For best overall versatility, the Lipsey’s S&W Model 386 Night Guard is the top pick. For hunting, the Dan Wesson Kodiak leads the field. For everyday carry, the Wilson Combat Bulwark is the standout choice. Hunters and hikers on a budget should look at the Springfield-Armory Echelon 4.0FC COA for the best value in the test.
- Lipsey’s S&W Model 386 Night Guard earned the top overall score (93.69) with a lightweight Scandium frame and Tritium sights.
- The Dan Wesson Kodiak is the article’s dedicated hunting pick — built for field use where stopping power matters.
- The Wilson Combat Bulwark leads for everyday carry, making it the strongest EDC option tested for outdoor-active users.
- The Springfield-Armory Echelon 4.0FC COA delivers the best value in the test — important given the article’s note that everything is ‘outrageously expensive.’
- The Night Guard’s stiff recoil with full-power 180-grain hard-cast loads is a meaningful tradeoff for smaller-framed shooters.
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More people are buying handguns than ever before. If you’re one of the thousands of outdoorspeople looking for a new sidearm, the last thing you want is to experience buyer’s remorse the first time you take it to the range. This test is meant to prevent that. I tested all of the handguns below so you don’t have to.
With so many new models coming out each year, the first thing order of business for this test was narrow the field. So, as I’ve done in the past, I focused on new handguns best suited for F&S readers—for folks who spend a good part of their lives out of doors, hunting, fishing, scouting, camping, and the like. After much deliberation, I narrowed the field to eight handguns, with an eye toward picking the best overall handgun, the best hunting handgun, and the best everyday-carry handgun for outdoor folks. And, because I understand that basically everything is outrageously expensive these day, I also looked for the handgun that offers the best value.
There should be something here for everyone here, whether you want a handgun for a hike in the wilderness, for deer hunting or feral hog eradication, or something for personal protection at home or out in the world. I put every new-for-2026 handgun below through the wringer on my home range in West Virginia. Here’s how they all stacked up.
Best Handguns of 2026
best overall
Lipsey’s S&W Model 386 Night Guard
Pros
- Lightweight
- Tritium front sight
- 7-round capacity
Cons
- Stiff recoil with full power loads
Specs
- Chambering: 38 Special/357 Magnum
- Barrel Length: 3.0 inches
- Weight: 24 ounces
- Trigger: 3.5 pounds (single-action) 8.5 pounds (double-action)
- Capacity: 7 rounds
- Price: $1,269
Scoring
Total Score: 93.69
Lowdown
This revolver is a revised reintroduction of the Night Guard revolver Smith & Wesson used to offer. It has several enhancements, including Tritium XS sights, a black-oxide coating, a ball-detent lockup, and a thicker forcing cone. It’s built on a lightweight Scandium frame, has a 3.0-inch barrel and a full length ejection rod. Other nice touches include chamfered charge holes in the cylinder to help with reloading, and the front of the cylinder is also chamfered to help with holstering. Recoil with full-power 180-grain hard-cast loads generating more than 500 foot-pounds of muzzle energy was stiff, but the Hogue Bantam grip with finger grooves helped to tame the punch.
An outdoorsman needs a reliable handgun that does not weigh down his belt, a handgun that is accurate, and one that offers versatility from an ammunition perspective to allow for broad application. This revolver only weighs 24 ounces, shoots great and goes bang every time you pull the trigger. With the wide range of 38 Special and 357 Magnum loads available, it is also suitable for just about any outdoor application, from small-game hunting to stopping bears. My grandfather’s “outdoorsman” handgun was a Smith & Wesson Model 10. I can only imagine what he would have thought about this fantastic revolver.
Related: Read a full review of the Lipsey’s S&W Model 386 Night Guard here.
Best for Hunting
Dan Wesson Kodiak
Pros
- Extremely precise shooting
- Accessory rail
- Optics ready
Cons
- Expensive
- Magazine not compatible with all 10mm loads
Specs
- Chambering: 10mm Auto
- Barrel Length: 6.0 inches
- Weight: 47 ounces (empty)
- Trigger: 3.0 pounds
- Capacity: 8+1
- Price: $3,699
Scoring
Total Score: 90.49
Lowdown
The Kodiak from Dan Wesson is a 1911 chambered for the 10mm Automatic cartridge, and it has a 6-inch barrel and a slide to match. This is a steel-framed pistol, and the slide has an optics cut. The optic cut cover plate is dovetailed for an adjustable rear sight, and the slide is dovetailed for a fiber-optic front sight. Unlike common 1911 pistols, the Kodiak does not have a barrel bushing. Instead, it has a coned barrel. The frame is fitted with G10 grips, and there is an accessory rail where you could attach a light or even use the pistol in conjunction with a bipod or tripod.
