Author: William Bell, GunBroker.com Contributor
Thus far, 2023 seems to be the year of new striker-fired, double-action, 9×19 high-capacity pistols handgun introductions. There are also numerous versions of the ubiquitous 1911 and some revolvers. Here, we’ll take a look at many of these new handguns one by one and offer opportunities to see what’s for sale.
This 1911 pistol has all the firepower of a .45 ACP. It has a steel-reinforced polymer .45 ACP with an additional 14+1 ammo capacity. The 4140-steel slide has a Parkerized finish and a removable top plate for optics mounting. It also accepts all Glock front and rear sights. The frame has built-in finger grooves for an ergonomic feel and an accessory rail in the dust cover. There is also an enlarged trigger guard, beavertail grip safety, and checkered rubber grips.
Armscor/Rock Island Armory has announced an American-engineered, and American-made pistol called the RIA 5.0. Its most distinguishing feature is the RVS recoil system that maximizes barrel mass and linear movement to reduce the recoil impulse. Add to this the low bore axis, unique square barrel, a slide that rides within the frame, and you’ve got a 9mm pistol that enhances rapid-fire shooting capability. It also has a striker-fired action, “buttery-soft” 4-pound trigger pull, and a two-piece modular grip. An accessory rail is built into the frame dust cover, and you can have either iron sights or C-More RTS II MRD optics. Shop C-More RTS Optics.
Avidity Arms’ new PD10 is a pistol designed by Rob Pincus. This has been in development for years. This new striker-fired 9mm is perfect for defense use, with a slender compact size and light weight. The OC version is optics ready and rapid acquisition sights are provided. An accessory rail is built-in to the polymer frame, which has an aggressive grip pattern. It has an angled-face, low variance trigger, with short re-set, enlarged slide release and drop-free metal magazine. The frame has a deep tang, flared mag well with magazine extraction relief cut. The slide has aggressive serrations and loaded chamber indicator.
The Cheetah has returned to the Beretta handgun lineup. Many of us are fans of the older Model 84, both being high-capacity .380 ACP DA pistols. There are two models that were launched in early 2023. One has a bronze-colored frame in dual-tone with a black slide, grips and controls. The new Cheetah has slimmed down with a flat Vertec-style grip frame that provides better ergonomics. It also has a two-slot Picatinny rail on the dust cover and the top of the slide is optics ready. This is a hammer-fired DA/SA pistol with an X-Treme S trigger that is adjustable for over-travel and an ambidextrous hammer-drop safety. The hammer on this version is skeletonized.
Related Video: Beretta 80X Cheetah .380 ACP – The Latest Addition to a Classic Pistol [Video]
This French DA/SA revolver in .38/.357 Magnum was introduced in 1973 and adopted for duty use by the French GIGN, an elite anti-terrorist force. Beretta is now importing it into the USA. The MR73 has a 4” full underlug barrel and full-length. The 6-shot cylinder and frame are designed to handle thousands of rounds of Magnum ammo. A special grip mitigates recoil and it has an adjustable trigger and polished blue finish. The hammer and trigger have a “straw” finish. A Sport version is also available that has a 5.25” barrel and a patridge-type front sight in place of the ramp front sight on the 4” model.
This new model from Bond Arms is truly a beast. Built on their large-size frame, it’s called the Cyclops because it only has a single hole in the barrel. The initial release will be in .45-70 and other calibers to be added include the .454 Casull, .44 Magnum, and .50 Action Express. Another unique feature are the proprietary B6 resin grips, which are more hand-filling and will make for a more “pleasant” shooting experience. Adding to the cool factor is the laser engraved .45-70 cartridge on the left side of the barrel and Cyclops logo on the other side.
This new 2023 version of the Buck Mark pistol has a gold Cerakote, lightweight Vision barrel encircled by an aluminum sleeve, providing tension for improved accuracy, plus lighter weight for better portability. Other features include a Vortex Crossfire MRD sight and co-witness iron sights. The barrel’s muzzle is threaded for a suppressor, and a muzzle brake is supplied. Black composite grips are rubber over-molded for a secure hold. There is also the traditional Browning gold-plated trigger. The aluminum alloy slide and frame are both anodized in matte black. The action uses a concealed hammer, and there’s manual thumb safety.
Imported from Turkey by the Buffalo Cartridge Co., this improved version of the BRG9 is optics-ready, has an enhanced grip texturing pattern, ambidextrous slide release, and bolder stylization overall. You can also get an 18-round magazine. For a low MSRP you get a 4340 forged steel barrel and slide, high-impact polymer grip frame, 5-pound flat-faced trigger, 3 interchangeable backstraps (S, M, L), plus a case with 2 magazines and a cleaning kit! There is also a grip and trigger safety, charged striker and loaded chamber indicator, and a 2-slot Picatinny rail on the dust cover.
