American Handgunner May/June 1977

E 1'THE HECKLER & KOCHDOUBLE ACTION AUTOLOADERS' +. STAINLESS STEhPandgunner Profile: SGK JIM COLLINS.

e Wing Out Cylinder@ - One-Stroke Ejectionz . *., Variety of Batre1 Lengths... : ,Adjustable Mkro Rear Sightlnternab Hammer Safety %lo* *,*!- .+.** .~ardwooci.Grip (Optional). ' , * e*.7 . * k .. *.. . ,-

The newest and only magazine just for handgunners. Six issues a year eachcovering the editorial gamut from combat shooting to hunting, selfdefenseshooting, target shooting, collecting and reloading. Exciting featureswill be written by the best handgun writers. If you're a handgunneryou should be reading THE AMERICAN HANDGUNNER.I ix issues a year full of exciting features72 action packed pages each month Amust for everyone who owns a handgun..THE AMERICAN HANDGUNNER8150 North Central Park Ave., Skokie, Illinois 60076DEPT AH-5NAME0 $7.50 enclosed. Please send me a fullyear subscription (6 issues) toTHEAMERICAN HANDGUNNER. 4. ,. -, .,.: 'q- L.,+!,d', -.. . . ;;$$-rADDRESSCITY STATE ZIP

THE AMEItICANMAYIJUNE, 1977VOI. 2 NO. 3-5George E. von RosenPublkherCONTENTSFEATURESFIND THAT BRASS! ........................................... .Gordon R. StarkTHE LICHTMAN -45- AN UP-DATE ............................ George C. NonteJIM COLLINS - NATIONAL CHAMPION ......................... .Lucy ChamblissDOUBLE ACTION HANDGUN HUNT .............................. .Massad AymbTHE AMT HARDBALLER ....................................... ;....J. D. JonesRELOADING FOR AUTOPISTOLS ............................... .George C. NonteIN SEARCH OF THE IDEAL TRAIL GUN ........................... Steven ComerTHE HANDGUN COURSE AT GUNSITE ..........................Mason Williams.HANDGUN PROFILE BONUS SECTION:HECKLER & KOCH AUTO PISTOLSTHE HK P9S DOUBLE ACTION ..................................George C. Nonte 38FOUR GUNS IN ONE - THE HK4 ............................. .George C. Nonte 42THE LITTLE KNOWN VP-70 PISTOL .... .; ...................... .George C. Nonte 46..DEPARTMENTS........INDUSTRY INSIDER .Massad Aymb 5 TAKING AIM .Claud Hamilton 10THE PISTOLSMITH ......G. C. Nonte 6 THE COMBAT COURSE .En P. Marshall 13HANDGUN HUNTING ..Gw. Bredsten 9 HANDGUN LEATHER .......M. Aymb 14Jerome Rakusan ........................... .Editor Bill Bauer ....................... ,Advertising SaiesHerbert Gates .................... .Associate Editor Michele Somers .............Advertising PromotionThomas Parrett .................. .Associate Editor Joan Tortorici ..............Advertising PrcductionSydney Barker ........................ .Arl Director Jane Davidson ............ .Adv. Customer ServiceBenton Covert ..................... .Art Production 1. A. von Rosen ................Production DirectorAlbert Eskinazl ...................................................................SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE: D. Bennett, 8150 N. Central Park, Skokie, Ill. 60078 (312) 675-5611EDITORIAL OFFICES: Jerome Rakusan, 8150 N. Central Park, Skokie, Ill. 60076 (312) 675-5602NATIONAL ADV, OFFICES: 8150 N. Central Park Ave., Skokie, ill. 60076 (312) 675-6010WEST COAST ADV. REPS: Media Sales Associates, 12121 Wllshire Bivd., Suhe 207, LosAngeies, 90025 (21 3) 826-8341.EAST COAST ADV. REPS.: BUCHMAYR ASSOCIATES, DARIEN, CONN. 06820 (203) 655-1639.SubscriptiodCirculationTHE AMERICAN HANDQUNNER Is published bl-monthly by Publlshem' Development Corp. 8150 N. Central Park Amnue, Skokle, llllnol8 80076. Appllcatlon to mall atsecond cla~osta e rates Is pendlng at Skokle, Ill. 80076 and st addltlonsl entry offlce. SUBSCRIPTIONS: One par (6 IMIW) $7.50. Single monthly coplw $1.50.CHANGE OF &&SES: Four weeks' notice requldon all changes. Send old add- as well as new. CONTRIBUTORS submlttlng manuscripts. photographs ordmwlngsdo 80 at their own risk. Material cannot lw returned unless accompanied by sufflclent postage. PAYMENTwIII bmade at rates current st tlmeof publlcatlonand will cover reproductbn In any or all AMERICAN HANDQUNNER Magazine edltlons, ADVERTISING RATES furnkhed on mquest. Reproduction or use of anyportlon of this magazine In any manner, without wrltten pennlsslon, Is prohlblted. All rlghts rese~ed. Title to this publlcatlon passes to subscriber only on delivery tohis address.' AMERICAN HpDGUNNER MAY&JUNE 1977

n old favorite and a new snake fromA COLT'S. By May of '77, the Hartfordgunmaker plans to introduce two promisingvariations on the small "D" frame.One is the long-overdue Detective Specialtreatment on the four-inch Police Positive.The shrouded ejector rod will terminatepartway up the barrel, as on theMark Ill Trooper; the streamlined rampsight will, as on the Detective Special, extendall the way back to the frame. Thegrips will be modified, also, in what thecompany describes as a teardrop shape.Slightly longer than the grips on the currentsnubbies, they'll give a better hold ina man-sized fist, while the trim silhouetteof the new stocks is expressly designed forpolicewomen.Colt will simultaneously introduce theViper, which will be a four-inch Cobrawith the same barrel and grips as the newPolice Positive. This alloy version, like thePP, will be chambered for .38 specialonly, and will have fixed sights.Price is slated for the $160-170bracket. A Colt exec told us that policewomenand security personnel are expectedto be the principal buyers, but wewouldn't be .at all surprised to see a largeacceptance of this piece among uniformedmetro policemen as well. Ideal foron- or off-duty caq in departments thatspecify fixed-sight .38s, either is a compactdouble-threat gun that saves a rookiethe price of a second revolver to carry onhis own time.Leathermakers are planning a few surprisesfor '77. BIANCHI is coming outwith several new items; Neale Perkins atSAFARILAND also has some interestingplans, one of which is an ankle holster thatwill be doubly secured, once above thecalf and again above the shoe. Price isn'tyet set on the ankle jobbie, which will belimited to guns the size of the Chief Specialor smaller. Neale also says that he's finallygot a thumb-break holster design onwhich the hardware won't mar the finishof the gun as it's drawn. This is welcomeNEWS, LEATHER & LOADSF. AYOOBAMERICAN HANDGUNNER a MAYfJUNE 1 B77news. The feature will first be seen on theModel 28 holster, Neale's answer to RoyBaker's Pancake and John Bianchi'sShadow scabbards.Don't look for any radically new handgunsfrom HARRINCTON & RICHARD-SON for a while. A few minor variationson currently catalogued revolvers may beannounced, but nothing earth-shaking.H&R is busy trying to get their autoloading-22 Rimfire Magnum rifles out tomeet the burgeoning demand created bytoo-early announcements in the firearmspress. Another thing that's irritating someH&R execs is that production of the highpowered,autoloading 360 Ultrarifle isbottlenecked way behind orders, due tosome supply problems with componentsvendors. . .Look for S& W LEATHER to introducea new holster designed purely for freestylecombat competition. This small butdemanding holster market has thus farbeen dominated by MILT SPARKS ofIdaho City, Idaho. As yet un-named, thenew Smith holster has a straight-up drawingangle, and no safety straps: a leafspringedstud concealed inside the bodyof the steel-lined holster engages the insidefront of the trigger guard. This preventsthe pistol from falling or bouncingout, but the pressure is easily overcome bythe natural drawing motion. S&W researchengineer Tom Campbell used aprototype to win the Northeastern US SectionalTryouts for the World Practical PistolChampionships, to be held in Rhodesianext August. . .Good ammo cheap: American policehave long been buying remanufactured(ie, industrially-reloaded) .38 wadcutterammo for practice and qualifications. Foras little as $50 for a case of 1000 rounds,if you trade in an equal portion of firedbrass, this stuff is a terrific bargain. Somewill shoot right along with factory match-38 loads, while others group a little sloppier.ZERO, the bullet makers, and STAR,most famous for their progressive ammoreloaders, are among the leading suppliersof remanufactured ammo. Also right upthere is 3-D CORPORA TION, of Grand Island,Nebraska, which just introduced aspate of loadings in addition to the ubiquitous.38 Special, that includes 9 mm Parabellumand .45 ACP. At savings of up to$50 a case, the -45 mid-range semi-wadcutterin particular should capture the attentionof the civilian pistoleros, especiallywith cheap GI hardball -45 ammo now athing of the past. Other real bargains inpistol ammo can be found from local,commercial reloaders using Camdex andsimilar equipment.Next fad in custom handguns, we predict,will be large-bore DA revolvers withheavy Douglas barrels and BoMar sightribs. Highly publicized shoots like theMagnum Handgunners of America silhouettematches in the Southwest and theNortheast, and the National ShootersLeague $15,000-purse event in Laramie,Wyoming, have created a demand forsolid-hanging, flat-shooting sixguns thatpunch big holes in paper targets and packenough energy to knock over forty-poundsteel animal cutouts. Ron Power, PO Box1604, Independence, Mo. 64055, theacknowledged top builder of PPC matchSmith & Wessons, has already beenswamped with orders for heavy-barrelmodel 29.44 Magnums and model 25.45ACP wheelguns, most being made for serious,big-prize competition handginners.Verdict is in on FEDERAL'S controversial80-grain jacketed hollowpoint load in.380 ACP. All testers including this writerhave reported virtually flawless functioning.The load doesn't mushroom with thesame destructiveness as the old Super Vel-380, and even the factory admits that expansionis nothing to rave ahout. Still,stopping power is markedly improved justby the cutting shoulder of the new bulletdesign, and until somebody comes outwith something that expands like theSuper Vel did and is as jam-free as theFederal (the most reliable expandingbulletload yet produced in this caliber),the stuff in the red and white box fromMinnesota seems to be the round ofchoice for -380 fans who don't handload.If you carry a ,380, we suggest you buy abox now: We've heard nothing more ofWinchester's proposed .380 Power Point,and Remington execs tell us that the longthought-about.380 JHP to follow theirhighly efficient and successful loadings ofsimilar design in .45 ACP and 9 mm.Parabellum, remains in the "someday"stage of development.SMITH & WESSON's second generation9 mm with ambidextrous safeties andfully adjustable sights are still not in production.First scheduled for July '76, it'snow slated for second quarter '77. DickMcMahon of S&W also promises somefirst-quarter surprises with the model 25(1955 Target .45ACP) revolver.

.*SPEED-LOADING SLIDE STOP MODIFICATIONSs big-bore autoloaders see more useA and as that use involves both law-enforcementand assorted, competitive,shooting games, rapidity of reloadingtakes on greater importance. In fact, theautoloader's firepower superiority overthe revolver is roba ably more responsiblethan any other, single factor for broaderuse in various fields of law-enforcement.No matter how great a sixgun fan youmight be, you cannot escape the simplefact that several different autoloadersoffer up to two and one-half times as manyshots from the initial loading as a revolverbefore reloading becomes necessary. And,even a modestly-proficient pistolero canreplenish his auto with that same numberof rounds in far less time than it takes tostuff a mere six cartridges into a revolver.Even though the auto may offer fromeight (Colt .45) to fifteen (9mm S&WM59) shots before reloading becomesnecessary, rapid reloading is sometimesessential-and being prepared for rapidreloading is always essential. The old sawrepeated so many times "if I can't finishthe fight in six (8,10,15) shots, it'll be toolate to worry about reloading." must be regardedas facetious and bearing no truerelationship to a real, armed encounter. Itmight take 15 or more shots of coveringfire to get you in a position for the singleshot needed to end the fight-and if youcan't reload fast enough for that one finishingshot, you might be the one who getsfinished.In any event, it is a matter of simple andincontrovertible reality that no amount ofcartridges that can be stuffed into a practical,one-hand gun will ever eliminate theneed for speedy reloading. In one instancebrought to my attention, an officer fired22 shots at a suspect in less than that numberof seconds after his partner had beenkilled by a sneak shot. Most of those shotswere covering fire since the officer wasfully exposed and had no defense whateverexcept to keep his assailant down bywithering fire.'The bad guy did wind upvery dead, but there might have been two6officers buried if the survivor hadn't beenable to reload in one hellava hurry.Even though reloading an autoloader iseminently faster, more convenient, andless prone to accident than with arevolver, there are still a couple ways tomake it easier, faster, and more foolproof.One of these methods involves simply funnelingthe mouth of the magazine well inthe butt so that even in the dark or whenone's eyes are on a potential target, themagazine is more likely to enter on thefirst try. It is to the discredit of the majorUS. handgun manufacturers that thisfeature is not standard on all serviceautos. It is significant that of all theworld's major makers, only the SpanishStar Bonifacio Echeverria provides thisfeature on all its big guns.Pitolsmiths charge a goodly sum forthis modification, and often require thegun for several weeks before they can getto the job. You can save the money andhave the gun out of service less than anhour by doing the job yourself. It requiresnothing more than an assortment of smallfiles, a vise, and a little time and effort.Simply strip the gun, stuff the magazinewell with rags or tissue to keep filing's outof the innards, and clamp it butt-up in thevise. Begin at the radiused front of themagazine-well mouth and with a 3/dnchdiameter round file of medium cut, file auniform bevel, extending about '1s-inchinto the well and outward one-half the wallthickness. With that done, take a 6-inch,flat file and carry this bevel back alongboth sides, keeping it as straight and trueas possible. The rear wall doesn't reallyneed beveling, but some people like it,and it can be done easily with a narrow,pillar file. Once the filing is done, wrapmedium-grit, aluminum-oxide clotharound the files or hardwood sticks ofsimilar shape and dimensions, andcarefully smooth out the filing marks.This makes the "funnel" adequatelysmooth, but you may polish it further ifyou'd like it slicker. Finish by touching upthe bare metal with any good, cold blueand you'll find urgent insertion of a freshmagazine has become much easier andmore rapid.The second method used to speed upreloading is modification of the slide stop.On all big-bore, service-type autoloaders,an external stopusually of basic Browningdesign-is forced up by the magazinefollower to engage a notch in the undersideof the slide and hold it open after thatlast shot is fired. The story goes that thiswas originally intended merely to signifyto the shooter-who might very well beexcited and unobservant in the midst of afire fight-that his weapon was empty andin need of recharging. That may well betrue, for military requirements of 57 yearsago did specify a visual indication that thelast cartridge had been fired. However,slide stops on all of our modern, big-boreautoloaders also serve the purpose ofallowing the slide to be released to run forwardand chamber the top cartridge of afresh magazine just as quickly as it seatshome. This disengagement and chamberingof the top cartridge is accomplishedsimply by reaching forward with the gunhandthumb and pressing down the slidestop. If this were not possible, it wouldprobably require both hands to get thatfirst round in the chamber after shoving inthe full magazine.The only trouble with this system is thatsome individuals, especially those withsmall hands or short fingers, find that theycannot depress the slide stop withoutloosening their grip on the gun,rotating itsomewhat in the hand, and they are thenforced to reposition the gun in the handbefore firing can be resumed.This can be eliminated to a large extentby adding a rearward extension of theslide stop. somewhat after the fashion ofthe modified stop found on the NorweiganP1914 copy of the Colt M1911 GM pistol.Now, you can buy an extended slidestop for the Colt GM for about $20. Or,you can have any good pistolsmith modifyyour stop for nearly as much money. Personally,though, I prefer to do the jobmyself. It's not at all difficult, and a singleevening or weekend afternoon of sparetime will suffice for the job.The job involves simply soldering to theoriginal slide stop a small, rearward extension.No problems except that care mustbe taken to provide adequate clearancefor the detent device acting upon the slidestop, whether it be located separately onthe frame as in the Colt GM, or inside thestop as in the S&W and Star.Begin by laying out your propane torch,assorted files, a piece of scrap steel about'/sx1/4-inch and an inch or more long,silver solder and flux, and an abrasivecloth for polishing.Remove the slide stop and if it containsa spring-loaded detent plunger, removethese parts also. Heat from the solderingwould destroy the spring's and heat scalewould jam the parts in their holes. Take asafe-edge, narrow, pillar file and cut theAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAYIJUNE 1977

original thumbpiece down, flush with thebody of the stop, to form a seat for the extension.Note two different types of stopsare shown, the Star with its internal detentand the Colt without. On the Colt, the seatmay be cut straight down to the full widthof the original thumbpiece without interference;on the Star, to do this woulddestroy the hole in which the detentplunger rides. Consequently, on the Star(and the similar S&W), a two-step orangled seat must be cut so as to provideadequate joint surface without breakinginto the detent hole. The seat may be filedat an upward or downward angle if desiredin order to raise or lower the position ofthe new thumbpiece. Lowering it is probablya pretty good -idea, especially if themodified stop is to be used on a gunequipped with a combat safety.With the seat formed, roughly file theextension to shape making it so that it willreach '12-inch to '14-inch farther rearwardthan the original. Next, match the extensionto the seat on the stop, filing the stepor bevel in the case of the Star, so that aclose fit is obtained. Epoxy or "hot stuffthe two parts together temporarily, andwith the left grip removed from the gun (itmay be necessary to remove the safetyalso), slip the stop into place and notewhere relief cuts will have to be made inthe extension to clear the detent system.In the case of the Colt, the entire inneredge will have to be relieved to clear thespring and plunger housing; on the Star, adeeper but shorter cut must be made toclear the stud riveted into the frame.Mark these reliefs on the extension andfile them to shape, re-installing the stopon the frame as necessary to make surethe cuts are deep enough to clearpositively, but not so deep as to overlyweaken the extension or interfere with itsfunction. You may discover in the processof making these cuts that you'll want tochange the angle, thickness, or shape andlength of the extension. It must operatefreely, but without being excessivelybulky. If any such changes are indicated,break the epoxy bond by reheating andrefile the extension and its seat on theslide stop.Once you're satisfied with things to thispoint, prepare to solder the extension inplace. I prefer a fusion, silver solder suchas Brownells M-539-W, but any conventionalmaterial and method is satisfactory.Even a good, soft-solder job is probablystrong enough. Clamp the slide stop in avise, taking care not to damage the pin, atsuch an angle that the extension will lay inits seat at approximately the proper position.Make up a holding bar from an 18 to24-inch length of steel bar or rod bent atthe end and filed to a point as shown. Thepoint of the bend end is placed on the extension,allowing the weight of the bar tohold the extension firmly but not tightly inits seat A crossbar or C-clamp on the oppositeend of the bar will help keep it upright,though a couple bags of shot willserve the same purpose. Because of the irregularshapes involved, it's impractical toclamp the extension in place, though itcould be held by a couple wrappings ofsoft wire.Anyway, once you're set up to keep theextension in proper position, clean thejoint surfaces thoroughly and spread fusionsolder thinly but uniformly on all themating surfaces. Carefully position the extensionand lower the holding rod pointon itFire up your propane torch (one isenough, but two makes for a faster andmore thorough job) and direct the hottestpart of the flame on the extension tominimize heat flow into the slide stop pin.Apply heat continuously until you can seethe solder liquify and run into the joint Atthis point, the extension may shift slightly,and if it doesn't settle into the right position,use a sharp-pointed instrument to reseatit. Remove the heat and as soon as thesolder has solidified, pick the slide stopout of the vise and dunk it in a can of lightoil. This oil quench will restore some ofthe heat-treatment properties that mighthave been affected by the soldering heatWhen the stop is cool, wire-brush offthe scale and soldering residue and installthe part on the gun. If any additional filingis necessary to make certain it clears thedetent system and that the stop noseengages the slide fully, accomplish it atthis time. Now that you know themodified stop works, ply those files to givethe extension the shape and thickness,with neatly rounded or beveled edges, thatsuits you best In the process, make sure itwill not bump into the safety. In the caseof the Star, this is a good time to cleanscale from the detent plunger and pinholes with small drills and to re-assemblethe detent; make sure it operates freely.With the extension given its final shape,install the left grip on the gun and attemptto install the stop. 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, .,^..>Athat the grip prevents the stop from seatingcompletely. Carve away just enoughwood to permit the stop to seat fully andto operate freely through its normal arc ofmovement. At this time, it's a good idea toassemble the gun completely and fire anumber of rounds to make certain thatthe new slide stop is operating properly.This is best done by placing only a singleround in the magazine and firing it todetermine whether the stop will hold theslide back after the shot. Check also tomake certain that the slide may be easilyreleased with minimum disturbance ofyour hold on the gun.With everything checked for properfunctioning, it remains only to polish theentire assembly smooth to match the restof the gun and to roughen, in somefashion, the upper surface of the extendedthumbpiece. Stippling is easiest, but Iprefer longitudinal serrations cut with aneedle file or metal checkering file. Finalfinish can be whatever you like butremember that a thin solderline will show through bluing.Each buckle weighs 5 Troy. 02's and is die strucka minimum of five (5) times, similar to Treasuryminted coins. No one will ever confuse theirquality with other mass produced and inferior"cast" buckles. Comes gift boxed, shippedpostpaid, and have an absolute moneybackguarantee.True sportsmen, hunters, outdoorspeople andgun enthusiasts wear our buckles with pride.Our buckles are second to none, but more im-1 portantly, they show the world where you stand on one of our most basic freedoms.Most popular Bronze Edition $20. Limited Sterling Silver Edition-300 left of 1500limit-$95. Gold Fill and 14 K. Gold prices on request. Send Check, Money Order,Master Charge or BankAmericard number and date to:LLEWELLYN SILVERSMITHS, LTD.Dept AHG BOX 313, W~~dblUy, C0nn. 06798Credit card orders accepted by phone (203) 263-5544-Order early.-1977 SURPLUS-Army, Navy store. 64 Page illustratedcatalog. Send $1 .OO toRUVEL3037 North Clark St., Dm. 5-HChicago. IL 60657by George NonteOne of the world's best known writers sets the stage for thisbook which, because of even tighter government regulations,becomes more important to handgun owners every day. Theacquisition of skills necessary to do everything from the simplework of touching up a blueing job to the more complicated rebuildingand accurizing is made easier with the step-by-stepadvice. Pistols, revolvers and automatic pistols can be fixed,improved, and maintained properly following directions forweidin brazing, soldering, hardening, tempering, revolver tuningandtiming, refinishing and more, compieteiy iiiustrated withphotos and drawings.---------we------

SKILL AND THE FIELDhere has been a plethora of publishedT articles concerning the efficacy ofhandgunlcartridge combinations used intaking big game; yet the equally importantsubject of field marksmanship is seldomgiven more than a perfunctory discourse.Many authors have quickly and erroneouslysummarized this subject with afew comments to the effect that fifty yardsis about the maximum distance at whichbig game can reliably be taken with ahandgun. Granted, some handgunners areunable to make a first shot hit in the vitalarea of big game at twenty-five feet, letalone fifty yards; but it would be the acmeof presumptuous folly to -conclude thehandgun to be ineffectual beyond that distance.However, a disproportionate numberof otherwise discerning handgunnersappear to have been duped into accepting,as a truism, this arbitrary fifty yard maximum!From a big game handgunner's standpoint,field marksmanship may be definedas "the ability to hit a big game animal inits vitals with the first shot under huntingconditions", with vitals understood tomean the heart/lungs. The definition offield marksmanship is easily given, but itis virtually impossible to cite, categorically,any specific distance as the practicalmaximum range for big game handgunners.The practical maximum range willnot only vary from handgunner to handgunner,it will, due to changes in conditions,often become different (increase1decrease) for the same handgunner.Nonetheless, the degree of proficiency infield marksmanship is the determiningfactor which limits the maximum range atwhich the handgunner should shoot biggame.What criteria is to be used in-establishingan accuracy standard or minimum degreeof acceptable marksmanship? Onecommon suggestion is to use the dimensionsof the big game vitals (heart,/AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977By GEORGE BREDSTENlungs), and while this sounds reasonable itcontains one serious fault. Using the actualdimensions of the vitals does not providethe handgunner with a margin forshooting error. There are reasons why thehandgun hunter may not hit to point ofaim; e.g., animal movement at the instantof firing, shooting from an unusual position,or perhaps a physical inability toproperly hold, aim and shoot due to somerecent strenuous exertion. The responsiblehandgun hunter realizes this, andtakes it into consideration by establishingan accuracy standard about seventy percentthe size of the vital area.The next obligation the handgunner has1-of ~ag-na-port Arms, Inc.fis to determine the maximum distance atwhich he can shoot groups meeting theabove accuracy standard. If he was to usethe conventional, unsupported, one hand,target shooting stance, the practical maximumdistance is likely to be disconcertinglyshort! So, contrary to the tenets ofthe traditionalist - who looks aghast atthose who would use other than the onehand,off-hand stance - the dedicatedhandgun hunter will utilize techniqueswhich appreciably extend his maximumeffective range. If any one factor could beconsidered more important than anotherin extending the handgunner's effectiverange, it would probably be the use ofsome form of two hand hold. Presupposinga modicum of control, an awareness ofthe importance of correct sight picture,trigger manipulation, and follow-through;most handgunners, developing and practicinga two hand hold, can expect to doubleand even triple their maximum effectiverange.The handgunner, who has doubled ortripled his effective range, is usually ableto make a first shot vital hit from sixty toperhaps ninety yards. Some people willdoubt this; claiming handgun bullets donot shoot flat enough andlor the usualhandgun iron sights subtend to much ofthe target to allow much success - otherthan by accident. However, and it seldomfails to surprise the ignorant, the fact isthat most handgun bullets will shoot flatterover one hundred yards than will mosthigh power rifle bullets over three hundredyards. Even the 45 ACP, not notedfor its long range performance, has a flattertrajectory over one hundred yardsGUN C Or3LMEANS: REDUCED RECOIL REDUCED MUZZLE JUMPMAG-NA-PORT a Patent Precision Muzzle Venting Processenjoyed and tested by Thousands of Shooters.With less recoil and muzzle jump the results are Greater Controland Improved Accuracy of the firearm. The patent processwill not harm firearm or change the ballistics.For further information write:~ag-n'a-port Arms, Inc.30016 South River Rd. Mt. Clemens, Mich. 48043(31 3) 469-6727HANDGUNS-RIFLES & SHOTGUNSGet a Grip on Your .Thompson-Contenderthe New Rdacement stock and Forearm roday$19.50 eachDesigned for large calibersPerfect fit for two hand shootersAvailable in left or right hand, please specifyForearm to match stockOrderForearm can be wei hted to lessen muzzle jump~enuine ~alnut~ilfinishPlease specify caliber when ordering forearmExotic woods.available upon requestSend Check or M.O.Bankamericard or Master ChargePlease give exp. date and number on bank cards.&cbi er niei er BOX 704 - AH Twin Falls, Idaho 83301

