Stephen A. Camp

  • Favorite Handguns: S&W Model 64 Snub

    Fascinated with firearms, especially handguns for as long as I can remember, I began purchasing them about four decades ago…as finances allowed.  Eventually the inevitable “fever” set in and like so many before me (and after), I began a dedicated search for the “perfect handgun”…which I have yet to find! I bought, owned and traded more than…

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  • The Defensive .380 ACP: Capable Compact or Ballistic Loser?

    The .380 ACP has several monikers such as 9x17mm, 9mm Kurtz, 9mm Corto and 9mm Short, but regardless of its handle, the cartridge’s traditional ballistic signature is a 95-gr. FMJ at about 950 ft/sec.  Currently, factory-loaded .380 ACP is offered in weights ranging from about 70 to 102 grains and backup guns or primary weapons…

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  • Shooting the Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm

    Beretta’s PX4 Storm is a polymer-framed locked-breech pistol available in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.  The slide is Bruniton-coated to prevent corrosion while the barrel and magazine have blued finishes. The frame is “plastic” (Beretta calls it “technopolymer reinforced fiberglass”), but I have no idea if that’s better, worse or the same as other…

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  • Shooting the Glock 17L

    It’s no secret that unless there’s a particular reason otherwise, my handgun preference is usually for longer rather than shorter barrel lengths. When I began dabbling a bit with Glocks, I tried a G17, 22 and 26.  At that time, I just wasn’t that interested in the full-size “Combat Tupperware” as some call them, but did appreciate the extreme reliability displayed…

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  • SIG-Sauer P220 Thin Stocks

    A few years ago I bought a SIG-Sauer P220 .45 ACP SAS (SIG Anti-Snag) sporting their proprietary DAK (Double-Action Kellerman) trigger-action.  This is without question one of the lightest and smoothest actions I’ve tried on any double-action handgun, be it semiautomatic or revolver and measures just under 8-lbs.  For those interested in my initial range report with…

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  • Federal 230-gr. Hydrashok Field Report: Failure to Expand

    Federal’s Hydrashok line of JHP handgun ammunition remains a favorite of many shooters since its introduction in the late 1980’s.  It is available in several popular calibers including .45 ACP.  In this caliber, Federal offered both 165-gr. and 230-gr. Hydrashok loads. On the left is an older version of the 230-gr. Hydrashok in .45 ACP.…

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  • Wesson Patriot: 8 Years Later

    Hello. Eight years ago, I got a stainless steel Dan Wesson Patriot pistol. Initial shooting proved the pistol to be utterly reliable with all JHP ammo I tried, be they handloads or commercial. Likewise, the pistol gobbled up 200-gr. CSWC’s, including some designs that can balk in more than a few 1911-pattern pistols. The only problem that…

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