Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur.
A former police officer and trainer, he left public service and founded Tac6 Media, LLC.
Richard is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles related to firearms and law enforcement published by Harris Publications, Athlon Outdoors, NRA, Police & Security News, The Firearm Blog, Human Events and more.
The Stark Equipment SE-1 is a polymer grip that replaces the standard AR-15 grip and trigger guard with a single polymer unit. At the 2009 SHOT Show, I had a chance to preview the Stark SE-1, and I was impressed by the look and feel of the floor samples.
Stark Equipment is now shipping the SE-1, and I was able to get one of the early production grips. I am just as impressed by the production model as I was by the samples.
The SIG SAUER P232 pistol was updated for 2009. The new P232 features a newly designed slide that reduces “slide bite” on larger hands and removable sights.
For those not familiar with the SIG SAUERÂ P232, the gun is a .380 ACP pistol that is more substantial in size and weight than the recent crop of .380 pocket guns. The P232 runs between 18.5 – 23.6 ounces, has a 3.6″ barrel, and an overall length of 6.6″. The action is a DA/SA design and has a capacity of seven plus one.
The SIG P232 is available in three finishes: black Nitron, stainless, and a two-tone stainless slide with a black frame. All models of P232 are available with standard or SIGLITE Night Sights.
While sleek and attractive, some people do not like the P232 pistols due to the lack of slide catch. This means the shooter will not be able to lock the slide to the rear of the pistol for any reason. While this does not negatively impact the reliability of the handgun, it does alter how some things are done. For example, you can’t lock the slide back when handing another person the P232. If this is important to you, this SIG pistol may not be your best choice.
The P232 is easy to shoot, light recoiling pistol due to the size of it. Keep in mind that the trigger is a double-action/single-action design. These tend to be less accurate due to the lack of training most people will invest in learning the system. For the vast majority of people, having a double-action only pistol – like a Glock or Smith & Wesson M&P – is a superior choice.
The Charter Arms Rimless Revolver (CARR) took a long time to get to market. There were a number of false starts and premature press releases. However, the revolver that takes rimless cartridges without the need for moon clips finally did make the market in 2012 – almost four years after the first announcement.
The final product was the Charter Arms Pitbull. Although we were promised a .45 ACP version also, the gun is only available in 9mm and .40 S&W. Read more about the new guns here.
The Taurus TCP was a micro-sized .380 ACP pistol released by Taurus in 2008. Taurus manufactured the gun until about 2014.
Aimed at the same market that was dominated by the Ruger LCP, Taurus’ attempt to woo buyers to the TCP 380 ultimately failed. Low prices are typically the major selling point for Taurus firearms, but the LCP was also very aggressively priced. Most buyers opted for the better regarded Ruger name.
Taurus introduced the “Public Defender” revolver, another in the line of the Judge revolvers, at the 2009 SHOT Show.
Chambering the same .45 Colt and .410 shotshells as the other handguns in the Judge line, the Public Defender is built on a smaller frame (the 85 series frame), and is clearly designed for concealed carry. The Public Defender still chambers five rounds, yet is smaller and lighter, weighing only 28.2 ounces for the stainless or blued versions, and 26 ounces for the blued steel/titanium cylinder model.