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.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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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!

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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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

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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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

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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By John Taffin

I’ve been shooting Ruger .22’s and .357 Magnums since 1956-1957. Ruger first started producing .22 pistols in 1949 with the Standard Model Red Eagle semi-automatic. This little pistol was destined to really affect firearms manufacturing as Ruger used stampings and welding in his new little .22. After the Standard Model was well-established, Ruger added adjustable sights and the Target Model Mark I was the result. Over the years, this model was improved to the Mark II and then the Mark III, still with the Luger-like grip angle.

However, most shooters find the 1911 grip frame more suited to their hand and Ruger took care of this with the introduction of their 22/45 Model using a polymer frame with a 1911 grip shape. This pistol, which started out with a steel slide, has in recent years morphed into the 22/45 Lite Model with an aluminum slide.

My first Ruger .22, in fact my first handgun, was the Single-Six and I was perfectly happy with this for five or six years until I purchased a Colt Woodsman Match Target .22 pistol. I didn’t even look at a Ruger .22 semi-auto, as I had the best there was — or so I thought. Then I discovered a Ruger not only cost half as much but shot twice as good. The Colt was sold and I’ve been shooting semi-auto Ruger .22’s ever since.

The adjustable sights on the Ruger Match Champion allows it
to be zeroed for virtually any load.

Features

Safety features include a manual thumb safety, loaded chamber indicator and magazine disconnect. The magazine release button is located on the frame behind the trigger on the left side and two 10-round magazines are included. There are easy-to-grasp “ears” on both sides of the bolt allowing it to be pulled rearward easily.

I did not get caught in the shortage of .22’s, as over the years I have always watched for sales and purchased accordingly. So testing this gun found me with 15 different types of ammunition on-hand. Shooting at 12 yards gave 5-shot groups under 1″. Moving out to 20 yards saw American Eagle HP’s group 9 shots into 11/8″ with a muzzle velocity of 990 fps; CCI Green Tag, 900 fps, 1″; CCI Mini-Mag HP, 984 fps, 11/8″ and Winchester SX HP’s clocked out at 950 fps with a 9-shot group of a solid 1″. All in all this is an accurate, reliable .22 packing pistol.

Ruger Match Champion (right) compared to 4″ and 6″ standard GP100’s.

The .357

In 1971 Ruger’s first double action sixgun, the Security-Six (and variations) arrived, and this was improved to the GP100 in 1985. The fact of the matter is this is one of the toughest, most reliable .357 Magnum DA sixguns ever offered. If I was going to carry a .357 Magnum DA sixgun in all kinds of weather and situations I would not hesitate to go with a stainless steel GP100.

During this time, Colt and S&W faced real competition from Ruger in the DA revolver market. By 1985 the Security-Six in all its variations, both stainless steel and blued, and chambered in .357 Magnum, .38 Special and 9mm, had sold well over one million units. It was then removed from production to be replaced by an even better double action .357 — the GP100.

The GP100 combined the locking system of the Redhawk with the no-tool takedown modular design of the Security-Six. The grip frame was changed dramatically too — it no longer existed. Ruger incorporated what they called a “peg system” consisting of a steel stud allowing the use of recoil-reducing soft rubber grips. The GP100 also had a new trigger system allowing a lighter pull than found on the Redhawk.

The barrel was a heavy-under-lugged style on the 4″ version while the 6″ GP allowed a choice of a standard or heavy barrel. Currently only the heavy barrel is offered on the standard model GP in 3″, 4″ and 6″ lengths. The GP100 may well be the most under-rated double action .357 Magnum ever produced. It’s extremely strong, totally reliable and accurate. It would be hard for anyone to find a better choice in a .357 Magnum for heavy-duty use than a GP100.

The Ruger 22/45 Light is available both with a blue- or cobalt-colored slide.

The Match Champion

When Ruger’s GP100 Match Champion was announced last year, I felt it was the most attractive DA sixgun Ruger had ever offered. The stainless steel finish, slab-sided, half-lug 4″ barrel, matched up with Hogue stippled hardwood grips all worked together to give a most pleasing appearance. The model designation, Match Champion, came from the fact it was designed for competition — shooting steel plates and paper targets with one selected load.

Targets are usually big and up close so Match Champions were fitted with Novak LoMount Carry rear sights matched up with green fiber-optic front sights. Everything needed for fast acquisition. The front of the cylinder is also beveled for ease of holster insertion, and the stippled sides of the wraparound Hogue grips give a very secure hold. In short everything needed for fast competition.

However, my days of competition are long over and my interest is in a thoroughly rugged, totally reliable .357 Magnum with sights I could adjust for everything from 115 grain JHP’s to 200 grain hard cast bullets as well as all manner of .38 Special loads. This would be a sixgun which would be totally reliable when carried in the same places I would use the 22/45 Lite. For me this simply meant adjustable sights are absolutely necessary. When I heard Ruger was doing just that to the new GP100, I immediately placed my order.

Ruger’s latest GP100 is the adjustable sighted Match Champion.

Adjustable Sights!

Looking closely at the new adjustable-sighted version we find everything is exactly the same as the prior Match Champion except the rear sight is now fully adjustable. The finish is satin stainless, the barrel length is actually 4.2″ while the weight is 38 ounces. I found the Hogue Stippled Hardwood grips to not only be very attractive but also very secure. However my long beat up and now tender hands — when faced with a long string of full power .357 Magnums — opt instead for the Hogue finger grooved rubber grips. Grips are easily interchangeable so I can use whatever fancies me and works best with the loads chosen.

The Match Champion was test-fired with nine .38 Special loads, two of which were factory and a full dozen .357 Magnum loads divided equally between factory and handloads. In .38 Special loads the most accurate was the Speer 147 Gold Dot Hollowpoint over 13.0 grains of #4227 for a very pleasant shooting 815 fps and a 5-shot, 20 yard group of 7/8″, followed by the Lyman hard cast #358477 propelled by 3.5 grains of Bullseye for a 11/8″ group and a muzzle velocity of 770 fps. The Black Hills 125 JHP, my most-used factory .38 Special round, grouped into 13/8″ with a muzzle velocity of 900 fps.

Switching to .357 Magnum loads, the most accurate factory load was the Hornady 158 XTP-JFP with a group of 7/8″ and a muzzle velocity of 1,160 fps, with the JHP version coming in at 11/8″ and a muzzle velocity of 1,225 fps. The load I use for hunting Texas turkeys, the Black Hills 125 grain JHP, comes out of the short-barreled Match Champion at 1,360 fps while grouping its five shots into 11/4″ at 20 yards.

I was especially interested in what this .357 Magnum Match Champion would do with my hard cast, heavyweight bullets. My favorite load in this category is dropped from the NEI #358.200 bullet mold and is made to accept a gas check. With 12.0 grains of #2400 muzzle velocity is 1,060 fps with a very satisfying 11/8″ group. Switching to jacketed bullets, the Speer 170 GDHP over 14.2 grains of #2400 groups its five shots in 11/4″ at 20 yards with a muzzle velocity of 1,175 fps. While traveling the sagebrush, or foothills, forests, or mountains of Idaho either of these two loads would handle anything or any situation I’m likely to encounter.

First and foremost Ruger has been making totally reliable, extremely rugged sixguns and semi-autos for the outdoors- man for more than 65 years. Whether you choose to carry a .22 pistol or a .357 Magnum sixgun, these move right to the top of the list.

The Ruger 22/45 Lite is threaded for a suppressor — a civilized way to shoot, indeed!

22/45

In recent years Ruger first came out with the 22/45 Lite and then this past year two new models surfaced, a 22/45 Lite Blue version with five cutouts on each side of the blue anodized slide, and a second 22/45 Lite with a Cobalt colored slide with round holes instead of cutouts. I was immediately attracted to what I thought was the very good looks of this new pistol. The blue slide contrasts nicely with the black sights, integral scope rail and Zytel polymer grip frame.

The 22/45 Lite has a barrel length of 4.4″, giving it an overall length of 8.5″. Width is a very narrow 1″ and the weight is just under 23 ounces making it a perfect trail gun. Sights are a fully adjustable rear sight matched with a post front. The original Ruger 22/45’s had a grip which was integral to the grip frame. Current models have replaceable black molded rubber 1911-style grip panels. The factory panels give a very secure comfortable grip, however, should you care to do so it appears 1911 Government Model panels could be modified to fit. The grip frame has a serrated front strap and a checkered backstrap providing a very secure hold.

