It was pistol day for me at the show, trying to be ready for the Gun Nuts Radio show. Compared to the past couple of years, SHOT Show 2010 is bursting with new handguns and new handgun products.
First stop for me was Heckler & Koch and the new P30S. Any time a company modifies an existing design to add a manual 1911-style safety it’s a risky thing. HK definitely pulled it off. The P30S is essentially a standard Variant 3 P30 (double/single action) with extremely ergonomic ambidextrous safeties. The levers are fairly thin but easy to reach and comfortable to rest your thumb on for a proper firing grip. Activation and deactivation is very positive, and the lever is low-profile enough that it doesn’t interfere with reach to the slide release lever. The safety can be activated with the hammer down or cocked, and the slide can still be manipulated while the safety is on… a great feature for new shooters to help reduce the chance of an accident during administrative handling (loading, unloading, etc.). The P30 has been dominating the European police and military markets and the “S” model further broadens the appeal of the gun.
Another major announcement was the new Bodyguard line by Smith & Wesson. There was a .38 +p revolver that left me non-plussed, but the .380 pocket pistol was a real show-stealer. Slightly larger and heavier than competing products like the Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec P3AT, the Bodyguard .380 has a number of industry-leading features:
- built-in touch activated laser aiming device developed by Insight Technology
- very slim low profile positive manual safety
- multiple strike capability
The trigger of the Bodyguard was outstanding. All of the controls worked well. Dropping the magazine, reloading the gun, and dropping the slide with the slide release lever were all very easy. The new Bodyguard is definitely the most shootable of the .380 pocket pistols. With a 6+1 capacity, the Bodyguard .380 will almost certainly replace my LCP as a back-up gun.
Of course, the 800# gorilla of the 2010 SHOT Show has been the Gen4 Glock models 22 and 17. I’ve been very lucky to see the Gen4 since the first test guns came to the U.S., but have been limited by a non-disclosure agreement from discussing it too much. Now that the gun has been made public, it’s no surprise to me that so many people are excited about this gun. The most noticeable change is the multiple grip sizes. Unlike most companies’ approach to adjustable grips, Glock uses a slim frame (which is, essentially, the “small” grip) and then includes two snap-on grip extensions for people who want a “medium” (pre-Gen4 Glock grip size) or a “large” grip. To be honest, everyone I’ve talked to likes the “small” grip (no additional snap on grip extension). The guns also have an improved grip texture and a redesigned recoil spring assembly. The magazine release is larger and farther back on the pistol grip and it is reversible for those who want a “lefty” configuration.
G22 and G17 models are available now. G19 and G23 models should be on store shelves by this summer, and the rest of the Glock lineup will become Gen4 over the next year or so.
My personal favorite new entry is the SIG-Sauer P229 E2 (pronounced “E Squared”) that was mentioned here last week. SIG handed me one to play with and it was half an hour later before I gave it back. Here is the big deal with the E2 guns: any existing P229 or P226 can be turned into an E2 simply by changing some parts. The main features:
- A smaller and slimmer snap-on grip that doesn’t require grip screws. The grip actually attaches internally to the grip screw bushings, though, keeping it very tight on the pistol. So tight, SIG is developing a tool to help users take it off. If you don’t like the small grip, you can easily put any of the standard SIG grips, Lasergrips, etc. on the gun simply by using grip screws.
- A short reach trigger with SIG’s (poorly named) Short Reset Trigger, or SRT. The SRT isn’t actually a different trigger, it’s a different internal lever and sear. After nine months shooting the HK P30, the SRT was just ludicrously short. A P229 or P226 with SRT is still, in my opinion, one of the fastest-shooting pistols on the market.
- A modified decocker lever intended to eliminate the problem some people have accidentally disengaging the safety due to their grip technique.
- A recontoured slide release lever — actually, the lever from the X5 series — that will definitely help people who complain that their slides don’t lock back on the SIGs because of a high thumbs or thumbs-forward type of grip.
And finally, my entry into Xavier’s Ugly Gun Sunday contest, this… abomination… from Springfield:
More to follow tomorrow…
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
You think they will eventually offer the Bodyguard pocket pistol in 9mm Luger?
