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Patrick Sweeney

Getting A Peek With Lyman’s Borecam Pro

The days of peering down the muzzle to gauge the fitness of a gun bore are over. The Lyman Borecam Pro gives you an inside look at your firetube.

How the Borecam Pro Gives You The Inside Edge:

  • Scope tube is 24-inches long, enough to inspect most rifles.
  • The device is wireless, making it much more manageable.
  • Capable of recording video and saving still images.
  • Produces images at 720p in both cases.
  • Fits barrels .20-caliber and larger.

There’s a great scene in Major League when the team finds out their pitcher with the rocket launcher for an arm is almost blind. They fit him with a pair of glasses, and the coach comments, “Seeing’s the most important thing.” Looking at the hideous frames he’s wearing, one of the other players replies, “It’s not that important.”

The Lyman Borecam Pro comes with all the goodies: Borecam, charging cable, adapter for every electrical system known to man, cleaning gear and instructions.
The Lyman Borecam Pro comes with all the goodies: Borecam, charging cable, adapter for every electrical system known to man, cleaning gear and instructions.

We used to peer down bores and as long as we saw daylight from the other end and a shiny surface, we called it good. Little did we know. Now, perhaps, we can know too much. A rifle that otherwise shoots excellent groups might show up at the gunsmith with a request to re-barrel it, saying, “The bore is too rough.”

The important thing to remember is actual performance. If your rifle shoots good groups (however you define them) and doesn’t foul quickly, does it matter how smooth your bore’s surface is?

Not really.

But if you find that your accuracy is starting to suffer or that you once could shoot all day long with little or no accuracy loss, and now after 100 rounds, your groups open up. It’s time to investigate.

Borecam Pro Gives You A Peek

Lyman to the rescue with the Borecam Pro. Usually, a borescope means optics, lenses, mirrors and some sort of light source—all piped down a barrel. That can be tough when you’re trying to inspect an AR barrel. Lyman originally had the Borecam, which was a borescope with a digital camera built-in and wired to a monitor. It worked, but it wasn’t ideal. Keeping the wire from getting tangled, or just dragging the monitor screen around, was a hassle. The Borecam has a 20-inch reach, which was a bit limiting.

So, for the Borecam Pro, Lyman moved on up. First, they made the scope tube 24-inches long. You can now look at the throat of a barrel going down from the muzzle. That saves the work of weaseling the scope over a stock, into a receiver, and past all the internals just to get to the chamber.

You use your cellphone or tablet as a Wi-Fi receptor to see the image, photograph it or video it and save or send on.
You use your cellphone or tablet as a Wi-Fi receptor to see the image, photograph it or video it and save or send on.

And then, they made it wireless. You can port the image to your phone or tablet, and as a result you can easily send it on to wherever you decide. Also, without wires involved, you can mount the phone or tablet (iOS or Android) in a spot that’s easy to see, and not have to worry about the wires moving the screen all over the bench as you push, pull or rotate the scope.
You can record video and save still images—all at 720p resolution. The Borecam Pro fits down barrels of 20 caliber or larger, so that leaves out the various 17s—but any .22 LR or larger bore is fair game.

The Borecam Pro has a USB charging port in the handle, so you can charge it up as your first step and have it ready once you get the firearm disassembled, the bore cleaned (or not, if you want to see the horror), and clamped in your work rack or bench vise. The charging indicator light goes on when you start charging and then turns off when it reaches full charge. The power switch also controls the power of the bore light, allowing you to adjust the light to the level you need.

I wish I had access to something like this back when I was gunsmithing, to show customers what was what. But then again, back in the 1980s, this level of technology would’ve been akin to magic. Now, it’s just a bit over $300.

Considering the cost of a new barrel—which you might avoid spending if you have a Borecam Pro—it sounds like a smart investment.

For more information on the Borecam Pro, please visit lymanproducts.com.


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SureFire OBC-556: Taming Short-Barrel ARs

Taming recoil and preventing wear, the SureFire OBC-556 makes for a more pleasant AR pistol, SBR or even carbine.

How Does The OBC-556 Work:

  • The bolt carrier group slows down cycle rate through a number of design changes.
  • Cam slot angles and timing changed so it takes longer for the bolt to unlock.
  • Dead-blow weight added into the rear of the carrier to slow the BCG's momentum.
  • Shorter “H” buffer creates a longer travel distance.

Short barrels, as in AR pistols, are en vogue. And SBRs are all the rage, for those who can get them. They do, however, have problems. Basically, they require such a sharp gas input to jolt the system into working that they can be harsh in recoil. Adding in a heavier buffer helps, but sometimes you need more. Enter SureFire and their Optimized Bolt Carrier.

The OBC-556 was designed by Jim Sullivan, who was the guy who debugged the initial AR-15 for Eugene Stoner and Armalite. I had a chance to visit him a while back (a story for another time) and got the lowdown on the OBC, which he was doing with and for SureFire.

The SureFire OBC-556 comes with everything you need: complete bolt-carrier group, buffer, and spring.
The SureFire OBC-556 comes with everything you need: complete bolt-carrier group, buffer, and spring.

The OBC slows down your ARs cyclic rate by means of three design changes Sullivan put into it. First, he went into the cam slot on the carrier and changed the angles and timing on that, so the carrier has to work harder and takes longer to unlock the bolt. Second, he put a dead-blow weight into the rear of the carrier, so the carrier movement has to “pick up” the weight as it cycles. That slows it down some more. And third, in conjunction with a stronger buffer spring, he installed an “H” buffer, but one that’s shorter. To accommodate the shorter buffer, the gas key is shorter (so it won’t hit the rear ring of the receiver, another story to tell at a later time) and travels longer.

The end result is a bolt that takes longer to unlock, moves slower because of the added weight, and travels a longer distance, which also adds time. Your AR pistol, SBR, and even carbine or rifle shoot softer. And since the bolt takes more time to travel, this gives your magazines a better chance to lift the cartridge stack and have the top round firmly pinned against the feed lip on its side, ready to feed as the bolt comes forward.


Get On Target With The AR:


Does The OBC-556 Make A Difference?

You’re thinking, “This is all well and good, but does it really make a difference?” Well, that depends. If your AR is a bit marginal, or it gets cranky when it gets dirty, then yes. If you find weather changes can mean reliability changes, then yes again. If your AR has been utterly reliable in all situations, with all ammo, and never failed—then I really can’t say this will improve on that. But … it won’t make it worse.

To test the changes, I took advantage of an opportunity: a day with a select-fire AR lower. No, not an M16/M4, because it didn’t leave the factory that way, but a “papered” select-fire lower—an R&D project by a local manufacturer.

I tested it with two uppers, an M4 clone from Bravo Company and an 11.5-inch SBR upper, also a product of BCM. I used two types of ammunition, Federal XM193 and Hornady Frontier .223 Rem., both 55-grain FMJ, because they’re common.

You’ll know which AR has the SureFire in it—the company won’t let you down there. Or in function, either.
You’ll know which AR has the SureFire in it—the company won’t let you down there. Or in function, either.

The M4 upper, with a “H” buffer (normal in a lot of ARs) ran at 800 rpm with XM193, and 763 rpm with the Hornady. Using the SureFire OBR, the XM193 ran at 702 rpm, and the Hornady was 696 rpm. That’s a 12 percent and 9 percent reduction in cyclic rate, respectively.

The 11.5-inch upper has XM193 running at 797 rpm and the Hornady at 775 rpm. With the SureFire OBC installed, the rates were 705 and 688 rpm, respectively. Again, 12 percent and 11 percent reductions.

The OBC also reduced cyclic rates when I installed various suppressors on those uppers, which is where such a setup can really shine. Yes, it was a fun day. Yes, I have a long list of volunteers.

Now, this goodness—indeed, any goodness—does not come free. The OBC-556 has a retail price of $399. However, a box-stock bolt-carrier assembly will run you anywhere from $150 to $225 plus the buffer and spring, and that’s before you go and get any extras such as platings or exotic alloys. So, the SureFire bump isn’t as big as it appears at first blush.

Once you’ve built a few ARs, you might find that you need or want an improvement. SureFire certainly has that for you. And if you’re putting a suppressor on your AR pistol, then the SureFire OBC-556 is a must-have.

For more information on the OBC-556, please visit surefire.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Trigger Pull Gauge: A Snap With Lyman

The Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge makes measuring trigger break easy as pie. But this raises the question, do you need one?

How The Lyman's Gauge Get A Handle On Pull Wieght:

  • Accurate within 1/10 ounce or 2 grams.
  • Reads to a maximum of 12 pounds or 5.4 kilograms.
  • 10-reading memory.
  • Comes with hard case.

Gun writers are expected to be multitalented. Not only are we supposed to be expert shots, encyclopedic historians, wizard reloaders, and skilled photographers, we also have to be able to measure everything (we’ll leave out the “thrifty” and “wise” part).

The Lyman trigger pull gauge—complete with its hard case and the measuring rod extended.
The Lyman trigger pull gauge—complete with its hard case and the measuring rod extended.

Readers, shooters, and the editor all obsess over trigger pull weight. In the old days, that was a real hassle. Using dead weights—iron discs hanging from a rod—I could spend an inordinate amount of time measuring triggers and dodging dropped weights.

It’s a Snap!
Now, Lyman has made it easy. Its trigger pull gauge, the electronic version, makes it a snap to snap.

The process is simple: Unload and lock the firearm in place. Turn the unit on, ready it, and then place the extended rod against the trigger and exert pressure. Now, this does require a certain amount of finesse: If you vary the location of the rod on the trigger, you’ll get varying readings; if you change the angle, you’ll get varying readings.

Well, in any case, you’ll get varying readings, but only varying within an ounce or so; and you can press the “average” button to find what the set so far averages at. The gauge measures from 1/10 ounce up to 12 pounds. Beyond that, you’ll have to rig up something … and then also get that trigger corrected.


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If you have a metric urge and you just have to know the trigger pull weight in grams, you can switch over to that. When you do so, you can expect your gun club buddies to make fun of you at the next range session. But, in this international world, Lyman would be un-clever to have two separate trigger pull gauge units—one English and one metric—and this company is not un-clever.

Do You Need A Trigger Pull Gauge?

How does this work? Well, the same way we measure pressure in cartridges these days. There’s a piezoelectric chip epoxied to an aluminum bar inside the unit. The piezo changes its electrical resistance as it’s compressed, expanded or bent. The electronics simply read the change in electrical resistance as the aluminum bar flexes, flexing when you apply pressure as you pull.

You get a direct readout in pounds, ounces, and tenths of an ounce right on the screen. And, you can average up to 10 measurements with just the push of a button.
You get a direct readout in pounds, ounces, and tenths of an ounce right on the screen. And, you can average up to 10 measurements with just the push of a button.

Now, if you have a fine trigger pull—and you’re happy with it—perhaps you shouldn’t weigh it.

I found that out awhile back when I was working on my 1911: The First 100 Years book. I had a chance to handle a bunch of prewar and World War I 1911s that had been unaltered since then.

Nice trigger, I thought to myself on the first one. And then, I weighed it: It was more than 6 pounds. But, it was clean and crisp, with no grit, creep, or other obnoxious things. The others were the same. If you hadn’t known the weight, you’d think, Nice trigger; must be 3½ to 4 pounds.

So, if you like your trigger, you might not want to measure it. However, if you’ve paid for a trigger job and specified a certain weight, you’ll want to know. If you’re a competition shooter and you have multiple thousands of rounds through your gun, you’ll want to know if the trigger pull has changed since you started. Changing is usually bad and is an indication that something is wearing and needs tending to.

And if you’re a gun writer, you absolutely must provide the trigger pull weight for every firearm you review … or your editor is going to be more than a little put out. That’s why my Lyman trigger gauge rests in its provided hard case, and I have spare batteries in my gear bag.