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Brigadier Tactical.

By John Taffin

In 1985 many shooters were shocked, apoplectic and dismayed or worse, to see the United States military put the beloved and almost mythical .45 ACP 1911 out to pasture, replacing it with a 9mm double-action/single-action high-capacity semi-auto pistol. It was the Italian firm of Beretta which won the contract and they agreed to build a new plant in the United States to produce the pistols required by the military.

Personally, I had blinders on when it came to the 9mm and I would not even consider it for several decades. However, I began to wake up about 30 years ago which is just about the time so many new choices arrived in the 9mm chambering. For many years I carried a 9mm in my waist belt. It felt comfortable, rode comfortable, and with the high quality 9mm ammunition chosen, I felt comfortable.

Even though I carried a 9mm quite often I totally ignored the new military pistol. In fact I managed to go nearly 30 years without ever shooting the new Beretta, let alone buying one. That changed a few weeks ago when my friend Denis purchased the latest military-style Beretta 9mm offered and I told him I thought it was time for me to pick up a Beretta. He just happened to have a Beretta 92 FS stainless steel he had purchased 20 years ago and was still new in the box. He offered it to me for an exceptionally good price and it did not stay new in the box very long. My oldest granddaughter helped me break it in and she enjoyed it immensely and shot it very well while wishing it would fit in her purse.

We had just finished breaking in the Beretta 92 FS when his Esteemed Editorship informed me he and Bill Wilson had put their heads together and I was to do an article on, would you believe, a Beretta 9mm from Wilson Combat. As one who has never believed in coincidence, it’s obvious to me this was all meant to be. In addition to the Wilson Combat Beretta, Esteemed Editorship asked Wilson to also send me a second gun for testing and evaluation so we could do a well-rounded article.

Targets fired at 20 yards with the Wilson Combat Ultra Light
Carry 9mm showed great consistency from load to load.

Targets fired at 20 yards with the Wilson Combat Brigadier
Tactical Beretta delivered repeated 3/4″ to 1″ groups.

The most accurate load in the Wilson Combat Ultra
Light Carry 9mm was the Winchester 115-gr. FMJ.

Top-Quality Shop

Any of you who follow semi-automatic firearms could reel off a list of names of those custom builders who are at the apex of their craft. Any list would have Bill Wilson’s shop among the top.

Bill did not start out to be a gun maker, or a gunsmith for that matter, but actually was following his father in the watch business. It’s no coincidence Bill bought his first .45 semi-auto in 1970 and soon took part in IPSC-style practical pistol shooting in the mid-’70’s. He also soon found it very convenient to work on his own handguns, and then opened a 1-man shop in the back of his dad’s jewelry store. That 1-man shop has grown and is now one of the premier custom shops for 1911’s as well as just about anything which could be considered tactical.

I have shot several Wilson Combat pistols over the past 30 years since I first met Bill in the mid-1980’s. Two of my cherished pistols are a Wilson Combat Commander-sized .45 and a full-sized .38 Super. For this go round Bill sent me two 9mm’s, both of which notched a first in my shooting life. That is not easy to do when one considers I’ve been shooting, ouch it hurts to say this, nearly 70 years. The two 9mm semi-automatics from Wilson Combat are the Beretta 92G Brigadier Tactical and the Ultra Light Carry 1911.

Wilson Combat Ultra Light Carry 9mm offers compact,
lightweight size with amazing accuracy.

92G Brigadier

The 92G Tactical has a barrel length of 4.7″, overall length of 8.25″, height of 5.5″ and a width of 1.3″. Magazine capacity is 15 rounds, with an empty weight of 36 ounces and a loaded weight topping out at 43 ounces. Those are the standard specs, and then Wilson’s shop performs their custom touches. The M9A1 frame has a 92A1 round triggerguard, the 92G Brigadier slide has been dehorned while the slide and frame have been hand fitted very tightly.

The front sight is a Trijicon tritium dovetailed style matched up with a solid black rear battlesight also fit in a dovetail. This rear sight notch is U-shaped to match up with the dot in the front sight. There is also a rail for attaching an accessory.

The Brigadier is fitted with a stainless steel barrel with recessed crown. The finish on the 4.7″ Elite II barrel is black, matched with the black finish on the slide. The oversized magazine release is steel as are the dual de-cocking levers and the trigger. This 9mm is also fitted with a Wilson Combat fluted steel guide rod. Grips are G10 “Dirty Olive” with the Wilson Combat Medallion.

The Brigadier is available only in 9mm and comes standard with three 15 round magazines of the later style made to be easy to operate in dusty/sandy conditions. The “first” experienced with this pistol is the fact it has the smoothest double action pull I’ve ever found on any pistol of this type. In fact it rivals a well-tuned double-action revolver. The double-action pull measures 9 pounds but is so incredibly smooth it seems even lighter. The single-action pull measures out at 31/2 pounds. Compare this to my standard Beretta 92 FS at 131/2 and 6 pounds respectively.

Wilson Combat’s Brigadier Tactical Beretta 9mm had what John
called one of the best DA trigger pulls he’s ever felt!

The 1911 9mm

Okay so we can accept 9mm everything else, why not in a 1911? Five years ago I went looking for a 1911 chambered in 9mm and I found how difficult they were to find. However, I did find one, and today we see more and more manufacturers are offering 9mm 1911’s. Somebody must want them! This 1911 from Wilson Combat is their Ultra Light Carry 9mm. However, it’s a little different in it has been fitted with a lightweight aluminum frame. Some special touches include a fluted chamber, on the outside of course, bulletproof one-piece magazine well, full-size rounded butt, bulletproof thumb safety and armor tuff finish.

The grip safety is a beavertail with a memory bump. Sights are absolutely excellent with the rear sight being a low riding Wilson Combat set in a dovetail with a U-notch matched up with the front sight, which is a high visibility fiber optic green dot. It really showed up during the cloudy days while testing this pistol in February in the great Northwest.

Slide to frame fit is absolutely without play of any kind and the top of the slide is flattened off and grooved from the back of the front sight to the front of the rear sight to reduce glare. The excellent sights matched up with a 4 pound incredibly smooth trigger, work together to make this Wilson Combat 1911 the most accurate 9mm I have ever experienced. Without a doubt it’s also one of the most accurate 1911’s it has ever been my good fortune to shoot.

The Wilson Combat Tactical Carry 1911 comes with one extra magazine and a very handy compact zippered range bag with seven magazine pouches on one side and two large pouches for carrying equipment on the other side. A heavy-duty zipper gives access to the pistol itself stored in the center of the bag.

Wilson Combat also provides exceptionally high-quality holsters for their pistols and these two came with Lo-Profile holsters of the Pancake style with loops at the front and back edges of the holster well for accepting the pants belt. These are quite attractive, as well as durable, as they are made of heavy-duty black leather with shark trim covering the entire front of the 1911 holster and the top half of the Brigadier version. These holsters ride high and close to the body holding the pistols securely.

Wilson Combat also offers custom holsters for the Ultra Light Carry
9mm and the Combat Brigadier Tactical Beretta (and other handgun models).

A Bit Of Testing

I was also handicapped by not being able to use my rock solid pistol perch on this particular test day, but rather had to rest my forearms on sandbags. In spite of this, both pistols performed exceptionally well, with 5-shot groups fired at 20 yards.

Twenty factory loads were fired in the Brigadier, with the Black Hills 115-gr. FMJ at 1,165 fps, and CCI Blazer 124-gr. JSP at 1,123 fps both shooting into 3/4″! CCI Blazer 115-gr. JHP, 1,181 fps; Hornady 115-gr. JRN, 1,153 fps; and Herter’s 115-gr. FMJ, 1,149 fps all gave 7/8″ groups. This is spectacular accuracy for any handgun!

Eighteen factory loads were used in testing the 1911 Ultra Light Tactical Carry, with tight groups being the norm. Six loads — American Eagle 115-gr. FMJ (1,244 fps), Black Hills 115-gr. FMJ (1,203 fps), Hornady 124-gr. XTP (1,184 fps), Independence 115-gr. JHP (1,246 fps), Sellier & Bellot 115-gr. FMJ (1,225 fps) and Speer Gold Dot 115-gr. JHP (1,203 fps) all grouped their five shots in 3/4″; six other loads came in at 1″ or less.

