By John Taffin

Why can’t they just sight these guns in at the factory?” is a refrain I hear often. Let’s say, someone has saved up the money to buy a traditional fixed-sighted single action sixgun. It could be a Colt, Cimarron/Uberti, Ruger, USFA or any one of several other sixguns and the shooter finds the gun he has been waiting for does not shoot to point of aim. So why can’t fixed-sighted sixguns shoot where they point? Why can’t the factory sight them in properly?

The answer is they do — and they don’t. The problem is everyone does not use the same ammunition, nor the same hold, nor has the same eyes, nor shoots under the same lighting conditions. All of these have a bearing on how connected point-of-aim is to point-of-impact. The sixgun you hold in your hands which won’t shoot for you to point-of-aim may have been perfectly sighted in by someone in the factory, but only for them, and we’re all different. One of my shooting friends and I can take the same sixgun with the same loads and my shots will be around 3″ higher than his at 25 yards. We hold differently — we see differently.

Quite often single actions need to have their barrels turned to adjust the windage, and/or front sights filed down to address elevation. Once in a while we come across a front sight which is too short, and requires metal to be added to the sight top or to shoot lighter bullets (which strike lower). However, usually it is just a matter of filing a too-tall front sight.

Caution is necessary here. The barrel around the front sight should be wrapped with some kind of protective tape just in case the file slips, and as Murphy has so adequately stated it, if it can — it will. Also it’s necessary to go slowly, and after a few file strokes check the elevation. It’s also necessary to pick a particular load before starting this process, and realize the point of impact from sandbags may be different than when shooting offhand. Strange as it may seem sometimes just changing powder or bullets or both will also change the windage. It’s just a matter of experimenting.

This Ruger .357 New Vaquero has been fitted with a Bowen front sight while the
Freedom Arms .357 Model 97 has a Freedom Arms adjustable front sight.

A shop-made barrel vise which fits into the trailer hitch of Taffin’s Chevy
4×4 allows turning of barrels in the field.

Twist ’Em

Turning barrels to move the front sight is not difficult, however it does require proper equipment. My friend Denis came up with a portable barrel vise so we could work in the field. The supporting section is an L-shaped affair about 20″ tall which fits into the trailer hitch on my Silverado 4×4. The top of this holds the vise and he made aluminum blocks to precisely fit the barrel of Colt Single Actions and replicas. We also use a frame wrench instead of the traditional axe handle, minimizing damaging the frame in any way.

Denis, being a retired engineer and hobby machinist, worked out a chart for each barrel length as to how much we’d have to twist the barrel. He didn’t stop there, and also came up with a gauge to fit on the frame wrench handle, and it works perfectly. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of turning your own barrels or only have one needing attention, most gunsmiths can perform this task. I have had three local gunsmiths over the past several decades who were real experts at this. All I’ve had to do is shoot a target, take it in to them and most often they would adjust the barrel perfectly the first try. Experience counts.

Over several months Denis and I checked out more than 100 single-action sixguns and had to turn the barrels on approximately one-third of them to adjust for windage. The most extreme example was a 1903 Colt SAA .44-40 which required enough barrel turning to compensate for shooting 6″ to the left. To do this requires about 6 degrees of left barrel rotation, which means tightening the barrel considerably. It worked perfectly.

Then we came to a Texican which also needed the barrel turned 2-3 degrees left; however, it was found to be so tight it would require taking metal off the barrel to allow it to be turned. Now what?

I just happened to have a Smith & Wesson N-frame rear sight assembly in my parts box. Actually it was one of those things I picked up when I saw it at a good price and put away expecting to use it on some future project. Now was the time. The Texican is not your ordinary replica Colt. It was built to high quality standards by Hartford Armory for STI but only for a very short time. It was/is a beautifully fitted and finished Single Action and it shoots extremely well.

I took the rear sight and the .45 Colt Texican to my local gun shop, Buckhorn Gun & Pawn, and turned it over to Mike Rainey and Tom Cripe asking them if they could fit the Smith & Wesson rear sight to the Texican — which I knew they could. But I also asked them if they could come up with a rifle style barrel band front sight? They didn’t just find one, they made it. Actually Mike designed it, gave Tom the drawing and he proceeded to machine the barrel band from a solid block of steel. I was definitely impressed with the design and quality of the work. There are many well-known national gunsmiths building excellent sixguns; however, there are also many local gunsmiths who are extremely talented. Mike and Tom are two of them.

This Colt Single Action has been fitted with a new cylinder and 81/2″ barrel chambered for
.32-20 by Hamilton Bowen. Note the adjustable rear sight and ramp front sight.

Taffin’s Buckhorn gunsmith, Tom Cripe, fitted this .45 Texican with an
adjustable S&W rear sight and a barrel band front sight. Beautifully done.

Adjustable Sight Options

Many years ago, in fact more than four decades, I had a Smith & Wesson 1950 Military .44 Special, which at the time had not yet become a collector’s item. I wanted more versatility than I had so I took it to George Hoenig who did exactly what Tom had done with my Colt Single Action. He fitted a Smith & Wesson fully adjustable rear sight, cut a 1950 Target .44 Special barrel to 5″ and I wound up with another very versatile and good shooting sixgun.

Several years ago I traded into a 41/2″ Colt New Service .44 Special on which someone had installed a ramp front sight without changing the rear sight and it shot 12″ low. Qualite Pistol & Revolver was still in business at the time and I sent it off to Milt Morrison along with another Smith & Wesson adjustable rear sight which he installed. He tuned the action, refinished the entire gun in bright blue, once again turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse. My parts box is now empty of Smith & Wesson rear sight assemblies so it’s time to start looking for more as who knows what project lies ahead.

While not as versatile as adjustable rear sights it’s possible to install a semi-adjustable front sight. These are installed in a dovetail and can be adjusted for windage and locked into place. However the elevation can only be controlled by filing the blade to the proper height for one particular load. This type of front sight is available from both Hamilton Bowen and Freedom Arms.

One of Bowen’s front sights has been installed on a Ruger .357 Magnum New Vaquero, while the Freedom Arms version is now on a pair of 51/2″ Model 97’s and a 71/2″ version as well, all in .357 Magnum. All of these require precise cutting of a dovetail which is normally a job for a properly equipped gunsmith.

Freedom Arms now offers an aftermarket front sight adjustable for
windage. It’s handy and precludes

Upgrade First

Traditional single action sixguns are beautiful works of art, however they may require twisting the barrel, or even adding adjustable sights to get them to shoot to point of aim. A much easier solution is to buy an adjustable-sighted sixgun to start with. Unless the traditionally styled sixgun is a must, instead of looking at a Colt Single Action take a good look at their New Frontier. Yes it’s more expensive but costs a lot less than adding new sights.

When it comes to Ruger, an adjustable sighted Blackhawk is much more versatile than a New Vaquero. It’s just another example of paying one’s money and making one’s choice.

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Eagles In 9mm and .45 ACP

The Iver Johnson Eagle 1911 in our test is chambered in 9mm. Why the recent move toward 9mm 1911’s? Easy, they’re fun to shoot, offer little recoil, are accurate and ammo is cheap. What else do you need? Going back to the original 1911 — and I have one commercial model which was manufactured in 1914 — there are two attributes which needed serious attention. First and foremost, the sights are extremely small and nonadjustable on my original version. This Iver Johnson Eagle has exceptionally good sights, with a post front in a dovetail matched up with a fully adjustable rear sight which appears to be a Millett. The rear notch is square and outlined in white for easy pickup.

The second problem in the original design, at least for me, is the fact the hammer loves to pinch the back of my hand as the gun is fired. Iver Johnson has addressed this with a beavertail grip safety with a memory bump. Everything else just adds to the desirability of this pistol which, like all Iver Johnson semi-automatics, is made in the Philippines.

The finish is matte blue, the slide is tightly fitted to the frame with no perceptible movement side to side, there are front and rear cocking serrations on the slide and the hammer is skeletonized as is the trigger with three holes from side to side. The thumb safety on the left side is extended as is the slide stop lever. Grips are exceptionally nicely checkered walnut of the double diamond pattern with the Iver Johnson owl head lasered into the center of the grip. There is nothing I would add to or remove from this 9mm 1911 to make it a suitable carry gun for self-defense or simply to use as an everyday working gun. The one change I would make, and I don’t find this absolutely necessary, is to take the trigger pull down from 51/4 pounds to right around 31/2 pounds; however I would have no problem living with it as it is.

The 9mm Eagle was as accurate as the .45 ACP version, and John enjoyed the
lower recoil and controllability of the 9mm chambering in a 1911.

I shot 17 factory loads testing this Iver Johnson Eagle 1911, which of course has a standard 5″ barrel, locking up tightly in the bushing. The most accurate loads were Remington’s and HPR’s 115-gr. JHPs, clocking out at 1,144 fps in the former and 1,172 fps in the latter, with both putting five shots in 1″ at 20 yards. Right behind these two at 1,178 fps and a 11/4″ group is the Hornady XTP-JHP. Should I desire penetration over expansion, the Black Hills 115 FMJ provides the same accuracy at the muzzle velocity of 1,210 fps. If I were to carry this gun daily — and I certainly would not hesitate doing so — I would use it with 115 jacketed hollowpoints backed up by a couple 115 FMJ’s.

The 9mm Eagle delivered guilt-edged accuracy with some loads.

The 9mm Eagle carries well in leather by Zack Davis while the long slide .45
is packed in a belt slide holster by Derry Gallagher.

A .45 ACP Too

I felt somewhat obligated to make a case for the 9mm 1911, however, the second new Iver Johnson Eagle 1911 is chambered in .45 ACP and this is a given. People may still be debating Global Warming and will continue to do so as long as there is money to be made, but when it comes to the best self-defense pistol the argument is long over, the debate is finished, and the .45 ACP 1911 is the number one choice. There is nothing to argue here as this combination has never been bettered.

These two new Iver Johnson pistols are basically dead ringers, except for the obvious chambering, and one other difference. The .45 ACP Iver Johnson Eagle is the new XL model with, I assume, the XL standing for extra length as this is a long slide .45 ACP with a 6″ barrel and companion slide. Way back when AMT was producing stainless steel semi-automatic pistols, I did have a long slide 10mm. However, at the time I couldn’t afford to purchase it and it went back to the factory. I’ve wanted one ever since. Well none of that matters now as I do have an exceptionally well-made Iver Johnson Model XL.

Everything said about the 9mm version applies to the .45 XL. They have the same all around features including the same sights, same safeties, same matte blue finish and same grips. Just as with the 9mm version this long slide .45 could benefit with a trigger job to cut its 51/2-pound pull by two pounds.

The main advantage of the Iver Johnson XL is the extended sight radius, but carrying this pistol could present a problem as all of my 1911 holsters are either made for the standard 5″ Government Model or the 41/4″ Commander-style. However one easy solution is the belt slide style holster which will carry this long slide .45 quite easily.

I fired 11 different loads testing the .45 XL, six factory and five handloads. Both the Black Hills 185 jacketed hollowpoint and 230-gr. jacketed hollowpoint loads proved to be accurate enough for everyday carry, clocking out at 978 fps and 828 fps, respectively. My most accurate load proved to be my handload consisting of the Speer 200 JHP over 6.9 grains of the new Hodgdon’s CFE Pistol powder for 852 fps and a group of 11/4″. I also shoot a lot of Oregon Trail’s 200 grain SWC over the old standby Bullseye powder. With 5.0 grains of Bullseye the muzzle velocity is right at a very potent 900 fps while my “Old Man Gun Load” using 4.0 grains is a very pleasant shooting 722 fps. Both of these group in 11/2″ and I was pleasantly surprised to find the lighter load work the heavier slide reliably.

Essentially twins, but with the long slide Eagle XL being in .45 ACP
and having a 6″ barrel/slide.

The long slide Eagle XL proved its mettle, delivering consistent, tight groups with
a range of .45 ACP ammo. John liked the longer sight radius.

And …?

Iver Johnson has only been offering 1911’s for a relatively few years and they are providing an excellent line-up of reliable performing pistols. Both of these examples proved to be 100 percent reliable with all ammunition tested; no stoppages, no failures to feed. Earlier I reported on the original Eagle with adjustable sights, the 1911 with fixed sights and the Commander-sized Hawk. This was followed up with a report on their Officers Model-sized Thrashers. They are also providing 1911’s with several interesting pattern finishes including Snake finishes such as Water Moccasin, Boa Constrictor and Copperhead. My article on these three .45 ACP’s is already in the pipeline.

Both the 9mm Eagle and the .45 ACP Eagle XL come with two magazines and are packed in a lockable plastic box. They both have the standard bushing, recoil spring and recoil spring plug as found on 1911’s since 1911, and they disassemble exactly as the originals. Iver Johnson warns against using +P ammunition as well as issuing the normal restriction on reloaded ammunition as the use of either will void the warranty. They are warranted against defects in material and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase to the original buyer.

There are more 1911’s made in the Philippines than any other country. Those offered by Iver Johnson are excellent examples of the original design which is now well over 100 years old and shows no signs of becoming any less popular.
By John Taffin

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By John Taffin

First, some history. In 1992 I was on assignment touring gun factories in the North East, and as such I found myself in Bill Ruger’s office to conduct an interview for GUNS magazine. When I entered his office I found much more modest surroundings than expected and also found a large couch piled high with gun magazines of every description, a gun cabinet containing some notable firearms, and also saw a prototype semi-automatic pistol on his desk.

During our conversation that day, I asked Bill Ruger about bringing out a .45 Colt Redhawk. I have no way of knowing if that had any bearing on the decision but I at least like to think the fact we now have a Redhawk chambered in the grand old cartridge had something to do with our conversation that day. With the advent of the .45 Blackhawk in 1970 we had the strongest .45 Colt single action ever offered; now we had its double action counterpart.

The Redhawk gains its strength in many ways. The threaded area of the frame is very thick, double what one finds in many other sixguns, and the massive cylinder is locked at the rear and front of the cylinder itself rather than at the end of the ejector rod. The barrel carries a heavy rib and the top strap literally speaks of brute strength. And like the single action Blackhawk, the double action Redhawk is virtually indestructible.

The .45 Redhawk was first offered with a 71/2″ barrel in two models, one of which had the barrel scalloped to accept Ruger scope rings. It was also offered with a 51/2″ barrel and in both blued and stainless steel versions. Then a few years back Ruger brought out what may be one of the most rugged Perfect Packin’ Pistols ever offered, namely the 4″ Redhawk in stainless steel and equipped with finger grooved rubber grips.

The latest Ruger Redhawk is designed to accept and fire .45 ACP
and .45 Colt loads in the same cylinder.

Newest Version

Now the latest Redhawk .45 is a Convertible Model, however it’s different than other convertible models. We are used to single actions which have two cylinders accepting two different cartridges such as .357 Magnum and 9 mm, or .45 Colt and .45 ACP. The new Redhawk — which is marked on the side of the barrel “45 Auto-45 Colt” does not use two cylinders but rather has one cylinder specially cut to accept both cartridges.

The .45 Colt headspaces on the cartridge rim while the .45 ACP headspaces on the mouth of the cartridge matching up with a ledge in the barrel of a semi-automatic or each chamber of the cylinder. Sixguns in .45 Colt can be made with cylinders delivering exceptional accuracy, and the same thing can be accomplished with cylinders chambered for the .45 ACP using full-moon clips. These clips in a double action revolver provide headspacing and also quick loading and unloading. Without the clips there would be nothing for the extractor on a DA revolver to contact to allow for unloading. The .45 Colt has a rim larger than the case diameter while the .45 ACP does not; so special modifications are necessary for the latter when used in a DA revolver.

Ruger’s solution is to cut the back of the cylinder to accept six .45 ACP cartridges while at the same time allowing .45 Colt cartridges to headspace properly. Standard .45 ACP full moon clips will not work as they are too thick. The special full moon clips from Ruger are thinner and made of spring steel. Insertion of .45 ACP cartridges as well as removal is much easier with the Ruger full moon clips than standard models which are available.

This Ruger Redhawk is designed to handle both .45 Colt and .45 ACP cartridges. My first thought was is it really possible? The second thought was, if so, what about other cartridges such as .460 Rowland, .45 WinMag and .45 Super? I could envision testing this revolver would take more time than normal. The .45 Colt and .45 ACP chambering would require at least double the time and shooting as well as ammunition as a sixgun with only one chambering, while trying the other cartridges would certainly add to this. Even with all this I was looking forward to the testing as I have been a fan of the .45 Redhawk for many years.

This Redhawk has a 4″ barrel, is constructed of stainless steel, and has the typical excellent Ruger adjustable sights with the front sight having the interchangeable feature. However, no extra sights are provided. The single action trigger pull did not help any in my testing as it measured over 71/2 pounds on the Brownell’s Trigger Pull Gauge. I have already sent off my check to purchase this revolver so the next step is to have my gunsmith, Tom at Buckhorn, smooth out the trigger.

The grip is quite different on this gun as it’s about the size of the old original S&W Magna with the back of the butt round butted. The grips themselves are laminated rosewood with checkering. In fact my third thought was they would not be very user-friendly when it came to felt recoil; I was wrong. I found them quite comfortable to use with everything except a .45 Colt load with the 365-gr. bullet at just under 1,100 fps. That load definitely talked to me! Almost had me talkin’ to myself! Let’s take a look at the different chamberings and how they worked in this new Ruger Redhawk.

The Ruger Redhawk .45 ACP/.45 Colt model uses specially designed full
moon clips available from Ruger for use with .45 ACP loads.

The .45 ACP

Since this is the first Redhawk ever chambered in .45 ACP I used this as my starting point. Shooting at 20 yards I was quite disappointed to find my first group for five shots measured 3″, and some loads were actually worse than this. It didn’t take long to find out that this revolver was very picky when shooting .45 ACP loads. I soon discovered it preferred the lighter loads using hard cast bullets. The Buffalo Bore Low Recoil .45 ACP’s with both 180- and 200-gr. hard cast bullets at muzzle velocities of 724 and 654 fps respectively both shot well, comparatively speaking, with groups of 11/2″ and 13/8″ respectively. My personally assembled Low Recoil load using the Oregon Trail 225 hard cast round nosed bullet over 5.0 grains of Bullseye for 688 fps also shot relatively well, with a five-shot group of 13/4″.

My theory is these loads have such a free bore to follow through the cylinder they don’t always enter the barrel straight on and have trouble maintaining their stabilization much past 10 yards. Shooting at 7 yards made me feel much better and groups shrunk to around 1” or so. The Black Hills 185 JHP clocked out at 764 fps with a 1″ group while Buffalo Bore’s 180 Hard Cast Low Recoil at 724 fps delivered a group of 3/4″, as samples. The Ruger Redhawk loaded with .45 ACP loads would certainly not be a problem at a reasonable self-defense distance.

John felt the big jump the .45 ACP had to take in the cylinder
caused bigger groups at 20 yards.

Garrett’s Hammer Head .45 Colt loads are
a good choice for the Ruger Redhawk.

The .45 Colt

I expected much better performance from this load and was not disappointed. I especially had good luck with my old standard load of 8.0 grains of Unique. The Lyman #454424 Keith bullet sized to .454″ clocked out just over 900 fps with a group of 11/4″ while the more modernized version of this bullet #452424 sized at .452″ clocked out at just over 800 fps while shooting a slightly tighter group at 1″. The RCBS version of this bullet, #45-255KT over 20.0 grains of #4227 shot just under 925 fps with a 1″ group. Rim Rock’s version of this bullet gas checked and loaded over 8.5 grains of Universal was just under 900 fps with a group of 11/8″.

The load really surprising to me, but shouldn’t have done so, was the old original flat nose bullet from 1873, in this case dropped from an old Lachmiller three-cavity mold, loaded over 8.0 grains of Unique. It pretty much duplicates the old black powder load at 850 fps, with a nice tight group of 7/8″. Any of these loads would be perfectly suitable as an everyday working load.

