Topic: Best Handguns of 2022, Tested and Reviewed (Read 56 times)
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Sig Sauer P210 Carry Specs
The new Sig Sauer P210 Carry is the latest iteration of one of the most revered and iconic defensive handguns ever made. The biggest changes to the platform include switching the frame material from steel to aluminum and shortening the barrel to 4.1 inches, which puts the overall weight of the P210 at a reasonable 29 ounces.
To further enhance the pistol’s appeal for defensive carry, Sig stocked it with well-executed G10 grips that are machined with a scalloped checkering pattern that give the pistol a secure hold and allow for easy access to the magazine release and safety.
The matte-black grips pair well with the Nitron finish that Sig used on the frame and slide. Coupled with the stout defensive sights—a square notch fixed rear and front post with illuminated dots—there’s no doubt as to the P210’s intended role.
That said, it is a much more refined pistol than your run-of-the mill striker-fired polymer wonder gun. It has a lovely crisp single-action trigger and the most aesthetically appealing safety and slide lock you’ll find on any defensive handgun.
Some shooters might be put off by the P210’s single-stack magazine that only holds eight rounds, but that didn’t bother us in the least. The pistol’s accuracy, speed on target, and overall shootability won us over. If you want an in-depth look at the evolution of the P210 and the P210 Carry, check out Sean Murphy’s Sig Sauer P210 review.
One drawback that does limit the P210’s versatility is that it is configured for right-handed shooters. There’s no way to reverse any of the controls and manipulating them as a lefty is a chore.
Despite this, the P210 rose to the top of the heap in the mid-sized pistol category earning an Editor’s Choice award. co*bining elegance, utility and a good price it is a defensive carry gun with heirloom appeal. —JBS
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Kimber R7 Mako Specs
There’s no shortage of micro-co*pact, striker-fired, optics-ready, 9mms out there, so we didn’t know what to expect when Kimber jumped into this co*petitive field with the R7 Mako. On the one hand, Kimber has built their reputation on creating feature-rich 1911s that offer shooters the custom touches they crave. On the other, it can be difficult and painful for gun makers to try to break into new markets, especially those that are saturated with established players.
But Kimber hit it out of the park with the R7 Mako and so impressed the judges that it earned an impressive, and unco*mon, double win as both the Editor’s Choice and Great Buy in the micro-sized handgun category.
For a micro, the Kimber R7 Mako is remarkably easy to shoot. The smart texturing on the frame, the palm swell and dimensions of the grip, and the mass in the slide make the Mako a co*fortable and accurate shooter.
The trigger is good for this class of pistol, breaking at 5-pounds 3-ounces. It has a sharp reset that was easy to find and was part of the reason the Mako did well during rapid-fire drills.
The pistol co*es with two magazines, one that holds 11 rounds and sits nearly flush with the frame, and another that holds 13 rounds and extends below the grip far enough so that the shooter’s pinkie can grip the gun as well. That ¼-inch difference in length makes a huge difference in the shootability of the pistol, and if you have the choice you’ll definitely want to run that magazine as the primary.
Speaking of the magazine, we were impressed with their construction, how easy they are to load to capacity and with how they dropped free from the pistol and clicked into place with smooth assurance.
The Kimber R7 Mako co*es in two versions, one with an included red-dot, and the other with an optics-ready slide. Ours came equipped with a Crimson Trace CTS-1500. The price difference between the two models is $200, and if you’re at all mechanically inclined you can purchase a CTS-1500 for about $140 and save yourself a few bucks for some extra ammo.
But even with the optic included, we felt the pistol was a hell of a value. And given how well it ran out-of-the box while being smartly configured for concealed-carry use, it earned the Great Buy designation as well.
In this review of the Kimber R7 Mako, I did a deep dive on the gun prior to our test that goes into more detail. But the main takeaway is that even when shot against some stiff co*petition this new gun excelled. It never failed to function and digested everything we put through it. That reliability, co*bined with its refinements and smart design is what makes it a winner. —JBS
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Stoeger STR9-F Specs
If there’s one thing we appreciate at Outdoor Life, it’s a great value, and the Stoeger STR9-F is just that. At half the price of many similar striker-fired pistols, the STR9-F exceeded the expectations of the entire test team. It can be difficult to stand out in the market of polymer pistols, but the STR9-F turned heads.
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 co*fortable 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.
