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CONTENTS
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOLUME 34, NUMBER 4 | PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY | www.handguns.com

FEATURES
24 ROCKET FUELED
By KEITH WOOD
Ed Brown is embarking on a new venture with its “Fueled By” series,
taking platforms like the excellent Smith & Wesson M&P and blasting 24
them into the stratosphere. Our reviewer thinks it’s a winner.
32
32 TANGLED UP IN BLUE
By BRAD FITZPATRICK
The venerable Browning Buck Mark still delivers accuracy and depend-
ability. The new Vision Blue version delivers it in eye-catching style.

40 KILLER ELITE
By JAMES TARR
The XD platform has been a solid and hugely successful pistol line
for Springfield. The new XD-M Elite family, typified by the Precision
model, shows why you can almost always improve on a good thing. 40
50 RACE READY 50
By J. SCOTT RUPP
The new Ruger GP100 Super Competion revolvers from the firm’s cus-
tom shop, available in 9mm and .357/.38, represent a big step forward.

58 ROCKIN’ THE .22 MAGNUM 58


By BRAD FITZPATRICK
Rock Island Armory’s XT-22 Magnum is a rare bird—namely a 1911 rim-
fire that not only shoots great but also is utterly reliable.

DEPARTMENTS
4 FRONT FOCUS 20 EN GARDE
RICHARD NANCE

10 SPEEDLOADS
FIRING LINE
The pros and cons of different
carry styles and how to deter-
• Nighthawk DTS trigger

REPORT
mine what’s best for you.
• Mann .25 ACP
• Frank Garcia dot drill
72 BACK PAGE
16 ESSENTIALS BEAUTIES 66 WALTHER CCP
JAMES TARR
1791’s novel moldable holster
STAN TRZONIEC
Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite
M2 .380
By J. SCOTT RUPP
is easy to fit—and refit—a wide
variety of guns.

2 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020


9mm
LUGER

12 + 1
10 + 1
an EDC-friendly compact frame. The all-new Taurus® G3c delivers the
ultimate balance of power and performance for any self defense situation. 3.2”
BARREL

22
OUNCES
| FRONT FOCUS

HANDGUNS.COM EXCLUSIVE

Just received the June/July issue. I want to especially thank you for Pay-
ton Miller’s article on the Model 13. The first centerfire gun I ever bought
was a Model 13. Mine was a four-inch rather than three-inch like Pay-

SPRINGFIELD SAINT VICTOR


ton’s. It still shoots great, and it looks beautiful with that nice S&W blued
finish and walnut grips. Also, thanks for Richard Nance’s “En Garde”
column. He always provides useful and practical real-world advice, and .308 PISTOL
his column on scanning one’s environment is no exception.
D.W. Livingston, ALbuquerque, nM
HANDGUNS.COM | ARTICLES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
I loved that piece by Mr. Miller on the Model 13. As a young deputy sheriff
in California in the late ’70s, my first duty gun was a Model 19. A couple
of years later I got a three-inch round-butt Model 13, which I traded away.
Man, do I wish I had that Model 13 today.
ChArLes veiLLeux

TAURUS G3 GUNS UNDER $500

We have had lots of articles on the 9mm, .32 Mag., .380,


.45 ACP, .22 Mag, .40 caliber, 10mm, 5.7x28. How about
the 9mm Makarov? What about the FBI’s first autoloader,
the .38 Super?
george gouLD, LAMArque, tx
Anything regarding the .38 Super gets our editor’s atten-
tion. Once he’s out of the doghouse (see left), we’ll work
Wild Bill Would’ve Fallen Off His Horse 9mm Makarov
on that. Plus, it’s been a while since we looked at the .32s.
While I enjoyed the article “Wild Bill Rides Again”
by J. Scott Rupp in the June/July issue, there were a The people have spoken. Last issue we mentioned
couple of historical errors. The author refers to Colt our Facebook poll on best defensive calibers. And
as if he were alive in 1872 and the late 1800s when the winner is...
Samuel Colt died in 1862
The 9mm! (33%) 3rd: .40 S&W (18%)
He also states that the cartridge conversions were 2nd: .45 ACP (23%) 4th (tie): .38, .380 (5%)
for smokeless gunpowder after Rollin White’s patent
Others receiving votes: .357 Magnum, .357 SIG,
expired. Mr. White’s patent, held by Smith & Wes-
.38 Super and (drum roll, please) 40mm grenade
son, was for a bored-through cylinder able to utilize
cartridges rather than being loaded from the front
and utilizing percussion caps. Smokeless powder did
CONTACT US
not appear generally until the 1890s.
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Rupp’s wording regarding Samuel Colt versus Colt the ADDRESS CHANGES/SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS
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HANDGUNS (ISSN # 1068-2635), August/September 2020, VOLUME 34


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Printed in the U.S.A. Some advertisements in this magazine may concern products that
are not legally for sale to California residents or residents in other
jurisdictions. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 5
| HANDGUNS TV | Thursdays @ 10:30 p.m. on Sportsman Channel

JULY
<<< SEASON PREMIER! Jim and Rich
2nd dive into everyday carry, from guns and
ammunition to knives and flashlights.
2020 Rich tackles the Closing the Gap drill
and demonstrates the difference be-
tween point-shooting and aiming.

<<< Jim and Rich go into great detail


JULY
on the skills every handgunner needs

16th to master—stance, grip, trigger press,


sight alignment and more. Jim reviews
a great new pistol from Springfield, and
2020
Rich explains one of his favorite carry
styles: appendix.

JULY <<< Rich, Jim and Scott illustrate how


different sizes of guns work for vari-

30th ous jobs and how people can use size


to choose the best gun for them. Jim
runs the fun and useful New Bill drill,
2020
and Rich discusses the importance of
handgun grip.
LESS BUCK
Our new, affordable P17™ pistol makes range days a lot less expensive and far more fun.
It’s light weight, easy to handle and features a fiber optic front sight and an adjustable
rear. With low cost .22LR ammo and a 16+1 capacity, you, too, can rack up bullseyes for
pennies a pop. Innovation. Performance. KelTec. See more at KelTecWeapons.com.
©2020 Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Inc
| SPEEDLOADS

DROP-IN MAGIC
THE NEW NIGHTHAWK DTS 1911 TRIGGER IS EASY TO INSTALL AND CAN DO
WONDERS FOR YOUR FAVORITE PISTOL.
By Keith Wood
IN THE SEMIAUTOMATIC HANDGUN should be reserved for only the most and brought it to Nighthawk. He
world, there is nothing quite like a skilled among us. Until now. assisted in the decade-long develop-
good 1911 trigger. The short, straight With the introduction of the Drop- ment and manufacturing process.
pre-travel, the rigid little wall and in Trigger System (DTS) from Night- The result is one of the most practi-
then the clean break make for a pull hawk Custom, achieving a great 1911 cal and useful design changes to the
that makes guns easy to shoot well. trigger is within reach of anyone 1911 in recent memory.
It is, justifiably, the trigger by which with the most basic of mechanical The standard 1911 ignition system
all other pistols are judged. skills and tools. is comprised of several parts that in-
There’s a problem, though: In Nighthawk has built a reputation clude the sear, hammer, disconnec-
order to get a really good trigger for building some of the most in- tor, hammer strut and three-legged
pull on your 1911 you need to either novative and well-built 1911s on the sear spring. These parts fit together
pay for a premium-priced handgun custom market. The core of Night- in a somewhat complicated arrange-
or send your pistol out for custom hawk’s business is its “one gun, one ment that requires a reasonable
tuning by a professional. Simply gunsmith” philosophy, which means level of skill to assemble correctly.
swapping ignition parts on a 1911 exactly what it says, and it was an It’s not impossible, just tricky—par-
isn’t brain surgery, but precisely fit- experienced 1911 gunsmith named ticularly if the gun is a Series 80.
ting those parts for a perfect break Mark Dye who came up with the DTS Just installing aftermarket parts

10 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


into the handgun won’t necessarily
improve the trigger pull either. The
1911 was designed in an age where
parts were hand-fit by skilled work-
ers who performed these tasks
day-in and day-out, often for de-
cades. The process of hand-fitting
the hammer and sear so they mate
perfectly to create a crisp and safe
release is no simple task. There’s a
reason why custom gunmakers stay
in business.
Modern manufacturing equip- Unlike a traditional fire-control group (l.), Nighthawk’s DTS combines sear,
<

ment including CNC mills and wire hammer, disconnector, hammer strut into one fully enclosed, machined
stainless steel unit that requires no hand fitting. The sear spring is a single-
EDM cutters have taken the exces- leg design that doesn’t need tweaking.
sive tolerances out of the parts-
making process so that, in theory, properly align with the sear and whether the pin holes would prop-
components can be made that mate hammer pin holes in a variety of erly align. They did.
together almost perfectly with frames is one of the factors that has After my five-minute trigger job,
little, if any, hand work. These tech- kept such a system from being suc- things improved dramatically. The
niques are expensive, though, and cessfully launched in the past. spongy, creepy trigger was sudden-
major manufacturers have found it Though Nighthawk doesn’t claim ly crisp and consistent, breaking at
to be far more cost-effective to fit that the DTS will work with every 4.25 pounds. I ran two magazines
injection-molded or cast ignition 1911, they are confident it will fit in through the gun with the DTS in-
parts into their guns. the vast majority of the guns on the stalled, and it performed flawlessly.
Companies have marketed “drop- market. I fit the DTS to two differ- It worked with a factory gun, but
in” trigger kits in the past, but ent handguns made by two differ- how about one with some non-
these are really just matched sets ent companies to evaluate the unit’s standard parts installed? My first
of parts that still require assembly compatibility. 1911 was a Series 80 Gold Cup that
and do little simplify the process. Nighthawk has created a helpful I bought as a high school student in
The Nighthawk DTS is a fully series YouTube videos that walks the early 1990s. I fit a Wilson thumb
enclosed steel unit that replaces viewers step-by-step through the safety, an aftermarket trigger and,
the sear, hammer, disconnector, process of removing the factory years later, a Chen Custom combi-
hammer strut and two of the three parts and installing the DTS. I’ve nation checkered mainspring hous-
sear spring legs. The only other had my share of 1911s apart over ing and extended mag well. The
component included is a single-leg the years, but I am by no means a DTS fit with no problems and the
spring that allows the grip safety to pro. Taking my time, it took me less gun’s trigger pull was immediately
function properly. than five minutes to install the DTS improved.
Both the sear and disconnector on my first try. The only tools re- The guys at Nighthawk Custom
springs are housed inside the drop- quired are a pair of simple punches advised me that the trigger pull
in unit. All of the parts, with the and a means for removing the grip would actually improve after
exception of the springs, are ma- screws. the first few magazines after the
chined from bar stock 416 stainless I first installed the DTS on a springs settle in, and that is exactly
steel for a precise fit. You won’t find Springfield Armory Champion Com- what happened. After settling, the
MIM or cast parts on the DTS. mander-length 1911 I’ve had for trigger on my Gold Cup broke at a
Because 1911s are produced by so close to 20 years. It is a slick pistol, very nice 3 5/8 pounds.
many companies in so many facto- but the trigger was nothing to brag The DTS retails for $300, which
ries around the world, consistency about. The frames and slides for is less-expensive (not to mention
can be an issue. The challenge of these guns were produced by Imbel far quicker) than having a gunsmith
ensuring that a drop-in unit will in Brazil, which made me question perform a good trigger job.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 11


| SPEEDLOADS
OLD SCHOOL | BY JIM DICKSON

MANN MODEL W.T.


