Handguns

Front Sight Firearms Training Institute's Dr. Ignatius Piazza takes on the issue of small-caliber handguns as suitable self-protection items. Here's what he said: 'I have a video for you this week that is the best example of the pros and cons of carrying a pocket pistol that I have ever seen.'

This video series is a collection of self-defense tips with career law enforcement officer Dave Spaulding designed to help individuals learn proper skills and techniques to defend themselves. Once you've learned how to hold and reload your firearm, among other basic skills, properly continuing your training is critical to improved performance.In real life, you may not be keeping your gun in a holster on your hip, but rather in a pocket holster. It is extremely important to train with what you carry and to remain realistic in your practice. Proper training is essential for good gun technique.

Recently, we received a letter urging us to test more deep-concealment guns, claiming that they are the most popular gun of the day. Checking with one of the larger distributors confirmed that it is the subcompact and micro guns that are currently driving the market. In this test we're not going to evaluate pocket guns, but we are going to shoot four compact pistols that in are just one step larger than the smallest model available from each manufacturer.

The first test gun we chose was the $697 XDM 3.8 from Springfield Armory. Since the first XD pistol to hit our shores from Croatia was the Four-inch Service Model, we were tempted to refer to the XDM 3.8 as belonging to a "sub-service" category. The $525 Ruger SR9C is another new model that attempts to cross over the design of a larger pistol (the Ruger SR9) into the role of concealed carry. The $646 Glock G19 is the smaller brother of the G17, found on the hip of law enforcement worldwide. The Glock 19 gets little press, but remains popular. Another pistol that continues to perform is the CZ 75B. In this test we shoot one of its little brothers, the $651 CZ USA 75D PCR Compact.

Throughout our tests, each gun ran reliably without a single malfunction. The Glock, Ruger, and Springfield Armory pistols operated with a single continuous trigger system. The Glock 19 required a longer trigger press because movement of the trigger is what loads the spring to propel the striker, or firing pin. Release of the striker was part two of this double-action system. The XDM 3.8 utilized the trigger to release the striker after rearward movement of the slide had loaded the striker spring nearly to full strength. Pressing the trigger on the XD series pistols tops off the compression of the striker spring and releases the trigger. The Ruger SR9C works with a similar action, but the trigger applied more final compression to the striker spring than the XD/XDM. The CZ is a hammer-driven pistol with two modes of fire. Once the slide has been moved rearward, the hammer stays back [IMGCAP(2)]and trigger is used for the single action of releasing the hammer. But after using the decocker to lower the hammer to a locked position about 0.36 inches from the firing pin, pressing the trigger will perform two actions. First to move the hammer rearward, and, second, to release it toward the firing pin. To collect accuracy data, our test team fired the CZ 75D PCR Compact from the bench in single action only.

We began with three choices of test ammunition, consisting of Remington UMC 115-grain JHP rounds, Federal American Eagle 124-grain FMJ rounds and 115-grain FMJ rounds of new manufacture (red box) Black Hills ammunition. When we realized our supply of the American Eagle rounds was going to be limited, we decided to shoot our action tests with a fourth, less expensive, round. These were the Black Hills remanufactured 124-grain FMJ rounds sold in the blue boxes. Curious about the accuracy of these economical rounds, we decided to add them to our bench session. Test distance from support was 15 yards.

After accuracy data had been collected from our bench session, we set up a timed close-quarters exercise. For this test we posted a paper replica of an IPSC Metric target 7 yards downrange. The drill was to engage the target with two shots to the 5.9-by-11-inch rectangular A-zone at center mass, and then a third shot to the upper A-zone. The upper A-zone measured about 4-by-2 inches and represented the cranial pocket of this roughly humanoid silhouette. After ten runs we looked for 20 hits to the "chest" and ten to the head. Start position was holding the pistol in both hands at roughly the position one would clap their hands. We kept track of elapsed time by using a shot-activated timer and took note of our accuracy. Our operator began by dry-firing the exercise at the command of the audible start signal. Once the operator was able to completely visualize the run, at the sound of the timer the shooter was ready for live fire. But keep in mind that each gun was afforded one try and one try only at our action test. We almost broke this promise when it came time to test the CZ pistol. It was the last gun to be field tested and we suddenly realized that we had not yet fired the pistol beginning with a double-action first shot. We even went so far as to write in a warmup round on our score card. Then we decided to take the challenge and report how we shot the CZ from first-shot double action under pressure without additional practice.

