SEMI-AUTO HANDGUNS

Ruger Security-9 Compact

The three R’s of guns could easily be Rugged, Reliable and Ruger. Add an additional “R” for “Reasonably” priced and you’ve got Ruger’s concealed carry handgun offerings defined.

Nighthawk Custom Drop-In...

Try not to be too jealous, but I’ve had an early production model of Nighthawk Custom’s hot new honest-to-gosh drop-in trigger system for 1911s, and the result is essentially a custom action job.

Guns We're Excited to See...

Just days away from the 2020 SHOT Show, we can't help but drool thinking about all the new guns we'll get to shoot, handle and see throughout the week.

Sortin' Out The Glocks

Life used to be so simple. When I started seriously shooting, sixguns had names like Outdoorsman, Combat Magnum, Heavy Duty, Triple-Lock and on and on.

The Gunsite Les Baer 1911 Pistol

Les Baer Custom teams up with premier training facility Gunsite Shooting Academy to produce a custom 1911 worthy of the legendary Col. Jeff Cooper.

Who Wants A 3-Wheeled Car?

What’s that? A polymer-framed 9mm? Is it striker-fired? How about a double-column magazine? Accessory rail on the front end, replaceable backstraps on the...

The Taurus Spectrum

The array of colors really catches the eye, and of course, it gave the pistol its name. But, don’t be misled, this is not just another little .380. The...

S&W M&P .380 Shield EZ

The call went something like this: “Hey Roy, can you break free for a quick two-dayer to S&W for a new gun launch?” —

The Rock River Arms 1911 Poly

Back in 1996, two brothers named Mark and Chuck Larson started a modest gun company in Cleveland, Illinois, devoted to building the finest 1911 pistols...

Springfield's Quaint Saint

As one who was never bitten by the MSR bug, I suddenly find myself fascinated by the latest iteration of the MSR platform from Springfield Armory.

WWI Handguns

Being as how we’re around the centennial of America’s involvement in World War I, his Editorship Roy gave me the go ahead to cover some combat handguns...

The Overlooked Archetype?

Over the last couple of decades we’ve been inundated with new handgun makes and models. I’m not complaining mind you, competition among manufacturers...

Affordables: The...

The idea for this little series began in a phone conversation with His Eminence Roy, in which it was mentioned we get letters asking to see some...

Smith & Wesson Meets...

The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 ACP pocket pistol is almost — but not quite — awesome. Running on a miniaturized version of John Moses Browning’s...

Kimber's 10mm Super Jägare

It seems every time I turn around, gun manufacturers are introducing new 10mm pistols. What’s up with the resurgence of the Centimeter? Is it hunters,...

An Interview With Mister B.

Don’t ask me how it happened — there ain’t room here. It took years of clandestine meetings with physicists and fakirs, crystal-gazers and crackpots,...

The .40 S&W: Too Strong or...

While the price of Maseratis has not risen as fast as the cost of health insurance under the oddly named Affordable Care Act, I’m resigned to live without...

Gordon Ingram’s...

Small-caliber concealable handguns in a variety of sizes, weights, calibers, and hues are commonplace nowadays. However, back when U.S. gun laws were...

The Carolina Arms Group 1911

Timex makes superb timepieces. Their watches are built in a variety of plants in a variety of countries from quality materials using state of the art...

SIG’s P320

For those of us who revere the classic P226 and its cousins, the new P320 from SIG/Sauer is very different. Different, though, in good ways. You get the...

Kimber Micro 9 Stainless DN

When talking about concealed carry, size matters — especially a lack thereof. The smaller the gun, the easier and more convenient it is to carry, making...

The 1860 Army .44

For about a decade Samuel Colt was quiet as far as introducing new revolver models. Obviously they were using all their factory’s production capacity just...

Handguns Of WWII, Part 8

Starting in grade school my primary passion was World War II history and the firearms used. Therefore it was an amazing day when around age 12 my father...

