Detonics

[ChanceMcCall]

I ran into a guy the other day that is carrying his Detonics Auto Nine as his primary everyday carry gun. Other than Miami Vice reruns, I haven't seen anyone carrying one since the 1990s so I was a little more than surprised.

These guns got a bad rap when they were new over recoil and cleaning, but they were the smallest 9mm at the time. I owned one and never thought the recoil was out of line but I mostly shot .45ACP. I did not think it was particularly hard to clean when compared to guns like the Luger or the Ruger Mark II, but that was me. Obviously, the bad press affected the gun because they didn't sell well and are actually pretty rare.

I carried mine as a backup to my Detonics Combat Master in .45ACP for several years until it went to the back of a gun safe where it has been (except for an annual cleaning) ever since. When Glock came out with their 30, the Detonics .45 also went to the safe.

There is no question that Detonics made high quality guns until they ran into financial problems. Their guns were more accurate and more reliable than the other manufacturers at the time. They had features no other production guns had.

So when the guy showed up packing his Detonics I had to shoot it. The accuracy was great, the single action trigger was great, and if it was shot empty, it would make a great substitute for brass knuckles.

All of that said, the gun is very heavy for a modern carry gun. The double action trigger, while very smooth, is also heavy. If they made them today, they would also be very expensive. I realize that there are still some everyday carriers using 1911s, but I gave them up because of size and weight for the Detonics Combat Master, and then changed to the Glock 30 first, the Glock 36 next, and currently a Springfield Armory XDs still in .45ACP. I do not want to go back to all that weight.

What are your thoughts? Is the weight worth the higher quality pistol? Should those Detonics come out of the safe?

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I think they are neat and would shoot them if I had them, not sure about carrying one but would if it worked for me. I do have a Detonics pistol case if you need one for your collection.

 

[ric jackson]

I have had a pocket nine since the early 90s ,it is pocket in name only because it is heavy !A good holster is a must ,Lot of recoil but very accurate with a good single action trigger and a heavy double. Goes bang every time. Doesn't get shot much ,It is now a truck or nasty weather gun when I don't want to mess up a nicer piece.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I ran into a guy the other day that is carrying his Detonics Auto Nine as his primary everyday carry gun. Other than Miami Vice reruns, I haven't seen anyone carrying one since the 1990s so I was a little more than surprised.

Are you referring to the Detonics Pocket 9 that Sonny carried in an ankle holster?

 

[bannockburn]

ChanceMcCall

All of that said, the gun is very heavy for a modern carry gun. The double action trigger, while very smooth, is also heavy.

There's your answer: a might too heavy for everyday carry and possessing a heavy DA trigger pull. These would be two things that would put me off carrying this gun. Lots of other lighter weight 9mm.s and .45s which are more practical choices as a CCW.

 

[Plan2Live]

The double action trigger, while very smooth, is also heavy.

Is the trigger pull heavier than a Sig Sauer 225/P6? Those were very heavy yet very popular for concealed carry not so long ago. I actually prefer DA/SA, especially in a carry gun and I typically shoot a DA/SA much more accurately in DA mode (slow fire) than SA. My best example of that was 5 shots inside a dime size hole at 7 yards with a Sig P239 in DA mode for each shot.

 

[Plan2Live]

I do have a Detonics pistol case if you need one

Yes but do you have the unlined linen sport coat to go with it?

 

[jmorris]

If you don’t like to carry it, I wouldn’t suggest you do so.

 

[ChanceMcCall]

Are you referring to the Detonics Pocket 9 that Sonny carried in an ankle holster?

Yes

 

[kidneyboy]

Yes but do you have the unlined linen sport coat to go with it?

I think there is one of those in the back of the closet here. I'll donate it if your putting together an outfit.......

 

[FL-NC]

I always thought the small Detonics 45's were neat little guns, although I never fired one. Same for the Randall 1911;s.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I always thought the small Detonics 45's were neat little guns, although I never fired one.

They are neat and fairly accurate. Their popularity was increased by their appearance in the pulp novels The Survivalist by gun writer Jerry Ahern.

