Everyday Workin'...
Whether we travel the sagebrush, foothills, forests, or mountains these are the sort of loads which will handle any situation.
39
Cimarron's .45...
Those of us who have a little, or a lot, of gray in our beards well remember the poor quality of both Spaghetti Westerns and Italian replica sixguns of 50...
33
The Impossible...
In 1955 Colt introduced the soon to be legendary Python. Originally conceived as a sort of “super-grade” target revolver, the looks and sheer je ne sais...
3
Gun-Fusion Or...
Through the extremely generous good offices of my friend Chuck McDonald I now have a gun which has fascinated me for many years: a “Smython” also known...
26
The .32-20
The .32-20 started life in the Winchester Model 1873 and then shortly after was chambered in the newer Model 1892 rifle.
35
The First...
In 1814 we took a little trip along with Col. Jackson down the mighty Mississipp”; so sang Johnny Horton in his hit recording of “The Battle of New...
154
Ruger's 10-Shot...
Sixty years ago, any rimfire buff with any sense would have stocked up on Smith & Wesson K-22 Masterpieces and Colt Troopers. Both these lovely...
41
A Lifetime Spent...
My life has been full of handguns — to the tune of several hundred. These have been both personally owned, or sent on consignment from their manufacturers...
12
Ruger’s...
Ruger brought out their first Bisley Models in the mid-1980’s chambered in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. All of these had 6-shot...
155
The Peacemaker...
By the time this is printed I will have been shooting Colt SAA’s for 48 years. I’ve owned them in calibers from .32 to .45, in barrel lengths from 3" to...
6
.357 Magnum DA...
Elmer Keith was instrumental along with Phil Sharpe in laying the groundwork for the .357 Magnum by using heavy loads in the .38/44 Heavy Duty, an N-Framed...
355
Ruger...
The Redhawk is probably the strongest double action revolver ever offered which is at the same time packable. The Super Redhawk may or may not be stronger,...
32
Lipsey's Ruger...
Somehow perfection never seems to last. In the case of Ruger’s first Flat-Top Blackhawk the time span was well under 10 years. In 1962 the original .357...
401
Gary Reeder's...
Since 1967 I’ve been shooting cap and ball revolvers — replicas and/or originals — of Colts and Remingtons dating from the Civil War era. So when his...
38
Fixed-Sight Fixes
Why can’t they just sight these guns in at the factory?” is a refrain I hear often. Let’s say, someone has saved up the money to buy a traditional...
26
Dan Wesson's...
Nestling down in the Creedmore position, I placed the left side of the revolver solidly against my right leg. Lining up the sights with each other and also...
117
Dave? Wishy-Washy?
“You know what your problem is?” my buddy asked. “You’re wishy-washy. You’re too quick to see the other side of every issue.”
0
The .38-44
The first of many “shooting buddies” came in my senior year of high school — 1966/1967. His name was Mike Bucci, pronounced “Butch” and that’s...
33
Chic Gaylord
As I was growing up my parents never owned a new car, never bought a house — always rented. We had all the necessities but rarely had any kind of extras....
50
Rugers For The Trail
I’ve been shooting Ruger .22’s and .357 Magnums since 1956-1957. Ruger first started producing .22 pistols in 1949 with the Standard Model Red Eagle...
46
S&W 629 .44...
In the late 1800’s the British revolver maker Webley developed a revolver small enough to be carried in a coat pocket. It had a 21/2" barrel, a compact...
66
Revolvers And...
When Jeff Newville faced his moment of truth with the grizzly, he barely had time to fire his revolver. There was no time for the careful placement of the...
53
S&W's Master Pieces
In July, 1966, shortly into my 17th year, I acquired the first handgun I actually paid for myself. It was a Smith & Wesson K-38 Masterpiece, named by the...
45
The 9MM Ruger LCR
Some of my gun-friends of the “big-bore” persuasion will occasionally snicker at my choice of a primary carry-piece: a Kel-Tec P-32, loaded with CorBon...
35
Classic Test:...
Along with many other shootists, I’m totally sold on the merits of a .22 revolver. It’s a type of gun you’ll find in the collections of experts and...
66
Treasure – Or...
When are handguns classic treasures and when are they junk? It’s a good question because many uninitiated people think just because a handgun is old...
34
"Slow & Easy"...
There were so many Westerns on TV when I was a kid, with every hero carrying virtually the same sixgun, producers, writers and directors started looking for...
