Pistols

Glock, Inc. has announced its highest bidder for the “Glock Statue of Liberty Gun,” the one-of-a-kind, hand-engraved Glock 22, which served as the official Handgun for the 2012 SHOT Show Auction. The gun sold to Alexander Wilson for $15,025, which will benefit programs to further America’s hunting and shooting sports heritage.

Ruger has announced that Hoffman's Gun Center & Indoor Shooting Range of Newington, CT has been named the 2011 Ruger Retailer of the Year. Owner Scott Hoffman received an engraved Mark III pistol to recognize his support for Ruger and his success in the retail firearms industry.

At SHOT Show 2012, Gun Tests Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine covers the features of the Massachusetts-legal Kahr PM9 pistol.

Gun Tests’ Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine found Springfield’s brand-new XDS .45 at the Media Range Day at the SHOT Show a couple of weeks ago. The micro-sized XDS was secret, and no one knew that the gun, smaller than a Glock 36, existed until media members showed up and saw the 4-inch-tall .45.

Beretta USA introduced the BU-9 Nano as its entry into the pocket 9mm pistol category last September. Initial shipments of the American-made pistol left the Accokeek, Maryland factory beginning in November 2011, with a suggested retail price of $475. In this video, Gun Tests’ Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine gets a detailed explanation of how easy the Nano is to break down for maintenance. The Nano's modularity provides for simple disassembly and easy cleaning. Safely disassemble the pistol by first engaging the striker deactivator, a patent pending safety mechanism that eliminates the need to pull the trigger prior to disassembly.

Colt’s has teamed up with Crimson Trace Corporation to offer its first-ever Lasergrips, grip-integrated laser sights emblazoned with the Colt logo, which are now standard on the Colt New Agent pistol.

Gun Tests Magazine Publisher Timothy H. Cole recognized Kel-Tec’s PMR-30 22 WMR as the publication’s “Best in Class Pistol” for 2011 at the just-concluded SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Cole made a special award to Derek Kellgren, Kel-Tec CNC Industries’ Director of Marketing at the show.

The Galco Underwraps BellyBand is an elastic garment that can be worn low, just above the waistband, or high underneath the armpit. It resembles a heavyweight Ace bandage that secures with Velcro.

Recently, the Gun Tests staff received a letter urging them to test more deep-concealment guns, claiming that they are the most popular gun of the day. Checking with one of the larger distributors (www.camfour.com), confirmed that it is the subcompact and micro guns that are currently driving the market. In this test Gun Tests did not evaluate pocket guns, but they did shoot four compact pistols that in are just one step larger than the smallest model available from each manufacturer.One test gun the staff chose was the $646 Glock G19, the smaller brother of the G17, found on the hip of law enforcement worldwide. The Glock 19 gets little press, but remains popular.

SIG SAUER's new P224 is the company's first true subcompact in its all-metal firearms line. It's based on the P229.

Eagle Imports, Inc., importers of the Bersa line of firearms, has introduced the new and improved Bersa Thunder High Capacity (HC) PRO Series.

Umarex USA is expanding its line of .45 ACP handguns with the addition of the Regent Handgun Line.