Combat Handguns 2013-12

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Quick-draw solution halts robbery in progress!Glock 36 puts road-rager on the run!

IT HAPPENED TO ME!

DON’T BE A VICTIM!

R O G E R

B E T H K E I L L U S T R A T I O N

ATM StandoffA few years ago, I became inter-ested in buying a gun. My wifethought I was crazy, as she didn’tsee the need. Friends of mineowned guns, had taken me shoot-ing, and I caught the itch. They allrecommended I take a gun safetyclass and some shooting lessonsbefore bringing one home. I fol-lowed their advice, went throughthe background checks and got

all my paperwork in order to carryconcealed. I chose a Glock 19 in9mm and began to make it a pointof carrying it whenever I went outof the house.

One night I left work and washeading home. On the way, I got acall from my wife asking if I couldstop at an ATM. I had taken a differentway home, so my usual bank stop was onthe other side of town. Not really real-izing where I was, I spotted an ATM in aconvenience store and pulled into the lot.It was dark but not that late. When I gotout of my car, I noticed a rough-lookingguy standing around, but I didn’t thinkmuch of it, as he did not seem to be pay-ing attention to me.

As I walked up to the ATM, the guystarted to walk toward me. Once I insert-ed my card and began to punch in my pinnumber, the guy said to me, “You gonnatake out some extra for me, right?” andmoved closer to me while looking aroundand over his shoulders.

As I have always heard happens, itseemed as though things began to go-ing in slow motion. I remember notic-ing that both his hands were inside his jacket pockets and not knowing if he hada weapon. The guy himself was prettyintimidating, standing over 6 feet tall andappearing to weigh over 200 pounds. Iknew that even if he just put his hands onme, I would be at a disadvantage.

I told him I could not help him, andthen I began to move away from him. Atthis point, he yelled, “Give me the moneyor I’ll kill you!” and pulled his right handout of his jacket and exposed the grip ofa revolver that was in his hand, while still

looking around and over his shoulders. Atthis point, I had managed to move back a

few feet from him to put some distancebetween us, and with him looking awayfrom me and over his shoulder and withhis gun drawn from his pocket, I knewthat this was my only chance to act andthat my life was in danger.

I quickly swept back my jacket anddrew the pistol (as I had practiced doingmany times at home with an empty pistol)and pointed it at his chest and said, “Getout of here!” I did not want to shoot, but Ialso did not want to become a statistic.

At this point, he looked back towardme, and his eyes widened with shock ashe found himself staring into the muzzleend of my pistol. He fumbled a bit withboth hands, jammed the revolver backinto his pocket and raised his hands a bit.At that point I repeated, “Get out of here!Now!” and he backed up quickly and thenturned and ran away.

As he retreated into the distance,I stood there, frozen. After what wasprobably 10 seconds, I gathered myselfand realized I needed to get out of there.I jumped back into my car and got outof that parking lot quickly. Once I was inwhat I felt was a safe area, I stopped andcalled the police and reported what hadhappened.

I realized how fortunate I was that I hadmy Glock with me and had practiced andprepared for this. I don’t what he wouldhave done if I had not been able to defend

myself, but I am very gla d that I did nothave to find out. —HP, OK

PublisherStanley R. Harris

Executive PublisherVirginia Commander

Group PublisherShirley Steffen

Associate PublisherKarin LevineEditor-at-LargeMichael O. Humphries

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To the Readers: Be advised that there may be productsrepresented in this magazine as to which the sale,possession or interstate transportation thereof maybe restricted, prohibited or subject to special licensing

requirements. Prospective purchasers should consultthe local law enforcement authorities in their area. Allof the information in this magazine is based upon thepersonal experience of individuals who may be usingspecific tools, products, equipment and componentsunder particular conditions and circumstances, someor all of which may not be reported in the particulararticle and which this magazine has not otherwiseverified. Nothing herein is intended to constitute amanual for the use of any product or the carrying outof any procedure or process. This magazine and itsofficers and employees accept no responsibility for anyliability, injuries or damages arising out of any person’sattempt to rely upon any information contained herein.

COMBAT HANDGUNS (ISSN-1043-7584) is publishedeight times per year by Harris Publications, Inc., 1115Broadway, NYC, NY 10010. Single copy price: $5.99 inUSA, $6.99 in Canada. Submissions of manuscripts,illustrations and/or photographs must be accom-panied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Thepublisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicitedmaterial. Copyright © 2013 by Harris Publications,Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan

American Copyright Conventions. Reproduction inwhole or in part without written permission of thepublisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in the USA.

With his attacker momentarily distracted, thewould-be victim quickly drew his Glock 19 9mm,decisively turning the tables!

®



combathandguns.com December 2013 COMBAT HANDGUNS 07

Tell Us Your Story!Combat Handguns pays $100 for each “It HappenedTo Me!” letter that we print. Send yours to CombatHandguns , 1115 Broadway, New York, NY 10010or e-mail to [email protected]. Pleaseinclude your full name, address, email and phonenumber (including area code). A signed release is

required prior to publication.

Road WarriorAs I got ready for work one morning lastfall, I never imagined that my life wouldbe endangered on my daily commute.

I was in my car, sitting in heavy trafficin a construction zone, when I was cutoff by a pickup truck. I honked my hornonce, but the truck didn’t move. As trafficstarted to move, the truck remained idle,and I honked again so that the driverwould move forward. It was certainlyirritating—but nothing out of the ordinaryon the congested Dallas freeways.

But then a young man exited thedriver-side passenger door, carryinga metal baseball bat. I couldn’t believewhat I was witnessing right in the middleof rush hour. My first instinct was to grabmy cell phone and dial 911. But beforeI even had a chance to react, he struck

my windshield once with the bat, nearlyshattering it. With my heart pounding, Irealized it was too late to call for help. Ihad to protect myself from this crazed,bat-wielding thug.

Luckily, I was prepared.I was legally carrying a Glock 36

pistol in a holster on my right hip. Withinseconds, I was able to draw my pistol andbrandish it at the driver as I stepped outof my car to confront him. When he sawmy gun, he paused and fell silent. Aftera brief stare-down, he turned, threw hisbat to the ground and ran to his truck.

As I began to lower my pistol, I sawthe reverse lights of his vehicle come on.Thinking he might try to ram my car, Ipresented the gun second time. Whethermy doing so dissuaded him from attempt-ing to ram me, I don’t know. But whateverthe case, he drove his truck across themedian and onto the service road, wherehe sped away. There was no need to firebecause I had disabled the threat.

Once he was gone, I reholstered myweapon and called 911. The other drivershad seen what happened, and the localpolice were already on their way. Theincident had transpired so quickly thatI was unable to provide a license platenumber to the officers, so the driver wasnever caught. Still, I felt lucky, consider-ing what could have happened if I didn’thave my gun. —JD, TX




Dr. Abdullah Fatteh, the latter now unfor-tunately out of print. A defendant who hasread these books prior to the shootingcan testify to his or her knowledge thata person can sustain massive gunshotwounds and still stay up and running.

Dr. DiMaio cites Case Four , in which aman was shot in the center of his chestwith a shotgun at close range. The blastcompletely shredded his heart, yet he ranan amazing distance before he collapsedand died. Dr. Fatteh presents a chart cre-ated by another esteemed pathologist, Dr.Werner Spitz. The chart details multiplecases where people sustained gunshotwounds to the heart and the cardiacarea, yet remained capable of conscious,purposeful physical activity for significantperiods of time.

This is because, if the brain is fully

oxygenated, an individual can continueto function for some 15 seconds oncethe heart stops beating before they loseconsciousness due to lack of oxygen-ated blood in the brain. And this assumesthat, as in Case Four, cardiac functionis completely stopped by the injury.Medical literature is replete with cases ofpeople who survived being shot throughthe heart, some of whom didn’t evenlose consciousness prior to emergencysurgery. An injured heart can sometimesstill work, however imperfectly. Anyexperienced Emergency Room nurse orphysician can tell you stories of patientswho walked into the ER with cardiac dis-tress, and were discovered to essentiallybe conscious and ambulatory with part oftheir heart “dead.”

In Case Five , I spoke for the defense inthe murder trial of an armed citizen whoshot his violent attacker seven times witha .45 auto loaded with 185-grain jacketedhollow points. The assailant ran some 40feet and collapsed, dying. One of the bul-lets had pierced his heart. The state calleda pathologist who testified that a man soinjured would have collapsed within 10feet. This fed into the prosecution’s theorythat the defendant must have followed afleeing, wounded man and then fired thefatal shots as he lay helpless. I was ableto counter that on the witness stand withquotes from the DiMaio and Fatteh texts.The jury found the defendant not guilty.

Knowledge is power. The more you’veread, the more training you have, thebetter you can articulate why it wasnecessary for you to fire however manyshots were necessary to save your life.It’s about educating those who judge

you as to reality, which is so often farremoved from movie myths.



combathandguns.com September 2013 COMBAT HANDGUNS 11

SpecialOperationsCapable .45 built for our

nation’s most

elite Marines!BY DAVID BAHDE

PHOTOS BY STEVE WOODS

combathandguns.com December 2013 COMBAT HANDGUNS 11ab han d u ..comba handguns.coba na n .omba han dgu ns. co

Working at the request of the UnitedStates Marines Corps Forces SpecialOperations Command (MARSOC),Kimber designed the ICQB (InterimClose Quarter Battle) pistol. Designedspecifically for operations in the harsh-est conditions, this pistol was built tothe highest standards using the bestquality parts—as specified by our mostelite Marines. A result of this design,Kimber’s new line of Warrior pistolswas made available to the generalpublic. While not exactly the same asthe ICQB, they are built with the samebasic specifications in mind, as well

as with an eye towards completereliability in all conditions.

Based on real-world experience,some changes were requested to the1911 platform with the ICQB and Warriorpistols. The frontstrap checkering wasremoved to eliminate snagging on gear.An ambidextrous thumb safety wasadded, along with a standard-length,mil-spec guide rod, which allows thepistol to be taken down easily in the fieldwithout tools. G10 grips were attachedto provide for a solid hold, especially forshooters wearing tactical gloves. Kimberalso added a Picatinny rail to the framefor adding lights and lasers. Roundingout the primary differences is a lanyard-

loop-equipped mainspring housing andKimber’s Tactical Wedge low-mount

night sights. These changes meet theneeds of a number of operators and havemade the Warrior one of the company’smost popular lines. The new WarriorSOC (Special Operations Capable) has afew more additions.

GUN DETAILSThe first thing you notice about theWarrior SOC is its color scheme. Builton the same steel frame, it is coated in anice, dark-green KimPro II finish. It alsohas an integral Pictainny rail, along witha lanyard-loop-equipped mainspringhousing. Kimber also gave the SOC an

ambidextrous thumb safety along withthe grip safety, which utilizes a grooved



12 COMBAT HANDGUNS December 2013 combathandguns.com

>>>KIMBER WARRIOR SOC

bump to ensure proper activation. Thetrigger is solid and a tad shorter, justlike the one used in the company’sDesert Warrior. A desert tan CrimsonTrace Rail Master laser is also installedon the rail. Rounding out the frame is anice set of dark brown G10 grips, whichmake for a really nice look.

Coated in desert-tan KimPro II, thesteel slide houses a match-grade stain-less steel barrel held in place with astainless steel barrel bushing. Utilizinga standard-length guide rod, the WarriorSOC can be taken apart for cleaningwithout tools. Serrations are locatedat the front and rear of the slide. Fortargeting, the pistol is equipped withTactical Wedge tritium night sights. Theentire pistol also has a service “melt”to provide a snag-free overall design forsmooth draws.

RANGE TIMEInitial testing for function encompasseda box of various magazines accumulatedover the years. Full-sized 1911 pistolsin .45 ACP are generally as reliable asthis platform gets. None of the magazineissues that happen with other caliberstypically occur, but it is always good totest them out.

My preferred magazines these daysare eight-round Chip McCormick PowerMags, which I discovered while attend-ing one of Hilton Yam’s 1911 armorer’scourses. I tried them out after the classand have been a big fan ever since. MyPower Mags have standard basepads aswell as a few 10-8 Performance base-pads. These particular magazines haveseen use in at least a dozen 1911 pistolswith zero malfunctions attributable tothe magazine. I tested the Power Mags,

a number of Wilson Combat magazinesand several versions of the ACT maga-

zine in the Warrior SOC, and theyall functioned without issue.

Only one real problemcame up with the fac-tory magazines. Utilizinga flat follower with alower lip, similar to theChip McCormick Power

Mags, loading the first roundbecame difficult after the magazine wasdropped a couple of times. I’m not sureif the factory magazines were new, so

it might have been a spring issue. Onceloaded, however, they were flawless, butI had to wiggle the follower back in eachtime I loaded them. I ran the WarriorSOC pretty hard, so the magazines hitthe ground quite a few times. My guessis a spring with a little extra strength, ormaybe some work on the front of the fol-lower, would fix this small issue.

The Warrior SOC’s accuracy was asgood as it gets, rivaling some prettyexpensive pistols. The best group wasaccomplished using Federal’s 230-grainHST load, measuring right at 1 inch.Some vertical stringing indicated breath-ing errors, so the pistol is likely moreaccurate than I can shoot it. It shot allof the self-defense ammunition into 1.5inches or less. Most Kimber pistols I’vetested are accurate, but this one waspretty impressive.

“THE WARRIOR SOC’S ACCURACYWAS AS GOOD AS IT GETS, RIVALING

SOME PRETTY EXPENSIVE PISTOLS.”

combathandguns.com12 COMBAT HANDGUNS December 2013

Kimber’s match barrelwas nicely fit, providingsuperb accuracy. Ona combat pistol, anintegrated rail is nearlya must, allowing forproper light placement.

D A V I D

B A H D E

P H O T O




I carried the Warrior SOC in a numberof configurations during my evaluation.My JM Custom Kydex concealment hol-ster was the primary platform. Much ofthe Warrior line’s popularity is with CCWholders, or with those using a 1911 foraction pistol competitions or duty use.This holster fits these needs rather well,providing for a fast draw while holdingthe pistol close to your body. Having car-ried a full-sized 1911 for years, conceal-ment takes a little thought, but it is verydoable. Having the rail limits holsterchoices for some inside-the-waistband(IWB) models, but overall, finding a hol-ster is pretty easy.

My next configuration was a dutysetup using a SureFire X300 light anda Safariland ALS holster. At this point,if my holster has a retention device,it is the ALS. It is secure, fast on the

draw and incredibly versatile. Lastly, asimilar rig was used to accommodate theCrimson Trace laser.

Operating from concealment, theWarrior SOC drew fast and smooth. Theservice melt was perfect for me. Neverreally fond of carry treatments thatare overdone, I found the contours ofthe Warrior Soc to be just about right.My custom pistols have just enoughsmoothing to make them snag-free, andthe Warrior SOC was similar. Working inand out of the holster was easy, drawswere smooth, and it was pretty easy forme to get my draw times down into the1.28-second range. The Warrior SOCwas comfortable to carry over a long dayat the range and stayed put throughoutsome pretty harsh testing.

Moving to the duty rig with a light, itproved equally as smooth. It was easy tomount the SureFire X300 and utilize the

DG switch, which I find very useful. Theswitch allows you to operate the light

SPECIFICATIONS

KIMBER WARRIOR SOC

Caliber .45 ACP

Barrel 5 inches

OA Length 8.7 inches

Weight 39 ounces (empty)

Grips G10

Sights Tactical Wedge tritium night

Action SA

Finish KimPro IICapacity 7+1

MSRP $1,665




with one hand or with both, activatingit through the use of your grip. As youtighten your grip and come up on target,the light is activated; when you lower thepistol, you can release it pretty easily. Ithas become my preference when usinga weapon-mounted light. The ability tomaintain a solid grip while shooting ishuge, eliminating the need for two-hand-ed techniques during a fight. Searchingwith the pistol more relaxed in my hand,I found it completely controllable.

