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2018 is going to be an excellent year for those looking to pick-up their first carry piece, or for all my fellow gun-nuts that just need a few more options (always just ooooonnneee more, right folks?).
Here are some of the most exciting new compact carry options available this year.
- Sig Sauer P365 ($499)
- GLOCK 19 Gen 5 ($629)
- Ruger Security 9 ($379)
- Springfield Armory XD-E .45 ACP ($568)
- Smith & Wesson M&P9C 2.0 ($540)
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Why These Guns?
You may notice all of these guns are from long-established giants in the firearms industry… and there’s a reason for that. These guns all have a heritage of reliability and performance. That’s not to say there aren’t a number of excellent CCW options out there from other companies. I’d heartily recommend Kahr, Canik, CZ, and several others, but for industry support you won’t be able to beat the guns on this list. I’ve also left out revolvers like the Charter Arms Bulldog XL and the new Kimber K6s ($850) because most folks are carrying semi-autos these days.
1. Sig Sauer P365
The belle of the ball for SHOT Show 2018. Ask anyone what was the top 3 coolest new things that came out during the show and I bet almost 100% will list the P365 in their list. AND…it’s already available for pre-order.
$499
at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
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- Standard 10 round magazine
- Extended 10 round magazine
- 12-round magazine
2. GLOCK 19 Gen 5
$539
at GrabAGun
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
3. Ruger Security 9
Well, the price, for one. With even the older Gen 4 19s going for $550+ when not on sale, its difficult to recommend the new 19 to the cash-strapped among us. Worry not, the Ruger Security 9 is here to fill the GLOCK 19-shaped hole in your heart without making a hole in your wallet.
The new Security 9 is virtually the same size as the 19 in every direction, and even has a fairly similar grip angle. It also comes in the same 15+1 capacity as the 19.
It comes with the same mild grip texturing as the LCP II, and is in almost every way a budget version of the GLOCK 19, aside from being hammer-fired.
It also has one of, if not the absolute best, factory triggers in this price range. I’d be comfortable calling this trigger good in a gun that cost twice as much as the Security 9.
My only real niggles are the sights which are a similar ball-and-bucket, U dot affair… just like factory GLOCK sights, which I also don’t love. It also comes with a thumb safety which is aggressively unnecessary in my opinion, but I’m a long-time GLOCK guy.
I’m sure you dirty, filthy 1911 people will just loooove having it. (ED note: 1911s are awesome, Matt is just grumpy cause he can’t shoot them for shit).
Beyond that, the slide rails are aluminum, which should only be a problem if you’re a high-volume shooter. I put 400ish rounds through the Security 9 I borrowed without any noticeable issue, but you may want to check your rails for wear after a while, and be sure to keep everything clean and lubed to get the most life out of your gun.
This is definitely something to be aware of if you’re shooting something like IDPA or other competition, but other than that it shouldn’t be a huge problem in a carry piece, just an extra thing to check when cleaning.
The big thing with the Security 9 is of course the one area that it thoroughly kicks the GLOCK 19’s ass: price.
I have seen, on numerous occasions, a brand new Security 9 on sale for less than $300. That’s about 50% of what you’ll pay for a new Gen 5 19 at your local gun store. I think the lowest I’ve seen it go for was maybe $275.
That’s right. For the low price of 2 ⅔ Highpoints, or about the same as a surplus Mosin, you can have a solid shooting, accurate, near carbon copy of the best all-around carry gun ever. That’s hard to argue with.
Overall, I’d highly recommend this for those who are looking for a first carry piece and landed on “I’ll buy a GLOCK 19 when I have the money.” The Security 9 is a great entry into the world of carrying a firearm, and its size and affordability mean it’s perfect for those looking to start carrying for the first time.
It has a very forgiving form factor for concealment, while still remaining large enough that it’s easy to shoot. Comparing it directly to a GLOCK 19 again, recoil is a little bit stiffer because of the lighter recoil spring, but it’s also easier to rack the slide because of this, which would make it good for shooters that don’t quite have the strength to work a slide as well as they’d like.
My mother has arthritis and is generally a bit on the smaller side and she much preferred the Security 9 to my 19, even with my tuned springs, so that’s something to think about as well.
4. Springfield Armory XD-E .45ACP
$470
at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
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“Our customer told us they’d like the fight-stopping power of a .45 ACP, with the easy carry of our XD-E Series,” says Springfield Armory CEO Dennis Reese. “The new XD-E .45 gives them exactly what they asked for: a no-compromise .45 weapon that forges quickness and control into a pistol so comfortable against their body they’ll carry it everywhere.”
