Tag Archives: new handgun

Review of the Roscoe

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Much like the long-discontinued Taurus Model 80 and Rossi Model 68, guns now some 30 years out of production, the Heritage Roscoe is a simple and rugged .38 revolver that looks good and doesn’t break the bank.

It has the look and feel of a vintage S&W J-frame but without the cost – and, unlike a classic Smith or Colt Dick, you can take it to the range and beat on it without losing any collector value. Plus, it has some modern features you didn’t find in those guns such as the transfer bar and heavy barrel profile.

The 3-inch variant runs an inch or so longer than a snub gun, giving a longer (4.97-inch) sight radius while wringing more velocity from the ammo used – all while being very concealable.

You can always get one and turn it into a budget Fitz Special, which seems like a great choice if looking for that.

Is it the best .38 for concealed carry or personal defense compared to more modern designs with shrouded hammers, better triggers, options for adding optics, and weight savings via the inclusion of aluminum and polymer? Not even close, but it can still clock in when needed.

It is no slouch in terms of practical accuracy and is rated to run .38 +P on occasion.

It’s nice to see the Heritage time travel with the Roscoe, which is a bit of fresh air, albeit with a twinge of cigar smoke to it.

Talk about an instant classic.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Did the SIG Fuse fizzle?

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The Fuse, SIG Sauer’s newest P365 gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment.” This is due to still being carry-sized while featuring all the goodies one could want, including a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide, easily co-witnessing iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.

All this for well under $800.

I put 1,000 rounds through one in the past couple of months.

Full review in my column at Guns.com.

The Factory P320 Legion Flux Raider Exists

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Utah-based Flux Defense came on the scene in 2018 and their Raider, then improved Raider X, chassis systems that turn a handgun into something very much in the PCC realm have been an “if you know, you know” kind of hit ever since. Case in point, when their promised P365 chassis hit the market a couple of weeks ago, it sold out in just eight minutes.

Now, SIG and Flux have partnered to create the P320 Flux Legion package which blends all the famed Legion features familiar to fans of that line with one of the most exciting chassis systems in the pistol space. The result gives the user a 60+1 capacity platform that compacts down to 10.9 inches and hits the scales right around the 3-pound mark (unloaded).

We got a sneak peek at the new platform at SIG’s Next event in New Hampshire this week.

Standard features include a standard P320 Fire Control Unit outfitted with a Legion series skeletonized trigger, a full-size Legion Gray slide with an integrated compensator/expansion chamber, and housed in a matching Legion Gray Flux Defense chassis with a rapid-deploying stabilizing brace. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

More in my column at Guns.com.

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.

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.

FN downshifting features for discounts

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In the past couple of years, I’ve been reviewing a lot of FN handguns. Like, a lot.

Some of the cooler ones have been a series of “Tactical” big bores, specifically the 10mm FN 510 and .45 ACP FN 545. Introduced earlier this year, sports 4.71-inch extended threaded barrels, protective “dog ear” housings around the rear sights, and ships with extended magazines, capable of holding as many as 22+1 rounds.

510 and 545 Tactical models seen here (Photo: Chris Eger)

Well, FN just this week introduced a more carry-friendly take on the 510 and 545, with new MRD models that run more standard-length 4.1-inch barrels, have 15+1 round magazines, and drop the “ears” for an easier tuck. Plus, they are like $120 cheaper.

Like the FN 510 and FN 545 Tactical, the compact introduced a sub-caliber .22LR rimfire trainer with the same feature set: the FN 502 Tactical.

FN 502 Tactical (Photo: Chris Eger)

Similarly, FN just debuted a less “tacti-cool” model of the FN 502 this week as well.

The new FN 502 MRD drops the extended barrel and magazine but still has all the other features– and about a $90 drop in price.

An Unlikely All-steel Micro 9

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EAA, long known for its Regard, Witness, and Windicator models, two years ago began to import the Girsan MCP35 from Turkey. That later pistol seems to be modeled after the later post-1980 Browning Mark II/III models made by FN during the last few decades of the model’s run with that company. The latter includes an external extractor, a serrated ring hammer, a slim trigger, a windage drift-adjustable rear sight, ships with a Mec-Gar produced 15-shot aftermarket double-stack magazine and includes both an ambidextrous safety and a magazine-disconnect safety (more on this abomination later).

I really dug the standard-sized MCP35, seen here in a factory FDE option, finding it an excellent value and lots of fun on the range. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

While EAA introduced updated OPS and Match series MCP35s, which upgraded the legacy standard with accessory rails, optics cuts, and a better trigger, what I openly wished for was a shortened version optimized for carry. Hi-Power fans will immediately recall the old FM Detective.

