Ammunition

Colt still makes the Lightweight Commander (O4860XSE, $1104), but no longer makes one of our favorite carry guns, the CCO, or Colt Concealed Officer's model. We thought this Ruger looked enough like the Colt CCO that a comparison was in order. In this first-look report, we take a good look at the new Ruger and briefly see how it stacks up to a custom CCO on hand.

We shot the Ruger with 230-grain FMJ "hardball" by Black Hills and Winchester, Winchester's 200-grain BEB, and with Federal 185-grain JHP Hi-Shok. We tried a few rounds of Cor-Bon 185-grain JHP, but found the recoil to be much too fierce. Here's what we found from our first look at the new Ruger.

The road in life isn't always straight and narrow. It can be winding and even out of control. Some changes are unwelcome, even fearful. Among the significant changes as we age is a loss of muscle mass. Shooters who once handled hard-kicking handguns now find them ever more difficult to handle. Arthritis and a culmination of old injuries make firing the big-bore pistol difficult. These individuals, along with young shooters who have adopted a lightweight pistol such as a Colt Commander, and slightly-built female shooters interested in a low-recoil load, are faced with difficult decisions. Once the decision is made to take advantage of the big-bore 45 ACP handgun, shooters are seldom willing to back down to the 9mm.

This feature report on frangible ammunition was instigated by questions from readers. Most of the questions were along the same line: Can such-and-such ammunition possibly do what they say it does? Can a chunk of lead, fairy powder, or depleted uranium or other secret element possibly increase the effectiveness of a handgun bullet in the manner stated?

The concept of frangible ammunition has been around for a long time, but that doesn't mean that it is completely understood. As an example, during our rush to collect as many examples of these loads as possible, we found that otherwise knowledge- able gun-store clerks were mistaken concerning exactly what we were looking for. One of the fellows was asked to order frangible loads from as many different makers as possible. When our ammo came in the following week the clerk had batted .500. Half of the ammo was frangible, but the others were "lead free" loads, which are a different animal. We winced inwardly but paid up and smiled because this young man always gets the job done in a timely manner and is helpful in ordering the tons of ammunition we need every year.

The 357 Magnum has an excellent reputation as a defensive round. On medium-sized game like whitetail deer at modest distances, it is effective as well. The round has been around since 1934; General George Patton carried an ivory-handled S&W 357 Mag during WWII. It is a versatile cartridge with many bullet types offered by a variety of manufacturers. Plus, 38 Special ammo in standard and +P loadings can be used in a 357 Magnum as a low-recoil alternative when training or plinking. We wanted to see if we could find a bargain in a full-size revolver with a 4-inch barrel that we could use for personal protection, and we came across two such contenders, a Smith & Wesson Model 19-4 that rated about 90 to 95 percent and a Colt Trooper MK III that rated 80 to 90 percent. Both featured 4-inch barrels, adjustable sights, and wood grips. We also came across an uncommon choice in this chambering, an FN Barracuda, available in the 1970s on a limited basis. It is unique due to the availability of an interchangeable cylinder, which could be switched between 9mm Luger and 357 Magnum. Here's more about these interesting and affordable choices, along with our recommendations.

During the past few months, SIG Sauer, Walther, and Heckler & Koch have introduced pistols that feature striker-fired actions. These handguns are designed to compete for the hearts and minds of institutional buyers and concealed-carry-permit holsters as well. The improvement in rapid-fire combat shooting is provable, and absolute accuracy is improved over the original SIG P250, Walther P99 and HK P30. The question is, which handgun is the most improved and the best buy for the money — that is, the most reliable and accurate?

In this test of three 9mm striker-fired models, we were firing handguns intended for personal defense in the home, concealed carry, and practical competition. We are certain each maker is hoping to compete with Glock for institutional sales as well. At first glance, the handguns appeared similar. Each featured a polymer frame, a light rail, and similar sights. Each was relatively simple to operate. None had a manual safety as part of the design. Some features, such as the sights and the magazines, were similar. A casual shooter might sign off on all three handguns, but that isn't what we do.

Our shooters noticed the trigger actions were markedly different, and grip texturing and handling were considerably different. As the firing sessions progressed and the brass stacked up, the shoot out turned into a strong challenge between the Walther and the HK pistol. These worthy competitors traded places several times in the firing evaluations. The SIG P320 brought up the rear, in our estimation. Here's why:

Many concealed-carry customers pooh-pooh pistols chambered in 380 ACP as being underpowered for self defense, but they may well be in the vocal minority, because sales of 380-chambered handguns and ammunition continues apace, with more of the smallish sidearms finding their way into pockets and purses than ever before. It can be argued, in fact, that Glock kept seeing its rivals sell so many inexpensive-to-make pocket pistols that the Austrians were forced into the U.S. 380 ACP market with the G42 just so they could grab a slice of the ever-growing pocket-pistol pie.

