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A Century of Opposition to New York’s Sullivan Law

A Century of Opposition to New York’s Sullivan Law

On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s discretionary carry licensing regime as a violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms in the NRA-backed case NYSRPA v. Bruen. The law at issue was the modern version New York’s Sullivan Law, which was enacted in 1911.

Named for notorious Tammany Hall political boss “Big” Tim Sullivan, the law imbued bribery and favoritism into the licensing process and empowered those with racial, ethnic, or other prejudice to prevent those they disfavor from exercising their Second Amendment rights.

Gun owners should understand that this victory was the culmination of more than a century of opposition to the Sullivan Law. In that spirit, NRA-ILA would like to share materials from its archive chronicling some of the early gun owner resistance to the measure.

As evidenced by the pages of American Rifleman precursor Arms and the Man magazine, gun owners were skeptical of the New York pistol licensing regime from the start. In 1911, Arms and the Man operated as the unofficial journal of the NRA. The magazine would be purchased by NRA in 1916 for one dollar and was renamed the American Rifleman in 1923.

The publication took New York’s politicians to task in the June 8, 1911 edition of the magazine with an article titled “An Obnoxious Arms Law.” Describing the Sullivan Law, the publication explained,

Ostensibly directed towards the use of concealed weapons by unworthy persons, it actually will accomplish an infringement of the guarantees of liberty contained in the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution says in the Second Amendment: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

In the meaning of those who wrote the Constitution the word “militia” embraced every able-bodied citizen.

The piece went on to note,

The law may be expected to operate in a prohibitive manner against good citizens, who, if they had weapons, would do no harm with them, and to be inoperative against bad men whose disregard for the laws relative to killing may be expected to extend to other laws.

This was followed by an article in the September 28, 1911 Arms and the Man titled, “The New York Pistol Problem.” The item stated,

Considerable agitation and much uncertainty exists in New York and vicinity at the present time with regard to the so-called “Sullivan Pistol Law.” As far as can be ascertained the only “good” the law, which went into effect September 1, has done, has been to… cause a great deal of inconvenience to numerous members of the rifle and revolver associations of New York and vicinity, and make the Attorney General and the District Attorney, judges and police officials sit up nights and try to place an interpretation on this law…

[W]hat has really been accomplished has been to take away from peaceful and law-abiding citizens the opportunity to shoot.

NRA members and other gun owners didn’t warm up to the law once they saw it in practice. In 1931 and 1932, a serious effort was made to amend the law to make it easier for law-abiding New Yorkers to exercise their rights.

In May 1932, the American Rifleman published a piece titled, “Governor Roosevelt Upholds Sullivan Law.” The piece explained how then-New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt rejected legislation passed by the New York State Assembly to repeal and replace the Sullivan Law and challenged a Roosevelt statement that accompanied the veto. Describing the legislation, the magazine noted,

[the bill] would have repealed the Sullivan Law in New York State, and would have substituted a sensible law, which, the Governor of New York State admits, a great many sportsmen had urged him to approve.

The piece went on to excoriate Roosevelt for defending the Sullivan Law, stating that,

[NRA] is grinding no political axe when it takes exception to the shallow, fallacious and uninformed views of the present Governor of New York in regard to the needs of the public welfare in matters pertaining to firearms.

In his veto message, Roosevelt specifically downplayed the use of handguns for self-defense, to which the American Rifleman responded,

Readers of THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN who have been following the monthly listing of cases called to our attention in which private citizens armed with the pistol have successfully protected their lives and property and assisted in the apprehension of criminals, and who have probably been making mental notes of many additional cases of a similar type published in their local newspapers, will have small patience with the theoretical self-protection argument used by Governor Roosevelt in his veto message. These readers of THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN may seriously question just how much alive to important public-welfare problems involving the citizens of his own state Governor Roosevelt has been, in failing to investigate how much theory there is in the self-protection afforded by a good gun in the hands of a man who knows how to use it.

Taking up the fight for target shooters, the piece expressed disgust that law-abiding New Yorkers were,

subjected to the inconvenience of a czarist-type police supervision, discrimination and political byplay in order to enjoy a sport which provides not only recreation, but meets an obligation of good sportsmanship both in preservation of local order and the protection of national rights.

Alongside the re-publication of a news article about the U.S. Senate examining the efficacy of the Sullivan Law, in May 1936 the American Rifleman published a letter from an NRA member in Brooklyn, New York in the magazine’s Guns vs. Bandits section (precursor to the Armed Citizen). Titled, “How the Sullivan Law Works,” the member explained,

I put in an application with the Police Department for a pistol permit and I have been refused. It took them two months to make up their minds to disapprove my application…

Gentlemen, I am calling for your aid. I am a legitimate business man in the finance business, I am a sportsman and have an inherent love for guns, I have won medals, been a member of the C.M.T.C. for two years, and I can handle a gun. I am treasurer of this company and it is my duty to handle large sums of money and deposit them at the end of the day. I have never been arrested in my life. I can submit an unlimited number of character witnesses as well as business references. My bank will vouch for my responsibility and personal and business integrity.

It is a ridiculous system of society which allows thieves to get all the pistols, gas bombs, machine guns, etc., with very little difficulty but stops an honest citizen from getting a pistol to protect himself and his interests from our modern highly organized crime.

You would almost think that criminal lords have such powers that they have issued instructions to the New York Police Department to refuse permits for pistols to all legitimate citizens, so that robbing will not be such a hazardous occupation.

