#Micro-Compact

Del-Ton has been building AR parts and even full rifles for a long time now—but what about pistols? For 2024, the Del-Ton DT20 enters the micro-compact pistol market. The North Carolina-based manufacturer says it has the most magazine capacity in this segment.

One of the most popular micro-compact pistols in the nation has just become a bit more accessible to even more Americans with the launch of the new CA Compliant SIG Sauer P365. The new California-compliant P365 obviously had to go through the rigorous maze that is the California Roster of Certified Handguns.  Aside from the live-fire testing procedures, the pistol also has to be capped at 10 rounds, and feature a loaded chamber indicator, and a magazine disconnect.

I’ve had the opportunity to test out, shoot, and own pretty much every single iteration of the 9mm micro-compact category of pistols. Since the introduction of the SIG Sauer P365, every company has strived to match the groundbreaking and quite honestly “game-changing” features set that the P365 offered concealed carriers and shooters. While FN pistols haven’t been my favorite, there have been some notable releases like the FN Five-seveN as well as the 509 Tactical that have impressed me quite a bit with the Five-seveN being the dream gun of pretty much anyone who has watched Battle Star Galactica or played Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. FN’s newest offering, however, doesn’t have the backup of the silver screen or the video game industry this time, but what does it have to offer? I’ve had my hands on an FN Reflex for a while now and today I’ll share with you my initial thoughts on it, and where I think it falls within the highly competitive market of micro-compact 9mm pistols.

N8 Tactical by CrossBreed Holsters is pleased to announce the expansion of its Xecutive IWB holster line with the introduction of the new Mini Xecutive. This latest addition brings all the customizable features and comfortable performance of the Xecutive holster but is specifically designed to accommodate micro compact single stack 9mm pistols like the SIG Sauer P938, P238, Kimber Micro 9, Ruger LCP, and Smith & Wesson’s Bodyguard.

The Ruger ReadyDot was released earlier this year around the time of NRAAM 2023 to a lot of controversy, and skepticism – and for good reason. It’s blatantly clear that red dot-equipped pistols are quickly becoming the norm within both the competitive and defensive handgun shooting world – if they in fact haven’t already. One of the major advantages that red dots offer to a lot of shooters is a better sight picture overall – especially if you have degraded eyesight. As you start to age, your eyesight tends to get worse and this is why it’s the belief of Scott Jedlinski, a prominent red dot-focused pistol instructor, that going to the red dot will be an eventuality rather than an option if you want to keep shooting as you get older. Beyond that, red dots on pistols offer all shooters a distinct advantage over iron sights in that red dots provide you with a single focal plane sight picture versus a three focal plane sight picture with a set of iron sights (target, front sight, rear sights). In short, it’s an easier way to positively ID a threat while having your sights already on the target. I tend to agree with pretty much all of this and also think that red dots are in fact, the way of the future in terms of what is “normal.” However, red dots often have a lot of drawbacks for newer or uninitiated shooters. First, they’re quite complex to learn not just how to shoot when transitioning over from iron sights, but they’re also quite complex to zero, and there are so many red dots out there that it’s hard sometimes for even seasoned shooters to know what new red dot that has just hit the market will fit which gun – enter the Ruger RedyDot. Today we’ll check out the ReadyDot and see how it performs under a variety of shooting situations to see where it fits in within the pistol red dot world.

FN has a new entry into the 9mm micro-compact pistol category: the Reflex and Reflex MRD.  The pistols come with an 11-round flush fit w/pinky extension magazine and a 15-round extended magazine, and the MRD is cut for RMS-C/Holosun-K optics.  If threats are hiding in the dark, the dustcover is cut for micro pistol lights such as the Streetlight TLR-7 and Surefire XSC as well.  MSRP is $599 for the FN Reflex and $659 for the FN Reflex MRD.

