Tag Archives: compact

New: Staccato Compact HD C3.6 Pistol (And it’s G19 Mag Compatible)

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Staccato this week took the features from its well-liked HD line and packed them into a more nimble and concealable package– the new HD C3.6.

The “C” in the Staccato HD C3.6 stands for compact, and they ship with 15-round Mec-Gar G19-pattern mags, much like the P4 HD ships with 18-round G17-pattern mags. The new gun also saves a bit of weight, running an alloy (7075-T6 aluminum) rather than a steel frame.

Other than that, you have the same HD features, such as ambi controls, Staccato’s HD HOST optic mounting system with decent backup sights, a crisp 4.5-pound single-action-only trigger, and a drop-safe active firing-pin block.

the Staccato HD C3.6
With an overall length of just over 7 inches due to its 3.6-inch bull barrel, coupled with its shorter grip, which gives it a 4.8-inch height, the new HD C3.6 is billed as easier to carry and bring into more spaces for more users. (Photos: Staccato)
the Staccato HD C3.6
Weight of the standard base model Staccato HD C3.6 with its alloy frame is 24 ounces unloaded. Compare this to the 32-ounce base weight of the only slightly larger P4 HD, and you realize a half-pound weight savings while offering much the same performance.
the Staccato HD C3.6
Note the 3.6-inch bull barrel and forward-set rear sight, which practically guarantees a lower-third co-witness with optics. Staccato will be offering these in both a more basic Ameriglo blacked-out front sight variant or one with a Trijicon tritium front.

“We built the HD line to deliver the most technologically advanced and thoroughly tested version of the 2011 platform to date,” said Paul Smith, VP of Product for Staccato. “After introducing full-sized models earlier this year, we set out to create a compact option that preserves duty-grade performance while expanding carrying options and user confidence. The HD C3.6 is the result.”

Staccato plans to offer the HD C3.6 series in three different grades, starting at $2,299. Because Staccato.

So I have been carrying the Beretta 92X Compact for 2 months…

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I’ve have been shooting and carrying one of Beretta’s newest versions of their iconic Model 92, the 92X, and have a few things to report.

While the standard/full-sized 92X uses a 4.7-inch barrel to produce an 8.5-inch long handgun that tips the scales at 33.4-ounces while unloaded, the smaller Centurion is a more Commander-style offering with a shorter 4.25-inch barrel which boils down to a 7.75-inch overall length.

Going even shorter, the 92X Compact has the Centurion-length slide and barrel on a shorter frame (5.25-inches high, versus the standard 5.4-inch) to produce a handgun more suited for concealed carry. This puts the Compact in roughly the same class, size-wise, as guns such as the Glock G19, Sig Sauer P229, and S&W M&P M2.0 Compact.

I have carried it for over 400 hours and ran 2,000 rounds in it drawn from a selection of loads from Winchester, Federal, CCI (Blazer), Wolf, and PMC in weights between 115- and 147-grain with a mix of various training and self-defense ammo in standard commercial, military, and +P velocities.

Long story short: one malfunction in shooting, some belly skin lost in carry. Other than that, not bad. Not bad at all.

In the end, the 92X gives the modern shooter a reliable handgun that stands on 40+ years of legacy while having a lot of features– DA/SA hammer-fired action, all-metal construction, slide-mounted safety/decocker– that you aren’t going to find on the average plastic fantastic.

Further, it does it all in three available sizes with a ton of aftermarket support. The 92X series may not get people to drop their polymer striker-fired handguns, but it does give those who are familiar with, or prefer, the 92 families a more contemporary pistol that is both fun to shoot and dependable.

See the full review with more context in my column at Guns.com

End of the line for VEPR?

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A classic Molot VEPR in .308 with the long 22-inch barrel and Counter Sniper Mil-Dot 4-16x44mm optic with illuminated reticle. Now more expensive than ever!

Back in January, I spoke at length with people over at Molot who were working hard on extending their exports of VEPR rifles and shotguns to the U.S. They were hopeful that the new Trump administration would be friendly to lifting some sanctions on Russian-based companies. Russian-made firearms were popular export items to the states until the conflict in the Ukraine and the resulting international backlash triggered a host of official embargos.

Per figures from the International Trade Commission, 204,788 firearms of all kinds were imported from Russia in 2013.

This figure plunged to just 9,556 in 2015 — mainly from Molot, the only large firearms maker not named in sanctions.

Well, it looks like that figure is going to be a lot lower in 2018…

Will Russian AKs and Korean war surplus M1s come ashore post-Trump?

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Some are hopeful the new management in Washington will be able to lift barriers to overseas firearm imports erected over the years, though the going could be slow.

President Donald Trump on Friday said it was “very early” to tell if the United States should lift sanctions on Russia, but that he seeks a “great relationship” with Putin and Russia.

On the campaign trail, Trump’s platform on trade concentrated on American jobs while floating the possibility of a tariff on all imported goods to help ease the current trade deficit. However, the Republican’s position on gun rights promised to curtail federal gun bans and limits. The two concepts, when balanced against one another, leaves open the possibility of action on foreign-made guns currently off-limits to buyers in the U.S.

I talked to industry insiders on both sides of the pond, the ATF, and the International Trade Commission to get the scoop on if bans going back to the 1960s could be reshaped.

More in my column at Guns.com