Best 9mm Pistols of 2025

If you’re in the market for a 9mm pistol (especially your first), sifting through gun store racks to find the best one will feel like drinking from a fire hose. There are lots of excellent, dependable 9mm pistols on the market, and what’s best for you might very well differ from what’s best for the next person. Just like shopping for the best 9mm ammo, your choice will depend on what you’re using it for and your own preferences.

For any guide to 9mm pistols, it’s impossible to give proper credit to all the great pistols on the market. In picking the “best” ten 9mm pistols by category, I’m forced to omit other excellent guns that I like. That’s what narrowing the field is about though. Picking the best 9mm pistol for you will considering several factors, as well as your own personal tastes. You might be drawn to different pistols than I am, but each of these picks is a solid starting point for anyone.

Things to Consider Before Buying a 9mm Pistol

Intended Use

The most important thing to consider when you’re buying a 9mm pistol is your intended application. Is 9mm the best option, and what kind of pistol will suit your needs? Shopping for a dedicated carry pistol versus a competition gun will mean totally different pistols and feature sets. The first thing you need to figure out is what you want to use the pistol for.

Fit and Feel

To buy a 9mm pistol that will work well for you, you need some hands-on time with it. Ideally, if you can shoot one that a friend has, or test fire the same model at a range that has rentals, you’ll get the best feel for how the pistol handles for you. At a minimum, take a few minutes to thoughtfully handle one in the store, note features you like or don’t like, and what you find comfortable. Don’t buy until you’ve looked at—and handled—several different pistols.

Budget

Everyone is working with a different budget, and that plays a big role in what 9mm pistol is the most optimal purchase for you. Expensive pistols are nice, and you’ll generally get a higher-quality pistol for the higher price, but there are some excellent and perfectly dependable budget-friendly pistols on the market.

Best 9mm Pistols: Reviews and Recommendations

Key Features

• Capacity 17+1 rounds
• Size: 6.6 inches (L) x 5.2 inches (H) x 1.4 inches (W) (with optic)
• Weight: 23 ounces
• Barrel Length: 3.7 inches
• Action: Single action, striker-fired
• Frame: Stainless removable chassis
• Grip: Stipple texturing on front, rear, and sides
• Accessory rail: 3-slot
• Sights: X-Ray 3, 3-dot tritium, optic compatible
• Price: $700

Sig Sauer initially introduced their P365 as a micro-compact 9mm pistol, but the line eventually grew to overtake the P320 as their ideal compact-sized 9mm pistol. The P365 XMacro, like it sounds, is an enlarged P365 design, which adopts the P365 XL slide and mates it with a larger grip module. Combined with a new magazine design, this slim, compact pistol is able to hold 18 rounds of 9mm, where most compact pistols max out at 16 rounds. The XMacro uses the same P365 removable fire control group, and may parts are cross-compatible with other P365 models.

We love the ergonomics of the XMacro and have found it to be one of the smoothest-shooting compact striker-fired 9mm pistols on the market. It’s optic-compatible and is one of the most versatile handguns on the market. If you want to get an in-depth look at the P365 XMacro, check out or full review here.

Key Features

• Capacity 17+1 rounds
• Size: 8 inches (L) x 5.47 inches (H) x 1.34 inches (W)
• Weight: 23.2 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4.49 inches
• Action: Single action, striker-fired
• Frame: Polymer
• Grip: Checkering on front and back strap, interchangeable back straps.
• Accessory rail: 1-slot
• Sights: White dot front, white “U” notch rear
• Price: $620

There’s simply no “best” list about 9mm pistols without including Glock. In many ways, Glocks set the standard for striker-fired 9mm pistols, and that’s especially true for full-size pistols and the G17. It’s a simple striker-fired, polymer-framed pistol that comes with 17-round magazines and a reputation for utter reliability. The G17, however, has been phased out in favor of the very similar but updated G47 MOS. Updates include a frame that has a full-sized grip, but shorter dust cover, which makes it compatible with the G19 slide. Of course, it also has the Gen 5 front slide serrations and MOS optic system. The grip features interchangeable back straps, and the oft-hated finger groove ridges have been removed.

Read More: Full Review of the Glock G47 MOS

The full-sized Glock is certainly one of the best 9mm pistols of all time — known not just for reliability, but simplicity as well. The G47 has a low-profile slide stop lever and a magazine catch button, but no other external controls. The trigger features a safety bar, but the Glock has no other external safety—a trademark-like characteristic that many striker-fired pistols emulate.  

