19-Jan-12 – 22:29 by ToddG
ASYM Ammunition has taken off like a rocket over the past year. They provided some .45 ammo in 2010 for the HK45 test and it consistently turned in the tightest groups through the gun ever. The company’s owner, Stan Chen (yes, the Stan Chen, the famous 1911 gunsmith) has offered to send along some ammo for the 2012 test as well. They’re also producing a barrier-blind 5.56mm round that is very similar to the new military “brown tip” load.
The Beretta Nano left me nonplussed. It is very small, light, and fits the hand well. The trigger pull on the SHOT Show guns was reasonable but it has a full reset. Also annoying to me was the lack of an external slide stop… there is no way to drop the slide except to rack it (which is impossible if there is an empty mag in the gun) and there is no way to lock the slide back except to have an empty magazine handy. In other words, it’s impossible to clear the pistol properly (slide back on an empty chamber with no magazine) without going through a number of steps.
Glock announced the gen4 Glock 32, the mid-size 357 SIG version of the company’s pistol. Meanwhile, depending upon whom you ask at the company, there was never a 9mm gen4 problem; there was a minor gen4 9mm problem that is completely resolved and was totally overblown; or yeah, there’s still a problem and they hope they’re close to fixing it. You probably know which one I believe.
FN’s new FNS striker-fired pistol has a lot of potential. Could it be the next contender for the coveted — but so far unclaimed — title of “Glock Killer?” The ergonomics are excellent. The grip, while looking blocky, is actually very comfortable with a traditional grip angle. Controls are all 100% ambidextrous and somehow manage to be both very low profile and easily manipulated simultaneously. In particular, the safety and slide lock both look far too small to be useable without a microscope, but somehow managed to move in exactly the right direction at exactly the right time, every time, when manipulating the gun at speed. The pistol has been in development and testing through FN’s successful 3-gun competition team throughout 2011 and many of the suggestions from that group found their way into the final design. The FNS is P30-like in dimensions, which a full size grip but moderate length barrel. Compact and long slide versions, along with a .45 cal version, are on the horizon.
I mentioned the Raven Concealment Vanguard-2 on the Day 1 recap, but on Wednesday night I actually wore a Glock 26 in one for about five hours. It remained secure and concealed with no trouble (not that it’s hard to conceal a G26). I’m still not sure what it does better than a dedicated full AIWB holster outside of very specific, limited circumstances that don’t really apply to most CCWers and cops, but I doubt that will stop RCS from selling eleventy billion of them.
The SIG P224 met my expectations exactly. Some folks have complained that it’s bulky but I honestly think they’re comparing it to a Kahr or other single stack micro 9mm. That isn’t what the P224 was ever supposed to be. It’s SIG’s version of the Glock 26/27: short, fat, high capacity (11rd 9mm, 10rd .40), with magazine compatibility between the P224 and its bigger P226 & P229 cousins. Currently only available in DAK — which I’m not a fan of — it will be offered as a double/single action 9mm “soon.” SIG also had the P250 on the shelves, so rumors of that line’s demise are apparently, unfortunately, premature. SIG says the P250 continues to sell in large numbers, proving that not everyone in the U.S. has internet access yet.
Tango Down, makers of the incredibly popular Vickers Tactical Glock Mag Catch and Vickers Tactical Glock Slide Stop will soon answer the prayers of many gen4 Glock owners with a Vickers Tactical mag catch that is compatible with the latest Glocks.
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
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