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Pietta quickly earned a reputation for making fine reproduction firearms with Western flair when they started in 1962. The recently released King Trio, a close clone of the Colt SAA with three cylinders capable of firing four different cartridges, adds to the Italian manufacturer’s prominence. Jeff “Tank” Hoover provides a closer look at the versatile “Western Triple” in the Jan/Feb issue of American Handgunner.
“Cocking the case-hardened hammer brought pure joy, being smooth and easy the way a single action should be. The overall fit and finish are excellent, making anyone who owns a King Trio single action rightfully proud. Shooting this rendition of an old thumb buster was fun!” he shares.
At first glance, the steel Walther PDP Match SF and the polymer PDP Match seem like identical twins. The difference, Frank Jardim relays, is apparent when you pick them up. He compares the weight, recoil, accuracy and performance of the two models in “The Case Of Steel V. Polymer.”
A TaurusTX 22 Black 22 RDS T.O.R.O. tops the Jan/Feb firearms package giveaway. The .22 LR features the Taurus Performance Trigger System, enhanced iron sights and a mil-std 1913 accessory rail. The winner will also receive a Redemption knife from CRKT and TK22R tactical flashlight from Fenix. Valued at nearly $729 readers are encouraged to enter the free drawing at AmericanHandgunner.com/giveaways.
Other points of interest in the Jan/Feb issue include a look at the guns that comprised the arsenal kept at Alcatraz in Will Dabbs, MD’s “Arming The Rock.” Roy Huntington claims to have found the actual magic bullet. Well, pretty darn close anyway. He reveals the secrets to his hardcast 185-grain .44 Special wadcutter load in The Insider column. And in Apparatus Insignis, Frank Jardim discusses the short-lived, WWII-era Hand Firing Mechanism MK 2, a .38 S&W (and later .38 Special) attached to the back of a heavy leather work glove. A great idea in theory, the “fist gun” arrived at a time when technology just wasn’t sophisticated enough to ensure it was practical and safe for use.
Exclusive online articles can be found at AmericanHandgunner.com. Purchase the Jan/Feb issue or order a subscription at fmgpubs.com. Digital versions are also available.