(6.5") than the 130 grain 270 Winchesterhas over three hundred yards (8.5").If the relative performance of a skilledhandgunner at one hundred yards and askilled rifleman at three hundred yardsproved to be approximately equal at ashooting range; the odds are in favor ofthe handgunner doing better under fieldconditions. There are several reasons forthis, and the hunter's range estimate erroris probably the most important Few willdispute that it is easier to estimate shorterdistances more accurately than longer distances.Thus, a ten percent range error atone hundred yards for a handgunner isunlikely to adversely affect bullet placement;whereas, a ten percent rangeerrorat three hundred yards could result in a riflebullet being poorly placed or evenmissing the animal. Also, it should be re-error is morerealistic - especially as thedistance increases.Using the typical one-eighth inch widefront sight found on most handguns, manyhandgunners are able to shoot four inchgroups at fifty yards, and eight to ten inchgroups at one hundred yards. Before youconsider the one hundred yard groups asexcessive, consider the size of an adultmule deer's thorax. When viewed broadside,it will approximate a fourteen by teninch rectangle. Using the seventy percentaccuracy standard, those handgunnersshooting eight to ten inch groug at onehundred yards are reasonably certain ofmaking a first shot vital hit close to thatdistance.Contrary to what you may hear or read,it is the exceptional riflemadhunter whocan shoot one or two inch groups at onemembered that very few persons can esti- hundred yards with a sporting rifle undermate ranges within ten percent of the ac- field conditions. For each such riflemadtual distance; a fifteen to twenty percent hunter, there are hundreds unable toshoot better than four or five inch groupsand thousands who can not shoot withinten inches. Think about it How many ofyour rifleman hunting friends do youknow who can shoot even four inchgroups at one hundred yards from otherthan a bench rest or prone?Remember, mere possession of a tool(in this case a rifle) does not automaticallyconfer skill to its user:A number of riflemedhuntersadmit to shooting less thanone box of ammunition a yew, and whenput to the test the vast majority of thesepersons are unable to hit a deer anywhere.Conversely, most big game handgunnersrecognize the need for a high degree offield shooting skill, and responsible handgunhunters undertake an appropriatehandgun marksmanship program to developand maintain the requisite shootingskill. Thus, the skilled handgun hunter isnot as severely handicapped as somewould haveus believe!HANDGUN RELIABILITY-11et's go back aways in time. It's mid-L winter of 1950-51, it's bitterly cold,and the place is a rough, snowy dirt roadnot far from a tiny village called Kagwanni,somewhere in Korea Two jeep loadsof Americans, bundled up in parkas, pullup and stop at the entrance to a smalldraw. It looks like a likely spot for a fieldartillery battery position, and the younglieutenant battery commander who headsthe party signals for a dismounted reconnaissance.Half frozen, bone-weary soldiers,dusty in spite of the blowing snow,climb out of the jeeps and stumble off.upthe draw.The lieutenant pauses for a moment tolook over the land, then heads for a clumpof bushes which looks like it might provideshelter for the battery commandpost. Without warning, two quilted NorthKoreans, surprised taking shelter fromthe weather, flush out of the bushes riflesin hand. Instinct is a life-saver. Withoutthinking, the lieutenant finds himselfprone, fumbling to draw his .45 . . . itcomes out, lines up on a North Koreanrifleman and, snap. Nothing. Just at thatmoment a grease gun opens up behindhim. His driver, the only man in the batteryauthorized a submachinegun, has justlooked after his battery commander.What happened? Congealed oil andgrease, stiff from the cold, was found inthe firing pin well of his pistol. It offeredjust enough resistance to keep the pistolfrom firing! I knew that young lieutenantquite well.Some months ago, in an earlier columnon this subject, the role ammunition playsin handgun reliability was discussed. Nowlet's look at the second major element inthe "handgun system", the gun itself.In thinking about how to determine thereliability of the guns I keep handy athome and in the office to meet anemergency I hope may never come, itseems to me that the place to begin is witha very careful physical inspection of thegun. I'm no gunsmith, so in any case ofdoubt I enlist the services of a good one tohelp me if anything I see or feel doesn'tseem quite right. After being very, verysure that the gun is not loaded, my firststep is to cycle the action several times tosee how it feels and sounds, and if it seemsto be working properly insofar as "dry firing"will reveal. Sometimes this will tellme very quickly if I have a problem; othertimes it won't tell me a thing. This initialtest passed, I organize my search fromhere on according to the main causes ofmalfunctions in handguns I have experiencedor come upon over the years:-First, malfunctions occur becausesome part fails to do its job right This canbe the result of wear, or sometimes afaulty part gets by the inspectors at thefactory.-Another kind of malfunction canhappen when a gun gets out of adjustment.Some guns have a tendency to getthis way in common use but usually theproblem is caused by something the ownerhas done.-There are, in rare instances, errorsmade in the design of guns which cancause failures.-All too often malfunctions in handgunsare caused by the condition of thegun. Dirty or rusty parts, and also excessivelubricant or preservatives, are allenemies of reliability.-Finally, functional failures can be theresult of damage the gun has sustained,AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

when dropped, for example, or struckagainst a hard objectMECHANICAL FAILURES DUETO FAULTY PARTSI begin my search by looking for possiblefaulty parts, and this is no easy task.Here are just a few examples of the thingsIhave seen or been informed of: Pistols ofthe Browning type have jammed with theslide partly open when the slide latchmoved slightly to the left and engaged inthe dismounting cut in the slide, after oneround had been fired. The slide latch fitsinto most of the frames of these guns sothat it is held at the rear by a small springloaded pin designed to bring tension uponthe latch both in the up and the down positions.This little pin should also securethe latch in the frame and prevent movementto the left and out of the frame. OldGovernment Model pistols I have seen issuedto troops all had a small vertical cutin the face of the slide latch to receive thispin, and they worked very well. Two1960s vintage -45s I have recently dealtwith do not have this cut, and one of themhas jammed in the manner described.Smith & Wesson Model 39s and 59swhich I have had a chance to look over donot have this little cut either. In some ofthese guns, the situation is aggravated byprovision of a large head for the slidelatch pin which protrudes too far throughthe frame and out the right side of thegun. Holster pressure can cause the slidea revolver which gave the same problemand the last a small, foreign made revolverin which the chambers had been drilledtoo short for the cartridge it was supposedto have been made for.Far more serious in potential consequences,though, were the two instancesreported to me in which Smith & WessonModel 58 .41 Magnum service revolverswere shipped from the plant with .44 Magnumcylinders installed. In both cases, theerror was first discovered when a shooterfired his first round through the gun.There was a dramatic case rupture, as youwould expect, fortunately no one was hurtand the guns were not reported to havebeen seriously damaged. It could havebeen much worse.Another source of problems is roughnesson the face of the revolver back platewhich secures the cartridges in the chamberwhen it is closed. I once owned a beautifulsingle action revolver which, whenbrand new, would fire one or two cartridgesthen freeze up tight The hammercould not be lifted and the cylinder wouldnot rotate. You had to take the cylinderout to clear it. Finally, one day I found thecause at the range. It had locked up on mewhen I accidentally struck the muzzleagainst the shooting bench and the actioncame free. What was happening was thatthe second cartridge to the left of thehammer was catching its rim in a smalltool mark cut on the face of the back-plate. It only did this under the force of recoil.Smoothing off that cut solved theproblem.Some revolvers are made with separaterecoil plates which support the head of thecartridge being fired and through whichthe firing pin passes. These can sometimesbecome unscrewed or otherwisework loose causing the same sort ofjam asthat my Ruger gave.By now, I suspect that most pistol ownershave been thoroughly brainwashed to"look first at the magazine" wheneveranything goes wrong with a pistol. That's alittle unfair, but it is true that a lot of pistolproblems are magazine related. One ofthe two original magazines for a brandnew Smith & Wesson Model 59 I recentlyhandled at first refused to latch in the pistol;a little patient and gentle persuasionsoon solved that problem but it couldhave been very disconcerting under theright circumstances. A friend on a largelatch to be pressed to the left when thiscondition exists.Chamber imperfections can cause failureswith any kind of handgun. One of thecommercial -45s mentioned above isfitted with a custom barrel having a tightchamber. This gun, after being tightenedand having target sights mounted, repeatedlyrefused to fire more than three orfour rounds without jamming with around half-loaded into the chamber. Mycountry gunsmith friend Haywood Nelms,of Clifton, Virginia, after considerablesearch and study, diagnosed the trouble asdue to a tiny radial tool cut in the top ofthe chamber. Almost impossible to seewith the naked eye, it was nonetheless bigenough to catch on the rim of the cases ofabout every third or fourth cartridge. A littlepolishing solved that probleni. I haveseen reports on three other instances ofchamber problems, one a Colt .38 Superwhich refused to extract empties. One wasAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977Rig for .45 Auto, Browning 9mrnHi-Power 5" barrels.Special molded Sight-Channelprotects your sights. "Clip-Grip," adjustable tension,quick-draw mag. hold- , Aer and fully contoured2V2" non-slip, fancystitched suede linedbelt complete thisfantastic rig. Price:$89.95 Complete.At franchised dealerseverywhere or order direc..Send cash, check or moneyorder (sorry no COD'S). Add$1 for postage and handling.Calif. Res. add 6% sales tax. State1 mme*iANCBIblack or tan, right or left hand.^?aIAt'Send $1 1today forgiant color Blanehl catalog100 Calle Cortez, Dept, AH-5 Temecula, California 92390

- TYLER'S "T" GRIP '5BETTER SHOOTINGwith this improvedcast 0 COLT Aluminum and S & Grip For WMODERN Revolvers. DURABLE.PRACTICAL-EASY TO INSTALL.THREE ATTRACTIVE FINISH COLORS.Pol- or Black $3.- $4.TYLER'S TRIGGER SHOEDurable light weight cast aluminum for Colt. S & Wother modem pistols rifles and shot uns%Lls^D $2.95, BLACK h.8~. GOLD $3.25AT YOUR FAVORITE DEALER or SEND DEALER'S NAME.Send make & model of gun. No c.6.~:~*Fully Guaranteed *Prompt Postpaid dl=*Send for Cataloo *Dealer Inouirles WelcomeMELVIN TYLER MFQ. AND DIST.132à W. BrHton Rd., Oktehom* City, Old*. 73114DIXIE -WORLD'S LARGESTMUZZLE\ffDINGOUTThe Muzzleloading Enthusiast.Tons of Parts, Accessories, Kits,and Guns for the Dealer, Gunsmith,Collector and Shooter.Send $2.00 (or $3.00 if you likethis book) and see what Muzzleloadinghas to offer you!Dept. 50UNION CITY, TENNESSEE 38261--DIRTYHARRY* f\city police force had the magazine releasebutton of a brand new Smith & WessonModel 39 break off in the middle of a gunfight, locking the empty magazine in thegun. He also reports that a new Model 59of his refused absolutely to release magazinesonce inserted; neither the departmentalarmorer nor the dealer provedable to correct the problem. Enough,though, about magazines; they are a majorsubject in and of themselves and Ihope to deal with them as "associatedequipment" in much more depth in thefinal article in this series which will be devotedto supporting equipment for handgunsand its impact upon reliability.Sometimes there is evidence that lessthan the best steels may have been used tomake certain critical, high wear handgunparts. We see this these days in revolverswhich tend to shoot themselves "out oftime" with sometime less than a thousandrounds. It can be caused by wear to thecylinder latch cuts, the latch itself, thehand which rotates the cylinder or theratchet against which it works. It is interestingto note that long before cylinderswere heat treated, Smith & Wesson usedto insert specially hardened steel linersinto the cylinder latch cuts on some oftheir revolvers! No one has taken thatkind of special care in manufacturing inmany years.Sometimes internal flaws in steels manageto get through even the sophisticatedforging processes used by the manufacturers.Haywood Nelms 'reports encounteringan instance of a broken hammerpin in a quality American made revolver.Unusual, but it sometimes happens.MALFUNCTIONS RELATEDTO MALADJUSTMENTSHere, I've found, it's usually the ownerwho's at 'fault, and I've been that ownermore times than I like to admit. There'san easy mistake overly conscientiousSmith & Wesson revolver owners canmake-and I have made it-that has to doIMPROVE ACCURACYWILL NOT CHANGE BALLISTICS--MS, INC.BID WM72730016 S.RIVEB RD. MT. CLBIENS. MICH. WOOIwith the mainspring. Some owners, whena revolver is to be stored for a while, releasethe tension on the mainspring by unscrewingthe screw which Smith & Wessonuses at the foot of the front strap to establishits tension. This is not necessarysince the springs will outlast most owners,and it is important to return them to preciselythe setting originally applied at thefactory or the action will be heavy andrough at best, and at worst the revolvermay refuse to fire.Gun parts, removed for cleaning, canbe left out when the gun is reassembled,or be put in incorrectly. I have seen asoldier put a .45 back together leaving thefiring pin out A friend in another largecity police department reports the case ofan officer who decided to correct theloose grip on his Smith & Wesson Model36 "Chiefs Special" by installing a washerunder it. It worked fine. It also made it impossibleto fire the revolver. The officerdid not find this out until the next time hewas at the police range!Target shooters sometimes grind downSmith & Wesson mainsprings so as tolighten the action. If done to excess, theheat generated can ruin the spring. Iflightened too much, ignition will becomeuncertain. In similar fashion, some shooterscut coils from the .45 recoil springwhen using light, target loads. If thisspring is not replaced when hardball loadsare again used, the gun can pound itselfinto poorshape quickly.. I- #-Tested by H.P. White Laboratori~US. PatentHandguns & RIflesMR.D.B. ENTERPRISES .P.O. Box 312FrÑr MI 4102ÃZPaaAr rUMauM 1 .MS CORPORATIONAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

By EVAN P. MARSHALLCOMBAT SHOOTING SHOULD BE SURVIVAL SHOOTING!he combat match was over and theT winner stood there proudly with hishighly-modified revolver in one hand andhis first place trophy in the other. He was apolice officer in his mid-twenties and withintwo weeks he would be dead.As I stood outside the church waitingfor the funeral procession to start, I askedone of the officers from his departmenthow it had happened. He informed methat the dead officer had responded to aholdup in progress run and had surprisedone of the felons at a distance of less thanten feet. Witnesses had stated that whilethe officer was bringing his weapon to eyelevel, the holdup man shot him twice witha .45 automatic.As the widow exited the church with herthree young children, the officer turned tome with tears in his eyes and said, "Sarge,all that combat shooting didn't do him ahell of a lot of good, did it?"It seems to me that the above commentby a grieving police officer has a greatdeal of validity. Most of the combatmatches being run today have little relevanceto reality. It seems that double actiontarget shooting would be a more accuratedescription of such events.A police officer who shows up at one ofthese matches with his duty weapon won'thave a chance. Expensive, highly-modifledK-38s or Colt Pythons are the weaponsused, and you can be sure these gunswill never see police duty. Mid-range targetloads are used, with some competitorsusing even milder loads at the seven yardline. Holsters and grips bear little if any resemblanceto those found at on-duty rollcall.ACCURIZEYOUR OWN .4S AUTO, COMMANDEROR BROWNING HI-POWER 311New stainless steel barrel & accuracybushiw to match. National Match ualituaranteed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5?.%0dew Stainless Steel Brownin HI Powerarral Match quality. $78.&PP.BAR-ST0 PRECISION MACHINES. Victory Blvd. AH Burbank, Calif. 91502AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977Speed loaders and special loose bulletloops are everywhere, even though suchitems can't stand the rigors of police duty.All the various stages are shot two-handed,even though such shooting is uncommonin real combat situations. In virtuallyall of my shootfdon't shoot encounters, Ihaven't had both hands free.If combat shooting is to have any relevanceto real police situations, some radicalchanges are going to have to takeplace. First of all, all matches sh.mld befired with the actual pistol the officer carrieson-duty. Secondly, only full powerloads should be used. If the officer carriesa .357, he should shoot Magnum loads not.38 Special service ammunition. Holsters,grips, and speed loaders should be thoseactually suitable for day-to-day police use.The combat course should not be setupwith standard distances and traditionalrange commands. Competitors should begiven hypothetical situations and beforced to choose between innocent bystandertargets and those of an armedfelon. The match should be started by theofficer approaching the targets and themturning or popping up without warning. Ifrange facilities permit, the officer shouldmake use of the scout car. Fake buildingfronts such as those used by the variousFederal agencies could also be employed.Blanks could be used by the range crew toadd realism to the course. Each officer'sperformance should be critiqued and noalibi shots should be allowed. Finally, thecourse should be changed from time totime so that it cannot be mastered by themajority of the participants.Obviously, this approach to police trainingis more trouble and expense than thetraditional one, but it will greatly increasethe officers chances to survive. After all,shouldn't that beour goal?New.22 Caliber 5-ShotMini-Derringer 1 .22 NOW Short available and .22Small in size.. . &big on power!Accurate! Nota toy ... this is thereal McCoy! A qualityfirearm, designedalong the classic lines ofa 19th Century house pistol, it'smade entirely in the U.S.A.Easy takedown. Easy to load.Stainless steel construction.2 modek.22 Short and .22Long Rifle. See one at yournearest dealer now!Dealers Inquire. Sendfor FREE color 9literature!-* -NorthAr -~can'Js Dept.ii~sFreedom, Wyoming 83120pin L.R.

By MASSAD F. AYOOBTESTING A STACK OF PANCAKESwhen we were talking to themanufacturers of the holsters yousee on these pages, all but one said sohethinglike: "You aren't going to call themall pancakes, are you?"Well ..."Pancake" is the name Roy Baker gaveto the unique holster that captured America'shandgunners by storm in '74. In fact,his is the only one that really is broad andflat enough to resemble a pancake, and hewas the first to build a holster on this concept,i.e., a close fitting, high-position righeld tightly in place because the belt goesthrough slots cut in the wide body of thescabbard.Are the others copies? John Bianchi,and Richard Gallagher of Jackass Leather,and a Bucheimer-Clark spokesman allsay they had their designs on the drawingboards or in prototype before Roy Bakerintroduced his leather flapjack. But evenif this is the case, there is no doubt that itwas Baker who paved the way for this typeof holser, commercially.Who buys 'em? Like Roy says in his ads:Everybody. Cops like them because theyride almost as concealably close as an inside-the-beltholster, yet they look nicearound the squadroom. A detectivespends a lot of time with his gun showing,and a lot of dicks think a gun jammed intothe waistband, even if it is wrapped inleather, looks kinda sloppy. Contrary tothe Columbo mystique, most plainclothescops make a point of looking sharp.Hunters like 'em, cause they ride highand comfortable, offering a quick drawwithout hanging out where the gun can getscarred up on brush. Many handgunningnimrods are also aware that a lot of peoplethink they look like cowboys when theywander about with big sixguns hangingdown their thighs. Shoulder holsters havebeen the traditional choice of hunters fordiscreet and protective carry, but lots ofgunners find shoulder rigs excruciatinglyuncomfortable. For many, the holster thatis generically becoming know as the Pancakeis the solution.Let's look over the different recipes forthe Pancakes and their competitors.ROY BAKER LEATHER GOODSP.O. Box 852, Magnolia, ARK 71753Roy has the biggest variety, includingholsters with belt loops sewn on the outside,and rigs for ultra long barrel sixguns,and for single actions as well as the DAwheelguns and autoloaders that everyonemakes 'em for.Roy's holsters are unique in that theyhave the patented triple-slot design thatgives one the choice of straight up or forwardtilt carry under the gunhand, or tiltlesscrossdraw.Roy says the reason nobody else makesthis style holster with three belt slots isthat his patents forbid it. The oppositionsays the reason they don't use the thirdslot is that their market research tellsthem the overwhelming number of purchaserswill carry the piece under theirgunhand anyway, and that by eliminatingthe third slot, they do away with a lot ofbulk.Both sides are right in their own hays. Ican't recall ever seeing anybody wearingtheir Pancake in any position but forwardtilt. While I'm usually not partial to crossdraw,I do favor that position when huntingwith a long barrelled revolver, or whenthe handgun is a backup to a rifle, sincethe long-gun's buttstock tends to bang ona strong-side holster when walking.I can also see crossdraw for social guns,at least in certain weather under certainclothes. One winter several years ago, I almostbought it in a darkened parking lotbecause my .38 was on my right hip undertwo buttoned coats. I saw trouble comingsoon enough to undo the buttons andthrow down on my two assailants in timeto prevent bloodshed, but I had learnedmy lesson, and when I dress against thecold nowadays, a cross-draw rig that I canget at through a buttoned topcoat is partof the ensemble. This winter I'll be wearinga standard Pancake with a .45 auto init.That argument about the extra bulk ofthe triple-shot design is right and wrong.It's right for the other manufacturers, whouse standard stiff leather. It's wrong forRoy, because he deliberately uses a softer,more flexible leather that bends aroundthe belt as the holster lies on your hip, andprevents the edges from bulging.Roy's optional model with the shellloops sewn in is ideal for hunters, thoughnot for lawmen since the rounds will com-1. Standard Pancake from Roy's. 2. An 8-318'; 44 Mag in large size Pancake fromRoy. 3. Bucheimer "Concealer." 4. S&W Hugger. 5. Haines Hi-Ride. 6. Roy'sPancake with shell loops. 7. The Bianchi Shadow.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

