Table of contents for July - August 2023 in Combat Handguns

One of the hottest trends this past couple of years has been the run of the micro-compact pistol. An evolutionary leap from the old-school, single-stack compacts of the past, the new breed offers a bigger payload while still staying slim and trim for easy concealed carry. Just about all the major manufacturers have jumped into the game with their iterations, and now it’s Canik’s turn on deck. I think they have another winner on their hands. METE MC9 With the number of micro-compact articles I’ve done lately, I sometimes found myself being a little repetitive with descriptions and specifications. I guess that can’t be helped because the facts are what they are. While the MC9 has a lot of the same features as other micro compact pistols already on the…

SINTERFIRE AMMO: While lead bullets rule the roost, they aren’t ideal for every occasion. Within tight spaces, they have a better chance of over penetrating a living threat, and there is the ever-present danger of ricochet. Sinterfire’s lead-free frangible ammunition turns to dust upon contact while still delivering substantial energy on target. I used the Reduced Hazard training load throughout this test, and it enabled me to engage my steel targets at distances that would be suicidal with conventional ammo. Aside from being safe, I found it to be just as accurate as lead, which is a tough mark to hit for specialty ammunition. (sinterfire.com) HOLOSUN HS507C X2: Red-dots are here to stay, and nearly every new pistol that comes to the market is optics-ready. Holosun saw the writing on the…

Successful handgun designs constantly evolve. This is for a variety of reasons stemming mainly from market and technological impulses/pressures magnified by the ever-changing requirements of end-users. The Shadow Systems DR920P (P stands for Performance for those curious) is the epitome of this statement. COMPANY CREED Shadow Systems, based in Plano, Texas, burst on over other polymer-framed, striker-fired the polymer, striker-fired handgun scene in 2016. They quickly gained a reputation as a solid upgrade weapons on the market. I’m not only talking about the Austrian variation but all offerings. This stems from Shadow Systems benefitting from in-house manufacturing of slides, barrels, triggers and internals. Shadow Systems also feature proprietary MIM and injection molding tooling for frames and small parts. An example of this is Shadow Systems’ own LCI extractor, featuring proprietary…

Despite the fact that semiauto pistols are most often selected for personal defense, snubbie revolvers are still very much part of the scene. More than 30 years ago, law enforcement agencies here in the U.S. swapped their traditional revolvers for self-loading pistols, and responsible citizens jumped on the bandwagon. Today, square guns dominate, but small-frame, short-barrel revolvers continue to go unseen in the best places. Firms such as Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt, Taurus, Rossi, Kimber, Charter Arms and others are selling all the snubbies they can make, and consumer demand remains high. SNUBBIE ADVANTAGES So why do snubbie revolvers soldier on while medium and large-frame revolvers have been pushed to the back burner? With the liberalization of concealed carry laws, individuals who have opted to control their own destiny…

Handgun ammunition was quite scarce and expensive in 2022, but the situation looks much better for the consumer in 2023. That’s partly because ammunition manufacturers have been working to produce more ammo and partly because more ammo has come in from overseas. These developments have undoubtedly helped bring prices down, along with the fact that Americans have had less disposable income due to a spike in overall inflation. All of this stimulated competition in the industry and brought about a number of offerings in existing product lines, and there have also been developments in ammunition design. Enough chatter…here’s what’s hitting the gun store shelves today! BARNES BULLETS Pioneer Barnes has a new line of ammunition designed for lever-action rifles and revolvers. Pioneer features straight-walled cartridges and should prove popular with…

Amtac Blades produces the all-purpose EDC blade with combat in mind. Created by Bill Rapier to be his workday pocket knife, the blade was also intended to be a fast draw combative edge. One of the distinctive characteristics of this versatile blade system is the sheath. Though some folks choose to carry the blade on the belt opposite their pistol side, the Amtac Northman is meant to be carried in the pocket where it can be deployed from a wide variety of positions and situations. The sheath, aptly named the Amtac Fire-Sheath, also has an integrated ferro rod and concealed Velcro-flap pocket for a stash of fire-starting tinder or for secreting a set of lock picks or a handcuff key. The blade is small and unassuming enough to be used…

