http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/RSS.ashxAmerican Handgunner July/August 2009 PagesMon, 11 May 2009 05:45:07 +0200http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=1http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=1Ayoob: MArine Vs. Thugs EXCLUSIVE STORY! $5.95 OUTSIDE US $9.50 JULY/AUGUST 2009 ® rS fi T loo K ! UnlimiTed Springfield Armory’S 9mm (M) 44 Special . the An UltimAte ain’t! .357 J-Frame Feed The habiT: bags, PaCks and RuCks CCW: Reloading DMT • Lock safe • cRkT igniToR gunnysack: PacT aR TRiggeR2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=2http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=2Super Hawg.Super Shooter SUPER HAWG Six-Inch .45 ACP Long Slide Super Reliability Super Targeting Super Durability Super Choice – Single Stack or High Capacity Become a Super Hawg… Super Shooter Today Charlotte, NC www.para-usa.com/superhawg2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=3http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=3The Threat Stops Here The Winchester Bonded PDX1 is engineered to maximize terminal ballistics as defined by the demanding FBI test protocol, which simulate real-world threats—now available in a full line of popular handgun calibers. Bottom line … this same bullet design chosen by the FBI as their primar y ser vice round protects our homeland, and now it protects your home. When a situation unfolds, so does Winchester Bonded PDX1. Bonded Lead Core. Preprogrammed Jacket. 1.5 Times The Expansion. learn more // www.winchester.com ©2009. Winchester Ammunition2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=4http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=4Cover Photo: Chuck Pittman, Inc. Volume 33 • Number 4 • Issue 200 2009 JULY • AUGUST FEATURES 42 AN ULTIMATE J-FRAME ROYHUNTINGTON Gemini Customs raises the bar. 42 46 GOING AIRSOFT J.I.GALAN WWII autos face-off in “soft” form. 48 THE .44 SPECIAL AIN’T SO SPECIAL MIKE“DUKE”VENTURINO Is this heresy? Will Duke get away with this? 46 52 A CUSTOM XD (M) DUO ROYHUNTINGTON Springfieldpullsoutallthestops! 58 FEEDING THE HABIT DAVEANDERSON Reloadingtipsforbeginnersandpros. 64 THE BOKER EXPLOSION Oldworldtraditionandhi-techcollide. PATCOVERT 66 STUFFIN’ IT SMART JOHNCONNOR Bags,sacks,rucksandpacksfortotin’yergun-gear. 58 48 40 4 64 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=5http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=5DEPARTMENTS 20 BETTER SHOOTING DAVEANDERSON Vogel’svoice. 40 THE SIXGUNNER JOHNTAFFIN SSK’sgroundbreakingguns. 62 THE AYOOB FILES MASSADAYOOB RetiredMarinevs.hold-upthugs. 30 92 GUNNYSACK ROYHUNTINGTON&DAVEANDERSON PACTARTrigger,CRKT,DMTSharpenerandLockSAF. COLUMNS 8 SPEAK OUT 35 66 18 COP TALK MASSADAYOOB 22 HANDGUN HUNTING J.D.JONES 24 PISTOLSMITHING ALEXHAMILTON 26 TAFFIN TESTS JOHNTAFFIN 28 WINNING EDGE DAVEANDERSON 30 SHOOTING IRON MIKE“DUKE”VENTURINO 32 GUNCRANK DIARIES JOHNCONNOR 35 REALITY CHECK CLINTSMITH 36 CARRY OPTIONS SAMMYREESE 38 HANDLOADING JOHNTAFFIN 106 THE INSIDER ROYHUNTINGTON 36 28 RESOURCES 91 CUSTOM CORNER 98 SPOTLIGHT STEVEEVATT 102 AD INDEX 103 CLASSIFIEDS WIN! HANDGUN OF THE MONTH 68 Check Out Web Blast For More Info, Videos And Pictures About Articles In Every Issue. Win this stunning NAA three-gun package! JUSTCLICKONTHEWEBBLASTICON! AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM AMERICAN HANDGUNNER® (ISSN 0145-4250) is published bi-monthly by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, CA 92128, and at additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: One year (six issues) $19.75. Single copies $5.95 (in Canada $9.50). 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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AMERICAN HANDGUNNER®, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 52009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=6http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=6W W W e realize there are less expensive ways to manufacture parts. BOARD OF DIRECTORS THOMAS von ROSEN, CEO; THOMAS HOllANdER; RANdy MOldé; MARjORiE yOuNg PUBLISHER & EDITOR ROy HuNTiNgTON MANAGING EDITORIAL ASSISTANT STEPHANiE jARREll EDITORIAL ASSISTANT KERiN VAN HOOSEAR DESIGN DIRECTOR liSA STAHlHuT PRODUCTION MANAGER liNdA PETERSON ADVERTISING PRODUCTION KEViN lEWiS PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR RANdy MOldé WEBSITE MANAGER lORiNdA MASSEy PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR ElizAbETH O’NEill e at EGW prefer to use evolutionary technology to manufacture parts from solid bars of tool steel. It has been battle and competition proven for over a century. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CLASSIC FIREARMS EDITOR MiKE “duKE” VENTuRiNO VERY SENIOR OLD FIELD EDITOR jOHN TAFFiN VERY SENIOR OLD FIELD EDITOR jOHN MORRiSON CARRY OPTIONS EDITOR SAMMy REESE bCP FIELD EDITOR jEREMy ClOugH FIELD EDITOR MARK HANTEN SENIOR FIELD EDITOR dAVE dOuglAS FIELD & TACTICS EDITOR CliNT SMiTH HUNTING EDITOR j.d. jONES KNIFE EDITOR PATRiCK COVERT LAW ENFORCEMENT EDITOR MASSAd AyOOb PISTOLSMITHING EDITOR AlEX HAMilTON PRACTICAL SHOOTING EDITOR dAVE ANdERSON hen you hear a bump in the night, and reach for your gun, how important will the couple of dollars you saved seem then? 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Produced in the united StateS. 6 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=7http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=72009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=8http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=8SPEAKOUT YOUR FORUM TO PONTIFICATE, PONDER AND PROBE digital magic Youguyshavedoneawonderfuljobonthedigitaleditions.They’rewelldone,easytouse,andthankfully, easytoreadwiththezoomfeature!I’mretirednow,ondisabilityandcan’tbuyallthemagazinesIusedto.I appreciateyoumakingthisavailabletoguyslikeme.Welldone—andthanks. GeorgeLanzidelle Via e-mail I’m overseas right now in the military and can’t get Handgunner reliably, but I can get onto the Internet. I found out about your digital edition and now can enjoy my favorite gun magazine PACT_postxmas_09_fixed.pdf while I’m deployed! It’s 12/16/08 nice If 9:04:18 you haven’t yet, go to www.ameriAM to read the articles and check out the canhandgunner.com (and all our other More Digital Magic ads about what’s new. Now I can plan on what I’m going to buy when I get back home! Thanks for helping us out “over here.” Sgt. Kenneth Petersen Via e-mail FMG sites) to check out our interactive online editions. They are the complete magazines, but offer “hot” Web site links, page-turning technology and the ability to search for key words. Think of it as a way to enhance our printed version and use it to easily search for favorite topics or makers — and so you can read the magazine if you’re on the 8 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=9http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=9WITH FNH USA! PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR EYES AND EARS Purchase any new FNP handgun between May 15, 2009 and September 30, 2009 and get a pair of Radians® Revelation shooting glasses and a pair of SureFire® EarPro® EP3 Sonic Defenders® ear plugs (a $50.00 retail value) Top photo courtesy U.S. Department of Defense FN M240 7.62x51MM NATO MEDIUM MACHINE GUN ABSOLUTELY FREE! FN provides 70% of the small arms used by U.S. Military Forces around the globe. FN is the name you can trust. JUST LIKE THEY DO. 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I can’t believe people actually exist in this world who think it’s government’s job to determine if I have “a genuine need” to exercise my Constitutional rights. So instead of trying to figure out why someone feels that way, I’ve decided to do what I can to stop them. This is my country too, and with a little discipline, I fully intend to cut into my shooting budget and donate more to the NRA, and I ask other readers to do the same. As for Frank, I offer him this challenge. Show the world how much you are willing to stand by your convictions. If you really believe nobody should own a firearm — except those who wish to rule over we peasants — then place this sign I’ve attached on your doorbell. Be sure to share them with your friends, and when the police come to clean up the mess they’ll at least know no firearms were stolen. Chris Schmittle Louisville, KY THIS IS A GUN-FREE ZONE 877-951-1890 877-951-1890 480-951-1890 gsiinternational.com 480-940-1806 Chandler, AZ 85226 7750 E. Evans Rd., Ste. 6925 W. Frye Rd. 2 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 For more info, go to gsiinternational.com Speaking of the NRA, I want to remind all of you we’re still offering a free NRA membership to anyone who subscribes to Handgunner, GUNS and American COP. You can’t renew your own NRA membership, but can use it to sign up someone new. We need to help build those numbers so we can maintain the clout we need for the next several years. So … you can get your favorite magazine (or extend your subscription) and sign up a friend, neighbor, grandkid — or even that anti-gun guy at work — for an NRA membership at the same time. Let’s join forces on this. You can signup online at any of our Web sites. Editor 9mm Info First, thank you for the finest handgun magazine on the rack. I am an avid ‘gunner dating back to 1973 when I entered law enforcement, and am now in my 36th year with no thought of retirement. I started competition back in 10 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=11http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=11Taurus800SERIES Introducing the next evolution in semi-autos. The new Taurus® 800 Series matches an incredible rate of fire with the exclusive Taurus “Strike Two” trigger system for industry leading reliability that gives you a potentially life saving second chance at striking a faulty round. The extreme-duty, next generation handgun, created for Special Operations Personnel, incorporates only the highest quality materials, craftsmanship and manufacturing tolerance for remarkable accuracy and ruggedness. New features include unique take down levers for quick field stripping, a lanyard loop and an external hammer as requested by our valued customers. • External Hammer • Ambidextrous 3-Position Safety and Decocker • Picatinny Accessory Rail • Modular Grip Backstraps for a Custom Fit of Various Hand Sizes • Aggressive Checkered Grip • Black Tennifer Finish • Available in 9mm, .40 Caliber and .45 ACP. TaurusUSA.com FREE one-year NRA membership with the purchase of any new Taurus firearm.2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=12http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=12SPEAKOUT the PPC days where I earned my NRA Masters. Moved to steel plates, and now looking at IDPA in the “Senior” division — ouch! I have a question I would like you to forward to Duke if possible. He seems to have done a good deal of experimentation in the last year with cast loads for his 9mm sub-guns. I would like to work up a steel plate load for my GLOCK 34 using Hornady’s 140-grain lead “cowboy” load (.358" diameter, but I’m swaging them down to .356"). I prefer Hodgdon’s HP38 powder for these loads, but would consider Winchester’s AutoComp. I’m sure Duke has data for this type load in that weathered spiral notebook of his. Think you can get him to cough it up? Again my compliments, and thanks for the excellence you provide in your magazine! John Mark Vaughn, Coroner Oneonta, AL From Duke: I actually don’t have any information I can pass on about Hornady’s swaged lead bullets for 9mm. I’ve not had any luck at all with softer bullets in autoloaders. Personally, I use those very hard Oregon Trail .356" roundnoses of 124 grains for my 9mm pistols and submachine guns and they work very well. I use a charge of 4.3 grains of either HP38 or W231 (same powders, different labels) for all of them. I’ve also shot Oregon Trail’s .356" 147 grain roundnose in .38 Super with good results. I’ve never so much as fired a Glock 9mm of any variation so I really can’t comment on them. They say not to use cast or lead alloy bullets in their regular pistols, but I’m not sure what they say about the M34. I think if you use a hard bullet you have most of the battle won already. Duke Connor Propaganda Never, ever even think about firing this hard-fighting, truth-telling, intelligent, wise and caring man! He’s right so often it’s scary. He tells it like it is, and deals with whatever it is. And he lets the world know — as much of it as he can reach — he cares about what is right, is willing and able to fight for what is right, and urges all of us to do the same. Great magazine — wouldn’t trade it for any other on the market, so keep up the good work. Mike Sinz Via e-mail Great Mike, now Connor’s going to read this and ask for a raise. Of course, I’ll see it’s him calling on the callerID and ignore it, but now that I think of it, I believe he has my cell number 12 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=13http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=132009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=14http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=14SPEAKOUT too. I’ll have to change that, change my work number too while I’m at it. I’ve already moved and haven’t given him my new address so I’ll have it pretty well covered then. So ha! No raise for you, Connor! You have to find me first. Double Ha! Editor Huh? What? roject2 I normally would never try to sway someone any direction when it comes to choosing a firearm for self-defense, but I read the letter by John Lawrence (Speak Out, May/June 2009) where he says worrying about one’s hearing is not important when a life is at stake. I probably would agree except I’m one who has serious hearing loss due to the blast of a .357 magnum. When I was in my early 20s, I saw a crow feasting on the corn I had just planted in a nearby field. I grabbed my Blackhawk, crept up to a barn near the crow, aimed and fired. I dropped the revolver and fell to the ground because the blast from the revolver was so loud it perforated my left eardrum. I would liken it to getting an ice-pick rammed into your ear canal. With one shot, I was incapacitated by the blast — to say the least. 4/23/08 4:03 PM Page 1 Had I been defending my life I don’t believe I could have recovered in time to make another shot. I couldn’t even stand up due to the vertigo. I’m sure the blast bouncing off of the tin on the barn was the reason it messed up just one ear (the other ear was unharmed), but I can only imagine what would happen if you fired a .357 magnum inside your house. Because of my stupidity I now have incessant ringing in my left ear I will have to live with from now on. I keep a S&W model 65 at my bedside, but it’s loaded with standard .38 semi-wadcutters. I don’t want to drop my gun if I’m forced to defend my household. Chris P. Via e-mail than 10 to 20 officers. This leaves me to wonder why a city would purchase 100 and number them accordingly. I would think these guns were purchased for a much larger department. I have attached a photo of the department from 1923 and you can see even then, it was a small agency. David W. Moore Lorain Police Department David_Moore@CityofLorain.org Via e-mail Mystery Gun I retired from the Lorain Police Department in 1991 and came back to do some IT work for them. I was given your article (“1908 .380 Mystery Pistol,” May/June, 2009) by a friend of the author’s. Although I can’t prove or disprove the claim the gun came from the Lorain Police Department, I believe it probably did not. The main reason is the number itself “LPD 77” on the gun. At the time this weapon would have been purchased, around 1912, the department had probably no more I read Roy Huntington’s article (Insider, March/April 2009) issue and found his thoughts of interest. We agree for the most part in that President Obama will be way too busy with economic and international problems to spend much time tying to restrict our right to own firearms. He did say President Obama Calm Down 14 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=15http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=15is “The most under-qualified and inexperienced candidate ever to be elected to this office.” I believe the Constitution lists the qualifications as being born in America and having reached the age of 35 years. President Obama certainly meets those. I do not know what Mr. Huntington considers for qualifications, but we have had several “unqualified’ presidents. George Washington lost most of his battles with the British and had little if any government experience. Abraham Lincoln was a congressman who lost senate races twice and Harry Truman did not have a college education. Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading articles that make me think. Don Sampson Via e-mail But I think, Don, the very people you mentioned brought a certain sense of life-experience and wisdom to the table, don’t you think? I wonder what we will say a few years from now about the current administration. Editor Keeping Sane I appreciate your magazine as a fairly priced and lengthy read for the money. I have often wanted to write but haven’t because the firearm culture in general feels like some kind of men’s club, a birth-rite that I don’t have — yet. You see I’m only 26 and my father was never really into firearms. While it has been something that always interested me I feel like I don’t have my membership yet, and am unsure how to get it. Sometimes I feel like the old timers — whom I have great respect for — don’t want to be bothered answering all of my questions. It’s like getting your first job with no experience when no one wants to hire you because you have no experience! In those times of discouragement I turn to your magazine. It allows me this almost voyeuristic view into the culture I wish to be a part of. I am somewhat of a “black-sheep with my peers because they are all liberalputzes and I mean that in the nicest way. As I’m sure you can guess, they hate guns and hunting and worry about things like global warming to such an extent that one particular friend has anxiety attacks — I’m not making this up. There are clearly more important things to worry about that are happening right at this second. I look forward to the day when I can join the ranks of those knowledgeable crotchety fellows who have the foresight and guts to say “get off my lawn” and other such lyrical, simple things, but things too many are hesitate to put into words. I’ll endure with the knowl- edge that while my liberal friends are crying in the streets because big brother stopped holding their hand, I will be doing fine with my own values and selfreliant ways. In the meanwhile, I find solace in your magazine and for the all-too brief time it takes me to read it cover to cover. The logic and reason I find there is a touchstone for me. Thanks for helping to keep me sane in the trenches. J.R. Via e-mail Jonathon, consider yourself hereby inducted into the ranks of we shooters. This is as official as it gets, because if the editor (His Editorship when used in the formal) of American Handgunner doesn’t have the authority to do it, nobody does. From this day forth, you are entitled to talk to the old guys, listen to their lies, tell them when they’re wrong (since you read the finest gunzines in the world you probably know better than they do anyway) and you are also hereby granted first-person e-mail questions to yours-truly and through me to my entire staff. Want to ask Clint Smith a question or ask John Taffin about a load? Send me a note. And shame on those other guys who’ve given you the cold shoulder. Anyone who doesn’t welcome a new shooter into the fold is an idiot — or WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 152009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=16http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=16SPEAKOUT worse. And you can tell them I said that, and to read this issue’s Insider column where I take that very topic on. Welcome aboard. Your new friend, Roy. Charter Rocks We purchased a Charter Arms .38 Undercover model revolver a month ago. This is the best shooting of all our other hand guns, and the quality is very good for the money. It’s the wife’s and she is very impressed by how easy it is to use, and I too like how it handles. I will be getting one for myself soon, so I wanted to thank them publicly for making a fine handgun. Carl O. Via e-mail I just finished reading Mr. Huntington’s article (Insider, “Coming to America,” May/June, 2009) and I had mixed emotions. I was delighted to read two more souls had escaped the Republic of California to seek a life so many of us in real America already enjoy. And at the same time I felt California just lost a voice of reason in the on-going battle for gun owner freedom. That last sentence was not intended to evoke any feelings of guilt on his part but meant as a compliment to the work Handgunner does for we gun-owners. By the way, here in Nebraska life is a good deal like it is in your area of Missouri. Enjoy your new digs, I’m happy for you. Denny in Nebraska Via e-mail I read your story about returning to America and it made me smile. Welcome to the real United States of America! It’s nice to see there is still many good, real folks here in the heartland. Most of the land mass of the U.S. is still this way, it’s just the cities on the coast — and Chicago as well — that aren’t the real America anymore. We have to remember, and use the power we have, as there are far more of us than them. Welcome home. Sheriff David Medlin Oldham County, Texas I wanted to take a minute to welcome Roy to the real America. I spent most of my adult life in California, armed myself when a man was murdered in the housing tract I lived in east of San Francisco, and endured decades 16 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 Coming To America2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=17http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=17Meprolight® night sight sets are available for most popular brands and models of pistols, revolvers and tactical rifles. They are tough, 20% brighter than other night sights and backed by the strongest warranty in the business. Meprolight night sights in both fixed and adjustable versions are offered in a variety of contrasting colors. Their brightness and quality are unequaled. Pistol Sight Sets AR-15 & Clones of unfriendly leftists who had a great time tampering with the freedoms we were all born with. All that ended in 2003 when I retired and my wife and I moved to Texas. We live in a small town north of Austin, and while I don’t have Roy’s acres to play with, I now enjoy a friendly wave from just about everybody in my neighborhood, instead of the stone face or middle digit salute I got used to in California. People in stores greet you and seem to appreciate your presence in their shops, tradesmen do their work with pride and show up when they say they will, and guns are treated as just another part of life, not a scourge to be banished from the face of the earth. I carry licensed every day and don’t plan to stop, no matter what the regime in Washington may decide is in my best interests. I was proud to serve in the military of our wonderful country, which offers individual freedoms unprecedented in world history. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are documents that have protected those freedoms for more than 200 years. Shame on us if we allow Obama and his minions to gut them. William Schiffmann Lago Vista, TX The outpouring of welcome I’ve received from readers has been stunning — but I shouldn’t have been surprised. The e-mails, hand-written letters and personal phone calls are into the dozens now and continue to roll in. I’ve had genuine offers of friendship, to “come join our shooting group” and “go huntin’ with us” and even sincere offers to give me a hand with our new property as we settled in. I’ve had readers answer my questions about tractors, wells, tree work, hunting in the area and more. And the amazing thing is I actually get recognized in stores around here at times. Recently in a local gun store (Brandon’s) a reader spotted me and said how much he liked the “Coming To America” editorial and promptly invited me to go shooting with him. Suzi and I attended a gun show recently and about a dozen readers spotted us and extended their hands in welcome. In all honesty, I had never been recognized when I lived in California. Damndest thing, that. So thanks to you all who have reached out. You’ve made what might have been a trying time — much easier. The welcome is genuine, and we’re very pleased to be here. And being able to shoot in my back “yard” is, well … you can imagine. Editor Quick to install, Meprolight night sights for Colt, Bushmaster, DPMS and others ensure a positive aiming point in low light. Meprolight reflex sights provide a bright, dependable 24-hour aiming point without using battery power. 