ine with the bulk of the gun to cause adistinct under-the-coat bulge.I'm also partial to Roy's big model forlong-tubed hunting handguns. Come deerseason, I'll be packing my 83/s'1 Model 29in one. It looks ugly with its five belt slots,but nobody's going to see it under myhunting jacket anyway. Personally, theonly position I find comfortable with thelong tom version is crossdraw, using onlythe bottom loops for a semi-shoulder position.THE BIANCHI SHADOW100 Calle Cortex, Temecula, CA 92390John was the first to come out with aholster similar to the Pancake, and it wasan instant success. He told me he had experimentedwith a skeletonized version ofthis design years ago when he was a copworking leather in his basement; he wentto the Shadow design simply because, hesaid, "I've learned over the years that thefewer gimmicks you have on a holster, thebetter it works."The Shadow is a beautiful piece ofwork. I've got two, a plain one for a 4" Pythonand a suede-lined job for a .45. Thelatter is the handsomest holster of its tv~e , nI've ever seen, with truly first-rate leatherand workmanship. As on Roy's, the suedeis a worthwhile option, since it protectsthe finish of the gun. Unfortunately, it alsocreates a bit of friction that slows the drawslightly. I like lining on my sport holsters,and smooth, naked leather on my policeand self-defense scabbards.THE BUCHEIMER CONCEALERAirport Road, Frederick, MD 21701Bucheimer is selling these by the boatload.Judging by the workmanship, they'reupgrading the basic Bucheimer line closerto the quality they put into the Bucheimer-Clark products, the deluxe line that competeswith Hume, Safariland and Bianchi.The holster is open at the bottom, and willtherefore accommodate longer barrelguns. Rigid through the body, this is perhapsthe fastest holster of its breed.SMITH 81 WESSON HUGGER93 Stevens Street, Springfield, MA 01104S&W Leather has improved its qualityand design enormously since Dan Donahuetook over the reins, and the Huggershows the present attention to workmanshipand clean, well-thought-out design.The slots are sharply angled on the Hugger,which looks funny at first, but the holsteris cut that way for two reasons. It permitsthe leather to be trimmed in close tothe holster body, making this the mostcompact and least Pancake-like of itstype, and it lies on the belt in such a way asto prevent any holster movement whatever.It is a fact that all of these holstersare unusually free of lateral movement onthe belt, in sharp contrast to many. otherdetective-style belt holsters, but the Huggerreally does seem to hug 'er the tightest.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 0 MAY/JUNE 1977HAINES HOLSTER4 Oakwood Park, Claremont, NH 03743The latest and lowest priced, this rigbears a marked resemblance to the BucheimerConcealer. When I mentioned thisto distributor Stu Haines, he explainedcasually, "It should. We copied the Concealeralmost exactly. Our approach is totake the best available holster designs andduplicate them at lower retail cost." Theleather isn't quite as nice as that on theConcealer, but Stu's holster is every bitthe same as far as performance, and sellsfor a nickle under a sawbuck.SAFARILAND M-281941 Walker Awe., Monrovia, CA 91016A top quality rig designed to competemore against the Bianchi Shadow than thePancake, this rig shows the same highclassworkmanship and material as therest of the Safariland line. I suggested toSafariland honcho Neale Perkins that hebring it out with his patented Sight Trackfor the many who carry custom combatguns with high sights, and for many morewho paint their gunsights for better dimlightvisibility (regular holsters will quicklyrub off that enamel). If he does introduceit, the MH28 "ST" will be a longsoughtconcealment rig for discriminatingnistol-~ackers.That's the current crop, guys. By thetime you read this, there may be more.Which of those now available is best?It depends on what you want out of it.I'd say the Bianchi Shadow is the bestqualityholster in this category, in terms ofboth leather and workmanship, withBaker's and Safarilands' very close. Formaximum speed, I like the BucheimerConcealer, Stu Haines' unabashed imitationof same, and the S&W Hugger. Forall-around versatility whether you carryyour gun for sport or serious business, thePancake is the logical choice, with its optionalcarry positions and shell loops.The Bucheimer and Haines holsterskind of tunnel the belt through the backof their loops for a more visually pleasingeffect. I prefer the slots, though; for onething, you can put your belt through backwardsof the pictures you see in the ads.That is, the belt goes around the outsideof the gun. I find this holds the scabbardmuch tighter into the hollow of the hip,for greater comfort and concealment. Onthe Pancake, however, the soft leathermay allow the belt to bear too hard on thegun barrel inside, making it bind slightlyon the draw. The Hugger is cut in such away that there will be less bulge if the beltgoes behind the gun, the way it's shown inthe catalog.All the manufacturers tell me that theirtop seller in their Pancake or equivalentlines is the 4" service revolver size. It appearsthat this style of holster has reallycaught on with cops, not so much detectivesas off-duty harness bulls. It carries a4" Model 10 or Official Police every bit asdiscreetly and comfortably as a standardconcealment belt scabbard carries a 2"small frame five-shooter. For the price ofa holster, the cop saves the price of anothergun, and gets the bonus of being able tocarry a more accurate, more potent, lighter-kickingweapon which he's had a lotmore practice with. It makes him more effectiveand safe, and he knows it; that'swhy he and his kind are buying so manyPancakes. Shadows, et al.The second most popular is for 2-inchers,and a high percentage of those aremid-frame snubbies the size of the 2'12"Combat Magnum, Python, Dan Wesson,or Ruger. Many lawmen are upgrading tothese small .357s for off duty or plainclotheswear, only to find that they're ashard to conceal as full-size 4 guns.Third best selling size is combat sizeautoloaders of Colt, Browning, and S&Wpersuasion. As we stated, only Bakermakes 'em for really big guns, though theBucheimer Concealer with its open bottomcan carry a 6" so long as the sightsare ramped to prevent snagging on thedraw.Roy Baker started something big withhis pancakes. This new style of handsome,highly concealable holsters is going to bewith us for a long time, and may well obsoletesome other types of concealmentleather for service- and sport-size guns.The inside-the-belt holster remains themost concealable, but does lose a littlesomething in speed to the newer scabbards.They're all good, with some obviouslybetter for some applications and tastes.I'd be hard put to pick out a favorite.Maybe that's why I've made a point of acquiringone ortwo of each. . .THIS IS YOUR SPOTPistol shooters. These instant targetsmake a super aiming point. Sizes Vs" V,1V211, 2" 3" & 6". Hi-lites sights, fluores-cent red circles. Also replacement centersfor 50' slow fire targets -all selfsticking.Other items too. See your dealeror write: Peterson's Labels, PO Box186RP, Redding Ridge, Conn. 06876.PPC GUNS BUILT 1" BULL BARRELSHANDGUNBARRELSREBOREDHANDGUN CYLINDERS RECHAMBEREDCUSTOM TOP RIBS MADECUSTOM UNDER RIBS MADEJAY SCOTT GRIPSSEND LARGE "S.A.S.E."COLT PARTS S10.W MIN. ORDER FOR BROCHURES&W SIGHTS INSTALLEDNU-UNE BUNS3727 JENNINGS ROADST. LOUIS, MO. 63121

FIND THE BRASS!JOHN OLSON'S BOOK OF THE RIFLEThis is the only truly complete book on the rifleever published. Covers every phase from designand manufacture to shooting performance. Everythingfrom muzzle-loader and rimfire to centerfire and magnum.... $5.95SHOOTING THE MUZZLE LOADERSRated tops for the growing sport of black powdershooting. Complete coverage of loading and firingflintlock and percussion rifles and pistols. Includes16 DR. color section of last internationalblack powder matches.... $6.95(Hard Cover $1 1.95)THE FAMOUS AUTOMATIC PISTOLS OF EUROPEFrom military archives and manufacturer's vaultscomes this "must" book for handgun enthusiasts.The inside story of 33 famous Europeanautomaticpistols that made history. Complete disassemblyand operating procedures.... $6.95HOW TO BUILO YOUR OWN FLINTLOCK RIFLE OR PISTOLHOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN WHEELLOCK RIFLE OR PISTOLHOW TO BUILO YOUR OWN PERCUSSION RIFLE OR PISTOLEverv comoonent is drawn to scale, and shownwith'ail dimensions. Thoroughly covering detailson selecting materials shaping fitting, hardeningand finishing includine the hock. Three weciilbooks for the "do-it-yourselfer."EACH. .. $6.95THE STANDARD DIRECTORY OF PROOF MARKSFinally a comprehensive directory. of the proofmarks of the world. Symbols of virtually everycountry operating under the national proof housesystem. Includes German Manufacturer's codes.... $5.95GO WITH THE PRO'SAvailable at all better gun shops and sportin!goods stores.. . OR MAIL ORDER NOW.rÑÑ.ÑÑÑAMERICAN HANDGUNNER8150 N. Central Pk., Skokle, IL 600761JOHN OLSONS BOOK OF THE RIFLE ............ $ 5.95fJ SHOOTING THE MUZZLE LOADERS .............. $ 6.931 MUZZLE LOADERS IN HARD COVER ............ $11.95FAMOUS AUTO PISTOLS OF EUROPE ........ $ 6.95DHOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN FLINTLOCK ...... $ 6.951 DHOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN WHEELLOCK ..... $ 6.95HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN PERCUSSION ... $ 6.951 fJ STANDARD DIRECTORY OF PROOF MARKS..$ 5.95IAll Prices Post PaidI1 Name ........................................................ .....................11 Address ........................................................:................ 11 City ........ : ....................................................................... 11 State ............................................... .Zip ........................ 1- . .Gentleman Reloaders WillFollow the Rules of this New Gamewhen some sharp soul first sweettalked you into the art of reloading,he probably said, "You'll love it In additionto saving money, you'll have a ballshooting your own loads. Come to think ofit, reloading is a hobby all by itself." True,true, but the sweet talker must have hadhis mind on reloading for revolvers.Reloading for automatics is strictly forthe birds. Or, so I thought until I discovereda brand new game which I call,"Find The Brass." A case for ElleryQueen (no pun intended)? No, not quite.He's too smart to stoop so low. "Find TheBrass" is absolutely fascinating and canoffer the pistol shooter limitless hours offun; that is, if he's dedicated, thoroughand utterly insane.Scoring is much the same as that doneon those black & white papers you enjoydrilling at 25 yards or so.A score of 80 isfair, 90 good and anything above 95qualifies you for a trophy. You'll note Isaid "qualifies you for a trophy" which isnot quite the same as my promise ofawarding you one. Well, enough of this frivolity,let's see how this delightful game is~laved.First of all, do not, repeat, do not usethe .45 ACP. Pick a nice, easy-to-loseround such as the 9mm, the .380 or thelike. Much more sporting you know. Next,pick a spot whose terrain resembles an admixtureof sand, gravel, clay bird frag-By GORDON R. STARKments and last but not least, thousands ofempty .22 shells. Without this final ingredient,"Find The Brass" is too easy anduncommonly high scores can beregistered " bv raw recruits.In wrapping up the pre-requisites, makecertain your pistol is not guilty of discrimination.Any auto that kicks out itsempties in a consistent pattern must bedisqualified. Okay? Now, we're ready toplay.Take careful aim at your regular targetmaking certain that it's adequately backedby a solid hunk of soil. Fun is fun but evenin "Find The Brass," we're going to insistupon common sense application of fundamentalsafety rules.Squeeze (ha, ha) off 5 shots. Great. Atthis juncture, you now have a decision tomake. You can begin looking for yourempties or, to be really sporting, wait untilyou've burned 50 to 100 rounds beforeyou seek & search We unabashedlyrecommend the first alternative.At times, Satan may tempt you to generateviable means of accelerating thegame such as soliciting help from paidemployees, volunteers or slaves. To thedevil with this concept Look, bribingsmall children to find empty cases worksabout as well as trying to convince a childthat the wrapper off a candy bar is as tastyas the candy inside. It just won't work. Norwill the guy with the metal detector join16 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

your efforts. He's got visions of gold nuggetsin "them thar hills" and he's notabout to waste his time on brass cases. So,that leaves you and me, each to find hisown.What really sends you up the wall is theton of empty .22 shells. Never mind thatthey're smaller than your 9's or 380's.With a bright sun bouncing off that brass,you're ready to grab for anything thatshines, even shells some other shooter lostwhile playing our game. But .455 Webleys?Really!If the above rules have been followed tothe letter, then you too can have an enjoyableday such as the one recently encounteredby your fearless umpire.We Southern Californians were comingto the close of a January that even wecouldn't believe. Here we were basking in80 plus temperatures while our friends &relatives in the east, north and mid-westwere tunneling their way out of snowbanks. If you're conscientious, you facethis kind of weather with mixed feelings;you know rain is desperately needed butyou rather hope it will fall tomorrow orthe next day.On one of those truly fantastic Sundaymornings, I ventured to a spot hereinafterreferred to as the "sandbox." Now, thesandbox is located in a charming canyonarea about half an hour away from ourdensely populated San Fernando sectionof Los Angeles. Ranges are to be foundSIX SECONDREVOLVER RELOADERwithin the city limits but my somewhatregimented work week cries out for opencountry and for "quickie" shoots, thesandbox fills the bill.My sidearms for this particular morningconsisted of a Star BKS, 27 ounces of reliablyfunctioning 9mm automatic intendedfor defense, plinking and, you guessed it,"Find The Brass." Patterned after JohnBrowning's classic 191 1.45 Colt, the BKSStar is scaled down, has no grip safety andno unnecessary garbage to bite the palmof the hand. The Star's pleasing lines,functional dependability and good feelmake it a best buy in my book. I would farprefer having this pistol than a widevariety of other 9's, many of which carryconsiderably higher price tags. But, the littledude does have its limitations. Triggerpull is a creepy 10 pounds and the slidetolerances are so generous as to make thegun rattle like something out of an occupiedcrib. Still, the piece was never intendedfor precision shooting and my nicenest of target revolvers handle the moredemanding needs quite well.When the BKS goes off, it plays no favoritesinsofar as ejected empties go. Witha sense of revenge, the little 9 slams itsbrass into the shooter's face, head, ear,down a shirt collar or, into some othershooter's face, head, ear or collar! Butthen, this is what makes "Find the Brass"such great sport.The sandbox being what it is draws pret-(Patented)~e Prepared!)-I If you believe that civilization may be on a short fuse which 1could easily be ignited by: Terrorism, Monetary Collapse. Food!hoflages, Nuclear Attack or Blackmail and Thermonuaear 1II Accidents." you should read SURVIVAL GUNSMore than 200 Photographs and1 Partial Contents: Choosing Defense and Hunting Handguns. 1Shotguns 8 Rifles Modifications and Maintenance SpecialPurpose Weapons Accessories Learning Practical Shooting* Ammunition-* Handloading and More ISPECIAL BONUS: Personal Survival Batteries of Brad! Angier, Jew Cooper, Col. Burt MUer' Please send me ___ copy(ies) @ $7.95 plus 6% (per book) forI postate and handling. Send to:AMERICAN HANDGUNNER8150 N. Central Pk., Skokie, IL 60076IIiI0 - FASTA reliable device that reloads arevolver in as little as 3% seconds.EASYTOUSEEvaluated byH. P. White Labs.Inserts easily into the revolver cylinder and a slight turn of the knobreleases cartridgesDEPENDABLE - SAFEWill not spill ammo. even if dropped or thrown. Cartridges are heldin by strong metal cam points that prevent accidental release.0 STURDYConstructed of tough, non-corrosive parts that should last for years.(Loader is guaranteed one full year).0 POPULAR (Favorite of champions)Used by numerous first place winners at the National Combat CoinpetionCham pionship Matches at Jackson Miss. (Wad cutter ammo.)Full line of finest Quality leather carrying cases available(singles-doubles, plain-basketweave, tan-black-brown)à See your local dealer * If he doesn't carry them yet, ask him to order them for youSpring loaded movement (A) betwoenthe cross pin and bottom of cyllndçr ,actuallyabsorbs shock when the loaderis drovped on the bottom and. mlnlmizinadamme to loader and cartrldms.his-movewkt can be fett by pushingon bottom end of knob at point (C).When dropped on the other end theforce Is transmitted thru the knob tosolid surface of counter-bore, Point(6) and no damage will result.Cut away view (below) showing howrim of metal on top of cartridge head(0) and metal cam points below (E),positively retain cartridges until knobAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977 17

#A913 NAMBUFOR COLLECTORSI_____MINIATUREI :2.5 scale MECHANICAL FUNC-TIONING model of METAL CON-STRUCTION. Detachable clip,dampened barrel action, fires specialcup-shaped caps. Pull bolt backand close to cock; pull trigger to 1fire. Button in grip &leasesdip toload.The #A-13 is art of a 19-pieceseries of exact-scale miniaturegunswhich all function mechanically. Wehave most models in stock for irnmediatedelivery. When grouped together,they create an impressivedisplay. We also have many otherminiature arms available for the collector,from inexpensive pieces tohand-made models of museum auality.ISend$1.00 FOR OUR LATEST CATA-LOG; UNUSUAL ARMS RELATED COL-LECTIBLES, SURVIVAL KNIVESEQUIP-MENT AND OTHER HARD TO FINDITEMS. 1AseachBox of 80caps 65q.WANTEDAlways interested in purchasing miniatureguns and miniature edged weapons of all types,including very small toy and novelty types, aswell as high-quality pieces. ALSO, full size survivallmilitaryfighting knives, survival equipment,and unusual arms related collectibles.Buy - Sell - Trade: "Miniature Arms and Unusual Arms CollectiblesSurvival Knives and Equipment"WINFIELD, ILL. 60190TOM MALIA "K" BOX NO. 6 u .wSCORPION CUSTOMSty good crowds on any Sunday but theSunday in question drew an uncommonlyhigh number of cars, vans, campers andtrucks of all sorts. Regardless of the vehicle,each had a smiling face behind itssteering wheel evidencing satisfaction inthe day's shoot or anticipating that whichwas to come. What was really fun, though,was when one of my hot little emptieswould fly into the dirt road just to the rearof my shooting stand. About the time I'dmake a spectacular dive for it, one ofthose vehicles with a smiling face behindthe wheel would run over the case, grind itdeep into the dirt and the driver wouldholler out, "Hi neighbor. Good shootin!"Well now, how can you possibly get madat someone such as that? Play "Find TheBrass" and you'll soon see!My score was running about 95 that lasttime out but in all fairness, it should bepointed out that great care was exerted inthe seek & search. Thrifty does not describeyours truly. Frugal does not describehim either. But tight does and I reallylooked for those empties. Oddlyenough, there were occasions when I'dfind a miserable 3 out of 5 one time thencome up with 7 the next.I has down to my last 10 rounds, itwas readily apparent "Find The Brass"would soon be over on this made-inheavenday. Would my 95 score hold out?Just as I was mulling over the odds onsuch a feat, a very brisk wind came up andI began to think the cases were going rightout the barrel. As the echo of the last shotgot muffled by the wind, I shed a few tearsfor those cases, "missing in action" whenlo and behold, there they were. Under theblanket, (I cheat) caught on an ear, stuckto my nose or just plain off to my side, thelittle devils showed up and I rescued allSpecializing in Ruger, S&W, ColtCustom tuning. conversions. reoairs & refinishing^, - D.------- ~-ealers send 51.00 for catalog Ph. 313/294-0816'inquirieswelcome Trapper Gun Inc.,ie of the Minie Scorpion 16746 14 Mile E toad, Eraser, Michigan 48026 100 for an Olympiin score of recordbreaking magnitude. And, it didn't takemuch more than an hour to find them.By now, you should be thoroughlyecstatic about this new game, and bechomping at the bit to try it yourself. Dotell your friends about it as well, butbefore you let them get started, let me sellthem their first couple boxes of ammunition.After all, I've got toget something out of this!THEUNBEATABLETEAM!Performance proven Degunge andEngarde will clean, lubricate and protectyour firearms. Seventeen years of use byindustry assures vou that Zio AerosolIaualiti is unsurpassed. satisfactionguaranteed.8 oz. cans $2.00, 16 oz. cans $3.00 PPD. Atyour local dealer or write direct. -.- --p,p-ZIP AEROSOL PRODUCTS, 'DEPT. HThe George Lawrence Co.O D 21320 DEERING COURT. CANOGA PARK, CALIFORNIA 91304Portland, Oregon 97204i 0II CUSTOM HOLSTER for your gun-exact fit. Easy Draw!KEITH HOLSTER ^Top grain saddle leather., Non- 1bulky, glove fit. Exposed trigger.Belt loop and safety strap.Write for Free CatalogOver 100 holster stvles. 7Also scabbards, cartridge No 1belts slides, cases, rifledinis, and holster belts.18 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

By GEORGE C. MONTEwen I first saw a picture of the Lichtman LM-4.45caliber pistol a couple yeap back, I felt certain it wasan autoloader. Well, it wasn't and isn't, but after havingexamined it in great detail and played with it for a fewweeks, I am of the opinion that it could be developed intoan auto. Perhaps we can look forward to that someday.A manually-operated, magazine-fed, repeating pistol oflarge caliber may seem to be an anachronism in thesetimes. I might have thought so before trying out our sampleLM-4 (serial number 014) but not now. There is a place inthe current scheme of urban combat for the smallest-pack-Most unusual feature of the LM-4 isthe pull-forward barrel and manualrepeating operation. Here barrel is.shown in its full forward position.AMERICAN HANDQUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977 19

Magazine holds four military ballcartridges. With one in the chambera total 5-round capacity.age/biiest-caliber handgun that can bedeveloped, even if speed of sustained firemust be traded away for compactness.Before condemning out-of-hand theidea, stop and consider for a moment thenumber of two-shot .38 and larger derringerscarried by professional gunmen today.Most of them are of a design morethan a century old, though recently manufactured,very difficult to handle,' and asslow to get off a second shot as the LM-4.And after the derringer's two shots aregone, the LM-4 can still speak loudlythree more times from its cavernous, .45caliber throat.Admitting that the LM-4 is bigger andheavier than a .38 or .357 derringer, I believeI'd prefer it to the two-shooters.The LM-4 was designed purely as a secondgun for law-enforcement officers, notas aprimary weapon. As such, it is intendedfor maximum concealment andvery rapid emergency use. It meets thoserequirements admirably for the first shot;only for subsequent shots is it slower thanan auto or double-action revolver.Actually, with practice, its manual operationisn't all that slow. Using both handsas intended, and without interference, it'spossible to fire five shots in less than fiveseconds. Though the gun is not intendedfor one-hand operation after the first shot,it can be fired that way nearly as rapidly aswith two hands.Operation is simple, though unorthodox,and it takes a bit of practice toavoid screwing up the detail. With thebreech closed squeeze the catch flaps atthe butt of the magazine and withdraw it.Load with four .45 ACP ball cartridgesand replace in the butt. Now, take the barrel(it looks like an autoloader slide) at thegrasping grooves and jerk it smoothly forward,against its stop, then snap it backwardto close the breech. This places thefirst round in the chamber from the magazine,and it should be replaced.The gun is fired double-action only.Simply grasp it normally and pull the widetrigger back all the way to fire. The reciprocatingstriker will be forced back, thenallowed to run forward under the influenceof its spring to fire the cartridge inthe chamber.The breech is locked only at the instantof firing; it is "trigger-locked" in thatpulling the trigger rotates a locking shaftin front of an-abutment on the undersideof the barrel, locking it to the frame.When the trigger is released to run forward,it unlocks the barrel which maythen be snapped forward and back to reloadfor a subsequent shot. When notlocked (its normal state) the barrel is heldin battery by a simple detent.When both hands are available, mostrapid fire is obtained shooting from thehip, keeping the off hand slightly aboveand to the rear of the gun; after the shot(apd the trigger must be released) thehand sweeps down and forward, snappingthe barrel forward, then back to reload,the hand coming to rest where it began.This is faster than it seems. If the off handis disabled or otherwise occupied, releasethe trigger as the gun rises in recoil, thenbring it down sharply, snapping the wristdownward as it passes through horizontal.The momentum given the barrel willcause it to over-ride its detent and run forward,extracting and ejecting the firedcase. Then, ramming the muzzle-not toohard-against any solid object slams thebarrel back into battery, chambering acartridge, and a second shot may immediatelybe fired. If no other object ishandy, the muzzle may be rammedagainst the shooter's own leg-just don'tstart pulling the trigger until the leg iscleared by the muzzle.Unusual operation, to be sure, but itmakes possible a five-shot .45 pistol ofthis small size: length 5.160"; height3.810"; width 1.180"; weight 21 oz. Barrellength is 3.650". Width can be reducednearly 'A" by replacing the gripswith thin, sheet-steel plates offered separatelyas a "concealment conversion kit".Actually, the principle of operation isby no means new. It has been applied tolow-power autoloaders in the past and isdescribed as "blow-forward". In an auto,this means the barrel recoils forward,leaving the fired case held against a standingbreech to be hurled aside by a movingejector; then the barrel is driven back byYes, she did hit what she wasshooting at; she just flinchedas gun recoiled. LM-4 liftedfour or five inch'es in recoil. . .

Here barrel is full forward, fired case in air just above muzzle, andfresh round in position for feeding into chamber on rearward stroke.its spring, scooping a fresh round from themagazine. The LM-4 works the same way,but manually.Mechanically, the LM-4 is quite simple.The barrel-cum-slide rides in tracks onthe frame and has an integral rearward extensionlaying alongside the fixed standingbreech. A sturdy extractor is fitted to thebreech, which houses a short, reciprocatingstriker powered by a torsionspring. The trigger is pivoted to the frameand connected to its lower limb is a barlaying in the left side of the frame. Therear of this bar contacts a roller on theside of the striker. A lug on the triggeraligns with a notch in the barrel when thebarrel is in battery. The magazine ridesmore or less vertically inside the grip.When the trigger is pulled the barmoves rearward, pushing back the strikerto compress its spring At the properpoint, the bar cams off the striker which isdriven forward to fire the cartridge. Also,as the trigger rotates rearward, it rotates asegment of the locking pin in front of anabutment on the barrel; at the instant offiring, the mechanism is fully locked, butunlocks when the trigger is released.Moving the barrel forward leaves thefired case held against the breech by theextractor. A lug on the barrel extensioncontacts the head of the top cartridge inthe magazine, pushing it forward aboutone inch; a second lug there strikes thehead of the fired case just before the barrelreaches the end of its forward stroke,and hurls the case clear.As the barrel is moved.back, a ramp beneaththe chamber scoops up the nextcartridge, and as barrel movement continues,the cartridge is chambered andpushed under the extractor claw. Whenthe barrel halts against the standingbreech, the gun is again ready to fire.Unless the barrel is fully in battery thegun cannot be fired; the lug on the triggerprevents pulling the trigger until the notch(Continued on page 70)Massive extractor hook in rightside of standing breech engagescase rim securely. Here cartridgeis shown almost fully chambered.