What always raised my hackles was the cut away rear of the slide, and attendant shortened sight radius, to facilitate thumb cocking the hammer on the draw...that they did it for a contract and then standardized it in production pistols only made it worst

 

[tarosean]

If your not comfortable carrying it then dont.. I would however shoot the heck out of em. So yes they need to see the outside of your safe.

 

[jeepnik]

There were a number of fine handguns from that era that got a bad rap. Mostly it was from writers that never took the time to learn how to shoot. To them anything that recoiled more than a 9mm cruncheniker was to difficult to shoot. And as far a cleaning, these are the same folks that claimed the Ruger MKI was hard to take down and reassemble.

I still carry this regularly as either a backup or primary depending on my mood.

 

[Plan2Live]

For those that might be interested in specs, all I could find is barrel length (3.2") and overall length (5.7"). I couldn't find height or weight. It might be interesting to see it alongside a more modern pocket 9 for comparison.

 

[cc-hangfire]

When I get home from a weekend trip, I’ll take some measurements & weigh mine & post results (probably be Monday evening when I get time)

As far as shooting it - and I know ergonomics are a very personal thing - but it is the MOST unpleasant handgun I have ever shot. It’s not just the all steel frame with metal aluminum grip panels transferring all of the recoil from a straight blowback, it’s thin enough to concentrate that recoil and really make it uncomfortable. Plus after the first 6 shots, hammer bite had a chewed spot that wasn’t quite bleeding but would be on the next magazine. I like the gun for the history and it’s story; please don’t make me shoot it a bunch, though!

 

[Charlie Martinez]

I still carry this regularly as either a backup or primary depending on my mood.
View attachment 850556[/QUOTE]
I am a 45 ACP guy. If you ask me why all I can say is mainly because I don't have any other center fire pistols but also because I really like & trust the 45 ACP.

That little pistol is something I would definitely CC. It was obviously not intended to be a gun for spending a pleasant afternoon at the range. It is an emergency use gun meant to be hidden on your person until needed & to deliver the knockout punch of the 45 ACP when necessary. It was also most probably intentionally built on the heavy side to tame recoil of the 45 ACP round.

And let's face it, if Sonny Crockett carried one we should all be carrying one too.

It all makes sense to me.

 

[sparkyfender]

Very neat! I've only seen that gun in magazines and on the internet, never in the flesh, so yeah, I don't think they are common. I'd shoot it, carrying it would be your call. If it is reliable, why not?

Oh, and I remember wanting one of those AMT Backups very badly back in the day, I was saving my money up to buy one, and they just kind of vanished from the gun store where I lived, I'm guessing that was when they were discontinued. Never did get one, but a friend did, don't remember the caliber, but it wasn't the most reliable thing around.......

 

[9mmepiphany]

AMT Backups

AMT, or OMC, Backups came in two calibers, .45ACP or .380.

The .45ACP models had very heavy DAO triggers as the mainspring, through the cocking of the hammer, was utilize slow the slide in recoil

 

[Reinz]

Coming from a Detonics fan, I was highly disappointed in my Pocket Nine. It was very heavy, very loud, and recoiled more than anticipated. I can handle recoil. I have many pocket rockets. I love the Detonics Combat Master (CM). I have 6 or 7. All are SS except for one. In fact, I have 2 rare CM in 9mm unfired. I kick my self for passing on an ultra rare 38 super CM.

As far as the short sight radius on the CM, I didn’t like it until it proved me wrong with exceptional accuracy.

It’s funny, pricing for the Pocket Nine is all over the map. Anywhere from $300ish up to $700 +. The $300 ones are probably from disappointed guys that shot them.

Here’s a blued model. That I have.

 

[cc-hangfire]

When I get home from a weekend trip, I’ll take some measurements & weigh mine & post results...

Here are some pics. The other two handguns are a Kahr CM9 and an Honor Guard (almost same exact size as S&W Shield).

Detonics Pocket 9:
Height = 4.2”
Length = 5.9”
Width = 1.15” (widest at grips)
Weight with empty mag = 27.9 oz
Weight w/o mag = 25.9 oz
(CM9 w/o mag weighs 15.1 oz)







A couple of pics show the firing pin w safety on and off. “Safety On” retracts the firing pin into the slide. That’s different.