Curious as we are about what’s new, at press time not all manufacturers were willing to share with us what plans they had for ’09 as it’s traditional for them to play the cards pretty close to the chest until the grand unveiling at the industry’s major trade show, which occurred after press time for this issue. However, I did persuade several to give me a glimpse of the future. There are introductions as well as variations on themes that, for true handgun lovers, just might cause a bad case of hyperventilation. Does anyone have a paper bag?

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Springfield
The excellent XD(m) line has been broadened to include .40 S&W caliber. This gun leads the industry in factory stock pistol capacity: 16+1 in .40 caliber and 19+1 in 9mm. One of the most ergonomic handguns available, the XD(m) offers interchangeable backstraps, grip safety, minimal reset trigger and match-grade barrel as well as a great sight system. An integral tactical rail makes mounting accessories such as lights and lasers easy, and the USA (Ultra Safety Assurance) trigger system and loaded chamber/cocking indicators provide an extra measure of safety. Weight: 32 ounces. Barrel length: 4.5 inches. the-m-factor.com

Ruger
The super-successful Super Blackhawk revolver is 50 years old this year, and Ruger is honoring it with an anniversary model. In .44 Magnum (of course), it features gold trim, checkered hard rubber grips and a high-gloss blue on its 7.5-inch barrel.

Traditionalists like myself will be glad to see the Vaquero line now includes a Bisley version. Initially offered in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum, it sports simulated ivory grips and a high-gloss finish. Made of stainless steel. Barrel length is 5.5 inches.

An Axiom-stock version of the 10/22 Charger line features a black synthetic stock. A bipod, scope base and gun rug case are included. And to wrap it up, the Mark III line is featuring a new stainless-steel Hunter model with Cocobolo grips and fiber-optic sights on its 4.5-inch fluted barrel.

Also, good news for those in restrictive states, the updated SR9 pistol has been accepted onto the approved lists of California and Massachusetts.

CZ-USA
Hard on the heels of the popular new SP-01, CZ-USA has announced a polymer-frame version that’s a full 33 percent lighter than the steel frame model. The CZ 75 SP-01 Phantom has a forged steel slide with a weight-saving scalloped profile, accessory rail and two interchangeable grip inserts to accommodate users with different size hands. It also features a decocking lever, accepts all previous CZ 75 magazines, and holds 19 rounds of 9mm ammo. Weight: 28.2 ounces. Barrel length: 4.6 inches.

The CZ P-07 Duty features the ergonomics and accuracy of the CZ 75 with a totally new, simplified and improved trigger system called the Omega. A polymer frame and new sleek slide profile reduce weight, making the P-07 Duty a great choice for concealed carry. Capacity: 16 rounds of 9mm. Weight: 27 ounces. Barrel length: 3.74 inches.

The BD version of the RAMI improves on the 2075 platform with several new features: a decocking lever, weight-lightening scallop on the slide and tritium three-dot combat sights. It’s a great choice for backup or concealed carry.

Most intriguing of all, the semiauto version of the CZ vz. 61 Skorpion submachine gun is now available. Chambered in.32 ACP (7.65mm Browning), it’s classified as a handgun and does not include a folding stock.

It’s a very cool firearm originally developed for use with security forces, then adopted by the Czechoslovakian Army in 1961 as a sidearm for vehicle drivers, armored vehicle personnel and special forces. Capacity: 20 rounds. Weight: 45 ounces. Two 20-round and one 10-round mags are included.

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Dan Wesson
The Classic Bobtail has proven so popular–due to its concealable profile–that Dan Wesson designed something even more concealable: the Concealed Carry Officer. This model is built with a Commander slide on top of an Officer-size frame, providing control and reliability.

Dan Wesson bobbed the back of the mainspring housing, built the frame and mainspring housing from anodized aluminum, and undercut the trigger guard. The frontstrap and mainspring housing feature a chain-link pattern for a superior gripping surface. Dual colored tritium lamps allow fast low-light target acquisition.

Kimber
The Tactical Entry line has two new members joining its family: the Tactical Entry II and the Tactical Custom HD II. They are unique to Kimber’s tactical line in that both have stainless steel rather than aluminum frames. Identical in every aspect other than the rail on the Tactical Entry II, both pistols feature match-grade .45 ACP barrels, night sights, extended magazine wells and 30 lines-per-inch checkering on the frontstrap.

The exotic Raptor family also has a pair of new siblings, both in .45 ACP. The Stainless Ultra Raptor II features an aluminum frame topped with a stainless slide housing a three-inch barrel. The Stainless Pro Raptor II is all-stainless and sports a four-inch barrel.

Common to both are night sights, ambidextrous safety and zebra-wood grips. Both models are built in Kimber’s custom shop.

Last but not least, the highly accurate Team Match II pistol is available in 9mm caliber this year, and the Aegis family has changed from bobbed hammers to spur hammers.

Para USA
Aside from the company’s move to Charlotte, North Carolina, the first big news from Para is the introduction of the GI Expert, an entry-level 1911 pistol that’s basic in design but has some really nice features.

The barrel is stainless, the fixed sights are dovetailed into the slide and are eminently usable.

