Category Archives: edc

For you Mako fans…

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One of the most underrated mico-9s out there has been Kimber’s Mako R7 series.

I extensively tested and reviewed one of the first models over two years and offered it, along with four similar guns, up when my mother-in-law went on a search for a carry gun– and she went R7 after her own range time on the samples.

Now, Kimber has introduced the Carbon Compact variants of the model, based on almost a decade of user comments and feedback.

The new R7 series gets its name due to the redesigned frame constructed with a carbon fiber-infused matrix that delivers superior durability (up to a 60,000 psi tensile strength) compared to standard polymer frames. This frame also gives the ability for a flared magwell and four interchangeable modular backstraps, both features that are big upgrades from legacy R7s. 

Standard features of the new pistols are a pair of 15-shot magazines, an installed flared magwell, fully ambi surface controls, and three-dot TruGlo Tritium Pro night sights with an orange front ring and white rear rings.

I had a chance to check out the Carbon Compact R7s on a trip to Kimber last month and, have to admit, they are pretty sweet.

Expect more on these in the coming days

The P365 Grows Up…

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With the P365 micro 9mm platform not even a decade old, SIG has updated the platform with the new Fuse variant that includes all the features expected on a full-sized practical/tactical pistol.

The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment,” being still carry-sized while clocking in with a very full feature-set that includes a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide with decent iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.

The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The pistol will be available in at least three different SKUs, including one shipping with two 21-round and one 17-round magazine, another with a Romeo X Compact micro red dot installed (shown above), and a state-compliant (10-round mag) version.

The P365 Fuse compared to the P365 XMacro Comp. Note the Fuse is a bit longer but remains the same height and width. Both use SIG’s 17+1 round flush fit P365 mags and accept extended magazines as well– which we will get into.

For a frame of reference, the full-sized P320-M17 specs out at 8 inches overall, with its standard 4.7-inch barrel, just a skosh bigger than the Fuse. However, don’t let that one spec confuse you, as the P365 variant is much slimmer, shorter in height, and almost a half-pound lighter. Keep in mind both are shown with 21-round mags inserted and with corresponding versions of the Romeo X enclosed red dot.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Calling Mr. Roscoe

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One interesting new (well, rebooted) gun design that I am looking forward to testing this summer is the Heritage Roscoe.

A salute to the old-school pocket revolvers from the days of Mike Hammer and Philip Marlowe, the cigar-box-worthy .38SPL +P Roscoe looks right out of the mid-20th Century, clad in a deep glossy finish, classic round butt wood grips, fixed sights, and a 5-shot cylinder. Plus, it is available in both 2- and 3-inch models.

Best yet, it has an ask of $350, which should translate to $299-ish at retail.

Heritage, the Taurus subsidiary best known for its affordable single-action rimfire pistols and carbines, has launched the Roscoe line. This comes almost a decade after Taurus sunset its popular Model 85 5-shot small-frame revolver line– upgrading it to the larger 6-shot Model 856– and recalls the company’s history during the old Bangor Punta days (1962-72ish) when it was a sister to S&W and they shared tech.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Smith J-frame for the win

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The odd thing about carry guns, even in a day when the market is awash in micro-compact 9mm pistols like the P365 and Hellcat, is that the snub-nosed revolver still sells and sells very well. I have often carried one over the past 30 years, either as a BUG to my primary or when in a non-permissive environment.

This thing has tagged along with me more than I care to admit

Billed as the ultimate small-frame carry revolver, S&W debuted a new line of SAO aluminum J-frame snub-nosed wheel guns at the SHOT Show this year. 
 
The new Ultimate Carry line is offered in a Model 642UC (stainless) and 442UC (black) Airweight Centennial format in a 5-shot .38 Special as well as a new 632UC and 432UC in 6-shot .32 H&R Magnum. All feature a fresh style of .140-inch XS Tritium front sight with a dovetailed .160-inch black serrated Novak-style U-notch rear sight and flush-cut “High Horn” VZ G10 boot grips. Going past that, the internals have been beefed up with titanium pins (rather than the standard aluminum) as used with the Scandium frame models to add durability over the years and a much-improved trigger pull. 

They both look and feel great.

The weight on the Smith & Wesson Ultimate Carry is right at 16 ounces. Note the enclosed ejector rod shroud, beveled cylinder front edge which aids in carry, and VZ G10 boot grips that have been updated to provide a higher backstrap on the gun.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Odds are, you haven’t heard of this Micro 9– but you should have

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The Stoeger brand has been around since 1924 and for at least a generation has been owned by Beretta. Known best for its shotguns – which are of great quality – their guns are made in Turkey.

However, in the past couple of years, the company has been marketing a polymer-framed striker-fired (and very, very Glock-like) series of 9mm pistols, the STR-9 platform. The smallest of these debuted last year, a micro-compact 9 dubbed, logically, the STR-9MC.

To be sure, it greatly resembles a G43X– if it was a Gen 3 gun that was slightly smaller but with a better magazine capacity, steel (not plastic) SIG-dovetail pattern sights, nickel-coated steel (not plastic) mags, and a steel (not plastic) guide rod/recoil assembly.

Plus, you can typically get them for around $300.

There is a lot to like about Stoeger’s micro compact 9mm. In terms of price, it gives guns like the Taurus GX4 and Mossberg MC2sc lots of competition and even compares well to a lot of genuinely nice Micro 9s such as the CR920 or a Glock 43X. It has a low bore axis that mitigates (but not eliminates) muzzle flip, and we found it both reliable and accurate enough on the range to trust it for EDC. It takes down easily for maintenance.

When it comes to balancing the pros and cons of the pistol, the STR-9MC remains a viable choice for those looking for an inexpensive and reliable micro 9 that Glock should have built but didn’t.

