Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2022 en Combat Handguns

PICK A CARD, ANY CARD If there was ever a company that outgrew its name too quickly, it’s Dry Fire Training Cards. As you might have guessed, this company’s original and most prominent product is a simple deck of cards that randomly commands a shooter through a variety of practice drills that don’t require the use of any live ammunition. From there, instructor and IDPA master level shooter Mike Ochsner built an entire training system that centers around the way the human brain functions. This program is simple, concise and effective, especially when the other products are used. The best place to start understanding Ochsner’s company is to take a look at the premier item, the Dry Fire Cards themselves. The deck contains 51 drills, broken down into five categories.…

There’s little in this world that warms the cockles of my heart as much as a pistol with an honest-to-God metal frame. I’m a member of Generation X, and polymer-framed pistols were just hitting the market when I became old enough to buy a handgun. I made the transition easily enough but, having grown up with pistols like Smith & Wesson’s 4506, 6906, 5906 and 3913, I still get a little misty-eyed when I reminisce about the good old days. It’s now 2022 and other than 1911s and competition pistols, very few metal-framed pistols are being introduced these days for general use or concealed carry. However, the folks at S&W recently decided to revive the past just a bit and throw us a bone. By marrying the very popular micro-compact…

CALIBER 10mm BARREL 4 inches OA LENGTH 7.2 inchess WEIGHT 27.8 ounces (empty) GRIP Polymer SIGHTS Three-dot, white ACTION Striker-fired FINISH Armornite CAPACITY 15+1 MSRP $654 CALIBER 10 mm BARREL 3.8 inches OA LENGTH 6.75 inches WEIGHT 27 ounces (empty) GRIP Polymer SIGHTS Tactical U-Dot, fiber-optic ACTION Striker-fired FINISH Melonite CAPACITY 11+1; 15+1 MSRP $653 While 9mm micro-compacts have been all the rage lately, a few companies are still keeping the big-bore defender concept alive and well. Despite recent trends, companies like Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have been introducing new carry pistols in .45 ACP and 10mm, and I for one want to thank them for keeping the faith. Just recently, both companies released new 10mm variants in both of their respective flagship series of pistols. At their…

The Sig P320 changed the way we see handguns with its modular construction. Unlike other pistols, the trigger components, configured in a self-contained chassis, make up the serialized part. This revolutionary concept means that for military and service use the stock can be easily replaced in case of wear or damage. For civilian use it opened the floodgates of aftermarket possibilities. Gone are the days of chancing a stippling or sculpting job on the “firearm.” Here is the idea that for about $40 you can replace the entire grip. Fortunately, Sig applied the same construction system to their popular P365 line of micro-compact concealed carry pistols. Fire Control Unit is the term used by Sig to describe the bundle of parts the ATF considers the firearm. These handy units are…

Shoulder holsters are a great choice for anybody who spends a lot of time at a desk or behind the wheel. Hunters also love them because they don’t get in the way when they are up in a tree stand or inside of a tight ground blind. DeSantis is a hometown hero to this author. I have visited the plant, taken the tour and even sent a few rounds downrange with the boys. They were gracious to supply us with a NY Undercover Shoulder Rig for our test, one of the company’s first designs. This all-leather setup is available in either black or brown and can be configured to carry dozens of different guns. DeSantis hasn’t forgotten the southpaw either and set me up with a lefty version. We liked…

Most folks will recognize Savage Arms as manufacturers of value-packed hunting rifles and shotguns. Tough and economical, their guns have targeted serious hunters who place more worth on form and function than on pretty cosmetics. With the sale of Savage in 2019 it was decided that they should not neglect one of the hottest area of sales—that being concealed carry handguns. So, for the first time in more than a century, Savage will manufacture and sell a handgun designed for concealed carry. Introducing the Savage Arms Stance. GUN DETAILS In late December of 2021, the Stance was introduced to America’s shooting community. It is a polymer-framed, striker-fired semi-auto chambered for the popular 9mm cartridge. It comes with a seven-round, flush-fit magazine as well as an extended magazine with an eight-round capacity.…

