Cheap Guns for Home Defense

No matter what gun you choose, remember safe storage. Bedside options, like the ArmsReach, keep guns secure and close.

Editor’s Note: We’re starting a brand new series here on GunsAmerica, one that will delve deep into the best tools for home defense. But there’s a catch–we’re not looking at guns and gear that will break the bank. We’re looking at the bottom of the price spectrum. These articles will look at affordable ways to get the job done. And here’s the first installment from GunsAmerica writer D.S. Standard:
The Ruskies, Iranians, ISIS, Boko Harum and Al Shabob be damned. They pose limited harm here in the Heartland.But crystal-meth, crack cocaine, molly, mental illness, poverty, corruption, illegal immigration and plain old orneriness have resulted in frequent violent home invasions, assaults and burglaries. These nightmares headline the local news. Coincidentally, the Nation’s police forces appear overworked, overwhelmed, over-regulated, demoralized and  incapable of responding in time to prevent your family from being violently thrust into harm’s way. Unfortunately, it appears it is time, once again, for all decent Americans to plan for the active defense of our homes, and ourselves, against malice-filled evildoers. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Navy SEAL to defend your homestead from invasion, and you don’t need a fortune to get the rugged and reliable tools needed to do the job right. Here is a look at budget conscious, effective and dependable handguns–the logical place to start.

A reliable handgun with sufficient “fight-stopping” power

American law enforcement and the US military have embraced two basic handgun designs for the past 100 years, large-bore revolvers and semiautomatic pistols. Our defense and law enforcement forces have effectively used .38 Special, 9mm and .45 caliber projectiles in laying down the law to the rogues of the world. .357 Magnum and .40 S&W are two additional, well-proven and reliable, fight-stopping, law enforcement calibers. Many, many home and business owners have additionally brandished popular semi-automatic handguns from American firearms manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Springfield Armory, as well as from a variety of foreign gun-makers such as Sig Sauer, Glock, Taurus and Beretta and Browning. The iconic firms of Smith & Wesson, Ruger and Colt have been leading the revolver manufactures, though Taurus and others are taking over.
Large-bore revolvers, also vetted by decades of military and law enforcement hard use, have proven to be more idiot-proof (soldier-proof); but are usually limited to 5 or 6 rounds of lethal business. Semi-automatic pistols generally have higher ammunition capacities, 6-17 rounds of persuasion; but are a bit more complicated to operate and maintain than revolvers. With some training and care, both can be effective, reliable fight stoppers and great assets in your anti-invasion home defense plan.

Don’t let the variety of options get confusing. All of these have bullets that are roughly the same size, but the loads are very different.

Let’s consider the calibers

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special, typically known as the .38 Special, was invented by Smith & Wesson ballisticians in 1898 as a revolver round. Extensively proven, this hand gun was fielded by the US Military during WWI and generally employed by the large majority of American police departments from the Roaring Twenties up until its replacement by lightweight, high-capacity, Glock semi-autos firing the 9mm during the 1990’s. The typical 200 grain .38 of an inch diameter projectile traveled at almost 700 feet per second until it deposited just over 200 foot pounds of energy into its target. Several other sizes of projectiles for the .38spl were fielded by military and law enforcement over the decades of use culminating in the development of the .357 Magnum made famous by the fictional Harry Callahan(AKA Dirty Harry).
The .38Spl cartridge is a proven and reliable man stopper, when placed in an assailant’s center of mass although it has occasionally not performed quickly enough when the target is significantly amped up on drugs or adrenalin. In that case, the Mozambique (2 to the body, 1 to the head) and, or, head shots are recommended. For a home defense round, we rate the .38spl a solid B grade. The .357Magnum is an amped up, more powerful cousin of this round, an A.

Once you decide on a caliber, the options really open up. There are multiple options for bullet designs.

The 9mm cartridge also known as the 9mm Luger and 9x19mm parabellum (Latin for “prepare for war”) was invented in 1902 by Georg Luger for the Luger semi-automatic pistol and the new -fangled submachine gun. To this day it is a NATO military round and carried by many additional military and law enforcement agencies worldwide, including the majority of American police departments and by the US military, in their Beretta M9 pistol, since 1985! My first pistol, the Smith & Wesson Model 39 was chambered in 9mm. I bought it because the cops in my town used it.
9mm pistols typically fire a 124 grain bullet at about 1200 feet per second and dumps just shy of 400 foot pounds of energy into the target while the 115 grain projectile typically travel 1300fps and imparts just over 400 foot pounds of energy into the target. These fairly inexpensive rounds are usually carried in a magazine which provides between 12 and 17 rounds, giving the shooter two to three times the firepower of a six shooter! Many bad guys have been stopped by 9mm rounds although there is a near constant debate among the shooting community of its efficacy and knockdown power. Military expert and civilian shooting champion Ernest Langdon, a friend of mine, swears by it. We recommend, that if forced to employ it, that you place a good number of projectiles in your threats’ center mass, and head, in order to accelerate the stop. Additionally, we recommend you use the same hollow point duty ammo that the police in your community use. (If hollow points, or magazines w more than 10 rounds, are illegal in your jurisdiction, MOVE to a FREE STATE like New Hampshire or Wyoming) Grade B+ due to the capacity and low cost.

