Table of contents for March - April 2019 in Combat Handguns

We at Combat Handguns are proud to present the biggest Fully Loaded Guns & Gear Giveaway yet! Entering to win a new gun—in this case the S&W M&P45 M2.0—and related gear from American Outdoor Brands and Elite Survival Systems is as simple visiting personaldefenseworld.com. But let’s take a closer look at what’s up for grabs. 1 S&W M&P45 M2.0 Bringing power in a compact package, the Smith & Wesson M&P45 M2.0 is a perfect EDC option. With its low bore axis, 4-inch barrel, aggressive grip texturing and improved trigger, this striker-fired pistol is easy to control and shoot. The accessory rail allows you to attach your preferred light or laser, and two 10-round magazines are included. In short, this .45 might be your new favorite carry option. (MSRP: $569) 2…

If you know guns, and if you know history, then you could tell me what specific weapon was used to assassinate President Lincoln in 1865. But if you don’t know it off the top of your head, here’s some trivia for you: John Wilkes Booth used a .44-caliber Deringer to do the deed. The first derringer (we’ll get to the spelling discrepancy shortly) was the Philadelphia Deringer designed by Henry Deringer and produced between the years 1852 and 1868. This derringer was typically chambered in .41 and .44 caliber, and its small size made it a popular personal-defense firearm as well as the classic villain’s weapon in Hollywood Westerns. As Henry’s design became more popular, other manufacturers intentionally misspelled his last name as “derringer” instead of the correct spelling, “Deringer,”…

One thing is a constant in the firearms industry. If a company makes a gun for the military, everyone on the civilian side of the house wants one, too. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the team at FN. With that in mind, they recently announced the expansion of the FN 509 series of striker-fired pistols with the release of the FN 509 Tactical, an optics-ready gunfighter’s tool in Flat Dark Earth with a threaded barrel. FORMULA 509 The 509 Tactical is based on FN’s submission for the Modular Handgun System (MHS) trials conducted by the U.S. Army. The Tactical version, however, has significant improvements in contrast to the features found on the original FN 509. One of those improvements is the optics-mounting system. “The FN 509 Tactical and…

Most of us own some really nice handguns, and of course we have some equally nice holsters to go with those guns. But how many of us own a holster for our favorite carry gun with a weapon-mounted light? Earlier this year I was invited to the United States Concealed Carry Association’s Low Light Shootout, an event orchestrated by USCCA’s Kevin Michalowski. Held at one of USCCA’s studios in Iola, Wisconsin, I was one of a number of invited industry guests. Michalowski had us run three different exercises with a specially modified Glock 17 designed to shoot UTM marking ammunition. These small-caliber rounds have a velocity just over 310 fps but actually generate enough pressure to cycle the slide, giving our training guns true semi-auto capability. The manual of arms…

Tactical Solutions has built its unassailable reputation for quality by making good guns great. Its extensive line of .22 LR rifles features dozens of different variations ranging from utility takedown guns to precision target platforms. Its handgun line includes drop-in uppers for a variety of popular pistol chassis. And the common thread to them all is superlative engineering and top-flight execution. NATURE VS. NURTURE Do you have it? There’s got to be a gene for it someplace. There’s no secret handshake or special code, but you can usually tell within the first three minutes of conversation: Some of us are just hopeless gun nerds. Those who lack the gun gene will likely never understand. We aren’t violent or antisocial. In fact, we are, with very few exceptions, generous, responsible and…

They say that a woman’s purse is a mysterious thing—that inside you’ll find she carries a variety of odds and ends so she’ll be prepared for anything. Total MacGyver. Delving into mine, you’ll find the only thing I’m prepared for is wearing out a paper shredder with hundreds of receipts. Broadening the spectrum a little, what about range bags? Both men and women carry these, but the concept is the same. How cool would it be if we could just sift through people’s range bags? Don’t judge me; you know you would if you could. And a pro shooter’s range bag would be incredibly instructive. What do they utilize? What are their top picks for products and tools? What are their guns of choice? Getting a little insight and some…

