Difference between revisions of "User:Dennis/sandbox"

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Duquesne University 2008 Gun-Control Symposium
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== S&W 351 ==
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{{gun
 +
|name= Smith & Wesson Model 351
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|image=
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|caption=
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|origin= United States
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|type= Revolver
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<!-- Specifications -->
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|frame= Aluminum alloy [[J-frame]]
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|length= 6.25"
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|barrel= 1.875"
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|length_pull=
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|no_of_barrels=
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|weight= 10.8 oz
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|width= 1.3"
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|height= 4.2"
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|cartridge= [[.22 WMR]]
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|caliber=
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|gauge=
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|action= [[DAO]] (351 C)<br>[[DAO#Double_action/Single_action|Single/Double Action]] (351PD)
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|trigger_pull= 11 lbs.
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|chambers= 7
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|twist=
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|ROF=
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|muzzle_velocity= 1029 fps<ref name=ganda>Patrick Sweeny, "The 'Just Enough' Gun."  Guns & Ammo, September 2013, p. 36-39.</ref>
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|range=
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|max_range=
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|feed=
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|sights= fixed open
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|radius=
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<!-- Service history -->
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|service=
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|used_by=
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|wars=
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<!-- Production history -->
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|designer=
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|design_date=
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|manufacturer= [[Smith & Wesson]]
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|unit_cost= 351C: US$689<br>351 PD: US$759 (MSRP 2015)
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|production_date=
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|number=
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|variants=
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|notes=
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}}Hammer is open on the PD and enclosed on the C.  Aluminum alloy cylinder on both models.
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<div style="clear:both"></div>
  
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Can a pro-rights perspective survive at an anti-rights rally?
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== Beretta Pico ==
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{{gun
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|name= Beretta Pico
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|image=
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|caption=
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|origin= USA
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|type= Pistol
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<!-- Specifications -->
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|frame=
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|length= 5.1"
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|barrel= 2.7"
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|length_pull=
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|no_of_barrels=
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|weight= 11.5 oz
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|width=
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|height=
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|cartridge= .380 ACP
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|caliber=
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|gauge=
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|action= Recoil-operated [[DAO]]
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|trigger_pull=
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|chambers=
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|twist=
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|ROF=
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|muzzle_velocity=
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|range=
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|max_range=
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|feed= 6-round magazine
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|sights= removable/adjustable
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|radius=
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<!-- Service history -->
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|service=
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|used_by=
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|wars=
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<!-- Production history -->
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|designer=
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|design_date=
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|manufacturer= [[Beretta USA]]
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|unit_cost= US$399 (MSRP 2013)
 +
|production_date=
 +
|number=
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|variants=
 +
|notes=
 +
}}<ref name="metcalf">Dick Metcalf, "Beretta's Pico."  Guns & Ammo, September 3013, p. 44-52</ref>[http://www.hhshootingsports.com/WireShots/archives/6043 Introduced at the 2013 NRA Convention last May, Beretta’s new Pico is a very small concealed carry semi-auto initially chambered for the .380 ACP, with a .32 ACP version scheduled to follow]. A caliber conversion can be accomplished by merely swapping barrels, which will be offered by Beretta as accessory items. Like many recent guns of its type, the double-action-only Pico has a polymer frame and a stainless steel slide and barrel, but it also provides several features not commonly found on other pistols of its class.
  
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by Alan Korwin, Author
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The Pico follows Beretta’s successful introduction of the slightly larger 9mm Nano in 2011 and shares many of the Nano’s design characteristics, but not all. Unlike most small DAOs, the Pico is fired by a conventional hammer instead of a striker, has restrike capability and does not have a magazine-disconnect safety. By contrast, the Nano is striker-fired with a slide-activated pre-load and does not have a restrike trigger mechanism. The Pico’s DAO system does not store any energy until the trigger is pulled, eliminating the potential of accidental discharge if the pistol is dropped.
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Gun Laws of America
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See Korwin's speech on C-Span
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When the Pico trigger is pulled, the trigger bar rotates the hammer to the rear. As full trigger travel is reached, the chassis cams the trigger bar out of engagement and releases the hammer. The hammer travels forward under tension and strikes the firing pin. The firing pin travels forward under inertia. After the firing pin reaches its full forward position, the firing pin return spring rebounds the firing pin to a neutral position. Thus, the Pico does not require any drop safety built into the trigger itself to stop the trigger from traveling rearward should the gun be dropped onto a hard surface.
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(drag their scroll knob just right of the five control buttons below their screen).
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He's introduced with credentials by Judge Cynthia Baldwin at 01:15:04
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He starts speaking at 01:17:10 to 1:42:12
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http://tinyurl.com/6gnhsa
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http://www.c-spanarchives.org/librar...p?pID=200525-1
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The Pico has the same cam-ramp, tilt-barrel, recoil-operated mechanism any John Browning fan will instantly recognize. When the pistol is fired, recoil energy causes the barrel and slide assembly to move to the rear. After a short distance, the barrel is forced down and stopped by the operation of the barrel cam and disconnect pin interface. The slide continues its rearward travel under inertia, extracting the fired case from the barrel and kicking it out through the ejection port. The recoil spring then pushes the slide forward, feeding the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. Continued forward movement causes the barrel cam to raise the barrel into its locked position.
  
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The National Symposium on Handgun Violence was held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, on April 9, 2008. Ten of the leading gun-control advocates in the nation were scheduled for a coordinated review of "reasonable" limits on the right to keep and bear arms, led by Jim Brady himself, along with David Hemenway of Harvard and a host of others. News of the event and its surprise ending (covered at the end of this report) has not made national headlines.
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Beretta makes something of a big deal about the fact the Pico’s barrel only tilts up 1.4 degrees when the handgun is fired, which is claimed to increase feeding reliability for cartridges coming from the magazine into the chamber. Company engineers will also tell you that felt recoil is notably reduced because of this minimal barrel tilt. I can’t really speak knowledgeably to the physics involved on that point, but I do know that the Pico was remarkably pleasant to handle and quick to recover on target in my firing review, even with the hottest .380 loads.
  
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A courageous decision was made to provide "balance," which meant the organizers eventually found me (thanks to a referral from Alan Gura, Dick Heller’s attorney in the D.C. gun-ban case). They got me last-minute non-stop tickets from Phoenix, a room (a very nice room I might add), and 15 minutes at the podium. Ten against one. Hah. I had them outnumbered.
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Like the Nano, the Pico’s slide is designed to remain open after the last round has been fired. Unlike the Nano, however, the Pico employs a very low-profile slide-release lever for closing a locked-back slide, while the Nano has no external slide latch lever at all (requiring the slide to be pulled to the rear and released). The only way to lock open the Nano’s slide is by putting an empty magazine in the gun and pulling back the slide. The external slide catch is snag-free, adds no width to the gun and can be engaged manually to lock back the slide without a magazine.
  
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I’ve been studying persuasion skills for a long while now, and here was an acid test. Was it possible to address an audience like this and not get booed off stage? Could I manage civil discourse with the participants at the luncheon beforehand, maintain composure through the staging, and end up sociable at the afterglow dinner at a fine restaurant?
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The Pico has an easily removable single-column magazine that allows for rapid reloading. Standard magazine capacity is six rounds. Each Pico comes with two magazines, one with a flush-fit basepad and one with an extended basepad hook that allows an all-fingers grip on the gun. The magazine-release lever is fully ambidextrous and operates by a straight-down (not inward) push from the thumb of the firing hand, meaning it cannot be accidentally released from grip side-pressure or a misplaced finger on either side of the pistol.
  
