Re: “Bigger 9mms Handguns:SIG, Arsenal, and Beretta GoAt It,” November 2016
Good day: Here’s why I continue to be a many-years-long subscriber to Gun Tests:
First, this from a recent cover story of one of the slick gun magazines concerning the SIG P320 RX: “…but where the P250 stumbled (trigger pull weight and quality), the P320 shines. While the P320 doesn’t have the lightest trigger pull on the market, I think it has the best trigger pull on a striker-fired handgun in terms of quality. The trigger pull is the shortest and the crispest and the closest you’ll find in character to the trigger pull of a 1911… usually 6.5 pounds or less….”
A typical review of a “prepared” gun shipped to a magazine that depends on the advertising big bucks.
I bought a P320 RX before this review appeared. After shooting it the first time, I immediately called SIG’s excellent customer service. I reported that based on my four other SIGs, I was surprised the company put its name on the P320. My problem was a trigger that grated so terribly you could hear the agonized friction.
The rep was quite nice, and advised that the trigger on a P320 could never be as good as on the other SIGs. He added the he couldn’t guarantee it could be improved. However, he said he’d e-mail a prepaid return label.
Surprisingly, three or so weeks later, the rep called me (have never had that happen before!). He passed on to me what the “gunsmith” advised him to tell me: Some parts were replaced, and most of the grating has been relieved. However, the P320’s will never be as smooth as the other SIGs or have trigger pulls of much less than 8 pounds. After a thousand rounds or so, smoothness should improve a little.
My P320 is back. Trigger pull is down to 7.2 pounds, and thankfully, I now can’t hear the scraping as I squeeze the much-smoother trigger. It’s still not in the same class as my other SIGs, but it’s certainly good enough to be usable. Thanks, Gun Tests, for always telling it like it is, as per your November 2016, comparison review of the P320.
— Chet
I enjoyed your article “Bigger 9mms Handguns” in the November 2016 issue, but I take issue with your lowly “B” grade for the SIG Sauer P226 MK-25. I have a MK-25 that has never had a failure or problem of any kind.
The Sig-Lite night sights make the gun easy to get on target in low light, and the decocker is a safety feature I really like. But I admit the first pull can throw you off. My MK-25 is a superb pistol with very good accuracy. It feels good in your hand and oozes confidence. Yes, you do pay a small premium for a SIG Sauer, but the best always costs a little more.
— William
Self-Defense Defense:A Good Idea?
I would really appreciate any insights you have as to whether its a good idea to join USCCA or like organization. I carry on a daily basis. I really appreciate Gun Tests and look forward to every issue. Thanks.
— Mike
When I got my concealed handgun license a few years ago, during the mandated CHL class, I was pitched by a Texas Law Shield rep who simply said, “OK, you just shot someone in your house. Do you know what’s going to happen next?” I felt a cold chill come over me, because I knew I had no idea. And a friend of mine was involved in a civil lawsuit at the time, and he had amassed $56k in legal fees during the suit, so I knew what litigation alone could cost. But I was frightened by the criminal side. Texas laws at the time were a lot more stringent on carry, and the legalities taught in the CHL course alone got me twitching. I am very much a pain avoider. Signed up that day, along with my wife and kids. For me, it was the only decision I could make if I planned to carry and trained to defend myself. I’ve seen some folks say, “The 2A is my carry permit!” And they may be right, as far as it goes. But the 2A doesn’t define the terms of legal use of force and deadly force. There will be consequences after the incident. You can either plan and prepare for them, or not. — Todd Woodard
Re: “Modern 9mm Subcompacts:CZ-USA, Glock, SteyrCompete,” November 2016
Saw in the November Gun Tests about AmeriGlo sights. Where can I get them for my Glock G43?
— William
Log on to AmeriGlo.com, click on the Glock logo, and the sight sets are listed on the page. If you want a classic 3-dot design, the Spartan Operator sights feature a glare reducing rear tritium sight design and the ProGlo orange-outline tritium front sight. The GL-450 and GL-451 sight sets are specified for the Glock 42 and 43 models. There are other models available as well, which you can see by downloading a catalog from the site. — tw
Re: “Not Our Picks,”November 2016
On page 11 of this issue, you had the SIG Sauer P938 Extreme graded an “F,” with a comment, “Too bad it didn’t work.” No explanation of what didn’t work. I have had a P938 Rosewood for a year now. It is my everyday carry gun, and I strap it on when I get up in the a.m. and take it off at night before going to bed. I have put more than 750 rounds through it with no FTF or FTE, from either FMJs or hollowpoints. Accuracy-wise, I average a 6-inch-diameter circle at 17 yards. I can do better with benchrest slow shots. I carry it on Safe, in a leather holster, at 5 o’clock position in Condition One, seven in the extended mag and one in the pipe. I have had no issues with any ammo I use, and I primarily use Brown and Silver Bear for practice. Hornady Critical Defense for carry. I believe the pistol deserves a more current review in Gun Tests. Thank you.
