GUNS Magazine Handguns Archives

“Haven’t I seen you...

… is almost as bad a pickup line as “What's your sign?” Not that I would know. But I have to admit, those very lines came to mind when I picked up...

25

A “Special” Love

Like so many shooters my age, I began handloading with the .38 Special in 1966. Throughout life I’ve been a “lister” — my made-up word for someone...

19

Behind the Shirts

I can't say what the best gun and holster for concealed carry is for you. It depends on a lot of factors. But I will offer you this:

17

Introducing The Newest...

Officially introduced at the recent NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, the latest entry in the Taurus Raging Hunter family is ready for action...

9

Voices From The Past: Part 2

Last month we looked at thoughts on semi-auto pistols made five generations ago or so. Now as we turn to double-action revolvers we need to set the stage....

12

Ruger SA Spruce-Up

We all have our favorite shooters — you know, the ones we keep handy and holstered, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. After years and thousands of...

15

Auto Ordnance 1911GCH

The email from GUNS editor Brent T. Wheat was short and to the point. “Tank, I’ve got an assignment for you. It’s kind of a rush job. Don’t let us...

9

The Combat Quick Draw

Let’s go retro … and see what still applies today.

From the February 1960 issue of GUNS Magazine, here is “the word” on combat quick draw, spoken...

34

Trijicon SRO (Specialized...

Spring has sprung and in addition to all the flowers and pollen, the firearms industry is seeing plenty of new products popping up at the National Rifle...

29

Well-Established Snubbies

Gun makers still make snubbies. That’s because people still buy snubbies. And people still buy snubbies because they have learned that snubbies do a lot...

41

Carry that J-Frame Inside...

For decades, Smith & Wesson’s ubiquitous J-frame revolver has served law enforcement and civilians as a backup gun or primary concealed carry gun. While...

1

Pocket Pistol Shootout!

I recently tested a Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 ACP (three-A-T, get it?) and was impressed with how far pocket pistols have come. I liked the pistol so much I got...

21

TangoDown Magazine...

Now here's a handy tool... TangoDown® Inc. announces the latest addition to the lineup – the TD Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for GLOCK®...

5

Perfecting The GLOCK Grip

As Americans we like to modify things; it’s practically in our DNA. Of course, not all modifications go according to plan and you end up with photos of...

39

Is 8 Enough?

Man has long been faced with difficult decisions. Is it hereditary or environment? Form or function? Ginger or Mary Ann? One we can mostly answer when it...

30

Voices From The Past

History has been a passion of mine ever since grade school days and I thank the excellent teachers who instilled this love within me.

0

Guns Of The Guides

Curled up in our favorite easy chair, perhaps sipping a distilled beverage, an outdoor show flickers on the flat screen featuring Alaska’s coastal brown...

5

Ideal Conceal IC380 Cell ...

On several occasions in recent memory, Americans have found themselves under fire from murderers while exercising their religious freedom.

4

Taurus Curve

Back in 2014 the Taurus Curve was introduced. At the time it was at the forefront of what could easily be described as a “New Wave” of .380 ACP pocket...

9

Fluted Ammo: Great Or Gimmik?

I first became acquainted with the new fluted bullet designs for defensive ammo in the latter part of 2015 with the introduction of ARX ammunition,

12

Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm

If we ignore the constraints of the physical universe, what might be the particular attributes of the ideal defensive handgun?

19

The Ugly Truth

So there I was in one of my favorite gun shops, when something a couple of shelves down in the “used” showcase caught my eye. I did a double take and...

14

A Slicker Snubbie

After a lifetime of shooting medium and large-frame revolvers, developing a crush on S&W J-Frames late in life brings with it a steep learning curve. A...

13

Hunting Shack Cowboy Loads

HSM has a full lineup of Low Recoil loads normally known as Cowboy Action Shooting loads. However, they are not relegated to simply Cowboy Action...

24

Hold Tight To The Past

In any discipline we revere the old masters because we learned from them. “Old” does not equal “obsolete,” not for firearms and not for shooting...

23

Colt SAA Four For Four

In 2018 I managed to achieve a goal of mine: gathering at least one Colt SAA chambered for each of the cartridges for which the Second Generation of...

33

Powerful, Tough & Handy

To this day I am surprised by the number of gun enthusiasts who have not heard of BFR revolvers. Perhaps this is one of the best-kept secrets in revolver...

29

Past Masters of the...

Walter Roper’s books are still worth reading; Keith Brown replicates the Roper stocks. This S&W .357 Magnum from the 1930s is stocked with Roper grips.

