Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2025 i Handguns

NSSF’s Project ChildSafe Celebrates a Big Milestone Shame on us for missing it last year, but the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Project ChildSafe marked its 25th anniversary in 2024. The program began in just five cities and has now expanded to all 50 states and five U.S. territories. Project ChildSafe distributes safety kits—41 million and counting—that include cable locks and educational brochures, all at no cost to gun owners. The program’s partners include more than 15,000 local law enforcement agencies and 13,000 organizations. “For 25 years, Project ChildSafe has operated on both the national and local levels to provide genuine firearm safety solutions to communities that need them most,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF president and CEO. “Since its launch, fatal firearm accidents have dropped to historic lows. The program also…

IT’S FUNNY HOW SOME PEOPLE REACT TO shooting a particular handgun for the first time. We were filming “Handguns” TV last spring, and gear editor Brad Fitzpatrick was assigned to review the new Springfield 1911 Garrison 4.25 in 9mm, which I’d brought to the shoot. He was so impressed that after filming was done for the day he immediately ordered one. There’s a lot to like about an all-steel, Commander-size 1911—especially one in 9mm Luger—and Springfield got this one right. Chambering aside, it’s as traditional as traditional can be, which was the company’s goal for the Garrison line. No bull barrel, no full-length guide rod, no G10 grips, no accessory rail, just a rock-solid example of the type. Springfield Armory likes to play up its use of forged steel components,…

MY WIFE AND I HAD A HOUSE BUILT A few years ago, and our contractor suggested we add extra space to the garage and outbuilding. He said it’s easy to run out of space, but since I was frightfully close to running out of money I chose not to take his advice. Of course, he was right, and I’ve run out of space, especially in my gun room. Lockdown’s SecureWalls have helped cope with that. The panels themselves are the heart of the system. They come in two varieties—standard and heavy duty—and multiple sizes. Standard panels are made from 16-gauge steel and will support up to 100 pounds each while the 14-gauge heavy-duty panels can hold up to 200 pounds each. Standard panels are available in 32x24-, 16x24- and 4x24-inch…

No doubt influenced at a young age by publications such as this one, I have always loved big-bore revolvers. Single actions, double actions, Rugers, Colts, Smith & Wessons or custom jobs, I love most of them. It’s no secret that revolvers have made a big comeback, and Colt has reintroduced some classic sixguns, including the Python, Anaconda and King Cobra. This year, the company has taken things a step further with the release of the non-snake-themed Kodiak chambered in .44 Remington Magnum. Many people will not recall the original Kodiak, which was a limited-production revolver made in 1993. Around 2,000 were reportedly made, so they were fairly rare. The 1993 Kodiaks were actually Anacondas with unfluted cylinders, Pachmayr grips and Mag-na-ported vent-rib barrels. Most examples I’ve ever seen for sale…

SITTING AROUND AFTER AN INFORMAL handgun shoot at the club where we were discussing different guns, one of the group said, “There’s nothing like a Python.” We all nodded our heads in agreement. The Colt Python made its debut in 1955, with production ending in 1999, although the company’s custom shop continued building them until 2005. Then in 2020 Colt brought the legend back—but at first only in stainless. Now there’s a blued version. My custom-shop blued Python was built in 1977, so I was able to compare that first generation with the new second. With a few exceptions, the new one is a good clone of the original. The target-style rear sight has been redesigned and the topstrap enlarged in thickness over the cylinder for strength. This sample was…

SINCE 2002, AN EAGER ASSEMBLY OF 40 handgunners has gathered each year in late July in rural southeastern Ohio to stretch their long-range handgun skills. The event is the challenging but intensely fun two-day Adam Bender Memorial Shoot organized by Michigan stock maker Jim Rockwell, Sr. It is held on the 200-acre grounds of the Thunder Valley Precision shooting complex in Coshocton County, just north of the town of Cambridge. The shoot has a hunting theme. Distinct categories include centerfire hunter handguns, rimfire handguns, revolvers and benchrest pistols lobbing rounds out to 1,000 yards. The first day of the event is devoted to the hunter centerfire handgun, rimfire and revolver competitions. The second day focuses on bench-rest events, and at the end of the regular program some benchresters will fire…