So it will in fact be possible to buy the new slim grip from Sig as a spare part, and then place this on an older 226 or 229?
Tait — Doubtful, the gun is too small to handle 9mm.
jelly — You would need the new grip, a new hammer strut, a hammer spring, and a hammer spring seat.
That S&W .380 looks good but why the sudden resurgence of the .380? It seems to me that subcompact 9mms are much better and would be just as easy to produce. Is it just because the higher pressures of the 9mm require a more complicated locking system than the .380? I assume all the new .380s run a blowback system. I also hear that some S&W reps got busted at SHOT… normally I wouldn’t even ask but it was on the firearmsblog… I love S&W. I can’t believe that crap. Tell me it’s all BS.
So it wouldn’t be possible to buy the small grip and put it on a DAK Sig if one had no interest in a DA/SA gun, for example?
i’m assuming that if one were not a fan of the G4 glock design and if one were thinking of ever buying a G19 and this same one prefers to have the G3 non-RTF version one should part with ones cash and buy one for oneself soon.
jelly — You could, but you’d still have to buy the hammer strut, hammer spring, and hammer spring seat.
David — I suppose. But unless you dislike the mag button for some reason, you could just get a Gen4 and put the medium backstrap on the gun.
Have to agree with @jellydonut. Why all the 380 love. It’s hard enough to find 9mm ammo, let alone 380. And the cost of 380 ammo is sky high. If S/W made their pocket 380 in 9mm, I’d order 2 today. Why can’t the majors make a high quality Kahr PM9 sized 9mm. (The Kahr is NOT high quality. Still too many problems; a real crap shoot to get one that works without endless visits to the factory.)
The p30 grip is frickin’ awesome, but the da pull is heavy and long. I guess great for a cop or anyone else wanting to quadruple think/check before pulling the trigger.
A private comment not intended for posting.
The correct meaning of nonplussed is ‘utterly perplexed; completely puzzled’. It’s derived from the Latin phrase non plus ‘not more, no further’—referring to a state in which nothing more can be done. To be nonplussed is to be at a total loss as to what to say or do. It’s puzzling as to how nonplussed has come to mean ‘undisturbed, unimpressed, indifferent’. The prefix non- means ‘not, no’, but the word plussed has no meaning in English. It’s likely that the negative prefix makes one think the meaning must be ‘not something’ rather than ‘utterly or completely something.’ Incidentally, there is no hyphen – it is one word.
Todd,
Any word of H&K importing the p30L with
the LEM trigger? As I was told by H&K, the p30
can not be converted because of the cut out in the slide for the decocker.Make sense to you?
Cogito — Your commet left me completely anti-plussed. 8)
joe — No plans for a “L” LEM.
Can’t wait to get my P30, and put it through the paces.
I could guess the answer but the question remains to be actually addressed. Does the new E2 model actually help with the gun fitting in with the more modern grip technique?
Joel — Yes. I never had a problem with the SIG using my grip, but others didn’t like how it forced them to move their right thumb (for righties) off the slide release lever to get a lockback.
Any word on P30LS in 9mm DA/SA and arrival timeframes?
Braydon — Summertime.
SHOT Show 2010: Pistol S&W Bodyguard series video
More Bodyguard stuff from S&W
Video – http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/popups/BGWeb/SW_Bodyguard_Web-iPhone.mp4
Brochure – http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/popups/BGWeb/issue2/index.html
Todd,
It looks like the P30 from SHOT has a rear mounted decocking lever and a left side control lever. Do you know if that is the way they intend to ship the gun? Interesting setup. If so, does that mean the control lever is not a decocker?
Thanks!
The picture I just saw of the Glock Gen 4 recoil spring looks remarkably similar to the DPM Systems design that I tried on my M&P a year or so ago. http://www.dpmsystems.com/en/products/ Any insights?
I live in Erie, Pa. – where, in this locale, can I purchase the S&W Bodyguard 380, including 380 ammo. What is the approximate cost for said firearm? Any answer would be most appreciated.