Canik has a new micro-compact 9mm pistol debuting in 2023 called the Mete MC9, which has been in the works for about 3 years. It has a polymer frame with 3 interchangeable backstraps and a Picatinny rail integral to the dust cover. There’s also an ambidextrous slide release lever and aggressive stippling on the grip. The slide is optics-ready, with fixed, co-witness dovetail sights and serrations front and back. You get a complete package with this pistol, including a hard case, a 12 and 15-round magazine, an IWB holster, a tool kit with punch, a speed loader, a pinky rest baseplate, and a cleaning kit, all for a modest MSRP. Three finish options include black, FDE, and two-tone.
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This is a premium aluminum alloy-framed, double-column magazine 2011 single action pistol that will be available in 9mm, .38 Super and .40 S&W calibers, with ammo capacities ranging from 17-20 rounds. Features include a fully adjustable rear sight, fiber-optic front sight, extended beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous thumb safety, flat-faced target trigger, and an optics cut is optional. The front and rear slide X-shaped as is the texturing on the sides, front and backstraps of the grip frame. There is also a skeletonized “Commander” hammer and over-sized magazine catch.
Newly released for 2023, Colt is now offering its large-frame Anaconda .44 Magnum with a 4.25” barrel. The barrel has a vent rib, full-length underlug and recessed target crown. It has an adjustable rear sight and a red-ramp front sight is standard, but is user-interchangeable. Constructed of forged stainless steel, it’s built to handle the pressures, recoil and muzzle flip from a steady diet of full-bore Magnum ammunition. Hogue rubber over-molded grips also contribute to controllability while shooting.
This new “Snake Gun” is not even on the Colt website yet! Unlike its older siblings, this is a 10-shot version in .22LR. Constructed from forged stainless-steel, the one-piece barrel has a vent rib and full-length underlug. The convertible front sight is red fiber-optic and there’s an adjustable rear sight. At this time, it is being offered with 4.25” and 6” barrels and Hogue over-molded black rubber grips are standard. This Colt King Cobra Target DA/SA revolver has an empty weight of 34 oz. and an OAL of 9.25” (4.25”).
This is a new CZ pistol for the American market, and I chose the C or compact version for this roundup. Some features include an optics-ready slide and a threaded, suppressor-ready barrel. The iron sights have 3 luminescent dots and are the proper height to co-witness with an MRD. The frame is fiberglass reinforced and has an accessory rail integral with the dust cover. It also has 3 interchangeable backstraps to allow the user to custom-fit the grip to his/her hand. Chamfered edges on the slide ensure smooth handling and there are deep serrations fore and aft.
Girsan introduced its reduced-sized rendition of the Browning Hi-Power they called the MC P35 PI in late 2022. It’s now available in an optics-ready version. Not only is the slide cut for an RMS C optics-ready plate, but the dust cover of the frame has an integral Picatinny rail, the straight clean-break trigger, and the textured G10 grips of the P35 Match version. Other features include an extended beavertail, ring hammer, plus ambidextrous thumb safety, and slide release. This handgun is of all-steel construction, and both fit and finish are top shelf.
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One of the most interesting pistols for 2023 is the FK Brno PSD. It appears to be based on the CZ 75 platform, but has a polymer frame has a unique proprietary recoil attenuation system. This system helps to tame the kick from the new 7.5 FK cartridge; a bottle-neck round that propels a 95 gr. bullet to 2000 FPS, with 520 ft/lbs. of muzzle energy. This is the primary cartridge for the PSD, but it will also convert quickly and easily to 9mm or 10mm/.40 caliber with a barrel change. The magazine is a proprietary multi-caliber design. Although the slide is optics-ready, there is a Three-Point iron sight system that has a ghost-ring style rear sight and a red diamond post front sight. An accessory rail is built-in to the frame dust cover and it has a manual thumb safety.
An upgrade of the proven FN 509, the FN 545 Tactical leads the field with an 18+1 .45 ACP cartridge capacity. Outstanding features include a low-profile Optics Mounting System (OMS); the slide cut cover plate incorporates the rear sight, and there’s a precision-tuned trigger with a 6 -pound pull. The Tritium lamp sights co-witness with the MRD and the barrel is suppressor-ready. The polymer frame has a Picatinny rail on the dust cover and there are 2 interchangeable back-straps, plus all controls are ambidextrous. One 15-round and one 18-round nickel-plated magazines are included. There is also an almost identical version in 10mm called the FN 510 Tactical. (Watch Video of FN 510 Tactical here.)
