Handguns

As a Federal firearms licensee (FFL), it is your duty and obligation to account for the acquisition and disposition of firearms, and it is essential to ensure that firearms are not diverted to the criminal element whether by theft or pilferage. ATF is dedicated to your success in fulfilling your duties and preventing the unlawful diversion of firearms. The following guidance on required and recommended security measures is intended to assist you in accomplishing these goals.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Shooting is pleased to announce that the long-awaited air pistols from Air Arms are available to all USAS members and are ready to ship.

WILSONVILLE, OR -- Crimson Trace Corp. has secured an order to supply the Alameda County Sheriff Office with 1,200 Lasergrips for their Sig Sauer duty weapons. Deputy sheriffs from Alameda County will use the Lasergrip-equipped Sig Sauer side-arm as their primary duty weapon.

SPRINGFIELD, MA - Smith & Wesson team member B.J. Norris was named the overall winner of the Steel Master Division while earning multiple top three finishes in several divisions at the 2008 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships held Aug 14-17, 2008 in Piru, California. Along with competing in and winning the Steel Master Division, B.J. finished second, third and second in the Rimfire Optics, Limited and Open Divisions respectively. In the overall standings, Norris finished in a close second place to Army Specialist K. C. Eusebio of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit.

SOUTHPORT, CT - Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. has introduced a special, limited-production New Vaquero for the Cowboy Fast Draw Association (CFDA).

BEIJING, China —The U.S. Olympic Team for Shooting turned out an outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China earning six medals to double the medal count from Athens four years ago. Arguably, the most successful showing for the U.S. in the history of the Olympic shooting competition, the U.S. Shooting team brought home two gold, two silver and two bronze medals and set a total of five new Olympic records.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that Harris County District Attorney Ken Magidson has asked for a legal opinion from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to see if assistant DAs can be prevented from taking handguns into courtrooms.

Gun Tests magazine recognized this in the January 2007 issue, when the magazine staff wrote that the 45 ACP was a Best Buy. “Ten rounds of big bullet with a full-size grip highlight this low-priced street fighter. A thumb safety and Heinie sights are plusses in our book.” A recent check of www.Gunbroker.com showed a couple of choices for the gun, both of which were substantially below the MSRP quoted in that issue—$421.

New information was posted on the Ruger website dated 8/11/08. It states "We have been retrofitting SR9 pistols for over a month, and continue to send shipping boxes to customers on a weekly basis." It also states "Most pistols are being shipped to customers within five business days after we receive them." Again, no e-mail, or any other notification of the update.

Dick Heller walked out of D.C. police headquarters Monday, clutching a yellow firearms registration certificate stamped 'approved.' He gave the thumbs-up sign, grinned and said, 'Victory!'

It seemssome of the really nice stuff in firearms doesnt last long enough for all good men and women to hear about it, spread the word, and go out and buy it. How many times have we all said, "If only such and such company would make this or that," only to have it pointed out to us that they used to make this or that, no one bought it, so it was dropped from the lineup. Weve encountered several Taurus firearms on the company website and in local gun stores that looked like really good ideas, only to find out theyd been recently discontinued. The same could probably be said of many gun makers who had a product that fit a niche market, failed to promote it sufficiently, and had to stop production. Such is apparently the case with two of the three guns in this report, though one of those two is still available in a specialized form.The concept of a revolver chambered for 45 ACP goes back to WWI, when Colt and Smith & Wesson brought out their Model 1917s to fire the semiautomatic-pistol cartridge through the use of half-moon clips. With the more recent introduction of full-moon clips, these six-shot revolvers can be reloaded very quickly as long as you have a supply of loaded clips. The original S&W Model 1917 had a detent to hold the cylinder fully open, which helped expedite the reloading process. Recently, revolver maestro Jerry Miculek proved just how fast a 45 revolver can be reloaded. He fired six shots from his gun, dumped the empties, reloaded, and fired six more-all in less than three seconds.We acquired three 45 ACP revolvers, an early S&W Model 625 (Model of 1989) with 4-inch barrel (about $900), a new S&W Model 325 Night Guard with nominal 2.5-inch tube (MSRP $1082), and a Taurus Tracker Model 455 SS4 with 4-inch barrel and integral muzzle brake (about $500). The S&W Model 625 is apparently only available today as a Jerry Miculek Special version at $1011, or as a Performance Center gun with 5.2-inch barrel at a higher but unspecified price. You might also find a 3-inch version of the blued Model 25 as a Dealer Special. Still another S&W 45 ACP revolver is the Thunder Ranch Special, with 4-inch tube and flashlight, for $1335. These last two still appear on the company website. Be aware it might not be easy finding a 4-inch or 5-inch S&W 625 like our test gun. A search of 350 S&W revolvers at the Guns International website (gunsinternational.com) found not one Model 625. The neat, efficient five-shot Taurus was recently discontinued, but you can still find samples here and there.Both the Taurus and S&W 625 had excellent adjustable sights. The Night Guard comes with fixed sights with a tritium insert in the front post. All these revolvers supposedly could be fired with 45 ACP cartridges dropped individually into the chambers, or with full-moon clips, or with 45 Auto Rim cartridges. The two Smiths could also accept the older three-shot, half-moon clips. We tested with Black Hills 230-grain ball, Federal Hi-Shok 185-grain JHP, and Cor-Bon 185-grain JHP. We also tried a few Auto Rim cases handloaded with 260-grain Keith cast bullets, but didnt include them in the formal results. Heres what we found.