In every case, there are bullets meant for training and bullets meant for defense.

The .45ACP cartridge also known as the .45Auto was designed, in 1904, by legendary firearms genius John Moses Browning to provide additional knock down power to our troops after .38 caliber rounds failed to stop enemy troops with sufficient authority. John M. browning’s model1911, .45ACP semi-auto pistol fires the heavy 230 grain bullets at 830FPS and delivers just over 500 foot pounds of energy into the target. Lighter 185 grain .45ACP bullets travel over 1,000FPS to also deliver about the same energy. The US Army’s former General John T. Thompson considered these “real man stoppers.” The larger .45ACP projectile, being significantly larger than the 9mm and .38 projectiles, is known for creating large wound channels in the evil doers impacted by them.
Col. James Cooper, considered by many to be the “Father of Modern Pistol Craft”, swore by this round and is famous for saying “any handgun round is acceptable as long as its caliber starts with the number 4”. Many Special Operations military units, with the liberty to select their, mission-specific firearms, still use the .45ACP in their pistols in order to ensure rapid incapacitation of their targets, despite the fact that the larger cartridge size means fewer rounds in each magazine than a 9mm (7 or 8 vs 13 or 17). Finally, the US Army has been debating returning to the venerable .45ACP for the last decade. My kids can handle the cartridge in a 1911 style pistol, and it’s my go to sidearm WTSHTF. Grade A- due to lesser magazine capacity.
There are listings on GunsAmerica.com for less than $300 that are of suitable caliber for home defense.

Taurus guns offer solid performance at a rock bottom price.

$239- The Taurus Millennium G2 chambered in 9 mm weighs only 22 oz and has a 13 round capacity and 3” barrel. It fires in single or double action modes, has a loaded chamber indicator, an adjustable rear sight and a Picatinny Rail for a weapon light a light or laser. MSRP: $434.59 The more you practice with this 9mm, the more likely you are to hit the intruder’s center of mass. It has been proven that center of mass hits end fights and aggressive behavior from thugs.

Revolvers are making a big comeback.

$269- A used Taurus 82S .38 Special with a 4″ barrel is a classic and reliable handgun with very few parts to ever fail. This timeless six shooter design firing the proven .38spl cartridge has knocked the fight out of many a dirt-bag over the years, and it will certainly comfort you as your front door gets kicked in. Practice frequently so all your shots will hit the perpetrator’s breadbasket.

Big bore, small price tag.

$275- “The Taurus Model PT-845 in .45 ACP caliber features a 4″ barrel, polymer frame, 3-dot sights, ambi safety, accessory rail, DA/SA trigger system, interchangeable grip inserts, mag loader and two 12 round magazines.” Invaders normally find it difficult to continue when 2 or 3 rounds of 230 grain .45ACP projectiles have been introduced into their chest cavity. Sometimes the drug fueled thugs require an additional one or two to the brain pan.

On the higher end of the dollar scale, is the battle-proven Beretta M9 or Model 92. The 9mm Beretta sidearm has been carried by US Service-Men & Women longer than any other sidearm in US Military history. It replaced the Colt Model 1911 .45ACP pistol in 1985 and is carried by the lion’s share of the US Military today, 30 long years of service. The Beretta’s 15 round magazines contain more than twice the ammunition of the 7 round .45ACP it replaced. In deference to such service, I include it in the list and have found one, with an accessory rail and two mags, on GunsAmerica.com for $699. It’s not cheap; but it is not expensive, especially for the proven reliability of the gun.

There is another type of modern handgun and cartridge combo which one might, thoughtfully or purposefully, consider in a desperate home defense situation. I call these “Hi-Capacity Stinger Pistols” (HCSP) as opposed to “fight stoppers.” As thinking beings, we know life involves tradeoffs. In the case of this trype of pistol, we are trading the “knockdown” power or larger projectiles for the enhanced accuracy associated with minimal recoil and rapid
Two examples of these are the .22WMR cartridge fired from the Ketltec PMR 30 semi-automatic pistol and the 5.7×28 cartridge fired by the FNH 5-7 semi-automatic pistol.
The .22 Winchester Magnum cartridge is a significantly amped up .22 caliber projectile. The 30, 40 or 50 grain, hollow-point projectiles are fired at 2300, 2000 and 1800 feet per second from rifles, delivering 300 or more foot pounds of energy into the target. What’s neat is this same round, when fired from a pistol, travels at a considerable 1200-1500FPS out of a hand gun.
The 5.7x28mm cartridge, developed in 1990 together with a Personal Defense Weapon as a high velocity, small caliber, round potentially capable of replacing the venerable 9mm parabellum. Most projectiles are 23, 28 or 31 grains and they typically travel from about 2300 to 2850 feet per second from a 10 inch barrel.

