MAGNUM MAGNUM - Jeffersonian

AyOOb Files: sAFEty CatCH Saves 

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MARCH/APRIL 2011 

® 

Bone-Crushin’ 

.500 

Magnum 

Bone Collector 

our staffers’ 

First 1911s! 

Taurus 

.410/.45 

Public 

Defender 

Forget Gold: 

Invest In Ammo 

Reloading 

Must-Haves 

Focus: 

Taffin Tests: .38 Supers 

Reality Check: Shoot & Move? 

Winning Edge: J-frame mooners 

Cast Bullets 

In Autos? 

WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM

Not Just for Cowboys 

the New SASS Wild Bunch 

Ask Your Dealer Today for a 

1911 Wild Bunch and Join the Adventure 

10620 Southern Loop Blvd., Pineville, NC 28134 • Phone: (704) 930-7600 

www.para-usa.com/SASS1911

Cover Photo: Chuck Pittman, Inc. 

Volume 36 • Number 1 • Issue 208 

2011 

MARCH • APRIL 

FEATURES 62 

48 cast bullets MIKE “duke” venturino 

Duke takes on using cast bullets in your favorite auto. 

52 taurus public defender j.b. WOOD 

A .410/.45 Colt pocket tool? 

54 havoc in hand pat COvERt 

Grayman Knives: Tough enough for you! 

56 S&W’s bone-crushin’ bone collector jOHN taffIN 

A brawny beast of a blaster in .500 S&W Magnum. 

62 my first 1911 roy huntington 

Handgunner staffers tell the stories of their first 1911s. 

66 reloading highlights davE ANDERSON 

Must-haves when it comes to reloading. 

52 

54 

71 more, better, cheaper! John connor 

Forget gold … invest in ammo! 

Exclusive: Available online only at americanhandgunner.com! 

genesis of the colt single action mike “duke” venturino’s 12-part series BEGins! 

part 1: the behemoth .44 walker available noW • part 2: the dragoons available in February 

the perfect mountain revolver? Hamilton Bowen’s take on what he considers to be S&W perfection. 

4 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2011

DEPARTMENTS 

32 THE AYOOB FILES MASSAD AYOOB 

Safety Catch: Lessons from real-world gunfights. 

38 better shooting dave anderson 

S&W’s timeless K-22 

46 the sixgunner john Taffin 

Hamilton Bowen’s No. 5 Sixgun. 

22 

COLUMNS 

8 SPEAK OUT 

106 gunnysack roy huntington 

Bluestone light, Gemini Grips, Powder River XD parts and Reeder Knives. 

22 REALITY CHECK CLINT SMITH 

24 COP TALK MASSAD AYOOB 

26 HANDGUN HUNTING J.D. JONES 

28 TAFFIN TESTS JOHN TAFFIN 

30 SHOOTING IRON MIKE “DUKE” VENTURINO 

34 GUNCRANK DIARIES JOHN CONNOR 

36 PISTOLSMITHING ALEX HAMILTON 

40 WINNING EDGE DAVE ANDERSON 

42 HANDLOADING JOHN TAFFIN 

44 CARRY OPTIONS ROY HUNTINGTON 

48 

40 

30 

42 

114 THE INSIDER ROY HUNTINGTON 

RESOURCES 

102 SPOTLIGHT STEVE EVATT 

100 CUSTOM CORNER 

110 AD INDEX 

111 CLASSIFIEDS 

HANDGUN OF THE MONTH 

68 

WIN! 

Win a custom failzero/caspian 

1911 package! Value: Over $2,800! 

Check Out Web Blast 

For More Info, Videos 

And Pictures About 

Articles In Every Issue. 

americanhandgunner.com 

Just click on the Web Blast icon! 

GO to: www.amerICanhandgunner.com/ 

productindex fOR COMPLEtE PRODUCt INfo 

AND ARtICLE AND MANUfACtURER’S LINKS! 

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WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 5

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SPEAKOUT 

YOUR FORUM 

TO PONTIFICATE, 

PONDER AND PROBE 

Get Well John 

Please forward my best wishes to 

John Taffin for a full and speedy 

recovery. His writings directly lead 

me to buy my first big-bore revolver, a 

Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt, and shortly 

thereafter a Winchester lever action, 

also in .45 Colt. These are great fun and 

among my many prizes. I greatly enjoy 

your Handgunner and Guns magazines. 

The articles, be they on guns, 

PACT_postxmas_09_fixed.pdf 12/16/08 9:04:18 AM 

scantily clad 

That letter from Kim Burks caught my attention (Speak Out, Jan/Feb 2011). I too have been unable to find 

those objectionable ads regarding scantily clad women. I find this completely unacceptable. Please ask your 

advertisers to work harder, as I would like very much to see them and judge for myself. However, it may take 

several months for me to make a proper judgment, so the ads will need to appear time and time again. 

Leslie D. Martin 

Via e-mail 

knives, reloading or politics, are all top 

notch. Kudos to your entire staff. 

John Barr 

USMC 1970-1981 

Houston, Texas 

John’s was among dozens of notes we 

got from readers wishing John Taffin 

a speedy recovery from his bout with 

a bit of medical excitement. I’m sure 

you’ll enjoy knowing John continues 

to recover nicely and is on his hind 

legs and getting around just fine, as we 

speak. He’ll be in our pages for a very 

long time to come! Many thanks to all 

of you who wrote, and rest assured, I 

sent each one along to John. RH 

Happy Birthday 1911 

With the 100 th anniversary of the 1911 

design in March 2011, I anticipate an 


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SPEAKOUT 

avalanche of articles and cover photos of 

1911s and all its derivatives. Following 

all that, there will be a flurry of irate 

letters and e-mails to the editor from 

those who purport to be sick and tired of 

1911 coverage. Let me preempt all the 

outrage. I say let those articles and cover 

photos proliferate! I’m looking forward 

to this year’s crop of 1911 coverage 

more than anything else from the gun 

press, ever. I’ve used them to compete 

in bull’s-eye, service pistol, IDPA, IPSC, 

combat pistol and generic action pistol. 

Over the years I’ve acquired a boat-load 

of them, from Colts through the entire 

gamut to customs, of all calibers. Hello 

— I’m Ken Kennedy, and I’m a 1911 

junkie. I therefore want Handgunner’s 

coverage to be overwhelming! And I’d 

like to see your letters column full of 

proud 1911 owners bragging about their 

favorite pistols! Let me start it off: I’m 

especially fond of my Rock River Elite 

Commando with 4.125" slide, with barrels 

chambered in 9mm and .38 Super. 

I’ve put almost 12,000 9mm and .38 

Super rounds through that pistol in the 

last four years, and immensely enjoyed 

squeezing off every one of them. Bring 

on those other 1911 junkies! Let’s hear 

your voices! 

Floyd (Ken) Kennedy 

Virginia Beach, Va. 

Well Floyd, we won’t quite be running 

the flag up for the 1911 that hard, but 

you will see some fun and interesting 

articles tossed around. I figure with the 

flood of stuff sure to appear, and much 

of it pretty predictable, we’re going to 

concentrate on some unusual things. 

In this issue check out the short bits by 

staffers on their own “first 1911s” in 

their pasts. Down the road, you’ll be 

seeing other articles sure to peak your 

interest. And I like Floyd’s idea so drop 

me a short note at editor@americanhandgunner.com 

and tell me what your 

favorite 1911 might be. RH 

Snubbie Snatches 

I read with interest your article on 

2" revolver accuracy (The Insider, “An 

Expert’s Gun,” Jan/Feb 2011), so I dug 

out my 1967 vintage Colt Detective 

Special and headed out to the range to 

see what I could do with it. I loaded up 

some RWS 158-gr. FMJ flat nose loads 

and tried it out on an FBI silhouette 

target at 30', double action. I tried to 

remember what you said about trigger 

control rather then just blasting away, 

and surprisingly I found I could keep 

all my shots in the heart lung area and 

about 80 percent in the head area. 

Now I know damn well I could not 

do that at 25 yards, but then most likely 


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SPEAKOUT 

I would not be shooting this gun at anything 

that far away. Thanks for an interesting 

article. You always give us something 

interesting to strive for and it’s 

always good reading. 

Jim Raymond 

Via e-mail 

That’s a great gun you have, Jim. Keep 

practicing and you’ll be surprised at 

what you can do at 25 yards with it! 

Thanks for your kind words. RH 

And … 

I’ve just finished preparing my 

turkey for Thanksgiving Day as I write 

this. The turkey that I dispatched with 

a clean head shot with my S&W Model 

60 J-frame at 25 yards, I might add. You 

know I lie! I’m reading Roy’s column 

and he makes some good points. Few 

can shoot the snubbies well, but could 

do much better with know-how and 

practice. I’ve never seen an article on 

how to do this. How about a future 

article on good tips and techniques of 

shooting the little rascals? Things like 

“staging the trigger” — I think I know 

what this means but I’m not sure. 

Keep up the good work on American 

Handgunner. Now, back to dinner for me! 

Herb Daniel 

Chamblee, Ga. 

Thanks Herb. That column generated a 

lot of interest. Staging the trigger with 

a double-action revolver simply means 

to pull the DA trigger back almost until 

you know the “break” is coming. Then, 

if you slow your pull down at that point, 

you can basically squeeze off a singleaction-type 

shot. Many times, with a 

S&W, if you listen (and feel) very carefully, 

you can hear two distinct soft 

“clicks” as you pull. The hammer will 

drop shortly after that second “click” 

and it’s a good way to learn how to 

“stage” that trigger. As you practice 

you become smoother and soon your 

trigger pull is essentially one long, 

smooth press until let-off. Ask any old 

PPC revolver shooter about staging and 

he’ll give you an earful! RH 

... And … 

I would take slight exception to two 

sentences in your column discussing 

snub-nosed revolvers. The sentences: 

“Are small-frame revolvers actually 

experts guns? Absolutely!” 

I would argue a person does not 

necessarily need to be an expert with 

any handgun he chooses to carry, but 

certainly must be competent. Handgun 

shooting is a perishable skill and one 

should shoot any carry-gun often 


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enough to be certain of his competency 

with that weapon. On different occasions 

during my 38 years as an LEO 

(plus one in private security), I have 

carried as a primary sidearm three different 

S&W snubbies, a Model 10, a 

Model 19 and a Model 60. 

Now that I am retired, I usually carry 

a full-size auto, but when concealment 

and avoiding a gun flash is extremely 

important, I carry the 60. And yes, I shoot 

it often enough to be sure I can hit with it. 

Bock DeVennish 

Via e-mail 

P.S. In reference to your Whinery section, 

If you don’t get a few complaints, 

you are probably not putting out a very 

good magazine. I think yours is excellent. 

Thanks for providing 35 years of 

solid information and entertainment. 

Thanks for your kind note, Bock. Based 

on the rest of your note you’ve had 

plenty of experience shooting those 

small guns. And, anyone who knows 

a bit more about something is, well, 

um … an expert, and it seems to me, 

with those small guns, you qualify as 

an expert. So I guess I was right after 

all! Actually, those pesky tiny revolvers 

are particularly hard to run well, unlike 

larger revolvers and autos, so more time 

and effort needs to be put into them to 

simply become modestly proficient. In 

the real world I think most who carry 

them don’t use them much — and their 

performance just might be less than 

sterling, should push come to shove. 

The time to get training is now. RH 

Outdoor Writer Tips 

I’m a freshmen at the University 

of Idaho and I’ve been hunting and 

fishing for as long as I can remember, 

and the outdoors is my biggest passion. 

Lately I’ve been trying to decide what 

I want to study in school and have yet 

to be able to find anything really interesting 

to me. I know I will always love 

hunting and fishing and everything that 

comes with them. I was wondering if 

you could give me some advice about 

who could help me get involved in the 

field of writing for an outdoor magazine, 

field testing or anything along 

those lines. Thank you for your time. 

Todd J. Wright 

Via e-mail 

Also … 

I’m a junior in high school and I 

have a great interest in guns and I’ve 

been getting the magazine for about 

two years now. I was wondering if you 

could inform me of some career paths 


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SPEAKOUT 

involving guns other than the obvious, 

gunsmithing. Thanks. Your help would 

be greatly appreciated. 

Austin Sanders 

Via e-mail 

Gents, I’d start behind the counter of a 

local gun store if there are any in your 

areas. Volunteer if you have to, but get a 

job in a gun store. It will give you solid 

experience learning about products and 

the business side of the industry. While in 

school, take business-related classes and 

learn to type and use computers. Spreadsheet 

software, Word and accomplished 

Internet use are all important. Attend the 

Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade 

Show in Las Vegas. If you graduate with 

a marketing degree, that really opens 

doors to marketing/sales jobs, especially 

if you have a shooting/hunting-type background 

and understand the industry and 

guns/reloading, etc. And, read everything 

you can. Go to www.shootingindustry. 

com and read the digital edition every 

month. Sign up to get an e-mail notification 

of when the latest edition is published. 

The magazine is a sister publication 

of Handgunner, and is all about our 

industry. It will also give you skills to 

help you work in gun stores. Shooting 

Industry will keep you updated on new 

products, what companies are doing, 

and other important information. With 

rare exceptions, it often takes decades of 

experience reloading, shooting, hunting, 

collecting and building your knowledge 

of the industry before you can really 

have any luck writing for outdoor magazines. 

A far better first step is to learn the 

“business side” of things, and go from 

there. RH 

Big Bore Snubbies 

I was glad to see an article on bigbore 

snubbies, but unlike Duke, I’ve 

found them to be excellent carry guns 

(“Big Bore Snubbies,” Jan/Feb 2011). 

I’ve been carrying a S&W 325 Nightguard 

as my main CCW for over a year. 

It’s light, conceals well under a rugby 

shirt or sweater (in a holster made for 

me by Gaunt Leather here in Springfield), 

and I can hit with it better than 

anything else, even my 1911. I also practice 

with it more than anything else, so 

there may be a correlation there? I love 

the sights, although I haven’t tried any 

25 yard groups, but it does knock down 

the pepper popper at 30 yards regularly. 

Right now I’m using 230-gr. Gold Dots 

but I’m going to try 255-gr. Buffalo 

Bore ARs (Auto Rims) for carry. Lastly 

I don’t worry about limp-wristing, mag 

springs, stove pipes or anything else and 

it dumps all the brass right at my feet. 

I’m 64 now and that’s important. 

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Better close now or I’ll babble on 

forever about this thing, thanks for the 

great Magazine, CONNER FOR PREZ! 

Terry Wacasey 

Springfield, Mo. 

P.S. Welcome to the neighborhood! 

Terry, I actually use that very Buffalo 

Bore 255 AR round and find it to be 

very controllable and just fine to shoot. 

I’m sold on it, as a matter of fact. I get 

an honest 848 fps (or thereabouts) on 

my chrono out of a 2.5" .45 ACP I have 

with that load, and there aren’t many 

problems you couldn’t solve with that. 

Suzi and I are loving it here. People 

are simply great, we like having some 

weather and plenty of elbow room on 

our land, and I get to drive my tractor 

anytime I want! RH 

PREMIUM 1911 PARTS 

AND LOGO GEAR 

Details Man, Details!! 

You disappoint me, I read this magazine 

for facts, details. I was looking at 

your piece on the scale you have on your 

desk (Gunny Sack, “MTM Mini-Scale,” 

Nov/Dec 2010). The bagel you weighed 

… plain or onion … or? Toasted? Buttered? 

A half bagel or a whole one? 

C’mon dude, we need to know these 

things to be properly informed. 

Just yanking your chain, but it looks 

like you’re having fun in Missouri. 

Good for you. I looked at that part of 

the country but went to Nevada instead, 

didn’t care for the humidity in Missouri. 

Mike Storm 

Via e-mail 

“Everything” bagel ... toasted, with a 

slathering of good old fashioned butter 

on it. It gave that scale a workout, too. 

Generally accompanied by some manly 

black coffee, all walked downstairs to 

my home office, where I engage in a 

battle of wits with the squirrels continually 

taunting me outside of my office 

window in our walnut grove. Bastards 

... they usually win. 

And yes, it’s great here. Humidity can 

get ugly for about 10 days a year, but I 

just gut it out and glare back at it. Other 

than that, it’s pretty damn nice. RH 

MIM Musings 

I have read the concerns on S&W’s 

MIM parts, and here are my thoughts. 

The old Dan Wesson pistols used “sintered 

metal” hammers and triggers and 

no one noticed. Mustangs, Corvettes 

and Hemis use MIM connecting rods 

and they have held up just fine. 

My suggestion is to keep using the 

MIM parts until they fail, it will take 

awhile. I have several S&W MIM pistols 

that continue to work well after thousands 

of rounds. When the MIM parts are 

replaced with forged parts, the forgings 

will need smoothing to match the slick 

Magazines 

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feel of those MIM parts. I do think the 

forged pieces may last longer, but most 

don’t shoot enough to see early failure. 

My own revolvers have a few thousand 

rounds through them and have had no 

keyhole safety problems or MIM failures. 

Mike Iyall 

Via e-mail 

Going Overseas 

I’m an avid reader of Handgunner 

and all of FMG’s magazines. I mean, 

what’s not to like about magazines dedicated 

to different aspects of firearms? 

And between John Taffin and Clint 

Smith, I am filling both my nostalgic 

and my tactical thirsts. I am heading to 

Korea and was wondering if I can get 

Handgunner there? I like the digital 

copies you guys offer but it’s sometimes 

hard to get net access in some of the 

places I play. Good job with the magazine. 

Look forward to reading about 

what’s new each issue. 

PFC Mike Cebe 

Via e-mail 

Mike, you can maintain a subscription 

for $19.95 but there’s an additional $20 

for international postage. It ain’t our 

fault, I promise! But the easiest way 

is, indeed, our online digital editions. 

They do the “page turn” just like the 

real one. They are exact copies of our 

printed version, stay archived forever, 

so you can re-read ’em or search 

for favorite articles, and often have 

embedded video and other goodies in 

the ads. Stay safe over there! RH 

Complainers 

I read the complaints about knives 

being featured and advertised in your 

magazine and your response to the 

same. Why anyone should have to 

put up with anything regarding edged 

weapons in a magazine calling itself 

American Handgunner is beyond me. 

But the complaints stopped short of 

where they need to go. Imagine my disgust 

when I open up a magazine about 

handguns only to find not only advertisements, 

but two actual no-fooling articles 

about Holsters! Yes, on page 30 in 

the Jan/Feb issue (Carry Options) by the 

editor hisself, and page 50 (“Cool Carry 

Options” by Mr. Connor) both crossed 

that line. Why would you ever think 

those of us who subscribe with our hardearned 

dollars to a handgun magazine 

would ever be interested in holsters? 

The next thing you know, you will be 

writing about ammunition! Horrors. 

I hope by now you know how firmly 

my tongue is in my cheek. I will now 

pull it out and thank you again for the 

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“Beware of Imitations” 

best gun magazine I subscribe to, and I 

subscribe to several. And kudos to your 

excellent response to the knife whiners. 

I only hope they will be able to pull 

their heads out from wherever it is they 

have stuck them, as easily as I’m able to 

pull my tongue out of my cheek. 

Kenneth Evans 

Midway, Utah 

Life member NRA, NRA instructor, 

CCW instructor and never without 

his Cold Steel 5" Voyager 

Readers Rock! 

Thanks for running my plea in the 

Jan/Feb issue of Handgunner about my 

missing an issue. You know your readers 

well, because the missing issue is now 

on its way to Norway! I’ve received 

over 30 e-mails from readers who have 

read about me and wanted to help. I 

write and thank every one of them for 

their response. It’s a real heart-warmer! 

Some of them I have started exchanging 

e-mails with, and I find it rewarding 

to make new friends this way. Thank’s 

again for your help Roy, and the kindness 

of Handgunner readers! 

I’ve recently relocated from Sweden 

to Norway, and only last week I found 

the way to the local range. It felt good 

to get into the action again. I would also 

like to say, I love the feature you did 

on the custom Springfield XDs in your 

“Roy’s Backyard!” (Web Blast at www. 

americanhandgunner.com). I want one 

of those! 

Tony Olsen 

Via e-mail from Norway! 

Tony, there was never a doubt in my 

mind Handgunner readers would step 

forward to help you out with that 

missing issue. Glad it worked out. RH 

What’s The Dif? 

What is the difference between a 

blowback gun and one that is not. My 

.380 is a blowback and my 9mm is not. 

Chuck Fisher 

Via e-mail 

Blowback just means there’s no 

“locking” mechanism holding the slide 

closed during the firing cycle. When 

the round goes off, the gases expand 

and only the weight of the slide and the 

spring tension of the recoil spring holds 

the breech closed as the round fires, 

then the expanding gases force the slide 

back, cycling the action, etc. 

On a “locked” breech there is a 

mechanical block of some kind (many 

ways it’s accomplished), which actually 

holds the slide closed and the breech 

against the cartridge as it fires (for 

higher powered rounds), “locking it” 

closed until the gas pressure is lowered 

to a safe enough level to allow the slide 

to cycle. 


SPEAKOUT 

High powered rounds = locked breech 

(think: 9mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, etc.). 

Low powered rounds = blowback 

(think: .22, .25, .32, .380 and a very 

rare few 9mm models in the past). But 

there’s lots more to this! RH 

Original Reader 

In 1976 I spotted a new magazine on 

the rack in a Salem, Mo. drugstore. It 

had the bold word “Handgunner” on the 

front cover and a feature story on the 

P-38. I knew I was a handgunner and 

had just bought a P-38 so I bought that 

first copy. I still have it. I became a subsriber 

and believe I still have most of 

the issues since that first. Great photos, 

great articles and great opinions since 

then. I’ve been pleased! 

Roger Kahle 

Austin, Minn. 

Wants To Learn 

I want to learn as much as I can 

about all of the aspects of handguns 

and target shooting (right now I am at 

25 yards). Proper techniques with semiautos 

and revolvers, the best handguns 

for target shooting, is there a difference 

in ammo for successful shooting, and 

just about everything. 

The difficulty I have encountered is 

where to go or where to find someone 

to coach me in this pursuit. I called 

the NRA, but they had no suggestions. 

Maybe it was the person to whom I 

spoke? It may be why there are those 

people you described in your column 

one time. They, like me, really want 

to learn — but often can’t find the 

resources. I have been to five gun shops 

in the St. Louis area and have asked 

for suggestions/recommendations and 

it’s like pulling teeth. Any suggestions 

would be appreciated. 

Tom Chuchola 

Via e-mail 

That’s a tough problem, and I’m surprised 

and saddened to hear your local 

Continued on page 80 


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REALITYCHECK 

Clint Smith 

Shoot? 

TM 

FIRST-PERSON 

THOUGHTS ON 

SURVIVING IN 

THE REAL WORLD 

Move? 

It’s not necessary to be able to move great distances. Even in basic 

applications movement is done to move to cover or concealment, move 

to get out of the line of fire or movement to get better target acquisition. 

Movement to cover/concealment doesn’t mean you have to go to the 

physical object, it often means only placing the object between you and 

your threat so it impedes gunfire or the eyes on you. Movement out of the 

line of fire is self-explanatory and in reality comes with a steep learning 

curve. There is also movement to get better target acquisition. The movement 

to contact with the bank robbers vividly shown at the North Hollywood 

Bank shooting comes to mind. 

Why Not Move? 

Don’t move as part of a “Range Macarena” 

exercise. I just saw cops “training” at a range who 

moved to reload or moved to “protect” another 

kneeling officer who was loading. In reality that 

only gives the bad guy a bigger target to shoot at. 

If you have cover or concealment take advantage 

of it — to look for better cover in case where you 

are becomes untenable. Don’t do goofy stylized 

movements or pre-programmed movements 

associated with other acts that have no real use. 

Laterals 

Laterals are good moves. I’m in a hall way — 

and I move left into a doorway for protection. I like 

right movements, but left movement near the street 

might move you into vehicle traffic. Lateral moves 

come in two forms. big steps (think: open parking 

lot) and shorter steps (think: inside a built-up area). 

Move the foot closest to the direction you 

want to go. Move the first foot for distance and 

reset the opposite foot for platform stability. 

Avoid crossing or bringing your feet too closely 

together — tall candles fall, short ones don’t. 

And I would not crouch, unless it gave me cover 

or concealment. I don’t buy the “smaller target” 

thing, as your movement is often impaired by the 

crouch. Don’t forget to practice leans too. After 

contact, or after finding something I’m not sure 

about, instead of stepping into the area, lean the 

upper part of your body/gun platform across the 

plane being “pied” to confirm and/or engage. 

Leaning rocks! 

Forward 

Just walk forward in a normal but cautious 

gate. Avoid the crouching stuff, if you get an 

Leaning correctly on the range helps to 

set up for leaning in tactical applications, 

protecting the shooter by using cover. 

adrenaline dump the big thigh muscles really jack 

up your movement. Don’t outsmart yourself. 

Withdrawals 

Backing up is my personal favorite. It’s visually 

passive and it creates distance to allow for 

decisions or to shoot better or shoot more, as in a 

non-compliant threat. You cannot outrun someone 

running at you, and I’m not trying too. I simply 

backup and get the best platform I can, while 

applying the best gunfire I can. Avoid turning 

your back to the threat even if you have distance, 

since you lose the ability to have your weapons 

work and you lose sight of the threat. True killing 

in a fight doesn’t begin until one side turns to 

run, then it gets bad quickly. Of the many things 

I teach, I know this skill set has saved students’ 

lives. They’ve told me. 

Shooting & Moving? 

This is a bit awkward at times. While shooting, 

isolate your trigger finger from your feet and fire 

when you have a sight picture, not when your 

foot does or doesn’t contact the ground. Split 

When simply covering 

ground, walk forward 

in a normal but cautious 

gate. Avoid the crouching 

stuff. Notice how Randy 

doesn’t look awkward 

and is in control. 

Leaning around 

a car is good — 

but be aware 

rounds can pass 

though glass. 

it loads and reloads, finds 

targets, engages and such. 

The bottom half is like the 

body of the tank with the 

treads moving you to contact 

or to cover. Don’t lock the 

knees, then again don’t 

crouch. Simply unlock the 

legs and flex on the knees 

while moving. Shooting and moving is definitely 

an acquired skill and requires lots of practice to 

make it work well. Remember — lots of practice. 

The Range 

Many ranges do not allow movement of any 

kind on a firing line, so practice at home would 

be helpful. Even practice with plastic firearms will 

work to obtain skills; all done quietly and without 

adding holes to your house. the other side of the 

coin is to shoot at anything you can that moves. 

Colored balloons, movers right-to-left, wobblerlike 

targets, even a simple bundle of used targets 

taped together covered by a t-shirt suspended 

from a rope allowing the target to turn in the wind. 

History Changes? 

Moving in itself is one of the three fundamentals 

of the triad of combat. The other two 

are communication and shooting. The application 

of these three things — or the failure to do so 

— has changed the course of human history on 

more than one occasion. If it’s changed history in 

warfare it can change the course of 

the body so the top half is like a gun turret as your conflict in the bedroom hallway. * 


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COPTALK 

Massad Ayoob 

OPINION AND 

FACTS FROM THE 

MEAN STREETS 

A Street Cop’s 

Custom 

Revolvers 

In the summer of 2010, Detective 

Dennis O. Reichard retired 

after 36 years as a street cop and 

detective. Locally famous for his 

skill at solving homicide cases, he is 

better known nationally as a master of 

tuning the Smith & Wesson revolver, 

and is now free to devote more time 

to doing so. Always an enthusiastic For Second Amendment supporter, he’s 

happy to do gun work for law-abiding 

armed citizens and officers alike. 

I first met Denny on the proshooting 

tour in the early ’80s, at 

matches like Second Chance and 

Bianchi Cup where he competed with 

the duty gun that was his trademark 

for most of his police career, the 6" 

S&W .44 Magnum. Hold on the Dirty 

Harry jokes, please. Dirty Harry shot 

blanks. Reichard’s duty load was a 

Federal or Remington 180-grain HP 

running 1,600 fps. He was big enough 

and skilled enough to shoot it so fast 

some other competitors nicknamed 

him “Rolling Thunder.” In 1981, ’82, 

and ’83 he won the Indiana State 

Championships in the Bianchi Cup 

format shooting Model 29s he’d tuned 

himself. “I believe the difference was 

that my guns ran smoother and faster, 

which allowed more time for correct 

sight alignment and trigger press,” he 

reminisces today. 