The most accurate load proved to be the Winchester 115-gr. FMJ clocking out at 1,218 fps, with five shots in a very tight 1/2″. Testing was accomplished in a cold February, and since I was recuperating from knee surgery I had not fired a gun on paper for four months. Plus it’s no secret I’m certainly not a young shooter anymore, but these Wilson guns made me look good.

So putting all this together says these are exceptionally fine Nines. Considering they came from Wilson Combat, this is definitely no surprise.

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By John Taffin

Too many decades ago, I coined the phrase “Perfect Packin’ Pistol”. Over the years many dedicated sixgunners have taken up this phrase, often shortened to PPP, to indicate what may be the most useful handgun in one’s working collection.

Basically a Perfect Packin’ Pistol is a handgun — either sixgun or semi-auto — with an easy handling barrel length between 4″ to 51/2″ chambered in a cartridge capable of handling anything you may run into. It’s packable, portable and potent. It may be chambered in anything from .22 LR up to .500 Wyoming Express. While the former may work well in several parts of the country, the latter would certainly be most desirable in Alaska where you’d encounter something able to bite, claw or stomp.

Sam Colt gets the credit for coming up with the first workable PPP, a Paterson Colt 1836 revolver. It wasn’t a true sixgun, but rather a 5-shooter — it was quite fragile with its folding trigger, which came down when the hammer was cocked. It was a grand beginning.

In 1847, the first true sixgun arrived with the massive .44 Walker Colt. It was certainly powerful, however neither portable nor packable unless you traveled by horseback and used pommel holsters — the horse had to do the packin’ part. One year later, Colt started downsizing this sixgun with the 1st Model .44 Dragoon, which was then followed over the next two years by the 2nd and 3rd Models. They shaved about 8 ounces from the Walker’s weight and had barrels of 71/2″ instead of the Walker’s 9″ length. All of these were, and in replica form remain, excellent sixguns.

John took these 1st and 2nd Generation .45 Colt Perfect Packin’ Pistols
out to the range and is confident they’d put down just about any threat in
the Lower 48.

Colt introduced the 3rd Generation SAA in 1976 — over a
100 years after the first 1873 Peacemaker.

Cartridge-Firing Sixguns

In 1851, Sam Colt came real close to the concept of PPP with his .36 Navy, which was somewhat handicapped for easy carrying with its 71/2″ barrel. This beautifully balanced “little” sixgun was followed in 1860 with the .44 Army, which had more power but with an 8″ barrel. Both of these sixguns saw extensive service in the Civil War. Meanwhile over in Springfield, Mass., Smith & Wesson was taking a different path, namely a cartridge-firing revolver instead of the percussion/cap-and-ball method used by Colt. In 1869 the first cartridge-firing, big-bore sixgun arrived with the S&W .44 American. The stage was set for percussion pistols to be replaced by cartridge-firing sixguns, at least as soon as the S&W patent ran out.

After Colt passed, the decision-makers at Colt saw the great advantage of cartridge-firing sixguns — so the 1860 Army was converted to the .44 Colt cartridge using both the Richards and Richard/Mason Conversions. Later, the first Colt dedicated to cartridges, the 1871-72 Open-Top, arrived. It was just a matter of a few months until this Colt evolved into the 1873 Single Action Army. Those first “Peacemakers” had 71/2″ barrels, with most of the first .45 Colt sixguns going to the US Cavalry.

Same as the percussion pistols, the Colt SAA used black powder and most felt longer barrels were necessary to burn the black powder. Life is full of trade-offs and although the longer barrel may have been more efficient, it was definitely less convenient to carry. I did a lot of fast draw when I was younger with a 71/2″ Colt using a low-riding Arvo Ojala Hollywood fast draw holster — but such a rig is very impractical for every day, all day packing.

The Colt New Frontier .44-40 is the consummate PPP thanks
to its 4¾” barrel and ivory grips.

John had this Ruger .45 Blackhawk with buffalo bone grips customized
to look like the ivory-stocked .45 Colt New Frontier. How’s that
for an elegant pair?

Comforting?

You’ve heard before a handgun is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable. But if it isn’t reasonably comfortable, you won’t carry it. For realistic comfort the handgun needs to be packed high on the belt and one of the first to realize this was Tom Threepersons, who designed what still just may be the Perfect Packin’ Pistol Scabbard. Tom’s design came about more than 40 years after the Perfect Packin’ Pistol arrived. Until then, the Perfect Packin’ Pistol was somewhat handicapped by not having comparable leather to go along with it.

Threepersons made several changes to the widespread Mexican Loop-style holster in use at the time. He raised it high on the belt, removed the voluminous back flap, angled the holster with about a 20- to 30-degree backward slant, which later became known as the FBI Slant, and removed all excess leather. At the time, Tom was packing an example of one of the first PPP’s, namely the .45 Colt SAA with a 43/4″ barrel.

The first SAA’s, as mentioned above, had 71/2″ barrels. I still find this barrel length one of the best balanced for shooting and certainly one of the easiest to make hits. Many of these were cut back by the military to make them easier to handle and carry as they became the Artillery Model with a 51/2″ barrel. This first PPP came to be by cutting the barrel back even with the ejector rod, which gave it a barrel length of 43/4″. This soon became the choice of those who wanted an easy-to-carry sixgun that was as fast from leather.

John’s rendition of the Tom Threepersons holster for his
engraved .38-40 and .44-40 PPP’s.

Bat Masterson Influence

Where did the first PPP come from? I remember reading a Bat Masterson letter to Colt, which used the letterhead of the Opera House Saloon in Dodge City, and it asked Colt to provide him a SAA with the barrel even with the end of the ejector rod. He also specified nickel-plating and gutta-percha “handles”.

Legend has it Bat Masterson was one of the recipients of the 12″-barreled .45 Colts given to Dodge City lawmen by Ned Buntline. I seem to remember reading somewhere Masterson cut his Buntline Special to a more usable barrel length. There’s no factory record of Buntline ordering such sixguns, however factory records aren’t always complete. But there are factory records of guns ordered by Bat Masterson.

From November 1879 to November 1885 Masterson ordered eight .45 Colt SA’s. The first one, with a 71/2″ barrel was silver-plated, pearl-gripped and had his name inscribed on the backstrap. Two of the subsequent guns had 51/2″ barrels while the other five — including a matched pair — had PPP lengths of 43/4″. They were nickel-plated and had gutta percha grips, except one fitted with ivories. With five of his sixguns being 43/4″-barreled .45’s it’d be easy to conclude Bat Masterson was the first to specify a barrel length even with the end of the ejector rod.

It would certainly add to the legend of Bat Masterson if we could give him credit for coming up with the 43/4″ Colt SAA, later known as the Civilian Model. Factory records show Masterson ordered his first such sixgun in February 1882; they also show it wasn’t the first.

According to A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver (a book everyone who appreciates the Colt SAA should have!) by Graham, Kopec and Moore: “Factory ledgers reveal Colt did indeed assemble 43/4″-barreled SA’s before 1879. In one such instance a 56-gun shipment of 43/4″ .45 Eley SA’s was sent to Colt’s London Agency in May 1877.” So not only Masterson doesn’t receive credit, the first Colt PPP’s weren’t even chambered in .45 Colt and went to England rather than the Frontier West.

The darlings of the Old West, these 1st Generation Colts are chambered
in (from top-right, clockwise) .45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20.

Other Packin’ Pistols

In the first quarter of the 20th century, Colt offered the PPP chambered in .44 Special and then in the late 1930’s in .357 Magnum. The Colt PPP reached the epitome of usefulness with the adjustable-sighted, modernized Flattop Target Model; the New Frontier began production in 1962. In the 43/4″ barrel length it would be chambered in .45 Colt, .44-40, .357 Magnum and .38 Special. I’ve never heard of a factory original New Frontier .44 Special with the PPP barrel length, so I’ve solved this problem by adding a .44 Special cylinder to a .44-40 New Frontier.

