Perhaps the best news in handguns for 2005 is that we are no longer burdened with the magazine-capacity limitations of the so-called assault weapons ban. Some companies, Springfield for example, began shipping new double-stack handguns with high-capacity magazines the very day after the ban expired. These magazines are now legal for citizens to own in most states. Para-Ordnance and a couple of other companies still have a good supply of high-cap magazines on hand, so the transition promises to be smooth, and shooters should have little trouble retrofitting existing handguns with magazines of a capacity they were designed for. Along with new double-stack handguns, perhaps the most exciting news in handguns is geared more toward Cowboy Action shooters and hunters.

Browning Buck Mark Hunter

Browning continues to expand its line of Buck Mark .22 rimfire autoloaders with the addition of a new Hunter model. The Buck Mark Hunter features a heavy 7 1/2-inch barrel and an integral scope base to accommodate Weaver-type rings. Excellent open sights are also onboard if that's what you prefer. The front sight is Marble's Tru-Glo style. Cocobolo target-style grips add a distinctive touch. Browning will also offer a 5 1/2-inch, stainless-barreled version of the Buck Mark Camper. Only the barrel will be stainless steel. The slide will have a satin nickel finish to match the barrel, and the grip frame will be black. A stainless 4-inch flat-sided barrel will also be available on the Buck Mark Standard model this year. www.browning.com

Bond Arms' Snake Slayer, as the name implies, provides a devastating .410 shotshell effect on vermin at close range and handles the popular .45 Colt cartridges as well. It's the basic stainless double-barrel derringer Bond Arms has built its reputation on, but it features an extended grip for added shooting comfort. Grip panels are available in either laminated black ash or rosewood. www.bondarms.com

The 1911 offerings from Dan Wesson include two new Patriot Commander-size pistols in 10mm and .40 S&W, a Patriot series 1911 Commander/Officers "CCO" in .45 ACP (with external extractor) and an updated Pointsman Major series including beveled magazine wells and high-performance parts from Ed Brown and STI. www.danwessonfirearms.com

Charles Daly Classic 1873

The handgun news from Charles Daly, a longtime importer, concerns the Zastava ZDA auto and the Classic 1873--a single-action Colt Peacemaker copy. The ZDA can be had in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. The Classic 1873 can be had in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum in 4 3/4-, 5 1/2- and 7 1/2-inch barrel lengths. www.charlesdaly.com

CZ-75 Anniversary Edition

The renowned CZ-75 handgun is 30 years old, and to celebrate, CZ-USA will offer a deluxe Anniversary Edition limited to 1,000 pieces and marked with a special serial number from 1 to 1,000. The high-polish blue finish and Special 30th Anniversary engraving will be accented by 24-karat-gold inlays and gold-plated controls. Grip panels will be blond birch with appropriate engraving. On a more practical note, CZ will offer a CZ-75 Compact in .40 S&W with a 3.87-inch barrel. This will be a steel-frame model complete with M3 accessory rail for attaching lights or lasers and will have an ambidextrous safety. www.cz-usa.com

EAA Thor Raptor

The Thor Raptor single-shot handgun built by Tanfoglio and now imported by European American Armory is not new, having been designed a couple of decades ago. But it has not been readily available here in the U.S. EAA will begin importing this massive hand cannon this year, and available calibers include .223, .270, .30-06, .308, .375 Winchester, .44 Magnum and .45-70, as well as the new .500 S&W Magnum. The Thor is built on a 1911 frame and provides quick barrel changes and auto-ejection of spent cartridges. Hard-kicking handguns demand a solid mount for optics, and it is difficult to imagine a more solid mount than the one provided on the Thor Raptor. An integral Weaver-type scope base is CNC machined directly from the barrel blank, and steel Warne rings are provided with each handgun. www.eaacorp.com

Kahr P45

Kahr Arms now has a .45 ACP in its polymer line of compact autoloaders. This is sure to be a popular CCW gun, weighing a scant 17 ounces, with slender proportions--reportedly only an inch thick at the grip area. Overall length will be 6.1 inches with a height from the top of the rear sight to the bottom of the grip of 4.8 inches. Two six-round stainless magazines will be supplied with each handgun. The Kahr P45 will come standard with low-profile, white bar-dot combat sights with three-dot tritium sights available as an option. www.kahr.com

