Jan/Feb 1984

80 Pages·2014·29.21 MB·English

MORETHAN ONE HUNDRED MIL
LION CARTRIDGESwere reloaded on
DILLON machineslastyear. That may
be moreammo than was reloaded on all
other progressive loaderscombined! So
if itis volume loading you'reafter- - get
a DILLON.
The DILLON RL-450 is the leastexpen
sive, fastest-selling progressive reloader
on the markettoday. The RL-450 is
changing the way shooters reload. In
the past, only the professional reloader
could afford a progressive machine,
Now the DILLON RL-450 puts efficient,
progressive reloading of both rifle and
pistol calibers in reach of most shooters.
Production rate of the RL-450 is in
excess of400 rounds per hour. If you
hate to waste time reloading, the
DILLON RL-450 isthe machine for you.
Comes complete for one caliber, with
powder measureand large and small
primerfeed, (except dies). $365.00
"The reloading machine for
shooters who HATE to
©TheBianchiCupInternationalPistolTournament,1983 Allrightsreserved.Internationalcopyrightsecured.
This ad madepossible by American Handgunner.
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER•JANUARYIFEBRUARY1984 3
JANUARYI FEBRUARY, 1984, Vol. 9, No. 44
F RES
ODI'S VIKING II .45 AUTO, Mason Williams 30
Has Seecamp DA conversion COVER: S&W M686 .357 Magnum engraved by
JockJones, generalmanageroftheKen HurstFire
arm Engraving Company. Grips by Guy Hogue.
BERETTA'S M84 AND M85 .380 AUTOS, Masaad Ayoob 33
Photo by Nick Karras ofSon Diego, California.
Author favors the M84
DO-IT-YOURSELF PISTOLSMITHING, Russ Gaertner ...... 34 STAFF
Many new tools are described
GEORGEE,vonROSEN, Publisher
THE 1983 IPSC NATIONALS, Jon Winokur 37 JEROME RAKUSAN, EdltoriatDirector
LEN DAVIS, Editor
Rob Leatham tokes top honors
SYDNEYBARKER, ArtDirector
TOM HOLLANDER, Circulation Director
THE 1983 SECOND CHANCE SHOOT, Jon Winokur 42
Combat match emulates "street" scenes NATIONAL ADV. OFFICE: 591 Camino de la
Reina, SUite 200, San Diego, CA 92108 (619)
297-8520
KENNETH E. JOHNSON: CUSTOM 'SMITH, Len Davis 43
WESTCOASTREPS.:MediaSalesASSOCiates,
He has accurized nearly 8,500 autos 23232 Peralta Drive (Suite218), Laguna Hills,
CA92653(714)859-4440
CUSTOM PISTOLSMITH SURVEY, Len Davis 44 EASTCOASTADV.REPS.:BuchmayrAssoci
ates, 980 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820 (203)
Most respondents give 'smiths high marks
6t>t>-1639
THE 1984 CUSTOM PISTOLSMITH DIRECTORY 45
AMERICANHANDGUNNER(ISN0145-4250)is
publtshedbl-monthlybyPubltshersDevelopmentCorp.
591CaminodelaReina,SanDiego.CA92108.Second
classpostagepaidatSanDiego.CA92108.andataddi
tionalmailingoffices.Subscriptions:Oneyear(6Issues)
$11.95 Singlemonthlycopies$2.00(inCanada$2.50j.
ChangeofAddress:Fourweeks'noticerequiredonall
changes.Sendoldaddressaswellasnew.Contributors
submj~tingmanuscripts,photographsordrawingsdoso
HANDGUN MARKET DOWN, BUT NOT OUT, Jerry Rakusan 16 at their own risk. Matenal cannot be returned unless
accompaniedbysufficientpostage Paymentwillbe
NEW SILHOUETTE TARGETS, Len Davis 20 made:,-' JtescurrentattimeofpublIcationandwill
cove, reproduction In any or all AMERICAN HAND
GUNNERMagazineeditions. AdvertiSing ratesfur
nishedonrequest.ReproductIonoruseofanyportion
ofthismagazineinanymanner,WithoutwrittenpermIS
sion,ISprohibited Allrightsreserved.Titletothispub
licationpassestosubSCriberonlyondeliverytohiSad
dress. SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS: For rmmed,ate
actronWilletoAMERICANHANDGUNNER,Attention
ChristiMcCombs-591CaminodelaReina,SUIte200.
