Combat Handguns March/April 2021

Don’t believe the talk around the cracker barrel (or on the Internet, which is much the same) suggesting that all looters should be shot. That’s simply not what the law says. If we took a word association test and the proctor said “Riot,” most of us would probably answer “Looting and arson.” True enough, but those are entirely different things that warrant entirely different responses. Looting and arson are both serious felonies. Arson itself breaks down into two categories. Simple “arson” is burning down something in a way that does not immediately endanger human life. “Arson of an occupied building,” however, is a large cut above that in seriousness. Because of its great and obvious threat to innocent human life, arson of occupied places is categorized as a “heinous felony…

This past September saw Athlon Outdoors host its fourth annual Rendezvous in Driggs, 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. 1 5.11 TACTICAL RUSH LBD MIKE 56 L What kind of shooting-range Rendezvous would be complete without a bag for toting clothes and gear? Embroidered with our Athlon Outdoors logo, 5.11’s Rush…

I could not be more excited with this issue’s featured pro, Tim Herron. Not only is Herron a professional shooter for Federal Premium Ammunition, he also shoots professionally for Nighthawk Custom. Federal Ammunition has been leading the way since 1922 by staying on the cusp of technology and pioneering new products with great ingenuity. Their name is synonymous with reliability and remains one of the most trusted names today in the ammunition industry. Nighthawk Custom is well known for the custom craftsmanship that goes hand in hand with their own unique philosophy of, “One Gun, One Gunsmith.” Each gun produced by Nighthawk Custom is crafted from start to finish by the hands of one gunsmith, alone. Maintaining this philosophy reinforces the character of Nighthawk and the pride they pour into…

AR pistols with arm braces have a lot going for them, especially if they’re chambered in 9mm. That’s because they’re short, light, handy, easy to shoot accurately and more concealable than a rifle. They also don’t emit a blinding fireball or sound like a stun grenade on steroids when fired indoors. In addition, 9mm ARs extend the useful range of the 9mm cartridge to at least 100 yards. Add the fact that contemporary 9mm ammunition has better terminal ballistics than ever, and a person could do a lot worse than add a 9mm AR pistol with an arm brace to his or her gun safe. GUN DETAILS The pistol I received for testing was a Rock River SBX-K Arm Brace with a 10.5-inch barrel. I asked for this model because…

As I was finishing this article, I received two new Norma loads from Norma’s parent company Ruag and tested them for function in my Glock 43 and the SBX-K. These new loads are a 108-grain MHP (monolithic hollow point) with petals that rapidly expand to an average 0.8 inches. This new bullet penetrates about 9.5 inches of 10-percent ballistic gelatin and is designed to be a homeand urban-defense load with controlled tissue and barrier penetration to help prevent collateral damage. The second load is the 124-grain FMJ Envy. It penetrates deeply. I made an extra trip to the range to chronograph both loads in the SBX-K and also shoot two five-shot groups with each load at 100 yards. Velocities and energies were 1,258 fps and 380 fpe for the MHP…

Bill Wilson has been in the firearms business for some 45 years, starting in retail sporting goods sales, then in 1977 evolving into Wilson Combat, making custom 1911 pistols. He has since expanded into upgrades for pistols like the Beretta Model 92G; Glock 17, 19 and 45; plus AR-platform pistols and lines of custom AR-10s, AR-15s and Model 870 shotguns. Wilson’s products are all first-rate and he has as customers all branches of the U.S. military, DHS, Border Patrol, Marshal Service, Texas Rangers and many other elite LE agencies worldwide. Add to this top shooting competitors of various disciplines, plus legally armed citizens who want a high-end firearm for personal- and home-defense. Wilson Combat firearms don’t fit the “every-man” budget, but recently Wilson has started building a 1911 pistol using…