Staff Report
There are more handguns aimed at the personal protection market this year than at any other niche in the market, with a third outfit entering a .410 revolver, and more small semiautos headed for dealer shelves.
Newspapers have been reporting a surge in handgun buying since “Black Friday” in November, and the January SHOT Show will raise the curtain on even more designed for concealed carry or home defense.
Hot on the heels of its .40 S&Wcaliber revolver, Charter Arms (281 Canal St., Dept. TGM, Shelton, CT 06484; phone: 203-922-1652; online: charterfirearms.com) is introducing a similar-sized gun that chambers the 9mm cartridge, again without the necessity of half-moon or full-moon clips. It’s a five-shot double-action in stainless steel with a matte finish and rubber grips.
Charter is also introducing the Big Dog, a revolver chambered for the .410 shotshell and .45 Colt cartridges that will compete with the Taurus Judge and Smith & Wesson Governor. It has a 2-inch barrel and is definitely designed for defensive carry. Speaking of Taurus (16175 NW 49th Ave., Dept. TGM, Miami, FL 33014- 6314; phone: 305-624-1115; online: taurususa.com), the new 24/7 G2 compact series will officially debut at the Show, following its release in mid- November. Three models are available, in .45 ACP, .40 S&W and 9mm. All weigh 27 ounces, and they feature either a blue or matte stainless finish on the slide with a polymer frame, 3.5- inch barrel, 6.6-inch OAL and they are available with one standard magazine and one extended magazine except where regulations prevent more than 10-round magazines.
The gang at Colt (PO Box 1868, Dept. TGM, Hartford, CT 06114; phone: 860-236-6311; online: coltsmfg.com) is unveiling the Mustang Pocketlite pistol in .380 ACP. Measuring only 5.5 inches OAL with a 2.75-inch barrel, it has an aluminum alloy frame, stainless steel slide and barrel. Magazine capacity is six rounds.
Colt also offers the New Frontier single-action in three barrel lengths (4.75, 5.5 and 7.5 inches) and three caliber choices: .357 Magnum, .44 Special and .45 Colt. Guns are finished in Colt Royal Blue with walnut grip panels.
The Colt New Agent with Crimson Trace laser grips is offered in .45 ACP with a 7-round magazine or in 9mm with an 8-round magazine.
A big lineup of new handguns is on the way from Sig Sauer (18 Industrial Dr., Dept. TGM, Exeter, NH 03833; phone: 603-772-2302; online: sigsauer.com). For openers, there’s a 9mm version of the single-action compact dubbed the P938. It’s slightly upsized, but with the appearance and feel of the .380 ACP version. This single-action pistol has an ambidextrous safety, six-round standard magazine and seven-shot extended magazine. There are five versions.
Also from Sig Sauer is the P224 subcompact chambered for 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG, in DAK or DA/SA actions.
It is available in four variations.
Don’t forget that Sig is also offering the US Navy version of the 9mm P226 with three 15-round magazines (where legal), polymer grips, an M1913 Picatinny rail, and an anchor engraved on the slide. Its military designation is the MK25.
Lastly, there’s a new P250 subcompact in .45 ACP or .380 ACP. The .45-caliber model carries a 6-round magazine while the .380 magazine holds 12 rounds.
Ruger (1 Lacey Pl., Dept. TGM, Southport, CT 06890; phone: 203-259- 7843; online: ruger.com) will be showing off its eight-shot version of the SP101 revolver chambered for .22 Long Rifle, and the LCP and LC9 pistols with LaserMax CenterFire lasers.
The SP101 has a 4.2-inch barrel with rear adjustable sight and front fiber optic sight. Done in stainless steel, it has rubber grips with inset walnut panels.
The two semi-autos are a response to customer requests for lasers to be factory mounted on both the .380- caliber LCP and the 9mm LC9. The LaserMax lasers are mounted on the trigger guard and they feature an ambidextrous on/off switch.
Fans of Para USA (10620 Southern Loop Blvd., Dept. TGM, Pineville, NC 28134-7381; phone: 704-930-7600; online: para-usa.com) will have more to cheer about this year with the introduction of several new models including the 1911 Black Ops pistol series.
Chambered for .45 ACP, it has a 5-inch match grade barrel, eight-round magazine, Trijicon tritium night sights, skeletonized hammer, G-10 grips, stainless steel frame with integral light rail and black PK2 finish.
The P14-45 is now available in stainless steel. It has a 14 1 capacity, 5- inch match grade barrel, skeleton hammer, competition trigger, fixed rear sight and fiber optic front sight, and thin polymer grip panels. Para’s .45-caliber Stealth model has a lightweight alloy frame, stainless steel slide, 3-inch coned match-grade barrel, spurless concealment hammer and a black PK2 finish.
