| Stoeger STLR-4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Stoeger |
| Designed | 1969 |
| Manufacturer | Stoeger |
| Produced | 1969—1985 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 30 ounces [1] |
| Shell | .22 LR [1] |
Stoeger STLR-4 [1] is a .22 caliber 10-round, blow-back operated, semi-automatic pistol introduced by Stoeger in 1969 and was discontinued in 1985. [2]
The Stoeger Luger was of the same general pattern as the original Luger pistol, but it used a simplified version of the toggle lock, which does not actually 'lock' the action at the moment of firing, but is blowback-operated much like other .22LR autoloading pistols. The gun was designed by Gary Willhelm and manufactured from 1969-1985. The top of the toggle has a logo of two birds (Eagles), each facing in the same direction inside of a circle. One side of the frame has “LUGER” in a floral oval. The other side of the frame is marked “Manufactured in the U.S.A. by / Stoeger Arms Corporation / S. Hackensack New Jersey / Patents Pending”, the serial number, and “Cal..22 LR”. It has a barrel length of 4.5 in (11 cm) or 5.5 in (140 mm). The gun is mounted with a front blade in a dovetail slot. Rear sight could be either a rear raised square notch type or an adjustable sight attached to the frame.
The first Stoeger Lugers were produced in 1969 with aluminum forging/machined frames (7075 T6 aluminum). Beginning in 1980 the receiver material was changed to steel. One way to identify the frame type is by the safety selector markings. Steel frames will have a red and green painted indented spot while the aluminum frames will have raised lettering that says Fire or Safe. Use of a magnet is another way to identify the composition of the pistol frame
Most of the time, two basic models were offered, a standard and a target model, although in rare instances, there were some that came with an extra long barrel and an elevation-adjustable rear sight.
On both the standard and target models, the front post sight height is fixed and can be drifted for windage adjustments.
The rear sight on the standard model is raised square notch type. The standard model had non-adjustable sights, but the rear sight on the target model had an extension at the rear of the frame for an adjustable target rear sight. Both models were available with 4.5 inch (most common) or a 5.5 inch (less common) barrels. A few models were imported (or at least distributed) through Navy Arms and had 9-in barrels, and these had a rear sight built in (not an extension like the "target" models) that could be adjusted for elevation by means of a screw, but these were very uncommon. The barrel on all models inserted into the front of the receiver and was secured by a cross-pin.
A frustration often reported by shooters was that the pistols were "finicky" about ammunition—that they would only function well if extra high-velocity ammunition was used. This tended to contribute to a lack of popularity, because it meant that more expensive ammunition was always required. Apparently, standard velocity ammunition did not create sufficient back pressure when the pistol was fired to fully drive back the toggle and extract the spent cartridge case—especially after firing several rounds, which tended to build up residue in the chamber. In all probability, it was the fact that the chamber of the Stoeger .22 Luger, having been manufactured in Europe, was of a size to accommodate .22 ammunition that was also manufactured in Europe, which tended to be imperceptibly smaller than US manufactured .22 ammo. The Stoeger had no problem cycling with European ammo, but standard velocity US ammo would tend to "stick" in the chamber. This effect can be remedied by having a competent gunsmith to very slightly ream (or even just polish) the chamber.
The toggle (bolt) remains open after the last round is fired.
The pistol grips sometimes came as checkered walnut or plastic (less common) or smooth walnut without checkering (most common).[ citation needed ]
The Pistole Parabellum or Parabellum-Pistole, commonly known as just the Luger or Luger P08, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1949.
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. FN Herstal named it the "High Power" in allusion to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of other designs at the time, such as the Walther P38 or Colt M1911.
The CZ 75 is a semi-automatic pistol made by Czech firearm manufacturer ČZUB. First introduced in 1975, it is one of the original "wonder nines" and features a staggered-column magazine, all-steel construction, and a hammer forged barrel. It is widely distributed throughout the world and is the most common handgun in the Czech Republic.
The FN Five-seven is a semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The pistol is named for the 5.7×28mm cartridge's bullet diameter, and the trademark's capitalization style is intended to emphasize the manufacturer's initials—FN.
The Smith & Wesson Model 22A is a semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured in Houlton, Maine. The 22A is a full-size pistol with an aluminum alloy frame. The steel barrel has an integrated Weaver style rail.
The Ruger 10/22 is a series of semi-automatic rifles produced by American firearm manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. It uses a patented 10-round rotary magazine, though higher capacity box magazines are also available. The standard carbine version of the Ruger 10/22 has been in production continuously since 1964, making it one of the most successful rimfire rifle designs in history, with numerous third party manufacturers making parts and accessories for upgrading and customization. The 10/22's aftermarket is so prolific that a complete 10/22 can be built without using any Ruger-made components.
Accurizing is the process of improving the accuracy and precision of a gun.
The Ruger P series is a line of centerfire semi-automatic pistols made by Sturm, Ruger & Company produced from 1985 to 2013. The P-series pistols were designed for military, police, civilian and recreational use. The designs are largely based on the Browning action found in the M1911 pistol, but with minor variations, generally related to the safety mechanism and the barrel-camblock interface. Reviews have considered them rugged, reliable, and strong, though this strength comes at the price of bulk and a blocky appearance.