I won’t go so far as to say that I won’t leave home without it, but if I’m going to the range, it definitely goes with me.

For more information on the Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge, please visit lymanproducts.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

ADM Spek: A Red-Dot To Go With Their Mounts

Already known for their mounts, American Defense Manufacturing has gone the whole hog with the Spek red-dot.

How The ADM Spek Is On Target:

  • 1X magnification facilitates shooting with both eyes open.
  • 2 MOA dot makes for quick target transition and more precise shots.
  • Weighs in at a scant 3.9 ounce.
  • Runs 5 years off a single AAA battery.

American Defense Manufacturing (ADM) has been making optics mounts for some years now. I’ve got red-dot and magnifying optics mounts on rifles, and I’ve always been pleased with their performance.

The system uses a throw lever with a built-in locking tab, so you aren’t depending solely on friction or the cam geometry of the lever to keep it closed. And, the lever tightness can readily be adjusted. All of this can be done without tools—no Allen wrenches or tiny socket wrenches to adjust this or that. The company even manages to shave off a bit more weight by using titanium in the construction of some of the mounts. However, titanium costs, and you don’t save weight by saving money. That’s life, folks.

 The Spek, with the throw lever and its locking button in view—and all from one source, pre-assembled!

The Spek, with the throw lever and its locking button in view—and all from one source, pre-assembled!

But now, ADM is also offering ADM-branded red-dots to go with its mounts.

ADM Spek Specs

The ADM Spek is a 1X red-dot that comes with a 2 MOA dot. There are the expected 10 power settings, and it runs on a single AAA battery. Now, the current standard is either an AA or a lithium 123 battery, but the AAA has its advantages—mainly, weight and size. If you’re crafting a red-dot optic that weighs 3.9 ounces with an AAA battery, how much more weight will it have if you jump up to an AA or a 123? It isn’t just the battery; it’s also the extra weight of the larger housing.

The rated life of the AAA battery in the Spek with the power setting at “5” is five years. So basically, if you install the battery and leave it set at 5, you can change the battery during each presidential election cycle and not have to worry about it running out on you. (Five years? I’ll lose the package that has the other three or seven AAA batteries before then!)

Because ADM makes mounts, you can order your Spek already installed in a mount; and, you have choices. You can have a low mount, a lower-third co-witness or a co-witness. Additionally, you have all three choices in both aluminum or titanium-upgraded mounts. As I mentioned, titanium is extra, adding a whopping $56 to the cost.


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ADM Spek Test Run

I had a chance to give a Spek-equipped rifle a test run at the 2020 SHOT Show (as it turned out, maybe five minutes before COVID-19 overran the Las Vegas area), and I was pleasantly entertained. The dot was crisp, and I could dial it up enough for it to be seen in the bright desert sun, even against the sandy background.

Mounting is easy: There’s a button on the throw lever. Press the button (once you get a feel for it, it becomes second nature. The first few times, you might have to actually pay attention) and rotate the lever forward.

With the jaws open, place the mount over the rail of your AR (or other firearm). You might have to tip it a bit to get the jaws to clear. That’s normal.

The ADM Spek, mounted on a rifle, showing the adjustable lock nut on the far side from the throw lever.
The ADM Spek, mounted on a rifle, showing the adjustable lock nut on the far side from the throw lever.

Then, rotate the lever back, and you’ll feel it cam tightly against the rail. Once the lever comes down flush, the lock button will cam itself into position and keep the throw lever from opening.

Spek Mount Adjustment

If you find that your rifle has an out-of-spec rail, here’s how to adjust the mount:

Do you see the nut on the far side of the mount—the eight-sided nut? If your mount is too tight or too loose, open the throw lever all the way and then press it in toward the base. When you do this, you’ll see the lock nut on the other side get pushed out of its seat. You can now hand-turn (no need for tools) to tighten or loosen the fit. Clockwise tightens; counter-clockwise loosens.

Adjust it a flat or two and then check the fit on the rail. There’s no need to hurry here. Get it so that it’s hand-tight on the rail. Too tight, and you’ll need a pry bar to open it (once you press the lock button, of course). Too loose risks adding vibration, which means a wandering zero, battered parts … and a short service life for your optic.

There you have it: a ready-to-go red-dot optic, complete in its own base—one that doesn’t require any tools to mount or adjust.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2021 Long-Range Shooting issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Primers: Does It Matter What You Use?

Do primers make that big a difference in your reloads? It all depends on how hot you're going.

Does The Brand Of Primer Matter:

  • General by-the-book loads, brands make little difference.
  • Nearly any primer, even cheap ones, will not have much effect.
  • Issues arise redlining loads.
  • At this point, some primers can cause dangerous pressure spikes.
Reload-ammunition-for-handguns
This article is an excerpt from Reloading for Handgunners, 2nd Ed., available at GunDigestStore.com.

Do particular primers really matter? The short answer; yes and no.

Average Loads: When Primers Don't Matter

If you’re using vanilla-plain loads, something in the middle of the range of powder weight and burn rate, in the middle of the pressure range, in the middle of standard bullet weight, no, it doesn’t matter one whit.

The usual reason given to pay attention to primers is pressure control. As in, if you change primer brands, you might add several thousand PSI to your pressure (or, just as likely, lose several thousand PSI), and that could get you in trouble.

Let’s take, for example, the .45 ACP with a bog-standard load, a lead 200-grain semi-wadcutter. Let’s borrow from our good friends at Hodgdon and use their loading data chart, where we use 4.6 grains of 700X. That gets us 821 fps, which is right on the cusp of making major. The listed pressure is 12,100 CUP, which we can’t translate directly to PSI, but is 5,000 under the max CUP for the .45 ACP. This load is running at 71 percent of maximum. We aren’t straining anything. In this example, who cares if changing primers adds a couple of thousand CUP to the maximum pressure? If anything, it might make the 700X burn a little cleaner.

Primers-in-the-Primer-Tray

Now, let’s up the ante. We use the same bullet, but we load for some performance, such as blasting bowling pins. We want some 950-plus fps here, so we go to a slower-burning powder. We settle on SR-4756, where 8.2 grains nets us 966 fps. If we change primers to one that boosts pressure, we go from 17,100 CUP to 19,100 CUP, which is more than max of the .45 ACP but well less than the .45 ACP+P pressure ceiling. We’ve boosted pressures but not so much that is actually a problem.

So, as long as you stay in the middle (at least here, in our .45 ACP example) you can’t get in trouble with changing primers.

So, when does it matter? For one, it can matter in accuracy. Here you run into an individual preference, when a handgun shoots a given load accurately with a given primer. Or, more accurately, with one brand than with others. There is no way to predict such a situation. If you stumble upon one (say, your 9mm steel challenge gun shoots fantastic groups with a bullet/powder combo driven by the XYZ primer), you just accept it and stick with it.


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Going Hot: When Primers Matter

Another situation occurs when you have pushed performance right to the red line. Let’s take a different example.

We’ll load a .44 Magnum to the max for hunting. We take a Nosler 240-grain JHP bullet and load it over Hodgdon Longshot. (Again, I’m looking directly at the Hodgdon data.) They show the 240 maxing out at 1,331 fps over 12.1 grains of Longshot, at 34,500 PSI. They do not mention the primer, but let’s assume, for the sake of our thought experiment that changing to a different primer can increase or decrease the pressure by 2,000 PSI. Do we really want to use something that now has a maximum average pressure of 36,500 PSI just from changing primers? Remember from the statistics chapter, the average means some (generally half) of them will be less, but half will be greater. Thus, it’s possible that our new combo can have one round in a box that generate 38,000 PSI and one in a hundred that generates 40,000 PSI.

So, when you get close to the red line, pay attention to what happens to pressure signs (if you can see any beside sticky extraction), and don’t switch primers “because these are cheaper” or some other nonessential reason.

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Reloading for Handgunners, 2nd Ed., available at GunDigestStore.com.

Taurus 1911 Commander: Steel At A Steal

The all-steel Taurus 1911 Commander pulls off the compact iteration of the icon flawlessly at a price that can't be beat.

The government model in .45 ACP isn’t for everyone. In fact, it’s not the best choice for a lot of people. Taurus makes 1911s, and they knew the above, so it shouldn’t come as any great surprise to see the pistol we’re testing here.

Taurus keeps expanding in the firearms market, and at this rate, they’ll soon have to expand into ICBMs if they aren’t careful. Their latest is the 1911, but in a commander size and chambered in 9mm—simply known as the Taurus 1911 Commander. The 1911 is so well-known that background and details of the general pistol aren’t needed.

What we do need listed are the things that Taurus has changed or has done well, and what utility this pistol has for us.

Taurus 1911 Commander 5

The commander size resulted from the U.S. Army wanting to change pistols, back in the early 1950s. The Army wanted smaller, lighter, and 9mm. Colt offered an alloy-framed 1911 with a shorter barrel and slide, and 9mm. They even offered to rebuild the bazillion 1911/1911A1 pistol in inventory to 9mm. The Army decided they didn’t really want to change, but Colt offered the Commander to the market, and those who carried on a daily basis snapped them up, year after year.

Later, Colt offered the commander with a steel frame and changed the terminology a bit. The old one became the Lightweight Commander, and the all-steel became the Combat Commander.

Today, everyone calls either “commander” and then specifies steel or aluminum. And with the shift of everything to 9mm, you have to specify if it isn’t a 9mm.

Taurus’ Take

So, we have an all-steel commander from Taurus in 9mm Parabellum.

Grips: rubber, double diamond, with the Taurus logo in them.
Grips: rubber, double diamond, with the Taurus logo in them.

The slide has cocking serrations in the regular place and up near the muzzle. The sights are both Novak-compatible, so you can swap the factory sights out if you wish. If you’re a fan of the three-dot combat style, then no need to change. The ejection port is the now-normal lowered and scalloped, for ease of ejection. The barrel, slide, and frame all bear the serial number.

The frame lacks an accessory rail (not a problem on a 1911, for most situations). The slide stop is a standard checkered stop; the thumb safety is clearly an Ed Brown design, as is the grip safety. These you won’t need to change, as they’re among the best designs to have on the 1911. The trigger is lengthened and lightened by means of three holes drilled through the bow.

The front strap of the Taurus 1911 Commander hasn’t been lifted; that is, the radius from front strap to trigger guard is the expected curve. The front strap is a bit “chunky” in that the outer radius doesn’t mirror the inner radius. This makes the frame feel a bit thicker, but unless it’s pointed out, most shooters won’t notice.

The front strap is checkered and while the diamonds and bars have flats on them, the lines are clean, straight, and parallel. If you wished the checkering to be sharper, it’d be easy enough to have a pistol smith chase them or learn it yourself. Be aware, however, that sharp checkering can be tough on people whose hands are office-soft.

Taurus clearly marks the commander. Oh, the serial numbers? It’s a Taurus thing.
Taurus clearly marks the commander. Oh, the serial numbers? It’s a Taurus thing.

The mainspring housing is flat and checkered. Well, the “checkering” has all the hallmarks of being a casting, as the “diamonds” are more round in shape than pyramids. However, like the front strap, you can chase the checkering yourself. Maybe even start here and go to the front strap once you’ve learned the tricks. And if you mess up the mainspring housing, it’s perhaps the most easily changed part on a 1911.

Why do I mention working on the commander? Because, Taurus does. They’re more than eager to tell us that it’s “easily customized, as it is built with industry-standard parts.” In other words, go to town.

The barrel is a hard-chromed, integral-ramp barrel that uses a bushing. It isn’t a coned lockup, making it suitable for competitions where coned barrels are prohibited. The magazine well has a small but noticeable bevel to it, making reloading a bit easier.

One thing that Taurus has done that might not be so good is the firing pin block. This is a Series 80-type setup, and some don’t like them. I don’t object, as long as everything works as designed, and this one does. Another slight oversight is the crown, or the lack of one. The muzzle is flat, with only the smallest of bevels or radii at the meeting of the bore to the muzzle. As thick as the barrel walls are there, I’d liked to have seen a more aggressive crown machined into it.

