9mm

         I live half an hour outside of town on my modest rural farm. I count the local Sheriff and his deputies among my dearest friends, but even in a perfect world it will still take them at least a quarter hour to get to my place from a standing start. I know of three of my immediate neighbors who have been the victims of home invasions in the past five years, two of which occurred while the homes were occupied. In one case the oldest family member present at the time was twelve. Defending yourself against an armed threat in your home is no baseless exercise.  

Taurus has come on with a vengeance in revolvers this year. The 692 is a full-sized revolver in .357 Magnum and .38 Special. Big deal, you say! Every .357 revolver also shoots .38 Special. That isn’t what we meant by multiple calibers. With one press of a button, the cylinder is removable, and in its place? Taurus has provided a 9mm cylinder. One wheelgun = three calibers. Now, we’re talking.

Last year, the release of the M&P 2.0 family of pistols was one of the biggest stories fo the year. Unlike other companies, Smith and Wesson seemed to listen to every customer critique over the preceding 10 years and fixed every one of them in the 2.0. Not some, spaced over the next 3 generations. All of them. Right now. Ready go.

SIG Sauer is best known for military-style hardware, ranging from submachine guns and sniper rifles, to the new Army M17 pistol. It is easy to forget they also make 1911 pistols, some of the best around. The first time I shot a Sig 1911 over a decade ago, it was hard to miss the value of the included high-end features. This year, SIG released a special edition “ We the People” model, a sure win for collectors.

SCCY is one of the last of the little guys, a firearms maker that isn’t part of a giant conglomerate. They set out to fill a single niche, and they have done that well. Sitting down with SCCY at SHOT 2018, we learned some of the reasons why.

SAR Arms had a new pistol, but more importantly a new company. The days of multiple importers are over, SAR is now SAR USA. This is a subsidiary of the Turkish firearms maker and will be handling all warranty issues for SAR pistols, regardless of who brought it into the country. This should smooth over any and all issues regarding parts availability, new models, and magazines.

Mechanical systems evolve over time. The earliest German Messerschmitt Bf 109 A fighter plane first flew in 1937. That remarkable aircraft sported a Jumo 210A 600-horsepower engine driving a fixed-pitch two-bladed propeller. Seven years later the Bf 109 G-6 carried a Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 powerplant producing 1,455 hp turning a constant-speed variable-pitch paddle-geometry three-bladed prop. The G-6 was easily twice as capable as the earlier A model. The Nazis ultimately produced 33, 984 copies of the plane. Operational pressures exerted by full-bore combat on three fronts drove the Bf 109 to evolve over time.

Bond Arms has been making quality products for a very long time, most notably derringers that are standard by which all others are judged. Made in Texas, by Texans. Let us not forget that either. This year, however, they have stepped out into magazine fed arena. And the product should have other CCW specialty companies worried.

Syntech Ammunition was launched a few years back, specially designed as a high-quality training round. It keeps a lead core, but the jacket is polymer. The bullet is encased to keep any lead on steel contact from inside the gun, eliminating aerosolized lead and overall making a cleaner to shoot round. The construction also reduces splash back from steel targets.