Smith & Wesson have applied the Bodyguard name to a variety of lightweight wheel guns over the past 50 or 60 years. The latest iteration of the Bodyguard brand again includes a light weight revolver but also, cleverly, a light weight pistol (offering something for everyone).

The Bodyguard 380 pistol and Bodyguard 38 Revolver were both designed with similar objectives in mind. Both are lightweight compacts, both are chambered in low-powered .38 caliber cartridges, both have a similar black finish and, notably, both come standard with a built-in laser sight.

The laser sight is a feature S&W will be marketing heavily. The INSIGHT manufactured lasers feature ambi control, constant and pulse modes, windage and elevation adjustment and three hour continuous operation.

The booth was lit up with red lights (emphasizing the laser capability)

S&W Bodyguard 380 Pistol

This pistol is a brand new design. It is lightweight at 11.85 ounces, although not quite as light as the Kel-Tec P-3AT which weights in at just 8.3 oz. Its polymer frame with integral laser has a cool futurist look to it.

It is double action, has an external safety and can hold 6+1 rounds of .380 ACP ammunition.

Specifications
Caliber	.380 ACP
Capacity	6+1
Finish	black Melonite coating
Barrel	2.75"
Total Length	5.25"
Height	4.1"
Width	0.75"
Weight	11.85 ounces
Rear Sight	drift adjustable
Other Features	Laser sight
MSRP (Price)	$575
Availability	May 2010

S&W Bodyguard 380 Revolver

The Bodyguard 380 is a lightweight J-Frame with aluminum/polymer frame and steel cylinder. While less exciting than the above autoloader, it is a decent compact revolver. It features an ambidextrous cylinder release on top and fully enclosed hammer for snag-free drawing. The laser is mounted on the left side (laser switch is mounted on top for ambidextrous use).

Specifications
Caliber	.38 Special +P
Capacity	5
Frame	One-piece aluminum alloy upper frame. Steel reinforced polymer lower frame.
Barrel	1.9"
Total Length	6.6"
Height	4.39"
Width	1.36"
Weight	14.3 ounces
Finish	matte black PVD finish
Grip	one-piece rubber grip
Sights	notch-style rear sight. Pinned blade front sight.
Other Features	Laser sight
MSRP (Price)	$625
Availability	May 2010

I purchased to application to try it out. It is quite straightforward. It gives each state a rating on how friendly they are towards concealed carry, lists where CCW is prohibited in each state and any other pertinent information relating to the state laws on CCW.

My only major criticism is that the Firearm Laws section only lists CCW law, not all state gun laws. It does not, for example, tell me what types of rifles are prohibited in California. Either the Firearm Law tab should be renamed "CCW Law" or they should add general firearm info. Preferably the latter.

I do not regret buying it and I have found it an interesting read.

[ iTunes App Store Link. ]

Hat Tip: Dustin's Gun Blog

Early next month, the Rock Island Auction Company will be auctioning off a collection of prototype arms which include some interesting "high-cap" guns.

Jarre Double Action Harmonica Pistol

The bullet chamber houses nine pinfire 38 cartridges. The action functions in both single and double action. There is lower trigger attached to the rear of the primary trigger which fits through a slot in the bottom of the trigger guard that when pulled back advances the chamber and cocks the hammer. To fire double action one simply uses the primary trigger in the traditional manner. Fitted

Estimated Price: $9,0000 - $14,000

French Guycot Chain Rifle

Manufactured circa 1878, this unusual and rare rifle features a chain housed in the frame and stock which holds 80 rounds of centerfire cartridges. The "endless chain" has carrying cups that hold the rounds. Once loaded the rifle can be fired as fast as the trigger can be pulled. The belt is revolved until a chamber (or cup) faces the barrel. At the same time a long firing pin is retracted. An inner barrel is drawn back through the heavy outer barrel until it covers the bullet end of the cartridge. When the long drag on the trigger end, the final pressure releases the needle like firing pin, which drives through a small opening in the base of the cup detonating the cartridge primer. The rifle fires a lead conical bullet which is hollowed out to accommodate the powder

