Browsing Category
Pistols and Revolvers
157 posts
[Review] Smith and Wesson 617: The Perfect Revolver?
Smith and Wesson 617 summary Introduction A descendent of the 1899 K-frame Smith & Wesson’s Model 617 shares the company’s K frame heritage that stretches back to 1899. K frame guns were worn by American soldiers in both World Wars, served as duty weapons to virtually every police agency in the country, and provided millions ... Read more
Investment piece? The $3,695 Ed Brown 1911 [Review]
Ed Brown 1911 Classic Custom in summary Ed Brown 1911, the Classic Custom, is one maker’s interpretation of what a perfect 1911 should be. Blending John Moses Browning’s genius with modern technology and a healthy dose of hand craftsmanship, the Classic Custom leaves nothing to be desired. Fun and quality come at a price: the ... Read more
Ruger Charger review (9mm)
First off, let me say that I really enjoyed the Ruger Charger. It was fun to shoot and easy to carry around, since there was no buttstock to get in the way. (Having said that, you could attach a brace – the mount is there). With dual-magazine capability (Ruger and Glock), you could have a ... Read more
New Ruger Max-9 pistol for Concealed Carry MSRP $499 [Hands on review]
It’s always interesting to watch new guns or similar products come out. As a reviewer and purveyor of firearms-related industry news, I am still amazed at times when I read of or am told about a new gun being launched. I have been in on my share of NDAs – non-disclosure agreements – from manufacturers ... Read more
Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 Review [2021]
Small, pocketable pistols are all the rage right now. (Come to think of it, they’ve been popular ever since they were made small enough to fit in a pocket). At any rate, many manufacturers are building tiny guns that pack a punch, which can be pretty powerful behind the muzzle as well as in front ... Read more
Sig Sauer P220 .45 ACP review [2021]
The SIG Sauer P220 is one heck of a gun. Police agencies across the U.S. and around the world have used, and still use, Sig pistols extensively. Matter of fact, one very close-to-me state issues the 220 to its state troopers and also issues the P365 as a backup gun. I’ll get more into this ... Read more
[Review 2021] Ruger LCP .380 With Viridian Laser
Want one of the smallest, pocket-dwelling .380s on the market? Want it to be reliable? How about a laser sight so you don’t have to look through the tiny built-in sights? Want it to be built like a Ruger? Well, here you go… the best of all those worlds, the Ruger LCP. The .380 has ... Read more
Taurus G3c upgrades
I own a Taurus G3c. I had owned two G2cs, the immediate predecessors of this smaller brother to the compact-size (15 and 17 round magazines included) G3. This compact version, the G3c, was introduced with much hoopla after a media embargo on June 15th of last year. I reviewed the gun (here) after the deadline ... Read more
![Ruger American Pistol Review – One Nice .45 [hands on]](https://www.snipercountry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/title-380x280.jpg)
Ruger American Pistol Review – One Nice .45 [hands on]
The Ruger American pistol joins a growing number of pistols chambered for the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP these days is more and more popular and the pistol designed to shoot it – the 1911 – is stronger now than ever before. Whether you like the .45 ACP or not, you cannot deny the growth ... Read more
[Review] Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite
A small, light .22 pistol can be a thing of joy. We don’t necessarily need a big, honkin’ gun on our hip all the time. There are times when we want to travel light and don’t want two-plus pounds of pistol weighing us down. There is room for a twenty-ounce or so in our gun ... Read more
Best .22 LR Handguns [By Brand]
The .22 LR is by far the most popular caliber out there. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimates that about half of the approximately ten billion rounds manufactured annually are .22 rimfire cartridges. The military has used it to teach marksmanship; Boy Scouts use it to qualify for their Shooting merit badge. Largely available ... Read more
[Review] Ruger 22 Charger: More Handy Than A 10/22?