The concept of Perfect Packin’ Pistol spread far beyond the Colt Factory. In 1955 Bill Ruger’s first Blackhawk, the .357 Magnum Flattop, was issued with a 45/8″ barrel; I have no idea what happened to the other 1/8″! Ruger would go on to offer PPP’s in .45 Colt, .41 Magnum and finally, .44 Magnum.

One year before Ruger’s first Blackhawk, Great Western began offering PPP’s and Freedom Arms, which arrived in 1983, offered their Model 83 in 43/4″ PPP versions chambered in .454 Casull, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .475 Linebaugh and .500 Wyoming Express. And of course there are excellent replica SA’s offered as PPP’s — one of my prized PPP’s is a Texas Longhorn Arms 43/4″ South Texas Army chambered in .44 Special.

As long as there are sixgunners, the first Perfect Packin’ Pistol will continue to have great influence.

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The Star PD.

By John Taffin

Colt’s Commander is basically the same size as the Colt 1911 Government Model except for the barrel and slide being 3/4″ shorter. The first real attempt to actually downsize the 1911 .45 ACP occurred not in the United States but from Spain and imported by Garcia — their Star PD. This was 40 years ago, and Col. Jeff Cooper found the Star PD .45 ACP much to his liking.

According to Jeff: “In the new Star PD, we have a striking tactical advance, for this is truly a pocket .45 — and it works! Heretofore you could not buy a really light, handy, concealable pistol that you could count on to stop a fight. Now you can, that is a very important development.”

That was good enough for me and I bought my first Star PD. The Star is definitely smaller, with the butt about 1″ shorter than a standard 1911 and lighter than the original Colt Commander by two ounces. There’s no grip safety, and the thumb safety positively locks the hammer. The grip frame has a built-in beavertail, however the back of the hammer is slightly too long and needs to be polished off to prevent pinching. Sights, which are black on black, are fully adjustable, with the rear sight being de-horned. The Star PD is long out of production but I had no trouble finding two reasonably priced examples in the gun shops and on the Internet.

The first truly down-sized .45 ACP was the Star PD. John’s
was customized by Gary Reeder with Pachmayr grips.

Smith & Wesson .45’s

In the 1980’s S&W dove deeply into the semi-auto market and the joke was they were bringing out a “gun of the week” and many of these were .45’s. At the NRA Show in 1990, S&W unveiled the newest of what was then their Third Generation semi-autos, the compact version of the newly introduced 4506, this one called the 4516. I thought for the first time we had a DA .45 semi-auto defensive pistol in a compact package and at an affordable price. Fully loaded, full magazine plus one in the chamber, the 4516 holds eight rounds and weighs in at 391/2 ounces, so it’s no lightweight.

The grip supplied on the 4516 is a synthetic wrap-around style fitting my hand quite well. It’s fitted with an ambidextrous de-cocking lever and no-grip safety. Sights on the 4516 are Novak-style, low mount, non-snag rear sight with two white dots matching up with a white dot front.

Accuracy from the 31/4″-barreled S&W is quite astounding when you realize this is not a target pistol but a quick handling defensive pistol. Both the 4516 and the 4506 were dropped from the S&W catalog in 1999. The year before the models were dropped S&W introduced the semi-auto Chief’s Special in a .45 ACP version numbered as the CS45. This even more compact satin stainless steel .45 has a bobbed hammer, 6-shot magazine and a barrel length of 31/4″.

Colt led the way in downsizing with their Officer’s Model.

Colt Officer’s ACP

Colt did come back with something even smaller than the Star PD. Actually it began not with Colt, but the Rock Island Arsenal-developed pistol especially for use by general officers of the Army and Air Force. It was known as the General Officer’s Model. This little .45 was not available to the shooting public so Colt decided to do something about that and came up with their own version in 1985. The all-steel Colt Officer’s ACP .45 is 36 ounces and has a much smaller profile than the Commander, with a shorter butt and a 31/2″ barrel.

Several finishes were offered such as blued, matte blued and stainless steel and there was also an aluminum alloy frame version which cut the weight by almost 40 percent. This frame was also used matched up with a Commander stainless steel slide and barrel and was known as the Concealed Carry Officer’s Model. Today the influence of the Colt Officer’s ACP can be seen in offerings from several manufacturers.

Kimber’s Ultra Compact .45 with aluminum frame.

Ultra Compact .45’s

Both Kimber and Springfield Armory followed Colt’s lead of the Officer’s ACP .45, but with even shorter barrels and shortened butts making them quite a bit smaller than the Commander. I believe my personal small Kimber is the first model ever offered, the Compact Aluminum. As the name implies it’s both small and lightweight, quite a bit smaller than the original Lightweight Commander. Barrel length is 31/2″ while the grip frame is the same size as the Colt Officer’s ACP. Surprisingly the weight is identical to that of the Lightweight Commander.

As the name implies, the Kimber’s frame is an aluminum alloy finished in matte black, the slide is steel, and instead of a bushing there is a sharply tapered barrel and a full-length guide rod. Sights are excellent, square and black, hammer and trigger are skeletonized, the thumb safety is extended and the grip safety is of the beavertail design. The flat mainspring housing is finally checkered. Even with this small grip frame the magazine holds seven rounds.

A most attractive Springfield Armory pistol is the V10 Ultra Compact, which is basically the same size as the Colt Officer’s ACP. The V10 gets its name from the fact it’s ported with a 1″ slot on each side of the front sight revealing five round holes for porting. The V10 Ultra Compact has a two-tone finish with a stainless steel frame and a blued slide. Barrel length is 31/4″ and is tapered to the front instead of having a bushing. With its all-steel construction, felt recoil is held to a minimum. Unfortunately, it’s no longer cataloged but is certainly worth searching for in used gun outlets.

Compact Springfield Armory pistols: the V10 (top) and XD-S.

Springfield’s XD-S

Not only did Springfield Armory make their XD(M) slightly larger with the XD(M) 5.25, they also went the other way, shrinking the size of their very popular XD series .45 ACP to where it will actually fit in the top of my boot, while being totally reliable, even with its very small size. The result is the Single Stack XD-S.

This is not a semi-auto to be shot for a long pleasurable afternoon, but rather a serious self-defense gun. Firing any .45 ACP load certainly gets my attention in it. I did all my testing before I compared it to my full-sized XD .45 and was really quite surprised at just how small it actually is. After more than a century of .45 semi-autos, it’s not difficult to make a totally reliable pistol, nor is it all that difficult to make a small pistol. The rub comes when you attempt to make a small reliable pistol, and that is exactly what Springfield Armory has accomplished. Comparing it with the full-sized XD reveals just how much engineering went into this down-sizing project.

The .45 ACP Glock Model 30 has a magazine capacity of nine rounds.

Glock 30

Since introducing the original Glock .45 several variations — down-sized versions — have been introduced, including the G30. This version weighs in at 261/2 ounces with a barrel length of 33/4″ putting it in between the Colt Commander and the Colt Officer’s ACP. It has all the basic features of every other Glock, including the inherent ability to perform flawlessly with about any quality .45 ACP ammunition. Its smaller grip frame allows the use of 10 rounds as opposed to the original 13 rounds of the Glock 21. However, 10 rounds in such a small pistol is quite comforting. As is the case with the smaller .45’s, it’s harder to shoot accurately than the full-sized pistols but is not all that difficult to accomplish.

Dan Wesson’s Officer’s-sized model is the ECO.

The Dan Wesson ECO

This down-sized 1911 is also the size normally referred to as “Officer’s” sized. The ECO .45 ACP with its anodized aluminum frame weighs in at 25 ounces with a 31/2″ barrel. The sights are excellent Trijicon tritium sights and the finish is matte black. The hammer is Commander-style and the beavertail grip safety is generous. Trigger pull measures 41/4 pounds on this very small pistol. Even with its compact grip frame, the flush-fitting magazine holds seven rounds.

The grips are quite spectacular. They are thin and finished in a half-smooth, half aggressive pattern dubbed “DW Carry G10” grips. They are mated up with 25 LPI checkering on the front strap and mainspring housing. The ECO’s match-grade, target-crowned, ramped bull barrel is bushingless.