The FNH Five-Seven pistol was developed in 1998, eight years after the FNH 5.7×28mm cartridge was released. The Five-Seven is a lightweight(less than 1 ½ pounds) polymer pistol with a 30 round magazine capacity, ambidextrous controls and low recoil. The 30 round capacity and the ability of the 5.7x28mm round to penetrate body armor, in certain situations, makes this set-up worth considering for a home defense situation. 30 rounds of high-velocity attitude adjustment, in a very lightweight and handy form factor would give me a certain amount of confidence. Another reason I plan to acquire and, severely, test one of these is that it is rapidly being adopted many military and law enforcement units across the world, including the United States Secret Service. Good enough to protect the President, probably good enough to protect your family. There are 11 various FNH 5-7 pistols currently on sale at GunsAmerica.com ranging from $800 to about $1400. $800 is not “low cost”. This is included because the Secret Service endorsement makes me think that the dependability and lethality may be worth a few days of Ramen Noodles and PB&J sandwiches. And, when it comes to defending hearth and home, sacrifices are allowed.

Not the best looking gun, but how much does that matter?

Listed on GunsAmerica.com for $540 the Keltec PMR 30 seems to offer significantly more bang for the buck. The PMR 30 is another pistol on my short list for immediate testing. It is a full-sized, polymer based pistol which holds thirty .22WMR cartridges and weighs less than a pound and a half; fully loaded. It comes pre-drilled to accept a micro-sized red-dot sight and has factory installed fiber optic sights as well. The PMR typically fires it’s .22WMR rounds at 1200 FPS. Again, 30 rounds of 50gr projectiles just might serve you righteously during the dire moments of a violent home invasion. 2 Keltec PMR’s, chambered in the hot .22WMR round, are currently listed. They are both new and include two 30 round magazines. I would certainly recommend installing a Docter Optic or Burris type micro red dot for low-light rapid target acquisition as I suspect most home invasions occur under the cover of darkness, and the dot should help with sight alignment under duress. I repeat, 30 .22 Winchester Magnum rounds. Wow!

The Kel-Tec looks even stranger, but it works great.

The final class of reasonably priced, portable, home-defense implements are the hybrid handgun/shotgun large bore revolvers which fire, either a 45.ACP or .45 Long Colt, and a .410 shot shell. This is a beautiful concept. The defensive home owner now has the option of loading his/her Taurus Judge or Smith & Wesson Governor with a smorgash board of 230 grain .45 ACP rounds and five #000 buckshot pellets encased in each .410 shell. I can envision home invaders, warmly welcomed by this combo meal of lead projectiles, not sticking around for coffee and dessert.

These revolvers offer the option of using a wide variety of ammunition.

There are currently more than a dozen Taurus Judges available on GunsAmerica.com. A used one is available for a very reasonable $250 and $450 seems to be the price for a brand new in the box Judge. With this steel masterpiece, you can now be Judge and Jury within the curtilage of your domain.

They’re bigger than most revolvers, but still concealable.

Ten Smith & Wesson Governors are currently available on GunsAmerica.com. They range in price from $699 to $995 which has them trending out of the “low-cost” segment. The special nature of these weapons, and their particular suitability for home defense, makes me forgive their pricing and include them in this list. I look forward to testing them and determining the reason for the significant difference in pricing between the two brands’ execution of the multiple projectile, big bore revolver.

The special nature of these weapons, and their particular suitability for home defense, makes me forgive their pricing and include them in this list. I look forward to testing them and determining the reason for the significant difference in pricing between the two brands’ execution of the multiple projectile, big bore revolver.

• Note: The Hornady Ammunition company has a unique new self-defense .410 cartridge being sold under their “Critical Defense” Sub-brand. It just sounds awesome and I will try it as soon as I can get my hands on some.
• From their website: “ This .410 shell …the Critical Defense® 410 features a unique Triple Defense™ projectile stack consisting of two 35 caliber round balls topped with one non-jacketed FTX® slug.
• Unique to the Critical Defense 410, the 41 caliber FTX® slug actually engages the gun’s rifling, and contacts the target nose-on, enabling the patented Hornady Flex Tip® technology to assist in expansion for greatly enhanced terminal performance. Each 35 caliber round ball is made of high antimony, cold swaged lead to resist deformation and provide excellent penetration. The 410 Critical Defense is loaded to 750 fps at the muzzle with 294 ft lbs of energy.” Your faithful writer is going to get his hands on some ASAP and fill you in on the hype.

