A revolver chambered in .40 S&W? Why?

Someone emailed and asked about the new Charter Arms Pit Bull revolver chambering .40S&W without the need for moonclips. My reply: “Ummm, OK. Why?” As I see it, the only compelling reason to use autoloading cartridges in revolvers is because they require moonclips, making for blazing fast reloads. I suppose there might be some argument […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 22, 2011

You can’t have everything; where would you put it all?

If you think your logistics problems are daunting, go and read the list of ammunition that Tam keeps in her bedroom. (Disclaimer: I don’t know for a fact that it’s all in her bedroom, having never been to her house. She might keep some there, some in the basement, some on the bottom shelf of […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 8, 2011

One of my cardinal rules: if I didn’t reload it, I don’t shoot it.

Years back I remember being taught never to shoot someone else’s reloads. I violated that rule only once, when I bought some “factory reloads” from a vendor at a gun show. Luckily I didn’t damage anything with the shoddy 9mm fodder, but I still have the remainder — in a sealed ammo can labeled “Dangerous […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 13, 2011

Short memories: new ammunition that isn’t really all that new. And wasn’t very good back then, either.

One of the joys of having recently turned 50 (a figure I still write with a combination of bemusement and astonishment, having not actually grown up yet) is that I can poke fun at the younger guys. ‘Younger’, of course, means anyone under about 48. I say this because last week I read an article about a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 4, 2011

Not showing good JUDGEment: ‘less lethal’ .410 ammunition is a silly idea.

The Firearm Blog alerts us to a company called Lightfield Less Lethal that is now selling rubber buckshot rounds for the Taurus Judge. (I’m sure someone will point out that a Judge loaded with .410 birdshot is already “less lethal” and thus has no need for this product. Can’t say that I disagree all that […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 2, 2010

What are the top-selling pistol cartridges? Winchester tell us.

The Firearm Blog reports that Winchester recently released their top five (even though there are six listed!) pistol cartridges. The 9mm is not surprisingly in first place, and that favorite of law enforcement, the .40 S&W, is justifiably in the number two slot. Coming into third place is a bit of a dark horse – […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 10, 2010

Incorrect conclusions: muzzle flash and blindness don’t really correlate.

This morning I got a very nice email from a concerned gentleman in a southern state. His NRA instructor gave him numerous pieces of incorrect information about his new GP100, one of which I’ve heard many times before: “Don’t carry Magnums, because the muzzle flash will blind you in a self-defense shooting!” With all due […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 19, 2009

Lightweight revolvers and people who sell the things to the wrong customers. Can you say ‘ouch!’?

Every so often a client will send me one of the S&W Scandium guns for work, and I’m always reminded of how much I dislike shooting the little beasts. Even with standard pressure Specials, the recoil gets to me very quickly. I can’t imagine actually shooting one with Magnum loads, and I intend to never […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 17, 2009

So, just what is the .357 Magnum like in a confined space?

A number of years back my wife and I served as coordinators for the defensive pistol matches at our gun club. Our matches were somewhat similar to IDPA, but without the endless rules to make everything “fair.” We enjoyed a large following of regular participants who were very involved and loved to build sets for stages. (Some […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 27, 2009

Still more about testing .22 long rifle ammunition: how to quickly eliminate variables.

A recent email asked about an old article, wherein I talked about the problems with residual lube in a .22 rimfire barrel. Is it really a problem, the email asked, and if so how do I go about eliminating that variable in testing? Yes, the effects are real. I never believed in the residual lube […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 15, 2009

On loading density: what happens when there’s more air space in the case?

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend! The weather here in Oregon was wonderful (for a change) and I made the most of the sunshine and warm temperatures. In fact, I found it hard to come back to work! I’ve received several emails in the last few months with a common complaint: unburned […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 27, 2009

Use-of-Force Myths: how many of these do you believe?

The archives over at Force Science News continue to fascinate. Issue #68 deals with several myths about the use of deadly force, myths that a large percentage of the population (regardless of their level of firearms knowledge) believe. The whole article is interesting, but it’s the first myth – that of the Demonstrative Bullet – […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 13, 2009

Feedback from the Stopping Power series.

I continue to get email from last year’s “Self defense, stopping power, and caliber” series. It remains the second-most visited page on the site, behind only my article on lubrication, and appears to be well received by the majority of readers. Thank you! As you might imagine, such popularity generates feedback, and some questions pop […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 13, 2009

Progressive presses and their powder measures.

A common complaint with progressive presses is the throwing of inconsistent powder charges. Most people immediately blame the equipment, but some times it’s actually operator error. We first need to admit that there are certain incompatibilities with regard to some measures and some powders (Dillon’s difficulty with metering flake or extruded powder, for instance, is […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 1, 2009

Accuracy testing .22 Long Rifle ammunition: finding a load your rifle likes isn’t easy!