The Taurus muzzle. The crown probably should be more than flat with a small bevel, but the tested pistol shot well enough as is.
The Taurus 1911 Commander muzzle. The crown probably should be more than flat with a small bevel, but the tested pistol shot well enough as is.

The recoil spring assembly uses a full-length guide rod. This is one of those details that can create religious-level acrimony among shooters. If it bothers you, it’s easily changed. While I much prefer the design that St. Browning originated, if the current system works, I usually leave it alone. But, since Taurus has made the commander so “rebuildable,” you could easily swap the parts needed to make it more like what John Moses had in mind.

The grips are molded rubber, double-diamond style with the Taurus logo inset in the checkered pattern.

Taurus 1911 Commander Range Specs

The magazines are blued and made by Mec-Gar (a very good choice). To accommodate the 9mm cartridge, the rear of the tube has a sheet metal spacer held in place by means of stab crimps. The 9mm 1911 world goes back and forth about this. Some think the best way to hold, position, and feed the cartridge is to park it at the front of the tube—hence, the spacer in the rear. Another camp deems that holding it in the back of the tube and using the front as an extra feed ramp geometry control dimension allows for the most reliable feeding. There’s a third camp (isn’t there always?) who feels no spacer is needed, and you can use .38 Super magazines. Whatever works, or blows your skirt up, go with it.

Here’s the dirty secret of the 1911 world: Your pistol will tell you what it likes. Use what it likes.

The magazine well is minimally beveled, but this is better than we used in competition guns for many of the early years of IPSC competition.
The magazine well of the Taurus 1911 Commander is minimally beveled, but this is better than we used in competition guns for many of the early years of IPSC competition.

Now, as an all-steel pistol with an integrally ramped barrel, the Taurus will have no problems with 9mm+P ammunition. At 38 ounces, you probably won’t either. Vanilla-plain big-box-store FMJ ammo will be soft in recoil and a pleasure to shoot.
As with the magazines, your pistol will tell you what it likes as far as accuracy is concerned.

If the Shoe Fits

So, what’s the purpose of a pistol such as this one?

For one, it makes a fun practice and just blastin’ pistol. It’s all steel, so you won’t wear it out anytime soon. Recoil won’t kill you. In fact, with the softest-shooting ammo you can find or load, it’d be perfect for a new shooter. It’s accurate, has low recoil, and it’s a “real” gun, not an airgun, or a rimfire. (Yes, I know those are real guns, too, but a lot of new shooters make a big distinction between them and a 9mm. A 9mm is real to them, more so than a .22 LR.)

Accuracy will be better than most owners. If you need more, I refer you back to all steel—an industry standard. If you want a more accurate barrel, it’s easy enough to find and have one installed. Or start your 1911 ’smithing adventures by installing a tighter-fitting bushing and see what results you get.

The thumb safety and grip safety are patterned after the Ed Brown design. The slide stop is a classic grooved ledge.
The thumb safety and grip safety are patterned after the Ed Brown design. The slide stop is a classic grooved ledge.

As a competition gun, the Taurus commander might be a bit lacking. The sight radius of the shorter slide is going to cost you a few points. You’d best check with the details of the competition you want to enter to make sure that some aspect of the Taurus doesn’t put you on the outside. But it’ll get you started, and even a long way toward winning before you have to move up.

As a daily carry gun, it’d be great. Yes, a bit heavy, but a proper belt and holster will make it comfortable.

As a home-defense gun, its only lack is that there’s no place to mount a light. But there are techniques to holding a light and pistol that you can find—practice and use the most comfortable one.

Last bonus: the price. You really can’t touch it for a reliable, all-steel 1911.

Taurus 1911 Commander Specs
Type: Single-action pistol
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum (.45 ACP also available)
Capacity: 9+1 rounds
Barrel: 4.2 inches
Length: 7.9 inches
Weight: 38 ounces
Trigger: 4 pounds, 4 ounces SA
Finish: Blued steel (PVD Prizm available in .45 ACP)
MSRP: $640
Maker: Taurus USA

For more information on the Taurus 1911 Commander, please visit taurususa.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


A Ton More Taurus:

Ultrasonic Gun Cleaners: Are They Worth The Money?

Yeah, they're expensive, but ultrasonic gun cleaners make quick work of keeping firearms spotless.

When I was a full-time gunsmith, the majority of the work was simple: scrubbing guns. Yep, most gunsmiths who aren’t doing mondo-expensive custom work are basically “dishwashers.”

The Hornady Lock-N-Load Hot Tub is a great tool for cleaning guns.
The Hornady Lock-N-Load Hot Tub is a great tool for cleaning guns.

My method was via a parts washer using mineral spirits pumped through a filtration system; then, parts were blown dry with compressed air. It was messy, grubby, mindless work … and there was a lot of it. But, you need not go through that.

The Ultrasonic Way

Ultrasonic gun cleaners use ultra-high-frequency vibrations in a cleaning solution to electronically and chemically scrub the gunk off your firearms (and cartridge cases, should you want to do that as well).

The process is simple: Pour enough of the proper cleaning solution (there are formulations for steel and brass, among others) to cover the part or parts to be cleaned. Turn on the power, turn on the heat (if there’s a heat option), and turn on the timer.

When it’s done, if the parts are clean, scrape off the gunk that still clings, wipe the parts dry (make sure they’re completely dry), and lubricate them. If there’s a drawback to this system, that’s it. Because the parts are immersed in a water-based cleaning solution, you have to get them dry and re-lube them once they’re clean.

Most shooter-level systems are big enough for handguns or handgun parts, and some are large enough to hold an AR-15 carbine upper.


More Gun Gear:


A ‘Minor’ Detail to Remember

Some years ago, I happened to see a similar system at a National Guard base. The boxes were half-height refrigerator-sized and held half a dozen M4s each. They’re the “industrial dishwasher” equivalent to the basic ultrasonic cleaning system.

Once I’d had a chance to look them over, I asked the sergeant who was present, “How many times does someone forget and leave a red-dot optic on the weapon?”

He rolled his eyes. “Only once each—the cost to replace it is enough to remember.”

And that’s something you have to keep in mind. There are items, such as optics—red-dot and otherwise—that shouldn’t be immersed. In addition, any paint, markings, labels or graphics you’ve applied to your firearm might not survive the experience of being ultrasonically cleaned.

Cost Considerations Of Ultrasonic Gun Cleaners

The cost of an ultrasonic gun cleaner isn’t inconsequential. Hornady makes its Lock-N-Load Hot Tub, which holds 9 liters of cleaning solution. It’s big enough to hold an assembled AR upper. It’ll also hold other items, such as an MP5-barreled receiver with an integral suppressor stack on it (hey, not everything is regular deer-hunting equipment!).

The Lock-N-Load Hot Tub holds an assembled AR upper—or, in this case, an MP5, complete with integral suppressor monocore/barrel.
The Lock-N-Load Hot Tub holds an assembled AR upper—or, in this case, an MP5, complete with integral suppressor monocore/barrel.

The cost of this tub is close to $600, but the time and mess it saves could make it a bargain. You can get solutions for cleaning brass or non-brass parts. The Lock-N-Load Hot Tub has heat, a timer and even extras—such as a smaller internal tank so you can run two different batches of parts and not get them mixed up.

Where ultrasonic gun cleaners really shine is if you happen to own a silencer. Scrubbing the gunk off the baffles of a rimfire or pistol suppressor is the definition of “awful.” An ultrasonic cleaner makes the job so much easier, you’ll actually look forward to cleaning your suppressor (OK, maybe not, but that isn’t much of an exaggeration).

And, to clean brass—especially if you team up your ultrasonic cleaner with a brass dryer—you’ll be “cooking with gas.”

The only drawback, and it’s really just a minor one, is the need for counter space (hey, if you were looking for a winter project, why not re-design and re-build your reloading room)?

It was cleaning guns that finally got me out of the gunsmithing business. I figured that in the time I’d been working, I’d scrubbed—and wire-wheeled the rust off—the gas systems of more than 1,000 Remington 742 rifles and probably something like 1,500 Remington Model 1100 shotguns. The thought of another three months of the pre-hunting season rush of doing that again was more than I could stand.

If there’d been gunsmithing-level ultrasonic gun cleaners available then, who knows what my future might have been?

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Need To Know: Calculating Barrel Twist Rate

Here is the simple formula to calculate the optimal barrel twist rate for your particular ammo or hand load. Works for rifles and handguns.

Reload-ammunition-for-handguns
This article is an excerpt from Reloading for Handgunners, 2nd Ed., available at GunDigestStore.com.

The whole point of a rifle or a handgun that isn’t a shotgun is to have rifling. And the twist rate matters. Rifle shooters obsess about this to a sometimes-alarming degree. Handgun shooters, not so much. But, it’s worth covering, as it can become a point of concern after you start going afield from the usual uses.

Rifled barrels can be made by one of four methods.

The first is the single-point cut groove. This involves (you guessed it) a single cutter. This was the way gunsmiths who built complete firearms in the pioneer days did it. After drilling the barrel, they’d ream it to dimension and then use the cutter, guided by a spiral track, to cut a thousandth-of-an-inch-deep groove. They’d then shim the cutter and make another pass.

When it was deep enough, they’d shift over and do the next groove. Properly done, it could take a couple of days to rifle a barrel.

The next step is a broach. Here, the cutter is a tool with many teeth. The teeth are arranged in the spiral of the rifling twist rate, and each one that follows the others in is a small amount (half a thousandth, or so) “taller” than the previous one. One pass through, and the reamed and polished bore is rifled. It takes, however, a lot of hydraulic push to get the broach through. And a constant flood of lubricant to cool and flush out the chips.

Bore

The third is EDM, or electrical discharge machining. Yes, just like the ports in Mag Na Porting. Here, the huge electrical charge jumps the gap and erodes the metal. The tool is a rod with protruding electrodes (think Frankenstein neck bolts) that do the eroding.

Last is cold hammer forging. Here, a mandrel the same shape as the chamber and rifled bore is stuck down a reamed bar. The hammer forging pounds the steel down until it fits the shape of the chamber and riling, and then the mandrel is pulled out.

No method is best. It matters how much attention is paid to the details of the process.


More Firearms How-To:


Calculating Twist Rate

The twist rate needed to stabilize a bullet was empirically determined (found out by experiment) by Sir Alfred George Greenhill, a professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, London, U.K.

His area of concern was the use of the new artillery projectiles. Instead of round balls, the newer guns, using various types of smokeless or semi-smokeless powders, were hurling pointed cylindrical projectiles. This greatly increased range, but range is of no use without accuracy. So, how fast to spin them?

His formula;

Twist Rate Equation

Where:
T is the twist
C is a constant, in this case, 150
D is the bullet diameter in inches, which is then squared
L is the bullet length, in inches

The variable Sg is the specific gravity of the projectile; its density. Sir Alfred was working with artillery pieces, but the formula works with lead-core, copper-jacketed projectiles as well, which are, not surprisingly, usually found with a specific gravity of, can you guess, 10.9. So for most work, we simply drop the entire second half of the equation. One detail that was determined was velocity matters. The constant C, with a value of 150, works up to 2,800 fps, and past that a constant C of 180 does a better job.

Obviously, in handguns, we are not going to be using C as 180.

You might wonder, if he was testing and proving his formula with shells of 4, 5 or 6 inches in diameter, how does this work with rifles and handguns? Very well.

It turns out that the thing that really matters is bullet length. A longer bullet requires a faster twist to remain stable.

Calculation Examples

OK, let’s see how this works. Let’s take something so utterly mundane that it would never occur to us to test it: a 9mm bullet. A 124-grain jacketed hollowpoint, to be exact.

