Handguns

While many of us prefer full-caliber cartridges in full-size pistols, there are many reasons and many mandates to pack a large, high-capacity 9mm handgun. There are plenty out there to choose from. For this test we chose one of the oldest, a double-action CZ 75 B ($597), and one of the newest, the S&W M&P9 ($679) to compare. Both held a lot of rounds, 16 and 17 respectively, and both were big handguns by any measure. They approached the bulk of a full-size 1911 45 ACP, though both were shorter and the M&P was a good deal lighter… unloaded, of course.We tested them with Fiocchi 115-grain jacketed hollowpoints, American Eagle 115-grain full-metal-jacket rounds, and Black Hills 147-grain full-metal-jacket bullets. We "broke them in" with a mix of other types of ammo to get a feel for the guns before serious accuracy and function testing. Here is what we found.

While many of us prefer full-caliber cartridges in full-size pistols, there are many reasons and many mandates to pack a large, high-capacity 9mm handgun. There are plenty out there to choose from. For this test we chose one of the oldest, a double-action CZ 75 B ($597), and one of the newest, the S&W M&P9 ($679) to compare. Both held a lot of rounds, 16 and 17 respectively, and both were big handguns by any measure. They approached the bulk of a full-size 1911 45 ACP, though both were shorter and the M&P was a good deal lighter… unloaded, of course.We tested them with Fiocchi 115-grain jacketed hollowpoints, American Eagle 115-grain full-metal-jacket rounds, and Black Hills 147-grain full-metal-jacket bullets. We "broke them in" with a mix of other types of ammo to get a feel for the guns before serious accuracy and function testing. Here is what we found.

In the April 2009 issue, our test team shot and evaluated three high-end custom full-size 1911s: the Combat Custom, $2895, from Luke Volkmann of Volkmann Custom Inc.; Wilsons CQB, $2550, and Les Baers Premier II Super-Tac, $2280. Attempting to pick the best one was anything but easy. They were all excellent. But we graded the Wilson CQB as the best of that trio. At the same time we also shot and evaluated a fourth product, but held back the test data for this special report because the gun was massively more expensive and harder to get than the other three. This follow-up will cover a Michiguns 45 Commander Custom, about $5000, available from Ned Christiansen. If you want a gun from Michiguns, be prepared to wait five or six years. Christiansens innovative touches and incredible machining skills (hes a one-man shop) have vaulted him to the top echelon of gunsmiths, with a resultant huge backlog. As before, we tested with four types of ammunition, Black Hills hardball, Federal 185-grain Hi-Shok JHP, Cor-Bon 230-grain JHP, and with cast-lead, 230-grain round-nose Ultramax. We tested during a severe winter in Idaho, and thus had trouble achieving the guns full accuracy potential. With the Federal 185-grain JHPs, the Commander bested the CQB slightly, with an average group size of 1.5 inches to 1.6 inches. The margin was a little wider with the Cor-Bon 230-grain JHPs, with the Commander shooting average group sizes of 1.4 inches compared to the CQBs 2.0-inch average. The measurements with the Ultramax 230-grain cast roundnose had the Commander in front 1.4 inches to 1.7 inches, and likewise for the Black Hills 230-grain ball, 1.3 inches to 1.6 inches. All were five-shot groups fired at 15 yards.

In the April 2009 issue, our test team shot and evaluated three high-end custom full-size 1911s: the Combat Custom, $2895, from Luke Volkmann of Volkmann Custom Inc.; Wilsons CQB, $2550, and Les Baers Premier II Super-Tac, $2280. Attempting to pick the best one was anything but easy. They were all excellent. But we graded the Wilson CQB as the best of that trio. At the same time we also shot and evaluated a fourth product, but held back the test data for this special report because the gun was massively more expensive and harder to get than the other three. This follow-up will cover a Michiguns 45 Commander Custom, about $5000, available from Ned Christiansen. If you want a gun from Michiguns, be prepared to wait five or six years. Christiansens innovative touches and incredible machining skills (hes a one-man shop) have vaulted him to the top echelon of gunsmiths, with a resultant huge backlog. As before, we tested with four types of ammunition, Black Hills hardball, Federal 185-grain Hi-Shok JHP, Cor-Bon 230-grain JHP, and with cast-lead, 230-grain round-nose Ultramax. We tested during a severe winter in Idaho, and thus had trouble achieving the guns full accuracy potential. With the Federal 185-grain JHPs, the Commander bested the CQB slightly, with an average group size of 1.5 inches to 1.6 inches. The margin was a little wider with the Cor-Bon 230-grain JHPs, with the Commander shooting average group sizes of 1.4 inches compared to the CQBs 2.0-inch average. The measurements with the Ultramax 230-grain cast roundnose had the Commander in front 1.4 inches to 1.7 inches, and likewise for the Black Hills 230-grain ball, 1.3 inches to 1.6 inches. All were five-shot groups fired at 15 yards.

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Camfour, a gun distributor based in Massachusetts, is offering a limited run of a pair of Ruger Cowboy-style single actions.

SMYRNA, Ga. -- Handgun manufacturer Glock, Inc. announced that in the first quarter of 2009, the company experienced a 36% increase in pistol sales over 2008 sales.

Here's more BATFE answers to questions concerning who must provide gun locks and why, possession of guns, loaning guns for demonstrations, transferring guns to military members, when to report a missing gun from inventory, and other issues.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Smith & Wesson Corp. announced that after eight months of endurance testing conducted by Professional Instructor Todd Louis Green at pistol-training.com, the full-size M&P9 pistol successfully recorded 50,000 rounds. Throughout the testing, the M&P9 was used by more than 50 people and received only limited maintenance during the evaluation process.

BJ Norris of Tyler, Texas, was crowned the Steel Master at the Smith & Wesson U.S. Steel Nationals in Titusville, Fla.

The NRA Competitions Division recently announced four bits of news important to shooters:

GunReports.com has compiled the largest collection of rifle data and prices on the web. Updated daily. Bookmark this page for quick and easy reference to pricing, reviews, and accessory links.

Administrator's Note: We saw Frank Brownells' advice in the March 27 Brownells Web Bench e-letter and thought his comments about current AR15 market shortages were on point. We got permission to post them on GunReports.com.