It’s a buyer’s market these days for polymer-framed handguns. There was a time you’d have to pay close to $600 for a Glock 17. Now you can choose from a variety of excellent 9mm pistols all under $400.00, and some under $300.00. While the Glock has legendary reliability, some of these Top Five Budget-Priced Pistols have better ergonomics, better controls, and better sights. Here are our Top Five 9mm Pistols under $350.00. We selected these based on a variety of factors, including quality, reliability, shootability, and value. Speaking of value, four of these five are under $300!

Should you pay more for a pistol? That’s debatable. We’ve owned Glocks, Sigs, Steyrs, and HKs some of which cost over $800.00 new. We love our metal-framed Sigs, but among polymer-frame guns, we think any of these five will give the more expensive guns a run for their money. The Walther Creed, for example, is basically a “no-frills” version of the Walther PPQ which has a $649.00 MSRP.

Here are our Top Five, Value-Priced (Under $350) Full-Size 9mm Pistols, listed in order of price, low to high:

1. Walther Creed, $269.99 (CDNN Sports)

The Walther Creed offers excellent ergonomics, good accuracy, and well-designed controls at a killer price — $269.99 at CDNN Sports. This gun, designed to be a value-leader, emulates Walther’s more expensive PPQ model (MSRP $649.00) at a much lower price. The Creed’s frame size and shape is the same as the PPQ, but the Creed lacks interchangeable backstraps. Slide and trigger are very similar. The Creed features a snag-free bobbed hammer. Testers have praised the new Creed, some calling it the “best value on the market”. Here is a recent video review. The tester gave the Creed high marks, saying that it “sacrifices little to nothing in… ergonomics, accuracy, and reliability.”

2. Remington RP9, $269.99 (CDNN Sports)

Here’s a great deal on a modern, full-size 9mm pistol. The striker-fired Remington RP9 is similar to Smith & Wesson’s popular M&P9, but we prefer the Remington’s grip, and the RP9 is considerably less expensive. The RP9 comes with three (3) grip inserts and two (2) 18-round magazines. CDNN’s sale price is $269.99. That’s a heck of a bargain for a nicely-designed, American-made pistol. We’ve shot this Remington RP9 pistol and definitely prefer its ergonomics/controls over those of the 9mm Glock 17.

3. Canik TP9 SA, $287.99 (Prepper Gun Shop)

Photo courtesy LuckyGunner.com.

The Canik TP9 SA has been on the market for a couple years now and has really started to find favor, even among Glock fans. This striker-fired pistol has a decent trigger, and for many shooter the frame is more comfortable than the Glock. The Canik ships with polymer holster, interchangeable backstraps, and is backed by a lifetime warranty through Century Arms. If you are not familiar with this pistol, watch a few YouTube reviews. This gun has earned good marks from most testers, many of whom say it’s a better gun than the Glock, for hundreds less. For example in a head-to-head comparison test with the Glock 17, Reload Hawaii declared: “Fit and finish is fine, reliability is great, accuracy is great [plus] you get more stuff with it — I give the edge to the Canik”. Here’s a pretty throrough review including a torture test. The reviewer gave the Canik “two thumbs up”.

4. Kahr CT9 SS, $299.99 (CDNN)

This pistol is an excellent carry gun. Some might call it a “mid-sized” pistol, as it is only 6.5″ overall. The gun is thin and the controls are well recessed so this Kahr is great for discrete carry — it “prints” less than most of the other guns featured here. The striker-fired Kahr has a nice trigger pull. Take-up is pretty long, but the engagement is smooth without the hitches/spikes you feel on a Glock trigger pull. Many shooters find they can shoot the Kahr more accurately that a similar-sized Glock due to the smoother trigger. Shown above is the Kahr CT9 Night Sight version with stainless steel slide. We like the contrasting slide, but this gun is also available with a black Cerakote slide. The Kahr CT9 is on sale now at CDNN Sports for just $299.99.