Not normally a real laser fan, I

reserved that testing for last. Lasers aregrowing on me, especially for small pis-tols, and particularly for concealed carry.In a tactical environment, they remaina tad problematic for me, as I’ve beenin SWAT simulation trainings that wereconfusing because of seeing multiplelasers on the same threat. But, lasersremain a solid choice for concealedcarry. The only issue there is locating aholster. For testing, I used my holstersdesigned for light use. This methodwasn’t as secure, but it was better thanusing a pistol without a light in the sameholster. Several companies are makingholsters to accommodate the CrimsonTrace Rail Master.

Testing was a bit problematic in day-light, but the Rail Master was pretty easyto see as far back as 10 yards. Holdingthe Warrior SOC at low ready and aimingwith the laser on target, it was dead on atabout 7 yards for several rounds. In myworld, lasers are close-contact aim-ing aids, and this one worked perfectly.Firing from the ground, where sightacquisition is difficult, proved advanta-

geous, with fantastic accuracy. Shootingfrom a CQB retention position also

proved very accurate. Like any electronicdevice designed to assist in aiming, makecertain you practice without it, but forfast and accurate shooting where sightedfire is not possible, the Crimson TraceRail Master is excellent.

While testing the Warrior SOC, Iremoved the laser to add the SureFirelight and then reattached it, with no realloss in zero. Activation is similar to atactical light: Press the switch, and it ison; press it again, and it goes off. It canbe set to constant on/off, momentary andstrobe modes. Its auto shut-off keepsthe battery life intact, turning off afterfive minutes. Crimson Trace’s SecureLock means the laser stays put on therail. Once in place, it never moved, andthe laser came with several inserts to fitdifferent rails.

FINAL NOTESKimber’s Warrior SOC is a solid and reli-able 1911 pistol. Like all of the Warriorpistols, it fits the needs of Kimber fanswho do not want the firing-pin safety,frontstrap checkering or an aggressivemelt treatment. It proved itself to be100-percent reliable and very accurate,and the laser adds another dimension ofversatility. The fact that you can simplyremove it without affecting your grip orthe pistol’s functioning is to me a hugeasset. It is also a very nice-looking pistolwith an appealing color scheme. All inall, it is well suited to concealed carry,self-protection or any duty use where afull-sized 1911 is your preferred choice.For more on Kimber, visit kimberamer-ica.com or call 888-243-4522. For more

on Crimson Trace, visit crimsontrace.com or call 800-442-2406.

The SOC’s G10 gripsare nicely dished toprovide access to themagazine releasewhile maintaining asolid grip.

The low-cut combatsights stay in place andallow for low-light use.

>>>KIMBER WARRIOR SOC

PERFORMANCE

KIMBER WARRIOR SOC .45 ACP

LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY

BULLET WEIGHT MEASURED IN GRAINS , VELOCITY IN FEET PER SECOND ( FPS) BY CHRONOGRAPH , AND ACCURACY IN INCHES FOR BEST FIVE -SHOT GROUPS AT 25 YARDS.

Federal 230 894 1.00HST Tactical

Hornady 230 TAP 877 1.25

Speer 200 1,084 1.47Gold Dot +P

Speer 230 Gold Dot 915 1.35

Winchester 230 900 1.30Ranger SXT



COMBAT TEST


Built from theground up forcompetitiveshooting,the TanfoglioWitnessStock III fromEAA offerscutting-edgeperformanceat a veryreasonablyprice. Thegun underreview waschambered in.40-cal. andfeatured a12+1 capacity.



Tanfoglio-crafted.40 bred to win

with speed andprecision!BY CALEB GIDDINGS


December 2013 COMBAT HANDGUNS 17combathandguns.com

Not everyone can drive a Formula 1racecar. It requires years of training,practice and incredible skill to drive theworld’s premier sports cars properly incompetition. Built from the ground upfor unbelievable levels of performance,the F1 racecar is a precision machine.

So is the Tanfoglio Stock III, but thedifference between a Stock III and anF1 car is that anyone can legally ownand shoot a Stock III. In fact, the StockIII will likely offer improvements in theaverage person’s shooting performance,whereas the average person would havedifficulty even getting an F1 racecarto move.

European American Arms (EAA)Corporation in Florida is the U.S. im-

porter of Tanfoglio pistols; Tanfoglio is

known in the international shootingcommunity as a premiere maker ofpistols for competition and sportshooting. The company’s InternationalPractical Shooting Confederation(IPSC) friendly lineup includes gunsfor every division, with the Stock IIIbuilt to be ready out of the box for IPSC’sProduction division. Unlike ProductionDivision in the U.S. Practical ShootingAssociation (USPSA), IPSC Productionhas very strict rules about modifyingthe gun and an interesting rule aboutthe trigger pull weight. In IPSCProduction, the first shot on anyProduction-legal gun must have a pull weight over 5 pounds, but thereare no restrictions on the pull weight

for subsequent shots. As a result of

this rule, the dominant guns in IPSCProduction are traditional double-action/single-action (DA/SA) pistolswith a 5- to 6-pound DA first shotand 2-pound triggers for every shotafter that. Contrast this with the U.S.,where the dominant Production gunsare striker-fired polymer pistols with3.5-pound triggers for every shot. TheIPSC Production rules put striker-firedpistols at a technological disadvantage.

GUN DETAILSOn the other hand, the EAA Stock IIIis ready to go out of the box for IPSCProduction and by extension USPSAProduction as well. Its technical featuresare top notch. Checkering can be quite

hit-or-miss on some factory guns. It’s




frequently either too rough or not roughenough. Too rough, and it will abrade ashooter’s hands, and it’s just pointlessif it’s not rough enough. The Stock IIInails the checkering in the “just right”section. It won’t shred your hands duringhigh round counts, but at the same time,it keeps the gun from slipping aroundwhen your hands are hot and sweating.

Another great touch is the ambidex-trous thumb safety; it’s very wide andflat. This allows your strong-hand thumbto rest directly on the safety and natu-rally “ride” the gun into the target whenworking fast transitions.

The magazine release is situated in just the right spot to help you quickly getempty magazines out of the gun. It alsois nicely checkered, so the shooter’sthumb won’t slide off of it during aquick reload on the move during a

USPSA stage. Following the magazinerelease forward, the triggerguard isnicely undercut, giving the shooter theability to get a very high and positivegrip on the gun. In fact, the gun’s verydesign positions the shooter’s handvery close to the bore axis, which helpsreduce felt recoil.

While it may not make a lot of sense

on a competition gun, the accessoryrail does serve a purpose on the StockIII. Namely, it’s there to add weight tothe front of the gun, which again servesto keep the gun flatter in recoil. Whencompared to a Stock II, the Stock III’s railgives the gun an additional 4 ounces ofmass forward of the triggerguard. Thatmass, combined with the 4.92-inch bar-rel, makes the Stock III an accurate gun.

The Stock III’s trigger immediately jumped out at me because it’s quitesimply the best factory DA/SA trigger I’veever used. The first DA pull from the fac-tory came in at 8 pounds, and the SA pullfor follow-up shots was a crisp 3 poundson my factory sample. To put that in per-spective, my professionally gunsmithed

Ruger GP100 has an8-pound trigger, and

the DA trigger

The Stock III isgeared toward fast-paced, precision shooting.The undercut triggerguard allows for ahigh hold on the pistol for more control.

C A L E B

G I D D I N G S

P H O T O

EAA WITNESS STOCK III >>>“Tanfoglio is known in the international shooting community as

a premiere maker of pistols for competition and sport shooting.”

ringme,

g.x- mb-en

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compared to a Stock II, the Stock III’s railgives the gun an additional 4 ounces ofmass forward of the triggerguard. Thatmass, combined with the 4.92-inch bar-rel, makes the Stock III an accurate gun.

The Stock III’s trigger immediately jumped out at me because it’s quitesimply the best factory DA/SA trigger I’veever used. The first DA pull from the fac-tory came in at 8 pounds, and the SA pullfor follow-up shots was a crisp 3 poundson my factory sample. To put that in per-spective, my professionally gunsmithed

Ruger GP100 has an8-pound trigger, and

the DA trigger

The Stock III isgeared toward fast-paced, precision shooting.The undercut triggerguard allows for ahigh hold on the pistol for more control.

s oo ng commun y as

a premiere maker of pistols for competition and sp ooting.”



Built in the Kimber ® Custom Shop,™ CDP (Custom Defense Package)

pistols combine .45 ACP power and the most important concealed carry

features into a light weight, high-performance package that gives them their

name. The stainless steel slide plus a match grade barrel and trigger ensure

durability and accuracy. Aluminum frames wear the premium KimPro ® II

finish that is self-lubricating and extremely resistant to moisture and salt.

Quality and performance are the true measures of value and Kimber pistols

set the industry standard. Nowhere is this more evident than in a CDP.

Visit the nearest Kimber Master Dealer and see for yourself.kimberamerica.com

(888) 243-4522

T H E C H O I C E O F A M E R I C A’ S B E S T

CDP pistols have custom features like low-prole night sights and a Carry Beveltreatment for smooth, rounded edges thatwill not snag clothing or holsters.

An ambidextrous thumb safety promotesfast operation and 30 lines-per-inchcheckering on the front strap and underthe trigger guard ensures a positive grip.

The Custom CDP™ II .45 ACP has a 5-inchbarrel and full-length grip, yet weighs just31 ounces. CDP models take concealed-carry performance to the extreme.

©2012, Kimber Mfg., Inc. All rights reserved. Information and speci cations are for reference only and subject to change without notice.

Kimber offers nearly 200 purpose-built pistols and ries to meet any need.

Unequaled Quality. Unmatched Performance.Kimber CDP Pistols .

Easy to carry and conceal, the Ultra CDP™ II .45 ACP has a 3-inch barrel andweighs 25 ounces. It is also offered in 9mm and with Crimson Trace Lasergrips.




the test gun were quite a bit off, requiring11 elevation clicks and 13 windage clicksto bring the gun on target. However,once dialed in, the Stock III displayed thetremendous accuracy described.

To continue the Formula 1 analogy, theStock III was a bit temperamental whenit came to feeding ammo. The providedmagazines had issues with the flat-nosed 165-grain Federal American Eaglerounds and much preferred the closed-nose shape of the Hornady CriticalDefense rounds. The most reliable ammo

was the Hornady Critical Defense, whichexperienced zero failures in 200 rounds,followed by Winchester Ranger 135-grainJHP and the Remington Golden Sabers,each with one failure to feed in 200rounds. The Federal American Eagle hadrepeated feeding issues, failing to feedsix rounds out of 200. I also tested 40rounds of Hornady 155-grain XTP ammo,which fed reliably. But keep in mind thatyou also wouldn’t put 87-octane gas fromShell in a Formula 1 racecar, so the lackof reliability with common blasting ammodoesn’t bother me as much as it would ifI were testing a standard polymer pistol.The car analogy continues to work here:If you couldn’t fuel up a Toyota Camry atany old gas station, it would be stupid.But the Stock III isn’t a Camry—it’s aperformance handgun. If you buy oneof these, you’re looking to squeeze themaximum performance out of your gunand gear, which means you’re eitherhandloading your ammo or you’recomfortable paying a premium for matchammo that runs the gun. You wouldn’tbuy a Lamborghini and then complainthat you have to put premium gas in it,

now would you?CONTINUED ON PAGE 80

PERFORMANCE

EAA WITNESS STOCK III

LOAD BEST AVERAGE

Federal 165 0.99 1.53American Eagle FMJ

Hornady 165 1.20 1.65Critical Defense

Hornady 115 XTP 1.20 1.90

Remington 180 0.87 1.01Golden Saber JHP

Winchester 135 1.55 2.30Ranger JHP

BULLET WEIGHT MEASURED IN GRAINS AND ACCURACY IN

INCHES

FOR

BEST

AND

AVERAGE

OF

THREE

5-SHOT

GROUPS AT 25 YARDS .

EAA WITNESS STOCK III >>>GRIZZLY IPSC TORSO 2-IN-1 COMBOBy B. Gil Horman

Grizzly Targets hasreleased its IPSC Torso2-in-1 Combo rifle andpistol target set forshooters who want topractice for popularaction-shooting eventsincluding 3-Gun, IPSCand IDPA competitions.

It arrives with a targetplate, a bracket, a multi-purpose target stand andfour ground stakes.

This system is de-signed for heavy-dutyuse, weighing 50 poundsout of the box. The targetplate is constructed of0.38-inch-thick, laser-cutA500 steel and shaped torepresent the IPSC stan-dard dimensions minusthe D-zone. It is attachedto the bracket at a 27-de-gree angle and hinged toswing back when a bulletstrikes. The plate’s angleand freedom of move-ment work to direct bulletsplatter safely to theground and to reduce thechances of a ricochet.

The target standfeatures three postbrackets designed toaccept affordable 2x4studs as target posts. Usea single central post to

support the steel plate,or convert the base intoa paper target stand bystapling cardboard totwo studs mounted inthe side brackets. Thestand is drilled so it canbe securely pinned to theground with the providedstakes. The whole systemhas been galvanized towithstand tough weatherconditions without rust-ing or corroding.

To keep this Grizzly’ssturdy steel plate ringingfor thousands of rounds,set the target at least 20yards from the shootingposition and avoid usingany kind of armor-pierc-ing or steel-core bullets.Stick to frangible andlead-core loaded ammu-nition, and you will enjoythis target for years tocome. For more informa-tion, visit grizzlytargets.com or call 800-701-1620.




GUNFIGHTING

combathandguns.com

decade or so ago, the use of polymers and high-tech manufacturing gave new life to the .380 ACPand redefined the deep-concealment handgun. Since thenthere has been a revolution in subcompact and compact pistols.Manufacturers like North American Arms (NAA), Kel-Tec andKahr reintroduced shooters to subcompact pistols, but it wasthe old-school manufacturers like Ruger, Beretta and Smith &Wesson that made deep-concealment pistols legit and helpedchange the way people carry concealed.

Advanced .380sThe .380 ACP cartridge was developed for the Colt Model 1908pistol, which 100 years ago was what was meant by the words“compact pistol.” The Model 1908 weighed about 24 ounces, was7 inches long and carried 7+1 rounds of ammunition. Comparethat to a Ruger LCP, which weighs 9.4 ounces, has an overalllength of 5.16 inches and holds 6+1 rounds. Sure, there existedother, smaller pistols manufactured by Beretta and Walther, toname just two, but in the 20th century, subcompact pistols meantanemic calibers—.25 ACP and .22 LR. Today’s compact pistolscan literally be carried in a pocket since they weigh as much asa cell phone, and if you like larger-caliber guns, you have todaynumerous big-bore choices, from 9mm and .40 S&W to .45 ACP,which are easy to carry discreetly in a holster.

The Kel-Tec P-3AT helped reignite the popularity of the .380ACP pistol. It is a locked-breech, double-action-only (DAO) pis-tol with a polymer frame. Stripped of a slide stop to streamlinethe design, the P-3AT is a pure backup pistol that can be hiddenin the back pocket of your girlfriend’s skinny jeans.

Recognizing the popularity of pocket .380s, Ruger designedthe LCP, a 0.82-inch-thick DAO .380 ACP built on a glass-filled nylon grip frame and a blued, hardened-steel slide,which holds a blued, alloy steel barrel measuring 2.75 inches.Accommodating a variety of laser units, the LCP with its fingergrip extension is a natural pointer, and, though slight, is easy tohandle and shoot quickly and accurately.

