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Bryant Ridge's AnalysisThe old Colt action design was a product of the late 1890's. It was complex and required that the action be literally hand fitted. The action was built using over-sized forged parts in which a fitter would assemble the action by filing, stoning, and even bending parts to get a working revolver. In line with the desire to make the Python the finest revolver ever made, Colt had the action even further polished and tuned to give the best possible trigger pull. So concerned wa …

Bryant Ridge's AnalysisIn 1950, Colt put the Commander into regular production so that ordinary folks like me could buy one. Colt had already set a record within the company by making the Commander their very first 9mm production pistol, and now they had achieved another first: the Commander was the largest gun made at that time with an aluminum frame. The first year’s production also included pistol chambered in .45 ACP and .38 Super. In 1970, Colt introduced a steel-framed version of the Comma …

Bryant Ridge's AnalysisBeretta of Italy designed and manufactured the Beretta Cheetah, a series of compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols introduced in 1976. The series includes models in .32 ACP (Models 81 and 82), .380 ACP (9 mm Short) (Models 80X, 83, 84, 85, and 86), and .22 LR (Models 87, 87 Target, and 89). The 80X is an updated version of the 84, which was revived by Beretta in 2023 after production was paused in 2017. The .380 ACP (9 mm Short) cartridge is chambered in three mo …

Bryant Ridge's AnalysisThe GLOCK 34 Gen 4 Semi-Auto Pistol is designed for competitive shooting and serves well as a defensive handgun. The G34 has a long slide that reduces muzzle flip considerably to keep the user on target. The longer slide also provides a longer sight radius, improving accuracy at a distance. The polymer frame includes texture on the sides, finger grooves, and checkering on the front and back strap, which provide a secure hold on the pistol in adverse conditions. An integral …

Bryant Ridge's AnalysisThe Special Forces SR pistol from Ed Brown is built for pure performance and extreme use. They started with a government model frame with an integral light rail and added a fully blended magwell for a smooth fit and quick magazine change. Ready for use with a suppressor, their threaded barrel is standard on this model. The slide features front and rear cocking serrations and is complete with a Trijicon RMR (Ruggedized Miniature Reflex) sight, which is the most rugged minia …