ISSC M22 Pistol Chambered in .22LR

OK, let’s deal with the obvious. It sure looks like a Glock. That’s what I thought it was when I first laid eyes on it. Upon a second glance I noticed the decocker/safety and the external hammer. But otherwise the profile, trigger, slide release, magazine release and take-down levers are about as Glock as you can get. Internally the M22 looks very much like a Glock other than the barrel which is fixed.

Now, I am not normally a .22 shooter, but in these days of exorbitantly priced ammo I am seeing a lot more .22’s at the range than I used to. You can expend 200 rounds of .22 LR ammo for about $20 (full retail) or about the price of a single box (50 rounds) of 9mm. 200 rounds of 9mm will hit your wallet for around $60 to $80 bucks depending on what you buy. Yes, shooting a .22 makes a lot of fiscal sense these days. Unfortunately, to get a nicely accurate .22 semi-automatic pistol you are going to wind up with a fairly large Ruger or Browning Buckmark pistol. These are great pistols and capable of fantastic accuracy but…they don’t look like fighting pistols. Now I’ve owned and shot smaller contenders like the Walther P22 and the SIG Mosquito, but they didn’t cut the mustard in terms of accuracy (and reliability). Certainly you can graduate to one of the Kimber Rimfire pistols if you can afford to spend a lot of money; you'll get an accurate .22 that looks and operates like a fighting pistol. The ISSC M22 is the size of the Glock model 19 except the ISSC M22 is thinner.

I do not know that much about ISSC except that they are an Austrian based company that seems to have a proclivity for producing .22 caliber firearms that look like other famous guns from their local region. Aside from borrowing a lot from fellow Austrian Gaston Glock for the M22 they also produce.22 caliber semi-auto versions of the H&K MP5 sub-machine gun.

So from that standpoint the ISSC M22 seemed like it would fit the criteria I was looking for, if it was accurate enough.

So, let’s start by looking at the “At-A-Glance” table and the specifications for the M22:

ISSC M22 At-A-Glance

Handling	Terrible	Poor	Acceptable	Good	Excellent
Fit & Finish	Terrible	Rough	Acceptable	Good	Excellent
Sights	None	Too Small	Useable	Good	Excellent
Trigger	Terrible	Poor	Acceptable	Good	Excellent
Power Scale	.22LR	.380 ACP	9mm	.40 S&W	.45 ACCP
Carry/Concealment	Too Large	Compact	Ultra Compact	Micro Compact	Pocket Pistol
Reliability	Unreliable	Somewhat Reliable	Fair	OK	Completely Reliable
Accuracy	Poor	Fair	Acceptable	Combat	Bullseye

Specifications

Caliber	.22 LR
Capacity	10 + 1
Action	Single Action Only
Trigger Pull	4 pounds
Length	7 inches
Height	4.8 inches
Width	1 inch
Barrel Length	4 inches
Weight	21.4 ounces

As noted above the M22 is single action only. Once a round is chambered and the hammer is de-cocked it will not fire until you have manually re-cocked the hammer.

While the de-cocker safely drops the hammer, the trigger is single action only so you will have to re-cock the hammer when ready to fire. You cannot carry this pistol cocked and locked because there is no external safety to make the pistol safe with the hammer back. This should not be a drawback; I mean, who is going to carry a .22LR as their concealed weapon?

Let’s examine the individual characteristics of the ISSC M22:

Handling	Terrible	Poor	Acceptable	Good	Excellent

I found the handling of the M22 to be good, in fact actually a little better than the original Glock due to the fact that it is one inch thick compared to the 1.18 inch thickness of the Glock Model 19. The M22 is a natural pointer. Another plus for the handling characteristics is the magazine release which is extended and very easy to access when you want to drop the magazine and reload. The magazine, by the way, drops very freely from the frame. I was always concerned that the extended magazine release was just an unimportant do-dad that people added without really needing. After shooting the M22 I will have to rethink the necessity of having an extended magazine release on my Glock pistols.