There was only one issue with the Kodiak. We found that a few factory 10mm Auto loads were just a wee bit too long to work in the magazines provided with the pistol. With the loads that fit in the magazine, the Kodiak ran flawlessly. In fact, it was a tack driver and from the bench, it outperformed every pistol in the test even though it was shot with open sights. If you’re looking for a hunting handgun the Kodiak is clearly the best option out of all the pistols we tested and, in my opinion, one of the best currently offered. Dan Wesson is clearly proud of this pistol, too, given the price tag.
Related: Read a full review of the Dan Wesson Kodiak here.
best everyday carry
Wilson Combat Bulwark
Pros
- Extremely low muzzle rise
- Versatile optics mounting system
- Fantastic trigger
- High capacity
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 4.0 inches
- Weight: 33.3 ounces
- Trigger: 2.75 pounds
- Capacity: 15+1
- Price: $1,899
Scoring
Total Score: 93.45
Lowdown
The primary requirements for an everyday-carry gun are that it be as reliable as death and taxes and that it be sized right for comfortable concealment and carry. Secondary considerations include things like how well you interface with the gun and how well you shoot it. The Wilson Combat Bulwark meets the reliability requirement and many shooters will find it sized right for carry and concealment and their hands, too. They’ll appreciate the versatile sighting options and that it is very likely one of the most controllable pistols they’ve ever fired.
Once pistol prices exceed a grand, advantages in function and performance come incrementally—you’re mostly paying for refinements as opposed to added feature. From an everyday-carry-gun standpoint, the Bulwark offers a great balance of those refinements for the price. It may be a new design, but it’s based on proven concepts, and it’s from a company that stands behind what they make. A bulwark is by definition, something that serves as a defense or safeguard, and that is precisely what the new Wilson Combat Bulwark was designed to do. It’s handy enough that you can bring it to bear quickly, and it will work when you need it to.
Related: Read a full review of the Wilson Combat Bulwark here.
best value
Springfield-Armory Echelon 4.0FC COA
Pros
- Comes with or without dot sight
- Comfortable grip
- High capacity
- Affordable
Cons
- Thick profile
- COA version is a dedicated Aimpoint COA Pistol
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 4.0 inches
- Weight: 24 ounces
- Trigger: 4.5 pounds
- Capacity: 17+1 or 20+1
- Price: $710—$1,119
Scoring
Total Score: 92.20
Lowdown
Over the last several years, Springfield-Armory has introduced a variety of good-performing handguns and rifles. Their Echelon series contains 30 variations—all suited for a personal-protection role. Their newest Echelon is the COA, which is a dedicated-optics pistol that comes with an enclosed Aimpoint COA dot sight. During my testing, this pistol was as reliable as the sunrise, and it is sized right for carry, with a grip that most hands will find comfortable. Even at slightly more than a grand, this pistol offers a lot of value, and at around $700 for the non-COA version, it is a stellar buy.
Like all the Echelon pistols, the 4.0FC COA is a striker-fired pistol built around Springfield-Armory’s serialized and modular central operating group (COG). This COG allows you to configure the pistol with different frames and slides. Notable features include an ambidextrous—not a reversible—magazine release, easy-to-access slide lock, and co-witnessing open sights. The pistol also ships with two magazines. One holds 17 rounds and the other holds 20.
Related: Read a full review of the Springfield Armory Echelon here.
Springfield-Armory SA-35 4-inch
Pros
- Compact
- Comfortable grip
- 15+1 capacity
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 4.0-inches
- Weight: 29.8 ounces
- Trigger: 4.5 pounds
- Capacity: 15+1
- Price: $799
Scoring
Total Score: 91.90
Lowdown
In 2018, FN ceased production of the HiPower pistol imported to America by Browning, thus marking the end of the most-used military pistol of all time. In 2022, Springfield Armory introduced the SA-35, which was their version of the HiPower, or P-35, as it was often called. The SA-35 featured several refinements, including a hammer that was less likely to bite the web of the hand when the pistol was fired, as well as better sights and the elimination of the magazine safety. These pistols performed well and sold well, and for 2026 Springfield-Armory has introduced a new and smaller version.
Over the years, some custom gunsmiths have shortened the barrel and slide of a HiPower to make it more concealable, often calling the custom guns “Baby” HiPowers. The SA-35 4” standardizes that custom concept with a barrel and slide that are 0.7-inch shorter, and it weighs 1.7 ounces less than the original SA-35. In your hand, however, the pistol feels much smaller and lighter. It has the same features of the original SA-35, including a forged carbon-steel frame and slide, checkered walnut grips, a white dot front sight and a tactical black rear sight. The pistol should make a great everyday carry gun for those on a budget and who prefer steel-framed guns to plastic pistols.