Para-Ordnance Stealth Carry

No other 1911 manufacturer offers its customers a wider variety of choices than Para-Ordnance. LDA or single action, high capacity or single stack, from compact to full size, the list of variations on the theme continues to expand this year. There are six new models in the PXT series featuring Para's new Power Extractor. The LTC Commander-size single-action single stack was introduced last year. In 2005 you can get the same handgun in stainless steel or opt for a double-stack version in either single action or with Para's LDA trigger system. There are also two new compacts this year. The Stealth Carry is a single-stack LDA with 3.5-inch barrel and all-black, nonreflective finish; bobbed hammer and grip safety; and the company's patented Griptor Grasping Grooves on the slide and frontstrap. The S12.45 Limited is a new double-stack, single-action compact with 12-round magazine capacity in a diminutive platform. It comes in Para's new Sterling finish--stainless steel with a black slide with polished sides--and has a beavertail grip and ambidextrous safety. The OPS is another new offering: a single-stack, single-action stainless model with bobbed grip safety and flush hammer also featuring the Griptor treatment on the slide and frontstrap. www.paraord.com

Ruger Anniversary Flattop Blackhawk

Ruger's Vaquero single action is unquestionably the most durable Cowboy Action gun on the market, but many shooters complained it's massive and heavy compared to a Colt and clones. The New Vaquero is more petite, with a smaller frame, grip and cylinder. It's best described as a medium frame, boasting the same proportions as the original Ruger single-action, the Flattop .357 Magnum introduced in 1955. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Ruger Blackhawk, a limited run of Flattop .357 revolvers will be offered. Barrel length on the limited run is 45⁄8 inches. Ruger is now incorporating a reverse-indexing cylinder mechanism on the New Vaquero and Flattop, which simply means when the loading gate is opened, the cylinder will be free to rotate in both directions, allowing shooters to back up if they pass an empty chamber in the loading sequence. Ruger has also introduced the Super Redhawk Alaskan, featuring a 2 1/2-inch barrel. It's chambered in .454 Casull and .480 Ruger and will be fitted with a Hogue Monogrip to provide serious punch in a handgun for backcountry carry. Also new is the Mark III Hunter in .22 rimfire, featuring an 8-inch fluted barrel. There's also a convertible Single Six Hunter with cylinders for both the .17 HMR and .17 Mach 2. Finally, a blued-slide version of Ruger's P345 .45 ACP autoloader is now available. www.ruger.com

Springfield Micro .45 GAP

The plain-Jane GI-45 Springfield 1911 has sold very well since its introduction, partly due to nostalgia but more so because it is a solid, reliable 1911 at a great price. Springfield now offers a high-capacity version with a double-stack, 13-round magazine. It comes with a parkerized finish and the other no-nonsense mil-spec features of the single-stack version. It was just a matter of time before someone chambered a 1911-type handgun in the new .45 GAP cartridge, and just as we go to press Springfield has announced a that 3-inch-barreled Micro 1911 in .45 GAP will be offered sometime in 2005. I had a chance to shoot a prototype of this model, and with 1/8 inch trimmed off the grip thickness and overall length compared to .45 ACP variations, it is a petite and potent package. www.springfieldarmory.com

T/C G2 Contender 6.8mm SPC

Thompson/Center will be offering the 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge, a mild-recoiling round with sufficient punch for medium game, in both its G2 Contender and Encore handguns. T/C will also team with Hornady to offer factory 6.8mm ammo under the T/C brand, loaded with a 120-grain Shock Wave bullet designed for optimum performance on deer-size game. www.tcarms.com

Volquartsen Cheetah .17 Mach 2

Volquartsen's Cheetah semiauto pistol is now available in Hornady's hot .17 Mach 2 caliber. The pistol features a titanium tension 7-inch barrel and CNC-machined bolt with a titanium firing pin. It features an integral Weaver-style rail for scope mounting and an ambidextrous grip. www.volquartsen.com