Fit & Finish	Terrible	Rough	Acceptable	Good	Excellent

Fit and finish is also good; the pistol is well designed and executed. I do, however, miss the Tennifer finish on the Glock slide and barrel.

Sights	None	Too Small	Useable	Good	Excellent

The sights are good, bordering on excellent. The M22 sports sights that look very much like Glock sights however the front sight has a white rectangle on it instead of the more common dot. Quite frankly, I prefer the rectangle to Glock’s dot. The rear sight is outlined in white, just like the Glock, but the rear sight is also fully adjustable for windage. The M22 also comes with 4 different sizes of front sights to help zero the pistol in the event that it is shooting high or low with whatever load you choose. The front sight is also very easy to remove with a small screwdriver, no special tools or training needed.

Trigger	Terrible	Poor	Acceptable	Good	Excellent

The M22’s trigger is set for a pull of four pounds. This is a good all-around trigger pull. Like the Glock the M22 employees a safety lever in the middle of the trigger. If there is anything that could be re-thought on the pistol it is the trigger. It is a little narrow with vertical ridges that are probably good for shooting under stress, but a little bit uncomfortable during an extended range session.

Power Scale	.22LR	.380 ACP	9mm	.40 S&W	.45 ACCP

OK…it’s a .22; paper targets and aluminum cans are not safe when this pistol is around but, despite that it comes with 2 magazines, it is not much of a defensive firearm.

Carry/Concealment	Too Large	Compact	Ultra Compact	Micro Compact	Pocket Pistol

The M22 is a compact pistol, smaller than a Colt Commander and slightly smaller than a Glock model 19 however, as mentioned about, it would not be the best choice for a concealed carry weapon.

Reliability	Unreliable	Somewhat Reliable	Fair	OK	Completely Reliable

I have to admit I was concerned here. There is not much information available on the M22 but I did find one internet firearm forum where someone was discussing the reliability of the M22 in a very unflattering manner. This was concerning since this writer had actually shot the M22 as opposed to most of the other gun forum curmudgeons who find joy in bashing a new handgun without having fired it, held it, or seen it in person. The writer on this forum had lot of Stovepipe jams with it. I am happy to say that in 350 rounds fired thus far, I have only encountered one stovepipe jam. No other types of jams occurred. About the only thing negative to say about the M22 was that I had about 12 light primer strikes during one box of firing with Remington High Velocity Golden Bullet ammunition. This did not occur with the CCI or Aguila ammunition that I also fired through the M22.

Accuracy	Poor	Fair	Acceptable	Combat	Bullseye

The M22 gives excellent combat accuracy, bordering on Bullseye accuracy as well. In fact, if the competition was within 7 to 10 yards, with practice you could do very well in a bullseye competition.

The ISSC M22 just about fits my criteria completely; it has better than combat accuracy in a compact package that looks like a real fighting pistol.

Legacy Sports International (LSI) Citadel Concealed Combat 1911 .45 ACP

Without a doubt 1911 style pistols have been very popular in the U.S. since, well, 1911. As we approach the centennial of John Moses Browning’s genius design there are more manufacturers producing 1911’s than you can shake a stick. The 1911 was synonymous with the word “Colt” as I was growing up. In fact as I grew up it was mostly referred to as the “Colt .45” and occasionally mentioned as the “Colt Government” or “Colt Commander” (denoting either a 5 or 4.25 inch barrel) . It wasn’t until Colt began to turn their back on the civilian buyer and the mantel was picked up by the likes of Kimber and Springfield (and later arch rival Smith & Wesson) that I began to here it referred to as the 1911.

1911 pistols have been fairly expensive prospects since Colt produced them up to the current time when a nice one goes for around $1,000 and REALLY nice ones rocket up to $3,000. There have been some budget pistols produced which have usually wind up as a project pistol for a local gunsmith to make it reliable and perhaps stick a few additional bells and whistles.

