American Handgunner articles from November 1999

American Handgunner archives from November 1999

Y2k Propaganda.
November 1, 1999... I read the Y2k Special Focus, all four articles in the July/August 1999 edition. I am very concerned with the "fear mongering" being so expertly presented by Stanford and Hopkins. Even Ayoob got in on the action in "Cop Talk." As is common to...

A Stomper Of A Cartridge.
November 1, 1999... As 1999 totters to a close, it is interesting to spend some time reflecting on the most significant events in handloading and ammo over the last century. Smokeless powder and the brass cartridge case are 19th century innovations; it wasn't...

Elmer's Baby And A License To Print Money.
November 1, 1999... The .44 Magnum is really just an elongated .44 Special (where have we heard that before?). Once more S&W and Remington teamed up to bring it to us. Everyone credits Elmer Keith with showing the virtue of incredible overloads, by the standards...

Science In Action.
November 1, 1999... All of the major manufacturers have changed the way they design and test bullets. Now this is science. The development of standardized test methods and materials-- largely by forensic specialist Dr. Martin Fackler and the FBI Firearms Training...

Top 10 Selling Handgun Cartridges.
November 1, 1999... According To... Federal Remington 1. 9mm Luger 9mm Luger 2. .40 S&W .45 ACP 3. .45 ACP .40 S&W 4. .38 Special .380 ACP 5. .380 ACP .38 Special 6. ...

Wondering About The Nine.
November 1, 1999... In the realm of autopistol ammo, truly significant new cartridges are few and far between. First on my list is the 9mm Luger. Even though it came along in 1902, it is the standard military handgun cartridge in law enforcement circles, and...

The Importance Of An AR-15.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... I arrived in Denver a week after the atrocity at Columbine High School, and spent another week there and in Littleton debriefing responding officers and investigators. There is much that has not yet come out about the incident, and it would be...

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Many officers responded from many departments, on many radio frequencies. Communication was a definite a single mutually-accessible emergency channel. This concept was pioneered in the Midwest decades ago with ISPERN, the Illinois State Police...

PLANNING IS EVERYTHING.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The embattled school was a nightmarishly complex danger scene. The first students who escaped from the building gave conflicting reports. Bombs and booby traps. The killers, cops were told by the witnesses, numbered from two to six. They were...

The World According To Bianchi.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... If you're like me and about 30 million other people around the world, you've owned a Bianchi holster. That name ranks among those that have attained virtual legendary status in this accessory industry-- Pachmayr, Herrett, Speer, Lyman and...

The Origin Of "Handgun Leather".(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Handgun leather-- a term John Bianchi coined, by the way-- had pretty much stagnated in the 1950s and holsters were little more than simple pouches to keep guns from falling onto the ground. Often, they didn't even do that simple chore very...

THE GREAT AMERICAN GARAGE TINKERER.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The year was 1958 and John was 21 when he joined the Monrovia (Calif.) Police Department. At the time, 6" Smith & Wesson Model 10s were the norm, many riding in swivel holsters with simple safety straps. The street cops were in dire need of...

THE BUSINESS IS BORN.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... By 1965 John was grossing $35,000 in his garage and it was time to leave the police department for greener pastures. He met and began a friendly relationship with Neale Perkins. They formed a company called Safari Ltd. in order to make a...

Great Marketing And The Wild Bunch.
November 1, 1999... Remember those great ads for Bianchi that appeared in the '70s and early '80s? It seems John had come back from a 10 day hunting trip looking pretty grungy and someone took his photo. When it was processed, the advertising staff said, "Hey,...

The 50-Hour-A-Week Retirement Plan.
November 1, 1999... Since retiring, John is just as busy as he was when he worked. Because of his strong personal interest in the Old West, John naturally returned to his first love, cowboy leather. John Bianchi's Frontier Gunleather is a thriving concern and John...

The Only Constant Is Change.
November 1, 1999... In the first decade of the 20th century, a well-equipped peace officer carried a medium frame, blue steel .38 caliber revolver. If he practiced at all--and many didn't--he shot with one-hand. Fifty years later a typical peace officer...

