Hudson Mfg. we all know from last year has finally began shipping the H9 and customers are quite happy. Though with any new mechanical item, there will always be growing pains. In just one short year Hudson has now introduced the lighter aluminum framed H9a. Personally I like the H9 but now that it has a lighter version, I like the H9a much better.
I did get the chance to speak with renowned trainer Rob Pincus of PDN ( Personal Defense Network) and I.C.E. Training for a short amount of time about his newly designed Avidity Arms PD10. It is a polymer framed 10+1 single stack striker fired semiauto pistol designed for the concealed carrier. Being very transparent throughout his process of bringing this little gem to market, I can honestly say I cannot wait to shoot it. The one feature I appreciated the most is the trigger. With a constant weight in pull it broke crisp and reset was nice.
To my surprise there were older companies putting new spins on firearms. Ruger being one of them, This is not about the PCC takedown, (though we did handle it) I am speaking of the Ruger Security 9 9mm hammer fired sub $300.00 wonder. roughly the size of a Glock 19 but the grip portion of the frame fit our wide variety of hands very well. According to Ruger, the frame is a scaled up LCP II frame. But the real shocker was in the trigger pull. Smooth, quick and light I was truly shocked. With a double sear system somewhat like the 1911, the Security 9 is "drop safe". Running a single action system does leave some desiring more, I really like it. The hammer is 95% pulled and the user finishes the last 5% at a pull weight of 5.5 pounds. I am not a big fan of hammer fired due to the fact I spend a majority of my time focusing on personal defense rather than any other area, but this one will find it's way into my collection sooner or later.
Sig Sauers new P365 for Us was decent but we were expecting something more. Do not get m3e wrong, we were impressed, we were hoping for a slightly larger firearm. The P365 is not quite as small as say the P938 or the P238 and as long as you have the 12 round extended mag it fits larger hands fine. The P365 does come as a single stack 10+1 either flush mag or the 10 round finger extension version and they do offer it in a 12 round version as well.
For those of you that own the P320, Yes, they will be bringing an X frame for you to be able to swap back and forth. Just please, don't hold your breath.
There has been quite a bit of stir in the Glock camp as of late. Bringing with it a division for Glock fans. Going back a few years, after the Gen4 hit the market the F.B.I. awarded Glock with a contract. Incomes the M series with many ( if not all the features of the gen5 Glock) but it had it's fair share of issues. fast forward a short time and Glock introduced the MOS system. Fortuitous to say the least with the large onset of tactical, competition and hunting communities looking for just this type of thing. Fast forward once more, we witness Sig Sauer winning the MHS contract. Of course it made sense for the companies involved to bring their hard work to market, We have seen FN release the 509 for example. Of course the Sig P320 in it's various forms and now Glock has brought the 19x. As a fan of glock for many years I have seen many changes to the system come and go. This offering of a compact slide and full size grip is not new to the game, 1911 and Springfield XD (just to name a few) have offered these for years. The big thing is, the Glock offering did not meet the criteria the MHS put forth in the first place. Why spend the time and effort to bring something to the table that does not meet the guidelines of the contest? A company that shows this type of laziness in a contest for a government contract, cannot be surprised when they lose. Now, Glock expects that "most" of the public will love their new offering, i see a significant split. I know there are plenty of prospective buyers out there who will love this offering for their own reasons, but no excuse in the world makes up for lack of ingenuity.
Speaking of complaints lets get to the kerfuffle surrounding Franklin Armory's "new and innovative" non-tax stamp SBR-ish "firearm," the Reformation. This in and of itself was the talk of the show and the subject of many a meme. The announcement was to be heard Tuesday morning but they moved it back to Wednesday (for reasons I do not know). Once the cat was out of the bag though, most tried to keep their distance as much as possible. Like a moth to a flame I had to get in for a closer look. First off, the premise of the Reformation is a snub (not really) to the A.T.F. and the NFA of 1968. a short barreled firearm with a regular rifle buttstock. For a while the belief was since a "rifle" is defined by many characteristics, the consensus was the change was in the trigger, instead of a shot being fired on the pull, it would fire on the release. If that were only so. No, this monstrosity goes way beyond common sense and has entered the realm of tomfoolery. the Reformation "firearm" has a straight grooved barrel. No twisting to stabilize a conventional projectile just straight down the barrel grooves. I wish I was joking. Let me let Franklin Armory explain it themselves. (from their site)
Sorry for the large size, but it was the only way to get it legible. With off the shelf ammunition either in 5.56 or 300 AAC Blackout it runs 4MOA, and the word on the street is that number is at 50 YDS! now with their proprietary "football" projectile you can achieve "near 1 MOA @100 YDS" all for the low price of $2000.00 with their Binary Trigger system.
There is plenty more I can say about this "firearm" but frankly it is hurting my head thinking about it. In conclusion, Spend $2000.00 for an inaccurate "firearm" you can "thumb your nose" at the A.T.F. (not really.) I think I will stick to my 10.5" 5.56 pistol with the ugly arm brace.
