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formed decision when you consider lifestyle, training experiences and whether or not the gun will actually be carried on your person. The rea- son most folks take up the defensive handgun is to protect them or loved ones from unforeseen threats. The grim reality is our tool of choice must be capable of quickly shutting down a determined attacker before they can hurt others or us. For home or vehicle defense, a rel-


atively large handgun is well within the realm of possibility. This clearly isn’t the case if you want to discreet- ly carry your gun as you go about your routine in polite society. Your roscoe can’t be too big, but it has to pack some juice in order to fulfill its most basic function. Little guns are a snap to hide, but


lack the most fundamental quality of a defensive handgun. Quite sim- ply, these little pocket poppers come up short in that elusive quality we sometimes call stopping power. That silly notion that the mere display of any handgun will cause an attacker to reconsider his intentions and beat feet represents so much wish- ful thinking. Since there is a strong likelihood you might actually pull the trigger, your handgun/ammuni- tion combination must be capable of getting the job done. Ideally, a relatively powerful


handgun that can be comfortably worn throughout the day, yet dis- creetly concealed, would be the best choice — if the handgun allows the user to perform to a high level that would be even better. The good news is a number of contemporary designs fit the bill.


Milestone Commander Prior to World War II, most


auto pistols fell into one of two cat- egories. The first was the full-size service pistols, exemplified by the 1911, Hi-Power and Walther P38. On the other end of the scale were the small pocket pistols, such as the Walther PPK and the Colt Pocket Autos, chambered for significantly


Compact Glock 19 allows the user to get a full-firing grip.


less powerful cartridges. There re- ally wasn’t much that split the dif- ference. If you fancied auto pistols, you either carried the heavy metal or took your chances with a marginally effective pocket pistol. In the years following World War


II, the US Armed Forces began con- sidering a lighter replacement for the 1911 that had served so well. This new pistol would be chambered for the 9mm rather than the .45 ACP, with a requirement it weigh no more than 25 ounces and measure no more than 7" in length. Candidate pistols included a shortened version of the Browning Hi-Power, a double- action prototype from Smith & Wes- son that evolved into the Model 39 and a slightly abbreviated version of the 1911 by Colt.


Ultimately, the military didn’t


bite, and instead, Colt took their new spin on the 1911 to the commer- cial market. In 1951, Colt introduced the Commander, their first pistol chambered for the 9mm. Versions in .38 Super and .45 ACP were also offered. The Commander featured a 4.25" barrel and its Coltalloy frame kept weight down to a manageable 27 ounces, making it better suited for all day carry. Over the next few decades, the


Commander carved out a niche as the ultimate “martial artist’s” pistol. Although revolvers still ruled, the Commander was in high demand by users who preferred the auto pistol and it set the stage for bigger and better things. In 1970, Colt intro- duced an all steel version dubbed the


Service rounds (above) outperform the .380 ACP, .38 Special and lesser pocket-pistol rounds in every way.


WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM


Robar Combat Commander effec- tively tames the hot .38 Super.


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