Looking for some handgun guidance

[T.O.M.]

After carrying a Smith J-frame as my"always" handgun, I have come to the conclusion that 6/7/8/10 rounds of 9mm is better than 5 rounds of .38.  So, I'm considering one of the plentiful small 9mm pistols on the market.  I know many of you are fans of the SIG P365.  I've handled a Walther PPS M2, which felt pretty good.  A friend swears by his S&W Shield 2.0.

Anything else I should put on the list to check out?  My only requirements are that the pistol must be common enough that mags and holsters are readily available.

[cordex]

I have a G43 that I like - especially for how thin it is, but if I were doing it today I’d consider one of the double stack, itty bitty nines.

[Ben]

I will only add that you should check out numerous variations of the P365. My big thing with smaller guns has always been that I felt like I was giving something up to go smaller. The P365XL was the first such gun that didn't make me feel like I was compromising over a larger gun. The regular P365 still made me feel like I was compromising.

[Brad Johnson]

In addition to those you named, there's the Ruger EC9s and Max-9. EC9s is a 7+1 at just over 17 ounces. Max-9 is 2-ish ounces more and 0.05" wider, but is a 12+1.

EC9s is usually $280-290 street but regularly goes on sale for $260 or so (like now at Academy). Max-9 normally streets at $490-500, but regularly goes on sal for around $430 (like now, again at Academy).

I have a couple of EC's. Bought them as gun safe extras when they went on a stupid low $239 sale a couple years ago. Nice feel in the hand. Seem to shoot just fine. Never fondled a Max-9.

Brad

[WLJ]

Hellcat

[MechAg94]

I would vote for the P365, P365XL, or S&W Shield plus.  Depends on preference perhaps. 

I assume that you carried a snubby because it was small and easy to carry.  IMO, the P365 is the smallest of the bunch and it still fairly easy to shoot.  I figure it fits all the reasons you carried a small revolver in the first place.  I was gravitating to larger pistols, but snapped back to my P365 as it is just small, thin, and easy to carry.  I have to think less about what shirt I am wearing.  The Shield plus grip is just a little larger which might fit your preferences.  It will take up more space on the belt IMO.


P365 has lots of magazine sizes available up to 15 rounds or more (17 now).  You can swap out the grip module and just about every other part of the gun with Sig or 3rd party parts.  Just about everyone makes a holster for it. 

[MechAg94]

I have the P365XL also, but I don't have great holster for it with the red dot mounted. 

[Kingcreek]

My wife likes her glock 43. I carry an itty bitty Kahr pm9 but it’s become a has been in the market.
Lots of compact 9mm options out there. Springfield hellcat, S&W, etc

[MillCreek]

Sign me up next to Brad as a fan of the LC/EC-9s pistols. I have a LC-9s for carry in business clothes and a EC-9 s that lives permanently in my bicycle handlebar bag and another EC-9s that lives permanently in my motorcycle handlebar bag. Note that Washington state now bans any magazines over 10 rounds.

[230RN]

My EDC is also a Smith J-frame with laser sight in a pocket with no holster.  Just looks like a buncha junk in there, no "printing" at all.  Extra speedloader for five more rounds in other pocket.  But I figure if I need more than five rounds,  the problem is bigger than a J-Frame anyway,  My heavy artillery has gone down as my years go up and I still occasionally carry a Kahr CW 9  with a spare magazine.  Used to carry a 1911 --in winter, no problem.

In summer, for a while for some reason Hawaiian shirts were frequently seen in Denver and I took advantage of that for concealment.  Then I found out that some group of them paranoid right-winger deplorables favored Hawaiian shirts and I quit that.  I guess that fad has waned by now.

Carried a Llama .380 for a while.

I kind of figure the shorty barrel J-frame with +Ps can make more noise than a July 4th aerial salute and that alone ought to offer some discouragement.

And when I worry a bit about the "inadequacy" of the .38 I think of the one-shot at Lee Harvey Oswald and all the damage that .38 slug did in there.

Terry, 230RN

[lee n. field]

After carrying a Smith J-frame as my"always" handgun, I have come to the conclusion that 6/7/8/10 rounds of 9mm is better than 5 rounds of .38.  So, I'm considering one of the plentiful small 9mm pistols on the market.  I know many of you are fans of the SIG P365.  I've handled a Walther PPS M2, which felt pretty good.  A friend swears by his S&W Shield 2.0.

Anything else I should put on the list to check out? 

Those I have hands on with are KT PF9, Springfield XDS, Mossberg MC1SC, and Kahr CM9. 

The Keltec was "OK, I guess".  Not made currently.  Didn't think I'd want to keep it forever, so sold it off.

The Springfield I bought with the proceeds from the PF9.  Never a problem with it.   Factory mags go from the 7 round short mag to a 9 round extended.    Never a functional problem with it.  Carried it for quite a while.  Always thought it was difficult to shoot well, and I speculate that had to do with how flat the package was.

The Mossberg and the Kahr (as well as a .40 S&W CM40), are guns I picked up used for cheap over the past couple years. 

The Kahrs are as tiny as I'd feel comfortable shooting.  6 round standard mag (in 9mm).  Excellent triggers.

The Mossberg is a Gock 43 copy (mostly).  It can use Glock 43 mags, striker, and recoil assembly.  And it is surprisingly pleasant to shoot.  The trigger is the usual Glock vague "kids plastic space gun" feel.  The unique takedown sounds funky, but is trivial to do.  And safe.

My only requirements are that the pistol must be common enough that mags and holsters are readily available.