Legacy Sports International (LSI) has released a line of 5 and 3.5 inch 1911 pistols which are available for a touch under $500.00. While 500 bucks in not an insignificant chunk of change it is a pretty low price for a 1911. My local gun shop and range had a bunch of them sitting of the shelf below the $2800.00 Nighthawks. After a couple of months of paying them no mind I decided to see if the Citadel was a pistol you could bet your life on.

LSI gets the pistols from Armscor and they are manufactured in the Philippians. I chose the 3.5 inch Concealed Combat that sported the following features:

• Series 70 firing system
• 3.5 inch forged bushingless bull barrel
• Full length guide rod
• Cast frame and a milled slide
• Skeletonized hammer and trigger
• Novak Style Sights
• Lowered and flared ejection port
• Positive grip safety and extended beavertail
• 2 six round magazines

Of those features I can usually do without the extended beaver tail and the bushingless bull barrel with full length guide rod. The extended beaver tail makes the pistol uncomfortable in an inside-the-waistband holster as it sticks in my side. These were originally all the rage to keep the spur hammer on the old Colt Government models from biting the web of your hand. The rounded hammer pretty much handles that so the skinny elongated beavertail just seems to me to be something else to get in the way. The bushingless bull barrel with full length guide rod likewise seems to serve no positive purpose and have the unintended consequence of usually making the pistol more difficult to disassemble and reassemble. Now the Citadel did not seem to be too back to field strip and put back together but no one has ever proven to me that the bushingless bull barrel with full length guide rod is either more reliable or more accurate than a pistol without these features.

Key Performance Indicators At-a-Glance

Handling Characteristics

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Fit and Finish

Terrible

Rough

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Sights – Size

None

Too Small

Small but Useable

Good

Excellent

Sights – Enhancements

None

Non-illuminating Dots/lines

Illuminating Dots/lines

Fiber Optic

Night Sights

Trigger

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.40 S&W

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Reliability

Completely Unreliable

Somewhat Unreliable

Fair, don’t bet your life

OK With Some Types

Completely Reliable

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

Let’s break those Key Performance Indicators down and talk about what they mean:

Handling Characteristics

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

There is not really a whole lot to say about the Citadel from a handling standpoint. It is a 1911 all the way around and it you like the feel and ergonomics of a 1911 there will be no disappointment with the Citadel.

Fit and Finish

Terrible

Rough

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

OK, this is a value priced pistol produced in the Philippians and you should not be expecting the high polished Royal Blue found on premium semi-custom pistols. The fit and finish are acceptable bordering on Rough. The bluing is not pretty, the slide and trigger are gritty, the wood grips are OK and are utilitarian in their fit and finish.

Sights – Size

None

Too Small

Small but Useable

Good

Excellent

Sights – Enhancements

None

Non-illuminating Dots/lines

Illuminating Dots/lines

Fiber Optic

Night Sights

The sights are all black Novak style combat sights. They are fairly easy to pick up but there are no dots, bars, outlines, or anything else to aid you in visually indexing your target. For the price I would not have expected Night Sights for Fiber Optic inserts but a white dot on the front sight and a white outline on the rear sight would not have added that much cost to the production of the pistol.

Trigger

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

The trigger pull had a minimal amount before breaking at just a hair less than 5 pounds. I consider 4.5 to 5 pounds to be just about perfect for a combat pistol. However the gritty feeling in the pull keeps me from giving it an unconditional “good” rating.

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.40 S&W

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

It’s a .45! Not much more needs to be said. The .45 ACP is one of the best all around defensive rounds and has been for almost 100 years. The 9mm may be the most popular round in the world but it really takes good +P hollowpoint ammunition to make it effective. With the .45, just about any round you can find, hardball or hollowpoint, will be effective. A friend was with me at the range recently, someone who has solely shot the 9mm. As I was loading the .45 this person said “that’s a mighty big bullet you’re putting in there”. Paraphrasing American Handgunner scribe Clint Smith I replied “Yes, and it will be a really big bullet when it comes out of there too”.