Garrett Cartridges of Texas is now owned by my friend Ashley Emerson and he has been adding to the original list of high quality ammunition offered by Randy Garrett. Ashley has branched into the .45 Colt and .454 offerings. Two of his .45 Colt loads are the .45 Colt+P 265-gr. hard cast Hammer Head designed for use in 2nd and 3rd Generation Colt Single Actions and recently produced Uberti replicas. This load clocks out just over 900 fps from the 4” barrel and is very pleasant to shoot.

This cannot be said about the Garrett Cartridges of Texas 365 LFR (Large Frame Revolver) +P Hammer Head. This is a very serious load and more than the Ruger Redhawk Grip could handle comfortably for me. However, if I was going to wander anywhere I would have to worry about something wanting to bite, scratch, claw, or eat me, this is the load I would carry. I never feel recoil when I am hunting and I certainly would not feel recoil of these loads if I found myself in a serious situation.

Double Tap’s 255-gr. SWC hardcast in .45 ACP is perfect for the Redhawk,
along with the CorBon 200 JHP in .45 Colt. Both in the same sixgun!

A Winner

This new Ruger Redhawk is designed for use with the .45 ACP and .45 Colt and I’m sure Ruger would not recommend any other .45 caliber cartridges. However, being the curious sort I had to try some. I don’t want to be specific about what I learned as I’m sure Ruger doesn’t want incorrect calibers fired in this sixgun. After some experimenting, let’s just say I wasted my time!

Although I tried three other cartridges I will stay with the Ruger-recommended .45 Colt and .45 ACP. For regular carry I would have six .45 Colt cartridges in the cylinder backed up by two or three full-moon clips loaded with .45 ACP cartridges. The full-moon clips are available from Ruger and you would want to keep fresh clips loaded for use as they do tend to stretch slightly when loaded and unloaded with cartridges several times. This would be no problem normally, but carried in a pocket, cartridges could fall out of their proper space in the full-moon clips.

The Redhawk is probably the strongest double action revolver ever offered which is at the same time packable. The Super Redhawk may or may not be stronger, however it is certainly not as packable as the original Redhawk. It comes close when the barrel is cut to 4″ or so — but only close. The Redhawk is the better choice for everyday carry. I cannot ever see it failing.

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Ruger brought out their first Bisley Models in the mid-1980’s chambered in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. All of these had 6-shot cylinders. Custom gunsmith John Linebaugh converted one of the first .357 Magnum Ruger Bisley Models to his 5-shot .500 Linebaugh for me. I would not want to shoot this powerful sixgun without the Bisley grip frame.

The roots of the Ruger Bisley grip frame go back well over a century. In 1896 Colt sought to turn their Single Action Army into a target pistol. To do this they added relatively crude adjustable sights, a target trigger and hammer and drastically changed the grip frame. The backstrap was made to come up higher while the front strap also came up higher, with both of these being done so the grip frame would sit deeper in the hand and not twist in recoil.

In the 1980’s Ruger took a good look at the concept and came up with a much better solution, with the Ruger Bisley Model grip frame. The backstrap still comes up high in the back however it fills in more behind the trigger guard giving a very solid feeling grip and one doing what many consider the best job of handling recoil — heavy recoil that is — in any single action.

DoubleTap offers serious hunting loads for the .454
with hard cast bullets of 335, 360 and 400 grains.

Buffalo Bore’s 370-gr. and 410-gr. hard cast bullets
are excellent for hunting with the .480 Ruger.

Fast Learners

With Ruger producing the Bisley Model in the above four chamberings and custom sixgunsmiths using the basic Ruger Bisley for 5-shot conversions of both Linebaugh’s cartridges as well as others, it wasn’t long before shooters began petitioning Ruger for a factory produced five-shot Bisley Model. For years the pleas only fell on deaf ears. However, thanks to Ruger distributor Lipsey’s we have a Bisley Model 5-shooter. The natural chambering of course was the .454 Casull, however Ruger also had its own big bore cartridge which debuted in the early years of the new century in the Ruger Super Redhawk.

This cartridge was a joint collaboration between Hornady and Ruger. To come up with the first cartridge to bear the Ruger name, Hornady apparently took a good solid look at the .475 Linebaugh and felt there was a need for something which was not quite so powerful, and the result was the .480 Ruger which is simply the .475 Linebaugh trimmed to 1.285″ from 1.400″. The .480 Ruger can be fired in any sixgun chambered for the .475 Linebaugh but not vice versa, and any .45 Colt can be fired in the .454 Bisley Model.

Now the Ruger Bisley Model, the .454 and the .480 Ruger have all come together in a new stainless steel, 61/2″ barreled Big Bore Bisley and it’s only available from Ruger through Lipsey’s. I’ve never been a fan of the 61/2″ barrel length in a single action, however this new Ruger has the longer 5″ ejector rod housing and the result is a nicely balanced and very good-looking 5-shot revolver. By using a 5-shot cylinder, as Dick Casull found out 60 years ago, more steel is in-between chambers and most importantly the cylinder bolt cuts are not under the chamber but rather in between, resulting in more strength.

Major ammo makers, like Hornady, have plenty of factory loadings
for both the .480 and the .454. Note screw (red arrow) in base
pin to secure it.

Problems

One of the problems inherent in heavy recoiling cartridges in single action sixguns is the possibility of having an unsupported loading gate. There are two ways to support the loading gate. One is by always having a cartridge case under the loading gate to support it when the sixgun is fired or by having recessed case heads allowing the cylinder to be long enough to provide the necessary support to the loading gate. Without one of these two options more than one shooter has seen his loading gate break. Ruger chose to go with recessed cylinders.

Another problem also inherent in single actions is keeping the base pin where it belongs. Originally the black powder Colts used a screw which entered diagonally from the front of the frame and held the base pin in place. About the time black powder was replaced by smokeless powder Colt changed to a spring-loaded base pin catch which did not and does not always work, especially with heavier recoiling cartridges. I have had more than one base pin come out, not just with .44 Magnum cartridges fired in the Ruger Blackhawk but also have launched base pins out of Colt Single Actions chambered in .45 Colt or .44 Special. More than a few of these base pins are still scattered around sagebrush in southwestern Idaho.

Years ago Belt Mountain Base Pins began offering locking base pins to replace the factory versions in both single actions. Ruger has wisely followed their lead and the Bisley Model base pins have a screw which enters from the bottom of the base pin head and fills in a notch in the bottom of the barrel. It never loosened at all during the time I was test-firing both the .454 and .480 Ruger versions.

When I started shooting single actions way too many years ago I learned to always carry a small screwdriver in my shirt pocket to keep all the screws tightened. One especially has to be careful of the screw holding the ejector rod housing to the barrel as if it loosens up enough recoil will bend the screw or even catapult the ejector rod housing.

Both the .480 Ruger and the .454 Bisley Models are 5-shooters.

Engineering Points

Both of these Bisley Models are heavy sixguns, with the .480 weighing in at an even three pounds, while the .454 weighs one ounce more according to my postal scale. Sights are the typical Ruger adjustable, with a fully adjustable rear sight matched up with a ramp front sight both of which are the way they should be — black. Trigger pulls on both guns are relatively smooth and weigh in at 31/2 lbs. according to my Brownell’s Trigger Gauge. Using pin gauges I took the measurement of the chamber mouths of both sixguns with the .454 accepting a 0.454″ gauge while the .480 Ruger measured out at 0.476″.

These sixguns are almost perfect — almost. Both of them exhibit what seems to be a standard problem with adjustable-sighted Rugers, namely the pin holding the rear sight in place has a tendency to back out. This is an easy fix by simply pinching one end of the pin and driving it back into place.

The Ruger Bisley Model .454 (and the .480) displayed excellent
overall accuracy. The grips are replacements.

Cartridges (left to right): .454 Casull, .45 Colt,
.480 Ruger and .475 Linebaugh. Now you know!

Shooting Thoughts

There was a time when I looked with anticipation at being able to shoot hundreds of rounds through such heavy recoiling sixguns. That time has long passed and I can no longer fire more than a few rounds at a time with such heavy recoil at the backend. So for serious testing of both of these guns I clamped the Ransom Rest to a solid concrete bench. I had started by using my 200 pound-plus shooting bench, however the recoil of even .45 Colt heavy loads moved the bench ever so slightly sideways resulting in horizontal strings on the target. The solid concrete bench solved this problem.

I started my testing by using some standard .45 Colt loads, however the results were quite disappointing. The .454 Ruger Bisley Model has a barrel with a 1:24″ twist which is just about perfect for heavy bullets at higher velocities but apparently doesn’t like standard bullets at standard velocities. One .45 Colt load which works exceptionally well is the Garrett Cartridges of Texas 45LFR (Long Frame Revolver) 365-gr. Hammerhead at just over 1,100 fps, grouping four shots in 1″ at 25 yards.

The most accurate loads through the .454 proved to be one which is no longer produced, that is the Black Hills 300 grain XTP load. Four shots group in 3/4″ at a muzzle velocity of 1,320 fps. Hornady’s 240 XTP-JHP at 1,700 fps and their 300 XTP-JHP at 1,500 fps both group exceptionally well with four shots in 7/8″. Last fall I used the Garrett Cartridges of Texas 365 Hammerhead .454 rated at 1,350 fps to take a 7×7 bull elk with one shot. From the Ruger Bisley Model this load clocks out at 1,200 fps and put four shots in 11/8″ at 25 yards. The heaviest bullet I tried was Double Tap’s 400 WFN at 1,125 fps and a 11/4″ group.

Turning to the .480 Ruger I had excellent results with Buffalo Bore’s Hard Cast loads, with the 370 LFN clocking out at 1,200 fps and a 3/4″ group, while their 410 WFN load, which I used to take my trophy bull bison several years ago with a one-shot kill at 35 yards, clocked out just over 1,115 fps with a four-shot group of 1″.

Most of my handloads for the .480 Ruger are put together with hard cast bullets and IMR4227. With 19 grains, a 435 LFN has a muzzle velocity of 1,050 fps and groups four shots in 1″ at 25 yards and using 22.5 grains for lighter bullets gives the 355 Oregon Trail FPGC a muzzle velocity of just under 1,100 fps and a group of 11/4″ while the 380 grain LBT LFN clocks out at over 1,125 fps and a 1” group with four shots at 25 yards.

My first hunting sixguns were Rugers; a .22 Single-Six for varmints, a .357 Blackhawk for small game and a .44 Magnum Blackhawk for larger game. I eventually added a 10″ Flat-Top .44 Magnum Blackhawk and carried it for years in a Goerg shoulder holster. Ruger has been supplying the needs of sixgun hunters for 60+ years now. This pair of Lipsey’s/Ruger Bisley Models may well be considered the finest hunting handguns they have ever offered.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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Comforting — And Comfortable!

By John Taffin

Springfield Armory is one of the top producers of semi-automatics on the 1911 pattern, and the arrival of the Range Officer was greeted enthusiastically. This is a full-sized 1911, blued steel, chambered in .45 ACP and basically an upgraded Mil-Spec. The frame is forged as is the slide, with both being precision hand-fitted. Both the barrel and bushing are stainless steel and the barrel is of national match quality. This Target Model’s sights are black the way they should be for easy visibility, consisting of a square notch rear sight matched up with a sloping post front sight. The front sight is set in a dovetail allowing for easy windage adjustment or even replacement if desired. The rear sight is also in a dovetail, set very low into the slide and is adjustable for both windage and elevation.

Slide to frame fit is just about perfect. The extended trigger is light-weight aluminum with three holes drilled in it and serrations on the front, while the hammer is lightweight and skeletonized. The trigger pull measures 53/4 pounds on my test gun. The grip safety is of the beavertail style with a memory bump and cut-out on top for the hammer. The mainspring housing is original 1911 flat-style and is checkered, while the front strap is smooth. The whole package is reminiscent of customized military .45’s from the middle of the 20th century.

Springfield Armory advertised their new Range Officer as being suitable for competition without any unneeded extras. It certainly makes a fine self-defense pistol also as it has the most desired attributes in upgrading a 1911, with excellent sights, extended thumb safety and beavertail grip safety. The magazine release also works very easily and positively. Two things I really appreciate, again this is definitely subjective on my part, is the fact it does not have an ambidextrous safety and the magazine is the old traditional flat bottom style without that funny looking pad on the bottom.

I can understand why some competition shooters want the pad but my competition days are long gone and I will choose form over function in this case. In the case of the ambidextrous safety if I ever do have to shoot left-handed I do not find it a great disadvantage to have to push the safety off with my left hand.

Shooting the Range Officer proves to be pure pleasure. Outstanding results include the Black Hills 230 grainers; their standard 230-gr. JHP clocks out at 770 fps and puts five shots in 7/8″ while the FMJ version duplicates the muzzle velocity and cuts the group size to 5/8″. What really intrigues me is the fact the Black Hills 230-gr. round-nosed lead rounds group at just over 1″. Winchesters are very consistent, with the 185-gr. SilverTip, 230 JHP and 230 FMJ all grouping in 11/4″. This pistol — and other Range Officer’s we’ve tested — all shoot like custom match 1911’s!

There are many lightweight pocket pistols available today, including some made by Springfield Armory, however the original full-sized 1911 is still easy to pack, easy to conceal, and fast into service. In this case packing around a little extra weight is a very comforting feeling. There seems to be no end to the customizing which can be accomplished, but for a 1911 with everything needed and nothing that isn’t, it would be hard to find anything better than the Springfield Armory Range Officer. It’s one of my top nominees as a Perfect Packin’ Pistol Semi-Auto style.

The Springfield Armory .45 Range Officer with Parkerized finish has
most of the elements needed in a 1911 to perform as a match or
protection/carry gun.

Upgrades

Now Springfield Armory has moved the Range Officer up a notch in the competition for PPP by bringing out the same excellent pistol in stainless steel. Everything said so far about the Range Officer applies to this newest offering with the addition of being constructed entirely of weather-beating stainless steel. The original Range Officer with its Parkerized finish is a very business looking .45. The Stainless Steel Model is every bit as serious looking and is also an extremely attractive pistol. I would have a hard time deciding which Range Officer to pick so as I always do in these types of situation — I simply bought ’em both!

When it comes to firearms, downsizing can be a very good thing and that is exactly what has happened at Springfield Armory. No, the company has not downsized, but they have downsized their popular Range Officer in a very positive way, resulting in the Range Officer Compact.

Springfield Armory has said of the Compact Range Officers: “If you want a competition grade 1911 that conceals better than a full-sized pistol, the Range Officer Compact from Springfield Armory offers finely tuned performance in a smaller package. The Range Officer Compact brings the precision of the competition pistol in a small and straightforward configuration.”

The Range Officer Compact Model is not simply a Range Officer which has been shrunk. A few changes have been made, some of which are external, while others are internal. The first things noticed are probably the shorter barrel, which is now 4″, and the Officers Model-sized grip frame. The magazine holds six rounds, making it 7-round capacity pistol. Sights are also different. Instead of the fully adjustable competition styled sights found on the full-sized Range Officer, the Compact Model has more typical self-defense sights with a low profile “combat” rear sight in a dovetail while the front sight, also in a dovetail, is a red fiber optic sight. The square notch of the rear sight has a white dot on each side so these sights pick up very quickly even in low light.

One of the main differences is the fact the Compact Model has a full-length guide rod instead of a bushing; even though there is no bushing, the barrel of the Compact Model is tapered at the muzzle end for a tighter fit in the slide. The barrel is a national match stainless steel barrel and the national match frame and slide are of the same material and precision as those found in their Trophy Match 1911’s. The beavertail grip safety has a memory bump, the flat mainspring housing is checkered, and the trigger is an extended lightweight style. Trigger pull is smooth and creep-free and seemed lighter than the measured 43/4 pounds. The thumb safety on the left side is striated for a positive operation. The magazine release is the standard on the left side style and operates very positively.

The 5″ Range Officer, 4″ Range Officer Champion Lightweight, and 4″ RangeOfficer
Compact. All display amazing accuracy for a modest-priced factory model!

Lighter Is Good

Normally the first thing I do with any sixgun or semi-auto is check the quality, size and fit of the grip panels which normally results in my changing them. The grip panels on the Compact Model are entirely satisfactory. They are slim and fit well and are of the double diamond checkered variety and appear to be of rosewood. Each panel has the Springfield Armory logo in the center and the words “RO COMPACT” along the bottom back side of each panel.

These desirable little pistols come in an exceptionally sturdy, lockable padded case which not only holds the pistol in a padded cut-out but also an extra magazine, a bristle brush, a Springfield Armory polymer holster and a polymer double magazine pouch. Each Compact Model comes with two magazines so if the pouch is going to be used an extra magazine, or more, should be ordered from Springfield Armory. Also included in the case is a refill for the fiber optic front sight.

So Springfield Armory has these two exceptional .45 ACP Range Officers and a Compact version, so what could they possibly do as the next step? The logical choice was the same thing done to the original 1911 .45 ACP back in 1950 — bring out a lightweight, easier to pack version.

So the 5″ all-steel .45 ACP Range Officer has now been joined by an alloy-framed, 4″ barreled carry pistol in the Commander-style Lightweight Champion. In addition to the change in barrel lengths and frame material, cutting 25 percent off of the original 40 ounce weight — the Champion employs a guide rod and tapered barrel rather than the standard barrel and bushing set up of the full-sized Range Officer. The sights have also been changed from adjustable to tactical-style with a fiber-optic front sight matched up with a low profile combat rear sight.

To lessen wear on the alloy frame the Champion has a fully supported ramped hammer forged barrel. Just as with the original Range Officer, the Champion as a full beavertail grip safety and flat mainspring housing. The sights, the flat mainspring housing, and the beavertail grip safety are all improvements over the original 1950 design making this Lightweight .45 much easier to shoot.

Targets fired with the Springfield Armory Compact .45 show even
the shorter barreled versions shoot excellently.

Easy Carrying

The standard-sized, all-steel 1911 is much easier to carry all day than a comparable sized sixgun due to its flat profile. But, even the 1911, which gives a very comforting feeling, can become quite heavy in a long day’s carry. The Commander-sized, alloy-framed Champion not only gives a comforting feeling, it can also feel a lot more comfortable at the end of the day. Lightweight Commanders have not been easy to find in recent years and the Springfield Armory Champion is a welcome addition.

Basically the Champion Lightweight is a Compact Model with a full-sized grip frame; or we could say the Compact Model is a Champion Lightweight with a shortened butt. Everything we have said about the Compact Model applies to the Champion Lightweight. Or we could say the Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact Pistol is basically an Officer’s Model with a Commander slide and barrel. This means we have 1″ less barrel and distance between sights than the standard Range Officer and a much smaller grip to hold onto. For me at least both of these have an effect on the results; however, I definitely received pleasant surprises. Test-firing the .45 ACP version at 20 yards I was surprised at how well I could shoot this little pistol with such a short grip frame. Nine loads were used and with a .45 ACP this small, at least in my hands, firing hundreds of rounds is not what I would call fun, however this is overshadowed by the excellent results obtained.

With the .45 ACP Compact my best factory loads were HPR 185 JHP’s at 903 fps and their 230 JHP at 811 fps, with both placing five shots at 20 yards in a group of 13/8″. The Black Hills 185 JHP, 909 fps, and Remington’s 230 MC, 785 fps, both placed their five shots in 13/4″ at the same distance. Liberty Civil Defense offers a 78 grain load with a hollowpoint which looks to be bigger than the national debt, clocks out at an amazing 1,855 fps, and still manages to place all five shots in 11/2″ and very close to point of aim.

