The EAA’s safety can be left up for Condition One carry, or the hammer can be manually lowered for a DA first shot. On the Taurus, ambidextrous, frame-mounted thumb safeties can be applied to carry the pistol in Condition One, or can be depressed past the “fire” position to safely lower the hammer. The Beretta has ambidextrous levers on the slide that drop the hammer and, if left down, act as safeties, preventing the pistol from being fired. The Sig uses a lever on the left side of the frame to safely drop the hammer on a loaded chamber. The CZ and EAA are all steel (stainless in the case of the latter), which will gladden the hearts of the traditionalists, while the Sig, Taurus and Beretta all feature steel slides and aluminum alloy frames.Īll five also have DA/SA trigger mechanisms, but they operate in four different modes. First, they are all recoil-operated, hammer-fired, locked-breech designs. Characteristics of the Metal HandgunsĪll of these pistols share certain characteristics. These guns have seen service with Middle Eastern police agencies and are extremely popular with action pistol competitors around the world. It is an all-stainless-steel pistol with a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger system and a single-sided safety. The EAA Witness Full Steel is made in Italy by Tanfoglio and is a variant of the CZ 75. market, they have been popular with police in Central Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa. While Cold-War-era politics resulted in CZ pistols being latecomers to the U.S. The CZ 75BD is an improved version of the Czech CZ 75 pistol. The Brazilian-made Taurus PT-92 is a modified version of the original Beretta 92 and has seen police and military service in a number of Latin American, Asian and Middle Eastern countries. State Department Security and the UK’s Royal Marine Commandos. Sig’s P226 is another worldwide favorite with soldiers, police and civilian shooters, and some current users include the U.S. The Beretta 92 is the standard handgun of dozens of armies and police forces around the world, including the U.S., Italy, South Africa, Brazil, France, Japan and Indonesia. He readily agreed, and in a few weeks, I received the Beretta 92A1, CZ 75 BD, European American Armory (EAA) Witness Steel Full Size, Sig Sauer P226 Legion and a Taurus PT-92. While discussing future “Battle Royales” with my editor, I mentioned that polymer pistols seemed to be getting all the ink in today’s firearms media and suggested that we compare several all-metal, service-type pistols. Despite this proliferation of “plastic” pistols, traditional all-metal, service-type pistols are still very much in demand. While originally viewed with suspicion, it became the driving force behind the “Polymer Revolution.” Today, polymer-framed pistols dominate the police and military markets. The 1980s saw the introduction of the Glock 17, whose frame and internal components were made from polymer. However, by the 1970s, attitudes had changed, and high-capacity designs like the S&W Model 59, Beretta 92 and CZ 75 became the top choices of armies and law enforcement agencies around the world. While the Browning Hi-Power pistol introduced a 13-round magazine in 1935, the concept of high-capacity magazines was slow to catch on. By the 1960s, more and more handgun manufacturers were offering their products with aluminum. The use of aluminum reduced weight while providing enhanced resistance to moisture, salts and corrosion. In the 1950s, Colt, S&W and Walther introduced pistols with aluminum alloy frames. Since their introduction in the late 19th century, most semi-auto, centerfire, service-type pistols have utilized forged-steel slides, frames and internal components. Yes children, it’s true! Even though the first polymer-framed pistols were introduced in the 1970s, it took another decade for the “plastic” pistols to become popular. Many of our younger readers will no doubt think I’m a liar when I tell them that at one time there were no polymer-framed pistols.
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