While 100 yards looks like a long way, if you concentrate on the basics, hitting at this distance is relatively easy.

Here's something to remember: What rides on your hip is a poor excuse for a real weapon. It doesn't matter who made it, what caliber it is, which custom features it has or how much it cost. It is just a handgun, a tool you carry because it's small and nifty and there's a remote chance you might need to defend yourself.

However, no one but a fool would intentionally go into harm's way armed only with a handgun. It is a "sidearm," a tool with significant limitations.

Handguns by their very nature are difficult to shoot well, compared to rifles. They lack penetration and have lackluster terminal performance and limited magazine capacity. On top of this, their range is limited, and most standard service rounds are easily defeated by body armor.

Simply put, what it takes a master handgunner to accomplish with a tuned pistol, most any rifle shooter with a modicum of training can easily better with a rack-grade AKM. This is reality.

One of the chief advantages a rifle has over a handgun is range. As the majority of violent encounters take place at very short distances, this is how a handgun is envisioned to be deployed--up close and personal. Due to this, many who practice with a handgun do so at "realistic" distances, usually 15 yards and less.

Since the demise of the .357 Magnum service revolver in law enforcment circles, few regularly practice at 50-yard targets as was the norm decades ago when my stepfather was a patrolman. Even fewer practice at distances farther than 50 yards or have the confidence to engage at such extended distances.

Now, what about a rifle? A substantially different animal, a well-made rifle teamed with quality ammunition can make hits at astonishing distances. As an example, in NRA High Power competition the 600-yard X-ring measures a mere six inches and is engaged with a service rifle using only the iron sights and a sling.

Even a rifle as derided as a 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov will shoot into three to six MOA. This is plenty good to slap a silhouette at 300 yards. So without a doubt, a rifle--even the most abused Kalashnikov--has a huge advantage over a handgun. A skilled rifleman can stand off and easily engage at distances beyond the reach of most service pistols.

To demonstrate what a service pistol is capable of at extended ranges, we put a Glock 23, Les Baer Prowler and Walther P99 to the test.

But that last sentence isn't necessarily correct. A lot depends upon you, the man behind the gun. The truth is that most service pistols are actually capable of placing fire on targets farther than most realize. But you have to be able to make it happen.

If your duty pistol is a Glock 23, and you're only proficient with it to 25 to 30 yards, that proficiency is on you, not the Glock. If your carry pistol is a snazzy, customized 1911, and you're only proficient with it to 60 to 75 yards, again, that's on you. While it's true that a handgun is much harder to shoot and not as accurate as a rifle, nowhere is it carved in stone that pistols are limited to 25- to 50-yard distances. You can hit at 100, 150 or even 200 yards with one--if you are up to it mentally, know your pistol and practice.

To better illustrate this, I recently gathered up three handguns and put them to work at extended ranges. This exercise was performed solely to demonstrate that a service pistol is not limited to 25 yards.

The three pistols selected were a Glock 23 and Walther P99--both in .40 S&W--and a Les Baer Prowler in .45 ACP.

The Glock and Walther were both used, in stock condition with no modifications. They are simple, service-type pistols such as what an officer might be issued or a citizen might carry.

For ammom we selected Wolf Performance Ammunition's .40 S&W 180-grain FMJ and .45 ACP 230-grain FMJ Holsters and mag pouches were from Blade-Tech.

The Les Baer, on the other hand, is one of the best of the breed of well-made 1911s. My example was barely broken in, with only 2,000 rounds through it. As the basic 1911 design remains timeless, I felt it only prudent to include one in my testing.

To demonstrate what a handgun is capable of, these three pistols were shot at a variety of ranges. I baselined them at 25 yards, then moved to 50 yards. After this I doubled the distance and shot them at 100 yards. Finally, I doubled the distance again and walked them out to a full 200 yards.