Denny had tuned all those 29s 

himself. In 1980 he had become a certified 

S&W armorer, learning directly 

under S&W’s legendary master John 

Contro in an in-depth, 3-week factory 

course. He kept scrupulous notes he 

memorized like holy scriptures. Over 

the next 30 years, Reichard honed his 

craft, making fine Smith & Wesson 

sixguns even finer. 

First a trickle, then a stream, then 

a river of Smith & Wessons flowed 

across his bench, each one sharpening 

his ability to slick up a Smith. He did 

guns for firearms instructors, taught 

students how to keep their revolvers 

going — and the word spread. 

Realistic 

Approach 

about a quarter century, I’ve taught annually with Denny 

in Indiana, which has given me the opportunity to see a lot 

of Reichard guns go through classes. They don’t misfire, 

they don’t shave lead and their owners generally finish skill tests 

in the upper part of the class. 

While he can provide engraved guns, Denny focuses on the inside of the 

machine. His basic $60 action job gets everything working perfectly, but what 

you want is his $100 job. This adds a careful honing of the contact surfaces in 

the mechanism, resulting in a trigger pull that feels like running your finger over 

a piece of Waterford crystal. 

Check out his “geezer sight” option, an adjustable rear sight with a notch big 

enough to give a clear picture for old eyes, and a faster sight picture for young 

and old alike, with no perceptible loss in precision accuracy. And consider his 

“scalloped trigger,” reshaped for super-fast double-action work. 

Except for a glass-smooth polished 

trigger, Reichard’s work is visible 

only inside this 

Model 

329. 

36 years on the street, and 

decades on the bench and 

in competition taught this 

retired detective how to 

maximize a Smith & Wesson 

revolver’s performance. 

D.O. Reichard at 

the bench. Below: 

Reichard gave 

new life to 

this rare 5", 

5-screw pre- 

Model 

27 .357. 

Reliability 

From his first day as a cop in the mid- 

70s to when he sat at the feet of Johnny 

Contro, and ever since, Reichard 

understood that absolute reliability was the Prime 

Directive. In the countless thousands of rounds I’ve 

seen fired from Reichard Smiths, I don’t recall a misfire 

unless it was a dud primer. 

One year at the Indiana State IDPA championships, I 

experienced two misfires with factory ammo in a S&W tuned by 

another famous custom house. I went direct from the match to Reichard’s 

place, where he replaced the mainspring and re-tuned the gun. 

It hasn’t missed a lick since. This year, my best finish at a sanctioned 

IDPA match was First Master, Stock Service Revolver at the US East 

Coast Championship, beaten only by overall division champ Craig Buckland, who 

is so good these days I couldn’t beat him with the Magic Sword Excalibur. My gun 

was a Reichard-tuned S&W Model 15, and it worked beautifully without a hitch. 

Denny’s Sand Burr Gun Ranch encompasses one of the coolest old-time gun 

shops anywhere, and an expansive shooting park ideally suited for a family 

firearms weekend. Delivery on action work has been running four to six weeks, 

but with Denny freshly retired, I expect that may shorten up a bit. I can honestly 

say I don’t know of anyone in the country who can do a better action 

job on a save-your-life Smith & Wesson sixgun. 

* 

For more info: Sand Burr Gun Ranch (574) 223-3316, www.americanhandgunner. 

com/sandburrgunranch 


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HANDGUNHUNTING 

J.D. Jones 

TIPS, TECHNIQUES 

AND POLITICAL- 

INCORRECTNESS 

Ken French and 

Warren Center 

with the first 

TCR 83 rifle. 

Kenny cooking 

lunch on a Moose 

hunt. A good guide 

is a good cook too! 

Pam and 

Ken at the 

“Quitchabitchin” 

cabin in 

the Maine 

north 

woods. 

Ken French of t/c 

Little did I know, in the late 1970s when I went 

to Camp Curtis Guild to a Handgun Metallic 

Silhouette shoot, I would meet Ken French and 

develop a lifelong friendship. 

Kenny had a Contender in .357 Herrett loaded with 

200-grain RN bullets and offered it to me to shoot. During 

the course of firing those 40 shots we discussed some 

interesting things about the particular gun and ammunition. 

I like to think that incident provided a tiny bit of the 

motivation for Kenny to vastly improve the accuracy of 

the Contender. 

Shortly thereafter, I received a Contender barrel with 

The Early Days 

K 

enny was one of the first T/C 

employees. It gets hellishly 

cold in Maine and as a young man 

with a family when the timber 

industry shut down Ken went to 

T/C looking for an out-of-the-cold 

winter job. Warren Center himself 

hired him and told him if it worked 

out he wouldn’t have to leave in 

the spring. Ken told me he thought 

to himself; yeah, a single-shot .22 

pistol — I wonder if we will last 

till spring. Last they did, and the 

company became a significant part 

of American industrial history. 

Being there at the beginning Ken 

learned and did most of the jobs 

in manufacturing. This awakened 

a “can we make it better and what 

should we be making” thinking. 

an improved locking bolt. Early Contenders had some 

ignition problems with large rifle primers due to a weak 

hammer spring. Partly as an experiment and partly as a 

joke I wound some strong rubber bands behind the hammer 

and around the sight and ignition improved. About a week 

after sending a photo of this rig to Kenny I received a very 

nicely done package of rubber bands complete with official 

T/C logo and labeled appropriately. A month or so later a 

new hammer spring arrived. No doubt about it, Kenny was 

the man behind the astounding accuracy increase, startling 

popularity and success of the of the Contender pistol in 

competition and in the field. 

Quitchabitchn 

Warren was certainly a mentor 

to him as he became a mentor to Ken became the Plant Manager 

many others in the company. He 

of the company and for the last 

sought the ideas and opinions of 

few years there was in charge of 

others regarding the products and all R&D as well as hosting many T/C 

tested them in the field himself. He sponsored gunwriter hunts. After his 

was interested in a wide variety of retirement he stayed active as a consultant 

to the company. His bigger than 

hunting and shooting sports. I believe 

Kenny’s interest in black powder life attitude toward life was simply 

shooting is what brought T/C into “Quitchabitchn.” He led an exemplary 

that market. 

life with family, friends and business. 

As the company grew so did 

Personally, I owe Kenny a lot. 

Kenny’s responsibilities and influence Without his help there would never 

in the direction the company took. I have been an SSK. Sadly, Kenny left 

don’t believe there is a T/C product us on Aug. 31, 2010 at the age of 

that doesn’t reflect his genius in gun 71. He is survived by his wife of 54 

design. He became living proof hard years, Pam, and several children and 

work done well and honesty in business 

pays off. The T/C lifetime war- 

I miss him and probably 

family members. He was a fine man. 

ranty is a reflection of his thinking. always will. * 


TAFFINTESTS 

John Taffin 

Colt has been offering the 1911 in 

.38 Super since 1929. This latest version 

is the Colt Custom in high polish 

stainless steel. 

THE SIXGUNNER 

HIMSELF: GUNS, 

GEAR AND MORE 

Colt .38 

Supers: 

Properly loaded the .38 Super 

Commander is the equivalent of 

the 4" Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum 

and offers nearly double the capacity. 

Playin’ Favorites: 

Wilson Combat builds superb 1911s. Here 

we have a .38 Super with giraffe bone 

stocks by Scott Kolar, .45 with Herrett’s 

stocks, and leather by Milt Sparks. 

From Casull Arms 

the Model 3800 

.38 Casull. 

What’s Better? 

Americans have basically been 

revolver shooters and this was 

especially so among law enforcement 

until the 1990s when semiautos 

really took over. All the time shooters 

looked to the .357 Magnum as the 

ideal self defense choice, very few of 

those really in the know carried a .38 

Super, including one Texas Ranger 

by the name of Frank Hamer. The 

.38 Super has been hampered for a 

long time by the lack of anything 

except hardball style ammunition. 

This has changed today with several 

The Other 

1911 Super 

.38 Supers 

I 

’m 

going to take advantage of my advancing years and look at my favorite handguns. 

These articles will definitely not be objective but rather entirely subjective. 

These are the guns I have used and prefer; your choice may be entirely different. 

Choosing favorites is not always easy. Sometimes I can pick one favorite and other 

times it will be several. With that in mind we herein look at Taffin’s Top .38 Supers. 

The .38 Super chamber in the 1911 arrived in 1929 and actually pre-dated not only 

the .357 Magnum of 1935 but also the .38-44 Heavy Duty of 1930. Crime was rampant 

in the Roaring ’20s and peace officers found themselves at a disadvantage when 

armed with revolvers firing the standard round-nosed .38 Special. Both Colt and 

S&W went to work to come up with a better solution. Smith & Wesson’s first answer 

was the .44 framed double-action revolver made to handle the first Plus P .38 Special, 

the .38/44 Heavy Duty. Colt, with their New Service .38, already had a heavy-framed 

revolver able to handle higher pressure .38 Special loads so they looked in a different 

direction, chambering the 1911 with a hotter .38 ACP. The result was the .38 Super 

with a 130-grain metal piercing bullet at approximately 1,300 fps. 

Beginning in the 1930s and lasting until the 1990s, the .357 Magnum was the 

number one choice for peace officers desiring something more powerful than the 

.38 Special, while the .38 Super remained virtually unknown except to a small 

group of shooters. This would not change until the advent of action shooting 

matches in which the lower recoil and higher capacity of the .38 Super compared to 

the same pistol when chambered in .45 ACP gave a decided advantage to competitors, 

who virtually saved the cartridge. 

companies offering JHP +P .38 Super 

loadings. Long before the advent of 

high capacity magazines we already had 

a Commander-sized .38 Super which 

was the equivalent of a short-barreled 

.357 Magnum revolver with 2/3 more 

capacity — 10 rounds compared to six 

in a cylinder. 

I wrote the following 20 years ago: 

“As a defensive weapon, is the .357 

Magnum that much better than a .38 

Stainless steel 

Commander, Government 

Model, and 

Commander all 

with stocks by Herrett’s. 

Texas Bar-B-Q gun: High polished 

stainless steel Colt Custom .38 

Super with genuine 

Mother-of- 

Pearl grips. 

Belt slide 

by Black 

Hills Leather. 

Super?” To answer this question, I 

compared a 3½" Model 27 with a 

.38 Super Commander as to the guns 

themselves, ammunition performance, 

and accuracy. 

Fully loaded, the Model 27 .357 

Magnum weighs 45 ounces, the 

.38 Combat Commander goes 41½ 

ounces, and if one goes to the lightweight 

Commander, that drops to 



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For their 20 th wedding 

anniversary, 

Yvonne surprised 

Duke with this 

Damascus 

Bowie knife 

by custom 

maker 

Steve Brooks. 

SHOOTINGIRON 

Mike “Duke” Venturino 

TM 

Photos: Yvonne Venturino 

THUMB BUSTIN’ 

MUSINGS FROM 

THE DUKE 

Our Editorship gave 

Duke this K-bar years 

before Duke became 

a staffer here at 

Handgunner. 

SHARP EDGES 

Recently there was a letter printed in these pages mould maker and a friend for over 20 years. His beautifully 

bemoaning the fact Handgunner sometimes prints crafted Damascus knives bring hefty prices, but about 15 

knife articles. That caused me to give a moment’s years back I finally afforded one for myself — a modest sized 

thought to my own sharp edges. I said to myself, “I’m not hunting knife. Then for our 20 th wedding anniversary Yvonne 

much of a knife guy: I’m a gun guy. That is except for my knocked my socks off. She surprised me with a beautiful 

Spyderco folder and my Steve Brooks Damascus Bowie. Brooks’ Damascus Bowie knife. It has an 8" blade and a handle 

And except for a couple of Damascus hunting knives. And made of buffalo horn. Bowie knives are not the most practical 

except for the British Commando dagger I stumbled onto. of items nowadays but I treasure mine for obvious reasons. 

And except for that big box full of bayonets that go with my Two of my knives have my name on them. One is a 

military rifle collection. And except for my replica US Model Damascus hunting knife with deer antler handle that has my 

1860 cavalry saber and oh yeah, I can’t forget the newest one: name scrimshawed on its base. It simply arrived in the mail one 

a genuine Japanese World War II officer’s saber.” 

day with a letter. Its West Virginia maker is a reader and since I 

Well, I guess the bottom line is I do have a lot of sharp was born and raised in that state he said he made that knife for 

edges. Some of them, like the hunting knives, have seen their me as a friendly gesture. The other one carries my nickname 

share of use. Others, like the replica US cavalry saber, are “Duke” engraved on its blade and was a birthday present from 

used only as photo props. 

a friend. Again for obvious 

Steve Brooks is a Montana based custom knife and bullet reasons I treasure them too. 

Useless Edges 

To a civilian bayonets are just about as useless as 

swords, which today are perhaps the most useless 

of all edged weapons. Still when I began 

assembling a collection of military rifles it seemed 

natural to obtain bayonets to go with them. I have 

a couple of the triangular type bayonets going with 

late 1800s rifle/muskets, a similar one fitting a 

Winchester 1873 .44-40 musket and other bladetype 

bayonets fitting Krags, Garands, Springfields, 

Enfields, Mausers, Arisakas and more. 

Another rather useless edged weapon of military 

origin was one I found on one of my numerous 

road trips in a pawnshop in Fort Collins, Co. It’s a 

dagger of the type the British issued to their Commandos 

in World War II. I believe they are called 

Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives. This one has a 6" 

blade and grooved hilt of some sort of non-ferrous 

metal. Its only markings are “England” on the handguard 

and the numeral “1” near the end of the hilt. 

Besides dressing up an occasional photo with it, the 

only purpose it sees is in opening boxes. Its edges 

aren’t that sharp but that point is wickedly so. 

This replica cavalry saber is good for one thing — 

as a photo prop! 

Uh-Oh, here we go again. Duke 

with a helmet and weapons! This 

time he’s showing off a genuine 

Japanese World War II officer’s sword 

recently given to him by a friend, and 

a Nambu. If you don’t laugh at this, 

there’s something wrong with you! 

Sword Silliness 

And lastly there are the swords. 

I say they’re the most useless 

of all edged weapons today 

because swords have absolutely no 

other practical use than in fighting. 

Guns serve much better for that. The 

replica cavalry saber is inexpensive 

and came from Dixie Gun Works. 

Except as a photo prop the only thing I’ve ever done with it is to tie a 

long piece of ribbon from the hilt. Then I’ve jammed it in the ground 

at the firing line of a silhouette match to serve as a wind-flag. That got 

laughs from my buddies. 

The Japanese officer’s sword is special to me. A few months 

back when I arrived at one of our Montana BPCR Silhouette events 

a friend walked up and handed me this “Samurai sword.” He said, 

“Here add this to your World War II collection.” It had Japanese 

writing under the hilt, which turned out to indicate it was handmade 

by a rather well known sword maker during World War II. That one 

will be with me forever. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Years before our editor Roy was my 

boss, I was visiting at his home. He gave me a K-bar like the US 

Marine Corps has issued for decades. It’s not going anywhere 

either. I guess I am sort of a knife guy too. 

* 


Massad Ayoob 

“Safety Catch” Lessons From 

Real-World Shootings 

Situation: A violent criminal is attempting to take your gun 

away and pull the trigger on you. Will it help if 

your sidearm has an unobtrusive safety catch? 

Lessons: 

The cases where an “on-safe” pistol has saved 

the good guy in such scenarios are legion … but 

at least one case exists to prove that no safety 

net can’t be torn through. 

The good person carrying a handgun, particularly if they are wearing it in plain 

sight, always has to worry about a violent criminal attempting to disarm them and 

murder them or others with their own weapon. For many years, an average of one out 

of five police officers murdered in the line of duty nationwide were killed with weapons 

snatched from themselves or their partners. That death toll percentage was cut by half 

or more by a confluence of good officer survival practices. These included the snatchresistant 

holster designs of Bianchi, Safariland, Bill Rogers and others. Structured 

handgun retention training, as pioneered and quantified by Kansas City’s Jim Lindell, cut 

the death toll hugely. So did the concealable soft body armor pioneered by Richard Davis, 

which has now resulted in well over three thousand “saves,” many involving cops shot 

with their own or their partners’ guns. 

Another element that factored into reducing the death toll was the semiautomatic 

pistol carried on-safe. Over the years, I’ve lost count of the cases where lives were saved 

when the suspect got the cop’s gun away, pointed it at that officer and/or other officers, 

and couldn’t make it fire because he didn’t know how to “turn on” the 1911, Beretta, 

Ruger or S&W with its thumb safety engaged. 

In just one department and one decade — Illinois State Police, 1967 through 1977 — I 

was able to identify nine officers who had been saved from death in disarming attempts 

by the design features of the 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 39 autoloader they were mandated 

to carry. Two of those officers were saved when, feeling the “perp” gaining control 

of their gun in the struggle for it, they pressed the magazine release and dumped the 

mag, activating the magazine disconnector safety. That rendered the remaining round in 

the chamber un-shootable by the time the attacker did get the gun away. 

The other seven were spared when the would-be cop-killer pointed a snatched Model 

39 at them and pulled the trigger, to hear only silence because the trooper had taken 

advantage of the option ISP then offered the troopers, to carry these handguns “onsafe.” 

As time went on, I was able to document similar saves all over the country, 

including Las Vegas, back when the S&W second generation Model 59 series was 

LVMPD’s standard issue. 

As time went on, the KISS principle (“Keep It Simple, Stupid!”) took hold in American 

police training, becoming first entrenched and then almost institutionalized. The KISS 

principle held that thumbing off a safety when the officer had to draw and fire his own 

weapon in self-defense was an additional movement that might take too long or even be 

forgotten, so the officer should be limited to a “point gun, pull trigger” pistol that operated 

in that respect like the revolver of old. Continued on page 74 


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GUNCRANKDIARIES 

John Connor 

An Interview With Mister B. 

TM 

EXCUSES, ALIBIS, 

PITHY OBSERVATIONS 

& GENERAL EPHUS 

A 1911 Centennial Adventure 

Don’t ask me how it happened 

— there ain’t room here. It took 

years of clandestine meetings with 

physicists and fakirs, crystal-gazers and 

crackpots, mediums, two sidewalk saints 

and a 16-year-old Cal Tech dropout who 

built a time-space holographic transmogrifier 

in his grandma’s basement. I’m not 

even sure if I was transported through 

a dimension-warp or it all happened in 

my head, but suddenly I was in a round 

room surrounded by opaque cloud-like 

vapors, with the tinglin’ taste of chewed 

aluminum foil in my mouth, waiting to 

meet a man who, as he calls it, “crossed 

over” — in 1926! 

I was shakin’ my head and wondering 

if I could spit somewhere when 

a “ding!” like an old-fashioned elevator 

bell rang. Through the “cloud-wall” 

Courtesy of Colt 

stepped John Moses Browning — irritated, 

grumbling, and flappin’ the lower 

edge of his robe. 

“Horsefeathers and fiddlesticks!” he 

barked, “Soppin’ wet! Again! Tell me, 

sonny,” he asked, “Why is it the fans 

of all my other guns just wanta shake 

my hand, but the 1911 fanatics gotta be 

kissin’ and drooling all over the hem of 

my robe? Soppin’! Oh, well,” he said, 

touched his pinkie to his thumb, and the 

soaked spots dried up. 

“Say!” he brightened, “I know your 

dad! Good man. He likes shootin’ the 

big guns; 3- and 5-inchers mostly, and 

the 40 mike-mikes.” 

“You’ve got guns here?” I choked, 

“You shoot?” He smiled. “Where do you 

think you are, kid? Smell any sulfur? 

Feel any pain?” His eyes twinkled. I 

got it, and grinned like a monkey. 

“Y’know, I have 128 gun patents. 

Wanta shoot all of ’em?” We had a blast! 

It must have taken days! We shot BARs, 

Winchester 97s, a Colt-Browning 1895 

machinegun, Vest Pocket autos and a 

hundred more, and I felt like I was 16 

again! Ammo and targets miraculously 

appeared, and the reports of the guns 

were muted, pleasant booms. Then he 

glanced at his empty palm, sighed, and 

we were back in that cloud-room. 

“We don’t have much time, sonny,” 

he said. “That took three minutes, but 

wasn’t it fun? Got some questions for 

me, do you?” I suffered instant braindump; 

a familiar affliction. All I could 

do was blurt, “Didja know it’s the 

hundredth anniversary of …” and he 

cut me off with a wave. 

Courtesy of Browning 

“ 

Mister B Speaks 

Yep; sure,” he said dismissively. “Of course 

I like the ol’ girl, but for Pete’s sake, it’s been 

a century-plus! You folks have done some good 

things with it, but you’re still makin’ it with that stupid 

redundant grip safety? I’m honored and all that, but 

y’know, I learned a lot over the last few decades, and 

I came up with a better design. Heard of the P-35? 

Bravo to my pal Dieudonne Saive for finishing it for me 

— he designed the staggered magazine, y’know — and 

I’m not takin’ anything away from the nine parabellum; 

newer loads for it are some real thumpers — but I didn’t 

leave any orders that it couldn’t be made in .45 ACP, did I?” He 

twinkled again. “In my head, I called it the Sweet-P, you know, like a 

sweetpea. I love that gun.” 

“Something you folks don’t think about is, I had to incorporate 

a lot of stuff I didn’t like on guns because that’s what the contracts 

required, like the grip safety on the 1911. The Frenchies demanded 

the magazine safety on my Sweet-P, which messed up the trigger 

pull. I like what they called it though — Le Grand Puissance — 

sounds cool, huh? Anyway, all it needed was a more positive click 

to the safety, a tad more mass on the thumb-safety lever, a little 

more beavertail, and … like this!” A P-35, exactly as he described 

appeared in his hand. Rosewood grips were flourished with curling 

tendrils and blossoms — sweetpeas. Nice. 

Colt Pocket 

Hammerless 

Carry-Guns 

The hundred questions I’d had deserted me. 

I stumblingly asked which three guns were 

his top carry-choices. He didn’t hesitate. 

“My Sweet-P, an ’08 Pocket Hammerless, and a 

BAR, son.” He saw my eyebrows go up. 

“Why a BAR? Ask the Marines. There are two in dress 

blues at every gate here; not really necessary, but they 

insist, and they tell some great stories! Anyway, nothing 

says ‘non timebo mala’ — I fear no evil — like a BAR!” 

“You’re thinking it’s tough to carry a BAR, right? 

Listen; what you folks call open carry we used to call 

freedom.” He turned thoughtful. 

“I gave you an interview, so you give me this. Go 

back with this message and become its champion: It’s 

not enough to reverse those ‘duty-to-retreat’ laws. It’s 

not enough to defend yourself and assure your safety. 

You must create a moral duty, enabled by law, to take 

positive action to attack evil and defeat predators. There 

must be a duty to act.” 

“Now,” he smiled, “We have just enough time for a 

quick dark beer. I developed a fondness for it in Belgium. 

Thirsty?” “Uhhh … Beer? Here?” I stammered. 

“Sonny,” he smiled, his eyes twinkling, “I 

said this is heaven, didn’t I?” 

* 


“But I was instantly armed and ready, thanks to my GunVault. The armed 

intruder was met with a hail of gunfire from my .45 as he kicked in my 

door— preventing him from even getting the chance to fire his own 

weapon. I truly believe that no other product would have given me the 

speed and confidence to access my handgun and control the situation. 

Thank you for helping me save the lives of my family.” 

–J. of San Bernardino, CA 

GunVault.com

PISTOLSMITHING 

Alex Hamilton 

THE INSIDE SCOOP 

ON PISTOLSMITHING 

TECHNIQUES 

Frequently Asked Questions 

When you have been in the 

gunsmithing business for 

over 42 years as I have, 

you have tried a jillion 

products. Only a few are 

worthy of accolades. Customers 

always want to know what a gunsmith’s 

favorite products might 

be. That way they don’t have 

to wade through the BS swamp 

shelling out money and time just 

to find out the product doesn’t 

even come close to doing what the 

thin-lipped bowtie salesman said 

it would do. Here is a short list of 

stuff I like and products proven to 

be of consistent quality and, much 

to our surprise, actually do what 

the ads say they will do. 

Lube It 

For a general “lubricating” oil on 

either heavy use competition pistols or 

revolvers or seldom shot carry pistols 

and revolvers I like Neil Keller’s 

synthetic Kellube. It stays put under hot 

and heavy use and a little bit goes a long 

way. Every gun leaving my shop has this 

wonderful stuff on all working surfaces. 

I like the fact it’s synthetic in that it 

doesn’t get hard or cake with time. 

However, even though I dearly 

love Kellube there is always a can 

of pure 3-In-One oil right next to 

Neil’s superb concoction. 

I don’t know what’s in 

3-In-One, but it’s probably 

some sort of very pure fish oil 

blend that is as close 

to a perfect organic 

oil, with a history 

of use in sewing 

machines and other 

fine machines dating 

back over 100 years. 

It’s inexpensive and 

available everywhere. 

As for grease 

Good old 3-In-One oil 

(yup, that one …) is 

a favorite oil-based 

lube in Alex’s shop. 

on the internal workings of pistols and 

revolvers, I’ve never found one that is 

worthy and never recommend grease 

on any internal working surfaces of any 

firearm. It tends to collect grit and dirt 

and become goo. 

Clean It 

I’ve always liked Hoppe’s No. 9 

Bore Solvent, a light duty carbon and 

copper cleaner, for general purpose firearms 

cleaning. Hoppe’s has worked well 

for me for my entire career hammering 

on firearms, but the real reason I like 

Hoppe’s is the smell. It smells manly 

and makes my shop smell great. If you 

need a heavier duty cleaner to remove 

copper fouling Sweets is the one I use. 

Finish It 

For looks alone nothing is better than 

a high polished and blued finish, but for 

durability, rust proofing, and very good 

looks the modern baked on polymer 

finishes are hard to beat. Nickel plating 

stains and wears very fast, but looks 

great on an engraved pistol with inkedin 

background. Hard chrome is close to 

the perfect finish, but it’s silver in color 

and more of an industrial finish. 

Protect It 

Now here is a product I will stand 

by to the day I die and that product 

is Birchwood Casey’s RIG. This is a 

grease you can soak into a piece of 

Chamois skin like we used to use to 

wash our cars or a piece of cotton 

cloth about 3x3" will do. If you have 

prize antiques guns stored in 

safes, hanging on your office 

or home wall or just laying 

around on table tops, a thin 

coat of RIG will preserve the 

finish and keep the beautiful 

blue from rusting, pretty 

much forever. I buy, collect 

and sell antique arms 

of every conceivable 

make and vintage and 

the first thing I do after 

the gun is received is 

put a light coat of RIG 

on all exposed surfaces. 

Kellube (synthetic lube), Hoppe’s No. 

9 (solvent and after-shave lotion!) and 

RIG Universal Gun grease (used as a 

preservative) are among Alex’s “most 

favorite” products he uses in his shop. 

Aim It 

There are a bazillion sights out here 

in gun nut land, but the one I personally 

like the most — and the one I get the 

most requests for — is Wayne Novak’s 

low mount rear with a dovetail front. 

They are sterling sights, with consistent 

high quality and come in just 

about any style you like. 

* 

For more info: Kustom Ballistics (260) 

724-3065; Hoppes #9 (913) 752-6105; 

Birchwood Casey RIG (800) 328-6156; 

Novak Sights (304) 428-2676; www. 

americanhandgunner.com/productindex 

The classic Novak sight 

remains the most popular 

asked for sight at the 

Ten-Ring Precision shop. 


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BETTERSHOOTING Dave Anderson 

S&W’s K22 

Still Timeless 

In the early decades of the 20th century, .22 revolvers 

were mostly made on small frames — “small 

cartridge, small gun” seemed to be the rule. Target 

shooters wanted bigger and heavier revolvers, similar 

to their target .38 models. The new .22 models from Colt 

and S&W would prove to be very popular. 

S&W had been offering .38 Special target revolvers on the medium 

K-frame for many years. A similar revolver in .22 cal. was a logical 

development. By late 1930 production was underway, with the 

first completed revolver presented to Douglas B. Wesson on 

January 3, 1931. The new model was called, oddly enough, the 

K22 Target Model. When the last revolver of the series was made on December 28, 

1939 a total of 17,117 had been made. 

Perhaps S&W was also getting requests from hunters and campers. Maybe 

they were concerned the competition market might not be big enough, or they 

may have been impressed with the success of Colt’s .22 auto pistol, “The 

Woodsman.” At any rate S&W touted the K22 as the “Outdoorsman’s” revolver. 

Revolver fans adopted the term. 

