AN UPSTART CROATION GUN COMPANY OUT-GLOCKS THE GLOCK WITH ITS RADICAL NEW HS 2000 PISTOL

By
Sebestyen Gorka
Photos By Ichiro Nagata

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Shooting Impressions

The value of any comparison, of course, is in how the new pistol performs. Whether or not you are a fan of the now irrepressible Glock- or, like me, have a difficulty with its "plasticiness"- the indisputable fact is that, on the whole, the Glock is a reliable and very accurate pistol which has invaded the law enforcement and civilian market for a good reason: police departments and civilians like it. Is the HS 2000 in the same class as the Glock? It is clear from the promotional literature accompayning the gun that its importers, HS America, are heavily targeting the police market and they may have more than a slim chance there and in the civilian sector, if my loaner is indicative of future production quality and performance. In a side-by-side comparison recently at the NRA's state-of-the-art facilities in Virginia, the HS 2000 was put through its paces alonside Glock's original Model 17. The Glock acquitted itself as one has come to expect- accurate, reliable and user-friendly. No need to elaborate here.

The pleasant surprise came as teh HS 2000 not only showed itself to be as accurate as the Glock with a variety of target and defense loads- sub-2" groups being par at combat ranges of 25 feet-but in that it feels to be more ergonomically designed. The slimmer grip profile and high cutout position the hand more naturally and allow for rapid recoil recovery. This is the most significant difference between the two weapons. As for the grip safety, it is slimmer than that found on a 1911 and is reassuringly made of metal, not polymer. Not only does the safety prevent negligent discharge, but also it controls slide movement in that the slide cannot be retracted unless a proper grip is maintained.

The trigger is single-action only with a long first stage, but a light (3 lb.) and crisp break which can be effectively controlled for those like me with large hands, with the middle joint of the trigger finger. There is no facility for a second strike should a round fail to detonate, however, the trigger can be reset very easily by moving the slide less than an inch to the rear, this being enough to recock the striker mechanism. Every time the striker is cocked, a small nickel colored protrusion can be seen in the center of the back of the slide, visually confirming a cocked weapon. Likewise, on the very top of the slide is a lever which points out of the ejection port if a round is chambered.

No malfunctions were experienced, with the five test loads provided by the gentlemen at Potomac Arms in Ols Town Alexandria, gentlemen who still know what running a gun store means. Loads included modest hollowpoint profiles from Federal. The only real complaint would have of the gun's mechanics is the fact that the trigger safety protrudes significantly more from the face of the trigger than does the Glock's. Feeling this slim protrusion as one is ready to fire is counter-intuitive when one expects to depress a normal, wider trigger face. Shortening the safety would obviate this and bring the mechanism in line with the Glock's more unobtrusive trigger safety. Unlike the Glock, the HS 2000's magazines are, like the grip safety, made of metal, with a gleaming chrome plated finish, which facilitates a brisk drop-free magazine dump, even when empty.

Unlike some other guns, such as the HK USP, the HS 2000's mag release works conventionally by simple depression from either side. One doesn't have to contort one's thumb to sweep downwards, as opposed to inwards. I.M. Metal archieves this by applying a bit of common sense to the design. The mag cut-out into which the mag catch pops was moved from the side of the magazine to the front, thus being equidistant from each release button. The magazines are 10 round only, however the LE community can purchase 15 round magazines for the HS 2000s. The hollow space found to the rear of the Glock's magazine well is replicated in the design of the HS 2000, however, its dimensions ae different so after-market plugs from the Glock do not fit the HS 2000.

On the whole, it appears that the Glock has a very worthy competitor. I.M. Metal will be releasing .40 S&W and .357 SIG versions of the standard gun in the near future. If they follow through on their intentions to also market compact and sub-compact versions of the HS 2000, then Mr. Glock will have his hands full. At the moment, given th gun's novelty and the fact that its slide is actually unique enough to make a difference, dedicated holsters are not yet available. That will soon change.

One puzzling question is why, given the trend on other full-size polymer guns (HK, Walther, etc..), the initial HS 2000's polymer dust cover does not sport accessory rails for light or laser mounting. The distributors informed me that this will soon be remedied. Future versions of the gun will include a Weaver-style base for attaching white light units. It is clear that the future belongs to polymer and CNC engineered pistols. While they may not be as attractive as the more traditional weapons we are used to, if they perform as well as the HS 2000, then we have nothing to worry about.