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

The Citadel Concealed Combat is somewhere between a Compact and Ultra Compact pistol. Its 3.5 inch barrel is three quarters of an inch shorter than the Commander sized 1911 pistols and one and a half inches shorter than the full service-sized Government model pistols. It carries well in an inside-the-waistband holster but, due to the weight of its all steel construction you will need to find a sturdy holster and belt to make sure it stays put in whatever position you find the most comfortable.

Reliability

Completely Unreliable

Somewhat Unreliable

Fair, don’t bet your life

OK With Some Types

Completely Reliable

I am giving the Citadel a conditional “completely reliable” rating as I only had 12 rounds of hollowpoint ammo that I could afford to part with. Six rounds were Magtech 230 grain JHP and six rounds were Winchester Personal Defense 230 grain JHP. Otherwise the Citadel ate up 325 rounds of Magtech and Winchester 230 hardball ammo without a hiccup.

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

One of the most frequent questions asked since I began toying with this Key Performance Indicators At-a-Glance table has been “What is combat accuracy”. Obviously it is not enough accuracy to win a bullseye championship. What it means is that the pistol provides you with enough accuracy to consistently hit the center mass of a man sized silhouette target at 75 feet from a standing two hand hold utilizing no rest or steadying structure.

The targets below were fired at 21, 31, and 75 feet:

The LSI Citadel will provide you with formidable caliber in a completely usable package. Yes, its fit and finish could be better, the trigger could be smoother, it could have some type of enhanced sights, and it would be nice if it were a little more accurate. It you have to have that then move up the Kimber, Springfield, Smith & Wesson, and STI shelf. Oh, and be prepared to spend an additional $700.00.

New! Ratings Chart

For some time now I have been toying with developing a ratings chart to help give an overall picture of how I felt about the particular pistol reviewed. As such I have developed the following grid to help express what I feel are the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of any handgun:

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Handling Characteristics

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Fit and Finish

Terrible

Rough

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Function

Not at all Reliable

Somewhat Reliable

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Sights – Size

None

Too Small

Small but Useable

Good

Excellent

Sights – Enhancements

None

Non-illuminating Dots/lines

Illuminating Dots/lines

Fiber Optic

Night Sights

Trigger

Terrible

Poor

Acceptable

Good

Excellent

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

So what does all of this mean? I think most of them are self explanatory expect for handling characteristics and Fit and Finish.

Handling Characteristics: I have long been a believer that the better a handgun feels in your hand, the better you will shoot it. If it comfortable and becomes an extension of your arm it will probably shoot pretty close to point of aim. Let's take 2 particular pistols as an example: The Browning Hi-Power and the CZ 75 platforms. I have read that people didn't like them because they were 9mm pistols (before either were chambered in .40 S&W). I have read that people did not like them because the Hi-Power was single action and the CZ was either single action or traditional double action (there's no pleasing everyone). But I have never read where anyone did not like the way the pistols felt in their hand and conversely, darn few who didn't shoot them well.

Conversely, let's look at the Glock. They are available in a wide variety of calibers and sizes and I have not read anyone who does not find them reliable, however, some people do not care for the way they fit in their hand and those people do not shoot them well. Realistically, though, there are legions of people who find they fit just fine and shoot them remarkably well.

Fit and Finish: This characteristic refers to how well the pistol is finished and assembled. Was the metal polished well, are there visible tooling marks, do parts bind when the slide is racked? Does the movement of the slide or trigger seem gritty. If the pistol has removable grips, do they fit well? Are their gaps where there should not be gaps? For an example of a useable but poorly finished pistol see my review of the EAA Zastava Model 88. For excellently finished pistols see the review of the CZ 75 Polished Stainless or the EAA Witness Elite.

So there you have it. These ratings will not take the place of my narrative reviews, but are designed to enhance the review by offering a more visual perspective on how the key performance indicators of the pistol stack up. If you have any suggestions, please drop me a line using the link in the right hand sidebar.