At Gun Tests, we have mined this lode plenty ourselves, finding quite a few worthy pocketguns and pocketguns-plus over the years. We have previously given A grades to a new CZ USA Model 83 No. 91302, a Bersa Firestorm, a Colt Mustang Pocketlite, and a Kel-Tec P3AT. A half-grade down at A- grades have been the Ruger LCP-CT, a used Beretta Model 84 and CZ Model 83, a Ruger LC380 No. 3219, and a Taurus 738B No. 1-73803. Our new e-book on 380s, available on the Gun-Tests.com website, recaps those guns and six more B+ or B pistols, or you can search for "380 ACP" in the archives and pull up the entire list of such firearms we've evaluated over the years.

We think many consumers like these pistols because most of them are easy to carry and conceal, and they're willing to trade off the "carry everywhere" portability for slightly less power than some 38 Specials, for example. Our tests of several 380 ACP self-defense loads had three (Federal 90-gr. Hydra-Shok JHP, Speer 90-gr. Gold Dot JHP, and Fiocchi 95-gr. FMJ) that penetrated at least 13.5+ inches in water, very close to what a Remington 125-gr. JHP 38 Sp. +P did as a control — and not too many experts say the 38 Special is "too little" gun.

This round, we tested three brand-new models and one variation of a previously tested model as a reference point. The first of the new models was the Colt Mustang XSP Pocketlite Polymer O6790, MSRP $649, but which we found at ImpactGuns.com for $565 and $572 at BudsGunShop.com. Or Bud's would sell it for a cash price of $555. Next up was the Glock 42 Subcompact Slimline, MSRP $480, which SlickGuns.com had for sale at $490 plus free shipping. Bud's listed it for $437 or $424 cash. Kahr's CW 380 No. 3833, $419 MSRP, comes in at a $322 retail price at Bud's or a $313 cash discount price. At GeorgiaGunStore.com, the price was $312. The fourth entry was a P238 from SIG Sauer, No. 238-380-NBS12, with a hefty MSRP of $710 and a retail price of $498 from Bud's Gun Shop (but listed as out of stock the last time we checked), or $583 from TombstoneTactical.com or $520 from JoeBobOutfitters.com.

In more detail, the polymer Colt XSP is one of two Mustangs in the company's 380 line. Colt ceased production of the Mustangs in 2000 then reintroduced the line in 2011. The new guns are designed to accept original parts. Both have stainless-steel slides, measure 5.5 inches in length, have 2.75-inch barrels, and operate with short single-action trigger function, or like miniature 1911s. The Mustang Pocketlite has an aluminum frame, while the XSP, introduced in 2013, has a lightweight polymer skin. According to company specs, the polymer XSP is about an ounce lighter than the Pocketlite.

The new Glock 42, made in Georgia, is a slimline subcompact pistol and is the smallest pistol Glock has ever introduced, but it's not the company's first 380 Auto. The Glock 25 was introduced in 1995 in Germany as a small-dimension firearm for markets where civilian personnel are not allowed to possess handguns featuring military calibers. In the USA, the G25 is reserved for law-enforcement agencies only. Like the G25, the Glock 28 is reserved for LE. The G25 is 7.36 inches long, 5 inches tall, and has a capacity of 15+1. The G28 is 6.41 inches long, 4.7 inches tall, and has a capacity of 10+1. Both are noticeably larger than our tested G42, which was 5.94 inches long, 4.13 inches tall, and has a capacity of 6+1. Marketed for pocket carry and to shooters with smaller hands, the single-stack G42 lacks the interchangeable backstraps of other Glocks, but field-strips the same way as other larger Glocks.

The 375 H&H Magnum is still one of the best cartridges in existence. One of our test crew calls it his favorite cartridge. The 375 is undoubtedly very versatile, especially for the reloader. Although some ammo companies today, notably Hornady, load the cartridge up to higher power than it originally had, there's little or nothing to be gained by so doing, as we have repeatedly seen here. In fact, the shooter gains more from this cartridge, we feel, by loading it down, not up. He can even shoot round lead balls from the 375 if he is a clever and determined reloader. Although the usual realm of the 375 is hunting larger game including elk, moose, bear, and most African plains game, some of us have found over the years that modest jacketed-bullet or cast-lead-bullet loads in the cartridge make it an excellent deer cartridge.

