2001 American Handgunner 2001-Annual

LIGHTWEIGHT BRAWN, By Charles E. Petty

IDPA: GET OFF TO A RUNNING START, By Massad Ayoob

FEISTY BULLDOGS, By John Taffin

TAURUS TITANIUM MILLENNIUM, By Andy Stanford

KNIFE VS. GUN, By Steve Moses

GLOCK G29, 10MM POWER!, By Charles W. Karwan

WEBSITE SHOWCASE

TODAYS POCKET ROCKET, By Massad Ayoob

MONSTER MAGNUM, By Dick Williams

COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY, By John Taffin

COP LEATHER, By Massad Ayoob

STOP GUN SNATCHES, By Massad Ayoob

A FISTFUL OF SERIOUS SELF-DEFENSE, By John Taffin

ADVERTISERS INDEX

CATALOG OF CURRENTLY MANUFACTURED HANDGUNS

6

13

21

28

39

45

51

54

66

76

96

103

111

118

119

American Handgunner Magazine is published bi-monthly, except in April and October when itis published monthly, by Publishers Development Corporation, 591 Camino de la Reina, Suite200, San Diego, CA 92108. CONTRIBUTORS submitting manuscripts, photographs or drawings doso at their own risk. Material cannot be returned unless accompanied by sufficient postage. PAY-MENT will be made at rates current at time of publication and will cover reproduction in any orall American Handgunner editions. ADVERTISING RATES furnished on request. Reproduction oruse of any portion of this magazine in any manner, without written permission is prohibited.The opinions and recommendations expressed by individual authors within this magazine arenot necessarily those of Publishers Development Corporation. Copyright 2001 Publisher'sDevelopment Corporation. All rights reserved.

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VOL. 58

The demand from shooters who prefer lightweight gunseven if it extracts a sometimes brutal price in recoil hasgrown steadily since the early 90s. This trend is driven bythe growing interest in concealed handguns with the pas-

sage of several landmark CCW laws.Shooters first looked to .38 Special snubnose revolvers but

then switched to big bores, culminating with Smith &Wessons introduction of the Model 296, a hump-back, tita-nium-cylindered, hammerless .44 Special. While the conceptof a lightweight big bore had a certain appeal, the executionsimply wasnt there.

Then the Springfield, Mass., handgun maker introduced theModel 396 AirLite Ti .44 S&W, which solves all the 296's prob-lems save one. There is no way that an 18 oz. revolver can do

Looking For Healthy Firepower?

Smith & Wessons Mountain Lite

Packs A .44 Punch!

Story and

Photos

By

Charles

E. Petty


much about recoil. With hotter loads, itsnot much fun to shoot.

What makes the 396 so attractive isthe conversion from a too-large pocketpistol to a utilitarian big-bore kit gun.Smith added adjustable sights and aHiViz front sight, and deleted the hump-back to give the gun a classic revolverlook. S&Ws sub-title, Mountain Lite,expands on the companys already pop-ular series of Mountain Guns. Theselight, major-caliber handguns are built forhikers, backpackers and anyone who ven-tures away from civilization to a placewhere self-defense may be a considera-tion. Please do not misunderstand,though this is not a gun to take bearhunting.

Dressed For SuccessThe Model 396 AirLite Ti Mountain

Lite is a five-shot revolver with a tita-nium cylinder, a stainless steel 3.2"barrel, and an aluminum frame and barrelshroud. It sports S&Ws standardadjustable rear sight and a front sightwith a small piece of fluorescent greenfiber optic material known as HiViz. It isvirtually impossible to ignore the frontThe AirLites cylinder is made of high-strength titanium.

AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 2001 ANNUAL 7

The Model 396 AirLite Ti Mountain Lite has an aluminum, titanium cylinder and a HiViz green-dot front sight.

sight. It jumps up and demands yourattention. In bright sunlight, the roundfront sight almost overpowers the square-notch rear sight and makes it a little diffi-cult to define a precise sight picture. Eventhough its a bit unconventional, you getused to the sighting system very quickly.

The light weight imposes somerestrictions on all titanium revolvers,and the Model 396 is no exception.Early in the development of super light-weight revolvers it was noted that after afew shots, the front sight wasnt verticalanymore. The solution was clever. In adeparture from S&Ws standard con-struction, the barrel is made in twopieces. The stainless steel barrelette iscovered with an aluminum barrel


Taking Firearms Technology To The Next LevelWhen weight is a factor and Magnum performance a must, the Scandium Series

revolvers from Smith & Wesson are the only option. The marriage of space age materialsand Smith & Wesson expertise produces scandium

alloy frames, titanium cylinders and stainless steelbarrel liners, the ingredients of .357 Magnum

revolvers nearly 50% lighter than previousmodels. Available in 5-shot small frame

or 7-shot medium frame revolvers,the Sc Series from

Smith & Wessondeliver maximum

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ward to the endof the charge hole. For that reason, all

our test ammo was limited to factory loadswith 200 gr. bullets. Well, almost.

We did not use any of the several hot185 gr. bullets, or any of those touted asbeing +P (even though no such standard

Top, author found no problem controlling the Model396. The AirLite has a HiViz green-dot front sightand an adjustable black-blade rear sight.

equal and oppo-site force on the bullet. The concern is

that additional bullet weight might be evenmore subject to inertia and could actuallyjam the cylinder if the bullet moved for-

shroud. There is asmall slot cut in the frame which mateswith an extension on the barrel shroud.

When the barrelette is tightened with aspecial wrench that uses the rifling forpurchase, the shroud is drawn tightagainst the frame. The benefit of thisdesign is that torque of which there isplenty actually tightens the barrel, ifneeded. The front sight retains its properorientation, as well.

The Right AmmoAll the S&W titanium revolvers

except the .32 H&R Magnum versioncarry an ammunition warning. In the caseof the .38s, you are instructed to use onlyjacketed bullets. With the .44, a maximumbullet weight of 200 gr. is recommended.Why? Because the little guns becomekinetic bullet pullers under recoil. Therapid acceleration to the rear exerts an


The author notes that recoil of the Model 396 Air-Lite Ti Mountain Lite is not all that uncomfortable.

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exists for the .44 Special). However, wedid fudge just a little and use somevery mild handloads with 240 gr. leadsemi-wadcutter bullets, and we also triedsome factory 246 gr. LRN loads.

The procedure was to load thecylinder with five rounds first the hand-loads, which were a little below thevelocities of the factory 246 gr. LRNs,

ACCURACY TEST RESULTS - S&W MODEL 396 .44 SPECIAL

and then the factory ammo and fire ashot. The cylinder was opened, and theremaining four cartridges were inspected.Fire again and again, until four roundshad been fired with no noticeable dis-placement of the fifth bullet. Load fourmore, shoot them, then load four more.

After that last cartridge had been sub-jected to the recoil of a total of 12 rounds

without having its bullet displaced, I con-cluded that it was reasonable with duecare to shoot the mild handloads and 246gr. factory ammo. It should be noted thatboth the handloads and the factory ammohave a pretty substantial roll crimp.

Fun ShooterIt was here especially with mild

Notes: Accuracy measurements are 10-shot groups at 25 yards from Ransom Rest. Velocity is the instrumentalaverage of 30 shots at 10 feet as measured with a PACT Professional Chronograph.

Load Wt. Type Velocity 1 2 3 Avg.

Blazer 200 gr. Gold Dot 826 fps 3.11" 3.11" 3.27" 3.16"

Federal 200 gr. LSWCHP 793 fps 4.43" 3.93" 4.12" 4.16"

Pro Load 200 gr. JHP 786 fps 3.49" 3.60" 3.30" 3.46"

Remington 200 gr. LSWC 825 fps 4.92" 5.21" 5.16" 5.10"

Winchester 200 gr. Silvertip 699 fps 3.15" 3.31" 4.89" 3.78"

Average: 3.93"

The Smith Model 396 AirLite Ti Mountain Lite is just that, only 18 oz. for a .44 S&W Special.


handloads that the little gun became ajoy to shoot. Velocities hovered in the700 to 750 fps range, and while you cer-tainly knew you had shot something,recoil was not at all uncomfortable. Imsure the rubber grips helped. Please donot take this as an endorsement to shootanything other than what the factory rec-ommends. It worked with my gun, buttheres no guarantee that it will in anyothers. So if you want to try, be sure torepeat the test procedure I followed. Ifthe 396 is going to be used in any poten-tially defensive context, use only ammothat conforms to factory instructions.

The 396 is not exactly a big gun.Actually, the frame is an L size, but itisnt a pocket pistol, so youll need a hol-ster. Anything made for a 4" model 686


or a similar L frame should work. Idont know if theres anything currentlyavailable specifically for the 3.2" barrel.In any case, make sure the holster canaccommodate the front sight, which is alittle high and has no ramp for easysliding into a holster.

The Right NicheContrary to conventional wisdom,

revolvers really arent dead, and they stillhave an important niche to fill. The kitgun is one of them, and for someone whowants something a little more substantialto take along on hikes and other ventures,the 396 seems like a good choice.Remember the old adage: Bigger bulletsare better bullets. They dont have to govery fast; they just haveto make big holes.

For more information, contact: Smith &Wesson, 2100 Roosevelt Ave., Dept AH,Springfield, MA 01102; 1-800-331-0852;www.smith-wesson.com.

*

Test firing is done at 25 yardsusing a Ransom Rest.

T he International PracticalShooting Confederation (IPSC)has changed a great deal since itwas founded. Over the years, it graduallyturned into something between a race forthe weirdest, most exotic gun, and a con-test that was sort of track and field witha gun in your hand. It has strayed farfrom the replicated gunfighting intendedby its originator, Jeff Cooper.

