Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2022 i Handguns

Airing It out I enjoyed the article by Mr. Nance on the use of airsoft pistols for practice (October/November). As a long-time handgun instructor and competitive shooter, I have extensive experience with these tools and believe a few important tips were left out of the article. These are great to train new shooters due to the reduced recoil, muzzle blast and noise. Also, the green gas guns run just fine on straight propane at about one-fifth or less than the cost of green gas. Just put a couple drops of silicone oil in the fill hole of the magazine when loading. Many firms sell biodegradable pellets that are equal to the plastic in function and are obviously better for the environment than the plastic pellets. For indoor training, a scaled-down…

IF YOU’VE HAD ANY FORMAL HANDGUN training, you’ve probably been taught that stance is one of the fundamentals of marksmanship and that a proper stance along with grip, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control, breath control and follow-through is critical to hitting your target. That’s not true. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re at the range, experiment with different stances. Shoot from isosceles, Weaver and anything in between. Heck, stand on one leg like a flamingo. If you are adhering to the other fundamentals, you will hit your target. If you still aren’t convinced, pull up a chair and shoot while seated. Stance has nothing to do with handgun marksmanship. This helps explain why even an expert marksman can have a pathetic shooting stance. But if marksmanship isn’t…

The more time I spend shooting 10mm Auto handguns the more I’ve learned to appreciate the cartridge, so I was excited when Springfield announced it’s adding a red-dot-equipped 10mm carry pistol to its popular XD semiauto family. Dubbed the Springfield XD-M Elite 3.8 Compact OSP 10mm, this striker-fired semiauto 10mm comes with 11- and 15-round metal magazines and a Springfield HEX Dragonfly red-dot optic installed. It’s the first compact 10mm red-dot-equipped carry pistol of its kind, and it’s an excellent option for anyone seeking a defensive handgun that packs more punch. Striker guns have dominated the market for decades, and over time we’ve watched Springfield fine-tune its XD pistol line to near perfection. The XD-M Elite 10 offers the same features carry-gun enthusiasts want on their 9mm autos like interchangeable…

FROM ITS PROPRIETARY ANTIQUED finish to its conservative, exquisite engraving pattern, Nighthawk Custom’s VIP (Very Impressive Pistol) would be a great investment for a collector or saved in a pristine condition as a future heirloom piece. On the other hand, if you want to shoot the gun, it’s a fully functional Government-size 1911 in .45 ACP. The antiqued nickel finish is outstanding, not only adding class to the gun but durability as well. Smooth to the touch, it has the worn look of guns made years back, and on this gun, the finish surrounds the pistol on all surfaces. A floral pattern is deep hand-engraved by a master engraver to what I would call about a 50 percent coverage, continuing from the slide all the way down and around the…

PERHAPS YOU’VE NOTICED THAT SUPpressors have really taken off. Threaded barrels have become a popular option on semiauto pistols offered by major makers, and suppressor makers are aggressively pursuing market share—with names like Silencer Central, SilencerCo, Gemtech, AAC and even Ruger and SIG Sauer pushing products into the pipeline. So why don’t you have one? Probably the same reason I didn’t for a long time: The process seems daunting. There are fingerprints to get, paperwork to file, trusts to set up, and ATF to deal with. Enter Silencer Central ( SILENCER CENTRAL.COM ), a company that makes it super-easy to buy a suppressor. Originally known as South Dakota Silencers and then Dakota Silencers, the firm got its start in 2005. Founder Brandon Maddox researched the information found on the internet…

TODAY’S ATTEMPTS TO PRODUCE A “personal defense weapon” have spawned guns that are neither fish nor fowl. Strangely configured guns that are too big and bulky to be rightly called pistols and too small to do the job of a legitimate carbine. The best answer to bridging the gap between the pistol and the carbine remains the pistol with a shoulder stock, and the most efficient example of these is the M1896 Mauser military pistol. While it feels clumsy in the hand, it is extremely easy to hit with as a pistol, and with the stock on and the left hand grasping the front of the magazine well it locks in rock steady for accurate distance shooting. Its 7.63mm cartridge was designed for long-range military accuracy and penetration. Its 86-grain…

