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Workman’s 4-inch Model 57 with factory grips.
As I get older, I’ve discovered the increasing importance of size, shape and diameter when it comes to shooting big bore sixguns.
It’s widely known I prefer the .41 Magnum over the .44 Magnum for the slightly flatter trajectory and slightly lower felt recoil, but when it comes to the latter, part of the equation is the grip.
Years ago, when I first acquired a Model 57 Smith & Wesson with a 6-inch barrel, I took a pretty quick dislike to the factory grips. They just didn’t have the right feel, and when I touched it off with full-house loads, there was no mistaking a revolver had gone ‘BANG!’ in my hand.
At the time, I was on a tight young family budget so I bought a superb Pachmayr rubber Presentation one-piece grip and it made a world of difference. The rubber covering the backstrap reduced felt recoil, and I also slapped a Pachmayr on my Ruger Blackhawk with the same result. This ignited what has become something of a lifetime study of grips.
As these things go, I wanted to fancy my revolver up a bit and found a set of synthetic grips at a gun show. The salesman said they were “bonded ivory” — a mix of synthetic and ivory dust that would age with time (they did) — and not only did that attract my attention, but more so did the shape. This set of grips had a palm swell so I plunked down a modest bit of cash (far less expensive than real ivory, which was still legal at the time) and I discovered having a wider profile along the backstrap and the palm swell really did make a difference.
Which is the best for you, wide or slightly thinner? I like a palm swell, you might not.
The width of the grip spreads recoil over a slightly wider area of the hand, rather than pound a narrow space between my thumb and the pocket of my hand. These grips—I have no idea who the maker was—truly did the trick.
I’m Guilty!
I am guilty of searching for perfection, which years of experience has taught me really doesn’t exist. Translation: I have more than one set of grips for the N-Frame S&Ws now in my gun safe.
Eagle Grips produced this set of eye-catching elk antler grips.
Raj Singh at Eagle Grips built a set of beautiful elk antler “magna” style grips that I consider my “barbecue” set for getting really fancy. When he introduced me to some stuff called Kirinite, I suggested that if he made target-style grips for double-action revolvers out of the stuff to the same dimensions as Eagle’s popular Heritage grips, he’d probably sell a bunch of them. I got one of the first sets, and I’ve had very good luck with them.
Eagle produced this set of tough Kirinite grips to imitate ivory.
A few years ago, I bought a set of imitation ivory grips from Altamont. They were on my 4-inch M57 when I had to dispatch a wounded mule deer buck a few years ago in an Eastern Washington canyon. These grips look superb with the S&W medallions, and in my opinion, they’re far preferable to the factory grips that were on this revolver when I bought it. Depending upon the size of one’s hand, they just might be what you’re looking for.
Once, while attending a long-range handgun shoot, I met a guy who had mounted a set of American holly grips on his revolver. The stuff looked like real ivory from a distance because it had yellowed slightly, so we had quite a chat. Some months later, I talked to longtime pal Rod Herrett at Herrett’s, and had a set of holly grips made in the Roper design. Once again, a great fit and feel, but the one thing I noticed immediately was how lightweight holly is. Compared to the antler and synthetic materials, this wood is almost weightless.
This set of Roper grips made from American Holly by Herrett’s is as functional as they are attractive.
The Roper style also has a slight palm swell, which spreads the recoil comfortably. The butt end on my set is a bit narrower than I prefer, but they hide well under a vest or jacket.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/pachmayr
The Importance of ‘OUCH!’
Some folks think gun writers are immune from recoil discomfort because of all the shooting we do. Let’s put that one to rest immediately; recoil hurts regardless of who you are.
I shot a buck with this revolver while it was wearing this handsome set of Altamont grips.
I once had the displeasure of shooting a big bore revolver manufactured with awful narrow synthetic grips. For serious handgunners, especially those involved in silhouette shooting or hunting where precision is paramount, firing a painful handgun can contribute to developing a flinch.
Don’t ignore the “ouch” factor. It’s as hard on the hand as running a chainsaw all day, typing with carpal tunnel or hammering nails or busting firewood for hours using a maul. Later in life, that’s going to come back and haunt you. At my age, that’s not conjecture, it’s experience.
