GUNS Magazine Altor Pistol

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The ALTOR single-shot pistol — one of the most unusual, and inexpensive,
single-shot “self-defense” pistols on the market.

Yes, it’s weird. It’s also beautifully made and it works, every time. The ALTOR pistol is a single-shot, available in 9mm and .380 Auto. Striker-fired, it’s a double-action — sort of. It also has a useful purpose as a last-ditch back-up for serious carrying.

For Starters

The firing system is unique. As the small trigger is pulled rearward to cock the striker (firing pin), a bevel on the grip-frame pushes your finger off at the end of the stroke. The striker is released to go forward and fire. Thus, there is no figure to “trigger pull.” An easy pull-back of about a half-inch, and it fires.

There are two good safety systems. A cross-bolt push-button directly blocks the trigger movement. Also, you can depress the trigger slightly and then turn the barrel a tiny click clockwise (from the rear). This will block the striker from any forward movement. With this safety used, even a drop on a hard surface won’t fire it.

The trigger is also the start of the loading procedure. You depress it slightly and turn the barrel unit about a quarter-inch clockwise (again from the rear). The barrel is then taken off, exposing the breech face in the grip-frame. There, a carefully machined recess will engage the rim of a 9mm or .380 cartridge. My test gun was the 9mm version.

Now, bring the barrel back against the grip-frame and turn it to the left until it stops. They’ve made it easy to see when it’s right — the word “TOP” in big letters will be centered on top. It is now ready to fire. For carrying, set the two safety systems.

The barrel unit and breach block are stainless steel while the grip-frame is polymer. Empty, the whole thing weighs only 10.2 oz. The other numbers: length, 6.75″; height 3.75″. The width is just a hair over one inch, 1.1″ to be exact. Barrel length is 2.25″. While we’re doing numbers, the MSRP for the 9mm is $129 and $119 for the .380 version.

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For loading, a machined recess on the breech face engages the cartridge rim, here a 9mm.
The small trigger is also the barrel latch.

Sights — If You Want Them

There are square-picture sights, about 2.25" apart, on top of the grip frame. Considering the firing system, they can be ignored. Or, carefully taken off by using a brand-new file. Really, this is essentially a point-and-shoot-pistol.

Even with ordinary full-jacket 9mm, the lightweight gun has pronounced felt-recoil. I protected my ancient hand-bones with Grip Swell gloves. Will the ALTOR pistol keep five shots in the 8" black of a 100-yard sight-in target? Yes, but the distance was about 15 feet but the size of the black circle corresponds with center-of-mass on a combat target.

And, as they say, you won’t notice the sharp recoil in a serious social situation. Actually, with the barrel unit being the heaviest thing, there’s not much muzzle flip. Most of the force is straight back. After a few shots, you learn the best way to let the finger slip off the trigger without disturbing the aim.

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The cross bolt safety is shown here in the off-safe position and the
barrel also turns out of battery to offer more safety.

Keep It Handy

With no trigger guard to deal with, carrying provisions are simple. Just slipping it through the belt will do and the small finger-placement projection on the front strap will keep it from slipping down. Or, if you wear boots, a little circle of leather fastened inside the top of one boot would be just right. Any convenient pocket will do, of course.

Careful manufacturing, dependability and a low price. Hey, the ALTOR pistol is not so weird after all!

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Altor Pistol

Weird But Wonderful?

For Starters

Sights — If You Want Them

Keep It Handy

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