Barra

Barra 009 vs. Umarex G17 Gen4 Part 3

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Barra 009 vs. Umarex G17 Gen4 Part 3

Wherein the 009 plays G18 for a full auto CO2 shootout

By Dennis Adler

This is where we have to suspend the reality of what are copies of actual firearms and what are versions of actual firearms and follow the almost irresistible fascination of full auto shooting with air pistols. You don’t even have to ask why because the question answers itself; the overwhelming majority of us cannot own a select-fire handgun, not even a vintage one like an original 1932 Mauser M712 or any of the few select-fire copies such as the Spanish-made Beistegui Hermanus Royal Broomhandle. Even these still fall under the federal rules for ownership of an automatic weapon. There’s that and the extremely high prices for these historic select-fire pistols. As for modern or at least relatively modern select-fire guns like the Beretta 93R or current Glock 18/18C, they breathe the same rarified air. But air is the answer, CO2, which opens up the possibility for anyone to own what looks like, feels like, and technically, shoots like the real guns. We have the somewhat fictionalized Umarex Beretta 92A1 and M9A3 with select-fire mechanisms (fictionalized because only the 93R ever had this option), the superb Umarex Broomhandle Legends M712 (a great gun in need of a better finish), the Crosman P1, which is another Beretta-style gun a hair closer in looks to the 93R and based off the same select-fire platform as the now defunct Gletcher BRT 92FS. (Then, of course, there are quite a few select-fire CO2 rifles and carbines like the Crosman DPMS and Bushmaster, the Mini Uzi, and vintage WWII era MP40 and M1A1 Thompson, but that’s another story and a lot of CO2.) Last, we have the new gun the Barra 009. read more

Barra 009 vs. Umarex G17 Gen4 Part 1

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Barra 009 vs. Umarex G17 Gen4 Part 1

Parts is Parts

By Dennis Adler

You all knew this was inevitable. Every time someone makes a variation of an existing gun there is the inevitable comparison, it happens repeatedly in the world of centerfire guns and Glocks are no exception. With the new CO2 models, however, the parallels are more specific because the guns use the same parts manufactured in Taiwan and there is no real exclusivity beyond trademarks, because design patents expire and the floodgates open; this has been true with centerfire guns since the Colt’s patents for the revolver expired in 1857. When patents for the Colt 1911 expired it happened, and it has happened to almost every famous handgun in history. In the end all one really has as a legendary armsmaker is their name. If it looks like a Colt, shoots like a Colt but isn’t marked Colt, it isn’t a Colt. (It might be better in some ways, but it is not, nor will it ever be a Colt). Same for Glock, not legendary yet, but certainly the stuff of which legends are made, if the Austrian armsmaker continues to build guns that are used by more military, law enforcement and government agencies than almost any other in the world. Glock is going head-to-head with Sig Sauer, Beretta, FN, H&K, Colt’s, Smith & Wesson, and other acclaimed manufacturers with histories far, far older than Glock’s. Not to put too fine of a point on this, the Glock 17 is regarded among the 100 most important gun designs in the history of firearms; not bad for a company that hadn’t made a gun before the 1980s! read more

Tales of Wells Fargo Part 3

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Tales of Wells Fargo Part 3

Barra recreates the 5-inch Schofield model

By Dennis Adler

No matter how famous or infamous the owner, the S&W Schofield found its way into the holsters of legendary outlaws and lawmen alike, many of who also famously carried Colts, Merwin Hulberts, and Remingtons; but the Schofield in its several iterations and barrel lengths was conspicuous throughout the period from 1875 to the turn of the century.

There were more than 300 refurbished Schofield revolvers purchased by Wells, Fargo & Co. with the majority having their barrels cut down to 5 and 5-1/2 inches. Some were also nickel plated in the refurbishing process. The shortened barrel .45 S&W Schofield caliber revolvers were easy to carry undercover, especially in some very innovative holsters that used steel clips to attach to the wearer’s trouser waist.
One of the most infamous guns of the Old West is the Smith & Wesson New Model Number Three used by Bob Ford to assassinate Jesse James in St. Joseph, Missouri on April 3, 1882. James, pictured at left, may even have given Ford, shown at right, the very gun that was turned against him. (William I. Koch Collection)
As the tenuous relationship between Jesse James and his men began to further disintegrate in 1882, brothers Robert and Charles Ford, (pictured), set upon a plan to kill Jesse in exchange for amnesty from the Governor of Missouri and a $10,000 reward. After they had murdered Jesse, Bob Ford had the S&W engraved and used it in a stage show about how he captured and killed the West’s greatest outlaw. The play was a sham because Ford had assassinated James by shooting him in the back of the head. Ford was reviled by everyone from the Governor of Missouri to the audiences at his plays who usually booed him off the stage.

