Cy and Lauren Hudson innovated a low bore axis, striker system with handling attributes of a 1911.
“Longer, lower, wider, the ’49 Hudson is the car for you.” That advert predates me, but growing up in the motor city, it had to have been aired again sometime after 1949, because it is burned into my memory.
Post-World War II, the Hudson Motor Car Company was in competition with the big three auto names. Hudson produced lightweight, high-horsepower cars, and even dominated the then-new racing sport called NASCAR, winning more than their fair share of races from 1951 through 1954.
Well, there’s a new Hudson, and they make pistols. Like the car company, they are making something the big guys are not: an all-steel 9mm with a striker system. You may think, Ho-hum, move along. Well, think again.
The controls are all in their expected places. However, the takedown plate is that trapezoid push-button rotating lever located above and forward of the 1911-ish trigger.
Aside from its all-metal construction, the new Hudson H9 9mm striker system is activated by a 1911-style trigger. The trigger moves straight back when it’s pressed. It has a short take-up, short travel, a clean break and short overtravel. Clearly, getting a clean, crisp trigger press built into a striker-fired pistol is not like going to the moon. But, it has a built-in trigger safety, as well as a drop safety. There is also an optional thumb safety for those desiring it.
The H9 has a very low bore axis (the distance of the barrel centerline above your hand), meaning the pistol has less leverage to rotate up in the cycling stroke and during recoil. There’s a fixed tang that overhangs the web of the hand, providing substantial leverage
