#9mm

With the new release of the SIG Sauer X-Five Legion, I’ve gotten some questions about the new Legion version vs the older polymer X-Five model. There are a number of differences between the regular X-Five and the new upgraded X-Five Legion. I had a chance to take my personal X-Five out and run it next to the new Legion. After a full range day,  I put about 600 rounds through the X-Five Legion. I was surprised honestly but there’s a number of differences in the two guns.

When I started concealed carrying I thought most people carry in their home as well as in public. After working in the industry and talking to a ton of everyday people who carry, I’m honestly shocked at how many people decide not to carry in the home. The most common thing I hear from people when asked why they don’t carry in their house is the simple fact they feel they don’t need to. I respect this because it feels like a safe haven for certain people.

Welcome everyone to the 17th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you missed any one of our other articles, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this gat a sweet deal or just strait fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

The Glock pistol hardly needs an introduction.  Its place in the pistol market has been firmly established over the last three decades between military, police and civilian usage.  It’s been said that 65 percent of law enforcement agencies in the United States issue Glocks.  I have carried three different Glocks through my career and I’ve been very satisfied with the accuracy, simplicity and ease of maintenance the Glock design provides.  The aftermarket for Glock pistols is one of, if not the strongest for any one firearm.  Even for the aftermarket guns that aren’t Glocks, they are still based on the simple Glock design.

A few months ago, Strike Industries released a new Extended Magazine Plate, or EMP, for Glock full-sized magazines. The EMP is currently available for the Glock models 17 and 22 and will give an extra 6 or 5 round capacity respectively.  The EMP kit also includes an extended spring and steel locking plate with a set screw.  Strike Industries noted that the EMP is also compatible with aftermarket Glock magazines from Elite Tactical Systems (ETS) magazines.  They also state that the EMP is compatible with magazine wells from Magpul and JP Enterprises.  Photos are from Strike Industries’ website.

This new TACCOM product may look like a simple captive buffer assembly for AR-pattern firearms, however, as its name implies, this system delays the rearward motion of the reciprocating parts. The delay is achieved thanks to the use of rare-earth neodymium magnets. Let’s see how the company describes the operation of this delayed blowback recoil system:

For the month of June, we asked all of you to vote on the topic of “BEST Sub-Compact Striker Fired Pistol” which elicited a lot of different responses in our Reader’s Choice voting. Some of you said our definition was flawed and others threw out anecdotal evidence to sway others to their side, but overall the commenting was as robust as ever! The line in the sand that we drew with our definition for a Sub-Compact Striker Fired Pistol was any pistol that has a 4″ barrel or shorter AND has a single-stack magazine. The wailing and gnashing of teeth could be heard from millions of internet modems away because 1 handgun (who had already won the “ BEST Compact Striker Fired Pistol”) could not be in the running. The elephant in the room we are talking about is the  SIG Sauer P365 9mm. While that incredibly popular pistol was out of the running from the outset for June, the winner for the “BEST Sub-Compact Striker Fired Pistol” still may not surprise you. So without further ado, your Winner for the June Reader’s Choice Award of “BEST Sub-Compact Striker Fired Pistol” is… the Glock Gen4 43 9mm!!!

The CZ  P-10 family has grown. CZ started with P-10 C and decided to expand the family to cover both subcompact and full-size guns. The CZ P-10 C is called a compact gun, but I like to consider it less than full size. It is bigger than a Glock 19, with a longer grip. It doesn’t quite fall into the category of a compact pistol in my opinion. I won’t lie, I do wish there was a slightly shorter grip version of the P-10 C, similar to what FN did with the 509M. CZ knocked it out of the park with their other two guns. The CZ P-10 F and the CZ P-10 S. This new family did come with some significant changes.

When I first picked up my P365 in January of 2018, I was one of the lucky few to actually find one. I drove down in one of the worst snowstorms I’ve ever seen, but I was determined to pick up this elusive gun right after returning from the SHOT Show. Right after filling out the paperwork, I jumped in my truck and drove through a foot of snow to shoot the gun. Fast forward 18 months, and not much has changed for me with this gun.

A few months ago, I decided to pick up something different from what I currently shoot. I snagged a Beretta APX Compact at my local gun shop. When I first picked it up and put the gun in my hand, I immediately noticed how aggressive the grip checkering was on the handgun which isn’t a bad thing for me. I think this is a good alternative to stippling and with three adjustable backstraps, the gun is able to fit a lot of different hand types. The grip is right in between a Glock 19 and a Glock 26. The APX Compact is just big enough to fit all my fingers onto the grip which is a plus for being controllable. The compact version holds 13 rounds in a flush magazine and is a fairly compact gun.

The P-10 C has drastically transformed since its pre-production model.  CZ considered comments and concerns from pre-production validators.  They did change some features that I personally miss.  They improved on others. I believe the pre-production P-10 C was one of the strongest pre-production guns I have ever handled.  Strongest in the sense that it was the most polished and finished of all pre-production guns I have been in contact with.  CZ really tried to produce an all-in-one perfect design, at arguably, one of the best price points. Certainly, the most bang for your buck, pun intended.

With the advancement of technology, weapon lights and lasers have grown in popularity over the last decade. This has grown to the point where holster companies have started creating custom holsters for all kinds of light and laser attachments. Both systems have applications where they can be incredibly useful. If used properly both can help aid shooters one way or another.

SIG Sauer is known for producing solid metal framed firearms in an assortment of attractive finishes and their latest of the Spartan II Series is finally shipping out to firearm retailers. The Spartan II Series is available in their 1911 Full-Size and Carry, and the P238 and P938 Micro-Compacts.

Angstadt Arms has announced that they’ll be offering a limited run of custom UDP-9 9mm pistols and builder sets consisting of the lower and upper receivers and the handguard. Let’s see how the company describes the pistol and builder set and take a look at the key features of these products.

Ed Brown has announced that their new EVO-CCO9 Lightweight 1911 pistol is now available. As the company states, this pistol is their “smallest, thinnest and lightest 1911 to date!“. Particularly, it is 7.5″ long 5″ high, has a slide width of .860” and weighs 27 oz with an inserted empty magazine. According to Ed Brown: “The slide is shortened to 4″ and thinned substantially for weight reduction“. The standard, GI 1911 slide width is about .91″ – .92”.