Once the standard for military and law-enforcement service handguns, the double-action/single-action semi-automatic pistol has been pushed to the background by the ubiquitous striker-fired handgun. Lionheart Industries is doing its best to remedy that situation, with the company's introduction of an updated and innovative DA/SA handgun in the Vulcan 9. With the Lionheart Vulcan, this isn’t your grandad’s DA/SA firing mechanism.
The Vulcan 9 is an evolution of the South Korean Daewoo K5 service pistol. Vulcan 9 Anode model shown.
An evolution of the South Korean Daewoo K5 service pistol, the Vulcan features Lionheart’s “Double-Action Plus” system. Racking the slide cocks the hammer, but the hammer can be manually decocked by pushing it forward, while leaving the mainspring compressed. This allows for an initial trigger pull that has the take-up of a double-action trigger pull, yet only requires the force of a single-action trigger pull. The pistol can also be fired with a full double-action pull or in single-action mode with the hammer fully cocked and in the rearward position. A safety lever is mounted on both sides of the frame.
The Vulcan 9 series can be had with a variety of finishes. The Ember model is shown, with a Burnt Bronze Cerakote finish.
Lionheart’s tagline for the new pistol is "heirloom quality, combat ready." The 9 mm Luger-chambered Vulcan 9’s frame is made of 7075 aluminum. The frame has machined chevron-pattern with “golf ball” raised dimple texturing on the front and back straps. It has an M1913 Picatinny pattern rail machined into its dust cover. The slide is 4140 alloy steel, with both front and rear serrations. The barrel is made of 416R stainless steel and given a black Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) finish. Frame and slide finish options include nitride/anodize, Cerakote and PVD finishes.
Barrels can be had either standard or extended and threaded. The standard barrel length is 3.7” and the threaded barrel is 4.3”. Barrels are manufactured with Lionheart’s “True Axis” process, which the company claims contributes to greater accuracy and reliability, and a longer barrel life.
A full line of holsters are already available for the Vulcan 9 handguns.
The Vulcan 9 grip is CNC-machined from G10 material and extends forward and under the slide release lever. Lionheart calls it the “Rapid Engagement Grip” and claims that it aids in hand placement and recoil management. The grip can be had in either right or left-handed versions, with an appropriately positioned thumb rest.
The Vulcan 9 has a series of chevron pattern texturing in the front and rear backstraps of the frame. Sights are fixed with a front fiber optic insert.
The Vulcan 9 series is optics-ready using a Shield RMSc pattern and iron sights are positioned to give a lower 1/3 co-witness. A kit of screws and bushings needed to mount various compatible optics is included. Iron sights are fixed with a fiber optic insert in the front sight, and the sight dovetails are of the SIG 365 pattern, meaning there is a well-stocked aftermarket of options available.
All Vulcan 9 pistols have an optics cut of the Shield RMSc pattern. The Shadow model shown.
Magazines hold 15 rounds, are constructed of steel and have a machined aluminum baseplate. They are manufactured for Lionheart by Mec-Gar. Ten-round magazines will also be available. The magazine release is reversible.
The Vulcan 9 has an overall length of 6.9” with a standard length barrel and has a grip width of 1.19”. It weighs 28 ozs. A full line of holsters are already available for the new model.
The limited edition Vulcan 9 Combat model has an extended and threaded barrel.
The Lionheart Vulcan 9 is available in four different models. The Anode model has a hard anodized frame, nitride-treated slide and standard hook-type trigger. The Ember model uses a Burnt Bronze Cerakote finish on the slide and frame. The Shadow model has a PVD smoke gray finish. The limited-edition Combat model has a Sand Cerakote Elite finish and an extended and threaded barrel. The latter three models include an upgrade flat-face trigger with a “J Trigger Shoe.” The J Trigger has a distinctive step at the bottom, which Lionheart claims aids in consistent finger placement. The company also has one of its supplied magazines with baseplate storage for Lionheart’s MultiTasker Nano2 optic tool base plate installed, a multi-tool that can be used to adjust electronic optics.
An option on the Vulcan 9 pistols is a baseplate machined to store Lionheart’s MultiTasker Nano2 tool, which can be used to adjust optics or remove the grip screws.
The Lionheart Vulcan 9 has an MSRP $1,299 for the Anode, $1,549 for the Ember, $1,599 for the Shadow and $1,699 for the limited edition Combat model. All models are available for pre-order and are scheduled to ship in November 2023. For more information, visit lionheartindustries.com.
