Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2021 i Handguns

Compare and Contrast I owe our readers and Lohman Manufacturing an apology for how the lead photograph accompanying Brad Fitzpatrick’s article on the Lohman Ymir looked in the December/January 2021 issue. We adjust all images to account for how they will print on our paper stock. In this case, a Photo-shop error caused Brad’s original image (above) to reproduce with twice the contrast it should’ve had, and somehow we didn’t catch it before it went to press. The Ymir truly is a gorgeous gun, and we failed to show it off properly. For that I apologize.—J. Scott Rupp, editor Reading Is Fundamental I really appreciated James Tarr’s article on KelTec’s PMR30. One fairly important addition to the article’s information would be to thoroughly read the manual about suggested ammunition. KelTec…

ONE OF HANDGUNNING’S MOST CRUCIAL aspects, and most mysterious, is fit. A gun that doesn’t fit you well is more difficult to shoot accurately. Many people go by “feel.” You pick up a gun and it just feels right. I’ve certainly seen that play out countless times at the counter of my local gun shop, with customers commenting on how one gun feels better to them than another. And in my own case, I’ve developed a fondness for Walther pistols because I think they just feel better to me. A lot of factors go into fit: grip angle, grip girth, grip shape and even the presence and configuration of finger grooves. For instance, some people like Glocks because the grip angle suits them. Some people don’t like Glocks and gravitate…

Although Beretta has existed as a company for nearly 500 years, many American handgunners were unfamiliar with the firm until the U.S. military adopted the Model 92S in 1984. The 92S, adopted as the M9, was far from the company’s first effort in the semiautomatic market, though, with designs going back to 1915. Like many European pistols, most of Beretta’s creations over the years have been far more compact and concealable than the Model 92. Today, the smallest handguns in the company’s catalog are the 21A Bobcat and the 3032 Tomcat. These micro-compact handguns have been market staples for years, but last year they were introduced for the first time with factory-threaded barrels. Suppressor owners and secret agents rejoice! In 1967, Beretta introduced the Model 20, an innovative and incredibly…

THIS YEAR KELTEC TURNS 30 YEARS OLD. The Cocoa, Florida, company founded by George Kellgren in 1991 has grown to become one of the largest handgun manufacturers in the world. One of its latest pistols, the P17, hews to the firm’s aim of delivering innovative, practical and affordable firearms. A blowback-operated .22 Long Rifle, the P17 is made in the USA and has features that make it a handy and fun-shooting pistol with a suggested retail of $199. It sports a polymer frame and a minimalist slide that combine to keep weight at a svelte 13 ounces with an empty 16-round magazine. Three polymer magazines come with the gun. The 3.8-inch barrel is fixed within the frame and surrounded by the recoil spring. It has a barrel nut and is…

IF YOU TOOK A POLL RIGHT NOW, I’D bet the Colt Single Action Army would top the list of favorite guns in America. Likely this stems from the older generation of enthusiasts who watched the Westerns on television in the late 1940s and ’50s starring Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and others. As a result, as kids we all wanted one of those gussied-up, chrome-plated SAA lookalike cap guns under the Christmas tree. Standard Manufacturing is offering a special-order, custom gun—the Colt Bird’s Head—that shows off a unique, historic SAA feature. The bird’s head was originally designed in 1850 for the Colt Derringers, and in 1877 it was incorporated into a line of full-frame revolvers simply called “Bird’s Head Colts.” The Standard Bird’s Head is a top-quality gun using only the…

HK’s Updated VP9SK HANDGUNS.COM | ARTICLES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED TAURUS G3C NAA ANTI-VENOM We posted the image above on our Facebook page and asked folks whether they were fans of muzzle porting or not. Here’s a sampling of the responses. “On the heavier calibers, maybe. But I’ve seen ported .22 and 9mm. I don’t understand the need for it.”—Bob “Large revolvers it’s nice for a quick follow-up shot.”—Joshua “I have been Magna-porting my firearms for many years.”—Gordy CONTACT US EMAIL Handguns@OutdoorSG.com INSTAGRAM, TWITTER @HandgunsMag FACEBOOK facebook.com/HandgunsMag SNAIL MAIL Handguns, P.O. Box 271245, Fort Collins, CO 80527 ADDRESS CHANGES! SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS! EMAIL HGScuStServ@CDSfulfillment.com SNAIL MAIL Handguns, P.O. Box 37539, Boone, IA 50037-0539…

CARRYING A .22 FOR SELF-DEFENSE is not for everyone, but enough people go this route that Ruger made the decision to chamber its LCP II in .22 Long Rifle. This version, which carries a $349 suggested retail price, also adds a new feature: Ruger’s Lite Rack system. Lite Rack sports a new serration pattern at the front and rear of the slide, as well as “cocking ears” at the back of the slide for a better grip. And because the gun is hammer-fired and not striker-fired, it uses a lighter recoil spring as well. Ruger has added a manual safety to the LCP II .22. Unlike typical thumb safeties, you push forward on this one for Fire. After working with it for a bit I found it to be fairly…