What I Am Keeping and Carrying

The most frequent question I am asked is if I am independently wealthy to have so many handguns. The answer is an emphatic "No"! Some of the pistols reviewed were rented, some were loaned, many were bought used at a great price, and some were purchased new. I am always wheeling and dealing to get something new or unusual so I can come up with an interesting review. However, over the last six years I did find that the safe was beginning to bulge at the seams and I realized that I had a plethora of pistols that never saw daylight. I mulled over the prospect of selling some of them. A few were easy to part with, but most were not. Slowly I began to put them on consignment and actually got caught up in a selling frenzy after the current commander-in-chief was elected because they sold fast and at very good prices. A few actually sold for more than I paid for them.

Finally I realized that if I clarified the mission for which I needed a handgun it would be easier to determine what to sell and what to keep. Well I don't hunt so away went the large "N" framed revolvers in .44 Special, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum.

I don't participate in shooting competitions so the large framed, long barreled semi-automatic pistols in .9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 10mm left me too. These were a little harder to get rid of since most of them were superbly accurate.

The mission for my handguns was simple: they are for self-defensive concealed carry. So I am keeping what I carry. Now, within this mission there are also sub-missions that needed to be categorized and considered and those were:

1. What to keep for all-around general purpose carry.
2. What to keep for those times that only the smallest can be carried.
3. What to keep for when the feces hits the fan.

Out of the approximately 60 handguns in my safe I am down to these six:

• For all-around general purpose carry; the STI Rogue in 9mm and the Glock Model 36 in .45 ACP.
• For those times when only the smallest can be carried I chose two .380 ACP pistols; a vintage Walther PPK and a new SIG P238.
• For those times of feces hitting the fan I selected two more Glocks; the model 19 in 9mm and the model 38 in .45 GAP.

So, let's get to the specifics on why each of these were chosen. Two of these pistols haven't bee fully reviewed yet and I am not going to go into a full review here; so on the SIG P238 and Glock Model 38 I am just going to relate the basics of why it was chosen without an in-depth examination of the pistol.

Walther PPK .380 ACP

Although I don't really like to leave the house with a mouse gun there are times when something larger just isn't practical and a .380 is better than nothing. I try to rationalize this by remembering that most of Europe's police departments (and some of their Army's) issued .32 ACP pistols from the turn of the last century through the mid-1970's. Even General George S. Patton kept one or two of them with him during his WWII Campaign (I think they were a Colt and Remington both in .380 ACP).

I kept the Walther PPK because of size and accuracy. It is very concealable in an inside the waistband holster and can be carried in a pocket in a pinch. I find it a little large and heavy for pocket carry but if your pants are made of a sturdy material and the pockets are the right size it is possible. This little pistol was imported just a few years before the Gun Control Act of 1968 banned them from importation in the original PPK size. This baby is accurate beyond what a pistol of this size should be and accuracy is of key importance when carrying a cartridge of lesser power. The target below was fired at from two distances: the head shots were made at 21 feet and the torso shots at 50 feet.

Walther PPK At-A-Glance:

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

SIG P238 .380 ACP (Not Yet Reviewed)

The Sig P238 is a new venture for SIG producing a .380 sized single action pistol that looks like a diminutive 1911. Colt made this version over 20 years ago as the Mustang. This reproduction is better made and has much better sights than the Colt product (nights sights at that). I kept it because it is smaller and lighter than the Walther PPK. It is as small as I am willing to go; there are other smaller .380's on the market from Keltec, Ruger, Kahr, and Taurus (although I have not come across the later two pistols). While it is smaller than the Walther it is not as accurate. I have not completed my testing of this pistol and have not yet determined the boundary of it's practical range.

