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    Gun Digest Greats on Handguns
    Gun Digest Greats on Handguns
    Gun Digest Greats on Handguns
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Gun Digest Greats on Handguns

    By Gun Digest Editors

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    Excerpt from Chapter 1:
    The first revolver was patented by Samuel Colt in 1836. Since then there have been no less than 156 manufacturers of revolving handguns. The Army and Navy, since that time, have adopted 44 different revolvers and 9 different pistols, made by 32 separate manufacturers, ranging in caliber from 32 to 58. The earliest model was accepted in 1842, the last in 1911. While Colt invented the first firearm which successfully employed a cylinder containing separate charges of powder and ball, it remained for another soon-to-grow-famous New Englander, Douglas Wesson, to adapt his newly perfected 22 rim fire cartridge to an equally successful and new revolver. His revolver, puny and low powered, was quite popular with Union officers during the War between the States. This revolver, a seven-shot breech loader, was the Model of 1855.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGun Digest Books
    Release dateJun 30, 2014
    ISBN9781440243875
    Gun Digest Greats on Handguns

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      Book preview

      Gun Digest Greats on Handguns - Gun Digest Editors

      Chapter 1

      HANDGUN FACTS

      The first revolver was patented by Samuel Colt in 1836. Since then there have been no less than 156 manufacturers of revolving handguns. The Army and Navy, since that time, have adopted 44 different revolvers and 9 different pistols, made by 32 separate manufacturers, ranging in caliber from 32 to 58. The earliest model was accepted in 1842, the last in 1911. While Colt invented the first firearm which successfully employed a cylinder containing separate charges of powder and ball, it remained for another soon-to-grow-famous New Englander, Douglas Wesson, to adapt his newly perfected 22 rim fire cartridge to an equally successful and new revolver. His revolver, puny and low powered, was quite popular with Union officers during the War between the States. This revolver, a seven-shot breech loader, was the Model of 1855.

      From their crude beginnings in 1836, the Colt and contemporary revolvers were what is known as the single action type – the hammer must be eared back each time a shot is fired. About 1877 the double action revolver made its appearance. This gun was a considerable refinement over the original as it merely necessitated pulling the trigger strongly to make the hammer rise and fall. In addition, of course, the weapon could be employed as a single action any time the shooter desired. As may well be appreciated, the double action feature made it possible not only to fire the first shot quicker and more accurately, but also to get off the following shots with greater speed. Today, all revolvers are of the double action type save three. The original Colt Peacemaker (discontinued) is still sold in quantities, as well as two inexpensive semi-target revolvers.

      Service Type Revolvers

      As revolvers were improved, three definite types emerged. The first of these was the service type handgun. This is a revolver of 78, 44 or 45 caliber with a large frame, considerable weight, not less than a 4 to 6 inch barrel with fixed sights, a large grip, and characterized by great sturdiness of construction, rugged reliability and long life. Both Colt and Smith & Wesson make such guns in several models and calibers:

      Colt New Service (Discontinued)

      Colt Official Police

      S&W 38-44 Heavy Duty

      S&W 1926 Model 44 Military

      S&W 357 Magnum

      S&W 1917 Army (1949 Production)

      Utility or Pocket Type Revolvers

      We have a second and much larger group of handguns which may be classed as general utility or pocket weapons. These models are not nearly as big or as heavy as the service type revolvers and are almost invariably of smaller caliber and shorter barrel length, lighter in weight, and have been designed essentially for stowing in the pocket or concealing beneath the coat. They may be grouped as follows:

      Colt Police Positive Special

      Colt Police Positive (Not in Production)

      Colt Detective Special

      Colt Banker’s Special (Not in Production)

      Colt Pocket Positive (Not in Production)

      S&W Military and Police

      S&W Terrier (1949 Production)

      S&W Hand Ejector (1949 Production)

      S&W Regulation Police (1949 Production)

      I.J. Protector (Not in Production)

      Iver Johnson Hammerless (Not in Production)

      Target Type Revolvers

      The major class of revolvers is the target handguns. These models have seen more development and refinement than either the service or utility types due to the fact that target shooters are a more vocal group than any other class of revolver users; as a consequence, they have demanded, and obtained in some measure, those improvements which they desired.

      Colt Officers Model

      Colt Police Positive Target (Not in Production)

      Colt Shooting Master (Not in Production)

      S&W K-22 Masterpiece

      S&W 22-32 Target (1949 Production)

      S&W 22-32 Kit Gun (1949 Production)

      S&W 38-44 Outdoorsman

      S&W 1926 Model 44 Target

      Harrington & Richardson Sportsman

      Iver Johnson Supershot Sealed Eight

      I.J. Champion (Not in Production)

      Automatic Pistols

      At various times during the past, auto pistols have been made by Savage, Remington, Harrington & Richardson, Smith & Wesson, and other companies since gone out of existence. Today, only Colt and High Standard survive.

      Colt automatic pistols are a result of the inventive genius of the world’s greatest firearms designer, the incomparable John Browning. The weapons range from the tiny 22 caliber to the 45 ACP. In Europe, the Fabrique Nationale d’ Armes de Guerre, at Herstal, Belgium, manufactured the Browning auto pistols which are the same as the Colt product. The FN Company, however, produces only 25, 32, and 380 Auto, and, so far as is known, have never attempted to manufacture a 22 similar to the Colt Woodsman. The 45 Colt Automatic is the property of the U.S. Government and, consequently, was never considered for manufacture by the Belgium firm.

