9mm is the default for good reasons. But the .380's case got stronger in the last few years — and for some shooters, it's genuinely the better answer. An honest look at both sides.
The holster decision matters as much as the gun decision — and the fastest-growing carry position is also the most debated. An honest guide to positions, materials, and the gear people skip.
Taurus GX4 review: the best sub-$300 micro-compact 9mm. 11+1 capacity, honest flaws, and our 8.2/10 score.
S&W Shield EZ 9mm review: the category king for easy manipulation. Easy-rack slide, easy-load magazines, and our 8.5/10 score.
S&W M&P9 M2.0 Compact review: the Glock 19's most credible American rival. Grip angle, texture, and our 8.7/10 score.
SIG P320 Compact review: modular, accurate, and controversial. Performance, the FCU system, the ongoing litigation, and our 8.4/10 score.
Ruger Security-9 review: the hammer-fired budget workhorse. Dated but proven, and our 7.9/10 score.
Kel-Tec P15 review: thinnest, lightest 15+1 9mm ever made. Innovative but imperfect. 7.4/10.
HK VP9A1 review: premium German engineering with the 2026 refresh. No finger grooves, extended controls, and our 8.9/10 score.
Hi-Point YC9 review: ugly, heavy, works. The honest $200 gun in hand beats no gun at all. 6.5/10.
Canik METE SFT review: the full-size value monster with a trigger that rivals guns costing twice as much. 8.5/10.
Walther PDP Compact review: the best factory trigger in the compact class. Performance, ergonomics, and our 9.0/10 score.
Taurus GX2 review: the new budget benchmark under $300. Reliability, trigger, honest flaws, and our 8.0/10 score.
Taurus G3c review: the $250 budget king. Reliability, honest flaws, and our 8.0/10 score.
S&W Equalizer review: the easy-rack 9mm with real capacity. Three magazines, reduced slide force, and our 8.3/10 score.
Springfield Hellcat Pro review: 15+1 in a micro-compact frame with a 3.7" barrel. Performance, reliability, and our 8.8/10 score.
Springfield Echelon review: flat-shooting duty pistol with the VIS optic system. Trigger, ergonomics, known issues, and our 9.0/10 score.
SIG P365 review: the micro-compact that changed everything. Specs, performance analysis, known issues, and our 9.2/10 score.
Glock 19 Gen 6 review: the ergonomics update Glock owners waited 15 years for. RTF6 grip, flat trigger, beavertail, and our 9.3/10 score.
CZ P-10 C review: the value sleeper of the compact class. Trigger, ergonomics, accuracy, and our 8.8/10 score.
Canik Mete MC9 review: the most gun for the money in the micro-compact class. Trigger, value, honest reliability assessment, and our 8.2/10 score.
Taurus 856 vs Smith & Wesson 642: which snubnose .38 Special revolver is the better carry gun? We compare capacity, weight, trigger, and value.
S&W Equalizer vs Shield EZ .380: two easy-rack Smith & Wesson pistols compared. Which caliber and capacity is right for shooters prioritizing ease of use?
Hellcat Pro vs Taurus GX4: mainstream micro-compact vs budget contender. How much gun does $300 less actually cost you?
Hellcat Pro vs Canik MC9: two micro-compact 9mm pistols with 15-round capacity compete on trigger, ergonomics, and value. Which wins?
SIG P365 vs P320 Compact: same brand, different size classes. Which SIG 9mm fits your carry style? Capacity, shootability, and modularity compared.
Rost Martin RM1C vs Taurus G3c: the impressive newcomer challenges the budget king. Capacity, trigger, and reliability compared under $450.
Glock 19 Gen6 vs Walther PDP Compact: the new compact benchmark against the best factory trigger in class. Specs, ergonomics, and value compared.
Glock 19 Gen6 vs Canik METE SFT: the new Glock compact against the full-size value king. Trigger, capacity, and carry viability head to head.
CZ P-10 C vs Walther PDP Compact: two dark-horse compact 9mms with outstanding triggers. Specs, shootability, and value head to head.
Colt Python vs Ruger GP100: premium craftsmanship meets workhorse durability. A detailed .357 Magnum revolver comparison covering accuracy, value, and purpose.
The two .22 pistols every new shooter cross-shops: Taurus's 16-round TX22 against Ruger's DA/SA SR22. Trigger, reliability with bulk ammo, and which trainer earns your range bag.
