DESIGN DETAILS
The most distinctive feature of the
Bullpup9 is its bullpup design. The
magazine well is positioned below the
barrel chamber rather than behind it.
The trigger is ahead of the chamber.
This is the design feature that makes
the pistol a bullpup. That design allows
for a longer barrel (3.35 inches) with a
shorter overall length (5.1 inches) than
many other sub-compact pistols.
The design also uses a rotating barrel.
Rotating barrels are among the earliest
developments in self-loading hand-
guns, but today few use this design.
The Mondragon was an early example
and the Beretta PX4 Storm is a modern
version. Generally rotating barrels de-
mand greater lubrication and precision
machining. More on this later.
The pistol is designed to incorporate a
reasonable size slide and barrel while
making the handgun as compact as
possible. At first glance it appears not
to have a barrel at all as the pistol is
so short. There are no second quality,
metal injected or cast parts in the
Bullpup 9mm. All parts are properly
machined and heat treated.
OTHER FEATURES
The stainless-steel slide is high quality
and well polished. The three-dot sights
are adjustable for windage with a
brass punch and hammer. The frame
is aluminum, a change from the
LEFT:Thetakedown
leverisrotated
tothe6 o’clock
positioninorder
tolocktheslideto
therear.RIGHT:The
cartridgeonthe
leftwasremoved
fromthechamber,
it exhibitsan
incrementalforward
movementofthe
projectile.Thisisn’t
a concernaslong
asthecartridge
isn’trepeatedly
rechambered.usual polymer frame these days. The
two-tone look is attractive. The only
controls are a takedown lever and the
magazine release.The trigger is a generous size with a
smooth face. The trigger guard offers
enough area for gloved hand use.
There are no manual safeties. The long
double-action trigger action is a safety
feature, and so is a positive firing pin
block. The flat hammer is unusual. It
looks like a flap or bar. It works well in
practice and gives the firing pin a hard
whack.SMOOTH TRIGGER
The trigger pull is very smooth,
rivaling the smoothest double-action
revolver triggers. Trigger compression,
measured on the Lyman electronic
trigger pull gauge, is 7.5 pounds. The
original Boberg handgun used a set of
rather cheap looking plastic or polymer
grips. The Bond Arms 9mm tested is
fitted with a set of wooden grips of
exceptional quality. The grips are nicely
checkered, offering good adhesion and
abrasion.The pistol is supplied with a total of
four magazines. Each magazine holds
seven cartridges. The magazine design
is unique. There is no follower in
the magazine and the cartridges are
stripped from the magazine to the rear
during the feed cycle. The magazine
body is stainless steel. The springs arestrong, ensuring good feeding. A fork
extends to the chamber and grasps the
cartridge case by its rim, controlling it
during its entire feed cycle.EASY TAKEDOWN
Fieldstripping the pistol isn’t difficult.
Be certain the piece is unloaded by
removing the magazine and inspecting
the chamber. Rotate the takedown
lever downward and to the left (facing
the lever). With the magazine removed
and the takedown lever in the 9 o’clock
position remove the slide from the
frame.The barrel is pressed forward. The lock-
ing block is lifted from the frame. If you
have owned a Mauser M2 or a Beretta
PX4 Storm, both of which have rotating
barrels, you will not have a problem
with the Bullpup9.A drawback to the rotating barrel de-
sign has been that the design demands
heavy lubrication and sometimes this
means lubricating the pistol every hun-
dred rounds or so on the firing range.
The Mauser M2 demanded this type of
lubrication, the Beretta Cougar a similar
drill and the Beretta Storm far less. The
Boberg 9mm suffered this drawback.IN ACTION
After running the slide forward, you
will be able to observe the firing
mechanism and the aluminum rails the
slide runs on. If you peer into the leftFALL 2019 • CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS 125