Average Joe's Handgun Reviews

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.