American Handgunner articles from March 2000

American Handgunner archives from March 2000

SPEAKOUT.
March 1, 2000... Super Turkey Your Jan/Feb 2000 is one of the finest I've ever read this year, except for one item, "Century of Blandness," in your "Industry Insider" column. The unnamed author ranks about as close to superturkey as I've ever read. ...

If John Browning Was A Hunter...
March 1, 2000... Due to the enormous interest and proliferation of the 1911, there is a great deal of interest in hunting with the 45 ACP Ed Brown built a longslide Hunter Model for me which I can shoot easier and better due to the longer sight radius and...

Carbinize That 1911.
March 1, 2000... There is a new carbine conversion kit for the 1911 by Mech Tech which converts it to a simple 16 1/2" blowback carbine. Simply pop the slide and barrel off the frame and slip on the carbine unit. Replace the pin and you're in business. The...

SPOTLESSLY CLEAN .45 ACP AMMO.
March 1, 2000... If you haven't tried out the new Winchester Super Clean NT 170 gr. JSP (SC45NT) or the 230 gr. BEB, you are missing a valuable experience. Accuracy is great and guns stay unbelievably clean. The inside of the empty cases are spotlessly clean....

Cheaper Than A Butler.
March 1, 2000... Cleaning is something I hate to do. Anyone who has ever worked in my shop will verify that I tend to slough off the nasty chores on someone else whenever I can. In spite of that, I get a lot of experience with dirty guns. Our number one cleaner...

A WISTFUL LOOK AT THE HANDGUN BATTERY.
March 1, 2000... Most readers of American Hand-gunner own more than just one handgun. Many own lots of handguns, and one of the nice things about being a handgun enthusiast in the U.S. is that we are allowed to own as many as we desire. I know friends who...

The Bite Of Magnumitis.
March 1, 2000... I really wanted an S&W .357 Magnum Model 27, but the lesser-finished Model 28 Highway Patrolman was cheaper and became my next revolver. As an Elmer Keith fan, it was just a matter of time until an S&W 4" .44 Magnum was to be mine. Long...

Jeff Cooper And The 1911.
March 1, 2000... In the mid-'70s I attended Jeff Cooper's basic combat pistol course. This was prior to the start-up of Gunsite. I had always been a fan of the M1911 pistol, but after Cooper's training, the 1911 .45 was the only sidearm that mattered to me. ...

THE ARMY INFLUENCE.
March 1, 2000... However, around this same time, I beg an to actually note that the guns I used were often different From the guns I owned. During my stint in the Army, I noted that the "cool" pistol carried by my fellow Special Forces operators was the...

TEACHING GUNS.
March 1, 2000... When teaching tactical handgun programs, I always try to use the pistol that the host unit or agency issues. Thus, S&W, Glock, SIG and Beretta pistols were added to my arms locker. With all these great handguns that I have assembled over...

MILLENNIUM BATTERY.
March 1, 2000... It is interesting that after all these years, and all the fine handguns I own, I still stick to a 2" S&W J-frame for back-up use, either a 642 or the new titanium 342. The mid-sized concealment gun I lately favor is the Wilson Compact CQB (very...

The Anti-DA Syndrome.
March 1, 2000... Like most serious 1911 fans, I was very much anti-DA pistols when the first wave of Wondernines hit the scene. I had to learn to run the Beretta M92 when working with military units, so I purchased one and began to use it. They are much more...

A SOBBING GOOD HOLSTER.
March 1, 2000... The other day while making my annual effort to tidy up my reloading room, I came across a holster I hadn't seen in years. It's an old, well-worn Bianchi holster, one of the first models produced by Bianchi and long since discontinued. In a...

The Era Of Concealability.
March 1, 2000... When IPSC was founded in 1976, there were few holster restrictions. Many competitors still used speed holsters such as the Andy Anderson "Thunderbolt," which resembled the gunfighter rigs of the television Westerns era, complete with wide belts...

DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY READ THE RULES?
March 1, 2000... The concealed carry rules adopted in 1980 included statements such as "The requirement is for concealment under light street clothing suitable for summer wear," and "...standards for concealed carry are intended to be stringently enforced." ...

TALES OF JUSTICE.
March 1, 2000... Situation: "Urban legends" have risen around the use of guns in self-defense. Lesson: Each such tale exemplifies certain principles of actual law on deadly force. Regular readers know that all the cases discussed in The Ayoob Files...