A quarter-century later, the American Rifleman revisited the history of the Sullivan Law in an April 1962 article titled, “The Sullivan Law: The origin and complexity of New York State’s concealable weapons law.” As the title implied, the author surveyed the then-half-century history of the Sullivan Law using a variety of sources.

Despite his scholarly effort, the author did not come away with a complete understanding the unconstitutional measure. The item noted,

After considerable study, I find that there isn’t really one Sullivan Law, nor does it relate to pistols alone, nor is it forthright, nor was it understood by most of the legislators who passed it. The law itself, together with its more than 50 amendments, is so complicated that judges, prosecutors, police chiefs, and defense attorneys have widely divergent opinions as to what it all means.

Identifying the chief constitutional defect in the law, the piece explained,

The license-issuing authority (police commissioner in New York City and Nassau County; elsewhere, judge or justice of a court of record in the county of residence) has almost unlimited discretionary power in passing upon a licensing application. Thus, he may, and frequently does, deny an applicant fully qualified in every respect on the arbitrary ground that he does not choose to issue a license. Moreover, the licensing official may and does issue rules and regulations which not only spell out procedural requirements but also impose, in effect, additional substantive restrictions having little or no support in the law.

Another portion of article laments, “Once a bad law is on the books, it’s terribly difficult to get it off.” Well, it took another 60 years, the tireless efforts of NRA members and other gun rights supporters, and three U.S. Supreme Court cases affirming the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, but gun owners can finally celebrate that this century-old bad law is officially off the books.

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AYOOB: SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT PRO REVIEW by Massad Ayoob

March 4, 2022, marks the debut of Springfield Armory’s Hellcat Pro. Think duty-size pistol performance, but smaller. Thinner. This pistol, like the original Hellcat, is just 1” thick. You can get all three fingers around the grip frame of the 15-round 9mm pistol to stabilize the pistol as that other, almost all-important finger works the trigger. And the all-steel magazine contributes to the pistol’s overall slimness.

Massad Ayoob shoots a Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro
The author shoots the Springfield Hellcat Pro during his review of the new 9mm handgun. Image: Gail Pepin

My test sample Hellcat Pro came fitted with the HEX Wasp red dot optic that is sold separately. Nominally “1X,” it appeared to us that the image through the glass was a tiny bit smaller than actual target size, but that went unnoticed in actual shooting. As expected with a Hellcat, the desirable large U-notch rear iron sight was coupled with a bright yellow circle on the front post, in the center of which sat a bright Tritium night sight dot. Also, the self-adjusting red dot was an appreciated feature.

Massad Ayoob shoots the Hellcat Pro
The indexing point on the Hellcat Pro frame is a perfect resting place for the support hand thumb: away from the slide and slide stop lever. Image: Gail Pepin

Like the original Hellcat, the Hellcat Pro has simple and easy-to-use controls. While the slide stop of the Hellcat Pro is not ambidextrous, the magazine button is reversible. This isn’t just for southpaws, who can do very fast reloads by pressing the mag release with their trigger finger instead of their thumb; it’s also useful for right-handed shooters who want to do the same thing. This right-handed tester has a thumb twisted by arthritis and has switched several of his pistols to right-hand buttons, but didn’t have to do so with this one: the compact dimensions of the Hellcat Pro allowed even that arthritic right thumb to hit the standard left-side release just fine.

The Hellcat Pro also has an accessory rail on the dust cover and functional grasping grooves both fore and aft on the slide. I don’t care for a forward grasp of a slide, but lots of people do, and this feature gives the shooter the option.

Ammo boxes next to Hellcat Pro pistol
The author’s Hellcat Pro ran well with both FMJ and self-defense ammo loads. Both accuracy and reliability were top-notch. Image: Gail Pepin

Essentially the original, super-popular Hellcat enlarged, the Pro has an excellent grip shape that locked into the hollow of this tester’s palm, with “just right” stippling around the entire grip frame. Trigger reach was such that an average-size adult male hand found the natural trigger contact point to be the “power crease” at the distal joint of the index finger.

Massad Ayoob holding Hellcat Pro magazine loaded with ammo
The Pro features a full 15-round capacity, despite the compact dimensions of the pistol. Image: Gail Pepin

“Power crease” is a term coined by double-action revolver shooters for the sweet spot where the index finger has maximum leverage on the trigger. As a result, the trigger pull requires less shooter effort and thus “feels lighter” than it actually weighs out. This short reach dimension means that even shooters with very short fingers should be able to get the oft-recommended “pad” of the index finger centered right on the face of the Hellcat Pro’s flat-ish trigger.

Trigger Control

I paid particularly close attention to the trigger on the Hellcat Pro, as a good one can make all the difference. Once the intended shot was begun, our pre-introduction sample (serial number BB113097) had a relatively short, light take-up before the finger met what shooters call “the wall,” the first firm resistance to the press. Then followed a short “roll” and finally, a clean break with no “backlash” or post-release trigger movement that I could feel. Reset was very palpable.

Trigger pull was measured at the toe (bottom tip) of the pivoting trigger, where the measuring device has the most leverage, and again from the center of the trigger where the human finger is typically positioned during firing. The Lyman digital trigger pull gauge revealed an average pressure of 5.19 pounds at the toe, and 7.19 pounds at the center. In hand, it felt lighter than that to virtually everyone on the test team. The reason, I suspect, is that nicely short Hellcat trigger reach: it allows the shooter to get the finger deeper into the trigger guard, thus giving the shooter more leverage and creating the felt sensation of an easier, lighter pull.