      Service automatic pistols used by the military and police, as well as outdoorsmen, are the following: Colt 45 Automatic Model 1911 and the Colt 38 Super Automatic.

      Very recently High Standard has designed for future production an entirely new automatic pistol chambered for the 38 Special cartridge. This pistol will be a big gun with a weight of 40 ounces and will utilize one of the finest all-purpose cartridges in the book. It will offer strong competition to the 45 and the 38 Super.

      Among the utility or pocket type automatics, Colt had three little guns identical in action but differing slightly in weight, frame, and barrel length. These models were made up for the 25 Auto, 32 Auto and 380 Auto cartridges. High Standard also makes an automatic for the 380 Auto cartridge.

      Automatic Target Pistol

      Automatic pistols intended for use as target handguns represent the most tangible progress in the improvement of hand weapons during recent years. Credit for this improvement lies largely with High Standard. Some 25 years ago this company, newly organized, designed a 22 auto pistol that was roughly finished but possessing many virtues. It had a 6 ¾ inch barrel, good sights, considerable weight, fair balance, and reliability – plus a very reasonable price. As a result of the success of this model, the company developed a line of target guns which incorporated linger stocks, greater weight, heavier barrels, improved trigger pull, adjustable sights, and outside hammers. As a result of these improvements the High Standard auto pistol is today as good as any firearms made. The improved High Standard guns especially constructed for target shooting (before World War II) were:

      Model A    weight 36 ozs.    Hammerless

      Model H-A    weight 36 ozs.    Hammer

      Model D    weight 40 ozs.    Hammerless

      Model H-D    weight 40 ozs.    Hammer

      Model E    weight 42 ozs.    Hammerless

      Model H-E    weight 42 ozs.    Hammer

      Of these, only the H-D Military is now in production.

      Colt, under the prodding of their energetic competitor, brought out the Match Target Woodsman in 1937. This was a great improvement over the original Woodsman. It had a much heavier barrel which eliminated the shimmy at the front end and made possible an increase in weight (36 ozs.) of the entire piece. This pistol was an instantaneous success and champion handgunners promptly established an entirely new set of 22 caliber records with it.

      In 1948 Colt further improved the Match Target Woodsman to the extent that it is practically a new gun. The Match Target now has a weight of 41 ounces, a still heavier barrel, click adjusting rear sight, a newly designed receiver with a grip long enough and large enough for a man’s hand, a splendid target trigger pull with a built-in trigger stop, a disconnector so that the weapon cannot double (fire several shots with one pull of the trigger) and a slide latch with a new clip release.

      These mechanical advancements, beneficial though they are, shrink to somewhat insignificant proportions when viewed against the really outstanding improvements of this splendid new Woodsman. The truly great accomplishment of the Colt engineers is the remarkable degree of balance achieved in this arm. Here, unquestionably, is the best balanced, best feeling, and most natural pointing handgun ever manufactured! The balance is an incomparable thing. So cleverly has the weight been distributed, the so comfortable does the grip feel, and so naturally does the gun hang, that it practically aims itself. Great things are predicted for this brilliant new Colt.

      The new High Standard 38 Special auto pistol, when it makes its appearance, will be somewhat of a sensation. It will eclipse, in my opinion, the dominant target firearm in the center fire category today, which is the 38 revolver. In match shooting the revolver must necessarily be cocked for each shot discharged in the timed and rapid fire stages. This process takes a lot of time and hurts scores. With the arrival of the High Standard, 38 automatic, this undesirable feature will be eliminated. As a consequence, the gunner will have more time to aim and squeeze each shot. The revolver is obsolescent. With the appearance of a first class self-loading pistol, it will be completely eliminated as a target proposition. High Standard also intends to produce a companion pistol in 22 caliber.

      Two years ago, an interesting new 22 single shot pistol, the Tompkins, was put into very limited production in this country. This weapon has a trigger mechanism superior to any yet seen on American handguns. This mechanism contrives to cam the sear out of the hammer notch. This camming action permits a trigger which has no perceptible movement – at least to the eye – and makes possible an exceedingly light, adjustable pull. Further, the Tompkins has a rather unique type of action. It resembles nothing so much as the old Springfield Model 1870 rifle. Other than these features, the pistol has little to recommend it. It is too light, the grip is ill-shaped, the barrel is on the waspy side, and the rear sight is startlingly crude. Slow fire pistol shooting is not popular in the United States. Consequently, a single shot weapon can never hope to attain popularity.

      Foreign Handguns

      A veritable flood of war-prize handguns has reached the U.S. These pistols are almost entirely of automatic type and are either 7.65mm (32 ACP) or 9mm Luger calibers. They are, for the most part, roughly machined and badly finished, although those which come from Germany are superior in design to the best which American manufacturer now produce.

      The Walther P-38, firing the 9mm Luger cartridge, was the standard German military sidearm and is excellent though roughly machined. Nonetheless, it is a weapon with numerous superior improvements in design. It

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