SanDiego.CA92108orcall(619)297-8524. Askfor
COP TALK, Massad Ayoob . 6 ChristiMcCombsorTomHollander
e
HANDGUN LEATHER, AI Pickles 9
SILUETAS, Philip C. Briggs 10
HANDLOADING, Dan Cotterman . 12
PISTOLSMITHING, John G. Lawson . 15
COMBAT SHOOTING, Mickey Fowler . 18
SPEAK OUT 21
WHAT'S NEW 48
HANDGUN MARKET . 69
INDUSTRY INSIDER, Jerry Rakusan 78
4
AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSEI
When you place $2,000 in a6 year Certificate
of Deposit with Central Bank & Trust you will
receive a set of Smith & Wesson Pistols in a
handsomewalnut presentation case. And, asa
bonus we will include a Limited ,Edition
Shooter's Knife from Smith & Wesson.
To Reserve Your Set, fill out the coupon and
send it in with your check or give us a call at
307-332-4730 and talk to Mike Brown. Hewill
be happy to fill you in on this unique oppor
tunity, or one of our other packages, which
include:
A ColtJohnWaynel"Duke"Commemorative22 LR
$1,250for6 years
B.Colt Python357 Mag&ColtDiamondback22 LR
$3,100for6years(includes:Nickelfinish,Rosewood
grips, Walnut case)
C. Colt"GoldCup"45 ACT&Colt"Ace" 22 LRAuto Model 29 44 magnum, Model 17 22 L.R. Both with
TargetStocks,Trigger&Hammerand Limitedaddition
$2,750 for6 years.
Shooters Knife in walnut presentation case.
D. Colt"SilverSnake" Python-Limited Edition
$2,650 for6 years(only250 made)
• All deposits insured by FDIC
• No early withdrawls allowed
• All State & Federal firearm Regulations adhered to
• Guns transferred through Lander Ace Hardware
• Merchandise in lieu of interest
The Bank With Imagination
CENTRAL BANK & TRUST
P.O. BOX 69 - 285 Main
LANDER, WYOMING 82520
Phone [phone]
Founded in 1890
Member FDIC Assets 34 million
--------------------------
1
Mail to: Central Bank & Trust Enclose signed copy of your dealer's License
1
P.O. Box 69 to speed up delivery. Normal delivery 4-6
1
285 Main St. weeks.
LANDER, WY 82520
1
My check for is enclosed. Name
1
for D Smith & Wesson Package Address
1
D A City State
I
D B Phone Zip
g .
I ~
S,pply limited. Teem, "bjeettoehaoge.
1 ----------------------
lawsformed apoliticalactiongroupcalled
COPTAUC ABATE to fight laws that dictated their
headwear. Theirsloganwas, "Letthose
who ride decide." In police sidearmsas
MASSAD AYOOB well, that'sacryIcanrallyto: letthemen
and women in blue decidefor themselves
what handgun they'll trust theirlifeto, as
theyrideonpatrolontoday'smeanstreets.
'LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE'
Itissaidthatpoliceworkisparamilitary,
WHAT TYPE HANDGUNS TO CARRY and that rigid military disciplineanduni
formityarethereforenecessary.Isaythat's
acrock. True, we who wearthe badgeare
as accountable to the governmental body
Devolversvs.autosforpoliceserviceisa
.l'.continuingdebate, withfirepoweron
one side and reliability on the other.
Iseecopswhowereforcedtocarryauto
maticstheydidn'tfeelcomfortablewithto
the day theytook their20-yearretirement
because they feared jamming and just
didn'tlikethecomplexityofthegun.Ialso
knowcopswillingtomarshaltheforces of
the union and sue over having to carry
wheelguns that they feel would dan
gerously handicap them in shootout
situations.
AlthoughI'vebeenidentifiedasastrong
supporterofautoloadersforpolice,I'mac
tuallyinthemiddle.Idon'tliketheautoas
ageneralissuegun,butI'mallinfavorofit
inthehandsofagoodcoptrainedincom
bat pistolcraft.
Motorcyclists who didn't dig helmet Author,left, discussesreportswithDeerfield(N.H.) Police ChiefPaulDewey.
