The Best New Pistols of 2021

2021 has been one heckuva year. The world is a crazy place, and the last two years have been trying.

The good news is that the firearms industry hasn’t slowed down. We’ve seen the release of some truly awesome firearms, and today we are going to point out the top ten new pistols of 2021. 

1. SIG P365X & P365 380 ACP

SIG’s P365 is one of the most popular carry pistols on the market. SIG has expanded the line to numerous new models, and this year they introduced two very promising variants of the P365.

I’ve tagged them as one gun on this list because, well, it just makes sense. 

 

The P365X brings the best features of the P365XL to a smaller platform. The P365X gives you the XL’s slightly larger grip module for a sure grip, as well as an optic cut for attaching a micro red dot. Heck, SIG even tossed on the X series flat-faced trigger to improve your trigger pull and offer you more control. 

The P365 380 variants haven’t hit our shores yet but bring a lighter, lower recoiling option to the P365 world. The gun promises to use a lighter recoil spring to make charging the weapon easier, and the smaller 380 ACP cartridge promises a much more controllable firearm. 

 

2. S&W Shield Plus

The classic Shield long dominated the concealed carry market, but was starting to feel awfully outdated when the P365 took over.

S&W went back to the drawing board and brought us the Shield Plus.

The Shield Plus offers you a flush 10-round and extended 13-round magazines in a platform hardly larger than the 8-round single stack Shield. 

The Shield Plus is perfect for Shield users looking to carry something with more capacity and firepower. A few extra rounds are a lot better than fewer rounds.

It’s an easy transition, and for looking for an alternative to the P365, here we go. 

3. FN 509 LS Edge 

The FN 509 might not have won the Army’s MHS contest, but it has gained a lot of popularity in the civilian, security, and police markets. Brinks guards now carry FN 509 pistols, and several police departments have adopted the gun, including the LAPD. Various models of the 509 have come to be, but the FN 509 LS Edge might be the very best. 

The LS Edge model is massive. It’s a full-sized, 17-round pistol designed for competitive use but could be one heckuva home defense or duty gun.

This pistol is semi-custom and comes complete with an amazing flat-faced trigger, suppressor height sights, and lightening cuts to improve balance and reduce weight. 

This optics-ready pistol makes it easy to mount a dozen different optics via its plate system. Add a light to the massive rail, and you’re ready to go.

 

4. Ruger MAX-9

Another P365 competitor emerges from Ruger in the form of the Max 9. Ruger did it right with this pistol. 

It’s optics-ready for a micro red dot, has 10-round and 12-round magazines, and comes in 9mm. It’s a very capable pistol designed for concealed carry.

It’s super small, easy to conceal, and the trigger is surprisingly impressive.

It’s very light, and Ruger ensures everyone gets what they want with both manual safety models and non-manual safety options.

Ruger went hard out of the gate with this micro-compact, and I can surely respect that. 

 

5. HK VP9L OR 

2021 seems to be the year of handguns, both big and small.

The VP9L OR certainly sits on the side of being bigger rather than small. It even packs 20-round magazines. 

The L stands for long slide, and it comes with a five-inch barrel and the resulting sight radius for fast and accurate shots. Additionally, that OR stands for Optics Ready, and who doesn’t want an optic on their big pistol? 

The VP9 is already an outstanding pistol, and the longer slide and optics-ready design make it an extremely easy-to-shoot gun. 

This massive gun isn’t great for concealed carry, but for home defense and duty, it’s tough to beat.

 

6. Taurus TX-22 Competition 

Most of the guns on this list are aimed at defensive use, and some double as competition guns. This is the only gun on the list aimed purely at competitive use.

The Taurus TX-22 takes the award-winning TX-22 design and adds an optic and a 5-inch bull barrel.

It’s extremely accurate, holds 16 rounds, and the addition of a red dot adds range and speed to the gun. 

The TX-22 Competition is a big gun that’s easy to handle. With that said, anyone can handle the TX-22. The Competition model reduces the slide to keep things balanced and ensure reliability over thousands and thousands of rounds.

It’s a sweet pistol priced from competition or plinking. 

 

7. Adam Arms AA19 

The Glock 19 has long been the Glock of choice for many shooters. Adam Arms took that design and pushed it forward.

The AA19 gives you a custom Glock right out of the box suitable for defensive use and concealed carry. They redid everything from the frame and slide to the internals and beyond. 

The frame utilizes a different grip angle and implements a higher trigger undercut and slightly longer beavertail. The slide is decked out with deep serrations and is optic cut to accommodate a dozen different optics via a plate system. Plus, they thread the barrel, making it perfect for attaching a muzzle device. They do all this at a great price as well. 

 

8. Glock 48 MOS 

The Glock 48 gave us a single stack Glock 19, which was cool, but the Glock 48 MOS gave us a modern single-stack Glock 19.

This ultra-thin pistol implements an optic cut across the top and a rail system below the barrel. You can implement a TLR-7 SUB and Holosun 507K and have a very modern and carry-friendly pistol. 

The Glock 48 MOS brings you a very capable fighting pistol that’s also very concealable. It makes the original G48 look outdated by comparison, and the MOS addition makes it a tough carry pistol to beat if you don’t mind the extra size. When paired with Shield S-15 magazines, your Glock 48 MOS offers you what’s an effectively a thinner Glock 19. 

 

9. Girsan MC P35

The Girsan MC P35 brings up a Browning Hi-Power clone at a very affordable price point. Since Browning stopped making Hi-Powers, their prices have only gone up.

The MC P35 offers an affordable option for those that want to experience the Hi-Power design without breaking the bank. 

Girsan makes impressive handguns for the price, and the MC P35 follows an already proven design. It comes complete with a 15 round magazine, adjustable rear sights, and famed single-action design the Hi-Power is known for. 

 

10. B&T Station Six 

My final handgun of 2021 is the B&T Station Six. This is a bit of a wildcard as it’s a 9mm or 45ACP, single-shot firearm with an integral suppressor.

This gun traces its lineage back to World War 2 with the SOE and the Welrod pistol. The B&T Station Six is a modern variant of that integrally suppressed single-shot pistol. 

It’s superbly simple and all kinds of cool. It’s a single-shot pistol but does feed from a magazine and works almost like a bolt action design.

It’s simple and offers you all the silence of a suppressor without all the noise of a slide clacking back and forth. I can’t wait to get my hands on a Station Six and silent pop cans in the backyard. 

Conclusion

2021 has been a good year for handguns. This is just the ten best, in my opinion, and there have likely been dozens of other handguns released. With that in mind, what’s been your favorite release? Is it on the list? If not, tell us below!