Switching to reloads this was my first chance to try Hi-Tek Coated bullets from Acme Bullets. These reloads are very easy to spot as the bullets are coated in bright red and in a brass case they look like lipstick. They not only look good they shoot well and the 230 grain round nose over 8.5 grains of Blue Dot is just under 800 fps with five shots in 11/2″. The most accurate load I came onto was a reload using the Hornady 230 XTP over 6.3 grains of Hodgdon’s CFEPistol powder for a very pleasant shooting 770 fps with five shots going into what I consider an amazing — from my hands — 1″ at 20 yards

The latest addition to the lineup is the Range Officer with an accessory rail, called
The Operator. Available in .45 ACP or 9mm, as are all the others in the lineup.

More Shooting

The Range Officer .45 stainless steel and the .45 Lightweight Champion both arrived around Christmas time and while we all may look forward to a white Christmas, winter is not the best time for me to be shooting outdoors. Moving indoors I find the temperature much more pleasant, however it is difficult for me to see the sights as well without natural lighting. Nevertheless, I did get some excellent groups.

With the full-sized stainless steel Range Officer my easy shooting loads of the Oregon Trail 200 SWC and 200 RNFP loaded over 4.0 grains of Bullseye both clocked right at 750 fps with groups just over 1″. I got the same results with the Acme Hi-Tek coated 200 grain SWC over 9.0 grains of Blue Dot with a muzzle velocity of 921 fps. My best group was obtained with the Hornady 230 XTP-HP over 6.3 grains of CFEPistol for right at 800 fps and a 1″ group. The Commander-sized Champion really liked the Oregon Trail 200 RNFP load clocking out at just over 750 fps and grouping into 1″. However, this little pistol has a very strong recoil spring and while it would shoot these loads very well it would not extract them completely. So the answer for this Champion if I want to use these very pleasant shooting loads, and I do, is to replace the factory spring with a lighter spring.

For my use there is no doubt the full-sized Range Officer is much easier to shoot, and especially in the case of the .45 ACP, much more pleasant to shoot. However, while the Range Officer is designed basically for competition and as an everyday working gun, the Range Officer Compact Model is much easier to conceal. In a proper holster it probably doesn’t make any difference whether the barrel length is 4″ or 5″, however it can make a difference if one is using an outside the pants holster covered by a vest. In this case 1″ of the barrel can make a significant difference.

The stainless steel .45 Range Officer has the same features as the carbon steel version.

Versatility

The greater advantage of the Compact Model is the shorter grip frame which makes it easier to conceal under a jacket with less chance of the butt printing. I’ll continue to use the Range Officer .45 ACP for most shooting duties (I’m way past the age for organized competition!), grab the Champion when I want a lighter weight .45 with a full-size grip frame, and reach for the Compact Models when I want to slip a totally reliable semi-auto pistol in my waistband. They also carry very easily and securely in the Springfield Armory supplied polymer holsters. Springfield Armory has once again come up with an excellent pistol.

You might think with all of these .45 variations Springfield Armory would be content just to sit back. Not so! In addition to the Parkerized and stainless steel Range Officers, Springfield is also now offering a rail model for easy use of a laser or flashlight. One added benefit I have found with rail models is they seem to shoot a little bit more accurately than standard models; might be the stiffness the rail gives to the frame. And an extra added bonus is the fact every model mentioned in .45 ACP is also available in the lighter recoiling, less expensive to shoot 9mm. The choice is ours.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index, Ph: (800) 680-6866.

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By John Taffin

Those of us who have a little, or a lot, of gray in our beards well remember the poor quality of both Spaghetti Westerns and Italian replica sixguns of 50 years ago. It took two men, Clint Eastwood and Mike Harvey, to improve both. The movies themselves steadily improved as Eastwood took over the production control and moved the shooting location out of Italy. Improvements in the Spaghetti Westerns continued until they reached the apex, and one of my favorite movies, The Outlaw Josie Wales.

At the same time replica firearms also began taking a giant leap forward in both quality and authenticity with much of the credit going to Mike Harvey of Cimarron Firearms. Harvey started small more than 30 years ago, purchasing a little import business, Allen Firearms. The business was renamed Cimarron Firearms (CFA) and not only has it expanded tremendously, we now have quality replicas of almost every Colt, Smith & Wesson and Remington single-action sixgun, both percussion and cartridge firing, as well as exceptionally well-made Winchester-style leverguns.

Colt Single Action replicas in my time go back to the mid-1950’s. Colt had dropped the Single Action prior to World War II and said they would never bring it back. As they say, never say never. Colt could not foresee the coming of television and the popularity of Westerns on the little screen and how they would create a demand for Colt Single Actions. In 1954, Great Western of Los Angeles began offering copies of the Colt Single Action Army and eventually got the quality sorted out. By 1956 Colt was producing the Single Action again.

The 31/2″ .45 Colt stainless steel Thunderstorm handled
SIG’s new .45 Colt load perfectly.

Stainless steel CFA Model P’s with grips by Buffalo Brothers.

The European Connection

Meanwhile over in Europe, and mostly in Italy, the replica industry started first with percussion sixgun copies and then cartridge firing duplicates. These early copies were lacking in authenticity and they were easy to spot in the Spaghetti Westerns, as many of the Colt Single Action copies had something never offered by Colt — brass grip frames. The bluing was also substandard and the case coloring followed the same pattern.

Mike Harvey worked exceptionally hard to convince the Italians to turn out quality firearms. He has definitely succeeded, as over the years the bluing, the case coloring, the quality of steel, the fitting and the dimensions have all improved to the point at first glance, it’s difficult to tell Cimarron Firearms offerings from the originals.

Harvey didn’t stop there. The next step was offering authentic looking replicas appearing to have a finish looking a century old while the action, cylinder, and barrel remain in pristine condition on the inside. Many of the actual Colt Single Actions found with a well-worn finish will often have a cylinder and barrel which have been pitted with much use from black powder and improper cleaning. Cimarron’s replicas of well-used Colts have a very authentic looking antique finish which they call “Original” — while being brand-new in all other aspects.

Cimarron went one more step and now offers stainless steel Single Actions as well as blued/case colored and Original finishes. The stainless version is especially appreciated by those who prefer to carry a traditionally-styled sixgun on a daily basis in all kinds of weather. Cimarron’s offerings today are so extensive it would take several chapters in a large book to cover all of them. We’ll just take a peek at a couple of their latest offerings as well as some of those I’ve been shooting for several decades.

The CFA stainless steel Model P .45 Colt shoots quite accurately and
only needed a slight tweaking of the barrel to get windage correct.

CFA offers Remington-style sixguns in percussion, cartridge conversion
and cartridge style. Note the “Original” grey worn finish on the top gun.

The Eliminator

I’ve often wondered why the 1860 grip frame was not offered as an option on the Colt Single Action Army. With the coming of replicas and so many variations being offered I started adding 1860 Army grip frames to several 71/2″ replicas including .44-40 and .45 Colt Model P’s from Cimarron and a USPFA .44 Special. When I found an extremely reasonably priced ($200) Uberti Single Action which had a Colt .357 Magnum cylinder matched up with a 51/2″ Colt .357 Magnum barrel I also fitted it with an 1860 Army grip frame. I definitely like the way it looks, feels, and especially the way it handles full-house .357 Magnum loads.

To come up with 1860 Army grip frames I either had to do a swap with a replica 1860 Army percussion sixgun or order grip frames from a parts company. The replica industry soon caught up with me and began offering special versions with the 1860 Army grip frame, and the latest from Cimarron Firearms, is produced by Pietta in Italy.

Known as the “Eliminator” this is a most attractive single action with deep blue finish, case hardened frame, low wide case hardened hammer, 43/4″ octagon barrel, and of course an 1860 Army grip frame. To really set off the one-piece walnut stocks they are checkered in a modified fleur-de-lis pattern. After these sixguns are imported they are given a Cowboy Comp action job in the United States and the hammer is also short-stroked.

Sights are the traditional single action style, however they are very easy to see with a wide untapered front sight matched up with a square notch rear. For my eyes and hands the barrel needs to be adjusted as it shoots to the left by a couple inches and it also shoots low. This is an easy fix by turning the barrel, and there is plenty of front sight provided so it can be filed to bring the groups up to point of aim. For fast operation the wide, low riding hammer is nicely checkered and easy to operate. The 1860 Army grips are also nicely checkered in a somewhat modified fleur-de-lis pattern and fit my hand very nicely.

As one might expect, shooting standard 800–900 fps .45 Colt loads in a heavy barreled single action sixgun with a larger than standard grip frame is quite pleasant. The Eliminator also proved to be quite accurate with the Federal 225-grain lead SWHP factory load at 825 fps and one of my most used .45 Colt handloads these days consisting of the Lyman/Keith #452424 over 8.0 grains of Unique. This bullet weighs right at 255 grains with my alloy and clocks out at 850 fps with the same accuracy as the Federal factory load, five shots in 7/8″ at 20 yards.

Smith & Wesson Schofields haven’t been ignored
by CFA. These grips are by Buffalo Brothers.

A Thunderstorm

The second new offering from Cimarron, which is also from Pietta, is the Thunderstorm. This is about as nice as a single-action sixgun to be used for carrying defensively can get. Chambered in .45 Colt, it’s all stainless steel with a 31/2″ barrel, low wide hammer, action job as well as the “short action” provided by companies such as King Gunsight Co. between the two world wars. The standard grip is 1-piece just as on the Eliminator with the same checkering pattern. It handles as nicely as any short-barreled single action I have ever experienced.

Just about the time this sixgun arrived for testing I also received some of the new Sig Sauer .45 Colt Elite Ammunition using a 230-grain JHP rated at 850 fps. In the short-barreled Thunderstorm it clocks out at 768 fps, shoots very accurately, and is dead on for windage. It shoots low, however there is plenty of front sight blade provided which can easily be filed down to bring groups right to point of aim.

The longer base pin “safety” (also in the Eliminator) became somewhat of a problem in the Thunderstorm. With the shorter ejector rod the longer head of the base pin prevents the ejecting of empty brass very easily. Two things are recommended to make this much simpler. First, I would shorten the back of the base pin until it is the same size as a regular Colt Single Action base pin. This allows more room for the ejector rod to move. A further modification which is also helpful is to shorten the head of the base pin until there is just enough left to machine in a groove around the pin just short of the front end which will allow the use of a base pin puller. With these two modifications ejection of spent cartridges becomes much easier.

This is a gun which packs very easily, and being stainless steel you don’t have to worry about the weather. With the short barrel it can ride high on the belt out of the way and always be easily accessible. But is it a viable self-defense gun? I would not recommend a single-action sixgun as my first choice or even a second choice for self-defense, however it is a choice. A good double-action sixgun or semi-automatic would be a better choice, but it can be made to work if one is willing to really learn how to handle one.

CFA Eliminator and stainless steel Thunderstorm.

There’s More!

Cimarron offers excellent copies of both the 1875 and 1890 Remington sixguns as well as the top-break Smith & Wesson single actions. I especially like their Model P crafted of stainless steel. I purchased a 71/2″ pair mainly for using with black powder as the stainless steel cleans up much easier. However, I found them to be excellent shooters with smokeless powder as well.

In fact when they first came out my friend, Texan Bob Baer, who is quite a gunsmith in his own right, recommended them as he felt they were the finest sixguns he had seen in a long time. I followed his recommendation and was not disappointed. Loaded with the 260-gr. hard cast Keith bullet over 20.0 grains of #4227, muzzle velocities are just under 1,000 fps with groups just over 1″ at 20 yards. For a traditionally styled single-action sixgun I don’t think I need to ask any more than this.

I have been shooting replica single actions now for nearly 60 years. The early ones needed a lot of improvement. They have not only been exceptionally improved, I have yet to find one, after experiencing a couple hundred, that would not shoot exceptionally well. Thanks, Mike!

For more info: Ph: (830) 997-9090

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Lots Of Calibers — Plenty Of Accuracy!

By John Taffin

I first encountered the name “SIG” in Jeff Cooper’s first book, Fighting Handguns way back in 1958. Cooper was really just getting started and already pushing the .45 ACP 1911, however he spoke highly of the Swiss made SIG 9mm. In the 1970’s SIG united with Sauer & Sohn of Germany and then in 1975 SIG Sauer began producing the P220 semi-auto pistol. By 1985 SIGArms was importing the P220 into this country. The project was successful enough by 1990 a new manufacturing facility was built in New Hampshire. In 2007 SIGArms became SIG Sauer. As this is written I have completed my first test of a SIG Sauer pistol, the 10mm Hunter and that article is now in sister publication Guns magazine, the July 2016 issue.

I was most impressed with this first experience with a SIG product and that has now expanded into testing their new line of ammunition. SIG has now moved into a new manufacturing facility in Arkansas and is producing both rifle and handgun ammunition. I have been currently testing their Elite Performance Ammunition for handgunners.

SIG .45 ACP in a Smith & Wesson and Kimber 1911. John
found the ammo to be remarkably consistent and accurate.

High Quality

SIG Sauer offers both V-Crown and Full Metal Jacket versions of their new Elite Performance Ammunition, and says of the V-Crown offerings: “SIG V-Crown defensive rounds combine perfect material specification and fine-tuned design innovation, including a stacked hollow point cavity, to deliver exceptional on-target energy with maximum weight retention and optimal expansion for ultimate stopping power.” Tests in ballistic gelatin carried out by others have proved this statement to be true.

SIG HP Elite Performance Ammunition is offered in 9mm, .357 SIG, .38 Super +P, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10mm and .45 ACP (all of which are offered in FMJ versions) as well as hollow points in .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt.

My first test with the 10mm for the article in Guns, using the SIG Sauer 5″ Hunter was quite satisfying. The 180-grade JHP clocked out at 1,250 fps with a 5-shot group at 20 yards of 13/8″, while the accompanying FMJ version at the same muzzle velocity shot into 11/4″.

Ruger GP100’s and SIG .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammo results.
Just as with the auto loads, the revolver calibers were accurate.

.38 Super

I then switched to the .38 Super +P in both JHP and FMJ versions testing it through nine .38 Supers in both 1911 and Commander versions. In my sixgunnin’ heart the .38 Super is held in the same high esteem as the .44 Special sixgun. So I especially looked forward to testing this new line of .38 Super loads and I was not disappointed.

The most accurate 125-gr. FMJ loads came through the Colt Custom Stainless 1911 and the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 with both semi-autos putting five shots in 11/4″ and clocking out at 1,233 fps and 1,244 fps respectively. The 125-gr. JHP version shot exceptionally well with tight groups being commonplace, while my old Colt Commander grouped five shots into 7/8″. At one time Colt .38 Supers had a reputation for poor accuracy because of their head spacing, however this particular Commander was re-barreled by Bill Wilson several decades ago which solved the problem. Currently produced Colt .38 Supers are also properly head spaced on the mouth of the cartridge instead of the tiny rim.

SIG offers .45 ACP ammunition in 230 FMJ, and 180, 200 and 230
JHP’s, along with a broad cross section of other calibers.

.45 ACP

The SIG 230 FMJ was tested in five standard 1911’s from Kimber, Remington, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory as well as an Iver Johnson 6″ Long Slide. The most accurate loads came from the Ruger SR1911 with a 11/8″ group at 853 fps; the Kimber Target II Stainless, 856 fps, 13/8″; while the Remington R-1S Stainless acted like it was made purposely for SIG .45 ACP ammo with a muzzle velocity of 843 fps and an exceptional 3/4″ group. This held true throughout the testing of all for versions of .45 ACP, with an average group of 1″ for the Remington. It is very rare for a standard production pistol to perform so well with every type of ammunition.

Switching to the 230-gr. JHP .45 ACP saw both the Springfield Armory Range Officer and the Kimber Target II group into 13/8″ at 823 fps and 848 fps respectively, while the Remington did it again with a group of 3/4″ and a muzzle velocity of 842 fps. The SIG 200-gr. JHP proved to be exceptionally accurate with an average for all six different 1911’s of 13/8″.

The Iver Johnson Long slide and the Kimber Target II both grouped into 7/8″ with muzzle velocities of 948 fps and 923 fps respectively. If I were to choose one .45 ACP load from SIG for everyday carry and defensive use, this would be it.

Finally we come to the SIG 185 JHP. Remington took the honors again with a 1,016 fps muzzle velocity and a group of 11/8″ while the Springfield Armory Range Officer was right behind it with a group of 11/4″ and a muzzle velocity of 1,004 fps. Testing these four loads through six 1911’s has proven to me both the accuracy and consistency of SIG ammunition. An example of the consistency can be found when comparing the muzzle velocities.

In the five 5″ .45 autos, the 230 Hardball clocked out at a high of 860 fps, low of 843 fps, while the other three were 856 fps, 855 fps, and 853 fps — that is consistency!

Iver Johnson Long Slide and SIG 200 JHP’s shows amazing
potential, even as a hunting combo.

.38/.357 Loads

Both of these are available in JHP and FMJ versions, with all bullets weighing 125 grains. The .357 Magnum 125 JHP is rated as one of the top stoppers when it comes to self-defense. I also use the 125 JHP as my turkey load; it works perfectly for head shots with a scope-sighted .357 Magnum sixgun. My pocket J-Frame is loaded with 125 .38 Special JHP’s.

Through my old (circa 1948) S&W 61/2″ 38/44 Outdoorsman, the .38 Special FMJ clocked out at 836 fps with a group of 7/8″ while both the 6″ S&W K-38 and the Ruger GP100 grouped into 1″ with muzzle velocities of 850 fps and 870 fps respectively.

Switching to the .38 Special +P load through a pair of 6″ GP100’s resulted in groups of 1″ and 11/4″, with muzzle velocities of 976 and 992 fps.

Using .357 Magnum loads saw the 125 JHP load through a 6″ GP100 group at 13/8″ with the muzzle velocity of 1,479 fps, while the full metal jacketed version shrunk the group to 11/8″ and muzzle velocity of 1,462 fps.

SIG 10 mm through a SIG Sauer 5″ Hunter. A perfect
marriage of gun and ammo!

.45 Colt

I only briefly tested the .45 Colt ammunition consisting of the same 230-gr. JHP bullet used in the .45 ACP ammunition. This was fired through a Cimarron 71/2″ Model P which put five shots in 11/2″ while giving a reading on the clock of 900 fps. This would be a good everyday packin’ load for most situations for which the .45 Colt is applicable.

One positive thing the “ammo shortage” of the past eight years has accomplished is to spur on gun manufacturers to also produce ammunition. The SIG Sauer brand is a very welcome addition.

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By John Taffin

I live in a mostly silent world. The man who said silence is golden was right, most of the time. Silence is very pleasant when sitting in a deer stand or at the edge of the woods in the mountains overlooking an open space and watching for game to appear. However most people, once they leave these areas, are no longer in a silent world, but I am back in my mostly silent world. I did not choose this, but then maybe I did through negligence.

I first started as a very young boy shooting in the late 1940’s. By the time the mid-’50’s arrived I was shooting not just .22’s but .45’s and .357’s. I shot a .357 Magnum Blackhawk for the first time on a Sunday afternoon and my ears were still ringing on Thursday. No one I knew at the time had ever seen protective earmuffs, and some simply stuffed cotton or empty cartridge cases in their ears to help muffle the noise. I didn’t have to — I was in my invincible period.

By the time I discovered hearing protection the damage had already started and it was all downhill after that. Today my world is mostly silent due to the fact my right ear is totally dead and my left ear has 26 percent hearing left. A hearing aid cannot do anything for my right ear, however I can get my left ear up to 50 percent with a hearing aid. That’s not much! On one of my phones I have Caption Call with a reader board attached to the side of the phone so I can “hear” what callers are saying. Another phone allows me to turn the volume way up so everyone in the room hears what the caller is saying.

