Exclusive: Out of the Box Reviews

I have the privilege of writing not only these online articles but also longer reviews for the print version of Guns Magazine. These eventually show up online, too, and offer you, the reader, even more insight into the guns, ammo, and gear available today. Here are a few “Out of the Box” reviews of three handguns. Enjoy!

The gun: Taurus Curve.

Excerpt: “After firing the last round, the Curve’s slide stays back. Note how short the slide is and its position relative to the web of my hand. The good: Hardly any chance of getting bitten by the slide. The challenging: Not a lot of slide to grasp when racking to chamber a round from a fresh magazine. And speaking of reloading, the Curve’s no frills design requires you to remove a magazine by grasping the base of the magazine with your opposite hand and squeezing or pinching it. At that point, it’ll pull out nicely. Insert a loaded magazine, pushing it up until it seats with a clear click. Back to the slide. The Curve doesn’t offer much real estate for typical hand-over grasping and yanking. It’s possible; it’s just not as easy as it should be.”

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The gun: IWI Jericho 941.

Excerpt: “It’s a good-looking gun. And I mean more than just overall design. The Jericho’s fit and finish rivals anything out there. Perfectly molded polymer complements subdued steel and all the components align and function with precision. Hammer, manual safety, slide release, and magazine release require deliberate manipulation, a result of precision engineering and tight design tolerances. But enough observation, already. Load a magazine, rack the slide to chamber a round, and click the manual safety up. The result? You’ll be tempted to get to a range post haste to try it out.”

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The gun: CZ RAMI 9mm.

Excerpt: “When you’re holding the RAMI, here’s how the magic works: The contour of the stocks work with the rubber grip panels in conjunction with the beavertail to put the gun’s weight squarely in hand. If you’re using the shorter, 10-round mag, your pinky will tuck under it nicely. If you’re using the longer, 14-round mag, you get just a bit more area to connect with. Both feel great. To use the Latin term, it’s a Fantasticus purchasus. And it’s not just me. Friends who hold and fire the RAMI often use descriptors such as “tight,” “solid,” “firm” and other words such as “wow,” “excellent” and there’s even a few “hmph’s” and “hmmm’s,” with a telling single eyebrow raise, a smirk and, more often, a smile. And then they ask me to pronounce the name of the gun again. And then they pick up their too-skinny or weird-angle gripped subcompacts and wonder how much to make of the whole “fit” thing.”

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Got any guns you’d like to see tested and reviewed out of the box? Please let me know in the comments below or text me at 248-328-2538.

— Mark Kakkuri