In summation, if you should one day suffer the misfortune of a home invasion, most of the handguns mentioned above should, reliably, be able to help you make the evil doers realize the magnitude and consequence of the error of their ways. Whether the home invaders are repelled by a belly full of .22 Magnum rounds, a face full of .410 slugs, a couple of .38spls through the heart and lungs, an earful of 9mm hollow points, a magazine full of 5.7x28’s through the pelvis or a .45ACP hardball in the nose, if they survive the rapid reorientation of their innards and simultaneous redirection of their bodily fluids, they likely will never invade another home during the remainder of their lives. Unfortunately, guns are the answer to the home invasion. Fortunately, now you have some ideas on which ones you might like to add to your Steel Security Blanket.
Stay tuned every two weeks for another installment of Low Cost Home Invasion Defense Tools. We will discuss, shotguns, rifles, weapon-lights, lasers as well as training, tactics and tips for defending the hearth and home. If guns are the answer, GunsAmerica.com has what you need!
About the Author: D.S. Standard is a poly-lingual international adventurer, a certified NRA instructor, a certified 1 Mile Marksman, and an accomplished martial artist. He and his family hail from New Hampshire, where they try to live up to the State’s “Live Free or Die” credo and they hope that you will experience Liberty, rather than safety, in your lifetime.

DemolitionRanch Tests the Limits of the Can Cannon

https://youtu.be/_oDqeiIA2js

Testing the limits of what a can cannon can do… Don’t try this at home or even at a friend’s house.

Prepping 101: The Silent Kill – But NOT a Silencer!

I don’t suggest that anyone bring a crossbow to a gunfight, but as a survival tool for hunting, killing animals you may have trapped, and possibly taking out intruders under the cover of not a lot of noise, a crossbow is an effective tool.

Horton Crossbow Innovations
http://www.hortoncrossbows.com/shop/horton-legend-ultra-lite/ A friend the other day asked me if I knew anything about setting up a charitable trust to purchase a silencer. He specifically asked because he’d like one for survival, to be able to get in and get out quietly hunting game on public and private land. My answer is what the heck do you want one of those for when you can get a high end crossbow for about the same price? I find it strange that people will go to such lengths to own a contraption that takes 6 months to get, requires a $200 tax and puts you on a list of “special people” with the Federal government, yet balk at spending even close to that on a crossbow that will be far more consistent and useful over time. I think silencers are cool toys as much as the next guy, but if you are going to spend a thousand bucks on the ability to kill man or beast without a lot of commotion, a high end crossbow is extremely effective, and lasts as long as you have bolts. I decided to combine this idea with my review of the new Horton Legend UltraLITE, made by TenPoint, because though some people reading this are already out hunting deer with high end USA made crossbows, but a lot of you have never tried one I’m sure. You might say OUCH at $919, with a scope and three arrows, but this is no Wal-Mart brand from China.

My idea for this article came right about the time that I saw this Horton Legend UltraLITE come up as available for review. It is pretty high on the food chain in crossbow world, and I don’t think you could find an easier or well put together piece of machinery.

The problem that most people make with crossbows, no offense, is buying a cheap one. Then they go on discussion boards and tell people that crossbows aren’t reliable weapons for survival (outside of the apocalypse movies of course), because blah blah and blah blah broke and I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with it. Crossbow technology goes all the way back to the middle ages, and that technology remained mostly unchanged until maybe 15 years ago when there was a push to legalize crossbows for hunting game in the United States. The crossbow is a fairly simple device, and a powerful killer if made right.

Draw Weight Isn’t Everything

This Horton Legend UltraLITE has a 175lb. draw weight, but if you are slight of build don’t fret. Built into the crossbow is a string drawing system called the ACUdraw 50. It consists of two magnetic lawnmower pull handles connected to pulleys, with hooks to grab the string and pull it back into locked position. I found it easy to draw, and much superior to the “fishing reel handle” system I have on my older TenPoint crossbow. With this ACUdraw 50 system, there is nothing to remember, and nothing to lose, and I love it.

This crossbow is different from the other high end crossbows I’ve used because it has a nifty cocking system using two lawnmower pulls. It makes the 175 lb. draw weight effortless. And unlike the “fishing reel” crank systems, there is nothing to lose.

There are also both compound and recurve bow crossbows, sometimes even made by the same company, but the key is the drawing system, and of course, the actual velocity of the arrow. This Horton has a 330 feet per second arrow speed, with a standard lightweight carbon fiber arrow. They weigh about 3/4 of an ounce with the practice tips, and if you do the math (7,000 grains per pound/16 x .75), you get 328 grains. Ballistically that only equals 87 foot pounds of energy, similar to a 25 ACP, but anyone who has hunted with a crossbow will tell you that this number makes no sense. A 25 ACP would penetrate maybe an inch into a deer, but a crossbow bolt usually goes right through, even if it his a bone. This is because the foot pounds calculation is skewed toward velocity, so a slow, heavy, projectile looks weak, when it really pounds through many things that a light and fast bullet won’t.