THE MOST COMPACT, THIN, AND CON-
cealable .25 ACP ever made was
brought into the world in 1918 by
Fritz Mann of Mann Werkzeugfabrik
in Suhl, Germany. Previously the
firm had made parts and compo-
nents for the gun trade in Suhl
as well as miniature watches and
lockets. Fritz Mann now set out
to make the smallest .25ACP ever,
and he succeeded with a design so
advanced that it ran into immediate
sales resistance.
The new gun was extremely ergo-
nomic and easy to hit with, but it was
shaped more like a T than a conven-
tional Browning type vest pocket
pistol. It was so thin it made all other
.25 autos seem bulky and clunky by
comparison. Only four inches long and
weighing just 87⁄8 ounces, it stands 2.75
The Mann stakes a claim as the smallest .25 ACP ever, just four inches
<

inches high and is only 0.56 inch wide long, 2.75 inches high and 0.56 inch wide at the slide. It used an internal bolt,
at the slide and 0.74 at the grips. with an annular ring in the chamber to retard blowback.
Mann dispensed with the conven-
tional bulky slide and used an internal pocket inside the waistband where the vances in firearms design. As a result
bolt and an annular ring in the cham- little gun was carried and covered by the most advanced .25 ACP of all time
ber to retard blowback, as there was the belt for additional cover. These ru- went out of production in 1924, and the
insufficient bolt weight for a conven- dimentary carry options meant people firm began making conventional ap-
tional blowback action. This made the kept dropping the pistol and breaking pearing .32 ACP and .380 ACP pocket
Mann the only retarded-blowback the hard rubber grips, so Mann came pistols that were still smaller than
action .25 ACP produced. out with aluminum grips. their rivals.
The gun is a natural pointer, and Cleaning is easy. Just pull the bolt The depression in the Weimar Re-
the Mann is one of the easiest .25 ACP back and twist the barrel to take it out. public took its toll on sales across the
pistols to hit with. There is a modern- Further disassembly gets hard, and the board in Germany during this period,
looking gutter channel for sights and mainspring is a monster to deal with. and the firm went out of business in
that is more than is adequate at the A lot of folks took to just removing the 1929.
ranges you use a .25 ACP. barrel for cleaning conventionally and
The extreme flatness of the Mann then just swishing the rest of the gun HOW DOES THE .25 STACK UP?
.25 ACP made it a natural for deep cov- around in a pan of gasoline then dry- Bullet Muzzle Muzzle
Cartridge Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Energy (ft.-lbs.)
er carry. In the 1920s the U.S. issued ing and oiling it.
the big greenback dollar bills, and wal- Fritz Mann’s design was everything .25 ACP 35 900 63
.32 ACP 60 1,000 133
lets had to be bigger to accommodate he wanted it to be and far outclassed
.380 ACP 90 1,000 200
them. The little Mann was often found its rivals. Unfortunately the average
9mm Luger 115 1,135 332
discreetly carried upside down inside buyer wanted something conventional
Note: Hornady Critical Defense book specs
the wallet. Many pants had a watch and did not appreciate sweeping ad-

12 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


WHOEVER SAID YOU
CAN’T CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY
WAS WRONG.

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TACTICAL MRD

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| SPEEDLOADS
comfort
flex deluxe SKILLS DRILLS | BY J. SCOTT RUPP

FRANK GARCIA DOT DRILL


Sean Delonas illustration

ULTRA PLUSH PADDED BACK

FOR MANY SHOOTERS, MYSELF INCLUD- fire six shots at each dot. Count up
ed, the hardest thing to master your hits. If the bullet hole touches
with a handgun is combining speed the dot or circle, it’s a hit. Rounds
with accuracy. That’s what this drill fired after the time limit are misses.
works on. GOALS This is not an easy drill.
GEAR Gun capable of holding at Starting out I found it best to begin
least six rounds, two-inch circles or with a warm-up. Shoot the first dot
POLYMER EMBEDDED LEATHER dots, shot timer untimed. If nothing else this will
DRILL The target consists of six tell you where your gun is shoot-
two-inch circles or dots, engaged at ing with that ammo at seven yards,

only $44.99 seven yards. You can print out cir-


cles on a piece of paper and make
which is crucial for success. Shoot
the next two dots at progressively
a bunch of copies, or you can buy faster par times. I used nine and
two-inch inventory control stickers seven seconds. Then put up the full
Order online at:
and stick them on sheets of paper. six dots and go for the five-second
www.versacarry.com/comfort-deluxe-handguns
Staple to a cardboard backer. par time. This is a great drill for
or call us at 979-778-2000 Set the shot timer par time to five tracking your progress, so don’t
seconds. With arms at sides, or from neglect to record your first full run
Low Ready if necessary, draw and as a baseline.
PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA
WWW.HANDGUNS.COM
PRO SERIES® IS USED UNDER LICENSE.

M&P®45 SHIELD™ M&P®9 SHIELD™ M&P®9 PRO SERIES® M&P®9 M&P®40 PRO SERIES® M&P®9
NIGHT SIGHTS OPTICS READY 5.0” BARREL PORTED BARREL & SLIDE OPTICS READY OPTICS READY and PORTED BARREL & SLIDE
3.3” BARREL PORTED BARREL & SLIDE 5.0” BARREL 4.25” BARREL 5.0” BARREL
4.0” BARREL

Follow Us!
/smithwessoncorp
| ESSENTIALS | By JAMES TARR

FORM-FITTING
1791 GUNLEATHER’S ULTRA CUSTOM HOLSTER IS USER-MOLDABLE.
AT THE MOST RECENT SHOT SHOW, I GOT
a look at 1791’s Gunleather (1791Gun
Leather.com) “consumer customiz-
able holster.” Now, historically, I
have found multi-use, adjustable
and/or adaptable holsters disap-
pointing at best, but as the inventor
demonstrated the company’s Ultra
Custom holster, I got excited—to the
point I thought this holster was the
neatest and most innovative product
Drop the holster in the provided bag and submerge it in hot water to allow it
<

I saw at the whole show. I’m pretty to be molded to your pistol. 1791 Gunleather provides two tools that are used
sure it has created a new category of to create a sight channel and to assist in the molding process.
holsters.
This is an inside-the-waistband generic black flat pancake leather trying to get it wet.
holster, offered in sizes to fit every- holster and might seem a tad small Pro tip: Find a tall pot if you can,
thing from tiny pocket guns to large for your pistol. Do not despair. Dur- as the bag will want to stand upright
full-size pistols. The Ultra Custom ing the fitting process the holster with the weights on the bottom. If
holster looks like leather because it will stretch to conform to your gun’s you use a low pot, you’ll have to lay
is. It is American cowhide leather on dimensions. the holster sideways and keep it
the outside, with a nice suede lining The fitting process is relatively submerged with tongs while trying
on the inside. simple and quick. All it requires to keep the mouth of the bag from
However, unlike traditional from you is a gallon of water, a cook- submerging.
leather holsters, in between those ing pot and a cooking thermometer. And don’t get aggressive with
two layers of leather is a secret ther- Everything else is included. those tongs, as pressing the bag
moplastic material the inventor has Heat the water to between 145 and against the bottom of the pot might
dubbed Memory-Lok. Thermoplastic 175 degrees on the stove, with 165 melt a hole in it—which will get the
means a material that becomes pli- being ideal. You don’t want it boil- holster wet and force you to let it dry
able upon heating but hardens when ing, so getting your pot of water to for a few days before trying again.
cooled. Upon heating this holster, the correct temperature–and keep- (Ask me how I know.)
you form-fit it to your pistol. I don’t ing it there–is why you need a cook- Leave the holster submerged for
mean fit it to your type of pistol. I ing thermometer. 1791 Gunleather five minutes, then remove it. If the
mean fit it to your specific handgun. provides a thick plastic bag for you. holster is soft and malleable, you’re
This isn’t a one-and-done proposi- Put the holster in the bag along good to go. If not, put the holster
tion. If you buy this holster and mold with some weights, which can be back in the hot water for a couple
it to, say, a Glock 19 and then buy a small rocks from your garden or more minutes.
Smith & Wesson M&P Compact and a bunch of pocket change. These When you pull it out, the leather-
decide you want to carry that, you weights will help keep the holster wrapped polymer body of the
can reheat your Ultra Custom hol- submerged in the water. holster will be warm, it will not be
ster and form it to your new Smith. When the water is at the right hot, and you’ll be able to touch it
You don’t have to guess which temperature, put the plastic bag with bare hands. The metal screws
size holster fits your gun because containing the holster in the water, holding the plastic belt clip to the
1791 Gunleather will send you the making sure the holster is fully sub- holster body, on the other hand, will
right one based on the gun you’re merged, but keep the mouth of the be substantially hotter and can hurt
ordering it for. When you receive it, bag above the water. You are trying you if you touch them accidentally.
the Ultra Custom appears to be a to get the holster hot; you are not (Ask me how I know.)

16 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


| ESSENTIALS
The holster won’t be harmed your fingertips and the wedge tip trigger guard popping and locking
if it gets wet, but you’ll want to dry of the other tool. Press the holster as you draw and holster, something
it out before trying again. Once up against the nooks and crannies you don’t get with purely leather
the holster is malleable, take the of your handgun, including the holsters.
unloaded gun and insert it into the frame and ejection port but espe- The mouth of this IWB holster is
holster. Once the pistol is at the de- cially around the trigger guard. This not reinforced, so depending on how
sired depth inside the holster—the should take a couple of minutes. tight you’ve got your belt, the holster
desired depth is up to you—grab one Allow the holster to cool for five may collapse when you draw the
of the manipulation tools provided to seven minutes with both the gun gun—perhaps so much so you won’t
with the holster. and the sight channel tool in place. be able to holster one-handed.
These tools are polymer and have When the holster no longer feels That’s what I found when carrying
a wedge tip on one end. They are warm to the touch, test the retention on my hip, where the holster presses
designed to slide into the holster of the holster by drawing the gun a against bone. However, when carry-
along the top of the gun to create few times. If it’s a little too tight or ing appendix I was able to holster
a channel for your front sight—so too loose, just throw the holster back without issue because there is more
it does not scrape the suede every in the bag and the bag back in the give in my gut.
time you draw or holster—and assist water. This is the only imperfection in
in molding the holster. The end result will be a holster what is truly a unique product, the
With one tool acting as a sight- that is fit to your specific handgun. It first in what I suspect will be a long
channel wedge in place along the is not as hard or rigid as a tradition- line. Currently all sizes of the Ultra
top of the pistol, proceed to work the al Kydex/polymer holster, but when Custom holster have a suggested
material of the holster body using it’s properly formed you’ll feel your retail price of $110.

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| EN GARDE | By RICHARD NANCE

CARRY CONSIDERATIONS
TIPS ON HOW BEST TO CONCEAL YOUR HANDGUN.
PROPERLY CONCEALING A HANDGUN ON
your body requires selecting the
right gun, gear and cover garment—
as well as understanding where on
your body the gun will best hide.
Hear are a few things to consider be-
fore heading out the door armed.
Size matters—at least when it
comes to concealing a handgun. Many
people assume that barrel length is
what makes a gun easier or harder
to conceal. While that argument has
some validity when your gun is worn
in an outside-the-waistband (OWB)
holster, barrel length is essentially a

Alfredo Rico
non-issue as far as concealing a gun
carried inside the waistband (IWB)
Inside-the-waistband holsters (l.) conceal easier than outside-the-waist-
<

because the holster is tucked into the


band versions (c., r.) because the muzzle is hidden underneath the pants. A
pants. good belt is important because it keeps the waistband from sagging and
Concealability is much more possibly revealing the presence of a gun.
dependent on a handgun’s width and
the length of its grip than the length sagging, potentially drawing undue foul your draw stroke. And detrac-
of its barrel. A thinner gun will attention to your holstered gun. tors are quick to point out that when
protrude less from your body, mak- Of course, where you carry your holstered, the muzzle of your pistol
ing it less apt to press against your gun is another important factor. is probably pointed at something
cover garment in what’s referred to While carrying on the hip—three you really wouldn’t want to have
as “printing.” Similarly, a longer grip o’clock for a righty and nine o’clock shot. This carry method can also
or an extended magazine will tend to for a southpaw—produces what most be uncomfortable when seated for
print more than a shorter grip. feel is the most natural draw, it is extended periods.
Holster selection is also relevant. also the hardest position along the From a concealment standpoint,
An IWB holster will be easier to con- waist to conceal a gun. That’s why carrying in front of the hip is hard to
ceal because it rides closer to your many wear their guns in front of or beat, particularly when employing a
body, and the bottom of the holster behind the hip. holster with a wedge or claw de-
is covered by your pants. That said, Carrying forward of the hip or ap- signed to angle the grip closer to your
there are several outside-the-waist- pendix carry is nothing new, although body. I can conceal most carry guns
band holsters that conceal quite well, it has seen a resurgence of popular- in front of my hip with nothing more
especially those that are angled to ity in recent years. Many prefer this than a loose-fitting T-shirt.
keep the grip close to your body. carry method because it keeps your Speaking of which, let’s consider
An often-overlooked aspect of con- gun in front of your body, where you what might make one shirt better
cealed carry is the belt. Not only will have the most control over it. Also, suited for concealed carry than
a purpose-designed gun belt—avail- since the gun is closer to the target another. A baggy shirt will conceal
able from most holster makers—keep than if it were carried on or behind better than one that’s more form-
your holstered gun secure, it will the hip, the draw stroke is shortened. fitting, and a darker colored shirt will
more evenly distribute the weight of Of course, in close quarters, car- conceal better than a lighter colored
your gun than would a flimsy casual rying a gun in front of the hip can one. A thicker shirt will hide your
or dress belt. This keeps the belt from make it easier for an assailant to gun better than a thinner one.

