American Handgunner articles from January 2002

American Handgunner archives from January 2002

Mail call. (Speakout).
January 1, 2002... Loaded Pockets Dockers is bringing out a new line of pleated casual slacks for men who, um, ram too much stuff in their trousers. Tailored for guys on the go who crave gadgets, the new Dockers Mobile Pant sports invisible" stowaway pockets...

A Serious Look at Retention. (Habdgun Leather).
January 1, 2002... Normally, I have a general tendency to have some fun while we take a look at gear, techniques, problems and pitfalls when it comes to handgun carry. But today, we get serious. Over the past 25 years or so, I've watched a steady decline in...

A Revolution in Retention. (Handgun Leather).
January 1, 2002... Safariland has recently announced the latest in its series of retention duty holsters. Called the "Raptor," this high-tech holster combines their Safariland's SLS rotating hood system with a passive retention system that allows an officer to...

Beware of Marketing Hype. (Handgun Leather).
January 1, 2002... But with a higher level of weapon retention comes some potential problems. Officers often fail to train properly to keep current with their sophisticated holsters. I can't point at an incident and say poor drawing-time ever got an officer...

Indoor Sports. (Combat Shooting).
January 1, 2002... With the coming of winter, some of us poor souls have to retreat to indoor ranges if we want to shoot regularly. There's nothing wrong with that provided ventilation is adequate to keep airborne lead particles at safe levels. Some of this...

Get the Lead Out. (Combat Shooting).
January 1, 2002... One of the effects of lead poisoning is impotence. Now that I have your attention, other effects can include kidney and neurological damage, hypertension, anemia and miscarriages. Symptoms of acute lead poisoning in adults include mood swings,...

Gunfighting and Performance Anxiety. (Tactical Advantage).
January 1, 2002... Does competition shooting help you to be a better tactical shooter? Does it help your chances of survival in a self-defense situation? Or does the gaminess make your more likely to fail? Depending on to whom you listen, competition can be...

Suicidal Tactics and the Evolution of IDPA. (Tactical Advantage).
January 1, 2002... The problem, however, is if you shoot IPSC matches on a regular basis, you may become conditioned to follow the rationale of competition-winning tactics that regularly require a contestant to violate combat logic and do tasks that would be...

The Force-on-Force is with you. (Tactical Advantage).
January 1, 2002... Far too many people go to the range, practice and leave feeling confident that they are up to the task of defending themselves. But, on match day, when the stress kicks in and you jerk the trigger, barely look at your sights and fumble your...

Jaws Takes a Corner. (Strategic Solutions).
January 1, 2002... One of the most critical, but often overlooked, aspects of close-quarter combat is the ability to negotiate corners while presenting a firearm. What are the proper cornering techniques? Is there a difference with a handgun or shoulder-fired...

It's All a Matter of Balance. (Strategic Solutions).
January 1, 2002... The second part of a proper mindset is to maintain a mental balance the entire time you are cornering. You should remain completely balanced in the sense that no matter what you see, you will only do what you must-- no more, no less. You are...

How to see Through Walls. (Strategic Solutions).
January 1, 2002... Competent cornering embodies the ability to mentally "see" what is on the other side before you get there. You quickly eliminate where your opponent cannot be to bring him into an area that you can control. You are unrelenting, but not overly...

Since 1899, The World's Dirtiest Powder. (Hand Loading).
January 1, 2002... Within the last decade or so, handloaders have been spoiled by the introduction of a large number of new powders. Sometimes there are so many candidates for a load that the simple act of finding out which one works best in a specific gun can be...

It's Cleaner! It's Brighter! (Hand Loading).
January 1, 2002... Be assured that this new Unique will use the same data we've favored for years. The recipe for making it is unchanged. How it's made is different. Most of the "dirt" is unburned powder, often caused by variations in grain size and thickness as...

In memoriam: Bob Day. (Handloading).
January 1, 2002... I have lost a great friend and shooting has lost a gunsmith, possibly the best ever on the Government Model. That is high praise, but something I feel qualified to give. The man we just lost, Bob Day, trained me. Day was the gunsmith for...

Full Advantage of its Size: New .360 Dan Wesson Revolver Cartridge Takes. (Taffin Tests).
January 1, 2002... When Smith & Wesson brought out its first modern doubleaction sixgun, the Military & Police in 1899, it differed from the Model 3 Single Action and Double Action Frontier Models in two significant areas. The frames were now solid instead of the...

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness. (Better Shooting).
January 1, 2002... A clean, properly lubricated handgun lasts longer and works better. Maintaining the equipment is part of being a good shooter. Keeping the bore spotless-- and especially the chamber-- is important, but from a reliability standpoint, other areas...