MORE THAN 10 MILLION PEOPLE PURchased their first firearm in 2020. This influx of new gun owners has created growing demand for carry holsters, and, not surprisingly, building “custom” holsters has become a cottage industry. Largely, these custom holsters are basic Kydex shells in a variety of colors and patterns. Want a snakeskin pattern to match your favorite boots? Winged skulls? Leopard print? No problem. But what gun owners—and new gun owners in particular—fail to recognize is a stylish holster is not nearly as valuable as a holster that has practical features that keep your gun secure yet allow for a fast, smooth draw. Safariland’s 575 GLS Pro-Fit inside-the-waistband holster is a sensible carry solution. It comes in basic black—no flying skulls here—but what you’ll learn to appreciate about this…

The firearms world is constantly evolving, each company looking for an advantage. This competition among manufacturers is good for us as consumers because it drives innovation. For the past few decades, that evolution has made guns smaller and lighter, largely relying on composite materials to get there. With the wide variety of polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols on the market, one company decided to go in a different direction. Rock Island Armory’s STK100 is a striker-fired handgun with a twist. The frame is machined from aluminum rather than molded from polymer. It is a new take on a modern standard design. As Rock Island Armory puts it, it gives the advantage of metal at the price of polymer. Rock Island Armory is a division of Armscor Global Defense Inc. Armscor is based…

YOU’VE READ IT BEFORE IN THESE pages. While most of us wouldn’t choose a handgun chambered in .22 Long Rifle as a defensive arm, lots of people do. Some folks carry one as a backup, some as their primary gun because of recoil sensitivity or some other reason they can’t operate a centerfire gun effectively. Federal recognizes this niche, and to that end, it developed a new .22 load as part of its Punch lineup. It is designed specifically for short-barreled handguns, and it employs a 29-grain nickel-plated lead-core bullet. This light weight allows it to generate top velocities out of shorter barrels, and Federal’s book specs have it rolling at 1,070 fps out of a two-inch barrel. The bullet also boasts an interesting flatnose profile, one intended to maximize…

MOSSBERG MC2SC The MC2sc, a micro-compact 9mm with 11+1 and 14+1 capacity, sports a 3.4-inch barrel—half an inch shorter than the MC2c. It also features an optics ready slide that accepts the Shield RMsc red-dot footprint. It’s available with or without a crossbolt safety, and an upgraded version with TruGlo Tritium Pro sights can be had as well—as can 10-round versions for restrictive states. The MC2sc has a 1911-like grip angle and a flat-profile trigger with integrated blade safety that breaks at 5.5 pounds. The gun also features Mossberg’s Safe Takedown System. {$556–$662, MOSSBERG.COM} HORNADY TREKLITE LOCK BOX XXL Dual four-digit TSA lock offers 10,000 possible program codes, and it fits up to two full-size 1911s. It’s built from impact-resistant polycarbonate, and it has a non-slip rubber overmold for more…

These days, it’s difficult for me to get excited about a new handgun design. Don’t get me wrong. The semiautos being produced today are the finest defensive and competitive handguns ever devised. Most of them, though, are tools and from my perspective lack any soul. To me, a firearm is more than the functional sum of its parts; it is the history, the engineering and the craftsmanship that make it special. Imagine, then, my joy when I received word that Springfield Armory was redesigning one of the greatest handguns of all time: the Browning Hi Power/FN P-35. Springfield Armory’s new SA-35 combines the best qualities of this combat classic with some modern improvements to keep it relevant in the 21st century. Why is this such a big deal? Allow me…

I worked with Steve Quinlan several years ago when he was as an editor at another firearms publication, but Steve’s real passion was catch-and-release fishing for giant mako sharks off the California coast. His ability to consistently catch thousand-pound-plus makos made him something of a celebrity, and he appeared on the television shows “Shark Hunters” and “Shark Hunters: East Versus West.” I once asked Steve why he specifically targeted mako sharks, and he seemed taken aback, as though I’d asked why he liked ribeye steaks or the Constitution. He told me the mako was the product of eons of evolutionary perfection. There were lots of fish in the sea, he said, but no others were like the mako. I thought of Steve when Kimber announced its new American-made subcompact optics-ready…