Sgt. JIM COLLINS ... 1By LUCY CHAMBLISSour first impression of Jim Collins, the 1976 National Po-Yi ice Combat Champion, is here is a scholarly looking 6'1",220 pound Alabamian who Coach "Bear" Bryant missed recruiting.If Jim had played football instead of becoming an AlabamaState Trooper, the police profession would have lost anoutstanding leader.Why do I call him a leader? Jim's example of accuracy with ahandgun and hi6 ability to organize police training leagues is unequaled.If you are a civilian, this is important. That officer onyour block may be a better shot now because he's a member ofhis police combat league, a training aid almost unheard of fouryears ago.Shooting has many people who climb to the top of the sport,

ecome national and international championswhile taking everything from thegame and returning little. Not Jim, he hasbecome a national champion, both individualand a team member, while mastermindingThe Police Marksman organization,editing its magazine, and making theAlabama Police Combat League one ofthe strongest and most imitated in theUnited States.In 1973, Alabama, under Jim's leadershipbecame the second state to begin theGovernor's Twenty, California was thefirst These training leagues conduct combattype competition to select the twentytop police shooters in a state.Jim and his teammates began theirleague with 35 members, they now have350. Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, NorthCarolina, and South Carolina have sinceorganized their police leagues. Their successhas been due partly to Jim's enthusiasm- and always making himself available-.for advice.Organizing The Police Marksman Associationwas Jim's next contribution toshooting. He is always looking for somethingthat will bring peace officers togetherand provide training for them. Jimmodestly says that he only solidified a potentialthat was already there, but overlookedby the National Rifle Association."I am proud of the PMA", Jim told me,"We've had over 1,000 members join, in2 months." Jim quickly points out that hisgroup hopes to enhance the NRA, notcompete with itThis man Collins, is a sergeant and apost commander in Tuscaloosa, Ala., incharge of three counties and has 23 trooperpersonnel under .his supervision. Hestill finds time to be what everyone in theshooting sports want to imitate, a nationalchampion with a score of 1493 out of apossible 1500!All of these accomplishments made mefeel very lazy, so I interviewed Jim afterthe national matches in Jackson, Miss., tofind out more about this "bionic man".Q; What is your training schedule Jim?A: /go at the whole year from January 1.I'll start jogging 3 days a week; I don'tsmoke, do "chew" once in a while. If Ihave time, I'll jog 4 days a week and go tothe health spa twice. I lift weights and tryto keep good body muscle tone, have toWith intense concentration of anational champion, Collins waitsfor targets to be faced. Whilenowhere in winner's circle of1975 nationals, Jim's five yearsof combat competition finallymade him best in the States.Jim uses leaning back positionfor sitting at 50 yards, andhands wrapped around knee ratherthan resting elbows on proppedup knees. Leaning back appearsunbalanced, but brings great scoresfor many in this 50 yard event.

Jim congratulated by NRA Field Rep Bob Joerg after breaking the recordwith score of 1497-106X at NRA Regional fired in Tuscaloosa last June.watch my weight, I love to eat, that'sprobably my biggest vice. I definitelyslack off shooting after the nationals inOctober, don't even pick up a gun untilJanuary, except maybe to go hunting.Q: What is your combat competitiongun?A: Up until just before this year's nationals,I fired a Smith & Wesson K Model,that Wesley Barksdale, a smallbore shooterput together for me. He put a one turnin 12" twist Douglas Barrel on it, and Idid the action myself. I slicked the actionup as I began shooting the entire combatcourse double action. I trimmed the hammerdown to take a little weight off it, butI still couldn't get anybody to make thetrigger stop into the back of the triggerguard the way I wanted it. So Igot a pieceof sponge and tape and fixed it myself,the way I wanted it to feel. It was the ugliestgun on the line, but it worked. I'venever had a pair of custom grips, I'd prob-ably start whittling on them as soon asthey came. I use the large grips that comewith the K model and wrap tape aroundthem to fit my hand.Q: What gun did you fire in the nationals?A: I used a gun Ron Powers, of Independence,Mo., made for me, it is everything Iwanted, particularly the action. I thinkhe's a fantastic gunsmith. Naturally, winningwith it, I'm very happy with it andwill probably stay with that gun.Q: What ammunition do you shoot?A: I used Winchester Match ammo in thenationals. It's just been in the last coupleof years that we've been able toget factoryammo for matches. I have bought a machinerest myself and have done sometesting, and I find the reloads don't quitemeasure up to factory as far as accuracyand reliability go. However, I do see thequality control slipping in the factoryammo. I think it has been better in thepast than it is now, hope they can bring itback under control. For practice, the stateallows us about 1500 rounds a month.They issue us the bullets, primers, powderand brass and we load our own. In thatrespect, I couldn 't ask for anything better.Q: When did you begin shooting?A: While I was stationed with the armyat Ft. Stewart, Ga., I was watching thepistol team practice one day. I've alwaysbeen an avid gun nut, and a Maj. LindseyHenderson asked me to try out for theteam. I did. and made it-survrised me. Igot to make the Florida tourof matches,but I didn't contribute much to the team,my scores weren't all that good. It gaveme a good foundation in marksmanshipand I learned from being around peoplewho did shoot well. I shot with the teamuntil my discharge in 1962.When I came out of the service, I wentwith the state troovers. and we didn't1 ,have any kind of shooting program; thatshocked me. I tried to shoot some 3-gunaggregates with my used Jim Clark guns,AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

after I came out of rookie school, butwithout any support and not makingmuch money, my shooting was curtailedfor a long time.In 1972, our new state trooper directorstarted a marksmanship unit and a pistolteam, we naturally decided to shoot thecombat course. I think your NRA CombatRegional in Winter Haven in 1973, wasthe first big match our team traveled to.You know how that turned out, I shot 6rounds on the wrong target . . . it was abad feeling, but it seems to happen to everyoneonce. Anyway, I didn't worryabout it after that.Q: Do you pay your own way to many, orsome matches?A: Our department allows us to go to twoout of state matches, at their expense. Weusuallypick a regional, and of course, thenationals. I paid my way to two morematches last year, one in Nashville andone in California. We're allowed to makeall matches in Alabama.Q: Do you think shooting has helped orhampered your police career?A: I've done a lot of thinking about that,but I believe shooting has helped my career.I know people better within our departmentthan I would otherwise. Ifit hashampered my career in any way, Iguess itwould be because I have devoted moretime to shooting than getting promoted.It 's been great to me though, and I'm go-ing to keep shooting. Even if I didn'tshoot well, I'd still enjoy going tomatches.Q: Would you like to see cash awards inpolice matches?A: No, I'm against that in policematches, these matches are primarily fortraining. Ifyou want to have a cash OpenMatch, and it should be just that, open tocivilians, police, and military, fine, but itwould have to be a different course of firethan anything we now have.Don't misunderstand me, I would liketo see the shooting sports developed likegolfer tennis, but I don't think they willbe in my lifetime. I will be badly fooled ifthey are. There have been several goodstarts at it, such as the Wyoming matchwhere they shoot for money. I do think weshould have suitable awards in ~olicematches, particularly team matches, butnot money.Q: If you were designing your own policecombat course, what time limits, equipment,etc., would you allow?A: That's a tough question for me, becausehere I run into conflict with a lot ofpolice firearms instructors. Some of themknock the competition part of training. Ialways take issue with them, I say tothose who don't shoot competitively,"Come out and try it for yourself." Competitiveshooting puts an officer understress and pressure that I don't think he50 yard target of 24 shots firedby Collins in national policecombat championships with Powers.gets anywhere else in his training program.Competition creates good fellowshipand good relations between departments,it's real. I think we should try toget state laws passed requiring ample,regular firearms training for police officers.As you know, many departmeits,particularly here in the South, have nofirearms training at all.As for the course, I like the NRA PoliceDistinguished Course, because you areshooting a standard weapon, factory velocityammunition that you'd be usingwhen that "moment of truth"jumps up.Some departments are taking rookies tothe range and think they are makingwhat I call Ed McGivern experts out ofthem, with fast draw instinctive stufftheirprimary concern. I'm not saying thisisn't needed, but teach them marksmanshipfirst. Then, for advance trainingteach them fast draw, quick shoot techniques.With the Distinguished course,you can train more people at one time,you can't teach fast draw to large classesat one time, for safety reasons.Q: What specific part do you see your organizationthe PMA and other satellite organizationslike the US. Womens Inte'rnationalRifle Organization, playing with theNRA?(Continued on page 68)Jim's position: two handed grip,head erect, gun at eye level,knuckles of the assisting handare pushing into the barricade.

By MASSAD F. AYOOB"That's as good as you'll get!"Hal Swkett yelled as thethree Corsican sheep broke cover and ran.The Colt Python -357came into my hand without my havingto think about it. As my lefi hand wrapped around my right,the weakerfingertips already interlocking with the whiteningknuckles of the strong, I watched over the front sight waitingfor a clear shot at the ram. At lust he pulled out ahead of thetwo ewes who wereflanking him, and 1 held the sight ahead ofhis barrelling brown chest as I began to roll the trigger back. . .y good friend Hal Swigett had suggested some time be-M fore that I pay a visit to the famed Y-0 Ranch in Texas.LLYou'll never get handgun hunting like this back East," he'dsaid. And now I was there, on a side trip to attempt to get myconfidence back after a disastrous performance at the $18,000purse National Shooters League tourney in Wyoming.I had shown up on fairly short notice, but Charlie Schreiner111, owner of the Y-0, was able to accommodate me. The factthat it was early September helped. That's the off-season forTexas hunting, 'cause stalking animals across the pastures andprairies during a Lone Star summer literally ain't too cool. Buteven during the heavy months, Charlie can usually find a slot foryou if you give him three weeks or so notice.On arrival, you're treated to a home-cooked dinner and anevening of relaxed drinking and conversation in the impressivelodge with its trophy-room motif. Then it's to bed in comfortable,Western-decorated cabins, to await a temfic dawn breakfastand a memorable day of hunting. Being a handgunner, I hadthe good fortune of spending a couple of hours with Charlie andhis Colt collection. If you're into collecting at all, you've heardabout Charlie and his prime pieces, and a lookat them is not tobe missed.The first morning, I filled up on Bobbie the cook's bacon,eggs, and biscuits, and then dragged my equipment together.For a hunter, I looked pathetic. I had packed nothing for the impromptutrip, and the only hardware I had with me was a combat-customized-45 auto, a 6" Dan Wesson Pacesetter -357, anda couple of combat competition holsters.Since I'm a gun writer, I naturally started thinking quick tofind some kind of gimmick to write a story around. Taking gamewith handguns is nothing new at the Y-0; about three to five percent of all the guests use belt weapons. Borrow a black powderhandgun? Nope: Hal, who has probably shot more game withmuzzle loaders than anybody since the days of Jim Bridger, haddone it already. The -45 auto? Nope, Hal and others had beenthere first with that too. Sneak up on some unsuspecting animaland pistol-whip it to death? No way though many of us Easternersbelieve that game-ranch shooting is something where theydrive you up on top of some half-tame animal so close that thetaxidermist has to take the tire tracks off the hide, it reallydoesn't work that way. There are game ranches in Texas because

only about two per cent of the land in thatostensibly wide-open state is actually freeto the public. If you want to hunt Texas,it'll be on somebody's property, and if itisn't yours, you can expect to pay for theprivilege. It's fee hunting in the wild, notpreserve shooting, and the game is as wildon the Y-0 as it is in that 2% of freeprairie. It's not for armchair hunters.Which left me with a good hunt comingupl and something to come up with myselfthat hadn't been done yet. I got the answeroutside the cabin that first morning as wewere getting set to go. Hal was toying withmy Dan Wesson, and I with the beautifulcustomizing job that had been done onHal's Python by Jerry Moran of Clio,Michigan. "What a terrific double action,"we said almost simultaneously.Bing! Light-bulb-over-head! Eureka!"Hal," I asked, "has anybody ever shotgame out here, with a handgun, double action?"''Sure, lots of people use double actions.""No, I mean, shooting a double action,double action?" He paused only for a second."No," he said, and added the logicalquestion, "Why would anyone want to?""To score a first," I said, addingquickly, "It makes sense. I do a lot of dou-ble action shooting in combat competition.The top Masters there are turning todouble action shooting at even the longranges. The theory is that you don't breakyour hold to cock the piece, and that onceyou've mastered double action shooting,you can hold and squeeze for closergroups that way."he theory had, at least, worked for me.Since I had gone to DA-only, my fifty-yardscores had improved noticeably. I personallyfeel that, at least in target shooting,a slow rolling DA pull, feeding backthrough the trigger finger into a concentratingmind, allows a shot to break morenaturally with the sights where they belong.I had found in bullseye shooting, forinstance, that the "roller7' trber of a European-22 like the DES Unique 69, wasaciually m-ore controllable than the crisp"glass rod" triggers on American pistols,because with the constant rolling motion,you didn't know quite when the firing pinwas going to be loosed. This makes itvirtually impossible to jerk or heel the gunby anticipating the let-off."Double action it is," Hal shrugged, notaltogether convinced.My Dan Wesson was sighted for wadcutters,Hal's Python for a heavier -357load than the 125-gr. Remington hol-Harvey Goff points out distant cluster of Corsican sheep to author.The species is fast, wary, super-intelligent and a tough challenge.lowpoints we were going to use. Werepaired to the very adequate range ashort distance from the main house andcabins* and sighted in with the ear-splittingRemingtons. Even through my Clarkear protectors, the blast was fierce. Butthe accuracy was tremendous* and thatwas half of what counted: the rest waspower, and that would be tested soonenough.Harvey Goff was the guide who took usout. The Y-0 is big, some 1251000 acres,and you need a guide partly to give you anidea where the game might be, but mainlyso you can find your way back, especiallyif you're a Yankee who tends to get lostany place where he (a) can't find a streetsign on every block, or (b) can't give thecamel its head and trust it to find the nextoasis.It was Harvey who spotted the first Corsicanrams* the species Charlie hadselected as being fast, wary, super-intelligent,and an all-around tough challengefor a wheelgunner. They were travellingthick and close and distant, spookingwhen the 4WD pickup was still hundredsof yards away, but we were able to see wellenough through the binoculars that therewasn't a good set of horns among them.The hours went by. So did the Corsicansheep. We must have glassed fifty beforeHarvey lowered his binoculars andpointed to a big, grizzled ram who wasbusily cutting a couple of ewes away from

the rest of the sheep.The horns wouldn't have excited RowlandWard, but I was happy with them.Even at a distance, you could see that theycurved with a full, strong, handsomesweep. That ram was my target.There were two ways we could havetaken it. We could get off now and stalkinon foot before the pickup spooked them,or we could drive in on them and wearthem down with artificial horsepower theway so many Easterners picture it happeningon game ranches. I suppose you coulddo it that last way. But you'd have to lookthe Y-0 cowboy-guides in the face afterwards.It was forty-five minutes later, with thesting of the brush still in our eyes and thecramps still in our legs, when we spottedthe ram and his two ewes again. They spottedus too. They broke and ran, and Ibrought up my camera instead of my gunbecause they were too far and too fast fora clean shot with the latter.Then it was more slow moving and waitingand scanning the prairie and the trees.Your mind can wander on the Y-0, whatwith the setting and the exotic game: avisiting African prince told CharlieSchreiner once, "1 could close my eyes,turn around, open them again, and think Iwas home." To my New England eyes, theTexas land looked like the pictures of theAfrican veldt. But the game was Corsicanram, a species no longer hunted in its nativehabitat, and a flash of brown throughthe trees caught my eye.The ram had broken cover and'was runningflat out, the two females covering hisflanks as if instinctively protecting him.L6That's the best chance you'll get!"saidHal. . .. . . I felt the trigger reach its final point,the hand locking the cylinder just as theAuthor used a telephoto lens tophotograph ram and his two ewesbefore the moment of truth.Blur is due to hand-held long lens.hammer dropped, and the crash of the-357 felt like a karate jock's hands clappingover my ears. The ram kept running.I still tracked him in the plastic-insertfront, white-outlined rear sights that Jerryhad put on Hal's Python, and still holdingahead of the ram's chest, touched anotheroff. Missed again. "You're leading toomuch!" Hal barked, even as the same realizationflashed through my own mind.The ram turned, quartering away fromme, and I held on the front edge of hisshoulder, the trigger still rolling. At thethird explosion, the big ram jerked violentlysideways, and put on the steam as heran flat out, straight across my line ofsight. I jerked the trigger this time, andsaw dust kick up between his feet. Heskidded to a halt near a cactus patch, andlooked at me for an instant as his legscoiled for the final escape run.I put the sights on the center of hisneck, and made the long squeeze, quick.As the muzzle flipped with the ear-splittingblast, the ram was flung backwards,his feet flying. He lay still with a smallcloud of dust settling over him. "That didit," Hal said softly.I ejected five empties and a live one asmy other hand reached for a Griffm Second-Sixspeedloader and slammed anothercharge of Magnums into the cylinderas we made our approach. Therewas no need for a final shot. The lastbullet had been a perfect neck shot, thebullet severing the spinal cord and disintegratingin the final fractional inch of thecervical vertebrae. An instant kill.Instant? I didn't think so. I had fired atthe animal five times, and turning it over,saw two more wounds. My thiid bullet, theone that had made him change course likea squad car banging a U-turn, was a rakingshot that had struck him just behind theright rib cage. The slug had destroyed theAuthor with Corsican ram shotdouble-action at 74 yards. -Gunis Moran customized Colt Python.357 mag. with Herrett stocks.

ight kidney, passed just over the heart,torn a quarter-sized hole in his left lunggoing in and a bigger one going out, andlodged in the meat of his left shoulderwithout breaking a rib. The bullet had expandedperfectly. That, too, would havebeen an adequate kill.My fourth bullet hadn't hit the ram atall: it had struck a rock between his feet,and shards of flying stone and lead hadtorn a gaping three-inch wound that hadcut his left rear leg to the bone. That explainedthe spectacular dust-puff on myjerked shot. The first two had been infront of the animal because I had underestimatedthe velocity of the Remingtonload, and led him too far.He was a good trophy. Like I said, hewouldn't have done much for RowlandWard, because his head was scarred fromrecent battles with younger rams, and hishorns were broomed on the ends from theimpact of combat in the wild. That wasfine with me. If I want a perfect biologicalspecimen, I'll go to a zoo or a museum.Here was a tough animal, a leader, a veteranof combat with his own kind and ofyears spent outwitting human hunters.That, to me, made him a hell of a specimen,and a hell of an adversary.Charlie confirmed Hal's speculationthat this was, indeed, the first head ofgame shot double-action at the Y-0. It wasalso the farthest anybody had taken runninggame with a handgun, to either man'srecollection: the first bullet had struck theflat-out-running ram at 66 yards, and theshot that killed him where he stopped wasfired from a measured 74.Which was only lukewarm %comfort. Ihad come here to get my shooting confidenceback, and had blown three out ofRemington 125-grain jacketed hollow~int -357 performed superbly on ram.This perfectly mushroomed slug was dug from shoulder .after 66 yard shot.five shots at my quarry. The next time, Ivowed, it would be a one-shot kill.The second target was for food, notwall-mounting. The ram had been six orseven years old, and weighed around ahundred pounds. A ram of that age can beeaten only if yoh have ywtooth dentures,though barbecuing with the right saucesand the right skill can make it an eatingdelight for one with an adventurous palate.My host, Charlie Schreiner, didn'ttrust my gourmet cooking skills (boy, canhe judge people right), and decided that ifI was his guest, I should leave with someterrific eatin' meat. "I'll buy that," Iagreed cheerfully. "What's the best eatin'meat you got-apart from Bobbie'schicken fried steak, that is?" "A nice, fat,Axis doe," Charlie and Hal replied in unison.An Axis doe it was. These deer, nativeto India, grow to the size of a big NewHampshire whitetail or a bit larger, andjust as they never lose their spots whenthey mature, they never lose their babysofttexture and deliciousness.They do, however, lose their innocence.An Axis deer is as wary and tough to stalkas a whitetail, or one of the new breed ofsmart- mule deer. Harvey and Hal and Ispent a long, long time scouting untoldmiles of prairie before we found sign ofthe big dappled deer. Hamey's binoculmcaught dark shapes moving in the yuccatrees that lined an arroyo. ("Is that whatyou call a gulch?" I asked innocently inmy New Hampshire accent. "No," Harveyreplied patiently in his own Texas drawl,"that's what you call a bgulch'.")But in any man's language, they weredeer. There were does, and a spectacularlyhandsome buck. . . and fawns. "I'd just assoon you didn't shoot a mother deer," saidHarvey."Me neither," I agreed. "Big Macs maynot taste like venison, but they don't giveme guilt pangs, either." I fastened thesafety strap on my Bucheimer-Clark hol-(continued on page 67)Author with downed Axi 's deer,brought down with a Dan WessonPacese tter .357 Magnum Caliber.

BOOZE BUDDYBe a sociable spiritÑwea a Prairie Dogbuckle and you'll never drink alone. An originaldesign featuring one of our West's first inhabitants,the Prairie Dog is inlayed and finishedin antique gold. The buckle itself, finishedin antique silver, simulates old westernAVAST, THERE!The Cutlass Pistol was patented by GeorgeElgin on July 5, 1837. Its purpose was to cornbinethe two naval hand-to-hand combatweapons in use at that time-the pistol andthe naval cutlass. This would leave one handfree to climb rigging, etc. The U.S. Navy purchased150 of them for use by boarding crewsand landing parties for the south seas expeditionof 1838. It is estimated that 30 to 50 originalshave survived in public and private collections,with price ranges from $8,000 to$15,000, depending on condition. This limitededition reproduction, (BOO pieces) isavailable at $525.00 postpaid. Write OldGlory, 13 Barrie Road, East Brunswick, NewJersey 0881 6.FULL COLOR SPECIALSterling Arms is now distributing their newfull color special Bicentennial edition catalogwhich gives a complete description and colorphotograph of all their handguns. FeaturedIMINI-HANDGUN JEWELRYThe Xythos Mini-Handgun is the world's smallestautomatic revolver. It is both a workingsix-shooter that fires harmless blanks and aversatile men's and women's jewelry piece.For the man, the Xythos is a key chain or cufflink.For the lady, it becomes a button-holer,bracelet charm or pendant. Precision built byan Austrian watch manufacturer, the Xythos is1% inches long, weighs less than an ounce,and is nickel-plated with black grips. The completeset includes: 1 revolver, 1 key-chain, 1cufflink, and 1 cylinder cover in a round case.The piece costs $9.95; one box of ammunitionfor $2.20. Contact Horner Madsen Company,Dept. AX-178, 1500 East 79th Street, Minneapolis,Minn. 55420.A PERFECT FITGet a grip on your Thompson-Contender withthis new genuine oiled walnut handcraftedreplacement stock. Specially designed to re-duce recoil when shooting the larger calibers,the stock also improves accuracy with all calibersby providing an excellent fit for twohand shooting. Contoured for maximum com-for the first time in this new issue is Sterling'sRenaissance Presentation collection of en- fort, it mounts without any modification of thegraved guns. Send 25C to Sterling Arms gun. Available for either right or left hand atCorporation, 4436 Prospect Street, Gasport, $19.50. Write Schiermeier, Box 704, TwinNew York 14067. Falls, Idaho 83301.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977saloon doors, with mountains, grass andprairie dog hole in raised relief. Made to lasta lifetime, only $5.50 plus 456 shipping. Fitsall belts '/id' to la/

colts M-1911 .45 Auto has proven its reliability and stoppingpower for 65 years. The .45 Hardballer is a stainless steelcopy of the M-1911 .45.Obviously, the .45 has been tinkered with, accurized and improvedover the years. The Hardballer, in addition to its stainlesssteel construction, incorporates a happy medium of reliability,accuracy and modifications developed in combatcompetition. It's a far cry from the GI .45 Autos.Harry Sanford, the man responsible for the Auto Mags and.380 Back Up; after analyzing the market -paving particular attentionto the trend of individual officers and police departmentsto discard the .38 Special revolver in favor of the .45Auto and the obvious advantages and increasing popularity ofstainless steel guns decided to make a stainless .45.Stainless steel is not rustproof. It is highly rust resistant. Stainlesssteels are available in various chemistries suited to variedpurposes. 17-4-PH (precipitation hardness) is a very tough andrust resistant steel. One of its uses is in atomic reactor engines.32By J. D. JONESThe Hardballer's frame and slide are investment cast of 17-4-PH and heat treated. This is a very tough, durable frame andslide.While the Hardballer is a close enough copy of the Colt toprovide parts interchangeability, several important differences doexist both internally and in exterior appearance.At a glance, the Hardballer appears to be a Colt Gold Cup instainless. Closer examination reveals several distinct differences.The Hardballer retains the serrated matte rib of the GoldCup. Its sights, however, end the top end resemblance. TheHardballer's front sight is a sloped square faced combat typethat won't drag coming out of a holster. The rear sight is a directdecendent of the Auto Mag rear sight. It's rugged, positive adjustable,black, and gives a sharp sight picture. The contrast betweenthe black rear blade and light gray natural stainless coloris readily apparent and extremely compatible. Prior experiencewith essentially the same sight picture on Auto Mags has provenits versatility in the field under all sorts of light conditions. In myAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

33opinion, it's a hell of a lot better than red plastic front sight insertsunder any conditions.Looking down at the top of the gun, a slot cut through the rearof the barrel hood readily shows if a round is chambered-if it'slight enough to see. This "loaded chamber indicator" is ofdoubtful value to me for that purpose but it is effective as a"gutter" to vent powder, lubricant, and other debris from the faceof the breech.The thumb safety is a fairly wide, long, serrated combat typerig. It isn't wide enough to cause problems in a holster. It is wideenough to be fast and act as a thumb rest while shooting. Particularcare is exercised to insure the safety is properly adjustedand operates smoothly and at the proper amount of resistance.If they aren't properly adjusted, they can be practically impossibleto disengage with the thumb of the shooting hand. If adjustedto operate without enough tension they can simply fall outof engagement or pop on safe after the gun is fired and the slidereturns to battery. I've had all of the above occur in GI or commercialColts plus a few other malfunctions I haven't mentioned.The grip safety is long enough to prevent pinching theweb of the hand by the hammer.The original mainspring housings are Pachmayr Signatureunits. Later production will incorporate a stainless housing serratedto match the serrations on the front of the grip-frame. Thetrigger is wide, skeletonized and incorporates an overtravel adjustmentscrew-a la Colt Gold Cup.The bottom of the magazine well is beveled to guide a slightlymisdirected magazine into the well. Dimensions of the magazinewell are generous to allow easy insertion and free ejection ofmagazines when the magazine release is depressed. The magazinesare of stainless construction and feature a rounded followerand the "new style" feed lips similar to those found on GoldCup magazines.One note of caution regarding magazines. Don't trust a newone. It may not feed. It may be oversize and a tight fit in themagazine well. The follower or magazine itself may be off specificationenough to allow the follower to slip up over the projectionit is supposed to nest against. When this happens, the magazinerelease must be depressed with one hand and the magazinepulled from the gun with the other. Quite a few of these defec-The Hardballer is fitted closely, yet notso tight as to cause malfunctions. Goodmuzzle/slide fitting (top) contribute tothe Hardballer's accuracy. Though somethroating has already been done, the ownerof a new Hardballer will probably want tosmooth up the ramp just a bit more (bottom.)

tive magazines seem to be floating around the country. Minewere wrapped in GI wrappings and sealed in plastic. My guess isthat they are military rejects. I have a half dozen of them thatwon't work in any of the three .45s I have. They certainly weren'tmuch of a bargain for three bucks each.A lot of things can be done to a .45 to accurize it. Probably themost important of all of them is the proper fitting of the muzzlebushing to the barrel. The Hardballer is certainly not fitted astightly as a custom gunsmith would fit one for maximum accuracy.The Hardballer isn't a custom target grade gun sufferingfrom all the disadvantages of a tightly fitted target gun. Therearen't any alibis in a combat situation. The Hardballer is de-prior to "Behlertizing" was 3.40 inches at 25 yards. Austinended up doing a combat conversion on it and it's a good onenow. His work will stack up with anyone's and his brochure picturingthe various conversions and accessories for just about anyhandgun is an evening's entertainment in itself. He recently patentedand is marketing an adjustable rear sight for S&W "K"and "N" frame revolvers that anyone who shoots them seriouslyshould have.The Hardballer is designed for full power ammo. Individualguns may or may not work with mid range target ammo. Thetest gun functions flawlessly with Speer 200 grain match ammobut several popular mid range target handloads do not generatesigned with the police market in mind and reliability is theprime consideration. Overall fitting is certainly not sloppy. It's ahappy medium between reliability and accuracy. Particular careis taken in manufacture to insure proper dimensions and polishof the feed ramp in the frame and corresponding area of therear of chamber. Unless the feed ramp and rear of the barrel areproperly proportioned and polished, jams will result with manytypes of ammunition. Several years ago I bought a Colt CombatCommander that wasn't even reliable with hardball ammo.Austin Behlert of Behlert Custom Guns Inc. (725 Lehigh Ave.,Union, N.J. 07083) straightened out that gun for me. In checkingmy machine rest records, the best 25 yard group it firedenough recoil to function the gun. Obtaining an extra recoilspring and clipping a few coils off of it should allow it to functionwith light loads. With full power ammo the Hardballerhasn't jammed in over 1200 rounds without cleaning. Abouthalf of the rounds fired were full charge cast bullet loads andabout half were at least full charge jacketed bullet loads. Possibly100 rounds were light loads to check functioning and 4-500were extremely heavy loads to try to accelerate wear and/orparts breakage. Nothing broke and after cleaning only one part,the flange on the recoil spring guide showed any sign of wear or"battering". Some of the early Hardballers contain Colt internal(Continued on page 62)AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

5% the following three feature length articles George Nonte takes you insidp o e complex workings of the H&K line of fine sidearms. You'll explore th2 powerful P-9S in 9 mm parabellum and .45 ACP, discover the versatility ofthe HK-4, a multi-purpose autoloader with quick change chambering.. Examine the law enforcement wtential of the selective fire VP-70-- *È'¥È

5.Â¥ \p'-' At0Advanced Features and Innovative iie of-Space-Age Mater, -- makeYe Heckler f "ochPistols Frontrunners fSr Target, Corn' it,Hunting and Defense W rk.