SIG P238 .380 ACP At-A-Glance

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

STI Rogue 9mm

I reviewed this pistol just a little while ago. This marvelous small pistol rides all day in an inside the waistband holster so well you will forget that it is there. She holds 8 rounds of 9mm and I carry a spare 9 round magazine in my pants pocket so I have 17 rounds at my disposal in a very small package. While she does not have night sights, the sights are easily visible, recoil is not a problem and she is near bullseye competition accurate at close and moderate ranges. I have no problem keeping all rounds on a silhouette target at 75 feet. The 9mm is also a very versatile cartridge. You can get them loaded light and you can get them loaded hot with ballistics that approach the .357 magnum level. I keep this baby stoked with Speer Short Barreled 124 grain + P Gold Dot Hollowpoint ammunition.

The targets below are as follows:

1. 14 rounds fired at 21 feet
2. 14 rounds fired at 31 feet
3. Head shots at 21 feet and Torso shots at 50 feet
4. 75 feet

STI Rogue 9mm At-A-Glance

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

Glock Model 19 9mm

The Glock Model 19 is one of my "if the feces hits the fan" pistols and the reason is size, capacity, and accuracy. However one might say that there are several other pistols of the same size, identical or larger capacity, and same or better accuracy. Yes, but they are not Glocks and Glocks will have an advantage if the going gets rough. The advantage is availability of parts. Glocks are undoubtedly the most popular pistols in the world right now and they are also fairly easy to maintain and replace parts. Most gun shops around me carry just about any of the internals necessary if your Glock breaks down. Save for frames, slides, and barrels they carry magazines, springs, connectors, pins, magazine release buttons, slide release levers, etc.

The model 19 also gives you 15 + 1 rounds of the versatile 9mm and combat competition winning accuracy out of the box and gives it to you in a compact package that is easier to conceal than you might think.

The target below was hit with 15 rounds at 21 feet. The following target was fired at 50 feet with 35 rounds of ammunition.

Glock Model 19 9mm at-a-glance

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

Glock Model 36 .45 ACP

The Glock Model 36 is a brutish quasi-bullseye pistol masquerading as an ultra compact combat handgun. This pistol looks and means all business. It is small enough to ride all day in an inside the waistband holster if your cover shirt is heavy enough to disguise the print. The Model 36 is wider than the STI Rogue so it is just a little more difficult to conceal, but it packs a .45 caliber wallop. I carry it with the Pearce plus none magazine grip extender on it with the Pearce Plus one magazine grip extender on my spare magazine. This gives me 14 rounds of .45 ACP power if needed.

The Glock model 36 also supplies the accuracy of a service sized pistol as shown by the targets below:

1. 9 rounds fired at 21 feet.
2. 5 rounds fired at 31 feet.
3. 10 rounds fired at 50 feet.
4. 10 rounds fired at 75 feet.

Glock Model 36 .45 ACP At-At-Glance

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

Glock Model 38 .45 GAP (not yet reviewed)

The model 38 is my final "feces hits the fan" pistol. It is on the compact frame and is thinner to hold than Glock's other double stack .45 ACP pistols. This is due to Glock working with ammo manufacturers to reduce the length of the .45 ACP round so that people with smaller hands can easily handle a .45 pistol. Glock's catalogue and website will tell you that is has the same dimensions as the model 19 9mm, but don't believe it. The model 38 is just a few centimeters wider than it's 9mm cousin. Not enough that it is extremely noticeable in the hand, but it is very noticeable when you try to stuff it into a holster built for the model 19.

I have not reviewed the model 38 yet so there will be no targets shown, but trust me; you could win a bullseye competition with this beauty and she holds 8 + 1 rounds of those big .45 caliber rounds.

Glock Model 38 .45 GAP at-a-glance

Power Scale

.380 ACP

.38 Special/9mm

.45ACP/GAP

.357 Mag/SIG

.44 Mag

Ease of Carry/Concealment

Too Large to Conceal

Service Sized

Compact

Ultra Compact

Micro Compact

Pocket Pistol

Accuracy Rating

Can’t Hit the Broad Side of a Barn

Acceptable

Combat

Bullseye

So there you have the pistols that I am holding onto. Now, you may look at them and say, "Hey, Joe where are the revolvers". This was a difficult decision because I have a real soft spot in my heart for the Smith & Wesson model 340 PD in .357 magnum. But it came down to size and capacity. The STI Rogue is the same length but flatter, thinner, and holds 8 rounds compared to 5. The S&W sold quickly on consignment and for a better than fair price...but I do miss her.

