ayoob files: dueling rifles - Jeffersonian's Home Page

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I HAVE WHAT IT 

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w w w . f n h u s a . c o m 

D i s t i n c t A d v a n t a g e

volume 38 • Number 2 • Issue 222 

60 

FeAtUres 

48 HANDGUNs Are sIDeArMs 

When rifles are a better choice. JOHN BARSNESS 

50 rAttLers AND revoLvers 

Are shot loads even effective? MIkE “DUkE” vENtURINO 

55 HorNADy LocK-N-LoAD cLAssIc KIt 

One-Stop shopping for beginning reloaders. MARk HAMPtON 

56 tHe LIoN’s LAIr 

the “Sconce” — Jeff Cooper’s unique home. JEREMY D. CLOUGH 

58 tHe scHWArZLose MoDeL 1908 

A blow-forward slide? How’s that again? J.B. WOOD 

cover story 

60 sPrINGFIeLD ArMory’s XD-s 

Compact, hard-hitting .45 ACP pocket power. JOHN CONNOR 

66 Les BAer’s .38 stINGer 

A flat-shooting, light-recoiling alternative to the .45 ACP. ROY HUNtINGtION 

48 

Cover Photo: Chuck Pittman, Inc. 

71 reLoADING eQUIPMeNt 

Working with a “family” of tools. MARk HAMPtON 

72 esee KNIves 

there is no substitute for experience! PAt COvERt 

ExclusivE: 

2013 

MArcH • APrIL 

74 A cLose LooK: AMMUNItIoN 

Sure shootin’ and hard hittin’: Handgunner takes a look at what’s hot in ammo. JOHN CONNOR 

Available online only at 

www.americanhandgunner.com! 

BoNUs! MIKe “DUKe” veNtUrINo’s serIes coNtINUes! 

MILItAry HANDGUNs oF WWII 

part 13: pOWDEr LOaDS FOr WWII CartrIDGES 

sMALL GAMe WItH A sMALL GUN Ruger’s SR22 auto. SAM FADALA 

tAKe It DoWN! Ruger’s hot new 10/22 takedown. SAM FADALA 

crossDrAW revIsIteD An old favorite still works. J.B. WOOD 

4 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2013 

56

DePArtMeNts 

22 tHe AyooB FILes MASSAD AYOOB 

Dueling Rifles: the Brent Smith Incident. 

34 tHe sIXGUNNer JOHN tAFFIN 

Favorites: Replica Sixguns. 

44 Better sHootING DAvE ANDERSON 

Drilling for accuracy. 

78 GUN rIGHts ALAN kORWIN 

Armed political refugees? 

110 GUNNysAcK ROY HUNtINGtON 

Streamlight, Andrews Custom Leather, 

Steiner and UniPro Sight tool. 

coLUMNs 

8 sPeAK oUt 

24 HANDLoADING JOHN tAFFIN 

26 PIstoLsMItHING ALEX HAMILtON 

28 coP tALK MASSAD AYOOB 

30 sHootING IroN MIkE “DUkE” vENtURINO 

32 HANDGUN HUNtING J.D. JONES 

36 reALIty cHecK CLINt SMItH 

38 tAFFIN tests JOHN tAFFIN 

40 GUNcrANK DIArIes JOHN CONNOR 

42 WINNING eDGe DAvE ANDERSON 

46 cArry oPtIoNs SAMMY REESE 

122 tHe INsIDer ROY HUNtINGtON 

resoUrces 

108 cUstoM corNer 

114 sPotLIGHt StEvE EvAtt 

118 AD INDeX 

119 cLAssIFIeDs 

50 

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AMERICAN HANDGUNNER ® (ISSN 0145-4250) is published bi-monthly by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. Periodical postage paid at San 

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ICAN HANDGUNNER ® , 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. WARNING: Firearms are dangerous if used improperly, and may cause serious injury or death. Due to the inherent 

variables in the reloading of metallic cartridges, verify all published loads with manufacturer’s data. Consult a professional gunsmith when modifying any firearm. Be a safe shooter! 

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ForUM to PoNtIFIcAte, PoNDer AND ProBe 

PIGs FLy? 

Bless my soul but I fear hell hath indeed frozen over and yes virginia, pigs do fly. the 

factory Colt 1911 on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2013 issue is proof miracles do happen. At 

72, I didn’t think I’d live to see a new Colt on the cover of my favorite gun magazine. Let’s 

hope there’s more! 

Buzz Ellington 

via e-mail 

Mouth-Frothers 

As a keen gun owner I agree completely 

with your prior correspondents 

in Speak Out — Frank Mallory and KC 

Keaton — regarding the harm done to 

legal gun ownership by the rantings of 

pro-gun extremists. I have friends who 

have cancelled their membership with 

the NRA because of their extremism 

that offends not only no-guns John Q. 

Public but many sensible and rational 

gun owners. 

Correspondent Curtis Stone 

(another recent Speak Out writer) is 

a classic example of the “frothing-atthe-mouth” 

2nd Amendment extremist. 

Such language is so offensive his local 

Spokane newspaper has now banned 

his incessant rambling diatribes. I 

refuse to subscribe to the NRA or any 

magazine promoting a gun culture bordering 

on the insane. 

Roger Slater 

Spokane Wash. 

That’s us, frothing-at-the-mouth. At 

least according to Mr. Slater? Funny, 

but I never thought honoring — and 

actively defending — the right to keep 

and bear arms was extreme. Tell that to 


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sPeAKoUt 

Connor, Clint Smith, Ayoob, John Taffin, 

John Morrison, Sammy Reese and all 

the other staffers here at FMG. Heck, I 

always thought they were pretty smart 

and stuff, not to mention pretty darn 

nice people too. Never seen any of ’em 

frothing about anything. Well, there was 

that one time, but it involved a welldrawn 

stout beer with a good head and 

an ill-timed sneeze. RH 

Right To Flight? 

I left California for the same reasons 

editor Huntington and others have done 

— people have historically fled intolerable 

conditions. But let’s look a little 

deeper. What would have happened if 

every Jew had taken a Nazi with him? 

Or if a million anti-Castro Cubans had 

stayed and resisted? There is a plaque 

on the south side of our border fence, 

shaming the Mexican government for 

conditions that make flight the price of 

survival. My question is, where will 

Americans flee when all of the states are 

Californicated? Keep up the fight. 

Will Burgess 

Via e-mail 

Kids And Deadly Force 

Massad Ayoob’s article about youths 

using deadly force and how the left 

goes nuts when they do (Ayoob Files, 

Jan/Feb 2012), got me thinking. I was 

saved years ago by two young boys 

with guns. I was out with a woman on 

our second date. We saw The Patriot 

with Mel Gibson. One scene shows Mel 

arming two of his sons to rescue a third 

son from the British. Later they actually 

shoot British soldiers. 

Over coffee after the movie, my date 

remarked how terrible it was to send a 

message to youths that guns were okay, 

particularly when wielded by boys. 

Those two boys in the movie saved me 

a lot of money spent on further dates 

with her! 

Al Johnson, Sgt. 

Tucson Police, Ret. 

Repulsive Rooster 

You sure brought back memories of 

my rooster (Insider, “Chicken Guns” 

Jan/Feb 2013). When I was a kid in the 

late 1950’s the local stores would sell 

rabbits and chicks around Easter. The 

“chick” I got grew into King Rooster. 

He whipped every dog in the neighborhood. 

Most parents would keep the kids 

inside, just to avoid him. Then King 

jumped my mother, she got pecked and 

scratched and when dad got home she 

was a bloody mess. Dad drove an old 

station wagon and I still remember dad 


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sPeAKoUt 

chasing that rooster into the back of 

the car. We drove a short distance outside 

of town to a local farm. The farmer 

and his wife were sitting out on the 

front porch. We talked a while before 

dad asked if they would like a rooster. 

Sensing something amiss, the farmer 

asked how much we wanted for the 

rooster. Dad replied he was only trying 

to find a good home for him. The old 

farmer was still reluctant, but agreed to 

take the rooster. As dad opened the back 

door the rooster came out of the car like 

a shot and was all over the woman sitting 

on the porch. Her husband grabbed 

a broom and took off to join the fight. 

Dad told me to get in the car, and as we 

flew down the long dirt driveway I was 

looking out the back window watching 

the cloud of dust and feathers. 

By the way, I agree with everything 

you said about keeping a .22 rifle onhand, 

mag loaded, chamber empty. 

Mine is leaning in the corner near the 

back door. The only difference is mine 

is a .22 magnum. I bet my rooster could 

whip your rooster! 

LD Walker 

Chapel Hill, N.C. 

Well LD, since there technically ain’t 

a rooster here anymore (the “girls” 

remain happy about that), you’d win for 

sure. RH 

Kids And Guns 

A thanks is owed to Handgunner 

for always including the ladies, young 

and grown, in our sport. As I remember 

it, 40 years ago when I was a kid it 

“seemed” shooting was sort of a guy 

thing. Sillly us. Now we have female 

champs I wish I could emulate on the 

competition field! 

Starting girls out right is fun. As 

a case in point we bought my niece a 

new .22 Heritage revolver for her first 

handgun — only used under supervision 

of course. She had fired a 10/22 etc. 

before, even a Mark III .22 and assorted 

pellet guns, but I think the single 

action helps slow the kids down and 


sPeAKoUt 

learn safety, how to aim, hold-steady, 

squeezing the trigger and such rather 

than just emptying a magazine. 

We put Kayleigh 35' from the target 

(rabbits, zombies and robots are her 

favorite) and she was keeping the shots 

in a 3½" circle for the most part. We 

had her brace her gun for those. Freehand 

opened them up some but was 

part of the lesson and fun too. I was not 

nearly this good at her age! 

Kids are our future, and if taught correctly 

now, grow up into better shooters 

than their teachers. But please, for the 

love of Pete, enough with the pink 

guns! Thanks, from all us kids — big 

and small. 

Steve Bond 

Via e-mail 

Pin Gauges 

Great article on bullet sizing (Handloading, 

Jan/Feb 2013). I’m not a 

machinist, but the article sure struck 

a chord with me about cylinders and 

barrels. I own a Ruger GP100 in .357 

Mag., a Ruger .45 Colt with a .45 ACP 

cylinder and two .45 ACP semi-autos. 

I would like to purchase a series of pin 

gauges to check out the cylinders and 

barrels but do not know how wide a 

selection I need. Could you give me 

some guidelines or better yet, a series of 

sizes I should order? 

Jerry Battoe 

Via e-mail 

Jerry, I bought a set from .250” 

to .500” but you could probably get 

by with .356” to .358” and .452” to 

.454”. These are for cylinders, not barrels. 

Good shootin’ and God Bless! 

John Taffin 

More Gun Bashing 

I am well aware what I am about to 

write is analogous to putting on a coonskin 

cap and rummaging around in the 

bushes during small game season. I can 

almost feel the powder horns touching 

the tips of the muzzles. So be it, I am 

compelled to “Speak Out.” 

I think some recent comments in 

this portion of the magazine (assuming 

this gets printed) by a few readers 

who do not seem to have their noses 

pressed tightly enough against the 

far right wall have been somewhat 

misunderstood. Those of us who are 

part of the “We don’t need any damn 

gun laws” crowd, are part of a fringe 

group; just as the “Who needs automatic 

guns?” chanters are. In our 

society there will always be fringe 

groups but they will never be mainstream. 

Collectively, the population of 


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our society are not lemmings. They are 

not going to follow any single leader 

off the cliff on either the right or the 

left. The small percentile who believes 

this can happen are lemmings. 

Those of your readers who have 

stricken words like adapt, consideration 

and listen from their vocabularies are 

still entitled to their opinions and certainly 

they can voice that opinion. Just 

because it’s their opinion does not make 

it the gospel. Individuals who buy your 

magazines should still be able to enjoy 

learning the intricacies of firearms and 

be fascinated by the engineering marvels 

that they are without being labeled 

“anti-gun” because they don’t subscribe 

to some far right diatribe and participate 

in president bashing. 

We don’t ask our youth their political 

affiliation before sending them off 

to possibly give their lives to defend 

our freedoms around the world. By 

the same token why should we require 

adherence to some specific political 

doctrine to defend our gun rights as citizens 

here at home. Those who choose to 

remain a part of a fringe group — by all 

means do so. We who enjoy this sport 

are in this together and the sooner we 

think as a team the sooner we can make 

our views main stream and guarantee 

them for the future. 

Bob Levin 

Via e-mail 

Bob, I certainly agree we need to be 

civilized when it comes to all this (I only 

wish the gun-grabbers would be …), but 

I confess I just can’t get my head around 

someone who says they are pro-gun and 

enjoys owning guns — then votes for 

a candidate who has already shown 

their willingness to take lawfully owned 

guns out of the hands of private citizens. 

How’s that again? I think you called 

mindless followers lemmings, and it 

seems they struck again in the recent 

elections. Let’s hope they don’t take the 

rest of us off that cliff. RH 

And … 

I stand with KC Keaton, who raised 

a well-reasoned argument in favor of 

a broader view of guns in American 

society. I was disappointed to see 

how flippantly you and some of your 

readers dismissed him. I prefer American 

Handgunner to other gun publications 

because I am not interested 

in rifles and shotguns. But I believe 

the gun rights establishment does itself 

a grave disservice by clinging to its 

paranoia and intransigence in the face 

of national concern over gun violence. 

The ignorant viciousness with which it 

assails those with a different view is an 


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embarrassment to me as a gun owner. 

And President Obama, as far as I 

have seen, has never made a move nor 

uttered a word to deprive us of our 

reasonable gun rights, though, as a 

black man from inner city Chicago, he 

might be forgiven for holding a view 

of guns that is different from that of 

the White Gentlemen’s Gun Culture 

most of us occupy. 

In any case, the NRA does not speak 

for me and never will. 

Tony Baker 

St. Simons Island, Ga. 

Wait until his second term begins in 

earnest. May I say, “I told you so” 

later? Interestingly enough, Tony, 

you’re the only person I’ve had bring 

up the race issue when it comes to this 

topic. I’ve frankly never thought of 

myself as being part of a “White Gentleman’s 

Gun Culture” and I’ve never 

had a reader refer to anyone like that 

before. I think we just think of ourselves 

as shooters or collectors, or simply gunguys 

and gals, with no regard to race. 

Shouldn’t we remain color blind to all 

this and concentrate on rights and facts 

instead? RH 

A Hard Lesson 

“Here’s a letter to the editor you 

probably won’t print!” 

When a letter starts off that way, 

you can bet the author is not a regular 

reader of the reader mail in Handgunner. 

I’m not much of an editorial 

reader either, but, I do read Speak Out 

in Handgunner because it’s always 

so damn entertaining. Not only are 

you able to wring the best outa’ your 

staff, but you guys have the greatest 

“last-page-o-the-magazine” articles in 

the business. I know that for a fact 

because I’ve read ‘em all. Plus, those 

“Insider Tips” videos on your website 

are fantastic. 

So when a guy starts out his letter 

to the editor with something like 

“You’ll never print this!” most of 

the rest of us know he’s not a regular 

reader — in spite of what he claims. 

If he was, he’d know that you’ll not 

only print it, but if need be, aim square 

betwixt the eyes with a double-load of 

truth, and let ‘er rip. 

Thanks for a quality magazine, with 

a bucket-full of quality writers. 

Don Roberts 

Via e-mail 

Uh, Oh … An Atta’ Boy 

Although I have quite a few grey 

hairs, I’m relatively new to the world 

of handguns. I regularly peruse the 

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Suspender Savvy 

Both books came in the same 

package this month. I like that because 

I’ve told Kate that Roy wants immediate 

feedback so I won’t be able to do 

any of those farmy things like mowing 

or weed-eating or repairs. She thinks 

I am a Field Tester and committed to 

my work. 

Now, I am a pretty well-dressed guy 

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The only way to deal with that kind of 

weight loss — and the fact my butt has 

disappeared — is suspenders. No belt, 

only suspenders. So, belt holsters, as 

good as they are, simply won’t work 

with suspenders. 

Thank goodness many years ago a 

small ad in one of your magazines tipped 

me to the Clip Draw, a true miracle 

of American ingenuity. In those years 

I have installed Clip Draws on everything 

from a perfect Colt DSII revolver 

to a Les Baer 1911 collector’s item. My 

Ruger SP101 has worn a Clip Draw for 

years, and I wear the rig securely in my 

right back pocket every day on our farm. 

Part of the elegance is if I have to run to 

town I can move the Ruger around to my 

front jeans pocket and comply with the 

terms of my CCH permit. 

Getting old is hell but it has not 

eased my Pure-D enjoyment for your 

great magazines. 

Joe Turner Linden 

Via e-mail 

Guns In Public 

It’s time for us owners and legal 

carriers of handguns to put aside the 

“what if’s” from the Aurora, Colorado 

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shooting. It’s not unreasonable to believe 

one or more patrons were legally armed 

and fully understood the FUBAR status 

of that situation. Low light, smoke, 

total panic and a shooter we now know 

wore a vest was just part of the problem. 

His position near an exit door near the 

screen meant even if someone was able 

to approach from behind a missed head 

shot would have impacted the stampede 

up the aisles. Your own Clint Smith 

wrote about the realities of presenting a 

firearm in a public setting (GUNS Magazine, 

June 2006) which is undoubtedly 

the most sensible written on that subject, 

While I would love to train at Thunder 

Ranch with Mr. Smith, even if I did, 

I don’t see myself any more likely to 

act under those Aurora circumstances. 

If unable to resolve the problem with 

certainty and no collateral damage, then 

don’t become part of the problem. 

Carson Lemmon 

Savannah, Ga. 

Revolver Re-load 

Your article on the Newhall 

shooting (Ayoob Files, Nov/Dec 2012) 

reminds me of a shooting in 1956 in 

Orange County, California involving 

the critical decision of reloading a 

revolver cylinder completely in the 

middle of a gun fight. 

Patrolling a residential neighborhood 

in Garden Grove on a Sunday 

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morning, Deputy Don French saw a 

male in a parked car who did not fit the 

scene where churchgoers were driving 

by. French positioned behind the suspect’s 

car and proceeded to check him 

out. While interrogating, he noticed 

a small, open, athletic bag in the rear 

floor, revealing several handguns. At 

this time the suspect came out with 

a 1911 .45. French shoved him, drew 

his 6" Colt magnum revolver from 

his clamshell holster and emptied it. 

He then ran to the front of the suspect’s 

vehicle and reloaded two rounds. 

He didn’t need them, as the suspect 

was following, but suddenly pitched 

face-first to the ground. The coroner 

found one of the bullets in the suspect’s 

trouser pocket. 

Ironically Don was not an above- 


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average shot at the pistol range, but he 

was one of the best “street cops” I ever 

partnered with. He rose to a lieutenant’s 

rank and later became the first 

chief of The Los Alamitos P.D.. By 

the way, his duty weapon for the new 

department was the 1911 semi-auto 

service pistol. Many veteran cops, in 

a time when “wheelguns” dominated 

police firearms choices had a laugh — 

but he had the last one. Dick Browning 

Via e-mail 

Vultures 

I received yet another of the periodic 

“Notices of Renewal” of my subscription 

to your excellent magazine 

from yet another off-the-wall, vulture 

organization. They wanted to charge me 

exorbitant prices for what I already paid 

for directly to you gents. I will joyfully 

shred it, but thought the occasion called 

for a thanks to you guys for alerting 

us to these nefarious practices in your 

“Roy Alerts!” in each issue. I hope and 

trust you will continue to remind us to 

pay attention to these things! 

And while I’m here, let me thank 

you and your marvelous collection of 

expert and entertaining staff for the 

monthly production of the best and 

most enjoyable gun mag in existence! 

American Rifleman is wonderful, too, 

and I have been reading it for 60 years 

or so — but lacks your pizzazz! The 

writing is first class, the photography 

is wonderful, and the views expressed 

are right on. And your response to 

“The Whiners” in the Speak Out section 

is always excellent, accurate — 

and amusing. 

May your tribe increase!!! 

Lawrence Starbuck, 

CW4, AVN, U.S. ARMY (RET) 

Via e-mail 

Dr. Bronson 

The authors, the topics and the indepth 

analysis is something that helps 

me learn every time I read your magazine, 

and that’s something I can’t say of 

any college textbook I’ve ever owned! 

The article (“Big Boomers,” Nov/ 

Dec 2012) by Dr. Davis Bronson was 

extremely informative and, while I can 

admit I reread it several times, it covered 

the topic of shooting’s effect on 

the hand in an understandable way. I 

would really love to read more by Dr. 

Bronson, especially about the effects 

of hard-recoiling revolvers. I sustained 

a wound to my upper arm a little over 

a year ago, and while I retain full use 

of my shooting arm and hand I have 

a long plate and screws in my arm. A 

lot of us shooters have similar “life 

lessons” etched into our skin so perhaps 

he could research how repetitive 

Continued on page 106 

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WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 21

THEAYOOBFILES 

MAssAD AyooB 

Dueling Rifles: 

The BRenT smiTh inciDenT 

Situation: A man ready to die wants to take some other people with him. 

He opens fire on his girlfriend — and the police — with a high-powered rifle. 

leSSon: When the bad guy has a rifle, it’s a good idea for you to have one 

too … the aftermath may be different from what you expect … and modern 

tools for containing fast-moving gunmen go beyond the gun. 

Sunday afternoon, Nov. 9, 2008 in Mequon, Wis. A woman walks into Mequon Police headquarters 

to report a frightening incident. 

It’s her live-in boyfriend, Ryan Carey, she explains. He has problems with drugs and alcohol 

and behavior control. The situation has been escalating, and she has become so scared of him she 

has dropped her kids off with her estranged husband. Today, she asked him to leave the house. 

He refused, and things became uglier. She went for the phone to call the police, and he physically 

attacked her. She shows the shift sergeant where she has been punched, bitten, and kicked. 

And then, she says, he went into the bedroom. She saw him loading some kind of a long gun. 

She ran from the house and jumped into her car. As she drove away from her own home in 

terror, he emerged from the house, firing. He shot at her twice. 

A quiet Sunday afternoon in Mequon — population about 24,000, with a police department of 

3-dozen sworn officers and a dozen non-sworn employees — will be quiet no more. 

Officers Respond 

Four 1-officer patrol cars are dispatched to the location. The responding officers are Jason 

Moertl, Corey Polishinski, Mandie Rudolph and Brent Smith. Smith, whose patrol has just taken 

him past the subdivision where the shooting occurred, is the closest of the four. When he hears a 

call signal coming out to him and three other squad cars simultaneously, the first thought in his 

mind is, “This can’t be good.” 

Dispatch says over the radio, “A subject came into the lobby and reports she had been 

involved in an argument with another resident of the house who shot at her when she drove 

away.” Smith reaches over and unlocks the issue patrol rifle, a Colt AR-15 A3, and sets it on his 

squad bag in the front seat for faster access. Then, he reaches for the microphone. 

Talking car to car, he and the other responding Mequon officers quickly plot their strategy. 

They will stage at the entrance to the subdivision, and plan their approach. Officer Moertl has a 

map book in his car. It seems to show the target address at the West end of the subdivision. 

Moertl and Polishinski, it is quickly agreed, will approach from the south side of the subdivision, 

while Rudolph and Smith will come in from the north. All four squad cars roll out, with 

Rudolph’s ahead of Smith’s on the northern approach. 

Ambush! 

Rudolph and Smith in separate patrol cars are nearing the turn that will take them into 

the west side of the subdivision when they find out the danger is not exactly where the map 

appeared to show it. Brent Smith hears the blast of a high-powered weapon, and what sounds 

like something striking metal, and instantly knows he and his sister officer are under fire. 

Everything starts to go into slow motion for Officer Smith. He pulls over quickly, slamming 

the gearshift into park before the patrol car has stopped moving, and grabs his AR-15, charging 

a round into the chamber as he bails from the vehicle. He sees a muzzle flash — though he does 

not hear the gunshot — and from the angle of the flash realizes he’s being fired at from behind 

a corner of a nearby house. He sprints toward what appears to be the closest cover — the other 

side of the same house. 

The ambusher shoots at him again … and misses. Smith gains the cover of the other side of 

the house, and begins moving to the rear to outflank his deadly attacker. 



HANDLOADING 

sAGe ADvIce FroM tHe HANDLoADING GUrUs JoHN tAFFIN 

HitcH Your 

Bullets 

to A stAr 

istarted my reloading with a 

single-cavity mold using a dipper 

and a small cast iron pot on 

my mother’s stove. Cast bullets 

were placed on their bases in a 

shallow tin pan and melted lube was 

poured around them up to the top of 

the grease groove. A cookie-cutter 

type tool known as a Kake Cutter 

was then slipped over the bullet and 

used to cut it from the lube. Now 

the bullets were tapped one at a time 

through a sizing die using a wooden 

dowel and a hammer. You can bet 

they were loaded and shot with care 

after having to go through all this! 

As time passed I added multiple 

cavity molds, a bottom pour melting 

pot and lubricating/sizing machines. 

My first lubricating machine was 

a Lyman #45, now improved to 

#450. There are now more than a 

dozen Lyman, RCBS and other such 

machines, many costing as little as 

$15 used at gun shows, hanging from 

the rafters in my casting shed. Each 

one has a different sizing die as I’ve 

found it’s easier to change machines 

by bolting them to a steel plate on my 

table rather than changing dies. 

this is the end result when bullets 

are cast correctly and lubed and 

sized in a Star Lube-Sizer. 

Left: these 

handy and 

inexpensive 

plastic containers 

with 20 

compartments 

and a latching 

lid hold all the 

Star sizing 

simple is Best 

About 40 years ago, my friend 

Denis took an engineer’s look at 

lubricating machines and the next 

thing to happen was each of us purchasing 

Star Lube-Sizers. The previous 

lubricating machines mentioned all work 

on the same principle. A bullet is placed 

on top of the sizing die, the handle is 

worked to push the bullet down into the 

die, another handle is worked to squeeze 

lube into the bullet, the first handle is 

then reversed to bring the bullet back out 

of the die, and one then reaches in and 

retrieves the finished bullet. 

With the Star, the bullet is placed 

on the sizing die, when the handle is 

cranked the bullet is pushed into the die 

and automatically lubed, then the next 

bullet pushes it out the bottom. The Star 

bolts to the table with the sizing portion 

sticking out over the edge allowing the 

bullet to drop free into a container. 

All machines require a top punch fitting 

the contour of the bullet to guide it. 

For 30-plus years I used such punches on 

the Star but when I went to order other 

taffin keeps two Star machines (hiding there in plain 

sight!) cranking out sized and lubed keith bullets. All of 

these bullets were lubed and sized in about 2 hours. 

nose punches I discovered two things. 

First, close to the turn-of-the-century, 

Star was purchased by Magma Engineering. 

Second, something so simple 

no one recognized it was put into place 

by the folks at Magma, since they used 

it on their machines. Instead of placing 

the bullets base down and using a nose 

punch, simply place them nose first and 

use a flat bottomed punch to push them 

through. So simple, and it works effectively, 

as bullets center automatically as 

they are dropped into the die. One only 

needs one punch for each particular 

caliber, regardless of nose shape. 

I can hold 10 unsized, un-lubed bullets 

in my left hand, feed them one at a 

time nose down into the Star die, pull 

the handle, and a finished bullet drops 

out the bottom. This is incredibly fast, 

and I can do 1,500 or more bullets in 

an hour. Another great attribute of the 

Star Lube-Sizer is the fact the pressure 

screw can be set and I can go through 

about three handfuls of bullets before I 

have to add pressure on the lube again. 

Less And More 

The MSRP of the RCBS and Lyman Lubricator/Sizers are about $120 less than 

the Star. They are more versatile in that just about any bullet style dropped 

into the die comes out sized and lubed. Star Dies have three rows of holes, 

which can be plugged with BBs for the ones not to be used. Mine are all set with 

one row open to lube Keith and Keith-style bullets. If I wanted to run bullets with 

two or three grease grooves it would be necessary to open some of the other rows by 

drilling out the BBs. 

