#Best compact 9mm for women series

Three of the 13 best handguns we tested were throwbacks to guns that were originally made in 19. But somewhat surprisingly, there’s some nostalgia at play. Thirty-eight of the handguns we tested fit in this category. It seems like everyone wants one and that everyone is making one. The first is the continuing popularity of ultra-compact 9mms. We saw three centerfire handgun trends this year. Best Centerfire Handguns: Reviews & Recommendations And, since this is Field & Stream, where you come to find the best information on hunting, fishing, camping, and survival, we selected what we felt was the best overall handgun for the outdoorsman. We also recognized the handgun that offered the best value, and the revolver we thought was the best of the three tested. Sabastian MannĪfter all this, we discussed the results, argued opinions, and then named the Editors’ Pick for the best handgun of the year. Every handgun in our test was shot extensively by multiple shooters and with multiple loads. We added everything up for a possible total of 100. Shooting Comfort/Shooter Interface (1-10 points).Suitability for Self-Defense/Carry (1-10 points).Practical Drill Performance (1-15 points).All the drills were scored, and we then awarded points in the following categories: For those that we wanted to investigate further, that had a stoppage, or that we really enjoyed shooting, we fired two to three times that much.

We fired a minimum of 200 rounds through each handgun. It’s a drill where easy-shooting guns with good sights stand out. But at the same time, it requires a shooter to see the sights and deliver fast and accurate hits. This drill is a great measure of how hard the recoil of a handgun is to control. Called the Forty-Five Drill, it requires you to draw from the holster and fire five shots into a 5-inch circle at 5 yards in less than 5 seconds. The third drill was my standard evaluation drill when evaluating defensive handguns. After drawing the gun, we hammered two quick shots to the torso and then-as fast as possible-made a precision shot on a swinging head-plate. We modified the drill to help us better evaluate our interface with each handgun while under pressure, and strived for a par time of 2 seconds. Normally, this drill requires double-tapping a torso target at five yards twice, evaluating the effects, and then firing a head shot if needed. The second drill was a version of the Failure Drill. Federal provided 9mm HST ammo and it was used to test every 9mm handgun. This drill allowed us to evaluate how well we could transition between the targets with each handgun while getting fast hits along the way. The goal in this drill was to get two hits each on three IPSC-size silhouette targets at 10 yards as fast as possible. The first was a 6-shot rendition of the El-Prez Drill without a reload.

#Best compact 9mm for women series

Then, working from holsters, we ran each gun through a series of timed defensive drills. Two of our shooters tested every new handgun for precision by shooting three, 5-shot groups from a sandbag rest at 10 yards, with at least two different loads. Best Value (Rimfire) : Heritage 6.5” Rough Rider Black Tactical Cowboy.Best Overall (Rimfire) : Taurus TX22 Competition SCR.Best for Outdoorsmen: Colt Python 3-inch.Best Revolver (Centerfire) : Korth 2.75-inch Carry Special.Best Overall (Centerfire): Wilson Combat SFX9.We also needed help with ammunition, targets, and holsters, and without Federal, Buffalo Bore, Thompson Targets, and Galco, our test of the best handguns would not have been possible. This gave us a balanced opinion of experienced shooters, aged from 22 to 57 years. So, to help with the test, I invited Field & Stream senior editor, Matthew Every trained law enforcement SWAT officer Will McGuire and graduate of Gunsite Academy’s 250 pistol course Sebastian Mann. I use the word “we,” because one shooter cannot provide a practical evaluation of how a group of handguns might appeal or interface with different people. We’d like to help prevent that, and it’s why we conducted a test at my home and private range in West Virginia to evaluate as many of the year’s latest, most popular handguns as we could find. If you’re one of the thousands of people looking for a new handgun, the last thing you want is to experience buyer’s remorse the first time you take it to the range. But guns cost money and with inflation, money is tight. More people are buying handguns than ever before, making them the best-selling firearms in America right now.