Wesson Firearms says: “The recoil system is unique for this style of 1911 as we use a solid, one-piece guide rod and a flat recoil spring rated for 15,000 rounds in .45 ACP … This recoil system also gives the benefit of a smooth slide for easier operation and less felt recoil.” During my tests, functioning was absolutely flawless, and accuracy was way above adequate for self-defense use, with many loads resulting in one-hole groups.

There are many other compact .45’s being offered with new ones arriving constantly. If your favorite isn’t here, it’s simply because I stuck to guns I’ve had personal experience with, and any of these would do the job protecting you and your family.

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Affordable Quality

By John Taffin

When my kids were preschool age and even several years later, money was really tight. Twice a year, I managed to squeeze out enough money at both Easter and Christmas to buy my two girls special dresses, hoping I could one day do more. I’m sure many of you have gone down the same highway at a time when necessities literally ate up the budget.

Now, my kids are grown and my grandkids are no longer teenagers. I feel fortunate to have expendable dollars so I can do things for my grandkids, really important things such as helping with college expenses. I want to do everything I can for them, and one of the things I’ve done — after teaching them how to shoot and do it safely — is to supply them with quality firearms.

Two years ago, my granddaughter Whitney visited us for Thanksgiving, so I picked a few guns out of the safe and we went shooting. She immediately latched onto a Model 19 and said she’d like to have it someday, since she knew I plan on giving many of my guns to my kids and grandkids. After thinking about this, I figured it’d be better to start from scratch and build a special Model 19 just for her. I looked around and found a classic 4″ pinned and recessed which had possibilities.

I went to see my gunsmith Tom at Buckhorn Gun and made arrangements for him to tune and tighten it. He then turned it over to Rocky York, a local craftsman, for re-bluing. At the same time, the hammer and trigger were sent back to Turnbull for re-case hardening. I wanted to cover all the bases, as this would be a very special sixgun for a very special granddaughter. There was one thing missing: a nice set of grips/stocks.

I just “happened” (I definitely don’t believe in coincidences) to be on an online forum and found the username, Kurac — a fellow who was making Smith & Wesson target-style grips as a hobby and selling them from time to time. I contacted him and learned it would be several months before he had anything for me, and it was my choice whether or not I wanted to purchase them later.

A couple of months later, he informed me he had two pairs of smooth target grips, one for a Model 19 and the other for a Model 29. I immediately told him I’d take both — this is certainly one of those times when “Buy ’em both!” really paid off. It turned out to be a good news/bad news proposition.

The good news was these grips are absolutely exquisite: beautifully crafted, very hand friendly and just about fit the grip frames perfectly. The bad news was the maker, John Culina, didn’t want me to write about them, since he only made them as a hobby. This saddened me, as I always like to inform readers when I stumble onto something very special. Believe me, these grips are very special. More on that later.

When paired with these smooth, French walnut Magna-style grips, the Model 1955 is an
unparalleled big-bore defensive sixgun.

A Jim Riggs-engraved Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum with
checkered Culina grips in the Roper pattern.

The Tipping Point

There was a time when Smith & Wesson actually offered quality wood stocks, which looked good, felt good and fit the frame like they were made for it. Something went south in the 1980’s and it all changed. John discovered this when he purchased one of those special run .44 Special stainless steel Model 624’s. He discovered, as many of us had earlier, the “Coke Bottle” shape of the stocks — which had deteriorated to something more akin to a saw handle.

John had this to say on his Model 624: “The gun was in good condition, but it had one problem which I’m sure many of you can relate to — it came with one of the most ugly set of aftermarket grips I had ever laid eyes on. I just couldn’t bear it, so I sanded them down and gave them a nice glossy refinish. They looked much better, but the walnut was still really plain and I wanted something more appealing.

“I decided a set of Ebony smooth target grips would look really sharp on this handgun. After much research, I could only find one custom grip maker who was making Ebony grips. I wasn’t able to contact him directly, but I got a hold of an outfit that stocked and sold his product. After several attempts, they couldn’t tell me what a set would cost and how long it would take to get one. I got frustrated, threw up my hands and said, ‘Forget it; I’ll make a set myself!’”

Sixgunners in the future will be very glad this frustration occurred!

John appreciated the “3-legged” quality of Culina’s grip making. This collection
of N-Frame grips (from left to right) of Circassian walnut, Osage orange and
Bocote is a good example of his craftsmanship.

This unlucky target took a beating from John’s granddaughter, Whitney.
Her new .357 Magnum fitted with Culina’s cocobolo stocks shoots how it looks — snappy.

Good News

This good news/bad news situation is now only good news: John decided to go into the business of crafting custom grips for sixgunners. Not to worry, he isn’t leaving out those who pack a 1911! John recently informed me he and his wife formed Culina LLC and are making grips/stocks fulltime.

I’m certainly happy he made this decision. I know many grip makers, and John Culina is starting at the top by providing exceptional quality and workmanship. In fact, if you like what you see here, you better order quickly before he becomes famous and you wind up on the waiting list.

Currently, John offers both square and round-butt to square, smooth target grips for N- and K-Frame Smith & Wessons, Magna-style for S&W N- and K-Frames, as well as Colt Python-size smooth target grips and both standard and flat bottom style for 1911’s. J-Frame grips will soon follow and he’s already offering checkering. Factory medallions can also be fitted.

The classic “Coke Bottle” style grips are offered, as well as regular Smith & Wesson factory target grips. He can provide potential buyers with the dimensions of each of these grips. In my younger years, my hands were tougher and I preferred relatively thin grips; however, these days I’m much more inclined to choose thicker grips like the ones John offers. By the time you read this, John’s hoping to offer grips for single action sixguns.

It isn’t difficult to find hand-filling, target-style stocks for Smith & Wesson sixguns. They can be anything from smooth to checkered to finger grooved and all levels of quality. However, trying to find a pair of Magna-style grips — or plainclothes grips, as Elmer Keith called them — for Smith & Wesson N-Frames isn’t easy.

I got a pair smooth fancy walnut grips from John and they fit my 1955 Model 4″ .45 ACP perfectly — making it easier to conceal than when fitted with target grips and they fit my hand exceptionally well. I realize how subjective grip fit is, but big-bore 4″ Smith & Wesson’s seem to balance superbly for me with smaller grips. These concealable grips, when matched with full moon clips for the 1955 .45 ACP, make for one of the most practical big-bore defensive sixguns ever imagined.

Osage orange (left) and Circassian walnut grips stand out
on this pair of Smith & Wesson Model 629’s.

Culina LLC’s quality doesn’t leave out 1911’s; these stylish
grips include English walnut (left) and cocobolo.

Exotic Options

Currently, John’s grips are offered from exotic woods such as bocote, cocobolo, three types of ebony, goncala alves, three types of maple, Osage orange, snakewood, zebra wood and — would you believe — seven styles of walnut, including claro, Circassian, French and English. In addition to all of these, Culina also handles special requests.

Slabs for creating grips are book-matched and three grades are offered, based upon grain pattern and origin of the wood. The three are: Service Grade, which is the plainest wood; Signature Grade, made from premium select cuts; and the very rare Exhibition Grade, which only about two to three percent of wood qualifies for. Prices for the three grades average $85, $135 and $159 for S&W target grips, while the same grades for 1911 are $35 and $65 for Service and Signature Grades.

Grips are normally finished with Tru-Oil, occasionally Tung-Oil and then buffed with a coat of wax. Personally, I normally don’t like high-gloss finishes on gun grips — but the finish used by John Culina is quite eye-pleasing.

Grip making, just as custom holster making, is a 3-legged stool. Those three legs are quality of design, quality of raw material and quality of craftsmanship. John Culina’s grips rest on three solid legs.

John can be reached the old-fashioned way at (916) 259-1251 or at www.culinagrips.com.

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By John Taffin

Twenty years ago it was very difficult in many areas to get a concealed weapon permit. Thanks to the hard work of many individuals and organizations I believe every state now has legislation in place to issue concealed weapons permits. Not only are the laws in place, we now have a near endless supply of pocket pistols, both revolvers and semi-automatics to choose from. However, when I started shooting seriously the choices were basically a Colt or S&W 2″ double-action .38 Special, the classic snub guns of the 20th century.