Another upside for the RCBS and Lyman machines comes when trying to size 

very hard bullets cast from type metal. They accept them very well, while the Star 

has seen me bend the handle trying to push large, hardcast bullets through. So I 

keep things simple. Keith bullets of every size — and up to a certain hardness — go 

through the Star, and other bullets are lubed with either the Lyman or RCBS. I’ve 

come a long way from my beginning attempts at making bullets, and I can now easily 

turn out as many bullets in a day as I did in a year 55 years ago. If you 

shoot a lot of cast bullets, the Star Lube-Sizer from Magma is a great asset. 

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/magma, (480) 987-9008 

* 


PISTOLSMITHING 

tHe INsIDe scooP oN PIstoLsMItHING tecHNIQUes ALeX HAMILtoN 

the underside of the extractor hook needs to be gently 

beveled to allow a cartridge feeding from the magazine 

to slip smoothly under the extractor rim. 

Extracting 

FirEd 

casEs 

r emoving 

a 

“smoking 

hot” fired .45 

ACP case from a 1911 

chamber which has just 

contained 18,000 to 20,000 

PSI is quite a feat for a little 

piece of metal with a .032" hook 

on its end. The extractor accom- 

note the 

gouge in the 

extractor groove 

of this .45 Acp case. 

plishing this feat is one of the most misunderstood parts 

of the semi-auto pistol. Remarkably, it’s one of the few 

“modern” extractors that retain geometry and engineering 

devised well over a century ago — but it’s still effective. 

The majority of pistol extractors in today’s autos are 

coil spring-driven and are designed for positive feeding, 

just like the extractor in the 1911. Positive feeding is 

when the cartridge slips up under the extractor hook as it’s 

stripped from the magazine, and the breech face moves it 

forward into the chamber. Coil spring-loaded extractors, 

such as used in Springfield XDM models, Glocks, M&Ps 

and others, are unique in they not only aid positive feeding, 

but can “snap-over” a cartridge already in the chamber 

without breaking the tip of the extractor — not so with the 

1911 extractor. If the 1911 extractor is forced to snap-over 

a loaded or empty case in the chamber, you do run the risk 

of breaking the tip of the extractor off, rendering the pistol 

a single shot. 

Final 

Tuning 

The final job of tuning your 

extractor for maximum 

efficiency is to set the depth 

of the extractor hook to somewhere 

between .030" and .035" so the edge 

of the hook will not bottom out in the 

extractor groove. A small file and a 

set of dial calipers is all you need to 

do this important little job. 

The other side of extractor duty is 

removing that blistering hot case from 

the chamber so the ejector can kick it 

the extractor on this 1911 

needs careful tuning. 

A tuned extractor will hold a case well enough so when it slams 

against the ejector in the 1911 frame, it gets kicked out 

smartly through the ejection port. 

FEEding 

glitchEs 

an untuned 1911 extractor can be a 

major source of feeding problems 

— yep, that’s right, feeding problems. 

In order to accomplish perfect, positive 

feeding, the cartridge must be stripped from 

the magazine, moved up the surface of the 

breech face, press the extractor tip back and smoothly slide under 

the extractor hook. Now here is where a major problem rears its 

ugly head. If the front tip of the extractor touches the front of 

the extractor groove on the cartridge case it will slow down the 

recoil-generated feeding cycle and potentially cause a malfunction. 

This type of extractor is easy to diagnose by examining your 

fired cases. 

If there is an indentation or mark on the front of the case 

extractor groove, the nose of your extractor needs to have metal 

removed at about a 45-degree angle, enough to allow the extractor 

nose to clear the front of the extractor groove. Correcting this 

problem will assist a clean, fast reload from the magazine. 

Another little tuning chore you should accomplish to facilitate 

positive feeding is to bevel the bottom of the extractor hook to 

about 45 degrees, which will keep the sharp corner from cutting 

into the rim of the cartridge as it moves up and under the extractor 

hook. Polishing the bevel and the bottom of the hook will also 

facilitate smooth feeding, even if the case rim is a little rough. 

out of the way of the next case scenario would be to break the tip 

round, which is already of the extractor. 

on its way up from the The 1911 extractor has passed the 

magazine. It’s also just 100 year “test of time” and is still 

as critical as in cartridge ticking along just fine today. How- 

feeding that the nose of the ever, a periodic cleaning will do won- 

extractor does not touch the ders for reliable feeding and extrac- 

front of the case extractor tion. About every thousand rounds 

groove if you are to achieve or so I remove the extractor and run 

smooth, flawless extraction. a Q-Tip soaked with Hoppe’s No. 9 

If the nose touches the front solvent down the extractor channel 

of the extractor groove it will numerous times until the channel is 

not allow the tip of the hook clean as a whistle, and the extractor is 

to seat all the way into the also nice and clean. Performing this 

cartridge extractor groove and 

could leave the empty case in the 

chamber — or only halfway out. A worst 

little ritual every so often will help 

keep your 1911 in top 

running condition. * 


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Kimber CDP Pistols. 

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Easy to carry and conceal, the Ultra CDP II .45 ACP has a 3-inch barrel and 

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An ambidextrous thumb safety promotes 

fast operation and 30 lines-per-inch 

checkering on the front strap and under 

the trigger guard ensures a positive grip. 

Built in the Kimber ® Custom Shop, CDP (Custom Defense Package) 

pistols combine .45 ACP power and the most important concealed carry 

features into a light weight, high-performance package that gives them their 

name. The stainless steel slide plus a match grade barrel and trigger ensure 

durability and accuracy. Aluminum frames wear the premium KimPro ® II 

finish that is self-lubricating and extremely resistant to moisture and salt. 

Quality and performance are the true measures of value and Kimber pistols 

set the industry standard. Nowhere is this more evident than in a CDP. 

Visit the nearest Kimber Master Dealer and see for yourself. 

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COPTALK 

oPINIoN AND FActs FroM tHe MeAN streets MAssAD AyooB 

.45 to or…? 

or 9mm 

9mm … to .45 … 

Ayear or so ago, the St. Paul, Minnesota police department 

went back to the 9mm Glock 17s they adopted so long ago, 

the first big department in the country to do so. For some 

time since, they had used the Glock 22 in .40 S&W. The S&W M&P 

9mm will also be optional there. The change back to 9mm saved 

on ammo costs, reduced recoil and allowed many officers to shoot 

better than they had with the snappy .40s. The department’s rationale 

was with modern ammo, the 9mm got the job done well enough that 

larger-bore pistols were no longer needed. 

Some months ago the Columbia, S.C. Police Department traded in its 

SIG P220 .45 autos for FN FNS 9mm pistols. Increased capacity was cited as a major 

What’s “enough” for duty: reason for the switch. Yet in the Hoosier state, the Indiana State Police announced their 

.45 Acp (L), .40 S&W or 9mm? 9mm Glock 17s are being swapped for the Glock 21 SF in .45 ACP. Scuttlebutt is the 

troopers just weren’t comfortable with the power level of the 9mm, and were more 

than willing to swap four rounds of cartridge capacity to carry .45s. A long list of other 

MoDerN Is .45-caliber pistols will be approved options for those ISP personnel wishing to buy one 

Better 

the 9mm’s longstanding 

reputation 

for sub-optimal power 

came mostly from older 

loads. Los Angeles County 

Sheriffs and LAPD are 

reportedly both using Winchester 

147-gr. Ranger for 

their issue 9mms and are happy with its 

street performance. The confidence is 

out of their own pockets. This leaves New 

Jersey State Police as the nation’s only state 

troopers required to carry 9mm, to the best 

my knowledge at this time. 

not 100 percent across the board, however. 

Many LASD deputies have bought 

optional .45s, and many LAPD officers 

have likewise voted with their wallets 

the Glock 19 is the most 

popular of the 9mms 

authorized for nypD. 

so they can carry their own .40 or .45. which have adopted 

Portland (OR) Police Bureau reports the .45 GAP (Glock 

high satisfaction with their standard Auto Pistol): Florida, 

pressure .45 ACP in ballistics, but with 

issue Federal HST 147-gr. subsonic Georgia, New York, 

shorter overall length to allow pistols 

9mm rounds. 

Pennsylvania and South Carolina. narrower in girth which will fit a wider 

This topic came up at the Panel Of None are reporting any dissatisfaction range of hand sizes. NYSP traded up 

Experts session I chaired at the 2012 with street results of this round, which from 9mm, while the other four agen- 

conference of the International Law 

Enforcement Educators and Trainers. 

is functionally identical to standard cies swapped .40s for their .45 GAPs. 

The panel all but unanimously agreed 

they were comfortable with modern 

9mm ammo. The favorite loads most 

often cited were the Speer Gold Dot 

124-gr. +P, which has been used with 

great success by NYPD, Chicago PD 

No PAt ANswer 

there is no one sidearm perfect for the locally-identified needs of all of 

our myriad law enforcement agencies, let alone one sidearm that will 

be absolutely ideal for the perceived needs of each and every one of 

and Las Vegas Metro. They also cited America’s 800,000 or so serving police officers. Working alone or in small unit 

the Winchester Ranger-T 127-gr. +P+, strength, police don’t need the ammo and magazine interchangeability that comes 

which has performed spectacularly in with a single standard gun so much as they need the absolute confidence and 

dozens of shootings for the Orlando, competence that comes with carrying what the individual officer can shoot the 

Fla. Police Department. I couldn’t help best under pressure. 

but notice, for what it’s worth, many So, is it 9mm to .45, .45 to 9mm, or something in between? It’s simply not 

of the experts endorsing the 9mm were an issue on departments like Chicago, Las Vegas or Los Angeles where working 

carrying .40s or .45s themselves. 

cops have a broad choice of makes, models, and calibers. The one thing certain in 

Going in the opposite direction, we the matter is the debate as to what’s the best police gun or cartridge is 

now have five state police agencies probably never going to end. 

the .40 S&W 

round was created 

to be a compromise between the 

9mm and the .45. here an escambia 

county deputy sheriff shoots with his 

department issue Glock 22 RtF in .40. 

Some officers find the snappy recoil 

of a .40 hard to manage though. 

* 


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• 9 Time USPSA 

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Champion 

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• 5 Time Bianchi Cup 

Champion 

• 16 Time USPSA National 

Law Enforcement 

Champion 

• 5 Time 3-Gun Tactical 

Match World Champion 

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• 13 Time USPSA National 

Champion 

• 7 Time Ladies World 

Speed Shooting Champion 

• 4 Time IDPA Ladies 

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185.30610 MarchApril 2013 American Handgunner Proven to Perform.indd 1 11/19/12 4:13 PM

Can You 

SaY ouCh? 

SHOOTINGIRON 

tHUMB BUstIN’ MUsINGs FroM tHe DUKe MIKe “DUKe” veNtUrINo 

VinTAgE oRDnAnCE CoMPAnY 

LiBERAToR .45 

Clandestine organizations can come up with some weird ideas. In 

regards to World War II and weapons the United States’ FP45 

has to be one of the weirdest. It was a one pound, single shot, 

all-metal, unrifled pistol taking the .45 ACP round. Its purpose 

was for dropping behind enemy lines in both Europe and Asia 

so resistance groups could use them to shoot armed German or Japanese 

troops. Then the shooter could make off with the dead soldier’s 

better weapon. 

Evidence this wasn’t one of the brightest ideas military minds 

dreamed up is that according to the Wikipedia website, there is not a 

single documented case of one being used for its intended purpose. That’s 

not too hard to accept considering armed enemy soldiers weren’t often 

encountered alone, and also the noise a .45 ACP makes is apt to bring 

running all other enemy soldiers in hearing distance. There was one other 

thing for the shooter to consider. A .45 ACP bullet fired in an unrifled 

barrel was only going to be effective at close range. Very close range! 

Never mind the feasibility factor the United States Army had a 

million FP45s produced in mid-1942. Manufacturer was the Guide 

Lamp division of General Motors, which up to that point had produced 

headlights for the automotive industry. Guide Lamp was also the maker 

of the later M3 submachine gun commonly called the “grease gun.” Cost 

of the FP45s was said to be $2.40 each. When the Office of Strategic 

Services (OSS) was organized to serve as America’s first 

clandestine warfare organization, the army turned the 

FP45s over to them. 

FP45s came in a waxed cardboard box complete 

with a 10-round pack of .45 ACPs and even a small 

piece of wooden dowel to punch out the empty case 

after firing. More usable was a sheet of instructions in 

cartoon drawing-form showing how to load, fire and 

unload the FP45. 

Despite the huge number of FP45s made in 1942 

originals are very rare today. I’ve seen the pistol alone 

priced at over a grand and have never seen one with an 

original box, much less the paper instruction sheet. 

this facsimile of the original cartoon-like instruction sheet issued 

with uS Government made Fp45s comes with VOcO’s replica Fp45. 

the VOcO Fp45 comes complete 

with facsimile waxed cardboard 

carton, a small cardboard box 

for extra .45 Acp rounds as did 

the originals, and even a small 

piece of wooden dowel 

for ejecting empties. 


Photos: Yvonne Venturino 

this group of about 3" was fired 

at approximately 10 feet with the 

VOcO Fp45, and it was the only 

group Duke was willing to fire! 

Rifling And … 

B 

ut, all things about World War 

II have become popular so a 

small company named Vintage 

Ordnance (VOCO) has seen a market 

for new FP45s. Although I don’t have 

an original FP45 in my collection to 

compare this sample to, it does appear 

identical to all photos I’ve seen of them. 

The card accompanying VOCO’s reproduction 

says their FP45s differ in two regards. 

One is the barrel must have rifling. Smoothbore 

pistols are proscribed by Federal regulations. 

Also mandated by the Feds are serial numbers 

and company markings. The first is printed in 

the front of the grip and the latter is beneath the 

barrel, inside the triggerguard. 

Each of the VOCO FP45s come in a facsimile 

of the original waxed cardboard box, complete 

with another small cardboard box in which 10 

rounds of .45 ACP will fit, the wooden dowel and 

the sheet of instruction art. Also worthy of note 

is VOCO can supply non-firing dummy versions 

or ones capable of only firing .22 blanks. 

The information card also says VOCO’s FP45’s 

barrel, tube strap and breech block are made of 

1050 medium carbon, cold rolled steel while the 

cocking piece is cast of dense zinc alloy. 

ShooTing iT? 

Test shooting of VOCO’s FP45 was the briefest 

I’ve ever done. On-hand were some US military 

.45 ACPs dated from 1953. I loaded the 

pistol, and from 10 feet took aim at a 

paper target. The muzzleblast was loud 

and the recoil of a 230-grain FMJ bullet 

from a 1-pound pistol was bad! My 

hand hurt. Two more shots were fired 

and the group formed as shown in the 

photo. Then I was done — my hand was 

bleeding. I should also mention I figured 

a double tap with an FP45 took about 90 

seconds. No wonder nobody tried to use 

them for their intended purpose. 

Still, a collection of World War II 

military handguns will have a small gap 

without an FP45. That is the intended 

purpose of this replica — not an 

afternoon’s plinking session! 

*

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HANDGUNHUNTING 

tIPs, tecHNIQUes AND PoLItIcAL INcorrectNess J.D. JoNes 

he hilly country of eastern Ohio is simply beautiful 

in the fall. This evening driving east with the sun 

shining on the early colors reminded me in a week 

or so the colors would be at their peak. Assuming of 

course we don’t have a storm to destroy the foliage. 

Hunting seasons are either starting or in full swing. I’m 

leaving for a deer hunt in two days and by the time you 

get this hunting will be over for another year. Perhaps 

it’s time to sit back, relax and review the past season’s 

hunting. You did hunt, didn’t you? Shame on you if 

you didn’t. You missed one of the better things in life. 

Spending some time in the outdoors seriously hunting 

investing in Ammo 

L ets 

take a look back and see what we did wrong — and 

what we did right. How much trigger time did you invest 

in before the hunt? Yeah, I know —investment. Ammo 

and time are investments. The current cost of factory ammo 

is horrible. Reloading helps, but ammo cost is still significant 

if you shoot a lot. Most everyone’s time is at a premium, with 

too many “have to do things” on your mind, when you’re 

trying to get that trigger time in. 

Did you get out to do some preseason scouting, or put in a 

little time with the bow getting to know the area you’ll hunt 

later? No? Well I never get the opportunity to do that either. 

Just go where you always go and most of the time it works 

out. Sometime’s there’s a new dog in the neighborhood, sometimes 

the coyotes have excessively thinned the herd and worse 

yet, there is a posted sign where you usually park the rig. 

If you were lucky and none of that happened, and 

your hunt went fine, did you really not see anything that 

first morning? Was it because you set up, so deer moving 

toward you got your scent while still a quarter-mile out? 

Did you pick a good spot on a hillside and watch squirrels 

all day? Take a nap while the big guy 

J.D. has hunted over the entire world, having taken some 

of the most exotic game imaginable. yet, a deer hunt in his 

native state of Ohio is still a highlight for him every year. 

— or just enjoying being outdoors and not caring about 

the everyday stressors of life — heals things. 

Okay, so maybe you did hunt. Were you successful in 

putting meat on the table and a rack on the wall? Good 

for you if you did. If you didn’t, that’s okay too. But a 

successful hunt is always a bit better than one where a 

shot isn’t fired — or where one is fired and it misses! 

It certainly happens, and I’ll be the first to confess it’s 

sometimes downright demoralizing when it does. 

A memorable deer like this one — and 

the story surrounding the hunt — is what 

keeps drawing hunters back to the woods 

each year. Don’t stay home next year! 

moseyed past hot on the trail of a doe? Andy, your hunting 

buddy on the other side of the valley is wondering, ”Why 

the hell isn’t he shooting?” 

That can be the hunting story of the year and yeah — 

you’ll get tired of hearing about it, while the buck gets bigger 

and bigger with each telling. And we keep going back year 

after year for more of it. 

Hindsight 

Oh, and did you take the right gun? Could you 

have gotten the big guy with a scoped gun 

instead of iron sights? Just maybe though, thinking it 

over you can look back and see some judgment calls you might have done 

better on. One I can recall is taking a new guy in the group to the spot I 

had intended to hunt and setting him up. I went to another place while he 

dropped a big buck. I confess it sort of made me feel foolish and a little 

envious. What I really felt later on was pissed, as the new guy took off 

with the buck without a word of thanks for the help he got in setting up, 

dressing the deer, dragging it out — and was never seen again. 

Don’t let that sort of a situation ruin your next hunt. Plan ahead 

regarding the hunt location, your gear, guns, ammo and keep 

an eye on who you’re hunting with too! 

* 


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THESIXGUNNER 

Favorites: 

Replica 

Single 

action 

SixgunS 

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 “Taffin’s 

Top Replica Single Action Sixguns.” 

Please note they are replicas, 

not clones — the latter is a biological 

term and until we can get steel 

sixguns to reproduce themselves 

it’s the wrong terminology. 

The early copies of the Colt Single 

Action revolvers were somewhat lacking 

in authenticity. In fact, all those early 

“Single Actions” were fitted with brass 

grip frames such as had originally only 

been found on cap and ball revolvers. The 

original Colt Model of 1873 was always 

fitted with a steel grip frame. With the 

coming of Cowboy Action Shooting and 

also the diligent work of several importers, 

both the authenticity and quality of replica 

sixguns and leverguns have improved 

tremendously. Actions are much smoother, 

finishes look more authentic, instead of the 

very poor quality case coloring found in 

the 1970s. Dimensions and shape are also 

held very closely to what they were in the 

1870s. Most importantly, grip frames on 

Single Action Army replicas are now steel. 

Replicas of the 

1875 are available 

in blue or nickel 

plating; these are 

by eMF and navy 

Arms respectively. 

JoHN tAFFIN 

this pair of stainless steel 

cimarron .45 Model ps have 

been fitted with Buffalo 

Brothers faux ivory grips. 

Replica single actions fitted with 1860 Army grip 

frames: uSpFA .44 Special in tombstone Leather 

holster flanked by a cimarron original 

finish .44-40 and a second uSpFA 

chambered in .45 colt. 

Excellent Work 

T 

the first S&W single-action replica was the Schofield 

Model, here fitted with Buffalo 

Brothers grips. 

oday’s Single Action Army replicas are so well finished one has to 

look carefully to make sure they are actually foreign “Colts” and not 

domestic versions. I am particularly fond of the 71/2" copies when cham- 

bered in .45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20 which were the top four cham- 

berings of the original single actions. However, in this piece I’ll be looking at 

other replica single actions. Before the 1873 Peacemaker arrived, Colt offered 

both Richards and Richards-Mason Cartridge Conversions on their 1860 

Army percussion revolvers by fitting new cylinders and loading gates. These 

were followed by the 1871-72 Open Top. All of these revolvers were topless, 

that is there was no top strap. All of these are now, or have been, available as 

replicas and they make a most interesting shooting connection with the past. 

Because of their construction definitely use standard loads only! 

Two of my favorite replica Single Actions are a mismatched pair somewhat 

out of the ordinary. These Ultimate Single Actions are from American 

Western Arms (AWA) and deviate from the norm in they are fitted with 


Replica cartridge conversions 

compared to an original from the 1870s. 

navy Arms 

Model #3 Russian 

with eagle Grips ultraivory 

grips compared to an original 

.44 Russian from the 1870s. 


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REALITYCHECK TM 

FIrst-PersoN tHoUGHts oN sUrvIvING IN tHe reAL WorLD cLINt sMItH 

Light On, 

Light Off? 

irun 15 to 35 tactical runs a week with students, week after week, 

month after month. An average of two thirds of these runs are in low/ 

altered/failing or no-light environments. I’ve learned a few things. 

The vast majority of new handguns today have some sort of rail 

attachment. Yet, about 85 percent of my students do not have a rail-light 

system attached, and rely on handheld lights. I would avoid buying a gun 

requiring a special adaptor to mount the attachment to the rail. It complicates 

things. Most serious defensive pistols today have a rail readily 

accepting lights, and that’s the best approach. 

Handheld techiques 

the big four techniques have been around 

for a while and they are the basic foundation 

for handheld light techniques. the “cross wrist” 

technique (Harries) favors Weaver-style shooters, 

but is tiring until learned well and it sucks on 

hard right corner clearance because much of the 

gun and shooter clear the corner before the light 

comes clear to illuminate the threat area. 

Uncrossed is the response to the hard right 

corner issue, but keep the thumbs in contact so 

the slide movement, or the revolver cylinder gap/ 

flash doesn’t get to shooter’s hands while firing. 

the Syringe favors isosceles shooters and 

the key issue is to keep the thumbs together 

addressing the function of the handgun during 

firing. In syringe-mode, both hands are together 

and forward, and more upper body leaning 

is required to get the light spot into the area 

SureFire x300 can go 

from gun to gun. 

being cleared. Syringe-supported is a personal 

favorite, as good control of the light and 

handgun generally results from its use. the light 

hand’s lower two or three fingers are open and 

create a “pocket” for the gun-hand to fit into, 

giving more 2-hand support for both the gun 

and the light. 

on-Gun technique 

the on-gun lights are 

best as they only require the 

shooter know how to turn 

the light on/off. All other 

manipulations of the pistol 

stay the same. If you use a 

rail light — especially on a 

polymer frame — shoot the 

pistol quite a bit with your 

defensive loads to confirm 

the pistol will function. the 

weight may change the slide-cycle pulse and cause 

malfunctions. I have seen this most often on Glocks. 

spots And Arcs 

Any light will create the spot (the bright, center 

part) and the big circle (we call the arc). keep in 

mind your extended hands and arms block the 

lower part of the arc. the spot should be 

choreographed with the muzzle, while the 

arc will often illuminate much of the area 

being addressed. train to use the spot as a 

clock system 3, 12, 6 and 9 and “cut” the 

light on corners to drive the spot into the 

area being addressed. 

Doubling Up 

Even if you use a weapon-mounted 

light, I encourage you to train to use the 

gun light and an additional handheld. It 

allows you to double-light an area, to have 

an immediate backup, or to use the second 

light to “bounce” light off the ceiling or 

offset doorways or to direct both straight forward. 

stupid Lights 

I think strobes are dumb and jack your eyes 

up really bad. I have had people miss the bullet 

trap — not the target, but the 24"x36" entire 

target trap — at distances of less than eight feet. 

Syringe-supported 

technique. note 

how the hands support 

both the gun and light. 

the Supertac Streamlight can be 

weapon-mounted as well as handheld. 

Photos: Heidi Smith 

When questioned, it’s always the same answer, 

“It really messed up my eyes while firing.” Make 

your own decision. 

smart Lights 

A simple light is best, something you push 

on and off. I don’t need a light with teeth and 

striking claws. If you want a light, get a light. If 

you want a club, get a club. 

On Or OFF? For most people, a light should be 

used to find the light switch on the 

wall, and to absolutely confirm what 

you’re shooting at. When I turn the 

light on I can get killed and I know it. 

But without the light, I might kill my 

partner or family member. Remember, 

when you turn the light on, you do so to 

fight — seeing is just a residual benefit. 

Understand weapon-mounted and handheld 

lights and techniques — 

and train for both. 

* 

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/product-index 

and click on 

the company name. 


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Part flame thrower. 

exceptionally hot pepper blasting out at 

90 mph provides protection like nothing else. 

PepperBlaster ® II incorporates a pistol grip and 

sights to quickly target a threat. a simple pull of the 

trigger releases the first blast of pepper. A second pull 

of the trigger sends a second blast flying—just in case. 

Caution: Strong irritant. Keep out of reach of children. May be unlawful to own 

or possess in some states or jurisdictions. Use for any purpose except lawful self 

defense may be punishable by imprisonment, fines or both. Guardian Angel 

protected by U.S. Pat. 6,951,070B2. ©2011, Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. 

To learn more about PepperBlaster ® II 

go to www.pepperblaster.com. 

F a s T e r l e a s I e r l s a F e r

the Ruger 22/45 Lite. 

note the 

thread 

protector 

on the 

muzzle. 

TAFFINTESTS 

tHe sIXGUNNer HIMseLF: GUNs, GeAr & More JoHN tAFFIN 

Ruger’s 

If there is any doubt these 

are definitely the best of 

times when it comes to 

firearms one only has 

to look at the offerings from 

Ruger. Sixty years ago Ruger offered 

a choice of two .22s, the Flat-Gate 

Single-Six and the .22 semi-auto in 

either the Standard Model or Mk I 

with adjustable sights. That was it and 

it would be many years before Ruger 

offered anything other than iterations 

on the standard .22 Single-Six or the 

.22 semi-auto. Today everything has 

changed, and in the last year or so 

alone Ruger has offered four somewhat 

radically new .22 handguns. 

Trail Gun Bonanza 

ruger has recently come forth with 

what I feel are going to be very 

popular trail guns for anyone feeling 

a .22 is all they need. Add a few boxes 

of ammo, and you’re ready to go. The 

latter is what makes a .22 particularly 

appealing as a trail gun since an extra100 

rounds adds very little weight. Try carrying 

100 rounds of .44 Magnums! 

Ruger’s new .22s consist of two 

very lightweight semi-autos and two 

all-steel, not-so-light sixguns. Three of 

these have a capacity of 10 rounds or 

10+1, while the other is an 8-shooter. So 

not only can we carry extra ammunition 

quite easily but all of these handguns 

are well above the standard six rounds. 

LIGHTEN UP The Ruger SR22 is a compact pistol 

weighing only 17.5 ounces with 

a barrel length of 31/2". The frame 

is black polymer, the slide is black- 

Whether it is fed .22 Long Rifles or .22 Magnums 

the 91/2" Ruger Single-Six is an 

excellent shooting sixgun. 

22 

finished aluminum, while the barrel 

is stainless steel. Magazine capacity 

is 10 rounds and Ruger supplies two 

magazines with each pistol, along 

with finger extension buttpads for 

each magazine. The ambidextrous 

magazine release is found at the 

junction of the rear of the trigger 

guard and the front strap and is easily 

operated. The grip is quite different as 

it’s not molded as part of the frame, 

but rather is a grip sleeve fitting over 

a stud on the frame, held in place by 

two detents. Ruger supplies two of 

these grip sleeves, one slightly larger 

by having a more rounded backstrap. 

To change these grip sleeves — and 

it does require some effort to override 

the detents — one grip sleeve is 

Standard black sights in place of the factory 

sights improved the groups 

of the Single-ten 

significantly. 

