https://youtu.be/LJt78YfHMl8

The Hudson Mfg H9 pistol seems to be the most talked-about product at SHOT Show 2017, and it’s easy enough to see why. Like it or, for whatever absurd reason, hate it, it’s nothing if not new and interesting. It combines many of the aspects of the 1911 that have made it a classic, lasting design and modernizes much of the rest.

I’m not one to turn down an as-high-as-physically-possible grip under an as-low-as-possible slide, an insanely short, crisp trigger with a tuned 1911-like reset, some weight at the dust cover, great sights, and more. Who would? I’m impressed.

Were I to purchase an H9 — and I gotta say, at this point I’m as good as saving up for the $1,147 MSRP gun — I’d opt for the trigger sans safety blade and add the optional thumb safety. That done, it’s truly a 1911 for 2017.

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32 COMMENTS

  1. ‘…or, for whatever absurd reason, hate it…’

    So the two most overrated handguns of all time got together and had a thousand dollar love child? What’s not to love?

  4. An all metal XD that looks like a fat-lipped 1911? Neat. I wouldn’t bother with the thumb safety. Seems redundant and like something somebody trying to convince himself he’s carrying a 1911 would do instead of just carrying a 1911.

  5. You say it “shoots flat” but it looks like the muzzle flip is no less than any other 9mm. I was expecting something more dramatic given how radical the front of the gun looks.

    But gotta say that trigger looks impressive.

  6. I would do the exact opposite, trigger safety and no ambi thumb safety unless the trigger blade is sharp/annoying/dangerous

    • And I would do exactly as Jeremy said. There is nothing quite as stupid to me as putting a safety on a trigger.

      • Which is why every Glock has one?

        And My SR9c? And LC9s, and many others?

        IMO the whole concept of the safety in the trigger is to weed out people too stupid to properly handle a pistol with the safety in the trigger. Personally, the in-trigger safety was the final selling point on the above mentioned Rugers for me. So far I have not managed to accidentally discharge either of them. Keep random objects out of your pockets or holster and keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target. Pretty simple, really.

        • Yeah Cliff, they are all ignorant as shit. No matter who puts em on their guns. But you go ahead and enjoy that dongle.

        • The SR9c also has, annoyingly, a manual thumb safety.

          I don’t object to blade trigger safeties, and would prefer them to manual thumb safeties, but I don’t really see the need for either on most triggers.

          On a super tuned, extremely light target trigger with no take up nor creep, maybe, but to each their own. Good to have options.

        • Not difficult. No safety, long, heavy DAO trigger (think LCP), fine. Grip or thumb safety, light, short, crisp trigger (think massaged 1911), fine. Thumb, trigger, grip and magazine safety, with long, heavy, DAO trigger is just stupid. No safety, light, short, crisp trigger is just dangerous. Buy a .357 revolver and carry it around in your pocket, cocked.

    • I’d do option 3: No trigger safety, no manual safety, keep your damn finger straight til you’re ready to fire. Revolutionary, I know.

  9. Cool! However that MSRP seems high.
    Sadly I live in the FASCIST hell hole of Kaliforna. So price really is not an issue. Because it will never be on the “its for your safety approved list”. Oh how is sucks here.

      • Correction, you could get 2 or 3 Other major brand polymer frame guns for that.
        Have you seen the prices for a fine quality steel frame handgun?
        Kimber, Sig 1911s, CZ SP-01 Shadow. VERY easy to get north of $1000 with a steel framed, high performance sidearm. There IS a reason for this.
        I thought I “upgraded” when i switched from the Glock 19 to the Walther P99 (years ago)
        The Walther was superior to the Glock, awesome trigger, awesome ergos, had a light rail earlier than most, bla bla bla. After years of thinking i had found something great i went to the range with a buddy who let me try his Kimber.
        amazing difference.
        No really.
        Like barely hitting the C zone at 25 yards with the Walther to a tight little group with the Kimber amazing.
        Started to learn why and what top shooters were running and switched over to the CZ SP-01 Shadow,
        There is a reason it and the EAA Witness CZ clones win IPSC competitions.
        But You’ll have to find out yourself, folks (myself included) don’t usually like hearing that their choice in sidearm could have been better. Its a very personal thing.
        But this company choosing the 1911 grip was a solid move.

  11. I’m assuming this was written up before you won an H-9 last night. Which configuration did you win Jeremy?

  12. Why the hell would you put that damn dumb blade on the trigger of a gun when you have the option of a real safety? If the gun has a replaceable rear back strap, doesn’t charge extra to ditch the trigge blade & put in the thumb safety, have a milled slide for a micro red dot and drops the price to $700-$800, I’ll buy one.

    But otherwise, no.

    • agreed, $880 max and mill the slide for the RMR and its competitors
      $880 is the price of an entry level CZ SP-01 Shadow and that gun wins most of the IPSC competitions.
      about $975 gets one a FN FNX tactical on gunbroker with a removable slide cover for the microdot of your choice and now Sig 320 has a model with a slide prepped for microdot.
      We can probably expect that will be coming soon from nearly every one.
      The best shooters at a recent Mike Pannone covert carry class were running RMRs and i was very impressed.
      but a boutique small manufacturer needs to get off the ground running and pricing guns “at a loss” for the first couple years to be competitive with reputable established companies is a good plan.
      Just a few years ago that Roberg X9 was such a big deal also and that company went under, good luck getting spare parts or warranty assistance from them.
      So part of the biz start up cost needs to be sold inventory at a loss for a couple years to build street cred with the public.
      that and really awesome customer support,
      Example: Sharps Reliabolt for the AR-15 did it right, REALLY awesome product for $69, (get one!) and they even had an early tool steel issue and sent every single customer a free one without obligation and asked us not to use the other. i bought 5 more for that.

  13. Can’t compare side-to-side, but the final break of an Apex Tactical trigger in an M&P (Shield) also merits favorable comparison to a 1911 trigger…….for quite literally half the price or less ($350 gun + $150-ish mod.) An additional $500 for the low bore line and innovative recoil spring assembly seems steep.

  14. Nice firearm,
    Too bad TTAG was only able to send some fat kid to SHOT show to do the video.
    Pathetic.

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