In 1950, one of the most famous of the S&W revolvers arrived. A 5-shot, compact revolver chambering the more powerful .38 Special instead of the .38 S&W, was introduced at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has been officially and lovingly known as the Chiefs Special ever since. This was the first J-frame revolver, a bit larger than the I-frame, which had been chambered in .22, .32 S&W Long and .38 S&W. In 1960, all I-frames became J-frames.

The Chiefs Special as been offered in a number of versions along the way. The standard model became the Model 36 in 1957, offered in both round- and square-butt versions, followed by the Airweight Model 37. The Model 38 Bodyguard, which has an extended frame protecting the hammer, exposing only enough of the tip to allow for cocking, was also introduced. Thanks to the urging of Col. Rex Applegate, the modern version of the Safety Hammerless — the Model 40 Centennial .38 Special — arrived with a hidden hammer and safety bar in the back of the grip.

The late Col. Applegate was often involved in clandestine operations from his early days with an outfit known as the OSS in World War II, through his commissioning as a general in the Mexican Army. One of his favorite pocket pistols was a Top-Break .38 S&W which he carried in a special holster designed to be worn on the belt but with the pistol up under his arm. When he had to empty his little .38, which was chambered in .38 S&W not .38 Special, to stop an attacker, he knew more power was needed in pocket pistols.

Purdy Gear’s “Rex” rig (left) and “Applegate” rig (right) are based on the Colonel’s
rig he wore while carrying a top-break .38 S&W. Rex’s experience in shooting helped
lead S&W to make the J-frame .38 Special. Purdy Gear: (706) 692-5536, info@purdygear.com.

Colt’s Idea

Colt had been way ahead of Smith & Wesson in the .38 power market. Long before WWII they had chopped the barrel of their Police Positive Special to 2″ and called it the Detective Special. It was a start in the right direction, but with its 6-shot cylinder, some felt it was a mite big for a pocket pistol. Smith & Wesson went to work to improve the I-frame by slightly enlarging it to take five rounds of .38 Special. In addition to a larger frame, the new J-frame used a coil mainspring and an extra long cylinder filling out the frame window.

There was a time in my life when I needed to carry the Chiefs Special in a situation where a firearm was not only disallowed but I could not take the chance on anyone brushing up against me and feeling the outline of the little .38. My solution was to carry it in the top of my boot where it lived for several years. I certainly would’ve felt better with something larger such as a .45 ACP 1911 or a .44 Special Smith & Wesson, however for several reasons — none of which were very pleasant — I couldn’t take the chance.

In 1965, a most significant J-frame variation appeared, one that was to have far-reaching consequences throughout the firearms industry. This was the Chiefs Special, carried out in stainless steel as the Model 60. Instantly popular with peace officers and outdoorsman alike, the first stainless steel revolver from Smith & Wesson revolutionized firearms. Stainless steel revolvers as well as semi-autos are now a major part of the handgun industry, but at the time this was a radical development.

Colt first began offering 2″ barrel .38 Specials in the 1920’s. Colt introduced the Detective Special in 1927 using the Police Positive Special as the platform. In that year, the 6-shot Police Positive was chambered in .38 S&W, a shorter and less powerful cartridge than the then relatively new .38 Special. In 1908 the Police Positive was made slightly larger in frame and cylinder to become the Police Positive Special chambered in .38 Special.

Both the standard Police Positive and the Police Positive Special were popular since they were relatively light and small in size. Even with a 4″ barrel they were easy to conceal, especially in a coat pocket. When we talk of Fitz Specials, the custom sixguns of John Henry FitzGerald, we normally think of the large Colt New Service .45 with a 2″ barrel, shortened and rounded butt, de-horned hammer and cutaway trigger guard. Fitz also performed the same surgery on the Police Positive and he pictures a pair of these with a pair of .45 New Service Fitz Specials in his 1930 book Shooting.

Whether the .38 Special snub gun is from Smith & Wesson or Colt,
it performs exceptionally well as a self-defense sixgun.
Note the slightly larger grip frame of the Colt.

Positive Ideas

The Police Positive had a cylinder 11/4″ in length and was normally chambered for the .38 Colt New Police which is basically the same as the .38 S&W. The later Police Positive Special had its cylinder increased to 15/8″ and was chambered for the more powerful .38 Special. The former arrived in 1905 while the latter came on the stage in 1908.

My particular Police Positive has a 4″ barrel and is chambered in .38 Colt New Police/.38 S&W and is particularly easy to shoot with very little recoil and also shoots very accurately. In this day and age it’s probably considered under powered, however I would still prefer the .38 S&W cartridge over such “acceptable” defensive cartridges as the .380 ACP and .25 ACP. The .38 Colt New Police/.38 S&W is a shorter cartridge than the .38 Special and is also slightly larger in diameter. It also takes a bullet of 0.360″ instead of the standard 0.358″ of the .38 Special. Starline still offers .38 S&W brass.

The first shortened versions maintained the square butt of the Police Positive Special, however this was soon round-butted to the standard Detective Special .38 we are most familiar with. One year later the Police Positive received the same treatment to become the .38 New Police Bankers Special. Since the Detective Special started as the larger of the Police Positive models it’s also slightly larger than the Bankers Special.

Colt offered both the Detective Special and the
Cobra in nickel-plated finishes.

The Colt Banker’s Special .38 S&W was
built on the Police Positive.

Still Timely?

Life is full of trade-offs and definitely so when it comes to choosing a firearm for concealed carry. I always recommend the first-time carrier to choose a .38 Special. In these days since the Colt is no longer available I normally recommend a J-frame. Back in the day when one had both choices one could either go with the smaller, lighter S&W Chiefs Special 5-shooter, or the slightly larger, heavier Colt Detective Special with a 6-shot cylinder. Easier carrying or one extra round is the choice which had to be made. Personally I find the Detective Special a little easier to shoot, and if it was the 1950’s — long before high-cap magazines were common — that one extra round may have made a difference.

In the waning days of the 1940’s, Alcoa and Colt worked together to come up with a lightweight frame for the Detective Special. The result in late 1949/early 1950 was a 15-ounce revolver. That’s six-ounces, or just under a 30 percent reduction in weight of the Detective Special. This new alloy frame, 2″ .38 Special was given the appropriate name of the Colt Cobra for its quick striking ability. It’s identical in all ways to the Detective Special except for the lightweight frame. I first saw my choice at the company store and I could not resist this nickel-plated pocket pistol. It rode in my pocket from the early 1960’s on.

Taking a close look in the display case of most gun shops will reveal a large number of modern pocket pistols. However, if one looks very closely, and if everything happens to be going right at that particular time, it may actually be possible to find one of these classic snub guns almost hidden in a sea of polymer. The good news is when they are found they normally have very reasonable prices. These Colt and S&W 2″ .38 Specials will be found to have been carried a lot and shot very little. A bargain just waiting for the right sixgunner to come along.

The 5-shot .38 Chiefs Special is quite a bit
smaller than the 6-shot M&P.

Snub guns/pocket pistols don’t come any better than the Chiefs
Special or Model 60 (stainless) from Smith & Wesson.

Hard Choices

Only one thing remains, namely which one should we choose, Colt or Smith & Wesson? I must admit I have a terrible time making such decisions so in situations such as this I take my own advice and “Buy ’em both.” This is easy simply because I like them both. However, there are some differences. The Chiefs Special, also known as the Model 36 since 1957, is a 5-shooter and slightly smaller than the 6-shot Detective Special. Both are available in lightweight frames as the Chiefs Special Model 37 and the Colt Cobra. The Smith & Wesson version is also offered in stainless steel as the Model 60.

The Smith & Wessons have a somewhat protected ejector rod while the original Colts do not. Colt “corrected” this with their final run before production stopped. Finally the Chiefs Special has a smaller grip frame than that of the Colt and also Colt added larger grips in their last run. In their original form with standard grips I find both the Smith & Wesson and the Colt relatively easy to control and shoot, and I don’t use them with +P’s and honestly, there’s no reason to.

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21st Century

By John Taffin

No matter how large or small one’s gun collection — actually … “accumulation” ­— there are two, possibly three, absolutely basic firearms. Many years ago Skeeter Skelton did a Dobe Grant story in which the old Texas Ranger shared what his favorite firearm was. No surprise, it turned out to be a .22 rifle. In addition to a .22 rifle, a good .22 handgun is absolutely essential. It may be a sixgun on a semi-automatic, actually probably both. My first .22 handgun was a Ruger Single-Six also purchased in 1956. At my tender age of 17 I thought I basically had all the bases covered. As I look back nearly 60 years, I did.