I, personally, would absolutely carry the XD-E, even given my short time on the trigger. I’ve heard not one word of complaint regarding reliability, and I was able to put a full magazine in one ragged hole at both 7 and 15 yards, even with the combat rear sight and relatively short sight radius. If I was going to carry a hammer-fired .45 ACP firearm, the XD-E would almost certainly win my vote, especially with my relative lack of ability with 1911’s. (ED: See?) Don’t get me wrong, I love a 1911, and I compete with a 2011 which is obviously similar, but something about my hand on a single-stack 1911 just doesn’t work as well as it does with other guns. I can still produce good groups with a 1911, but I have to work harder at it, and they don’t point as instinctively for me as say, a GLOCK-shaped GLOCK. For that reason, I will gladly shoot them, and compete with them, and even carry them if I have no other options available, but I wouldn’t actively choose to carry one over say, a .45 ACP GLOCK. With the XD-E though, my groups were as effortlessly tight as with even the GLOCK 34 that is my other competition pistol, granted I didn’t stretch the XD-E’s shorter sight radius out to longer distances like I would with either my 2011 or my GLOCK. But it’s a carry piece. And normally, I’d say I’d want a striker-fired .45 ACP over a hammer-fired one, even with a DA/SA trigger (modern defensive ammo is almost certainly not going to misfire because of a hard primer, so the double-action capability is less of a selling point these days when it comes to worrying about light strikes.) The XD-E’s hammer is a beautiful blend of form and function though and it is truly a joy to use, and it makes for an even lighter slide rack, which is great for some shooters, and makes the prospect of chambering a round one-handed in an emergency a much less worrisome prospect. Of course, that’s beyond the fact that if you’re racking the slide one-handed in an emergency, something has already gone wrong somewhere.5. Smith and Wesson M&P9C 2.0
$545
at Kygunco
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
28 Leave a Reply
I bought an Honor Defense Honor Guard 9mm for c&c. I believe it was my best choice. I have big hands and for a small pistol is a nice fit. Fires well, accurate and dependable. 100% made in the USA by a veteran owned company. Give it a look some time.
I just bought the Glock 19 Gen 5. Everyone in my town was sold out. Found the last one in academy and bought it on the spot. So far I absolutely love this gun. I see why it is on everyone's list.
Sig P320 is GLARINGLY missing from this post. Especially "Post Drop-Gate". I would put the new version up against ANY sidearm, especially the G19. Personally, I carry that and the P365.
Let's compare warranties. I think Ruger sucks hind teat in that department. Maybe that's why the price is so low, so you can buy 2.
The Springfield doesn't have the double safety, springy thing on the back strap like the full size XD has, correct.
One safety is enough. If you really feel you need one on a striker fired weapon... Personally, I like the Sig, I've seen the specs and think " size matters," when it comes to CCW.
Thanks for the review. Ken
I am quite impressed with the Sig P365 which I've had for about a week now. It seems to be the newer generation, with bugs worked out. In any case, it functioned flawlessly with a mix of several hundred 9 mm rounds, including +P orphans and NATO fodder. All were pleasant to shoot and I could cover the groups with the palm of my hand out to 15 yards. (Once I get to the optometrist for much needed new glasses, I am sure those groups will shrink!)
The trigger was what I'd call "eminently shootable," meaning that it is just fine and one should simply get on with the job of taking a good shot! Plus, I know a few hundred more rounds, plus dry-firing, will change it's character anyway. Nothing to change here.
The only change I would make would be to widen the notch on the rear sight a bit more -a bold but needed modification. It is a shame they didn't do that, as the new Sig sights just pop!out! and help form a great sight picture against any background. The narrowness of the groove, however, hinders quick sight acquisition just when the sights are most needed, for longer distances.
But this handgun has it's special secrets. The comfortable grip slyly belies the fact that the pistol conceals a full 10 + 1 rounds of 9 mm, and when I recieve my 12-round magazine, I will be embarrassingly close to matching the cartridge capacity of a Browning Hi-Power. Quite a feat! My, my, what have we here? Indeed, what have we here? Perhaps a game changer?
I’m actually looking forward to the Taurus TH compact. I know,I know, it’s a Taurus- but the G2 Milleniums have been solid, reliable, comfortable, accurate, and affordable carry guns.
