ltwguns.com

The 9x21 in Italian use was just a 9x19 with a 2mm longer case. Same case otherwise, same bullet and same ballistics. since the 9x19 is a tapered case, 9x19 would (usually, things can vary) run just fine in a 9x21 chamber.

Now, here in the USA, back when such things mattered, the 9x21 was used to be a .38 Super Short, to let Open shooters run at Major in guns that could not fit a .38 Super. Think all the clones of the CZ75, made by EAA and others. You do not want to get any of that in a BHP chambered for 9x21, as the Open ammo will probably run 45-50,000 PSI.

There are soooo many potential ammo / chamber mixups. We made one here the other day. Faithful Assistant had a really sweet lever gun that he bought from the widow of a friend, in .45 LC. It came with "enough" .45 LC ammo. I helped the widow dispose of a bunch of stuff including a Ruger Blackhawk .44 Mag and ammo.

F. A. bravely fires the first shots from 100 Y on steel, no hits. We move in to 50. No hits-- this is a 42" diameter disk of AR500. No hits?! The previous owner was a stickler for guns that work, shoot well, and are well zeroe'd. We move in to 25, on paper.... can't hit the paper but that backer shows 'em going through sideways.

"Clue". We look at the gathered empties. Bulged, some split..... headstamped "44 Mag". We transitioned to actual .45 LC ammo and suffice it to say, accuracy improved.

F.A. has the above-mentioned Astra 400, 9mm Largo caliber. These cases are ~23mm in length, The gun is straight blowback. I shudder to think if someone put a hot 9X23 Winchester factory load in there.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was at an S&W industry dog and pony show where they were showing us the brand-new 40S&W. (Yes, I'm that old.)

One of the less switched-on attendees loads up a new S&W Mountain Gun, 4" tapered barrel stainless steel .44 magnum N frame. he blasts off a cylinder full, and can't hit anything. Put s it on the table. The next guy can't eject the empties. Yep, he'd shot it with a cylinder full of .41 Magnum ammo, full-power Federal. The gun was fine.

The BHP test bed progresses a bit.

Nice high grip under the tang (and very high-gripped under the trigger guard). VZ grips thinned to “way thin” and FRAG’d.


A little FRAG on the backstrap. The grip safety experiment…? “Never happened”.

I cannot help but think of Jim Boland's work when I see what you do here.

I can't confirm or deny the influence but mostly, I don't deny it . I was lucky enough to see and handle some of Boland's work in the mid-80's and it definitely showed some roads that I didn't know were even on the map.

I have always been a fan of the Hi Power. Currently I have a Springfield SA-35 which has a nice feel and a decent shooter. Not the classic.

Ned have you had a chance to look at one of those yet.

_________________
Be safe and keep the brass flying

Terry Peters

Do your research but you get what you pay for front end or back end
http://www.pt-partners.com
@ptpartners_tx

I have not even handled one unless maybe at SHOT last year. I did handle the new FN and was kinda excited about maybe getting one and being the first guy to give one a custom go-over but... you know how companies put something out there long before they are actually available, looks like this is one of those. I'm far from being a marketing guru but to me if you could get the hype and spin-up a little closer to the actual release I would think it would be better. As far as I know they are not yet on the shelves and myself, at this point, I'm kinda "meh" about it.

I am kinda paying attention to the Tisas HP's. I see they now have one optics ready, with a rail, shorter bbl / slide, and it comes with a beaver tail. Gotta hand it to those guys, they have a good "what will sell" detector and are quick to the market. I feel like they are scooping everyone in the Hi-Power market. Not sure if the railed one is really available yet but I saw it in American Rifleman I think.

Just finishing writing one up, it is nice. Tang, straight trigger, railed, kinda-sorta VZ grips.

There is well-developed and modern firearms industry in Turkey.... more important is their responsiveness to the American market, and from what I've seen , a high level of quality. I mean, a Hi Power with a rail and beavertail and better sights could have been done years ago, by any other player, before Turkey really had a foothold here.

And the match line comes without the magazine disconnector, so you don;'t have to start there improving the trigger pull. Not that the one they sent me needs much of that.

I don't want to be seen as a shill for anyone but I think we both agree, as do others in the industry, that these guys have made significant inroads into the US market by providing what US shooters want, at a level of quality that honestly, some US mfgrs have failed to exhibit, chronically. My impression of a few US makers is that quality is starting to matter more.... coincidence? Market pressure? I'll take either one. Some are upping quality by.... having their product made in, you guessed it, Turkey.

Ned. It's all about "follow the money" If quality labor and components are not sourced locally manufacturers look elsewhere. Low costs for volume for pure profit margins are what turns what was something to be depended into something less.

I do not know what the solution is but saw this meme on a social media site but it sure fits.
What to me really sucks is how the skill of a pair of hands and critical thinking from mind from an individual craftsman is being diminished and lost in the name of margins.

Enough of a rant. But that is why is enjoy the hand made firearms that move through my wife and my "after school business" as Ted calls it. Seeing the skill and work those that are and were part of the LTW is worth it

_________________
Be safe and keep the brass flying

Terry Peters

Do your research but you get what you pay for front end or back end
http://www.pt-partners.com
@ptpartners_tx

Yep.