Kahr opened shop with the goal of designing and manu-facturing reliable compact pistols. The Kahr P380 features asmooth-shooting, trigger-cocking DAO trigger, and its stain-less steel slide, premium Lothar match-grade barrel andpolymer frame combine to make it accurate. A more traditional

design is the NAA Guardian with its 17-4 stainless steel frame.Like the Kel-Tec and Ruger, the NAA Guardian is DAO and

has an ammo capacity of 6+1 rounds. These three pistols haveminimal sights—basically a tiny ramp front and a notch in therear that make the pistols snag free.

S&W’s entry into the subcompact .380 market is theBodyguard, and what sets this pistol apart from the others isthe integral red laser sight embedded in the dust cover of theframe. Laser activation is ambidextrous, and the on button fallsdirectly under the shooter’s trigger finger. Kel-Tec, Kahr andRuger also offer models with bolted-on laser sights, which ablydo the job in dim to no light. But, when the sun is out, the dotcan be hard to see, so train with the iron sights as often as youdo with the laser.

For those shooters who prefer the trigger of a single-action(SA) trigger, the Sig Sauer P238 offers a crisp trigger and con-trols—slide stop, thumb safety, magazine release—similar toa 1911’s. The Colt Mustang Pocketlite also operates like a full-size government 1911. Like the Sig, the Colt features larger,more usable sights. A polymer-framed Colt Mustang, the XSP,

reduces the Mustang’s empty weight to under 12 ounces. Putthat in your pocket and forget about it.

A

Slim and trim pocketpistols deliver rapid-fireself-defense 24/7!BY ROBERT A. SADOWSKI

DEEP-COVERSEMI-AUTOS

“Accommodating a variety oflaser units, the Ruger LCP isa natural pointer...”

S E A N

U T L E Y

P H O T O

Ruger’s LC9 9mm (top) andLC380 .380 ACP (bottom)

are ultra-compact butcan still accommodate

laser sights such asthe LaserMax

Centerfire.




9mm FirepowerI have tested and carried numerous .380ACPs with and without lasers. I like thesimplicity of the DAO .380s, and out to12 yards I am very confident in my abilityto hit a target accurately using either alaser sight or iron sights. Personally,I carry a DAO .380 out of convenience.When temperatures are hot and myclothing gets less bulky, I can slip my.380 into my shorts pocket, and no oneis the wiser. Subcompact .380s are thin,small and lightweight, and I like the factthat they often lack hammers or controlsthat can snag on clothing. But, what Icarry most often is a compact 9mm. Asthe caliber increases, so does the size ofthe pistol, and the compact 9mm I carryis toted not in my pocket but in an IWBholster. Some shooters may feel that apocket makes for easy acces, but I am of

average stature, and a 9mm is heavier.With a 9mm in my pants pocket, it’s obvi-ous I’m carrying. Also, with an IWB, mypistol remains consistently in one place.

An economy 9mm pistol is the Kel-TecPF-9, which holds a seven-round, single-stack magazine and features a DAO ac-tion. It is thin and nearly as concealableas the .380-chambered P-3AT. Kel-Tec’sP-11 is a super-sized 9mm with an11-round magazine. With its larger girth,the P-11 sacrifices a degree of conceal-ability, but the firepower is increased.The SCCY CPX Gen 1 and Gen 2 modelsare also economical 9mm alternatives.CPX-1 models have an ambidextrousmanual thumb safety. They also feature a9-pound trigger pull.

Kahr’s PM series of pistols is anexample of a very concealable handgunthat does not compromise on caliber orperformance. The PM brings together apolymer frame and a stainless steel slidewith a very smooth trigger. The PM9is a 9mm that requires minimal main-tenance, has an excellent trigger andfeatures enough textured surface areato prevent slippage in the user’s hand.Their PM40 adds slightly more heft tothe pistol. Also in a slightly larger pack-age, Kahr’s PM45 is available in .45 ACP.Round count for the PM45 is diminishedto 5+1 rounds—the same number as thePM40. With a flush magazine, the PM9has a 6+1 capacity. The CM series—avail-able in 9mm and .40 S&W—offers thesame features as the PM series but withminor cosmetic and manufacturing dif-ferences that reduce cost. Traditionalistsmay like the MK series, which uses ametal frame. MK pistols have more heft

than their polymer-framed cousins, butthat may not be an issue for some users.




The Ruger LC9 is a departure fromprevious Ruger 9mm pistols. The LC9is small and looks like a super-sizedLCP. It is 6 inches long and weighs a

little over 17 ounces empty. The polymerframe is nicely textured in the rightplaces, so although the pistol is small,in rapid fire the shooter can maintaincontrol. The front and rear grip strapsare checkered.

Subcompact and compact pistols canbe slightly more difficult to operate thanfull-size pistols. Retracting the slideon some pistols with stiff recoil springscan be difficult because with a compactpistol there is less material onto whichto grasp. The LC9, however, offerssubstantial slide space and easy-to-gripslide serrations. Holding a single-stackmagazine, the LC9 is slim and trim,yet it has sights similar to those of afull-size pistol. The trigger breaks atabout 6 pounds with a long, smoothpull. For those who find 9mm a little toohot, Ruger offers the LC380, which isbasically the same gun as the LC9 butchambered in .380 ACP.

The S&W Shield is a compact ver-sion of the S&W M&P pistol. Availablein 9mm and .40 S&W, the striker-firedShield is very concealable and slim. TheBeretta Nano and Pico, in keeping withthe company’s fine heritage of sub-compact pistols, are also thin, trim andlightweight. The Kimber Solo is slim butuses an aluminum frame. The Solo Carrymodel weighs only 17 ounces empty anduses an SA, striker-fired trigger setup.The Springfield Armory XD M and XD-Slines offer crisp striker-fired triggers incompact packages ranging from 9mm to.45 ACP.

These subcompact and compactpistols occupy the point at which reliableconcealed carry security and conve-

nience intersect, obviating the need tocarry a full-size handgun.

GUNFIGHTING

3 SPEED HOLSTERMaking CCW easyand practical!By Andre’ M. Dall’au

Where I live, it’s warm mostly yearround, so for me concealed carry

is more problematic than it mightbe were I to live in a climate wherebelted pants and jackets are thenorm. Here, and in many other partsof the country, flip-flops, a shirt anda belted or beltless pair of shorts arestandard daily dress. Between thatand having more girth than I wouldprefer, an inside-the-waistband,clipless or small-of-the-back holsteris not always practical or particularlyeffective.

To resolve the issue, Joe Roger hascreated the 3 Speed Holster. Keeping

even full-sized pistols invisible undermost kinds of clothing, the 3 Speedis made with a high-tech syntheticexterior that grips your clothes andfeatures a sweat shield, a stiffenedbackplate and a fully adjustable Vel-cro waist strap. During normal wear,the material molds itself to your CCWand forms a draw cone allowing youto position your thumb on the pistolfor a perfect presentation. Dependingon the sort of clothing you wear, the 3Speed Holster can be positioned aboveor below the belt line at any positionalong your waistline. Joe constructseach 3 Speed to exact customerspecifications, ensuring a great fitfor your pistol.

Soft and flexible, the 3 Speed sitscomfortably whether you’re walking,running or driving. Most importantly,the 3 Speed allows for a consistent,full-grip draw, leaving you to paycomplete attention to the threat, noton your CCW! The 3 Speed Holster canbe had in either brown or black andhas an MSRP of about $85. For more

information, visit 3speedholster.com.

Though sized for deep cover, theSpringfield XD-S 45 offers users 5+1rounds of big-bore .45 firepower.

T O P :

D E N N I S

A D L E R

P H O T O ;

B O T T O M :

P H O T O

C O U R T E S Y 3 S P E E D

combathandguns.com

n orma on, v s spee o s er.com.



GEAR THATTRIES YOU O

FOR SIZE

In 1990 a Navy SE AL was navigating a mineeld when his pack failed. As his gear tumbled to the ground,he vowed that if he got ou t of there alive he would make gear the right way. Today this obsession withquality applies to everything we do. We’re constantly researching, rening and perfecting every detailto provide gear that won’t let you down. Because we’re not just making stuff. We’re honoring a vow.

™

© 2013 BLACKHAWK! ® NORFOLK, VA U.S.A. 1.800.694.5263 BL ACKHAWK.com




COMBAT TEST

Feature-packedhome defenderdelivers superior

ergonomics and 16+1firepower without breaking the bank! BY ROBERT A. SADOWSKI PHOTOS BY STEVE WOODS

Walther has pushed the envelope onduty pistol design since World War II,when the company began using materi-als and manufacturing processes thattoday we take for granted. The new PPXis an excellent example of a duty pistol

that takes proven design elements—ashort recoil, locked-breech action—

and employs modern manufactur-ing techniques—a polymer, moldedframe—then dials in features thattoday’s shooters expect—low-profilethree-dot combat sights, a Picatinny railand more. Not only is the PPX well built

and feature-packed, but it’s also afford-able at a retail price of under $500.

GUN DETAILSAt first glance, the PPX has a radicallook. The ergonomic grip looks differentthan that on most duty pistols, but theshape is comfortable to hold and helpsto naturally point the pistol at the target.

The frame is polymer, with a non-slip,cross-directional grip surface. The grip



The Walther PPX combinessharp, modern looks with

proven design elements andfeatures. Highly ergonomic,

the PPX features a slightlyswelled, elaborately stippled

grip that fits comfortablyin the hand and makes the

pistol a natural pointer.





also has a bit of a palm swell, so thePPX feels secure in hand without feelingoverly large. The PPX does a great job ofstuffing 16 9mm or 14 .40 S&W roundsinto the grip without its feeling like aliter-sized bottle of soda.

The slide offers a lot of surface areato grasp, though it neither looks noracts too blocky. The top edges along thelength of the slide are chamfered, sothe slide fits your non-shooting hand topalm the slide. The old-school pinch-and-pull method to manipulate theslide is effortless. Front and rear slideserrations are large and offer a suregrip. The iconic Walther banner logo isroll-marked into the front serrations ofthe left side of the slide. Together, theframe and slide make the PPX look bigand beastly, but the pistol feels smallerand livelier when it’s in your hand.

The PPX uses a short-recoil, locked-breech action, like Walther’s PPQ andP99 to name two models. Sig Sauer,Glock and other manufacturers also usethe short-recoil, locked-breech actiondesign. The design is well proven in com-

bat and on the streets.Three automatic safeties are built intothe PPX: a trigger safety, a firing-pin

safety and a disconnector safety. Thesafeties prevent accidental dischargeif the PPX is dropped and make it wellsuited for safe carry. A loaded-chamberviewport—a small notch—is cut intothe breechblock, allowing you to quicklycheck to see if a l ive round or an emptycase is in the chamber.

A hammer is used to strike the firingpin to discharge the pistol. To ready thepistol, pull the slide to the rear; release itto chamber a cartridge. As the trigger is

>>>WALTHER PPX 9mm

D E B O R A H M

. S A D O W S K I P H O T O

“My finger naturally fell onthe trigger. I did not feel likeI had to reach to engage thetrigger, nor did I have to adjustmy trigger pull to compensatefor a short trigger.”

Simple to use and highly shoot-able, the PPX is a full-sizepistol well suited to both homedefense and concealed carry.

SPECIFICATIONS

WALTHER PPX

Caliber 9mm

Barrel 4 inches


Weight 27.2 ounces (empty)

Grips Textured polymer

Sights Low-profile three-dot

Action Hammer-fired DAO

Finish Matte black

Capacity 16+1MSRP $449




pulled rearward, the hammer protrudesslightly from a recess in the rear of theslide. After the trigger releases the ham-mer, it rotates forward to fire the gun.The slide then moves rearward to beginthe firing process again. The slide needsto be retracted to reset the trigger.

My hand size is average, and I foundthe PPX user-friendly. The front of thegrip has slight finger grooves that actu-ally work for most hand sizes, and at thevery bottom it flares out, almost actinglike a funnel to ensure that fingersstay in place on the front of the grip. Itis similar to a finger rest built into themagazine floorplate on smaller-sizedpistols, but in the PPX’s case, it’s part ofthe grip’s design. The heel of the grip isalmost perpendicular to the slide andnaturally follows the palm of the hand.When I held the pistol, the bottom por-

tion of the grip extended past my handslightly, which is normal for me withmost full-sized duty guns. The overallheight of the PPX is a bit taller (about aquarter of an inch) than the PPQ’s, butthe PPX stuffs more firepower into itsgrip (the PPQ holds 15 9mm or 11 .40S&W rounds). There’s also a lanyard loopin the heel of the PPX.

On pulling the trigger,the PPX’s concealedhammer protrudesslightly from a recessat the rear of the slide.To reset the trigger,rack the slide.




The front of the triggerguard issquared off and ridged for a secure gripwhen using a two-handed hold. Plus,the rear of the triggerguard is notched,so the index finger and the other digitscan ride a bit higher. The slide stop andtakedown lever are also inset into the

frame. They are smooth and snag-free,and offer enough surface area for usewhether barehanded or gloved. Betweenthe slide stop and the magazine releasethere is a slight depression in the grip toallow the thumb of your shooting handa place to rest. The top of the backstrapcovers the web of the shooting hand,so the slide won’t slice your hand as itmoves rearward during recoil. In fact, itlooked like the slide’s aft end was slightlymore rearward than that on a Glock or aSig Sauer pistol.

I did notice rather early on in testingthat the magazines—two are providedwith the PPX—were easily swallowed bythe mag well in the grip. It is like a mouththat quickly swallows magazines whole.They slipped into the mag well with easeand were effortless to seat, even whenfully loaded. Babying the magazines inplace with a push locked them into thegrip, as did a slap of the palm. The bot-tom of the grip has two horizontal notch-es, one on each side. The notches in thegrip give the magazine well a slightlylarger hole to fill and aid in fast reloads.The magazine baseplate has tabs thatfit in the notches when the magazine isfully seated. Upon pressing the magazinerelease, magazines eject rapidly andfall freely into the awaiting palm of thenon-shooting hand. The PPX’s maga-zine release is more traditional than themagazine releases on Walther’s otherpistol designs, like the PPS and P99,where the magazine release is integrat-ed into the rear of the triggerguard. Itcan also be reversed to accommodate aleft-handed shooter. All that is needed isa 0.04-inch-diameter punch and a small,

flat-blade screwdriver. The magazine

Black Hills 115 FMJ 1,140 3.75

Hornady 115 1,123 2.00HAP Steel Match

Hornady 135 1,118 2.75Critical Duty JHP +PBULLET WEIGHT MEASURED IN GRAINS , VELOCITY IN FEET PER SECOND ( FPS) BY CHRONOGRAPH , AND ACCURACY IN INCHES FOR BEST FIVE -SHOT GROUPS AT 25 YARDS.

PERFORMANCE

WALTHER PPX 9mm


CONTINUED ON PAGE 82

>>>WALTHER PPX 9mm



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COMBAT TEST

The Springfield Armory Enhanced Micro Pistol (EMP) is the first1911 built from the ground up to shoot short cartidges like the .40S&W. With an overall length of just 6.5 inches and an 8+1 ammocapacity, the 33-ounce EMP is the ideal .40-caliber carry gun.




Smooth-shootingpowerhouse brings

custom 1911 touchesto deep-cover

concealment!BY GUY J. SAGI



EMP . 40

WWhen it comes to carry guns, the best balance of features isto have as much power in as compact a package as possible.For many, the .40-caliber cartridge fits the bill perfectly,getting bore diameter up to the four-tenths-of-an-inch markwhile still fitting in a package sized in the range of many oftoday’s semi-auto 9mm pistols.