Trail Guns 

Ruger’s .22 trail trio (top to 

bottom) consists of the 22/45 

Lite, the SR22 and the Sp101. 

Below: the Ruger 

SR22 comes with 

two magazines, two mag 

finger extensions and two 

different grip sleeves. 

simply pulled off the frame and the 

other one is pushed into place. They 

provide a most comfortable feeling 

grip and are plenty big enough for my 

large hands. Sights are of the 3-dot 



GUNCRANKDIARIES TM 

eXcUses, ALIBIs, PItHy oBservAtIoNs & GeNerAL ePHUs JoHN coNNor 

Artfully reveAling the 

Blindingly OBviOus 

Amonth before national elections — 

with enormous implications for gun 

owners — and three before SHOT 

Show 2013 — what’s a hack gunwriter 

to do? The ugliness will be over by the 

time you read this, but right now, I’d be 

guessing. So, it’s magic tricks! But first, 

this story: 

Long ago and far away in a tiny 

remote village, an entertainer, a magician 

of sorts, rolled in with his bullockdrawn 

cart, accompanied by an enormous 

oafish-looking assistant. The local 

kids were delighted and flocked to greet 

him — me too! After setting his “stage,” 

the ancient wizard gracefully draped a 

crimson scarf over his docile bullock’s 

massive horns and plopped a little 

yellow hanky on his assistant’s bushy 

head. The bullock and the assistant 

froze stock-still. Stalking dramatically 

about, peeking and peering, the wizard 

challenged the kiddies to guess what 

was under those cloths. What could possibly 

be hidden there? 

The older kids had seen the act 

before, and laughing, shushed the 

younger ones, telling them “Watch! 

Watch!” The wizard leaped up, yanked 

the scarf off the bullock and recoiled in 

shock: A bullock! Amazing! The bullock 

snorted and waved its horns. Then he 

crept up on his assistant, leaped in the 

air and plucked off the hanky. Sha-zam! 

A MAN! The wizard, astonished, fainted 

dead away as the oaf grinned and did a 

nimble dust-shuffling dance. The little 

kids got it and they all shrieked in glee. 

His whole act was like that. His “find 

the pea” trick employed three tiny cups 

and a baseball-sized “pea,” and he made 

his cart “disappear” behind an open 

rainbow-hued umbrella. The kiddies 

howled. What the old guy lacked in 

prestidigitation he made up in style and 

slapstick. No “magic;” he just artfully 

revealed the blindingly obvious. Let me 

give that a try, okay? 

Bullock Under The Scarf 

With sincere sympathy for the victims 

of the Aurora theater massacre, I must 

ask if anyone else noted this: Dozens of 

unsuspecting people gathered 

at midnight to see theatricallycostumed 

fictional characters 

portray intense gratuitous violence 

and imminent slaughter. They were 

then subjected to intense gratuitous 

violence and slaughter by a theatricallycostumed 

self-fictionalized character. 

Could anyone have predicted this? 

Not with any certainty, no. But on the 

other hand, who would be shocked if, at 

the midnight debut of a new Friday the 

13th movie, a hockey-masked psycho 

brandishing meathooks leaped from 

behind the curtains and clawed his way 

through the crowd? Anybody want to 

attend an L.A. midnight resurrection 

showing of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

in a “Gun-Free Zone” theater? 

John Lott, author of “More Guns, 

Less Crime” notes seven theaters 

within 20 minutes’ drive of killer James 

Holmes’s apartment were showing The 

Dark Knight Rises the night of July 20th . 

Did Holmes pick the closest theater, 

the furthest, or the one with the largest 

audience? Nope. He selected the only 

one prohibiting guns, including licensed 

concealed carry. Coincidence? Duhh … 

Wait! You mean that big sign banning 

guns didn’t stop Holmes? Shocking! 

Now consider this: After the massacre, 

the management of one of those theaters 

changed its policy and is now a posted 

“gun-free zone.” Some people really 

can’t see the bullock under the scarf. 

The Oaf’s Hanky 

On September 11th , a date with a 

certain significance in American history, 

violent anti-American riots “spontaneously” 

broke out in numerous centers 

of “peace and tolerance” around the 

world. In Benghazi, our ambassador and 

three other Americans were murdered 

in a virtually unopposed terrorist attack. 

We were told the Benghazi attack was 

just another “spontaneous” reaction to a 

video trailer — which virtually no one 

had seen — for a nonexistent movie said 

to be “disrespectful” to a certain “revered 

personage.” Now we know that just prior 

to the Benghazi attack, American secu- 

Wait! 

if you hit a 

cookie with a 

hammer — 

the cookie crumbles? 

rity forces were apparently withdrawn. 

Wow, triple-shock! Attacks on a 

day celebrated by terrorists, marked 

by numerous past attempts and completed 

terrorist acts on the same day 

could not possibly have been foreseen! 

Duh, could they? And another shocker! 

The suspected organizer of the Benghazi 

attack was Sufyan Ben Qumu, an 

al-Qaida terror attack planner. He had 

been transferred from Gitmo to Libyan 

custody on condition he be locked up 

forever-and-a-day. He was released? 

Astonishing! Yup; just like Abdel Baset 

al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, who 

was also supposed to be under lock and 

key forever. And Ben Qumu returned 

to terrorism? You mean, like so many 

other released Gitmo Charm School 

alumni have? Hooda thunkitt? Quick, 

more scarves and hankies! 

I know this is gonna sound crazy, but 

first, I think smart people might want to 

avoid places which have been proven to 

be magnets for mass murderers, especially 

when events there may be additionally 

attractive to whacko sociopaths. 

Second, I suspect if certain people and 

groups have murdered thousands of 

your peers, promise to kill as many 

more as possible — including you — 

and swear eternal war against you, well, 

gee … they might mean it. Third, I’m 

afraid this will sound completely nuts, 

but — I think if you remove security 

from a tempting target, then bad guys 

— if there’s such a thing as bad guys 

— they might, umm … make mischief. 

They might even do it on anniversaries 

of days they’ve killed lots of you. Even 

if we say we wanta play nice. 

I’d like to take my own bullock-cart 

magic act on the road, but my village 

only has one idiot, so I have 

to stay here. Connor OUT. 

* 


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WINNINGEDGE 

soLID ADvIce to KeeP yoU AHeAD oF tHe coMPetItIoN DAve ANDersoN 

Some of my favorites: clockwise from top right: Ruger 

Sp-101, Ruger SR22, Walther p22, S&W Model 34, 

S&W Model 51 (which is a .22 Magnum). 

Little If you’re planning to own just one .22 handgun it probably 

shouldn’t be a pocket pistol. Medium-size sport 

pistols have the most all-around utility. Think weights A traditional knife, a Buck Stockman, fits right 

of 32–40 ounces and barrel lengths of 4" to 6". Semi- in with the traditional revolvers, while the 

auto examples include the Browning BuckMark, Ruger Mk modern Buck Bones design goes well with the 

III, the discontinued Browning Challenger and Nomad, Colt two modern semi-autos. 

Woodsman Sport and various High Standards. In revolvers, 

examples are the Ruger SP-101 and Single Six, the Colt Diamondback and 

K-frame S&Ws. 

And yet knowing this, I still like my little .22s, but they have their disadvantages. 

Their small grip size can be a problem for some shooters, especially 

those with large hands. Their light weight makes them harder to hold steadily, 

a factor sometimes exacerbated by mediocre trigger pulls and (sometimes) ‘Kit Guns’ 

fixed sights. They aren’t the easiest guns to shoot. But they are so darn handy s&W and useful. Light weight and compact size makes a small .22 harder to shoot, 

but also make it more likely you’ll actually have it available. I shoot my 

S&W 41 and High Standard 

this little Beretta is an old friend of over 40 years Victor Target .22s better than 

standing. it shows a lot of finish wear, but it remains any other handguns, but their 

the most reliable .22 semi-auto i’ve ever owned. bulk and weight means they 

mostly get shot on the range. 

The 

it lacks an adjustable rear 

sight, which i guess is a 

shortcoming, but one i’ve 

learned to live with. 

. 22s 

A coUPLA’ 

GooD oNes 

s mall 

.22s can be either 

revolvers or semi-autos. 

The first handgun I ever 

owned is a Beretta, weighing 

just 15 ounces with its alloy frame. It probably wasn’t a great choice as a 

first handgun — the S&W K22 I bought a couple of years later taught me a 

lot more about shooting a handgun. But the Beretta is my favorite handgun 

and has been for over 40 years. It’s long since discontinued, but fortunately 

there are currently made, reasonably priced alternatives. Two I like are the 

Ruger SR22 and the Walther P22. Both weigh right around a pound. Both 

have polymer frames, adjustable sights, DA/SA operation, manual safeties 

and 10-shot magazines. 

Both have proven to be well made and accurate. Not target-pistol accurate 

of course, but both shoot into 2" for five shots at 25 yards, similar to what I get 

from my Beretta. This is about as good as I can shoot with a light gun/short 

sight radius. I once killed a weasel at a measured 23 yards with the Beretta. I’ll 

admit some luck was involved since only its head and neck were showing. 

Forced to choose between the two I’d likely take the SR22, mainly 

because I appreciate Ruger supplying two magazines. It saves me the fuss 

and expense of acquiring a spare. The Walther is marginally smaller and 

lighter, and the two are certainly equal in terms of overall quality and performance. 

If you don’t mind spending a little more money — okay, a lot more 

— the current Beretta 87 ranks as one of the finest .22s ever made. I don’t 

have one but do have the similar Model 85 in .380. Great pistols, but dang, 

they aren’t cheap. My Beretta cost $80 in 1969. Current MSRP on the 87 is 

more than ten times as much! 

the original 

has been chambering its smallframe 

revolvers in .22 for a long, 

long time, going back to the old 

M- and I-frames, and the current J-frame. 

Great little guns in their own right, they 

also make ideal trainers for the myriad 

owners of J-frame centerfires. 

I once owned a Model 34 with 2" 

barrel. It made a nice little pocket gun, 

but I decided I wanted more sight radius 

and sold it in favor of the 4" model. If I 

was doing it again I’d likely get the stainless 

steel version. Currently S&W catalogs 

several J-frames in .22 LR, and the 

Model 317 Kit Gun weighs 12.5 ounces 

with 3" barrel. The Model 63 (stainless 

steel frame and cylinder) weighs 26 

ounces, also with a 3" barrel. Both hold 

eight cartridges and have adjustable rear 

sights. There are also a couple of fixedsight 

models, the 317 and 43C. Virtually 

identical in appearance and handling to 

the centerfire versions, they would make 

fine training understudies. 

The Ruger SP-101 .22 kind of falls 

into a category all its own. For a lot of 

shooters it is “not too big, not too small” 

— it’s just right. If the size appeals to 

you it’s certainly a fine choice. I have one 

and like it. Ruger now offers the LCR in 

.22 weighing just under 15 ounces. It’s 

an excellent understudy for the centerfire 

LCR, and is also available with Crimson 

Trace Lasergrips. Single-action fans, 

don’t overlook the slick little Ruger 

Bearcat, available in either blued alloy 

steel or stainless steel. But 

mostly, have fun with them. 

* 

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DrillinG FOr 

Anyone who 

says accuracy 

isn’t important 

is a fool. it 

takes practice 

and tens of 

thousands of 

drills to shoot 

like this under 

pressure — but 

only hits count 

in the real 

world. 

AccurAcy 

Why can’t Johnny (and Janey) 

shoot? For the same reason they 

can’t read with comprehension, 

write a grammatically correct 

paragraph, or figure a tip on a restaurant 

bill without a calculator. They’ve never 

learned the basics. They haven’t learned the 

value of drilling, over and over, until basics 

become subconscious skills. There was a 

time (I know, I was there) when primary 

school students were drilled in the ABCs 

— the building blocks of written communication 

— and in basic arithmetic. Was it 

boring? I guess it was. So what? A generation 

or more ago educators decided drilling 

students in the basics is unnecessary, 

boring, mean and nasty. Plus it stultifies the 

students’ naturally creative little minds. No 

time to waste learning the multiplication 

tables when there’s world to save! 

The message internalized is, “There’s no 

need for drills and discipline and hard work. 

Sure, I could do it if I wanted but since 

everyone keeps telling me how smart I am, 

I’ll just skip those steps and go straight to 

the fun stuff.” I read an article by a teaching 

assistant at a prestigious university. He 

teaches remedial reading and arithmetic 

skills to freshman students. He says students 

arrive with two qualities: (1) reading, 

writing and arithmetic skills at about the 

5-6 grade level, and (2) an unshakeable, 

arrogant certainty they are the most brilliant 

people who ever walked the earth. Apparently 

the self-esteem lessons are the only 

education goal actually achieved. 

We can 

see how great 

champions stand 

and grip the pistol. 

More important is what we 

can’t see — the months and 

years of intensive training in basic 

shooting skills. travis tomasie 

showing great form here. 

MilliOns AnD MilliOns 

What does this have to do with shooting? Shooting well is a skill. 

Becoming a good shot requires disciplined practice over a long period 

of time. But just as many schools accommodate students by lowering 

standards (does anyone fail a grade anymore?), many new shooters have 

adopted the “good enough” approach. It’s common to see shooters barely 

keep their shots on a silhouette target at 5 yards and then call it good enough 

for self-defense. Most likely it will be. Defensive situations generally don’t 

require a high degree of shooting skill. Factors such as awareness, decisiveness, 

courage and sometimes a bit of luck are more important. I hope if the 

situation ever arises, it’s good enough. But it isn’t good. 

Let’s stipulate, safe gun handling trumps everything else. In terms of actual 

shooting skill, trigger management is most important. Trigger control can be 

described in a sentence: Press the trigger straight back, adding pressure at a 

constant rate until the sear releases, without imparting movement to the gun. 

Now you know. But knowing and doing are different things. A quality trigger 

press is learned by pressing the trigger, not thousands of times, but tens of 

thousands, hundreds of thousands of time. Doug Koenig, who manages a 

trigger better than anyone I’ve ever known or heard of, said he couldn’t even 

begin to estimate the number of dry fires 

over the years, but it’s likely in the millions. 

So WhAT 

T 

here are lots of drills, and 

different approaches to drills. 

Some shooters like a standard 

set of exercises. They’ll do one-shot 

draws, double taps, reloads, strong 

hand only, weak hand only, short 

and longer range accuracy. If this 

works for you, fine. People learn in 

different ways. I find such practice 

sessions useful in maintaining overall 

gun-handling skills. But to really 

improve, I get much better results by 

working on one skill at a time. 

When I was competing in IPSC 

competition I shot 5 days a week, 

200 rounds per session. Each session 

was devoted to a specific skill. 

It might be 1-shot draws, reloads, 

weak hand only or shooting while 

moving. For every skill there was an 

objective. It might be ten consecutive 

the trigger finger 

is placed squarely 

across the face of 

the trigger. take up trigger 

slack if present, and release 

the shot by pressing straight back, 

building pressure at a constant rate 

until the sear releases, without imparting 

movement to the gun. Sounds easy. 

reloads all under 1.5 seconds, with all 

hits in the A-zone. If it took a week 

or more of individual sessions to 

achieve the objective, so be it. 

There was one exception. 

Accuracy is critically important. I 

know, many won’t agree and many 

more don’t want to hear it — but 

it is. Every session began with 20 

rounds at 25 yards, standing unsupported. 

They had to be all “As” for 

a perfect score of 100. If not, the 

original session plan was scrapped 

and the session would be devoted to 

25-yard precision shooting. Drilling 

the basics. Was it boring? 

Sometimes — but so what? 

* 


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part of the magic is the well-padded 

Maxpedition 

back of the Jumbo helping to 

keep things comfy. 

Maxpedition’s 

Jumbo is bigger 

than a man-purse 

but not so big 

you’ll fill it with 

too much stuff. 

you’ll wear out 

before it ever will! 

Hard Use Gear 

the adage “imitation is the greatest form of flattery” rings very true quite 

often in the gun/gear industry. It’s the nice way of saying someone stole 

my idea. If you take a look at the Maxpedition line created by Tim Tang, 

you’ll see his designs have been imitated quite often. I’ve found myself checking 

labels to verify certain products when I see them. Tim has been an innovator, so 

in turn — his designs have been copied for years. 

I don’t recall what my first piece of Maxpedition gear was, but I did a little 

inventory of my gear and I currently have a older worn (notice I didn’t say worn 

out) range bag — I’m on the range weekly and this bag always makes the trip 

with me. The briefcase is for when I have to actually look professional when 

visiting clients. My Doppelduffel has made more trips than I can count, including 

one to South Africa. My Sitka Gearslinger is my EDC (everyday carry) bag, and 

also made the trip to South Africa. I like Tim’s work. 

CArryiNg guNs — ANd stuff 

the briefcase doesn’t scream tactical but it has a secret compartment for concealing 

an extra handgun. I used it to carry some files and paperwork when 

in court to testify. On one occasion I forgot to let the deputies know there 

was a gun in as it went through the X-ray screeners. I got a really strange look 

from the deputy until he realized it was just me in a suit and tie. 

The Sitka Gearslinger also has a hidden compartment for concealing an extra 

gun. This bag is the perfect size for day trips. Not too big so you overload it but 

not to small to be accused of carrying a man-purse. I’ve taken it to Disneyland a 

few times and it goes on all my road trips. 

The latest piece of Maxpedition I’ve been using is the Jumbo EDC. I know it 

says for everyday carry, and I’m sure it would work great in this capacity, but I use 

mine on the range deck while teaching classes. I carry my personal blow-out kit, 

as well as a med kit for fixing boo-boos on the spot. I stow a blue demo gun, timer, 

multitool and my water bottle. There’s also a little pouch for my beef jerky snacks! 

My first training officer told me to never go hungry — so I don’t. And don’t forget, 

there’s a compartment for an extra gun too. My blue gun resides there, but a real 

gun could also fit. So, why did I say extra gun? I’m not a fan of off-body carry for 

my primary gun. I prefer to keep my gun on me and use the bag for my backup or 

spare. To arm one of my non-CCW friends if stuff hits the fan? 

the zippered gun pocket is a great place to stash 

a backup gun or other secret goodies. 

JusT riGhT like all Maxpedition products I’ve 

checked out, the Jumbo EDC is 

built to take what’s dished out. The 

carry strap is extra-wide and has an 

adjustable pad for added comfort. The 

backside is padded in order to keep 

from rubbing you raw over the course 

of the day. The Jumbo is big enough 

to do what I need, but if I want, I 

can hang more stuff on the side with 

MOLLE straps for additional pouches. 

A note of caution about carrying too 

much stuff: Ounces become pounds, 

and pounds quickly become pain! If 

you consistently overload your kit, 

you will begin to carry your gear less 

and less as it becomes a burden — and 

that’s when you will need something 

you’ve left behind. 

I don’t know exactly how many 

products Maxpedition now makes, but 

if you’re in the market for a bag to carry 

your stuff, they’ll always have something 

to fit your needs. Yes, it’s easy to 

purchase a cheap knock-off to save a 

few bucks. Believe me, I’m not made 

of money either and always look for the 

best deal I can get. However, quality 

gear may cost a bit more upfront, but 

will last longer perform better 

when you need it most. 

* 


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Handguns are Sidearms 

Which would you rather have in a gunfight, the double-barreled shotgun held by the 

cowboy in the center, or the little-bitty handgun in the vest of the guy on the right? 

What would you rather 

have in your hands right 

now, a handgun or a rifle? 

John Barsness 

We Know 

That, But… 

this intrepid photo 

studio cowboy 

seems to understand 

the value of 

a rifle. his colt is 

where it should be, 

on his side. 

Hunting outfitters and other 

learned outdoor folks in Alaska, 

Wyoming and Montana are 

often asked this earnest question: 

“What handgun should I 

carry when hunting in grizzly 

country?” Their almost universal 

response: “What rifles do you own?” 

Why carry a sidearm when you 

already have a rifle in your hands? 

Even a .270 Winchester is much 

more suitable for stopping a grizzly 

than a .500 S&W, and the reason 

doesn’t lie in sheer power. We could 

debate bullet weight and diameter 

versus kinetic energy and muzzle 

velocity, but the biggest factor in 

killing a bear (or any other animal) 


John admits even a rifleman needs 

a sidearm now and then. 

is not ballistics but bullet placement. 

Almost all humans stand a much 

better chance of stopping a charging 

bear with a rifle in their hands, rather 

than a handgun in a holster. 

We also stand a better chance even 

if the bear is merely threatening us. 

Several years ago, in my home state of 

Montana, two men were bowhunting 

elk in a creek drainage just north of 

Yellowstone Park notorious for grizzly 

bears. They ran into a sow with cubs, 

and the sow acted quite threatening. 

Threats don’t mean a bear will charge 

— I’ve been bluff-charged by several 

sows in both Montana and Alaska — 

but one of the bowhunters got nervous 

and drew a semi-auto handgun 

and started blazing away at longer 

range than a nervous guy should. 

He wounded the sow, and then it did 

charge. The bear was beating the snot 

out of the shooter when his partner 

drew his own bear sidearm — a big 

can of bear-strength pepper spray. 

This chased the bear off, and the 

handgunner lived. 

It Can Be Done 

This doesn’t mean advancing grizzlies 

and brown bears haven’t been 

killed with handguns — though a 

couple of decades ago the Alaska game 

department claimed it had never investigated 

a case where somebody tried 

to defend themselves from a bear with 

a handgun and lived. Sometimes the 

bear died, but the human always did. 

That statistic has since changed, partly 

because of the introduction of more 

powerful revolver rounds, from the .454 

Casull on up. Still, we’re far better off 

trying to defend ourselves with a rifle 

than a handgun. 

I grew up in Montana. In the 1950’s 

quite a few cowboys still habitually 

wore revolvers on their hips, not to get 

into gunfights with bad men but to carry 

out their normal chores. Most of them 

also carried a rifle (often a Winchester 

the muzzle of the .44 

Magnum is bigger, but 

the pump-action .270 

would be a lot more 

effective against a 

charging grizzly. 

John inherited his 

most useful sidearm 

from his father, a 

colt Frontier 

Scout .22. 

Out on the prairie a hunter needs a sidearm 

with more reach, like John’s Ruger Mark ii 

“slabside.” the rifle slung over his shoulder is a 

.270, for even more reach on pronghorns. 

.30-30) in a scabbard on their saddle. 

This was the serious firearm, used for 

killing sick cattle or angry bears. The 

revolver on their hip was in case they 

got bucked off and the horse ran away 

with their rifle. They’d still have some 

sort of firearm, so they could fire three 

shots in the air to attract a rescuer after 

their horse turned up empty-saddled 

back at the ranch. This could save their 

lives if they’d broken a leg, or save a 

lot of walking. Most cowboys don’t 

like walking. 

Door Guns 

Similarly, most ranch houses had 

rifles or, sometimes shotguns very 

handy, usually near the door. My 

paternal grandmother, a tough woman 

who homesteaded by herself in central 

Montana just before World War I, 



RBig Bore is Better 

rAttLers & 

Mike “duke” Venturino 

Photos: YVonne Venturino 

R 

reVoLVers 

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 help with a rattlesnake 

in her yard. In my old age I don’t 

get a lot of joy out of killing anything, 

don’t hunt big game anymore, and for 

several years have only gone varmint 

shooting at the strong behest of friends. 

That said, I also don’t feel any 

pangs of conscience about shooting a 

rattlesnake found around human habitations. 

Recently a German reader visited. 

As cat and dog lovers, he and 

his wife were thrilled with our large 

array of beautiful, friendly felines 

and canines. However, at one point I 

Want to know why Duke prefers big bore revolvers 

for rattlesnake control? Which would you prefer to 

have on-hand if encountering a sizeable rattler? 

this sizeable rattler was the 

most recent one dispatched by 

Duke. it was in a neighbor lady’s 

yard and she asked for his help. 

mentioned “my snake-gun” and the 

German fellow attempted to correct 

me. He said, “Ah, but everything has 

its place in nature.” 

To which I replied, “Right, but do 

you encounter any venomous reptiles 

around your home in Germany?” Of 

course the answer was no. So I continued, 

“I don’t go looking for rattle- 


this photo is a perfect illustration of why handgun 

shotshells are perfect for dispatching venomous 

reptiles. it’s enough for the rattler yet the folks on 

the highway in the background are perfectly safe. 

this is Duke’s favorite rattler revolver — 

a colt Sheriff’s Model .44 

Special with 3" barrel. 

snakes to shoot, because they do have 

their place in nature. But it would only 

require a moment’s encounter with 

one around our home and outbuildings 

to end the life of one of those beautiful 

cats or dogs you just commented 

about.” That’s saying nothing about 

what it could do to Yvonne or me or any 

of the numerous visitors we host during 

warm months. He got the point. 

Snaky Area 

In the quarter century Yvonne and 

I have made our home on this piece of 

Montana, I have killed rattlers in our 

Right: A pattern made by 

cci 45 colt shotshells from 

approximately 10 feet shows the 

.45 colt is good snake medicine. 

Below: A pattern made by cci 

.44 Special shotshells from 

approximately 10 feet. 

plenty here to get 

the job done. 

driveway, on our front porch, 

around our parked vehicles, by the 

door of our shop, and in our horse 

corrals. A few years we encountered 

nary a one. Last year between the 

two of us we killed a half-dozen. You 

might ask, “Why take up residence in a 

snaky area?” Because I wanted to have 

my own shooting ranges, and we could 

afford this place. Besides we purchased 

it after the snake season, so no mention 

was made by the seller of their presence. 

One time a fellow I hired to mow our 

considerable lawn knocked on the door 

to say, “I just saw a rattlesnake crawl 

through a crack around the door of that 

white shed out there.” That white shed 

happens to be my gun powder, ammunition 

and bullet storage place. My 

response to the fellow was, “Well, he 

owns it then. I’ll be damned if I’m going 

in there after him.” And I didn’t until 


Duke has this variety of cci handgun shotshells 

on hand. From left to right: .22 LR, .22 WMR, 

9mm, .38 Special, .40 S&W, .44 Special, .44 

Magnum, .45 Acp and .45 colt. 

Duke prefers the Sheriff’s Model .44 because it 

comfortably fits in the hip pocket of his jeans. 

A variety of handgun shotshells by cci. they’ve 

been doing it for so long, they’ve got it down pat. 

well into a frigid winter. I’m sure powder 

and bullet sales at the nearest gun store 

showed an increase during those months. 

My Place 

Everything does have its place in 

nature. So do I, and this is my place, 

so it’s my responsibility to protect its 

residents whether 2-legged or 4-legged. 

There is a .222 Remington Magnum 

rifle stored near the front door. Because 

I shoot so often on my private range 

only awfully stupid or extremely brave 

coyotes lurk nearby. So the rifle has 

only been used a few times on coyotes 

that might also be a danger to our 

“herd” of critters. Likewise, during 

warm months, there are “snake-guns” 

stored near our outer doors. They are 

always revolvers, and have been used 

far more often than the rifle. 

When I shot the most recent rattlesnake, 

we had a non-shooting visitor. 

He saw I used a short-barreled revolver 

with shot cartridges and asked why I 

didn’t just use a shotgun. The answer 

is again simple. The entire purpose 

of killing the rattler was to insure the 

safety others. Turning loose a largegauge 

shotshell around houses, outbuildings 

or roads could endanger 

someone. The same is true with regular 

bulleted-handgun cartridges. 

Once during a rabies scare the 

county animal control guy shot at a 

skunk under another of our sheds with 

a Ruger Blackhawk .357 and missed. 

I heard a “thunk” sound over by the 

house and later found a divot in the 

wood next to one of our doors. 

Such is why I don’t want 

to turn regular bullets 

loose when dispatching 

a rattler. 

Big Bores 

The revolvers kept 

by our doors stoked with 

shot loads are always big 

bores — .44s or .45s. One 

I bought especially for 

this purpose is a Colt SAA 

Sheriff’s Model .44 which 

has both .44 Special and .44-40 cylinders. 

Only the .44 Special is used 

because I’ve found it next to impossible 

to get plastic shot capsules to 

stay put in thin-walled .44-40 brass. 