Some of the founders and early cham-pions of the original discipline, whomAndy Stanford called the lost tribe ofIPSC Bill Wilson, John Sayle, KenHackathorn and Walt Rauch decided itwas time to go back to basics. WithWilson at the helm, the InternationalDefensive Pistol Association (IDPA) wasborn a few years ago.

The credoes are simple. No compen-sators. No optical sights. No holster thatcouldnt be concealed under a sport coatall day, and ditto for the ammo carriers.Power level for the ammo must be rea-sonable. Its more or less a revolver neu-tral series of skill-tests, with four mainfirearm categories to accommodate theguns most commonly used for serious,real-world self-defense. And yes, theressportsmanship, reinforced by a heavypenalty for failure to do right.

The Early YearsI got into IPSC early on. A couple of

months after the Columbia Conference, atwhich the organization was founded in1976, I ran the first IPSC SectionalChampionship under the auspices of JeffCooper and northeastern U.S. regionalcoordinator Jim Cirillo. As time went on,I became a member of the lost tribe ofIPSC Stanford would later describe. Thediscipline had evolved into a combination


One Of The Disciplines First Four-GunMasters Shares His Tough-Learned TipsOn How To Get Started In The Hottest,F a s t e s t - G ro w i n gCombat HandgunCompetition Around! IDPA

GET OFF TO ARUNNING START!

By Massad Ayoob

Top left: Weak-hand-only shooting is handled by Dave Sevigny (right) and BryceLinsky. Top right: Perfect score! Jim Carr "cleaned" this third of the tough IDPA

Qualifier with a Morris Custom Colt .45. Center left: National police champ BryceLinsky triggers his .38 Super. Center right: National SSP champ Tom Yost blazestargets with his S&W PC5906. Bottom left: Judy LaFreniere has won national

titles with her S&W 9mm. Bottom right: Bill Wilson shoots one of his own 1911s.

of athletics and marksmanship, not unlikea biathlon. That was fine. It just wasntwhat I personally needed, and I driftedaway from the organization. Thefounding of IDPA was a call back to awarm and comfortable hearth, and Ieagerly joined the group.

In 1999, Mike Benedict and Ibecame the first competitors to shootMaster in all four of IDPAs gun cate-gories. It was a quest encouraged byIDPA co-founder Ken Hackathorn. Thechallenge made me a better, faster hand-gunner. Shooting in all four of the hard-ware categories has also given me apretty good handle on what it takes tobe competitive in any of them.

The sport has been good to me. Ivebeen able to win my share of awards,including High Senior at the 1999 Mid-Winter National Championships (myoldest daughter translates this to NationalChampion Geezer). Thus, I may havelearned a couple of things that could save

you some time in reaching your peak ifyou enter this challenging discipline.

Right Gun Leather The holster needs to be on your dom-

inant side. It needs to carry the mainmass of the handgun behind the ileaccrest of the hip. It needs to be conceal-able under a practical garment like ablazer or a photographers vest. Thesame is true of spare magazine carriers.A revolvers speedloaders, in deferenceto common real-world custom and prac-tice, may be carried in front of the hip,so long as theyre concealed under anunfastened jacket.

Safety straps are optional. This isntpurely a quick-draw contest, and I reallydont think a strap will slow you down.IDPA was expressly created to be anavenue for practice and training withwhat you carry for real-world self-defense. If your scabbard has a strapwhen you wear it on the street, you


Top left: Author shot this perfect score with an S&W Model 15 .38. Top right:Author placed second overall at a local IDPA match with a Glock 36. Centerleft: Justine Ayoob, 15, shoots her way to 1st Novice. Center right: Policechief Rob Haught fires his Beretta. Bottom left: Master Dane Burns shows theawesome speed of one of his .38 Super IDPA guns. Bottom right: Nationalchamp Ernest Langdon shoots his trademark box-stock Beretta Elite 9mm.

should use the same fastened holster inIDPA competition.

Choose Your WeaponsIDPA covers the waterfront with the

four basic categories of handguns that aremost commonly used for self-defense.Each pistol has to fit an IDPA boxwhich, basically, is geared around theColt Government Model. Heres a look atthe categories.

SSP: Stock Service PistolThis is by far the most popular cate-

gory. These are the firearms that reallyserious pistol-packers, who are dedicatedenough to shoot competition, carry ontheir own time. The Glock is the mostpopular, and it has won national champi-onships in the hands of men like theyoung wunderkind David Sevigny. Daveuses the Glock 34, the Tactical/Prac-tical model that Glock expresslydesigned to be the right length to exactlyfit the box for both IDPA and IPSCsLimited category. The G34 is a 9mm andthe choice of serious IDPA shooters.Unlike in IPSC, there is no point bonusfor shooting the harder-kicking .40 andlarger pistols, and the light-kicking 9mmis the overwhelming caliber choice ofwinners who use Glocks.

This is not to say that the conventionaldouble-action, first-shot, police- or mili-tary-style pistol is disadvantaged. No onehas won more open championships inIDPA than Ernest Langdon, and he shootsa double-action, first-shot Beretta 92Elite. Rob Haught has delivered nationalchampion scores with an identicalBeretta. Multiple-time national championTom Yost favors the S&W PC5906, theaccurized and slicked-up PerformanceCenter version of the high-capacity 9mmthat the company introduced some 30years ago. Judy LaFreniere has wonnational Womens Champion titles withthis same gun. Its massive all-steelweight gives excellent recoil control, andthe pistols very short, fast-trigger re-setallows a very slightly higher rate of accu-rate rapid fire.

There are sleeper guns in this cate-gory. The Walther P99 and Walthers col-laboration gun built by S&W, the SW99,are technically double-action guns. Theyshould, as required by IDPA rules, bedecocked before each holstering duringactual SSP class competition. Those whodo not are cheating and subject to themassive failure to do right penalty.

The Steyr M-series, with its shorttrigger stroke and excellent high-visibilitysights, is another sleeper. IDPA rulesallow, in the SSP class, the HK P7squeeze-cocker, a gun long proven on thestreet as a super-fast pistol in reactiveself-defense. I first achieved Master inSSP with a Glock 9mm, after several trieswith larger-caliber Glocks. I scored atime in the 95-second range for 90 shots.However, on my first try with an HK



sights. The targets are rarely beyond 20paces and usually closer. The center ringthat gets maximum point value is a gen-erous 8" in diameter, so you dont exactlyneed a target pistol.

For reasons I may never figure out, Ifound CDP to be the toughest category inwhich to achieve Master. I tried and gotclose but no cigar with all manner ofcustom 1911s that were worth up to$5,000, not to mention a Novak Customsingle-action S&W .45 auto. The gun Imade it with was a Kimber Gold Matchborrowed from my friend Mark Morris. Itcame from the factory with a sweettrigger. Mark had minimally fitted out thegun with an oversize magazine well andskateboard tape on the front of the grip-frame. The gun cost him about a thousandbucks. I later traded it away from him.

If I didnt already have a gun that wassuitable for CDP, Id toss a coin betweenthe Kimber .45 and the loaded versionof the Springfield Armory 1911A1. Youwont go wrong with either one.

SSR: Stock Service RevolverSSP class is, indisputably, the biggest

category in IDPA. Entrants in this classwill often outnumber all the rest of theclasses combined. CDP, while a distantsecond, is clearly a dominant second. Thelast two of the four primary classes fightfor third and fourth places in popularity.However, in most of the matches Iveattended, the sixgun category is the thirdmost popular, if only by a small margin.

I say sixgun advisedly. Your stockservice revolver may hold seven oreight shots, but you can only load it withsix. Trying to juggle the empty chambersinto the right position would make it alosers game, unless, of course, its thegun you carry.

Because full moon clips areallowed, you can use the S&W Model625 or any other .45 ACP revolver withsuch equipment. Moon-clip guns are theway to go, because throwing in amooner is faster than reloading six car-tridges with a speedloader that must beinserted, released and discarded. To myknowledge, almost every national cham-pionship of IDPA has been won inrevolver class by a .45 ACP S&W thatwas stoked with moon clips. I sayalmost, because Brent Purucker hasonce or twice won the mid-winternationals with a K-frame S&W loadedwith his .38 Special reloads via Safari-land speedloaders.

Purucker was one of the first to makeMaster in SSR class. I dont think he hasyet tried the auto categories, at least notseriously. Benedict and I were bothshooting S&W 625s with full moonswhen he (5" barrel) and I (4" barrel)made four-gun Master. I havent seen theofficial score sheets, but rumor has it thatthe third guy to make four-gun Mastershot the revolver stage with a Colt

P7M8, I shot a 93-second score.To keep a level playing field, maga-

zines can be loaded with no more than 10rounds each. If you think this isnt tac-tical, I sympathize. After all, cartridgecapacity is one reason to use a full-size,16-shot 9mm instead of a full-size, eight-shot .45. However, we have to bear onething in mind. While Jeff Cooper devel-oped IPSC to be a test-bed for combatshooting survival doctrine andequipment, Wilson and company devel-oped IDPA to test the skills and gear wealready had. We all just need to under-stand the rules before we step onto aplaying field that IDPA tries to keep level.

I achieved Master in SSP with a Glock17 and CCI Blazer 9mm 147 gr. trainingammo. Sights were by Heinie, and thegun had been tuned by GlockWorks. If Iwere to start over, without a suitable gunalready at hand, Id probably buy a Glock34 or an HK P7M8.

