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Budget pistols can get a bad rap for fit, finish, and ergonomics, but those are areas that the STR9-F did well in. Although the workmanship and aesthetics of the pistol averaged fair to good among the test team, we found the handling and ergonomics to be good to very good. The Stoeger STR9-F is built with some similarities to both Glock and Smith & Wesson M&P pistols. It’s simple, but with a comfortable grip and good stippling texture. Some shooters found of the shape and contour of the grip to be easy to handle—and even preferable to some other stock grips. The Frame of the STR9-F features a 3-slot accessory rail, and the rounded slide has aggressive front and rear cocking serrations. Simple white 3-dot sights top it off.
When the Sig p365 first came out, it was a game-changer and I had to get my hands on it. They squeezed a double stack’s capacity into a single-sized gun. The P365 is small and light, so it’s easy to carry and comfortable for most shooters of all sizes. The P365 is a purpose-built concealed carry gun that comes in capacities of 10, 12, and even a 15-round extended magazine. I personally love the combination of the size and feel of the gun. If you are interested in other versions of the p365, they also have the p365 xl which has a larger capacity, and the Sig p365 SAS which has been slimmed and smoothed so as to not snag. The P365 is a great gun but is still a subcompact pistol, so it can be challenging to shoot compared to the more massive firearms on this list. With proper self-defense ammunition, the weapon can be a little snappy, so practice makes perfect.
When you add in the adjustable target sights, the crisp single-action trigger, the overall heft of the pistol (it tips the scales at a beefy 49 ounces) you end up with a gun that shoots, “almost on autopilot,” as one of our judges put it. In fact, the only critique I can offer falls under the category of sour grapes. That is that it is optimized for right-handed shooters. Lefties, such as myself, need not apply. I still had a blast running the gun but was a bit jealous of my colleagues who could take full advantage of the TS2 Racing Green’s configuration. You can check out Tyler Freel’s glowing review of the CZ TS 2 Racing Green here.
Sometimes, pistols get included on lists like this because they represent the newest technology and the latest materials. Sometimes, they new renditions of nearly-100-year-old designs made of wood and steel that are proven and easy to shoot. This is the latter. The SA-35 is a Browning Hi-Power clone introduced last year and built with improved materials and on better machines. It’s a solid steel, full sized pistol that still manages to fit easily into every hand and is heavy enough to dampen recoil but not so heavy as to induce fatigue. It is a legendarily balanced pistol. The SA-35 lacks some of the more modern features that many shooters want, such as an equipment rail and an optic cut, but it does have great sights and a light, crisp trigger. The SA-35 might not be the gun I reach for when the commies start parachuting in like Red Dawn, but it is the one I reach for when I want a new shooter to have fun and enjoy shooting. See even more details at Ballachy.