CONCEALED CARRY GUNS New Semi-Auto Pistols for Self-Defense In addition to its new Deluxe National Standard and Jones Deluxe variations, Cabot has added a totally new model called the American Joe. With unique engraving, this full-house custom beauty comes with special American fl ag grips. Semi-Auto Pistols BYY GARYGGARYY PAULPAAUL JOHNSTONJJOHNSTTOON eginning around 1,300 pistols that fi red only one shot for each is the most common, with the more years ago, the fi rst press on the trigger, and that term was simplifi ed versions referred to as “modi- B guns appeared, the “semi-automatic.” Today, these guns are fi ed Browning short recoil.” A few other prototypes of today’s shotguns, hand- more commonly referred to as pistols pistols use “rotating barrel short recoil,” guns, and rifl es. The etymology of the with the term “semi-automatic” being such as is found with some European word “pistol,” which arrived about the generally understood. models. In any case, the barrel and slide year 1550, is vague, but may have come All self-loading pistols (and other (or bolt) recoil together for only a short from similar sounding words in German, arms of semi-automatic mechanism), distance before being unlocked, with Russian, and French, which referred are gas operated, but how the gas is kinetic energy completing the rearward to a small pipe or fl ute. Whatever the used further describes particular op- travel of the slide. Although there are case, the term was applied to any and erations. The vast majority of today’s others, blowback and short recoil all handguns until the mid-nineteenth semi-automatic pistols operate by operating systems will remain the most century, when the term “revolving simple blowback or short recoil. common in semi-automatic pistols for pistol” came into use so as to differenti- the foreseeable future. ate between the (then modern) revolver In blowback, the breech is not and the handguns that did not have a mechanically locked, such as happens Various types of fi re are used in revolving cylinder. in .22 rimfi re and .25, .32, and .380 semi-automatic pistols to include centerfi re pistols. Rather, it is only the single-action-only, double-action-only, At the end of the nineteenth century, fi rst shot double-action with successive with the advent of the self-loading, mass of the slide and other recoiling shots single-action (DA/SA), and these magazine-fed pistol, revolvers began to parts and spring pressure that slows be simply called revolvers, leaving all the opening of the breech until the can be hammer or striker fi red. What’s other handguns to be called pistols, the bullet has left the muzzle. more, various safeties can be found latter usually with an adjective in front, Most pistols of larger calibers use that work automatically, manually, or i.e., single-shot, double-barrel, and that a mechanical lock to keep the breech both. None of these modes seems to be newfangled one, the self-loading pistol. closed for a longer time after the gun is in preference over the others, but the When, soon after, fully automatic pistols fi red. In the vast majority, this operation revival of manual safeties is apparent. arrived on the scene, a more descrip- is called “short recoil.” As a subset, the The main materials used in semi- tive term emerged to categorize those type known as “Browning short recoil” automatic pistols continue to be 274 Gun Digest ® 330_2014_SemiAutoeditFINEDIT0_2014_SemiAutoeditFINEDIT 22.indd.indd 227474 66/6/13/6/13 22:24:24 PPMM REPORTS FROM THE FIELD steel, aircraft quality aluminum, and From Rock Island comes the TAC II, rounds of 9x19mm ammunition and used polymer, with the last having taken a a fi ve-inch 1911 in 10mm with a host of an Omega system and ambidextrous quantum leap in popularity since the custom features. (www.us.armscor.com) decocking levers that can be converted to success of the Glock pistol introduced thumb safeties with parts supplied. Three three decades ago. We can expect to interchangeable backstraps come with the see this trend in pistols to continue, BOBERG gun, and a 1913 frame rail is part of the package. Also new are variations of the but let’s look at some of the new ones Boberg Arms has introduced its XR9 S, CZ75 and CZ97 models. (www.czusa.com) for 2013. a variation of the company’s XR9, but in two-tone, with a stainless steel slide and a black anodized receiver. Billed as the CABOT GUN COMPANY ARMSCOR/ROCK ISLAND ARMORY world’s most powerful 9mm compact pis- The Cabot Gun Company’s 2013 offer- New for 2013 is