If you’re lucky enough to have already purchased a pistol that comes with a threaded barrel (or you have the ability to swap it/machine it), then this article may not be for you. However, if you’re looking for the most optimal 9mm pistols that are ready for a suppressor, you came to the right place.
First as always, we’ll go over our selection criteria. To make this list, the pistol must have perfect reliability with a suppressor. If you purchase any on this list, you’re not going to have any malfunctions assuming you keep the gun clean and use good ammo. In addition, the pistol must come with a threaded barrel out of the box, and either suppressor height sights, or a plate ready to accept a red dot sight. All of these will be full size frames, as none of you should be concealed carrying around with a suppressor. After checking these boxes, we’ll default to typical criteria like price, aesthetics, etc..
A quick disclaimer, I had a less than stellar personal experience with my M9A4. You’ll notice it rated lower than its typical reputation, but I don’t want people to be discouraged from giving it a chance. All other listings here I feel very confident about. With that said, lets get into our top picks for a suppressor ready 9mm pistol!
#1 HK VP9
If you want a perfect suppressor host, this is it. While you have to make sure to purchase the tactical version to get the threaded barrel, it’s completely worth it. It’s got perfect reliability for suppressed shooting, and is top of the line for both ergonomic comfort as well as the trigger pull. It’s hard to beat this experience for sub $800. Especially since I’m a wuss that prefers polymer frames for suppressed shooting to balance out the extra weight from the can on the end of my gun.
#2 Sig Sauer P226
The Sig Sauer P226 is the perfect suppressor host… but you have to pay for it. You could get the ZEV version that comes default with a threaded barrel for $2,100. But for that price, we recommend getting one of their less expensive versions and swapping a threaded barrel in for $200. The performance, ergonomics, build quality, and reliability all make this the perfect option for those that want a host built for suppressed shooting. The all metal frame is just a cherry on top for a premium experience. If money is no object, this is the gun for you.
#3 CZ 75 SP-01
The CZ 75 SP-01 is a personal favorite of ours. While it made third place on our list, you’d be perfectly happy shooting this one instead of the P226 without noticing much difference. The trigger was our favorite part being an extremely smooth pull. Assuming you purchase the correct one, it comes with a threaded barrel and suppressor height sights ready to go. It’s ~$1100 at the time of writing this article making it an extremely strong contender and rightfully one of our top picks. It genuinely did come down to aesthetics for us putting the P226 slightly ahead, since we were a fan of the more aggressive look of the P226. If price is more important to you, this one certainly takes second place instead.
#4 Beretta M9A4 (Labor of Love)
Well this one is going to hurt to write. The M9A4 is my favorite handgun I own. It’s one of my favorite looking pistols, and it’s got perfect reliability with a suppressor (as do our other top 3). While its MSRP is listed at ~$1250, I actually purchased mine for $900 on Bereli’s website. A fantastic pick for a suppressor at a great price.
However… the out of the box experience is less than superb. It does not come with suppressor ready sights (not an issue if you use a red dot). I prefer iron sights, so I had to call Beretta to find compatible suppressor sights for $80. There was also a cosmetic defect on the slide; a 2mm x 2mm piece of metal stuck to the end of one of the machined grooves. I knew it came that way from the factory since they put the tan coating straight over the defect. Not a huge deal, but also not something you want to see on a gun that can go for over $1k new. Assuming your out of the box experience is better than mine, I would certainly place this one up there with the P226, especially for the price.
That being said, there’s only 2 options (default and centurion). The centurion has a slightly shorter barrel, but there’s no confusion about buying the incorrect one since both have all the same features (including the threaded barrel).
I would buy this gun again in a heartbeat, but to others I would still highly recommend the VP9 for price conscious individuals, or the P226 for a truly premium gun.
#5 S&W M&P 2.0
This might be my favorite looking pistol on the planet (outside of the Browning Black Label Medallion Pro that only comes in .380 acp). This gun wasn’t necessarily designed with suppressed shooting in mind and has a slightly less premium trigger, but it’s still got a perfect reliability record and no trouble cycling rounds when shooting suppressed.
It comes with a threaded barrel and is ready to accept red dot sights out of the box assuming you purchase the correct version. You can choose an all metal frame for ~$800, or a polymer frame to save a couple hundred dollars. If you had your eye on this gun for suppressed shooting, buy it. It’s great.
Conclusion
If you’re a price conscious person, get the HK VP9. If you have money to blow, get the P226. If you already had a pistol in mind and it’s on this list? You’re already inclined to purchase it and it checks all our boxes, so buy it. If a pistol didn’t make our list, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great suppressor host. These are our recommendations and subject to our own biases.