Throughout the years, I’ve reviewed a fair number of handguns. And plenty of those have been 9mm. So it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with which 9mm is best, right?

But I soon realized choosing from the hundreds of pistols of different sizes and configurations currently available would prove difficult.

I decided the best route would be to break the best 9mm into categories based on size — micro, mid-sized and full-sized. Once the self-defense firearms were narrowed down, it was (slightly) easier to determine the best 9mm.

Best Micro 9mm

My choice for the best micro 9mm pistol is the SIG Sauer P365. You can read the full review from March 2018.

It was one of the first micro compact 9mms and undoubtedly one of the best. It has a magazine capacity of 10 to 12 rounds.

With a barrel length of 3.1 inches and weighing only 17.8 ounces, the P365 lives up to its “everyday carry” name.

It’s an excellent pistol: flawlessly reliable, accurate and has a superb trigger. Since my original test, SIG has added an optional ambidextrous 1911-type manual thumb safety, which I prefer.

Best Mid-Sized

After nearly three months of almost daily carry, I believe the 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact 4-inch 9mm with tall sights and optional 1911-type ambidextrous thumb safeties is the best mid-sized 9mm pistol. The M&P M2.0 has a 15-round magazine capacity and weighs 25.8 ounces. The M&P series can be disassembled without pulling the trigger.