New from Century International (430 South Congress Ave., Suite 1, Dept. TGM, Delray Beach, FL 33445; phone: 800-527-1252; online: centuryarms.com) are two 9mm pistols, the Stingray and the TP-9. The Stingray-C has an ambidextrous safety lever and slide release, loaded chamber indicator, windage adjustable rear sight, 3.5-inch barrel, Picatinny-style rail and it weighs 27.1 ounces. It comes with two 13-round magazines, a cleaning rod and plastic case.
The TP-9 is a polymer framed, striker-fired semi-auto with a 4-inch barrel, two 18-round magazines, clickadjustable rear sight, and a molded accessory rail.
Springfield Armory’s (420 West Main St., Dept. TGM, Geneseo, IL 61254; phone: 800-680-6866; online: springfieldarmory.com) XD(M) Compact pistol, chambered for .45 ACP, .40 S&W and 9mm, is definitely in the spotlight.
The 9mm version holds 13 rounds in the standard magazine and 19 rounds when the X-Tension magazine is inserted. The .40-caliber model holds 11 rounds in the standard mag and 16 rounds in the X-Tension, and the .45 has a 9-round standard magazine, and a 13-round X-tension.
An unusual entry is the Double Tap from Heizer Defense (8 Rauscher Dr., Dept. TGM, St. Louis, MO 63124; phone: 855-243-4937; online: heizerfirearms.com), a brand new twoshot pistol available either with an aluminum or titanium frame. This small, break-action double-barrel handgun is chambered for either .45 ACP or 9mm. It is available with a porting option on both the upper and lower barrels. It has a double-action trigger system; MIL-STD finish on the frame and barrels, and the grip holds two spare rounds.
Chiappa’s (8611-A North Dixie Dr., Dept. TGM, Dayton, OH 45415; phone: 937-454-0470; online: chiappafirearms.com) newest entry is the full-size .22-caliber M9-22 pistol, which looks like a Model 92 Beretta and is designed not only for recreational shooting, but also as a trainer.
Three models are available, the standard with plastic grip panels, the standard version with textured wood grips, and the tactical with plastic grips and a Novak-style low mount rear sight and fiber optic front sight. This pistol has a 5-inch barrel and a 10- round magazine.
New models from Dan Wesson (5169 Route 12 South, Dept. TGM, Norwich, NY 13815; phone: 607-336-1174; online: danwessonfirearms.com) include the DW ECO, a single-stack pistol sized like an Officer’s Model.
Chambered for both 9mm and .45 ACP, it has a lightweight aluminum frame, tritium night sights dovetailed front and rear, and a 3.5-inch barrel. It also features a solid one-piece recoil spring rod and flat coiled recoil spring rated for 15,000 rounds. The grip safety is a beavertail with bump, and the thumb safety is extended. This pistol has a lightweight aluminum alloy frame with undercut trigger guard and 25 lpi checkering on the front strap.
Good news from Kahr (PO Box 220, Dept. TGM, Blauvelt, NY 10913; phone: 845-353-7770; online: kahr.com) is the CM40, a compact little number chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge.It has a 3-inch barrel, and OAL of 5.47 inches with a height of 4 inches. It has a drift adjustable rear sight and a pinned polymer front sight, This model features Kahr’s cocking cam trigger and firing pin block. It comes with a single five-round magazine and metalinjection- molded slide stop lever. The slide locks open after the last shot.
CZ-USA (PO Box 171073, Dept. TGM, Kansas City, KS 66117; phone: 800-955- 4486; online: cz-usa.com) has four new handgun variations including a new variation of the 9mm CZ P-07 Duty with an extended, threaded barrel. Scheduled for delivery in April, it has a black polymer frame, squared trigger guard, adjustable rear sight and high front sight designed to rise above a suppressor.
It has a 4.5-inch barrel, 16-round magazine, and is 8.13 inches OAL. The CZ75 Shadow CTS LS-P, chambered in 9mm, has an extended slide, adjustable rear sight, 5.4-inch barrel. The target version is the CZ-75 Shadow T-SA, a single-action pistol with adjustable rear sight.
Another new arrival is the Swissmanufactured Sphinx (PO Box 8928, Dept. TGM, Virginia Beach, VA 23450; phone: 757) 821-1089; online: sphinxarms.com) in 9mm. Marketed by Kriss USA, the Sphinx SDP pistol is a compact model with a pyramid-style slide and hard anodized aluminum frame with Teflon inserts. It features an integral recoil buffer, full-length recoil spring guide rod and integrated accessory rail.
The Sphinx has a 15-round magazine, 3.7-inch barrel, weighs 27.5 ounces, and is fitted with a Defiance front day-and-night green fiber optic/ tritium sight and a rear Defiance tritium 2-dot sight.