The Smith & Wesson K-22 Target Masterpiece Revolver is a six-shot, double-action revolver with adjustable open sights, built on the medium-size "K" frame. When introduced, it was intended for bullseye target shooting competition of the type then most common on the United States, which is today called NRA Precision Pistol, specifically in the "smallbore" or "22" category. It is chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. It is one of three similar models that Smith & Wesson offered, the other two being intended for the "centerfire" category, the K-32 Target Masterpiece chambered for the .32 S&W Long cartridge and the K-38 Target Masterpiece chambered for the .38 Special cartridge. Most K-22 revolvers were fitted with a 6 in (150 mm) or 8+3⁄8 in (210 mm) barrel, but other lengths have been produced. First produced in 1947 and originally known as the K-22 Target Masterpiece, it was numbered the Model 17 in 1957 when all Smith & Wesson guns were given numerical model numbers. It is built on the same frame as the seminal Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver.
The Colt Delta Elite is a modified series 80 M1911 pistol chambered for the 10mm Auto cartridge. It was first introduced in 1987 by the Colt's Manufacturing Company.
The ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer is a semi-automatic firearm in .22 Long Rifle caliber, developed in 1959 from the AR-5 that was adopted by the U.S. Air Force as a pilot and aircrew survival weapon. The AR-7 was adopted and modified by the Israeli Air Force as an aircrew survival weapon in the 1980s.
The Kimber Eclipse is a model 1911 semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP and 10mm Auto cartridges. It is made by Kimber Manufacturing in Yonkers, New York. There are several models of Kimber Eclipse, of different sizes and with different combinations of features.
The Smith & Wesson Model 39 is a semiautomatic pistol developed for the United States Army service pistol trials of 1954. After the Army abandoned its search for a new pistol, the Model 39 went on the civilian market in 1955 and was the first of Smith & Wesson's first generation semi-automatic pistols.
The Kimber Custom is an M1911 style semi-automatic pistol. It is designed, manufactured, and distributed by Kimber Manufacturing, Inc. in Yonkers, New York.
The Walther Model 1936 Olympia II is a single action semi-automatic handgun manufactured by Walther. The first version was the M1925, formally known as the Automatic Walther Sport Pistol cal. 22 LR, and was introduced in 1925. It was followed by the M1932, the Olympia Pistole I, and used to good effect in the 1932 Olympic Games. The final development Walther made was the M1936 Olympia II that won five gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and effectively ended the Olympic reign of the Colt Woodsman Target model. The pistol continued to be manufactured up until 1944, but no major changes were made during the war. In 1952 the pistol was reintroduced under license by Hämmerli-Walther. In 1957 Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 41, based on the Olympia-Pistole. The Norinco TT Olympia is a Chinese copy of the Walther M1936 Hunter made sometime after 1980. Most variants were chambered for the .22 Long Rifle but the Schnellfeuer version used the .22 short, produced to equip the German team for the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936 for the rapid fire events. The Olympia pistol is a fixed barrel, internal hammer, open-topped slide design and had a large contoured wooden grip which extended well below the bottom of the butt frame causing the necessity of the magazine bottom plate to be fitted with a wooden block extension. Once World War II started, the need for weapons quickly shifted from competition and sport to the military, thus Olympia production slowed.
Llama Firearms, officially known as Llama-Gabilondo y Cia SA, was a Spanish arms company founded in 1904 under the name Gabilondo and Urresti. Its headquarters were in Eibar in the Basque Country, Spain, but they also had workshops during different times in Elgoibar and Vitoria. The company manufactured moderate-priced revolvers and self-chambering pistols in a wide variety of models. These were popular mainly in the European and Latin American export market, as well as domestically in Spain.
The Ruger Standard Model is a rimfire semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1949 as the first product manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., and was the founding member of a product line of .22 Long Rifle cartridge handguns, including its later iterations: the MK II, MK III, and MK IV. It is marketed as an inexpensive .22 caliber rimfire intended for casual sport and target shooting, and plinking. Designed by company founder William B. Ruger, the Standard model and its offspring went on to become the most accepted and successful .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols ever produced.
Phoenix Arms is a firearms manufacturer established in 1992. A predecessor company owned by George Jennings, Raven Arms, ceased operations in 1991, after which Jennings retired and sold his designs to Phoenix. Phoenix was founded and owned by Jennings’ ex-wife, his children, four of his grandchildren, and by Raven's former general manager. Phoenix is described by the U.S. BATF as one of the "Ring of Fire" companies, known for producing inexpensively-manufactured firearms often given the pejorative term "Saturday night special".
The Kahr P series is a product line of double action only (DAO) hammerless, striker-fired, short recoil operated, semi-automatic pistols manufactured by Kahr Arms. The target market for the P line is the civilian concealed carry firearms market, as well as being intended as backup weapons for law enforcement officers.
9mm Major, also known as 9 Major, ammunition is loaded much hotter than typical 9mm rounds, exceeding 1,550 ft/s (470 m/s) to achieve a power factor of 165. This classification benefits competition shooters as it allows maximum magazine capacity and scoring. However, it is not readily available and dangerous to use in pistols not designed for such high pressure. Most handgun manufacturers caution against using +P and +P+ ammunition and 9mm Major loads, which generate even higher chamber pressures. In tactical situations, the added velocity may improve vest penetration, but it may hinder hollow-point projectiles' effectiveness due to over-expansion. Proper cartridge design is crucial for optimal performance.