20 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


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| EN GARDE
Finally, a shirt with a random
pattern will draw less attention to a
gun-induced crease than one that is
solid colored or, worse yet, one that
has a defined pattern that would be
conspicuously altered by such crease.
Carrying behind the hip in what
could be considered the four or five
o’clock postitions (or the seven or
eight o’clock positions for lefties) is
more conducive to concealment than
carrying directly on the hip because
when your gun is worn behind the
hip, it tends to better conform to the
shape of your body.
RRA 1911-A1 PS2300 In my experience, this carry
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Holstering a gun worn behind the
hip can be a bit of a challenge, since
you can’t see the mouth of the holster
the way you can when carrying on or
forward of the hip.
Only you can decide which con-
cealed-carry method is right for you.
But before you strap that gun to your
belt, make sure your concealed carry
ensemble is working. As the good
guy, the element of surprise is one of
the few advantages you have should
you be attacked. Don’t blow it with a
haphazard attempt at concealing your
defensive handgun.

22 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


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24 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020
ROCKET
FUELED
THE MP-F3, PART OF THE NEW ‘FUELED BY ED
BROWN’ SERIES, TAKES THE ROCK-SOLID SMITH
& WESSON M&P TO NEW HEIGHTS.

ness back in 1988. Brown took his capable custom gun souri. Ed is retired, and his son, Travis, serves as the
making, product design and precision manufacturing company’s CEO.
backgrounds and put them to use making high-quality Ed Brown Products hasn’t forgotten its roots, and the
parts for the 1911. company continues to build high-quality 1911s as well as
All the while he continued to build custom guns, component parts. But the firm has diversified, introduc-
earning Pistolsmith of the Year honors in 1991 from the ing models such as the innovative KC9 that arrived in
American Pistolsmiths Guild—joining a list of names 2018. And 2020 brought another chapter in the Brown
that includes such industry greats as Hamilton Bowen, legacy when the company launched its “Fueled By”
James Clark and Bill Wilson. series of handguns based on the Smith & Wesson M&P
Today, Ed Brown Products is one of the true success 2.0 pistol.
stories of the firearms world, where members of the The striker-fired M&P, introduced by Smith & Wes-
Brown family still run the operations of the company’s son back in 2005, has become immensely popular in the
20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Perry, Mis- hands of both law enforcement and armed citizens,

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 25


ROCKET FUELED
making it a great candidate for a system, a full-length chassis that an oversize unit that is hand-fitted
tune-up. Many capable and credible added rigidity, a more aggressively to the gun’s upper half. The result
shooters feel the M&P improves on textured polymer grip and a set of is a tighter slide-to-frame fit and
several of the shortcomings of other four interchangeable backstraps to improved barrel lock-up, two impor-
polymer-framed handguns, and better fit a wide variety of shooters. tant factors in semiauto handgun
when I attended Rogers Shooting Ed Brown Products took things a bit accuracy.
School a few years back, I noticed further. The rail is held in place by stain-
that all of the instructors carried When the team at Ed Brown set out less steel pins turned on Swiss-type
and shot M&Ps as they demonstrated to improve upon a production hand- machines for a precise fit with the
their drills. gun, the M&P was the natural choice. frame. The pins improved the consis-
Notable M&P features include “As 1911 guys, we all liked it better tency of the trigger pull, which May
steel sights, a comfortable grip angle, than the others,” said John May, Ed calls “a happy accident.”
steel-bodied magazines, an ambi- Brown’s head of sales and market- Apex Tactical Specialties’ trig-
dextrous slide stop and the option of ing. “It was a bonus that it wasn’t a gers have been the go-to source for
a manual safety. But there’s always crowded market.” aftermarket M&P triggers for years,
room for improvement, and in the As a company with decades of so they were a natural choice for an
case of the M&P, it was the trigger. experience making great guns better, upgrade. The flat-faced aluminum
Smith & Wesson raised the bar the team sat down to examine what Apex trigger significantly improves
with the M&P 2.0 model in 2017. The could be improved. The “Fueled By” the weight and quality of the trigger
2.0 came with an upgraded trigger pistols begin with a stock M&P 2.0 pull.
frame assembly, but the slide, barrel, A skeletonized striker that Ed
trigger assembly and chassis are all Brown designed and built also plays

ED BROWN produced in-house by Ed Brown. Ad- a role. My test sample’s trigger broke

MP-F3 ditionally, every factory cast or metal


injection-molded (MIM) part on the
cleanly and consistently at a crisp 3.5
pounds with a reset that was short
TYPE: striker-fired semiauto centerfire
CALIBER: 9mm Luger M&P is discarded and replaced with and tactile. Triggers are a subjective
CAPACITY: 17+1 fully machined components. area, but to me, this trigger is the
BARREL: 4.65 in. One of the biggest improvements closest I’ve found to a really good
WEIGHT: 29.2 oz. is the custom accuracy rail. Fac- 1911 trigger on a polymer-framed
CONSTRUCTION: steel-reinforced, textured
tory guns mean factory tolerances, handgun. It is that good.
polymer frame; machined stainless steel slide
SIGHTS: Trijicon SRO (as tested); suppres-
which aren’t always tight. Ed Brown The 416 stainless barrel is thread-
sor-height black rear, AmeriGlo tritium front replaces the steel front rail block ed 1/2x28, so the MP-F3 is suppres-
TRIGGER: Apex, 3.5 lb. pull (measured) that mates the frame to the slide with sor-ready right out of the box. The
SAFETIES: passive trigger blade 4.65-inch barrel is button-rifled with
PRICE: $1,995 base; $2,544 (as tested)
a 1:10 twist, and thanks to the tradi-
MANUFACTURER: Ed Brown Products,
tional lands and grooves, these guns
EdBrown.com
are compatible with both jacketed
and lead bullets. The outside of the
barrel is milled with angular flutes
that are visible through the slide
windows, and barrels are available
in black diamond-like coating (DLC)
or a “spectrum” multi-colored finish.
A thread protector caps things off if
a suppressor is not in use.
A visible loaded-chamber indica-
tor is located on the top of the barrel
hood. Because the slide and barrel
are both produced in-house, the fit is
excellent.
Slides are machined from 17-4
stainless steel billets at Ed Brown
and are visually and functionally
“Fueled by Ed Brown” in this case means an upgraded trigger, Trijicon RMR different from the factory design.
<

slide cut (SRO shown here is one sight option) and tall sights. CNC mills have changed the

26 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


©2020 O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.

MOSSBERG | MC2c ™
C O M PA C T

REASONS
TO FEEL
CONFIDENT.

MC2c Double-Stack Magazines in 13-Round & 15-Round

#89012
MC2c 9mm
Semi-Auto
ROCKET FUELED
slide game in recent years, and Lightening slides actually reduce in-house, taking advantage of the
Solidworks software allows machin- muzzle rise, however slightly, so the company’s long expertise in mak-
ists to produce just about anything cuts aren’t just for looks. The slide is ing handguns function reliably. The
the designers can engineer. available in either raw bead-blasted drop-in extractor is fully machined
The slide on the MP-F3 is radically stainless or with a black DLC finish. from heat-treated 4340 alloy and
machined, with forward and rear Coupled with the fluted barrel, this replaces the MIM factory part. Like
cocking serrations, a trio of window slide will turn heads. many of the components of this hand-
cuts milled to lighten the slide and Many of the small parts on the slide gun, Ed Brown sells them as acces-
a mounting surface for the Trijicon are custom additions as well. The sory parts also.
RMR series of sights. frame-mounted extractor is made The MP-F3 maintains the factory
full-length guide rod, which is made
from steel. The flat recoil spring
Instead of the stock frame rails, the MP-F3
<

features an oversize custom accuracy rail that promises a long functional life.
is hand-fitted into the frame. The sights are upgraded with an
AmeriGlo Pro-Glo tritium front and a
plain steel rear that dovetails into the
slide just behind the Trijicon RMR
cut. Since the sights are suppressor
height, they can be co-witnessed with
the optic, and of course, they are
compatible with suppressors.
My MP-F3 came with a Trijicon
Specialized Reflex Optic (SRO), which
has the same base footprint as that
company’s RMR. In addition to the

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28 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


SRO, Ed Brown offers the MP-F3 with about average in size, and I found Like other full-size M&P 9mms,
a black RMR, coyote brown RMR or the grip to be comfortable without the MP-F3 feeds from dual-column,
without an optic of any kind. swapping the medium backstrap for 17-round steel magazines, although
The SRO offers a large field of view, another size. Just like the stock M&P, Ed Brown added machined aluminum
a 2.5-m.o.a. red dot that is adjustable the MP-F3 comes with all four back- base plates that extend slightly below
manually or automatically for bright- strap sizes: small, medium (installed), the magazine well. The MP-F3 main-
ness and a reported three-year bat- medium-large and large. tains compatibility with factory
tery life. I have some experience with
handguns equipped with red dots, <
The billet-machined stainless
but this was my first time out with the slide on the MP-F3 sports angled
SRO, and I was impressed. The most cocking serrations front and back
comforting element of this setup for and lightening cuts. The barrel is
threaded 1/2x28.
me was that in the unlikely event that
the optic failed the open sights would
still be still visible and usable.
The frame on the MP-F3 is more
or less stock except for the machined
aluminum, low-profile, beveled
magazine well, which speeds up
reloads without adding much in terms
of bulk. The magazine release, slide
stop and takedown levers are as-is
from Smith & Wesson.
The frame’s texture is aggressive
without being abrasive. My hands are

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 29


ROCKET FUELED
magazines and base plates, so by It’s an impressive handgun, particu-
buying one you’re not costing your- larly given its price.
self anything in terms of magazine After running several “fun” drills,
availability or price. it was time for formal accuracy test-
I’m a sucker for a gun that looks ing. With a rock-solid rest, an optic
cool, and this one looks like it’s going and a great trigger, I expected great
fast while it’s standing still. After things. First, the MP-F3 functioned
getting my hands on this pistol, I was with 100 percent reliability through-
pretty excited to shoot it. The first out my test, despite the wide variety
thing I did was hang a fresh IDPA of bullet weights, types and loads I
target and, starting from Low Ready, used.
empty a magazine into the center- The star of the accuracy show was
mass of the cardboard. Winchester’s Active Duty 115-grain
My immediate impressions were FMJ load, which is identical to the
that this is a very shootable handgun M1152 training round used in the
thanks to the red-dot optic, the excel- military’s new M17/18 pistols. The
lent trigger and the comfortable grip. best-shooting defensive load was

ACCURACY RESULTS | ED BROWN MP-F3


Bullet Muzzle Std. Avg.
9mm Luger Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Dev. (fps) Group (in.)

Super Vel +P JHP 90 1,447 14 2.4


Winchester Active Duty M1152 FMJ 115 1,306 25 1.3
Hornady American Gunner XTP JHP 115 1,114 16 1.8
Wilson Combat High Performance
Tactical +P JHP 124 1,128 33 2.1
Hornady Subsonic XTP JHP 147 977 10 1.9
Federal Syntech Training Match TSJ 147 1,015 11 2.9
Notes: Accuracy figures are averages of four five-shot groups fired at 25 yards from a Target Shooting Inc. Model 1500
rest. Velocities are averages of 10 shots using a LabRadar chronograph placed adjacent to the muzzle. Abbreviations:
FMJ, full metal jacket; JHP, jacketed hollowpoint; TSJ, total synthetic jacket

<
In addition to the two window
cuts in the side, there’s one up top
for reduced muzzle jump. The
front sight is an AmeriGlo Pro-Glo
tritium.

