Search Handguns

Database Structure

Each handgun record in the database is categorized by five unique itentifiers;
    Make, Type, Model, Caliber and Variant.

Make - The name of the manufacturer of the handgun, or the brand name under which the handgun is marketed. For instance, while the manufacturer CZ markets pistols under its own company name, it also owns and markets revolvers under the brand name Dan Wesson. In this case Dan Wesson is considered the Make for that line of revolvers, not CZ.

Type - At this time handguns are categorized as either Revolvers or Pistols. The logic here is that if it is not specifically a revolver, then a handgun is categorized as a pistol.

Model - The unique name which a manufacturer gives a particular line of handguns that it produces.

Caliber and Variant - While many handgun models are designed for one specific caliber and have one specific style, other models can have various caliber options and multiple design styles, or variants. A variant will be any style change of a particular handgun model and caliber. This can be parameters such as barrel length, safety features, trigger actions, sights, grip styles, frame, cylinder or slide finishes, or any other feature that is considered an option for a particular model and caliber.

The Search Form

The Search Form has various Drop Down Lists and Selection Check Boxes, as well as a Text Box for entering a handgun model name. The Text Box is for matching a specific set of characters against the "Model" field in all records of the database. This is an exact match field, meaning that a mis-spelled word in the Text Box will result in a failed search and will return no results.

The Text Box is for model information only. Do not include the manufacturer name in this field. If you know the manufacturer then select it from the Drop Down List. For instance, entering "Beretta 92" in the Text Box will return no results, but entering "92" in the Text Box and selecting "Beretta" from the Manufacturer Drop Down List will return positive results.

Additionally, the Text Box can do a partial match against the "Model" field in all records of the database. For instance, if you don't know if the model name your are looking for is "Cobra" or "Kobra", you can simply enter "obra" to get a positive match. This is an exact match field, so "King obra" will fail, but either "King" or "obra" separately will return results.

Model Index

If you are not sure what the model name is, you can check the Model Index option. This will return an alphabetical Index of model names in the database. You can also narrow the Model Index search by selecting filter options from one or more of the Drop Down Lists. Checking the Model Index option will disable the Model Text Box for that search.

Ordering

You can also order your search results by four key parameters; Barrel Length, Overall Length, Capacity or Weight. Enable ordering by selecting the checkbox on the search form. Then select the parameter from the drop down list. Lengths will be ordered from shortest to longest. Weights will be ordered from lightest to heaviest. Capacity will be ordered from highest to lowest. Ordering is also disabled if the Model Index option is selected.