The weight of a 375 rifle can be a problem for the deer hunter. A proper 375 is going to weigh around 9 or 10 pounds, while an ordinary deer rifle might weigh 6 pounds. Why carry the extra weight? If you can shoot it well, there's no harm in using a powerful rifle for all your hunting. There is really no such thing as overkill, but there is such a thing as using an unsuitable rifle that fails to kill quickly, which no true hunter wants. The only way to learn to shoot a big rifle well is to shoot it a lot, and sub-power loads make that easy. Some of us have experienced great satisfaction from mastering a big rifle. We've found it more rewarding to shoot a sub-inch group with a 375 with full-power loads than with a 22 centerfire. Light handloads make the 375 into a fun gun, one you can learn to shoot well, but overpowered heavy loads take a lot of the fun out of it.

We finally obtained one of the more elusive rifles on the big-game scene, the wood-stocked Kimber Caprivi in 375 H&H Magnum (also available in 458 Lott). Once we had this gorgeous rifle in hand, we went looking for other 375 rifles for our comparison testing. We acquired a CZ 550 American Safari Magnum, which lists for a bit over a grand ($1179).

Both had Express-type iron sights, with a wide-angle V rear and a bead at the front. This setup, for those who have never tried it, gives a very clear sight picture, the rear V acting to some extent like an aperture and making even aging eyes able to discern the front bead. In both rifles the iron-sight picture was outstanding. One common problem with Express sights is the maker sometimes sets the rear sight too close to the shooter's eye, but both rifles had it plenty far out on the barrel. CZ's V notch left two shoulders on the sides of the rear blade, which maybe helped prevent canting the rifle. The other had a full-width Vs and a protective cover to the front sight.

Both rifles also had two folding leaves, the CZ alone marked for 200 and 300 yards. All three blades on the CZ had a prominent white centerline beneath the V. The Caprivi had a scribed line on each leaf, but in the old British style the folding leaves were unfiled, that being a job for the owner's gunsmith once he has settled on his one hunting load. Our shooters' eyes were most pleased with the sights on the Kimber Caprivi, largely because of the big front bead on that rifle.

We tested these rifles with Hornady Heavy Magnum with 270-grain JHP, Remington Express 270-grain RNSP, and Federal Power-Shok 270-grain RNSP. Be advised 375 ammo sells for about $3 a shot, at a time when you can still get a decent handmade cigar for that price. Thus handloading is probably the way to go if you want to shoot your big rifle a lot. We shot them with iron sights to get a feel for them, and then scoped them for our bench testing.

To read how we tested and our recommendations on these rifles, purchase the ebook Bolt-Action Rifles & Gear, Part 1 from Gun Tests.

In the August 2014 Issue, we tested a Remington R51 Pistol with three ammunition choices. Here are the results per ammunition and links to the retail source of the ammo. In all cases, velocity was recorded at 10 feet using an Oehler 35P chronograph with proof channel. Five-shot groups were fired at 15 yards from a solid two-handed rest. …

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is expecting a repeat of last years non-lead ammunition shortage this hunting season. Those intending to hunt big game in California or in condor areas in Arizona (Game Management Units 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B), are strongly encouraged to buy their non-lead ammunition supplies as soon as possible. …

Powder manufacture requires a lot of acid. The various chemicals used to create gunpowder all have to be pure, many acidic, and the end result is a product that has to have the acid neutralized. When you open a can or jug of powder, it will smell sour. That is the residual base neutralizer left to counter any latent acids that werent fully washed away.

Stored in a cool, dark location, powder can last decades. Many decades. If not, it will last only a short time. If you re-open a storage container and it smells acidic or sharp or doesnt look like the others of that type, it probably has gone bad. Trying to use it is simply asking for trouble. As a highly nitrogen-based compound, it makes good fertilizer, as long as it is soaked with water as soon as you pour it out. Soak it, disperse it and leave it alone afterwards.

For additional advice and information on the best reloading equipment and techniques to use for your needs, purchase "Reloading for Handgunners" from Gun Tests.

How long will my brass last? Good question. And as with so many questions in life, the answer starts out with, It depends. First off, is it brass with a reputation for fragility? The cowboy .38-40 and .44-40 cases are classic examples where a sight dent on the case mouth (in some production batches) can damage a case so much it wont reload at all. So, treat them gently.

Other cases are indestructible, the .45 ACP being one of them. It is large and easy to handle. It is sturdy and operates at a low pressure. I have .45 ACP cases on hand that have been reloaded so many times that you cant read the handstamp from the battering the ejector delivers on each shot.

Pressure also matters. The higher the pressure, the more the case is worked and the shorter its useful life. The match between chamber size and re-sizing die size also matters. If the chamber is too big, and the sizing die is at the bottom end of the allowable specs, the case will be over-expanded and then sized down past the average. That works it even more, shortening its useful life.