The sample bullet snatched out of a box on the loading bench measures 0.574 inch long.

So, the Greenhill formula twist is the constant of 150, times the diameter squared, (.355 inch x .355 inch, which is .126 inch) divided by the length, which is the aforementioned .574 inch.

The result is a calculated twist rate of 32.93 inches.

You’re looking at that and thinking, “That can’t be right.” Do it yourself. And then look at the bullet. Stubby, isn’t it? And keep in mind that the common twist rate for muzzleloading rifles that fired round balls was 48 inches.

OK, let’s do it with another bullet: a .44 Magnum 240-grain jacketed hollowpoint, an XTP from Hornady.

Now, calculating the Greenhill twist for any given bullet is an interesting exercise, but it doesn’t tell us as much as we’d like. I mulled that over some time ago and realized what we needed was a comparison. The ratio of the twist-rate match of a bullet to the twist of the barrel compared to the theoretically correct twist rate for that bullet.

That involved a bit of mathematical equation adjusting. That’s the beauty of math. (Mathematics, not arithmetic.) If you keep the variables as they were and move them within the accepted rules of mathematics, your changed equation says the same things as the original, but it looks different or gives you a different answer.

So, instead of solving for the twist rate, I solved for the Constant, C.

Originally, we have:

Equation 1

This is the Greenhill formula without the specific gravity addition. The bullet is the same all the way through this exercise, so we can drop Sg.

So to find C, we multiply both sides by length and thus negate the length on the right side of the equation.

Equation 2

Next, we divide both sides by the square of the diameter, negating diameter squared on the right.

Equation 3

We flip it, so our result is on the left, and we have:

Equation 1

That is, the Greenhill constant is now the result of the bullet length times the twist rate being used or considered, and that sum divided by the square of the bullet diameter. When I did this originally, I named yet another technical aspect of firearms after myself and did this:

I’m going to divide the regular Greenhill constant by the results of the above formula and call the resulting ratio the Sweeney Stability Ratio, or SSR; technical symbol of M, or capital Mu, the Greek letter used for coefficient of friction.

Where Cg is the Greenhill Constant and Cc is the calculated constant, by our above equation.

What we’re doing is to calculate the twist rate of the bullet, as Greenhill would have it. And we are comparing it to the actual twist of the barrel being used on that same bullet.

If our bullet/twist rate combination is in agreement with the Greenhill formula, the resulting ratio will be 1. If the twist rate of the combination is too slow compared to Greenhill, the ratio will be less than 1. When I did this, I was calculating the ratio for rifles — in particular the AR-15. So, let’s do that again to get you up to speed.

The classic AR-15 barrel and bullet combination is a 12-inch twist (denoted in the barrel specs or literature as 1/12 or 1-12) and a 55-grain full-metal-jacket bullet.

The resulting Mu that came out was, surprisingly, 1. That’s right, the 55 FMJ out of a 1-12 twist barrel conforms exactly to the formula of Sir Alfred.

Now, it’s a well-know matter of observation and experience that the M855 cartridge, the common green-tip load for the AR-15, will not be stable in a 1-12 barrel. The 62-grain bullet has a tiny steel tip in the core, and that makes the bullet longer than a 55 FMJ. The calculated Mu for that bullet in a 1-12 barrel is 0.8272. Those who remember history will recall that the original AR-15 barrels had a twist of 14 inches, 1-14. The Mu of the 55 FMJ and a 1-14 barrel is 0.8547. Those bullets were barely stable, and anything could make them unstable.

So, we have a lower limit for Mu if we want accuracy to be something we can depend on.

Let’s get back to the 9mm, shall we?

There are a few standards for twist rates on 9mm barrels. The Colt carbine or SMG uses a twist rate of 1-10. That, as I recall, was because of the desire to use subsonic JHP bullets in suppressed SMGs, and so they went with a fast twist.

Some pistol barrels will be 1-10 or even 1-9. Then there is another group that will be 1-16, or even 1-18. And then finally, there are barrels at 1-24.

Remember, bullet length is what matters. And to that end, there were even some .38 Super and 9mm barrels meant to be used in 9mm major pistols with twist rates of 1-32. Why? Those pistols would only ever see 115- or 124-grain bullets, and at 1,500 fps, so they would be stable, but the twist would not overwork the bullet.

So, we take a 124 JHP, and we put it down a 1-10 twist barrel. The Mu, the ratio of experienced twist, to calculate, is 3.3. 1.0 is the desired one, but with the 124, we 3.3. Hmm. OK, let’s move up. Let’s use a 147-grain Hornady XTP.

So, it looks like there would never be a problem with handgun bullets in the twists usually used. Well, not always.

Let’s go to the extremes. Let’s look at a super heavyweight for the .44 Magnum; a 310-grain wide-nose flat-point gas-check. This is something you will launch out of a Super Blackhawk, Redhawk or Super Redhawk in the 1,100- to 1,300 fps range. The specs are; .429-inch diameter and 0.859-inch length. The Greenhill formula indicates that a proper twist rate for this bullet would be 32 inches. Interesting, eh, that so many handgun bullets should end up with so similar calculated twist rates?

The twist on Ruger barrels for its .44s is 1-20. So, we calculate a Mu for this bullet, in Ruger revolvers, of 1.6. The bullet is fully stabilized, but not nearly to the extent as our stubby 9mm bullets, in a 1-10 barrel.

The one complaint by some shooters and reloaders is the .41 Magnum: The twist on the barrels (1-18.75) is supposed to be too slow.

Let’s go with the heaviest bullet I could lay hands on quickly: a cast performance wide long-nose gas-check with a .411-inch diameter and 0.8196 inch long. A quick run through the Greenhill formula, and we come up with 31 inches for a twist rate. Plenty stable at the factory-spec 18.75 inches.

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Reloading for Handgunners, 2nd Ed., available at GunDigestStore.com.

Measuring Up: Brownells Magazine Feed Lip Gauge

The Brownells feed lip gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.
The Brownells feed lip gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.

Feed issues with your AR? Brownells Magazine Feed Lip Gauge to the rescue.

In the old days, we knew nothing about AR-15 magazines. They were mysteries. You kept the ones that worked and ditched/sold/traded the ones that didn’t. No one knew why this particular mag worked in my rifle and not yours, and vice-versa.

Life is so much better now, because we have magazines that work in all rifles … or do they?

One way to learn more is to measure things. However, measuring AR-15 magazines is difficult, because those who make them won’t tell us what they should and shouldn’t be. Good luck prying that information out of them; some might be helpful, and some might not.

Here’s the skinny:

  • Minimum gap between the feed lips: .445 inch
  • Maximum allowed: .480 inch

Hmmm. That really isn’t as helpful as we would like, is it? And what really matters is that they be parallel, even, unbent and equally level along their lengths.

Brownells Feed Lip Gauge To The Rescue

Brownells offers its Magazine Feed Lip Gauge for those who want to track their magazines.

The gauge has two measuring surfaces that are managed by means of machining the gauge so the measuring part is a tapered bar. Strip the magazine (or just shove the gauge in; I’m too lazy to take them apart) and see if the gauge passed through the lip gap.

If it passes all the way though, the lips are too far apart. The magazine fails inspection. (Of course, if you’re heavy-handed, you can force the gauge through the mag lips, because, after all, they’re just aluminum.) If the bottom of the taper-to-the-small-dimension part won’t pass between the feed lips, the gap is too small, and the magazine fails. The test is simple enough.

Even so, here’s the rub: I have some (not many) magazines that fail the gauge but still work in my rifles. Oh well, life isn’t perfect.


Raise Your Gear IQ:


Track Your Training Mags

But, what you can do is track your training magazines.

You should have two sets of magazines. (Plus over-supply in inventory). Both sets have been tested, found 100 percent reliable and marked with your name, number, logo or whatever.

The Brownells gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.
The Brownells gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.

You keep one set stashed for TEOTWAWKI, or End of Days, or whatever it is you’re prepared for. They’re tested—but not used—and thus, not worn. They’ll be good for as long as you need them.

The other set comprises your training or competition magazines. These get used—and used hard. So, you test them and find they work. You mark them, measure each one, and record what they gauge at. Alternatively, once they pass the gauge, you can record their actual lip-spacing measurement.

In the regular course of taking them apart to clean them (practice and competition can get a lot of gunk inside of magazines) you check the measurement, or you use the gauge to check the gap.

I know, I know. This sounds like a lot of work. But here’s a secret: It’s what the top shooters do, and they do it with all their magazines—both rifle and pistol—when they take them apart to clean them. And, many shooters will even track the relaxed length of the magazine spring to see when it’s time to replace those.

Regular inspection will also uncover damaged magazines. Your magazines don’t always fall on the ground, hitting on their basepads first. Sometimes, they hit feed lips first. When that happens, they can get damaged. If you don’t look, you won’t know, and you’ll find out the hard way … most likely during a match. Cleaning gives you a chance to catch that damage and replace your training/competition magazine with one from your inventory (but not from your End of Days stock).

Yes, this can end up being a lot of effort on your part, but it’s the kind of effort successful people make.
And, as to the eternal question, “How many magazines are enough?” I’ll let you know when I get there.

The article originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

German Pistols: World War II Trophies

This is the kind of German pistols you used to see in guns shops back in the good, old days ... well, in the medium-old days, anyway.
This is the kind of German pistols you used to see in guns shops back in the good, old days … well, in the medium-old days, anyway.

Classic guns must have either jaw-dropping looks or a storied history. Ideally, they’ve got both, such as these German pistols of World War II vintage.

Working in gun shops around Detroit, we used to have regular visitors of types you rarely see anymore. Once a week, a month or even a few days in a row, someone would walk in, holding a box or a case.

They’d inevitably start with, “I bought a house in Detroit, and … ” or “My grandparents moved to Florida, and I found … ,” and then open the box or case to reveal a firearm.

Given the age of the homeowners (the old homeowners, not the new ones), along with the fact that many of them were veterans, the iron in question was often something back from a war.

The shops I worked in were not alone in this, and it was common to walk into another gun shop and see something pre-1945 in the used case.

Here are a few of the common handguns you’d see.

Luger

A Luger—of course! There wasn’t a German pistol more desired than a Luger. The ones you saw in gun shops were the ones with no “papers.” The ones with “bring-back papers”—the official permission given by the Army—were snapped up by collectors.

If you see this spring clip on the sideplate of a Luger, it was installed due to Weimar police regulations requiring it.
If you see this spring clip on the sideplate of a Luger, it was installed due to Weimar police regulations requiring it.

Mine started life as a “sneak” pistol, manufactured by BKIW in 1929. In order to get around the Versailles Treaty limitations on production volume, it had no chamber date.

Mine wasn’t made for military use; it was meant to be used as a police pistol. As a result, it had the Weimar-required “police safety,” a modified sideplate with a spring clip on top. A bit of history and a warning: If you disassemble a Luger with a round in the chamber, it can remain cocked—and be fired in the disassembled state. I’m not making this up! German police officers apparently did just this often enough to require a regulation and a design change. The safety prevents firing when so (and incorrectly) disassembled. Mine also had a magazine disconnector, but those were all (or almost all) removed when the regulations were changed.

The author’s Luger was made without a date stamp on the chamber—because Germany was making more of them than the Versailles Treaty allowed.
The author’s Luger was made without a date stamp on the chamber—because Germany was making more of them than the Versailles Treaty allowed.

My Luger went to the Hildesheim Rural Police District, where it was inventoried and marked as weapon number 134. Where it was and what happened between 1945 (when it was probably snatched up by a GI in Germany) and my acquiring it, I have no idea. From 1900 through 1945, around 3 million Lugers had been made. And yet, they aren’t commonly seen.

CZ 27

When the Germans invaded a country, they usually kept the small arms and military-industrial production capacity of the conquered country up and running. A lot of the second-line armored vehicles and many trucks were Czech, French, Polish and so on. The CZ 27 (aka Vz 27) is a blowback .32 pistol (for a long time, Europeans were really enamored of the .32) with a complicated manufacturing process, but it was reliable, accurate and dependable.

