In the world of home defense firearms, there is great diversity of opinion. It seems that every gun reviewer and his brother have weighed in on what makes a perfect home defense gun. Well, add one more to the mix. I think I\u2019ve found it! It\u2019s the Extar EP9 pistol.<\/p>\n
I know that opinions about home defense (HD) guns are like belly buttons \u2026 every shooter has one. I\u2019ve been told that the 12 gauge is \u201cthe\u201d perfect home defense gun or an AR-pattern rifle in whatever caliber is being touted at the time is the one or the venerable Glock 17 with a mounted light can\u2019t be beat. All of these work, of course, but I think the Extar EP9 pistol<\/a> goes all these one better. <\/p>\n Before we look at this gun, let\u2019s look at a question. What constitutes a good HD gun? Why are some guns good in this role and others aren\u2019t? There are a few criteria that a decent HD gun must meet. Let\u2019s look at a few of them. I think it\u2019s important to lay out what comprises a good, effective home-defense firearm since I call the EP9 one of the best.<\/p>\n First, it must be easily manipulated<\/strong>. Having to swing a full-size shotgun in the tight space between your bed and the wall may not be so easy. That\u2019s one reason handguns are employed for HD by many shooters. Plus, a shorter barrel is harder for a bad guy to grab.<\/p>\n Another factor to consider is caliber <\/strong>or gauge<\/strong>. I own a couple of .44 Magnums but, unless I were to load .44 Specials into them, I wouldn\u2019t use them for things that go bump in the night. They\u2019re just too powerful. They put out too much recoil, flash and noise. The same reasoning could apply to many different calibers and maybe even the 12 gauge. The 20 gauge might make a better alternative, but not by much. Any deep-penetrating caliber should be considered long and hard before being employed in an HD role. Today\u2019s modern walls are not very thick. If you miss your target, or even if you hit it, you might be faced with an over-penetrating round that could go into the next room. That goes for the shotgun, too. Remember that the shot column won\u2019t open much, if at all, across your living room. Because of that, it could over-penetrate if you miss. (How could you miss with a shotgun, you ask? Easy! At 4 or 5 yards, the shot column is still pretty much contained in the wad and acts as one really big bullet. Unless you aim, you could miss.)<\/p>\n Lastly, modularity<\/strong> rears its head. I have an old Mossberg 12 gauge that would make a great HD gun if I wanted it to, but there\u2019s nowhere to hang a light or laser on it. It\u2019s nice if some sort of rail is present like some more modern guns have. I prefer a top Picatinny rail for an optic and an MLOK handguard that makes it easy to mount a light or laser of some sort.\u00a0<\/p>\n OK,\u00a0let\u2019s take a look at the gun that I think might be a decent answer to the HD question, the Extar EP9, Gen 2. Here are a few reasons why I like it:<\/p>\n Short Barrel<\/strong><\/p>\n Our EP9 is, technically, a pistol with a 6.5-inch barrel and a rudimentary shoulder brace. It uses a \u201cflash can\u201d in place of a flash hider that brings the effective muzzle out past the handguard, so it looks longer but really is only the aforementioned 6.5 inches. With such a short setup, it would be difficult for a bad guy to grab the muzzle. Heck, the whole thing is only 24 inches long. Also, you have a shoulder brace that allows you to mount the gun properly and also gives you more to hang on to if the need arises. This gun would be easy to maneuver in close quarters.<\/p>\n The Capacity Advantage<\/strong><\/p>\n The gun accepts Glock mags. I own a couple of 33-rounders, so I should be good to go. If you want a shorter-overall-height package, you can use any Glock mag from 15 rounds up. I do not feel undergunned with 33-round mags. You get one 18-round mag with the gun.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve already got a perfect HD gun that you don\u2019t want to replace. What other reason(s) might you have to buy an EP9?<\/p>\n Varmint Reduction<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll start with the main reason (aside from personal protection or concealed carry) I give in my reviews for owning any 9mm or similar gun; it is to protect our chicken coop from predators. We\u2019ve lost many birds over the years to possums, coons, a weasel, juvenile bald eagles, an owl, and a hawk or two. I don\u2019t shoot the birds\u2014they\u2019re federally protected\u2014but the others are fair game. The EP9 will be my go-to boomstick when I discover a possum in the coop (I\u2019ve shot four of the disgusting creatures there). With a red dot and a light, I\u2019ll be set. I won\u2019t need a 33-round magazine, but it fits my age-old dictum: I\u2019d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Now, you city folks probably won\u2019t need chicken coop protection\u2014or will you? Some localities are pretty lax about chickens! But, if not, there\u2019s still the home defense angle or the truck-gun concept.