Co-witnessing u-dot sights through HEX Wasp on Hellcat Pro pistol
The author topped off the Hellcat Pro with a HEX Wasp red dot micro optic. Image: Gail Pepin

On the Firing Line

Our editor thought readers would like to know what 9mm velocities were from the newest Hellcat’s 3.7” barrel, so my colleague Steve Denney set up his Chrony F-1 on my range, 15’ from the shooting bench. We ran the three most popular bullet weights in 9mm.

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P bonded JHP averaged 1166.6 feet per second, with a standard deviation of 32.

Man testing the Hellcat Pro on the range
Steve Denney fires the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro across a chronograph to measure bullet velocity. Image: Gail Pepin

The most popular 9mm training load is 115-gr. FMJ, and MagTech’s well-reputed version of that load averaged 1133.6 foot-seconds, with a standard deviation of 15, supportive of that product’s reputation for consistency.

147 grain subsonic carry loads are very popular in the US and Canada, and Federal’s HST has earned an excellent reputation. We used the +P version, which averaged 1006.2 feet per second, with the lowest standard deviation: 12, with a low of exactly 1000 fps and a high of 1012.

Ammunition Group Size Velocity
Federal HST 147 gr JHP +P 0.45″ 1,006 fps
MagTech 115 gr FMJ 1.75″ 1,134 fps
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr JHP 1.05″ 1,167 fps
Accuracy results measured from center to center as the best three shots of a five-shot group. Rounds shot from a rest at 25 yards. Velocity results in this review were measured at 15′ from the muzzle of the Hellcat Pro.

We used the same three loads for accuracy testing, from a Caldwell Matrix rest on a concrete bench 25 yards from the target. Each five-shot group was measured once overall (to give an idea what an experienced shooter can expect under ideal conditions) and then again for the best three hits (to weed out enough unnoticed human error for a good approximation of mechanical accuracy capability).

The 124 grain Gold Dot +P 9mm load, proven on the street by ICE, NYPD, and Las Vegas Metro played well with the Hellcat Pro, delivered a five-shot group that measured 2.40” center to center, with the best three more than twice as tight at 1.05”.

Hellcat Pro accuracy demonstrated by shooting target
Best three of five shots at 25 yards with the Federal 147-gr. HST +P from this Hellcat Pro. Image: Gail Pepin

Relatively inexpensive MagTech full metal jacket ball gave us a 3.15” measurement for all five 25-yard shots. The best three were in an inch and three quarters. All measurements were center to center between the farthest bullet holes being measured, and to the nearest 0.05”.

147 grain HST +P, a popular and highly rated duty hollow point, had the largest five-shot group but the tightest “best three,” which I think validates the dual measurement concept. The whole group was 3.50”, but the best three hits were in a tight cloverleaf measuring less than half an inch center to center, 0.45” to be exact. That’s right: all three shots would have hit a single .45 bullet facing point of aim.

For perspective, the commonly quoted figure is “five shots in four inches at 25 yards is acceptable accuracy for a full-size service pistol.” Though technically a “compact” and not “full-size service pistol” in size, the 3.7”-barreled Hellcat Pro easily met and exceeded the “service pistol” accuracy standard.

Initially, the gun wasn’t sighted for my eyes and hit a bit to the right, though it was “on” for elevation. Fortunately, the HEX Wasp carry optic sight is adjustable. Easy fix by users.

Hellcat Pro Specifications

Here are the specs on the new Springfield Hellcat Pro pistol:

Chambering 9mm
Barrel 3.7″
Overall Length 6.6″
Weight 21.0 oz
Sights U-Dot
Grips Integral, polymer
Action Striker-fired
Magazine Capacity 15+1
MSRP $634

Important Features

Like some other Springfield Armory pistols, the Hellcat Pro has a potentially life-saving feature I think its manufacturers should advertise more than they do. If the muzzle has to be pressed directly against firm resistance for a self-defense shot, it will not go out of battery and fail to fire as most semi-automatic pistols will. This is because the design of its particular full-length recoil spring guide rod creates a “stand-off effect” for a press contact shot, whether it’s a bear or a bear-hugging attacker that’s on top of the shooter.

Hellcat Pro stand-off contact shot
The author presses the muzzle of the Hellcat Pro hard against this book. Instead of going out of battery, it fires and cycles for the next shot. Image: Gail Pepin

Another safety feature in my opinion is the little depressed, stippled “touch pad” on either side of the frame’s dust cover, which gives the shooter a felt index for placing their trigger finger when in a “ready” position. It turns out also that for those shooters who prefer a two-hand firing grasp involving straight thumbs, this is also an excellent resting point for the thumb of the support hand. It keeps that thumb from wandering upward and pressing against the slide, which could interfere with the firing cycle and jam one’s own self-defense pistol.

Bottom Line

Due to the pre-introduction non-disclosure agreement, I could only put the test gun into seven testers’ hands, and as respective schedules turned out only three of them got to shoot it with live ammo. About the only complaint was that it took strong thumbs to get the last couple of rounds into the magazines (it comes with two), but I suppose that’s why Springfield Armory includes a magazine loading tool. However, insertion of full magazines was positive even with the slide forward.

We put several hundred rounds through it – one hand only with either hand, various two-hand stances, and even intentionally limp-wristing – with shooters ranging from five-foot-tall female to six-foot-plus male with proportional hands. There were no malfunctions. Those who shot the Hellcat Pro gave it a unanimous thumbs-up.

Your broad range of choices in striker-fired compact 9mm self-defense pistols just got broader. This particular choice has a lot going for it.

