Avidity Arms PD10
The Professional’s Pistol
The Avidity Arms PD-10 is an unnaturally svelte combat pistol optimized for the concealed carry mission.
The PD10 occupies a unique niche in the expansive pantheon of
modern defensive handguns. Some are larger, while others are smaller.
The PD10 is a uniquely easy gun to tote while remaining pleasant to shoot.
Rob Pincus is one of the busiest firearms training professionals in the world. With a deep practical background, Rob has trained the entire spectrum of military, civilian and Law Enforcement end users in the fine art of close combat over the course of several decades. His video series has sold more than 4 million copies. Not a lot of tactical trainers run in such rarefied circles.
When you do what Rob does for as long as he has done it, you learn a thing or three concerning the ideal defensive firearm. What began as an informal chat among friends has now evolved into a production combat handgun custom designed from scratch to Rob’s personal specifications. Rob’s company, Avidity Arms, is now shipping their PD10 defensive pistol. A svelte, packable, midsize handgun with a full-length grip, the PD10 occupies a sweet spot balancing control and concealability. The PD10 is what happens when a professional gunman designs a gun.
When combined with a SilencerCo Osprey 9 sound suppressor and
Streamlight TLR-8 combination light/laser, the Avidity Arms PD10
becomes a day-or-night defensive machine.
Philosophy
took a lifetime of training, assessing and shooting literally countless guns in countless different hands around the world and distilled it all down into a package that, in his words, “Accommodates small hands or short fingers, while not getting lost in a large hand.”
The PD10 is designed to be the ideal concealed carry gun …
and is the end result of a great deal of mechanical evolution.
Details
The PD10 is a polymer-framed, striker-fired combat pistol offered in 9mm Parabellum with an optics cut slide. By the time you read these words they should be shipping a 30 Super Carry version as well. Frames can be had in black or gray and the gun sports a 4″ barrel. Five-inch extended versions are in the pipeline.
The gun is 1″ wide at its widest point and it weighs a paltry 18.8 oz. empty. There is an optional extended magazine release that exchanges like that of your favorite GLOCK. If you can swap out your own printer cartridges, you can manage this chore. Threaded barrels are on the menu should you own a suppressor and value your peace and quiet.
Most of the metal bits are Isonite nitride-coated for long life and wear resistance, and the dust cover includes a standard accessory rail. The steel single-stack magazine is adapted from the 9mm 1911 and carries 10 rounds. This is how they pull off such a skinny grip. You can find higher-capacity guns but this one is optimized for the concealed carry mission.
That’s all pretty standard. It could be considered boilerplate in a gun magazine article about most any modern striker-fired, polymer-framed combat pistol. However, it is in the nuanced detail Rob’s influence is best made manifest.
The tang is deep for a firm interface between flesh and weapon. The bore axis is dropped as low as possible for fast follow-up shots and superb recoil mitigation. The magazine well is flared for fast reloads and magazines naturally drop free. There is a claw feature built into the magazine for ready purchase in the unlikely event things get sticky. The trigger guard is as deeply undercut as physics might allow. The magazine release is prominent without being uncomfortable. The slide stop is flush with the frame. The rear slide serrations are deep and grippy, and the rear sight can be used to charge the weapon one-handed if life ever gets extra sucky.
The trigger has the expected steel safety tab built into its face. The trigger face is comfortably and meticulously angled. The mechanism itself is rightfully described as low variance with a short reset. For those among us who tend to run our defensive pistols like machineguns, the PD10 will scratch the itch.
The PD10 offers a full-sized grip for firm control
in an exceptionally thin, packable package.
How Does It Carry?
The PD10 sports a full-sized grip, but it’s fairly anorexic. Your typical .380 ACP micro gun will drop comfortably into the front pocket of your jeans but I really wouldn’t want to face the monsters with that. By contrast, a massive Desert Eagle might dissuade a charging rhino and look cool doing it, but it carries like a toaster oven full of bricks. The PD10 strikes a lovely balance.
My standard uniform is a set of surgical scrubs. Imagine concealing a firearm underneath your favorite jammies. As far as comfort is concerned, scrubs are the next best thing to being naked. They are also sufficiently baggy as to conceal a veritable multitude of sins. I packed the PD10 in an IWB kidney rig without undue discomfort and without troubling the little old lady who came to see me because her teeth were itching. The PD10 is indeed an easy gun to tote comfortably throughout a long day at work.
At 12 meters off of a simple rest, the PD10 shot plenty straight.
The PD10 offers a full-sized grip for firm control in
an exceptionally thin, packable package.
How Does It Shoot?
We had two examples with which to roll around in the dirt. The first pre-production version had a nasty habit of dropping its magazine spontaneously. By contrast, the production example was utterly reliable with everything we fed it. Expect the latter.
Of course it shot straight. This deep into the Information Age, that’s a given. If a gun is a lemon then some vapid influencer with a chartreuse coif and an anvil through his nose will be screaming about it 20 minutes after the weapon hits dealers’ shelves. Then the company invariably gets canceled. This is the world in which we live.
The cumulative result is just what Rob was seeking. All striker-fired, polymer-framed combat pistols shoot about the same: 90% of the experience is common across the genre. It’s the last 10% or so where dreams are crafted or dashed. This was the space where Rob focused most of his effort.
The frame is deceptively thin given its single-stack magazine. I have big monkey mitts, and the PD10 fits me nicely. I tried it out with some of the tiny ladies with whom I work, and they found it fit them comfortably as well. If there is such a thing as a one-size-fits-all handgun, the PD10 is likely it.
Running the gun fast was not a challenge. The trigger has an amiable personality. There’s the expected predictable take-up followed by a nice brisk break and abbreviated reset.
This is a striker-fired pistol. A tuned single-action 1911 trigger is nicer, but you have to fret with a manual safety lest you risk shooting yourself in the butt. By contrast, a double-action revolver’s long, thick trigger is wonderfully safe, but it takes training and experience to shoot well. The PD10 strikes yet another delightful compromise.
Frames are offered in either black or grey.
The PD10 feeds from slightly-modified single-stack 9mm 1911 magazines.
Ruminations
I have been squeezing triggers for fun and money since 1991. Having tasted literally everything, I can be pretty nitpicky when it comes to new firearms. The PD10 is a solid defensive handgun that would be equally at home in your bedside table, in the glove box of your car, or perched on your hip while out on a date with your spouse. The mechanics are time-tested, while the particulars are clearly drawn from a vast well of practical experience. The trim architecture makes the PD10 exceptionally packable while still amply filling your hand for a comfortable experience on the range.
And that’s what perennially fascinates me. The morphological details are what differentiate one design from the other, and Rob’s PD10 is an undeniably well-executed piece of iron. However, were we being completely honest, the first thing I look at any time I meet a new pistol is the last thing they always list. The MSRP for the PD10 is $625. Like everything about the PD10, it also represents a decent balance.
This is the best time since 1776 to be an American gun nerd. You can get into a high-mileage Hi-Point beater for a c-note or a rarefied bespoke 1911 for the price of a nice used car. There are half a dozen generic box store options that are reliable and shoot straight for a bit north of half a grand. The Avidity Arms PD10 offers a superlative shootable design, unrivalled packability, and all the bells and whistles at a competitive price — that’s its niche.
