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There’s no shortage of micro-compact, striker-fired, optics-ready, 9mms out there, so we didn’t know what to expect when Kimber jumped into this competitive 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 uncommon, double win as both the Editor’s Choice and Great Buy in the micro-sized handgun category.

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.

These pistols carry slightly easier than their full-sized brethren but offer the new shooter plenty of grip length and sight radius, making them great tools for learning how to shot well. The pistols are all extremely reliable and there is a robust aftermarket for them, including holsters, magazines and spare parts. They are also available in optic-ready versions, which is nice, because new shooters benefit immensely from slide mounted dot optics. Find more info on Ballachy.