3X magnification is available. Distributed by Optical Systems Call or write for free catalog. Kimber, Dept. 234 One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705, call (800) 880-2418 or visit www.kimberamerica.com Kimber and Kimber of America are registered trademarks of Kimber Mfg., Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective companies. ©2008 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Officer’s Guns I have an interesting fact to add to Duke’s article (“WWII Handguns,” March/April, 2009). In the Axis Powers, only officers were issued handguns. How do I know? In 30 years of being a known Continued on page 97 17 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=18http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=18COPTALK Massad Ayoob S&W’s Model 58 .41 Magnum is a blast-fromthe-past “retro” gun. OPINION AND FACTS FROM THE MEAN STREETS shOT shOw: T ALSO OF NOTE uger’s new LCR (Lightweight Compact Revolver) has a futuristic space-gun look. A polymer fire control housing, aluminum frame, and steel cylinder bring weight to 13.5 ounces, halfway between Titanium and aluminum, but the special Hogue grips co-designed by LCP project engineer Joe Zaik soak up kick so well it feels almost as if you’re shooting a much heavier all-steel snub the same size. It’s geared to take five rounds of .38 Special +P, with a “hammerless” profile for snag-free draw. You prefer your baby backup to be in cocked n’ locked 1911 format? SIG introduces the P238, a “SIG-ized” tribute to the little Colt Mustang, in the same .380 chambering. You want your .380 to be under ten ounces with a polymer frame and DAO? The Kahr P380 is here, and is the easiest of its breed that I’ve shot so far in terms of fast hit potential. You wish you could buy a small hideout revolver that could take the same 9mm or .40 S&W ammo you’re issued for your duty pistol? Charter Arms almost introduced a series of snubbies to chamber just that, but display samples were pulled at the last minute because, reportedly, the patent lawyers didn’t want anyone to see them until the patents for extraction were finalized. Stay tuned, though: Charter spokesman Charles Brown tells us they’ll be able to feed spare ammo thumbed into the chambers from your service pistol magazines. Training simulators get higher and higher tech. Laser Shot (www.lasershot.com) displayed a remarkably realistic computer simulation that faced the officer in fast-breaking, computerized training scenarios, and my reading is that it’s surprisingly affordable. In the end, equipment doesn’t get The Job done. Strong men and women do. But the best equipment damn sure helps. R Flashbacks he old heads among us (Clint Smith and our editor, to name two) will remember when the S&W Model 58 .41 Magnum was touted as the service revolver that would make the .38 and the .357 obsolete. That was in 1964 and the prophecy was not fulfilled. The Model 58, introduced in 1964, was discontinued for lack of interest in 1978, and almost immediately became a cult favorite among gun people. Well, S&W introduced it “back” this year in their classic line. Buy one — ignore its ugly integral lock — and relive the past. Speaking of the past, can you recall when the debate between whether Safariland or Bianchi made the best holsters and duty gear, was worth more than one beer in the cop bar after work? It was one of the great “brand wars” of the old days, right up there with Colt versus Smith & Wesson, and the Plymouth Fury Pursuit versus the Ford Interceptor patrol car package. Well, if that wasn’t settled when both Safariland and Bianchi were absorbed into Armor Holdings and in turn into BAE, it was settled at the SHOT Show when the holding company announced that from now on, they were all going to be under the aegis of Safariland. For the foreseeable future, your Bianchi Accumold gear will come in a package that says “Bianchi by Safariland.” And, no, I haven’t had a chance to ask John Bianchi or Safariland pioneer Neale Perkins how they feel about it — New SIG both are long since retired from the police P238 in equipment wars. .380 is a 15-ounce single action auto. Back To The Future O n a more modern note, S&W has taken the frame-mounted manual safety for the they put on their .45 ACP M&P awhile back for the military contract that evaporated, and this year added it as an option for all sizes and all calibers. This option is, if I may quote Martha Stewart in a gun magazine, “a good thing.” We are still seeing cops killed with their own guns, after being disarmed by perpetrators, and the manual safety is one oft-proven safeguard against that. Glock, the 800-pound gorilla in the police handgun sales market, has updated their single most popular service pistol, the2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=19http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=192009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=20http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=20BETTERSHOOTING Dave Anderson obert Vogel won the 2008 USPSA Production division national championship. He’s also a past IDPA national champion. His achievements are even more impressive when you consider he trains in his spare time, while serving as a full time police officer (and SRT member) for the Kenton, Ohio department. His work ethic and time management skills must be phenomenal. Vogel won using a Glock 34 9mm. He uses Sevigny sights with a fiber optic front sight. The pistol has a plug (Pearce Grips #PG-GFI) in the space behind the magazine well, to prevent possible snags during reloads, and a steel guide rod. The trigger (4½ pound pull) is factory-stock. His holster is an inexpensive synthetic model from Ky-Tac, perfectly suitable for everyday wear. Just like the pistol: simple, basic and reliable. I bet most of us non-champions have fancier and more costly gear. R VOGEL’S VOICE These photos were taken at intervals of about 0.15 seconds. From initial grip on holstered gun to an accurate shot fired is three intervals, or under a half-second. Vogel shooting his Limited gun, a Glock 24 in .40 S&W. Vogel says the slanted grip lets him get the support (left) hand high on the gun for better recoil control. Top-level competition is expensive, considering travel, lodging, match fees and ammunition. Even though he reloads his practice ammunition, the cost of 30,000+ rounds annually adds up. Only in the past year or so has Vogel got a significant sponsorship, from Eotac (makers of tactical clothing for military and police as well as for private citizens.) Vogel is grateful for the sponsorship, which let him break even in 2008, and to use Remington factory ammunition for matches. Vogel says he simply shoots Glocks better than any other handgun he has tried, but in uniform he wears his department issue SIG Pro 2340. When he started shooting competitively he used a high-cap 1911 for three years. One day while training he shot an IDPA course of fire with a Glock, just to try it out. To his astonishment his score with the unfamiliar Glock tied his score with the 1911. Vogel says the Glock grip angle lets him get the support hand higher on the gun for better recoil control. And the longer, heavier Glock trigger (relative to a 1911 pull), far from being a disadvantage, gives a better surprise break and lets him shoot more aggressively. Glocks are fairly light pistols. For shooters with adequate hand/arm strength and good recoil management technique they can be driven faster than heavier guns. Fun Or Training? Consistency R W obert Vogel says competition and police duty are “different worlds,” but in some areas the worlds overlap. The biggest benefit of competition is “it gets you comfortable and familiar with having a gun in your hand.” Many cops simply don’t shoot enough to be comfortable handling their duty gun. Another advantage is confidence. Vogel has never had to pull the trigger in the line of duty but says there have been four or five times where it has been “real close.” It’s a great comfort, he says, knowing you can make the shot if you have to. On the occasions he arrested suspects at gunpoint, Vogel says the training took over. His competition experience has made drawing and indexing the gun subconscious skills. The conscious mind could focus totally on the situation, the suspect’s actions, and the appropriate response, right up to the critical shoot/don’t shoot decision. There’s merit to the argument competition can also teach bad habits. We’ve all heard stories of PPC competitors getting in shootouts, emptying their revolvers and looking around for a bucket in which to drop the fired cases. Vogel feels this may be a legitimate concern. In reality it has not been a problem. For example, competitors are required to unload their firearms after finishing a stage in a match. Nonetheless Vogel says he has never had an urge to “unload and show clear” after a suspect surrenders. Although he shoots a lot of matches, most of his sh2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=21http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=212009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=22http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=22J.D. Jones HANDGUNHUNTING This is just an average bull; adult but not an old big guy. Bigger than most Capes though. TIPS, TECHNIQUES AND POLITICALINCORRECTNESS CuLLing Lessons L ynn Thompson’s DVD, Death Down Under, shows 100 animals being taken and 50 of them are Asian buffalo. This isn’t what you would consider a “hunting” video. It’s obviously a culling operation and as the cover says, it may be extreme for some viewers. It does give real world experience in animal reaction to various hits and educates the viewer on what to expect. You can see video clip samples of it on the coldsteel.com website. It did remind me of some unusual experiences I had in Australia hunting buffalo during the years the government was attempting to eradicate them. My first trip was in 1986 and we helicoptered out into Arnemland about half a fuel1986 version of the SSK Contender with a 2X Leupold. Caliber — at least .375 JDJ. load worth in a Bell Ranger. After finding a suitable population of buffalo, we landed and made camp for three days. It was necessary to move in three days as odors were becoming unpleasant. In those days you could haul all the ammo you wanted to via commercial airlines so I brought plenty. I experimented heavily with a lot of calibers in the Contender and .44 Magnum revolver, mainly with my 320 grain cast bullet. Charges — yes a few, but only because I was trying to provoke them. Walking across a grassy field one day, some bulls got up from their naps at about 30-40 yards, took a look at me, stuck out their noses and began to trot toward me. A brain shot was nearly impossible, and the story goes these were charges and animal speed would increase, and the head would drop to put the horns to work at the last moment. I chose not to find out if this was true and dropped to one knee and shot them in the heart at 15-20 yards with the .375 JDJ. Every one turned into a left fishhook and went down quickly. These animals had never seen a human before and my feeling was they were simply curious of those Ruger Redhawk with an antique upright animals. My PH and Aimpoint. Bullets were others maintain they were legiti320 JDJ cast bullets at mate charges. We still disagree. about 1,500 FPS. Not Predictable O M y hunting partner had dropped a bull that stayed upright on his chest. He had been fighting his boss and was a mess of maggots. I stepped up to him and bent over to take a close up photo as he regained consciousness and simply ran over me. Then we had to run, shoot him in the ass, run some more, do it over again, until we downed him. The shot that knocked him out was a spinal process hit with a 500 grain .45-70 that didn’t get the spinal column. While we were walking on a narrow trail with water on both sides, a buff that had heard us approaching had submerged and finally run out of breath. He shot up out of the water like a nuclear submarine surfacing at top speed about four or five feet from me, scaring the hell out of me and covering me with muck. He was going up and somewhat away from me and as his hips cleared the water I stuck out the .375 with one hand and spined him, then finished him with a brain shot. In my memory this happened 10 minutes ago. J.D. Charges Too n another cull operation we drove into a herd of buff that were all laying down. Suddenly they began popping up all around us. The guys in the back of the truck gave them all they had and when I was sure they were empty, I jumped out of the truck and ran after rapidly retreating herd. Suddenly almost directly in front of me a buff came up — his head thrown away from me, and I distinctly remember seeing his front hooves were off the ground. I threw my left arm up, brought the Super around and double-actioned one into his under jaw and kept running. Later I found the muzzle blast had blown most of the hair off for several inches around the entry. The .320 had exited out the top of his head for a perfect brain shot and I didn’t even see him fall. I took quite a ribbing as2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=23http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=23! W NE A stunning breakthrough in personal defense ammunition design. Concealed carry and personal defense ammunition is redefined with the introduction of Hornady Critical Defense ammunition. You may have never thought about the effects of fabric and clothing on the performance of personal defense ammo. But clothing — especially heavy clothing — has a lot to do with how the bullet expands upon impact. • The patented FTX™ bullet will expand reliably EVERY SINGLE TIME! • Optimized propellants burn quickly, reduce recoil and limit muzzle flash to protect night vision. • Shiny nickel cases resist tarnish and greatly enhance low-light chamber checks. Conventional hollow point bullets clog with fibers and fabric as they pass through clothing which diminishes expansion and causes unreliable bullet performance. Hornady Critical Defense ammunition eliminates clogging with the use of their patented Flex Tip® bullet. Upon entering soft tissue, the tip swells and imparts equal pressure across the entire circumference of the bullet cavity. The result is UNRIVALED bullet expansion and performance EVERY SINGLE TIME! Flex Tip™ technology guarantees 100% reliable performance in every situation. Conventional hollow point bullets perform unreliably when encountering heavy fabric or layers of clothing. Hornady Critical Defense ammunition is available in these calibers: • 380 Auto • 38 Special • 38 Special +P • 9mm Luger PO Box 1848 Grand Island, NE 68802 308-382-1390 www.hornady.com2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=24http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=24PISTOLSMITHING Alex Hamilton THE INSIDE SCOOP ON PISTOLSMITHING TECHNIQUES Your Guns Will live Y eah, I know, we all think our guns are going to go with us when we croak, but I hate to break the bad news to you — they ain’t. If you die before your spouse and you have not planned for your toy’s afterlife they’re going to go to firearms hell. They end up in the hands of the wonderful people of the State, predatory lawyers or are simply pilfered off by thieves. When you go to eternity, chances are your old decrypted life’s love (that’s your woman for most of you) will be left in home-care, a nursing home, the care of like-minded females without a man, intensive care or anything else you can dream up. Please give yourself a moment of realism to think about it. Leaving the person you have loved and cared for with a pile of debt, guns, tools and stuff with which she more than likely has no idea how to deal with is just flat-out cruel. Consider this scenario. You are 82 years old, which places you around seven years over the life expectancy of an American male. Your sweetheart has been putting up with you for over 50 years and is 78 years old, which is right at the life expectancy of an American female. You have told her all your life those fire-sticks are worth a fortune when you die and can be sold for a nice chunk of cash to help her through the end of her days. She has really never had an interest in your guns and has devoted her time to putting up with you and raising children. Now you die on her, and she’s left alone with bad health and a safe full of guns she does not have a clue how to turn into the much-needed cash you told her about. I have been confronted with this problem — as have most gunsmiths — by the wives of men for whom we modified and built guns over the last 40 years. We are a recurring name in their husband’s Rolodex and one he mentioned off and on for many years, so the widow, in great need of help, calls. Don’t let a lifetime of collecting and enjoyment go to the wolves when you die — take action now. A Gunsmith-Friend G unsmiths are asked to tear guns apart, fix broken ones, restore abused ones, build new ones, alter working ones, ship ’em, receive ’em, clean ’em and evaluate them for countless widows. Most never paid attention to their husband’s lucrative hobby and don’t have a clue what to do with them when their old lover dies. All the widow sees is a pile of wood and metal that smells like rancid oil and looks like junk. If you never took the time to involve her and explain to her these chunks of metal were not the same as the hundreds of pairs of shoes she has collected over the last 40 years — sorry ladies — shame on you. Your firearms represent part of your legacy and have personal and historical value worth more than the money you sneaked out of your private stash to pay for them. Your gun collection is a solid, hardcore investment and should be treated as such. Mrs. Hamilton If you have a small collection and many grandknows exactly children, your widow’s problem is pretty much what to do with hubby’s solved. If you have no children or heirs-apparent, guns when he your large collection will have to be sold to pay the finally goes. enormous death tribute to King State. Your widow She’s been a will have two easy options, but you must inform her shooter and of these options before you die and probably write part of his business for the instructions down to be kept in a safe place. decades. Do This T he first, and probably the best solution, is for you to become friends and a good customer with the owners of a large local gunshop within a 50 mile radius of your home. Most of these large gunshops specialize in buying and selling gun collections coming out of an estate. You can cut a deal with the gunshop while you are still alive and create a contract your widow can use to finalize the deal. One fine old gun shop here in San Antonio, Drury’s Gun Shop, will pick up your gun col- lection, enter each item on2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=25http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=25THE RUGER LCR THE EVOLUTION OF THE REVOLVER. Patent Pending Friction Reducing Cam is a next generation design in fire control systems with an optimized cam that results in a smooth, non-stacking trigger pull. Patent Pending Polymer Fire Control Housing holds all the fire control components in their proper dimensional relationships, reduces weight significantly, and helps reduce recoil. ® ™ Introducing the NEW Ruger Lightweight Compact Revolver (LCR), a 13.5 ounce, small frame revolver with a smooth, easy-to-control trigger and highly manageable recoil. Packed with the latest technological advances and features required by today’s most demanding shooters, it is the latest in the HARD-R™ family of products from Ruger. Monolithic Aluminum Frame which supports the cylinder and barrel is an aerospace grade, 7000 series forging treated with a black synergistic hard coat and is extremely lightweight and durable. High-Strength 400 Series Stainless Steel Cylinder is extensively fluted (reducing weight) and is treated to an advanced form of Ruger’s Target Grey ® finish for excellent durability. L I G H T W E I G H T C O M P A C T R E V O L V E R LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LCR ONLINE AT WWW.RUGER.COM/LCR www.ruger.com ©2009 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=26http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=26TAFFINTESTS John Taffin 50+ years of Ruger’s .22 Single-Six is represented by an original flat gate from 1956, a Super Single-Six from 1963 and a 21st-century New Model Hunter. THE SIXGUNNER HIMSELF: GUNS, GEAR AND MORE An early ad shows how Ruger tugged at potential customer’s guts with ads appealing to outdoorsy-types. “T Single-Six hose were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end.” It was 1956 and I had purchased my first very own handgun. In those days firearms were easily accessible to kids; 16 was the legal purchasing age in my area with no forms to fill out, and there was no question what the first sixgun would be. All of us paid a hard-earned $63.25 for the relatively new Ruger SingleSix .22. By then we were old enough to appreciate the smell of perfume, however, even this was not quite as sweet to our sense of smell as powder smoke and Hoppe’s #9. We had not yet learned that sixguns did not have to be cleaned after every shooting session, so the standard procedure on Saturday afternoons was to shoot all the .22s we Bill Ruger gained his inspiration for the .22 Single-Six from the Colt Single Action Army. Ruger’s .22 could afford — in my case it was through a Marlin 39 Mountie as well as the Single-Six — followed by a cleaning session with Hoppe’s. The Single-Six was Sturm, Ruger’s first revolver after successfully introducing their .22 semiauto pistol four years earlier. When Bill Ruger decided to offer his first sixgun he went against all conventional wisdom. The SAA from Colt had been dead and buried for more than 10 years, having been dropped at the beginning of World War II. The already worn machinery had been moved to the parking lot into the ravages of weather to make room in the factory for wartime production. Colt had no intention of ever producing the Model P Single Action again; they had not counted on the powerful influ- The flat gate, drift adjustable rear and original style grips are evident in this early gun. Notice the smaller cylinder and frame on the .22 Single-Six. The .22 Single-Six joined the Standard Model .22 semiauto in 1953. ence of television and Bill Ruger. In the late 1940s television arrived and began to spread throughout the country from both coasts. Those early networks had to fill their time slots in those wonderful days before 24-hour newscasts and infomercials. Live performance variety shows, sporting events, wrestling and more wrestling, and old movies were the mainstay of television at mid-century. Many of those old movies were “B” Westerns. We have progressed so far here in the beginning decade of the 21st century I now pay for cable TV and buy videos and DVDs so I can watch the same old westerns I watched as a kid. They don’t quite have the same effect today as they did, but I do enjoy going back to those wonderful days of my childhood even if only for an hour at a time. Those old western movies featured the likes of Roy, Gene, Hoppy, Wild Bill, Tim, Buck, Rocky, Lash and dozens of others all of whom used single action sixguns to tame their part of the West. Anyone who doesn’t know all of these men by their first names is definitely lacking a truly solid basic education. A demand arose for single action sixguns, often fueled by those who had never even fired a revolver. The only Colts available were on the Continued on page 77 26 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=27http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=27Come See Our 2009 New Products Line-Up! 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Nalgene pocket Digital Foliage Camo Main compartment and hydration compartment can accept CCW accessories TM #0432 KODIAK GEARSLINGERTM NEW Khaki Foliage Green Black Better for left-side carry Better for right-side carry • Main: 9" x 8" x 3"; Frontal: : 7" x 6.5" x 1.5" with mesh divider and internal keyper • Integral 2" strap (min 40" / max 60") with non-slip shoulder pad • Black, OD Green, Khaki, Foliage Green, Khaki-Foliage, Orange-Foliage: $88.99 Digital Foliage Camo: $93.99 #MX0413 S-TYPE JUMBOTM #MX0412 JUMBOTM Khaki2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=28http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=28WINNINGEDGE Dave Anderson SOLID ADVICE TO KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION The TruGlo Open red-dot sight has an integral mount to fit standard Weaver-style bases. Red doT delighT T he most important element of accurate shooting is trigger control, period. I know of no way to learn trigger control other than by repetition. Dry firing is just as good as live fire for teaching trigger control — perhaps even better — since in dry fire there is no recoil to mask shooterinduced movement. It’s in “gun indexing” that modern technology can really make a difference. I’m referring to optical sights, specifically red-dot sights. This is one area where technology can help average handgunner’s shoot like, well, maybe not quite like champions, but pretty darn good. Iron sights on handguns are a proven indexing tool and have many advantages. They’re compact, strong, simple, relatively inexpensive and don’t need batteries. But they do require training and experience. With front and rear sight close together, sight alignment is critical. A small error in sight alignment has a relatively big effect on bullet impact. The human eye cannot attain a sharp focus at different distances at the same time. The key is to focus sharply on the front sight. For most of us the rear sight will be slightly out of focus while the target will be blurred. Focusing on the front sight is not as easy as it sounds. A common tendency, even when shooting on the range, is to look “through” the sights, with the point of sharpest focus somewhere out in no-man’s-land between the front sight and the target. Of course in practical terms, if the target is a deadly threat the urge to focus on the target is even more compelling. everal years ago I was shooting on the range with a couple of friends. One of them was an occasional handgun shooter. He owned quite a few handguns, had a CCW permit and his gunhandling was certainly competent and capable. He was a very good rifle shot, the point being he had a good degree of trigger control. He just didn’t shoot handguns very often. On this occasion he was shooting a new carry gun, a subcompact Glock 26. It’s an excellent carry gun, light, compact and reliable. Due to the compact slide, sight radius is short even by handgun standards. He shot the little gun quite well — certainly well enough for most realistic personal defense situations. But when we moved out to 25 yards he wasn’t very pleased with group size. As it happened the other friend had an identical Glock 26 in his range bag, fitted with a slide-mounted Tasco red-dot optical sight, and he gave it to Shooter #1 to try. The difference in hitting ability was dramatic. With iron sights he could barely keep shots on a full IPSC silhouette target at 25 yards. With the dot sight, he was hitting 8" diameter Bianchi plates at 40 yards most of the time. And when we moved back in to five yards he was just as fast, maybe even faster, with the dot sight than with iron sights. It’s important to remember, this guy did know how to release a trigger. If you flinch, shut your eyes, yank the trigger, you’re The new Aimpoint Micro R1 weighs just going to miss with over three ounces without the base any sight. That and can be dot isn’t magic. adapted to What it does is fit standard eliminate the conWeaver bases. cern about where to focus. The red dot and the target appear in the same focal plane. It Works JoJo Vidanes at the 2008 USPSA Nationals with a C-More sight competing in Open division. The aluminum base incorporates a blast shield to protect the sight from powder gases from the compensator. S What Works C ompetition shooters have been demonstrating the advantages of dot sights for going on 20 years. The superiority of dot sights became so evident, iron sights simply could not compete. USPSA and IPSC created divisions (i.e., Limited/Standard, Production) in which optics are not allowed. Currently C-More sights seem most popular with competitive shooters, followed by Aimpoint. An outstanding2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=29http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=292009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=30http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=30Mike “Duke” Venturino SHOOTINGIRON TM Photos: Yvonne Venturino THUMB BUSTIN’ MUSINGS FROM THE DUKE The ruskie This is Duke’s Navy Arms 3rd Model .44 Russian. He did not even consider selling it during Duke’s Great Gun Sale in 2008. . 44 fter writing a feature for this issue on why the .44 S&W Special isn’t so special, now I’m going to detail why I do like its ballistic twin, the .44 S&W Russian. At least I like it in this one particular revolver. That’s the Navy Arms’ replica of Smith & Wesson’s Model #3, 3rd Model .44 Russian. Circa 1872 the Russian Government wanted to start buying Smith & Wesson’s new top break Model #3 revolvers. Very important to the company was the fact they were willing to pay in gold. But the Russians wanted nothing to do with Smith & Wesson’s own .44/100 cartridge because it used a heel-type bullet. That’s where a reduced diameter shank fits inside the cartridge case while the full diameter of the bullet is the same as the outside of the cartridge case. Just look at a round of .22 Long Rifle. They’re still made that way. The Russians explained if the bullet fit inside the cartridge case with revolver chambers bored accordingly things would work much better. They certainly did, and still do. Of course with all that gold in the balance Smith & Wesson said, “you bet!” The result was the .44 S&W Russian. Smith & Wesson’s own cartridge then gained the name of .44 S&W American. Case length for the Ruskie one was set at .97" with bullet diameter at .429". Through the decades the .44 S&W Russian was loaded with bullets as heavy as 275 grains over black powder charges as heavy as 23 grains. By the smokeless powder era in the early 1900s, factory loads were standardized with a 246-grain roundnose bullet at about 755 fps. And when the .44 S&W Special came along in 1908 it was given the exact same bullet at the Left is Lyman #429478 (200 exact same speed but grains) and at right is Lyman in a case 1.16" long. #429383 (248 grains). 