Firing Line: 09/05
Re Full-Size Double-Action .45s: Taurus, Ruger Go Head To Head,
April 2005
I just got my first issue of Gun Tests and read it from cover to cover. Very enjoyable reading. I even checked out the website. Its nice to read an honest evaluation of the guns tested, but Ive noticed a strange twist in the comparisons. You like to compare apples to oranges. You test .45 ACP against .45 GAP or .40 SW, compacts against full-size target and other similar but not same types of weapons. Although I enjoy the info, I find it confusing. When Im buying a particular firearm, I figure out if I want an orange or an apple, and then compare it to other apples of the same size, type and...
Downrange: 08/05
A Tale of Two Gun Bans
Virginia Tech officials have banned guns on campus - even for concealed-carry holders eligible to wear guns elsewhere in the state - and has threatened to arrest anyone who refuses to disarm or leave campus.
The gun ban would clearly prohibit holders of concealed weapons permits from carrying firearms on campus. Earlier this spring, Tech came under heavy criticism from gun owners rights groups for disciplining a student who carried a concealed handgun to class.
The student had a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon. However, university officials argued that the schools decades-old gun ban supersedes the permit. Even more confusing, Tech...
Firing Line: 08/05
Re A Baer of a Decision: Monolith, Ultimate Master, Or Premier II,
January 2005:
I have owned a Les Baer Concept III for over a year, having won it in an NRA/ILA sweepstakes. Your article on the Les Bear Custom 1911s is accurate in every respect except one. You mentioned in your review of the Premier II that the Concept I and II include a smooth frontstrap. Mine, produced in 2003, has a 30-lpi frontstrap. The Les Baer website states that the Concept I and II have smooth frontstraps, but the rest of the Concept line has the checkered 30-lpi frontstrap. I have found this pistol to be totally reliable, with many upgrade options available. The Les Baer pistol is a quality pro...
Downrange: 07/05
In a mid-May interview, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the constitutional right of Americans to own guns is as important as their rights to free speech and religion.
In an interview on CNNs Larry King Live, Rice said she came to that view from personal experience. She said her father, a black minister, and his friends armed themselves to defend the black community in Birmingham against the White Knight Riders in 1962 and 1963. She said if local authorities had had lists of registered weapons, she did not think her father and other blacks would have been able to defend themselves.
I also dont think we get to pick and choose from th...
Firing Line: 07/05
Re Budget Self-Defense Revolvers: Taurus, Rossi, and Comanche, November 2004:
I was very interested in the Taurus M605B, but I have a question. Where does it shoot relative to the point of aim? I have been disappointed by fixed-sight revolvers for their lack of accuracy because they do not shoot to the point of aim. Its impressive that such a modestly priced gun shoots 2.5-inch groups, but not so nice if they are off the point of aim by 3 or 4 inches at 15 yards. How difficult/expensive would it be for a gunsmith to fix this?
Stu Kupferman
Our Taurus generally shot to point of aim elevation at 15 yards; there were some left and right...
Firing Line: 06/05
I Would Like To See…
I am a long-time subscriber of your magazine and always appreciate your no-compromise reviews. I would like to see a Gun Tests comparison of new bargain-priced bolt rifles. I would suggest a shoot-out including the new Mossberg ATR 100 Series, the new Stevens Model 200 bolt gun from Savage, and the Remington 710. You might also include the Savage 11FXP3 package. Most all of these can be purchasedfor under $400, with scopes.
I would also hope to see an ammo test, focused on the best loads for 2-inch-barrel snubbies. I have always kept my S&W 442 loaded with the 125-grain Federal Nyclad load, which for years has been referred to as the Chiefs Special loa...
Downrange: 06/05
Meet NRAs New President
The face of the NRA has changed from Moses to that of a lawyer - a shift particularly appropriate for our times. Sandra S. Froman was sworn in as the gun groups president in April, taking the chair once held by Charlton Heston, probably the NRAs best-known president. But she takes over most recently for Kayne Robinson, who has served since 2003. Her term is expected to last two years.
Froman, 55, who earned a bachelors degree in economics from Stanford and a law degree from Harvard, is a business and employment litigator in Tucson. Shes been on the NRA board since 1992 and was encouraged to run for the board by Bob Corbin, former attorney gener...
Downrange: 05/05
CONCEALED CARRY NAMES
One of my favorite Texas legislators, State Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, R-Lampasas, doesnt think Texans should have to disclose that they are carrying a concealed handgun. So she introduced House Bill 318, which would prevent public disclosure of the names of people who hold concealed handgun licenses.
The bill passed the Texas House of Representatives in March by a 113-30 vote. The bill, similar to one passed by the House in 2003, deletes the requirement that the Texas Department of Public Safety must release the identity of a license holder to the public.
Hupp, whose family was murdered by a gunman in a Lubys restaurant in Killeen more than a dec...
Firing Line: 05/05
Other Solutions
Re Getting Bores Clean: Copper Solvents Require Elbow Grease, February 2005:
I know that it is impossible for you to test every product on the market, but I do wish you had included two of what I consider to be well-known brands in your evaluation of copper solvents. One is Hoppes Bench Rest 9, and the other is Butchs Bore Shine. Both of these products are sold by Brownells. You even made reference to Hoppes No. 9 in your article (without regard to whether it was the old No. 9 Nitro-Solvent or the newer Bench Rest 9 Copper Solvent), but you did not give any evaluation of the Hoppes product. I have used both of the Hoppes products for many years a...
Downrange: 04/05
Gun News
Arizona legislators have come up with a plan to legalize loaded weapons in places that serve alcohol. Senate Bill 1363 breezed through the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 5-2 vote and appears headed toward a promising future in the full Senate and House.
Downside: Arizonans would have to avoid drinking an alcoholic beverage while carrying the loaded weapon. The measure would apply to restaurants, bars and nightclubs that served alcohol. The measure fell one vote short of passage last year.
The reasoning behind the measure? Law-abiding gun owners should be able to dine in restaurants without leaving their weapons at home or in the car, where they are useless for...
Firing Line: 04/05
What Happened to Lower Cost?
As a pioneer subscriber to Gun Tests, I have always enjoyed the diversity of articles. The last few years, I have noticed a trend toward what I call the high buck handgun - a gun that does not always equate price to value.
Remember a number of years ago when you rated the Norinco as a better bargain, with a bit of gunsmithing, when compared to many of the high-buck 1911s on the market? Why not a review on the Rock Island $300 1911? Could that be a bargain?
These hold the budget articles, I believe, would even be of interest to those who wanted a reliable second plinker.
Also, what ever happened to the Kel-Tec 223 article that was listed...
Downrange: 03/05
Michael Moore is certainly no friend of gun owners, but this episode also shows him to be hypocrite. He actively campaigns against gun ownership, but he has retained an armed bodyguard - see entry under Rosie ODonnell.
But in this case, it wouldnt be Moore who would be put at risk. Bodyguard Patrick Burk was reportedly arrested at JFK International Airport when he declared a pistol in his baggage at the ticket counter, as required by law. New York authorities routinely arrest nonresident travelers who do not have a New...
