Viewpoints

S&W Sigma SW9M
I found your recent evaluation of the small 9mm pistols (September 1998 issue) interesting and would like to tell you about a unique problem I had with the Smith & Wesson SW9M.

First, I'm 62, an NRA certified small arms instructor, and have a Lifetime Masters classification for High Power Rifle competition. I have an FFL and a Texas concealed handgun license. I am an orthopedic surgeon and do not have a weak wrist or grip.

I thought that the SW9M would be the ideal self-defense weapon to carry in the console of my Explorer. I have a habit of test firing anything I am going to carry before making any out of town trip. I soon found that if I loaded the SW9M...

Beretta 21A
In your July issue you reviewed the Beretta 21A, .22 LR pistol. In that review you stated, "There was also a half-cock notch on the hammer, permitting the carrying of a round in the chamber with the safety disengaged. In this manner, the gun was ready to fire with just a long pull on the trigger."

My Beretta owner's manual does not recommend the gun be carried with the chamber loaded. There is also a note that states: "WARNING!! To avoid the remote risk of accidental discharge due to impact against the hammer spur DO NOT carry the pistol chamber loaded with the hammer half-cocked. Should the pistol be inadvertently dropped and the hammer struck, the impact could...

I’ve just returned from the 1999 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, better known as the SHOT Show. In terms of new-product introductions, it was one of the better fireams-industry efforts in recent memory. We’ll be examining many of those products in the coming months, including Walther’s expensive answer to the Ruger 10/22, a GSP-based .22 LR pistol/rifle combo, Winchester’s newly formulated X-2 shotgun, and a raft of new handguns.

Though the new-product introductions were certainly the whipped cream on my trip, a not-very-tasty main course was served away from the crowded aisles of the Georgia World Congress Center. As we reported last month, Atlanta’s municipal government was p...

Most gun owners I know are jammed up about the elevation of New York’s Charles “Chuckie” Schumer from the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate. In fact, the NRA’s American Rifleman magazine recently cited Schumer’s win as one of the gun-rights organization’s high-profile losses in the November 1998 elections.

But there’s another person who poses a much graver, much more insidious threat to gun ownership than even Schumer the schemer: Elisa Barnes. Ms. Barnes is the lead attorney for Brooklyn plaintiffs who are suing the gun industry under a novel theory. In the Hamilton lawsuit, eponymously named for the lead plaintiff, the gun fascists are going after the industry as a whole,...

We just got a flyer from Remington, and that financially beleaguered company has come up with some darned good magnets for your money. Hottest of their offerings for 1999 is the .300 Remington Ultra Mag. This is a beautiful, non-belted .404 Jeffery case necked to .30 caliber. You don’t really need that belt, and rounds without it feed smoothly. The new Remington round has a 30-degree shoulder and 20 percent more case capacity than the .300 Winchester Magnum. The result provides ballistics that significantly beat even the .300 Weatherby. The .300 Ultra Mag propels a 180-grain Nosler Partition bullet at 3,300 fps from the 26-inch standard-length barrel that Remington uses in all five of the pr...

Historical Results?
I was reading the January 1999 issue at work and someone asked to read the .357 article because he was in the market for one. After reading the article, he said he definitely wouldn’t buy the S&W because it came in third. I said that I owned several revolvers from all of the manufacturers, and that he should handle all the makes before ruling any out. When I looked up other articles on .357s, I found the magazine had evaluated other brands higher in the past. I know that sometimes they were not exactly the same models, but they were very close. It might be helpful if you could tell how well a gun has done in a previous review to give the reader a better over...

H&K USP40: Glock Killer?
I’ve been a subscriber to Gun Tests for three years, and really enjoy your magazine and your editorial courage. Too many of the popular gun mags are afraid to tick off their advertisers. You aren’t because you don’t take advertising. Keep up the great work.

Your comparison on the S&W 4006, Glock 22, Walther P99, Beretta Model 96, Sig P229, and H&K USP40 was of great interest to me. The first pistol I owned was a Glock 22, which I sold in order to buy an H&K USP40. There were several reasons for my decision to switch:

• The Glock does not have second strike capability. You must cycle the slide to pull the trigger in the event of a misfire.
• I...

Taurus PT-111
It appears that, after being reviewed by several publications, including Gun Tests (September 1998 issue), Taurus made a design change to their PT-111 pistol. I have two PT-111s (serial numbers TRE02782 and TRH42035) and there are noticeable differences between them. The newer pistol has a telescopic recoil spring/guide assembly. I like my PT-111s. But, in my opinion, the original version is better. It has a larger disassembly latch that is easier to manipulate, and a better trigger.

Richard Watkins
Kingston, TN

Marlin .45 ACP Carbine
First, I want to say that you produce a great publication. I stumbled on it by accident and have not...

If they can’t get around the 2nd Amendment, the gun-control crowd may seek to re-enact the days of Prohibition.

There’s an ongoing push to equate gun criminality with some sort of gun-related “disease,” for lack of a better description. Example: A recent Reuters article, which moved on the wires as “US Health System Fails To Track Gun Violence-Study,” uncritically accepted the conclusions of the Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan (HELP) Network. The HELP study purported to find an “information gap” that hobbled efforts to combat gun violence in the United States. Translation: The HELP study was searching for some ruse from which to enact more gun laws. Now this oblique attempt to reach in our...

Confidence in Ruger P97
Thank you for testing the Ruger P97. I think I will buy one soon. My current .45 (Glock 21) has superb accuracy-acually its the most accurate non-1911 .45 I have ever shot. People I know who bought the Ruger P97 say it is just as accurate as the Glock. Your test showed that the ergonomics were great, reliability is topnotch, and the trigger was good (for a Ruger). I assume your accuracy wasnt great because you didnt use ammo the Ruger 97 likes. Again, I really am glad you reviewed it. I now feel confident enough to make the purchase.

Mark Fertig
via AOL

August Pros and Cons
A Glock representative brought a G36 demonstrat...

Fixing Beretta Trigger Pull
I have been enjoying your Gun Tests for some months now and look forward to the arrival of each new copy. I have a DAO Beretta MD92D, which I like very much except for the long trigger pull. I have recently seen in a gun magazine that European American Armory has made a conversion kit to convert the DAO to single action. Have you done any tests on this kit or have any info on same ? I've tried to locate EAA on the internet without any success. I would appreciate any info you could give. Thanks.

E. J. Lloyd
Las Vegas, NV

We haven't tested the kit. EAA's address is European American Armory Corp., P.O. Box 1299, Sharpes, FL 32959,...

Charlton Heston, president of the National Rifle Association, spoke at the Harvard Law School Forum on Tuesday, February 16. Though his speech, “Winning The Cultural War, ” didn’t exclusively focus on gun topics, he made some points about liberty and fighting for our rights—including gun rights—that made me say, “Yes!” as I read his text. Herewith, then, are a few points from Heston’s speech we should all consider, especially in light of continuing efforts to demonize gun owners and gun ownership, and to strip our gun rights from us.

-Todd Woodard

About a year ago I became president of the National Rifle Association, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. I ran...