The Wonderful World of the Top 5 Wonder Nines

The Wonder Nine, as a genre of firearms, had a massive positive impact on the firearms community. It’s been a huge net gain in increasing handgun firepower and has helped propel firearm design and tactics forward. The jump from revolvers to Wonder Nines was certainly a broad one, and we aren’t going back to revolvers or even single stacks anytime soon. 

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What’s a Wonder Nine? That’s a fair question. It’s a colloquial term used to describe the first series of double-stack 9mm handguns. Various people have their definitions, but I’ve always considered a wonder nine to have the following features. 

• Chambers 9mm Parabellum 
• Hammer Fired
• Uses a Double Stack Magazine 
• Metal Frame 

Some would argue that a metal frame isn’t required. Others say a hammer isn’t needed, or that a Wonder Nine should be a DA/SA gun. Those are all valid arguments, and you can certainly make them. There seems to be plenty of disagreement in the gun world about what’s what, so feel free to make them. 

When picking these guns, I didn’t aim for anything out of production or difficult to obtain. I didn’t want to make a list of unobtanium guns. Instead, I aimed at guns you can get right now with little difficulty. 

The Springfield SA-35 was a big surprise in 2021, which might as well be called the year of the Hi-Power. Springfield took the traditional Hi-Power design and improved it just slightly, making modifications to improve the design. These improvements included a drop-free magazine, an improved beavertail for no hammer bite, and removal of the magazine safety. On top of that, the flush-fitting magazine now holds 15 rounds instead of 13. 

The SA-35 is a modified Hi-Power design that really improves upon the quirks of the Hi-Power. The big metal frame pistol is still an excellent example of the supreme ergonomics of the Hi-Power and metal frames in general. Springfield ensured the SA-35 would still maintain the good qualities of the Hi-Power. 

This includes the classic look, likes, and design. Since the magazine safety was removed, the ergonomics are fantastic, and the trigger is better than most. The SA-35 gives us the classic Hi-Power feeling and style without the downsides of the Hi-Power and with a reasonable price point. 

The Czech-designed CZ-75 has remained in constant production since 1975. More companies than I can count have replicated and cloned the design. The Italians, the Turks, and the Israelis all cloned this famed handgun and style. It’s one of the most prolific Wonder Nines out there and remains a popular firearm in civilian and competition shooting circles. The CZ-75 has a fascinating history, including secret patents that locked it behind the Iron Wall until it didn’t. 

These days, the CZ-75 can be purchased from the source, CZ USA, or from numerous companies cloning the weapon. The CZ-75 uses an unconventional slide design. This design has the slide riding inside its frame rather than the outside and makes the reciprocating slide mass lower and closer to the hand to help make the muzzle rise more controllable. It’s rather ingenious and a core part of the CZ-75’s design. 

These pistols use a DA/SA design, and a frame safety allows you to carry cocked and locked. There are CZ-75s with decockers as well, but the classic model uses a safety. The safety can only be engaged with the hammer locked to the rear. The CZ-75 series forms one of the more interesting Wonder Nines on the market. 

The Beretta 92 series takes the top spot as the most famous Wonder Nine on the market, at least in the United States. This was the gun of John McClane in Die Hard and Riggs in Lethal Weapon. It became an extremely popular weapon with police forces during the transition from revolver to automatic. It also became the M9 and served with the military for decades. The Beretta 92 has evolved several times. 

The latest and greatest is the A4 series. The Beretta 92A4 gives us a very modern fighting handgun. Improvements include a thinner grip frame, a rail system, a threaded barrel, and even an optics-ready design. The A4 brings all the latest and greatest features to the Beretta series without giving up what made it so popular. 

This includes an all-metal frame, a DA/SA design, and the rock-solid reliability Beretta is known for. These are extra lightweight guns, but heavy metal fighting pistols. The 92A4 might be the most advanced of the Wonder Nines. 

The SIG P226 is a fantastic Wonder Nine that is also one of the most famed fighting pistols ever produced. In the United States, it’s been used by elite forces like the Navy SEALs and police and security forces like the Texas Rangers, the DSS, Tampa SWAT, and many, many more. Internationally, it’s been adopted by dozens of police and military forces. The P226 has been around for a long time and will continue to serve. 

The P226 series uses the SIG system that was built and designed for the P220, but was very successfully translated over to the 9mm P226. It bears mentioning that the P229, the P228, and the P224 are all derived from the P226 and are all arguably Wonder Nines. The P226 uses a DA/SA trigger system, but there are also DAO-only options like the famed DAK system. 

DA/SA is where the SIG P226 is best. The SIG series uses one of the best decockers on the planet, and it’s placed perfectly for easy access. It becomes a natural part of handling the weapon. The P226 provides a very easy-to-handle handgun that’s well-proven across the globe and is still produced to this day. These days, a modern P226 features a rail and has optics-ready compatibility. 

Your standard 1911 would never be considered a Wonder Nine because, well, it’s a .45 ACP. The Staccato P is no 1911. It’s a 2011 model, which is a title that comes from the modernization of the platform. Staccato 2011s uses a double-stack magazine system that can hold 17 to 20 rounds in total. Much like a 1911, they do have a single-action-only design. 

This is a massive pistol. The P series doesn’t have a full-length government frame but a more trim 4.4-inch bull barrel. However, I wouldn’t call it compact. The gun weighs 33 ounces with the steel design and 28 ounces with aluminum. The P series is an excellent option as a duty and defensive gun, or even in competition. 

The triggers are absolutely amazing, and all that weight makes the gun extremely easy to control. The recoil impulse is quick and light, without much snap. The P series is also optics-ready, and a short rail makes adding a light quick and easy. It’s nuts to think that something derived from the classic .45 ACP would be one of the most well-built Wonder Nines on the market. 

READ MORE HERE: Comprehensive Guide to Handgun Types

Wonder Nine handguns are really my favorite genre of handguns. There is something about a metal-framed, hammer-fired gun that just does it for me. There is nothing wrong with polymer-frame firearms, and I carry one daily. However, the wonder nines are the guns I love to shoot and really enjoy owning. 

What do you think? Were Wonder Nines rightly replaced by plastic fanatics? Do they still have a solid role in the firearm conversation? Let us know what you think below. 

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