VolkStudio Blog

Coonan | Sideguard | Larger photos

My interest in Coonan pistols was accidental. John Paul of JP Rifles mentioned him and let me photograph an old one from his collection. I then had a chance to fire a current pistol in Nevada before SHOT Show. The pistol looks slightly blocky but it’s grip has the same circumference as the regular M1911. It has a better trigger than any M1911 I’ve used, mainly because it’s a well designed pivoting type. Recoil is very mild even with 158gr .357mag ammo. We used four ammo types, it digested them all. In the desert, with targets at 25+ meters, the flat trajectory was a major plus: hitting half-size steel silhouettes was child’s play.

The pistol is not cheap but it’s worth the money. It’s a pleasure to shoot, it’s accurate, will even function with .38 Specials (with a lighter recoil spring). It does what 10mm Auto promised to do…unlike 10mm, .357Mag ammo is easy to find and comes in a wide variety of bullet weights and types. Sideguard holsters shown work wonderfully to make the pistol feel comfortable in daily carry.