Heizer’s New Semi-Auto is the Thinnest Yet–SHOT Show 2016

in David Higginbotham, SHOT Show 2016

Updated: January 25, 2016 BY Dave Higginbotham

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Get a grip on the new Heizer PKO. This one is mag-fed and only .8″ wide!

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Check out Heizer: https://heizerdefense.com/

Buy a Heizer on GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=heizer

Show of hands. How many of you have shot a Heizer? Don’t lie–I can tell. These little guns are bruisers. They’re an interesting breed. The break barreled designs allows for a lot of flexibility with caliber selection. The short barrels trim some velocity, and produce stunning pyrotechnic displays. The guns weigh in comparably with the polymer framed sub-compact, but are much thinner. In fact, I’d put them in a class all their own.

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The original line-up of Heizer single shots. These come in some ass-kicking calibers, like .223 and 7.62×39.

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And for those of you who want to accessorize, they’ve got colors to choose from.

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Well Heizer’s going to be making waves again late this summer with the launch of their semi-auto, mag fed .45 ACP. This will be instantly recognizable to Heizer fans. The gun isn’t that much bigger, really, but the lines have changed a bit to accommodate some of the moving parts. The end result is a pistol that is supposed to be easy on the hand. And take note here–I’m not saying easier on the hand–I’m saying this gun looks like it is going to be easy to shoot. We got a cell-phone sneak peak of shooting footage and muzzle rise is take, recoil looked to me easily managed, and the split times were respectable.

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The PKO’s fixed barrel sits low in the hand.

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And the frame slides back on this guide-rod.

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Mag fed. 3-D printed prototype.

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Capacity with the extra grip goes from 5+1 to 7+1.

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What are the unknowns at this point? Reliability is almost always the first question for concealed carry guns. The old break barrel design offered almost guaranteed reliability. If the pin hit the shell correctly, it went bang. But what about with this new design? Heizer is currently doing a 5,000 round torture test to the prototype. Once that is finished, they’ll likely make any necessary tweaks. It operates form a fixed barrel with a blow-back action, so it may have an edge for accuracy, too (though I doubt that will really play into many buying decisions–this is a contact distance last resort type of gun).

If there’s one clear advantage that I see it is that the softer shooting semi will be easier to train with. Training is key. Don’t forget it.

We’ll bring you updates on pricing when we have the information, so stay tuned. The guns are currently slated for an August launch.

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