American Handgunner articles from May 2001

American Handgunner archives from May 2001

SPEAK OUT MAIL CALL.
May 1, 2001... Rethinking S&W Your article about Smith & Wesson caused me to pause and rethink my views about them. Selfishly, I love my Kimbers, and they depend on S&W. But, as your article demonstrates, it goes much further than that. The last thing we...

Good News, Bad News.
May 1, 2001... The bad news is the Thompson/Center Contender has been discontinued. The good news is the Contender will be replaced with a new model Contender displaying the same great handling characteristics as the original. Currently manufactured Contender...

WHITHER THE NICHE.
May 1, 2001... With Ruger's ballistics matched-- and easily exceeded-- by a 320 gr. JDJ-design hardcast bullet in .44 Magnum in the same gun, and far exceeded by the ballistics of the .454 Casull in a Ruger SRH, what is the niche for the .480 Ruger? That's a...

A Recoil-Sensitive .475.
May 1, 2001... You have probably heard of the .480 Ruger by now. Call it a .44 Magnum-length cartridge on steroids, fattening it up to .475 caliber. Ballistics will be very similar to those achieved by the .44 Magnum, but with heavier bullets. We're talking a...

The Knife At Work.
May 1, 2001... Quick, one-handed access is what made the tactical folder popular among cops. The pocket clip pioneered by Spyderco is a big part of the "access-ability" formula. When I started on-the job, cops carried a Buck 110 or the equivalent in a belt...

HANGING AROUND.
May 1, 2001... A friend of mine in Corrections still has nightmares about a "lost patient." The troubled inmate hadn't sent up enough flags to be put on suicide watch, and it was only by luck that in the course of his rounds my friend found him hanging by a...

THE POLICE KNIFE.
May 1, 2001... When private citizens hear cops talk about carrying knives, they usually flash back to Clint Eastwood in his first Dirty Harry movie 30 years ago, taping a switchblade to his calf as a backup weapon. It's a rare cop who carries a knife and...

To The Rescue.
May 1, 2001... Historically, the folding knife's most important function in police work has been rescue. If you ask why so many officers prefer serrated blades, half or more will answer, "For cutting seat belts." One of our readers, an emergency medicine...

A Good, Cheap Handgun For Self-Defense.
May 1, 2001... Once your friends or associates discover that you are into guns, one of the first questions you hear is, "Where can I get a good, cheap handgun for self-protection?" Just the other day, this request was directed my way. I have always...

OF MAKAROVS AND MEN.
May 1, 2001... East German Makarovs are by far the best quality PMs ever made. Those made in Bulgaria are okay, and they sell for less money than the East German versions. Either will do. I have shot both and find the East German pistols to have slightly...

Top Marks.
May 1, 2001... Given that good, used Model 10s are no longer widely available at reasonable prices, what would I recommend for a "good, cheap" handgun for self-defense? Let's define both "good" and "cheap." Good means it will work when you pull the trigger,...

THE REVOLVING DOOR.
May 1, 2001... Revolver shooters appear to be in the minority these days. I can't recall the last time I saw a revolver in a police holster. Private citizens seem to prefer autopistols for home defense and CCW purposes. Most of the action shooting sports are...

The Competitive Scene.
May 1, 2001... Cowboy action shooting is the domain of sixguns, but there's a place for revolvers in other shooting sports, as well. When I started competing in practical shooting competition more than 20 years ago, there were no separate handgun categories;...

Yes, But Does He Have A 50,000 Sq. Ft. Computerized House?
May 1, 2001... Mike Dillon is the Bill Gates of progressive reloaders. Among shooters that use progressive tools, Dillon's are as ubiquitous as Windows 98. His market share is huge. He began his career with modifications to the wonderful old Star...

The Selling Of Sizzle.
May 1, 2001... Many years ago, I was talking with Mike Dillon and asked him about his marketing strategies. I fully expected to hear all about focus groups, consumer surveys and the like. Instead he replied, "I won't sell anything that I would not use...

THE NO-BS POLICY.
May 1, 2001... The backbone of Dillon's product line is the RL 550B progressive loader; it can load 120 calibers. When there's a need for a quantity of one load, it's no trouble to turn out hundreds in a short time. The RL 550B will meet the needs of all but...

HOW DEEP ARE YOUR THROATS?
May 1, 2001... Getting your Ruger Blackhawk, Vaquero or Smith & Wesson revolver to shoot straight, into little tight groups, is a function of the relationship of the cylinder throats, the forcing cone, and the diameter of the rifling grooves coupled with that...

