Handguns

Kimber turned its sights on the .380 concept with the Micro CDP and an entire Micro .380 line. Looking like a highly refined Colt Mustang (exactly what it is, just like the Sig Sauer P238 Series) with a standard capacity of 6 +1 the .380 ACP Micro series left Kimber with one remaining challenge and in 2016 Kimber took the next logical step by introducing a slightly larger Micro variation chambered in 9mm.

My first thought when reading the breaking news of the new X-Five line was that SIG was making some neat looking cosmetic changes to the pistol and maybe a bell here or a whistle there. It wasn’t until I received the test sample of the P320 X-Five and immediately tore it apart before I realized that the mad scientists at SIG had done much more than that! It is a P320, and shares the same internal serialized chassis (or fire control group) as the rest of the series. But in just about every other way it is a completely new and different gun.

Love it or hate it, the 10mm round deserves respect. Both the chambering and the 6.3-inch barrel that Dan Wesson equips the Bruin with make it a great choice for hunting—especially with 10mm cartridges loaded to their full potential. Pigs, deer, and bear within close range will fall prey to the Bruin.

I have never owned an STI pistol, and until I received the Hex Tactical for this review, I had only shot them a few times, during “hey, try this out” sessions on match days. I was impressed on those occasions and was eager to have this model – a relatively new one from STI, all to myself for testing. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t disappointed!

In the interest of a look toward the future, we decided to have a shoot-off of some of the most popular brands of 9mm pistol with a factory red dot mount option. There can be only one! So, let’s get them out on the range and in the hands of some different shooters and see what comes out on top.

Springfield Armory has taken their mastery of small gun ergonomics in a new direction with the release of the XD-E. The E stands for external hammer, which is a feature many people look for in a carry gun. If you are in the “don’t trust strikers” crowd, this gun was absolutely made for you.

Sam Colt’s firearms had always been counterfeited in abroad but the numbers were small and Sam was, as usual, strapped for cash and so little could be done. Sam Colt and his London solicitor decided that the manufacture of copies would be allowed to continue as long as a royalty of 10 francs per firearm was paid. All revolvers made according to the agreement were to be marked COLT/BREVETE as proof of “licensed” manufacture.

The competition-oriented Colt Gold Cup Trophy expands on the National Match design with even more high-end, semi-custom features.

We here at GunsAmerica first heard about what would become the FN 509 back in January, 2016 at SHOT Show. There were plenty of looks back and forth between the FN folks, followed by a polite “We’ll get back to you” when asked about it. Fast-forward 12 months to the 2017 SHOT Show, and FN responded with an invitation to a meeting at an undisclosed location in Las Vegas. At that meeting, we were given the opportunity to fire a few hundred rounds through the FN 509. We received our sample of the 509 a few weeks ago after promising not to discuss it publicly until April 17th, 2017.