The Avidity Arms PD10 prototype was all metal, but the final version will have a polymer frame.
Well-known and highly respected firearms trainer Rob Pincus (I.C.E., Personal Defense Network) has partnered with the brand new Avidity Arms to develop a new handgun designed specifically for what Rob believes are the critical components of a concealable self-defense handgun. The new Avidity Arms PD10 prototype pistol was on display at SHOT Show and we were the first media sources to get an interview with Rob. The PD10 stands for “Personal Defense 10-round capacity”.
Working with our sister site, GunsHolstersandGear.com an article was already posted, but we wanted to post an article here as well. Click here for an article by Rob Pincus on what he feels is the ideal personal defense handgun.
Rob was at the Winchester booth showing his PD10 prototype.
Avidity Arms PD10
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Avidity Arms PD10 Rob Pincus showed us at the Industry Day at the Range for SHOT Show was one of the original prototypes. The final version will have a polymer frame, and a trigger with trigger safety bar. The prototype was made of all metal to ensure everything worked as desired, before the polymer molds were made for final production.
There are several very interesting and useful features on the Avidity Arms PD10 that are particularly tailored to concealed carry users. The PD10 is a single-stack 9mm in its final version will likely have a narrow width of around 1.0 inch. Combining a polymer frame, and metal slide will keep overall weight down. Low profile controls keep the overall slim feature of the PD10 and prevent snagging on clothing.
The Avidity Arms PD10 with two of the McCormick 10-round magazines.
Pincus was quick to point out that the PD10 was still in the prototype phase. However, this pistol has already gone through 2-3 years of design work to get where it is now. Rob expressed a real hope that the final prototype will be complete by the Annual NRA Show in April. If that goal is achieved, Pincus expects to have production up and running with the first pistols to market by the first of this summer.
Avidity Arms PD10 Features
- Single stack 9mm
- Extra capacity of 10+1 (single stack)
- Tritium front sight (S&W style)
- White bar rear sight (Glock style)
- Picatinny accessory rail
- Groove cut trigger finger rest on frame
- Shooter’s cut trigger guard
- Longer trigger guard for gloved shooting
- Magazine cut-outs on grip
- Trigger safety bar
- Loaded chamber indicator
- Angled slide stop lever – slide stop only.
The striker-fired action is an ideal self-defense trigger. The design recognizes the highly popular design that is both reliable and appropriate for rapidly evolving lethal threat situations. The striker fired mechanism reaches a perfect mid-point between double action and single action triggers. Striker fired actions provide shooters a confident trigger pull that ensures firing only with a deliberate but moderate pull. The striker fired action also provides a very reassuring consistent trigger pull every time, eliminating a heavy first pull followed by much softer single action pulls.
Avidity Arms PD10 Specifications
- Slide Material: Aluminum
- Frame Material: Polymer
- Caliber: 9mm (.40 S&W possible for later)
- Action: Striker fired
- Overall Length: <7.0 inches
- Barrel Length: 4.1 inches
- Weight: 20.0 ounces (unloaded)
- Width: TBA (polymer final frame will dictate)
- Safeties: Trigger bar, internal
- MSRP: $499.00.
The PD10 has many finer detailed cuts on the frame for better grip and finger placement.
Pincus understands that a self-defense firearm becomes useless if it runs out of ammunition during that critical encounter. For that reason, he ensured that the PD10 would have a capacity of 10+1 rounds, far greater than many smaller concealed carry handguns. I believe the increased capacity of the PD10 is an outstanding improvement over other smaller handguns that have only 5-7 round capacity.
The Pincus I.C.E. claw magazine base plates increase tactile function during loading and stripping – here on McCormick XP 9mm steel magazines.
The Avidity Arms PD10 comes with a shortened [easyazon_link identifier=”B003F6N88M” locale=”US” tag=”bluesheecom-20″]Picatinny rail[/easyazon_link] on the underside of the frame to accommodate the shooter’s preference in weapon-mounted lights or lasers. The PD10 will ship with the I.C.E. Claw Emergency Manipulation Sights that provide a more positive grip surface for emergency slide manipulation during failure clearances or reloads. Both sights will be replaceable using a S&W sized cut up front and a Glock sized rear.
The shortened Picatinny rail provides options for lights or lasers. The final trigger will have a trigger safety bar.
The PD10 frame will be made of very strong, but lighter weight polymer. The frame will come with a shortened Picatinny rail to provide options for [easyazon_link identifier=”B00B8Q31UQ” locale=”US” tag=”bluesheecom-20″]pistol lights[/easyazon_link] or lasers. Rob stated that in very close-in engagements a shooter should simply focus on the fundamentals of point and shoot, because manipulating light or laser controls takes too long. However, for longer range engagements these accessories can be invaluable, especially in low light.
The PD10 grip will be textured on the front and back straps with the unique Avidity Arms emblem in the center of the back strap. The grip texture design will be a pattern of right side and inverted triangles. Additionally, the top of the grip is slightly shaved in front and back providing that extra room for the shooter’s hand to form to the grip. These cuts naturally draw the shooter’s hand into a proper high grip.