The Emperor's New Groove.
May 1, 2001... You can measure the diameter of the grooves of your revolver's barrel by hammering a lead slug through it with a wood dowel. For best accuracy, your bore grooves should have the same diameter as your bullet or .001" under bullet diameter. In...

WHEN THE STARS ALIGN.
May 1, 2001... There is another factor with which to be concerned-- cylinder alignment. Cylinder alignment is checked by running a special tool called a range rod through the bore and into the cylinder throat. A range rod is a precisely turned steel rod that...

FORCING THE CONEHEADS.
May 1, 2001... Let's say you have a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt and you want to be sure you're shooting a bullet that gives optimum accuracy. After measuring all the cylinder throats, you find each one is exactly .451" in diameter. You are very lucky-- all your...

The Believe-It-Or-Not Holster.
May 1, 2001... Uncle Mike's just raised the bar up and over the heads of everyone else. Their introduction of an electronic holster at the recent International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) convention in San Diego, caused quite a stir. I spent time...

Press This, Pull That, Squeeze Here...Then Draw.
May 1, 2001... Learned actions to adapt to the peculiar drawing motions of many of today's security holsters are rife with problems. A change of holsters means thousands of practice draws to reprogram muscle memory. Of course, anything that relies on a series...

SEVEN YEARS IN THE DREAMING.
May 1, 2001... After first broaching the topic of a fingerprint-holster in 1993, Tom Marx kept bringing it to the table. About two years ago, technology finally caught up to the idea and the serious R&D began. John French, a senior engineer at Michaels, built...

YES, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO A BASIC RIGHT.
May 1, 2001... Recently, I wrote two columns about the question of whether felons, after their full release back into society, could be denied the right to keep and bear arms and whether the right to keep and bear arms was "absolute" or was subject to...

A Pale Facsimile Of The Original Article.
May 1, 2001... Jesse James may be his name, but "Jesse James" he ain't. The cops in Oswego, N.Y., no doubt got a few grins out of slamming Jesse Clyde James IV in the clink for robbery, but the famous bandit's 18-year-old namesake wasn't smiling for the...

He'll Be Attending That Class On "Remedial Assassination".
May 1, 2001... Oh, sure, being a hit man for organized crime has a certain glamorous appeal, but you know, there are certain skills required, like: "Only shoot your intended target; do not shoot yourself." In the U.S., novice hit men are closely...

AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GUNS FOR YOUR REVOLUTION.
May 1, 2001... And especially if your country is kinda poor, then you have to go for low-tech terrorist tools. That's the situation in Yemen, where the economically challenged terrorists can hardly afford the pipe to make pipe bombs. Come up with a set of...

HERRETT'S HANDGUN STOCKS.
May 1, 2001... About 10 years ago Smith & Wesson began roundbutting the grip frames of their K- and N- frame revolvers. Prior to this time, S&W had only roundbutted their five-shot pocket guns, such as the Model 36 Chief's Special, while custom shops such as...

How To Beat Superman.
May 1, 2001... Ernest Langdon won production division at the 2000 USPSA Limited Nationals. At the 2000 IDPA Nationals, he won not only Stock Service Pistol (SSP) division, but he also won the overall title, defeating IPSC legend Rob Leatham, among others. ...

ON THE DA-SA TRANSITION.
May 1, 2001... "Once you're shooting good groups with the DA first shot, begin training in bringing up the gun and firing two shots. Concentrate on maintaining the same level of accuracy. The difficulty in transitioning from DA to SA has been wildly...

On Shooting The DA Auto.
May 1, 2001... "The first priority is to learn the DA first shot. Always keep the trigger moving-- don't stage it. Align the sights and press the trigger through in one rolling break. Decock the pistol and do it again. I can shoot tighter groups firing every...

On Effective Training.
May 1, 2001... "Every time you go to the range, have a plan for that practice session. Write down what your objective is and what the plan is to reach that objective, then stick to the plan. "I like to keep each session to about 200 rounds. It takes 50 or 100...

The AYOOB FILES.
May 1, 2001... Against All Odds: Bringing A Pistol To A Rifle Fight Situation: A rifle-armed opponent has you in his sights. You have only a handgun. Lesson: If he has a rifle, you want a rifle. But it will still come down to skill-at-arms,...

THE WIZARD OF EDGE.
May 1, 2001... Meet Knifemaker Darrel Ralph And His Masterpieces Of Steel. Darrel Ralph could have beau a lot of things. He chose to he a Wizard, a master of the timeless art of producing some of the most incredibly fine edged weapons that will ever pass...

GLASPIAN.
May 1, 2001... Marry a Caspian bar stock slide to a Glock frame, then wed a Sure-Fire tactical light to the package, and you have a perfect union. One sure sign that a particular firearm has come of age is an abundance of after-market accessories...

