Best Tactical Pistols

The title of this article might have you thinking, what makes a pistol tactical? Tactical means of tactics, and it’s a term that gets tossed around the gun world a bit too much. Is a stock standard revolver tactical if used in a tactical manner? Anything can be tactical, and in the gun world, most things are tactical or at least labeled as such. Defining what a tactical pistol is is the first step in picking tactical pistols.

Features of Tactical Pistols 

With that in mind, a tactical pistol is an ultra-modern design. It’s the bleeding edge of modern handguns. I think a tactical pistol needs to have a few qualities to make the list. Not all are necessary, but a combination of the following helps make it a tactical option. To be a tactical pistol, the gun needs to be optics-ready. That’s step one. 

Next, it should come ready with an accessory rail for lights, lasers, and similar items. We should also see features like suppressor height sights, threaded barrels, or maybe bonus features that aren’t quite common but give the pistol an added edge. Things like compensators, extended magazines, and ambidextrous controls certainly help. 

These guns should come in a modern caliber with a competitive capacity. I’m talking double-stack magazines at a minimum. We should also see a degree of ergonomic modernization with the weapon. Small improvements that make it stand out compared to the standard world of pistols.

Best Tactical Pistols 

Best Tactical Pistols

Best Overall Arex Delta Gen.2 Tactical		Optics Ready Threaded Barrel Cowitness Ready Sights	Check It Out
Best Budget Lionheart Vulcan Tactical		Double Action + Trigger Accelerator Grips Optics Ready	Check It Out
Best Optic Ready HK VP9 Tactical O.R.		Optics Ready Cowitness Height Sights Grip Customization	Check It Out
Best Ambidextrous FN 509 Tactical		Optics Ready Cowtiness Height Sights Extended Magazines	Check It Out
Best Concealed Carry SIG P365 XMacro		Integrated Compensator 17 round magazines Optics Ready	Check It Out
Best Versatile Springfield Armory Echelon		Ambidextrous Controls Easy to Use Optics Ready	Check It Out
Best Ergonomics Staccato P2		Optics Ready Cowitness Height Sights Low Recoil Design	Check It Out

Best Tactical Pistols Reviews 

Arex Delta Gen.2 Tactical Review

One of the best options you can get at a great price is the Arex Delta Gen.2 Tactical pistol. The Arex Delta Gen.2 builds on the earlier model by making a more modern, more ergonomic pistol that pushes the limits. Somehow, they did all this and produced an extremely affordable pistol at the same time. The Arex Delta Gen.2 series are polymer frame, 9mm handguns, and the Tactical model incorporates a number of features that push the gun into the tactical world of handguns. 

This includes an optics-ready option with a number of plates to accommodate a ton of different optics. The gun also incorporates a set of suppressor height iron sights and a threaded barrel. Of course, the Arex Delta series comes equipped with rails for lights, lasers, and more. If tactical was on a gauge, it would be pegging to the right hard. It really swings in with all the points. 

Beyond a set of neat and shiny features, we get a solid pistol. The trigger is flat-faced and provides a fairly crisp and light pull. It’s not a match trigger, but it’s not bad for a duty-style handgun. The magazine release is extended and quite impressive. It comes setup for right-handed shooters, but an included button allows you to swap it for lefties. 

My favorite feature of the Arex Delta Gen.2 Tactical pistol is the grip. Somehow, they found a way to make a grip that houses a double-stack magazine quite svelte. It just fits perfectly in your hand, and the grip is designed to encourage a nice high grip on the gun, which allows for excellent control overall. 

While the Arex Delta series isn’t as proven as other, more popular gunmakers, it’s performed without a problem at the range. I’ve become a huge fan of the Arex Delta series, and the Tactical model is a shining light in an affordable collection. For less than 500 bucks, you are getting a fantastic weapon. The downside is that the aftermarket sucks, and finding holsters can be tricky.

Arex Delta Gen.2 Tactical Pros and Cons

Lionheart Vulcan Combat Review

Lionheart brings us a relatively unknown pistol at a much higher price point. While some may frown at the price, one really needs to shoot this gun to experience and enjoy it. The Lionheart Vulcan series are hammer-fired DA/SA guns, and that scores major points with me. I love DA/SA guns. The Vulcan series falls into that realm of compact firearms that are roughly Glock 19-sized. 

The Vulcan Combat brings us a pistol full of all the features you want from a modern handgun. Of course, it is optics-ready and features a Shield RMSc optic cut. What’s neat about the optic cut is the fact the optic sits low enough in the slide to cowitness with the standard height iron sights. Those iron sights are SIG P365 compatible in case the stock sights aren’t for you. The barrel is threaded, and we get a nice rail for all kinds of accessories. 