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It’s my belief that the words exist in the universe to convince anyone of anything true, regardless of their predispositions. The trick is in finding those words, in the moment, and delivering them in a way that works, with the proper aplomb. You may not always find the words, but the words are always there. Think of it this way. What would Jesus say. The words are there. Could I find enough of them?
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The Pico’s grip frame is constructed from the same glass-fiber-reinforced technopolymer as the Nano, with rounded, snag-free surfaces to ensure trouble-free holster insertion and extraction. The ergonomic grip design features an optimal grip angle for sight alignment. It looks more “straight up and down” than the classic Model 1911 angle, but the deep curve of the upper rear part of the grip is contoured such that, in my hand, it points just as naturally for me as does a 1911. Both the front and rear grip surfaces feature a comfortable textured surface to ensure a firm hold.
  
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They scheduled me near the end, which was a good thing. I got to hear the keepers of the faith, the bearers of the sacred messages, tell 700 people and a gaggle of camera crews and reporters that -- guns are bad; crime is caused by guns; every gun-control scheme you’ve ever heard of is good; gun confiscations will solve the crime problem; we the people are too dangerous, irrational, unpredictable and incompetent to be allowed to bear arms; and that people on government payrolls (they didn’t frame it that way but it’s what they were saying) should have all these deadly dangerous malevolent guns. I’m putting this all more bluntly than they did, or than I ever would when wearing my hat of tasteful persuasive moderation.
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The Pico also has what I consider to be “real” sights. Unlike many other small .380s, the high-visibility three-dot “Interchangeable Low Profile” system is designed for quick target acquisition and a crisp sight picture. The rear and front sights can be easily removed by a (supplied) 1.5mm hex wrench for replacement with other types (or heights) of sights. Trijicon is providing night sights for the gun, so standard — or tritium — sights will be available as factory options.
  
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We were briefed at lunch beforehand on how to handle hecklers, if any. Everyone took turns genuflecting in the direction of civility, and calm affirmation of a desire to tactfully handle any outburst in the unlikely event we faced any. The antis might attract some guff, but it was pretty obvious, though unspoken, that it was me, in my nice navy blazer and sharp red tie, who might face some opprobrium. I disarmed their fears by saying I didn’t want to hear anyone cry out, "Don’t taze me bro," and we all had a good laugh. When one of the black women asked why I love guns, I looked at her and asked sheepishly, "Are you stereotyping me dear?" We laughed some more.
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The Pico is one of the smallest, lightest, thinnest concealed carry .380s in existence. It’s less than three-quarters of an inch thick, with no protruding buttons or levers. It weighs only 111/2 ounces empty, including the flat-base magazine (a birthday-party helium balloon will float it). Overall length is 5.1 inches, and its height at the rear sight (with flat-base magazine) is just four inches. The Pico leaves no excuse for ever answering “No” to the question, “Is that a pistol in your pocket?”
  
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Metal detectors were installed at the entrance, a precaution we were told, because five athletes were shot on campus several years ago (none fatal thank God), which was a motivator for the conference in the first place. I’ve seen this before -- pro-rights gun conferences, walk right in. Anti-rights conferences, bristling with armed security and pat downs. What’s wrong with that picture?
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Options Abound
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The mechanical heart of the Pico is its stainless steel internal subchassis, which is the only serialized part of the pistol. This means, under federal law, that this little steel parts-mechanism holder is the only part that is actually defined as “a firearm” and is the only part of the Pico that is regulated by law. Not the barrel, not the slide, not the grip frame. This means that any other component can be exchanged or customized without affecting the serialized part. So you can swap barrels and have a different-caliber “gun.”
  
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I counted at least 14 crisply uniformed campus police, bearing 9 millimeter semis with a pair of double-stack extra mags on their duty belts. We had some great conversations, though the other speakers seemed to avoid these people. I had them laughing about all the guns in this anti-gun conference. As more showed up I kept telling them that now I REALLY felt safe. We swapped gun talk, war stories, a few thanked me for being there. I knew I had at least a few people on my side -- the ones with the guns.
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And you can swap grip frames. Entirely. Just by following the detailed instructions in the owner’s manual. Don’t like black? How about Flat Dark Earth, white, pink or even purple? Beretta offers them all as aftermarket accessories in three different styles. Want a laser? A weapon light? Beretta has designed two other types of Pico frames in cooperation with LaserMax. One integrates a laser; the other integrates a white light. By integrating the laser and the light into the frames themselves, the result is a much smaller and more carry-convenient package than an external accessory-rail laser or light could ever provide.
  
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When my turn came, I was pretty choked up. Tom Mauser, who came before me, had lost his 15-year-old son at Columbine. No matter where you stand on the RKBA issue, that is just hard to endure. I have a daughter in school. I worry for her every day. No amount of even fascist controls can stop a psycho bent on destruction.
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The Pico is designed to be fieldstripped quickly and simply, thanks to that well-illustrated owner’s manual, which also includes clear instructions for more advanced disassembly as well. Reassembly is easy and basically intuitive, since incorrect reassembly is, essentially, prevented by the distinctive, simple design. However, what you don’t want to do is go fiddling around inside the serialized subchassis or screw around with the trigger pull, because that will void the warranty.
  
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He had put on his son’s shoes for his speech, and took them off to show the crowd. He was walking in his murdered son’s shoes. I’m getting choked up just writing this. It was awful, compelling, deeply moving. The photographers crowded in to get that shot, and it’s the image that ran in all the papers the next day. He had used his dead son’s shoes effectively.
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The Pico is designed for unobtrusive carry, featuring a low-profile slide-release lever and a width of .725 inch.
  
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I walked the steps to the lectern and thanked the university for being courageous and including me. It was gutsy of them to have a speaker on the other side of the fence at a symposium like this. And I told them it was really hard for me to do, in the face of the tragedy and mind-numbing statistics we had been hearing. It was the right place for me to start, the right words to use, all deeply heartfelt. The audience quietly absorbed my opening remarks.
 
  
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The university asked me here, I told them, so you could have some measure of balance, so you could see that this conference is only half the equation. I’m here, and I held up the sign I had used at the Supreme Court case a few weeks ago, to make sure you keep in mind that Guns Save Lives too. Guns Stop Crime (and another matching sign). Guns Protect You. Look how many guns there are in this room. You know why they’re there -- because guns have a purpose, a social utility that’s important and should not be overlooked.
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A Pocket ProtectorI put our review sample through its paces as soon as I opened the box, firing a series of groups at 50-foot, street-width “defense distance” and reviewing its ballistics with five commercial .380 loads commonly used in small, concealed carry .380s. How did it shoot? Like you’d expect any Beretta to shoot: accurately and reliably. For a point-and-shoot, close-up crisis pistol, I’ve always figured that being able to dump a full magazine into a coffee saucer shooting unsupported at about 25 feet in a hurry was more than good enough. The Pico beat that standard in spades.
  