One of the things that prevents more shooters from entering competitive handgun shooting sports is the cost of the equipment. Guns, different calibers and holsters designed for each specific sport can be overwhelming. Canik decided to do something about it and launched a one-gun-fits-most-sports solution at the 2022 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Using the TP9 as the starting point, Canik used input from professional shooters to develop the SFx Rival—a versatile pistol that can be used for USPSA, IDPA, IPSC, 3-Gun and Steel Challenge competitions. Designed from the ground up to suit the demanding needs of a competitor and provide flawless reliability through thousands and thousands of rounds a year, the Rival is, by far, the most cost-effective means I am aware of for shooters to engage in multiple…

If you’re a “gun person,” then you probably know what a Heckler & Koch MP5 looks like. It’s an iconic weapon that shoots 9mm freedom seeds and has been used by SWAT teams all over the world since its implementation back in the 1970s. If you have never seen one, then go and watch the movie Die Hard. It’s a great Christmas movie and will help you understand the quote, “Now I have a machine gun, Ho-Ho-Ho.” Unfortunately, HK has them priced so high that you’d almost need to sell a kidney to afford one. Enter Century Arms to the rescue! Century Arms is well known for importing top-shelf firearms from other parts of the world. In this case, it would be Turkey, and the Turks have been building firearms…

There’s no question that Gaston Glock revolutionized the firearms market four decades ago, particularly the semi-auto pistol segment. The G17 mainstreamed the use of polymer frames and offered a level of durability and reliability that was almost entirely unrivaled. Since that time, the more compact G19 has become one of the best selling pistols of all time. It offered the same high level of performance of the G17 in a form factor that, until lately, had the best capacity-for-size ratio going. It could be used for duty, concealed carry or home-defense equally well. However, as good as the different Glock pistols are, the design aesthetic has gotten a little stagnant. Aside from changing the available sizes or calibers, there’s been very little in the way of innovation from the factory.…

Allen has been killing it in the target market lately. It has recently introduced an array of round and square gongs of various sizes and for various shooting disciplines. The latest is its Hardrock IPSC Targets. These powder-coated AR500 plates are built to take a beating from nearly any pistol cartridge you can imagine and represent a regulation full-sized IPSC target scaled down to 50%. In a sea of 33% and 66% targets of this type, something built to an even 50% is truly unique. Furthermore, these targets feature a three-hole mounting system instead of the typical two-hole system that we so often see. This allows you to hang them with a pair of straps or bolt them to a 2x4 topper by using the single, central hole. I slaughtered…

It is not difficult to find a firearms instructor. Now more than ever it seems that everyone is a certified instructor for either defensive firearm training or competition shooting. Certification has never been easier to obtain, and this only makes the process of finding quality training even more confusing. Finding a legitimate, qualified instructor is a true treasure. This is exactly what Mike Seeklander brings to the table and why he is the highlighted pro of this edition of “Ask the Pros.” BACKSTORY Seeklander is currently a member of the Wilson Combat Competitive Shooting Team and is ranked as a grandmaster (the highest rank obtainable) by the United States Practical Shooting Association. Wilson Combat is very selective when it comes to its team members. As their website states, “Clearly, competitive…

Handgun shooters have quested after a cartridge that could deliver .357 Magnum ballistics in a semi-auto pretty much since the day the round was invented. The answer came in 1983 in the form of the 10mm Auto, developed by none other than Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper of Gunsite fame. While the round delivered everything it was supposed to, initial pistol offerings just weren’t up to hosting it. The most common complaints were that the guns were just too large in the hand, and thus recoil was unmanageable. Well, we figured out what to do in this situation more than 100 years ago and as the human hand hasn’t changed, the 1911 still remains one of the best platforms to mitigate recoil. Magnum Research knows a thing or two about recoil,…

SEVEN STATES CONSIDERING CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY IN ’22 Lawmakers in seven states are seeking to pass constitutional carry measures this legislative session. Such laws, also called “permitless” carry laws, deregulate the Second Amendment-protected right to bear arms, doing away with permit requirements for law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. And if at least four of these states manage to succeed in that endeavor, half of the U.S. states will have “permitless” carry laws on the books. Currently, constitutional carry legislation is under consideration in Ohio, Nebraska, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida. And in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp recently expressed his support for such a law in that state, which leaves the matter in lawmakers’ hands. At the time of this writing, 21 states recognize the right to…