CDP: Custom Defense PistolCoopers weapon was the cocked-and-

locked 1911 .45. This was the originalsignature handgun of IPSC. It remains thegun of the cognoscenti, or at least, ofthe old guard, who are heavily repre-sented in IDPA circles. Calibers .45 and10mm are encompassed in this category.The overwhelming majority of shooterschoose .45 ACP. Dont bring yourextended magazines: Eight rounds perclip is the max allowed.

The gun of choice and the gun ofdominance is, of course, the 1911-style.In the winners circle, I see about anequal mix of Colts, Kimbers and Spring-fields. Some are accurized and haveBoMar adjustable sights, and some arebone-stock with big, heavy-duty fixed

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Python and conventional speedloaders.My next goal in IDPA is to shoot SSRMaster with a standard .38 and thepolice-style quickloaders.

I said .38, because the baselinepower factor in SSR category is 158 gr.lead .38 Special ammo at standardvelocity. This means that you can down-load your large-bore ammo to anextremely controllable level. Ive seenSSR matches won by a friend involved inpolice training whos also a cowboyaction shooter. His gun at the match wasthe S&W Model 624 double action .44Special, stoked with the same light-kicking but reasonably hard-hitting ammohe puts through his single actions whenhe goes from cop mode to cowboymode. More power to him; Ill be sur-prised if he doesnt win his next gunfight.

Are you thinking about starting IDPAin revolver class because itll be easy towin? Dont kid yourself. At least at thehigher levels, this stuff is won by masterwheelgunners like Purucker who can givemen like Jerry Miculek a run for theirmoney in sixgun speed. You only want toshoot SSR if thats what you actuallycarry, at least some of the time.

The gun to start with is, as always inIDPA, the one you carry. If youre goingto buy a gun just for SSR, the odds-onchoice is the Model S&W Model 625 in.45 ACP. Smith is making a limited-pro-duction model in .40 caliber thats sup-posed to be geared just to winning thissort of event, but the one that I exam-ined had a hellaciously heavy triggerpull. If youve got a slick six-shot .38 or.357 service revolver and speedloaders,go to it.

ESP: Enhanced Service Pistol This is the .40 (top end) to 9mm

(bottom end) single-action auto category.

HK P7M8 is a sleeper top choicefor SSR class. Here, author wins alocal match with one, beating theenhanced and custom guns.


The Kimber .45 is among the most popular CDP guns. Here, Steve Sager turnsin an excellent score with one.


It was developed originally with theBrowning Hi-Power 9mm in mind. A cer-tain individual from the FBI HostageRescue Team, which used to be armedwith the Novak Custom version of thatgun, has been kicking butt with that self-same pistol in IDPA since day one. Iwont divulge his name, but hes verygood, and I would be happy to have himcome and rescue me if Im ever heldhostage by terrorists.

My daughter, Justine, chose a NovakCustom Browning 9mm loaded withTriton Competitor when she shot her firstIDPA match. The Triton cartridge wasdesigned expressly for the IDPA powerfactor and used by such national champsas Sevigny, Yost and Langdon. Justinesfirst match happened to be the New Eng-land Regional Championships of 2000,where she won in Novice class, havingentered against men. Yes, the pistol thiscategory was designed around, the Hi-Power, remains competitive.

That said, most of the national cham-pionships in this category have been wonwith hi-tech 9mm and .38 Super variantsof the 1911 design. A whole lot of oldsingle-stack .38 Super IPSC race gunshave had their scopes and compensatorsremoved and have then been put backinto service as IDPA guns.

Bill Wilson and his crew understoodthat these light-kicking, often hair-trig-gered single-action autos would be theeasiest guns to shoot fast. You see it intheir class ratings. You have to shootfaster and straighter with an EnhancedService Pistol than with anything else toget a skill promotion to the next highestclass. In the Master category, forinstance, youve got the Big M if youcan break 100 seconds on the demanding100-round IDPA Qualifier Course with astock service revolver. Go to Stock Ser-vice Pistol, though, and the time is now

about 9612 seconds to earn the samehandgun equivalent of black belt. Withthe cocked-and-locked .45 customdefense pistol, you need to break into the91-second range. And, with the enhancedservice pistol, you have to shoot a blis-tering run of about 89 seconds.

The gun I cracked the 89-second markwith to make Master in ESP was a 9mmColt 1991A1 tuned by Al Greco. Thislight-kicking, fast-shooting pistol will beideal for me in a few years when thearthritis really takes hold and makes any-thing else impossible to shoot fast andstraight. If you are vying for one of thespecialty categories in IDPA that goacross the board of all four guns HighPolice, High Woman, High Junior andHigh Senior it makes sense that if this isthe easiest gun to shoot well, it should bethe easiest gun to win with.

Well, it is and it isnt. The ESP classitself tends to be won with tricked-out1911s by makers such as Al Greco andD.R. Middlebrooks. The top-cop overallat most of the big IDPA matches Ivebeen to has been Bryce Linskey. He cur-rently shoots a hi-cap .38 Super andalways shoots in ESP class. In the past,he used a 9mm single-action customtuned by the S&W Performance Center.

Starting from scratch and shooting towin? S&Ws Model 952 the Model 52Master target pistol rendered in 9mmParabellum looks awfully promising.

Some ObservationsThe conventional wisdom isnt wise

for everyone. Yes, the Enhanced classseems to offer the most promise if youwant to win in a category like HighWoman or High Junior. However, I wonHigh Senior at the mid-winter NationalChampionships in 1999, shooting whatshould have been the slowest gun, astock-service revolver (an Al Greco-tuned

S&W Model 625). The following year, Charlie Woolley

knocked me down into second place andtook the title with his double-actionS&W .45 auto. Both of us beat guys withCDP and ESP guns. Go figure. Woolleyswife, Judy, has won the nationalwomens championship with the double-action S&W auto in 9mm, and so hasJudith LaFreniere. Joyce Fowler hasdone the same with a double-actionBeretta 9mm. All three of these nationalchampion women were shooting StockService Pistols.

The Bottom Line My best advice is: Go with what

youve got! You almost certainly have ahandgun that you bought for personaldefense that is absolutely suitable forIDPA competition. You dont need a$100-plus quick-draw scabbard. Ive seenshooters win awards drawing from inex-pensive nylon holsters. I shot my firstIDPA national championship with a stockGlock 30 compact .45, loaded with Win-chester generic hardball and drawn froma Strong inside-the-waistband fabric hol-ster that cost less than $30. I did all right.

So will you. Take a shot at it no punintended. You can check the outfits Web-site at www.idpa.com, or write for infor-mation to IDPA, P.O. Box 639,Berryville, AR 72616-0639. This shouldput you in touch with an IDPA club inreasonable striking distance from whereyou live. If it doesnt, IDPA can explainto you how to get this kind of shootingstarted in your area.

Developing SkillsShooting competitively is one of the

best things you can do to develop yoursurvival potential. It conditions you tothinking and reacting with a loaded gunin your hand, and it conditions you toshooting fast and straight when youreunder pressure. Jim Cirillo was the mostfamous name to emerge from the eliteunit of urban gunfighters that the NewYork Police Department called theStakeout Squad. In his excellent book,Guns, Bullets, and Gunfighting, hemakes the same point. People condi-tioned to shoot their defense guns wellunder stress, in matches, will shoot themwell under stress when theres more thantrophies on the line, all other thingsbeing equal. Cirillo is an enthusiasticIDPA supporter.

Jim and I were both in at the earlylevels of IPSC, and we both shot PPCbefore that. Were both avidly competingin IDPA now, and for the same reasons.We want to stay alive. We want to be thebest we can be with the guns that wecarry to protect ourselves and those forwhom were responsible. We are bothconvinced that, at this particular point intime, IDPA is the best game in town forhoning those skills.

We invite you to join us.


*

These Updated,

No-Frill, Five-Shooter

Pocket Revolvers From

Charter 2000 Get An

Excellent Rating!

W eve always had dogs around our home.Theyre loyal and dependable. My twobig malamutes, Red and Wolf, providecompanionship and protection.

Two other dogs have also been a most vitalpart of our family. Theyre not purebreds likeRed and Wolf, and theyre not nearly as largeas our first dog, KLev; in fact, they are quitetiny. However, these little Bulldogs definitelyhave a bite that is worse than their bark.

The oldest one has been with us for more than 25 years, yet it isstill as frisky as ever and has protected the family on more than oneoccasion. Its younger brother has been my wifes constant com-

by John TaffinFEISTY

BULLDOGS!

The old and the new from Charter Arms/Charter2000. Top, original stainless-steel Bulldog with a3" barrel. Bottom, new stainless-steel BulldogPug with a 212" barrel.


are proudly displayed. Normally, the Bull-dogs only come forth in a time of trouble.

Neither the blue nor the stainless-steelversion have been shot very much in theirlifetimes. Theyre not the kind of guns Iwould consider engraving or fitting withexotic custom grips. I dont have floralcarved holsters, nor do I have matchingbelts for them. They have, however,logged many miles and seen manycamping trips, and they still serve myfamily today.

My original blued 3" Bulldog nowrests in my desk drawer. This little guncarries what is probably the best-designedwooden wraparound grips that ever cameforth from a factory for a small, defensiverevolver. Its stainless-steel brother,equipped with compact Pachmayrs, is inthe bathroom medicine cabinet. Now,before you laugh at this, I would ask aquestion. If you maintain a gun for homeprotection, where is it? Can you get to iteasily when trouble starts? What if youare in the shower when a problem arises?No matter where I am in the house, afirearm is easily accessible.