The ACUdraw 50 system sits on both sides of the stock, and those handles have magnets to hold them down.

As you will see from the assembly pictures, these 100% USA made Horton crossbows are built extremely well and include a lot of experienced design elements that you won’t find in Chinese crossbows that look not that much different, but are in a completely different world. Horton/TenPoint crossbows are made for real hunters, and real hunters spend a lot of money, and even more valuable time, getting out to enjoy their hobby. There is no room for crossbow failure, and that is the assumption that goes into these high quality tools. This Legend Lightweight is only 6.8lbs for the device itself, and with the quiver mounted and full of arrows, plus the included scope it comes in just under 9lbs.

If I have one beef about this crossbow is that is that getting the handles to wind back in can be a little tricky, but the more you do it the more you get the feel for it.

I have had problems with testing my crossbows because they go right through every archery target I have put in front of them. This rips at the feathers, and when the arrow eventually thumps into something solid, the impact flares the front of the arrow and eventually the tip holder falls out. For this article I ordered a just found on Amazon which advertises 400 fps. For my initial shots it does stop the arrow and they are easy to remove, but I don’t think two or more shots in the same hole will probably end up going right through. For this article I decided to sacrifice a couple arrows and shoot directly into an oak tree with the practice tips, just to demonstrate the sheer killing power that a crossbow like this Horton puts into your hands. At 50 yards, the bow came zeroed to point of aim, and sunk those practice tips over an inch and a half into the tree. The second one left the head in the tree actually. I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of this thing with soft body armor against a hunting tip, because my guess is that it would go right through.

The trigger pull on the Legend is a release, not really a regular trigger, but I was able to measure it between 4 and 5 lbs.

The trigger pull on a crossbow is actually pretty crisp, and I bought a special unloading arrow with a big rubber tip so I could test this Horton with my trigger pull gauge. It came in at a pretty consistent just over 4 lbs, and there is no takeup or drag. When you cock the crossbow it puts the safety on for you, so you do have to remember to disengage the safety before firing. I will also warn you that if you purchase a crossbow target, test your accuracy on two different spots instead of the way you would on a firearm, always at the same point of aim. I have split arrows, Robin Hood style, with my TenPoint. Crossbows are deadly accurate and vary very little shot to shot within their range. I hope to return with this crossbow for a night vision hunting article, and I hope we get to test that range, because in my testing so far the range of a crossbow is far beyond the 30-50 yards most people claim.

The safety automatically flips on when you draw the string across the release. You have to remember to turn it off to fire. Note the sticker that says you have to use their bolts with the bumpy backs to them, but I tried others and they worked fine.

Assembling the Legend UltraLITE was pretty easy, but you do have to follow directions. There is a special guide piece that slides on the forearm to guide the cross strings of the compound bow and it has to be greased with a tube they give you. You also have to pull up on the string to seat the bow into the forearm, which when you look at it doesn’t make any sense, but nonetheless, you do. This particular crossbow is what I would consider a top tier in both price and performance. This is one of few crossbows that have an adjustable length of pull and adjustable cheek comb. Both are rock solid, and they come installed, as does the scope (zeroed on mine!), the cocking mechanism and the safety deck. You have to build the quiver, and I got the rubber tube thing backwards in my haste (don’t know what it’s for anyway).

I would never tell anyone to bring a crossbow to a gunfight, but a high end crossbow has a ton of killing power. This is sunk into an oak tree from 50 yards.

There are other Horton and TenPoint crossbows you can get online for much less than the pricetag on this one, but if you feel like it is a deal too good to be true make sure you check what it comes with. They do sell these bows with no cocking device. The Horton name was defunct for a while, so don’t take this review to apply to old Horton crossbows which I have never tried. This “Horton Crossbow Innovations” is a new company, launched in January of this year, and as yet they only have two models, this one and an even niftier one with the arms along the sides, and $300 more expensive. All Horton crossbows are made in Mogadore, OH. Please see the pics for assembly instructions and some basic testing. This crossbow came up for review from our friends at Media Direct just as I was thinking about a Prepping 101 article using my TenPoint, so I jumped on it, mostly because it has the ACUdraw 50 instead of the fishing reel crank, which I am always terrified of losing. At some point I’d like to do a head to head comparison between these two bows and the Chinese copies in the $300-$400 range from the big box stores and online. If you can swing it, and/or you want to try a whole new dimension to your deer or hog hunting, these Horton crossbows aren’t cheap, but in my limited experience, you won’t find better.