With an eight-round magazine and all the throw-weight of the thundering .32 ACP, it isn’t Thor’s hammer. However, it was made in large quantities (more than 450,000 during the war) and was issued to army and police units.

The interesting thing about the CZ 27 is the safety. That tiny, little lever that you see behind the trigger? That’s the safety. Press it down until it clicks, and it’ll lock in place—but only when the hammer is cocked. The safety (as much as you’re willing to trust it) is on. How do you get the safety off in order to fire it? You press the small button underneath the safety lever. The lever pops up, and you’re ready to go.

Yep, eight shots of .32 ACP at the ready—and with a spare magazine buried in the full-flap holster, too. Not a true German pistol, but used by the nation in World War II and a great collector's piece.
Yep, eight shots of .32 ACP at the ready—and with a spare magazine buried in the full-flap holster, too. Not a true German pistol, but used by the nation in World War II and a great collector's piece.

As mechanically clever as that might be, I suspect that the vast majority of users during the European “fracas” carried it with the safety off—with an empty chamber—and racked the slide when they had need of a supply of .32-caliber “Europellets.”

Obviously, this isn’t a pistol you’d be choosing for an IPSC, IDPA or other competition.


More Classic Military Guns:


P-35

No, not the Belgian Hi-Power. The Polish one—the VIS35, the Polish 9mm single-stack pistol. As a newly reconstituted country after World War I, Poland began building up its armed forces and arms manufacturing. It bought what it needed to start, but it wanted to have the arms manufacture it needed under its own control (always a wise idea … as we’ve since discovered with pharmaceuticals from China).

The P35 is an all-steel, single-stack 9mm that’s perhaps the strongest 9mm ever made. It’s also … odd.

Here’s how you start taking apart the VIS35: Unload and then lock the slide back. That’s all that lever does.
Here’s how you start taking apart the VIS35: Unload and then lock the slide back. That’s all that lever does.

That lever on the left side on the slide is a decocking lever. The one below it on the frame is a takedown lever. No, it’s not a thumb safety. But there is a grip safety.

The Polish manual of arms called for loading the pistol, chambering a round and then using the decocking lever to drop the hammer. Then, when you needed to shoot it, you’d thumb the hammer back. Or, if you were Polish cavalry, you’d run the hammer against your saddle.

Every good combat pistol has to have a loaded chamber indicator ... right?
Every good combat pistol has to have a loaded chamber indicator … right?

The VIS35 was relatively rare here, in the United States, for one simple reason: Most of those (the Poles made 50,000; the Germans made 350,000 of them) went to the Eastern Front. About the only way a GI could lay hands on one was if his unit captured a German unit that had been rotated from Russia to France for R&R. This wasn’t unusual. Units that had been hard-used on the Eastern Front would be sent to France, given replacements, allowed to rest, re-equip and train, and then get sent back to Russia.

The rarest of the rare is a shoulder stock for the VIS35. I saw one in a Belgian military museum, and the experts there were not entirely sure if it was real or a very clever fake. Why were they unsure? It was the only one they or anyone they knew “in the business” had ever seen in real life.

FEG 37M

Known to shoppers back in the day as the “Femaru,” this was another local design taken over by the Germans (well, bought by the Germans, because Hungary was an ally, not a conquered territory). The original—the Hungarian model—was in .380 and lacked a thumb safety. The Germans wanted them in .32, and they insisted on a thumb safety. Once the war was up and fully running, the Germans sent inspectors to the Femaru plant. There, you’d have seen wartime pistols with the Waffenamt and acceptance stamp, per German regulations.

The FEG 37M is the first of the pistols we’re looking at here that had a factory lanyard loop installed. On the Femaru, the mag catch was a heel clip. Right next to it was the pivoting lanyard loop.

All steel, chambered in .32 ACP and a hand-filling grip. Nope, there’s almost no recoil.
All steel, chambered in .32 ACP and a hand-filling grip. Nope, there’s almost no recoil.

As a 28-ounce pistol chambered in .32 ACP, the recoil isn’t anything to pay much attention to. It’s accurate and reliable (curiously, even cheap .32s can be quite accurate, and the FEG37M was not made cheaply), but the magazine capacity is only seven rounds.

There were only some 80,000 of these made, and the majority of them went not to the German army, but to the Luftwaffe. Nevertheless, they weren’t sent in specific serial number blocks, nor were they marked as such.

Sauer 38H

This is one of my favorites—and it’s another oddity. It’s a single-/double-action German pistol with a lever behind the trigger for that work. You can decock it by using the lever. You can then re-cock it using the lever. The lever is spring-loaded and pops up—regardless of whether it’s cocked or uncocked. But, there’s a safety lever on the slide that has to be at “fire” to do any of that. The hole drilled through the trigger, up near the frame, was more or less the “cocked”/“uncocked” indicator. On the back of the slide is a loaded-chamber indicator.

This one was only made to the tune of some 116,000 pistols, but it went to the army, Luftwaffe and Waffen SS. Like the others, it’s an all-steel pistol, and it’s chambered in .32 ACP. However, this one, at least, was even more accurate than the usual, quite-accurate .32 pistol.

Back in the 1980s, my gun club had fairly portable steel silhouettes for pistol practice. I won a number of bets getting hits at 50 yards on the steel with a “Nazi .32 pocket pistol.” I’d usually wager five hits in a row for 10 bucks. And, after I made the five hits, I’d bet double or nothing that I could finish the magazine with hits. I never lost, because with the ammo it liked, my Sauer 38H could keep all its shots inside the “A” zone of an IPSC target at 50 yards.

Oh, and the “H” designation? It indicated that it wasn’t striker fired but used a concealed hammer.

P-38

I never warmed up to this German pistol; I never acquired one, I still don’t own one to this day. Sorry about that.

Trophy Pistols

Pretty much everything any enemy soldier was carrying—short of personal property (and even then, some of that wasn’t safe)—was a souvenir. GIs were like locusts, sweeping up whatever was attractive and carrying it, trading it, wagering it in poker games or even mailing it back home. And because police officers were essentially just localized military units in the German organizational structure, what they carried got snapped up as well.

My late father was cheerful in describing the first German “soldier” they captured in Germany … only to find out he was an armed tram conductor (this was more humorous and less hazardous than the first time they encountered a Waffen SS unit).

So, despite the assurance that “it came off a dead Waffen SS major/Panzer commander/fill-in-the-prestigious-enemy-combatant,” most of the German pistols brought back were taken from NCOs. There were a lot more sergeants, machine-gun crew members and the like. And they all received a pistol of some kind. In addition to the NCOs and others who were issued pistols, they were issued or authorized to police, postal and railway security, factory guards, forestry officials and all the various “suits” who ran bureaus, agencies, commissions and the secret police.

Once captured, these men were relieved of their sidearms, medals and sometimes, even uniform jackets and any other souvenirs.
These items were stuffed into a duffel bag, which GIs then hauled onto a ship and then back home. Once home, no one really cared all that much (except for a few jurisdictions).

That’s how we came to see a regular stream of such pistols in the 1980s as our veterans started slipping away.

Today? An entire generation of collectors has been snatching them out of gun shops, off gun show tables and from the estates of earlier collectors. To see any of these today in a gun shop is a near miracle. Back then, these German pistols were very common. And now, I regret that I passed them by.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

The Art Of A Lightning-Fast Revolver Reload

Once you’ve turned the knob on the speedloader, let go of it and let it drop. If you try to “speed things up” by lifting it away, you’ll probably hook a cartridge and lift a round clear, such as this one.
Once you’ve turned the knob on the speedloader, let go of it and let it drop. If you try to “speed things up” by lifting it away, you’ll probably hook a cartridge and lift a round clear, such as this one.

We give you three lightning-fast revolver reload techniques to swap six in a hurry.

What Are The Techniques For Reloading A Revolver:

For this bit of instruction, we’re going to ignore reloading with loose rounds, such as from a box or bucket … or (horrors!) a pocket.

As far as equipment is concerned, you’ve got two choices for doing it quickly: first, a gizmo called a “speedloader.” This holds six rounds in a pattern identical to the diameter and spacing of the cylinder. This is important, because there’s no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to speedloaders. You need one specific to your wheelgun.

The other piece of equipment is a “moon clip,” which can be a half-moon or a full-moon version. Obviously, a half-moon holds a half-cylinder full of bullets, and a full moon clip … well, full.

There are two, solid, dependable methods of revolver reloading, along with one that’s faster but requires a whole lot of practice. We’ll do the solid ones first.

Method #1: The Thumb Press

You’ve just fired your last round in the cylinder. Slide your left hand (we’ll assume you’re right-handed, because lefties have to go through a whole lot of contortions to reload) off the grip and forward a bit while you use your shooting hand to press the cylinder latch. Your left hand cups under the trigger guard and, as the cylinder unlocks, you push the cylinder open with the fingertips of your left hand.

Reloading Relover 4
The second method makes sure that all cases are fully ejected from the cylinder. Briskly slap your palm down onto the ejector rod while the muzzle is vertical, and you’ll be done with those pesky empties!

Push the cylinder open and then your fingers through the frame opening while you let go with your shooting hand.

So far, both methods are the same.

The first, and traditional, method is to push the ejector rod with the thumb of your left hand as you turn the revolver muzzle-up. Do this so the empties will fall to the ground and not get hung up on the grips. As you do this, your right hand is reaching for the speedloader or moon clip, so you have more ammo ready just as soon as you rotate the muzzle back down to load.

Method #2: The Palm Punch

The second method is to turn the muzzle up and use the palm of your shooting hand to briskly punch the ejector rod. This revolver reloading technique is favored by those who’re shooting full-power magnum ammunition, because the thumb-press method might not get the fully expanded empties out. Also, some revolvers—snubbies, in particular—don’t have a full-length ejector rod. By briskly whacking the ejector rod, in both cases, you make sure they have enough momentum to get clear of the cylinder.

The method you use depends on the equipment you have, along with the situation you’re in. For competition, if you don’t have moon clips (center), your scores will suffer.
The method you use depends on the equipment you have, along with the situation you’re in. For competition, if you don’t have moon clips (center), your scores will suffer.

In the second method, you reach for the speedloader after you’ve punched the empties out. This method is a bit slower, but the speed loss is the cost of reliably ejecting the empties every, single time.

Finessing for More Ammo
Getting more ammo into your revolver requires just a bit of finesse.

With pistols, reloading is “fast-slow-fast.” You get the next magazine out and up to the pistol fast; you slow down to align it; and then, you slam it home in one move. With revolvers, you go “fast-slow-hands off.”

Get your hand to the speedloader fast, and get a good hold. Snatch it off your belt or out of the holder and get it to the cylinder quickly. Then, slow down. Tip the speedloader at a slight angle and line up two of the cartridges. No, not all six—just two. Once you get those two started, bring the speedloader into alignment with the cylinder and press it forward. And, during this time, you do not take your eyes off the loading process: Glancing up, even briefly, is likely to make you mess up the reload.

At this point, you also have two equipment choices to hasten revolver reloading (well, you’ve made the choice already, but they work differently here).

One is the spring-loaded speedloader. As you press the loader fully forward, the latching mechanism releases the rounds, and the built-in spring pushes them home.

For the other type, you’ll have to turn a knob or press a button. (The button-press ones are old tech, and you might not encounter them these days.)

In either case, spring or knob, you push the speedloader all the way to the cylinder, and then you come to the most important detail of all—one that requires its own, separate paragraph:

Let go of the speedloader! Do not lift the speedloader from the cylinder or try to do anything with it except let go of it and let it fall to the ground. Any extra handling you do risks binding a cartridge rim inside the speedloader and lifting it partially or fully clear of the cylinder. If you do that, you’ve either created a malfunction or dropped as much as 20 percent of your ammo onto the ground.