5. S&W M&P 9mm, $399.99/$324.99 after Rebate (DeGuns.Net)

Just to be honest, the price of this gun is $399.99 but a current S&W rebate can drop the net cost to $324.99. That’s a great deal on a very reliable, accurate full-size 9x19mm pistol — the Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm 2.0. The M&P is a quality gun with good ergonomics. It has been selected by many LEO organizations as their duty pistol. Right now this 9mm pistol is on sale for $399.99. To sweeten the deal, this handgun qualifies for a Smith & Wesson Rebate — either $75.00 or $180 worth of ammo, mags, and mag-loader. Act soon — the Smith & Wesson Rebate offer expires September 30, 2017.

At the request of our readers, we have launched a “Deals of the Week” feature. Every Monday morning we offer our Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on hardware, reloading components, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

1. Natchez — 8.5-25x50mm Leupold VX-3 for $649.99

This is a heck of a deal. This Editor owns this very same Leupold 8.5-25x50mm VX-3 scope and I paid about a grand for it many years ago. The 25X max magnification is plenty for varmint hunting and most target work. If you don’t need 25X magnification, Natchez also sells the Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40mm scope for just $489.90. Both these optics are protected by Leupold’s famed lifetime warranty.

2. CDNN Sports — Remington 597 for $149.99

Looking for a “first rifle” for a family member?. Consider this semi=auto Remington 597. It currently retails for just $149.99. That’s right, for under $150 you can get a reliable, self-feeding rimfire rifle that will provide years of fun for a young shooter. The 597 has a stock that’s sized right for both youngsters and adults. Receivers are dovetailed for standard rimfire rings and are also drilled and tapped to allow mounting of Weaver-style bases.

3. Amazon.com — RCBS ChargeMaster for $289.99

Here’s a very good deal on the popular RCBS ChargeMaster combo scale/powder dispenser. This unit sells elsewhere for up to $389.00. You may want to act quickly as Amazon pricing changes frequently. We also saw this item on sale at MidwayUSA recently.

4. GunBuyer.com — Federal .22 LR Ammo, $21.99 for 325 Rds

Here you go — name-brand rimfire ammo for just 6.8 cents per round. Can’t complain about that price. According to Ammoseek.com, this is pretty much the least expensive name-brand .22 LR rimfire ammo you can buy. This Federal AutoMatch .22 LR rimfire ammo features a 40gr Lead RN projectile. It feeds well in semi-auto rifles as well as bolt guns.

5. Midsouth Shooters Supply — 34gr Varmint Bullets

Need bullets for an upcoming spring varmint safari? Midsouth has slashed prices on its Varmint Nightmare X-Treme (VNX) hollow-point bullets, in both .204 and .224 calibers. The .204-cal 34gr VNXs and .224-cal 34gr VNXs are just $45.52 for 500 bullets. (That works out to just $9.10 per hundred!) If you prefer a heavier .22-cal bullet, Midsouth sells 50gr VNX soft-points for $48.82/500, and 55gr VNX hollow-points for $51.50/500.

6. Grafs.com — Forster Co-Ax Reloading Press on SALE

If you’ve been patiently waiting to acquire a Forster Co-Ax® reloading press, now’s the time to strike. Grafs.com has Co-Ax presses on sale this week at $289.99. That includes shipping charges (with one flat $7.95 handling charge per order).

7. Sportsman’s Guide — Kahr CT09 9mm Pistol $309.99

The Kahr CT9 is still one of the very best 9mm carry pistols around. We tried one at SHOT Show and spoke to Kahr’s President, Justin Moon. This gun has a better, smoother trigger pull than most other carry pistols. The grip is comfortable, and the exterior is very smooth and clean, with nothing to snag. If you need a 9mm pistol, this is a good gun at a great price.

8. Harbor Freight — 11-Drawer Rolling Tool Cabinet, $159.99

This 27″-wide Roller Tool Cabinet makes a nice addition to any loading room or workspace. The 11 drawers will hold tools, reamers, dies, and spare parts. Larger items (such as tumbling media), can be placed on the lower shelf. Now through the end of February, this rolling cabinet is on SALE for just $159.99 with Super Coupon #74449393. Print out the coupon or ORDER ONLINE with Coupon pricing.