 

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THE SIXGUNS OF MILT MORRISON WRITTEN BY JOHN TAFFIN

Milt Morrison’s custom crafted .45 Western Hunter The Shootists presented to John in 2014.

The Shootists commissioned Milt Morrison to build these custom .45 Rugers for John
in 1995 and 2014 celebrating John’s involvement with the group.

 

Back in the 1990s, Milt and Karen Morrison were visiting us and after supper I pulled out a few sixguns. I had the idea of coming up with a different kind of custom gun. I also had a few copies of old articles from the 1920s through the 1950s concerning customizing Colt Bisley Models. As a result, a Cimarron Bisley .44-40 was turned over to Milt for conversion to a real hideaway sixgun — single-action style. I wanted a true 19th-century-style belly gun, a term once used for short-barrelled, easy-to-conceal sixguns. Turned loose to use his artistic freedom, Morrison came up with the perfect single action for concealment and defensive use.

The result was a real single-action defensive sixgun. Milt removed the ejector rod housing and the ejector rod mounting slot on the right side of the frame, welding and re-contouring the frame in the process. The standard Bisley grip frame was removed and replaced by a brass Bird’s Head grip frame adapted to a Colt-style mainframe. At the same time, the original Bisley hammer was changed from its link system to a roller system to work with the new mainspring.

The action was tuned, all end-shake was removed, and a 2″ long heavy barrel fitted. For easier sighting when deliberate shots were called for, the rear sight notch was changed from its V-shape to give a square picture, and a new front sight was fitted. The trigger was also contoured to match the inside of the trigger guard.

To finish the project the mainframe was re-color cased, and the rest of the gun was finished in Milt’s high luster Black Diamond blue. To top it off an 18K gold band was inlaid around the cylinder. The result is one of the most beautiful and efficient single-action belly guns as ever existed. Chambered in .44-40, it’s potent but easy to shoot and control with the heavy barrel.

Whether using .357s or .38s, the stainless steel Smolt Morrison built for his wife
more than 30 years ago can shoot!

A Retro-Classic

 

We have many modern guns available, however the number one spot in my sixgunnin’ soul still belongs to the old classics. Alan Teague commissioned Milt to do a very special sixgun:

“It would be my take on the Colt Target Bisley. The frame would be a Flat-Top, barrel would be an octagon 6.5″ to 7.5″, rear sight would be dovetailed, adjustable for windage only.

And the front sight would be, somehow, adjustable for elevation. The cylinder would be unfluted, grip frame would be a Ruger Bisley style, the frame would be color case hardened and the barrel, cylinder and grip frame would be done in Milton’s Black Diamond finish. The grips would be ivory, and finally a grip cap would be steel, either Black Diamond or color case, with a silver medallion insert.”

Milt has taken one of our modern single action sixguns and turned it into a true classic. Starting with a Ruger Bisley Model the top strap is welded up and then recut to accept a rear sight patterned after that found on the Colt Flat-Top Target sixguns of the 1890s. In fact this model is called the Ruger Flat-Top Target. The front sight is in a dovetail and the rear sight — patterned after that found on the old Colt Target — is adjustable for elevation. The heavy 7.5″ barrel is hexagonal. The grip frame, hammer and trigger are reminiscent of the Colt Bisley Model Flat-Top Target from 1896.

The left side of the barrel is marked “Bisley Target” while the right side above the ejector rod housing is inscribed with the caliber, .41 SPECIAL. The frame is case hardened while the balance of this classic rendition, including the hammer, is finished in the deep Black Diamond bluing Milt is well known for.

Two gold bands encircling the rear of the cylinder add a classy touch. The grips are ivory micarta, and the butt is fitted with a special silver ring cap. The underside of the butt itself is scrimshawed with a head of a wolf. The combination of Bisley grip frame and heavy barrel makes this big sixgun very pleasant to shoot whether you choose the .44 Special or .41 Special chambering. All in all this is one of the most beautiful custom single action revolvers I’ve ever encountered.

Milt Morrison rescued this .44 Special Colt New Service from the boneyard and turned
it into a very special Special.

Milt Morrison’s “Smolt” conversions all shoot splendidly.

A Special .44 Special

 

Years ago Milt rescued a Colt New Service .44 Special and in the process fitted it with new sights, totally tuned it, and turned it into a 4.5″ Target Model. I had found a .44 Special someone had started to convert to a Target Model by installing an adjustable rear sight. It was not in the best of shape mechanically and the original front sight, which was too low for the rear sight, was still in place. This 4.5″ New Service was turned over to Milt Morrison for total rebuilding and the installation of a proper front sight. It’s not an original New Service Target but it will certainly do.

Whether Rugers or Colts, the Python conversions prove to be accurate and feel very good in the hand.

Shootists

 

In 1986 I invited a dozen sixgunners to gather with me in Wyoming for a week of shooting and sharing. We had such a good time we decided to make this an annual event and “The Shootists” was officially formed. Since that time The Shootists have met annually and they have twice honored me with special sixguns.

In 1995 Milt Morrison was commissioned to build a special sixgun for me as “Shootist of the Decade.” Starting with a Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45, Milt totally tuned the action, fitted a new front sight, finished this special sixgun in his Black Diamond finish with gold embellishments, and our mutual friend Dave Wayland made the custom grips. The top strap is engraved: “In Memory of Deacon Deason” who was the founder of BearHug Grips and a very special friend and Shootist.

Then in 2014 friends in the industry honored me with a banquet and I was again presented with a special sixgun from The Shootists, also built by Milt Morrison. This is also a Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45 albeit this time it’s a Bisley Model patterned after Milt’s Western Hunter package. It is of course totally tuned, fitted with a new front sight, finished in Black Diamond bluing with a case hardened frame and gold embellishments.

