Editorial

I stayed up late on November 4 to watch the election returns come in. In particular, I was watching the Senate races because if the Republicans took control of both houses of Congress, then the chances of national gun-control legislation passing would drop to nil for the next couple of years. Things went very well.

As a result of the NRA's efforts in the 2014 elections, candidates endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund won hard-fought victories in Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. The NRA was likewise pivotal in re-electing pro-gun governors in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin, and in ousting a Bloomberg-backed anti-gun governor in Maryland. In addition, the NRA had great success in races for the U.S. House.

Gun Tests wants to give our readers some background information on changes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made to Form 4473 in April 2012. You may have noticed the changes yourself and wondered why the new questions suddenly appeared. On the form, two questions added in 2012 break down the buyers ethnicity and race in parts 10a and 10b. First, in 10.a., buyers must identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino. Then, in 10.b., the buyer is directed to check one or more boxes, with the choices being: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or White.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an opinion in August holding that Californias 10-day waiting period for nearly all firearm sales violates the Second Amendment, at least as applied to individuals who have already purchased firearms.

In early August, the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action released a substantial explanation of how the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) had recently disavowed its list of so-called high risk merchant categories, which had come to light as part of a Department of Justice program called Operation Choke Point. We reported on that effort to restrict financial services for firearms and ammunition business in the July issue.

Beginning next month, online giant Google plans to block firearms, ammunition, and gun-accessory ads. On Googles Dangerous Products or Services page, a company statement reads, This is a preview of the upcoming Policy Center. The policies here will not go into effect until around September and are subject to change. To see the policies in effect until then, visit the current Policy Center.

Ive learned that the Pentagon is set to destroy more than $1 billion worth of excess or surplus ammo. But I have good news! Theres no need to do that: Ill take it. Okay, okay, not all $1 billion. But because Im a helpful guy, Ill take $100 million. That should fill the Gun Tests ammo depot for a year, maybe 18 months if were careful.

You have to have a suitable handgun for personal defense - one that fits your hand, is reliable and effective, and that fits your needs. The same is true of a holster. The primary reason permit holders do not carry on a 24-hour basis is because of comfort. A handgun and the load-bearing holster should be comforting and as comfortable as possible. We tend to go through a number of holsters before finding the right fit. That can get expensive!Recently, a reader took us to task over our extensive coverage of IWB holsters. He said that not everyone can tolerate an inside-the-waistband holster. Despite the advantages in concealed carry, the IWB requires the trousers be purchased an inch larger in size, and most shooters are not willing to revamp their entire wardrobe when obtaining their CWP, he says. Others simply cannot acclimate to the design.The outside-the-waistband holster has many advantages, including speed and security. Some will wear a high-riding OWB and a pulled-out sports shirt and have the same concealment with the OWB as the IWB but with greater comfort. While we believe the IWB has advantages when maximum concealment is needed, there are times when the OWB can be concealed. If you can do that, you are ahead of the game in speed and comfort.In this two-part installment, we cover more than 20 holsters of the OWB type including specialized alternatives to the IWB. As always, we gauged them on a few important attributes. The handgun cannot shift in the holster. The holster cannot sag on the belt, so it must be properly fitted to the belt. The holster must be tight against the body for concealed carry, but it cannot give you a punch in the kidney when you hit a speed bump in the road or step off of a curb. The gun must present the proper grip angle for a rapid presentation from concealment. The trigger guard must be covered. The holster must be well made of good material.While most of our testers prefer a concealment holster without retention straps, we included some with thumb-break retention or other devices. Quite a few experienced raters are adamant about their choices. One deemed the thumb break a suicide strap and another would not use a holster without a thumb break of some type. The majority prefer the open top holster.

In the past we have remarked on these pages that the Ruger No. 1 has a few problems. In fact, it has had no further development since its introduction back in 1967. Bill Ruger copied the graceful Alexander Henry single-shot falling-block design of the 1870s and also the look of the opening lever, and internal hammer of the Farquharson. The Henry stock, of course, was the inspiration for the notch in the forend on Ruger's Tropical No. 1. The new Ruger single shot was a huge success, yet for some reason neither Bill Ruger nor anyone in charge of the company has taken it upon himself to do anything more with the fine No. 1 except to continue producing it, flaws and all, ever since its introduction. There have most likely been production changes along the way to either improve the rifle's strength or its manufacturing ease, but as to its finer points, there has been exactly no progress. Until now.

We decided to wring out a Ruger No. 1 Tropical in 400 Jeffery caliber (aka 450/400 3"), and make whatever improvements we could on it, things that long ago we think Ruger ought to have addressed. We were not able to do all the things we wanted, as you'll see, but we did make some improvements. Here, then, is our report.

The Winchester Model 1873 is billed as the gun that won the West, and rightfully so - there are few rifles that have had such a dramatic impact on the history of the United States. In 2013, Winchester reintroduced the Model 1873 into production for the first time since 1919, offering it in 357/38 special and now also in 44-40 Win and 45 Colt. In the October 2012 issue, we tested a Henry, Cimarron, and Chiappa in 357/38 Special, with the Henry Big Boy rifle winning, closely followed by the Cimarron. So with Winchesters re-entry available, we wanted to see if the new model 1873 would be the gun that won the Test.To ensure a level playing field, we tested the Winchester with the same brands and lots of 38 Special and 357 Magnum ammunition we used for the other three rifles: a designated Cowboy Action load from Black Hills Ammunition, the 158-grain 38 Special CNL (Conical Nose Lead) DCB38N1; some bulk-priced ammunition from Brownells, Winchester USAs 130-grain Q4171 Full Metal Jackets, and Winchester USA 110-grain WINQ4204 357 Magnum Jacketed Hollow Points. As in the earlier test, we shot accuracy from sandbags on a bench at 50 yards. Heres how the gun performed:

I just finished reading a ground-breaking book on African-American men and women who have used firearms, when necessary, to defend their families and communities.

Another big-name firearms manufacturer - Colt - is moving at least some of its operations out of an anti-gun-rights northeastern state to a gun-friendly Southern state. In 2011, Florida Gov. Rick Scott offered Hartford, Ct.-based Colt Manufacturing more than $1 million in incentives to open a new plant at a county-owned building in Kissimmee. Colt has not commented about its plans, but the company has confirmed with local officials that it wants to build military weapons at the Osceola County facility. The move has been delayed because of a merger between two companies operating under the Colt name. With the merger resolved, Colts Manufacturing Company LLC plans to move into its Florida building this year.

Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger have announced they will stop selling their pistols in California rather than manufacturing those firearms to comply with the state’s new microstamping law. Both companies announced these moves after the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for firearms manufacturers, filed suit against California for requiring that all new semi-automatic handguns that are not already on the state’s approved gun roster have the microstamping technology.