I managed to spend some time in a couple of shops handling some of these numerous options (CZ75, 75 compact, SP9c, Glock 26 and 19, and an 1911 for comparisons sake).
- I still haven't warmed up the feel of polymer framed guns. I get why they are popular, I want to like them, but I have not found one that feels great in my hand. Some feel good (the SR9c for example), but none feel great. I have a medium-large hand, with long fingers, so the narrow, long profile of the CZ and 1911 fit me better. The P89 is a bit of an exception to that with the houge grips, but that is both wide and long, and almost too big. The huge grip on that thing is one of the main reasons that concealing it would be challenging.
- Subcompact is probably out. I want the frame to have enough room for my little finger without it dangling on the end. The extensions for the SR9c or G26 make it feel like an almost full size length grip, but I will never practice with either of those without the extension enough that I would carry them without the extension. Since I will never use it without the extension, I would rather have that real estate be part of the frame rather than a spacer.
- Even though the CZ75B is as big as the P89 on paper, it is no where near the size. The CZ is thin like a 1911. I could probably just about CC a 75b with a thin set of grips installed. I think that the CZ75 compact would conceal nicely on a person of my size (6'1", 200lbs). What a great feeling little gun, it just fits into my hand like it grew there. The compact fit better then the 75b actually.
I am not marking anything off the list yet though. A range near me has a CZ75b (not a compact though), SR9c, glock 19 (just to give subcompact and poly one more go), and a 9mm 1911 (for comparison). I am going to go shoot those to see if that gives me any more clarity, but I am narrowing in on that CZ compact or PCR I think. I want to shoot the 75b without the decocker to see how I feel about that. I lower the hammer on live rounds with the thumb of my shooting hand with the GP fairly often if I cocked it to shoot SA, but then changed my mind, so I am used to doing that safely. I use the decocker on the P89 since it is there, but the DA/SA compact might be an option, I understand that the decocker on the CZ makes the trigger a bit more complicated to smooth out if needed (the trigger being probably the most common complaint about them).
Thanks again everyone for the very helpful input!
who knows why ?