New in 2023 for the commercial market, the Glock 47 was developed in 2019 for U.S. Customs & Border Protection (US CBP). It has all the standard features you would find on a Glock 17 Gen5, like the Safe Action Trigger, but has an abbreviated dust cover (which has a single-slot Picatinny rail) is optics-ready (Modular Optics System), and is about an ounce heavier. It has parts compatibility with G17 Gen 5 MOS, G19 Gen 5 MOS and G45 MOS.
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This updated version of the Heckler & Koch VP9 has several new features. The front and rear sights are suppressor height with high-contrast color Tritium that will 1/3 co-witness with most MRD’s. The top of the slide has an optics cut with cover plate that will accommodate most MRD sights. The barrel is threaded with an O-ring for better lockup ad accuracy, plus the frame has both an accessory rail and interchangeable backstraps for 27 different grip configurations. Not only is the slide serrated front and back, but at the rear of the slide are “ears” to assist with slide retraction. Three 17-round magazines come with each pistol.
The 10mm cartridge appears to be on the up-tick again and Hi-Point has fulfilled a need for a budget-priced pistol in this chambering. Due to the slides zinc construction and the blow-back action, the dimensions are rather large. It does have a lot of interesting features that include a fully adjustable rear sight that sits inside the optics-ready slide cut, and a front sight compatible with Glock front sights. The barrel is suppressor-ready and the muzzle threads capped. The frame dust cover incorporates an 1913-type accessory rail and the polymer grips are Hi-Point logo textured. The 10-round magazine is interchangeable with the Model 1095 carbine magazine.
This new compact pistol has many of the same features as other striker-fired semi-autos, but has a lower price point. The polymer frame has a textured grip and accessory rail on the dust cover; the backstraps are interchangeable. The slide has deep and wide serrations front and back for easy manipulation. Slide finish is generally black, but frames can be had in black, burnt bronze, OD green or gray and there’s a U.S. Flag version in red, white and blue or subdued. One 14 round magazine is included and a lifetime warranty.
The Vulcan 9 is a new handgun for 2023, and it is packed with unique features. Starting from the top, the slide is cut for MRDS, but doesn’t require mounting plates as the screw pattern accommodates a number of popular sight footprints. The factory sights provide a lower 3rd co-witness on most MRDS. An optional J-trigger has a shape that makes for consistent finger placement and has a flat surface and small hook at the tip for a reference point. An extended left grip panel provides a resting surface for the support-hand thumb and the grips are contoured for good thumb placement. This is a hammer-fired DA, with an ambidextrous thumb safety; the bobbed hammer can be pressed forward out of full-cock. The magazines are flush-fit and can be fitted with a baseplate tool.
Matrix Arms, known for their 7075 T6 aluminum lowers for the Glock 19 are now producing entire handguns using their frame and 416R SS Freedom Fighter Slide. The all-metal chassis has a 1911 angle and allows less flex and distortion during shooting. Although recoil is increased, this is managed by the MX19 recoil reducing buffer and a better balance between slide and frame weight. There is also a reduced beavertail distance from the hand to slide for better control and a unique solid piece molded polymer grip. The top of the slide is optics ready and the frame dust cover has a Picatinny rail. The barrel is match-grade and threading for a suppressor is optional.
Newly introduced from Korth is a large-frame revolver they have designated the NXS. This is a premium-grade wheelgun with an 8-shot cylinder in .38/.357 Magnum and comes in 4” or 6” barrel lengths. Its distinctive features include a ventilated aluminum alloy barrel shroud with a Picatinny rail, and just behind the gold-bead, protected front sight, is another accessory rail built in to the underlug. There’s also a rail on the top-strap of the frame and a fully-adj. rear sight. The rear of the cylinder is cut to allow moon-clip use. An accessory 9mm cylinder is available.
This premium-grade 1911 pistol has some exceptional features. As the moniker implies, this handgun incorporates a link-less technology, with an interchangeable breech-block system. In essence, you can easily change the barrels, calibers and configurations within minutes using the same slide, frame and grip. Only the barrel and breech-block are changed, if you’re changing calibers. This 1911 is built on a double-stack, Commander-length, aluminum frame that sits flush with the slide and is paired with a micro-pocket texture aluminum grip. The slide is optics-ready with front and rear serrations. The frame has an accessory rail on the dust cover, an ambidextrous thumb safety and flat-faced trigger. There are lots of options.
