The muzzle is actually recessed within the barrel guide that protrudes past the end of the top cover and in which the barrel rides. the takedown catch levers are on the side of the lower reviever.

The magazine release is an oval button located where Americans expect it to be, on the left side where the trigger guard meets the grip. Because the grip circumference is large and my hands are small, I had to shift my grasp slightly to activate it.

Shooting the TP-9 is unlike shooting most pistols because of its configuration. A traditional Weaver or isosceles stance with a two-handed grip works with this gun, but there are other options--including gripping the fore-end with the nonfiring hand as you would a rifle, but I didn't find that to be very steady.

The charging handle for the TP-9 is found at the rear of the gun. An attachment point for a sling is also located here -- as is one for a buttstock, the additional of which would require BATFE registration.

Besides being a great carry aid, the optional sling provides another way of shooting that is very stable and allows for extremely fast follow-up shots. The right-handed shooter loops the sling over the left shoulder and under the right arm so the gun hangs at the right hip. The sling should be adjusted so that it is tight when the gun is held in the shooting position at eye-level, and the gun is pushed forward firmly with both hands.

The nonfiring hand can be placed on the grip behind the strong hand or at the rear of the top cover. With both hands pushing hard against the sling, the gun recoils little and the sights return rapidly to the target--making it easy to make fast follow-up shots. I found this method works quite well in tactical drills producing both accuracy and speed.

ACCRUACY RESULTS: KIMBER GRAND RAPTOR II
9mm AMMO TYPE	BULLET WEIGHT (gr.)	AVG. VELOCITY (fps)	STANDARD DEVIAION	AVG. GROUP (in.)
Speer Gold Dot HP	115	1,185	8	1.81
Federal Hydra-Shok JHP	124	1,112	12	1.87
Hornady TAP	124	1,152	6	1.20
Velocities are averages of five shots recorded 15 feet from the muzzie. Accuracy tested off a sandbag rest; results are averages of three five-shot groups at 25 yards. Abbreviations: HP, hollowpoint; JHP, jacketed hollowpoint.

Testing Speer Gold Dot hollowpoint, Federal Hydra-Shok and Hornady TAP FPD from sand bags off the bench at 25 yards, all loads produced good accuracy. Speer Gold Dot 115-grainers shot the smallest average groups at 1.81 inches. Muzzle flip and recoil were minimal because of the gun's size and weight. There were no malfunctions of any kind.

The carry sling proved to be a very handy shooting aid. By pushing forward against it, the gun returned to point of aim quickly and was easy to hold on target.

Carrying this oversize handgun can be a challenge, but holsters are available. DSA furnished two samples for testing--a belt and a drop leg--both from Blackhawk. They worked fine.

If you have an interest in a semi-auto variant of a full-auto pistol used by special ops units, this is an interesting one to consider.