As 2024 comes to a close, it’s a good time to sit back, relax, and reflect on the year. At Shooting News Weekly, that means thinking back on the new guns of 2024. Specifically, we’re focusing on the handguns. Why handguns? Well, there weren’t a lot of new rifles or shotguns released, and handguns seemed to be the industry’s primary focus in 2024.
They’re all adaptions, but improved versions of previous guns. Unfortunately, it seems the industry is getting a bit stale. It’s honestly tough to introduce something new that can succeed. We can hardly squeeze out any extra performance from the current crop of calibers and handgun designs. Stuff that’s new only offers incremental improvements that make the cost tough to justify.
*cough* 30 super carry *cough*
So not every new handgun madethe list, of course. I’ve chosen the new guns that do something at least a little differently. Guns that was at least slightly new and innovative. With that in mind, even my five picks for the best handguns of 2024 aren’t revolutionary.
Smith & Wesson 432 UC
Smith & Wesson have an on-again, off-again relationship with the S&W 432 series revolver. The 432’s are J-frame .32 H&R magnum revolvers. In 2024, it came back as part of Lipsey’s exclusive Ultimate Carry lineup. The UC designs came from Lipsey’s, who turned to revolver experts Darryl Bolke and Bryan Eastridge to help design this gun.
The 432 UC series comes with an XS front sight and a blacked-out dovetailed rear sight that makes shooting a revolver simple. This is the only snub nose revolver I’ve ever made consistent headshots with at 25 yards. The trigger is buttery smooth and it has thick, rounded high grip to dissipate recoil. The 432 UC series has helped turn me into a revolver guy.
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0
Yes, Smith & Wesson again. Smith’s been kind of all over the place in new firearm design, but their handguns have been off the hook. The original Bodyguard, well, sucked so imagine my shock when the Bodyguard 2.0 became one of my favorite handguns of 2024. S&W took some cues from the micro compact genre and applied it to .380 ACP in a total re-think of the Bodyguard pistol.
They kept the Bodyguard 2.0 nearly the same size as the original version, but expanded its capacity to 10 or 12 rounds, depending on your magazine selection. The gun has gone from a hammer-fired DAO action to a striker-fired design. The sights on the 2.0 are large and easy to see, and the gun has a great trigger and grip that actually fits your hand. The Bodyguard 2.0 is now the best pocket pistol on the market.
CZ P09 Nocturne
Alright, so I’m biased. I’m a huge fan of the CZ series, especially the P09/P07 series. I love these guns, but my only real complaint was the lack of optics-ready design. The Nocturne fixes that and introduces a slide cut for the Holosun K and Shield RMSc-type optics. The Nocturne eliminates the P09 and P07 designations. Instead, it’s just P09 compact and full-size.
The Nocturne also features some redesigned ergonomics with the slide lock redesigned and the serrations on the slide are deeper and larger for an easier-to-rack gun. Users can still swap from de-cocker to safety with ease. The texture on the frame has also been redesigned. The Nocturne series is one of the few guns to really get me excited this year.
Beretta 30X
I’m a fan of the .32 ACP pocket pistol, and Beretta is one of the few companies that produce a .32 ACP carry pistol. In 2023, Beretta killed the 3032, but in 2024, they brought it back as the 30X. The new 30X featured a redesigned tip-up barrel release, a new dovetailed sight design design, and a redesigned magazine release. We got a much better trigger with a lighter pull and flat design.
Most importantly, the design fixes a problem of the original. The older 3032s were unfortunately known for their cracked frames and came with a flier warning against the use of hot ammo. That’s not the case with the 30X. Now, you can shoot the hot 73-grain rounds that are best suited for self-defense. The Beretta 30X series is a radical improvement over the 3032 and a ton of fun to shoot.
GLOCK 49
I’m not a GLOCK stan by any means, but I appreciate their dedication to a simple, extremely reliable design that just works. If you need a gun that just works, it’s tough to go wrong by choosing a GLOCK. For years, GLOCK fans clamored for this particular combination of the GLOCK 19 and 17. Now GLOCK has finally given it to them.
The G49 features a GLOCK 17-length slide on a GLOCK 19-sized frame. That helps concealment while providing the velocity, sight radius, and control a longer slide gives you. The GLOCK 49 series has been coming for a long time and while it’s apparently easy for a lot of people to hate on GLOCK, you can’t deny their dominance. The GLOCK 49 comes in a MOS configuration, so optics are an option as well.
Handguns and 2024
And that’s it. Those are my best picks for the best handguns of 2024. There’s nothing earth-shattering here, but I think these five handguns are the best of 2024. What do you think? What’s your favorite handgun of 2024? Let us know below.
I too am a CZ fan and own 2 handguns, rifle and a scorpion. Every single one is very accurate and reliable out of the box. I was looking at a p07 but will now look at adding the nocturne P09 compact to go with my P01