Para Ordnance Warthog .45 ACP

Despite their lovable depiction as happy-go-luck sidekicks in Disney’s The Lion King, warthogs are rather ugly, brutish, and powerful animals.

That was obviously the connotation that Para Ordnance wanted to stir up when they named the subject of this review. This little pistol is certainly brutish and powerful but, although not the prettiest pistol I have ever seen, I would not call it ugly.

It reminds me of another brutish and powerful little pistol that is a favorite of mine, the .45 ACP Glock model 36. Neither the Para Ord Warthog nor the G 36 will win any beauty pageants, but their size, caliber, and lack of sex appeal end the list of similarities between the two handguns. The Glock is a polymer framed, striker fired, double action, single stacked pistol holding 6 rounds and the Para Warthog is an alloy framed, hammer fired, single action, double stacked pistol holding 10 rounds.

For the record, here are the stats as published on the Para Ordnance Website:

·

Caliber: .45 ACP

Capacity: 10 + 1

Barrel Length: 3 inches

Weight: 24 ounces

Length: 6.5 inches

Height: 4.5 inches

Hammer: Spurred

Sights: Fixed 3-dot

Frame: Alloy

Finish: Regal

MSRP: $959.00 (although you should be able to find it for $100 less--average joe)

Likes

Unlike the animal I find the Para Ordnance Warthog to actually be fairly attractive for a small pistol. There are a couple of different finish options. The one reviewed is finished in their regal black coating with stainless steel controls. This is an appealing combination. There is also a completely stainless steel version and there is the Night Hawg which has a rather unappealing dull black finish called “Covert Black” by Para Ord but this pistol includes night sights.

The sites on the pistol reviewed were not night sights, but were of the three dot variety and were large enough to bring you are target quickly.

Obviously the biggest advantage of this pistol is the capacity. 10 + 1 rounds of .45 ACP…sweet mother of Jesus, what a comfort this would be when the chips are down. When walking to your car in the just a little too dark parking lot and things are just a little too quiet…ye shall fear no evil. When you are with your family in the middle of some large mega-mall and the unmistakable sounds of continuous gunfire means that an active shooter scenario is unfolding around your family, you will know that you have a pistol with the power and capacity to fight your way to an exit (remember, the experts all say that you should always carry one extra reload; I don’t think there is anyone who has ever been in a gunfight who felt that they were carrying too much ammunition).

Dislikes

I do not like the short grip; my pinky finger is left dangling (despite the useless finger extension on the magazine); this may make no real difference on a 9mm, but on a .45 ACP I want to get my whole hand around the grip. I realize that a shorter grip frame makes it easy to conceal, but making it just a little longer would allow my whole hand to get a good grip and it would probably add another round or two to the magazine and that is never a bad thing. While we are on the subject of the grip, the 10 round double stack magazine means that this is not a slim pistol, however I did not find that the extra girth to be a hindrance to concealment and comfort. If anything the width of the pistol helps spread the recoil.

I was not overly impressed with the accuracy of the Warthog. It was not bad, but not as good as other small ultra, micro compact .45 I have shot from Kimber and Springfield. I think that if I were to be able to spend more time with the Warthog I could probably tighten my groups somewhat.

Target Time

Here are three targets from 21 feet. All three have similar groupings low and left. My normal fix of backing out my finger from the trigger did not bring the group to the center; low and left is where the bullets went.

Here is one from 40 feet. She is still putting them to the left but these would all have been solid, fight stopping hits.

Lastly, here is a target shot at 75 feet with 50 rounds of Magtech 230 grain FMJ ammo. I am disappointed that 12 rounds fell outside of the circular target but all in all not bad for such a small pistol at 25 yards.