Beyond all the standard tactical features of the Vulcan Combat, we get something we’ve never seen before. The grip design is unique and features what Lionheart calls an Accelerator cut. This places a special thumb rest that is designed to drive the gun downward and to keep the muzzle rise to an absolute minimum. Another neat feature that goes along with the optic cut is a MultiTasker Nano2 optic tool built into the magazine base pad. 

The Vulcan Combat features a double action + trigger design that allows you to decock the pistol simply by pressing the hammer forward. It’s intuitive, easy to use, and really simple. Once decocked, the trigger pull remains long but is much lighter. The trigger is absolutely outstanding and delivers a sweet, short, and awesome trigger pull. 

The Vulcan Combat’s main downside is going to be the price tag. It costs $1,899 dollars. That’s a tough sell for a lot of people, but man, you can’t say it’s not a unique design. 

Lionheart Vulcan Combat Pros and Cons

HK VP9 Tactical O.R. Review

When tactical is in the name, you can expect something pretty awesome. The HK VP9 Tactical O.R. is what happens when HK pushes the gas pedal to the floor on the VP9 series. I’ll give you two guesses what O.R. stands for, but I bet you’ll only need one. If you don’t like games, O.R. stands for Optics Ready. HK is famously great at making guns but slow at making them better. With that said, the HK VP9 O.R. took things to the next level. The HK VP9 Tactical O.R. gives us all the tactical goodness we could ever want. 

The HK VP9 Tactical O.R. uses a series of adapter plates, so you can use any number of dozens of optics out there with your HK. This includes popular options like Trijicon, Holosun, and many more. The gun comes with suppressor height sights that make it easy to co-witness with your optic. The barrel is also threaded, so you might be using suppressor height sights for an actual suppressor. To top off the tactical features, a rail lets you attach whatever accessory you could ever want. 

One of the VP9’s best features is its ergonomics. The ability to truly customize the grip takes things to the next level. In training new shooters, I’ve found the VP9 to be one of the best weapons for those with smaller hands. Plenty of smaller shooters flock to the VP9 once it’s set up properly. 

As you’d imagine, HK would refine the striker fire trigger to a new level. It’s not like most Glocks or M&Ps. It’s more refined, more consistent, and lacks the plastic-on-plastic feeling of most striker-fired handguns. The K Vp9 O.R. Tactical might be HK’s most modern pistol, and it’s certainly an outstanding option for self-defensive, duty use, or the competitive market.

HK VP9 Tactical O.R. Pros and Cons

FN 509 Tactical Review

I remember the MHS contest like it was yesterday. I remember hearing about entries from SIG, S&W, and FN and wondering without much patience about which one would win. Eventually, we all know SIG took the crown, but FN wasn’t going to let their FN 509 pistol fade away. Unlike other FN pistols, the FN 509 would receive FN’s full support. The FN 509 went on to become the LAPD’s pistol of choice, and FN released an arsenal of 509s, including the 509 Tactical. 

Listen, I swear I followed my rules about picking tactical pistols. It’s not my fault they have tactical in the name. The FN 509 hits that sweet tactical milestone with features like the FN optic’s cut and plate system that gives you access to a number of optics for the FN 509 series. These include all your favorites, and it’s a fairly robust system. FN backs your optic up with suppressor height iron sights that are even shielded to prevent the rear sight from getting bent. 

The barrel is threaded, and I hate feeling like a broken record, but the gun does feature an optic rail. Tactical guns are not supposed to be small guns, so the gun’s 24-round magazines aren’t afraid to be a bit longer than most. I applaud the use of bigger magazines, especially for a weapon designed for tactical use. Tactical use is self-defense in our case, but there is also the competition circuit that appreciates such things. If you want flush-fitting, then you also get a 17-round magazine, but that’s nowhere near as fun. 

FN invested heavily into the idea of a modern pistol, so it’s not a surprise the controls are ambidextrous. Who wants a right-handed only option? FN also uses a cold hammer forged barrel with a target crown to drive the accuracy up to levels a bit higher than awesome. What I pick on most with the FN 509 series is the dedication to an average trigger. If I’m spending a grand, I want more than average.

FN 509 Tactical Pros and Cons

SIG P365 XMarco Review

Most of the pistols on this market have focused on the full-sized crowd. They’ve been duty-sized guns, more or less. They aren’t your typical concealed carry pistols. That doesn’t mean a concealed carry gun can’t be tactical. The SIG P365 XMacro, for example, might be as tactical as a pistol gets and still maintains the possibility of concealed carry. The SIG P365 XMacro takes the P365 to the next level. 

It’s not as small as the P365, but it is still smaller than every other pistol on this list. This svelte and thin pistol still offers you 17 rounds of 9mm without making concealed carry too tough. The P365 XMacro gives us a smaller-than-compact pistol that provides us with a number of tactical features. Mounting optics is easy with the RMSc mounting platform, and there are plenty of great optics just waiting for you. 

