Innholdsfortegnelse for #227 Concealed Carry Handguns i Personal Defense World

I am writing this in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as most Americans find themselves sheltering in place to slow the spread of the virus across the country. Right now, the United States has seen over 350,000 confirmed cases, and doctors are doing their best to take care of those in need. Social distancing is helping slow the infection rate, but we don’t know if we’ve seen the peak of the outbreak at this point. That said, I hope life is returning to normal by the time you read this. In times of crisis, there’s nothing I hate more than the panicking of a select few. Just because “Karen” decided to buy 20 packs of toilet paper, everyone saw her, followed her lead and then got my wife asking…

For some families, spending an extra $600 to $1,000 on a top-tier defensive pistol isn’t really a viable option. Not everyone’s lifestyle is defined by firearms. Whether it’s about keeping food on the table or prioritizing money for other activities, many folks can only spare so much cash for a quality defensive firearm. That’s why we’re going to look at five “value-priced” 9mm pistols that still offer plenty of features and performance without busting a budget. I used a few criteria to create this list: The guns had to have come out in the past year, their MSRPs are under $500, and their magazines hold at least 10 rounds. Without question, polymer grip frames have drastically altered the landscape of what’s available to American consumers, resulting in firearms that are…

This year marked my 27th consecutive Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, where over 2,600 exhibitors from all over the world put their newest products on display. Four days just wasn’t enough time for me to see everything at SHOT, but I paid special attention to noteworthy holsters to help you carry your firearms as I made my way through the show’s 12 miles of aisles. Here’s what caught my attention. ALIEN GEAR SPORT TUCK BELLY BAND Alien Gear is offering its new Sport Tuck Belly Band with your choice of IWB holster for big savings. Here’s how it works: The user simply slides the belt clips of the holster into the belly band’s web loops. Now it’s positioned where the user wants the gun, and the belly band is…

I have carried a firearm concealed every day for more than 20 years. My everyday-carry (EDC) gun is the same one I carry on law enforcement raids. It has a red-dot sight and a light attached to it 24/7. But when weekends roll around, I get lazy. I won’t leave the house without a gun, but I typically grab a five-shot revolver because it weighs a third as much while being half the size and twice as comfortable as my “raid gun.” We all compromise sometimes, but with improvements in 9mm ammunition and subcompact pistols over the last five years, it’s time for me to rethink my off-duty gun. Walther introduced the single-stack 9mm PPS in 2007 and can probably be credited with starting the current single-stack craze. In 2016,…

■ FN worked with ANR Design to provide holsters for the event we attended, and the model we trained with was the Kydex Light-Bearing OWB holster. I really liked the way it rode on my belt and hugged my body that day, and it provided excellent retention without hindering the draw. For that reason, I reached out to ANR Design for a review holster that matched up with the Compact while sporting the Trijicon RMR and Streamlight TLR-7. ANR Design’s website lets the user customize the holster’s color, loop style and size, and it can be configured for an optic as well as the most popular weapon lights on the market. All ANR Design holsters are ready for up to 0.45-inch suppressor-height sights, and the company also offers IWB holsters,…

When most people talk about pistols they want or have added to their collections, a few iconic models typically come up: the 1911, a Glock, maybe a Desert Eagle. Another gun usually included on that list is the Beretta 92, which has become an icon, especially since one variant, the M9, was adopted as the official U.S. military sidearm back in 1985, replacing the 1911 for decades. In fact, there’s no more proven compact and duty pistol platform than the Beretta 92. But it hasn’t really seen much change since that iconic M9 model of the mid-1980s—until now. Beretta recently decided to give the 92 a bit of a facelift and update its features with the new 92X line of pistols, and for this review, I got my hands on…

Practice ammo and defensive ammo have always been considered two distinct categories, and for the longest time, that meant two different shooting experiences, especially with handguns. Even if you tried to match the bullet weights, you’d still notice more recoil with the self-defense rounds, for example, or variations in velocity or the point of impact. Trying to find training rounds that would match, or come as close as possible to, your defensive rounds was always a nightmare. I know I’ve personally spent a ton of time and money on this quest. Thankfully, Federal has an answer. THE SOLUTION Federal’s new Practice & Defend ammo packs take all of the guesswork out of matching your training and defensive rounds. Each pack includes 50 personal-defense HST rounds and 50 Syntech Training Match…

IF you’ve heard the North American Arms (NAA) name before, you probably think of tiny little revolvers in calibers like the .22 LR and .22 WMR. Well, in 1997, the Provo, Utah, company decided to get into the semi-auto game by delivering the pocket-sized Guardian in .32 ACP. Inspired by the Seecamp LWS, the pistol was a hit because of its dimensions, reliability and craftsmanship. Then, in 2001, NAA debuted a slightly larger version in .380 ACP. I recently got my hands on a special version in .32 ACP, but before we go any further, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. Yes, the .32 ACP has always been a considered marginal choice for defense. Thankfully, the Guardian is so small that it’s ideal as a backup…

