A few months ago Bul Armory introduced a new pistol. Bul is famous for clones of 1911 handguns and close copies of CZ 75 pistols as well. Bul offers good quality handguns at a fair price. The newest pistol is a clone of the Glock 17. I have not examined or tested a compact version modeled after the Glock 19. These compact 9mm handguns are also available. With close to eighty percent of police forces and a similar number of concealed carry handgunners deploying a polymer frame striker fired handgun the market is huge. Some pistols such as the Shadow Systems 9mm cost more than the Glock but offer good features. Walther pistols have a great appeal. Then there are pistols that are less expensive than the Glock. If the pistol costs more than the Glock be certain it offers an advantage. If the pistol cost less almost certainly corners have been cut. It is true Glock did the R & D and T & E and other companies may ride their coattails. A pistol with good features and a bit of bling selling for about the price of the Glock may be attractive. The pistol has been available at $669.71 from Cheaperthandirt.com. Every gun store of any size at all has 9mm ammunition and Glock magazines. Everyone who makes holsters offers models for the Glock.
The Bul Axe 9mm is offered in several versions including the Axe Cleaver. The pistol resembles the Glock 17. It is dimensionally the same. The Glock barrel fits the Axe slide while the internals are very similar. No reason to mess with success. Most clones seem reliable if not as well refined as the Glock. The pistol operates exactly the same as the Glock. The Axe uses Glock magazines- it would not make any sense not to. The supplied magazines are very well made and at least comparable to Glock magazines. The base pad seems robust. The slide is very well done. The stainless steel slide features nicely designed and executed forward and rear cocking serrations. A very interesting scalloped muzzle is part of the appeal of the Axe 9mm. The sights are all steel and similar to upgraded sights from Novak and a few others. These are excellent all around target and combat sights. The frame doesn’t feature grip inserts. The frame is considerably upgraded from the usual run of polymer frame guns. The geometric design results in an excellent balance of adhesion and abrasion. My hands are average size. A number of associates with smaller and larger hands found the Bul Axe well suited to their hands. There is a dished out portion of the frame behind the trigger guard. This lowers the center line of the bore making for less leverage for the muzzle to flip during recoil.
Trigger compression is sharp and clean. Various stock Glock pistols in the safe feature a trigger compression of 5.6 to 6.5 pounds. The Bul Axe breaks cleanly at 4.5 pounds. This is a clean break with rapid re set. The pistol is comparable to the Glock in every detail as far as field stripping, maintenance, and handling. The magazine release is slightly oversized. The slide lock appears to be a slightly enlarged late model Glock 17 magazine release. While considerably different in many details from the Glock this pistol will respond well to anyone who uses the Glock well. While a cheaper gun will achieve its low price by decrements the Bul Axe has additions to the Glock. As of this writing the retail prices runs a little less than the average Glock retail price for a Glock 17. I found that I was able to run the Bul Axe seamlessly. The pistol is not so different from the Glock I could not run between the two types easily without major adjustment. The changes in the grip and trigger are natural. The trigger feels better than the Glock but you still must be an accomplished shooter to get the best results.
There were no surprises firing the Bul Axe. The pistol comes on target quickly handling well. Line the sights up press the trigger and you have a hit. The handgun was fired primarily with Remington 115 grain UMC Ball ammunition. Results were good. Firing at close range out to 25 yards the pistol exhibited good results. I also fired a quantity of Remington 147 grain Golden Saber and the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P. The pistol never failed to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. Absolute accuracy firing from a benchrest using the MTM K Zone rest I fired several five shot groups at 25 yards. This isn’t combat relative I supposed but tells us something about the pistols fitting and quality. The sights were an advantage. The 115 grain UMC load went into 3.0 inches, the Golden Saber 2.0 inches and the Gold Dot, 2.8 inches. I find this excellent performance. After confirming reliability I added the pistol to my personal defense battery. I added TruGlo Pro Tritium sights. Night sights are good to have and I like the TruGlo set very much. The Bul Axe is fully compatible with Glock sights, however, the front sight was tight, pretty tight, going in.
I like larger handguns for carry. They are easier to shoot well, have less recoil, and generally have superior handling. You must choose your concealed carry holster well when carrying any gun but especially a full size service pistol. The DeSantis Leather Goods Infiltrator Air is a new favorite holster. It represents the latest generation in development from one of our most respected makers. The Infiltrator Air features a backing of padded breathable material. Some of us perspire more than others and many of us live in a part of the country with a humid climate. This is a true hybrid with a sturdy Kydex holster. This holster offers an excellent balance of speed and retention. The holster is worn between the trousers and the body. Only a short draping garment is needed to conceal this rig as the majority of the handgun is concealed inside the pants. Strong well designed belt clips keep the Infiltrator Air firmly anchored to the belt. Practice quickly moving the covering garment out of the way and you have a viable concealed carry rig. The holster doesn’t collapse after the pistol is drawn allowing easy re-holster.
I found the Bul Axe reliable. The pistol offers advantages over most polymer frame pistols and operates on a proven system.
