Micro 9mm Shootout

 

Micro 9 Shootout

 

In this write-up we will be covering 3 popular choices in the category of handgun some know as the “Micro 9”. These are handguns chambered in the popular 9mm cartridge that are desirable for concealed carry due to their size; they are smaller, thinner, and weigh less than a standard sized handgun. Micro 9mm pistols have existed for some time, but most offerings were limited in capacity and shoot-ability. Micro handguns by nature suffer from higher recoil, but modern advancements in technology and engineering bring micro pistols that are easier to handle and have capacities similar to full sized handguns.

The three guns we will be discussing are:

-Springfield Hellcat RDP

-Glock 43X

-Sig Sauer P365XL

 

First impressions:

Springfield Hellcat RDP

Springfield Hellcat RDP

Springfield Hellcat RDP Field Stripped

Springfield Hellcat RDP Sight Picture

First, we will be discussing the Springfield Hellcat RDP. The RDP model of the Hellcat comes with a Shield SMSc red dot sight and a threaded barrel fitted with a compensator. The compensator is noticeably large for a small handgun, giving the impression it will help significantly in recoil reduction. It is the same width as the handgun’s slide and extends out roughly an inch from the end of the slide, something to keep note of for holster choice. The gun also comes with a thread protector, should one choose to not use the compensator. The pistol also comes with 2 magazines, one 11 round magazine with a pinky extension and one 13 round magazine also fitted with a pinky extension. The 11 round magazine comes with a replacement baseplate that will flush the bottom of the magazine with the handle of the pistol, which would aid in shortening the grip for even more concealment, but also reducing the handling due to only being able to fit 2 fingers around the handle of the pistol.

With a pinky extension on the magazine, it is comfortable to hold the Springfield Hellcat. The grip features rough/aggressive texturing to reduce the chance of slipping and maintain a full grip on the gun when in use. The texturing wraps around the handle, and some texturing is present on sides of the frame near the takedown lever for the user to rest their thumbs when gripping the handgun. These are good design choices. The texturing is not in places that it would otherwise force users to use an unconventional grip or get in the way for those who have different sized hands. The frame of the gun also features a rail for lights or lasers.

The iron sights on the Hellcat are nice. There is a bright yellow front sight post with tritium inserted for low light conditions, and the rear sight features a white U shape. This iron sight combination is easy to line up, the “U” shape on the rear sight aids in sight alignment significantly. The iron sights are standard height, but they are still able to be co-witnessed through the window of the Shield red dot that came with the gun.

Red dot sights are becoming common place on handguns, and for good reason. There is less time involved with focusing on the front sight post and aligning the rear sight. The red dot is target focused, meaning the user focuses on the target, and places the dot on where they want the round to go. This is a nice touch for a conceal carry handgun such as the Hellcat, and many micro 9mm’s are coming from the factory already cut for the ability to accept a red dot sight.

Taking down the gun is similar to most 9mm striker fired handguns of today. The slide is to be locked to the rear, the takedown lever rotates upwards, the trigger is pulled, and the slide moves forward and off the gun. Looking at the internals, there are a lot of similarities to the Glock series of handguns; the placement of the firing pin safety plunger and the striker assembly look a lot like the inside of a Glock handgun. The feed ramps for the barrel of the hellcat are polished from the factory, which aids in feeding rounds into the chamber. The frame when the gun is field stripped also looks reminiscent of a Glock. The locking block and trigger assembly are in similar position and aesthetically are similar. This is not a con, but a notable trait.

Dry firing the hellcat, the trigger pull is smooth and comparable to that of a Glock. Smooth take up, notable wall, and then break. There is no grittiness, and over time it is expected to become smoother and softer. The reset is also audible and tactile.

 

Glock 43X

Glock 43X

Glock 43X Field Stripped

Glock 43X Sight Picture

Secondly, we will discuss the Glock 43X. The 43X is what Glock calls a “cross-over” pistol. It has the short slide of a Glock 43, but with a longer grip. In this case, the Glock 43X shares the same grip length as the Glock 19. Where the 43X differs is in width and is a single stack with factory magazines. The Glock 43X comes from the factory with two 10 round magazines, making this the Micro 9 with the smallest capacity in this write-up, however this 43X has been modified slightly to accept aftermarket magazines from the company Shield Arms, which are the same size as the factory Glock 10 round magazines, but have no polymer coating and hold 15 rounds. The lack of the polymer coating of the 15 round magazines requires the user to switch the stock plastic magazine release for a metal one, also available from Shield Arms. This would be considered a con in our opinion, having to seek aftermarket solutions for a gun to compete with other factory offerings, Glock should be taking note.

