Insider Look at Small Handguns: Sub- and Micro-Compact Pistols

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Glock 19

For a few decades, the 9mm Glock 19 was considered the carry gun against which all others were judged. It was big enough to shoot well, small enough to conceal with a decent holster and covering garment, and offered sufficient power and capacity to solve most any problem a pistol was capable of solving. Not too big, not too small, just right—hence the Goldilocks name. That remained the case, from the time the G19 was introduced until SIG came out with the P365. In truth, the G19 was a bigger/heavier gun than a lot of people wanted to carry. Many people want a carry gun they can just stick in a pocket, or which is so small/light they barely notice it’s there.

SIG P365

The SIG P365 became the new standard. Thanks to modern design and materials, it was significantly smaller and lighter than the Glock 19 while still being shootable, because it had decent sights and a big enough grip and a great trigger. Capacity was also great—flush magazines held ten rounds. That SIG 365-sized envelope has now become the standard for concealed carry pieces, and seemingly every new pistol introduction seems designed to compete with the 365, either offering more or better features, or the same features, in a smaller size or at a cheaper price. The firearms market is at war, fighting for your business, and you are the winner in this competitive arena.

I want to give you a quick and dirty rundown of a few good 9mm pistols on the market that are competitors to the SIG P365 (roughly the same size/weight/capacity) that I have either tested and/or shot enough to have an opinion on and recommend. Be aware it’s filled with objective facts as well as subjective opinions. In completely random order…

FN Reflex and Mossberg MC2sc

The FN Reflex is a perfect example of this truism: if any of the pistols listed here had been introduced fifteen years earlier, they would have been dubbed “Pistol of the Year” and ballads would have been written about them. In today’s market, crowded with awesome guns, it’s just a solid choice that is average in just about every way—which means I recommend it and would carry it. Put the Mossberg MC2sc in that same “boringly dependable” category.

Springfield Armory Hellcat

This pistol came out right after the SIG P365 and is maybe the 365’s biggest competitor. The Hellcat has  a superior grip angle, perhaps best-in-class sights, and a higher capacity than the 365. It has been a huge success for Springfield. Where the Hellcat falls short is with one of the heaviest trigger pulls on the market, singlehandedly keeping Apex Tactical in business replacing the stock seven- to eight-pound pull with something that doesn’t suck. And if you’ve never noticed the Hellcat has a crappy trigger, then you’re exactly the kind of shooter it was made for.

Taurus GX4

Yes, I know, Taurus has a bad reputation in the past, as they struggled with quality control (QC) for about twenty years starting in the nineties, but between improved QC and modern manufacturing techniques which drastically reduce the opportunity for human error the guns they’re putting out now are solid. The GX4 is a perfect example of this. I actually prefer it to the SIG P365 because of the more ergonomic grip, and while the sights and trigger aren’t quite as good as the SIG, it is substantially less expensive. I torture-tested my sample, and could never get it to jam.

Smith & Wesson Shield Plus

If it wasn’t for S&W’s Shield, the SIG P365 probably wouldn’t exist in its current form. The Shield is a great gun, and the only thing that was (arguably) holding it back was magazine capacity. That was fixed with the double-stack Shield Plus, and I consider it as good or better than any other pistol on this abbreviated list. If I didn’t already own a Shield, I would have bought the Shield Plus I got in for testing. And I regret I didn’t….

Stoeger STR-9

The STR-9 Micro-Compact, inexpensive, reliable, durable. There’s nothing that special about the pistol, but it is a solid, reliable gun at a very low price due to being made in Turkey. Stoeger’s STR-9s are probably the best pistols you’ve never heard of.

Shadow Systems Corp. CR920

Shadow Systems makes Glock-pattern pistols that are better looking and have more features than Glocks, at the same price. The CR920 is a Glock 43-sized pistol that offers double-digit capacity, good looks, great ergonomics, a decent trigger, and better-than-average sights, while being made in America.

This is far from a complete list of what’s out there, but it should give you a good starting point if you’re in the market. But before I go…

Honorable Mention: S&W Bodyguard 2.0

Yes, I know it’s “only” a .380 ACP, but it’s combination of amazing ergonomics, excellent sights, capacity, and superior trigger pull make this the .380 against which I believe all others will soon be judged. I would carry it over many of the micro- and subcompact 9mms on the market simply because of how shootable it is. The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 is so good that I wonder if in fact it might signal a new era of micro-compact .380s, just like the Ruger LCP did. I guess only time will tell. 

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