Tag Archives: ccw

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

New Third Bay Ounce CCW Pistol

At an undecorated, non-descript booth in the lower level of the Venetian Expo Hall, my crew called my attention to what is possibly the most interesting new pistol at SHOT show. At the Third Bay booth, they were displaying the OUNCE, the most compact and lightest 10+1rnd semi-auto pistol I’d ever seen. I got a chance to talk with its inventor and company owner, Bill Osborne.

The story of the OUNCE’s invention is tragic. After the inventors relative was raped at home was inspired to create this pistol. Bill set about using his experience as a mechanical engineer to create a solution to the common issues with CCW pistols: reliability, safety, weight, and printing (showing the shape of a gun on your clothing). Bill designed a pistol that could fold into a wallet sized profile that could easily be carried and deployed without the need of a specialized carry holster.

In its folded state, the OUNCE is 4.75″ x 3.85″ and about an inch thick, which is about the size of a Beretta Bobcat. But unlike that classic pocket gun, the OUNCE is a 1/4lb lighter, holds 3 more rounds, and has a normal length grip. In addition, in its folded state the OUNCE presents a silhouette that looks nothing like a gun.

A folding self-defense pistol isn’t new. The LIFECARD 22LR folding pistol is about the same size as the OUNCE but the LIFECARD is a single-shot .22LR weapon that requires a manual reload. Unless you’re 100% sure of your aim, using a one-shot gun is problematic. The OUNCE carries 10+1 rounds of 22LR is a quantum leap in terms of firepower and assurance when used for self-defense.

Like many, I was a bit dubious of this pistol’s reliability due to the OUNCE’s unconventional design. It’s mostly polymer body seemed almost toy-like. The action and internal magazine are unique with an almost vertical loading of the cartridges.

Because it is chambered for .22LR, I asked about the manual of arms for emergency clearing of a dud round. Folding and unfolding the handle manually clears any cartridge in the chamber and loads the next round in the magazine. With a bit of practice, this can accomplished in about the same time as racking and clearing a slide; which isn’t all that easy either given the size of conventional micro-compact pistols. As with all CCW firearms, practice and familiarity and vital for reliable use.

Legal restrictions on CCW sized pistols varies widely by municipality, so be sure to check all of your local laws before ordering. The pistol is not cheap at around $900. It’s not a Glock being churned out by the thousands in a factory. All the guns are made by the inventor in his workshop and so are essentially, a made-to-order custom gun. Currently this pistol is available directly from Third Bay https://ounceoz.com/

Shooting Sports

Leupold Deltapoint Micro

With the growing popularity and acceptance of pistol red dots aka RMR’s (Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sight), it’s an unfortunate truth that the majority of pistols were not designed to mount them. This is all the more true with the Glock, with over 20 million produced in various models.

You can purchase an after-market RMR cut Glock slide but these cost almost as much as a new pistol and still require the purchase of an RMR as well. Leupold saw a need and developed a simple add-on RMR for the Glock and S&W Shield, that replaces your rear sight. Leupold was kind enough to supply me with a Deltapoint Micro to test and review.

Installation was as easy. After knocking off the factory rear sight with a punch, you slide the small mounting plate in the dovetail sight grove. The Deltapoint Micro screws into the plate and the tension between the plate and the Deltapoint locks the RMR onto your slide.

The unit is very low profile with a small tube approximately 7mm in diameter. The tube contains the lens and emitter, providing a ghost-ring like sight picture. The unit is powered by CR1632 battery which overhangs the back of the slide. The screw-on battery cap also functions as a clicky switch, turning the unit on/off and cycling through 5 different brightness, projecting a 3MOA dot.

I was dubious at first, thinking any RMA with a sight window this small would be less than useful. I was surprised to find that I had not trouble presenting the dot because the top of the unit visually functioned like traditional rear sight, with the small lens window occupying the traditional gap.

It only took me a mag and a half for me to get a hang of using it. I can usually get my shots within a 6″ bullseye ring at 10yrds with iron sights. With the Deltapoint Micro I was readily able shoot even better, getting most of my shots in the same ragged 1″ hole! I was a doubter no more.

Despite the Deltapoint Micro’s demonstrative ability to make me a more accurate shooter, the unit is not without faults. Those used to typical RMRs will probably hate the tiny sight picture of the Deltapoint Micro. The other big negative factor is the price of $399 for this tiny red dot. That makes it only marginally less expensive than buying an after market slide and a new RMR.

But for those compact or micro-compact CCW pistol, the Deltapoit Micro is the smallest, lowest profile RMR available. It is only a few millimeters taller than the original rear sight on a Glock. As such, it is likely far more comfortable to wear than any RMR.

My biggest pet peeve is that the designers at Leupold failed to take into account the height of the battery cap blocks you from removing your slide during normal disassembly. You must first remove the battery and cap from the Deltapoint to allow you enough clearance from the Glock’s receiver rail. If the battery cap was just 1mm or 2mm thinner, this wouldn’t be necessary. It seems like just a glaring mistake that should have been corrected.

This red dot is available through these retailers using my affiliate link:
Amazon https://amzn.to/3wmmC3R
Optics Planet https://shrsl.com/3o67k