The tip had sunk in more than an inch and a half. Do you know a regular compound bow that would penetrate like that?	The scope on the Legend came zeroed to point of aim, even though you have to assemble the bow. It adjusts like any rifle scope but has graduated lines inside for distance to match the crossbow.
This is how the contents of the box arrive. There are only two main steps besides the quiver.	This guide clips to the string and has slots for the higher and lower string. The crossbow comes with this lubricant for it, and it slides in easy.
To seat the bow into the forearm, you push down while pulling up on the string.	Then there is one set screw, and two others for the foot stirrup used for cocking. That’s it!
The crossbow comes with the Allen wrenches you need for assembly, but the quiver does not.	The quiver clips on and off much like the head on a consumer camera tripod, and it seems very solid.
This Bone Collector target linked in the article was able to stop the bolts short of the feathers, but I don’t know if it will do it twice in the same hole. Note that this was offhand, 20 yards away, and two of the arrows are touching. Use different points of aim when you test your crossbow or you will split arrows.	Though I doubt these will ever be collectible, the low number serial numbers show you how few of these are made. They are for elite hunters and survivalists.

Ammo Test: Remington’s Ultimate Defense 38 Special +P

For the first couple episodes of the Great GunsAmerica Ammo Adventure, we looked at some interesting rifle rounds: the new Sig Sauer 300 Blackout Match Subsonic and Doubletap’s new 6.8 Remington SPC 90 grain Bonded Defense. They’re both really interesting, and if you consider the results, high-performance rifle cartridges. Now it’s time to drift into every day carry territory. For the next few episodes, we’ll take a close look at really common caliber options that make up a large proportion of concealed carry firearms.
This week’s feature is the Remington Ultimate Defense 38 Special +P 125 grain. If you look at the new Ultimate Defense bullets, they might seem familiar. They share the design of the famous Golden Saber projectiles. One difference you may encounter in the product family is that Remington is developing some loads optimized for short barrel handguns. Projectiles for the Compact Handgun loads are intended to expand more easily at lower velocities generated from shorter barrel guns.
I’ve got a number of calibers in the Remington Ultimate Defense lineup ready for testing, and from my observation, the product line seems to focus primarily on standard weight and standard pressure loads. This one is a +P, but all the others I have so far are normal pressure. Why? I would presume controllability. Standard pressure rounds will offer less recoil snap, less muzzle rise, and the ability to get back on target more quickly after each shot.

For this test, I decided to use a snub-nose revolver, a Ruger LCR 357.

Shootin’ the Jello

Before I talk about gelatin test results, I need to do some housekeeping for the Great GunsAmerica Ammo Adventure Series. We’ll test everything for velocity, function, accuracy, and performance in ballistic gelatin. When it comes to gelatin testing, we’re going to establish some testing rules for every load. The idea is to offer a consistent load to load comparison based on anticipated real world defensive scenarios. When the FBI or police departments test ammo, they test lots of scenarios that are far less likely to be used in a self-defense situation. While it’s possible that self-defense shots may need to go through a car window, door or other barrier, we’re going to focus on the most common situation: shooting through clothing barriers.

I used the FBI heavy fabric barrier in front of fresh Clear Ballistics 10% gel blocks.

With that said, the most consistent way to do this is to use the exact FBI testing scenario for fabric layers. The new “heavy clothing” protocol is:
1 layer of cotton t-shirt material (approximately 5.25 ounces per yard, 48 threads per inch)
1 layer of cotton shirt material (approximately 3.5 ounces per yard, 80 threads per inch)
1 layer of Malden Mills Polartec 200 fleece
1 layer of cotton denim (approximately 14.4 ounces per yard, 50 threads per inch).
For evaluation of personal defense ammunition, I like this medium. While nothing in the lab can replicate real world variables, this is a pretty likely scenario for the armed civilian market. Over years of testing, I’ve also found that medium to heavy fabric barriers like this can make all the difference. Virtually any projectile will penetrate and expand properly in bare, uncovered ballistic gelatin. When you add a clothing barrier, things tend to get inconsistent quickly.

Most rounds expanded, leaving a visibly dramatic wound channel.

For these tests, I’m using Clear Ballistics 10% gelatin packaged in 6” x 6” x 16” blocks and shooting at them from a distance of ten feet. The heavy fabric clothing barrier is wrapped around the front of the block, but not stretched.
At the time of this test, there was no Compact Handgun version of the .38 Special +P load on the market. I’m not yet sure if Remington will produce one or not. Most boxes in the Ultimate Defense line have no marking indicating intended use, but I’m starting to see some marked with “Full-Size Handgun” or “Compact Handgun.” We’ll have to see, but right now, it’s a little confusing with three different package labels floating around the retail shelves.