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Their emotions had been played upon all afternoon, so I continued the trend. I told of a woman awakened to find a knife-wielding, ski-masked intruder in her home, and how she had to shoot him while crouched behind her bed, after having called 911. She had to keep firing until the big guy finally collapsed. The police arrived only nine minutes later. You could hear a pin drop.
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How did it handle? Very comfortably. The recoil-spring tension was less stiff than many other small pistols, making the slide easily operable for shooters of lesser hand strength without diminishing functional reliability at all. The grip fits my average-size hand naturally, and its sleek, projection-free profile and sides make it ideal for inside-the-waistband or inside-the-pocket CCW holsters. I personally prefer the extension-pad magazine for a full-hand grasp, but even with the “deep concealment” flat-pad magazine, the ergonomic configuration and mild recoil make the Pico easy to grab and shoot.
  
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Would you deny this woman her right to live, by taking her gun away? Isn’t the message, "If it saves one life..."? Do you have the moral authority, or a sense of self righteousness that says she must die because you think guns are bad? I pressed on.
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Made entirely in the USA (the “BU” in the official model name stands for “Beretta USA”), the Pico is scheduled to begin shipping to dealers in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition to the two magazines and the owner’s manual, each gun will ship with a soft-sided, zippered carry case and safety lock. For such a small gun, the Pico offers a surprising set of features at a very reasonable cost. And for not much additional cash, an owner can have a few extra frames; laser or weapon-light capability; night sights; or even swap calibers.
  
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Mary Ann Watkins got an award here in Arizona at our tenth anniversary CCW banquet. We passed our discreet-carry law against a backdrop of hysterical clamor about blood in the streets, shootouts at traffic lights, and dead bad waiters. Ten years had proven that was nonsense, a concoction of irrationally scared uneducated minds and a compliant media. None of it happened (and no news corrections were printed).
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I liked the Beretta Pico better than I expected to. It is a minimalist concealed carry tool, no frills, no protruding levers, no bells or whistles. It’s slim and sleek in the extreme, with a clean, smooth trigger pull. It’s as convenient to carry as your wallet. When its $399 MSRP translates into real-world street price (once the world returns to normal), it’s going to give all the other palm-size .380s on the market a real challenge. I’d definitely carry it.
  
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Mary Ann had stopped at a lonely desert rest stop on the way to Phoenix from Yuma. A burly trucker followed her into the ladies’ room. Maybe he just wanted to borrow her lipstick? (It didn’t get the laugh I thought it would). When she pointed her sidearm at him he left, muttering, "Bitches with guns, bitches with guns." Did she save her life, or prevent a rape? We don’t know, we can never know. But that’s how most of these encounters take place, the gun isn’t even fired. Would you condemn this slight-of-build history teacher to death because you have no stomach for the other side of the equation?
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Oh, about that name. “Pico” is not Italian for “little,” though it might as well be. “Pico” is actually the internationally recognized metric prefix for one-trillionth of a unit (10 to the -12th power), as in a “Picometer.” A “Nanometer” is one billionth of a meter. So, in the world of science and engineering, a Pico-unit is one size smaller than a Nano-unit. And now you know the rest of the story ….
  
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The audience was mine. I had achieved my primary goal. Show a roomful of fearful anti-rights activists that guns are good sometimes, and not get yelled at for it. Bring reason and insight to a crowd, steeped in ignorance and fear, that sorely needed it. I had found the words, and the demeanor, and made the most of it. The university had done good finding me.
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{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ Accuracy/Chronograph Results
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|-
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! Load !! Bullet wt. (gr) !! Muzzle Velocity !! Standard Deviation !! Average group (in.)
 +
|-
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| Barnes TAC-XPD || 80 || 844 || 7 || 2.63
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|-
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| Federal Hydra-Shok || 90 || 913 || 6 || 2.5
 +
|-
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| Hornady CD FTX || 90 || 860 || 6 || 2.25
 +
|-
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| Rem. Golden Saber || 102 || 863 || 18 || 2.68
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|-
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| Winchewster PDX1 || 95 || 829 || 14 || 2.83
 +
|}Accuracy results are the average of three five-shot groups fired from a sandbag rest at 50 feet. Velocity data is the average of 5 rounds measured 10' from the muzzle.
  
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While I was on a roll, I mentioned something about me that’s true, that most people don’t realize. I’m actually a utopian pacifist. I look forward to and hope for a world with no weapons of any kind, in an era of enduring peace, prosperity, abundance and harmony. You should too, it would be a good thing. Until then I say disarm everyone -- bad guys first. And I held out my Disarm Criminals First sign.
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== Colt Mustang XSP ==
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{{gun
 +
|name= Colt Mustang XSP
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|image=
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|caption=
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|origin= USA
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|type= [[pistol]]
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<!-- Specifications -->
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|frame= polymer w/ blackened stainless [[slide]]
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|length= 5.6"
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|barrel= 2.75"
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|length_pull=
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|no_of_barrels=
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|weight= 11.8 oz
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|width=
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|height=
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|cartridge= [[.380 ACP]]
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|caliber=
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|gauge=
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|action=
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|trigger_pull= 5 lbs
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|chambers=
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|twist=
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|ROF=
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|muzzle_velocity=
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|range=
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|max_range=
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|feed=
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|sights= Front: dovetail blade<br>Rear: drift-adjustable square-notch
 +
|radius=
 +
<!-- Service history -->
 +
|service=
 +
|used_by=
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|wars=
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<!-- Production history -->
 +
|designer=
 +
|design_date=
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|manufacturer= [[Colt's Manufacturing Company]]
 +
|unit_cost= US$649 (MSRP 2013)
 +
|production_date=
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|number=
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|variants=
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|notes=
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}}[http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/colt-mustang-xsp-review/ I’ve always been a fan of the .380 Colt Mustang, but by the time I had both the inclination and money to buy one, Colt had ceased production (in 2000)]. A few years back, however, the company decided to jump back into the commercial market with both feet and introduced not just the New Agent but the Mustang Pocketlite, an aluminum-frame model with a stainless slide. The new 2011 version had the same dimensions as the original and, in fact, was specifically designed to accept original parts.
  
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We can’t get to that world because of what I call the Four Horseman of Human Havoc -- Angry, Hungry, Stupid and Wicked. Oh, we might be able to solve Hungry someday, but the other three? And that’s the rub. Until there is a fundamental change in human nature, the good guys need the guns to protect themselves from the bad guys. That’s why you have all those armed people in the room, right? No one disagreed. If guns suddenly disappeared, the good guys would have to invent them all over again. That’s because Guns Protect You.
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When interviewing Greg Rozum, director of product engineering at Colt, about the new Pocketlite, I was told that this was just the first of many planned Mustang models. I never really gave a thought to what next model of Mustang Colt would introduce, but if I had, on my short list of possibles would have been both a DAO model and one with a polymer frame. Enter the Colt Mustang XSP.
  
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It’s easy, I told them, to imagine a gun-free world. It’s very easy. Guns are a relatively new invention -- just go back in time a little ways. What do you get? Genghis Kahn, Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, and my favorite, Xena the Warrior Princess (again, no laughs). They wiped out entire towns, raped plundered and pillaged, all without guns. When they came to town, that’s when you really needed a gun -- and not just a six shooter.
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Tweaks to the Template
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Colt could have introduced a polymer-frame Mustang without changing anything in the design, and they would have people lining up to buy them simply because it says “Colt” on the side. I am happy to say they did not do that. In fact, this is the Mustang Colt should have introduced first. Everything about it is better. The dimensions of the Mustang XSP are the same (length, height, depth), and it’s still a 6+1 single-action .380, but with the polymer frame it’s more than an ounce lighter than the Pocketlite. However, the numbers do not tell the whole story here.
  