The .40 S&W has an interesting history, going back to thetragic lessons learned in the infamous FBI Miami shootout of1986. In it, two FBI special agents were killed and another fivewounded after 145 rounds were exchanged with a pair of perpe-trators in five minutes. Although the suspects were ultimatelykilled in the Florida gun battle, it sparked an investigation bythe FBI. The stopping power of the agency’s issued handgunscame under scrutiny after it took six shots to drop one perpe-trator and 12 to drop the other—the last shot hitting his spinalcord. When toxicology reports determined that neither of theperpetrators had drugs in their systems, it wasn’t long before asearch was begun to replace the 9mm and .38 Special hand-guns used by the agents.

The story is a familiar one, with the joint efforts of Smith &

Wesson and Winchester producing the .40 S&W cartridge in1990. It’s grown to become the mainstay of many law enforce-

ment agencies across the country and has also become apopular civilian self-defense round. However, finding gunschambered for this round that are also extremely compact cantake some searching.

GUN DETAILSEnter the Springfield Enhanced Micro Pistol (EMP). Chamberedin .40 S&W, this is one of the sweetest- and softest-shootingcompact handguns for this cartridge I’ve ever handled. Don’tget me wrong, recoil from a .40 S&W isn’t painful. Its impulse isdifferent—snappier, if you will—and a little foreign to someoneweaned on .45 ACP 1911s. Fifty rounds out of most small gunswith this cartridge can get a little uncomfortable, but after morethan 100 rounds with the EMP, I was eager for more. I thought itwas just me, but a friend had the same reaction. “This is a .40?”he asked just before he went at my dwindling supply of ammo.The gun should come with a warning label that clearly statesthat getting behind the trigger is addictive.

With an overall length of 6.5 inches and a height of 5 inches,the gun doesn’t qualify as a micro or a pocket pistol. It is, how-

ever, a lot easier to conceal than most 1911s. The widest part ofthe gun is at the ambidextrous safety paddles, and there it mea-

SPRINGFIELD




>>> SPRINGFIELD EMP

sures 1.25 inches across. At 33 ounces(with an empty magazine inserted), it’snot a flyweight, but that mass is morethan tolerable for daily wear in an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster.

Of course, the EMP is a little toogood-looking to keep hidden all thetime. Springfield has always done a nice job of finishing its 1911s, and this gunis no exception. The frame is hardcoatanodized in an even black finish thatcontrasts nicely with the satin-finishedstainless steel slide. The words “EMPCAL 40” are engraved on the left side ofthe slide, with “EMP” and “SpringfieldArmory” on the right, ejection side.Serrations are located at the rear forslide manipulation. The nine groovesare wide and deep enough for sure use,even with gloves, and the sights arefinished to match the frame.

Textured G10 grips with a black andgray finish round out the cosmetic touch-es. Toward the vertical center, the smallridges on the panels are slightly widerapart than they are toward the sides,and during a relatively sweaty testingday purchase was positive throughoutthe entire session. A cocobolo-grippedversion is also available. G

U Y

J .

S A G I P H O T O

“The gun shouldcome with awarning labelthat clearlystates thatgetting behindthe trigger isaddictive.”




There is no lanyard loop, and there’sa slight bevel to the magazine well to aidin reloading. The frontstrap is smooth.To help shooters maintain a good grip,however, the backstrap has checkering.It isn’t aggressive enough to becomeabrasive—this gun is going to be shot alot—but you know it’s there.

The beavertail grip safety has a largebump toward the bottom that seemed tointuitively nudge my hand toward a highride on the gun. It deactivated effort-lessly, and flawlessly, without requiringconscious effort. The grip is long enoughthat I could wrap three fingers aroundthe handgun without touching the maga-zine, and combined with the texturing onthe grip panels, there was never a doubtabout my ability to hang onto the pistol.

Internally, this is a true 1911. It usesa full-length guide rod and dual recoilsprings. Held captive upon disassembly,it’s one less thing to worry about duringcleaning chores. The 3-inch barrel has a

fully supported feed ramp and six riflinggrooves with a 1-in-16-inch rate of twist.

SPECIFICATIONS

SPRINGFIELD EMP

Caliber .40 S&W

Barrel 3 inches


Weight 33 ounces (empty)Grips G10

Sights Fixed combatthree-dot tritium

Action SA

Finish Black anodized frame,stainless slide

Capacity 8+1

MSRP $1,424

A tritium front sight completes theEMP’s combat sighting system.




A skeletonized trigger is finishednicely to match the slide. The three holesin it each measure 0.2 inches in diam-eter, and the trigger face is serrated tokeep your finger firmly planted regard-less of atmospheric conditions. In test-ing, the trigger was consistent, crisp and

grit-free. Initial take-up on the test EMPwas 0.06 inches, and let-off weight was5.25 pounds and very predictable. Somemight prefer a lighter trigger, but for ahandgun designed for carry and self-defense, it’s just about perfect. It doesn’tfeel heavy at all when shooting, justcrisp and clean. Overtravel can also beadjusted, but I wouldn’t touch a thing onthis one. The trigger reset was enviable.I had hearing protection on, but when Ishot I thought I could hear the reset. Itwas predictable and nearly impossiblenot to find after each and every shot.

An ambidextrous thumb safety makesthe handgun a little more southpawfriendly. The textured paddles protruderoughly 0.3 inches from the sides of theslide. My thumb never slipped off duringshooting. A magazine release, however,is only found on the left side of the gun.

Tritium-filled night sights in a three-dot configuration make target acquisi-tion fast in low-light conditions. Thefront sight has serrations on its backto minimize glare during daytime use.Dovetailed into the slide and drift adjust-able, it was very easy to find quicklyduring testing. Slight rounding at thefront and rear help minimize the chancesit will get hung up during a drawstroke.It measures 0.123 inches wide and risesroughly 0.13 inches above the slide.

The U-notched, 0.125-inch-wide rearsight has two dots to align with the singleone up front. It has a similar treatmenton the shooter’s side to reduce thechances of sight-picture-compromisingglare, and it is windage adjustable. Tomaintain the gun’s “drawability,” it isalso slightly rounded.

The skeletonized hammer is serrated,and its color matches the frame perfect-

>>> SPRINGFIELD EMP

PERFORMANCE

SPRINGFIELD EMP .40



Federal American 925 1.50Eagle 180 FMJ

Federal 180 958 1.31Hydra-Shok JHP

Hornady Critical 973 1.20Duty 175 FlexLock




ly. The entire fit and finish on this pistolis nothing less than what we’ve come toexpect from Springfield Armory. Threemagazines with slam pads come withthe EMP. Made by Mec-Gar in Italy, theyall functioned flawlessly during testing.The pad/floorplate can be removed forcleaning by simply depressing a smalland recessed button on the bottom.

In addition, the handgun comes in anice, hard, polymer case with a pre-formed soft-foam insert to hold thepistol, cleaning brush, polymer hol-ster, double magazine carrier, all themagazines, unloaded chamber flag andmanual. There’s a lot of money-savingswag included with the EMP.

RANGE TIMEReliable functioning can be compro-mised when barrels are shortened on1911s, particularly when you approachthe 3-inch mark. The EMP, however,never hiccupped with any of the am-munition tested at the range. Therewas not a single gun-related stoppageor malfunction through more than 250rounds and four different loads. That’scritical in a gun designed as a primaryself-defense firearm. The only problemencountered was when shooting frangi-ble ammunition. I incorrectly theorizedthat the lighter bullet weight mightpresent a problem in cycling. It did not,but the bottom quarter of a primer blew

on one cartridge and failed to ignite thepowder. The primer strike was fine, and

after the problem was cleared the EMPwent back to digesting practice ammolike nothing had happened at all. A self-defense handgun has to be 100-percentreliable, and the Sprinfield Armory EMPfits that definition to a T.

Accuracy was exceptionally goodfor a handgun with so short a barreland sight radius. During testing, theEMP preferred Hornady’s Critical Duty175-grain FlexLock load. It turned inthe best group of 1.20 inches off-hand,and results were extremely consistent.Federal’s Hydra-Shok came in a closesecond. If the unthinkable happens,either load, even in my hands, is goingto neutralize the problem.

The Springfield EMP .40 has ev-erything required in a self-defensehandgun—and more. There is no ac-cessory rail, but the primary mission ofthis handgun is concealed carry or asa backup—and a weapon light doesn’tride well in an IWB holster.

The first rule of a gunfight is to havea gun. But, if there’s a lesson to belearned from the 1986 FBI shootout inFlorida, it’s that the gun should alsohave the power to stop the threat im-mediately. The Springfield EMP is smallenough to carry, comfortable to shoot,reliable, and it brings with it the samechambering the FBI migrated towardafter the tragedy—all of which makes ita good choice for today’s armed citizen.

For more information, visit springfield-armory.com or call 800-680-6866.

The EMP’sserratedthumb safetyis ambidex-trous. Themag release,however, isrelegated tothe left sideof the gun.



COMBAT CORNER


“I’ve mounted these units on both pistols and rifles, and they are ide-al for CQB situations...Even the largest weighs barely over 3 ounces,making it one of the lightest laser sights/tactical lights of its kind.”

Viridian’s Reactor serieslights and green lasersoffer state-of-the-artsighting technologysized to fit the compactRuger LC9 and LCP.

Own the night with Viridian’s compact, tactical add-ons!

BY JORGE AMSELLE PHOTOS BY STEVE WOODS

CQB LIGHTS & LASERS

Viridian already has a well-established reputa-

tion for developing and popularizing weapon-mounted green lasers. The company’s full

product line shows a very high level of qualityand amazing innovation that shows no signs of slowing down.Its latest venture is not in lasers, however, but a new type oftactical weapon light. The exclusive Radiance light representsa radical breakthrough in this technology that dramatically in-creases the light’s effectiveness for law enforcement officers,fire/rescue personnel, homeowners and sportsmen.

Standard high-output tactical flashlights project a narrowbeam that is most often circular in shape. However, in reallife, we don’t see in circles. We scan side to side in a hori-zontal plane, where we expect to locate objects or identifythreats. Unless Spiderman is burglarizing your home, youdon’t need to illuminate the ceiling, and light that reveals lowthreat areas is essentially wasted.

The Radiance technology takes this standard light and addsa proprietary filter that reshapes it into a wide oval shape,narrowing the beam top to bottom and allowing a much widerfield of view—over twice the width of a normal tactical light.The game-changing advantages should be immediately appar-ent, as the amount of time it takes to scan and clear a room for

intruders or threats is cut in half.Basically, any search in which you need a light—from

hunting for lost persons to finding a blood trail in the woods—becomes a much easier and faster affair. Using the wide beamto track from side to side also is more instinctive and lessdisorienting for the user. With a wide horizontal beam, you canavoid developing tunnel vision or having to make fast scanningmovements. Even if you do, the speed of moving the light willseem lessened because of the wide beam.

More TechRadiance technology is available on another new Viridianproduct, the company’s line of super-compact Reactor 5 greenlaser sights and Reactor TL lights for pocket pistols. Currently,these units are being produced for the Ruger LCP and LC9,and are being offered at a very competitive introductory pricethat includes the company’s Enhanced Combat Readiness(ECR) pocket holster. The units are built tough from durablepolymer and install unobtrusively in front of the triggerguard,

adding almost no mass and less than an ounce in weight. TheReactor TL produces a 100-lumen constant-on light and a140-lumen strobe light.

The ECR holster feature is itself another game-changer,and it’s available for Viridian’s new pocket holsters as well itsTacLoc models for mid- and full-sized pistols. Viridian’s ECR

is designed so that as soon as you draw your gun, the light/laser comes on at whatever setting you have selected using

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The Reactor TL issues a light beam that’stwice as wide as the industry standard.

COMBAT CORNER

an electronic sensor inside the holsterto activate the laser unit rather than amechanical system. In a high-stressself-defense situation where quick ac-cess may be needed, will you rememberto activate your laser? With the ECR, youdon’t need to think about it. All you haveto do is draw your pistol.

While in the pocket pistol categoryyou have to choose between the tacti-cal light or the green-laser sight, youdon’t have to for the larger weapon-mounted units, as these units includeboth a laser and a tactical light in one.Of course, Viridian’s main claim to fameis its green laser sights, which are farmore powerful and visible to the humaneye under all lighting conditions. Buttraditionally they have been difficult tominiaturize. With its Reactor 5 lasersight, Viridian not only perfected thistechnology, but also went one stepfurther with an extended battery life.

I have tested the ECR feature in bothbelt and pocket configurations. I havetested and used the green laser in lowlight and bright daylight conditions, andit is extremely visible and provides light-ning-fast target acquisitions. The greenlaser is bright enough that you can seethe beam indoors at night. Green lasersare up to 50 times brighter than redlasers and can be seen 100 yards away,even in daylight.

More PowerStill, the company has also introduceda new line of red lasers that promisesto be far more visible and powerful thanothers. Viridian Elite Red 635nm laser

sights use a much more precise andadvanced laser wavelength, producing

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The Reactor 5 green laser is not onlypocket-friendly, it’s also long lasting.

a bright and sharp dot. These red laserunits are also paired off with the com-pany’s advanced tactical lights.

In green lasers there is the C5, whichis just the green-laser sight, and theC5L and X5L, which include 100- and160-lumen tactical lights, respectively.Viridian combines this high-intensitytactical light with its green laser all inone compact unit. The tactical light hasconstant-on and a brighter strobe fea-ture, and it can be used independentlyor in combination with the green laser,which can also be set to constant-onor strobe. These units are fully ambi-dextrous, and the controls are easy tomaster for on-the-fly adjustments.

Sighting the unit in for elevation andwindage is also easy with the includedAllen wrenches. Using the pistol’ssights as a guide, I was able to quicklyget shots on paper. The units includeCR23V lithium batteries, which provideup to four hours of constant-on forthe light or the laser, seven hours onthe strobe setting for either, and if youinsist on using both simultaneously, youwill get an hour of use.

The unit is also compact and includesseveral adaptors to fit it on differentpistols as well as any Picatinny rail.Having mounted it on my pistol, I cansay that they are ideal for CQB situa-tions or room searches. Even the larg-est Viridian sights weigh barely over 3ounces, making it one of the lightestsuch laser sights/tactical lights of itskind. Built using a combination of 6061aluminum alloy and high-strength poly-mer, they’re extremely tough. For more

information, call 800-990-9390 or visitvirdiangreenlaser.com.

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safety blended nicely into the frame. There was a bit of lateralplay between the slide and frame, but there was no vertical orlateral play in the fitting of the barrel when the gun was in bat-tery. Many 1911s designed for personal defense havea small amount of play in the slide-frame fit to ensurefunctioning when dirt and powder fouling builds up under fieldconditions. Some people believe that there has to be a verytight fit between the slide and frame for a pistol to be accurate.That may be true for a competition-grade National Match targetpistol, but in a defense gun, a small amount ofhorizontal play is not a problem as long as the barrel and bush-ing lock up tightly at the front of the slide, and there is no playin the fit of the upper and lower locking surfaces to the slideand frame at the rear of the barrel.

The finish and functioning of the Super Grade Pro wereexcellent. As for finish, all the edges were clean, and therewere no sharp surfaces that could fray clothing or cut fin-gers. The cocking serrations on the slide were widely spaced

and provided for a positive grip. The 25-lines-per-inch (lpi)

The Super Grade Profrom Roberts Defense

offers shooters a hand-fitted, custom-grade1911 pistol at a price

not that much morethan many production

pistols. Its tasteful,low-key appearance

belies its cutting-edgeperformance and

capabilities.




checkering on the grip’s frontstrap andmainspring housing was well executed,with no sharp edges to cut or irritatethe skin on one’s palm or fingers. Therewere no external tool marks or otherblemishes anywhere on the pistol. Withrespect to function, all safeties operatedas designed, the magazine inserted andextracted cleanly, the hammer couldnot be pushed out of engagement withthe sear at either full- or half-cockedpositions, and the trigger pull was verysmooth, with no perceptible overtravel.When placed in a dark room, the pistol’sKensight night sights glowed brightlyand presented a clear sight picture.

