More on the AR-24
A commenter (with a .mil email address) pointed out to me that the design of the AR-24 pistol I posted about earlier is more than just a clone of the CZ-75 and shares some of the same designs as the Sig 210.
Interesting.
That got me looking for more info on the pistol which lead me to a write-up in an NRA magazine about the AR-24.
Most interesting, to me, were these bits:
“We rejected the concept of modifying the design to accept .40 S&W because 9 mm pistols bumped up to .40 S&W have often shown poor results,” Westrom said. “Instead, we’re finishing work on the .45 ACP caliber AR-25 and hope to introduce it next year. We want a 10- or 12-shot pistol in that caliber.
While I’d disagree with the idea that bumping a 9mm platform up to .40S&W “shows poor results” I’d be really geeked about a CZ-75 based pistol in the .45ACP caliber. That would kick fucking ass and if they keep the MSRP around $550 it would really give the budget 1911’s a run for their money.
They continue:
We’ll then take the .45 ACP and bump it down to a very strong .40 S&W, hopefully in 2008.
Nooo! If you want to make a .40S&W version stick with what the market already accepts: Bumping a 9mm up to .40S&W. You’ll sell more. Take the .45ACP version and flip it into a 10mm version instead. Now, if you want to go with a 10mm and a .40S&W version that’s fine, I guess, but the real demand for a 40 caliber CZ-75-ish pistol would be for 10mm, not .40S&W.
Now, if they manage to keep the frame’s size really close to the 9mm version with the .45ACP version my objection of putting a .40S&W into the .45ACP platform is a moot point. However, I’m doubting they can because nobody’s done it right before. The grip gets too big, the frame too beefy, etc. That’s the primary reason Glock came out with their .45GAP cartridge. The .45ACP is just plain significantly longer than the 9mm and .40S&W cartridges and you end up with a grip that can only be described as “man-hands-required” when you run with a double-stack pistol capable of taking .45ACP.
That said, if they pull this off they could become a great player in the market when you’re talking to people about buying their first, and possibly one-and-only pistol. Having a single unified platform, built on steel, with a classic look, available in 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and 10mm, would cover all the bases of the entry gun buyer and then some.
You could compete with Glock. Glock’s comfortable because it’s pretty much the same freaking gun but in a myriad of various calibers. However, they’re ugly as fuck.
I’d bet dollars to donuts that if someboy came into the market with a quality all steel pistol avaiable in the same calibers as Glock and dumped a fair amount of promotional money to get their dealers to push the product that they could trounce all over Glock in the USA for one, and only one reason:
American men will favor the all steel pistol over the Combat Tupperware time and time again. Plus, the lines of a pistol like the CZ-75 just plain appeal to us. You look at it and know it’s a “man’s gun.”
Bah, I’m sure they’ll fuck it up.