One of the rounds fired into bare gelatin.

I first fired five shots into a fresh gelatin block covered with the four-layer heavy fabric. Three of the five rounds expanded while two showed minimal expansion. Note the dramatic wound tracks in the photos. All five rounds passed completely through the 16” gelatin block, so if anything, penetration might have been a little more than expected.
Just for fun, I fired five more shots into a fresh bare gelatin block. All of the rounds expanded in this scenario, and four of the five exited the back of the block. The fifth penetrated about 15 ½ inches.
I didn’t bother to place a second block behind the first to measure exact penetration depth because, quite frankly, I didn’t expect more than 16 inches of penetration if expansion occurred. However, the rounds that passed through were mostly spent so you might assume average penetration in the 17-inch range, give or take.
I weighed the expanded bullet here and it kept the vast majority of its pre-shot weight with 124.3 grains.

Velocity and accuracy

Doing formal accuracy testing with .38 Special ammo that would likely be used from a snub-nosed revolver at a distance measured in feet is a bit silly. But just for fun, I set up a target and 15 yards down range and fired some groups from a sandbag rest using the Ruger LCR 357 revolver shown in the pictures here. Even with a very rough sight picture with the LCR’s channel rear sight, I shot fired some 5-shot accuracy groups. To reduce the effect of sight picture and user error, I measured the best 3 in a number of 5-shot groups. Bottom line? This ammo, fired from the Ruger LCR 357, hits right at the point of aim and grouped into a hair less than one-inch. Excellent. I’m not making claims here about the mechanical accuracy of this ammo or the gun that fired it. Rather, I’m verifying that shots are going to go right where you would expect on a consistent basis.
Even as a +P loading, the was a tame round to shoot. As I mentioned earlier, I think that’s part of Remington’s strategy with this series.

At 15 yards, point of impact was perfectly consistent with point of aim.

I set up a Shooting Chrony Beta Master chronograph 15 feet downrange and fired 10-shot strings to capture velocity and get some indication of variance between rounds.
Average Velocity: 878 feet per second
Slowest: 833.9 fps
Fastest: 916.9 fps
Extreme Spread: 83 fps
Standard Deviation: 30.34
Velocity was right what I expected. The Remington website claims 975 feet per second, but it also derives that measurement using a 4-inch barrel. Lose two inches of barrel length, with about a 50 feet per second velocity reduction per inch, and we’re right on target.
This round worked well in a snub-nose revolver. Based on its performance in a 1 ⅞” barrel, I would expect even better performance in a home defense gun with a 3 or 4-inch barrel.

Shooting History-Winchester 1873-Old Gun Review

Buy one on GunsAmerica: http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=1873%20winchester
Shooting History is our continuing series where we take some old guns, shoot them and write them up like they were a new review gun.  The round counts are a bit lower as these old guns have already done that part.  Check out our past articles in this series if you have missed them here.  If there is a gun (or guns) you would like to see covered in this series be sure to comment below and we will do our best to get a “shooter.”

1873 Winchester

Model 1873

1873 was a big year in the firearms world.  Colt’s new single action was adopted by the Army and Winchester came out with their best lever action to date.  Originally chambered in .44 W.C.F., aka 44-40, the 1873 Winchester was the most powerful of the lever guns when it was introduced.  This was a huge step forward from the rimfire .44 caliber used in the Henry and earlier Winchester rifles. It could be said that the 1873 is the rifle that “made” Winchester.
From 1873 until 1919 Winchester made over 720,000 of the 1873.  They came in 3 major different configurations and barrel lengths: 24 inch rifle, 20 inch carbine and 30 inch barreled musket.  There were other barrel lengths offered as custom orders. Round and octagon barrels were also available. The 1873 was primarily  chambered in 44-40, 38-40 and 32-20.  There were also a few that were made in .22 long and short.

Design

The roots of the 1873 design can be traced back to the Volcanic Arms rifles and pistols.  The next step was the 1860 Henry Rifle.  This is the first to use what is called the toggle link action, more on it later.  The 1866 Winchester brought the side loading gate under Kings Patent that we all recognize on the side of a Winchester.  But those were made from the bronze/brass frame like the Henry.  It is the 1873 that first used an iron, and later steel, frame.  This made a stronger and lighter rifle.
The toggle link action is the heart of the 1873. It is simple, reliable, smooth and fast.  There is a reason that a huge majority of the Cowboy Action shooters use a ’73 for competition. It is all about the smooth and fast.  The newer Winchester designs are a lot stronger but they don’t have the super slick feel to them.  See the pictures to see how the action moves.

The brass you see is part of the lifter.

