Semiauto pistol
Armatix iP1: The Infamous German “Smart Gun”
The Armatix iP1 is a pistol created by former H&K designer Ernst Mauch that was released – or almost released – in the US in late 2013 and early 2014. It is a .22LR caliber […]
Handgun
Semiauto pistol
Star Megastar: Spain’s Massive 10mm Autopistol
In the late 1980s, the Spanish gunmaker Star decided to join the new hot trend of 10mm semiauto pistols. The cartridge was getting a lot of press, and Star saw this as an opportunity too […]
Semiauto pistol
Origins of the vz.82: A Western Pistol for Communist Czechoslovakia
The vz.82 and its cousin the CZ 83 are pistols that originated when the Czech state export company during the Cold War began looking for arms it could export to bring in hard currency. The […]
Prototype
East Meets West at the BUG Match: CZ’s vz.82
Yesterday we looked at the history and development of the vz.82 pistol; today I am taking it out to the BackUp Gun Match. this should be a pretty competitive pistol in this environment, and it […]
Semiauto pistol
From Service Sidearm to Match Gun: the Astra 400 Target Model
A very small batch of special target model pistols was made at the very end of Astra 400 production in 1945. They were fitted with Patridge front sights and adjustable revolver-style square-notch rear sights, much […]
How Does it Work
Ask Ian: Analyzing the Savage Rotating Barrel (at 7500 frames/sec)
A question I have been asked by several different people in several Q&A threads is: “Does the Savage rotating-barrel system actually do anything?” In his 1905 patent, Elbert Searle specifically claims that his design creates […]
Semiauto pistol
Belgian GP-35: Pre-War Browning High Power Complete Rig
The Browning High Power (“Grande Puissance”, aka GP-35) was developed by Fabrique National in Belgium, designed primarily by John Browning’s apprentice Dieudonné Saive. It began in the very early 1920s as a pistol designed for […]
Prototype
Before the High Power was the FN Grand Rendement
The Browning High Power story begins with a French 1921 request for a new military pistol. FN engineer Dieudonné Saive developed a double stack, single feed magazine and John Browning adapted a Browning 1903 pistol […]
Semiauto pistol
Coonan .357 Magnum at the BUG Match
Yesterday we took a look at the history and the mechanics of Dan Conan’s .357 Magnum 1911; today we are going to take it out to the range. Specifically, a BackUp Gun Match, plus a […]
Semiauto pistol
When Revolver Meets 1911: The Coonan .357 Magnum Automatic
Dan Coonan first designed his pistol in graduate school as a drafting project: a 1911 pistol chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. No easy feat, designing a self-loading pistol magazine to cycle a big rimmed […]