Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2024 i Handguns

Lovin’ the LDA I read with interest Bob Campbell’s piece on the ParaOrd LDA. After I tried the action on one at an NRA annual exhibit years ago, I bought one as soon as I got home. Mine is the full-size 7.45. Except for the trigger, it looks like a 1911, right down to the for-cosmetic-purposes-only spurred hammer. I don’t know why the LDA didn’t take off. I love it. If you find one and pull the trigger, I bet you’ll buy it. JOHN SCHROEDER, WISCONSIN Another Big-Person Tip There was one item missing from the article on carry for large folks (April/May): suspenders. In my advancing age I have taken on an additional 20 pounds that makes it difficult to keep a pair of pants on my hips. The…

RULE 4 BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT’S BEYOND IT YOUR GRIP ON THE PISTOL IS ONE OF the most significant factors in determining accuracy. Experts may disagree on the best method—from one hand relaxed to both hands crushing the pistol—but regardless of how you grip your handgun, you need to have enough forearm and hand strength to control the repeated small explosions out in front of you. I’ve been an avid shooter for the past six years, and through my Results Personal Training business and REVERSINGTHETREND.NET website, I work with middle-aged men and competitive shooters who want to get in better shape. Here are three essential grip and forearm strengthening exercises I like to give to my shooting clients. First, pinch-grip reverse barbell curls, a simple movement that…

WITH YOUR PALMS FACING AWAY, RAISE your hands to eye level and extend your arms. Rotate your wrists inward, allowing the fingers of one hand to overlap the other, stacking your thumbs to form the base of a hollow triangle. Peer through the triangular void between your hands at a nearby object. Now, close one eye. If the object is still visible, the eye that’s open is your dominant eye. If you close the other eye, you’ll notice the object you were looking at appears to move outside the triangle. If your dominant eye does not correspond with your dominant hand, you’re considered cross-eye dominant. For a handgun shooter, this can be troublesome, but you do have options. Many handgun shooters with this affliction compensate by tilting their head to…

A handful of years ago, steel-frame guns were relics of the past. Polymerframe, striker-fired handguns reigned supreme, and no design dared challenge that fact. Walther’s PDP (Performance Duty Pistol) was on the short-list of quality handguns in this category. Polymer-frame guns are great tools for lots of uses, but for certain roles their weight can be more a liability than an asset. Physics matter, and today we are seeing a steady stream of new steel-frame guns designed with competition in mind. The added weight cuts felt recoil and can be a huge advantage in a world where fractions of a second count. To that end, Walther Arms is now offering the PDP Match in both polymer- and steel-frame versions, giving its customers maximum flexibility. Competitors are going to use every…

FOR A LONG TIME, WHEN IT CAME TO revolvers Colt was the undisputed king. You could argue Smith & Wesson dominated for longer, and Ruger has certainly been a player in more recent decades, but when you consider Samuel Colt and the iconic Single Action Army, there’s little question that guns from this legendary company have been well regarded and sought after. Colt faded from the wheelgun market in the latter part of the previous century, but in the past five years or so it has gotten back in the game. The return of the Python .357 Magnum made a big splash a couple of years ago, and I was very impressed by the Anaconda .44 Magnum I reviewed in 2023. And there’s one more model in Colt’s snake lineup…

THE FOUR BASIC GUN SAFETY RULES RULE 1: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED RULE 2 NEVER LET THE MUZZLE POINT AT ANYTHING YOU’RE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY FEDERAL IS COMMITTED TO THE ACTION- pistol community, and for proof of that you don’t have to look any further than the new Gold Medal Action Pistol offering. Available in 9mm and .40 S&W, it’s the second action-pistol-specific load from Federal, following by several years the groundbreaking Syntech Action Pistol ammo. Federal’s entire Gold Medal line includes rifle and shotgun ammunition as well as pistol. At least on the pistol side, the ammo is loaded on the same production line as the company’s standard fare. So what’s the difference? I checked with product development engineer Casey Reed—a top-flight action-pistol shooter in his own…

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…

In these days of high-capacity handguns, the Rossi Brawler single-shot pistol shooting .45 Colt or .410 shotshell seems anomalous, but such a gun simply solves many situations more easily than a large or average-size revolver. I once shot a snake with a three-inch .44 Special using CCI Shotshells, only to need a second shot. That second shot didn’t come off since a shot capsule walked out and prevented the cylinder from turning. Once I figured out the problem, the capsule was easily pushed back into place to finish the snake. I considered myself lucky it was anchored by the first shot, although it was still close, uncomfortably alive and very angry. The Brawler loaded with a .410 shotshell and No. 6 shot would have finished the business at once. Survival…