OWN THE
THAT OFFICIALLY GU
Model 92SB
9mm Parabellum
Double ActionSemi-Auto
1S-RoundStaggered
Magazine
Calltoll-freefornearestBeretta Dealer.
MondaythroughFriday.8AMto4,30PM.EasternTime.
Marylandresidents.call301-283-2191.
thatemploys us as anysoldiereverwasto Poly-Choke has vent Federal adds new .41
his; but there's a fundamental difference.
rib for Ruger autos Mag load to its line
We don't function in platoonor battalion
strength;we'reouttheredoingthejobvir The Poly-Choke Co., Inc. hascome Federal Cartridge Corporation has
tuallyalone,oneortwoatatime."Oursis out with another ventilated rib-this one added a new .41 Remington Magnum
nottoreasonwhy,oursisbuttodoordie" for Ruger MK 1and MK 11 bull barrel cartridge to itsline.
is a philosophy that may have served sol autos. It's loaded with 21O-grain semi
diers in the time of Kipling, but has no jacketed hollowpoint bulletto fill the
relevance to policemen today; we must needs ofhandgun hunters and metallic
reason why, or we'll become robots, and silhouette shooters.
maybe dead robots at that. The 21O-grainbulletisofstraightogive
design, which maximizes the bearing
ENTERUNIFORMITY surface for greatly enhanced long-range
Uniformityisoverdone.Therearethree accuracy.
statepoliceagenciesinthecountrytoday The lOO-yard energyis495 foot
WashingtonStatePatrol,IowaStatePa pounds.
trol, and Michigan State Police-that The large, tapered hollowpointyields
require left-handed men to carry their substantial mushrooming, while the long
guns in right-handed holsters for the sake bearingsurface keeps the core intact for
of"uniformity." Thisisthesamementality driving penetration and high weight
thatinsistsallofficersmustcarrythesame retention.
gun. Muzzle velocity from a four-inch
Where does that uniformity stop? vented barrel is1,300fps.
Shouldallcopsbesix-feet-twowitheyesof Formore information write to Bill
blue, and have an IQ of exactly 11O? Siems at the company, 2700 Foshay
ShouldthosewithanIQof130haveshock Tower(Dept. AH), Minneapolis, MN
treatmentsuntiltheycomedowntoanac All ribs are available in a do-it 55402.
ceptable level? yourselfkit, which enables the shooterto
INFO 'QUICKIE'
We can get into some complex issues mount the rib in but a few minutes with
here. Illinois State Police found, when it professional results, without machining
The American Handgunner maga
issued its officers 9mm S&W automatics, or fitting.
zineisalwayslookingfornewcontribu
thatscoreswentuponthe averageandup Suggested retail price: $24.95.
tors to itseditorialcolumns. Drop usa
significantly among previous poor For more information, write to the
line ifyou feel you have a storyidea
shooters; butscoresalsowentdownamong company at 150 Park,Avenue
worth publishing.
Continuedonpage66 (Dept. AH), East Hartford, CT 06108.
HANDGUN
lARDS CONNECTICUl:
TheConnecticutStatePolice puttheBeretta
92SBthroughtheThird Degreebeforeselecting
itasthefirearmtoprotectitsofficers. Gruelling
testsforfirepower, reliability, safety, accuracy
and reloadabilitygotitonthejob. And switching
lawenforcementhandgunsisn'tdonecasually.
This 15-round9mm semi-automaticprovesout
justplainbetterthan itscompetition.
Askafriend inlawenforcement.where
theirlivesareonthelinedayin. dayout. Ortrot
downtoyourBerettadealer.
Thesuperb.affordable Beretta92SB. Nowa
lawuntoitself.
* *
It's the only magazine that gives
you regularly featured articles
on:
*
Pistolsmithing
*
Reloading
*
Handgun Hunting
*
Self Defense
* Ifyouowna handgun, youneed AMERICAN
Combat Course Shooting HANDGUNNER magazine. It's written for
*
the competitor, sportsman, collector, hunter
Customizing
* or lawman. If you're one of these, or just
Conversion Tips enjoy fine handguns, you can share in the
*
knowledge and expertise of men who excel
Siluetas
* in writing about them in the AMERICAN
Cop Talk HANDGUNNER magazine. ,
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Competitive Shooting
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NOWcall800/824-7888, Operator40.
a one-of-a-kind Customized FromCaliforniaonlycall800/852-7777,Operator40.
handgun each issue, with its Your name, address and BAC/Visa or MasterCard
numberand expirationdate isall ittakes. Orwe'llbill
Custom Gun Giveaway Contest. youlater.