I am mostly okay in conversations one-on-one, however in a group with background noise it becomes a real problem. I don’t go to any meetings, movies or performances as I can’t hear what’s going on anyway. Diamond Dot usually understands, however even she forgets sometimes and instead of talking directly to me will talk in the opposite direction or try to talk in the car over the road noise. Putting up with hearing loss can be a real problem.

The size of the cup on these Peltor Hearing Protectors indicates the NRR, which
in this case is 24 dB, 30 dB and 27 dB (L-R). Note the cut-out on the first one
to clear a long gun stock.

It’s No Joke

Jokes are often made about those who are deaf or simply hard of hearing. Believe me, it is not a laughing matter. From a very early age I’ve always insisted the kids, and then the following grandkids, always wear hearing and eye protection when shooting. Not only have I given each of them ear protection I keep extra hearing protectors and shooting glasses in the pickup at all times should they forget theirs. Quite often I have also run into shooters who were shooting without protection and have been able to loan them what they should’ve had. Recently, I have been testing some new hearing protection from several manufacturers to see how new technology might help shooters avoid what has happened to me!

Oh, and don’t forget, your eyes are even more precious, so take care to protect them too!

The three legs of Personal Shooting Protection are hearing protection, eye protection,
and a shooting glove, like this one from Uncle Mike’s.

SureFire offers Sonic Defenders Earplug which fit inside the ear and are offered
with an NRR of 24 to 30 decibels.

Peltor

Peltor offers a full line of regular hearing protectors and electronic hearing protectors. The Shotgunner II is a low profile set of protectors cutaway on the outside of the cup to allow easier use of long guns. In the past I’ve often had a problem with the stock of a rifle interfering with the cup on the hearing protectors. The Shotgunner II has a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 24 decibels. Moving up the line we come to the Peltor Sport Bull’s Eye Model. With a full low profile cup without the cutaway for a rifle or shotgun stock, these provide a little more protection as they have an NRR of 27 decibels. Normally, handguns are closer to the ears than rifles or shotguns hence the added protection in this model.

Ultimate Hearing Protector from Peltor is absolute top-drawer protection. With an NRR of 30 decibels, placing these over the years feels almost like being in a soundproof room. I would especially recommend these for shooting indoors where the noise is substantially enhanced. It’s easy to recognize these three different hearing protectors as the cups get larger as we go up the scale. All of these not only give the protection desired, they are also very comfortable on the ears. The headband is adjustable and also slotted to reduce heat buildup.

The first time I shot the qualifying course with the County Sheriff’s Department years ago I found I could not hear the command to start firing and simply had to wait until I heard others shooting. From that time on I started using electronic hearing protectors for most of my shooting. Peltor’s Rangeguard and Tactical 100 both provide for the ability to hear conversation because they suppress gunshot noise while they amplify voices. The Rangeguard has an NRR of 21 decibels and also the low profile cup, while the Tactical 100 is designed to reduce background noise and also echo reduction when used indoors. The NRR of this set is 22 decibels.

Life is full of trade-offs and of the five mentioned models I normally go with the Rangeguard when shooting alone or with a few others outdoors and switch to the Ultimate when more than a few people are shooting, or I am shooting a firearm with a muzzle brake, or indoors.

Walker’s Game Ear offers traditional earmuffs as well as the Razor X Digital
Ear Bud Headset, here shown with ear buds retracted.

SureFire

SureFire offers Sonic Defenders Earplugs. Unlike muffs these fit inside the ear and are offered with an NRR of 24 to 30 decibels. They are provided with either a filtered or full block style whichever we feel we need. I’ve been using a pair of custom fit earplugs for many years. These SureFire plugs are not custom fit, however they are nearly so, with different types of stems and sizes available. These are very unobtrusive, making them especially desirable in a hunting situation and they can be used individually or attached to a very lightweight cord and worn around the neck when not in use. They also work at noisy concerts, when mowing the lawn, on construction sites, in machine shops, and the use of power tools; and they even can be left in when swimming.

To give a semi-custom fit the Sonic Defenders are made from soft hypoallergenic polymer and come with three different types of stems with varying levels of protection. These are double-flanged, triple-flanged and memory-foam Comply Canal Tips. A plastic protective case is also provided.

The Walker’s Digital Ear Bud Headset slips around the neck and the ear buds are pulled
out and put into your ears. It offers electronic amplification and protection and
is rechargeable.

Walker’s Game Ear

I’ve been using Walker’s Game Ear for several decades. Currently Walker’s is providing the Razor line of slim-profile electronic folding muffs. One of the best products for hunters I have seen in many years is their Razor X Digital Ear Bud Headset. This ear protection consists of a flexible rubber neckband which one hardly knows is being worn. The earpieces themselves are on two no tangle cables which are retractable so they can be pulled out to the proper length for reaching each ear, or totally retracted when not in use. They are fitted with directional microphones, high definition speakers, a USB charging port for recharging the lithium batteries, and moldable foam tips to fit the ears and help maximize NRR. They will be going with be on my next hunting trip. I thought I was done hunting, however another hunt for exotic sheep has been set up for me by good friends. This will be my third “Last Hunt”!

Many years ago I helped in the design of the Uncle Mike’s Shooting Glove. That’s why it has the heavily padded middle finger to protect against “knuckle-dusting” from the back of the trigger guard. At the time I was doing a lot of testing of the Freedom Arms .454 and found I needed to heavily tape my middle finger for protection. There is also padded protection in the palm of the hand. The trade-off is they are bulkier than the standard batters or golfers glove I normally wear making it harder to handle a sixgun or semi-automatic, at least for me.

However, lately my shooting hand has been becoming increasingly tender so I’ve started using the padded glove. Even though it is harder to use I have found it makes a tremendous difference in how my hand feels when shooting and also eases “normal” next day discomfort. One mistake I made was not recommending full padding for the little finger. This appendage takes a beating from the bottom edge of a sixgun grip so I wrap the finger with several layers of adhesive tape, helping a great deal.

All of these products which provide protection are too inexpensive and too important not to use. They will extend your shooting life and — definitely help maintain your quality of life.

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By John Taffin

Usually when manufacturers bring out something new and improved it’s anything but, so it’s a very special occasion when it’s actually accomplished. And this is exactly what Ruger has done with their latest .22 semi-auto pistol. Bill Ruger changed everything on the firearms playing field when he brought out his Standard Model .22 Pistol in 1949. It was certainly accurate and definitely inexpensive, however it had a few shortcomings.

Instead of 10 rounds, the magazine held nine rounds, the top of the magazine was very sharp making it hard on fingers while loading and there was no holding open of the slide at the last shot. It, and following models, were also difficult to take-down — and worse to reassemble again! A cottage industry has developed building special “Ruger take-down tools” to help legions of Ruger auto shooters!

Ruger’s new semi-auto trio — the Mark IV .22 Hunter, American Compact 9 and LCP II .380.

Mark IV Model

As of the first day of fall 2016 we have the Mark IV Model .22 and it’s definitely both new and improved, addressing a couple of issues from past models. There will be several versions, including a 51/2″ Bull Barrel Target model in both blue and stainless, a Competition Model and the test gun in hand which is the Mark IV Hunter Model. All of these have the same form as this long line of .22’s from Ruger, however even though the form has been maintained there has been a major change which will relieve the frustration of a lot of shooters.

Takedown has been simplified! A recessed button in the back of the frame allows the upper receiver to tilt up and off of the grip frame without the use of tools, and even more importantly it goes back together simply and easily with no frustration whatsoever. Thank you Ruger engineers!

This stainless steel Hunter Model has a one-piece CNC machined grip frame — no stamping here — checkered wood grip panels, contoured ejection port, ambidextrous manual safety, pushbutton magazine release on the left side of the frame allowing the magazine to drop positively and freely and two 10-round magazines are included. The bolt stop is located on the left side of the frame above the grip panel. Gone is the loaded chamber indicator, however, the magazine disconnect remains meaning the pistol cannot be fired if the magazine has been removed.

The fluted stainless steel barrel is 67/8″ in length with six grooves and a 1:16″ right-hand twist. My FFL holder/gunsmith was particularly impressed with the quality of the barrel rifling and an extra-added, most desirable feature is the recessed barrel crown, something usually only found on custom pistols. Sights are the typical Hunter style used on other Ruger handguns, consisting of a red fiber-optic front sight matched up with a V-notch rear sight. I’ve never been able to handle this sight combination as well as those which feature a square notch rear and this was evident in the tests I carried out. I first did all the shooting with the V-notch rear sight in place and then replaced it with the standard square notch. Targets fired with the latter had groups which were 30 percent tighter.

Full-sized Ruger American compared to the Compact 9 version.

The Ruger American Compact 9 comes with two magazines and three
back-straps to custom fit your specific hand size.

The sights are mounted on the upper receiver and do not move when the cylindrical bolt operates, and the ears on the back of the bolt allow for ease of manipulation of the bolt for chambering a round. In addition to the sights the receiver is also drilled and tapped for a Weaver or Picatinny-style base for the use of optics.

Shooting the Mark IV was pure pleasure with no functioning problems whatsoever and it has proven to be an exceptionally accurate pistol. The most accurate ammunition used was Federal Champion HPs which grouped in 5/8″ for nine shots at 20 yards followed by CCI’s SGB and Winchester’s “333” bulk pack hollow points both of which grouped in 7/8″. One-inch groups were registered with three CCI .22’s, namely Standard Velocity, Mini-Mags and Mini-Mag HP’s. These were duplicated by CIL Match and Remington Thunderbolts while the American Eagle HP’s and Winchesters Copper Plated RN’s both came in just over 1″. All in all a most satisfying experience and this newest Ruger matches or exceeds any other Ruger .22’s I have.

The LCP II .380 comes from Ruger with this nifty pocket holster.
John added a spare magazine.

New American Compact

The Ruger Mark IV was only the first semi-auto to be announced and within two weeks two more new/improved models came forth. In 2015 Ruger introduced their American semi-auto chambered in .45 ACP and 9mm. This model has been highly successful and proven to be both durable and reliable and has now been joined by a new version, the Compact American 9.

This is an easy-handling, low-recoiling pistol large enough to be comfortable to shoot and small enough to conceal. This 9mm pistol is just over 61/2″ long with a height of just under 41/2″ and with its 31/2″ barrel, weighs in at just under 28 ounces with an empty magazine. For an individually tailored feel the Compact 9 comes with small, medium and large replaceable grip backstraps. For my use the medium backstrap works fine. Backstraps are easily changed by using the small hex wrench provided.

Two nickel-Teflon plated steel magazines are provided with one having a 12-round capacity while the other is an extended 17-round version with a grip extension slipping over the magazine giving a longer more comfortable grip. After shooting it extensively with both magazines, I prefer to carry it with the smaller magazine, with the extended magazine used as a backup. The 12-round magazine has a small extension giving a perfect resting place for my little finger. Everything, pistol, extra magazines and extra back straps, comes in a sturdy hard case.

The frame is glass-filled nylon with integral frame rails and fire-control housing. The slide is stainless steel coated with a non-glare black finish. Sights consist of a Novak LoMount Carry three-dot system. There’s also an integral frame rail for adding a light or laser. In addition to the frame-mounted safety there’s also the typical “safety trigger” in which the center bar in the trigger must be pressed before the gun will fire. Most of the time when shooting a traditional trigger I use the tip of my finger for better feel in control of the trigger, however with any of these modern style triggers it’s necessary for me to use the first joint of my trigger for optimum control and comfort when shooting.

The trigger pull on this Compact 9 measures right at six pounds, but feels lighter to my finger, and has a short take-up with a positive reset which means you don’t have to take your finger completely off the trigger but with a little practice can feel just how far forward the trigger has to go before it re-sets, allowing for fast action.

For manual operation, the slide cocking serrations are found on the back of the slide, and the welcomed frame-mounted thumb safety is ambidextrous, as is the pushbutton magazine release. The magazine drops positively and since this pistol is mainly destined to be used for self-defense, thankfully there is no magazine disconnect.

Front and rear sights are set in dovetails and the rear has a locking screw to allow for windage adjustment. The interchangeable back straps and the integral front strap both have molded-in texturing.

I shot the Ruger Compact 9 at seven yards using typical self-defense ammunition. Black Hills 115 JHP +P clocked out at 1,245 fps with five shots in 3/4″; HPR 115 JHP, 1,118 fps, 5/8″; Wilson Combat 125 HAP Match HP, 1,108 fps 3/4″; three SIG SAUER loads were particularly consistent with the 115 JHP +P V-Crown at 1,178 fps and 3/4″; 124 JHP V-Crown, 1,157 fps and also 3/4″ and finally SIG SAUER’s 147 JHP V-Crown registered 973 fps on the LabRadar with a 5-shot, 7-yard group of 7/8″. The RNP Sport-Utility Frangible 84-grain load measured 1,163 fps and shot into a very accurate 5/8″. This latter load is designed for practice and shooting steel with no concerns about splash back.

As expected from Ruger, the American Compact is a well-made 9mm self-defense pistol and one I find particularly attractive as an everyday, concealed carry pistol, a house or car gun. It carries securely in a kydex inside-the-pants holster by Nick Hoffer/Hoftac Industries, which I used during testing. This particular holster has an American stars pattern imprinted on it, which is certainly apropos for the carrying of a Ruger American pistol.

The upper receiver of the Ruger Mark IV pivots when the takedown
button is pressed, much easier than prior models!

Fired at 20 yards with the Ruger .22 Mark IV Hunter, John found this
newest Ruger to be accurate, reliable and easy to operate.

LCP II .380 ACP

We have an excellent shooting .22, an easily concealed self-defense pistol, however Ruger wasn’t finished introducing new autos. Their third offering is a deep cover, very small self-defense.380 which can be easily concealed, especially in summer weather when for many the choice of clothing is shorts and a T-shirt. I’m not affected as I dress the same winter or summer, however I do find this third edition particularly appealing as a backup to my main concealed firearm as it’s small enough to tuck away and large enough to be effective.

In 2006 Ruger introduced their .380 LCP which was an immediate hit. Now comes the LCP II with several improvements. This version has an exceptionally good short crisp trigger not usually found on such small pistols. Ruger also added much better sights with a good square sight picture very easy to see. The grip surface has been enlarged for better control and distribution of recoil, the slide is very easy to operate and an improved slide stop has been added which holds the slide open when the last round is fired.

The LCP II is a very compact package with an overall length of just over 5″, height of 33/4″, barrel length of 23/4″ and the weight well under 11 ounces. The chassis is one-piece, machined, anodized aluminum with integral frame rails. It features a hardened alloy steel slide and glass-filled nylon grip frame and has a finger grip extension which helps immensely in controlling this little pistol. Capacity is 6 +1 rounds.

This .380 was also shot at seven yards and with its small size and weight exhibits much more recoil than the Compact 9. Best results were accomplished with the CCI 95 TMJ load which put five shots in an incredible 5/8″ — incredible that is for such a small pistol. This load clocks out at just barely over 900 fps. Several jacketed hollowpoint loads were tried with the following results: CCI 88 JHP with a muzzle velocity of 843 fps and five shots in 11/4″; Federal 90 JHP, 855 fps, 17/8″; Hornady XTP 90 JHP, 876 fps, 13/8″; HPR 90 JHP, 793 fps, 11/2″; and Winchester 95 SXT clocked 827 fps with a 11/2″ 5-shot, 7-yard group.

With so many firearms manufacturers, competition serves to provide newer models regularly. It’s obvious Ruger is not sitting back on its laurels but actually listening to shooters.

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Springfield’s EMP4 & Ruger’s SR1911 LW Cmdr.

By John Taffin

Afew years ago I got the idea I needed a full-sized 1911 chambered in 9mm. I thought it would be easy to find one but how wrong I was. By this time virtually everyone was trying to build the smallest 9mm and/or the one with the highest capacity. However I simply wanted a traditional 1911 chambered in 9mm. Trying to find an original Colt 1911 or even a Commander chambered in the original 9mm cartridge proved virtually impossible, so my quest went unfulfilled.

Then in the fall of 2010 I felt I needed a special gun to help with my recuperation from surgery. I contacted Springfield Armory looking for a full-sized 9mm 1911. Not only did they have one, they shipped it out the next day. It was a stainless steel 1911-A1 complete with adjustable sights. Since I received this semi-auto pistol from Springfield Armory I have not only recuperated, but I may have also helped to start something, as numerous other companies — I count at least 10 — also now offer full-sized 1911’s as well as Commanders in 9mm. One even offers a long-slide 1911 in 9mm!

The 9mm Ruger and Springfield Armory autos were test-fired with
a variety of factory and handloaded 9mm ammunition.

The SR1911 9MM LW Cmdr.

In 2011 for the 100th Anniversary of the original 1911 Government Model, Ruger came forth with their first 1911-styled .45 ACP called the SR1911. A few years later they followed with a Commander-sized .45 and now are offering a Lightweight Commander chambered in 9mm. It’s been a long time since 1949 and I let my first 9mm Commander get away. However in the past year not only has Diamond Dot gifted me with a Colt Lightweight Commander 9mm produced more than 50 years ago, Ruger has also added to the enjoyment with their version. Except for the hammer — I still prefer the old rounded style Commander hammer — the new Ruger is a decided improvement over the 1949 version.

The official name for this latest Ruger is catalog #SR 1911-CMD9-A. Overall, this is a very attractive pistol with a low-glare stainless steel slide matched up with a black anodized frame. I like this two-tone look! The slide has V-shaped cutouts at the back for easier cocking and the ejection port is oversized for positive ejection of fired cartridges. Sights on the slide are excellent, consisting of a three-dot system with a round white dot in the post front sight and two white dots in the Novak rear. Both sights are set in dovetails and the rear sight has a locking screw making it easier to adjust for windage.

The black anodized alloy grip frame is actually more of a gray color. The box says black and the spec sheet says gray, while the controls are black. These controls consist of an extended thumb safety and slide lock on the left side as well as a checkered magazine release in the right spot. The magazine capacity is nine rounds. Grips are double diamond checkered black rubber and the skeletonized trigger is lightweight aluminum, set at 41/2 pounds. The front strap is smooth while the flat mainspring housing is nicely checkered. There’s also a beavertail grip safety with a built-in memory bump Size-wise the Ruger 9mm Commander has a barrel length of 41/4″ and the weight tips things at just over 29 ounces. The 6-groove barrel has a 1:10 right-hand twist and both the barrel and bushing are stainless steel. Standard aftermarket 1911 grip panels will fit this Ruger 9mm and I normally take advantage of the situation to fancy up any of my 1911’s. However, I really like the looks and especially the feel of these rubber grip panels. I’ve spent most of my life preferring my pistols and sixguns to have great form as well as excellent function. As I have become older and my hands more tender, function, especially when it comes to grips, is starting to override form.

As with all Ruger SR 1911’s this 9mm is of the original Series ’70 design, with a titanium firing pin. The SR 1911 9mm Luger comes with two 9-round stainless steel magazines and a bushing wrench. I like everything about it and I can even live with the “modernized Commander-style” hammer.

The Ruger SR1911 9mm (top) and Springfield Armory EMP4 9mm (below) compared with
an original Colt Lightweight Commander 9mm.

The Springfield Armory EMP4 comes with two extra 10-round magazines.

Accurate Too

I spent several mornings test-firing the Ruger 9mm along with a second nine I will soon mention. A total of 22 different loadings were used in the Ruger Commander including 19 factory and three handloads. All testing was done at 20 yards with 5-shot groups. The most accurate loads include the Black Hills 124-JHP’s at 1,120 fps and a 11/2″ group; Remington’s 115-FMJ, 1,067 fps and 11/4″; SIG SAUER’s 115-JHP, 1,188 fps and 11/4″ and the Wilson-125 HAP which clocked out at 1,126 fps and a group of 11/2″.

