Other than Dave Westerhout’s 1977 IPSC World Shoot win, the classic Browning Hi-Power hasn’t made much of a dent in the reign of the M1911 and CZ75-pattern pistols’ dominance of practical shooting competition. That said, this still hasn’t kept some gunsmiths and competitors from tilting at windmills. Today, we are going to show some classicContinue reading “Browning Hi-Power Raceguns”
Author Archives: D.E. Watters
Another Colt Prototype – A Pony Ready for the Glue Factory
Object Lesson for the Firearms Industry: If he didn’t start the company, don’t let your president think he can out-design the engineering staff. C. Edward Warner was Colt Industries Firearms Division’s president from August 1975 to June 1981. He had transferred over from his previous position as president of Colt Industries Elox Division, a manufacturerContinue reading “Another Colt Prototype – A Pony Ready for the Glue Factory”
Beretta 92X Performance Racegun
A commenter mentioned yesterday never having seen anyone running a Beretta 92 racegun. In 2019, Beretta tried to change that image by introducing the 92X Performance series. They also signed competition shooter J.J. Racaza to a six-year contract.
Mystery Colt Prototype – A Horse With No Name
I’ve seen Colt’s patent for this .22LR pistol several times in the past, but only now realized that the actual prototype has been in the wild since October 2008. It also passed through RIAC’s hands in 2011, who I believe was the source of these photos. The anodized blue section is the magazine. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3665631A
Drama Llama – The Llama M87 Racegun
I always find it amusing to see firearm companies attempt to turn their basic staid service pistols into a competition-worthy configuration. Witness how Llama tried to turn the basic M82 into the M87 Comp Gun. At its heart, the M82/M87 was a Beretta 92 clone with an enclosed slide, steel frame, and configured frame tang.Continue reading “Drama Llama – The Llama M87 Racegun”
Colt & the .400 Winchester Magnum
Some of the development update articles from that era (1962-1963) written by both Elmer Keith in Guns & Ammo and Duke Roberts in Gun World give the distinct impression that the early development of the .41 Magnum originally centered on a .40 caliber cartridge, and not .41 caliber. Why did they change from .40 toContinue reading “Colt & the .400 Winchester Magnum”
Blast(er) From the Past – The Göncz High-Tech
Ah, the 1980s! Remember that innocent age when some designers thought that a three pound semi-auto pistol could be useful? Hungarian-émigré designer Lajos John Göncz developed his “High-Tech” pistol in 1984. Göncz originally envisioned a select-fire submachinegun that would be suitable for carry like a standard pistol. Göncz wanted to submit his design to theContinue reading “Blast(er) From the Past – The Göncz High-Tech”
Classic Colt Promo Videos for the M16A2 and M4
Check out these classic Colt promo videos from the 1980s and early 1990s. Note that the M4 on display mostly have fixed carry handles, with the exception of the “new” M4A1.
Novak TRI 2011 for Ken Hackathorn
Most of you here should recognize the name of veteran firearms instructor Ken Hackathorn. His history is a bit off here as the first Strayer/Tripp 2011 modular frames were unveiled at the 1992 SHOT Show. Jerry Barnhart even used a Wilson Combat-modified 2011 to win the 1992 USPSA Nationals. The early Chip McCormick-marketed frames wereContinue reading “Novak TRI 2011 for Ken Hackathorn”
10 Years with the Colt 901 (Part 2)
Shawn asked me to do a data dump on the Colt 901 for Part 2 of the series. Initial Modular Rifle PatentsPaul Hochstrate, Laurance Robbins, and Arthur F. Daigle Colt engineers first filed a patent application for their Modular Rifle design in June 2004. “…(M)agazine well 46 may be replaceable and removable such that magazine well 46 may beContinue reading “10 Years with the Colt 901 (Part 2)”
Scattered Shots 