As I’ve mentioned from time to time, shooting .22LR “seriously” can be a frustrating experience. It is almost expected that two identical rifles will have very different ammo preferences – and, unlike centerfire cartridges, the differences are often astounding. For instance, I have one rifle that shoots its favorite load into an average 5-shot group […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 15, 2008

Some more primer talk: what about magnum primers?

A question appeared in the comments to my last primer article. The commenter asked about magnum primers and their effect on the load. First things first: I’ll limit my comments to Winchester Small Pistol Magnum primers, as those are what I have experience with. (Winchester uses the same Large Pistol primer for both regular and […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 10, 2008

Is there really a difference in primers? You might be surprised.

I’m not sure what’s up with Winchester these days. No one seems to have Winchester primers in stock, either walk-in or online, and backorders aren’t being taken. On the other hand, CCI primers are (at least in my area) available in quantity. Odd. (Something else odd: I rarely see Remington primers around here, and it’s […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 27, 2008

Preventing barrel leading in revolvers using cast bullets.

A reader asked me to comment on successfully shooting lead bullets in revolvers. It seems that he’s been getting indifferent accuracy coupled with severe leading, and would like to know the “secret” to using lead in his gun. I thought I’d covered this topic once before, but a thorough search of the archives failed to […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 18, 2008

How important is quality rimfire ammunition? Depends on how often you want to hit your target.

Serendipity, that’s what it is. Last week a consistent topic kept coming up in a variety of places: the necessity (or lack thereof) for “accurate” .22 long rifle ammunition. “I don’t shoot groups, I hunt {insert favorite furry tidbit here}.” “You can’t shoot really accurately in the field anyway, so better ammo isn’t worth the […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 16, 2008

Illustrating the concept of energy dump in defensive ammunition. Or not.

A reader sent me this link to an old Richard Davis “Second Chance” video. The video has Davis shooting a fellow – who is wearing one of Davis’ vests, of course – with a .308 rifle and himself with a .44 magnum revolver. The reader’s comment was “if this doesn’t show an energy dump, I […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 11, 2008

A bit of reloading gear discussion: the progressive press for serious handloaders.

I recently received an email wherein the author took me to task for recommending the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP as the tool for the ‘serious’ reloader. His claim was that ‘serious’ reloaders always use Dillon, and nothing but. Sorry to have to disagree with him. My definition of ‘serious’ is the ballistic experimenter, not the appliance […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 2, 2008

Series index: “Self defense, stopping power, and caliber”

Here’s the whole series for your perusal! Part 1: Introducing the Twin Tasks. Part 2: If it doesn’t get somewhere, it can’t do something. Part 3: Once it gets there, it has to do work. Part 4: The bullet is more important than the caliber. Part 5: More energy can be a good thing – […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 18, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 9

Stick with what works. You’ve all heard of the “Gun of the Week” club, right? That’s the term used to describe an “enthusiast”, the guy (gals are too smart to engage in such nonsense) who carries or competes with a different gun every time he goes out. (Closely related is the “Holster of the Week” […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 14, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 8

“So, smarty pants – what the best self-defense caliber?” I receive many emails asking, in essence, what the “best” self-defense caliber might be. (Those emails, in fact, have served as the motivation behind this series.) The correspondents are probably expecting sage advice, the wisdom of years, a sort of Ballistic Oracle. What they get is […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 12, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 7

There Is No Such Thing as a Magic Bullet What does that mean, you ask? One of the last bastions of the snake oil salesman is in the field of ammunition promotion. Claims that would make Professor Harold Hill blush are the norm, and are repeated in gunstores, shooting ranges, and deer camps across the […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 5, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 6

“What would I want with a reputation? That’s a good way to get yourself killed!” – Jason McCullough, as played by James Garner, in “Support Your Local Sheriff” (my favorite movie of all time!) What about “reputation”? Some cartridges or loadings have reputations for better effectiveness than others. Sometimes that’s valid, but other times it […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 29, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 5

More energy can be a good thing – as long as it actually does something useful. Last time we discussed the concept of the hollowpoint as a way to increase the frontal diameter of the bullet in the target. I also introduced the idea that it takes energy to expand the bullet, energy that is […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 16, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 4

The bullet is more important than the caliber. We know that our bullet needs to do damage to whatever important thing it manages to find. How, exactly, is that going to occur? It just so happens that most animal tissue (including that of the violent felon who has just attacked you) is remarkably elastic, and […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 8, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 3

Once it gets there, it has to do work. In today’s installment, we’re going to look at the second of the Twin Tasks: 2) The bullet has to do rapid and significant damage to that thing when it arrives. It may not be self evident, but kinetic (moving) energy is either used or conserved (stored.) […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 2, 2008

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 2

If it doesn’t get somewhere, it can’t do something. OK, so we know about the Twin Tasks, the two things that a bullet has to do in order to stop an attacker: 1) It has to get to something the body finds immediately important, and 2) It has to do rapid and significant damage to […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 31, 2008

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