Gun reviews are TTAG’s ballistic meat and potatoes. Wait. I’ve fired a potato gun. Is there such a thing as a meat gun? I feel a song coming on! Anyway, millions of folks search TTAG for our no-holds-barred reviews. Click here to search our 541-guns-and-counting database. Click on the titles below to check the relevant TTAG review. Here are the top three most visited gun reviews in the last year in reverse order.
We love getting new guns to review. In this biz, there’s definitely a first-mover advantage. But we realize that many people are interested in bread-and-butter ballistic solutions. And it don’t get more bread-and-butter than the Smith & Wesson SD9 VE, the lowest priced pistola de plastico in the S&W lineup.
Tyler Kee reviewed the SD9 VE some four years ago. It’s no dog. According to TTAG’s first Texan, Smith’s semi “points like an Irish Setter.” It’s “a dead nuts reliable, well-made budget firearm” that’s “cheap to buy and cheap to run.” Which accounts for its third spot in TTAG’s page hit parade.
A word of caution: Tyler found the SD9 VE’s trigger longer than an Israeli supermodel’s stems (my metaphor, lifted from the time when such things were de rigueur around here). Fortunately, you can fix that (the trigger, I sworn off Israeli supermodel links) with an aftermarket kit for not a lot of dough.
In short, the Smith & Wesson SD9 VE’s an unsung hero that gets a voice on TTAG.
2. SIG SAUER P320
SIG and TTAG share more than the caps lock key; we’ve got an excellent working relationship with the brand. Mind you, we aren’t in anyone’s pocket…we tell it like it is. And the SIG SAUER P320 is a solid four-star gun.
Our man Foghorn’s review highlighted the P320’s modularity: the pistol’s frame accommodates various caliber conversions and drop-in trigger packs. Bonus! The plug-and-play components can be sent straight to your door.
Or U.S. Army armories, now that Uncle Sam has named the P320 their new standard-issue sidearm — explaining the P320’s sudden race up the TTAG gun review hit parade.
Nick went all Kool & The Gang describing the P320’s solidity. He also praised the SIG’s trigger, then slated it for lacking perfection. Speaking of which, Nick recommended the P320 over an equivalent GLOCK and declared the Army’s new gun a “tack driver.” ‘Nuff said?
1. SIG SAUER MCX
Two years ago, Nick got to grips with the adjustable gas-piston operated SIG SAUER MCX, describing its unique selling point thusly: “Barrel changes are easier than coming up with a metaphor for something easy.” Funny guy.
Sealing his reputation for taciturn curmudgeonliness (yes WP, that’s a word), Nick wrote “I was able to get a proper cheek weld on the gun with no problem and the way that the comb of the stock is designed felt like a slightly slimmer version of a standard AR-15 stock. No complaints from me there.”
Complaints? Nick has a few. Then again . . . My man’s main kvetch shows that he does indeed have metaphorical mastery. (Mastery of metaphors? Whatever.)
The MCX’s trigger is a whole lot less than wonderful (i.e. awful). It’s heavier than a sumo wrestler carrying a small Toyota. Creepier than finding a sad clown doll in the back of your car. It stacks more than the set design for Future War. I’ve said it before (which not-so-coincidentally rhymes with Tavor): an awful trigger can ruin a good gun. Accuracy is finite. When you can’t get a proper trigger pull, it’s impossible to achieve a rifle’s maximum accuracy.
So “while its accuracy is on a par with rifles in the same price range” the MCX “exceeds its competitors’ functionality and modularity.” It’s a hit! Both with our resident pilot/programmer/violist/gun guy and TTAG’s readership. Nice work, guys!