Combat Handguns March/April 2022

Welcome! Are you ready for rendezvous? Combat Handguns editors along with dozens of our top content creators recently returned from our fifth annual Athlon Outdoors Editorial Rendezvous held in Victor, Idaho. Each year, we invite nearly 30 top firearms and shooting gear companies to our range nestled in the Teton Valley. Over the course of three days, we get the opportunity to shoot thousands of rounds through hundreds of guns—many of which still haven’t been released to the public. That’s not us bragging (although it is a total blast to shoot that many guns), we’re just letting you know that we do this for you, our magazine and online audience, so that we can stay true to our promise of giving you unmatched digital and print content on the latest…

There are many misunderstandings in the media and public perception about the laws in the United States that govern the use of lethal force in self-defense. Perhaps the most prevalent of these misunderstandings revolve around the Stand Your Ground principle, referred to hereafter as SYG for brevity. One needs only type those three words into a search engine to see how many people are ignorant of it—and how many deliberately twist its meaning to serve political agendas. The vehemently wanti-gun Giffords Law Center says SYG “Distorts the law of self-defense…exacerbates systemic racism and gender bias…and elevates homicide rates.” From this writer’s perspective, it can only “elevate the number of homicides” of criminals killed by their intended victims in self-defense. “Exacerbates systemic racism”? In 2013, the anti-gun magazine The Atlantic admitted…

This past October saw Athlon Outdoors host its fifth annual Rendezvous in Victor, Idaho, near the Grand Tetons. For three days, dozens of gun manufacturers unveiled their latest and greatest wares—many still under wraps—to Athlon editors and content creators, giving us plenty of trigger time to create more content for our various print magazines and websites in the coming months. But this amazing event wouldn’t have been possible without several key sponsors donating goods for every participant. Here we’d like to show our support and fill you in on the great gear that made for another awesome Rendezvous. 5.11 TACTICAL 1. LEGEND LONG SLEEVE SHIRT Here’s a classic go-to button-up shirt for the range, office or anywhere in between. It’s made of soft, enzyme-washed cotton with a touch of elastane,…

Walther competitive shooter Bobby McGee brings years of experience to the shooting table, along with a very impressive resume. McGee is a U.S. Army veteran and an esteemed firearms trainer for civilians, federal agencies, law enforcement and the military. McGee has been awarded many achievements for his training, including the highest honor of the Gold Schutzenschnur badge from the German Army Marksmanship Unit. In addition to his impressive instructor experience, McGee is also highly accomplished as a multi-disciplined competitive shooter. His achievements include being a three division Grand Master in the USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association), a five-division Grand Master in the IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association), and countless titles between the two that are too numerous to list. McGee said that the shooting competition win he is most…

Who doesn’t love a powerful hand cannon? The bigger the “boom,” the bigger the smile, right? Many of those handheld boom sticks are big, cumbersome and have some serious felt recoil. They’re not exactly conducive for your average nature hike, though. If you’re out in the wilderness and a rather large animal offers you the opportunity to be its next meal, what kind of answer would you give it? Well, Smith & Wesson has decided to answer that age-old question with their newest offering to the M&P (Military & Police) line, the M&P 10mm M2.0. You really don’t want to have to ask a charging bear twice, or have to reload for that matter. A well-placed 10mm projectile traveling at approximately 1,300 fps is a force to be reckoned with.…

Sarsilmaz has been making firearms since 1880. In 2017 I first became familiar with some of their handguns when they were imported by TR Imports. In 2018, SAR USA was formed as an official U.S. presence and importer for Sarsilmaz. I own and so, of course, am familiar with the Sarsilmaz 2000, CM9 Gen 2, B6C, P8L, SR 38 (not currently imported) and ST9 models. All of those pistols had one thing in common—they were all heavily inspired by existing guns from other makers. Furthermore, aside from the larger-sized ST9, I had limited experience with what many would consider a modern, polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol from the company. Sarsilmaz’s SAR9 C escapes the “clone” label and represents a truly new design. Externally the SAR9 C looks like a modern rendition of…