Indice dei contenuti per November/December 2020 in Combat Handguns

We see the horror stories again and again. Fanatics or madmen driven by hate enter traditionally weapon-free houses of worship and open fire, massacring helpless innocent people. The laws of time and space, unlike the laws of men, are inviolate: The police simply cannot get there in time to stop mass murder. What to do? The answer is as logical as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems: Have people who know what to do and have the necessary equipment with which to do it already there in place when it happens! Short-sighted prohibitionists who can’t imagine themselves fighting off a lethal predator project their own weak values and scoff that others won’t be able to save lives in that fashion. But truth and history show us otherwise. 7 IMPORTANT CASES Case…

The Sig Sauer P320 polymer-frame, striker-fired handguns have quickly evolved into industry leaders for duty and personal-defense handguns after arriving on the scene in 2014. The P320 model handgun has been prominent in firearm news. Its selection as the U.S. Army’s new sidearm via the MHS (Modular Handgun System) Program trials made headlines and ruffled competitor’s feathers. Polymer-framed, striker-fired handguns such as the SIG P320 are inherently lighter and thinner due to the limited number of parts needed to make the gun compared to an all-steel, hammer-fired design. There are fewer large steel parts needed, such as a hammer in more traditional designs, thus there are fewer parts to break. This makes the polymer P320 easier to maintain and more reliable. The relatively quick adoption of striker-fired weapons for LE…

Times are indeed off-the-hook crazy for civilians and lawmen alike. In this installment of “Righteous Rigs,” we look at several new carry rigs, an innovative holster that can be used on and off duty for law enforcement and security work, a new and interesting universal magazine carrier and an ankle medical kit. It’s a reminder that as responsible armed citizens, we need training—not just in the use of firearms and tactics, but also in first aid. In these dire and troubling times, we need to be able to provide security as well as emergency medical treatment for ourselves and the ones we love. BLACKHAWK T-SERIES L2C LIGHT BEARING Blackhawk sent me a sample of its new Level 2, light-bearing holster. My particular holster was designed for Glock models 17, 19,…

Thanks to being an adolescent in the 1980s, I have been exposed to a fury of compact fully automatic weapons through awesome action movies that depicted such guns as the Uzi, Compact Uzi, MP5, MP5K, M-11, Mac 10 and others being used to thwart the antics of criminals the world over. I’ve seen 9mm subguns make impossible shots from well beyond 200 yards to land squarely in the tire of a bad guy’s getaway vehicle. Oh, and the shot was fired from the hip. Yes, the mighty 9mm subgun made quite an impression on me. While there will always be debate on terminal performance, 9mm subgun/SBRs are loved by many, and that is not likely to change. In this form with an adequate extended stock (or brace), the 9mm becomes…

“TECHNOLOGY IS GREAT, BUT IT WILL DO YOU NO GOOD IF YOU DON’T GO OUT AND MASTER IT.” The endless debate between point shooting and sighted fire for combat applications shows no signs of abating. Proponents of point shooting argue that since most armed confrontations unfold at relatively close range, and since your focus will be on the threat, using your sights is an unrealistic expectation. On the other side of the fence, the advocates of sighted fire opine that if you don’t get some semblance of a sight picture you are likely to miss, even if your assailant is just a few steps away. In reality, both camps make some valid points. Regardless of what you believe, making decisive hits in combat is very different than on the sterile…

As the title of the magazine suggests, Combat Handguns is built around the handgun and its application in gunfighting. The foundation of this specific column is to allow everyday shooters the ability to see what the pros choose in guns and gear. The best way to do this is to sneak a peek inside their range bags. This allows us to find new products and to try and learn what’s available in the industry. What I love about this column is that there is such a variety of professionals showcased, ranging from competitive shooters to the tactical realm. This issue, we feature Fred Mastison of Force Options USA. Mastison is also one of Athlon Outdoors’ top-end content creators. Mastison has been a professional firearms and combatives instructor for more than…

It wasn’t really snowing yet, but the occasional flake drifting across a target reminded me that it could start any time. Several of us were gathered on an Idaho farm not too far west of Jackson, Wyoming. Our purpose at the Athlon Outdoors Annual Rendezvous, as magazine writers and editors, was to get some hands-on time with new guns, ammo and optics—some that wouldn’t see their official launch for four months at the SHOT Show in Vegas. One of my favorites on that brisk October morning was Smith & Wesson’s Model 648 .22 WMR revolver. Thumbing rounds into the revolver’s cylinder took me back—way back—to my junior year in high school. That was when I got my first taste of shooting competition in the form of NRA Hunter Division Metallic…

9MM AR PISTOL SHOOTOUT SIG SAUER MPX K VS. RUGER PC CHARGER Originally coined the 9mm Parabellum, creator Georg Luger had his sights set on landing military contracts for his employer, DWM, for his new Model 1900 Parabellum pistol back in 1902. It took old Georg about a decade of rejections by major military arms buyers before things finally clicked with DWM’s P08 “Luger.” The cartridge has become so prolific today that its common moniker, “9 mil,” has become as generic as Coke and Kleenex. Heard the word “Parabellum” lately? Yep, John Wick III. If you haven’t brushed up on your Latin lately, “Si vis pacem, para bellum” has been around a while. Translated, it means, “If you seek peace, prepare for war,” and was DWM’s company motto back when…

