Pistols

Understanding and rigorously implementing the basics of proper handgun shooting will improve your downrange performance.

Here's a compilation of head-to-head ammunition testing conducted by Gun Tests magazine.

CNN has reported that federal authorities are searching for thousands of conversion devices that render semi-automatic Glock pistols into fully automatic weapons that are considered to be machine guns.

Log on toGun-Tests.comto read complete reviews of these products in the designated months.Highly-ranked products from older reviews are often available used at substantial discounts.

What many concealed carry consumers do is use Gun Tests grades and write-ups to identify problems and things to look for when purchasing a firearm. But the final decision has to be made by the buyer, because a gun should fit the shooter like a pair of well-worn shoes. That requires very personal decision-making for the CCW licensee. With that said, here are five handguns I believe stand out above the others if you're looking for a handgun with modest recoil.

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Springfield Armory is so excited to have two new models that we introduced here for SHOT Show. The first one being the 9 millimeter version of the 380 that we introduced last year.

So that one I can show you here. Very similar to the one that comes in 380. It has G10 grips, G10 trigger, AmeriGlo's Pro Glo tritium front sight, so it really picks up quickly in just about any sort of light condition. Really quick sight picture acquisition there. Let's see what else. We have ambidextrous safety, we have this golf ball texturing - what we call Octo-Grip texturing on the front and the back straps so it really gives you a comfortable grip without tearing up your clothing if you're going to carry it concealed.

In the past few years there has been a renewed interest in the 10mm Auto. That is odd because the birth of the 40 S&W Auto cartridge nearly suffocated the 10mm Auto out of existence. Not only are there more pistols chambered in 10mm, there is ammo loaded to velocities the 10mm Auto was designed for. Ammunition manufacturers like SIG and others provide these big-bore semi-autos with cartridges that live up to the 10mm's reputation.

Two 10mm Autos introduced in 2018 are from Springfield Armory (SA). SA chambered both the XDM and 1911 platforms in the round and, back in 2015, Glock got the hint from handgun hunters that we wanted a full-fledged 10mm for hunting, and the company obliged with the G40 Gen4 with MOS (Modular Optic System). We liked all three of these pistols because they all offered good accuracy, excellent to good triggers, and they were easy to shoot well. But we preferred one over the others.

How We Tested

No jams. No failures. All pistols ran well and met our expectations of Springfield and Glock pistols. We averaged 2-inch five-shot groups at 25 yards using open sights across all three pistols. When we attached a red dot (actually a green dot), we found that the Glock pulled ahead of the group in ease of shooting. We like the G40 for its ability to mount an optic. And if you are paying attention, you may have guessed the RO Elite Operator offered the best accuracy with open sights. There is something to be said about the 1911 platform's single-action trigger. SA tuned this trigger nicely. Some of us were shooting cloverleaf patterns with holes overlapping each other using a rest with the Range Officer Elite Operator.

Ammo used during testing consisted of SIG Sauer V-Crown and FMJ cartridges loaded with a 180-grain JHP and FMJ bullets, respectively. We also had on hand some old Hornady Critical Defense 165-grain FTX ammo. All of these loads cranked out the muzzle doing a respectable 1200 fps on average.

For fast, unsupported shooting, we found these pistols do serve up recoil, but the pistols allowed us to manage it. Could we shoot these 10mms as fast as a 9mm or 45 ACP? Sure we could, but our accuracy decreased.

As a hunting round, the 10mm Auto can be effective on boar and deer if you know your limitations and those of the round. Maximum range with this round is 50 yards. With a muzzle energy of 550 to 600 foot-pounds with our test ammo, you could use these pistols as you would a 357 Magnum revolver. There are boutique ammunition manufacturers, such as Buffalo Bore, Grizzly, and Underwood, that we have experience with and have fired their hotter loads designed for penetration and expansion. Some of the larger ammo makers like Hornady and Federal also make rounds suitable for hunting medium-size game.

Are these three pistols perfect 10s? In our opinion they are close, but one may be more suited to your shooting style. The devil is in the details, and we had a devil of a time wringing out these 10mms.

In celebration of the company's 100th anniversary, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., has released a 9mm concealed-carry handgun: the Mossberg MC1sc (subcompact). Surprisingly, the company's first firearm design, called the Brownie, was a 22-caliber four-shot pocket pistol. The MC1sc is available in five initial 9mm offerings: the standard MC1sc and an optional cross-bolt safety version; two standard offerings with sighting systems (TruGlo Tritium Pro Night Sights or a Viridian E-Series Red Laser), and a Centennial Limited Edition with a production run limited to 1,000 commemorative models. After 100 years in business, Mossberg has grown to be the sixth-largest U.S. firearms manufacturer with more than 100 design and utility patents to its credit. The MC1sc reflects three years of development. Important features in a subcompact handgun are size, weight, caliber and carryability. The MC1sc has an overall length of 6.45 inches, weight of 19 ounces (with empty magazine), and a barrel length of 3.4 inches in the popular 9mm chambering. It comes with two single-stack magazines (one 6-round flush and one 7-round extended), has a glass-reinforced polymer frame, and suggested retail price of $421 for the two standard models.

Hey Gun Tests readers, I'm Todd Woodard, editor of Gun Tests Magazine. I'm here with Bret Vorhees, director of product development for Walther. And amazingly, we have a gun here that you already know about, the Walther PPK/S. Walther's PPK and PPK/S are coming back out in the United States this year.

Bret's going to tell us about the long story of this platform and why it's an interesting gun for shooters.