Beretta M9A4 Overlanding Nomad Bronze
Pros
- Double-strike capability
- Tritium sights
- Practical field kit
Cons
- Standard sights
- Large pistol
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 5.1 inches
- Weight: 33.4 ounces
- Trigger:
- Capacity: 15+1 rounds
- Price: $1,269
Scoring
Total Score: 91.31
Lowdown
The Beretta M9 is an iconic pistol that served the United States military for more than 30 years. The most recent version of this pistol is optics-ready with the installation of an accessory plate, has a threaded muzzle, and the Overlanding version is offered in three color ways including Nomad Bronze (tested), Clay, and Lunar. All three pistols are of the classic double/single-action design, which means the pistol is equipped with a decocker, with the first shot double-action and subsequent shots single-action. This also makes the pistol double-strike capable, meaning if a round does not fire you can pull the trigger and attempt to fire it again.
The unique Overlanding rendition comes in a polymer Beretta logoed ammo can and contains the M9A4 pistol, two magazines, a compact Streamlight, compass, extra grip with backstrap support, gun lock, and—unusually—a Beretta logoed 10mm socket. The 10mm socket has nothing to do with the pistol but is a nod to overlanders who work on vehicles, trailers, and such where a 10mm socket is often used and frequently lost. True to form, this was a very reliable pistol, and though the practicality of a pistol in a box of other tools is debatable, this is a crafty concept and a suitable addition to any overlanding trailer.
Fink’s Gunsite Performance Pistol
Pros
- Super smooth operation
- Soft shooting
- Competition ready
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 5.0 inches
- Weight: 38.6 ounces w/ empty magazine and Holosun reflex sight
- Trigger: 4.25 pounds
- Capacity: 18+1
- Price: $3,200
Scoring
Total Score: 91.07
Lowdown
In addition to being a full service custom gun shop, Fink’s Custom Gunsmithing serves as the gunsmithy for Gunsite Academy. That means they keep all the pistols for all the students at Gunsite Academy working. Their Gunsite Performance Pistol is built on a 4140 steel frame with a rail, and it has a textured, glass-filled polymer grip. There is a port in the slide that matches a port in the barrel, and together they make the pistol very soft shooting. The slide also has an optics cut and a plate with an integral rear sight that matches a front post sight for co-witnessing iron sights. The pistol comes with three magazines, a Cerakote finish, an ambidextrous thumb safety, and all the sharp edges have been dehorned.
This pistol ran flawlessly and turned some impressive times on various self-defense style pistol drills. This is not an inexpensive pistol, but right out of the box its ready for competition or for impressing all your shooting buddies. Also, if you are one of the thousands of Gunsite Academy graduates, the Gunsite raven logo is proudly displayed on the grip, and there is even a raven cut out in the hammer. Though its hefty price reduced its overall score, the Gunsite Performance Pistol should make a great race/competition pistol right out of the box—if you can afford it.
Springfield-Armory 1911 DS Prodigy 3.5″ Compact AOS
Pros
- Light for style
- Reliable
- Optics ready
Cons
- Poorly designed thumb safety
Specs
- Chambering: 9mm Luger
- Barrel Length: 3.5 inches
- Weight: 25.5 ounces
- Trigger: 2.75 pounds
- Capacity: 15+1 rounds
- Price: $1,582
Scoring
Total Score: 89.61
Lowdown
In recent years, the 2011-style pistol has become very popular, and Springfield-Armory’s 1911 DS Prodigy pistols are a perfect example of that concept. There are 16 variants of the 1911 DS Prodigy pistol, and the 3.5” Compact AOS is the smallest. Though this feels like a big pistol in your hand, it is not very heavy. It has a Tritium front sight, and the open sights are high enough to co-witness with various optical sights that can be mounted with different plates. The slide is forged carbon steel with a black Cerakote finish, and the polymer grip is attached to a frame machined from a billet of 7075 aluminum with a hardcoat anodized finish.
This pistol shot well and was flawlessly reliable. However, the manual thumb safety on the right side of the pistol very painfully pinches the skin of the shooting hand between the safety and the grip. Most every shooter with large hands who tried this pistol experienced the effects of this inexcusable design flaw. If you like the idea of a thick gripped 2011-style carry gun that is not very heavy, and if your hand is compatible with the thumb safety and grip, you’ll really like this pistol. But I recommend that you try before you buy.
How We Test Handguns
When we test handguns, we shoot them from the bench to evaluate precision. We also shoot them on the range, exposing each handgun to various drills. Then we shoot them recreationally for fun and in impromptu competitions. Simply put, we shoot the hell out of the handguns we test to determine if they work, how well they work, and to see how well they interface with shooters. Throughout all the testing we consider their features, performance, and quality of construction, while also looking for indicators regarding the best application for each handgun.
Scoring
Based on all the shooting we do, each handgun is scored in four categories that include precision, reliability, workmanship, and shooter interface. Each category is worth 20 points for a possible total of 80. When then take that total and plug it into a formula that includes the suggested retail price of the handgun. This formula gives us another scoring category also worth 20 points, and it represents the overall performance of the handgun as it relates to how much money it will cost you. All five scoring categories are then added together for a total of 100 possible points, and since money matters to most of us, for an expensive handgun to score well overall it must be an absolute stellar performer. Once we do all that math, we match the top performers to our four award categories.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
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