The M18 is a P320 built for the military's compact pistol contract, and the civilian Carry version puts that into a 9mm with a 3.9 inch barrel, a 21-round magazine, night sights and a coyote tan finish. It is optic ready.

Twenty-one rounds is a lot of capacity in a pistol with a barrel this short. The compact grip is a shorter version of the full-size P320, which helps concealment, though the magazine can be longer than the grip. Night sights make the pistol easy to aim in poor light, and the optic-ready slide takes a red dot. A little practice every month beats a long session once a year.

SIG's modular design means the serialized fire control unit can move between grip modules and slides. That gives owners flexibility to size the gun up or down. For a North Carolina carry permit holder, a pistol like this can serve as a home defense gun and a daily carry gun.

Choose a good holster and practice with your sights and dot. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer, where the background check is completed.