366
The .45 Colt
About a decade ago I caused a considerable stir in Handgunner’s pages by writing I didn’t particularly like the .45 Colt as a smokeless powder...
263
Trail Bossing...
Approximately 10 years ago Hodgdon introduced Trail Boss powder, originally designed for use by Cowboy Action Shooters who were walking on the edge by...
31
The First...
Too many decades ago, I coined the phrase “Perfect Packin’ Pistol”. Over the years many dedicated sixgunners have taken up this phrase, often...
271
Maybe Harry Was...
I’ve had a longtime affection for S&W Model 29’s of all kinds, and specifically the blued 6.5" versions. And like many of you, it was fostered by Clint...
156
J-Frame Light?
You can debate the value of a weapon-mounted light versus a separate light, but we’ll leave that for another time. I’ll just say, on a home-defense gun,...
34
Two Ruger Sixguns:
All Ruger Single-Sixes (.22’s) since 1964, with a few exceptions, have been offered only with adjustable sights. Unfortunately the little Bearcat had...
135
Vintage Single-...
When “His Editorship” asked me if I had read his recent Insider column on shooting handguns at 100 yards, I warily replied, “… um …yeah.” The...
0
Fact Or Fiction:...
Ned Buntline was an author of dime novels in the last quarter of the 19th century, creating long-standing myths about Western heroes. He claims to have...
109
Shooting...
In the 1950’s there were no replica black powders available, so it was strictly real black powder only. When I first started an — original 1860 Army!...
24
De-Mystifying ...
During World War II the US Navy and US Marine Corps supplied many Smith & Wesson M&P .38 Special revolvers to air crew. What was the primary load?
20
Double Or Single...
I’m pleased to make note of a heart-warming trend among younger shooters. It seems while many young people begin life as Polymer-shooters, what happens...
255
Uberti .44 Magnum
Several things happened to make the .44 Magnum more acceptable. Many reloaders learned to start low and work up to full-house magnum loads. Gripmakers...
302
Colt's Cap &...
Between about 1820 and 1877 Comanche raiders roamed freely over most of what is now the state of Texas. In doing so they killed thousands of frontier...
2
One View Of The...
Announced at the SHOT Show in January 2014, the Taurus View gave many of us in the industry a “WTF?” moment. A clear sideplate to see the internal...
16
A Hundred...
One of my all-time favorite calibers is the .44 Magnum, so I dug out some I keep handy for reference and put them to work to see what happens with iron...
58
Custom .22’s
No matter how large or small one’s gun collection — actually ... “accumulation” — there are two, possibly three, absolutely basic firearms. Many...
17
The .41 Magnum...
Instead of being offered in between the .357 and .44 Magnums as one would expect, S&W waited eight years after the .44 Magnum before introducing its...
391
Cowboy Gear Of...
Folks who identify with the old days and the “Cowboy Way” of Roy and Gene go for the period-correct cowboy-era stuff and the B-Western rigs.
15
Old Man Guns
Recently, an 87-year-old man worked his wheelchair into the local gun shop to show my friend Cactus behind the counter his new self-defense purchase.
39
Traditions 1873...
That Sam Colt, he was quite a man. Deserving of: “God made man, but Sam Colt made them equal.” Colt’s Paterson tipped the scales in favor of the bearer.
44
Classic Snub Guns
Twenty years ago it was very difficult in many areas to get a concealed weapon permit. Thanks to the hard work of many individuals and organizations I...
3
Culina Custom Grips
When my kids were preschool age and even several years later, money was really tight. Twice a year, I managed to squeeze out enough money at both Easter and...
45
World War Revolvers
When the supplies of primary issue handguns were insufficient, then America, Japan, and the Soviet Union reached back (so to speak) and dusted off their...
52
Old Guys Tricks
Guns smaller than “full-size”— usually referred to as “compact” or “mini” — are primarily carried because they are more convenient to carry...
14
Grandpa’s...
Carrying concealed is not a recent idea. All the “B” Western movies would have us believe everyone went around carrying openly; this was especially not...
138
S&W 686 -...
These multipurpose cartridges have been around for a long time and show no signs of kowtowing to other calibers that are, what, half their length.
44
Wadcutter Wedgies
Okay, it’s a weird title, I know. But I have to tell you, one of these full wadcutters placed in the right spot on a bad guy or game animal would...