My most accurate handload proved to be the Oregon Trail 147-grain hard cast flat point over 6.7 grains of AA7 for a velocity of 1,049 fps and a group of 2″. The highest velocities were recorded with the new Super Vel 90 JHP+P at 1,576 fps and the same company’s 115 JHP+P at 1,555 fps, with both grouping right at 2″.

Springfield’s EMP4 9MM

Springfield Armory is one of the major manufacturers of traditional 1911’s both in .45 ACP and 9mm and in Government Model, Commander and Officers Model sizes. However, a few years ago they decided to do something a little differently. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, the idea was to come up with a traditionally styled 1911 built around the 9mm cartridge rather than simply chambering the 9mm in a full-size 1911. The result was the EMP (Enhanced Micro Pistol).

The EMP was engineered around a new short action, with 17 redesigned parts different from the standard 1911. The goal was to come up with a more concealable 9mm package having both the look and feel of a traditional 1911. The result was a 10-shot 9mm weighing in at 27 ounces with a 3″ stainless steel match bull barrel with a fully supported ramp.

I found the EMP to be exceptionally easy to carry and shoot, and then Springfield Armory decided to improve it. Too often when things are “improved” they are in fact just the opposite. However, Springfield Armory really did improve the EMP with two basic changes; a 4″ barrel and a slightly longer grip frame. At 31 ounces unloaded, it’s four ounces heavier than the original EMP. The result is known as the EMP4 Lightweight Champion. To me it handles and shoots even easier than the original. Yes, they really did improve it.

The EMP4 is also a two-toned 9mm pistol, with a 416 stainless steel slide matched up with a 7075 black anodized aluminum frame. The slide has rear cocking serrations and the sights are excellent, consisting of three-dot steel low profile combat style set in a dovetail both front and rear. The rear sight is easily adjusted for windage and has a locking screw. The three dots consist of two white dots on each side of the rear notch matched up with a very easy to see red fiber-optic front sight.

Targets fired at 20 yards with the Springfield Armory EMP4 again
showed these are real-shooters!

Other Features

The black anodized aluminum frame has an extended ambidextrous thumb safety and the traditional slide lock on the left side. The grip safety is a beavertail, cut out on the top to accept the Commander-style hammer when the gun is cocked or fired. The flat mainspring housing and the front strap are both checkered in the pattern Springfield Armory calls a Posi-Lock texture, matching up with the checkered cocobolo double diamond grip panels. This gives an exceptionally secure grip. This texturing on both front and back straps and both grip panels matched up with the low recoil of the 9mm result in a pistol which will not twist in the hand on firing. Since the grip frame was designed around the 9mm cartridge it’s slightly shorter from front to back making it much easier for smaller hands to wrap around.

As mentioned the barrel length is 4 inches and is a stainless steel match bull barrel with a fully supported ramp. It’s a 6-groove barrel with a 1:16, left-hand twist. Magazine capacity is single stack and has a capacity of 10 rounds. The magazine release is in the traditional spot and the skeletonized trigger is set at 41/2 pounds. The combination of satin stainless steel slide, black anodized grip frame and cocobolo grips with the Springfield Armory logo in the center all result in an exceptionally attractive pistol. Once again, I find myself totally satisfied with the factory grips and these will not be swapped out. The EMP4 comes with three magazines, a polymer holster, a double magazine pouch, and everything is packed inside a very sturdy lockable plastic case.

A total of 18 loads were test-fired in the Springfield Armory EMP4 consisting of 15 factory loads and three handloads. The most accurate — actually unbelievably accurate — handload proved to be the Oregon Trail 122-grain hard cast flat point over 7.8 grains of AA7 for a muzzle velocity of 1,166 fps and five shots into less than 1″. This was followed by the Oregon Trail 147-grain flat point hard cast over 6.7 grains of AA7 for a 2″ group a velocity of 1,049 fps. Excellent factory loads included the Black Hills 115-JHP+P with a velocity of 1,295 fps and a 13/8″; SIG SAUER’s 115 JHP at 1,184 fps and 11/2″ and the SIG SAUER 147-FMJ with a muzzle velocity of 971 fps and a 5-shot 20-yard group of 15/8″.

With both of these 9mm pistols from Ruger and Springfield Armory now thoroughly tested presented me with a dilemma. Which one would I choose for carrying? Which one should I buy? These questions are too difficult for me to answer so I took the easy way out. I bought them both and they will receive equal carrying time.

John found the Ruger SR1911 LW Cmdr. in 9mm shot consistent,
tight groups at 20 yards.

Final Thoughts

It’s very interesting to see how things work out over the years. When I was a young shooter you could always count on seeing articles on a regular basis of the “.45 versus 9mm” type. The .45 always won and so-called “serious” defensive handgun proponents always downplayed the 9mm. This was almost always based on full metal jacketed ammunition. Now we have excellent hollow point designs in several weights and from dozens of manufacturers providing excellent self-defense capabilities and have totally destroyed the argument.

Then in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s the .40 S&W began to push the 9mm aside. Now the .40 S&W is on the downhill slide and the 9mm continues to rise. Since we now have so much excellent 9mm ammunition available, this, coupled with much less recoil than either the .45 or .40 — plus the much lower cost for practice ammunition — makes the choice of a 9mm highly attractive.

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Playin’ Favorites: .357 Magnum

By John Taffin

The Colt Single Action Army which was produced from 1873 until the end of 1940 is now known to collectors as the 1st Generation. During this time nearly 356,000 were produced, with one of the rarest options being the .357 Magnum with approximately 525 being made. Many of these went to Great Britain under Lend Lease during WWII.

Before Colt resurrected the Single Action Army in the closing days of 1955, even before the Ruger .357 Blackhawk of 1955, there was the Great Western. Great Western sixguns, the first replicas of the Colt Single Action, were manufactured in Los Angeles beginning in 1954. The first guns were chambered in .45 Colt, however the .357 Magnum was not only soon added, a special version, the .357 Atomic was soon available. This cartridge was nothing more than a .357 Magnum +P+. Loaded with 16 grains of #2400 under a 158-gr. bullet, the Atomic must have been too much of a good thing as Great Western soon went back to marketing their sixguns as plain old .357 Magnums.

While I was in high school the walls of my bedroom were covered with pin-ups. No not that kind! I had maps of all the Canadian provinces, 8×10 photos of each of the Cleveland Indians, all kinds of animal pictures and right above my bed where it would be the last thing seen at night and the first thing to catch my eye in the morning, was a full-sized picture of the then new .357 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk.

Someday I would have one just like it. Usually somedays take forever, however this was only two years in coming. Once I was out of high school and working I started buying firearms. My first single action was a .22 Ruger Flatgate Single-Six which was soon followed by a 1900’s-era Colt .38-40 SAA, and then my first new centerfire single action, Ruger’s 45/8″ Flat-Top Blackhawk. I have since learned
external things do not necessarily make us happy, however I was certainly tickled to have that .357 Magnum.

Taffin has been shooting the .38 Keith Load in Flat-Top
Rugers for over half a century.

Before the .44 Magnum emerged, Great Western offered the “.357 Atomic”
which was simply a hot-loaded .357 Magnum.

Colt-Like

It was just about the perfect single-action sixgun. It had the same virtually indestructible coil-powered action as the Single-Six, however it was basically the same size as a Colt Single Action. The shape of the grip frame was identical to the Colt, but the mainframe was flat-topped and fitted with an adjustable sight. If there was a downside it was the fact the grip frame was alloy instead of steel.
In those days it was very difficult deal with: the KFC establishment itself, which apparently had a “no guns at the franchise” policy even then. “The company asked me not to have a gun in the store after the shooting,” Wayne remembers. He acknowledged being advised of the company policy, but somehow a WWII-vintage Ithaca 1911A1 .45 auto found its way into his office for the duration of his time there. It was his perception the parent company might care more about liability than the safety of an owner/manager and his employees. By the following September, Wayne had sold his franchise and made a career change. He still has the Ithaca .45.

Classy .357 Magnum Single Actions don’t come any better than these
from Freedom Arms: the 5-shot Model 83 and the 6-shot Model 97.

Top: Flat-Top Blackhawk with 101/2″ barrel and brass grip frame. Larry
Caudill-stocked 45/8″New Vaquero with Ron Power hammer and trigger.
Middle: 71/2″ Bisley Model with an extra cylinder chambered in .356 GNR.
Bottom: The top and bottom sixguns have been embellished and refinished
in high polish blue by Gary Reeder.

Lessons

We’ve already discussed the effects of intermediate barriers on bullets, stopping five of Wayne’s six, and noted he finished the encounter with only one round left if the exchange of shots had continued. Less than impressed with the effectiveness of the .380 he switched to a .45. Today, almost four decades later, Wayne’s everyday carry gun is a compact Elite ’98 series Kahr, chambered for .40 S&W, loaded with 180-grain Winchester PDX-1 bonded jacketed hollow point, and carried with two spare magazines.

Should he have engaged at all, since it appeared the robber had obtained what he came for, and was leaving? Remember, Wayne was acutely conscious of the fairly recent case of another KFC robbery in which the perpetrator had finished with the execution murder of the manager. Arming himself at the first safe opportunity and particularly knowing that his 13-year old daughter was among the employees and customers he felt a duty to protect, I cannot fault him for placing himself between those potential victims and the bad guy, should the latter decide to double back. Once the suspect turned on him with the .38, it was the perpetrator whose actions were the proximate cause of the shooting.

Wayne experienced not only tunnel vision and tachypsychia, the sense of things happening in slow motion, but also auditory exclusion on that “two-way range.” The short hallway where the shootout took place was only five feet wide and the gunfire should have reverberated deafeningly, but he only heard the shots as dull thuds. Wayne’s Walther was at eye level, dialed in by thousands of competition shots fired with careful aim, and while he wasn’t consciously aiming his alignment was true. Had it not been for the money bag the robber was carrying and the spring-loaded steel door that rapidly closed between them, all six shots the good guy fired would have hit the bad guy in the chest area.

With almost four decades to think about it, knowing what he knows now, what would Wayne have done differently? “I would have taken cover,” he answers. “I was one sliding step from the corner of the wall. I had been shooting bullseye matches since 1967, and seriously for about five years. My bullseye competition had given me good trigger control, and I’m glad that stayed with me in the fight, but I’d had zero tactics training at that time and cover simply didn’t occur to me.”

Why didn’t he avail himself of the pistol before he first stepped out of his office? “I knew if I faced him then, customers would be behind him and employees might be between us; he’d be able to shoot at me but I couldn’t return fire without hitting others,” Wayne explains. “But once he went out my office door heading for the rear exit, I knew I’d have a safe backdrop if it came to shooting.”

Top: New Model .357 50th Anniversary Ruger Blackhawk. Original Flat-Top Blackhawk.
Bottom: Both sixguns are separated by half a century. Custom checkered rosewood
grips are available from Ruger.

Moving On

I met Wayne and learned of his incident long after it happened. He told me about the training odyssey to which it led him. He said, “After my incident, I dedicated myself to self-defense knowledge and not just NRA bullseye target shooting. I took many schools from Gabe Suarez, Jeff Gonzales (Trident Concepts), Benny Cooley, Max Joseph, Larry Vickers, Blackwater International, and now you. I also took classes from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman … Each class I took was similar in the shooting techniques but what I really learned was the teaching skills and nuggets of information I passed along to my students in IDPA.”

 Wayne continued, “I took all these classes to learn and finetune my shooting skills, mindset and also to learn teaching skills from all my instructors because when I got into IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) in 1999, I soon became a Safety Officer (SO) and then a Safety Officer Instructor (SOI) and then did a stint as the IDPA Area Coordinator for California and Nevada. I was President of my Sacramento IDPA club from 2001 to 2011. Because of my incident, I had a better understanding of what real life shooting scenarios were like and had studied many incidents and the lessons learned. I would always stress to my IDPA students that IDPA teaches you only three things: gun handling, marksmanship and the use of cover and to then take as many other self-defense classes (as possible) to develop mind-set and a broader sense of self-defense shooting situations and techniques.”

Traveling that long path, Wayne Johnson won many titles and awards in IDPA shooting, but his focus was always on teaching others to survive the sort of encounter in which he himself had prevailed. It was in that spirit he shared his incident with us, and we here at American Handgunner appreciate that very much.

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American Compact

By John Taffin

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 in 2011, Ruger brought out their first version of the 1911. It was a full-sized, stainless steel .45 with what we have come to call tactical sights. I was one, however, who could not be totally satisfied without having a Ruger SR1911 with adjustable sights. I also asked for Commander versions and other chamberings. We always want what they aren’t building! The latter came first as we saw the addition of Rugers in 9mm as well as Commanders. I was still waiting for an adjustable-sighted SR1911 .45 ACP and good things really do come to those who wait. Enter the Ruger SR 1911 Target Model.

It’s exactly what I wanted, however if you think I’m totally “super” satisfied I’m not simply because I want to see the same Target Model pistol chambered in .38 Super and 9mm, and I certainly would not turn down a 10mm version. In fact I wrote the following in this space two years ago: “What does the future hold for the Ruger 1911? I hope they get to the point they will offer adjustable sighted versions not only in .45 but .38 Super and 9 mm as well. I would not be adverse to also seeing an adjustable sighted version chambered in 10mm.” It always pays to let Ruger know one’s wishes.

The Ruger Target Model .45 shoots great and the adjustable sights allow
precise changes to point of impact.

The Compact American .45 packs a hard wallop and handles well at John’s
7-yard testing range.

Adjustability

With the standard 5″ barrel the weight is right at 39 ounces. Just as with the standard SR 1911, the Target Model strips, shoots, handles and holsters just like a 1911. The two most important features, for me at least, on any handgun are the sights and the trigger. Normally the sights are personally considered to be the most important. I can live with a poor trigger much easier than I can handle hard-to- see sights.

Even though the original SR Ruger 1911 sights are not fully adjustable they are still excellent. But they’re not fully adjustable which is what I normally prefer on any handgun, except a pocket pistol. The Target Model addresses this with the use of a BoMar-style fully adjustable rear sight. I prefer a setup like this as it allows me to dial in the exact point of impact with everything from 135-grain high-speed loads up to 230-grain JHP+P’s, and any weight or muzzle velocity in between. This versatility is very important to me. Unlike the BoMar sights of my mis-spent youth, these are set low in the slide and do not interfere with holstering.

The trigger is skeletonized aluminum with an adjustable over-travel stop. The quality of the sights are matched by a clean, crisp trigger measuring 41/2 pounds. The combination of excellent sites and a good trigger made it very easy to get good results when shooting.

Ruger’s frames are cast by their sister company, Pine Tree Castings, and then CNC machines are used to provide a precise slide-to-frame fit. Ruger advises the stainless steel barrel and bushing are produced from the same piece of bar stock on the same machine which also helps to provide accuracy.

The Ruger has the mandatory beavertail grip safety with a cut-out to accept the back of the skeletonized hammer. The beavertail is not as wide as found on most 1911’s today, but works just fine. That beavertail, as well as the slightly extended ambidextrous thumb safety, slide lock and magazine release are all blue steel while the slide and frame are stainless steel.

The firing pin is titanium and is matched up with a heavy firing pin spring, elimating the need for a firing pin block. Ruger says this offers “… an updated safety feature to the original ‘Series 70’ design without compromising trigger pull weight.” One of the mild arguments these days is whether the old original internal extractor should be used or an external extractor. Ruger has stayed with the tried and true original design. Since the Ruger SR 1911 first arrived, I have had considerable experience with several of the standard models, the newer Commanders, and now this Target Model. The extractor has continued to work flawlessly in all of them.

I prefer the checkered flat mainspring housing as supplied on all Ruger 1911’s including our test gun. Grip panels on all previous Ruger .45 1911’s have been nicely checkered CocoBolo with the diamond pattern and the Ruger emblem. Those found on the Target Model deviate are checkered G10. It’s a very attractive design with checkering covering about half of the grip panel, with a Ruger emblem found in the center of the checkering itself. The finish on these grips matched the checkered flat mainspring housing, providing a very secure grip.

Our test gun came with two magazines; a flush fitting 7-rounder and an 8-round version with a butt pad. For my use I would carry it with the 7-round magazine and the 8-round as a backup. Fobus provides a very lightweight and secure polymer holster for carrying the SR 1911, as well as many other makers.

The Ruger Compact American performed successfully with these
radical new self-defense loads from Black Hills and Ruger.

Shooting

My original Ruger SR1911 has been fired with many different factory loads and handloads over the past six years. With proper ammunition it has never failed to feed, fire, or extract; performance is absolutely flawless. It shoots, and shoots and shoots. The Target Model is falling right into these familiar footsteps. Indeed, this Target Model fits right into my definition of a Perfect Packin’ Pistol.

In testing this Target Model, which was a most enjoyable time, 15 factory loads and three of my handloads where used. Most of these loads shot right at 11/4″ for five shots at 20 yards. The most accurate loads proved to be the Black Hills 185 JHP at 928 fps; Black Hills 230 JHP, 821 fps; HPR 185 JHP, 946 fps; Sig Sauer 200 JHP, 882 fps and the Sig Sauer 230 FMJ at 842 fps. My handload consisting of the Oregon Trail 200 SWC over a very easy shooting 4.0 grains of Bullseye for just over 700 fps and a 1″ group was particularly satisfying. I also fired the Ruger Target Model with the new Ruger ARX 118-grain bullet at just under 1,400 fps. This self-defense load groups into an excellent 1-1/4″.

The Ruger Target Model SR 1911 was test-fired with a variety of .45 ACP ammunition.
There’s a wealth of high-quality defensive and practice ammo available these days!

The Ruger Target Model .45 comes with two magazines; one is flush-fitted with
a 7-round capacity, while the other has a buttpad and holds 8-rounds.

American Compact

In 2015 Ruger introduced their “American” semi-auto pistol chambered in .45 ACP and 9mm. This model proved to be both durable and reliable and was then joined by a new version, the Compact American 9. The quartet has now been made complete with the addition of a Compact American .45 ACP. This easy-handling .45 is smaller than the 1911 Target Model, however it’s large enough to be comfortable to shoot and still small enough to easily conceal.

This polymer framed .45 pistol is 71/4″ long with a height of just over 41/2″ and, with its 33/4″ barrel, weighs in at just under 281/2 ounces with an empty magazine. For an individually tailored feel the Compact .45 comes with medium and large replaceable backstraps. For my use the medium backstrap works fine.

Two nickel-Teflon plated steel magazines are provided, with one having a 7-round capacity while the other is a slightly extended 8-round version with a grip extension. The 7-round magazine has a small extension giving a perfect resting place for my little finger. Everything, pistol, extra magazines and extra backstrap, comes in a sturdy hard case. Fobus also provides a secure lightweight polymer holster for the .45 Compact American with either a belt slot or paddle design.

The frame of the .45 Compact American is one-piece black nitride, glass-filled nylon, with stainless steel integral frame rails and fire control housing. The slide is stainless steel coated with a non-glare black finish. Sights consist of a Novak LoMount Carry 3-dot system. In addition to the frame-mounted safety there’s also the typical “safety trigger” in which the center bar in the trigger must be pressed before the gun will fire. The trigger pull on this Compact .45 measures right at seven pounds, but feels lighter to my finger, and has a short take-up with a positive reset.

For manual operation of the slide, cocking serrations are found on the back of the slide, and the frame-mounted thumb safety is ambidextrous as is the pushbutton magazine release. The magazine drops positively, however the magazine release is not as easy for me to operate as the one found on my Compact 9. This is basically a self-defense pistol and as such does not have a magazine disconnect. That is, if the magazine is lost the Compact .45 can still be used as a single shot pistol.

Front and rear sights are set in dovetails and the former has a locking screw to allow for windage adjustment. The interchangeable backstraps and the integral front strap both have molded-in texturing. There’s also an abbreviated Picatinny Rail in front of the trigger guard.