No-Frills Pocket PistolCharter Arms began producing a no-

frills, economy-priced .38 Special knownas the Undercover about 30 years ago.Early on, some detractors said, It is not aChiefs Special. Apparently, they didntunderstand the gun was never meant to beused in competition; rather, it was a ser-viceable, dependable and lower-priced .38pocket pistol. It filled its niche quite well,


mentioned these two .44 Specials,although this chambering is one of myfavorites. When discussing this cartridgewith friends, I dont hesitate to bring fortha Colt Single Action Army or a Smith &Wesson chambered in .44 Special. TheGreat Western Frontier, the TLA SouthTexas Army, even an old Bisley Colt all

panion on many fishing trips, as it doesnot mind being wet. These Bulldogs arenot dogs at all, but rather five-shot .44Specials from Charter 2000, formerlyCharter Arms.

In Times Of TroubleIn all my years of writing, Ive rarely

Charter Undercover DAO.38 Special with 2" Barrel

Factory Load Muzzle Groups*Velocity 4 Shots 5 Shots

Black Hills 148 gr. LWC 678 fps 138" 178"Black Hills 158 gr. LSWC 719 fps 7/8" 158"Black Hills 158 gr. Cowboy 649 fps 1" 114"CCI Blazer 148 gr. LWC 616 fps 7/8" 2"CCI Blazer 125 gr. JHP +P 794 fps 118" 158"Federal 158 gr. LRN 663 fps 112" 158"Federal 158 gr. LSWC-HP 732 fps 7/8" 1"Hornady 158 gr. LRN 693 fps 212" 338"Hornady 158 gr. LSWC 692 fps 118" 158"Hornady 158 gr. LSWC-HP 660 fps 158" 238"Remington 110 gr. JHP +P 771 fps 3/4" 114"Speer 125 gr. GD JHP +P 843 fps 118" 214"Winchester 158 gr. Cowboy 683 fps 1" 1"

*Groups shot at 30 feet

Who says Silvertips wont shoot? Thisone-hole group was shot with the new.44 Special Bulldog from Charter 2000.

New Company, New GunsThat was then. Now, Charter 2000,

not Charter Arms, is producing pocketpistols again. For the past severalmonths, I have been testing two of theirguns, a stainless-steel .44 SpecialBulldog Pug and a blued .38 Special

Charter made one of the worst mar-keting mistakes Ive seen when it named apair of its revolvers, a .32 Magnum and a.38 Special, Bonnie and Clyde. The com-pany got clobbered. The terrible miscue ofnaming firearms after a pair of bank rob-bers and murderers probably led to theclosing of the doors at Charter Arms.

giving those whose pocketbooks were notquite up to the price of a Smith & Wessona viable option. In the early 1970s, at atime when it was nearly impossible topurchase a new .44 Special, Charter Armsincreased the size of their Undercover .38and brought forth the new five-shotBulldog .44 Special.

The new .44 was an immediate suc-cess for two reasons. First, it was cham-bered in a much-sought-after but hard-to-find caliber, and, for the first time inmany years, shooters had a big-borepocket revolver. It probably got its namefrom the old English 19th century pocketpistols that were also known as Bulldogs.I also believe it was responsible for arenaissance in the .44 Special. Thisrebirth of interest was short-lived, but itdid give us a new production run of high-quality, six-shot .44 Specials from bothColt and S&W in the 1980s.

Terrible MiscueCharter Arms has had its ups and

downs over the past 30 years. My original.44 Bulldog had a barrel that was torquedtoo tightly, resulting in an oblong shape atthe forcing cone. It was returned to thefactory, and a replacement barrel solvedthe problem. Later, Charter Arms broughtforth a target version of the Bulldog with aslim barrel covered by a shroud thatsimply would not stay in place. This ver-sion did not help Charter Arms reputation.


Charter Bulldog Pug .44 Specialwith 212" Barrel

Factory Load Muzzle Groups*Velocity 4 Shots 5 Shots

Black Hills 210 gr. Cowboy 535 fps 138" 158"Black Hills 240 gr. LSWC 660 fps 114" 178"CCI Blazer 200 gr. GD JHP 727 fps 112" 178"Cor-Bon 180 JHP 805 fps 118" 138"Federal 200 gr. LSWC-HP 717 fps 3/4" 138"Hornady 180 gr. JHP 783 fps 138" 134"PMC 240 gr. Cowboy 635 fps 138" 134"Winchester 240 gr. Cowboy 615 fps 118" 138"Winchester 246 gr. LRN 563 fps 114" 112"Winchester 200 gr. ST-HP 673 fps 1/2" 114"3-D 240 gr. Cowboy 565 fps 7/8" 118"

*Groups shot at 30 feet.

The new little guns from Charter2000 are the .38 Special Under-

cover and .44 Special Bulldog Pug.

Undercover. Both sixguns are actuallyfive-shooters, like all .38s and .44soffered over the years by Charter Arms.

Charter 2000 revolvers come with alifetime warranty, have an unbreakable,beryllium-copper firing pin that allowsfor dry firing without damaging therevolver, a solid steel frame with no

side plate, all-steel construction, eight-groove rifling, and are 100 percentAmerican-made. Both models sell forless than $300. The Bulldog goes for$299, while the Undercover is a mostreasonable $255.

The latter is certainly cheap life insur-ance, and I have been carrying it in the

front pocket of my jeans for the pastmonth. Even fully loaded and with all-steel construction, its weighs only 18ozs. This makes it quite comfortable andeasy to carry.

The .44 Bulldog is as subdued as theUndercover, in a low-shine, matte-fin-ished stainless steel. With five .44 Spe-


Comparison Bulldog Pug Original Bulldogwith 212" Barrel with 3" Barrel

Factory Load 4 Shots 5 Shots 4 Shots 5 Shots

Black Hills 210 gr. 138" 158" 3/4" 134"Black Hills 240 gr. 114" 178" 5/8" 1"CCI Blazer 200 gr. 112" 178" 134" 218"Cor-Bon 180 gr. JHP 118" 138" 112" 178"Federal 200 gr. 3/4" 138" 1" 138"Hornady 180 gr. 138" 134" 158" 178"PMC 240 gr. 138" 134" 1" 118"Winchester 240 gr. 118" 138" 112" 134"Winchester 246 gr. 114" 112" 1" 114"Winchester 200 gr. ST 1/2" 114" 1/2" 5/8"3-D 240 gr. Cowboy 7/8" 118" 178" 238"

(Groups at 30 feet)

Charter 2000s .44 Special Bulldog Pug isflanked by the original Charter Arms Bull-dogs, in blued and stainless-steel versions.

cial rounds in its cylinder, the biggerfive-shooter weighs in at 25 ozs. TheBulldog Pug is available in both blueand stainless; the latter is also offeredwith a bobbed hammer. The smaller .38Special Charter 2000 revolver is offeredin both blue and stainless steel, with aregular hammer or a stealth conceal-able hammer.

All Charter 2000 revolvers are built onnew CNC machinery, eliminating muchof the hand-fitting that was necessarywith Charter Armsmodels. In pre-vious versions, thecylinder and theextractor wereh a n d - f i t t e d ,making them amatched pair.Replacing one partrequired replacing the other. With thenew machinery, all extractors and allcylinders for each model are interchange-able.

Looking InsideThe Undercover .38 is a double-

action-only with a bobbed hammer thatis flush with the profile of the frame. Thefinish is matte black, matched withblack-rubber, finger-groove grips. Barrellength is 2", and the rear sight is a square

notch cut in the top of the frame, whilethe front sight is of the no-snag rampstyle. The front sight fills the rear sightexactly as it should, with just a thin lineof daylight on the side. While the Under-cover is far from being a tunedrevolver, I find the double-action pull tobe fairly smooth and easy to live with. Itcertainly presents no problem when

shooting this little gun in the double-action mode.

I also like the fact that the Undercover,like the larger Bulldog .44 version, has ashrouded ejector rod. Although it neverhappened, I was always concerned that Imight bend the ejector rod on one of myearly .44 Bulldogs.


The .38 Undercover and .44 Bulldog Pug carryeasily and securely in Bianchi leather.

The .44 Special Bulldog Pug has a 212"barrel and the same excellent sights as theUndercover, and it can be fired in eitherdouble-action or single-action mode. Aswith the Undercover, the action wouldbenefit by a tuning. However, it is quiteserviceable as is. Its also fitted withfinger-groove rubber grips, with a CharterArms medallion inlaid on each grippanel. Both guns were quite comfortableto fire with all loads tested.

On The RangeBoth Charter 2000 revolvers were

tested with a large variety of factoryloads, using a lucky 13 selections forthe .38 Special, while 11 different .44swere sent down the barrel of theBulldog. All loads were shot on anindoor range at a defensive shootingdistance of 30 feet. It is doubtful thateither one of these little guns wouldever have to be pressed into serious ser-vice at a greater distance.

The accompanying chart shows theresults for both guns, and I have trackedeach gun by measuring both the five-shotgroup and the best four out of five shots.Both guns shot exceptionally well, withmany four-shot groups and some five-shot groups coming in at 1" or less.

I was particularly pleased and sur-prised by how well the double-action-only .38 Special shot and how well Icould shoot it. As an added bonus, itprinted right to point-of-aim with mostloads. A second chart shows a compar-ison between the new Bulldog Pug andmy old, original stainless-steel Bulldog.They both shoot exceptionally well.

The .44 Bulldog shot slightly low andright. It would benefit from a little filingon the front sight and tweaking of thebarrel. Actually, considering the purposeof these guns and the distance fromwhich they are shot, it isnt necessary tochange the sights, unless you are usinglightweight bullets in the .44 Bulldogs.

