Ahern Under the Gun: Don’t Ignore the “Nine” · 20 Ahern Under the Gun: Don’t Ignore the...
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20 Ahern Under the Gun: D By Jerry Ahern, Photos by Sharon Ahern A reader of my column here – and, I did try to get back to him, but our E-mails wouldn’t mesh, apparently – commented on a recent installment in which I offered some ideas on weapons to have around for a seriously rainy day. Happily, he liked what I wrote, but had a good suggestion of his own. Why not include weapons chambered for the ubiquitous 9mm Parabellum? Like a lot of people, when the wondernine craze arose, I had several different varieties. Then, I turned away from 9mms for several reasons, eventually getting into “wonderforties,” like my SIG 229s. But, with the 9mm being so widely used, it’s hard not to re-involve oneself with the round. The 9mm Parabellum is one of our older cartridges, of course, seeing at least as consider- able use as the .45 ACP throughout the span of the 20 th Century. It has been criticized in recent years as a poor man stopper, this arising out of the cartridge’s use by the courageous men and women of our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Judging a pistol car- tridge based on its mili- tary performance is, these days, grossly unfair. Military ammu- nition, because of the Geneva Convention, is supposed to incorpo- rate Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) bullets. Although standing around and getting shot with one or more 9mm FMJs isn’t recommended, it’s probably not as potentially lethal as taking the same number of rounds when the bullet in question is a properly constructed Jacketed Hollow Point. The 9mm pistol is, in fact, very well suited for personal defense with the proper ammunition aboard. I recently tested a quite interesting, pock- et-sized 9mm personal defense handgun from Tau- rus (taurususa.com), their Model PT 709 Slim. It’s a little gun with big gun features. Length overall is just at 6”, height 4-1/2” (including the height of the nicely melted rear sight). The pistol is 3/4” thick. Capacity for the 709 Slim is seven plus one. The 1911-ish thumb safety (up is safe, down is fire), the slide release and the magazine release are not ambidextrous. With a firearm of this type, that won’t be terribly incon- venient for those one out of every nine or so peo- ple who are port-siders. One reason why ambidexterity isn’t a huge issue is built into the trigger. There is a lever type safety built into the trigger, depressed by the natu- ral action of pulling the trigger. This works totally independently of the thumb safety. The action is DA only, not terribly heavy and quite smooth. A third safety is the automatic firing pin block. Only the most rearward movement of the trigger de- activates the block. The PT 709 Slim is a polymer-framed pistol, the slide and barrel stainless steel. The black frame and the matte finished slide look rather profession- al and attractive as a combination. The black, three-dot sights are coarse enough for easy pick up in a hurry and, even without the sights, the pistol is such a natural pointer that body-index hip shooting works quite well at very close ranges. I tried the PT 709 Slim that way at about eight feet. Accuracy over the sights at 21 feet and 30 feet was quite good for me – lots of two holes touching in the 10 ring, with 9mms of several different bullet weights, both hollow points and FMJs. Empty weight on our antique postage scale runs 19 ounces. If memory serves, that’s only about four ounces more than the old S&W Airweight J- Frames, with only five shots to the 709 Slim’s eight. Both are good guns, of course. Despite its light weight, the 709 Slim is extremely pleasant to shoot. The ergonomic design is quite user friendly. The average man won’t be able to get his little finger on the grip. Roll it under the magazine, which is metal but has a polymer bumper pad. In short, if you were so inclined, as was my reader, to go to the 9mm Parabellum because of its abundance, the 709 Slim is a pistol you could carry concealed on a day-to-day basis and rely on when needed for action within the more tradition- al urban combat distances. But, if events take an extraordinary turn and you still want a 9mm at longer distances, one of the most intriguing is the sporter version of the Sterling, from Century Inter- national Arms (centuryarms.com). The semiauto Sterling Sporter 9mm Semi-Automatic Rifle is based on the famous British submachinegun, which surfaced in the years immediately following World War II and became, to the British Empire, what the Uzi became to the Israelis. The submachinegun initially saw very limited assault use during World War I. Although the Vickers gun was used for firing in the forward direction from an aircraft, the Lewis gun, so effec- tive from the aft position of aircraft of the period, The 709 Slim is little more than palm size and, although a 9mm, it is quite pleasant to shoot. The thumb safety for the Taurus is conveniently located and operates directionally like the familiar 1911. February 10 Blue Press Section 1 12/14/09 10:53 AM Page 20
Transcript of Ahern Under the Gun: Don’t Ignore the “Nine” · 20 Ahern Under the Gun: Don’t Ignore the...
