ST! F N WESSON'S PISTOL r:: EVOLVER DESIGN-A Critique PISTOLSMITHING COMBAT SHOOTING POLICE TRAINING GUNS and the LAW WORK WITH THESE TOP HAND-GUN SHOOTERS IN SUPPORTING YOUR SPORT! OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To stimulate and honor LEADERSHIP in the Handgun Fraternity; To develop and promote the Advancement of the Sporting use of HANDGUNS; To edify and increase the knowledge of the public toward a better understanding of the historical and cultural significance of the HANDGUN, as a Sporting Arm. It is OUR belief that channeling the sporting and competitive instincts of man thru the lawful use of handguns cannot help but increase his stature. COL. CHARLES ASKINS BILL JORDAN San Antonio, Texas 1 Shreveport, Louisiana Second Annual 1976 Winner -----------------------------------------Award Winner I OUTSTANDING AMERICAN HANDGUNNER AWARDS FOUNDATION, INC. P.O. BOX 846 - 419 NORTH VIRGINIA. ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO 88201 0 ENDOWMENT MEMBER S500.00 0 CONDITIONAL LIFE $25.00 dn. Credit allowed for Life and Charter Balance due in four quarterly payments of Memberships. $25.00 each. -\ LIFEMEMBER S125.00 ANNUAL MEMBER S Total Amount Enclosed 0 Cash / Check Bill my credit card below. SIGNATURE Card # Expiration Date Bank Americard Master Charge Interbank # 1 1 1 1 Name .- Address City THE AMERICAN Adv. 6150 North Central Park Ave., Skokie, Illinois 60076 Edit. Well, here it is! A magazine just for handgun shooters! Over the past several years my desk, as editor of Guns Magazine, has been laden with letters from readers asking for more handgun material in the pages of Guns Magazine. We tried, for the past year or so, to satisfy these requests, but not at the expense of those readers who are interested in rifle and shotgun articles, or those who are firearms collectors. The time came, with so much going on in the handgun field, that it became impossible to cover all of the handgun happenings in the limited space available in Guns Magazine. Thus was born "The American Handgunner." At the first editorial meeting of the staff of The American Handgunner and several well known gun writers, it became apparent that there are just too many handgun subjects to be covered, even in a magazine devoted entirely to the one-hand gun. "You must have a regular column on combat shooting." "The hol- ster is as important as the gun - you must cover these regularly." "Handgun hunting is important, too - how about a regular column in each issue?" The suggestions went on and on until such time as we had a list that would have dictated a book, not a magazine. The selection of columns and articles in this first issue is a combination of what we thought you would like and a test sampling to get reader reaction to specific themes. After this first issue, I suspect we will be getting many suggestions, criticisms and, I hope, some compliments. We invite them all. As a matter of fact, we invite reader participation in all aspects of the magazine. All of the handgun knowledge is not only among the writers we have, but also among our readers. If you have shooting, gunsmithing or reloading tips, why not share them with the other readers. We'll pay for them at our regular rates. If you have story leads, let us know, and we'll get a reporter to the scene if it fits in with our editorial concepts. In short, we want The American Handgunner to be your magazine, giving you the information you want. But we have to hear from you before we can do this. I'll be waiting for your letter! Cordially yours, THE AMERICAN HANDGUNNER J( J. Rakusan Editor THE AMERICAN SEPTEMBERIOCTOBER 1976 George E. von Rosen Vol. 1 No. 1 Publisher CONTENTS FEATURES .357 MAGNUM BULLET TESTS . .Mike Barach 15 THE DAN WESSON PISTOL PAC . .Clair Pees 18 THE DYNAMIC DUO.. .Bob Tremaine 20 CHARTER ARMS' LATEST BULLDOG . .George C. Nonte 22 HIGH STANDARD'S MARK IV . .James D. Mason 24 THE HAMMERLI MODEL L20.. James D. Mason 26 ~MOOTING. SPORTS I SECURITY ARMS' .357 MAGNUM SNUBBY . .Massad Ayoob 29 CHUCKBUSTER SUPREME: TIC'S CONTENDER IN .218 . .J. D. Jones & Mike Barach 32 RAY VIRAMONTE'S BICENTENNIAL .45 . 36 HANDGUN PROFILE BONUS SECTION: WALTHER'S P-38 IMPACT & ORIGIN . .Dennis Riordan 39 THE P-38 FOR COMBAT . FIELDSTRIPPING THE P-38 . .Donald M. Simmons 47 .45 REVOLVER CONVERSIONS . .George C. Nonte 52 .44 BULLDOG MAXIMUM EFFORT LOADS . .George C. Nonte 56 DEPARTMENTS THE PISTOLSMITH . G. C. Nonte 6 TAKING AIM . .C. S. Hamilton 59 WORTH REMEMBERING . .Bill Jordan 8 LEATHER . .Jerry Ahern 62 I THE COMBAT COURSE Mason Williams 11 . GUNS & THE LAW . .J. W. Giles 66 WHAT'S NEW . 