AS I WRITE THIS WE ARE DEEP INTO 2020, an undeniably crazy year by any standard, and all that craziness has sent a huge number of people into their local gun stores to buy the most effective means of self-defense currently available to human beings. Gun sales in 2020 smashed all previous records, and according to the NRA, 40 percent of those sales were to first-time gun owners, roughly 5 million new gun owners in just a six-month time period. That is unprecedented. Most of those guns sold were handguns. Upon returning home, those first-time gun owners will then, hopefully, be asking themselves the same question that almost every first-time gun owner does: Where do I keep it? This question is not easily answered. Most of those first-time gun buyers…

During my three decades as a shooter, handgun trends have changed considerably. The passage of so-called “shall-issue” concealed-carry laws in most states has legalized the practice of carrying a concealed firearm for ordinary citizens. The 1970s and ’80s brought us large double-stack handguns with lots of firepower that became extremely popular. Folks learned quickly, though, that many of these large, heavy wonder-nines were unsuitable for everyday carry. On the other hand, existing compact handguns such as five-shot revolvers and .380 ACPs weren’t necessarily ideal for defensive use. As the ranks of concealed-carry permit holders grew, so did the hunger for a better handgun solution. Though it took many years, that demand for lightweight, compact and concealable yet reasonably powerful handguns has led the way for a more recent trend: the…

ARMSCOR IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S largest manufacturers of 1911 handguns. This Philippine company was founded in 1905 and actually predates the John Browning-designed pistol that made the company famous here in the U.S. Rock Island Armory, an affiliate of Armscor, currently offers a wide array of 1911 pistols, including the 10mm TAC Ultra FS. The TAC Ultra FS 10mm is one of the most affordable 10mm 1911s available, but like other Rock Island pistols, it offers features similar to more expensive guns. Both the frame and slide are made from 4140 ordnance steel, and the TAC Ultra FS comes with a full-size dust cover with an accessory rail. The frame and slide have a matte black Parkerized finish that contrasts nicely with the gun’s black-and-white G10 grips. The pistol…

MICRO-COMPACT 9MMS ARE THE HOT thing in the handgun market right now, and accessory companies certainly didn’t miss the memo. For two years Surefire has been working on a weapon light that would fit these handy pistols. The result of its efforts is the XSC ($329), which measures less than two inches long and weighs just 1.7 ounces. “The micro-compact handgun market has been expanding in a big way due to the amount of capability these handguns give you in such a small package,” said Surefire’s Andrew Wright. “Now the XSC completes the package, giving you almost a full-sized capability in a concealed package. The small form factor gives customers no excuse to not carry a weapon light with them and be prepared for any scenario.” He said the big…

ONCE DISMISSED AS MERE CHILD’S PLAY, airsoft is now widely considered a legitimate, if not critical, component of defensive firearms training. Recently, the police department I work for, like many others, made the switch to airsoft from another, more expensive, complex and malfunction-prone force-on-force training option. Whether learning gun safety, working on the fundamentals of marksmanship, practicing advanced shooting skills or engaging in force-on-force training, airsoft can give you a tremendous advantage. An airsoft gun has moving parts that function nearly identically to the real gun they are designed around. Magazines can be inserted and ejected, the slide reciprocates, the trigger can be pressed and reset. In many cases, you can purchase officially licensed airsoft guns that are even stamped with the manufacturer’s logo, as is the case with my…

You’d be hard-pressed to find a gun shooters like to dress up more than the 1911. From hammer spurs to beavertails, grip panels to trigger profiles, there’s not another handgun in the world that has been as thoroughly tricked-out as John Browning’s 1911. Customizing 1911s has become big business, and there’s no bigger name in the 1911 game than Bill Wilson. Bill’s custom pistols are striking examples of mechanical artwork, and Wilson Combat guns look as good as they shoot. What’s more, Wilson’s custom shop has the capacity to build just about any 1911 your heart desires. Want a .38 Super with a Commander slide and orange grips? I have no idea why you would, but Bill would probably make one for you. The newest gun in Wilson’s catalog is…

IF YOU HAD ASKED PEOPLE LIVING IN 1930 what kind of technology they’d see in the year 2020, the first thing you’d hear is “flying cars.” Once you explained them, these folks would also likely believe microwaves, the internet and smartphones. You know what they wouldn’t believe? That the most popular American pistol design in the year 2020 would still be the 1911. The Ed Brown KC9 LW is perhaps the best example of how the design has evolved and improved in the last 110 years while still remaining a true 1911. Unlike the original all-steel full-size 1911, the KC9 LW is optimized for concealed carry. This 9+1 capacity 9mm 1911 sports a four-inch barrel, a slide that has been thinned for weight reduction and concealability, night sights and a…