<\/p>\n Range Toy<\/strong><\/p>\n Some shooters live to see what off-the-beaten-path guns they can find to take to the range. I think that the EP9 fits that category. I could see it drawing a crowd\u2014hopefully, its owner brought enough ammo for everyone. Here\u2019s a thought: I\u2019ll bet the Gen 2 EP9 might attract more attention than its predecessor. Why? The shoulder brace. Even though it isn\u2019t legally a stock, it gives the EP9 that \u201csubmachine gun\u201d look. This is one gun that will attract shooters like yellow jackets to a dumpster at the range. It just looks cool. And, if you can pull the trigger fast enough, they may think you have something like an MP5! Who the heck wouldn\u2019t<\/em> want to shoot it?\u00a0<\/p>\n Personal Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n It rather goes without saying, but the EP9 makes a pretty good personal defense weapon. I don\u2019t mean concealed-carry-style, that would be pretty difficult to pull off. Instead of that, some other uses might include its use as a truck gun or just something you keep out of sight but quick to grab wherever legal. It\u2019s no Uzi, of course, but it wasn\u2019t meant to be. It\u2019s just that, with the short barrel and long magazine, you\u2019re pretty well set up and well-armed.<\/p>\n EP9 specifications are not listed in any one place on their site. I had to track them down, so they make look a little disorganized.<\/p>\n Caliber: 9mm (.45 ACP available at higher cost)<\/p>\n Weight: 4.09 lbs. <\/p>\n Length: 24 in.<\/p>\n Barrel: 6.5 in., black nitride<\/p>\n Brace: Extar fixed brace (SB Tactical adjustable brace available at $100 higher cost)<\/p>\n Magazine: Glock-compatible, one 18-round included<\/p>\n Last-Round Hold Bolt Open: Yes<\/p>\n Grip: B5 systems<\/p>\n Modularity Options: Picatinny Rail, MLOK handguard<\/p>\n Trigger Pull (my measurement):\u00a0 6 lbs., 7.5 oz.<\/p>\n For $539, you can get an Essentials Bundle<\/a> that includes a carry bag, four 18-round (or three 10-round for restricted states) magazines and a single-point sling. For $100 more, you can get the SB Tactical adjustable brace EP9 with these listed accessories.<\/p>\n Another option, for $50 more, includes a 16\u201d barrel version<\/a>.<\/p>\n One thing the website emphasized is that Extar makes all the guns\u2019 components on-site. They do not have to buy, say, the polymer receiver from anyone. They also sell directly to the public, not through a distributor, so they can sell their guns a bit cheaper. And, I must say, for right at $450, this gun seems well put together.<\/p>\n So, how DID the EP9 shoot? I don\u2019t remember, as I was having way too much fun! I\u2019ve always wanted to shoot a gun that reminded me of a submachine gun, and now I\u2019m able to. The EP9 is like I always imagined a sub-gun to be: the brace against my shoulder, hands on the grip and handguard and let the bullets fly. Even at a one-bullet-per-trigger-press, it\u2019s a lot of fun to shoot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Luckily I kept some 25-yard targets. Let\u2019s look at some of them\u2026<\/p>\n Two targets I shot with the Fiocchi load shown. Not bad!<\/p>\n Armscor 115-grain load. Again, not bad. Either of these loads would work for practice. They were soft shooting for sure.<\/p>\n The owner\u2019s manual has some interesting information, as do most of them. There is the usual stuff about safety, loading, unloading, take down, etc. I did find a few interesting points that I need to call your attention to.<\/p>\n Have you always wanted a shoulder-braced 9mm that could mount whatever optic you wanted? Something you can get quick into action that would take high-capacity magazines? How about something that just looks cool? There are many abbreviated 9mms out there that look like short carbines (or as I said above, submachine guns) but there are very few that you can own for less than $500. Usually, I shy away from very inexpensive guns. You never know what you\u2019re going to get. But, the EP9 has earned kudos from many other reviewers and lots of good comments from owners. You can add me to both of those lists. This was one of the most fun guns I\u2019ve shot in a while. Heck, I had a hard time getting it away from our four sons to even shoot it. Talk about a popular gun! Check one out. I think you\u2019ll be impressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check out\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Ammo To Go,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a>the ammunition retail sponsor of TTAG. Get your bulk and quality ammo for a bargain by visiting their<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>site<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Makes a Great Home-Defense Gun?<\/h2>\n
A Case for the Extar EP9<\/h2>\n
Other Reasons To Own One<\/h2>\n
Specifications<\/h2>\n
How\u2019d It Shoot?<\/h2>\n
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A Few Points<\/h2>\n
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Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n