Chapter 22 Classic Handgun Ammunition of the 20th Century
Directory of Handgun Manufacturers, Importers & Distributors
INTRODUCTION A LOOK AT HANDGUN DESIGN DURING THE LAST TWO CENTURIES
Compared to the 20th century, the previous 100 years saw the greatest advances in handgun, and for that matter, firearms design. During the 20th century, handgun design had pretty much culminated by the 1930s. The remaining 70 years really saw just the refinement of the already established design principles.
High points of 19th century firearms development started with the invention of the percussion cap ignition system. This enabled Samuel Colt to perfect the revolving pistol or revolver, the first practical repeating firearm.
Shortly afterwards, self-contained ammunition was invented, which led first to the cartridge revolver and later, when combined with the advent of smokeless powder, to the first self-loading firearms.
Thus, by the start of the 20th century, the revolver design was fully developed and the semi-automatic pistol was well established as a viable weapon. By the 1930s, both handgun types had been developed to a point of maturity.
By the mid-1930s, most of the major handgun developments had occurred, including the introduction of the high-capacity FN High Power auto pistol. Revolver development of the same period saw the introduction of the first magnum cartridge and revolver in the form of the 357 S&W Magnum.
For the remainder of the century, handgun advances were directed mainly towards new and improved materials such as stainless steel, titanium and scandium aluminum alloy. Probably the most significant material advancement is in the use of plastics and carbon fibers. The Austrian Glock pistol broke new ground in this respect. All these materials have enabled handguns to become lighter and more compact.
HANDGUN AMMUNITION DEVELOPMENT
While no new significant handgun designs occurred after the end of World War II, there have been significant ammunition advances. Today’s handgun ammunition is more reliable and effective than ever before.
In terms of reliability, improvements began during the 1970s and into the 1980s. This improvement in reliability was also accompanied by improvement in the stopping effectiveness of ammunition. Much of the latter was prompted by law enforcement concerns about the ability of 38 Special cartridges in neutralizing determined attackers.
While more effective cartridges already existed in the large caliber rounds and the magnums, their heavy recoil made them difficult to shoot quickly and accurately. A fairly effective solution was found by producing high-velocity 38 cartridges with hollow-point bullets. The latter were designed to expand on impact, creating a wounding effect comparable to that made by a larger caliber bullet.
Initially the hollow-point bullets did not work reliably in semi-automatic handguns. In time, these problems were overcome by both ammunition and handgun manufacturers.
The previous century has produced a number of handguns that have become classics like the 1911 45 pistol (right). Some guns like the Colt Single-Action Army revolver (left) were actually made in the 19th Century.
SMART GUN TECHNOLOGY
Smart gun technology involves designing a handgun that can only be used by its lawful owner. From a police perspective, this provides protection for police officers who have had their sidearm taken by a criminal. A disturbingly high number of officers killed in the line of duty are shot with their own guns. In such instances, a smart gun becomes inoperable.
An early type of smart gun has been around for some time in the form of a magnetic-operated lock that prevents the gun’s trigger mechanism from being operated. The key to unlock the mechanism is a magnetized ring worn on a finger of the shooting hand of a gun owner or police officer. When the gun is gripped in a normal manner, the trigger is unlocked. The ring is the key to the system, so for weak-hand operation of the gun, rings have to be worn on both hands. One disadvantage is that the ring or rings must be worn at all times. Another detraction is that the rings can adversely affect the magnetized strips on credit cards.
During the 1990s, Colt Manufacturing Company announced they were exploring the feasibility of developing a practical smart gun. No doubt, the company hoped that, if successful, they would capture a large share of the police handgun market. In addition, they hoped to score some good public relations by developing a handgun that could safeguard against accidental shootings involving children.
The new technology is based on the same concept of an internal method of locking the gun’s firing mechanism in a manner similar to that of the magnetized ring. The main difference is the magnetic lock has been replaced by a microprocessor. The key is a microchip contained in a wrist bracelet.
Many firearms companies and Second Amendment proponents were concerned the gun control advocates would use the smart gun concept as a weapon to further their cause. Unfortunately, such warnings proved to be true as gun control supporters pushed for and sometimes succeeded in getting legislation requiring gun manufacturers to have smart guns in production by a fixed future date. When the due date arrived, only smart guns would be deemed as being legal.
All this coincided with a spate of lawsuits sponsored by city governments and gun control groups trying to make gunmakers liable for the wrongful and criminal misuse of their products.
The final blow came when the Clinton administration succeeded in pressing Smith & Wesson into an agreement where they accepted some responsibility for the sale and distribution of their firearms. Smith & Wesson also agreed to continue to explore the smart gun concept. In return, the company was offered favorable terms in limiting lawsuits against them by cities and the sale of their handguns to police departments. While Smith & Wesson was obviously motivated by the hope of reducing their legal costs in fighting the numerous lawsuits made against them, they were the only gun company to enter into this agreement. And this action has hurt them. There have been calls of “Sell out” by pro-gun supporters, who have penalized Smith & Wesson by boycotting their guns in the marketplace.
This has had the effect of dampening smart gun development. Colt, in serious financial difficulties, announced they were discontinuing their involvement in the project. A number of other companies, however, are offering built-in manual trigger and hammerlocks on their handguns.
The problem with the smart gun concept is the danger of a system failure that results in a gun that cannot be unlocked. The ideal goal is a system that unlocks when it identifies an authorized user by some personal characteristics such as fingerprint or even DNA. Smart gun technology is, at best, a concept that may be viable at some future undetermined date.
Except for a few pistols like the Glock 17 and the HKP7 (bottom) there have been few radical developments in handgun design during the post-World War II period. Instead, there have been some significant advances in handgun ammunition.
THECOLT SINGLE-ACTION ARMY REVOLVER
Born in the 19th Century and Still Going Strong
Although the Colt Model P “Peacemaker” revolver was introduced in 1873, the fact that it remains in production today is reason enough for it to qualify as a classic handgun. Production of the Single-Action Army (SAA) ceased twice, but popular