With its tall sights and, in this case, red dot installed,
<

the MP-F3 just cries out for a suppressor, and Wood


found it a terrific combination.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM
Hornady’s 115-grain XTP, which also
has proven to be very accurate in the
last several handguns I have evalu-
ated.
The threaded barrel makes this
handgun a natural suppressor host. I
used both a DeGroat Tactical Arma-
ments and a SilencerCo Osprey with
this handgun. Both suppressors cut
down the already-light recoil of the
MP-F3 and, of course, significantly
reduced the sound signature and
muzzle blast.
This was my first exposure to
Hornady’s Subsonic 147-grain 9mm
load, and I was impressed with how
accurate and quiet it was. Thanks to
the optic and tall sights, neither sup-
pressor obscured my ability to aim
effectively.
So what is a handgun like the
MP-F3 good for? One could call it a
“crossover gun” since it can be used
for defensive, competition and recre-
ational purposes. It’s not a compact BUILD KITS
Everything you need to finish your build
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If you think about the lengths of
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ing hits at extended ranges is not
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A little bit or all the way it is up to you
interpretation of the IDPA rule book,
the MP-F3 would meet the require- Available as individual components
ments for the Carry Optics division or as color matched sets
and, with the optic removed, could be
used in the Enhanced Service Pistol
category. Above all, it is a really fun
gun to shoot. www.rival-arms.com
There are companies out there
building guns using a series of drop-
in parts, and they call them “cus-
tom.” Ed Brown Products is not one
of those companies. The MP-F3 is the
result of careful engineering from
people who know what makes guns
run well. At its core, it’s a polymer-
frame handgun built to be the best it
can be—and not to meet a consumer
price point. This isn’t the last word
from the company on this platform.
It’s just the beginning. I can’t wait to
see what’s next.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 31


BROWNING’S BUCK MARK
PLUS VISION BLUE IS A
STUNNING NEW EXAMPLE
OF A TRIED-AND-TRUE .22
AUTOLOADER.

M
TANGLED UP IN
TANGLED UP IN BLUE
at the OK Corral could pass I heard many older and more Each Buck Mark Plus Vision
under his nose without a second experienced shooters utter those pistol comes with two 10-round
glance. But when I walked by him exact same words while I lingered magazines equipped with a thumb
with Browning’s new Limited Edi- around the Buck Mark display at tab that makes depressing the
tion Buck Mark Plus Vision pistol this year’s SHOT Show. Introduced spring and loading rounds simple
in blue, the kid almost fell off his way back in 1985, the Buck Mark and hassle-free. The open windows
chair. remains mechanically very much on the sides of the magazine offer
“Dad, what is that?” the same pistol it was back when a view of how many cartridges
I explained, and he asked if he Dire Straits was topping the charts remain on tap.
could see it. I held the gun while he with “Money for Nothing.” Like other members of its family,
looked over every inch of it. At its heart is a direct-blowback the Buck Mark Plus Vision Blue
“That’s the coolest gun I’ve ever action that harnesses the .22 LR’s uses an alloy frame that is plenty
seen,” he said matter-of-factly. “I mild recoil to cycle the action. The durable for .22 LR ammunition yet
want one.” Buck Mark, like the Ruger Mark lightweight and affordable. There
series and Smith & Wesson’s famed are three different Vision mod-
Model 41, uses a reduced slide. els this year—in blue, black and
BROWNING When firing, only a portion of the red—and all of them come with a
BUCK MARK PLUS slide moves; the sights and barrel tensioned aluminum outer sleeve
VISION BLUE stay fixed.
That means better shot-to-shot
that surrounds a 5.9-inch steel bar-
rel insert. This allows the barrel to
TYPE: direct blowback semiauto rimfire
CALIBER: .22 LR consistency and a reduced cycling be tensioned fore and aft and offers
CAPACITY: 10+1 load. It’s also no coincidence that improved accuracy at a lower cost.
BARREL: 5.9 in., muzzle brake, threaded
these three pistols are well known Plus, and perhaps most impor-
1/2x28
for their accuracy and reliability. tantly—to my son, anyway—the
OVERALL LENGTH: 9.9 in.; 11.5 in. w/muzzle
brake The design is extremely simple yet aluminum barrel sleeve allows for
WEIGHT: 27 oz. effective. some very cool upgrades to the
GRIPS: UFX rubber overmolded The Buck Mark’s slide is outfit- pistol in the form of barrel cuts.
FINISH: anodized blue ted with a sturdy extractor on its The Swiss cheese barrel design of
TRIGGER: 3.6 lb. pull (measured)
right side that’s durable enough to the Buck Mark Plus Vision Blue I
SIGHTS: click adjustable Pro-Target rear,
Truglo/Marble Arms fiber-optic front; remove cases from the chamber. tested wouldn’t work with a one-
Picatinny rail When the slide moves forward, the piece barrel, but it’s easy to do with
SAFETY: manual thumb safety extractor extends into a cutout in a two-piece barrel.
PRICE: $700 the barrel sleeve and bites on the What’s more, each of the three Vi-
MANUFACTURER: Browning, browning.com
rim of the cartridge. sion Buck Mark guns gets a unique
sleeve design exclusive to that col-
or. The blue version I tested comes
with a honeycomb pattern; the
black model comes with sawtooth
cuts; and the red version receives
lateral barrel cuts. The exterior of
the aluminum surfaces is anodized
with the respective color of the gun,
and the barrel sleeve cuts retain
their shiny silver look. It offers a bit
of contrast that certainly adds to
the Plus Vision’s wow factor.
The Buck Mark’s inner barrel
is equipped with 1/2x28 threads,
and the gun comes equipped with
a muzzle brake. The brake gives
the gun a unique look and helps
the pistol balance well in the hand,
although the threaded muzzle also
The Plus Vision Blue pistol offers the same control layout as other Buck
<

Mark guns. The thumb safety and slide stop are wide enough to be easily begs to have a suppressor added.
manipulated. All Buck Mark Plus Vision

34 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


TANGLED UP IN BLUE
pistols come with white outline will appreciate how much real find yourself hunting for the con-
Pro-Target 16-click adjustable rear estate the Buck Mark pistol grip trols on this gun. In addition to the
sights and a Truglo/Marble Arms fi- offers, but thanks to the liberal use thumb safety, the Buck Mark fea-
ber-optic front sight. The rear sight of lightweight alloy materials and tures a magazine disconnect safety.
is fixed to the receiver, which also the gun’s excellent balance just With the muzzle brake in place,
includes a six-slot Picatinny rail about anyone—even young or small- the Buck Mark measures about
that offers more sighting options. handed shooters—can make this 11.5 inches long and has a height of
The front sight is attached to the gun perform. roughly 5.5 inches from the top of
barrel sleeve while the rear sight The controls are what you’ll find the rear sight to the base of the grip.
and rail are secured to the receiver on any other Buck Mark gun. On Across the controls the gun mea-
with a pair of hex screws. Remov- the left side is a round magazine sures about 1.5 inches.
ing the top rail provides access to release button located aft of the Each new Buck Mark Plus Vision
the mainspring and allows for the gold-plated trigger, a paddle-type Blue pistol comes with a pistol rug
removal of the slide for cleaning thumb safety that pivots at the front and two magazines and carries a
and maintenance. and a slide stop. suggested retail price of $700—not
All of the Vision Buck Mark pis- Both the slide stop and safety a bad price for the coolest gun ever.
tols come with Browning’s Ultra- protrude noticeably from the frame, I’ve tested and owned a few Buck
grip FX (UFX) molded grips with and while that might be a prob- Marks. All were shooters, and the
finger grooves and a tacky exterior lem on a carry gun, it’s a welcome Plus Vision Blue model is no excep-
surface. Shooters with large hands feature on a target pistol. You won’t tion. That accuracy potential is due
in large part to the fixed barrel and
sights, and the gun’s relatively long,
ACCURACY RESULTS | BROWNING BUCK MARK PLUS VISION BLUE 8.25-inch sight radius. But as good
Bullet Muzzle Std. Avg. as the fiber-optic adjustable sights
.22 Long Rifle Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Dev. (fps) Group (in.)
on the Buck Mark are, I couldn’t
CCI Mini-Mag Copper Plated HP 36 1,017 22 1.4 help but make use of that rail space
SK Pistol Match Special LRN 40 882 11 1.0 and mount an optic.
Federal Target LRN 40 1,011 12 1.1
I did the accuracy testing with a
Remington Eley Club Xtra LRN 40 927 16 1.2
Steiner DRS1X I had on hand, and it
Winchester Wildcat CP DynaPoint 40 1,003 25 1.4
worked fine, although aesthetically
Notes: Accuracy results are averages of four five-shot-shot groups at 15 yards from a fixed rest. Velocities are averages
of 10 shots recorded on a Shooting Chrony digital chronograph placed 10 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: CP, copper it’s too big for the pistol. I later shot
plated; HP, hollowpoint; LRN, lead roundnose
the pistol with a Sightmark Mini
Shot, and a sight of this size is just
about perfect.
Of the five loads tested, three con-
sistently produced groups around
an inch at 25 yards, and the other
two weren’t far behind. The very
best group of the day came courtesy
of SK Pistol Match Special 40-grain
target ammo and measured 0.91
inch for five shots.
The Buck Mark’s trigger is
great. It broke at an average of 3.6
pounds for 10 shots measured with
a Wheeler gauge, with just a little
creep before the sear drops.
Like the Smith & Wesson Model
41 and the Ruger Mark IV, the Buck
Mark pistols have a crescent trig-
ger, and I believe the Buck Mark’s
trigger is the most deeply curved of
the three. You may or may not like
The Plus Vision Blue’s muzzle is threaded, and a muzzle brake is included. that—I actually prefer the flatter
<

Even with the added weight of the brake, the pistol is well balanced. profile of the company’s Feather

36 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


Wide rear cocking serrations, 3 ½” Stainless XS 3-dot
for positive grip, regardless match bull barrel, Tritium
of field conditions for superb accuracy night sights

Aluminum frame,
30% the weight
of standard steel

G10
laminated
grips

Adjustable Match-grade
trigger, for a smooth,
Rounded
crisp break
frame,
grip and
mainspring
housing

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©2020 REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY, LLC.