During the EnforceTac 2023 exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany, H&K has given us a few more details on the upcoming SFP9CC micro-compact carry pistol. The SFP9CC will have a ton of features that should make it much easier to adapt to for those coming from a full-sized pistol configuration like the H&K VP9.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at EnforceTac in Nuremberg Germany on February 28, 2023 to see the public unveiling of the impressive, first “one and a half stack” micro compact 9mm handgun from Heckler & Koch: The SFP9CC. This Heckler & Koch pistol will compete directly with pistols like the SIG P365 and Springfield Hellcat. The pistol will be very similar to the successful VP9 series of pistols. The SFP9CC will have a modular chassis, meaning that the fire control unit will bear the serial number, and the operator can swap frames and slides without having to buy another “gun” in the legal sense. The end user can buy one “gun” and then swap frames, slides, and grip panels. At launch, the slides available will be optics-ready and iron-sights-only versions. The two launch frames will both be sized to fit flush with 10+1 round 9mm magazines, but one will have a Picatinny rail and one will not. There will also be six backstraps to choose from: small, medium, or large in beavertail and non-beavertail configurations. This is one of the most exciting pistols to come from H&K in a long time, so make sure you watch the video and make sure to subscribe to TFBTV Show Time to see the rest of the content from EnforceTac and IWA.

The Nemesis holster has seen a fair amount of service as part of my old daily carry routine and today DeSantis Gunhide announced its latest adaptation now capable of hosting micro-compact pistols with optics. The #N38 Nemesis holster is great for those who like to carry in a jacket pocket but are worried about it slipping around and moving from its original position.

Canik USA recently unveiled their new micro-compact pistol, the Canik METE MC9, which makes it the smallest gun in the Canik lineup. The new Canik METE MC9 is slightly smaller compared to the sub-compact, the TP9 Elite SC, with the MC9’s 3.18-inch barrel, 1.12-inch width, and a reduced overall profile. The MC9 comes with both a 12-round and 15-round magazine, which are compatible with the SC mags. The Canik METE MC9 also features an ambidextrous slide stop, and is optics-ready with a Shield footprint.

The latest aftermarket gun part from the folks at Tyrant Designs CNC is here just before SHOT Show 2023! The new SIG Sauer P365 Extended magazine release from Tyrant Designs is machined from high-quality aluminum and provides the user with a much larger surface area to make use of the magazine release which should translate to more consistent and faster reloads.

It’s finally here: James Reeves reviews the Kel-Tec P15 that Kel-Tec teased at SHOT Show 2022, and it’s actually starting to roll out from the factory. The P15 is the smallest, lightest doublestack 9mm handgun on the market and it might be the cheapest micro-compact, too, for $450 MSRP including factory night sights. Does the Kel-Tec P15 meet the hype that’s built up around it? Check today’s video to find out.

The micro-compact 9mm concealed carry pistol market is really starting to give US customers an option for practically every style of concealed carry. Similarly, Taurus has been doing its best to meet the demands of the market while slowly but surely shoring up its quality control which has made them quite competitive despite its past reputation. Today Taurus is bringing a new pistol to market that gives concealed carriers access to yet another option for their daily carry pistol – the GX4 XL T.O.R.O. Similar to the release of the groundbreaking Glock 43X and subsequent release of the Glock 48, the Taurus GX4 XL increases the barrel length to give customers access to a longer sight radius and this time, it’s optics ready from the start. So today we’ll see what the extra inch of length that the GX4 XL has will offer to the customer looking for an affordable carry piece.

It seems that capacity is still king – at least in SIG’s mind. SIG Sauer had myself and TFBTV’s Hop out to their new SIG Experience Center back in July 2022 to get the low-down on not only the new SEC but also their latest compact handgun – the new 17-round capacity SIG P365 X-Macro pistol. This new pistol expands on the idea of the P365 even further by taking elements from the extremely popular P365 Spectre Comp and combining it with an all-new slide design that still manages to be a mere 1.1″ in width even with its 17-round standard magazine capacity. Full details are below!

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves and Ryan brutalize a Mossberg MC2sc micro-compact pistol. Mossberg’s MC2sc entered the already-crowded micro-compact market relatively late with its 9mm 11+1 doublestack micro-compact pistol, so it’s been relatively low-profile, especially considering that Mossberg is more popularly known for its shotguns. Is the durability of the MC2sc on par with the notoriously rugged Mossberg 500 series of shotguns, or is it just a pretender that offers nothing over its competitors? James, who has had a Mossberg MC2sc for nearly a year without shooting it, decides it’s time to subject this compact handgun to a battery of tests including impact, water, mud, and even corrosion. How does it fare? Check the video to find out.