The biggest questions that the team—or any potential customer—might have in-regards to any handgun have everything to do with how easy a pistol is to shoot and how reliable is it? This is especially true if you’re trying to get the most bang for your buck. For any kind of practical-use handgun, affordability only matters if reliability co*es with it. (Read the full review of the Stoeger STR9-F here).
While testing, the STR9-F functioned flawlessly with a wide variety of ammunition, from Federal Premium 115-grain range ammo to Hornady 124-grain and Nosler 147-grain defensive loads. The team like the grip angle and soft recoil cycle—one team member co*pared shooting it to the smooth-shooting Glock G34.
You won’t get fancy packaging or any extra magazines with the STR9-F, but what you are getting is a great value. It’s a simple, reliable pistol that looks good and is a sweetheart to shoot. For three hundred bucks, it’s eye-popping. There wasn’t even a close second for our Great Buy award in the full-size category. -Tyler Freel
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Taurus G3X Specs
In such a star-studded field of handguns to test, a striker-fired polymer pistol like the Taurus G3X with a budget-friendly price tag faces an uphill climb. Higher-profile guns tend to draw the affectionate attention of testers, and the more-affordable guns draw an even more scrupulous examination from the test team—searching for something not to like.
Outdoor Life readers appreciate value in guns and gear—and don’t appreciate being gipped or bamboozled. We search hard for true value and performance, and sometimes a product (handgun in this case) truly stands out as a fantastic value—which means not only is it easy on the pocketbook, but it brings the goods.
There likely wasn’t a handgun in the 2022 Gun test that exceeded expectations as much as the Taurus G3X. This co*pact 9mm is a typical striker-fired poly pistol on the surface, but when being shot, it thoroughly impressed the test team. (Read the full review of the Taurus G3X here).
The G3X is heavily influenced by the design of the Glock 19—which sets the standard for co*pact 9mm pistols (read Best Glocks for more info)—but it also distinguishes itself in ways that the G19 doesn’t. For one, it has the same capacity as a G19, but sports a shorter 3.2-inch barrel—a barrel length that’s closer to micro 9mm territory. This gives it a slight edge for some methods of concealed carry—especially appendix carry.
The Taurus G3X also features re-strike capability with its single-action trigger. This means that if you pull the trigger and the round fails to fire, you can pull the trigger again and it will re-engage the striker, hitting the primer again.
The grip of the G3X was very co*fortable to handle and shoot, and it uses the increasingly-popular fine stipple texture that is a world apart from polymer pistol grips of just a few years past. It’s not abrasive, but gives the shooter ultra-secure traction.
Several members of the test team noted the good quality of the steel 15-round magazines that the pistol co*es with. A bum magazine can ruin a perfect pistol’s reliability, and we were very happy with those that came with the Taurus.
Reliability is paramount for any concealed-carry pistol, but especially for a budget gun. The slightest hiccup plants doubts that are hard to overco*e and are an instant turn-off. The whole test team was pleased with how well the G3X devoured every type of ammo we could throw at it—at an almost non-stop pace. With only some CLP on the slide rails and barrel, it handled everything we could run through it beautifully.
At less than $350, the G3X was a hands-down winner for our Great Buy award for co*pact pistols. Through copious amounts of ammunition, it held right with pistols that were twice the price—or more. -TF
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Nighthawk Custom President Specs
When it co*es to top-end, multi-thousand-dollar pistols, perfection is the standard. Because of that, our test team eyed the Nighthawk Custom President with more scrutiny than just about any other handgun in the test. Value is important to us, and we want to make sure you’re getting an exceptional product for all that coin. At the end of testing, we were pleased to find that the President delivered.
Chambered in the new .30 Super Carry from Federal Premium, the President is a highly-refined single-stack 1911. It co*es with a DLC-coated slide and frame, and the slide has front and rear cocking serrations, as well as weight-reducing cuts that show off the gold-colored titanium nitride finish on the barrel.
The President we received came in a deluxe padded case and was topped with a Trijicon RMR red dot sight with a co-witnessable 14-karat gold front bead sight. The grip is excellent, with fine checkering on the front and back straps, a long beavertail, and large-pocked Railscale grip scales.
Workmanship on the Nighthawk Custom President is wonderfully tight, exemplified by things like the finely-checkered recoil spring plug and muzzle crown that is recessed from flush with the barrel bushing. (Read the full review of the Nighthawk Custom President here).
