Pistols

This is my favorite of all pistols, the M1911, this particular one made by Taurus. Heavy, accurate and rugged, it is the successor to the thousands of 1911's used by the US military since WWI up until the late '80s. With an ambidextrous safety and tuned sights, this is a competition-ready pistol. Capacity is eight rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Note this version has an ambidextrous safety - one on the left, one on the right, in addition to the tang safety under the web between the thumb and forefinger. Other versions of the 1911 have from seven to fourteen round capacity magazines.

This is a single action pistol. The hammer must be cocked to fire the pistol. If a loaded magazine is in the pistol, racking the slide back loads a round into the chamber and cocks back the hammer, ready to fire. The hammer can be manually lowered (very carefully) on to an unfired round, then manually cocked back to return the pistol to a "ready-to-fire" condition. The hammer can also be pulled back to a "half-cocked" position. It is alleged to be safer against the possibility of the weapon inadvertently firing if it is dropped but still must be fully cocked to be fired. Modern version have improved mechanisms that are designed to block the firing pin from striking a seated round if dropped.

The .45 caliber pistol in many forms is returning to favor after the realization that the 9mm pistol issued to the military since about 1986 trades ease of shooting for less stopping power. In selected organizations, such as Army Special Forces, where the operators have the skill and training to accurately fire the .45, this is not as much of an issue. In contrast to the Taurus shown above, the old issue M1911s (and current replicas) have looser tolerances, cruder sights, thumb safety only on the left side and a seven round magazine. The looser tolerances let it be more forgiving in dirt and dust, but sacrifices accuracy. This pistol was designed and issued to the military as a close in, self defense pistol, and therefore the tolerances and sights were not considered a shortfall. In recognition of the shortfalls, Army issued the M1 Carbine to many to replace the M1911.

A good example of a ported pistol, this is a compact .45 caliber Taurus that can be concealed in a pocket, but is more comfortably carried in a small belt holster.

This pistol holds six rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, but has a single stack design, allowing for a small grip.

This is a double action only pistol.

Advantage: stopping power of a .45 caliber round!

The next view shows the small round allen screw knob that is an additional safety on the Taurus pistols.

One of several Kel-Tec models, this .380 caliber model, also ported, easily drops in a pocket or clips to a belt under a shirt, or can even be hung from a neck loop.

This model also holds six rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber, is double action only, but has NO safety.

Ammunition such as the Cor-Bon DPX rounds are specially designed hollow points that deliver shock and stopping power closer - but not completely equal to a .45 FMJ - according to some - another one of those areas where gun enthusiasts argue endlessly.

Another version of these pistols is the Mil Pro series. This one is in 9mm and holds twelve rounds in a double stack magazine. It has a modified trigger/action that required the receiver that

A comparison of two .45 caliber bullets: the one on the left is a hollow point (this particular one is actually a special round that consists of a metal casing filled with lead shot in an epoxy bed), the one on the right is a FMJ round,

This photo shows the relative sizes of some of the pistols and the magazines. The smaller pistols are obviously better suited for concealed carry.

This is the single stack .45 caliber Taurus (A double stack version holds ten rounds but has a thicker grip). When the round is fired, the slide moves to the rear. You can see the ejector has snagged the case and is pulling it out of the chamber and is about to eject it out to the side. When the pistol fires, the empty case is ejected and the following round then is seated in the chamber as the slide moves back forward. In this design, similar to the others shown on this page and most modern guns, the barrel does not move back and forth. It says in place and rotates around a pin as the receiver cycles.