By GEORGE C. NONTEhave an unusualauto pistol on the pegboarded walls of myI office; it was obtained in 1970 and bears a W. Germanproofmark of that year. At the time, I was told that it was one ofthe very first production examples of the model, and the serialnumber of 100122 might be interpreted to bear that out; that is,indicating the gun was the 122nd example off the line in a particularnumber block.Though nearly a decade old now, this design still represents(in this scribe's considered opinion) the highest level of sophiticationin both design and construction yet achieved in a fullpower,center-fire, autoloading pistol. I've said that in print before,some years back, and if you read it then you know now thatI'm talking about the H&K (Hechler & Koch) P9S pistolI'm still shooting, that original 9mm Parabellum P9S, and in1970, as a straight, fixed-sight service pistol, it was the only variationavailable. Since then, a target version has appeared, andjust very recently, both service and target versions in .45 ACPcaliber. After design, construction and functional details, we'lltouch upon those recent additions to the P9S line.The P9S (9mm) is fairly conventional in appearance, hasdouble-action, first-shot capability, a single-column removable. ,Above, contrary to most safety systems, the P9Sis 'safe' when the lever appears as shown. Theshooter must sweep the safety down In order tofire. Note protruding cocking indicator. Below,Nonte finds the P9S quite controllable in action.% q.- .

Above, the PQS barrel and recoil spring. 'The .spring i$ keyed intoplace by a recess and groove at the breech end. Left, polygonalrifling does away with sharply cut lands and grooves,. maintaininga high standard of accuracy and greatly easing barrel maintenance.Spot welding of additional stampedparts to the stamped frame iseasily shown here. Note that thebutt-mounted magazine catch ispowered by the mainspring. Thecatch is one of the many noncriticalpieces made of plastic.box magazine in the butt, a tubular slide with recoil spring encirclingthe barrel, an enclosed hammer, and a somewhat distinctivesilhouette. It weighs 32'12 ounces (empty, 36'12 ounces fullyloaded), and measures 7'12 inches long (4'110-inch barrel), 5'14inches high, and 1'13 inches wide. Yet, it is more compact than itappears, andcarries and conceals quite well. From there on,though, it is by no means conventional in either design or construction.Construction first. The basic frame (receiver) is a precisionpressing or stamping of sheet steel. Final shape is achieved byseveral punching, stamping, and folding operations whereineven the slide guide grooves and ribs are precisely formed undervery great pressure. The hollow shell thus produced is then fittedwith several cast blocks and spacers welded into position toprovide rigidity and seats for other parts, even the cartridge feedramp is a casting welded between the walls of the shell. Otherareas of the shell-rear of grip frame in particular-are givenrigidity and final form by smaller stamped sections spot-weldedin place. Some machining is done after all these sections arepermanently affixed to the shell, and this is most obvious at thebarrel seat, where a forward-facing transverse undercut is machinedin both the shell and the spacer block forming the feedramp.Even after all that, the frame does not possess a functionaltrigger guard, front strap, or back strap. The first two items areformed by a one-piece molding of very tough, black plastic withfinely-matted finish. This part extends from the extreme front ofthe frame down to overlap the lower front edge of the magazinewell. At the rear, it is secured by lips that snap over edges of theframe shell (those lips further secured there by the overlappinggrip piece) and up front two, slotted-head screws hold it tightlyto the frame. The back strap and rear frame closure (above thegrip area) are formed by the one-piece, molded plastic gripwhich slides on from the rear, secured by two horizontal screwsturning into arched sections of the frame. The configuration ofthe two, plastic parts is such that when the gun is held normallyfor shooting, no metal except the trigger contacts the hand. Aconsiderable boon in cold weather.The slide is constructed in much the same way; a sheet-metalshell is formed by pressing and stamping. Again, the guide ribs(three short segments on each side) are stamped very accuratelyinward from the outside, leaving corresponding recesses exposedin the slide walls. Contrary to expectation, the recesses donot appear unattractive; in fact, they break up the otherwisevast, flat, slide sides.A muzzle bushing (providing also an annular-grooved, recoil-AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

spring seat) and rear slide closure are welded into the sheet-meta1shell.All of this welding, incidentally, is done and finished in such amanner that the joints are invisible on the external surface of thefinished gun. It may also be said truthfully that the use ofstamped sheet metal is not obvious until one looks inside thegun.Internally, the slide contains a separate breech block and bolthead, and a transverse-shafted, manual safety. The block isaligned vertically by ribs stamped into the slide shell, and securedhorizontally by the safety shaft, while the head rides on theblock. All three of'these parts appear to be machined entirelyfrom bar stock. Strangely, the fixed, front and rear sights, dovetailedlaterally into the top of the slide, are molded from somevery sturdy plastic.There is yet the barrel. Construction is fairly conventional, thebarrel assembly consisting of a two-diameter tube stronglypinned into an intricately machined breech piece peculiar to theVorgrimmler locking system the P9S employs. Rifling is of anunusual, but by no means new, "polygonal" type without sharplydefined lands and grooves, and is formed by hammer-forgingamethod originally developed in Germany and now widely employedthroughout the world.Construction of internal parts followsthe lead of major components. Extensiveuse is made of stampihgs and castings,and of weldments of either or both. Itshould be noted that these parts do not exhibitthe flimsiness, rapid wear, and raggedappearance typical of stamped partsin earlier domestic guns. The P9S haspassed with distinction many severe militaryacceptance tests and this alone is ampleevidence of the sturdiness of its construction.So much for construction, which is extremelyadvanced and should be evaluatedon its merits of low weight, cost effectiveness,and great strength and rigidity,rather than in regard to reconceived prejudicesagainst sheet-metal stampings infirearms.So, let's take a look at the unique designof the P9S. A very important design featureis evident from the construction details.The entire design is integrated withthe latest metal-fabrication technologywhich makes maximum use of a limitedamount of material. That same technologyis also the most economical for producinglarge quantities and requires the leastamount of strategic materials, machinery,and tools. Any design that meets thoseparameters (especially in time of ~eace) isespecially noteworthy.But it's the mechanical nature of the designthat is of primary interest to shootersand professional gun-carriers, especiallyas those features effect handling, safety,reliability, and to lesser degree, accuracy.The P9S locking system is containedentirely within the slide and is independentof the frame assembly except as it anchorsthe fixed, non-recoiling barrel. It isoften known as the CETME system,though originally developed late in WWIIby Vorgrimmler for Mauserwerke. It employsa longitudinally movable bolt headcontaining two, vertical rollers which arecammed outward into appropriate recessesin the barrel extension, thus lock-AMERICAN HANDGUNNER * MAY/JUNE 197ing bolt head and barrel together, when the slide is fully forwardin battery position.When thus locked, the rollers are supported outward by auniquely-shaped ramp on the sides of the breech-block extension.This extension enters the bolt head horizontally, which isfree to reciprocate on it a short distance. The firing pin passesthrough this extension, but more on that later.The barrel is fixed to the frame, with the slide and its pansmovable upon both. Barrel and bolt head (through the extension)are locked together by the rollers at the instant of firing. Aspressure builds up in the bore, the case head is thrust hardagainst the bolt face, tending to force the bolt away (rearward)from the barrel; this force acts upon the rollers, causing them totry to roll up the rear edge of their recesses in the barrel extension;they are prevented from doing so by the breech-block extension(locking finger) wedged between them; however, the extensioncontains carefully shaped ramps and pressure transferredthrough the rollers to the ramp slowly cams the extension(thus the breech block and slide) rearward while holding thebolt head tightly against the barrel breech; as the tapered extensionmoves back, it provides clearance for the rollers to come(Continued on page 64)The exploded parts diagram reveals the moderately complex innardsof the Heckler and Koch P9S. Note unique frame/grip assembly.

HECKLER & KOCH'S4 CALIBER VERSATILITYBy GEORGE C. NONEack in the late 1960s the German firm of Heckler & KochB (Oberndorf am Neckar) introduced a new pocket-size,autoloading pistol of startling sophistication and modernity. Itpossessed many features not previously seen in such guns, someof them confusing from the viewpoints of both operation andfunctioning.Probably the most outstanding feature that confronted the potentialbuyer directly was the multiplicity of calibers one couldhave in a single gun by simply interchanging barrels and magazines.The HK-4, as it was designated, offered few-momentsinterchange between .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP.Of course, those are US. cartridge names, and H&K used thecorresponding metric designations of 6.35mm, 7.65mm, and9mmK for the center-fire numbers.Initially the HK-4 was sold singly in any one caliber, or as acased set containing the parts to accommodate all four cartridges.Harrington & Richardson handled distribution at first,but as the restrictions of GCA'68 took hold, and as H&R policieschanged, the HK-4 was dropped from the line. EventuallySecurity Arms Company (933 N. Kenmore St., Suite 218, Arlington,VA. 22201), which was already importing and distributingother H&K products, took over the HK-4 and now distributesit to the trade as the Heckler & Koch Company.Early HK-4s possessed a very heavy," irregular, and rough double-actionpull, but this has since been corrected to a large degree.Our sample gun, and others I've examined show considerableimprovement in this area, though still not as nice as someother designs. This seems odd inasmuch as H&K's big, P9,9mm pistol has an unusually soft and smooth DA pull.Early HK-4s contained, in .380 caliber, an unusual featurewhich I could never understand. The chamber contained longitudinalflutes of sharp-edged, rectangular section. These fluteswere deepest in their center, flattening out to nothing at eitherend. The flutes were clearly imprinted upon fired cases, andsome cases would split longitudinally along the flute edges. Thiswas likely an attempt to slow opening of the breech; it probablydid, to some extent, but that was not needed in the low-pressure.380 loading. The only result of the flutes was ruining the casesfor reloading, and excessive fouling of the chamber when casessplit. Presence of the flutes did not interfere with functioning;all such guns I fired were quite reliable.AMERICAN HANDQUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

ÂInset left are the four cartridges whichthe HK-4 will accept. Interchangeablebarrels and magazines allow the user tochoose .22 LR: .25ACP: .32ACP or .380ACP.Above, ~onte shoots the rimfire option.I don't know just when the flutes were dropped, but they arenot present on guns now being offered, and that is as it shouldbe.Today's HK-4 looks the same as before. It is best described asa blowback, pocket-size, autoloading pistol of conventional layout,with double-action capability, and incorporating advanceddesign and manufacturing features. At 6'18 inches long, 43/4 incheshigh, 1'14 inches wide, and with a 3'1s inch barrel, it is compactand easily handled and concealed. It possesses exceedingly fewsharp edges and protrusions, so is unlikely to snag on clothing inuse.The HK-4 is unusual in operation. With gun empty and magazineremoved, retracting the slide automatically engages theslide stop and the slide is held to the rear. With the magazineout, the slide may be run forward only by pulling the trigger; ifan empty magazine is inserted, the slide will automatically runforward; if a loaded magazine is inserted, the slide will also runforward, chambering the first cartridge and leaving the hammercocked. This will occur regardless of the position of the manualsafety. The hammer may then be lowered safely only by first engagingthe safety and then pulling the trigger; the safety shaftlowers the firing-pin head so it cannot be struck by the hammer.Further, a lug on the pin comes behind a shoulder in the slide soit cannot move forward. Moving the safety to "fire" positionAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977then readies the gun for DA firing of the first shot; leaving it at"safe" prevents both firing and cocking by either DA or SA.This design combination makes it possible to safely carry theHK-4 "cocked and locked," or ready for instant DA use. However,the shape, location, and direction of movement (upward)of the safety combine to make it slow and inconvenient of usewhen carried cocked and locked. Nevertheless, it is one of thefew DA autos which allow this option. There is also a magazinesafety or disconnector which prevents firing or cocking whenthe magazine is withdrawn more than about '11s inch.This 'slide-forward-when-magazine-seats' feature aids in combatreloading, but the placement of the magazine catch at therear of the butt makes reloading still a relatively slow process. Itrequires two hands to remove the empty magazine, rather thanone as when the catch is left and rear of the trigger in Colt/Browning fashion. Relocating the catch behind the triggerwould make this one of the fastest-reloading auto pistols of all.All of this may sound a bit confusing, but with reasonable practice,operation of the HK-4 becomes as instinctive as that ofother - --- - - nistols.r -- - - -Aside from the unusual features mentioned, the HK-4 greatlyresembles the pre-war Mauser HSc. The barrelJslide unit is almostidentical, as is the barrel retaining system. Pressing downon the dismount latch inside the front of the trigger guard draws

Interchangeable barrels, recoil springs and magazines for 22 LR and .380 ACP.down the wedge-like, locking piece that engages a lug on theunderside of the barrel breech. Then with hammer cocked andsafety engaged, the barrel-slide unit is moved forward 'lie inch orso and lifted right off the frame. The barrel lock prevents for-'ward movement of barrel and slide, while a lip on the barrelbreech hooks under a shoulder on the frame to prevent verticalmovementOnce off the frame, the barrel is removed through the openbottom of the slide by pushing it forward to clear the extractor,The .22 barrel (left) has additional clearancecuts to accommodate the reversed firing pinplate. The 380 ACP barrel is shown on right.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

then lifting the breech clear and drawing it out rearward, with itsencircling recoil spring. The barrel is conventional, a rifled tubewith the enlarged breech formed by a separate piece ~ressedand brazed in place. Rifling is six, right-hand, wide grooves.Slide construction is not traditional. To a thin, stamped-steelshell are welded a muzzle piece and a rear closure. A separatecast/machined, breech block is then brazed in place. Slide guideribs are very short, two front and two rear, and are formed bypunching them inward from the shell. This leaves deep, but notunattractive recesses on the outer surface, directly over each ribsegment. The slide is numbered to match the frame, on theunderside of the muzzle.The face of the breech block contains the key to simple andreliable conversion from rimfire to center-fire. A separate "faceplate" seats in the breech face and is secured from the front by acap screw threaded into the block. This face plate contains acentral firing-pin hole and another located for rimfire use. Inaddition, one side is recessed to accept .380 and .32 cartridgerims; though oversize, this recess also handles .25 cases quiteacceptably. The other side of the plate is properly recessed forthe .22 rimfire case head.Assuming the gun is setup for center-fire, it is converted torimfire thusly remove slide and detach barrel; reach throughthe slide muzzle with a slender screwdriver and turn out the capscrew holding the face plate; press the extractor sideward anddrop a piece of wire through the exposed hole; lift the face plateout and reverse it; set the plate back in place, pressing the mobilefiring pin upward so it enters the rimfire hole at 12 o'clockin the plate; replace the cap screw, tight, but not too tight; pullthe wire and let the extractor snap back in place. Finish the jobby installing the .22 LR barrel and magazine and reassemblingthe an.0Conversion back to center-fire involves again reversing theface plate and proper location of the firing pin. Conversion betweenthe three CF cartridges requires only substituting the desiredbarrels and magazines. Dirt simple.The HK-4 frame is a finish-machined, light-alloy, precisioncasting. A conventional, pivoted trigger and drawbar pass rearwardto connect with the firing mechanism. A lug rising fromthe drawbar contacts and actuates the slide stop when the triggeris pulled to run the slide forward. At the rear, the drawbar connectsto an unusual C-shape, double-leg disconnector which allowsfiring only when the slide is fully forward and also preventsmore than one shot being fired by a single pull of the trigger.The hammer is not quite conventional in shape, and is designedso as to keep the rear of the slide and frame closed to dirt at alltimes, cocked or fired. A coil mainspring drives the hammerthrough an S-shape strut, and seats on the rear of the frame beneaththe one-piece, slip-on, plastic grip. The frame has no externalbackstrap, the grip serving this function. An upside-downsear rides ahead of the hammer and its pivot hole is verticallyeccentric to allow the hammer to cam it aside in cocking. Afixed ejector sits in a slot in the top of the sear but is pinned tothe frame.The DA firing cycle goes like this: trigger movement pulls thedrawbar forward; the bar rotates the disconnector which engagesa lug on the foot of the hammer to rotate it toward thecocked position; at the proper point of its travel, the disconnectorcams off the hammer, allowing it to be driven forward tostrike the firing pin; just before the hammer begins to fall, a lugon the disconnector cams the sear away from the hammer, sothe cocking surfaces will not engage and the hammer may fallfreely.As the slide recoils after the shot, it forces the disconnectordownward, disengaging it from both hammer and sear, thedrawbar moves down likewise; then, as the hammer is rotatedby the slide, the sear is free to engage the full-cock notch andhold the hammer, the slide runs" forward, to clear the disconnectorwhich is kept from rising by contact with the bottom of thesear, then, when the trigger is released, the disconnector movesclear of the sear and rises; this last movement places a lug of theAbove, with slide retracted, the HK-4 displays itsforward guide rails. Another pair of guide railsare located toward the rear of the frame/slide unit.Below, the HK-4's hammer is shown in the firedposition. Note the lightening cut in hammer body.disconnector in position to disengage the sear when the triggeris pulled and allows the next shot to be fired, in SA fashion. Mechanically,the system is simple, but timing and parts tolerancesare critical to reliability. Parts appear to be finely made, durable,and long-lived, so reliability is excellent.The slide stop is a long, complex lever pivoted to the framenear its rear. The very rear engages a shoulder in the slide. Thestop will normally engage the slide when the trigger is forward,unless there is a magazine in place containing at least one cartridge.When the trigger is rearward, though, a lug on the drawbarcams the stop aside so it cannot engage the slide. Thus, pull:ing the trigger diseng es the stop, which permits trigger controlof slide position and 1 a o prevents slide engagement during fuing.Then, however, when the last cartridge is fired (or the magazineis empty for any other reason) the stop is forced to engage(Continued on page 68)AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

The VP-70 is caught'in stop-action at the end of a 3 shot full auto burst.By GEORGE C. MONTEseveral years ago H&K introduced a new and unusual "machinepistol," which is the European designation for whatwe call a "submachine gun," identified as the VP-70.1 shot thisgun and found it quite interesting from several points of view.The VP-70 was (is) a conventional-appearing, 9mm Parabellumpistol, double-action only, with an unlocked breech and adetachable, plastic shoulder stock which doubled as a beltholster. Most unique was its selective-fire capability, as a pistol,without the stock, it functioned as any autoloading (semi-auto)pistol. However, when the stock was installed, a finger on thestock entered a small hole in the frame and activated a burstlimited,full-automatic mechanism. Then, with the shoulderstock, installed, the VP-70 became a full-auto weapon firing atthe phenomenal cyclic rate of about 2200 rounds per minute!However, bursts of fire could not exceed five (or three, optionally)rounds, as the burst-limiting mechanism took effect.The unusually high cyclic rate sounds as if gun control wouldbe difficult, but that isn't true. The three-to-five round burst limitprevents the excessive cumulative jump and recoil associatedwith long bursts; there is significant vertical dispersion due tojump, but it is not sufficient to lift bullets of a given burst off aman-size target at normal SMG ranges. It is a most interestingsystem.Since then, H&K has developed a pure, autoloading pistolvariation of the VP-70. It looks and functions exactly as the machinepistol except that it lacks the stock attachment feature andis made without the full-auto and burst-limiting mechanism.Further, to be acceptable to US. authorities, it is made intemallyso that the VP-70 or similar full-auto mechanism cannot*a practical, economic matter-be installed.Essentially, the VP-70 pistol shares the sheet-steel design andconstruction features of the P9S, along with extensive use ofhigh-impact-strength plastics. It is of unlocked-breech (blowback)type, with quite lightweight recoiling parts, a tubular slideand recoil spring surrounding the barrel. Sights are fixed and oflow profile, the striker firing mechanism is enclosed, and theoverall finish (plastic grips and guard included) is a fairly roughmatte black, with the exception of H&K name plates set into theAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

slide walls. The butt contains a conventional sheet-metal boxmagazine for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, and is secured bya spring-loaded fore-and-aft catch at the rear. A pushbuttonsafety, similar to that found on many repeating shotguns, is locatedlow behind the trigger. The dismounting latch is in theframe, above the front of the trigger, and is pulled down to allowslide removal; this catch greatly resembles that of the AstraConstable pistol.The lockwork and trigger are most unusual in that firing is bydouble-action only, the striker always returning to the rest positionafter each shot. There is no provision whatever for deliberatecocked and aimed fire-the only autoloader manufacturedin many years with this feature. The trigger proper is not pivotedas on all other DA autos; instead, it slides fore-and-aft in Colt/-(Continued on page 69)The VP-70 proved to be a highly accurate, if somewhatspecialized weapon. Below, the shoulder stockholster with mode selector is slipped onto the VP-70.asp'In its civilian-approved configuration the VP-70 hasstreamlined, futuristic lines. Its unique double actiononly firing system is quite functional and dependabilityhas proven to be quite good for Nonte.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