Overall my feeling about the Warthog is much the same as my feeling about small J-framed revolvers. Their advantage is ease of concealment, but if you are going to carry one, you will need to spend money and time to practice in order to become more proficient. And, with the Warthog, you have 11 rounds of .45 ACP rather than five rounds of .38 Special. That’s an advantage that I want on my side.

Bullet Expansion Test or...How Nate Warren Spent His Summer Vacation

Firearms instructor Nate Warren spent the summer conducting bullet expansion tests which was both a laborious and time consuming task. I will finish this introduction after I have more information from Nate on the ballistic media he used for the test but I know it was a slow process. Nate's premise was to see how the ammunition for the most popular calibers would perform when fired from some of the most popular carry pistols on the market. So he tested .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. For the .380 tests he used both the Keltec P3AT or the Ruger LCP, for the 9mm he used the Glock model 19, .38 Specials were fired from Smith & Wesson J-framed revolvers, .40 S&W's were fired from Glock 27, 23, and 22 pistols, and the .45 ACP rounds were put through a 5 inch 1911.

Nate was able to get his hands on 23 different boxes of defensive ammunition for the various calibers mentioned. Getting this ammunition was a feat in and of itself since good hollowpoint ammo is very difficult to find. That being said, this test is what it is and it is over. If Nate could have gotten a larger selection of ammunition he would have; so if your favorite round is not included in this test it is only because Nate was unable to find any (and trust me, he scrounged and burned up favors to get the variety that he tested).

How the Test was Conducted

Nate tested the ammunition in a product called the bullet test tube (www.thebullettesttube.com).

Nate received this medium which he melted in his Crock Pot and poured into 3 inch mailing tubes. The mailing tubes were less expensive than the tubes on the Bullet Test Tube Web site. The Crock Pot would only hold half of the medium and three hours were required to melt each half for a total of six hours. The process of pouring it into the tubes took 2 hours as it has to cool in layers. So you now have spent 8 hours to produce 8 tubes in which you can test 8 bullets. After that you re-melt the "gunk" and start all over again.

Nate fired at the tubes from a range of about 9 to 10 feet. Here is Nate's feelings about the test:

"Most consistent among all calibers and velocities were the Gold Dots, and XTP's. If I had to choose a non-LEO round regardless of caliber, it would be from the Gold Dot line. Performance of Federal HS in on par with the reputation for failure. Performance will be much worse when I test with clothing."

Yes folks, Nate is going to do this again and cover the tubes with layers of winter clothing.

My Observations

• The overall best performers seemed to be (in no particular order) the Magtech First Defense Solid Copper hollowpoint ammo, Winchester SXT, Speer Gold Dot Hollowpoint ammo, the performance of PMC Starfire ammunition turned out to be a big surprise to me, and two law enforcement rounds, the Winchester T-series and the Federal HST line, had awesome performance. The jacketing on many of these rounds stuck out in pointed petals that were sharp. I could not imaging them propelling into tissue.
• I was surprised that the Federal Hydra Shok ammunition was not more impressive.
• The test made me rethink the use of a small .38 Special revolver since none of the rounds expanded consistently or all that well when they did expand. Federal Hydra Shok's did not consistently expand and the jacketing separated from the bullet and broke off. The PMC Starfire bullets did not expand at all in fact, the recovered bullets could have been reloaded and reused. The Remington Golden Saber ammunition was probably the best performer, but still inconsistent from an expansion standpoint.
• All of the 9mm ammunition expanded well with the Magtech First Defence solid copper hollowpoints and the PMC Starfires performing very well.
• All of the little .380 ACP ammo expanded as well as could be expected with the Winchester SXT looking like the best performer.

And with no further wait...on to the expansion photos.

.45 ACP Bullet Expansion Test

.40 S&W Bullet Expansion Test

.38 Special Bullet Expansion Test

9mm Bullet Expansion Test

.380 ACP Bullet Expansion Test