This handsome Paterson revolver, the earliest known, factory-engraved Colt, sold for remarkable $414,000 at an April 2015 RIA auction.
Gun prices climbed into the stratosphere last month during the 2015 April Premiere Firearms Auction conducted by the Rock Island Auction Company (RIA). The most expensive gun at auction was an historic Colt Paterson, the first-ever factory-engraved Colt handgun. Complete with the original fitted factory case with various accessories, this Paterson inspired a bidding war that saw the price rise to a stunning $414,000. That is an amazingly high price for a gun that was not owned by a well-known historic personage. Generally, to command a price in the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, a gun must have a significant historic provenance — such as having been owned by a legendary figure such as Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp.
It seems like prices continue to rise every year at auctions of historic and collectible firearms. At RIA’s April Premier Auction, the total sale value of the auctioned guns topped $11.6 million. Remarkably, a first-year production Colt Python (serial #170) sold for $17,250! That makes this Editor regret not having acquired an early model Snake decades ago.
Here at AccurateShooter.com we tend to focus on highly-accurate (1/2-MOA or better), custom-built bolt-action rifles. But for home defense, deer hunting, or just having fun with the grand-kids, factory-built firearms serve their purpose. With that in mind, we wondered, “Just what are the most popular mass-production firearms these days?” Gunbroker.com, the biggest firearms auction site, has tallied the top-selling new and “previously-owned” firearms in various categories for all of last year. Here are Gunbroker’s “Best Selling Firearms” for 2014.
GunBroker’s Top-Selling New and Used Firearms of 2014
Remington has introduced the brand new RM380, an ultra-small DAO .380 ACP carry pistol. This alloy-framed gun weighs just 12.2 ounces (unloaded), and is very compact, measuring 5.25 inches long. Capacity with flush-base magazine is 6+1, and Remington plans to offer a 7-round magazine with a pinky extension. Because it is hammer-fired, the RM380 has second-strike capability. There is no manual safety.
The RM380 is different that many small .380 ACP pistols in using a locking breech rather than a straight blow-back action. Remington claims this reduces perceived recoil. At a media preview hosted at the Arizona Gunsite Academy, pre-production models were tested. Those examples proved reliable, running extended strings (100+ rounds) without failure. However, testers commented on the long, very heavy, 7.9-pound trigger pull.
With today’s plastic-framed Glocks and Keltecs, aesthetics have been sacrificed on the altar of functionality. Not so in the early 20th century — in that period, the best firearm designers created guns that looked as good as they worked. One example is the classic Colt Woodsman. This design came from the legendary John Moses Browning and was later refined by Colt before the pistol’s introduction in 1915. The Colt Woodsman’s frame design evolved over time in three distinct series: Series One 1915–1947, Series Two 1947–1955, and Series Three 1955–1977. Shown below is a stunning Carbonia-blued and engraved Third Series model with ivory grips.
Click Photo to View Larger Image Photo courtesy NRA Museum
Engraved Colt Woodsman from NRA Museum
In the NRA Museum’s Robert E. Petersen Gallery are many fine engraved arms. This Colt Woodsman .22 pistol is one of the Third Series guns that were made until 1977. Heavy barrels in either 4.5 or 6 inch lengths were offered in this variation. The Museum’s staff says: “We think the poised golden rattlesnake near the serial number is the [best] embellishment without putting down in any way the ivory grip panels or gold outline inlays.”
You can see this lovely Colt and countless other fine firearms at the NRA Museum in Fairfax, Virginia. The Museum is open every day from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, and admission is free.
Now through April 20, 2015, the Museum hosts a Theodore Roosevelt exhibit: “The Trappings of an Icon”. This includes Roosevelt memorabilia on loan from Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
Report by Boyd Allen
This pistol belongs to Dan Lutke, a Bay Area benchrest shooter who publishes the results for the Visalia matches to the competitors and the NBRSA. He has been an enthusiastic competitor for an number of years, at various ranges, notably Visalia and Sacramento. The action is a Remington XP-100, to which a Kelbly 2 oz. trigger has been fitted. On top is an old Japanese-made Tasco 36X scope (these were actually pretty darn good). The Hart barrel (a cast-off from Dan’s Unlimited rail gun) was shortened and re-chambered for the 6x45mm, a wildcat made by necking-up the .223 Remington parent case. The custom stock/chassis was CNC-machined by Joe Updike from 6061 Billet Aluminum to fit the XP-100 action and mount a target-style AR grip with bottom hand rest. The gun was bedded and assembled by Mel Iwatsubu. In his XP-100 pistol, Dan shoots 65gr custom boat-tails with Benchmark powder.
TEN Shots in 0.303″ (0.289 MOA) at 100 Yards
How does Dan’s XP-100 pistol shoot? Look at that target showing TEN shots at 100 yards, with eight (8) shots in the main cluster at the top. The ten-shot group measures .303″ (0.289 MOA), as calculated with OnTarget Software. Not bad for a handgun! What do you think, can your best-shooting rifle match the 10-shot accuracy of this XP-100 pistol?
This diagram shows the most common 6x45mm wildcat, which is a necked-up version of the .223 Remington parent cartridge. NOTE: The dimensions for Dan Lutke’s benchrest version of this cartridge may be slightly different.
ACAD drawing by Peter Gnanapragasam CC by SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Title Added.
Story tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
This video will give you chills (starting at about the 0:25 mark). We need to remember to follow all the firearms safety rules, and apply them all the time. At the range, all it takes is one brief moment of inattention to create a life-threatening situation. Never assume the downrange area is safe. Use your own eyes and ears.
