Here is a duty-sized.40 with the extras already on it. The Stoeger STR-40 has a 4.17-inch barrel, a 12-round magazine, night sights and an optics-ready slide, all in black. Those are features that usually push a pistol well past this price.

Night sights help when you check a noise outside after dark or shoot a low-light class, and the optics cut gives you a path to a red dot without a gunsmith. A 4.17-inch barrel is the sweet spot for a service-style pistol: easy to shoot, easy to hold, still easy to conceal under a jacket in cool Carolina weather.

The.40 S&W is a harder-kicking cartridge than 9mm, and ammo costs more. If recoil bothers you, try one at the range before buying. If you already own.40 magazines and holsters for other guns, this pistol may fit into your setup with little extra spending. Look the slide over when it arrives and test the sights in daylight and in the dark.

This pistol is new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer of your choice, where you complete the background check and take delivery.