As I approach four-and-a-half decades as an expert witness in weapons and shooting cases, I still trust and greatly respect juries. But I also know they must be carefully selected. The general public the jury pool—has been brain washed by TV, movies, and politicians and activists who deplore self-defense and have to be open to being educated on the facts. “Jury selection” is really “jury de-selection.” Each side gets to toss X number of potential jurors with a peremptory exclusion—meaning they don’t need a particular reason—and an unlimited number “for cause,” which must be clearly articulated to the trial judge. When that’s not done, things go badly. INCREDULOUS CONVICTIONS In Case One, a young black man had to kill a thug who vastly outweighed him and violently attacked him for…

With the increased popularity of modern, plenty-o-capacity weapons, the colloquial “2011” or double-stack optimized 1911 handgun is bound to become a discussion topic with the dads of my neighborhood. If you were lucky enough to have read my first “Backyard Dads” article in PDW CCH—Gravy SEALs Feb./Mar. 2023—you know I am no longer working in the world of counter terrorism where packing and strapping weapons were as common as me now wearing PJs in the home office. These days, I am just a regular guy with a regular job who hangs out with a bunch of other backyard dads who will hopefully never have to draw a weapon in self-defense. Still, I’m the closest thing to a “gun guy” that most of these neighborhood dads know, so I educate these…

This year definitely brought some surprises in the “World of Wheelguns.” Some of these revolvers were ultra-small and others were super-huge. Some aren’t really new but are again available from other manufacturers or importers. Some are variations on a theme and are differrent versions with longer or shorter barrels, different grip frames and/or finishes, and even new sight options. I am relieved to see that the revolvers included in this roundup all use more or less conventional ammo. No new “super whiz-bang” ammo for these guns; it is hard enough to find “regular” cartridges ridges with the continuing supply chain difficulties. Without further ado, here’s what’s rolling down the pike. DIAMONDBACK ARMS Sidekick Birdshead Introduced in 2022, the Sidekick DA/SA .22 LR revolver now has a sibling with a 3-inch…

I was at a gun show last December when I spotted an intriguing gun in the display case of one of the vendors. It was an Italian-made Pietta clone of the 1873 Colt Peacemaker. This one was a little different though. Most notably, it had a 3.5-inch barrel with an ejector rod. EMF imported this gun, and it is called the Great Western II Posse. I asked the dealer for a closer look and that’s when I discovered the little gun had a great balance. It also sports a lower Bisley-style hammer with a fat and finely checkered spur. Its barrel, cylinder and frame were polished blue while the frame is color case hardened. It has a hammer-mounted firing pin and authentic four-click cocking. It appeared to be very well-made…

FALCO HOLSTERS Back in 1989 at a small shop in Slovakia, Falco was crafting a handful of simple leather holsters and falconry gloves for a local market. Visit their site today and you’ll find out how times have changed drastically. After visiting Falco at SHOT 2023, we decided to place a custom holster order for a 3.5-inch Nighthawk Custom Counselor. In a few weeks’ time, the AX11 Limited Edition Leather IWB with stunning hand-carved floral details arrived. The Counselor carries easily and securely in the “selected cowhide Italian” leather crafted by one of Falco’s Master saddlers. The holster was hand-stitched, hand-molded on a 1:1 copy of the specific firearm, hand-colored and hand carved all around the mouth. It came beautifully finished with natural oils. MSRP is $250—fantastic when you consider…