When I disassembled the Super GradePro for cleaning and lubrication, I alsoexamined its internal workmanship.There were no tool marks, and all of itsparts were well conformed. The extrac-tor tension was proper. Rounds placed

in the chamber fit without any play andheadspaced properly. The barrel lockedup tightly with the slide, and the fit of thebarrel to the frame was also very good.This confirmed the tight fit noted whenthe assembled pistol was in battery.Finally, the trigger pull measured a con-sistent 4.75 pounds. Overall, the SuperGrade Pro appeared to be very wellmanufactured, which is what one wouldexpect from a pistol that is hand fitted.

RANGE TIMEI evaluated the pistol’s accuracy, velocityand tactical capabilities at the VolusiaCounty Gun and Hunt Club in DeLand,Florida. I used six loads for testing,including Black Hills’ 230-grain JRN,CorBon’s 185-grain +P JHP, Federal’s155-grain Ballisticlean, HPR’s 185-grainXTP JHP, Remington’s 230-grainUltimate Home Defense (UHD) brass- jacketed hollow point (BJHP), and, lastly,Winchester’s 230-grain JRN.

Accuracy tests were conducted at 25yards, and it quickly became evident thatthe sights were regulated for a 6 o’clockhold. At that distance, loads weighing 230grains printed about 4 inches high whenthe sights were aimed dead center. Withrespect to group size, the Super GradePro showed a preference for some loadsover others. The load the pistol shot thebest was the 230-grain Remington UHDBJHP. Its best five-shot group measured1.31 inches across. The UHD average forthree 5-shot groups at 25 yards was only2.65 inches.

Velocity tests were performed using aPACT Model 1XP chronograph. Averagevelocities produced by the Super Grade

>>>ROBERTS DEFENSE SUPER GRADE PRO

SPECIFICATIONS

ROBERTS DEFENSESUPER GRADE PRO

Caliber .45 ACP

Barrel 5 inches



Grips V2

Sights Kensight night

Action SA

Finish Stainless frame,black nitride slide

Capacity 8+1MSRP $1,549

The tritium rear sight unitis very low profile, and willnot easily snag on clothingor covering garments.




Pro were either equal to or somewhathigher than the velocity listed by thefactory. In addition, extreme spreadsbetween the fastest and slowest shotsin each five-shot string were quite ac-ceptable. The fastest load was CorBon’s

185-grain +P JHP. It averaged 1,200 feetper second (fps) with an extreme spreadof only 13 fps. This load produced 591foot-pounds muzzle energy, which is out-standing for a .45 ACP. Recoil when firingthis load was quite stout, and the ejectedcasings were thrown about 10 feet fromthe gun. The Super Grade Pro comes

equipped with a 16.5-poundrecoil spring, and anyone who desiresto shoot +P loads in this gun or in any.45-caliber 1911 should seriouslyconsider using a heavier recoilspring to avoid excess wear on

the pistol.The final test from the benchbefore running drills involvedloading a couple of magazineswith several types of am-munition and rapidly firing atthe target. Different brands ofJRN and JHP ammunition were

“I conducted two tacticaldrills...to test the equip-

ment under conditions that simulate critical incidentsthat may occur in daily Life.”




The P238 was Sig’s second compact .380 ACP. Thefirst, the P232, was introduced back in 1997, when theonly real competition was the Colt Mustang. Fast-forward a dozen years and the market is booming with.380s, but few are as elegantly crafted as the Sig P238.This is the smallest .380 Sig has ever designed, and a nearmatch for size with the polymer-framed Ruger LCP andKel-Tec P-3AT. In fact, the LCP and P-3AT have dimensionsalmost identical to the P238’s, but after that these sub-compact .380s part company. The P238 features all-metalconstruction, and it’s slim, compact and solid in the hand—

with just enough heft to make its recoil manageable. Whatsets the P238 apart farther from the competition is Sig’s

Compact yet powerful, the Sig SauerP238 Extreme combines impressivelooks with outstanding capabilities.

Shown equipped with extended,seven-round magazine.




decision to use a stainless steel slide withan anodized alloy beavertail-style frame,rather than a polymer frame like thoseon the LCP and P-3AT, among others.Sig’s use of a skeletonized hammer addsa customized look to the gun’s chiseledappearance, as does the standard Nitronblack corrosion-resistant finish. A two-tone version is also available with a mattestainless steel slide, thumb safety, slidestop and magazine release, which con-trasts with the Nitron black frame, gripsand backstrap.

>>> SIG SAUER P238 EXTREME

The P238 Extreme featuresSig Sauer’s excellent SIGLITEthree-dot tritium night sights.

SPECIFICATIONS

SIG SAUER P238 EXTREME

Caliber .380 ACP

Barrel 2.7 inches


Weight 15.4 ounces (empty)Grips Hogue Extreme G10

Sights SIGLITE Night

Action SA

Finish Nitron slide, black frame

Capacity 7+1

MSRP $752




GUN DETAILSWith two years of success under its beltand 14 variations of the P238, Sig hasadded the new Extreme variant, whichtakes everything up another notch inversatility. With an overall length of just5.5 inches, a height of 4.46 inches andweighing just 15.4 ounces unloaded, theExtreme capitalizes on the establishedfeatures of the P238 Nitron, which usesa black Nitron-finished slide and a blackhardcoat anodized, beavertail-style frame,with the addition of Hogue Extreme G10

grips for a more secure hold, SIGLITEtritium night sights and a capacity-

“AT ONLY 1.1 INCHESIN OVERALL WIDTH,IT IS EASILY CONCEALED

IN A POCKET HOLSTER AND IS IDEALLY SUITED TO THE DESANTIS MINISCABBARD BELT RIGMADE FOR THE P238.”

The P238 drew easily from the author’sDeSantis Mini Scabbard belt rig.




tions. The P238’s high-profile SIGLITEtritium night sights offer a significantadvantage in all lighting conditions, anda dramatic edge under low or minimallighting situations because tritium sightswork in the dark and do not requireexposure to sunlight to function. They are

on all the time with a half-life of about14 years, which, on average, will provideunimpeded service for at least five yearsbefore they begin to lose intensity. Andsince they are dovetail-mounted on theP238, they can be replaced. The sights onthe P238 Extreme have rounded edges toavoid catching on clothing or accidentallylacerating your hand while racking theslide. During my range test, the sightsproved ideal under daylight conditions aswell as during a low-light dusk shootingevaluation.

The P238’s slide operation is extreme-ly smooth with only moderate springresistance, the thumb safety clicks firmlyand audibly on and off, and the serrated,left-side-mounted magazine-releasebutton drops the magazine with only lightthumb pressure. All of these advantagesease operation, especially for individualswith smaller hands or modest strength,making this an ideal concealed-carryarm for both men and women.

At only 1.1 inches in overall width, itis easily concealed in a pocket holsterand is ideally suited to the DeSantis MiniScabbard belt rig made for the P238. Theinjection-molded Sig belt clip holsterincluded with the P238 requires thatthe gun be drawn vertically; any angleon the draw may cause the gun to bindrather than release. The DeSantis MiniScabbard has a natural forward cant thatallows for a smooth, natural drawstroke,especially from the 4 o’clock hip posi-tion. The Sig molded belt clip holsterdoes offer very solid retention of the gunand easy concealment at the 3 o’clockor 4 o’clock strong-side positions. Bothholster rigs do an excellent job of making

this compact pistol readily accessiblewhen it’s needed.

PERFORMANCE

SIG SAUERP238 EXTREME .380 ACP


Hornady Critical 930 1.25Defense 90 FTX

Federal Premium 908 1.50Hydra-Shok 90 JHPSellier & Bellot 845 2.0092 FMJ





ometimes women strugglewith concealed carry because,frankly, it’s difficult to conceala gun while wearing women’sclothing. Stretch fabrics, form-

fitting athletic cuts and spaghetti strapsdo not accommodate handguns verywell—that is, unless you get creative and

wear an ankle or a thigh holster.With the growing number of femalegun buyers—women who most definitelywant to carry for personal defense—holster-makers hear the charge loudand clear: Make an ankle or thigh holsterthat works for a woman’s shape.

Who WearsAnkle Holsters?Nikki Turpeaux, 5.11’s new TacticalTraining Ambassador and CEO of theGet A G.R.I.P. Foundation, likes the ankleholster option. This former Miss Houstonnow lives in the Atlanta area and car-ries a Glock 26 in 9mm in a Galco AnkleGlove. “The wide ankle band and verysecure Velcro closures are extremelycomfortable. It has a sheepskin paddingbetween the holster and ankle, which al-lows me to wear it for extended periodsof time,” said Turpeaux.

“I wear it while travelling in my ve-hicle, out and about and while instruct-ing in any boot-cut business slacks, jeans or khakis. For added security, thisholster has a reinforced thumb-break fora quick draw and is molded specificallyfor my G26. It also comes with a detach-able option for additional over-the-calfsupport,” she added.

Turpeaux also wears a SafarilandModel 4092 ankle holster. This nylonholster, designed by the legendary BillRogers, comes with a small supportstrip that attaches to your shoe. “It fits tothe shape of my narrow ankle comfort-ably, with or without a sock, and is easilyconcealable in slacks or dress pants. Itholds my Smith & Wesson 642 very se-curely on days when I want to carry a re-

volver,” Turpeaux said. (The Model 4092was discontinued several years ago, but

holster seekers lookingfor something similar canopt for the Bianchi TriadModel 4750.

Turpeaux prefers anklecarry for traveling on theroad and trains usinghand-to-hand fighting

drills that culminate withan eventual draw fromher holster. She practicesdrills that incorporateshooting from behindcover/concealment.

Marti Davis of south-west Missouri works asa dispatcher at a quarry.Jokingly, she says shelikes to tell men whereto go. When she’s notworking, she’s a huntingmachine and representscompanies on pro andfield staffs, includingKnight & Hale, MoultrieProducts, HerCamoShop,Strut and Rut, andMossy Oak. She said,“When I wear jeans orpants, I usually have anankle holster on. I likethe DeSantis Apacheankle rig. I have one formy Ruger LCP, and I alsohave one for my Smith& Wesson Shield 9mm.”Usually, she’s wearingwork boots, but if she’swearing tennis shoes orflat shoes, she incorpo-rates the DeSantis ankle holster supportstrap.

When she practices, she drops downon one knee, pulls up the appropriatepant leg and makes a clean draw fromthe holster at that level and shoots—again and again.

Sara Ahrens, a law enforcement of-ficer in the Chicago area and former Top

Shot competitor, carries a Sig P238 in.380 in a Galco Ankle Lite holster. “The

Galco ankle holster is a good option,especially if I am wearing shirts that arenot conducive to an inside-the-pantsholster…I am really worried about usinga holster that may not secure my firearmtightly,” Ahrens said.

She continued, “I use ankle holstersfor backup weapons on duty, but off dutyI wear them whenever I wear pants. It is

usually a better option for concealmentbecause I wear a lot of T-shirts.”

LADIES ONLY


S

ULTRA-DISCREETCARRY OPTIONSTechniques and tactics for bearingarms—on your legs! BY BARBARA BAIRD

J E R R Y

K I N G

P H O T O

“ When she practices, shedrops down on one knee,pulls up the appropriatepant leg, makes a cleandraw from the holster andshoots—again and again.”

When dressed in boot-cut slacks, jeansor khakies, Nikki Turpeaux carries herGlock 26 in a Galco Ankle Glove.



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When off duty, she wears boots andplaces the holster higher on her leg,so that it isn’t visible whenever shecrosses her legs.

About practicing, Ahrens stated, “Thedrills I practice mostly derive from aseated position inside my car. Maybe it’sbecause I imagine if I need the gun, thatposition is going to be the one locationthat typically presents the most chal-lenging from which to draw safely. I alsopractice from behind cover.” Her practiceis based on methods she’s adapted fromdignitary-protection training. She said,“Since I have had training with drawingfrom concealment in an inside-the-pants holster—where you simultane-ously clear the clothing with the supporthand and draw with the strong hand—Ido the same with the ankle holster: raisethe pant leg to clear the holster to prepbefore drawing.”

Il Ling New trains shooters at GunsiteAcademy in Paulden, Arizona. Sheserved as the first female captain ofher shooting team in college and neverlooked back. She uses an ankle holsteronly as a secondary or backup to herprimary concealed firearm. She, too,prefers the Galco Ankle Lite holster be-cause she believes that it fits a woman’sslimmer, more tapering leg and ankle.

She carries either a snub-nose J-Frameor a Ruger LCP.

For drills, Newstressed practicing“simply extractingthe firearm from the

holster—without covering any bodyparts,” because “people tend to getsloppier with ankle holsters if they donot practice consistently.” New added,“The first step is to make SURE you canraise the pant leg over the firearm andholster in one smooth movement, withonly your support hand.”

Last summer, Gun Goddess beganoffering a new ankle and thigh holster—the Femme Fatale Ankle Soxxx and lacethigh holsters. Covered in luxuriouslace, the ankle version features a 5-inchhidden pocket inside a wide elastic hol-ster. It allows the holster to be placed indifferent places near the ankle or even

higher up on the calf, if necessary.The lace thigh holster comes

equipped with silicone grippers placedalong the top and bottom of 6-inch-wide embroidered lace. The gun pocketmeasures 4.5 inches wide by 4.5 inchesdeep, to fit a variety of firearms.

Regardless of the holster youchoose, consistent and perfect practiceis imperative to feeling confident withankle and thigh methods of carry.

DESANTISTHIGH HIGH

HOLSTERBy Barbara Baird

Now, thanks to DeSantis and its newThigh High holster, women can carryconfidently in public while wear-ing a dress or a skirt. With its firstconcealed-carry option designed bywomen for women, DeSantis createda slimly designed Neoprene right-or left-handed holster in black thatfeatures a tight Velcro seal and twingarter straps. With a closed muzzle,this holster will fit most small-frame semi-autos. It has an MSRP of$60. When asked about the holster,Daniel DeSantis, the company’s vicepresident of operations, said, “Sofar we have heard that the neoprenefabric wears very comfortably on theleg, even in hot weather.”

LADIES ONLY

T O P

L E F T : P H O T O C O U R T E S Y D E S A N T I S ;

R I G H T : S T E V E W O O D S P H O T O

strsi

theholster—witho

parts,” because “pesloppier with anklenot practice consist“The first step is toraise the pant leg o

DESANTISTHIGH HIGH

HOLSTERBy Barbara Baird

LADIE LY

To draw quickly from your ankle, lift yourpant leg fully over the top of the holster.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Bianchi International

bianchi-intl.com; 800-347-1200DeSantis Gunhide

desantisholster.com; 631-841-6300Galco International

usgalco.com; 800-874-2526Gun Goddess

gungoddess.com; 866-957-1117



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The ATI FX45 Fatboy Lightweightin .45 ACP combines the benefits

of the classic 1911 design withmodern enhancements such asan ultra-short and concealable

3.2-inch barrel and a double-column, 12+1 capacity.





the newest incarnation of the Fatboy 1911that ATI unveiled in 2011. The originalFatboy was a steel-framed, high-capacity,compact 1911 with a 3.2-inch barrel anda 12-round, double-stack magazine. Thenew Fatboy Lightweight takes the originalFatboy concept and lightens its overallweight even further with an aluminumalloy frame.

GUN DETAILSShooters Arms Manufacturing (SAM)builds the Fatboy Lightweight in QuezonCity in the Philippines. SAM is the oldestand most popular manufacturer of 1911sin the Philippines, and that’s sayingsomething because the Philippines, as awhole, is 1911 country. What the katana isto Japan, the 1911 is to the Philippines.