Estimated Price: $6,500 - $9,500

Extremely Rare Meigs Sliding Guard Action Repeating Carbine

Patented by Captain Josiah Meigs in 1866, this carbine is fitted with a unique action which provided a level of firepower virtually unknown in the era, with a potential rate of fire of nearly 160 rounds per minute, as compared to the 200 rounds per minute of the Model 1861 Gatling Gun. Blade front and flip-up adjustable rear sights, with no visible makers marks. The buttstock of the arm consists of a buttplate and carved walnut cheekpiece fitted to the 50-round tube magazine, which contains a replaceable 5-track rotating frame with spacers for 10 rounds per track. These frames could be preloaded, cutting down reload times substantially. Mounted on a rail between a pair of mortised tracks is the trigger guard assembly, which has a checkered firing trigger and a smooth long release trigger, and is reciprocated back and forth to rotate the magazine frame and move the breechblock, which extends up out of the frame to eject spent cartridges, Full length forearm with raised decorative carving and cord wrap, leaf pattern raised carving on the cheekpiece and nickel finished brass buttplate.

This design resembles the helical-feed magazine design used by the Calico guns and its clones that were designed over 100 years later!

Calico M960. Photo from Wikipedia

Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol. Photo by Oleg Volk.

FN Five-seveN USG

Kel-Tec have stated [PDF Link] that a 40 grain .22 WMR round should reach a velocity of 1230 fps from the 4.3" barrel of their PMR-30 pistol. This works out to 134.40 ft/lbs of energy.

This is a significantly less than the FN Five-seveN USG (4.75" barrel), which can push a 40 grain bullet at 2009 fps. This works out to 358.57 ft/lbs! Nearly three times as powerful as the .22 WMR! ¹

This does not mean that the .22 WMR is not a good cartridge. It simply means that the 5.7mm is optimized to be fired from a pistol, rather than the slower burning .22 WMR loads which are designed to be fired from a rifle.

5.7x28mm. Image from Wikipedia.

.22 Magnum / WMR. Image from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: Added correct link to specs on Kel-Tec's website : http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/downloads/SHOT2010_preview_keltec_PMR-30.pdf [PDF Link]

The new FNX 9 and FNX 40 pistols offer the key features demanded by today’s serious handgunner. New ergonomic polymer frames have a low bore axis for flat shooting and less felt recoil resulting in improved control. Deep checkered grip panels are comfortable and designed for no-slip shooting. Four interchangeable backstrap inserts quickly offer a custom fit and feel. The profiled stainless steel slide has cocking serrations front and rear, a 4” hammer-forged stainless barrel delivers long life and pinpoint accuracy. Fully ambidextrous operating controls make the FNX perfect for competition and personal defense for both right and left-handed shooters. Each FNX comes with both a decocker and manual safety making it one of the safest hammer guns on the market. Every part is proudly made in the USA.

FNP-9 is now the FNX 9

Hat Tip: Caleb @ Gun Nuts

Norm Flayderman’s Guide says that Williamson Derringers have serial numbers running into the 20,000 range but speculates that the Moore Patent Firearms Company / National Arms Company produced fewer than 10,000 of these pistols from 1866 – 1870. The subject of this post has serial number 10621. Perhaps unique to this Williamson are the decorative rhinestones, the heart inlays, and an Ace of Hearts playing card engraved on the backstrap. Further, there is a treaded-plug in the butt of the grip; I have not seen this on any other Williamson Derringer. I would be interested to hear any ideas on what its purpose may be. Someone suggested that it might be for mounting the derringer as a “burglar trap” with the trigger wired to a doorknob.

David Williamson’s design adhered to the aesthetic lines of the original Henry Deringer pistols but he decided to fill a niche market created during the period of transition from ball and percussion cap pistols to those designed to fire metallic cartridges; his derringer would be able to function with both. If .41 rimfire cartridges were not readily available, a reusable metal cartridge adapter allowed the use of loose black powder with a lead ball and a percussion cap.

The pistol requires no adjustments to switch between the ball-and-cap adapter and the .41 rimfire cartridge. During rimfire cartridge ignition, as you would expect, the extended blade firing pin on the hammer strikes the rim of a chambered .41 cartridge. When using the cap-and-ball adapter, the flat of the hammer whacks the percussion cap that is on the nipple of the adapter. The cap nipple, which extends into a hole in the breach when the barrel is closed, keeps the hammer from going forward far enough to damage the extended blade firing pin which otherwise would slam against the adapter’s rim.

To load the Williamson Derringer, first pull the hammer back about one quarter of the way until it clicks into its safety position, then push up on the barrel release lever that is on the underside of the pistol (just in front of the trigger guard) and slide the barrel forward. Insert either a .41 rimfire cartridge or the cap-and-ball adapter (after first charging it with ball and powder; it is probably best not to cap the nipple until after the load is in the barrel chamber). Slide the barrel back to the closed position and you are then ready for an 1866 night out on the town.