a compact hi-capacity tol, the XR9 is a hair over fi ve inches long, ings include deluxe versions in its Jones version of Armscor’s 22 TCM (Tauson with a 3¼-inch barrel and a 7+1 capacity and National Standard 1911 pistols, Craig Micromag), a variant of the model of 9x19mm +P ammunition. The secret of both of which sport two-micron mirror 1911 pistol that’s chambered for an the XR9 S is its unique feeding system, hand polishing, Novak Adjustable ultra high-velocity .22-caliber centerfi re with the slide extracting rounds from the Sights, and deep double blue in the case cartridge made from a necked-down chamber and the rear of the magazine at of the Jones Deluxe. The Jones Deluxe 9mm case. Called the 22 TCM MS 1911 the same time. (www.bobergarms.com) features Sonoran Desert ironwood VZ, the new pistol is a Commander-sized grips, while the National Standard compact with full-house features, includ- Deluxe comes with polished mammoth ing adjustable sights, and it has a frame CZ ivory stocks. Cabot’s totally new pistol rail for mounting lights and lasers. Also CZ’s new entry for 2013 is the P-09 Duty. is the “American Joe,” a gorgeous 1911 offered is a 9mm barrel to convert the A full-size version of the polymer frame inspired by rock star Joe Ferris and gun to use the 9x19mm cartridge. P-07, the P-09 Duty has a capacity of 19+1 with unique engraving designed by him. This 420 stainless steel beauty features 20 lines per inch checkering on the frontstrap, three-dot Novak Adjustable Sights, alloy tri-star trigger, and custom designed aluminum American fl ag grips, (www.cabotguncompany.com) CARACAL USA Caracal’s new pistol for 2013 is a .40-caliber with a 4.1-inch barrel and a 14-round magazine. Noted for sitting Above: Firing Armscor’s .22 TCM powerhouse cartridge in a new compact version of the company’s 1911, it gets furnished with a 9x19mm conversion barrel. Right: Complementing the longer Boberg XR9, this new micro-compact is one of the smallest 9x19mm pistols in the world. TH 68 EDITION, 2014 275 330_2014_SemiAutoeditFINEDIT0_2014_SemiAutoeditFINEDIT 22.indd.indd 227575 66/6/13/6/13 22:24:24 PPMM SEMI-AUTO PISTOLS the letters, U.S.M.C. The Colt Custom Shop is also offering a beautiful, exact recreation of the Colt Model of 1911, as made in 1912. (www.coltsmfg.com) CYLINDER & SLIDE Adding to its series of turn of the century-styled pistols is Cylinder & Slide’s new/old inside-hammer C&L Automatic, complete with outside extrac- tor and grip safety. A limited edition in .45 ACP, this pistol has characteristics of the Model 1905 Colt and its 1902 sibling CZ’s new P-09 pistol in .38 Colt, but does not use the “parallel ruler” system of locking. C&L’s not so is loaded with the right limited new pistol is the .45 1911 Trident, features, including a full-house gun with a ported slide, ambidextrous controls. Novak adjustable sights, and much more. (www.cylinder-slide.com) FNH-USA Last year, FNH-USA introduced the extremely low in the hand, the Caracal K100 Mk7 weighs 1.8 pounds, while the FNS-9. A double-action 9mm polymer is a double-action-only handgun from 7.4-inch P1 Mk7 tips the scale at 1.7. Both frame pistol, with a 17+1 capacity maga- which most will fi nd muzzle fl ip easier to come with two 15-round magazines. zine, it was accompanied by the FNS-40 control. (www.caracalusa.com) (www.centuryarms.com) in, of course, .40 S&W. This year, FNH- USA introduces the FNS Combination Kit, which allows the user of either to switch CENTURY ARMS COLT’S MFG. COMPANY, LLC caliber to the other. The kit includes a Just announced from Century Arms The big news from Colt is the winning slide, barrel, spring, and magazine and are its newly imported GP K100 Mk7 of the U.S. Marine Corps contract for comes in a soft-sided Cordura case. As and P1 Mk7 9x19mm pistols. Being the new 1911 pistol. Called the “CQBP an aside, the FNS-9 won the NRA’s cov- issued to the Slovakian military, these M45,” this pistol is based on the Colt eted NRA 2013 Golden Bullseye Award. pistols are from the Czech Republic. Rail Gun. Packed with features normally (www.fnhusa.com) They employ 4140 steel components, a reserved for full-house custom 1911 steel-reinforced, polymer GF-30 frame, pistols, this one comes with a unique and incorporate a rotating barrel locking reinforced frame rail, front and rear GLOCK system with a DA/SA fi ring mode and slide grasping grooves, a dual recoil The exciting news from Glock for totally ambidextrous controls. Four spring/buffer system, Novak LoMount 2013 is the new .45 ACP G30S Compact.