51

A Bull of a Pup

It appears to be yet another 9mm sub-compact pistol, and this one is very nicely made. There’s a visible pivoting hammer at the rear, so it’s obviously...

7

Ready to Serve: The FN 509

FN’s 509, essentially an improvement over the FNS introduced about 3 years ago, joins the legion of polymer Parabellum pistols vying for the market...

6

Double-Action Dash

There was a time not too many years ago when it was possible to find small gun shops every few miles. There’s still one about 20 miles south of town and I...

35

A Generational Advance

There has been much discussion about the new Gen5 GLOCK 9mm pistols. They don’t derive from the military’s MHS (Modular Handgun System) testing. Rather,...

4

Colt’s Greatest Generation?

As reintroduced, these brand new Peacemakers were exactly as they had been made in the last few years up to 1941.

35

2nd Chance Smith

Those who have followed my writings over the years will know I’m an auto-pistol person. So, they may be startled to learn my first handgun was an old...

15

The Final Touch

My growing collection of Old West guns from Cimarron have proven accurate and fun to shoot. Cimarron-imported arms have long been known for their higher...

19

Past Masters of the...

There is no doubt we are living in the age of the semi-automatic pistol. However, this was not always the case and during the last century, especially from...

47

A Commanding Commander

Without fear of repeating myself (which I never do), GUNS provided much inspiration and information especially in my formative shooting years. I was a...

7

Beer Or Champagne?

For 2017, my training year ended in mid-December with a third-level class requiring the lead instructor (me), to demonstrate a triple-speed pistol...

4

TX22 semi-auto pistol is...

Let’s go back maybe a half-century, maybe a bit more, to the time when I got to first-fire a .22-caliber semi-auto pistol — an original Ruger Standard...

27

Behind the Scenes at...

Editors tend to spend a fair amount of time at a desk, hovering over a keyboard, wrangling text, photos, and videos. But every now and again we get out to...

7

Can Women Outshoot Men?

We showed in 1955 the answer was yes — and it's still true today. Enjoy a fun look back at K.D. Curtis' article in the July 1955 issue of GUNS Magazine....

5

The Mauser C96

The old pistol mounted in the orange, felt-lined wooden box overhanging my grandfather's basement bar always fascinated me.

10

Apologies to Gaston Glock

Behold, my unfailing Glock 19. Carried for years, shot regularly, field stripped and detail stripped countless times, and hand stippled by yours truly —...

14

The NAA Ranger II

As I write this, in my pocket resides a tiny, solid-frame, 5-shot, spur-trigger revolver from North American Arms. It’s their updated version of an...

5

Faxon Firearms Pistol Barrels

A gun has become a standard when you can build one entirely from parts manufactured by someone other than the original manufacturer—for example, Ruger’s...

24

The .357 Magnum Part 2

In the 1950s when the sixgun was still supreme among peace officers, there were many who asked for a less expensive .357 Magnum. The 1954 result was the...

58

Smith’s “Special-K”...

In 1971 S&W introduced a stainless-steel version of their Model 19 .357 Magnum. Without rehashing the history of Bill Jordan’s K-Frame M19 dream gun, the...

0

Walther’s PPQQ4 TAC

The Walther PPQ Q4 TAC is a polymer-frame striker-fired combat handgun with literally all the bells and whistles. Sporting three interchangeable backstraps,...

0

Ruger Doubles Down

Two on two: OK. Here’s the deal: We turned two of our sneakiest shootists — Mike Humphries and Roy Huntington — loose on two new Ruger handguns. These...

15

Hot Concealment Trends

Concealed carry trends change over the years. Back in the 19th century it was common for men to stuff a small pistol into a boot top. Fortunately, such a...

10

History's Great P38

Germany’s legendary Luger (Pistole Parabellum 1908) was never a great service pistol. Difficult to manufacture, the Luger P08 needed extensive hand...

4

Barricaded: The Elfego...

A heavily-armed lynch mob has you surrounded and under fire. You’re armed with two revolvers and whatever ammunition you had on your person when trouble...

1

Smith & Wesson N Frames

Growing up in Mingo County, W. Va., along the border with Kentucky, my early exposure to double-action revolvers was considerable. That area was the site of...

73

.22 Caliber Cross-Training

When the Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro the entire world focused on the myriad of sporting events on display. One of the techniques many of...