SIZE DOES MATTER.
March 1, 2000... Among rifle shooters it is common knowledge that seating a bullet out closer to the rifling almost always improves accuracy. It is logical to ask if the same might be true in an automatic pistol. In fact, I've been asked that question before...

The Space Of The Head.
March 1, 2000... Headspace is defined as the distance from the breech face to that part of the chamber that stops forward movement of the cartridge case. For straight wall rimless cases, that would be the distance to the chamber shoulder. For the .45 ACP, the...

LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS.
March 1, 2000... You can look at the numbers and reach conclusions that may be wrong when the data is examined using statistical methods. For that reason, when I have data like this, I'll use a simple computer program that knows how to make such calculations....

THE EYES HAVE IT.
March 1, 2000... Most individuals depend more on one eye than the other. The eye that is most used is usually referred to as the dominant or master eye. The master eye often, though not always, has greater visual acuity and therefore provides a sharper, more...

Oh Say Can You See Your Front Sight?
March 1, 2000... How does the eye focus at various distances? The muscles of the eye squeeze the lens of the eye, changing its shape and therefore the distance at which it is focused. With increasing age the material of the lens becomes stiffer, eventually...

KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT NATURAL.
March 1, 2000... Among the reasons that the Modern Isosceles dominates practical shooting competition is that it is simple, natural and therefore repeatable. Repeatability means consistency, and consistency means accuracy. Another advantage is that having the...

Rule Of The Brownshirts.
March 1, 2000... United Parcel Service has dictated new rules for shipping handguns that are drastically affecting the custom pistolsmithing profession. Beginning last October, UPS started requiring that all handguns be shipped by Red Label only, its most...

Halt! Vat's In Zat Parcel, Schweinhund?
March 1, 2000... Here's my question: as long as no laws are being broken, what business is it of the brownshirts what I am shipping in a package? I thought their job was to deliver parcels, not pass judgement on what I am allowed to ship. Our government...

That's $50 For A Trigger Job And $60 For Postage.
March 1, 2000... Pistolsmiths are already reporting a drastic decline in business because of UPS's new Red Label shipping rule. The effect this is having on small gunsmiths who make their living on the repair and customizing of guns is incalcuable. It has hurt...

NO HONOR AMONG THIEVES.
March 1, 2000... United Parcel Service has gone on record that the reason for their clampdown on shipping handguns is to protect the company from claims filed over stolen guns-- stolen by UPS employees! Well good grief! How in the hell are you going to...

He Obviously Wasn't A Double-Bagger.
March 1, 2000... Herman Hill, 35, isn't what you'd call a "professional" stick-up man. In fact, it seems Herm was making a kinda late-in-life attempt to raise his status in the scumbag hierarchy, but hadn't taken all the necessary classes. When he arrived at...

Hey, It's Okay, We'll Rob The Next Guy!
March 1, 2000... We don't know of a single politician or business mega-magnate who could have pulled this off, but then again, none of them are sacred stars in the heavens of soccer. Okay, we don't talk about soccer that way here in the U.S., but in places like...

FORGET THE LAWYERS, LET'S JUST SHOOT IT OUT.
March 1, 2000... Oh, yeah, like the Italians were famed for their emotional restraint before the new law went into effect, but now, they're legally free to insult the flag, blaspheme, get snockered in public, curse the deceased, make obscene gestures toward...

FLAME ON!
March 1, 2000... Jerry "The Burner" Barnhart wins back-to-back national championships in stock and open class IPSC. Smoking hot Jerry "The Burner" Barnhart won USPSA's two premiere national championships, a pair of exciting bouts of IPSC shooting at its...

KING OF THE RIMFIRES.
March 1, 2000... Beware the pistolsmith who works only on one gun. Pistolsmith Lou Lombardi works exclusively on upgrading .22 target pistols. He does it very, very well. Lou Lombardi builds .22 caliber competition pistols that are out of this world. For...

Taffin TESTS.
March 1, 2000... BLACKPOWDER LOADS AND ACCESSORIES FOR THE "MODERN" CAP-N-BALL SIXGUNNER There are many sixgunners in general, and cowboy shooters in particular, who would like to at least try blackpowder loads in their pre-1900 style sixguns. However,...

DAYS OF THUNDER.
March 1, 2000... The foremost shooting and tactics school, Thunder Ranch, has designated a special Les Baer Custom 1911 as its "official Thunder gun." Excellence has a tendency to seek a common ground, perhaps due to an unwritten rule or an almost magnetic...