120
Playin' Favorites:
Just as the vast majority of those sixgunners from my era, I started most of my reloading chores in the mid-1950’s with the .38 Special.
298
Start ’Em Out...
If you’re reading this, you’re likely a pretty decent shot, a supporter of gun rights, a responsible gun owner and a good ambassador for shooting. In...
13
Charter's Pitbull
A bit more than a couple of years ago, Nick Ecker, Terry Rush and the Charter Arms designers arrived at an interesting answer to allow rimless auto rounds...
0
A True...
There was a time in my life — in the first half of the 1960’s — I mostly lived on dreams. When I wasn’t working, sleeping or attending classes, I...
24
Getting The Most...
Have you ever wondered why .44 Magnum ammunition tends to be so much shorter than the revolver cylinders in which it’s chambered? Or why crimp grooves...
24
S&W Competitors
I’ll just say it: I’m a handgun hunter. I live it, breathe it, seek it out and engage in it whenever possible. When His Editorship assigned me to cover...
24
Little "J"ems
One of the nicest perks of my new gig here is that the boss and I get to spend a little time talking about guns and gunsmithing. We pick each other’s...
22
NAA Sidewinder
You’re likely familiar with North American Arms, the makers of the near-legendary tiny stainless steel single-action .22 caliber revolvers. Thousands ride...
1
Belly Guns And...
There’s always been a certain segment of the shooting population who have considered the .38 Special to be a poor man stopper. This may have been true...
123
Can Arrows Trump...
In 1865, workers at Remington’s factory in Ilion, N.Y., sat by heavily-mortgaged tooling, the machines silenced by war’s end. To court sportsmen,...
32
Colt .45s
Think back to the days when America had two major handgun manufacturers: Colt and Smith & Wesson. Now consider this when speaking of their big-bore...
250
Early S&W .44...
Over the years I’ve made no secret of my opinion there’s nothing really special about the .44 Special. It’s a fine old low-velocity, big-bore handgun...
17
The New Breed
There are a number of excellent reasons causing me to take pride in being connected with this magazine, not the least of which is the desire to introduce...
48
Slow & Easy
What sort of handguns do gun’riters shoot for their own enjoyment when they become senior citizens? I can’t speak for the other guys like Taffin or...
12
The .32 S&W Long...
Before the .38 Special became ubiquitous, the moderately powered .32 S&W Long and .38 S&W were popular.
246
.44 Special DA...
In the closing days of 1908 Smith & Wesson brought forth a new sixgun which was destined to have great impact for most of the 20th century.
285
Have A Gun...
It’s probably safe to say the number one rule of gunfighting is to have a gun. It’s easy to see in our modern society where that can be problematic.
0
Workin’ Loads:...
The sixgun chosen for the field or trail will probably be a 4" or 5" DA revolver or a single action with a 43/4" or 51/2" barrel. For duty in the field,...
10
The .357 Magnum
Live long enough and you’ll see many changes. For example I just read at least two Apache warriors who rode with Geronimo died in car wrecks in later...
96
Colt's SAA In Battle
As both a student of Plains Indian Wars history and enthusiastic handgunner I’ve paid special attention to documentable instances where revolvers saw...
0
If It Could...
The Smith & Wesson revolver shown here was made in 1953. It’s a Military & Police .38 Special with fixed sights, tapered 4" barrel and satin blue finish....
2
Thumb-Cocking
Terminology can throw you a curve when it comes to revolvers. If I saw John Wayne cock his Single Action Army, my brain understands it — cock the hammer,...
4
Playin'...
I am going to take advantage of my advancing years and look at my favorite sixguns — this will definitely not be objective, but rather entirely...
28
The .38/44 Heavy...
The 1920s were a time of unprecedented economic growth in the United States, which came to a screeching halt with the advance of the Great Depression in 1929.
252
The First...
In 1877, Colt introduced their first double-action revolvers with the Lightning chambered in .38 Long Colt and the .41 Long Colt in the Thunderer. Not true...
137
The Single-Six...
Thanks to those old cowboy movies we all watched back then, every budding sixgunner’s eyes were focused on the Colt Single Action.
3
Keith No. 5 Grip...
Throw out this question to a congress of your shooting cronies some time: Who is the dean of modern sport revolver shooting? Unless you run with a crowd of...
457
Silk Pursing A...
There are lots of what I call “targeted consumer guns” in today’s market. These are firearms and related items targeted to specific groups of shooters.