Like the original Fatboy, the FatboyLightweight model has a 3.2-inch barrel

with a flared muzzle to eliminate the needfor a bushing. Detonics pioneered thisapproach back in the late 1970s, and ithas become the standard for sub-4-inchbarreled 1911s. The Fatboy Lightweighthas a full-length guide rod and recoilspring design that is different from thearrangement of most compact 1911s. Theguide rod itself is just under 2.5 incheslong. The rod passes through a 1.5-inchlong bushing that is held at the forwardend of the guide rod by a recoil spring.Another recoil spring surrounds the guiderod bushing and bears against a smallbushing at the end of the slide.

The Fatboy Lightweight’s rathercomplex guide rod and recoil spring as-sembly looks a little unusual, but it hasits advantages. For one thing, it can bedisassembled without requiring the littlepin tools or paper clips needed to capturethe recoil springs on some other compact1911s. And the dual spring system seemsto result in a lower spring weight. Rackingthe slide on the Fatboy Lightweight

SPECIFICATIONS

ATI FX45 FATBOYLIGHTWEIGHT

Caliber .45 ACP

Barrel 3.2 inches



Grips Checkered polymer

Sights Fixed

Action SA

Finish Matte black

Capacity 12+1

MSRP $699.95

>>> ATI FX45 FATBOY LIGHTWEIGHT




The short 3.2-inch barrelfeatures a flared end thatmates directly to the slide,eliminating the need for abarrel bushing.

The Fatboy’s trigger, whichfeatures a grooved face,

broke cleanly at 6 poundswith no detectable overtravel.

“THE NEW FATBOY LIGHTWEIGHT TAKES THE ORIGINAL FATBOY CONCEPT ANDLIGHTENS ITS WEIGHT EVEN FURTHER WITH AN ALUMINUM ALLOY FRAME.”




ern 1911s, the ejection port is loweredand relieved. Both sights are dovetail-mounted. The front blade has a white dot,which is all but invisible. The rear sight isa Novak-style, no-snag combat sight witha black face that has been grooved to re-duce glare. It can be adjusted for windage

by loosening a locking screw and driftingthe sight in its dovetail.The aluminum alloy frame also has a

smooth matte black finish. The originalFatboy had no grip panels, per se; rather,the frame itself was grooved to providesome purchase for your hand. I’m happyto say that the Fatboy Lightweight hasnot followed in its father’s footsteps. TheFatboy Lightweight has black plastic grippanels that are checkered to give yousomething to hold on to. Because thesegrip panels are razor thin, the FatboyLightweight’s grips are essentially thesame width as the handle on a conven-tional, single-stack 1911.

The controls on the Fatboy Lightweightare pure 1911. The slide-release lever is a


The rear sight sports horizontalgrooves for an enhanced sight picture.

PERFORMANCE

ATI FX45 FATBOYLIGHTWEIGHT .45 ACP


Black Hills 230 JHP 706 2.00

Blazer 230 FMJ 701 1.50Remington 230 MC 701 2.00




TACTICS


hen mostpeople hear theterm “handgunretention,” theytypically imag-

ine law enforcement or military

personnel carrying handguns inopen duty holsters. While that’snot necessarily wrong, it doesn’taddress the full scope of thetopic. It also doesn’t excusecivilian shooters from hav-ing and practicing the skills tomaintain control over their gunsduring a defensive encounter.

Whether you are a civilian ora duty-bound law enforcement,military or security profes-sional, if a bad guy knows youhave a gun, he may very welltry to take it from you. In simpleterms, this can happen in oneof three ways: the assailant cantry to take it from your holster,the assailant can try to disarmyou once you’ve drawn the gun,or, while you and your gun arefocused on the assailant, a sec-ondary threat may attempt to disarm you. Let’s look at all threeof these possibilities from the perspective of the civilian CCWpermit holder.

Preventing Gun GrabsIf you carry a concealed handgun for defensive purposes, thebest way to prevent a gun grab is to make sure it’s actuallyconcealed effectively. As obvious as this may seem, many noviceCCW holders (and an alarming number of experienced ones)don’t understand the subtleties of carrying a gun and don’t doit well. Whether it’s a poorly chosen or positioned holster, aninadequate cover garment or self-conscious carry habits, if yourgun is poorly concealed, you risk having someone try to take itfrom you. Do your research, invest in good equipment, and, ifpossible, talk to some experienced CCW holders to learn how tocarry your gun discreetly.

If you keep your gun well concealed, the bad guy shouldn’tbe aware of its presence until you choose to draw it. Obviously,you must be justified in doing so, which means that you have

identified a tangible threat and are in fear for your life or in fearof grievous bodily injury. In a perfect world, you will have identi-

fied that threat from a significant distance and can draw and, ifnecessary, shoot your firearm from well beyond arm’s length.Unfortunately, the world is an imperfect place, so it’s possiblethat your attacker may be close enough to touch you or quicklyclose the distance with you. If that’s the case, you need to guardagainst contact-distance weapon attacks and simultaneouslymaintain your ability to shoot your attacker without giving himor her the chance to grab your gun. The key to doing all that is asound weapon-retention position.

My preferred weapon-retention position places the palm ofyour non-weapon hand (let’s assume your left hand, for theright-handed majority) firmly against your forehead, just aboveyour left eyebrow. In this position, your arm is anchored to yourhead to protect it and your neck against the most likely attackyou’ll face: a right-handed forehand strike or cut. Because itforms a solid triangle, its movement is also restricted, whichprevents it from being pushed down in front of your muzzle.

Your gun hand should be pressed firmly against your rightpectoral muscle so the base of your thumb touches your right

nipple. By “flagging” your thumb, your thumb creates an off-set between the gun and your body, and pins any loose

W

Surefire handgun-retention tactics that work againstmultiple attackers! BY MICHAEL JANICH PHOTOS BY PATRICK LANHAM

FIGHTING OFFGUN GRABS

A good weapon-retention position puts your gun out of easy reach, and by quickly rotating yourbody, you’ll create a powerful shearing motion that will swiftly deflect the grabbing arm.




clothing to your body. This allows theslide to cycle freely and is more instinc-tive, and arguably more effective, than“canting” your hand outward. Yourmuzzle, hand and elbow should all bealigned in a straight line as if you werepreparing to punch your target—anypart of your attacker’s body below yourshoulder level—with the muzzle.

A good weapon-retention position putsyour gun back to make it difficult to grab.It should also enable you to easily preventany attempts to grab your weapon. If youassume the position described above andan attacker reaches for your gun, simplyturn your shoulders and deflect his arm

with your guarding elbow. This is muchmore powerful than trying to swat hishand away with your non-gun hand andkeeps you from muzzle flashing your ownhand. The turn of your shoulders alsodoes double duty by not only poweringyour deflection, but also pulling your gunfarther away from his attempted grab.

Forcing FreeWhat if the attacker does manage toget a grip on your handgun? Your firstresponse should be to do the same thingyou would do to prevent the grab—turnyour shoulders and use the power of yourentire body to drive his hand away fromyou as you pull your gun back. As you dothis, don’t allow your arms to stray awayfrom their rooted positions or move in-dependently. Use the power of your coreand the rotation of your body instead.

To make the retraction motion of your

gun hand even more effective, rotate yourhand 90 degrees so it is palm up. This

“You need toguard againstattacks andsimultaneouslymaintain yourability to shootyour attacker,without givinghim or her thechance to grabyour gun.”




TACTICS

“stacks” the ulna and radius bones ofyour forearm so they are perpendicularto your rib cage and places the butt of thegrip or magazine floorplate firmly againstyour ribs. The combined dynamics of thisstructure, the structure of your elbowand the rotation of your body creates apowerful shearing motion that will rip hishand off your gun. Best of all, it works just as well whether he’s grabbing withhis left hand, his right hand or with bothhands.

Once you’ve freed your gun, you canfinish the job by rotating back to your leftand using the power of that rotation to

deliver a backhand hammer-fist strike tothe attacker’s head. After impact, recoverto your weapon-retention position andfollow-up as necessary.

Multiple EnemiesMultiple-attacker situations are a real-ity. It may be that you have drawn andextended your gun to fire at one as-sailant when a second assailant grabsyour gun or gun hand from the side. Ifthis happens, you first need to pull yourhands close to your body to maximize

your strength. To do this, think about themechanics of rowing a boat and use your

back muscles to pull your elbows tightto your ribs. Once you’ve done this, pivotyour body to orient your muzzle towardthe attacker as you simultaneously raiseyour guard hand to create the sameweapon-retention position. Dependingupon the dynamics of the situation, pivot-ing may also require stepping forwardor backward to get your muzzle on lineand generate power in the turn of yourshoulders. The ultimate goal is to moveyour body so you can employ the sameshearing technique described earlier.

If you carry a weapon, you need totrain to maintain control over it. And the

easiest way to do that is with a sound setof mechanics that is not only consistentwith the realities of contact-distanceviolence, but also provides both proactiveand reactive solutions to the most likelythreats in a single package.

Get a partner and a blue gun, and workthrough the mechanics of these tacticsslowly. As your skills and understandingimprove, increase your speed and inten-sity and validate your technique againstrealistic threats. In the process, practiceusing judgment, verbal skills and a logi-

cal assessment process to follow up ap-propriately. Train hard, and stay safe.

When facing multiple attackers, bewareof gun grabs from your flank.

Assume a weapon-retention position andorient the muzzle toward the attacker.

During a side grab, use your back musclesto pull the gun back toward your body.

Weapon to the chest, rotate your body toshear the attacker’s hands off the gun.

“You can use the power of that rotation todeliver a backhand hammer-fist strike...”



TheLegend Continues.

THE GENUINE ARTICLE.

THE STANDARD ISSUE.

THE REAL DEAL.

ANY QUESTIONS ?

The Colt 1911.Copied and imitated for over100 years,

this originalhas yet to be duplicated.



COMBAT TEST


The ultra-modern andlightweight .22 MagnumRuger LCR snubnose is

compact, highly reliableand delivers excellent

tactical performancewith minimal recoil.



Soft-shooting snubbiedelivering state-of-the-art

magnum knockout firepower!BY DR. MARTIN D. TOPPER PHOTOS BY STEVE WOODS

combathandguns.com December 2013 COMBAT HANDGUNS 71combathan dg ns.com bathan .

Ruger’s .22 Magnum Light CarryRevolver (LCR) was well receivedwhen it made its debut at a 2013industry trade show, and it’s easyto see why. When fired from a light-weight snub-nose revolver, the .22Magnum cartridge (also known as the.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, or.22 WMR) offers a 30 percent increasein power over the .22 LR with only 20percent of the .38 Special +P’s recoil.The relatively low price of .22 Magnumammunition compared to that of center-fire defense loads is another plus. The.22 Magnum fits nicely in between the.22 LR and centerfire calibers when itcomes to power, recoil and cost, andit’s a seemingly perfect chambering

for recoil-sensitive people livingon a budget.

Single-action .22 Mag. handguns havesold well since the 1960s, but double-action guns in this caliber haven’t beenas popular because they generally haveheavy double-action trigger pulls. Theextra-thick rim on the .22 Mag. case re-quires a gun with a heavier-than-averagemainspring for consistent primer ignition.Therefore, it’s common for the DA triggerpull on a .22 Mag. revolver to be over 15pounds. This is too heavy for the manyolder or small-statured people who mightotherwise choose a light-kicking .22 Mag.handgun for personal protection.

GUN DETAILSFour versions of the ultra-modern LCRhave made their way to the American

market. The first was chambered for .38Special and .38 Special +P. This LCR was

well received, and Ruger soon producedtwo new versions of the LCR in .357Magnum and .22 LR. Then, just beforethe 2013 trade show, Ruger announceda new six-shot LCR in .22 Magnum. AllLCRs have the same dimensions: a 6.5-inch length, a 4.5-inch height and a 1.87-inch barrel. And regardless of caliber,all LCRs are built according to the samebasic design, which includes a cylinderand barrel insert made of stainless steel,a metal, monolithic frame, a polymerfire-control housing that has a grip peg,a pinned front sight that can be replacedwith an XS Standard Dot Tritium sightand a DAO fire-control system. The pegfits a number of grips, including HogueTamer grips, Crimson Trace Lasergrips

and aftermarket grips made of wood orother materials.




The LCR’s three structural compo-nents work well together: The cylinderand barrel provide the strength to con-tain operating pressures; the monolithicframe provides sufficient rigidity to holdthe cylinder, barrel and sights in proper

alignment; and the flexible, polymerfire-control housing dampens recoil andcontains most of the internal parts thatlock the cylinder in place, control timingand fire the cartridge.

There’s one additional feature of theLCR’s fire-control housing that must bementioned. The trigger linkage has aspecially designed cam, so when the

The LCR’s high-strengthstainless steel flutedcylinder easily handlesmost modern .22Magnum ammunition.

>>>RUGER LCR .22 MAGNUM

L E F T :

D R

. M A R T I N

D .

T O P P E R

P H O T O




trigger is pulled, the cam provides lever-age that helps compress the mainspringand reduce the trigger pull. The endresult is a smooth, single-stage trig-ger pull that gets lighter as the triggermoves rearward. The DAO pull on the .22Mag. LCR averaged 13.5 pounds, which is

lighter than the DA pull of most other .22Mag. revolvers currently in production.Ruger is well known for producing

quality firearms, and the .22 Mag. LCRthat I received for testing at the FloridaGun Exchange is no exception. The trig-ger pull on each chamber was consis-tently within a half-pound of the pullsfrom the other chambers. The barrel–cyl-inder gap was also consistent, measuring0.009 inches for each chamber. Timingwas perfect. Each chamber locked inplace well before the sear released theinternal hammer. The cylinder cranealignment was excellent, as was theoverall fit and finish. There were noscratches, poorly conformed parts orgaps between the fire-control housingand the monolithic frame.

ADVANCED AMMOBullets fired from traditional .22 rimfirecartridges rarely expand at standard

SPECIFICATIONS

RUGER LCR

Caliber .22 Magnum

Barrel 1.87 inches


Weight 16.6 ounces

Grips Hogue Tamer Monogrip

Sights Pinned ramp front,U-notch rear

Action DAO

Finish Matte black

Capacity 6

MSRP $529

“Fast double- and triple-taps to the

center-mass werenot a problem ateither 7 or 15 yards.”



Hogue’s stippled Monogrip facilitatesaccurate rapid fire from the LCR.

handgun velocities. Their projectilesmay flatten a bit when they hit tissue,

but they rarely mushroom. In addi-tion, traditional .22-caliber rimfirebullets often have rounded ogives thatfrequently cause them to deflect whenthey impact bone. Given all of this, therewasn’t much reason to choose a s ix-shot.22 Magnum revolver over an eight-shotmodel chambered in .22 LR.

However, in the last year therehave been important changes in .22Mag. ammunition. Hornady, Speerand Winchester all produce loads thatconsistently expand when fired fromhandgun barrels as short as 1 inch. TheHornady 45-grain Critical Defense loadhas a polymer insert in its nose that flat-tens and causes the bullet to expand toabout .30 caliber when it strikes tissue.The polymer insert often separates fromthe core, but there is little loss in weightbecause the lead core and gilding metal

jacket remain together.When the Speer 40-grain Gold Dot

Short Barrel bonded load strikes tissue,the front section of its core expandsrapidly, causing some fragmentation ofthe lead and jacket. The final expandeddiameter of the Gold Dot is a bit largerthan the Critical Defense’s. Despite itsfragmentation and larger expandeddiameter, the Gold Dot’s penetration isstill acceptable because fragmentationonly reduces the Gold Dot’s weight by 15percent. The Winchester 40-grain PDX1also expands to .30 caliber, but it doesn’tfragment, and it retains most of itsoriginal weight.