I often stick this short-barreled Colt 

in my hip pocket when going about 

outside during the summer. For safety 

it’s loaded with only five rounds, with 

the hammer down on the empty sixth 

chamber. 

For many years I made my own 

handgun shotshells because I wanted 

to use .45 Colt revolvers. Speer made 

.38/.357 and .44-caliber plastic shot 

capsules but for some strange reason 

none for .45s. Therefore I used the ageold 

gas check method. One goes in the 

case with the cup-up and one on top, 

cup-down, with the bird shot held in 

between. The results were effective but 

slow to produce. 

A few years back Speer finally 

added .45-caliber shot capsules to their 

catalog so as far as I’m concerned the 

gas check method of manufacture is 

now obsolete. In fact I’ve not even 

used the shot capsules at all this year to 

handload my own snake loads. I have 

a good supply of CCI factory loaded 

shotshells on hand ranging from .22 

LR to .45 Colt. The rattler shown in the 

accompanying photo was dispatched 

For the handloader Speer sells 

shot capsules in .38, .44 and .45 calibers. 


Duke’s home site on his piece of the Big Sky country. At 

one time or the other he has killed rattlers near all of the 

buildings and near many of the vehicles. 

with a .44 Spl/Mag one containing 

approximately 170 #9 size pellets. 

It worked just fine. 

A natural question would be, “Why 

insist on revolvers? CCI shotshells also 

come in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 Auto 

calibers.” That’s true and in fact the .45 

Auto shotshells are labeled as carrying 

210 #9 pellets as opposed to the .45 

Colt’s approximately 150 of the same 

size. My preference is due to reliability. 

From experience I know a semi-auto 

pistol cannot be counted on to function 

for more than the first round with shotshells. 

I’ve definitely encountered more 

than one rattler at a time. 

As an aside, I’d like to stress you 

should pay attention to the label on 

CCI’s .45 Auto shotshells. It says not 

to use them in revolvers because cylinder 

lock-up may occur. I took that 

as a direct challenge and fired one in 

an S&W Model 22 .45 Auto revolver. 

Left: A pattern made by Duke’s 

.44 Special shotshell handloads 

using #12 shot. Duke likes the 

smaller shot and dense pattern. 

Below: A pattern made by cci .38 

Special shotshells from approximately 

10 feet. the bigger bores throw 

more shot. 

“ snAke- LoVers And 

greenies MAY ABhor MY 

kiLLing of rAttLers. 

i AM neither. ” 

Believe them — a wooden mallet was 

needed to get the cylinder open. 

Except One Thing 

My only complaint about CCI factory 

handgun shotshells is strictly 

opinion. I think for the most part the big 

bore ones use shot too large for the purpose. 

For .22s and 9mm they use #12 

and #11 shot respectively. Then they go 

to #9 for everything else. Over a quarter 

century back I landed a single bag of 

#12 shot and used it exclusively for my 

snake loads. It works wonderfully for 

our prairie rattlers and they don’t even 

squiggle after blowing a cloud of #12 

into them. Admittedly, however, it may 

be too small for some of those monster 

size rattlers found in warmer climates. 

In fact the rattler that prompted this 

article was larger than we normally see 

around here. I didn’t feel over-gunned 

with the CCI .44 Spl/Mag rounds with 

#9 shot, although it did squiggle around 

a bit after being shot. They have never 

done that when hit with #12 shot. 

Snake- lovers and greenies may 

abhor my killing of rattlers. I am neither. 

Some well-intentioned souls have 

even suggested I relocate them. First, 

many people get snake-bit by trying to 

handle the things. That will never be my 

fate. And second, this area is populated 

enough that moving a rattler will just 

make it someone else’s problem. 

For the continued safety of my 

wife, myself, our livestock and our 

treasured pets I shoot every rattlesnake 

encountered around here, all the while 

leaving harmless reptiles to go on their 

way. CCI shotshells and Speer plastic 

shot capsules allow me to do that in 

what I consider the safest 

possible manner. 

* 


com/cci-ammunition, (866) 286-7436 


Connect the dots. 

Really fast. 

In the dark. 

Ad-Com night sights. 

Genuine Novak night sights. 

New Meprolight night sights for semi-automatic pistols. 

(888) 243-4522 

© 2011 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Information and specifications 

are for reference only and subject to change without notice. 

New Ad-Com (Adjustable Combat) night sight sets combine 

the enhanced performance of an adjustable rear sight with 

Meprolight ® brightness. They are the perfect size for smaller 

pistols from Glock, H&K and Kahr, as well as the Springfield XD. 

Genuine Novak ® night sight sets fit Colt, Taurus and Springfield 

1911 pistols, plus the Taurus 24/7. Modifications – if required – 

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and 20% brighter than other brands, Meprolight is the right 

sight in any light. 


kimberamerica.com

HORNADY 

LOck-N-LOAD 

cLASSIc kIT 

GET STARTED 

IN RELOADING! 

Everyone has their own reasons 

for handloading. Come to think 

about it, you really don’t need a 

good reason. Thirty years ago, 

when I first started loading, economics 

played a major factor. Back in 

the day, I also hunted with a wildcat 

cartridge. With no factory offering 

available, I had no choice but to load 

my own. Many shooters like the 

ability to tailor a specific load delivering 

superb accuracy from a particular 

firearm. Hunters find it gratifying to 

take game with ammo they’ve made 

themselves. It’s just plain satisfying to 

reload, regardless of the reason. 

I have some friends who are reluctant 

to jump into reloading. They 

know me and should realize if I can 

safely load accurate ammunition, 

anybody can! The Hornady Lock- 

N-Load Classic Kit is a great way to 

get started. This well-thought-out kit 

makes getting into reloading simple. It 

includes a single stage press, powder 

measure, digital scale, three Lock-N- 

Load die bushings, primer catcher, 

priming system, handheld priming 

tool, reloading block, chamfering and 

deburring tool, powder trickler and 

funnel and a can of case lube. It’s virtually 

everything you need. 

One of the most important items 

in the box is Hornady’s Handbook 

of Cartridge Reloading. I would 

strongly suggest to read this book 

— twice. It’s loaded with valuable 

information and truly provides 

a great resource for shooters. This 

informative manual clearly provides 

step-by-step instructions taking the 

handloader through each phase of the 

process. It’s a most comprehensive 

1,080 pages of useful data; so light up 

A cartridge tray with cases 

ready for powder moves to the 

correct position for charging. 

hornady’s kit has the essential 

bits for reloading. 

a good cigar and enjoy the reading. 

Yes, there’s a lot of free reloading 

information on the Internet. Be very 

cautious using this information with 

specific loads. Unlike the internet, the 

Hornady 8th Edition Manual is packed 

with solid, tested, evaluated and 

proven data you can take to the bank. 

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up 

another reloading manual or three and 

read them front to back too. They’re all 

full of info which just may keep you out 

of problems down the road. 

Setting Up 

Once you break open the kit and get 

your bench organized, you’ll need a 

set of dies (to form the cartridge you 

choose), shellholder for the appropriate 

cartridge, calipers, cases, bullets, primers 

and powder. The Hornady Reloading 

Manual will help direct your selection 

process with the components. As you’re 

skills and interests change, you’ll likely 

want to purchase additional accessories. 

One of the neatest features in this 

MARk HAMpTON 

“ Unlike the internet, the hornady 8th hornady’s unique Lock-n-Load bushing system 

allows you to change from loading one cartridge 

to another, or one die set to the next stage. 

edition ManUal is packed with solid, 

tested, evalUated and proven data yoU can take to the bank. ” 

Resizing 

(returning the 

cartridge case to 

proper dimensions) 

can be accomplished 

during the same step 

as you de-prime the 

case. the hornady 

Manual explains this 

process in detail. 

A caliper will assist the handloader in many ways. 

checking the cOL (cartridge overall length) for the 

particular bullet/cartridge is essential. it’s all listed 

in the hornady handbook. 

kit is Hornady’s unique bushing 

system letting you change dies painlessly 

with a twist of the wrist. Simply 

insert a standard die into the Lock-N- 

Load bushing, put the bushing into 

the press and lock it with a twist. It’s 

held in place with locking lugs. After 

adjusting your die to the proper position, 

lock your setting with Hornady’s 

Sure-Loc ring. When you want 

to change calibers, just twist the die 

and remove and insert your next preset 

Lock-N-Load die and bushing. The 

positive locking action holds the dies 

securely in perfect alignment. Whoever 

came up with this innovation 

deserves the gold star! 

The Lock-N-Load Classic Kit from 

Hornady makes taking that first step 

into reloading simple and easy. The kit 

is a bargain — the personal satisfaction 

is free. You’ll wonder why 

you didn’t get started sooner. 

* 

For more info: (800) 338-3220, www. 

americanhandgunner.com/hornady 


Lion’s 

Lair 

Jeremy D. Clough 

Inside Col. Jeff 

Cooper’s Sconce 

I 

t’s difficult to overstate the significance 

of Col. Jeff Cooper’s contribution to the 

handgun field. From creating the Leatherslap, 

the first practical shooting match, to the 

development of the Modern Technique of 

the Pistol, and later the founding of Gunsite Academy, 

up until his death in 2006, Col. Cooper was one of 

the paladins of the field, and his shadow stretches far 

across the landscape of the pistolero. A man of eclectic 

tastes, who prided himself as a great appreciator of 

things, there is one place where Cooper’s disparate 

interests can best be seen — in his home, the Sconce. 

Defined as — among other things — a “fortified 

defense,” or a defensive work built to defend a particular 

point, the house Cooper designed and built 

stands at Gunsite, where it commands the entrance 

into the shooting school. Maintained as something of 

a museum, the Sconce is still inhabited by his wife, the 

Jeff and Janelle cooper on the terrace of the elegant Janelle Cooper, who, along with their youngest 

Sconce. Designed by the late col. Jeff cooper, daughter, Lindy Wisdom, was kind enough to take me 

his home stands near the entrance to Gunsite on a tour during a recent trip. 

Academy, where it remains as a memorial to the 

The Sconce 

founder of the Modern technique of the pistol. 

Photo courtesy Mrs. Janelle Cooper. Designed to be imminently defensible (Cooper’s 

The 


Left: Written in Old english, this quote, which dates from AD 991, translates as: “Will shall be the sterner, heart the bolder, spirit the greater, as our 

strength lessens.” Or, in cooper’s apt paraphrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Right: cooper was nothing if not well read. 

A student of history — he held a Master’s in history — his library is well-stocked with volumes on military history. 

“Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture,” contained in 

To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth, are revealing), 

one of the most distinctive architectural elements of the 

Sconce is its use of bastions. These are fortified corners of 

the house, with the sides of the house slightly set in, similar 

to a tray ceiling, so that almost the entire outside of the 

house is visible through the narrow, arrow-loop-like windows 

in the bastions. Defensible, indeed: when you knock 

at the front door, you’re being covered from the rear by a 

window in the kitchen. 

The main floor contains sleeping quarters, as Cooper suggested, 

separated from the rest of the house by a lockable 

iron grate — as well as the open living room, dining room 

and kitchen. A massive central fireplace dominates the main 

wall and the stern visage of a mounted kudu looks down over 

the broad mantel. The mantal is carved with the Old English 

words “Hige sceal pe heardre, hoerte pe cenre, mod sceal pe 

mare, pe ure maegen lytlab,” which Cooper so aptly translated 

as “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” 

A Roman gladius hangs on one side of the stone fireplace; a 

fencing saber on the other. 

A spiral staircase in the living room leads up to the 

crow’s nest Cooper used as an office, and down to the 

library and gun room below. The floor-to-ceiling shelves 

are packed with neat rows of books — all sorts of 

books, from military history to leather-bound copies of 

Hemingway that gleam in the afternoon light coming in 

through the grated windows. 

Entering the gun room is almost solemn; through the 

massive bank vault door, into the room, stepping carefully 

around the lion skin on the floor, to the bench running around 

two sides of the room. The walls contain the guns we’ve all 

seen in his writing: his Bren Ten and Scout Rifle, along with 

“Baby,” the .460 with which he doubled on Cape Buffalo 

on his 67th birthday. Several sabers lean in a corner near his 

1911s, along with that rarest of the matador’s trophies, the 

tail of a fighting bull. The walls are covered with photos and 

posters, some foreign — such as the period map of the Soviet 

Union — and other mementos gathered during a life devoted 

to guncraft. 

I can never say I knew Cooper — a fleeting handshake 

at the SHOT Show barely counts as having met him — but 

wandering through his house, surrounded by those things that 

shaped the man who shaped our field, one begins to 

understand him better. Understand — and appreciate. 

* 

Special thanks to Janelle Cooper, Buz Mills, Jane Anne 

Shimizu and Lindy Cooper Wisdom. For those interested 

in learning more about Cooper, his books, and his biography, 

written by daughter Lindy Wisdom, are available 

from Wisdom Publishing, as well as the biographical DVD 

entitled Jeff Cooper: A Man in Full which serves as a good 

introduction to this most fascinating man. For more info: 

www.americanhandgunner.com/product-index 

Left: cooper’s interest in firearms was wide and varied, but he is best remembered for his passionate advocacy for the colt 1911 .45: “if you 

want to win — in a hard fought match or on the street — this is the gun you will carry.” Right: the crow’s nest, reached by a spiral staircase 

in the living room, served as cooper’s office. With windows on all four sides, it has a commanding view of the area. 


Model 

1908 

Here’s a name to remember: 

Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose. 

Way back in 1898, his first 

pistol had a turning-bolt locking 

system and a hold-open after the 

last shot. Many years later, both 

features were used in the marvelous 

Auto-Mag, the Desert Eagle and the 

Wildey. In 1902, he designed one of 

the first successful heavy machineguns. 

Finally, in 1908, there was a compact 

.32 Auto pistol of very unusual design. 

The breech face was a solid part of 

the frame, and in the firing sequence, 

the combined barrel and slide went forward, 

not to the rear. A fixed extractor 

held the fired case, and, in effect, the 

chamber was pulled away from it. A lug 

on the barrel-slide unit kicked out the 

empty and started the next round from 

the magazine, to be chambered as the 

unit came back to the rear. 

This “blow-forward” system is 

not often seen in auto-pistol design. I 

can think of a couple — the Japanese 

Hino-Komuro, and one early Mannlicher. 

Firing the Schwarzlose with regular 

.32 Auto rounds, the solid breechface 

makes the felt recoil a little brisk. 

An odd little aftershock occurs as the 

The SchwarzloSe 

J.B. Wood 

Shooting An old-timer 

the Schwarzlose Model 1908 was 

a “blow-forward” design! in this 

posed photo with an inert round, 

the slide/barrel unit is coming back 

from forward position to scoop the 

cartridge into the chamber. 

barrel-slide unit returns to the rear. 

My Schwarzlose has never failed 

to function perfectly. The forwardlocated 

grip safety can be locked out 

of operation via a latch on the left 

side. In 1911, the firm sold the manufacturing 

rights (and the remaining 

parts) to Warner Arms Corporation 

of Norwich, Conn., and they made 

it in the US for a short time. The 

original German pistols are notable 

for a marking on the right side of the 

frame, a nice rendition of the 

Schwarzlose machine gun! 

* 


The Micro Mag 9mm/22 TCM Standard model delivers blazing 

performance using a .22 caliber bullet that travels at over 2,000 fps. 

The gun is outfitted with an original Armscor cartridge creating excellent 

muzzle energy and light recoil making this a unique high-capacity pistol. 

The Micro Mag also comes with a 9mm barrel for added flexibility. 

CHECK OUT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE AT ARMSCOR.COM

Springfield 

Armory ’ S 

D-S 


XD-S 

Hah! Here’s proof His 

Illuminated Editorial 

Immenseness Roy-Boy 

actually reads my stuff! 

In the July/August 2012 

issue I mentioned I 

don’t like those teensytiny, 

mini-micro .380 pocket pistols, 

period. I compared `em to crazed goldfish 

tryin’ to squirt outta my hands, 

and I’ll add this: They’re like crosses 

between piranha and lamprey eels, 

because they bite AND they suck. My 

next call from El Roi went like this: 

“I’m sending you a pistol (snickersnicker 

chuckle). Shoot it, group it, 

write it up and send it back pronto — 

in one piece (suppressed guffaws). 

You’re gonna love it. It’s very, very 

John Connor • Photos:Chuck Pittman,Inc. 

A Superb .45 ACp 

CoAt-poCket CAnnon 

little (hyena-like laughter). No, it’s tiny, 

and feather-light, and the best part? Oh, 

it’s powerful! ENJOY!” Maybe he had 

more to say, but he then descended into 

breathless chokin’ cackles and hung up. 

Truthfully, I wasn’t looking forward 

to this. I’ve shot several compact and 

sub-compact .45s and haven’t liked 

shooting any of them, for many of the 

same reasons I don’t like the 9.5-ounce 

.380s. They serve their purpose, but 

dang, they point poorly, bite, squiggle 

and tend to choke. I’ve carried a bulkier 

.45 of roughly equal weight to the XD-S 

as a backup for eight years. But I only 

shoot it twice annually, to clear its 

throat and assure it runs right, because 

it’s manifestly UNpleasant to shoot! 

I figured the XD-S could be, at best, 


Springfield Armory 

XD-S 

’ S 



D-S 

“ 

another pocket-rocket that’s an effective 

“niche-filler” but nothin’ to love. 

Bustin’ The Rules 

I don’t think “professional gun 

writers” are supposed to spill the beans 

this early in an article, but make you 

wait for it. I’m not a PGW, so I can. The 

joke is on The Joker: True, the XD-S 

is little, slim, short, light and powerful, 

but she shoots like a spotted puppy. 

Stable and comfortable in the hand, she 

points true, shoots straight, functions 

smoothly and consistently, carries safely 

and easily, and every feature works as it 

ought. Felt recoil is a push, not a blow, 

and she’s commendably controllable. 

The XD-S is the best-behaved production 

.45 pistol under Commander size 

and less than 33 ounces I’ve ever shot, 

period. How’s that? It’s okay; you can 

keep reading if you want. 

One caveat/qualifier: My Uncle John 

taught me when somebody says a gun 

“functioned flawlessly” you should 

My uncle John taught me when somebody 

says a gun “functioned flawlessly ” 

you should squint one eye and 

suck on a block of salt. 

” 


squint one eye and suck on a block of 

salt. “Functioned flawlessly after what?” 

he would ask. My experience generally 

with light, small pistols has been at the 

least, they need and benefit from a thorough 

break-in. This T&E gun was one of 

the original handful in existence offered 

for shootin’ during “Media Day at the 

Range” the day before SHOT Show 

2012. It’s unknown how many shooters 

put how many rounds through it. 

I ran 110 to 120 rounds through 

her for chrono, groups and function 

testing, then 270-280 more for fun! This 

included four flavors of premium ammo, 

two cheap foreign makes and some 

grungy old US military ball. I shot her at 

all angles, including upside-down, softgrip, 

limp-wrist, and as fast as I could 

pull the trigger. She never coughed or 

choked; never even failed to go fully into 

battery or completely chamber a round 

from a full magazine when the slide was 

(improperly, in my opinion) closed using 

the slide stop. That, my friends, is “flawless, 

with a qualifier.” Now let’s look at 

her from the top down. 

Ergo Stuff 

The sights are excellent! Up front 

SPECS 

caLiBer: .45 acP 

caPaciTy: 5+1 roundS or 7+1 

WeigHT unLoaded: 21.5 ounceS 

BarreL: FuLLy SuPPorTed ramP, meLoniTe 

SigHTS: STeeL 2-doT rear, FiBer oPTic FronT 

SLide: Forged STeeL 

Frame: BLack PoLymer, enHanced griP TeXTure 

magazineS: STainLeSS STeeL, SingLe STack 

overaLL HeigHT WiTH STandard magazine: 4.4" 

overaLL LengTH: 6.3" 

overaLL WidTH: 1" 

mSrP: $599 

is a replaceable red fiber optic pipe in 

a stout post-topped housing, while the 

rear sight is a sloped-front, anti-snag, 

high visibility twin-dot type, both of 

real steel in dovetail slots. Thanks, 

Springfield! They’re fast on pickup, and 

capable of a precise sight picture as 

well. Mounted as far forward and rear 

as possible, they maximize sight radius. 

Point-of-aim/point-of-impact is set for 

25 yards, but this will vary somewhat 

with the ammo used. 


AVERAGE VELOCITIES (fps) 

Load Xd-S 3.3" Xd TacTicaL 5" 

BLack HiLLS 230-gr JHP 804 899 

FederaL Premium 230-gr 848 945 

TacTicaL Bonded JHP 

corBon 160-gr dPX 1,090 1,197 

SPeer 230-gr goLd doT JHP 794 879 


Les Baer’s hot new .38 Super Stinger model 

offers a commander-sized slide 

(called the commanche) mated 

with a short, Officer’s Acpsized 

frame — it’s accurate, 

reliable and hard-hitting! 

Belts by 

Andrews 

custom 

Leather. 

38 

roy HUNtINGtoN 

Les BAer cUstoM 

I 

’ve enjoyed being in this 

stiNger! 

suPer 

even, 

correct wear 

on the barrel shows 

the bushing is fitted 

well. this view is after 

our testing, firing a bit 

over 500 

rounds 

total. 

great industry for over 

30 years now, and one of 

the best things about it 

are the people involved. 

Sure, the guns and gear 

are fun, but it’s the 

people who make it animated. To say 

I’ve met some colorful characters is to 

sorely understate things, but that’s what 

keeps us all coming back for more. A 

new gun is just a hunk of metal, plastic 

and wood. But combine it with the 

designers, manufacturers, marketers and 

legions of others involved — and suddenly 

everything becomes much, much 

more interesting. 

Among my very favorite characters 

(Yeah, that’s right Les, you’re a certified 

character …) is Les Baer. Les is an 

irascible, talented force to be reckoned 

with, possessing unquenchable drive 

for quality that, simply put — can’t 

be stopped by anything. That drive for 

quality shows in the Les Baer Custom 

lineup of products. Something of note 

is the fact if you bought two Baer 1911s 

of the exact same model, you’d end up 


Being all-steel (our test gun 

is hard-chromed), the Stinger 

weighs in at a stabilizing 35 

ounces. knife is the Spike by 

knives of Alaska. 

with two guns with exactly the same 

performance and standards. The same 

legendary lock-up, same appealingly 

predictable accuracy and the same fit 

and finish. In short, you get what you 

pay for, every time, and you can take 

that to the bank with you. 

Some have called Baer guns “production” 

or “semi-production” guns — 

but they aren’t. They are true custom 

guns, each built one at a time, from 

slides and frames Les actually does 

build in-house, and each one overseen 

ruthlessly by Les himself. Frames are 

hand-fit, barrels are hand-fit, bushings 

are hand-fit and everything has to meet 

exacting standards. Guess who sets 

those standards? By the way, Les even 

typical groups hovered around 1.5" or a bit less. in a rest, the Stinger would likely shoot well 

under 1" at 25 yards. Roy was able to easily hit his 100-yard gong off-hand with it. 

An extended ejector and neatly lowered and flared ejection port helped 

the .38 Super Stinger to run 100 percent during our tests. 

Sights are Baer’s 

Deluxe combat 

with tritium inserts. 

note the high-riding 

beavertail grip safety. 


the Stinger gobbled up everything we fed it, but 

definitely liked the corBon 125-gr. Jhp load the best, 

although accuracy with every load was still excellent. 

you get .357 Magnum ballistics out of some loads. 

takedown is classic 1911 

and you’ll need a bushing wrench. 

Lock-up is tight, but manageable. the 

frame/slide fit is a delight to behold. 

test-fires each gun personally. 

If I tell a reader asking for advice 

on selecting a 1911 to check out Les 

Baer Custom (along with other makers) 

— if they buy from Baer, I invariably 

hear back from them saying how pleased 

they are with their new gun. With some 

other makers, it’s sometimes a catch-ascatch 

can. Sometimes the reader is happy 

— sometimes they’re not. To me, it’s 

significant when repeat customers 

of a maker are disappointed in a 

new gun that doesn’t match the 

performance and workmanship of 

a previous one they bought — from 

the same maker. And that’s 

the rub. Consistency in 

quality and performance 

is what sets a maker — 

custom or not — from the 

competition. Les Baer Custom 

offers consistency. 

The Super 

Les phoned me, excited 

about a new model he was 

offering. “I know you like 

the .38 Super,” he said, “I got a 

new gun, the .38 Super Stinger. It’s built 

on my Commanche slide and what is 

essentially an Officer’s-sized frame. I’m 

real proud of it, and it shoots 

like hells-afire.” 

A bit of obligatory history 

here. The .38 Super 

each Baer 1911 is 

hand-checkered by the 

same craftsman in 

the Baer shop. Safety 

fit was excellent 

with positive “onoff” 

movements. 

was developed in the late 1920s from 

the Colt .38 Auto. The Super got about 

1,280 fps from a 130-gr. FMC bullet 

while the .38 Auto managed about 

1,000 fps with the same bullet weight. 

Cops liked the Super because it had a 

better chance of penetrating car bodies 

and the early body armor bad guys 

were beginning to wear. When the .357 

Magnum came out in the middle 1930s, 

cops switched to the more powerful 

round, and the .38 Super sort of never 

recovered, although it’s been cataloged 

ever since in one form or another. 

While early guns headspaced on the 

“semi-rim” of the .38 Super case, that 

was an iffy proposition and accuracy 

there’s no full-length 

recoil guide rod, the muzzle 

is carefully crowned correctly 

and the bushing needs just a “touch” 

from a bushing wrench to move. 


suffered, casting a cloud over the Super. 

And that was a shame since it’s actually 

a very nifty round. Once Barstow 

made barrels allowing the case to headspace 

on the case mouth, and pistolsmiths 

began to understand the cartridge 

better, accuracy and reliability jumped 

into the modern age. When the competition 

gamesmen adopted the Super in the 

early 1980s, interest really took off, and 

the rest has been history. 

Today, a modern .38 Super is every 

bit as reliable and accurate as any .45 

ACP, and offers higher capacity, higher 

velocity, less recoil and more controllability. 

It’s also a true straight-walled 

case, so is a breeze to reload. Les realized 

all this, and took his existing “Stinger” 

package (an all-steel .45 ACP based 

on that same Commanche and smaller 

frame) and chambered it for the .38 

Super. He also made sure it was chambered 

correctly in order to wring out the 

potential accuracy of the .38 Super. 

So while I had him on the phone, I 

asked Les if I could borrow a .38 Super 

Stinger. He said, “Well, why the hell do 

you think I called you!” Vintage Les. 

Mechanics 

Les did me a favor and sent my test 

gun with a hard chrome finish. The Baer 

hard chrome is the best I’ve seen, and 

I’ll confess I have no idea who does 

it for him — but it’s always simply 

beautiful. I also like the old-school, 


Once the bushing is 

matched to the gun, 

the last three digits 

of the gun’s serial 

number (155 in this 

case) are engraved 

onto the bushing. 

Set on top of Roy’s 5" thunder Ranch Special, also from 

Les Baer custom, you can see the shorter slide and grip 

frame of the Stinger allows the 5" to peek out (red arrows). 

les bAer Custom 

cALIBer: .38 sUPer 

HeIGHt: 5" 

FrAMe/sLIDe: cArBoN steeL oAL: 7.9" 

FINIsH: test GUN: HArD WeIGHt: 35 oZs. 

cHroMe ( ALso BLUe or 

DUPoNt s) 

stocKs: cocoBoLo 

BArreL: 4.25" 

trIGGer: s/A, 4-PoUND PULL 

MAG cAP: 8-roUND WItH 

BAse PAD 

AccessorIes: coMes WItH 

tHree stAINLess MAGs 

sIGHts: 3-Dot BAer DeLUXe 

coMBAt W/trItIUM 

MsrP: $2,495 

An ambi-safety is standard, along with a host 

of custom touches like tritium sights, and 

carefully fitted components. 


eLoadinG eQUipMent reLoadinG eQUipMent reLoadinG eQUipMent 

WorkinG 

a 

during a reloading session with 

the 10mm Auto, I ran across an 

interesting observation from the 

loading bench. We often hear 

the old adage from car companies to 

buy original equipment parts. Computer 

peripherals seem to work best when the 

same brand is applied, and a Nikon lens 

makes that Nikon camera do everything 

it should. In reloading equipment, the 

same basic reasoning holds true as well. 