The ejection port is lowered and flared, the magazine well is beveled, and the hammer is a skeletonized spur. The package is finished in Covert Black Para Kote, and has checkered polymer grips.

FNH-USA
A new configuration of the autoloading Five-SeveN pistol includes a fixed C-More combat sight. Firing the high velocity 5.7×28 cartridge, the Five-SeveN sports a hammer-forged and hard-chrome-lined barrel for enhanced accuracy and extended service life.

It is available in matte black, olive drab or flat dark earth frames and can also be purchased with an adjustable three-dot target sight.

Legacy Arms
Based on the gun that cowboy character Josh Randall carried in the 1950s television series by the same name, the Puma Bounty Hunter Model 92 has a 12-inch barrel, loop lever and is legally considered a handgun.

Manufactured in Italy by Chiappa Firearms, it’s available in .45 Colt, .44-40 and .44 Magnum. Capacity is six rounds.

Ed Brown
A new severe-use coating gives the new Special Forces Carry pistol improved wear resistance and rust protection. The engineering, precision manufacturing and hand-fitting the Brown family is famous for makes the handgun a prime candidate for those anticipating the need for performance when conditions get down and dirty.

The frontstrap has a chain-link pattern machined into it to provide a secure grip. The slide houses a 4.25-inch barrel, and the Commander-size frame features Brown’s bobtail design. Available in both stainless and blued configurations. Weight: 35 ounces.

In the same family and sporting the same high-performance features, the Special Forces Light Rail is a full-size, 40-ounce 1911 with an integral light rail. A test sample of this gun is winging its way to Patrick Sweeney; look for his review in an upcoming issue.

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Smith & Wesson
A whole corral of the new and exciting is being announced at S&W for this year. To start with, all models–full-size and compact–of the popular M&P semiauto will be available with thumb safeties. As with the standard M&P, all feature interchangeable palmswell grip inserts, stainless steel barrel and slide with black Melonite finish and polymer frame.

Three cheers for the S&W Classic line, which now includes the wonderful Model 17 Masterpiece, a .22 LR revolver with a traditional six-round cylinder. It features a six-inch bright-polished blue barrel, adjustable rear sight and pinned Patridge front and a square butt. I’m guessing the Masterpiece will become one of the line’s greatest hits.

The Model 14 also lives again. It features a six-inch bright blue or bright nickel barrel with unshrouded ejector rod, six-round .38 Special cylinder and a square butt.

Rejoice, .41 Magnum lovers. S&W has breathed new life into the Model 57; the new M57 is available in both four- and six-inch barrel lengths.

Moving into the realm of the modern revolver, the Model 632 Carry Comp Pro Series revolver sports a three-inch barrel with tapered full underlug, six-round .357 Magnum capacity, adjustable sights and a matte black finish on the all-stainless construction. The muzzle features PowerPort technology with an expansion chamber.

The growing Night Guard line brings us the .41 Magnum-chambered Model 357. Confused? Just focus on the caliber, not the model number. It’s possibly the perfect caliber to complement the Night Guard concept in revolvers and features tritium sights, scandium alloy frame, 2.5-inch barrel, and Pachmayr Compac Custom grips.

And last but not least in the revolver world, a new Model 642 lightweight .38 Special hammerless snub-nose without the internal lock will please those with a distrust for all things lawyer-generated.

Notable–and the single all-new introduction that we are aware of in the semiauto line–is a 9mm Pro Series 1911. Built on a full-size stainless frame, it sports multiple upgrades such as a 30 lpi checkered frontstrap, hand-polished integral feed ramp, oversize extractor, ambi safety, extended mag well and stoned hammer and sear for a crisp trigger pull.

Sights are fixed three-dot, grips are stippled wood, and capacity is 10+1 rounds.

Kahr Arms
If you want a really fine micro-compact pistol, consider the new P380. Chambered in .380 ACP, it has a 2.5 inch barrel and an overall length of 4.9 inches. It has a black polymer frame, matte stainless slide, and textured polymer grips. The barrel is a premium Lothar Walther match grade polygonal rifled design. Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat sights are dovetailed into the slide; night sights are optional. Weight: 10 ounces without mag. Two stainless-steel six-round magazines come standard.

Sig Sauer
If you saw our October/November 2008 issue, you know about the P250 already. And while the gun is not exactly new for 2009, it does now fully deliver on the promise of its platform.

The P250 is a polymer-frame semiauto built on a modular design that allows it to be converted from a full-size gun to a compact or subcompact simply by buying a new grip module and slide assembly.

Calibers can be changed simply by buying the appropriate slide assembly and magazines. And that’s what’s new for 2009: all the calibers–9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and .45 ACP–are now available.

The base P250 comes in two different grip modules: one for 9mm, .357 SIG and .40 S&W, another for .45 ACP. These can be ordered as full size, compact or subcompact, and the P250 offers the option of a short trigger or a long trigger as well.

Dimension are 8.1 inches long, 5.5 inches high and 1.4 inches wide for the full size; 7.2/5.3/1.4 for the compact; and 6.7/4.7/1.1 for the subcompact. Weight: full size, 27.6 to 29.6 ounces; compact, 25.1 to 27.0; subcompact, 24.8 to 25.1.

Suggested retails range from $750 to $870. Upgrade packages go for $375.