Which compact pistol??

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Sneakshot92

Sneakshot92

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Hey all. I'm looking at picking up a compact-ish pistol for a little plinking and concealed carry in the small pack on my bicycle. My first thought as a milsurp fan was to seek out a Makarov variant of some sort. Any suggestions milsurp or otherwise?? I'd like to keep it to sane times pricing please so hopefully under $450. Under $350 would be better.
 
Thomas Mayberry said:
I'm well pleased with my S&W Shield. Grabagun shows to have them in stock for $369.00. This is for the original Shield, not the 2.0 version.
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I've handled a few of the original shields and could never quite bring myself to pulling the trigger and taking one home. Hopefully I can get my hands on a 2.0 shield soon. I'm curious to see how they compare from my pov.
 
If you're looking for milsurp, perhaps one of the Star BM's? Looks like J&G still has them available. Nice, pretty little steel-framed gun, chambered in 9mm. Design is heavily based on the 1911, so think commander-sized 1911 in 9mm. Looks like they've raised prices slightly, but they're still available at $250 or $270 depending on quality rating. A bit heavy for concealed carry perhaps, but not for saddle bags. I like mine, but mine does hit high and left unfortunately. Still fun to shoot.
 
Glock 43x. Lots of people that fondle them fall in love with them. (I’m guilty). Good luck finding one in a store though.
 
Sneakshot92 said:
ehh. I've shot my small but fair share of Glocks.. Just can't fall for bricks that go bang. I NEED something with a little more of a soul than a brick.
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All my carry guns gave their souls to my revolvers. :D

Unfortunately, looks like you’re going to have hell finding anything since JB just announced his pick for president. I watched all kinds of guns sell out in the last few hours. Only expensive, high end stuff left where I’ve been looking. Of course odd calibers hang around longer.
 
If you like the Makarov go for it.
There are some others options like the Polish P64, CZ 70, 82, 83 for an all steel blowback pistol.
Bersa currently makes some nice .380s of the same type.
 
If you can find one a Ruger SR9c is a nice, well made compact 9mm. for a decent price. I like the ergos of the gun, the easy to pick up sights, and the clean with a short reset trigger. The thumb safety could be a bit larger and better located and I could do without the LCI but other than that it's good to go.
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Sorry, you said " sane times pricing" during these times? I wish you the best of luck. Smallest package and the most rounds are the P365 and Hellcat. I own both and the Hellcat is my current tiny carry gun. When I want to go lighter and less rounds, a Ruger LCR feels like it's not there at all.
 
Sneakshot92 said:
Hey all. I'm looking at picking up a compact-ish pistol for a little plinking and concealed carry in the small pack on my bicycle. My first thought as a milsurp fan was to seek out a Makarov variant of some sort. Any suggestions milsurp or otherwise?? I'd like to keep it to sane times pricing please so hopefully under $450. Under $350 would be better.
Click to expand...
Glock 42
Just can't fall for bricks that go bang. I NEED something with a little more of a soul than a brick.
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Yer $ but remember for CCW, 'reliability' ought to be pretty far up your list..for something(brick) that goes bang when you pull the trigger.
 
I have a couple of the Shield45s and have not had a problem with them, there is also a M&P compact that I've shot and no problems with it, my wife and some friends have the SCCY 9mm and it conceals well and except for the trigger it is a good gun, the G2C feels good but again terrible trigger.
 
I have had my Russian commercial Makarov in 380acp for over 30 years now. It's a great pistol.

SAR makes some very nice CZ75 compact "clones" in polymer which are inexpensive. I've owned two and they were both very good.

The Taurus G2c has a good reputation. Mine has been flawless.

If you like 1911's, the aforementioned Star BM is another nice one.

All four of these pistols are quite affordable.

Makarov380

Makarov380


SAR B6C 9mm

SAR B6C 9mm


View media item 1591
Star BM 9mm

Star BM 9mm

 
Another vote ala Bannockburn in #13, and Harriw in #5, for the Ruger SR9c and/or the Star BM. Star's a bit heavy, but if ambi is your need, the Ruger is the better choice. I have both, and they're both solid shooters in their own right. The Star BM can be found with some regularity in your price range on Armslist. The Ruger is getting tougher to find. I'm looking for another myself.
 
I know next to nothing about the various Makarov pistols. With that said, my EDC is a Shield 9, 1.0 model, and I'll throw out another vote for it. It's not the smallest, highest-capacity pistol out there, but it fits my hand as though custom fit to it, and it handles recoil remarkably well. That may be a side effect of how well it fits my hand.

And it runs, and it runs with every kind of ammo I stuff into the mag. In 500-750 rounds over the last 3 years, my Shield hasn't had a hiccup yet (knock on wood). I've also got a Shield 45, but it hasn't been 'cleared' for CC duty yet. I expect it to be more of the same.
 
The only compact 9mm you can find right now that isn't being sold for hyper inflated prices might be the Altor...
 
I love my Shield 9 with TLR8. And I really like my .380 PC EZ. Both carry pretty light and both are MOM guns.
upload_2020-8-12_15-41-24.jpeg upload_2020-8-12_15-42-9.jpeg

And both have Talon grips!
 
I like the larger M&P's and would assume the smaller ones are good too. I've been happy with both the Ruger SR9 and LC9s. You can get 2 of the LC9s pistols in your budget
 
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