looking for advice in buying a "small" 9mm

[NoFlinch]

I bought a Kel-Tec p11 for summer carry.

It's a GREAT carry gun.

It's a TERRIBLE shooting gun.

Long, heavy trigger.

LOTS of "Snap"

About 300 rounds to break it in.

I never shoot it any longer.

I've learned to conceal a G26 or Kimber UCC just fine.

Look around. Putting something on lay-away might be a good way to buy a more expensive quality 9mm based upon replies here

 

[samuelm16]

Another option is the kahr cw's they are about 325

 

[etrain16]

I originally planned on getting the shield, held it, and realized it wasn't for me. So I stepped up just a bit to the M&P 9C. Fits my hand well, shoots great. I've been carrying it for over a year, IWB and often forget it's even there. As I sit here now writing this I can barely tell it's on my hip. Nice thing too is that when I go to the range, I can use the bigger 17-round mags for less reloading. I carry the 12 round standard with the finger extension. Great pistol. I've got a G19 too, but prefer the 9C.

 

[Frito]

More votes here for the Shield, M&Pc, or PF9. If you want a revolver, get one in .357. 9mm is an automatic round and it seems a bit contrived to put it in a revolver. Personally, I don't think it is a bad idea to have guns in more calibers than just one. If you can't find 9mm ammo at some point, you might find .38 special...

 

[Shomermaster]

+1 for the Kahr CM9 for great budget gun. I recently picked up a PM9 and have 200 rounds through it. Perfect every time. Super small, super accurate, just plain super. Everything I have heard about the CM9 is it shoots just the same as the PM but you get one less magazine and it costs $200 less. Check 'em out.

 

[mag046]

Glock 26 and an IWB Crossbreed Supertuck.

I had the similar budget constraints, ended up saving a little while longer and it was worth the wait!

 

[mjn]

I'd recommend saving for a bit longer and buying quality the first time.

P938

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/handgun-discussion/160887-sig-p938;-my-opinion.html

 

[cookie]

Staying with the same ammo is smart. Buy proven make with quality and reliable operation.. What 9mm do you have now as platform familiarity would or could be nice.

 

[100$bill]

Beretta 92 FS and S&W M&P full size.. I've owned others before such as the M&P 9c.. .. Kinda wish I had it back, but it was just a bit smaller than the full size and the wife needed a new car..

Back in the day I had a Colt MK4 series 80 in .380 but it was quite heavy..

I am pretty set on the single ammo idea.. 9mm.. even though it won't knock down a house with a single round. But I personally think a .22 cal is a bullet size I would not like to stand in the way of, not that I endorse that caliber for personal defense.

 

[hondakilla98]

With your budget I'd buy a keltec pf9. I carry a Kahr pm9 myself, but I've tried the pf9 and the db9. The diamondback db9 is as small as it gets. It beats the r9 in Width and height, and most importantly weight. But it's snappy, the trigger isn't great and the sights are small. The pf9 is just big enough to get ahold of, cheap, and reliable. I went with the kahr mostly for the great trigger and full size pistol sights. If it doesn't need to be pocket holster small I'd buy a shield. You get the same striker fired trigger as a full size gun, it's big enough to hold on to, recoil is reduced because it's bigger and heavier, and you get one more round than most.

 

[orygun]

Another vote for the Kahr CM9. Not much bigger than the LCP or TCP, but thicker. Good shooter, once you learn to live with the looooooooooooonnnngggg trigger pull. Surprisingly comfortable to shoot for a gun this size. I got it for myself, but soon decided that the wife needed it to replace her TCP. She shoots it better than the TCP despite the increase in power.

 

[usagi]

all subcompact 9's are an exercise in compromises.

i have tried them all and the s&w shield is the least sucky of them all. though the springfield xds is a close second.

murphy's law dictates i will never carry condition 1, so the 938 is right out.

 

[mattg521]

I must second the Kahr suggestions. CM9 or CW9.

 

[glockguy]

Iv got a kahr cm9 and sig p938, wife carries the sig and I carry the kahr while at work

 

[raynerhenrik]

There's a new/old one out that meets your wants and needs, it's the Remington R51 in 9mm. It's slim single stacked, striker fired with grip safety, no manual safty though. Metal upper and lower recievers. I've only seen video reviews of it, never in person, but I like it. I used to carry a shield 9mm, and at best it worked, just barely though. I bend down a lot and lift things above my head and sit in chairs, and for me the shield was just too much. That and I worried about printing a lot. The R51 seems to be around the same size as the shield, concealing it shouldn't be a problem if you don't plan on moving your waste around a lot. But I do know that even though the shield was slightly too big for me, it did draw damn quick, and fast follow up shots are there too. I traded down to a bodyguard .380 so carrying could be more practically done, and although I still feel like it will work just fine, I just don't feel as secure with it as I did with the shield, and that's because I can't grab it as fast, or shoot it as fast. Oh, and price point, 400ish for the remington, and 450ish for the shield.

 

[n16ht5]

SCCY CPX-2... very, very small for a doublestack 9, and you can actually hit things with it. Use the leftover money for ammo to practice and you will be good to go. The DB9 and PF9 are very hard to shoot.

 

[aznbala]

I had a kahr cm9 that I sold because I could not get used to the long trigger. Solid gun though. Ended up buying a sig p938 and it's worth every penny.

 

[ATB]

My EDC is also a P938 and my first choice but be aware... It's size is deceiving. When I made my Plano case to hold my XDS, it also fit my P938 very closely. That's when the size really hit me. The P938 is not as small as it seems because of the beaver tail.

Make sure and go handle some candidates and pull those triggers! Trigger pull is extremely important.

 

[aznbala]

The xd-s 9 is supposed to be pretty nice as well. But yeah you gotta try out how they feel and the trigger.

 

[orygun]

You should buy this one!

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/handgun-classifieds/164245-kahr-cm9-w-ammo-$375.html

Yeah, shameless self promotion...