Rossi has just recently returned to revolver production and is re-introducing the Model RM669 a medium frame, all stainless-steel, 6-shot wheelgun, in .38/.357 Magnum. It has a 6” barrel with a solid rib and full-length underlug, plus a red ramp front sight. It’s a DA/SA design with a hammer block safety and adjustable rear sight. The checkered black synthetic grips have a gold Rossi emblem. Rossi is also producing a version with a 3” barrel, fixed sights, and a round-butt grip profile for concealed carry; it’s called the RP63 and is built on the same frame (2-RP639).
The new Ruger Security-380 looks to be on the same platform as the SR-22. From its features, it seems marketed towards home defense for seniors or others with a weak grip. The slide has a “Lite Rack” system that’s composed of a lighter recoil spring, and refined slide serrations with “cocking ears” that allow for easy slide manipulation, in conjunction with low-recoiling .380 ACP ammunition. Its compact size belies its cartridge capacity, which is the same as many full-size pistols. Ruger’s Secure Action is utilized that mates a concealed hammer with a bladed safety trigger. There’s also an external manual safety and a hammer catch to prevent firing unless the trigger is deliberately pulled. Other features include a ported slide and accessory rail on the dust cover.
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SAR USA introduces a new handgun for 2023 in the SAR9 line: the SAR9 SC (sub-compact) version. The barrel and slide are forged-steel alloy and the frame is a polymeric material. It has a striker and trigger safety mechanism and is designed for reduced recoil to allow fast follow-up shots. A standard feature is Meprolight Tritium-powered sights, the front sight is orange for quick acquisition in daytime or reduced-light environments. It comes in black, OD green or platinum Cerakote finishes; two 12-round magazines are furnished.
Last year Savage reentered the handgun business and for 2023, they’re joining the growing number of manufacturers offering a 1911-type pistol. The Savage 1911 handgun has a lot of visual appeal. The slide and frame are satin-finished, forged stainless steel and the tan and black textured G10 grips offer a nice contrast. The stainless barrel has an 11° target crown at the muzzle, the slide has a lowered and flared ejection port, plus a nitride-coated titanium firing pin and tool steel sear and disconnector. Other features include a Novak Tritium dot front sight and Lo-Mount Tritium bar rear sight, Commander hammer, slide serrations front and rear, an ambidextrous thumb safety, extended beavertail grip safety and a Picatinny rail on the dust cover.
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The newest version in the M&P line is the 5.7; with a phenomenal 22+1 cartridge capacity. In order to operate with high pressure 5.7×28 ammunition, the pistol has a Tempo barrel system that incorporates a rotating 5” Tempo barrel with gas operation and a barrel camming feature that keeps the barrel locked until the bullet passes the gas port; the barrel is also threaded and capped. The slide is cut for optics mounting and has 3-dot, fixed sights. The black polymer frame has a slender grip; there’s an ambidextrous thumb safety, optional grip safety, reversible magazine catch, and an accessory rail. The flat-faced trigger offers a crisp single-action break.
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The S&W X-Frame revolver debuted in .500 Magnum in 2023. A new version called the Model 350 has been fitted with a 7-shot cylinder chambered for the Winchester .350 Legend cartridge. This stainless-steel behemoth has a 7.5” barrel, full-length rib and underlug, and a port above the muzzle. A DA/SA revolver comes with an adjustable rear sight, red ramp front sight, and Hogue black rubber grips. The rear of the cylinder is relieved for moon clip use, allowing quick cartridge loading.
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The latest addition to the Springfield 1911 line is a double-stack version (DS) Prodigy, with a standard capacity of 17+1 9mm cartridges, plus it comes with a 20-round magazine and a 26-round magazine is optional. This one HEX model has HEX Dragonfly MRDS, mounted to the slide by an AOS (Agency Optic System) plate. It also comes with co-witnessing iron sights. Its forged steel slide is serrated front and rear. Attached to the steel frame is a high-impact polymer grip module. The frame has an accessory rail up front, ambidextrous thumb safety in the rear, skeletonized ring hammer, target trigger, and extended beavertail grip safety.
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New from Stoeger is the STR9-SC, a sub-compact, high-capacity 9mm pistol. The steel slide has a nitride-hardened finish, suppressor-height sights, optics-ready cut, and front and rear serrations. The textured polymer grip frame is black synthetic, plus it has 3 interchangeable backstraps. There’s also a Picatinny rail built in to the dust cover and an attached, enhanced magazine well that’s beveled to promote rapid magazine reloading. The barrel muzzle is threaded for a suppressor and capped, the slide has a loaded chamber indicator and its safety-trigger is flat-faced.