Frank and Jesse James both had Schofield revolvers among their arsenal of handguns, (Jesse James was murdered by Robert Ford with an S&W Topbreak believed to have been given to him by Jesse), celebrated frontier lawmen Bill Tilghman carried a Schofield 7-inch model, El Paso, Texas, City Marshal (and Territorial Deputy U.S. Marshal) Dallas Stoudenmire also carried a 7-inch model in a leather lined trouser pocket, John Wesley Hardin owned an S&W No. 3 Topbreak (not a Schofield); as did Virgil Earp (the very gun he may have handed to brother Wyatt at the OK Corral shootout); lawman Pat Garrett had a Schofield, and Theodore Roosevelt carried a finely engraved New Model No. 3. The S&W topbreak revolvers were not at all uncommon guns. The Wells Fargo model and other cut down refurbished military Schofields more so into the 1880s and 1890s, with several hundred being purchased by Well Fargo alone. Civilian sales also likely numbered in the hundreds, and eventually more military Schofields, a sizable number also refurbished with cut down 5 inch and 5-1/2 inch barrels, ended up on the secondary market. The new Barra Schofield 5-inch models then, are in some very good company, including some very pricey .44-40 and .45 Colt caliber Schofield Wells Fargo reproductions manufactured in Italy by A. Uberti. (Smith & Wesson also made a limited edition of 7-inch and 5-inch models as commemorative pistols in 2000. These were official S&W copies, however, for safety reasons; these guns were fitted with an internal firing pin and a transfer bar, rather than a proper Schofield hammer-mounted firing pin. read more

Tales of Wells Fargo Part 2

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Tales of Wells Fargo Part 2

Barra recreates the 5-inch Schofield model

By Dennis Adler

The first guns used by Wells, Fargo & Co. field agents (investigators) were Colt’s 1848 Baby Dragoon and improved 1849 model.Both guns were essentially scaled down versions of Colt’s new First Model Dragoon and featured a full octagonal barrel in 3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch lengths without loading lever. The new lightweight Colt pocket pistol could dispense five .31 caliber balls with deadly accuracy at close range. The 1849 Model Colts requested by Wells Fargo without loading levers came to be known as the Wells Fargo Model. That title was not attached to any other gun until the Schofield was taken up by Wells Fargo agents in the 1870’s. read more

Tales of Wells Fargo Part 1

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Tales of Wells Fargo Part 1

Barra recreates the 5-inch Schofield model

By Dennis Adler

The Schofield model of S&W’s No. 3 American was designed by a military officer looking for a way to correct a problem with the original topbreak latching mechanism that was proving problematic for U.S. Cavalry soldiers trying to reload the gun on horseback.

The first S&W revolvers used by the U.S. Army, beginning in 1870-1871, had been criticized for the top-break design which had a barrel-mounted release latch that was often hard to use. Maj. George Schofield redesigned the latch mechanism to fit the frame instead of the barrel and thus release the barrel by simply pulling the latch back (with the hammer at half cock). The barrel could then be pressed downward against one’s leg (or other surface) to pivot it open, thus automatically ejecting all of the spent casings (the gun’s greatest advantage over Colt revolvers). The U.S. Ordnance Dept. ordered almost the entire production of this distinctive model. Standard barrel length was 7-inches. At top an original S&W No. 3, middle a Schofield, and bottom an engraved version of the Barra Schofield.

The groundbreaking .44 caliber S&W No. 3 revolver had been adopted by the military in 1870 and was being issued to troops early in 1871. It was a fine handgun for most, but mounted soldiers found it problematic to handle on horseback. The S&W design had been intended to make reloading faster by breaking open the action, tilting the barrel down, at which point a cam rotated by this movement forced the ejector upward to expel all six spent shell cases at once. The open cylinder also provided quick reloading of all six chambers before rotating the barrel up and locking it. All well and good if you had two free hands, one to hold the gun and the other to raise the latch on the top of the frame so the barrel could be tilted down. On horseback two free hands was a little daunting. Army Major George W. Schofield regarded the S&W as an excellent sidearm but believed the latching mechanism was all wrong, at least for the Cavalry. He set about redesigning the latch and secured a patent to “first, provide a lock-fast for such weapons, which shall hold the barrel securely in the position for firing; second, to provide a cylinder-stay for holding the cylinder in position when the weapon is opened for loading or ejecting discharged cartridge cases; third, to provide a simple and effective ejector-spring stop.” Maj. Schofield’s changes also improved the rear sight by incorporating a sighting notch on the latch itself, which was easily opened one-handed by pulling the hammer to half cock and using the thumb to pull the latch back releasing the barrel. read more

Barra 009 Part 005

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Barra 009 Part 005

Full Auto Operation

By Dennis Adler

This is the part of every select-fire CO2 air pistol test that we wait for because this is an experience you can generally only get with an airgun. I have fired full auto centerfire rifles and they can be a handful, same for pistols, but most reports on the Glock 18 say that recoil is not that hard to manage on full auto compared to other select-fire pistols. Certainly with the Barra 009 recoil will not be an issue no matter how nice the rapid action of the slide feels and the low dB report sounds. It is a mere fraction of what the real gun would be like. And that is actually a good thing, as very few of us will ever need to train for full auto firing with a handgun or rifle. It is an occasional privilege for those of us who write about firearms so our opinions are grounded in fact. The fact is, at the moment, the Barra 009 is in a class by itself as the most compact (compared to the Beretta 92A1/M9A3 or Mauser M712) CO2 full auto handgun on the market. And a gun in a class of its own deserves a good explanation. read more

Barra 009 Part 004

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Barra 009 Part 004

Semi-auto accuracy at 21 feet

By Dennis Adler

Today we further explore the comparisons between the Umarex Glock 17 Gen4 and Barra 009 by shooting the 009 as a semiautomatic pistol. In part 003 were found that the velocity of the Barra is almost identical with the Gen4, the 009 delivering a littler more velocity on the high end and closer to the 325 fps figures quoted by the manufacturer but only by a few fps. Average velocity between the Gen4 and 009 is the same, 317 fps, and both guns have a modest 2 fps standard deviation for an entire magazine; overall, very comparable guns with the same parts. No corners cut by Barra. read more