For those of you out there who own a Ruger 10/22 rifle – all six million of you – Ruger has something relatively new for you. It’s called the Charger. And, if you’re not one of those owners, the Charger is for you, too. I’m sure a lot of you already know about this little ... Read more
[Review] Ruger LCRx .357 Magnum Snubby
What — a lightweight snubby in .357? Wow! That would be handful! I can hear the comments flowing from all you revolver shooters out there. And, these comments are not without merit. I have shot snub-nosed revolvers before, in calibers from .22 LR to .357 and it certainly can be a handful. A lot of ... Read more
[Review] S&W SW22 Victory: Excellent .22 Pistol
Smith and Wesson has had a lot of experience with .22 LR autoloaders. Matter of fact, one of my recent reviews was about their M&P Compact .22. They make a lot of different models. Friend Duane has in his gun case a like-new Model 41 Target pistol with two barrels – one has a red ... Read more
[Review] Taurus 44 Mag – The “Other” 44 Magnum
The “other” 44. What do I mean? Well, if you look at this gun for more than 2 seconds, you will see that it looks an awful lot like a Smith & Wesson. Why does it resemble the other gun? We’ll get into that. Suffice it to say that this gun is a winner in ... Read more
[Review] Sig Sauer P556: Yep, that’s a pistol…
Oh boy…a “pistol” in 5.56! What a cool gun, I thought as I picked it up to look it over. Loaned to me by a good friend and former county deputy, I couldn’t wait to get some rounds downrange through it. I had always wondered about the need for a short-barreled, buttstock-free 5.56 gun, but ... Read more
[Review] Ruger LCP II: The .22 Pocket Rocket
I’ve always had a weakness for .22 handguns. Revolver or semi-auto, it doesn’t matter to me. The thought of having a gun that can go pretty much anywhere you go, on your belt or in a pocket appeals to me. I call them “walking-around guns.” As I wander our woods, I appreciate having something that ... Read more
[Review] Springfield Armory XDS 4.0
A good while ago I owned a Springfield XDS with the short 3-inch-plus barrel in .45 ACP. Now, that was a handful. I’m no stranger to smalller-framed .45s… back in the late 1970s I owned a Star PD, the Spanish-made 6-round .45 that was loosely modeled on the 1911. I liked that gun. But, like ... Read more
[Review] Hi-Point 995 Carbine
I recently received two 9mm carbines for testing. One is made by Hi-Point and the other one by Ruger. I will do a two-part review using these two carbines — this style of firearms is really hot right now. So, let’s look first at the Hi-Point, then next time we’ll examine the Ruger. These are ... Read more
[Review] Taurus 942: New CCW Revolver
Raise your hand if you’ve always wanted a neat little .22 revolver that didn’t take up much room and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Add in accurate and reliable, and we have a winnah! The Taurus 942 is just such a critter. Why Would I Want One? I had requested this gun from ... Read more
Single Action vs. Double Action Revolvers
Two does were standing, right at last light, in the stubble of a cut bean field across from our house around 80 yards away – or so I thought. I selected the nearer of the two and raised my revolver. Without a laser range finder, I made a “best-educated-guess” as to the range. I pulled ... Read more
[Review] Ruger P97DC: Looking back
OK, boys and girls…set your Way-Back machine for 1985. Point it to Southport, Connecticut – the Ruger factory there. As you enter the Ruger administrative offices, you may notice several men and women “high-five-ing” each other. Why? They had just introduced a new line of pistols, to compete in the marketplace against other “wondernines” and ... Read more
[Review] FNS-9 Pistol
Fabrique Nationale Herstal, or, more simply FN. That manufacturer’s name conjures up, for those in the know, a long history of firearms production. Their long guns and military items are legendary, but we’re going to examine a 9mm pistol made by this storied company. Our review pistol is rugged and as Cousin Eddie might put ... Read more
[Review] Glock 32: The Other .357
Riddle…when is a .357 not a magnum? When it’s fired in the Glock 32, in the guise of the .357 Sig. I have always wondered about the .357 Sig. I’d heard great things about it, such as its ability to push a 125-grain bullet out of a semi-auto’s barrel at over 1300 feet per second, ... Read more
[Review] HK P2000SK Compact 9mm
Heckler & Koch makes some of the highest-quality arms in the world. From submachine guns to rifles to pistols, the company has earned a good reputation for tough, reliable weapons. I was blown away (not literally) with the quality and workmanship exhibited in the P30L in .40 S&W when I reviewed that gun a few ... Read more
[Review] Glock 20: Best 10mm Out There?
If you’ve read many of my articles, you’ll know that I frequent a very good friend’s gun shop. My buddy Duane has loaned me used pistols to write about from time to time — he’s one of the good guys. He’s had a used Glock Gen 3 Glock 20 10mm in his case for a ... Read more
[Review] Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm
I owned a 9mm Shield once upon a time and foolishly sold it. That gun was reliable and easily carried inside the waistband. It was well-built, felt good in the hand and went “bang” every time it was supposed to. I don’t remember what gun I just had to have in its place, but it ... Read more
[Review] SIG Sauer P226
I recently was able to snag a used SIG Sauer P226 from my friend Duane’s gun case to review. The gun is chambered in .40 S&W and is in pretty decent shape, considering that it was shot and carried a lot. The P226 is one of those classic guns that has a great reputation. It ... Read more
Taurus Spectrum .380 Subcompact Review
This article/review is about Taurus’ relatively new .380 ACP handgun, the Spectrum. But, before we get into discussing the Spectrum itself, a word about Taurus may be in order. (To cut to the chase, I really like my Spectrum – it’s a very reliable pistol). The following is directed at those who are not fans ... Read more
[Review] Colt Delta Elite 10mm
I approached my shooting bench with a bit of trepidation. I was holding an original, older Delta Gold Cup that belonged to a friend of mine who’d loaned it to me for this article. As you can see from the photo above, it is a beautiful pistol. He has had it for many years. He ... Read more
