One Of America’s Top-Selling Pistols Costs More Than $1,600

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution allows for the right to bear arms. About one-third of US adults personally own a gun, and statistics show that there are approximately 120.5 guns per 100 people in this country. Personal protection tops the list of reasons for keeping a gun, but sport shooting, hunting, and collecting also make that list. Over the last 80 years, the share of Americans with a gun in their home has ranged from 34% to 51%, according to Gallup survey data.

While gun ownership has a centuries-long history in the United States, the prevailing reasons Americans choose to keep firearms have shifted in recent decades. According to Gallup, the share of gun owners who have a firearm for protection against crime climbed from 65% to 88% between 2000 and 2021. Over the same period, the share of gun owners who keep a firearm for hunting fell from 59% to 56%.

Shifts in American gun culture and growing concern over personal protection appear to have had a meaningful impact on the firearm industry, as demand for handguns — particularly semi-automatic pistols — has surged in recent years. Typically concealable and easy to maneuver in tight indoor spaces, pistols are, for many gun owners, an ideal self-defense weapon — both at home and in public places.

Pistols overtook rifles as the most-produced firearm type in the US in 2010. Since then, pistol demand has outpaced every other firearm type. In three years’ time, more than 18.4 million pistols have been manufactured in the US.

Using a report from Gun Genius, which analyzed sales data from GunBroker.com, 24/7 Wall St. identified the ten most popular pistols in America. Pistols are ranked on sales volume in the 2023 calendar year, though exact sales figures were not provided. Supplemental data on domestic manufacturing locations and production volume in 2021 are from the ATF.

These ten firearms are manufactured by eight gunmakers, including two models from Glock and two from Sig Sauer. Most firearms on this list are chambered for 9mm ammunition, a caliber favored by the U.S. military and police departments across the country.

The companies on this list have large U.S.-based manufacturing locations that produce thousands of pistols every year. Still, several of these companies, including Beretta and Glock, are headquartered overseas, and some portion of the firearms they sell in the U.S. are imported.

It is important to note that this list was compiled using online gun sales only. Unlike most items purchased online, firearms are generally not shipped directly to your door. Typically, the process requires buyers to have their gun shipped to a Federally Licensed Firearm Dealer, which will run a background check before transferring the gun to the customer.

Why Are We Talking About Firearm Sales?

The sale, trade, and transfer of firearms are common occurrences in the United States. Gun ownership is important to many as a means to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their homes, and it remains the root of a long tradition for many. While rifles have a long history of high sales and have served the purpose of both protection and a way to hunt and provide for families, pistols have surged ahead over the last thirty years.

These are the best-selling pistols in America.

10. Magnum Research Desert Eagle

• Approx. base retail price: $1,655
• Available chamberings include: .357 mag, .44 mag, .50 AE, .429 DE
• Magnum Research U.S. pistol production in 2021: 11,233 (0.2% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Pillager, MN

9. Springfield Hellcat

• Approx. base retail price: $470
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Springfield U.S. pistol production in 2021: 148,264 (2.2% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Geneseo, IL

8. Beretta Model 90 Pistols

Beretta 92FS (left) (CC BY-SA 2.0) by storem

• Approx. base retail price: $405
• Available chamberings include: 9mm, .22 LR
• Beretta U.S. pistol production in 2021: 129,965 (1.9% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Gallatin, TN

7. Smith & Wesson M&P9

• Approx. base retail price: $340
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Smith & Wesson U.S. pistol production in 2021: 1,649,540 (24.4% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Columbia, MO and Springfield, MA

6. Ruger Mark IV

• Approx. base retail price: $400
• Available chamberings include: .22 LR
• Ruger U.S. pistol production in 2021: 1,058,205 (15.7% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Prescott, AZ, Southport, CT, Mayodan, NC, and Newport, NH

5. CZ-USA CZ 75

• Approx. base retail price: $590
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• CZ-USA U.S. pistol production in 2021: 22,041 (0.3% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Kansas City, KS and Norwich, NY

4. Glock G43

• Approx. base retail price: $450
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Glock U.S. pistol production in 2021: 581,944 (8.6% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Smyrna, GA

3. Glock G19

• Approx. base retail price: $500
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Glock U.S. pistol production in 2021: 581,944 (8.6% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Smyrna, GA

2. Sig Sauer P320

• Approx. base retail price: $470
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Sig Sauer U.S. pistol production in 2021: 1,214,013 (18.0% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Exeter, NH and Newington, NH

1. Sig Sauer P365

• Approx. base retail price: $480
• Available chamberings include: 9mm
• Sig Sauer U.S. pistol production in 2021: 1,214,013 (18.0% of all U.S. pistol production)
• U.S. manufacturing location(s) in 2021: Exeter, NH and Newington, NH