By GEORGE C. NONTEIcan recall when I first even heard of handloading-andthat's a good many years ago-therewere people around who denied that it was evenpossible (maybe they meant practical) to handloadfor autoloading pistols. Some others grudginglyadmitted that handloading might work OKfor the .45 Auto, but certainly not for smaller calibers.Of course, died-in-the-wool, experienced handloadersknew better, and so did those shooterswho really understood the functioning of autoloadingpistols. Today I don't think very manypeople question the feasibility of handloading thequick-firers. Before the 1950's, though, thereweren't any gun magazines except the AmericanRifleman, and it was available only to NRA members.Those who didn't get the Rifleman simplydidn't have any ready sources of reliable information.Misinformation and old wives' tales spreadwidely under those conditions.Then, too, more than a few fellows who had re-ti. .The lineup of popular centerfire cartridges for autopistols includes(top to bottom) .25 ACP; .32 ACP; 380 ACP; 9MM Parabellum,.38 Super and the .45 ACP. Nonte considers all of themeasy for the reloader to master for economical fun.Reloading forAutoloaders Simplified!iloaded for sixguns found that the same techniaues.methods. and tools often did not work1- awith autos. That didn't help. Imagine, if you can, a1920's handloader assembling .45 Auto ammunitionwith Lesmoke powder, unsized cases, unsizedbullets, and a very low-velocity load. Of course,the stuff wouldn't function reliably in an auto; yet,a Colt or S&W wheelgun would gobble up thesecartridges without a bobble. Then, not knowingwhy, our pistolero would simply decide it couldn'tbe done, complain bitterly to his friends, and thestory would grow. It was ever thus, in any field ofendeavor.Today, almost everyone knows that handloadingfor autoloaders-from the diminutive .25ACPright on up through the .44 Auto-Mag and various.45'sÑi not only quite practical, but simple, economical,and pleasurable. But, we also know thatit is different from loading for sixguns.The two gun types place different demandsupon ammunition, and the revolver is the farmore tolerant of the pair. If cartridges will enter asixgun's chambers, and, if, when fired the bullet isexpelled from the muzzle, the revolver will function.Within those parameters, it couldn't careless about pressure, bullet weight or shape, recoil,velocity, or anything else. The shooter's thumband trigger finger take care of the rest of the functioningdetails.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

The auto is an entirely different breedof feline. It depends first upon a certainminimum recoil impulse to provide energyfor its functioning. This recoil impulseis dependent upon bullet weight and velocity,and those factors depend uponmany other variables that must be controlledto some degree by the handloader.Then, second, the auto depends upon bulletshape and cartridge length for feeding.In addition, dented, dirty, corroded, orsloppily-assembled cartridges that mightfunction in a revolver, will usually notfeed or chamber correctly in an auto.Yet, the basic reloading operations arethe same for both types of guns; clean andinspect cases; resize and decap (usuallysimultaneously); mouth-expand, flare andreprime (also in one operation); chargewith powder; seat bullet and crimp casemouth (often simultaneously, but sometimesseparately).Beginning with once-fired cases, let'srun through the procedures as they applyto ammunition for autoloaders, noting thedifferences from other handguns.CASE CLEANING AND INSPEC-TION: Revolvers seldom, if ever, damagecases-but when ejected from anauto, they often bounce off the frame orslide, and are dented in the process.Severe dents in mouth or body are causeto set a case aside, to be salvaged later, ifpossible. Nearly all autos have a portion ofthe chamber wall cut away by the feedramp from 5 to 7 o'clock. Soft cases, highchamber pressures, or an improperlyshaped feed ramp-singly or in combination-maycause a case to bulge badly intothis unsupported area. If the bulge ismore than about .003-.005 inch high, rejectthe case or reserve it for lighter loads.Cases so bulged may look OK after resizing,but are, more often than not, crackedand seriously weakened inside. Much ofthe fired .45 and 9mm brass seen for salehas been fired in submachine guns, whichare notorious for bulging cases badly.Autos will also sometimes tear or deformcase rims, due to violent extraction;a damaged rim may prevent proper feedingand/or chambering, or may cause anextraction or ejection failure on a subsequentfiring. You don't want that.Look also for any of the usual signs of adefective case-primer leak, loose prim-er, mouth splits, etc.-which are commonto both types of guns.After inspection, clean the cases thoroughly.Autos hurl their fired brass on theground, so it is invariably gritty and dirty,and that will destroy an ordinary steel resizingdie in short order. Best results willbe obtained if cases are tumbled in rougeimpregnated,ground nut-hulls or fruit-pits-but, putting them into the tumblingmedium dirty just transfers all that grit tothe medium. It's much better to rinsethem off in hot detergentfwater mix first,then rinse them hot, and dry before tumbling.A rotating tumbler such as thosesold by J & G Rifle Ranch (Turner, Mon-

tana) seems to do the best job. After thecases are thoroughly clean and bright, defectsare easier to see. You might save inspectionuntil this point, or, simply goover them again.RESIZING: There are two ways to gohere. Ordinary, hardened-steel sizing diesdo a fine job with scrupulously clean casesthat have been properly lubricated. However,a couple dirty, gritty cases can scorethe die so all subsequent cases come outscratched or scored. A single unlubricatedcase can give you fits when it sticks in thedie and a half-hour effort is required to removeit.For these reasons, you'll be better off inthe end using a tungsten-carbide die. ItsT-C insert ring is too hard to be damagedby grit; and its slick inner surface won'thold a case immovable if not lubricated.The T-C die will cost twice as much, maybemore, than the ordinary kind, but it'svirtually impervious to abuse, and won'tshow any measurable wear, even after. handling many hundreds of thousands ofcases.If using a steel die, lubricate cases byhand-tumbling them in a large, long-nappedtowel moistened with resizing lubricantor Andy Granatelli's STP auto engine-oiladditive. STP is cheaper andusually easier to find. If using a T-C die,forget the lubrication unless you just wantto get your fingers greasy.Adjust the die so the shell-holder headbumps solidly against its mouth at the topof the ram stroke. Adjust the decappingstem so the pin protrudes through theflash hole just far enough to positivelyeject every primer. About '/a inch beyondthe case head seems to be enough. Makedamn sure the stem is straight, that it'stightly secured by its lock nut, and that thedecapping pin enters the flash hole withoutgouging the case head.Before starting, make certain the shellholderhead is clean and unburred, socase rims will enter it fully, and also so itseats fully in the ram. If the holder doesn'talign concentrically with the die cavity,you'll have problems.Resize and decap all cases. The moreyou can do in one batch, the less timeyou'll have invested, per round, in eachcompleted batch of handloads; this appliesto all operations.The load on the bottom has a bulge atthe cannelure caused by too deep of abullet seat. The top is perfect.If done in a plain-steel die, the resizedcases will be greasy and slippery. Thismakes later handling messy and difficult--but more important, it can result inprimer or powder contamination, whichmight eventually cause misfires. It's best toremove the lube traces before proceeding.A hot detergent wash will do the job. butdrying thoroughly before reprimwing canbe a problem. I prefer to tumble themagain perhaps, moistening (not wetting)the tumbling agent very slightly with anon-flammable solvent.The cases come out of the tumbler dryand ready for priming-but, better yet,the tumbling cleans the primer pockets.Most people don't feel pocket-cleaning isworthwhile, but when you get it as abonus, without extra time or effort, it certainlyshouldn't be ignored. As an alternative,remove lubricant by hand-tumblingcases in a towel moistened with solvent.They'll be dry and grease-free quickly.Though not really necessary, you mightwant to check case length of .380,9mm,and .45 brass to insure consistent headspacing.Use a case gauge or the pistolchamber for this.PRIMING: This is next, and can bedone on the loading press at the sametime as mouth expansion. That is satisfactory,even traditional, and certainly thefastest method. However, I find more uniformprimer-seating is obtained when thejob is done separately on a bench-typepriming tool. If one uses the new, semiautomatic,RCBS tool, very little extratime is required. It's easy to prime nearly1000 cases in an hour. Feel primers to thebottom of the pocket, without deformingthe cup. If a primer is deformed, its ignitioncharacteristics are altered, sopunch it out (carefully! I once blew a holean inch deep in a table top by being carelessin this operation) and reprime thecase.If repriming on the loading press, beeven more caeful-the greater leveragemakes it awfully easy to mess up a primer.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

Factory cannelure (top) and homemade can- Case damage due to excessive Typical case mouth and body damage asnelure (bottom) are the best way to keep pressure is reflected by the broken caused by the rough firing and ejection patbulletsfrom receding into the cases. rim & blown primer cup seen here. - - terns of certain number of the autoloaders.Also, the design of most swinging-armpriming setups makes it pretty easy to seata primer cocked, or to peel one edge of iton the case head.MOUTH EXPANSION: Up to now,what we've covered applies equally tocases intended for revolvers and autos.Mouth (neck, to some) expansion reallyshould be done differently for autos. Duringfeeding, the bullet strikes hard againstthe feed ramp (sometimes also against thebarrel tang or chamber wall) and can bedriven deeper into the case. This may alsooccur in the magazine due to recoilforces. From either cause, a receded bulletcauses feeding problems and may bevery inaccurate.To insure bullet stability, the casemouth should first be very tight upon thebullet; second, expansion should extendinto the case only to a little bit less, say '132-inch less, than the depth to which the bulletwill be seated. This leaves a shallowinternal shoulder in the case, which supportsthe bullet against recession. By stoppingmouth expansion just a bit short ofseating depth, the bullet base does thefinal forming of the shoulder as it is seated;thus the bullet is certain to be solidlyagainst said shoulder.To accomplish this, most expanderplugs must be altered. To do this, first runa plug into a case until its conical portionproduces the correct amount of mouthflare. This is the amount of flare requiredto allow a bullet to just barely be fingerstartedin the case. If a square-base bulletenters more than about '/3~-inch, themouth is flared more than necessary.Next, measure down from the case mouththe distance the bullet will be seated intothe case, less '/m-inch. Below this point, reduceplug diameter enough so that itdoesn't touch the inside of the case. Jointhe reduced portion to rest by roughly a45degree angle. This is best accomplishedon a lathe with a toolpost grinder,ibut you can do it, albeit laboriously, bykhand. with abrasive cloth and stones.Note that to do this right, an altered expanderplug is suitable for only one bulletseatingdepth. This means, that to someextent, you'll need to prepare different expanderplugs for different bullets. Theplugs will never wear out* a practicalmatter-though, so it's worth the effort.Expander-plug diameter (working portion)is also important. For hard lead bullets,it should be (in my experience) about.003-.004 inch less than bullet diameter,for jacketed bullets it can be up to .006-inch less, the more the better, so long asthe force needed, to seat the bullet doesnot damage the bullet nose or change itsshape. Remember the object of all this isto give the case as tight a grip as possibleon the bullet. This is not onlv a kev to re-liable feeding, but heavy, consistent, bullet-pullimproves ignition and combustionof the propellant, and, consequently, willgive better accuracy. Greater velocity,also, other factors being equal. You mayencounter an occasional batch of brasswith unusually thin mouth walls. After resizing,the inside diameter of the mouthmay be greater than the diameter of theexpander plug. Unless re-sized in undersizedies (available from RCBS), suchcases can 't hold bullets tightly enough.However, assuming they are tight enoughto keep the bullet in place during normalhandling, they can be modified to preventbullet recession. This consists of rolling acannelure into the case to support the bulletbase. Both C-H and Corbii make excellentcanneluring took I've used foryears. Just don't overdo it and make thecannelure too deep; about ,005-inch protrusioninside the case is plenty. Moremerely weakens the case. Adjust cannelurelocation so that the bullet base isforced tightly against the internal shoulder,;"p-"

These examples of feed ramp bulgeare usually severe. Such cases areweakened and should be discarded.better, so why deburr? I haven't deburreda case for an autoloader in years.POWDER CHARGE: Autoloadercases have all been developed for smokelesspowder, thus have (generally) far lessvolume for their caliber than revolvercases dating from the black-powder era.Thus, the auto cases are loaded to higherdensity and make more efficient use ofless powder. Compare typical 9mm Parabellumand .38 Special loads: The .38uses 7.1 grains of Hercules Unique todrive a 115-grain bullet at 1140 fps; the9mm uses 6.0 grains of the same powderto drive the same bullet at 1140 fps at considerablyhigher pressures (CUP). The .38was designed for black powder, the 9mmfor smokeless; the latter uses powdermore efficiently at higher pressures. As apractical matter, one needs only a singlepowder for all autoloader cartridges, exceptthe bottom and top numbers-the.25 ACP and .44 Auto-Mag. The .32 ACP,.380 ACP, 9mm Parabellurn, .38 SuperAuto, and .45 ACP may be loaded to bothhieh and low velocity levels auite effici&tlywith Unique. ~kllse~e is a bit morePowder charges may be easily economical-by 15-25%-but generallychecked by the eye when they are produces higher pressures for a given velinedup in 50-round loading blocks. locity level, and is not entirely satisfactoryfor top loads in the 9mm and larger cases.Little can be said about charging caseswith powder. It must be done carefullyand accurately. I prefer to work with 50-hole loading blocks, using an old Pacific"Pistol Measure" with its interchangeable,fixed-charge drum, which cannot vary andnever needs adjustment. Just install thedrum for the charge desired and go towork. Charges should be inspected visuallywith great care. The short length ofautoloader cases makes this easy, evenwith small charges. Take care to avoidpowder spillage during handling. This isespecially true of light-bulletlhigh-velocityloads where the charge fills the caseand is then compressed in seating the bullet.Care and attention are essential watchwords.Of course, there are numerous otherpowders quite suitable for autoloader cartridges.Though Unique is my favorite andpredominates in most loading data tables,they do list others. Probably the most extensivedata for other powders is found inthe current Speer handbook.SEATING BULLETS: The final operationis assembling a first-class handloadfor any autoloading pistol-and onewhich can be exceedingly important to the

functioning of any such gun.Selection of the bullet comes first. A revolverwill work with almost anythingstuffed into the case-but length andshape decide whether an auto will feed reliably.And a single-shot .45 or 9mm is apoor gun to have in hand when the balloongoes up and the blue whistlers comeyour way. Without an extensive engineeringanalysis of the dynamics involved, ithas always seemed to me that good feedingresulted if the bullet nose struck thefeed ramp so as to be deflected upwardthe same as the standard ball round, regardlessof specific bullet shape or overallcartridge length. Therefore, if a particularbullet of reasonable shape and weightgives feeding trouble, a slight variation inseating depth may well cure the problem.Anyway, we don3 recommend any shapesother than round-nose, truncated-cone,and the moderate semi-wadcutter withplenty of taper to the nose. Almost anygood gun will feed those shapes so long asthe bullet is not so light and short as tomake the loaded cartridge more than10-15% under standard length.As already mentioned, tightness andstability of bullet/case assembly is very important.Toward thisend, bullets shouldbe seated rather deeply into the case, formaximum contact area. With long, heavybullets, this presents no problem. Withlighter bullets (especially the 90-grain inthe .38 Super) it does. Bullets should beone caliber deep in the case, with the possibleexception of the .45 Auto; its largediameter produces lots of contact area,with relatively shallow seating depth. By"one caliber", we mean the bullet shouldenter the case a distance equal to its owndiameter.As a practical matter, I believe the followingare the minimum weights (thereforelengths) which may be dependedupon for reliable functioning in differentcalibers: .32,60-grains; .380,80-gr; 9mmP, 90-gr; .38 Super, 1 log; .45, 185-gr.Bullets any lighter would have too littlebearing surface for either good accuracyor proper assembly-unless provided withlarge nose and/or base cavities whichwould increase their lengths. Bullets longerthan normal present no problems exceptin that seating them to proper cartridgelength reduces powder capacitywithin the case and so considerably limitsthe velocities to which they may be driven.Long bullets may also bulge the casewhere its base runs into the thicker portionof the tapered case walls.In any event, our choices of bullets fordifferent uses are shown in the load datatables.As soon as cases have been charged andinspected, bullets should be hand-startedin them. This eliminated possiblespillage or contamination. When startingbullets, align them as nearly as possiblewith the case. The shorter the bullet, themore important this becomes; dies don'tstraighten short bullets during seatingnearly as well as long ones. A cocked bulletsimply cannot shoot to the normal centerof impact.Except in .25 and .32 caliber, seat-.crimp dies should be of the taper-crimptype. Bullets~especially jacketed onescanbe seated and crimped in a single operation,but I much prefer doing the twoseparately, with separate dies.To do this, screw the die into the pressand lock it so the shell holder lacks about'/16-inch touching the die when fully up.Then, adjust the seating screw or plungerso that the bullet is forced into the case tothe proper depth. There should be noshaving or gouging of the bullet by thecase mouth if it has been sufficientlyflared in preparation. While hard cast bulletsare rather tolerant of seating-stem fit,modern, high-performance, jacketed bul-lets-especially hollow-points-are not.Unless the cavity in the end of the stemfits the bullet nose perfectly, it may be deformedby seating pressure. I've seen hollow-pointsalmost completely closed byimproperly-shaped seating stems.If your stem doesn't fit, degrease thecavity in the tip, place a small dab of fiveminuteepoxy therein; then press the oilednose of the bullet into the epoxy until itsets up. When cured, trim off any excessepoxy and you'll have a perfect fit-even ateat entering the hollow point to keep itfrom collapsing. Remember, though, thiswon't work with the pear-shaped cavity inSierra JHC bullets. If altering a stem forthem, fill the nose cavity with modelingclay first, or the job will be ruined.You should be able to feel the changingresistance as the bullet is first forced pastthe mouth flare, then through the expandedportion, and finally, as its basemeets that internal shoulder and imbedsitself therein.Once this is done, crimping comes up.Actually, we aren't talking aboutthe typeof heavy, roll crimp used on revolver ammunition.All we need do here is removethe mouth flare and close the case in tightlyon the bullet. Whether using a separatetaper-crimp die or a seat-crimp combination,adjust it so that the mouth issqueezed in upon the bullet about.010-.015-inch. To establish this, measurethe diameter of the case (with bulletseated, but no crimp) about '1s-inch backfrom the mouth. Then adjust the die toproduce a case diameter right at themouth of about .010-,015-inch less. Thisleaves the case mouth nice and square, soit will seat solidly on the headspacingshoulder at the front of the chamber (ex-(Continued on page 69)Bullet nose distortion and excessivecase bulge cause many malfunctions.Slide face impressions on the casehead are quite common occurence.Properly seated primer shows nodistortion at all and is seated well.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

Can the Much-Demeaned.38 Spl. Measure Up OnNature 's Proving Ground?By STEPHEN W. 'COMERne of the most often used terms in the gun writ-0 er's vocabulary is that of the trail gun. In thiswriter's years of reading and writing about guns, hehas seen this term stuck on every type of firearmfrom a .177 caliber pellet rifle to a 12-gauge shotgun.In grandeur and over-use, the term "trail gun" mustrank right at the head of the list with such phrases as"magnum" and "knockdown punch".But perhaps where this concept of the trail gun ismost often used (abused?) is when a writer is talkingabout handguns. If there were a gun writer's guidebookever written, we would wager that the first rulewould read something like this: "When writing of apistol which has neither impressed nor angered one,it is often useful to say that said gun would [wouldnot] make an excellent trail gun.'' In a professionwhere one is often paid by the number of words hecan convince the editor are worth printing, the

that one takes on a camping trip or hike,.or a pistol one sticks in a tackle box for afishing trip. A trail gun is a pistol that hasto be versatile in order to be there whenyou need it, and yet capable of doing thejob required of it. In addition to versatility,the trail gun must also meet certainrather restrictive standards.The first of these is weight. A trail gunmust be light weight if it is to be carriedwhen other guns are left behind. In a recentarticle on big bore trail guns, one authorsuggested a trail gun should weigh nomore than forty ounces. It is a matter ofpersonal preference, but it is hard for thiswriter to see why he chose such a limit.The big Smith and 'Wesson .44 magnumonly weighs 48 ounces. The difference of8 ounces when one is carrying a threepoundgun around is moot. Therefore, itis our belief that the trail gun should be iislight as physically possibl~while still meet-$ ing the other criteria of power and accu-EveThe matter of power is also hard to determineprecisely. As stated before, a trailgun is not the gun one would pick as a primawweapon to go deer hunting with.~urin~ the.relatively few short weeks ofdeer season, it would be far more logicalto carry any of the magnum handguns, orphrase "trail gun" has probably garnishedenough funds to enable it to retire in PalmSprings for eternity.Unfortunately, gun writers nor theirphrases seldom retire. Perhaps more unfortunateis the fact that this writer is goingto examine the term "trail gun" oncemore. But rather than simply state that webelieve the .38 special to be the perfecttrail gun, we are going to present a casefor the .38 special which we think willhelp "demystify" the concept itself.What is a trail gun? Well, it is obviouslya hunting firearm. But so is a Smith &Wesson Model 29, or a Winchester Model94 or a Remington 870. However, wewould suspect that few would classify anyof these guns primarily for trail use.From the term itself, one would assumethat the trail gun is a gun that one woulduse in the out-of-doors. It is most often referredto as a gun that one can easily carryor have close at hand, even while engagingin another activity. For this reason, we areinclined to agree that the trail gun shouldbe a pistol. Only a pistol can be handy atall times with a minimum amount of effortexpended in carrying and storing it.A trail gun is a firearm that you carrywhen you just want a gun by your side,whether you're actually hunting or simplytaking a walk in the woods. It is a pistolThe trail gun in a well-designedholster can be carried all daywith no fuss or bother, assuringit will be there when needed.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

Jroup fired offhand from 25 yards using a two-hand hold demonstratds, the excellent trail-use accuracy obtainable with the Colt Diamohdback.before, most of the shooting done with atrail gun will be at small game and varmints.Though we probably all have readof instances in which a .22 long rifle hastaken large game, even some of the dangerousAfrican species, the question is gettingenough power to do the job intended.In our opinion, the .22 long rifle, in alightweight pistol, does not have sufficientpower. Even out of a six-inch barrel,the .22 long rifle high velocity round developsonly 112 foot-pounds of energy atthe muzzle. Put another way, the .22 longrifle develops aboilt the same energy froma short pistol barrel as the .22 short developsfrom a rifle barrel. In our opinion, itcannot be relied upon, especially whentaking the larger varmints such as thewoodchuck and fox.The .22 magnum rimfire is a much betterchoice. In fact, with the excellent kitguns made by Smith & Wesson arid HighStandard in .22 magnum caliber, and withthe excellent single action versions marketedby Ruger and Colt, we were at firstinclined to choose this load as the perfectcompromise for trail lise. However, afterpurchasing two boxes of this mighty miteat slightly over $3.00 a box, we began tolook around for a smaller load in centerfirethat could be reloaded for less money.The k wer was the .38 special. Here isa cartridge that is available in a multitudeof lightweight handguns. And, since it isthe standard load for the majority ofAmerican police forces, reloading componentswere varied and plentiful. Most iifaportantly,even in the short-barreled models,energy figures were much better thaneven a short carbine, and sacrifice a bit ofcomfort for the extra margin of power andaccuracy which these guns would provide.In other words, a trail gun should be a versatiletool, rather than a weapon aimedtoward a particular function such as biggame hunting.However, it would be comforting toknow that the trail gun one was carryingwas capable of taking medium sized gamein an emergency situation, since, by definition,the trail gun would be the gun mostlikely carried on hiking trips, fishing trips,and such occasions where survival situationsmight arise.But the primary purpose of the trail gunwill most often be generalized: plinking,potting small game, taking an occasionalwoodchuck or other varmint, with maybean occasional opportunity to eliminate apesky rattler or cottonmouth. Thus, thegun's power requirements are not reallythat high.Finally, the trail gun has to be accurate.It has to be capable of putting that squirrelor rabbit in the pot. And perhapsequally important, it has to be cheapenough to feed so that its user will be encouragedto shoot it often enough in orderto learn to shoot it well.If one takes some time and looks over56these criteria of weight, power and accuracy,then it becomes obvious that a compromisehas to be reached. Obviously,more power and accuracy can be obtainedfrom a rifle than from a pistol. Equally obviousis the fact that no rifle can match thepistol for its portability and light weight. Itis this author's opinion that the best compromiseis to found in the .38 special cartridgeand the guns chambered for it.Concerning weight, there are a numberof fine pistols that fill the bill. Any of thelight-framed revolvers with barrels of 4"or less suit the requirements of a trail gun.Using a snub-nosed .38 as a trail gun hasan added bonus for those who must sometimescarry a weapon in their work, or forthose who keep a pistol around the housefor personal defense. By carrying andshooting the pistol in the field, one cangain valuable experience in marksmanshipand handling that could pay high dividendsin a more serious social situation.It is often hard to make time for themuch-needed practice with a defense pistol.Carrying the pistol with you into thefield in a painless and enjoyable way to obtainthe necessary practice.Power is perhaps the crucial elementthat led us to the conclusion that the .38special is the perfect trail gun. As statedTypical seven-yard pattern firedfrom a Diamondback demonstratesadequate grouping to bag smallgame in an emergency situation.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