Both 180 gr. and 200 gr. .44 Specialsshoot about 6" low. However, Win-chesters Silvertip hollowpoints wereonly 1" below point-of-aim, and all fiveshots from the .44 Special Bulldog areplaced in one hole. Who claimed Silver-tips would not shoot?

I give both of these guns an excellentrating, as they both deliver more than onewould expect by looking at the price tag.

Charter 2000 Inc. 273 Canal St.

Shelton, CT 06484 (203) 924-7618

www.charterfirearms.com

*

Federals 200 gr. lead semi-wadcutter hollowpointsshoot exceptionally well inthe new .44 Special Bulldog.

The new Charter 2000 .44 Special should be a favorite withhikers, campers, fishermen and just plain woods bums,who prefer to carry a lightweight big-bore sixgun.



This High-Tech, Award-Winning

Semi-Auto Reflects The New

Taurus And The Shape Of

Things To Come!

By Andy StanfordPhotos By Ichiro Nagata

Though purists may argue that the new millennium began on January 2001,most of us celebrated the beginning of the next 10 centuries at the onset ofY2K. Its therefore appropriate that the 2000 Shooting Industry Academy of Excel-

lence Award for Handgun of the Year went to Taurus International for its PT-111

Titanium Millennium. The recipient of the award is selected by the academys 400

members, who include top gun-industry executives, gun dealers and gun writers.

T


The occasion provides an excellentexcuse to re-examine the pistol in ques-tion, and to take a closer look at Taurusthe company.

Its been a long and, at times, bumpyroad from the first handguns produced byTaurus Forjas (Taurus Forge) in Brazil tothe extensive line of auto pistols andrevolvers available in America fromTaurus International Manufacturing Inc.In the 60 years since the first revolversrolled off the line, the company hasevolved from an in-extremis wartimearmaments factory to a truly world-classgun-making facility, employing over1,900 people.

Evolution In ActionThe whole thing started in 1941, as the

Axis powers embarked on their attempt atworld conquest. Brazil had no indigenousarms industry at the time; to rectify thissituation, the government contracted withTaurus Forjas to manufacture revolversfor the nations armed forces. Com-bining features from both Colt andSmith & Wesson designs, theseearly Taurus wheelguns werenot pretty, but provided ade-quate service in theirintended role.

After the war, thecompany continued toproduce firearms, bothfor domestic sales andexport. In the late 1960s,Taurus was acquired byBangor Punta Co., a con-glomerate that also ownedSmith & Wesson at the time.It was at this point that theBrazilian guns were firstimported into the U.S., albeit inminiscule numbers compared withtodays robust imports.

The Bangor Punta deal resulted in atwo-way exchange of information

between the American handgun companyand the Brazilian one. Interestingly, therewas at least as much technology transferfrom south to north as vice versa, due inlarge part to the talented engineering staffbelow the equator. Also, Smith & Wessonwas reluctant to pass on perceived propri-etary information, for fear of creating arival that could offer a similar product at asignificantly lower price. As things turnedout, this happened anyway.

Executives And EnthusiastsTaurus sales in this country were rela-

tively lackluster throughout the early-to-mid-1970s, due both to the mediocrequality of the guns produced during thefirst years of that decade and the lack of awell-organized distribution chain. Both ofthese factors were

about tochange drasti-

cally for the better.In 1977, the company was

purchased by employee Dr. Carlos A.P.Murgel. A savvy businessman, Dr. Murgelquickly harnessed the previously unreal-ized potential residing in the companyspool of engineers, most of whom wereavid shooters. New-and-improved pistolsand revolvers soon flowed from the fac-tory, at last bringing Taurus to the attentionof mainstream American handgunners

The 1980s saw the acquisition oftooling that Beretta had brought intoBrazil for a major military contract,resulting in the production of the PT-22,P-25 and P-92 semi-autos. Closer tohome, U.S.-based Taurus InternationalManufacturing Inc. (TIMI) was launchedin 1982, at last creating the critical infra-structure required to penetrate the Amer-ican market. Sales skyrocketed.

Since that time, the company hasgrown by leaps and bounds, both here andabroad. In 1997, star sales rep Bob Mor-rison was selected as TIMIs chief oper-

Top, the Millennium features night sights onthe rear of the titanium slide. Above, thesafety catch on the left side is disengaged

with a downward motion.

Taurus model PT138SS.380 Millennium


ating officer. In stark contrast to some guncompany execs, West Point grad Mor-rison an enthusiastic shooter, whosediverse resume includes PPC, skeet,sporting clays and benchrest rifle compe-tition staunchly supports the SecondAmendment in both word and deed.

In a representative example of hiswalk-the-walk approach to gun rights,Morrison spent the weekend prior to lastyears presidential election at SouthFloridas Markham Park range, imploringshooters to vote. He knew the ballotingwould be close, and wanted to do every-thing in his power to elect pro-gun politi-cians. Morrison didnt say exactly who tovote for, but pointed to the shooters gunsand said, You know which candidateshate these things. Nuff said!

True ConfessionsBefore examining the Taurus Millen-

nium series of handguns, I must confessto looking down my nose at theBrazilian brand in the past. It has beensaid that you only get one chance tomake a first impression. Unfortunately,my initial exposure to the Taurus linecame in the early 80s, during the periodthat the gun was first widely distributedin the United States.

At the time, I was the director of apractical pistol club in California. Acouple of our more prominent membersused the Taurus PT-92, essentially aBeretta 92 with cocked-and-locked capa-bility. These pistols did not hold up wellunder the heavy use typical of hard-corecompetition, suffering various and sundryparts breakage in excess of that experi-enced by the Colt 1911A1s used by mostshooters of the day.

I carried these negative images formore than a decade, until my recent visitto the Taurus facility in Miami providedoverwhelming evidence that things arefar different now. In my defense, let menote that even TIMI honcho Morrisoncandidly admits the companys earlypistol problems. Morrison owned a gunstore in the mid-70s, and says the Taurusproducts of that era were, to put it chari-tably, not up to par.

Alas, some folks cling doggedly totheir prior prejudices. A single bad expe-rience equals a hundred good ones in thehuman psyche. It certainly did in mycase. Even subsequent favorable experi-ence with Taurus handguns failed tobreak through the bias in my brain. Inhindsight, the Taurus guns Ive encoun-tered over the past decade all deliveredas promised.

Positive PerformancesFor starters, a tiny Taurus played a

major role in my 15 minutes of fame atthe Fourth National Tactical Invitationalat Gunsite Ranch. I showed up inPaulden, Ariz., with an Mk IV Series 70Government .45 and two spare eight-


At 618" long, the Millennium meets theideal concealment factor. With a custommade carbon fiber and titanium combatfolder by Warren Thomas (713) 946-3964


round mags. The rules allowed one ormore backup guns, an item conspicuouslyabsent from my arsenal.

Fortunately, my associate, Doug Miy-atake, had supplemented his own 1911A1with a Taurus M85CH .38 Special,which he lent me for pocket carryduring the event. To make a longstory short, I ran out of .45ammo while shooting ahouse-clearing stage andneutralized two or three tar-gets with the Taurus 2". Myfirst overall victory at thatclose-fought 1994 NTIclearly would not haveoccurred without theserendipitous presence of thelittle, bobbed-hammer, five-shot snubby.

Another Taurus wheelgun thisone a long-barrelled, large-frame.357 Magnum made an equally lastingimpression. During a shooting demo at amartial arts camp in upstate New York,that particular gun printed a 4", eight-round, off-hand group on a target atapproximately 60 yards, an unambiguousindication of significant intrinsic accuracy.Since my forte is quick-and-dirty, close-quarters work, not long-range precisionhandgunnery, firing such a tight clusterwas a memorable event.

Back to backups, my former chief of

police, tacticalteam leader James Yeager, carried aTaurus PT-111 Millennium in a DeSantisankle rig as a backup gun. At that time,the lone lawman in a wild and woolyregion of the Tennessee hills, Yeager tookhis hardware seriously. The fact that ahighly respected operator like Yeager

considered the Millen-nium fit for duty caught my

attention. As fate would have it, I gotselected to survey the same sidearm andits many siblings for this article.

Choose Your WeaponAs readers are no doubt aware, the

world of defensive handgun cartridges for

The 314" barrel is housed in theMillenniums titanium slide.


The Millenniumspolymer frame/tita-

nium slide offerslight weight and

concealability.


self-loaders has largely stabilized aroundthe 9mm parabellum, .40 S&W and .45ACP. Each has its vocal proponents, buttruth be told, there is not a dimes worthof difference between them in terms ofterminal ballistics. Those who have con-vinced themselves that their pet servicecaliber sidearm hits like Thors hammerare setting themselves up for a rudeawakening when a determined adversaryisnt equally impressed.

No matter. With models available inall three chamberings, the Taurus Millen-nium series allows you to pay yourmoney and take your choice. Eachweapon holds 10 rounds in the mag, plusanother up the spout basically doublethe on-board ammunition of a similar-sized revolver. The only drawbacks asbore size increases are slightly moreweight, slightly more size, and noticeablymore recoil. Personally, Ill opt for aneasier-to-shoot, cheaper-to-feed 9mmevery time, all else being equal.

You also get a choice of finish. I prefera silvery gun, to maximize the chance thatthe weapon will be seen when verballychallenging an assailant in low light. Sta-tistics from several sources show that thevast majority of confrontations can beresolved without firing a shot, provided thedefender is clearly armed and resolved touse force if necessary. Hence, the stainlessmodels are preferable to the blued ones.