A sidearm needs to fit the hand comfortably. This can only be determined by trying out a few with different grips, before making a purchase. I swap out my grips occasionally, same as using different holsters, but none of them produce discomfort upon discharge. I learned my lesson years ago.
Has Turnaround Started?
Earlier this month, the Washington State Department of Licensing provided me with data showing a year-long decline in the number of active concealed pistol licenses has turned around, and the number is on the way back up.
May saw almost 5,000 additional CPLs in circulation, and I am anxiously awaiting the June data to see if the positive pattern continues.
Washington, like all other states, saw a spike in gun sales over the past 12 months due to a variety of factors. Numbers declined due to COVID-19 shutdowns of basic services such as accepting new license applications by law enforcement agencies.
Gotta Love the Judge
Someday, they’ll be talking affectionately about U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez for his no-nonsense rulings on gun control and the Second Amendment.
Twice this jurist has smacked California gun control laws, most recently a couple of weeks ago when he declared the Golden State’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” to be unconstitutional. Anger from the gun control crowd, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, was predictable.
In his 94-page ruling, Judge Benitez dropped this gem at the top of Page 60: “How well has the California ban on assault weapons worked? Before AWCA (Assault Weapons Control Act), twice in a decade, an assault weapon was used in a mass shooting. On average, since AWCA, twice a decade, an assault weapon was used in a mass shooting. The assault weapon ban has had no effect. California’s experiment is a failure.” (Emphasis in original.)
Introduction
In 2021 I grew a fascination with military surplus, leading me to travel all over South East Pennsylvania looking for small little treasures of surplus in gun stores, usually being turned off by the outrageous prices you see for a good surplus rifle nowadays.
During my travels I came upon a shotgun that had a tag stating “12 Gauge Shotgun, Geha, $100”, the firearm in question being of very strange design with a Mauser-type action. The owner of the gun store was very dismissive of the shotgun, and sold it without discussing much about it. Little did I know I was purchasing a relic of the interwar period from the 20th century.
After taking it home, I sat down in front of my computer to do some research on the shotgun, only to find very small bits and pieces of info regarding it spread across the internet, mainly comprised of an old Cabela’s listing, a couple of decrepit forum posts, and functionality of the shotgun being displayed in ancient YouTube videos.
It quickly became one of my personal favorites, something I always bring out to show firearm enthusiastic guests when they come over. It became a great conversation piece for guests and soon I found myself very knowledgeable on the shotgun. I intend to compile as much relevant info as possible, and expand upon the history of this 1920s curiosity. Although there are technically three names for this shotgun, I will refer to it as the “Geha” as that is the most common usage, and for simplicity’s sake.
History And Background
After the events of World War I, what is now Germany had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which consisted of many articles intending to limit the German military and prevent another war on that scale to happen again. These events, along with a revolution, led to the formation of what we call the Weimar Republic, which is the interwar name for Germany coined after the city the constituent assembly first took place. In the Treaty of Versailles there was a limit on how many troops and weapons the country could field, leading to destruction or sale of countless equipment.
During this period there was an excessive amount of Mauser Gewehr 98s in stockpile that had to be disposed of, especially ones of lesser quality that were damaged in wartime, so the Weimar government came up with a plan to reignite the failing Germany economy and offload their excess rifles. This would lead to the conversion of the Mauser rifle into the Geha (although they were also sold as Hard Hit Heart or Remo) shotgun, which would be sold on the civilian market as a hunting shotgun. This did not last nor did it stimulate the German economy enough to prevent financial ruin through hyperinflation. There is no official record at this time of when conversions began and when they ceased converting. The conversion process involved maintaining whatever parts of the Mauser they could, and manufacturing the shotgun components to be attached and welded where needed.
General Design and Parts
To understand the Geha’s design it is best to compare what is considered to be Mauser-like and what is uniquely designed for the shotgun itself. Starting with the Mauser like components, we have the three point safety selector at the rear of the receiver, which has a switch that if sent all the way to the right prevents the trigger from activating the firing pin, and the bolt locks into place, preventing you from opening the chamber.
