Tabla de contenidos para September/October 2022 en Combat Handguns

As a firearms instructor, I am always interested in new products that help people train better and stay interested while training. I am also a fan of good targets and target systems that keep shooters engaged and wanting to shoot more to improve their skills. At SHOT Show this year, I was on the hunt for the coolest training aids and best new target systems I could find that might be fun for me to personally use or to utilize in classes with new shooters. Here is what I found on the SHOT Show floor. AIM PERFECT SIMULATOR Aim Perfect software allows you to turn your laptop into a shooting simulator. The easy-to-use system requires you to simply record a video using your cell phone or any other device, download…

AS A CIVILIAN, or even a law enforcement officer, if a hostile situation is encountered you will most likely be dealing with it via a handgun. What if there were ways to maximize the potency of your personal-defense handgun? Sig Sauer is here to help with their P320 Spectre Comp and P365XL Spectre Comp models. CUSTOM WORKS Both Spectre Comps emanate from Sig Custom Works where their offerings are always distinctive in appearance while offering performance-enhancing features. The P320 Spectre Comp and P365XL Spectre Comps are the epitome of this. Both pistols shine with their laser stippled grip modules (P320 Spectre a TXG—tungsten infusion frame), Titanium Nitride (TiN) gold-colored barrels/triggers and custom-designed milled slides. The Spectre series pistols come standard with XRay3 day/night sights, flat XSeries triggers, and are optic ready…

IF YOU’RE OF THE GO-BIG-OR-GO-HOME MINDSET, then you’ll want to check out Springfield’s latest—the XD-M Elite 4.5” OSP chambered in 10mm. The new gun combines all the refinements of the Elite series with the impressive power of the 10mm cartridge. Offering an impressive 16+1 capacity, the pistol features the Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly (META) with a flat face, crisp break and integral overtravel stop. Additional features include an optics-cut slide, an extended/removable flared magwell, improved slide serrations and an ambidextrous slide stop. The result is a highly shootable and powerful polymer-framed pistol. For more, visit springfield-armory.com. —personaldefenseworld.com…

If I was going to design a 1911 for carry use, I’d have it built on a light-weight frame and use a Commander-length slide and barrel. It would have to have good sights and a clean, crisp trigger. I’d also want a beavertail grip safety and extended thumb safety on the gun. Not too long ago, I wrote an article about rebuilding a Colt Lightweight Commander with all of these features, and it has become one of my favorite carry guns. Chances are if you run across me out in the desert of southeastern Arizona, I’ll be carrying that Colt in a Yaqui slide on my belt. Recently, while attending an event at Gunsite, I ran across a new 1911 that met all of my requirements without any additional modifications.…

Taglines and slogans have been around since the beginning of time. We see them in every walk of life and most, while memorable, rarely live up to their hype. A few years ago, Mark Stone, the owner of Nighthawk Custom changed the way he was doing business and created a tagline to go along with his vision: “One Gun. One Gunsmith.” On a recent visit to Nighthawk Custom in Berryville, Arkansas, I was able to spend a few days shadowing some of the incredible gunsmiths and see first-hand that this is not marketing hype…it is a way of life for every single member of the Nighthawk team. The result of this internalized mantra is a better gun that showcases the skills of the individual maker while meeting a collective ideal…

Plea bargaining is a lubricant that keeps the criminal justice system from totally clogging up. It allows a guilty defendant to plead guilty to a lesser offense, and thus receive a distinctly lesser punishment than if he had gone to trial and, predictably, been convicted. The courts would be far more clogged and backlogged than they are right now—all the more so since the pandemic shutdowns—without it. The hard-line, anti-crime conservatives who rail against plea bargaining should understand that better than some of them do. When I became a police prosecutor in my state’s system and was able to prosecute misdemeanors and violations without the help of a prosecuting attorney, I learned to appreciate plea bargaining from the law enforcement side. Much less of the time of arresting and investigating…

