GUTTERBALL

What makes a good carry pistol? The answer varies for everyone, but there are some things we think are safe to call constants. It should be easy to conceal and easy to draw from concealment. The sights and trigger should both be fast to use and consistent. It should fire a cartridge suitable to the task of defending life and limb. Reliability should be beyond question, even under adverse conditions — being wet, dirty, and well-worn shouldn’t cause any concern.

Nowadays, we’re blessed to have a handgun market rife with choices that make most of these requirements all but guaranteed. But that wasn’t always the case. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, an ideal carry pistol had to be hand-built by artisan gunsmiths with exacting craftsmanship and ideas well ahead of their contemporaries. Some of these ideas were so well executed that their designs