The Range Bag Kit. (Better Shooting).
January 1, 2002... In my range bag I keep an Outers Police Pro-Pack kit. This is a nylon pouch with a good quality cleaning rod with detachable handle, bore brush and jag, cleaning patches, powder solvent and lube, and utility brush. I tossed in a Versa-Tool, a...

Home on the Range. (Better Shooting).
January 1, 2002... At home I have screwdrivers for most any slot size, brass drifts, pin punches, non-marring hammers, a vise, a high-speed grinder, files and stones, cleaning equipment for about any situation. More than once, though, I've found myself far from...

Going to War. (Cop Talk).
January 1, 2002... The majority of cops who are shot to death in the line of duty are killed within less than 7 yards. Most of those are killed within 3 yards. And at that deadly close distance, the single most dangerous place to be is within 3 feet. Within Arm's...

Rock and Roll. (Cop Talk).
January 1, 2002... The Speed Rock technique rocks you backward, off balance, and doesn't take you off the deadly "midline-angle" of the life-threatening assault that has prompted you to draw and fire a lethal weapon. If the bullet doesn't stop him--and, fired...

Charge... to the Rear! (Cop Talk).
January 1, 2002... Backing away from the threat as you fire is popular, because it can be safely taught with multiple officers on a standard "square range." But, ask yourself: Does backing up at "human speed" make you that much smaller a target? Does...

Makes Your Car Alarm Seem Pretty Wimpy. (The 10-Ring).
January 1, 2002... South Africans are serious about protecting their cars, and the law favors them. In RSA, it's legal- and even common- to equip your wheels with "theft deterrent" devices like tear gas spray, electric shock systems, even lethal poison gas, acid...

The Head is Mounted in the Police Station. (The 10-Ring).
January 1, 2002... Bored late-shift dispatchers at the Frankfurt, Germany, police station didn't get too excited- maybe a little irritated- when a frantic guy named Horst called to report he'd been attacked by a vicious rat. Was he in danger now? No. He...

Sneak Attack: Small Arms at Pearl Harbor. (The Ayoob Files).
January 1, 2002... Situation: An air raid savages Oahu, servicemen and armed citizens alike reach for small arms. Lessons: Valor and marksmanship count. American soldiers shoot back at invading planes with rifles and pistols, as well as bigger stuff. ...

Improving on Perfection. (Pistol Smithing).
January 1, 2002... Up until now there has been virtually nothing the gunsmith could do to make a buck by modifying the Glock unless it was to install high quality Richard Heinie sights or a 3.5 lb. trigger connector. Everything else- installing a match barrel,...

Innovation and Invention. (Pistol Smithing).
January 1, 2002... The firearms industry has, for over 50 years, been in what is referred to in business as an economic "consolidation" phase where the major players are well-established and competition "for the market" has become competition "in the market." ...

How to Install the Cominolli Safety. (Pistol Smithing).
January 1, 2002... Pistolsmiths take heart, for the process is simple. You can either buy a milling fixture from Joe Cominolli or he will furnish a drawing you can use to make your own. The mill fixture is simple to make, but I would advise you not to waste the...

It's a Bullet Thing. (Handgun Hunting).
January 1, 2002... It's true that any bullet with enough penetration, properly placed through the chest cavity of an animal, will kill it--sooner or later. It's also true the bullet that does the most internal damage does the job most effectively. When I...

The Great Kudu Cow Experiment. (Handgun Hunting).
January 1, 2002... The encouraging terminal ballistics I had seen with the 225 gr. Speer Hot Core in my .338-'06 JDJ prompted some experimenting on kudu cows. With the .300 Whisper shooting the 125 gr. Ballistic Tip and the 200 gr. Barnes X, internal damage was...

Taurus PT145: A Subcompact .45 ACP Carry Gun with Surprisingly Good Features. (Test Report).
January 1, 2002... Taurus has come into its own in recent years with innovative, original designs that challenge or surpass the best products of both American and European firearms companies. The recent designation of Taurus' Titanium Millennium pistol as...

Super Duty!: Pistolsmith Fred Craig Creates a Super Stout .45 ACP to Handle the Hottest Loads.
January 1, 2002... Accepted principles of handgunning dictate that radically altering the way Mr. Browning's 1911 pistol works is tantamount to blasphemy. And so it was with a touch of trepidation that I greeted a new gun called the Super Duty from pistolsmith...

World Shoot-off Championship[R] 2001. A Previously Unheralded Shooter Wins his first "Major" with a Stunning Upset over a Field of Fast Guns. (STI/American Handgunner[R]).
January 1, 2002... Let's wander along the shooting bays at the San Juan range and check out what's happening. There's a group of shooters with all-out race-guns, exotically modified and comped STIs, Para-Ordnances, Caspians. Multiple chamber compensators,...