The gold lettering is a very special touch that includes my “4Fs” — Faith, Family, Friends and Firearms — engraved on the cylinder. The whole package is topped off with custom grips with my initials. Both of these .45s are cherished sixguns and the only problem will be figuring out which grandkids they will go to.

 

Milt Morrison converted this Bisley Model .44-40 into a very effective 19th Century-style “belly gun.”

Smolts

 

About 30 years ago Milt set about to build a special sixgun for his wife Karen. Starting with a stainless steel .357 Magnum S&W Model 66, Milt expertly fitted a 4″ stainless steel Python barrel to the K-Frame S&W. The resulting “Smolt” has a totally new balance, heavy in the front, and well-suited to DA shooting.

For many decades sixgunners argued the merits of Colt versus S&W DA sixguns. The majority of aficionados felt the DA mechanism of the Smith could not be topped, while the Colt was better suited to single action firing. Even Fitz, John Henry FitzGerald, who was Mr. Colt during the two world wars, privately said the S&W had the better action for DA shooting. The .357 Python not only had a heavy barrel but was also tighter as to bore diameter than most .357 sixgun barrels and seems to shoot a shade better. Combining the two, as Milt did way back then, resulted in the best attributes of both.

Milt did much gunsmithing as the S&W armorer for the California Highway Patrol and then moved to Colorado and opened his own shop, Qualité Pistol & Revolver. Now, he’s back in my neighborhood. Since he’s arrived here we have talked about many possible projects, one of which was building my own personal Smolt.

I had a 4″ blued Python barrel on-hand resulting from re-barreling my Python to 8″. I have been holding onto this barrel for just the right project for several years. Then a while ago, Jerry Moran, the well-known Python ’smith visited me along with his family and dropped off another 4″ Python barrel. Now it was time to get off the dime and get these projects going. And the combination of Jerry’s contributing another barrel and Milt arriving here told me it was time to do this.

Milt Morrison resurrected the Colt Flat-Top Target of the 1890s with this special custom Ruger .41 Special.

Smolt Vs. Couger

 

Starting with a 2.5″ S&W Model 19 .357 Magnum, we began the project. Milt prefers the shorter barrel version as a base gun as it’s easier to match up the top of the Python barrel with the top of the frame of the S&W. Now, what was I to do with the other barrel? One of the old Classic Sixguns we rarely see, or at least I rarely see in my area, is the Ruger Security-Six. More than 1 million of these were made, however they are not readily found on the used gun market. Then it happened — I found not one but two used Ruger Security-Six .357 sixguns, one a 4″ stainless while the other was a 6″ blue. Since the Python barrel was blue, the latter was the only choice.

There’s no question about my liking the conversion on the S&W Model 19. With the barrel change it becomes a totally different sixgun as to balance and shooting DA. I knew without question I would like this “Smolt.” However, I did not realize how much I would really like the “Couger.”

The Security-Six is an excellent sixgun, however it becomes especially special with the addition of the 4″ Python barrel. The transformation as to balance and shootability is even more pronounced with the Security-Six Couger than with the Model 19 transformation. When Ruger stopped production of the Security-Six to bring out the GP100, a heavily under-lugged barrel was added. Now, I know what the Security-Six gains with the same style barrel.

The “Couger” is a Ruger Security Six with a Python barrel. The combo works just fine.

Shooting Fun

 

I especially enjoy shooting these custom conversions with .38 Special loads, as they are so pleasant shooting. Switching to some of my favorite .357 Magnum loads, the Smolt performs especially well with the Lyman #358429 Keith bullet over 14.0 grains of #4227 for 1,065 fps and five shots into 1″ at 20 yards. With the Couger, my .357 Magnum loads assembled with 6.0 grains of Unique performed well with Lyman cast bullets. The Lyman #358429 Keith load resulted in 1,081 fps and a 5-shot group at 20 yards of 13/8″. Lyman’s #358477 SWC clocked out at 1,022 fps and 11/4″, while the Lyman #358311 RN has a muzzle velocity of 1,074 fps and a 11/8″ group. With factory .357 Magnum Loads I found the Winchester 145-gr. Silver-Tip performed well, with muzzle velocities in both sixguns right at 1,325 fps.

Converting to a Smolt or Couger is not simply a matter of unscrewing the old barrel and screwing in the new. The threads are different and the frames require some special machining. The conversion is certainly not inexpensive, plus you need a Python barrel and a base sixgun to start with.

Is it worth it? With these two special Python-ized .357 Magnums by Milt Morrison now in my possession — I would say definitely so.

For more info: www.qualitygunsmithing.com, Ph: (208) 465-0071

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When John Browning was told by Winchester to design a Shotgun

No photo description available.             So of course he made in Lever Action! Grumpy

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Small Arms Primer 155: Colt 1905

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Maryland Scraps ‘Good and Substantial Reason’ Requirement by S.H. BLANNELBERRY

Maryland’s requirement that concealed carry applicants must provide to the state a “good and substantial reason” to bear arms in public is gone.

Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday told state police that, in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down New York’s similarly restrictive requirement for handgun permits, they could no longer enforce it.

“Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision in New York law pertaining to handgun permitting that is virtually indistinguishable from Maryland law,” said the governor in a statement posted on the state government’s website.

“In light of the ruling and to ensure compliance with the Constitution, I am directing the Maryland State Police to immediately suspend utilization of the ‘good and substantial reason’ standard when reviewing applications for wear and carry permits,” he continued.