Charles Call, a well-known competitive shooter, had developed a front sight 

with a round bead insert. The first 500 or so K22s feature this “Call bead” made of 

gold. Some sources say the bead was brass; I’ve never located an example, and if I 

did the owner would likely not let me pry the bead out to check. At any rate S&W 

soon changed to a silver-colored bead which appears to be of stainless steel. 

The adjustable rear sight was beautifully fitted into the topstrap. Evidently polishing 

was done after the sight was fitted, as the fit is so close it’s hard to feel where 

the parts join. Single action pull was carefully tuned to a nominal three pounds. The 

revolver shown here has an outstanding, crisp 2.5-pound, single-action pull, and a 

very smooth 9-pound, double-action pull. 

Craftsmanship 

Introducing new target revolvers just 

as the Great Depression was taking 

hold was bad luck for S&W, good 

luck for those who could afford them 

(and for collectors in later years). 

Good luck because, with sales at a 

slow pace, there was no pressure to 

take shortcuts or rush production. 

Workers quite naturally wanted 

to keep their jobs; S&W naturally 

didn’t want to lose these highly 

trained and skilled workers. 

S&W (along with most other 

firearms manufacturers) didn’t make a 

lot of guns during the 1930s, but those 

manufactured were very well made 

indeed. Lockwork components were 

carefully selected and fitted to provide 

virtually flawless operation. The 

walnut stocks were installed before 

metal polishing, then numbered to the 

gun so they could be reinstalled after 

When S&W introduced the K22 in1930 

they used the same adjustable sight as 

on their .38 cal. target models. 

the metal parts had been blued. 

Metal polishing was beautifully 

done by experts who were as much 

artists as craftsmen. Around 1944 

Bob Brownell (founder of Brownells) 

interviewed David Murray of S&W. 

He quotes Murray, “Here at the factory 

we estimate it takes about 15 

years to make a really good polisher, 

and until he is good, he is incapable of 

handling the more difficult operations 

no matter how hard he tries …” (Gunsmith 

Kinks, 1969, F.R. Brownell). 

Relatively cheap, highly skilled 

labor and tough economic times 

resulted, for a brief period, in custom 

quality at production prices. It’s a 

combination of circumstance we’re 

unlikely to see again (and most of us 

wouldn’t want to see again). 

This K22 

Target Model 

was made in 1937 

and weighs 35½ ounces 

because competition shooters 

began asking for a bit more 

weight for a steadier hold. 

Looking like 

a twin to its 

.38 Special brother, 

the K22 soon made a name for itself 

among target shooters and outdoorsmen 

of all kinds. It was a near perfect trail gun. 

An Outdoor Success 

Target shooters wanted a “short action” 

so the revolver could be cocked 

without altering the shooter’s grip, 

and a more precise adjustable sight. 

S&W introduced these changes in 

the short-lived (and very collectible) 

Second Model K22, with production 

ending when the US entered WWII. 

After the war, under the leadership of 

C.R. Hellstrom, S&W spared no expense 

to build the perfect target revolver. A 

barrel rib was added, its width calculated 

so the .22., .32 and .38 cal. models all 

weighed exactly 38½ ounces. 

Alas, the reign of target .22 

revolvers was a short one. Competitors 

liked the idea of a pistol which cocked 

itself, leaving more time to refine sight 

picture in timed and rapid fire. Varous 

semiautos, the Colt Match Target, the 

High Standards and eventually S&W’s 

own Model 41 came to dominate bull’seye 

competition. 

The K22s great success was with 

campers, hunters, plinkers, anglers. 

Whoever at S&W came up with the 

“Outdoorsman” label nailed it. In 

various forms the K22 has been in 

production continuously since 1930. 

Currently available is the Model 617 

in stainless steel with 10-shot cylinder, 

and the Classic K22 in blued carbon 

steel with 6-shot cylinder. 

I’ve owned K22s from every era and 

never owned one which wasn’t a good 

gun. For a video featuring the revolver 

shown here, see www.davesgunpages. 

com and click on the “Timewarp” page. 

S&W came up with a winner when they 

combined their K-frame with 

the .22 rimfire cartridge. 

* 

For more info: Smith & Wesson (800) 

331-0852, www.americanhandgunner. 

com/smithwesson 


WINNINGEDGE 

Dave Anderson 

Mooning 

SOLID ADVICE 

TO KEEP YOU 

AHEAD OF THE 

COMPETITION 

Pro Series J-Frames 

Smiths? 

Smith & Wesson must have known they had a winner 

when the first J-frame revolver was built on Oct. 24, 

1950. I wonder if they had any idea just how popular 

these light, compact revolvers would become. 

Sixty years later the J-frame Smiths are selling better then 

ever. These compact revolvers are tremendously popular 

with private citizens empowered by recent state-legislated 

“shall issue” carry permits. And although most law enforcement 

officers now carry autopistols as their primary duty 

arm, tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of J-frames 

still serve in a backup role. 

The J-frames draw their share of criticism. Critics say they 

are too small, too short-barreled, too feeble, too hard to 

shoot, have too much recoil and are too slow to reload. 

But they do have one big advantage. They are too handy 

to get left at home. 

Below: The BMT Mooner makes loading and unloading clips 

fun rather than a chore. It’s well designed, well made, fast 

and reliable. I’d consider it an almost essential accessory to 

moon clips. One side of the metal wheel is designed to load 

cartridges into clips, the other side unloads the fired cases. 

A regular S&W 640 (left) and a Pro Series S&W 640 (right) with 

cylinder machined for moon clips. Moon clips provide an additional 

option for loading. Shooters can still load single rounds or use 

regular speedloaders such as the Safariland. 

Versatile Pro Series 

T 

he examples shown here are part of the “Pro Series.” 

They address the only criticism I consider as valid, the 

issue of reloading. These models have the rear of the cylinder 

machined to accept moon clips for faster reloading. 

The moon clips provided with these J-frames (three with 

each revolver) are made of thin but very strong, springy steel. 

The system on these J-frames does not sacrifice any other 

methods of operation. If you like, you can load the cylinder 

with individual rounds. The ridge along the circumference of 

the cylinder, and the ejector star, engage the cartridge rims. 

Cartridges headspace properly for normal firing and eject 

when the ejector rod is activated. 

Above: S&W J-frames from left: Regular style satin nickel 442, 640; Pro 

Series 640, 442 and 642. The Pro Series models provide all the features of 

regular J-frames and can be reloaded with single rounds, with speedloaders 

or speed strips, but add the option of using moon clips. The two 

442s and the 642 wear aftermarket “Secret Service” grips from Eagle 

Grips, my favorites for J-frame revolvers. 

I also tried reloading with some Safariland speedloaders I 

had on hand, and these too worked perfectly. In short, whatever 

method you use to shoot and reload any other J-frame 

works just fine with these revolvers. The moon clips simply 

add another option. 

Along with a couple of friends, both very good shooters, I 

tried timing reloads, using a CED timer to measure from shot 

to shot. Both onscreen and in person I’ve seen Jerry Miculek 

consistently do revolver reloads in the 1.5 second range with 

some around a second flat. Two points: (1) these are with .45 

ACP revolvers using short, fat, FMJ cartridges which funnel 

easily into the charge holes, and (2) Jerry is the best revolver 

shooter in the world. 

On the other hand: (1) we were using .38 Special cartridges 

which are long and skinny, with flat profile JHP 

bullets, and (2) we are not the best revolver shooters in the 



HANDLOADING 

John Taffin 

The NWCP 300 

and 260-grain 

rebated boattail 

.452" bullets. 

Belt Mountain Punch bullets are turned from solid brass one at a time 

on a lathe. The base is then hollowed out resulting in a core filled 

with lead while the nose of the bullet is basically solid brass. The 

resulting Punch bullets are designed for one application, namely deep 

penetration on large heavily muscled and boned critters. Being made one 

at a time they are neither cheap nor designed for casual plinking; load 

them, sight in, and go hunting. Kelye’s newest offering is a 270 grain 

.430" designed mainly for the .44 Magnum. This bullet is already being 

offered in loaded ammunition 

by Grizzly Cartridge 

Excellent accuracy with the 

Belt Mountain Punch 

Company and clocked out 

Bullet in the 

Freedom 

at just under 1,400 fps from 

Arms .454. my 71/2" Freedom Arms .44 

Magnum. You may recognize 

this name from Belt 

Mountain Base Pins for SA 

revolvers. Kelye Schlep runs 

both side of the business. 

Other Punch bullets 

offered for sixgunners are a 

300 grain .430", 305 and 320 grain .452" for the .45 Colt, .454 Casull and 

.460 Smith & Wesson; 380 grain .475" for the .480 Ruger and .475 Linebaugh; 

420 grain .500" for the Freedom Arms .500 Wyoming Express and 

.500 S&W; and a 458 grain .510" for the .500 Linebaugh. All of these bullets 

feature deep crimping grooves and in some cases a knurled gripping 

surface around the lower 

part of the bullet, which 

fits inside the case 

so they stay in place 

under heavy recoil. 

What 

John 

Likes 

Notice the deep crimping grooves and knurled 

surfaces to keep bullets from jumping the grip 

under recoil in the Belt Mountain .45 and 

.475 bullets. 

True Custom Bullets 

For my personal use I load the Punch bullets somewhat conservatively, 

however they will still provide more than adequate penetration on 

anything I am likely to hunt This includes the 320-grain .45 Colt Punch 

bullet over 22 grains of H4227 for 1,170 from a 45/8" Blackhawk and 1,250 

from a 71/2" .45 Colt. For the .454 in the 43/4" Freedom Arms I increase the 

powder charge to 26 grains to give me 1,325 fps, and for my .475 Linebaugh 

with the same barrel length 25 grains of the same powder with the 380-grain 

bullet does 1,175 fps. 

For a full house loading of the .454 I use the 305 grain over 30 grains of 

H110 for over 1,650 fps from a Freedom Arms Model 83. Any of these loads 

provide deep or complete penetration along with excellent accuracy. 

Big bores are 

famous for 

their accuracy 

and the NWCP 

loads delivered 

the goods. 

SAGE ADVICE 

FROM THE 

HANDLOADING 

GURUS 

NWCP Bullets 

Bob Sauter of Northwest Custom Projectile 

(NWCP) offers a totally different 

style of bullet as well as different configurations 

for different applications. NWCP 

bullets are of more conventional materials — 

copper with a lead core — however there is 

nothing conventional about his designs. Bob 

not only offers plain-based bullets but also 

a RBBT, which is a rebated boattail. All 

handloaders know what a rifle boattail looks 

like, but I don’t know of anyone else who 

has ever offered the same design for handgun 

bullets. I first used these for loading heavy 

bullets in the .45 ACP and covered them in 

the Sept/Oct 2007 Taffin Tests. 

NWCP bullets may be custom ordered as 

to wall thickness according to their intended 

use. A full house loaded .454 requires a much 

thicker wall than a standard .45 Colt. If the 

latter is pushed to the maximum in a .454, 

bullets can come apart, while the former in a 

1,000 fps loading will probably not expand. 

Bob can custom tailor any bullets to the customer’s 

specifications. For the .45 NWCP not 

only offers the 260-grain RBBT Scorpion for 

regular hunting use, there is also the Man- 

Stopper, which is basically a full wadcutter 

with an obscene hollowpoint. These are not 

for long range accuracy but rather reasonably 

close maximum effectiveness. In the .50, the 

ManStopper is also offered, as well as a 350- 

grain flat-based, flat-tipped hunting bullet. 

I have tested the NWCP 260 HP .45 Colt 

bullet in several Ruger Blackhawks. Loaded 

over 10.5 grains of Hodgdon’s Universal. it 

clocks out at just under 1,100 fps 

from a 71/2" barrel and puts five 

shots into just under 1" at 25 yards. 

Going to opposite extremes, this 

bullet over 6.0 grains of Universal 

in the .45 Auto Rim is a pleasant 

shooting 800 fps from a 4" S&W 

Model 25 and does 1,480 fps with 

35 grains of Hodgdon’s Li’l Gun 

loaded in the .460 S&W. In both 

cases 25 yard groups are right at 

1". In the 83/8" S&W .500 the 350 

grain Soft Point over 30 grains 

of H4227 is just under 1,300 fps 

while staying well under 1" at 25 yards. 

For serious sixgunners, especially for 

hunting, one or both of these companies can 

offer custom bullets which will 

get the job done. 

* 

For more info: Belt Mountain Punch (406) 

388-1396, www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

beltmountain; NWCP (406) 723-8683, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/norwestcustomprojectile 


Ruger ® SR9c Pistol 

9mm Luger 

2010 Handgun of the Year 

THE COMPACT 

SR9c 

 

“The SR9c obstinately refused 

to malfunction.” 

Patrick Sweeney, 

Guns & Ammo 

WWW.RUGER.COM/SR9C 

Ruger ® LCR 

.38 SPL+P 


THE REVOLUTIONARY 

LCR 

“Rewrites the small-frame 

revolver book.” 

Roy Huntington, 

American Handgunner Magazine 

WWW.RUGER.COM/LCR 

2010 American Rifleman 

Handgun of the Year 

2010 Shooting Illustrated 

Handgun of the Year 

Ruger ® LCP Pistol 

.380 Auto 

THE ULTRALIGHT AND COMPACT 

LCP 

“The LCP seems right on target for 

today’s personal protection needs.” 

Dennis Adler, 

Combat Handguns Magazine 

WWW.RUGER.COM/LCP 


One company continues to produce American-Made firearms that impress 

and perform at all levels – Ruger ® and the award-winning Ruger ® Compacts. 

WWW.RUGER.COM 

©2010 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 

072710 

V I S I T W W W . R U G E R . C O M / S A F E T Y F O R L C P R E C A L L I N F O R M A T I O N

CARRYOPTIONS 

Sammy Reese 

FROM CLASSICS TO 

CUTTING EDGE IN 

CARRY METHODS 

Simply Rugged’s 

Sourdough 

Pancake 

rig. 

Simple & Rugged 

When I opened the box from Simply 

Rugged Holsters, I was impressed 

the moment my eyes and hands 

first touched the Sourdough Pancake 

Holster. I knew at that moment, the testimonials 

on Robs website were the real 

deal. Other than being met by one of my 

favorite smells — that heady leather and 

dye combination — I saw this holster was 

made to take anything I could dish out. 

Rob use 8-10 ounce steer shoulder 

leather to create this Mack Truck of a 

holster. His process of tightly molding 

each holster to the specific gun it’s made 

too tote around eliminates the need for 

a retention strap. But, there’s an option 

to add one available, if you want. I was 

a bit skeptical at first, so I put my 4" 

Model 29 in the holster, held it upside 

down over my bed and shook the holstered 

gun as hard 

as I could (over 

the bed, thank you 

According to 

Sammy, this is 

Hannah’s “mean” 

face. 

R 

Simply Rugged 

Holsters 

The Name 

Says It All 

Sometimes a name says it all. In the case of Simply Rugged Holsters, 

I’d say Rob nailed it. Simple and rugged are two words applying to 

many things I use in my daily life. I tend to look at gear from the 

perspective of how it will hold up under “field” conditions — Marine or cop 

proof, if you will. 

In an age when almost everything is made to be recycled, longevity 

tends to be the last thing on the on the minds of many manufacturers. For 

example, “we” sold our “older” perfectly working refrigerator/freezer for a 

new “cooler” energy-efficient one. It gave up the ghost in the first 20 days, and 

ruined a full load of food. Its replacement did the same but only it took 70 days 

— again ruining a full load of food. So much for built to last. 

very much), until I got tired of doing it. 

The gun didn’t fall out but I assumed the 

gun would have shifted at least a little 

bit. You know what happens when you 

assume — the gun didn’t budge. 

A holster this tight must be a bear 

to draw from, right? My thought was 

being so tightly molded, it was going to 

be extremely difficult to draw the gun 

from the holster. I was wrong — again. 

I’m getting tired of this being wrong 

thing. The big gun was kept secure, 

and the draw stroke was smooth, not 

requiring any Herculean effort. 

Carrying a large frame revolver isn’t 

an easy task. I wore my 4" Model 29 

exposed on the range, and for grins, 

concealed under a jacket. With the right 

cover garment, I was actually able to 

pull it off. I have to say, I didn’t feel 

under-gunned with “only” six rounds of 

240-grain JHPs, and six more in a quick 

strip, in my pocket. I’ve been using this 

holster as often as I can, doing my best 

to wear it out. I don’t think I’m going to 

be able to, but that’s not a bad thing. 

Alaska Tough 

ob perfected his holster-making technique while living in 

Alaska, a place where a gear failure could mean you don’t 

make it home. He knew the equipment must be as tough as the 

people depending on it. I’d say Rob got it right. 

Rob makes holsters for any barrel length revolver made by 

Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger or Taurus (including the Judge). He 

has more options listed on his website then I have room for here. He 

also makes several designs for semiauto pistols, as well. Being the 

patriot he is, Rob donates holsters to www.troopsupport.org, 

who send the holsters to guys on the pointy end of the spear. 

Rob included what he calls “insideout 

straps” for converting the holster 

into an inside-the-waistband holster. I’m 

usually not a fan of “dual- use” holsters. 

I’ve found the hybrid designs usually 

have to compromise something to make 

both functions work. Once again, I 

wrong, geez. I didn’t spend much time 

wearing the holster IWB though. The 

crash which ended my police career also 

ended my IWB carry days. I can pull 

it off for short period of time, but the 

10-hour days are a thing of the past. 

The inside-out-strap design put the 

gun in a usable position, kept it locked 

into place with heavy-duty leather 

straps and hardware giving the option of 

on the belt or IWB carry. I’m 0-for-3 in 

the assumption department, and in this 

case I’m glad I struck out trying to poke 

holes in Rob’s holster design. 

* 

The 

back is, 

well … simply 

rugged too. Not too much 

extra time is spent on the 

pretty side of things. 

For more info: Simply Rugged Holsters (928) 227-0432, www.americanhandgunner.com/simplyrugged 


JULY 2010 • CATALOG #307 

Bere ta 96/PX4 

Bere ta 92FS/M9 

GLOCK 17 9mm 

GLOCK G17 9mm 

GLOCK 19 

GLOCK Model 21 

Not Factory 


13 Rounds, .40 S&W, Blued St el 

MAG-128 … $19.97 

18 Rounds, 9 m, Blued St el 

MAG-129 … $19.97 

17 Rounds, Factory 

MAG-240 … $21.97 

10 Round, Factory 

MAG-232 … $18.97 

15 Rounds, 9 m 

MAG-248 … $18.97 

13 Rounds, .45 Caliber, 

MAG-250 … $18.97 

9 m, 15 Rounds, 

Package of Two Mags 

and a Fr e Mag Pouch, 

Manufactured by KCI 

MAG-252 … $9.97 

9 m, 17 Rounds, 

Package of Two Mags 

and a Fr e Mag Pouch, 

Manufactured by KCI 

MAG-257 … $9.97 

10 Round, 9 m 

Drop Fr e, New 

MAG- 2 … $18.97 

Not Factory 


GLOCK G26 Factory 

MecGar 9mm 

Sig P 26 

18 Rounds, Anti-Friction 

Coating Flush Fit 

MAG-490 … $19.97 

15 Rounds, Blue Steel, MecGar 

MAG-7 0 … $14.97 

19 Rounds, Factory, Stainle s 

MAG-654 … $24.97 

M1 Carbine 

15 Rounds, Blued St el, 

New, KCI Manufacture 

MAG-343 … $5.97 

Taurus PT92/ 9 9mm 

Springfield XD(M) 9mm 

Ru sia produces high quality a munition; 

polymer coated st el case, Boxer primed, 

jacket, non-co rosive and non-reloadable. 

Simply put, this is i some of the best 

Caliber Description 

.223 

AR-15 . 23/5.56 

Charles Daly Defense 

30 Rounds, Blue Finish, 

Grey Magpul Fo lower 

MAG-093 … $13.97 

30 Round, Dust Cover, 

Polymer with Window 

MAG-089 … $ 1.97 

MagPul AR-15 .2 3 

AR-15 . 23 C Products 

AR-15 . 23 H&K 

AR-15 . 23 Teflon 

AR-15 . 23 Cammenga ® 

LR .308 

M14, M1A .308 

Ruger Mini-14 

.223/5.56mm 

23/5.56mm 

30 Rounds, Polymer 

MAG-046 … $12.97 

TAPCO ® AR-15 

30 Rounds, Black Polymer 

MAG-090 … $9.97 

30 Rounds, Aluminum, 

Mil-Spec, Moly Coat Finish 

MAG-073 … $9.97 

30 Rounds, Maritime 

Finish, Works with 

H&K Model 416 

MAG-067 … $39.97 

30 Rounds, Military Contract 

MAG-065 … $7.97 

30 Rounds, Easy Mag, St el 

MAG-071 … $14.97 

19 Rounds, St el, Black 

Oxide Finish, Made in 

the USA 

MAG-523 … $21.97 

10 Rounds, Parkerized 

St el, New, ImportedI 

MAG-3573 … $8.97 

30 Rounds, Blued St el 

MAG-360 … $42.97 

AK-47 7.62x39 

AK-47 7.62x39 

TAPCO ® AK-74 5.45x39 

European, Used, 30 Rounds 

MAG-029 … $12.97 

30 Rounds, Gray St el 

MAG-0202 … $ 1.97 

AUGUST 2010 • CATALOG #308 

6" Gr en 

Light Sticks 

Lasts 12 hours, 

package of ten. 

Z A-150 … $9.97 

Remington 597 

30 Rounds, . 2LR, 

Clear, Factory 

MAG-216 … $15.97 

Bere ta 96/PX4 

13 Rounds, 

.40 S&W, Blued St el 

MAG-128 … $19.97 

MecGar 9 m 

Sig P22626 

18 Rounds, Anti-Friction 

Coating Flush Fit 

MAG-490 … $19.97 

GLOCK 17 9 m 


MAG-240 … $21.97 

GLOCK 19 9mm 


MAG-248 … $18.97 

AK-4 7.62x39 


MAG-0202 … $11.97 

M1 Carbine 

15 Rounds, Blued St el, 

New, KCI Manufacture 

MAG-343 … $5.97 

Mini-14 . 23 

Factory, Blue St el, 

20 Rounds 

MAG-390 … $34.97 

Bushmaster . 23 

30 Round, Aluminum 

with No Tilt Fo lower, 

Factory 

MAG-0 6 … $15.97 

Ke nesaw 

Black Powder Cannonsnons 

Your Choice … $29.97 

Field Cannon, 8x4.5" … GIFT-1 5 

Salute Ga rison Cannon 

5x3" … GIFT-150 

MAGAZINES 

Winchester 

Ranger 9mm 

SXT, 147 Grain, 

50 Rounds 

A M-43 1 … $24.19 

Winchester 

Ranger .40 S&W 

JHP, 1 5 Grain, 

50 Rounds 

A M-564 … $19.79 

American Eagle ® 

.40 S&W 

FMJ, 1 5 Grain, 

50 Rounds 

A M-534 … $20.79 

American 

Eagle .308 

FMJ, 150 Grain, 

2820 fps, 20 Rounds 

A M-65970 … $14.19 

Remington ® 

Golden 

Saber .357 

JHP, 125 Grain, 

25 Rounds 

A M-3 1 … $19.79 

Tula . 23 

FMJ, 5 Grain, 

20 Rounds 

AMM-29 0 … $5.09 

BVAC .32 Auto 


9 0 fps, 50 Rounds 

AMM-304 … $17.39 

BVAC .38 Special 

DRT ® . 23 


20 Rounds 

A M-268 … $22.29 

2.5 Ga lon 

Fuel Can 

Used, Grade I 

Condition 

Z A-0 5 … $14.97 

Enhanced MRE Meals 

MREs Feature 12 Complete Meals 

MRE-865 … $69.97 

Wolf 7.62x39 

HP, 122 Grain, 

20 Rounds 

A M-649 … $4.59 


1050 fps, 50 Rounds 

A M- 324 … $15.59 

Pocket Holster 

Fits Pocket Autos 

Z A-917 … $5.97 

Firefield Tactical 

5X Magnifiers 

SCP-246 … $89.97 

SEPTEMBER 2010 • CATALOG #309 

AKS-176 … $ 10.97 

Ruger .380 LCP 


MAG- 45 … $21.97 

Kel-Tec P 1 9 m 


MAG-014 … $29.97 

GLOCK 17 9 m 


MAG-240 … $21.97 


18 Rounds, 9 m, 

Blued St el 

MAG-129 … $19.97 

H&K G3 .308 

20 Rounds, German 

Factory, St el, Used 

MAG-303 … $1.97 

AK-4 7.62x39 


MAG-0202 … $ 1.97 

Mini-14 . 23 

Factory, Blue 

St el, 20 Rounds 

MAG-390 … $34.97 



Aluminum with 

No Tilt Fo lower 

MAG-0 6 … $15.97 

LR .308 

19 Rounds, St el, 

Black Oxide Finish, 

Made in the USA 

MAG-523 … $21.97 

M14/M1A .308 

20 Rounds, St el, New 

in Wra per with 

NSN Number, Imported 

MAG-3572 … $9.97 

O-Ring Sealed, Polypropylene 

Plastic Waterpr of 

MTM-050 … $14.97 

St el Penetrator, 

62 Grain, 20 Rounds 

High Velocity, 

A M- 23 … $10.79 

HP, 36 Grain, 

5 0 Round Brick 

A M-0 51 … $24.49 

Wolf ® 7.62x39 

BVAC ® .32 Auto 

AK Replacement Stock Sets 

MAGAZINES 

.50 Caliber Ammo Can 

HP, 1 2 Grain, 

20 Rounds 


A M-649 … $4.59 


A M-304 … $17.39 


.40 S&W 

Brown Bear .308 



50 Rounds 

20 Rounds 

A M-534 … $20.79 

A M-715 … $7.19 

JBP ® Leather 





Z A-917 … $5.97 

KEY-030 … $19.97 

Mono Vault Burial Tube 

31" Long, Polymer, Waterpr of 

Z A-250 …$79.97 

Lake City . 23/5.56 

M8 5 S109 

Armscor ® . 2LR 

Lawman ® 9mm 

Privi Partisan .380 


50 Rounds 


A M-4361 … $12.79 

50 Rounds 

A M-3212 … $19.79 

In The Waist 

Leather Holster 

Band Holster 

Sma l Autos Fits 

Subcompac .380 Autos, Inside 

Sma l Frame Autos 

the Pants 

Z A-797 … $7.97 

Z A-926 … $9.97 

OCTOBER 2010 • CATALOG #310 

AK-4 7.62x39 


MAG-0202 … $ 1.97 


18 Rounds, 9 m, 

Blued St el 

MAG-129 … $19.97 



Aluminum with 

No Tilt Fo lower 

MAG-066 … $15.97 

Mini-14 . 23 

Factory, Blue 

St el, 20 Rounds 

MAG-390 … $34.97 

MAGAZINES 

GLOCK 17 9 m 


MAG-240 … $21.97 

H&K G3 .308 


Factory, St el, Used 

MAG-303 … $1.97 

Kel-Tec P 1 9 m 


MAG-014 … $29.97 

LR .308 

19 Rounds, Steel, 

Black Oxide Finish, 

Made in the USA 

MAG-523 … $21.97 

Ruger .380 LCP 


MAG- 45 … $21.97 

M14/M1A .308 

20 Rounds, St el, 

New in Wra per with 

NSN Number, Imported 

MAG-3572 … $9.97 

Potbe ly Knife 

Baconmaker Knife 

7 1 ⁄8" Kukri style blade, 

includes Pi gyback 

knife and 8' of cord. 

DBA-857 … $79.97 

7" recurved blade, 

includes Pi gyback 

knife and 8' of cord. 

