I’ve been enthusiastic about reviewing the Bond Arms Bullpup 9mm for a few weeks now. After thorough testing — I put 1,200 to 1,300 rounds through it — my enthusiasm remains.
In fact, my confidence in the 9mm has only grown. The Bullpup 9 is a well-made handgun with good features.
Most importantly, the piece is reliable. The pistol is among very few small handguns that shoot like big guns.
It is light and compact but easy to fire accurately. It is useful in fast combat firing and surprisingly accurate in benchrest testing (firing for absolute accuracy).
The Bond Arms Bullpup 9 is supplied with a locking case, a gun lock, two magazines (additional magazines are available for purchase for $35 each at BondArms.com) and an owner’s manual.
From Boberg to Bond Arms
Bond Arms purchased the design and rights to the handgun, originally manufactured as the Boberg 9mm, and left the appearance and outline identical. Bond Arms saw potential in the pistol but also room for improvement.
Key Improvements Bond Arms Made:
• Traded small recoil spring for a slide return spring
• Added special coating on barrel and locking block (eliminates constant lubrication need)
• Improved quality control and manufacturing
• Reduced maintenance to lubricant refresh every 300 cartridges
The Boberg 9mm isn’t a locked-breech handgun in the conventional sense but uses a rotating barrel, allowing the use of a powerful cartridge in a small handgun. The rotating barrel absorbs much of the recoil energy, resulting in modest felt recoil considering the gun’s size and weight.
A Note on Ammunition Selection
Bond Arms provides an extensive list of recommended loads because not all ammunition has sufficient bullet pull or crimp. The rearward feeding ram demands the loads have a good taper crimp, or the bullet may be pulled forward out of the cartridge case.
This would be bad news. The approved list includes several good choices for personal defense.
The Bullpup 9 magazine is the heart of the pistol’s rearward feeding action. The magazine encloses the nose of the bullet.
The pistol features a double-action-only trigger. The trigger action is very smooth, without creep or backlash.
Be certain to bring the slide completely to the rear and snap the slide forward (otherwise a cartridge may take a dive under the chamber instead of into the chamber). The slide is quite easy to rack, making the Bullpup 9 suitable for those with limited hand strength.
You press the trigger, the pistol fires, the barrel rotates 14 degrees and unlocks, and the slide travels to the rear. The slide then returns to battery as the feeding ram loads a cartridge into the chamber.
The trigger is allowed to reset during recoil. Bringing the pistol on target as quickly as I am able to realign the sights makes for fast and accurate shooting.
What Is a Bullpup?
A bullpup rifle is shorter than a standard carbine and typically features a magazine behind the firing grip. The Bond Arms pistol earns the moniker because the pistol’s magazine is below the chamber rather than behind it.
How the Bullpup Feeding System Works:
1. Magazine is open at the rear, closed at the front (feeds from rear)
2. After firing, slide recoils and ejects spent cartridge
3. Loading ram removes top cartridge from magazine
4. Ram pushes cartridge into chamber
5. Trade-off: Slide does not hold open on last shot
The magazine uses a sheet-metal body and magazine follower but otherwise is very different from other pistol magazines. Loading the magazine is an easy task, although the lack of a magazine follower gives one pause.
Bullpup 9 Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Barrel Length: 3.35 inches
Grip Material: Rosewood
Grip Size: Standard
Sights: Dovetail drift-adjustable non-illuminated 3-dot
Overall Length: 5.1 inches
Weight: 17.5 ounces
Capacity: 7+1
Action: Double-action-only
Trigger Pull Weight: 6.5 pounds
The rear sights (left) offer an excellent sight picture. And the bold front post sight is easily acquired in speed shooting.
Bullpup 9 Build
The slide is nicely finished stainless steel. The sights are an excellent combination of speed and precision, making for rapid sight acquisition and good accuracy potential.
The frame is black anodized aluminum. The grips are nicely checkered cocobolo — unlike the original Boberg, which sold for $1,300 with plastic grips.
Bond Arms’ goal with the Bullpup 9 was to offer higher quality at a lower price. They accomplished this, as the Bullpup 9mm MSRP is $900.
Among the most unusual features of the Bond Arms Bullpup 9 is the flat hammer.
Trigger compression is 6.5 pounds. The action is smooth, and reset is positive.
The trigger transfers energy to a drawbar that cocks and drops the hammer. The hammer is a unique hinged-flap-type hammer.
The system works in a positive manner, smacking the firing pin with plenty of force. The magazine release works well.
While speed loads are always tactical loads since the pistol doesn’t lock open on the last shot, the pistol did well enough in speed drills.
Firing the Bullpup 9
The point of the design is to allow a very compact 9mm handgun to be carried with a sufficient barrel length for good accuracy and velocity. Control and practical accuracy are excellent.
Test Results Summary:
• Speed drills: Tested at 5, 7 and 10 yards on man-sized targets
• Precision shooting: Five-shot, 2-inch groups at 15 yards from supported position
• Primary ammo: Winchester 115-grain FMJ (Bond Arms recommended)
• Defense loads tested: Federal 124-grain HST with good results
• Overall assessment: Credible choice for personal defense
After more than 1,000 cartridges, the Bullpup 9 shows no signs of eccentric wear.
Once the shooter finds a rhythm of fire with the double-action-only trigger, practical accuracy is excellent. The pistol fits into a .380 envelope, hits like a 9mm and offers excellent reliability.
Sources:
Bond Arms: BondArms.com