30 A n its first 30 years of existence the .44 Russian cartridge gained a superb reputation for accuracy, of course as fired in the several versions of Smith & Wesson top break revolvers. (See my .44 Special article in this issue for an explanation of why cartridge accuracy reputations are myths.) It’s recorded some notable handgun target shots were able to keep five .44 Russian bullets inside a 3" circle at 50 yards. That’s probably true, and it should be emphasized not many handguns made today will do that even with smokeless propellants. Between 1872 and 1874 the Smith & Wesson Model #3 went through three revisions as requested by the Russians. Collectors named them 1st, 2nd and 3rd Models. With each, the Russians asked for design changes altering the Model #3’s appearance so much the company started to grouse — despite the gold. By the 3rd Model .44 Russian, the S&W Model #3 had a “knuckle” at the top of the grip resulting in a saw-handle shaped grip frame, and that odd spur hanging off the trigger guard. Many theories have been thrown out as to the purpose for the spur. The most likely one is Russian Cavalry tactics called for horse mounted troopers to charge with their revolvers cocked and with the trigger finger resting on the spur. That likely saved a lot of horses from being shot in the back of the head as Lt. Col. George A. Custer did to his own horse once when chasing a bison. I’ve found the spur makes a dandy finger rest for twohanded shooting and the saw handle grip keeps the hand positioned on the revolver exactly the same from shot to shot. I Picky Russians t one time I owned a Why the sample of each of those odd hook vintage S&W .44 Ruson the sian revolvers but hardly ever trigger fired them because they were guard? very fragile and also very valuable. So when Navy Arms announced their replica of the 3rd Model .44 Russian about 10 years back, I jumped on it. While it is not an exact clone of the old S&W 3rd Model .44 Russians, it’s not bad, and the differences are minor.2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=31http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=312009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=32http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=32John Connor GUNCRANKDIARIES TM EXCUSES, ALIBIS, PITHY OBSERVATIONS & GENERAL EPHUS Dark Moon rising ’ve never paid much attention to astrology; all that business about Venus kissin’ Mars an’ Jupiter making you walk in front of a bus. But if I were into astrology, I’d tell you this: It seems to me certain pale planets are linin’ up like a bad break on a snooker table, and I see a dark moon rising. Check these planets: Never before in history has the election, succession or appointment of a chief executive triggered as big a nationwide record-smashing run on sales of firearms and ammunition. Notably, the greatest demand has been for defensive — fighting — firearms and ordnance. Clearly, millions of people expect their new government to severely tax, restrict or prohibit such arms and ammunition. Many — again, with good reason — fully expect their government to ultimately, unlawfully and forcefully confiscate those weapons. Yeah, kinda like the British attempted to do at a place called Concord. The government’s declaration — such actions must be taken “for the safety of the people; a crime-reducing measure” — is such a blatant lie only a government could utter it without prompting laughter. Consider this: there has never been a serious, concerted national effort to disarm convicted felons! But they are not a threat to entrenched powers. Armed free peasants are. Rifle-bearing riff-raff are. We are not a “crime problem” — unless we become criminalized by government fiat. Where are the credible records to indicate, in any way, the past “Assault Weapons Ban” reduced crime? Having failed that challenge, the White House and Congress are now saying weapons sold in America are threatening the government of Mexico! To even suggest this is so stupid I fully expect millions to believe and embrace it … after a media massage. Brainwashing is so much easier when your “clients” only need a light rinse. i ment. This produced a superficially split ruling which, while salving some proponents of individual rights, allows “interpretation” and bureaucratic blockade to the exercise of that right. It has worked. Following the Supreme Court’s Heller decision, Adam Winkler, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, tracked gun-control law cases being heard in the lower federal courts. As of January 2, 2009, 60 of those cases closed. In all 60 — every last one — those gun-control laws were upheld as though Heller had never happened. “Reasonable restrictions,” you know … by unreasonable people. Over decades our federal judiciary has become divided between prisoners of precedent, handcuffed by “case law,” or radicalized and activist, selected for their social agendas rather than constitutional scholarship. So, if not the federal courts, who will defend and honor the Constitution? Our Senate? The House? That’s laughable, isn’t it? One might hope that having just orchestrated the greatest raid on any national treasury in history, seizing fortunes yet unearned by grandchildren unborn, they might fall into a pork-induced food coma, but no; no luck there. Are our founding fathers’ greatest fears — of an all-powerful, malignant federal government — being played out? The other side The great Divide Some share my opinion that Americans today are profoundly polarized, deeply divided politically and philosophically — and perhaps irrevocably. That thought alone should bring chills: irrevocably? In my view, that division essentially exists between self-reliant citizens who cherish freedom above all else; who grudgingly consent to be governed; who believe they are the most effective defenders of their own lives, their loved ones and properties — and those who would freely surrender certain rights in exchange for promises of security from those who cannot provide it, unearned shares from the redistribution of other peoples’ assets, and relief from any burden of decision-making, ceding to a presumably wise and kindly government. Last year, the highest court in the land hesit2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=33http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=33The world’s mosT concealable TacTical flashlighT. Backup-American Handgunner.indd 1 5/30/08 9:53:52 AM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=34http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=34RELIABILITY. FIRST TIME, EVERY TIME. P220® Match P226® X-Five™ Allround TM shoot to win, with the competition pistols from sIG saUER® Superior accuracy and proven reliability are the hallmarks of our target and competition pistols. From the .45ACP P220 Match with 5" stainless steel slide, to our P226 X-Five Allround, capable of delivering sub-two inch groups at 50 yards, you can’t go wrong with these competition winners from SIG SAUER. RElIabIlIty. FIRst tImE, EvERy tImE. ® 18 Industrial Drive, Exeter, NH 03833 • (603) 772-2302 • www.sigsauer.com An ISO 9001: 2000 Certified Company Manufacturing in Exeter, New Hampshire Comp_HalfPage_AHG_final.indd 1 3/31/09 5:00 PM A dope buy. A rat infested flop house. A weird glance. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Are you burned? ¼ The SureFire® E1B Backup ™ was designed for serious undercover concealment. Depress the two-stage tailcap fully and it puts out 80 blinding lumens. The low setting offers 5 lumens; for reading a map, writing notes, or navigating for a staggering 37 hours. Reversible clip for bezel up or down carry. Cover your back. Backup-American Handgunner.indd 2 5/30/08 9:53:53 AM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=35http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=35Clint Smith REALITYCHECK TM FIRST-PERSON THOUGHTS ON SURVIVING IN THE REAL WORLD light Deviation s Clint keeps the SureFire X300 light in his pocket and carries the Operator in a Milt Sparks Summer Special. He often uses the light for general “flashlight” work. tarting in the 1980s handguns started to have rails for Clint’s Operator lights. Some were good comes with a light rails fitting lots built-in rail. See of different lights. Some what he has to say rails were/are silly because about lights. they only fit their light, and that led to their holster — although most of that silliness is over nowadays. Many of the first holsters were just nylon pouches that were pretty much junk and not at all like today’s high quality carry platforms made by the likes of BLACKHAWK! or Safariland and others. In the beginning, amost all of these rigs were geared for the SWAT or military environment and that trend pretty much holds true today. Bluntly, the private sector has some issues with simply carrying guns, so the idea of a light-mounted system on a concealed handgun being drawn from a concealed holster is a bit much for most regular humans. Although it’s discussed on the information highway by “forum experts” that the private sector will most often use a firearm on the “street” — in reality most of us may actually need our guns at home. Since there is a strong probability the gun will be more for the home and not the street, a wise consideration may be for a handgun built with a light mount. The bottom line is the handgun for home defense, equipped with a light rail, may in fact do nothing harmful. In reality, a light mounted on the rail may be very helpful in the protection of home and hearth. Rail-Tech M light mounted up as it is placed at the night-ready mode. Some may find it odd but I in fact y personal deviation is a railcarry this pistol pretty regularly in a equipped 1911 made by Dave Sparks Summer Special, and I carry Williams from Springfield a SureFire X300 in my pocket. I’ve Armory’s Custom Shop. The Operator never had to draw the pistol and mount pistol is a full size 5" 1911 made with the light under duress, but I have used the 1913 version rail allowing for any just the light to look for something of the best lights (SureFire, Streamlight I dropped under the car seat. I have or Insights Tech Gear as examples) to often mounted the light to the pistol for mount right up to the pistol on the rail. training work in the Terminator here. My street carry 1911s are sans-rails so The Springfield 1911 has night this was my first integral rail 1911. I sights that mostly help me locate use also use this Springfield pistol for the pistol at night in the dark. This carry and for daily work, and at the end Operator model built by the Springof the day the pistol is checked and the field Shop works without a hitch, and wears a flat mainspring housing and a lanyard ring, reflecting an archaic idiosyncrasy of mine. Front and rear grip checkering on the pistol is excellent as always out of the SA shop, and the stocks are the gray-colored G10 high-level abrasion type. Along with forward slide serrations, the pistol is pretty much a non-slip piece of gear. This handgun The light rail is a strong piece of gear, adds versatility made by competent people, to a 5" 1911 and I spent my money defensive pistol. wisely on this gun. i have seen some handguns with lights mounted on them not operate correctly in the hands of some shooters. If you mount a light to a handgun make sure you test the combination of equipment for fit. You want to make sure it doesn’t fall off while firing, check the function — does the thing actually work? Also it’s a good idea to practice handheld light techniques should there be a catastrophic weapons-light failure. Batteries burn out, switches don’t switch, and rails let go. I see it all the time in class. I think carrying a handgun for personal protection is a smart move. And having a firearm for home defense? Well — it mig2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=36http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=36CARRYOPTIONS Sammy Reese FROM CLASSICS TO CUTTING EDGE IN CARRY METHODS blade-Tech MeeTs 5.1 1 Photo: Joe Novelozo t was over ten years ago when I placed my first order from Blade-Tech. There was a problem with the order not once, but twice. When I called to complain I asked to speak to the boss — the answer I received was, “you got him.” Tim fixed my problem and sent me an extra holster for my trouble. I never forgot the great customer service and Tim’s obvious commitment to his customers. Glitches happen, but it’s how they get handled that separates the lines. I Blade-Tech products than I can count. My first purchase is over ten years old and is still in use — a tribute to the quality built into every Blade-Tech product. In an ever-changing market, Blade-Tech is always right in step with new models, accessories and innovative ways to make their products better. able to your style of carry. They offer multiple choices at a very affordable suggested retail price of $29.99. It’s no secret I have a passion for teaching cops and civilians how to shoot. I don’t get to spend as much time as I would like on the range, but when I do, I make the most of it, and my gear has to keep pace with me. During department qualifications and academy training, I have been on the range for 10 hours or more in various weather conditions. I have used the Revolutions series and the Sting Ray with the belt attachment and paddle over the course of the last year or so and they haven’t let me down. I have done more presentations from the holster than I can count, and the finish on my pistols are still intact. More importantly, I’m still teaching and not complaining about the gear beating me up. My wife carries her XD in the Revolution and won’t use any of the other holsters I have bought her, and I’m not going to argue with a woman who carries a gun. That’s the wiser part I mentioned earlier. For more info: www.511tactical.com; www.blade-tech.com. wisdom Teaming Up Growing Up Fast forward a decade or so and I’m writing the carry options column in American Handgunner. I’m not sure exactly how I landed this really cool gig. It might have something to do with some photos I have of His Editorship in a Central American jungle setting, passed out in a pile of Dos XX bottles cradling a well-used Thompson (Conner gave them to me and said, “No, never, ever, show them, but make sure he knows you have ’em, kid.”). As I’ve grown up, so has Blade-Tech. The company is known world-wide and the customer service is beyond comparison. Me, I’m a little greyer and a tad bit wiser. Oh yeah, and thanks Connor. Over the years, I’ve purchased more Recently Blade-Tech started working with another well-known industry icon, 5.11. Even though 5.11 started off making pants, they have grown into a company known for making just about anything you need — from socks to flashlights and everything in between. The 5.11 Tactical Series holsters, also known as the Revolution Line, are engineered by Blade-Tech to the same ultra high tolerances built into every Blade-Tech product. The holsters are made from a proprietary blend of polymers to withstand extreme temperatures (300 degrees F without becoming soft) and will also not break in extreme cold conditions. The slick surface inside the holster won’t wear the finish on your favorite pistol, either. Every holster comes with the Sting Ray belt attachment, adjustable from 1¼" to 2¾" and a paddle attachment. Both are adjust- * 36 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=37http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=372009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=38http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=38John Taffin HANDLOADING SAGE ADVICE FROM THE HANDLOADING GURUS Keith Bullets “ o the detriment of the bullet, many mold manufacturers have changed my bullet design. They have cut down both the width and diameter of the front band and have changed the squarecornered lubrication groove to one of rounded design. This cutting down of diameter and width of front band defeats the very purpose for which I designed it.” Thus spoke Elmer Keith in 1974. Today, almost any semi-wadcutter bullet is referred to as a “Keith” bullet, even though most of them barely come close. Keith did not originate the semiwadcutter, that distinction goes to a fellow named Heath, and Keith’s first designs featured a very heavy, bluntnosed bullet which he rejected because The classic 250 grain Keith. T .44 Special loads, Keith bullets and the S&W 1950 Target. Keith’s .44 bullet compared to Ray Thompson’s #431222GC and NEI’s 290 grain .44 SWC. they did not provide the long-range accuracy he was looking for. Today’s LBT bullets, a refinement of Keith’s first bullet design, are designed for maximum penetration and shocking power on game, and they work well with velocities possible now. A true Keith bullet has a square base, not a bevel base; and one full caliber shoulder seated outside of the case. The crimping groove is deep and found in between the center and front shoulder bands. All three bands, base, center and shoulder are of the same diameter and height. Finally, all true Keith bullets have square-cornered grease grooves to hold as much lubrication as possible. The three wide bands, the square cornered grease grooves, and a square base all make casting bullets more difficult than bevel bases, rounded grease grooves, and smaller width driving bands. eith’s original designs were for Ideal, which later became Lyman-Ideal, and is now Lyman Products. Those designs consisted of #358429 of 168 grains for the .38 Special; #454424, 260 grains for the .45 Colt; #454423, a slightly shorter and lighter 240 grain bullet for the .45 Auto Rim; and his most famous bullet #429421, a 250 grain bullet for the .44 Special and later the .44 Magnum. By the time the .41 Magnum arrived Keith was proclaiming that only one manufacturer, Hensley & Gibbs, was supplying true Keith bullet molds. “The greatest strain on a sixgun bullet is when it hits the lands in the barrel throat after upsetting to fill the chamber throat and driving it straight ahead into the twist of the rifling. That is the reason I designed my line of sixgun bullets with three bands all of equal width and equal diameter with one large square-cornered grease groove to hold a maximum amount of lubricant. That forward band outside the crimp, helps true up the round in the cylinder before firing and also reduces the jump to the rifling. Any recovered revolver bullet plainly shows how it has skidded when it first hit the rifling. But my wide band reduces or eliminates this effect.” From the man himself. Today, Keith bullets are rivaled by the LBT designs, which are normally heavier with more weight out in front of the cartridge case. For This 1st year production Ruger .45 loads with standard Colt Blackhawk is not particular as to weight bullets I powder selection. normally go with the Keith designs, and when heavy bullets are desired, I switched to the LBT bullets or NEI’s heavyweight “Keith” bullets. Originals Can You Get Them? here are many Keith and very close to Keith bullet molds being offered today. None of them will have a square-cornered grease groove, however most will have a square-cornered base and equal driving bands. For the .45 Colt I prefer the long discontinued Lyman #454424 and the RCBS #45-270SA designed by Dave Scovill. For .44 Special/.44 Magnum loads there is the original Lyman #429421, RCBS’s 44-250KT, and NEI’s 260KT. I’ve been using the Lyman #358429 Keith bullet since 1956, before the 1950s ended I had added both the .44 and .45 Keith molds to my loading bench, and for the .41 Magnum, Lyman’s2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=39http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=39RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN ARMED PROFESSIONAL RANGE & AGENCY HOSTING The Training you need from the name you trust. Acad_RC_AHG_address.indd 1 12/1/08 10:50:08 AM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=40http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=40THE SIXGUNNER ay — John Long ago and far aw sixgun. shoots a Custom SSK John Taffin The 6.5 JDJ took this African Impala. Taffin’s friend Frank Pulkrabek was shor tly thereafter killed by a drunk driver. SSK’s Super Redhawk with interchangeable barrels. SSK’s I n the late 1970s I saw a small ad for a new organization called Handgun Hunters International, or HHI. I sent off the money and application for membership and in 1979 received the first issue of The Sixgunner which was the club’s bi-monthly publication in newspaper form. In the 1960s I had written my first articles, however I never got paid, so you might say my writing career lagged severely. I started writing for The Sixgunner and that was one of the best things I ever did. G n I k a e r B d n u Gro HHI was headed up by our own J.D. Jones who became a great encourager, telling me I should be writing for the major magazines. I started free-lancing and when Handgunner needed a writer in the mid-1980s for a column called Siluetas, J.D. recommended me and I Guns Favorites: .257 JDJ (225 Winchester), 6.5 JDJ (225 Winchester), .375 JDJ with 220 and 270 grain Hornadys (.444 Marlin). have been here ever since. J.D., who has become a cherished friend, is also SSK Industries. SSK specializes in custom single-shot barrels, first for the Thompson/Center Contender and then for the Encore when it arrived. If a factory cartridge can be 100 yard groups with the SSK custom .44 Magnum Super Redhawk. Shooting results of the SSK .222 JDJ. 40 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=41http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=41Good frie nds gather Sliva, J.D . Jones, Te to enjoy shooting: Blackie rr y Murba ch and Jo hn. John’s “Double” Ibex taken with the 6.5 JDJ. It was then I found no one had ever hunted that area with a handgun “ and he was concerned he would be chasing animals all over South Africa. ” sensibly and safely chambered in the Contender or Encore, SSK can and will do it. J.D. will also refuse to do any conversions which are not safe. In addition to factory chamberings J.D. has also designed a long list of JDJ cartridges. In fact J.D has chambered more than 200 cartridges in the T/C Contender. With the arrival of the Encore, new vistas opened up, as this action can be used for cartridges normally found only in bolt guns or the Ruger #1. At the present time SSK has over 300 reamers for chambering custom barrels for the Encore. With that many possibilities in the two T/C actions you can bet we will only cover about 1-percent of what is actually available. Many of the chamberings offered by J.D. are wildcat “JDJ” cartridges of his design. I don’t believe there is anyone alive who knows more about designing cartridges than J.D. Jones. When he speaks anything about firearms or hunting it is a good idea to listen! John’s Favorites I have several dozen JDJ barrels but I mostly go back to my favorite three. My all-time favorite is the 6.5 JDJ. This cartridge is on a blown-out and necked up a .225 Winchester. With a 14" SSK barrel on my Contender I get just under 2,500 fps using the Speer 120-grain SP, and this bullet and load kills all out of proportion to the paper ballistics. I have a lot of animals mounted in my trophy room taken with this handgun, including Mule deer, turkey, whitetail, waterbuck, gemsbok, impala, zebra, mouflon, Catalina goat, Aoudad and exotic sheep such as Corsican, Black Hawaiian and Texas Dall. One of the hardest creatures to hunt with a handgun is the blackbuck, and this 6.5 JDJ has accounted for three of them. J.D.’s first true wildcat big game cartridge was the .375 JDJ, which is based on a necked-down .444 Marlin. Mine is chambered in a 12" SSK Custom Contender barrel. This cartridge is now available chambered in factory T/C barrels and factory ammunition is also available. I was hunting with my good friend Frank Pulkrabek, in Texas, and we were after Ibex. I got up to a 100 yard shooting position with a good rest on a tree, picked out a big goat, put the crosshairs on him, and squeezed the trigger. I lost them in the scope for an instant as the gun recoiled, and when I looked again he was still standing there with the rest of the Ibex. I scolded myself for missing, got back down into position, and this time squeezed the trigger even more carefully. This time I saw him go down and the rest of the Ibex run away. Continued on page 86 An Arrestor Muzzle Brake from SSK adds to the enjoyment of this .308 Encore. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 412009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=42http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=42An UltimAte gemini Customs JFrAme Roy Huntington PHotos: Joe novelozo Being “born” in Marc’s shop. was at Gunsite with the crew from S&W not long ago for a specific reason — to explore capabilities of S&W’s small J-frame revolvers. Paul Pluff of S&W brought over 25 variants, virtually all shapes and sizes, from short barrels to their longest, but all built on the J-frame chassis. Our goal was to simply find out the dynamic range of these classic, handy guns. What we learned stunned some of us, wasn’t surprising to many — but the experience left lasting impressions on us all. We came away knowing that a steady hand with a J-frame, WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 i 42 Photo: Roy Huntington Here it is, an honest 1" at 15 yards with Federal’s 129-grain Hydra-Shok .38 Special +P. And, it shot like this with most ammo.2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=43http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=43WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 432009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=44http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=44No sharp edges — anywhere. A few goodies help to make loading and unloading the clips easier — “mooning” and “de-mooning” as they say. Photo: Roy Huntington regardless of barrel length, can hit a man-sized target at 100 yards, can defend themselves if needed and can rely on these little guns to deliver when called upon. The specifics of what we learned will be covered in a later article, but some points need to be explained. The little Smiths are interesting in that most handgunners own one, or something like them, but don’t like to actually admit it’s more than likely their daily carry gun. I asked for the attendees to show, with a raise of their hands, if they had a J-frame in their pocket somewhere right then. The majority of those in attendance (mostly cops and gunindustry people) admitted they had one tucked away. From ankle rigs to pocket holsters to “bags” of all sorts, there was a passel of .38s in the room. Then I asked the important question: “And when was the last time you shot it?” There was silence, dead silence. Some even admitted they shot theirs a cylinder-full or two when they bought it and hadn’t fired it since — I won’t name any names. But before you judge here, honestly, when was the last time you fired yours, much less actually trained with it? See. The porting helped tame muzzle flip. Here is the “before” and “after” of the shot using a full-bore 158-gr. .357 Magnum load and one hand. Very controllable. So we learned we needed to train with them more. We also learned the tiny 2" (more like 17/8") barrel can be challenging at times. They are, admittedly hard to hold steady, hard to hit with and sort of “fumbly” as one fellow said. They are plenty accurate, and most would easily keep head shots at 25 if you took your time, but that short sight radius works against you unless you are steely-nerved when it comes to trigger control. The idea then? Go to a 2.25" or even 3" barrel, keeping the round butt in place. It Works So we did — and it worked. The 3" guns were markedly easier to hit with and one 2.5" version on-hand was about as good. But, I found the 3" guns a bit “un-handy” in a pocket holster or ankle rig. I had to keep that in mind later. This led me on a quest for an “ultimate” J-frame. Nothing can be “the ultimate,” but I would be happy to settle for something somewhere in the “ultimate” category at least. I’d want it accurate, reliable, easy to conceal, easy to train with, a “real” fighting gun — as opposed to something simply easy to carry. As Clint Matt DelFatti’s moon-clip holder is elegant simplicity and works great. Photo: Roy Huntington Photo: Roy Huntington Photo: Roy Huntington 44 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=45http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=45DelFatti’s elegant holster went hand-in-hand with Marc’s work and Esmeralda’s incomparable grips. i was honestly hesitant about the ports. i think you don’t need them, but they “ can be nice — and they can be nasty — so you have to keep your wits about you. ” Smith says, “a handgun should be comforting, not necessarily comfortable.” Which led me to the American Pistolsmith’s