But the sexiest Millennium in the lineis clearly the Titanium version. With a

slide forged from that space-age alloy, ittips the scales at 16 ozs., empty, shavingapproximately 3 ozs. from the steel ver-sion and rivaling a small snubnosedwheelgun in the heft department. AllMillennium models have barrel lengthsof 314", and overall dimensions are com-parable to a Kahr P-9, Glock 26/27 orKel-Tec P-11.

Maximizing The MachineIt doesnt take a rocket scientist to

realize that the Taurus Millennium seriesrepresents the shape of things to come,vis--vis autopistols in America. Detach-able box magazines legally limited to 10rounds will largely define the dimensionsof pistols produced in the future. Light-

weight polymer handgun frames pio-neered by HK and popularized by Glockand user-friendly double-action-onlylockwork are also here to stay.

Economics, ergonomics and concealedcarry by common citizens all point tosmall, lightweight, snag-free, DAOweapons like the Millennium. Providedthe pistol in question comfortably fits thehand and functions reliably, there is no

Taurus modelPT140SS


Bob Morrison, Taurus executive vice-president and chief operating officer,holds the 2000 Manufacturer of the Year and Handgun of the Year Awardsfrom the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence.

Bob Morrison (left) of Taurus, andWayne Lapierre, NRA executivevice president, launch Taurusmembership sponsorship. Duringthe program, Taurus gave away6,000 NRA memberships.

longer any good reason to exceed theenvelope determined by ammunitioncapacity. For self-defense applications, ahandgun should be, well, handy. The Mil-lennium certainly meets all these criteria.

The striker-fired Millennium has anappropriately modern look. Polymer con-struction facilitates curvy contours that

blend the lower half of the gun into thesleek slide, which in turn mates with thebarrel, using a Browning short-recoillockup. A loaded-chamber indicator,located with the pivoting extractor, pro-trudes when there is a round up the spout,giving both visual and tactile reference.

Like the Kel-Tec P-11, the Millen-

niums slide rails are machined into aserially numbered alloy subframe, whichin turn is pinned into the polymer gripframe. Molded checkering on the frontstrap and back strap increases purchase.The steel magazine is made in Italy byMec-Gar; its molded, polymer base platesupplies a place for the little finger of thefiring hand.

A square-notch, Novak-esque,polymer rear sight and square front postpresent the firer with the popular three-dot sight picture; the factory offers self-luminous tritium inserts as an option atadditional cost. Both sights nestle into amachined groove on the top of the slide,maintaining the sleek lines of the rest ofthe gun.

Trigger action is a long, smooth pullwith a lengthy reset and second-strikecapability. The frame-mounted thumbsafety on the left side allows uncocked-and-locked carry, if this is desired. I feelthat a manual safety is a positive attributeon even a DAO gun, the benefits ofwhich outweigh the increased mechanicalcomplexity. However, if you choose tocarry your handgun on safe, practicedisengaging the lever every time you pre-

TaurusModel617 .357MagnumTitanium

Above andBelow: TaurusPT145 .45 ACPMillennium

Taurus Model 445 .44Special Titanium

Above and below: Manufacturing facil-ities in Brazil turn out impressive num-bers of Taurus firearms for export.

Taurus runs its U.S. operation from its headquarters in Miami, Fla.

sent the weapon from a holster or tacticalready position.

Above And BeyondIn addition to the thumb safety, the

Millennium sports the Taurus SecuritySystem, an integral, key-operated firingpin lock now incorporated into every oneof the companys firearms. On the pistolin question, the lock takes the form of asmall, round pin just aft of the extractor,flush with the right side of the slide whendisengaged. When rotated 90 degreesclockwise with the included proprietarykey, the lock protrudes slightly beyondthe cocking serrations, and prevents theslide and trigger from moving.

This feature represents a pro-active, yetperfectly palatable, answer to the problemof firearm accident reduction, one thatcompromises neither functionality nor therights of gun owners. It is safe to employwith a loaded weapon, something thatcannot be said for typical trigger locks.Im fairly adamant about responsiblestorage of unattended weapons. In tacticalterms, if you are in so much danger thatyou need a loaded, unsecured sidearm, youshould be wearing it.

As icing on the cake, the Millenniumalso comes with the Taurus unlimited life-


Taurus Model 425 .41Magnum Titanium

Taurus ModelPT111B Millennium

nice to know that should Mr. Murphyraise his ugly head, the company stands100 percent behind their products.

My live-fire evaluation of the Millen-nium consisted of a series of high-speedcombat pistol drills, from contact distanceout to 15 meters. The gun was plenty accu-rate, with all misses being chalked up tolapses in trigger control. In reality, virtuallyany firearm will provide more precisionthan the user can manifest under stress.

As a full-time firearms instructor andreserve cop, Im primarily concerned thata self-defense handgun goes bang eachand every time the trigger is pulled. Thesample pistol passed this hurdle with

flying colors, digesting several hundredrounds of Black Hills high-speed hollow-points and blue box ball without a hitch.

The bottom line? The small, flat, lightTaurus rides comfortably in a wide varietyof holsters either on the belt, or in ashoulder or ankle rig and the long triggerstroke facilitates jacket pocket carry. Inshort, the Millennium model pistol ispractically perfect for personal protectionin this era of concealed-weapon permits.

Accolades AplentyOf course, you dont have to take my

word for it. The above account is corrob-orated by the numerous awards accordedboth the Millennium pistol and the com-pany that designed and fabricated it. Asmentioned at the beginning, the PT-111Millennium Titanium won the 2000Shooting Industry Academy of Excel-lence Handgun of the Year Award, chosenby top firearm-industry executives, majordistributors, gun dealers and outdoorwriters in an objective, one-person, one-vote selection process.

The academy also recognized Taurusas Manufacturer of the Year for its TotalTitanium revolvers. These will-o-thewisp wheelguns include the sub-20 oz.Tracker .357 and .41 Magnums holdingseven and five rounds, respectively plusfive- and seven-shot flyweight snubbys,including a recently unveiled concealed-hammer version, dubbed the C.I.A.(Carry It Anywhere).

Another publication voted the Beretta-clone Taurus PT-99 Gun of the Year forthe year 2000. Taurus improved on theItalian original in several areas. Mostimportantly, they re-engineered the gun toeliminate the catastrophic slide failuresand locking block breakage that plaguedearly M9 service sidearms. In the area ofergonomics, the Brazilian auto substitutesan ambidextrous, frame-mounted safety-Decker for the dubious double dinguslocated on the slide of the Beretta.

Lastly, I should note that the gun-maker was the first in the industry tomeet stringent ISO 9001 manufacturingstandards. Under Dr. Murgels direction,the new-and-improved Taurus has gonethe extra mile to attract new customersand keep them happy. Most recently,they gave away free NRA membershipsto anyone who bought a Taurushandgun. In all, Taurus gave away 6,000NRA memberships.

Who knows? Perhaps Taurus even hada direct impact on the 2000 presidentialelection. Between the new NRA memberswho went to the polls due to NRAs get-out-the-vote mailings and Markham Parkshooters inspired by Bob Morrisonsimpromptu sermon, there may have beenseveral hundred additional ballots cast forPresident Bush. I know one thing for sure:Gun owners dont leave hanging chads.American Handgunners under-stand how to properly punch holes.

time warranty, another thing the gunshares with the rest of the Taurus line. ThisDillon-esque guarantee states that if aTaurus firearm breaks, the company willfix it, for the lifetime of the gun. I knowfor a fact that this shrewd policy has con-vinced many shooters who were teeteringon the brink of buying a Taurus handgunto take the plunge.

In any event, its unlikely that youllneed to avail yourself of the warranty,given the high quality of current Taurusfirearms. Most of the guns now residingin the repair department represent theaccumulation of firearms that were sent inwithout a return address. Nonetheless, its *38 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 2001 ANNUAL

The Millennium has the Taurus Security System, activated by a key.

The titanium slide andpolymer frame lower theweight of the Millennium

to16 ozs.

BYSTEVEMOSES

What Do YouDo When

YourAdversary

BringsA Knife To a Gunfight?



I n a dramatic scene in the movie TheUntouchables, Sean Connery isstalked in his apartment by one of AlCapones unsavory, knife-wieldinghenchmen. Connery suddenly confrontsthe thug with a wicked-looking, sawed-off shotgun and rebukes the lowlife in amost politically incorrect manner forbeing stupid enough to bring a knife toa gunfight.

At this point, the audience laughs,relieved that Connery is no longer indanger. The audience is dead wrong.

Gun Vs. Knife CulturesIn terms of modern-day martial arts,

most people interested in self-defensehave chosen to study the firearm. Thevast majority of these people have fur-ther concentrated on the use of thehandgun, mostly because of its porta-bility, convenience and concealability.

There are good reasons for thischoice. Handguns allow us to strikepeople from a distance, and their effec-tive use is somewhat less dependentupon athletic ability and timing thanother forms of physical combat. Further-more, shooting someone with a firearmis somewhat more impersonal (andeasier to do) than slashing or stabbinganother human being with an edgedweapon. It is no surprise that mostpeople would prefer to defend them-selves with a handgun, as opposed tousing a knife.

However, knives have been used asdefensive and offensive weapons for thou-sands of years. Its not different today, andknives will still be used to injure and killpeople thousands of years from now.

The reasons are simple. Knives donot malfunction. People who are prohib-ited from acquiring a firearm because ofa criminal record often turn to knives.Knives are easily concealed and, in closequarters, a knife is possibly more effec-tive than a handgun.

Common sense dictates that todaysarmed citizen should know as much ashe can about what a potential adversarycan do with an edged weapon. Thisadversary may be carrying 5" (or more)of sharpened steel, which will allowhim to open your abdomen or put outyour eye with a quick, effortless jab.Given this, close-in combat takes onadded importance.