Full review after the jump.

A Shorty Hi-Power Micro 9?

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Florida-based European American Armory has a new optics-ready BHP style pistol on the market with a lightweight alloy frame that gives the current micro-compact 9mm game a new darkhorse competitor. The Girsan MCP35 PI LW Match was among a series of new pistols introduced in the first week of October and I got an early look at the gun (they sent me SN 6!) to run it through its paces.

To cut through the background and get to the good stuff, Turkish gunmaker Girsan, working directly with EAA, has developed the MCP35 line over the past couple of years. Essentially starting with direct clones of the post-1980 Browning Mark II/III models (complete with the dreaded magazine-disconnect safety and hammer-bite prone beavertail), they started making more optimized Ops-series rail guns, improved Match guns, and shortened Commander-length PI models– giving the BHP-loving public new things to cheer about.

All ship with Mec-Gar’s excellent 15-round flush-fit BHP mags.

Now, EAA has shifted gears with the MCP35PILW series, an acronym that just rolls off the tongue. Breaking it down, the “PI” references the fact that the new guns have a shorter 3.88-inch barrel and corresponding top end, while the “LW” means it uses a lightweight alloy frame. The weight savings are about a half-pound off the standard-length MCP35 and a quarter pound less than the standard steel-framed PI. It will be available in both an Ops (railed frame) and Match model, offered in either an all-black or two-tone black and tungsten finish.

Length on the MCP35PILW Match is 7.25 inches overall (with almost an inch of that being the beavertail), and we found ours to hit the scales at 23.2 ounces, unloaded. Carry weight, with 15+1 rounds of Federal 124-grain Punch, is 32 ounces flat. Add a second mag for really bad days, and you got a serious carry with some class. 

In terms of comparison, the MCP35PILW Match is a very close match to the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro in terms of length, height, width, weight, and flush-fit magazine capacity. Note the extra length on the shorty Hi-Power is in the beavertail.

Plus, did I mention that it is optics-ready?

More in my column at Guns.com.

500 Rounds with the Reflex (x2)

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FN over the past few years has been trying to shrink down its 9mm carry offerings as an answer to market demands sparked by guns like the SIG P365 and Springfield Armory Hellcat. While the 6+1-shot FN 503 was small and dependable, people seem to have that double-stack micro 9 itch and, to scratch it, FN has debuted the Reflex.

With a 3.3-inch barrel that gives it a 6.2-inch overall length, the FN Reflex falls into the increasingly familiar micro 9 subcompact category blazed by some rivals in the past few years. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Hitting the scales at just 18.4 ounces right out of the box, it runs a flush-fit 11+1 round mag with a pinky extension for better grip support and ships with an extended 15+1 round mag.

FN sent me a pair of the guns– one a plain black standard model, the second an optics-ready MRD in FDE– and I’ve put 500 rounds through each.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Hammer-Fired Micro 9: First Looks at the New FN Reflex

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Setting itself apart from the rest of the itty bitty 9mm double-stack pack, FN’s new Reflex 9mm is a hammer-fired micro-compact with a great trigger.

Debuted just before the NRA’s Annual Meetings in April, I’ve been taking a closer look at the Reflex series as part of an extended test and evaluation that will push this little palm-sized parabellum past the 2,000-round mark.

The Reflex ships in a cardboard box with a plastic tray and comes with two magazines. For most states, this means a 15+1 round extended mag and a flush-fit 11+1 round mag with a pinky extension for better grip support. (All photos: Chris Eger)

The unloaded weight is 18.4 ounces with an empty mag. We found the Reflex in its most svelte form, with 12 rounds of Federal’s Punch JHP 124-grain self-defense loads and no optic, to hit the scales at 23.4 ounces. Shown with a DeSantis Inside Heat which, although made for the single stack FN 503, fits it like a glove.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Swimming with the Manta

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This understated Tisas 1911, which sports an Ed Brown Bobtail to minimize printing – and maximize comfort – when carrying concealed, has proved smooth and dependable in testing.

We’re talking about the Manta.

I’ve been kicking around one for the past couple of months, wearing it both IWB and OWB, and putting well over 500 rounds through one.

One favorite minimalist OWB carry was the always popular Galco Yaqui Slide, paired with a bamboo Boker Burnley Kwaiken. When carried with a spare mag in N8 Tactical’s new Magna-Clip carrier, you had 17 rounds of Speer Gold Dot at the ready.

A more deep carry concealment setup was a Bianchi Leather Model 100 Professional IWB holster with a high back. An extra mag in a Crossbreed Confidant, which can be carried IWB as well, makes a good companion as does a fixed blade.

Does the cut make a difference when it comes to carry? The smoothed extended beavertail grip safety, coupled with the rounded hammer, keeps from digging into the side while sitting and moving, as does the Bobtail.

As someone who has carried lots of standard Government profile 1911s over the years, I can vouch that it is more comfortable. Plus, with the trailing edge of the rear grip effectively rounded off, you print less with a cover garment.

The full review in my column at Guns.com.

Peanut butter Hellcat travels

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I wouldn’t classify myself as a Springfield Armory fanboy, but after spending a lot of time and brass with the Hellcat Pro, I may become one.

Springfield introduced the Hellcat 11+1 round 9mm series in September 2019, becoming one of the first real competitors to SIG’s P365, a 10+1 round micro compact 9mm of about the same size that hit the reset button on the carry market the year prior.

Then, in 2022, Springfield updated the design with the Hellcat Pro series, which brings a 15+1 capacity and an optics-ready slide to the platform.

I’ve been kicking around one with a peanut butter (officially Desert FDE) hued finish since around Thanksgiving and have well over 2K rounds through it.

The full details after the jump.

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