5
Target Bulldog...
During my high school years as I started reading the likes of Elmer Keith and then a little later Bob Hagel and John Lachuk I also acquired a deep interest...
69
Handguns Of WWII...
My attitude is the major handgun cartridges which saw significant combat in World War II in the hands of infantrymen number seven. They are Soviet/7.62x25mm...
36
Favorites:...
Choosing favorites is not always easy. Sometimes I can pick one favorite while other times it will be several. With that in mind we herein look at...
114
Rattlers And...
I killed another rattler yesterday morning, a fairly large one and the first seen this year. Our nearest neighbor, a single lady, called asking if I could...
125
The 500 S&W: Too...
I first became aware of the cartridge when Pete Pi (owner of Cor-Bon) called to discuss the cartridge and the possibility of a test barrel for it in an...
22
Colt Martial...
Just this morning I read Colt Defense LLC is getting an order from the US Marine Corps for new 1911 .45 pistols. Funny how things change: Colt getting an...
0
Mag-Na-Port's...
I’ll say it right up front: According to the S&W website, the .44 Magnum Night Guard is no longer in production. However, not only were they still...
18
Bullet Sizing:
When it comes to factory ammunition or reloading with jacketed bullets we really have very little choice when it comes to bullet diameter.
3
.44 Special Loads
Some handgunners don’t handload and have no interest in doing so. The great competitive shooter Tommy Campbell shot factory ammunition exclusively.
0
Compromise?
My dictionary has one definition of the word “compromise” as the settlement of a dispute by mutual concession. There are always compromises and...
402
Big-Bore Cut Down
In the late 1970s I spotted a cut-down S&W 1917 .45 ACP revolver in a gun book that really caught my eye. This was long before there were any factory...
120
Freedom Arms...
Our own John Taffin coined the “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” moniker, and he’s been on the trail of one ever since. And I have to say, he’s right about...
494
Handguns Of Dave...
Long before I had much in the way of expendable income for buying sixguns I enjoyed looking at the works of such past gunsmiths as O’Meara, Houchins,...
15
Lipsey's .45...
When it comes to firearms these are the best of times. No, scratch that, these are the best! of times. Yes, I definitely miss the old classics and we...
339
Skorpions & Grim...
Are you going to be messing with those guns all evening?” That very afternoon a big brown truck dropped off two aesthetically beautiful revolvers,...
35
Those Fabulous .44s
The .44 is amazingly versatile if you think about it.
39
Peacemaker...
Eddie Janis of Peacemaker Specialist, has long been known for producing exquisitely tuned Colt Single Actions as well as beautiful restorations. Eddie...
215
More Revolver...
In the last two issues I’ve detailed how to slug handgun barrels so lead alloy bullets of the proper size will be used in them. However, that’s just one...
1
The Rhino Revolver
Okay, let’s admit at the start that it looks weird. Still, as grandmothers used to say, “Pretty is as pretty does,” and the Rhino revolver does...
66
Heavyweight...
One of the first manufacturers to offer suitable silhouetting sixguns was Dan Wesson, with their 8" and 10" heavy-barreled .357 Magnum.
102
Bowen Classic...
It’s been my good fortune to know the greatest custom sixgun smiths who have ever lived, simply because they are alive and well and practicing their craft...
15
Colt's "New" New...
How does one improve on perfection? The original Colt Single Action Army was a study in perfect pistol perfection when it arrived in 1873.
295
Point Of Aim Vs....
Hitting a target with a handgun bullet not only requires a bit of hand-eye coordination and small motor skills in your fingers and hands; but also requires...
46
Goldilocks Revolver
For informal target shooting, plinking with friends, or introducing new handgunners to the shooting basics, I love my S&W K-22 and Colt Officer’s Target...
108
How Fast Is Fast?
One of the more common letters I get here are readers worrying if their self-defense load is adequate. Regardless of the caliber, they still worry. They...
1
Ruger's...
Colt had pronounced the single action dead in 1940. Enter Bill Ruger. His desire was to produce a single action which anyone could afford to own and shoot,...
145
Charter's New...
It’s been my experience dedicated sixgunners, especially those with more than a little gray in their beard, have several attributes in common.
69
Handgun Hunting...
By the time you read this half the country will be gripped by cold temperatures and covered with snow. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about getting...
17
Re-Born Re-Volver
The revolver had been gathering dust on the display shelf, unwanted and unappreciated. It was one of a group of police trade-ins purchased by my local gun...