Hot Lead Vs. Cold SteelAs mentioned, in the face of an attack,

the handgun is the self-defense weaponused most often. This is unfortunate,because handgun rounds are inherentlyunreliable stoppers. I dont want to beatthis subject to death, but most people shotwith handguns who immediately stopfighting do so for psychological reasons(they decide to) as opposed to physiolog-

Above: Charlie Porter, instructor in Filipino knife-fighting techniques, closing thegap by stepping off the line. Below: A short thrust to the armpit can sever thebrachial artery, a lethal wound.


Above: Tremendous damage can be inflicted with a flick of the wrist. Charlie Porter demonstrates a snap-cut to the eye.Below: A trained knife fighter often targets his adversarys weapon-bearing arm or hand. This technique is calledDefanging the Snake.

ical reasons (their body ceases to functionand they have no choice).

Handgun rounds, for the most part,simply crush tissue, creating a small pri-mary wound channel that has the capa-bility of damaging the heart, majorblood vessels and solid organs. This cancause sufficient blood loss so that theperson passes out from lack of oxygento the brain. This can take up to 15 sec-onds. Its no secret that a motivatedperson armed with a knife can do a lotof damage in that amount of time.

While a direct hit with a bullet on theupper spinal cord or brain stem can causea fight to end immediately, the chances ofaccomplishing that on a small, fast-moving, armored target while understress are not very good.

However, your adversarys $15 pock-etknife can slice apart the tendons in yourforearm, open up your carotid artery, orpierce your eyeball. A simple jab in thearmpit that penetrates less than 2" cansever the brachial artery and cause you tobleed to death in a matter of seconds. Apoorly trained knife-fighter can cover 7yards and grievously slash or stab hisadversary in about 1.5 seconds.

Watching a well-trained and motivatedknife fighter will give you nightmares.

No Quick FixPerhaps, in response, you decide to

always have access to a rif le or ashotgun. Try carrying one 24 hours aday. While rifle and shotgun rounds aremore superior to handgun rounds, theyaint death rays. There are plenty ofhorror stories of bad guys who wereshot with .223 and .308 rounds, as wellas 12 ga. shotguns stoked with buckshotand slugs, and were unimpressed. Theydid not stop doing what they were doingfor some time. Add stress, a movingtarget and perhaps poor light all have anegative impact upon accuracy and theidea of defending against a motivatedcriminal wielding a knife doesnt soundlike a lot of fun.

It gets worse, not better. The law ofthe land basically provides that legitimateself-defense, or the protection of others,must carry with it clear evidence that theuse of lethal force was justified. In moststates, it must be reasonably demon-strated that the adversary possessed theintent, ability and opportunity to causegrievous bodily harm or death, and thatretreat on your part was not an option(castle doctrine notwithstanding).

To that end, we cant simply shootsomeone because we think they mightrepresent a threat to us sometime in thefuture. Consequently, we find ourselvesin a reactive mode, forced to react basedon the actions of a potential bad guy.Good firearm trainers will tell you thataction always beats reaction. By the timeyour mind registers that your adversaryhas initiated an attack, you are about .20seconds behind, and there is a good

Above: Everything is a target. Painful cuts like this are extremely distracting,if not life-threatening. Knife fighters often follow up by closing the gap.Below: Fighting often takes place at bad-breath distance.



chance you will never catch up.

Value Of IntelligenceWhat did successful warriors like

Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. GeorgePatton have in common? Among manyother desirable attributes, both placedgreat emphasis on developing and usingdata about their adversaries. The morethey knew about the enemy and hisstrengths and weaknesses, the more pre-pared they were to mount an effectivedefense or overpowering attack.

Gen. Lee was noted for personallyperforming reconnaissance during theCivil War, much to the alarm of the sol-diers who loved him. Patton spent manyhours on the front in his Jeep. Both menknew that there was no substitute forfirsthand knowledge about the capabili-ties of their adversary, and both are con-sidered to be among the best fighting menin American history. There is much tolearn from their philosophy. Know yourenemy! Learn what good knife fightersare capable of doing and how they do it.

Knife-Fighting ScienceTo learn how to defend against a knife

attack, seek out those who are not onlywell-trained knife fighters, but also thosewho are capable of and willing to teachtheir techniques. There are plenty ofgood guys out there who know how touse a knife. Some that are well respectedinclude Hock Hocheim, Bob Taylor,James Keating and Kelly Worden.

Ive had the good fortune to knowCharlie Porter, a maker of custom knivesand an instructor of Filipino knife-fighting techniques, who teaches out ofDenton, Texas. After a few sessions withPorter, I learned that knife fighting is asophisticated art refined by hundreds ofyears of ugly, painful combat.

Forget what you may have seen por-trayed on television or in the movies.These guys know what they are doingand they know how to defend againstpeople using guns. They do not attack ona straight line unless there is no other wayto bridge the gap. They step off-line assoon as possible, while adding insult toinjury often a quick snap-cut to theeye or a jab to the extended gun hand.Classes with Porter are surprisingly tech-nical, with emphases on anatomy, anglesof attack and psychology.

Serious knife fighters, good and bad,are far from stupid. Theyre not prone tolaunch themselves in Kamikaze-likeattacks, holding their knives like an icepick. They, like us, do not want to beinjured or killed. They, like us, arelooking for ways to accomplish theirobjective of finishing the fight unscathed.

Dont underestimate your opponent. Agood knife fighter uses strategies, tacticsand tricks that are best described asimpressively frightening. Their goal isto get in, strike and get out in the shortestamount of time. To a good knife fighter,

Above: How close is too close? At short range, the gunmans options diminish.Below: Keep your distance. Communicate to your adversary through yourwords and actions that you are committed to defending yourself. Prepare tomove and shoot.

everythings a target. Its entirely possibleto find yourself cut or stabbed multipletimes before you even fully realizeyouve been attacked!

An alternative to studying under a dedi-cated knife-fighting instructor is to take ashort course covering the defensive foldingknife from a more firearms-orientedschool. Such courses are taught at the Gun-site Training Academy, Southwest Defen-sive Shooting Institute, InSights TrainingCenter, Tactical Firearms Training Teamand Options for Personal Security. Obvi-ously, these courses cant teach you in twodays what you could learn by training formonths or years under an experiencedinstructor. However, even these shortcourses will make you well prepared, incomparison to the rest of the world.

Fight SmartIf youre ever attacked by a knife-

wielding thug, remember that you arefighting, not just shooting. All thethings that make a knife fighter so dan-gerous, such as strategy, tactics andtricks, are also available to you.

Where is the attacker with the knife theweakest? Keep your distance from a poten-tial threat. Maneuver to place an obstaclebetween you and the threat. This will makea quick, straight-line attack difficult.

Study the art of surgical speedshooting. Learn how to make speed hitson those portions of the attacker that willquickly and effectively render him inca-pable of continuing to press an attack.You are kidding yourself if you think atorso hit will end an encounter. You musttarget those portions of your attackersanatomy that are most vulnerable, suchas the heart, the spine or the hip joint.

Your attacker is not going to stand andpresent a static target, so why should you?Move while you shoot, not backwards, butlaterally or in a tight circle. You must con-tinue moving and shooting until yourattacker is no longer a threat. Even then, donot allow yourself to be lulled into thinkingthe danger is over. Remain vigilant.Remember, criminals often travel in packs.Continually scan for others who may nothave your best interests in mind.

No place to run? If trapped, considergoing to the ground and shooting fromthere. Under the worst of circumstances,you can use your feet to fend off yourattacker while you shoot. Yes, you areprobably going to suffer some terribledamage to your feet and legs, and it is, ofcourse, entirely possible to place a roundright through the top of your foot. If youhave a better idea for when some feralsociopath sporting both bad breath and abad attitude is right in your face, tryingto blind you with a box-cutter, pleaseshare it. Sometimes we have to sacrificepawns to save kings.

Whatever you do, dont stop fighting!People can and have survived horren-dous damage. You owe it to yourself andthe people who love and depend uponyou to survive.

Be PreparedThe key for those who want to

increase their ability to protect them-selves is to study the enemy. Being pre-pared is not the same as being paranoid.And who knows, we may all be in a sit-uation someday where all we haveavailable to us is a knife. As Sun Tzuonce said, Luck favorsthe prepared man.

The Author Steve Moses is a founder of and alead instructor at the SouthwestDefensive Shooting Institute L.L.C. inDallas, Texas. He is certified by theTexas Department of Public Safety asa Concealed Handgun LicenseInstructor. Moses holds a Masterrating with the International Defen-sive Pistol Association and a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo.Moses has completed multipleweapons and tactics courses at someof the most prestigious small armsacademies in the United States.

KNIFE EXPERTS

Charles E. PorterDenton Area Knife Fighters(940) 382-9558

Andy StanfordOptions for Personal Security(941) 382-0180www.ops-defense.com

InSights Training Center(425) 739-0133www.insightstraining.com

Southwest Defensive ShootingInstitute L.L.C.(214) 599-0909

Tactical Firearms Training Team(714) 846-8065www.tftt.com

Gunsite Training Academy Inc.(520) 636-4565www.gunsite.net

Move and shoot! At this distance, multiple rounds into the hip joint (not the entire pelvis) may be your best option. Putas much distance between you and your attacker as possible.

*



Practical, Powerful And

Concealable, This Potent

Pocket Pistol Packs

A Lot Of Punch In A

Pint-Size Package!