33

Doomsday Defense

There isn’t any real reason why anybody would need to pack a .300 AAC AR pocket howitzer in a shoulder rig for personal protection. However, you also...

42

The Home-Carry Handgun

These days, burglars seem to be less concerned about breaking into an occupied dwelling than they did in the past. Doesn’t sound very smart, does it? With...

37

Fluted Ammo: Great Or Gimmik?

I first became acquainted with the new fluted bullet designs for defensive ammo in the latter part of 2015 with the introduction of ARX ammunition,

12

Auto Ordnance 1911GCH

The email from GUNS editor Brent T. Wheat was short and to the point. “Tank, I’ve got an assignment for you. It’s kind of a rush job. Don’t let us...

9

Hold Tight To The Past

In any discipline we revere the old masters because we learned from them. “Old” does not equal “obsolete,” not for firearms and not for shooting...

23

Is 8 Enough?

Man has long been faced with difficult decisions. Is it hereditary or environment? Form or function? Ginger or Mary Ann? One we can mostly answer when it...

30

Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm

If we ignore the constraints of the physical universe, what might be the particular attributes of the ideal defensive handgun?

19

Smith & Wesson .44 Combat...

In November 1955, Smith & Wesson presented Bill Jordan with the first .357 Combat Magnum. This 6-shot medium-frame revolver weighed 1/2 pound less than the...

55

The Ugly Truth

So there I was in one of my favorite gun shops, when something a couple of shelves down in the “used” showcase caught my eye. I did a double take and...

14

Well-Established Snubbies

Gun makers still make snubbies. That’s because people still buy snubbies. And people still buy snubbies because they have learned that snubbies do a lot...

41

Beer Or Champagne?

For 2017, my training year ended in mid-December with a third-level class requiring the lead instructor (me), to demonstrate a triple-speed pistol...

4

A Commanding Commander

Without fear of repeating myself (which I never do), GUNS provided much inspiration and information especially in my formative shooting years. I was a...

7

2nd Chance Smith

Those who have followed my writings over the years will know I’m an auto-pistol person. So, they may be startled to learn my first handgun was an old...

15

Colt’s Greatest Generation?

As reintroduced, these brand new Peacemakers were exactly as they had been made in the last few years up to 1941.

35

A Generational Advance

There has been much discussion about the new Gen5 GLOCK 9mm pistols. They don’t derive from the military’s MHS (Modular Handgun System) testing. Rather,...

4

Ready to Serve: The FN 509

FN’s 509, essentially an improvement over the FNS introduced about 3 years ago, joins the legion of polymer Parabellum pistols vying for the market...

6

A Bull of a Pup

It appears to be yet another 9mm sub-compact pistol, and this one is very nicely made. There’s a visible pivoting hammer at the rear, so it’s obviously...

7

Powerful, Tough & Handy

To this day I am surprised by the number of gun enthusiasts who have not heard of BFR revolvers. Perhaps this is one of the best-kept secrets in revolver...

29

Double-Action Dash

There was a time not too many years ago when it was possible to find small gun shops every few miles. There’s still one about 20 miles south of town and I...

35

Hunting Shack Cowboy Loads

HSM has a full lineup of Low Recoil loads normally known as Cowboy Action Shooting loads. However, they are not relegated to simply Cowboy Action...

24

Taurus Curve

Back in 2014 the Taurus Curve was introduced. At the time it was at the forefront of what could easily be described as a “New Wave” of .380 ACP pocket...

9

Pocket Pistol Shootout!

I recently tested a Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 ACP (three-A-T, get it?) and was impressed with how far pocket pistols have come. I liked the pistol so much I got...

21

Optical Delusions

Somewhere between target and brain are your eyes and front sight. It’s pretty straightforward but sometimes along this line, things get misinterpreted...

8

The Magnificent Steyr M1912

When I think of the Steyr M1912, I think of comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s immortal line: “I don’t get no respect at all.” Here was a magnificent...

3

The NAA Ranger II

As I write this, in my pocket resides a tiny, solid-frame, 5-shot, spur-trigger revolver from North American Arms. It’s their updated version of an...

5

Full-Bore Custom

It was bound to happen eventually. Being basically a “stock-box gun” kind of guy, I finally dipped my toe into custom waters. Sure, I tweak and primp my...

3

The Mauser C96

The old pistol mounted in the orange, felt-lined wooden box overhanging my grandfather's basement bar always fascinated me.

10

Volquartsen’s .22 WMR...

When you can uncrate a new handgun, drive to the range and place the first five Federal Premium 30-gr. Sierra loads into 0.41" at 25 yards, you just might...

