Smith and Wesson Night Guard Revolvers

10mm Night Guard Revolver — This is the 10mm version of the Night Guard. It also fired the .40 S&W cartridge.

Introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show, the Night Guard line of revolvers is a collection of high-end self-defense revolvers.Â The Smith & Wesson Night Guard revolvers are chambered in a wide range of calibers, from .38 Special to .44 Magnum.

The Night Guard series of handguns were “specifically built for self-defense,” said Tom Taylor, the president of Smith and Wesson at the time of the introduction.

Built from scandium alloy, Smith & Wesson used K, L and N frames – all larger than the J-frames normally seen in the Airweight line.Â The larger frames, along with the additional features listed below, indicate these guns are built for combat – not just carry.Â The guns are relatively lightweight, yet heavy duty.

All of the Night Guard revolvers come with an XS Sights 24/7 night sight that has a tritium insert.Â The fixed rear sights are Extreme Duty U-notch sights from Cylinder & Slide.Â The front sights are pinned should you wish to change them for something different.

The hammers are exposed on all of the Night Guard revolvers.Â While an exposed hammer does create the potential for snagging during a draw, it does give the shooter the option for a precision, single-action shot.

New Sako A7 Rifle from Beretta

by: Richard Johnson 5 Comments

Beretta USA announced they are offering for the first time a Sako rifle with a sub-$1000 list price. Â (Ed. note: scroll to the bottom of the page for the latest information on the Sako A7 rifles.)

The Sako A7 offers same “five shot, one inch group at 100 yards” guarantee that comes with all Sako rifles, along with the requisite fit, finish, and craftsmanship the Sako name has come to represent.

Chris Klass, the marketing manager for Beretta, said this Sako was designed “specifically for the average American hunter.” Klass, while speaking to Tom Gresham on Gun Talk, said that modern production techniques have allowed Beretta to produce this high quality rifle at a very affordable price.

Ruger SR9 Pistol with OD Green Frame

by: Richard Johnson 2 Comments

At the 2008 SHOT Show, Ruger announced that their run-away hit pistol, the Ruger SR9, will now be available with an OD green frame.

One of the thinnest, full sized handguns in production, the Ruger SR-9 has quickly become very popular with the self-defense and concealed carry buyers. Now with the availability of the OD green frame, Ruger’s customers have one additional way to customize their pistol.

The SR9 with the OD green frame and blackened stainless slide retails for $565 and comes with two 17 round magazines. Â It is otherwise the same gun with the same features as the original Ruger SR9. Â It will be interesting to see if the company introduces any additional frame colors or variations to this line of pistols. Â I could see something in flat dark earth or coyote brown being of interest. Â Likewise a pink pistol could be popular with some folks.

Often times, a company will make a limited run of pistols for specific distributors or dealers if enough are ordered at one time. Â Ruger frequently work with Davidsons and other companies to make limited edition pistols and rifles. Â It is possible we will see more variations of the SR9 in the future.

Editor’s note: Â This gun has since been discontinued. Â It was only in production for a limited time. Â If you have one, you might want to hold onto to it. Â I am surprised that this gun did not do much better (sales-wise) than it did. Â Generally, OD- and FDE- (flat dark earth) framed handguns have sold well in recent years. Â If anyone is interested, I will ask a Ruger rep about any future frame colors at the next SHOT Show.

Since the time this article was written, Ruger expanded the SR-line of pistols to include the SR40 and SR45 handguns in .40 S&W and .45 ACP calibers respectively.

Ruger LCP Pistol in .380 ACP

by: Richard Johnson 58 Comments

Sturm, Ruger and Company just released a new concealed carry handgun: the Ruger LCP . Â The new handgun is chambered for the moderately powered .380 ACP cartridge.

According to Ruger, the “LCP” initials stand for Lightweight Compact Pistol. Â It would appear it gets that name for good reason. Weighing only 9.4 oz unloaded, the polymer framed gun has an overall length of only 5.16″ and a width of a mere 0.82″. The barrel is 2.75″ long and the trigger pull is an even 8 pounds.

Although the new pistol looks like a Kel-Tec P3AT, Stephen L. Sanetti, president of Sturm, Ruger & Co., was quick to point out that the LCP is not cheaply made during an appearance on the Gun Talk radio program. Sanetti told Tom Gresham, the radio show host, that the LCP has a machined extractor, loaded chamber indicator, and a slide stop (hold open) which are features not found on other brands of pistols in this category.

.327 Federal Magnum EFMJ Ammunition

by: Richard Johnson 1 Comment

At the 2008 SHOT show, Federal Premium Ammunition announced a new load for the .327 Federal Magnum: the EFMJ. The EFMJ, or Expanding Full Metal Jacket, bullet is a bullet that has an internal rubber piece that collapses when the bullet impacts thetarget, allowing the front edge to widen, expanding to a width much greater than the unfired bullet. Unlike a hollow point design, it is literally impossible to “plug” it with any material, thereby guaranteeing expansion.

Federal is already loading the Hydra-Shok and a soft point round for the .327 Magnum. Federal’s sister company, Speer, is also loading the Gold Dot bullet in a .327 Federal Magnum offering.

Editor’s note: Â The .327 Magnum EFMJ round was eventually discontinued due to a lack of demand. Â As of this update (March 2013), the .327 Magnum has not caught the imagination of much of the buying public. Â While good quality self defense rounds exist for this cartridge, the EFMJ is no longer loaded. Â Currently, the Hydra-Shok and Gold Dot are still offered.

Smith and Wesson M&P Pistols Adopted by 276 Police Departments

by: Richard Johnson 24 Comments

Smith and Wesson has encountered a great deal of success with their M&P line of pistols. These polymer pistols have taken the shooting world by storm, and 2008 looks like another good year for M&P sales.

Polymer duty pistols were once the exclusive domain of Glock, but no more. “To date, 276 domestic law enforcement agencies have purchased, approved for purchase, or approved for on-duty carry” the Smith and Wesson M&P line of pistols said Leland Nichols, president of Smith and Wesson Corporation.

The latest agency to place an order for M&P40 pistols is the Colorado Springs Police Department. The CSPD order of 500 M&P40 pistols is separate from the order of 850 M&P pistols made by the Colorado State Police earlier in the week.