While American manufacturers of 

reloading equipment have a gentleman’s 

agreement on interoperability, 

advantages can be gained from working 

within a family of tools from one manufacturer. 

This allows for the unified 

engineering efforts of some very bright 

individuals in this industry using minimum 

tolerances, yielding maximum 

results from our components. 

A bench supporting all of one manufacturer 

also eases the road to finding an 

answer when a kink in the loading process 

occurs. A customer service department 

having direct knowledge of all the 

tools involved can quickly diagnosis the 

dilemma. This is especially important 

in the matters of datum line headspace, 

as the contact of the shellholder against 

the bottom of the die sets this critical 

dimension. Each manufacturer has their 

own algorithms for determining just how 

much bump is needed based on caliber 

and brass spring-back to attain proper 

dimension to fit a minimum chamber. 

The company will build 

their shellholder depth 

into this formula. This 

is not to say one 

each 

maker 

has their 

own take on 

the engineering 

details of their 

products, like this 

die from Redding. 

Buying your gear from 

one maker to help with 

maintaining continuity. 

FaMiLy 

oF tooLs 

shell-holder from 

another maker 

will not work with the dies of 

the other. However, with a tight 

chamber, a mismatched 

combination may not get 

you that last thousandth 

needed for the completed 

round to load properly. 

Expander buttons and straight wall case 

expander dies are another area where 

each manufacturer has their own beliefs 

on what constitutes proper size. 

Consistency 

Without diving deeply into 

technical discussions, Redding 

has made my life easier 

loading the 10mm Auto 

with their family of equipment. 

Take their heavy-duty 

turret T-7 reloading press for 

example, which limits handling 

and maintains a consistent 

setup. This style of 

press provides the strength 

and accuracy of a single stage 

press while allowing you to 

have seven dies set. 

With the 10mm project, 

I had four Redding titanium 

carbide dies needed in the 

turret and went through the 

process, only handling the 

Starline cases two times. No 

die changes were needed. Not 

what you would call truly 

progressive, but truly precise, 

one-at-a-time loading. Powder dispensing 

was also precise with their 

Model 10X mounted in a Redding 

Bench Stand, then checked on a Redding 

2400 powder and bullet scale. All 

the equipment compliments each other. 

We all have our favorites in the 

field of reloading equipment. When 

searching for the most consistent and 

accurate loads possible, sticking with 

one brand may 

have advantages. 

Mark 

HaMpton 

* 


com/redding-reloading, (607) 753-3331 

the 10x powder 

dispenser worked as 

part of this “family” 

of Redding reloading 

products. 

Mark used 

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t-7 press 

to help 

develop 

loads for 

his 10mm 

project. 

the case neck gauge 

helps to maintain consistency 

when loading for 

accuracy and reliability. 


WORLD 

BEATER 

BLADEs 

esee 

KNIves 

here is no substitute for experi- 

t 

ence.” Nowhere is this truism 

more critical to the welfare 

of our nation than in the fight 

against the evil forces the 

world dishes out. In the case 

of ESEE Knives they’ve walked the 

walk, from taking down drug lords in 

the jungles of Peru to fighting enemy 

soldiers in the hot sands of the Middle 

East. While testing and expert experience 

are a given among most knife 

manufacturers, very few can match the 

hard earned pedigree from which ESEE 

Knives were borne. 

Jeff Randall — survivalist, adventurist, 

instructor and entrepreneur — 

PAt covert 

PHotos: cHUcK PIttMAN INc. 

and longtime business partner Mike 

Perrin are the brains and sweat behind 

TransEquatorial Solutions, Inc., the 

parent company to ESEE Knives and 

Randall’s Adventure and Training. Jeff 

tells Handgunner, “Randall’s Adventure 

& Training was started in 1997 as a 

jungle survival school for individuals, 

pilots and military personnel needing 

specific terrain/environment training. 

During that period we signed a contract 

with the Peruvian military to run our 

students through their special operations 

jungle survival course. After that 

contract ended we continued with our 

school using Peruvian Special Forces 

and American instructors teaching 


Real-woRld 

expeR\ence 

jungle survival. The gear line and ESEE 

knives was born from that experience, 

training and activities. 

“During that time we have trained 

and worked with some of the top military 

and law enforcement teams in South 

America,” continues Randall, “including 

the Jungla Air Assault Commandos of 

Colombia. We’ve been involved in a 

little bit of everything from blowing up 

cocaine hydrochloride labs in FARCcontrolled 

territory in Colombia, to 

training Latin American police and military 

with special teams from the United 

States. We also provide gear and training 

to teams and individuals in the United 

States. Much of our gear is being used 

to fight the War on Drugs both stateside 

and below the border, as well as military 

units around the globe. We have also 

provided logistical support and organization 

for film crews from Discovery and 

the Travel Channels.” 

Randall’s venture into designing hard 

use cutlery predates the ESEE name. 

Several years prior he was the inspiration 

behind the RAT Cutlery brand 

produced by Ontario Knife Company. 

“When we changed our name from RAT 

Cutlery to ESEE,” says Jeff, “it was 

done to avoid confusion between the 

Ontario Knife Company RAT line of 

knives, which we designed. Ontario continues 

to produce a line of knives that we 

endorse and work with them on.” 

As to how the company got its name 

he explains, “ESEE is an acronym that 

describes what our training company 

was built around. The ES in ESEE 



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4 

6 


WiN! 

HANDGuN OF THE MONTH 

LeS 

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totAL vALUe: over $3,000! 


ENTEr ONliNE WWW.AMEricANHANDGuNNEr.cOM 

to enter BY mAil: Send a postcard (no envelopes, please) and follow the sample shown below to AMERICAN HANDGUNNER, 

Dept. H3, P.O. Box 501377, San Diego, CA 92150-1377. All entrIes must be reCeIved before APrIl 30, 2013. 

reAder surveY Questions: 

1. Do you carry concealed? A) yes, at all times. B) Sometimes c) never, but wish i could! 

2. how often do you use the internet? A) More than once a day. B) Once daily. 

c) A few times per week. D) Seldom or never. 

3. Do you own a polymer pistol? A) yes B) no 

4. Do you frequent any full-service gun stores in your area? A) yes B) no c) none are close to where i live. 

5. Do you wear tactical clothing? A) yes, often or sometimes. B) no, never. 

WINNERS CHOSEN BY RANDOM DRAWING. Limit one entry per household. To protect the privacy and security of winners, their names will NOT be made public. Contest void 

where prohibited by law. Winners must undergo a background check and comply with all other federal, state and local laws. Taxes and fees will be the responsibility of the 

winner. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Employees and agents of Publishers’ Development Corp. are not elegible. No purchase necessary. Winners will be notified by 

certified mail on official letterhead. Attention deployed military: use stateside address! Giveaway guns and accessories may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor 

handling marks. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. The Gun of the Month package is awarded only to the entrant drawn and will not be awarded if the firearm 

presented is illegal in the jurisdiction of the winner. An alternate, authorized winner will be selected. No substitutions or transfers to a third party are allowed. 

TO ENTEr: 

scAN WiTH 

YOur MOBilE 

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Bonus 

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3 

the quality, innovation and 

performance Davis Leather 

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over the past 40 years! 

the belt is double-thick, 

C 

heck out the feature in this issue on our Les Baer .38 Super 

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gun may be blued), you can be assured the performance will 

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ciRcLe AnSWeRS tO ReADeR SuRVey: 

Question #1: (A) (B) (C) Question #2: (A) (B) (C) (D) 

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If I win, please ship my prize through: 

Dealer ___________________________________ 

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Phone ( ) ____ - ________ Store hours __ am __ pm 

• 30 LPI checkered frontstrap 

• tuned for reliability 

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• Sharp edges broken for easy carry 

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• three 8-round stainless steel .38 Super mags 

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Should Political 

RefugeeS Be aRmed? 

ameRica haS Plenty of them 

When a ruthless dictator seizes 

control of the power structure 

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to flee. They pack up their meager 

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thugs along the way, or the new 

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It seems impossible for that to happen in our great nation, but increasingly, 

people are fearful it could occur. Certainly, American Indians faced 

it. Preppers, people who plan and prepare for catastrophe, with escape 

routes memorized, are increasing in number. Even mainstream TV is 

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assortments and other survival gear that used to be the bailiwick of deepend 

tin-hat survivalists. Hey, having at least some bottled water, flashlights, 

canned goods and a battery-powered radio is a basic requirement for any 

sensible person living in the world today. 

But I’m concerned here with a softer type of refugee. I’m concerned 

with increasing migration within the US, of people moving away from 

where their right to keep and bear arms is seriously infringed, to a place 

where that precious right is held in high esteem and well protected. I’m 

talking about armed political refugees within America. 

We have a supply of them here in Arizona. People who are proud to 

have left behind the highly repressive regimes in their home states for 

the relatively free air of constitutional carry in the Grand Canyon State. 

My good friend Charles Heller, formerly of Chicago, where even getting 

a firearm is a bureaucratic entanglement defying freedom, arrived here 

knowing and proclaiming he was a political refugee. That had an impact 

on me. And he has had a significant impact on Arizona. Arizona is arguably 

the gun friendliest state in the Union. 

Ultimately, this is about federalism, that brilliant idea of the Founders to 

make us subject to two sets of law instead of one. By being a citizen of both 

the nation and the state you are in, you have choice. Your feet can vote. 



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AyooB FILes 

Continued from page 22 

He broadcasts over his radio that have 

been fired, and gives the location. 

As Smith does so, gunman Ryan 

Carey turns his attention to another 

target, the female officer in the lead 

patrol car, who has also come to a stop 

after hearing the shot. She twists in the 

driver’s seat to reach for her own AR-15 

in its rack when a powerful 7.62x54mm 

Russian bullet — roughly the equivalent 

of an American .30-06 — crashes 

through the rear doorpost and window 

of her driver’s door, passing through 

the passenger compartment. Had she 

still been in the upright driving position 

behind the steering wheel, it would 

have gone squarely through her brain. 

Instead, her movement in reaching for 

her patrol rifle has pulled her barely 

inches out of the bullet’s lethal path. 

Mandie Rudolph pulls her car forward 

more, then exits the vehicle, rifle 

in hand and running toward the danger. 

Behind the house, sprinting himself, 

Brent Smith hears her report on the 

radio that gunfire has struck her police 

vehicle. And, he knows, Officers Moertl 

and Polishinski are racing toward the 

scene to assist. 

It’s a big house, and a long way 

to run, and things are happening fast. 

What Smith, on the opposite side of 

the building, cannot know at this point 

is Ryan Carey has emptied his boltaction 

Mosin-Nagant rifle. The wouldbe 

cop-killer has run inside the building, 

dumped the empty Mosin, and grabbed 

another gun, a WWII-era bolt-action 

Yugoslavian carbine. It is fully loaded. 

He emerges, hunting for new targets. 

As he does so, Officer Brent Smith 

has cleared the corner at the rear of the 

building. Approaching that corner, he 

has been concerned the ambusher might 

be there waiting for him, and has visualized 

himself jamming the muzzle of his 

patrol rifle into the man’s sternum. 

But instead, what he sees is down 

the side of the building, 50 feet away, 

is a man moving from the garage in 

front of the house, holding a long gun 

with a wooden stock. The man appears 

to move toward Smith, then suddenly 

pivots back toward the street, as if to 

shoot at a target there. 

The man with the gun is turning it 

toward the position where Smith last 

observed Officer Mandie Rudolph, 

whom he knows this gunman has 

already shot at once. There is only one 

thing left that can be done to stop him. 

End-Game 

Brent Smith raises his AR-15, looks 

through the large rear aperture and puts 

the post front sight center on the gunman’s 

torso, bringing the trigger straight 


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back. It seems to take forever for the 

rifle to fire, and when it does, Ryan 

Carey jerks his shoulders as if in an 

exaggerated shrugging movement, and 

totters a couple of steps back. Smith, 

seeing his target still up and running and 

armed, fires a second shot, and a third. 

After some five steps, Carey collapses. 

Smith sees him fall out of sight between 

two cars in the driveway. 

Smith moves cautiously forward, 

rifle still up, cognizant the man who 

has fallen may not be the only threat 

present. He hears Rudolph ask him over 

the radio if he’s okay. Smith responds 

he is, and the suspect is now down 

and out of sight in the driveway. He 

broadcasts a request for a rescue unit, 

advising they stage out of range until 

the danger scene has been cleared. 

Smith sees Officer Polishinski enter the 

yard, and together they approach the 

downed suspect. The gunman is lying 

still, supine, his rifle still in hand. Smith 

reaches down and pulls the weapon 

from the man’s limp grasp. By now, the 

other two officers are there, too. 

The suspect is handcuffed and 

searched. The downed man is unresponsive, 

and two of the officers begin 

cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. One of 

those officers is Jason Moertl. The other 

is Mandie Rudolph, trying to save the 

man who moments before came within 

inches of blowing her brains out. 

Smith knows his patrol rifle has 

become evidence. It’s already on 

safe. Now, he begins to unload it. He 

removes the magazine, and then realizes 

he has become so clumsy he can’t 

clear the chamber. He turns the Colt 

AR over to Officer Corey Polishinski, 

who extracts the chambered round, and 

retrieves it as evidence. 

Sergeant Wolfgang Gieske has 

arrived and takes command of the scene, 

making sure his people are all right and 

giving his Automatic Electronic Defibrillator 

to Officers Rudolph and Moertl, 

who are still working feverishly to try to 

save the gunman’s life. Firefighter paramedics 

arrive simultaneously. One of 

them asks, “Where’s the victim?” 

“Don’t call him that! Your patient 

is over there,” snaps the wise sergeant, 

who knows the difference. 

Short-Term Aftermath 

Ryan Carey did not survive. He was 

hit by a single round, almost certainly 

the first one Smith fired. Stumbling 

back from the hit apparently moved 

him out of the path of Smith’s next two 

shots. The bullet had entered the right 

of the gunman’s rib cage, blasting the 

liver apart and lacerating the diaphragm 

before it lodged, mushroomed, in the 

opposite side of the chest wall. The 

Federal 55-gr. softnose had performed 

exactly as designed, and had shed only 

three grains of its mass. 

Ozaukee County District Attorney 


Sandy Williams delivered a memorandum 

of closure on the case on 

November 21. Noting that Ryan 

Carey had tried to shoot three people, 

including two police officers, before 

Smith’s bullet put him down, the report 

stated, “Ryan Carey was shooting into 

an open area within the neighborhood 

and there were numerous residents 

present in their homes, as well as when 

he first began shooting there was even 

a child outside in the yard by the location 

of Ryan Carey. Had Officer Smith 

not fired his firearm stopping Ryan 

Carey, Ryan Carey would have continued 

shooting and continued to put 

numerous people at risk of death and/ 

or grave bodily harm. Officer Smith 

needed to fire his firearm to terminate 

Ryan Carey’s actions for the protection 

of his fellow law enforcement officers 

who were at the scene, specifically, 

Officers Rudolph, Polishinski and 

Moertl. His actions are also justified in 

the protection of the other neighbors 

within their residences.” 

Her movement in 

reaching for her patrol 

rifle has pulled her 

barely inches out of the 

bullet’s lethal path. 

The memorandum concluded, “An 

individual has the right and it is legally 

justified to use lethal force if it is to 

protect the life of others. These events 

of Nov. 9, 2008 rose to the level of 

Officer Brent Smith being justified in 

killing Ryan Carey. These findings by 

no means diminish the tragedy of Ryan 

Carey being deceased; his behavior and 

actions of November 9 th was the catalyst 

for why Officer Brent Smith needed to 

take the action he did.” 

The family of the deceased was at 

first concerned that excessive force 

might have been used on their loved 

one. At least one family member asked 

why police couldn’t have just wounded 

him. Mequon police officials gently 

explained the reality of the situation, and 

shared the investigative file with them. 

There were no further complaints from 

the family, and no lawsuit was ever filed. 

The issue patrol rifle used in the 

shooting was, of course, taken in evidence. 

So was Officer Smith’s department 

issue Glock 22 pistol, along with 

all 46 rounds of Federal Hydra-Shok 

.40 ammunition on his person that were 

in the gun and his two spare magazines. 

This is routinely done to allow for a 

complete investigation which rules out 

any other guns at the scene having been 

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fired. Mequon PD policy wisely provided 

the officer be furnished with a 

replacement gun as soon as his duty 

weapon was taken, and this of course 

was done. History shows without this 

step, disarming the officer after a lineof-duty 

shooting is perceived as an 

unnecessarily punitive act. 

Brent Smith phoned his wife Mary at 

the first opportunity, to explain what had 

happened. When he got home, he was 

met with a big hug and comforting support. 

The next day, when they brought 

their 7- and 9-year-old kids to school, 

they sat down with the prinicipal to 

make sure the children weren’t harassed 

by schoolmates who might have heard 

of the shooting on the news. A trip to 

church and a conversation with their 

pastor proved reassuring, too. 

The investigation continued. On 

Brent’s end, the detectives from the 

Bureau of Criminal Investigation were 

very professional, but it was still an identity 

crisis for a cop to be interrogated 

in the death of a citizen, however much 

Brent knew the protocol was necessary. 

It produced a nagging sense of “Do they 

think we did something wrong?” 

On the other end, investigators discovered 

Carey had spoken of suicide 

by gun, and had once said he was likely 

to die in a shootout with police. They 

learned in the days before the incident, 

he had been “putting his affairs 

in order” and looking up old, long-lost 

friends. It was classic “departure ritual” 

indicative of intent to commit suicide, 

but no one in Carey’s circle who noticed 

it recognized the syndrome or did anything 

about it. Most of the investigators 

came to believe Ryan’s death was 

“suicide by cop.” Apparently wanting 

to have company in death, or hoping to 

go out in a blaze of glory, he had fired 

deliberately at Officer Rudolph, and 

come terribly close to killing her. 

Brent found himself slacking off on 

activity at work, and becoming irritable 

at home. He finally sought counseling, 

and was soon back on track in 

both environments. 

Lessons 

Studies show it is more likely than 

not that any of us will experience 

altered perceptions in an incident such 

as this. One of the most common is 

auditory exclusion: When he came 

under fire from a loud high-powered 

rifle, Brent saw the muzzle flashes but 

did not hear the gunshot reports after 

the first one. Tachypsychia, the sense 

of things going into slow motion, happens 

more often than not: Brent was 

consciously aware of that “slowdown” 

from the moment the first shot 

was fired, and though he was sprinting 

full-speed at points thereafter, he told 

American Handgunner he felt as if he 

was “moving through molasses.” As 

he fired, the shot sequence seemed to 


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be happening in achingly slow motion; 

after the first discharge and his target’s 

body jerking in reaction, there was time 

for him to think, “Holy shit! You just 

killed this guy!” The next two shots 

seemed like slow fire to him, as well. 

Yet every other witness reported him 

firing a fast, uninterrupted volley of 

gunshots. The tachypsychia did not pass 

until the incident was over. 

He told American 

Handgunner he felt as 

if he was ‘moving 

through molasses.’ 

The patrol rifle was the right tool 

for the job, and it accomplished the 

necessary task. Brent was shooting 

with iron sights in imperfect light, 

just before sundown, yet he put the 

first shot exactly where he carefully 

aimed it from a distance of approximately 

50 feet. Would a red-dot optic 

have allowed him to better track the 

moving target and hit him with the two 

follow-up shots? It’s a possibility, but 

we’ll never know for sure. As a direct 

result of this incident, Mequon Police 

patrol rifles were equipped with Sure- 

Fire WeaponLight fore-end attachments, 

and with EOTech optical sights supplemented 

with backup iron sights. 

Equipment analysis encompasses 

more than guns. The map the officers 

looked at left them with the wrong 

impression of where the house in question 

actually was, leading Rudolph and 

Smith to enter the danger zone sooner 

than expected, resulting in the nearlethal 

ambush. Mequon patrol cars at 

the time did not have air cards to allow 

officers to instantly download updated 

maps onto their onboard computers. 

Today, they do have that potentially 

life-saving capability. 

Having to kill in the line of duty 

can take an emotional toll on even the 

most well-adjusted police officer. After 

Brent’s experience, he advises other cops 

to seek competent counseling sooner 

rather than later, as a proactive measure. 

Brent Smith’s strongest take-away 

from the incident was his admiration 

for the courage, dedication, and professionalism 

of his peer officers, especially 

Mandie Rudolph. Her ears ringing from 

the murderous gunfire that had almost 

claimed her life, she had coolly broadcast 

her situation as she moved her squad 

car out of the line of fire, then grabbed 

her rifle and ran to the sound of the guns, 

and finally, tried to save the life of the 

man who had nearly killed her. 

All four officers had courageously 

responded to deadly danger, 

and they had done their duty. 

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sIXGUNNer 


octagon barrels, one in 71/2" and the 

other 10". They have also been tuned 

by master single-action sixgunsmith Jim 

Martin, who also fitted them with onepiece 

mesquite grips. To add icing to the 

cake these .44-40 sixguns are also fitted 

with .44 Special cylinders, allowing a 

lot of room for experimentation. With 

either cylinder, both of these sixguns 

are excellent shooters. 

In the movie Tombstone Kurt Russell, 

as Wyatt Earp, uses a 10" Buntline Special 

with a special medallion on the right 

grip frame. This sixgun was provided by 

Cimarron Firearms and since the movie, 

has been available to shooters. For me 

the 10" balances much better and handles 

much easier than the 12" Colt Buntline 

Special. It also shoots exceptionally 

well. In fact, I have probably experienced 

at least 100 replica sixguns in the 

past 35 years or so, and I have yet to find 

one that doesn’t shoot well. This speaks 

very well of the Italian firearms industry. 

Stainless 

Most importers are now offering 

stainless steel Single Action Army replicas, 

however it was Cimarron Firearms 

which led the way. Why stainless 

steel in a traditional single action? As 

an outdoor finish it’s pretty hard to beat 

stainless steel. Also I like to shoot black 

powder loads, and although cleanup is 

not as tedious as some would have us 

believe, it still requires more care than 

when using smokeless powder loads. 

Stainless steel is not only easier to 

clean, it also makes it easier to see the 

places that remain to be cleaned. 

Cimarron is importing Uberti-manufactured 

stainless steel Model Ps in 

.45 Colt in the three standard barrel 

lengths of 43/4", 51/2", and 71/2". I have 

been shooting a pair of 71/2" .45s for 

nearly 10 years now. My almost perennial 

complaint about all replicas is the 

grade of wood used in the stocks. The 

grips are just about perfect as to shape 

and size and they are well fitted to the 

frame, however the color and finish is 

just not quite right. 

For my pair of 71/2" stainless steel 

Cimarrons I selected antique faux ivory 

stocks from Buffalo Brothers. One is 

fitted with stocks with a Longhorn steer 

skull on both sides, while a double 

Mexican Eagle decorates both panels of 

the other. The combination of polished 

stainless steel and antique ivory is most 

pleasing to the eye and the carving on 

the grips provides a comfortable nonslip 

surface for the hands. 

S&W Arrives 

More than two decades ago Navy 

Arms gave us the first Smith & Wesson 


eplica, with the Schofield Model. 

These Top-Breaks hearken to 1875 

when the originals were chambered in 

.45 S&W, a shorter cartridge than the 

.45 Colt. Today’s versions are mostly 

chambered in .45 Colt, however .45 

S&W/Schofield ammunition is available 

from Black Hills, and Starline offers 

brass to allow more authentic shooting 

of this excellent sixgun. My pair is 

fitted with Buffalo Brothers grips. 

The Schofield was the beginning 

S&W replica. Next came the New Model 

Russian chambered in, what else, but the 

historic and magnificent .44 Russian. 

The Navy Arms New Model Russian 

— or Model 3 Russian — is a faithful 

copy of the original, finished overall in 

a deep blue-black finish set off with a 

case-colored hammer, trigger guard and 

locking latch. Factory stocks are smooth 

European walnut, however while quite 

comfortable do not add anything to the 

appearance of this fine replica sixgun. 

This was however quite easily corrected 

with a pair of Eagle’s UltraIvory grips 

which, when combined with the dark 

finish of the .44 Russian, provides an 

appearance which is quite striking. 

All original .44 Russian brass is of the 

folded head, or balloon style originally 

used with black powder. I believe the 

manufacture of this brass stopped either 

just prior to or shortly after World War II. 

Now 60-plus years later, Starline offers 

solid head .44 Russian brass for ammunition 

companies as well as reloaders. 

Black Hills was the first to offer modern 

.44 Russian ammunition, with a 210-gr. 

load clocking right at 750 fps. 

Changes 

Cartridge-firing, big-bore sixguns 

arrived shortly after the end of the Civil 

War. First came the Smith & Wesson 

American Model #3 in 1870. Colt followed 

with the 1871-72 Open-Top and 

then the Single Action Army in 1873. 

Remington followed with the Model 

1875 two years later, with a large contract 

of 10,000 pieces for the Egyptian 

government. The 71/2" 1st Model 1875s 

were chambered in .44 Remington, however 

it was joined by both the .45 Colt 

and .44-40 in 1878 and both of the latter 

are available today in replica form. 

The Remington Single Action Model 

1875 looks much like a Colt but there 

are differences. The grip frame of the 

Remington is part of the main frame, 

resulting in a more solid and possibly 

stronger sixgun. The triggerguard is 

brass, separate from the main frame, 

and it does not form part of the front 

grip strap as on the Colt. The Remington 

achieves its unique appearance from a 

web under the barrel running from the 

end of ejector housing to the front of the 

frame, and the cylinder pin also runs all 

the way to the end of the ejector tube. 

Navy Arms was the first to offer the 

1875 replica and I acquired a pair of 

71/2" nickel-plated versions more than a 

quarter-century back. These were chambered 

in .45 Colt and .44-40. I had both 

of them fitted with rifle style front sights 

with a gold bead and used the latter for 

spotlighting jack rabbits when it was 

still possible to get a permit to hunt our 

southern desert. 

In later years I have added a third 

.45 Colt 71/2" Remington 1875 from 

EMF, another excellent shooting sixgun 

which has been fitted with Texas Star 

checkered faux ivory grips from Buffalo 

Brothers. We not only have replica 

1875 Remingtons available but 

we also can enjoy shooting the 1890s 

version which has a more streamlined 

web under the barrel. A pair of these in 

.45 Colt with 53/4" barrels and Buffalo 

Brothers antique-looking, faux ivory 

grips, complete with age cracks, are 

most attractive and good shooting pair 

of single actions. 

Enjoy today’s excellent classic 

sixgun copies and don’t let the fact 

they’re not “real” stop you. They’re 

very real — and any old-west cowboy 

would have been proud to 

own one. 


com/product-index and click on a company 

name. 

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sPrINGFIeLD XD-s 


The rear slide serrations are deeply 

grooved and they wrap over the top 

edge of the forged steel slide — a real 

plus for grip, especially since the slide 

is only .9" wide. The finish is black 

Melonite, an extremely tough, durable 

treatment seeing more use now. The 

barrel, also Melonite-coated, is just 3.3" 

long, but check the data on velocity 

and accuracy compared to that of an 

XD 5" Tactical — you might be surprised. 

Slotted into the top of the slide is 

a loaded chamber indicator which lifts 

up at an angle providing both visual and 

tactile cues. It’s a nice feature. I recommend 

if the indicator is up and says 

“loaded,” assume it is. If it lies flush 

and says “empty,” assume it might be. 

A “false negative” may seem mechanically 

impossible, but still. 

The slide stop is almost flush with 

the slide and frame, which I appreciate 

both for its lack of unnecessary 

protrusion and because it discourages 

use of the slide stop as a slide release. 

Although the captive dual recoil spring 

is strong, driving the springs to maximum 

compression, especially with 

shorter slides and barrels, either “slingshot” 

style or overhand, better assures 

sure feeding and solid chamber lockup. 