The middle setting allows operating the bolt, and finally turning the switch all the way to the left allows for the firing pin to be activated by the trigger. Speaking of the bolt, the Geha line of shotguns uses the original Mauser bolt, albeit with an additional coin-like bolt-head piece added to the bolt-face to grip the shotgun shell (an issue some users experience is that the bolt-head sometimes ejects with the shell). The rear end of the receiver even includes the original feed rail for the 8MM Mauser clips, indicating how much of the original rifle they saved to cut costs.
All serial numbers from the original rifle remain, along with import markings. To square off all the Mauser parts, we have the receiver it-self, which has a the forward locking portion of the receiver removed to allow for the larger sized barrels to be fitted on, making it so only the third locking lock, and the bolt handle going into the receiver, to be the primary locking mechanism.
Without my personal experience, I have found in my research that the 16 and 20 gauge variants often will have sections of the forward locking lugs remaining, but not on all individual models and nor do I have any form of photographic evidence to back this up. With this in mind, lower power loads should be used as the gun has less safety precautions, to the point that I even found an online forum post from 2006 discussing someone’s allegation that the bolt launched out from a high load shotgun round and killed the user. There is however no evidence to support this claim.
Now to draw attention to the shotgun conversion components. The glaring change is the alternate stock, the Geha’s stock being something more of a light weight, typical sporting stock, which would make sense for an commercial rifle to be focused on being lighter and less focus on long-term field use.
The sights for the Gewehr 98 have been replaced with a small divot made in the exterior above the chamber, and a small bead placed above the muzzle in the front for sighting and lining up. Obviously, this is a more typical set up for pellet based rounds over a slug, as precise accuracy is not the main focus, indicating that the shotgun’s main intent was sport shooting of clays and bird hunting. The barrel itself has been replaced, of course, to a smoothbore barrel of reportedly differing lengths, my personal model being 27 inches, but there is the possibility of home-modifications done to achieve this as I have found no official photo evidence.
Looking at the magazine we can observe that the magazine has been modified to hold one shotgun shell in place, and then one in the chamber. Due to the nature of this converted magazine, you can even see the shell in the magazine when the gun is loaded and the bolt all the way forward. Even with all these changes in mind, the gun is entirely serviceable, and has historically shot without much issue.
So How’s It Shoot?
This section is going to be entirely based on my personal experience with the Geha, having put at least 200 shells of various kinds through the gun for extensive reasons. The bolt moves just like you’d expect it: like a Gewehr 98. Smooth and high quality, with the original trigger in place too. I’ve heard complaints that it “Feels too much like a rifle” which to me just sounds like people finding reasons to complain.
The gun has excessive recoil, to the point that it’s painful to shoot with higher power loads and people I know are afraid to fire it. There is also the issue regarding high brass shells. Although this is mainly a holdover from how shotgun shells used to be designed, it’s commonly accepted among Geha owners to use low brass shells only, due to the age and design of the gun.
With this in mind, as long as you use lighter pressure shells you should be relatively fine with either as high brass are not typically higher power than low brass anymore. Accuracy is to be expected with a shotgun, although I abnormally struggled to hit clays at a further distance. The bolt in mine has roughly a 5% chance to NOT feed a round from the magazine into the bolt face, which I have not investigated enough to determine why.
The ejection works flawlessly, and overall is a satisfying and fun gun to shoot. I highly recommend it more as a novelty piece over a hunting shotgun any day due to the low capacity, poor accuracy, and awkward design with the bolt.
In Conclusion
The Geha line of shotguns is a historical relic from a turbulent time in European history, showing Germany’s desperation to kick-start their post-war economy by any means. The result of this is a shotgun that’s loved by anyone who has one, and sought after by collectors whenever they show up at gun shows or in local gun stores. For an average price of roughly $200 it is a must have for anyone who likes weird military surplus conversion, just don’t expect the quality from other shotguns.
(A Waffen-SS soldier wields the StG 44)
During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht primarily relied on bolt action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k as their main infantry weapon. These were augmented by light and submachine guns such as the MP40. By 1944 the German army had suffered devastating losses across Europe. On the Eastern front, the Soviets had countered the German invasion and had steadily been advancing towards Berlin. On the Western front, the Allies had made amphibious landings at Normandy. Germany’s defeat was inevitable. It was at this point that the Wehrmacht introduced the StG 44 Assault Rifle. Its introduction did not serve to change the course of the war but it had a resounding impact on the evolution of small-arms developments after the war. During my time at the RCMI, I’ve been lucky enough to handle such weapons and I’ve learned a great deal about their significance in military history.
