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Load
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Group
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Notes
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Winchester 9mm “NATO” 124 FMJ
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3”
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3/5 into 1.5”
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Speer 124 gr. Gold Dot HP
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2”
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3/5 into .75” (!)
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Hornady Critical Defense “LITE” 100gr FTX
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4.5”
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3/5 into 2”, didn’t function the gun
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Speer 115gr. GDHP
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2”
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It shoots inside of three inches, more accuracy than it needs. The trigger was a little stout but clean – and, I fear, a good number of likely buyers may never shoot this gun. And that’s a shame.
But it’s a service pistol and I felt like I should compare it to other service handguns, so I shot it on the Comparative Standards. There’s a discussion of that here. Suffice to say that I was slow; those sights are tight with little light on either side of the front sight when looking at it through the rear. Didn’t matter, I shot the course clean – for the first time, thank you – though very slowly. The holster was the Safariland 7TS, worn concealed, and the ammo was the Winchester 9mm “NATO” 124 gr. ball round – keeping it ‘service correct.’
Service-style Safariland 7TS holster and Winchester "9mm NATO" ball were used in the comparative standards.
I averaged nearly three seconds to the single hit from 25 yards – vastly too slow. The “single from guard” best effort from fifteen yards was still just over one second (should be under) and the pair from ten yards was .01 second under the standard in Hackathorn’s Wizard Drill. The reload and single “high value” shot from five yards were likewise a bit slow, with other times coming in “about right.”
The stock sights didn’t help, the old-fashioned frame texture didn’t actually hurt – and did I say I shot it clean?
It does take a little jolt to run the gun. Not necessarily “+P” or NATO standard, but a bit of a jolt. The “made for compact guns” Critical Defense LITE was not a good choice for this envelope … but it’s a new (old-style) gun and I imagine it’d digest the flyweight Hornady load after it’d been shot some.
I see why the Austrians selected it, just like I can see why – at its peak – around 80% of US civilian law enforcement selected this gun. It just works and it shoots quite well.
Lipsey’s has done it again and GLOCK does it still.
-- Rich Grassi