Springfield calls the grenade-style 

checkering of the polymer frame 

“enhanced grip texture.” Call it what 

you like, “knobbly” or whatever, it’s 

excellent, and an order of magnitude 

better than that of my XD Tactical. The 

effect is very “grippy” without feeling 

rough, or promising to shred fabric like 

a rasp. The front of the triggerguard 

is textured too, in case you use that 

gripping technique. There are dished 

thumb rests and magazine releases on 

both sides. 

The design incorporates different 

thicknesses of user-changeable grip 

panels, though none were available with 

our test sample. A single-slot accessory 

rail will accommodate whatever lights 

or lasers you can find small enough to 

fit. I put a Uni-Max Micro laser from 

LaserMax on it. It was a perfect fit, and 

didn’t extend beyond the muzzle. Keep 

in mind though, if you carry the XD-S 

loose in a pocket, most lights or lasers 

could be unintentionally activated. A 

laser glowing through fabric draws 

attention. A light creating a smokin’, 

flaming pocket gets even more. 

Like all XDs, the XD-S has a grip 

safety. Funny thing about that: I’ve 

failed to engage a 1911’s grip safety 

more than a few times, and I prefer a 

raised ridge or “memory bump” on ‘em 

for that reason. I never failed with the 

XD-S grip safety, though I tried it from 

all semi-reasonable angles with “hasty 

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grabs.” I think the grip’s dimensions 

simply make it easier to get an “encompassing” 

grip on the XD-S. 

Overall height from the top of the 

sights to the bottom of the standard 

magazine base pad is only 4.4", and 

front grip strap height is commensurate. 

That means folks with big mitts like 

mine will only get a full 2-finger grip 

with a bit of third-finger contact. Guys 

with more elegant biscuit-grabbers and 

ladies might be able to get a 3-finger 

grip. More on that later, okay? 

Triggers And Carryin’ 

The trigger of this striker-fired 

cannon is the sandwich type, so the 

inner trigger has to be depressed to 

release the trigger safety — the second 

element of a trio of safety mechanisms, 

the third being a firing pin block. The 

pull is longish and heavy, measuring 

seven pounds on a Lyman electronic 

gauge, compared to 6.2 pounds on 

the XD Tactical. If that turns you off, 

remember the length and weight of the 

pull combines with the grip safety to 

make it a very, very safe pistol to dump 

in a pocket. Trigger reset, however, is 

short and sweet — and really pays off 

in rapid fire. 

Carrying the XD-S in a pocket holster 

would be preferred, but I tested it 

(unloaded, of course) by just dumpin’ it 

in several different pockets and vigorously 

gnarfling it, clumsily squeezin’ 

it in a process I call “moron manhandling.” 

No dice, no “bang”; not even 

close. I guess you’ll need a bigger 

moron — if you can find one. 

XD-S magazines are single-stack, 

hold five rounds each, and appear very 

well made. They fed smoothly into the 

mag well, locked up tight, and dropped 

free. While testing the XD-S, I was 

wishin’ for an extended mag with a 

“sleeve” to match the grip frame, to 

allow me a 3-finger grip. As I write this, 

Springfield is offering a 7-round mag 

with a grip-matching extended base! 

Ham-handed shooters, rejoice! 

Field stripping and maintenance is a 

snap. Go to Springfield Armory’s website 

and download the XD-S Operation 

Manual if you want a preview. 

Powder And Paper 

I hit the range with the XD-S and 

her big brother, the XD Tactical 5", 

and shot all protocols with both. Fully 

loaded, the XD-S weighs 25.9 ounces; 

the XD Tac tipped 42.4 ounces. Felt 

recoil was less with the hefty XD (can 

we say, “Duh”?) — but recoil effect was 

less with the XD-S! By effect, I mean 

muzzle flip and induced movement of 

the pistol in the hand. The XD-S sights 

were much more visible, significantly 

faster on pickup, and the combined 

effect translated to the ability to get 

back on target faster with the XD-S. 

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than the XD Tac, and far better than my 

other lightweight .45. Why, I can’t say 

with certainty, but I’m bettin’ on these 

factors: The grip of the XD-S is superior, 

due to its dimensions and texture. 

The center axis of the bore is lower and 

closer to the hand. I have no way of measuring 

tech-stuff like “recoil moment,” 

harmonics etc., but whatever the XD-S 

has — juju maybe? — it works. 

An illustration: In 1-handed rapid 

fire at 7 yards, shots from the XD 

Tac strung out further and were more 

dispersed than those of the XD-S. 

“Strings” from the XD Tac ran upward 

and veered right. Part of this was 

because the XD Tac shifted slightly to 

muzzle-right in my hand. XD-S strings 

ran two-thirds that height and veered 

slightly left. I think this was because I 

over-corrected a little against muzzle 

movement. The rest? Go figure. 

I shot no groups with a mechanical 

rest or stabilized from a bench — 

because it’s a defensive pistol. You can 

keep all shots in a silhouette’s head at 

25 yards, using two hands and slowcadence 

fire. At 10 yards 2-handed, 

slow-fire, 6-round groups averaged 2" 

to 2.5" with the XD-S and 1" to 1.75" 

with the XD Tactical. In rapid fire at 

seven yards, most groups from both 

guns could be covered with your palm. 

This is confidence-inspiring, gunfightwinning 

performance. 

CorBon’s 160-gr. DPX Compact 

Gun Load was the most comfortable 

to shoot, followed by Speer Gold Dot 

230-gr. JHPs, while Black Hills 230-gr. 

JHP and Federal Premium 230-gr. Tactical 

Bonded JHPs pushed the hardest, 

still completely manageable. All are 

very accurate and effective loads. 

Extraction was uniformly sure, and 

ejection was smart to 3 o’clock, tossed 

about 7-9 feet. 

The Wrap: Get One! 

My impressions of the XD-S were 

so positive I called our pal Ed Head, 

retired Border Patrolman and long-time 

instructor and rangemaster at Gunsite. 

He’s a hardcore 1911 man cast in the 

Jeff Cooper mold and a gimlet-eyed gun 

critic. I knew he had also shot a first-run 

XD-S for review, and half expected him 

to tell me, “Ya moron! It’s okay, but 

…” Instead, I got “I could shoot that 

puppy all day — for fun! And it ran 

perfectly; digested everything I fed it!” 

Well, ditto, Ed. He sadly returned his 

sample and placed an order. I did too. 

That’s the wrap, folks. 

Final note: My test XD-S came in a 

box with nothin’. You lucky ducks — 

and me too! — will get a nice case, a 

holster and mag pouch and 

assorted goodies. Connor OUT 

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stands for Escuela de Supervivencia 

(school of survival) and the EE stands 

for Escape and Evasion, which we teach 

to select groups of students on some of 

our jungle courses.” 

Made In The USA 

Randall’s years of experience operating 

in harsh, unforgiving environments 

have given him a no-nonsense approach 

to designing cutlery. For knife steel Randall 

didn’t turn to the laboratory gurus 

who rush to bring the latest blend of 

stainless steel to market. These ubersteels 

serve a good purpose in driving the 

technology end of the cutlery industry, 

but they add a lot of expense to the cost 

of a knife and most cannot be sharpened 

in the field without special diamond or 

ceramic sharpeners. Lose your exotic 

sharpener in the field and you’re stuck 

with a very expensive pot-stirrer. 

When Randall formed the company 

he was hell bent on manufacturing his 

ESEE designs in the USA, and to do 

so he teamed up with Rowen Manufacturing 

of Idaho. ESEE knives utilize 

tried and proven 1095 steel, a nonstainless 

high carbon alloy that’s been 

around over 100 years. According to 

Jeff, “Carbon steels have been slicing, 

cooking, chopping and killing around 

the globe for eons. It works, it holds 

a great edge and takes an extremely 

good heat treat, thus providing flexibility 

when tempered properly, and 

Rowen is probably the best in the business 

at heat treating 1095. Sure, it will 

rust, but in the real world rust doesn’t 

keep it from doing what it’s designed 

to do. Exotic steel for the common user 

knife is simply not needed in the field. 

If you don’t believe that then travel to 

a Third World country where living 

by an edge is a daily affair and not a 

Walter Mitty lifestyle. Most every knife 

used by these professionals in the jungles 

and other remote locales is made 

from carbon steel. Simply put, it works 

without the extra costs associated with 

bells and whistles.” 

Straightforward Designs 

Randall eschews chi-chi styling for 

straightforward, common sense design 

geared more for effectiveness than winning 

beauty pageants. His customers — 

many of whom are armed forces — are 

serious users who sing ESEE’s praises 

on high from the backwoods to battlefields. 

No matter whether you like your 

knife large or small or somewhere inbetween, 

there’s something for everyone 

in the company’s line. You’ll notice 

all ESEE knives have versatile drop 

point blades for versatility and all are 

flat ground for a hard working, durable 


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edge. Micarta is the standard handle 

material, with G10 substituted in certain 

cases. All knives are serially numbered 

at the factory and come with versatile 

Kydex sheaths. 

The mega-sized 16.5" ESEE Junglas 

lies somewhere between a Bowie camp 

knife and a machete with the cahones 

to serve as either. The Junglas (pronounced 

“hoon-glas”) is named after 

the Columbian Airmobile Interdiction 

Jungla Program, formed by the British 

SAS in 1989 as an elite, special forcesstyle 

drug fighting team. While most of 

us will probably never experience the 

jungle wilds, the Junglas will serve you 

well as a shelter builder, bush whacker, 

food preparer for large groups and 

butcherer of large game. 

ESEE’s main line is a series of 

drop points ranging from 6" down to 

3". The cult favorite is the ESEE-5, a 

nice handful of drop point with quarterinch 

thick blade steel, nicely sculpted 

Micarta handles and a glass-breaker on 

the butt serving double duty as a wicked 

skull cracker. The smaller ESEE-4 

and 3 models can perform a myriad of 

roles from everyday carry to light field 

chores and serious skinning. If you want 

more blade, the ESSE-6 obliges with 

an increase in blade length and slightly 

thinner blade steel than the 5. Blades 

can be had in basic black, OD green, 

desert tan or a zombie-killing bright 

venom green. 

If light, concealed carry is your bag 

ESEE’s neck knives will fill the bill. 

The hugely popular Izula — 6.25" 

overall with a 2.88" blade — is skeletonized 

for light weight with a large 

hole at the base where you can add a 

neck cord, lanyard, or small carabineer 

for optional carry. A handled version, 

the Izula II, is also available, and ESEE 

also offers a survival kit especially 

made for the series. A scant 5.13" in 

length, the Candiru neck knife is the 

smallest in the company’s lineup. Both 

knives can serve self-defense duty as 

well as utilitarian chores such as light 

food prep and skinning. 

Beyond The Call 

ESEE is serious about their knives and 

their customers. “Our customers like the 

simplicity and usability of our knives,” 

Jeff relates. “They also appreciate the fact 

the owners of the company are interactive 

with them via forums, phone, email 

and trade shows and have a genuine 

caring for every end-user in the field. 

Not to mention we have a ‘no questions 

asked’ replacement warranty that is transferable 

and never needs a sales receipt.” 

Sounds like a winning formula to 

us! ESEE sells through dealers only, 

so call, e-mail, or visit 

their website. 

* 


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THE SURVIVAL STAFF 

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Handmade for 25 Years 

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always had a rifle on a couple of pegs 

over the front door, where she could 

easily grab it. This came in handy more 

than once when a semi-lubricated ranch 

hand rode by and decided to pay a visit 

on the lonely lady. 

Eventually she married my grandfather, 

who had homesteaded the next 

claim over. He wasn’t much of a shot, 

so used a shotgun instead of a rifle. This 

made a lot more sense than attempting 

to use a handgun. Times grew tough 

during the Depression and they often 

spent most of the week apart, my grandmother 

teaching at various country 

schools and my grandfather working 

for Wells Fargo, both in the office in the 

nearest town and serving as fill-in driver 

for stagecoaches. 

Yes, they still used stagecoaches in 

certain parts of the West through the 

1930s. Hay and horses were cheaper 

than cars and gasoline, and horses 

and wagons often more reliable, especially 

on what passed for “roads” back 

then. When newly stationed at another 

school, my grandmother would wait 

until an adult human wandered near, 

then take her Winchester pump .22 and 

start tossing empty cans in the air and 

filling the cans with new holes. Word 

got around quickly and nobody bothered 

her except on legitimate social visits. 

Some Handguns 

Some people could actually hit 

stuff with handguns. The “big” local 

town was Lewistown, the home of Ed 

McGivern, author of Fast and Fancy 

Revolver Shooting. When my father 

attended high school in Lewistown, 

McGivern gave demonstrations of his 

handgun skills at the school. Just try to 

arrange that these days, even in Montana. 

My father talked about watching 

McGivern shoot pennies out of the air 

— but he also mentioned that before the 

book came out and McGivern became 

semi-famous, some people thought Ed 

could have saved a lot of ammunition 

(something quite valuable during the 

Depression) if he’d just used a rifle. 

The one positive story my father 

told of any revolver shooting (that is 

to say, practical revolver shooting) did 

involve a grizzly bear, apparently the 

last bear in the Judith Mountains. Two 

cowboys were out looking for a deer, 

maybe legally and maybe not, when a 

big male grizzly thought they got a little 

too close to where he was chewing on 

a dead cow. Only one of the hunters 

had a rifle, perhaps because only one of 

them could afford ammunition. The guy 

with the .30-06 panicked and ran, but 

the other cowboy drew his Colt singleaction 

and started putting lead into the 

grizzly. The bear knocked him over and 

for a moment the cowboy thought he 

was dead, since everything went black. 

It turned out everything went black 

because the dead bear lay on top of him. 

My father eventually bought his own 

Colt single-action, a Frontier Scout 

.22. He never shot any game with it, 

but liked to plink empty cans on Saturday 

afternoons (though on the ground, 

not thrown in the air). I inherited the 

Scout and carried it as a side-arm on 

quite a few big game hunts, giving the 

coup de grace to a few deer and elk, 

Almost all humans stand a much better chance 

of stopping a charging bear with a rifle in their 

hands, rather than a handgun in a holster. 

and shooting an occasional mountain 

grouse. Eventually, however, I found it 

just as easy to shoot off grouse heads 

with a .270. I still carry a .22 handgun 

sometimes when hunting antelope in 

eastern Montana in years when cottontail 

rabbits are abundant. Shooting a 

rabbit in the head with a .270 usually 

means losing the front half of the rabbit. 

I’m no Ed McGivern, but my father 

would probably think I waste far too 

much handgun ammo, especially on 

small varmints like prairie dogs. My 

handguns also get used on the occasional 

doe deer. The hunting area next 

to my little town is full of whitetails, 

but due to the proximity of the “city” 

limits we’re only allowed to use shotguns, 

muzzleloaders with round ball, 

and “traditional” handguns. Since most 

deer live in the thickest cover, it’s just 

as easy to take them with my Ruger 

Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt as a 

scattergun or muzzle loader, although 

I have hunted with all three. Quite a 

few moose live down there as well, and 

someday I’ll draw a tag and Bisley-a- 

Bullwinkle, though a .270 would be 

more practical. 

Scoped Handguns? 

A few Montanans do use those longbarreled 

scoped “handguns” favored 

by a few hunters, though many other 

Montanans wonder why they don’t just 

go ahead and use a real rifle. I’ve shot 

prairie dogs out to around 400 yards 

with my friend Rod Herrett, using his 


scoped bolt-action pistols. Indeed, they 

are interesting little buttstock-free rifles. 

I do own a Thompson/Center Contender, 

but no handgun barrels over 10" 

in length. Mostly I shoot Contenders as 

carbines, with rifle barrels. 

I also own defensive handguns 

chambered for rounds such as the .357 

Magnum and .40 S&W, and am pretty 

competent with them. They’re handy 

to carry in certain situations, but aside 

from one coyote put down with the .357, 

I have yet to use them on anything practical. 

There’s also a Taurus .44 Magnum 

that fits into a nifty custom shoulder rig 

made by leather-worker Norm Schertenleib 

of Great Falls. Norm makes these 

rigs for fly-fishermen, so we can cast 

and yet remain armed against varmints. 

I have no illusions of stopping a grizzly 

with the .44, mostly because if grizzlies 

are a problem I don’t fish there. But it 

would work on a mountain lion or a 

2-legged varmint, for sure. 

Maybe handguns are the primary arm 

in certain parts of the country, particularly 

those urban jungles where they’re 

often “controlled.” But out here in Big 

Sky Country, a lot of us still think of 

handguns as sidearms, just as Elmer 

Keith did. He loved sixguns, but freely 

admitted they were only truly handy 

when you couldn’t get your hands on a 

rifle or shotgun. A lot of us still 

look at it that way. * 


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variety with both front and rear being 

set in a dovetail, and the rear sight is 

fully adjustable. As 3-dot sights go, they 

are excellent. The aluminum slide has 

grooves on both sides below the front 

and rear sight for ease of operation of 

the slide. 

The stainless steel barrel does not 

move, but is fixed to the frame. Takedown 

is quite easy with the takedown 

latch found in front of the trigger. 

When this is opened 90 degrees downward, 

the slide can be retracted and 

lifted off the frame. This is a double 

action pistol for the first shot, and then 

single action for following shots. The 

ambidextrous safety is easily reached 

with the thumb. Shooting the SR22 is 

most pleasurable as this is a fun pistol, 

which feels good in the hand, points 

naturally, and shoots well. 

Lightweight 1911-Style 

Years ago in a major departure from 

their standard semi-auto pistols, Ruger 

began offering the 22/45 which, as the 

name implies, is a .22 with a .45 feel. 

This is a another polymer-framed gun 

and the original version had an integrally 

molded grip frame without grip 

panels. Today’s version, the 22/45 Lite, 

not only has grip panels they are basically 

the same size as grip panels found 

on 1911s. The original 22/45s also had 

a steel upper, however the “Lite” comes 

from the fact this newest version has a 

lightweight barrel. Actually the barrel 

is a steel liner within an alloy shroud. 

With its 4" barrel the 22/45 Lite weighs 

in at a feathery 22 ounces. 

The upper of this .22 is a light goldcolored 

finish, and it mates up nicely 

with the flat black of the mainframe. 

Grips are double-diamond checkered 

rubber, with a Ruger medallion in the 

center of each panel. More and more 

shooters are going to suppressors, and 

this Ruger is threaded to accept a suppressor 

and features a round nut at the 

end of the barrel to protect the threads 

when not in use. Amusingly, Ruger 

never says the “suppressor” word, but 

simply says the barrel is threaded for 

“muzzle accessories.” 

Sights are excellent, with the front 

sight being a post on a ramp and 

held to the barrel with a screw, while 

the rear sight is fully adjustable for 

windage and elevation. They are bold, 

square and black, just the way I like 

them. The top of the barrel shroud 

is tapped for a scope mount, which 

comes as standard equipment. For 

some reason the scope mount is about 

an eighth of an inch too long to fit in 

between the front of the back sight 

and back of the front sight ramp which 


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variety with both front and rear being 

set in a dovetail, and the rear sight is 

fully adjustable. As 3-dot sights go, they 

are excellent. The aluminum slide has 

grooves on both sides below the front 

and rear sight for ease of operation of 

the slide. 

The stainless steel barrel does not 

move, but is fixed to the frame. Takedown 

is quite easy with the takedown 

latch found in front of the trigger. 

When this is opened 90 degrees downward, 

the slide can be retracted and 

lifted off the frame. This is a double 

action pistol for the first shot, and then 

single action for following shots. The 

ambidextrous safety is easily reached 

with the thumb. Shooting the SR22 is 

most pleasurable as this is a fun pistol, 

which feels good in the hand, points 

naturally, and shoots well. 

Lightweight 1911-Style 

Years ago in a major departure from 

their standard semi-auto pistols, Ruger 

began offering the 22/45 which, as the 

name implies, is a .22 with a .45 feel. 

This is a another polymer-framed gun 

and the original version had an integrally 

molded grip frame without grip 

panels. Today’s version, the 22/45 Lite, 

not only has grip panels they are basically 

the same size as grip panels found 

on 1911s. The original 22/45s also had 

a steel upper, however the “Lite” comes 

from the fact this newest version has a 

lightweight barrel. Actually the barrel 

is a steel liner within an alloy shroud. 

With its 4" barrel the 22/45 Lite weighs 

in at a feathery 22 ounces. 

The upper of this .22 is a light goldcolored 

finish, and it mates up nicely 

with the flat black of the mainframe. 

Grips are double-diamond checkered 

rubber, with a Ruger medallion in the 

center of each panel. More and more 

shooters are going to suppressors, and 

this Ruger is threaded to accept a suppressor 

and features a round nut at the 

end of the barrel to protect the threads 

when not in use. Amusingly, Ruger 

never says the “suppressor” word, but 

simply says the barrel is threaded for 

“muzzle accessories.” 

Sights are excellent, with the front 

sight being a post on a ramp and 

held to the barrel with a screw, while 

the rear sight is fully adjustable for 

windage and elevation. They are bold, 

square and black, just the way I like 

them. The top of the barrel shroud 

is tapped for a scope mount, which 

comes as standard equipment. For 

some reason the scope mount is about 

an eighth of an inch too long to fit in 

between the front of the back sight 

and back of the front sight ramp which 


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means the front sight must be removed 

to use the scope base. However, if you 

want to keep the iron sights in place 

and still mount the scope base it is 

only necessary to mill enough material 

off the front of the base to allow it to 

fit in place. 

There are large serrations on both 

sides of the “slide” with three below 

the rear sight and five below the front 

sight. It’s a real temptation to grasp 

these and try to retract the slide, but 

of course it’s not a slide as on a conventional 

1911, but stationary, with the 

slide accessed at the rear. These large 

serrations may not serve any purpose 

except lightening the barrel shroud, 

however they are quite attractive. 

The safety, slide stop and magazine 

release are all on the left side of the 

22/45 Lite just as they are with standard 

models. Two magazines are supplied 

with this 22/45. I thought I really 

liked the SR22, and I do, however I like 

this one even more. The traditional grip 

frame feels good in my hand, and the 4" 

barrel is just a little bit easier to shoot. I 

bought ‘em both! 

In testing these two lightweight .22s 

I found the 22/45 was most accurate 

shooting American Eagle HPs, CCI 

Mini-Mag HP and Winchester Super-X 

High Velocity HPs with all groups right 

at 1". The SR22 is not quite as easy 

for me to shoot with its slightly shorter 

barrel, however CCI Blazers shot into 

less than an inch. 

Stainless Vs. Weather 

Ruger’s third entry into the trail gun 

category is a double-action all-stainless 

steel .22 revolver. With its 4" heavy 

barrel and shrouded ejector rod this one 

weighs in at 29 ounces so definitely 

does not pack as lightly as the others. 

This is Ruger’s latest version of the 

SP101, complete with an 8-shot cylinder. 

Grips are excellent, consisting 

of wraparound rubber fitting over the 

frame stud and have very attractive 

checkered wooden panels inlet into the 

rubber. The grip is on the smallish side 

but feels very comfortable. 

Sights are a combination consisting 

of a fully adjustable black rear sight 

matched with a green fiber optic front 

sight set in a dovetail. I like this setup 

much better than three dots (more on 

this shortly) and I really like the way 

the front sight matches the rear sight 

notch. Even if the fiber optic should get 

broken, there is still enough of a frame 

on that front sight to make it usable. 

This may not be a Super Redhawk 

but it’s probably just as rugged, and 

with its all-stainless steel construction, 

ready to face any weather. The most 

accurate loads I’ve found for this little 

sixgun are American Eagle HPs and 

Winchester Power Point HPs. The easiest 

ammunition to find around here is 

American Eagle, so it’s an extra added 


onus when it shoots well. 

I have previously covered the Ruger 

Single-Ten so here I’ll just point out 

I decided to swap out the 3-dot fiber 

optic sights, so I ordered regular 

Single-Six black sights. It took less 

than two minutes to install them and 

I was rewarded with groups 30 to 40 

percent smaller with the new sights. 

I’ve been shooting Single-Sixes for 

more than 50 years and I like them 

all, and in fact have put back three 

51/2" Super Single-Sixes for my three 

grandsons. However this one is fast 

becoming a favorite. What’s not to 

like with all steel construction and a 

10-shot cylinder? That’s double the 

capacity of my first Single-Six in 1956 

(loading it correctly with 5+ an empty 

chamber). At 36 ounces it’s definitely 

quite a bit heavier than the other three 

here, however I can put up with the 

weight to carry such a fine single 

action .22. 

The most accurate loads with the 

new sights installed proved to be American 

Eagle and Federal Classic HPs, 

which are also easily available locally, 

both at under 1" for nine shots, while 

CCI Mini-Mag HPs, CCI Stingers and 

Remington Yellow Jacket HPs were just 

over 1". It’s not always easy to find .22s 

that with shoot these latter two hypervelocity 

rounds well. 

A Long Barrel 

I will close by mentioning one other 

Ruger .22 Trail Gun, the 91/2" Single-Six 

with two cylinders, in .22 Long Rifle 

and .22 Magnum. With its long barrel 

it certainly is not as easy to pack as any 

of the others however it fits nicely into a 

backpack or rides well in a half-flap belt 

holster I made up several decades ago 

for long-barreled single actions. I mention 

this sixgun for the simple reason 

it’s the closest to a rifle while still being 

relatively easy to carry. 

Using the .22 Magnum cylinder 

gives a muzzle velocity increase of 600 

fps or more over .22 Long Rifle rounds. 

This not only gives flatter trajectory but 

significantly increased killing power 

on varmints up to and including coyotes 

in size. In testing this brand-new 

production gun I used 13 different .22 

long rifle loads and nine .22 Magnum 

loads. The long barrel Rugers are the 

easiest for me to shoot, however results 

were quite astounding, as both loads 

with both cylinders averaged 7/8". 

The smallest for the Long Rifles was 

5/8" while the smallest Magnum load 

grouped at 3/4". The largest loads measured 

out at 11/4" and 1" respectively. At 

my age these are most joyful groups. 

I hope Ruger sees fit to bring out the 

stainless steel Single-Ten with 

this longer barrel. 

* 


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Les BAer stINGer 


retro-look the hard chrome manages. 

It reminds me of Southern California 

combat matches I used to shoot in the 

early 1970s. However, while the Super 

Stinger may look retro, in reality it’s 

a performance lightning bolt, using 

today’s engineering advances — things 

we only dreamed about “back” then. 

today, a modern 

.38 super is every 

bit as reliable and 

accurate as any .45 

AcP, and offers higher 

capacity, higher 

velocity, less recoil and 

more controllability. 

As an side, I recently completed a 

1911 build class I hosted here at our 

house. Bill Laughridge (and his crack 

right-hand man, Jon) of the Cylinder 

& Slide shop, taught six of us matchbarrel 

fitting over two days, then proceeded 

to walk us through a complete 

build of a match-grade 5" 1911. I used 

an unfitted Caspian frame and slide, 

and unfitted match-grade parts, eventually 

ending up with a 5" gun that 

shot about an inch at 25 the first time 

out. But what all this really taught me 

was what it takes to build an accurate 

1911 — correctly. 

There’s so much more to it than 

simply piling parts onto a frame and 

slide. While a “parts” gun can work, 

unless the right parts are chosen and correctly 

fitted, things will break, the gun 

won’t be reliable, accuracy will be measured 

in “patterns” and the shooter will 

be disappointed. And the real problem is 

some “custom” pistolsmiths are essentially 

doing just that — assembling parts. 

And that’s simply not good enough. 

With our test gun, Les showed just 

what his shop can do. I pulled out my 

digital calipers and put what I learned 

to work. In a game where one or two 

thousandths can make a huge difference 

(fit of barrel hood to breech face, for 

instance), the .38 Super Stinger came 

out with flying colors. Barrel fit was as 

perfect as human hands can likely get 

it. Slide-to-frame fit had just enough 

slip to allow reliability, but not so tight 

as to be ridiculous. The specs said to 

expect a 4-pound trigger and I got 


4-pound readings time and time again 

on my RCBS gauge. 

