Daniel Defense has been famous for ages as a premier purveyor of rifles and accessories, but in 2024, the company's reaching for something a bit closer to hand ... its first-ever handgun, the DANIEL H9. If you’re used to shooting 1911s but have been interested in crossing over to a striker-fired handgun, this may be the handgun for you. If striker-fired handguns are what you’re comfortable with but you’ve been looking to expand into a 1911-style pistol, the H9 provides the best of both worlds.
With the thinnest profile and lowest bore axis in its class, the DANIEL H9 is designed and engineered to give shooters more control for faster, flatter shooting. That "low bore axis" simply means that it sits low in your hand and there’s less gun protruding up above your hand than handguns with a higher bore axis. With less gun sitting above your hand, more of the gun’s recoil drives straight back into the meaty part of your hand, which helps reduce muzzle flip. 
This 9mm shares the ergonomics, pointability and straight-pull trigger of the 1911s you're familiar with, but the H9 is actually a striker-fired pistol. It's rich with features, like ambidextrous controls, an accessory rail, optics compatibility and more. The aircraft-grade aluminum grip keeps the DANIEL H9 exceptionally durable and surprisingly lightweight. And, as with every Daniel, it’s all built around a cold hammer forged barrel for unparalleled precision.
At just over 29 oz., the aluminum and steel H9 has just enough weight to stay sturdy under recoil, but it's still highly maneuverable and lightweight enough for concealed carry. It's 7.69" long overall, and 1" wide at the slide, so concealment won't be difficult. Contributing to the handgun’s slimness is a 15-round double-stack magazine, which is among the thinnest in the industry and is coated with a low-friction finish for easy insertion and removal.
“It wasn’t enough to just be another handgun in an already crowded market. It had to be better than anything out there. It had to redefine how people thought about handguns,” said Rod Reasen, CEO of Daniel Defense.
It’s a revolutionary design, but a revolutionary design alone isn’t enough. Daniel Defense touts this handgun as boasting the same legendary quality as its rifles. After over a million rounds fired in testing, the team at Daniel Defense is confident that the DANIEL H9 will carry on their reputation for building the most trusted firearms in the world. MSRP $1,299; DanielDefense.com.