The textured grip, shooter’s cut and tapered cuts at the top make the PD10 grip very nice to hold.
The trigger guard is enlarged to the front to make gloved shooting much easier and assured, and takes a shooter’s cut where it meets the grip. This upward cut provides a much more comfortable and stable grip on the pistol. The PD10 will be outfitted with an enlarged magazine release, making reloads quicker and easier. The enlarged size will assist users in reloading in high-stress situations, but will still remain flush with the frame and grip for concealability and reduced snagging concerns. Though only one-sided the magazine release can be switched for left-handed shooters.
The slide lock lever angles downward for easy manipulation, but is not intended as a slide release. The magazine release lever is enlarged but flush to the grip.
In addition to all the features already mentioned, Rob included some of the finer features that will help novice and professional shooters alike. For instance, the frame will have an ambidextrous trigger finger rest cut into the front of the frame just above the trigger guard. Rob pointed out that most instructors teach firearm students about indexing their trigger finger on the frame when not ready to shoot. The finger rest cut improves that concept by providing the shooter a better tactile feel to ensure their finger is where it should be on the frame.
The magazine cut-outs at the bottom of the grip are intended to improve loading and magazine stripping.
The bottom of the grip as tapered cuts to allow a shooter quicker and easier access to the magazine. This design is intended to improve loading and unloading, particularly if a magazine has to be stripped from the handgun.
The PD10 slide will be tapered on the edges, and have serrated half-moon grip cuts on the rear to assist with slide manipulation and clearance drills. The slide stop lever is designed to be low profile but angled outward towards the bottom. Rob explained that this will reduce the chance of snagging, while increasing the functionality of using the lever to lock the slide back. Rob did advise that the slide stop lever is not designed or intended to be used as a slide release lever. Instead, Pincus prefers the off-hand over the slide release method.
The McCormick magazine with I.C.E. Claw base plate.
The Avidity Arms PD10 prototype had McCormick (CMC) steel magazines. The magazines will use Rob’s own I.C.E. Claw baseplates installed to increase tactile feel when loading, and particularly stripping magazines. The I.C.E. Claw baseplate should provide consistent and confident magazine releases, great for both tactical and combat reloads.
McCormick magazines have been making custom metal magazines for 30 years, and have proven to be innovative and successful time and again. The 10-round McCormick XP 9mm magazines just came out last year, but have already caught the attention of some serious shooters and writers. Rob said that before final production he plans on testing Metalform and Wilson Combat magazines to make a final decision.
A loaded chamber indicator has been included on the PD10 design. Thought not an absolute must on Rob’s list of concealed carry features, the loaded chamber indicator meets two needs. First, it allows a shooter to visually, or more importantly, physically check the firearm’s readiness. In low light conditions, a loaded chamber indicator could save precious seconds. Secondly, the loaded chamber indicator means the PD10 will meet the more stringent requirements of some State governments, and be available for more shooters.
The Avidity Arms PD10 felt very good in our hands.
Avidity Arms PD10 9mm Only
The Avidity Arms PD10 will be offered in 9mm only for its first run. Rob talked of a potential .40 S&W version in the future depending on sales of the 9mm version. There is no end of debate on the perfect handgun caliber. The BlueSheepDog Crew find qualities in a variety of handgun calibers. Our consistent stance is a handgun used for self-defense should not be chambered for a cartridge less than .380 ACP.
In recent years the 9mm (9x19mm) round has made significant improvements. The firearms market has been on fire, and the technology in bullet and cartridge manufacturing has benefited greatly from that surge. What was once considered the bare minimum in self-defense, has now become a leader again.
The 9mm cartridge has seen drastic improvements in recent years.
The are several benefits of 9mm:
- Cheaper ammunition costs
- Lower felt recoil than larger calibers
- Increased performance with new technology
- Higher capacity in magazines without compromising small size.
The disadvantages of 9mm ammunition are quickly being erased with modern technology. However, 9mm still under performs through barriers, like glass, plywood, and sheet rock. For this reason many professional shooters, like law enforcement, still choose the .40 S&W as their primary duty round. The .40 S&W performs better through barriers, and provides a slightly better terminal ballistic than 9mm.
The Avidity Arms PD10 felt very good in our hands.
Final Thoughts
Rob Pincus has become one of the premier self-defense instructors in America. His ability to recognize the critical skills necessary for proper handgun control, along with a dynamic teaching style, have made his courses highly sought after. He has spent the better part of two decades evaluating the best features and functions of personal defense firearms. To achieve what he feels are the best, he has partnered with Avidity Arms to make his ideal self-defense pistol.
The Avidity Arms PD10 incorporates numerous features that have been proven to be superior choices for personal defense. Though only in the prototype stage, the PD10 promises to be a strong competitor of personal defense handguns. We are excited to see Rob’s dreams come to form in the PD10, and anxiously await its arrival in final form so we can test and evaluate the PD10 against other competitors.