The G47 is comfortable to shoot, and its full-size stature makes 9mm recoil easy to control. If you haven’t shot Glock pistols much, you’ll find that they have a relatively steep grip angle, and compared to 1911-style pistols, you must tilt your grip farther forward to line the sights up on target. Some shooters refer to it as “pointing downhill” because if you’re used to other pistols, it feels like you’re pointing the muzzle more towards the ground—but it’s just the angle of your grip that’s changing.

Key Features

• Capacity 15+1 rounds
• Size: 7.15 inches (L) x 5.31 inches (H) x 1.2 inches (W)
• Weight: 23.2 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4 inches
• Action: Single action, striker-fired
• Frame: Stainless, removable chassis
• Grip: Stipple texturing
• Accessory rail: 1-slot
• Sights: Tritium front, serrated rear, tall
• Price: $399

The 9mm pistol market is full of Glock clones, so we didn’t think much of the Ruger RXM initially. Once we took a closer look, however, we’ve decided that this is one of the best Glock clones on the market. The RXM is a collaboration between Ruger and Magpul — who developed the replaceable modular grip. Part of the reason for a strong clone market is that many shooters end up modifying their Glock pistols beyond their generic factory offerings. The RXM combines modern slide cuts and cocking serrations with optic compatibility, co-witness sights, and a grip module that has excellent ergonomics. Most notably, it utilizes a removable chassis design similar to what the Sig P320 and P365 have done — except that the RXM is compatible with Gen 3 Glock trigger upgrade parts.

We plan on shooting the RXM much more, but we are pleased so far. On its own, this is a fantastic Glock clone, but at a price of just under $400, this is something for shooters to get excited about.

Springfield Armory Echelon

Key Features

• Capacity 17+1/20+1 rounds
• Size: 8 inches (L) x 5.5 inches (H) x 1.2 inches (W)
• Weight: 29 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4.5 inches
• Action: Single action, striker-fired
• Frame: Steel, removable chassis
• Grip: Polymer, stipple texture
• Accessory rail: Four-slot
• Sights: Tritium front, white u-notch rear, optic ready
• Price: $600

Springfield Armory introduced their latest striker-fired pistol back in 2023, the Echelon. This 9mm pistol is an update to the long-running XD series, improving ergonomics, function, and handling characteristics. The Echelon is a more streamlined platform that adopts the removable chassis design, which aids in modularity. The serialized portion of the pistol is the fire control group, and that fits into a polymer grip module. The aesthetics of the Echelon are totally modernized compared to the XD series. It features dramatic slide cuts and cocking serrations — including cocking tabs at the rear. All of these are meant to improve the handling of the pistol while maintaining a snag-free design — The serrations and relief cuts are laid out in a way that they don’t hang up on holsters or clothing when drawing.

Read More: Full Review of the Springfield Armory Echelon

The Echelon is a nice-shooting pistol that comes compatible with numerous optic footprints and uses a modular optic cut design with movable pins. This design eliminates the need for adapter plates and sets red dots lower, making them easier to co-witness with sights. Optics sit lower than on the older XD pistols, and the improved grip texture makes for a much better shooting experience. We have no doubt that there are many variants of the Echelon to come.

Springfield Armory SA-35

Key Features

• Capacity 15+1 rounds
• Size: 7.8 inches (L) x 4.8 inches (H) x 1.25 inches (W)
• Weight: 32 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4.7 inches
• Action: Single action, hammer-fired
• Frame: Steel
• Grip: Checkered walnut
• Accessory rail: N/A
• Sights: White dot front, adjustable serrated rear
• Price: $656

The Browning Hi-Power has only been out of production for a few years, but several gunmakers have invigorated a new interest in this classic 9mm pistol. There have been several “new” remakes of the Hi-Power, or P-35 (which was first released in 1935), but one of the most notable of recent years has been the Springfield Armory SA-35

Springfield wanted to build the SA-35 with everything shooters loved about the P-35, but also incorporate some smart changes (most of which were mods often made to original Hi-Powers). What they came up with is a simple but sharp-looking pistol with great ergonomics and a parkerized-type finish. It stays true to the pistol’s Hi-Power roots and is about half the price of the current FN model, which has a barrel and takedown mechanism that’s more like the FN 509 than the original Hi-Power.

The biggest improvements Springfield made when designing this pistol were a redesigned 15-round magazine, removal of the magazine disconnect (which resulted in a better trigger), streamlining of the feed ramp, and re-profiling the hammer to prevent the shooter’s hand from being pinched. The checkered walnut grip scales are contoured to be comfortable and match up perfectly with the lines of the pistol’s frame.

