By Kevin Reese
This review is part one(1) of a five(5) part series of new guns or interesting guns for 2016. Click the Next button at the bottom to read more. : Avidity PD10 9mm Pistol review.
United States -(AmmoLand.com)- I recently went on a social media rant of sorts after reading about some Hollywood types who deem it appropriate to make millions through the employment of guns while speaking out against them, their hypocrisy both simultaneously laughable and infuriating.
While the author appeared to support our second amendment, he also suggested something that, well, just rubbed me the wrong way. He suggested Hollywood was responsible for the mindset that we need firearms to defend ourselves. I emphatically disagreed:
“I don’t believe that for a second. It simply took the common-sense realization that defending my life, my family’s lives and even the lives of those who can’t or won’t, is MY responsibility in a world full of disappointing people — just as it is OUR collective responsibility, as history has repeatedly demonstrated, to stand our ground against all enemies, one or many, foreign or domestic, including our own government, should itself become radical, oppressive or otherwise tyrannical.”
Let’s apply this directly to handguns. Not only is it my Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, I go a step further and ensure as many people as I can reach know that carrying is more than a right, it is a RESPONSIBILITY. Equally important, perhaps more so in terms of safety, efficiency and, indeed, survivability during one of those heat-of-the-moment events, I take reliable, repeatable and even comfortable handgun performance seriously.
With those attributes in mind, as well as a hat-tip to recreational shooting, here are 5 handguns from the 2016 SHOT Show I just have to get to know better!
Avidity PD10 9mm Pistol
Avidity Arms is a brand new company with big ideas in the Avidity PD10 9mm Pistol. My first observation was that this striker-fire PD10 was nearly full-size but not quite; it had a 4.1” barrel and a fairly slim grip and frame platform. Contrary to what the name implies, it is a 9mm – the name applies instead to the single-stack 1911-style magazine’s 10-round capacity. As a result, the grip is innately slimmer than any double-stack… and even any 9mm single-stack I can recall. As a guy with smaller hands, the result for me was a seriously comfortable handgun that doesn’t make me feel like I’m over-extending and breaking good grip-form. It almost felt customized. Even better, at 20-oz. with the shorter barrel and slimmer design, I imagine concealed-carrying this handgun is going to be a pleasant surprise.
While it may sound cliché, shooting the PD10 prototype was dreamy. At roughly, 5 lbs., the trigger delivered both short travel and reset. Cycling felt as tight and smooth as any handgun I’ve fired, perhaps even better. Between the PD10’s exceptional balance and standard I.C.E. Claw Emergency Manipulation Sights and Baseplates, rapid sight alignment and target acquisition during rapid fire felt exceedingly natural.
Designed primarily by personal defense guru, Rob Pincus, the Avidity PD10 9mm Pistol’s styling is quite aggressive – both bad ass and well-thought-out in terms fit, form and function. From rounded slide serrations and a scaled grip for a confident hold and positive slide manipulation, to unobtrusive inertial and trigger block safeties, as well as a loaded chamber indicator, there doesn’t seem to be anything Pincus and the team at Avidity Arms haven’t thought of. Pincus’ famed triquetra, symbolizing the unity of integrity, consistency and efficiency critical to personal defense, also is molded into the back of the PD10’s grip, affirming that those same foundational elements are present in every aspect of the PD10’s design, construction and, based on my experience with the prototype, overall performance.
The Avidity PD10 9mm Pistol is expected to be available my late May, 2016 with an MSRP of just $499.
About Kevin Reese:
Kevin is an award-winning outdoor writer, photographer, videographer, speaker, host of Global Outfitters TV Show’s GO Tips and a Marine Corps veteran. He owns and administers www.mainbeammedia.com and Main Beam Blog at blog.mainbeammedia.com. The Main Beam Blog offers great articles, press releases, outdoor industry news and reviews.