol with it held so far away from…

The Desert Eagle is invariably described as “iconic” and with good reason. Various versions of this powerful semiautomatic have appeared in tons of movies, television shows and video games. Magnum Research the company that originated the design and now builds the Desert Eagle at its Pillager, Minnesota, facility—has capitalized on this fame by offering it in a wide spectrum of finishes. You can have gold tiger stripe, black tiger stripe, titanium gold, all-stainless, all-black, casehardened, brushed chrome, polished chrome and more. But what if none of these standard options appeal to you? Not to worry. Magnum Re search now has a “build a Desert Eagle” website where you can choose the options that appeal most to you. It makes total sense: If you’re going to be spending that sort of…

At a recent media event, I had the opportunity to visit with Bill Wilson to see what was new and shoot some of his high-end firearms—one of which was the CQB. Wait, what? I’ve had a CQB for a couple of decades, and it’s a brilliant pistol. So how can the CQB be new? Simple: time and engineering. If you take something that already works well and you improve everything on it using the latest materials and processes and if you use experience to adjust dimensions of parts so they work better with each other and also add in the changes shooters have asked for, you can call it a new pistol. The CQB is a full-size 1911A1, made with a carbon-steel frame and slide for the greatest strength and…

IN THIS AGE OF “SHOOTABLE TUPPERWARE,” Kahr Arms—with corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania and production in Massachusetts—still makes steel semiautos with well-machined parts and tight tolerances. While staying true to solid construction standards, the company occasionally offers a surprise in terms of looks and style. That’s the case with the T9 Elite, a double-action 9mm pistol released last year. I’ve had my hands on one for the last few weeks. This pistol is the Cadillac version of the company’s T series and among the largest handguns made by Kahr. Some will find it challenging to conceal. The tradeoffs for that are less felt recoil and style, lots of style. With a glowing stainless slide and frame, and a beautifully grained and checkered wood grip by Hogue, it’s a high-calorie choice in…

The FN 509 is one more pistol whose existence is due in whole or part to a manufacturer attempting to win the military’s Modular Handgun System (MHS) contract. The SIG P320 won the contract, and as a result, most of the other designs that were submitted for this competition are being released for sale commercially in one form or another. The American consumer is the big winner here. The FN 509 could be said to be a slightly altered variant of the FNS striker-fired pistol tweaked to meet the military’s MHS criteria. The first commercial variant of the 509 was a simple, sturdy, duty-size black pistol. On the other hand, the 509 Tactical is nearly identical to FN’s MHS pistol submission—in fact, the only difference is the finish on the…

WHEN I HIT 50 AND DECIDED TO BUY MYSELF a high-end 1911, I could’ve turned to any number of high-end makers. Back then, Ed Brown himself attended our industry’s big trade show, and I always made a point to visit with him. Mostly we talked about hunting, but over the years, I learned a lot about 1911s from him as well, and that—coupled with knowing how well respected his guns are—made the decision an easy one. The Special Forces I ended up buying was my first exposure to how top-notch craftsmanship makes such a huge difference in how a 1911 feels and shoots. This high quality is at the heart of Ed Brown Products’ Executive Commander, part of the company’s Elite series. If you’re familiar with the Perry, Missouri, gun…

RUGER HAS SO MANY PRODUCT LINES AND introduces new products so often it can be hard to stay current on all of its new pistols. Case in point is the new…well, newish Ruger SR1911 Officer-Style. There are two versions: an all stainless in .45 ACP and a two-tone aluminum-framed model in 9mm, which I tested. This 1911 is cut down for conceal-ability, so offering it in 9mm only makes sense. When chambered in 9mm you get less recoil and a higher capacity. Offering it with an aluminum frame makes it a bit lighter and easier to carry. For those of you relatively new to the 1911, Colt was the standard for decades, and Colt terminology is quite often used by other companies when describing their 1911s. For instance, Ruger refers…