Once the spring pushes them in—or you turn the knob—let go and let the speedloader fall to the ground. By letting go of it, you ensure each cartridge can cleanly leave the speedloader on its own.


Take A Spin With More Revolver Content:


Moon Clip
The process is the same right up until you introduce the rounds to the cylinder. If you’re using round-nosed FMJ bullets (this would most likely be for competition work), the rounds are, in all likelihood, self-centering, and you simply have to get any one of them started. Gravity will do the rest.

Here’s the speed load—competition style. With this method, you don’t let go of the revolver with your firing hand and you do the ejecting and loading with your other hand. Notice that the trigger finger keeps the cylinder from rotating when it comes time to turn the speedloader knob.
Here’s the speed load—competition style. With this method, you don’t let go of the revolver with your firing hand and you do the ejecting and loading with your other hand. Notice that the trigger finger keeps the cylinder from rotating when it comes time to turn the speedloader knob.

My friend, Jerry Miculek, has reloaded a .45 revolver so many times that he really just drops the moon clip from several inches away and it self-centers and slides home. (Practice 100,000 times, and that will probably work for you, too!)

If you’re using JHPs, you’ll have to use your moon clip the same way as you would a speedloader: Get two started—on an angle— and then align and press home.

Both of these methods require that you, having reloaded, get your firing hand back onto the grips while moving your left hand to close the cylinder and then slide it back into your firing grip.

Method #3: The Strong-Hand Method

The speedier method is one I thought I’d learned from Jerry Miculek when we were both shooting bowling pins back at the old Second Chance match. There, a single run was your score for the revolver event. You could shoot it many times, but only one run (your best) counted for score. So, saving even a single tenth of a second was important.

Having dumped the empties, you introduce Mr. Wheelgun to Mr. Speedloader. This is the loading process for both the first and second methods. To make sure you get a smooth and fast reload, tip the speedloader into the cylinder. Catch two rounds and line them up. Then, bring the speedloader into alignment and press it forward.
Having dumped the empties, you introduce Mr. Wheelgun to Mr. Speedloader. This is the loading process for both the first and second methods. To make sure you get a smooth and fast reload, tip the speedloader into the cylinder. Catch two rounds and line them up. Then, bring the speedloader into alignment and press it forward.

With the speed method, you do some things the same way, but your firing hand never leaves the grips. Your left hand pops open the cylinder, but you also use your left hand to snap the ejector rod to clear the empties. The muzzle can’t point down very much and, as a result, this works best with moon clip revolvers. Then, with your left hand, grab a new moon clip, toss it into the cylinder, and close up.

When I was reloading wheelguns this way in IPSC competition at World Shoots, the moon clips would sometimes sail past my head, making the RO have to duck occasionally. It’s difficult to load this way with speedloaders, because you can’t guarantee that every empty exits (because they aren’t all clipped into a moon clip). And, the speedloader has to have the cylinder gripped so it can’t rotate as it feeds in. Moon clips don’t care. I learned to use the tip of my trigger finger to keep the cylinder from rotating.

When this is all working smoothly, you do save a tenth to a half a second on a reload, compared to an equal speedloader reload. But, it’s a high-wire act; and, if anything goes wrong, you lose more time than a dozen reloads completed this way saved you.

In talking with Jerry many years after the old pin shoot (there’s a new pin shoot now, held in the same place as the old one), he told me he never reloaded that way. So, I clearly must have made it up to try and catch him, or I stole it from someone else (whose name is now lost to history).

Wheelguns might only hold five, six, seven or eight rounds, but you can get them stoked back quickly if you know how—and you practice.

The article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

The AR Builder’s Secret: Roll Pin Wizard

The Roll Pin Wizard saves your gun from unnecessary abuse during routine maintenance.

In the old days, you’d see a lot of really ugly ARs. (One might say there are ugly ones today, but that’s another discussion.)

One mar on an AR build was the various and sundry scratches you’d see from someone trying to install the bolt hold-open roll pin. Basically, you’re trying to use a part to compress a spring that’s driven by a plunger, line up the hole in the part and then drive a small roll pin through the holes—all with a small, lightweight aluminum part you can’t easily hold.

Back when I was early to wrenching on ARs, I had an elaborate assemblage of old towels in a vice that would hold the receiver, along with small blocks, with masking tape to hold the parts in place … while I tried to find a third hand for the roll pin, hammer and punch.

Well, no more.

Roll Pin Wizard Magic

The Roll Pin Wizard holds the punch in place. It keeps it aligned. The roll pin tip holds the pin in place well enough, because the front end of the pin is sitting in the receiver hole for it.

The Wizard comes to you from the fertile mind of the Gas Block Genie—a simple tool (I wish I had thought of it!) that lets you line up the gas port and gas block on that part of the assembly.

Using the Wizard is easy: Insert the guide in the rear takedown pinhole. Stand the receiver up on the front face. Line up the pin and use the punch, once you’ve slid it through the guide, to hold the pin in place.

Now, place the spring and plunger into the receiver and press the bolt hold-open onto them. Wrap your hand around the receiver and use your thumb to compress the bolt hold-open into alignment. You can use a small drift punch from the other side to get things lined up. Then, press and hold.

The Roll Pin Wizard has both the guide and the roll pin punch you’ll need for a clean build.
The Roll Pin Wizard has both the guide and the roll pin punch you’ll need for a clean build.

Now, with one hand holding the parts in place, pick up your hammer and tap the punch that will press in the roll pin. Your “third hand”—the Roll Pin Wizard—will be keeping things lined up … as long as you don’t hit too hard or off-line.

I know this sounds a bit complicated, but it’s a piece of cake compared to what we did in the old days (well, for those of us who didn’t have a benchtop fixture that held everything in place with clamps).


Raise Your Gear IQ:


Looking Good Is The Point

This is a simple piece of plastic, and it costs you $18; to some, that might seem a bit much.

Sure, you could make one … if you had a lathe and a milling machined to fabricate the part out of a billet of aluminum or mild steel. But that’s just the guide you’re making. You’ll still have to buy a roll pin punch, which chops that “$18 savings” in half.

If you already have those power tools, saving $18 might seem like an afternoon’s entertainment. To the rest of us, investing $3,000 to $4,000 just to save $18 or less sounds like the sort of thing a lifelong politician might suggest.

Man up and reward ingenuity: Spend that $18 to avoid scratching your receiver on your next build. And, while you’re at it, spring for the Gas Block Genie.

The Roll Pin Wizard is available online. And, as long as you keep it a secret from the others at your club, your builds will be good-looking (well, no scratches, anyway), and everyone will think you’re the king of the AR builders.

The article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Bowling Pin Shooting’s High-Powered Renaissance

If you expect to rudely shove a bowling pin 15 feet to the rear, you’d better be bringing some serious horsepower to the task. The .460 S&W Magnum, in a .460 XVR, can do that.
If you expect to rudely shove a bowling pin 15 feet to the rear, you’d better be bringing some serious horsepower to the task. The .460 S&W Magnum, in a .460 XVR, can do that.

If you enjoy pure, unadulterated handgun power then Big Push Bowling Pin Shooting is your game.

Bowling pin shooting went through an almost 20-year hiatus. When it came back, some of the events were left almost unchanged, some were changed quite a bit, and some new ones got added (there are several different bowling pin categories or events you can enter—kind of like stages in a match—but each event is scored separately and has its own prize table).

One of the new ones is “The Big Push.” In regular pin shooting, you have to knock the pins, five to eight of them, off of a flat, but sided, table. These are the major-power events, and they require pushing the pin back 3 feet. The minor-power events simply call for tipping them over.


GO BIG!:


The Big Push involves only three pins. However, the table is a trough … and the trough is 14.5 feet long. No, that isn’t a typo: You have to push the pins almost the length of a Toyota Corolla. A full-house .44 Magnum gets them halfway there. A .454 Casull gets them to the back, and often off, but not quickly. If you want to broom the trio of pins off—and immediately—you’d better be using something like, or exactly like, the .460 S&W magnum with full-power ammunition.

While watching competitors lined up to shoot, a friend of mine once remarked, “Half of the .460 and .500 S&W ammunition shot each year is probably shot right here, this week.” OK, this was a slight exaggeration, but not much.

This event has been held for three years now, and it’s always entertaining. When a full-house S&W (.460 or .500) hits a pin solidly, that pin is gone! Edge hits cause chips and splinters to fly, and the pin spins madly—sometimes walking itself off of the table just through high-rpm rotation. Then, there’s the inevitable disappointment of those who have ammo that’s “almost,” but not quite, up to the task.

If you like shooting the heavy-hitters—if you like shooting fast double-action, or if you just like having fun shooting—this event should be on your list (it takes place in northern Michigan, near Traverse City, June 6–12, 2020.

Just listen for the shooting and cheering … or visit the website: PinShoot.com.

The article originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Belt Artillery: Smith & Wesson 460 XVR

The .44 Magnum on the bottom used to be the most powerful handgun in the world. That hasn’t been the case for a long time, and the .460 above it is a serious contender.
The .44 Magnum on the bottom used to be the most powerful handgun in the world. That hasn’t been the case for a long time, and the .460 above it is a serious contender.

A veritable hand-held howitzer, the Smith & Wesson Model 460 XVR X-framed revolver is summed up in two words: More. Power.

The title, “Most Powerful Handgun Cartridge in the World,” was fought over for some time, but it finally got settled: S&W owns it, regardless of which cartridge you favor. Yeah, there are some with a bigger bore, but there’s a case to be made for the .460 S&W Magnum.

The Smith & Wesson 460 XVR is one big example of belt artillery. Starting with the company’s X frame—the one it developed for the .500 S&W magnum—the S&W engineers took the .454 Casull case and lengthened it. They also upped the chamber pressure to the highest of any cartridge out there (at the time, anyway)—65,000 psi.

The result was a cartridge that could deliver a .45-caliber, 200-grain bullet at 2,300 fps. There are century-old, classic and well-respected deer hunting cartridges that can’t deliver a 200-grain bullet at 2,300 fps.

The grips are a Hogue Monogrip—rubber with the S&W logo in them—to try and take some of the sting out of recoil.
The grips are a Hogue Monogrip—rubber with the S&W logo in them—to try and take some of the sting out of recoil.

The all-stainless 460 XVR was unveiled in 2005, and it was the talk of the shooting industry.

Revolver Details

It’s a solid-frame, double-action revolver with a swing-out cylinder. It holds five rounds, and you can fire everything from powder-puff cowboy action ammo up to the most audacious .460 S&W Magnums you can stand. The case is an extended .454 Casull, but the Casull is an extended .45 Colt; and the .45 Colt can also use the .45 Schofield.

The result? A four-cartridge revolver. I just have to shake my head at the thought. I might be a bit hesitant to shoot .45 Schofields in the XVR, simply because the bullet might get lost on the trip from its case to the front of the cylinder. The distance is that great.

You can be modest, powerful or overwhelming. A .45 Colt—loaded to “warm” for the Colt but “mild” for the .460—with a Hornady 200 FTX and a Cor-Bon Hunter 395-grain, hardcast whomper.
You can be modest, powerful or overwhelming. A .45 Colt—loaded to “warm” for the Colt but “mild” for the .460—with a Hornady 200 FTX and a Cor-Bon Hunter 395-grain, hardcast whomper.

The Model .460 has been made in a number of variants, with barrel lengths from 2.75 inches up to 14 inches. I‘ve handled the super-snubbie, but I’ve never fired one. I saw it at one of the industry gatherings (I’d like to say I was too busy to shoot it, but I made sure I was too busy to shoot it, because, well, that barrel was just too short).

Mine, which came to me as loot from a competition, is the XVR with the 8 3/8-inch barrel that also has a muzzle brake installed. S&W was clever enough to design and install a muzzle brake that’s easy to install or remove, and it does an effective job of dampening recoil … of which the .460 can generate copious amounts.


