SEMI-AUTO HANDGUNS

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 you more likely to do so … which is...

An Evolutionary Revolution

Charles Darwin’s controversial book On the Origin of Species formulates his theory of evolution by natural selection. Did man evolve from the monkey?

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 came home one evening and handed me...

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 slightly different predecessor the Model...

Stoeger Introduces STR-9 Pistol

Delivering performance and function, Stoeger steps into the world of semiautomatic
pistols with their new STR-9 striker-fired 9mm.

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 —

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!...

Exclusive: Retro Trigger...

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...