I’ve put over a thousand rounds through a couple different SA-35’s and have been wonderfully pleased so far. We shot the hell out of one in our 2022 Gun test, and I wrote an in-depth review of the pistol in early 2022. It’s a fun pistol to shoot, but also a relevant and modern nod to the classic design. My only dig on the SA-35 is that the bottom corner of the beavertail is a little sharp, and it tends to dig into the web of my hand with high-volume shooting.

Radom VIS P-35

Key Features

• Capacity 7+1 rounds
• Size: 8 inches (L) x 5.3 inches (H) x 1.25 inches (W)
• Weight: 36 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4.6 inches
• Action: Single action, hammer-fired
• Frame: Steel
• Grip: Polymer grip scales
• Accessory rail: N/A
• Sights: Fixed, front ramp, dovetail-fitted notched rear
• Price: $1,000-$3,000

Contemporary 9mm pistols are more capable than ever, but there’s something special about vintage wartime pistols that were machined and assembled by hand. One of the finest of World War Two was the Polish VIS P-35. This pistol wasn’t in production for long but is held in high regard by those who have spent any time firing them

 The Vis P-35 was designed with heavy influence from both the early Browning Hi-Power (which was also dubbed the P-35, being introduced officially in 1935) and the 1911. The VIS entered service in Poland in 1935, and production continued under German occupation until the end of the war when the Red Army destroyed the factory (and all the tooling).

The VIS P-35 a single-action hammer-fired pistol with a grip safety like a 1911, but no other external safety. Pre-war and early-war pistols featured both a de-cocking lever on the side of the slide, and a slide-locking takedown lever where the safety on a 1911 would be. Later in the war, the slide-lock lever was removed. The VIS P-35 features an early self-contained guide rod and recoil spring and locking lugs atop the barrel like the Hi-Power uses. It’s fed from a single-stack 7-round magazine and uses an internal extractor like the 1911. The slide stop lever looks like those on 1911’s, but the pistol has no barrel bushing or spring-loaded detents between what would be the safety and the slide stop lever.

The VIS P-35’s can be picky about ammo and were originally designed for 124-grain ball. I have one that my grandpa brought back from Germany that digests everything flawlessly, but another VIS I bought required some feed-ramp work to keep hollowpoints from sticking. After some file and polishing work to match the profile of the feed ramp on my grandpa’s pistol, it runs like butter—particularly with Hornady American Gunner 115-grain XTP loads.

If the tooling hadn’t been destroyed, I think this pistol would have achieved greater popularity after World War two. The early-war VIS P-35’s I’ve shot are far-and-above nicer and more shooter-friendly than the period 1911’s, P-38’s and Luger’s I’ve used.

Taurus G3X

Key Features

• Capacity 15+1 rounds
• Size: 6.3 inches (L) x 5.2 inches (H) x 1.2 inches (W)
• Weight: 22.6 ounces
• Barrel Length: 3.2 inches
• Action: Single action, striker-fired
• Frame: Polymer
• Grip: Stipple texturing
• Accessory rail: single-slot
• Sights: Fixed front, drift-adjustable, serrated rear sight
• Price: $242

There probably wasn’t a 9mm pistol that shocked the Outdoor Life test team at our 2022 gun test more than the Taurus G3X. We had a wide field of pistols to test and approached them all with reserved skepticism. At under $250, the G3X is modestly priced, but each member of our test team independently remarked how well this pistol shot and functioned.

The G3X is a simple polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm compact pistol that has pretty much all the feature’s you’d expect on a more-expensive gun. It has a trigger-bar safety, Glock-style takedown mechanism, single-slot accessory rail, and steel sights. You’ll often see corners cut on cheaper 9mm pistols, but everything about our sample exceeded our expectations.

READ NEXT: The Best 9mm Ammo

The Taurus G3X has grippy stipple-textured panels on the sides, front, and back of the grip, and is easy to control with sweaty hands. There are lots of compact 9mm pistols on the market, and although the G3X has the same capacity as stalwarts like the Glock G19, it’s slightly more compact with a 3.2-inch barrel. Our test team also noted that the two steel magazines included with the G3X were nicer than we expected for a pistol of that price. We never needed to use it, but the G3X also has “restrike” capability. That means that if you had a misfire or light primer strike for some reason, you can simply pull the trigger again and it will re-cock and release the striker again.

For someone looking for an ultra-affordable pistol that’s actually a good value, the G3X is a great option. You can read a full review of the Taurus G3X here.