By Charles W. Karwan

Even though it was unintentional,one of the legacies of the ClintonAdministration was beneficial togun folks. His anti-gun efforts, whichbanned the manufacture of maga-zines holding more than 10 roundsfor non-government use, also inspiredgun manufacturers to come up withsmall, easily concealable and pow-erful handguns. The thinking was, if aperson is legally limited to just a 10-round magazine capacity, many cus-tomers dont want to be burdenedwith a large pistol designed to hold15 or more rounds, especially if theycould get something smaller andhandier that held the legal limit of 10.

The Glock 29 10mm is the compactversion of the Glock 20 10mm.

Chuck Miller, a former Navy SEAL master chief, can hit a man-sizedtarget at 100 yards almost every time shooting a G29 offhand.

Of all the compact and sub-compactpistols to come out of this trend, onestands out for its high level of power andperformance in a small package. Thatpistol is the Glock 29 in 10mm. There hasnever been another pistol quite as pow-erful and efficient for its size. While thesimilar-sized Glock 30 .45 compact hasbeen a huge hit, too many people seekinga powerful compact pistol have over-looked the G29.

The G29 10mm can deliver 150 to 200more ft./lbs. of energy per shot than theG30 .45 and holds one more round inequal-length magazines. Consequently,the G29 has gained a strong followingamong the cognoscente, but it deservesmuch more attention and recognition thanit has received.

More Versatile PistolThe full-sized Glock 20 10mm has a

15-round magazine and is an incrediblycapable pistol. Indeed, when fully loadedwith high-performance ammunition, theshooter has more energy on tap than withany other normal-sized handgun. WhenGlock decided to make a compact 10mmin the G29, it created an even more versa-tile pistol.

The G29 is a typical Glock throughand through, with all the features thathave made this line of pistols so suc-cessful. These include a tough light-weight polymer frame, an extremelyhard, wear- and rust-resistant Tennifermetal finish, a unique DAO trigger mech-anism with short trigger reset, three pas-sive safeties, a simple design with fewparts, extreme durability and reliability,and a large magazine capacity for its size.

This neat little gun is about the samesize as the popular Glock G19 9mm andG23 .40 compacts. It is about the same

length, a slight bit thicker and, surpris-ingly, a bit shorter in height. The G29 isdesigned for virtually unlimited use ofthe hot, full-pressure 10mm loads. Thereis no question that this little pistol repre-sents a breakthrough in chambering apowerful cartridge in a small, light-weight package.

Plenty Of WallopI was very concerned that the 3.78"

barrel of the G29, which is .82" shorterthan the full-sized G20s barrel, wouldtake too much oomph out of the 10mmcartridge. What I found after chrono-graphing several loads was that whilethere is some velocity and energy losscompared to the same loads fired in afull-sized 10mm, it is not enough toworry about.

The 10mm G29, shooting 180 gr. full-pressure loads, lost only 62 fps and 57fpe, compared to the larger G20. It stillhad over 504 fpe of wallop, which is 100fpe over what the .40 S&W cartridgedelivers from a full-sized gun with thatweight bullet. Both the 135 gr. Cor-Bonand 175 gr. Winchester Silvertip 10mm

loads delivered substantially moreenergy, approaching double that of many9mm Para loads. This is a very powerfulpistol, in spite of its short barrel andcompact size.

Higher energy, however, does not nec-essarily provide greater effectiveness,and incapacitation capabilities arebeyond the scope of this article. How-ever, with properly performing bullets,the higher the energy of the load, themore damage that can be delivered to thetarget and the more effective the load inincapacitation. The G29 can deliver asmuch energy as, or more energy than,any other gun in its size and weightbracket, and unlike the others, it can do it11 times before reloading.

Control And ConcealmentIt is evident that Gaston Glock

designed the frame of the G29 to have theminimum height possible and still take a10-round magazine of 10mm ammuni-tion. The resulting grip is so short itallows only two fingers below the triggerguard for a normal-size hand. The bestshooting grip puts the little finger of the


Above: For the 10 mm Auto, Federal'snew cartridge with a 180 gr. jacketedhollowpoint bullet.Left and Below: The recoil and muzzlerise of the G29 are quite moderate, evenone-handed.

When you pack this kind of power insuch a lightweight, small package, it isonly natural to wonder about the gunsrecoil and controllability. The G29 offersa truly pleasant surprise in this area.Shooting FBI-type 10mm loads of .45ACP level ballistics, felt recoil is remark-ably low. It is far lower than shooting GI.45 ACP hardball in a full-sized ColtGovernment model, and muzzle flip iseven less.

Turning to the hotter 10mm full-pres-sure loadings opens up a whole newworld. These loads are in the 500+ fperange from the G29. This is 175 fpe ormore than standard GI .45 ACP ammuni-tion fired in a full-sized pistol, and is wellinto full-sized .357 Magnum energy terri-tory. With such loads, the shooter knowshe is shooting something snappy, yetrecoil is not at all punishing.

Probably the single best way to com-pare felt recoil and controllability incombat-type pistols is to measure thesplit times when firing controlled pairs ofshots. The idea is to fire the pair as fast asyou can humanly manage and still keepthem within 4" or so of each other on atarget at 7 yards. I tested five shooterswith the G29, using an electronic timer.

The test group included a highlyskilled firearms instructor, a shooter justrecently out of Army Special Forces, adeputy sheriff who carries a 10mm G20,a civilian shooting enthusiast with onlyminimal experience, and myself. Usingtwo hands, all of us but one were able toeasily achieve split times of .20 secondsor even better with the hot loads. Manyshooters cant do that with a typical full-sized 9mm pistol or a .38 Specialrevolver. This pistol is very controllable.

good ankle holster. It is small and lightenough to be easily and comfortably con-cealed in a wide variety of inside-the-waistband, belt-slide, pancake, fanny-pack or other belt holsters and in a widevariety of shoulder holsters. Where con-cealment is critical, I favor an inside-the-waistband Kydex holster by Blade-Tech.When it is not so critical, as when out inthe woods, I like a comfortable paddleholster by the same firm.

Handling The RecoilComparing the G29 with the familiar

Colt Officers ACP .45, that companyssmallest .45 and typical of the small .45sof other manufacturers, the G29 is .45"shorter in length and .18" shorter inheight. The G29 is 6.9 oz. lighter than thesteel-frame Officers ACP. The G29 alsoholds four more rounds. In all, the GlockG29 is smaller, lighter, holds much moreammunition and is much more powerful.

shooting hand under the floorplate of themagazine. While many people with smallhands find the grip of the full-sized Glock20 10mm uncomfortably large, I have notheard one such complaint about the G29.This is because the maximum girth of itsgrip is well under that of the larger gun.

If the carry method allows a bit morelength to the grip, a Pearce Grip fingerextension floorplate can be added to themagazine, allowing a full three-fingeredgrip on the gun. I highly recommend thisapproach, because it adds greatly to thecontrollability of the gun, particularlywhen fired with one hand.

While the G29 is compact and quiteeasily concealed, it is a bit too big forpocket carry unless you have exception-ally baggy pants and big pockets. Since Ioften wear such pants, I have carried itthis way, particularly with pants withcargo pockets. The G29 is also smallenough that many people can carry it in a


"The G29 is also

small enough that

many people can

carry it in a good

ankle holster. "The Glock 20 10mm isthe authors pick for thebest combat handgun,but it is too big for con-cealed carry, somethingthe G29 handles nicely.

The author prefers tocarry his G29 concealed

in an inside-the-waist-band holster under a

jacket or vest.

Even though we were shooting loadsthat delivered .357 Magnum revolver bal-listics that you get from a 4" or longerbarrel, none of us could have come closeto these times with a compact .357Magnum revolver. The G29 is far morecomfortable to shoot and more control-lable than even a full-sized .357 servicerevolver. Indeed, I found the G29, withthese hot loads, was much more comfort-able to shoot than a Colt Commanderfiring standard GI .45 ACP ammo. Diffi-cult to believe, but true.

What makes this possible is the tele-scoping recoil-spring system that wasdeveloped for these guns; it keeps the ter-minal slide velocities down to a reason-able level. In addition, the polymer frameabsorbs much of the recoil shock, and thelow barrel line minimizes muzzle flip bydirecting the recoil more to the rear withless upward torque.

Exceptional AccuracyI have fired several different G29s,

and they were all exceptionally accurate,not just for compact handguns but evenfor full-sized service pistols. At 7 yards, agood shooter can keep all shots from theG29 in one ragged hole offhand. At 25yards, shooting from a support, five-shotgroups under 3" in diameter are the normwith the G29, with some loads doing sig-nificantly better. That is more than ade-quate accuracy to achieve a head shot outto 50 yards. From a supported position, Ican keep all rounds on a man-sized sil-houette out to 100 yards or more with myG29. That would be excellent perfor-mance from any full-sized service pistol.

The G29 is a versatile gun with manyapplications. It would make a superbbackup gun for law enforcement per-

sonnel, particularly those that use a10mm as their primary weapon. If theirprimary weapon were a Glock G2010mm, theyd have the added advantageof both guns using the same high-capacity spare magazines. The longermagazines will stick out the bottom of theG29, but who cares? If things are so badthat you have to reload your backup gun,you need all the rounds you can get!

Naturally, the G29 is a tremendouschoice for use as a primary concealedcarry weapon for cops and civilians. Itwill likely get a particularly strong fol-lowing with narcotics officers. Theseguys often have to shoot it out withpeople so high on one type of drug oranother that they are relatively imper-vious to conventional shock. The Glock29 is capable of getting the job done.

The G29 is also an excellent choice asa weapon for outdoorsmen. Whether youare a hunter, a

2001 American Handgunner 2001-Annual

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