GO BIG!:


The barrel has a gain twist. That is, it starts out with a slow twist, and the twist rate increases as the bore continues forward. It begins slowly, with a twist rate equal to one turn in 100 inches, and ends with a twist rate of one in 20 inches. This is to prevent bullet distortion. You don’t want a 200-grain bullet at 2,300 fps slamming into the rifling and then required to immediately begin turning at a 1:20 twist rate. The gain twist starts slow but accelerates.

Five shots. Need more? You should have practiced!
Five shots. Need more? You should have practiced!

The sights are a fixed front blade (removable so you can change it to what you like) and an adjustable rear. You can also remove the rear sight. You’ll also find holes drilled and tapped for a scope base, should you wish to scope your .460. The factory setup comes with two front sights and a pair of muzzle brakes. (Mine didn’t come to me from the factory and has just one of each. Such is life.)

On the back end, the XVR comes with a Hogue Monogrip rubber grip installed—and thank goodness for that! Shooting even just the .454 Casull loads with wood grips would bring tears to your eyes. I shudder to think of what the full-house .460 loads would be like.

How It Operates

Operation is just like that of every other double-action revolver: Press the cylinder latch forward and hinge the cylinder out to the left, Stuff a cartridge in each chamber and close it. To fire, either thumb back the hammer to full cock and press the trigger, or just press the trigger back in double action. A loud (or very loud) noise will ensue, along with lots of recoil.

If you expect to rudely shove a bowling pin 15 feet to the rear, you’d better be bringing some serious horsepower to the task. The .460 S&W Magnum, in a .460 XVR, can do that.
If you expect to rudely shove a bowling pin 15 feet to the rear, you’d better be bringing some serious horsepower to the task. The .460 S&W Magnum, in a .460 XVR, can do that.

Repeat as necessary. After five shots, open, eject the empties, repeat.

Mag-Na-Porting Option

As mentioned, my .460 is a prize gun, and before it came to me, a previous owner had the wit to have it Mag-Na-Ported. The Mag-Na-Port process involves a system known as EDM (electrical discharge machining).

It works like this: Connect a metal object (it has to conduct electricity) to an electrical circuit. Place an electrode close to the metal object and pump a very large charge into the system. Once the electrode is close enough—or the charge is high enough—a spark will jump the gap. The spark erodes the metal, but the gap it can jump is very small. So the burned hole will faithfully reproduce the shape of the electrode. There’s no heat, no stress; just electricity.

The top strap is drilled and tapped for a scope mount—a useful addition to a hunting handgun.
The top strap is drilled and tapped for a scope mount—a useful addition to a hunting handgun.

The slots on the barrel are cut to permit jets of gas to escape and act as nozzles, directing the gas and dampening recoil. I’ve had a bunch of guns treated to the Mag-Na-Port process and have been very happy over the decades.

How It Performs

Shooting the XVR is an … adventure. The otherwise impressive .454 Casull is tamed through the sheer mass of the .460. The XVR tips the scales at 4½ pounds. Even without the muzzle brake or the ports, it would be controllable. The stiffest .45 Colt ammo generates plinking-level recoil out of the XVR.

But …

S&W wants there to be no mistake, and you need to be reminded what model this is. So, the .460 XVR gets its own logo too!
S&W wants there to be no mistake, and you need to be reminded what model this is. So, the .460 XVR gets its own logo too!

Load up the .460 S&W Magnum ammo, and the whole world changes. You now find yourself in a situation not unlike that of a new driver who’s found him/herself behind the wheel of something with an impressive power-to-weight ratio. It’s all you can do to just hang on.

The province of the .460 is hunting. It was designed to be the flattest-shooting big-game hunting handgun cartridge to be had. And it is. With a scope, you can legitimately (assuming you’ve practiced—and have the skill, I must add) hunt deer to 200 yards. In states where handgun hunting is a separate season or region, a stand with a clear view would allow you to cover quite a field of deer-loving vegetation. The .460 performs like a rifle, even though it’s clearly a handgun.

This performance does not come cheap. First, there’s the recoil. Yes, I’ve already mentioned it, but it bears repeating. Don’t kid yourself: Just because you can manage some part of an afternoon shooting a .44 Magnum, don’t think you’ll handle a .460 just as easily. It’s literally twice the cartridge the .44 is. Work up to the full-power ammo, or you’ll find you’ve worked yourself into a flinch.

Two Cost Considerations

Next, there’s the price of the 460 XVR. Currently listed at $1,369, don’t expect to see much, if any, discount on one. You might not even be able to see one in the counter at most gun shops. The .460’s not likely to be a stocking item, although you might see a low-mileage one—used, in the counter—from a previous owner … who didn’t work up easy in recoil.

The front of the frame has a plunger to clock into the crane when closed, thus adding more precision, as well as locking to the cylinder.
The front of the frame has a plunger to clock into the crane when closed, thus adding more precision, as well as locking to the cylinder.

Last is the ammunition. Performance at this level costs.

Currently, ammunition can be had from Hornady, Cor-Bon and Federal—.460 ammo, that is. You can also use .454 Casull and .45 Colt, which are both more common. The choices range from the Hornady FTX LeverEvolution—the company’s soft polymer-tipped, 200-grain bullet at 2,200 fps—Federal Fusion (260 grains), Federal loaded with Barnes 275-grain bullets, to Cor-Bon, which offers several weights—up to its 395-grain, hardcast, flat-nose bullet at a listed 1,525 fps.

The least expensive of these loads will set you back $1.50 per shot. The most expensive will be $2.50 per loud noise. As a result, it’s not at all unusual for .460 owners to also be reloaders. The beauty of that is you can tailor your loads to your needs, as well as to your comfort level.

Mine comes out a couple of times a year for practice and competition. And when it does, everything else stays at home … because after you’ve shot a .460, what else is there to do?

460 XVR Specs
Type: Double-action revolver
Caliber: .460 S&W Magnum
Capacity: 5 rounds
Barrel: 8 3/8 in.
Length: 15 in.
Weight: 72 oz.
Trigger: 3.5 lb. SA; 9 lb. DA
Finish: Stainless steel
Grips: Hogue rubber
MSRP: $ 1,369

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Real Avid Gun Tool Core: Shooter’s “Duct Tape”

The Real Avid AR15 tool, with all the scrapers and tools opened. Notice that the sight adjustment tool comes off, so track it down if you lend it out.
The Real Avid AR15 tool, with all the scrapers and tools opened. Notice that the sight adjustment tool comes off, so track it down if you lend it out.

The Real Avid Gun Tool Core: something you need, will want … and must acquire.

If you work on firearms, you need tools. If you work on ARs, you need specific tools. And, despite your best efforts, a lot of those tools get separated from the pack, left behind, lost, “borrowed” or otherwise enter the shooter’s “Bermuda Triangle.”

Real Avid has found a way to keep the most-used AR cleaning and maintenance tools in one spot: Make them into a carabiner.

Compact Carabiner—A Shooter’s ‘Duct Tape’

Carabiners are the oval clips that rock climbers use to wrestle with ropes. Those of us who don’t climb rocks use them to hold our keys or clip gear to packs or belts. Think of them as the aluminum equivalent of duct tape. Real Avid made the Gun Tool Core for the AR-15 into a carabiner shape. This makes it both compact and affords you a convenient way to attach it to your gun bag.

Let’s start with the cleaning stuff. A scraper is built into the Gun Tool Core on one part or another that can scrape the carbon buildup off every important space on your AR-15. The bolt, carrier and firing pin can all be scraped clean at all the locations where carbon builds up. Also included is a front sight adjustment tool—a tool that always seems to get lost or left behind. And, if you run optics, there’s a turret adjustment tool that saves you from having to dig change out of your pocket to zero your optics.

But Wait, There’s More

The included cord cutter lets you cleanly lop off a length of 550 cord for when you’re building a sling, attaching a dummy cord to an important piece of gear or have woven an extra 550 for your carbine. The takedown punch helps you push those really stubborn pins across to take your rifle apart and clean it. There’s even a bottle opener (a device I don’t think I’ve had to use for years, but if you ever need one, here it is).


Expand Your Gear IQ:


All this can be found in a single, compact tool that can be clipped to your range bag, web gear or any other place you might want it to be—and have it stay there. The Gun Tool Core also uses liner locks to keep the various attachments locked in place, rather than flopping around on you.

The Real Avid tool closed up. You can close it over a MOLLE strap on your range bag or lash it to the back with 550 cord.
The Real Avid tool closed up. You can close it over a MOLLE strap on your range bag or lash it to the back with 550 cord.

I’m not entirely sure that it’s possible to pack more features or tools into a unit that’s so compact, but if anyone can do it, Real Avid can.

What I like about the Gun Tool Core is that in addition to being so compact, the only part that actually detaches from the tool is the front sight adjuster. And, if it’s off, you’ll definitely miss it: Having noticed that your Real Avid carabine/tool can’t be closed and locked onto your range bag, you’ll be reminded to get the front sight adjustment tool back from whoever … “borrowed” it.

Great Price

The only lack I can see is a flat space large enough to have your name or initials engraved on it (I have some ideas about that!).

The best part? The price. With a list price of $39.99, I’m not sure you could purchase all the individual tools included on the Gun Tool Core for that. They would have to cost more; and then, they would be individual tools, prone to the problems we’ve all experienced with single tools.

The Gun Tool Core for AR-15s is something you need, will want … and must acquire. And, once you have it, you can clip it to your range bag or the AR carry case you take to the range.

I’ve got mine; go get one of your own.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

The Flash And Oddity Of Hollywood 1911s

This is a space gun. Well, it’s a movie space gun—one used in a movie in space: Serenity. It’s Jayne Cobb’s personal 1911.
This is a space gun. Well, it’s a movie space gun—one used in a movie in space: Serenity. It’s Jayne Cobb’s personal 1911.

Hollywood 1911 pistols run the complete gamit, from specimens you find at your local gun store to renditions that are out of this world.

For a supposedly obsolete, old firearm, the 1911 is well-represented on the silver screen. It always has been. However, what you see on the screen may or may not be a 1911 or 1911A1. It may also not be a .45 ACP. There are several reasons for that.

OK, let’s set the stage. (See what I did there?) Our hero needs to prevail, and he needs to be properly armed for the climactic shoot-out. But that shoot-out—the part you see on the screen for a minute or even a few seconds—takes months of planning and practice. The director must lay it all out on what are called “storyboards,” which are drawn representations of how they want the camera to see the scene. Then, the producer plans the distances, timing and locations with the location scout and the cinematographer. The producer schedules the practice time, equipment and budget with the prop master.

And that’s where the guns come in. The guns on screen that you see today come in four types: rubber, Airsoft, blank-firing and live. And blank-firing firearms come in four types: quarter, half, three-quarter and full power. Why all these types? Because they need them . It’s just that simple.

OK, start the debate: Was Rick Deckard (Blade Runner), himself, a replicant or human? And, if one or the other, what evidence do you have to prove it? This is a real firearm, in that the receiver on top is a Sauer bolt-action rifle receiver. How does it work? Who cares? The only real question is, Would you run off with Rachael and bet that Gaff wouldn’t chase you?
OK, start the debate: Was Rick Deckard (Blade Runner), himself, a replicant or human? And, if one or the other, what evidence do you have to prove it? This is a real firearm, in that the receiver on top is a Sauer bolt-action rifle receiver. How does it work? Who cares? The only real question is, Would you run off with Rachael
and bet that Gaff wouldn’t chase you?

The rubber guns are for extras who will never use them and to protect the actors (and the guns) from the day-to-day wear and tear of being worn. If you see a squad room scene in a police procedural where everyone is armed, they are all rubber guns. A squad of soldiers who are not actually firing their weapons? All rubber or plastic. In fact, most of the guns you’ll see on the screen and on TV are rubber, plastic or composite dummies, because they are inexpensive; and, compared to real firearms, there is no real paperwork involved.

