Handguns

While we agree that lasers are no substitute for proper shooting techniques, we also believe that they can be a valuable tool in low light confrontations. Their continued popularity among our Law Enforcement and Military communities is also a testament to their effectiveness.

The gun is ultra lightweight at 9 ounces. The grip is Du Pont ST-8018 plastic, and compared to the Beretta or the Walther, it seems like you could step on the P32 and break it. In reality it is not that easy.The Kel-Tec P32 is by far one of the lightest, smallest, easiest to conceal and operate handguns out there.

(GunReports.com)--Mayor Bloomberg urges President Obama to adopt dozens of gun registration and confiscation measures using executive power and bypassing Congress.

(GunReports.com)--The new Taurus 24/7 G2 semi-auto pistol series combines features from the Taurus 800 Series, 24/7 Series and 24/7 OSS™ lineup.

(GunReports.com)--South Dakota has become the fifth state to decide that guns made, sold and used within its borders no longer are subject to rules enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

In this test we have a diverse trio of pistols that offer a wide look at some of what's available in the world of Smith & Wesson's full-size 9mm handguns. We acquired a striker-fired M&P 9 Pro Series with fiber optic front sight (No. 178010, $830). Next up was a 9mm 1911-type pistol in the SW1911 Pro Series (No. 178017, $1683). Last, we assessed the Performance Center-built Model 952 (No. 170244, $2402), which is essentially a remake of the old 38-Special-only Model 52, but for 9mm ammunition.

All three of these guns felt considerably different in the hand, as though they were made on totally different planets. They were all set up to some extent for self defense. Even the 952 had a relieved magazine well for fast reloads. The M&P9 held 17+1 rounds, the SW1911 held 10+1, and the 952 held 9+1 rounds. The weights of these guns were also quite different, the heaviest being the 1911, which also had thick grip panels that we found to be a touch on the over-filling side.

We tested the trio with Fiocchi 115-grain JHP, Black Hills 147 FMJ, and with Winchester BEB 115-grain truncated-cone ammo. We evaluated the three guns for self-defensive use, and also for potential target shooting, particularly the 952. Here's what we found.

(GunReports.com)--According to a Tulsa World story, Oklahoma could be headed for a showdown with the federal government over firearms regulation and the scope of interstate commerce.

The LCP is a locked breech semi-automatic pistol that holds 6+1 rounds and shares almost identical dimensions with the Kel-Tec P-3AT.

Its three main components are the 'through hardened' steel slide, aluminum sub-frame, and grip frame. However, we can point out several differences between the Ruger and Kel-Tec products.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed poised to require state and local governments to obey the Second Amendment guarantee of a personal right to a gun, but with perhaps considerable authority to regulate that right.

An item on BUSINESS WIRE was laughable if you favor civil rights for gunowners:The release was from the so-called Legal Community Against Violence, publicizing an event entitled, McDonald v. Chicago: Stakeholders to Discuss Upcoming Supreme Court Handgun Case. Notable for their absence, of course, was any pro-2nd Amendment balance, including the person with the most direct stake, Otis McDonald himself.

The Ruger GP100s grips were black rubber without grooves, but the sides had decorative inserts of brown wood-like material (which some actually found attractive) that give the gun a distinctive look. The grips felt just great in both aimed single-action fire and in rapid-fire double action. Recoil was spread over a large area of the hand and that made for good shooting comfort, even with the heaviest loads.

The controls all functioned well and positively, and we found this to be a pleasant gun to handle and shoot. The trigger was well curved and smooth, and the double-action cycling was just slightly heavier than that of the Smith & Wesson. Trigger movement was even and smooth enough to permit good accuracy when shooting it slowly in the double-action mode.

It could be said that the Browning 1911 pistol has evolved more than any other design. The operating principal remains the same, but alternate configurations have been applied to nearly every facet of its execution. In fact, it is now commonplace to buy over the counter what not long ago would have been considered a full-blown custom pistol. We all know about beveled magazine wells, frame checkering, undercutting the trigger guard for a higher grip, high-arch memory groove grip safeties, extended magazine releases, aluminum triggers adjustable for overtravel, light rails on the dust cover, extended and/or ambidextrous safeties, checkered slide stops, skeletonized hammers, titanium firing pins, front and rear serrations on the slide, weight reducing slide cuts, lowered and flared ejection ports, full length guide rods, bull barrels, multi-spring recoil systems, external extractors, spring-loaded internal extractors, ramped barrels, adjustable sights for target, adjustable low-mount sights for carry, light-gathering-filament sights, or self-illuminating modules for front and rear sights.

In this test we will evaluate three full-size 1911-style pistols that include several of the above-mentioned features. A few years ago we would have called them factory customs, but that term is obsolete. The most distinguishing characteristic of our trio was that all were chambered for 9X19 shells, aka 9mm Parabellum or simply 9mm. They are the $1299 STI Duty One, Springfield Armory's $1277 Loaded Full Size Stainless Steel 9X19 No. PX9130LP, and the $1277 Kimber Custom Aegis II. All three guns shipped with and fed from identical 9-round MetalForm-brand single-stack magazines. Otherwise, there were significant differences between the pistols. Each gun represented a different viewpoint of what a 9mm 1911 should be. As a result, each gun had a slightly different personality, which we took into account in our grading.

The holiday season was upon us and the radio was playing old favorites like "Baby It's Cold Outside." So we accepted an offer from Houston's Top Gun Training Center to conduct our test indoors. The range was under renovation, so while the ActionTarget.com folks were working their magic on one shooting bay, we set up targets at the other end of the building. Test distance was 15 yards and Black Hills ammunition was used exclusively in our tests. For break in we opened a case of 124-grain FMJ ammunition packed in blue boxes (remanufactured). Both our 115-grain FMJ and 124-grain JHP rounds were new manufacture (packaged in red boxes). We brought in a portable shooting bench and went to work firing five-shot groups. Here is what we learned.