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Try a Glock 19. There are reasons it's probably the most popular defense pistol in the market. Rent one, put several magazines through it. Even if you don't like the Glock, it is the standard you'll keep hearing about as you shop, the gun most often compared to. Lots of great recommendations in this thread....but shoot a G19 while you're looking. Good luck and have fun...!!
 
I considered a grip sleeve for the 365, but instead of adding artificial width to the grip I switched back to a gun with the same grip width comprised of a magazine.
 
What's your budget?
What's you proficiency level?
What do you shoot well?
How often are you willing to train?
What size are you actually willing to carry? No sense getting something so big you won't carry.

If you're an 'old revolver shooter'...you could look at an lightweight .38 revolver?

Otherwise, if $$ is tight...maybe look at Canik...they're a pretty high value piece, tho aftermarket is pretty limited. S&W M&P's or Shields can often be found at very attractive prices and are a lot more mainstream. Smaller...maybe the Sig 365 or a Kahr.

Boss
 
One of my carry selection (CZ PCR, SIG p365, SIG p239, Shield .45, Commander size 1911) is a Shield .45.

I shoot it well and it is surprisingly soft shooting as well as easy to carry.
 
The only real problem with the Glock is the same thing that makes it the best.
Everybody has one. And that's not cool. Not elite enough for some.

But consider some of its properties.

The slide comes off for cleaning in less than 5 seconds. Breakdown for cleaning in a few more.
Parts are everywhere. And they're easy to strip down to the last part.
And all but the barrel, slide, frame, and striker can be had for less than $25.

Light, reliable, accurate, rugged, and cheep enough to Surender if need be.





But darn it. Everybody has one.
 
If you want something small, I keep a Walther PPS in my car: Single stack, decent trigger, good after market support.

As for personal carry, I adore my HK USP compact which has a decent trigger, but it isn't the cheapest and holsters aren't as common. I also have a P229 Legion as some mentioned above that is an awesome gun. Mine has a red dot so it feels a little bulkier than my USP. The red dot isn't really very big so much of that is just in my head but it results in me rarely carrying it.

For both the USP and 229 I have very nice leather holsters from lobogunleather.com which is surprisingly affordable for a hand made leather holsters that provide good retention. I find the leather makes carrying a firearm that is a little larger a bit more comfortable. They were also very nice to work with providing suggestions tailored to what I was looking for.
 
You could visit some local gun stores, share your requirements as stated above, and ask for their recommendation. Then, when their permission in advance, dry fire the recommended pistol to see how it fits your hand and whether the trigger pull meets your expectation.
This!
It's so hard to blindly recommend. There is just too many. Think renting is pricey? Wait till you buy something that someone else likes and you find you do not like it. Then try to sell it now days. You will likely lose enough to pay for a lot of rentals. If you don't want rentals the only other way is at least handle the guns first. Even better if you can try dry fire. Maybe get a few snap caps? Take them see if store is ok with an employee putting on in so you can feel the trigger.
 
The G19 is giant compared to the P365.

Now, I carried the S&W M&P40c 1.0 for years. Then went to an XDS 40. XDS is a great little pistol, but I didn't like only having 6 rounds. So I went to the G19. Fits me very well, very accurate, reliable, and a great pistol that holds 15 rounds.

But it was a little big and ended up going back to the M&P40c 1.0. But it just didn't feel as good as the G19 and wasn't nearly as accurate.

Then the P365 seemed to get all of the bugs worked out so I finally gave in and tried it out. Feels good with the 10-round mag, but still a little small. Dealer had me try the 12-round mag and it was nearly perfect.

I bought the Tac Pac with the 12-round mags and added a Hogue grip and it is just perfect.

Here's a comparison of all three pistols for size...

IMG_20200524_195512455.jpg

My old carry size to the new...

IMG_20200524_195747066.jpg

Went from 15 rounds to 12.
 
I carry a CZ P10C and love it. It carries well, is a great shooter, comes with night sights from the factory, and has a fantastic trigger from the factory. Check some YouTube reviews and they all rate it very highly
 
I carry a CZ P10C and love it. It carries well, is a great shooter, comes with night sights from the factory, and has a fantastic trigger from the factory. Check some YouTube reviews and they all rate it very highly
My brother-in-law bought one of those the same time I bought my G19 Gen 5 MOS so we went out and shot them side by side. We both shot the Glock better and liked the grip better, but, the CZ had a little better trigger and was impressive for being $200 less.

Good guns.
 
For those that say the P365 is too small for a comfortable grip...

It really does feel amazing with the 10+ and 12 round mags. Add a $12 grip sleeve and it feels as good as a G19.

I have larger hands...

IMG_20200524_202144269.jpg

Very little difference between the G19 and P365 regarding purchase...