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Which leads to a counterintuitive truth. We’re safer now than we were then when there were no guns. The ability to effectively project force keeps us safer. You couldn’t ride the highways back then, now you can. For all the crime you hear about, things aren’t all that bad.
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First, the XSP is all black, but it won’t rust in your pocket. The slide and barrel are machined out of solid stainless steel bar stock, then given a blackened finish. Next, even the serrations on the slide have been improved when compared with the original Mustangs and the Pocketlite. The serrations are wider and deeper, providing a more aggressive gripping surface. In case you’re wondering what “XSP” stands for (my guess was “XTra Special Polymer”), RJ Contorno of Colt explained, “XSP is sort of a carry-over from our XSE series of pistols. The XSE line is a line with many upgrades from our standard line, such as dovetailed front and rear sights, ambidextrous safeties, undercut triggerguard, etc. We changed the ‘E’ to a ‘P’ simply because the new Mustang has a polymer grip frame.”
  
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Those of you who just want guns to go away, you don’t want to take guns away from the police do you? Heads shake no. Of course you want the police armed... and that’s a very pro gun position. You instinctively understand the value of guns. You just want someone else to hold it for you. But Jeff Snyder, in his landmark book Nation of Cowards, suggests it is unethical, immoral and politically corrupt to entrust your right to and precious gift of life to someone else.
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While both the Pocketlite and XSP have the same dovetailed notch rear sight, the XSP has a better front sight. One of the mediocre aspects of the Pocketlite was the nonserrated ramp front sight, which was part of the slide. Considering that the slide is stainless, that made the front sight hard to pick up under certain lighting conditions. The XSP has a dovetailed front sight with a sharp angle to it (it’s not quite a post). Admittedly, the sights are small, but when combined with the crisp, five-pound single-action trigger, I was able to shoot this .380 as well as some full-size guns. The other advantage of dovetailed sights? You can replace them (I wouldn’t be surprised to see some version of the XS Big Dot for the XSP soon).
  
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And this brings us to one of the really ugly truths about the "gun problem" that no one wants to look at. If you really want to cut down on the crime and "gun deaths" as they like to call it, you’ve got to start recognizing that there is a demographic component to this problem.
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On to the major change: the frame. The big news isn’t really that the frame of the XSP is made from polymer. It’s that the versatility of polymer has allowed the engineers to design a frame that has been tweaked and improved in half a dozen ways. The front and back of the Pocketlite were a little smooth for my taste, even though felt recoil in the pistol wasn’t bad at all. The front and rear of the XSP’s grip are textured with little raised cubes (sort of reverse checkering). The triggerguard is square, and, in fact, the front of the triggerguard even has a bit of a hook. Combine that with the tiny accessory rail on the front of the frame and I’m sure we’ll be seeing lasers specifically designed for the XSP very shortly.
  
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There are social, economic and geographic aspects to the issue. But no one wants to confront that. Well if you keep sweeping it under the rug, you can kiss your chances of really making headway goodbye. And as you encroach on the human rights of innocent people instead of the root problems, you can expect fierce resistance to your plans, and that resistance is justified.
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The XSP benefits from an undercut triggerguard as well. This is something I see on a lot of competition 1911s, and it allows the shooter to get his hand higher on the gun. How much higher? Maybe an eighth of an inch on the XSP vs. the Pocketlite. While an eighth of an inch isn’t much, if you’ve got thick fingers and are always fighting to get two of them on pocket guns, that might be all that you need.
  
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Also, if you want to cut the "gun deaths" in half, recognize that many if not most are actually "war deaths," killings in the war on some drugs. The government wages this war, encouraging armed camps, and they shoot at each other and themselves. Declare an armistice and stop the killing. You’ll reach your goal faster than fighting the civil rights lobby that protects the Second Amendment.
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The grips are all one piece to the frame, and they have been relieved on the left side to provide better access to the noticeably enlarged magazine release. It doesn’t stick out any farther, but the diameter has been increased from ¼ to 5/16s of an inch. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but you’d be surprised — it increases the area by 50 percent (trust me, I did the math so you don’t have to).
  
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Ask a politician when we can declare victory and stop, or just declare defeat and stop, and you’ll learn it’s a perpetual war, like Orwell warned us about. The analogy to alcohol prohibition couldn’t be clearer. While the ban is on, the killings continue. Stop the war, the killings go away, even though all the problems caused by the vegetable products continue.
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Not only does the XSP come with an ambidextrous thumb safety, but the contour of the safety has been changed slightly as well. When engaged, the top of the safety matches the curve of the frame, and the ledge on the lever has been moved down slightly when compared with that of the Pocketlite. The safety’s ledge has also been narrowed when compared with that of the Pocketlite. It sticks out from the frame about one millimeter less. This I don’t like. That safety is something that will need to be disengaged before the pistol can fire, which means it should be large enough to manipulate under stress. I’m guessing Colt did this because the ambi nature of the safety means that the other side of the safety digs into the index-finger knuckle when it is disengaged. I would rather they move the ledge farther up the body of the safety and widen it.
  
−
The speakers railed about the availability of guns. But guns are less available now than they used to be. Before 1968, anyone could buy guns through the mail. There were no national age limits, waits, papers, no controls of any kind on guns in the Sears Roebuck catalog (12 pages worth), the hardware store, or even in comic books I used to read. Some of the malevolence we see, that all of us in that room want to see end are not about the guns, they’re about the social factors we would rather ignore.
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To provide some contrast to the black slide and frame, the hammer, magazine release, thumb safety and slide release are all natural stainless. The pistol comes with two stainless steel magazines, the same kind as provided with the Pocketlite (they’ll fit all original Colt .380s). The trigger of the XSP is blackened aluminum, and the pistol has a full-length polymer guide rod.
  
−
When I asked the hotel front desk, the doorman, and the cops I saw if it was safe to take a walk while I was in downtown, they all said sure, but don’t go in THIS direction, or walk in THAT part of town. Nebraska and Montana have tons of guns, but not the problems downtown Pittsburgh is wrestling with. You all better start looking at that part of this. People were listening.
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FullscreenColt Mustang XSP Review
  
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It was getting near time to close. I asked for show of hands: "How many of you really really hate guns?" At last, some audience heckle energy, and a few shouts with a lot of raised hands. One guy stood up to spew how much he hates guns. I luckily found the words again, and told him I’ll stay afterwards and we can talk as long as you like (he didn’t stay, but I would have enjoyed testing my mettle against a died-in-the-wool gun bigot like that).
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Picture 1 of 11
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Next Up: The Best Subcompact 9mm On The Market
 +
Click Here to View the Next Gallery
  
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I waited till they settled back down. Softly, slowly, I breathed into the microphone, "It’s not good to hate."
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To the Range
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Like it or not, our opinions often tend to be influenced by others. When Shari, my long-suffering contact at my FFL (Double Action Indoor Range), called me to let me know I had a new Colt in, she expressed a few heartfelt opinions. “My God, is it ugly,” she told me. “The grip texture, the frame … ugh.” Shari sees more guns than the prop handler on a Michael Bay movie, so, understandably, I was actually biased against the new Mustang before I even opened the box and took a look.
  