This is the basic function of the action:

• Lever moved forward pulls the bolt back and cocks hammer
• A new cartridge is pushed out of the magazine tube into the lifter
• Lever all the way forward raised the lifter to aline the cartridge with the barrel
• Lever pulled back moves the bolt forward pushing the cartridge into the chamber
• Lifter falls when lever is all the way back

There is one thing that will lock up an 1873. The action depends on the overall case length of the cartridge. Too short of a cartridge and the next one in the magazine will block the lifter from raising.  Too long and the cartridge that is being loaded will hang up on the frame. That is the reason 44-40, 38-40 and 32-20 have the same length. The .22 versions used a smaller lifter block.

This Old Gun

Hardly any finish left on this old gal.

The review gun was made in 1903. Even though there were new and stronger Winchester designs being made, the 1873 remained popular. One of the main reasons was the price.  In 1900 you could buy a new ’73 for around $12.  The ’94 sold for about $17 for comparison.  The review gun and two boxes of ammo was bought with a barrel of sorghum molasses.  I know this because it was my great-great grandfathers rifle. I also still take it out of the safe every other year or so to go hunting on land he owned.
This one is a rifle and has a 24 inch barrel.  It holds 15 rounds in the tube magazine.  Most of the original bluing is long gone, with just a little showing in a few places.  It has some nicks, dents and bruises.  Someone in my family refinished the stock and forearm at some point.  This is not in a highly collectable or valuable condition.  But it is worth more to me than anything else in my safe.

38-40

Right at 1,300 fps from the old Winchester in an old Winchester.

This 1873 is in 38 WCF or 38-40 which was the 2nd most popular cambering for the 1873 next to 44-40.  The 38-40 is an interesting cartridge. It is not a .38 caliber that a lot of people assume it is.  It is actually a .40 caliber.  This was originally a black powder load. But there have been smokeless loads available not long after smokeless powder was first offered.  Most commercially available 38-40 loads, in the past and present, have a 180 grain bullet that moves around 1,200 fps out of a rifle length barrel.  There is another round that reminds me of.  A .40 caliber 180 grain bullet at 1,200 fps… yep, you could think of the .40 S&W as the auto loading version of this almost 140 year old cartridge.  In theory, it would be possible to also push the 38-40 up into the 10mm range. There is plenty of room in the case to do that.  Of course these old Winchesters were not made to handle anywhere near those pressures.  Ruger chambers a Blackhawk or a Vaquero in 38-40 from time to time and those would be the best candidates for doing that.  This all assumes that the brass could take the pressure.  I for sure wouldn’t try it, but like I said, it could be done and I am sure someone has tried it.

Old Winchester on top, Ultramax on bottom.

There is also some variation in the cartridge case sizes.  SAAMI didn’t exist back in 1879 when the 38-40 was designed.  Take a look at the pictures to see two different ones.  I have some old Winchesters that have a lower and sharper angled shoulder than most of the modern cases that are available.  My 73 will chamber and fire both of them without issue but I have heard about some modern reproduction, especially Colt Single Action clones, that the new bass will not fit.

Shooting

This old rifle still shoots great.  I put 50 rounds through it for this review and never had an issue.  Over the years I have probably put another 100-150 through it with the same results. These guns simply work. Shooting was done from 50 yards and the groups were consistently a little over an inch with one pushing 2 inches.  These were all shot with the Ultramax ammo. I am sure if I took the time to work up a load and experiment with different bullets the groups could be tightened up a bit.  But this is not a sub MOA rifle or cartridge. Good enough for a 50-100 yard deer rifle. Kind of like a pistol caliber rifle.  Which is exactly what the 1873 is.

Relevant?

I have been ending the Shooting History series by asking if the firearm in question are still relevant today. If you are a Cowboy Action shooter the 1873 Winchester is very relevant.  There is a reason it is the most common style of rifle used at SASS matches. The action on a ’73 is flat out awesome.  Not the strongest by a long shot, be easily the smoothest and fastest.  Is it relevant as a hunting rifle? Well, it will work. But there are better choices out there.  A Model 94 Winchester in 30-30 will do a better job and is still a 19th century designed lever action.
Winchester is still making these.  Well, I should say there are new production 1873s with the Winchester name on them.  They are being made by Miroku in Japan.  You can check out our full review of the new one here.

It says .38 cal but it is really a .40.

38 Winchester Center Fire.

Cleaning rod storage in the stock.

The toggle link action closed.

Action open. It works kind like a knuckle.

Ultramax 180 gr averaged out to 1026 fts.

Best group from 50 yards.

This one opened up a bit and was a different shooter. Yes, those are coffee stains on the target.

Old Winchesters for an old Winchester.

Box says 1330 fts, we got 1298. Pretty close.

Winchester on left Ultramax on right. All groups were shot with Ultramax.

Trigger breaks right at 3 pounds.

Detail on the hammer.

This rifle spent most of its life 5 miles from where Dizzy Dean was born. Go red birds.