The barrel legs (supporting the 

link) were cut correctly and fit flawlessly 

to the slide stop, the bushing 

needed just a touch with a wrench to 

move, and the barrel locked-up tight, 

but without barrel-spring. There is no 

full-length guide rod (“You don’t need 

those things, dammit!” Can you hear 

Les?). Trigger overtravel was adjusted 

correctly, and the grip safety did what 

grip safeties are supposed to do. If you 

engaged the thumb safety, pulled the 

trigger gently and released it, then carefully 

pulled the hammer back there 

was no tell-tale “click” of a sear reengaging, 

meaning there had been sear 

movement. Perfect. 

If I cocked the hammer and pulled 

the trigger, holding the trigger back 

while I released the grip safety, the 

safety stayed down. But as I released 

the trigger, the grip safety snapped back 

out just as it should have. The thumb 

safety “snicked” purposefully up or 

down, and there was just a tiny bit of 

appropriate slide movement to the rear 

when the safety was up. 

Disassembling the Super Stinger 

revealed the extractor hook was shaped 

correctly (all too often they are not) 

with the proper bevels and polish, and 

the slightly extended ejector was solidly 

mounted in the frame with no movement. 

Our test gun came with an ambisafety 

fitting neatly, a flat mainspring 

housing and an extended beavertail grip 

safety, also carefully fitted to the frame. 

Even with my new-found limited 

knowledge, I kept seeing things that had 

been done right, time and time again, 

and can honestly not point to anything I 

would have said, “Oops, that’s wrong.” 

And frankly, I didn’t expect anything 

less from a gun from Mr. Baer’s shop. 

Features 

I won’t dwell on this too much, but 

this gun is loaded with features you’d 

expect on a full-custom 1911. I like the 

fact the slide has rear serrations only, 

since the front ones tend to grab inside 

leather holsters. Among other features, 

the Super Stinger has a ramped barrel 

with supported chamber (everything 

nicely polished), night sights, Baer 

deluxe hammer and sear, beveled mag 

well, tuned extractor, checkered slide 

stop, lowered/flared port, 30-LPI checkered 

frontstrap, is tuned for reliability 

and has the sharp edges broken for 

easy carry. It comes with three, 8-round 

stainless steel .38 Super magazines, 

and can be had in blue, hard chrome or 

DuPont S finishes. 

Accurate Or Not? 

Since Les bragged about the accuracy 

I ran a good cross-section of 

.38 Super factory loads through it. 

Velocities ran from a low of 1,155 fps 

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(American Eagle +P 130-gr. FMJ) to 

a high of 1,622 (90-gr. Glaser Safety 

Slug). The majority of “standard” 

loads from others ranged in the 1,200 

to 1,400 fps range, using bullets from 

100 to 130 grains. While none of the 

loads I used went over 2.25" at 25 

yards, most hovered around 1.5". 

The winning accuracy load was the 

CorBon 125-gr. JHP at 1,278 (over my 

chrono), giving a 1.25" group. We’ve 

done testing at Handgunner and found 

if you remove the two outside shots 

from a 5-shot group fired handheld, it 

pretty much duplicates what a Ransom 

Rest would produce with the same gun. 

It sort of helps to take the human element 

out of the equation. If I took off 

the two “flyers” from that 1.25" group, 

I got .80" or so. Most groups would 

indeed hover around 1" using that test, 

and that sort of accuracy from a Baer 

pistol is about what you’d expect. And, 

this sort of accuracy from a .38 Super is 

simply great. 

All in all, we fired a bit more than 

500 total rounds through the Stinger, 

at targets during careful sessions, and 

during informal plinking at a 25 yard 

steel swinger and a 100-yard gong. The 

gun ran 100 percent, and the low recoil 

— even with hot loads — made it a real 

pleasure to shoot. 

An Idea 

Think about this for a minute. With 

the .38 Super Stinger, you get an 8+1 

capacity, remarkable accuracy, all-steel 

heft for stability, and a platform firing a 

125-gr. JHP at close to 1,300 fps, which 

is, friends — .357 Magnum territory. 

It’s flat-shooting enough for coyotes 

and could, in careful hands, take small 

whitetail deer. Recoil is light due to the 

light bullets, but the high velocity gets 

bullets “out there” fast, so a running 

coyote at 100 yards could be in serious 

danger. So would any miscreant who 

decided to exercise his “poor choice of 

victim” option. 

I noticed when shooting at my 100yard 

gong, there was a substantial difference 

in bullet flight time between a 

.45 230 ball load, and anything out of 

the .38 Super. With the .45 it was sort of 

a “bang, mini-pause, clang.” With the 

.38 Super it was “bang/clang” almost 

at the same time. And I’ll bet there’s 

something to be said for that. 

I like the .38 Super Stinger a lot. And 

being all-steel, you could likely never 

wear it out. I can hear Les laughing, 

“Ha! Right. You’re going to wear one 

out? Don’t make me laugh. You’re 

tryin’ to be funny, right? Right? Ha!” 

I always enjoy writing about things 

that work, and the .38 Super Stinger 

works. What’s not to like 

about that? 

* 


americanhandgunner.com/les-baer 


GUN rIGHts 


You want a diverse multicultural 

feeling of compassionate environmentalism? 

Go to California. You want your 

gun rights intact? Come to Arizona. You 

want easy access to abortion or gay marriage? 

Try Massachusetts. Family values 

are important to you? Check out the Midwest. 

Some state goes too far? The feds 

can step in — hopefully — for balance. 

Effective 

The dual system is remarkably effective. 

Initially, the idea of being under 

two sets of laws is a turn off, until you 

realize federal and state forces compete 

with each other. The states fight against 

the feds for your rights. The feds fight 

with the states over control and a balance 

of power. We may seem a little 

(a lot?) out of balance just now, but 

that fight is a good thing. All the time 

governments spend focusing on each 

other instead of on you enhances your 

freedom. And it gives you two routes 

instead of only one to redress grievances 

or advance causes. This is good. 

All that said, I have to encourage the 

stalwarts among you to remain where 

you Die are. Ad America 5/21/12 needs 10:51 freedom AM fighters Page 1 

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especially in the most repressive states. 

People like Scott Bach, fighting overwhelming 

odds and anti-rights bigotry in 

New Jersey, make ground little by little, 

and give the anti-rights bigots no quarter. 

Like you, he fights the good fight. When 

you feel weak and believe you’re only 

one person remember — everyone is 

only one person. Stand your ground. 

By being a citizen of 

both the nation and 

the state you are in, 

you have choice. 

your feet can vote. 

Oh, and about those barefoot refugees 

abroad with their lives on their backs 

fleeing to a new mud hole away from the 

old mud hole’s new tyrant? Their right to 

arms or even self-defense is below zero. 

If they arm themselves with weapons 

abandoned along the way they (and their 

families) can be summarily executed. 

Cold dead fingers, anyone? 

If you help them get weapons, even 

to avoid an active genocide, that’s subversive. 

You become a reviled interna- 

tional gun smuggler and a mortal enemy 

of the state running the extermination. 

The U.N. actually backs your execution, 

by remaining passive about the 

murderers in power. And it makes you 

a felon under all sorts of US gun laws, 

despite what we sometimes think is a 

robust Second Amendment. 

Genocide 

In a ground-breaking Notre Dame 

Law Review article in May, 2006, 

scholars David Kopel, Paul Gallant and 

Joanne Eisen asked the question, “Is 

Resisting Genocide A Human Right?” 

After extensive research and documentation, 

looking at U.N. policies, 

the laws of the world and how they’ve 

been implemented, they conclude that 

although resistance to genocide should 

be protected, as a practical matter it 

essentially is not. 

Should we follow the example of 

the rest of the world? Or should we, as 

we have always done, remain exceptional, 

and stand up for freedom and 

what is right? Arming refugees against 

the atrocities perpetrated on them is the 

right and moral course of action, at home 

and abroad. So what if it might upset the 

dictators and tyrants. Armed 

refugees are a flag of freedom. 

Alan invites you to write to him or see 

his work, at gunlaws.com. 

NEW! 

* 


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shooting affects old injuries. Even if 

not I will keep reading and suggesting 

your magazines to friends. Also, John 

Taffin is a National Treasure and his 

collected works deserve a place in the 

Library of Congress. 

Jim Finn 

Via e-mail 

Jim, I’ve asked Davis to write a few 

more articles, but be patient since he 

has a “real” job too! RH 

Gun People 

My wife Stephanie and I were 

headed to Thunder Ranch for our 

second rifle course in late August when 

we received a call my father, Keith, 

had just passed to the next life. It was 

sudden and unexpected — no heath 

problems, but he was just gone. I called 

Heidi and Clint Smith and explained 

the situation and they said no problem. 

They extended great compassion and 

words of wisdom trying to console us 

in our time of need. They also told us 

to pick a class in the future and they 

would just transfer everything. What 

great people and they are exactly what 

I’ve come to know gun people as. Clint 

and Heidi Smith are first-rate people 

and wonderful friends. 

My Father is the man who made 

my brother Kevin and me into the men 

we are today. He was a handgunner 

from the word go, and loved to hunt 

and shoot. He was the epitome of the 

“Retro Guy.” I keep a laminated copy 

of the “Retro Guy Code” from your 

magazine on my desk. He was a patriot, 

a good Christian and a man who cared 

deeply for his family, his country and 

his fellow man. I believe our time spent 

with firearms allowed him time to teach 

us many of these important life lessons. 

So, I too am spending time with 

my five children. Lots of shooting, lots 

of love and lots of life’s lessons. God 

Speed Dad! 

Lance C. Shoemaker 

A Retro Guy 

Imbler, Ore. 

Rotten Magazine 

I just finished reading every page 

of the January/February 2013 issue of 

Handgunner magazine and I must say 

that is, by far, your worst attempt yet 

at publishing a poor magazine! (Side 

note: It’s now the only one I subscribe 

to, by the way.) If you want to have a 

sub-standard publication, you’ll have 

to get rid of writers like Conner, Taffin, 

Duke and all the rest of your fine staff! 

Yourself included. Then, it might begin 


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to approach being a bad magazine. 

Anyway, I’ll get to my point. Usually, 

when I show some of the cool 

stuff in your rag to my wife, I always 

get the same response. “Yes, that’s 

very nice honey.” When I showed her 

the photos of the awesome Triple K 

rig in Conner’s article (“Cool Carry 

Options,” Jan/Feb 2013) and the beautiful 

custom rigs in Dave Anderson’s 

article she said: “Wow, those are really 

nice, do they ever show stuff like that 

for women, like purses and such!” I 

just stared at her, dumb with shock, 

wondering where my real wife was. 

After I recovered, I realized I didn’t 

recall seeing any in previous issues. 

She did notice the pistol clutches in 

Connor’s Christmas gift guide, but, 

like me, she prefers finely crafted 

leather. So I say to this imposter-ofmy-wife, 

“I’ll have to send Mr. Huntington 

an e-mail and see what he 

can do.” So, here it is. Lets see some 

leather for the ladies. 

Again, please keep up the abysmal 

work you do on this absolute rag of a 

magazine. 

Jim Anderson 

Via e-mail 

Jim — and Imposter-Wife — we’re on it. 

I’ve asked Sammy Reese to look into a 

couple of new makers of very handsome 

leather purses for CCW use, and other 

sundry goodies sure to please. RH 

Cleaning your Ruger .22 

is a Chore. 

AmericAn HAndgunner ® welcomes letters to the edi- Prolix.indd 1 11/15/11 8:23 AM 

tor. We reserve the right to edit all published letters for clarity 

and length. Due to the volume of mail, we are unable to 

individually answer your letters or e-mail. In sending a letter 

to Handgunner, you agree to provide Publishers Development 

Corp. such copyright as is required for publishing and redistributing 

the contents of your letter in any format. Send your 

letters to speak out, American Handgunner, 12345 World 

trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128; www.americanhandgunner. 

com; e-mail: ed@americanhandgunner.com. 

Check out www.americanhandgunner.com for our digital edition, 

news, our exclusive Product Index, Web Blasts, online 

features, to enter the Gun Giveaway Package and more! And 

if you have any news about hot new products you’ve found, 

or anything you think we need to know about, drop me a 

line at editor@americanhandgunner.com! 

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Custom 

CORNER 

Custom Corner features paid listings by the identified pistolsmiths. Many are members of the American Pistolsmiths 

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“For Revolvers that Work!” 

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Building Full Custom guns 

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Powder River 

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Quality and timely pistolsmithing 

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541-523-4474 


GUNNYSACK 


streAMLIGHt 

WAyPoINt 

We’ve established you need at least 143 (or was 

it 168?) flashlights in order to be properly 

equipped. But I’m afraid I need to bump that up 

by one now. Streamlight’s new Waypoint is the culprit, 

and at around $200 MSRP (I’m seeing them at less than 

$150 for real) just may become your go-to everyday 

do-all work light. No, you can’t carry it in your pocket, 

but if you need a “fix the tractor, camping, emergency, 

look into the woods, find the dog, ‘what’s in the chicken 

coop?’, fix the leaky faucet, light” — here you go. 

The pistol grip and built-in stand are sensible, and a simple 

lever on the back changes the light from 300 lumens (5-hour 

runtime), to 25 lumens (50-hour runtime) to a strobing “Hey, 

here I am!” mode (with a 35-hour runtime). On high beam, 

the very focused spot can reach out to over 1,500 feet, which 

is pretty darn far. I tested it and it really does reach that 

far. The lithium-ion battery recharges in about four hours, 

and can sit for months and still hold a charge. We opted for 

yellow so we can find it if we leave it sitting, but they also 

have it in black if you’re feeling all tactical and stuff. It’d 

actually be a great light for a cop to have on-hand. 

The black plastic tub thing in the picture is a wall/vehicle 

mount for it, and it has a wrist lanyard and a hooks for a 

shoulder strap. It only weighs 1.5 pounds and with the comfy 

pistol grip, feels very light. I like the trigger since you can do 

momentary on, or pull it all the way to “click” and it stays on. 

They make a version using standard batteries too (“C”) and it 

costs less. This one now lives in our E-Z-Go and is in pretty 

much constant use around here as our chores stretch into the 

dark, evening hours. For more info: www.americanhandgunner. 

com/streamlight, (800) 523-7488 


oy HUNtINGtoN 

UNIPro sIGHt tooL 

o kay, 

so we’ve all done it and will likely do it again, 

but that doesn’t make it a good idea. I’m talking about 

bashing sights into and out of dovetails using a brass 

punch and a hammer. Or an old nail and a rock — that one’s a 

long story. Small adjustments one way or the other to handle 

windage changes are fine, just make sure to use a brass or 

non-marring punch and don’t over-do things. But if you need 

to completely remove and replace 

a front or rear sight mounted in 

dovetails, a dedicated sight-pusher 

is the civilized way to go. 

There are many available, but 

frankly, most are overly complicated 

and overly expensive. 

I have one model I’ve had for 

years, and in order to move sights 

I have to fumble with inserts, 

adaptors, spacers and otherwise 

juggle things into alignment. Then 

I can twist the knobs to tighten 

things down and eventually move 

the sight. But even then, things 

tend to shift since there’s so much 

The New Fiocchi of America Cowboy Ammo is here. Distinctively 

packaged in aged boxes, the SASS approved Cowboy Loads are now 

available in 32 S&W Long, 38 S&W Short, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 

44 Special, 44-40 & 45 Colt. More calibers to come in 2012. 

For the Fiocchi dealer near you, 

Call 417.449.1043 / visit www.fiocchiusa.com 

GUNNYSACK 

going on. No so with Robar’s new UniPro Sight Tool. Our 

test unit worked great. 

In the “simple is best” category, the UniPro is, well … 

simple. What you get out of the box is all you need for about 

99 percent of sight chores. An important feature is the fact 

the threaded rod you turn to actually push the sight has fine 

threads, allowing you to put some serious torque on it. Some 

guns (like Springfield XD series 

pistols) usually take three men, 

a boy, a big dog and an impact 

wrench to move the sights — 

but the UniPro handled it easily. 

Everything is beautifully made 

and the bearing surfaces have synthetic 

pads to help prevent marring 

the gun’s finish. It even works on 

some revolver sights! 

Robar says it’s on sale now for 

Handgunner readers at $199 (regular 

price is $220). Let ‘em know 

we sent you. For more info: www. 

americanhandgunner.com/robarcompanies-inc, 

(623) 581-2648 

Since 1876 

Cowboy Loads 


GUNNYSACK 

t here 


steINer PoLIce BINocs 

are few things in life as sublimely satisfying as 

world-class optics. The only problem with that worldclass 

category is the fact they usually cost world-class 

prices. Most of the “really fancy” binoculars start at about 

$1,000 and go up from there. But there’s hope. Our own military 

has been using Steiner for years and the brand has built 

a reputation among our soldiers for performance, reliability 

and ruggedness. For a bit over 60 years now, Steiner has been 

building top quality optics in Germany, and specialize in only 

building binoculars. 

What really caught my eye with the 10x50 Police model 

I tested was the price. It came 

along with a 7x50 military version 

that showed an MSRP of around 

$1,000 or so. I just assumed the 

Police version cost about the same. 

I proceeded to spend a good deal 

of time with both around the ranch 

here checking out deer, squirrels, 

using them on targets, all the usual 

stuff. I honestly couldn’t tell a difference 

when I compared images 

side-by-side, other than the Police 

version was more powerful. It wasn’t until I chatted with 

Aaron Cummins from Steiner I found out the Police model is 

only around $400! Huh? How’s that again? Aaron said they 

are essentially the same, but the Police is without a few minor 

things the military demanded having to do with slightly better 

light transmission and a few other things I got the impression 

he’d have to kill me if he told me. But, the Police does share 

the Sports Auto Focus feature with the Military version. Once 

you focus both lenses at around 30 yards, everything from 

there to infinity is in-focus with no adjustments. That’s handy 

if you’re following a running criminal — or just the flash of a 

whitetail deer. 

This is a remarkably high-performing 

binocular for the money. 

I honestly could not tell the difference 

in light transmission between 

the two models, and optical clarity 

(something I’m keenly sensitive 

to) is off the charts on both. The 

Police model is simply amazing 

glass for $400. For more info: 

www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

steiner, (888) 228-7747 


o ne 

thing about American Handgunner is the fact we’re 

not afraid to show you some very cool stuff — and yes, 

price-be-damned at times! This is one of those times. 

We’re always harping about how important it is to have a 

stout belt to go with your carry holster, and we mean it. And 

while there’s plenty of makers who offer sturdy, handsome, 

rugged belts for holster carry, there’s a much smaller handful 

who manage the same thing, but use exotic leathers and/or 

offer an even higher degree of craftsmanship. 

Sam Andrews has been designing and crafting handmade 

holsters and accessories for over 37 years. He’s a 

soft-spoken, kind man, with a quick-wit, a twinkle in his 

eye and a courtesy you don’t often see these days. He asked 

if I’d like to take a look at a couple of his exotic leather 

belts and I told him I’d be proud to. Sam sent one in quilled 

ostrich (think: Ostrich cowboy boots) and one in, of all 

things, elephant trunk. The ostrich shows great color and 

texture, and the extra-thick construction makes it a top concealed 

carry belt. 


GUNNYSACK 

ANDreWs 

cUstoM LeAtHer 

The other, made of elephant trunk, showed a ruggedlooking 

pebble-grain and, according to Sam, is virtually 

indestructible. “You almost can’t mark it with a nail!” he 

said. Since the truck is constantly flexing, the leather shows 

a grain-detail constantly changing. Also, Sam’s careful dye 

treatment and final finish work made both belts stunning 

examples of the leather-crafter’s art. As his website says: 

“This is wearable art.” 

Sam’s work is 100-percent custom, and while his website 

has dozens of examples of his talents, he reminded me, “I 

can create just about anything a customer might imagine, 

so if they don’t see it, all they have to do is simply ask me 

about what they might want. I can likely accommodate their 

dream project!” 

The belts we looked at start at around $300 and go up from 

there depending on leather type and customer wishes. They 

are still value-priced if you consider the fact they’ll likely 

last decades! For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

andrews, (386) 462-0576 


tHe coNDor 

PAcK INsert 

Condor Outdoor Products 

SPOTLIGHT 

the Condor Pack Insert is 

designed to work with the 

Condor Compact Assault 

Pack or similar-sized bags/ 

packs. the pack insert 

allows users to organize 

their medic kit easily, and store it all 

together within the main compartment 

of the Compact Assault Pack 

or any other bug-out bags/packs. For more info: (800) 552-2554, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/condor-outdoor-products-inc 

QUIcK reLeAse 

BeLt sLIDe HoLster 

Active Pro Gear, Inc. 

this Quick Release Belt Slide 

Holster provides a comfortable, 

secure and concealed carry for 

multiple guns and a smooth, fast 

draw, plus 1-handed reholstering. 

the open muzzle lets you carry 

similar frame-size guns with 

different barrel lengths. A leather flap on the back of the holster 

wraps around the belt to hold the holster. It’s made from the finest 

quality, top-grade American steer hide and molded not only to 

a specific weapon, but to the front sight channel to protect your 

sight. It fits belts up to 11/2" and is made in the USA. for more info: 

(800) 479-8056, www.americanhandgunner.com/active-pro-gear 

Ar UPPer 

receIvers 

Wilson Combat 

Wilson Combat 

has announced the 

availability of over 30 

custom AR complete 

upper receivers, seven different calibers and 

multiple barrel profiles to fit any sporting or 

tactical role. their gunsmiths assemble each 

custom upper with Wilson Combat-exclusive 

rifle parts including stainless, hand-polished match-grade barrels, 

tRIM Rail Interface handguard and a NP3-coated Bolt Carrier 

Assembly. After a rigorous inspection and final test firing, Armortuff 

finish is applied to each receiver and barrel for a non-reflective, 

protective finish. Upper receivers are available in .204 Ruger, 

5.56 NAtO, .223 Wylde, 6.8 SPC-II, 300 Blackout, 7.62X40 Wt 

and .458 SOCOM in various barrel profiles. for more info: (800) 

955-4856, www.americanhandgunner.com/wilson-combat 

BAttLeHooK reAr 

coMBAt sIGHt 

volkmann Precision 

A true combat-ready and proven sight 

design: this heavily serrated black rear 

blade shows a sight picture that is quick 

for target acquisition and has the ability 

and strength to operate the slide of the 

pistol single-handedly in a real combat 

situation. Luke volkmann designed 

this sight in partnership with Henning 

Wallgren. for more info: (303) 884- 

8654, www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

volkmann-custom-guns-inc 

UNIPro sIGHt tooL 

Robar Companies, Inc. 

H.M. MUrDocK QtRM5tR 

MArK v 

JAcKet 

kitanica 

the MARk v 

is a 500-denier 

Cordura shell 

with 13 pockets, 

detachable hood, 1,000-denier Cordura 

reinforced elbows, cuffs and shoulders. 

the MARk v is also equipped with 

elbow padding sleeves to accomodate 

kitanica’s custom padding system 

made of patented G-Form RPt molded 

foam pads. Other features include 

PALS webbing, double-ended Ykk front 

zipper, emergency drag strap, covered 

pen tubes and dual large “hammock” 

interior pockets for quick access to 

bulky items. for more info: (510) 

893-3014, www.americanhandgunner. 

com/kitanica 

Manufactured from the highest-quality tool 

steels, and protected with mil-spec powder 

coating, the UniPro rewrites the book on sight 

installation. the heat-treated sight pusher 

assembly features a fine-thread, making firm 

clamping of the sight stable and secure. Permanently 

attached synthetic pads help to prevent 

marring of the host firearm’s surfaces, adding 

to the overall uniqueness of the system. the extra-long tightening handle delivers the 

kind of torque needed to remove even the most stubborn sights. the groundbreaking 

design of the new UniPro gives it the versatility to work on the majority of semi-autos 

and revolvers — on both the front or rear sights. Manufactured by kaiser Shooting 

Products and distributed by Robar Companies, Inc. Price is $220, but call for special 

introductory pricing! for more info: (623) 581-2648, www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

robar-companies-inc 

the H.M. Murdock has an ORB pivot system and a trade-dress protected, tri-spoke pivot 

assembly system; they are major upgrades to the frame and styling of the knife. they 

opted to use a powder metallurgy steel to further enhance the quality. With the original 

designer’s permission, Quartermaster is producing limited numbers of the QtR-1 “H.M. 

Murdock.” for more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/quartermaster-knives 


For More INForMAtIoN oN seeING yoUr ProDUct FeAtUreD IN sPotLIGHt coNtAct, steve evAtt (800) 533-7988. 

the MasterPiece Arms MPA57SSt-AtACS Defender semiauto, 

side-cocker pistol, based on the successful standard 

MAC design, is available in a 5" fixed barrel with an 

A-tACS hydrographic coating. It is available in 5.7x28mm with 20-round magazines 

standard. the MPA57SSt-AtACS also features a threaded barrel with 1/2-by-28 

threads, making it suppressor-ready. It also comes with adjustable sights, scope mount 

and muzzlebreak. for more info: (770) 832-9430, www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

masterpiece-arms 

GUNsPort Pros Etymotic Research 

Designed for a wide-range of shooters, GunSport PROs 

are electronic earplugs that allow users to hear naturally 

as if nothing is in their ears, but protect against hearing damage 

caused by sudden impulse noise, such as blasts from firearms. An 

advanced integrated circuit and wide bandwidth improve listening clarity 

and allow wearers to hear their surroundings, either naturally or amplified, 

while protecting their ears from sudden blasts. Available in two models: the GunSport 

PRO-1 allows natural or enhanced hearing until a blast occurs. the GunSport PRO-15 has 

the added benefit of 15-dB protection that activates automatically if continuous background 

noise reaches unsafe levels. for more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/etymotic 

tHIGH HIGH HoLster 

DeSantis Holster 

the thigh High 

Holster will 

fit most 

small revolvers 

and small-frame 

autos. this intimate-wear thigh holster 

is useful for the fashion-conscious 

and firearm-enthusiast female who 

is looking to add dresses and skirts to 

her concealed-carry wardrobe. the soft 

neoprene construction offers hours of 

custom-fit comfort, and a tight velcro 

seal and twin garter straps ensure the 

firearm stays in place. It is available 

in both right- and left-hand draw. for 

more info: (800) 486-4433, www. 

americanhandgunner.com/ 

desantis-holster 

MPA57sst-AtAcs 

DeFeNDer seMI-AUto 

MasterPiece Arms 

sLIP-over rUGer 

No. 1 scoPe MoUNt 

E. Arthur Brown Company, Inc. 

the new Slip-Over Ruger No. 1 scope 

mount solves the problem of aligning an 

after-market scope base on a contoured 

barrel. the Slip-Over uses the factory 

pre-aligned rib as an alignment shim! 

Now you can have a precisely aligned 

Weaver/Picatinny-style scope base on 

your Ruger No. 1. Remove the screws 

from the original rib (it will stay in place 

with the recoil pins). Slip the Slip-Over 

mount onto the rib, and install with 

replacement screws included ... easy! the 

Slip-Over scope mount is made of strong, 

lightweight, aircraft-grade aluminum. 