Unlike the SR 1911 Target Model .45 a versatile pistol which can be put to many uses such as self-defense, hunting, target shooting, or just as an every day packin’ pistol, the .45 American Compact was approached as a self-defense pistol and as such was test-fired at seven yards.

Two of the newest self-defense loads are the Ruger ARX 118-grain and the Black Hills 135-grain Honey Badger. The former clocks out at just over 1,300 fps and the latter right at 1,250 fps from the relatively short barrel of the Compact American .45. Both of these loads are right at 2″ for five shots at seven yards which makes them more than adequate for self-defense use. Either one would be my choice for carry in this newest Ruger .45. My practice load consisting of the Oregon Trail 200-grain RNFP over 5.5 grains of WW231 clocks out just under 800 fps with a 5-shot group of just over 1″ at seven yards. I’m sure this gun will shoot fine at 20 or 25 yards, but it’s not really what it’s for in my opinion.

Two more excellent .45’s from Ruger. It pays to not be satisfied — but just keep asking for new things! Let’s especially hope for a .38 Super Target Model!

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9mm/.40 S&W And .45 ACP+ Old Glory In .38!

By John Taffin

Charter Arms has been going to the dogs for over half a century. In the mid-1960’s Charter Arms combined dogs and the .44 Special when they brought out the first .44 Special Bulldog. It could not have come at a better time. Charter Arms with their .44 Special managed to keep the meagerly flickering flame of the Special alive at a time when both Colt and Smith & Wesson dropped their .44 Special sixguns.

The Charter Arms original .44 Special was a blued 5-shooter with a 3″ barrel. At the time it was one of my most-carried sixguns and logged many miles in the top of my boot. It went on fishing trips, hiking trips and family outings. One year, now nearly 40 years ago, we rented a motorhome and took a rare vacation with the kids who were all in high school at the time, and the .44 Bulldog was stashed in the camper. Twice in my life I feel having a gun along served to protect my family. In both cases the gun I had with me at the time was the .44 Bulldog.

Two of my house guns are .44 Bulldogs, with a stainless steel version stashed in each of the bathrooms. Can you think of any place you would be more vulnerable in the house than a bathroom? If something happens I want a gun immediately and easily at hand. In the bathrooms the stainless steel Bulldogs are always ready-loaded with 200-grain Blazer JHP’s. The first time I mentioned this in writing several years ago, some laughed. Many others felt it was a most sensible idea and followed suit. I hear from people all over the country who now have stainless steel handguns stashed in their bathrooms. The .44 Bulldog is perfect for such duty.

I’ve spent much of my gun-writing life talking about big bore sixguns in general and quite often specifically focusing on the .44 Special. However, I have rarely mentioned the Charter Arms .44 Special Bull Dog. It has been part of our family for a long time, however it’s rarely ever seen or even shot — simply always at hand.

Three Pit Bulls and Old Glory. The .45 appears to be on a slightly larger frame,
while the .40, 9mm and .38 share the same.

Newer Models

The Second Generation of Charter Arms Dogs is the Pug. The Pug is the same basic design as the two original Bulldogs (blued and stainless versions) however there are differences. The barrel length is now 21/2″ and the ejector rod enclosed. The grip design has also been changed and the Pug is fitted with finger groove rubber grips that are quite narrow, very comfortable for shooting, and also mate well with the satin matte stainless steel finish. The sights are a very-easy-to-see square rear notch matched up with a ramp-style front sight rather than the post of the originals. The Pug shoots closer to point of aim than my original Bulldogs and is quite accurate.

Now we are at the Third Generation of Charter Arms Dogs with the Pit Bulls. The Charter Arms Dogs followed a natural evolutionary path. First came the blued Bulldog, then shortly thereafter the stainless steel version. These standard Bulldogs are no more though, with the “new breed” taking over.

And now, Charter Arms has come up with a way to fire rimless semi-automatic cartridges in a revolver without having to use moon clips. The first chamberings offered were in 9mm and .40 S&W, and the latest is now the biggest dog of all — the .45 ACP Pit Bull.

Charter Arms says of this Pocket Powerhouse: “The unique design provides a dual coil spring assembly located in the extractor allowing for the insertion and retention of the .45 ACP caliber cartridge in each chamber of the revolver’s cylinder (no moon clips required). This patented system allows the shooter ease of ejecting spent cartridges for immediate reloading. Charter Arms has taken the difficulty of rimless loading and ejection to the simplicity of the rimmed cartridge in the revolver industry.”

Normally sixguns using any of these three semi-auto rounds need clips, whether they be half- or full-moon, to aid in ejection. The clip gives something for the ejector star to contact allowing the cartridges to be easily ejected. Some even require the moon clips for consistent ignition. With the Charter Arms Pit Bull, moon clips are simply not necessary, nor would they fit, as the small finger protruding from the five stations of the ejector star snap into the ejector cut just above the rim of a semi-auto cartridge.

The .45 ACP Pit Bull was test-fired with an assortment of .45 ACP loads.

Loading Tips

When loading the Pit Bull cartridges do not simply drop them in. They must be worked past the spring-loaded finger in each cut-out in the extractor star. This requires a little effort and a short learning curve to do this. The entire case body, including the mouth of the cartridge case, must make it past this finger to allow cartridges to fully enter the chamber. The first attempt seems quite clumsy and awkward, however with repetition comes ease of operation. As with all double-action revolvers it’s recommended the revolver be pointed straight up as the ejector rod is tapped to eject the empties. This needs to be a positive operation to ensure empties are all ejected.

The Charter Arms Pit Bulls, be they .45 ACP, .40 S&W or 9mm, are all stainless steel, with well thought out finger-grooved neoprene grips aiding in comfort and controllability. Frankly, I was surprised at the lack of punishing recoil. All of the loads tried had minimal felt recoil, even the .45 ACP. Charter Arms recommends against the use of +P loads and I myself have no desire to use them in such a small sixgun. Nor do we need them with all the grand choices we now have in carry ammunition.

Barrel length is 21/2″ for the .45 ACP, 2.3″ for the .40 and 2.2″ for the 9mm. All have fixed sights consisting of a square notch rear cut into the top of the frame and a serrated ramp front sight which is an integral part of the barrel. The sights are big and broad and quite easy to pick up. For me each of these Pit Bulls shoot low and require filing the front sight to match the load selected for everyday use. The front of the trigger is smooth and provides a single-action pull of about 5 pounds but it seems lighter. The double-action pull is also quite smooth.

The .38 Special Old Glory is a classic “small frame” 5-shooter and handles like an S&W J-Frame.
Quick, can you find it hiding in plain sight on the target?

Can They Shoot?

Since this is basically a big-bore sixgun designed for self-defense use, test-firing was done at the across-the-room distance of seven yards. For the .45 ACP six factory loads were used in testing and I was surprised at two things, actually three. The mild recoil, the accuracy and the relatively decent velocities from such a short barrel were all pleasant surprises. Three loads grouped four shots into 1″ at seven yards — the Winchester 185-gr. FMJ load clocking out at 777 fps, SIG SAUER’s 200-gr. JHP at 828 fps and the Buffalo Bore Low Recoil 185-gr. FMJ at 662 fps. The latter load is perfect for anyone bothered by recoil, and the SIG SAUER load at nearly 830 fps is quite respectable out of such a small, 5-shot revolver.

With the 9mm Pit Bull, it’s simply more of the same. SIG SAUER’s 115-gr. JHP grouped into 11/8″ clocked out at just under 1,100 fps. Technical Ammunition’s 124-gr. Lead Free HP shot the same size group at 1,075 fps, and the HPR at the same speed puts four shots into 13/8″ at the same seven yards.

The .40 Pit Bull is the same song, third verse, as it shot 11/4″ groups with the American Eagle 165-gr. FMJ at 915 fps and the Buffalo Bore Hard Cast Flat Nose at 935 fps. Both of these are definitely Power-Packed loads for the Pit Bull.

Any of these Pit Bulls using semi-auto cartridges would be an outstanding backup gun to a like-chambered semi-auto pistol. As far as this goes, any one of them would make an excellent carry gun, especially when you consider all the potent loadings available today for self-defense use. Just as with most (all?) double-action revolvers offered today, the Pit Bulls would benefit from an action job done by an expert sixgunsmith.

The .45 ACP Pit Bull. The new rimless cartridge system worked perfectly in the .45, .40 and 9mm.

And A .38

Charter Arms has not stopped with the Pit Bull. Their first Pocket Pistol more than 50 years ago was the .38 Undercover. This 5-shot .38 has found its way into thousands upon thousands of pockets and purses over the decades. It has been offered in blue and stainless versions and now several Cerakoted .38’s are available.
The latest is “Old Glory” and it’s fitting I spent Memorial Day morning shooting this patriotically adorned .38 Special. It has the same recoil absorbing grips as the Pit Bull’s and it’s also stainless steel. However, it gets its name from the fact it’s finished in patriotic colors. The frame is red striped and the barrel is blue with silver stars. This little J-Frame-sized .38 shoots exceptionally well considering its small size and 2″ barrel. With all the semi-auto pistols developed and made available the past three decades the .38 Special snubbie is still an excellent choice. For new shooters, probably the best choice, as they are simplicity itself with nothing to do but pull the trigger.

I tried five different factory loads in “Old Glory” and all performed exceptionally well. Two of these loads used cast full wadcutter bullets. Buffalo Bore’s 150-gr. WC clocked out at 850 fps with a group of 13/8″ while their 158-gr. LSWC HP at the same speed grouped its four shots in 11/4″. Both of these loads are standard pressure loads making this exceptional performance from a 2″ barrel.

The other full wadcutter load is the milder Winchester classic target loading that clocks out at 610 fps with its 148-gr. target wadcutter bullet. Not surprising it was also exceptionally accurate with a 1″ group. Two of Hornady’s self-defense loads are also worth looking at for use in this pistol. Their 125-gr. XTP-JHP clocked out at just under 800 fps with a 1″ group while their 158-gr. version of the same bullet at 665 fps turned out to be the most accurate load through any of these four Charter Arms Pocket Pistols, with a 3/4″ group for four shots!

Charter Arms has been supplying self-defense pistols at reasonable prices for 5+ decades now. All of these are definitely welcome additions. Can you say “Great value for your money?”

A spring loaded tab, beveled to help cartridge insertion, snaps into the rim area as you push the loaded
round into the chamber. At ejection, the empty case comes out securely, falling free like a rimmed cartridge.
Clever!

Heavy Duty Dogs

That first blued revolver also had beautifully designed walnut stocks that completely enclosed the grip frame without being large or bulky, and very easy to see square-fixed sights. The ejector rod was not enclosed nor did it latch at the front in the conventional way. Instead the cylinder locked at the rear and also at the front of the frame. With its 5-shot cylinder and bolt slots cut between chambers, the Bulldog is much stronger than it appears. In fact it will probably handle heavier loads than most of us would care to shoot.

My normal heaviest load for the Bulldog is the Keith 250-grain SWC over 7.5 grains of Unique. This load is definitely sufficiently powerful, however, I rely on factory loads for defense.

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By John Taffin

What does the name “Harpers Ferry” mean to you? For gun fans and history buffs, it’s tied to a proud tradition of gun making. Fast forward to the 21st century. While the original site of the Harpers Ferry Armory is now a national park, in 2015 a new Harpers Ferry Armory came to life less than eight miles away. The new armory is not a government facility but instead a commercial firearms manufacturer producing modern guns including 1911’s and small pocket revolvers.

I’ve always been intrigued how companies come up with names for their firearms. Not only did this new company begin producing quality firearms, they also looked back into history to come up with names/model numbers for their pocket pistols.

Their little 5-shot .38 Special is known as the I.S. 38, coming from “Isaac Smith,” John Brown’s alias while he was spying out the original Harpers Ferry before conducting his famous assault. The 5-shot .357 Magnum is designated as the A.H. 357. Andrew Hunter was the man who prosecuted John Brown before he was hanged. These pocket revolvers offered by Harpers Ferry Armory, which I have been shooting for the past several weeks, seem to be of excellent quality with a lot of attention paid to fit and finish.

Of all the Harpers Ferry Armory guns he tested, Taffin liked the
1911 best. It’s a Commander-sized .45 holding 8+1 rounds.

The barrel of the .357 is ported, with three ports cut along each side
of the revolver’s front sight.

No Pipsqueak

The I.S. 38 is a DAO .38 Spl. rated for +P loads and holds five rounds. As with most pocket-sized revolvers, the barrel length is 2″, with fixed sights consisting of a square notch cut in the back of the frame matched up with a serrated ramp front sight. The frame is constructed of 416 stainless steel and the back of the frame is flame hardened. Both the frame and the barrel have a black Cerakote finish while the heat-treated cylinder, yoke, cylinder release latch, triggerguard, trigger and grip frame are high-polish stainless steel.

Grips are pebble-grained, finger-grooved black rubber that fill in behind the triggerguard. They’re quite comfortable and help to take the sting out of +P .38 Special loads. Since this is a small revolver designed for self-defense and pocket carry, I tested them at seven yards. I pressed eight .38 Special factory loads into service for testing. Some especially satisfactory loads were the Black Hills 125 JHP +P loads clocking out at 770 fps and grouping into 1″ for four shots at seven yards; the Buffalo Bore 158 LSWC HPGC, 800 fps and 1″; the Buffalo Bore 150 Hard Cast Full Wadcutter, 820 fps and 11/8″; the Hornady 140 XTP-JHP, 660 fps and 11/4″; and Speer’s Gold Dot HP load clocked out at 850 fps and grouped four shots into 1″. All in all, this is a quality, very good lookin’, 16 ounce packin’-snubbie for the pocket. MSRP is $589.

The A.H. .357 packs five rounds of magnum power into a compact package. John tested it
with a selection of .357 and .38 Spl. loads.

The I.S. 38 is a bobbed-hammer .38 Spl. rated for +P loads and ideal for CCW use.

Even More Bark

Moving up in power we come to the A.H. 357. This 20-ounce, 5-shot revolver is chambered in .357 Mag. and, of course, will also handle .38 Spl. and .38 Spl. +P loads. Just as with the I.S. 38, the frame is 416 stainless steel, the back of the frame is flame hardened and the cylinder is heat treated to 4045 Rockwell C scale. The hammer, cylinder, trigger, grip frame and triggerguard are all high-polish stainless steel while the barrel and frame have a blue Cerakote finish. Unlike the .38 Spl. version, this is a DA/SA revolver. Both revolvers are marked on the left side of the barrel with the model number and caliber while the right side of the barrel is inscribed in three lines: “HARPERS FERRY ARMORY, RANSON WV.”

Grips on this .357 version are the same as found on the .38 Spl. model and help to lessen felt recoil — especially of the .357 Mag. loads. I spent several mornings shooting all three test guns and I was reluctant to fire the .357 Mag. loads in this little revolver. I’ve done it before with other lightweight pocket pistols and did not find it to be a very pleasant experience. My worries were for nothing. I would not call the recoil pleasant with the magnum loads, but the 3-hole porting found on both sides of the front sight really worked with the rubber grips to make the recoil tolerable. Just as with the .38 Spl. model, this one also shot about 5″ low for me at seven yards.

This .357 Mag. was test-fired with nine .38 Spl. factory loads and four .357 Mag. factory loads. Results were exceptional. With .38 Spl. loads the Black Hills 125 JHP +P’s clocked out at 760 fps with a 4-shot, 7-yard group of 1″; Buffalo Bore’s 158 LSWC HPGC, 835 fps and 3/4″; Buffalo Bore’s 150 Full Wadcutter, 840 fps, 3/4″; and Buffalo Bore’s 110 Barnes Tactical grouped into 1″ with a muzzle velocity of 970 fps.

Switching to .357 Mag. loads, all four factory loads showed excellent accuracy. The Black Hills 158 LFP at 830 fps, the Hornady 125 XTP-JHP at 1,213 fps, and the Winchester 110 Lead Free JHP at 1,150 fps — with all grouping their shots into 7/8″. The Speer Gold Dot HP at 1,125 fps grouped four shots into 11/8″. Since it has an exposed hammer, it does not quite work as well as the I.S. 38 as a pocket gun, but it does carry nicely in a Bianchi Belt Slide holster. MSRP is $639.

The Harpers Ferry .357 and .45 ride in Bianchi leather while the .38 Special is easily
carried in a pocket. We do recommend a pocket holster though.

The 3-dot sights on the 1911 are Novaks with slanting rear faces to reduce glare.

Big Bore Bite

This brings us to what I find to be the most interesting of the test pistols from Harpers Ferry Armory, the 1911 model which in this case is a Commander-style .45 ACP. This 37-ounce pistol has a 41/4″ match-grade barrel and comes with an 8-round magazine with a polymer baseplate. I appreciate the fact magazine peepholes on both sides are numbered from “1” to “8” allowing you to know at a glance how many rounds are in place. Both the slide and frame are forged 4140 steel with a black nitride finish. Sights are Novak with the low-riding rear sight having a white dot on each side of the rear sight blade matched up with a white dot in the front sight blade. Both sights are set in a dovetail and locked in place with a screw, and the rear face of both of them slant to the front to reduce glare.

The thumb safety is striated, while the slide stop/release is checkered with both being easy to operate. The grip safety is the now-mandatory beavertail with a memory bump I find very helpful for depressing the safety. The trigger is a match-grade steel bow with an aluminum shoe, drilled with three holes. The front of the trigger, as with the .38 and .357 revolvers, is grooved and the steel hammer is Commander-style. The steel mainspring housing has 25 LPI checkering and matches the aggressive pattern on the carbon fiber grips, resulting in a very secure hold while shooting. The left grip panel is dished out behind the magazine release to allow quick access.

The barrel is tapered, with the wider point at the front, and matches up with a fitted bushing. The pistol is also fitted with a guide rod. Cocking serrations are found on both sides of the slide in front of the rear sight, and the left side of the slide is marked: “HARPERS FERRY ARMORY” with the Harpers Ferry logo found on both sides of the slide below the rear sight. Harpers Ferry says of this pistol: “Rail cuts are held at a 0.0005″ tolerance with each gun being hand-built and test-fired. Wolfe Springs are used throughout.” MSRP of this high quality .45 is $1,695.

I test-fired the Harpers Ferry Armory .45 ACP 1911 with a lucky 13 line-up of factory loads. Some of the best loads were the Black Hills 230 JHP +P at 900 fps and a 5-shot, 20-yard group of 11/4″; Hornady 200 XTP, 880 fps and 7/8″; HPR 185 JHP, 950 fps and 1”; HPR 230 FMJ, 850 fps and 7/8″; Remington 230 FMJ, 790 fps and 13/8″; and the Ruger ARX 118 polymer bullet clocking out at 1,400 fps. It didn’t shoot to point of aim but grouped into 13/8″ for four shots at 20 yards.

Harpers Ferry Armory is a relatively new company having first started production in 2015. All three of these test pistols are examples of the quality work they are producing and I expect to see more models offered in the future.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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By John Taffin

I’ve always been a fan of Western movies, good Western movies that is, and one of the best ever is The Wild Bunch. When I first saw it back in 1969, it was a totally new experience as I had never seen such violence on screen. Today much sickening gratuitous violence fills many movies, however in The Wild Bunch it definitely had a real purpose.

My favorite theme in any movie, be it Western or otherwise, is about those who have grown old and either outlived their purpose or found themselves out of step with the current age. This is exactly what The Wild Bunch is all about. It is set in a time of great violence; Mexico was in revolution and men like Pancho Villa and others like him were fighting against the government troops. Bloodshed and violence were not only commonplace they spilled over into our Southwest. The story is set in the second decade of the 20th century.