7

Two Top 10s

It took a while. But patience has been rewarded and the 10mm is now alive and well. Two of the latest offerings in this excellent chambering come from...

36

TX22 semi-auto pistol is...

Let’s go back maybe a half-century, maybe a bit more, to the time when I got to first-fire a .22-caliber semi-auto pistol — an original Ruger Standard...

27

Faxon Firearms Pistol Barrels

A gun has become a standard when you can build one entirely from parts manufactured by someone other than the original manufacturer—for example, Ruger’s...

24

Ruger's Perfect Packin' .357

Built just like, yup … a tank, the Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum has made a lot of friends over the decades. Just a few years ago Ruger came out with their...

36

The Case For Big Butts

On January 22, 2018, GLOCK released its newest pistol to the public — the 19X. It’s essentially the company’s entry into the recent competition for...

4

Safe Holstering

When I started teaching cops in 1972, they weren’t actually bad at quick draw. But Lord! Some of them looked like Barney Fife when they went to re-holster.

23

Why the Flex is Best

Tim Smith, editor of Airgun Hobbyist, was devoting a whole issue to safety and asked me why I teach a flexed trigger finger position up on the frame at low...

11

GP100 .44 Special

There’s no doubt today’s revolvers are stronger, made of better steels with closer tolerances, and almost always shoot better than those from the...

61

S&W's Model 340 PD

“Well,” said my shooting buddy Thomas Mackie, massaging his right hand with only a slight grimace, “now I can say I’ve done it….” The...

5

Behind the Scenes: How I...

Easily one of the top five questions I get asked as an online editor for FMG Publications is something along the lines of, "So, what are you carrying...

9

What I Carry: Glock 19 Gen5

For this writer, “personal primary carry gun” is a fungible thing. I’m constantly testing firearms, mostly defensive ones, so how they carry is a test...

6

Springfield Armory’s...

Well, Saint’s galore! Springfield Armory recently announced what it calls “a new tier” in the SAINT family: The Victor series of rifles and pistols...

29

Colt’s King Cobra DA...

At the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas, a fair amount of attention from revolver aficionados was focused on the Colt exhibit because another snake is back in...

33

You’re a Mean One, Mr....

You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Fliiiinch...!” Dr. Seuss nails it with this Christmas favorite when describing the...

7

Brownells Reduced Power...

If you have a fetish for DA revolver shooting, you’ll eventually run across an “out-of-print, price-is-right” Smith you simply can’t live without....

34

The Single-Six

After I got the Marlin 39A Mountie I talked about last month, I soon wanted to add an appropriated companion piece — a really good .22 sixgun. A young...

45

The .357 Magnum: Part 1

Since the .357 Magnum arrived in 1935 — heralded as the most powerful sixgun in the world — it has been followed by plenty of other hard-hitting cartridges.

70

What I Carry (And How And Why)

Regular readers of GUNS know my first concealed carry sixgun in 1956 was a then-brand new 2nd Generation 7-1/2" Colt Single Action .45. It was chosen very...

28

Gabe White Pistol ...

When Gabe White first trained with me in the early 2000s, he was already well along the way to mastering the handgun. Gathering much training in a broad...

25

Handguns In Africa

The early morning mist evaporated quickly as the sun beat down on the Zambezi River. As we launched the boat, two women were washing their clothes in the...

5

The Wraith 10mm

Webster defines manliness as “the traditional male quality of being brave and strong.” Proper manliness carries along with it an implicit ruggedness. It...

5

Viable In A Square World?

Amidst a tsunami of polymer-framed autoloading pistols we’re seeing a groundswell of renewed interest in double-action revolvers. Some of the most popular...

14

Lipsey’s Lightweight...

In 2014 Lipsey’s released the all-stainless steel, Ruger-made Single-Seven revolver. Chambered in the mightiest .32 caliber round — the powerful .327...

37

LONE STAR SUMMIT

I’m writing this shortly after returning from the Texas Firearms Law Seminar hosted annually by the State Bar of Texas. It’s a CLE (Continuing Legal...

0

Quiet Zone

The CZ P-10C is the latest iteration of a long line of superlative Czech combat handguns hearkening back decades. Featuring state-of-the-art materials...

40

Dan Wesson ECP

Dan Wesson continues a history of innovation with the 1911 and their latest offering — the 9mm Enhanced Commander Pistol — is no exception. The ECP...