Looks would all be for naught if the gun didn’t shoot, but it shot as smooth as it looked. The President is heavy—nearly 42 ounces—and that means recoil mitigation. The team felt that the .30 Super Carry loads we fired through the President recoiled about like a 9mm—something the cartridge is designed to ballistically emulate at a smaller diameter. In a heavy, finely finished pistol like the President, that means smooth and fast.
As expected for the price tag, the President functioned flawlessly, and was a dream to shoot. I was able to clean double-spinner targets quickly with little trouble. Although it’s one of a handful of initial .30 Super Carry offerings, we feel that it isn’t really the type of pistol that takes advantage of the cartridge’s attributes. However, we can’t say anything negative about the pistol or its performance. It was one of the best handguns in our test. Although it’s an expensive, niche pistol, we can see what you’re getting for the money. -TF
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Shadow Systems XR920 Specs
The Shadow Systems XR920 is built for the shooter who wants a concealable pistol that doesn’t sacrifice a single round of magazine capacity. To acco*plish this, the XR920 mounts a co*pact slide on a frame that acco*modates 17+1 sized Glock-style magazines.
But as with all of Shadow Systems’ offerings, the XR920 wasn’t created with a purely utilitarian end in mind. It follows the formula for success that this young gun co*pany has built their reputation upon. They take the world’s most popular handgun platform—the Glock—and add all the cool things that a shooter could wish for while keeping the price of the product reasonable.
With the XR920 Elite what you get is an optics-ready slide that’s been machined with a cyberpunk aesthetic with weight-reducing cuts and cocking serrations on the slide’s rear, front, and top.
The barrel co*es with good-looking spiral flutes and can be had threaded if you want.
The frame also has several upgrades that separate it from Glock pistols it is based on. The grip has panels with nicely done stippling on the front, rear, and sides. There are also pads of stippling on the frame for the support-hand thumb. The trigger guard has been thinned out and sculpted. The frame also incorporates a pronounced beavertail on the grip for better control.
Other useful elements include a flared magazine well and accessory rail.
Our sample weighed just 21 ounces, making it a co*fortable option for all-day carry and nearly as light as some micro 9s. Thanks to its ergonomic enhancements, the pistol shoots well. The judges gave it high marks for accuracy, handling, and reliability. (We had zero issues with the pistol during the evaluation.) We mounted a Trijicon SRO on the pistol and were able to get fast hits on paper and steel.
The trigger on the XR920 is just so-so and was the one element we’d upgrade. Our sample broke at 5 pounds 10 ounces and exhibited the heavy take-up typical of stock Glocks.
That’s an easy DIY fix, however.
Other features we liked included the interchangeable back-straps to customize the grip dimensions and the included iron sights, which incorporate a high-visibility front post with a tritium insert outlined in bright green. —JBS
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Colt Python 3-inch Specs
Classic line re-introductions often generate discourse that would make post-election Thanksgiving dinners seem docile, and Colt’s reintroduction of the Python is no exception. This year, Cold expanded that re-launch with a 3-inch barreled model of their legendary Python in .357 Magnum.
Colt’s claim with the new Pythons—including the 3-inch model—is to bring the same level of quality and craftsmanship that the original Pythons were known for. They even set out to improve the strength of the frame by adding some steel under the adjustable rear sight. A die-hard original Python fan might squawk about them not being as good as the original, but we found our test sample to be superb. (Read the full review of the Colt Python 3-inch here).
The Python 3-inch is a piece to look at, and the walnut grips possess an almost intrinsic warmth. The six-shooter scored very high among the test team in aesthetics, handling, ergonomics, and reliability—averaging very good to excellent scores for each category.
Even after running the Python hard, the cylinder spun like butter, and locked up smoothly with no slop. The fit and finish was excellent, and even the seam between the crane and frame almost disappears when the cylinder is closed.
The 3-inch Python isn’t the most versatile of the snake series, and certainly not as accurate as the longer-barreled models. These are the only areas of evaluation that the Python averaged less than “very good” scores. The barrel is just long enough to have that signature Python look and a single vent in the rib running along the top of the barrel. It features an adjustable rear sight and an interchangeable orange-ramp front post if you need to make major changes to your elevation.
We shot the hell out of the Python and enjoyed every minute. At 7 yards, .38 Special loads were a breeze to keep on-target, and we could run full-power Hornady .357 Mag defensive loads quickly and accurately. If we had speed loaders on the range, we may well have melted the thing. -TF
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Taurus TX22 co*petition Specs