Best Ultra Compact 9mm

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  • redeemed.man

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 29, 2013
    17,444
    HoCo
    I am a Glock loyalist but I must admit Glock has left me a little disappointed by making the 42 a .380 rather than a 9 mm. I got to hold one this weekend and love the size and feel but IMO it should be a 9 mm. My EDC is a Glock 26 and I doubt this will ever change. I would like a super small 9 mm to carry occasionally when wearing certain light weight summer clothes. I prefer DAO/striker fired or similar with no external safety. So far I like the SIG P290 and the Kahr CM9. If Seecamp made a 9 mm it would be high on my list too but since they don't oh well. Does anyone own a small Kahr 9 mm or the SIG P290? Thoughts? Any other suggestions for me to check out? I do not want anything that is DA/SA or has an external safety.

    P.S. this new gun should be a single stack. In my mind the 26 is the best compact double stack ever made.
     
    Last edited:

    BradMacc82

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Aug 17, 2011
    26,177
    I love my S&W shield 9 fits in my pocket and isn't bad to shoot either when you want to train with it

    The only fault (personal preference) I can find with the Shield is the safety.

    None of my M&P's have safeties or mag disconnects, and I'm quite accustomed to that configuration.
     

    JettaRed

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2013
    1,138
    Middletown
    Bersa BP9cc.

    BP-CC-9-mat-L-fram.jpg



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

    501st

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 16, 2011
    1,627
    I am a Glock loyalist but I must admit Glock has left me a little disappointed by making the 42 a .380 rather than a 9 mm. I got to hold one this weekend and love the size and feel but IMO it should be a 9 mm. My EDC is a Glock 26 and I doubt this will ever change. I would like a super small 9 mm to carry occasionally when wearing certain light weight summer clothes. I prefer DAO/striker fired or similar with no external safety. So far I like the SIG P290 and the Kahr CM9. If Seecamp made a 9 mm it would be high on my list too but since they don't oh well. Does anyone own a small Kahr 9 mm or the SIG P290? Thoughts? Any other suggestions for me to check out? I do not want anything that is DA/SA or has an external safety.

    P.S. this new gun should be a single stack. In my mind the 26 is the best compact double stack ever made.

    PPS

    pps-specs-slider.jpg
     

    Wayne1one

    gun aficionado
    Feb 13, 2011
    3,127
    Bowie, MD
    It is larger than the smaller than the CM9, but the Shield and the CW9 are pretty much the same size.

    IMO there is such a thing as too small for certain calibers and I think when you start getting down to those "micro" pistols they are really just too small for practical self defense use. Snappy recoil, super short sight radius, and limited ammo. Just like there is too big, there is also too small... Just a thought!
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Have a PM9, carried it in the summer for a few years. It is about as shootable as a gun it's size can be, good sights, good recoil control, plenty reliable, smooth DA trigger. There weren't many downsides, the top round tilts upwards a bit from the 2nd round in a mag, and they are a bit loose(same mag body for 9mm and 40S&W) so spare mags stand a good chance of spitting out a couple rounds, or leaving it partially out, jamming you up during a reload. The grip places your hand a little low, but it's comfortable, and muzzle flip isn't bad at all, the grip is also a little slippery, especially on the sides, a 3rd gen GLOCK is grippy by comparison. There are not a huge number of accessories, namely a decent finger extension, the factory extended mags just have a thin smooth plastic piece wrapping around the mag that sticks out below the grip, not very comfortable. The DA trigger is a true DAO trigger, long pull around 7#, with a crisp break near the end with minimal overtravel, then a long reset all the way forward, it would be considered great if it were on a revolver, but compared to a GLOCK it's slow and takes some getting used to.

    While it's a decent pistol, I replaced it in it's CCW role with an XDs 45, despite the much heavier caliber it is an easier pistol to shoot, I can only imagine the 9mm version is really soft shooting. The extended mag has a sleeve that matches the grip perfectly, the grip is higher, grippier, and the pistol feels better in hand. The trigger is identical in feel to GLOCK, smooth and quite good with slight takeup, short distinct break, and short distinct reset. It is a bit larger than the PM9, and about as large a pistol as you can pocket carry, but it is thin and tiny in an IWB holster. I have handled and shot a Shield, really nice pistol, matches the XDs in just about every way for less money, and is a little smaller. The one giant problem with it IMO is the thumb safety, too small to use reliably, but there is always the possibility it could engage inadvertently. Simple truth is if the M&P didn't have the manual safety, I would have probably bought one instead of my XDs despite my love for 45ACP.
     

    NickZac

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 12, 2007
    3,412
    Baltimore, MD
    If you want super small and have money to blow, the Rohrbaugh R9S with one of the easier feeding JHPs that it likes...the recoil is pretty brisk. Of course it has all of the same trade offs many micro 9mms do. If a little bit larger is OK, there are a few Kahr models that are really nice and a heck of a lot nicer and easier to shoot.
     

    WeiShen

    Member
    Oct 7, 2013
    92
    Ward 7
    If you don't mind a grip safety, maybe try an XDS 9mm? Slap a pearce grip extension and a talon grip on it and it is golden. Completely disappears IWB.

    xds.jpg

    (P/C: xds9mm on xdtalk)

    I EDC the XDS-45, same configuration as above (swapped out front red fiber optic for green fiber optic) and can't say enough good things about it. Works swell in a MIC holster too, added peace of mind with the grip safety. :). That's just me though.


    S&W Shield is also nice, though I'm not a fan of the toggle safety on that either. Personally I think the fit and finish of the xds beats the shield. Eats anything too, from +P to dirty steel ammo.
     

    mbz300sdl

    Gone living free now!!!
    Apr 12, 2010
    10,644
    South Carolina
    The only fault (personal preference) I can find with the Shield is the safety.

    None of my M&P's have safeties or mag disconnects, and I'm quite accustomed to that configuration.

    My thoughts exactly.

    I don't like manual external safeties either but it is smooth enough that it isn't an issue and I never use it. Hell I forgot it had one till you just mentioned it
     

    torched02

    Rottie's Rule!
    May 6, 2013
    310
    Hey Mike look at the Beretta Nano too………talk about a gun that is easy to conceal with absolutely nothing to snag on the outside. Hickok 45 has a video up on the Nano and he is extremely accurate with it. (like most of what he shoots!).
     

    redeemed.man

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 29, 2013
    17,444
    HoCo
    Hey Mike look at the Beretta Nano too………talk about a gun that is easy to conceal with absolutely nothing to snag on the outside. Hickok 45 has a video up on the Nano and he is extremely accurate with it. (like most of what he shoots!).

    My wife has a Nano. She shoots good with it however I don't so it is not a carry option for me. I shoot my G26 and G19 better than my G17 inside of 15 yards. I so wish Glock made a single stack 9 mm. That G42 is the perfect size, too bad it is .380, I think I am leaning toward a Kahr CM9 until Glock makes a single stack 9 mm. Has anyone ever shot the SIG 290?

    Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
     

    Wayne1one

    gun aficionado
    Feb 13, 2011
    3,127
    Bowie, MD
    It's funny how everybody mentions the shield's safety. To me it's so tucked away it's non-existent. You have to intentionally activate it, if you don't want a safety don't fool with the safety. That simple. When compared xds gotta remember that the xds is like buying a shield & a half. Performance wise they do the same thing.

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