−
Some nervous squirming and some snickers from those who suspected I had prepared that remark in advance. Hey, I prepared all my remarks, it took me days. I used this as a lead-in for my message about hoplophobia, the morbid fear of guns.
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But when I did crack open the blue box and unwrap this “hideous” new pistol, I actually liked it. In fact, the longer I handled it, the more I liked it. Beauty is in the eye of the gunholder. I prefer the XSP to the Mustang Pocketlite, both in looks and features, and I like the Pocketlite just fine. The XSP grip seems to fill my hand better, and I like the looks and feel of the squared triggerguard better than the original round one. Plus, the ambidextrous safety is a step up. The two Mustangs appear to be only distant relatives, so chances are that if you don’t like the looks of one, you’ll like the other.
  
−
There’s a lot of hate and anger in the anti-rights movement (I mostly avoided saying anti-gun anything, it was all about anti rights and pro rights). A lot of the anti-rights debate is actually a medical issue, not a policy debate. I tried to get everyone in touch with the hatred in their hearts, the hoplophobic undercurrents. People who suffer from this pernicious phobia are deserving of sympathy, and in need of treatment. I don’t think they liked that. But they heard it. Now they can just wander around in denial (a symptom of the condition by the way).
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Trigger pull on my sample gun was a crisp five pounds. While it looks like a 1911 trigger, the trigger on the Mustang actually pivots (although there is not much movement). It has a short reset, too, which means shooting quickly is much easier than if the pistol had been burdened with a long DAO pull.
  
−
I summarized my main points and, since Duquesne is a Catholic school, I closed with "God bless and keep America, the ten Commandments and the Ten Amendments. Thank you." The applause was as good as any other, except for Tom who, choking back tears, got an ovation.
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Based on my experience test-driving the new Pocketlite last year, I was looking forward to shooting the XSP. The Pocketlite only weighed 121/2 ounces, and I was expecting a snappy gun. What I got was the opposite. It was so soft-shooting that my 10-year-old son was doing full magazine dumps as fast as he could pull the trigger, getting pie-plate-size groups at seven yards. My kids and I put 200 rounds through the Pocketlite in an hour and had nothing but fun, no sore hands to be found. I think this has as much to do with not having to fight the trigger each time to make the gun go off as anything else.
  
−
Oh yes, the surprise ending. James Brady didn’t appear, because his wife Sarah fell critically ill and was hospitalized. News of the medical emergency was first announced publicly at the end of the symposium, but has not traveled far. There has been no word on her condition, said to involve pneumonia.
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I assumed I’d have the same experience with the XSP, for while it is a bit lighter than the Pocketlite, my experience has shown that polymer frames tend to soak up more recoil forces than metal. I actually had a Pocketlite on hand for comparison, so I was able to shoot it and the XSP side by side.
  
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Shooting a gun the size of the XSP with two hands makes you feel equal parts silly and giant-size. I don’t have large hands, and with both of them on the gun, it still came close to disappearing. Felt recoil is the same between the Pocketlite and the XSP, which means not bad at all for a .380. The XSP shot to point of aim out to 15 yards, and the good sights and trigger meant I could shoot up to the pistol’s ability. It preferred Hornady’s 90-grain Critical Defense ammo, and one miraculous five-shot group at 15 yards was a mere 1.2 inches (although most were substantially larger). I did have three stovepipe jams in the first 30 rounds, but after that the pistol ran smoothly no matter what I fed it.
  
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Final Thoughts
 +
Some people want to jump all over Colt for “finally” introducing a polymer-frame .380 after Ruger has sold 19 gazillion LCPs. Not to step on any toes, but I don’t own an LCP for two reasons: the trigger pull and the sights (to stretch the definition of the term). Guns this size are usually going to be used at conversational distances, we’re often told, so sights are irrelevant. Well, they are. Right up until they’re not. And if the circumstances it’s most likely to be used in involve short range and high stress, why would I deliberately carry a pistol that is equipped with a long, heavy trigger that precludes any sort of rapid, accurate fire?
  
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--------
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The Mustang XSP is small and concealable. It’s got a great trigger and an ambi safety, but for a long time I’ve been conflicted as to how I’d actually carry any single-action “pocket” gun. I don’t want to see a single-action pistol with no grip safety bouncing around in a pocket, much less a purse, as thumb safeties get knocked off. A pistol going off in your pocket will ruin your whole day, which is why so many of them have long, heavy, horrible triggers. The XSP seems too small to carry on a belt without looking silly. After much thought and a simple process of elimination, I think the best carry option would be in a pocket in a purpose-built holster that keeps the pistol oriented properly while covering the triggerguard, so even if the safety gets bumped off, nothing can get to the trigger. I had a Safariland Model 25 meant for an LCP with a Crimson Trace laser on hand that fit the XSP acceptably, and I carried the pistol for a few days in it. This holster is polymer wrapped in suede, so it keeps its shape, protects the trigger, yet won’t pull out of your pocket when you draw the gun. I imagine by the time you read this, several holster makers will be putting out models specifically designed for the XSP.
  
 +
To be honest, the price tag of $649 is a bit steep for a polymer-frame gun of this size, even one with a stainless slide. Yes, I like it, and it is in the price range of the SIG P238, but the SIG has a metal frame, and metal is more expensive. The Mustang XSP is a definite improvement on the design, but until Colt drops the suggested price a bit (to something that starts with a “5”) many people won’t even give it a look, and that’s a shame, for they’ll be missing out on a significant upgrade to the Mustang name.
  
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ Chronograph/Accuracy Results
 +
|-
 +
! Load !! Bullet Wt.<br>(gr) !! Avg. Velocity<br>(fps) !! Standard<br>Deviation !! Avg. Group<br>(in.)
 +
|-
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| '''Hornady XTP || 90 || 904 || 21 || 2.5
 +
|-
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| '''Hornady FTX || 90 || 838 || 22 || 2.1
 +
|-
 +
| '''Black Hills FMJ || 95 || 884 || 12 || 2.9
 +
|-
 +
| '''Corbon DPX || 80 || 915 || 25 || 3.3
 +
|}Average results are the averages of 4 5-shot groups at 15 yds from a sandbag rest.  Velocities are averages of 10 shots measured with an [[Oehler]] model 35P chronograph 12' from the muzzle.
  
