Honor Guard 9mm EDC

With a market flooded with poly-framed, striker-fired pistols, how do you go about creating a new gun that would stand apart from all the others? By getting expert input and coming up with a gun you’d want to carry every day, all day long. Easier said than done, right?

This is just what Gary Ramey, president of Honor Defense, did. It would be snag-free in design, assuring a quick and smooth draw from the holster, while not getting tangled on clothing. This perfect pistol would be built with quality in mind, yet still be affordable for the working man. It would be fairly lightweight and thin, making it seem unnoticeable when being carried.

Designed For CCW

Concealed carry with a sub-compact pistol is an obvious choice. Gary and Honor Defense knew this instinctively and focused its design around a single-stack, sub-compact pistol concept. I have to say I agree, as eight or nine rounds strapped to your hip is sure as hell better than 15+1 on your dresser at home!

While double stacks offer more rounds of ammo, they also come at a price — namely added weight and thickness. We’ve all seen concealed carriers “hitch” their britches, giving away their secret. Slim and trim is in for concealed carry, no doubt about it.

Honor Defense’s solution is a 9mm pistol dubbed the Honor Guard, a beauty of a single-stack shooter with the concealed carrier in mind. Let me explain the features Honor Defense builds into every pistol to make the Honor Guard a top concealed carry sub-compact pistol.

The Details

The Honor Guard is shaped and contoured to offer a totally snag-free design. Even the muzzle end of the slide is tapered to accommodate easier holstering. It’s made for concealment. The pistol is made of 100 percent U.S.-made parts and comes with a lifetime warranty. It’s 6.2″ in length with a 3.2″ barrel, a height of 4.6″ and a width of only 0.96″. It weighs in at 22 oz.

One of the most interesting features of the Honor Guard is its serialized stainless steel chassis, housing the firing mechanism and legally being the “firearm” rather than the whole polymer frame. This means you can easily remove the chassis and fit it into a different frame of your choice, with Honor Defense offering a range of 10 different color options. The frames have a window cutout on the left side that allows visual access to the serial number. Cool!

Every Honor Guard slide is made of stainless steel. The slide and all innards are all steel, with the exception of a spring sheath. The stainless steel striker housing is machined by Coonan Firearms, a respected leader in the industry and known for quality. A stainless steel striker-block safety is used, making for a tough and corrosion-resistant firing system that won’t allow the gun to fire unless the trigger is pulled.

A target match barrel is used, sporting a 15-degree convex crown and assuring top accuracy. Custom stippling on the grip and above trigger guard promotes a positive, slip-free grip. Also, an ambidextrous thumb-groove makes the grip more ergonomic and activating the magazine release easier. The guide rod is also stainless steel.

Sights are steel and snag-free in design with a tapered rear, assuring smooth drawing. The rear sight has a flat leading front-edge face, allowing one-handed slide manipulation on belt or other objects, while the front sight is enhanced with a large orange dot.

Two replaceable backstraps for the frame are included, ensuring a comfortable, custom fit for you. A full palm swell backstrap is provided, filling your hand for added grip control. Also included is a flat 1911-style backstrap, providing the traditional feel of the old warhorse.

Fully continuous front and rear serrations cover the top and sides of the slide, giving you a three-dimensional gripping surface during slide manipulation or press-checks. Plus, they look cool as hell!

The magazine release and slide-lock are both ambidextrous, giving you total control on either side of the gun. The slide locks are recessed, also contributing to the snag-free theme. Capacity is either 8+1 or 7+1, depending on whether you use the flush-fitting or extended magazine.

Build Your Own

If you want one just the exact way you want it, Honor Defense has you covered. It started the “Build A Gun” program offering more than 900 possible configurations when you mix and match color, frame, sights, lasers, and slide lengths. Just go to their website and pick and choose as you please, filling out the order form. Send the completed form, along with a copy of your local FFL and your gun will be delivered to them.

Last Word

The Honor Guard is a well-built and accurate pistol made in America, by American veterans, using American-made parts! It’s comfortable to shoot and carry and is one of my new EDC guns. Riding in my Alien Gear IWB holster, I barely notice it, nor does anyone else, as it should be.

For more info: www.honordefense.com, (678) 943-8035

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