Walther just released their F-Series pistols, and I’m really surprised. Why? Because the “F” is for “female,” and that alone gives a huge portion of men the mind to “hard pass” on such a pistol, because, “It’s for a woman, after all.” Bold move, Walther. But you need to include some additional language about how the F-Series is just a really well-designed pistol that addresses concerns that many shooters have, not just females, and they may simply not know it—yet. Because that’s what it does. We got an early prototype look (and shoot) of the F-Series at the 2021 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Victor, Idaho. All rondy participants—men and women—really liked the gun. And recently, I watched the PDP F video on Walther’s website because, well, I like their product…

The EOTech XPS2-300 is the perfect complement to a 300 Blackout pistol intended for defense in close quarters. The wide, clear sight picture through the window on EOTech holographic sights have made them a mainstay on military, law enforcement and civilian armaments. The XPS2-300 maintains the popular EOTech reticle layout but enhances it by incorporating a two-dot ballistic drop reticle within the halo. This dual reticle allows the shooter to be able to zero with both subsonic and supersonic loads and make use of both zeroes without having to adjust the sight back and forth. To further assist the shooter, EOTech has laser-etched a diagram to illustrate the holds on the top of the housing. The housing on the XPS2-300 is the same tough-as-nails, water-resistant housing used on the standard…

It was the spring of 1992 when I strolled out of a local gun shop with the first revolver that I purchased for myself. It was a Smith & Wesson 586 with a 6-inch barrel. I’m not sure what it was exactly, but there was something I really liked about that revolver. Maybe it was the balance in my hand, the all-business appearance it had or just its ability to launch the venerable .357 Magnum payload. Being fairly young and new to the game, I didn’t always consider all the practical implications of my purchases. My primary motivation for buying it was for self-defense. But because I lived in the city and wasn’t a hunter, I soon found the 6-inch barrel wasn’t the best choice, especially for concealment and for…

Whenever something revolutionary comes out, most of us are learning to just sit back and wait because Taurus will eventually do it cheaper. Well, maybe the word “cheap” isn’t fair because lately the guns that have been coming out of both the U.S. and Brazilian plants are anything but. Anybody who has had the chance to run some rounds through the company’s award-winning TX-22 can certainly attest to this. Same goes for the GX4, which is Taurus’ answer to guns like the P365, Hellcat and other such enhanced capacity micro pistols. Those who have picked up the GX4 might recall that this gun is built with amazing ergonomics, a slim frame and an outstanding trigger. However, those that were more critical in their evaluation might have noted that the gun…

While rushing through the last hour of the 2022 SHOT Industry Day at the Range Event, I came across a booth that had quite a buzz around it. Here, Turkish-made handguns were being exhibited, but they were unlike any of the others on the market. As I was scrambling to complete my 25-shotgun assignment, I didn’t have time for much more than the 30-second elevator pitch with the company’s frontman, Ken Cooper. Ken is one of the minds behind the Buffalo Cartridge Company, which is now branching off into arms. This pistol would be its first import and is dubbed the BRG-9 Elite. He explained that the BRG is a compact, polymer-framed, striker-fired semi-automatic pistol that shares many features with today’s most popular designs. Some of these features are a…

Morgan Leonhardt is not your average 15-year-old. Morgan started competing in shooting sports in 2017, at the age of nine. Her father, Kevin Leonhardt, had been competing since 2010, and once he brought Morgan to her first match, she was hooked. Fast forward to today where the two travel across the country together shooting 3-Gun, 2-Gun, USPSA and other competitions. Her path to winning the Ladies Carry Optics National Champion title was not linear nor her goal when she first started shooting. In 2018, Morgan focused on 3-Gun competitions, spending that year shooting an AR-15 .223 rifle, 12-gauge shotgun and 9mm pistol. There are very few 3-Gun matches Kevin and Morgan have shot where their names aren’t toward the top of the list. It was not until 2021 that Morgan…