91
Black Powder Basics
Elmer Keith in 1936 writing in his book Sixgun Cartridges and Loads, recommended the novice reloader start out with black powder; he basically said just...
24
Lipsey's Living...
Some remarkable models and calibers are available today. Not from Ruger, but from one of their distributors, Lipsey’s, who not only distributes standard...
277
Colt Single...
For me one of the most enjoyable adjuncts to Colt Single Action Revolvers of all types is their leather gear. It comes in a bewildering variety of styles...
13
Ruger's...
Regular readers know I have said more than once, the 1950s were simply the greatest decade ever; and in spite of repeating myself, I’m saying it again. It...
353
A Colt...
Since its beginning in 1873, the Colt SAA has been made in three distinct “generations.” First generation SAAs ran continuously until 1940 with serial...
117
The Magic Wheel
It would be a foolish child who believes someone can’t defend himself with a revolver — even today.
244
The Second...
In the last few years of 1st Generation SAA production only about 100 were shipped every 12 months. Then World War II brewed up requiring all of Colt’s...
16
Monster Magnums
Monster size, weight, power, penetration, muzzleblast, recoil, accuracy and great fun are at-hand, as it were, for those capable of using these beasts. Make...
0
Origins Of The...
“In 1947, after retiring from the regular army and moving to Mexico City, I formed a Mexican sales company for representation of American firearms and...
32
The First...
Now we get to what can (arguably) be called the “World’s Most Famous Handgun.” Is it? I think so because American western movies have made it to about...
93
Colt's Cartridge...
With this installment we reach a fascinating type of Colt single action revolver — the Cartridge Conversions. That’s a misnomer because it implies this...
6
PPC Gun Of...
It was a revolver, usually a K-frame S&W firing .38 Special, with a 6" stovepipe barrel, precision adjustable sight rib, and mandatory swe-e-et, light...
23
Fakes
As long as there are human beings, there will be those who choose to reside in the devils lair. In short, there will be those who will try to make a living...
16
Power Custom...
In my younger years during the 1970s while pursuing a law enforcement career, I shot competition in the then-popular PPC format.
9
Who Needs A .357...
The .38 Special arrived in either 1899 or 1902 depending on which expert is correct. From the very beginning the standard load was a 158-gr. lead round...
57
Affordable...
For the price, the Heritage is a revolver that will give good service, and you won’t have to worry about scratching some expensive firearm. Take it to the...
62
Wheelgun Wherewithal
The column I did on basic cleaning tips for autopistols is continuing to get positive comments, and the related video has been watched by a bunch of...
28
Deep, Cheap And...
The shooting world was introduced to the first cartridge-firing weapon with the .22 Smith & Wesson Model #1 in 1857.
2
NAA's .22
North American Arms literally created a new category of small arms with their line-up of watch pocket single actions in .22 calibers.
10
The .500 S&W Special
It is a brutal recoiling cartridge, yet it is manageable to a point in the Model 500 Smith & Wesson revolver, weighing in excess of four pounds. I can’t...
229
Big Bullet Baloney
Some of the first heavyweight bullets for both the .44 Magnum and .45 Colt came from J.D. Jones and SSK Industries. He designed a 320-gr. flat...
2
Born Again Bisley
In the early 1890s, Colt was playing catch-up in the target revolver category, while records were being broken with S&W’s New Model 3 with adjustable...
80
S&W's K22
In the early decades of the 20th century, .22 revolvers were mostly made on small frames — “small cartridge, small gun” seemed to be the rule.
21
Mooning Smiths?
Smith & Wesson must have known they had a winner when the first J-frame revolver was built on Oct. 24, 1950. I wonder if they had any idea just how popular...
50
True Custom Bullets
Belt Mountain Punch bullets are turned from solid brass one at a time on a lathe. The base is then hollowed out resulting in a core filled with lead while...
30
A Bit Of...
As so many other things having to do with firearms it began with Elmer Keith. Keith was born in 1899 and during his growing up years quality sixguns as well...
706
Taurus Public...
By now, almost everyone knows about the big revolver from Taurus chambering both the .45 Colt and .410 shotshells. They named it “The Judge” because,...
24
S&W's...
For more than 60 years big-bore sixgunners had been perfectly content, at least most of them, to shoot the .45 Colt, .44 Russian, .44 WCF, .44 Special and...
33