Combat Handguns January/February 2020

PERHAPS THE BIGGEST MYTH IN THE SELF-DEFENSE WORLD IS “A good shoot is a good shoot.” What makes a “good shoot” a questionable use of deadly force? Quite simply, a question. And that question may be raised by a grieving family of the man who forced you to kill him, or a politically motivated prosecutor who wants Michael Bloomberg to contribute to his next re-election campaign, or a greedy plaintiff’s lawyer, or a public relations man who can benefit financially by painting you as a monster. Or perhaps all of the above. Let’s look at some examples—and some lessons we can learn from them. FALSE NARRATIVES Case One occurred recently but has already become historic. Duly elected captain of his community’s neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman spotted a young man looking…

Combat Handguns has been privileged to get a firsthand look inside the range bags of some of the most nationally renowned pros within the shooting industry. In this issue, I reached out to the current champion of the IPSC Lithuanian Open, Marius Kazanskis. The Lithuanian Open spanned a total of six weeks with six competitions in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Kazanskis brought home four medals in two disciplines: Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) and the Semi-Auto Rifle Open. Not only is Kazanskis the Lithuanian Open champion, but he also won the Lithuanian PCC title, the 2019 season overall result of four ranking matches. This two-day competition involved 20 stages with competitors from six countries, and Kazanskis won with a 7-percent advantage. Kazanskis says that shooting is in his…

It wasn’t that long ago that I had a chance to review the Rex Zero 1 Tactical after Arex brought the new Rex Zero 1 line of pistols to market. That first lineup was a series of aluminum-framed DA/SA pistols that received quite a few accolades for their build quality and reliability. I was quite impressed with the Tactical version and thought it was a great value for the money considering all the features it offered. Well, it didn’t take long for Arex to join the rest of the world in the polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol market with the Rex Delta platform. I became aware of the Delta’s impending arrival in early fall of 2018 and was excited to try one out at the first opportunity. If it performed as well…

There’s no question that our eyes should be protected at all times, especially when we’re at the range. With the introduction of its new Compass sunglasses, Wiley-X provides shooters great protection and awesome style. The sunglasses I received for testing had a lightweight Kryptek Neptune frame and polarized lenses that meet the ANSI 787.1 standards for high-mass and high-velocity protection. That’s a good deal of protection in itself for regular environmental concerns, but Wiley-X also offers the Compass with Smoke Gray lenses made of Selenite, which is billed as shatterproof. Those lenses also meet the U.S. military’s MIL-PRF-32432(GL) standard, which offers over six times the impact resistance of the of the Z87.1 standard. In fact, for spectacles, the latter standard requires the defeat of a .15-caliber projective moving between 640…

The new Sig Sauer P210 Standard is the handgun equivalent of a supercar for the masses. Sporting legendary quality and a uniquely functional design, the P210 is the precisely made target pistol that is rugged enough to go to war. Where previously this European supergun was beyond the reach of all but the most well-funded globetrotting gun nerds, nowadays Sig Sauer is building this remarkable piece of tactical art on our side of the pond for normal folks like us. The Sig Sauer P210 has always been like the sensible Democrat, the honest politician or the yeti. In the past, this pistol was something you heard about from time to time but never actually encountered in the wild. It was purportedly the Swiss watch of handguns. It was also preternaturally expensive.…

NAROH ARMS BEGAN IN 2013 as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for top-shelf gun makers with a product line that included quality AR-15 parts. As its manufacturing and engineering capabilities increased, the company decided to make its own complete firearm: the 9mm N1. The new “micro-compact” semi-automatic pistol debuted at the 2019 NRA show in Indianapolis. I took a long look at it there before asking for a test sample. It took a couple of months, but the pistol eventually arrived inside a foam-lined plastic case with an owner’s manual, a safety lock, a flush-fitting magazine and another with a finger-rest base. A careful examination indicated quality manufacturing, with close attention paid to the N1’s fit and finish. While all-black models are available, my test sample came with an optional…