The Taurus Model 605 is a recently introduced 5-shot .357 Magnum DA/SA revolver; a variation of the 6-shot .38 Special Model 856. Built from stainless-steel with a matte silver or black finish, it has a 3” barrel, a full-length rib and underlug, plus a black ramp front sight. Features include a smooth combat trigger, exposed hammer, along with extended ejector rod and black rubber grips. TORO stands for Taurus Optics Ready Option and has an optics plate compatible with the Holoson K footprint. The Model 856 is also available in a TORO version. (Visit the Taurus Store on GunBroker.com)
???? Watch This Video to Learn More about the Taurus Model 605 TORO!”
The Judge was first introduced in 2006 purely as a self-defense handgun, and it had an elongated frame and cylinder which chambered .45 Colt cartridges or .410 shot-shells and held 5 rounds. The latest version is an Executive Grade. It has a special Executive logo on the side-plate, presentation-grade checkered wood grips, a brass rod front sight and hand-fitted action. There is a 3” barrel, with a ¾-length underlug, and a low, solid rib. The rear sight is a fixed notch in the top-strap and the cylinder will accept 2.5 or 3” .410 shot-shells. All the Executive models are hand-fitted and finished by gunsmiths. (Visit the Taurus Store on GunBroker.com)
Taurus has produced the ultimate-performance hunting handgun, with a Star Wars look called the Raging Hunter 460. Its extended 10.5” barrel has a muzzle brake with a dual-retention system, that reduces muzzle flip and recoil by some 25%. A rail attached below the barrel is used for attaching a bipod or other shooting aid. There’s fiber-optic front and rear sights, plus a top Picatinny rail for optics. The barrel and frame are made of alloy steel with a black oxide finish; the frame is stainless-steel with a matte finish. Grips are thick black, pebble-grained rubber. The .460 chambers will accept .454 Casull and .45 Colt cartridges. (Visit the Taurus Store on GunBroker.com)
Sports shooters clambered for a Raging Hunter in .500 S&W Magnum and for 2023 Taurus has answered the call. Built with an alloy-steel frame and 5-shot cylinder, it has a stainless-steel ported and target crowned barrel, inside a black anodized aluminum barrel shroud. The top of the shroud has an integral Picatinny rail for optics and the Raging Hunter has an adj. rear sight and patridge-type front sight. The alloy steel parts have a black oxide finish, plus there is a two-tone option with matte stainless frame and black oxide cylinder. Barrel lengths are 8.37,” 6.75” or 5.12” and the black grips are thick, pebble-grained rubber. (Visit the Taurus Store on GunBroker.com)
The Taurus TX22 can now be had in a compact version with a Riton MRD optical sight. The optic cut on the slide can also accommodate MRD sights with the Shield RMSc or Holoson K footprint. This sub-compact version of the TX 22 is small, but has 13+1 firepower and the Taurus Performance Trigger System. The aluminum slide has fixed sights, is serrated front and back, and is ported. The polymer frame has a textured grip, ambidextrous thumb safety and a single-slot accessory rail. (Visit the Taurus Store on GunBroker.com)
Brand new and unusual, is the Third Bay Ounce. This is chambered for .22 LR cartridges and it folds up into an oval shape. It readily slides into a trouser pocket. When ready for use a small blue catch on the rear of the grip backstrap, near the slide is pulled and the gun folded open; this action chambers a round and there’s a manual safety. A green latch on the left side of the frame is pressed down to unlock and fold up the gun. It will not shoot folded up. The magazine is on top of the receiver and flips open for loading; the slide is internal and it has a locked-breech mechanism. “Racking” is done without having to pull against the main-spring. Empty cartridge cases eject out the bottom of the pistol.
A recipient of the NRA Golden Bullseye Award for “2023 NRA Women Handgun of the Year,” the Walther PDP-F has ergonomics suited for smaller hands. This includes reduced trigger reach, reduced grip circumference, reduced mainspring for 20 % easier slide manipulation; mated with protruding Super Terrain slide serrations (front & rear) and a Performance Duty Trigger, one of the best striker-fired triggers extant. Other features include an adjustable rear sight with optics-ready slide, post front sight, ambidextrous slide release, and a Picatinny rail on the dust cover. Its modularity allows the interchange of different length F-Series slides and frames.
With the outward appearance of a semi-auto pistol, the RZMK-357 from Zenk is a “bullpup-style “revolver; the cylinder is placed directly atop the grip frame. What looks like a slide with a big bulge in the rear, the “slide” is a cover enclosing the barrel and cylinder, with an accessory rail on top. At the left rear of the cylinder enclosure is a latch that releases the cover to tip up on a hinge at the front of the frame so the cylinder can be loaded. There’s also a safety lever on the left, in front of the cylinder. A laser sight feature is planned for the near future once regular production begins.
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