There is nothing unusual going on at Bea's loading bench, except this 78 year old grandmother has been a handgunner for just over a year, and now she is loading her own .45 ammo! Her journey as a shooter has been rather remarkable, but she has always had lots of pioneer moxie, and she is still an active person who wants to be able to defend herself and her home.

Dwain, Bea's husband, passed away in 2005, and owned several guns. One was his 'house gun,' a Smith and Wesson Model 36 snubbie. She realized that the little .38 would be difficult for her to master, so she had one of her sons help her pick out a new pistol for her to build her shooting skills. Her first purchase was a Walther P-22, and on her 77th birthday she went to the local range for the first time. The little Walther was easy for her to handle and to shoot; the only problem she had was stripping and reassembling after her range trips. As long as it was fed plated .22's, this gun never failed to function. Bea was now a handgunner, and a pretty good shot, too. Check out the target with thirty offhand shots at thirty feet with her little auto.

P-22 target with thirty shots at thirty feet.

Bea next learned to handle revolvers by starting with her son's Ruger Single-Six, and she found that she could shoot it more accurately than she could with the little Walther. She got lucky and found a used Single-Six in excellent condition at her local Scheel's store, and soon she was shooting the revolver more than the auto. Her son then introduced her to centerfire with a Ruger Blackhawk, and she found that shooting .38's was easy for her. She looked at the options with Ruger Blackhawks, and when the Scheel's store got a .45 convertible, she bought it. The big slow bullets are easy for her to handle, even though she weighs less than 110. At the range she will shoot several cylinders through the Single-Six, and then one or two through the Blackhawk, then switch back to the .22. Careful practice has kept her from developing flinch problems.

Bea buying her Blackhawk

Shooting the Blackhawk for the first time.

Her son has been reloading for many years, and he set her up to reload for her .45. A surprise benefit of the convertible Blackhawk is the free once fired brass other shooters leave behind at the range. Every range trip begins with policing for new brass before setting up to shoot.

Bea at loading bench

In September Engineering Johnson, her grandson, took her along to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, and she was thrilled to meet Mr. Completely, KeeWee, and the other bloggers she has been reading. She says it was the most fun she has ever had. Mr. C even let her shoot his long barrelled High Standard, and Bea had some respectable times hitting the steel plates on the second range day. She is planning to go again next year.

Bea with her .45 at the GBR Show and Tell

From left: Engineering Johnson, Bea and Mr. Completely

She has several range friends in her hometown, and she is spreading the joy of shooting by teaching the basics of gun safety and pistols with new shooters. One of her new found friends is a nine year old boy who is regularly beating his dad at hitting the bullseye with her Single-Six.

Bea would like for more women to realize that they do not have to be defenseless, and that even a small framed womam can shoot a gun that is powerful enough to stop an attacker. Thank you for setting such a great example for all of us, Bea.

Gun bloggers KeeWee and Molly with Bea.

[ GBR photos were taken by The Packing Rat ]

A very mean looking pistol. Note the nifty sling attachment that replaces the butt stock.

Specifications
Caliber	5.56mm NATO
Barrel	Quick Detachable 7.5" Chrome Lined
Barrel Twist	1/7 Twist
Length	18.25"
Rails	13.25" Monolithic top rail. 4.1" bottom and side rails
Conversion kits	6.8SPC and 7.62x39 will be available in late November
Safety	Ambidextrous Paddle Safety
Trigger	Two Stage Enhanced Trigger System
Weight	5.8lbs
MSRP	$1500.00

Many thanks to Armando for the info and photos.

The .45 GAP (Glock Auto Pistol) was designed to duplicate the .45 ACP ballistics but in a shorter cartridge more suited to high capacity semi automatics. It is the last thing I would have thought of using in a revolver, but the owner of the wheelgun had some good reasons.

.40 S&W (left) and .45 GAP

In this short and stock-less configuration it is more like a pistol than it is a shotgun.

The information and photo were kindly provided by Lusaka who took the time to hunt for, and photograph, new and interesting arms on display at the expo. Thanks Lusaka, your efforts are appreciated. More cool guns from the show will be posted tomorrow.