THUNDER RANCH 0001.
March 1, 2000... While there have been several different "Thunder Ranch" pistols made over the years, there is only one official gun - the Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special. It's good business to be associated with a success story and over the past several...

GUILD GUN 2000.
March 1, 2000... You can win this stunning pair of Model 41 s in a raffle to benefit the American Pistolsmiths Guild. The American Phistolsmiths Guild presents a pair of Smith & Wesson Model 41 target pistols to commemorate the new millennium. The guns...

STRIDER KNIVES ARE HARD CORPS.
March 1, 2000... A FORMER MARINE-TURNED-KNIFEMAKER CATERS TO ELITE WARRIORS WHO DEMAND NO COMPROMISE IN THEIR COMBAT CUTLERY. If there were a nuclear war and mankind was reduced to a primeval "Road Warrior" mentality and my daily sustenance required...

YOU CAN WIN A Custom Colt Officer's ACP from KIM AHRENDS.
March 1, 2000... Kim Ahrend's customized Colt Officer's ACP is a classic custom 1911, handmade and handtuned by a consummate craftsman. Renowned for his tasteful conversions of the Colt 1911 pistol, Ahrends' latest creation is called the "Tactical Conversion,"...

A Mind is A Terrible Thing Not To Speak.
March 1, 2000... When Dennis Pixton, the president and CEO of Michaels of Oregon, returned my call, almost the first thing he said was, "We're strongly supportive of the shooting sports and the Second Amendment in particular." What's this? Someone actually...

A WELLSPRING OF NEW IDEAS.
March 1, 2000... One thing that Uncle Mike's is not afraid to do is offer new products and ideas. Chances are, if you have a concealment need, Mike's can handle it. They feature body armor holsters, "GunRunner" belt pack holsters, Belly Bands, SideKick nylon...

24 Karat Nylon.
March 1, 2000... Those first nylon holsters from Uncle Mike's were--shall we be polite here?--a good first-attempt. The technology was brand-new and no one actually understood the correct process for manufacturing synthetic holsters. It was like the early days...

MILT SPARKS VM-2 HOLSTER.
March 1, 2000... In most jurisdictions, CCW licensees are required to conceal their weapons such a manner that the disinterested or casual observer cannot detect them. This prompts most civilian carriers to select handguns that many professionals would consider...

The SIXGUNNER.
March 1, 2000... CUSTOM ACCESSORIES AND ADD-ONS FOR RUGER SINGLE-ACTIONS FROM THE GUNSMITHING MECCA OF BROWNELLS There is no doubt about the popularity of such firearms as the Colt Government Model of 1911 and its many versions. Dozens of businesses owe...

GUN RIGHTS.
March 1, 2000... WHAT IS A "WELL REGULATED MILITIA" AND ARE YOU IN IT? In my last column, I began reporting on a new interpretation of the Second Amendment that was presented by Constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar in the July 12, 1999, issue of The New...

The Stopping Power Debate.
March 1, 2000... The matter of "handgun stopping power" has gone beyond rational debate and into a crusade between belief systems. "Only a heretic would disagree with me.!'" "Death to the infidels!" The recipients of the most vicious personal attacks have...

Interests At Heart.
March 1, 2000... What particularly annoys me about the acrimony that has come to surround this issue is the allegation by some on the IWBA side that Marshall and Sanow are unmindful of officer safety and are selling out cops to promote their beliefs. What "sell...

Anecdotal Vs. Scientific.
March 1, 2000... Critics from the IWBA like to scoff at the Marshall study as "anecdotal" rather than "scientific." That use of the term is a cheap debater's trick. It relies on the public's connotation of the word "anecdote" as meaning a joke. Actually, the...

Correction.
March 1, 2000... In my article column two issues ago on the Y2k phenomenon, I gave the incorrect address for Pierre Lemieux' website. It is www.pierrelemieux.org. Please check it out.

JARVIS "EXPANDABLE BUSHING" BARREL.
March 1, 2000... Quite a few years ago Ray Herriot of Centaur Systems showed me a prototype of a very unusual adjustable barrel bushing. The idea was that the bushing had a slight taper so as you tightened it on the threaded muzzle of the barrel, it expanded to...