Today the .22 Long Rifle is our most used cartridge. At least it was until the election of 2008, followed by a repeat in 2012. Ammunition may be in short supply right now, however there’s no shortage of factory produced high quality .22 rifles and handguns. Personally, I have a hard time passing up a good .22 and especially look for some of the older classics as well as new production items. Whether it’s by S&W or Ruger or another maker, shooters gain exceptional value with production guns. These days, we even have custom gunsmiths offering some really neat custom .22 handguns. Two of those gunsmiths are Bruce Warren and Gary Reeder.

The innovative Bruce Warren Model 617 .22
Long Rifle is a 10-shooter with some very
nifty features.

Sights on the Warren Model 617 consist of an 8-MOA
Burris Red-Dot Optic but can be customized
to meet a shooter’s needs.

Bruce Warren

Bruce of BC Armory says his is a shop “Specializing in 1911-style autos, S&W revolvers and Glock pistols for competition and/or concealed carry. If you compete in bowling pin shooting, IPSC, IDPA, ICORE, IPSA, GSSP, steel challenge or American Handgunner-type matches and require a space gun, race gun, open class, limited class or a tactical weapon with the utmost in reliability for concealed carry, you can rely on the BC Armory to build the weapon you need to compete.”

In receiving the test gun from Bruce my first reaction was “Wow! This is really 21st century stuff.” Built on a 10-shot S&W Model 617, Bruce’s creation makes my 30-year-old blued 10-shot Model 17 look positively stodgy. Diamond Dot pegged it years ago when we were involved in Cowboy Action Shooting when she said “Even if I don’t shoot very well, I want to look good.” Warren’s .22 not only shoots well, but it also looks great.

Bruce sponsors a family of shooters, one of whom “… is a very good revolver shooter.” They were discussing building a lightweight .22 for him to use in steel challenge matches. In the past Warren

has lightened barrels on S&W sixguns, however this time his goal was something even lighter and especially distinctive, and he has succeeded.

The ultra-lightweight Model 617 was test-fired with a
variety of .22 ammunition. It’s not designed to be a
tack-driver, but to be very controllable during
fast competition shooting.

Custom 617

Starting with a S&W Model 617, Bruce removed the factory barrel, cut a lightweight Tactical Solutions .22 barrel to length, in this case 4″, added a highly effective compensator and threaded it for installation in the S&W. Flamboyancy is obtained by the highly attractive fluted barrel which is an anodized blue with aluminum flutes. The revolver itself is stainless steel and to add to the lightness afforded by the Tactical Solutions barrel, Warren has also machined metal from the front two-thirds of the cylinder so the back part of the cylinder is full diameter while the front is smaller.

Bruce can provide any type of sights, such as a Weigand front sight base and choice of sights matched up with the S&W factory rear sight. This Model 617, which is Warren’s personal sixgun, came equipped with a Burris Red-Dot optic. Normally when testing a firearm of any kind I spend a lot of time shooting groups at varying distances. When it comes to .22’s I especially prefer to shoot as many different varieties of ammunition as I can come up with looking for the best, spelled tight-shooting, load I can find.

However, this BC Armory gun was not built for that kind of precision shooting. It’s for fast competition shooting, as is the Burris Red-Dot 8 MOA, and that big red dot pretty much rules out shooting very tight groups, at least in my hands. It’s built for very fast shooting on relatively large targets, and to add to this goal Bruce has made it double action only. All groups pictured were shot at 15-20 yards rapid-fire double action. And this double action is just about the finest I’ve ever experienced on a S&W revolver. Over the years, rapidly approaching 50 years as a gunwriter, I’ve tested about everything there is to shoot from .22 Mini-Guns up to various hyper recoiling .50 handguns. Most of them have been some fun combined with a lot of work. This sixgun from BC Armory is nothing but pure unadulterated fun, 21st century style.

Reeder .22 Mag.

Gary Reeder, of Reeder Custom Guns, offer some of the most powerful hunting handguns imaginable, built on Ruger Blackhawk and Redhawk platforms as well as Thompson/Center Single-Shot pistols. Many of these are chambered in cartridges of Gary’s own design. Gary also has a highly pleasant shooting side to his personality, offering some especially pleasing and exceptionally desirable 21st century .22’s.

When Bill Ruger introduced his Convertible Single-Six with two cylinders it required more than just adding a second cylinder chambered in .22 Magnum. The two .22 cartridges do not use the same diameter bullets, with the Magnum version being slightly larger. Originally the Single-Six used a bore diameter of 0.216″ while the Magnum version was cut at 0.223″. To chamber both cartridges for shooting through the same barrel Ruger compromised at a bore diameter of 0.219″.

Starting with Ruger .22’s, Gary makes them even more versatile by converting them to .22 Magnum. Because of the difference in bore diameter simply re-chambering an existing .22 Long Rifle cylinder and using the same factory barrel does not guarantee good accuracy.
I have currently been testing two Reeder Prototypes both of which are marked as such on the right side of the barrel. The Gary Reeder Pocket Packer starts as a standard .22 LR Ruger Bearcat, however a new cylinder is machined for the Magnum cartridge and a new barrel is installed with a bore diameter of 0.224″. This ensures the best accuracy possible with the .22 Magnum. In addition a new front sight is installed, the barrel is marked “Gary Reeder Pocket Packer” and the left side of the frame is marked “.22 Magnum.”

The entire Bearcat is then finished in Black Chromex, Reeder’s special blue which absolutely has no equal. The lettering is highlighted in white, screws are nickeled and the grips are the ivory-like, though much less expensive, Corian. The action, of course is tuned to perfection, and the lock-up is exceptionally tight. For testing the little Reeder/Ruger .22 Magnum Bearcat I was able to come up with five different types of .22 Magnum ammunition.

The highest velocity out of the 4″ barrel was recorded with the CCI Maxi-Mag +V HP at an amazing 1,650 fps. The best accuracy came with CCI’s Gold Dot HP Personal Protection at 1,390 fps and a 5-shot group at 20 yards of 15/8″ while the Winchester Super-X HP came in at 1,260 fps and an even better group of 13/8″. Exceptional performance for me with such a small, short-barreled .22.

Reeder’s Pocket Packer delivered surprising
groups at 20 yards for such a small gun.

DA or SA, Gary Reeder’s .22 Magnum Pocket
Packer and Striker have you covered.

Striker

Reeder’s Striker is built on a stainless steel Ruger SP101. Just as with the Bearcat Gary fashions a new barrel with a bore diameter of .224″ and also a custom 8-shot cylinder. The Stryker is larger and heavier than the Bearcat, however offers more versatility for shooters by having adjustable sights. The left side of the barrel is marked “Gary Reeder Custom Striker” while the right side is marked “.22 Magnum.” A very nice touch is the striking cobra head etched on the left side of the barrel below the front sight and the full striking cobra on the left side of the frame.

All this is mated up with a polished stainless steel finish resulting in a most attractive and relatively small sixgun weighing in at 2 pounds. The panels on the Ruger factory rubber grips have been replaced with those fashioned from Corian. Whether with the deep blue Black Chromex finish of the Pocket Packer Bearcat or the stainless steel Striker SP101, the ivory-style Corian grips provide a nice contrast.

The Reeder Striker was test-fired with the same five .22 Magnum loads and as expected the resulting accuracy in my hands gave tighter groups due to the adjustable sights and longer sight radius. Groups are also seven shots at 20 yards instead of five shots as in the Pocket Packer. Both the CCI Maxi-Mag HP at 1,290 fps and the Winchester Super-X HP, 1,135 fps, grouped their seven shots into 13/8″. This Reeder Stryier makes a very practical varmint hunting pistol or a plinking pistol providing quite a bit more range than afforded by the factory chambered .22 Long Rifle. With the built-in ruggedness of the Ruger platform, the custom tuning and chambering by Gary Reeder, this is a .22 Magnum sixgun built for decades of tough service.

