Top 10 Pistols Under $500 

For everyone complaining about prices in their area: THE INTERNET EXISTS. Also, beware of scammers in the comments.

1:25 FN 509 series , 3:05 Springfield Hellcat Pro , 4:17 Canik TP9 Elite SC , 5:53 Glock 19 , 7:00 S&W M&P 2.0 Compact , 9:15 CZ P07 , 11:55 Glock 43x , 13:41 Sig P365 , 16:08 Walther PDP , 18:52 S&W Shield Plus

Carry a shield plus every day. Bought it for $449. Night sights, optics cut, and came with 5 magazines. Absolutely love this gun.

I'm 69 and the Canik TP9 Elite SC is my first handgun. Felt like an extension of my hand from the first time I picked it up. Trigger is amazing and it's deadly accurate.

I think the PDP is one of the most underrated handguns out. I bought one with the intention of adding an optic, and it has quickly grown to one of my favorite pistols. Wasn’t expecting that.

These videos are actually priceless for folks who really have to maximize their cost to quality and number of firearms dollars. If you can only afford or want one pistol incredibly valuable info.

“Now usually, if you get a girl that goes both ways and still sucks that’s good, but in this case not so much”… pure gold lol 😂

I figured the Shield would make the list but I'm glad you confirm the gun above my junk is number 1! I bought it weeks after it came out for $520, but found an OR version about a year ago for $400, and they both work great!

Love my P07. Found it on consignment at a local FFL for 4 Bills. Having been trained by our Uncle Sam on the 1911 and M9, DASA for home security is perfect for me.

You never bore me. 99% of the youtubers bore me to tears. All information without the nonsense. Thanks

I’m very surprised the CZ P10-c didn’t make the list. It’s better than most of the guns on this list in my opinion. Last one I saw in store was around $400

I bought the Canik based on your reviews of the gun. It was between that and the Shield Plus. I love the gun. So accurate. The trigger is amazing. Everything I wanted in an EDC gun. Thanks!

Shot my PDP 4" C with Holosun 507c X2 over 100m (110 yds). Three out of the first four shots were in 7 on a P10/P4 (Swiss paper target). This gun is incredibly accurate. The missing shot was just me.

In all my gun shops around me I can never find Glocks under $500

Your probably my top guntuber. Tons of info and experience in a concise package. No cinematic bullshit lol.

Love double/single, from my S&W 645 to my CZP09. Thanks for videos like this. I seem to be the guy people ask for advice about Firearms, and I send them all to your videos for the best info on whichever gun their looking at!

CZ P=07 is one of my all-time favorite pistols. If it has to be a striker, Walther PDP has great grip texture and with its step chamber is remarkably accurate. Truly we are in the golden age for handgunners.

Your reviews of canik pistols are why I bought my first one now I have five and I'm not mad

My only issue with this list is that I don’t know where you’re seeing guns like the FN 509 and Walther PDP for under $500. Even big box stores near me like Bass Pro sell them for well over $600, and their MSRPs are well above that. Next video make a top 10 places to shop for firearms so we can get the same deals! 😂

I continue to appreciate your acknowledgement of the gem of a pistol the P-07 is. Amazing video as always!

Thanks for this review, and happy to see my EDC listed as #1. You can also use the 15 rounds magazine from the Equalizer with your Shield Plus 9 and have better grip and more capacity

Respect to ACTUALLY reviewing the tool an using ur own options. Much respect 🤙🇺🇲

So many options! Also the IWI Masada Slim; smaller than the 43x in all dimensions but 3 rounds more; same price, and very shootable. RMS-C Optic cut, SIG sight cuts, and CZ-75 pattern mags; excellent interoperability. Edit: My wife claimed my Shield Plus. ;-)

I just wanna say thank you Chris! 😊 You keep being Honest for all of us who are trying to learn. I love how you help us an all ur reviews, please don't stop! Bless u an ur house😁✌

You are the best. Thank you for staying true and 'honest' for the community.

Love my PDP. Have just about 2000 rounds through it and no issues. Was not under $500 here in NY ($699) but worth the money.

Another great review! Absolutely love my M&p 2.0 / 3.6 compact and my shield plus definitely quality guns for the price!

I picked up a 5" pdp back in July and I gotta say it is a phenomenal gun. They only downside is it is a little snappy which can be a problem if your grip is a little weak. Also the sights kinda suck in my opinion, but throw an optic on that bad boy and man it is a tac driver.

I've been loving these list videos. It would also be great to hear what the missus has to say about these firearms, as well. It's hard to get an opinion from a lady who has as much hands-on time with the guns as her. Keep up the great work y'all!