NOVICE TO EXPERT IN ONE EASY LESSON.
November 1, 1999... One of the original Combat Masters of the Southwest Pistol League was a deputy sheriff named Jack Weaver. While most of his competitors were switching to .45 autos, Weaver stuck with his favorite S&W K-38 revolver. It was Weaver who first...

Asking The Right Questions.
November 1, 1999... In the late 1 950s a small group of people, jaded with then-current forms of competition, decided to try something different. At that time the only formal handgun sport was NRA bullseye shooting, a challenging and difficult sport, but with a...

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.
November 1, 1999... Are you mentally prepared for the Y2k crisis? My kids wanted to go to McDonalds, not an unusual request for a Saturday morning. As I got in the car I realized: I had no cash in my wallet. Saturday mornings my wife grabs any bills I managed...

Y2K: You Don't know The Half Of It.
November 1, 1999... Say nothing happens. We welcome th8 year 2000 with no problems. But then what? History reports that as the year 1000 approached, great numbers of people believed that this grand numerical event would mark the Second Coming. Judgment Day...

A NEW DEFINITION EMERGES OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
November 1, 1999... Over the course of the past 15 years, it has become increasingly impossible to argue that the Second Amendment protects the right of states to have militias, now represented by the National Guard, but not an individual right to own and carry...

HANDCANNONS TO THE RESCUE.
November 1, 1999... The proliferation of .308 Win. (7.62x51mm NATO) handguns, exemplified by the economically priced Encore, Lone Eagle and Striker pistols, has attracted a large number of non-handloaders, and understandably so--they are mild recoiling, flat...

Corrosively Speaking, Watch Your Ammo.
November 1, 1999... I have read on many occasions all 308 ammunition, military or commercial, is non-corrosive Wrong. Much of it is corrosive and unless the firearm is degned soon after shooting corrosive ammo, it can cost you a new barrel-and in the case of gas...

BRITTLE BRASS AND BLOWN BARRELS.
November 1, 1999... Worst of all are the brittle brass and high-pressure cartridges. Check out the photo. The round on the left appears to have had normal pressure, but it pierced the primer for some reason-- possibly brittle material in the primer. Since the...

The Fine Art Of Spotting.
November 1, 1999... One of the best tools for a shooter is a spotting scope. They are useful in hunting for spotting game, such as on an Alaskan sheep hunt, and for trophy evaluation. Whether hunting or on the range, a spotting scope can save you a lot of time and...

What? There's A Pear In My Earring?
November 1, 1999... I've had impaired hearing for quite a number of years. Much is hereditary, much self-inflicted from factory work and, yes, a lifetime of shooting. I miss out on a lot of enjoyable things from not hearing birds chirp to not hearing my...

A Frightful Jar Of Elephant GUNS.
November 1, 1999... Famed hunter and explorer Frederick Selous commenced his African hunting adventures in 1 871 using a pair of Hollis 4-bore muzzleloaders, each weighing about 1 2.5 lbs. The projectiles weighed 1 ,750 grs. and, depending on the powder charge,...

Titanium Fever.
November 1, 1999... In recent years "shall issue" legislation has increased the number of citizens licensed to carry concealed firearms. Gunmakers have responded to demand for smaller, lighter handguns with some rather amazing creations, such as 11 oz. .38...

The Five Pound Limit.
November 1, 1999... Experience with literally hundreds of thousands of shooters has shown that most can be trained to an acceptable level of skill with handguns having around 5 ft./lbs. of recoil energy. Police instructors say that as recoil levels start going...

Blinking And Flinching.
November 1, 1999... If you want to avoid developing some very bad shooting habits, such as blinking or flinching, it's important to know your personal recoil tolerance. By "recoil tolerance" I don't mean just the ability to make the gun go bang. I mean being able...

Don't Cry For Your Mama, Reload That Damn Thing!
November 1, 1999... One of the most critical skills any defensive pistol shooter can have is the ability to reload his sidearm when it runs dry. When your handgun goes empty in a life or death encounter, you experience the classic Oh Sh-t Drill. Regardless of all...