In August of 1993, The New York Times reported that the NYPD was replacing its Smith & Wesson revolvers with Glock semi-autos. It was a lengthy transition because many officers preferred the ergonomics of their Smiths over Glocks and the stopping power of high-pressure .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds over 9mms. But have revolvers become obsolete? Not at all. In fact, new revolvers are constantly hitting the market for concealed carry and competition, and companies are diving into the arena for the first time, like Kimber, which was previously known for its 1911s. When industry leaders make such moves, it indicates a major trend. Having shot semi-autos for 20 years, I caught the revolver bug during an International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) match when a friend, the only competitor…

■ I recently I had a chance to sit down with James White, the sales and marketing director for Shield Sights. The company was founded in 1986 by James’ father, Jeremy White. Jeremy was a practical shooter in the UK, and in 1996, he developed the red-dot sight that became the Tasco Optima 2000. This success was followed by Shield-designed electronics finding their way into a number of well-known companies that rebranded the sights as their own. In 2017, the Shield Reflex Mini Sight (RMS) was released, and a company hardly anyone knew about on this side of the Atlantic started getting a lot of attention. Ironically, some competitive miniature reflex sights that were compared to the RMS actually had identical electronics that came from Shield. Then, in 2018, Shield…

SOME FIREARMS simply appear on the scene, seemingly from nowhere, and immediately grab our attention. That’s the first step, but holding our collective gaze and interest is another, and the Canik brand has done just that. I spend a considerable amount of time focused on precision rifles, so it’s hard to stay on top of all the new pistols that come out, but Canik’s TP9 series has definitely caught my eye. When they were first introduced, these guns impressed shooters with their good looks and amazing ergonomics that few pistols ever accomplish. I distinctly remember the first time I encountered a Canik TP9SFX in the wild at a gun shop. Although I was there for other business, I had no choice but to spend several minutes with this intriguing gun,…

There are great guns, and then there are Zev guns, which are a cut above. If I sound like a fangirl, it’s because I am. The old adage “seeing is believing” definitely applies to Zev Technologies, especially when you see how the company’s components perform on the range. You see, Zev Technologies made its name creating high-end Glock parts for competitors, but it’s grown exponentially. Now the company has become a leader in AR-platform weapons along with its own “Original Zev 9mm” (O.Z-9) modular pistols, and its designs are in demand in several arenas, from competition shooters to elite military units and civilian gun owners. For this article, though, I’d like to focus on the foundation that started it all for Zev. Don’t get me wrong, Glocks are great stock…

ONE THING I miss about North Carolina in the fall is the warm weather, not to mention barbecue and sweet tea. But I got to experience it all again this past October when a few of us gun writers met with the fine folks from FN America in Pinehurst. We were there to get an advanced look at the company’s newest pistol, and quite possibly its future as well. With little fanfare and ostentation, the product managers let the new FN 509 Compact MRD speak for itself. A natural progression in the 9mm 509 series, this new model uses 12-and 15-round magazines and features a slide pre-milled for a reflex sight. It also fleshes out the lineup with what most folks would consider a subcompact offering. However, when you dive…

On June 28, 2010 outside the US Supreme Court building all smiles because of a historic Second Amendment victory, left to right, are attorney Alan Gura, plaintiff Otis McDonald and Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb. Gura argued both the Heller and McDonald suits. That’s why the tax-exempt Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is supporting some 40-plus federal and state lawsuits to define the First, Second, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. That’s why SAF supported the 2008 Heller suit that the judges said guaranteed an individual right to keep and bear arms, and why our Foundation financed the 2010 McDonald suit that applied the Second Amendment rights assured in Heller to all the states and municipalities in America. That’s also why we financed the Moore v. Madigan case which…

When Smith & Wesson launched the M2.0 series of M&P pistols, it put the pedal down and hasn’t let up yet. First, the company introduced the duty-sized pistols in the line. Following quickly thereafter were other additions like the updated Shield pistol. One of the most interesting of the M2.0 models is the Compact. The Compact handgun fits into the size gap between the full-sized and first-generation Compact models. This gun has a 4-inch barrel and can be used as either a duty pistol or a concealed-carry piece. I’ve never considered a 4-inch-barreled pistol a true “compact” firearm, but it is certainly smaller than its bigger brother. A pistol with a 4-inch barrel isn’t difficult to conceal assuming you have a good holster, belt and cover garment. I’ve carried another…

IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE that price is usually indicative of quality, especially in the firearms world. But I’m happy to report that I’ve found a gun that contradicts this supposition: the new CPX-4 from SCCY Firearms. This semi-auto .380 ACP pistol is long on quality, but at a price that just seems too cheap. I first laid eyes on the gun at the 2019 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, where I reconnected with SCCY’s national sales manager, Scott McGregor, an old friend of mine. Years ago, we shot 3-Gun matches together, and he was excited to brief me on SCCY’s latest arrival. AT THE RENDEZVOUS “The biggest difference between the new CPX-4 and the older CPX-3 is that the former has an ambidextrous manual safety,” McGregor said. The front-pivoting safety is…