Some loads author found adequate for trail use (left to right): SpeerShot cartridge; Remington 158 g. LRN; 150 g. JHP handload and 6.5 g. of after the leaves the otherUnique; 140 g. Cast SWC ahead of 11.5 g. 2400; Remington 125 g. JHP (+ P). start One these ismomentum. Whereas the lighter bulleteven the .22 magnum. Thus we turnedour attention to developing the optimumload for our trail gun.There are a number of lightweight, medium-boreautomatics on the market thatcould qualify as a trail pistol. Some excellentexamples are the lightweight ColtCommander in .38 Super or 9mm, or theSmith & Wesson Model 39 in 9mm. However,the automatic sacrifices an essentialelement that makes it an inferior trail gun:it lacks versatility concerning the ammunitionit will digest. Kept within rathernarrow pressure and impulse limits, theautomatic will function well. But the keyconcept of the trail gun is versatility. Withreloading, the .38 special revolver becomesthe king.The standard factory loading for the .38special is a 158-grain romd-nose bulletwhich the factory lists at 855 feet-per-secondfrom a six-inch barrel for a muzzle energyof 256 foot-pounds. This same loadusually clocks out of a two-inch tube atsomewhere around 600 fps with an accompanying126 ft.-lbs. of energy. This isthe same round that has received suchraves in the gun press over the past fewyears as the greatest deterrent to policebrutality since the Miranda decision. Un-fortunately, the police officer using theload isn't always so lucky. But even thispuny loading out of the snub-nosed barrelclosely matches the .22 long rifle out of arifle barrel. And since it is .36 caliberwhen it leaves the barrel, it doesn't have towaste energy expanding to a potent profile.Used at the short ranges necessary forreliably bagging small game, its parabolictrajectory is of no serious consequence.We have found this load to be excellenton rabbits, squirrels and bullfrogs.Since we are interested in savingmoney, you can use the lightweight jacketedbullets to make up your own highperformance type loads. Cost per box of50 will still show some improvement overthe .22 magnum rimfire, and, of course,energy figures will be greater.However, there is a fly in the ointmentAs usual, in life as well as in ballistics, youdon't get something for nothing. Withoutgetting into physics, suffice to say thatwill indeed yield phenomenal energylevels at short ranges, as the range increases,that yield deteriorates rapidly.The same factor which contributed to itsshort range energy produces the rapid de-terioration of that energy-lack of mass.Practically speaking, this means that aheavy bullet will retain its velocity over agreater period of time than a light bullet.And, since a trail gun will be used at longerranges, the lightweight bullets may notbe the best choice. Again, it is a personalprerogative. You decide what you wantfrom a cartridge, and then you take yourchoice. Since we enjoy plinking at extendedranges, we have found the 140-grain bullets to be the best weight compromise.Here also you can now use jacketed bullets.However, since the short-barreledweapons are the usually lightest, andtherefore the most appealing as a trailgun, velocities are not going to run highenough to really take advantage of thejacketed bullet design. Our favorite load(Continued on page 66)Expansion tests in soft-packedsand (I. to r.): 158 g.. LRN;150 g. JHP handload; 140 g. SWChandload (best penetration, andlarge wound channel): 125 g. JHP.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

making the improvements that our classhad demonstrated should be made. As aresult, I have not attempted to break upthe training sessions into what would ordinarilyconstitute Basic, Familiarization,Advanced, Elementary, Special Tactics,Special Tutorial and similar normal designations.I will discuss and possibly showall of the potential instruction and coursesof fire without further comment.From the classroom we drove west pastthe barn, turned abruptly north at thecamping area and moved down across thewide slope of the hill beneath which theSquare lies. The Square is an intriguinglayout that is deceptive in its simplicity.Each side of the Square is 25 yards, insidemeasurements. The north and south wallsare 10 feet high and each contains twosteel 16" discs welded on the top to a 1"steel bar, thus enabling the discs to swingwhen struck by a bullet. The west side hasa low dirt backstop, then behind that afour foot wide channel to take the rails forthe moving targets and behind this a 10foot high dirt backstop. The east end isopen to permit 60 yard firing. The groundis hard packed fine gravel. This is an excellentchoice and proved to be the finestsurface I have ever shot on. Because all ofus fired Colt .45 ACP pistols we were constantlypicking up fired brass that was alwaysvisible on the ground. We could runand turn and move and stop easily on thissurface.The first thing Jeff teaches students isthe four part draw. Once they have masteredthis they move into turns from rightto left, left to right, front to rear. They aretaught to watch the front sight The frontsight is the key to hitting which brings usto the Weaver stance with its two handedhold. All these things are blended togetherso that within a short time the student canturn, go into the Weaver stance, fire andhit without thinking. Before long the studentis drawing, turning and hitting thetwo steel plates on the right wall, swingingand hitting a target on the west end andagain turning to the left to ring both steeldiscs on the south wall. And it's not yetlunch time the first day!Speed is secondary at this time.Smoothness and confidence are far moreimportant. Then comes reloading the pistolwith Cooper pounding a few specificfacts into everyone's head. Then we getinto turning, firing, reloading, firing,dumping the magazine, reloading, firing,stop and holster. It is constant basic repe-

Stand with toe touching the 2x4. . . Run forward, pick up can . . .tition tied in with the combining of certainmovements so that the course of fire isbeing handled with complete confidenceon the part of the student without his realizinghow far he has come in such a shorttime.Obviously, some people take longer tograsp specific details than others. Cooperworks constantly with individuals whoneed help. When the student needs help,he gets it, so that he can continue advancingthrough the courses of fire.Every now and then Cooper will call aCome around a corner and "oops". . . this gentleman can appear ordisappear, and there is anothertarget immedia' y behind him.break and lay down certain instructions,one of which is that a bolstered handgun isSAFE! No one walks around anywherecarrying a handgun in his hand. The handgunis in the holster. Further, every handgunis loaded, and the spare clips are keptloaded. Anyone caught with a slide backand empty magazine buys the beer. Twiceand it's a bottle of whiskey. Men are repeatedlyreloading, checking magazinesand learn that it is better to fire two orthree shots and dump the magazine andreload than to be caught with an emptyhandgun.As fast as the students grasp the newproblem they go on to more difficult problems.Cooper believes in problems as wellas demonstrations and repetition. Finallyalong around the afternoon of the secondday we had moving targets.Jeff set up the moving targets on smalltrolleys that move left to right, right to leftfrom any point on the firing line. Power isgenerated by a portable gasoline generatorand the target movement is controlledby a highly sophisticated control panelthat can make the targets start, stop,change direction or move slow or fast. Tofurther complicate the situation for students,there are two of these small trolleysthat can move in opposite directions atthe same time. One course of fire requiresthe student to face the targets. As soon ashe sees, out of the corner of his eye, thatthe target has started, he draws and turns,fires one shot on each of the steel discs onthe north side of the Square, dumps hismagazine, slams in a new one and thenplaces a single shot in the middle of themoving target that is usually nearly out ofsight by this time. There are unlimitedvariations on this theme.Breaks are frequent so that the pressuredoes not build up too rapidly or for toolong. On the east end of the south wall,Jeff built a covered room that permits thestudents to leave jackets, extra ammunition,cleaning gear and similar items onshelves that run around the entire areaand also down the middle. This brings themen in out of the sun and is ideal for ashort talk or discussion of some importantdetail.The change of pace is excellent psychologyon Jeffs part. After a particular gruelingsession of reloading, moving targets,turns, etc., Jeff will lecture about firingwith one hand, especially the weak hand,and how to reload and how to fire fromthe kneeling or prone position. Most ofthe firing is done from less than 15 yards.Up to this point we may consider the firingas a preliminary exercise-a trainingprogram so to speak-to prepare the studentfor the practical application of allthat he has learned so far. Obviously, it isimpossible in such a short evaluation ofthe school to dwell on all of the detailsthat go into preparing the student for whatis yet to come. Bear in mind that not allthe students will pass through all the variousfiring courses discussed or shown.Some may merely wish a very basiccourse. In any event, those who do continueon through the whole series ofcourses of fire are then theoretically preparedfor the Fun House. They will haveproven that they could master the fundamentalsof true defensive shooting. Noneof the preceding courses of fire are "seekout and destroy." They are strictly defensiveto teach the student how best to protecthimself from attack by others.The Fun House lies in a shallow excavationabout 100 feet square with the eastand south walls butting one another on thesoutheast corner. The north side of theconcrete wall extends a short distance butAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

Set can un top of steel rod, draw. . .Fire two on righi target, reload . . . Fire two on left target.does not close off the north end of the onestory building. The west side is open andthe bulldozed dirt acts as a backstop. Thebuilding is roofed and has skylights fittedinto the roofing. These skylights combinewith the open west side to allow considerablelight to enter the interior of the building.There is a substantial roof overhang.The entrance door is on the south side.Inside there is corridor extending thefull length of the building on the east sidewith doors opening off to the left. Thesedoors may be open or closed. There aresmall rooms built into dividing walls. Allwalls are concrete blocks. All target backingareas are sheeted with steel plate andcovered with plywood to prevent backsplash.As a student opens the door and entershe stands within a narrow 15 foot long hallconstructed of concrete blocks. He faces ablank concrete block wall. It is obviousthat a corridor opens off to the left. Hecannot anticipate what he will see when heturns the corner. If there is nothing insight he can proceed down the new corridorand turn to face the doorway on hisleft which is just part way down. Fromhere he can look into a large room openingout onto the dirt backstop. Rememberthat the west side of the building is open.From the doorway in which he stands hecan see many rooms, halls, openings all ofwhich may or may not contain a felon target.Other targets are once again the steel16" discs hanging from 1" rods set intowood supports or even tires.On his left as he enters this room is astairway that goes up steeply to the roof.Part of his training will involve runningrapidly up the stairway, turning, raisingthe trap door with his left hand and immediatelyfiring with his right hand at a targetthat is falling to the roof. Because the targetremains upright only two seconds afterthe trap door is moved, and because thetarget falls towards the student, time andaccuracy are of the essence. The studentmust then move rapidly onto the roof andsurvey the area around him, including theroof and the areas immediately adjacentto the roof. If no targets are visible he thenruns down the roof towards the target thathe hit, again surveys the entire area, firesat any visible targets, holsters his handgun,jumps from the roof to the ground(Continued on page 63)Cooper has set up the fallingtarget for the next man, and istelling the student to "watchyour step as you come around."AMERICAN HANDGUNNER

AMT'S HARDBALLERY E FINE AUTO PISTOL(Continued from pageparts. This recoil spring guide was a Loltpart. The lower part of the front of theslide had repeatedly come into contactviolently with the flange on the springguide to stop the rearward slide travel.The flange of the spring guide waspeened. The area of the slide that it contactedwas barely shiny. The spring guidewould have endured another 1200 roundsof abuse but I replaced it with one ofBehlert's recoil buffers. No wear was visibleon any other part of the gun; in factthe frame rails weren't even polishedbright. The Hardballer appearedmto haveretained all original dimensions and hadnot loosened inany area."Hot Loading" the .45 for a steady dietusually results in a minimum of the gunloosening up to the point that it soundslike a tin can with about 10 pebbles in itwhen you shake it. Frames and slidessometimes batter and/or crack. I've doneit to other .45s with a lot less rounds thanthe Hardballer withstood. During the earlydevelopment of Super Vel ammunition IYou can depend on getting top quality whenyou ask for Pacific Dies.Our "no shortcut" policy in making eachDurachrome Die body starts with a piece ofsolid steel, which is then bored and reamedto precise internal dimensions, hardened toprevent wear and any dimensional change,ever. This insures exact case resizing, uniformneck expansion and accurate bulletseating ... round after round ... for life!Each Durachrome Die features:0 SPLIT LOCK RING ... Set screw uniformlytightens entire steel lock ring.Will not mar die threads like old style.0 STRONGER SPINDLE... 1 -piece ex-1 pander spindle is designed to providement2-piece design. DURACHROME FINISH...Durachromeis the same extremely hard industrialfinish used in racing engine cylindersand shotgun bores. It will never chip,rust, flake or peel.-Pacific Durachrome1 Dies are available forI in 7 Do~ular calibers.Div Of -adyr. Price!availatwent through four G.I. .45s in threemonths trying to design a .45 bullet thatwould reliably expand. The slides of G.I..45s made prior to 1945 (I think) arenotoriously soft and are prone to excessiveloosening (commercial Colt slides are OKthough) after extensive firing.My experience leads me to believe that.45s will last a lot longer if fed a steadydiet of commercial loads, commercialequivalent handloads or lighter, than theywill if fired extensively with heavy handloads.I was extremely impressed by theHardballer's performance in digesting theabusive loads fired through it. Frankly, Iexpected some loosening and brokenparts. No doubt about it, the Hardballer istough. How tough, no one knows as yet.Not enough experience has been attainedin a variety of guns to properly evaluatethem compared to competitive guns.Branching out on your own to improvethe performance of .45 ammo can be anextremely tricky business. Powder selectionis very important. Some powders reactvery erratically when pushed past thepoint of utilizing their optimum pressureranges. Pressures can be increaseddramatically with very little additionalpowder. The possibility of running into aweak or brittle case always exists. The rearof the case in any .45 is unsupported bychamber walls where the chamber is relievedto facilitate feeding. This area isusually the cause of initial trouble thatspells danger. If any load in any .45 show amark on the case that defines the supportedand unsupported case that load isdangerous in that particular gun. If theload is increased or the odd weak casecrops up, the case will blow out in this unsupportedarea. This usually results in: (1)Fiery gases under high pressure escapinginto the magazine well. (2) The bullet in thetop round is usually blown back into thecase. (3) The case walls can trap gases, expandand allow fire into the powder underthe bullet, igniting it and adding to theproblem. (4) If (3) does not occur usuallythe magazine follower will be ruined andgases will frequently crack or shatter thegrips. (5) The report sounds considerablylouder than normal.A considerable variation in both casethickness and hardness is considered normal.It is possible for a heavy load to beperfectly safe in some brass and blow outin other brass in the same gun. In anyevent, the normal operating stresses inducedin a .45 have already been greatlyexceeded long before this point isreached; in fact to the point where damageto the gun is likely if this type abuse iscontinued.STRAIGHT SHOOTIN'Accuracy of the Hardballer I've firedhas been exceptional. It far outperformsany GI or Commercial 1911 prior to theMK-IV that incorporates the "accurizor"collet type muzzle bushing. The MK-IVwas a considerable step in the right direc-ITOOL COMPANYDept. AH-5, P.O. Box 2048, Grand Island, Nebr. 6880162 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 0 MAY/JUNE 1977

tion in improving accuracy over the older1911 Government Models. I feel the accuracyof the Hardballers I've used is on apar with that of the MK-IV. They are bothdamn good. I feel the Hardballer gives mejust about all of the accuracy potential Ican handle.Sat down one windy day, rested againstthe front wheel of the truck and fired sixfive shot groups with various ammo. Thegun had been fired approximately 800times without being cleaned. Where I obviouslyblew a shot or two, more than onefigure will be shown. 200 grain Speer"Match" 1.503 inches. 200 grain H.P.Speer "Inspector" 3-1.039, 5-2.102 inches.7.5 grains Unique-185 SierraH.P.-4-2.338, 5-3.853 inches. 6.5Unique-230 Norma H.P.-4-,780, 5-1.338inches. 9.5-4756-185 Sierra, 4-1.200,5-1.535 inches. 9.5-4756- 190 Supervel-4-1.123.5-2.031 inches.The last two loads listed are my own. Idon't recall seeing anything approachingthat charge of 9.64756-185 in any loadingmanual. I will not recommend it. I useit only for abusive testing and occasionallyhunting. Four other .45s I shoot handle itOK but yours may not. For ordinary purposesof plinking or self defense, handloadsfrom any reliable loading manualare adequate as are factory loads. Both theSpeer and Remington hollow point loadsare good but I favor the performance ofthe Speer to the Remington bullet. Nothingthat I know of will beat the KTW factoryload for penetration.The Hardballer and Colt Gold Cupshare more than a passing resemblance.In comparing the two in actual shootingunder varied conditions including the"Combat" type shooting on informalcourses. The Hardballer safety is superiorto the Colt's and the Colt's trigger pull islighter than the Hardballers. Feel andsight picture of both guns is very similar.Running the various informal "Combat"courses combining scores and times, Iconsistently perform just a little bit betterwith the Hardballer than I do with theGold Cup. I really don't know why.I've visited the AMT (Arcadia MachineTool) plant twice. It, and the equipment init are new. Literally thousands of gunswere in various stages of manufacture.The plant and production flow seemedwell set up and obvious care was beingtaken in manufacture and assembly. Theplant is small and production is necessarilylimited by the availability of skilled employees.Quality definitely came beforeproduction from what I saw in two visits. Isuspect the Hardballers will be somewhatdifficult to obtain for awhile. B&B Sales(1 1100 Cumpston Street, No. Hollywood,CA 91601) has purchased the first 1500guns. Sanford and his employees are makinga high quality gun and obviously-methodsof manufacture will be improved inthe future; resulting in increased productionwithout a loss in quality of the prod-AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977uct. Sanford is an innovative guy, he has replica of the 1874 .50-3'14 Sharps thatideas, the people and equipment to trans- isn't far from production.form them into shootable metal for re- The Hardballer is an example of Sansearchand development. For example, a ford's innovative ideas-a superior .45few Hardballer frames will be made from crafted of superiortitanium and there just happens to be a materials.THE HANDGUN COURSEAT API'S GUNSITESCHOOL(Continued from page 61)and comes around the end of the southwestcomer of the building. Here he mayface two or three targets at any distance eitherwithin the building-sprung out byback into the building and work his waythrough the various halls, doors and openingsuntil he finally reaches the exit door.Those students who believe they havedone well and come through with theirlives abruptly realize that a man is hidingon the left side of the tree about 30 yardsfrom the exit door. If the student does notnail him instantly, the student is considereddead.Upon bolstering his handgun, JeffCooper takes over and walks the studentback through the Fun House, explainingerrors in body handling, foot handling anderrors in judgment. Each student is givena complete evaluation of his actions duringhis progress through the Fun House.Each of us went through a course twice.The first time we knew where the targetswere located. We had walked throughonce before to size up the operation. Thenwe .:ent in against a stop watch. Not a singleman cleaned the Fun House. Jeff thensent us all outside and, going back into theFun House with his staff and a couple ofcarpenters, the entire set up was altered inabout 20 minutes.The Fun House was cleared, checkedhidden springs while he was on the rooforunder the edge of the building alongthe open west side. He may then moveonce again, noses counted and Jeff calledup the first man. Instructions were simple."Go in, clean it out. You will go up thestairway to the roof. Off the roof andaround the comer and back in. You willwork against time and still try to comethrough alive. We will assume that anyfelon not solidly hit will kill you."With these cheerful admonitions, thefirst man went in. Shooting was sporadicand we on the outside knew what thatmeant Every angle, every comer, everyroom had to be checked carefully. Therewas no walking into a room and lookingaround. Then the student appeared on theroof. He did not get the falling target Hefired too hurriedly at a target way down atthe other end of the roof. Jeff stopped himon his third shot. "If you cannot hit in twoshots, you are dead. Now get going!" Hetook off on a fast run along the roof,jammed to a stop, fired once, bolsteredand jumped to the ground. We thenwaited and lived through quite a fewshots. By this time everyone was borrowingspare clips and loading existing clipswith seven cartridges.Not a single man came through the FunHouse alive. It was an entirely differentlayout from the first time through. By theend of the afternoon we were a very quiet,thoughtful group. We had learned whatno amount of range firing could havetaught us. We had learned how to enter adoor, how to size up what we could beforegoing through an opening and how to listenand catch movements out of the cornersof our eyes. I have never livedthrough anything as educational as theFun House. It will make a real defensive63

shooter out of anyone who wants to stayalive.I mentioned the Dry Wash. That is a100 yard canyon, quite deep with steepsides that meanders through one corner ofthe property close to and behind the riflebench rest. The Dry Wash is an excellentplace in which to practice with the handgunusing the Dry Wash as a walk-throughwith targets spotted in various places atodd distances. We did not use it becauseof lack of time. The reader must rememberthat we ran through and checked outnearly three weeks of intensive training inexactly six days.I wish to again repeat that we were a testclass. We were rammed through justabout all types of courses of fire that wereavailable at an accelerated rate, far fasterthan any normal class. We tested, used,fired on and evaluated all of Jeffs equipment.We benefitted greatly by this andwe had a chance to observe the imagination,thought, money, concepts and planningthat have gone into the Gunsite-Haven Training School.The story of Gunsite-Haven and its riflefacilities and training program will be runin our sister publication, Guns Magazine,because the rifle story has no place in amagazine like the Handgunner. Check theApril issue of Guns Magazinefor the rifle story.HECKLER & KOCH'S NEW P9A DOUBLE ACTION AUTO THAT'S HARD TO BEATout of their recesses in the barrel extension;as they clear those recesses, the bolthead is no longer held against the barrelbreech, and the slide has gained sufficientmomentum to travel fully rearward, carryingthe bolt head with it. At that point,functioning has become conventional andthe fired case is extracted and ejected.The delay created by the cam surfacesand rollers permits the bullet to leave thebarrel and chamberlbore pressures todrop to a safe level before the bolt headmoves away from the breech. In onesense, then, there is no positive mechanicallocking, only a delayed opening. Thesystem might well be called "hesitationlock" or "delayed blowback", but for thisapplication, the effect is fully as good as apositive lock.The locking cycle is simpler. As theslide runs forward, feeding and chamberingare conventional. When the bolt headis halted by the barrel breech, there is agap between it and the breech block; theslide continues forward, driving thewedge-shaped, block extension betweenthe rollers; the rollers are forced outward(Continued from page 41)into their recesses in the barrel extension;as the slide is halted by the breech blockstriking the rear of the bolt head, the rollersare fully seated, and locking is comnlete..This system might sound as if manualunlocking and opening would present aproblem; it doesn't. The slide is free to bepulled back, even though the bolt head islocked to the fixed barrel; that movementdraws the locking finger out from betweenthe rollers, freeing them to be cammed inwardby their own recesses as rearwardpull is applied by the slide to the bolthead. If anything, this system is easier tounlock manually than most others.Firing is by a conventional, pivotedhammer striking the head of the firingpin; though the hammer is fully coveredby the slide, an unusual feature in a bigboreauto. Differing from all other largeDA autos, the P9S may be carried"cocked and locked" for SA first-shotcapability. Applying the safety does notdrop the hammer as in most other DAautos. Instead it rotates a segment of thesafety shaft to intercept the hammer shortITHE LEGENDARY 3JuPr"3nTimitebTe>ition ?iThe Luger was originally designed by Hugo Borchardt, a German-American, in the late 1800's; and modified by George Luger to createits supreme heft, balance and natural pointing characteristics. Borchardt'sname was dropped when Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken putthe Luger into production in 1900. The Luger enjoys phenomenalinternational recognition and "image", and is one of the most-collectedof historical sidearms.To salute the legendary Luger. Llewellyn Silversmiths, Ltd. is issuingextremelv-limited-editions of the "Parabellum" automatic oistol inprecious metals and a non-limited edition in bronze. As with our famous"Article 11" buckle, each "Parabellum" will be die-struck at least five(5) times to provide our unequalled coin-like quality. (It has beensaid ---- that - our . buckles are reallv numismatic coins vou can..wear.)It is our objective to create for you a collectors' piece. The ~lewell~n"Parabellum" buckle, because of its precious metal content and its un- ,usuallv ------ low edition-limits. should become an investment of increasingvalue.' ONLY FI~EH~NDRED AND THIRTY (530 ) -PARABELLUM~ BUCKLES IN PRECIOUS METALS WILLEVER BE PRODUCED. Five (5) in 14K gold, twenty-five (25) in gold-filled and five hundred (500) in sterlingsilver. It is our sincere desire and belief that in future years, the Llewellyn "Parabellum" will trade between individuals at avalue equal to, or surpassing that, of the most sought-after "Lugers"; the historic sidearms we are honoring.The precious metal editions will weigh over five (5) troy ounces and measure over l/g th-of-an-inch in thickness. More like an ingotthan the thin and fragile precious metal buckles most often seen at similar prices. The bronze buckle is heftier yet! At $25 for theBronze Edition, $125 for the Sterling Edition, $175 for the Gold-Filled Edition and $2000 for the 14K Gold-Edition; youcannot buy better value or quality anywhere. The craftsmanship and attention-to-detail is second-to-none. Your individuallynumbered"Parabellum" will come in a jeweler's case, postpaid, by UPS. It is guaranteed to meet your total satisfaction. You canbuv vour "Parabellum" with confidence: it is an oriainal bu Llewellun Silversmiths., ,How long will it takefor us to sell 530 precious metal "~ar~bellums"? We honestly don't know, but don't chance disappointment; order EARLY!Send check, money order. Master Charge or BankAmericard Number with your signature to: LLEWELLYN SILVERSMITHS, LTD.,Department AHG, Box 3 13, Woodbury, Connecticut 06798; Credit card telephone orders accepted. Telephone: 203-263-5544.64 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

of striking the firing pin. Because of thefiring pin's light weight and its returnspring, an inadvertent hammer blow onthe safety shaft cannot urge the firing pinforward enough to cause any harm.Safety movement is the reverse ofmost; up for "Fire", down for "Safe".While most pistoleros prefer the opposite,this one is quite easy to operate with one'sthumb without changing one's grip on thepistol. If the P9S is carried regularly thispresents no problem at all.Unique among today's autoloaders isthe P9Ss cocking and uncocking leverwhich also operates the slide stop manually.Located on the left side, the cockingleverthumbpiece protrudes forward fromthe grip behind the trigger. Pressing thelever downward, when the hammer is forward,operates through intermediate leverson the hammer strut to compress themainspring and rotate the hammer to fullcock. It does not contact the hammer directly.After the hammer is cocked, thecocking lever's spring returns it to the restposition. When the hammer is cocked,pressing the lever first compresses themainspring past full cock; at that time,the trigger should be pressed to disengagethe sear; ease the lever back up (underfull control, please) then release the triggerand let the lever return to rest. Thisuncocks the hammer and should be doneonly with the safety engaged.Pressing the cocking lever fully upward,past its rest position, will force the slidestop to engage the slide as it is drawnback; when the stop is engaged, pressingthe lever fully down will disengage it andallow the slide to run forward, leaving thehammer at full cock.The double-action lockwork is uniquein that the drawbar rotates a form ofcrank, which in turn rotates a second leverwhich compresses the mainspring by pressureon the hammer strut. At the wooer . .point in time and movement, the crankcams off the drawbar, allowing the mainspringto drive the hammer forward tofire. While this occurs, the single-actionsear is held out of the way so it will notcatch the hammer.This system provides a long, smooth,soft, DA pull of only about 8'12 pounds. Itdoes, however, make for longer than usualtrigger travel and a long trigger reach thatis a bit much for short hands.In addition to all this, there are a couplemore safety features designed into theP9S. First, there is a cocking indicator, afloating sheet-metal device that protrudesfrom a hole in the upper rear of the gripwhen the hammer is cocked. It is lightlyspring-loaded inward, behind the hammer,so that as the hammer is cocked, theindicator is pushed rearward to protrude.It is easily seen or felt. The extractor functionsas a chamber indicator in that whena round is chambered it protrudes abovethe barrel surface to be easily seen or felt.A red dot is also exposed as it rises.Stripping the P9S is pure simplicity.Magazine out, chamber empty (makecertain), safety engaged; press upward onthe barrel latch inside the trigger guard;move slide assemblv forward and lift off:invert slide, press barrel forward to clearbolt head, lift up and remove rearward;insert one prong of the barrel extensionbetween side of bolt head and slide, leftside, and press down to unlatch bolt head;slide bolt head off locking finger and liftfrom slide. Turn out two screws in rear ofgrip and slide it off to the rear. That's allthere is to it. No further disassembly isneeded for normal care, and none is recommended.For reassembly simply reverse thesteps. Slide the bolt head back in place,making certain the latch snaps home, andthe rest falls into place.Over the years we've shot the P9S quitea bit and have never encountered anytrouble. Reliability is first-rate and accuracyis above average among service-typepistols. It has performed well with bothhandloads and factory ammunition. Onediscontinued load with truncated-conebullets did give chambering difficultiesbecause the bullet bearing surface was toolong for the chamber throat; that can't bea problem now, since the load isn't avail-AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 197765