DRD Tactical is a brand synonymous with discreet and reliable firepower. The company’s first release, the Paratus rifle, was designed around the needs of U.S Special Operations personnel. This precision, semi-automatic takedown rifle could be stored in a briefcase and deployed as needed with great efficiency. DRD Tactical has applied the same concepts and features that make the Paratus an excellent choice for long-range engagements to a new platform designed for close-range encounters. PURPOSE BUILT The MFP-21 makes use of DRD’s hallmark takedown system but diverges from the company’s AR-15-inspired CDR pistols in its overall design. The MFP-21 pistol makes use of a similar internal recoil system to those found in the Paratus and Aptus series of rifles. This means that the recoil system is contained within the firearm itself…

Which is the rarest Colt Model 1911? Russian Contract, Singer, North American? Don’t forget Great Britain’s Colt 1911 in caliber .455 Webley Automatic, but you won’t find it in most books on the Colt 1911, with Donald B. Bady’s Colt Automatic Pistols being one exception. Lots of these Colts were made in two groups, but relatively few have survived, not to mention many having been converted to .45 ACP with barrels and magazines with original parts discarded in that caliber. ACROSS THE POND Beginning in 1916 through 1919, two separate contracts were made between Colt and Great Britain for the 1911 in .455 Webley Automatic. The first group was shipped to the British Navy in 1916 where men could purchase the guns for themselves, and some were reportedly transferred to…

Working with blowback-action CO2 pistols can offer a realistic training scenario against the same targets used with live ammo, and airguns that are 1:1 with their centerfire counter-parts also allow using standard duty gear and accessories for a full training experience. For absolute equality, there was nothing as perfectly matched in all aspects of handling and operation as the Umarex Glock 17 CO2 model, even though it cannot be field stripped like the centerfire model. Today, I submit for your consideration a blow-back-action air pistol that has drawn a line in the sand between authentic-looking CO2 training guns and centerfire guns—the Air Venturi Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5 semi-auto pistol. TWINNING No CO2 pistol, thus far, has been so thoroughly matched to its centerfire counterpart as the Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5…

Most readers are probably unaware of just how difficult it can be to constantly think of subjects for new articles. Long time CH “Battle Royale” participants Dick Jones and Richard Cole spent an hour with my wife Becky and me using up brain cells trying to think of just such a subject when I hit upon an idea “How about plain, old .38 revolvers?” By this, I meant medium-frame, DA revolvers with 4-inch barrels chambered for the .38 Special such as the majority of police officers used to carry. A quick vote proved unanimous, so the next day emails were dispatched to Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Taurus and European American Armory requesting samples of their rotating handguns that fit the bill. CONTENDERS Several weeks later, I received parcels containing a…

Most who carry a handgun every day choose a reliable, durable weapon that allows carrying that fits their lifestyle. However, after more than a half-century of carrying a handgun, there have also been times when other considerations have influenced my choice of weapon. Sometimes, when I’ve been elsewhere, I took what I could get. That’s why I have often written about fairly obscure weapons available in “Faraway-Places-with-Strange-Sounding-Names.” In a few places, I’ve wanted a weapon that wasn’t obviously of U.S. origin and preferably of ComBloc origin. On some security details, I’ve chosen a weapon, often as a second gun, that fits a specific need (i.e., enhanced stopping power, accuracy at longer ranges, penetration on a vehicle or attacker wearing body armor). I have also chosen what I term “elite” handguns…

DUMB AND DUMBER It seems that former Vice President Joe Biden is dead set on putting an anti-gun advocate at the helm of the agency charged with enforcing America’s firearms laws. In April, Biden nominated Steven Dettelbach to head the ATF. Biden’s nomination of Dettelbach comes just seven months after the president withdrew his nomination of another gun-ban advocate, David Chipman, for the position after pro-gun organizations and publications spread the truth about the nominee, making Senate confirmation impossible. As NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) pointed out shortly after the nomination, Dettelbach is also no friend to America’s gun owners and must not be confirmed. “Like Chipman, Dettelbach is a dedicated gun controller with a background that proves he would be neither fair nor objective as head of…