The HK CC9 is Heckler & Koch's answer to the micro-compact carry guns that took over the market, and it goes up directly against the SIG Sauer P365 and Springfield Armory Hellcat. It is 6.03 inches long and 0.99 inch wide, weighs 18.4 oz without a magazine, The question it answers is whether HK build quality and HK controls justify a $699 list price in a gun this size.

HK calls the CC9 the smallest double-stack pistol it has built. It ships with a 10-round and a 12-round magazine, and the slide takes RMSc-footprint dots with no adapter plate. The SIG P365 is 0.23 inch shorter, but the P365 SKU compared here is not cut for an optic. The Hellcat holds 11 in its flush magazine and its grip sits 0.6 inch lower, which matters more for concealment than the CC9's extra length. The FN Reflex MRD costs $23 less and uses a hammer-fired trigger.

Buy the CC9 if you want direct-mount optics, fully mirrored controls, and a grip that adjusts for length of pull in a pistol this small. Skip it if price or the lowest possible grip decides it for you; the Hellcat costs less and hides a little better.