I still have my PPQ M2, first gun I bought, and it is still. Work horse. Well above 2000+ and still as crisp and accurate as when I took it out of the box. Trijicon night sights and stream light, works perfect

Shield plus and the P07 are my go to carry guns. 2000 plus in each. Love them....

Have an M&P 2.0 Compact with the 3.6 barrel and it works. Feels great in my hand. And 15 +1 rounds in the magazine it has capacity. My EDC

I was able to setup a TP9SC with Canik's conceal carry optic (MO1) for $500. Considering they give you a holster and a good optic mounting system out of the box, that's a pretty solid deal.

Always feels good when you see a few of your firearms make these list. I love my Shield Plus, Walther PDP and Hellcat Pro. I don't carry the PDP as much because of the size but it is probably my favorite to shoot. All 15-17 round mags as well.. I carry the Plus the most

Walthers amaze me with their value. Its wild that they arent more popular. I wish i’d looked into them more when i was first getting into striker fired handguns

I now have2 CZ P07’s just because they discontinued it. It is my go to and the first one I grab when I’m home. Your original review of the P07 is the reason I got my first one 8 years ago

Love this channel. Keep up the awesome reviews, and i and all my buddies will continue to watch. Thanks, for all the honesty.

glad to see the PDP on here, I love the fact that it's compact AND OR right out of the box, I plan on getting the 43 cal paintball version of that or the HK VP9

Excellent selection of affordable carry handguns. My personal favorites: *Walther PDP C, Sig Sauer P365 XMacro TACOPS, Canik TP9 Elite SC, CZ P10 C, and the newly released Hellcat Pro (17+1).*

Just bought a Shield Plus a couple of weeks ago and loving it and seeing it at the top of the list makes me feel even better about my purchase!

I’m a big PDP fan. It’s definitely in the top tier of pistols at its price range. Never seen one under $500. They’re typically $630-650 for the regular and an extra $100 for the pro. By the way, I would recommend the pro for most people. They give you around $500-600 worth of upgrades for $100.

I completely agree with the S&W and CZ. They are just great firearms. Wish I could afford all the guns on your list. I fired the PDP at the local range. It is a big gun.

As usual, great job! I've been looking into both the Walther and CZ. Maybe, since a lot of these "top ten" videos cover typical conceal carry, you could do similar for rimfire. Many people don't give rimfire enough credit, but I think they're a blast. After all, shooting isn't always about self-defense, it's about having fun too.

Great review! It provides a great look into so many options for new and old EDC folks to be able to compare the different guns before we buy. The perfect EDC gun is out there we have to find the best one for us! Thanks again!

I carry a walther pdp 4" daily and I absolutely love the gun, but there is one small complaint I have. I LOVE the grip and the stipling on it, but it isn't the most comfortable to carry at times. The stipling is great but it's pretty rough on the skin while carrying.

Thanks for addressing the thieving A.I RU-vid channels. They get put in my feed above my subscriptions. RU-vid is pushing them.

Shield Plus doesn’t get the credit it truly deserves!

I cannot tell you how happy I was that the Shield Plus made the list and it was #1. I was watching the whole video and was going crazy hoping it would be on here. I will tell you the second I picked one up and put it in my hand, it felt so right and HAD to have it. The fitment in your hands with the texture, weight, sights, magazine options, option to get a version with or without a slide safety, version of optic ready or not, how HARD this thing goes down range. Everyone I’ve ever let shoot the Shield Plus fell head over heels for it. The gun should almost be in his “top 10 for $350” guns. This gun regularly goes on sale or has a rebate for money back or sends you a few magazines. I picked my no slide safety version up WITH TAX for $418. Comes with a 10 and 13 round mag. You have to get this gun. You won’t regret it.

Adore is the correct word for how I feel about my PDP C4. When handed to others, the first response is always, "OMG, that grip is incredible!" Its accuracy right out of the box made practicing at 50yards and beyond easy.

I absolutely love my 9mm M&P2.0 4.25". However, I did replace the sights as I am not a fan of the 3 white dot style. But, it is an amazing home defense handgun. Plus, I am 6'2" and can appendix carry it without printing.

I almost bought a Walther PDP Full size. But I found a Canik Mete SFX for $70 less, so that's what I went with. 1 yr later, I'm happy with my choice. That being said, any of these guns on this list will serve you well.

In that price range, I own both the P365 and Shield Plus, both based upon your reviews. I lean toward the Shield Plus in shootability. Both are great though. Thank you! 😀

Now that's one hell of a list!!!!!! So glad you included the Walther - such a great pistol.