The molding and casting processes are so high quality that you can read the original serial number of the model used to create the mold. They come in soft rubber (more comfortable, but less durable) and harder compositions. The Airsoft guns allow film crews to work in locations where the noise of blank-firing handguns might be disturbing, such as indoors. The slides cycle, and the computer wizards add in the muzzle flash and flying brass later. There may not even be the little plastic pellets of Airsoft being used. (The sounds are all added in after, regardless of the type of firearm or rubber gun used.) That’s done with CGI.

Blank guns are modified to run with blanks. Despite being so modified and often irreversibly so, they are still firearms and, as such, strictly controlled. Generally, this involves grinding off the locking lugs and putting a plug in the barrel to allow enough gas pressure to cycle the action. The power level represents the power the blanks are loaded to and the power the firearm is built to properly cycle with. A full-power blank gun, being fed quarter-blanks, won’t cycle. A quarter-blank gun being fed full-power blanks can be damaged.

It isn’t a 1911, and it may not even be chambered in .45 ACP, but the author just had to include this in the photo lineup. Yes, this is Mal Reynolds’ sidearm—the Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B—from the movie Serenity.
It isn’t a 1911, and it may not even be chambered in .45 ACP, but the author just had to include this in the photo lineup. Yes, this is Mal Reynolds’ sidearm—the Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier
Model B—from the
movie Serenity.

There is also the safety aspect. Blanks can still cause injury or even death. A scene for which the director wants the actors close to each other cannot use full-power blanks. The distance must be calculated and maintained. That’s a big reason for Airsoft and CGI.

Live guns? Sometimes you need live guns for certain scenes, which means you have to acquaint some actors with how they work. Some won’t want to touch these “icky “guns, but some like learning and having fun. And there are those interested in “verisimilitude”—a fancy word meaning “the appearance or semblance of truth.” In other words, it means it’s like the real thing. Also, the sound guys might want to capture the exact report of the firearm being used, just in case. A perfect example of this is in the movie Saving Private Ryan, when the GIs have beaten the German MG42 crew. We hear the machine gun cooling off and the clicks and pops as it settles back down to air temperature. You only get that from the real thing.

And that leads us to another aspect of the prop house: historical accuracy. The prop house is the expert (except for some directors, such as Michael Mann) and makes sure the gear is correct. A Korean War movie with M16s in it is a no-go. A modern police procedural with World War II-era firearms being used better have a good explanation for the viewers, or else they will change channels in disgust. This means prop houses maintain a huge inventory, keep track of the firearms and know what is appropriate, where and when.

Not what a lot of competition or EDC owners would carry, but it is Hollywood, right? And nothing is actually wrong with it; it would serve you well for many uses, as it did for Charlie Hunnam’s character in Sons of Anarchy.
Not what a lot of competition or EDC owners would carry, but it is Hollywood, right? And nothing is actually wrong with it; it would serve you well for many uses, as it did for Charlie Hunnam’s character in Sons of Anarchy.

Now, if the director insists on something that is not period-correct, you shake your head, make sure you fulfill the contract and keep that in mind the next time his people call you for the next movie.

Oh, one other part of the firearms experience are the impacts. Called “squibs” in the industry, they are small powder charges that are detonated electrically to show the bullet impact on walls, cars, etc. This can be an incredibly expensive part of a production. You’ve got the actors who will be handed the blank-firing firearms just before the scene starts filming. Then there’s the camera crew, cinematographer, sound man and lighting crew. You can even have two, three or four cameras going at once. You have the prop master and the triggerman for the squibs.

After “lights, camera, action,” the actors start shooting, the squib triggerman sets off the squibs and, if it all goes right, you have a “take.” Then, you set it up and do it again, because the director and editor always want options.

 The 1911A1 that Thomas Magnum, aka “Magnum P.I.,” carried and used in the show. Be jealous!
The 1911A1 that Thomas Magnum, aka “Magnum P.I.,” carried and used in the show. Be jealous!

What if the blank gun jams or a blank or squib fail to go off? There are dozens of things that can ruin a take, and when something fails, you set it up and do it all over again.

And finally, there is the legal aspect of things. Not only must the production company keep track of the laws where it is filming — usually the responsibility of the prop master — but it also must know the backgrounds of the actors. (Hmm, how shall I put this? Some actors have lived less-than-stellar lives. In fact, some of them have been convicted of crimes such that they cannot own, or even handle, real firearms. They get rubber guns and CGI.)


Raise Your 1911 IQ:


Production companies have gotten themselves into trouble by trying to ship firearms into a country or state in which they’re not permitted or for which they simply haven’t completed the required paperwork. The people involved must know the laws and regulations, have the proper licenses and paperwork, and make sure it is all filled out correctly. I found this out when I visited Independent Studio Services, one of the biggest prop houses. It deals not just with firearms (in fact, firearms are a small part of what it does), and it was head-spinning.

A period-correct LAPD SWAT pistol from the early 2000s. Before that, no Kimber. After that, a different Surefire light.
A period-correct LAPD SWAT pistol from the early 2000s. Before that, no Kimber. After that, a different Surefire light.

First, anytime there’s going to be a specific firearm on the set of any production, the prop house brings at least two. So, that police procedural with 12 officers walking around? Two dozen rubber guns, at least. Filming an action scene requires at least two blank-firing guns plus rubber clones—for the setup, walk-through and camera framing—and, if the prop master is at all paying attention, other spares of the blank guns of different power levels. Huh?

What if the director suddenly decides that a scene needs to be changed? Instead of a shoot-out in the house of the serial killer, he wants it outside next to the pool, which means you’ll need to switch from quarter-power to full-power blanks, maybe even with extra flash blanks. You’d better have the guns and the ammo on hand, because a production company costs like you wouldn’t believe. Depending on the talents involved, it could be $10,000 an hour, and if the prop master holds things up while a courier drives back to the warehouse to pick stuff up, he will not get hired next time.

And the paperwork? Again, you wouldn’t believe it. OK, let’s say you stage an epic shoot-out with multiple machine guns, squibs for the walls and cars, breaking windows, explosions and more on set somewhere in California. First, the company has to be licensed by both the feds and the state. This includes a standard FFL, an 07 Manufacturers FFL and an ammo manufacturing license (for the blanks). Then, California insists on more licensing for dangerous weapons such as the machine guns, and if explosives are used, that triggers the need for another federal license—plus certification for the training before the licenses will be issued. Then, depending on the firearms that are involved, you might even need to have a transport permit … and dear God, if the local municipality also requires more licensing or paperwork.

Sometimes, a movie would have something such as this 1903 pocket hammer model Colt standing in as a .45, because it would work with blanks.
Sometimes, a movie would have something such as this 1903 pocket hammer model Colt standing in as a .45, because it would work with blanks.

The pistols used might not have been 1911s in the past and often were not .45s. Making 9mm blanks that worked reliably and consistently was a lot easier than doing the same for .45 ACP. As a result, you can see in some movies in the past (if you look closely or use freeze-frame) that the “1911” someone is using is actually a 1903 hammer model or a 1905 or other early Colt pistol.

Later, 1911s that started out as 9mm or .38 Super pistols that had been built as blank-firing guns were used in the movies as .45s. Now, they can be blank-adapted as actual .45s. When I visited Independent Studio Services, I had the opportunity to handle and photograph some famous guns and even shoot some of them. Fun? You have no idea.

Serenity
In the movie Serenity, set in the indeterminate future (supposedly 500 years from now—but, hey, it is a story), the crew of the ship Serenity is working to make a living, shlepping cargo from one plant to another. Despite it being the future, there are a lot of old guns still in use, with some of them upgraded.

Jayne Cobb, the muscle played by Adam Baldwin (no relation to the Baldwin brothers), is very knowledgeable about firearms. His personal 1911 has been worked on and upgraded. What are the upgrades? No idea, but figuring out what would be useful and tactical centuries from now is not the point. I mean, how would you explain a comp on an Open gun to a doughboy?

Rambo
“Rambo” has moved from a movie title reference to a word used in common life as a reference and touchstone. Rambo comes back from Vietnam and, of course, he’d be using a Vietnam-era pistol, which would be a box-stock 1911A1. Except, this one isn’t entirely stock. But, hey, things happen. When Rambo came out in 1982, IPSC was still mostly unknown to Hollywood. The Michael Mann-directed movie, Thief, had just come out the year before.

Sons of Anarchy
“Shakespeare on motorcycles” might describe the TV series Sons of Anarchy. In it, Jax, the son of the club founder, has to take over the reins of power, find his way and stay alive. You would imagine that a series about a motorcycle club would have plenty of opportunities for violence … and you’d be right. Charlie Hunnam (“Jax” ) carries a “blingy” customized 1911A1. The comp on it is a standard stick-a-threaded-barrel-into-a-1911-pistol modification, and the extended slide stop is something that hasn’t been common for almost two decades now. But the rest of it shows attention to proper tools of the trade. And, hey, if the leader of a motorcycle gang wants to carry something, who is going to tell him “no?”

You could see this in the holster of a SWAT officer or a Special Operations team member, because it is so current and correct.
You could see this in the holster of a SWAT officer or a Special Operations team member, because it is so current and correct.

Black Panther
Anyone who does not envy the Marvel crew is not paying attention. Having spent more than half a century building a universe populated with a huge number of characters, it now gets to see it all up on the big screen. In Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan plays Erik Killmonger. That character packs a current-day tool for shooting, a railed and threaded-for-suppressor Springfield Operator, which reflects the character’s Special Operations background. It is hard to argue with it as a choice, either for real-world trials or in the movie setting where it is placed.

Magnum, P.I.
In 1980, Tom Selleck was a tall, handsome guy who had been knocking around Hollywood for a decade, getting parts in TV shows and movies. Nothing big, but he was working. Then came the Hawaiian shirts, Ferraris, helicopters and the 1911A1.

Playing a Navy SEAL (before every wannabe was a SEAL) Vietnam veteran, he was the TV draw for most of its eight seasons and 158 episodes. Men wanted to be him. Women wanted to date him. Everyone dreamt of Hawaii and high-speed car chases.

The 1911A1 used in Rambo, with some additions that probably came later. The magazine funnel was not available in 1982, but the extended thumb safety and slide stop could have been (it was close enough for movie work).
The 1911A1 used in Rambo, with some additions that probably came later. The magazine funnel was not available in 1982, but the extended thumb safety and slide stop could have been (it was close enough for movie work).

And the 1911 that Mr. Magnum carried? It was a Colt Series 70 chambered in 9mm. It had no changes made to it other than being adapted to blanks. And it fired full-power blanks, which I can attest to, having fired it when I visited. Let me tell you: Full-power blanks, even the 9mm ones, are ferocious. The slide cycle felt like live fire, and the blast and heat from the blanks were everything a live round would be—and more.

I’d have worn a suitable shirt for the test-firing, but the patterns are licensed, and you have to pony up $70 each for the shirts he wore. Maybe I will someday.

SWAT
The first SWAT TV show appeared in 1975. In the time since, the gear carried by SWAT officers has changed. So, if you are doing a movie or TV show and there are SWAT cops involved, the time period represented in its firearms and gear needs to be spot-on.

It is a situation such as this that adds to the inventory of a prop house. You can’t have a realistic show set in the present day if the main characters are using flip phones, driving cars from the muscle-car era and shooting it out with gangster-era firearms. Viewers are going to notice.

So, prop houses and producers work hard to make things period correct. That leads to multiple generations of SWAT gear, among other props, to ensure viewers can keep track of when it aired.

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Patrick Sweeney’s book, “1911, The First 100 Years, 2nd edition.” For a deeper look into the must-have resource for any 1911 owner, go to GunDigestStore.com.

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