Glock introduced two exciting, well designed, pistols at the 2019 Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. Glock, as much or more than any manufacturer, understands how concealed carry is an important part of the market. The Glock 17, Glock 19 and other models are widely respected. In concealed carry, the search was on for a viable improvement over both the Glock 19 and the Glock 43—enter the Glock 43X.
Today, Remington enjoys an excellent reputation for reliability with a far greater range of loads than ever. One load more than worthy of a cursory look is the Black Belt. Currently, The Black Belt line is comprised of four loads—124-grain 9mm, 124-grain 9mm +P, 180-grain .40 S&W, and 230-grain .45 ACP. Like any load, it is the performance in the gun and down range that matters.
CCI is a branch of the Vista Outdoor Company that also owns Federal Cartridge Company and Speer. These are heavy hitters with an excellent reputation in the firearms world. CCI is best known for its success with first-class .22 rimfire ammunition, while the 9mm is simply awesome for range work.
While there are floorplates and such that add up to a 19-round magazine, in the Glock 9mm the 33-round magazine is the grand-daddy of them all. Unlike most competitors and cheap imitations, the Glock magazine features a steel insert that promotes both strength and feeding, and that merely scratches the surface of why the Glock magazine excels above the rest.
If there is one weapon that is on nearly every tactical shooter’s bucket list, it is the MP5, For most, spending quality trigger time with a MP5 was out of the question—until now. Zenith makes the MP5 delayed roller lock experience attainable. Don’t call the Zenith MKE Z-5RS a clone, knock-off, or wannabe MP5. The Zenith is a licensed version of the iconic Heckler & Koch MP5. Zenith Firearm in Afton, Virginia, imports a number of H&K-licensed delayed roller lock action models from MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) of Turkey.
The Chiappa M1-9 Carbine looks like your granddad’s GI Carbine in dim light. However, a glance at the magazine gives notice that something is indeed amiss. The M1-9 is chambered for 9mm and is blowback operated. The M1-9 is fed from standard Beretta handgun magazines, but the similarities do not stop there.
While hollow point or expanding bullets have been the standard for personal defense for decades, they are far from perfect. There has been a tremendous amount of development in ammunition during the past few years. Among the most interesting of these has been the advances in nonexpanding ammunition. These loads are intended to produce good wound potential for personal defense without the problems of jacketed hollow point manufacture and performance.
Personal defense ammunition doesn’t always have a valid understudy for training. A high velocity loading may strike to a different point of impact in relation to the point of aim compared to a standard velocity, training load. SIG Sauer has developed a line of ammunition that is well suited to personal defense and training. The line is called 365 after its successful compact 9mm handgun.
FN recently announced the Browning Hi Power pistol is being discontinued from manufacture. In the perfect handgunning world, all pistols would have the mix of history, performance, and collector interest of the Fabrique Nationale Hi Power. While John Moses Browning died in his office in Belgium before the final work was completed, that would not stop his vision from its place in history.
Beretta introduced a handgun a few years ago that was not revolutionary—it was evolutionary. The PX4 Storm married the proven Beretta double-action trigger and de-cocking safety to a polymer frame. Those preferring the double-action first-shot pistol had a relatively inexpensive alternative to the Beretta 92, and those wishing a durable and reliable, polymer-frame handgun had a counterpoint to the Glock. The primary advantage of the pistol is accuracy.