It seemssome of the really nice stuff in firearms doesnt last long enough for all good men and women to hear about it, spread the word, and go out and buy it. How many times have we all said, "If only such and such company would make this or that," only to have it pointed out to us that they used to make this or that, no one bought it, so it was dropped from the lineup. Weve encountered several Taurus firearms on the company website and in local gun stores that looked like really good ideas, only to find out theyd been recently discontinued. The same could probably be said of many gun makers who had a product that fit a niche market, failed to promote it sufficiently, and had to stop production. Such is apparently the case with two of the three guns in this report, though one of those two is still available in a specialized form.The concept of a revolver chambered for 45 ACP goes back to WWI, when Colt and Smith & Wesson brought out their Model 1917s to fire the semiautomatic-pistol cartridge through the use of half-moon clips. With the more recent introduction of full-moon clips, these six-shot revolvers can be reloaded very quickly as long as you have a supply of loaded clips. The original S&W Model 1917 had a detent to hold the cylinder fully open, which helped expedite the reloading process. Recently, revolver maestro Jerry Miculek proved just how fast a 45 revolver can be reloaded. He fired six shots from his gun, dumped the empties, reloaded, and fired six more-all in less than three seconds.We acquired three 45 ACP revolvers, an early S&W Model 625 (Model of 1989) with 4-inch barrel (about $900), a new S&W Model 325 Night Guard with nominal 2.5-inch tube (MSRP $1082), and a Taurus Tracker Model 455 SS4 with 4-inch barrel and integral muzzle brake (about $500). The S&W Model 625 is apparently only available today as a Jerry Miculek Special version at $1011, or as a Performance Center gun with 5.2-inch barrel at a higher but unspecified price. You might also find a 3-inch version of the blued Model 25 as a Dealer Special. Still another S&W 45 ACP revolver is the Thunder Ranch Special, with 4-inch tube and flashlight, for $1335. These last two still appear on the company website. Be aware it might not be easy finding a 4-inch or 5-inch S&W 625 like our test gun. A search of 350 S&W revolvers at the Guns International website (gunsinternational.com) found not one Model 625. The neat, efficient five-shot Taurus was recently discontinued, but you can still find samples here and there.Both the Taurus and S&W 625 had excellent adjustable sights. The Night Guard comes with fixed sights with a tritium insert in the front post. All these revolvers supposedly could be fired with 45 ACP cartridges dropped individually into the chambers, or with full-moon clips, or with 45 Auto Rim cartridges. The two Smiths could also accept the older three-shot, half-moon clips. We tested with Black Hills 230-grain ball, Federal Hi-Shok 185-grain JHP, and Cor-Bon 185-grain JHP. We also tried a few Auto Rim cases handloaded with 260-grain Keith cast bullets, but didnt include them in the formal results. Heres what we found.