Development
The bolt action rifles combined with the submachine guns were effective during the First World War when the rifles could be used to fire across no mans land while the SMG’s could be used to clear the trenches. With the advent of Blitzkrieg and the lightning pace of mechanized warfare during the Second World War, these needs became outdated. The infantrymen required a weapon which would allow them to lay down long waves of fire, especially on the Eastern front where the Soviets heavily outnumbered the Germans.
By 1942, Hugo Schmeisser developed the prototype for the assault rifle, dubbing it the MP-43. In April 1944, it was renamed the MP-44 and distributed to soldiers in small numbers. In late 1944 it was finally dubbed the StG 44 or the Sturmgewehr (Storm Gun) 44. The German industry pumped out 425,977 StG’s for the Wehrmacht until the end of the war.
Breakdown
(The StG 44 Assault Rifle)
It utilized the intermediate 7.92×33 round, which fell squarely in between the 7.92×57 Mauser round used by the Kar 98 and the 9×19-millimeter round used by the MP series. This made it a weapon that fell in between the bolt action rifles and the SMGs. It also meant that while it was not as lethal and did not have as much range as the Kar 98, it was capable of fully automatic fire which is what made it significant. It was gas-operated through a piston working in a gas cylinder above the barrel and had a pistol grip, a wooden stock, a 30-round magazine and weighed just over 11 pounds.
Operational History
(A German soldier with an StG 44)
Its effectiveness is difficult to measure largely because it came at a time when the war was arguably already lost. It could also not be produced in larger quantities because the Allies had already bombed and destroyed German factories and industries and had encroached on German territory. The StG arrived on the Eastern Front and was used to counter the Soviet’s SMGs. It was very effective in close combat and allowed soldiers to lay down suppressing and covering fire effectively. It was also utilized in the Ardennes Offensive where an analysis of two paratrooper division’s casualties highlights its effectiveness. In comparing the 3rd and the 5th Fallschirmjaeger divisions, the 5th division lost almost 9000 men during the offensive while the 3rd division lost around 2500. Why the difference? Both had been in combat together facing the same elements of the US army. The 3rd division had been allocated more StG’s than the 5th. What makes these numbers even more stunning is the fact that the 5th division had more artillery support and was numerically a larger unit.
(A German soldier aims down a modified sight on the StG 44)
Significance
As the world’s first assault rifle the StG 44 stands as a superior and technologically advanced firearm. It has also had a significant effect on the development of modern firearms. Its development inspired the creation of the Soviet AK-47, one of the most mass-produced and replicated assault rifles in our modern world. The AK-47 has had a dramatic impact all across the world, utilized by various countries and terrorist groups. The Germans can be credited (for good or bad) with the revolutionary development of the world’s first assault rifle which has radically altered the shape of modern warfare.
(A brief history of the StG on the Youtube channel ‘Forgotten Weapons’)
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Does 40S&W Really Suck? by Dan Reedy
U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- For a brief time, .40S&W was quite possibly the most popular service caliber in the United States. Legions of law enforcement agencies chose it for their duty guns, and the civilian market followed suit. Even today, certain demographics still fawn over the forty.
However, times are changing. In the early 2010’s the FBI began returning to the 9mm they’d abandoned less than two decades prior, with many others in law enforcement and the citizen world following suit. With this in mind, are there reasons why someone would choose a handgun chambered for .40S&W as their primary pistol in 2022? Let’s find out.
Shortcomings of 40S&W
Slightly More Expensive
The price difference between 9mm and .40S&W has typically been minor over the past several years. However, there has consistently been a difference, with 9mm usually being on the less expensive end of the spectrum. As of the time of this writing, .40S&W retails online for roughly $0.03-0.06 more per round than comparable practice loads of 9mm for cases of 1,000 rounds. This results in roughly $30-60 more per case when shooting .40S&W. Duty ammunition, seems to be roughly equivalent in price between the two, though 9mm enjoys far more availability and a wider variety of options than its bigger brother.