Pocket Power Perfected

The Springfield XD-S Mod.2 Subcompact is a polymer-framed .45 ACP carry gun thinner than a 9mm GLOCK 43, weighing two oz. less than a .380 ACP Walther PPK/S.

Handguns Of WWII, Part 7

American fighting men anywhere in World War II could have been issued one of two basic .45 caliber pistols. The primary one was the Model 1911A1, and its...

The Babies

As early as 1848 Samuel Colt realized the military market was going to be finite. After all, the U.S. Army was a relatively small organization and those...

Mossberg's New 9mm MC1SC

When you think of Mossberg, I’ll wager the words coming to mind are along the lines of “tough,” “rugged,” “affordable” and “reliable.” I...

THE COLT WALKER .44

The Colt Single Action Army revolver has to be the most famous, most recognizable handgun in the world. But it didn’t spring from the drawing boards in...

S&W Performance Center M&P...

When S&W released their M&P .380 Shield EZ, it caused a lot of head scratching. Why a mid’ish-sized .380? The question was answered after a host of gun...

Heizer's PK045

It may seem impossible, but here it is. A semi-auto in .45 ACP about the same size as a 9mm compact. The design is brilliant, and the materials and...

New, Old Colt Defender ......

You know the Colt Defender. It’s a classic 1911 for concealed carry, an old-timer showing how to pack .45 ACP into a small, rough and tumble platform....

.25 ACP Ragtime Wonders

Every Era deserves its Index Fossil and no material remnant evokes those carefree days from 1890 until roughly WWI quite as convincingly as the small,...

A Betta' Beretta

In the world of defensive handguns, Beretta is a name to conjure with. And in the world of its popular Model 92, the same’s true of the name Ernest...

Springfield Armory's XD(M)...

The Springfield Armory XD series of handguns occupies a unique niche at your local gun emporium. These weapons are short-recoil, polymer-framed combat...

Remington 1911 R1 Ultralights

Combining legendary 1911 performance with a new lightweight design, the Remington 1911 R1 Ultralight is a great option for today’s shooters.

Franklin Armory Reformation

We all know SBRs (Short Barrel Rifle) are handy and convenient, along with being top-tier cool on the fun scale … but they have one drawback. Their...

Safely Practice With Your Gun

You can train with a blue gun or a red gun but it won’t be your gun. But when you do non-shooting training drills with your gun — a real gun —

Little Big Gun

I’ll be frank with you. I normally have practically zero interest in micro .380s. Am I impressed by the engineering expertise in getting a bullet this...

Handguns Of WWII, Part 1

Luger P08 9mm pistols were considered the best souvenirs by American troops in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) during World War II. That’s...

Kimber KHX Pro (OR) .45 ACP

There’s nothing worse than having to send your beloved “Betsy” away! Separation anxiety, followed by night tremors, cause you to sweat bullets, as you...

Ruger Security-9 Compact

Last year, Ruger released an Affordable-Care Act we could all sink our teeth into with the Security-9, a full-size, 15+1, hammer-fired 9mm. Despite an MSRP...

Turbocharging Your Glock

Americans simply live to customize stuff. Aftermarket widgets abound to amp up our automobiles, cell phones, fashions — even teeth. In no place is this...

Naroh Arms N1

The Naroh Arms N1 is a sub-compact, single-stack, 7+1, DAO hammer-fired, polymer-framed 9mm pistol that was years in the making. I could stop here, but then...

Behind the Scenes — My...

I’ve become quite enamored with the new MC1sc pistol from Mossberg and have made it my primary pocket carry gun since I picked one up earlier this...

"Plastic Pistol" (from the...

Here's the media's latest cause celebre, the next awful thing the gun manufacturers have propagated to endanger us. It's the plastic gun, the one that can...

Ruger Custom Shop SR1911

Oh, hi Paul,” I said, answering the phone. It’s always nice to hear from Paul Pluff as he’s usually the bearer of news of note. Paul is a dear old...

