In the world of home defense firearms, there is great diversity of opinion. It seems that every gun reviewer and his brother have weighed in on what makes a perfect home defense gun. Well, add one more to the mix. I think I’ve found it! It’s the Extar EP9 pistol.
I know that opinions about home defense (HD) guns are like belly buttons … every shooter has one. I’ve been told that the 12 gauge is “the” perfect home defense gun or an AR-pattern rifle in whatever caliber is being touted at the time is the one or the venerable Glock 17 with a mounted light can’t be beat. All of these work, of course, but I think the Extar EP9 pistol goes all these one better.
What Makes a Great Home-Defense Gun?
Before we look at this gun, let’s look at a question. What constitutes a good HD gun? Why are some guns good in this role and others aren’t? There are a few criteria that a decent HD gun must meet. Let’s look at a few of them. I think it’s important to lay out what comprises a good, effective home-defense firearm since I call the EP9 one of the best.
First, it must be easily manipulated. Having to swing a full-size shotgun in the tight space between your bed and the wall may not be so easy. That’s one reason handguns are employed for HD by many shooters. Plus, a shorter barrel is harder for a bad guy to grab.
Another factor to consider is caliber or gauge. I own a couple of .44 Magnums but, unless I were to load .44 Specials into them, I wouldn’t use them for things that go bump in the night. They’re just too powerful. They put out too much recoil, flash and noise. The same reasoning could apply to many different calibers and maybe even the 12 gauge. The 20 gauge might make a better alternative, but not by much. Any deep-penetrating caliber should be considered long and hard before being employed in an HD role. Today’s modern walls are not very thick. If you miss your target, or even if you hit it, you might be faced with an over-penetrating round that could go into the next room. That goes for the shotgun, too. Remember that the shot column won’t open much, if at all, across your living room. Because of that, it could over-penetrate if you miss. (How could you miss with a shotgun, you ask? Easy! At 4 or 5 yards, the shot column is still pretty much contained in the wad and acts as one really big bullet. Unless you aim, you could miss.)
Lastly, modularity rears its head. I have an old Mossberg 12 gauge that would make a great HD gun if I wanted it to, but there’s nowhere to hang a light or laser on it. It’s nice if some sort of rail is present like some more modern guns have. I prefer a top Picatinny rail for an optic and an MLOK handguard that makes it easy to mount a light or laser of some sort.
A Case for the Extar EP9
OK, let’s take a look at the gun that I think might be a decent answer to the HD question, the Extar EP9, Gen 2. Here are a few reasons why I like it:
Short Barrel
Our EP9 is, technically, a pistol with a 6.5-inch barrel and a rudimentary shoulder brace. It uses a “flash can” in place of a flash hider that brings the effective muzzle out past the handguard, so it looks longer but really is only the aforementioned 6.5 inches. With such a short setup, it would be difficult for a bad guy to grab the muzzle. Heck, the whole thing is only 24 inches long. Also, you have a shoulder brace that allows you to mount the gun properly and also gives you more to hang on to if the need arises. This gun would be easy to maneuver in close quarters.
The Capacity Advantage
The gun accepts Glock mags. I own a couple of 33-rounders, so I should be good to go. If you want a shorter-overall-height package, you can use any Glock mag from 15 rounds up. I do not feel undergunned with 33-round mags. You get one 18-round mag with the gun.
Other Reasons To Own One
Let’s say you’ve already got a perfect HD gun that you don’t want to replace. What other reason(s) might you have to buy an EP9?
Varmint Reduction
I’ll start with the main reason (aside from personal protection or concealed carry) I give in my reviews for owning any 9mm or similar gun; it is to protect our chicken coop from predators. We’ve lost many birds over the years to possums, coons, a weasel, juvenile bald eagles, an owl, and a hawk or two. I don’t shoot the birds—they’re federally protected—but the others are fair game. The EP9 will be my go-to boomstick when I discover a possum in the coop (I’ve shot four of the disgusting creatures there). With a red dot and a light, I’ll be set. I won’t need a 33-round magazine, but it fits my age-old dictum: I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Now, you city folks probably won’t need chicken coop protection—or will you? Some localities are pretty lax about chickens! But, if not, there’s still the home defense angle or the truck-gun concept.