GUN OF THE YEAR.
May 1, 2001... This Ruger Vaquero, customized by an elite cadre of members from the American Pistolsmiths Guild, is another stunning one-of-a-kind creation. Hamilton Bowen of Bowen Classic Arms in Louisville, Tenn. (423-984-3583), installed an oversize base...

KIMBER ULTRA TEN II.
May 1, 2001... A New, Dedicated, 10-Round Double-Stack .45 ACP From Kimber Is Ultra-Light, Ultra-Compact and Ultra-Potent. Plastics. It was the one word of wisdom delivered to a newly minted college student played by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, advice...

GOT A SECOND?
May 1, 2001... HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE CEREBRAL DYNAMICS OF COMBAT. Today's environment of accelerating scientific discoveries and technological change brings ever-improving hardware. In this climate it is easy to overlook and even abandon the core...

The Continuing Search For The Perfect Packin' Pistol.
May 1, 2001... Several years ago, I put forth my definition of a packin' pistol in this forum. I wrote, "Much of my time is spent 'packing' the long barreled handguns, as they are superb for hunting, but they are not real 'packin' pistols.' To fit my...

CLASSIC PERFECTION.
May 1, 2001... ED BROWN'S MAGNIFICENT RENDITION OF THE 1911 IS AS CRISP AND TASTEFUL AS A FLUTE OF DOM PERIGNON. Ed Brown's shop is one of the premiere custom pistolsmithing operations in the country. His accolades run the length of your arm. He is a...

SHOT SHOW 2001: The Garden of Good And Evil.
May 1, 2001... YOU, A MERE GUN OWNER, ARE NOT INVITED TO THE GUN INDUSTRY'S BIGGEST EXTRAVAGANZA OF THE YEAR. TRADE ONLY. 50 WE SMUGGLE YOU IN. It is midnight on Bourbon Street, and I am in search of degradation. Not just your run-of-the-mill degradation;...

DAY 30X CONVERSION UNIT.
May 1, 2001... Shooters have long been fascinated with the ability to convert one gun to shoot another caliber. Indeed, using the same frame and trigger for a whole match has a certain appeal for competitors. Colt's Ace conversion unit was a fine plinker, but...

PRO LOAD AMMUNITION.
May 1, 2001... Pro Load ammunition is one of the best kept secrets in the ammunition industry. Compared to the biggies, Pro Load is a small outfit. That is their charm. And because of that, they turn out some very fine ammo. The ammo that comes from this...

C&S MATCH TRIGGER SET.
May 1, 2001... Even though "drop-in" trigger parts for the Government Model have been around for quite awhile, we've been reluctant to talk about them because some mechanically challenged people really shouldn't be altering a gun's trigger mechanism. We still...

TETRA GUN RUST AND BLUE REMOVER.
May 1, 2001... Recently, we received a sample of Tetra Gun Blue & Rust Remover. My initial response was that I hardly ever want to remove bluing. To the contrary, my collector heart wants a way to put the original stuff back. But a look around the shop showed...

1911 Wars.
May 1, 2001... When Kimber raised the bar in quality standards for 1911s, the rest of the market was caught flat-footed. The new guns, designed in cooperation with former Steel Challenge champion Chip McCormick, were laden with features normally found only on...

SIGnificant News.
May 1, 2001... In a rather lackluster year for new handguns, the SHOT Show provided two attention-getters from SIG Arms. Our favorite is the new stainless version of the classic P-220. We have always been partial to the P-220, considering it the best...

ONE GUN TOO FEW.
May 1, 2001... The fundamental reason why workplace killing sprees are allowed to progress unchecked is that there is only one gun present, that of the nutcase doing the shooting. Like the one-eyed man in the land of the blind, a lunatic with a gun in a land...

SPINNING THE SHOT SHOW.
May 1, 2001... Despite dismal attendance by gun retailers and a pitiful amount of aisle traffic, the organizers of the shooting industry's biggest trade show boasted that the 2001 SHOT Show set new records. Omitting any mention of attendance, the spin doctors...

Miss Manners' Guide To Firearms Etiquette.
May 1, 2001... Dropping a loaded firearm is not so much a gross violation of gun etiquette as it is an invitation to a lawsuit. These days, the bottomfeeders are looking for any excuse to sue a gun company. Despite the fact that the grip safety on a 1911 was...

THAT'S BECAUSE BILL GATES IS A LEVER-ACTION MAN.
May 1, 2001... Microsoft Word, edition 98, has a built-in spelling dictionary that is remarkably complete. If you type in "Winchester," it accepts the word. If you type in "Remington," it cues you that the dictionary does not recognize it.