Re “Gun Security in Automobiles,” August 2023
AAAARRRRGGGH! Just read this article. As a 33-year-plus veteran of a large Pacific Northwest police department, I took dozens and dozens of car prowl reports in which a firearm was stolen. NEVER, EVER, leave your firearm unattended in your vehicle, period, end of story. The laughable auto gun safes you tested could easily be defeated by my 7-year-old granddaughter with minimal tools. And since when do gloveboxes or consoles “offer good enough security where you can leave your gun in your car?” Bottom line: if you are too incompetent, stupid, lazy, or clumsy around firearms, then either find a comfortable holster, obtain more training, or stop carrying. Any and all vehicle gun safes can easily be opened with a hammer, prybar, or large screwdriver. — Joe Friday
Re “GI 1911s from Springfield, RIA, Taylor’s & Co., and SDS Imports,” July 2023
Thanks for the GI 1911s tests in the July issue. Question: Did your testers mention any difficulty in reassembly of the Mil-Spec Springfield after cleaning? I bought one and liked it, but reassembly required use of a small screwdriver to depress the slide-stop plunger in order to fully insert the slide stop. I called the factory and was told they are all that way now for safety reasons. I sold the pistol. I like the looks of the Tisas 1911A1 U.S. Army. It reminds me of an old friend of long ago. As always, thanks for the good info. — Cathy
Hey Cathy: If you insert the slide stop correctly, you do not need a screwdriver to depress the slide stop plunger. Depending on the manufacturer, however, the slide stop can take some effort to push back in place. I’ve used a nylon hammer to gently tap the slide stop back. You also need to push it straight down into the receiver. If you push it at an angle, the plunger is harder to depress and you could cause an idiot scratch. — Robert Sadowski
Recommendation on Mag Loader
My 83-year-old hands are having a hard time loading 9mm pistol rounds, and I am looking for a loading tool that will work with my Taurus G3C, which works great, as you said it would. Your recommendations please. Many thanks. — David
Hey David: We’ve had great luck with UpLula magazine loaders over the years. The pistol mag loader handles several cartridges. If you have a single stack, buy the aligner insert. Log on to Maglula.com to see the different models. We like the brighter colored ones that show up in the bottom of a toolbox better. However, we’ve had a couple grow legs and walk off the range in the past, so a word to the wise. The lemon color is shown nearby, part number UP60L. — tw
Green & Red Dot Optical Pistol Sights
Hey, Todd, I’ve been a subscriber for quite a while, and I wondering about updated articles on red- or green-dot optical sights for pistols. I just placed an order for a Ruger Mk 4 22 LR pistol, and as I am almost 82 years old, my eyes don’t work well with standard metal sights. So, I need to buy and install a battery-powered optical sight, either red or green dot. Past articles I could access? Any new testing of these amazing inventions for us old f*rts coming up? What is the collective opinion of your testers about red versus green dots? — Bill
Hey Bill: We’ve tested red and green dots extensively over the last few years, and I have another piece in house on them right now. But for articles you can access on Gun-Tests.com right now, the latest was the August 2023 issue, “Double-stack Nines from Walther, Glock, Beretta, and Springfield,” which featured pistols equipped with various optical sights. In that story, the Steiner MPS 8700-MP, $499, got an A- grade. We said of it, “The MPS offers a wide field of view, easy battery replacement, and a flare-free red dot.” The Ameriglo Haven Carry Ready Combo HVN03, $329, got an A- grade, and “The Ameriglo Haven optic with tall iron sights offers a good value and a motion-activated sensor so it automatically turns on.” Getting a B+ grade, the Crimson Trace CTS-1250 01-00560, $230, “is a good value for use in competition or target shooting. Does not automatically come on, so for EDC, we’d choose other optics.” Our favorite in this test was the Trijicon RMR Type 2 RM01-C-700600, $479, which earned an A grade. We said of it, “The Trijicon is a benchmark for red-dot optics. We like the auto on and manual-adjust dot brightness.”
In the January 2023 issue, we looked at four red-dot units, including the Crimson Trace Rad Pro, the Holosun AEMS; Lucid Optics’ M7, and the Swampfox Justice. We liked the Holosun the best, making it Our Pick.
In the November 2021 issue, we looked at four red-dot sights, which were the Crimson Trace CTS-1250 01-00560, the SIG Sauer Romeo 1PRO SOP1P101, the Trijicon SRO SRO2-C-2500002, and the Vortex Razor RZR-2003. The Grade A Trijicon was Our Pick in that test, but the Grade B+ Crimson Trace was the Best Buy. Interestingly, we began reviewing red dots as far back as July 2010, when we looked at a Vortex StrikeFire Red Dot. — tw
Above are the points of view for the optical sights reviewed last month. From left to right are the Ameriglo, the Crimson Trace, the Steiner MPS, and the Trijicon RMR Type 2.
Slide Racking Effort
Hello, I subscribed to your magazine to obtain objective information regarding guns and just received my first edition. I would appreciate it if you could add an assessment of the strength it takes to rack a slide on a particular gun. I recently purchased a SIG Sauer 365XL after shooting one my instructor had. I failed to try to rack it. I found I could not rack the one I purchased. I sent it back to be checked by SIG Sauer. It checked out fine. I now have a barely used gun I need to sell. Perhaps hire a woman who does not work out with hand exercises to help you review the guns. Thank you for considering my suggestion. I look forward to more editions of Gun Tests. — Patricia
Dear Patricia: Every Gun Tests pistol test has a measurement line in the data module called “Slide Retraction Effort.” We do include female testers in many of our tests. The EZ pistols by Smith & Wesson may be more to your liking. — tw
