Handguns

An out-of-the-box 1911 pistol that shoots 3-1/2- to 4-inch groups at 25 yards might be suitable for personal protection. However, such a pistol isn't even close to adequate for formal target shooting, such as a bullseye match. To be competitive, you need a pistol that is at least capable of 2-inch groups at 25 yards. A handgun that will produce 1-inch or smaller groups at that distance would be ideal.

Several custom pistolsmiths make very nice, extremely accurate target pistols, but these guns are priced in the $2,000 to $4,000 range. What do you do if your checkbook can't take that big of a hit? The answer is simple. Buy a factory-made match pistol that will only cost you an arm, instea...

Because of its popularity and wide acceptance, the .40 S&W is destined to become one of the great cartridges. For the most part, anything a 9mm can do, a .40 S&W can do better. If a manufacturer has a 9mm handgun in its product line, it is very likely that there is a .40 S&W counterpart. Many police departments, who switched from the .38/.357 double-action revolver to the 9mm pistol, are now rearming with the .40 pistol.

Six full-size .40 S&W pistols in the $600 to $800 range are the subjects of this test. They are the Smith & Wesson 4006, the Glock 22, the Walther P99, the Beretta Model 96, the Heckler & Koch USP40 and the Sig Sauer P229.

Concealed carry aside, full-size models do ev...

Terminology to describe lighter-framed concealable revolvers seems to be tracking changes in professional boxing. In the sweet science, no longer does a fighter compete merely as a bantamweight, middleweight or heavyweight. Now the prefixes light, for just under a given weight-class structure, and super, meaning a little heavier than a certain poundage range, are divvying up the match-ups so tightly that we may soon see 170-pound guys whacking only 171-pound opponents.

Likewise, in gun terms, we're confronted with evermore descriptive language for heft, such as Air-Weight, Air-Lite, and Ultra-Light—most often labeling snubbies demanded by today's CHL holder. These airy words are designed...

Some time back on these pages we gave you the results of a test of three .357 Magnum double-action revolvers with four-inch barrels. However, our gun stores tell us that, because so many shooters don't read Gun Tests, folks continually come in and ask which brand of .357 they ought to buy.

Sometimes, they don't know what barrel length they want. More often they know which length, but not which brand gives them the most bang for their buck. Is, for example, the 6-inch Smith & Wesson just as good as the 4-inch version? We thought it would be a good idea to test the same three revolvers in the 6-inch version, and see if the same gun came up a winner. As a bonus, we added a Taurus to the mi...

It has come to our attention that there is indeed a rift between stalwarts of practical shooting. USPSA/IPSC approaches the sport in a freewheeling manner, with eyes toward raising the level of its game to that of an Olympic sport. The International Defensive Pistol Association would rather have its matches looked upon as training for life-threatening situations. Attending matches held under the auspices of each of these organizations has led us to believe that each brand of practical match has value as training and entertainment. Whereas the IDPA insists on carry-suitable guns and holsters, it is most easy to succeed in these matches with a pistol that would also be competitive at a USPSA/I...

The annals of gunmaking are filled with stories of hot, new cartridges whipped up by wildcatters, or in some cases mainline manufacturers, that have gone on to long histories of obscurity or indifference among shooters. The .41 Magnum comes to mind as a prime example of a round that when introduced had all the credentials of a world beater: speed, power, and accuracy. But, today, finding a .41 Mag. on the range is like encountering an old friend you've not spoken with in ages. You wonder what he's been up to.

With this backdrop, we wonder what the .357 Sig's "future history" will be. This chambering, sired from a cooperative effort between Sig Sauer and the Federal Cartridge Company, is b...

A major trend in pistols today is toward increased stopping power — the bigger the bullet, the better. This thinking, however, leaves a number of smaller cartridges and some otherwise good handguns sitting on the shelf.

The .32 ACP is one of those calibers which has been gathering dust, especially in the United States. Although it is still fairly popular in Europe, it has nearly been replaced by the more powerful .380 ACP in this country.

A minor comeback seems to be in progress for the .32 cartridge, as a number of handgun manufacturers have started offering pistols to exploit its capabilities. One of the few advantages the .32 ACP has over the .380 ACP is that it can be fired in sm...

Choosing between a semiauto and a revolver has always been a dilemma. Not long ago the choice was between six reliable shots of .38 Special (later .357 Magnum) or seven (then eight) shots of .45 ACP in a 1911-style pistol that until recently was not at all foolproof. The revolvers were also more accurate out of the box due to their fixed barrel design, and they were capable of firing ammunition of any description so long as it fit inside the cylinders. GI and even post-war 1911s were often fit with generous tolerances to ensure reliability, but as a result, their accuracy suffered.

By the time 1911s were offered with true precision fit and custom features (which were simply upgrades that should have been offered all along) other, more user-friendly designs had entered the marketplace. The industry had begun to serve not only military and law enforcement personnel, but also the growing ranks of private citizens licensed to carry concealed weapons. Before a capacity limit of 10 was legislated into effect, pistols holding as many as 15+1 rounds of 9mm Luger were available. Naturally, this left the six-shot revolver in the dust.

When we compared three recipes for compact pistols, including "traditional" double-action and a 3.5-inch barrel, MRI's Baby Eagle Compact earned a Best Buy ranking.

Many states have passed "shall issue" concealed-carry permit laws, allowing their citizens to exercise a Constitutional right to self defense. There is even a continuing effort to pass a national concealed-carry permit law that will recognize any state permit throughout the country, not unlike automobile registrations. As these "carry" gun laws continue to develop, gun-savvy permit holders, who want a small-frame gun carrying as many powerful rounds as possible, have spurred development of the .40 Smith & Wesson cartridge. Accordingly, this has led to a proliferation of handguns chambered for the round, and we have reviewed many .40 S&W pistols, some as recently as December 1998.

As the n...

We set out recently to test a set of plinker/target .22 LR handguns, with an eye toward finding a comfortable, shootable, affordable product to pass some range time with. Unexpectedly, we wound up finding three .22 LR pistols that not only achieve the relatively low standard of being decent recreational-shooting diversions, but which also offer the serious shooter good training use that can save money. If you pick up the $219 Browning BuckMark Camper, Smith & Wesson's Model 22A, $209, or the Ruger Model 22/45, $199, you will easily feel the similarities between these handguns and trademark centerfire names. The grip of the Browning BuckMark Camper renders the unmistakable feel of the venerab...

Beretta is selling a 92/96 Combo Kit Pistol, a $908 parts package that allows the shooter to get a double-action semiautomatic ten-shot pistol in both 9mm and .40 S&W calibers. For an extra $279 above the base price ($629) for either a Model 92 9mm or Model 96 .40 S&W, the Combo Kit owner gets one barrel, slide, and magazine in each caliber, and one specially made and marked aluminum-alloy receiver designed to accept them both. But is this a deal, or simply a way to thin out your wallet? We ran a test recently to find out.

What It Is
The Beretta 92/96 Combo Kit Pistol is built on a frame that differs from both the 9mm Model 92 and the .40 S&W Model 96. Thus, to answer the most...