8

Custom Compromise

Enter Hamilton Bowen, the custom revolver maker who was one of the early ’smiths building the big Linebaughs in the days when you couldn’t just buy one...

91

Backyard Battlefields

Homo sapiens is an intrinsically predatory species. It’s tucked someplace within our DNA. One need only survey male kindergarteners on a playground to...

0

At Home On The Range

The most fun I’ve had shooting lately has been working with and shooting older surplus military handguns. These “issue” pistols usually have tiny...

7

Remington RM380 Executive

Remington introduces Model RM380 Executive, an all-metal, micro pistol designed for concealed carry.

10

Dominant Players

In the June 1968 GUNS, the legendary Col. Charles Askins Jr. wrote an article predicting the future of firearms development in America. Noting a generation...

1

Ruger’s Stainless...

About 66 years ago, Bill Ruger took a serious look at how popular Western movies and TV shows were. Then he realized the fact there were no single-action...

48

Big Gun, Little Gun

In 1955, Smith & Wesson introduced the .357 Combat Magnum which would become the Model 19 two years later when the company went to a model-numbering system....

15

The Five-Yard Roundup

For 20 years now, master trainer Tom Givens has run his value-packed Rangemaster Tactical Conference. In tandem he offers the Polite Society defensive...

0

Germany's Great Pistole...

“Epiphany,” according to Mr. Webster, refers to the moment when a previously mundane item or event takes on a new and unexpected significance. It was an...

0

SIG NEW-NICHE 9

The goal was to create a pistol the size of a 7- or 8-shot super-slim pocket 9mm. Something in the S&W Shield, GLOCK 43 or Ruger LC9 category — but with...

16

Ruger Observes 10th...

When Ruger first introduced the pocket-sized LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol) a decade ago, it got a lot of attention from law enforcement and armed...

1

HANDGUNS

YOU'LL FIND COVERAGE OF EVERY STYLE AND CALIBER HERE.

The King of Sixguns

Pistol Cartridge Carbines

Colt Python

The Colt Police Positive...

Walther’s New Q4 Steel Frame – Peak Performance In Any Situation

Lucky 7

Pride of Ownership

Changeover Challenges

Dan Wesson Model W12 Revolver

Rimfire Memories

John May, Ed Brown...

Identical Shooting Twins

IWI US MASADA Pistol

The First Engraved Colt Python

The Wedge Hold

How to keep shootin’...

Heckler & Koch SP5 Pistol

SHOT Show Sights: Show Day 2

SHOT Show Sights: Show Day 1

SHOT Show Sights: Range Day

Guns We Want to See at...

New Products March 2020 Issue

Taurus G3

Ruger's New LCPII .22 LR

.45 Colt Double-Action...

Top 5 Articles of 2019

Black Hills Ammo

Snubbie Revolvers | GMP #8

Kimber Raptor...

SIG Sauer P320 XFive Legion

Ruger Wrangler

.40 S&W: Dead Duck or Best...

Desert Eagle 429 DE

Springfield Armory SAINT...

Percussion Revolver 101

TMT Tactical Glock Makeover

Smith & Wesson 686 Revolver

Hard To Pin Down

Smith & Wesson .45 ACP Shield

Classic Shots From Classic...

Kahr Arms K9 25th Anniversary

Flattop "Influencea"

Century Arms Draco NAK9X

Taurus G3: A New 9mm That...

Lumbago and the Armed American

Bucket Lists

The Non-Slip Grip

Colt 1903 Pocket...

Rock Island XTM

Taurus .357 Magnum Raging...

Handguns Of WWII Part 13

Mossberg MC1SC 9mm

The ABDO Concealed Carry...

Peacemaker Specialists...

Revolver Requiem?

To Refinish or Not Refinish?

EDC: Striking a Balance

THE SAA'S MOST PROMINENT...

The 3rd Generation Of Colt...

Handguns Of WWII Part 12

COLT SINGLE ACTION LEATHER

Cimarron’s Colt...

Handguns Of WWII Part 10

THE SECOND GENERATION COLT SAA

The .44 Magnum Opus

The Nighthawk Custom Agent 2

Smith & Wesson .44 Combat...

Handguns Of WWII Part 9

When A Great Gun Guy...

S&W’s Model 610 This...

The First Generation Colt...

Semi-Auto Handguns Of WW2

Colt's Cartridge Conversions

Handguns Of WWII Part 8

Old West Hi-Tech

Performance Center Shield 2.0

COLT’S LAST THREE CAP &...

THE 1860 ARMY .44