9 Hudson American Innovation

9 Hudson American Innovation

- Iain Harrison

We first became aware of the Hudson 9 way back in August 2015, when its designer contacted us out of the blue. We get at least one “Nevah been done before” email a week, so being of a cynical nature, this one almost got consigned to the folder labeled “Stuff to do once my clone arrives.”

The story behind the pistol was intriguing, however, and the early prototypes looked goofy enough to suggest that there might actually be some solid logic and reasoning behind its design. If the production gun fulfills the promises made by the one we shot, it might just change our expectations when it comes to handguns.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Hudson 9 is a curious blend of the familiar and the novel. Pick it up and it’s instantly reminiscent of the 1911 that sits in every good American’s safe. That grip angle and feel are so very familiar, and the linear trigger is unmistakable. Its bore axis is lower than any JMB design could hope to be, though, and there’s no hammer. Whoa! A striker-fired 1911? What sorcery is this? And what’s with that lump in front of the trigger guard? An all-steel frame means it sits heavy in the hand, though field stripping reveals a removable chassis much like that found in the most recent polymer guns; clearly, this is not supposed to be the final version, merely a way station en route to a full line of models based on a common platform.