2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, Part 1: Mouse Guns

On January 15-18, Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio volunteer Clint Lake attended the 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, FL. Following is Part 1 of a blog on his experience.

By Clint Lake

Greetings from the 2009 Shot Show in balmy Orlando, Florida! The good news is that it is warmer than in Ohio. I'm going to change the format this year for my blog and cover only the newest of firearms in these categories: Mouse Pistols, Non-Mouse Pistols, Rifles and conceal carry accessories. Today I will be covering Mouse Pistols.

Probably the biggest buzz of the Shot Show this year was around the smallest pistols. I believe this is because there is a large segment of gun owners who are women and their ranks are growing by the month. Being an NRA instructor I continually see the unfortunate tradeoff women take between concealability, stopping power, and difficulty of trigger pull. With these factors in mind, and the fact that it is, by nature, a more challenging task for women who are new ‘conceal carriers’ to hide a pistol 'on person', the major manufacturers have developed some really quality pocket pistols.

I have to add a disclaimer at this point. Only the 'media' were allowed to take pictures of hardware. I, unfortunately, did not have a media pass. Maybe next year I can follow in the footsteps of my literary idol, Gerard Valentino, and somehow get a media pass to do a LIVEBLOG for Buckeye Firearms for next years' SHOT Show. But I digress.

Sig Saur P238

Being a big 'Sig' guy I was really looking forward to getting some hands-on time with the new P238. I only heard rumors that Sig was going to produce a new .380 to add to its existing P232/230 line of .380's. When I first saw the P238 it instantly reminded me of the old, yet venerable, Colt Mustang .380. albeit with the Sig signature slide bevels. The P238 is a traditional ‘cocked and locked’ single action system with a tilting barrel lockup traditionally found only on larger semi-automatics. The pistol comes in two finishes: Black Nitron Stainless slide with a black aluminum frame/black grips and two-tone stainless steel on the same black aluminum frame/aluminum grips.

SPECS:

Frame Material: Aluminum
Frame Finish: Black Hard Coat Anodize
Slide Material: Stainless Steel
Slide Finish: Nitron or Natural Stainless
Length Overall: 5.5"
Height Overall: 3.9"
Width Overall: 1.1"
Barrel Length: 2.7"
Sights: Post & Dot; SIGLITE Night Sights
Sight Radius: 3.8"
Weight w/ magazine: 15.2 oz
Capacity: 6 Rds

Kahr KP3833 (P380)

I have owned one Kahr pistol, the PM9. I found it to be a very capable pocket pistol but a little too small to fit comfortably in my hand. The P380 is WAY TOO SMALL for my hand! But, it will probably be the absolute perfect first conceal carry pistol for those with smaller hands or newer carriers. The P380 is substantially smaller than the PM9 (9mm). It is even smaller than the popular Kel-Tec sub-compacts. The only issue that I found, and it strictly because of my hand size, is that the trigger break was farther back than I am used to and that coupled with the small handle size caused a very awkward trigger stroke. Like the Sig P238 the barrel is of the tilting-lockup design.

SPECS:

Capacity: 6 Rds
Operation: DAO; Lock breech; "Browning-type" recoil lug; passive striker block
Barrel: 2.5" Premium Lothar Walther match Grade Barrel
Length Overall: 4.9"
Height: 3.9"
Slide Width: .75"
Weight: 9.97 oz w/o magazine, magazine: 1.3 oz
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: White bar-dot combat sights
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte 416R stainless steel slide
Magazines: 2 6-Rd 400 series stainless steel with flush baseplates

Walther PK-380

If you own a Walther P22 then this is that exact pistol only a tad larger. This pistol, like the P22, has a captive barrel that is attached to the frame, a slide mounted safety lever, and an ambidextrous magazine release lever. One of the biggest distinctions between the P22 and the PK380 is the design of the trigger guard. The PK380 has a roomier trigger guard the is reminiscent of the type HK is famous for. This will allow a gloved finger to more easily access the trigger without the danger of snagging. The PK380 comes in black, two-tone, and black with an attached laser. All frames are black polymer.

SPECS:

Capacity: 8 Rds
Barrel: 3.66"
Trigger: SA/DA
Safeties: Ambidextrous Manual Safety
Sights: 3 dot Steel
Weight: 19.4 oz
Length Overall: 6.2"
Height Overall: 5.2"

Micro Desert Eagle .380

Rounding out the Mouse Pistols is a very interesting addition by Magnum Research. This was probably one of the heavier pocket pistols but only because the frame is aluminum alloy with a stainless steel slide. The magazine disconnect is of the tradition 'button' style on the left hand side but the thing that will set this pistol apart is its operating system: gas-assisted blowback. The model description states this system is the ultimate in reliability and has amazing accuracy (isn't that what we all want in a pocket pistol?)

SPECS:

Length: 4.52"
Barrel Length: 2.22"
Height 3.71"
Width: .90"
Weight Empty: 14 oz
Capacity: 6 Rds
Finish: Nickel Teflon
Trigger: DAO
Sights: Fixed/Non-Adjustable