Great video. Having shot most of these guns, I totally agree with your list. I own both the Shield plus (my EDC) and recently picked up the Walther PDP-F 3.5 which is just an amazing gun. It's a bit large to be my EDC, but more comfortable and more accurate to shoot than my Shield Plus (which I love). The only personal issue I have with your list is that there is no way I can find the PDP for under $500, as they are going for around $665 - $680 in my area and what I found online. I guess you are lucky with those prices in your area Thanks!

Been dying to get a PDP. Love my P99 AS I've had for 13 yrs, and from everything I see the PDP is even better in almost every aspect.

I really appreciate you testing each and every one of these. Great video!

I got my PDP the year it came out. Got the compact for 550 and it is still running strong. Great gun. Great company.

Excellent choices! Disappointed to not see the Beretta APX A1 on here. Awesome pistol that's modular, optics ready, with great ergos, trigger, and sights with a street price below $450

My next purchase is going to be a Walther PDP, the full size 18rd 4.5in barrel.

I found your channel a few years back and always watch your reviews and my I carry the 43x and Sheild Plus I came up with Glocks because of my job but also have other guns for carry but your reviews are always on point.

Shield Plus is absolutely killing it! 10 and 13 round mags out the box, and they sell S&W produced 15rd mags with the extension cover that’s firmly attached to the mag, which gives it the largest grip on a micro pistol that I’m aware of!! Don’t need to worry about printing, then use the 15rd. Worried just a tiny bit about printing, use the 13rd. Worried about printing, use the 10rd! Bought one of these the first week they were on shelves, and it has pretty much replaced ALL my carry guns!!

I don't think the P-07 has been discontinued. It's still on the CZ website, I've seen them in gun shops and I know someone who bought a new one recently. Now they just need to make an optics ready model.

The APX has been on my list since it released. Still haven't had a chance to get one, yet, but heard nothing but good things about it.

I love watching Honest Outlaw shoot a shield plus lol makes me smile everytime i clip it to my belt.

I am a new Gun Owner, and I decided to buy the M&P Shield Plus w/ night sights and optic ready. Really glad it’s one of the best guns in the market right now especially being number 1 on this video!

From what I can tell the P-07 has not been discontinued, just the Urban Grey and OD Green models.

Walther PDP and SIG P365x for me! In my area both were a little over $500 but worth it!

These videos have been extremely helpful. I'm currently looking for something affordable with good quality. Thanks for sharing these amazing videos with us and keep up the great work. 😊

M&P 2.0 compact is my edc. Absolutely love the ergos and grip texture. Very accurate as well and I got it for under $400.

I agree with you, it's a shame there is not more love for the DA/SA pistols. People think I'm crazy for carrying my steel frame/steel slide IWI Jericho mid size but I enjoy the "junk" protection that comes from a DA pistol. Granted, after watching your videos I do plan to get a pair of subcompacts being the Masada Slim and P-10S because I can't choose one over the other.

Great vid HO. Happen to carry the Shield Plus PC. So totally agree with the #1 ranking. Great great carry gun. Love the thing. Ported...Great trigger...Great texture...Up to 15 round magazines...Shoots like a dream. And just got my 3 15 round magazine rebate. Can't beat it!

Good choices! I currently own (or have previously owned) everything on this list. Overall, I favor the M&P models. Thanks again!

I have a Sig p365 with a XL grip module. Of course i can always do back to the original frame, but I love the larger grip for range and IDPA, I also added a match grade barrel threaded and swapped the trigger and springs it.

'A girl that goes both ways and still sucks' 😅...this is why I have to prewatch your videos before the Missus asks about my dating history from laughing too hard 😂😂😂

M&P9 M2.0 Compact 3.6 I have is great. I bought mine used for around $300. Hasn’t failed me yet.

The modularity for the P365 (and other pistols) is fantastic. With the new xMacro grio module Sig has kind of created an "ultimate" handgun for the "if you could only have 1" crowd. I can have one of the smallest lightest 9mm handguns on the market (some single stacks are smaller, but theyre single stack AND not modular so they lose points there) and i can scale up to an XL, or an xMacro, or even an "XXL macro" (or ANY combination thereof) all with the same FCU and only one "firearm" purchase. With my xMacro setup i can do literally everything a full-size handgun can do, and in less than 30 seconds i can swap to a tiny "base" P365 setup and have something super easy to conceal. Literally the only downside I've noticed with mine is the FCU can get hot enough that it's uncomfortable if im shooting A LOT. I truly think that because if the combination of reliability, accuracy, and quality mixed with the modularity of the FCU system i really do think the P365 is the best single gun on the market because it can do everything a handgun might need to do with the proper setup. Sig might have unintentionally shot themselves in the foot though because now the P365 is so good and so versatile that there's almost no reason to buy the P320 unless you just want a larger handgun (maybe you have gorilla hands) or if you want a 10mm (which is the only reason I'd buy a 320 anymore)

I think I've shared this on here before, but I was a big glock guy before I shot the M&P 2.0. I bought the 3.6" and fell in love when I shot it. When my wife shot it she immediately demanded her own for ccw. My mom shot it, and bought a 4" model the next day. We all repaced various glocks with M&Ps. Glock rested on their laurels, and they've been outdone in my opinion.