The market is seeming to start getting over the striker fired craze, my first handgun was an XDM, but I’ve moved almost completely to DA/SA. Unfortunately many newer shooters have only ever fired a striker firearm. The triggers are just so spongy.. and the TH looks like it might be a good, affordable entry level way of turning more newer shooters on to DA/SA.
Thank you for yet another informative article
Luv my Kimber Mini .380 to Carry. A little pricey but well worth it. I like it more than the Sig 238. Highly recommend
The first pistol I ever bought was a Glock19 (gen 3 or 4 - I can never remember). I still own it, and it's a fine gun, but as boring as can be. On the other hand, the most recent pistol I bought was an M&P9 2.0 full-size (5" barrel), and I like it very much. For that reason alone I think I'd give the M&P9 Compact a try. The XD-E is tempting too, but I'm just not a fan of DA/SA guns.
The full size 2.0 9mm is going to be my next pistol. I rented one at my local range and loved every minute of it.
I wonder why the Rex Zero 1 pistols aren't mentioned. They are suppose to be great guns.
Honestly the reason a lot of niche guns like that won't be on a list like this comes down to parts availability and availability of the actual guns. AREX stuff is really hard to find, and the list of aftermarket manufacturers is basically nonexistent.
I often wonder why some don't appreciate a thumb safety. It seems to me that if you don't like it you don't have to use it, but you have the option. Kind of like the emergency brake on your car.
I can't speak for everybody, but for me, I like the manual of arms on all my carry guns to be as similar as possible, with as little opportunity for mistakes. If I'm practicing my draw, I want to always have the same draw a thousand times, not a different draw depending on whether or now my gun has a thumb safety. And if my gun has a thumb safety, I HAVE to check it and make sure it's disengaged on the draw, just in case its been bumped, or otherwise accidentally engaged. That's time wasted, and an extra variable that I, personally, do not want.
That being said, there are tons of people who won't carry a gun without a thumb safety which is totally, absolutely, 100% fine. It's just not for me.
True, and many now have the option to buy with or without. But I would caution against having one and not using it since it could end up engaging. Then when you need it...you never trained to disengage.
You shouldn't carry then.
EXACTLY, I have been thinking the same thing !!!!!!
I agree regarding external safeties. BTW - for the "you have to check it, I can't get used to it" crowd - you are MUCH more likely to have an AD than use your concealed handgun for its intended purpose. Go look at the statistics. And the You Tube videos. Dozen's of "experts" letting a loose round go; especially during re-holstering. AD's have been on a constant rise since the introduction of striker fired handguns without external safeties. Those same AD's were not nearly as common with SA/DA's like the Beretta 92/96 and S&W 3rd generation. It's all in the training. You can manipulate any firearm if you train enough.
it' s just unnecessary , trigger safeties are more than enough and adding more steps to make your weapon usable in a situation that may well depend on time is just redundant. And 1911 safeties in particular are in a bad spot, I grip high on my pistols and have, on several occasions engaged the safety without meaning to.
I have been carrying a S&W Shield 9mm, sans thumb safety of course, for about 2 years now. Every year new features are released or a new "gen" or a new dot-o version hits the market. You can spend a lifetime chasing features, but find one that is comfortable both in your hand and on your waist, one you can manage the recoil, and one you are confident in and then spend time on the range. There is no substitute for practice, accuracy, and confidence. I have never, and hope to never be, in a position where I have to pull the weapon, but I am sure the "bad guy" is less interested in the features, angles, aesthetics, etc... of the gun vs you putting your rounds right where you want them. Just my $.02. .
This is definitely a good point as well. This list is more for folks who either don't already have a carry gun in their life, or are actively looking to upgrade or expand your collection. At the end of the day, the gun you're most comfortable shooting is going to be the gun you should carry. In many cases these new guns like the Gen 5 Glocks or the new M&P series have features that make them a little easier for the general populace to carry, but sometimes the gun that's designed for everybody fits perfectly on nobody, and there are always going to be people that prefer the model they first got comfortable with. And that's totally fine.
I sort of have my eye on the Walther PPQ sub-compact :-)
Personally I'd go with the H&K VP9sk if you're looking in that size range and capacity. Love mine!
Oh shoot. I forgot about that one. It has better ergonomics. Smooooth!
Great gun. Good eye!
You should at least be original, but I guess if your articles are geared for individuals that know nothing about guns then you can talk like a pro...
I’n reference too??