“It would be unconstitutional to continue enforcing this provision in state law. There is no impact on other permitting requirements and protocols,” said Gov. Hogan.

Maryland State Police said in a statement that its Licensing Division will update the online portal to accord with the governor’s directive.

The NRA-ILA chalked this up as another win for gun owners.

“For far too long, Maryland has prevented the majority of law-abiding citizens from exercising this fundamental right. This persisted as other states went shall-issue over the decades, and even as constitutional carry has reached 25 states in recent years,” said the organization in a statement.

“Now, MSP cannot arbitrarily deny permits to applicants who meet all objective criteria. As a result, more law-abiding citizens will be able to exercise their right-to-carry to defend themselves and their loved ones. The criminals, who have gotten used to menacing the public with impunity, will find fewer and fewer defenseless victims,” it continued.

However, NRA-ILA was quick to note that the work’s not done in Maryland as politicians there still work, by and large, to chill the 2A rights of residents.

“Maryland’s permit process is still plagued by the onerous requirements and a high processing time that far exceeds those of neighboring Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. This will still prevent many Marylanders of limited economic means from acquiring a permit. It is critical that gun owners and Second Amendment supporters remain vigilant going into the election season, and beyond, to make this right more accessible,” said NRA-ILA.

The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the case known as, NYSRPA v Bruen case, may continue to pay dividends for 2A advocates in Maryland.  Already, other key decisions on gun rights have been vacated by the high court and remanded back to the lower courts for review in the light of the Bruen decision, as GunsAmerica previously reported.

Included is a 2013 case challenging Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons.”

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All About Guns Ammo

The .357 Magnum: History & Performance by DAVE CAMPBEL

Campbell 357Mag 4

It would almost seem ridiculous to introduce a product that was at least 25 percent more expensive than any of the other products a company manufactures in the depths of the Great Depression, but that is exactly what Smith & Wesson did when it introduced the .357 Magnum in 1935. Smith & Wesson historian Roy Jinks said that the top brass at Smith & Wesson felt that this new custom-made revolver would not have a large demand, given its $60 price tag. They were wrong. As soon as it was introduced, demand outstripped the factory’s capability to satisfy it. Barely 120 revolvers per month were shipped, and the orders were way more than that.

Like most of the magnum cartridges, the .357 Mag. was concocted outside the factory by enthusiasts. In this case, it was the brainchild of Phil Sharpe, a ballistician, writer and member of NRA’s technical staff from the 1930s into the 1950s. He collaborated with then-Major Douglas B. Wesson, grandson of founder Daniel Wesson. Elmer Keith designed the first bullets for the cartridge when he developed 160- and 173-grain semiwadcutter (SWC) bullets for the .38 Special in the early 1930s. The heavy loads featuring these bullets over 13.5 grains of Hercules 2400 proved to be very accurate in the Smith & Wesson .38/44 N-frame revolvers of that time.

Smith & Wesson needed something to answer Colt’s .38 Super, a cartridge designed for the M1911 that launched a 147-grain full metal jacket with a flat point at 1,225 f.p.s. and 490 ft.-lbs. of slap, enough to penetrate the door of a speeding getaway car. The .38 Special and 9 mm Luger just were not up to that task. Sharpe and Wesson brought Winchester into the mix to develop a suitable revolver cartridge. Winchester added 0.125″ to the length of the case and ran the velocity of a 158-grain SWC to 1,525 f.p.s. in an 8.5″ barreled revolver. The load was very effective for hunting, and Wesson toured far and wide hunting everything from woodchucks to walrus with his .357 Mag.

A size comparison between, from left to right, .38 Spl., .357 Mag., .44 Spl. and .45 ACP.

A size comparison between, from left to right, .38 Spl., .357 Mag., .44 Spl. and .45 ACP.

This load may be effective, but the revolver with such a long barrel was pretty unwieldy for the cop on the street. Smith & Wesson bobbed the barrels on its .357 Mag. to as short as 3.5″ for the law enforcement community. The 5″ and 6″ barrels were quite popular on the .357 Mag. until well into the 1960s, and even early ’70s. My 5″ Model 27—the model numbers came about in 1957—is a great balance of heft, sight radius and velocity. Though now in semi-retirement after some 40,000 rounds, it will still generate 1,280 f.p.s. with any good 158-grain bullet, and I have won a few impromptu matches with it.

The reviews of the .357 Mag. have been pretty consistent and positive over its 87-year life. Naturally, the experimenters have to play with bullet weights—everything from 90 to 200 grains, and perhaps beyond, have been tried. Flyweight 110-grain jacketed hollow points (JHP) churn up impressive velocities, like nearly 1,500 f.p.s. in a 6″ barrel, but typically have been a bit too fragile to maintain structural integrity and penetration. Hefty 180 and 190 grainers will plow through almost anything short of armor plate, but have trajectories like a rainbow. So, like most things, a compromise has been achieved.

For field use, I usually go with 158-grain SWCs in front of 14 grains of Alliant 2400 for 1,150 to 1,300 f.p.s. in my 4″ to 6″ barreled .357s. This is an excellent small game load, and I even dumped an 80-lb. feral pig with this load many years ago. Nowadays, when I carry a .357 Mag. it’s usually either a Model 342PD or a 2.5″ Model 66. I have had to recognize that bullet and powder technology has evolved since the Great Depression, and now carry Speer 135-grain Gold Dot Hollow Points SB (for short barrel) in them. This load has a great reputation as a fight stopper, and even I have to admit that it shoots as well or better than my own cast bullets.

