#SemiAutoPistols

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at some of the features which make a handgun easier to conceal. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to take a closer look at how the market has drastically shifted from snub nose revolvers to small semi-automatic pistols. How did we get here? Let's take a closer look at how semi-autos became king.

Smith & Wesson has just announced a new pistol to the M&P series, the M&P 22 Magnum, that boasts a 30-round capacity. The new semi-auto S&W M&P 22 Magnum pistol utilizes a gas operated system, and features an internal hammer, fiber optic front sight, and is optics-ready. This model includes a frame-mounted manual safety which is ambidextrous, along with slide stop controls on both sides of the pistol. You can read Smith & Wesson’s press release and specifications below.

The Polish VIS 100 M1 pistol from Fabrika Broni is an upgraded variant of the pistol that is currently issued to the Polish Armed Forces, the VIS 100 (no “M1”) while the primary advantage of the civilian M1 version provides an optics-ready capability. The history of the VIS 100 M1 can be traced back to the early 1990s when Poland began looking inward for the production of a pistol for the armed forces. This search saw a couple different designs, the MAG 95 and the WIST-94, the latter of which was adopted in 1999. The MAG pistol was updated in 1998, and again in 2008. In 2018, the evolution of the MAG design, the VIS 100, started being issued to the Polish Armed Forces, replacing the WIST-94. The VIS 100 M1 is imported and sold by Arms of America, and is also available through Atlantic Firearms, who graciously provided the review sample you see here.

The popular phrase “there’s always room for improvement” rings true no matter what industry you’re in. Even for venerated manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson, SIG Sauer, and Glock, there are always tiny steps here and there that are taken to improve their product. Today we’ll be taking a look at the various Glock generations and explore what improvements (or setbacks) were made to the popular line of polymer Austrian pistols over the years.

Walther Arms introduced the PPQ M2 pistol at SHOT Show this year.  This pistol is  striker-fired with a polymer frame that Walther has directed at keeping pace with similar competitor offerings.  The PPQ M2 has similarities to the recent Walther P99 and PPX, but there are several key differences that make this pistol stand on its own.  Where the P99 and PPX were marketed more towards military or law enforcement duty pistols, the PPQ M2 is being targeted towards the self-defense market.

The newest addition to the FNX line of pistols is the .45 acp variant. Since it’s introduction at the end of last year it’s shown to be a very popular pistol.