After several months of trying to find a clean S&W Model 65 at the right price, I found a GP100 (Catalog Number KGPF-330) at a sale price and had my dealer order one. This is the 3″ barrel w/short shroud. It has fixed sights. The Gun: The GP100 in this configuration weights in at 35 oz.…
The SIG-Sauer P230 has been around for several years in both blue and stainless versions. The former uses an aluminum alloy frame while the latter has a steel one. In today’s test, the lighter version was used. These pistols have never been at the lower end of the price envelope for .380 pistols. Bersa handguns…
Though still popular with many that carry for self-defense, this round is usually relegated to back up guns and seldom seen at firing ranges in revolvers having longer barrels. It has not always been so. When I started police work in the early ’70’s, revolvers were in the vast majority at police firing ranges in barrel lengths ranging from…
I’ll say up front that I prefer steel pistols, almost always in a single-action design, and that I think nothing looks better than well done bluing and quality stocks of walnut or rosewood. I guess that makes me a traditionalist. I have nothing against hard chrome, electroless nickel or some other finishes, but if use…
Hello. Like many traditionalists, I was wrong in thinking that “plastic guns” would break quickly and not last the test of time. Though I strongly prefer blue steel and old, “out of date” Hi Powers and 1911s, there are many who rather like these “modern” pistols using polymer in place of the traditional steel or…
A common topic centers on which is best: 9mm Mak, .380 ACP, or the .38 Snub. Though ballistically in the same general ballpark, each round brings with it certain advantages as well as negatives. Let’s take a look at what we might expect from these or similar loads. 9x18mm: Rare in the US until the mass…
The Makarov pistol is extremely well thought of in some circles and is noted for exceptional reliability with most types of ammunition. The Bersa Thunder is the latest incantation of the company’s .380 ACP pistol and is quickly gaining strong support among shooters as well. It, too, is garnering accolades for reliability. The Bersa used for this…