68 Jerome Rakusan . .Editor Michele Somers . ......Advertising Promotion Herbert Gates.. .Associate Editor Anna Cale . .Advertising Production Thomas Parrett . .Associate Editor T. A. von Rosen . ..Production Director Sydney Barker . .Art Director Albert Eskinazi . ....Circulation Director Bob Schenck.. .......Art Production W. R. Lighthall . ..Subscription Manager Bill Bauer . .......Advertising Sales SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE: D. Bennett, 8150 N. Central Park, Skokie, Ill. 60076 (312)675-5611 EDITORIAL OFFICES: Jerome Rakusan, 8150 N. Central Park, Skokie, Ill. 60076 (312) 675-5602 NATIONAL ADV. OFFICES: 8150 N. Central Park Ave., Skokie, Ill. 60076 (312)675-6010 WEST COAST ADV. REP.: Jess M. Laughlln Co., 711 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, Ca. 90005 (213)383-7697. EAST COAST ADV. REPS.: BUCHMAYR ASSOCIATES, DARIEN, CONN. 06820 (203)655-1639 Copyright 1976 by Publisher's Development Corporation. THEAMERICANHANDGUNNER is puolished bi-monthly Dy Publishers Development Corp 8150N Central Park Avenue Sfiokie Illinois60076 Second class postage paid at SkoKie, Illinois and at additional mailing offices SUBSCRIPTIONS One year (6 issues) 57 50 Single monthly copies 51 50 CHANGE OF ADDRESSES Four weeks notice required on all changes Send old address as well as new CONTRIBUTORS submitting manuscripts photographs or drawingsdo so at their own risk Material cannot be returned unless accompanied by sufficient postage PAYMENT will be made at rates current at time ol publication and will cover reproduction in any or all AMERICAN HANDGUNNER Maoazine editions ADVERTISING RATES furnished on reouest Reoroduction or use ol anv oorlion of this maaazine in anv manner, without written permission, is prohibited. All rights reserved. Title to this publication passes to subscriber only on delivery to his address. AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . * ..~~P,T&~~ER.<OCJpBER GERMAN COMBAT U.S. SINGLE SHOT U. S. CARTRIDGE COMPANY'S WEAPONS OF W.W. II MARTIAL PISTOLS COLLECTION OF FIREARMS by C.W. Sawyer This collection of firearms was one This book gathers together pertinent of the most famous arms collections by EJ. Hoffschmidt data and illustrations of all signifi- in the U.S. Auctioned during the re- cant U.S. single shot martial pistols cession of the 1920's, the collection and WoHaTantum IV ever manufactured. All famous mak- includes firearms from every U.S. ers are covered and are traced with war from the Revolution to WW I. descriptive text. Each arm is described in detail in- A definitive work of over 200 fully cluding the auctioned price. illustrated pages of German WW II 5x8; 101 pages; $5.00 weaponry including small arms 6x9; 142 pages, $6.00 . weapons and ammunition, antitank, antiaircraft, light and heavy field GERMAN MILITARY UNIFORMS guns, tanks, self-propelled guns, AND INSIGNIA 1933-45 BICENTENNIAL SPECIAL command cars, prime movers, Uniforms of the American, British, armored cars, trucks, rockets, Contains a wealth of hard to find in- formation about German military uni- French and German Armies in mortars, mines and grenades. Each the War of the American Revolu- weapon is described in detail with forms, insignia, and ranks gathered editorial description, schematic together from a multitude of authen- tion by Lt. Charles M. Lefferts. drawings and actual specifications tic sources and compiled into one The only available text on the uni- concerning construction, operation book for the first time. forms used by all armies in the Amer- and special features. 6x9; hundreds ican Revolution. 8x11 ; 212 pages; over 200 of illustrations; 6x9; 292 pages; illustrations; $10.00 227 pages; $10.00 50 uniform platen; $10.00 GUNS MAGAZINE BOOK CLUB 8150 N. Central Park Skokie, IL 60076 Check enclosed for $ . Please forward the following book(s) to: NAME Quantity Title Price U. S. Cartridge Co. $6.00 U. S. Single Shot Martial Pistols $5.00 CITY German Combat Weaoons $1 0.00 Gr. Military Unif. $1 0.00 STATE ZIP Uniforms $1 0.00 Allow 6 weeks for delivery Even when the burr appears to be very slight, it can cause trouble, even more so when heavy loads are fired in rough, pit- ted, or dirty chambers. The problem is also accentuated when there is dirt or un- burned powder accumulation under the extractor, causing it to ride high in the cyl- inder. It occurs this way: when the cartridge is fired, the case head is first driven forward against the cylinder and/or extractor by the firing pin; as gas pressure builds up in the case, it is driven hard back against the recoil shield; the burrs penetrate the prim- er cup a distance equal to their height. Normally, then, gas pressure drops, the case contracts, becomes loose in the chamber, and as the hand rotates the cyl- inder, the primer rides free of the burr. RECOIL SHIELD MAINTENANCE But, if anything resists forward movement AVOIDS REVOLVER MALFUNCTIONS of the case (dirty chamber, soft case, ele- vated extractor, etc.), the burrs will hold fast in the primer and interfere with cylin- VERYBODY who owns and uses smithing." (Available from Guns Maga- der rotation. This will also occur if the E even a single handgun, will eventual- zine Book Club).