Got Dem Ole Slide Lock Blues.
November 1, 1999... Learn to reload from slide lock. This occurs when the magazine is empty, the moving part (that would be the slide) is locked to the rear and you're tugging on the trigger with no result. Now, let's look at what you should do to get your sidearm...

Heel Vs. Thumb Release.
November 1, 1999... It is generally considered poor form to drop the magazine with the thumb of the support hand if the pistol has a push-button magazine latch of the 1911 type. If the pistol has a heel release latch, like the P-38, Makarov, SIG P210, or early...

Lilliputians Are People Too.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... People with small hands must use the thumb of the support hand to depress the magazine catch because their hands are so small that they cannot shift the pistol far enough to the side to hit the magazine catch button with the thumb of their...

If All Else Fails, Grab That Sucker And Yank.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Dropping the slide with the thumb of the support hand is natural with many pistol designs such as the 1911, Beretta 92 and S&W service pistols. However, on pistol designs like the Glock and SIG, one is advised to reach up and grasp the slide...

THE GUNFIGHTS OF COL. CHARLES ASKINS.
November 1, 1999... Situation: A controversial modern legend, Askins killed 27 men during his heyday. Lesson: No hesitation to kill kept the Colonel alive, but also led to questionable shootings. The death of Col. Charles Askins, Jr. last year closed a...

Casting About For An Explanation.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... A lot of manufacturing terms are used in advertising and articles about guns. Some readers may not know the technical aspects of exactly how firearms are made, and thus not fully appreciate the different technologies involved in the making of a...

The Pioneer Spirit.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Ruger pioneered the use of castings in the manufacture of firearms. All of Ruger's guns are made from castings. A Ruger-owned company, Pine Tree Casting makes gun castings for many other firearms companies, such as Caspian Arms, Thompson/Center...

Over a Barrel.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... You won't find any quality barrels made from castings. Because once cast, the metal would include slight impurities that would cause any quality barrel manufacturer to reject castings. However, these impurities have no bearing on most parts,...

Belly Up To The Bar.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Machining from bar stock, sometimes called billet, is the old fashioned way of making guns and gun parts. The hot rod guys use the term "billet" a lot, sort of like we use "tactical" a lot. In fact, "billet" doesn't mean anything except that...

MIM's The Word.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... MIM is the latest buzzword for "metal injection molding." In the MIM process, a mold is made from high quality mold steel. Then powdered metal is mixed with a plastic binder in a ratio of 96 percent powder, and 4 percent plastic. This mixture...

THE VALLEY FORGE.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Forging is probably the most misused term in the industry today. I've had customers actually call me and want their parts made from "forging steel." There is no such thing. Forging is a process, not a type of material. The process goes like...

Taffin TESTS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The .460 Rowland turns a 1911 into a.44 Magnum with a simple drop-in kit from Clark's Custom Guns. The M-1911 in .45 ACP remains the epitome of a fighting handgun. For hunting, the .45 ACP is somewhat lacking in power when it comes to...

Talk About Your Big-Bore Ordnance.
November 1, 1999... Okay, all of you who know exactly what a .45-70 slug feels like when it's fired, raise your hands. What about you, Irving Michaels? Everybody with IQs over 30, just grimace and envision about a half-dozen dudes drinking beer and taking...

Your Sully-Looking. Stuffed Dolls Or Your Life.
November 1, 1999... Toy stores aren't usually on a stickup man's Top Ten list, but we're thinking maybe this guy ran into one too many liquor-store clerks with well-oiled 191 Is under the counter. That kinda experience could lead you to hittin' Pookie's Pet...

Just Another Case Of Rookie Jitters.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Nine out of 10 Paris cops would have let it slide, but one veteran gendarme decided he really ought to give a traffic warning to a young man riding his bike the wrong way on a one-way street. Once he stopped the kid, however, the contact became...

Don't Forget Your Stopwatch And Revolver.
November 1, 1999... Americans like their football violent, it's true, but for sheer terror, the NFL can't compete with the "other football," soccer- especially the way it's played in Europe and Africa. The latest casually in the Soccer Wars is Isaac Mkhwetha, 20,...