Guild, that august group of talented pistolsmiths, and to select members therein. When the dust settled, Marc Morganti, owner, operator and sole-pistolsmith at his shop Gemini Customs, took on the task to build this gun, with other Guild members lending able hands. But it gets easier, because, you see, Marc was way ahead of me it seems. He already knew what needed to be done — and was already doing it on J-frames. Since this gun was going to get shot lots, we started with a S&W Model 640, the all-steel, hammerless model. Then the magic really started. Marc agreed we wanted to end up with a smooth, reliable premium revolver, a carry piece, but something you would be proud to own. And the funny thing is if something looks like it works, it generally does. And Marc’s stuff looks like it works. I pointed him in that direction and said, “go please?” WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM The Raw Goods The barrel had to be a bit longer for sure, and Marc had that answer already. He used a custom barrel blank produced by William Jarvis, of Jarvis, Inc., and CNC-machined to spec and to profile by Jack Weigand of Weigand Combat Handguns. Nothing like getting the best. Then Marc went to work. He custom-machined it, including Hybraport Porting in a V-8 configuration, keeping the barrel at the “stock” length, or a bit longer. A longer barrel allows that better Continued on page 80 452009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=46http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=46GoinG WWii AuTos FAce oFF J. i. Galan T here’s no arguing two of the most famous and efficient military sidearms of the WWII period are the .45 ACP Colt 1911A1 and the 9mm Walther P-38. Given these guns’ huge reputations and respective service records, it’s not surprising to find airsoft clones of both, faithful enough in looks and function to satisfy even the most nitpicker of us. Both of these are gaspowered and feature incredibly realistic blowback function, propelling their plastic 6mm BB ammo at muzzle velocities of approximately 325 fps. The airsoft 1911A1 tested is manufactured by KWA in Taiwan. KWA has been a leading producer of gas-powered softies for a long time, These amazingly realistic airsoft copies of the Walther P-38 and Colt 1911A1 semiautos feature realistic blowback operation. with a wide array of models to their credit. The sample we had is so realistic it would be indistinguishable from a real 1911 were it not for the government-mandated red marking around the front of the slide. The slide is actually made of metal, while the lower frame is molded ABS. Finish is an authenticlooking matte black. The heavy zinc alloy magazine has capacity for up to 14 6mm BBs and also doubles as the gas reservoir. So-called Green Gas is the preferred source of power, although propane gas can also be used by means of a special nozzle adapter available from several major airsoft retailers on the Internet. Although airsoft gas has become scarce in recent months, it’s still available through local airsoft sources. Sporting basically the same dimensions as the real Colt, the KWA airsoft copy tips the scales at 1.5 pounds, thus being about one pound lighter than the real deal. For all practical purposes, though, the weight difference is not that significant, as the softie truly feels quite hefty and solid in the hand, especially with its traditional checkered brown grip panels. The manual safety and grip safety on the 1911A1 work like the real thing too. All the controls on the airsoft P-38 work as in the original gun. Notice the “chamber loaded” indicator pin. 46 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=47http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=47AirsoFT As far as function, this 1911 will also astound. The traditional single-action trigger was crisp and responsive. The grip safety is also there and works as in the original. Ditto for the manual safety catch at the left rear of the frame. The basic fixed rear sight and shallow front blade are also there. Of course, this airsoft pistol can also be field-stripped just like the real McCoy, a valuable feature handy for training purposes. Surprisingly, this softie is devoid of any markings, something not terribly important unless you want no-holds-barred realism. The P-38 the real deal, with a gas-powered double-action blowback mechanism. The metal magazine takes up to 12 6mm BBs and also doubles as the gas reservoir. All controls operate just as in the real P-38. The manual safety catch drops the cocked hammer safely and blocks DA operation of the trigger, again as in the real thing. The slide reciprocates rather vigorously as well. Also like the Colt softie, this P-38 clone can be fieldstripped like the original. Incidentally, the airsoft P-38 weighs a comfortable 13 ounces, in contrast to the approximately 2.1 pounds of the real P-38. The airsoft copy of the Walther P-38 tested is the version produced by Maruzen in Japan and distributed in the U.S. by Umarex USA. The Maruzen company is also famous for their many gas-powered airsoft pistols and a few subguns such as an amazing select-fire blowback copy of the compact Czech Skorpion. The airsoft P-38 features molded ABS construction throughout. Unlike the airsoft 1911A1, the P-38 softie bears realistic wartime markings. The left side of the slide, for instance, has the P.38 model designation clearly marked, followed by the German wartime production code ac41, indicating Walther production from 1939 to 1945. There’s also a serial number on both the slide and the frame. The right side of the slide bears the German “F” proof mark within a pentagon, as well as two tiny German eagles above the number 359. The brown plastic grip panels of the softie also faithfully imitate the original bakelite panels of the real wartime P-38. Function of the airsoft P-38 is like Do They Work? Both models performed flawlessly during tests, with remarkably similar results. Both printed groups averaging 4" across at seven yards, with enough oomph to scatter lightweight plinking targets such as empty pop cans. Loaded with .2 gram (3.08 grain) airsoft BBs, they even managed to drill some of the Here’s how you fill the magazine reservoir with Green Gas. cans fairly consistently. Both pistols averaged two to three magazines per filling of gas. Their subdued “pops” on firing are not likely to attract attention in a backyard setting, so long plinking sessions should not be a problem. Incidentally, both of these models have adjustable “Hop-Up” mechanisms allowing shooters to impart variable backspin to the BBs in order to obtain flatter trajectories. There’s no doubt both of these very different, but nevertheless brilliantly designed handguns have earned prominent places among the world’s top autoloading pistols. The airsoft versions of these famous sidearms truly offer extreme sophistication and realism in almost every respect. * For more info: Airsoft Colt 1911A1 ($184), www.umarexusa.com; Airsoft Walther P-38 ($129), www.AirsoftAtlanta.com. The P-38’s metal magazine has capacity for up to 12 6mm BBs. The P-38 can be fieldstripped the same way as the real gun. Surprisingly, the airsoft KWA Colt 1911A1 sports a metal slide devoid of markings. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 472009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=48http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=48Right: Both of S&W’s new Models 24 and 21 had .429" chamber mouths but the former is capable only of mediocre grouping and the latter one is very accurate — go figure. special This group shows why Duke thinks the .44 Special cartridge is alright but not Special. It’s not huge — but not tiny either. The . 44 T Ain’t so WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 he .44 S&W Special ain’t so special. That may be heresy to some, most notably some gun’riters who almost genuflect at the name. But it just ain’t so great. In regards to the criterion by which revolvers and their cartridges are judged, the .44 Special can’t do a single thing many others do just as well — or better. Or better? Not only will I say the .44 Special ain’t so special I will even say it was never needed. Because — for most of their concurrent production periods the .44 S&W Russian was loaded to the same ballistics as the longer .44 Special. That was with identical 246 grain, lead, roundnose .429" diameter bullets at 755 fps. The only difference between the .44 Special and the .44 Russian is that the former’s case length is 1.16" and the latter’s is .9". So why did the .44 Special develop such a strong mystique? Because of gun’riters like Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton. Elmer used that extra case capacity so he could load it HOT; as special? 482009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=49http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=49Mike “Duke” Venturino Photos: Yvonne Venturino In the winter of 1980 Duke drove nearly 400 miles on icy roads to buy this 4" Model 24 .44 Special before anyone else got it. Then he learned it wasn’t that “special” anyway. Left is the newest S&W .44 Special and right is the oldest S&W .44 Special. Respectively they are the Model 21 Thunder Ranch Revolver and 1st Model Hand Ejector, the triplelock. in hot enough to lift the topstrap off of some test revolvers. Skeeter liked to load it much milder; as in about 900 fps with 250 grain bullets. His reason for favoring the .44 Special so much was he considered it inherently accurate. But crusty old Charlie Askins had an individualistic streak in him. He wrote the .44 Special was never needed because there was already the .44-40. Atta-boy Charlie! Revolver accuracy is a combination of factors like barrel quality, forcing cone smoothness, cylinder chamber mouths matching barrel diameter and other tidbits. Those are all factors in the handguns themselves. Then with the cartridge there are things like proper size bullets of proper temper of alloy for the pressure level desired, bullet lubricant, powder of proper burning rate for the pressure level desired, a concentric crimp applied evenly around the case mouth and much more. The most finely crafted revolver cannot shoot accurately with poorly constructed ammunition, and perfectly made ammunition cannot deliver precision from an improperly manufactured revolver. The idea of “inherent accuracy” from a revolver cartridge is a myth. ammunition maker’s engineers happen to spec things out so they mate well. That has occurred much more often with revolvers and ammunition for the .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum and .44 Magnum than it has for the .44 Special, .45 ACP/.45 Auto-Rim or .45 Colt. I have a S&W Military & Police .38 Special dating from the late 1940s. From a machine rest with .38 Special 148 grain full wadcutter factory loads, that worn-looking old gun will group five shots in about an inch at 25 yards. It is superbly accurate. Its barrel is .357" and its chamber mouths uniformly measure .358". Conversely, the only handgun I sold because it was dismally inaccurate was a handsome, nickel-plated Colt SAA .44 Special with 4¾" barrel. That thing wouldn’t keep five shots of any factory load or handload inside 4" at 25 yards, likewise fired from machine rest. I discovered the probable cause for its bullet-spraying tendency, though. Being of fairly early 3rd Generation manufacture, for some reason Colt saw fit to drill The Myth The reason for that myth’s existence is just that sometimes the handgun maker ’s engineers and the This is the new S&W Model 24 .44 Special with 6½" barrel introduced in 2008. Duke thought this snub nose (3") S&W Model 24 .44 Special was a good idea until he chronographed loads from it. It was hard to get one to break 700 fps with 240 to 250 grain bullets. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 492009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=50http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=50Duke’s testing S&W’s new Model 24 .44 Special from a Ransom Rest. Note his nose isn’t too far in the air. S&W’s entire line of .44 caliber revolvers from 1872 until today were based on these three cartridges. At left is .44 S&W Russian, middle is .44 S&W Special and at right is .44 Remington Magnum. its cylinder with .435" chamber mouths. Firing bullets of .429/.430" through .435" chamber mouths and into .427" barrels (Colt’s diameter for all .44 caliber barrels) is a sure recipe for poor groups. Me? .44 Special? Now, before some of you guys start sharpening your hatchets let me fess- up that for years — even decades — I bought into the .44 Special myth. I just perused my hand-jotted records of all the handguns I’ve owned starting in 1966 and there were 21 .44 Specials listed. They run the gamut from those little Charter Arms five-shooters to all the legendary S&W N-frame double actions, through several Colt SAAs and on to one of the latest — the Smith & Wesson/Clint Smith collaboration. That one was called the Model 21-4 Thunder Ranch Revolver. At this writing I still have six; none of which have been kept because they are “special” in regards to shooting, but because they are special in regards to collecting or for sentimental reasons. Back in January 1980 I was so Five generations of S&W .44 Special revolvers. 1st Model (triplelock) with 4" barrel. 2nd Model with 6½" barrel. enthused upon learning of a S&W Model 1950 Target .44 Special with rare 4" barrel for sale I drove nearly 400 miles round trip on extremely icy roads to grab it before someone else did. It wasn’t that special. In fact it was the first of four Model 1950 Target .44 Specials (Model 24s) and one stainless Model 624 I have owned, and none shot that great. Right now I have one of S&W’s brand new Model 24s on loan and it doesn’t shoot that great either. Sorry boys. Saying a revolver doesn’t “shoot great” isn’t the same thing as saying those .44 Specials shot terrible. They all grouped fair to middling, say 2.5" to 3" five-shot, 25 yard groups, or occasionally a 10- or 12-shot group of about the same size. It’s just that such groups are nowhere near grounds for a “special” accuracy reputation. In my career I’ve tested many far more accurate handguns, and I’m talking ordinary off the shelf types, not custom jobs. For instance, I once developed handloads for two S&W Model 29 .44 Magnums with 6½" barrels that averaged around 1.5" for 5-shot groups at 50 yards. In fact my favorite pair of Colt 1873/1973 PEACEMAKER Of all the S&W .44 Special revolvers Duke has ever test fired for accuracy from machine rest: 3rd Model (Model 1926) with 5" barrel. 4th Model (Model 1950) with 6½" barrel. New Model 21/TRR with 4" barrel. The new Model 21 Thunder Ranch Revolver has given the tightest groups. 50 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=51http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=51These are the first four models of Hand Ejector revolvers in which S&W put the .44 Special cartridge. Top to bottom: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Models. All have 6½" barrels. With plug gauges Duke discovered his early S&W 1st Model Hand Ejector (triplelock) has .432" chamber mouths. Shown is the new S&W Model 21 Thunder Ranch Revolver .44 Special shown with the original S&W Model 21 that inspired it. CENTENNIAL .44-40s and our three U.S. Firearms .44-40s will all shoot tighter groups than any .44 Special I’ve encountered. But Wait . There’s more, as they say. Lacking special accuracy potential isn’t the only reason I don’t consider the .44 Special to be special. From the ammunition factories it’s never been loaded to any sort of “special” ballistics either. As said early on, for most of its 100-year production life the .44 S&W Special was loaded with 246 grain roundnose lead bullets at around 755 fps. Then starting in the 1980s the big three — Federal, Remington and Winchester — began to modernize factory loads. They put out various types of hollowpoint and/ or semiwadcutter bullets of only 200 grains traveling at speeds of about 900 fps. The keyword in this paragraph is “about” because in actual fact few of those factory loads reached their advertised specs. Usually the traditional 246 grain factory loads were lucky to hit 700 fps and the later 200 grain types often didn’t break 800 fps. As regards to self defense revolvers, why would anyone pick a .44 Special with its un-special factory loads, when revolvers chambered for .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP/.45 Auto-Rim and .45 Colt offered better options? It should be noted that coinciding with those new Thunder Ranch/Model 21 .44 Special revolvers, both Black Hills Ammunition and Cor-Bon have brought out some top-notch factory loads. They were almost a century late, though! Handloaders have always been able to improve on .44 Special factory load ballistics, but often haven’t been very smart about it. I was one of them once. As soon as I found a fine S&W targetsighted triplelock I had to load up Elmer Keith’s recommended heavy handload to try. I won’t mention its details here Continued on page 96 These four loads show various ways the .44 Special is loaded. This is the fabled S&W Model 1950 Target later given the number of Model 24. Left to right: Winchester “Cowboy” load with 240 grain RN/FP bullet; Winchester’s standard load with 246 RN bullet; Black Hill’s load with 250 grain SWC bullet; and one of Duke’s handloads using Redding/SAECO 248 grain RN cast bullet (#442). WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 512009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=52http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=52(M) 52 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=53http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=53A Custom (M) duo thAt “m” stAnds for h ave you ever picked up a handgun and you suddenly stopped in midconversation because something was, simply, right about it? It felt right in your hand? You can pick up legions of handguns and find some are too blocky, too skinny, too fat, too awkward, too abrupt, too short, too long, too … well … just too. Some can be “oh, that was sure close, but nope, not exactly right.” And some might make you wrestle with a decision: Is it good enough? Do I want to buy it — or will I regret it later? Buyer’s remorse is even worse when it comes to something as personal as a handgun. Note the word: hand. That’s personal. That’s why they call them personal guns. Clint Smith will hold his hand up in a class he’s teaching, spread his fingers and say, “These are all the same — and all different.” He’s right. He’s exactly right. The same, but all so very different, and capable of astounding things. Four fingers, a palm, opposable thumb, more Photos: ChuCk PittmAn, inC. roy huntington 53 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=54http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=542009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=55http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=55(M) duo2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=56http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=56Photo: Heidi Smith Here’s an XD(M) in factory mode. The nifty inserts supplied allow you to change the grip profile. flexible, dexterous — and capable of feeling thousandths of an inch of difference in mechanical things. I once knew a grey-haired machinist with calloused hands who could hold a part and tell you if one part was a few thousandths different from another. He could hold it between his fingers and tell you that, while looking you directly in the eye. I quit checking with his well-worn calipers, because he was always right. A lesson for a 14-year old kid. If someone can do that, how can it affect what an entire hand feels? If you multiply it by a force of ten does it diminish the ability? Does it confuse your hand with information overload? Does it compare to what composer Antonio Salieri said about Mozart’s music: “There’s too many notes?” Or do you divide it when you multiply it with all your digits, shorten the distances since there are many more talented fingers involved? Can you tell more when you use your whole hand — or less? In a word — more. those legions who tolerated the “other” stuff for that one, magical thing. But it seems we’ve learned something now. As a matter of fact, when Springfield first announced their introduction of the XD, most felt the grip reminded them of — drum roll please — a Browning Hi-Power. “Only better,” most said. Imagine that. And since then, the XD has essentially re-written the polymer pistol equation, and has even the Glockenmachinen looking over the “Collective’s” shoulder, saying things like, “where did those people and that gun come from?” When my now-retired other-half — Detective Ms. Suzi — was on the San Diego PD, they pushed open the doors for duty carry guns. From Glocks, to 1911s, if it worked it was virtually approved for duty carry. Her choice out of all those out there? — A Springfield XD in 9mm. “But it fits my hand and I can shoot it well,” she told me. Imagine that — twice in a row for you now. The XD has been on a roller-coaster ride to the top since then, and with many models and calibers of your choosing available, some niggling, almost begrudging whispers began to float. The “if-only” crowd made themselves known. “If only the action were a bit better” and “if only the grip were ‘just so’ it would be perfect” and “if only the slide were …” well, you see where this is going. And Springfield listened and, perhaps more importantly, took the ball and ran with it — far. Her original XD is still Suzi’s favorite gun, the one that sits on the nightstand for her, goes with her on auto trips, is on her hip when she is out on our property on the tractor or on the ATV. But, when I showed her the guns in question, she took one of the XD(M)s in her hand, her eyes lit up, she stopped in mid-sentence and said the magic words, “oh, this feels, well — right. I like this. Lots.” So there you go. Which is, I firmly believe, what Springfield intended to accomplish. There has been some subtle changes to the XD proper, more of a polishing of the edges a bit, a touch here and a The Case In Point Time Changes Things Just when I thought I had it, the numb-nut on the trigger (that would be me) would pull a shot. Here’s what a 25-yarder might have looked like with the comp gun. I’ve held thousands of handguns in my decades involved in this passiondriven avocation. From $10 junkers to, literally, $100,000 collectibles, antiques and diamond-encrusted show-pieces. Yet, what has always struck me is the fact it’s often the humble representations of the focus of our ardor that feel so right when you hold them. After all, aside from simply being works of art, a handgun’s role is to be, well, a handgun. And there’s that hand word again. So to meld the gun to a hand and do it right is the deep-rooted goal of any designer, and the final period on whether they were a success or not. Think Browning Hi-Power for a moment. If you’ve held one, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It was, arguably, 2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=57http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=57(M) touch there. Think Ford and Lincoln. A Ford gets you there just fine — rugged, dependable, solid features and you’re proud to own one. Ah … but that Lincoln. Better finish, more options, that “thunk” of the door when you close it, that “is it running?” quiet power and grace; well, you see where we’re going. Both are good cars, but one might just be considered a notch above. For the more discriminating perhaps? More features, more function, more ideas and just perhaps — more fun, I asked? “Exactly,” said Denny. “Especially the more fun part.” So to clear the air, a short list of the “same” bits are as follows. The loaded chamber/cocked indicator, ambimag release, grip safety, and general design, action and functional bits are essentially the same. And indeed, the two are certainly obviously siblings. One, the handsome brother, and one, the “scrapper” of a tough-guy brother. Guess which one’s which. But it’s what’s different that matters in this equation. The elegant reverseangle of the slide from top to bottom changes the tone of the XD(M) completely — the Lincoln side showing. The forward slide mill slots are more refined, the slide lock and take-down levers are re-contoured to not bite the hand feeding them, the contours of the frame around the trigger are changed for the better and the grip molding is dynamic and more functional. The lanyard attachment is thoughtful, the match-grade barrel an “oh, really?” addition, and the more rigid polymer frame allows a bigger magazine, translating to higher capacities. The action is improved, with less take-up and a shorter reset, which is very nice. But just perhaps, the high point are the modular frame inserts. The Hi-Power feel wasn’t good enough, you see. Now you can have a Hi-Power feel customized to your hand! Exclamation point inserted intentionally, by the way. Continued on page 83 57 The More Discriminating While the new XD(M) has many of the features of the XD, it also has, um, more features. Which might explain the “M.” As Denny Reese, head man at Springfield told me, “Why Roy, the ‘M’ stands for more.” WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=58http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=58Reload for more competition fun Dave Anderson The Habit T he first handloaded cartridge I ever fired was a .308 Win., in 1963. I was in my early teens at the time and the round was loaded by a neighbor who was a hunter. It would be another ten years before I bought my own reloading equipment, a Lee Loader in .270 cal. It didn’t cost much but produced good ammunition — and still does today. I didn’t take up reloading to save money, though the reduced cost did allow me to shoot more. I wanted to Feeding CollectingbottlefortheReddingdie. Accuratereloadingisagameofconsistencyandprecision.Toolslikeadial caliperandmicrometerarerequiredforprecisemeasurements.Thefourgauges intheforeground,fromMikeJohnson’sShootingSpecialties,areforchecking cartridgedimensions.Theyarepreciselymadetominimumchamberdimensions fordifferentrounds(l-R,9mm.,.38Super,.40S&W,.45ACP). 58 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=59http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=59TheLymanTurboCaseTumblerinthebackgroundandasupplyofpolishingmediahelpsensureasupplyofclean,polishedbrassisalwayson hand.Brassdoesn’tneedtobeshinybutitdoesneedtobeclean,andtheelectriccasetumbleristhebestandeasiestwaytodothejob.BeforeI hadprogressiveloadingtoolsdroppedpowderchargesinthousandsofcaseswiththeRCBS“LittleDandy”andtheoldBonanzapowdermeasures. Magnetically-dampenedpowderscalessuchasthisoldPacificmaynotbeasconvenientaselectronicscales,buttheydon’trequireelectricityeither. Everyreloadershouldbeginwithasingle-stagereloadingtooltolearnthe basicsofreloading.Evenifyouacquireaprogressivetool,thesingle-stage toolisusefulforrunningoffsmallbatchesforspecialpurposes,loadtesting, andforbottleneckrifleandhandgunrounds.TheRCBSRockchuckerisa classic single stage tool and its compound leverage provides lots of power. use bullets like the Nosler Partition — which at the time were not available in factory loads. The other motivation was improved accuracy. In those days even a novice handloader could assemble ammunition significantly more accurate than the typical factory round. Current factory ammunition is so accurate it takes a good deal of reloading skill to equal it, much less surpass it. But accuracy fanatics are almost always handloaders. The Competition Solution For about 15 years, starting in 1980, I competed in practical and action handgun matches. In the peak years I Handgunreloadersusuallyusepowdermeasuresasit’sfartooslowtoweigheachcharge.ModernelectronicscalessuchasthisDillon D-Terminatorareaccurateandcanbeusedtosetthechargeforyourmeasure.Apowdertricklerishandyforaddingpowdertotheweighing panakernelatatime. TheoriginalDillon450soldfactorydirectatunder$200.The appearanceofthe450intheearly1980swasadreamcome truetoactionshootersoftheera.Formostreloadingpurposesit providesanidealbalanceofpriceandspeed. Forprimingbatchesof50–100casesatatime,thethumb-poweredLeeprimingtoolisfastanddependable.Carbidesizerdieseliminatetheneed tolubecasesandarevirtuallyessentialforvolumehandgunreloading.Theplastichammer-lookingtoolsareinertiabulletpullers,fordisassembling loadedrounds.RevolveronleftisS&W19.357Mag.,onrightisa2ndgenerationColtsingleaction.38Special. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 592009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=60http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=60Competitionshootersgenerallybuypowdersinfouroreightpoundkegs,primers5,000ormoreatatime. Powderscanvaryslightlyfromlottolot,andprudentreloadersalwaysretestloadsforsafetyandaccuracy whenchangingpowderlots. Highcapmagazinesand“Open”divisionhandgunssuchasthisSTICompetitortakealotoffeeding.Smallcost savingsperroundaddupwhenyou’refiring25,000+roundsannually.Competitorsbuyinbulkquantities andcansaveevenmorebygettingtogetherwithothershooterstobuyinevenlargerquantities. TheForstercasetrimmerisreallyaprecision miniaturelathe,extremelywellmadeanda classicwithreloadingaccuracyfanatics. Evergetagiftbatchof.40S&Wcasesexpandedsomuchfrom firingtheywon’tgoinyoursizerdie?ThisReddingdiepushesthe casescompletelythroughthedie,resizingthemtofactorydimensions.Addingtheoptionalcollectingbottle(shownonthe previouspage)letsyourapidlyrunyourbrasssupply throughthesizerdie,andasthebottlefills,dump thecasesintothebrasstrayofyour progressive reloading tool. fired 25-30,000 rounds annually, though the average over the whole period was more like 12,000 rounds a year. Not being rich, or good enough to have a sponsor, there was no way to shoot without reloading. I loaded thousands of rounds with a single-stage press before moderately priced progressive tools such as the Dillon 450 came along. Saving money is another advantage of reloading. For most of us it’s likely the prime motivation. The cartridge case is usually the most expensive component of a cartridge and it can be reused can all imagine scenarios in which ammunition supply could “ We be curtailed. It’s a great comfort to have a secure supply. ” many times. In 2008 the cost of many commodities skyrocketed, influenced by speculation and fear of future shortages. Copper and lead, components of most cartridges, were among those commodities and we saw increases in the price of components and loaded ammunition. As I write this in January of 2009 these speculative bubbles appear to have burst, with prices again influenced primarily by supply and demand. But it could happen again. We can all imagine scenarios in which ammunition supply could be curtailed. It’s a great comfort to have a secure supply. I’m not advocating hoarding though, because legal and insurance factors can limit the amount of powder and primers which can be stored. But it’s nice to know that come what may, I’ll still be able to shoot, even if not as much as I’d like. In the Kipling book Kim, Mahbub Ali says, as he presents young Kim with a revolver, “Put it away, but load it first. Of what use is a gun unfed?” I have enough components and loading tools on hand my guns will never go unfed. Reloading means you can feed firearms chambered for wildcat cartridges, 60 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=61http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=61Abottleneckwithaprogressivereloaderishavingtomanuallyfill primertubes.Forthereallybigvolumereloader(oranyoneshortof time)theelectricallypoweredDillonfillerremovesthisbottleneck. Magazinetubesareenclosedinsteelshields. Bulletsareheavyandexpensivetoship.Itpaystobuyinbulk.Generallythebiggertheorderthemoreyousave,soit’sworthwhiletogetagroup togetherwhenplacinganorder.PistolonleftisaPPCmodelfromtheS&WPerformanceCenter,soldonlytopoliceofficers.Pistolonrightisa.45 ACPfromtheSpringfieldArmoryCustomShop. or obscure cartridges not readily available. It lowers cost per round, allowing you to shoot more. It provides the security of having an ammunition supply in times of shortage, and it can be an engrossing hobby in its own right. Start inexpensively with perhaps a Lee “kit” with press, powder measure, scale and the various bits you need. Then, if it’s interesting and fun — which it is — you can build on that first step. For more info: www.leeprecision.com; www.dillonprecision.com; www.forsterproducts.com; www.hornady.com; www. lymanproducts.com; www.rcbs.com; www.redding-reloading.com. * ThesearetheloadingtoolsIstartedwithmorethan35yearsago.TheLeeLoaderoriginallysoldforaroundtenbucks(andisaround$35 today).Withafewcartridgecases,asupplyofprimers,powder,bullets,andaplasticmalletfordrivingcasesintothesizingdie,theLee Loaderstillworkstoday.Itwasn’tfastbutitproducedgoodammo.Ioncegota5-shot,300-yardgroupmeasuringjustoveraninchwith.270 Win.roundsloadedwiththistool.Iaddedtheassortmentofpowdermeasuringcupstoprovidemoreflexibilityinloading.TodayLeemakes single-stageandprogressivepressesbuttheclassicLeeLoaderisstillintheline. Formostreloadersweighingeverypowderchargeisunnecessaryexceptwhenworkinguploads,butsomeaccuracyfanaticsdoliketoweigheverycharge. TheLymanpowdermeasure/scalespeedstheoperationconsiderably,thoughitisstillslowerthanusingapowdermeasureandisnotcompatiblewith progressive reloading tools. Thiselectrically-poweredtoolhasstationstotrimcasesto length,chamferanddeburrthecasemouthofnewlytrimmed casesandlargeandsmallprimerpocketcleaningstations. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 612009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=62http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=62Massad ayoob The ReTiRed MaRine and The RobbeRs situation: It wasn’t enough for the two armed robbers to take your money — now they’re herding you into the back of the restaurant, and telling you to get face down … Fortunately, the armed citizen has options that go beyond trusting the merciless to be merciful. Lessons: When this armed citizen’s gunfight was over, almost everyone called him a hero. He had mixed feelings about that. He had retired after two honorable careers, the first as a United States Marine Corps aviator who among other duties had flown two US Presidents, and the second as a commercial airline pilot. It has been said when you first enter USMC Recruit Training, you might describe yourself as a man or a woman, or even as a boy or a girl. But when you walk back out through those gates, if asked “what are you?” you will answer proudly, “I am a Marine!” This one was, most assuredly, A Marine. He has never talked to the press about his experience, until now. He told me, “I believe it was Andy Warhol circa 1971 who is credited with creating the phrase, ‘Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame.’ I have no interest in 15 seconds of notoriety. There is already too much on the Internet as it is.” He requested I not use his name when I told his story. I respect that. Accordingly, I will refer to him here simply as, “the Marine.” The incident When you are 71 years old and retired twice over, it’s okay to eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired. You’ve earned that relaxed schedule. It is shortly after 11:00 PM on the night of June 27, 2007 in Plantation, Florida. The Marine has gone out for an evening stroll and a little light shopping, topped off with a stop at a Subway sandwich shop for a bite to eat. He has been licensed to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Florida since September of 1990. His years with the USMC have left him comfortable and confident with the 1911 pistol. In a cheap, nameless cloth holster toward the middle of his back lies a concealed subcompact Para-Ordnance LDA Carry pistol, caliber .45 ACP, fully loaded with six rounds in its short-frame magazine and a seventh in its firing chamber. A spare magazine is in a pouch attached to the holster. The double action only pistol is “on-safe.” In his pocket is a tiny backup gun, a five-shot Freedom Arms miniature single action revolver, chambered for .22 Long Rifle and marketed as a “mini-derringer.” The .45 is concealed by an un-tucked shirt. It is a quiet evening, and the Marine is the last customer in the Subway shop. He rises from the table and strides to the waste disposal area to dump the wrappings of the sandwich he has just finished. He’s in good shape: he doesn’t smoke or drink, and works out daily. And suddenly, he is no longer the only “customer.” The position he has taken to throw away the wrappings has put his back to the door, and he has not seen the two men enter. When he turns to leave, they are simply there. Continued on page 70 62 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=63http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=632009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=64http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=64tHe BoKer M-Type Black Trance Black (Chad Banos) eXPLoSIoN Pat Covert here’s an old business adage that goes “If you’re not moving forward, you’re going backwards. There is no in-between.” In today’s up-and-down financial climate that pearl of wisdom has never been truer. The most successful companies are the ones who forge ahead with exciting new products for a consumer base wrapped up in a highly techno world. Boker, an old world knife company, is one of those successful companies. Many knife enthusiasts recognize the Boker name and the legendary “Tree Brand” logo that has been a part of the company’s tradition. Boker knives have always been regarded as high in quality and long on dependability. What many do not know is that Boker was a U.S. manufacturer over a hundred years ago and, though their knives are no longer made in the U.S., they are still a viable part of the American cutlery scene. In fact, Boker has exploded in recent years and is making hi-tech knives to compli64 t 2002 TH ment the other end of the spectrum. The original Boker factory dates back to the late 1700s where it was nothing more than a workshop cottage. In the U.S., Boker dates back to 1837 when Hermann Boeker set up shop as H. Boker & Company, shortening his name so Americans could pronounce it easier. Around this time the German factory was moved across the Applegate Fairbairn 5.5 river to Solingen, which would become the knifemaking capital of Europe. The highly recognizable “Tree Brand” trademark, taken from an old chestnut tree that once graced the factory grounds, WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=65http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=65PHotoS: CHuCK PIttmaN, INC. Rescom Black oLd WorLd tradItIoN aNd HI-teCH CoLLIde was adopted in 1925 and proved to be a lucky charm. Boker has experienced tremendous growth since, primarily on their reputation for high quality fixed-blade hunting knives and traditional pocket folders. A decade ago Boker jumped into the tactical market when the craze started to take off, manufacturing higher-end folders and pioneering the trend in the industry for ceramic blades. Their big breakout in the tactical world, however, came when they hooked up with two accomplished martial arts experts — Jim Wagner and Chad Los Banos — for design collaboration. What started as a few progressive designs has now blossomed into a mind-blowing array of hi-tech, cuttingedge folders and fixed-blades. Reality Ba se Blade Tan d to Appaloosa Hi-Tech Movement WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM Two years ago the company set out to offer a line of affordable tactical knives that would meet the demands of the world’s armed forces through a new line called Boker Plus. They collaborated with Wagner and Los Banos for initial designs and went off-shore for production to keep their costs low so the average soldier could Turbine Ta ctical Continued on page 89 652009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=66http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=66’ Stuffin it SMart John Connor Strangely enough, a rambling conversation between His Editorial Immenseness RoyBoy, Carry Options editor Sammy Reese, andmasterleathercraftsmanJerryEvansof Haugen Handgun Leather resulted in somethingcool,elegantandeminentlyuseful:the NightStandBag,abutter-smoothgunbucket styledtoperfectlyorganizeaRoscoe,mags, tac-light, cellphone and more, at home or wherever you roam. Each is truly custom, handmade and surprisingly inexpensive for its value. Makes a terrific gift, too. Jerry doesn’tevencarryitonhisWebsite,sogive himacallat(701)255-0723.www.haugenhandgunleather.com BagS, SaCkS, ruCkS & PaCkS M 66 y earliest childhood memories include methodically organizing all my possessions into a modified Marine field pack and a Navy seabag. I guess that doesn’t sound very “mainstream,” but my family’s life wasn’t very mainstream, moving all ’round the Western Pacific and Asia on skoshie-short notice. And one of the first rules I learned was that all my stuff had to fit into those two containers — or something stayed behind. I was just a pup when Dad cut the shoulder straps of that Marine pack, broke out his lock-stitching awl and re- positioned ’em to fit me — also teaching me the use of that awl. My first project was stitching a canvas tube pouch to that pack to hold the track sections of my little toy train firmly and securely; as Dad would say, “ship-shape & squared away.” Everything had its place; easy to stow, go, or lay hands on quick. In that regard, there wasn’t much transition to becoming a Marine: shrug into my harness, sling my rifle, hoist my seabag, and I was ready to lock, load & rock. It felt good — and those essential disciplines of organization, portability and security continued through service as a SWAT cop, then as “a contracted repre- sentative of U.S. and Western interests.” That means “living out of a bag.” You don’t have to live out of a bag to use and appreciate the same dynamics, and you’ve got so many more great choices than I had for many years! Whether your need is for a NottaHolster, an Urban Bug-Out Bag, a Traveling Trauma Kit, a “Briefcase With Bite” or just a fine field pack, the right one’s out there waiting for you! * For more of Connor’s half-baked ideas about selecting bags and packs, go to www.americanhandgunner.com and click on Web Blast! WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=67http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=67LessthanthreeminutesafterpickinguptheEscape&EvasionBag from Diamondback Tactical, I knew it was (a) heavy duty without being heavy, (b) extremely well made in every detail, and (c) packed with too many functional features to cover here. I also adopteditforimmediate,dailyuse.GototheWebsiteforinfoon featuresanddimensions,butwhatitdoesn’tsayishowcomfortably it carries, how smooth and supple the material and construction are, and the “clincher” for me: a very low noise signature. This is aterrificall-aroundbagatasurprisinglylowprice.www.diamondbacktactical.com Dillon Precision’s enormously popular Wilderness Safepacker is solidly made. This “Notta-Holster”canbehand-carriedlikea dayplanner,slungfromashoulder,clipped toabeltorslippedintoalargerbag.Our pal Mark Pixler at Dillon was already a fan — then he witnessed another man’s life saved by his Safepacker. Now he’s a fanatic about it. Heck of a testimonial, huh?www.dillonprecision.com Designedformilitarywomen,theBLACKHAWK!Tactical Handbag has proven popular with female cops and other women who could care less about faux-fur trim andwantatank-toughutilitarian“bagforallseasons.” Withawaterproofinterior,arugged,abrasion-resistant Hawk-Texbottomandmilitary-gradebucklesandstraps, awomancanbeassuredherTacticalHandbagwillstill beservingwhenthosecutesyfashionpursesareKIA.All therightcompartmentsandpouches,insideandout,in black,coyotetanandfoliagegreen. www.blackhawk.com ThehardyHoplitewarriorsatGunsiteliketheEagleTacticalAttaché somuchthey’vegraceditwiththeirblackraveninsigniaandsellitin theironlineproshop.Onlytheinformedmightsuspectahiddenhowitzer ridesbetween the front flappedpouchandthe spacious main compartment. That’s Gunsite Director of Ops Ed Head’s well-worn 1911withthegorgeousgripspeekin’out–thebigshowoff.Igotta admitthough,thatshowoffsureknowshisgear.www.gunsite.com CrossBreedHolster’sCCSB–ConcealedCarryShoulderBag–looksasgoodservingamanasitdoesa woman;rich,hand-stitchedleatheryoucouldpassalongtograndchildren,andoneoftheslickest,quietestcannon-concealmentrigsever.Twosizesaccommodatelotsofgear,andtheincludedOhaiVelcrobackedholsterkeepsyourhandgunhandy.www.crossbreedholsters.com Leave it to a former SEAL to spot the gap between too-small overnighter bags and monster-bags you need two men and a boytocarry–andfillitwithatough,thoughtfully-structured mid-size gear carrier. That’s what Chris Osman, CEO of TAG – Tactical Assault Gear – has done with his Deployment Bag. Readthedimensionsofthemainandsidecompartmentsonhis website,andIthinkyou’llseeit’sperfectfor`bout90percent ofyourtravelneeds.Thenreadaboutthis:allTAGgearis100 percentguaranteedforlife,and100percentmadeintheUSA. www.tacticalassaultgear.com MaxpeditionHard-UseGearhassomethingforeveryone,including “neat freaks” packin’ handfuls of pens, mini-lights, PDA’s, cell phones and digital gizmos – and who then try to keep `em neat. TheNeatFreakwilldoitinstyle,slungfromashoulder,hitchedona beltordroppedintoabiggerbag.Awide-openingclamshelldesign putseverythingatyourfingertips–orcloseduptightandsecure. Ifyou’retiredofallthatpocketlitterthreateningtopullyourpants down,oryourmessengerbagsoundinglikeawashingmachinefulla silverware,getaNeatFreak.www.maxpedition.com WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM If you own a handgun and don’t know about Safe Direction’s slug-stopping,bullet-barriertechnologyandproducts,gotothe websiteandlearnitnow,please,okay?Watchthevideos,and you’llunderstandwhytheirnewHighSecurityCaseissocool. It’s like a zippered, key-locking bank bag, but far stronger, equipped with accommodation for a variety of handguns, grommet provision for locking it to a stati2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=68http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=68WIN! HANDGUN OF THE MONTH Photos: Joe Novelozo 68 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=69http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=69C NAA selfDefense TrIO lint Smith sometimes says — especially whenitcomestoflashlights—“oneisnone and two is one.” Meaning, if one fails and that’sallyouhave,thenyouhavenone.But if you have a back-up, then you still have “one.” So how doesthatrelatetothree? Thisconceptofaself-defensetriocomesfromthefertile mindsofthestaffatNorthAmericanArms.Ifoneisgood,then twoisbetterandthree—well,betteryet.Theline-upofthe backbone.380Guardian,backed-upwiththeBlackWidow.22 Magnumandthen,indeepcover,theLong-Rifleisstashed. There is a great deal of versatility here. Not only can youmixandmatch,buteachcanbeastand-alongpartner insomesituations.TheGuardianisareliableauto,andcan fill the needs for self-defense if loaded with good quality defensive ammunition. We’vefoundtheBlackWidowtobehandywhenloaded withCCIshotloadsforsnakesandsuchwhenyou’restrolling outdoors, and can be used for self-defense in a pinch. The Long-Rifleisagood“deep-cover”last-ditchback-up,orwhen loadedwith.22LRsnakeshot,givesyoualittlesomethingto keepthepeskycrittersatbayifyouneedto. The included accessories and custom touches are a list of “who’s-who” of the industry. Makers like Mitch Rosen, DeSantis,Hogue,NovakandThadRybkaallcontributedtheir design expertise. These may be little guns, but they speak volumesforqualityand“at-hand”accessibility. over $1,500! Custom FeAtures GUARDIAN: • Scallopedslide • HogueKingwood checkeredgrips • NovakTritiumsights BLACKWIDOW: • Adjustablesights • Extra.22LRcylinder • Customhand-fillinggrips totAL vALue: LONG-RIFLE: • Laminatedrosewoodgrips • 11/8"barrel tHe Kimber PePPerbLAster BONUs! www.naaminis.com TO ENTER CONTEST:Useapostcard(noenvelopes,please)andfollowthe sampleshown.SendtoAMERICAN HANDGUNNER,Dept.H7,P.O.Box501377, SanDiego,CA92150-1377.EntriesmustbereceivedbeforeAugust31,2009. Hom JuLY/AuGust 2009 CiRCLE aNSwERS TO REadER SuRvEy: REadER SuRvEy QuESTiONS: 1) The next firearm i intend to purchase will be a: a) Handgun B) Rifle C) Shotgun d) Muzzleloader 2) i’ve been reading American Handgunner for the following length of time: a) New reader B) 1-3 years C) 4-6 years d) 7 years or more Name ___________________________________ Address_____________City,State,Zip____________ Email Address _______________________ Question#1: (A) (B) (C) (D) Question#2: (A) (B) (C) (D) Question#3: (A) (B) Question#4: (A) (B) Kimber’s PepperBlaster offerstwoshotsof 10percentOCthat shootsaccuratelyto 13feet! Aless-lethal alternative is good for at homeoronthestreets. 3) do you prefer a semi-auto pistol or a revolver? a) Semi-auto B) Revolver 4) do you purchase Shooting Supplies over the internet? a) yes B) No IfIwin,pleaseshipmyprizethrough: Dealer ___________________________________ Address_____________City,State,Zip____________ Phone( )____-________ Storehours__am__pm sAmPLe Limit 1 entry per household. ThiscontestisopentoindividualswhoareresidentsoftheUnitedStatesanditsterritoriesonly.AgentsandemployeesofPublishersDevelopmentCorporationandtheirfamiliesareexcludedfromentering.Contestvoidwhereprohibitedorrestrictedbylaw.Winnersmustmeetalllocallaws andregulations.Taxesandcompliancewithfirearmsregulationswillbetheresponsibilityofthewinners.WinnerswillbenotifiedbyCERTIFIEDMAILonofficial letterhead.ATTENTIONDEPLOYEDMILITARY:USESTATESIDEADDRESS!Nopurchasenecessarytoenter. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 692009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=70http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=70AYOOB FILES Continued from page 62 .pdf 12/16/08 8:47:20 AM They are identically disguised. They are wearing black bandannas, pulled up as masks over their faces, and each wears a ball cap pulled down low over the eyes. Each is wearing heavy-framed dark sunglasses. Both of the men are wearing long sleeved garments, and gloves. And each is holding a weapon. They announce a stickup. Common sense and military training and experience combine to tell the Marine these men have the upper hand at the moment. Slowly, calmly, he raises his hands high enough for the robbers to believe he is complying. On the other side of the counter, the store manager is complying, too. The Marine gives up his wallet, with several hundred dollars inside. He doesn’t think it’s worth killing anyone over, let alone dying for. But that’s not enough. The robbers order him into the back of the shop, into a rest room. And that changes everything. Drawing The Line Every responsible person who carries a gun has given some thought to how and when they would use it. The Marine is no exception. He has given up his money, but long beforehand, he has determined he will not be taken at gunpoint into the back of a robbery premises and proned-out on the floor. He knows that too many times, victims have not gotten up from there. And now, the nearest robber orders him onto the floor. Slowly, the Marine pretends to obey. He turns his right side slightly away, so his torso will block the gunman’s view of his hand. He pretends to bend down, as if to lower himself to the floor. And, suddenly, he makes his move. The Para-Ordnance clears the holster in a “cavalry draw” and swings up. In a movement so long practiced he is unaware he is performing it, the Marine’s thumb wipes the pistol’s safety lever down into the “fire” position as his finger goes to the trigger. The small area erupts into gunfire. A robber jerks back away from him. The man has been hit three times, once in the leg and once in the center mass area of the torso and once in the head, and he staggers rearward. His back slams into the wall, his arms dropping. He has not yet fallen, the Marine perceives this first antagonist is out of the fight, and he turns his attention to the second threat. This one is standing in the narrow hallway outside the bathroom. He is 70 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 The Clock Starts2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=71http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=71holding something in each hand, and the Marine fires so fast it’s almost as if both robbers had been caught in the same uninterrupted stream of bullets. The second thug turns, running toward the front door. The Marine realizes there’s a bullet hole in that door now … and the slide on his pistol has locked back empty. The first robber has collapsed. He has to take a moment to reach down and unbuckle his belt before he can grasp the second magazine. He reflexively reaches for the spare magazine, but it has slipped down inside his jeans. He can’t get hold of it. He has to take a moment to reach down and unbuckle his belt before he can grasp the second magazine. As this is happening, he sees the running second man hit the door full tilt, so hard he loses his balance and falls onto the sidewalk. The man has shown no indication of being hit yet. The Marine reloads now, with a quick and practiced movement once the magazine is in hand. By the time the slide comes back forward, chambering a fresh round, the second armed robber has disappeared. It’s over. The first armed robbery suspect was identified as Dionicio Arrindell, age 22, of North Lauderdale. He did not survive. A loaded shotgun was found in the getaway car he and his accomplice had parked outside. The second was identified as Frederick Gadson, age 21, of Fort Lauderdale. A police manhunt ended when a K-9 found him almost 300 yards from the Subway shop, collapsed near a bank. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the thorax from the Marine’s weapon, striking some 2" above the heart. Gadson was charged with armed robbery, and, since his accomplice had died during a felony, Gadson was committing, he was also charged with murder. He is still awaiting trial at this writing. The tone of the criminal justice system’s response to the double shooting was set by one of the first responding police supervisors. “Damn!” he said to the Marine. “You got them both!” Untitled-1 1 One police spokesperson described the Marine’s response as “textbook.” Another, Detective Robert Rettig, told WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 71 Aftermath2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=72http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=72reporters, “He feared for his life, and if he’s in fear for his life, then he has a right to defend himself, even if it means severe bodily injury or death.” It was clear to any impartial observer the Marine had righteously acted to save not only his own life, but that of the store manager as well. The manager’s testimony supported his account of the incident, and so did the Subway’s security video cameras. No charges were filed against the Marine. To the best of my knowledge at this time, no lawsuit has been filed against him either. The general public’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive. South Floridians are tired of violent crime. It quickly came out the men the Marine had shot both had criminals pasts, and only their friends and relatives seemed to have a problem with the outcome, with some telling reporters it was “murder” and they couldn’t believe someone could legally “just shoot down” Arrindell and Gadson. The everpopular phrase, “They were just turning their lives around” was heard repeatedly from those quarters. one police spokesperson described the marine’s response as “textbook.” The Marine did not want publicity. He had done what he’d had to do. He turned down countless print and electronic media requests for interviews. The article you are reading is the first one in which he has told his own story. It is widely perceived as conventional wisdom among cops and others that when the criminals herd you from the crime scene itself to a secondary scene, it’s a big red flag indicating an intent to murder the victims/witnesses. This is exactly what went through the Marine’s mind, and what prompted him to act when he was herded into the rest room, and then ordered to the floor into what is reasonably construable as an execution position. There are, said the Marine in his exclusive explanation for Handgunner readers, armed robberies occurring regularly in South Florida “where the robber shoots the victims between 10- and 20-percent of the time even if they surrender the money — as I did, without resistance.” Adds the Marine, “Whether it be the six ladies in the Lane Bryant store or thousands of other cases across the country, when the robbers have all the money from the customer 72 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 From Behind The Gun2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=73http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=73SCORPION® LED SUPER TAC® TL-2® LED NIGHTFIGHTER® LED Streamlights new C4 technology effectively triples the brightness and creates an intense ™ beam that pierces the darkness. Now you get the extended runtime, indestructibility, and long life of an LED with a brightness that leaves ordinary LEDs in the dark. Look for the C4 emblem on Streamlight and never be afraid of the dark. ® 30 Eagleville Road, Eagleville, PA 19403 • 800-523-7488 • www.streamlight.com2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=74http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=74AH_HotNewV6f300.pdf 1 11/1/07 11:21:42 AM and the business and they don’t leave, but rather take you to the back room and tell you ‘lie down,’ the chances of then being shot are very high.” After stories like this hit the news media, “chair-borne commandoes” come out of the woodwork to pompously theorize how they could have handled the situation better. Some such critics have suggested that he should have fired once at each opponent before re-engaging either of them. The problem with criticizing someone’s tactics based on a sterile newspaper account, is the account doesn’t give the real-world details that determine what tactic is appropriate for what scenario. It appears the Marine couldn’t have shot the second assailant after firing one shot at the first, because that first armed robber was still his primary threat when the Marine fired the second shot, and the second perpetrator was not yet in his line of fire. The Marine explains, “The first man had staggered back against the wall but hadn’t yet fallen so I could just see over his shoulder the face and shoulders of the second robber. I saw he had something in each hand. My firing was continuous without pause.” News accounts never discussed shooting technique. Long familiar with the 1911, the Marine was able to bring up his Para LDA and fire the shots ending the encounter in a smooth and fluid movement born of years of training. He observes, “I carried with the safety on. I have no recollection of releasing the safety. I started firing.” He fired one-handed, and scored kill-zone hits with almost half his shots against two men, neutralizing both. His gun never came up to line of sight. Few of us could criticize that performance. But the Marine himself can. Criticism The most valid criticism is often the self-criticism of the individual involved. In this case, we are talking about a man who spent both his careers with human lives constantly in his hands, in situations where the slightest error on his part could extinguish those lives, as well as his own. It was so when he piloted Marine One, the Presidential helicopter, for John Fitzgerald Kennedy and for Lyndon Baines Johnson. It was true when he was the pilot responsible for hundreds of passengers at a time aboard Pan American Airways and Delta Airlines jetliners. Such men tend to be perfectionists, and ruthlessly self-critical. Here is what he tells us about his own performance that night, as he sees it. “I am not happy with my accuracy. There was no time to take up a modified Weaver stance or anything close to it. The best way I could describe it is the reaction you have when you walk into a spider web and think the spider is on 74 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=75http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=75you. You reflexively brush, urgently or even frantically, to get it off,” the retired Marine Major explains. Perfect technique, he discovered, is not always possible in a gunfight. He remembers, “I was firing one handed as I emerged from the bathroom — we’re talking seconds or fractions thereof — the last shots were fired to my right with body facing the opposite hallway wall at about a three-quarters angle.” He discovered what a chilling experience it can be to run out of ammunition when you realize half of your armed opponents still appear to be capable of killing you. As his fight-forlife was going on, he was acutely aware armed robbers commonly leave lookouts and getaway car drivers outside, who can move in and serve as reinforcements when gunfire alerts them to the fact the primary armed robbery team has run into resistance. In retrospect, the Marine determined it might be time for a more efficient spare magazine pouch, and to drill more on transitioning to a backup gun. He says, “The (second) robber hit the front door so hard he lost his balance and fell onto the sidewalk. He was still only a few feet away and I was VERY CONCERNED when I observed my slide was back. I was afraid he would fire at me from the sidewalk and/or gang-banger associates would come around the corner to attack me. My spare magazine pouch had slipped below my belt line and I had to unbuckle my jeans to get at it.” The emphasis above is his. He turned down countless print and electronic media requests for interviews. the article you are reading is the first one in which he has told his own story. Adds the Marine, “I completely forgot about the stainless steel .22 LR derringer by Freedom Arms, which was my backup. It’s not much, but an earlier test had shown that the bullet would penetrate three-quarters of a thick Miami phone book.” Many on the Internet gun boards pored over the fact that while the first armed robber was swiftly neutralized by a quick pair of solidly-placed .45 hits, the second had taken a .45 slug through the torso and run a distance reported as almost 300 yards before collapsing. There was much discussion of whether the .45 ACP cartridge was over-rated, or whether any handgun round was powerful enough to effect a one-shot stop on a dangerous criminal. The Marine explains, “The second robber was hit in the chest, 2" above the heart. I was using Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket. I didn’t think I had hit him because he didn’t go down. When I learned later he had been hit and where, I was very surprised that an individual who was probably about 5' 10" tall and 170 pounds didn’t go down when hit in the chest with a .45.” With the Para Carry LDA still in evidence until the trial of the second armed robber is over, the Marine is now carrying a single action Para-Ordnance Hawg .45, comforted by its ten-plus-one cartridge capacity. Wounded suspect Gadson’s grandmother said of the Marine, when she talked to reporters, “He shouldn’t have taken the law in his hands.” Does anyone think that when everything logical screams, you are about to be execution-murdered by criminals, the law Lessons Visit www.birchwoodcasey.com or call: 800-328-6156 1926RA2108 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 752009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=76http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=76should be left in the criminals’ hands? The criminal justice system knew exactly what was what. That’s why the police not only did not bring charges after investigating the shooting, but clearly endorsed the Marine’s actions. In a world where certain attorneys chase ambulances and those who love people who do bad things want revenge for those people’s deaths and injuries, I strongly suspect there were discussions about bringing civil suits. I also strongly suspect any attorney with an IQ above room temperature would have realized the chances of winning such a lawsuit against the Marine, under the circumstances that provably took place, would have been poor indeed. Even the most righteous justifiable uses of deadly force — and this incident certainly qualifies as such — will draw criticism. Understand the criticism comes from those with no standing to criticize. If you know in your heart what you did was something you had to do, it will be easier to deal with. The Marine knows that he did what he had to do. He mentions the Lane Bryant murders, which took place in Chicago in early 2008, well after his own shooting. A lone gunman herded six women into a back room of a clothing store, ordered them to the floor, and shot them all execution-style. Only one of his intended victims survived. The mass-murderer is still at large. Can anyone doubt if the Marine, or someone like him, had been present at that Lane Bryant store, the outcome might have been much different — and much better? The justice system was correct in its conclusion. The Marine did the right thing. We at American Handgunner salute him — and thank him for sharing his story, exclusively, with our readers. * 76 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=77http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=77TAFFIN TESTS Continued from page 26 used market and the demand for the old Peacemakers and higher prices walked hand-in-hand. Ruger read the situation and made two landmark decisions. He would introduce a new single action and he would also chamber it in America’s favorite and most affordable cartridge, the .22 Long Rifle. Ruger did not just copy the Colt Single Action Army, except for the shape and size of the grip frame. During the run of what we now call 1st Generation Colt SAAs some were chambered in .22, making them quite heavy and bulky for the cartridge. Bill Ruger downsized the cylinder and mainframe to more closely fit the .22 Long Rifle, modernized the action by replacing the leaf mainspring and trigger/bolt springs with virtually unbreakable coil springs, while the two fragile arms on the bolt itself were replaced by a solid bolt actuated by a coil spring operated plunger on the hammer. The flat hand-spring was also replaced by a coil spring. The most fragile parts on the original Colt Single Action were the hand-spring and the bolt spring, and Ruger’s modifications made the Single-Six virtually unbreakable. In fact, Ruger set up a demonstration at the NRA Show with the machine cocking and dry firing a Ruger SingleSix 24 hours a day. During the show the machine broke — the Single-Six did not. As a further improvement to the original Colt SAA, Ruger flat-topped the frame and replaced the hog wallow rear sight trough with a rear drift sight adjustable for windage, set in a dovetail. Even though my first Single-Six cost $63.25 when those in our group were averaging 90 cents an hour, it was still a bargain compared to the prices commanded by pre-war Colts. We couldn’t have afforded to shoot those old Colts even if we did manage to scrape up the asking price. I did come up with a beautiful Colt Single Action .38-40 six months later with a price tag of $90 and definitely could not afford the cost of ammunition. Each time I shot it my rounds were rationed to single-digit numbers, not the hundreds of rounds I go through now. In order to be able to offer such an excellent, virtually indestructible revolver for the price, it was necessary for Ruger to come up with new manufacturing techniques. Previous to this, most mainframes were forged — Bill Ruger introduced investment casting. He also took shortcuts by having the two-piece steel grip frame of the Colt replaced by a one-piece aluminum alloy affair. Early guns also had flat loading gates instead of the beautifully contoured gate of the WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 77 Notta’ Copy2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=78http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=78Single Action Army. The blue finish of the Single-Six was certainly adequate but nowhere near the beautifully blued and case-hardened look of the Single Action Army. Then, as now, Ruger products were aimed at the so-called “blue collar” market consisting of those shooters who wanted every day working firearms capable of lasting for generations. A Legend The first Ruger Single-Six arrived in 1953 with a standard 51/2" barrel, an all blue finish, and a price tag of $57.50. The original prototype Single-Six had a case-colored frame, however Ruger decided to go with the all blue finish. Many of the early guns had a somewhat reddish or purple colored mainframe, so if you see that on an old gun, it may not mean it’s a re-blue. During the show the machine broke — the Single-Six did not. In 1957 the flat loading gate was changed to the Colt-style contoured loading gate. Two years later, two new barrel lengths were added, 45/8" and 91/2" and the shortest is the rarest. This same year, 1959, saw the first Convertible Model Rugers offered with two cylinders, one in .22 Long Rifle one in .22 Winchester Magnum. Single-Sixes were also offered in .22 Winchester Magnum alone. During the late 1950s and early 1960s Ruger also offered the Lightweight Single-Six. Both steel and alloy-frame versions were offered, however the alloy cylinder proved to be inadequate and was soon replaced with a steel cylinder. In 1962 production of the original .22 Single-Sixes ended as we entered what is commonly known as the Old Model versions when applied to the centerfire Ruger single actions of the time. The grip frame was changed to allow more room behind the trigger guard. The original grip frames, identical in shape and size to the Colt Single Action Army, were marked XR3; the newer frames were became XR3-RED. Original grips had been checkered black rubber with black eagle medallions, however in 1960 these were phased out in favor of walnut grip panels, and all of the “2nd Generation” Single-Sixes are fitted with walnut stocks. Most of these also came with extra .22 Magnum cylinders. The Single-Six became even more versatile in 1964 with the introduction of the Super Single-Six with adjustable sights. This certainly made sense, as any Convertible sixgun WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST2009 www.riograndecustomgrips.com The Image Your Gun Wanted. 303-330-2812 782009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=79http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=79should have adjustable sights to allow for sighting-in with different loads. By 1972 well over one-half million Single-Sixes had been produced and it was time for the next major change with the coming of the New Model Single-Sixes. In 1973 Ruger changed the concept and design of single action revolvers once again by the addition of an automatically engaged safety transfer bar. Up to this time all single action cartridge firing sixguns were only safely carried if the hammer was allowed to rest on an empty chamber. Some percussion revolvers, as does Ruger ’s Old Army, have a notch between chambers to allow the hammer to rest safely.) Rugers New Model Single-Six could now be carried safely fully loaded. The hammer did not contact the firing pin in its resting position. When the New Model Single-Six is cocked a transfer bar moves upward to allow the firing pin to be contacted when the hammer is pulled. Up to this time all SingleSixes had the traditional three screws in the side of the frame; they were now replaced with two pins. Any Ruger single action with three screws MUST be carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Until very recently all Ruger New Model Single-Sixes were fitted with adjustable sights, however a few have been made with Colt SAA-style sights as a rimfire companion to the centerfire Vaquero. New Model Single-Sixes are found in four barrel lengths, 45/8", 51/2", 61/2" and 91/2" all fitted with extra .22 Winchester Magnum cylinders. In 1974, Ruger began offering the New Model in stainless steel, also making it a most versatile and weather resistant .22 sixgun. I can’t think of a more practical .22 sixgun than an adjustable-sighted, stainless steel, single action revolver, with an extra .22 Magnum cylinder. My favorite New Model Single-Six, apart from my custom Single-Sixes by Andy Horvath, is the Hunter Model complete with a heavy ribbed 71/2" barrel, bead front sight, and scalloped to accept Ruger scope rings. This little .22 has it all. I doubt most kids today enjoy .22 sixguns as much as we did. We were not handicapped with the existence of computers, video games, VCRs, CDs, DVDs, portable plug-in-the-ear music, cell phones, MTV and all the other results of progress. We made our own enjoyment and were active participants — instead of viewers and listeners. In the 1950s I enjoyed Ruger .22s with my fellow teenage shooters. Today I enjoy them even more, shooting with my grandkids. Perhaps those were the days, however it’s more likely these are the days — at least for me. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM More Upgrades * 792009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=80http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=80J-FRAME Continued from page 45 handling, and also allows the ports to have the leverage to do their job better. Marc de-horned, fine-tuned it and eventually fitted it to the action. As Marc said to me, “This is lots more work to do it this way, but if you want a top-notch, premium result, you have to take the time and use quality parts to get that finished product meeting your expectations.” And he’s right. That 640 was beginning to become something special, and my mind’s eye started to see something in steel — always a delight. Marc worked the DA into agreement and left me with a sound, reliable trigger pull, but not something too light or iffy. Many people equate “light” with “good” in an action. In reality, a genuinely smooth trigger can be several pounds more than a light one, and not only be more reliable, but feel better and offer some authority and controllability to it when pulled. The barrel ended-up at about 2.25" and I found it to be a good compromise. While giving up some of the shootability of a 3" or 2.5" version, the all-steel build, slightly longer length and porting changed the dynamics of the handling and it felt like it was a bigger gun. Which, later on, proved the case at the range (or in my back “yard” now-days). The barrel didn’t allow for the S&W style forward cylinder-locking plunger so Marc did some Gemini-Magic. He machined for, and installed, a single crane-locking ball set-up. It’s precisely as you might see on K, L and N-frames but scaled down beautifully to fit this smaller gun. It works slick, locks up tight and unlike some I’ve felt, is not “grabby” when you unlock the cylinder to open it. Well done, if you ask me. Marc also used a slightly longer ejector rod to help clear that beastly .357 Magnum-length trash out of the cylinder. That was one of our complaints about standard-length J-frame ejectors while at Gunsite — they often didn’t punch the empty .38s clear, much less the longer .357s. The moon-clip conversion was by choice, as I’ve always thought they were the fastest way to load and unload a revolver — and in Marc’s version, the rule still applies. The beauty of using rimmed cartridges (unlike .45 ACP revolvers), is the fact you can use standard ammo flawlessly too. So, you can opt for moonclips, or not. Since the gun ejects so well, I’ve taken to carrying it loaded with loose rounds, with a clip of five as a reload. If you load and unload loaded clips often you can risk tweaking 80 The Touches Dillon 1-6 American Handgunner Ad 2/5/09 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=81http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=81or bending them, especially the smaller, more fragile ones on the J-frame. By the way, the clips we used are crafted by Tom Kilhoffer at TK Customs, and he seems to understand the beasts. And yet another reason for the clip conversion is the lovely belt holder Matt DelFatti crafted to match his holster. Reminding me of a single “speedloader” pouch from the old days, his has a central rubberized post that nestles the loaded clip, holding it neatly, but allowing it to go free with a tug of your fingers. Very clever, Mr. DelFatti. The holster is classic for the genre, and goes with the theme of the package: simple is always best. Most handgunners own one, or something like them, but don’t like to actually admit it’s more than likely their daily carry gun. Marc did his soft bead blast and a Cobrachrome hard chrome from Virgil Tripp at Tripp Research, Inc. on the 640, which only adds to the subtly appealing package if you ask me. Oh, and it won’t rust — or anything — pretty much forever now. And that’s a good thing for something bound to be sweated-upon, shot lots, carried about, tossed in the box on the ATV and generally knocked about. Does It Work? In a word: Yes. Having carried a Scanium J-frame for years, the weight of the Gemini Customs gun took getting used to. It mostly rides in a Renegade ankle holster or a pocket holster, but Matt’s sterling leather gets a workout when I “go to town” as it were. I found after a short time, the extra weight isn’t noticed, and when I pick-up my Scandium gun, it feels toy-like now. I think if you’re just going to buy one and stick it in your pocket and won’t practice or shoot it much, it doesn’t matter which you buy, so the light gun means you’ll at least carry it. If it’s your second gun, chances are you’re a shooter since you’re smart enough to have a second gun, so lightweight is important. You’re probably spending time shooting your all-steel J-frame anyway. A double standard, yes, but true nonetheless. You know who you are in this. The sights were a struggle, but simple won over. A black, serrated dove-tailed front means I can change 81 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=82http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=82READY, AIM . . . SQUEEZE! Better Recoil Control! Captains of Crush® Grippers - 10 strengths www.ironmind.com For a complimentary copy of Ron Avery’s grip Special program for shooters, please enter AH-RA09 in the offer! key code box at View Basket when placing an order. IRONMIND - AMERICAN HANDGUN 2.25 X 5 MAR 2009 ’em if I want. The rugged fixed rear and front combo seems to shoot up to the gun’s ability (look at the target) so what more could you ask for? I called upon another magician, that gripmaker extraordinaire, Esmeralda, of Grips by Esmeralda, for some handsome Cocobolo “boot” type grips and they are both lovely and functional. I put the genuine white plastic ones back on for some shooting and a few pics since I didn’t want to knock Esmeralda’s around, but they are back on the gun as we speak. I was honestly hesitant about the ports. I think you don’t need them, but they can be nice — and they can be nasty — so you have to keep your wits about you. They certainly keep the muzzle flip down when using hot loads — and just as certainly produce “portblast” which could, in some cases, get in your face, as it were. Shooting .357 Magnums in this gun is something you can actually do, unlike most non-ported J-frames. Being steel makes a big difference too. A .357 in a Scandium gun equals curse words, stinging hands and “hell, I won’t do that again” comments. But still, a shot from close to your body, where the blast from the ports may strike your face might confuse an already confusing situation. Keep that in mind when you train. Having said that, I don’t carry .357 loads in this gun. There’s simply no need to with today’s high-performance ammunition. With a good quality +P 125- to 158-grain load, it offers all the protection you can get from a package this small. And the combination of porting and weight makes it a real fighting pistol. The port-blast is tamed somewhat too. The 640 is fast, sure, easy to shoot and control and very, very accurate. It feels like a real gun, not a plastic toy, and that translates into confidence, the ability to hit the target and a reload that is within the realm of possibility — and reality. A fumbly reload with a speed strip is something you should only imagine you can do, rather than think you actually can. Try it. Did we accomplish a goal here? I think so. An ultimate version of an idea is certainly here in wood and steel. It performs as advertised, I do rely on it to protect my skin and I do recommend it to others. If it was lacking in one of the triad of my points there, you wouldn’t be reading about it now. Honest. An Ultimate? * For more info: www.geminicustoms.com, (502) 226-1230, e-mail: yoda1911@ hughes.net; www.tkcustoms.com, (217) 893-1035; e-mail: tom@tkcustom.com; www.delfatti.com, e-mail: delfatti@tds. net; www.esmeralda.cc, (760) 949-1645. 82 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=83http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=83xd(m) duo Continued from page 57 Introducing Packing in Pink, the only shooting accessories line made just for women. “Just because I shoot like a man doesn’t mean I have to look like one.” The “new” XD(More) is more in many areas, and they’re all good. Don’t toss your XD, it’s a dandy duty rig, keep it in your bass boat, knock it around in your kit for camping, bang it around as a loaner gun for your buds kind-of-a-gun. But get an XD(M) for yourself. Keep it secret, hide it, and enjoy it in private. Like you’d polish your new Lincoln in the garage at night while sipping a good Merlot. It’s yours, alone, and you’ve wanted something like it, and saved for it for a long time. And now you have it. Oh, and make sure you’re sipping a 2004. Trust me on that. Oh my, but things just got more complicated. Imagine that same car but after the administrations of a light-handed PIP products are available exclusively custom tailor. Ever noticed how an online. PIP will make a Armani suit always generates comments? donation to breast cancer “Geez, you look great today Harry, what research with every sale. is it? Lose weight? Comb your hair different?” No, it’s almost always what a tailored suit will do for you. Visit our website to see Ditto the XD(More). Thanks to our entire line-up and the Springfield Custom Shop, under to become a PIP Club the guidance of old bud and sterling Member. metal-working genius Dave Williams www.packinginpink.com (a savant when it comes to handguns if ever there was one), the XD(M) takes on even more guise, as it were. The test guns on loan are the first two custom PackingInPink5.indd 1 4/14/09 1:14:29 PM XD(M)s in existence and until I spoke with Dave, I had no idea such things existed. Dave told me what they did with the comp, and I told him I didn’t believe him, and he sent me the gun, and now I believe him after I shot it, and told him so. Which is a long sentence, but exactly how it happened. Taking the stylish-looking 5" version with comp (stock guns are only 4.5" by the way), we need to look at 2 Pack For a few things. Called an “Open” pistol $ by Dave for competition reasons, it has Plus S/H a match-grade barrel, full profile triple port custom made comp, Trijicon Red Dot sight — low mounted directly to the slide, a competition action job, Custom Shop grip texturing treatment, a custom magwell, an extended mag release and Arrendondo mag extensions. The slide is stainless, but Springfield offers, as FREE Shipping Dave said, “every finish you’d imagine.” On Orders of 3 Packs Or More Imagine that — for a third time now. TM Visit www.packinginpink.com to see our entire line-up. The Custom Shop 8.49 Now in .44 Caliber The LTD From the .22 to the .500 Linebaugh .22 Rim Fire. .41 Magnum .32/.327 .410 Shot Gun .38/.357 .44/.45/.460 .475 Linebaugh .480 Ruger .500 Linebaugh .500 S&W Order Online: www.tuffproducts.com Or Call: 877-883-3776 Not stopping there, Dave tormented (teased?) us with a Limited Production Pistol variant of the XD(M). With yet another long, eye-catching 5" slide, the lightening cuts on the top fool the eye — “How can that be?” you may find yourself saying. The low mount fully adjustable rear sight and fiber optic 83 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=84http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=84CALL 1(800)SA2-1911 “the MAG GUIDE people”™ when only the BEST will do! ORDER DIRECT and SAVE! $78.95 Government Model/ Officers’ Model Mag Guide Available: Flat/Arched SS/BL 20 LPI NEW: Flat now available in Smooth Also Available: Grizzly Flat-SS/BL $89.95 AL $36.95 Mainspring Housing Available in: Gov’t Model, Officers’ Model, all Para-Ordnance. 