I’m a disabled woman buying my first hand gun on the advice of the local police. Really. I’ve a lot of guys showing up at my door trying to break in, had an attempted sexual assault and I live in the country! A friend told me to get a Ruger P97DC that the kick on it wasn’t that bad and it was a good grip for a woman, that I could have a couple of clips with different types of shot in them, etc. I do have some rather large snakes too and I’m not as fast with a machete as I used to be.

The point being after this morning’s latest crazy showed up on my door verbally assaulting me in my own home for G*d only knows what reason he imagined I needed it for and I set of the alarm, it took police 45 minutes to get here. So had my bluff not worked I wouldn’t be typing this right now. The officer (who is originally from Miami) told me to get a gun, shotgun, hand gun – what ever. That’s the second local police officer to tell me to get a gun in a week. The alarm only does so much. I’m crying as I type this because I can’t feel safe in my own home. Yet I’m not that good with a hard kick and all that is damaged in my body. IE – a hard kick being fired from a wheel chair – unless I take the extra 2 seconds to lock my brakes which could mean my life firing from a wheel chair could be comical but deadly for me. A 22 would just piss them off. I need something to defend my life with (and I hate saying that too). I live alone, I have no one here to help me save my old Doberman. I need something that is ‘lady friendly’ (Forgive me ladies who can handle a hogleg). Is this a good gun for that and is it just the continuation of the P97DC?

I have never thought about the effects of firing a gun from a wheel chair and the challenges it poses to someone who may need to use a gun in a situation where seconds can be the difference between life and death.

Veronicad1, my advice would be to visit the closest range and hire a variety of different guns. Go with a friend who can stand behind you holding your wheel chair. The two of you can then gauge what the effect of the recoil would be on an un-braked chair. This blog is not the place for legal advice and I suggest you get advice as to your state laws on self-defense with a gun and at what point a firearm can and cannot be used.

Anyone else able to offer advice?

The pistol is based on the XCR Personal Defense Weapon and comes in Mini (9″ barrel) and Micro (7.5″ barre, pictured abovel) versions. Calibers offered are 5.56mm, 6.8 SPC and 7.62×39mm.

The price is $1500. This is the same as the XCR PDW, but it does not require a BATFE stamp of $200 because unlike the PDW, it is not a SBR (Short Barreled Rifle).

Taser X3

This gives the X3 fifty percent greater ammunition capacity than a Derringer pistol, and just 82% less capacity than your plastic fantastic! Joking aside, the new multi shot capability is a technological breakthrough that significantly increases the utility of the device. It allow law enforcement officers to quickly follow up a missed shot or engage up to three targets simultaneously. This video demonstrates the multi target functionality:

Not only can it load three “Smart Cartridges”, but long range and short range cartridges can be mixed. The duel laser sight will automatically adjust the point of impact for the currently “chambered” cartridge, which I think is pretty nifty.

“Scary Arc Mode”

Another new feature is what I call the “Scary Arc Mode”. A button can be pushed which will cycle electrical arcs across the front of the device. While a superficial feature, it may persuade many a drunk to cooperate.

Other new features include safety, reliability and user interface improvements.

X3 Holstered

I think the X3 is one of those devices, like the iPhone, which can justify money being spent on an upgrade.

If you look closely, there appear to be people on the other side of the river.

The guns appear to be real, not airsoft or air guns.

Google Translate is a crude tool at the best of times, but I think they are saying that it was safe because the boat pictured above was 200-400 meters away from the firing line! I looked up the probable location on Google Earth / Maps and I think at best the boat was 200 meters, probably less.

According to Hatchers Notebook, the classic text on ballistics, a .45 ACP and .38 Special round can reach as far as 1200 yards ( 1097 meters ) if fired at the right elevation!

Am I missing anything that would make this safe? Can any Russian speakers please read the forum thread and let us know in the comments if they were doing anything that made it safe.

UPDATE: trigger288 says in the comments that the pistols are loaded with low powered rubber bullets, which are only dangerous up to 50m.

Hat Tip: Дмитрий Кочетков

The specs are:
Weight: 8.6 OZ (244gm)
Length: 7.9” (201mm)
Diameter: 1.38” (35mm)
Finish: GunKote, T3 HARD COAT& SCARMOR
Sound Reduction: 35-38dB

The business end of the Ti-RANT

Of course the high-end construction and technology comes at a price. AAC will be selling it for $1195 shipped. That is about $300 more than the Evo 9.

