The latest development from Caracal is an all-American-made version of the 9mm Enhanced F being launched this year. This new pistol will retain the current version’s 18+1 ammunition capacity (10-round magazines are available) and the accessory rail, and include some modifications to the slide like front cocking serrations and the return of the Quick Sight System.
Chiappa’s Charging Rhino was designed in cooperation with IPSC and ICORE shooters. This double-action-only, 9mm, six-shot revolver has a specially tuned trigger, a fiber-optic front sight, an adjustable rear sight and a 6-inch barrel. It comes with ten 9mm moon clips for quick reloads.
The P-09 Suppressor Ready comes with more than a threaded and capped barrel. Designed to give its user the tactical edge, this non-reflective, black, 9mm semi-auto also has tall night sights that allow the shooter to gain a precise sight picture and extended magazine floorplates that give it a very respectable 21-round capacity.
This upgrade of the original CZ Shadow has new trigger components that give it a smooth action and clean breaks in both DA and SA modes. In addition, the high beavertail combines with the undercut triggerguard to make it sit low in the hand for excellent recoil control. An unusual feature is its magazine release, which has three different height settings to meet the needs of individual shooters. Finally, this pistol is topped with an adjustable HAJO rear sight and a fiber-optic front sight for rapid target acquisitions.
The Silverback is a two-tone pistol with a stainless steel slide and a black nitrided steel frame. This well-built, 5-inch-barreled 1911 comes in both 9mm and 10mm and has many custom features, including adjustable Trijicon night sights, a glare-reducing Clark-type top rib, a square-butt grip, 25-lpi checkering on the frontstrap and mainspring housing, G10 grips and a lowered ejection port.
In response to customer demand, Dan Wesson is offering its Valor 1911 in blued steel with checkered, double-diamond-pattern G10 grip panels. This classic 1911 has all of the features of the stainless steel Valor, including a long trigger, a lowered and flared ejection port for enhanced reliability, a match-grade barrel and fixed night sights with a cocking ledge on the rear sight.
This new single action from Tanfoglio has a new polymer competition frame with a built-in magazine well. It also has a fully adjustable rear sight for precise targeting. Like the Limited Custom model, the gun comes with an extended magazine release, ambidextrous controls and a beveled magazine well. Finally, there is a handy accessory rail on the dust cover. The pistol is available in 9mm, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm and .45 ACP.
The 15-shot, 9mm H9 is a brand-new introduction from Hudson Manufacturing in Temple, Texas. This unusual pistol combines a striker-fired ignition system with a 1911 grip angle and a 1911-style trigger that has a built-in safety. Designed to accommodate a broad variety of shooters, it features ambidextrous controls and a removable lower backstrap. It also has a Trijicon HD front sight and a built-in dust cover rail for lights and lasers. Unique among its features are its low bore axis and lowered recoil spring.
Big and bold. That’s the statement made by this German revolver imported through Texas for American shooters. Built on the company’s MA frame, this .500 S&W Magnum revolver is built for strength. The cylinder uses a dual locking system. The sights are fully adjustable, including the elevation of the front sight. The smooth wooden grips feel very nice in the hand. Barrel lengths run from 4 to 12 inches to meet your particular shooting needs.
Les Baer has released a 10mm 1911 that should find favor with hunters of smaller big game. Based on Baer’s .45 ACP Premier II 6″ pistol, this long-slide features a steel National Match frame, a National Match barrel with a stainless steel bushing, a longer slide, a low-mount LBC adjustable sight with a hidden rear leaf, a fiber-optic front sight, a lowered and flared ejection port and a speed trigger with crisp 4-pound pull for enhanced precision.
The second-generation Thunder Ranch (TR) Special from Les Baer adds an ambidextrous thumb safety, a two-tone finish and custom grips to the already well-equipped TR Special. Other features include a National Match frame, front and rear slide serrations, a National Match barrel, a polished feed ramp, tritium sights, a deluxe Commander hammer and sear, a tuned trigger and extractor and a Baer beavertail grip safety.
The new L5 features a 5-inch barrel, a black hardcoat anodized aluminum frame and a black carbon-steel slide and barrel. It also has Hogue finger-groove rubber grips as well as Magnum Research’s highly popular integral muzzle brake. The new lighter version of this popular Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum puts it under 50 ounces, which makes it easier to carry on a hunt.
Remington introduced its full-sized, striker-fired 9mm at the 2017 SHOT Show. This 4.5-inch-barreled semi-auto comes with two magazines that hold either 18 or 10 shots. It also has small, medium and large removable backstraps and a specially contoured slide that Remington states is easy for a wide variety of users to rack. This polymer-framed pistol weighs only 26.4 ounces unloaded, making it one of the lightest high-capacity 9mm handguns on the market.
