SHOT Show is an industry-only trade show for those involved in the firearms and related accessory field. Hosted by the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show is an opportunity to view new products before the general public. So, I took the time to round up the best in the concealed carry handguns category for this year.
Scouring SHOT Show for the Best Concealed Carry Handguns for 2024
Historically, manufacturers use the show to debut new products, and that’s what makes it fun for me. So much fun that I walked 13 miles a day on two artificial ankles and my second hip replacement. But it was a great chance to see old friends and acquaintances and see what’s new in the industry. Thankfully, this year’s show had so much more than new AR-15 derivatives!
This was the NSSF’s 46th SHOT Show, and they report that it was the largest in terms of attendance. I was one of 55,000 attendees among 2500 exhibitors spanning 800,000 square feet between the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum.
If you happened to be there and noticed me gimping along with a glazed look on my face, that look wasn’t from pain, because every step was a joy! It was from sensory overload! Here’s what I found and managed to make some notes on.
Bersa B1911
Bersa, best known for its economical DA/SA .380 semi-autos and newer 9mm striker-fired models from Argentina, had a table of 1911s on display. Speaking to the project manager, I was told the B1911s would be made in the USA at Bersa’s Georgia facility. They’ll feature AmeriGlo Tritium front sight and a Novak rear sight, extended ambi-safeties, a lowered and flared ejection port, beavertail grip safety, and G10 grips.
Slides and frames will be machined from 416 stainless steel with a variety of finishes available. The frames are Series 70 style and feature checkering on the frontstrap. The guns I examined showed exceptional fit and finish. They will initially be offered in .45 with hopes of later adding 9mm and 10mm models. Retail prices are expected to start around $1,000.
For more information, please visit Bersa.com.
TISAS/SDS Imports Fatih B380
I had a chance to speak with Scott Huff, one of SDS Imports’ engineers, while at the company’s booth. He said the Tisas Fatih B380 had been re-engineered to make its parts interchangeable with the Beretta Model 84 Cheetah.
The Fatih boasts the same 13+1 round capacity and is chambered for the .380ACP. It’s a compact gun that allows you to get a full-size grip. Correspondingly, it points better than any compact gun I’ve ever held. SDS Imports retails the Faith for just $399!
For more information, please visit TisasUSA.com.
TISAS/SDS Imports Inglis GP-35
One gun that was impossible to miss in the SDS Imports booth was the brand-new Inglis GP-35. It is a Browning Hi-Power clone with a twist. Priced at an incredibly low $649.99, the gun boasts an amazing color case finish. Likewise, it is rounded out with Turkish walnut grips, ambi safeties, low-profile combat sights, and an external extractor.
If you’ve been on the hunt for a Hi-Power clone, this one will be very hard to pass up!
For more information, please visit TisasUSA.com.
Ed Brown EVO E9
I stopped by the Ed Brown Products booth and said hello to my old friend and industry veteran, Dave Biggers. When asked what was new, his response was the Ed Brown EVO E9 LW (Lightweight). It took Ed Brown to optimize the 1911 for the 9mm cartridge. This included radically thinning the slide to the point that it was no longer possible to use an internal extractor.
The slide is cut for an optic and shortened to 4 inches. It houses an unsupported bull-barrel with a deep-dish concave crown, along with a full-length recoil guide and flat wire spring. The EVO E9 LW possesses a great balance and retains the traditional 1911 controls in the same places.
Ed Brown Products installs the excellent Stan Chen mag well on the EVO E9’s frame. Rather than extend the length of the frame, Ed Brown Products cuts the frame and adds the mag well, so it will take standard-length magazines.
There are so many custom features packed into this one gun that I thought its suggested retail of $3,795, including the optic, sounded cheap for a custom hand-built 1911. I’ll have one soon for a full review, so standby!
For more information, please visit EdBrown.com.
Taurus 917C
Inspired by the Beretta 92, the Taurus 917C (Taurus’ Model 92) uses the traditional DA/SA hammer-fired semi-auto action. Taurus developed the 917C, a compact version of the gun, some time ago. However, it was inexplicably dropped from the Taurus Line-up.
It’s back with an 18+1 capacity, frame-mounted safety that also acts as a decocker, and textured finger grooves on the frontstrap. Suggested retail is $606, but believe me, you’ll find this gun for substantially less in a gunshop near you. I have a T&E sample in hand so look for a full review sometime soon.
For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.
Taurus Deputy
Not many people still carry a single-action revolver as their daily CCW. However, I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t like a nice crisp Peacemaker clone. Taurus’ new Deputy is available with 4 ¾-inch and 5 ½-inch barrel lengths and sports a beautiful, highly polished black oxide finish. They will initially be offered in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum at a suggested retail price of just $606.99!