Comanche Raid!: The new "Monligth" Version of the Less Bear Comanche Model Beefs up this Commander-Size Fighting Pistol to Robust new Levels of Performance.
January 1, 2002... Every time we feature a Government Model pistol on the cover of American Handgunner, we get letters. Many are from fans of John Browning's incomparable pistol, but a few complain that we "never" cover anything else. Of course that isn't true,...

Goodbye Old Friends: Hail and Farewell to Three Classic Sixouns now Laid to Rest by Smith & Wesson.
January 1, 2002... In the pre-gun magazine days of the early 1950s, I spent a lot of time hunting old bookstores and libraries looking for anything in print I could find about guns in general and sixguns in particular. Even before entering my teenage years, I had...

Spec-Tacticals: Custom Knifemaker Allen Elishewitz's Spectacular Tacticals Offer Practical Design and Innovative Construction.
January 1, 2002... It's not often that we do an encore performance for a custom tactical knifemaker here in American Handgunner. With only one story per issue and six issues a year to cover the many fantastic knifemakers out there, it's nearly impossible to cover...

First and Second Generation Colts Offer Great Value in Today's Market. (The Six Gunner).
January 1, 2002... Even an old, die-hard fan of the Colt Single Action Army such as me comes away somewhat shell-shocked by the price of a new Colt SAA. The new retail price for a 4[3/4]" or 5[1/2]" .45 Colt or .44-40 SAA is now $1,988. If your tastes run to the...

New York -- Where you Need Permission to Save Your Life. (Gun Rights).
January 1, 2002... I live in New York State. It has some real benefits. The place is astoundingly beautiful, there's tons of great ethnic food and the people are engaging and interesting. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most taxed and regulated jurisdictions...

Tetra Gun Blue. (Gunny Sack).
January 1, 2002... No matter how hard we try to avoid them, guns get dings and scratches. It's inevitable. Normal wear is often best left alone, but sometimes we scratch a finish through careless handling. These can diminish the value of a piece and most of us...

Fobus Holsters. (Gunny Sack).
January 1, 2002... Holsters made of molded thermoplastic material-- Kydex is an example-- are very much in vogue right now because of their low cost and extremely functional properties. One of the leaders in this field is the Fobus holster from Israel. With...

Springfield Locking System. (Gunny Sack).
January 1, 2002... In response to political conditions, gun locks are becoming a fact of firearms life. Gun makers are including various types of locks with new guns and more than a few are looking for ways to build them into the gun. Springfield Armory's...

Ruger Trigger Kit. (Gunny Sack).
January 1, 2002... My fondness for old cartridges led me to purchase a Ruger Blackhawk not too long ago. It was a convertible with cylinders for both 10mm and .38-40. The 10mm cylinder remains shiny new. While the revolver is quite pretty, range results were...

Extra-Capacity Glock Magazines. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... Adding extra capacity to a magazine has somehow become a guilty pleasure, like ladling fresh whipped cream onto chocolate pie. The Crime Law says that we can only have so many calories in our diet-- 10 is quite sufficient-- and so we feel like...

Add it up. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... Seconds to fire 175 shots (not counting misses) in what would be considered a good time for the Steel Challenge $220,000 Prize money up for grabs to the man who shoots the fastest in the Steel Challenge 1 Ranking for the NRA...

Bird in a CAGE. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... Anti-gun crusader Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago has formed a shadowy task force in the whose mission is to track down gun owners and arrest them. The Chicago Anti Gun Efforcement (CAGE) unit is an elite squad, operated jointly by the Illinois...

California Supreme Court Rejects Gun Lawsuit. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... The shooting industry won a major decision recently when the California Supreme Court dismissed the much-watched lawsuit against Navegar, manufacturer of the TEC-DC9 used in a 1993 San Francisco shooting rampage that left nine dead and six...

Undertaking the Camo Market. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... A Texas casket company has collaborated with camouflage manufacturing giant MossyOak Brand Camo to create the "Memories of the Hunt" Art Casket, which pays tribute to an individual's passion for nature and outdoor sports. This arrangement marks...

How to Accept Constructive Criticism. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... Since its inception in 1976, American Handgunner has not shied away from telling it like it is, revealing a gun's merits and demerits fairly and honestly. Occasionally we run across a pistol with significant flaws, and report them. This does...

The Prodigal Pistolsmith. (Industry Insider).
January 1, 2002... Renowned pistolsmith Paul Liebenberg is opening a new custom gunsmithing shop in Florida to offer handbuilt 1911 pistols and other pistolsmithing services. A longtime professional pistolsmith, Liebenberg was the founding director of the Smith &...