Rock Island Armory has expanded its GI series pistol line by adding a new gun in 10mm. While many of the new 10mm 1911s sport 6-inch barrels, this new, all-steel gun has a 5-inch barrel and overall dimensions very similar to other Government Model 1911s. The pistol’s design is a combination of features from the 1911 and 1911A1, with a short trigger and a flat mainspring housing.
Widely considered one of the most rugged DA/SA revolvers on the market, the GP100 is now available in .44 Special. Although it has never enjoyed the same immense popularity as the .38 Special, the .44 Special is nevertheless a viable self-defense round. This GP100 is fitted with a comfortable Hogue grip to attenuate felt recoil. On top, a front fiber-optic sight is matched to an adjustable rear sight for accurate shooting in a wide range of lighting conditions.
The new 22/45 Lite is the Mark IV version of the popular aluminum and polymer pistol that Ruger introduced several years ago. This pistol has a threaded 4.4-inch barrel, an adjustable rear sight and a Picatinny rail for optics. The checkered polymer grip panels and checkered front- and backstraps assure a firm grip in rapid fire. You can choose between models with black or bronze upper assemblies.
The new 9mm P226 RX from Sig Sauer has a Nitron-finished slide and a hardcoat anodized aluminum frame. It also comes with a Sig Sauer ROMEO1 reflex sight as well as taller, suppressor-ready sights that are co-witnessed with the reflex sight. Other RX variants are also available, including those in the P320 series.
Sig has introduced a new, full-sized version of the P320 with a few X-Series enhancements. This new gun is available in 9mm and .40 S&W. It has the new “X” grip module, an extended removable magazine well, a 5-inch bull barrel, a Dawson adjustable rear sight, a fiber-optic front sight and an extended slide release.
S&W has undertaken a major upgrade of its popular M&P duty pistol. The new M2.0 series has a lighter trigger with a crisp let-off and a fast, audible reset. Combine this with new aggressive grip texturing, four interchangeable backstraps, a redesigned stainless steel chassis and an enhanced magazine release, and the result is a pistol with improved handling qualities. The new pistol is available in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Buyers can choose between black or Flat Dark Earth models with or without thumb safeties.
This new five-shot revolver from S&W’s Performance Center is chambered in .460 S&W Magnum, which makes it extremely versatile since it can also shoot .45 Colt and .454 Casull hunting loads. This allows the hunter to closely tailor his or her load to the game being hunted. The gun features a 7.5-inch barrel with a muzzle brake, an integral rail for optics, a tuned action, a HiViz front sight, an adjustable rear sight and a chromed teardrop hammer.
This is a stainless steel, six-shot revolver from Smith & Wesson with a 6.5-inch barrel and a square-butt grip. Both of these features will help shooters control the felt recoil of heavier 300-grain .44 Magnum loads used for big-game animals like large black bears and elk. The gun features classic sights, including a red ramp front and a white-outlined rear, that have gained a reputation for quick, accurate targeting.
This hefty five-shot revolver in .500 S&W must be considered a full-sized handgun despite its rather short barrel. Primarily designed for protection against dangerous game in the backwoods, it has an expertly tuned action, a smooth cylinder, a chromed hammer, an adjustable rear sight and an easy-to-see HiViz front sight.
This new, all-steel Springfield 1911 features a 5-inch bull barrel, fully adjustable three-dot tritium sights, G10 grip panels, a forged steel frame finished in grey Armory Kote with an integral rail, front and rear serrations on the black Armory Kote slide, a full-length guide rod and a long aluminum, match-grade trigger with a 4.5- to 5-pound pull.
This new gun is a slimmed-down, full-sized, polymer-framed, 17-shot 9mm. It has a 5-inch, hammer-forged barrel which gives it a long sight radius that Springfield claims is easier to aim under stress. It is just 1.2 inches wide, which makes it as thin as many single-stack guns. Some of the gun’s new features include Posi-Wedge slide serrations, an undercut triggerguard and a high-swept beavertail grip safety.
STI is now offering both single-stack (SS) and double-stack (DS) variants of the HOST 5.0, which comes with a 5-inch barrel in 9mm, 10mm or .45 ACP. It is pre-milled for an optical sight, has a 4.5-pound trigger, an ambidextrous thumb safety, tall tritium suppressor sights, a DLC finish, textured grip panels and a threaded barrel for mounting a suppressor.
Traditions Firearms has expanded its popular Frontier Series line by adding seven new single-action models. They include a new Liberty model with white PVC grips and a blued barrel, models with checkered bird’s-head grips and reproductions of models used by legendary lawman and gunfighter Bill Tilghman. All of the models are available in .357 Magnum or .45 Colt with elegant engraving and either a 3.5- or 4.75-inch barrel.
When most people think of handguns, they often think of small personal-defense handguns, which are great for backup and deep concealment in warm climates. But when it comes to home defense, full-sized revolvers and semi-autos are often the best firearms for the job. Here are some of the best new pistols and revolvers unveiled this year that are likely to soon find their way to a holster near you.