For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.
Taurus Defender TORO
The other big news at Taurus is its 327 Defender TORO. Chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum cartridge, it will also fire .32 H&R Magnum and .32 S&W rounds. It has a 6-shot capacity and standard SA/DA action and is available with either a 2- or 3-inch barrel.
The 327 Defender is optics-ready and uses a Shield footprint. 327 Federal Magnum is an amazingly versatile round, and one armed with this gun should not feel undergunned! Priced at $550, I expect Taurus will sell a lot of these revolvers!
For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.
Canik TTI Combat
Canik displayed an exciting new pistol that is the result of a collaboration with Taran Butler of Taran Tactical Innovations. The Canik TTI Combat is built on a completely new polymer frame designed by Butler. As a result, it brings a one-of-a-kind performance package to the Canik line-up.
Features include aggressive texturing, a ported and fluted barrel, and a flat-faced trigger that breaks at 90ᵒ. Most importantly, the TTI Combat features a patented quick-attach compensator with an expansion chamber. It also features an optics cut and comes with three plates that will accommodate most popular optics.
An aluminum mag well, serrated slide stop, and HIVIZ fiber optic front sight complete the custom package. Canik ships the TTI Combat with a custom case, cleaning tools, two mags, and a holster. Likewise, it includes a handsome coin to commemorate the collaboration of the Canik/TTI partnership.
For more information, please visit CanikArms.com.
Bond Arms Cyclops 50AE Thumper
Last year, when Bond Arms introduced its single-shot 45-70 pistol, called the Cyclops, it didn’t interest me in the least. It wasn’t that I thought the new gun was dangerous. I know their guns to be well-engineered, machined, and assembled. But I just have no interest in shooting guns that hurt! For me, moderation makes the most sense.
This year, when I stopped by the booth, Gordon Bond told me they had chambered the Cyclops for the .50AE and called it the Thumper. Now, the .50AE is a big cartridge. In fact, the Desert Eagle is probably the gun most famous for this chambering. But it is not a 45-70. So, now the stainless-steel, single-shot gun makes more sense to me. Everything in moderation!
Priced at $649, the Bond Arms Thumper is still a handful!
For more information, please visit BondArms.com.
Daniel Defense H9
Remember back in 2017 when the biggest news at SHOT was the Hudson H9 pistol? It raised a lot of commotion and, of course, interest. I got in line to order a test gun and was impressed enough with the gun and company owners that I bought my T&E sample.
The company seemed to be on the road to success, and I wanted to keep that H9 in my library of guns. Specifically because I was confident that it would be the first of many iterations based on their unique operating system. From what I’ve heard, Hudson’s suppliers’ spotty delivery and out-of-spec parts paved the road to its eventual bankruptcy in 2019.
The big news for 2024 SHOT is that Daniel Defense is bringing the H9 back. This time with an aluminum frame, trimmer dimensions, and an optics-ready slide. Priced at $1,299, it will be interesting to see how Daniel Defense does with its first pistol.
For more information, please visit DanielDefense.com.
Walther PD380
Walther introduced a new semi-auto pistol called the PD380. The new pistol features a DA/SA trigger action and an easy-to-rack slide. With the majority of our population sliding into their golden years, this feature alone will account for a lot of sales.
The polymer framed gun boasts a 9+1 capacity and comfortable ergonomics. Additionally, it includes a slide-mounted, ambidextrous safety/de-cocker for those who feel the need for an extra degree of safety. There are some shooters who feel the 9mm is just too much, and for them, the PD380 might be a sensible choice.
Priced at a modest $479, the PD380 will develop a big following.
For more information, please visit WaltherArms.com.
ZRO FKS-9
ZRODelta introduced the ZRO FKS-9 at the 2024 SHOT Show. The polymer-framed, striker-fired gun features an 18ᵒ grip angle and 360ᵒ texturing for enhanced control and recoil management. Likewise, the gun also features a reversible magazine catch and an enhanced beavertail tang to prevent slide bite.
Its undercut trigger guard allows the shooter to get a very high hold on the gun, and the “control ledge” on both sides of the polymer frame gives the shooter consistent index points. It uses a 4-inch 4140 carbon steel barrel, and the slide is available with or without an optics cut.
Capacity is 15+1, and, of course, Glock magazines will work with the FKS-9 pistol. Prices for the ZRO FKS-9 pistol start at just $399 and may vary depending on slide cuts and finish. Mostly, I just like the name!
For more information, please visit ZRODelta.com.
Glock 49
Glock introduced the G49, chambered in 9mm, two months before SHOT Show 2024. It is basically a G19 grip frame with the longer Glock 17 slide and barrel. Savvy gun handlers know it is always easier to conceal a longer slide than a longer grip frame.
