I realize that people decide to carry concealed for a variety of reasons. Some obviously, are personal reasons. Some people carry just because they can. I have my reasons, you have yours. I would never dare question someone’s decision.
It’s the same with the age-old, endless debate over semi-auto vs. revolver vs. firepower vs. reliability vs.caliber vs. comfort vs. concealability vs. stopping power on and on and on. You get my point. The correct answer to all of these questions is the one that the individual who’s carrying the weapon feels is the right answer.
The right gun and caliber is the one that works for you, end of story. I fully understand and believe that, and that’s why I steer clear of challenging innovation and variety just because it doesn’t work for me or I don’t like the way it looks. I support anybody’s choice to protect themselves and loved ones to the absolute best of their ability. But. . . I just can’t wrap my head my head around the need for a heavily modified, folding Glock 19.
Full Conceal, a company in Las Vegas, has developed and seems it will be offering what they call the M3 folding pistol. They showed it at the 2017 SHOT show based on a cut down, modified Glock. More recent pictures have their own design but it’s basically a polymer, striker-fired pistol just like a Glock with the ability to fold the grip into itself with hinges that also form the trigger guard when it’s in firing position.
That looks concerning to me as well. Like a little finger guillotine if it were to fold up during firing. To the designer’s credit, it must have been a lot of trial and error to make that work, for sure! And the more finished-looking prototype actually looks pretty slick, but I must bring up the Amphicar–the car that was also a boat.
This gun makes me think of the Amphicar.
It was fantastic in concept but not in practice. It wasn’t a good car because of what it took to make it a boat. And it wasn’t a very good boat because it had to be a street-legal car capable of driving safely on public roads. The same goes for all the flying cars that graced the cover of Popular Mechanics magazine that somehow never caught on
Now a folding take-down rifle that works well . . . that makes sense. A handgun is already small and has compromises because of that. Folding one into a brick shape just makes it a brick. That takes precious seconds to open into fire position. If your gun is called upon to save your life, you must UNFOLD it potentially at the exact moment when adrenaline and your haste to get it open turns your motor skills to mush.
It’s just going to make it that much more of a challenge to function and use properly There are so many small concealable firearm options some with wicked firepower, some with unbelievable reliability. Most have accuracy beyond the average shooter’s ability. I can see no benefit for a folding pistol other than a James Bond movie prop. If I’m wrong please show me the light. The M3 costs $1200.
M3 photo from fullconceal.com