FASTEX BARREL TREATMENT.
March 1, 2000... Sometimes the hype is irresistible. According to its hyperbolic label, Fastex Barrel Treatment will "...reduce friction, increase velocity & power, extend range, reduce wear, improve accuracy & control, increase penetration, reduce recoil,...

STONEY POINT TELESCOPING BIPOD.
March 1, 2000... Hunters, whether they use handguns or rifles, are always advised to seek the most steady position possible from which to shoot. Many times nature serves this purpose by providing a convenient tree or rock, but sometimes it's best to take a...

PMC .22 PISTOL MATCH AMMO.
March 1, 2000... Many years ago when I was an active bullseye pistol competitor, one of the hot secrets was PMC Standard Velocity .22 ammo. It was bargain priced and, if your gun liked it, would shoot right up there with the expensive European stuff. My old S&W...

IN PURSUIT OF AN OXYMORON.
March 1, 2000... Stepping "up" to the .380 ACP can only be accomplished if you come from fairly minimal beginnings, but that is exactly what Larry Seecamp of Seecamp Inc. has done. The creator of the most sought-after pocket pistol in America is now chambering...

The "What's Next?" Company.
March 1, 2000... Sentences that start with, "Did you hear the latest about Colt..." are very unsettling these days. It seems that every time I turn around, some inexplicably self-mutilating announcement is coming out of Hartford. First they discontinued...

Where's A Good Cluster Bomb When You Need It?
March 1, 2000... Two of our least favorite types--lawyers and insurance companies--are in the same court room, squaring off over who is going to pay the legal bill for gun companies that have been sued by 27 municipalities for recovery of costs associated with...

Upon Further Review.
March 1, 2000... Admissions of fault are not often seen in print, but I stand before you today a broken man, here to confess that laser sights can be a valuable addition to a defensive handgun. Brothers and sisters, I have seen the light (it was red) and my...

Custom-Knives-Dot-Com.
March 1, 2000... KnifeArt.com is an Internet seller of custom knives, including many of the makers seen recently in American Handgunner such as Chris Reeve and Allen Elishewitz. The last spot-check to the site revealed aver 90 knifemakers with bios on each...

A POPULIST PRESIDENT.
March 1, 2000... Grandmaster IPSC shooter and World Standard Division champion Michael Voigt is the new president of USPSA after trouncing his opponents in a landslide victory for "the shooters' candidate." The final vote tally was: Voigt: 1,824 ...

Wishy-Washy Statement Of The Month.
March 1, 2000... It is the policy of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute that encouraging anyone to purchase a firearm for home protection is wrong. The NSSF neither advocates not discourages the...

A Studly Company.
March 1, 2000... It was only natural that when old A.P. started to make sling swivels he would soon progress to slings, which is exactly what happened. Those of you old enough to remember those days will recall, with no small amount of fondness I venture to...

TWO EYES GOOD.
March 1, 2000... However, many novice shooters develop the habit of closing or squinting one eye while aiming. However, almost all top level shooters keep both eyes open while shooting. Research done by N. A. Kalinichenko in 1968 for the Soviet Union shooting...

AH, THERE'S ALWAYS A CATCH.
March 1, 2000... The catch here is that not all UPS employees are aware of this Service Briefing, and many are interpreting and enforcing rules of their own making. Therefore, you may run into problems. Some UPS shipping centers are refusing all firearms,...

Big Brother Knows Best.
March 1, 2000... This is unprecedented-- a private company deciding what is best for us. I can see all kinds of problems happening if this trend continues. What if your bank decides not to loan money on your home if you keep firearms in it? What if your...

Just Like Real Estate, It's Location, Location, Location.
March 1, 2000... For a guy we'll call Der OberDummer, last Sept. 15 dawned bright, crisp and full of promise for a really tasty bank robbery in the German city of Dresden. D.O. had the bank mapped out neatly, a menacing black mask, an oiled and loaded roscoe...

WEIRD NUMEROLOGY.
March 1, 2000... Some weird numbers have come out of the International Wound Ballistics Association (IWBA). One of their members, who said Marshall and Sanow couldn't possibly be correct based on his own training as an aerospace engineer, was previously best...

ADD IT UP.
March 1, 2000... 21 Victims of maneating lion and leopard in 1999 in Tanzania (Safari anyone?) 700 Federally licensed gun dealers in Mass. (from a total of 966) who will be put out of business by State Atty. Gen. Thomas Reilly who ruled that guns...