Kahr thinks the world of their magazines, and thinks you ought to be happy to spend $45 on a little 6 round metal box. 

Best holster availability is, as always, 1911, Glock anything, j-frame, and whatever the current hotness (P365) is.

My EDC is also a Smith J-frame with laser sight in a pocket with no holster.  Just looks like a buncha junk in there, no "printing" at all.  Extra speedloader for five more rounds in other pocket.  But I figure if I need more than five rounds,  the problem is bigger than a J-Frame anyway,

Over the years since this state got (legal) carry, snubby 38 has been my carry probably half the time.

[Perd Hapley]

Definitely try the 365. Great trigger.

[RocketMan]

SWMBO and I each have Glock G43 sub-compacts that we really like.  I'm likely to buy a compact or mid-size handgun at some point to complement it.  I shoot better with a slightly heavier gun as it steadies my hand more.
Edited to mention the G43 is my daily carry weapon.

[K Frame]

I love my Walther CCP. Fits my hand like a dream.

Got it in 2019.

But I'm still carrying my S&W Model 042.

Yep, 5 rounds of .38 Special.

As I opined a few years ago...

I'm not sticking around for some Doc Holiday shootout.

My handgun is, in reality, the starter pistol on the Fat Man's Mad Dash Tactical Retreat.

[K Frame]

Oh, and remember Sig's standard marketing model.

Monday -- Introduce Model P%@:(!!!, which quickly becomes very popular.

Tuesday -- Discontinue handgun, including any and all support and parts, including magazines. Watch the sporting world burn.

Wednesday -- Magazines for the P%@:(!!! being doubling in price every 20 minutes, and will continue to do so for at least the next year.

Thursday -- Introduce, to great fanfare, the P%@:(!!!2.1, which is just different enough from the Model P%@:(!!! that not thing one will interchange.

Friday -- Knock off early and travel to Munich for Oktoberfest and slam some beer, sausages, an Frauleins.

[BobR]

How small do you want to go? I have a SIG 938 that is my most carried small gun because it slips into the cargo pocket on my shorts just fine in a De Santis holster. My next step up is a S&W M&P Shield 9 2.0 Performance Center, Either of those work for me.

I like this site for comparing sizes when looking at different guns.

https://www.handgunhero.com/

bob

[HankB]

I had (note past tense) a Kahr P9, and what a troublesome POS that was. To their credit, Kahr replaced it, and I traded the (new) replacement for a G26 which actually works.

When Walther brought out their P99, several showed up at the local IDPA matches - for a while. They were abandoned as unreliable. Later Walthers supposedly work better, but Walther has a bad reputation of discontinuing support (things like spare parts) for older models as soon as they introduce something new.

If I wanted a smaller pistol, I would consider the Hellcat or one of the smaller S&Ws - probably one of the latter, as they seem to fit my hand better. Go to the S&W forum (http://smith-wessonforum.com/) to see a LOT of discussion of current and older S&Ws.

I absolutely would be sure any new pistol I bought was "optics ready."

[K Frame]

Forgot to mention that I also really like how my Ruger American fits in my hand. I've still not had the chance to shoot it yet, but I suspect that I just might like it enough to also put it into rotation as a potential carry gun.

However, it's heavy enough that I'd likely carry it in a shoulder holster.

That's one thing I didn't mention about my 042 S&W... It absolutely disappears into my jeans pocket in a pocket holster. I really like pocket carry. Works really well for me

[grampster]

I have a Ruger EC9S I carry every day.

[Jim147]

The Hellcat with the 13 round mag was the one I liked the most. But I didn't buy one so can't give you a report on the functionality. I still run with my XD45 Service.

[WLJ]

The Hellcat with the 13 round mag was the one I liked the most. But I didn't buy one so can't give you a report on the functionality. I still run with my XD45 Service.

Mine has been flawless and I don't think I've seen a single review where they had any sort of issue from day one of release.
Contrast that with the 365 when it first came out.

[Perd Hapley]

The Springfield I bought with the proceeds from the PF9.  Never a problem with it.   Factory mags go from the 7 round short mag to a 9 round extended.    Never a functional problem with it.  Carried it for quite a while.  Always thought it was difficult to shoot well, and I speculate that had to do with how flat the package was.

I haven't had that problem with the XDs. If it fits your hands (as it does mine) it can be a great choice. I wouldn't have bought it if the 365 (and similar guns) had been on the market at the time, however.

[MechAg94]

My P365 has been reliable since I got it.  Should be over 1000 rounds through it by now.  I bought it less than a year after it came out.  Whatever issue they had, they fixed it.  Not something anyone needs to worry about now.

My XD pistols haven't been perfect, but mostly ok.  I have an XDs 45 that has worked well. 

[Tim L]

Really like my P365XL, I didn’t even need to buy a new holster because it fits securely in a 1911 Commander holster.  I shoot it a lot more accurately than the XD-S with a lot less felt recoil than the Kahr PM9 that I had.  The Shield Plus as nice as the 365, but is a little bit bigger.  Can’t go wrong with either the 365 or shield plus.

[dogmush]

It's kinda hard to go too wrong if you stick with the major brands and dip into the micro double stacks.

Sig P365/365X/365XL family, G43/43x/48 w/ Shield mags, the Hellcat, M&P Shield Plus is where I would start.  They are all good guns and popular enough you should be able to find a holster pretty easily.

I like my P365XL (as I've often said on here) as a great micro handgun, but I am often reminded that except for carrying, a micro handgun isn't very good.  When I run my tiny gun in a class or on a timer I am forced to remember that even going to a G19 sized gun makes performance much easier.

Just temper your expectations.