DBA-856 … $79.97 


.40 S&W 


50 Rounds 

A M-534 … $20.79 

Armscor ® . 2LR 

High Velocity, 

HP, 36 Grain, 

5 0 Round Brick 

A M-0 51 … $24.49 

Wolf ® 7.62x39 

BVAC ® .32 Auto 



A M-304 … $17.39 

Lake City . 23/5.56 

M8 5 S109 

St el Penetrator, 


A M- 23 … $10.79 

HP, 1 2 Grain, 

20 Rounds 

A M-649 … $4.59 

Lawman ® 9mm 

Privi Partisan .380 


50 Rounds 

A M-3212 … $19.79 


50 Rounds 

A M-4361 … $12.79 

Brown Bear .308 

Tula Ammo .380 


50 Rounds 

AMM-3 20 … $13.29 


20 Rounds 

A M-715 … $7.19 

Lake City 

.30 Carbine 


120 Rounds in New 

Style Bandoliers 

A M-613 … $69.97 

F I R E A R M S 

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Caliber Description Rounds Price Item Number 

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20 

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Magazines 

AK-47 7.62x39 

30 Rounds, Gray Steel 

MAG-0202 … $11.97 

AR-15 .223 

Bushmaster 

30 Rounds, 

New, Aluminum 

MAG-066 … $15.97 

BUSHMASTER 

Beretta 92FS 9mm 

18 Rounds, Not Factory 

MAG-129 … $19.97 

Charles Daly 

AR-15 .223 

30 Rounds, 

Blued Aluminum 

MAG-093 … $13.97 

Eagle 10/22 .22LR 

30 Rounds, Smoke 

MAG-416 … $8.97 

GLOCK 17 9mm 


MAG-240 … $24.97 

H&K G3 .308 


Factory, Steel, Used 

MAG-303 … $1.97 

LR .308 

19 Rounds, Black Steel 

MAG-523 … $21.97 

M1 .30 Carbine 

15 Rounds, Blued 

MAG-343 … $5.97 

M14, M1A .308 

20 Rounds, Parkerized Steel 

MAG-3572 … $9.97 

Sig P226 9mm 

18 Rounds, Not Factory 

MAG-490 … $19.97 

S&W Model 5900 9mm 

15 Rounds, Blued Steel 

MAG-641 … $16.97 

Taurus PT92, 99 9mm 

15 Rounds, Blued 

MAG-700 … $14.97 

BVAC .22LR 

HP, 36 Grain, 

500 Round Brick 

AMM-055 … $22.19 

DRT .380 

HP, Powder Core, 


AMM-3271 … $33.89 

American Eagle 9mm 


50 Rounds 

AMM-436 … $12.19 

TulAmmo 9mm 


50 Rounds 

AMM-4700 … $8.29 

Winchester 

Ranger 9mm 

FMJ, +P, 124 Grain, 

50 Rounds 

AMM-4310 … $16.59 

Winchester 

Ranger .40S&W 


50 Rounds 

AMM-564 … $19.79 

American Eagle 

.40 S&W 


50 Rounds 

AMM-534 … $17.59 

DRT .223 


AMM-268 … $22.29 

Ulyanovsk .223 


20 Rounds 

AMM-2907 … $3.59 

Ulyanovsk 7.62x39 


20 Rounds 

AMM-6407 … $3.59 

American Eagle .308 

FMJBT, 150 Grain, 

20 Rounds 

AMM-65970 … $14.19 

12 Gauge DDupleks 

Dupo 28 

HP Slug, 2¾", 5 Rounds 

AMM-829 … $12.19 

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405-403 

Visit our website for the largest selection of firearms, ammunition, magazines, and shooting gear. 800 - 421- 8047

THE SIXGunnERJohn Taffin 

A Bit Of Touchable History 

Hamilton 

5 

Bowen’s No. 

The No. 5 Ruger Old Model 

with two cylinders in .41 

Special and .41 Magnum. 

The .44 Special Bowen 

Ruger No. 5 for those who 

prefer this classic caliber. 

As so many other things having to do with firearms it 

began with Elmer Keith. Keith was born in 1899 and 

during his growing up years quality sixguns as well as 

components were nowhere near as easy to access as they are today. As 

a teenager he mostly shot black-powder Colts. Celebrating the Fourth 

of July in 1925, he blew apart an old Colt .45 using black powder 

loads. These were not ordinary black-powder loads as he ground the 

powder granules to a consistency akin to flour looking for all possible 

muzzle velocity in his old Colt. 

The top of the chamber as well as the top strap blew and he 

decided to go with a different cartridge. The .44 Special had arrived 

in late 1907 but as of 1925 he was yet 

to see one. This soon changed as he 

realized the .44 in a Colt Single Action 

cylinder resulted in more steel around 

the cartridge case, thus he shifted from 

the .45 Colt to the .44 S&W Special. 

This was to have far-reaching effects, 

which are even felt today. 

In September 1928 in the American 

Rifleman Keith wrote of a visit from 

Harold Croft of Pennsylvania. Croft 

took the train all the way out to visit 

Keith at his ranch in Durkee, Ore. He 

brought with him, as Keith describes 

it, “a whole suitcase full of custom 

sixguns.” These were all chambered 

in .45 Colt, however Keith liked many 

of the modifications he saw. Each man was affected by 

the other. Croft had four main sixguns, two built on the 

Colt Single Action and the other two on the Colt Bisley. 

All four of these featured special sights, and one, which 

Croft called his Featherweight No. 3, had a modified 

grip frame combining the Bisley Colt backstrap with the 

Single Action triggerguard. Croft went back home and 

Keith went to work designing the perfect sixgun. 

The LaST Word 

In the April 1929 issue of the American Rifleman, Keith 

unveiled his perfect sixgun, or as he called it “The 

Last Word.” Taking the best ideas of Harold Croft and 

combining them with his own, he came up what is now 

the very famous No. 5 S.A.A. When I was on the board of 

the Elmer Keith Museum Foundation in the early 1990s, 

I was privileged to examine all of Elmer Keith’s sixguns 

including his No. 5, then later to place it in the center of 

the sixguns section in the Elmer Keith Museum residing 

inside Cabela’s in Boise, Idaho. I still visit it, along with 

Keith’s other sixguns, at least once a month. 

The first two Bowen Ruger No. 

5s rest on a copy of 

Hamilton’s book, 

The Custom Revolver 

— a mustread 

for any 

revolver fan! 

Available 

from Bowen 

Classic Arms. 

Below: The .44 Special Bowen 

Ruger No. 5 and the .41 both 

proved to shoot around 1". John 

feels with some more loading 

groups could easily shrink! 

The .41 Special Bowen 

Ruger No. 5. Elegance 

from the Bowen shop. 

Taking The Reins 

About 10 years ago, Hamilton Bowen built his first No. 

5s on USFA mainframes with the first two examples 

being blued everyday working guns with walnut 

stocks, and the other the very image of Keith’s No. 5 complete 

with full engraving and carved ivory stocks. Now Bowen 

is offering the basic idea of the No. 5 on Rugers, both New 

Models and Old Models, and in a choice of chamberings. 



The Team Match II is chambered in both 

.45 ACP & 9mm. Slide & frame are machined 

from stainless steel to exacting dimensions. 

Heavy Medal 

Kimber. The Choice of the USA Shooting Team. 

Team Match II pistols feature an adjustable sight with 

positive steel-on-steel clicks for match-winning accuracy, 

ambidextrous thumb safety & Premium Aluminum 

Trigger that breaks clean at 4-5 pounds. 

USA Shooting Team logo grips, 30 lines-per-inch front strap 

checkering, beavertail grip safety & extended magazine 

well have a striking appearance and speed operation. 

www.kimberamerica.com 

For information on products and dealer 

locations please send $2 to: 

Kimber, Dept. 278 

One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705 

Information is also available at (800) 880-2418 

The Choice of America’s Best. 

©2010 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be used without permission. Names of other companies, products and services may be 

the property of their respective owners. Kimber firearms are shipped with an instructional manual and California-approved cable lock. Copy of instruction manual available by request.

This is the cast bullet load Duke 

mostly relies on for the .380 

Auto, shown with a a 95- 

grain Winchester SXT factory 

load at left. The 90-grain 

cast bullet is from a Lyman 

mould #356242. This mould 

is available in both 90 and 

120-grain weights. 

Upon buying the 8mm Nambu 

pistol Duke was more than 

happy to discover RCBS 

catalogs a special order 

mould #8mm-110-NAMBU 

for it. Shown at left is an 

original Japanese 

military load. 

common misconception held by many pistol cartridge 

handloaders is they can’t use cast bullets in their autoloaders. 

That’s simply not correct. Cast bullets can 

make fine pistol projectiles costing a fraction of 

comparable weight jacketed bullets. The only 

caveat I have about using cast bullets in autoloaders comes 

with those such as Glocks where their instruction booklets 

say not to use them due to their unique form of rifling. 

That’s why I don’t own any such pistols. 

Now be very sure of this. I’m not saying lead alloy 

pistol bullets will completely replace jacketed bullets. 

When checking his 

auto-pistol cast bullet 

handloads Duke always 

checks them on paper at 

ranges of from 50' to 75' 

to make certain they 

hit suitably close 

to point of aim. 

Duke says, “If you’re going to handload for a couple of real oddballs 

like these it definitely helps to cast your own bullets because 

jacketed bullets in these calibers are very scarce. At left is a 1944 

vintage Japanese Type 14 8mm Nambu. At right is a French 

Model 1935A in the odd 7.65mm French Long caliber. 


Duke relies mostly on these two cast bullets in his .40 S&W. 

At left is a home cast 180-grain bullet from RCBS mould 

#40-180CAS and at right is an Oregon Trail 

commercially 

cast 180-grain 

bullet. 

This is the cast bullet load 

Duke mostly relies on for his 

9mm Makarov, shown with 

a standard XTP 95-grain 

Hornady factory load at 

left. The 99-grain cast 

bullet is from an RCBS 

#9mm MAK special 

order mould. 

If you’re searching for 

expansion from your 

handloaded pistol bullets 

then forget cast ones. But if 

you’re satisfied with hardball/ 

FMJ bullets from any pistol 

caliber from .30 Luger to .45 

ACP then cast ones will certainly 

suffice. I can say from 

experience they will give accuracy 

equaling FMJ bullets and 

just as reliable functioning. 

Let me put it this way. When I leave 

my property with any of my current 

autoloading pistols, from a little Colt 

Model 1903 .32 ACP to a Les Baer 

Thunder Ranch Special .45 ACP, they 

will have modern factory loads in their 

magazines. When I go down to my 

private range to practice shooting by 

plinking at steel my pistols are used 

with cast bullets exclusively. 

This photo shows why cast 

bullets for auto pistols must be 

crimped by one method or the 

other. A bullet pushed back in 

the case caused this case head 

to blow out. 

Duke has also developed cast bullet 

practice loads for these three pocket 

pistols. At left is FN/Browning Model 1922 

.32 Auto, middle is Walther PPK .380 Auto 

and at right is a Hungarian PA63 9mm Makarov. 

I’ll be the first to admit time constraints 

keep me from casting 

all of my own pistol bullets, 

although unlike many handloaders 

I actually enjoy doing 

it. With some of the more oddball 

pistols, pouring their bullets 

myself is a must. A good 

for-instance is my recently 

acquired Japanese Type 14 

8mm Nambu. You can’t just 

run out and buy cast bullets for 

that one, but RCBS makes a 

special order mould for it so 

I make my own. On the other 

hand there are so many commercially 

cast bullets around 

for .45 ACP I seldom spend 

time casting them myself. 

So what makes a decent cast 

bullet for autoloading pistol calibers? 

Across the board I look 

at three factors when picking 

mine. I want round-nose bullets, 

Mike “duke” Venturino 

Photos: Yvonne Venturino 

I want hard bullets and I want those bullets 

to be at least as large as the pistol’s 

barrel groove diameter. 

Round-Rounds 

Autos were designed with such 

bullets in mind starting back in the 

1890s. They tend to make the journey 

from magazine up feed ramp and into 

chamber with little fuss and muss. 

While it’s true a great many autos 

will function perfectly with semiwadcutters, 

it’s a “try it and see” situation. 

Conversely, never in any of the 

scores of auto pistols I’ve owned over 

the decades has one been encountered 

that did not reliably feed round-nose 

bullets. The only time I stray from my 

“round-nose only” concept is with the 

.40 S&W. Bullet designs meant for the 

old .38 WCF (Winchester Centerfire) 

aka .38-40 have rounded ogives with a 

flatpoint so they will be safe in tubular 

magazine lever guns. Those same bul- 

WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 49 

49

These are the 9mm Luger loads Duke uses most shown with a standard 

9mm Luger FMJ load at far left. In middle is Lyman’s 120-grain #356242 

and at far right is Oregon Trail’s 124-grain RN. 

These are the .45 ACP loads Duke uses most shown with a standard .45 ACP 

FMJ load at far left. In middle is Lyman’s 225-grain #452374 and at far 

right is Oregon Trails’ 230-grain RN. 

These are the cast bullet loads Duke mostly relies on for .32 Auto, shown with 

a standard .32 Auto FMJ factory load at left. Middle is the Lyman 75-grain 

#311252 and at right is Oregon Trail’s 76-grain RN. 

When he gets enough 

time to cast his own 

9mm bullets Duke’s 

favorite mould is 

Lyman’s #356242 in 

the 120-grain weight. 

lets are perfect fits in regards to weight 

and diameter for .40 S&W, so that’s 

what gets fed to my Kimber Pro Compact 

so chambered. 

Hard Bullets 

Somebody has to be asking, “Define 

hard?” I consider a hard bullet to be 

one you can’t mar by dragging your 

fingernail across it. If that isn’t scientific 

enough for you then put it this 

way. If the alloy has a Brinell Hardness 

Number (BHN) of at least 15 then 

it’s likely hard enough. Lyman in their 

Cast Bullet Handbook, Third Edition 

says their #2 alloy has such a BHN. 

That alloy can also be homemade by 

blending nine pounds of wheelweight 

alloy with one pound of 50/50 solder. 

Linotype alloy is even harder, with 

a BHN of 22. It’s all I use when casting 

my own pistol bullets because I have a 

good supply of it on hand, and besides it 

casts beautifully filled out bullets. Many 

of the commercially cast bullets I use 

are obtained from Oregon Trail Bullet 

Company. Their special proprietary 

alloy has a BHN of 24, which I like. 

An even more sensible question 

might be, “Why so hard in the first 

place?” There are two reasons. One 

again pertains to that journey a bullet 

makes from magazine to chamber. 

Many off-the-shelf autos will have 

rough feed ramps. That’s especially 

true of former military ones such as 

military 1911s or German P38s. A hard 

bullet is a slick bullet. A soft bullet is 

a “grabby” bullet meaning it is apt to 

stick to small burrs and/or machining 

marks. Secondly, unless an autoloading 

pistol has been retrofitted with 

a special barrel specifically cut with 

deeper rifling for lead alloy bullets, its 

grooves will be fairly shallow. Shallow 

rifling is perfectly adequate for jacketed 

bullets but it will not “grip” soft 

alloy bullets. 

Groove Diameter? 

A bullet even slightly undersize will 

just tumble. Many times in the past I’ve 

written I would prefer a bullet to be as 

much as .003" over groove diameter 

than even a half-thousandths under it. 

Now I’m not quite so smug about that 

statement. I still don’t want my bullets 

to be a half-thousandths too small but 

I’m not so sure anymore about them 

being .003" over either. 

Recently I did some machine rest 

testing with a 1943 vintage German 

P38. Its barrel slugged an exact .355" 

in its grooves so I fired it with bullets 

sized .355", .356" and .357" with all 

other factors being the same. Three 

10-shot groups were fired with each 

diameter. The .355" and .357" bullets 


Although time is just as 

much at a premium to 

Duke as anyone else, 

he still enjoys 

casting his own 

auto-pistol bullets 

when possible. 

From Duke’s World War II 

German auto-pistols even 

the full auto MP 

40 “Machine Pistol” 

Duke mostly feeds 

them cast bullets. 

Pistols at left 

are P38 (top) FN Browning P35 

(middle) and P08 (Luger) at bottom. 

Duke feels cast bullet loads 

should be test fired at “real 

world” ranges for the particular 

pistol. To that end his 9mm 

Makarov cast bullet handloads 

were test fired at only 20". 

both gave three group averages well 

over 4" but the .356" ones averaged 

right at 3". So go figure. 

But here’s a warning about barrel 

groove diameters. All autoloading pistol 

calibers have nominal specs for barrel 

groove diameters. Nominal means they 

may say it, but it might not necessarily 

be the case. For instance that .355" is 

nominal for 9mm Luger. For .40 S&W 

that spec is .400" and for .45 ACP its 

.45". The real world doesn’t always perfectly 

match nominal. 

I’ve seen 9mm Luger pistols with 

barrels that actually slugged .354" and 

others that were .357". My take on the 

matter is I will shoot a newly acquired 

pistol with a cast bullet of a size nominal 

for it. If the results are 

not suitable only then do 

I bother to slug its barrel 

so different sized bullets 

can be tried. Where 

can the nominal specs for cast bullet 

sizes be found? Try Lyman’s Reloading 

Handbook, 49 th Edition or their new 

Cast Bullet Handbook, 4 th Edition. 

And here’s a personal plug. Yours truly 

wrote the 15 “How-To” chapters for 

that new cast bullet handbook, so you 

take your risks! 

Lubes, Primers, Cases 

In a word, most anything will work. 

With commercially cast bullets whatever 

lube they stick on the bullet at their 

These are Duke’s favorite .45 

ACP cast bullet shooters. At 

left is a Colt 1911A1 (1944) 

and at right is a Colt 

1911 (1918). 

plant suits me too. For my own ones my 

sole choice might surprise some. I use 

the SPG Black Powder Bullet Lubricant 

because my lube/sizers are always 

stocked with it. Besides it also works 

just fine with smokeless powders. 

Standard primers are fine, magnums 

are not necessary, and any brand of case 

works okay as long as they’re set up 

for Boxer primers. In previous years I 

was a bit fussy about having brass all of 

one headstamp. Since I’m loading for at 

least a dozen pistol cartridges nowadays 

I’m much less so. If I were trying to 

win precision competitions the fussiness 

would return but with my autopistol 

handloading now I’m just trying to have 

enough ammo to have some fun. 

Powders 

Regardless of whether cast or 

jacketed bullets are to be loaded, 

auto pistol cartridges are universally 

of small capacity. That calls for fast 

burning powders. There are many but I 

use Bullseye, HP38, W231, Titegroup, 

AA#2 and Unique. The individual pistols 

will tell the shooter which ones 

work best by just how closely it puts 

the bullets to one other on-target. I’m 

not going to take up space with a chart 

of my “favorite” loads for two reasons. 



The #8 birdshot target, 

shot at three yards. The 

blotch from the wad is 

at 8:00. Near contact 

distance might 

prove significant. 

The “Ribber” grips, although 

shorter than on a full-sized 

Judge, still offer a 

good grip. 

Taurus 

Public 

Defender 

The original 3" 

and 2.5" Judge 

and the Public 

Defender — 

a major size 

reduction. 

J.B. Wood 

By now, almost everyone 

knows about the big revolver 

from Taurus chambering both 

the .45 Colt and .410 shotshells. 

They named it “The 

Judge” because, according to Taurus, 

several people who preside in that position 

adopted it as a last resort in case the 

defendant or his friends chose to become 

violent in the courtroom. We’re not sure 

if that’s the case, but it does make a good 

story at least! 

The first edition of the Judge was 

chambered for the 2.5" .410. More 

recently, Taurus offered a version with 

a longer cylinder accepting the 3" version. 

Both are magnificent beasts, 

but they are big. Perhaps concealable 

beneath judicial robes but a bit large for 

ordinary attire. As a house or car gun, 

they are still outstanding. 

Now we have a more concealable 

version in the Public Defender. Both the 

barrel and the grip have been shortened 

and the extended hammer spur has been 

eliminated. There are still good serrations 

on the snub hammer and you can 

still cock for single action if you like. 

To keep it compact, Taurus wisely went 

back to the 2.5" chambering. 

Features Galore 

The Public Defender still offers 

the fiber-optic front sight and integral 

square-notch rear. The rubber grip is 

the “Ribber” type, with flexible extensions 

at the front offering substantial 

recoil control and comfort. Even with 

the shortened grip it “holds” well. 

In the rear curve of the hammer is 

the familiar Taurus key-lock. Turned 

clockwise until it pops out, it stops 

everything. I’ll never use it, but it would 

be good for situations where there 

might be kids around or other people 

you don’t want messing with the gun. 

Internally, a transfer bar firing 

system allows safe carrying with all the 

chambers loaded. Speaking of which, 

A .410/.45 Colt 

Pocket Tool 


Smaller and handier than 

full-sized “Judges” 

the Public Defender 

could ride in a 

concealment rig. 

The 3-yard 

slug target. 

Note the 

powder 

grain hits. 

The 2.5" 

.410 and .45 

Colt are both 

impressive 

performers 

in the Public 

Defender. 

one of the great advantages of all three 

revolvers in this series is that you can 

load in any sequence you choose: .45 

Colt and any .410 from slug to buck to 

birdshot. At the relatively close range use 

intended, any of the above would have 

devastating effect. Even the birdshot load 

would likely cause an attacker to pause 

and reconsider the error of his ways. 

Last year, when testing the original 

Judge, I fired a #8 birdshot load through 

regular wallboard. It went through, but 

did not penetrate a piece of wallboard 

placed about 6" behind it. So it seems, 

inside a house, family members in the 

next room would probably escape serious 

injury from any errant pellets fired. 

Fun To Shoot 

I will note the felt recoil was not 

unpleasant, even with the .410 slug 

loads. Also, the trigger surface is smooth, 

with no annoying vertical ridges. Double 

action was easy, and single action came 

in at a crisp 4.7 pounds, with what I’d 

call minimum over travel. 

The Champion targets I use are actually 

their 100-yard sight-in type with an 

8" black center. I did all my shooting 

standing with a 2-hand hold. At seven 

yards, using the 200-grain .45 Colt JHP 

from Black Hills, 5-shot groups were 

well-centered with groups more than 

adequate for self-protection at these sorts 

of ranges, even when shooting fast. 

You can load 

in any sequence. 

Here .45 Colt and 

.410 loads are 

nestled home. 

At three yards, using Winchester #8 

shot the pattern was almost 10"! Nineteen 

of the pellets were in the 8" black 

and about 18 others on the 8.5x11" 

target. At lower left, a large orange 

blotch showed where the wad had 

impacted. I admit I have no idea exactly 

how many pellets are in this load and 

was in no mood to try to count them! 

At three yards I tried a buckshot load 

containing three #0000 buckshot (75- 

grain .375" balls). It did well, putting 

one almost dead center and two slightly 

above. An entry at lower left was likely 

the over-powder wad. According to the 

package, this load generates about 1,200 

fps, but I would assume that would be 

from a full-length shotgun barrel. Still, 

it’s like being hit with three “hot” .380s 

going 900 fps or so? 

Finally, at the same three yards, I 

fired five rounds of Winchester .410 

slug. The slugs were 1/5 ounce, HP 

designs, advertised as 1,830 fps from 

a shotgun. On the target, four rounds 

went into the black for a 3" well-centered 

group, and one was an edge-ofthe-black 

flyer. Also, at this close range, 

a peppering of powder grains was 

obvious on the target. So you could not 

only thumb the goblin, you could also 

singe him. 

And? 

Quite often when a maker downsizes 

a big gun to make it more concealable 

you’ll get reduced handling qualities 

and unpleasant felt-recoil. With 

the Public Defender this simply didn’t 

happen. In addition to the matte stainless 

gun shown here, there is a bluedsteel 

version. There’s also one in blue 

with a Titanium cylinder, taking about 

two ounces off the weight. Choose the 

one you like, and I doubt 

you’ll be disappointed. 

* 

For more info: Taurus usA (305) 624- 

1115, www.americanhandgunner.com/ 

taurus 


Let the Grayman force be with you 

Merdeka 

Sub-Saharan 

Sub-Saharan 

Warrior 

7.5 SB 

with teeth 


Suenami 

Dinka 

T 

here are big bad knives, 

and then there are really 

big bad knives. Grayman 

Knives fall into the latter 

category. We’ve featured 

some really pretty knives 

in Handgunner over the years, but these 

won’t be any of them. Mike Grayman 

likes it like that. He’d rather build a 

knife that’d take a Taliban bunker 

apart than one that wouldn’t. He makes 

knives with that in mind and makes no 

apologies for it. 

On his website Grayman makes it 

very clear his knives are not made for 

collectors, a rarely stated but all too true 

reference to much of the fare purveyed 

in the tactical arena. There’s nothing 

wrong with collecting knives, but when 

the time comes to actually use them 

Mike wants to make sure his knives 

are the first on the battlefield. He and 

wife Sue run what they call a “Mom 

and Pop” shop somewhere out in the 

mountains around Lake Arrowhead in 

southern California. 


HAVOC IN 

Pittman, 

Pat Covert 

Photos: Chuck 

Inc. 

HAND 

Kordofan 


John Taffin 

Photos: Chuck Pittman, Inc. 

or more than 60 years big-bore sixgunners had been perfectly 

content, at least most of them, to shoot the .45 Colt, 

.44 Russian, .44 WCF, .44 Special and the relative newcomer, 

the .45 Auto Rim. Then in 1935 Smith & Wesson 

raised the Big Bore Bar significantly with the introduction 

of the .357 Magnum. It’s most interesting to go back 

and read the reports when this magnificent revolver first 

came out and see the awe it inspired. To promote the new 

Magnum sixgun Col. Doug Wesson hunted with it, taking antelope, 

elk, moose and even grizzly bear. 

Not too many sixgunners would choose the .357 Magnum 

today for such duties. The advertising called it more powerful than 


.500 S&W Magnum=.45-70! 




any .44 or .45, and in fact it was nearly 

double the muzzle velocity of any of the 

bigger bores of the era. Reloaders were 

cautioned to approach it with extreme 

care. We had reached the epitome of 

sixgun power, or so it was believed. 

Twenty years later Smith & Wesson 

teamed up with Remington to give their 

new .44 Magnum the same muzzle 

velocity as the .357 Magnum and now 

we had really reached the top. However, 

even before the introduction of the 

.44 Magnum custom sixgunsmiths were 

experimenting with other cartridges 

using cut down rifle brass and/or 5-shot 

cylinders in hand built revolvers. 

One such gent was a young gunsmith 

in Utah by the name of Dick 

Casull, whose .454 Magnum eventually 

received production status as the .454 

Casull from Freedom Arms. This time 

the Big Bore Bar had been definitely 

raised to the utmost — but not so fast. 

Even as the .454 was being introduced 

to serious sixgunners John Linebaugh 

of Cody Wyoming was working on his 

A .357 Magnum round is shown for size 

comparison with the loads tested in the 

Smith & Wesson .500 Bone Collector: 

Cor-Bon 275 DPX .500 Special, handloads 

using Oregon Trail 370 grain bullet and a 

440 grain Keith-style bullet, and Buffalo 

Bore’s 440 grain LFNGC. 

With most loads, the Bone Collector 

held to around 1.5" groups. This is 

easily a 100-yard hunting handgun 

if the shooter is up to the challenge. 

A scope would probably tighten 

things up some. 

Interestingly enough, John found his 

group sizes at 25 yards remained 

the same, with our without the 

Bushnell Zoom Dot in place. 


.500 Linebaugh and then following up 

with the .475 Linebaugh. 

What Top? 

By this time sixgunners had learned 

to not rush to say we had reached the 

top. Even John Linebaugh went further 

stretching his .500 and .475 cartridges to 

1.600" and chambering them in custom 

5-shot revolvers built on the Ruger Maximum 

frame. We had advanced from 

awe to just plain awful. Shooting those 

cartridges in a Perfect Packin’ Pistolsized 

sixgun weighing less than four 

pounds was an experience long remembered. 

Several gunsmiths chambered the 

Linebaugh Longs in custom revolvers, 

however I think most, if not all, of them 

ceased producing these sixguns as they 

simply do not want to test-fire them. 

There is absolutely nothing to compare 

to them when it comes to recoil. 

Dan Wesson had produced revolvers in 

the .445 SuperMag, however this cartridge 

in the four pound DW didn’t even 

come close to producing the brutal recoil 

of the .475 and .500 Linebaugh Longs. 

The .500 

In the early years of the 21st century, 

S&W, which had introduced sixgunners 

to the .357 Magnum in 1935, 

the .44 Magnum in 1956 and the .41 

Magnum in 1964, now took a huge step 

for mankind with the introduction of the 

.500 S&W Magnum. John Linebaugh’s 

1.600" .500LL used .512" bullets; Smith 

& Wesson .500 Magnum brass has a 

trim length of 1.615" and uses .500" 

bullets so the two can definitely not be 

interchanged. The S&W version is also 

loaded much heavier as it is used in 

larger, heavier revolvers, but both are 

five-shooters. 


Smith & Wesson Performance Center 

Bone Collector .500 S&W 10.5" BBL 

Iron 

sights 

Bushnell 

Zoom Dot 

Load MV (fps) 4 Shots 4 Shots 

OT 370/11. 7 gr. Trail Boss 899 11/4 11/2 

440 KT/10.0 gr. Trail Boss 847 11/8 1 

440 KT/12.0 gr. Universal 999 21/8 11/2 

Buffalo Bore 440 LFNGC 1,352 13/4 11/4 

Cor-Bon .500 Special 275 DPX 1,237 11/8 11/8 

Chronographed Only: 

Buffalo Bore 400 JFN 1,719 

Buffalo Bore 440 LFNGC 1,699 

Groups in inches, range 25 yards. 