The Hornady and Winchester loadspenetrate about 11 to 12 inches into10-percent ballistic gelatin. The SpeerGold Dot goes about 12 inches in water,

a level of penetration that is a bit lessthan the FBI standard, which calls for

>>>RUGER LCR .22 MAGNUM




a minimum of 12 inches in 10-percentgelatin. These three loads penetrate ina fairly straight line in ballistic tests andshould also be more stable in tissue thannon-expanding, round-nose bullets. Evenso, always remember that people often

move during armed confrontations, andbullets don’t always strike straight on.This makes penetration hard to guar-antee, regardless of the caliber used.Finally, the consistent expansion of thesenew .22 Mag. bullets allows them to moreefficiently transfer energy to the targetthan traditional .22-caliber projectiles do.That increased energy transfer makesthe lower-capacity .22 Magnum LCR areasonable alternative to an eight-shotsnubbie chambered in .22 LR.

RANGE TIME

I fired the Ruger LCR from a benchrestto evaluate accuracy and velocity, usedthe gun in an Army L Bullseye match andtested it in a simulated tactical exercise.For velocity and accuracy testing, I usedHornady’s 45-grain Critical Defense,Speer’s 40-grain Gold Dot and CCI’s MaxiMag 40-grain TMJ. I used the Maxi Magfor the Bullseye match and Hornady’s25-grain NTX for the tactical tests. Iexperienced no misfires, hang-fires orchambering problems with any of theammunition evaluated.

I conducted velocity and benchrestaccuracy testing at the Volusia CountyGun & Hunt Club in Deland, Florida. Imeasured velocity using a PACT Model1XP chronograph and for accuracy test-ing used a MTM Case-Gard Front SightRifle Rest to fire three 5-shot groups ofeach load at 7 yards, the distance nor-mally associated with using a snub-noserevolver for personal defense.

The Speer Gold Dot ammunitionproduced the highest velocity and bestoverall accuracy. The Hornady CriticalDefense was a bit slower due to its

additional weight and was the least ac-

PERFORMANCE

RUGER LCR .22 MAGNUM


BULLET WEIGHT MEASURED IN GRAINS , VELOCITY IN FEET PER SECOND ( FPS) 15 FEET FROM THE MUZZLE BY PACT MODEL 1 XP CHRONOGRAPH , AND ACCURACY IN INCHES FOR BEST OF THREE 5-SHOT GROUPS AT 7 YARDS.

CCI Maxi Mag 40 TMJ 1,137 1.80

Hornady 45 1,098 2.57Critical Defense

Speer 40 Gold Dot 1,172 1.55Short Barrel





HANDLOADING


here are a lot of reasons to get into reloading, butmost of them come down to control—control overyour access to ammunition, control over the powerand accuracy of your rounds, and control over thecost of your shooting. On a per round basis, han-

dloading can save you anywhere between 40 and 67 percentdepending on your choice of components. After gaining experi-ence with reloading, you might want to move on to casting yourown bullets, which can save you up to 80 percent per round.So, whereas you might have to spend a li ttle over $200 for a500-round brick of .45 ACP practice ammo, by reloading, thatsame money will put almost 900 FMJ rounds into your ammocan. With reloading, you have control over your components, soyou can choose to buy hard-cast lead bullets instead of FMJs,which will let you load and shoot 1,500 rounds for about asmuch money as it costs to shoot 500 rounds of factory-made .45ACP. That is a compelling reason to roll your own ammo.

Broken down to its essentials, reloading is a pretty simpleprocess of sizing and priming a cartridge case, adding a powdercharge to that case and seating a bullet on the charge. But forsuch a simple process, there is a bewildering array of equip-ment for the novice reloader to choose from. Before you eventry to sort through the choices, I recommend that you takesome time to do a self-assessment of your shooting interestsand your space and financial constraints.

So think about your situation and let your needs drive yourreloading equipment choices. The first thing to think about isspace. Where will you reload? Typically, you will need a spacewhere you can install a solid bench to mount reloading pressesand associated gear. So, do you have a dedicated place for areloading bench? The space can be quite small. Even in anapartment, you can turn a small closet into a reloading roomwith a little ingenuity.

T

Take control of your ammo supply with theseaffordable, do-it-yourself options!BY MIKE BELIVEAU PHOTOS BY RICHARD MANN

ROCK-SOLIDRELOADING BASICS

“Whereas you might have to spend alittle over $200 for a 500-round brick of .45 ACP practice ammo, by reloading,that same money will put almost 900 FMJrounds into your ammo can .”

Single-stage presses like the RCBS Rock Chucker provide hand-loaders with a solid loading press that can be customized as needed.




Press SuccessThe next thing to consider is what kindof shooting you do and how much. Themore rounds you expect to shoot, themore you will eventually feel the needfor a progressive press or a turret press.But, despite the fact that you may even-tually migrate to a higher-production-volume press, I strongly recommendgetting a good single-stage press asyour first press.

When you are starting out, learning tomake quality reloads is more importantthan developing the ability to turn outquickly a lot of poorly made ammunition.A single-stage press is a much easierplatform with which to learn reloadingthan a progressive press. And you willalways have a need for a single-stagepress. Single-stage presses are simple

to use and are relatively inexpensive.Excellent presses can be had from anyof the major manufacturers for between$100 and $200. And, regardless of thebrand, they are so rugged that your greatgrandkids will be reloading with it in the22nd century. So get one and learn tomake good ammo. It may be all the pressyou ever need, but if after a while you findthat you can’t keep up with your shootingvolume, think about turret or progressivepresses.

I own four presses, and I use them all.Most of my high-volume handgun reload-ing is done on either a Dillon 550B pro-gressive press or on a Lee Turret press,but when I’m working up a new handgunload, I do it on a nice compact RCBSReloader Special-5 press. When I’vesettled on a load that performs as I want,I move it to either the progressive or theturret press. But there are another half-dozen handgun cartridges, like the .32French Long and the .45 Autorim, that Idon’t load enough of to justify configuringthe progressive or the turret. I just loadthose on the RCBS single-stage press. Istill use the first press I ever bought.

Dies, Scales & PowderAlong with a press, you’ll need a set ofreloading dies for each caliber you planto load. Most pistol ammo is amenable tocarbide dies. These are by far your bestchoice, even though they cost a few dol-lars more than plain steel dies. Carbidedies eliminate the need to lubricate thecartridge cases before resizing, which re-ally simplifies the process. Some die setscome with the appropriate shell holder forthe cartridge, while others do not. Be sure

to check, and buy a separate shell holderif your die set doesn’t come with one.




HANDLOADING

The next two essential pieces ofequipment you need are a scale and apowder measure. These two things gotogether, but while the powder measureis important, the scale is absolutely criti-cal. You cannot safely reload without agood scale. Digital scales are all the ragethese days, and they are very convenient.They are also a bitpricey. Balance-beam scales aredefinitely old school,having been aroundfor thousands ofyears, but they dothe job. You can ex-pect to pay anywherebetween $50 and$150 for a decentbalance-beam scale,and twice that fora digital model. Irecommend starting

with a $50 balance-beam scale. If youwant to move up to a digital version,you’ll always have the balance beam as abackup in case the power goes out.

Buying a high-quality powder mea-sure is a good investment. You can get adecent powder measure for around $50,and you can get a really good one for just

“The next thing to consider iswhat kind of shooting you do andhow much. The more rounds youexpect to shoot, the more you willeventually feel the need for aprogressive or a turret press.”

Hornady’s Lock-N-Load Classic Kit delivers all

the reloading essentials, including an O-press, apowder measure, a scale and three die bushings.

With accessories like a case loading block and a powder measurer, a well-preparedhandloader can produce an impressive amount of ammunition at a very reasonable price.

P H O T O

C O U R T E S Y

H O R N A D Y




over a C-note. Hornady, RCBS and Lymanmake excellent powder measures. I usean RCBS Uniflow measure, but you can’tgo wrong with any of the measures madeby the major reloading manufacturers.

Along with gear, the other essentialadditions to your reloading setup arereloading manuals. Get one or two, readthem and follow what they say. The majorpowder and bullet manufacturers alloffer them. Many of the powder companymanuals are available on the Internet. Iown manuals from Speer, Hornady andLyman, and I use each powder-maker’sonline tools frequently. One thing to avoidis load information passed on casuallyin chat rooms or on discussion boards.After gaining experience with reload-ing and with load testing, you’ll have theknowledge to determine if a casuallyrecommended load is safe, given thepowder’s burn rate and potential pres-

sure in that case and bullet combination.But, until you have that knowledge, stickto loads in the manuals.

All In OneA great option for the beginner isHornady’s Lock-N-Load Classic Kit. Theheart of the kit is a strong O-press thatuses Hornady’s Lock-N-Load bush-ing system. Rather than screwing yourdies directly into the press, each dieis mounted on an individual bushing.Just drop them into the press and givethem a eighth of a turn to lock them intoplace. It makes changing dies fast andeasy. The kit also comes with Hornady’srobust Lock-N-Load powder measure,a digital scale, a primer catcher, threedie bushings, case lube and much more.There are a number of other accesso-ries that come with the kit, but the mostvaluable by far is Hornady’s reloadingmanual. This is one of the best manu-als on the market. I have been using itfor years, and I believe no reloader’sbookshelf is complete without a copy ofthis manual.

Reloading is not difficult. With a littlegear, the right components and somepatience, you can take control of yourammunition supply.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Dillon Precisiondillonprecision.com; 800-223-4570Hornady hornady.com, 800-338-3220Lee Precisionleeprecision.com; 262-673-3075Lyman Productslymanproducts.com; 800-632-1699RCBSrcbs.com; 800-533-5000




FINAL NOTESOne of the things that the Stock IIIdefinitely is not is a carry gun. With anunloaded magazine, it weighs in at 45ounces on the scale. Unfortunately,that makes it illegal for the fastestgrowing-shooting sport in the U.S.,the International Defensive PistolAssociation. The IDPA puts a maximumweight cap on its guns at 43 ounces,which the Stock III just barely misses.While it would be possible to put the gun

on a diet and shed the ounces necessaryto bring this top-notch racegun to IDPA,if you’re set on running a Tanfoglio inIDPA, you’d most likely be better off witha Match or Stock I model. But in USPSA,IPSC, Steel Challenge and Bianchi Cupcompetitions, the Stock III is going tobe a great choice. The heavy weight andfull-length dust cover of the .40-cali-ber test model helped keep the muzzledown during recoil, which, of course,means faster follow-up shots. In fact,the weight and construction of the StockIII made shooting .40 S&W ammo, eventhe hot defensive ammo tested, almostpleasurable. You definitely know you’re

not shooting a 9mm, but it’s by far themost pleasant .40-caliber handgun that

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

EAA WITNESS STOCK III >>>

“You can’t evaluate the

Stock III under the same light as you’d evaluate a polymer, striker- fired pistol. It’s a Ferrari, a Formula 1 racecar, a performance machine.”




I’ve spent time with.When you’re looking at a gun like the

Stock III, you can’t evaluate it under thesame light as you’d evaluate a poly-mer, striker-fired pistol. It’s a Ferrari,a Formula 1 racecar, a performancemachine. Polymer, striker-fired pistolsare great—I own several—but they’redifferent. For me, there’s nothing reallythat sexy about most flat-black, poly-mer-framed guns. But the Stock III?It’s sexy. It looks good, it shoots great,and it’s just a little bit wild. You’ll love itnot because it’s boring or reliable withall types of ammo, but because it’s justbred for speed and precision. For more

information, visit eaacorp.com or call321-639-4842.

The full-length dust cover addsweight up front for added control.

The rear sightunit is fullyadjustable forwindage andelevation.

The Stock III’scheckering aids in

recoil control.




>>>WALTHER PPX 9mm

release button has aserrated surface. APicatinny rail built intothe dust cover allowsfor the mounting of

lights, lasers or otheraccessories.

I mounted a Waltherlaser sight from a PK380

onto the PPX’s rail, and thoughthe laser is made to fit the PK380 like

a glove, the PPX’s rail held it firmly inplace. The slide is topped with steelcombat sights with three white dots. Thefront sight is fixed, and the rear sightadjusts for windage by drifting the sightleft or right with a punch and hammer. Amatte black Tenifer coating is applied tothe steel parts to resist corrosion.

RANGE TIMEThe PPX is designed for standard and +P9mm ammunition. I had an assortment of9mm rounds consisting of Hornady’s new9mm 115-grain Hornady Action Pistol(HAP) Steel Match. This is Hornady’s newsteel-case ammo, and it’s well suited fortraining, practice and action-shooting

The PPX employs a provenshort-recoil, locked-breech

action. Under the dust cover arefour notches of integral rail.





RANGE TIMEThe range test was conducted at adistance of 7 yards using a two-handedhold and a Weaver stance. My target wasa standard Speedwell B-27 silhouette.Ammo choices were divided betweenbasic 92-grain FMJ .380 from Sellier &Bellot, Hornady Critical Defense 90-grainFTX, and Federal Premium PersonalDefense Low Recoil 90-grain Hydra-ShokJHP (jacketed hollow point).

With a light average trigger pull of 5.5pounds, short take-up and no stacking,the P238 fires with extreme predict-ability, a quick reset, modest recoil andalmost immediate sight reacquisition.The extended-capacity, ergonomicallydesigned X-Grip magazine gives the littleP238 just the added purchase needed fora solid grasp.

The best results came from theHornady Critical Defense 90-grain FTXload, which cleared the P238’s 2.7-inchbarrel at 930 feet per second (fps) andplacing five rounds in the X-ring at1.25 inches. The basic Sellier & Bellot92-grain FMJ cleared the ProChronotraps at an average of 845 fps andgrouped five rounds into 2 inches in the

X-ring. With things getting crowded in theX, I shifted my point of aim to the bottomof the 10-ring for the Federal Premium90-grain Hydra-Shok, which clocked anaverage of 908 fps and placed five roundsinto a nice circular group measuring 1.5

inches and splitting the 9- and 10-rings at5 o’clock. Felt recoil between the Hydra-Shok and Hornady FTX was negligible,and both delivered split-second accuracy.Even good old-fashioned S&B FMJ—around almost as old at the .380 ACP it-self—was accurate and manageable, hav-ing the most recoil of the brands tested.

FINAL NOTESThe P238 Extreme is one very potentlittle gun—if you are on the wrong side ofthe muzzle. It is inherently accurate andeasy to shoot, with manageable recoiland quick target acquisition thanks to itshigh-profile, three-dot SIGLITE sights.Fast sighting is one of the P238 Extreme’sstrongest features. The trigger pull is

light enough to make it easy to shoot, butwith enough resistance—0.19 inches oftake-up before the hammer drops—tomake it less prone to an accidental reflexdischarge. The pistol’s takedown andreassembly procedures are elemental

to anyone who has owned a 1911 or ColtMustang .380. And its all-metal construc-tion does not add any appreciable weightbut does provide for more-solid feel in thehand, especially with the HogueG-10 grips.

Overall, the P238 Extreme doeseverything it is supposed to. It is easy toconceal, the safety is effortless to release,

and the gun is quick to get into action. Itfunctions flawlessly, no matter the ammo,reloads rapidly with a quick releaseof the spent magazine and is equallyswift in chambering the first round. Asa concealed-carry sidearm in .380 ACP,the Sig Sauer P238 Extreme ranks at thetop of my list. For more information, visitsigsauer.com or call 603-772-2302.