In a test that is still relevant to this day, one of the writers of Guns & Ammo reloaded some .38 Special cases to see how long theyd last. It was the common target load of a 148 grain wadcutter and 2.7 grains of Bullseye, with the dies adjusted to work the case as little as possible while still providing proper ammo function. After a dozen loadings with no change, he gave up on the batch and simply loaded a single case over and over. 144 loadings later, he finally noticed a tiny crack in the case mouth.

The more careful you are to treat your brass gently, and the more you avoid brass-busting pressures, the longer your brass will last.

If you stay within the proper limits, most cases will last a dozen loadings or more, which makes the per-shot cost of the brass cases, if you had to buy them to start with, just about nothing. And if you get brass free, or find it at the range, so much the better.

For additional advice and information on the best reloading equipment and techniques to use for your needs, purchase "Reloading for Handgunners" from Gun Tests

The Hodgdon name is recognized by almost every shooter. Whether one handloads for cartridge arms or shoots muzzleloaders, the company has products specially tailored for virtually every shooting application. To appreciate the historical importance and impact of Hodgdon in America, we really need to look at two similar entities, distinct, yet intertwined.

Hodgton is known as The Gunpowder People, and for good reason. The company supplies handloaders and ammunition manufacturers with a comprehensive assortment of propellants for all sorts of firearms, and is always coming up with innovative products to fill yet another reloading niche. Its a corporate kaleidoscope, where new reloading combinations are continually forming, much to the delight of shooters. Plus, comprehensive loading data for its products are available from the company, free for the asking.

Theres another equally important facet of Hodgdon. The Hodgdon family includes not only those folks who are related to the companys founder, Brewster (Bruce) Eltinge Hodgdon, but also the employees of the company, who are considered part of the family - kin and kith.

While Bruce was always interested in shooting, he swerved into the powder business in a roundabout way. Rumor has it that, around the start of World War II, Bruce was talking with a friend who lamented that the government had burned tons of leftover gunpowder after World War I, simply because there was no market for it. Bruce surmised that a similar situation might exist after World War II. He also figured there would be a demand, so he started investigated just what hed have to do to buy surplus gunpowder from the government. On November 26, 1947, using his life insurance policy as collateral, he borrowed the princely sum of $1,500 from his bank. After cutting through seeming miles of red tape, he found himself the owner of 50,000 pounds of surplus 4895. Now what?

Bruce wasnt really sure whether there were enough reloaders who would buy it. Recall that, in those days, right after the war, returning GIs were busy building homes and families and didnt have a lot of spare cash to spend on guns and ammo. Further, handloading was still in its infancy. Many shooters regarded the practice as dangerous alchemy, and ammunition companies did nothing to dissuade people from that notion; handloaders were competition.

Nevertheless, Bruce persevered. He moved an old boxcar to a rented farm field to store the powder, placed a one-inch ad in American Rifleman, and waited. Fortunately, he was right about the demand, and the orders came. A 150-pound keg of 4895 sold for all of $30, plus shipping. And, so, in 1947, an American icon was born. In 1952, B.E. Hodgdon, Incorporated, was formed. As for the $1,500 note? Bruce paid it off on February 11, 1948, just 76 days after the loan was obtained.

When the supply of government surplus powders ran out, the company turned to newly manufactured propellants ranging from smokeless to blackpowder and it substitutes, all with unique features tailored to specific uses. The company ventured into various retail businesses, too, but these were ultimately sold so the firm could concentrate on its core business, propellants.

In 1947, Hodgdon bought what was then rural land and built a new office building, where it remained for 65 years. However, as the decades rolled on, a residential/commercial city evolved around them and, as the company grew, it needed more space.

In August 2011, Hodgson bought a new and vacant building in Shawnee, Kansas, about eight miles from the original offices. The move was completed in April 2012. The new digs provide 9,000 square feet, compared to 3.500 in the original, a welcome addition for the thriving entity.

Today, Hodgdon has three facilities. The main office, as noted, the packaging and distribution plat in Herington, Kansas, and the Goex Black Powder Co. in Doyline, Louisiana. There are 16 employees at the main office, about 45 to 50 in Herington, and about 30 at Goex. It is important to note that the Hodgdon Company is family owned, but is not family run. A board of 11 directors provides the leadership, but only four are members of the Hodgdon family. In fact, the company has strict protocols that must be followed before a family member can be considered for a managerial position in the company.

To read more about the history of Hodgdon and many other great firearms and ammunition companies, get a copy of The 68^th edition of Gun Digest. The 560 page volume not only carries detailed round-ups of all of todays firearms, ammo and optics but dozens of articles and features on all types of shooting and firearms and the companies behind them. To read more like this, purchase "Gun Digest 2014, 68th Edition" from Gun Tests.