The NRA annual convention just wrapped up in Dallas, TX, on Sunday. I have been watching various on-line resources looking for new product announcements coming from the show. I have to be honest, I did not see many. Maybe I have not been looking in the right places, but I did not see anything that I thought was ground breaking…did I just miss the 2018 equivalent of the Hudson H9 or Wilson Combat EDC X9?
In all fairness, there were a few new handgun models that were launched around the NRA show’s timeframe.
Sig Sauer P229 Legion SAO
Sig added to their Legion lineup just before the NRA show with the announcement of the new P229 SAO model. This version of the P229 rounds out the P229 lineup with a single action only variant. I am excited about this one. Being a huge fan of the 1911, I enjoy SAO pistols and 100% comfortable carrying a cocked and locked pistol (yes, that is the correct way to carry a single action semi auto pistol). This new Legion model has all of the familiar elements and characteristics of its older siblings…. including the price tag (MSRP is $1413). Sig has already updated their website with details on the P229 Legion SAO.
M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6”
I saw this announcement via email about a day before the NRA convention started. This new M&P 2.0 model features a 3.6 inch barrel and a 15 round capacity in 9mm (13 rounds in .40 caliber). This is an interesting model…the barrel is .1” longer than the first-generation M&P compact but holds 15 rounds instead of 12. It is also .4 inches shorter than the M&P Compact 2.0 4-inch that was released a short time ago. I am an M&P fan, but I am not sure if this has a place in my line up because I already own the 2.0 compact 4-inch model (which is an excellent gun). I also have a first gen compact and a first gen M&P Shield 9, so it may be hard for me to justify this one. If it is as good as the 2.0 Compact 4 inch, it will be a great choice for someone looking for a high capacity gun with sub compact size.
Beretta APX Compact and Centurion
Beretta also announced additions to their lineup. The new APX Compact and APX Centurion we designed to compete with the Glock 26 and Glock 19. The compact features a 3.7 inch barrel (pictured) and a 13 round capacity in 9mm. The Centurion appears to have the same barrel size but features a longer grip to get 15 rounds of 9mm in the magazine. The APX models also feature an end user removable serialized chassis. They can be modified with replaceable grip frame housings. The APX series is relatively new to the market, so it will be interesting to watch and see how the America shooting public takes to these new models.
This was just a few items that caught my attention. If there was a new handgun that was launched that you were excited about, please share with us in the comments.