This system uses a 4.5-inch barrel and has a longer sight radius. It uses the G19 mags with a 15+1 capacity, and the slide features Glock’s GEN 5 MOS optics mounting system. Suggested retail for the G49 is $745.
For more information, please visit Us.Glock.com.
Stoeger STR-45
Stoeger added to its extensive STR-9 line of pistols by chambering their polymer-framed, striker-fired platform for the hard-hitting .45 ACP. The gun features an optics cut slide and comes with interchangeable backstraps to custom-fit the gun to the user. The capacity of the STR-45 is 13+1, or 10+1 where dictated. In addition, it is available with tritium night sights as an option. Prices start at $529.
For more information, please visit StoegerIndustries.com.
Sig Sauer P365-AXG Legion
Sig used SHOT 2024 to induct the P365 into the Legion family! It features the strength and feel of the all-metal AXG grip module paired with the effective slide-integrated expansion chamber. As a result, the new P365-AXG Legion pistol is an easily concealable 9mm pistol that is extremely controllable.
Sig Cerakotes the alloy XSeries metal grip a distinctive Legion Gray color. It utilizes a 17-round capacity magazine yet maintains its thin, 1-inch wide profile. Likewise, Sig outfits the P365-AXG Legion with Hogue G10 grips and an extended magwell. The gun is optics-ready and retails for $1,199.
For more information, please visit SigSauer.com.
Smith & Wesson Lipsey’s Exclusive Ultimate Carry J-Frame
In a collaboration with Lipsey’s, Smith & Wesson has created what may be the ultimate carry revolver. Based on S&W’s popular 642, S&W outfits the Ultimate Carry with an XS Tritium front sight and a dovetailed “U” notch rear sight that is drift adjustable for windage.
Thankfully, S&W left the lock off the new gun. The UC is equipped with VZ G10 grips and is internally fit with an “Endurance Package,” which includes Titanium pins. Weighing just 16 ounces, the UC utilizes an aluminum frame and boasts chamfered charge holes for speedy reloads.
The Ultimate Carry is offered in .38 Special, with a 5-shot capacity, and .32 H&R Magnum (also fires 32 S&W Long & 32 S&W) with a 6-shot capacity.
For more information, please visit LipseysGuns.com.
Colt Python Blued
Colt reintroduced the Python back in 2020. And when they offered the new gun with a 3-inch barrel I jumped in line to get one. One common lament about the new Pythons is that they were all stainless steel. At SHOT 2024, Colt announced they’d be building Pythons with a classic carbon blue finish. Offered with 4.25- and 6-inch barrels, the suggested retail price is $1,599.
For more information, please visit Colt.com.
Diamondback’s SDR Revolver
Speaking of revolvers, Diamondback—a company we usually associate with AR-15 platform rifles—introduced the Self-Defense Revolver (SDR). Weighing just 21 ounces, the SDR may be the lightest 6-shot .357 revolver on the market. Constructed from forged stainless steel and possessing a 2-inch barrel, the SDR also has a traditional spur hammer. Diamondback lists the suggested retail price for the SDR at $777.
For more information, please visit DiamondbackFirearms.com.
Springfield Armory 4.25 Garrison
Springfield Armory released a Commander length (4.25-inch) version of their popular Garrison pistol. It is available in both .45 ACP and 9mm with a stainless steel or blued finish. Additionally, the gun blends Springfield’s impeccable craftsmanship and precision with modern enhancements that 1911 enthusiasts crave.
Features include low-profile 3-dot sights, skeletonized hammer, beavertail grip safety, and extended thumb safety. The 4.25 Garrison is priced at a very reasonable $868.
For more information, please visit Springfield-Armory.com.
Nighthawk Custom Envoy
Nighthawk Custom introduced the new Envoy at SHOT. Fully machined from steel billet, the pistol is hand-built by the company whose famous motto is “One gun-one gunsmith.”
The Envoy is built on a Series 70-style government frame and uses a match-grade 5-inch barrel. It is chambered in your choice of .45 ACP and 9mm. One of the distinguishing features of the Ambassador Series returns with the Envoy in the form of positive front cocking serrations. Standard cocking serrations on the rear of the slide offer a superb grip while racking the slide.
Nighthawk Custom’s patented Flush-Fit Magwell provides a huge funnel for fast reloads without adding length to the grip. 25 LPI checkering is used on both the front and rear straps for a secure grip. The Envoy uses a bushingless bull barrel and comes with a black nitride finish. Nighthawk Custom will also build an Envoy for you on their double-stack frame!
For more information, please visit NighthawkCustom.com.