Made by FM in Argentina, which had been set up under license by FN back in the 1960s to make BHPs for the Argentine military and police, the Latin American armory developed a shortened model that retained the same size grip and magazine capacity. It was only brought into the States for a few years in the 1990s, when it was marketed as the Detective by importers.

I was a huge fan of the Detective and bought and carried the gun on the right for several years. It was rough and basic, but it worked. For those interested, according to the online inflation calculators, $239 in 1992 is worth $514.18 today, which is around what the MCP35 PI runs. Also, do not try to go to SOG and get the above deal, as that importer closed its doors years ago.

Taking a cue from the old FM Detective, EAA teased the new MCP35 PI late last year and started shipping it a couple of months ago.

The basic concept trims an inch off the barrel length and almost an inch and a half in overall length, as well as a few ounces in weight, from the standard MCP35, leaving a more compact pistol, roughly akin to the concept of a Commander 1911.

The big kicker is that, in that size, it is the same size as guns like the SIG P365 XMacro and Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro, while being hammer-fired and all-steel. 

The EAA Girsan MCP35 PI is a factory-shortened Hi-Power clone that still accepts standard magazines and most parts, save for slide and barrel components. 

My full review on the PI after the jump.

So what’s the deal with the Glock 47? (A: Interoperability)

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Glock came to SHOT Show in Las Vegas last month with the new commercial variant of the G47, and I snagged one for a better look.

A pistol that debuted a few years ago but wasn’t available to the public, the G47 came as part of an $85 million/10-year contract with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2019. With more than 45,000 sworn law enforcement agents and officers, CBP’s mission includes security through the U.S. Border Patrol as well as customs and counter-smuggling operations at over 330 ports of entry. It is the largest federal LE agency inside the Department of Homeland Security.

The contract included not only the previously unknown G47, which by all accounts was created especially for the contract but also compact Glock 19 Gen 5 models and subcompact Glock 26 Gen 5s, all in 9mm. Keep that in mind moving forward.

The G47 isn’t a “game changer” but it does have a few little things that are interesting about it.

Such as this:

The G47, right, is seen above compared to the crossover G19X, which is the same height and roughly the same frame but with a G19-length slide and barrel. (Photo: Chris Eger)

And, showing off that modularity, I give you the “you got chocolate in my peanut butter” that is the G19X and G47 MOS with swapped uppers. Both guns shoot and cycle fine. You could do the same between the G47 and the G17 Gen 4/5, G45, and G19 Gen 4/5. (Photo: Chris Eger)

More in my column at Guns.com.

Everything you want in a P365, without the loudener

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SIG has an optimized variant of the 17+1 round 9mm P365 XMacro headed to the market– minus the integrated compensator that a lot of folks detest– but with a few extra goodies.

The new P365 Macro TACOPS will have the slightly taller grip module of the XMacro that comes standard with a frame-mounted M1913 accessory rail for lights and lasers. The upper half is that of a standard P365 XL. What is totally new on the micro 9 is an integrated magwell for faster reloads, an extended slide catch lever, and, as it is a TACOPS package, four flush-fit 17-round magazines.

I ran into the P365 Macro TACOPS at SIG’s media event in Nevada last week on the eve of SHOT Show and got a sneak peek at the new pistol.

The P365 Macro TACOPS can be looked at as a P365 XMacro in which someone swapped out a regular XL top half and added a magwell and extended slide lever. The pistol shown wears a SIG RomeoZero Elite 1×24 micro red dot– which fits the Shield RMSc/Holosun K footprint of the series– with its optional metal shield installed.

More in my column at Guns.com.

In one of the most surprising stories from SHOT…

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Confession time: I have long owned and used an 8+1 shot Bersa Thunder CC .380, finding it both reliable and very easy to conceal. At the time I picked it up, I’d gone down a rabbit hole in which I owned several Argentinian-made pistols including a few HAFDASA Ballester–Molina .45ACPs and a couple of 9mm FM (not FN) Hi-Powers.

Not a bad little gun…

Founded by a trio of Italian immigrants to Argentina back in the 1950s, the company made a name for itself crafting small and dependable blowback-action pistols that evoked a sort of Walther PP/PPK flavor.

Long imported by Eagle Imports, Bersa switched gears in 2021 and elected to go with Talon moving forward while also looking to bring some production to the U.S. This led to a new state-of-the-art facility in Kennesaw, Georgia which has been slowly standing up for the past two years.

That’s what brought me to Bersa’s booth hidden over in the 70,000-block of Ceasar’s Forum during SHOT Show last week.

Did I mention they are making a half dozen different AR models now?

More in my column at Guns.com.

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