Two guns built for hands that struggle with slides and recoil: the category-defining Shield EZ .380 against Ruger's 15-round Lite Rack Security-380. Which easy-shooter fits you?
The two cheapest serious 9mms in America, compared without snobbery: SCCY's featherweight DAO CPX-2 against the closeout-priced Taurus G2c. Where every dollar goes.
America's two favorite cheap .22 single-actions. The Rough Rider costs less; the Wrangler is built better. Which cowboy rimfire deserves your range afternoons?
A $700 tank chambered in .357 against a $320 six-shot .38. The small-revolver decision most buyers actually face, with honest weight, recoil, and value math.
Sixty years of rivalry: Ruger's one-button-takedown Mark IV against Browning's sweet-triggered Buck Mark. An honest guide to the two best target .22s money buys.
The two best pocket .380s ever made, head to head: Ruger's proven 10+1 LCP MAX against S&W's class-shaking Bodyguard 2.0. Trigger, sights, shootability, verdict.
The Glock 44 mimics your carry gun. The TX22 is simply the better standalone .22 — more rounds, better trigger, less money. Which training philosophy wins?
Glock's soft-shooting 6+1 .380 against Ruger's 10+1 pocket rocket. The classic small-gun tradeoff — comfort in the hand versus disappearance in the pocket — settled honestly.
The resurrected Python against the 7-shot 686 Plus — the two finest production .357s you can buy. Fit, finish, trigger, and whether the Colt premium is craftsmanship or tax.
Same trigger DNA, different missions. The micro GX4 vs the subcompact GX2 — size, capacity, optics options, and which one you'll actually carry.
Taurus's GX2 borrows the GX4's trigger and undercuts everything. Does the G3c still have a reason to exist? An honest budget-9mm family fight.
Smith & Wesson's two great .357 wheelguns: the classic K-frame Model 66 against the 7-shot L-frame 686 Plus. Weight, durability, shootability, and who should buy which.
Two serialized-chassis 9mms, two very different 2026 stories. P320 Compact vs Echelon on trigger, optics mounting, ecosystem, and the questions buyers are actually asking.
A 14-ounce, 20+1, stripper-clip-fed 5.7x28 against the 9mm that defines the class. The strangest carry-gun comparison of 2026 — taken seriously.
The Kel-Tec P15 is the thinnest, lightest 15+1 9mm made. The SIG P365 is the gun everyone measures against. An honest look at which micro-compact earns your holster.
HK's refreshed VP9A1 against Walther's PDP: trigger feel, ergonomics, optics readiness, and price. Which German striker gun deserves the nightstand?
Glock 19 or SIG P320 Compact? Specs, shootability, modularity — and a factual, sourced look at the P320 litigation record so you can decide with full information.
The $430 Canik METE SFT against the Springfield Echelon. How much of the flagship experience does the value gun actually deliver — and where does the extra money go?
Under $450, full-size, home-defense ready: Canik's METE SFT against Ruger's Security-9. Trigger, capacity, optics, and where each dollar actually goes.
GX4 or MC9? The $250 price king against the $350 value monster: trigger, optics cut, box contents, and carry weight compared honestly for budget micro-compact buyers.
Shield EZ or Equalizer? Same easy-rack slide, but 8+1 with load-assist tabs vs 15+1 optics-ready. The one difference that should actually decide it, explained honestly.
Echelon or PDP? The flattest-shooting duty 9mm with plate-free optics against the best factory trigger in the business. The closest matchup we've published, decided honestly.
LCR or 642? The best factory snub trigger ever made against sixty years of J-frame tradition. An honest .38 Special pocket-revolver comparison with a clear recommendation.
GP100 or 686 Plus? The overbuilt tank vs the 7-shot thoroughbred — an honest full-size .357 Magnum comparison for the home-defense revolver you'll own for forty years.
P-10 C or Glock 19? The CZ ships the trigger and grip Glock owners buy aftermarket — for less money. The Glock ships the ecosystem. An honest compact 9mm showdown.
G3c or Security-9? The two best sub-$300 defensive 9mms compared honestly: carry vs nightstand, restrike striker vs hammer-fired, 12+1 vs 15+1. Pick by mission, not brand.
P365 or Hellcat Pro? One wins on concealment and trigger, the other on capacity and price. An honest micro-compact 9mm comparison with specs, recoil, and who should buy which.
Glock discontinued the Gen 5 — so should you grab a closeout G19 Gen 5 or pay ~$150 more for the Gen 6's beavertail, RTF6 texture, and flat trigger? Honest side-by-side.