Best Compact 9mm

Best for what?

Best for concealing is my DB9. It has been completely reliable but it the toughest on my hand due to it's light weight.

For a little bigger and heavier package I really love my Kahr CM9, it is a much better shooter. I carry my DB9 much more often than my CM9 because it is a lighter more compact package.

Personallly I feel my CM9 is a better Glock than a Glock and also a much more compact package than a shield but still big enough to shoot very well with my XL hands. With the Kahr +1 extra long mag it is even a nicer shooter. That extra bit of length from the +1 mag makes shooting several hundred rounds in a single range trip fun instead of punishing.

I had one of the early LC9 pistols and you couldn't give me another one. Ok maybe but I would sell it as fast as I got it. The G2c can be had for around $179.99 (Palmetto State Armory) and they have free shipping from time to time. Or if you relaly want the Glock? Why not save a month or two and get that?

WB

$124.99 after mail-in-rebate gets you a SCCY with a stainless steel slide.

If you decide on the Taurus G2c, I would recommend spending the extra 15 to 20 dollars on a stainless steel slide. The G2c is the latest iteration of the Taurus Millennium G2 PT111. You can search the Internet to discover all of the changes between the Taurus Millennium G2 PT111 and the G2c (there aren't too many). One of the things that did not change between the Taurus Millennium G2 PT111 and the G2c is the finish. The finish on my Taurus Millennium G2 PT111 is not very good. I wish I had gotten the stainless steel slide.

My gun came from the factory with bare metal showing.

People may say that this is where metal parts rub against each other, but I have a few Glocks with hundreds and hundreds of rounds through them and they don't show this kind of wear. Yes there is a big price difference between a Glock and a Taurus G2, but just looking at it objectively, the coating on the Taurus is not that good. The edge of the mag release button looks like it either didn't get coated or they did an additional machining operation on it after it was coated and then forgot to re-coat it.



Here is the slide finish from the factory in 2016:




I don't shoot my Millennium G2 PT111 a lot, it makes it to the range maybe 10 or 11 times a year. I probably have 1700 rounds through it and here is what it looks like now:



I have an H&K P7M8 that I've had since 1985, shot it regularly all these decades and it does not have wear any thing like this Taurus. You'd have to put thousands and thousands of rounds through a Glock or a Smith M&P to get it to look like this Taurus does as far as finish wear.

All this is just to say I wish I'd gotten the stainless steel slide.




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I think there are probably high-capacity magazines out there for almost every gun now, but I know that the Taurus G2c takes Mec-Gar made Sig Sig P226 magazines.



When I go to the range I always shoot at least 1 magazine worth of ammo with the Mec-Gars. I've never had a malfunction of any kind with the Taurus Millennium G2 PT111, and the Mec-Gars work flawlessly. I've never had a problem inserting a Mec-Gar mag, or had a problem feeding the first round manually from the Mec-Gars, the Mec-Gars always lock the slide back on the last round and when I hit the magazine release button, they eject with authority - I've never had the Taurus magazines or the Mec-Gars fail to drop free when pressing the magazine release button.

I'm just sayng this because I like the ability to turn the "compact" firearm into something with a little more firepower than 12+1 rounds. I didn't buy the Taurus Millennium G2 PT111 for concealed carry, I just wanted a cheap gun for my get home bag, and I'm happier with 20+1 rounds than 12+1.

BTW - in this photo you can see metal starting to show through on the manual safety lever and the slide stop lever (not a spot wear there is metal-to-metal contact). Even if you purchase the stainless steel version of the gun, the slide stop and safety lever are just carbon steel and they're going to have poor finish to them. You can browse the Taurus website and the guns they have on their website have finish problems.

Here is the G2c featured on their website. You can see metal on the slide stop, mag release, and manual safety:



It is an inexpensive firearm and I'm sure they realized cost savings on the finish.

Sweet & inexpensive ($350 range) Kahr CW9 with 7+1 capacity (Magguts spring kit increases to 8+1). Also its brother CM9 is even smaller. Both only .9 inches thick.

The Taurus G2C is an excellent option when on a tight budget. I have 2 and they've both been wonderful.

Of the ones you list I’d take the Taurus. These are good quality firearms at a great price. I’ve had more issues with Rugers than I have Taurus’. I’ve mentioned several times on here, but Rugers are the only handguns I’ve owned that tended to rust. Also had trigger pins and sights come loose.

Ratshooter said:

Since I am on disability and looking for a compact 9mm I have found 3 guns that are in my budget. The first is a Ruger LC9 I found on GB for $249 with box and docks, the second is a Taurus G2s at Buds for $201 and free shipping brand new with 2 mags and third is a Kel-Tec PF-9 NIB with one mag for $200 plus shipping.

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Ruger replaced the hammer-fired LC9 some time ago with the striker-fired LC9S. Except for Distributor Exclusive runs, Ruger has replaced the LC9S with the less expensive EC9S. The EC9S is less expensive than the LC9S was because the EC9S has fixed sights milled into the slide rather than removable sights and the slide finish is black oxide rather than blued. Bud's prices for the G2C and EC9S are within two dollars of each other.

Ratshooter said:

I would love one of the new single stack Glocks or one of the S&W sheilds but the prices are out of my limited budget. So what would you guys recommend? Any other ideas in the same price range are welcome and will be considered.