−
I learned some things, not the least of which was how to handle such an event. Getting into shouting matches is easy. Getting your point across is easy too, but the tactics are totally different, rather alien, and quite satisfying. There’s a lot of sit quiet and listen, hold your disagreement to yourself, bite your tongue, gain trust, and choose your moment for low hanging fruit -- the basket will fill in due course.
+
== refs ==
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<references/>
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It also became apparent from conversation that Mr. Hemenway hates the NRA, for he sees them as intractable and unyielding on any common-sense (to him) gun proposals. He couldn’t hear, or perhaps I couldn’t find the words to let him know, that they want crime to go down as much as anyone, it serves their purposes perfectly, makes their battle to preserve rights so much easier.
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He outright rejected the idea that if a rule would disarm criminals without adversely affecting we the people, they would be there as quickly as I would. Of course his proposals, which seem reasonable to him, would place draconian repressions on your freedom, but he doesn’t see it that way. He counts numbers of dead, draws conclusions from his stats, and to paraphrase Will Smith in I Robot, may be the dumbest smart person around. Highly intelligent with a tremendous command of statistics, he seems to clutch at ignorance of underlying causes, where solutions lie.
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Pittsburgh collected 990 crime-associated guns last year. Of these 70 were possessed by their owners, and 80 had been reported stolen. nearly 70% though had been bought by straw purchasers and here’s the chilling part. The buyers were the drug-addicted girl friends of the men who wanted the guns, the women’s drug suppliers. Do you see? Arresting the women does little, they’re victims, not habitual gun runners, and unlikely to make another buy except for another boyfriend (and jail space is too valuable to waste on them). The bad guys are rarely caught with the guns, so prosecuting them is virtually impossible. I have no idea how to stop that, without banning gun sales altogether and putting 700,000 to 2.5 million defensive gun users a year at unacceptable risk.
+
−
 
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C-SPAN recorded the whole thing, along with several local stations. As soon as any of you hear when the broadcasts are scheduled, you’ve got to let me know, and I’ll spread the word. My arms are tired and my nose is sore (a line from my tune Miguel Row Your Coke Ashore), time to stop.
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Latest revision as of 10:25, 29 April 2015

Contents

[edit] S&W 351

Smith & Wesson Model 351
Type Revolver
Land of Origin United States
Specifications
Frame Aluminum alloy J-frame
Length 6.25"
Barrel length 1.875"
Weight 10.8 oz
Width 1.3"
Height 4.2"
Cartridge .22 WMR
Action DAO (351 C)
Single/Double Action (351PD)
Trigger pull 11 lbs.
Chambers 7
Muzzle velocity 1029 fps[1]
Sights fixed open
Production History
Manufacturer Smith & Wesson
Unit Cost 351C: US$689
351 PD: US$759 (MSRP 2015)
Hammer is open on the PD and enclosed on the C. Aluminum alloy cylinder on both models.

[edit] Beretta Pico

Beretta Pico
Type Pistol
Land of Origin USA
Specifications
Length 5.1"
Barrel length 2.7"
Weight 11.5 oz
Cartridge .380 ACP
Action Recoil-operated DAO
Feed 6-round magazine
Sights removable/adjustable
Production History
Manufacturer Beretta USA
Unit Cost US$399 (MSRP 2013)
[2]Introduced at the 2013 NRA Convention last May, Beretta’s new Pico is a very small concealed carry semi-auto initially chambered for the .380 ACP, with a .32 ACP version scheduled to follow. A caliber conversion can be accomplished by merely swapping barrels, which will be offered by Beretta as accessory items. Like many recent guns of its type, the double-action-only Pico has a polymer frame and a stainless steel slide and barrel, but it also provides several features not commonly found on other pistols of its class.

The Pico follows Beretta’s successful introduction of the slightly larger 9mm Nano in 2011 and shares many of the Nano’s design characteristics, but not all. Unlike most small DAOs, the Pico is fired by a conventional hammer instead of a striker, has restrike capability and does not have a magazine-disconnect safety. By contrast, the Nano is striker-fired with a slide-activated pre-load and does not have a restrike trigger mechanism. The Pico’s DAO system does not store any energy until the trigger is pulled, eliminating the potential of accidental discharge if the pistol is dropped.

When the Pico trigger is pulled, the trigger bar rotates the hammer to the rear. As full trigger travel is reached, the chassis cams the trigger bar out of engagement and releases the hammer. The hammer travels forward under tension and strikes the firing pin. The firing pin travels forward under inertia. After the firing pin reaches its full forward position, the firing pin return spring rebounds the firing pin to a neutral position. Thus, the Pico does not require any drop safety built into the trigger itself to stop the trigger from traveling rearward should the gun be dropped onto a hard surface.

The Pico has the same cam-ramp, tilt-barrel, recoil-operated mechanism any John Browning fan will instantly recognize. When the pistol is fired, recoil energy causes the barrel and slide assembly to move to the rear. After a short distance, the barrel is forced down and stopped by the operation of the barrel cam and disconnect pin interface. The slide continues its rearward travel under inertia, extracting the fired case from the barrel and kicking it out through the ejection port. The recoil spring then pushes the slide forward, feeding the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. Continued forward movement causes the barrel cam to raise the barrel into its locked position.

Beretta makes something of a big deal about the fact the Pico’s barrel only tilts up 1.4 degrees when the handgun is fired, which is claimed to increase feeding reliability for cartridges coming from the magazine into the chamber. Company engineers will also tell you that felt recoil is notably reduced because of this minimal barrel tilt. I can’t really speak knowledgeably to the physics involved on that point, but I do know that the Pico was remarkably pleasant to handle and quick to recover on target in my firing review, even with the hottest .380 loads.

Like the Nano, the Pico’s slide is designed to remain open after the last round has been fired. Unlike the Nano, however, the Pico employs a very low-profile slide-release lever for closing a locked-back slide, while the Nano has no external slide latch lever at all (requiring the slide to be pulled to the rear and released). The only way to lock open the Nano’s slide is by putting an empty magazine in the gun and pulling back the slide. The external slide catch is snag-free, adds no width to the gun and can be engaged manually to lock back the slide without a magazine.

The Pico has an easily removable single-column magazine that allows for rapid reloading. Standard magazine capacity is six rounds. Each Pico comes with two magazines, one with a flush-fit basepad and one with an extended basepad hook that allows an all-fingers grip on the gun. The magazine-release lever is fully ambidextrous and operates by a straight-down (not inward) push from the thumb of the firing hand, meaning it cannot be accidentally released from grip side-pressure or a misplaced finger on either side of the pistol.

The Pico’s grip frame is constructed from the same glass-fiber-reinforced technopolymer as the Nano, with rounded, snag-free surfaces to ensure trouble-free holster insertion and extraction. The ergonomic grip design features an optimal grip angle for sight alignment. It looks more “straight up and down” than the classic Model 1911 angle, but the deep curve of the upper rear part of the grip is contoured such that, in my hand, it points just as naturally for me as does a 1911. Both the front and rear grip surfaces feature a comfortable textured surface to ensure a firm hold.

The Pico also has what I consider to be “real” sights. Unlike many other small .380s, the high-visibility three-dot “Interchangeable Low Profile” system is designed for quick target acquisition and a crisp sight picture. The rear and front sights can be easily removed by a (supplied) 1.5mm hex wrench for replacement with other types (or heights) of sights. Trijicon is providing night sights for the gun, so standard — or tritium — sights will be available as factory options.

The Pico is one of the smallest, lightest, thinnest concealed carry .380s in existence. It’s less than three-quarters of an inch thick, with no protruding buttons or levers. It weighs only 111/2 ounces empty, including the flat-base magazine (a birthday-party helium balloon will float it). Overall length is 5.1 inches, and its height at the rear sight (with flat-base magazine) is just four inches. The Pico leaves no excuse for ever answering “No” to the question, “Is that a pistol in your pocket?”

Options Abound The mechanical heart of the Pico is its stainless steel internal subchassis, which is the only serialized part of the pistol. This means, under federal law, that this little steel parts-mechanism holder is the only part that is actually defined as “a firearm” and is the only part of the Pico that is regulated by law. Not the barrel, not the slide, not the grip frame. This means that any other component can be exchanged or customized without affecting the serialized part. So you can swap barrels and have a different-caliber “gun.”