Performance Center S&W 45...

The mere words “Performance Center” blended with the moniker S&W, brings a wry smile across the lips of those who know a thing or two about guns.

Speedloading Handguns...

Thumbing (electronically) through the July/August 1982 issue of American Handgunner, the editor's note at the end of the "Speedloading Handguns Takes Skill"...

Living Archive: The 9mm Myth

“If you prefer a flat handgun that is easier to conceal and carries more rounds than a revolver, you have only to take your pick from the large array of...

Dan Wesson: Red Hot 9mm’s

To those of us still clinging to the sanctity of the 1911 and the beloved .45 ACP cartridge, technology has chipped away at our core assumptions leaving us...

Behind the Scenes: The...

The Gun — and the Challenge …

Ruger’s cool new SR1911 Competition Pistol is our cover gun for the July/Aug 2019 issue of Handgunner. All well and...

Watch the Flying Case!

As long as I can remember, shooting sports aficionados have always had a fascination with the empty case flying from auto-loading firearm as it fires....

Hot SHOT Show Products

In the movie “Amadeus” the king accuses Mozart’s music of having “Too many notes!” and wants him to “…cut some out.” We feel Mozart’s pain...

A New Direction

It’s amazing how far you can end up from where you began. From the unintended discovery of penicillin to the creation of Superglue during the development...

Taurus Officer & Commander

Both my Grandfathers wore overalls to work seven days a week. Farmers, they were the salt of the earth, hardworking, honest men. Far from being city-slicker...

Behind the Scenes: The...

The Gun — and the Challenge …

Ruger’s cool new SR1911 Competition Pistol is our cover gun for the July/Aug 2019 issue of Handgunner. All well and...

Exclusive: Ed Brown EVO-KC9

Ed Brown Products arguably make one of the finest 1911’s on the market. Don’t think so? Then you’ve probably never had the privilege of shooting one!...

Retro Trigger Time With...

The hulking psychopathic cyborg from the future walked into the local gun shop, his preternaturally square jaw locked in a menacing scowl and his glowing...

Dan Wesson ECO 9mm

What is it about the 1911 which keeps it so adored and desired by so many shooters? Surely more modern designs featuring higher capacity and new materials...

Handguns What's New...

Just when you thought it’d all been done we discover nope, there’s more to come! Here’s just a few to tease, tempt and otherwise give you the...

Crimson Trace Laserguard...

These days, there's almost no reason not to have a laser aiming system on your gun. Many makes and models of handguns can accommodate a laser. Many holster...

The New Taurus TX22. Love...

Yes, you do need another hi-cap polymer handgun. And this is the one. Here’s why: This gun will be the one you plink all day with, the one you use to...

Stoeger STR-9 9mm Pistol...

While Sam Colt’s sixgun was the tool that made men equal, affordable polymer-framed striker-fired pistols are the instruments of choice for today’s...

Rock Island Tac-Ultra FS...

Who doesn’t love an all-steel pistol? Admiring its heft as it’s cradled perfectly in your hand — it feels just right! Build one on JMB’s preeminent...

Kimber EVO SP (CS)

Who doesn’t love a custom gun? Customs scream, “Hey! Look at me! I’m special and different from rest!” It also gives skilled workers a chance to...

Honor Defense Honor Guard

I know we have plenty of fun here, but today, I’m going to get a tiny bit more serious and talk about a good gun.

Big Bore Meets Big Block

First, let’s get this out of the way here. This sublime Les Baer Boss model 1911 in .45 ACP costs exactly $2,560 according to their website. And as much...

Springfield Armory CUSTOM...

Webster’s defines the term “Art” as “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as...

Send In The Clones

For dedicated handgunners the workbench is more than a place to develop the latest handload recipe or to clean firearms to within an inch of their lives....

Old Guns New Generations?

At the age of 34, I don’t consider myself particularly young anymore, but to the best of my knowledge it does make me one of the younger contributors...

