Lionheart Industries, previously based in Oregon, is now headquartered in Georgia. Their REGULUS series of handguns is a line of American-made, hammer-fired pistols that use the “Double Action Plus” (DA+) operating system.
Regulus models (the name is inspired by the constellation Alpha Leonis) are DA/SA 9mm pistols descended from the Korean DP51/K5 and earlier LH9 semi-autos. They effectively have 3 kinds of trigger pull vs. the 2 one normally gets from a DA/SA weapon.
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Lionheart pistols, specifically the Regulus series, are made in the USA.
Their previous handgun, the LH9, was imported from Korea.
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It’s important to note that today’s Regulus SA+ is substantially evolved from its predecessors (q.v.). Yes, it is based on the K5/DP51/LH9, but it has been re-engineered. It is manufactured with superior materials and now sports much tighter tolerances.
Comparing a contemporary LH Regulus to one of those antecedents is akin to comparing a new factory Wilson Combat to an original Colt M1911.
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Double Action Plus
From the outside, a Lionheart Regulus looks like a traditional double-action/single-action (DA/SA) pistol – think Beretta 92FS/M9 or CZ75. This would normally allow for two kinds of trigger pull:
1. Double Action: the hammer is forward and requires a heavy, long trigger pull to cock the weapon and crack off that first round.
2. Single Action: the hammer is back on the second and subsequent shots, providing a lighter, short trigger pull and typically increased accuracy.
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Let’s take another traditional DA/SA example, the SIG P226. When you pull the trigger on that first round, it’s a double-action movement. That cocks and then releases the hammer, firing the first round and leaving the hammer cocked to the rear. “Dropping the hammer” on the next and subsequent rounds is easier, with crisper trigger breaks, and remains that way until the weapon is de-cocked.
The LHI Regulus, like the LH9 before it, offers a third option:
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3. Double Action Plus: allows the shooter to push the hammer forward after it has been cocked. This pushes the trigger forward while leaving the mainspring loaded and sear engaged and enables a long, light trigger pull with a pull weight equivalent to that of a single-stage type trigger pull.
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Running a Regulus suppressed.
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Lionheart Industries Regulus Models
• Regulus Blackout Beta (Threaded Barrel)
It's in stock now.
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Daewoo DP-51
The Korean Connection
If you’re a gun nerd who seems to recall seeing the DA+ system before, that’s because you have. Double Action Plus, also called Triple-Action at the time, is a thoroughly modernized version of the system used by the Daewoo DP-51/K5.
Those weapons, now increasingly hard to put hands on, were imported from South Korea back when Nevermind was a new album and people were hearing the name “Jeffrey Dahmer” for the first time.
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The KP-51 (aka k5) semi-automatic pistol was the standard-issue handgun for the
Republic of Korea's military for more than 30 years. It, and its close cousin, the LH9,
is the progenitor of today's Lionheart Regulus.
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The K5 served in ROK military units for nearly three decades. Lionheart began importing a civilian version (the LH9) back in 2011. Four years later, the company developed its own American-made line: the Regulus. Unfortunately, a long and tortuous series of events precluded that pistol's release to the public until the Lionheart brand was acquired by new owners in 2020.
Happily, the Lionheart's Regulus - now a superb modular platform with a perfected DA+ trigger and LHI’s own Tru-Axis Precision Barrel - is once again turning gunpowder into smiles.
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Above and below: Daewoo DP-51 in service, Republic of Korea
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Interested in a Regulus pistol? Check out the RA Lionheart Industries page.
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REGULUS: the height of haute tactical CCW couture?
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