r e a d e r b l o w b a c k | j a n u a ry 2 0 1 5

of contention with the photo of the

fve renowned handgun legends that
appeared a couple of months back.
Granted, it was a staged photo op,
but all fve gentlemen have their
fngers on the triggers of the pistols
they are pointing toward the camera.
Having taken part in such a promotional photo opportunity, it would
have shown great initiative on their
part to promote a safe handling principle that Im sure applied at the time
of the photo being taken. The mere
existence of that photo has troubled
me since I frst saw it in that issue. As
a conscientious instructor and range
safety offcer, I feel it establishes a
very bad example from men who
should have been setting the bar
higher in the public eye. One should
be able to refer to that photo and say,
See? Even they recognize the safety
rules.
M.J. McGowan
South Glens Falls, New York

THE JUDGE SAYS

I bought my frst copy of Guns &
Ammo around 1958, which tells you
that I am old. I subsequently read every
issue that I could get my hands on,
which tells you that I have accumulated
a fund of common gun knowledge. I
often see now that information that
used to be common knowledge has
passed into the realm of forgotten lore.
A couple of these items came up in
the September 2014 issues Reader
Blowback column.
One reader who justifably praised
the Colts Detective Special also
offered the observation that The
only Colt Detective Specials that were
factory authorized for +P ammo were
post-1972 . That is not correct.
Colts advertised its D-frame revolvers
as suitable for high-velocity .38 Special

G&a

11

and .38-44 (the original +P ammunition) at least as early as 1940, the date
of my earliest reference, and continued
to do so throughout the production of
the D-frames. Colts even authorized
limited use of such ammunition in the
aluminum D-frame Cobra. In 1986, the
National Rife Association sent an inquiry to all makers of .38 Special revolvers
asking which models were suitable for
+P ammunition. Colts responded that
such ammunition could be used in all
of its .38 Special revolvers but noted
that it accelerates wear and guns used
with it need more frequent inspection
and repair than guns used with
standard-pressure ammunition.
A second reader noted that he
did not recall seeing a 7.9x57 (8mm
Mauser) outperform a .30-06. The
U.S. commercial .30-06 signifcantly
outperforms the 8mm in both modern
commercial loads and recommended
reloads. However, the military .30-06
as used in the M1 Garand during World
War II shot a 150-grain bullet at 2,740
feet-per-second for about 2,500 footpounds of muzzle energy, while the
common 8mm Mauser shot a 154-grain
bullet at 2,880 fps for 2,835 ft-lbs of
muzzle energy.
My compliments to both letter
writers and to G&A, whose new editor
seems to bring a breath of fresh air to a
fne old publication.
Marshall williams
burlington, west Virginia

TIRADE AGAINST SWEENEY

I can take it no longer. Just because Mr.
(S)Weeney is a limp-wristed shooter,
lets not all climb on his bandwagon.
Personally, I do not know whether I
am recoil sensitive. I have never fred
a gun to the point that I said, Thats
enough, especially after a couple of
shots. I take into account the caliber

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