There are many things appealing about the movie, but for me, two stand out. It was a time of great transition and the members of the Wild Bunch had seen their way of life disappearing before their eyes. I know how they felt, as a world I grew up in is long gone never to be seen again. Also, there are some great guns to see in the movie. For the most part, they are also correct for the period — that is, with the glaring exception of the World War II-era 1903A3 Springfields being used in it!

A second reason is just after the turn-of-the-present century I received a very long and interesting letter accompanied by some photographs from one of the actors in the movie. Paul Harper was not part of the Wild Bunch but rather a member of the posse pursuing it, which Robert Ryan as Deke Thornton was forcibly leading. Not only did Paul, who is a real shooter, send me some neat pictures, he also sent information on some of the guns used. If you see the movie, Paul is the full-bearded posse member.

The time frame of the movie is set as the horse was being pushed aside by the automobile and the airplane, the Winchester levergun was giving way to the bolt-action Springfield, and the legendary single-action sixgun, the .45 Colt, was being challenged by the relatively new .45 Automatic Colt Pistol, the Model of 1911. For many men, the old days were going away too rapidly.

Bob Mernickle rig for competition use in the Wild Bunch category.

The Cimarron 1911 gives shooters and movie buffsa chance to own a cool
retro-style 1911 for not a lot of money.

Life Imitates Art

This film has taken on new meaning for Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) through a new category called “The Wild Bunch” added in recent years. In it, the single-action sixgun has been replaced by the 1911 Government Model. Shooters who wished to really be authentic began looking not just at any .45 semi automatic in the 1911 pattern, but rather either an original or an authentic replica of the Government Models dating back to the second decade of the 20th century.

Today, most 1911’s are fitted with extended and/or ambidextrous thumb safeties, excellent sights of either the tactical or fully adjustable variety, and a beavertail grip safety. The latter makes a huge difference when firing a long string of .45’s as the original tang has a habit of pounding on the back of the hand — or at least it does with me.

The original 1911 also had a flat mainspring housing instead of the arched version, which appeared in the early 1920s with the 1911-A1 Model. Thankfully, most manufacturers have gone back to the flat version. Sights have changed tremendously, and all to the good. My original 1911, a commercial model from 1914, has miniscule sights just about impossible to see. While it does shoot right to point of aim with 230-gr. hardball, it takes much concentration on my part to make it perform.

The most accurate load through all the testing was Taffin’s Oregon Trail 200 RNFP over 5.5 grains
of WW231 through the bright blue Cimarron.

The nickel 1911 proved to be a good shooter with both handloads and factory ammo.

Out Of The Box

Cimarron Firearms and I go way back together. I was the first to do an article on Mike Harvey and his new venture of importing replica single actions from Italy. Over the decades, Mike has worked tirelessly to convince the Italian makers to produce truly authentic replicas of frontier-period single-action sixguns and leverguns. Today, many of those produced are actually better than the originals. With the coming of the Wild Bunch shooting category, Mike turned to the Philippines for authentically styled 1911’s.

The Cimarron 1911 Semi-Automatic .45 ACP is available in three finishes: Bright Blue as were the originals, Matte Blue as were those which were mass-produced, and nickel-plated. The sights, while still very small, are an improvement over the original and just a little bit easier for me to see; they don’t distract from the authenticity of the pistol. The grips furnished on each Cimarron 1911 are excellent and are of the double-diamond checkered style of the originals.

The only thing found on any of these pistols not mating up with the original version, and also one very easy to correct, is the fact the 8-round magazines have a bumper pad on the bottom. For my use these will be replaced with standard 7-round 1911 magazines. I assume the bumper pad is for those who compete in the Wild Bunch category to prevent damage to the magazine as it is dropped during competition.

Except for the finish, the members of this pair and a spare are identical. A great number of 1911’s today are produced in the Philippines and are of excellent quality and this trio is no exception. They are fitted tightly, work flawlessly and are one of the better bargains found in the semi-auto firearms market today. They are fitted with the authentically styled standard original parts made up of the hammer, grip safety, thumb safety and slide lock. The trigger and the mainspring housing are exactly as found in the World War I era. Shooting these semi-automatics is like stepping back into history, and as such requires more effort to shoot them well. There is a reason most of today’s 1911’s are fitted with a beavertail grip safety, and semi-automatics so equipped are much easier to shoot over the long haul.

The sights also have the older-style sight picture which require a little more effort to obtain a good sight picture as compared to modern larger square notch rear sight mated with a post front sight. Personally, I like all the newer improvements; however, I also appreciate being able to do things the way they did over 100 years ago.

Hands On

All three of these Cimarron .45’s come with good triggers, and in applying my Brownell’s Trigger Pull Gauge I found the triggers measure 5 lbs., 41/2 lbs. and 4 lbs. for the bright blue, matte blue and nickel-plated versions, respectively. Eight different loads were test-fired in each .45 consisting of three of my favorite handloads and five factory loads. My most-used handloads these days as far as the .45 ACP goes are both assembled with 4.0 grains of Bullseye under 200-gr. cast bullets consisting of either the Oregon Trail Round Nose or the Oregon Trail SWC, a good copy of the old standard Hensley & Gibbs semi-wadcutter design that was so popular in bygone years. It was not only a first choice for target shooting it was also the bullet Col. Cooper recommended for self-defense use before we had so many excellent options to choose from as we do today.

Both of these loads fed and chambered flawlessly in each of these Cimarron 1911’s with the RN version averaging 11/2″ for 5 shots at 20 yards with a muzzle velocity right at 725 fps; easy shooting but plenty of power for most uses. The SWC was just slightly behind with an average muzzle velocity right at 700 fps and grouping just under 2″. My third handload, consisting of the Oregon Trail 200 RNFP over 5.5 grains of WW231, averaged 800 fps with tighter groups right at 11/4″. The most accurate load through all the testing was using this load in the Bright Blue version with a group size of 11/8″; this is target pistol accuracy! I find this to be an excellent load in most .45 semi automatics. With factory loads, SIG SAUER’s 230 JHP proved to be an excellent performer with muzzle velocities over 850 fps and groups averaging 11/2″. I would not have a problem selecting this load when traveling off the beaten path with any one of these Cimarron .45’s.

Cimarron’s 1911 pistols are manufactured by Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) and will also be available in both 9mm and .38 Super. They are authentically marked with the original patent dates and Cimarron also offers an authentically styled shoulder holster, the US Tanker model, paired with the pistol as part of a “1911 Wild Bunch Combo” for an MSRP of $842.23. If you want a cool retro 1911 that won’t break the bank, then these warrant a look!

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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By John Taffin

When the United States military adopted the .223 as its standard cartridge, thousands upon thousands of rounds of .30 Carbine surplus ammo were offered to the public. Ruger saw a good opportunity and from 1968 to 1972, a total of 32,985 Blackhawks chambered in .30 Carbine were manufactured. It was offered exclusively with a 71/2 ” barrel.

Those produced in the first year, 1968, had normal serial numbers running from 1 to 9321. I’ve been fortunate over the ensuing years to find two of these 71/2 ” .30 Carbine Blackhawks in this serial number range. Beginning in 1969, Ruger went with a prefix style of serial number beginning at 50-0000; these ended in 1973 at 50-23681. This year marks the end of all Three-Screw/Old Model Blackhawks and the advent of the New Model Blackhawks with two pins replacing the three screws and the addition of a transfer bar.

For the first time, traditional single actions were now safe to carry fully loaded with six rounds. Any single action, including the Ruger Single-Sixes and Blackhawks manufactured from 1953 through 1972, all must be carried only with the hammer down on an empty chamber. This of course includes the .30 Carbine Blackhawk.

Taffin accidentally found this classic Ruger .30 Carbine Blackhawk for sale and
pounced on it. Note the now long-gone yellow box.

You Have What?

Today we’re virtually buried in all kinds of new firearms be they rifles, shotguns, sixguns or semi-auto pistols. However, it is not often we find a 50-year-old sixgun in new condition in the box. For more years than I wish to count I’ve been wanting to get a .30 M1 Carbine. It was the first centerfire rifle I ever fired back in 1956 and I expected someday to actually find one.

About a month ago I found something on Gary Reeder’s forum. Gary is a well-known custom gunsmith offering all kinds of exotic cartridges as well as other custom work. A sporterized M1 Carbine with a Mannlicher stock showed up for sale. It appeared I was the first one to see it and I immediately called Gary and told him I wanted the .30 Carbine. “Which one?” he asked. I had been in such a hurry I didn’t even look at the whole posting, and he told me there was another .30 Carbine there — a like-new in the box Ruger .30 Carbine Blackhawk. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t go back and look. I simply told him I would take both of them. I was not about to miss out.

The .30 Carbine cartridge itself was a product of World War II. It was chambered in a lightweight semi-automatic rifle and designed to be used by support troops mainly to replace the .45 Government Model which many found hard to control and shoot accurately.

While gun companies had tried in the 1950s to build .30 Carbine pistols — Smith & Wesson built at least one prototype .30 Carbine double-action sixgun — it remained for Bill Ruger to bring out the first successful .30 Carbine sixgun. It was reported the Ruger engineers found the 7.5″ barrel to be ballistically efficient and they never deviated from this length. With this barrel length the weight of the wheelgun is approximately 44 ounces, making the .30 Carbine Blackhawk exceptionally pleasant to shoot. Life is full of trade-offs however, and the trade-off with the .30 Carbine in a revolver is earsplitting noise. This cartridge definitely requires ear protection, good quality ear protection.

All Old Model Ruger Blackhawks, including the .30 Carbine, are safe to carry only with five
rounds and a hammer down on an empty chamber.

The .30 Carbine (far right) is a great smallbore round shown here next to the.32-20,
.32 Long, .32 Magnum and .327 Magnum (from left to right).

My Treasure

This Blackhawk’s nothing fancy or out of the ordinary. It has the solid blue finish found on Ruger Blackhawks of that time, the metal-to-metal finish is excellent, and the walnut grips with black eagle medallions are nicely fitted to the frame and also shaped to fit the hand well. Most of my new production guns are matter-of-factly fitted with custom grips, however I have no problem living with these 50-year-old factory grips.

The cylinder in this .30 Carbine Blackhawk is tightly fitted with no side-to-side movement or end shake and the cylinder pin, as on all .30 Carbine Blackhawks, is of the longer style found on the Super Blackhawk. This makes it relatively easy to remove compared to the short stubby pins found on the original Blackhawks. The barrel/cylinder gap is virtually nonexistent. I noticed this early without measuring when I fired the same loads in this .30 Carbine Blackhawk as my two first-year production versions. Muzzle velocity averaged 7 percent to 9.5 percent higher with this one compared to the other two .30 Rugers.

Collectors do not find much variation among the almost 33,000 Old Model .30 Carbine Ruger Blackhawks produced. A very few were fitted with Super Blackhawk grip frames and an even smaller number received brass Super Blackhawk grip frames. This Ruger, originally cataloged as BKH31, is standard in every way and originally sold for $87.50.

Reloading for the .30 Carbine is a little different than standard sixgun cartridges. Since it is a rimless cartridge, it must headspace on the front of the case mouth in the Ruger cylinder. This means no traditional crimp on the bullet, which can be a problem in a revolver. In this case, recoil is not enough to cause a bullet in the remaining cases to go forward. But, the crimp is usually necessary to get the powder burning properly. Part of the answer to the latter problem is a tapered crimp die. It is also necessary for the best accuracy. Regardless, .30 Carbine loads in a revolver normally exhibit more extreme spreads in muzzle velocity than sixgun cartridges which can be crimped properly. This also holds true when factory .30 Carbine loads are fired through the Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine.

The .30 Carbine Blackhawk turned out to be a pretty good shooter, recoil was practically non-existent.

An Old West Sibling?

Other than the necessity of the fourth die for best utilizing the taper crimping operation, the .30 Carbine reloads as easily as a standard straight-walled sixgun cartridge. The .30 Carbine is sure to be compared to the .32-20. The .32-20 has an all-important rim allowing bullets to be crimped for use in sixguns, but the .30 Carbine has much stronger brass. The necks of .32-20 brass were lost with regularity until the advent of Starline brass would solve the problem. This has never been a problem with the .30 Carbine brass. It’s as tough as the other Magnum sixgun cartridges.

Some have converted .30 Carbine Blackhawk cylinders to .32-20 and while it works, it does not work very well. The diameter of the .32-20 is big where the .30 Carbine is little, and vice-versa. Also, the .30 Carbine normally uses bullets of .310″ diameter while the .32-20 sixgun barrels usually call for .312″ bullets. Thompson/Center Contender barrels chambered in .32-20 are cut for .310″ and T/C reloading dies have two expanding buttons so either size bullet may be used.

I thought of having an auxiliary cylinder made for the .30 Carbine Blackhawk in .32-20, however my standard loads with the old .32 WCF cartridge would not have bullets matching up well with the barrel. It may not be a problem and accuracy may be fine, however I’ve not yet taken the step of having an auxiliary .32-20 cylinder made. Maybe someday. These days I spend much more time shooting the small bores than the big bores so this project is getting closer to fruition.

I assembled reloads with Speer’s 100-gr. Plinker; 110-gr. Remington, Sierra and Speer .30 bullets; and a generic batch of 110-gr. FMJs I had on hand. I used #2400; H110, powders I believe were originally designed for the .30 Carbine; H108, a non-canister powder I have on hand; and Accurate #9. I received an unwanted surprise from the latter powder as loads assembled with less than published maximum loads were too warm resulting in stuck cases in the Blackhawk cylinder. This Blackhawk turned out to be a very accurate sixgun with most loads in the 11/4″ category for five shots at 20 yards, with my most accurate load being the Speer 110-gr. JSP over 12.0 grains of #2400 for just over 1,400 fps and a 1″ group.

It is always said, “You cannot go back,” and this is generally true. However, once in a while a window opens to allow us to be young again. Shooting this Blackhawk made me feel young again, if only for a few hours.

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By John Taffin

Ruger took a long time to get into the manufacturing of 1911s, waiting until the 100th Anniversary of John Browning’s magnificent design. When they did bring out their version of the 1911 it was done right, and like all Ruger firearms it’s both rugged and reliable. Since the first one chambered in .45 ACP, they’ve added three more .45 versions, Commanders in both standard and Lightweight versions as well as a Target Model 1911. In 2016, Ruger introduced the Lightweight Commander in 9mm, followed by the 10mm Target Model. Now in 2018 we’ve two more iterations of the 9mm, a Lightweight Officers Model-style and a Target Model.

Taffin got a real kick out of Ruger’s trio of soft-recoiling 9mm 1911s. Shown are the
Target Model full size, Commander-Style mid-size and compact Officers Model-Style.

The Officers Model-Style compact (top) has a short
3.6″ barrel and the Commander has a longer 4.25″ barrel.

Little Buddy

These two latest 1911s from Ruger fill out the 9mm Trio as all standard possibilities for the 1911 are fulfilled, with one example being smaller than the Commander-style Nine and the other the larger full-size 1911. The first one to arrive for testing was the Lightweight Officer-Style as Ruger calls it and it’s basically a rendition of the Officers Model. This little pistol weighs in at just over 27 ozs. with an anodized aluminum frame and a barrel length of 3.6″. The slide is stainless steel with a low-glare finish, and the excellent sights are drift adjustable three-dot Novaks.

Normally I change grips on all my personal pistols and 1911s are some of the easiest to personalize. However, I find the factory grips on the Ruger OM to be both functional and attractive. They are of deluxe checkered G-10 material and a close look shows the intriguing pattern found on these grips are an outline of the wings of the Ruger Eagle. These grips combined with the rounded mainspring housing makes shooting quite comfortable.

The pistol’s slide-to-frame fit’s tight and the slide travels very smoothly and evenly. It’s easy for older hands to chamber a round by pulling on the slide using the grooves found on both sides of the slide below the rear sight. Instead of the traditional barrel bushing found on most 1911s, this model’s got a bushingless black nitride-coated barrel and a full-length steel guide rod. Both the hammer and trigger are lightweight and skeletonized, with the latter having an adjustable over-travel stop.

One of the things making this little pistol so easy to shoot is the now almost mandatory beavertail grip safety with memory bump I find almost necessary for my hands to acquire a quick firing position. Operation’s enhanced by an extended thumb safety and slide stop lever as well as an extended magazine release, which allows positive removal when pressed. The over-sized ejection port aids functioning and I had no problems whatsoever with feeding, chambering or ejection of any rounds tried. Capacity is 8+1 rounds.

The full-size Target Model 1911 9mm was a
real shooter and has the longest barrel at 5″.

The handy little Officers-Style 1911 delivered good fight-stopping
accuracy for Taffin.

Reliable?

I’ve had considerable experience with .45 Officers Models over the past 30+ years from a couple different manufacturers. I’ve often heard these smaller .45s with their shorter barrels weren’t reliable, however I haven’t had a single problem with feeding and functioning that could not be traced to the ammunition. With proper loads they always work. The one drawback however is the fact in my now much older hands recoil is definitely objectionable after a couple of full magazines have been emptied.

For use as a defensive pistol there is no problem, however shooting several hundred rounds over a period of a couple hours isn’t something to look forward to. But the 9mm version changes this. Even though it is only 27 ozs. with its anodized aluminum frame, it’s still quite pleasant to shoot and I’ve no problem putting 300 rounds through it in one session.

Sixteen factory loads were tried in extensively testing this Ruger Officers Model-Style 9mm. Both hollowpoint and full metal jacket designs were tried with bullet weights running from the NOV X 65-gr. ARX bulleted rounds up to SIG SAUER 147-gr. FMJs. All firing was done at a self-defense distance of 7 yards. It shot 115- and 124-gr. JHPs exceptionally well, with the Black Hills 115-gr. JHP +P loads clocking out at over 1,200 fps and their 124-gr. JHP right at 1,100 fps. Standard velocity 115-gr. JHPs which performed well included the HPR at 1,030 fps; SIG SAUER V-Crown,1,067 fps; and Speer Blazer at 1,109 fps. The HPR proved to be most accurate with five rounds in 3/4″ at 7 yards. The specialty Honey Badger load from Black Hills with a 125-gr. ARX bullet was also quite accurate with groups under 1″. I would have no hesitation carrying this small 9mm concealed.

Biggest Brother

Two weeks after receiving the Officers Model Ruger, the pistol from the other end of the spectrum arrived. The SR1911 Target Model full-size 1911 is fitted with finely adjustable target sights. The 5″ Black Nitride barrel is also bushing-less with a full-length steel guide rod. The checkered flat mainspring housing’s exactly as my hand prefers and mates up nicely with checkered G-10 grips. Just as with the Officers Model-Style Ruger, this full-sized adjustable sighted version has a lightweight skeletonized trigger and hammer, beavertail grip safety with memory bump, oversized ejection port, an extended magazine release, and extended ambidextrous thumb safety, as well as slide stop lever. Capacity of this Ruger 9mm is 9+1 rounds. This is a much heavier pistol at 41.9 ozs., which combined with its excellent adjustable sights makes shooting especially comfortable. All three of the SR1911 Ruger 9mms have a barrel twist of 1:10.

The Target Model 9mm Ruger was also test-fired with 16 factory loads ranging in weight from 65 grains up to 147 grains with JHP, FMJ and ARX bullets. For five shots at 20 yards, the most accurate loads with groups just over 1″ include the Black Hills 115-gr. JHP +P at 1,306 fps; Black Hills 125-gr. Honey Badger, 929 fps; Hornady 90-gr. XTP-JHP, 1,382 fps; and SIG SAUER 115-gr. V-Crowm JHP loading at 1,222 fps. As with its smaller counterpart, the full-sized SR1911 9mm was 100 percent reliable with no malfunctions whatsoever in feeding, chambering or ejecting. Presently, I’ve only test-fired the Target Model with jacketed factory rounds; however, and especially as the weather gets better, with spring just around the corner by a couple of months, I’ll be trying it with several handloads using cast bullets.

