Small 9mm carry option

[mrortega]

First of all, money shouldn't be an issue. You don't want to be in an alley some night with a gun that you had to settle for instead of one that you know won't fail you. If you have to wait just a little longer to get that Glock 19 or 26 do it.

I'll second the 19 as a great gun. As improbable as it seems I've carried it many times in a Galco Ankle Glove and it hides well if you dress for it; one size longer boot cut jeans and 6" work type boots. Remember, the average person won't notice a hatched buried in your head much less a slight bulge in your cuff.

The 26 doesn't bother me or feel "fat" if you decide to go that way. And you can wear it on your belt and be confident that it will be just as accurate as the 19. However, you give up 5 rounds with it over the 19.

 

[jwh20]

I am looking to get a small 9mm carry gun and was thinking about the Ruger LC9. Price is an issue so there is no way I will be getting a Sig. One of my friends told me today that he has heard mixed reviews about the LC9(but wasn't able to tell me any) and was just wondering what the community thought. For an inexpensive small carry is the LC9 the best option, or are there other options?

You should definitely have a look at the Beretta Nano. I have one as my EDC in a DeSantis Pocket-Tuk. When you look at a Nano you'll think it's a lot bigger than it really is. Put one side-by-side with the LC9 and you will see the Nano is only slightly larger.

But that little bit of size makes a lot a difference in firing. The Nano feels good in the hand and fires comfortably. I've put about 250 rounds through mine and have not had any issues with it.

 

[looney2ns]

Personally my wife nor I like the Nano. But we do like our two LC9s.
The point being, you need to shoot what you're considering to buy first.
See what you like and what you shoot the best.

 

[MolonLabe7]

i know i have commented before already, but another good/cheaper gun would be an XD9. i had the chance to hold an XDM 3.8 9mm and i have to say it felt great. i have shot an XD9 and they shoot GREAT. it is a little bigger than the glock 19, but it holds 19+1 rounds compared to the glocks 15+1. the glock just felt better to me so i went with the glock 19

 

[Corbinator]

9mm

Get yourself a Makarov. Very easily concealed and very very reliable. At least find one and shoot it ! You will be surprised. Very accurate do to the fact that the barrel is attached to the frame. Easy to disassemble and clean. Best of all $250-$300 !!

 

[INDYFAN]

The LC9 is a self protection gun! The only reason to take it to the range is to a)break it in; b)familiarize yourself with the feel of it; c)get reasonably good at hitting what you want to hit.
It is not a target pistol. None of the "baby" nines are. I don't even enjoy my rangetime with very much. But I sure do like carrying it!!
I've put about 600 round through it and so far it has been flawless.
O.K. I don't like the trigger nearly as well as I do my g19 (extremely well polished with NY trigger spring), but I believe in a combat situation I'm probably not going to be overly concerned with the length of pull or the roughness. By the way, if you do lots of dry fire practice, he trigger will get smoother.
My g19 has a real bright heeadlight on it, so it's usually my house gun. Once in a while I'll carry it just so it won't get lonesome, but that is the day I really appreciate my LC9!twocents:

 

[tds727272]

Kel-tec?

 

[Kimber-gal]

I just got a diamondback db9. My bf has the lc9 After shooting it I wanted to try a different carry pistol. Bad thing is no 9mm ammo out there to go try her out! Good luck.

 

[Mwiseman6]

Looks like you keep getting the same answers... guess there's some merit in that unless you are not a Glock or Nano fan. I'll throw another option into the hat. I absolutely love my Bersa BP9cc. For me it is the perfect carry option. It is slim, has a great trigger and is priced reasonably.

 

[fbongo]

mlouisalbert - I was in the same spot; have a mix of different handguns already from full size to pocket, .22 to .45 - but nothing really fit the needs of how I wanted to carry and what was important to me.

Where do you plan on carrying it? Pocket? Inner waistband? Outer waistband? Shoulder rig?

- I plan on carrying IWB, something that fits nicely into a pocket wasn't on the top of the list, but something slim was.

- While I do like the idea of extra "knock-down" power of the .45, I would rather train/use a caliber that is less expensive to train with, and with modern self defense ammo I don't think there is a night a day different between the two.

- The most capacity you can get for the size of gun you are willing to carry is a good thing.

