First off, a disclaimer. I am a 1911 guy. I did NOT purchase this firearm as some level of "modern" 1911 replacement or otherwise. I am perfectly happy with my S.A. Elite Operator, Colt Delta Elite, and 2 Dan Wessons to serve in that capacity.
Simply stated, I was interested in looking at a novel design and trying it out! Is it worth the hype? Does it do what the creators state? Is it what JMB would have designed were he working in the 21st Century?
Well I picked up the pistol mid-day today. I have been on a wait locally for a few months (and not in any hurry, hence why I didn't lurk on GB waiting to pay more than list price to get a copy). I gave it a quick wipe-down and lube and went to the range.
200 rounds later...a preliminary evaluation...(Blazer Brass 115gr)
1 FTF in the middle of the 2nd mag I shot (approx round 20, give or take). No other issues while firing through this first 200.
I did notice a common issue when swapping mags...sometimes the first round wouldn't feed when utilizing the slide stop to chamber the round (vs. racking). No other issues once the slide is in battery, but this one seemed a little strange. One thing I noticed is that the magazines have STIFF springs at the outset. I can't help but wonder if this is only a temporary issue. Others have noted that tapping the mags after loading to settle the rounds seems to resolve the issue. Anecdotally I can say this worked, but I have a funny feeling if I load the mags and let them sit a few days this will resolve. I will keep my eyes on this one long-term just in case I decide I want to carry it.
Design, Feel, and Shooting:
This pistol is reasonably heavy. I was, however, not really blown away by the weight...and perhaps that is because I carry a DW Valkyrie 9mm daily...which while not AS heavy is substantial enough in its own right. 15 rounds in a such a relatively thin grip is nothing to shake one's head at folks...the grip feels a LOT like a standard width government 1911, albeit with a shorter barrel. The extra mass up-front balances out when mags are loaded to capacity, and it feels great in the hand. I would say presentation and sight acquisition are not "just like" 1911, but somewhere between a Glock and a 1911 despite the nearly 1911 grip angle. I think this is a function of the rear sight height.
One thing I will note here from a functional perspective. Many report it shoots low. I 100% disagree (or Hudson started shipping with a different front sight recently). I agree 100% that the feel of recoil laterally is substantially different than in most any pistol I can think of, and that because of this, the recoil expectation might persuade someone to shoot low at first. If one is a great shot and has no such bad habits, the trigger feel is VERY different than just about anything I can think of (save one, more on that in a moment) that I could see the adjustment to this driving some shots low. I however, never had that issue.
Accuracy: I did not have issues making decent groups at 10-15 yards. I don't pistol shoot on hand-rests, and am not focussed on punching tiny holes in round targets particularly (though I certainly can if I get a bug to do so). I did not find cause to believe the pistol was inaccurate by design. Moreover, while rapid-firing, I found that the horizontal recoil impulse meant that I could make follow-up shots extremely quickly and hit a paper-plate sized area at 15 yards no problem. Over and over. I am no pro....but I just didn't have a problem in that regard. I would put up pics of targets, but I was just feeling this thing out and not trying to dazzle folks with my shooting prowess (mostly because there isn't any said prowess), and once I have 700-1000 rounds through it, I will be comfortable it is broken in and judge accuracy and reliability at that point (like I do my 1911s).
Trigger: I don't know how to really compare it to anything. It's not a 1911 trigger. My best comparison is to that of the Colt Mustang/P938 micro variants - or at least it shoots like them. The trigger pull is not as heavy, but the pivoting action and take up reminds me of my P938 if I had to try and make it relatable...but simply stated, it is its own thing and takes a little getting used to. What I really did like is that the travel and reset, at least in my copy, are pretty short...and as such, it is a lot more like a 1911 than any other striker-fired pistol I have shot. My VP9SK has a fantastic trigger "for a striker," and I feel like this is a step beyond that (meaning better) in terms of feel and break.
Recoil: A LOT has been talked about in this regard. To me it was really simple. Recoil goes back, not up. Virtually no muzzle jump really exists. The best thing I can equate it to is shooting a rifle in that the impulse is directed largely back...and it makes for a nearly instantaneous reset for a follow-up shot.
Final Thoughts (and end of my novel):
Is this pistol for everyone? No, not at all. I happen to really like it...but I have a funny feeling that any purist looking for some great new thing that handles like the Browning designs would be disappointed. We should give the Hudson's a little credit here - this really is its own thing...so tempering expectations and having an open mind are a good thing in this case.
