MSRP: $1,375 Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 2.0 (Handguns photo) The fiber optic front sight is easy to pick up, and you certainly won’t miss the bright red or blue of the grips and magazine extension. The benefit of the added weight is a pistol that stays planted and transitions from target to target smoothly and swiftly. The cold hammer-forged barrel measures 4.6-inches long and overall weight is 41.3-ounces, which is more than most Government 1911s. The competition hammer has a lightened spring and that allows for a crisp 7.5 pound DA and 3.5 pound SA trigger pull. The new CZ 75 SP-01 Competition is the latest in a long line of 75 SA/DA competition guns, and like other SP-01 versions it features that include aluminum grips and extended base pads that allow these guns to hold an impressive 21 rounds in the magazine. Perhaps that anecdote speaks poorly of the level of competition at my local club, but I think it also emphasizes what many competition shooters already know: The CZ 75 is a workhorse that can help you win. I once shot an IDPA match where an out-of-town shooter showed up, borrowed a CZ 75 and a holster that didn’t fit that gun, and placed first out of 112 shooters. MSRP: $669 CZ 75 SP-01 Competition (Handguns photo)

Then again, it’s a Ruger, so you probably already expected as much. It’s a dependable, American-made competition gun at an affordable price point. The trigger is pre-tensioned for a clean break, and this gun proved to be very accurate when I evaluated it for Handguns magazine. Magazine capacity is an impressive 17 rounds, and despite weighing just 34 ounces recoil is manageable thanks to a specialized barrel cam design that distributes rearward force and a modular wraparound grip design that allows the shooter to select among the included small, medium, and large grip inserts for a perfect fit. There’s also a cutout in the slide that allows for direct mounting of most popular reflex optics. The slide is ported and wears a durable black nitride finish, and atop it you’ll find a fiber optic front sight and black adjustable rear sight. The largest member of the American Pistol clan, the Competition model comes with five-inch stainless steel competition barrel with a black nitride finish and a 1:16 twist. Ruger American Pistol Competition (Handguns photo) The trigger is crisp and clean, perfect for making center x shots, and the wraparound Adaptive Grip Texture offers superb control and comfort.

Capacity is 17 rounds for the flush fit magazine, 20 for the extended mag and there’s even a 26-round extended option. Each fun comes with a Match-grade forged stainless steel bull barrel in lengths of 4.25 or 5-inches, and you can choose models with iron sights and an AOS optic mounting system or a package gun with a pre-mounted Hex Dragonfly optic. The slide is made from forged carbon steel and features front and rear slide serrations and a Black Cerakote finish. The modular polymer grip module and forged steel frame can endure the rigors of competition, and these pistols come with the Agency Optics System (AOS) with billet steel plates for mounting reflex optics (a Hex Dragonfly base is included, but other bases are available). The long-awaited double-stack 9mm 1911 Prodigy has arrived, and it’s everything we’d hoped. Springfield Armory DS Prodigy (Handguns photo) Here’s a look at our favorite competition 9mms. Regardless of which class you’re competing in there’s a gun on this list for you. In IDPA’s Back-Up Gun (BUG) class semiautos must have barrels less than 3.8-inches and have a maximum of five rounds in the chamber, which is an entirely different gun than you’ll be shooting in open class USPSA matches, for example. there are rules that govern what accessories can and cannot be used in competition. If you’re in the market for a new semiauto for United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) or International Defense Pistol Association matches, here are some great guns for these competitions.ĭepending on which organization and class you compete in.

The more adept you are with your firearm, the higher you’ll finish in each match, but you’re also building the pistol skills you’ll need should you ever find yourself in a violent encounter.

Handgun competitions are great fun, but there’s also a practical side to these competitions.

Best 9mm ammo for competition