All of us really liked the Para. It was accurate, reliable, and had the best trigger of the bunch. While not the smallest or lightest of our carry guns, it was compact enough for deep concealment. I really dug its sights, which had brilliant dots and a serrated rear sight. They were fast to target and snag-free. The only complaint came from our biggest shooter, whose hands paid the price for the minimalist beavertail a few times. Other than that, he really liked it, although he wasn’t too crazy about having to relearn working a thumb safety after years of carrying a Glock.

The Walther PPS was the biggest wild card. It was the newest and most distinctive looking pistol, though this quality was obvious to all of us. Its reviews, on the other hand, were a mixed bag.

The standard grip was comfortable to everyone, and its ultrathin profile was very appealing, especially for carry inside the waistband. However, the slide was unnecessarily tall, which really accentuated muzzle flip for all of us. The unusual trigger-guard magazine release was not well-liked; however, I suspect it could become second nature with a little practice. The PPS’s tiny sights were not favorites, either; though as you can see by the accuracy chart, they didn’t hamper its accuracy one bit.

On the plus side, the PPS was very reliable and extremely accurate. And its trigger was very nice once you got past the initial take-up. I have no doubt this one will prove popular among shooters who don’t have decades of experience with other platforms, but neither I nor my training partners are ready to learn a new system. Our female shooter, on the other hand, really liked the PPS.

Final Results
The final results didn’t surprise me a bit. Both police officers really liked the Para’s sights. Lance, the shorter of the two, also fell in love with the Kahr’s trim size and the Para’s trigger. Even so, both officers rated the Glock 26 as their overall favorite—no surprise given their familiarity with it. The Para was their second choice, followed by the Kahr, then the Walther.

Our lady shooter picked the Kahr as her first choice. Though she was a bit put off by the increased recoil, she shot it well and concluded that it would fit perfectly in her purse. She liked the Para as well and rated it second only because it was a bit heavier than the Kahr. The Walther was her third pick, while the Glock’s excessive girth moved it into fourth place on her list.

As for me, well, it’s probably no surprise that the Para was my first choice. However, Kahr’s PM9 tied it, as the Kahr is the pistol I will probably end up carrying in my pocket on warm days. The Glock came in third, followed very closely by the Walther.

Subjective tests like this are hard to do because they are so—well—subjective. What feels good to me may feel terrible to you, and vice versa. Were you to perform the same test with four different shooters, your own results would doubtlessly vary wildly. All I can say is that all the pistols we tested were accurate, reliable, and had excellent triggers. I would not feel ill-equipped walking the mean streets with any of them.