*SOME LIMITATIONS MAY APPLY. GO TO WWW.REMINGTON.COM/LIFETIMEWARRANTY FOR THE WARRANTY.
TANGLED UP IN BLUE
rifle trigger—but there’s no Vision’s reliability was pretty good. perform. I had some failures to
denying that this gun has a great I intentionally threw in two very eject spent casings early on, but
trigger. It’s smooth and crisp and light target loads—SK’s aforemen- those problems seemed related to
allows you to print small groups tioned Pistol Match Special and ammo selection more than mechani-
consistently. Remington Eley Club Xtra ammu- cal issues.
On the whole, the Buck Mark Plus nition—just to see how they would Rimfire ammo runs in a rela-
tively wide range of velocities and
pressures, and many of the insults
hurled against gun makers regard-
ing jams are really issues with gun/
ammunition compatibility. I ran
CCI’s hot Mini-Mag ammunition
through the gun without a hiccup.
What’s more, I realized the slide
wasn’t moving with as much author-
ity as I felt it should, so I lubricated
the action and removed the red dot.
Voilà.
Even the slow stuff ran much
better, and the three faster loads—
Winchester Wildcat, Federal Target
and the CCI—all purred through
the gun. There were a handful of
occasions when the firing pin struck
the primer but did not ignite the
The Plus Vision Blue sports a top rail for optics, and trim sights like this propellant. The strikes looked good
<

Sightmark Mini Shot are perfect. to me, so that may be an issue with

• Custom and
Universal fit
configurations

• Custom soft shell


technology in a
variety of colors

• 100% digital
compression circuit
• Custom
programming for
your hearing loss
• Waterproof Nano
Coating
the ammunition. But if I kept the
gun lubed and fed it ammo that
made more than 900 fps, the Buck
Mark had no issues.
Browning may be leading the
class for rimfire pistol grip design.
The UFX system is comfortable and
offers a secure and consistent hold
on the pistol.
Everything about the Plus Vision
Blue pistol feels like it was made to
the highest standards, from the fit
of the frame to the grip to the slide <
The UFX rubber grips have thumb grooves for a secure and comfortable hold
machining to the trigger. There’s on the gun, and even those with large hands will find these grips suitable.
no doubt it’s one of the most strik-
ing .22 rimfires on the market. The and lots of fun to shoot. It gobbles won my son’s heart, and it did the
anodized finish seems durable, and up inexpensive ammo, it doesn’t same for the folks shooting beside
throughout testing I never saw any generate painful recoil or daunting me at the range. The man in the
wear or chipping. muzzle blast, and it is capable of next bay’s first words to me were,
Looks and build quality aside, printing tiny groups. It’s a hoot to “Cool gun.” Yes, it is.
there’s something to be said for a shoot whether you’re spinning steel
gun that’s just fun to shoot. I think or knocking tin cans around, and Buy it now. Log on to GalleryofGuns.com, select
we reserve too much space in our it’s accurate enough to be a func- this firearm, pay a deposit and it will be at your
gun safes for guns that serve a tional pest control gun should the local gun store in two days. When purchased from
GalleryofGuns.com, Davidson’s guarantees to repair
higher purpose—competition, hunt- need arise. or replace this firearm for life.
ing, self-defense and so forth. Above all else, the Buck Mark
But the Buck Mark is just lots Plus Vision Blue grabs attention. It
S
pringfield Armory has an entire family tree
of XD pistols. First came the original XD
series, then the enhanced XD-M, the com-
pact XD-S and the newer XD-E. All have
polymer frames, and all are striker-fired
except the XD-E, which has an external hammer.
They are all available in different sizes, finishes
and calibers. So it should be no surprise that the
brand-new XD-M Elite line already has five models,
including a 3.8-inch version; two 4.5-inch ver-
sions (one black, one flat dark earth); and an OSP
(Optically Sighted Pistol) Threaded model with a
4.5-inch barrel, tall sights and ready to accept a
slide-mounted red dot. And then there’s the pistol
we’re reviewing here: the 5.25-inch XD-M Elite
Precision. As of right now, the XD-M Elite pistols
are available only in 9mm.
Springfield introduced a 5.25-inch XD-M about 10
years ago, aiming it toward competition shooters,
and officially, it was/is the 5.25 Competition Series
model. In contrast, the new 5.25-inch XD-M Elite is
called the Precision, with Springfield thinking this
iteration of the pistol would be just as useful as a
defensive/tactical pistol as it would be as a compe-
tition pistol. I think the company is right.
As polymer-frame, striker-fired pistols go, the
XD-M pistols have distinctive looks. For the ABG
(anything but Glock) crowd, the Springfield XD

40 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


KILLER
ELITE
SPRINGFIELD ARMORY ONE-UPS ITSELF WITH
THE NEW XD-M ELITE FAMILY.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 41


KILLER ELITE
and XD-M pistols have always beavertail grip safeties you’ll find Assembly, and the changes are both
been popular because they have a on most modern 1911s. internal and external.
grip angle similar to the 1911. This The forward and rear cocking Externally, the META trigger shoe
has not changed with the Elite. serrations on the XD-M Elite’s slide is much closer to flat. It breaks at a
The XD pistols are also one of the have been changed—for the better. 90-degree angle, which helps keep
few striker-fired semiautos with a They are still flat-bottomed, but the your front sight from wiggling side
grip safety like the 1911. The origi- serrations are now twice as wide to side as you’re pulling the trig-
nal XD/XD-M grip safety is a bit and cover more real estate on the ger. The trigger also has an integral
flat, but the XD-M Elite grip safety slide. You will be challenged to grab overtravel stop.
should look even more familiar to this slide and not find serrations Internally, the trigger components
1911 fans. Springfield has added a under your fingers. have been tweaked as well, result-
memory bump at the bottom of it for The XD and XD-M pistols have ing in a trigger pull that is slightly
a more positive deactivation, and in always had ambidextrous magazine lighter and crisper, as well as having
profile and function it is just like the releases, but the slide-lock lever a shorter reset. Reset on my sample
has always been single-side. With was under 3/16 inch, and trigger pull
the XD-M Elite line Springfield weight was 5.5 pounds. The trigger

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
has added a slide lock on the right pull was so smooth and crisp it hon-
side of the gun. And, unlike some
XD-M ELITE PRECISION
estly felt a pound less than that.
handguns, the steel tab on the right One obvious change with the
TYPE: striker-fired semiauto centerfire
actually works as both a slide stop XD-M Elite is the magazine well.
CALIBER: 9mm Luger
CAPACITY: 22+1
and a slide release, so if you’re a These pistols come with a factory-
BARREL: 5.25 in. lefty this gun now does everything installed polymer magazine well.
OAL/HEIGHT/WIDTH: 8.3/6.6 (mag in- equally well for you. The 3.8- and 4.5-inch XD-M Elite
serted)/1.3 in. At the time of the XD’s introduc- pistols have what the company calls
WEIGHT: 29.3 oz.
tion, its crisper-than-the-competi- its “short” mag well, while the 4.5
CONSTRUCTION: Melonite-coated carbon
tion trigger pull was another reason OSP and Precision Elite models
steel slide; polymer frame
SIGHTS: fully adjustable rear, red fiber-optic 1911 fans tended to gravitate toward come with a “standard” mag well
front it, and the good trigger pulls con- that is extended and flared.
TRIGGER: META, 5.5 lb. pull (measured) tinued with the XD-M. Apparently As competition shooters will tell
SAFETIES: trigger lever, internal drop, grip this wasn’t good enough for Spring- you, even a small magazine well
PRICE: $653
field, so with the XD-M Elite series will smooth out and speed up your
MANUFACTURER: Springfield Armory,
you’ll see the META trigger. META reloads, but don’t think they’re not
springfield-armory.com
stands for Match Enhanced Trigger useful on the street. That’s why the
FBI spec’d them on its newest duty
pistols.
The magazine well on the XD-M
Elite Precision is a sizable one,
but it is on an already sizable gun.
You’re not sacrificing concealabil-
ity with the large well, as this pistol
never had that.
The bigger your mag well, the
faster your reload, no matter your
skill level. I practiced reloading the
XD-M Elite, and while I couldn’t
quite throw the mag in the gun from
across the room, it sure felt like it.
Reloads were blindingly fast.
Compared to the standard unbev-
eled frame on the gun, there is no
comparison. But if at some point
you get tired of the magazine well
and want to remove it, the process
The XD-M Elite’s grip safety now features a memory bump, and the is simple.
<

right-side slide-lock lever is of sufficient size to work as a slide release. Drive out the roll pin that

42 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


S O LI D
R OC K T E E
U AR A N
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N F E E S
HID D E
-OR- SFER FEES
TRAN

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©2020 Davidson’s, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
KILLER ELITE
holds the backstrap in place. The shorter 20-round magazines should be done with a 3/32 punch,
At the bottom rear of the backstrap that come with the 3.8- and 4.5-inch but I can never find the right tools
you’ll see a slot, and in that slot you XD-M Elite pistols will work in the around my house and usually end up
will see a vertical steel pin. Push the Precision, but you have to push up using a hex wrench to do the job.
top of the pin down and it will slide with your thumb inside the magazine The barrels are hammer forged.
out of the bottom of your magazine well to seat them. These magazines Both the barrel and slide have a
well. You will then be easily able to have index holes going up to 19 and corrosion-resistant Melonite finish,
take off the magazine well, revealing black polymer base pads. and the slide on the XD-M Precision
the standard grip frame. The XD-M Elite achieves this huge Elite has a cutout on the top behind
As of right now, Springfield capacity with the long grip found on the front sight to keep the slide
Armory doesn’t offer replacement all XD-M pistols, and no matter how weight the same as you’d find on the
magazine wells if you want to try big your hand is, you’ll be able to get 4.5-inch XD-M Elite.
a different size—or want a better all of it on the frame of these guns. Less reciprocating weight means
looking one after scratching yours You won’t see checkering per se on less muzzle rise while shooting, so
up by practicing your reloads 3,000 the gripping surfaces of this pistol. keeping the slide weight of this lon-
times—but I wouldn’t be surprised if Springfield instead has gone with ger model the same as the 4.5-inch
that changes down the road. raised squares and rectangles. They XD-M Elite means the Precision
XD-M pistols have full-length do a decent job of keeping your hand delivers an increase in sight radius
frames and have always delivered in place while shooting, although I without an increase in muzzle rise.
best-in-class ammo capacity at wish they covered more of the grip- XD-M Elite pistols come with steel
19+1 in 9mm with flush magazines. ping surface. sights. The Elite Precision sports a
The XD-M Elite Precision delivers Like all XD-Ms, the XD-M Elite fully adjustable rear sight similar to
even more because in order to work Precision has interchangeable back- the classic BoMar found on 1911s. It
with the magazine well, the three straps, and three different sizes are lacks the white dots found on other
provided stainless steel mags have provided with the pistol. To swap out members of the XD-M Elite family.
extended base pads—resulting in the backstrap you have to push out As I am of the firm belief that the
22+1 capacity. a roll pin at the base. Officially, this rear sight is a window frame that
should be looked through—not at—
seeing a plain black sight makes me
ACCURACY RESULTS | SPRINGFIELD XD-M ELITE PRECISION happy. The front is a red fiber optic.
Bullet Muzzle Std. Avg. There is a loaded-chamber indica-
9mm Luger Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Dev. (fps) Group (in.)
tor atop the slide. When the striker
Hornady American Gunner XTP 115 1,162 9 2.9
is cocked, it protrudes from the rear
Black Hills TAC-XP +P 115 1,169 14 3.1
of the slide far enough to see and
Winchester FMJ 115 1,187 22 3.5
Federal Syntech PCC 130 1,009 23 4.0 feel. The Elite Precision has a frame
Federal HST 147 985 17 3.3 rail, and it will accept most gun-
Notes: Accuracy results are the averages of four five-shot groups at 25 yards from a sandbag rest. Velocities are aver- mounted lights—making it a great
ages of 10 shots measured with an Oehler Model 35P 12 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviation: FMJ, full metal jacket choice as a bedside table gun when
things go bump in the night.
This is the biggest pistol in a
family of big guns. With its full-size
frame, even the XD-M Elite 3.8 isn’t
small or easy to conceal. I see the
entire line as more suitable for open
carry, duty, competition and, as I just
mentioned, home defense.
With the extended magazine in
place, the XD-M Elite Precision is
6.6 inches tall (6.0 inches without)
and 8.25 inches long. I’ve made a ca-
reer of carrying big concealed guns,
and I’ve never carried anything as
big as this XD-M Elite. However, at
There is a cutout in the top of the slide, which reduces the reciprocating 29.8 ounces it is lighter than many
<

weight and lessens felt recoil and muzzle rise. guns I’ve carried, so the pistol’s