Not too long ago, it was almost impossible to find a full-sized 1911 chambered in 9mm. Now we not only have this excellent version but also the two smaller versions to choose from, thanks to Ruger. Their Target Model lineup is almost complete now with chamberings in .45 ACP, 10mm and 9mm. I hope this Target Model Trio soon becomes a quartet with the addition of a similar model chambered in .38 Super. But, these 9mms will definitely keep me happy for now!

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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By John Taffin

As one who was never bitten by the MSR bug, I suddenly find myself fascinated by the latest iteration of the MSR platform from Springfield Armory. In 2016, Springfield Armory joined the long list of manufacturers of .223/5.56 modern sporting rifles with the introduction of the Saint. Now they have taken it one step further with the Saint Pistol. This opens a whole new facet of handgun shooting for this old dog.

The latest from Springfield Armory, which I’ve chosen to call the “Quaint Saint,” looks just like a typical MSR/Modern Sporting Rifle — with two exceptions. The Saint pistol’s barrel length’s less than 8″, and it’s fitted with a stabilizing brace. While it simply looks like a Modern Sporting Rifle with a very short barrel, it fits the BATFE definition of a handgun. Who am I to argue?

My approach to the Saint Pistol was to see it as a close-range self-defense pistol. Since it comes without sights, I decided I needed a laser and contacted Crimson Trace for a LiNQ green laser system. With this, the Saint could be easily shot accurately from the hip. But let’s consider the gun itself, first.

While John has never been bitten by the MSR bug, the new 5.56mm Saint Pistol from Springfield Armory
won him over during this test. Photo: Springfield Armory

She’s No Angel

The Saint Pistol’s 1:7″ twist Melonite-treated 416R barrel is a mere 7.5″ long and equipped with blast diverter to channel sound, concussion and debris away from the shooter. The receiver extension has an SB Tactical SBX-K brace to help stabilize the pistol for accurate shooting. Overall length is 26.5″ with a weight of 5.5 lbs. The upper receiver is forged Type III hard-coat anodized 7075 T6 aluminum while the lower receiver’s of the same material and fitted with the “Accutite Tension System.”

The gas system’s a direct impingement pistol-length system with a low-profile pinned gas block under a free-floated M-LOK handguard sporting a hand stop. The trigger is nickel-boron coated and the trigger guard and the pistol grip are from Bravo Company. The Saint is exceptionally well made with no looseness or rattling. It just seems to be solid all the way around. It ships with one 30-round magazine, is packed in a soft MSR pistol case and has an MSRP of $989.

I found the Saint Pistol worked flawlessly with factory ammunition, but I ran into problems with reloads I have run in .223 chambered rifles with no problems. My loads would chamber, but the gun would not fire and there were no strikes visible on the primers. We had to take it apart to remove a chambered round.

All of my ammunition previous to this had been reloaded using RCBS standard dies. The answer was a set of RCBS Small Base dies, and I also added a Lee Factory Crimp Die. This solved all the problems. In comparing the base diameters of Black Hills Match factory loads, my standard loads and those assembled with the Small Base dies, I found my original loads to be 1½ thousandths larger than factory while my new loads were 1/2 thousandths smaller than the factory loads. The new loads worked perfectly.

The Crimson Trace LiNQ is a wireless white light/green laser system that replaces
the pistol grip and attaches to a rail section.

To successfully load cartridges for the Saint, John went with RCBS Small
Base dies along with a Lee Factory Crimp Die.

Handloads fired from the hip at seven yards shows how accurate John
found the Quaint Saint to be.

On Target

The Crimson Trace LiNQ white laser and laser unit sighting system I chose for the Saint Pistol consists of two parts. One’s a replacement for the factory pistol grip while the other’s a module that fits on a Picatinny rail. Since there were no sights, I found it works just fine when mounted on the top rail. The LiNQ’s green laser is activated by a button in the front of the grip, naturally pressed with the shooting hand. This button activates the module, with no wires between them. The master switch is on the bottom left side of the pistol grip and there’s a mode button at the left top of the grip which gives four choices: laser plus light, laser only, light only or laser plus light strobe. The laser itself is green, and the white light is 300 Lumen LED. The LiNQ system was easy to install and easy to sight-in using the windage and elevation adjustments on the module. It takes two batteries; one in the module and one in the grip.

As set up, the Springfield Armory Saint Pistol’s made for close range shooting in self-defense situations. I also found it to be a fun gun for plinking — easily controlled and astoundingly accurate when fired from the hip with the laser. It can be used with or without the stabilizing brace attached to the shooting arm. I found it easy to hold in close to my hip without attaching the brace to my forearm.

Muzzle velocities of most .223 factory ammunition from an 18½” barrel run right at 3,000 fps. Switching to the short-barreled Saint Pistol resulted in loads slightly more than 25 percent slower. For handloads I chose Hodgdon’s CFE 223 powder. CFE stands for Copper Fouling Eraser, as this powder works to reduce copper buildup in the barrel. My loads of choice for use in the Quaint Saint were all assembled with CFE223 powder with 27.0 grains giving the following results with the given bullets: Hornady 50 V-Max, 2,267 fps; Hornady 55 SSP, 2,259 fps; Sierra 55 HPBT, 2,201 fps; and Speer 55 SSP, 2,157 fps.

My fastest load consists of the Speer 52 HP with 28.0 grains of CFE223 for 2,342 fps. When assembled with RCBS Small Base dies and crimped with the Lee Factory Crimp die, all loads worked flawlessly with no problems to feed, chamber or extract. It’s no problem to place three shots in one hole, or very closely so, at seven yards when fired from the hip.

I’m pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to handguns, preferring single-action and double-action sixguns or a classic semi-automatic. As stated earlier I have never been bitten by the MSR bug, but this version snuck up and won me over.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index, Ph: (800) 680-6866

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S&W’s Classi Model 19, Reborn!

By John Taffin

Bill Jordan, Marine combat veteran and Border Patrol Chief Inspector when he retired in 1965, was directly responsible for the Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnum. In 1986 Bill spoke of how the Combat Magnum came about: “In 1950, Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 15, a 4″-barreled version of its K-Frame Masterpiece series acclaimed by law enforcement officers. The only thing wrong with it was it was a bit too light for defensive use, especially the barrel and it was chambered for the .38 Spl. cartridge.

Bill decided he wanted a lighter and much easier to carry .357 Mag. than the original larger-framed Smith & Wesson .357 Mag. which arrived in 1935. What he wanted was a .357 Mag. sixgun on the smaller K-Frame with a heavy 4″ barrel with an extractor shroud similar to those used on the larger frame .357 Mag. revolvers, target grips and target sights. On November 15, 1955, the first production medium-frame .357 Mag. was completed and dubbed the Combat Magnum. Jordan called it the answer to a peace officer’s dream.

Jordan envisioned the Combat Magnum being carried with .357 Mag. loads while using .38 Special loads for practice. Some complained of the smaller Magnum not holding up to continuous use of .357 loads. Personally, I’ve never experienced any problems resulting from using .357 loads in several Model 19s in all three barrel lengths as well as both blue and nickel models.

Most of my .357 Mag. loads over the past half-century plus have been assembled with #2400 and my own cast bullets, either the Lyman-Keith #358429 173-gr. plain-based or Lyman-Thompson #358156 gas-checked bullets. Curiously, I have a K-Frame 4″ Model 19 which will handle heavier loads without complaining than an N-Frame 5″ Model 27. Fired cases literally fall out of the 19 while they stick in the 27, proving once again every sixgun is a law unto itself.

The new Model 19 Classic from S&W performed well with a variety of .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. loads.

The Resurrected Model 19 (left) compared to an original blued Combat Magnum
and stainless steel Model 66.

More Than A Number

In 1957 all Smith & Wesson sixguns lost their personal name and became a number. The Combat Magnum became the Model 19 and when it appeared in stainless steel form in 1975 it was known as the Model 66. The original Model 19 was dropped in 1999 while the stainless steel Model 66 lasted a few years into this century. Recently, the stainless steel Model 66 Combat Magnum was resurrected and now this year the Model 19 is back.

While the original Combat Magnum and the resurrected 21st-century version look like twins at first glance, there are differences. Internally they’re quite different as the modern version, which is known as the Model 19 Classic, has all of what Smith & Wesson calls “enhanced with modern internal components” while still maintaining the look and feel of the original models.

Both of these sixguns have bright blue finishes and came with the diamond in the center target stocks. However, the new Model 19 has a round butt frame concealed under the grip. My hands have certainly changed since the mid-1950s, first becoming tougher and stronger and then beginning their downhill slide. This, of course, means the stocks are not as comfortable to me as they were 60 years ago.

My favorite .357 Mag. load for carry today is the same load I use on turkeys in areas where I’m not required to use a shotgun. It’s the Black Hills 125-gr. JHP. In a long-barreled, scoped .357 Mag. it works fine for head shooting turkeys. Loaded in a carry gun, it’s rated as one of the most dependable stopping loads. In the Model 19 Classic it clocks out at 1,350 fps and will put 5 shots in just over 1″ at 20 yards. This sixgun also works very well with .38 Spl. rounds such as the Black Hills 125-gr. JHP (900 fps) and their 100-gr. HoneyBadger (1,050 fps) with the same accuracy as the .357 load.

Sights on both consist of a fully adjustable rear sight and a ramp front sight. The modern version has a red insert instead of the plain black front sight of the original. Barrel length was 4″ and is now 41/4″. The original was known as the Combat Magnum but was not marked on the barrel; the new Model 19 Classic has “COMBAT MAGNUM” on the left side of the barrel. In 1955 the Combat Magnum was all blued steel; now frame and cylinder are carbon steel while the barrel is stainless steel.

The Model 19 Carry Comp shot this group at 7 yards for John.

The Carry Comp comes with two sets of stocks … one fancy wood set
and another rubber set for everyday carry.

Today’s Take

A second version of the new Model 19 comes from the S&W Performance Center and is known as the Model 19 Carry Comp. This serious little packing pistol comes with a 3″ barrel and, as the official name suggests, is compensated. The front sight, which is a Trijicon unit, is set back from the front edge of the barrel enough to allow room for the port. This port makes a huge difference in felt recoil, making .38 Spl. loads feel like shooting .22s and full-house magnums seem more like .38 Spl. shots.

Just as with the Model 19 Classic, this version has a rounded butt. It comes with custom wood grips that do not fill in the backstrap or under the butt and have one finger groove on the front strap. In addition to this grip Smith & Wesson also provides a very comfortable, more hand-filling wrap-around rubber grip that also fills in at the bottom of the butt.

This grip combined with the porting makes this the most comfortable short-barreled .357 Mag. gun I’ve ever fired. In fact, I enjoyed shooting this one so much I gathered up all the ammunition I could find and went through 16 different .38 Spl. loads and seven .357 Mag. loads. All loads were fired at a self-defense distance of 7 yards with groups averaging 1″ or less. My favorite Black Hills 125-gr. JHP clocked out at 1,275 fps and placed 5 shots in 1″. The Black Hills 158-gr. JHP at 1,055 fps and the SIG SAUER 125-gr. FMJ (1,250 fps) are also excellent shooting and delivered groups less than 1″.

The Performance Center Model 19-9 Carry Comp has an MSRP of $1,092 while the 19-9 Classic Combat Magnum’s MSRP is $826.

For more info:
Smith & Wesson
Ph: (800) 331-0852
https://americanhandgunner.com/company/smith-wesson/

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Ruger brought out their first Bisley Models in the mid-1980’s chambered in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. All of these had 6-shot cylinders. Custom gunsmith John Linebaugh converted one of the first .357 Magnum Ruger Bisley Models to his 5-shot .500 Linebaugh for me. I would not want to shoot this powerful sixgun without the Bisley grip frame.

The roots of the Ruger Bisley grip frame go back well over a century. In 1896 Colt sought to turn their Single Action Army into a target pistol. To do this they added relatively crude adjustable sights, a target trigger and hammer and drastically changed the grip frame. The backstrap was made to come up higher while the front strap also came up higher, with both of these being done so the grip frame would sit deeper in the hand and not twist in recoil.

In the 1980’s Ruger took a good look at the concept and came up with a much better solution, with the Ruger Bisley Model grip frame. The backstrap still comes up high in the back however it fills in more behind the trigger guard giving a very solid feeling grip and one doing what many consider the best job of handling recoil — heavy recoil that is — in any single action.

DoubleTap offers serious hunting loads for the .454
with hard cast bullets of 335, 360 and 400 grains.

Buffalo Bore’s 370-gr. and 410-gr. hard cast bullets
are excellent for hunting with the .480 Ruger.

Fast Learners

With Ruger producing the Bisley Model in the above four chamberings and custom sixgunsmiths using the basic Ruger Bisley for 5-shot conversions of both Linebaugh’s cartridges as well as others, it wasn’t long before shooters began petitioning Ruger for a factory produced five-shot Bisley Model. For years the pleas only fell on deaf ears. However, thanks to Ruger distributor Lipsey’s we have a Bisley Model 5-shooter. The natural chambering of course was the .454 Casull, however Ruger also had its own big bore cartridge which debuted in the early years of the new century in the Ruger Super Redhawk.

This cartridge was a joint collaboration between Hornady and Ruger. To come up with the first cartridge to bear the Ruger name, Hornady apparently took a good solid look at the .475 Linebaugh and felt there was a need for something which was not quite so powerful, and the result was the .480 Ruger which is simply the .475 Linebaugh trimmed to 1.285″ from 1.400″. The .480 Ruger can be fired in any sixgun chambered for the .475 Linebaugh but not vice versa, and any .45 Colt can be fired in the .454 Bisley Model.

Now the Ruger Bisley Model, the .454 and the .480 Ruger have all come together in a new stainless steel, 61/2″ barreled Big Bore Bisley and it’s only available from Ruger through Lipsey’s. I’ve never been a fan of the 61/2″ barrel length in a single action, however this new Ruger has the longer 5″ ejector rod housing and the result is a nicely balanced and very good-looking 5-shot revolver. By using a 5-shot cylinder, as Dick Casull found out 60 years ago, more steel is in-between chambers and most importantly the cylinder bolt cuts are not under the chamber but rather in between, resulting in more strength.

Major ammo makers, like Hornady, have plenty of factory loadings
for both the .480 and the .454. Note screw (red arrow) in base
pin to secure it.

Problems

One of the problems inherent in heavy recoiling cartridges in single action sixguns is the possibility of having an unsupported loading gate. There are two ways to support the loading gate. One is by always having a cartridge case under the loading gate to support it when the sixgun is fired or by having recessed case heads allowing the cylinder to be long enough to provide the necessary support to the loading gate. Without one of these two options more than one shooter has seen his loading gate break. Ruger chose to go with recessed cylinders.

Another problem also inherent in single actions is keeping the base pin where it belongs. Originally the black powder Colts used a screw which entered diagonally from the front of the frame and held the base pin in place. About the time black powder was replaced by smokeless powder Colt changed to a spring-loaded base pin catch which did not and does not always work, especially with heavier recoiling cartridges. I have had more than one base pin come out, not just with .44 Magnum cartridges fired in the Ruger Blackhawk but also have launched base pins out of Colt Single Actions chambered in .45 Colt or .44 Special. More than a few of these base pins are still scattered around sagebrush in southwestern Idaho.

Years ago Belt Mountain Base Pins began offering locking base pins to replace the factory versions in both single actions. Ruger has wisely followed their lead and the Bisley Model base pins have a screw which enters from the bottom of the base pin head and fills in a notch in the bottom of the barrel. It never loosened at all during the time I was test-firing both the .454 and .480 Ruger versions.

When I started shooting single actions way too many years ago I learned to always carry a small screwdriver in my shirt pocket to keep all the screws tightened. One especially has to be careful of the screw holding the ejector rod housing to the barrel as if it loosens up enough recoil will bend the screw or even catapult the ejector rod housing.

Both the .480 Ruger and the .454 Bisley Models are 5-shooters.

Engineering Points

Both of these Bisley Models are heavy sixguns, with the .480 weighing in at an even three pounds, while the .454 weighs one ounce more according to my postal scale. Sights are the typical Ruger adjustable, with a fully adjustable rear sight matched up with a ramp front sight both of which are the way they should be — black. Trigger pulls on both guns are relatively smooth and weigh in at 31/2 lbs. according to my Brownell’s Trigger Gauge. Using pin gauges I took the measurement of the chamber mouths of both sixguns with the .454 accepting a 0.454″ gauge while the .480 Ruger measured out at 0.476″.

These sixguns are almost perfect — almost. Both of them exhibit what seems to be a standard problem with adjustable-sighted Rugers, namely the pin holding the rear sight in place has a tendency to back out. This is an easy fix by simply pinching one end of the pin and driving it back into place.

The Ruger Bisley Model .454 (and the .480) displayed excellent
overall accuracy. The grips are replacements.

Cartridges (left to right): .454 Casull, .45 Colt,
.480 Ruger and .475 Linebaugh. Now you know!

Shooting Thoughts

There was a time when I looked with anticipation at being able to shoot hundreds of rounds through such heavy recoiling sixguns. That time has long passed and I can no longer fire more than a few rounds at a time with such heavy recoil at the backend. So for serious testing of both of these guns I clamped the Ransom Rest to a solid concrete bench. I had started by using my 200 pound-plus shooting bench, however the recoil of even .45 Colt heavy loads moved the bench ever so slightly sideways resulting in horizontal strings on the target. The solid concrete bench solved this problem.

I started my testing by using some standard .45 Colt loads, however the results were quite disappointing. The .454 Ruger Bisley Model has a barrel with a 1:24″ twist which is just about perfect for heavy bullets at higher velocities but apparently doesn’t like standard bullets at standard velocities. One .45 Colt load which works exceptionally well is the Garrett Cartridges of Texas 45LFR (Long Frame Revolver) 365-gr. Hammerhead at just over 1,100 fps, grouping four shots in 1″ at 25 yards.

The most accurate loads through the .454 proved to be one which is no longer produced, that is the Black Hills 300 grain XTP load. Four shots group in 3/4″ at a muzzle velocity of 1,320 fps. Hornady’s 240 XTP-JHP at 1,700 fps and their 300 XTP-JHP at 1,500 fps both group exceptionally well with four shots in 7/8″. Last fall I used the Garrett Cartridges of Texas 365 Hammerhead .454 rated at 1,350 fps to take a 7×7 bull elk with one shot. From the Ruger Bisley Model this load clocks out at 1,200 fps and put four shots in 11/8″ at 25 yards. The heaviest bullet I tried was Double Tap’s 400 WFN at 1,125 fps and a 11/4″ group.

Turning to the .480 Ruger I had excellent results with Buffalo Bore’s Hard Cast loads, with the 370 LFN clocking out at 1,200 fps and a 3/4″ group, while their 410 WFN load, which I used to take my trophy bull bison several years ago with a one-shot kill at 35 yards, clocked out just over 1,115 fps with a four-shot group of 1″.

Most of my handloads for the .480 Ruger are put together with hard cast bullets and IMR4227. With 19 grains, a 435 LFN has a muzzle velocity of 1,050 fps and groups four shots in 1″ at 25 yards and using 22.5 grains for lighter bullets gives the 355 Oregon Trail FPGC a muzzle velocity of just under 1,100 fps and a group of 11/4″ while the 380 grain LBT LFN clocks out at over 1,125 fps and a 1” group with four shots at 25 yards.

My first hunting sixguns were Rugers; a .22 Single-Six for varmints, a .357 Blackhawk for small game and a .44 Magnum Blackhawk for larger game. I eventually added a 10″ Flat-Top .44 Magnum Blackhawk and carried it for years in a Goerg shoulder holster. Ruger has been supplying the needs of sixgun hunters for 60+ years now. This pair of Lipsey’s/Ruger Bisley Models may well be considered the finest hunting handguns they have ever offered.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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