These differences in price are fairly minimal but can add up over time. I don’t think a few extra pennies here and there will break most people’s banks, but as belts continue to tighten, the extra expense could prove detrimental for many shooters.
More Difficult to Shoot
One of the biggest issues people have with .40S&W is increased recoil compared to 9mm. As a young shooter with a Glock 23, I had a hell of a time getting used to the sharp snap from the plastic fantastic compared to the mild puff from the Beretta M9 I’d traded away. One of the primary reasons cited by the FBI in their shift away from .40S&W is due to the relatively harsh recoil, contributing to reduced accuracy among their agents. Wanting to quantify this difference, I headed to the range to see how they compared for myself.
Range Time
To get as equal comparison as possible with the equipment available to me, I opted to shoot a Glock 34 in 9mm and a Glock 22 in .40S&W. While the G34 does have a longer sight radius, the difference is fairly negligible in my experience. Both guns were 4th generation Glocks outfitted with factory iron sights, with no modifications.
As expected, my performance was better with the 9mm pistol. However, the differences were far less substantial than I imagined I would see. I fired several drills with both pistols, giving each three repetitions per drill to get an average of performance. To ensure .40S&W had a fair chance, I shot the drills cold to avoid any differences in my shooting.
To top things off, the G22 was significantly more pleasant to shoot than I prepared myself for. This was honestly a shock for me, as my prior experiences with most .40S&W pistols has been very negative in terms of shootability. This of course can be impacted by ammunition selection, and is highly subjective in the first place. That being said, numbers don’t lie. While the differences are fairly minor, there is a distinct degradation of performance when moving from 9mm to .40S&W. Even with this degradation, I wouldn’t feel significantly disadvantaged with of forty in my waistband.
Increased Parts Wear
This is something that the vast majority of shooters will never have to worry about. That being said, it is something to consider for even mildly serious shooters, those buying used firearms, or people looking to adopt firearms for their agency/organization/whatever. Thanks to the increased pressures associated with .40S&W, users will see increased parts wear compared to 9mm and .45ACP service pistols. But don’t take my word for it.
Recently Greg Ellifritz, of Active Response Training, spoke to common parts breakage on Glock handguns and how to properly maintain them. With experience maintaining the pistols for his agency, and as a national level trainer, Greg has a lot of insight into the subject. Due to this, I asked for his input regarding the differences in parts life between 9mm and .40S&W pistols. Here’s what he had to say:
“My department issued 9mm, .40, and .45 Glocks. I worked on all of them. The .40s would have parts break at 2-3x the rate of 9s and .45s. I think the overall service life is probably pretty equal but you are going to have to do more work to keep the .40s going.”
To add to this, I spoke with Reid Henrichs of Valor Ridge. Reid was the first national-level instructor I trained with back in the fall of 2017. During the course of training, he spoke to the shorter service life of .40S&W handguns compared to their 9mm counterparts. Recently I reached out to Reid for his updated take on the subject. Here’s what he had to say:
“I have seen about 6 pistols blow up on the range, all of them .40 S&W. Some were using reloads but some were not. I have never seen a 9mm blow up. In terms of service life of a pistol, the 9mm Glocks have about a 4-5X longer life than the .40. You will get about 30-50k rounds from a G22/23 and easily 100k+from a G17/19.
The parts that break are the slide and frame. Small cracks become big ones. In terms of maintenance, they are equal as you need to replace the recoil springs every 5k rounds. Other springs should be replaced annually. My range gun, a gen 3 G19 has 120K through it right now and is still going strong.”
No Additional Stopping Power
“Stopping power” is difficult to quantify. We can use ballistics gelatin tests to measure expansion, penetration, and more, but those aren’t a 1:1 comparison of performance against a living threat. We can spend days cherry-picking examples of X round performing perfectly or Y round underperforming. This goes for caliber debates, preferred defensive loads, and even different bullet weights within the same caliber and brand. What truly matters here is good shot placement with a quality round.
We’re not here to focus on anatomy today, so we’ll instead discuss what advantages, if any, .40S&W holds of 9mm in the realm of “stopping power”. Turns out the differences between most service calibers are negligible. Whether you’re shooting a 9, 40, or 45, penetration and even expansion are often comparable with quality defensive ammunition.