Some of us who know that theres no substitution for bullet mass when it comes to stopping power prefer the 45 Auto for self defense. But no one likes to pack a heavy handgun, so most makers offer some solutions to that problem in the form of lighter-weight 1911s. These generally utilize aluminum frames, with shorter grips and slides. Any 45 Auto requires good management by the shooter, so these lighter and shorter-grip guns are not for everyone. One of the better 45 compromises is the use of a full-size aluminum grip frame combined with a short slide. Colt calls this setup the Lightweight Commander. In this test comparison one of the guns had a configuration that was similar to Colts LW Commander, but lacked a barrel bushing. The shorter "Officers Model" grip, to use another old Colt name, is undoubtedly easier to conceal, and two of the guns in this test use that setup. Modern magazines for the shorter "Officers" grip hold seven rounds, so they dont give up capacity when compared to the original 1911 design, but of course most full-size 1911s today hold eight in the mag.In February 2009 we compared the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 to the discontinued Colt CCO (and Kahr PM 4543), and noted that there are not a whole lot of options if you must have the Officers frame with the Commander-length slide, which is the CCOs setup. But we found a handgun by Kimber that is mighty close to that concept, and decided to also look at one of the full-grip, light-frame, short-slide offerings by Springfield to see how they both stacked up to the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 No. 19GS0031 (MSRP $1200; street price about $975). The two new guns were Kimbers Compact Stainless II (MSRP $1009; street price about $850) and the Springfield Armory Champion Operator PX9115LP (MSRP $1076; street price about $850). Heres what we found.

Some of us who know that theres no substitution for bullet mass when it comes to stopping power prefer the 45 Auto for self defense. But no one likes to pack a heavy handgun, so most makers offer some solutions to that problem in the form of lighter-weight 1911s. These generally utilize aluminum frames, with shorter grips and slides. Any 45 Auto requires good management by the shooter, so these lighter and shorter-grip guns are not for everyone. One of the better 45 compromises is the use of a full-size aluminum grip frame combined with a short slide. Colt calls this setup the Lightweight Commander. In this test comparison one of the guns had a configuration that was similar to Colts LW Commander, but lacked a barrel bushing. The shorter "Officers Model" grip, to use another old Colt name, is undoubtedly easier to conceal, and two of the guns in this test use that setup. Modern magazines for the shorter "Officers" grip hold seven rounds, so they dont give up capacity when compared to the original 1911 design, but of course most full-size 1911s today hold eight in the mag.In February 2009 we compared the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 to the discontinued Colt CCO (and Kahr PM 4543), and noted that there are not a whole lot of options if you must have the Officers frame with the Commander-length slide, which is the CCOs setup. But we found a handgun by Kimber that is mighty close to that concept, and decided to also look at one of the full-grip, light-frame, short-slide offerings by Springfield to see how they both stacked up to the Sig Sauer 1911 C3 No. 19GS0031 (MSRP $1200; street price about $975). The two new guns were Kimbers Compact Stainless II (MSRP $1009; street price about $850) and the Springfield Armory Champion Operator PX9115LP (MSRP $1076; street price about $850). Heres what we found.

(GunReports.com) -- Matt Carmel, president of Constitution Arms, said the company has received its first working prototype of the Palm Pistol and that the pistol is undergoing endurance testing.

On GunReports.com, this Ruger video covers the essentials. Learning grip and body position are crucial to controlling your firearm's recoil. Dave Spaulding puts special emphasis on trigger control for managing your gun, as well as other essentials like grip and body position.

(GunReports.com) -- Four similar and equally matched 9mm pistols turned in a tightly fought battle in the August 2010 issue of Gun Tests, says its editor, and the magazine’s test team had trouble picking a winner. Tested: Glock 19, Springfield Armory XDM 3.8, CZ USA 75D PCR Compact, and the new Ruger SR9C.

GunReports.com finds that the LaserLyte rear sight laser fits all Ruger SR9 and SR9 Compact pistols. The only laser for the Ruger SR9 pistols that you can fit in any holster. MSRP $200.

(GunReports.com) -- A recent tabulation of 529 respondents to a GunReports.com survey question, “Is the 9mm suitable for self defense?” showed a strong preference for the round. However, almost all respondents added comments to qualify their 'yes' votes.

From GunReports.com: Thanks to the efforts of Springfield Armory, the XD9 pistol has undergone somewhat of a transformation. It's available in two finishes and at competitive prices. In the this video from the 2010 SHOT Show, Gun Tests Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine discusses the improvements.

(GunReports.com) -- In its second major ruling on gun rights in three years, the Supreme Court Monday extended the federally protected right to keep and bear arms to all 50 states. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the five-justice majority, saying 'the right to keep and bear arms must be regarded as a substantive guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored so long as the States legislated in an evenhanded manner.'