20 Ahern Under the Gun: Don’t Ignore the “Nine”By Jerry Ahern, Photos by Sharon Ahern
A reader of my column here – and, I did try toget back to him, but our E-mails wouldn’t mesh,apparently – commented on a recent installmentin which I offered some ideas on weapons to havearound for a seriously rainy day. Happily, he likedwhat I wrote, but had a good suggestion of hisown. Why not include weapons chambered forthe ubiquitous 9mm Parabellum?
Like a lot of people, when the wonderninecraze arose, I had several different varieties. Then,I turned away from 9mms for several reasons,eventually getting into “wonderforties,” like mySIG 229s. But, with the 9mm being so widelyused, it’s hard not to re-involve oneself with theround. The 9mm Parabellum is one of our oldercartridges, of course, seeing at least as consider-able use as the .45 ACP throughout the span of the20 th Century. It has been criticized in recentyears as a poor manstopper, this arising outof the cartridge’s use bythe courageous menand women of ourarmed forces in Iraqand Afghanistan.
Judging a pistol car-tridge based on its mili-tary performance is,these days, grosslyunfair. Military ammu-nition, because of theGeneva Convention, issupposed to incorpo-rate Full Metal Jacket(FMJ) bullets. Althoughstanding around andgetting shot with oneor more 9mm FMJsisn’t recommended, it’s probably not as potentiallylethal as taking the same number of rounds whenthe bullet in question is a properly constructedJacketed Hollow Point.
The 9mm pistol is, in fact, very well suited forpersonal defense with the proper ammunitionaboard. I recently tested a quite interesting, pock-et-sized 9mm personal defense handgun from Tau-rus (taurususa.com), their Model PT 709 Slim. It’sa little gun with big gun features.
Length overall is just at 6”, height 4-1/2”(including the height of the nicely melted rearsight). The pistol is 3/4” thick. Capacity for the 709Slim is seven plus one. The 1911-ish thumb safety(up is safe, down is fire), the slide release and themagazine release are not ambidextrous. With afirearm of this type, that won’t be terribly incon-venient for those one out of every nine or so peo-ple who are port-siders.
One reason why ambidexterity isn’t a hugeissue is built into the trigger. There is a lever typesafety built into the trigger, depressed by the natu-
ral action of pulling the trigger. This works totallyindependently of the thumb safety. The action isDA only, not terribly heavy and quite smooth. Athird safety is the automatic firing pin block. Onlythe most rearward movement of the trigger de-activates the block.
The PT 709 Slim is a polymer-framed pistol, theslide and barrel stainless steel. The black frameand the matte finished slide look rather profession-al and attractive as a combination.
The black, three-dot sights are coarse enoughfor easy pick up in a hurry and, even without thesights, the pistol is such a natural pointer thatbody-index hip shooting works quite well at veryclose ranges. I tried the PT 709 Slim that way atabout eight feet. Accuracy over the sights at 21feet and 30 feet was quite good for me – lots oftwo holes touching in the 10 ring, with 9mms ofseveral different bullet weights, both hollow points
and FMJs. Empty weight on
our antique postagescale runs 19 ounces.If memory serves,that’s only about fourounces more than theold S&W Airweight J-Frames, with only fiveshots to the 709 Slim’seight. Both are goodguns, of course.Despite its lightweight, the 709 Slim isextremely pleasant toshoot. The ergonomicdesign is quite userfriendly. The averageman won’t be able toget his little finger on
the grip. Roll it under the magazine, which ismetal but has a polymer bumper pad.
In short, if you were so inclined, as was myreader, to go to the 9mm Parabellum because of itsabundance, the 709 Slim is a pistol you couldcarry concealed on a day-to-day basis and rely onwhen needed for action within the more tradition-al urban combat distances. But, if events take anextraordinary turn and you still want a 9mm atlonger distances, one of the most intriguing is thesporter version of the Sterling, from Century Inter-national Arms (centuryarms.com). The semiautoSterling Sporter 9mm Semi-Automatic Rifle isbased on the famous British submachinegun,which surfaced in the years immediately followingWorld War II and became, to the British Empire,what the Uzi became to the Israelis.
The submachinegun initially saw very limitedassault use during World War I. Although theVickers gun was used for firing in the forwarddirection from an aircraft, the Lewis gun, so effec-tive from the aft position of aircraft of the period,
The 709 Slim is little more than palm size and, although a9mm, it is quite pleasant to shoot. The thumb safety for theTaurus is conveniently located and operates directionallylike the familiar 1911.
February 10 Blue Press Section 1 12/14/09 10:53 AM Page 20