44 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


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KILLER ELITE
weight isn’t the issue for me, just kids. That’s why companies use ce- As has happened quite a few times
the size. lebrities in advertising. over the past few years, the first time
Springfield isn’t specifically mar- That same philosophy applies I fired the Elite Precision was during
keting the XD-M Elite Precision as a to the firearms world, but when it filming for the upcoming season of
competition gun, but it is a tweaked comes to selling guns, the celebrities “Handguns and Defensive Weapons”
version of the original 5.25-inch XD- for years have been Special Forces on Sportsman Channel. It worked
M, which was. You might be wonder- soldiers. If you say gun “X” or acces- great on camera, it worked great
ing why the market seems so rich sory “Y” is in use by the Navy SEALs off camera, and I would have been
with competition-oriented pistols, or Delta Force, you’ll sell a gazillion surprised if things had been other-
and the answer is somewhat simple: of them. wise because XDs and XD-Ms have
Everyone wants to be like the cool This same phenomenon has ex- always been reliable. Accuracy was
panded to include big-name competi- on par with previous models and the
tion shooters—Rob Leatham, Doug competition.
Koenig, Jessie Harrison, etc.—and Rob Leatham won the Produc-
the guns built to play their games. tion division of the USPSA Handgun
If you’re selling a gun or gizmo that National Championships shooting
is all the rage in USPSA, IDPA or an XD, and the late Ron Avery, an
3-Gun, a lot of people who never icon of practical shooting, was also
have any intention of shooting a a big fan of the design, but it doesn’t
match will want to buy one. see as much use in the competition
Just as importantly, these guns arena as other guns simply because
are unique and different and also of its bore height.
usually offer some high-speed and The higher the bore off the
The full-size grips feature inter- functional upgrades, torture-tested hand, the more the sight picture
<

changeable backstraps. Tarr wishes


the raised-rectangle “stippling” in the crucible of competition. Such is disturbed when you shoot, and
covered more surface area. as what you see on this pistol. the slower you are to get back on
target. However, we’re talking a few
hundredths of seconds per shot, in a
controlled environment.
Heck, unless you’re pushing hard
to make Master class in IDPA or
USPSA, you won’t be running the
gun hard and fast enough in compe-
tition to notice much of a difference.
Perhaps more importantly, that tiny
difference in speed makes absolute-
ly no difference in a defensive situ- The extended and flared mag well on the Elite Precision makes reloads

<
ation where there are many other incredibly fast and sure. It’s removable if you don’t like it. The mags for the
XD-M Elite Precision hold a whopping 22 rounds.
factors at play.
Years of competition experience
have shown me a flat trigger break- steel plate rack—a nice combination ed up being the favorite of everyone,
ing at 90 degrees means less muzzle of small and large targets. We prac- including me, because, due to its
wiggle and therefore more accuracy, ticed plate rack runs, our transitions combination of features, we all were
although I’ve never done any scien- from target to target, and working on able to shoot it more consistently
tific experiments to quantify the dif- trigger pull speed. and accurately.
ference. But I’ve seen it, felt it and The great thing about a red fiber- The XD-M Precision model car-
demand it of my competition guns. optic insert is that your eye is better ries a suggested retail price of $653.
I headed to the range with the able to track it during the recoil Considering you don’t get just the
Springfield, two other pistols, and cycle, getting you back on target gun but also three magazines, three
two friends. For targets we put up quicker. The trigger broke flat and backstraps, a cable lock, and a nice
a handful of USPSA silhouettes, a straight back. And the magazines soft case for that price, this pistol is
half-dozen Pepper Poppers, and a lasted forever. The Springfield end- a heck of a bargain.

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RACE READY
RUGER OFFERS NOT ONE BUT TWO SUPER GP100
COMPETITIONS, A 9MM AND A .357/.38, FOR
SERIOUS WHEELGUNNERS.
BY J. SCOTT RUPP

50 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020


I
t’s hard to believe the Ruger Over those 35 years, the revolver Both versions use stainless steel
GP100 is 35 years old. Bill has seen a number of models and for the shroud, with the 9mm version
Ruger’s design was notable chamberings, from .22 Long Rifle getting a satin stainless treatment
for several features. Its lack to .44 Special (I bought one), and while the .357/.38 has a PVD (physi-
of sideplates made the frame now Ruger has decided to put the cal vapor deposition) blue/black fin-
stronger, which was necessary be- muscle of its relatively new Custom ish. Six lightening cuts on each side
cause this revolver was built from Shop behind the design. Last year of the shroud prevent the gun from
the get-go to handle a full-time diet the company introduced the Super being muzzle heavy, and they’re sexy
of .357 Magnum loads. It introduced GP100 Competition in .357 Mag- as hell to boot.
the peg-style frame that permitted num/.38 Special, and more recently The cold-hammer-forged barrel
the use of one-piece grips, and it it added a version in 9mm Luger. is six inches long in the 9mm and
featured a trigger system employ- These are competition guns, pure 5.5 inches long in the .357/.38. The
ing coil-wire mainsprings instead and simple, but any serious revolver overall lengths of the revolvers
of leaf springs—the same setup fan will appreciate all the upgrades. are the same, though, because the
used on the company’s Redhawk Let’s start with the most obvious: longer barrel extends into the frame
double action that made its debut the half-lug shrouded barrel with its to meet up with the shorter 9mm
six years prior. lightening cuts. cylinder.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 51


RACE READY
The half-lug also contributes The barrels feature an 11-degree done. Three clips are provided with
to the revolver’s excellent balance. crown for top accuracy. Ruger has the gun, and I bought additional clips
One of the original features of the been using this crown on more and for the .38 from Speed Beez. The
GP100 was a full underlug, which more of its guns, and it’s a feature 9mm also comes with a de-mooning
gave the gun weight out front and demanding shooters look for. tool to wrest empties or loaded
helped tame muzzle rise and recoil The replaceable front sight is set ammo from the clips. The .357/.38
impulse from .357 Magnum loads. in a dovetail. It features a green does not include the tool.
The Super GP100 Competition fiber-optic rod. The rod is protected You can also single-load the
wouldn’t benefit from a full underlug up top by a continuous strip of metal, cylinders as you would any standard
because adding that to the shroud and there’s an additional metal strip double-action revolver cylinder. With
would make the gun unwieldy, and a in the center on each side for further the .357/.38 the brass can be ejected
ton weight out front is unnecessary protection. via the ejector rod and its star, but
due to the relatively low power levels The barrel shroud is serrated with the 9mm you’ll have to pluck
of the 9mm and .38 Special (which along its length, while the flat top- them out by hand. This was easily
everyone who buys the .357 would strap is smooth. The adjustable rear done on my 9mm sample except for
shoot) cartridges. sight fits into a cut in the topstrap one charge hole that required a little
and is held in place with a pin. A extra work to dislodge its empty case.
screw on the body of the sight adjusts One tiny difference I noted in the

RUGER elevation, and a screw on the right samples involves the ejector rod. On

SUPER GP100 side moves the white-outline blade the .357/.38, the shoulder between

COMPETITION
for windage. the top and the stem was nicely
One of the big pluses with the dehorned, but the 9mm’s shoulder
TYPE: double-action/single-action revolver
GP100 design is the strength of its had a slightly sharp edge to it. I
CALIBER: .357 Magnum/.38 Special,
9mm Luger
triple lockup. This includes a locking could barely see it under a magnify-
CAPACITY: 8, cylinders cut for moon clips lever at the front of the crane—a ing glass, but I did notice it just a bit
BARREL: cold hammer forged; 5.5 in. (.357), feature that initially debuted with when slamming down hard on the
6 in. (9mm) the company’s bank-vault-strong rod with the palm of my hand.
OVERALL LENGTH: 11 in.
Redhawk—the offset cylinder stop The one-piece stocks are some-
WEIGHT: 47 oz. (.357), 45.6 oz. (9mm)
and the crane latch at the back of the thing to behold. The .357/.38 sample
FRAME/CYLINDER: PVD black stainless
(.357), satin stainless (.357) cylinder. arrived first, and I thought the
GRIPS: Hogue hand-finished hardwood The eight-shot cylinders on both Hogue hardwood on it was good-look-
SIGHTS: adjustable rear, green fiber-optic models are black PVD-finished, high- ing, but I was blown away by the grip
front strength stainless steel. Because on the 9mm. The former is lighter
TRIGGER: (stock 9mm) 8 lb., 12 oz. double
these are dedicated competition and exhibited a nice straight grain;
action; 3 lb., 4 oz. single action
SAFETY: transfer bar
guns, the cylinders are cut for moon the latter is darker with handsome
PRICE: $1,549 clips, and the machining is expertly figuring.
MANUFACTURER: Ruger, ruger.com Between its grip and the contrast-
ing black cylinder/stainless frame
and shroud, the 9mm is a true beau-
ty. The .357/.38 is no slouch, either.
The satin stainless cylinder release,
hammer, ejector rod and trigger are
left in the white and contrast nicely
with the black PVD finish.
The GP100 was designed to be easy
to take down. It breaks down to its
sub-assemblies in seconds, and Ru-
ger fully intended for Super GP100
Competition shooters to experiment
with the gun’s springs. And that’s
really all you probably need to do
because all the internal parts have
been polished and optimized for a
The .357/.38 stainless metal gets a black PVD finish, with the hammer, smooth trigger pull.
<

cylinder latch and ejector rod left in the white for a nice contrast. If you want to change springs,

52 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


The Rock Ultra CCO Combo combines an aluminum
frame with a commander-length slide. The compact
officer’s frame reduces printing while the 4.20-inch
barrel means you won’t sacrifice accuracy. The real
beauty? Choose between firing 9mm or the impressive
22TCM9R round. For penetrating impact and remarkably
light recoil, make the CCO part of your collection.

\\ r o c k i s l a n d a r m o r y . c o m
RACE READY
remove the slotted screw at the spring, after taking out the main- and remove the plunger to access the
base of the grip and pull the grip. spring assembly remove the ham- spring.
Cock the hammer and insert a small mer and the trigger guard assembly. Reassemble in reverse order, en-
punch, Allen wrench or similar tool Ruger’s directions in the manual will suring when you reinstall the trigger
into the hole at the bottom of the guide you through this, and it’s easy. assembly that the transfer bar and
hammer strut to trap the spring. Hold The only difficulty I encoun- pawl are correctly positioned. Re-
the hammer with your fingers, pull tered—with both the Supers and my place the mainspring assembly and
the trigger and ease the hammer for- .44 Special—was one mentioned in the grips, and you’re done.
ward. Then you can remove the strut the manual. The trigger guard lock I already had some Wilson Com-
and mainspring. plunger can be stubborn. I had to bat GP100 springs on hand, and I
At this point you can replace the place the revolver in a padded vise replaced the stock mainspring with
mainspring, and I’d advise that un- and tap lightly on the plunger with a nine-pound one in the .357/.38.
less you’re an old hand at this you a punch and a small hammer. This That really helped the double-action
should take a photo of the orientation freed the plunger and allowed me to trigger pull, dropping it to seven
of the hammer strut assembly for swing out the trigger guard assembly. pounds, one ounce. The stock 9mm
easier reassembly. To replace the spring, drive out the double-action pull went eight pounds,
To replace the trigger return small pin at the back of the assembly 12 ounces. Single action was two
pounds, eight ounces for the .357/.38
and three pounds, four ounces for the
ACCURACY RESULTS | RUGER SUPER GP100 COMPETITION 9mm with stock spring.
I also replaced the trigger return
Bullet Muzzle Std. Avg.
Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Dev. (fps) Group (in.) spring in the .357/.38 with an eight-
pounder. That didn’t suit me as well.
.38 Special
Hornady American Gunner XTP 125 862 28 2.1 It felt great while dry-firing, but when
Blazer Brass FMJ 130 926 19 3.3 I tried to engage a plate rack at speed
Remington WheelGun TMWC 148 716 28 2.4 I found myself short-stroking the trig-
Remington WheelGun LRN 158 763 16 2.5 ger on occasion.
9mm Luger Believe it or not, you can tempo-
Remington UMC FMJ 115 1,261 23 2.5 rarily lock up a revolver if you don’t
SIG 365 FMJ 115 1,196 24 2.7 allow the trigger to go past its reset
Hornady American Gunner XTP 115 1,145 24 3.5 point, and the lighter spring seemed
Notes: Accuracy results are averages of four five-shot groups at 25 yards from an MTM pistol rest. Velocities are aver- to make me more prone to that prob-
ages of 10 shots recorded on a ProChrono placed 10 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: FMJ, full metal jacket; LRN, lead
roundnose; TMWC, Targetmaster wadcutter lem. I’ll bet Jerry Miculek and other
elite revolver shooters don’t have this
issue, though, and veteran competi-
tors already know what spring setup
suits them best—and the Super
GP100 is ready, willing and able to
accommodate them.
Benchrest accuracy results are
shown in the accompanying table. I
don’t think they’re all that impres-
sive, but I blame the shooter. My eyes
aren’t great in the first place, and
while I do think the fiber-optic front
sight design is a winner, the rod sits
high in the blade, and there’s not
much hard black above it.
For me this meant taking a good six
o’clock hold was difficult. Younger,
sharper eyes will undoubtedly shoot
The Hogue one-piece grips are as
<

good-looking as they are comfort- these guns much better in deliberate


able. Rupp really liked how they felt accuracy testing.
on the draw and during rapid-fire
double-action shooting. The 9mm version was fussier about
ammo than the .357/.38. In addi-

