9mm

This week, one of my top five from SHOT show finally arrived, and it did not disappoint. I spent the week trying to melt the barrel off the new Nordic Components 9mm NCPCC Carbine, and it was everything I thought it would be.

The Heckler & Kock SP5K 9mm is a rock-solid, proven design that all others must aspire to emulate. This gun is still a bargain compared to an original SP89, and I think is a better option based on how it comes equipped. If you want the real thing, it is definitely for you.

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.

Honor Defense announced this week nine new SKUs of the Honor Guard compact and sub-compact models, bringing their total offerings to 16 pistols. Not too shabby for a company that’s only been around for approximately two years.

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.

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.

Apex Tactical has a long tradition of make great guns even better with their triggers and kits, and its new products on show at the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings continued that theme.

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.