The Pocket Packer is appropriately named and is very easy to pack and remains a potent package where weight is very important. I remember when the .22 Long Rifle Bearcat first came out in the late 1950’s Elmer Keith wrote of his son Ted carrying it as a smoke jumper. By converting it to .22 Magnum Reeder has provided a Perfect Packin’ Pistol .22-style.

I mentioned earlier carrying a deep pocket .22 Magnum Mini-Gun. The Pocket Packer won’t fit in the tiniest places a Mini-Gun goes, however it is much easier to hit with. Weighing only 11/2 pounds, it could well be the Ultimate Survival .22 fitting neatly into a backpack along with a couple boxes of ammunition and taking up very little space and adding very little weight.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/product-index; BC Armory Ph: (269) 729-5508; Reeder Custom Guns Ph: (928) 527-4100

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By John Taffin

After WWII the US military decided it was time to come up with a smaller, lighter 1911, and also one chambered in 9mm to match our NATO allies. Colt went to work on the Government Model shortening the barrel and slide, replacing the steel frame with an alloy version, and chambering it in 9mm. Unlike 1986 when the military dropped the .45 and adopted the 9mm Beretta, this 9mm was not accepted by the government and the decision was made to stay with the standard .45 ACP.

Fortunately for shooters Colt decided to build the new model for the civilian market. I was still in grade school when Colt came out with their first Lightweight .45 ACP. They cut the barrel and slide length of the standard Government Model by just under 1″ and went with an alloy frame, resulting in the Commander, which at 26 ounces is 2/3 the weight of a standard 1911.

In early 1950’s I first saw this new pistol in the Gun Digest when it was known as “The New Lightning Colt — The Zephyr Commander.” Go into your local shop and ask to see a Colt Zephyr and see what kind of looks you get! The new Commander was not only offered in the originally designed 9mm and .45 ACP but also .38 Super as well. Although the military was looking for something smaller and lighter they did not accept any of the various versions which were offered.

My first 1911 was a military surplus .45 ACP I picked up sometime in 1956-57. That was the only 1911 I had until 1968 with the passing — by Congress in their ultimate wisdom — of the GCA ’68. We really didn’t know what effect this all-encompassing law would have so many of us bought as much as we could before it went into effect. For me it meant opening a charge account at a local department store. In those days virtually all our Idaho department stores and grocery stores had gun departments, and bought not one but three Commanders. They had a Lightweight .45 ACP as well as 9 mm and .38 Super Commanders, and I bought them all. Unfortunately, I let the 9mm get away in a trade, however the other two have been companions now for more than 45 years.

Iver Johnson’s Hawk shoots very well and is quite affordable.

The Family Grew

Over the years I’ve added other Colt Commanders. One very special one is an all-steel Custom Colt Commander by the late Jimmy Clark. Jimmy fitted it with adjustable sights, Beavertail safety, group tightener, trigger job, satin nickel finish — essentially everything to make it a first-class pistol. It shoots like a target gun and I completed the job by adding very attractive staghorn stocks. This is one of the best carry pistols I have ever encountered.

Two other Colt Commanders have also been added, both chambered in the marvelous .38 Super. The Commander in .38 Super is the equivalent of a short-barrel .357 Magnum sixgun and does it with almost double the capacity.

Bill Wilson’s version of the Commander is The Professional. My original Colt Commander was, and is, a good pistol. It did, however need help to make it really usable. That help consisted of high-visibility fixed sights, a beavertail grip safety and polishing of the ramp to allow it to handle anything other than hardball. In today’s dollars, that 1968 Colt cost me more than the price of the Wilson Professional Model which needs absolutely nothing to make it perfectly reliable and perfectly usable, except possibly custom grips. Since this is now my personal pistol, I have fitted it with skip-checkered grips from Herrett’s.

Wilson’s Professional Model is reliable
and exceptionally accurate.

Shooting Wilson’s

The Professional Model from Wilson Combat has a barrel length just over 4″, the weight is a gnat’s hair under 36 ounces according to my postal scale, and the trigger pull, which is guaranteed to be between 31/4 and 33/4 pounds comes in at 35/8 pounds. Next comes the easy handling features such as the Wilson Combat High Ride Beavertail grip safety, the Extended Tactical thumb safety, the Ultralight Trigger and matching Commander style Ultralight hammer, and the 30 LPI checkering on the front strap and mainspring housing. The fine line checkering allows for a very secure feeling while shooting. The ejection port has been lowered and flared for ease of ejection of fired brass and the rear of the slide has serrations for easy cocking. It’s also been neatly de-horned.

Sights on the Wilson Professional Model are a perfect choice for this .45, consisting of Wilson Tactical Combat sights. These also serve well as night sights with three tritium round dots, one on each side of the rear notch and one in the face of the front sight. The finish is Armor-Tuff, a chemical and heat resistant thermally cured finish that provides a satin matte surface. Test shooting revealed it to deliver reliable 11/4″ to 11/2″ groups at 20 yards.

Taffin’s .45 Commanders include a Lightweight
factory version and a custom by Jimmy Clark (right).

The Hawk And Ruger

There are many manufacturers offering their versions of the Commander. The Hawk is Iver Johnson’s Commander-sized 1911 and, except for the sights and shorter frame and slide, it has all of the same features as their full-sized Eagle 1911. The sights are combat style mounted in dovetails and provide a large black, easy to see sight picture. Mine came in the matte finish which makes it a natural for packing in an inside the waistband holster. Originally, the Hawk had a much too heavy trigger pull at 8 pounds; even so I managed to get some excellent groups with it. The best factory loads for the Hawk proved to be Black Hills 230-gr. JHP +P at 926 fps and the CCI Blazer 230-gr. FMJ at 888 fps; both group in 11/2″; my two handloads with the RCBS #45-201 also do well with groups at 13/4″ or less.

The importance of the 1911 is easily seen by the fact Ruger brought out their full-size 1911 for the 100th Anniversary celebration and then followed up with their Commander. In the twilight of my life the most important feature on any handgun is the sights. I can live with a heavy trigger and overcome it, however there is no overcoming hard to see sights. The sights on the Ruger 1911 are excellent and the same sights have been carried over to their stainless steel Commander version. Both the front and rear sights are set in a dovetail and can be adjusted for windage. They are Novak-style, set low, and there are no sharp edges on the rear to injure the hand when a quick positive operation of the slide is used to chamber a cartridge. Sights are black with white dots and provide a good square, easy to see, for me, sight picture.

Ruger’s 1911 trigger is skeletonized aluminum with, if you desire such a thing, an adjustable over-travel stop. My original SR1911 has a clean, crisp trigger which measures 43/4 pounds. That on the Commander is about 1 pound heavier and was a little gritty to begin with. The latter has been worked out with several shooting sessions.

Ruger now also offers their
SR1911 in a Commander style.

Fixing Fixed Sights

One of the problems inherent with fixed sights is the fact that all loads do not shoot to the same point of impact. With adjustable sights it simply requires a few clicks of the rear sight screw to compensate. With the Ruger 1911 I found most loads shot 1″ to 2″ high at 20 yards for me, which can easily be addressed by replacing the front sight with a taller version. However with the sights just as they are this 1911 shoots right to point of aim with 230-gr. round-nosed cast bullets at 850 fps. With the Commander I found just the opposite, and most groups printed just slightly lower than point of aim. In fact all I possibly need to do to adjust both pistol’s sights is to swap front sights.

The Ruger SR1911 Commander never failed to feed, fire, or extract; performance was absolutely perfect. My most accurate handload is the Oregon Trail 200-gr. SWC over 5.5 grs. of Bullseye for 915 fps and a 20-yard, 5-shot group of just 3/4″! The two most accurate factory loads are both designed for target shooting, the 1965 Match and Winchester 230-gr. FMJ. They clock out at 808 fps and 848 fps respectively with both loads placing their five shots into 11/4″ at 20 yards. Every load tested exhibited more than adequate self-defense accuracy. For every day carry with the .45 Ruger Commander I would go with Black Hills 230-gr. JHP +Ps at 875 fps or Buffalo Bore’s 200-gr. JHP +Ps at just over 1,000 fps.

The Colt Commander was only the beginning when it came to downsizing the .45 ACP. In Part Two we’ll look at the Star PD and the Colt Officer’s ACP and many of the really compact firearms that followed.

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index

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