What must a military sidearm possess to become legendary? Raw stopping power, perhaps some decades of service in combat, or is it confidence-inspiring power that makes the wielder feel invincible? The American military past provides some fascinating insight into how some handguns came to represent American military heritage. Over 250...

There is handgun-defense fetish-ing that is the subject of debates the way sports teams are, but the press of life deprives any caliber of its romanticism. Once the sights wobble, hands become greasy and time seems short, a cartridge either provides a sufficient degree of penetration and reliability to...