In my last essay, I discuss how stuffing shortened wadcutter bullets into long revolver cases can increase the firepower of wheelguns.  It must have generated some interest, as a question was asked ….

“What did the groups look like?”

If my faulty long term memory serves, the first round looked something like this.

(Please click on the picture for a larger version.)

The target was two feet across, and set 35 feet or so from the firing line.  The center hole was made by the projectile with the traditional bullet shape, and the other four by the light wadcutters.  I didn’t actually hit the exact center of the target, of course, or even the ten ring.  But I figured you would forgive me a little poetic license in the interest of clarity.

I can’t say what the pattern looked like for any of the subsequent 49 rounds, as I was just firing at the paper to get rid of them.  There were more holes than paper hanging downrange by the time I was done, so at least we know that ammo like this does a bang up job of tearing apart targets!

One would think that the lighter bullets would tend to rise above the point of aim, not fall below.  So why did things turn out this way?  Dunno.  Maybe it has something to do with the turbulence caused by the projectile out in front.

When it comes to handguns issued to the military, the very first autoloader that I am aware of which found its way into holsters worn by soldiers was the Mauser C96.

The Turkish government bought 1,000 of the guns in 1897.  Hardly enough to equip all of their officers, it is true, but you have to start somewhere.

It took a lot longer for civilians and police forces to join the late 19th Century.  I remember a lot of old wheelgun aficionados back in the 1970’s who would deride the popularity of autoloaders, holding forth whenever anyone seemed to be listening on how only revolvers were reliable and jam proof.  I suppose they were lucky to have never suffered a poorly seated primer.

Nothing wrong with revolvers, of course.  I’ve carried them myself for my defense, and never felt less than adequately protected.  I just never saw the need to give anyone else grief if they didn’t see things my way when it came to choosing their own defensive tools.

But, all that aside, there were people who bitterly opposed the rising reliance on semi-automatic handguns.  Revolvers or nothing for them, and anyone who didn’t agree was a fool!

One could say that I affectionately called these people “The Revolver Boys” for their lack of acceptance of the choices of others.  Except I wasn’t really being all that affectionate.

There was one problem that the revolver boys kept coming up against, and that was a matter of firepower.  Autoloaders beat revolvers every day of the week when it comes to putting a large amount of lead downrange in a hurry.

Was there a way to increase the number of shots in a handgun that could only hold five or six rounds?  Actually, there is!

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Most people are aware of the standard bullet shape.

(Please click on all pictures to see a larger version.)

It is so common, such a well known touchstone in our culture, that things which have nothing to do with firearms are described as “bullet shaped“.

The shape provides superior aerodynamics over traditional round ammunition, allowing modern bullets to travel further than a simple lead ball.  But is that why they started to shape ammo like this?

I have no idea if it is true or just a legend, but the story is that the bullet shape was hit upon by cannon designers in order to get a heavier shell while still using the same diameter barrel.  The obvious advantage in reduced air resistance was just a happy surprise.

(Picture source.)

Bullets shaped like this have several advantages, but punching clean holes in paper targets isn’t one of them.  The nose of the bullet splits the paper, allowing it to tear open in a ragged shape.  The edges are ill defined and sloppy.

This isn’t a subject of concern if you are working on improving your self defense skills, as a round striking a tiny fraction of a millimeter off center just doesn’t matter.  It does matter a great deal when people are competing in handgun bullseye matches, however.

If a bullet should strike on one of the lines, the judges have to be able to carefully measure the hole made in order to see where the majority of the projectile landed.  That one extra point awarded, or one point less in the score, might just determine who goes home with the trophy that day.

And that is why we have the wadcutter bullet.

Completely flat nosed bullets.  There is no pointy nose, so the paper is snipped off very cleanly and precise.  The holes produced are very clear and sharp.

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Please click on the pictures for a larger version.

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Revolvers using percussion caps were all the rage during the American Civil War.

It had only been a few decades since they had appeared, and most handguns up to that time were single shot affairs.  But now you had six shots before reloading!  Amazing!

