Picking a carry handgun is a daunting task, what with all the brand choices and price disparities. So we’ve pulled together summaries of some of several concealed-carry 9mm Luger pistol tests and lined them up in a shopping list. Prices cited are currently available new retail costs ranked from most expensive to least expensive.
How to Choose
- Fit and shootability matter most. A gun you shoot well and carry every day beats a “better” gun you leave at home. Handle several in a store or rent them at a range.
- Budget for a real holster and a belt. Plan on $50-100 for a quality holster. A gun-friendly belt is just as important as the holster for comfortable, concealed carry.
- Reliability comes before everything else. Fire at least a couple hundred rounds of your chosen defensive ammo before you rely on the gun.
- Our reviewers generally favor centerfire 9mm for a good balance of capability and controllability. That cartridge also offers a wide range of bullet weights and shapes to fit your specific needs.
Glock 48 PA485SL301AB 9mm Luger, $640
Gun Tests Grade: A. The Glock 48 is accurate, easy to use well, and its barrel, at just over 4 inches long, develops more velocity and energy than many of the handguns listed here. The G48 is a thin pistol that’s easily concealed, but it is not as svelte as some others. Firing offhand at targets at 5, 7, and 10 yards, the Glock 48 came on target quickly. The AmeriGlo sights are well suited to fast, reactive shooting. Control is good. The 9mm isn’t a hard kicker, but lightweight pistols often kick more than larger handguns. The Glock 48 isn’t as comfortable as the Glock 19 as an example, but it is more pleasing to use than the Glock 43.
Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro HCP9379BOSP 9mm Luger, $630
Gun Tests Grade: A. We found the Hellcat to be a good choice for personal defense. The pistol is reliable with standard and +P loads and handles well. Range work turned out well. The pistol has good balance and control isn’t difficult. The Hellcat Pro comes on target quickly and tracks between targets well. The balance of the pistol makes it controllable in rapid fire during combat drills. A 9mm handgun in the 22-ounce weight class should not kick more than any of the other guns in the class unless there is a significant difference in design or handling. During the bench accuracy testing, the Hellcat Pro 9mm averaged 15-yard groups just over 2 inches wide. The Hellcat Pro carries 15 rounds. It is a concealable and useful handgun.
Glock 43X PX435SL301AB 9mm Luger, $600
Gun Tests Grade: A. The slimline Glocks are among the most popular concealed carry handguns on the market at any price point. The 43X has a 3.4-inch barrel. Factory magazines hold 10 rounds, but 15-round magazines are widely available. Holster and aftermarket support is huge, which counts for a lot when you’re carrying daily. We really liked the 43X, which we tested with Ameriglo night sights. The firing grip is superior to the Glock 43 and allows better shooting with a minimum of compromise in concealment. We liked the night sights on this pistol, and we would prefer them as options on other handguns.
Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ M2.0 12436 9mm Luger, $480
Gun Tests Grade: A. We liked the way this pistol handles and operates. Racking the slide is easy enough. This is a crackerjack all-round defensive handgun. The trigger press on this pistol was very smooth and broke at a clean 5.5 pounds. We fired a good number of Federal American Eagle 9mm during the combat course, making certain every rater had a run with this handgun. In the end, we find no flies on this pistol. An earlier team found that the 9mm EZ fired low with every load. Ours was well regulated with the test ammunition. With one load, however, the 9mm sent five shots into only a 1.5-inch group. In the end, this pistol is Our Pick of the three.
Mossberg MC1sc 89001 9mm Luger, $400
Gun Tests Grade: A-. We liked the Mossberg MC1 pistol. The Mossberg 9mm gave up little to the Glock designs in most regards. Reliability was never a question. While some of us did not like the takedown, it was as safe as it gets. The sights were a bit tight and could have been wider for faster work on the targets, but in the combat-firing tests, the pistol turned in acceptable to good results. For those on a budget wishing to obtain quality, reliable protection, the Mossberg gets a high rating.
Ruger MAX-9 3500 9mm Luger, $370
Gun Tests Grade: A. This is a more sophisticated pistol than we expected. The sights were very good, and there was no fault with the magazines, capacity, or general accuracy. The pistol features a manual safety, which you may use or ignore. The Ruger MAX-9 is only slightly larger than the Shield, not enough to matter in an inside-the-waistband holster. The Ruger and the Shield have similar performance. The Ruger was accurate, but barely it shaded the Shield and not with every load. The Ruger features a tritium/fiber optic front sight and is optics ready, while the Shield is not, making the Ruger the better buy by a considerable margin, considering Ruger’s standard features. Various Shield Plus Performance Center pistols with fiber-optic sights and an optics ready slide, which we have not tested, will cost about $300 more than the version tested.
Taurus GX4 1-GX4M931 9mm Luger, $285
Gun Tests Grade: A-. The Taurus is the most compact. Other features are appealing, and the Taurus is the only pistol with a changeable backstrap. The sights are basic, the grip treatment is good, and the trigger is manageable. We rated the Taurus down a half grade on accuracy. Still, we find the Taurus to be a viable choice, and as the least expensive pistol, it becomes a Best Buy. The Taurus GX4 was more than $150 less than its competitors. The Taurus doesn’t have an optics-ready slide or fiber-optic sight, but, again, you have a larger price differential if you want to make those changes. On the other hand, the GX4 pistol is supplied with two 11-round magazines that. If concealment is at a premium, the Taurus is the top choice by virtue of simple measurement, yet it shoots almost as well as larger guns. Also, just as we wrapped up the testing, we obtained a 12-round extended magazine for the GX4, which is available but not supplied with the pistol.
