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What's it worth? Usually, the answer has to be “I have no idea” but the question is one of the most common from curious readers. Some magazines offer answers to reader's questions as a regular feature, but hedge the answers just a little bit. They might say “A gun of the type you mention should bring between $500 and $900” and not “Your gun is worth $783.19.” There are two reasons why this is true—condition and location. A used guns' condition is critically important but sometimes a gun's value varies with where it is being sold. Big magnum revolvers are probably more likely to sell in rural areas where they can be effectively used. Smaller, concealed-carry guns enjoy a better market in urban venues with more densely concentrated populations. Regardless of the circumstances of the sale, the greatest single factor in selling a used handgun is the gun's condition. You are way ahead in the deal if the gun is in excellent or better condition. If it is a desirable gun in new condition, you rule the deal, but if the gun is much less than 100 percent, then it is a “shooter” and the only buyers are likely to be someone who views the gun as a tool.
September 26, 2012
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Webley-Fosbery (or Fossies) revolvers are beautifully made gun from the Golden Age of British armsmaking, and they are quite unique. I am sorry to say that I have never fired one—you have to go to my old friend and fellow Field Editor Garry James for that kind of experience. While the recent Italian Mateba revolver has some distinct similarities, the Fossie stands different in the history of small arms.
September 20, 2012
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Primarily applying to Smith & Wesson revolvers, target trigger means an extra-wide trigger that curves gently under your finger. As the term suggests, it is intended for formal target competition.
September 18, 2012
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In the very earliest days of International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association, one of its founding gurus, the late Elgin gates, designed some new cartridges for the sport. This was long-range handgun work—50, 100, 150 and 200 meters. The distant targets were hard to hit because of their size and hard to knock down because of their weight. You needed an accurate, flat-shooting, high-velocity, heavy-bullet load in your handgun, particularly when shooting revolver class. That’s why we have the Gates’ Super Mags—.357, .375. .414 and .445. It is an interesting array of cartridges that achieved varying degrees of popularity. All of them required special long-frame, long-cylinder revolvers made mostly by Dan Wesson. All four have a rimmed case that is 1.61 inches in length. Since I worked a great deal in the 70s with three out of the four, I have some impressions to contribute.
September 10, 2012
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I clearly remember the press conference where Smith & Wesson’s Tommy Campbell announced the .40 S&W cartridge along with the Model 4006 pistol to fire it. The announcement created such a stir that almost anything “Forty” was a viable product. Like so many things, the .40 was a compromise, an effort to increase stopping power without increasing gun size or inadvisably reducing capacity. Most of those design criteria were pretty well met. But I want to make a couple of points here, and that means putting the situation in context.
September 06, 2012
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“Throwin’ Down” is an old-time expression for drawing a handgun—typically a revolver—and demonstrably aiming the piece at a live target. I think it may have originated in the south and migrated west as the frontiers were conquered. It conveys an impression of a kind of flamboyance, but also one of deadly intent, as when… “Earp threw down on Curly Bill.” Sure, the term is slang, but slang is what makes our English language so expressively colorful. There are numerous examples of gun terms becoming slang terms with much broader meanings. How about “Don’t go off half cocked” to indicate a lack of preparation or “Lock, stock and barrel” to suggest completeness.
August 28, 2012
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Ruger continues its history of innovative handguns.
August 22, 2012
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In the era of bullseye shooting that started before World War II, the revolver was king. In those days, most folks shot either Colt or Smith & Wesson. Eventually, gunsmiths came up with ways to accurize the 1911, and then other autos surfaced and the revolver began to fade. Before it completely vanished from the competition arenas, some pretty accomplished craftsmen went to work on properly stocking the wheelgun.
August 21, 2012
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In the course of my weekly trip to Barnes and Noble in Reno, I ran across a book that I had not seen before. In the Reno store, gun books are just across the aisle from military history, so I usually spend a half hour of relaxed browsing in one spot. Last week’s visit produced a new gun book that all revolver enthusiasts need to know about. Titled Gun Digest Book of the Revolver and written by Grant Cunningham, the book is primarily concerned with revolver characteristics and how to manage the various models and makes. While the title might suggest another dreary survey of everything in production, it is far from that.
August 17, 2012
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America’s first metallic cartridge was a .22 rimfire, and it was introduced more than 150 years ago. While that little .22 Short was first fired in Smith & Wesson’s tip-up revolver, it went on to broader use in many rifles. Because of its modest price, low noise and minimal recoil, those early.22 rimfire revolvers were very popular handguns. Some Civil War officers even carried them in pockets as defensive firearms. They must have been hugely optimistic, because a .22 doesn’t have a large enough bullet or velocity to be an ideal fighting load. This does not change the fact that the .22 rimfire handgun has long been a big part of a handgunner’s battery.
August 14, 2012
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As much as we all enjoy guns and shooting, the clean up after a range session is never exactly pleasant. Even with modern solvents and tools, the residue left by shooting is difficult to remove. It’s even worse with lead bullets and a real pain when blackpowder is involved. A good bit of the gunk that is produced by the combustion of gunpowder can be at least softened and sometimes removed through the use of solvents. The old, traditional and still effective solvent is Hoppe’s No. 9, complete with that odd, banana oil smell. But when all the stuff that can be chemically removed is gone, you are stuck with the stuff that is mechanically imbedded in the barrel. This stuff has to be scraped from the bore. So what is the most efficient scraper? Long ago, old time gunsmith George Matthews introduced me to a product that is nearly miraculous. It is called Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner (or B45FMC for short).
August 09, 2012
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This question came up in a combat range discussion not long ago. Indeed, when does the aiming process begin? Most present said something about aiming beginning when the gun is at the full extension of the arm and the front sight is visible. Possibly, but I think it happens earlier in the sequence. As a matter of fact, I can make a pretty good argument for aiming beginning at the moment you realize you need to shoot.
August 06, 2012
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One of the lesser known figures in the world of combat handgunning was William Ewart Fairbairn. Born in 1885, this slender Englishman was in the British service by 1901 and the Shanghai Municipal Police by 1907. He served in this famous agency of Sikh, Chinese and English officers for more than 30 years, forever studying the martial arts to include close quarters pistol shooting. In that period, the so-called “International” Settlement was one of the most violent cities on earth. Administered by a joint commission of several nations, Shanghai’s police department faced daily episodes of violent crime and was an ideal laboratory for study.
July 27, 2012
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In the 1960s, American shooters started getting interested in semi-auto pistols. Unfortunately, they had relatively few models from which to choose. Colt made only 1911 style guns, Ruger made none and Smith & Wesson offered a single choice in the Model 39. Exotic double-wide, double-column guns were still a few years off. In fact, the only really viable staggered column pistol was the legendary Browning Hi Power of 1935. A few other guns were available, mostly European imports and often World War II surplus. Into this uneven market came a new 9 mm pistol that makes for a very interesting footnote in handgun history.
July 24, 2012
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Many nations have enacted regulations that limit the possession of firearms and ammunition by their citizens—Thank God for the 2nd amendment. Some governments choose to prohibit just the possession of military caliber guns and ammo for civilian use. Regardless of intent or means of achieving same, this practice of no military guns in civilian hands sets clever minds a’working to evade the statute. American handgun aficionados are aware of the popularity of the 1911 pistol and .45 ACP cartridge in Central and South America, where it is often prohibited for civilians. In Mexico particularly, the answer is a 1911, but chambered in the .38 Super cartridge. An unknown, but significantly large portion of all Colt .38 Super pistol ended up south of the border and probably will continue to do so.
July 17, 2012
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