“IT IS EASY TO CONCEAL, THE SAFETYRELEASE, AND THE GUN IS QUICK TO

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LETTERS

Which Remington?I would like some clarification on theRemington R1 Carry review in theSeptember 2013 issue of the magazine.First on page 36 a photo mentions a frontsight with a tritium dot, and right belowin the first sentence a red fiber-opticsight? Further into the paragraph, thecomponents listed indicate a match-grade barrel and grip panels with athumb groove on the left panel; however,the pictures don’t show this. Further

into the article (page 38) paragraph fourstates, “Gone is the match-grade barrel.”Can you help with these items?— KL, VIA THE INTERNET

EDITORS’ RESPONSE Dear KL,thank you very much for your letter. Weapologize for any confusion there mayhave been over this in the review of theRemington R1 Carry.

If you look back at the article, you willsee that the author begins by describ-ing the earlier Remington 1911 modelsto give the reader a reference point onthe new R1 Carry. He begins with theR1, and then goes into a description ofthe R1 Enhanced and its features (thesection you are referencing). After that,he begins a detailed description of the R1Carry reviewed in the article.

I hope this clears up any confusion.— THE EDITORS

Ladies OnlyAs a subscriber I was reading theNovember issue of Combat Handguns andread the article in the Ladies Only sec-tion “Picking Your Perfect Carry Gun.”

This would be an excellent handoutfor the Women’s Day that is held at theQuaker Hill Rod and Gun club in Oakdale,Connecticut, twice a year.

At this Ladies Only event we introducenew women shooters to all aspects ofshooting—rifle, shotgun, black pow-der and all aspects of handguns. Forhandguns we offer them the opportunityto shoot rimfire, .38, 9mm, .45 and, forthose who wish, the .460 and .500.

Many women have asked me, “Whatgun should I buy?” This article gives

them expert direction.— CL, VIA THE INTERNET

EDITORS’ RESPONSE CL, thanksfor your letter and for your kind words.Congratulations on your excellent event,and we hope the article proves useful tothe attendees of Quaker Hill’s Women’sDay. As has been noted here, and incountless other venues, women are theindustry’s fastest-growing gun-pur-chasing demographic, and we at CombatHandguns , with the Ladies Only column,and with the magazine as a whole,endeavor to be a source of interesting

information for the expanding ranks offemale handgunners.— THE EDITORS

Pint-sized PowerhousesA longtime fan of Beretta pistols (my firstwas a 9mm 92FS), I had been waitingfor the company to release a compact.380 ACP pocket pistol that I could addto my collection. When the Nano in 9mmcame out, I will admit I was tempted andalmost bought it. But, I really wanted aneven smaller .380 pistol, and I suspectedthat Beretta would be adding a newmicro .380 to the line.

So, you can imagine how happy I waswhen I saw the new Pico on the coverof the current issue (Nov13) of CombatHandguns . I picked up the copy and readthe article immediately, only putting itdown to make a call to the local gun storeto see if they had any available. My nameis on the list for one as soon as they ar-rive in stock! Thanks for letting me knowthis great new gun was available!— MF , VIA THE INTERNET

Cost-effective TrainingAs I suspect is the case with many of us,I am a bit tight on money, which makesbuying practice ammunition, even .22 LR,a tough proposition. So, when I pickedup a copy of the November 2013 issueof Combat Handguns , I was happy to seeWilliam Bell’s review of the LaserLyteTrigger Tyme training pistol. This, com-bined with the LT-PRO laser unit, makesthis a just about ideal solution to myproblem. I can now practice the basics inmy basement without having to burn up acase of ammunition (and possibly skip a

mortgage payment).— GD, VIA THE INTERNET

Handgun OpticsI enjoyed Jay Langston’s review of theSmith & Wesson M&P C.O.R.E. ProSeries (Aug13) and am particularlyintrigued by the possibilities of adding ared-dot optic to a handgun. Certainly itlooks cool; but is it of any practical valueas a self-defense tool? Perhaps that’s atopic for a future issue.— RS , VIA THE INTERNET

Pocket Carry Options

As an avid reader of Combat Handguns ,I wanted to let you know how much I ap-preciate the magazine’s balance of gunreviews and tactics pieces. In particular,I really liked the piece by Massad Ayoobon ankle and pocket carry (Ultra-CovertCarry Modes, August 2013). I havebeen looking for a way to carry my newJ-Frame Smith & Wesson revolver andhad been considering an inside-the-waistband rig. Now, thanks to this piece,I am ready to pick up a pocket holsterfor carrying this handy little gun. Thanksagain, and keep up the good work!— HM, VIA THE INTERNET

Pitbull PerformanceRegarding the Charter Arms Pitbull9mm reviewed in May Combat Handguns .Although I do carry autopistols, I havealways been drawn to revolvers. Theirsimplicity and reliability are very ap-pealing. However, I don’t like to carryanything less than a 9mm, and I’m not upto firing an ultra-compact .357 Mag.

So, when I saw the review of theCharter Arms Pitbull revolver in 9mm, Irealized that I may have found the perfectsolution. With its 9mm chambering, Inow have access to a handy little revolverthat can fire the same ammo as my pri-mary carry gun. Thank you for bringingthe Pitbull to my attention.— HM, VIA THE INTERNET

Editor’s Note: Please send your “Letter To TheEditors” to Combat Handguns , 1115 Broadway, NewYork, NY 10010, attention: “Letter To The Editors,”or email to [email protected]. Pleaseinclude your full name, postal and email address andphone number (including area code). On submission,your comments are our property: We may publish

or republish them in any medium, including printand online.


Ladies Only, handgun optics, Beretta’s pocket firepower,and a cheaper way to train!

Our Readers Sound Off



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88 COMBAT HANDGUNS December 2013 combathandguns.com88 CO MBA T D GUN S D ece m 3 o handgu ns.com

ROUNDUP

SNEAKY PETENYLON HOLSTERSEver since the introduction of theirpopular line of leather-made beltholsters, the folks at Sneaky Petehave been bombarded with cus-tomer requests for a lower-costingand slightly more casual top-flapholster option. Because the cus-tomer is always right—and becauseit’s simply a good idea—SneakyPete has designed the BallisticNylon belt holster. Featuring thesame ultra-discreet, smartphone-case looks as it leather-boundbrother holster, the Ballistic Nylonis rendered in 1050 Denier Nylon—the strongest of its type available—making it both less expensive andwell suited to casualcircumstances.Like the leather variety, the BallisticNylon features a magnetically se-cured flap and Kydex-lined interior;and Sneaky Pete makes a model tofit nearly 100 popular carry pistols(sneakypeteholsters.com).

MAGNA-ARM GUN MAGNETSimplicity is a virtue—a fact well proven by theMagna-Arm Gun Magnet, a single-piece mag-net that keeps your firearm securely stored aswell as immediately accessible. Featuring twoscrew points, the Magna-Arm Gun Magnet can beinstalled virtually anywhere—in your bedroom,inside a closet, under a desk or even in your car.Capable of holding up to15 pounds of weight,the Gun Magnet workswith any stainless-and polymer-framedhandgun, and itfeatures a rubberizedsurface that keepsyour gun scratch-free.Virtually indestructible,the U.S.-made GunMagnet neverthelesscomes with alifetime warranty(magna-arm.com).

PACHMAYRTACTICALGRIP GLOVEAdvancements in gripdesign have made hand-guns more ergonomicthan ever. But it remainsthe case that most gripsare made of either poly-mer or checkered wood—materials that for some shootersmay not serve as an optimally comfortableor usable grip surface. For maximum comfortand control, Pachmayr offers its Tactical GripGlove, a rubbery, flexible and eminently grasp-able sleeve that slides over the handgun grip.

Made to fit over 15 different semi-autos and re-volvers of varying size, the Tactical Grip Glovemolds seamlessly over a given handgun grip,improving handling while adding little in termsof girth. Ventilated side panels keep the Glovesecurely in place, and the Glove’s non-adhesivesurface leaves your grip untouched on removal(pachmayr.com).

GUNCLEANERS GC-740Designed to accommodate theneeds of gun shops, shooting

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CLEVELAND HOLSTERSBecause you can never haveenough cant, Cleveland Holstersoffers its Inside The Waistband(IWB) holster, an extraordinary,new design that allows the userto carry his or her firearm in 441

different cants (most holstersprovide for a mere 16). TheCleveland IWB uses vacuum-formed Kydex for a precise fire-arm fit, premium dense leatherfor supreme comfort, dual-useclips for deeper concealmentand oxidized brass screwsfor easy tension adjustment.Handcrafted in Wisconsin usingentirely American-made parts,the Cleveland IWB is made toorder to fit your handgun(clevelandholsters.com).

LIQUIFIX LQ-5Shooting is certainly fun, buta day at the range comes ata price—and we aren’t refer-ing strictly to fees and spentammunition. With each shot,the exploded powder leavesbehind a residue that, overtime, inhibits the smoothoperation of the firearm. Assuch, regularly cleaning andlubricating your firearm isessential. To make the job goas smoothly—pun intend-ed—as possible, reach forLiquifix’s LQ-5, a revolu-tionary no-fumes, odor-less, non-staining filteredlubricant proven to maintainlubricity longer than anyof its leading competitors.Non-toxic, it emits no toxicchemicals or noxious fumes,making cleaning perfectlysafe. It’s also impres-sively effective, completelyremoving powder residue,smoothly lubricating everymoving part and providinglasting protection againstthe elements (liquifix.com).



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GI type, which I prefer over the extendedones. The Armand Swenson-style ambi-dextrous thumb safety has an extendedshelf that is very easy to hit with eitherhand. The beavertail grip safety has agenerous memory bump, and the burrhammer and the trigger are drilled forweight reduction.

The whole reason for a wide-body1911 is magazine capacity. The FatboyLightweight is equipped with a 12-round,double-stack magazine. There are also10-round magazines available for juris-dictions where that is the legal maximum.The magazine supplied with my test gunworked without a hitch, but ATI shippedthe gun with only one magazine. In myopinion, all pistols should come with apair of magazines. I thought I’d remedythat by drafting some of my Para magsinto service with the Fatboy, but theydidn’t work. I also tried some Mec-Garclones, but they didn’t fit either. So, as far

as I can determine, ATI is the only sourcefor spare magazines for your Fatboy

Lightweight 1911.The trigger pull on the Fatboy

Lightweight is a bit on the heavy side. Itbreaks at 6 pounds, and while I think theideal trigger pull weight for an SA, self-defense pistol is 5 pounds, 6 pounds isvery acceptable. The trigger isn’t adjust-able for take-up or overtravel, but my testgun exhibited about 0.02 inches of take-up before breaking cleanly, and there wasno detectable overtravel at all.

RANGE TIMEAt the range, I tested the FatboyLightweight with three brands of fac-tory ammunition. I ran it with Black Hills230-grain jacketed hollow points (JHPs),and with 230-grain full-metal-jacketed(FMJ) rounds from both Remington andBlazer. The Black Hills 230-grain JHPammunition is what I carry in my personalCCW 1911s. I like it, and it didn’t disap-point me in the Fatboy Lightweight. From

a benchrest at 15 yards, it shot groupsaveraging 2.5 inches in diameter. The

>>> ATI FX45 FATBOY LIGHTWEIGHT

“THE WHOLE REASON FOBODY 1911 IS MAGAZINE THE FATBOY LIGHTWEIGEQUIPPED WITH A 12-ROUDOUBLE-STACK MAGAZI

The ATI FX45Fatboy featuresa set of fixed high-visibility sightsatop the slide.




average velocity through the stubby 3.2-inch barrel was 706 feet per second (fps).

The Remington 230-grain MC roundswere the next ones tested. Accuracywas close to the bar set by the BlackHills ammo. With each brand, my bestgroups measured 2 inches across. But

my average of five 5-shot groups withthe Remington load was 3 inches across.Velocity with the 230-grain Remintonrounds averaged 701 fps.

The final test load for the FatboyLightweight was Blazer’s 230-grain FMJbullets. The Blazer rounds proved to

be the most accurate of the three typestested. My best group with the Blazerammo measured 1.5 inches across. Theaverage of all five groups shot was only 2inches in diameter. As with the Remingtonloads, the Blazers clocked in at an aver-age of 701 fps.

After the benchrest session, I con-ducted some 7-yard rapid-fire drills. Ihad no trouble keeping all 12 rounds inthe nine and 10 rings of a full-sized B-27silhouette target. Despite its light weight,the Fatboy Lightweight was easily control-lable in rapid-fire shooting. My only han-dling gripe with the pistol is that it ejectsempty cases straight back. Quite oftenthey bounced off of my forehead. This wasa little disconcerting the first couple oftimes, but, after I shot the gun for awhile,I stopped noticing it.

The Fatboy Lightweight will fit in any

holster that will accommodate a compact1911. This winter I have been carrying itin either a Don Hume inside-the-waist-band (IWB) holster, or in a hybrid Galcoshoulder rig. It conceals as well as mycompact, single-stack 1911s, but withalmost double the firepower. For moreinformation, visit americantactical.us orcall 800-290-0065.

An extended beavertailgrip safety cups thepistol’s Commander-style hammer.




LCR to fire the last portion of the match,which is the Army L course. During the

rapid-fire stage and with a 6 o’clock holdand a two-hand Isosceles stance, I scored95-5X on the 15-yard target. That’s morethan acceptable performance for a DAOrevolver designed for close-rangepersonal defense.

Testing a handgun’s tactical accuracyrequires that it be fired in drills simulat-ing real-life. On the street you must im-provise and employ a stance that allowsaimed shots to be fired while keepingat least 75 percent of your body behindavailable cover. The Volusia County Gun& Hunt Club has two bays that havesimulated buildings, which allowed me toset targets in places where they could beengaged around a corner, down a hallwayand through a window. Targets wereset up at 4, 7 and 15 yards, all firing wasdone from a modified Weaver stance, andcover was not used as a shooting rest.

The results of the drills were reward-ing. At 4 yards , rapid-fire headshotsand body shots were easy with the LCR.Precision headshots at 7 and 15 yardswere more difficult due to the LCR’s shortsight radius and DAO action; but fast dou-ble- and triple-taps to the centermasswere not a problem at either distance.

FINAL THOUGHTSRuger’s .22 Magnum LCR is a reliableand ultra-modern DAO revolver thatshould fit the needs of shooters whoneed a low-recoil revolver for carry orhome defense. The .22 Mag. cartridgemay not have the power of a .38 Special+P, but new loads from Speer, Hornadyand Winchester clearly improve the ef-fectiveness of the cartridge, making the.22 Magnum LCR a viable alternative to

.22 LR snub-nose revolvers. For moreinformation, visit ruger.com.


The LCR has backstrap-covering grips forreduced recoil and a concealed hammer.




COMBAT HANDGUNS CLASSIFIEDS



.45ACP

10+1 Flush, 14+1 Extended

Slim, Ergonomic Grip

Fits Most P220R and P226R Holsters

Learn more at

SIGSAUER.COM / P227Find us:

MORE POWERPER SQUARE INCH.P227

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Some say it’s a double-stack P220. Others say it feelsmore like a P226. Take hold of the .45ACP, high capacityP227 and decide for yourself.



®

Crimson Trace Master Series Lasergrips project a bright red dot that speeds aimingin any light. Cut from tough G-10, theiraggressive surface ensures a positive grip.

The Master Carry™ Ultra .45 ACP has ashort grip, 3-inch bull barrel and weighs just 25 ounces. I t is ideal for a ll-day-every-day concealed carry.

The Master Carry™ Custom .45 ACP is afull-size 1911 with a stainless steel slideand frame. Weighing 38 ounces, it is agreat choice for carry or home defense.

Unequaled Quality. Unmatched Performance.Kimber Master Carry Pistols.

The new Master Carry™ Pro .45 ACP weighs just 28 ounces. A Round HeelFrame ensures comfortable carry. Important features include night sightsand a stainless steel match grade barrel.

Combat Handguns 2013-12

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Transcript of Combat Handguns 2013-12