STREAMLIGHT’S NEWEST GUN LIGHT, THE TLR-1 HL-X USB ($395), is a USB-C rechargeable light that gives serious power to the defensive handgunner. With the supplied SL-B9 batteries, you’re getting 1,500 lumens, 20,000 candela and a beam distance of 283 meters—with a run time of one hour. It’s a dual-fuel light, and if you opt for readily available CR123A lithiums, which are not included, the output drops to 1,000, 15,000 and 245 meters respectively, but runtime bumps up to 1.5 hours. The body and face cap are made of 6000-series machined aircraft aluminum with a black anodized finish. It’s IPX-7 rated—waterproof to one meter for 30 minutes. The lens is made of impact-resistant Borofloat glass, and the white LED light source is impervious to shock and has a 50,000-hour lifespan. The…

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…

Walther introduced its Performance Duty Pistol (PDP) 9mm semiauto handguns in 2021, and three years later the company launched the upgraded Pro Series SD PDP. Recently it has introduced yet another new member of the PDP family, the Pro-E. Available in four-inch compact and 4.5-inch full-size versions, these Germanmade striker-fired 9mms effectively split the difference in terms of features and prices between the standard PDP and the top-of-the-line Pro Series SD models. The Pro-E pistols have a flat-face polymer trigger with integral blade, just like the Pro Series SD guns (more on this in a bit), and they also feature an aluminum mag well that makes it easier to reload in a hurry. The Pro-E full-size pistol gets a bump in magazine capacity—20 rounds compared to 18 for the Pro-E…

WHEN FACING AN ARMED ASSAILANT, getting behind cover is a high priority. While it’s true that cover is a relative term, anything you put between you and the bad guy is better than nothing. But before you can use cover, you need to recognize it. Once you’re behind cover, there are a few techniques that will help maximize the protection it provides. Since we don’t tend to think clearly under duress, identifying, moving to and using cover probably won’t just come to you when a deadly threat suddenly emerges. That’s why it’s important to understand what constitutes cover and how to maximize its benefits before your life depends on it. First, let’s define what cover is. Cover is any object capable of stopping a bullet. Of course, an object that…

Ruger celebrated 75 years of firearms manufacturing last year, and the company has achieved many milestones in the past three-quarters of a century. Its 10/22 .22 semiauto rifle and Mark-series rimfire pistols set the standards in their respective categories, and the company claims a substantial share of the single- and double-action revolver market. The American rifle is the best-selling bolt gun in the country, and new additions to the Ruger family, including the PC and LC carbines, have been instant best-sellers. One area where Ruger seems to have struggled a bit, though, is the compact and full-size polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol market. I wrote about the SR9—Ruger’s first striker-fired gun—when it arrived on the scene more than a decade ago, and that was followed up by the American pistol. Both were…

Optic or no optic? These days, that’s a legitimate question shooters have to ask themselves. With many handguns, the question is binary. Thanks to Springfield Armory’s new Agency Optic System (AOS) models, one need not commit to one or the other. I tested the Springfield Armory 4.25-inch AOS handgun, a compact and capable 1911 with versatile sight options. The Operator series consists of duty-ready handguns designed for tactical/defensive use. Both full-size Government-length and 4.25-inch Commander-length models are available. My test sample was the latter, chambered in .45 ACP. The pistol starts with a lightweight forged aluminum frame, with an integral accessory rail machined into the frame’s dust cover. The grip has a standard GI-style profile rather than a modern high cut. The frontstrap is smooth, with no checkering or serration.…

THE 1911 IS AN ICONIC PISTOL, WITH ergonomics that give it an almost universal appeal and a trigger that is the envy of all others. The one drawback to the 1911 has been its relatively low capacity, with its single-stack magazines holding just seven or eight rounds. However, with the introduction of double-stack 1911s, you get 1911 functionality with twice as many rounds—making capacity on par with modern striker-fired offerings. Kimber’s KDS9c is a 9mm, double-stack 1911-esque pistol with an excellent trigger. The pistol’s grip panels keep it nearly as slim as a traditional 1911 despite its 15- and 18-round magazines. A version of the gun with 10-round magazines is available for restrictive states. The KDS9c lacks the 1911-style grip safety but retains the familiar thumb safety on the left…