Beretta is the oldest continuous firearms fabricator in the world. Through the centuries the company has manufactured all types of firearms, but it wasn’t until 1920 that they started to produce small pocket pistols. The first was the Model 1920 in .25 ACP, which was a blowback self-loader with a concealed hammer and exposed barrel. An improved variation called the Model 418 was the choice of British Agent 007, James Bond, in the early Ian Fleming novels. The little Beretta .25 semi-autos were popular in America, but the Gun Control Act of 1968 put the skids to their importation. Beretta USA came into being in 1980 and shortly thereafter the Model 950B in .25 ACP was in production domestically. It evolved into the Model 21A in 1988, and in 1994…

The Kalashnikov design needs no introduction and has earned respect from those on both ends of the gun, but what about the AK in pistol form? Century Arms offers three different sizes of AK pistols imported directly from Count Dracula’s homeland. At the base of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Cugir has been cranking out military hardware of many forms. Thanks to Century Arms and 922R restrictions not applying to pistols, we can own a completely Romanian AK Pistol with a 12.25-, 7.75- or 6.25-inch barrel. “DRAKARYS” To clarify, “Draco” is Latin for “Dragon,” a name well chosen for these short little pistols known for spitting fire. From backwoods blasting to combat roles, the power of the AKM/AK-47’s 7.62x39mm cartridge has been established for decades. Even for just a fun…

More than 100 years after the U.S. Army adopted the M1911 pistol, these single-action handguns continue to ride a wave of popularity that seems to be without end. If you’ve shot one, you might have an understanding of why: The commercial guns tend to be easy shooters with light triggers and impressive accuracy potential. Girsan manufactures a range of firearms for sport and defense. Based in Turkey, many of the company’s pistols are imported into the United States through Florida by EAA Corp. One of the newer offerings available to American shooters is the MC1911 C. Based on the 1911 platform, the gun has a number of attractive options, including a red-dot optic on the model MC1911 C-TV. Yet, the company maintains an aggressive price point on this gun. MEET…

Several months ago, Zev released its OZ 9C, a gorgeous and functional carry pistol with roots in the Glock 19. Having carried the 19 for more than two decades, I had to admit that the OZ 9C was in many ways a significant improvement on that design and a sensible one, especially with so many other players in the “hopped up poly-pistol” arena. Personally, I’m a fan of stock defensive pistols. My gut feeling is “less is more,” although I do admittedly love great aesthetic design. But I believe the vast majority of shooters should learn how to run a gun that is stock over buying a tricked-out one. That said, Zev has become a household name in next-level defensive pistols. When the Sig P320 launched, it became an instant…

True 1911 aficionados tend to be traditionalists when it comes to their pistol and any deviation from John Browning’s original design is taken as an affront. Through the years, we’ve seen so-called improvements come and go. Things like beavertail grip safeties, extended thumb safeties and improved sights have earned their place on our gun. While I count myself as one of these 1911 purists, I recently had the chance to spend some time with a brand new 1911 that possesses a number of innovations, and it has caused me to reevaluate my position. Nighthawk Custom has just added to its product line with the Tactical Ready Series (TRS) starting with two new guns, each boasting a fully machined, double-stack frame and monolithic, full-profile slides. The TRS Commander features a Commander-length…

FN AMERICA has just introduced a new model of the popular 509 pistol. Called the 509CT, which stands for Compact Tactical, the new gun is suppressor ready and capable of using a miniature red-dot. I’ve been working with the CT for a few weeks now and have to say I am impressed! FN designed the 509 for the Army’s Modular Handgun System trial in 2015. Their starting point was a gun already in their inventory—the FNS Compact. FN engineers redesigned the gun’s frame, barrel and slide to comply with the MHS requirements and also added a few features to maximize the pistol’s reliability and durability. FN also exhaustively surveyed law enforcement agencies, seeking their feedback for sought-after features like the ambidextrous slide and magazine release. Even though FN did not…

THE 5.7X28MM ROUND came to my attention nearly two decades ago while I was looking at weapons for medics on our SWAT team. Developed in 1986, the FN P90 was introduced a few years later, along with a matching pistol, the FN Five-seveN. Compact, with a 50-round magazine, the P90 was perfect for a medic. Agencies were limiting most personnel to pistols, or occasionally an MP5K, but the P90 seemed advantageous. It offered no recoil and a high rate of fire, and could be fired one-handed. Designed for NATO as a replacement for the 9mm, it was different than most pistols. It had to penetrate body armor, and be able to be carried “…hands free at all times whether in the cab of a vehicle or the cockpit of an…

The tale surrounding the development of the original Glock 17 reads like a movie script. The singular personality behind this extraordinary polymer pistol was an Austrian engineer named Gaston Glock. In 1980, his company was manufacturing curtain rods and combat knives for the Austrian military. Gaston bought himself an injection molding machine so he could craft the grips for his battle blades. At the time, he was producing all this stuff in his garage workshop. He had never before designed a firearm. In fact, he had precious little experience with guns at all. This very dearth of preconceptions is what made the Glock pistol so revolutionary. The story goes that in the early 80s, Gaston serendipitously overheard a discussion between two Austrian Army officers concerning the upcoming trials for a…