54 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


ED BROWN
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RACE READY
tion to the ammo listed, I tried to work with. I was really impressed
Federal Syntech. The results with by how natural they felt when the
the 115-grain version results weren’t buzzer went off and my hand went to
worth recording, and the 150-grain the grip. I also found I really liked
flatnose load was even more unsuited how smooth the grips are, despite
to the gun. For whatever reason, my initial skepticism they wouldn’t
some of those rounds keyholed, and provide enough control. They were
there was no semblance of a group. fine in that regard. And, of course, if
Practical accuracy with other these wood beauties aren’t up your
ammo in both guns was terrific, alley, they’re easily changed.
though. I worked with Revolution At speed I shot the 9mm better
Target’s six-inch plate rack as well than I did the .38, despite the lower
as IPSC cardboard targets, drawing trigger pull weight on the latter. Who
from a holster I bought from Speed knows why.
Beez. When I did my part both revolv- Target-transition times were a
ers did theirs. fraction slower with the 9mm, but
I mentioned how attractive the that’s to be expected because it oper-
grips are, but they were also a dream ates at much higher pressure and
has snappier recoil than the .38. That
was certainly in evidence in hitting
the Revolution’s plates. The .38 loads
would swing them back, but the 9mm
bullets would smack the plates and
make them do a full 360.
Hits on both steel and paper came
easy, and the gun’s excellent balance
and great sights made it easy to track
the front sight and get back on target
quickly. I won’t be giving Miculek a
run for his money any time soon—or,
in fact, ever—but I really enjoyed
working with a couple of revolvers
The revolver’s springs are easy to
<

designed from the ground up to be


change. Other parts in the fire-control
system are polished for smooth shot fast and shot well.
operation.

With 420 lumens and


a 160-meter beam, the
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©2020 Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Inc


Both revolvers have eight-shot stainless steel cylinders cut for moon clips,
<

and three clips come with the gun. Note how the 9mm’s barrel extends into
the frame to account for its shorter cylinder.

56 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


Originally, my intention was to
shoot a couple local matches with
these revolvers, but our high plains

HT
C
G
I
I
winter and then Covid-19 got in the

E
S
way. Despite this lack of experience,

HT W
S
I feel confident these Super GP100
A LIG

L A
Competitions would make an excel-

C
lent choice for those looking to shoot
matches with a wheelgun.
The $1,549 suggested retail is in
line with what you’d expect to pay for
a premium revolver. Oh, and I failed
to mention the extras that come with
the guns, chief among these being a
top-notch SKB carrying case. This
heavy-duty number features dual
latches and dual metal-reinforced
holes for padlocks.
The closed-cell foam inside is
custom cut for the gun, and besides
DW VIGIL
the three moon clips you also get a
certificate of authenticity signed by
SUPPRESSOR-READY
Ruger’s president/CEO Chris Killoy, A more affordable entry into the Dan Wesson
a Ruger Custom shop medallion, lineup of high-quality semi-automatics, the
sticker and Ruger soft cloth. Vigil Series 1911 pistols are built around a forged
Not into competition? The Super aluminum frame with a stainless-steel slide and
GP100 Competition certainly holds Cocobolo Shadow grips.
its own as a well-designed eight-
MSRP starting at $1298.
shot revolver. I didn’t fire any .357s
through that model, but its balance,
sights and great trigger pull (with
or without a spring job) would make
it a great hunting gun for those who
prefer to go afield with open sights.
And certainly eight shots of .357, .38
Special, .38 +P or 9mm would come in DW VIGIL DW VIGIL
handy in any home- or trail-defense CCO COMMANDER
situation.
Mostly, I’m glad to see Ruger striv-
ing for refinements that can make DANWESSONFIREARMS.COM
revolvers better. Competition is the
crucible that forms many of the ad-
vancements that will come to define
a particular action or design in the
future, and with the Super GP100
Competition the company has made
big strides toward the revolver’s
advancement—just as the original
GP100 did 35 years ago.

Buy it now. Log on to GalleryofGuns.com, select


this firearm, pay a deposit and it will be at your
local gun store in two days. When purchased from
GalleryofGuns.com, Davidson’s guarantees to repair
or replace this firearm for life.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 57


ROCKIN’
THE .22 MAGNUM
BY BRAD FITZPATRICK
ROCK ISLAND ARMORY’S XT 22
MAGNUM IS AFFORDABLE TO
SHOOT, RELIABLE AND
ACCURATE.

R
ock Island Armory is best known for produc- rimfire ammo, so Rock Island has made a few engi-
ing reliable 1911s at a reasonable price, so it neering changes to the XT 22 Magnum to make it look
should come as little surprise that the com- and feel like a 1911 without sacrificing reliability.
pany’s new .22 Magnum semiauto pistol bears For starters, the XT 22 Magnum features an open-
more than a passing resemblance to John top slide design that is reminiscent of another popu-
Moses Browning’s most influential handgun design. lar semiauto centerfire pistol: the Beretta 92. The
But the 1911 was never designed to function with mild open top eliminates some slide weight and allows the

58 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


XT 22 Magnum’s delayed blowback operating system the slide returns forward it compresses the spring
to function properly. and the inner and outer barrels lock together. The
The XT 22 Magnum also features a clever two- system is simple and, as it turns out, quite reliable.
piece barrel design wherein the chamber and feed The frame of the XT 22 Magnum looks and feels
ramp are attached to a steel inner barrel that slides almost identical to a full-sized 1911, and both guns
into a larger barrel shroud. A small spring-operated share similar frame dimensions and angles. Both
plunger is housed within the outer barrel, and when the frame and the slide of the XT 22 Magnum are

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 59


ROCKIN’ THE .22 MAGNUM
made of steel, and the added ACP measures 8.75 inches long, 5.5 the same extended beavertail and
heft helps reduce recoil and gives inches high and 1.3 inches wide checkered rubberized black grips
the gun an unmistakably 1911 feel. and weighs within an ounce of the with diamond cuts you’ll find on
If you’re a fan of the John Brown- XT 22 Magnum. Needless to say, the company’s 1911 pistols. Other
ing design, you’ll like the way the both guns will feel very similar in key features include a checkered
Rock Island handles and operates, the hand. mainspring housing and a beveled
making this gun the ideal practice The XT 22 Magnum’s profile mag well. The rounded frontstrap
pistol for 1911 .45 shooters. and dimensions aren’t the only is smooth.
The dimensions and specifica- similarities between the rimfire The XT 22 Magnum’s controls
tions are also very 1911-esque. and .45 pistols. Like the 1911 are also borrowed from the 1911.
The XT 22 Magnum measures 8.54 centerfire gun, the rimfire version There’s a manual safety lever on
inches long, 5.51 inches high and comes with a skeletonized single- the left side of the gun, a round
1.3 inches wide across the controls action trigger with an adjustable magazine release button with
with an overall unloaded weight overtravel stop and a skeletonized checkered top just behind the
of 40 ounces. By contrast, Rock combat hammer. trigger and a slide stop that travels
Island’s Rock Ultra FS 1911 .45 The XT 22 Magnum also gets transversely through the frame
and must be pressed from the
opposite side to be removed for
fieldstripping.
The rear portion of the slide
features the same vertical cock-
ing serrations you’ll find on classic
1911s, and there’s a large external
claw extractor.
Along the left side of the open
top slide, you’ll find cutouts similar
to what you’ll see on a full-size
1911 slide: a notch to accommo-
date the safety, a slide stop cut for
locking the slide back and a small
rounded notch that allows the slide
stop to be removed from the gun
for fieldstripping.
The front and the rear sights
are both fixed and dovetailed. The
The controls on the XT 22 Magnum—as well as the gun’s dimensions and
<

front post sight is dovetailed into


its reliability—make it an excellent trainer.
the barrel shroud, while the rear
notch sight is dovetailed into the
slide.
The gun I tested came with a
fiber-optic front sight, although it
appears production guns will get
a white dot. The metalwork has a
black Parkerized matte finish.
Fieldstripping the XT 22 Mag
is easy and straightforward,
especially if you’ve had previous
experience with a 1911. With the
gun unloaded and the magazine
removed, simply pull back on the
slide until the semicircular notch
on the slide aligns with the tab on
top of the slide stop. Using oppo-
Fitzpatrick loved the trigger, calling it target-gun good, which gives the site-side pressure, push the slide
<

pistol a lot of accuracy potential. stop free of the gun and move

60 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


ROCKIN’ THE .22 MAGNUM
the slide assembly forward from the block on the bottom of the The process is simpler than strip-
off the frame. The slide assembly barrel shroud, and that allows the ping a 1911 with a bushing, but it’s
contains the inner and outer bar- barrel to be pulled free from the important to keep track not only
rel shrouds, the spring and the open-top slide. The inner barrel of the recoil spring but also of the
slide itself. Pressing forward on sleeve then slides out of the shroud smaller spring and plunger that act
the spring allows it to be removed and the gun is ready for cleaning. as a buffer between the inner and
outer portions of the barrel.
The plunger and accompanying
spring are particularly easy to lose
or misplace, so pay special atten-
tion when pulling the two barrel
portions apart.
Because the slide and spring of
the XT 22 Magnum are lighter than
those found on centerfire 1911s, the
operation of the slide is light and
easy. Even new shooters or those
who don’t possess a lot of hand
strength will have no problems
pulling the slide back to chamber a
round, and the provided 14-round
steel magazines are robust, func-
tional and easy to load.
I’ll admit I have reservations
about shooting rimfire semiautos,
The XT 22 Magnum holds 15 rounds of .22 WMR ammo, and that makes it a
<

whole lot of fun to shoot and also a handy sidearm for various purposes. especially those designed to imi-
tate successful centerfire pistols.
I’ve encountered some centerfire-
lookalike rimfire guns that were
finicky about ammo and unreliable.
But the XT 22 Magnum is neither
finicky nor unreliable. It’s just
plain fun to shoot because Rock
Island got the rimfire recipe right.
This is due in large part to the
fact that the gun eats anything. I
tested five different loads from five
different manufacturers and found
each one of them fed, chambered,
fired, extracted and ejected as
promised.
The Rock Island’s inner bar-
The barrel consists of both an inner and an outer portion, and a small
<

rel has a cutout that allows the


spring and plunger act as a buffer between the two parts.
extractor to slide over the rim of
the cartridge for reliable cycling,
ACCURACY RESULTS | ROCK ISLAND ARMORY XT 22 MAGNUM and there were never any hang-ups
while firing more than 250 rounds.
Bullet Muzzle Standard Avg.
.22 Magnum Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Deviation (fps) Group (in.) A full magazine holds 14 .22 Mag-
Armscor JHP 40 1,300 21.2 2.4 num loads, and you’ll be surprised
CCI Maxi Mag 40 1,289 14.8 2.9 how quickly this gun can digest that
Fiocchi JHP 40 1,184 18.1 3.2 much ammunition. You’ll also be
Hornady Critical Defense FTX 45 1,144 14.3 2.2 surprised how much fun you’ll have
Federal JHP 50 899 13.3 2.7 burning through those rounds.
Notes: Accuracy results are averages of four five-shot-shot groups at 25 yards from a fixed rest. Velocities are aver- A rimfire pistol made from 40
ages of 10 shots recorded on a Shooting Chrony digital chronograph placed 10 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviation: JHP,
jacketed hollowpoint ounces of steel doesn’t recoil

