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For over three decades, I have had the good fortune of shooting for a living. Actually I have been writing for a living, but I had to shoot in order to have something to write about. And for almost every one of those shooting sessions, I've relied on a chronograph to measure the velocity of the various loads from guns as I fired them. Although I have used most brands of chronographs from time to time, my preference has been the Oehler and Millenium brands. I mention this because I believe that a chronograph is necessary to properly evaluate ammunition and firearms.
November 18, 2011
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I got a question the other day at the gun store counter. A fellow customer wanted to know about a “New York reload.” That's an easy one and another of those elusive terms that surround the lore of guns and shooting. A New York reload is another gun.
November 15, 2011
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There are two basic types of automatic pistol mechanisms, known as actions. One is the blowback; while the other is known as recoil operated. Both accomplish the same thing: The breech is held closed until the bullet exits the muzzle before using the residual energy to extract and eject the spent case, load another cartridge and close the breech.
November 07, 2011
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Handguns can be intimidating to a complete beginner trying to get over the fear of injury that comes with handling what can be a deadly tool. After teaching him or her The Fundamental Rules of Gun Safety, it becomes time for the student to learn the operating drill for the particular handgun with which he or she will begin the training cycle. In my opinion, it is unwise to present a new shooter with more than one gun at a time. Ideally, the first gun should be a DA/SA revolver, but that is not always possible. Whatever the selected handgun is, make sure the beginner has a thorough understanding of how the gun works. Then you can move on to using the gun to its full potential.
November 01, 2011
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Developed in 1954 and '55 and announced in January of 1956, Smith & Wesson's .44 Mag. has been a consistent favorite of the shooting public for over half a century. It came some 20 years after the company's first Magnum revolver—the .357. This earlier gun and cartridge were enormous trend-setters and got American handgunners thinking about really powerful revolvers because the added power offered two major advantages. The first was increased practical range, while the second advantage was plain smashing power that could harvest the largest game animals at closer ranges. The .357 did all of these things, but it was the .44 Mag. that took hold of the American consciousness and never let go. It was a bread and butter gun for the Massachusetts firm, with a little help from Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry.
October 21, 2011
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For the first half of the 20th Century, one of the bread and butter mainstays of the revolver line was the New Service. A double-action sixgun of generous size, the New Service was big enough to take all of the big cartridges of the day—.476 Eley, .455, .45 Colt, .44-40, etc.—as well as .38 Spl. and other milder calibers. Made from just before the turn of the century until the beginning of World War II, the New Service was used primarily by police and military personnel. Variations included adjustable-sighte “Target” models, as well as the legendary Shooting Master of the 1930s. The gun's greatest use was in World War I, when the government bought a total of 151,800 5 1/2-inch barreled 1917s, all chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. That was the most numerous variation of the many New Service models. It is a big, rugged gun that could (and often did) take a lot of abuse. But, for reasons I have never understood, the New Service has never drawn the same interest as other contemporary handguns.
October 14, 2011
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There was a 1950s-era trend in American handgun making that is still alive and even growing. It received its start because post-war handgunners suddenly awakened to the fact that handguns were really heavy to carry.
October 05, 2011
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Latter day students of gunfighters and their gear probably know about the Tom Threepersons holster as currently made by El Paso Saddlery and other custom makers. That rig is named for a legendary peace officer of the early 20th Century. There is some confusion surrounding him because of the fact that another famous westerner wore the same (almost) name. Threepersons was born in the Indian Nations in July of 1889. A Cherokee Indian, Tom grew up on the reservation and was educated in Indian schools and at the Carlisle Institute in Pennsylvania. Early in his adult life, Tom became a well-known and successful rodeo cowboy in the Pacific Northwest. I suspect that this is where things might have started getting confusing for latter-day researchers. Another young man named Tom Three Persons (note different spelling) was born in March 1888 in Alberta, Canada, and grew to adulthood as a cowboy and competition horseman. He also competed in rodeos and the great similarity in their names and early careers may have contributed to the confusion as to who did what. It is certain that Three Persons spent his life as stockman, while Threepersons became a lawman.
September 27, 2011
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SAAMI stands for Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute. It is an organization in which member companies establish standards for the production of all types of commercial ammunition. This includes the actual dimensions of a given round—width, length, case wall thickness, etc—as well as the pressure level to which it is loaded. When the SAAMI member companies agree to these yardsticks, gunmakers may proceed with building guns that can comfortably accept SAAMI-standard ammunition. Although handloading is an active and widely practiced adjunct to the shooting sports, no gunmaker will ever warrantee his gun when it is used with handloads. That's because they cannot exert any control over the way the ammo was loaded or what components were used. With virtually all commercial ammunition sold in America loaded by SAAMI members, the shooting public can proceed with their sport in relative safety. It is an excellent example of an industry regulating itself.
September 22, 2011
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With its new all-metal pocket pistol, the Solo, Kimber addresses power and portability, all in one package.
September 19, 2011
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When I took up the subject of a magnum semi-automatic pistol a while back, I must have failed in my efforts to get one point firmly established. The only way to create an automatic pistol that provides the same kind of performance as the magnum revolvers is to build a bigger auto. This has been done with the Coonan, Desert Eagle, Wildey and Grizzly pistols. While all of these guns met with varying degrees of commercial success, they were all so big that they were difficult for most handgunners to carry and shoot comfortably. Readers have commented in such a way that I believe what they are asking for is a handgun the size of a conventional 1911 that delivers at least .357 Mag. performance. Some have asked for a .45 loaded up to higher levels of pressure and velocity performance. In my view, this is not a good idea.
September 14, 2011
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The defensive handgun industry went nuts over the.380 auto over the last couple of years, even though there were signs that more powerful 9 mm guns were coming. By any standard, a pistol chambered for the century-old 9 mm Luger cartridge is more effective than one of comparable size chambered for the century-old .380 Auto. However, as of early last year, there were about twice as many medium-sized, single-column .380s as there were 9 mms.
September 07, 2011
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I am old-fashioned and still cling to the idea that a handgun is primarily for personal defense and that every shot should be aimed and hit something. I know that there are handgun competitions where a high volume of fire is acceptable. This has led to gun modifications that are not really a good idea. Trigger pull weight is one such modification. By far, the most common handgun type you'll find in my hands is the 1911 pistol, followed closely by DA/SA revolvers. Both types of guns have SA or DA trigger systems that lend themselves to modification.
August 22, 2011
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Shoot as much as you can. In doing so, you learn more about the techniques and equipment involved, enjoy the company of other gun folks and help preserve the precious rights to do so. In this economy, shooting can be an expensive proposition, so anything that productively burns powder has at least some merit. For a gadget that's perfect for this line of reasoning, check out J&G Sales in Prescott, Ariz. You will find a new product that strikes me as a good idea. It's a conversion kit for most 1911 pistols in 9 mm Luger or .38 Super that permits the use of 7.62x25 mm Tokarev ammo. Please note the large quantities of this stuff that is currently on the surplus market.
August 15, 2011
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Smith & Wesson has a new product introduction that has been long overdue—the “E” Series of 1911s. Like so many other handgunners, I was delighted when S&W introduced their own line of 1911 pistols several years ago. But I was less than happy with the grip-activated firing pin safety system. To work properly, this safety required an exceptionally firm grip on the butt of the pistol. To my considerable dismay, I found that I didn't fully depress the grip safety every time, particularly when using a one-handed grip. The hammer would drop, but the gun didn't fire.
August 08, 2011
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