Revoking Their Unconcealed Weapons Permits.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... After a little prying by the news media, Russia recently admitted to the dismissal of 20 soldiers who were "key-twisters" in the Strategic Rocket Forces- guys with access to nuclear weapons- due to minor problems like "psychopathy,...

In Order Now: Steps Two, Three, Four, Then One.
November 1, 1999... He came in with a gun, issued the standard litany of threats, demanded money, cut the phone line, grabbed the loot, put on his mask, and then left. Something strike you a little strange about the modus operandi of the guy who held up an adult...

MORE GREAT LEATHER FROM GREAT CUSTOM HOLSTER MAKERS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Wrapping up my alphabetical list of sixgun leather makers, this issue starts with Thad Rybka and goes through Dennis Yoder. Other leather makers have been covered in the two previous issues. Master holstermaker Thad Rybka manages to combine...

San Pedro Saddlery.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... I have often written of San Pedro Saddlery's excellent line of leather on these pages as well as in our sister publication, GUNS. Several years ago when I first got serious about cowboy shooting, Big Ed Douglas of San Pedro made up a double rig...

Milt Sparks.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... In 1971, the late Milt Sparks founded the company that bears his name with some of his early enthusiasts, Jeff Cooper and Elmer Keith. The original leather from Sparks' Idaho City shop was designed for speed and concealment as well as for...

Terry Tucker.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The artists who craft good leather are as easy to identify as the artists who create fine paintings. Each craftsman has his own style which serves as a signature. Terry Tucker's unique and extensive line of cowboy shooting leather is available...

Wild Rose.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... There is authentic leather and then there is the artistry of Chuck Burrows and wife Linda of Wild Rose Trading Company. Several leather makers are turning out designs based on true old time frontier designs, however, Wild Rose goes a step...

Dennis Yader.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Dennis and Sallie Yoder have been supplying leather goods to shooters for more than two decades. Their signature is heavy weight, 12 to 14 oz., single weight leather that will last as long as the sixgun it houses. It is much harder to work with...

Cowboy Boxes.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... In the past several columns we have spent much time talking about authentic leather. Many cowboy shooters also spend a great deal of time choosing their costuming and then go to the firing line using plastic (!) cartridge boxes. Now...

YOU CAN WIN A BRILEY ADVANTAGE!(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Briley Pistol Division has quickly emerged as one of the premiere custom 1911 shops thanks to the talents of South African-born pistolsmith Claudio Salassa. Given free rein to design custom guns and accessories by company founder Jess Briley,...

COLT'S DEEP COVER 9mm.
November 1, 1999... Parabellum power in a .380-sized pistol, the new Pocket Nine comes with special tactical features. You've heard of Sleepless in Seattle? Colt's Mfg. Co., for most of the latter half of the 20th century, was Clueless In Connecticut. A...

1999 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER WORLD SHOOTOFF.
November 1, 1999... Join perennial match winner Jerry Barnhart and the top shooters in the world for an exciting man-on-man championship. A whole passel of pistol shooters went home winners from the 1999 American Handgunner World Shootoff Championship at...

The Incredible Carbon Man!
November 1, 1999... The world of tactical knives is one of diversity. The myriad options include state-of-the art metals and hi-tech synthetics, cutting edge designs and top notch knifemakers. With so many offerings and alternatives, it's easy to see how the...

Cosby's Custom Cowboy Classics.
November 1, 1999... Brian Cosby continues the tradition of fine gunsmithing on single-actions. As a kid, I spent many an hour looking through the pages of Outdoor Life and American Rifleman dreaming of hunting trips and guns. It was a real chore waiting every...

BETTER LATE THEN NEVER.
November 1, 1999... New Jersey lawman Bruce Piatt wins the Bianchi Cup with a record breaking X-count, but his victory is marred by a highly controversial late shot penalty against Bianchi Cup legend Mickey Fowler. In a year of increasing difficulties for...