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First-generation Shields have been priced in the $250+ range for some time. With a recently-expired $50 rebate, people were picking up new Shields for around $200. The prices for used Shields were obviously correspondingly lower. If you like the Shield, just watch for a decent deal on a used one.

Ratshooter

Of the three you have listed I would go with the Ruger LC9. Had a KelTec Pf9 and didn't care for it's ergonomics or it's heavy trigger pull (plus recoil was pretty stiff with that gun). Also had a Taurus PT111 Gen.3 and while it worked okay it just didn't point on target for me, like I was always having to raise the front of the slide to get the right sight picture.

If you could go with a little more money I would highly recommend a Kahr CM9. Great size and weight, decent design, and a nice smooth double action trigger.

Ratshooter

Sounds like a plan! Good luck with your your comparison shopping! And let us know what you come away with!

Another endorsement for the Taurus G2C

I have an LC9s Pro. Good gun, had an issue and discovered that all of the good things said about Ruger customer service are true. One thing to keep in mind with the LC9s / EC9s; they are not an easy or particularly fun gun to shoot. Lots of bang in a small package with a short sight radius.

I've had good luck with Taurus, and have heard good things about the G2c. Plus it has more capacity and mass, which would likely make it more pleasant to shoot.

gc70 said:

First-generation Shields have been priced in the $250+ range for some time.

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Yup. IMO that's a much better pistol than any of those that the OP listed.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/smith-wesson-m-p-shieldtm-9mm.html

The best of anything is highly subjective. See if you can test fire a couple different ones. That is your best bet to getting one you like.

The lightweight, straight-shooting Diamondback DB9 is my favorite. I carry it everywhere and the trigger is much better than my KelTec PF9.

bannockburn said:

Ratshooter

Of the three you have listed I would go with the Ruger LC9. Had a KelTec Pf9 and didn't care for it's ergonomics or it's heavy trigger pull (plus recoil was pretty stiff with that gun). Also had a Taurus PT111 Gen.3 and while it worked okay it just didn't point on target for me, like I was always having to raise the front of the slide to get the right sight picture.

If you could go with a little more money I would highly recommend a Kahr CM9. Great size and weight, decent design, and a nice smooth double action trigger.

View attachment 881681

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Cannot say enough good things about the sweet little Kahr Cm9. Recently purchased my Second one. One for a Range and one for Carry. NOW, I see this crazy deal on one. If I was not bleeding so much from Christmas Spending, I would jump on this deal. I might yet. $239.00 plus fee shipping. Fantastic price for such quality.Only 14oz unloaded, and very mild to shoot A Great Mico 9mm.
Normally around $350.00. These type of deals usually do not last long.

PS I traded my Ruger LC9S in for the second Kahr

https://www.mrgundealer.com/shop/kahr-arms-cm9-cm9093-9mm-pistol-602686067317-12394

The LC9s is pretty good. Very accurate, good trigger, thumb safety that works well. Magazines are reasonable priced, and 9 round mags are available. They make an economy version of it that sells for right at $200 +/- a bit. The only real difference is that the front sight is milled into the slide on the EC9s instead of fitting into a dovetail on the LC9s

If you're looking at the original LC9 I'd pass. The newer version is just that much better, and at $200 isn't going to break the bank.

The Kel-Tec and the SCCY CPX-II are hammer-fireds. The PF9 has been my EDC pretty much since I got it in 2010. I'm a hammer-shooter far more, having been trained for a long time on revolvers, and then on the DA/SA autoloader.

SCCY is now releasing a striker-fired version of the CPX.

There's a reason the Taurus G2C keeps coming up in the suggestions here. I do have one, but have not yet placed it into carry duty. I haven't had it long enough.

A LC9s or the G2 would be my pick in your price range. I carried a LC9 for awhile but didn't like the trigger. The LC9s cured that. The Taurus will be next on my list to try. I have tested 8 or 9 different carry guns and have seen nothing but good reviews on the G2. My personal carry gun for the last 3 years has been the Glock 43 that is twice the price of the Taurus.

Ratshooter said:

I have actually been looking at the CW9. I had one of those many years ago and can't for the life of me figure out why I got rid of it or even how I got rid of it. I didn't shoot it a lot but it worked every single time. Thanks for the heads up on the CM9. There are several on GB that can be had in the less than $300 range. Thats doable.

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Mrgundealer.com has the CM9 on sale at $235.99.

edited to add:
Jeb beat me to it.

My wife has the Ruger LC9s. A good gun, accurate with a good trigger. Include the S&W shield in your considerations. I have one as my primary EDC. There's a reason that over 3 million have been sold. Palmetto State Armory has them now for $239.00.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/smith-wesson-m-p-shieldtm-9mm.html

Of what you listed, I would pick the Ruger.

Spats McGee said:

Of the ones you listed, and with the caveat that I have shot exactly zero of them, I'd take the Ruger every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I'd also add the S&W Shield to the list of candidates.

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+1 The Ruger or the Shield (or IMO the Kahr PM9) are way above the others in your list.

my PF9 broke the trigger bar after 58 rounds and the slide before 800 rounds. Company rep was unhelpful and demeaning. Avoid, IMO.