‘My First 1911’ 

While not his “first” 

1911, this lifetime dream 

gun represents milestones 

in Roy’s life and is sure 

never to escape — unlike 

that first Gold Cup! 

Roy Huntington 

Just What Is It About That Gun? 

Dave’s first 1911, 

much-modified, 

but still here 

nonetheless. 

Dave Anderson 


Y 

eah, okay, you’re probably already sick of 

hearing it’s the 100 th Anniversary of the 1911. 

The fact it was really the 1910 (or even the 

1909?) doesn’t matter, the fact it was adopted by 

the US Military in 1911 stuck. Even though John 

Browning didn’t think the grip safety was necessary 

(the military made him add it), and even though he felt 

the Hi-Power was a better design (it is) we all continue 

to worship at the alter of all-things 1911. And we’re 

probably more guilty (more guiltierer?) than most here 

at Handgunner. 

Nevertheless, the fact we’re celebrating our own 

35 th Anniversary at Handgunner during 2011, and 

the fact the 1911 turns 100 too, well, that’s got to 

mean something, surely? I mean, ain’t it karma, or 

divine providence or something? So to shamelessly 

tout our own guys during this heady period; here- 


with, and in no particular order, 

are some pictures and “Here’s 

what I remember” from staffers 

about their own “first” 1911s. 

Seems we all had ’em, and that 

may mean something, I’m sure. 

Now … I wonder what 1911 I can 

drum-up for our next cover, since 

you hardly ever see a 1911 on the 

cover of American Handgunner! I 

hope you enjoy the ride. 

Alex Hamilton 

I can still live the joy of that 

day in 1965 when I traveled to the 

south side of San Antonio right on 

the border of the Kelly Air Force 

Base where Elmer Balance lived 

and sold guns from his small home 

and barn. When Elmer pulled out a 

large storage cabinet drawer filled 

with Model 1911 .45s I ‘bout had a 

stroke. Elmer kept opening drawer 

after drawer filled with 1911s until 

I could not take it anymore. I settled 

on one beauty with “United 

States Property” on the right side of 

the frame. The polished blue steel, 

sharp lines and checkered walnut 

grips put me at heaven’s door, 

and for $150 it was all mine. No 

paperwork, no fuss, just a simple 

exchange of cash for the most gorgeous 

pistol I had ever seen. Ah, 

those were the days. 

The words, “United States 

Property” stamped into the metal 

gave this 1918-manufactured .45 a 

mysterious feel, like I was holding 

illegal contraband or something 

a mere citizen should never, ever 

own. The patent dates with rampant 

Colt logo on the left side of 

the slide added to the enchantment 

as I eyed the rearing Colt pony 

over and over again. And oh those 

words “Model Of 1911 

U.S. Army” on the right 

side of the slide flushed me 

with excitement as they still 

do to this day. Today, I still 

have this fine, collector’s 

quality pistol kept securely 

in a thick-walled bank safe. 

Although it will probably 

never be shot again, I can 

pull it out from time to time 

and relive those wonderful 

days when gun collectors 

— and Americans — were 

truly free. 

Dave Anderson 

There were a lot of firsts 

in 1976. The International 

Practical Shooting Confederation 

(IPSC) was founded, 

handgun metallic silhouette 

competition was organized 

Clint’s line-up 

of favorite 

1911s today. 

Here it is in the flesh, 

Alex’s original 1911 

he bought in 1965. 

Alex Hamilton 


Clint Smith

Jeremy’s honestto-gosh 

first 1911, 

a Colt Gold Cup. 

Jeremy Clough 

(IHMSA), the first issue of American 

Handgunner was published, and I 

bought my first .45 automatic. 

I saw a classified ad for a Colt 

.45 in the local paper and went to 

check it out. The pistol turned out to 

be a near-new condition Colt Mk IV 

Series 70 Gold Cup National Match. 

The asking price was $275 and I 

wrote out the check without bothering 

to haggle. It was 1980 before 

our local club affiliated with an IPSC 

section and competition began. In 

1981 I won the sectional championship 

and placed third in the Canadian 

nationals with this pistol, using 

Winchester ball ammunition. The only 

modification I made was to bevel the 

magazine well opening. 

Later I had it modified by a local 

gunsmith, replacing the collet barrel 

bushing with a solid bushing and adding 

a Commander-style hammer, extended 

ambi manual safety, beavertail grip 

safety, frame and trigger guard checkering, 

mag chute, extended mag release, 

ramped front sight and hard chrome 

finish on the frame. I won a few matches 

and prize guns with it before compensators 

and the .38 Super cartridge made 

it obsolescent for competition. Thankfully 

new divisions in USPSA make old 

classics such as this one competitive 

again. One of these days I’ll have to 

shoot a match with it again! 

Clint Smith 

I actually carry a 1911 99 percent 

of the time, not just when I need to 

write about it. I carry the damn thing 

when it’s a literal pain in the arse 

and I don’t feel like carrying a gun 

at all. When I go outside to walk the 

dogs at dusk, there is that old hard 

wire making me slide the Sparks 

Summer Special and pistol in place 

before I go out the door — even 

though nothing as ever happened. 

Duke’s first 1911 

was a clone of 

this one, but a bit 

more worn! 



I carry the 1911 because it is 

truly a lifestyle to me, more so 

than any other firearm in my life. 

I like wheel guns and rifles, and 

yet in the end, at the accounting of 

“who carried what” the 1911 will 

always win in my log. I like my 

Baer guns because I like engraved 

1911s and Les’ precision. I like 

my Mark Morris because he is my 

friend and built a special pistol for 

me, and I know it. 

My Springfield Custom Dave 

Williams’ 1911 rail-gun is tanksolid. 

My Bill Wilson CQB is a 

tough dependable gun and always 

a gold standard. I like my Luke 

Volkmann rail-gun because its 

glowing eyes and X300 set 

on my nightstand every day. 

I like my Jason Burton 1911 

because the young man is the 

next of the great builders of 

these pistols, and his guns 

are Swiss-made safe doors. I 

have owned a few others, but 

the 1911s I have now are the 

best I have ever owned — in 

45 years of shooting. 

Jeremy Clough 

I had just turned 14 when 

a high-school-age friend 

gave it to me; an alreadyworn 

Soldier of Fortune 

magazine whose pages contained 

stories from Gulf War 

I, tales of Karen freedom 

fighters (heady stuff for a 

junior-higher), and most significantly, 

a gloriously wellthought 

out and equally wellwritten 

ode to a Colt Lightweight 

Commander built 

by Wayne F. Novak. I was 

instantly in love: working for 

the handsome sum of three 

dollars an hour, my heart 

set on a Colt Commander, I got a 

ledger, and began to count up the 

hours and dollars that I thought 

I would need for one — exactly 

$610, although how I came up with 

that figure I’ve long since forgotten. 

In the due course of time, and 

with my father’s permission, he 

and I adjourned to the local gun 

show, cash in hand. I left nothing 

to chance, I’d even figured out 

the exact denominations of bills 

so I could make exact change 

for any amount. Before I found 

a Commander, I stumbled past a 

table covered with S&W Model 

41s, and a stray Colt, a Gold Cup 

National Match. Both mags, both 

springs, in the original box, and 

tagged at $550. Having long since 


John Taffin 

John Connor 

A beater like this WWI 

era Colt was J.D.’s 

first 1911. 

J.D. Jones 

Connor’s reigning Roscoe 

of the 1911 variety: a 

Kimber Pro TLE/RL II. 

One of Taffin’s favorite 

.45s is this engraved, 

ivory-stocked 

Series 70 Colt. 

WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 65 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 65 

2011

I don’t get too hung up on bullet seating depth when running off 

1,000 rounds an hour for my .38 Super or .45 ACP pistols. When accuracy 

is a concern, say for hunting or for metallic silhouette competition, 

consistent bullet seating becomes critical. I don’t know of a better bullet 

seating die than the micrometer-adjustable match quality dies from Redding. 

Goodies To 

Make It Go 

Bang 

Reloading Highlights 

Dave Anderson 

The Lyman 310 

Tong Tool has only 

been around forever, 

or at least since it was 

introduced as the “Ideal” 

loading tool over a century ago. 

It worked then and it still works 

today. The 310 neck sizes only but 

since you’ll be using it in your remote 

trapper’s cabin or hunter’s wall tent, ammunition 

will be used in the same firearm in which it was initially 

fired so neck sizing is adequate. It’s not very fast; but it’s so 

darn handy, light, compact, and moderately priced it’s worth 

having so you can reload virtually anywhere. 

Not every handgunner wants 

or needs the speed of a progressive 

reloader. Even those 

who do, often supplement 

their progressives with a 

single stage or turret press. 

Such presses are handier 

for loading small batches of ammo for 

handgun hunting or for experimenting 

with different components. 

Some competitors who load all their 

practice ammo on a progressive prefer 

a turret press for match ammo, so they 

can closely monitor every step of the 

reloading process. This ensures every 

round has a primer properly seated and 

every case contains powder. 

I love the feeling of knowing, 

come what may, I can always 

make my own bullets. This 

moderately priced “Big 

Dipper” kit from Lyman 

includes an electric furnace, 

dipper, ingot mold and 

bullet lube. 

Turret presses are faster than 

single-stage presses while still 

permitting inspection of each 

case throughout the loading 

process. The Redding 

T-7 turret press is a 

marvel, precisely made 

and smooth in operation. 

It’s a massive, powerful press 

built the way the Romans used 

to build bridges, and I expect it 

should last about as long. 


I’m a recent convert to turret presses. I 

like the precision of turret presses, the 

ability to monitor each case throughout 

the process, the ease of changing 

dies to accommodate other cartridges. 

This RCBS turret press is a dandy, 

precise and very well made. The 

operating handle adapts to 

either right or left hand operation. 

From Smartloader comes this very useful kit for weighing powder charges. 

The kit consists of a compact electronic digital scale, two calibration 

weights, pan, two powder scoops, a powder 

trickler and a case funnel. 

SmartReloader’s priming tool adapts to accept either small or 

large primers. the primer flipper/tray accommodates 

100 primers and feeds them into the 

priming tool. 

The basic Lee press is very inexpensive yet perfectly capable of 

loading accurate ammunition. Even shooters with progressive 

reloaders find a single-stage press useful for loading small 

batches of ammo, or for knocking primers out of 

fired cases prior to case tumbling. 

Cases need to be clean for reloading, though not necessarily shiny. A case tumbler such as this moderately priced model 

from SmartReloader gets cases both clean and shiny. just toss the cases in the tumbling media and flip the switch. 

Other handgunners are perfectly 

happy with factory ammo — not so 

happy when they find store shelves 

empty. Some cartridges have been 

hard to find in the last couple of years 

and many shooters like the security of 

having components on hand to keep 

their guns fed even in times of shortages. 

For such reloaders a single stage 

tool, even a simple Lee Loader or 

Lyman tong tool may be fast enough. 

The ammunition shortages of recent 

years have many shooters thinking of 

reloading for the first time. Much as I 

love the speed of progressives I’m 

glad I did my first reloading with a 

simple Lee Loader and later with a 

single-stage press. There’s a lot of 

learning goes on during those first 

few hundred rounds reloaded, and 

learning is easier one step at a time. 

Let’s look at what’s out there, and 

hope it tempts you into 

taking the plunge! 

* 

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/productindex 

for a comprehensive 

listing of all companies featured 

Hand-held priming tools are convenient when a 

couple of hundred cases need priming. This RCBS 

tool has spring-loaded universal jaws to hold 

cases, so no separate shell holders are needed. 

The attached tray serves as a primer flipper to 

orient primers correctly and feed them into 

the priming tool. 

Sometimes I want lots of rounds fast. For such purposes nothing equals 

a progressive reloader. I share this reloading setup with a buddy. We 

each have a Dillon RL-1050 and keep one set up for large primers, the 

other for small primers. For smaller batches of other cartridges we use 

the 550 in the middle. Just left of the 550 is the Dillon electric primer 

tube loader. It eliminates the last bottleneck in production speed, getting 

primers loaded into the priming tube. With this setup 1,000 rounds 

an hour is no problem. 


WIN! 

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custom 

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Photos: Joe Novelozo 

Reader Survey Questions: 

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TO ENTER CONTEST: Use a postcard (no envelopes, 

please) and follow the sample shown below. Send to AMERICAN 

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92150-1377. Entries must be received before April 30, 2011. 

1 

2 

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1. Would you use a firearm to defend yourself or your family? A) Yes B) No 

2. Do you have a “bug-out” bag in case you need to evacuate? A) Yes B) No 

3. Do you live on five or more acres? A) Yes B) No 

4. Would you like to learn more about less-lethal defensive options? A) Yes B) No 

Limit 1 entry per household. This contest is open to individuals who are residents of the United States and its territories only. Agents and 

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Want to help out a new down-home 

American business and score some 

high-quality, low-priced ammo? K&A 

Ammunition of Medina, Tenn., serves up 

Southern-fried FMJ’s and extra-crispy 

jacketed hollowpoints in 9mm, .40 S&W 

and .45 ACP. By concentrating on those 

calibers and rounds, they can keep quality 

and consistency ’way up and prices ’way 

down! K&A will be at dealers soon, and 

selling direct from their web site, shipped 

straight to your door! 

Just look at the surprise-party package inside a round of Winchester’s new 

PDX1 .410 handgun ammo: three plated “defense disk projectiles” and 

12-plated BB shot! The phrase “something wicked this way comes” springs 

to mind, don’t it? 

Loaded into a Taurus 

Judge or a Bond 

Arms Ranger, this 

ought to cure any 

two-legged malignancy 

threatening 

your health! 

More, Better and 

(Mercifully) Cheaper John 

cOnnor 

As I write this, gold is soaring over $1,400 per ounce, and 

confidence in the dollar is droppin’ like a stone. Consumers 

are torn between the instinct to hoard what little 

money they have, and the urge to “buy now!” before the purchasing 

power of their bucks shrinks further. Reports show 

the few categories of goods showing an upswing in sales 

include long-storage survival foods, water purifiers — and 

ammo. I understand that. 

Ammo has been historically — and is — the ultimate fallback 

currency. Stored properly, it beats money in the bank 

hands down. Take a 20 outta’ your pocket and lay it next to 

a flat of 50 .45 ACPs. Which one is most likely to seriously 

devalue? Which will be worth more in… tough times? 

While some flavors and calibers are still in short supply, 

there are new ammo manufacturers poppin’ up like daisies, 

others are bringing out new bargain-priced choices, and 

overall, prices are coming down as inventories go up. At 

the same time, ammo technology just keeps leapin’ forward, 

making rounds both safer and far more effective. 

Hmm … more, better, cheaper? Are we 

lucky or what? 

For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/productindex 

for a comprehensive listing of all companies featured 

Forget the Gold – Invest in Ammo! 

There are some great little 

pistols chambered for it, but 

the .32 Auto has long 

suffered from an anemic 

image. Okay, now visualize a 

little skinny dude jammin’ a 

sharp stick about 5" into ya 

a half-dozen times in under 

three seconds … Then check 

out Cor-Bon’s 60-grain DPX 

load, featuring a solid copper 

deep hollowpoint at 1,050 

fps. Anemic? A game-changer, ain’t it? Here’s a tip: Watch for the new Protector MPA32 

subcompact from Masterpiece Arms, folks. 

* 

DoubleTap Ammunition is rapidly becoming known as sorta the “31 flavors” of 

ammo — except, they’ve got ’way more than 31 flavors, including some really 

cool unusual loads like a .357 Magnum 200-grain hardcast lead, wide flat nose 

gas check round that smokes out of a 6" barrel at 1,305 fps! When you go to 

their web site, be prepared for a long browsing session. 

Extreme Shock made their bones producing 

super high-tech ammo for specialized counterterrorist 

and law enforcement applications. 

Now they’ve introduced a lower-priced line of 

high-quality copper plated lead core handgun 

rounds branded as Allegiance Ammunition. Made 

for both target and defensive use, they’re also 

designed for long-term storage (20-year shelf 

life) with sealed primers and case mouths. First 

off the line are .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W and 

.45 ACP, with .223 and .308 to follow. Stockin’ 

up? Go for Allegiance! 

If you’re a handgun hunter and you want 

Federal quality and hard-hitting terminal 

performance at a bargain price, check 

out their Fusion Ammo line. A pal of mine 

who uses several Fusion flavors tells me 

the cases may not be as highly polished 

as Federal Premium, and the packaging 

is plain-Jane, but performance is 

stellar and absolutely consistent. 

Available in .357 to .500 S&W 

Magnum, they’ve got the deerdroppers 

and pig-poppers for you. 


71

cast bullets 

Continued from page 51 

One, is mine might not work well in 

other guns. Two, my “favorites” are 

forever changing anyway because I like 

to tinker. Everyone needs to figure out 

their own loads by their specific pistols 

anyway. Start with a good loading 

manual though. 

Mechanics 

Actually assembling cast bullet auto 

handloads differs hardly at all from 

loading them with jacketed bullets. You 

have to make sure the case mouth bell is 

large enough so the bullets’ bases start 

cleanly. Otherwise the case mouth will 

peel lead splinters and nobody wants 

them floating around inside their pistols. 

But there is one mechanical factor 

that is important and that’s crimp. The 

bullets must be locked into the case. 

Again that’s because of the journey 

from the magazine up feed ramp and 

into chamber. 

If for some reason the bullet gets 

pushed back into the case, pressures 

can skyrocket. That in turn can result 

in blown-out case heads and pistol and 

shooter damage. Back in my early years 

with an S&W Model 39 9mm I wasn’t 

so careful and allowed that to happen. 

The only damage to the pistol were split 

wooden grips I glued back together. 

The only damage to me (luckily) was a 

stinging palm. 

With cartridges headspacing on 

the case mouth the best crimp is the 

taper kind pressing the case against 

the bullet. Most autoloading pistol 

cartridges seeing much use today are 

that type, but some older ones aren’t. 

The old .32 ACP is semi-rimmed so 

its case mouth can be roll-crimped to 

the bullet. The .30 Luger, .30 Mauser, 

7.62x25mm Tokarov and 8mm Nambu 

are bottleneck cases and should also be 

roll-crimped to their bullets. 

Here’s one last point. When working 

up new cast bullet pistol loads I test fire 

them in two ways. One is for grouping 

on paper for the obvious reason of 

seeing how closely the bullets cluster. 

The other way is to fire the loads from 

pistols held in my two hands while 

standing, to see where they impact on 

paper. Elevation adjustment on many 

types of pistols is problematic so I want 

my cast loads to impact reasonably 

close to the sights. Ranges at which 

they are fired should equal the real 

world of shooting. I fire “big” pistols at 

50' to 75' and “pocket pistols” no farther 

than 20'. 

Consider what we’ve talked about 

here, then fire your cast bullet autopistol 

handloads through a good gun and I’ll 

bet the accuracy and reliability you get 

will equal those much more 

expensive jacketed bullets. 

* 


National 

Action Pistol 

Championship

AYOOB FILES 


The fact remains the on-safe pistol 

was a proven life-saver in these situations. 

For many years, the thousands of 

Los Angeles County deputies who constitute 

the largest sheriff’s department 

in the nation were mandated to carry 

their pistols (mostly issue Berettas) onsafe, 

and instructors there told me they 

lost count of the number of incidents 

in which disarmed deputies were saved 

by the inconspicuous little lever, but 

found no cases where a deputy was hurt 

or injured by forgetting their safety or 

being too slow to thumb it off when 

they needed to reactively draw and fire 

in self-defense. 

North Carolina Highway Patrol 

firearms instructors likewise told me 

they had lost count of troopers saved in 

struggles over their duty pistols, which 

were on-safe Berettas from the early 

1980s until well into the 21 st Century. 

This does not, however, mean onsafe 

carry is an impenetrable shield 

against being shot with one’s own 

weapon. In early August of 2010, a 

gun-wise member of the New Mexico 

criminal justice system alerted me to the 

case of Sgt. Carol Oleksak. 

The Oleksak Incident 

On the evening of July 7, 2003, 

Sgt. Oleksak, an Albuquerque Police 

Department veteran of 14 years, dismounted 

her patrol car to interact with 

an emotionally disturbed Vietnamese 

man named Duc Minh Pham. When 

Pham violently resisted arrest, Oleksak 

struggled with him and almost had him 

under control when the southpaw suspect 

blindsided her with a powerful left 

hook to the head that instantly knocked 

her unconscious. 

She was unable to defend the cocked 

and locked Colt Government Model 

.45 automatic holstered on her duty 

belt. The perp jerked so violently on 

the gun that he pulled her unconscious 

body upright, and at last, he managed 

to tear the leather Level I thumb-break 

rig apart, ripping the loaded Colt out 

through the torn stitching. At this 

moment, his attachment point to the 

officer severed, her body collapsed to 

the sidewalk, and it appeared to that 

one horrified witness as if she had been 

fighting the whole time and only fallen 

when the pistol magically appeared in 

the hands of the madman. 

Once the gun came free, witnesses 

saw him looking at it and fumbling with 

it for a moment as he held it in his left 

hand. Then he fired a shot into the air 

as if to check if it worked. And then, 

he lowered the weapon and fired three 

shots at the unconscious sergeant from 

point-blank range. 

One bullet missed. One hit Oleksak in 


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the shoulder. But another 230-grain jacketed 

hollow point .45 ACP slug tore into 

the left side of her head. It ripped her left 

ear almost completely away, shattered the 

skull, and left brain matter on the sidewalk. 

The suspect, still brandishing the 

stolen Colt, walked away. Within a few 

blocks he was interdicted by responding 

APD officers, and when he raised the gun 

at them, they shot him dead. 

Oleksak survived. She regained consciousness 

briefly in the emergency 

room, and remembers one of her caregivers 

telling another to sew her ear 

back on, if only so she would look good 

at the funeral. Recovering from severe 

brain damage and having to re-learn to 

speak, she now owns a ranch in New 

Mexico, and still owns the pistol she 

was almost murdered with. 

She was unconscious at the time of 

the disarm and of course has no recollection 

of it. She believes two things are 

possible insofar as the gun becoming 

“shootable” for the man who ripped 

it from the holster. One is the violent 

twisting of the gun inside the strap-fastened 

leather wiped the thumb lever 

down to the “off-safe” or “fire” position. 

The other is the man simply 

knew how to operate a 1911 pistol. 

Her attempted murderer had grown 

up in Vietnam during the war years. 

American military hardware including 

handguns was standard issue in the 

Republic of South Vietnam, and corrupt 

local officials routinely sold those 

weapons on the black market, making 

the 1911 the most common handgun 

in that country during that time period. 

It’s entirely possible he knew how to 

operate a 1911 as well as its legitimate 

owner did. 

When The Concept Works 

The fact remains Oleksak is the 

only case I’ve been able to confirm 

of an officer being shot with his or 

her own auto pistol that was “on-safe” 

when their killer gained control of it. 

I spoke with the retired sergeant in 

August of 2010, while teaching for 

GALEFI, the Georgia Association of 

Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. 

The following day, I shared her 

story with the assembled instructors. 

After my bloc of training, one of the 

members shared with me a couple of 

his experiences he thought I might find 

on point to this topic. He was right: I 

think they tie in directly. 

His name is David Aderhold, and in 

1993 when his two incidents occurred, 

he was working with the DeKalb 

County Sheriff’s Office, where he 

had served since 1981. He explained, 

“After several years I became an 

investigator with the Fugitive Squad 

where I spent 12 years arresting over 

3,000 felons. DeKalb County is in 

east Atlanta and needless to say there 

are many target opportunities serving 

12/15/09 3:51:03 PM 

Do you neeD 

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felony warrants. In 1993 I had minimum 

training in defensive tactics 

and mainly relied on my strength and 

youth. I had been in over a hundred 

altercations when arresting suspects on 

warrants and was well known for the 

‘no-play’ attitude and many fights.” 

He continues, “… my partner and I 

were searching for a suspect who was 

a major drug dealer in Atlanta. It took 

three months to catch up with him and 

even with a $10,000 reward on his head 

we could not get any cooperation from 

his companions because of fear for their 

lives. We eventually caught him one 

night at a local motel in Atlanta. A fight 

ensued when attempting to make the 

arrest with the suspect, me, and two 

other partners.” 

Suddenly, in the midst of the melee, 

Aderhold saw a semiautomatic pistol in 

the hand of the suspect. The drug dealer 

pointed the gun at Aderhold’s partner’s 

head and pulled the trigger. The pistol 

did not discharge. Aderhold instantly 

whipped his own Colt Officers ACP 

from the leather, reflexively off-safing 

the .45 as he raised it, and shot the suspect 

once in the head. The man collapsed, 

and the deadly danger was over. 

The suspect was wielding a Colt 

Commander .45 ACP that had been 

snatched from Aderhold’s partner’s 

open-top plainclothes holster. In the 

course of the wild fight, the dealer had 

slipped it from the scabbard without 

the legitimate owner realizing it was 

gone. When retrieved, the cocked and 

locked Colt was still on-safe. The dealer 

had attempted to murder the plainclothesman 

he disarmed, but had failed 

because of the proprietary nature of the 

thumb safety. 

The man Aderhold shot in the head 

survived. He remains in prison at this 

writing, minus some of his natural teeth 

and with assorted other damage from 

the incident. Not all head shots are brain 

shots, and — as Sgt. Oleksak can thankfully 

attest — not even all brain shots 

are kill shots. 

Note that Aderhold, experienced 

with his pistol, had no problem remembering 

to off-safe or managing to do so 

at high speed in this extremely stressful 

and terrifying incident. Not long after 

the shooting described above, his familiarity 

with the cocked and locked .45 

would again become a life-saver. 

Says the officer, “Five months after 

the first shooting my partners and I were 

attempting to serve a warrant on a suspect 

… This was one of my partners’ 

last days on the force and he was taking 

another job at an adjacent county as an 

investigator with the DA’s Office. We 

were all joking around and racing to the 

location like nothing unusual would ever 

happen and had become complacent 

again after arresting so many suspects. 

Upon arrival at the motel we observed 

a male and female leaving the room. We 


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approached them with guns drawn …” 

The fugitive in question was a crafty 

one, who knew that initial compliance 

could lead even an alert policeman to 

lower his guard slightly. As his partner 

separated and questioned the female, 

Aderhold attempted to identify the 

male suspect. 

“After questioning him,” Aderhold 

remembers, “I came to the conclusion 

it was the same suspect and told 

him to place his arms behind his back. 

He turned away from me but quickly 

placed his right hand inside his pants in 

the groin area. Thinking he was pulling 

out a weapon I grabbed his wrist as he 

turned around and he had a semiauto in 

his right hand. I forced his arms upward 

so he could not shoot me and we fell on 

the floor with him on top attempting to 

press the gun to my head ... 

He lowered the weapon 

and fired three shots 

at the unconscious 

sergeant from pointblank 

range. 

“(By) relying on my strength I was 

able to keep the gun pointed away and 

Columbia River Knife & Tool yell to my partner for help,” Aderhold 

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Version D Revised 4/2/10 kicked, then my partner came to the 

motel window which was just above 

the air/heat unit and started kicking out 

the glass. As we were struggling with 

him on top of me and him trying to 

get a head shot, for only probably a 

split second I actually thought if I did 

not win this fight I would never see 

my infant son again. During this time 

I was able to throw the suspect off me 

and shot him through the heart, killing 

him instantly with my .45 Colt. The 

shooting was cleared by all agencies 

including the FBI after his mom filed a 

wrongful death lawsuit which lasted for 

two years.” 

The dead perpetrator, one Wesley 

Hill, 22, had been wanted on charges of 

aggravated assault and possession of a 

firearm by a convicted felon. Once again, 

the involved officer had not been slowed 

by an on-safe pistol when he needed to 

instantly draw and fire in self-defense. 

These two incidents set Dave Aderhold 

on a course of gathering training 

and instructorships in police defensive 

tactics and gun disarming. He 

rose to become SWAT commander for 

DeKalb. Retiring after 28 years with 

that agency, he took a position with 

the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office as 

director of training. 

In the first of his two shootings, 


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Aderhold saw a brother officer’s life 

saved because that officer carried an onsafe 

pistol, and in both of them, Aderhold 

was unhampered in his own defensive 

capability by carrying an on-safe 

semiautomatic. 