The XMacro series doesn’t feature a threaded barrel. Instead, it gives us an integrated ported barrel and slide to create a compensator that’s built into the gun itself. This compensator makes the gun feel and handle more like a full-sized gun than a compact pistol. Compensators aren’t for everyone, but they can be an extremely effective tool for a self-defense pistol. The XMacro features a rail for lights and accessories. The rail is perfect for the TLR-7 SUB. 

Across the top, a set of night sights set things off, but sadly, don’t co-witness with the mounted optic. At the range, the gun handles deceptively. It’s got a great trigger, and the gun’s frame and size feel great in the hands of any shooter. 

The XMacro breaks convention and doesn’t feel bogged down by the expectations the gun-owning community places on what a compact pistol should be or what a tactical pistol should be. 

SIG P365 XMacro  Pros and Cons

Springfield Armory Echelon Review

The Springfield Armory Echelon was a nice surprise for shooters. Springfield and HS Produkt has traditionally brought XD pistols to the world of handguns, but the XD series wasn’t universally beloved. It seems like both companies took the criticism to heart and produced a gun that was radically different. The Echelon is an advancement on the XD and was such an advancement that it rated an escape from the series. 

The Echelon packs on the tactical pounds with the best multiple-optic mounting system I’ve ever seen. The VIS uses a series of threaded slots and removable recoil bosses to accommodate a ton of different optics. It doesn’t need plates and sits the optic so low that your normal sight co-witness with most optics. The Echelon comes with a threaded barrel if the user opts for it, and, of course, a rail for all your accessories. 

One bonus feature is the use of the COG system, which uses something similar to the SIG’s FCU. You can remove the fire control unit and swap between different grip modules that are properly sized for different hands. The Echelon is a 9mm only, striker-fired handgun that comes with 17-round magazines. The Echelon is a fantastic pistol with an excellent trigger and an outstanding grip design. 

It’s slim and svelte. If the stock is too big or too small, there are two other grip modules available that are sized differently. They just launched a shorter 15-round magazine rip module that’s a bit more compact for daily carry. 

The Echelon handles like an absolute dream. It’s super easy to shoot and works well for quick and rapid-fire shooting, as any duty or tactical pistol should be. Hitting the range reveals the Echelon made some smart departures from the XD series. Little features like ambidextrous controls top everything off. As of right now, the biggest downside is that it’s not as proven as competing designs.

Springfield Armory Echelon Pros and Cons

Staccato P Review

Staccato, once known as STI, used to be the foremost producer of 2011 pistols. In fact, they own the 2011 trademark. Their previous firearms were mostly aimed at the competitive market, and to be fair, their guns have won more championships than everyone else. With the Staccato P the game changed a bit, and Staccato leaned into the world of tactical shooters. The Staccato P is their premier defensive and duty gun. It’s popular enough that the US Marshal’s SOG Team adopted it, as well as the elite LAPD SWAT unit. 

The Staccato P uses double-stack magazines to give you a total of 17 rounds. Of course, there are magazines with higher capacities. The P comes with an optics-ready design with a removable plate and iron sights that can co-witness with the optic. A full-length rail across the bottom gives you plenty of room for accessories. The gun is all metal, and Staccato went with the slightly shorter 4.25-inch commander-length slide and barrel paired with a full-sized grip. 

The Staccato P comes with the 1911-like single-action trigger you can’t help but love. Of course, they stick to their race gun roots with a rock-solid trigger that’s super lightweight with an uber-short reset. The Staccato P comes with an integrated magwell, a massive beavertail, and ambidextrous safety. It’s tough to argue with the ergonomics of the M1911, and outside of a thicker grip, the Staccato captures the M1911 well. 

The big grip, with its polymer insert and mostly metal frame, delivers very light recoil. Recoil that is super soft and easy to control. The Staccato P series is perfect for shooters who want to shoot fast and straight. Every single piece and part of the gun is handcrafted and designed to be top-tier. The downside to all that is the price. These are expensive pistols. 

Staccato P Pros and Cons

Why A Tactical Pistol? 

Why go tactical? Tactical pistols tend to offer you the best bang for your buck. They offer a blank canvas to attach all manner of accessories and goodies that will take your gun to the next level. Being able to mount suppressors, optics, lights, and more might not be necessary at first, but give it enough time, and you’ll be itching for your next accessory. From a defensive standpoint, these guns offer you access to the most modern goodies to make your firearm more effective and easier to handle. 

Choosing which one seems to be the hardest part. There are tons and tons of different options out there, and heck, I couldn’t narrow it down past seven. Hopefully, we’ve given you a few options to consider. Which would you go with? Let us know below.