The single stack 9mm remains one of the most popular carry options out there.
While they are nothing new, the idea has evolved from guns like the P239 into some of the smallest, easiest-to-conceal firearms on the market.
The single stack 9mm is still a viable choice in the world of subcompact pistols, and today, we are going explore some of the best ones on the market.
THE QUICK LIST
How We Chose the Best Single-Stack 9mm Handguns
I’ve spent a lifetime shooting that started in a family that hunted every season they legally could. From there, I joined the United States Marine Corps and spent five years as an infantryman. In the middle of my Marine Corps career, I began writing and have never stopped.
I am an NRA-certified instructor and concealed carry trainer out of Florida, and over the years, I’ve tested various concealed-carry handguns, holsters, and accessories for a myriad of publications, including Pew Pew Tactical.
Best Single Stack 9mm Handguns
1. Best Aftermarket – Glock 43X
When I first saw the Glock 43X, I assumed it was a gun without a home. The Glock 48 looked great for a thin, medium-sized gun, and the Glock 43 was already ultra-small.
It didn’t make sense until I shot one, carried one, and really got some time behind my own. It turned out to be an excellent pistol that, at its core, is best described as comfortable. I’ve called it the central AC of handguns.
The grip is just long enough to fill my hand, giving me total control over the weapon while offering ten rounds on tap. It’s comfy in the hand with minimal recoil.
A shorter barrel makes it easy to carry in any configuration. It’s not too big for OWB and doesn’t poke and prod when carried IWB.
Glock took a few cues from the Gen 5 series. A little overhang at the rear of the gun prevents slide bites, and the controls are well-placed and easy to access.
Accuracy is surprisingly good for the short sight radius, and that extra bit of grip really helps when it comes to mixing speed and accuracy.
The Glock 43X comes in a few different configurations, including a MOS variant that adds a rail and optic cut. And as with most Glocks, you get that well-known and well-respected Glock reliability.
Check out our full reviews of the Glock 43X and 43X MOS!
2. Editor’s Pick – CZ P-10M
The CZ P-10 series has been a successful line for CZ. While the P-10C and P-10F are well-known, the P-10M is often overlooked.
Their P-10M is the micro model of the P-10 series, being the smallest, thinnest model. This little gun is available in 9mm only and holds seven rounds in its single-stack magazine.
CZ took the best features of the P-10 series and shrunk them. These features include the ultra-aggressive grip texture that’s quite useful for holding onto a gun with such a short grip.
While the grip is excellent in the hand, it kind of sucks when it’s rubbing tight and against your body all day — it can be a literal pain.
Size-wise, the P-10M has a nice, thin grip, and the gun is only an inch wide. A barrel length of 3.9 inches and an overall length of 6.3 inches helps keep everything easy to tuck away.
One impressive feature of the P-10M is that CZ recognized that small guns have a short sight radius, and they really pushed the sights as far from each other as possible.
A rail is included for the mounting micro-sized lights and similar accessories. Reliability is top-notch, and the best standout feature, in my opinion, is the trigger. CZ has mastered the partially cocked striker-fired trigger, and it shows here.
The best part is that it retails for about $300, oftentimes less. It’s a killer deal for an excellent handgun.
What do you think of the CZ? Rate it below!
3. Most Ergonomic – Walther PPS M2
One of my first carry guns was the Walther PPS. The original M1 series of the PPS was one of the first single-stack 9mm pistols, and in 2016, the M2 model was introduced.
I remember the M2 being the first micro-sized pistol introduced that was not only optics-ready but included a Shield RMSc optic. It remains one of the few optic-ready subcompact single-stack 9mm handguns out there.
The Walther PPS M2 ditched the M1 trigger guard magazine release for a standard button release, and they rounded out the corners and used the next Walther grip texture.
Another notable upgrade was the addition of a superb trigger. It’s super light and crisp with a consistent pull that makes accuracy easy.
Walther smartly kept the wide variety of magazine capacities available. The PPS M2 can use a six, seven, or eight-round magazine.
More capacity is great, but the magazine allows you to extend or shrink the grip on demand. You can increase control or make it easier to conceal by simply swapping magazines.
The Walther PPS M2 combines impressive and comfortable ergonomics with a higher-performance pistol. It’s an accurate, easy-shooting weapon that’s easy to control and keep on target.
These are reliable, accurate, comfortable pistols; it’s a real shame they never got the attention they deserved.
4. Runner-Up – Beretta APX A1 Carry
People seem to forget all about the APX series. Only recently have I seen any of them getting the respect they deserve.
The latest A1 upgrades have been a game changer for the little pistols that could.
These guns utilize six or eight-round magazines, with the six-round fitting flush and the eight-round providing a bit of a grip extension.
The APX A1 Carry offers several awesome features, with my favorite being an optic cut to accommodate RMSc footprint optics, like the Holosun 507K.
What stands out most is the ergonomics of the grip. It looks a little funky on first inspection, but that changes once it’s in your hand. The bulbous beavertail lets you get a nice and high grip, which translates into some excellent recoil control.
Muzzle flip is noticeably lower on this gun than other guns in the same class. It’s a mere .9 inches wide, making it one of the slimmest, and it’s also one of the lighter options at 19.8 ounces.
