Hudson Manufacturing? Up until two days ago, I had never heard of them. That was until a friend of mine, the CEO of a smaller firearms accessory manufacturing company shared a very short Facebook video.
In the video, there were a couple stills of different parts of a new pistol, but it was intriguing enough to get me to go to their website, and what I found when I got there has me looking forward to SHOT next week. The last couple of years, I have been ambivalent about SHOT for the weeks leading up to it. I always have fun there, it is nice seeing friends from other parts of the country, etc, but there have not been many new things in terms of firearms.
Most of the “new” things we have seen the last couple years, at least from all the big name makers, have been minor changes to existing guns, or rehashes of older products in new packaging. There have been a few prototypes that were very intriguing, but they have never materialized on the market. But this, this is the sole offering (at this point) from a small company, not a side project from a huge corporation. I fully expect this gun to hit the market, even if it is in limited numbers.
I’m sure the fact that this gun was announced the week before SHOT is not a minor coincidence. I am honestly excited about seeing this thing next week. Sadly, after getting invited the first two years I attended, once again I got snubbed for the range day and will not be able to attend (no idea if Hudson will be there) so I will have to wait and see the gun on the show floor, but I am looking forward to it.
To me, the gun looks like a cross between a 1911 and a Glock. It is a full sized, steel framed handgun. The frame bears many similarities to a 1911, but this gun is not remotely yet another “new” 1911. This thing is a 9mm, 15 round capacity, striker fired gun with some potentially very positive design aspects that could lend themselves to excellent shootability.
As SHOT approaches, my anticipation is growing. I just hope the feeling I have now does not end up a giant letdown, like when I handled the Remington R51 for the first (and only) time. At this point, I remain hopefully optimistic.
Hudson Manufacturing, I look forward to seeing you next week!