Anyways...here is a pic I took with my other EDC tools. I really like it and can't wait to shoot it again and again! Personally I think it was worth the wait, and I think Hudson is on to something with their design.
![Image]()
Simply stated, I was interested in looking at a novel design and trying it out! Is it worth the hype? Does it do what the creators state? Is it what JMB would have designed were he working in the 21st Century?
Well I picked up the pistol mid-day today. I have been on a wait locally for a few months (and not in any hurry, hence why I didn't lurk on GB waiting to pay more than list price to get a copy). I gave it a quick wipe-down and lube and went to the range.
200 rounds later...a preliminary evaluation...(Blazer Brass 115gr)
1 FTF in the middle of the 2nd mag I shot (approx round 20, give or take). No other issues while firing through this first 200.
I did notice a common issue when swapping mags...sometimes the first round wouldn't feed when utilizing the slide stop to chamber the round (vs. racking). No other issues once the slide is in battery, but this one seemed a little strange. One thing I noticed is that the magazines have STIFF springs at the outset. I can't help but wonder if this is only a temporary issue. Others have noted that tapping the mags after loading to settle the rounds seems to resolve the issue. Anecdotally I can say this worked, but I have a funny feeling if I load the mags and let them sit a few days this will resolve. I will keep my eyes on this one long-term just in case I decide I want to carry it.
Design, Feel, and Shooting:
This pistol is reasonably heavy. I was, however, not really blown away by the weight...and perhaps that is because I carry a DW Valkyrie 9mm daily...which while not AS heavy is substantial enough in its own right. 15 rounds in a such a relatively thin grip is nothing to shake one's head at folks...the grip feels a LOT like a standard width government 1911, albeit with a shorter barrel. The extra mass up-front balances out when mags are loaded to capacity, and it feels great in the hand. I would say presentation and sight acquisition are not "just like" 1911, but somewhere between a Glock and a 1911 despite the nearly 1911 grip angle. I think this is a function of the rear sight height.
One thing I will note here from a functional perspective. Many report it shoots low. I 100% disagree (or Hudson started shipping with a different front sight recently). I agree 100% that the feel of recoil laterally is substantially different than in most any pistol I can think of, and that because of this, the recoil expectation might persuade someone to shoot low at first. If one is a great shot and has no such bad habits, the trigger feel is VERY different than just about anything I can think of (save one, more on that in a moment) that I could see the adjustment to this driving some shots low. I however, never had that issue.
Accuracy: I did not have issues making decent groups at 10-15 yards. I don't pistol shoot on hand-rests, and am not focussed on punching tiny holes in round targets particularly (though I certainly can if I get a bug to do so). I did not find cause to believe the pistol was inaccurate by design. Moreover, while rapid-firing, I found that the horizontal recoil impulse meant that I could make follow-up shots extremely quickly and hit a paper-plate sized area at 15 yards no problem. Over and over. I am no pro....but I just didn't have a problem in that regard. I would put up pics of targets, but I was just feeling this thing out and not trying to dazzle folks with my shooting prowess (mostly because there isn't any said prowess), and once I have 700-1000 rounds through it, I will be comfortable it is broken in and judge accuracy and reliability at that point (like I do my 1911s).
Trigger: I don't know how to really compare it to anything. It's not a 1911 trigger. My best comparison is to that of the Colt Mustang/P938 micro variants - or at least it shoots like them. The trigger pull is not as heavy, but the pivoting action and take up reminds me of my P938 if I had to try and make it relatable...but simply stated, it is its own thing and takes a little getting used to. What I really did like is that the travel and reset, at least in my copy, are pretty short...and as such, it is a lot more like a 1911 than any other striker-fired pistol I have shot. My VP9SK has a fantastic trigger "for a striker," and I feel like this is a step beyond that (meaning better) in terms of feel and break.
Recoil: A LOT has been talked about in this regard. To me it was really simple. Recoil goes back, not up. Virtually no muzzle jump really exists. The best thing I can equate it to is shooting a rifle in that the impulse is directed largely back...and it makes for a nearly instantaneous reset for a follow-up shot.
Final Thoughts (and end of my novel):
Is this pistol for everyone? No, not at all. I happen to really like it...but I have a funny feeling that any purist looking for some great new thing that handles like the Browning designs would be disappointed. We should give the Hudson's a little credit here - this really is its own thing...so tempering expectations and having an open mind are a good thing in this case.
Anyways...here is a pic I took with my other EDC tools. I really like it and can't wait to shoot it again and again! Personally I think it was worth the wait, and I think Hudson is on to something with their design.