Austrian manufacturer Glock is known for many things; however, innovation is not one of them. It stands steadfast by its “perfection” tagline and seldom thinks outside of the box. While I don’t officially know the company’s attitude toward radical product changes, I’m sure it’s something to the tune of “let the aftermarket folks handle it.” To that end, several companies began making accessories for the beloved pistol, and some even built complete clones to the specs that the American user has been demanding. Live Free Armory is one of those companies, and at the 2022 NSSF SHOT Show, I came face to face with its “aluminum Glock,” which would come to be known as its AMP, or Aluminum Match-Grade Pistol. PERFECT THIS! Calling it an aluminum Glock really doesn’t do…

“The short configuration can easily be achieved in just seconds by removing the upper half and replacing the end cap…” Suppressors are becoming more and more popular with gun enthusiasts these days. They just make sense to run on your guns, in my opinion. I personally think they shouldn’t be regulated at all and should be dispensed out of vending machines at every gun shop and range. I mean, think about it. If you drive your vehicle down the road without a muffler, you will get your vehicle impounded. What’s a suppressor? A muffler for a gun, which is why I like to refer to my cans as gun mufflers. With that being out there, now I have a confession to make. I shoot a lot of pistols and I…

S&W PC M2.0 COMPETITOR CALIBER 9mm BARREL 5 inches OA LENGTH 8.25 inches WEIGHT 30.3 ounces (empty) GRIP Polymer panels SIGHTS Fiber-optic front, fixed rear ACTION Striker-fired, semi-auto FINISH Two-tone Cerakote CAPACITY 17+1 MSRP: $999 CANIK RIVAL-S CALIBER 9mm BARREL 5 inches OA LENGTH 8.09 inches WEIGHT 42.7 ounces (empty) GRIP Polymer panels SIGHTS Fiber-optic front, adjustable rear ACTION Striker-fired, semi-auto CAPACITY 18+1 MSRP: $899 A recent trend with striker-fired pistols is the introduction of metal frames. First popularized by Walther, Sig soon followed, and now we have the latest from both Canik and Smith & Wesson. These most recent offerings are streamlined and accessorized pieces of kit intended for competition but are just as adept at handling defensive applications as well. In this article, we put the new Smith & Wesson Competitor up…

The NSSF’s SHOT Show is the premier event to get your hands on new gear just moments before it hits dealers’ shelves. This year, pistol manufacturers were in full force, likely due to the easing of concealed carry laws and the return of raw materials. To that end, we scoured the miles of aisles to bring you the latest and greatest in head-turning firepower. ANDERSON MANUFACTURING Kiger-9C Pro Paying extra for common designs doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Anderson proved this with its AR-15s years ago. Carrying the idea over to the handgun realm, the company introduced its polymer-framed Kiger-9C and, for 2023, the 9C Pro. The latest from Anderson makes an exceptional suppressor host for those that blew their wad on a stack of tax stamps. Not…

If you choose to carry a blade along with a defensive pistol, consideration should be given to where the knife will be positioned and whether that would necessitate using up real estate on the belt that’s normally reserved for an additional mag holder. Combo holsters, like the Galloway Precision’s Do All, combines a pistol holster and mag holder in one unit, placing both elements on one side of the body. For those who prefer appendix carry, this opens up the whole other side of the body for additional gear, including a blade. Eric Galloway, owner and operator of Galloway Precision, explains, “With the standard options we offer for customers, we cover common or uncommon mags allowing us to fill the needs of most customers—all with the ability to use the…

BIDEN’S HALF-BAKED EXECUTIVE ORDER When Joe Biden announced his latest executive order on guns in mid-March, so-called “mainstream” media cheered. “Biden Issues Executive Order to Expand Background Checks For Gun Purchases,” read a Reuters headline. Others followed suit, including foreign media. “U.S. President Signs New Executive Order Expanding Gun Background Checks,” crowed the ignorant headline writers. Even Fox News got to parroting the misleading narrative with “Biden Announces Executive Order To Expand Gun Background Checks.” The interesting thing is, Biden’s order didn’t expand background checks at all, and he doesn’t have the authority to expand background checks. What he did do was call on federal agencies to make life harder on lawful gun dealers—something he’s been pushing since he became president. Whether Biden is aware that his order didn’t really…