With the number of people lawfully carrying concealed handguns growing nationwide, it appears that a good number opt for the compact 357 Magnum revolver as their personal carry weapon instead of automatics chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and so forth. Many folks simply prefer the revolver. Initially, most are probably happy with their…
We have all heard comments like, “They all fall to hardball” or “Hit a man in the little finger with a 45 and he’ll go down.” Most of us know that such claims are false but that emphatically does not mean that the .45 ACP is anything less than a very fine defense round…with the right loads.…
I shudder to think how many times this topic has been discussed not only on the Internet, but also in gun shops and printed text. No doubt that many trees have been felled to provide the paper for the latter and the question persists. We do see the same sorts of discussions on the 9mm…
As mentioned in an earlier piece comparing the .38 Super to 9x19mm, most commercially available loads are little if any hotter than 9mm +P. About the only advantage I can see is that a near identical ballistic delivery is achieved with less pressure using the Super. Winchester’s 125-gr. Silvertip hollow point in Super chronographs no hotter than…
About 133 years ago, the .45 Colt was introduced to the world. Like the .45 ACP, its creation was for the US military and it has remained a popular cartridge with shooters ever since. With lighter loads it is used in cowboy action competitions while handloaders crank up the power for hunting in strongly built…
Corbon 110-gr. DPX vs. Speer 135-gr. Gold Dot vs. Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP+P With today’s plethora of compact 9mm’s, .40’s, and .45 autoloaders, there remains a contingent of people preferring the time-tried snub 38 revolver. Interest in the “best” loads for self-protection remains high and recommendations run from 148-gr. target full wadcutters to a myriad of…
Introduced in 1908, the .44 Special tossed a 246-gr. LRN just under 800 ft/sec. Though popular with many handloaders through the decades, it is a safe bet that this one just never achieved the popularity of either the .38 Special or the magnum it spawned. The .44 Magnum is undoubtedly more popular than its papa,…