Best 9mm Compact Pistols [2024]

Bryan Hill / January 20 2024

If you can only own one pistol, get a compact. Why?

Compact pistols can fill the roles of both home defense and concealed carry. They won't serve as well as the specialized types, but get the job done on a tight budget.

Compact pistols can be concealed in a holster on your waist, under a shirt. They can't be concealed with your waist exposed.

Overview

1. Standard Compact Pistols
2. Optics-Ready Compact Pistols

Standard Compact Pistols

These pistols aren't compatible with a red dot sight (RDS),but are cheaper.

1. Under $400
2. $401-600
3. Over $600

Best Compact Pistol under $400

The Canik / Century Arms TP9SF Elite offers unbeatable value for the price. It's like a cheaper, upgraded Walther PPQ M2. Any holsters for the PPQ will fit this pistol. Like the PPQ, it has more mass behind the wrist when you hold it, so design makes the recoil tougher to manage. To offset this, the TP9SF Elite is a bit heavy for its size (1.8 lb. vs. a 1.3 lb. for a Glock 19). If you have lower back problems and are looking for a compact carry pistol, consider a lighter option.

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Best Compact Pistols for $401-600

The Glock 19 is the Honda Civic of pistols. It's a popular, solid choice with tons of aftermarket support. It's the benchmark for compact pistols. If you love Glocks, you can't go wrong here. If you're new to Glocks, make sure you can use the slide release and magazine release easily. Several of my students had issues with them when doing reloads, locking the slide open, clearing jams, etc., and it's no concidence that two of the most common aftermarket upgrades for Glocks are for those parts.

That said, the CZ P-10 C has better controls (the slide release and magazine), a better trigger, and to top it off, it's cheaper. Most Glock 19 holsters work with the CZ P-10 C, too. To make a Glock 19 equal a CZ P-10 C, you'd need to buy $150 in upgrades and install them.

Or, you could just buy a CZ P-10 C and save a bunch of money.

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Best Compact Pistols over $600

The H&K VP9 is the best compact 9mm pistol for lefthanded shooters. It's fully ambidextrous. You don't have to switch any parts around, it just works for both hands. The tradeoff is that it has a paddle magazine release by the trigger guard, instead of the common thumb-button release. It takes some getting used to, but some people love it. You won't know until you try.

It's also the best compact 9mm pistol for shooters with small hands. Why? Two reasons: First, it has tabs at the back of the slide to help you grip it and pull it back (like when you lock the slide open to show clear, or clear a jam). Second, it has the most adjustable grip out of any pistol, ever. You can adjust the size of the back strap, and each side panel. No pistol matches its ergonomic adjustments.

The VP9 also comes optics-ready as the standard for all pistols made in 2020 onward. This is an upgrade that most companies charge an extra $100-150 for, but H&K streamlined their manufacturing and just made it the norm for all VP9s. If only more companies followed this example.

The Walther PDP may otherwise be a better choice. It has a standard magazine release, better sights, and is compatible with red dot optics. It's easier to find holsters for it, too. If you aren't lefthanded and don't have small hands, the Walther PDP offers a better value at this price point.

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Optics-Ready Compact Pistols

These pistols are compatible with one or more red dot sights by default. Check the icon on each entry to see which red dots a pistol is compatible with.

1. Under $600
2. Over $600

Best Optics-ready Compact Pistols under $600

The CZ P-10 C OR is the optics-ready version of the CZ P-10 C, which is like a Glock 19 with $150 in upgrades, but instead of costing $150 more, it costs less. Much less. The optics cut on the CZ P-10 C is also perfectly designed. It's compatible with the rear iron sight instead forcing you to choose between a red dot and a rear iron sight, and it's twice as deep as competitors, so your shots stay more accurate at close range.

Earlier versions of this pistol had normal iron sights, but newer ones have "co-witness" sights that can be seen even while using a red dot. This is yet another free upgrade that other brands charge you for.

The downsides?
They don't come with mounting plates for optics. You'll have to buy your own for around $50.
The aftermarket support isn't as strong as other brands. If you love tinkering, this isn't the pistol for you.

The CZ P-10 C is a $700 pistol that you pay $400 for. Need I say more?

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Best Optics-ready Compact Pistols over $600

The Glock 19 MOS is a solid pick at this price point. If you have other Glock pistols, this is probably your best bet for an optics-ready handgun. If you're new to Glocks, make sure you can use the slide release and magazine release easily. Several of my students had issues with them when doing reloads, locking the slide open, clearing jams, etc., and it's no concidence that two of the most common aftermarket upgrades for Glocks are for those parts.

Another issue is the MOS mounting slot is shallow, and the mounting plates from Glock are unreliable. After a few thousand rounds the plate will fail, throwing it and your optic off of your Glock. Get an aftermarket mounting plate such as the Forward Controls Design OPF plate for the Glock MOS to prevent this.

Otherwise, the Walther PDP offers more value for the money, with better controls (magazine and slide release) and trigger. Better yet, it has the deepest optics slot, and reliable mounting plates that work with every slide-mounted red dot on the market today.

The catch? It doesn't come with mounting plates, but you can request one for free for your specific optic from Walther. Unless you already have other Glock pistols, the real choice here is between the Walther PDP and the CZ P-10 C OR, above.

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