Guns Illustrated 2011. Dan Shideler
how the company name was established; however, having grown up in Florida, I can attest to the fact that the state is home to some spectacular diamondback rattlesnakes. At the time of this writing, RSR, of Grand Prairie, Texas, is the exclusive distributor of the Diamondback DB380.
DOUBLESTAR
The DoubleStar .45 pistol was introduced on these pages two years ago and went into production last year. Now, a new “Combat Pistol” is being offered. The new gun offers the basic pistol with new options. The Combat Pistol offers Novak three-dot sights, a Novak 8-round magazine, and 25-lpi checkering and other features. Although relatively new to the 1911 world, DoubleStar will offer a 100-year commemorative variant.
ED BROWN
People who have made great contributions to the honorable use of handguns for sport, personal defense and law-enforcement purposes deserve to be recognized for what they do. In January 2010, Ed Brown Products announced that they would honor Massad Ayoob with a special Massad Ayoob Signature Edition 1911. The limited edition pistol will be a 4.25-inch Commander-size pistol with bobtail frame and double-diamond grips. Made of stainless steel, the commemorative pistol weighs about 35 ounces. The sights are three-dot night sights. Ayoob specified that the trigger have a 4.5-pound pull and that the pistol be able to group jacketed-hollow-point ammunition into two inches or less at 25 yards. What makes the pistol special as a commemorative is a facsimile of Ayoob’s signature on the right side of the slide. A copy of Ayoob’s book, The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry, is included with each pistol.
Thinking ahead, Ed Brown announced that the company will put out a 100-year commemorative to acknowledge the unique record of the Colt/Browning1911 design during the past century.
EMF
Last year, EMF got back to its “Early and Modern Firearms” beginnings. They added, to their western-style guns, a line of 1911 pistols and a new polymer-frame 9mm pistol.
Now, the polymer-frame pistol, the FMK, is in full production. The 1911 line, made in Tennessee, has several variants, including the original 1911 A1, an enhanced Combat model, and a new Nightstalker 1911, in black with a rail. Slides are now marked “Hartford Model 1911.”
This year, EMF has also added a line of pistol-caliber carbines. The new JR Carbine is a straight blowback, offered in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. It looks a little bit like an AR-15, but is much simpler. However, it will accept many AR aftermarket items, and is loaded with rails that allow all sorts of additions. The construction is interesting, in that calibers can be changed with only a magazine well, bolt and barrel change. The carbine can be ordered with either right- or left-handed controls, and the bolt handle and ejection of empty cases can be on either side. The carbines are initially furnished with appropriate Glock magazines, but the magazine well is modular and can be adapted to other magazines. Looks as if a lot of thought has gone into this design.
FNH USA
A number of new pistols were introduced by FNH USA this year. Let’s start with the largest first.
The FNP-45 Tactical pistol is a .45 ACP polymer-frame conventional double action arm that pretty obviously had its origin in FN’s design program for military testing. The pistol is described as “completely ambidextrous,” with decocker/safety, slide stop and magazine release operable from either side. The 5.3-inch barrel extends forward of the slide and is threaded. The fl at dark earth frame has an accessory rail moulded into its forward portion. Interchangeable backstraps are furnished. The slide has high night sights front and rear. The top of the slide is cut and threaded for an electronic sight, and a plate is furnished to cover the mounting holes. The FNP-45 Tactical pistol comes with three 15-round magazines in a fitted Cordura nylon case.
The new FNX-40 and FNX-9 pistols are polymer-frame guns that have four interchangeable backstraps. Each FNX has a 4-inch barrel. The 40-caliber version weighs 24 ounces and uses a 15-round magazine. The 9mm weighs 22 ounces and uses a 17-round magazine. Each pistol comes with three magazines and a lockable hard case.
The Five-seveN pistol, chambered for the 5.7x28 cartridge, is now available with low-profile fixed combat sights, as well as the adjustable sights previously offered. The Five-seveN pistols are available in black, dark earth and olive drab. Magazines of 10- and 20-round capacity are available, and three magazines come with each pistol.
GIRSAN
Girsan, a Turkish manufacturer, has made 9mm pistols based on the open-slide Beretta 92 design. At the 2010 SHOT Show, Girsan displayed several new models of closed-slide 9mm pistols with front frame rails, including their MC 27 and MC 27E (a ported variant). The MC 21 is a .45 ACP pistol made with a similar confi guration.
Of great interest to us here is a new line, the Girsan MC 1911. As you might have guessed, it is a full-size .45 ACP based on the Colt/Browning 1911 design. Prototypes displayed at the SHOT Show were of the general WWII 1911A1 configuration. Interestingly, at least one early prototype had a true 1911 frame, with no frame recesses behind the trigger. The MC 1911 S is the standard “Government Model” style, but with a forward frame rail.
I was told that an American firm would import the Girsan 1911s but could not get any definite details.
GLOCK
Glock has introduced the Generation 4 (generally referenced as Gen4) series of Glock pistols. The new features include three interchangeable grip backstrap options, a non-slip texture on the grip frame, a reversible magazine release, and a new dual recoil-spring system.
Each larger backstrap adds 2 millimeters to the linear distance between the trigger and the rear of the backstrap. The more-aggressive grip frame texture is a series of polymer pyramids (Glock calls them “polymids”); Models 17, 19, 22 and 23 are now available with this surface. Glock calls this the RTF, or “Rough Textured Frame.” The reversible magazine catch is somewhat larger than former ones, and Glock apparently will provide information for shooters who want to make the change to left-hand operation. The new dual recoil springs are considered an “assembly.” The first Gen4 pistol is the 40-caliber Model 22. The model number on the slide reads, “22Gen4.” Other versions will obviously become available.
GSG
German Sporting Guns (GSG) has introduced a new 22-caliber 1911 pistol. The lower portion is completely 1911, with a fixed barrel and blowback operation of the slide up above. The GSG – 1911 will be handled by American Tactical Imports. (See ATI.)
GUNCRAFTER
Guncrafter Industries makes 1911-type pistols in their own proprietary .50 GI cartridge. This year, they offer a new Model 3, a Commander-style pistol with a 4.25-inch barrel and a “bobtail” frame treatment. Guncrafter offers a new load for the .50 GI with solid copper hollow-point bullets that open up into four “wings.”
This year, Guncrafter offers — of all things — a standard .45 ACP 1911. The 1911 .45 went into the catalog before a name was chosen for it. It is known, for the time being, as the “no-name” pistol.
A conversion kit to convert the Glock Models 20 or 21 to .50 GI is offered. Such items are available through American Tactical Imports. (See ATI.)
HK
Heckler & Koch has offered their P30 pistol in 9mm chambering, and by January 2010, had also offered the basic pistol in .40 S&W. The 40-caliber version has a 13-round magazine and has a 3.85- inch barrel. The longer 4.45-inch barrel available as an option for the 9mm is not offered for the 40-caliber P30.
HK feels that the P30 pistol holds up pretty well. On display at the 2010 SHOT Show was a 9mm P30 that had shot 75,000 rounds. Yes, there were nine stoppages, but the HK people are working to correct that.
One of the new FNH polymer-frame guns with interchangeable backstraps, the 9mm FNX-9, here is shown with a black slide and a flat grip backstrap.
Guncrafters Industries