The APX A1 Carry trigger is more akin to a duty gun, so don’t expect it to be crazy lightweight or short, but it’s refined and smooth. Reliability has been top-notch, and the APX A1 Carry wears the Beretta name proudly.
Not only is it thinner and lighter than most micro compacts, but it’s also quite affordable. You’re getting a Beretta at a Taurus price point — that’s tough to beat.
5. Best For Weak Hands – S&W Shield EZ
Although the Shield EZ comes in 9mm, .30 Super Carry, and .380 ACP, we are focusing on the 9mm variant.
While the Shield was one of the first massively successful single-stack 9mm handguns, the Shield EZ offers a handgun aimed at shooters with reduced hand strength.
It’s a market that is underserved, and the M&P Shield EZ is currently the best option for that type of shooter on the market.
Operating the slide is one of the biggest obstacles for those with weak hand strength. The EZ helps alleviate that issue, as the grip safety being depressed lets the slide move with ease.
S&W and even wisely designed the magazines to be easy to load. The magazines have assists, allowing you to manually pull tabs on the side of the magazine to lower the follower downward, and you can then insert rounds one by one.
The weapon has an ergonomic grip option that’s a bit longer and wider than most, allowing recoil to be displaced over a wider surface on the hands. The EZ’s longer grip allows your entire hand to grip the gun and provide better control.
The S&W Shield EZ is not the slimmest, lightest, or smallest single stack 9mm, but it is the easiest to operate. My personal favorite is the optics-ready Performance Center model.
Take a look at our full review of the Shield EZ!
6. Lightest Option – Ruger EC9s
The Ruger EC9s is descended from the LC9, which was discontinued a while back.
Ruger’s EC9 replaces the long, double-action-only hammer of the LC9 with a shooter, lighter striker-fired design. It keeps the same relative dimensions and is a classic single-stack 9mm handgun.
Like most things in the Ruger semi-auto world, the EC9s delivers an excellent overall package for a fairly low price point. It’s uber cheap and widely available while being a simple but robust firearm for daily carry.
Admittedly, it’s devoid of features like a rail or optics mount. It’s just a simple, 9mm handgun with a set of iron sights, a seven-round magazine, and a proven track record.
While it might not seem to stand out beyond its affordability, it does have a few features that help separate the single stacks from the micro compacts.
The Ruger EC9s is only .9 inches wide and weighs 17.2 ounces — it’s super light and thin. It’s one of the few 9mms you can put in your pocket.
Although it is one of the smallest 9mms out there, it handles and shoots well enough to avoid being in the painful-to-handle category.
If you only had a few hundred bucks, you’d be hard-pressed to find something more reliable than the EC9s.
Check out our complete review of the Ruger EC9s!
7. Lowest Recoil – Colt Defender
We can’t talk about anything single stack without delving into the 1911 world. Your average 1911 is a big gun, but the Colt Defender series shrinks the 1911 to a subcompact size.
The Defender comes in .45 ACP and 9mm, but 9mm is the one that makes the most sense.
In 9mm, this little gun is very easy to shoot, easy to handle, and downright smooth. Plus, even though it’s micro-sized for a 1911, you get eight rounds in the magazine.
Of all the guns on this list, the Defender might be the easiest to shoot. Weighing 24 ounces certainly helps cut back on recoil, and the Defender won’t beat you up. Keeping the gun on target during that Jeff Cooper-approved El Presidente drills won’t be much of a challenge.
Colt has equipped the Defender with Novak sights that are easy to see, and for 1911 fans, that’s a big deal. Most of you guys are wearing glasses by now, right? I kid, but big sights are nice regardless.
We sometimes give Colt a lot of hell for some of their guns, like the M5 and the All-American, but they do 1911s well. That’s critical because when we shrink, the 1911 reliability becomes a factor.
With the Defender, you get a gun that just works, although, like any 1911, you’ll need to keep it fed with high-quality mags.
It’s bigger, wider, and heavier than the plastic fanatics on this list, but you know what you’re getting into with a 1911. The real downside is the thousand-dollar price tag.
Why The Single Stack 9mm?
When you look at all the micro compacts on the market, you might have a hard time understanding why the single stack 9mm still has a place.
Who wants eight rounds when they can have 10-15 rounds? That’s a great question and one worth addressing.
- Price – Most single-stack 9mm pistols tend to be pretty affordable. It’s not always the case, but they can be cheaper than most microcompacts.
- Size – Single stack 9mms can still be smaller than micro compacts. They can be slimmer and lighter, therefore easier to carry.
- Outside-the-Box Designs – Because they’ve been around longer, single stacks are more apt to have different design features — guns with hammers, DA/SA guns, guns for reduced hand strength, etc.
- State Restrictions – If you live in a state with magazine bans, you can still get the ten-round variants of micro compacts, but that somewhat defeats the point. When you factor in affordability, is it worth spending 200 more dollars for two extra rounds?
Final Thoughts
Does anyone remember when the S&W Shield was first released? They couldn’t produce enough of them, and some stores were charging nearly double MSRP for the weapon.
While those days are over and micro compacts reign supreme, the venerable single stack 9mm is still a capable carry option.
Are single stacks 9mms still worth it to you? What’s your pick? Share below! Still not sold on single stacks? Be sure to take a look at our article on the 9 Best Micro Compact 9mm Handguns!