Range Toy
Some shooters live to see what off-the-beaten-path guns they can find to take to the range. I think that the EP9 fits that category. I could see it drawing a crowd—hopefully, its owner brought enough ammo for everyone. Here’s a thought: I’ll bet the Gen 2 EP9 might attract more attention than its predecessor. Why? The shoulder brace. Even though it isn’t legally a stock, it gives the EP9 that “submachine gun” look. This is one gun that will attract shooters like yellow jackets to a dumpster at the range. It just looks cool. And, if you can pull the trigger fast enough, they may think you have something like an MP5! Who the heck wouldn’t want to shoot it?
Personal Defense
It rather goes without saying, but the EP9 makes a pretty good personal defense weapon. I don’t mean concealed-carry-style, that would be pretty difficult to pull off. Instead of that, some other uses might include its use as a truck gun or just something you keep out of sight but quick to grab wherever legal. It’s no Uzi, of course, but it wasn’t meant to be. It’s just that, with the short barrel and long magazine, you’re pretty well set up and well-armed.
Specifications
EP9 specifications are not listed in any one place on their site. I had to track them down, so they make look a little disorganized.
Caliber: 9mm (.45 ACP available at higher cost)
Weight: 4.09 lbs.
Length: 24 in.
Barrel: 6.5 in., black nitride
Brace: Extar fixed brace (SB Tactical adjustable brace available at $100 higher cost)
Magazine: Glock-compatible, one 18-round included
Last-Round Hold Bolt Open: Yes
Grip: B5 systems
Modularity Options: Picatinny Rail, MLOK handguard
Trigger Pull (my measurement): 6 lbs., 7.5 oz.
For $539, you can get an Essentials Bundle that includes a carry bag, four 18-round (or three 10-round for restricted states) magazines and a single-point sling. For $100 more, you can get the SB Tactical adjustable brace EP9 with these listed accessories.
Another option, for $50 more, includes a 16” barrel version.
One thing the website emphasized is that Extar makes all the guns’ components on-site. They do not have to buy, say, the polymer receiver from anyone. They also sell directly to the public, not through a distributor, so they can sell their guns a bit cheaper. And, I must say, for right at $450, this gun seems well put together.
How’d It Shoot?
So, how DID the EP9 shoot? I don’t remember, as I was having way too much fun! I’ve always wanted to shoot a gun that reminded me of a submachine gun, and now I’m able to. The EP9 is like I always imagined a sub-gun to be: the brace against my shoulder, hands on the grip and handguard and let the bullets fly. Even at a one-bullet-per-trigger-press, it’s a lot of fun to shoot.
Luckily I kept some 25-yard targets. Let’s look at some of them…
Two targets I shot with the Fiocchi load shown. Not bad!
Armscor 115-grain load. Again, not bad. Either of these loads would work for practice. They were soft shooting for sure.
A Few Points
The owner’s manual has some interesting information, as do most of them. There is the usual stuff about safety, loading, unloading, take down, etc. I did find a few interesting points that I need to call your attention to.
- First, it says to not seat a full magazine with the bolt closed. It said it could result in damage to the mag or gun. Instead, lock the bolt back, insert the mag and release the bolt or download the mag by one.
- It also tells you to not shoot aluminum-cased, reloaded or Winchester Forged ammo. I guess you should steer clear of steel or aluminum-cased ammo.
- You are instructed to not use a drum-fed magazine.
- Disassemble the gun as you would an AR, to a point. There is no front retaining pin. Push the rear pin out and then slide the upper off and up and unhook it from the lower at the front. Pull the bolt rearward, remove it and clean it as needed. This is explained in detail starting at the center of the owner’s manual.
- Don’t use oil. The manual says the gun was designed to run when clean and dry, but if you insist on using something, use a “dry” lubricant such as “…a light fog of silicone spray or any of the PTFE based dry lubricant sprays.”
- If you are replacing the muzzle device that came on the gun, hand tension is all that is needed to remove it due to the use of a spring washer. Do not “gorilla-grip” it with a tool. Any device you put on the gun that does not require rotational orientation (timing) should re-use the spring washer and be put on hand-tight. There are instructions on how to install those devices that require rotation.
Final Thoughts
Have you always wanted a shoulder-braced 9mm that could mount whatever optic you wanted? Something you can get quick into action that would take high-capacity magazines? How about something that just looks cool? There are many abbreviated 9mms out there that look like short carbines (or as I said above, submachine guns) but there are very few that you can own for less than $500. Usually, I shy away from very inexpensive guns. You never know what you’re going to get. But, the EP9 has earned kudos from many other reviewers and lots of good comments from owners. You can add me to both of those lists. This was one of the most fun guns I’ve shot in a while. Heck, I had a hard time getting it away from our four sons to even shoot it. Talk about a popular gun! Check one out. I think you’ll be impressed.
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