IMG_20200524_202226665.jpg

IMG_20200524_202254871.jpg
 
I currently have an SCCY 1 9mm pistol. I I had hoped to use it as a carry gun but it has got the worst trigger pull of any firearm I have ever used. I guess that is what to expect when you go cheap. Looking for suggestions on compact or sub compact 9mm pistol that have a decent trigger pull. As this is to be a carry gun I have no problem with a single stack mag. I could rent various pistols to try out but that does get a little expensive. The SCCY has a very heavy and a very long trigger pull. For an old revolver shooter that just isn't acceptable. It would be nice to have a starting point by eliminating those that others have found to have this same problem. Thanks
Try a Glock G43.
The wife picked up a G43 Vickers Edition about a month ago.
OOS now, but they are a nice upgrade over the bone stock G43.
With the Vickers +2 extensions, it feels like a 43X, yet you can carry 6+1 if you need the shorter grip.

I have a PPS-M2 and that feels like a larger gun with the 8 round mag.
I really like that pistol. It's like a Glock only with Walther ergos.

Others to look at would be Kimber Micro 9 and SIG P938, SIG P365
 
The G19 is giant compared to the P365.

Now, I carried the S&W M&P40c 1.0 for years. Then went to an XDS 40. XDS is a great little pistol, but I didn't like only having 6 rounds. So I went to the G19. Fits me very well, very accurate, reliable, and a great pistol that holds 15 rounds.

But it was a little big and ended up going back to the M&P40c 1.0. But it just didn't feel as good as the G19 and wasn't nearly as accurate.

Then the P365 seemed to get all of the bugs worked out so I finally gave in and tried it out. Feels good with the 10-round mag, but still a little small. Dealer had me try the 12-round mag and it was nearly perfect.

I bought the Tac Pac with the 12-round mags and added a Hogue grip and it is just perfect.

Here's a comparison of all three pistols for size...

View attachment 701362

My old carry size to the new...

View attachment 701365

Went from 15 rounds to 12.
Dang I have that exact same Bianchi holster for my Gen 2 G19. :D
 
I keep my SCCY in my GHB but consider it more of a gut gun or get off me gun.

Mines had over 1k thru it and that trigger is still long and st but it has been 100% reliable so I trust it.

Funny thing is, the faster I shoot it the better my groups get. It's not a slow pull target pistol for sure. Quality made imo and for the cost can't justify selling it.

Ive never been a glock fan boy but their guns are like AK47's, they go bang when you pull the trigger and theirs lots of ways to customize them and plenty of variants that just about anyone can find a model that works for them.

I do love my Gen 3 G17 and it is my carry But I'm a big guy and it's easy enough to conceal.

My wife likes it so much as a house gun that I'm about to make the switch to my Beretta 92fs but it's heavier.

I'm with the try before you buy crowd. Don't be afraid to window shop and get your hands on every model that interests you - it's like cars, not everyone likes the same thing so it's going to be a lot of homework on your end.

I would personally buy the gun that feels right for you vs buying a highly recommended gun and then trying to customize it to fit you.

Just my 2¢
 
Glock 26 is my vote. Can fit larger capacity magazines in a snap. Feels great with a +2 pinky extension. Can be found for 400 easy.....

Glock triggers are easy to polish and an overtravel correction housing is like 30 bucks....pretty much everything for the glock can be gotten cheap
 
Glock 26 is my vote. Can fit larger capacity magazines in a snap. Feels great with a +2 pinky extension. Can be found for 400 easy.....

Glock triggers are easy to polish and an overtravel correction housing is like 30 bucks....pretty much everything for the glock can be gotten cheap
Except that the G26 is still a pig compared to the P365...

maxresdefault.jpg

I realize not everyone values having the thinnest and lightest carry gun with exceptional capacity and ergonomics, but it was a no-brainer for me. Why carry a substantially larger and fatter pistol with the same capacity? I think the Glock is an attractive option with excellent aftermarket support, legendary reliability, and is a great choice. It's just bigger.
 
How experienced are you as a shooter? If you are just learning , a Glock 19 is about the right size. Smith & Wesson M&P compact 9 2.0 would be less expensive and good to learn on.This size can be carried , but it is going to get heavy. The Smith & Wesson Shield 2.0 or even 1.0 are great carry guns at reasonable cost. Takes some work to shoot well if you are just starting out.

 
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Except that the G26 is still a pig compared to the P365...

View attachment 701432

I realize not everyone values having the thinnest and lightest carry gun with exceptional capacity and ergonomics, but it was a no-brainer for me. Why carry a substantially larger and fatter pistol with the same capacity? I think the Glock is an attractive option with excellent aftermarket support, legendary reliability, and is a great choice. It's just bigger.
Except i cant fit my hands on the sig....bigger is better for those of us with plus sized hands. Im 6 ft with the hands of a 6.5" guy lmao

TBH i also dont trust sig after the drop test issues. And I know my glocks are safe in this respect.
 

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