The author's Winchester Model 92 lever-action rifle chambered for the .357 Mag. cartridge.

The author’s Winchester Model 92 lever-action rifle chambered for the .357 Mag. cartridge.

The popularity of the .357 Mag. remains as strong as ever. In a modern world of semi-automatic pistols with magazines that hold the better part of a box of cartridges, virtually every manufacturer of revolvers—either single or double action—makes a .357 Mag. Much of this is due to the versatility of both cartridges and revolvers. Most know that you can easily shoot .38 Spl. in a .357 Mag. chambered gun and still get all the accuracy inherent of that particular piece. Wadcutters are as easy on the hands as a rimfire—no small matter to those of us with some arthritis in our hands. Too, wadcutters are easier on the budget than full-house magnum loads. But when plenty of thump is needed, a shooter can load up some “T-Rex” loads as they are sometimes called, featuring heavy bullets, slow-burning powders and magnum primers to deal with outsized problems.

Smith & Wesson isn’t the only manufacturer of .357 Mag. firearms. Colt just reintroduced its iconic Python in this caliber. Ruger has been building some of the stoutest .357 Mag. revolvers ever since the 1950s. My Flat Top dating back to the 1950s is one of the most accurate .357s in my collection. Kimber has been making a very nice double-action revolver chambered in .357 for a few years now. Nighthawk is importing and customizing the superb Korth revolver. Taurus has a .357 Mag. to suit just about anyone’s fancy. You need not limit yourself to revolvers, as Winchester, Henry and a host of European and South American replica manufacturers make lever-action rifles chambered in .357 Mag. as well. My Winchester Model 92 shoots very well, especially since I replaced the factory rear buckhorn sight with a Skinner aperture rear sight.

The .357 Mag. has ensconced itself into the shooting brethren so well that it is about as common—necessary?—as the .22 LR. Most shooters have at least one, even if their current tastes have migrated to other chamberings. It is simply that universal—and well earned.

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All About Guns

SUBMACHINE GUNS OF WORLD WAR II by Will Dabbs, MD

World War II changed everything about life on planet earth. During this time, 56 million people lost their lives, and spinoff technology from war-related projects revolutionized everything from engineering, material science and electronics to transportation and food. Those terrible six years also saw quantum advances in small arms development — and just one part of this was a veritable explosion of submachine gun development.

The US M3 .45 ACP “Grease Gun” was a simple, utilitarian design that saw service at the end of World War II.

Submachine guns (SMG’s) are compact fully automatic shoulder arms that fire relatively low-powered pistol cartridges. In the days before widespread use of body armor, the SMG reigned supreme as the ultimate room-clearing tool and short-range weapon. Practically every major combatant nation of the war had them, and their influence remains evident even today.

Germany

While the Germans suffered from a deplorable lack of standardization during World War II, the most common German SMG of the war was the iconic 9mm MP40.

The MP40 was an evolutionary development of the previous MP38. Where the MP38 was crafted around an extruded steel tube machined with flutes for decreased weight and increased strength, the MP40 used an inexpensive stamped steel receiver. Both guns look very similar. The MP38 can be identified at a glance by its longitudinal receiver grooves and a dime-sized hole in the magazine well.

The German 9mm MP40 submachine gun was an elegant though thoroughly utilitarian design.

The full auto-only 9mm MP40 was the first major military weapon to eschew wooden stocks. The furniture on the German gun was formed from synthetic Bakelite, and the rest of the weapon was optimized for mass production.

The MP40 enjoyed a sedate 500 rpm rate of fire and was remarkably front heavy. This feature combined with its nine-pound weight and modest 9mm chambering made the gun exceptionally controllable. About 1.1 million copies were produced between 1940 and 1944 before it was supplanted by the 7.92mm MP44 assault rifle (also known as the StG44).

Britain

After Dunkirk, the United Kingdom found itself with an army essentially intact but bereft of weapons. With the Germans poised to strike across the channel, the British desperately needed an inexpensive combat firearm that could be produced en masse using rudimentary equipment. Reginald Shepherd and Harold Turpin working at Enfield ultimately developed a truly revolutionary subgun — the Sten, named for the “S” and “T” of their names combined with the “en” of Enfield.

The British Sten gun was a desperate weapon for desperate times. Cheap, ugly and available, the Sten armed Commonwealth soldiers until better stuff could be had.

The selective-fire 9mm Sten in its simplest form consisted of a mere 47 parts and cost $9 to produce. That’s about $126 today. This pressed steel subgun cycles at around 500 rpm and feeds from a side-mounted double-stack, single-feed pressed steel 32-round magazine. The Sten breaks down easily into tidy components suitable for concealment and was widely distributed to underground forces in occupied Europe as a result.

The Sten gun was derided as the “Stench Gun” or “Plumber’s Nightmare” by its many detractors. The action was generally reliable, though the magazine fared poorly, particularly in dirty, sandy environments. The side-mounted magazine made operations from the prone convenient, something that doesn’t mean a great deal unless you’ve ever actually ducked incoming fire. The gun weighed a bit north of 7 pounds, and around 4.5 million copies were produced.

Soviet Union

More so than any other major combatant, the Russians faced an existential threat from the Nazis. Operation Barbarossa, the largest military invasion in human history, saw some three million Axis troops invade the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941 over an 1,800-mile front. With its national survival on the line, the Russians churned out submachine guns like their very lives depended upon it.

The Russian PPSh-41 offered massive close-range firepower. Shown with Tokarev pistol in matching 7.62x25mm chambering.