Rock Island's MAPP MS

While looking through the Rock Island Armory catalog, I saw what I believed to be an Italian made CZ-75 Clone, manufactured by Tanfoglio and sold in the...

The LLAMA OMNI

I’ve always liked the auto-pistol designs of the late Gary Wilhelm. The one I consider the most beautiful was done for Gabilondo y Compania of Vitoria,...

Precision Shooting

These days a handgunner interested in competition shooting is likely to be attracted to the action/practical shooting sports. Such sports are dynamic,...

Competition And Defense

We have two sides of the same stone here, if you will. Both come from the excellent Italian maker Tanfoglio (say it like this: Tan-foe-glio), residing in...

Bullseye Shooting?

If you were to mention competitive handgun shooting many years ago, no one had to ask if you meant USPSA, IDPA, PPC, cowboy action, metallic silhouette, NRA...

Yes... Even You Can Do It!

Stippling is essentially the process of melting a polymer surface and reshaping the texture into what you desire in look and feel. While the term...

Affordables: The Hi-Point...

How about a well-made, reliable, accurate 9mm pistol for less than $200? That’s what you get with the Hi-Point C9. The “C” is for “Compact,” and...

Making Better — Even Better

Until I wrote this, I didn’t realize how much of a Smith & Wesson fan I am. I knew I had a lot of their guns and liked them, but it really struck home...

Finding The Cure

Don’t deny yourself a cure for your case of FFS. Help is but a click or call away.

Ruger Security-9

The Ruger Security-9 is arguably the best value in a domestically produced defensive handgun today. This new Ruger pistol sports plenty of whiz-bang...

SCCY Pistols .380 ACP 9mm

Among today’s polymer-frame compact 9mm pistols, there are a few we really like, and it’s a short list. One of them is the CPX from SCCY. A few years...

Volquartsen's LLV-4...

The Volquartsens are, as a company and as people — sterling. Scott Volquartsen is young enough to have plenty of energy, but seasoned enough to read the...

Guns At Auction

So you have a little dough stashed away the old lady doesn’t know about, and might come in handy at an upcoming auction. Over the decades, the first...

SIG's P320 X-Five

The SIG P320, introduced in 2014–2015 has proven to be a solid success, most notably its acceptance by the U.S. military. It’s also becoming popular as...

Viridian Weapon-Mounted...

Viridian Weapon Technologies has announced the availability of two new weapon-mounted accessories for the Sig Sauer® P365. TheREACTOR® R5 Gen 2 Green...

North American Arms .32...

North American Arms, the company that revolutionized the mini-revolver, also makes a handy-sized pocket pistol called the Guardian. Available in two sizes,...

Springfield Armory’s...

The folks at Springfield Armory (SA) never cease to amaze me — they keep releasing very seductive shooters for our well being. Their TRP 1911’s, Polymer...

S&W M&P M2.0 3.6" Compact 9mm

We feel ripped off whenever manufacturers reduce their products. I’ve watched toilet paper magically shrink every time I perform a hot tactical reload....

FN 509 Tactical 9mm Pistol

You really can’t eat at the cool kids’ table these days if your tactical handgun doesn’t sport a sound suppressor, a tactical light, and some kind of...

SW1911 Pro Series 9mm

While at S&W I also got to shoot their new tiny 9mm Pro Series 1911 during this casual match we shot. The funny thing is it shot like a “big” gun, ran...

Exclusive: SIG SAUER P365...

What gun would you carry with enough firepower to keep your family and yourself safe from a menagerie of threats? While micro-compacts are comfortable and...

Exclusive: Springfield...

The Springfield Armory Custom Shop Professional Model 1911 has a rich and storied history, having been developed and produced for a pistol contract with the...

HK VP9SK 9mm

Heckler and Koch entered previously uncharted territory when they produced a polymer-framed, striker-fired combat pistol priced within reach of the common...