And you can swap grip frames. Entirely. Just by following the detailed instructions in the owner’s manual. Don’t like black? How about Flat Dark Earth, white, pink or even purple? Beretta offers them all as aftermarket accessories in three different styles. Want a laser? A weapon light? Beretta has designed two other types of Pico frames in cooperation with LaserMax. One integrates a laser; the other integrates a white light. By integrating the laser and the light into the frames themselves, the result is a much smaller and more carry-convenient package than an external accessory-rail laser or light could ever provide.

The Pico is designed to be fieldstripped quickly and simply, thanks to that well-illustrated owner’s manual, which also includes clear instructions for more advanced disassembly as well. Reassembly is easy and basically intuitive, since incorrect reassembly is, essentially, prevented by the distinctive, simple design. However, what you don’t want to do is go fiddling around inside the serialized subchassis or screw around with the trigger pull, because that will void the warranty.

The Pico is designed for unobtrusive carry, featuring a low-profile slide-release lever and a width of .725 inch.


A Pocket ProtectorI put our review sample through its paces as soon as I opened the box, firing a series of groups at 50-foot, street-width “defense distance” and reviewing its ballistics with five commercial .380 loads commonly used in small, concealed carry .380s. How did it shoot? Like you’d expect any Beretta to shoot: accurately and reliably. For a point-and-shoot, close-up crisis pistol, I’ve always figured that being able to dump a full magazine into a coffee saucer shooting unsupported at about 25 feet in a hurry was more than good enough. The Pico beat that standard in spades.

How did it handle? Very comfortably. The recoil-spring tension was less stiff than many other small pistols, making the slide easily operable for shooters of lesser hand strength without diminishing functional reliability at all. The grip fits my average-size hand naturally, and its sleek, projection-free profile and sides make it ideal for inside-the-waistband or inside-the-pocket CCW holsters. I personally prefer the extension-pad magazine for a full-hand grasp, but even with the “deep concealment” flat-pad magazine, the ergonomic configuration and mild recoil make the Pico easy to grab and shoot.

Made entirely in the USA (the “BU” in the official model name stands for “Beretta USA”), the Pico is scheduled to begin shipping to dealers in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition to the two magazines and the owner’s manual, each gun will ship with a soft-sided, zippered carry case and safety lock. For such a small gun, the Pico offers a surprising set of features at a very reasonable cost. And for not much additional cash, an owner can have a few extra frames; laser or weapon-light capability; night sights; or even swap calibers.

I liked the Beretta Pico better than I expected to. It is a minimalist concealed carry tool, no frills, no protruding levers, no bells or whistles. It’s slim and sleek in the extreme, with a clean, smooth trigger pull. It’s as convenient to carry as your wallet. When its $399 MSRP translates into real-world street price (once the world returns to normal), it’s going to give all the other palm-size .380s on the market a real challenge. I’d definitely carry it.

Oh, about that name. “Pico” is not Italian for “little,” though it might as well be. “Pico” is actually the internationally recognized metric prefix for one-trillionth of a unit (10 to the -12th power), as in a “Picometer.” A “Nanometer” is one billionth of a meter. So, in the world of science and engineering, a Pico-unit is one size smaller than a Nano-unit. And now you know the rest of the story ….

Accuracy/Chronograph Results
Load Bullet wt. (gr) Muzzle Velocity Standard Deviation Average group (in.)
Barnes TAC-XPD 80 844 7 2.63
Federal Hydra-Shok 90 913 6 2.5
Hornady CD FTX 90 860 6 2.25
Rem. Golden Saber 102 863 18 2.68
Winchewster PDX1 95 829 14 2.83
Accuracy results are the average of three five-shot groups fired from a sandbag rest at 50 feet. Velocity data is the average of 5 rounds measured 10' from the muzzle.

[edit] Colt Mustang XSP

Colt Mustang XSP
Type pistol
Land of Origin USA
Specifications
Frame polymer w/ blackened stainless slide
Length 5.6"
Barrel length 2.75"
Weight 11.8 oz
Cartridge .380 ACP
Trigger pull 5 lbs
Sights Front: dovetail blade
Rear: drift-adjustable square-notch
Production History
Manufacturer Colt's Manufacturing Company
Unit Cost US$649 (MSRP 2013)
I’ve always been a fan of the .380 Colt Mustang, but by the time I had both the inclination and money to buy one, Colt had ceased production (in 2000). A few years back, however, the company decided to jump back into the commercial market with both feet and introduced not just the New Agent but the Mustang Pocketlite, an aluminum-frame model with a stainless slide. The new 2011 version had the same dimensions as the original and, in fact, was specifically designed to accept original parts.

When interviewing Greg Rozum, director of product engineering at Colt, about the new Pocketlite, I was told that this was just the first of many planned Mustang models. I never really gave a thought to what next model of Mustang Colt would introduce, but if I had, on my short list of possibles would have been both a DAO model and one with a polymer frame. Enter the Colt Mustang XSP.

Tweaks to the Template Colt could have introduced a polymer-frame Mustang without changing anything in the design, and they would have people lining up to buy them simply because it says “Colt” on the side. I am happy to say they did not do that. In fact, this is the Mustang Colt should have introduced first. Everything about it is better. The dimensions of the Mustang XSP are the same (length, height, depth), and it’s still a 6+1 single-action .380, but with the polymer frame it’s more than an ounce lighter than the Pocketlite. However, the numbers do not tell the whole story here.

First, the XSP is all black, but it won’t rust in your pocket. The slide and barrel are machined out of solid stainless steel bar stock, then given a blackened finish. Next, even the serrations on the slide have been improved when compared with the original Mustangs and the Pocketlite. The serrations are wider and deeper, providing a more aggressive gripping surface. In case you’re wondering what “XSP” stands for (my guess was “XTra Special Polymer”), RJ Contorno of Colt explained, “XSP is sort of a carry-over from our XSE series of pistols. The XSE line is a line with many upgrades from our standard line, such as dovetailed front and rear sights, ambidextrous safeties, undercut triggerguard, etc. We changed the ‘E’ to a ‘P’ simply because the new Mustang has a polymer grip frame.”

While both the Pocketlite and XSP have the same dovetailed notch rear sight, the XSP has a better front sight. One of the mediocre aspects of the Pocketlite was the nonserrated ramp front sight, which was part of the slide. Considering that the slide is stainless, that made the front sight hard to pick up under certain lighting conditions. The XSP has a dovetailed front sight with a sharp angle to it (it’s not quite a post). Admittedly, the sights are small, but when combined with the crisp, five-pound single-action trigger, I was able to shoot this .380 as well as some full-size guns. The other advantage of dovetailed sights? You can replace them (I wouldn’t be surprised to see some version of the XS Big Dot for the XSP soon).

On to the major change: the frame. The big news isn’t really that the frame of the XSP is made from polymer. It’s that the versatility of polymer has allowed the engineers to design a frame that has been tweaked and improved in half a dozen ways. The front and back of the Pocketlite were a little smooth for my taste, even though felt recoil in the pistol wasn’t bad at all. The front and rear of the XSP’s grip are textured with little raised cubes (sort of reverse checkering). The triggerguard is square, and, in fact, the front of the triggerguard even has a bit of a hook. Combine that with the tiny accessory rail on the front of the frame and I’m sure we’ll be seeing lasers specifically designed for the XSP very shortly.