KART EASY-FIT BARREL.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Match grade accuracy for the 1911 with a do-it-yourself barrel. The most accurate aftermarket 1911 barrel is made by Fred Kart, according to a lengthy .45 barrel test I conducted last year (Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec '98). Kart barrels have...

BENCHMADE AXIS LOCK.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Lock blade pocket knives are ubiquitous, but sometimes they're not very convenient. While most can be opened with one hand, closing them is another matter altogether. Some simply can't be closed without using two hands and others can close too...

S&W TOOLS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Licensing is becoming a big part of the marketing plan of many gun companies. Smith & Wesson has been doing it for some time but recently they've combined with Gutmann Cutlery in an aggressive campaign that features an assortment of optical...

SPRINCO PLATE +.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... It has taken a long time, but when the gun business discovered molybdenum, they really discovered it and jumped on the bandwagon. The fact that molybdenum disulfide has been used as a lubricant since right after dirt was invented is irrelevant....

Shootout At The Kenya Corral... Almost.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... After last year's U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, can you imagine anything more stupid than hanging out around the American Embassy in Nairobi with a pal, looking kinda suspicious, armed and inquisitive? Maybe you could also pull out a...

A Bit Of British Wit For The Twits.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Targeting drug dealers and armed robbery suspects, London cops are sending a new range of surprise weapons straight to the front doors of known criminals: colorful greeting cards. Timed to arrive on the bad guys' birthdays, crooks are...

Forget Ten Cents A Minute! I'll Pay Anything!(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Francisco de Assis Ferreira Neto can tell you: Brazil has one of the worst telephone systems in the world, and Rio De Janeiro is the worst of the worst. And, he'll tell you, he was one of the biggest complainers in Rio. But he'll never...

And Finally, Our Imbecile Of The Month.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Nashville homicide detective Derry Baltimore overheard the call about a shooting during an armed robbery and immediately pointed his plain-wrap cop car into the neighborhood. Derry's a good cop, a shrewd and observant cop, and some say a really...

A Matter Of Timing.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Jerry Miculek, the phenomenal revolver shooter who has been compared to the legendary Ed McGivern, fired eight shots from a Smith & Wesson revolver into a playing-card-size-group in less than a second during an exhibition at the International...

Up, Up And Away.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Citing the cost of defending themselves from a rash of "tobacco style lawsuits," many leading gun makers are raising prices in midyear, an unusual step. Normally, price increases on firearms are instituted at the first of the year. Sturm,...

1911 WARS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The hot battles in the handgun market are for entry-level .22s and police-business autoloaders, but the real mud-and-the-blood-and-the-beer is for marketshare in the 1911 business. The 1911 market is good for about 100,000 guns a year, and the...

Dumb Gun.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Italian handgun maker Beretta has stepped into the smart gun fray with a stinging denounciation of such technology as "unsafe and unreliable." "Although the concept of a 'smart gun' or 'personalized gun' has received public attention...

Ruger vs. Smith.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Despite a declining market for handguns in the U.S., Smith & Wesson produced nearly 400,000 pistols and revolvers in 1997, the most of any American handgun maker, according to recently released ATF records. The figures are based on mandatory...

Kooky Kalifornia.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... The Granola State's legislature, undisturbed by logic, has imposed harsh new "mandatory penalties" for crimes committed with guns. Judges all across the Land Of Fruits And Nuts who impose for various misdemeanors and felonies will now mete out...

Negative Demand In A Down Market.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Handgun production in the U.S. fell for the third year in a row, according to ATF data just released for 1997. Domestic handgun production was 1,406,505, broken down into revolvers and pistols by the ATF. Revolver production was off 26 percent...

ALL THINGS TACTICAL.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Bill Wilson of Wilson's Gun Shop acquired Scattergun Technologies, a manufacturer of combat accessories and custom gunsmithing for tactical shotguns. The Nashville, Tenn., based company will be relocated to Wilson's headquarters in Berryville,...

Macy Talks To Gimble.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Genius I am not, but it doesn't take one to figure out that something peculiar is up with Smith & Wesson and German gunmaker Carl Walther GmbH. First, S&W began marketing a clone of the Walther P-99 called the SW99. Now it turns out that the...