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This all-fabric American Hand
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gunner 1st Patch with each paid I
subscription. City State Zip ---.,.--
upside-down, to a shoulderrig sporting a
HANDGUN UArHER pair ofholsters for Smith & Wesson N
frame revolvers: Who, you might ask,
would want to carry two .44 Magnumsin
shoulder holsters? Well, there have been
AL PICKLES
timeswhen Iwished Ihadapairofforty
fours, ifonlyfor balance.
ACTIVE LEATHER CO. LISTS NYCPD Putting remote possibilities aside,'
however,handgunhuntersontheprowl
AS ONE OF ITS BEnER CUSTOMERS fordangerousgameoftencarryaback-up
gun. Ask Larry Kelly, president of Mag
na-port and handgun hunter supreme, if
hecarriesasecondgunwhenhegoesafter
Every time Ireview the cutrentstateof
Alaskabrownbear.Thepointis,whenyou
the gun leather industry I marvel at
aresuretheremaybetrouble,goprepared.
<tsabilityto keep coming upwithinnova
Active's horizontal upside-down rig,
tions. Just how many ways are there to
dubbedtheModel3,istheonlyoneIcan't
holster a handgun?
getthehangofThisis,ofcourse,absolute
Active Leather Inc. ofNew York is a
proofofits value. It undoubtedly suits
newcompany, butonlyin thesensethatit
someonejust perfectly; none of us is ex
has gone commercial. The owner, Bob
actly alike.
Angell,hasbeenintoleatherrigsforyears
TheActiveLeatherholstersarebeing
but his operation was primarily one of
marketed by SILEDistributorsInc.,Dept
custom designing holsters and carry sys
AH, 7 Centre Market Place, New York,
tems for plain clothes law enforcement
NY 10013.
peoplewhohadspecialproblemsorneeds.
In his"area ofoperation the demand was THE9MMAUTO
quite high. Although Iam not enraptured bythe
He offers a number ofholster styles,
ideaofa9mmLuger(9xI9)becomingour
mostlyshoulderrigs;someareconvertible armed service handgun caliber, oreven a
to belt carry. Their uniqueness lies in the police cartridge, I do know that common
fact that there is no stitching. senseandpoliticsarenotnecessarilycom
TheActiveLeatherrigs,atleasttheones
patibleandwewillprobablyendupwitha
I have examined, are made ofone-piece
9mm handgun.
qualityleatherthatisfolded andmoulded
With that qualification up front, I am
to the shape ofthe particular gun, then
Conhnuedonpoge65
held closed with snaps which do double
dutyas fasteners for the nylonwebshoul
der straps. In some models, there are
enough snaps available to alter the carry
mode: horizontal, vertical or, in some
cases, upside-down.
After'confirming for myself that the
leatherwas, indeed,goodquality, Ispecu
latedthatsincenoheavymachinestitching
is involved in the manufacturing process,
thenthemanufacturingcostsandreflected
pricesmustbelower.Notso,saysAngell.It
seems the price ofthe high-quality Dot
Brandsnaps-somecompleterigsusenine
or more-offsets any savings on machine
stitching. Angell also indicated that the
time involved in properly affixing the
snaps may even exceed sewing time.
UNDERCOVERCARRY
The Active rigs are unlined and Angell
wants tokeepthem thatway, unlessacus
tomerwantsaspecialorder.Hisreasoning
issoundforundercovercarry.Liningadds
tobulkandwidthofaholster;itisalready
hard enough to conceal a pistol while
dressedinlightsummerclothing.While
autoloaders are easier to conceal than re
volvers, most ofhis customers have been
NYCPD detectives who are generally not (>eSantismanufacfuresacompleteuneofholstersahd
allowedtocarryautoloaders.Whencarry acce!>sorles,creativelydeSignedtofillthespecific ..•.... ,
ing a revolver, you need all the help you £ neeld,Sbfgunenthusiastsandlawenforcementpersonnel.
Av?ilableatyourfavoriteFirearmsorSportingGoodsStore,
can get.