More info at AAC

A reader, who shall remain anonymous, emailed me this account of what happened to him.

Your message about the 9 mm Nato versus 9 mm Luger (9×19 mm, 9 mm Para) is correct and should be a warning to all users of 9 mm pistols. I found out the the higher pressure of the Nato round can be punishing. The same day as I received my first and brand new police service pistol, the Walther P5, I took it to my shooting club to show it to the lads and to shoot it.

Because I ran out of ammo, I borrowed a box from a military friend, who used 9 mm Nato rounds. After two shots my new pistol jammed, because the extractor broke off. I had some explanation to do the next day in order to get my service gun back in working order and got the message: Never use military ammo in non-military firearms. So, any surplus army ammo: use it in the Browning High-Power or the Glock, but not in “civilian” pistols.

Three more cartridges have been tested: the .327 Magnum, 10mm Auto and .41 magnum. The team have also tested a wide variety of “real world” handguns and carbines to see how they compare with each other and with the test results.

Testing the ammunition.

I was given early access to the updated information and it has been a fascinating read.

Congrats to Jim, Jim, Steve and Keith for the completion of phase two and also a big thank you from me for all your effort.

Click to expand the images.

He knows what he did was idiotic, and as someone at AR15.com said, he has balls of steel posting it on the internet. So don’t mock him for it!

Thanks to Jay for the link.

Good job Caleb!

Unfortunately the opening bid at gun broker is $2500! How many AR-15 lowers can you get for that?

Click to expand the images.

Ed’s initials can been seen at the bottom.

Ed Friedman has reviewed the service.

The pistol features a unique design in which the magazine sits beneath the chamber instead of behind it. This allows a longer barrel, thereby generating more muzzle energy than a shorter barreled pistol of a similar size chambering in the same cartridge. I wrote a blog post about the pistol last year.

More information at Gun Nuts Media.

Accuracy, reliability and American pride. They are qualities DoubleStar builds into each of its many AR-15 offerings. Now, the Kentucky-based manufacturer is bringing those same attributes down to size by building them into its first-ever handgun.

The new DoubleStar 1911

All very well and good except this is not the first DoubleStar handgun. The pistol below is on listed at BudsGunShop.com as a “Doublestar 1911 5″ Govt 45acp made in Winchester Ky.”. THe DoubleStar logo is clearly visible on the slide. Searching Google for “doublestar 1911″ comes up with many forum postings mentioning the DoubleStar 1911 Government model pistol since at least 2006.

Innocent break down in communication between management and PR? Rewriting history? Outright deception? I don’t know.

Anyway, the specs for the new pistol are:

Caliber: .45 ACP
Finish: Parkerized
Weight (unloaded): 38 oz.
Length: 8”
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights: Novak white Dot
Capacity: 8 + 1 rounds
Grips: Buyer’s choice (Ergo, Stryder, walnut, other woods)

It features 1913 rail, National Match stainless barrel, Greider trigger, Ed Brown’s Memory Grip Safety and choice of a square or round trigger guard. It will retail for under $1200.

It features:

* Lifetime warrantee
* Exclusive eight-groove gas sealing barrel,
* Exclusive three-point cylinder lock up, no screw side plates,
* Hammer block safety system
* Charter’s fastest factory revolver-lock time.

Specs:

Cartridge: .38 Special + P
Barrel length: 2″ stainless steel
Frame: 7075 aluminum alloy
Capacity: 5 round
Weight: 12 ounces

The MSRP is $400.

This photo is from Visier Special 6, 1997 (special edition of one of the three big German gun journals):

Click to expand.

Revolvers cannot be effectively suppressed because gas escapes from between the cylinder and the barrel creating noise (there are some exceptions). The big shell that encloses the cylinder of the PSDR 3 prevents the gas from escaping. This combined with a big suppressor and a subsonic .45 ACP round causes a noise reduction from 136 dB to 90 dB which is comparable to a CO2 air gun. Decibels are a logarithmic unit of measurement, so a 46 dB reduction is significant. In theory this gun should make a lot less noise than a suppressed semi-automatic pistol because there no slide slamming open and closed.

I had no idea such a gun existed until Sven emailed me. I really like the idea – German engineering at its best!
Many thanks to Sven, who blog at Defense and Freedom, for the scanned page and translation.

Even through I posted that impressive video of a guy being shot point blank with a .44 Magnum and .308 Win., I am still amazed at what little effect on the target the bullet has when it impacts a ballistic vest. Sure, I do understand the physics, but still!