There are two current offerings of the Glock 43X. The base model Glock 43X which is what is being reviewed, and a Glock 43X MOS, which comes from the factory cut for a red dot sight with the Shield SMSc footprint, and a rail for mounting flashlights or lasers. The base model Glock 43X does not have a rail, nor is it optic cut. There is a flashlight offering from Streamlight that will mount directly to the frame of a Glock 43X but is limited in terms of output compared to what will fit on the MOS version’s rail. This 43X came with steel Ameriglo night sights, with a bright orange front post with tritium inserted for low light conditions, and a blacked-out rear with two small tritium inserts. The stock plastic sights that come with Glocks normally will suffice, but these are much better in terms of rigidity and ease of use. These sights are easy to pick up and align. These are available from the factory on some 43X models but may be more difficult to find.

The Glock 43X is a comfortable handgun to hold and present. It fills the hand and allows users to wrap all fingers around the handle. There is texturing, but it is not nearly as aggressive as the Hellcat or P365. The magazine well is also flared and extends slightly creating a shelf for the users’ pinky. The beaver tail of the grip is extended to reduce the risk of slide bite. All operating features of this handgun are the same as every other Glock, including how it is field stripped. The user pulls back on the slide slightly, then the take down levers on both sides of the frame are pulled down, then the slide is moved forward to remove it from the handgun. First time users may find this trickier to get used to compared to the other handguns in this write-up.

Internally, the gun is the same as other Glock handguns from generation 5. The parts are a shrunk down version of what is in the double stack Glocks, except for an ambidextrous slide stop. Glock has maintained a reputation for simple and reliable handguns with minimal parts, and the Glock 43X is no exception to that. A good note for those who have a Glock 43 and are looking to pick up a Glock 43X is that the Glock 43X will fit in the holsters for the Glock 43.

Dry firing the 43X, the trigger pull is similar to that of a standard Glock, up until the wall. The wall is more notable than standard framed Glocks and feels heavier to break through. The take up is soft, and there is no grittiness to the trigger either. The break is clean, and the reset is audible.

Sig Sauer P365XL

 

Sig Sauer P365XL Field Stripped

Sig Sauer P365XL Sight Picture

Sig Sauer P365XL

Finally, we will be looking at the Sig Sauer P365XL. The P365XL is a model that stems from the original P365 which has a 3.1-inch barrel and 2 finger grip without a pinky extension, the XL has a slightly longer slide and barrel at 3.7 inches, and has a slightly longer handle allowing for a full fingered grip without the use of pinky extensions. The XL is about half an inch longer in both directions, so it is still a small package. The gun comes from the factory with two 12 round magazines, which flush fit to the base of the handle. 15 round factory magazines are available with a textured extension at the bottom that increase the length of the grip further than one can wrap their hand around. The grip features a sandpaper like texturing and is subjectively the most comfortable out of the 3 handguns in this write-up. The texturing wraps around the entire length of the handle. The handle of the P365XL is extremely ergonomic. It fits the hands of each of our testers unanimously great. The curve of the handle fills the shape of the palm like it was meant to be. The frame of the P365XL also includes a proprietary rail for the mounting of lights/lasers, and many light manufacturers have taken this style of rail into account.

The P365XL comes with Sig Sauer’s “X-ray” sights, with the rear sight being apart of a sight block that can be entirely removed to allow the installation of optics. The front sight is a fiber optic green, with a green tritium insert for low light conditions. The rear sight is blacked-out with two small tritium inserts, similar to the Ameriglo’s fitted on the 43X in this write-up. The green is easy on the eyes, and easy to align with the rear block. It is simple to align these sights, and sight picture is good.

The P365XL is simple to take down, the slide is locked to the rear, the take down lever is rotated downwards, and then the slide comes forward. No operating of the trigger is required to remove the slide from the gun. The internals are where the P365XL gets interesting. There is a pin on the rear of the frame that can be removed to take out the entire trigger assembly. This is the serialized portion of the gun, and the frame is what Sig Sauer calls a “grip module”. This allows users to swap the entire lower assembly into a new grip module, including the regular 10 round module of the P365, or the aftermarket offerings from companies such as Wilson Combat or Icarus Precision, making this a very customizable handgun. The slide internals are reminiscent of the standard sized Sig P320, including how it is taken apart and location of the safeties.

Dry firing the Sig Sauer P365XL, the gun comes with a comfortable flat faced trigger. The trigger pull is smooth, the wall is present but not as much as the Glock 43X or Springfield hellcat, and the break is softer as well. It is distinctive to its own right, meaning it feels softer than the other two handguns in this write-up. It is similar to that of the standard sized Sig Sauer P320 in terms of trigger weight and reset. The Sig Sauer triggers do not have a safety on the trigger itself, which may contribute to the difference in trigger pull. The reset is audible, but not as tactile as the other handguns.