20 LPI Flat/Arched-SS/BL (P10/P12 flat only) (flat smooth available for all of the above) AL $95.95 Full Para Mag Guide (For P14/P16 only) Available in: Flat/Arched-SS/BL 20 LPI AL $99.00 Ambidextrous Magazine Release Gov’t Model, Officers’ Model & Para-Ordnance. SS/BL $36.95 “E-Z Fit Hi Grip”® Safety .250 radius-Series 70 & 80 .220 radius S70 for Springfields “PalmSwel”/Standard (jig available) Prices starting at $17.50 S & A Custom 1911 Grips Exotic Woods & Micarta Standard & Slim Line DD, FC & Smooth available in Aluminum Color Catalog Available Same Day Shipping Appropriate shipping charges Dealers Welcome 100% Customer Satisfaction L A NEW–Slim Line Mag Guides & Grips w/screws & bushings available with Lanyard Loop add $10 P.O. Box 299 • Copeville, Texas USA 75121 (800) SA2-1911 • Fax (972) 853-0526 www.smithandalexander.com Hours: M-F, 9am-5pm CST front makes it easy for old guys like me see their sights — and young guys to be even faster. There’s the Springfield Custom shop match-grade barrel, competition action job, custom grip texturing treatment and, of course, extended mag releases. Can I take a breath now? I shot both of them in my new back “yard” here outside of Joplin, MO and, with Suzi’s XD to compare, found them to be not only stylish, graceful and pleasing to the eye, but real performers. Don’t you love it when something that looks good really is good? How rare that happens. The attention to detail is there, and meticulous fitting and handwork is obvious in these Custom Shop guns. But, I feel compelled to point out, the raw goods they had to work from in the form of stock XD(M)s are no slouch and the Custom Shop, while certainly chock full of talented-types, were unquestionably blessed with royalty to begin with. I’m no competitor these days (my last IPSC match was some years ago and involved a “drillrod-pinned” rear sight on a stock Colt National Match 1911) but I can sometimes cause Robbie Leatham to look over at me in amused alarm; as if to say, “I didn’t know he could do that!” But in my back yard, I found these guns to run smoothly, and with aplomb. Accuracy was what you’d expect, hovering around less than 2" at 25 from a comfy rest with good quality ammo from several makers. Frankly, with the right ammo and shooter, I’ll bet you could coax 1" out of these. No, really. I’d get two or three shots almost touching, then the dud-finger on the trigger would mess up a bit. Tell me if you manage it when you get yours. But it’s not just about that. Give me a 4" gun that runs smoothly, handles like an extension of my hand and holsters neatly, rather than any 1.5" gun that handles like a Yugo. But, praise be, these guns shoot and handle like comfortable old friends. No Yugo here. Know what I mean? Fine Guns Cylinder Base Pins Ruger, Colt, and Replicas Phone & Fax 1-406-388-1396 NEW! Big Game “PUNCH” Bullets P Belt Mtn. Enterprises, Inc. www.beltmountain.com T 59714 These are custom guns in all respects, except for the fact they began life as excellent factory guns — something not to overlook. If you start with excellence and then make it better, what then? What happens then are sometimes called Springfield Armory Custom XD(M)s. And in case you forgot, that “M” stands for “More.” For info: www.springfield-armory.com. Check out video Web Blast at www. americanhandgunner.com! * CLICK ON THE “WEB BLAST” LINK 84 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=85http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=852009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=86http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=86sixgunner Continued from page 41 I motioned for Frank to bring the jeep up. As we were taking the customary pictures of my Ibex, Frank said “what’s that over there?” Not 20 yards away in the tall grass was another Ibex. I hadn’t missed at all. He just went down so fast I didn’t see it. From that time I’ve never doubted my ability with any of my JDJ SSK Contenders. Africa 199.25565 Amer Handgunner JulyAug09 3/30/09 11:52 AM Page 1 INTRODUCING DOUBLESTAR’S 1911– THE COMBAT PISTOL. PERFORMANCE RIGHT OUT OF THE BAG. THE COMBAT PISTOL - 1911 • .45 ACP • Forged frame • Parkerized finish • 38 oz. (unloaded) • 8” overall length • 5” barrel • Greider trigger • Novak white dot sight • 8 + 1 round capacity $1199.99 MSRP www.star15.com The DoubleStar Dragon represents accuracy, reliability and American pride. These are the qualities DoubleStar builds into their new, forged frame 1911 – The Combat Pistol. The Dragon’s out of the bag, so order The Combat Pistol from DoubleStar today. You’ll own a 1911 that delivers match gun performance at a production price. It was my great pleasure to hunt Africa in 1994. I took along three handguns, two of which were my 6.5 JDJ and .375 JDJ. The first morning I opened my pistol case I could tell from the way he was talking to the white hunter the black tracker was quite upset. I asked for a translation of what was said and it came back: “gun no good; barrel too short.” It was then I found no one had ever hunted that area with a handgun and he was concerned he would be chasing animals all over South Africa. The owner of the ranch was so curious he went along the first morning and when I nailed an impala at a long distance he just said “I wouldn’t believe it was possible.” The tracker who had been so upset was with me the next morning when I got a shot at a wildebeest with a .375 JDJ. At the shot the bull dropped immediately and, as I looked over at the tracker, he was all smiles. He was my friend from then on, but there was a huge problem. If he could see it, he thought I could hit it. I had a hard time convincing him that conditions have to be just right and I needed a solid rest. I don’t relate any of this to try to make out that I’m some kind a great shot. I am above average and J.D.’s cartridges and barrels simply make things easier. The latest JDJ cartridge I’ve been shooting is one of the newest, the .222 JDJ MAG. This one is on a necked up, blown out .204 Ruger case and is chambered in a 14" SSK Custom Thompson/ Center barrel. I was just starting to get used to this one when winter settled in. Spring will soon be here and I hope to get in some long-distance shooting on our ground squirrels. J.D has shared with me some very impressive longrange results, so I’m really looking forward to varmint season. Of course, as we said before, we can only cover a few of J.D.’s creations here. A most interesting concept is his “Whisper” line of subsonic cartridges which are not only relatively quiet but quite accurate. For example, his .300 Whisper is based on a .221 Fireball case and this cartridge is now offered by Cor-Bon as a factory chambering. The Whisper cartridges can be loaded Newest Call 859-745-1757 or order online at www.star15.com. 86 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=87http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=87185.24979 Amer Handgunner MarApr09 11/24/08 10:55 AM Page 1 NEW # UNPRIMED # BRASS CALIBER Discover the value of reloading your own ammunition with Starline brass. Whether you shoot a lot or a little, you can save some money by reloading. And it all starts with a durable, quality made case from Starline. Our brass is made to use again and again, so when you reload, you can take advantage of this money saving benefit. Start reloading today with Starline brass because a great shot starts with Starline. 10 MM 30 LUGER 30 MAUSER 32 S&W LONG 32 H&R MAG 32-20 357 MAG 357 SIG 38 LONG COLT 38 SHORT COLT 38 S&W 38 SUPER 38 SUPER +P 38 SUPER COMP 38 TJ 380 AUTO 38-40 38-55 (2.080) 38-55 LONG (2.125) 40 S&W 40 SUPER 40-65 41 COLT 41 MAG 44 COLT 44 MAG 44 RUSSIAN 44 SPECIAL 44-40 45 AUTO 45 AUTO+P 45 AUTO RIM 45 COLT 45 GAP 45 LONG COLT BLANK 45 S&W SCHOFIELD 45 SUPER 454 CASULL 45-70 45-90 (2.4) 45-100 (2.6) 460 MAG 460 ROWLAND 475 WILDEY MAG 475 LINEBAUGH 50 AE 50 ALASKAN 50-70 GOV’T 50-90 SHARPS 50-110 WIN 500 LINEBAUGH 500 S&W MAG (R) 56-50 SPENCER (TAYLOR’S) 7.62X25 TOKAREV 9X21 9 MM LARGO 9 MM MAKAROV 9 SUPER COMP (9X23) 9 MM WIN MAG Call or check web site for prices. This is a partial list. Call or check web site for a complete list of products. ORDE R Factory Direct www.starlinebrass.com or call 1-800-280-6660 © 2009 Starline Brass2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=88http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=88ered by olff Power ed b y Wolf f! For over 50 years Wolff has been the name you trust for precision gunsprings - Recoil Springs - Magazine Springs - Hammer Springs - Firing Pin Springs - Other Springs - Performance Kits For hundreds of Semi-Auto Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles and Shotguns. Like oil in your car, springs need to be changed from time to time. P.O.Box 458, Dept. 381, Newtown Square, PA 19073 Toll-Free at 800-545-0077 or 610-359-9600 sub-sonically for use in suppressed firearms, or loaded-up for hunting. SSK is mainly known for single-shot barrels for the Contender or Encore as well as complete custom pistols, however they also do just about everything one could want performed on a sixgun. Many years ago I spent a great deal of pleasant shooting time with several SSK custom Ruger Super Redhawks, including those with an interchangeable barrel feature. J.D. called his dual-barreled .44 Magnum Super Redhawk “Beauty and the Beast.” One of these barrels was a very slim, diamond-shaped barrel. Going back to his single-shot barrels one has a choice of a typical round barrel, a diamond-shaped barrel, long barrels or short barrels, barrels with integral muzzle brakes, even a Canon-style barrel with a large bell at the end. My .222 JDJ MAG barrel is finished in a snakeskin pattern. Scoping .gunsprings .com www.gunsprings .gunsprings.com www Isn’t it time to make sure your gun is Powered by Wolff! World’s Finest Magazines MEC-GAR is proud to offer “Optimum” - our new and unique series of high capacity flush-fit pistol magazines. The new design of the magazine housing and interlinked magazine components, together with a special Anti-Friction Coating offer far superior performance even in difficult operational environments. The increased firepower of MEC-GAR “Optimum” magazines can be further raised by an optional “Plus Two” adapter. “Plus Two” is a new set of hollow butt-plate and inner base to raise the capacity of the MEC-GAR “Optimum” magazine by 2-rounds and stick out only 5/8” from the butt of the pistol! Available For: Beretta 92FS 9mm 18rd / 20rd Beretta 96FS .40S&W 13rd / 15rd Para-Ordnance P14 .45ACP 14rd SIG P226 9mm 18rd / 20rd SIG P226 .40S&W 13rd / 15rd Springfield XD 9mm 18rd Springfield XD .40S&W 13rd Taurus PT92 9mm 18rd / 20rd Taurus PT100 .40S&W 13rd / 15rd Mec-Gar USA, Inc., 905 Middle Street, Middletown, CT 06457 Tel: (800) 632-4271 Fax: (860) 635-1712 www.mec-gar.com “OPTIMUM”. THE WORLD’S BEST MAGAZINES When it comes to scope mounts for heavy recoiling handguns be they sixguns or single-shots, there are three categories. There are poor mounts which are a waste of money, there are good mounts which work up to a point, and then there is the best mount, the T’SOB, which is in a class all by itself. “T” stands for Tough, and you can figure out the rest. This mount was designed by J.D. to stay in place no matter what. If you’ve ever had a scope come off of a gun and fly over your head — or even lower — you will understand very well the merits of a T’SOB scope mount. I have them on both of my Freedom Arms’ .454s, a 71/2" and 10" set up for hunting, as well as several hard recoiling Thompson/Centers. The T’SOB is not cheap, but then cheap often turns out to be too expensive. It pays to do it right the first time. J.D. Jones has a long history of working with firearms, case design, and ballistics. He began working with the T/C Contender shortly after it was introduced in 1967. He founded SSK in 1977 and followed up with HHI in 1979. Even before this he worked with Lee Jurras in developing the SuperVel line of ammunition. He was the recipient of the Outstanding American Handgunner Award bronze trophy, and also later served as chairman of OAHAF. J.D. personally tests his cartridges in the game fields, has hunted all six continents, and probably has had more handgun hunting experience than anyone else, period. Again I say, when he speaks about firearms or handgun hunting it’s a good idea to listen. By the way — SSK come2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=89http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=89BOKER Continued from page 65 afford the new knives. Mission accomplished. The Boker plus line has been a huge hit among military, law enforcement and self-defense users alike. Jim Wagner, based out of Irvine, California, is a martial artist who specializes in knife combat named RealityBased Personal Protection. Boker uses the Reality-Based theme for their Wagner line-up and his designs bring a whole new definition of the word “reality.” Wagner’s knife styles are wicked-looking and push the design envelope, setting them apart from the plethora of tacticals available on today’s market. This is the “moving forward” part of the equation and the easy-onthe-pocket book Boker-Plus pricing is the lagniappe. The Wagner Reality-Based Blade model B-BO051 features a re-curved 3.8" modified tanto blade having a vicious bite. This fighting folder also a futuristic 5.25" finger-grooved handle design with dual stainless steel liners and a liner-lock mechanism for firmly securing the blade when engaged. Included with the B-O051 is a clip kit with glass breaker clip and false writing pen clip for mounting in the butt end of the handle. Variations on the Wagner RealityBased Blade are also available, including a more utilitarian oriented version of the B-BO051 with a partially serrated Gladius-style blade and another with a cord cutter on the backside of the blade. Two red handled models are also offered; one an emergency rescue and the other a trainer. Other folder models are included in the Wagner Reality Based Blade series and fixed-blades as well. The Chad Los Banos series started with a group of small folding knives, dubbed Subcom, geared for self-protection and has grown into a multi-faceted line. Chad is a retired military colonel of Japanese/Filipino ancestry who is also an accomplished martial artist. His theory that big knives aren’t necessarily better is apparent in the Subcom series. The Fiber Reinforced Nylon (FRN) handle on the diminutive frame-lock knives are only 2.75" long with blades under 2". These are little slashers that are near impossible to dislodge from the hand during combat. Recently introduced is the Rescom model featuring a serrated blade with a cord-cutter at the tip. All Subcom models have a thumb stud for blade access. One of Los Banos’ slickest models is the small but effective Trance. The Trance is 6.25" fully extended with a 2.75" drop point blade. The 3.5" FRN handle is grooved for enhanced grip and features a sturdy frame-lock mechanism on the backside of the handle. The Trance WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 892009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=90http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=90model is available with a partially serrated black blade or bead-blasted plainedge blade. The blade can be accessed by either a thumb stud or a flipper located on the front side of the blade. A step up in size is the beefier M-Type model. This folder checks in at 8.25" fully extended, 3.7" of that in a wide yet curvaceous Gladius-style blade. Like the Trance, the M-Type has a grooved handle but steps up to a higher-grade G-10 reinforced fiberglass handle. The Chad Los Banos Subcom, Trance, and M-Type models all feature a pocket clip for quick and easy access. Other Boker Plus knives, like the TD model, are designed in-house. The TD is a slim, everyday pocket carry featuring a 3" black-coated blade with partial serrations. The handle is made of Zytel with a non-slip checkered and grooved pattern molded in with a lock-back mechanism for positive blade lock. A reversible pocket clip and a highly affordable price tag round out the equation. The Boker Turbine Tanto tactical folder may just may be the most progressive of the lot. The Turbine, produced in Solingen, is a member of Boker’s up-scale line of tacticals. This knife features features a 4.0" black PVD coated Japanese-style tanto blade made of premium 154cm stainless steel and hard-coated machined aluminum han- dles with grooved G-10 onlays. At 9" overall, the Turbine Tanto is a handful of serious combat knife. Tradition Those who appreciate traditional Boker knives need not fear. Boker still makes knives rooted in their history and has no intention of leaving their past behind. The Applegate-Fairbairn Combat Knife is a staple in the company’s fixed blade line. Named for closecombat legends Colonel Rex Applegate and William Fairbairn, this is a dagger lover’s delight. Boker does the Applegate-Fairbairn up in handles of polyamide nylon plastic reinforced with fiberglass. Two versions are available in 10.75" and 9" overall with 440C blade steel, and a tan handled desert model is optional. You’ll also find traditional folders in the Boker line-up. If you like a sturdy folder with loads of heft, the Lock Blade Hunter will fill the bill. The Lock Blade Hunter is 7.25" overall with a sweeping 3.2" trailing point blade. Handles can be had in a variety of traditional materials including genuine stag, mother of pearl, African Thuya wood, rosewood, and affordable Delrin. Boker also makes a wide variety of pocket folders in patterns reminiscent of your grandpa’s knives. The trapper is one of their best sellers and can be had in a wide variety of handle materials similar from basic to exotic. Boker also offers pocket knives in other old-time patterns including the canoe, copperhead, stockman, folding hunter, congress, and pen styles. One of the benefits of the Boker explosion to the knife consumer is the fact the company offers something for every consumer’s budget. The BokerPlus Subcom, TD, Trance and M-Type folders are priced in the $40-45 range suggested retail, and the large Wagner Reality Based B-BO051 has a retail of just $99. The upscale Boker Turbine Tanto has a suggested retail of $289. Traditional hunting and pocket folders run the gamut depending on handle material, but once again you’ll find one for every budget. Boker’s catalog is a quarter-inch thick treatise on how diversity and forward thinking has kept the company on the forefront of the international cutlery industry. The company also offers a wide range of knives manufactured in Argentina under the Boker Arbolito name and a low-cost line under the Boker Magnum SIG line, all included in the catalog. For more info: Boker USA, Inc., (800) 835-6433, www.bokerusa.com. * 90 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=91http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=91Custom CORNER Custom Corner features paid listings by the identified pistolsmiths. Many are members of the American Pistolsmiths Guild and the American Handgunner Club 100. Advertising information is available from: AmeriCAn HAndgunner,Adv.Dept.,12345WorldTradeDrive, SanDiego,CA92128;(858)605-0218. WWW.DLSPORTS.COM Custom AR15’s, 1911’s, Precision Rifles, Accessories, Training, ITRC Competition Extreme Duty AR15 Magazines Now Available! 307.686.4008 PISTOLSMITHS www.tusseycustom.com e-mail: ttussey45@aol.com 775-246-1533 D&L Sports, Inc. PO Box 651 Gillette, WY 82717 J.B. Custom, Inc. Custom Manufactured Firearms Mare’s Leg Lever Action Pistols, 1894 Winchester Lever Action Rifles and Parts, 1911 Pistols, 1873 Single Action Revolvers and More! See our Web Site www.jbcustom.com Phone: 260-338-1894 Fax: 260-338-1585 E-mail: jabjim@comcast.net 16335 Lima Rd. #5, Huntertown, IN 46748 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 912009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=92http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=92GUNNYSACK Roy Huntington AR GOLD TRIGGER W ait — this isn’t a handgun thing, or even a handgun accessory. Then what’s it doing in American Handgunner? I’ll bet if you look deep in your gun safe, or behind the door, or in that “secret” place you have, there might be an AR rifle of some kind waiting patiently. Did you look? Is it still there? I thought so. And I’ll bet the trigger is classic AR: gritty, long take-up, wobbly and not something conducive to your best work? Ronin Coleman, head guy at PACT (famous for timers, scales and all that other stuff), phoned not long ago. “Roy, I’ve got the best AR trigger you’ll ever feel and I’ll bet you anything you agree,” he said in his stream-of-consciousness way, “and it’s really a ‘drop-in’ concept. Honest.” Let’s see, I dared him. So he sent one. And it was, clearly, the best AR trigger I’d ever felt. Short re-set (probably the shortest I’ve ever seen), light, crisp and so far, dead-nuts reliable. And I put it in myself, and it worked the first time, and everything fit like they said it would. It turned my “I have it but I hate to shoot it” AR into a “hey, let’s shoot the AR today” rifle. Is it more accurate? Um, uh … I don’t think so, but I can shoot it better, so it is, sorta’, more accurate. See? It fits any AR that adheres to the Mil Spec list, uses .154" pins and does not have a sear block (like on some Colts). It’s about $279 but grit your teeth and do it for that new AR you probably just bought. P.S. There’ll be more later on this in a future issue. www.pact.com “A well armed citizen, being necessary to the security of a free State, the Right of the People to keep and bear Cool Arms should be indulged.” Phone: (512)819-0656 For a Free Current Catalog Email: CATALOG@STIguns.com 92 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=93http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=93GUNNYSACK Roy Huntington CRKT IGNIT0R SERIES h, another knife, you may say. But wait — there’s more! I’ve always liked CRKT’s stuff. It’s affordable, innovative and always offers good value. Some of the designs are “way” out there, and others are simply solid, everyday working knives. The Ignitor is somewhere in-between. While at first glance it’s a ho-hum folder of the popular tactical variety, there’s more under the hood. The entire series has an assisted opening feature, but with a twist. There’s a built-in safety to keep the blade closed in your pocket (ouch …), and it can’t be opened unless you do a deliberate movement, pushing the button on the end of the opening stud. Then, you bump the stud outward and O the blade opens smartly. There’s a stainless steel pocket clip you can take off, which is good since this flat knife rides nicely in a pocket too. There are models with coated blades, black scales, green and black scales (all of G-10), serrated with the cool-looking (and functional) “Veff” serrations and all the blades are 8Cr14MoV stainless steel. The modified drop-point design is user-friendly and probably one of the best blade shapes for general knife work. These are simply well-thought out designs, with enough features to make sense. And at around $59.99 (give or take a penny), solid value for today’s hard-earned dollars. www.crkt.com Improve your shooting with one of our shot timers or chronographs, used by top shooters and trainers worldwide. “The Pocket Pro is the fastest way to see results at the range.” Todd Jarrett ProChrono Digital Chronograph $119.95 Part # CEI-3800 Measures the velocity of your loads to verify their performance, a must when you need to shoot accurately! Accuracy- within 1%. Range of operation- 25 to 7000 ft/sec. Mounts on a camera tripod. 9 volt battery powered (not included). Review of shots, high, low, extreme spread, and standard deviation. Accessories available See our website for more fine products and special offers at www.competitionelectronics.com Pocket Pro II Shot Timer Includes a FREE Our products are backed by a 30 day money back satisfaction $129.95 Part # CEI-4700 (blue) carrying case when you guarantee, 2 year warranty, full service and support. Part # CEI-4705 (tan) buy direct from CE. Records draw, reload,and shot interval times. Easy to use menu system. Backlit graphics display can be configured 3 ways. Large sturdy belt clip. Low frequency buzzer. Ergonomic design. 9 volt battery level indicator. Settable delay, stop tone, sensitivity, shot dead time, clock, backlight. 815.874.8001, 815.874.8181 fax Competition Electronics, Inc. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 932009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=94http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=94DmT ShARpENING CARD I just love to see simple solutions to sometimes complex problems, and this is one of those simple solutions. While there are plenty of high-tec and very, very effective sharpening “systems” out there, sometimes I just need a simple “at-hand” something to help me along. DMT’s Sharpening Card is so slim you really can carry it in your wallet or pocket with no trouble, which means it will be with you when you need it. It’s a far cry from those old “pocket” stones we used to all have that broke all the time and wore out fast. This is about as indestructible as a piece of steel and diamonds can be, and will probably outlive you and your knife combined. A bit of water helps to coax the edge into being, but in a pinch you don’t even need to use that. Keep the angle around 20-degrees and make it consistent. That’s the real secret to sharpening — keep the angle the same, or you’re re-doing the work over and over again, starting new angles at each stroke, and never making any headway. I’d say the Card is best for touching up an edge you might be using in the shop or in GUNNYSACK Roy Huntington the field. But, I remember watching a favorite uncle I had work his Trapper folding knife into a razor edge while he watched He-Haw on TV a, um, few years ago. I noted he always had a medicinal beverage close at hand too, which might have been the second secret to getting that keen edge. Around $10 or so, and amortized over your life comes to about 20-cents a year — cheap. www.dmtsharp.com 94 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=95http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=95GUNNYSACK A Dave Anderson home defense firearm needs to be accessible. At the same time it should be protected from theft and unauthorized access. The best system, in my view, is a safe which only authorized residents can open. The trick is getting it open. If you ever need your firearm the odds are it will be at night. You may be groggy, it will be dark, and turning on the lights may not be a good idea. The PBS-001 case from LockSAF is one of the best solutions I’ve seen. The safe itself is very well made and finished, of heavy steel (9 gauge, weighs 22 pounds), with interior foam padding. The bottom has four pilot holes so the safe can be bolted to any flat surface. Opening the safe is via a fingerprint-recognition keypad. The system can be programmed to accept up to ten fingerprints, and instructions are simple and straightforward. Since there’s no guaranty which hand will be available in an emergency it’s a good idea to program index finger prints from right and left hands. I’ve used the safe for several weeks, opened it some hundreds of times and have found it completely reliable. Even in total darkness opening is simple. Just find the button on the top-front by touch, and press it. The recessed LOCKSAf GuN SAfE fingerprint pad lights up a soft red, hold your fingertip on the pad for a second and the spring-loaded door pops open. It requires enough attention you need to be awake and reasonably alert, a feature I like. If you aren’t alert enough to open the door you probably shouldn’t have a gun in your hand. Placement of the fingertip on the pad is not critical, as the recessed location of the pad naturally channels the finger into position. Not once did the safe fail to open due to incorrect fingertip positioning, or any other reason for that matter. A 9V battery powers the electronics. Even if the battery is dead or removed, the safe can always be opened manually with supplied keys. This is a well-made, reliable useful product. It has been approved as a firearm storage device by the California Dept. of Justice. Current retail is $349.95. www.locksaf.com -Doug Koenig WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 952009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=96http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=96Ain’t sO spEciAl Continued from page 51 and you will see why in the next sentence. At the first shot the triplelock’s cylinder fell open. Perplexed, and not very intelligently, I fired another round. The cylinder fell open again and that ended my use of such hot .44 Special handloads forever. The old six-shooter wasn’t damaged — luckily. Today’s .44 Special handloaders can go to the latest Speer Reloading Manual #14 and find any number of suggested loads with 250 grain bullets that go upwards of 850 to 1,000 fps. And of course milder ones too, for duplicating original ballistics and general fun shooting. And here’s one last fact about the .44 Special’s lack of special-ness — that was in sales. Revolvers chambered for that caliber have never set sales records. From 1908 upon introduction by S&W, until 1966 when they dropped it completely for the first time, they sold less than 50,000 .44 Special revolvers. Those included such famous versions as the triplelock (1st Model .44 Hand Ejector), 2 nd Model, .44 Hand Ejector, 3 rd .44 Model Hand Ejector (Model 1926) and 4th Model Hand Ejector (Model 1950 Target, Model 24 and the Model 1950 Military, the Model 21. Let’s just look at details of just the last two models. Between 1950 and 1966 only 5,050 of the Model 1950 Target .44 Special were made and exactly 1,200 of the fixed sight Model 1950 Military were made. Colt Single Action Army revolvers were even more sparse as .44 Specials. Colt only made 506 chambered for .44 Special between the cartridge’s introduction and the SAA’s first demise in 1941. Colt’s other revolver that was chambered for .44 Special was the DA New Service. I have no idea how many of those were made as .44 Specials but I can say I’ve seen more as .44-40s. Many more Colt SAAs were made in 2nd and 3rd Generations from 1956 to present as .44 Specials, but due to my earlier experiences with them I will buy no more. In that type of handgun give me a .44-40 any day. For DA revolvers make mine a .45 Auto-Rim such as the new S&W Model 22 also Thunder Ranch Revolver. Among non-magnum, big bore, handgun cartridges that one shines. The .44 S&W Special isn’t a bad cartridge, and with a few exceptions the handguns made for it haven’t been bad revolvers. It’s just that neither cartridge nor handguns deserve any kind of “special” reputation. Among big bore handgun cartridges and their revolvers they’re just a sort of mediocre, middle of the pack, combination. Heresy? Nope, just the truth. 