It would make no sense and smack of arrogance to assume that refinements could not be made to striker-fired handguns, even if they have been on the market for nearly 40 years. I had this epiphany on a cool day in Montana while speaking with Wilson Combat’s Mike Loder and Steve Woods, and it struck me as supremely ironic. After all, Wilson Combat is one of the pillars of the custom 1911 universe. This realization was particularly fascinating to me as they showed off and described their company’s new Vickers Elite Glock pistol. How could a Glock package even be mentioned in the same sentence as Wilson Combat? The answer is a mixture of intuitive business sense, respect for what works no matter the firearm type (remember Wilson Combat’s ongoing…

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “gray man”? Appearing to be just another regular person, he blends in with crowds, but he’s ready to strike if necessary. The gray-man concept is gaining popularity, as “tactical” clothing is quickly becoming much more subtle. The clothing I chose to highlight here offers distinct advantages compared to the clothes you’d find in your local department store, yet it wouldn’t look out of place on their racks. MAGPUL SHIRTS You certainly know Magpul for its polymer gun accessories, but did you know the company also makes clothing? I received its Stateside and Chambray shirts, both of which feature a faux button system that looks like traditional buttons from the outside but are actually snaps that you can pull away to quickly gain access to your…

History has shown us many interesting phenomena over the past 150 years, one of which is that when the U.S. military adopts a particular piece of combat ordnance, American citizens aren’t far behind. From early Colt revolvers to the first semi-auto 1911 pistol, right on down to the M16, once the military machine cuts a check on a contract for a primary arm, it’s a get-in-line deal among gunnies everywhere. They figure, rightly or wrongly, that if Uncle Sam says the gun’s good to go, it must be the greatest thing since sliced gunpowder. Which is pretty much the situation with the new M17, selected as the winner of the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS) trials in 2017. A variant of Sig Sauer’s polymer-framed, striker-fired P320 9mm dating back…

Brands like Llama, Astra and Star may not be household names anymore, but handguns from these Spanish firms sold well when I was young. In a similar manner, the .38 Super cartridge was once a favorite of federal agents. Today, things are different. The .357 Magnum hastened the end of the .38 Super as a duty round, and the appearance of relatively inexpensive, polymer-framed “wonder nines” in the late ’80s and early ’90s helped end the market for Spanish handguns. The last Spanish-made Llamas were made in 2005, but a new .38 Super Llama pistol made in the Philippines has just come to the market. SOME BACKSTORY The Spanish arms company Gabilondo y Urresti Cia SA was founded in Eibar, Spain, in 1904. By 1920, it and its contractors had…

I usually wake up at 5 a.m. every morning like clockwork. However, I’ve been under the weather lately, so today I woke up at 7 a.m. When I got out of bed, I brushed my teeth and then went straight downstairs to my office. I didn’t check email, though. I didn’t get on YouTube and watch the latest cat videos, and I didn’t start searching through the newest pictures on Instagram to see what my friends had for dinner last night. Instead, I reserve my mornings for what I believe are the most important activities of the day. This is why the very first thing I do every morning is dry-fire practice. I do it in my office with a safe backstop every Monday through Friday, with Saturdays being reserved…

Many of us are wrapped up in the notion that speed is everything. Speed is a byproduct of working the fundamentals with absolute meaning. With any skillset requiring a tempo—beats per minute or revolutions per second—we do not get faster by working fast. Any professional performer in any skillset works in deep practice mode with purpose until the tempo at which he is training is perfected. Then and only then will he work or train up to the next level. Regardless of whether you’re playing the cello or drums, doing origami or refining a martial arts move, perfection requires keen intellect, introspection and objective self-criticism. Gunfighting is no different. Proper shot placement doesn’t just matter—it’s crucial! Whether we’re in a tactical gun-carrying business or carrying to protect ourselves and loved…