Always a great video when Outlaw drops!

The pdp is a very nice gun. Very accurate nice trigger. I love the one I bought for my wife. It has the expensive holosun on it and it’s just an easy transition from iron sights for people new to red dots. I everyday carry something smaller or I’d I have one as well. My winter time carry is my custom 19x with the rmr and the timney trigger. I think this is a great list for sure. One gun I haven’t ever had a chance to shoot is the m&p.

I just bought a Canik TP9SF Elite for $349 online at Classic Firearms. Paid $30 for the transfer fee so pit the door at under $400. Came with a decent holster, 2 15+1 round magazines, cleaning kit, interchangeable backstraps, and like you said hands down best stock trigger in the game. Took it to the range the day after and it took me 2 mags to get the smooth crisp trigger down because for years i carried an XD Mod 2 Subcompact which has a not so great trigger. Not to mention its extremely heavy.

Very good review and much appreciated.

I started carrying a Shield + PC this year. It replaced my 365 xl. I traded my Marlin 30-30 for it and since I don't hunt anymore I couldn't be happier. S&W MP 2.0's are a big improvement over the 1.0's. Good video as usual. Looking forward to guns under $750.

Absolutely love my P07. Great pistol

Great video as always you are my most trusted reviewer

Greetings from WI. I had to sub when I saw you actually using the guns and how beat some were. There's plenty out there making lists with nothing to back them up.

I take issue a little bit with the P365 listed as an "under $500" gun. Best I've seen it for is $499.99. I suppose, technically that makes it under $500, but the only way to get that price (that I've seen) is online which means there will be an FFL transfer fee on top of taxes. If you're finding the P365 and Walther PDP for under $500 out in Iowa, maybe it's time for me to move.

PDP has been my carry gun for the last year maybe 2 and cannot be more excited to talk about it. It truly made me enjoy shooting with handguns again. I’m not the best shot with a pistol but I can usually get the job done, but I could never shoot my 365 (standard or XL) as accurate as I could a Taurus G2C, a P229, or a Glock. Idk what it was but the micro 9 just never worked for me. The PDP made me feel like I was a competition shooter. It’s the best thing I’ve gotten in hand and I’m very happy that it’s my do it all gun now

you are my favorite gun guy, you are funny, love that you have shot everything you discuss. I bought the Canik TP9 Elite SC a year ago based on your review and I love it. Thank you. 😊

thanks for the great video’s man, love the channel !

You should try the p365 with the Wilson module. It went from good to perfect for me. The module design melts into your hand.

My personal EDC is the p365 with the 12rd magazine. My stepdad has a few carry pistols and this one felt perfect in my hands. I did upgrade the spring from magguts to make it a 14. I do prefer the p365 grip with a pinky extension over the p365xl grip, I do believe they are the same length. Plus I got it for free as a 21st birthday present 😂 i got his and he used that as an excuse to buy the xmacro.

I’m a lefty and therefore I couldn’t put the Shield Plus as #1 because it’s not Ambi. I have original Shield in 40 cal. Love it but wish it was built for lefties like me. Great gun and I’m an M&P lover. I will likely get a compact PDP to add some variability in my CC rotation. Loved the review Chris! Great job as always.

Stupendous content! I wish RU-vid gave awards for content quality. You’d win the guntuber editorial award in my book.

“Usually if you get a girl that goes both ways and still sucks that’s a good thing” lmao. Love when you sneak those in there😂😂

Very good list, I'm thinking of finally taking the plunge and getting a pistol for defense.

I just bought a Canik Tp9 sfx for $552 and 100rds of ammo, absolutely love the gun! Canik is doing it right!

Aside from lackluster aftermarket support, the IWI Masada is a damn good one for under $500. Mine is actually my bedside gun.

Love my PDP Compact, upgraded it with a Harrington Arms Comp and slapped on a Surefire x300 Ultra. Currently using a Holosun 507 with the Vulcan ACSS reticle. Might swap to a Holosun EPS sight though.

We currently live in a great buyers market for firearms. You give us excellent options at various price points and explain the value related to each gun. I study several you tube 2A advocates and you are at the top of my list for gun reviews. Please keep up the good work. P.S.- The rural Iowa skyline is beautiful

One thing just about everyone seems to neglect to mention about the 509 is how good the optic mounting system is