The XSP benefits from an undercut triggerguard as well. This is something I see on a lot of competition 1911s, and it allows the shooter to get his hand higher on the gun. How much higher? Maybe an eighth of an inch on the XSP vs. the Pocketlite. While an eighth of an inch isn’t much, if you’ve got thick fingers and are always fighting to get two of them on pocket guns, that might be all that you need.

The grips are all one piece to the frame, and they have been relieved on the left side to provide better access to the noticeably enlarged magazine release. It doesn’t stick out any farther, but the diameter has been increased from ¼ to 5/16s of an inch. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but you’d be surprised — it increases the area by 50 percent (trust me, I did the math so you don’t have to).

Not only does the XSP come with an ambidextrous thumb safety, but the contour of the safety has been changed slightly as well. When engaged, the top of the safety matches the curve of the frame, and the ledge on the lever has been moved down slightly when compared with that of the Pocketlite. The safety’s ledge has also been narrowed when compared with that of the Pocketlite. It sticks out from the frame about one millimeter less. This I don’t like. That safety is something that will need to be disengaged before the pistol can fire, which means it should be large enough to manipulate under stress. I’m guessing Colt did this because the ambi nature of the safety means that the other side of the safety digs into the index-finger knuckle when it is disengaged. I would rather they move the ledge farther up the body of the safety and widen it.

To provide some contrast to the black slide and frame, the hammer, magazine release, thumb safety and slide release are all natural stainless. The pistol comes with two stainless steel magazines, the same kind as provided with the Pocketlite (they’ll fit all original Colt .380s). The trigger of the XSP is blackened aluminum, and the pistol has a full-length polymer guide rod.

FullscreenColt Mustang XSP Review

Picture 1 of 11

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To the Range Like it or not, our opinions often tend to be influenced by others. When Shari, my long-suffering contact at my FFL (Double Action Indoor Range), called me to let me know I had a new Colt in, she expressed a few heartfelt opinions. “My God, is it ugly,” she told me. “The grip texture, the frame … ugh.” Shari sees more guns than the prop handler on a Michael Bay movie, so, understandably, I was actually biased against the new Mustang before I even opened the box and took a look.

But when I did crack open the blue box and unwrap this “hideous” new pistol, I actually liked it. In fact, the longer I handled it, the more I liked it. Beauty is in the eye of the gunholder. I prefer the XSP to the Mustang Pocketlite, both in looks and features, and I like the Pocketlite just fine. The XSP grip seems to fill my hand better, and I like the looks and feel of the squared triggerguard better than the original round one. Plus, the ambidextrous safety is a step up. The two Mustangs appear to be only distant relatives, so chances are that if you don’t like the looks of one, you’ll like the other.

Trigger pull on my sample gun was a crisp five pounds. While it looks like a 1911 trigger, the trigger on the Mustang actually pivots (although there is not much movement). It has a short reset, too, which means shooting quickly is much easier than if the pistol had been burdened with a long DAO pull.

Based on my experience test-driving the new Pocketlite last year, I was looking forward to shooting the XSP. The Pocketlite only weighed 121/2 ounces, and I was expecting a snappy gun. What I got was the opposite. It was so soft-shooting that my 10-year-old son was doing full magazine dumps as fast as he could pull the trigger, getting pie-plate-size groups at seven yards. My kids and I put 200 rounds through the Pocketlite in an hour and had nothing but fun, no sore hands to be found. I think this has as much to do with not having to fight the trigger each time to make the gun go off as anything else.

I assumed I’d have the same experience with the XSP, for while it is a bit lighter than the Pocketlite, my experience has shown that polymer frames tend to soak up more recoil forces than metal. I actually had a Pocketlite on hand for comparison, so I was able to shoot it and the XSP side by side.

Shooting a gun the size of the XSP with two hands makes you feel equal parts silly and giant-size. I don’t have large hands, and with both of them on the gun, it still came close to disappearing. Felt recoil is the same between the Pocketlite and the XSP, which means not bad at all for a .380. The XSP shot to point of aim out to 15 yards, and the good sights and trigger meant I could shoot up to the pistol’s ability. It preferred Hornady’s 90-grain Critical Defense ammo, and one miraculous five-shot group at 15 yards was a mere 1.2 inches (although most were substantially larger). I did have three stovepipe jams in the first 30 rounds, but after that the pistol ran smoothly no matter what I fed it.

Final Thoughts Some people want to jump all over Colt for “finally” introducing a polymer-frame .380 after Ruger has sold 19 gazillion LCPs. Not to step on any toes, but I don’t own an LCP for two reasons: the trigger pull and the sights (to stretch the definition of the term). Guns this size are usually going to be used at conversational distances, we’re often told, so sights are irrelevant. Well, they are. Right up until they’re not. And if the circumstances it’s most likely to be used in involve short range and high stress, why would I deliberately carry a pistol that is equipped with a long, heavy trigger that precludes any sort of rapid, accurate fire?

The Mustang XSP is small and concealable. It’s got a great trigger and an ambi safety, but for a long time I’ve been conflicted as to how I’d actually carry any single-action “pocket” gun. I don’t want to see a single-action pistol with no grip safety bouncing around in a pocket, much less a purse, as thumb safeties get knocked off. A pistol going off in your pocket will ruin your whole day, which is why so many of them have long, heavy, horrible triggers. The XSP seems too small to carry on a belt without looking silly. After much thought and a simple process of elimination, I think the best carry option would be in a pocket in a purpose-built holster that keeps the pistol oriented properly while covering the triggerguard, so even if the safety gets bumped off, nothing can get to the trigger. I had a Safariland Model 25 meant for an LCP with a Crimson Trace laser on hand that fit the XSP acceptably, and I carried the pistol for a few days in it. This holster is polymer wrapped in suede, so it keeps its shape, protects the trigger, yet won’t pull out of your pocket when you draw the gun. I imagine by the time you read this, several holster makers will be putting out models specifically designed for the XSP.

To be honest, the price tag of $649 is a bit steep for a polymer-frame gun of this size, even one with a stainless slide. Yes, I like it, and it is in the price range of the SIG P238, but the SIG has a metal frame, and metal is more expensive. The Mustang XSP is a definite improvement on the design, but until Colt drops the suggested price a bit (to something that starts with a “5”) many people won’t even give it a look, and that’s a shame, for they’ll be missing out on a significant upgrade to the Mustang name.

Chronograph/Accuracy Results
Load Bullet Wt.
(gr) 		Avg. Velocity
(fps) 		Standard
Deviation 		Avg. Group
(in.)
Hornady XTP 90 904 21 2.5
Hornady FTX 90 838 22 2.1
Black Hills FMJ 95 884 12 2.9
Corbon DPX 80 915 25 3.3
Average results are the averages of 4 5-shot groups at 15 yds from a sandbag rest. Velocities are averages of 10 shots measured with an Oehler model 35P chronograph 12' from the muzzle.

[edit] refs

  1. ↑ Patrick Sweeny, "The 'Just Enough' Gun." Guns & Ammo, September 2013, p. 36-39.
  2. ↑ Dick Metcalf, "Beretta's Pico." Guns & Ammo, September 3013, p. 44-52
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