More videos of people being shot by Miguel are here.

Someone from Bulletproofjackets.net posted the info about Miguel Caballero. Thanks.

Very cool. Chocolate Weapons are selling it for $29.99.

It gives some interesting insight into firearms sales:

Pistols Manufactured in 2007

Revolvers Manufactured in 2007


Rifles, Shotguns and Misc firearms Manufactured in 2007

Exports in 2007

Interesting facts:
5.01% of rifles manufactured were exported in 2007.

3.7% of pistols were exported

8.7% of revolvers were exported.
32% of pistols are 9mm (presumably 9mm Luger/Parabellum ).

All 9mm calibers (including .380) came to 43% of all pistol manufactured.

23% of revolvers are .22 or below in caliber. Likely to be mostly rimfire.

Because the BATFE do not breakdown the distribution between calibers 9mm and .50 we cannot compare .40 S&W and .45 ACP to 9mm Luger.

Thanks to Jay for letting me know the report was published online.

[ Definition: Firing out of battery: when a round is fired before it is fully chambered. Instead of the expanding gas being forced out the barrel it wrecks havoc inside the gun) ]

AR-15 blows up, not sure that happened. Out of battery?

12 Gauge single shot shotgun blows up. A home made shell apparently caused the problem.

He seems to have a problem fully closing or cocking the shotgun. Maybe the shell was to long and it protruded slightly out of the chamber, causing the explosion. Anyone got a better explanation?

The slide is blasted off a blank firing pistol.

A homemade pistol blows up. The barrel shoots off and the shooter gets the steel primer cap embedded in his arm.

AK-47 blowing up. Out of battery. This is an old one I have posted before on the blog.

Safety glasses are your friends. These are WileyX tactical glasses.

UPDATE: A bonus video. The bolt action barrel is plugged causing the barrel to split. [ Thanks to UraniumHead for the link ]

Results of the third poll.

The rest of the poll results are here.

Pretty cool. The Brownells description of the night sights:

Nighttime and low light shooting tests prove sights equipped with these glowing dots are easier to see and more accurate than instinctive shooting with standard black sights. Rugged, heavy duty, Traser®, luminous, 3-Dot tritium lamps provide their own long-lasting energy source. Lamps are mounted in silicone-sealed, metal cylinders to give maximum protection from breakage or leakage. Polished sapphire, crystal windows give a bright, crisp and perfectly round aiming dot in low light. Inlaid white rings around each sapphire make the sights appear as standard white dots in daylight. Very narrow blades do not have the white ring and will look more like a plain black blade in daylight. Most can be installed in factory dovetail or sight base. Glock® models require use of special Trijicon installation tools to prevent sight damage.

I do not know the MSRP but Brownells have them listed for $99 – $145 depending on the handgun model.

Any volunteers to update the Wikipedia page for Sapphire with by far the coolest use of the stone?

[ I make no money what-so-ever from linking to Brownells and have no business relationship with them. ]

Go watch the video at Engadget, it is very impressive.

Click to expand.

Be the first to own a Pistol Bayonet that looks as good as it works. This razor-sharp Ka-Bar® blade fits any medium to large pistol with a rail and slides on and off easily with the press of two buttons. The blade handle is constructed from 30% glass-filled nylon for strength and durability. Its carbon steel blade is sharpened to a fine edge and finished with a black Teflon® coating for protection. A LaserLyte original, the Pistol Bayonet is ready for any situation—or just looking cool on your favorite gun.

This is not the first pistol bayonet, The CZ 75 SP-01Tactical includes a bayonet and breach teeth. I don’t think it is supposed to be taken seriously, there is very little tactical value or self defense value to hanging a knife off your pistol. Still, I want one!

LaserLyte are selling the PB-1 on their website for $39.95.

UPDATE: The idea of combining a knife and pistol has actually been around for a very long time. Since at least the 1700’s when a pistol and multi tool were combined..

UPDATE: LaserLyte emailed me the specs:

- Product Number: PB-1
- Compatible Firearms: with rails, medium to large frame pistols
- Material: medium carbon, glass filled nylon
- Finish: black oxide
- Weight: 2.6 oz., 73.71 g
- Blade Length: 2.75 in., 69.85 mm
- Overall Length: 5.75 in., 146.05 mm
- MSRP: $39.95

Hat Tip: Downrange.tv

Two 2.5″ buckshot loads will be available. The first load is 0.5 oz ( 218 grain) #4 buckshot which I think works out to be about 10 pellets (according to wikipedia, correct me if I am wrong). The other load has four 000 pellets (9mm). The muzzle velocity is 1200 fps.

