It’s SHOT Show, and among the miles of aisles are tons of new handguns. Nearly two dozen at my last count. I’ve covered both floors and Cesar’s Forum, looking to bring you the best pistols, handguns, mohaskas, or whatever you want to call them. I’ve brought you five of the best aimed at defensive and tactical use. Let’s dive into the best new handguns of SHOT 2023.
The RIA 5.0
“New Gun” is an interesting term. Plenty of new guns this year are Glock Gen 3 clones, and I do not hate that. More guns are better than fewer guns. However, the Rock Island Armory 5.0 seems to be something entirely new. At first glance, it certainly seems like it has some CZ 75B vibes with the uber-low bore axis and tiny slide. The 5.0 features a 4.91-inch long barrel, chambers 9mm Luger, and features a 17-round magazine.
That barrel is square on the outside, which is odd. That barrel doesn’t move, either. It doesn’t tilt, and it’s not a straight blowback necessarily. The gun uses a proprietary RVS recoil system. RVS stands for Ram Valve System. This valve keeps the action from opening early until pressure reaches a safe level. The RVS system unlocks and allows the recoil energy of the gun to cycle the slide.
The system isn’t striker-fired, and it uses a micro hammer assembly. It’s essentially a single-action-only system that delivers a very light trigger but also no visible hammer to snag on anything. Everything about the gun equals less recoil and makes it much easier to handle. It’s an impressive design, and guess what? It’s made right here in the United States. When I say “new pistol,” this gun meets the definition of a new pistol.
Glock 47
The Glock 47 series has been on the Christmas list of Glock fans since it was first introduced back in 2019. The G47 wasn’t available for purchase for the average Joe as Glock sold the guns to Homeland Security, specifically Customs and Border Patrol. Why Glock chose to wait is beyond me, but in 2023 the Glock 47 is finally making its way to the civilian marketplace.
The Glock 47 series is a full-sized, 9mm handgun. It’s basically the Glock 17 in size and function but not in design. A quick glance at the Glock 47 and 17 reveals an interesting difference in the frames. On a Glock 17, the frame goes all the way to the end of the slide. On the 47, it stops short. Why? Well, the design makes it easy to take the full-length Glock slide and slap it on the Compact frame of the Glock 19.
You can get a full-length slide on a compact frame. This combo gives you a more concealable firearm with a full-length barrel with the benefits of a full-length barrel. Glock owners have been clamoring for this capability forever. On the flip side, you can also toss a Glock 19 slide onto a Glock 47 frame to get a Glock 45/19X style firearm.
Beretta 80X Cheetah
Beretta is bringing back the classic Cheetah in the form of the Beretta 80X. The classic Cheetah was a rather large, all-metal .380 ACP pistol that seems out of place amongst the realm of .380 ACP pocket pistols. These pistols do provide a much more controllable firearm that packs 13 rounds of .380 ACP.
The large size of the pistol paired with the light .380 ACP makes the weapon super easy to control with minimal recoil. The new gun has a Picatinny rail to attach a light or laser and falls into an interesting category of self-defense weapons. It’s a compact pistol for those looking for less recoil all around.
It kind of lands in that S&W EZ zone. The trigger is DA/SA, and absolutely fantastic. The double action glides rearward and feels smooth and refined, like good whiskey. The safety is a combination safety and decocker and sits on the slide for easy access. It’s a bit of a niche gun, but it’s all kinds of cool.
Staccato CS
The famed creator of 2011 handguns delivers us the new Staccato CS, the smallest Staccato on the market. It features a 3.5-inch bull barrel. It’s 7.1 inches long overall, it’s 1.2 inches wide, 5.6 inches tall, and weighs 22.7 ounces. What really surprised me is that the gun looks so beefy but feels so light.
The Staccato CS feels light enough that it almost had me thinking it had a polymer frame. The grips are crazy sticky and cling to your hand like they are trying not to drown. The grip size is just enough to fill your hand with gun and not much more. The CS comes with a rail system and has an option of an optics mount. Optics are clearly the way to go.
It’s all rounded off with a super light and crisp trigger with an awesome reset. The weapon holds 16 rounds of 9mm, giving you a big deep well of ammunition to source from. If you know anything about Staccatos, the CS isn’t going to be a cheap gun, and with an MSRP of $2,499, you are spending a lot of money to buy a lot of gun.
FN 510
Oh, boy, who doesn’t love the 10mm round? This big, powerful cartridge has long had a cult following for shooters who want more power in their pistols. The FN 510 is one of the new, modern 10mm pistols aiming to give you a handful of power in an ergonomic and capable package. The gun is built on the famed 509 series but beefed up to handle the centimeter.
Like most modern 10mms, the FN 510 takes advantage of the round’s size to provide a double-stack magazine of varying capacities. The standard flush-fitting magazine gives you ten rounds, but shooters can also choose from a 15 and 22-round magazine to get things done. There is nothing like 22 rounds of 10mm to calm risen spirits.
FN took the tactical route and outfitted the gun with all the modern accessories necessary to give you the highest 10mm on the market. The gun features a threaded barrel, suppressor height sights, an optic cut, and of course, a rail. What stood out to me was how thin the grip was. Most 10mms are big bulky things, but the FN 510 is quite svelte and ergonomic.
Handguns For Days
SHOT Show 2023 doesn’t necessarily have a detectable theme but it does introduce us to nearly two dozen handguns. It was quite tough to pick just five as what I think is the best. What about you? Did you see any releases that you think deserve to be on the best new handguns list?
Let us know below.
