The Best Competition Pistols (Top 5 Fight)

Intro and competition background

The hosts open with a playful argument about which of them has the stronger list of top five competition pistols. One host jokes that nobody can beat Glock, while the other hints that several pistols can. They frame the video as a head‑to‑head "top five fight" and invite viewers to decide in the comments whose list is better. The non‑competitive host admits he is not a match shooter but knows his way around handguns, while Kenzie is introduced as a new Classic Firearms team member with extensive competition experience. She explains that she started with Glock Shooting Sports Foundation (GSSF) matches, where participants must run Glock pistols, and that this was the only handgun she owned at the time. From there she rapidly expanded into Steel Challenge, USPSA, two‑gun, three‑gun, .22 precision rifle, and AK matches. She jokes that if a firearm has a trigger, she wants to compete with it. The co‑host mentions having seen her shoot on social media and being a bit intimidated by her skill level and sponsor backing. Together they set the stage for a friendly but serious comparison of their personal choices for competition pistols.

Glock 17 as an entry-level competition pistol

Kenzie’s number five pick is the Glock 17, specifically a Gen 2 model with a single recoil spring that she still owns as her very first handgun. She describes it as somewhat old‑school but notes that it carried her through years of GSSF matches. She recalls losing plenty of early matches and finishing near the bottom at her first event, but emphasizes that the experience taught her a lot and kept her coming back. Because GSSF requires Glock pistols, she also ran a Glock 43 in a subcompact division that limited shooters to seven rounds, using the same gun she carried daily. The Glock 17 is presented as a practical starting point for new competitors: a full‑size pistol with useful capacity that many people already own, allowing them to step into competition without buying a dedicated race gun. The focus is on showing up with a stock pistol, learning the sport, and having fun instead of feeling pressured to invest immediately in expensive, heavily customized equipment.

SIG Sauer X5 versus Glock for competition

The co‑host counters Kenzie’s Glock 17 choice with the SIG Sauer X5 as his own number five pick. He describes the X5 as a hammer‑fired pistol with an external safety and an integrated compensator, built from the ground up for performance on the range rather than duty or concealed carry. This sparks a brief debate about external safeties on competition guns, with Kenzie preferring platforms without them and contrasting the X5’s controls with 1911 and 2011‑style systems such as high‑end custom pistols. The host argues that the X5 offers a more refined trigger, better recoil control, and features that give it an edge over an older Gen 2 Glock 17 in a pure competition role. At the same time, both acknowledge that Glock pistols are simple, easy to maintain, and have a long track record of reliability in both carry and law enforcement contexts, which is why so many shooters still bring them to matches.

Canik SFx Rival and Rival S features

Moving to number four, the host selects the Canik SFx Rival, noting that the steel‑frame Rival S variant further tames recoil thanks to its additional weight. The polymer SFx Rival on the table is praised for its grip angle, overall ergonomics, and slide design, but especially for its trigger, which both hosts agree is excellent for a factory pistol. Kenzie argues that the Rival line deserves a higher ranking, explaining that she has owned and competed with multiple SFx models, including the original SFx, the Rival, and the Rival S. She highlights ambidextrous controls, the inclusion of multiple optic plates so shooters can mount popular red dots without waiting on aftermarket parts, and the fiber‑optic sights that come standard. The pistol ships with tools and different magazine release options so users can tailor the controls to their preference. They present the SFx Rival series as a turn‑key competition package that can go straight from the box to a match, with upgrades being optional rather than mandatory.

Walther Q5 Match Steel Frame overview

Kenzie’s next featured pistol is the Walther Q5 Match Steel Frame, which she has used in USPSA and three‑gun. She contrasts it with the earlier polymer‑frame Q5, emphasizing that the steel frame adds weight that noticeably improves recoil control, transitions, and comfort during long stages. The Q5 Match Steel Frame comes optics‑ready from the factory and offers generous magazine capacity in the mid‑teens to high‑teens, making it practical for most competition stages without constant reloads. Kenzie praises Walther’s design work and mentions that there is strong aftermarket support, including thin Bogies grips from LOK Grips that she has personally run to fine‑tune the feel. Her co‑host agrees that Walther did an outstanding job with the Q5 platform and comments that Walther pistols are underrated in the U.S. market. He references time spent in Germany training with Walther staff and hints that a newer Walther model may shoot even better, suggesting that the brand is continuing to push performance‑oriented designs.

Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 as a competition option

The discussion then turns to the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 as another strong contender for competition use. Kenzie points to Smith & Wesson’s long history and describes the M&P line as one of the most comfortable polymer pistols available, especially in terms of grip shape and texture. The full‑size 2.0 model they handle offers a 17‑round capacity and is available in optics‑ready configurations, which she considers essential for modern competition where slide‑mounted red dots are increasingly standard. She references high‑level shooter Hunter Constantine, who has run M&P pistols in matches both in stock form and with common upgrades like an Apex trigger and extended base pads. The co‑host notes that he carried an M&P for about six years and trusted it for personal defense, praising its reliability and controllability. Both agree that the M&P 2.0 is accurate, reasonably priced, and widely used in matches, even if its polymer appearance blends in with other striker‑fired pistols on the market.

Modifying pistols for competition versus carry

The hosts shift into a broader conversation about how much to modify pistols depending on their role. Kenzie explains that competition shooters frequently upgrade triggers, add aggressive grip work or stippling, and install extended base pads to increase capacity and improve reloads. She uses her earlier experience with the original Canik SFx as an example, where she swapped out the trigger before the Rival series introduced a dedicated competition‑focused unit from the factory. She notes that manufacturers may not always love seeing their products heavily altered, and that extensive modifications can change how a pistol behaves and is supported. For carry guns, she draws a clear line and prefers to keep them in factory configuration, avoiding extra points of failure and keeping the gun closer to how it was originally engineered. Both hosts agree that while competition pistols are often tuned for maximum performance, many shooters can still be very successful running relatively stock setups like an M&P 2.0, a Glock 17, or similar platforms with only minimal changes.

Sponsor message transition

As the top five discussion continues, the video pauses for a sponsor segment. The host introduces American Hartford Gold, describing the company as a resource for those interested in adding precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum to their financial planning. These can be purchased as bars or coins, either shipped directly to the customer or held within certain retirement accounts. The brief message presents precious metals as a way to diversify holdings and hedge against uncertainty. This sponsor break serves as a transition point in the video before the hosts return to finish debating the remaining pistols on their competition lists.