Staccato P

Key Features

• Capacity 17+1 rounds or 20+1 rounds
• Size: 8.1 inches (L) x 5.8 inches (H) x 1.5 inches (W)
• Weight: 33 ounces (steel frame), 28 ounces (aluminum)
• Barrel Length: 4.4 inches
• Action: Single action, hammer-fired
• Frame: Steel or aluminum
• Grip: Polymer with design texturing
• Accessory rail: single-slot rail
• Sights: Dawson Precision fiber-optic front, Staccato 2011 T.A.S. II rear
• Price: $2,449

The 2011-style 9mm pistol is a fast-growing segment of the 9mm pistol market that is starting to expand beyond its historic cult following. Now, it’s hard to have a conversation about 2011’s without including the Staccato P. The 2011 is inspired by and shares many characteristics of the 1911, but they are double-stack 9mm pistols with plenty of modern upgrades. When early 20t century pistols like the 1911 were designed, handguns weren’t intended to be driven two-handed—the same way we shoot them today. The 2011 has better ergonomics, recoil control, accuracy, and capacity.

The Staccato P is Staccato’s flagship full-sized duty pistol, issued within numerous law enforcement agencies. It is available with either aluminum or steel frames, but the frame only extends down to the top portion of the grip. The grip and trigger guard are one piece and made of polymer. A 1911 has grip scales, not an entirely polymer or non-metal grip.

Read Next: The Staccato P: Tested and Reviewed

Like the 1911, this pistol has both thumb and grip safeties, and an excellent single-action trigger. The grip angle and shape are optimized for recoil management, and the pistol has an extended beavertail to help with that as well. There’s no traditional barrel bushing, but the P model has a heavy profile bull barrel and a cap to keep the recoil spring on the guide rod.

Out-of-the-box, the Staccato P DPO is optics ready and comes with 2 17-round magazines and a 20-round magazine. Additional magazines are available, but they aren’t cheap.

The Staccato P is expensive, but attainable for many shooters, and most find it to be worth every penny. It’s a slicked-up, nice pistol that’s built for duty.

Key Features

• Capacity 18+1 rounds
• Size: 8.3 inches (L) x 5.6 inches (H) x 1.5 inches (W)
• Weight: 32 ounces
• Barrel Length: 4.8 inches
• Action: Double and single-action, hammer-fired
• Frame: Steel, Vertec profile
• Grip: Thin Vertec grip scales
• Accessory rail: three-slot rail
• Sights: three-dot white, steel, adjustable rear
• Price: $1029

The Beretta M9/92 is one of the most recognizable handguns of the 20^th century and was originally inspired by the Walther P38. The M9 enjoyed a long tenure as a standard-issue U.S. military pistol, and although it’s been replaced in that capacity by the Sig M18, the design is still relevant and evolving.

The M9 has never been my favorite all-around pistol because I don’t care for the double-action first trigger pull after the M9 has been de-cocked. However, it makes one of the best suppressor hosts that I’ve shot. Glocks, Sigs, 1911’s, and others can all work great with suppressors, but the M9’s non-tilting barrel makes it one of the smoothest-shooting suppressed 9mm pistols.

Because the barrel of the M9 doesn’t tilt, it often will cycle without a recoil booster. Not only does the recoil booster make pistols jump off target because it helps the gun cycle, the tilting of the barrel with the weight of the suppressor hanging off the end makes it difficult to shoot quickly without stringing shots out vertically.

The M9A4 Centurion isn’t exactly the pistol we associate with chocolate chip BDU’s and ugly O.D. green fold-over holsters. Sure, the M9 basics are still there, but it’s got a flat dark earth coating, 3-slot accessory rail, and the frame and grip have been re-designed to provide a more vertical, 1911-style feel. Grip scales have been slimmed down and the trigger has been improved. It comes optics-ready with a threaded 4.8-inch barrel. Paired with something like the Silencerco Osprey 2.0, it will put a smile on your face.

Final Thoughts on Best 9mm Pistols

The good thing about shopping for 9mm pistols is that it’s a buyer’s market. No “best” list could ever encompass all the fantastic options on the market, and as the end-user, you can pick exactly what’s best for you. Other great pistols from companies like Smith & Wesson, H&K, FN USA, Walther, and others shouldn’t be written off because they weren’t at the top for me. Even if nothing on this list is the best for you, use it to think about what your application will be, and the characteristics that will help you pick the best 9mm pistols for your needs. That’s what’s most important.