62 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


ROCKIN’ THE .22 MAGNUM
much, and there’s precious
little muzzle rise when shooting the
XT 22 Magnum. Muzzle blast is con-
siderably greater than what you’ll
encounter when firing a .22 Long
Rifle semiauto, but recoil is pretty
much non-existent.
What’s more, the XT 22 Mag-
num’s trigger is excellent. The
average pull weight was 4.5 pounds
for 10 shots on a Wheeler gauge,
and there’s very little take-up. It’s
clean, crisp and target-gun good.
On the range I managed groups as
small as 2.1 inches at 25 yards, and
that’s with the pistol’s relatively
basic sights.
With so many rounds on tap, such
reliable performance and such a
Molded clean trigger, it’s understandably
appealing to send a few hundred
15-Min
rounds downrange with this gun.
And unlike larger centerfire 1911s,
you can burn that ammo without
spending a lot of cash. Ammo for
the .22 Magnum runs about a quar-
ter a round, maybe less, so this 1911
clone .22 Magnum is a great option
for anyone who wants a low-cost
training gun.
On that score, the XT 22’s frame
is a dimensional doppelgänger of
a full-size 1911, which can’t be said
for some 1911 trainers. Traditional-
ly, .22 1911 trainers that mimicked
bigger guns didn’t really match
feature for feature with their cen-

ROCK ISLAND ARMORY


XT 22 MAGNUM
TYPE: single-action semiauto
CALIBER: .22 Magnum
CAPACITY: 14+1
BARREL: 5 in.
OAL/HEIGHT/WIDTH: 8.5/5.1/1.3 in.
WEIGHT: 40 oz.
FINISH: Parkerized 4140 barrel shroud and
frame
GRIPS: black plastic
TRIGGER: 4.5 lb. pull (measured)
SIGHTS: fixed notch rear, fiber-optic post
front (as tested)
SAFETIES: grip, single-side thumb
PRICE: $598
MANUFACTURER: Armscor/Rock Island
Armory, armscor.com

64 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


terfire counterparts, but the XT 22
does. And, as I mentioned, many of
the rimfire 1911s I’ve worked with
didn’t function reliably.
Aside from service as a training
pistol, the XT 22 works fulfills a
variety of other roles, and if you’re
one of those people who believe ev-
ery new gun purchase must have a
higher purpose, you’ll be pleasant-
ly surprised with the XT 22’s versa-
tility. It’ll work as a small game and
varmint gun out to 25 yards or so,
and it’s also a great farm or ranch
sidearm for dispatching damage-
causing critters.
The Parkerized finish held up
well during the test, and the XT 22
fit into both 1911 holsters that I had
(one Galco, one DeSantis) without
issues, though at 40 ounces it does
weigh more heavily on the belt than
competing rimfires.
And while I won’t advocate that
a .22 Magnum 1911 is a better
personal defense weapon than a
TFX™ PRO TFX™
1911 in .45 or 9mm, I will say the PROFESSIONAL-GRADE TRITIUM + FIBER-OPTIC TRITIUM + FIBER-OPTIC
XT 22 proved accurate and reliable XTREME DAY/NIGHT SIGHTS XTREME DAY/NIGHT SIGHTS

enough to place a lot of shots in the


vitals of a torso target very quickly.
Ultimately, though, this gun
is just fun to shoot. It’s accurate
enough to make you feel good
about your skills, reliable enough
so there’s no wasting time clear- TRITIUM PRO TRITIUM
PROFESSIONAL-GRADE HANDGUN HANDGUN NIGHT SIGHTS
ing jams, and affordable enough NIGHT SIGHTS
you can shoot all day without the
feeling of having just burned up
a week’s wages. With a suggested
retail price of just $598 and a street
WWW.TRUGLO.COM
price closer to $500, your invest-
ment in the gun isn’t all that heavy
in the first place.
If you’re a 1911 fan, your rimfire
training gun has finally arrived.
If you aren’t, this mild-mannered,
affordable .22 Magnum just might
convert you.

Buy it now. Log on to GalleryofGuns.com, select


this firearm, pay a deposit and it will be at your
local gun store in two days. When purchased from
GalleryofGuns.com, Davidson’s guarantees to repair
or replace this firearm for life.

WWW.HANDGUNS.COM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 HANDGUNS 65


| FIRING LINE REPORT | BY J. SCOTT RUPP

WALTHER CCP M2 .380


THE WALTHER CCP M2 IS ONE OF THE down. To disassemble, drop the eight- the slide. Push in on the firing pin safety
great all-around defensive pistols on round magazine (two are supplied) to free the striker/spring assembly.
the market. It’s a good carry gun (CCP and open the slide to ensure there’s no Be sure to clean the chamber area
stands for Concealed Carry Pistol, after round in the chamber. Close the slide. well, and Walther supplies a small brass
all) and a good home-defense gun for Unlike the 9mm version, the .380 has a brush for cleaning the gas cylinder
people of just about any experience magazine disconnect safety, so insert
level or physical condition. an unloaded magazine into the gun,
The CCP operates via SoftCoil, a point the muzzle in a safe direction and WALTHER ARMS
delayed-blowback design. A gas port pull the trigger to decock the striker. CCP M2 .380
forward of the chamber bleeds ignition There’s a small serrated tab just TYPE: delayed-blowback semiauto centerfire
gases into a cylinder below the fixed below the nicely visible red cocking CALIBER: .380 Auto

barrel. A piston is mounted at the for- indicator that protrudes from the rear CAPACITY: 8+1
BARREL: 3.54 in.
ward part of the slide, and firing gases of the slide. Push in and slide the tab
OAL/HEIGHT/WIDTH: 6.4/5.1/1.2 in.
expanding into the cylinder retard the to the right to release the locking block WEIGHT: 19.4 oz.
piston’s ability to travel down the cylin- and striker-spring cover. On the 9mm CONSTRUCTION: black steel slide (as
der until the bullet has left the barrel. CCP I tested a couple years ago, the tested), black polymer frame
Once that occurs and pressures drop tab moved easily. On this sample the TRIGGER: 6 lb. pull (measured)

to a safe level, the slide cycles. The tab was initially difficult to operate, but SAFETIES: single-side thumb, firing pin,
magazine disconnect
result is the CCP can use a lighter slide it smoothed out after disassembling the
PRICE: $469 (as tested)
and a lighter recoil spring for easy slide gun a couple times. MANUFACTURER/IMPORTER: Walther
operation. Pull back slightly on the slide until the Arms, Waltherarms.com
The CCP M2 offers tool-less take- extractor is free, then lift up the back of

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| FIRING LINE REPORT
hole. The only tricky part to reas-
sembly is ensuring the piston is aligned
with the cylinder hole so you can move
the slide into position.
The CCP M2 .380’s slide features
nicely sharp cocking serrations on the
front and back. The slide on my sample
was black; it’s also available in stainless
and Angel Blue.
The rear sight has two white dots and
is adjustable for windage. In addition The CCP is set up for carry with a Walther pistols have excellent
<

<
to the white-dot front sight on the gun, small, protected slide-lock lever and grips, and the CCP is no exception.
an unobtrusive safety that’s very The Hi-Grip texturing and the under-
Walther supplies two additional sights easy to use. The magazine release is cut behind the trigger guard contrib-
so you can get the gun to shoot to point reversible. ute to terrific control.
of aim with your favorite ammo.
The installed sight measures 0.20 sight out of the slide. It’s easy to do, but Controls include a small slide-lock
inch high, and the other two measure because the sight screw is tiny, I’d ad- lever that’s surrounded by a raised
0.18 and 0.22 inch. My sample shot vise changing sights at home instead of portion of the frame to ensure the lever
high with the ammo I tested, so if this the range so you don’t lose the screw. won’t snag on clothing. The reversible
were my gun I’d switch to the tallest The frame has a three-slot rail, and magazine button likewise has a small
sight. Walther provides the necessary the front of the trigger guard is squared raised shelf to prevent accidentally
Torx wrench to remove the sight screw and serrated while the rear is undercut dropping a mag, and for me it also
and a tiny metal rod to help push the for a high grip on the gun. provides a great reference point

It’s the Winchester 231 equivalent


specially enhanced to eliminate copper fouling as you shoot. It delivers the
same clean-burning consistency and low-flash characteristics, while prolonging
the full accuracy potential of you and your firearm.
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| FIRING LINE REPORT
so my thumb can find it easily. The I own two Walthers, and I don’t think especially considering those are 25-
elongated safety is easy to work with anybody makes a better grip. I love the yard results from a short-barreled gun.
the firing-hand thumb in both direc- feel and fit, and the Hi-Grip texturing Hits at speed on a six-inch plate rack at
tions. I think it has a Goldilocks-right keeps the gun locked in your hand. I 12 yards came readily, and functioning
amount of tension. can get all three fingers on the gun, was 100 percent. The trigger has some
even without the magazine’s small take-up and is a bit gritty, and pull
finger extension. weight on this sample was six pounds—
When I tested the 9mm version I was no competition trigger but perfectly fine
impressed by how soft-shooting the for defensive uses.
gun was, and the .380 is even easier to Walther promotes this as a con-
control. The gun points like a dream, cealed-carry gun, and it does carry and
The pistol employs a delayed-blow-
<

and anyone with even a modicum of conceal quite well. Additionally, with its
back piston system for an easy-to-
work slide. Two additional front sights experience will be able to handle it well. accessory rail for a light or laser and
come with the gun. Accuracy from the bench was great, 8+1 capacity it makes a terrific home-
defense option as well. The fact that it

ACCURACY RESULTS | WALTHER CCP M2 is so easy to operate and easy to shoot


makes it a great all-around gun for just
Bullet Muzzle Std. Avg.
.380 Auto Weight (gr.) Velocity (fps) Dev. (fps) Group (in.)
about anybody.

Black Hills JHP 90 892 29 3.4


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| BACK PAGE BEAUTIES | By STAN TRZONIEC

RUGER MARK IV 22/45 LITE


IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE SUCH A HISTOR- A Picatinny base is attached to beavertail safety on this gun, and it
ically conservative establishment the top of the barrel assembly for doesn’t need one. A magazine dis-
like Ruger is making a gun that optics, and the gun comes with a connect prevents the gun from firing
looks like the new Mark IV 22/45 fully adjustable rear and front blade with the magazine removed.
Lite. The company got its start with sight. The sights are high enough to The trigger pull is set at four
the original Standard .22 pistol, and be seen over the installed rail. pounds with about a quarter-inch of
over the years the design has gone As mentioned, the grip angle mim- take-up, and the trigger’s finger le-
through many changes, culminating ics the fabled .45 right down to the ver is the same color as the receiver.
in the Mark IV, but few have ever Model 1911 grip panels. The front The 22/45 Lite tips the scales at
been as eye-catching. and rear of the polymer grip frame just 25 ounces, making it a pleasure
The Mark IV 22/45 Lite first came are checkered. The base of the to shoot and also to pack around.
on line in 2012. While the grip fol- frame has a slight arch to it, which It would be a good choice for a
lows the famous Model 1911 styling, makes it fit your hand just right. trailgun. And as a Mark IV it has
it is what’s on top that separates one The 10-round magazine sits flush the new (and applauded) method of
model from the next. The aluminum with the base of the grip and is re- disassembly. With the gun unloaded
receiver in this case is gold, and it leased via a button on the left side of and on Safe, simply depress the
features vents along the flanks. the gun, behind the trigger. The take-down button located below the
The 4.4-inch barrel is threaded for chrome, Teflon-coated magazines bolt tabs. The receiver then can be
muzzle devices, and it is tensioned eject from the gun with enthusiasm pivoted upward and removed from
within this shroud and is secured thanks to a spring assist. the frame.
at the muzzle by a spanner-type of There is a 1911-style bolt release This new version of the Mark IV
barrel nut. At the rear, a pair of bolt on the left side of the gun. The 22/45 Lite is a welcome addition to
ears offer more than enough pur- ambidextrous safety levers rotate the line. With its familiar features
chase to cock/charge the gun, even smoothly at the front of the lever and striking good looks, it hits the
with gloves on. rather than the rear. There is no mark perfectly.

72 HANDGUNS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM


The TAC-XPD™ Defense Ammunition – the optimized
solution for carry or home defense.
• Nickel plated cases
• Coated, all-copper bullets
• Smooth, reliable feeding
• Virtually no muzzle flash

Available in 380 Auto, 9mm Luger, 357 Magnum,


40 S&W and 45 Auto.

BarnesBullets.com
1-800-574-9200

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