Speak Out

American Handgunner, July, 2001

Hitting The Funny Bane

I've enjoyed American Handgunner for years, but usually don't read certain articles, such as this last issue's "SHOT Show 2001." I prefer the nuts and bolts articles on things I'm interested in, but I began reading "SHOT Show 2001" because I had read all the articles of interest to me and there wasn't anything else within arm's reach of the Throne Of Continuing Education.

Please tell me this is the first time Michael Bane has written for American Handgunner! If it isn't, I've been denying myself a lot of laughs. Bane's writing is great. Please have him cover other events, and I really don't care what- he'll make it funny.

Tom Sailers

Calif.

Doing The Makarov

Many thanks to Ken Hackathorn ("Tactical Advantage," May/June 2001) for proclaiming the Pistolet Makarov the best low-priced handgun for self-defense. Maybe now I will gct a little respect at the range. No more jibes about being the big Libertarian with the little Commie pistol.

In gratitude, I offer the following tips to any potential Makarovniks among the readers of American Handgunner. The best inexpensive improvement to the PM is the replacement of the standard grip: Pearce and Makawrap are the two most popular upgrades. The nicest "one-stop-shop" for such grips (and every other imaginable PM accessory) is www.Makarov.com. Tell them Ken sent you.

Matt McCally

Burien, Wash.

The Mighty Makarov

I enjoyed your Makarov article ("Tactical Advantage," May/June '01). It confirms what I have long believed. When the subject of pocket guns comes up, the single-stack 9x18 Makarov receives far less attention than it deserves.

At one time, I owned four of them, two of East German manufacture, one Russian and one Chinese. Here is my two cents worth:

I have frequently fired a Makarov in a 10-month, 1,080-round, 25-yard bullseye league. I didn't win any prizes, but my score was not the lowest, either.

The little gun is quite accurate and I do not know of a single case of a failure to feed, fire or eject- this with both heavy and light loads, both jacketed and home cast bullets. During our early experimentation, before loading data was available and before we had a properly fitting seating punch, we produced and fired loads with weak charges and bullets that obviously did not point to the same compass point as the case. The Makarovs could not have cared less.

Of those I have seen, the ones from China are the poorest finished inside and out. The East German ones are the best and have the best triggers, but Chinese and East German makes both functioned perfectly. All the ones I've seen had a chrome-lined barrel, which is a nice touch. Caution: Some bargain ammo from Eastern Europe has Berdan corrosive primers.

Karl at www.makarov.com has parts and accessories; he provided me with a slide with Novak sights for one of mine, and these arc a great improvement. The holster I use is for a Walther PPK, slightly cut out for the hammer drop safety. Pour different weights of recoil springs are available from Wolffe if you want to experiment to see if you can drop the cases in something under 30 feet.

William Kinter

Hellertown, Pa.

Fingerprint Willies

I've been a hacker for 20 years and a handgunner for somewhat less. The thought of a holster that reads fingerprints ("Handgun Leather," May/June '01) gives me the willies.

Living in the People's Republic of Kalifornia, I do not have concealed-carry rights. But I have experience with gizmos that read your fingerprint to grant access. For example, I own a fingerprint device from Digital Persona which is supposed to allow access to my PC. Not that I have anything to hide; I bought it as a neat toy.

Which is all it is good for. On the first day I had it, I discovered three obvious ways around it. Okay, that's not so hard to do in a Windows environment. But when I contacted the makers, they shrugged. Evidently, if I wanted real security, I'd need to pay a lot more. I hope that holster is not running Windows as its OS!

I have noticed that an inordinate amount of pressure is required at times to allow the device to "see" the fingerprint well enough to recognize it. I frequently need to press one finger down on the sensor window with another finger.

More worrisome is the "schmutz" problem. If the window gets dirty or smudged by the buildup of normal oils from fingers, the recognition begins to take longer, or fails altogether. Oh, and don't use Windex to clean that window. You must use sticky tape to lift successive layers of schmutz from the window.

I have not conducted experiments to see how the thing would deal with scars on the fingers, or fresh blood, or whatever. But suffice to say, I suspect it would not deal gracefully with these situations, and would hardly be something upon which an officer would want to risk his life.

James F. Glass

Chatsworth, Calif.

Ken Said It All

I have been contemplating writing a book on combat shooting techniques for some time. I thought I would base this on 26 years as an Air Force Para-Rescueman as well as my time with the Federal Air Marshals. Then I read Ken Hackathorn's "Tactical Advantage" (May/June '01). Everything that needs to be said about shooting comes down to his two statements: "Place the bullets where they belong and everything will be okay," and "Remember, it's not the gun that wins the fight, it's the user."