This video shows a competitor shooting a stage at an action pistol match. He starts when instructed by the Range Safety Officer (RSO). But unbeknownst to both RS0 and competitor, a volunteer is downrange working on targets. Watch carefully. At 0:27 the shooter sweeps left to right, engaging a paper silhouette target to his right. Then, at 0:30, as he begins a mag change, his head turns downrange. A few yards away is a white-shirted range worker! The shooter yells “Hey what’s going on?!”
What’s going on indeed… The RSO should have ensured that nobody was downrange before the shooter even stepped up to the firing line. If other competitors standing to the side had been alert, they might have seen the worker changing targets and called for a halt. And the target-worker himself — even if he was wearing earmuffs, he should have noticed that live fire had commenced just yards away…
We also have to wonder about the stage design. This set-up made it very difficult to see downrange. The white panels (see 0:10-0:20) definitely hid the target worker from view. In hindsight, given the way the stage was laid out, this was truly an “accident waiting to happen”. It’s fortunate that no one got injured in this incident. But this chilling video provides a lesson to all shooters — “Safety First”.
How could this “near-fatality” have been averted? Post your comments below.
Glock just released a new single-stack 9mm pistol, the Glock 43 (G43). Why did it take Glock so long to bring a single-stack 9x19mm handgun to market? Better late than never we suppose. Given the large market for concealable handguns, this IS an important product introduction. In fact, Glock says: “The G43 is the most highly desired and anticipated release in Glock’s history”.
The key question for potential buyers is “How thin is it?” If this pistol is not significantly thinner or lighter than a double-stack 9mm handgun, then there really isn’t much reason for it to exist. Here are some dimensional comparisons. We included the G43, the double-stack 9mm Glock 19, along with single-stack 9mm carry pistols from Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Kahr:
You can see that the G43 is about 1/10″ thicker than some of its rivals, but it is 0.16″ thinner (and 7.46 oz. lighter) than its bigger brother, the G19. That’s significant. On the other hand, at 26mm, the G43 is 2mm thicker than Glock’s .380 ACP G42 compact pistol. That gun was a big hit — Glock sold nearly 200,000 G42s last year. Will the G43 be as popular even though it is slightly thicker? Probably. All the pundits predict the G43 will be a big seller for Glock.
6+1 Capacity Now with 7+1 in Future
The G43 comes with a six-shot magazine. According to the CTD Shooter’s Log: “Glock has promised to deliver a magazine in the near future that will bump the capacity by one additional round and add a pinky extension.”
G43 Shines in Reliability Testing
Absolute reliability is ultra-important in a carry pistol. We don’t particularly like Glock ergonomics, Glock sights, or the Glock trigger, but Glock pistols have proven to be very reliable. It looks like the G43 lives up to the Glock reputation for reliability. During intial media testing, the G43 was tested with CCI Blazer and Winchester white box FMJ. The only failure to fire was a bad round. The G43s performed flawlessly with low-dollar ammo. Source: Shooter’s Log.
Got a 1911-style centerfire pistol? Would you like to cross-train with an ergonomically-identical rimfire version that lets you shoot less-expensive .22 LR ammo and not worry about recovering your brass? Well check out Kimber’s Rimfire 1911s. We think John Moses Browning would smile at this adaptation of his classic 1911 design.
Guaranteed Accuracy
Kimber’s line-up of rimfire pistols includes matte black and silver-tone Rimfire Target models ($871 MSRP), plus a deluxe, two-tone Rimfire Super model ($1220 MSRP) with Rosewood grips, front strap checkering, and KimPro II finish. Shown above, the Rimfire Super model is guaranteed to put five shots in 1.5″ or less at 25 yards. Both standard and deluxe models feature aluminum frame and slide, steel barrel, and adjustable match-type sights.
What’s That Pistol?
While viewing Panteo’s Training with a 22 DVD, we noticed a sweet-looking, silver-tone m1911-style rimfire pistol in the hands of host Michael Bane. At first, we thought this might be a new stainless version of Sig Sauer’s popular 1911-22. But, in actuality, Bane was shooting a Kimber Rimfire Target pistol. Michael’s aluminum-framed Kimber performed great in rapid-fire drills. See one in action below.
Watch Slow-Motion Video of Kimber Rimfire Target (Black Version)
New Brownells EDGE Program Brownells now has a membership program that offers FREE SHIPPING. If you are familiar with Amazon’s PRIME program, this works much the same way. If you pay $49.95 per year for a Brownells EDGE Membership, you get FREE Standard shipping, FREE return shipping, and discounted overnight and 2-day shipping. You could easily pay for the EDGE membership with the savings on just 2 or 3 orders … and after that you will save a LOT of money if you order frequently.
Brownells EDGE Membership Benefits
For an annual membership fee of $49.95, Brownells EDGE offers these important member benefits:
Free shipping on standard, domestic orders
Free return shipping
Discounted two-day and overnight shipping
Members-only special deals
Brownells CEO Pete Brownell explains: “We have heard the calls from customers for better shipping options. Brownells EDGE offers exactly that. At $49.95, this program will pay for itself in with just a few orders. Combine that with free return shipping and our long-time, unique and famous Forever Guarantee, and customers benefit from a true, risk-free shopping experience.”
STI Pistol Give-Away Promotion
Customers who sign up for a Brownells EDGE membership between now and May 1, 2015, will be entered into a drawing to win a custom STI Edge 2011 .45 ACP pistol. Laser-engraved with the Brownells EDGE logo, this custom pistol is valued at $2,190. CLICK HERE for EDGE Sweepstakes Rules.
You can see this lovely Colt and countless other fine firearms at the 
Guaranteed Accuracy
