Looking for the perfect (I know, no such thing) carry gun

Iceman04503 · Jun 13, 2013

Just put 300 rounds thru my xds-9 and I love how it shoots. Just the right amount of recoil. The only thing I would change is that ill be getting a pearce pinky grip for the mag. Other than that its a keeper for me.

LProf · Jun 13, 2013

MrBlack said:
***to answer your question about recoil, I found them to be very soft shooting for their size.

Agree. I love my CM9. Soft shooting, very accurate for such a small gun, reliable, 600 rounds and not one malfunction, and can't beat it for comfortable concealed carry.

charros93 · Jun 13, 2013

ArgyleAdams said:
Ah, the G26. I absolutely love my glocks. Pretty much everything about them is great. This one seems like the obvious choice, but honestly I can't figure out why I can't get excited about the G26. It might be the thickness, and if they made a single stack version I would certainly be more interested in it...but I really liked the p224 and it's just as thick (actually marginally thicker). Maybe I'm just looking for more variety in my pistols...then again, it can take my G17 mags. Maybe I'm just destined to own one of these and not be excited about it.

If Glock did make a single stack 9mm it would be awfully close to the M&P shield or the xds-9.

bill97024 · Jun 17, 2013

+1 for the CM9. Picked one up last week for pocket carry. Shot it over the weekend, 200 flawless rounds right out of the box. I did clean it, grease it, and worked the slide manually about 300 times before it's first outing to help break it in a little. Out to 30 feet or so I can reliably hit a paper plate, and with more practice my accuracy should catch up with what the gun is capable of delivering. I've been carrying it for just a few days, but already am finding that it's easy to forget it's in my pocket. I wear relaxed/loose fit jeans most of the time and in a Desantis Nemesis it pretty much disappears into my pocket without any printing and draws quickly and cleanly. Trigger feels great and I had no problem double tapping paper plates for a couple of hours without any discomfort. This is my first Kahr, and I have to say I'm impressed.

SynapticSilence · Jun 17, 2013

Kahr are excellent pistols. And they offer a range of the same guns in differently priced options. For example, the CM9 is the less inexpensive version of the PM9 which is the polymer version of the even more expensive all steel MK9. The differences in performance between all these models is negligible. I just sold my CM9, but only to fund purchase of another favorite, my Micro Desert Eagle .380, but when cool weather rolls around I'm hoping Kahr will have their new CM45 out. The awesome double action trigger is smoother than even the finest DA revolver trigger. I think they're actually in a different class of design from all the other competitors.

muppetman · Jun 17, 2013

SynapticSilence said:
Kahr are excellent pistols. And they offer a range of the same guns in differently priced options. For example, the CM9 is the less inexpensive version of the PM9 which is the polymer version of the even more expensive all steel MK9. The differences in performance between all these models is negligible. I just sold my CM9, but only to fund purchase of another favorite, my Micro Desert Eagle .380, but when cool weather rolls around I'm hoping Kahr will have their new CM45 out. The awesome double action trigger is smoother than even the finest DA revolver trigger. I think they're actually in a different class of design from all the other competitors.

I loved my CW9 when i had it, definitely a well made quality pistol that represents much more than the meagre price tag! CM9 and PM9 just a little short in the grip for me, but they sure are a great option for a great price!... in fact i may just have to get another lol

SasNW · Jun 18, 2013

Recently in the same boat and My vote goes for the m&p9c for what it's worth. When compared to the shield its thicker by .25" so if you can live with that its worth it. but the 9c is actually shorter by .3" and you can attatch the mags with or without pinky extender, but for iwb the extender is only on the mag side of the bottom so it doesn't print any worse but helps with your draw. Also has a better capacity by 4 rounds as a double stack obviously. Mine was made in feb 2013 and there is a bit a grittiness still in the trigger, but after I installed the apex kit it's now one of my favorite triggers I've felt for not having a manual safety. Also have the glock like trigger installed to eliminate the hinged trigger I didn't like, it's my edc aiwb. 300+ rounds without a single problem so far, Good luck with your choice

+ easily adjustable backstraps to fit your hands and see what you like, comes with small medium and large

Netspirit · Jun 23, 2013

ArgyleAdams said:
The M&P9c fits my hand great, and I can get my pinky on it, but the trigger is absolutely terrible. So creaky and crunchy. I've heard about an aftermarket trigger that really improves this but I'm wary about modifications on a carry gun.

Newer 9c triggers are much better than the old ones - see if you can get your hands on guns produced in 2013. If you still do not like it, there should be no problems installing the APEX package, which makes the trigger silky-smooth (but, in my opinion, with the newer triggers it is not necessary).

M&P Shield is nice but I would hesitate to recommend it to someone with large hands. However, there is no harm it test-driving one. I am carrying it because I want the same carry gun, same caliber, same laser and same holsters for all family members, so anyone can defend equally well with whatever they can grab first. It does have a thumb safety, but it does not protrude out of the gun much so you can just forget about it if safeties are not your thing.

spookshack · Jun 25, 2013

Walther pps

TimG45ACP · Jun 28, 2013

I'll throw in with the M&P crowd. My EDC is an M&P45c, even in hot weather (shorts & Hawaiian shirt) it's concealable. I carry in a Crossbreed. It's an earlier model with the thumb safety. Yeah, the trigger was gritty at first. It smoothed out after around 600 rounds. Even more after I sent it to S&W for the M&P action job.
My M&P9's trigger is almost as good as the .45's. It smoothed out before I finished the first box of ammo.

Guilty · Jun 28, 2013

I like my HK P30, but the OP suggested that the Sig was on the high end of what he wanted to spend and the HK P30's sell for $800 used in good condition. IMO, with the ability to customize the handgrip any hand size should find a perfect grip size.
I also really like the magazine release, it feels a lot more natural to me compared to the traditional button release plus it is ambidextrous.
The recoil feels a lot smoother to me compared to the S&W M&P 9c which has a sharper recoil, maybe because of a combination of a slightly shorter barrel and smaller hand grip.
If you like the Sig, don't let the price tag be the reason to not buy it, Sig's are really great handguns too.