- How many magazines come with the initial purchase of the gun?

- Do you want to be able to fire the gun without a magazine in it?

- This is my first carry gun, so I do like the idea of a external safety. I realize that this will add an extra step in my draw, and there may be a time that I don't feel the need for it.
- Can you rack the slide with the safety on?

- How easy is the gun take down/clean?

- I tend to be a little picky on my trigger feel - not so much pull weight but length and reset. I understand that a carry gun shouldn't have a very light trigger, but there are guns including the Ruger LC9 that the length of the pull just doesn't work for me.

- Are you right or left handed? Some makes/models aren't as friendly for south paws.


Some of the ones that were on MY list...M&P Shield, LC9, Springfield XDs (soon in 9mm, same footprint as the Shield), Walther PPS. I admit that I tend not to be a Glock fan, they make a great gun, just not something that I enjoy shooting.

I ended up with a M&P Shield in 9mm, it took me 3 months to find one and ended up getting it shipped in from GrabAGun in Texas - can't say enough good about their service. I ordered on Monday, shipped on Tuesday, in my hands at the FFL on Thursday. I do see that now and then they show up in the classifieds here. Took it out for the first time to the range yesterday and loved it. Trigger like my XDM, slim fit, safety was easy to disengage. I just put a Hogue Handall Jr. slip on grip this morning, and a small strip of adhesive texturized rubber where my trigger finger rests and I am all set. Waiting for a couple of different Foxx Holsters to come in the mail that I ordered last week.

As others have said, there is no perfect gun, figure out what is important to you and try as many as you can before you purchase.

 

[PhilDeez]

You can pick up a used Kel-Tec PF9 fairly reasonably. They catch a lot of slack on these forums, but I own one and have no complaints. They aren't a gun you want to take to the range and put a couple hundred rounds through at one time. But it's small and realiable.

 

[sig-man]

I had a Beretta Nano and sold it to a friend. I know on paper it seems like a tiny gun, but to me it just seemed cumbersome. It felt like I was carrying a dang brick in my pocket or on my hip. I now carry a p938 most of the time. It just seems more comfortable for me. I like it much better than I did my Nano. If I am gonna pocket carry for a long period, I have a Diamondback DB9 that virtually disappears in a pair of pants. I know there are mixed opinions on the DB9, but mine has honestly been flawless with 200+ rounds of mixed ammo down the pipe.

 

[AR15Jim]

Kahr cw9

 

[rbMPSH12]

I have the M&P 9 Shield. Love it! My mom has the LC9, and I have never liked it. The trigger pull is really long. You don't know when it will break. It also feels snappier and less comfortable to shoot IMHO. I have put probably 600-700 rounds through my Shield with 0 malfunctions. I have only put about 8 Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel hollowpoints through it at very rapid fire, and they cycled fine. I should run more through it, but I don't have the money when they are $1.30 a piece.

In response to my buddy Throttletony who mentioned the Shield's newness and unsure reliability, James Yeager got a Shield from S&W and ran over 8000 rounds through it in his high intensity classes at Tactical Response without cleaning it and it ran great. I've only heard good things about its reliability. But if you're looking for more mag capacity, you'll have to go double stack like Glock etc. I personally don't like the M&P compact or full size as much as the Shield. And for the full size I like the Glock 17 better.

Shields are somewhat hard to get, but not impossible to find. They are becoming easier to find I think. INGO Classifieds has had some fairly recently.

 

[Kentuckypilgrim]

I like the third gen s&w's. Especially the cs9 and the 3913, both are single stacks and carry well.

 

[maverick18]

I have what I think is the smallest 9mm available, the Diamondback DB9. It is just slightly larger than the .380 pocket guns and mine has worked flawlessly. The only little hiccup I had was went through 3 different hollowpoints before I found a kind it likes to eat. Short guns with short feed ramps can be picky.

 

[Doug B]

The Bodyguard disappears in a front pocket. LC9 is nice, but not as small or light as the Bodyguard.

Bodyguard is virtually invisible in a front pocket.

 

[minx]

The Bodyguard disappears in a front pocket. LC9 is nice, but not as small or light as the Bodyguard.

Bodyguard is virtually invisible in a front pocket.

This is true, and you will carry All the time cause it is so easy. It shoots great. Down side is .380 and 7 rounds.