Retail price: $59. for more info: (320) 


com/eabco 

H2000 

FLAsHLIGHt 

Sightmark 

the Sightmark H2000 tactical 

Flashlight features Cree LEDs to 

provide 2000 lumens of light for 

the most difficult shots or furthest point in the dark of night. the 

H2000 triple Duty Flashlight is constructed with type II mil-spec 

anodizing aircraft-grade aluminum for durability and protection 

against corrosion. the H2000 features 2 hours of continuous 

battery life, significant for a high-lumen count. It comes with two 

rechargeable batteries, a battery recharger, a weapon mount, 

on/off push button, pressure switch and three color filters. this 

product is recoil resistant, waterproof, lightweight and protected 

by Sightmark’s limited lifetime warranty. for more info: (817) 

225-1625, www.americanhandgunner.com/sightmark 

MeGA PoUNDer BoWIe 9 

W/teetH Grayman knives 

three Grayman knives are now available 

with optional sawteeth on the spine: Mega 

Pounders, West Nile Warriors, and Suenami 

7s. the teeth slightly above the knife and 

can be used to chew through wood, wallboard or other media so 

you can protect your blade edge. All Grayman fixed blades are 

hand-ground and made from 1/4" thick 1095 HC steel. they 

come with your choice of black or green textured G10 handle, are 

coated with Gunkote for corrosion resistance, and come with a free 

personalized hand engraving on the spine. A molle-compatible 

cordura sheath ships with each knife. for more info: info@graymanknives.com, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/grayman-knives 

MINI sHot PIstoL 

MoUNts Sightmark 

the Sightmark Mini Shot 

Pistol Mounts replace the stock 

rear sight, and offer the shooter 

the ability to mount the sight to 

six different styles of pistols (1911 

Standard, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P, SIG SAUER P226, 

Beretta 92/96/90-tWO, Glocks with 1.18" slide width and the 

H&k USP). the shooter can acquire a target and fire with both 

eyes open, giving the shooter the tactical advantage of being able 

to identify additional targets simultaneously. the pistol mount 

is easy to use once installed and features a mounting base and 

dovetail, providing stabilization for the optic ensuring consistent 

shooting accuracy with each successive shot. for more info: (817) 

225-0310, www.americanhandgunner.com/sightmark 


LeADer 50 

.50-cALIBer 

BULLPUP 

MICOR Defense 

SPOTLIGHT 

Designed by Charles St. George, the Leader 50 is more compact 

and lightweight than other .50 BMG products currently on the 

market, measuring just 39" long with a 24" barrel and weighing 

less than 20 pounds dry/empty. It maintains an average velocity 

of 2,800 fps using standard M33 ball ammo. this smaller size 

provides the versatility for the rifle to be discharged from positions 

other than prone. Its gas-operated action and 10-round magazine 

allow for multiple shots on rapidly moving targets while minimizing 

muzzle climb and generating less recoil than a M1 Garand 

semi-auto .30-06 Springfield battle rifle. for more info: (256) 

560-0770, www.americanhandgunner.com/micor-defense 

eNGrAveD 

PreseNtAtIoN 

cAses 

DonSon Products, Inc. 

these cases from DonSon 

Products feature quality dovetailed joints. they can laser engrave 

or use a CNC router to personalize the cases with just about any 

theme you would like. they offer a variety of options for these 

cases that include locks, locking hinges and ammo compartments, 

and can make cases for any pistol. for more info: (478) 254- 

2221, www.americanhandgunner.com/dsp 

9c1 GeNerAtIoN 

2 PIstoL WItH 

trIGGer UPGrADe 

FMk Firearms 

A fast-action trigger system is now standard on all 

9C1 Gen 2 models (except those sold in California and 

Massachusetts, which will keep the original DAO trigger). 

the original and new fast-action triggers are interchangeable, so 

current FMk 9C1 Gen 2 pistol owners can purchase a conversion kit. 

key features include: a shorter, lighter trigger pull, drop-free mag 

release and no mag out safety. the pistol is chambered 

in 9mm and is 6.85" long, 1.14" wide and 

weighs 23.45 ounces unloaded. It has a 4" barrel 

with six grooves, left-hand twist and a loaded 

chamber indicator. for more info: (714) 


com/fmk-firearms 

eXteNDeD sAFety Lever 

For sIG 500 rIFLes 

krebs Custom Guns 

krebs Custom announces a new Extended 

Safety Lever for SIG 500 series rifles (522, 

530, 540, 542, 550, 551, 5565, and 566). 

Made from 6061-t2 aluminum (with a 

2-milliliter coating thickness) that’s been 

anodized in conformance with mil-spec 

MIL-A-8625, type III, Class 2 Black, this 

lever is designed to be installed easily by 

the purchaser, and provide the user with 

superior ergonomics and improved manipulation. 

MSRP is $44. for more info: (847) 


com/krebs-custom-guns 

yeLLoWHorse 

coLLectIBLes 

Bear & Son Cutlery 

scoUt 

BAcKPAcK 

Drago Gear 

the Scout Backpack 

is a grab-and-go bag optimized for 

mobility. Engineered to exacting 

specifications, the Scout backpack is 

built tough and designed to withstand 

the challenging demands and harsh 

environments operators face daily. 

this new pack includes five main 

storage areas containing multiple 

internal pockets and dividers to keep 

gear organized, four compression 

straps to assist with weight transfer 

and balance when carrying heavy 

loads, premium back-relief panel for 

maximum comfort during extended 

use, an adjustable, quick-release 

chest buckle, reinforced webbing 

and heavy duty non-rust zippers. for 

more info: info@dragogear.com, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

drago-gear 

LG-469 LAserGUArD 

For sPrINGFIeLD 

ArMory XD-s 

Crimson trace 

the new XD-S pistol from Springfield Armory 

will have a Laserguard model from Crimson trace in 

November. the Laserguard unit adds virtually no weight to the firearm 

and is quickly and easily installed by the user, who just secures it around 

the triggerguard with provided screws. Each Laserguard is pre-sighted 

from the factory at 50' and is fully adjustable by the user to fine-tune 

it to their chosen self-defense ammunition. Featuring the most powerful laser allowable 

by law, the unit offers an industry-leading 2-hour run time on one, easily replaced 1/3N 

battery. for more info: (800) 442-2406, www.americanhandgunner.com/crimson-trace 

to commemorate the 

Battle of the Little Big Horn, David Yellowhorse 

has created the US 7th Cavalry Custer’s Last Stand 

Gun and knife Set, a Limited Edition. the knife, made by Bear & Son Cutlery, is a 12" 

Bowie with an 8" blade, forged from high carbon stainless steel, beveled, heat treated, 

tempered and then fitted with an engraved brass guard. the revolver is a .45-caliber 

stainless steel Ruger vaquero, a modern version of the traditional single-action pistol. 

this working firearm features a modern internal safety and performance engineering 

while maintaining the rich traditional look of the gun that won the West. Only 25 of 

these exclusive and beautiful gun and knife sets will be built and sold. for more info: 

(870) 236-0133, www.americanhandgunner.com/bear-son 


When you can’t be there to 

protect her ... 

“Although this may seem 

like a good concept, it isn’t 

logical. I’ll show you 

concealed carry options 

that make sense and 

will fit your lifestyle.” 

At the shopping center, in the 

parking lot, at work, in her car or 

at home — there is a solution. 

Make sure 

she can 

protect 

herself 

The Concealed Carry for Ladies 

training course from Thunder Ranch 

offers a comprehensive look at 

concealed carry from a woman’s 

perspective. 

Instructor 

Heidi Smith presents 

her concepts on gun 

selection and carry options in 

an easy-to-follow, relaxed format. 

What’s the best way to carry a gun in 

a purse? How do you draw a gun from 

an ankle holster? What happens when a 

gun is fired at point blank range? 

Heidi’s range demonstrations, guided 

by husband Clint Smith, provide a 

complete picture on how to safely carry 

a concealed handgun, and draw and fire 

from several effective platforms. 

Give that that “special “special lady” in your life life 

the tools she needs to protect herself 

when you’re not around. 

BONUS 

Two-disc set only 

$29.95 

Special 

Offer! 

~ 

Includes nearly two hours of video! 

Order Today! (800) 628-9818 (M-F 8am-3pm PST) • www.americanhandgunner.com/TRvids 

Heidi Smith

A.t. Custom Gunworks 109 

Active PRO Gear Inc. 91 

Al Mar knives 12 

American Pistolsmiths Guild 109 

American tactical Imports 112 

Andrews Custom Leather 94 

ArmaLite Inc. 85 

Armscor/Rock Island Armory 1,59 

Arredondo Accessories 101 

Barnes Bullets Inc. 35 

Bar-Sto Precision Machine 86 

Belt Mountain Enterprises 95 

Bianchi 31 

Black Hills Ammunition 93 

BLACkHAWk! 17 

Blade-tech Industries 79 

Boker USA Inc. 92 

Boomer Gear 104 

Brian tighe 80 

Brownells Inc. 90 

Cabot Gun Co. LLC 93 

Caspian Arms Ltd. 86 

Central State training Group 84 

Chambers Custom Pistols 108 

Chip McCormick Custom LLC 23 

Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC 7 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

Columbia River knife & tool 16,19 

Competition Electronics Inc. 113 

Competitive Edge Dynamics 29 

Comp-tac victory Gear 84 

Condor Outdoor Products 37 

CORBON/Glaser 88 

Crawford knives LLC 95 

Crimson trace Corporation 20 

CrossBreed Holsters LLC 82 

Cylinder & Slide Inc. 99 

CZ-USA 86 

D & L Sports Inc. 108 

DeSantis Holster 92 

Diamond D Custom Leather 103 

Diamond Machining tech. 75 

Dillon Precision Products 91 

DonSon Products Inc. 98 

Double tap Ammunition 10 

El Paso Saddlery Co. 104 

Elite Survival Systems 97 

European American Armory 13 

Fällkniven AB 97 

FenixLight Limited 91 

Fiocchi of America 111 

FISt Inc. 21 

Fletcher Custom Pisols LLC 108 

MAGAZINE 

FMk Firearms 98 

FNH USA 3 

Galco Gunleather 6 

Gary Reeder Custom Guns 108,109 

Grassburr Leatherworks Inc. 100 

Grayman knives 94 

GSI International Inc. 80 

Gum Creek 14 

Gungrips.net 109 

Harrison Design & Consulting 108 

High Standard Mfg. Co. 96 

Hinterland Outfitters 106 

Hogue Inc. 82 

Hornady Mfg. Co. 81 

IronMind Enterprises Inc. 90 

Iver Johnson Arms Inc. 19 

Just Plugs LLC 19 

kahr Arms 16 

kimber Mfg. 11,21,27,37,124 

kitanica 98 

krudo knives 90 

Lambert knives 107 

LaserMax 87 

Les Baer Custom Inc. 47 

Lightfoot knives 100 

LockSAF 95 

A ONE-YEAR, 12-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION TO S.W.A.T. MAGAZINE 

IN PRINT OR DIGITAL FORMAT IS ONLY $34.95! 

IN PRINT: 

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Lyman Products Corp. 105 

Mag-na-port International Inc. 101 

Magna-Arm Inc. 103 

Majestic Arms Ltd. 107 

Marvel Precision LLC 88 

Maxpedition Hard-Use Gear 83 

Mec-Gar USA Inc. 102 

Mechtech Systems 99 

Meprolight Ltd. 54 

Monkey Edge 45 

MtM Case-Gard 110 

N82 tactical 12 

Nighthawk Custom 43 

Ogre Manufacturing LLC 18 

Pact Inc. 8 

Para-Cord 88 

Pearce Grip Inc. 102 

Powder River Precision Inc. 109 

Pro Ears 18 

PrOlix 107 

Purdy Gear 102 

Ranch Products 107 

Rick Hinderer knives 18 

Rio Grande Custom Grips 104 

S.W.A.t. 118 

Sand Burr Gun Ranch 108 

SIG SAUER 41 

Simply Rugged Holsters 95 

Singletary Customs 108 

Smith & Alexander Inc. 106 

Smith & Wesson 15, 33 

Spartan Blades USA 103 

Springfield Armory 25, 123 

Starline Brass 29 

StI International Inc. 2 

Streamlight Inc. 89 

Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. 9 

taurus International Mfg. USA 39 

techWearUSA 107 

ten Ring Precision Inc. 108, 109 

thunder Ranch training 70, 117 

tOPS kNIvES 101 

tuff1 12 

tuff-Writer Inc. 14 

tussey Custom 108 

viridian Green Laser Sights 78 

volkmann Precision LLC 108 

voodoo tactical 35 

W.C. Wolff Company 100 

Wilson Combat 10, 87 

XS Sight Systems 94 

SURVIVAL WEAP0NS AND TACTICS 


AMerIcAN HANDGUNNer 

CLassiFied 

Classified ads $2.00 per-word per insertion. ($1.50 per-word per insertion for 3 or more) including name, address and phone number (20 

word minimum). Minimum charge $40.00. Bold words add $1.00 per word. Copy and rerun orders must be accompanied by PAYMENt IN 

ADvANCE. NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNtS ON LIStING OR DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADvERtISING. All ads must be received with advance pay- 

ment BY NO LAtER tHAN tHE 1st of each month. Ads received after closing will appear in the following issue. Please type or print clearly. 

PLEASE NOtE*** NO PROOFS WILL BE FURNISHED. Include name, address, post office, city, state and zip code as counted words. Abbrevia- 

tions count as one word each. Mail to AMERICAN HANDGUNNER CLASSIFIEDS, 12345 World trade Drive, San Diego, California 92128. NOtE: 

WE NOW HAvE DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS IN BOtH GUNS MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN HANDGUNNER. ASk FOR OUR NEW RAtE CARD, Or call 

(858) 605-0235. 

ACCESSORIES AMMUNITION 

Quinetics Corporation! Reloading supplies. Made 

in USA. www.quineticscorp.com 

BOOKS 

GUNSMITHING 

INSTRUCTION 

COMPLETE 1911 CLEANING MANUAL with clear 

instructions and 111 photographs for all models. 

$19.95 shipping $5.00. www.charlesdlou.com 

ORDER with bankcard (800)522-1530 

INSTRUCTION 

LEATHERCRAFT 

STUN GUNS 

WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC 

4,000,000 million volt stun gun flashlight 

Buy 1 get 1 FREE. Get two for $35.00 

One touch puts attacker down. $7.00 shpg. 

maxsell.com PO 970057 Coconut Creek, 

Florida 33097 1-877-332-2343 

ROY ALERT! 

BEWARE 

SUBSCRIPTION 

SCAM 

DEAR READERS: Nefarious scoundrels have been 

trying to scam Handgunner readers by offering unauthorized 

subscriptions for a ridiculously high price. Don’t be 

a victim of this dastardly behavior! It’s easy to protect 

yourself; simply remember: NEVER pay more than $37 for 

a 2-year subscription to Handgunner! If it asks for $71, toss 

it! I’ve received a bunch of calls from you guys, reporting 

suspicious offers to renew subs to Handgunner. You 

have detailed receiving offers on mailing pieces, looking 

suspiciously similar to ours. They direct you to write a check 

or submit a credit card number for the outrageous price of 

$71 (almost twice the published price!!!). They appear to 

be from us — but they are most certainly not! While it is 

still rare, it has occurred, so keep a sharp eye and don’t be 

shy about questioning something like this. 

It’s easy to verify that it’s legit. Confi rm the 

Handgunner ID Number on the top line of the renewal 

label matches your ID on the magazine you get. The price 

is NEVER higher than $19.75 for one year, or $36.75 for 

two. Our offers say, “Make check payable to American 

Handgunner” (NOT some sleazy third party!). The return 

address will either be 12345 World Trade Drive, San 

Diego, CA or P.O. Box 509093 in San Diego. Anything 

else spells trouble! 

Keep in mind, we’re always just a phone call away. 

Pick up the phone and dial (858) 605-0253 to chat 

with one of our ace subscription staffers or go to www. 

americanhandgunner.com and click on “Contacts” to reach 

us. We’re actual human beings, and will be happy to help 

you out anytime. You can also always drop me a note at 

editor@americanhandgunner.com if you want to report a 

scam, have a question or think I can help out. 

— Roy Huntington, Editor 

DON’T BE 

A VICTIM! 

• CONFIRM THE ID # 

• NEVER PAY MORE THAN 

$37 FOR A 2-YEAR 

SUBSCRIPTION 

• WHEN IN DOUBT, 

CONTACT US 


theinsider 


ADD IT UP 

54,774 

Assaults on cops in 2011 

79.9% 

Suspects used only fists, hands 

or feet during attacks. 

72 

Officers killed in the line of duty in 2011. 

77 

Assailants identified in the 

murders of those officers. 

64 

Assailants with prior criminal arrests. 

10 

Number of hotdogs in a package. 

8 

Number of buns in a package. Go figure. 

38% 

Handgunner readers planning 

on buying a revolver soon. 

44% 

Handgunner readers who reload. 

Get Some Training 

W 

e often challenge you to seek professional training and don’t just rely on 

articles and videos to stay prepared. But while many assume we mean 

the “big” schools like Gunsite or Thunder Ranch, we also include good 

quality regional schools that dot our 50 states. The hitch is picking out a good 

one. So, I chose one at random from the internet, near me, as a test, and did my 

research. I’d also like to point out I by-passed several others after a quick look. 

Central State Training Group caught my eye, and is based in Pretty Prairie Kansas, 

headed by Jason Perry. They have a very solid website (www.centralstatetraininggroup.com) 

and that’s important. It takes effort to build an maintain a good website. 

Jason’s qualifications are solid too, with a good deal of law enforcement experience 

(including commanding a tactical team), attending many training venues, is a 

state CCW instructor, has been certified to teach firearms through the Kansas Law 

Enforcement Training Center and has other accomplishments which serve to help 

vet his experience. His staff seems to be equally qualified. 

Their courses cover a broad range of areas, from very basic four hour firearm 

classes, to multiple day classes for handgun, rifle or shotgun, concealed carry classes 

and even a women’s self-defense course. They can teach at a facility near you, or you 

can attend one at their location. Prices are very fair. After my initial research, and 

after chatting with owner Jason Perry, if I were in the market for training, especially 

the basics, I’d trust his organization. And it’s as simple as that. Find a few schools in 

your general geographic area, then do your homework and vet them. If their credentials 

seem thin, their website unprofessional (or non-existant!) and they don’t post 

student comments or have photos of their classes — run away! But mostly just do it, 

and augment your video library and what you read with some real-world instruction. 

s&W ccW JAcKet 

called the S&W Range Jacket, it’s really 

made for CCW work, although you 

could certainly wear it to the range 

too. It’s got stretch panels in the shoulder 

areas so you can move easily (can you say 

“draw your gun”?), pockets for your roscoe 

and ammo, elbow pockets for removable 

pads (I told you it was purpose-built), and 

cool touches like the zipper pulls are made 

from the hammers of classic pistols and the 

lining has blue-print drawings of old guns. It 

all goes together nicely and looks like some sort of 

rugged outdoor or ranch chore coat — but with some good ideas tucked away 

here and there. For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/smith-wesson 

Good Target Stand 

Idon’t have a range permanently set up here as I sorta’ hate 

the eyesore of it (I know, but don’t hate me for saying it). 

Consequently I simply set up a portable target or targets 

when I need to do some shooting, then break things down afterward. 

Keeping things simple is important for this chore. Forester 

Target Stands are a perfect example of simple, but add in 

easy and tough. Made of a tough composite polymer that does 

not rot or rust, they feature a simple friction-fit that can be set 

up and taken down in about a minute or less. A target includes 

two sets of durable 5-foot composite uprights that can take 

mulitiple hits before breaking. Retail on the base model is $45 

plus shipping and handling and there is a model with a heavier 

base for $55 offering better wind resistance. Travis, from Forester, 

says Handgunner readers can get a good price break by 

ordering and using “HANDGUNNER10” for the coupon 

code. Their website is www.greenforestcomposites.com or 

call (888) 901-4463. 


Gun BuilD 

ExTrAvAGAnzA 

We did it again and hosted a “big” 

build class at the Huntington 

homestead in October, and this 

time I took the class too. Taught by 

Bill Laughridge and Jon Tank of the 

Cylinder & Slide Shop, we spent two 

days learning to fit a match barrel, 

then five days on a full build (using 

a box of parts), ending up with a 

bunch of very nice custom 1911s. 

Friday afternoon we targeted our guns 

and there wasn’t a single one that 

wouldn’t shoot 1" at 25 yards with the 

right ammo. Even mine. 

The ner-do-wells in the picture 

are (L to R) Roy, Eric, Jon, Bill (in 

front), Tim, Tony, Gene and Paul. 

I tried to get ‘em to smile, but this 

gun-building stuff is evidently 

serious business. If you’d like to 

give this a try, go to www.cylinderslide.com 

and find the link for the 

classes. We have one cooking for 

April of 2013 but they tend to fill up 

fast so don’t dally! 

insider 

tips 

Jade Moldé, our ace 

video guy, continues to 

L ook 

A nyone 

do a bang-up job editing 

and posting our rapidly growing series of online videos called 

“Insider Tips.” Basically, we’re filming a bunch of short, “How-To” 

vids covering everything from cleaning guns, buying used guns, 

action types, sight picture, trigger squeeze, how to draw and a bunch 

of other topics. You can pretty much name it and it’s either posted 

or we’re working on it. A recent one I did on debunking stopping 

power myths has really hit a chord with you guys and it’s rapidly 

ranking up views and comments. Go to www.americanhandgunner. 

com and click on “Insider Tips” near the top. Then scroll down a 

few and you’ll see the “Stopping Power: How much is necessary?” 

video. Give it a look-see, then let us know what your thoughts are by 

sending me an e-mail at editor@americanhandgunner.com. 

Gil Hebard Passes 

who has been around guns for any length 

of time will know of Gil Hebard Guns of Knoxville, 

Illinois. Gil started the business in 1950 

and worked it until health kept him home in July of 

2012. Gil shot bullseye competitively, gaining dozens 

of titles, eventually leading to his being inducted into 

the NRA’s Hall Of Fame in 1999 as Handgunner of the 

Year. He also was the American Handgunner award 

winner for 1975. Gil advanced the sport with countless 

innovations and produced a still-respected reference 

book on it (Pistol Shooters Treasury) in 1960. Gil 

Hebard Guns produced catalogs from the 1950s through 2005 (I used up many 

hours dreaming through Hebard catalogs), and are still in business at 125 Public 

Square, Knoxville, IL 61448. 

Old friend Shep Kelly, a long-time industry insider, said, “When I went to 

work in the industry, Gil was a historic resource for anything having to do with 

our industry. His business ethics were impeccable and I doubt if you can find 

anyone, anywhere who would have an unkind thing to say about him. He may 

very well be the last true ‘gentleman’ of the sporting goods world.” What a 

legacy to leave behind. Gil was 94 when he passed. His wife, Mary Elizabeth, 

survives him. Gil was truly an icon of our industry. 

stupid is As stupid does? 

carefully at the two photos. The one with the revolver front sight has seven 

(count ‘em) seven bullets stuck in the barrel. And since it was a 6-shot revolver, 

the shooter had to reload at least one more before they realized something might 

be amiss. The other is a .223 barrel which has, um … too many bullets to count easily, 

stuck in the bore. I mean, honestly, at what point do you not notice bullets failing to 

hit the target? And then also fail to notice the, er … uh … unusual lack of muzzle 

blast, unique recoil sensations, etc., blah, blah? I don’t mean to be ugly here — but 

honestly? Please? Could you pay attention? I hope you’re as amazed by this as I am. 

The gun maker said both guns were returned with “failures to fire” complaints. Uh … 

failure to engage the brain complaints too maybe? Ahem. 

TweeT Me? 

Uh … er … it’s 

not what you 

think. Seems 

we continue to 

enter into the newest century here at FMG, 

and have joined “Those-Who-Tweet.” It works 

like this: You go to www.twitter.com/fmgpubs 

and sign up to get our short notes to you (tweets). 

I confess it’s an easy way to keep up with hot 

industry news, what’s new in upcoming issues 

of your favorite FMG magazines and get sneak 

peeks on gear, tips and lots more stuff. Tweets 

will come to you as from @fmgpubs so don’t 

hit the delete button until you read ‘em! But you 

have to sign up first — so be daring. 

Heck, we were! 

* 


theinsider

theinsider 

the roy HUNtINGtoN insiderTM 

yOu PrOBABly 

Iknow I did. At least until I 

moved where I could shoot anytime 

I wanted on our land. What 

I forgot was how much fun 

shooting .22s were. Especially 

— single shot .22s. Think about it. 

Your first rifle was likely a single 

shot .22. And yes, you probably shot 

a gazillion (a real number, maybe) 

of .22 shorts, longs, long rifles, CB 

caps and anything else you could 

scrounge. Nothing was safe from 

the “great hunter” with his trusty 

.22. Squirrels and rabbits were “big 

game” to me, crows something that 

might have fallen once in a very great 

while to my trusty iron sights; and 

man-eating grasshoppers, toads, scurrying 

field mice and no end of inanimate 

targets of opportunity, all met 

their match. It taught me gun safety, 

trigger press, how to coax as much 

performance as possible out of the 

rifle at-hand, and built a framework 

for a lifetime of interest in firearms of 

all sorts. Sorta’ like you, I’ll bet. 

Do you remember now? 

But … when was the last time 

you unlimbered “Old Betsy” and 

had some fun? Years? Decades 

maybe? Does your Remington 

Model 514 (my first .22) sit gathering 

dust in a closet? It’s okay, 

maybe even good, if you’ve passed 

it on to a deserving family member 

or kid you know. But why didn’t you 

get another? All that “stuff” fun 20, 

or 30 or 50 (!) years ago is still fun. I 

think, actually — it’s more fun now. 

Even though most of us can 

FOrGOT 

Forgot 

Forgot 

afford to shoot just about whatever we 

want, the cost, recoil, noise and general 

fuss of shooting “big” guns can sometimes 

take the edge off the fun. If the 

fact you’re spending 50 cents or a buck 

every time you pull the trigger nags at 

you, then the fun quotient drops fast. It 

sure does for me. 

At the NRA Show last year I was 

visiting with old buddy Bill Dermody, 

who handles the marketing chores at 

Savage. Of all the really cool things 

they showed (and there were lots) 

what caught my eye the most was their 

new single shot youth rifle called the 

“Rascal” — in six different colors! I 

asked Bill if I could borrow one for 

a quick look-see and he sent one out. 

I opted for the bright yellow version 

(they also come in real wood, pink, 

black, green, blue, orange and red versions). 

I thought if I was teaching a kid 

gun safety and he or she was afield with 

me, I really liked the idea I could easily 

see the rifle and where it was pointed. 

I found the Rascal to be useable 

even for an adult (scrunch-up some 

and you can shoot it just fine), and 

the adjustable rear aperture, “Accu- 

Trigger” (mine broke at just under 3 

pounds) and easy-to-load ramped 

chamber were geared toward first-class 

fun. I’ll confess I was more excited to 

shoot the Rascal than I generally get 

with even some of the fancy guns we 

test. Reliving my youth maybe? 

I loaded up with CCI Mini-Mags 

(who doesn’t shoot ‘em?), their Green 

Tag target ammo, CCI CB caps and 

shorts, and some Remington HPs I had. 

Savage’s new Rascal is a single 

shot youth-sized .22 that shoots 

like a laser! note the adjustable 

aperture sight, big safety lever 

and red ramp helping to 

make loading much easier 

for little fingers. 

A quick zero had me on target at 25 

yards and then the Rascal proceeded 

to amaze me time and time again. The 

Accu-Trigger broke crisply and the 

aperture sight gave me a clear sight picture. 

Soon the targets were covered with 

1" groups! It almost didn’t matter what 

load — the Rascal shot like a laser. The 

CCI Mini-Mag HPs actually did the 

best, which surprised me as they often 

tend to be in the middle of the pact 

when it comes to accuracy. Every group 

broke the 1" barrier if I behaved. And, 

perhaps oddly enough, the CCI Short 

HPs shot about the same, and to virtually 

the same point of aim. 

The .22 CB caps grouped around 1.5" 

and were quiet enough I didn’t need 

ear protection. They sounded like a 

soft “bap” and I could hear the bullet 

hit the heavy cardboard. I’ve used my 

share of CB caps around here popping 

grey squirrels who get pushy and crowd 

our deck. They work just fine if you’re 

close. The Rascal shoots ‘em great too. 

What’d I learn? There is simply 

nothing like spending an inordinate 

amount of time enjoying plinking, 

target shooting or small-game hunting 

with a single-shot .22. In actual ammo 

fired, I’ll bet I didn’t spend five bucks, 

and I spent a relaxing hour and a half 

simply doing nothing but having fun. 

And the Rascal? I’d have to call it a 

“perfect” first rifle for a kid. It’s safe, 

accurate (which means it’s rewarding to 

shoot), has “real” rifle features, and fits 

a kid’s frame. But even an adult would 

like to own one because it’s also a nearperfect 

truck, ATV or “.22 by the door” 

rifle. The fun quotient for the Rascal is 

off the charts! 

Dig out your old “first-best gun” you 

have and enjoy it. Chances are you’ll 

have such a good time you’ll think seriously 

about adding to that all-important 

part of your rifle lineup — .22 single 

shots. Have some fun, would you? For 

more info: www.americanhandgunner. 

com/savage-arms, (413) 642-4262 



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