It must have seemed to the people at the time as if they had Thor’s hammer in their holster.

The biggest problem with cap and ball revolvers, however, is that it took a great deal of time to reload.  Loose powder had to be measured and poured into each chamber, with a round lead bullet forcibly pushed down on top.  After all of the chambers were stoked up, then percussion caps would have to be fitted to the rear of each.

Sometimes the caps would not want to stay put, and so they would have to be carefully crimped.  Even so, it was common for percussion caps to come loose.  This would not only mean that one of the loads would not go bang, but the cap could also work its way into the mechanism of the revolver and jam the cylinder to a stop.

That is why the introduction of cartridge technology was greeted with joyous glee by anyone who used a handgun.

The powder, bullet, and primer all in one convenient package?   Just slip a new one into the chamber to reload, instead of measuring powder and forcing bullets into cylinders?  And, what is even more amazing, no percussion caps going walkabout in the guts of your gun so it doesn’t work?  Give me some of that!

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I recently posted an essay where I mentioned my desire for a handgun suitable to be legally carried by someone with a concealed carry license, but which could also be used to reliably and accurately hit a target at 100 yards.

Is there anything that would fit the bill?  Maybe so, but I have yet to find it.

Oh, don’t get me wrong.  Even handgun bullets, less powerful and accurate than those fired from rifles, will travel more than a mile before air resistance will scrub their velocity down to nothing.  So it is certainly within the realm of the possible to strike a target at 100 yards with the compact autoloader I normally carry for my defense.

In fact, the best shot I ever made was when I killed an adult coyote at 280 yards with a single round fired from this gun, which is chambered for the powerful .357 Magnum cartridge.

Conditions were absolutely perfect, however.  The coyote was moving directly away from me at a trot instead of a run, there was no cover or obstructing brush, the air was still with no breeze to push the bullet off target, and I was able to rest the barrel on a fence post to steady the gun.  None of those are likely to be present if one has to defend themselves against a crazed criminal wielding a rifle.

So anyone with good marksmanship skills can hit a target at 100 yards with a standard handgun, as long as they are calm and take a fair amount of time to set up the shot.  But to draw your weapon under stress while someone is trying to take your life, and deliver fast and accurate fire at that distance?  I’m sure there are some superlative shots who can do that, but the rest of us need some special equipment.

What kind of special equipment?  Read on and we will see what others have tried.  Please click the name of the gun to see more information, and click on the pictures for a larger version.

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When the first James Bond movie came out, the public went wild.  To cash in on this popularity, a TV show titled The Man From U.N.C.L.E. started to air in 1964.

The formula for the success of the show was based on gorgeous women and absurd fight sequences.  The stars of the show almost always prevailed against the bad guys when the bullets started to fly, the reason being that they had the coolest guns.

The special effects department tasked with creating the futuristic guns bought low cost Walther P-38‘s, cheap and plentiful at the time, and heavily modified them.  The poster below from a Japanese toy company shows all the stuff they dreamed up.

Extended magazine, suppressor, barrel extension, shoulder stock, telescopic sight, and flash hider.  The flash hider was for standard carry, the rest of the parts would be screwed on when trouble arose.  So all the agents would have to do would be to remove the flash hider, and then put all of the rest of the parts together to create a nifty carbine that doesn’t make enough noise to wake the neighbors.

That is pretty nifty!  But the one aspect of the gun that I found fascinating was how a handgun small enough for daily carry could be transformed into something with increased range and accuracy.

I’ve been looking for something in the real world which could do the same thing ever since.  A handgun suitable for concealed carry, but which can also reach out to at least 100 yards and reliably produce acceptable accuracy.  So far my quest has not produced any results.

Frustrated search aside, are there handguns that could produce fast, aimed shots out to 100 yards?  There have been a few, but most have proven to be less than successful as concealed carry guns.  This essay has already run on too long, so I’ll save the discussion of actual far shooting handguns for the next post.

See you there!