The Smith & Wesson M&P 9 M2.0 Compact is a compact striker-fired 9mm built for duty and concealed carry. Smith & Wesson no longer makes it, so it's a used buy. It carried a thumb safety, which the Glock G19 Gen5 does not offer, and interchangeable palmswell inserts for hand fit.

Two 15-round magazines came in the box. The palmswells come in four sizes, so grip circumference and the reach to the trigger change without buying another frame. The slide and barrel are stainless steel under an Armornite finish, with a 1 in 10 twist, and the trigger has a tactile and audible reset. The rear sight is steel with two white dots. There is no optic cut in the slide, so a red dot means machining it or buying an optics-ready model instead.

If you're cross-shopping, the Glock G19 Gen5 matches the count on a 4.02-inch barrel at 7.28 inches overall against the M&P's 7.3, weighs 23.63 oz, and uses backstraps instead of palmswells with no thumb safety on offer. A new Smith & Wesson M&P 9 M2.0 Full Size OR has an MSRP of $699, holds 17 rounds on a 4.25-inch barrel at 29.0 oz and carries an optics-ready slide, so buying new in the same family means a larger pistol and the optic cut with it.