MAYBE YOU’VE HEARD OF SMITH & WES-son’s SD or Self Defense pistol. The original SD was the successor to the Sigma, which was the company’s initial foray into the polymer-frame, striker-fired category. The affordable SD made its debut in 2010, and it continued largely unchanged for many years—save for the SDVE (for value enhanced) models and the more recent gray and flat dark earth versions. Those are still in the S&W catalog, although the original SD is available in .40 S&W only. But with the sometimes challenging economic climate faced by people across the country, Smith & Wesson decided it was time to refresh the SD. The company is fond of the “2.0” nomenclature to indicate an upgraded platform. In the case of the SD, while the 2.0 upgrades aren’t…

RULE 3 KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON TARGET AS I LOOK OVER THE GREAT GUNS OF THE past, I realize that the majority of them have always been cheap. Some are as well made as possible for the price point; others are ironmongery. A very few, such as the Astra Cub—also known as the Astra 2000—are well made of good material but not top tier by any means. When I first became interested in handguns, the Astra Cub was a pistol everyone seemed to own. It is a tiny blowback-operated single action, measuring 4.4 inches long with a 2.2-inch barrel. While tiny, the pistol weighs a sturdy 13 ounces due to its all-steel construction. A single-column magazine holds six .22 Short cartridges. The Cub…

MILLIONS OF AMERICANS CARRY CON- cealed firearms every day, and this has prompted holster manufacturers to offer innovative and effective new products. Few of these offer the level of versatility found on the new N8 Tactical MultiFlex Holster. Since it is convertible to inside-the-waistband or outside-the-waistband configurations and functions with multiple firearm models, the N8 Tactical MultiFlex serves double duty as a range/training and carry holster. Constructed for durability with quality components, it’s an outstanding value at just $50. I’ve developed a system for evaluating holsters based on what I believe to be the five key components of their design and construction: versatility, comfort, durability, security and firearm accessibility. Here’s how the N8 Tactical MultiFlex performs in each of those categories. The biggest thing that sets the N8 Tactical MultiFlex…

One of the most popular trends in handguns is dressing up striker-fired pistols to create a new look on a traditional firearm design. But, more often than not, many of these upgrades are cosmetic or parts swap-outs that the owner could accomplish with a stock pistol. However, Ed Brown’s M&P Fueled series handguns do far more than simply improve aesthetics. This is truly the Ed Brown of striker-fired handguns. There are four Fueled-series striker-fired models available through Ed Brown’s custom shop in Perry, Missouri. The M&P F1, F3 and F4 models all use polymer-frame Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm pistols as their building blocks. The new MP-Metal-F1 tested here utilizes an M&P9 M2.0 Metal pistol by Smith & Wesson as the base gun. Before I begin listing the MP-Metal-F1 9mm’s…

The word focus has several meanings. Merriam-Webster defines it as “directed attention” and “adjustment for distinct vision,” among other things. Both interpretations of the word are important in self-defense. The former addresses what you should pay attention to, while the latter deals with how to look at whatever it is that demands your attention. While no two self-defense scenarios are identical, the following guidelines will help you focus on what matters and increase your odds of prevailing. Situational awareness is one of the most important aspects of self-defense. After all, you can’t respond to a threat you haven’t perceived. To detect danger, you must be aware of your surroundings—to include people and objects in the vicinity. We’ll get to the people problem in a minute, but first let’s address your…

NOW INTO ITS SECOND CENTURY OF POP-ularity, it seems like 1911 models, variations and even materials have no end. One look at the Kimber Rapide Heat is proof of that. Chambered for the 9mm and .45 ACP, the gun is impressive, with a Kimber KimPro II black finish applied over a well-prepared and polished stainless steel slide and frame, the latter incorporating a Picatinny rail. The slide features lightening cuts, with the detailing of a recessed frame around each one, on the top and sides. According to Kimber, a lighter slide provides for a faster return to battery, plus the cuts look great. The slide has stepped cocking serrations cut in front and back. At the rear, the tall rear sight has twin white dots and is attached to a…