Another On-Safe Element 

In the late 1980s in Miami, the onsafe 

feature saved a good guy’s life in 

an unexpected way. Taxi driver Mark 

Yuhr was robbed at gunpoint by a career 

criminal who had come to the United 

States via the Mariel boatlift. Armed 

with a Smith & Wesson 9mm semiautomatic 

stolen from the glove box 

of a law-abiding citizen’s vehicle, the 

gunman attempted to murder Yuhr. 

He pulled the trigger of the Smith & 

Wesson, but nothing happened. 

Yuhr, however, was armed with a 

Colt Government Model .45 automatic 

carried cocked and locked. He drew 

and emptied a magazine of 185-grain 

Silvertips into the suspect who was 

attempting to murder him. The perpetrator 

died without apparently ever realizing 

the person the loaded gun had 

been stolen from had left it on-safe. 

Mark, an ex-serviceman, damn well 

knew where the safety was on his pistol. 

His coolness and skill allowed him to 

swiftly draw, off-safe, fire and hit in a 

single fluid sequence. 

Mark Yuhr became the first identified 

“save” with the then-new “shall 

issue” Florida concealed carry legislation, 

and the details of his incident 

were written up many years ago here in 

“Ayoob Files.” The gun owner who had 

left his pistol loaded in the glove box 

of the looted car had at least left it “onsafe,” 

and down the road, that obviously 

became a key factor in Mark’s survival. 

Remembering To Off-Safe 

Reports of the good guys and gals 

forgetting to off-safe when they needed 

to fire are rare, and often apocryphal. 

One case was reported in which a 

woman tried to fire her single-action 

auto at her kidnapper, but her gun 

remained silent. Realizing it was still 

on-safe, she simply thumbed the lever 

down and began shooting, and won the 

confrontation. She had apparently lost 

no more than a second or two, and did 

not suffer any injury because of it. 

The only case I’ve been able to find 

where failure to off-safe in a timely 

fashion got the good guy shot involved 

a jeweler in the Palm Beach County, 

Fla. area. He drew his Walther PPseries 

.380 on an armed robber in his 

store and pulled the trigger several 

times, with no effect; the slide-mounted 

safety on his Walther was still down in 

the on-safe position. The perpetrator 

hosed him with .38 slugs from his 

revolver, and then fled. The lever on 

that particular Walther sits at a different 

angle than the old Walther P38, or the 

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V I D E O 

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©Copyright American Gunsmithing Institute 2010. 

All rights reserved. No part of this video may be copied, 

reproduced or transmitted for any reason without the 

written permission of the copyright holder. 

Serial #02101004 

DVD #1004 

This DVD Covers: 

Feed Ramp Design 

Headspace 

Gas Systems 

Cartridge Stop Timing 

Trigger Repairs 

Ranging Revolvers 

Trouble Shooting Techniques 

Machine Shop Course 

Student Interviews 

Beretta, Ruger and S&W slide-mounted 

safeties, and is particularly difficult for 

most hands to manipulate. 

The unlucky jeweler survived and 

recovered from his multiple gunshot 

wounds, and reportedly switched to a 

double action revolver. He admitted he 

had not practiced off-safing the Walther 

he used in the gunfight. When asked 

why he had not practiced, he replied 

defensively, “Hey, I’m not Rambo!” or 

words to that effect. 

An impartial study of incidents such 

as these shows us the importance of 

drilling safety catch manipulation until it 

is reflexive to the user. American soldiers 

have fought wars with cocked and locked 

battle rifles and assault rifles for more 

than a century, and hunters have routinely 

learned to off-safe their rifles and shotguns 

before aiming at bird or beast. It is 

obviously not impossible to learn. 

It’s rare to find a strategy that works 

100 percent of the time. The Palm Beach 

incident reminds those of us who carry 

on-safe to make proper manipulation of 

the safety lever second nature, and the 

Oleksak incident reminds us there is no 

safety net that cannot be torn through 

by circumstances. However, overall, the 

history of these incidents shows us onsafe 

carry is one more viable safety net 

against being killed with one’s own gun 

by an offender who 

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speak out 


gun shops offered essentially no help. 

I’d think in your area there must be a 

few good trainers. Start with an Internet 

search “Firearms training St. Louis 

area” and see what comes up. But you 

need to be careful to make sure what 

you find is of good quality. I’d ask any 

potential trainer if you could chat with 

a few former students before making 

any decisions. 

The next thing I would do is a bit 

of book shopping. Get a few “basic” 

firearms books. Our own magazines are 

a wealth of information (including our 

many and various Special Editions), but 

it will take many months of reading to 

enlarge your knowledge base. It doesn’t 

happen quickly and each article you 

read feeds your muse and grows your 

“world” of gun knowledge. Give it time. 

To do some homework, go to www. 

americanhandgunner.com and click 

on the digital editions. Go through the 

archived past editions and read my 

various Insider columns. I have covered 

many basics like trigger control, 

sight pictures, stopping power, etc. and 

it would do you good to give them a 

read. It would also help you to better 

describe what you want to learn when 

you seek a teacher. 

Unless you’re already very accomplished, 

25 yards is a long way to target 

shoot. I’d start back at 10 or 15 yards 

and work on sight picture and trigger 

control, comfortable stance and consistency. 

Trigger control is vital, and 

is THE most important thing. You can 

have a wonderful sight picture but if 

you mess it up with a bad pull, everything 

goes astray. Mostly, read everything 

you can lay your hands on, even 

on topics you have little interest in now, 

since each one will help to fill in the 

blank spots. Hope that helps some. RH 

Canes For Vets 

I figured it was time I gave you an 

update about the cane project you were 

kind enough to mention in American 

Handgunner (Insider, Nov/Dec 2010). 

My list topped out somewhere north of 

20 requests for canes from wounded vets. 

I continue to be amazed by the variety of 

veterans and their addresses. Covering 

everything from Korea to Afghanistan 

and literally from coast to coast. Some 

readers have been kind enough to write 

and offer donations, materials and even 

slave labor. It’s just staggering to me 

people would read a little paragraph and 

be motivated enough to send an e-mail 

just to say thank you — not to make a 

request, but just to encourage. 

Friends and family have gotten into 

the habit of coming by with materials 

or paying for a trip to the post office. I 


was fortunate enough to have an epoxy 

manufacturer send me bottles of their 

product to try, with the amazing note of 

“When you need more just ask.” I have 

had some people ask if they could post 

the offer on various web sites and at 

veterans meetings, and it has just been 

great. Some of the requests are short and 

sweet and I get their information added 

to the list and off we go. Still others 

have opened up tremendously and we 

have spent time discussing favorite guns 

(what else?), hunting experiences, and 

state gun laws. I hope the requests keep 

coming and the offer makes it out to the 

people who need to hear about it. 

One of the requests I was most 

impressed by was a high school shop 

teacher in Florida who wanted pointers 

on cane making. I’m not sure I’m any 

kind of authority on the subject but I 

gave it a shot. He told me his students 

were looking for a way to help out veterans 

and he liked the cane idea. I sent 

him what I could as far as patterns, pictures 

and directions and I am eager to 

hear how it works out for him. They 

have already found an outlet there in 

Florida for donating them. It has been a 

wonderful experience for me so far and 

I think it has been for the recipients as 

well. Thank you again for making room 

in the pages for the mention. 

I enjoyed John Connors article 

(“The Grunts’ Gift Guide,” Nov/Dec 

2010). I bought some of the products 

he mentioned and sent them off to a 

Navy Corpsman who has put himself 

in harms way in Afghanistan for us. 

Connor had some great ideas in there 

that would not have crossed my mind. 

As for the seemingly constant back and 

forth about knives in the magazine, I 

will toss in my thoughts and tell you 

when I saw the Mantis knife in Connors 

article and found they were made 

in America, one was immediately on its 

way to Afghanistan. I’m glad he mentioned 

it and I’m glad knives do have a 

place in your magazine. 

Brad Gramberg 

Via e-mail 

Brad’s e-mail is bradscanes@hotmail. 

com if you’d like to help out. RH 

American Handgunner ® welcomes letters to the editor. 

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. 

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

news, our exclusive Product Index, Web Blasts, on-line 

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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SIXGUNNER 


Thanks to two friends, Bob Alford and 

Robb Barnes, who have waited a long 

time for their custom sixguns, I was 

granted the rare privilege of not only 

seeing them first but also being the first 

to shoot both of these exquisite sixguns. 

One is built on a New Model 

Ruger while the other started as an old 

Model, and one is chambered for the 

.44 Special while the other has two cylinders, 

one in .41 Special and the other 

.41 Magnum. 

Today we are blessed to have the 

best sixgunsmiths of all time crafting 

the best custom guns ever offered, 

and Hamilton Bowen is in the rarified 

top portion of that list. There is seemingly 

nothing Bowen cannot do and he 

has the creative mind to come up with 

some pretty elegant projects. He has 

built some of the biggest most powerful 

revolvers possible while at the same 

time having a real soft spot in his heart 

for the .32-20, .25-20, and now especially 

the .327 Federal Magnum. 

By anyone’s standards quality costs 

money and the first No. 5s built on the 

USFA frames were quite expensive. 

Hamilton says of his Ruger No. 5s: 

“This gun is our effort to produce a 

semi-reasonably affordable Keith No. 

5 without going to the expense of an 

elaborate custom based on the USFA 

guns as we have done in the past. We 

can still do those but figure this is a 

lot more sensible gun for most of us 

and still captures the essential flavor 

of the original. We can use any Ruger 

medium-frame Flat-Top, whether Old 

or New Model, .357 or .44 Special. 

The caliber conversions won’t add 

much to the cost and right now the 50th 

Anniversary .357s are dirt cheap. My 

hope is to catalog this gun as a regular 

package. A variety of options will be 

available including fancy grips, nitred 

screws/pins, color-case hammer, etc. 

There is still a good bit of welding and 

fabricating that goes into these. Even 

the grip frame takes a good bit of time 

to fit, shape and polish properly. This 

may be an “econo-grade” No. 5 but 

we’re not taking any shortcuts — just 

not adding a lot of frills. 

“We’ll make up 51/2" barrels from 

either Ruger take-off parts or Douglas 

stock, depending on availability. The 

front sight will be a Flat-Top style base 

with a No. 5 style blade pinned in. The 

Ruger factory Flat-Top rear sight will 

be retained in the interest of economy. 

Rechambering factory .357 cylinders 

will also help keep costs down and still 

make for good shooters. Main thing 

is we’ll have a very nice high quality 

base pin and elaborate latch installation. 

Guns will be nicely hand polished and 

finished in all blue standard. Standard 


grips will probably be white micarta 

from Paul Persinger with ivory or fancy 

wood as optional upgrades.” 

What’s So Special? 

There are many unique features 

about the No. 5, not the least of which 

is the locking base pin. This requires the 

removal of the standard Ruger base pin 

latching system, welding of the frame, 

and then installing a pivoting lever 

locking the pin in place. By releasing a 

spring loaded plunger it can be swiveled 

90 degrees to the left to allow removal 

of the base pin. Bowen Classic Arms 

does a masterful job recreating it. 

The two Bowen Rugers I have for 

this article are the very first to be built, 

with Bob Alford’s being the first as 

well as the first on a New Model Flat- 

Top frame. Robb Barnes’ No. 5 is the 

first on an Old Model, and of course 

the first with two cylinders. The basic 

conversion consists of a Ron Power 

Custom Keith No. 5 grip frame, Bisleyspur 

hammer and wide trigger, action 

and trigger tune, Flat-Top Target-style 

front sight with pinned blade to match 

the factory Ruger Flat-Top rear sight, 

proper Keith No. 5 base pin and lever 

latch, and standard reblue. 

Bob Alford’s No. 5 being built on 

the New Model Flat-Top frame is safe 

to carry fully loaded with six rounds of 

.44 Special. It has all the standard features 

mentioned, with the barrel being a 

proper pre-warning Ruger address barrel 

off a .44 Magnum. Cylinder throats 

measure .429" and the trigger pull is 31/4 

pounds. Bob went for the extra option of 

ivory grips. Paul Persinger used beautifully 

creamy mellow looking ivory with 

the Mexican eagle clutching a rattlesnake 

in talons and beak just as on the 

original Keith sixgun. 

Robb Barnes added several options 

to his tribute to Elmer Keith. He also 

went with ivory grips from Persinger 

exhibiting the same beautiful creamy 

texture with a Scottish Highland bull 

head carved into the right grip panel. 

Instead of the standard blue for the 

finish Robb went with the old Colt-style 

rust blue finish accentuated with nitre 

blue screws, base pin latch, and trigger 

and set off with a case-colored hammer. 

The barrel work on this one is absolutely 

stunning as it is an octagonal 

barrel with a special machined-in surface 

to accept the ejector rod housing. 

Instead of the traditional .44 Special 

chambering Robb went with the other 

Special, the .41 with a second cylinder 

chambered in .41 Magnum. Cylinder 

throats Mic-out at .410" and the trigger 

pull on this No. 5 is set at 23/4 pounds. 

I have several custom Rugers and also 

two Colt Single Actions from Bowen 

done back in the early 1990s and they 

are beautiful sixguns, however these 

two No. 5 Bowen Rugers are as nice as 

a sixgun can be without mortgaging the 

homestead to pay for one. 

Happy Guys 

Bob and Robb are going to be two 

very excited and happy sixgunners 

once I deliver their No. 5s to them. 

Normally when testing any new factory 

firearm I want a minimum of 90 

days with 180 days being better. For 

these two special friends I will cut 

that time to the bare minimum so they 

won’t have to wait any longer than 

absolutely necessary. As expected, 

both sixguns shot extremely well for 

me and I expect they will do even 

better for two younger fellows. With 

both the .44 Special and .41 special 

No. 5s groups averaged just over 1" 

for five shots at 20 yards in my hands. 

After they have been shot awhile and 

each man settles on his favorite load 

I expect groups will be well under 1". 

As I said earlier Hamilton Bowen is 

at the top of the list of custom sixgunsmiths 

and his No. 5 Rugers 

are simply superb sixguns. 

* 

For more info: Bowen Classic Arms 

(865) 984-3583, www.americanhandgunner.com/bowenclassicarms 


TAFFIN TESTS 


34 ounces. Weight can make a big difference 

during a long day, so chock one 

up for the .38 Super. The .357 Magnum 

carries six shots, the .38 Super carries 

ten, plus repeat shots and reloading are 

much easier with a semiauto. Chock up 

three more for the .38 Super. 

Ammunition selection certainly goes 

to the .357 Magnum, with dozens of 

choices available as to the bullet shape, 

bullet weight, etc. But let’s compare 

apples to apples and look at performance 

of like ammunition in the 3½" .357 and 

the 3.35" .38 Super. The Commander has 

a 4¼" barrel but .900" of that is the case 

length of the cartridge itself. 

Close 

Using factory 125-grain loadings in 

the .357 gave the following results: Hornady 

1,262 fps; Federal 1,244 fps; Winchester 

1,287 fps; CCI Blazer 1,220 fps. 

Winchester 125-grain Silvertips go 1,167 

fps in the .38 Super, so give the .357 a 

slight edge, but remember, the .357 carries 

six rounds, the .38 Super 10 rounds. 

Factory ammunition with 140-grain bullets 

does 1,212 fps (Hornady) and 1,226 

fps (Winchester) in the .357. Factory 

140-grain ammunition for the .38 Super 

is not available but handloading gives 

the following without pushing hard. 

Using either Hornady or Speer 140- 

grain hollow points and Unique in the 

.38 Super yields velocities of 1,224 and 

1,246 fps respectively. Dead even!” 

My deep love affair with the .38 

Super goes way back to the early 1960s 

when I read the high praise Jeff Cooper 

had for the .38 Super. My fascination 

with the 1911 .38 Super really began 

nearly 50 years ago when Cooper, who 

always pushed the .45 ACP, published 

a picture of a custom .38 Super 1911 

and stated as a trailgun it would shoot 

rings around any 1911 chambered in 

.45 ACP, especially for targets such as 

crows and coyotes. 

When the Gun Control Act of 1968 

was soon due to become law I went 

looking for a couple good guns before it 

became effective. At the time most of us 

thought it would soon be impossible to 

buy handguns and thankfully that did not 

occur. But we didn’t know it at the time 

so I went shopping and found a .38 Super 

Colt Commander in the local grocery 

store. In my town at that time every grocery 

store, department store, and drugstore 

had a gun department; sadly this 

situation has long passed into oblivion. 

Anyone who doesn’t know of my 

affection for the .44 Special just hasn’t 

been paying attention! It is the sixgun 

cartridge for true connoisseurs, and 

for me, the .38 Super is to semiautos 

what the .44 Special is to sixguns. But 

after waiting those several years to get 

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my first .38 Super I was disappointed 

to find it would not stay on a piece of 

8½x11" paper at 25 yards. The problem 

was how the barrels were headspaced 

at that time using the very small rim 

instead of the mouth of the case. I sent 

it off to Bill Wilson who re-barreled it, 

with the result being my groups immediately 

shrunk to 2" using the Lyman 

#358156GC bullet designed for the .357 

Magnum. I now had a 10-shot semiauto 

which could run with any .357 Magnum. 

Properly loaded there definitely is 

nothing wimpy about the .38 Super. 

John’s PPP 

I have several .38 Supers from different 

manufacturers and custom gunsmiths, 

however I’ve always wanted, 

please don’t ask me to explain why, 

a nickel-plated Colt .38 Super fitted 

with real mother-of-pearl grips. Yes, I 

know what General Patton said about 

pearl grips but I doubt even he would 

challenge the many Texas Rangers who 

regularly carried pearl gripped Colt 

Single Actions. 

My latest .38 Super is not nickelplated 

as I had been hoping for but is 

actually better being high polished stainless 

steel. The finish will never flake, 

and if it becomes scratched it’s easily 

repolished. To complete the package 

I ordered mother of pearl stocks from 

Eagle Grips. I often hear from many 

readers who like myself are on the 

search for the PPP or Perfect Packin’ 

Pistol. This new Colt .38 Super is also a 

PPP — Patton Pimp Pistol. 

In my quest for the perfect .38 Super 

I ordered a Springfield Armory Mil- 

Spec .38 with the idea if it showed possibilities 

I would use it as a base gun 

and have it tightened, tuned, and fitted 

with a good set of adjustable sights. 

That was the plan however the best laid 

plans not only often go awry for mice 

and men, it also happens to the dreams 

of gunwriters. In this case it was actually 

a good thing as that .38 Super from 

Springfield Armory shoot so well I’ve 

not done anything to it except to equip 

it with Herrett’s grip panels. 

But what of that really special .38 

Super exquisitely tuned and wearing 

adjustable sights? Once again Bill 

Wilson came to the rescue. He not only 

fixed my first .38 Super he also sent a 

full sized 1911-style .38 Super Combat 

Classic to me several years ago for a 

magazine article. There was no way this 

one was going back and it now wears to 

giraffe bone stocks by Scott Kolar. 

Super Super 

In addition to my .38 Supers I also 

now have a “Super .38 Super” which 

greatly overshadows both the .38 Super 

and .357 Magnum. Back in the days 

before I quit flying I hunted the YO 

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Chapter. This is a charity hunt with 

the emphasis being 2-pronged, that is 

having a good time hunting and gathering 

some trophies and also donating 

all the meat to the Salvation Army. 

On this particular hunt I took a beautiful 

big-bull bison. Three guns were 

offered as prizes for the top three meat 

gatherers one of which happened to be 

a brand new .38 Casull semiauto from 

Casull Arms, shooting a 147-grain JHP 

at over 1,600 fps. It was made available 

for shooting during one lunch break 

and only a couple of us took advantage 

of the free ammunition and test-firing 

of the new gun. I thought if I had any 

chance this was a gun I would pick, 

however when it was announced I was 

in third place I knew there was no way 

I would get this one as I would have to 

take the one left over. Sometimes things 

really do work out and the other two 

winners had no idea what the .38 Casull 

was and I won it by default. 

I have one less .38 Super than I have 

grandkids, and picking a favorite .38 

Super is about as easy as picking a 

favorite grandchild. In other 

words it ain’t gonna happen! 

* 

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world. We were consistently in the low 

four-second range (shot to shot). My 

best time was 3.20 and my pal Steve 

beat me with a 3.05. 

The biggest delay, we found, was 

due to item (1), the long skinny nature 

of .38 Spl. cartridges. Seldom would 

they all align with the cylinder charge 

holes without a bit of “jiggling” to get 

them started. I also timed some reloads 

with the Safariland speedloaders and 

found them almost as fast. 

Easy Does It 

As the afternoon wore on we found 

the moon clips gave more consistent 

reloads. Oddly enough the consistency 

came not so much from loading the 

fresh cartridges as from ejecting the 

fired cases. These little revolvers have 

a short ejector rod. When not using 

the moon clips, occasionally a fired 

case wouldn’t completely eject and 

would have to be pulled out. Worse 

yet, once or twice a case got caught 

under the ejector star, making it darn 

hard to clear. 

With the moon clips there were no 

such hang-ups. One good push on the 

ejector rod and all five cases came out 

together, every time. This consistency 

alone makes the moon clips worthwhile, 

in my view. All regular J-frame operating 

features are retained. MSRP on 

the Pro Series 442/642 models (.38 Spl. 

+P rated) is $640 vs. $616 for standard 

versions, certainly a modest surcharge 

for adding moon-clip capability. 

We used the BMT “Mooner” tool for 

loading clips and found it performed 

superbly. Loading and unloading 

clips manually was a pain, and sometimes 

resulted in clips being bent. The 

Mooner tool is cleverly designed and 

well made. Set a clip in place, drop five 

rounds in the slots, set the alloy “wheel” 

on top, rotate it 360 degrees and the cartridges 

are loaded. 

To unload, turn the wheel over, 

rotate again and the fired cases are 

removed from the clip. The Mooner is 

made for other cartridges and cylinder 

sizes (e.g. 6-, 7- and 8-shot S&Ws). 

Let your friends see you use it and 

you’ll never have to load a clip again. 

Like Tom Sawyer’s friends whitewashing 

the fence, they just have to try 

it. Since you’re a good friend you just 

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For a video of the custom J-frames 

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* 



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my first 1911 


memorized the Colt catalog, I knew 

this was about half of retail. After a few 

moments agonized deliberation, I gave 

up on the Commander, and counted out 

the cash to my father, who made the 

purchase. 

That was longer ago than I’d care to 

remember. Other guns have come, and a 

few have gone, but I still have the Gold 

Cup — when I can get it away from my 

father, that is. Seems he fell in love, too. 


My very first 1911? That’s a nobrainer. 

It came in 1968 just after I 

turned 19. My father was a bill collector 

in our southern West Virginia town and 

was forever taking something in trade 

to make someone’s bills “go away.” He 

walked in the door after work one June 

evening, reached into his hip pocket and 

pulled forth a 1911 .45 auto. He said, 

“Do you want this?” Brother did I! It 

turned out to be a US Model 1911A1 

made by Remington Rand. That company 

made nearly a million of them 

during World War II. It was all original 

to its military origins but I do remember 

one significant thing about it. It rattled! 

Having no experience with 1911s at 

all up to that point I assumed they all 

rattled. Very quickly I ordered a Lyman 

#452374 bullet mould for a 225-grain 

RN, a .451" lube sizing die, and a set of 

Lyman .45 ACP reloading dies. About 

the only powder charge ever used was 

5.0 grains of Bullseye. 

That handload functioned the old 

1911 just fine. The problem was I 

couldn’t hit diddly with it. At that time I 

was somewhat into paper target shooting 

and wasn’t too bad a shot with my S&W 

K38. With it I could generally keep most 

of my shots in the black of a standard 

25 yard bull’s-eye target. With the Remington 

Rand I was lucky to keep them 

in the scoring rings. It rattled because it 

was about worn out and so in a year or 

so it was traded off. Many more 1911s 

of all types have come and gone in the 

past 42 years but I finally learned to only 

buy those that don’t rattle! 

J.D. Jones 

When I was a kid the Saturday afternoon 

matinees were filled with cowboy 

and war movies. The SA Colt had 

endless ammunition capacity and the 

1911 dispatched buck-toothed bespectacled 

Japs (and an occasional German 

in those non-politically correct days) 

like they ran into a brick wall. Comic 

books also favored those weapons. Roy 

Rogers, my hero, claimed to be King of 

the Cowboys although Gene Autry fans 

claimed the opposite. 

By age 15, I was fairly knowledgeable 

about .22s, .32 and .38 S&W top 


eaks and the odd .38 Special. Lots of 

us high school kids traded guns regularly. 

They had terrible triggers, lousy 

sights and bullets that would sometimes 

bounce back off a hardwood tree. But 

the .45 stories held me in awe of the 

caliber, and the 1911. A lot of them came 

back with WWII veterans and military 

ammo, particularly the steel case Evansville 

Ordnance ammo, was cheap, sometimes 

two for a penny. Time after time I 

heard combat vets beer-talk that all you 

had to do to knock a man on his ass was 

to hit him with a .45 in the little finger — 

and I really wanted to believe that. 

Finally I got my chance at a warweary 

1911, not an A1, but with three 

notches in the grip. It always worked, 

too. Hard trigger, tiny sights, biting 

hammer and G.I. hardball made 

shooting a bit difficult. With cigarette 

filters stuffed in my ears I managed to 

hit about 50 percent on 20-yard quart oil 

cans. Groundhogs were plentiful and I 

ambushed one coming out of his hole 

at 10'. Lining up on his head I squeezed 

one off. He ducked! I couldn’t have 

missed — the hole in the dirt was where 

it should be. A few seconds later he 

popped out again to see what that noise 

was with a blood spot on centered on 

his neck from the .45 round. The next 

shot went where it was supposed to and 

I found the first one had penetrated his 

neck without hitting the spine. So much 

for hitting them in the fingertip and 

knocking them on their ass. 

John Connor 

My “first 1911” wasn’t mine, and it 

wasn’t one. From my earliest memories 

of growing up in the far Pacific 

and Asia, my Dad always had a big, 

dark wooden case holding two 1911A1 

pistols. He, and then we, must have 

fired enough rounds through those guns 

to sink a barge by their weight alone. 

One was a bright blued Colt, set up 

and tuned by a top Navy armorer. That 

was Dad’s service match gun, and fortunately 

for me, his “training the little 

troll” gun. You can guess who that 

little troll was, can’t you? The other 

looked like a battered old Dodge Power 

Wagon sitting next to that Colt Ferrari: 

a much-used, worn, shiny World War II 

issue piece made by Remington Rand. I 

couldn’t even begin to guess how many 

banzai-charging land crabs and infiltrating 

enemy tin cans I popped with 

that pistol. That one was Dad’s carrygun, 

and my recreational shooter. 

My memories of those pistols began 

with me standing, aimed on target, 

with Dad kneeling behind me, reaching 

around me with both arms, adjusting my 

position and grip, his rumbling voice 

in my ear coaching me through every 

round. Then later, Dad standing beside 

me as I shot, me bursting with pride 

when he tapped me on the shoulder and 

said something like, “That’s four-&- 

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oh, son; good shootin’!” Just before his 

death, those cased pistols disappeared 

en route while being shipped stateside. 

Dad deeply regretted he could not leave 

them to me. But really, he did. I can still 

see them now; feel his barrel chest and 

arms; hear his voice, just by closing my 

eyes. They were about far more than 

shooting. They were about a father and 

his son. They were all about my Dad. 

And I will always have that. 

John Taffin 

My first 1911 goes all the way 

back to the winter of 1956-57. It was 

a military surplus, government issued 

Remington-Rand .45 and cost all of 

$15 which in those days was two days 

pay. A group of us teenagers working 

together on the loading/unloading docks 

all had 1911s and ’03s. Saturday mornings 

we would gather at the local pizzeria 

before heading to Boyle’s Gun 

Shop to see what was currently available 

and also use his outdoor range. On 

one of these trips I learned a most valuable 

lesson, possibly two. 

We had invited a new fellow along 

assuming he not only knew how to 

shoot but had a modicum of common 

sense. I gave him my 1911 and as we 

were standing behind him he fired the 

first round and hit the target. He was 

so elated he did a 180-turn sweeping 


us all in the process with a cocked 

and unlocked .45 and all of us hit the 

ground. We very gently told him to turn 

back around, apply the safety, and put 

the gun down. Once that was accomplished 

we really laid into him. Looking 

back it was more our fault than his. 