The Judge from Taurus® has emerged as a very popular handgun for Personal Defense®. This specialized gun has been without a specialized load-until now. Federal introduces two 2-1/2″ loads designed especially for The Judge. A special hull design and optimal payloads make these loads perfect for this gun. Choose between a 1/2-oz #4 or 4 pellet 000 buck option-either way the performance will be there.

Taurus Judge photo that I recently uploaded to Wikipedia. Taken by Dennis Chen

A SEDENA pamphlet handed over to several entities explains what type of guns they can use to fight organized crime, the way to acquire them and the way to request them, even abroad.

The newly allowed guns include calibre-40 and fragmentation grenades.

The SEDENA document also explains the type of training and confidence control tests to be undergone by those using the guns.

I presume .40 means .40 S&W. Personally, unless I had a multi-shot 40mm grenade launcher as my sidearms and something big enough to read-out-and-touch-someone from a significant distance as my primary arm I don’t think I would even remotely consider Mexican police work … and even then

Good luck finding a used Mateba for under $1200


Saiga 12: $600+ today if you can find it in stock.

Thank to Jay for the history lesson.

I personally use the following terminology:

A revolver: revolver
A single-shot: pistol
A Derringer: Derringer
An Autoloader: pistol (unless it is also a revolver. I would call that an automatic revolver)
A Matchlock: pistol
A fully-automatic handgun: machine pistol (if it was specifically designed to he held like a pistol, otherwise it is a submachine gun)
A handheld cannon: handheld cannon, hand cannon or Handgonne

The futuristic looking Mateba Auto Revolver (from Wikipedia)


Chinese Hand cannon (from Wikipedia)

I am impressed by the accuracy. The recoil does not seem to be much and at first I wondered if the video was a hoax. But it looks like it is a big RC helicopter, which has a lot of forward thrust which would counter some of the recoil.

Always read the small print.

The greater the Accessory : Gun weight ratio, the tacti-cooler a weapon is.

This image was posted at the DownRange.tv forum:

I think this slide design is much more likely than the fish gill design.

Below is the results of the poll I was running on the "fish gill" design:

Hat Tip: SaysUncle

I saw this ad, purportedly for the next generation Glock, over at Xavier's blog:

Click to expand.

I think, and hope, it is a fake. The "fish gill" slide serrations look too "pretty", not at all "glock-like".

Fish gills. Sorry, I had to make my point

If you look closely at the rear slide serrations and compare them to the zoomed in version you can see that the spacing does not match up. But, as someone at GlockTalk pointed out, it is not uncommon for gun companies to photoshop advertisements, sometimes displaying another gun all together.

GlockTalk has a long discussion about the so called 4th gen Glock.

Real or fake? What do you think?

4th gen Glock. Real or Fake?

UPDATE:

I have been analyzing the image. In my opinion it is defiantly photoshopped.

*** I do realize this is an advertisement, the fact that it has been photoshopped does not mean it is a fake. ***

Consider the Glock logo on the grip and on the flashlight. Look how perfect they are. This is a low resolution image. The logo borders are pretty much 1 pixel wide if you ignore the apparent anti-aliasing around the edge.

The image is very low resolution, and is a compressed JPEG, and has very bright lighting. This is far too much detail.

Compare it to the zoomed in image of the Glock photo in the Glock Catalog:

The lines are also too perfect. Everything appears parallel, exactly, when zoomed in (I rotated the image). The lines should not be so distinct on a low resolution, highly lit up, zoomed in photo.

No rear sight, at this angle we should be able to see it.

The Glock catalog photo was taken at a lower angle and the rear sight is visible.

Click to expand

This "fish gills" are also much too perfect and apart from some "anti-aliasing" are nearly identical. Again, a low resolution, zoomed in, highly lit (think shadows),compressed JPEG photo should not have this kind of detail.

I am slightly annoyed, I was seriously thinking about writing a shot timer but looks like I was beaten to it.

I predict it will not be long until a full IPSC timer and external ballistic calculator are released for the iPhone. Both make sense for such a cool device.

Hat Tip: Captain of a Crew of One va. Snow Flakes in Hell