Home and Mobile Defense: The Right Tool for the Job

Since the beginning of time, I believe young people have often misunderstood a crucial aspect of life: the distinction between wisdom and intelligence. Intelligence is really just raw brain computing power. Wisdom, on the other hand, simply means that you’ve experienced life, you’ve seen things a thousand times before, or perhaps you’ve learned lessons the hard way from making lots of mistakes.

In my case, there’s one such learning associated with wisdom that floats up near the top of the list: the importance of using the right tool for the job.

An example … Back in the days when station wagons roamed the earth, I got an itch to redo the guest bathroom in our first home. For those of you not old enough to have personally experienced this, the worst material ever invented by mankind is called Formica, and the countertop needed a new surface made from that abomination of building material. I had a couple of tools at the time, including some regular hand saws. So I got started, and soon, the cursing began. As it turns out, somebody makes a special saw specifically for cutting Formica. It wasn’t until I went to the local Home Depot and found such a tool that the job became a little bit easier. Don’t get me wrong, it was still miserable, but I managed to get the project done with relatively little blood, sweat and tears. And yes, a professional would have been embarrassed by the final result.

The Right Defensive Tools

The importance of using the right tools absolutely applies to the defensive application of handguns. Sure, you can carry a full-size duty gun, but you’re adding extra weight to your daily routine. The odds get better over time that you’ll get lazy and decide not to carry it for that quick trip to the store or the local stop-and-rob for a gallon of milk.

On the other hand, if you go ahead and buy a tiny defensive gun that’s convenient and comfortable for concealed carry, you’re not going to take that to the range a lot for recreational shooting (and practice) because small guns are a little more difficult to shoot, and you certainly feel the recoil. That’s where physically larger guns shine.

So, one could make the argument that a more portable gun is the right tool for concealed carry, while a physically larger gun is the right one to keep around the house or locked up near the nightstand.

Good news! The folks at SAR USA have created a family of firearms in the SAR9 family for just this reason. Earlier in this series, we’ve taken an up-close and personal look at the full-size and the subcompact. Today, I want to take a deeper dive into two other models of the family: the SOCOM Fullsize and the SAR9 Compact.

SAR9 SOCOM Fullsize

Not only is the SAR 9 SOCOM Fullsize a “full-sized” pistol, it’s got a couple of extra bells and whistles for defensive or even tactical use. In fact, this is the gun used by Turkish special forces, so it’s been proven on the battlefield, so to speak.

It sports a 5.2-inch barrel, giving the gun an overall length of 8.3 inches. Like the other members of the family, it houses a double-stack magazine, so the width at its widest point is about 1.4 inches. It’s also designed for a magazine capacity of 17 rounds with the standard magazine or 21 rounds with the extended magazine in place. Using the standard magazine, the total height is 5.9 inches. While you can carry this gun, it’s really designed for duty, tactical, or home defense use.

The barrel is threaded, which might sound like a tactical ninja feature, but think about this. Using a suppressor on a home defense gun can be a good idea. No big muzzle blast, no flash in the dark, and most importantly, far less disorienting noise should you ever have to fire the gun indoors. A nice touch with SAR USA’s threading approach is that the thread protector itself is machined with flats, so it looks somewhat like a nut on the end of a bolt. This allows you to use the included wrench to tighten it down. As you may know, if you’ve ever shot a threaded pistol before, normal thread protector caps have a tendency to work themselves loose throughout firing.

As you’d expect, the SAR9 SOCOM Fullsize is set up for optics, and it uses the more compact RMSc platform for mounting. I installed a Holosun EPS carry unit on it, and it was perfectly paired from a size standpoint. This optic also co-witnessed perfectly with the slightly taller iron tritium sights included with the pistol. Unlike some “lower-tenth” cowitness solutions, it was easy to see the iron sights through the optic’s glass.

SAR9 Compact

In a previous post, Frank Jardim tested the SAR9 Subcompact pistol for dedicated carry. I tend to prefer a physically larger carry gun; I’m just more comfortable and more confident shooting a bigger gun, and I’m willing to make the trade-off in size and weight to enjoy that benefit. To clarify, this is entirely a matter of personal preference. I don’t want to speak for Frank, but I think he would make the trade-off for a smaller, more concealable gun, while I would choose the larger. That’s the benefit of having an entire family of SAR9s from which to choose.

To get an idea of the difference in these two guns, the compact features a 4.0-inch barrel, giving it an overall length of 7.2 inches. That’s more than an inch shaved off both the barrel and the overall length. Given the magazine compatibility. The width at the widest point is the same at 1.4 inches, but the grip is a little bit shorter than the full size. The standard magazines for the SAR9 Compact are 15 rounds, so you’ll have a total capacity of 16. The unloaded weight is 26.3 ounces, perfectly appropriate for all-day carry.

Handling and Performance

As this is a family affair, you’ll be comforted to know that all of the important stuff is the same between the SOCOM Fullsize and the Compact models. The fire control, flat face triggers, and texturing on the grips, for example. Both pistols have replaceable backstraps and side plates to customize the fit to your specific hand. The alternate side plates are a nice touch, allowing additional customization.

You will see some slight cosmetic differences in how the serrations on this slide are cut and patterned, but again, all of the important things remain identical.

One thing that is absolutely common between the two pistols is the fit and finish, and I’m primarily referring to the tightness of parts fit and lock-up. The barrel and slide mate in rock-solid fashion. This is a key contributor to repeatable accuracy from any pistol, and I found when I took them to the range that they do perform exceptionally well in the accuracy department.

I did the formal accuracy testing using the SOCOM Fullsize because of the threaded barrel, and I thought it would be fun to do this with a SilencerCo Osprey suppressor attached. It’s a little easier to shoot precise groups when things are quiet and the muzzle blast is diminished. And let’s face it: it’s just cool. And fun.

Results? I set up targets at 25 yards and proceeded to fire five-shot groups using a Ransom Multi Caliber rest. Here’s what I found:

• Norma MHP 9mm 108-grain defensive ammo produced a 2.1-inch five-shot group.
• Federal Syntech Defense 138-grain produced an impressive 1.1-inch group.
• Federal NATO 9mm 124-grain printed 1.76 inches.
• Black Hills JHP 115-grain delivered a 1.41-inch five-shot group.

Those are fantastic results by any standard.

A True Bargain

Not only do you get a heck of a pistol for the price, but the company isn’t shy about including the extra gizmos that will make your life easier. In the box within the hard plastic case, you’ll get a goodie kit that includes a spare magazine. The SOCOM adds a 21-round extended magazine while the Compact has a second 15-round magazine. There’s also the additional backstraps and sideplates and a self-contained cleaning kit that’s all packed into the handle of a brass rod system with mop and brush inside. Handy.

The SAR9 SOCOM Fullsize carries an MSRP of just $529.99 while the Compact model lists for $509.99.

For more info: SARUSA.com