Several studies have been conducted on this, such as those from Doctor Gary Roberts, Greg Ellifritz, and others. If that’s not enough, the FBI speaks in detail about the myth of stopping power, or any perceived benefits of larger calibers in their whitepaper explaining their switch back to 9mm for service pistols. With several leading experts in the industry all coming to the same independent conclusions, this may be a clue.
Of course this means that .40S&W is perfectly adequate for personal protection. Nobody is arguing that point. But is the juice worth the squeeze when the results are the same at the cost of the other issues mentioned above? Is seems like most people are saying no.
Benefits of 40S&W
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably thinking that I hate .40S&W. If you asked me a few months ago, the answer would’ve been yes. That being said, I’m not as opposed to it now as I was in the past. There certainly are some benefits to the round. What are they?
Competitive Edge
Some competitive shooting bodies offer different divisions for different calibers, typically based off of Power Factor. In simple terms, Power Factor is bullet weight multiplied by velocity measured in feet per second. Theoretically, a higher power factor means higher recoil. Baselines are established for different power factors, ensuring that shooters don’t load severely underpowered ammunition for an unfair advantage.
USPSA has two Power Factors, Major and Minor, with Major offering more points for hits outside the A-Zone of the target. This leads many shooters to choose Major, allowing for a little more grace for thrown shots. An easy way to make Major Power Factor is to use heavier bullets, which is often thought to produce lower recoil than choosing higher velocity rounds. A bigger bullet is easier to make heavier. As such, we see .40S&W dominate Limited division in USPSA, allowing for Major, while also providing improved capacity over something like a .45ACP.
Caliber Conversions
Some guns allow you to swap a few parts and convert them into other calibers. My Glock 31, for example, can be easily converted to shoot .40S&W, and 9×19 while still using the same holsters. Often times people tout this as a selling point for guns chambered in .40S&W, as most are readily convertible to 9mm.
However, this is far less common in reality than in theory, and the costs quickly rise. Replacement barrels, sometimes replacement recoil springs, extractors and more, plus the time to swap everything. Zeroing your sights for your new ammunition, ensuring you’re not confusing magazines and ammunition. All of these factors add up to time and money that could potentially be better served elsewhere.
However, I don’t think this is a lost cause. Caliber conversions are helpful in places where the number of guns you can own are limited. It can also be helpful if you use calibers that require fewer parts to be swapped, such as .357SIG to .40S&W. Guns milled for optics can also benefit from caliber conversion, saving the user time and money, not having to send another slide off for weeks to months to get custom milled.
The Used Market
As more law enforcement agencies and private citizens dump their .40S&W guns, the market gets more favorable for those looking to gobble up these trade-ins. One department near me actually switched from 9mm to .40S&W within the past few years, buying guns and ammunition for pennies on the dollar. It was savings like this which led my family to jumping on the .40S&W bandwagon back in 2012. This is one of the more valid reasons I see for going the forty route in 2022, though it is temporary at best.
Unfortunately, a lot of these were bought up during the initial panic of 2020, when thousands of people decided it was time to buy a gun. That being said, you’ll still occasionally come across new trade-ins from time to time. Most people don’t shoot their guns that much, so snagging a gently used .40S&W will likely serve you well for a long time.
Final Thoughts on 40S&W
With modern bullet technology there is not much reason to choose .40S&W over a modern 9mm load. While it certainly performs admirably, and is widely available, it’s just not ideal in 2022. Maybe one day we’ll see a renaissance in bullet technology like we’ve seen with 9mm in the past few years, rocketing .40S&W back to the top of the game. Think about the pros and cons listed above, and decide what is right for you.
Author’s Note: Thanks to Greg Ellifritz and Reid Henrichs for their insight and support with this piece. Give them some love and support.
About Dan Reedy
Dan is an Air Force veteran, avid shooter, and dog dad. With a passion for teaching, he holds instructor certifications from Rangemaster, Agile Training & Consulting, and the NRA. He has trained with Darryl Bolke, Mike Pannone, Craig Douglas, among several other instructors, amassing over 400 hours of professional instruction thus far. In his spare time you’ll find him teaching handgun, shotgun, and less lethal classes.
Dan’s work has been published by Primer Peak, and The Kommando Blog, and he has been featured as a guest on Primary & Secondary.