 

First 15 rounds:

 

Springfield Hellcat RDP

 

We started testing by loading 5 rounds per magazine, and having each tester shoot the gun at a standard NRA target from 7 yards away. We started with the Hellcat to confirm the red dot had been zeroed. Out of the box, the red dot was accurate, so the gun was zeroed prior to it being shipped to us. This is a nice touch coming from the factory, it allows users to get right to practice.

During the first 5 rounds, it has been noted that the hellcat is on the snappier side when it comes to recoil, but that is to be expected as it is the smallest of the 3 guns. It was by no means uncomfortable or difficult to handle. No testing was done without the compensator, so we are unable to determine how much of a difference it truly makes, however it is still a great shooting gun for its size.

It should also be noted that during the first 15 rounds, 2 failure to fire malfunctions occurred. Both rounds had a strike on the primer but did not go off. This was determined to be bad rounds; our choice of ammo is Wolf steel cased 9mm for target use, which is good target ammo that prior experiences have left little to no issue.

 

 

Glock 43X

 

The Glock 43X has less recoil than the Springfield Hellcat. Being a micro 9mm, it does recoil more than a standard sized handgun, but it is controllable. Coming from the Hellcat, we expected to have more recoil due to the lack of the compensator, but we determined it to be softer than the Hellcat. About average. No malfunctions occurred and the Shield Arms magazines fed well. Our first impressions conclude that it is a comfortable gun to shoot, the ergonomics and shape of the handle lend to what make the Glock 43X a good shooter.

 

Sig Sauer P365XL

 

We expected this gun to shoot much like the Glock in terms of recoil. We were pleasantly surprised that it was the softest shooting of the 3. It shoots not quite as soft as a double stack standard frame handgun, but for a small gun it was the most pleasant. We determined the grip shape and the longer slide/barrel to be what makes the P365XL a comfortable shooter. No malfunctions occurred and the magazines fed well. Based on first impressions, we concluded this gun to be the most comfortable to hold and shoot.

 

Dot Torture Testing:

 

Springfield Hellcat RDP

For the rest of the testing, the Dot Torture drill was used, which consists of a standard piece of printer paper with 10 circles on the paper. We were limited in holsters and magazines, so we used the Dot Torture as a baseline to test each gun’s performance.

Starting off with the Hellcat, the Hellcat maintained reliability through the rest of testing, no issues were had, and the gun performed flawlessly. The pre-installed and zeroed red dot are the most stand out features of the Hellcat RDP. Pair that with a well-functioning gun and you have a solid concealed carry piece. As the smallest gun in the mix, it shoots well and trumps over micro 9mm’s of the past. This is a great gun for deep concealment when paired with a good holster, it is more gun than it looks speaking in terms of function. Accuracy was a non-issue for the hellcat.

 

Glock 43X

The Glock 43X continued to be reliable in performance during testing, flawless. We all agreed that it is great in terms of being reliable and maintains the reputation that Glock has made; there is nothing stand out spectacular about the gun, but it will work and continue to do so, and has no issues as far as accuracy is concerned. The Shield Arms magazines fed reliably and are a must have for the Glock 43X for it to compete with the capacity of the guns on this list, in which they bring the Glock a step up in capacity being 2 more rounds than the Hellcat’s larger magazine, and 3 more rounds than the Sig Sauer P365XL’s 12 round flush fit magazine. The Glock is accurate and is comfortable to hold and shoot, especially with the Glock 19 grip length allowing it to be an easy gun to acquire and present from holstered status.

 

Sig Sauer P365XL

The P365XL functioned reliably and performed flawlessly. All the first impressions carry over from shooting, the gun shoots softer than one would expect. The P365XL is also an accurate gun. The small increase of slide length and grip lend to what makes this gun shoot as comfortably as it does, but it is the largest of the 3 guns in terms of overall length, however it is still much smaller than even a Glock 19.

 

Conclusions:

Out of the 3 guns we’ve tested, it was hard to rank them. We determined that these are all great offerings from big manufacturers in the game, and that it would be down to personal preference between the 3 depending on what the user is looking for. For new users, being able to pick up and handle each, as well as shooting them would help make the final decision.


If it came down to it, the 3 of us unanimously agreed the P365XL would be our first choice, the Glock 43X a very close second. That leaves the Springfield Hellcat RDP in 3^rd, but it was a tough decision, as having a gun as small as the Hellcat but with a 13 round capacity as well as equipped out of the box with a red dot sight and compensator, it makes it hard to choose.