51£ ~ ormail$2forcatalog. DealerinquiriesinVited.
Active holsterscovertherangeofpopu
,...£zr
larrevolversandautoloaders; itsstyles,or &4, ,
IY II::
models run from adjustable mode, I. HOLSTER &LEATHERGOODS Dept.AH-1
~ .iii
shoulder/belt convertible, horizontal 155JERICHOTURNPIKE·MINEOLA,NY11501·516-742·7900
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER•JANUARYIFEBRUARY1984 9
leftachoice;itwasfeltthatinthestanding
.'LUErAS position it was the shooter, not the pistol,
that made the difference.
The revolvers had already begun to
changeundertheforced draftofthesport.
PHILIP C.BRIGGS
Some of it was evolutionary-such as
longer barrelsand bettersights-butsome
new revolvers appeared as both competi
REVOLVER SILHOUETTE SHooTING tors and manufacturersalikefound that
designs that had, until then, stood the test
IS CHALLENGING, LOTS OF FUN of time weren't up to a steady diet of
magnum loads.
THE .357 SUPER MAG
H andgun silhouette shooting started the funny guns, and establish classes for TheSuperBlackhawksproutedalonger
with revolvers, and although the out-of-the-box, stock-as-a-stove produc tube, as did a couple oflook-alike single
sporthasgoneontocreateandpopularize tion guns. I say fortunately, because it is action revolvers (with bull barrels and
specialized single-shot pistols ofawesome these classes,~tandingand production target sights). The brand new Ruger Red
capability,therevolverstillaccountsfor hawk and Dan Wesson .44 Magnums
the bulk ofthe competition. appearedandbegantoworktheirwayinto
The revolverinusenowhasevolvedtre the winners circle.
mendously in the past few years, but But the new class focused development
beyond that it has remained popularfor a on the revolver, and brought forth even
myriad ofgood and sufficient reasons, in more change. A new cartridge, the .357
cluding more grins per grain ofpowder Super Mag (developed by IHMSA presi
than any other pistol. . dent Elgin Gates), was adapted to the
The second National Match in EI Paso, revolver-first by Ruger, then by United
in the fall of1976, markedthe appearance freestyle,thatkepttherevolverinthesport Sporting Arms and Dan Wesson. The
ofthe first funny gun: specialized, cus as it grew. Blackhawk SRM and the Seville sport
tomizedsingle-shots,designedtowin.The The superiorityofthe rapidly refined special frames, 10Vz inch bull barrels and
seeds ofchange had been sown, but for T/C Contender was not to be denied target sights; Dan Wesson's already sub
tunately, the members and leadership of though and, in 1981, IHMSA created a stantial .44 frame was lengthened, but in
the just-formed IHMSA (International separate production class for revolvers. the process gained so much weight that
Handgun Silhouette Association) had the Althoughthefreestylecompetitionwasdi only eight-inch barrels (with ventilated
foresight to establish a separate class for vided, thestandingpositionshooterswere shrouds) will make the required weight.
THE HANDGUN
THAT ALTERED
THE GAME!
CONTENDER
PistolShobtin'wasonceaclose-upthing.Waydownrangewasfiftyyardsandmost
handguncartridgeshad.losttheir"zap"bythetimetheymadethejourney.Designed
specificallyforhunting,Contenderhastbtallyalteredthehistoryofhandgunnlng.
Its superb'accuracy, coupled with its unique interchangeable barrel system and
wideselectionofmeaningfulcalibershasextendedtherange.ofthehuntinghand
gun to over 200yards. Whitetails, Mule Deer, Antelope, Gnzzly, Elk, you na~e
theNorthAmericanbiggameanimalandContenderhasthetrophytoshowforIt.
Thefirst"outofthebox"production pistoltoshootaperfectscorein Metallic
Silhouette,ContenderIsnowavailableIn.357Rem.Maximum.
IFYOU'RESERIOUSABOUTHANDGUNNING writeforournew
free,34pagecatalog.OneglancethroughtheContendersectionandyou'll
-.i/r!!t. seewhyContenderisthe leaderin down rangeperformance.
' M'PSO'N/CENTER ARMS
THO FarmingtonRoad, PO.Box2426, Dept.TAH-1
Rochester, New Hampshire03867
10 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER·JANUARYIFEBRUARY1984