Every once in a while, I run across a gun whose features are so well thought out and executed that I wonder why all guns couldn’t be built with such attention to detail. Seemingly small things can make a huge difference for the person using it in a critical situation. A gun like this doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s reflective of one person’s experience and real-world use. In the case of Wilson Combat’s new Vickers Elite Commander, the gun reflects a lifetime of lessons learned during daily carry, endless training sessions and even combat. The refinements on this gun will serve anyone well and without fail during the most crucial moment of need. If you’re new to shooting or a younger reader, you may not recognize the name Larry…

A backpack can be a great way to carry a concealed pistol and related supplies. I tested a few backpacks along with holsters to see what could be accomplished with a discrete pack. 5.11 FLEXIBILITY 5.11 has a plethora of backpacks, but most feature webbing on the outside and a distinctly tactical look. That’s usually fine, but for my purposes, a low-key choice like their Dart and Covrt packs made more sense. They are nondescript yet still pack a lot of features. Both include Velcro inside to which you can affix a mating Velcro holster. I contacted CrossBreed and received the Ohai modular holster, which features a Kydex shell attached to a leather backer with Velcro on the outside. Because the Dart and Covrt packs have their Velcro on different…

According to my log book, the first time I fired a 9mm was on December 8, 1977. I tested a brand-new Smith & Wesson Model 39, and the 9mm load I used consisted of a Speer 100-grain JHP over 5.6 grains of Winchester 231 powder. Maybe it was the way the Model 39 handled or something else, but it was love at first sight. I still have that gun some four decades later. Out in the field, it still feels as good in my hand as it did the first day I shot it. STEPPING BACK In the late 1940s, C.R. Hellstrom took the reins of Smith & Wesson, and one of his first priorities was to get a semiautomatic pistol chambered for the 9mm on the market. The original…

In the last decade, there has been a tremendous rebirth of interest in Georg Luger’s legendary 9mm cartridge among law enforcement agencies, competitive shooters and civilians who own handguns for defensive purposes. There are several reasons for this renewed popularity. Thanks to improvements in propellants and high-tech expanding projectiles, the performance of the 9mm now equals that of larger-caliber cartridges. And even with +P and +P+ loads, the 9mm generates less recoil than .40 S&W and .45 ACP cartridges, which allows for easier training and faster, more accurate shooting. Finally, the 9mm’s smaller size makes it a practical choice for full-power compact and subcompact pistols. Which brings us to this issue’s “Battle Royale,” where we’ll look at five of the newest 9mm subcompacts: the Kimber Micro 9 TLE, the Kel-Tec…

We’ve all heard it. If you want to improve your hits on target, in competition or even combat, dry firing your weapon is critical. Some instructors teach students to dry fire a at least 10 times more than they shoot live fire. Well, the Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger (SIRT) pistols from NextLevel Training will take your dry practice to an entirely new level. Marksmanship is about working that trigger without disturbing your sights, and speed is about riding the trigger’s reset without wasted motion. Conventional dry-fire practice certainly helps with both, yet it’s a process that can be greatly improved. The SIRT line resolves some of the fundamental weaknesses of dry firing with your live-fire gun. Many of us have likely “shot” the bad guys on our TV screens with…

This past October saw Athlon Outdoors host its second annual Rendezvous in Greenough, Montana, just outside Missoula. For three days, dozens of gun manufacturers unveiled their latest and greatest wares—many still under wraps—to us Athlon editors and contributors, giving us plenty of trigger time to create more content for our various print magazines and websites in the coming months. But this amazing event wouldn’t have been possible without a few key sponsors donating goods for every participant. Here we’d like to show our support and fill you in on the great gear that made for an awesome Rendezvous in Big Sky country. 1> AGUILA AMMUNITION There were plenty of new rimfire rifles and handguns to test at the Rendezvous, and thankfully Aguila stepped up to the plate by providing several…