FIVE GUNS I LIKE: PART ONE

I've always liked the .38 Super round, and of course Colt made it popular in the 1911 pistol. In many countries, the .38 Super is used because civilians and police can't own guns in military calibers. It's a unique round, but old times like Texas Ranger Frank Hamer favored the .38 Super over the .45 auto because he was having gunfights with folks in cars, like Bonnie and Clyde.

The Colt shown above, with the very nice and functional rubber grips, is the current production model of the .38 Super. Nice and shiny and shoots really well. I had the opportunity to shoot one of these in East Texas a few months ago and just fell in love with the gun.

There are those gun folks who adhere to the theorum that a gun is best designed as designed by the original manufacturer, in this case, John Browning. They believe that a 1911 or its descendants need to be big and not short. There are still folks who think the Commander was a mistake and many more who certainly don't like the 3" barrel 1911's like the Kimber shown below.

The Kimber Ultra Carry. A reasonably priced and extremely high quality gun with an EXCELLENT TRIGGER. A cheaper version of Kimber's very nice Ultra CDP II. It shoots well and is just as great looking and well designed. Sharp edges have been removed and it's function over form in the grips and sights. Nice extended beavertail as well.

This version of the Taurus Judge family, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, is an ultra light and short snubby version of the popular Judge series, that shoots both .410 shells and .45 Long Colt bullets. A five shooter, the PD features lightweight alloy frame, very unique recoil absorbing serrated rubber grips, and only shoots the .410 2 1/2" shells.

Several friends of mine own the full size 3" barrel Judge pistols, but in the ultralight frame configuration that shoot the 3" magnum .410 shells, and they swear it doesn't kick that bad. One of my friends who has shot one says it kicks substantially less than my very heavy Pacmayr gripped Thomson Contender with a 10" barrel chambered for the same rounds.



With buckshot rounds that have been developed for .410 shells, it's a formitable handgun. And in the field, loaded with #7 shot, a snake doesn't have a chance.





I shot this pistol last weekend and enjoyed it immensely. El Fisho Jr. and I shot a box of shells through one of these and found it to be an accurate and easy to shoot gun. We were shooting ball ammo, and the recoil was sort of brisk but certainly not as bad as I've seen in other compact nines. It's a heavy rascal, coming in at like 29 oz. unloaded. But compact and it fits well into a holster and from my limited time with it, concealed very well in the thin generic leather IWB I had with me.

I want one of these but really think I will opt for a used HK P7 for my next nine purchase.



The Walther PPS (Police Pistol Slim). This new single stack Walther is a very thin nine. I've seen one and it is indeed just a hair bit larger than the venerable Walther PPK and I can't wait to shoot one. There is the chance that if this pistol shoots well that it could replace the HK P7 mentioned immediately above as the next nine I'd like to buy/trade for. I do like the way the P22 shoots and the P99 shoots well also but I just don't care much for the P99 personally.

I'd like to have a P22 and nearly bought one a couple of years ago, and probably should have. It had a slight nick in the frame and was going for like $180 new.