Though the Soviets ultimately used several SMGs, it was the PPSh-41 that became a national icon. Designed by Russian small arms designer Georgy Shpagin, this 7.62x25mm bullet hose was called the “papasha” by those who used it. This loosely translates as “Daddy.”

The selective-fire PPSh-41 orbited around a simple pressed steel receiver and one-piece wooden buttstock. The gun fed from either a curved 35-round stick magazine or a 71-round drum. The Soviets eventually equipped entire battalions with this fast-firing weapon. With a cyclic rate of around 900 rpm, the PPSh was a fearsome close-quarters tool.

When fed from a 71-round drum, this fast-firing burp gun helped save the Soviet Union from ruin.

The Soviets produced around six million copies, and the gun remained in service in some of your less well-funded war zones well into the 1970s. The PPSh is awkward to carry and, in my opinion, unpleasant to shoot. I find the rate of fire to be a bit fast for my tastes, and the gun is notorious for ejecting straight up and dropping empties on top of your head.

United States

The United States entered World War II with whatever it had handy. As regards submachine guns, that meant the .45 ACP M1928A1 Thompson. Heavy, cumbersome, and expensive, the Thompson was obsolete before the first bomb fell at Pearl Harbor.

The M1928A1 was nearly identical to the M1921 John Dillinger used to terrorize the countryside during Prohibition. Built around a heavy milled receiver, the M1928A1 cost $209 in 1939. That’s about $2,900 today. The gun took 50-round L-drums as well as 20 or 30-round double-stack, double-feed stick magazines.

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All About Guns Anti Civil Rights ideas & "Friends"

New Jersey: Despite Historic Supreme Court Ruling Gun Bills Advance in Trenton

New Jersey: Despite Historic Supreme Court Ruling Gun Bills Advance in Trenton

On the heels of last week’s landmark Supreme Court decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen, Majority Democrats in Trenton doubled down on even more Second Amendment infringements by passing yet another package of gun bills.  This is the third gun-control package put forward by Gov. Phil Murphy, as the previous packages continue to be abject failures.

Your NRA-ILA was in Trenton last week to testify against these bills in both the Assembly Judiciary Committee and the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee.  This has never been about public safety, and gun owner concerns on these bills were resoundingly dismissed.  Legislators were challenged to point to a single case in New Jersey where a .50 Cal was used in the commission of a crime – no examples were offered.  It was also pointed out that not a single state has been able to implement microstamping because the technology is not feasible.  Anti-gun politicians ignored these issues and moved forward with more gun bans, registration, and onerous requirements simply to possess a firearm.

The following bills cleared both chambers this week and are headed to the Governor for his signature.

A.1302 Ammunition registration.

A.1765 Manufacturer liability.

A.4368 Microstamping.

A.4370 Mandatory training for FID card issuance.

S.1204 Registration of guns by new residents.

S.2846 10 years in jail for previously legal gun kits.

S.2905 Bans .50 Caliber BMG.

In addition to last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which forced the New Jersey Attorney General to direct issuing authorities to stop enforcing “justifiable need,” the court this week also vacated lower court decisions on magazine and semi-auto bans and remanded those cases back to the lower courts for reconsideration.  However, New Jersey politicians insist on passing more gun laws that ignore the Constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners.  Rest assured, we will continue to oppose all infringements and vigorously challenge them.

Please continue to follow NRA-ILA alerts for the latest updates and developments.​

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All About Guns Anti Civil Rights ideas & "Friends"

New York: Majority Democrats Vote in Lockstep to Defy the United States Supreme Court

New York: Majority Democrats Vote in Lockstep to Defy the United States Supreme Court

Anti-Second Amendment politicians returned to Albany late this week and did the bidding of Gov. Kathy Hochul.  She called the Legislature back into an “extraordinary” session this week.  The session was anything but extraordinary. Lawmakers sat around in Albany for 36 hours while one party wrote the bill.  In typical one-party-rule fashion, this was done under a “message of necessity” with bill language made available for the first time in the middle of the night.  The normal three-day aging process for legislation was cast aside.  The public was almost universally shut out.

Democrats in Albany are accustomed to getting their way.  Why would anyone expect them to listen to the United States Supreme Court?  As a result, they wasted little time scurrying to find workarounds in the wake of the landmark NYSRPA v. Bruen decision which struck down the state’s unconstitutional “proper cause” standard for the issuance of pistol permits.    New York’s Governor and Legislature answered by drastically expanding “gun-free zones.”  As one Senator remarked, this bill essentially makes the entire state of New York a gun-free zone.  In remarkable fashion, they took this opportunity to go above and beyond simply thumbing their nose at the Supreme Court and expanded their attack on the Second Amendment to include everything from ammunition background checks, to point-of-contact status, to mandatory storage, among others.

The Majority Party initially said they were doing this to “comply” with Bruen, but in closing remarks those pretenses seemed to be dropped (or forgotten) when Senators began revealing their true motives.  Sen. Robert Jackson (D-Washington Heights) said they were doing this to “counter” the Supreme Court.  These actions almost certainly guarantee that New York will be back in front of the Supreme Court.

Today’s vote shows how little regard New York Democrats have for the rule of law and our institutions.  This should come as little surprise, as the state has seen historic crime under a one-party-rule and bail “reform” in combination with anti- policing policies that have ceded control of the streets to criminals.  Fortunately, New Yorkers will have a tremendous opportunity in November to replace Gov. Hochul and her cronies.

Please continue to follow these NRA-ILA alerts for the latest developments and updates.