able. Of course, handloads can't be madetoo light or their recoil energy level will betoo low to cycle the gun; this is commonto all autoloaders, not just the P9S.Since the first P9S, Heckler & Kochhas introduced a target version. The differencelies in a micrometer-adjustable,rear sight; a barrel one inch longer andprotruding beyond the standard-lengthslide, and a hefty weight which clampsaround the barrel muzzle. This makes fora rather unusual appearance, but it doesimprove accuracy. 'Lacking machine-restfittings for the P9S, we've not been able todetermine precisely how much improvementexists, but there is some. Of course,the 9mm Parabellurn isn't used in paperpunchingmatches here, nor is matchgradeammunition made in that caliber.All this makes the question of a TargetP9S rather academic.Of far more importance to the US.shooter, though, is the recent introductionof the .45 ACP version for the P9S. As ofthis writing, no sample .45 is available andwe've only seen one display sample and wecouldn't take it out shooting. For all practicalpurposes, it is identical to the 9mmmodel except for a forefinger rest on thefront of the trigger guard, and it, too, willbe offered in the Target configuration.The original P9S was dimensionedaround the .45 ACP cartridge, but in sucha manner that it could be made first in9mm to exvloit the Eurovean market.From the very beginning, H&K promisedus a .45 version, but it's been over sixyears in coming.At the moment, we can't present a detailedreview of the .45 P9S, but we'll certainlydo so just as quickly as we can obtaina sample and wring it out on therange.Overall, the H&K pistols we've examined(quite a few) have shown reallyfirst-class workmanship inside and a verynice finish outside. Of course, the P9S isby no means the perfect autoloader-butit does show far more imaginative designand engineering than any other pistolwe've seen beforeor since.BUSHMASTERDEALER INQUIRIESTC7INVITED ... - .- --WORLD'S MOSTPOWERFUL HANDGUNWrite GWINN ARMS CO.for free informationP. 0. Box 16046Winston-Salem, N.C. 27105IN SEARCH OF THEPERFECT TRAIL GUN(Continued from page 30)uses a 140-grain semi-wadcutter bulletcast from a mold manufactured by LeeEngineering. Seated on top of 6.5 grainsof Hercules Unique, this load chronographsat 1052 fps out of our Colt Diamondback(29/~6" barrel). This computesto approximately 350-ft.-lbs. of energy, allat a production cost of approximately$.03 per round. And, since the bullet hasgreater mass, we feel that this load's longrange performance, both in terms of energyand stability, is quite better than thatachieved with the lighter " weight " bullets.As a point of reference, it might be interestingto point out that Al Goerg oncetook an enormous black bear with a capand ball pistol which fired a round ball developingonly 309 ft.-Ibs. of energy at themuzzle. We are not implying that this loadfor the .38 special is adequate for huntingbear. Far from it. However, Goerg's experiencedoes indicate that, in an emergencysituation, this load would be capable oftaking medium game at short range. All ofthis from a pistol that weighs approximately26 ounces fully loaded.Another aspect of power is the versatilityof loadings the .38 special revolver al-lows one to use. In addition to the variousfactory and handloaded "ball" ammunition,we usually carry two or three shotcartridges in the cylinder. We've foundthat 135 number 9's will soothe the tempermentof any ornery cottonmouth. Inaddition, we have found that our Diamondbackpatterns quite well out to six orseven yards. This varies radically frombarrel length to barrel length, and evenfrom pistol to pistol. But with a quickshot, we have been able to stop severalcottontails for the pot. Should a situationarise where a single bullet is required, it isa simple matter to swing the cylinder out.Since we follow the standard practice ofdabbing a bit of red fingernail polish onthe primers of the shot cartridges, it is aneasy enough matter to "dial" the desiredload. This versatility in loadings enhancesgreatly the trail gun concept of flexibility.Finally, there is the element of accuracy.Again, this is a matter of choice.Some people do very well with fixedsights. They are lucky enough to find aload which they feel to be adequate, andwhich shoots where they want it to shoot.We have never been so lucky. In fact, wehave never been satisfied to have merelyone load for a particular pistol. Thus, inorder to obtain any degree of accuracy, wefeel it is necessary to have 'adjustablesights. ,With the weight factor considered, weFor only $1.95 you can make a genuine teacher bag tag and key fob. Stamp your own design.Toolsand oattern sheet included. Kit comolete. Easy and fun to assemble. Tools and materials canalso be used for other projects. You'll also receive a big, 116 page, full color catalog of leathercraftgifts and ideas showing other valuable things you can make from genuine leather.Start your collection of leathercraft tools &0 Key fob Pattern and in-The Mini-Kit * Bag tagstruction sheetsincludes: 0 2 Craftools 0 HardwareNameAddress0 1 oz. bottle of 0 Practice pieceHi Litern-mnmmmmMail this coupon with a check or money order for $1.95 plub 25'postage to 2808 Shamrock, Dept.KAM9, Fort Worth, Texas 76107(Texas residents add l0c sales tax). *-City Stale ZIP, Not redeemable for cash. Cannot be used in combination with other Tandy offers. Onlyone coupon per purchase.IIAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

decided on the Colt Diamondback as the accuracy. In addition, with a solid back tol, not to hunt polar bear or elk with, butperfect trail gun. With its adjustable sights support and a sitting position, we can just to carry on those forays afield whenand 29/i6" barrel, we feel that it is superior usually keep the majority of our shots on a you have no specific objective other thanto any of the snubbies. Indeed, we have no one-gallon milk carton at 100 yards. to enjoy the out-of-doors, then give the .38trouble grouping inside of 2'/2 inches off- Again, we consider this accuracy to be special a serious look. Like us, we thinkhand at 25 yards. From a gun so light and quite adequate for a trail gun. you will like whatcompact, we find this perfectly adequate In summary, if you are looking for a pis- you see.DOUBLE ACTIONHANDGUN HUNTING AT YO(Continued from page 30)ster, the low hanging Patrolman swivelstyle which I had brought for match shootingin Wyoming and which had provenmonstrouslv bulkv and uncomfortable forhunting. Bucheimer makes great huntingholsters and great police combat holsters,and trusts the buyers to know thedifference."Oh, there's a doe for you there," Harveyreassured.me, a smile crossing his facenow. "See her? The big one, on the edgethere, by the tree. She's barren.""How can you tell?""Trust me. She's barren.""Her belly is tight . . . but so are theothers.""Axis deer are tough-bodied animals,"he replied. "The mothers don't hangeither.""Then how can you . . . ?'"Trust me. I know. She's barren. Youcan take her if you can get her.""But how do you tell?'"There's nothing you can point to. It'stheir walk, the way they carry themselves.I can't explain it, but I can see it." I unsnappedthe Dan Wesson. This would be adouble action deer. The trigger-stop screwwas Loctited into the DA only position.We circled the arroyo. It was a long,slow, rocky journey. The deer had spottedus when we'd spotted them on the otherside, and had been spooked. A roundaboutapproach had been the only oneComing up through the brush, we couldsee an open space between us and whatpasses in the desert flatlands for a hillside.In the trees near the bottom, a shapemoved. I recognized it. I should have: Ihad stared at this deer long enough whenHarvey Goff gave me my lecture on thesexual bioloev of Axis does.I remembered the fusillade I had firedat the ram. This one, I swore to myself,would be a one-shot kill.I slipped the Pacesetter out of its stiffscabbard. When the final moment hadcome with the ram, I had just locked myelbows, muckled on with a two hand hold,and let fly. This time, I settled into a propersitting position, clamping my handsaround the finger-grooved Sacramentostocks of the heavy-tubed DW.The doe lifted her head and lookedaround. I froze, watching her over thebright yellow-painted sights of the .357.Then her ears lowered, and she bent herhead to graze.-AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977Brush covered her shoulder. Her neckand head were visible, but I rejected aneck shot. The angle was too steep; therewas too much room for a miss. Behind thebrush, her lower back and hindquarterswere visible. I didn't trust a 125-grainhollowpoint to cut the brush and still doits job. The sights settled behind theshoulder. I began the slow, rollingsqueeze, the way I would have done in sittingposition on a PPC range with thesame gun loaded with wadcutter .38s.If you know a DA wheelgun, you knowthat it feeds back to your hands throughits trigger the way a Stingray does throughits steering wheel. I felt the cylinder revolve,felt the hand lock into place, andknew that the last few ounces of pressurewould drop the hammer. I focused on thesights and let my trigger finger finish it onautomatic pilot.The roar was deafening.The deer jerked violently sideways withthe impact. I could see her feet scrabblingto retain her balance. The trigger wasalready rolling back again.Then she was running, uphill, fullsteam. The yellow enamel sights trackedher, locked on the front edge of her bodythis time, and when she burst through thetiny clearing in the brush the finger hadalready taken up the slack on the triggerand finished the cycle, and the gun caughtme by surprise when it bucked andbarked. Then she was gone in the yuccatrees that lined the top of the hill.Seconds later, I stood in the open spacebetween the arroyo and the hillside, withHal on one side and Harvey on the other."The sights were on when I dropped thehammer," I said adamantly. "I knowdamn well I hit her. I threw the secondone to anchor her." Goff shook his headand unshouldered his rifle, a Remington788 in .22/250. "Looks like we'll have togo after her," he said, and there was noway to read his voice.modelHad I blown it? Had I crippled an animalto prove my own skill in double actionshooting? To give myself a story handleto write a magazine article with?"If I've crippled that deer," I swore tomyself softly, "I'll never hunt again."The doe had disappeared in the shrubberyatop the low hill. Goff, who knew thearea better, went over the top; Hal and Ispread out on the near side and beganstalking slowly forward. A couple of minuteslater, I heard the unmistakable crackof Harvey's rifle.We found the deer where Harvey'sbullet had found her. She had run straightacross the top of the knoll, into some deepbrush. Stalking up on her slow, Harveyhad seen her low-lying shape, seen herears twitch weaklv. He had laid his crosshairsbetween those ears and squeezed thetrigger.When I heard the rifle shot, I felt myheart sink. "Cripple!"I thought to myself,'and added a self-directed curse: "Goddamnyou! You never crippled an animalbefore in your life! You had to give herpain and a few minutes of agony to showoff your skill, to prove to yourself youhadn't lost it after all! Well, baby, considerit gone!"I looked down at her, shook my headand walked away. Hal and Harvey calledme back when thev started the field dressing,and pointed out the bullet wounds."Your first shot took her just above theheart," said Harvey. "The second one, theshot you took when she was running, wentthrough the front of her chest. You hit hergood." His knife slit open the abdominalvault, and from the flood of blood thatrushed out, it was clear that either a severedaorta or a massively-shocking lunghit had bled her out internally. The rear ofthe left lung had been torn completelyaway by my first bullet, and the same slughad almost sliced the diaphragm in half.The second bullet, the anchor shot Yd tak-Sales lays its reputation on theline to bring you the finest gunbelt rig thatmoney can buy. Styled traditionally Westernwith quality throughout. Contains weltconstruction, leg & hammer tie-downs, has24 bullet loops and is fully lined. For allsingle action revolvers with barrel lengthsmeasurement, of 4" to6 112".gun make, barrel length Complete Catalog $1.00 0Dealers Please Inquire nly $35.00~~AMERICAN SALES & MFG. CO.Box 677 Laredo, Texas 78040 DEPT. AH-5CASHIERS CHECK ORMONEY ORDER, PLEASE.For barrel lengths 7V2" ormore, add $2.00 extra. .

en when she ran, had torn a massivewound in her rising, running left leg, andthen ripped an equally destructive channel through the front of her chest. She'drun the hundred yards sensing theimpending human pursuit, and with thesurvival reflex that countless generationsof deer before her had instilled in hergenes. My first slug had taken her standingat a measured 45 yards, the second asshe ran flat out and straight across mypath at 50. She had been already out of itwhen her ears twitched and Harvey'sbullet drilled through her forehead.Later, I reluctantly packed my bags andleft the cabin at the Y-0. I had alreadygiven Hal back his Moran-customized Python.I took a long look at my DanWesson before I locked it into the suitcase.Double-action handgun hunting. Ithad started as a gimmick and become atest.In precision shooting on a PPC silhouette,when I know how many seconds Ihave, I'll still shoot DA to give myself asolid hold and a surprise break. But Idon't know if I'll ever shoot game doubleaction again. I think single action allowsyou to concentrate more on your sightsand less on your trigger. I got away with it,because I shoot double action more than99% of the people who read my articles,and because both the guns I used weresmoother and better tuned than 90% ofthe DA wheelguns around. On the otherhand, had I shot single action on the ram Imight have anticipated those first twoshots and jerked them. That could havemeant gutshots instead of clean misses.Double action handgun hunting. Inretrospect, with two clean kills that didn'tlook that way at first, I'm glad it workedout as well as it did. I'm glad I proved thatit could be done.But I'll think on it a lotmore before I do it again.(NOTE: For further info on the Y-0Ranch, write them at Box 200, MountainHome, Texas 78058.)JJuukIct ilcacrllilii lutest Istul remlatlons per-Iatiilnir lo iiosmwTiig, cari'yhiu, (ind ~urckislnn orhand giim fur all states $2.00.FEDERAL GUN LAWSIliiiiklrt i1111llnlii~ Idlest Keflerul luws concemlnuIllwirn~n $1 00. CItIMK UFTPCTION EOUII'MENTCATAI.OU' $1.00. ~enry' S~III~~IU or, 415 H. a8St.. New hrk Dept. 17 N. Y. 10022.HECKLER & KOCHH-K4 MULTI-CALIBER(Continued from page 45)the slide, regardless of trigger position. Inspite of all the apparent complexities involved,the system works quite well. In firingseveral hundred rounds, I have encounteredonly one malfunction; the stopheld the slide back midway in the firing ofa magazine load of .22 LR ammunition.Our current sample has fired about 200rounds of assorted .380 ammunition. Noproblems were encountered except withone batch of lead-bullet handloads whichproduced about five-percent failures tofeed. This could be corrected easily bychoosing a bullet of better shape, and so,can't be blamed on the gun. Set up in .22LR, the gun has digested about 300rounds of three makes and five loadingsof .22 ammunition; included were bothstandard- and high-velocity, and HV/HP,as well. No firing malfunctions whateveroccurred, however extracting a livecartridge from the chamber occasionallyproved troublesome; the bullet nosejammed tight into the edge of the ejectionport and the cartridge had to be pried out.Accuracy in both calibers was all thatone could ask and was, in fact, better thanis usually expected of a pocket-size pistol.Obviously, the same fixed sights couldn'tbe expected to be dead-on for both .22 LRand .380,, or for the different loads ineach. Yet, groups were gratifyingly small,and practical accuracy at rahges under 50yards was quite good. Everr so, I couldn'tmatch the ll/z-inch .380 or ll/ie inch .22groups shown on the 15-meter test targetssupplied with the gun. Of course, I wasn'tshooting under indoor, test-range conditionseither.In ,380 caliber (forget .25 and .32), theHK-4 makes a very nice personal, car orhome, defense gun; admitting, of course,that the .380 is marginally effective ineven the most potent loads. Because of itslight, 18-ounce weight, it carries well andhides well for law-enforcement use. It isan excellent, hip-pocket, second gun forMIS, SLIDES, MRTS AND KITSÃBON OR STAINLESS STEELSend 506 and no. 10 SASE for price Hats.CROWN CITY ARMS P.O. Box 11281M500 CHRONOGRAPHI VELOCITY TEST YOUR RELOADS IÂ¥complwt 8y8fm8R E OR R E S T $7'9.95 IREPORT AND DATA SHEETS:I Imprlnt*d/llghtacra*nà availableCUSTOM CHRONOGRAPH CO.police in the event the big gun runs dry oris lost. In .22 LR, it makes a great plinkingor camp gun. It shoots well enough toknock off camp varmints and pot skilletgame somewhat beyond 25 yards.The HK-4 is not at its best, though, ineither single caliber. I like it as I have it,for both .22 and .380. In .380 it serves adefensive purpose but is quickly switchedto .22 for fun. Even better, though, is thatthe two-caliber setup allows unlimitedrimfire practice to achieve maximum proficiencyin ,380. By shopping around, youcan obtain .22 LR ammo for barely onetenththe cost of .38Os. Shoot 500.22s forthe price of 50 .380s and you'll be a farmore competent pistolero (unless you'rerich) than by practicing only with the.380s youcan afford. 7JIM COLLINS.. .NA TI0 NA L CHAMP10 N(Continued from page 25)A: We think the PMA will add to theNRA, not take awayfrom it. I'm not tryingto tell them how to run the NRA, Iwouldn't do that. I do think, however,they should take a close look at the factthat there are 500,000policemen in thiscountry, and other than the competitiveshooting program, the. NRA has not triedto enlist these people as members. I believethey have really missed the boatthere. What better arguments could youhave against the gun control people thanthat you had the majority of police officersas members in the NRA? Someonemust have thought of this, but I don't seeany concentrated effort toward gettingpoliceas members.Jim can also teach what he knows. Heand his student of only three years, JimmyWoods, fired together to win the nationaltwo-man team championship with a recordsetting 1196x1200.I was glad to know Jim experienced thesame feelings while winning the nationalchampionship that I, and others have felt.I have been accused of being aloof andgrim, while really I was just scared andconcentrating. Jim told me, "I didn't getaround too much at Jackson, speak to asmany people as I wanted to, visit withsome of them. Matter of fact, I got homeand finally started realizing I had wonwhat I'd been trying to win for so long,and it was a good feeling."A feeling he'll probably know again inhis career, this scholar ofthe shooting game.--..- w.....-.-..--200 models & 15 brands-National TreasureHunters LeagueMesquite. TX 75149,om-- -write far free cataloa-AMERICAN HANOGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

BULLET# 252435# 252435#311252#311252#311252#311252FMJFMJFMJ*JSPFMJ*FMJJHP*JHP*JHP#358345#358345#358345#358402#358402*#358402JHP*JHPJHPJHPJHPJHP#356402#356402#358480#358840JHP*JHPJHPJHPJHPJHP#452389#452389#452389# 452389#452389#452460#452460#452374#452374#452374JHP*JHPJHPJHP*JHPJHP*JHPAUTO PISTOL LOAD DATAWT. (gr) POWDER WT. (gr) VELOCITY52 Bullseye52 630.32 ACP77 Bullseye77 Bullseye77 Unique77 Red Dot71 Bullseye71 Red Dot71 Unique62 Unique380 ACP92 Bullseye92 Bullseye92 Red Dot92 Unique92 Unique95 Bullseye95 Red Dot95 Unique90 Unique90 SR762580 Unique9MM LUGER115 Bullseye115 Bullseye115 Unique121 Bullseye121 Unique121 Unique90 Unique90 Unique100 Unique100 Unique125 Unique125 Unique38 Colt Auto121 Unique121 Unique133 Unique133 Unique90 Unique90 Unique100 Unique100 Unique125 Unique125 UniqueA5 ACP185 Bullseye185 Bullseye185 Unique185 Unique185 SR7625200 Unique200 Unique225 Unique225 Unique225 Unique185 Unique185 Unique185 Unique200 Unique200 Unique225 Unique225, Unique*Top loads should be approached from below, and usedonly in first-class guns.RELOADING FORAUTOLOADING PISTOLS(Continued from page 53)cept in .38 Super, .32 and .25, whichheadspace on their semi-rim). The rollcrimp favored by many is not necessarilybad, but it may be applied only into canneluresexisting on the bullet-thus restrictingseating depth-and it does makeheadspacing less certain and less consistent.For this reason, I much prefer thetaper crimp. Applied in the fashion described,with cases properly prepared, itoffers superb results-further, caseslonger than when using a roll crimp.Ammunition loaded as we've describedwill give you the best in reliability and accuracyin service guns. Pure target gunsare another matter we'll go into anothertime. However, there is yet one more operationneeded if you wish to be absolutelycertain every round will feed and fire perfectlywhen the occasion arises. Removethe barrel from your pistol, then dropeach cartridge into the chamber, using itas a profile gauge. The cartridge mustenter freely, and to full depth; if it doesn't,it might cause a malfunction. If a cartridgeenters the chamber more deeplythan normal, it shouldn't cause any trouble,but I'd suggest keeping it for plinkingor practice, rather thanserious social intercourse.HECKLER & KOCHVP-70 AUTOLOADER- (Continued from page 47)Browning fashion, but its travel is muchgreater.Overall, the VP-70 Pistol offers manynew and perhaps desirable features. It isaimed primarily at the law-enforcementmarket in this country, though certainlythousands of handgun buffs will feel theysimply must have one because it differs somuch from others.As this is written, we've not had an opportunityto field-test a production VP-70Pistol. However, we have shot the VP-70Machine Pistol in the pistol mode, andthere should be no detectable difference.Functioning was flawless, and accuracyacceptable for combat use, though the unusualdouble-action pull requires a bit ofconcentration. I found myself getting offthe first round DA fine, then forgettingthat all subsequent rounds also requiredthe same long, heavy trigger pull. A bit ofpractice will correct that problem,though, and shooting should be akin tothat of any good DA revolver. All in all,performance is good, if a bit differentfrom what we've come to know-lots ofpeople will like the VP-70 Pistol.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1977

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MODEL17 -2"THE -vMODEL 17 ~i-~ide Soeed BreakHolster puts its safety qualities towork for all 2" and 3" revolvers. Itrides high on a 2" belt loop, and ha; ametal reinforced inside thumb breakfor security. The Model 17 is designedfor use in eitherthe conventional or crossdrawposition. Protective Elk Suede liningoptional. (Plain or basket weave, blackor brown.)Pin. Lnd. Bik. Lnd.2" $12.95 $17.95 $13.95 $18.953" $13.95 $18.95 $14.95 $19.95THE MODEL 29 Thumb Break Holster i~excellent for offduty use. Designed for2" 2%".4", 6" revolvers, and now, forthe 5" S&W Model 27. The exclusiveSafariland Sight Track and a metalreinforced thumb break are standard.Protective Elk Suede linino ootional.THE MODEL 19 UpsideDown Shoulder Holster isour finest and most~ooular (-."shoulder holster. with the ElkSuede harness and adjustable elastic shoulder strap, your gun is heldsecure by an elastic closure but affords you instand accessibility andmaximum concealment. It's not recommended for handguns that havegrip-fillers behind the trigger guard; it is designed for 2%" mod. frames,2" small frames, and all popular 3" 3%", and 4" revolvers. Not for usewith guns which have trigger shoes installed, Lined with protectiveTHE MODEL LS.27THE MODEL LS.28 low silhouette designallows carrvinn all oooular semi-automaticand revolver handguns with minimum bulk 1and maximum comfort. Exclusive belt loopdesign eliminates bulge where belt enters andexits holster. Reinforced thumb-break. ElkSuede lining preferred option. (Black or brown.)Pin. Lnd.2" Rev., Mod. Autos $16.95 $21.952%", 4" Revs., Loe. Autos. $16.95 $22.956" 6%" Revs. $17.95 $23.954' 7 -. - ..THE MODEL 18P ;sour smallest hip-hugger withthe metal reinforced thumb-break. It's designedfor 2" S&W Chiefs and 2" Colt Detectiw2%" $16.95 $21.95 $18.95 $23.95 -Specials, also the Rumr 2%".Master Charge and BankAmertcard accepted. Pin. Lnd.4" 5" 6" $1 8.45 $24.95 $21 -95 $27.95 $22.95 Add 10% for postage and handling. $17.50 $22.50California residents add 6% sales tax.1 n£SAI=AI~II-AIM13..THESE HOLSTERS, LIKE ALL OTHER SAFARILAND PRODUCTS. CAN BE PURCHASED THROUGH YOUR LOCAL DEALER OR FROM SAFARILANDDIRECTADD $2.00 AND WE WILL SEND YOU OUR ALL NEW REVISED COLOR ILLUSTRATED 1977 CATALOG.1941 S. WALKER AVE., DEPT. 0 MONROVIA. CALIFORNIA 91016 (213) 357-7902 i