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Speaking of the magazine, we were impressed with their construction, how easy they are to load to capacity and with how they dropped free from the pistol and clicked into place with smooth assurance. The Kimber R7 Mako comes in two versions, one with an included red-dot, and the other with an optics-ready slide. Ours came equipped with a Crimson Trace CTS-1500. The price difference between the two models is $200, and if you’re at all mechanically inclined you can purchase a CTS-1500 for about $140 and save yourself a few bucks for some extra ammo. But even with the optic included, we felt the pistol was a hell of a value. And given how well it ran out-of-the box while being smartly configured for concealed-carry use, it earned the Great Buy designation as well.
I believe that the SIG P320 compact is not the best gun to ever exist and nor is it the best 9mm to exist. However, it makes my editor’s choice as the best pistol, because it’s a jack of all trades gun that can efficiently serve as a concealed carry gun, a capable home defense firearm, and a fun range gun. I personally love how the modular design allows it to jump between categories and gives you a higher degree of customization. The gun comes with a rail and metal SIG night sights, as well as an additional magazine. Therefore, because this firearm is in all categories like CCW, home defense, range, and more, I give it the overall best 9mm gun you can check out. You won’t be disappointed if this is your first, or your only gun.
A glance at the left side of the pistol’s frame shows the add-ons CZ included to enhance performance. The safety has an oversized tab that can serve as a shelf for the shooter’s thumb. The magazine release is raised and oversized for easy access and manipulation. It’s tipped with a nicely checkered tab done in the same vibrant green as the pistol’s stocks and the baseplates on the magazines. A substantial thumb rest has been secured to the frame with two Torx fasteners. This shelf allows the shooter to put downward pressure on the pistol with the thumb of the support hand to minimize muzzle flip under recoil. The slide stop has a raised surface with three pronounced steps for easy manipulation as well.
This is my bonus pick because I know that despite my best efforts, someone is going to want a micro-compact gun as their first purchase. It came down to this or the excellent SIG 365 380, but I chose the Ruger for a couple of reasons. First one is that the slide and the controls are easy to manipulate on the Ruger. For an experienced or strong shooter, that’s not an issue, but for a newer, possibly smaller-statured shooter, the Ruger is easier to operate. Second, the Ruger is widely perceived as having the softest recoil for a .380 in its class. While the .380 does recoil less than a 9mm, the recoil from most micro-compact .380 pistols can be off-putting for new shooters. The LCP Max mitigates this through a combination of ergonomics, size and materials. Find even more information on Ballachy.