96 The Last Straw Order Your Copy While Supplies Last! U.S. ONLY $9.95 (outside $17.95) Call Toll-Free Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. PST Order at www.americanhandgunner.com A LOOK INSIDE: 888.732.2299 P.O. Box 502610 San Diego, CA 92150-2610 * • Improvised Weapons for Self Defense • Using Cover Properly • Non-Lethal Protection • CommonSense Concealed Carry • Gunsite Basics • Plus Much More WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=97http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=97SPEAk OUT Continued from page 17 gun guy, dozens of folks have shown or told me of their war trophy/family heirloom “taken off a — your enemy here — officer.” Never an NCO. Officer. My favorite is a nice Luger in .30 cal taken from “Hitler’s (occasionally the Kaiser’s — it depends on when I’m shown it) personal bodyguard.” To verify my theory, I just asked my Dad about his Japanese “Luger” (I quit replying “It’s a Nambu” about 30 years ago). His reply? Yep — taken from an officer. So there you go. Marty Ross Via e-mail I always figured that was the case and now we know for sure. Editor Scottish Gun Control I recently received an email from my Scottish friend. He had just completed the required “Annual interview and review” with his “Firearms officer” (read: search his house and inspect the gun safe, ammunition storage, etc.). It will take four weeks to determine whether he is still “qualified” to own a .22 and another hunting rifle. In the meantime, his permit is suspended — just in case. I’m afraid it’s coming here. God help us. Cheers — or is it tears? Ed M. Via e-mail AmericAn HAndgunner ® welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit all published letters for clarity and length. Due to the volume of mail, we are unable to individually answer your letters or e-mail. In sending a letter to Handgunner, you agree to provide Publishers Development Corp. such copyright as is required for publishing and redistributing the contents of your letter in any format. Send your letters to Speak Out, American Handgunner, 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128; www.americanhandgunner. com; e-mail: ed@americanhandgunner.com. Intensive personalized training in all aspects of practical shooting. Each course is designed to accommodate all levels; beginners, intermediate or advanced shooters wishing to increase their skill speed shooting. Each course will be taught by World Class Grand Master Shooting Instructors. The academy is located in the heart of central Florida near Walt Disney World. Courses limited to eight students per class. 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Theshirtcomeswithfourpatchestochoosefromthatyou simplysewon2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=100http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=100: SPOTLIGHT speCIal forCes Carry EdBrownProducts THe mInITuCK CrossBreedHolsters Builtforpureperformance andextremeuse,thenew SpecialForcespistolfrom EdBrownhaseverything youneedforserious performance.Aunique andhighlydurableChain linkpatternprovidesa securegripforseveral applications.Featuresofthissplendidpistolincludea4.25" CommandermodelslideandasinglestackcommanderBobtail frame.Fortheultimateindurability,securegrip,andextreme use,youcan’tbeatthisstalwartbeauty.Formoreinformation, visitthemontheWebat www.edbrown.com. 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THe urBan survIval BokerUSA,Inc. BalTHaZar large gear Bag Maxpedition TheBokerPlusUrbanSurvivalisanewadditiontotheJimWagnerSeries.The overalllengthis53/4"withabladelengthof15/8".TheUrbanSurvivaloffersthe ultimateincarryingcomfort,withitscompactdimensionsandavarietyoffunctions.Ithasalightweighttexturedaluminumhandle,440Cstainlesssteelblade, belt/pocketclip,linerlockingsystem,glassbreakertip,andapentipasanadded accessory.Allthisweighsonly1.5ozwithanMSRPofjust$39.95theBokerPlus UrbanSurvivalToolisamusthave.LearnaboutalltheBokerModelsonlineat www.bokerusa.com. TheBalthazarlargegearbagfromMaxpeditionhasabuilt-in paddedlaptopsleevethatholdlaptopsof15.4"orsmaller. Theoverallsizeis17x13x11".Comeswithpaddedfront, back,andbottominternalpockets,hasduallockablezippers forsecurity,adjustablepaddedshoulderstrapandmore.See theBalthazarontheWebatwww.maxpedtition.com. dIsTInCTIve grIps Deathgrips 1911 armorer BloCK / mag Base pad for s&W m&p / 1911 rear sIgHT 10-8Performance 10-8PerformancehasthreegreatnewofferingsfreshfromtheSHOTShow.First isamultifunctionarmorerblockfortheColt1911patternpistol.Machinedfrom superstrongglassreinforcednylon,ithasmultipleholesandinsetsthatallowframe clamping,hammer/searobservation,andbarrellinkpinaccess.NextistheNew MagazineBasePadfortheS&WM&Pavailablein.45,9mm,and.40.Finallythey havethenewNationalMatchStyleRearSightforthe1911.Thiswillfitastockslide dovetailwithnomachining.Contouredanddehornedforcomfortablehandlingand carry,thissightcomesinamatteblackoxide.Learnmoreabout10-8Performance atwww.10-8performance.com. GripmakerLincHoke hasoneseriouslybizarre imagination,buthe’sa hellofagripmaker,and iftheunusualiswhat you’reafter,you’ve cometotherightplace. Theshapesofthegrips areunique,exhibiting someflatsandcornersforbetterergonomicsinthefoldsand crevicesofthehand.Formaterials,Linciswellschooledinthe exotichardwoodssuchassnakewood,McAsserebony,purple heart,zebra,goncaloalves,walnut,figuredmaples,wenge pinkivory,kingwood,andtulipwood.TheWebsitegivesyoua muchmorecompletevisionofLinc’sworksovisithimonlineat www.deathgrips.net. THe HyBrId Walker’sGameEar Xd & Xdm TrIgger KITs PowderRiverPrecision PRPoffersseveral differenttriggerkits foryourSpringfield XDorXDM.Thekitsare designedtoshortenyour trigger’stakeup,reset andovertravel.Ifyouwanttolowerthepull weight,PRPhasakitforthattoo.Installingakitdoesnot requireanypermanentmodificationstoyourpistolandkeeps allofyoursafetiesfunctioningproperly.PRPalsooffers in-housepistolsmithing,specializinginXDs,1911sandmore. VisittheirWebsiteforallthedetailswww.xdtrigger.com. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM Walker’sGameEarannouncesthelaunchoftheHybrid,the industry’sfirstsixchannel,behind-the-ear,openfithearing hearingenhancement/protectiondevice.Itincorporates cuttingedgeWideDynamicRangeOptimizingalgorithms onaHighDefplatformtodeliverthemostnaturaland puresoundenhancementavailabletothesportsmantoday. TheHybridalsoincorporatesEnvironmentalNoiseSuppression,andhasfourdynamiclisteningmodes.Designedtofit eitherear,theHybridhasaMSRPofjust$599.TolearnmoreabouttheHybrid, visitWalker’sonlineatwww.walkersgameear.com. BreaKouT safeTy Tool WorldClassSafetyProducts Automobileaccidentshappenandsometimespeoplebecome trappedinsidetheirvehicles.TheBreakoutSafetyToolisthe fastestandsafestwaytoescapeorenterinadangeroussituation.Convenientlyclipped tothesunvisorofyourcar,theBreakoutwillworkeffect2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=102http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=102INDEX OF ADVERTISERS A.T.CustomGunWorks AlMarKnives AlphaPrecision AlumaGrips AmericanCopSubscription ArntzenCorporation ArredondoAccessories,Inc. BarnesBullets,Inc. Bar-StoPrecisionMachine BeltMtn.Enterprises,Inc. Benchmade Berry’sManufacturing BirchwoodCasey BlackHillsAmmunitionInc. BLACKHAWK! BokerUSA,Inc. BowenCustomClassics CaspianArmsLtd. ChipMcCormickCustom,LLC. CompetitiveEdgeDynamics CompetitionElectronics CorBon/Glaser CrawfordKnives,LLC CrossBreedHolstersLLC. 91 86 91 78 63 76 89 71 82 84 17 77 75 95 39 97 91 76 19 87 93 72 80 70 Cylinder&Slide,Inc. 90 D&LSports 91 DeSantisHolster 29,72 Deathgrips.net 84 DiamondMachiningTechnologies 97 DillonPrecision 80 Doublestar 86 ElPasoSaddleryCo. 84 EliteSurvivalSystems 78 EMGear 73 EvolutionGunworks 6 FNHUSA 9 GalcoGunleather 16 GaryReederCustomGuns 91 GhostInc. 84 10 GSIInternational,Inc. Gungrips.net 21 HallmarkCutlery 96 16 HiVizShootingSystems HKSProducts,Inc. 81 Hogue,Inc. 74 Hornady 23 Ironmind 82 J.B.Custom,Inc. 91 KentSingletaryCustomGunsmithing 91 Kimber 108 KnifeMart 89 LAPoliceGear 37 LambertKnives 76 LaserMax 77 LawConcealmentSystems,Inc. 86 LesBaerCustom,Inc. 107 LightfootKnives 71 LymanProducts 33 Mag-na-portInternational,Inc. 82 MaxpeditionHard-UseGear 27 Mec-GarUSA,Inc. 88 Meprolight 17 MTMMoldedProducts 94 OneStopKnifeShop.com 79 OregonTrailBulletCompany 21 PackingInPink 83 Pact 8 ParaUSA 2 Para-Cord 6 PearceGrip 10 ProMagIndustries 12 RioGrandeCustomGrips 78 S.W.A.T. 102 SIGSAUER 34,39 Smith&Alexander,Inc. 84 SpringfieldArmory 12,13,31 SSKIndustries 82 StarlineBrass 87 STIInternational,Inc. 92 Streamlight 73 Sturm,Ruger&Co.,Inc. 25 SureFire 33,34 Taurus 11 Ten-RingPrecision,Inc. 91 ThunderRanchTrainingDVD 85 TOPSKNIVES 80 TuffProducts 83 TusseyCustomPistolsmiths 91 UniversalShootingAcademy 97 W.C.WolffCompany 88 WaltherUSA 14,15 WilsonCombat 7,70 WinchesterAmmunition 3 XSSightSystems 76 102 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=103http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=103AMERICAN HANDGUNNER AUCTIONS/SHOWS BOOKS CLASSIFIED Classifiedads$2.00per-wordperinsertion.($1.50per-wordperinsertionfor3ormore)includingname,addressandphonenumber(20 wordminimum).Minimumcharge$40.00.Bold words add $1.00 per word.CopyandrerunordersmustbeaccompaniedbyPAYMENT IN ADVANCE. NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNTS ON LISTING OR DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING.Alladsmust bereceivedwithadvancepaymentBYNOLATERTHANTHE1stofeachmonth.Adsreceivedafterclosingwillappearinthefollowingissue. Pleasetypeorprintclearly.PLEASE NOTE*** NO PROOFS WILL BE FURNISHED.Includename,address,postoffice,city,stateand zipcodeascountedwords.Abbreviationscountasonewordeach.MailtoAMERICAN HANDGUNNERCLASSIFIEDS,12345WorldTradeDrive, SanDiego,California92128.NOTE: WE NOW HAVE DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS IN BOTH GUNS MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN HANDGUNNER. ASK FOR OUR NEW RATE CARD, Or call (858) 605-0235. BOOKS ACCESSORIES ACCESSORIES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES EASY WORK! EXCELLENT PAY! Assemble products from home. For free information send SASE: Home Assembly-AH Box 450 New Britain, CT 06050-0450 COLLECTORS FOR SALE INSTRUCTION KNIVES & SWORDS LEATHERCRAFT AMMUNITION APPAREL MISCELLANEOUS OPTICS POLICE EQUIPMENT REAL ESTATE SURVIVAL WANTED TO PURCHASE 103 E-mail: OKEEFE1@QWESTOFFICE.NET WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM CAPS, T-SHIRTS AND MORE AT: WWW.americanhandgunner.com SHOW YOUR AMERICAN HANDGUNNER PRIDE!2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=104http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=104insider ADD IT UP Criminalsonparoleforviolentcrimes. the insider Continued from page 106 824,365 Averagesentenceforconvictionsfor violentcrimesin2004. 68 Months 28% 6 Watch Your ASP o Convictedviolentfelonssentstraight toprobationin2004. Murdersper100,000in2007. kay, so not really. But I had to show you this line-up of ASP handcuffs I found at the last SHOT Show. ASP is well known for kick-ass flashlights, batons, world-class cop-training and other self-defense goodies for our men and women in blue. But why the fancy colors for cuffs, you ask? I asked Ken Cope of ASP the same question. “Well, if you had any sense, Roy, you’d understand, being a retired cop and all.” I never get any respect from anybody anymore. “Actually,” Ken went on, “they are often used in jails to designate certain prisoners. Blue might mean he’s about to be released, orange that he’s a danger, yellow en-route to court and such things.” So then, pink might be um, uh, well, pink might be any number of things then? “Sure Roy, they might be used when transporting female in-mates so you can be sure they are, um, uh, really female inmates?” he said quietly, raising his retired Detective eyebrows at me. “I dunno for sure. Am I in trouble now? You aren’t going to print this, are you?” No Ken, absolutely not. Never see the light of day. Never. Not a word. Nope. www.ASP-net.com if you need your own pair. GunlocksdistributedbyNSSFby2006. 35 Million 19 Million 3 Million NRAmembers(approx). david’s done It again Regularparticipantsintargetshooting. Y Packing In Pink? Tens of Millions Shooterswhoaren’tmembersoftheNRA. 1.8 Million Numberoffemaleveteranstoday. up, that’s what I said. Company founder Kim Page had the wherewithal to pick up the phone and cold-call me. “Mr. Huntington, I’ve started a small business and don’t know how to promote it, to get the word out to lady shooters out there. Can you help me?” She was enthusiastic, had some good ideas, and when she told me a portion of all sales goes to help fight breast cancer, I was in. Kim said they are starting their offerings with safety equipment like hearing and eye protection and gun locks and will expand with women’s shooting clothing, range bags and other goodies. So give her a handup — and help this start-up get started. www.packinginpink.com ld bud Dr. David Darom has completed two of his stunning knife books. On makers Edmund Davidson and Tim Hancock, these breath-taking books tell the story of each man and his craft. You simply can’t understand how beautiful the photos and layouts are unless you see them. Please pick one (or both!) and call the maker to get your own. David is creating a series on “Custom Knifemakers of the World” and you may need them all. Tim Hancock can be reached at (480) 998-8849 and Edmund Davidson at (540) 997-5651. Tell them Handgunner sent you, and get ready to enjoy life! explosion of retro-sixguns these days and the general interest in big-bore guns, this a blessing at every level. Even if you don’t use them to “speed load” your .44, they are at least an awfully handy way to cart six spares around in a pocket or belt pouch. At only around $9 for a pair, how can you go wrong! www.tuffproducts.com. o ld friend Natt Stevens did what O people have threatened to do for years — make “speed strips” for real calibers! Called “Quick Strips” they come in .38/.357, .44/.45 and even .460/500/.475/.480 Ruger! With the Finally! 104 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JULY/AUGUST20092009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=105http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=105Tony Gets Nice I hate these “and here we are with the award” pictures, but this one touched me and I had to share. From a kid, I loved S&W revolvers — and dreamed of one day being a “gun’riter” as Mike V. might say. As years went by and I sorta’ became one, I was always astounded to be rubbing shoulders with people I had only known from the pages of my favorite gunzines. And now, after all these years, in a dream that same 14-year old kid would go nuts about — the S&W Performance Center named me their “Editor of the Year.” All that really means is Tony probably had a gun left over from something, and since they sorta’ probably messed up the engraving on it a bit, figured he couldn’t get rid of it otherwise. But I’ll take it, and be about as smug as I can get away with, or at least until you throw rocks at me and tell me to shut up. I’m tryin’ hard not to grin in that picture, I gotta’ tell you. Thanks Tony. guIld Fusil AR Mag approves L I n the form of a winning idea if I ever saw one, the American Pistolsmiths Guild has formed a way to offer a “Seal of Approval” for products and services in our industry. The first to do such a thing, this will assure any product or service showing a Guild “Seal of Approval” logo has passed muster and been vetted for quality, design and value. Companies are coming aboard and submitting products for testing, so start to watch for that logo in the near future. Heck, I even submitted our FMG magazines to see if they meet APG approval. Cross your fingers! www.apgsealofapproval.com ike the Gunnysack on the AR trigger in this issue, I wanted to bring you up to date on a new maker. The Fusil 30-rd AR mag seems to be very well made, passes Mil-Spec and is created to an ISO-900-2000 quality standard, which is pretty darn good from what I understand. Right now, Clint Smith and other staffers have been using them and have pronounced them sound. Just thought you’d like to know in light of, um, uh, what’s going on. www. fusil-usa.com gun owner’s defense fund m mith & Wesson has identified a condition that may exist in certain PPK and PPK/S pistols which may permit a round to be discharged without the trigger being pulled. When the manual safety is disengaged, Smith & Wesson’s Product Engineering Group has determined that the possibility exists in certain firearms that lowering the hammer may cause a chambered round to fire. This recall applies to all Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols manufactured by Smith & Wesson from March 21, 2002, until February 3, 2009. If you go to www.smith-wesson.com and type in “Recalls” in the search box, you’ll find the PPKs list of affected serial numbers. Or call (800) 331-0852 or e-mail them at: ppk_s@smith-wesson.com. S s&W recalls some ppKs euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM IntaxIcatIon Made-Up Words: arty and Gila Hayes have teamed up with other industry people to found the “Armed Citizen’s Legal Defense Network” in order to offer some legal protection to citizens who use a gun in selfdefense. It’s not a “pre-paid” legal thing, but a group of like-minded gun owners who each pay $85 a year going into a general fund used to manage the court costs involved after some self-defense shootings. If you join you get peace of mind, and a three DVD set covering aspects of armed self-defense. The Legal Defense Fund, to which a portion of each member’s dues go, is operated by a non-profit foundation. The Foundation’s advisory board members are Massad Ayoob, Dennis Tueller, Tom Givens and John Farnam, along with Network officials Marty Hayes and Vincent Schuck. According to Marty, “We are not an insurance company. We’re a self-help group, and already in our first year have almost 1,000 members, people who want to take a pre-emptive approach to solving their legal problems before they begin.” We’re not endorsing this here, but do think it’s an interesting idea — and worth a hard look on your own. www.ar2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=106http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=106THE roy Huntington INSIDER TM Shame on R ead Speak Out in this issue and you’ll see a letter from “J.R.” who is a young 26 year old and new to gunowning. He talks about how he feels as if he’s an outsider and how many of we “old-timers” have shunned him and acted as if they didn’t want to be bothered by his questions. He compared it to not being able to get a job unless you have a union card, and not being able to get a union card unless you have a job. He wondered: How can he get the experience if older, experienced gun-hands won’t give him the time of day? And he’s right. While some of us may feel we are part of an elite club and have earned our merit badges the hard way, at the same time I feel a strong sense of obligation to put that same experience to work for all of us. I talked a bit about this in “Amateurs And Experts” (Insider, Jan/Feb, 2009) and encouraged all of us to use our knowledge to teach, reach out to the community and share our passion for what we do to help it grow. But I think it takes more. Today’s unprecedented buying frenzy seems to be bringing a good number of new shooters into the fray. Dealers report many of their customers are people either brandnew to shooting and gun-owning, or people who are very inexperienced — yet concerned about the future. These new shooters are buying entry-level firearms, modest supplies of ammunition, safety glasses, ear protection, cleaning accessories, gun cases and storage products. That’s great news, good for the industry and good for the new shooters that dealers are steering them in the right directions. But then what? That’s the important part of this equation. These same new friends of ours need to feel just that — a welcome into the fraternity. They need to feel as if we’re friends, because we should be. We need to reach out to them when we see them, perhaps ill-atease at the range, or confused as they stand at a gun store counter. We need to help them as they sort out sightingin, safety issues, basic skills, where and how to find valid information — and not just Internet hysteria. We need to offer our hands in friendship, assistance and encouragement. them, perhaps ill-at-ease at the range, or confused as they stand at a gun store counter. We need to reach “ out to them when we see ” insider If this concern over our future has brought tens of thousands toward owning their first gun, introducing them to “our side” of the equation, then we’d be silly — even just plain stupid — if we don’t embrace this stunning opportunity to both grow our ranks and educate even more people. Do you remember walking into that strange gun store for the first time and knowing right away it seemed as if you were disturbing their day? The cranky guy behind the counter, the one with the cheap 9mm hanging in a frayed nylon holster, eyed you almost with hostility — as if asking you silently: “What are you doing here? We don’t know you.” The dog growled, the floor was filthy, inventory sat ignored on dusty shelves and the air was still and stuffy. Remember that? Remember how you felt? You could hardly wait to get out of that place. I couldn’t wait either. And that time at the range when all the locals ignored you, acted put-out when you asked for a pause so you could put your target up. Stood in a corner and looked over at you as they talked quietly? Remember that day? I do, and it kills a new shooter’s enthusiasm mercilessly. It almost killed mine once. So shame on us. Let’s take this opportunity and turn it around for the good. When you see a new shooter at the range, in a store, at the magazine rack or anywhere, say hi. Reach out, offer a hand, make a friend, and don’t make them feel silly for asking questions, embarrassed by their poor first-performance on the firing line, or confused, without a direction to reach for solid help. If you see a gun store clerk mis-handle a new customer, maybe stop them outside and offer your own assistance, guidance, or as a resource to answer questions. A2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=107http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=107SWAT. Special Forces. And the covert operators who work in a dark world most of us can’t even understand. They’re the kinds of professionals who demand total reliability and performance from their firearms. For them, their guns could literally be the difference between life and death. That’s why so many knowledgeable law enforcement tactical units and military special ops teams choose custom firearms from Les Baer Custom. Les Baer designs firearms for the the guardians of our freedom and safety who need their firearms to perform to perfection, with consistent accuracy and flawless function. Like the specially designed Police Special AR rifle pictured here. It’s a 16” workhorse that does everything a cop wants a rifle to do and does it extremely well. Or any of the thirty-plus models of Les Baer Custom 1911 pistols. Premier II Super Tac Les Baer Custom firearms. Police Special AR Rifle Real guns for the real heroes who don’t do this for fun. www.lesbaer.com 1804 Iowa Drive – LeClaire, Iowa 52753 Ph: 563-289-2126 | Fx: 563-289-2132 Email: info@lesbaer.com Office Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central Time2009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=108http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJA09/?Page=108The Custom Crimson Carry II™ is light, powerful & absolutely dependable. Carry Light. The Ultra Crimson Carry II™ features a 3-inch bushingless bull barrel & short grip to enhance concealability. Weight is only 25 ounces. Introducing Kimber Crimson Carry 1911 .45 ACP Pistols. Crimson Carry pistols combine light weight and unequaled Kimber® quality with . Standard Kimber the proven tactical advantage of Crimson Trace® Lasergrips® features like match grade barrel, chamber, barrel bushing and trigger, rounded and blended edges, beveled magazine well and high ride beavertail grip safety ensure unequaled performance. Custom touches include a new recessed slide stop is the best choice for duty, home defense and concealed carry. See Kimber pistols in action at www.kimberamerica.com. The Pro Crimson Carry II™ has a 4-inch barrel & fulllength grip. Ideal for duty carry or home defense, it weighs just 28 ounces. Crimson Carry .45 ACP pistols feature Crimson Trace Lasergrips in a new, exclusive rosewood nish with classic checkering & the Kimber logo. The Choice of America’s Best. 2008 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be used without permission. Names of other companies, products and services may be the property of their respective owners. Kimber firearms are shipped with an instructional manual and California-approved cable lock. Copy of instruction manual available by request. www.kimberamerica.com For information on products and dealer locations please send $2 to: Kimber, Dept. 185 One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705 Information is also available at (800) 880-24182009-05-11T05:45:07+02:00