— Norm
Well, we list the grades and short comments, along with the issue date, so readers can get a quick look at a lot of guns. But here’s more on what happened with our P938: “Our initial test firing made us think we’d found the ideal small nine. Everything was great, we thought. And then the nightmare began. On our next familiarization shooting with a few dozen rounds, we had a handful of failures to fire. Inspection showed the primers were essentially untouched. One or two had the tiniest mark of the firing pin. Some rounds failed to fire from repeated strikes of the hammer. Along with the failures to fire, we had occasional failures to completely eject. Commonly the last cartridge case from the magazine would get caught and mangled on its way out.
“We thought we had figured out the problem when the first test shooter said he was not holding the gun hard. We thought his limp wrist was letting the gun fly up and grab the empties. So our Senior Technical Editor decided to hold the gun gently and let the gun kick upward and catch the outgoing empty. On the shot, the empty sailed high and wide. No problem. Then, for the last round in the gun, he gripped the gun hard with both hands. This would let the gun cycle the way it was designed, he proclaimed, and the empty case would leave the gun properly just as high and wide as had the previous one. On the shot the observer didn’t see the empty fly. We searched, and finally looked at the gun. To our amazement, the empty cartridge had been caught by the lips of the magazine and had remained in the gun. That was a first for us.
“Inspection revealed a broken extractor. It was such a clean break we couldn’t be sure at first, but comparison with other extractors indicated there should have been more meat on this one. SIG overnighted us a new extractor. The part is investment cast, lightly machined, and has a small stress relief in the form of a fillet along one side of the chunk that broke off. It doesn’t have a fillet behind the hook. We didn’t like the design, but it’s common in today’s handguns. If the extractor had been milled from a forging and heat-treated properly, it would most likely never break in a thousand years. But no one makes guns like that any more, not for $823.”
And in conclusion: “Shown here with the extended seven-round magazine, the P938 was a compact and powerful package that we really liked when shooting the WPA Russian and Ultramax selections. Too bad neither of our test P938s would function with what we believe is an excellent self-defense round. When we acquired a second SIG P938 and function-fired it with the Cor-Bon 115-grain JHPs, it took only two shots to block the pistol’s firing-pin hole. Repeated drops of the hammer on this brand-new gun would not fire the round. After that, we respectfully lowered this gun’s grade to F.” — tw
I saw in your November issue you had given an F rating to the SIG Sauer P938 Extreme in March 2013. I had heard early versions of this firearm did have some problems, but they may have been resolved by the manufacturer. Have you, or do you plan to, re-review the SIG 938? I was considering purchasing this model, but I want to wait until your reviewers check it again. Thanks for a very helpful publication.
— John
Yes, the P938 will eventually be retested. The availability of new versions of it and other new 9mms will speed that process. Also, two readers asking for a follow up tends to move things along. — tw
Re: “Compact 45 ACP Shoot-Out: Glock, S&W, and Springfield,” November 2016
I read your review with interest. I own a S&W M&P Shield (but in 9mm) and a Springfield XD-S 3.3 in 45 ACP. I learned from both that I don’t favor striker actions. But I, too, found the M&P much easier to shoot accurately than the XD-S 3.3. I agree that the grip of the XD-S 3.3 is suboptimal. For me, it was downright painful to shoot with it, which means I either had to find a way to make it acceptable, or I wouldn’t practice much with it (that’s a bad thing).
But I love the XD-S size/caliber mix and how easy it is to conceal. The M&P is, paradoxically, almost equally concealable for me. So I spent $18 dollars and bought a Talon Grip wraparound strip for my XD-S. It was well worth the price and makes the XD-S much easier to shoot. So it is in my “carry rotation” along with the M&P and my faithful, large, obsolescent, beloved old SIG P-6. The ergonomics of the P-6 are second to none, in my opinion. Thanks for your excellent reviews.
— Brian