That old Remington served me well 

for several years. Housed in its military 

holster it rode under the seat of my ’65 

Ford station wagon and provided protection 

for my young family. When I made 

the trip up through Idaho and across the 

Lewis and Clark Highway into Missoula 

to attend the University of Montana 

Graduate School that old .45 rode in the 

middle of my back as I made many trips 

home during those three summers. Alas 

I let it eventually get away. 


My first “own” 1911 was a circa 

1975-era Series 70 Gold Cup, which 

I learned about 1911s on. I used it in 

early “pre-IPSC” matches carrying it 

in a Bianchi X-15 shoulder rig. Like so 

many stories here, it’s long gone and 

if you own it, I want it back, just so 

you know. But there’ve been so many 

others. The WWII Remington Rand 

owned by Mr. Violet who ran PT boats 

in the Solomon Islands. I got it after he 

passed. I know he used it many times 

to kill Japanese soldiers who refused to 

surrender after the PT boat he skippered 

had sunk their landing craft. I held it 

many times wondering what it had been 

like on those pitch black nights. 

I recall a WWI 1911 I got from a 

cop whose father carried it on duty on 

the police force. I left it as I got it, rust 

and all, as the owner had been a real 

scrapper and knew this was a fighting 

pistol, not something you had to baby. 

Later, I got a 1911 “Clamshell” holster 

— the “push button” kind — to 

go with it. There’s sure to be an interesting 

story around it since there’s a 

repaired bullet hole at the bottom of 

the holster — oops! 

A life dream of mine was to have an 

engraved, presentation-grade 1911 and 

a few years ago, with the help of a cadre 

of craftsmen, it finally happened. And 

while it’s not my “first” 1911, it does 

represent many things to me. Its serial 

number is my old police ID number, an 

American flag and other things dear to 

me are part of the engraving, and the 

team who built it I consider friends. It’s 

one gun that won’t escape, I promise 

you that! There’s one other 1911 near 

and dear to me, but you’ll read about 

that one later. 

Anyone who’s ever heard a bump in 

the night, picked up their 1911, chambered 

a round and snicked on the safety 

knows why we love these guns. That 

steel heaviness and yawing bore offer 

a certain comfort level awfully hard to 

get with plastic. Know 

what I mean? * 


HAVOC IN HAND 


Says Mike, “Sue does our e-mails, 

website, makes our leather and Kydex 

sheaths and keeps us running, while I 

do the knife grinding and designing. We 

do all of our business over the internet, 

by email and through our website.” 

Grayman’s reputation for making big 

bad knives has not been at the behest of 

attending knife shows, but at the hands 

of the military users who’ve put them 

to extraordinary use in the Middle East 

and other sordid spots in the world. He 

gained his insight into dutiful knifemaking 

in the field himself, telling 

Handgunner, “I had spent a considerable 

amount of time overseas, particularly 

in Africa, in primitive conditions 

and began to form opinions on what I 

liked in knives, particularly large, allaround 

tool and survival blades. This 

inspired me to start making prototypes, 

and Grayman Knives was born. 

“I messed around with design ideas in 

the late 1990s,” Mike continues, “but I 

didn’t actually make my first knife until 

2003. By 2004 I was making knives for 

some friends in the military. The first 

official ‘Grayman’ knife design was the 

7.5" Warrior w/Teeth, and by 2008 I was 

grinding full-time. Our first four years 

we sold to military, law enforcement 

and military contractors only. After I 

began to slow down on other projects 

and travel less I found I had more time 

to devote to knife making, so we made 

our knife sales open to everyone, with 

military getting priority.” 

Hand Meets Havoc 

Grayman’s knives are beefy multitaskers 

meant for the toughest of tasks. 

Mike states, “With few exceptions, 

our knives are made from 1/4" thick 

1095 steel. I like 1095 for its toughness 

for chopping and prying chores, 

and its ability to take and hold a toothy 

edge well. Handles are available in textured 

G10 for a secure grip, and smooth 

Micarta which is better suited for 

periods of long chopping. Our knives 

are coated with GunKote to prevent rust 

and corrosion. A personalized engraving 

on the spine is free and up to 15 letters 

will fit. Popular engravings include 

names, names of loved ones, favorite 

Bible verses, phrases and team mottos.” 

The 1095 steel Mike uses is a popular 

high carbon steel many appreciate 

for its ability to be sharpened easily 

in the field using a standard Arkansas 

stone or, in a pinch, a rock. Fancy 

upscale stainless steels are great but 

can only be honed on a diamond stone. 

Lose your diamond sharpener and 

you’re up the creek. 

If blades were calibers, the Mega 

Pounder 9 model would equate to a 

.458 Nitro express. This Humvee of 

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a fixed blade features a 9" blade of 

quarter-inch-thick steel mated up to 

an ample 5" handle. At 15" overall 

and weighing in at just under a pound 

and a half, this is a knife that can take 

down small trees with impunity and 

make anyone watching back off a few 

extra yards. The Mega Pounder is 

accompanied by smaller models in the 

Grayman Pounder series — all heavy 

duty workhorses. 

If the Mega-Pounder is akin to a 

Hummer, the Sub-Saharan is a Ferrari 

in armor plate. With hints of the Roman 

Gladius, the Sub-Saharan’s flared, 

double-ground blade is made for superior 

penetration. Available in 5", 7" and 10" 

blade lengths, all are re-curved and long 

enough to add chopping to their resume 

with the added weight of the flared tip of 

the blade assisting nicely here. Knives in 

a limited run series are also available in 

brush finished Sandvik 12c27 stainless 

steel. Another series dubbed Kordofan 

features similar double-ground blades (in 

6.5" and 8" lengths) to the Sub-Saharan 

but these kick slightly forward in a Filipino 

Bolo style profile. 

Grayman’s most popular knife? “Our 

best selling model has consistently been 

the Warrior,” says Mike. “These are 

only available in Single Bevel (ground 


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on one side). The single-bevel knife 

designs provide a strong, sharp edge 

easy to sharpen in the field. With the 

single-bevel you only have to sharpen 

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The other advantages of a singlebevel 

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Warrior is available in 3.5", 5.5" and 

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The Suenami series (named after 

Mike’s better half) is a compact utility 

fighter available in 4", 5" and 7" blade 

lengths available in either single or 

saber ground iterations. Like many of 

Grayman’s knives, the Suenami has a 

re-curved blade edge which not only 

adds to its slicing length but has that 

nice flare at the tip giving extra weight 

for chopping. If you want small, check 

out the Dinka series. These knives, 

available with 3" and 4" blade options, 

are perfect as survival back-ups or 

single carry performers for casual outings. 

Grayman offers other model variations 

such as the Pemburu, Defender, 

and Merdeka — all built with the knifemaker’s 

tank-like construction. 

Troop-Revered 

It’s not surprising Grayman’s knives 

are revered by our troops in the Middle 

East, and worldwide for that matter. 

Regardless of model, all of Grayman’s 

knives are overbuilt to take on any task 

under extreme duress. A recent e-mail 

from the Sandbox offered this insight: 

“I was the gunner on the RG. Short 

version of the story, my squad leader 

was able to cut me out of the turret with 

my 4" Suenami that was attached to 

my IOTV, and drag me to the doc to 

get patched up. So I just wanted to say 

thanks, it saved my life!” 

Equally as important to the overwhelming 

majority of our troops is the 

Grayman affordability factor. Prices 

start at $125 for the small Dinkas 

and top out at $410 for the large Sub- 

Saharan. The massive Mega Pounder 

is priced at an extremely reasonable 

$235. These prices are a breath of fresh 

air compared to many handmades, 

so it’s no wonder they’re hot sellers 

among our fighting men and women. 

They say all great things come from 

humble beginnings. You won’t find a 

fancy tang stamp on Grayman’s knives. 

Each knife just has his name handscribed 

on the back spine of the handle. 

Everything you need is 

in the knife! 

* 

For more info: Grayman Knives info@ 

graymanknives.com, www.americanhandgunner.com/graymanknives 


CALL 1(800)SA2-1911 “the MAG GUIDE people” 

when only the BEST will do! 

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A L 

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Mag Guides & Grips w/screws & bushings 

L available with Lanyard Loop add $10 

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High Quality OEM Supplier 

A L 

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Available in: 

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$36.95 

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Available in: 

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all Para-Ordnance. 20 LPI 

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(P10/P12 flat only) 

(flat smooth available 

for all of the above) 

Prices starting at $17.50 

S & A Custom 1911 Grips 

Exotic Woods & Micarta 

Standard & Slim Line 

DD, FC & Smooth 

BONE COLLECTOR 


The first Smith & Wesson Model 500 

I received for testing had an 83/8" barrel 

with a muzzle brake. This was followed 

by a 4" Packin’ Pistol version. During 

the past decade S&W has introduced 

other versions, and the latest, the test gun 

at hand, is from the Performance Center 

and known as the Bone Collector. It’s 

named after Michael Waddell’s popular 

Bone Collector hunting show seen on the 

Outdoor Channel, and is marked with the 

Bone Collector logo on the frame. 

Smith & Wesson says of the Bone 

Collector: “Equipped with a variety 

of special features only the individual 

attention of master gunsmiths can 

achieve, the Model S&W500 Bone 

Collector is hand-cut and fit to ensure 

top-notch accuracy and precision. Additional 

Performance Center features 

include a heavy-duty ball detent lock-up 

between the cylinder crane and frame 

along with a chrome-flashed hammer 

and trigger. The trigger on the Model 

S&W500 Bone Collector also features 

an over-travel stop and the revolver is 

standard with a Performance Center 

action job. All these features contribute 

to a revolver capable of answering the 

needs of any serious handgun hunter.” 

We could basically say here the .500 

S&W Bone Collector is capable of handling 

any need in any situation. Powerwise, 

It’s basically a heavy-loaded 

.45-70 levergun load — in a revolver! 

Hard Facts 

Specs include a 5-shot cylinder, 

10.5" barrel, 360-degree muzzle brake, 

dovetailed red ramp front sight matched 

up with a white outline rear sight, rail 

mounted on top of the barrel shroud for 

use of a scope, 2-toned finish with stainless 

steel frame and cylinder, and soft 

synthetic finger groove grips. Overall 

length is 18" with a weight of 82 

ounces, or just over five pounds. That 

may be too heavy or too light depending 

upon your perspective. Whatever your 

perspective may be the Bone Collector 

is definitely too large and heavy for 

holstering so it’s provided with studs 

attached to holes under the barrel and in 

the grip frame for using a sling. 

Shooters of my immediate acquaintance 

have a standard rule of thumb, 

which says the trigger pull should not 

be less than the weight of the revolver; 

with that in mind the 6-pound, singleaction 

pull of the Bone Collector is right 

in line. This particular version is limited 

to a run of 1,000 pieces and the test gun 

is special in that it is marked “1000 of 

1000.” The MSRP is $1,597. 

Until the arrival of the .500, S&W’s 

largest revolver was the N-Frame .44 

Magnum. The .500 was built on a completely 

new design with a much larger 


A L 

P.O. Box 299 • Copeville, Texas USA 75121 

(800) SA2-1911 • Fax (972) 853-0526 

www.smithandalexander.com 

Hours: M-F, 9am-5pm CST 

41 Lake Morton Drive 

Suite 25 

Lakeland, FL 33801 

ph: 863.602.1515 

fax: 863.815.7287 

jim@floridaarms.com 

www.floridaarms.com

Micro Mag Ad_Layout 1 7/9/2010 08:06 Page 1 

frame and cylinder and is designated the 

X-Frame. In spite of its great size and 

weight the Bone Collector actually balances 

quite well and in spite of all the 

aesthetic differences when compared to 

the traditional classic lines of the Smith 

& Wesson .44 Magnum, is also quite 

attractive in its own right. 

To my eye the 2-toned finish is quite 

appealing, with the polished stainless 

steel cylinder and slab sides of the barrel 

matched up with the black matte finish 

of the rest of this “fivegun.” Also the 

top rail for scope mounting is not added 

on but actually machined as part of the 

barrel shroud. It’s definitely a revolver 

that shooters will be anxious to share 

with others, although it may be hard to 

find those among the faint of heart who 

actually want to shoot it. 

Easy Starting 

I’ve had extensive experience 

shooting the original Model 500 with 

both factory loads and handloads. In 

fact there are only two of us I know of 

who have published articles with large 

amounts of data. The reason is the .500 is 

not to be approached lightly and shooting 

it extensively takes a lot of energy and 

careful attention. It’s definitely manageable 

in the hunting field, however 

shooting off the bench, especially with 

hundreds of rounds, takes its toll very 

quickly. When it first came out nearly 

10 years ago I was able to shoot all the 

loads available. However, shooting so 

many big guns of every kind for so many 

decades has definitely taken its toll. I am 

not faint of heart but I am definitely faint 

of hand and wrist. 

For testing of this latest .500 

Magnum from Smith & Wesson I 

approached it from the bottom up. That 

is, I loaded up easy-shooting loads, call 

them every day working loads, even 

fun loads, using Trail Boss powder. 

This is probably the simplest powder 

for anyone to use as standard procedure 

using straight walled cases is simply to 

load to the base of the bullet without 

compression. These days about 95 percent 

of my shooting of really big bore 

sixguns, .475 and up, is accomplished 

using Trail Boss. 

Muzzle velocities, even with the 

101/2" barrel Bone Collector are only 850 

to 900 fps using 370- and 440-grain bullets. 

That is just slightly more than half 

of the muzzle velocity accorded by the 

full-house .500 S&W loads from Buffalo 

Bore. However, they should not be taken 

lightly, as a 370- or 440-grain bullet at 

muzzle velocities normally associated 

with 230-grain .45 ACP hardball are definitely 

not in the mouse load category. 

They will certainly handle deer and 

deer-sized game usefully. For a slightly 

more powerful loading I go with the 440 

Keith-style bullet over 12.0 grains of 

Universal for right at 1,000 fps. 

In addition to these handloads I also 

a t o m i t r o n x . c o m 

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• 1/3 Recoil of a 45 ACP. 

• 19+1 Capacity. 

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used the Cor-Bon .500 Special loading 

using a 275-grain DPX (Deep Penetrating 

Expanding) bullet at 1,235 fps 

from the Bone Collector. This is basically 

a .44 Magnum level load and I 

was quite surprised at how well it shoots 

with its much shorter case in the long 

cylinder of the .500 Magnum. Whether 

using iron sights or with the Bushnell 

Zoom Dot in place, my 4- shot groups at 

25 yards ran just barely over 1". 

Big Loads 

The Bushnell Zoom Dot is a heavyduty 

red dot sight which clamps to the 

rail on the top of the Bone Collector 

using one large mounting screw, which is 

tightened with a small crescent wrench. 

Both elevation and windage are accomplished 

by using a special wrench supplied 

with the unit and it was quite easy 

to adjust. The Zoom Knob allows the 

shooter the choice of everything from 

1-MOA to 10-MOA red dots. It also 

comes with attached covers to protect the 

lenses when not in use. 

Okay, the fun was over; it was time 

to get serious as I reached for the Buffalo 

Bore loads. The “light load” for the 

.500 from Buffalo Bore is a 440 LFNGC 

(Lead Flat Nose Gas Check) hard cast 

bullet which clocks out at 1,350 fps. 

Once I shot these I realized discretion 

is the better part of valor and while the 

spirit was willing the flesh was weak. 

The .357 Magnum was still too young 

for kindergarten when my hands attached 

to the rest of me arrived on this planet, 

so as much as it pains me to say it (no 

pun intended), my hands and wrists are 

beyond going beyond this level. I need 

whatever I’ve got left in my hands to 

keep shooting other loads and other sixguns. 

My apologies to both Smith & 

Wesson and Buffalo Bore for not being 

able to handle everything both the sixgun 

and load are capable of accomplishing. 

I did chronograph Buffalo Bore’s two 

other loads, but just wasn’t up to accuracy 

testing. As expected Buffalo Bore’s 

loads chronographed out as advertised 

with the 400 JFN going over 1,700 fps 

and, the same bullet used in the “light 

load” was just under 1,700 fps. Again, 

these are extremely serious loads. 

The Bone Collector is for Bone 

Crushin’ large, mean critters and I’m 

afraid extensive use by yours truly 

would revert the bone crushing to me. 

I do not consciously feel recoil when 

hunting, however long testing sessions 

are a different situation. The Bone Collector 

is easily termed an “Ultimate” 

big-bore revolver. There is, frankly, 

nothing walking on our earth you 

couldn’t hunt with it. And for just plain 

fun, well, if you’re up to it, so 

is The Bone Collector! 

* 



com/smithwesson 


The Kahr CW series (available in 9mm, 

.40 S&W and .45 ACP) has the combination 

of features that makes it the best 

Concealed Carry Pistol in the market. 

It has the ideal combination of stopping 

power and shooting comfort, and is smaller, 

slimmer and lighter than competitive brands. 

Its smooth double-action trigger reduces 

flinch, improving shot placement, and is safer. 

In stressful situations, fine motor control is 

impaired contributing to the possibility of accidental 

discharge with traditional single-action 

triggers found on many semi-autos and 

revolvers. The CW Series’ natural point of aim and low-felt recoil 

make them the ideal guns to shoot and carry. 

Made with Pride 

in the U.S.A. 

CW9093 

CW4043 

CW4543 

With the introduction of new manufacturing processes in the production of the 

CW series, the Kahr pistol represents an unrivaled value. 

® KAHR ARMS: 130 Goddard Memorial Drive, Worcester, MA 01603 

Sales Support & Service: 508-795-3919 Websites: www.kahr.com / www.kahrshop.com

Custom 

CORNER 

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

Guild and the American Handgunner Club 100. Advertising information is available from: American Handgunner, 

Adv. Dept., 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128; (858) 605-0218. 

FLETCHER CUSTOM 

PISTOLS, LLC 

PISTOLSMITHS 

www.tusseycustom.com 

e-mail: ttussey45@aol.com 

775-246-1533 

Powder River 

Precision, Inc. 

www.powderriverprecision.com 

Richard Fletcher 

Custom work performed 

on 1911’s, Hi-Powers and 

S&W revolvers. 

Rockbridge Baths,VA 

Tel: (540) 460-6151 

info@fletchercustompistols.com 

www.fletchercustompistols.com 

Quality and timely pistolsmithing 

Specialized in: Springfield XD/XDM, 1911’s, 

Glocks and the Browning Hi-Power. 

(541) 403-2998 

(541) 403-2999 

WWW.DLSPORTS.COM 

Custom AR15’s, 1911’s, 

Precision Rifles, 

Accessories, Training, 

ITRC Competition 

Extreme Duty 

AR15 Magazines 

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307.686.4008 

D&L Sports, Inc. 

PO Box 651 

Gillette, WY 82717 


IntroducIng the neW LIne oF InnoVAtIVe 

AMMunItIon PAcKAgIng BY FIocchI uSA. 

TRACER SHOTSHELLS, RIMFIRE and 

CENTERFIRE Ammunition Packaged in 

StackAble, PackAble, StorAble CANS. 

All Canned Heat Loads are available 

with an Equally Innovative POINT OF 

PuRCHASE DISPLAy. 

Since 1876 

For the Fiocchi dealer near you, Call 417.449.1043 

visit www.fiocchiusa.com

: SPOTLIGHT 

Rapid Access 

Defense Storage 

System Caron Forensics 

Caron forensics introduces the Rapid 

Access Defense (RAD2). RAD2 is 

designed for the storage and fast 

presentation of defensive weapons. It 

can be mounted horizontally or vertically 

in various concealed locations 

throughout your home or office. It’s 

designed to accommodate handguns 

and other tactical weapons, such as 

flashlights, knives, etc. by means of 

a dual-rail mounting system. RAD2 

comes standard with a handgun 

holder, flashlight holder and magnetic 

clip holder. for more info: (800) 648- 

3042 or www.americanhandgunner. 

com/caronforensics 

Full Color Grips 

Rio Grande Custom Grips 

Rio Grande Custom Grips has 

added a new line of full Color 

Grips for the popular Ruger 

revolvers. these high-quality grips 

are made in the USA and crafted 

for a perfect fit. Molded with a 

premium-grade, high-strength polymer, the grips are “tattooed” 

with a revolutionary and patented method that results 

in one of the most permanent images available today. these 

full color artistic designs by Rio Grande are salt, solvent, impact 

and abrasion resistant. for more info: (303) 330-2812 or www. 

americanhandgunner.com/riogrande 

Nexus HID 

Cyclops Solutions 

The Nexus HID is a 

rechargeable 3,200 

lumen light that can be 

used in any situation. It 

features a 25W HID bulb, which produces intense white light 

offering higher color temperature and lower power consumption. 

It can be charged from anywhere by using the dualrecharge, 

12v car plug adapter or 12v 300mA AC charger. 

With a burn time of 50 minutes, light the trail back to camp or 

light the entire camp with this powerful 3,200 lumen spotlight. 

It comes equipped with a 2x6v sealed lead acid battery. the 

durable, rugged construction of the Nexus HID is built to take 

the abuse of the harshest hunting terrain. MSRP is $149.99. 

For more info: (877) 269-8490 or www.americanhandgunner. 

com/cyclopssolutions 

PDS Pistol Rock River Arms 

The Rock River Arms Piston Driven System 

(PDS) Pistol is the first of a new generation 

of firearms. The PDS uses a purposedesigned 

bolt carrier, an adjustable gas 

piston and an over the barrel spring and 

guide rod arrangement. It is able to completely 

eliminate the traditional recoil system associated with AR-style firearms. For 

more info: (309) 792-5780 or www.americanhandgunner.com/rockriver 

PDA Holsters 

Hidden Heat Holsters 

The patent pending PDA (Personal 

Defense Accessory) Holster addresses 

inherent disadvantages of other concealed 

carry strategies. The objective 

is to wear the PDA exposed, without 

the need to cover with a jacket or 

loose shirt tail, yet still have quicker/ 

safer fast-draw capability. PDA 

models fit many pistol sizes and can 

be ordered for left- or right-handed 

comfort. For more info: (877) 994- 

6578 or www.americanhandgunner. 

com/hiddenheat 

The Centennial 

1911 Volkmann Custom 

Laser Sight 

Holster System 

Viridian Green Laser Sights 

Viridian’s new Laser Sight Holster 

System is a real benefit to gun owners 

who’ve had a difficult time finding 

holster options for their rail-mounted 

accessories. Viridian will now offer a 

free holster with every laser purchase, 

which represents a $39 value. Viridian 

produces gun specific laser/holster 

systems for Glock, Springfield XD/ 

XDm, S&W M&P, Ruger SR9, Taurus 

24/7 and Walther P22/PK380. For 

more info: (800) 990-9390 or www. 

americanhandgunner.com/viridian 

Luke Volkmann is proud to 

offer a 100-year-anniversary 

1911 called the Centennial. This 

hand-fit, custom 1911 starts with 

a beautiful color-case, hardened 

frame, on top of which sits a 

high polished, traditionally blued slide with 24-kt-gold inlayed lettering and hand 

carved engraving by a master engraver. The customer gets a choice of sights, grips, 

triggers and safety. These “one-at-a-time” hand-built pistols are a limited run, and 

will only be available for the year 2011. For more info: (303) 888-4904 or www. 

americanhandgunner.com/volkmanncustomgunsinc 


For more information on seeing your product featured 

in Spotlight contact, Steve Evatt (800) 533-7988. 

Handbook of Cartridge 

Reloading 8th Edition 

Hornady 

The new Hornady Handbook of Cartridge 

Reloading 8th Edition is the most comprehensive 

to date. The handbook contains 

nearly 1,100 pages and features the latest 

information for all the newest Hornady 

bullets, including favorites like the V-MAX, 

InterBond, SST, InterLock and XTP. New 

cartridge additions include the 6.5 Grendel, 

6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Marlin Express, .375 

Ruger, .450 Nitro Express and many more. For more info: (308) 382-1390 or 

www.americanhandgunner.com/hornady 

Shotgun Holder 

Tiger Holster Systems 

The Shrike 1911 

Predator Tactical 

The new Shrike 1911 from Predator 

Tactical is 100 percent made in 

America to Matt Burkett’s demanding 

specs. This all stainless steel handgun 

features a tactical rail, front night 

sight, adjustable rear sight and custom 

engraving. The gun is built on the 

Wilson Combat Bullet Proof parts line. The Shrike is available in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, 

.38 Super, 9mm and 10mm. Prices range from $2,959 to $4,065. For more info: 

(602) 652-2864 or www.americanhandgunner.com/predatortactical 

Tiger Holster Systems’ line of bedside 

home-defense products allows you to 

mount most any sidearm holster you 

own. you can even mount a flashlight 

and cell phone for that just-in-case 

moment. Also try a bedside Shotgun 

Holder to keep your favorite homedefense 

weapon at the ready. the 

Pistol Holster System and the Shotgun 

Bedside Holder System fit any 

mattress, and comes with a lifetime 

guarantee. Prices start at $29.95. for 

more info: (419) 478-7552 or www. 

americanhandgunner.com/tigerholster 

The Lambert Snap 

Wilson Tactical Knives 

Wilson tactical has announced the 

addition of the Kirby Lambert designed 

Snap with an IKBS Pivot bearing 

System. this beautiful knife is small 

enough for comfortable everyday 

carry, yet can take on the tasks of 

larger tactical folders. the Snap features 

secure lock-up in both the open 

and closed positions. for more info: 

(800) 955-4856 or www.americanhandgunner.com/wilsontactical 

Celo 1ED & 

2ED Carry 

Bags 

Disse Gear 

Disse Gear bags are 

multi-functional and 

are great for use from 

concealed carry to outdoor 

photography. the Celo 1ED and 2ED Multi-Functional Carry 

Bags are rugged in design and comfortable to carry. these new 

carry bags are high quality and built to last. the Celo 1ED is 

compact in design, yet large enough to carry the necessities and 

its counter-part. the Celo 2ED is a full-size carry bag with even 

greater room to take along the needs of the day. for more info: 

(888) 854-5605 or www.americanhandgunner.com/dissegear 

Precision Plates Pb Precision, LLC 

The guys at Pb Precision have a great solution for your Glock 

magazines. Their custom machined Precision Plates give 

the shooter firm grooves to grasp in the event of a stuck 

magazine. These grooves provide an enhanced hold even 

with gloved hands. The base plates also add a bit of extra 

weight to help an empty 

mag fall free. A law 

enforcement discount is 

available. For more info: 

(352) 335-1911 or www. 

americanhandgunner. 

com/pbprecision 

KingTuk IWB 

Holster Galco Gunleather 

The KingTuk IWb Holster 

provides comfort, speed and 

versatility. It features a comfortable 

backing plate made 

of lined saddle leather with a 

Napa leather front combined with 

a rigid Kydex holster pocket for a fast 

draw and easy holstering. the removable metal 

belt clips (fitting belts up to 13/4") can be moved to corresponding 

holes in the leather, enabling the user to set the carry height 

and angle to suit their preferences. Optional, interchangeable 

injection-molded nylon C-Hooks – fitting belts up to 11/4" and 

sold separately – are also available. the C-Hooks offer an even 

lower profile on the belt Available in black with standard metal 

clips that fit belts up to 13/4". for more info: (800) 874-2526 or 

www.americanhandgunner.com/galco 


: SPOTLIGHT For more information on seeing your product featured 

in Spotlight contact, Steve Evatt (800) 533-7988. 

The HYBRID 

Holster 

Blade-Tech 

This quality pancake-style 

holster provides the 

best of both worlds by 

offering a blend of the 

most practical and popular materials. the exterior is constructed 

of premium cowhide leather while the interior is precision 

molded Kydex. the HybRID Holster uses conventional leather 

button straps to fit belts 1.25" to 1.75" in width. to increase 

the versatility, every holster comes with an extra set of leather 

button straps that allow it to convert from a belt holster to an 

inside-the-waistband holster. the HybRID Holster has a fulllength, 

built-in sweat guard to protect the firearm from the body 

and increase the overall comfort and fit of the holster. Offered 

in either brown or black leather exteriors. for more info: (877) 

331-5793 or www.americanhandgunner.com/bladetech 

Decal Grip KP380 Decal Grip 

Introducing the new KP380 design grip aimed at giving 

positive grip enhancement for the new Kahr P380 series. 

