Bond Arms Bullpup 9 9mm Luger

Bond Arms Bullpup 9 9mm Luger

lever is rotated fully, and the barrel and slide moved forward off the frame. The barrel and locking lug block are removed. There is a very thin recoil spring, which Bond Arms calls a slide-return spring. The rotating barrel absorbs most of the recoil of the slide. When reassembling the pistol, we ran into a snag. The senior rater is an experienced individual who has used many firearms. It took him some time to get the disassembled pistol back together. The second and third time, the breakdown was much simpler. Just the same, this isn’t a pistol for the casually interested. While we felt the new self-lubricating finish was effective, we properly lubricated the rotating barrel and locking block with Ballistol before beginning the evaluation. However, we did not add lubrication in firing more than 300 rounds in the Bullpup 9.

When loading the pistol, the shooter must add a quick snap or the loading rail may press the bullet nose under the chamber. This is addressed by properly racking the slide. Due to the rotating-barrel design, the slide is very easy to rack, perhaps the easiest 9mm slide to rack we have ever tested and handled. But be certain to bring the slide fully to the rear and allow it to load with a sharp snap.

We began with the magazines loaded with the Winchester 115-grain FMJs. The smooth trigger face was comfortable and offered good leverage and control. The pistol came on target quickly. Control was excellent. The rotating barrel seems to control recoil. Despite the relatively light 17.5-ounce weight of the pistol, recoil was modest. As one of the raters noted, “This is a soft shooter.” Combat accuracy is good. We fired at 7, 10, and 15 yards in combat firing and also took more difficult shots at range objects and dirt clods on the berm at 20 to 25 yards, firing a total of 200 rounds of the Winchester 115-grain FMJs. The Bond Arms pistol fared better than the Ruger in combat firing tests, and while it outshot the Ruger in absolute accuracy, the Ruger isn’t a dog. The Bond Arms pistol simply exhibited superior accuracy, a neat trick for a double-action-only handgun shooting against a striker-fired handgun. We also fired 60 cartridges each of the Federal HST and Black Hills 124-grain JHP loads in each pistol. When firing from a solid benchrest firing position, the Bond Arms pistol gave good to excellent results. The trigger is smooth and resets at the end of its travel. Reset is distinct. By carefully working the action, we got excellent accuracy was realized. Groups at 15 yards were an average of well under 3.0 inches.

The pistol is the most expensive tested. The operating manual demands using the slingshot method to load the chamber. The pistol does not lock open on the last shot after firing. The magazines do not stick but drop free. In return, we have a pistol with excellent fit and finish, solid reliability, good combat accuracy, a very small footprint for concealed carry, and four magazines. The slide is easy to rack. The magazines are also easy to load.

Our Team Said: The Bullpup’s sole demerit as a personal-defense pistol is that the slide doesn’t lock open on the last shot. We rated the pistol down a half grade on this feature, which we admit some of the raters did not feel was a demerit for a pistol destined for short-range personal defense. Others felt it was a serious demerit and would not consider the handgun for personal defense as a result. The DAO trigger offers a second strike for those who like a second-strike capability; we prefer clearing the dud round. Considering the price of comparable small 9mm designs, such as the Kimber Solo and Springfield EMP, the price isn’t a demerit, but neither is it attractive to the average shooter.