This cutting-edge product will be extremely valuable to law 

enforcement professional. Decal Grip panels are pre-cut to fit 

and offer either a soft rubber cobblestone grip or a grittier, 

more tactile sand grip. These panels 

besides looking OEM, easily attach 

to the frame and slide for a superior 

grip without increasing bulk for 

everyday/everywhere, on/off-duty 

carry, and are excellent in all kinds 

of weather. The grips are resistant 

to solvents and oils and are easily 

replaced or removed. For more 

info: fax (800) 860-6574 or www. 

americanhandgunner.com/decalgrip 

Disguised Mag Holders Spikes Tactical 

“What you see is NOT what you see.” Name 

brand knives, multi-tools, and sunglass cases 

now disguise your spare magazine. You can 

wear in plain view without a worry. It’s quick 

and easy to get to, and comes in different 

sizes for all standard mags. With each 

purchase receive a FREE Kleen-Bore silicon 

gun-cleaning cloth. For more info: (407) 

928-2666 or www.americanhandgunner. 

com/spikestactical 

Gun Tool Real Avid 

Unlike handyman tools, Real Avid’s Gun tool is built to meet specific needs of hunters and 

shooters. the Gun tool is loaded with 18 of the most frequently used tools for rifles and 

shotguns, all in a compact 1.25x1.5x5" frame. the Gun tool features a universal choke 

wrench, pin punch, multiple torx and Allen wrenches, a magnetic bit driver and bits and 

more. for more info: (800) 286-0567 or www.americanhandgunner.com/realavid 

TK12R5 Flashlight 

Fenix Lights 

The new fenix tK12R5 flashlight uses Cree 

XP-G LED (R5) with a lifespan of 50,000 hours 

for long and reliable service. Uses two 3V 

CR123A Lithium batteries or one 18650 Li-ion battery. Waterproof to IPX-8 standard 

with toughened, ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating. the flashlight 

features a tactical tail-cap switch with momentary-on function and an anti-roll, slipresistant 

body design. for more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/fenix 

TacOps-1 Charging Handle MechArmor Defense Systems 

Designed for quick weapons charge with larger optics in any 

position via the dual-mode latch actuator in the center of the 

handle. Easily operated with either firing hand, yet won’t 

interfere with forward assists. Specifically designed for 

.223 and .308 rifles. Available through Armalite, 

Brownells, DPMS and Tactical Defense Solutions LLC. 

For more info: (406) 647-3897 or www.americanhandgunner.com/mecharmor 

Sub-Saharan 

Grayman Knives 

The Sub-Saharan incorporates all the 

toughness and functionality you’d 

expect from a Grayman knife, as well 

as some distinctive new design features. 

A full thickness curve on the top of the blade allows for “choking up,” multiple 

grip options and facilitates batoning. The sharpened top edge allows for back 

slicing; sweeping grind lines end in a sharp piercing point. The comfortable new 

handle design is green, textured G10 with a lanyard hole. For more info: info@ 

graymanknives.com or www.americanhandgunner.com/graymanknives 


GUNNYSACKRoy Huntington 

REEDER CUSTOM KNIVES 

This is a tale of three knives. Well actually, one knife, that 

sorta’ morphed into three. About a year and a half ago 

Gary Reeder (who usually makes guns and stuff) and I 

were chatting on the phone and I was complaining about the 

fact I hadn’t been able to find a 5" or 6" sheath knife I liked 

to use around our ranch here. I kept losing pocket-clip folders 

at the time, so had been shopping around to get a fixed blade 

to try. “Well, have I got a deal for you!” he said. Uh … oh. 

Actually, what Gary sent was a pretty good deal. The 

tough, 5" fixed blade called the Predator (on the left in the 

picture) was just what I’d been looking for and it’s been a 

semi-constant companion of mine over the past year and a 

half. That’s why it’s showing some hard use. I chop, hack, 

cut, pry, dig golf balls out of my pasture (a long story …) 

and anything else needing doing. It holds a razor edge 

(easy to sharpen) and has enough heft to lend some credibility 

to a cut if needed. 

Now Gary has expanded his knife line with a couple 

more. The “Classic Skinner” and “Mini-Skinner” are built 

tough like the Predator, but made for different jobs. I’ve 

already used the Mini to clean a small local deer, and the 

compact size, razor edge (which held throughout the work) 

and handle 

that sort of 

“swells” into 

your palm 

was comfortable 

to use. 

The hilt, 

with a bit of a 

finger-catch, kept 

my slippery fingers 

safe. I didn’t use the “Classic 

Skinner” but it’s bigger, fills the hand more and has much 

more belly in the blade. It would no doubt be a great 

skinner and I’ll try it out soon. 

Handles on the Predator and Mini-Skinner are Mongolian 

Stag and some kind of wood laminate on the Classic. 

The Mini blade is 2.75" while the Classic is a solid 3". 

Check with Gary on the prices, but the Predator runs around 

$300, with the others less. Very affordable, and they’re 

made for Gary by experienced knife maker John Morgan. 

For more info: Gary Reeder Custom Guns (928) 527-4100, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/garyreedercustomguns 



POWDER RIVER 

PRECISION XD PARTS 

The explosion of popularity of the XD 

series of pistols from Springfield Armory 

is virtually a textbook example of a blend 

of innovative marketing and quality products. 

With more and more models available all the 

time, Springfield has taken the basic XD pistol, and 

morphed it into many guises. There’s no doubt certain 

other polymer-based pistol companies keep watching this 

unstoppable force, and I’ll bet there’s been much midnight 

oil burned over the problem by them! 

Like most polymer pistols, however, the factory XD 

series suffers from what might be described as a slightly 

spongy trigger release. It works great, is reliable and probably 

fine for most duty, sport or self-defense use. But sometimes, 

you just want to have a crisper trigger, and that’s 

where Dan Batchelor of Powder River Precision comes into 

the picture. Dan’s a whiz with all-things XD and his range 

of after-market action goodies can turn your daily shooter 

into something really special. While not exactly “drop-in,” 

they nonetheless supply the goods a competent pistolsmith 

can install in your 

gun, turning spongy 

into crisp. 

The picture shows 

(left to right) his High 

Performance Striker, 

Stainless Steel Pin 

Set, Titanium Striker 

Status Indicator Kit (two springs 

and the pin) and the XD/XDm Striker Safety Lever 

Kit. In the installation instructions there is warning after 

warning about the need to have all of these parts installed 

by a competent pistolsmith, so unless you’re one, don’t mess 

with ’em! It’s perfectly sound to buy them, just fine to lay 

them on your table and imagine how they’ll work in your 

gun — but then take them all, with your pet XD, to your 

favorite ‘smith and let him do the installation. Promise? 

The sample gun I looked at had a crisp, positive trigger 

(almost 1911-like) and operated “snappier” if that makes any 

sense. There’s nothing wrong with making a good gun even 

better, so give Dan a call and order up some parts for your 

favorite XD. Tell him Handgunner sent you. For more info: 

Powder River Precision (541) 403-2998, www.americanhandgunner.com/powderriverprecision 



GEMINI CUSTOMS’ COOL GRIPS 

Marc Morganti of Gemini Customs has had his custom 

gun work featured in our pages, and it’s always 

cleanly done and innovative. He recently sent me a set 

of J-frame grips that were compelling and offered a surprisingly 

comfortable fit. This new line of exotic wood grips 

are made in their Kentucky shop by Marc’s wife, Karen. 

It’s obvious Karen has a artist’s eye and a talented touch 

with her tools. According to Marc, the new grip line will 

cover full-size and concealed-carry 

sizes for J-frames, Ruger SP101 and 

GP100s, Ruger Super Redhawk, 

with a plan to expand to cover 

more S&W sizes and 

even some Colts. 

Marc has produced 

guns with detail 

work that is always 

attention-getting. 

This new line of 

grips ranks among 

the best I’ve 

ever seen, from 

any shop, and will 

match the quality of gun work from Gemini. According to 

Marc, each grip is precisely machined on non-CNC equipment 

and held to tolerances within .001"! They are then hand-finished, 

hand-polished and waxed. The sample grips are among 

the upper 10 or 15 percent of the quality they see in their shop, 

and would be classified as their “World Class” grade, retailing 

for $279.95. Other grades start at $209.95, depending upon the 

wood, figure of the grain and other details. Marc said to phone 

and they’d be happy to chat with you about grade, wood available 

and models they currently fit. Our test grips fit my hand 

splendidly, and with the reduced diameter near the bottom 

reminded me a bit of the old “Fuzzy” Farrant grips of decades 

ago, which were always a great fit. 

Marc also reminded me they are making their own front 

sight replacements for Ruger SP101s and GP100s. The fiber 

optic replacements for your factory sights drop right in (a 

pin is included) and really light up that front sight picture! 

They offer several styles, including a 14K gold bead, from 

$32.95 to $89.95 so give ’em a call to discuss your needs. 

It’s a family-run shop, so you’re supporting American-made 

and a family at the same time. And what’s wrong with that? 

For more info: Gemini Customs, LLC (502) 226-1230, 

www.americanhandgunner.com/geminicustoms 

® 

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Competition Pistols. Pistol includes the Grandmaster ® /Power Custom Logo. 

Price $3,655.00 (Quantities limited, call for availability) Dealer inquiries welcome. 

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Grandmasters and Power Custom is a registered trademark of Grandmasters L.L.C. 

Registration #’s 11795035 & 85030141. STI is a registered trademark of STI, Inc. 



BLUESTONE INCHARGE 

W 

e’re 

overwhelmed with lights of all sizes, shapes and 

performance, and it’s often hard to decide what to 

buy. One thing I’ve noticed is if you try to think what 

you need a light for, and then look at models meeting your 

needs, it’s not a bad way to do business. I’ve found over the 

years — and dozens of flashlights later — like most things, 

simple seems to be best. I find myself increasingly frustrated 

by lights with so many functions, I can’t even turn the damn 

things on and off without having to go through a series of 

shenanigans. On/Off is a good thing. I’ve found an easy 

method or switch to get from “burn-your-eyes-out” high to 

more realistic light levels, is important. 

These days I generally use the small one cell CR123 

lights or single AA lights as personal, daily carry lights. 

And they supply most of the light you’ll ever need. But, 

it’s always good to have a bigger, versatile light around, 

with longer burn time. 

Bluestone (a new guy on the block) is offering what is 

a very practical sort of personal or “home” light, handling 

any chore I can think of. While not a true “combat” light, it 

would certainly take care of business if you were Sam and 

Suzi Homemaker with a .38 by your bed. Called the “AT7” 

or “InCharge,” it’s sort of fist-sized (that’s a .44 Mag round 

in the picture), 

has an anodized 

aluminum body 

and can be quickly 

adjusted from a 

wide to very focused 

beam. The best part 

is it can go from 130 

lumens (really bright) to about 15 

lumens (bright enough to do most light 

work you’ll usually need) by simply holding the on/off switch 

down. On high, it will burn 4 hours and on the lowest setting 

about 20 hours. It’s all done with Cree LED technology 

and a Ni-MH rechargeable battery. The really neat part is it 

charges just by sitting the bottom end into a base that charges 

using induction technology so there’s no clamps or clips or 

contacts. Sorta’ like an electric toothbrush charges. 

It has a “blinky” mode if you want it (honestly, why does 

my light have to flash S-O-S?), but you can easily ignore it 

and simply have a rugged, easy to manage, easy to charge 

personal or “house” light in one package. It’s brand new, and 

will retail for $89.99. For more info: Bluestone, (available 

through Sears) www.americanhandgunner.com/bluestone 

The Bidding Starts Now. ® GunBroker.com ® is the world’s largest, most popular online firearms auction, 

with hundreds of thousands of firearms and accessories up for auction every day, and more being added 

all the time. Handguns for law enforcement, self-defense, plinking, competition, collectors…they’re all 

here. You’ll also find magazines, cleaning supplies, holsters and more, all at www.GunBroker.com. 


888 Professional 87 

A.T. Custom Gunworks 100 

Active PRO Gear Inc. 98 

Al Mar Knives 94 

Allchin Gun Part 98 

American Gunsmith. Institute 79 

American Handgunner Sub. 87 

Arch Angel Mfg./Pro Mag 92 

Arntzen Corp. 84 

Arredono Accessories 84 

Atomitronx 97 

Bar-Sto Precision Machine 78 

The Beltman 75 

Belt Mountain Enterprises 78 

Benchmade Knife Co. 17 

Berry’s Mfg. Inc. 12 

BLACKHAWK! 89 

Black Hills Ammunition 89 

Blade-Tech Industries 85 

Boker USA Inc. 81 

Brian Tighe 92 

Brownells Inc. 85 

Burger Knives 79 

Caron Forensics 97 

Caspian Arms Ltd. 77 

Check-Mate Industries Inc. 12 

Cheaper Than Dirt! 45 

Chip McCormick Custom LLC. 31 

CRKT 18, 77 

Competition Electronics Inc. 73 

Competitive Edge Dynamics 33 

CorBon/Glaser 14 

Crawford Knives LLC 84 

Crimson Trace Corporation 20 

CrossBreed Holsters LLC 14 

Crystal Pistols 85 

Cylinder & Slide Inc. 83 

CZ-USA 91 

D & L Sports Inc. 100 

DeSantis Holster 74 

Dillon Precision Products 79 

Double Tap Ammunition 10 

El Paso Saddlery Co. 88 

Elite Survival Systems 86 

European American Armory 3 

Fiocchi of America 101 

Fletcher Custom Pistols LLC 100 

Florida Arms Mnfg. Co. 96 

FMK Firearms 74 

Fobus USA 73 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

Galco Gunleather 6 

Gary Reeder Custom Guns 100 

Ghost Inc. 77 

Glock Inc. 13 

GrandMasters/Power Custom 108 

Grayman Knives 86 

GSI International Inc. 93 

GunBroker.com 109 

Gungrips.net 76 

GunVault 35 

Heirloom Precision LLC 94 

Hogue Inc. 72 

Hornady Mnfg. Co. 21 

I.O. Inc. 94 

ISSC-Austria 101 

Insight Technology Inc. 29 

IronMind Enterprises Inc. 78 

Jager Products Inc. 90 

Kahr Arms 16, 99 

Kimber Mnfg. Inc. 9, 17, 116 

Knife Mart 75 

Lambert Knives 82 

LaserMax 99 

Lawman Leather Goods 19 

Les Baer Custom Inc. 15 

Lightfoot Knives 80 

LockSAF 77 

Mag-na-port International 19 

Maxpedition Hard-Use Gear 70 

Mec-Gar USA Inc. 76 

MTM Case-Gard 35 

Nighthawk Custom 11 

O’Hare Knives 96 

Otis Technology 39 

Pact Inc. 8 

Para USA Inc. 2 

Para-Cord 82 

Pearce Grip Inc. 81 

Powder River Precision Inc. 100 

Power Technology Inc. 72 

Pro Ears 18 

Purdy Gear 81 

Rio Grande Custom Grips 78 

Rohrbaugh Firearms 80 

S.W.A.T. 110 

Sibari Gear 84 

SIG SAUER 37 

Sinclair International Inc. 92 

Singletary Customs 100 

Smith & Alexander Inc. 96 

Smith & Wesson 23, 25 

Spartan Blades USA 97 

Springfield Armory 41, 115 

SSK Industries 75 

Starline Brass 33 

STI International Inc. 106 

Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. 43 

TechWearUSA 86 

Ten Ring Precision Inc. 100 

Thunder Ranch Training 95, 105 

Tiger Holster Systems 78 

TOPS KNIVES 19 

Trausch Grips 90 

Tussey Custom 100 

Universal Shooting Academy 75 

USA Shooting Team 47 

Viridian Green Laser 16 

Volkmann Custom Inc. 90 

W.C. Wolff Company 82 

Walther USA 7 

Wicked Grips 79 

Wilson Combat 27, 107 

Wilson Tactical 10 

XS Sight Systems 80 

Zev Technologies 27 

W E A P O N S , T A C T I C S A N D T R A I N I N G F O R T H E R E A L W O R L D 

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AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 

CLASSIFIED 

AUCTIONS/SHOWS 

BOOKS 

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 PAY- 

MENT IN advance. NO AGENCY OR CASH DISCOUNTS ON LISTING OR display CLASSIFIED advertisinG. All ads must 

be received with advance payment 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. Abbreviations 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. 

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 

ACCESSORIES 

ACCESSORIES 

COLLECTORS 

EMBLEMS & INSIGNIA 

FIREWORKS 

FOR SALE 

GUN PARTS 

GUNS FOR SALE 

GUNSMITHING 

INSTRUCTION 

KAHR 

P380 

pre-cut 

grip 

panels 

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DECAL GRIP® 

AMMUNITION 

Quinetics Corporation! Reloading supplies for the 

reloader. Made in USA. www.quineticscorp.com 

APPAREL 

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KNIVES & SWORDS 

LEATHERCRAFT 

MILITARY SURPLUS 

MISCELLANEOUS 


insiderADD IT UP 

1,525,000,000 

Miles of telephone wire in the US. 

6 Pints 

Amount a 10 gallon hat holds. 

3 Seconds 

Memory of a goldfish (and some politicians?). 

366 Gallons 

Fuel a jumbo jet uses to take off. 

60,000 pounds 

Amount of food you’ll eat in your life. 

75% 

American households where women 

manage the finances. 

738 

Criminals sent to prison for every 

1,000 violent crimes in 1960. 

227 

Criminals sent to prison for every 

1,000 violent crimes in 1980. 

the insider Continued from page 114 

brushing. Give everything a good drywipe 

again with towels or your fancy 

red cloths and a few Q-tips and you’re 

clean. Ditto for revolvers, but if you’ve 

been really messy with your sixgun, 

you might have to use a brass brush 

chucked in a drill to clean the chambers. 

Neat trick, eh? 

Lubing is also frequently misunderstood 

and most people over-lube. Get a 

bottle of whatever lube you like, or was 

cheap or free. Get your Q-tips and put 

the oil on the Q-tip. Now run said Q-tip 

over the rails of autos, and anywhere 

there are shiny spots from wear. If it’s 

a wheelgun, all the same rules apply 

Secret Spy Cam 

Okay, not really, but if you’ve never 

played with one of these, you have 

to get one, even if you’re a certified 

urban/city folk. With “see in the dark” 

capability, you’d be surprised what and who 

you may find lurking around at night. We 

had great fun with this one after putting it 

on a tree in the walnut grove. The infrared 

lights and night-vision ability of the Stealth 

Cam kept us in stitches as we watched deer 

nose up to it, chase each other and generally 

act the fool. We also spied raccoons, coyotes, 

possums and all the other critters out there 

at night. The camera has a “burst” mode 

taking a bunch of stills, and also does video. 

This one is the Model 1230IR. You’ll get to 

finally figure out which neighborhood dog is 

getting into your trash! For more info: www. 

americanhandgunner.com/stealthcam 

about shiny parts. Maybe once in your 

life, use some spray crud-cutter and 

blow out the revolver’s innards and oil 

it. Once things are together again, a 

final wipe and you’re done. Total time 

should usually be about five minutes 

if you’re slow. But if you’re lazy, you 

don’t even have to do that very often. 

Hey, it works for me … 

Note: Watch me clean an actual dirty 

gun in about five minutes or less at www. 

americanhandgunner.com and click on 

the Web Blast link at the top. Laugh 

while watching. Go clean a gun. Renew 

your subscription, I need the job. 

Civilized Forum 

I 

was recently reminded about the Custom Knives and Guns forum (www. 

customknivesandguns.com) and visited them again. I confess I’m only a 

registered member of two or three forums and this is one of them. Made up 

of famous and not-famous-yet knifemakers and gunsmiths, it’s one of those rare 

birds on the Internet — a civilized open forum. To quote from their website: 

“There are rules, and it will NOT be a free for all at CK&G. Trolls and 

other trouble makers will be dealt with swiftly to preserve an atmosphere of 

open discussion, collaboration and kinship. CK&G feels particularly strongly 

about protection of intellectual property 

rights. People who are known to steal 

ideas, concepts, or designs from others 

will NEVER be welcome at CK&G, or 

at any Internet forum, we hope.” 

The members act like adults, are 

polite and quick to help one another. 

I’d say you can add this site to a very 

limited list of reputable gun/knife related 

forums. Tell them we sent you! 

Young Gun Crank 

n the “there is hope” department, we 

Ihave young Nick Caputo scoping out 

Handgunner and Guns with obvious 

intensity. It’s times like this when I 

get misty-eyed and think maybe, just 

maybe, there are still 10-year-old gun 

nuts out there — like I was when I was 

a kid — and you probably were too. 

Cross your fingers and let’s hope Nick 

isn’t just this way because his dad won’t 

let him have dinner until he answers 

ten questions about the latest issue. You 

don’t do that, do you Dean? Do you? 


D uring our 35th Anniversary year, I thought it would be 

fun to check out some of the old ads we used to run. 

The really fun thing is I noticed some of the companies 

running early ads are still with Handgunner today. Read 

these and remember the fun old days! 

Look Back 

6 

5 

2 

insider 

4 

1 

1 In “The Day” the ASP cut-down S&W Model 39 was as cutting edge as it got. Loaded with 

cool features, the price pretty much killed it though. And being a 9mm, I’m not sure about that 

“With stopping power second only to the .44 Magnum” line! (1980) 

2 I really miss seeing the competitors walking around with these low-slung rigs, complete 

with thigh strap. Everyone looked like gunfighters, and you felt a bit like Matt Dillon, only 

faster. the contoured belt fit well and it all simply made you feel pretty cool, even if you 

weren’t. (1977) 

3 This is called a Colt ad. In the “olden days” you would see them regularly in the pages of 

gun magazines. Colt is still around, but I haven’t seen a Colt ad in years. I still miss seeing new 

Troopers and Pythons for sale in the gun stores, and I’ll bet you do too. (1977) 

3 

4 Don Hume (a real guy, by the way, now retired, who I’m going to visit soon since he lives 

near me “over the border” in Oklahoma) was always known for top quality duty leather for 

cops and regular guys. His classic “Jordan Holster and River Belt Big” is iconic, and when I wore 

one I felt, like, well … a cop. (1979) 

5 Ah, who can forget Franzite grips? When plastic was cool — and those “faux” stag grips 

were the rage. Alas, now they simply look like cheap plastic grips, but in their day they were 

the cat’s meow. Watch in gun stores and you’ll still see these on old S&W and Colt revolvers 

sometimes. (1980) 

6 Hey, PPC revolvers and 2-tone retro-guns rock! this ad from Les baer was from “the 

early days” when he did general gunsmithing and was learning the tricks of the trade. 

Today, not only is Les still advertising, his line of 1911s and rifles are among the very best 

anywhere. (1985) 

7 Ruger’s ads were always chock full of solid product info and their “cust-away” drawings 

were among the finest ever produced. I carried a Security Six as a duty revolver around 1980 

and it was solid as a rock. Of course, Ruger is still with us and offers even niftier 

things these days. (1977) 

* 

7 


THE 


INSIDERTM 

insider 

The Opposite of Dirty? 

I’d say the second most-askedabout 

topic in the reader mail 

pile would be questions about 

gun cleaning. The first? 

“What’s the perfect home 

defense gun/ammo?” We won’t 

go there right now, but I promise 

to simplify that one later; and it 

can be simplified, honest. 

Nevertheless, the gun cleaning 

questions are rampant and 

often accompanied by much 

hand-wringing and worrisome 

comments like: “Am I slowly 

destroying my (fill in the blank 

gun) by not completely taking it 

apart down to the last pin and 

cleaning it within an inch of its 

life whenever I shoot even one round 

through it? Am I a failure? Will my 

wife divorce me if I don’t? Would that 

be a bad thing?” 

Actually, you’re more than likely 

prolonging the life of your (fill in the 

blank gun) by not taking it apart down 

to the last pin whenever you shoot it. 

We’re not sure about the divorce thing 

though. A neighbor of ours owned 

a much-loved Ruger Standard Auto 

.22. He was one of those “detail strip 

it every time you shoot it and even 

sometimes for no reason other than 

you feel like it” guys. I have a vivid 

memory of that gun virtually coming 

apart in my hands when I first took it 

apart. And that’s not easy to do with a 

Ruger Standard Auto! The tolerances 

were so worn, it even rattled. Mr. Wallace 

had loved his gun to death. 

What do you need to do to keep 

your guns ready to go? Not much, 

actually. I have several “levels” of 

clean for my own guns. Comedian 

Bill Murry once said, “A man’s 

laundry hamper can have several 

levels of dirty, some of which are still 

perfectly wearable.” Guns are sorta’ 

the same way. My “working” guns 

around our modest ranch here are 

wiped off now and again before I stow 

’em. They don’t get shot much but are 

Kinda’ Clean … Sorta’ 

Everything you need to clean most 

handguns in about five minutes or less 

is sitting right here. Lube and solvent 

(or anything else in the picture for that 

matter) can be substituted with what 

you probably have on hand right now. 

handled lots, so there’s no real need to 

clean them completely all the time. 

With my carry guns, if I shoot more 

than a few rounds, I field strip it, give 

it a quick clean, lube it up, put it back 

together then shoot it at least once 

more to make sure it goes bang. Then 

I consider it ready. My general “safe 

queen” guns have their own “sublevels” 

of clean. I can honestly say I 

never give it a second thought to shoot 

even a fancy gun, then simply give it 

a quick wipe and stow it. As a matter 

of fact, I have guns I’ve never cleaned, 

and have shot quite a bit. Heresy you 

say? Naw … just lazy, and damn, if 

they don’t seem to work fine. Don’t get 

me wrong, if you enjoy cleaning your 

guns, go for it, but most people overclean, 

over-fuss and over-take-apart, 

causing undue wear and tear. Wipe off 

the outside so it looks nice, but don’t 

get any angst over the rest. 

With modern powders and ammo 

— short of living in a humid climate — 

you don’t have to clean a bore simply 

because you shot the gun. I’ll be honest 

and tell you I don’t generally clean 

a “recreational” gun until it’s dirty 

enough to sort of be an embarrassment 

if I show it to somebody, 

or if it stops working because it’s 

kludged-up with crud. I think if I 

owned only a half-dozen guns I 

might feel differently, but when I 

might shoot a dozen in one day, 

the thought of cleaning all of them 

forces me to take a nap instead. 

How To Clean 

First, ignore most things you’ve 

ever read on a forum about cleaning or 

what products you have to use. Next, 

take it apart if it’s an auto (unload it 

first, etc., blah, blah) and have an old 

towel folded in half to put the bits on. 

Wipe everything off with some paper 

towels or those nifty red mechanic’s 

cloths. Once all the loose crud is wiped 

out (use Q-tips too), run a dry brush 

through the bore and chamber, then 

run a solvent patch through it and put 

it down. Then use a dry brush of some 

kind (toothbrush) to brush at the cakedon 

crud. No solvent or anything yet or 

you’ll just make black stinky goo. 

If you have to, dab your toothbrush 

in a bit of solvent (put a splash in 

the lid) and go at the corners where 

the crud is still hiding. Dry wipe 

everything again. Once everything is 

looking nice, slightly dampen a patch 

with whatever solvent you have laying 

around (Hoppes is nice because of 

the manly smell) and wipe everything 

down. You’ll see a bit of black come 

off, the residue of what didn’t drywipe 

off. Then brush the bore with a 

brass brush, then a few damp patches, 

then some dry ones. Unless you’ve 

been an ogre, that will clean the bore. 

If it’s heavily leaded, then more brass 

the insider Continues on page 112 


The Kimber Super Carry. 

Well-rounded Performance. 

The new Super Carry Ultra+ (left) and Super 

Carry Custom HD establish a new standard 

of personal defense. Seven Super Carry 

models are offered, all chambered in .45 ACP. 

Super Carry pistols have specialized 

features like night sights with 

cocking shoulder, round heel frame 

and unidirectional serrations. 

The Super Carry Pro .45 ACP is 

one of four models with a light weight 

aluminum frame for easy carry. 

The Super Carry Pro HD .45 ACP 

is one of three new models with a 

stainless steel frame for hard use. 

Super Carry .45 ACP pistols raise the bar for 1911 features and performance. Made in the 

Kimber ® Custom Shop, they have a round heel frame for unequaled concealability and 

comfortable carry, plus unidirectional serrations for fast and positive operation. A Carry Melt 

treatment rounds and blends edges. An ambidextrous thumb safety and match grade barrel 

are standard. A Kimber fi rst, the new Super Carry Ultra+ combines a 3-inch barrel with a 

full-length grip. Super Carry pistols deliver performance to the extreme. 

©2011 Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Kimber names, logos and other trademarks may not be 

used without permission. Names of other companies, products and services may be the property of 

their respective owners. Kimber firearms are shipped with an instruction manual and California-approved 

cable lock. Copy of instruction manual available by request. 

Kimber, One Lawton Street, Yonkers, NY 10705 (800) 880-2418 

T H E C H O I C E O F A M E R I C A ’ S B E S T 

kimberamerica.com

MAGNUM MAGNUM - Jeffersonian

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